15 April 2008
When in Rome
Even if we don't necessarily want to copy everything the Italians do (the approach to rubbish disposal in Naples, for example), this is certainly something we can learn from:100 Italian candidates signed Assoli’s letter engaging themselves to promote the use of free software.
I wonder what would happen here in the UK if we tried something similar? At least John Pugh would sign it....
Has Asus Lost the Plot on Ultraportables?
Like many, I have been waxing lyrical about the possibilities of the new ultraportable market pretty much created by the Asus Eee PC. One of the key drivers of this sector is cost, so anything that reduces it is likely to be important. Against this background it's hard to understand the following:Asus Eee PC 4G (white, Windows XP)
Product Summary
The good: Small, light weight, and inexpensive; Windows XP for the same price as the Linux version.
The *same price*? Are they bonkers?
Fortunately, Asus is not the only player in this sector - there's probably around a dozen now. So if Asus won't do the decent/sensible thing and pass on the savings arising from using free software, I'm sure someone else will.
Update: But here it says same price, but more memory for GNU/Linux....
Why We Must Keep Backing Dell
As I've written elsewhere, we need to keep the momentum behind Dell's high-profile GNU/Linux experiment. Here's a reminder why:Dell has continued to sell enterprise servers with Linux since that 1999 debut, he said. The recent Linux on Dell program for laptops and desktop machines, however, has been gaining momentum, he said. "If the program wasn't successful, we wouldn't be able to continue it," Domsch said.
14 April 2008
Make Your Words Count
Journalists live and die by the number of words they write (quantity, not quality). This makes a Firefox add-on like Word Count Plus a godsend.
The £100 PC
I've written plenty about the exciting new class of ultraportables, most of which run GNU/Linux as their primary operating system, but that's maybe led me to overlook what's happening with the ordinary PC. Like this: a PC system box (no monitor) for just over £100. The spec? Low end, but eminently usable:
* Intel® Celeron 3.2GHz Processor
* 80GB – 7200RPM Hard Disk Drive
* 512MB DDR II RAM
* DVD Rom drive
* VIA PM 800 Pro Motherboard
* Integrated shared 64MB Graphics
* 5.1 channel AC’97 Sound
* 6 x USB 2.0 Ports
* Integrated Ethernet 10/100 Mbps
* 1 x AGP 8x , 3 x PCI
* Enhance 250W PSU
* Multimedia Keyboard
* Optical Scroll Mouse
* Ubuntu Linux
At this kind of price, put together with a spare monitor or LCD, the barrier to giving Ubuntu or similar a go just got much lower. (Via LXer.)
I, For One, Welcome Our New Blogject Overlords
Now objects are on-line too - blogjects , blogging objects. Once “things” are connected to the Internet, they immediately become part of the relational system, thus improving and boosting the connections in the social network, and they finally define a new relationship between presence and mobility in the physical world. With a pervading Internet network objects are now “citizens” of our space, with the possibility to communicate and interact with them.
Uh-huh. (Via Collaborative Thinking.)
12 April 2008
Ecuador Goes Free
It's easy to focus on the dramatic bad news - like the OOXML shenanigans - and overlook the quiet success stories. Like the announcement that the Presidente of Ecuador, Rafael Correa Delgado, has just signed a decree making the use of open source the default policy for government:El Presidente de la República, Rafael Correa, mediante decreto No. 1014 de 10 de abril del 2008, establece como política pública para las entidades de la administración pública central la utilización de Software Libre en sus sistemas y equipamientos informáticos.
[Via Google Translate:
The President of the Republic, Rafael Correa, by decree no. 1014 of April 10, 2008, establishes as public policy for institutions of the central administration, the use of free software in their computer systems and equipment.]
There are just three situations in which it is permissible to use proprietary software:
Además el decreto faculta la utilización de software propietario (no Libre), únicamente cuando no exista una solución de Software Libre que supla las necesidades requeridas, o cuando esté en riesgo la seguridad nacional, o cuando el proyecto informático se encuentre en un punto de no retorno.
[In addition, the decree authorizes the use of proprietary software (Free), only when there is no solution to free software to fill the needs required, or when national security at risk, or when the computer project is at a point of no return.]
It's not every day you see Stallman's "Four Freedoms" included in a presidential decree:Se conoce como Software Libre a los programas de computación que se pueden utilizar y distribuir sin restricción alguna y que permiten su acceso a los códigos y fuentes y que sus aplicaciones pueden ser mejoradas.
Los programas de computación incluyen las siguientes libertades; utilización del programa con cualquier propósito de uso común; distribución de copias sin restricción alguna; estudio y modificación del programa (requisito: código fuente disponible); y publicación del programa mejorado (requisito; código fuente disponible).
[It is known as Free Software to software that can be used and distributed without any restrictions and allowing her access to the codes and sources and their applications can be improved.
The software includes the following freedoms; use the software for any purpose in common use; distributing copies without restriction; study and modification of the program (requirement: source available), and publication of the enhanced programme (requirement; source available ).]
(Via Esteban Mendieta Jara.)
