Microsoft trying to redefine "open"

             Recently I have been reading a lot about how Microsoft is becoming more open. Plenty of the articles are nice and long. The content is so bland that at the end of the article you feel "nothing". The only thing is that the word "open" will be used profusely and will be present in almost all the sentences. It is like you typed "open" 100 times and then started typing text around them. In one of the article, the author writes how Microsoft has started leveraging "open" source software instead of re-inventing the Tyre. This is what is happening. So, Microsoft will not acquire any proprietary company for an application.

               They will hunt for software available in public domain and use them without spending a single dime, which for Microsoft is definitely a major shift. This got a boost with the acquisition of github. Majority of software available on github are hobby projects satisfying the creators itch. They are now ready to use the model made famous by Apple(with Macos and webkit) and google(Android, chrome). If a piece of software is available with sufficient maturity include it. No licensing fees. Microsoft wanted a collaboration and versioning system, they went and bought github. How does a proprietary company justify acquisition of a platform used by FLOSS and OSS developers. Start rebranding the proprietary company which wants to become open.

                To this day not a single key proprietary software has been released in the open. How are they now open? But github was a key cog in the wheel of the upgrades for windows 10. Now, Microsoft wants a rolling release strategy for windows 10. That is there will not be a windows 11. github is the component Microsoft lacked. Now, the upgrades for windows 10 is much easier. With this methodology all the users are beta testers. But, the catch here is that people pay for a windows license. A wrong upgrade can be costly to the company. Now with the present acquisition, it will be easy for the company to roll back changes and release a downgrade. The best example for the openness ad per the organization is its decision of using chromium browser to replace its nonsensical attempt at browser. The worlds biggest company cannot make the most important software of the internet world. If you cannot fight them embrace them.

                     Why chromium? Holes. Microsoft likes holes. It creates holes and sells holes. To start with Microsoft cant make a browser so it cannot make a browser with good holes. So, take a browser created by a company with holes, lots of holes and made by an advertising company. What is the result of such a dangerous combo? Holes, Lots of holes(re-quoting Keanu Reaves). Now, Microsoft is "open" for business on the internet. Is google complaining? No, why? They will be getting to know the holes created by Microsoft. Together they are ever happy while exposing the consumer to the highest amount of data collection. Why didn't Microsoft fork Firefox? Just because the Xbox team is sitting beside the surface team, have they become open. Just because all its employees are sitting in open spaces, has Microsoft become open? Just because the "notepad" team is sitting beside the "office" team, are they now "open".

                  Microsoft is creating a new definition for "open". It is out to malign the word "open" create confusion among users regarding the meaning. The openness withing chronically closed systems. If the kids just sit beside parents and discuss can the system be called open. Yes withing the family, they can be called open, but doesn't mean that this family honors the society as a whole. All this PR about open is Pure PR. What is in it for the end user. Will you get a better windows experience and so on.....

          For us FLOSS enthusiasts, Until Microsoft matches the phrase "show me the code" there is no relation between the word "open" and Microsoft.

My tryst with Ian Murdock's Debian GNU/Linux

I bought an assembled computer in the year 2000. The hardware was assembled by friends from my computer science department(I being a Mech engineer). They installed me the "latest" operating system, Win ME. I was also very happy, friends visited my home to see my computer. They wanted to "see" a computer with 128 GB RAM and a blazing fast 650 Mhz processor. Before that I had used DOS to run foxpro programs for my 1st sem engg. The next exposure was using Autocad in my final semester. The computers in the college were old school and "just" enough to run the required app. Played around with my new computer. Heard a heap os mp3s, watched a few movies on vcds, played a few games and thats it. After a month, the only result was that I learnt Autocad with great proficiency. After this, it got boring. Did not touch for around a month later. During this time, while discussing with a friend who had just joined a UNIX course. He did not know that he was learning GNU/Linux, Not his mistake.(At this juncture I did not know anything except Win****. Infact I did not know that there was another operating system). So, let us excuse my friend here and request the reader to excuse me too. Now in the discussion happening what caught my fancy was that my friend was repeatedly telling me that it is a tough nut to crack and one life time is not enough to learn *nix. Let us go back to the day I bought my desktop. I fell short of a 1000 bucks while buying it. So, the shop owner sent the person doing the assembly to my house with my friends to bring back the money. Once the desktop reached my home, All the components were quickly connected, hdd formatted and winME installed. Now, my computer science friends started having a chat with the assembler. The assembler told that he had learnt to install a new OS called Redhat 6 GNU/Linux. This caught the fancy of my computer friends and they asked him to show them the install methodology of Redhat 6 GNU/Linux. All this while I was a mute spectator. I just took care of all my friends with the snacks department. The assembler started the installation and I believe it took an hour or so. Once the installation was over it was late in the night and everybody just went home. My friends told that they would visit me again in the course of the week to "format" back the installation space taken by the GNU/Linux system.

