This may be an unpopular opinion, but we may have won the battle with DVD's but may still loose the war over time.
In the sense that the DeCSS cat is out of the bag and cannot be put back in, we may have won the battle, and many people seem more than happy to flaunt this by being in the faces of Hollywood and the MPAA, but it will be difficult to win the war in the long run.
The real enemy is the DMCA, not the MPAA, but even if the DMCA is overturned, it may not matter. You can bet the next technology after DVD will use much stronger encryption, and with decryption keys that can be changed over time or are customized to each individual user, not to mention digital watermarks, etc. - they've learned their lesson and the next system will be much harder to crack, or if it proves crackable, much harder to make a mass distributable circumvention tool. If it can't be cracked, then presence or lack of the DMCA won't really matter.
The reality is that pay-per-view is coming whether we like it or not. The problem is that we have a legal system that allows us to enter into legally binding contracts. I would also bet that the next form of mass media distribution may involve signed contracts between producers and consumers, similar to satellite TV contracts. Once you have a signed contract, fair use issues are pretty much moot - you are bound by whatever is in the contract. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a signed contract of the form "I'll produce entertainment content for you if you agree not to do such-and-such with it" is probably perfectly legal. They're not stupid, they proably won't make the same mistake again.
You might say "well, content providers will pop up that won't do things this way, and we'll support them". The problem is we're so dependent on Hollywood for our entertainment that it won't work - how many of us will give up seeing the next Star Wars movie? Really, how many?
In a sense, the mass movie market is already pay-per-view. Most of the huddled masses these days rent their movies, they're already used to it, so a small boycot on the fringes will probably be unlikely to change things much. As a result, we're ultimately going to have to accept closed-source viewing software.
Kind of pessimistic, but that's the way I see it anyway.
Learning curves are good for people who have the ability to learn the details. There will always be a need to get into the details even on systems where those details are hidden behind a nice GUI. In Windows, for example, there are times when you have to wade through the registry files to fix some problems.
But this doesn't mean that the average user should not have an easy way of configuring their system, especially if you are trying to encourage its use as an alternative to windows. Linux has some big holes in its ease of configuration and it's good to see some of these getting fixed. As a recent example, I installed an ATAPI CD-RW drive in my PC. After following the README instructions included with CDRecord and XCDRoast, it still didn't work. Finally, after searching the net for some additional problem posts and HOWTOs, I got it working. It required passing an additional kernel parameter in LILO, and loading some additional drivers at boot time. In addition, links in/dev had to be changed. Now, I'm comfortable doing things this way, but there's no way many people I know could have figured it out and they probably would have given up and used Windows to burn their CDs, where the software installed and worked immediately.
It really should be possible to have it both ways if Linux is to achieve mainstream acceptance.
IMHO, I think StarDraw is the most overlooked part of StarOffice. I use StarOffice mainly for the draw part of it. Although there are certainly better tools for complex illustration (CorelDraw, Canvas, AI, etc.), it works just fine for typical business graphics, and is much better than what is typically included with popular (e.g., M$) office suites.
I can't give a link right now because sun.com is currently slashdotted, but a few days ago I noticed on one of their FAQs that they were dropping the OS/2 version because of the low user base (presumably measured by # of downloads).
I'll read the specs you refer to, although I don't have the time just this moment.
What you're saying sound good, though. If I'm not misunderstanding, all UPnP devices of the same type have the same API. So for example, in the case of printers, I assume this means that these printers would no longer be PCL, ESCP, Postscript, etc. - all printers will use the same UPnP-defined API. If this is case, an operating system specific driver would still be needed for that API, but at least there would only be one API to write to.
If this is the case, though, how would new device features be added without changing the API?
What about device drivers, though? As others have mentioned, the idea of UPnP is nice for connectivity, but it seems there would still be the need for OS-specific drivers. Will UPnP be accompanied at some point by a platform independent driver architecture?
Could this inadvertently help make "click-wrap" software licenses more legally binding for software purchased over the internet? After all, with a digital signature, the click-wrap license now can be made into a signed contract.
