|
Linux Pipeline Newsletter www.LinuxPipeline.com Tuesday, June 14, 2005 In This Issue: - Can The U.S. Patent System Reinvent Itself? - Nokia, Apple Developing Open-Source Cell Phone Browser - 'Low Rights' IE 7 Will Have To Wait For Longhorn - More News... - Sneak Preview: Nokia's 770 Internet Tablet - Feature: Firefox Users Sound Off -- Fix Those Bugs! - Contest #2: The Hardware Hall Of Fame - More Picks... This issue sponsored by MobilizedSoftware.com Offline Operations * Intelligent Roaming Security * Power Management Download Intel's architecture guide for better mobile software http://www.techweb.com/cha/mobsw_intel ----------------------------------------- Editor's Note: Linux Hits The Road It may be coincidence, or it may be my imagination. But since the founding member of the Anyone But Microsoft Club landed on Planet Intel last week, I'm getting the distinct impression that desktop Linux -- the longest-reigning Next Big Thing in the history of the IT industry -- may have finally abdicated the throne. What does that mean for the people who build, sell, use, promote, or generally carry on about desktop Linux? In the long run, not much, provided they don't have their life savings sunk in a sure-fire scheme to turn upper-middle-class, college-educated North Americans into fanatical Xandros users. Now that the Best Damn Desktop OS Ever is coming soon on a top-of-the-line Intel-powered laptop that, alas, won't double as a fire hazard, these folks are a lost cause for Linux -- a desktop OS that can match OS X in every way, except for the one that separates a good desktop OS from an Insanely Great desktop OS. On the other hand, we have the upside: The desktop Linux market still gets a shot at the schools, the non-profits, anyone who can't or won't pay a premium for commodity hardware, the very old, the very young, the six people on the planet who refuse to use anything except GPL software . . . oh, and about two billion Chinese, Indians, Koreans, and various other residents of the continent whose name translates to "Short MSFT." So that stuff I said about OS X challenging desktop Linux to adapt or die? Never mind. The folks at OSDL have the right idea: They dumped their rapidly-wasting U.S. staff assets, signed up for China Airways frequent-flyer cards, and started to get comfortable with the idea of doing business with oblique, sporadically murderous authoritarian oligarchies. If you don't like the sound of that, get over it. They're doing the right thing, and they're doing it at the right time: The Asian IT market over the next 20 years will be worth more money than the Western IT market will be worth during is entire first century. I don't have a single coin-op research analyst of spiffy PowerPoint slide to back up that claim, but as predictions go, I don't think this one is too likely to cause anyone a fatal brain cramp. Linux owns this market. Linux IS this market. Call me a fool today, but don't forget to track me down in 2025 so you can apologize and buy me a beer. Oh, the irony. Speaking of Microsoft, Monkey Boy just couldn't help himself: He had to dig up a "research study" claiming that SuSE and Red Hat included between five and six times as many security bugs as Windows Server 2003. Unlike yours truly, Ballmer apparently DID have some spiffy PowerPoint slides to back up this whopper. Since we all know that PowerPoint slides instantly reduce one's audience to a pack of drooling Cocker Spaniels, it's no surprise that he was able to say something like that to a public gathering and somehow walk away unharmed. Repeat after me: Friends don't let friends make software decisions based on research a head-injured turnip could tear to shreds. Nor do they allow anyone, including manic Microsoft executives, to repeat this stuff without fearing at least the possibility of mob violence. Two more things. Alright, that's enough out of me. Before you move down the page to read something useful, here are two quick requests: First, I'm running a new poll this week, and I'd like to get a good sense of which mobile OS, if any, you expect to see with a nice, cozy chokehold on the burgeoning smartphone market five years from now. Choose carefully, and for the love of Linus, choose honestly -- this is a technology poll, not a loyalty test. Second, I highly recommend perusing Part Two of our month-long struggle to give you beautiful people a free iPod and more than 30 other cool prizes. We call it the Great Tech Call-'Em-Like-You-See-'Em Contest: Every week, ten Pipeline editors pontificate on which Software, Hardware, Next Big Things, and finally Help Desk Horror Stories are worthy to be named true IT Immortals (at least until we decide to delete the whole thing to do it again in a few years). Then it's your turn: Name your choice to join the editors' Hall of Fame Picks for the week, tell us why , and then sit nervously by the phone until we call to congratulate you (which we'll probably do via email anyway, so quit it). Give it a shot: It's free, it's easy, and it's more fun than an "E" Ticket Ride at Neverland. Until next time . . .
Matthew McKenzie
Don't let future editions of Linux Pipeline Newsletter go missing. Take a moment to add the newsletter's address to your anti-spam whitelist: linuxed@techwire.com If you're not sure how to do that, ask your administrator or ISP. Or check your anti-spam utility's documentation. Thanks. Top Linux News Can The U.S. Patent System Reinvent Itself? A heavy-hitting group of political, legal, and business interests are backing the most ambitious patent reform effort in a half century. But while critics say the current system is costly and rife with abuse, a proposed reform package carries its own legal and economic risks.
Nokia, Apple Developing Open Source Browser For Mobile Phones
'Low Rights' IE 7 Will Have To Wait For Longhorn
Apple's Move to Intel Keeps Looking Better
Firefox Closes In On 'Mainstream' Market Status
Apple Issues Fresh Batch Of OS X Security Patches
San Francisco Tops Free Wi-Fi City Survey
Firefox Paradox: Is Slowing Growth Proof Of Success?
Report Finds Linux Growth Slowing In Corporate Market
Business Intelligence Goes Open Source With Birt Editor's Picks Sneak Preview: Nokia's 770 Internet Tablet Nokia breaks new ground with this intriguing twist on the PDA. But while this Linux-powered Internet device turns out to be usable and well-designed, it also suffers from significant, often frustrating performance issues.
Feature: Firefox Users Sound Off -- Fix Those Bugs!
Contest #2: The Hardware Hall Of Fame
Firefox Fixes: Curing The Crash
Linux Tips: Our Favorite Sysadmin Mistakes
Firefox Fixes: Locating Erring Extensions Cast Your Vote Now! This week's poll looks ahead to the rapidly growing -- and extremely important -- smartphone market. With PalmOS trying to navigate a major transition to Linux, Microsoft pouring resources into Windows Mobile, and Symbian intent on holding its substantial market share, this is a market in turmoil, but eventually a dominant OS is bound to emerge. Or is it? Time's up, get into that voting booth and do your duty. Get More Out Of Linux Pipeline Try Linux Pipeline's RSS Feed Linux Pipeline's content is available via RSS feed: Get RSS link. The feed is also auto-discoverable to many RSS readers from the Linux Pipeline home page. Note: RSS feeds are not viewable in most Web browsers. You need an RSS reader, Web-based service, or plug-in to view RSS. Find out which RSS readers the Pipeline editors recommend.
Check Out Our Linux Product Finder
Discover All The Pipelines
Recommend This Newsletter To A Friend
This issue sponsored by MobilizedSoftware.com Offline Operations * Intelligent Roaming Security * Power Management Download Intel's architecture guide for better mobile software http://www.techweb.com/cha/mobsw_intel ----------------------------------------- Manage Your Newsletter Subscription We take your privacy very seriously. Please review our Privacy Policy.
Linux Pipeline Newsletter
|