May 31, 2009
Last day of the month ... spent the 29th at Uretiti Beach in rememberance of Corwin. The sea was wild, surf over my head: just the way the little boy liked it. Returned home just as the weather moved in.
Out of curiosity, watched Jeff Goldblum in Criminal Intent - I'm not sure what to think, this show is clearly not as silly as that "Numb3rs" thing which it replaced. Still - Jeff plays this sort of cross between Agent Cooper (Twin Peaks) and Paul Atreides (Dune) ... come to think of it, he's playing Kyle MacLochlan. Probably worth another look.
Not going to unseat Bones for top crime drama. If you have to have way out there investigations, try not to take it seriously. This was the problem with numb3rs - gone and good riddance. Also said goodbye to two great shows - House, and Boston Legal. While BL is doing another round as "best of" and still watchable ("I'm Denny Krane, captained my own spaceship once") but will there be a return for House - maybe a movie: former students visit him in the madhouse, consulting him Hannibal-like on the trickier cases.
Back in real life, last refuge for those who cannot handle Science Fiction, there have been interesting things afoot on the Free software front.
G2009 fell through - which is a mixed result. Interestingly, MS claim that this was what always happens. "Government deal? What deal? Never had a deal..."
Trouble is, it's caught the free software community by surprise - now we are all scrabbling for position while MS courts the individual departments.
There have been yet more predictions of the demise of the Giant IT corp. This time from another programer breaking ranks.
C'mon folks, this is not going to happen - Microsoft is more likely to go the way of IBM - Big Blue is still with us. Mind you, this is not the IBM I grew up with - that one was hated. Whih is why I think MS will have a similar fate.
The G2009 deal has nothing to do with schools - who have been pressed to consider alternatives since the last deal has them paying MS for non-windows computers. Use a Mac? Give microsoft some money thank you.
Albany College has made headlines by completely ditching Microsoft. Woot. Though I'd love to know what they are doing for a 3D CAD program. Linux 3D modelling can be done, industry standard, in Maya, but CAD?
Remember that old s92a thing I blacked out this journal over - well the rewrite process has started. It looks to me like there will still be some sort of infringement leads to disconnection system, only it is supposed to be clearly spelled out this time. Naturally we are all keeping an eye on things. So far the working party includes some hard-copyright legal types. Ooh-er...
Which-all just about wraps up this month. Winter officially starts - in case nobody noticed - on the 1st. Wrap up warm. Warmer than thet: you'll need it.
May 29, 2009
Thank you to those who send "happy birthday" to Cathy. By the time I got to it myself, she was thoroughly wound up wondering if I was serious about spending the time on the computer or watching DVDs of All Black's Greatest Games.
For all those who sent in suggestions - thank you too. Seems I worried a few other people too. So, for the record...
She was up early and didn't wake me so missed breakfast in bed. Spent the morning with freinds - but I took her to the Berkeley (Circle) for Star Trek (hello Linda ;) ) which I would not have pegged for a date movie. It was actually lots better than I thought it would be - the time-travel gimmick means that the filmakers could depart from canonical history and explore the characters in different ways. Scooty did not say "I cannae hold her cap'n - she's breaking up ..." but spock did say "fascinating".
Then it was dinner at Porcini, which is just excellent. Feels nobby but they let me in with my trademark bare feet and sloppily shaven mug (I've been refused service at lesser bistros) - though they were full, they still managed to seat us.
We had a Pizza each - morrocan lamb for me and the vege for Cathy - washed down with Villa Maria Gewertzstraminer (just say "give-utts"). I regretted reading the desserts boart because this mandated ordering a cream-rum and banana crepe.
Then Parakae Thermal Resort for a private spa. All warm and snuggly back to Stanmore Baywith a very happy wifey.
Porcini is worth the trip - but they are always full so book, or plan a second venue. However, we've been eating there forever and they've always been able to seat us.
Today is Corwin's birthday - he'd be six. We are out visiting Uretiti beach for the day.