Staroffice can be downloaded freely as many times as you wish. Although there may be restrictions on redistribution, It seems it would be legal to install it as many times as you wish, since this would basically be the equivalent of downloading it numerous times. Also, Sun has a distribution program called "StarOffice Now", whereby you can register to redistribute StarOffice free of charge as long as you don't make money doing so. If your opinion is that not being open source alone makes a package bad, then so be it, but not everyone shares that opinion.
I've personally seen a fairly high acceptance level of StarOffice in mixed environments where many Sun workstations are in use. I've been using StarOffice personally for several months and have found that although it may not have every last feature of MS office, I have not run into anything yet that I cannot do, and I've done some fairly complex documents and spreadsheets. An often overlooked part of StarOffice is the drawing editor, which has some of the more useful functionality of Visio (smart connectors, glue points, etc.) without all the bloat. People I know who use primarily Sun workstations in their work are thrilled to have an office suite as capable as StarOffice available, and the fact that it's free means that they can install it without budgeting and approval from their pointy-haired bosses, who might otherwise turn down requests for other packages like Applix or FrameMaker.
If StarOffice remains free (at least as in beer), and continues to improve, I think it may eventually make inroads at least in mixed environments like engineering departments.
Another strategy that I forgot to mention is to get people to change some of their applications before changing the entire platform. This is once again a small steps strategy rather than a replace-everything-at-once strategy.
The company where I currently do most of my work has a mixed environment of Windows PCs and UNIX workstations (HP-UX). We have been working with the IEEE on spec documents and they require documents to be submitted in FrameMaker format since that is what they use to publish their books. FrameMaker is available for HP-UX and Solaris, and is currently in beta for Linux. Several of us who prefer cross-platform tools have managed to use both the IEEE issue and the superiority of FrameMaker for large document design get the engineering department to switch from Word to FrameMaker for all of our important documentation. At first, they will buy mostly Windows versions, of course, but assuming Adobe follows through with a final Linux version, it will be one more piece in place to make possible adoption of Linux more feasible at some later date.
Running a small or home office largely Microsoft free is no problem, the productivity tools are there. You may, however, need to keep a windows system or Mac sitting around in a corner for the times you will inevitably have to deal with an MS formatted document that cannot be read properly with StarOffice, WordPerfect, Applix, or FrameMaker.
For large/medium corporate environments which are heavily invested in Microsoft office and email software, however, it will be very difficult to get them to switch to another system instantaneously. Many of them have spent much time and money getting their systems running smoothly and employees trained, and they do not want to change unless they see a tremendous functionality benefit.
One way that I have personally seen success, however, is in promoting a mixed environment. In one company where I worked, we were successful in getting one department to deploy Linux Workstations with VMware running Windows as a guest operating system. What swayed them to conseder this was the combination of the superior remote management abilities and stability of Linux combined with the ability of users to keep using most of their existing MS applications.
It's still not MS-free, of course, but the subtle advantage is that it provides a base from which new applications can be brought in on the Linux side of the fence rather than the Windows side. For example, when a few of the secretaries needed image processing capabilities for web page maintenance, they installed Gimp instead of Photoshop. Scanning was also done on the Linux side, using Sane. Sometimes it's easier to get your foot in the door in small steps than it is to completely turn things on their heads.
Here's a possible solution that might make it possible to publish online and limit casual copying. This is just a brainstorm and there're probably a hundred reasons why it's not practical, but here it is:
1. Make the book available only online as an HTML document. Charge the viewer a small (compared to a paper book) one-time fee to view the book any time they wish.
2. Create a special purpose HTML browser for the purpose of reading these books and only allow pages to be served to that browser. Some kind of crypto authentication can be used to authenticate the browser. This browser would be able to view but would have no ability to print, save, or copy/paste. It could be made to port easily by using a cross-platform toolkit.
