Looks like Microsoft are at it again.. apparently they now have 96% of the Netbook market, with four times the return rate from netbooks shipped with other operating systems.
(The articles are here and here.)
A rebuttal by Chris Kenyon of Canonical, along with it's coverage tries to put this into perspective, but the FUD is already out there.
Australia has enough problems getting any form of choice into our markets. (You might say that we live in a country of monopolists.) Netbooks running Linux may well be available in other parts of the world, but the market that these machines were designed for, doesn't appear on the radar of the major retailers here. Not yet anyway.. and all the people that I know who have bought really cool netbooks, which run linux, have done so because they 1) travel and 2) bought it elsewhere.
Microsoft can (and probably will) continue generating this sort of press. On the other hand, the Ubuntu community* and Canonical will continue to release an ever improving Operating System complete with application software every 6 months, like they have over the last 5 years and 10 releases.
The Ubuntu release - 9.04 - is due 23rd April.
* - includes all the contibuting Free and Open Source software developers around the world.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Expect squrrels...
Well, it's nearly time to head off to Linux.Conf.Au again, and I've gotten around to contemplating what this year may hold for Linux, and what hints may come out of the conference... but it's usually pretty unwise to ask this sort of question.
Nobody actually knows. Yes there are big companies behind Linux and the Free and Open Source Software community. Yes, they pay for a majority of the software development on core systems like the Linux kernel, the desktop environment, and server software, but there are also an awful number of people who contribute just because they can.
... and it's these people that the Linux.Conf.Au conference is actually for.
The program comittee has done an excellent job again this year. It involves a huge amount of work to go through all the various submissions, but the quality of the speakers and presentations looks as high as it has ever been.
I'm also really looking forward to the lightening talks. Unfortunately several miniconfs have put their lightening sessions on at the same time. This is maybe something for future Linux.Conf.Au organisers to look at. If it were possible, I would go and see them all. This is where the really interesting technical gems will be found, and where future conference speakers will get their initial experience.
So what will be the 'next big thing'? Come to the conference, watch this space, have a look at the video's of the presentations and make up your own mind. With Free and Open Source Software it all possible.
Personally, I expect squirrels.
Nobody actually knows. Yes there are big companies behind Linux and the Free and Open Source Software community. Yes, they pay for a majority of the software development on core systems like the Linux kernel, the desktop environment, and server software, but there are also an awful number of people who contribute just because they can.
... and it's these people that the Linux.Conf.Au conference is actually for.
The program comittee has done an excellent job again this year. It involves a huge amount of work to go through all the various submissions, but the quality of the speakers and presentations looks as high as it has ever been.
I'm also really looking forward to the lightening talks. Unfortunately several miniconfs have put their lightening sessions on at the same time. This is maybe something for future Linux.Conf.Au organisers to look at. If it were possible, I would go and see them all. This is where the really interesting technical gems will be found, and where future conference speakers will get their initial experience.
So what will be the 'next big thing'? Come to the conference, watch this space, have a look at the video's of the presentations and make up your own mind. With Free and Open Source Software it all possible.
Personally, I expect squirrels.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Off to Linux.Conf.Au 2009
I'm off to LCA 2009!
This is a quick blog entry.. just to test the LCA 2009 blogging planet. It is going to be awesome (again).
This is a quick blog entry.. just to test the LCA 2009 blogging planet. It is going to be awesome (again).
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Is the Federal Budget FOSS Friendly?
Well... the first budget for the new Labor Federal Government and there have been some changes to the way that purchased computer software (or software licenses) are depreciated, with regards to tax right-offs.
Australian IT News Article.
The depreciation period on capital expenditure on business software has been increased from 2.5 to 4 years. This was projected to lead to $1.3 billion dollars of government savings up to 2012.
This money is then going towards a National Secondary School Computer Fund (NSSC) of $1.2 billion which is to pay for computers and communication technology.
So.. where is the incentive to make more use of Free and Open Source Software?
Indirectly, I think that this is an excellent budget for FOSS.
The proposal is for individual schools to be able to receive up to $1 million dollars as a grant. This is targeted spending, and the schools would need to justify the way that the grant gets spent. To work properly, this would require that the schools have freedom on how they spend their grant money. Schools could choose either to buy the 'latest and greatest' (typically this will be Apple), or they could extend their spending power by just buying hardware and installing Free and Open Source Software on top of this (eg. Ubuntu).