11 April 2008
A Tale of Two Graphs
This is restating a point I've made elsewhere: that the graph of hardware requirements for Windows keeps on rising, while that for GNU/Linux is practically flat:What all this means is that Windows is becoming more and more resource reliant while Linux essentially maintains its requirements. Microsoft is already seeing the effects of their sloppiness in bad reviews of Vista and having to extend XP’s life, but unless they change soon, they will see it even more, and pay for it too.
In the future, it seems likely that a computer with Windows will cost far more than a computer with Linux, not because of the price of the operating system (since hardware manufacturers are constantly pretending Windows is free, when in reality it is not) but because the hardware required to run Windows is so much more expensive than the hardware required to run Linux.
It's why I think the ultaportable sector is so important: it exposes this trend most brutally.
10 April 2008
Chinese Whispers
One of my hobbies is to try to spot the emergence of unintended consequences of major events. The classic, perhaps, is the fall of the Communism, and the collapse of the Soviet Empire, which was supposed to be a victory that showed the West's strength, but turned out instead to make our lives hugely less safe. Here's another - and a profound one at that:
Just as damaging for China in the long run, however, may be the effect on ordinary citizens. One place the Tibetan flag no longer flies is in the window of a bed shop in the English city of Sheffield. Its owner is a Tibetan sympathiser, who displayed the flag last month. Two young Chinese, apparently students, visited and made threats. That night his windows were smashed. A celebration supposed to mark China's emergence as a friendly global power has made some people think for the first time that its rise is something to fear.
Only a whisper at the moment, but I predict it will become a fearsome - and fearful - roar before long.
OOXML: Poland Refuses to Roll Over
More fat ladies who haven't sung:
Tomasz Bednarski (Mandriva Poland) wrote a letter to PKN president, Tomasz Schweitzer, in which he expressed his concerns about the Polish OOXML ratification process which Bednarski took part of, as a member of the technical committee 182.
...
So, it seems that the OOXML saga in Poland is far from over and there will be more proceedings in the nearest future, which we will pass to you as soon as we hear about them.
Ubuntu = Eubeunteu?
Well, maybe one day:
The European Parliament's IT department is testing the use of GNU/Linux distribution Ubuntu, OpenOffice, Firefox and other Open Source applications, the British MEP James Nicholson explained last week in a letter to Italian MEP Marco Cappato.
According to Nicholson the tests show this Open Source configuration meets the Parliament's office requirements. It does not mean that Ubuntu will immediate replace the currently used system, he added. "This depends on long-term developments and needs and functional requirements of the Parliament. The stability of our IT systems is crucial."
Nicholson writes the IT department is considering a change in approach of the IT services. The move to a so-called service-oriented architecture could provide an opportunity to move to Open Source.
The Tentacles Spread Further in Russia
And I'm not talking about the mafia here:Соглашение, подписанное губернатором Ленинградской области Валерием Сердюковым и генеральным директором «Майкрософт Рус» Биргером Стеном, определяет основные направления взаимодействия сторон по внедрению ИТ-решений в исполнительных органах государственной власти Ленинградской области, а также в сфере образования, системе здравоохранения и социального развития региона.
...
Среди основных задач данной программы прописано создание «электронного правительства» Ленинградской области как комплекса государственных и муниципальных информационных систем, функционирующих на основе общей информационно-телекоммуникационной инфраструктуры региона. «Подписанное соглашение с компанией „Майкрософт Рус“ должно стать дополнительным ресурсом для успешного выполнения программы по информатизации», — выражают надежду в администрации области.
[Via Google Translate:
The Government of the Leningrad region and the company Microsoft signed an agreement of intent "in the application of information technology". Thus, the region confirmed their ambition to establish a system of "e-government" following the St. Petersburg, where a similar project Corporation Bill Gates has helped develop more than six months.
...
Among the main objectives of this program passed creating "electronic government" Leningrad region as a set of state and municipal information systems that operate on the basis of a common information and telecommunications infrastructure in the region. "The agreement with Microsoft Rus' to be an additional resource for the successful implementation of the programme of information" - hope in the administration area.]
And you can bet that "common information and telecommunications infrastructure" does *not* mean open standards....
09 April 2008
UKUUG Not OK with BSI's OOXML OK
UKUUG, the UK's Unix & Open Systems User Group, is not happy with the BSI's decision to approve OOXML:
the UKUUG is seeking legal advice on how best to proceed in order to convince BSI to reconsider its decision and instead raise an objection to the fast tracking of the standard within the 2 month window allowed by the ISO.
Alain Williams, Chairman of UKUUG, said:
"We are very disappointed that BSI has chosen to take this decision against the advice of its technical committee. The format used for storage of documents will affect our lives for decades to come, and it is imperative that standards such as OOXML are given a rigorous review rather than being rubber-stamped by BSI. Where would we be if the original Magna Carta was unreadable?"
Hell hath no fury like a Unix geek scorned....
The Fat Norwegian Lady Sings
Geir goes for it:We were robbed of victory in ISO by a mere 3 votes.
