Κλειστό Λογισμικό = Τριτοκοσμική Χώρα

Αυτή φαίνεται --- σε μεγάλο βαθμό --- να είναι η σχέση που μας δείχνει ο χάρτης του Ανοιχτού Λογισμικού της Red Hat, παρά τη κοινή πεποίθηση πως οι φτωχότερες χώρες διεθνώς τείνουν να κάνουν χρήση αλλά και να αναπτύσσουν ανοιχτό λογισμικό. Και για όσους αμφέβαλλαν, η Ελλάδα στο νούμερο 53 στη γενική κατάταξη μεταξύ 75 χωρών, είναι ίσως το κατ'εξοχήν παράδειγμα 'τριτοκοσμικής' χώρας, ενώ παράλληλα η Ευρώπη οδηγεί τον κόσμο σε χρήση και ανάπτυξη ανοιχτού λογισμικού. Και γράφωντας 'Ευρώπη' δεν εννοώ μόνον τις πλέον ανεπτυγμένες χώρες όπως η Γαλλία, η Ισπανία, η Γερμανία κλπ. Συμπεριλαμβάνω ακόμη και γείτονες σε εμάς χώρες, που πολλοί Έλληνες γρήγορα θα έσπευδαν να χαρακτηρίσουν ως οπισθοδρομικές.

Defend the Open 'Net

I couldn't avoid posting this and I cannot stress how important it is. The web site may, at times, undoubtedly include the standard 'act now before we it's too late' text that's stereotypical of activists globally whenever some braindead lobby tries to threaten our hard earned liberties. Ignore that part. Don't ignore the fact that it is important that you and the people around you know what's happening in Brussels and Strasbourg, what's at stake. You should strive to stay up to date and --- last, but not least --- act. Do yourself a favour and read the linked page; filter the excessive parts, see beyond the sentimentalism. Then try to find out more about the proposed directive by reading the text [or a summary of the controversial amendments]. An open and neutral internet is way more important than any national election in Europe, even to those that have no clue what the internet really is. Act today. Call your MEPs and tell them how you feel about the internet. It doesn't matter which part of the political spectrum you identify with; the internet is part of everyone's life.

Oracle Buys Sun. Sigh.

This is probably one of the worst conclusions to a saga that lasted for several years and was followed closely by so many people; yes, it’s true that Sun has been slowly, but steadily, disappearing from the radar as a major player in this industry, but it has also continued to innovate all the while […]

Nokia is The Past. Welcome to the Future.

I have written about Nokia and the need for the company to reinvent itself several times in the past. When the iPhone was announced in early 2007, I was lukewarm and slightly frustrated that the Mac, Apple’s former, at times sole and by far most important strategic product was complemented by a formidable ‘opponent’. I […]

Roommating.

One of the better examples of great content online. Easily rivals most similarly themed TV shows. Great stuff!

Conceptual clutter of the Bad Kind.

If there’s anything like Good Clutter. Have you ever used Ubiquity for Firefox? It’s quite nice, yet somewhat inaccessible for most people. The idea is that with an easy key combination on your keyboard you can bring up a text field that can understand a large number of commands and bring you information related to […]