If this ends up supporting Adobe Creative Suite better than Wine, then that will be a huge win as it is a very common "why I can't use Linux" excuse.
How good is Apple's documentation compared to Microsofts? This is important for a clean-room implementation.
This kids, is what we call a Bandaid Solution - its the type of solution that doesn't really fix anything and allows the problem to fester underneath. It is generally the only type of solution that Ubuntu community knows. Don't believe me? 9/10 posts on the forums suggest a dirty hack or the blood sacrifice of a goat (on a full moon) to "fix" a problem.
These idiots are the posterboys of Linux and hell, somehow even the posterboys of FOSS? Whoever is picking these posterboys needs to be dragged into the street and shot.
I think the real solution here is to re-align Open Source/Free Software community to one of the dozen other distributions which are much more suitable. Let Canonical hawk their crappy wares over in the corner.
You're pretty much right.
Except for the part about the touchscreen device users who prefer Metro over Android and iOS. Anybody who has used WP7 and WP8 knows that the interface is freakin excellent. Hands down winner... I love it on a phone - I HATE it on a desktop.
I could have told you this without an expensive study - the results are exactly what I would have expected.
But will management listen to this study or will they continue to live in fantasy land where people actually like their poor service and advertising?
Oh, so you have a decent office quite on Android or on niche OSes like Haiku? Cool which one is it?
That's what I thought.
Also, Open Office does far more formats and functions than Google Docs and I don't know about cloud MS Office, but definitely more formats. You (or your trusted hoster/friend) could also run an instance to ensure lower latency for your local area and better privacy if the software for this service is open sourced.
Oh just an update.
ChromeOS does not have an X driver but rather uses Linux Frame buffer and some acceleration extensions, however the spirit/intent/point of my comment still applies!
I've been watching all this happen for years. It's why I set up and run the servers the way I do so that any third party services (like Amazon S3) have zero knowledge of how to decrypt my data or if possible I use software and services that give the user power over their data.
http://userdatamanifesto.org/
User Data Manifesto is a quite new site set up by Frank Karlitschek of the OwnCloud project (check it out, it's great) which outlines 8 points which give the user the control over their data in the cloud (kinda like the 4 freedoms, either Roosevelt's or Stallmans). It also has a list of projects which respect said points.
A real Linux distro is where it is at.
The big advantage over other ARM based netbook hacks is that this one has a driver accelerated X (since ChromeOS is just a Linux distro) and not just some Android graphics driver.
Too bad it looks like they won't be selling them in Australia.
Word War vi is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up '80s style arcade game. You pilot your "vi"per craft through core memory, rescuing lost.swp files, avoiding OS defenses, and wiping out those memory hogging emacs processes. When all the lost.swp files are rescued, head for the socket which will take you to the next node in the cluster.
In-a-box works best with Linux because you can provide the entire setup in one go as well as having a built-in update mechanism... Besides, letting OSX and Windows touch the internets is a little insane. Coincidentally Buddycloud (http://buddycloud.org) has a "In-A-Box" thing plus documentation/demo video to help you roll your own instance.
But it's probably better to put the work into http://buddycloud.org/ instead. Far better base for a federated social network than Diaspora... And a better core team (who welcome contributors). Getting rid of all that Ruby crap would also take a lot of work, and because they're not standards based you can't just (easily) write a Diaspora node in a more sane ecosystem.
I agree with pretty much everything you said... But getting rid of ARM? What sort of stupid bullshit is that? The problem has *NOTHING* to do with the architecture and everything to do with Microsoft. Putting it into perspective - there is not a single ARM device that you can buy today that has UEFI... And somehow the problem is ARMs' fault?
I guess perhaps the mindset of the embedded industry who don't think that proprietary blob drivers are a bad thing (hey, nobody but us will ever update the software!) is partly to blame. Yes, most of these companies use ARM, but it still has nothing to do with ARM.
Is probably just the switch to the NT kernel from a stripped (legacy removed) CE kernel. I hope the speed and stability carries through! It's so weird saying that about a Microsoft product but as anybody who has actually used WP7 knows, it's generally rock solid.
Switching to the NT kernel is what has enabled the multicore support and it probably also enables the use of any future x86 hardware platforms too. Obviously moving to NT also helps Microsoft unify their infrastructure because it means they only have 1 kernel to worry about (and mostly just the Metro framework).