Now, let us come back to the friend who told that *nix was a tough nut to crack. Since all the use case scenarios of win ME was exhausted I thought of venturing into fresh waters. Came back home the same day and booted Redhat GNU/Linux 6. I was dropped to a terminal with a blinking cursor with a black backdrop. I did not know the login ID and password. Immediately requested and begged my father for giving me money to buy a book. Went to the biggest store in Bangalore and bought "Redhat Linux 6 UNLEASHED". Here I came to learn of VI and Emacs editors. Somehow I though emacs was the editor for me. While reading the documentation for emacs I came across the history of GNU and the GPL licenses. I was glued. I just was at awe at the philosophy of "free as in freedom". After that it was learning everyday. I installed nearly all the OSs on my desktop. QNX, Minix and the like. Then Redhat GNU/Linux 7 was released and I recognised that GNU/Linux had arrived. From now on slackware, calderra, Mandrake and many others were tried. But I was always hearing about Debian GNU/Linux while on forums and reading magazines. I tried ubuntu somewhere here and applied for free cd shipping also and I did recieve them. But, somehow, my installations of ubuntu GNU/Linux always was not up to my expectation. There was a sort of "restriction". I cannot tell what it is. But I felt tied. This feeling I did not get while using any other GNU/Linux distros. After trying all the distros, I tried Debian woody. The installation, I thought was similar to slackware. But what caught my fancy was the way the distro was managed. The democratic setup, the clear responsibilities in the social contract, the "release when ready" philosophy, the plethora of packages and the wiki. I loved the distro. Being in India we were not luck in the internet department. I used to eagerly wait for stable releases. I had developed a relationship with a local cd/dvd vendor(Individual) who was selling GNU/Linux cd/dvd on his blog and was charging only for his efforts, true to the RMS philosophy. I would be the first customer for every major release from v 3.0 through 5.0 and I used to buy all the cds dvds not just the first one. While installing, my selction of sofware during installation would make me to swap the cd/dvd many number of times. I loved the release names owing to the fact that I am a huge fan of the toy story franchise.

My tryst continued with debian GNU/Linux after I bought a HP laptop. I have always documented my installation experiences on my blog. It continued on to a dell laptop. But, I got a high by installing the powerpc version of Debian Gnu/Linux on the PS3 while it was still supported by the otheros option. The last 15 years of my computing would have not been exciting if not for Debian GNU/Linux. I salute the vision of Ian Murdock. I salute all the developers/users/maintainers of this awesome OS. I always used to get a package for doing any task I wanted to do within the pack of the DVDs. Debian GNU/Linux is a part of my life as much as my friends/my family. I have spent more time on using Debian GNU/Linux systems than any other beside my job. Yes, I am not a pro. I am not a programmer. I am a GNU/Linux enthusiast. I am a fan of Debian GNU/Linux.

I request the force to give Ian Murdock all the peace he needs. His death didnt seem a normal one. I wish his family and friends all the positive force in the universe. This definitely applies to the man who spearheaded the development of the Universal Operating system.

Thanks a lot Ian Murdock. You definitely have left a mark in this universe.

PS: I had succesfully installed Debian GNU/Hurd also. That is one more Hats off to Sri Ian Murdock. Thanks. May the force be with you.

Freedom and Macbook air(AKA, "opposites attract")

I would loathe the Macbook pros and see that they were whitey, clumsy, heavy and awkward looking compared to the other notebooks in the industry. Of all the notebooks I liked the HP TX1301au for three reasons

1. It had an AMD Turion x2 processor( A processor developed with notebooks in mind )
2. It had a touch screen
3. It could be converted into what is called a "tablet" today by folding the display over the keyboard.

I saw this lappy being used by many users. HP had a very good concept but did not follow up on this( Just exactly what happened to one of the first professional looking GNU/Linux based touch phone, the motoming or a1200. It was a beautiful phone with a flavor of linux called the montavista linux, It was my first smartphone ). But I was happy with my lappy since It played good with GNU/Linux. Debian GNU/Linux ran on this beauty flawlessly. It was light compared to other laptops. It was smaller at 12" compared to other laptops. I went on and succesfully booted Debian GNU/HURD also on this lappy, but after the initial boot screen It was difficult. In summary, my lappy was free of all propreitory software, except for the nvidia driver(I know, I know, RMS is angry)

 It was the "apple" of my eye until Apple released their Macbook air. OMG what piece of hardware. I was drooling all over it. That was the best piece of notebook hardware I had set my eyes on. It was "gorgeous", "drop dead", "Awesome"........ All of a sudden "Light", "Small" and "Air" had a new meaning for me. I just compared the weight of my lappy with the air, it was shocking. I compared the looks, It was like comparing it with Mona lisa and the cave paintings. Evolution took a long time, as we all agree. But the "Air" was a "Revolution". A revolution which all others are trying to digest and cope up. I have still to see notebooks come anywhere near to the air(There have been a few and as Linus torvalds put it, others will catch up. But they will "catch up")

If we observe the Macbook air from its first iteration, nothing much has changed. The basic chasis is still the same. Changes occur when there are competitors and are forcing you to a corner. As of now the air leads the lot and others are catching up.

