Archive

OPINION

How Not To Do CX, Lenovo Style

I bought Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet 5 for an attractive price from a major national electronics store. In hindsight, that was a purchase I wish I could undo.

OPINION

Sensible Tech Advice for Back to School

We're coming up on another school year, so it's about time to start shopping for supplies. Let’s talk about some tech-related considerations. Then we’ll close with the product of the week, a new vacuum from LG.

OPINION

Reality Check on the Virtual Universe: Metaverse or Metamess?

The metaverse is supposed to be a virtual 3D universe where you can do just about anything you could in the physical world -- and things you cannot do, like traveling to other planets. The most common analogy to the metaverse is the virtual Oasis presented in the book and movie "Ready Player One." H...

OPINION

Google vs. Apple Smartphones: Similar Capabilities, Polar Opposites in Strategic Execution

Apple's strategy is all about status and making you stand out as an Apple user, while Google's strategy is more about features and what you can do with its phones. In effect, Apple is more about form, appearance, and ease of use, while Google is more about function. Let's contrast Apple and Google s...

OPINION

We’re Late Closing the Barn Door on Pegasus

People are freaking out about reports of NSO Group's Pegasus surveillance tool being used to spy on journalists, political dissidents, and other opponents of regimes worldwide. It's disheartening, and worth discussing. But why are we shocked? In Pegasus' case, the game theory is clear: some company ...

OPINION

Microsoft’s Open-Source Pivot Is Creating a Great Place to Work

Microsoft isn't just building for the future. The company is focusing on tools that will allow an ever-broader group of people to program for themselves. At the heart of this plan is Microsoft's pivot to open source; and while there were several benefits of that action highlighted at Microsoft Build...

OPINION

Once the Big Tech Battler, Open Source Is Now Big Tech’s Battleground

A cadre of tech giants have created the Rust Foundation. This is neither the first nor largest contribution to an open-source project by private tech vendors. Still, the creation of this new body marks another noteworthy instance in which proprietary software companies took the initiative to found a...

OPINION

Linux: 29 Years and Counting as a Powerhouse OS

Today the Linux community is estimated to be more than 86 million users strong. Awareness of Linux in the enterprise was nonexistent 29 years ago. Since then, Linux has become the backbone of many large and small enterprises.

OPINION

Should Discord Be in Your Incident Response Toolbox?

Cybersecurity incident response teams have choices when it comes to communication tools: Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom and numerous others. Some require a subscription or commercial license -- others are free. Some are niche tools specifically designed for incident response. Some are generic busines...

OPINION

You’ve Come a Long Way, Linux-Baby

When Linux first emerged from its cocoon in a frenzied Usenet thread, it is doubtful that almost anyone imagined the project would ascend to global prominence. Even more astonishingly, its dominance was driven as much, if not more, by its adoption by the private sector -- although it posed an antith...

OPINION

The Rise of Activism in Tech Companies

Things have been changing at an almost unprecedented rate with regard to power structures. The last time I saw this happen was in the 1970s, when the EEOC took off. Suddenly a lot of the off-color, sexist and racist jokes that many executives regularly told could get them fired. A surprisingly larg...

OPINION

Where Linux Went in 2018 – and Where It’s Going

For those who try to keep their finger on the Linux community's pulse, 2018 was a surprisingly eventful year. Spread over the last 12 months, we've seen various projects in the Linux ecosystem make great strides, as well as suffer their share of stumbles. All told, the year wrapped up leaving plenty...

OPINION

Linux: Come for the Kernel, Stay for the Popcorn

Linux offers so much for users to sink their teeth into that even among desktop and more casual users, it's easy to get caught up in the tradecraft. It's only too tempting to put your system's technical capabilities to the test by trying out a new program or practicing a new command. As with any oth...

OPINION

The Elusive Total Linux Convergence Dream

Regular readers know that I usually stick to the well-charted territory of essential terminal commands and practical overviews of Linux history, since they are immediately useful to newcomers. Thankfully, the basics don't change very quickly -- but that's not to say that Linux is a stagnant ecosyste...

LinuxInsider Channels