Normally I'd be the first one to bash Microsoft about the whole WP8 not being on older devices thing, but since WP8 runs a completely different kernel it'd be foolish to expect them to support older devices which probably don't even have device drivers written for the NT kernel.
Obviously you want an Ultra-book of some type. They're basically the same as the Macbook air (yes, even aluminium unibodies) but you can get them slightly cheaper (especially in the USA). I don't know which one to recommend on basis of Linux compatibility but I'd suspect most would work well. They also (by Intel requirements) use Intel graphics which pretty much always play nice under Linux - and usually the battery life of an ultrabook is great. In 6 months I would bet that there will be $700 ultrabooks as I can currently find $799 ones.
Distribution wise I would be looking at Fedora (and it's complete ecosystem) or Linux Mint (Debian Edition, MATE and Cinnamon are *great* Gnome 2/3 replacements) rather than the tumultuous *buntu distributions.
The Dell XPS 13 ultrabook apparently going to be shipped with Ubuntu as a "developer" option however the reliability of the Dell consumer range is *terrible* and they also seem to have a $999 price tag. Maybe officially refurbished Macbook Airs are an option as they come with warranty for about $800 and maybe there could be a better education discount.
I would also be consulting with teachers about how/what *they* would want to use whatever hardware. Teachers are mostly concerned about *learning outcomes* and if they don't integrate the laptops (or tablets if you go that route) into the syllabus then they just won't get used.
BTW, on the server side of things you may want to check out Resara Server as an Active Directory replacement - this is more your area right:) ?
Mandriva was also selling Mandriva Directory Server - which was a good product IMO. Isn't providing management/services products making them "more than just an OS vendor"?. Novell was doing exactly the same thing with eDirectory/Zenworks.
Kaleidescape servers are really expensive equipment from my experience. Normal consumers are not buying these devices. Kaliedescape servers are only installed in businesses and multi-million dollar houses where generally only legal media is used. It seems to me that they are being manufactured, marketed, sold and (in general) used in a fairly law-abiding spirit. This law suit does nothing but aggravate the situation.
A lot of the tests that were done would have benefited from having Hard Float. Ubuntu ARM port does not have Hard Float. They should have used the Debian HardFloat port to get more accurate performance metrics of what the hardware can do.
I'm with ARP too. They're excellent. The offering is good and the service is great. I'm not changing any time soon as I've already tried Linode,VPSLink and a couple of others. A big reason for going with ARP is if you care about IPv6, good network (peers, and good APAC service). You have complete control over your OS as they run KVM virtualisation.
The IRC channel is great too and you can chat with the guys who run the servers and some pretty knowledgeable customers. There's a few names in the IRC you may recognise too. The only downside I can see is that their provisioning process is definitely handled manually instead of a fully automated system that can pop out a new VPS in 30 seconds - so if you're used to that you may be annoyed. It's not that slow, and if you're in the USA you're in the right timezone at least.
I'm running 768 MB, 20 GB, 400 GB USD $20/month and I've been with them about a year and a half.
A site you may want to browse is http://www.lowendbox.com/ as they get some good deals from satisfactory providers.
I'm an IT professional. I'm serious. I've never spent over $1000 on any of my computers. IT pros make more than most musicians... I don't know how the assertion that they should spend more if they're serious makes any sense.
Unless an instrument is completely different (as is likely with an acoustic guitar), the reason most guitarists have multiple guitars is just wankery.
Don't over-analyse this. Yes, there are no patents that make this necessary, there is a hellava lot prior art too. Anybody can make a guitar, and the amount of study required is not that much and all the information is easy to find (I've looked).
I had a look at the guitar, its gorgeous. I'd like to see people play with the style that he has started and make a whole range of open, gorgeous models.
Having an easy base to build off allows the artist to just get-on with the art. Hopefully the frame and the neck can be bought for a reasonable price. Currently you can buy necks fairly easily and of-course you can mod them.
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If this ends up supporting Adobe Creative Suite better than Wine, then that will be a huge win as it is a very common "why I can't use Linux" excuse.
How good is Apple's documentation compared to Microsofts? This is important for a clean-room implementation.
If it has a keyboard and mouse as first class citizens (or at least a mouse!) count me in, else forget about it.
Bandaid, meet solution.