I tend to notice little kids more around this time. I saw a 6-month old in grandmas arms, but keeping a sharp eye on mummy while she packed groceries and was able to head off a tantrum from another child feeling bored in the shopping cart. There was an older boy practising making his parents laugh and a pair in twin pushchairs sharing sandiwiches in that earnest way of children while their mother pushed them in that sleep-deprived daze all parents know about.
At Porcini, there was a beautifully well behaved pair fo girls, age 5 and 7. I decided to compliment the parents on them - and ended up being excitedly told their life stories. It's actually quite fun and I know parents always appreciate it when you notice they've done something right. Especially since it is the bad examples that keep making the news.
May 25, 2009
Two Computerworld articles stand out - they are linked to each other. Here they are:
Microsoft charity crackdown spurs boycott and
Tough talks delay G2009 licence deal.
The first one involves Microsoft implimenting new licence terms across the Tasman. This will be coming here, so we should watch to see what happens.
Basically, MS has not had a special set of licences for charities before. So, by offering one now, they can claim to be supporting more charities than ever before and keep a straight face while enforcing existing licenses mean they are actually penalising many of them.
Charities have been using the academic licenses to save money. MS correctly realised that this is not what the licenses are for. Their standing policy is to enforce their revenue streams. Charities have been relying on MS not enforcing the licences.
I've been warning of this for ages.
The second one is local - G2009 is the NZGovt-MS deal which will see another three years of government obescience to the software giant. The story is based on rumour - though, since the deal is secret, ruour is all we're gonna get.
As with Ozzie charities, we should be using FOSS as a weapon to get better deals out of MS. Word on the grapevine is that MS is offering no discount at all this time around.
Last time this was about school licenses - remember: we (taxpayers) have to shell out for a windows licence for every computer in schools - including the macs. It was take it or leave it and we took it when MS should be paying us for training up their next generation of customers.
When it comes to MS it's a case of: when they say bend over we grab our ankles. How long will we put up with this?
In local news - The installfest I've been neglecting to blog about was a great success. The library turned out to be a convivial venue and we managed 8 installs of Ubuntu 9.04. There were two issues which needed extra time - both involving proprietary software. There are also two Canon printers which are stubbornly refusing to connect dispite Canon's insistence that they are supported. (This companies continued indifference to customers means that I cannot recommend their products. Do not buy Canon.)
Wifey's birthday tomorrow. I have offered a special day in which I spend all the time on the computer - so she can do what she likes. This did not go down as well as I had hoped. So I've got to come up with something fast or risk malicious poking...
May 20, 2009
Some kind person brought
this to my attention. The trouble with these "linux is not ready" winges is that they tend to work from faulty metrics. They just end up pointing out that linux does not make a good prison (see last post). To see why, just turn it around - vis:
Why Windows is not Ready for the Desktop
Preface:
In this document we only discuss Windows deficiencies while everyone should keep in mind that there are areas where Windows has excelled other OSes.
A primary target of this comparison is GNU/Linux OS.
Windows' major shortcomings and problems:
0. Premise: proprietary software is becoming passe. Full stop. You may argue eternally, but complicated software like games, 3D applications, databases, CADs(Computer-aided Design), etc. which cost millions of dollars and years of man-hours to develop have already been open sourced. Software patents are under threat in many jurisdictions around the World, and software patent infringement claims have been failing in the World's courtrooms.
1. No reliable sound system, many applications still open audio output exclusively causing major user problems and headache.
1.1 Insanely difficult to troubleshoot if your sound-system happens to be unsupported.
1.2 Highly confusing, not self-explanatory, licences.
1.3 By default many Windows installs do not support sound at all.
2. UI/Graphics system:
2.1 No free/libre API for developing GUI applications.
2.2 Very slow GUI, not very configurable.
2.3 Many GUI operations are not accelerated.
2.4 Fonts remain problematical:
2.4.1 on-the-fly alterations can break fonts completely.
2.4.2 licencing excessively restricts font use.
