Me with my guest badge!

So for those of  you who don’t know or follow my twitter feed, my aunt is a IT Pro Advisor at Microsoft Canada.  You may also know that my opinion of Microsoft hasn’t been the highest (as expressed often in this blog).

The purpose of my visit was to ask successful people how they got to where they are in their field, which holds my interest.  The people were incredibly kind and interesting and really let me pick their brains. Continue reading

Reading the Ubuntu Planet (a aggregation of the blogs belonging to all the members of the Ubuntu Project) I stumbled across this gem:

Bold Prediction:  Bug 1 will be closed in the next 24 months

This is a reference to Ubuntu’s famed Bug 1: Microsoft has majority market share (“Microsoft has a majority market share in the new desktop PC marketplace.  This is a bug, which Ubuntu is designed to fix.”)

The writer references another writer who identifies (correctly) Linux to be at GhandiCon3 (from the famous Ghandi quote promoting non-violent revolution: “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.”).  Linux has certainly been ignored.  Then laughed at (“Linux?  Nothing runs on Linux!”).  When Microsoft is issuing Get the “Facts” campaigns and trying to sue Linux supporters into submission (like TomTom GPS), we’re definitely at GhandiCon3 (Then they fight you).  Whether we will win, well, that’s to be determind.  I am hopeful, however, that the Google Chrome OS will go far to helping us win.

Do I think Microsoft will lose majority market share (Note, this is not wiped out) by June 2011?  Not really.  Do I hope they do?  Yes.  Remember, it’s not just Linux that needs to make the dent, but Apple’s OS X (which poses little threat to Linux as long as it stays bound to the Apple Macintosh).  As far as crises that would percipitate this go I see US Antitrust breaking up Microsoft, Microsoft flopping with Windows7, or computer manufacturers refusing to put up with the grief that Microsoft gives them (like defining what a “netbook” is despite not actually making computers, Per-Processor Licensing Fees, and the like).  Microsoft’s market share is dependent on its stranglehold of the manufacturers and if that collapses, Microsoft would collapse (in relative terms, of course).

Until then, the open source community can just keep making the best software they can and wait for GhandiCon4.

Talk About A Bombshell (Which everyone knew was coming eventually, but we pretend to be surprised anyways)

Google, the big little company we all know and love, has decided that a logical extension of their vision for Google Chrome is the Chrome Operating System.  While the original Chrome was marketed as being similar to an OS in how it handled the web, Google decided that the desktop OS is built for an age where people are tied to desktop applications.  Google says that ChromeOS will be a lightweight, fast-to-boot-fast-to-run OS that focuses on getting people to the web.  While aimed at netbooks, it will also be available for desktops and laptops (so presumably not a Moblin-like interface).

While it will be Linux-based (like Android but seperate), ChromeOS will build many things from the ground up.  Now, I probably won’t wind up using ChromeOS (this is purely speculatory with no screenshots or anything) as I like the full-fledged Desktop OS provided by Ubuntu, but because the project is open source and builds on open source projects there will be a lot of new material coming in to the FLOSS ecosystem which will inevitably be picked up by the mainstream Linuxes.

I incorrectly reported on Twitter (based on a misunderstanding of Gizmodo) that it would be able to run Windows and OS X apps.  As far as I can tell, there won’t be apps per say but rather web-based applications which can be run on any operating system from any modern browser.  This, needless to say, makes more sense, though I am dissappointed because geting Win/Mac compatibility in an open source project would mean Win/Mac compatibility for the Linux universe.

