2012 October 17 archive at Robert Pogson

Archive for October 17th, 2012

GNU/Linux Selling on Retail Shelves in China

Published by Robert Pogson October 17th, 2012 in technology. 12 Comments

I found a guy living in China, Josh Kiley, posting pictures from China:

I don’t read Chinese but the pictures seem consistent with reports of stores selling GNU/Linux in China. I don’t believe the stories that these machines are intended for illegal copies of XP. That may have been the case a few years ago but there’s a whole new generation of users getting PCs now that have never used XP and for whom smart phones and tablets are OK.

Good for Dell and ASUS. Don’t forget the rest of the world.

- Robert Pogson

The Concept of FLOSS

Published by Robert Pogson October 17th, 2012 in technology. 2 Comments

Many ordinary people have little idea how software is created let alone how FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software) is created. Martin Owens has a good explanation in terms that anyone should understand, complete with pictures…

His conclusion? “Free and Open Source is good for users, programmers and business. Everyone who wants good software to be made eﬃciently and not at the expense of freedom or the open market.”

Good job.

- Robert Pogson

My Spies Come Through, Finally…

Published by Robert Pogson October 17th, 2012 in technology. 21 Comments

A while back I sent a pack of spies into China but they were so distracted by touristy things that they forgot/neglected to report back on GNU/Linux on retail shelves in China.

Attempting to appease me, one sent the following picture of a GNU/Linux lab in a local college.

Well, it’s a start. That same college bored my son to death a few years ago. Things are looking up.

Here’s what Google finds (154 hits). They even have a course in GNU/Linux Desktop. How times have changed.

- Robert Pogson

LibreOffice Conference – 60m users, 150 members, 3000 volunteers and contributors

Published by Robert Pogson October 17th, 2012 in technology. 0 Comments

Florian Effenberger, chairman of The Document Foundation, opening the second annual conference:

“As of today, LibreOffice is being used by close to 60 million people. It is the standard free office suite on all major platforms, available in over 100 languages. Large cities and organizations are deploying it very successfully, more and more schools and universities are rolling it out, and there’s not a single month where it is not covered by major media around the globe – because we always have good news to share. The Document Foundation has become a member of leading organizations for free software and open standards, and at the very same time, is widely seen as a the leader in its area, built on strong reputation and credibility. Last but not least, the ecosystem is growing rapidly, as more and more enterprises discover the business benefit of truly free software.”

“We are now a family of thousands of contributors around the globe. I not only have colleagues all over the world, but more important, true friends, and I am honoured to be part of a large family. Everyone with their very own story, their very own background, and their very own skills. Different ages, cultures and languages, all united by one goal: providing the best free office suite ever, and giving power to those who contribute by passion. By living our values day by day, we make possible what we never dared to dream of two years ago.”

As of September 30, 2012, TDF has over 150 members and over 3,000 volunteers and contributors worldwide.

see Conference Announcements | The Document Foundation Blog.

Not only is LibreOffice soaking up converts from OpenOffice.org many recent roll-outs involve greenfield conversions from M$’s office suite.

So, many users of that other OS are switching to LibreOffice as well. FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software) works for real people around the world. I use it on Debian GNU/Linux, a FLOSS operating system for computers of all kinds. I switched to using mostly FLOSS systems 12 years ago and have never regretted doing so. It was interesting and challenging at times but performance has been much better than what I have seen of that other OS. No malware, no re-re-reboots, no critical updates waiting for a lull in the workday… and LibreOffice is one of my most-used applications.

- Robert Pogson