Advantages: casual copying would be difficult - it would require page-by-page screen dumps and then OCR on each image, not something everyone would want to do to save a buck or two. Individuals might share accounts, but that level of book sharing already occurs with paper books. Widespread account sharing could be detected and disabled.
Disadvantages: Requires user to be on-line while reading (this will become less of an issue in the future with full-time broadband connections), requires special purpose browser to be developed for the various platforms. Ultimately, someone could still distribute pirate copies by doing screen dump/OCR or by cracking the browser authentication.
A great tool I have used with my 11-yr-old son is Tcl Robots. Basically, it's a Tk application where the user writes small Tcl procedures to control robot "tanks" around a battlefield. You provide the algorithms for how to move, when to shoot, how to scan for enemy tanks, etc., by writing a procedure in Tcl. The program then runs your tank against other built-in or user generated tanks on a battlefield canvas (the canvas is part of the program, not created by the user).
This has had several good effects: First, the kids are doing actual coding in a real programming language (albeit Tcl, not C). Secondly, they get very quick results in a graphical fashion. Third, several kids can write their own tank code and compete against eachother, which can raise the level of interest by making it kind of a game for them.
I wish I had access to the URL right now, but a google search would likely turn it up quickly.
It won't just be music and movies. Check out this white paper posted at Adobe's site. Adobe and others are working on standardizing content encryption schemes for PDF and other popular document distribution formats. According to the paper, they are working with IOMEGA and others to provide hardware that enforces the access restrictions. The emphasis here, as in CSS, is on access control as much as it is on copy protection.
"The thing is, I know how to write software. I don't know how to manipulate the masses into calling for guarentees of freedom from their governments..."
Some things I've done:
1. Support organizations, like EFF, who are already organizing along these lines - sometimes concentrating efforts can have more effect than diffuse resistance.
2. Write letters to and support traditional consumer/free-speech advocacy organizations and start getting some of them on board. These organizations have provided some measure of balance in the past dealing with more traditional types of corporate agression, and many of them have a lot of resources which could be brought to bear once they see the danger and realize that this is a long-term fight.
Many people argue (correctly in some cases) that Linux and Unix are more difficult to use than other systems such as Windows and Mac OS. They argue (again, correctly in some cases) that Linux requires more technical ability.
It's also true that 15 years of Mac OS and Windows have spawned a generation of users for whom the definition of computer literacy is being able to click a mouse and use a word processor.
My 11 year old son was part of that generation. Since starting to use Linux, he can now program in Tcl/Tk and C, and knows how to use the command line to solve problems. So, maybe we have cause and effect reversed here - these are techincal skills that he most likely would have never learned had he continued using only Windows and Mac. One benefit of having an operating system that requires more techinal ability to use is that you will generate more users who are technically competent. In the end, this will benefit everyone.
It's also great to have new UI's that make Linux more useable by people who either just can't or don't have the time to become techically proficient; what's good about Linux is that you have (or will soon have) the choice - the tools are readily available and users are encouraged to become technically proficient, whereas with Windows and Mac, users are specifically discouraged from doing so.
The report may be correct that some of the hype surrounding Linux may subside in the new year, particularly after win2k takes the media limelight.
As the report points out, Linux will continue to grow, faster in some areas, slower in others. Linux is becoming a significant player in the server arena, and will likely prove to be a desirable choice for embedded systems and appliance-oriented computers.
There will be uphill battles as well - companies and most home users are unlikely to make a wholesale change to Linux, at least not until the added value is greater than the costs/headaches of changing and until there is more support for certain types of desktop applications such as financial software. In addition, you can bet that nearly every hardware vendor in existance will support win2k within a few months of its release while Linux remains on their back burners.
But even the areas where Linux's growth will be strong are not the only measures of success - there are more subtle ones which are often overlooked, particularly in these types of reports.
For example, Linux and other open source projects (such as Apache) have made it much harder for Microsoft (or any other single company) to replace open internet standards with closed proprietary ones and hence lock out diversity.