2.4.3 Default fonts (often) look ugly.
2.4.3.1 free/open fonts not available out of the box.
2.4.3.2 By default, Windows is not compatible with free/open fonts.
3. Problems stemming from the Windows monoblock:
3.1 No choice of configuration system for computer settings, devices and system services. If your desired setting is not available, you cannot get it. This drives most users mad.
3.2 Little distribution choice - it's the installsheild or nothing.
3.3 Access to souce code - non-existent.
3.4 Applications development is a major PITA. Not only is the source code not available but random changes to the API can break the development without notice.
3.5 Almost no HW support out of the box.
4. It should be possible to configure everything via editing a text file. The Vista power terminal is a step in the right direction, but this is still not a case for too many situations and operations.
5. Problems stemming from low windows popularity and closed source nature:
5.1 No source code.
5.1.1 Slow development cycles.
5.2 Restrictive redistribution licenses.
5.3 Incomplete, unstable, or missing drivers for some hardware.
5.4 Premium content - DRM - restrictive and unstable formats.
5.5 Questionable patents and legality status.
6. Vulnerabilities and malware built-in.
7. A galore of software bugs across all applications.
8. Poor interoperability between windows computers, as well as computers of other OSs.
8.1 Most Windows will not install without requiring remastering with third-party drivers.
9. General slowness: just compare boot times. Windows uses tricks to hide this - like continuing the boot after displaying a desktop ... windows users learn to wait a bit after icons are visible.
9.1 Nonexistent file-sharing between installed applications - each program stands on it's own.
10. CLI minimal and errors ambiguous.
11. Poor documentation.
12. Bad security model - security that exists is easy to circumvent and users have a culture of running unprotected.
12.1 No out-of-the-box manditary access controls
12.2 No out-of-the-box whole-disk encryption
12.3 No out-of-the-box access policies
13. A very bad backwards and forward compatibility.
13.1 Old applications rarely work in new Windows installations.
13.2 New applications and formats break older documents.
13.3 New program bugs, regressions and incompatibilites with each update.
14. Enterprise level problems:
14.1 Vendor lockin - OK - this is a problem across the board.
14.2 Ongoing licence costs, scrutiny to ensure license compliance and DDOS resulting from false positives or just an MS server malfunction.
14.3 MS mandated softwaremodifications override sysadmin settings - famously destroying enterprise network environments.
***
Additions to and well-grounded critics of this list are welcomed.
This list may be reproduced under the GNU Free documentation License.
May 15, 2009
Imagine I've spent my life a captive - I live in a cell, never known anything else, but it's OK - I get to order food off a menu, I've got a big window (barred) which I can open for fresh air. The cell is spacious and comfy, I have a TV.
How do you pursuade me that feedom is better?
You can point out that there is more space, I can go where I want and there's fresh air and sunshine.
I'll point out that I have all the fresh air etc I need, the cell is roomy and I can do everything I want *inside* my cell, why would I need to go anywhere else? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Lets say you somehow pursuade me to try it - maybe you give me a long chain so I can go about in the freedom world and mix with the people there when I want to, but can duck back into captivity if I get too uncomfortable.
The first thing I'm likely to want to try, as a skeptic, is to see if I can do the same things as when I am captive. I try to get my food.
The first thing I notice is that meals do not arrive at mealtimes - there's not even a slot under the door. I ask about this and find out that free people use things called cafes and restaurants to supply meals - which needs money, which means work. Even then it is often too expensive or inconvenient so they make their own meals in their accomodation - which is also work and you have to collect the raw materials - which usually means money.
This is a much bigger hassle than I'm used to - why not just install a door-slot?
Anyway - what do I eat? In captivity I have a menu which makes choosing meals easy. In freedom I have a huge and confusing choice, and I have to worry about things like neutrition and the effects my choices may have on the wider environment.
In my cell I have work that I do - and what I want is taken care of. In freedom, I am working just as hard, but I also have to travel to markets and take care of my income and basic needs myself. Which means I am actually doing more work.
This sucks!
