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There are a lot of Linux portals out there, but, until now, none of them have really seemed like the right central source for Linux information. This isn’t to say there aren’t great Linux websites out there, but many of them are of a different kind. This website, for example, is primarily focused on news. What has been missing is a community-powered portal for Linux.
After Linux.com closed down a while ago, the Linux Foundation apparently bought the domain and has just put up a coming soon page. What is exciting is that there is also a Brainstorm-like site for users to submit their ideas for the new site. In addition, it has already been promised that the content will be largely community-produced.
Between being comunity-driven, open to suggestions from anyone, backed by the Linux Foundation, and having a clear name (Linux.com), I would say that this site has a good chance of becoming a valuable resource for the community and newbies alike.
Don't Blame Microsoft
Anyone noticed a pattern recently?
- Company releases product or service that is suspiciously incompatible with Linux.
- (optional) PR rep. and/or customer service agent blames user.
- Original user’s findings are published, Linux users get angry, blame the company involved and/or Microsoft (sometimes the same).
- After a few days it turns out that the original report was slightly inaccurate or the problem is quickly fixed.
Hotmail. Microsoft’s online version of Office (accusations). Citibank. Fox News. Foxconn. All of these examples follow this pattern.
This cycle of accusations cannot be good for anyone and is definitely bad for Linux’s reputation. The problem is that some (not all) people jump too quickly to the assumption that there is some sort of conspiracy against Linux. I can’t even really blame these people. At least some of these cases have been acompanied by detailed technical explanation of how Linux is being treated differently and unfairly.
The problem is that Linux is still a very uncommon operating systems, so there is often little or no testing on Linux. This means that Linux is frequently accidentally bundled into a group of unknown systems that are treated differently or else the lack of testing just leaves bugs that affect Linux users in strange ways. Even if there is absolute proof that Linux is being treated differently in a place where it should be treated exactly like Windows, that does not mean that the problem is due to anything more than a bug.
Why is this such a problem? Because it looks bad. It looks like the Linux community as a whole throwing around baseless claims. To clarify: I am not saying the Linux community throws around baseless claims, I am saying that is often what it looks like.
Do you agree, or is it OK to blame the company even if it is just a little bug that gets fixed?
I very much feel that part of the key to Linux gaining mainstream adoption is to have various interesting, innovative pieces of hardware that ship with Linux. Apart from some non-computer devices, such as the Chumby, all we have really seen are UMPCs. (OK, I know someone is going to correct me, so let me just say that is all I know of.) The problem is, it takes a lot of work to come up with a really innovative new form of computer, or even an innovative modification of an existing form. Techchrunch’s new project gave me an idea, though.
Techcrunch has begun a project to create sort of a thin, touchscreen, tablet for surfing the web and other basic tasks. The tablet should run all open-source software and cost less than $300. Certainly these are ambitious goals, but it sure would be cool. Eventually, Techchrunch plans to ship the device.
The idea this gave me is that perhaps the best way to get some really cool new computer or computer-like devices based on Linux in stores is for fans/enthusiasts doing DIY-type projects to invite any manufacturers to copy them. This way, a major manufacturer might see a really cool idea, pick it up and start selling it. Basically, let the community develop the hardware and software how they like it and then work with manufacturers who are intersted to get the device to a mass-market. (Just to be clear, this is not exactly what TechCrunch is doing, it is just inspired by what TechCrunch is doing.) Obviously this would depend on some really good ideas coming out of the community, but I have no doubt that that happens all the time. Go look at Brainstorm.
A Better Website With More Community Control
Canonical has just announced that they are creating a new Ubuntu team to help out with the Ubuntu website. For two reasons, I applaud this decision.
First, and most obviously, this brings a strong potential for a really cool website. The announcement says that some of the things that might be improved by the team include countdown banners, the start page, and, of course, elements of the main website. This means that, for example, when Intrepid Ibex ships, and a new user starts Firefox for the first time, the home page he or she sees will be less of a generic page and more of a cool and useful launch page for learning about Ubuntu, getting involved in Ubuntu, or for surfing the web.
The second, and less obvious reason, that I applaud the forming the new team is that it gives more control to the community. This really emphasizes Canonical and the community as partners, rather than one just helping out the other.
So for these two reasons, I am really glad to see the forming of this new team and I look forward to seeing the results.
What Do Microsoft Patent Deal Mean for Linux UMPCs? Nothing.
A recent iTWire article suggests that when Xandros’s patent deal with Microsoft runs out in 2011, Microsoft will attempt to use their patent FUD to stop Linux’s adoption on UMPCs.
Quite a while ago, a number of companies, including Novell, Xandros, and many others, signed patent deals with Microsoft. These deals supposedly protect the company in question and its customers from being sued by Microsoft, which Microsoft claims they can do because Linux supposedly violates many of their patents. Largely due to Microsoft not revealing what those patents are, other companies, such as Red Hat, refused to sign patent deals. At the time, companies that did sign patent deals were viewed very poorly by the Linux community, since they were simply submitting to Microsoft FUD. Gradually, however, this issue has become less of a focal point and there is a lot less coverage of it.
In 2011, though, as pointed out by the iTWire article, this issue is likely to resurface, since Xandros’s patent deal will expire. Since the Linux used on the Eee PC will no longer be “protected,” the article also suggests that Microsoft will use this FUD opportunity to try to harm Linux on UMPCs. They may try, but I don’t think they will succeed.
As I see it, when the patent deal issue resurfaces, there will, of course, be a huge uproar from the Linux community and lots of pressure for companies not to sign the deals. In this situation, one of two things will probably happen:
- Microsoft will give up trying to push their FUD around patents onto companies.
- Some more patent deals will be signed or renewed and everything will move on again.
Though the later may not be preferable, neither option would seriously hurt Linux’s chances on UMPCs or Linux’s chances in general.
Ubuntu Open Week, a week of IRC presentations by various members of the Ubuntu community, is finishing up today. For those of you who were unable to attend the sessions, you will be glad to know that logs of the meetings are available for you to read. The sessions were very informative, so I would definitely encourage everyone to check them out. Particularly if you are new to the Ubuntu community, you might want to check out some of the following sessions:
One session many people may be interested in is the Community Q+A which consisted of various questions about Ubuntu and the Ubuntu community. Although it is not very in depth, it is an interesting read.
Another session that should interest almost any Ubuntu user is “The Future of the Ubuntu Desktop.” Don’t expect screenshots of what Ubuntu will look like in 10 years, but you might get some idea of what the desktop team is thinking about in terms of Ubuntu in 10 years.
For those of you who are interested in helping out Ubuntu, you might want to check out the session on reporting bugs, which can be tricky at first, but easy once you get the hang of it, the session on triaging bugs, or the session on packaging. All of these are arranged sort of like a tutorial.
Finally, if you are interested in a specific project, there are lots of sessions focusing on smaller projects within Ubuntu, such as Ubuntu Mobile Edition, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Server, the Art Team, the Documentation Team, and more.
This is nowhere near all the sessions, so go check out the full listing on the Ubuntu Open Week page.