Also, Linux (and Apple, to some extent) has reintroduced competition in a market which just a few years ago had been written off as hopelessly dominated by one company. Like it or not, you can be sure that the final release of win2k will be better than it would have been in the absence of competition from Linux
The value of these types of success are difficult to measure in dollar terms, but we will all enjoy the benefits even if many of our friends and co-workers continue using Windows on their desktops.
It is also true that each distro has its own particular quiks, features, installation routines, and default setup. Even if there was a cross-distro certification program for the common stuff, if I were Red Hat, I would also want to certify people on the Red-Hat-specific things in order for my distro to gain credibility with corporate users (which is one of their target markets).
Sure, Red Hat is a for-profit corporation and they are competing for market share, but so far, in general, they're doing it the right way - producing GPL'd software and selling support.
I don't disagree with what you said - of course computers are going to get easier to use for the average user as the technology improves, as it should be. What I was disputing was the previous poster's claim that today's kids will grow up being able to program based on the high level of exposure to computers that kids are getting these days. Your comments actually reinforce my point - most of them won't.
Sometimes it seems that stories that are likely to generate a lively flame-throwing contest have priority on/. over stories that are arguably more informative but would not generate contraversy. Not to say that informative articles aren't posted - there are many - but it seems they still have to have some minimum level of contraversy potential in order to get posted.
This really doesn't help, though. The fact that people asking newbie questions in public forums often get flamed is a problem. I'm not sure the problem is that these people don't like newbies, but rather that any community which is fighting an uphill battle against a firmly entrenched entity is going to be in a defensive mode, giving people almost religious ferver about their beliefs. Unfortunately, when this hostility is aimed at a newbie, it can cause them to think the whole community is inherently hostile.
The kids are learning computers, yes, but by and large they are learning point-and-click computing. The definition of computer literate has changed over the years from knowing how to program to knowing how to point-and-click. I'm afraid that a lot of these kids won't really be anymore computer literate (in the original sense) than adults learning right now.
Slashdot Mirror
This may be an unpopular opinion, but we may have won the battle with DVD's but may still loose the war over time.
In the sense that the DeCSS cat is out of the bag and cannot be put back in, we may have won the battle, and many people seem more than happy to flaunt this by being in the faces of Hollywood and the MPAA, but it will be difficult to win the war in the long run.
The real enemy is the DMCA, not the MPAA, but even if the DMCA is overturned, it may not matter. You can bet the next technology after DVD will use much stronger encryption, and with decryption keys that can be changed over time or are customized to each individual user, not to mention digital watermarks, etc. - they've learned their lesson and the next system will be much harder to crack, or if it proves crackable, much harder to make a mass distributable circumvention tool. If it can't be cracked, then presence or lack of the DMCA won't really matter.
The reality is that pay-per-view is coming whether we like it or not. The problem is that we have a legal system that allows us to enter into legally binding contracts. I would also bet that the next form of mass media distribution may involve signed contracts between producers and consumers, similar to satellite TV contracts. Once you have a signed contract, fair use issues are pretty much moot - you are bound by whatever is in the contract. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a signed contract of the form "I'll produce entertainment content for you if you agree not to do such-and-such with it" is probably perfectly legal. They're not stupid, they proably won't make the same mistake again.
You might say "well, content providers will pop up that won't do things this way, and we'll support them". The problem is we're so dependent on Hollywood for our entertainment that it won't work - how many of us will give up seeing the next Star Wars movie? Really, how many?
In a sense, the mass movie market is already pay-per-view. Most of the huddled masses these days rent their movies, they're already used to it, so a small boycot on the fringes will probably be unlikely to change things much. As a result, we're ultimately going to have to accept closed-source viewing software.
Kind of pessimistic, but that's the way I see it anyway.
Learning curves are good for people who have the ability to learn the details. There will always be a need to get into the details even on systems where those details are hidden behind a nice GUI. In Windows, for example, there are times when you have to wade through the registry files to fix some problems.
/dev had to be changed. Now, I'm comfortable doing things this way, but there's no way many people I know could have figured it out and they probably would have given up and used Windows to burn their CDs, where the software installed and worked immediately.