The usual benefits would then also apply.. Schools would be able to offer all the software that they use to their students to take home; upgrades and security updates would be available free of charge; students can start to learn about the Free and Open Source Software community and participate and contribute the Free and Open Source.
All good...
So what about businesses?
Businesses will carry an increased tax burden for an additional one and a half years, over the next 4 years. In a tightening economy, this maybe enough of an incentive to switch to Free and Open Source Software. If businesses do take up Free and Open Source Software en-mass, then the education fund could be significantly less than projected. This could, in turn, drive the adoption of FOSS in schools, as funds for computer grants become tighter.
So, watch the space. The budget assumes a status quo which may not continue. If this changes, FOSS is an attractive proposition for those people that would then like to make use of it.
Australian IT News Article.
The depreciation period on capital expenditure on business software has been increased from 2.5 to 4 years. This was projected to lead to $1.3 billion dollars of government savings up to 2012.
This money is then going towards a National Secondary School Computer Fund (NSSC) of $1.2 billion which is to pay for computers and communication technology.
So.. where is the incentive to make more use of Free and Open Source Software?
Indirectly, I think that this is an excellent budget for FOSS.
The proposal is for individual schools to be able to receive up to $1 million dollars as a grant. This is targeted spending, and the schools would need to justify the way that the grant gets spent. To work properly, this would require that the schools have freedom on how they spend their grant money. Schools could choose either to buy the 'latest and greatest' (typically this will be Apple), or they could extend their spending power by just buying hardware and installing Free and Open Source Software on top of this (eg. Ubuntu).
The usual benefits would then also apply.. Schools would be able to offer all the software that they use to their students to take home; upgrades and security updates would be available free of charge; students can start to learn about the Free and Open Source Software community and participate and contribute the Free and Open Source.
All good...
So what about businesses?
Businesses will carry an increased tax burden for an additional one and a half years, over the next 4 years. In a tightening economy, this maybe enough of an incentive to switch to Free and Open Source Software. If businesses do take up Free and Open Source Software en-mass, then the education fund could be significantly less than projected. This could, in turn, drive the adoption of FOSS in schools, as funds for computer grants become tighter.
So, watch the space. The budget assumes a status quo which may not continue. If this changes, FOSS is an attractive proposition for those people that would then like to make use of it.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
OLPC Laptop - How Awesome it that!
Happier then a pig in mud.
Yesterday, at Linux.Conf.Au 2008, I was given (another) XO laptop. This is a fantastic little gadget which some of you have seen me discuss before, and it great to see just how far this project has progressed.
Let me just say from the outset that during the last year I have been the happy custodian of an early model XO laptop, received after last years Linux.Conf.Au, which has travelled around a bit. He even had his own blog (sparky's blog).
Several other people from Adelaide, South Australia have also received XO's to do 'cool stuff' as well. I plan to keep in contact which these people.. and sparky will be as well. If you live in Adelaide or South Australia and would like to see an XO laptop first hand, play with it or even borrow it to try out some cool idea for the project, send me an email and we'll see what we can do.
From the grapevine, there were 50 of these laptops bought by Linux Australia for distribution at the conference and the OLPC project pitched in with another 50.
Footnote: This blog post was written on the XO. Unfortunately, it looks like blogspot relies on multiple windows for uploading images.. which is something that I haven't been able to figure out how to do yet but I do have some nice ones from the conference, taken with the XO's own built-in camera.
Update: Found an answer to the image problem.. upload into Picassa first, and then copy/paste the link using the regular X server cut-n-paste function between browser windows.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Off to Linux.Conf.Au 2008
It's January! ...and that means that it is again time for the Annual Linux.Conf.Au, this year being held in Melbourne from Monday, 28 January to Saturday, 2 February 2008.
It's returning to the location where it all started in 1999, where the 'Conference for Australian Linux Users' (CALU) was held. I attended that one, missed the next two LCA's but have been to every one since. (There was no LCA in 2000.) If you are interested in this history, more details can be found on the Linux.Org.Au website.
As always, LCA is going to be incredibly interesting. It is going to very tough choosing between speakers (http://linux.conf.au/programme/presentations) as the entire week is packed with lots of people talking about lots of technically interesting linux and Free and Open Software related stuff.. my current short list looks like:
Hardware / Software Hacking: Joining Second Life to the Real World, The Kernel Report, OLPC, Peace, Love, and Rockets!, Kernel hacking: hacking on lguest Clustered Samba - not just a hack any more, Parrot: a VM for Dynamic Languages, The Replicators Are Coming!, Farsight 2: Video conferencing made easy, Create your own Open Source Dance Mat, The Australian Open Source Industry & Community Census 2007.