Of course it sucks! The mistake I've made is in trying to duplicate my captive circumstances in freedom.
I've been judging the merits of freedom the same way I would judge the merits of a cell. I can be forgiven for this - I don't know anything else. (I think of it as "pragmatic" - basing opinions on practical merit rather than ideology.) What I have discovered is that freedom does not, a nice comfy cell, make.
Meanwhile, back in the cell, I notice that if I try to order food that is not on the menu... or if I want to cook my favorite meal tonight... something is wrong with the meal... you see, all those things I noticed I had to do to get a meal in freedom are actually the price free people pay for being able to have the meal they want pretty much when and how the want it. I'm not used to having that freedom, I don't expect it, so I only experience the downside.
You know, come to think of it, that person who helps me out when I mess up my cooking... is a pretty good cook, better than the prison cook. Nice looking too.
This analogy can be pushed further, but you get the idea.
I teach a getting-to-know-GNU/Linux course. The first thing each student does is attempt to reproduce their windows experience. Some even go so far as to make the desktop a clone of their windows one ... same themes, one workspace, a taskbar, start button, etc. They think this is testing out how good gnu/linux really is when they are actually hobbling it.
They discover quite quickly that they are not in a nice prison cell. They have not realised that it isn't supposed to be a cell of any kind.
Fortunately these students have a guide - it is possible to steer them to the more liberating aspects.
Some people are just going to insist that they don't like it anyway.
It is tempting to conclude that, in order to get more people out of their cells and into a free life, I should make freedom more like what they would judge to be a nice cell (perhaps temporarily). The trouble with that is, I risk removing the very feature (the freedom itself) that most makes leaving the cell desirable in the first place. Besides, temporary fixes have this way of becoming permanent.
On balance - if someone wants to live in a cell - insists on it - well, there are already cells for them. Good luck to them.
May 13, 2009
Baking day today - 30 chocolate-chip cookies, fluffy-style. They've just come out, so we are full of hot cookie goodness. Cathy complains that she'll get fat but all women do that - and eat the chocolate anyway.
I have known only one woman who'll turn down chocolate. Asian lady, did not like sweet things (or even bitter chocolate). We went our seperate ways - I like chocolate, she doesn't, this is an insurmountable difference. How am I supposed to get her into bed if I cannot ply her with chocolate.
Since I'm using the oven, I've put potatoes and pumpkin on to roast. It seems a modest meal but we are kind-a full...
On business - the OSC Course is set for this week - tomorrow indeed. Just got to update the materials for 9.04 and I'll be fine. There are also some people interested in the advanced course - I'll have to figure out which one that is - productivity or geek skills. I'm hoping for productivity - that's the easy one. It's tough being a geek.
May 11, 2009
Some people have been wondering if I'll write another blog post. Maybe I've been eaten by the blog-monsters or just had my internet cut off for no good reason. Turns out that I've just been busy and tired.
I have been spending a lot of time on Oolite again - the neolite.oxp and neolite-companion.oxp have been finished (woo hoo!) and I've been somewhat ambitious with my megaships: very large craft intended as mobile military bases. Finished that and replaced the behemoth oxp with neolite-megaships.oxp. There is also an anaconda class cruiser with a temporary home in neolite-concepts while I build up to the neolite-frontiers oxp.
Mothers' day is a double for me - wifey got breakfast in bed and special treatment etc. while my mum got a late lunch and chocolate the following day. Today has been so cold it hurts me to breith, so I've been hiding. It's too easy to get run-down these days and end up missing Corwin and maudlin.
The courses, however, are on track. The basic skills course is set to roll on the 14th at my place. I have two people interested in the advanced course. I've been revamping the website to reflect this.
The 16th will see an instllfest at Orewa Public Library - so I'll have to start advertising.
This month's music is the World Fusion compilation from Magnatune. This is a collection of ethnicky-themed stuff in a variety of styles. Intreguing. My favorite - Shiva in Exile (A kind of gothic/punk based on Indian tradition.)