But this doesn't mean that the average user should not have an easy way of configuring their system, especially if you are trying to encourage its use as an alternative to windows. Linux has some big holes in its ease of configuration and it's good to see some of these getting fixed. As a recent example, I installed an ATAPI CD-RW drive in my PC. After following the README instructions included with CDRecord and XCDRoast, it still didn't work. Finally, after searching the net for some additional problem posts and HOWTOs, I got it working. It required passing an additional kernel parameter in LILO, and loading some additional drivers at boot time. In addition, links in
It really should be possible to have it both ways if Linux is to achieve mainstream acceptance.
IMHO, I think StarDraw is the most overlooked part of StarOffice. I use StarOffice mainly for the draw part of it. Although there are certainly better tools for complex illustration (CorelDraw, Canvas, AI, etc.), it works just fine for typical business graphics, and is much better than what is typically included with popular (e.g., M$) office suites.
I can't give a link right now because sun.com is currently slashdotted, but a few days ago I noticed on one of their FAQs that they were dropping the OS/2 version because of the low user base (presumably measured by # of downloads).
I'll read the specs you refer to, although I don't have the time just this moment.
What you're saying sound good, though. If I'm not misunderstanding, all UPnP devices of the same type have the same API. So for example, in the case of printers, I assume this means that these printers would no longer be PCL, ESCP, Postscript, etc. - all printers will use the same UPnP-defined API. If this is case, an operating system specific driver would still be needed for that API, but at least there would only be one API to write to.
If this is the case, though, how would new device features be added without changing the API?
What about device drivers, though? As others have mentioned, the idea of UPnP is nice for connectivity, but it seems there would still be the need for OS-specific drivers. Will UPnP be accompanied at some point by a platform independent driver architecture?
Could this inadvertently help make "click-wrap" software licenses more legally binding for software purchased over the internet? After all, with a digital signature, the click-wrap license now can be made into a signed contract.
Staroffice can be downloaded freely as many times as you wish. Although there may be restrictions on redistribution, It seems it would be legal to install it as many times as you wish, since this would basically be the equivalent of downloading it numerous times. Also, Sun has a distribution program called "StarOffice Now", whereby you can register to redistribute StarOffice free of charge as long as you don't make money doing so. If your opinion is that not being open source alone makes a package bad, then so be it, but not everyone shares that opinion.
I've personally seen a fairly high acceptance level of StarOffice in mixed environments where many Sun workstations are in use. I've been using StarOffice personally for several months and have found that although it may not have every last feature of MS office, I have not run into anything yet that I cannot do, and I've done some fairly complex documents and spreadsheets. An often overlooked part of StarOffice is the drawing editor, which has some of the more useful functionality of Visio (smart connectors, glue points, etc.) without all the bloat. People I know who use primarily Sun workstations in their work are thrilled to have an office suite as capable as StarOffice available, and the fact that it's free means that they can install it without budgeting and approval from their pointy-haired bosses, who might otherwise turn down requests for other packages like Applix or FrameMaker.
If StarOffice remains free (at least as in beer), and continues to improve, I think it may eventually make inroads at least in mixed environments like engineering departments.
Another strategy that I forgot to mention is to get people to change some of their applications before changing the entire platform. This is once again a small steps strategy rather than a replace-everything-at-once strategy.
The company where I currently do most of my work has a mixed environment of Windows PCs and UNIX workstations (HP-UX). We have been working with the IEEE on spec documents and they require documents to be submitted in FrameMaker format since that is what they use to publish their books. FrameMaker is available for HP-UX and Solaris, and is currently in beta for Linux. Several of us who prefer cross-platform tools have managed to use both the IEEE issue and the superiority of FrameMaker for large document design get the engineering department to switch from Word to FrameMaker for all of our important documentation. At first, they will buy mostly Windows versions, of course, but assuming Adobe follows through with a final Linux version, it will be one more piece in place to make possible adoption of Linux more feasible at some later date.
