2013 February 11 archive at Robert Pogson

Archive for February 11th, 2013

If It’s All About The Apps, “8″ Is DOA (Dead on Arrival)

Published by Robert Pogson February 11th, 2013 in technology. 36 Comments

The count of apps available in M$’s app-store for “8″ has reached 42K but the rate of new arrivals is a tiny fraction of the first few months… They were getting ~500 new apps per day. Now it’s just a bit over 100. That’s death for a “platform”, eh?
see Windows 8 app releases grind to a near-complete halt | ITworld.

Put it this way. Debian GNU/Linux has about that many packages and many of them are wonderful applications for clients or servers so “8″ may have “enough” to do something but combined with lacklustre sales to consumers it looks as if developers don’t want to make the effort if the consumers don’t buy it. Makes sense. Small user-base means no payoff for developers paid by the app. Compare that with Android/Linux which has hundreds of thousands of apps both $free and $non-free.

- Robert Pogson

Ach! DIGITIMES Is Off The Air

Published by Robert Pogson February 11th, 2013 in technology. 0 Comments

“During the Lunar New Year holidays (Feb 9 – Feb 17), DIGITIMES will not post any news updates or send out its daily newsletter. Happy New Year!”
see DIGITIMES daily IT news.

I love Digitimes. They have breakfast when I am winding down my day for the evening and often have news about global and Asian IT. I will miss them as they get serious about Lunar New Year… It’s amazing. Many of the workers in the big cities have family in the remote rural regions and commute hundreds of miles. This just about shuts down manufacturing industries in China for a whole week. It actually dents the GDP.

- 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.