Month: November 2007

Check out my new “special” video Netcast on which I demonstrate the new gOS Operating System. It is a version of Ubuntu 7.10 with optimizations to make it run extremely well on older, slower PCs, or underpowered PCs. It uses the Enlightenment GUI to do this. Check out the video netcast for a demo!

Click on the “Streaming VID” badge below to play Streaming Video of this special Video Netcast.

Not exactly a surprise headline, I know… but check out what Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, says…

Linus Torvalds on Open Source: ‘A Much Better Way to Do Things’

“‘Linux really wouldn’t have gone anywhere interesting at all if it hadn’t been released as an open source product. I also think that the change to the GPLv2 from my original ‘no money’ license was important, because the commercial interests were actually very important from the beginning. The commercial distributions were what drove a lot of the nice installers and pushed people to improve usability,’ said Linux creator Linus Torvalds. Linus Torvalds was only 22 in 1991 when he decided to share with friends and colleagues the code of Linux, the new operating system he had created. The University of Helsinki computer science student couldn’t have imagined the revolution his decision was about to ignite.”

“You are going to break the web!” “No, you are!” “Na-na-na-nah!” And so it goes! Microsoft and Mozilla (Internet Explorer and Firefox, respectively) are arguing over support for JavaScript.

Microsoft, Mozilla Disagree Over JavaScript’s Future

Mozilla and Microsoft are in the midst of a squabble over the future of JavaScript, with each side accusing the other of actions which could end up ‘breaking the Web.’ The two companies each have their own respective versions of the common programming language that is used across the web: Mozilla backs ECMAScript, while Microsoft pushes its own JScript. Much of the battle has been between Mozilla Chief Technology Officer Brendan Eich — the creator of JavaScript — and Microsoft Internet Explorer platform architect Chris Wilson. The two have traded barbs through their blogs over the past week. Wilson started the tiff by suggesting that the next version of ECMAScript, version 4, may be too much of a change to the language itself to continue it as ‘JavaScript.’ Instead, he suggested that a completely new language be developed, because so much of the structure of the language would be changed. ‘We could continue supporting existing users as well as freeing the new language from constraints (including the constraint of [permanently] supporting scripts written in the old language),’ he wrote on Wednesday. He continued this in his own personal blog on Thursday, adding that Microsoft has attempted to work with the ECMA committee, but Microsoft’s concerns were being ignored, and ES4 development had turned into a “yes or no battle.’ ‘I also think it’s a shame that the response to any dissent has equated to shouting the dissenters down. The string of blog posts over the last week, and the immediate and somewhat incendiary comments from ES4 proponents, has been a good example of that,’ he wrote.”

First Vista looks like it is losing M$ market share… now, Linux is coming to cheap PCs at Wal-Mart! The revolution is upon us!

Everex launches $198 Ubuntu Linux gPC at Wal-Mart

Everex, a longtime personal computer vendor, has unveiled its latest PC featuring Ubuntu Linux-based open-source productivity software and Google-based Web 2.0 applications, for a mere $198. Everex is following Dell, which pioneered the broad release of Linux-powered desktops and laptops to the consumer market in the United States. Since Dell’s first moves, other PC vendors such as Lenovo and HP have explored broader Linux PC releases. The Everex Green gPC TC2502O includes popular applications from Google, Mozilla, Skype and OpenOffice.org. It runs gOS Initial G, which in turn is based on Ubuntu Linux 7.10 The gOS operating system features a simple and intuitive Linux Enlightenment E17 desktop interface with a Google-centric theme. The system comes with a lifetime of free updates and revisions. The company opted to use Enlightenment, rather than the more popular KDE or GNOME, because Enlightenment requires minimal hardware resources for its interface. Although the company claims in a FAQ that it was ‘created as a conceptual Google PC with a conceptual Google OS,’ Paul Kim, Everex’s director of marketing, in a discussion with DesktopLinux clarified that ‘popular applications such as those from Google are an integral part of our product, however, gOS is an entity entirely independent from Google. Furthermore, while we make use of many applications from Google, ‘Google Apps’ is not bundled with this particular system.’ ‘There has been a latent demand for a consumer-friendly Linux operating system, generating countless inquires from customers seeking an alternative PC experience,’ said John Lin, general manager of Everex. “The vision behind gPC was to provide mainstream users with all their favorite applications wrapped in a no-compromise, low-cost, consumer-friendly product. We’re simply giving the people what they want. Everex enlisted the collective intelligence of users throughout the world. Customers love Google products, so we added them. Hackers want administrative privileges, so we provided it. The ultimate potential of a mainstream, open-source PC is tremendous.'”