Running a small or home office largely Microsoft free is no problem, the productivity tools are there. You may, however, need to keep a windows system or Mac sitting around in a corner for the times you will inevitably have to deal with an MS formatted document that cannot be read properly with StarOffice, WordPerfect, Applix, or FrameMaker.
For large/medium corporate environments which are heavily invested in Microsoft office and email software, however, it will be very difficult to get them to switch to another system instantaneously. Many of them have spent much time and money getting their systems running smoothly and employees trained, and they do not want to change unless they see a tremendous functionality benefit.
One way that I have personally seen success, however, is in promoting a mixed environment. In one company where I worked, we were successful in getting one department to deploy Linux Workstations with VMware running Windows as a guest operating system. What swayed them to conseder this was the combination of the superior remote management abilities and stability of Linux combined with the ability of users to keep using most of their existing MS applications.
It's still not MS-free, of course, but the subtle advantage is that it provides a base from which new applications can be brought in on the Linux side of the fence rather than the Windows side. For example, when a few of the secretaries needed image processing capabilities for web page maintenance, they installed Gimp instead of Photoshop. Scanning was also done on the Linux side, using Sane. Sometimes it's easier to get your foot in the door in small steps than it is to completely turn things on their heads.
Here's a possible solution that might make it possible to publish online and limit casual copying. This is just a brainstorm and there're probably a hundred reasons why it's not practical, but here it is:
1. Make the book available only online as an HTML document. Charge the viewer a small (compared to a paper book) one-time fee to view the book any time they wish.
2. Create a special purpose HTML browser for the purpose of reading these books and only allow pages to be served to that browser. Some kind of crypto authentication can be used to authenticate the browser. This browser would be able to view but would have no ability to print, save, or copy/paste. It could be made to port easily by using a cross-platform toolkit.
Advantages: casual copying would be difficult - it would require page-by-page screen dumps and then OCR on each image, not something everyone would want to do to save a buck or two. Individuals might share accounts, but that level of book sharing already occurs with paper books. Widespread account sharing could be detected and disabled.
Disadvantages: Requires user to be on-line while reading (this will become less of an issue in the future with full-time broadband connections), requires special purpose browser to be developed for the various platforms. Ultimately, someone could still distribute pirate copies by doing screen dump/OCR or by cracking the browser authentication.
A great tool I have used with my 11-yr-old son is Tcl Robots. Basically, it's a Tk application where the user writes small Tcl procedures to control robot "tanks" around a battlefield. You provide the algorithms for how to move, when to shoot, how to scan for enemy tanks, etc., by writing a procedure in Tcl. The program then runs your tank against other built-in or user generated tanks on a battlefield canvas (the canvas is part of the program, not created by the user).
This has had several good effects: First, the kids are doing actual coding in a real programming language (albeit Tcl, not C). Secondly, they get very quick results in a graphical fashion. Third, several kids can write their own tank code and compete against eachother, which can raise the level of interest by making it kind of a game for them.
I wish I had access to the URL right now, but a google search would likely turn it up quickly.
'nuf said.
Good post, but if you are quoting JRRT, your
sig should say "Not all those who wander are lost" instead of "Not all those who wonder are lost".
It won't just be music and movies. Check out this white paper posted at Adobe's site. Adobe and others are working on standardizing content encryption schemes for PDF and other popular document distribution formats. According to the paper, they are working with IOMEGA and others to provide hardware that enforces the access restrictions. The emphasis here, as in CSS, is on access control as much as it is on copy protection.
"The thing is, I know how to write software. I don't know how to manipulate the masses into calling for guarentees of freedom from their governments..."
Some things I've done:
1. Support organizations, like EFF, who are already organizing along these lines - sometimes concentrating efforts can have more effect than diffuse resistance.
2. Write letters to and support traditional consumer/free-speech advocacy organizations and start getting some of them on board. These organizations have provided some measure of balance in the past dealing with more traditional types of corporate agression, and many of them have a lot of resources which could be brought to bear once they see the danger and realize that this is a long-term fight.
