Slashdot Mirror
The Open Source Design Conundrum
Matt Asay writes "Walk the halls of any open-source conference and you'll see a large percentage of attendees with ironically non-open-source Apple laptops and iPhones. One reason for this seeming contradiction can be found in reading Matthew Thomas' classic 'Why free software usability tends to suck.' Open-source advocates like good design as much as anyone, but the open-source development process is often not the best way to achieve it. Open-source projects have tended to be great commoditizers, but not necessarily the best innovators. Hence, Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst recently stated that Red Hat is "focused on commoditizing important layers in the stack." This is fine, but for those that want open source to push the envelope on innovation, it may be unavoidable to introduce a bit more cathedral into the bazaar. Without an IBM, Red Hat, or Mozilla bringing cash and discipline to an open-source project, including paying people to do the 'dirt work' that no one would otherwise do, can open source hope to thrive?"
I see some Apples, but more often I'm seeing netbooks. It depends on the venue and demographic of the conference; student-heavy get-togethers only have Apples if the students can afford it, and despite Apple's best attempts to offer student discounts, their little white books are still too fuckin' expensive for most of us.
Of course, I should disclose that I boycott Apple for other reasons. :3
~ C.
Most Mac users are perfectly happy with Safari.
Some Windows users are also happy with Safari.
Falcon
Should there be a Law?
An interestingly large number of bloggers on Planet Ubuntu don't use Ubuntu as their day-to-day operating system. The main ZDNet Open Source blogger (Dana) hadn't even tried Linux until late last year, and his machines are all Windows.
What am I doing wrong that I've been using Linux as my main OS since 1997-8? Everyone else seems to agree that it's not possible.
Put identity in the browser.
If you follow the blogs, there are several people who give positive reviews to Linux distros. The Hardware blog is always talking about it. The Education blog guy is trying to put Ubuntu thin clients in his school. Jeremy Allison (a.k.a. The Samba Guy) also blogs for them, so he's definitely pro-OSS. I think there are several bloggers with open minds there. They don't always like what they see, but they give things a fair shake.
There's the other group of ZDNet bloggers, though, who are and always have been very pro-MS. They don't use anything else. They generate their income from Windows and the ecosystem. They have closed minds and refuse to even accept Macs as alternatives. ZDNet balances these guys out with a pro-SunRay blogger and a pro-Mac blogger. Overall, I think the blogs are fairly even-handed.
Don't read the comments, though. You ears will bleed. The user comments make Digg's look educated.
Put identity in the browser.