Amongst all this, there are also the Mini-confs, Birds of a Feather (BoFs) sessions, the hacking in the hallways and the catching up with people not seen since the last LCA.
The only down side (that I can see) is that the conference has limited places and that they have all sold out.
This won't stop you getting to meet some of the fantastic people or technology. If you are in Melbourne on Saturday, 2 February, make you way down to Union House, Melbourne University for the Open Day. More details and the online registration are here.
It's returning to the location where it all started in 1999, where the 'Conference for Australian Linux Users' (CALU) was held. I attended that one, missed the next two LCA's but have been to every one since. (There was no LCA in 2000.) If you are interested in this history, more details can be found on the Linux.Org.Au website.
As always, LCA is going to be incredibly interesting. It is going to very tough choosing between speakers (http://linux.conf.au/programme/presentations) as the entire week is packed with lots of people talking about lots of technically interesting linux and Free and Open Software related stuff.. my current short list looks like:
Hardware / Software Hacking: Joining Second Life to the Real World, The Kernel Report, OLPC, Peace, Love, and Rockets!, Kernel hacking: hacking on lguest Clustered Samba - not just a hack any more, Parrot: a VM for Dynamic Languages, The Replicators Are Coming!, Farsight 2: Video conferencing made easy, Create your own Open Source Dance Mat, The Australian Open Source Industry & Community Census 2007.
Amongst all this, there are also the Mini-confs, Birds of a Feather (BoFs) sessions, the hacking in the hallways and the catching up with people not seen since the last LCA.
The only down side (that I can see) is that the conference has limited places and that they have all sold out.
This won't stop you getting to meet some of the fantastic people or technology. If you are in Melbourne on Saturday, 2 February, make you way down to Union House, Melbourne University for the Open Day. More details and the online registration are here.
Friday, November 16, 2007
2007 Federal Election Commentary - Microsoft Laughing all the way to the Bank
In the last days of the Federal Election Campaign of 2007, the Australian Labor Party pledged funding for a computer for every senior secondary student. This makes Microsoft very happy.
When negotiating software licenses for schools in the past, Microsoft proposed a volume license for schools, typically though their collective organisations based on the total number of computers that a school had, regardless of their operating system, or how thy were being used. This was, of course, provided at a lower rate under and Educational Licencing schemes.
Much of this is hearsay from people I know within the education sector, but it includes Universities as well, and it paints a picture of a situation where Microsoft are indeed collecting a tax from the Australia people and our government is allowing them to do it.
Let me ask a couple of questions:
- (Reward for effort) What additional effort does Microsoft have to make to receive this revenue?
- (A fair go) What risk have they taken in the past that justifies then receiving this reward?
- (Taking it to the bank) What is the guarantee on this revenue?
This revenue can only be called a tax. It's not 'a fee for a service' or 'purchase price'. It is a compulsory payment that is being made by the Government, through the public schools, and Australians through private schools on our behalf to an oversees entitly.
... and the amount money is not insignificant.
In summary: A vote for Rudd is a vote for Microsoft, and a vote for Howard is a vote for the Government that allowed this situation to happen, and also a vote for Microsoft.
When negotiating software licenses for schools in the past, Microsoft proposed a volume license for schools, typically though their collective organisations based on the total number of computers that a school had, regardless of their operating system, or how thy were being used. This was, of course, provided at a lower rate under and Educational Licencing schemes.
Much of this is hearsay from people I know within the education sector, but it includes Universities as well, and it paints a picture of a situation where Microsoft are indeed collecting a tax from the Australia people and our government is allowing them to do it.
Let me ask a couple of questions:
- (Reward for effort) What additional effort does Microsoft have to make to receive this revenue?
- (A fair go) What risk have they taken in the past that justifies then receiving this reward?
- (Taking it to the bank) What is the guarantee on this revenue?
This revenue can only be called a tax. It's not 'a fee for a service' or 'purchase price'. It is a compulsory payment that is being made by the Government, through the public schools, and Australians through private schools on our behalf to an oversees entitly.
... and the amount money is not insignificant.
In summary: A vote for Rudd is a vote for Microsoft, and a vote for Howard is a vote for the Government that allowed this situation to happen, and also a vote for Microsoft.
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