Most benchmarks show the fastest G4 being somewhat slower than the fastest PIII - such as these from www.macinfo.de
Many people argue (correctly in some cases) that Linux and Unix are more difficult to use than other systems such as Windows and Mac OS. They argue (again, correctly in some cases) that Linux requires more technical ability.
It's also true that 15 years of Mac OS and Windows have spawned a generation of users for whom the definition of computer literacy is being able to click a mouse and use a word processor.
My 11 year old son was part of that generation. Since starting to use Linux, he can now program in Tcl/Tk and C, and knows how to use the command line to solve problems. So, maybe we have cause and effect reversed here - these are techincal skills that he most likely would have never learned had he continued using only Windows and Mac. One benefit of having an operating system that requires more techinal ability to use is that you will generate more users who are technically competent. In the end, this will benefit everyone.
It's also great to have new UI's that make Linux more useable by people who either just can't or don't have the time to become techically proficient; what's good about Linux is that you have (or will soon have) the choice - the tools are readily available and users are encouraged to become technically proficient, whereas with Windows and Mac, users are specifically discouraged from doing so.
The report may be correct that some of the hype surrounding Linux may subside in the new year, particularly after win2k takes the media limelight.
As the report points out, Linux will continue to grow, faster in some areas, slower in others. Linux is becoming a significant player in the server arena, and will likely prove to be a desirable choice for embedded systems and appliance-oriented computers.
There will be uphill battles as well - companies and most home users are unlikely to make a wholesale change to Linux, at least not until the added value is greater than the costs/headaches of changing and until there is more support for certain types of desktop applications such as financial software. In addition, you can bet that nearly every hardware vendor in existance will support win2k within a few months of its release while Linux remains on their back burners.
But even the areas where Linux's growth will be strong are not the only measures of success - there are more subtle ones which are often overlooked, particularly in these types of reports.
For example, Linux and other open source projects (such as Apache) have made it much harder for Microsoft (or any other single company) to replace open internet standards with closed proprietary ones and hence lock out diversity.
Also, Linux (and Apple, to some extent) has reintroduced competition in a market which just a few years ago had been written off as hopelessly dominated by one company. Like it or not, you can be sure that the final release of win2k will be better than it would have been in the absence of competition from Linux
The value of these types of success are difficult to measure in dollar terms, but we will all enjoy the benefits even if many of our friends and co-workers continue using Windows on their desktops.
It is also true that each distro has its own particular quiks, features, installation routines, and default setup. Even if there was a cross-distro certification program for the common stuff, if I were Red Hat, I would also want to certify people on the Red-Hat-specific things in order for my distro to gain credibility with corporate users (which is one of their target markets).
Sure, Red Hat is a for-profit corporation and they are competing for market share, but so far, in general, they're doing it the right way - producing GPL'd software and selling support.
I don't disagree with what you said - of course computers are going to get easier to use for the average user as the technology improves, as it should be. What I was disputing was the previous poster's claim that today's kids will grow up being able to program based on the high level of exposure to computers that kids are getting these days. Your comments actually reinforce my point - most of them won't.
Sometimes it seems that stories that are likely to generate a lively flame-throwing contest have priority on /. over stories that are arguably more informative but would not generate contraversy. Not to say that informative articles aren't posted - there are many - but it seems they still have to have some minimum level of contraversy potential in order to get posted.
This really doesn't help, though. The fact that people asking newbie questions in public forums often get flamed is a problem. I'm not sure the problem is that these people don't like newbies, but rather that any community which is fighting an uphill battle against a firmly entrenched entity is going to be in a defensive mode, giving people almost religious ferver about their beliefs. Unfortunately, when this hostility is aimed at a newbie, it can cause them to think the whole community is inherently hostile.
The kids are learning computers, yes, but by and large they are learning point-and-click computing. The definition of computer literate has changed over the years from knowing how to program to knowing how to point-and-click. I'm afraid that a lot of these kids won't really be anymore computer literate (in the original sense) than adults learning right now.
:)