Think of MTV. Stupid Boygroups are pushed because there is a majority of people who seem to like it. A computer DJ could produce the same effect. There are always enough people who want to hear the recent hit single of artist X again and again, or more generally spoken: The majority always wants the same kind of music.
So, a computer DJ might end up playing endlessly some OntheTop-Dancefloor-Trash or whatever the local audience might like. This kind of playing behaviour is actually happening in bad clubs with bad DJ's. - It is not with good DJ's, because they surprise and are innovative. You don't have to care about what the rest of the audience wants to listen to (as you might have to with a computer DJ) because you rely on the DJ, who makes his own unexpected choices.
You seem to be afraid of loosing programmers/hackers,which currently support linux, to "new" underground projects. What about programmers, who joined the GNU/Linux project because it has become big (say: IBM, for example)?!
These people should outnumber "lost" programmers, by far. Anyway, this comparison is not neccessary because GNU/Linux cannot loose because of becoming "mainstream".
Unlike Napster or an underground band, to stick with your examples, GNU/Linux can have an indefinite number of states (see the various distributions) and anyone can choose the one he likes.
Take the Internet bubble a few years ago (where Linux-companies where pushed into the stock market and then miserably failed)as an example how Linux survives media hypes and comes out even stronger.
and really appreciate the comments from/.ers who praise the German government for it's Open Source effort, I really think this whole thing is not so important for German Joe user or even for the government itself.
Taking my German friends (no Geeks) as a reference they could hardly tell what difference this would make politically, economically or ethically for the Germans.
This news means: The German division of Microsoft will ask in Redmond for some special licensing agreement, that they will offer the government. They will come back with a better offer and as long as it will take to process this whole thing, people in charge at the German government will change through elections or otherwise and probably forget what they said about Linux. At the end it's all about the money, no matter what they say about possible Backdoors and security aspects. And Microsoft will make sure that they don't loose such a strategic important customer to the Open Source community.
Furthermore, concider an important German government official making a decision about this. He has absolutely no knowledge of computers (which is sadly true for most of these people), he has a big software company, which will try to do all to make him comfortable buying their products and he has a 28 year-old nice-looking secretary who tells him she does not want to change to another office package because she could not handle it.
I predict they won't change to Linux but I hope I am proven wrong.
For those living in Europe or Asia, who look out for a cool phone which has not that kid stuff (Games, Mp3 Player, SMS functions) but GPRS, HSCSD, Bluetooth and WAP integrated: Check out the new Nokia 6310!
This looks more like a phone that I (personally) would need.
Greetings
There are too many different companies selling different cell phones for different countries to have a general solution.
First point:
Synchronisation should always work with Infrared (for your convenience) so the cell phone should have Infrared.
Of the big cell phone companies that I know, Nokia and Siemens include Infrared with most of their new models. And the top models also come with a cd-rom to manage your cell phone phonebook from your pc and synchronize it with Outlook, Lotus Notes,etc...
Unfortunately, the software is (afaik for Siemens and Nokia) only for Windows. There also exists tons of shareware and freeware for Windows and cell phones (again regarding to Siemens and Nokia).
Synchronizing with your palm should not be a problem, either, if you have Infrared (on the phone). There is some good palm software to manage that.
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Think of MTV. Stupid Boygroups are pushed because there is a majority of people who seem to like it. A computer DJ could produce the same effect. There are always enough people who want to hear the recent hit single of artist X again and again, or more generally spoken: The majority always wants the same kind of music.
So, a computer DJ might end up playing endlessly some OntheTop-Dancefloor-Trash or whatever the local audience might like. This kind of playing behaviour is actually happening in bad clubs with bad DJ's. - It is not with good DJ's, because they surprise and are innovative. You don't have to care about what the rest of the audience wants to listen to (as you might have to with a computer DJ) because you rely on the DJ, who makes his own unexpected choices.
How can you compare GNU/Linux with Napster?
,which currently support linux, to "new" underground projects. What about programmers, who joined the GNU/Linux project because it has become big (say: IBM, for example)?!
You seem to be afraid of loosing programmers/hackers
These people should outnumber "lost" programmers, by far. Anyway, this comparison is not neccessary because GNU/Linux cannot loose because of becoming "mainstream".
Unlike Napster or an underground band, to stick with your examples, GNU/Linux can have an indefinite number of states (see the various distributions) and anyone can choose the one he likes.
Take the Internet bubble a few years ago (where Linux-companies where pushed into the stock market and then miserably failed)as an example how Linux survives media hypes and comes out even stronger.
and really appreciate the comments from /.ers who praise the German government for it's Open Source effort, I really think this whole thing is not so important for German Joe user or even for the government itself.
Taking my German friends (no Geeks) as a reference they could hardly tell what difference this would make politically, economically or ethically for the Germans.
This news means: The German division of Microsoft will ask in Redmond for some special licensing agreement, that they will offer the government. They will come back with a better offer and as long as it will take to process this whole thing, people in charge at the German government will change through elections or otherwise and probably forget what they said about Linux. At the end it's all about the money, no matter what they say about possible Backdoors and security aspects. And Microsoft will make sure that they don't loose such a strategic important customer to the Open Source community.
Furthermore, concider an important German government official making a decision about this. He has absolutely no knowledge of computers (which is sadly true for most of these people), he has a big software company, which will try to do all to make him comfortable buying their products and he has a 28 year-old nice-looking secretary who tells him she does not want to change to another office package because she could not handle it.
I predict they won't change to Linux but I hope I am proven wrong.
For those living in Europe or Asia, who look out for a cool phone which has not that kid stuff (Games, Mp3 Player, SMS functions) but GPRS, HSCSD, Bluetooth and WAP integrated: Check out the new Nokia 6310! This looks more like a phone that I (personally) would need. Greetings
There are too many different companies selling different cell phones for different countries to have a general solution.
;-)
First point:
Synchronisation should always work with Infrared (for your convenience) so the cell phone should have Infrared.
Of the big cell phone companies that I know, Nokia and Siemens include Infrared with most of their new models. And the top models also come with a cd-rom to manage your cell phone phonebook from your pc and synchronize it with Outlook, Lotus Notes,etc...
Unfortunately, the software is (afaik for Siemens and Nokia) only for Windows. There also exists tons of shareware and freeware for Windows and cell phones (again regarding to Siemens and Nokia).
Synchronizing with your palm should not be a problem, either, if you have Infrared (on the phone). There is some good palm software to manage that.
My suggestion: Buy a new phone