So yes, I’m excited.  Can’t wait to see where this goes.  I am a fan of Chrome as a browser (if it only did Flash it’d be my default on Linux – it’s alpha is great) and I’m sure Google will do a great job on ChromeOS

This evening I was going to sit down and play Age of Empires III with my mom.  We have it installed on two computers and just trade discs.  Then my little brother said he wanted to play.  That’s great, but the problem is that neither his nor my mom’s laptop runs fast enough to play it well and my laptop runs Ubuntu.  I checked and it wasn’t supported by Crossover Games, my beloved commercial WINE software, but after googling on a way to play AOE on my Ubuntu laptop, I found Play On Linux.

http://www.playonlinux.com/en/

Play On Linux is an application that supplements the WINE translation software that allows some Windows applications to run on Linux.  It contains and applies scripts that provide the best configuration for a game.

One of the things that I love about Linux is that there’s always a community, open-source project that makes things work even when an upstream project like WINE doesn’t work by default.  It’s by no means perfect – WINE is just a stepping stone to building Linux market share so applications like games would be native – but it’s encouraging when you look at all the junk that’s available for Windows to do a little thing (I looked over programs to encode video to/from OGG in Windows and it was a nightmare of shareware and spyware and uggggg!)

So as I wait for Age of Empires III to install, good luck to the people at PlayOnLinux!

Via Slashdot:  Microsoft Changing User’s Default Search Engine

CNet has discovered that Microsoft has taken to changing the default search engines of some Windows users with the Google Toolbar.  It’s not like it’s anything new (Microsoft also slipped in an almost-impossible-to-remove-without-breaking-everything Firefox add-on without permission), but it’s disturbing nonetheless.  What is perhaps more disturbing is that people take this lying down.  When a company is able to step into your computer, change a personal setting for its own benefit, and barely anyone notices, isn’t there a problem?  Are people letting their digital rights fall by the wayside?

People ask me why I don’t use Windows.  I have all sorts of answers from Open Source to this prime example of Microsoft’s lack of respect for its consumers.  Then I ask them why they use Windows.  They usually didn’t know there was anything else than Windows or OS X.  It’s this illusion of duopoly that keeps Microsoft in business.  In what way is Windows more advanced than, say, Linux?  It’s not.  It’s insecure, runs an ancient file system, doesn’t even have theme support, has a bloated compositor, the list goes on.  Microsoft relies on the perception of duopoly and that software only works on Windows to keep the consumer afraid of switching, and that’s really sad because a company like Microsoft surely could be innovative in its OS products.  It’s shown that it can be with their Office and gaming divisions (Whether it suffers from Microsoft’s usual launch problems or not, Natal is certainly ambitious).  Bring that to the OS and stop scaring people.  In the console race Microsoft is not the big dog and so we see them being more innovative, but Microsoft has let innovation fall by the wayside and instead of improving their products has stooped to fear and false advertising.

Aaaand it’s 12:15 in the morning and I need to sleep.  Sorry about posting so late, I won’t miss tommorow.

Theoretical, I say.  Yes, it’s a beta.  Yes, it’s virtualized.  Yes, it’s amazing that the idea even kind of works.  But I can’t play Civilization.  Ergo, it sucks.

But I’m just playing with you.  Pats on the back to the guys at VirtualBox who decided that it was high time to give VirtualBox Windows guests experimental DirectX support.

Here’s how it works:  VirtualBox is virtualization software.  This lets you run one operating system inside another.  I run Ubuntu Linux 9.04, but I virtualize Windows7.

Of course, virtualization has a catch:  you have to run the “host” (your main OS), the “guest” (The virtualized OS) AND account for inefficiencies (because the system isn’t perfect).  This means that you can’t play 3D games, because special drivers need to be written to allow that in the guest OS.  VirtualBox has written some of those drivers, but they’re not commercial quality (no 3D…).  One has been able to use 3D in Linux host/ Linux guest arrangements for a few months – experimentally of course.

Now, VirtualBox has announced VirtualBox 3.0.0 Beta for Windows, Mac, and Linux.  The most exciting feature – for the end user – is *experimental* DirectX support.  DirectX is Microsoft’s framework for 3D games that is one of the major developer tools for game companies on Windows and a major reason that it’s hard to port/emulate games in UNIX environments like Mac and Linux.

