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Posts in 2009 May
For some time now we have been seeing scattered transitions towards Linux in governments, due to it’s openness and inexpensive price. Though the road will be bumpy, this seems like a trend that is almost guaranteed to continue.
There are many reasons why open-source software fits in governmental organizations. First, when everyone is trying to cut costs, Linux is cheap or free, especially compared to Microsoft’s prices. Second, being open is very important, so that the government can verify the code themselves and, if necessary, modify it. Finally, Linux could potentially save even more money by restoring older hardware.
Microsoft will certainly do their best to keep Linux out of goverments, but there are so many reasons that open-source makes sense in government that the transition to free software seems bound to happen.
Every operating system is fighting to gain users and marketshare, but is becoming “mainstream” a good goal?
While “mainsream” obviously means more users and, thus, usually more revenue for the maker of the OS, it also has some disadvantages. For example, it becomes much harder to break compatibility with older applications in order to move forwards or to change the interface too much. In addition, the OS becomes a much more significant target of viruses.
On the other hand, though, with a lot of users comes a lot of developers writing applications for the OS, and good applications are often some of the most important “features” of an OS.
Ultimately, the answer is “it depends,” since there are both advantages and disadvantages, but marketshare is clearly not always the goal.
We already heard about Ubuntu One, Canonical’s new cloud storage and syncronization service, but UDS Karmic has given us a few more details on its integration with Karmic Koala.
Obviously, there are plans to include at least the main requirements for the Ubuntu One software in Karmic. The more interesting part is what Ubuntu One might be able to do. There is apparently some discussion about address book synchronization, which seems quite logical. There are also mentions of syncing Tomboy notes, syncing bookmarks, and backing up flash drives. Finally, screen sharing was also discussed, but this feature doesn’t look like it will be coming anytime soon.
The details on Ubuntu One’s real uses are still emerging, but it looks like it has the potential to be a really useful service and more than a Dropbox clone.
Google Announces Wave: GMail Meets Google Docs, Meets Chat
Google has announced a new product that is supposed to reinvent email.
The main product combines GMail, including its chat feature, and Google Doc’s real-time collaboration. Each “wave” is like a whiteboard that involves a number of people. Multiple people can edit it at once anywhere in the wave. Photos and other media can also be added into the wave. In addition, Wave will be open-source and APIs will be released, allowing plugins to be included in waves or waves to be included in web pages.
It’s impossible to know if Wave will take off and replace email or die off like so many other Google projects, but it’s good to see someone taking a second look at something so ordinary and everyday.
In The Future, Will Our Computers Interact With Our Stuff?
RFID technology is nothing new, so a product that senses when a special tag is put on it and launches an application is not a particularly impressive technological accomplishment. It might, however, be an early peek at the future.
Imagine if your computer knew where you put your stuff. In addition to helping those of us who are less organized, it could predict our actions and respond accordingly. For example, if you left with your keys, it could recognize that you were leaving and send a shopping list to your phone or lock the door after you leave (or before you leave if your computer turns evil). Or, as you walk through the room carrying anything that was tagged, it could turn the lights on when you entered and off when you left.
A lot of the technology for this is already here, so how long will it be before our computers keep better track of where our stuff and ourselves are?
Mandriva and Ubuntu both seem to think that companion services to complement their distributions are a good idea, and I agree. These services, which, so far, usually involve paid cloud storage and/or backup, offer a potential revenue stream for companies that may not otherwise make much money.
At the same time, though, these services cannot become completely separated from the distribution. Instead, these services must remain primarily a feature of the distribution. Though making the software and services cross-platform is a great idea, there should still be some incentive to use the company’s own distribution over other operating systems.
Ensuring that companion services are always a feature of the distribution is esesential to pushing the distribution foward. Without this link, the two products become completely separated and neither benefits the other.
Brilliant Brainstorms is going on vacation for a little while. Too many of the “ideas” on Ubuntu Brainstorm are on the line between bugs and ideas, so there will be no new Brilliant Brainstorm posts for a little while. They will probably be back fairly soon, though, so keep checking. (And if you want them back sooner, go submit some good ideas and email me a link.)
Today was the first day of the Ubuntu Developer’s Summit for Karmic Koala. In the next week, the plans for Karmic Koala should be roughly defined for implementation over the next four months.
One of the things that will be discussed on Tuesday is support for running Android applications on Ubuntu. This is an interesting possibility, since it could allow for a vast library of interesting applications designed for mobile use to be used on Ubuntu computers, most importantly those running Ubuntu Netbook Remix.
At this point Android stands a chance of really taking off, due to its open-source foundation and powerful backing from Google. If, and this is a big if, that happens, there will undoubtedly be a huge library of incredible applications, both free and for pay, that will make the Android experience what it is. Ubuntu and its mobile variants do not stand much chance of getting this amount of developer attention anytime soon, but if Android application could be run directly on Ubuntu, that would give Ubuntu a boost from whatever attention Android gets.
We will probably know more after the idea is discussed on Tuesday (the 26th), but it certainly sounds like an interesting idea.
Dell has begun shipping their Studio XPS 13 with Ubuntu 8.10, though the option seems to be appearing and disappearing from their website.
Two things are notable about this particular model with Ubuntu. First, Dell has opted for Ubuntu 8.10, rather than 8.04, making this the second model to get 8.10. This is interesting, because Dell very recently said they were going to stick with Ubuntu 8.04, since it is more stable. Still, I don’t mind seeing a newer version, though I do wish they would standardize on one version.
Second, instead of listing the Ubuntu version only on the special Ubuntu page, Ubuntu is an option, like with Dell’s netbooks, on the normal Studio XPS 13 page. This is great, since it means that Dell is putting Ubuntu where more people will see it, but I don’t understand why it isn’t also listed on the page that lists all the Ubuntu computers. This could just be a technical glitch, as I’m sure the appearance and disappearance of the Studio XPS with Ubuntu is, but I am running out of patience for website glitches with Dell.
It’s good to see another computer from Dell offered with Ubuntu, but I can’t help wondering why the 16″ version didn’t get the same option or why you can’t find it on the list of Ubuntu computers?
Your keyboard is disgusting. You, and probably other people’s, hands touch it every day, and those food crumbs don’t help either. If you have a cat that thinks the keyboard is an excellent place to sit, you will be amazed how much cat hair manages to get under the keys. Luckily, or unluckily, it’s fairly straight forward to clean your keyboard and remove all that cat hair.
Above is an example of how dirty a keyboard can get. On the left is the original dirt. The right side has already been cleaned.
The first step is to take plenty of pictures so you know how to put the keys back together. Also, make sure you know how to take your keys off and put them back on. Next, pull out all the keys without breaking everything.
Using some damp paper towels, remove all the dirt, crumbs, cat hair, etc. from the base of the keyboard. Keep in mind that letting water seep inside the keyboard could damage it..Depending on just how dirty your keyboard is, this could be very easy or very hard. If you have a pet, expect it to take some work, since pet hair doesn’t come up nicely with a damp towel.
Next you have to clean the keys themselves. These are usually just pieces of plastic, so dump them in a pan with water and a little bit of vinegar. Let them soak for a few minutes or stir them around. Then, take each one and rise it off in a bowl of plain water, removing any remaining dirt with a toothpick.
Let the keys dry for a while. As you wait, think about how much easier it would have been to spend $5 on a new keyboard. Anyway, the hardest part is done.
Once the keys have completely dried, begin reassembling them on your keyboard according to the pictures, your memory, and how you think they really should be. (The arrow keys look way cooler if they all point in the wrong direction.)
Enjoy your new, shiny old keyboard.