This kids, is what we call a Bandaid Solution - its the type of solution that doesn't really fix anything and allows the problem to fester underneath. It is generally the only type of solution that Ubuntu community knows. Don't believe me? 9/10 posts on the forums suggest a dirty hack or the blood sacrifice of a goat (on a full moon) to "fix" a problem.
These idiots are the posterboys of Linux and hell, somehow even the posterboys of FOSS? Whoever is picking these posterboys needs to be dragged into the street and shot.
I think the real solution here is to re-align Open Source/Free Software community to one of the dozen other distributions which are much more suitable. Let Canonical hawk their crappy wares over in the corner.
You're pretty much right. Except for the part about the touchscreen device users who prefer Metro over Android and iOS. Anybody who has used WP7 and WP8 knows that the interface is freakin excellent. Hands down winner... I love it on a phone - I HATE it on a desktop.
I could have told you this without an expensive study - the results are exactly what I would have expected.
But will management listen to this study or will they continue to live in fantasy land where people actually like their poor service and advertising?
Oh, so you have a decent office quite on Android or on niche OSes like Haiku? Cool which one is it?
That's what I thought.
Also, Open Office does far more formats and functions than Google Docs and I don't know about cloud MS Office, but definitely more formats. You (or your trusted hoster/friend) could also run an instance to ensure lower latency for your local area and better privacy if the software for this service is open sourced.
Oh just an update.
ChromeOS does not have an X driver but rather uses Linux Frame buffer and some acceleration extensions, however the spirit/intent/point of my comment still applies!
I've been watching all this happen for years. It's why I set up and run the servers the way I do so that any third party services (like Amazon S3) have zero knowledge of how to decrypt my data or if possible I use software and services that give the user power over their data.
http://userdatamanifesto.org/
User Data Manifesto is a quite new site set up by Frank Karlitschek of the OwnCloud project (check it out, it's great) which outlines 8 points which give the user the control over their data in the cloud (kinda like the 4 freedoms, either Roosevelt's or Stallmans). It also has a list of projects which respect said points.
A real Linux distro is where it is at.
The big advantage over other ARM based netbook hacks is that this one has a driver accelerated X (since ChromeOS is just a Linux distro) and not just some Android graphics driver.
Too bad it looks like they won't be selling them in Australia.
Though World War vi might be good too - http://freecode.com/projects/wordwarvi
In-a-box works best with Linux because you can provide the entire setup in one go as well as having a built-in update mechanism... Besides, letting OSX and Windows touch the internets is a little insane. Coincidentally Buddycloud (http://buddycloud.org) has a "In-A-Box" thing plus documentation/demo video to help you roll your own instance.
http://buddycloud.com/ - there's your user-oriented crap. Enjoy.
Untill you bashed Ruby I actually followed what you were saying.
Someone who blames the tools, is a worthless worker, so, sorry, can't take anything you say serious.
Actually, sometimes people use the wrong tool for the job. Diaspora is one of those times.
But it's probably better to put the work into http://buddycloud.org/ instead. Far better base for a federated social network than Diaspora... And a better core team (who welcome contributors). Getting rid of all that Ruby crap would also take a lot of work, and because they're not standards based you can't just (easily) write a Diaspora node in a more sane ecosystem.
I agree with pretty much everything you said... But getting rid of ARM? What sort of stupid bullshit is that? The problem has *NOTHING* to do with the architecture and everything to do with Microsoft. Putting it into perspective - there is not a single ARM device that you can buy today that has UEFI... And somehow the problem is ARMs' fault?
I guess perhaps the mindset of the embedded industry who don't think that proprietary blob drivers are a bad thing (hey, nobody but us will ever update the software!) is partly to blame. Yes, most of these companies use ARM, but it still has nothing to do with ARM.
Is probably just the switch to the NT kernel from a stripped (legacy removed) CE kernel. I hope the speed and stability carries through! It's so weird saying that about a Microsoft product but as anybody who has actually used WP7 knows, it's generally rock solid.
Switching to the NT kernel is what has enabled the multicore support and it probably also enables the use of any future x86 hardware platforms too. Obviously moving to NT also helps Microsoft unify their infrastructure because it means they only have 1 kernel to worry about (and mostly just the Metro framework).
Normally I'd be the first one to bash Microsoft about the whole WP8 not being on older devices thing, but since WP8 runs a completely different kernel it'd be foolish to expect them to support older devices which probably don't even have device drivers written for the NT kernel.