So this is exciting, and I decided to take it for a test run with Windows7 and Civilization IV.  I just installed Windows7 and VirtualBox’s Guest Additions, which enables DirectX and preliminary graphics drivers.  So I started up CIV and waited for the fireworks to start.  When I got to the start screen, CIV started complaining about my speech/playback devices, which were non-existent because I was using Windows7 and not a better supported OS.  I just did Play Now with all the defaults and got this:

Ugly.  But DX support is experimental, after all, and they’re still working on it.

Until then, I eagerly await being able to play CIV without switching computers (though I really should try Crossover8 on Civilization to see if I can just run it on Linux)

Microsoft’s marketing department has reached new lows.

I mean, really new lows.

You had best read it for yourself from Microsoft Australia.  You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

http://www.microsoft.com/australia/ie8/competition/

Yes, Microsoft has decided to “hide” $10,000 on a website and post clues, but only people who download and use their Internet Explorer 8 browser will be able to participate.

Anyone thinking of the money hole right now?

Is this desperate?  Is this pathetic?  Is this pathetically desperate?  Check check and check.  Microsoft would, of course, be the only browser maker to actually shovel money at their browser.  I mean, Google is supposedly taking the unorthodox step of advertising its browser on TV, but that’s completely different from throwing money to anyone who will catch it.

But wait:  there’s more!

Let’s look at the ad copy (which is, in true Microsoft web-standards-adherence fashion, an image):

“We’ve buried $10,00 on the internet and if you’re the first one to find it you get to keep it.”

The hook

“But you’ll never find it using that browser.  (So get rid of it, or get lost.)”

The line

“If you want a serious shot at the ten grand, upgrade your browser to Windows Internet Explorer 8 now.  Then follow @tengrand_IE8 on Twitter for daily clues that point you to the buried loot”
The sinker.

Excuse me, upgrade my browser?  The only upgrading I’m doing is to Firefox 3.5.  How can you call it an upgrade with undeniably worse security, significantly slower, and iffy-at-best standards adherence?

To quote @dpogue: …”oh my! I… didn’t think Microsoft was capable of stooping *that* low o.o”

Neither did I. I mean, I knew Microsoft always won at the web browser/OS game of limbo (limbo limbo limbo! How low can you go?!?) but I never thought they’d actually throw money at people.

Besides, it’s not enough. I’d need at least $100,000 CAD to make me switch (for the record, the prize is about $9,000 CAD or $8,000 USD)

Even better:  at the bottom, it says “It’s not as stupid as it sounds”.  Yes, yes it is.  At least that crossed the mind of someone at Microsoft.  Otherwise I’d have serious doubts as to the future of Humanity.  The ironic part is that there will be the inevitable Firefox extension that will allow Open Source fans to participate.

http://entertainment.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/15/158216

Summary:  Lady *somehow* buys an Ubuntu computer from Dell by accident (as is repeated throughout comments, this is impossible.  The website makes sure you know it’s not Windows on every page).  She then quits two semesters at technical college because she can’t work the computer.

And it’s not even like she has to configure it or install software or anything.  It’s already set up and working perfectly. Continue reading

I was at Best Buy today and looking at their netbooks when I realized “Hey.  None of these run Linux”.  I asked a clerk and they don’t carry the Linux models at all.  Seeing as Windows is a secondary option on these machines when Linux is the first, this disturbed me on several levels.

The first was that people were being denied the chance to make a choice about their OS.  Even though Linux is invariably smaller, faster, more stable, and more secure, certain stores have entered into agreements with Microsoft that forbid their selling of these products.  Prime example is Walmart, who despite the amazing success of their Linux PC lines with Everex gPC and the EeePC, pulled them off shelves at the behest of Microsoft.

If you compare features of Windows and (lets say) Ubuntu Linux, Ubuntu wins hands down.  Take a look:

Continue reading