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| Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, October 11 2012 @ 06:07 PM EDT |
Slashdot has a question and answer article with Linux Torvalds. One of the
answers covers a point that I think to be something that is more generally
applicable to innovation in general. Linus Torvalds Answers Your Questions .
The emphasis added is mine:
Linus: I actually am
not a huge fan of shiny new features. In processor design - as in so much of
technology - what matters more is interoperability and compatibility. I realize
that this makes people sad, because people are always chasing that cool new
feature, but hey, in the end, technology is about doing useful things. And
building and extending on top of existing knowledge and infrastructure is how
99% of all improvement gets done.
The occasional big shift and
really new thing might get all the attention, but it seldom really is what
matters. I like to quote Thomas Edison: "Genius is 1% inspiration, 99%
perspiration". And that very much covers CPU architecture too: the
inspiration is simply not as important as executing well. Sure, you need some
inspiration, but you really don't need all that *much* of
it.
That is from someone who created some very
influential and widely used software. This is something that needs to be pointed
out again and again whenever software patents are up for discussion. Success in
software isn't about coming up with a brilliant new idea. It's about executing
well on those ideas you do use.
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, October 11 2012 @ 09:05 PM EDT |
I’m pleased to announce that the Linux Foundation and its Technical
Advisory Board have produced a plan to enable the Linux (and indeed all Open
Source based distributions) to continue operating as Secure Boot enabled systems
roll out. In a nutshell, the Linux Foundation will obtain a Microsoft Key and
sign a small pre-bootloader which will, in turn, chain load (without any form of
signature check) a predesignated boot loader which will, in turn, boot Linux (or
any other operating system).
The pre-bootloader will employ a “present user”
test to ensure that it cannot be used as a vector for any type of UEFI malware
to target secure systems. This pre-bootloader can be used either to boot a
CD/DVD installer or LiveCD distribution or even boot an installed operating
system in secure mode for any distribution that chooses to use it.
The
process of obtaining a Microsoft signature will take a while, but once it is
complete, the pre-bootloader will be placed on the Linux Foundation website for
anyone to download and make use of.
Guest post from James Bottomley,
Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: macrorodent on Friday, October 12 2012 @ 01:12 AM EDT |
A very interesting view to what went wrong with Nokia's Linux plans.
http://taskumuro
.com/artikkelit/the-story-of-nokia-meego
Some of the information is not
quite new: the deleterious effect of Nokia's competing internal UI and OS
projects has been documented also in some other articles. This ought to give
thoughs and warnings to people managing any kind of technology projects, not
just Linux mobiles... maybe this argues for a Steve Jobs-style dictator that can
put stop to unproductive infighting. The bit about hardware troubles with TI and
Intel product lines was new to me.
I guess people looking for prior art in
the famous mobile lawsuits might also find tidbits here.
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, October 12 2012 @ 10:30 AM EDT |
Can't help comparing this with the Apple claim in the Samsung trial that Apple
doesn't _have_ to advertise the iPhones. Wonder why the difference?
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, October 12 2012 @ 06:53 PM EDT |
And what do I see:
Firstly, I couldn't be posting this comment on the public
internet for any and everyone to see, because the public
internet wouldn't exist.
Secondly, I wouldn't be writing this post on a Microsoft
Windows PC (sorry, folks I do use one), because Microsoft
could never have come into being. The "methods and
concepts" created by IBM, Xerox and/or AT&T would have
precluded them, just as current patents preclude small
start-ups from entering the market today.
Thirdly, since there would have been no *ability* to truly
innovate, I (as a single person) probably couldn't afford to
own an IBM/Xerox computer (since why would a home user need
one in the first place).
-Paul.[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: TiddlyPom on Saturday, October 13 2012 @ 05:25 PM EDT |
As a UK citizen, I am constantly annoyed at the fact that it is so difficult to
buy a non-Apple laptop without Windows being preloaded onto it. Microsoft have
stated for years that this is to 'prevent piracy' when in fact (of course) it is
to force vendors to maintain the current monopoly.
It is presumably fairly difficult in
the USA to find laptops that are not preloaded with Windows or indeed actually
sell laptops preloaded with Linux like System 76 for example. I had thought it
would be almost impossible to find a decent specification laptop 'Windows free'
in the UK. The Linux
Emporium do them but are more expensive than equivalent Windows laptops
(presumably they buy them preloaded with Windows then reinstall with Linux). I
don't normally plug one particular vendor but PCSpecialist offer Clevo
laptops (the same ones sold by System 76) WITHOUT Windows
being preloaded on them and at a decent price. It would be nice if they offered
to pre-load Linux but having spoken to their (helpful) staff - the response was
that most Linux users want to load their own operating system anyway - which is
fair enough. I ended up with one of their Vortex III
which - although a bit chunky and heavy - was exactly what I wanted as a desktop
replacement and runs Ubuntu 12.04
beautifully.
I guess what I am trying to say is that you can live the
dream (even in the UK) and buy PCs without lining Microsoft's pockets if you
look hard enough.
---
Support Software Freedom - use GPL licenced
software like Linux and LibreOffice instead of proprietary software like
Microsoft Windows/Office or Apple OS/X [ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: complex_number on Saturday, October 13 2012 @ 10:53 PM EDT |
Almost every day we see a plethora of new lawsuits alledging paten violations
for pretty well every new product released onto the market.
I am sure the patent troll and other intereted parties are sharpening their
pencils and waiting to get their hands on the next bit target, Windows Tablets.
So, why would any company in their right mind actually release a new product
when you can be sure that all the R&D costs will be dwarfed by the
forthcoming legal bills you will have to foot in order to keep your product on
sale?
As I see it (from some 5,000 miles away) the current situation in the US is
clearly stifling innovation in the tech (and other) sectors.
I am also sure that there are some lawyers who 'persuade' their clients that if
they sue Apple,Google,Oracle etc (but steer clear of IBM) they will be well on
their way to finding their retirement.
What can be done to halt the indevitable decline of the US into a nation where
everyone is a Lawyer who spends all their days issuing lawsuits to everyong
else. (I know this is extreme but a bit of crystal ball gazing...)
Congress and the Senate are filled with Lawyers. It seems that to even become a
politician in the US you have to be a Lawyer. One thing it certain and that is
in the current situation these Politicians know not to upset the 'Apple' (pun
intended) cart of their fellow legal bretherin. So they won't do a thing to
rectify the situation. In fact they will (IMH) do just the opposite and do
everything they can to strengthen the current sutuaion.
I am also sure that if they could get away with tacking some ammendment onto a
bill for say, 'Flood Defences in the Guld of Mexico' that reversed Biliski then
they would do it in an instant.
What can be done to make the US a place where companies 'want to do business'?
Answers on the back of a postage stamp please...
---
Ubuntu & 'apt-get' are not the answer to Life, The Universe & Everything which
is of course, "42" or is it 1.618?
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