Published by Robert Pogson May 16th, 2011
in technology.
Ubuntu Studio is a derivative of Ubuntu intended for people creative in audio, video and graphics. The developers who bring it together have decided to deviate further from Ubuntu by using XFCE4 rather than going with GNOME 3 or Unity. They are happy with GNOME as it was and prefer to avoid the distraction of a radical change in user-interface. Because GNU/Linux is modular and flexible they can do this. More power to them.
This seems a reasonable approach to me. XFCE4 has a lot of differences from GNOME but it is pretty simple. It also has the benefits of being well-supported and mature. This is a more sure option than hoping for a fork of GNOME 2. It will be interesting to see whether Ubuntu makes this change increasingly difficult or whether a shift to the mother-ship, Debian GNU/Linux, would be in order.
- Robert Pogson
I have seen SmartBoardTMs (brand of interactive/touchable white screen) in only a couple of schools in which I have taught but I just had an interview for a teaching position and I refreshed my knowledge by visiting the site of the maker. They do support GNU/Linux for the basic operation but not for a ton of add-on features. Sigh. Locked-in to proprietary/non-standard technology and GNU/Linux is given second-rate support still. I guess if I get the position I could use whatever OS (MacOS or that other OS) for the SmartBoard and put lots of GNU/Linux goodness on web applications. Of course the download requires authentication using a serial number…
I prefer just using a projector with Gromit (permits writing in several colours and erasing using mouse) so this technology would be a change for me. Perhaps I don’t need the “extras”. We shall see. Oh, I know one can do more with a SmartBoard, but simplicity has advantages, too. SmartBoards cost $thousands and a good project costs less than $1K. Benefit/$ seems higher with just a projector.
- Robert Pogson
Published by Robert Pogson May 16th, 2011
in technology.
I asked whether or not the new on-line Canadian Census could provide statistics on UserAgent strings. This is the reply:
“Hello,
Thank you for your e-mail message of May 7, 2011.
Although it is true that Statistics Canada could obtain frequency counts of the different browsers and operating systems used by those who complete the 2011 Census online, this information will not be published. The statistics that will be released to the public from the Census will correspond to the questions asked by the Census, with five major releases (all scheduled for 2012):
- Population and dwelling counts
- Age and sex
- Families, households and marital status
- Structural type of dwelling and collectives
- Language
Regards,
Census Communications | Communications du recensement
Statistics Canada | 100 Tunney’s Pasture Driveway, Ottawa ON K1A 0T6
Statistique Canada | 100, promenade Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa ON K1A 0T6
censuscommunications@statcan.gc.ca | communicationsdurececensement@statcan.gc.ca
Facsimile | Télécopieur 613-951-0930
Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada”
Sign. The taxpayers pay to get information collected. The information is collected. The information is not forthcoming… It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s governmental policy. I wonder if it would make any difference if I volunteered to analyze the logs personally…
- Robert Pogson
Published by Robert Pogson May 16th, 2011
in technology.
Vodaphone is a huge global mobile ISP. They are first or second ranked in market share in revenue or units sold. They are going to have a house-brand smartphone running Android/Linux. For 90Euros it will sell well. Vodaphone has 130 million subscribers in India alone and 341 million globally. Continue reading ‘Vodaphone Loves Android’
- Robert Pogson
Published by Robert Pogson May 16th, 2011
in technology.
see As of Today, It’s Mark Webbink’s Groklaw 2.0
PJ is going to have a rest and will no longer be the “point man”. Mark Webbink will take over.
Quoting PJ,
“Now that the battlefield has shifted from SCO attacking Linux to Microsoft using patents against it and from servers to mobiles, I realized that Groklaw needs a lawyer at the helm. So I asked Mark Webbink if he would take on this role, and I’m thrilled to tell you that he has accepted. He is the new editor of Groklaw as of today. Mark was General Counsel at Red Hat, as you know, and he is on the board of the Software Freedom Law Center. He is also a law professor, which as I’ll explain is a vital piece of what he has planned. Mark is a visiting professor at New York Law School where he runs the Center for Patent Innovations, oversees the Peer To Patent project run with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, has been active in seeking reform of the U.S. patent system, and teaches patent licensing. In addition, Mark is a senior lecturing fellow at Duke University School of Law where he teaches intellectual property (patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret) licensing. Mark has access to law students at those law schools and many others. In addition, Mark has remained interested and involved in free and open source software and related intellectual property issues and he is the author of the chapter on U.S. technology law included in a soon to be released book on free and open source software law.”
That looks like a good choice, a person with a solid footing in the legal side of things and a commitment to FLOSS. I doubt he will be able to give the long hours that PJ did but no one is perfect.
- Robert Pogson
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