Without the irregularities in Norway, that would have been just 2 votes. Reports are coming in of similar irregularities in other countries, including France and Denmark. Let's get those non-representative votes changed. Let's throw OOXML out of ISO.
Microsoft thinks it has won this battle, but I say it's not over yet.
It’s never over until the fat lady sings, and this fat lady only just got started.
Pix here. (Via tuxmachines.org.)
Could Microsoft Buy Red Hat?
An interesting question from Marc Fleury.
The answer: *of course* it could.
Just don't expect many of the top open source hackers working there - and there are many - to stick around long if it did.
Security? - Don't Bank on It
A useful article here dissecting what's wrong with the latest version of the UK Banking code, "the voluntary consumer-protection standard for UK banks", which was released last week:Until the banks are made liable for fraud, they have no incentive to make a proper assessment as to the effectiveness of these protection measures. The new banking code allows the banks to further dump the cost of their omission onto customers.
When the person responsible for securing a system is not liable for breaches, the system is likely to fail. This situation of misaligned incentives is common, and here we see a further example. There might be a short-term benefit to banks of shifting liability, as they can resist introducing further security mechanisms for a while. However, in the longer term, it could be that moves like this will degrade trust in the banking system, causing everyone to suffer.
The House of Lords Science and Technology committee recognized this problem of the banking industry and recommended a statutory change (8.17) whereby banks would be held liable for electronic fraud. The new Banking Code, by allowing banks to dump yet more costs on the customers, is a step in the wrong direction.
I also wonder what the banks' attitude to people using GNU/Linux systems might be, given the following requirement:
Online banking is safe and convenient as long as you take a number of simple precautions. Please make sure you follow the advice given below.
• Keep your PC secure. Use up-to-date anti-virus and spyware software and a personal firewall.
Since GNU/Linux users tend not to run anti-virus programs, and don't use traditional firewalls: does that mean they're always liable?
Second Life's Grand Opening
I wonder whether in retrospect Linden Lab's decision to open up the code of Second Life will turn out to be as momentous as when Netscape gave its Navigator code to the new Mozilla project? Interestingly, Linden Lab specifically invoked that precedent when it made the announcement:
In 1993, NCSA released their liberally licensed, but proprietary, Mosaic 2.0 browser with support for inline images arguably heralding the start of the web as we know it today. In an act of either acceptance of the inevitable or simple desperation, Netscape Communications released the bulk of the Netscape Communicator code base to form the foundation of projects as Mozilla, Firefox, and Thunderbird.
We are not desperate, and we welcome the inevitable with open arms.
Stepping up the development of the Second Life Grid to everyone interested, I am proud to announce the availability of the Second Life client source code for you to download, inspect, compile, modify, and use within the guidelines of the GNU GPL version 2.
A year later, it's a good moment to review where we are, and here are two useful contributions, one from Wagner James Au, the other from LWN's Jonathan Corbet. Things seem to be moving on, and it will be interesting to watch how this area develops.
Collaboration of a Different Kidney
Collaborating for mutual benefit lies at the heart of open source, but not quite as profoundly as in this situation:
US doctors have carried out what is believed to be the world's first simultaneous six-way kidney transplant.
Six recipients received organs from six donors in operations at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland.
The procedure was made possible after an altruistic donor - neither a friend nor relative of any of the six patients - was found to match one of them.
Five patients had a willing donor whose kidney was incompatible with theirs, but it did match another in the group.
This meant that suddenly, there were six people who could receive an organ.
Riding the Dragon
If you want to understand the role of the Internet in the development of the current situation in China, this is the best article I've read on the subject:In the weeks since the protests, riots, and government crackdown in Tibet hit the headlines, Chinese coverage of the events has gone through several incarnations. It began life as a terse state press-release, then refashioned itself into a front-page struggle between embattled civilians and scheming "splittists", before arriving at its current manifestation: the public shaming of the purportedly anti-Chinese western media.
On the face of it, these changes have been mandated from the top down. But behind the curtains of China's official media, networks of active internet users have played a key role in shaping the course of the reporting of Tibet.
It includes this fascinating nugget:"In the beginning, the government had been hoping to keep things quiet", my friend Bei Feng, an editor of a major Chinese web portal whose blog was chosen in 2007 as one of China's ten most influential, told me. "But the actions of netizens forced them to widen their coverage." He himself was an example of this sort of net activism. When news of Tibet broke, he employed a strategy he says he commonly uses for sensitive issues, posting a story about it on his blog and then taking it off after only a few hours to avoid being shut down by censors. The window of time is narrow, but gives readers ample opportunity to copy and paste his story into chatrooms and bulletin-board systems.
And concludes with this interesting thought:As he offers rice wine to those seated near him, Bei Feng pointed out a failing in the government's favoured method of co-opting anti-foreign sentiment. "What the authorities don't realise is that the people who are using these standards of objectivity to criticise CNN will eventually apply them to Xinhua and CCTV."
"Yes", a listener chimed in. "The common people are very smart. Sooner or later they'll expect more."
Update: Looks like it's started...
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