Obviously you want an Ultra-book of some type. They're basically the same as the Macbook air (yes, even aluminium unibodies) but you can get them slightly cheaper (especially in the USA). I don't know which one to recommend on basis of Linux compatibility but I'd suspect most would work well. They also (by Intel requirements) use Intel graphics which pretty much always play nice under Linux - and usually the battery life of an ultrabook is great. In 6 months I would bet that there will be $700 ultrabooks as I can currently find $799 ones.
Distribution wise I would be looking at Fedora (and it's complete ecosystem) or Linux Mint (Debian Edition, MATE and Cinnamon are *great* Gnome 2/3 replacements) rather than the tumultuous *buntu distributions.
The Dell XPS 13 ultrabook apparently going to be shipped with Ubuntu as a "developer" option however the reliability of the Dell consumer range is *terrible* and they also seem to have a $999 price tag. Maybe officially refurbished Macbook Airs are an option as they come with warranty for about $800 and maybe there could be a better education discount.
I would also be consulting with teachers about how/what *they* would want to use whatever hardware. Teachers are mostly concerned about *learning outcomes* and if they don't integrate the laptops (or tablets if you go that route) into the syllabus then they just won't get used.
BTW, on the server side of things you may want to check out Resara Server as an Active Directory replacement - this is more your area right :) ?
Is as useful as tits on a bull. Companies can charge whatever they damn well want for their software. Who is anybody to tell them different?
Complaining about the lack of funding into open source or at least home-grown software is much more useful.
I need electrodes for depression like I need several holes drilled in my head.
Mandriva was also selling Mandriva Directory Server - which was a good product IMO. Isn't providing management/services products making them "more than just an OS vendor"?. Novell was doing exactly the same thing with eDirectory/Zenworks.
Kaleidescape servers are really expensive equipment from my experience. Normal consumers are not buying these devices. Kaliedescape servers are only installed in businesses and multi-million dollar houses where generally only legal media is used. It seems to me that they are being manufactured, marketed, sold and (in general) used in a fairly law-abiding spirit. This law suit does nothing but aggravate the situation.
A lot of the tests that were done would have benefited from having Hard Float. Ubuntu ARM port does not have Hard Float. They should have used the Debian HardFloat port to get more accurate performance metrics of what the hardware can do.
I'm not arguing over semantics or fractions of percentages - Hard Float would have given an easy 20% increase in performance for some tests! For example here's an engineer from Genesi showing off the Debain Hard-Float work a few months back... 300% increase in some places?
Would you benchmark cars giving all the others high-octane fuel except one?
Please let it Soft-float fucking die already. It's horrible.
I'm with ARP too. They're excellent. The offering is good and the service is great. I'm not changing any time soon as I've already tried Linode,VPSLink and a couple of others. A big reason for going with ARP is if you care about IPv6, good network (peers, and good APAC service). You have complete control over your OS as they run KVM virtualisation.
The IRC channel is great too and you can chat with the guys who run the servers and some pretty knowledgeable customers. There's a few names in the IRC you may recognise too. The only downside I can see is that their provisioning process is definitely handled manually instead of a fully automated system that can pop out a new VPS in 30 seconds - so if you're used to that you may be annoyed. It's not that slow, and if you're in the USA you're in the right timezone at least.
I'm running 768 MB, 20 GB, 400 GB USD $20/month and I've been with them about a year and a half.
A site you may want to browse is http://www.lowendbox.com/ as they get some good deals from satisfactory providers.
I'm an IT professional. I'm serious. I've never spent over $1000 on any of my computers. IT pros make more than most musicians... I don't know how the assertion that they should spend more if they're serious makes any sense.
Unless an instrument is completely different (as is likely with an acoustic guitar), the reason most guitarists have multiple guitars is just wankery.
Don't over-analyse this. Yes, there are no patents that make this necessary, there is a hellava lot prior art too. Anybody can make a guitar, and the amount of study required is not that much and all the information is easy to find (I've looked).
I had a look at the guitar, its gorgeous. I'd like to see people play with the style that he has started and make a whole range of open, gorgeous models.
Having an easy base to build off allows the artist to just get-on with the art. Hopefully the frame and the neck can be bought for a reasonable price. Currently you can buy necks fairly easily and of-course you can mod them.