1. Yes, I know, RAM is soldered ---no upgrade
2. Backpanel is locked by propreitory shaped screws  --not to be opened by ordinary users.
3. No DVD drive --watching movies, opening presentations/documents at office on cd/dvd not possible(I dont know how many still do....).
4. Only two usb ports --Nowadays, I dont know what is the right number of USB ports required.
5. Runs on proprietory software  --A simple bios upgrade can disturb any custom OS on the device.
6. Hard drive capacity limited  --Though on a mid 2011 macbook air, we can still change the hard drives capacity, since it is not soldered.
7. Battery -- can be changed but at an apple store.

Oh, so many negatives. Let us get to the positives.

1. Incredibly thin/light/compact/portable
2. Unibody aluminium chasis  --No creaking
3. Awesome multi-touch touchpad(A very large one)(Clickpad, to be more precise) --The feeling of crossover between a tablet and a notebook with an additional "click" action throught the touchpad
4. Full sized keyboard --Completely relaxed position of the hands while typing, not to be disturbed by the touchpad. The touchpad can be made to respond to only the physical "click", that is, pressing the touchpad down(like clicking a mouse)
5. Lid opened with one hand only --The hinge tightness is just right to open with one hand and perfect enought to hold the display upright.
6. Keyboard backlight -- Intensity of the keyboard light can be changed via shortcut keys on the keyboard. Makes using it in dark environments a breeze(something from the smarphones, especially my sony ericsson mini pro). It is the right place to give sony, credit for the chiclet keyboard.
7. Magsafe charger --I liked the design of the charger, where it gets pulled(magnetic) to its charging point as it is brought near to the charging port(A deft touch, that).
8. Display --The 13.3" screen is just right at 1440 X 900 resolution. It is not the best out there, but ample enough.
9. Except the fan, No moving parts --It is "silent" most of the time. I noticed the fan rev up when flash enabled sites are visited. And the exhaust of the fan is let out at the hinge(I loved this piece of engineering). So your lap is kept as cool as possible.
10. The icing on the cake is an i7 processor clocking at 1.8Ghz with ondie graphics core and 4GB DDR3 RAM.

As a whole, I am just awed by the device hardware. All this comes to a standstill when you will see that it runs Mac osX, which is as propreitory an OS can get over a community developed code. It does make me happy(My happiness is nothing compared to that of the Freebsd community which prides itself whenever its code is being used for propreitory or "freedom" purposes) that it is using contributions from the free software community by using freebsd code and the mach kernel code for the core OS and using other nifty tools like the webkit code from the KDE project. At the same time, the user is completely locked by the propreitory layer of UI and graphics libraries. It is difficult to imagine that the worlds most profit making company is making profits by leveraging community code and returning near to nothing to the source.

So, how do we "Free" this awesome hardware from the clutches of propreitory software?

Run windows on it, ha? Installing windows on a macbook air is a breeze. The drivers are available from apple. Install the OS and install all the drivers. Thats it. Windows runs beautifuly on this device. Hey, wait, now we have locked both the windows and dooors. The ultimate lockin.

No, we are not even considering it. What are the options we are left with? GNU/Linux, GNU/BSD, GNU/MINIX, ANDROID..... I chose GNU/Linux for the obvious.

1. It runs beautifully well on x86 hardware.
2. It is my favorite OS for the past 11 years.
3. I know my way around.
4. Awesome community.
5. Thriving developer base.
6. Strong Ethics
7. Ever increasing user base.

Now, GNU/Linux comes in many flavors. My favorite flavor has been Debian GNU/Linux, the universal operating system. In its goal of becoming a universal operating system Debian cannot cater in particular to a very small group of elite users having the capability of buying mac hardware(I do not mean that they wouldnt do it, But it would not be worth, taking the entire world into consideration). I tried the latest testing build and failed terribly. But, do not go by my experience. There are people who have succesfully installed Debian GNU/Linux on a macbook air. Just search them on the public network.

Come on, then, Let us "free" up this awesome piece of hardware...........................................