Published by Robert Pogson May 21st, 2012
in technology.
I find it puzzling that some still cling to the idea/belief/lie that only non-free software can be good or that one must run non-free software to get things done. Some say it’s all about the applications and assume only non-free applications can work for people and determine their fate. It’s not so. We see many examples of people using FLOSS applications and operating systems with satisfaction.
For example, Chrome web browser has now displaced IE (which gets a free ride on Wintel) by some measures and Chrome plus FireFox makes a huge share of widely used applications, web browsers. Clearly FLOSS can offer people what they want because people usualy had to choose that option.
Some think Google’s Chrome browser is non-free software but it’s not: LICENCE. It has a BSD-style licence.
Even NetApplications, which is biased to use in business, shows a huge share for FLOSS browsers:
see Chrome passes IE in browser share – The H Open Source: News and Features.
I recommend people use Debian GNU/Linux, an operating system, a huge set of applications and a package manager that makes it easy to manage one machine or thousands.
- Robert Pogson
When a father teaches his son how to “hunt” or a mother teaches her children how to get along with people, there is no price attached to the transaction. The same goes for all knowledge. The world is a better place when people know more. That’s one of the reasons I love FLOSS(Free/Libre Open Source Software) because you are allowed to know anything and everything about the software. No one keeps secrets in FLOSS.
With FLOSS, one acquires with a licence the right to use, examine, modify and copy the software. That’s knowledge for $0. That’s knowledge with no strings attached. That’s how IT should be.
Educators know this too and with the low operational cost of educational transactions on-line, it’s the right way to do education as well. Some major universities are collaborating to offer some courses on-line for $0, making the world a better place, one educated person at a time.
see Harvard, MIT to partner in $60 million initiative to offer free online classes to all – Metro Desk – Local news updates from The Boston Globe
- Robert Pogson
Published by Robert Pogson May 21st, 2012
in technology.
I predicted this year would see serious intrusion of ARMed PCs into the traditional territory of Intel. There have been moves on the client and server front. For years ARM claimed to be about controllers/gadgets and mobile but now ARM sees a wider horizon. It makes sense. Moore’s Law has brought x86 to insane power-levels both in heating and performance. The same has come to ARM which dominates the mobile space except for notebooks. ARMed notebooks will have much greater batter-life or reduced weight or both. Expect to see a lot by Christmas.
Last year, ARM made a huge dent in Christmas sales thanks to mobile stuff so retailers will welcome some opportunity to give consumers what they want this year, small cheap computers. How much of this will be with “8″ or */Linux remains to be seen but even retailers know that ARM and Linux work well.
“Warren East, ARM’s CEO, told Dow Jones he expects companies making processors based on ARM cores will take between 10 and 20 percent of the notebook PC market by 2014 or 2015.”
See ARM steps up war of words with Intel – Claims it will steal PC share | TechEye.
- Robert Pogson
Published by Robert Pogson May 21st, 2012
in technology.
M$ has long had a lever on OEMs: sell the One True OS and receive a share of the exorbitant licensing fees hidden in the price and a bit OEMs charge certain suppliers to add stuff to the system… That honeymoon will end with “8″. M$ will charge $99 to “speed up” PCs by removing what the OEMs add. While it looks like everyone will benefit, the folks who pay OEMs to add stuff will see less benefit if M$ is scraping stuff off so the OEMs will be taking a pay-cut from their tiny margins. This will encourage more OEMs to ship more units with GNU/Linux. Thank you, M$.
See Microsoft charges to remove crapware – The only bloat you want is ours | TechEye.
- Robert Pogson
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