An interesting account of what can go wrong with vendor delivered Windows recovery disks. I don't know if you can blame Microsoft for this or the guys at HP.
Jan Stedehouder’s thoughts on life, the Digital Realm and things that happen. This site is a mirror of my own blog at www.opensourcelearning.info/blog
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Saturday, December 30, 2006
ESR's Desktop Linux 2008 Deadline
Link to Slashdot | ESR's Desktop Linux 2008 Deadline
Aha, the discussion continues. Eric S. Raymond released the fox in the hen house when he started promoting the inclusion of proprietary drivers and codecs in Linux distributions in order to increase the critical mass of users. Without such a critical mass companies will not be inclined to provide open source drivers and/or codecs. The entire argument with the title World Domination 201 can be found here. An interesting read but I doubt whether most of the critics at Slashdot actually read the article in it's entirety.
As far as I understand there are two main arguments. One, in 2008 the transition to 64-bit computing will be complete (or at least reached a critical mass). Previous hardware transitions also saw a definite shift in main operating systems. If Linux can not dominate the 64-bit market this window of opportunity closes. Second, the average desktop user is spoiled with his/her multimedia experience (either under Windows or Mac OS X) and this will determine the succes or failure of Linux on the 64-bit hardware platform. The story is not all bleak though for Linux. When it comes to driver support, the strength of the developer community and legacy emulation Linux has a head start. Multimedia is a serious weak point, mostly the result of the strong root and presence in the server market.
ESR is no fool and he is certainly someone we should listen to. I don't agree with his choice for Linspire as the flag bearer for Linux in this regard, but I do agree that the inclusion of proprietary drivers and codecs would benefit adoption on a larger scale. Larger than now that is. I also feel that far more is needed to reach the large scale adoption that ESR wants to achieve. The inclusion of proprietary elements would improve the first impressions of W2L migrators and make life easier. But will this alone convince Auntie Agatha or Joe Smith to install Linux on the box? Nope, it removes but one obstacle. ESR treats the issue of desktop domination as a technical issue, but he fails to take into account a much larger ecosystem perspective. Yes, the technological side is important, as is user exeprience. But without childhood adoption, without teaching and educational aids for schools, companies and individual, without ubiquity of Linux in all facets of life, without decent promotion or marketing only a small niche of new W2L migrators can be reached. Mac OS X is a great operating system with all the nice things ESR wants in Linux and even that never led to mass adoption. Yes, the iMac and the iPod are icons, but most people use the iPod in conjunction with their Windows PC's. They are not buying iMacs in droves. So far -and this for a long time already- desktop computing equals Windows, both in the 16 bit as in the 32 bit world.
No, forget about the 2008 deadline. Forget about the hardware issue. Focus on ubiquity. Create digital playgrounds and internet café's in the neighborhoods, in pubs, in libraries, in schools, supported and maintained by local Linux user groups. This costs money, so set up an international infrastructure for funding, for buying used hardware and redeploying them as Linux boxes. Companies like HP, Sun and IBM will have to be convinced to put their weight behind it as part of a long-term strategy. Realizing a paradigm shift takes time and effort.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Contributing to the Open Source movement
The increased use of Linux on my desktop is pushing to an even more active involvement in various aspects of the open source movement. Not as a developer. I don’t think my rudimentary knowledge of programming Basic on the Vic20 or the TurboPascal a few years later would be enough to make any sort of contribution. This doesn’t mean that promoting open source software is not within my reach. On the contrary. I do believe I have other skills that could be of some use.
One is this blog, to write down my experiences, my reviews and the search for solutions. I have decided to stick mostly with the perspective from the Windows user who dips a toe in the Linux pond. I do believe that Linux is mature enough for the desktop and should be discussed, criticized, valued and judged accordingly. Over the last few years I have written various articles about open source software under Windows in comparison to proprietary, closed source software. Straight forward comparisons with little consideration for the fact that open source software was/is for free. I want it to be good and I think developers need this kind of feedback from desktop users. Moving this perspective to the entire Linux desktop is actually a small and logical step.
Secondly I am more active in various IRC channels than in the past. I have no time to spend entire days in the channels, but when I can spare an hour I join a few of them. Currently I focus on the Ubuntu and the Sabayon channels, the two distributions I am using. It is interesting to see which questions people ask and how often I have a suggestion or two to help out. The questions themselves are a great source of inspiration for the book I am writing.
Thirdly there are the bug reports. It’s a small thing to do, but it is the stuff the developers need to see how their software is doing under various circumstances. Yesterday I filed three bug reports. Maybe they were already known, but each piece of the puzzle can be of use.
Fourthly I still write my articles and give a workshop here and there. I am doing this for a few years now and has provided me in turn with knowledge and skills that are invested in the book.
And that is the true beauty of it all. The more you get involved and contribute, the more you get back. You can contribute when you are able to in various ways and as a reward you learn more about the operating system, the world and the underlying philosophy: “there is more happiness in giving than in receiving.” Without it, there would be no Linux, no open source software.