Linux News: Must Read

The Business Case for Virtual Business, Part 1
June 23, 2009

It wasn't long after the launch of Linden Lab's Second Life back in 2003 that companies and organizations around the globe began to sit up and take notice. The prospect of millions of potential customers -- all flocking to the same destination and congregating there -- is enough to whet the appetite of even the most conservative and change-averse organization, after all.

Iran, Technology and Truth: Do You Care If Your Information Is False?
June 22, 2009

If you look at how people flock to Web sites that are obviously on the extreme right or left of an issue, or if you watch debates on abortion or gay marriage -- or even whether the sitting president has a clue -- don't you often get the sense that for many, believing they are right and putting down those who disagree is more important than actually being right?

Is Linux Suffering From Mono?
June 22, 2009

In the general population, "Mono" may be best known for infecting teenagers with the "kissing disease." On the Linux blogs, it's recently caused a different kind of anguish as geeks far and wide have debated whether it's infected Linux too. It's a different Mono, of course, but its effects -- or, at least, the discussion of them -- have been no less agonizing.

Iran Protests: The Whole World Is Watching, Flickring, Tweeting
June 16, 2009

"The whole world is watching" was one of the loudest rallying cries of Vietnam protesters gathered in the streets of Chicago outside the Democratic convention in 1968. Forty-one years later, the same slogan still applies and is even more relevant in the chaotic streets of Tehran. Thanks to social media technologies, the whole world is indeed watching Iranian citizens rise up against suspect presidential election results.

The Rise and Fall of Traditional Journalism, Part 5
June 15, 2009

When questions about the future of journalism come up, there are generally two driving concerns: what happens to the notion of "news" in an era of ubiquitous communications; and how you, as a writer, get paid. One of the great paradoxes of the information age is that as channels of distribution have proliferated, rates of pay for producing content for those channels have continued to fall.

It's Time to Push Back Against Twitter Backlash
May 29, 2009

It's a love-hate relationship right up there with dysfunctional parents du jour Jon and Kate; the media has a middle-school crush on Twitter, and the media is the first to say nasty things about Twitter while Twitter is in study hall. Some of its members are using a helluva lot more than 140 characters to do their damage.

How Apple Made Windows 7 Better
May 11, 2009

Last week, a number of Apple supporters took me to task for my comment that Apple made the technology equivalent of sugar water and that Steve Jobs gave up on his goal of changing the world. I'm hardly original in thinking this way. It does amaze me that not a single Apple fan cared about global warming, philanthropy, or even Apple's lack of computing prowess.

Portable Ubuntu, Windows Live Together in Perfect Harmony
May 08, 2009

Want to try out Ubuntu Linux without giving up your Windows desktop? How about running Ubuntu from a USB drive on any Windows PC while still operating within Windows? Portable Ubuntu provides both of these computing options, no setup hassles or programming skills required. You do not even have to reboot the computer or set up a dual boot environment.

Crowd Wisdom
May 06, 2009

I wanted to write a piece about the wisdom of crowds for a long time but I needed a clip from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" to make it work. After a lot of procrastinating, I went to YouTube, did the hard work of reviewing all of the Python clips and found the right one.

The Curious Case of Android v. Android
May 06, 2009

Google's right to use the word "Android" for its mobile phone operating system is being challenged by Erich Specht, who acquired a trademark for the name "Android Data" in 2002. Google attempted to gain the right to use "Android" for its OS last year, as it happens, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied its petition due to possible product confusion.

The Irony of Failure: Apple, Microsoft ... and Google?
May 04, 2009

As I write this, Google is being investigated by the DoJ for antitrust violations that make Microsoft's actions look trivial by comparison. It took Microsoft over a decade to exhibit the type of behavior that Google is now engaged in, which increasingly seems to favor cash over conscience.

Pulitzers, Broadcasters and Digital Denial
April 24, 2009

Journalism has a glass jaw these days, threatening to shatter into a million pieces with the next right hook that lands courtesy of another layoff, another closing of a daily newspaper, another inane, biased utterance from a cable news host. But journalism could have landed its own body blows this week by showing it can handle the jump to hyperspace and the digital future.

Tech Support Forecast: Partly Cloudy
April 23, 2009

Moving a company into cloud computing changes a lot more than just where the servers happen to be located. For instance, tech support might move out the door as well. In some cases, tech support workers may still have their desks, but they will no longer be their company's go-to guys when a problem develops.

Mac OS X vs. Windows: Does Soul Matter?
April 16, 2009

Ask a Mac OS X fan or a Windows fan what the difference is between the two operating systems, and the short answer might be something like, "The difference is, the one I use doesn't stink." That response may underscore the emotional pull an operating system has with a particular sort of computer user, but it is not very helpful for getting at the heart of the matter.

Could Google Be the Most Dangerous Company in the World?
April 13, 2009

Last week, I wrote about the 3rd Rebirth of Computing. This change will lead to the potential for Google to be vastly more powerful than any company in the history of the world. Given the historical patterns associated with companies that get even a fraction of this power, current trends are frightening.

Can Apple Handle a Bigger Slice of the Pie?
April 07, 2009

The personal computer market may be wheezing, but Apple continues to rack up respectable growth numbers. Historically, growth has presented high-tech companies with some ticklish challenges, but the Macintosh maker may be poised to deal with the pitfalls associated with expanding market share.