2011 August 16 archive at Robert Pogson

Archive for August 16th, 2011

Google’s Purchase of Motorola

Published by Robert Pogson August 16th, 2011 in technology. 10 Comments

Some argue that this deal will drive a wedge between Google and makers of Android/Linux smart phones. Nothing could be further from the truth. This gives everyone in the Android/Linux gang a big brother who carries a big patent-stick.

While Motorola competes with other makers of Android/Linux stuff, Motorola and the others are all part of the Open Handset Alliance and share code and standards. Buying Motorola puts Google into the same position as the other partners as far as having to implement the software in actual gadgets. There could even be an explicit cross-licensing amongst the members of the Alliance. We shall see.

see Preston Gralla – Some say the Google-Motorola deal will help Windows Phone 7. Here’s why they’re wrong.

- Robert Pogson

Debian GNU/Linux Still Growing Strongly

Published by Robert Pogson August 16th, 2011 in technology. 1 Comment

In contrast to the naysayers I have encountered who hold that GNU/Linux is a dying thing, Debian GNU/Linux, one of the most popular and resilient distros of GNU/Linux and Free Software, is going strong 18 years after it started.

The current “unstable” branch consists of more than 35,000 binary packages for the amd64 architecture alone – over 44GB of Free/Libre Software!
Besides more than 1,000 Debian Developers and Maintainers from all over the globe, there are in excess of 11,000 registered accounts for the Alioth collaboration platform, and that doesn’t even include all those people contributing with translations or bug reports (and sometimes patches for them) and all those users helping others via our mailing lists, forums and IRC channels.

See Debian Community celebrates its 18th birthday

- Robert Pogson

My Mission

My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.

My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.

I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.