I’ve been using Git since slightly before it became very popular about two years ago. Nowadays it is very popular, with much thanks to github. However, even semi-famous programmers like Jeff Atwood don’t really understand what it’s all about. Read more…
Ubuntu and Firefox are two of the biggest open source projects in terms of desktop end users. Yet, the same open source philosophies that made these projects so popular are a weak spot that the competition can, and will, use to get ahead. If they do not change their policies I see Firefox being destroyed by Chrome, and Ubuntu losing ground to Windows 7 and Chrome OS. Read more…
Verizon and AT&T recently cut prices on their unlimited voice and data plans. Whoop de doo. Text messages are still a rip-off. Data still isn’t truly unlimited. People seem to really be focusing on these data plan prices. Meanwhile, people are ignoring the voice prices. Let me tell you, that is where the real rip-off is coming from. Read more…
Despite all the amazing things we can do with electronics, and despite increases in efficiency, the physical reality is very wasteful. Computers, and other electronics use a lot of electricity, much of it is used for nothing. Discarded electronics fill landfills, and release the poisonous chemicals they are made of. During the winter, they are efficient space heaters, but during summer they make extra work for air conditioners. We would all be a lot less wasteful if we reduced how many electronic devices we buy, and if we upgraded them as rarely as possible.
If you accept that, then you must also accept that open source is the only environmentally responsible method of software and hardware development. Read more…
Any product, especially an electronic device, has to have very strong use cases to succeed. People use a TV to view video entertainment while being comfortable in their homes. People use a mobile phone to keep in touch with others no matter where they are. People use a trash can as a place to temporarily store things they want to dispose of. But people use a tablet computer to… um… Read more…
The issue of mobile phone subsidies and early termination fees has been getting a lot of extra attention lately. The FCC has asked Verizon to explain its early termination fees, and why they are requiring higher fees for users of certain phones. Their answer is, of course, ludicrous. But the fees were ludicrous to begin with. These problems are well known even outside of tech circles, but lets examine it much closer, shall we? Read more…
Still unemployed, I have begun working on a new web site that will at least enhance my resume if it doesn’t make me any money. Since I’ve got no boss telling me what to do, I can use the latest and greatest open source tools. This site will be up in no time at all because no wheels will have to be reinvented. If only that where the case. As I really started to get my hands dirty, I began to realize just how many of the great tools out there are in an unusable state. Read more…
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