LinuxToday: Eric Raymond on the VA Linux Change of Course
DotGNU is a new project that will compete against Microsoft's .NET, with the idea of preventing any single company from controlling an Internet-based authentication and payment system.
Principles of good GUI Design
Salon has an excellent collection of reactions regarding the Microsoft Appeals court decision from yesterday.
DigitalWeb: The Genius of Simplicity. An interview with Jason Fried and Matt Linderman of 37Signals.
Why is Microsoft Attacking the GPL? An excellent analysis of the recent MS FUD around the GPL.
OJR: Content Management for the Masses
It will be interesting to see how Microsoft spins the news about the Federal Appeals Court decision. Most early analysis is showing that Microsoft isn't out of the woods yet and definitely broke many laws.
Apple to buy PowerPC from Motorola? Interesting rumor...
John Rhodes over at WebWord has some interesting comments on Microsoft and misdirection.
Microsoft drops Smart Tags from Windows XP. Thank you!
VA Linux is dropping out of the Linux hardware market and laying off 35 percent of its staff. This may be a sign that they're prepping themselves for acquisition.
Slashdot: Using MSDN requires a Microsoft Passport account
Linux Magazine: What is Required for GCC to Support Microsoft's .NET? [via Hack the Planet]
O'ReillyNet: Microsoft Plans Shared Source .NET
The Struggle Against Microsoft. Some interesting links.
Support Group for People Used by Microsoft. Heh.
From 1999: Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 versus UNIX
Interesting. Somehow I missed this Microsoft Defense Site last summer, as sponsored by the Ayn Rand Institute.
Junkbusters: Microsoft and Privacy
Star Trek TNG Meets Microsoft. Old, but funny.
Salon: Assimilating the Web. Resistance is futile.
In college, I had an amazing professor, Dr. Gershon, who taught me about the increasing consolidation of "transnational media corporations" through the many mergers and acquisitions in the media and entertainment industry in the mid to late 1990's. I specifically remember him telling my class that within five years, there would be only a handful of large media conglomerates. He cited News Corporation and Microsoft as two to watch. Rebecca also has a couple of good links under "media ownership".
A reader sent in this recipe for a Jewish food called Gribbenes. Oh. My. God.
ZDNet: "Sun Microsystems Monday announced that the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) would implement up to 25,000 units of its StarOffice 5.2 software."
An article on choosing a Content Management System.
Bruce Perens has some great things to say in the Silicon Valley Roundtable which includes comments from Microsoft's Craig Mundie.
Migrating to Linux: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Defenestrating Windows. Another article about leaving the Windows world behind and moving towards Linux.
An introduction to Linux/Unix programming
What's So Bad About Microsoft? From a Software User's Perspective
Here's an interesting (long) paper called "Killing the Duck to Keep the Quack" that discusses the infrastructure necessary for the effective management and preservation of digital resources.
OSOpinion: Deconstructing Microsoft
So, I'm skipping my 10-year high school class reunion this summer. I simply don't want to stand around in a rented party hall (in Northern Michigan, no less) looking at pictures of kids and being dragged out to the parking lot to see the big trucks all the guys are driving. Ah, their pride and joy. Me, I own more than six computers and don't have a car. To each his own, I guess.
Defective Sign & Encrypt in S/MIME, PKCS#7, MOSS, PEM, PGP, and XML
MacHack 2001: Steve Wozniak Fireside Chat
NetAction: From Microsoft Word to Microsoft World: How Microsoft is Building a Global Monopoly
Book Review: Interfaces on Trial: Intellectual Property and Interoperability in the Global Software Industry
UCITA and Open Source Software
Bill Gates: "I don't know that anyone has ever asked for the source code for Word. If they did, we would give it to them." Very strange quote. I'm guessing that Bill is going to have to eat these words. Microsoft isn't about to just hand over the source code for Word just because someone asks for it. If Microsoft were smart, they'd open up the .DOC format so that non-Microsoft applications can read/write it. Update: Luke pointed me towards this document at MSDN about the .DOC format.
Chris Kaminski has written up a great article covering the recent discussions and controversy over Microsoft's Smart Tags. A good read.
Here's a good article at iPlanet about Microsoft's balkanization of LDAP and why what they're calling LDAP-compliancy really isn't.
An Expensive Pig in a Poke: Estimating the Cost of the District Court's Proposed Breakup of Microsoft
For some interesting perspective, check out this old essay about the debate of building web pages for the Netscape 2.0 browser and its proprietary technologies.
09/09/99: "What happens when AOL suddenly decides its own network is so big it doesn't need the rest of the world? Or Microsoft modifies Internet Explorer to not allow you to go to competitor's websites?" Wow, this article predicted Microsoft Smart Tags and the subversive nature of Microsoft's .Net initiative. In related new, AOL's membership is now more than 30 million.
Howard's Crispy Fried Chicken Skins (in a bag). My heart stopped just thinking about eating these things. [via Strange Brew]
Technology and Social Isolation. Good essay.
The CueCat was such a stupid idea. No one thought it would work. Everyone was right. Good riddance to a bad idea. Now, if only Microsoft's Smart Tags would suffer the same fate.
Dan Bricklin: A Taxonomy of Computer Systems and Different Topologies: Standalone to P2P
WebReference Newsletter: Accessible Web Sites
Joel's book is finally out. Much of it's already online, but sometimes there's no substitute for having a print copy lying around. Congrats Joel.
Excellent interview with Alan Cooper. He thinks Microsoft (and everyone else) should abandon the web browser. He makes some interesting points.
The other day I stopped at one of those chain drug stores to pick up some medicine. I needed some cash, so I used one of those small in-the-corner ATM machines. Right after I punched in my code and the amount I wanted (no backing out now) the machine started playing a Nestle Crunch commercial really loudly. I could do nothing but wait it out. I wanted my cash. I felt trapped. Advertising of this sort is becoming more and more commonplace, and there's very little we can do about it. To make things worse, this particular machine seemed to take forever to complete my ATM transaction so I ended up suffering through this obnoxiously loud Nestle Crunch commercial twice. Sigh...
Where are the crazy radicals when you need them? I had a dream last night that Timothy McVeigh came back from the dead, drove a Ryder truck filled with explosives up to Microsoft Headquarters, and blew it to pieces. Isn't that a nice thought? (Ahem, that's irony)
The Next Generation of Interactive Digital Devices and the Technology Behind Them
From 1996: Microsoft stealing Sun's thunder with 'network computer'
Today: Microsoft masters Network Computer mind-set
Coca-Karma is the fascinating story of an ongoing $4B legal case between an independent advertising consultant names Bob Kolody and Coca-Cola Corporation. Long, but good.
Katie is a new GPL'd revision control system that is like a cross between CVS and NFS. Looks promising.
Does Mac OS X Rest On Adobe?
Microsoft: Smart Tags [Blech!]
NY Times: "And, by widening margins, people say they are less trusting that Mr. Bush will keep his word." Call me cynical, but maybe that's exactly what the Bush White House wants. If Bush has such a low approval rating, it's easier for his administration to continue to rape and pillage this country in the name of Corporate America and lower taxes for the rich. What we need is a good scandal that will start impeachment proceedings for both Bush and Cheney.
O'ReillyNet: Shelter From the HailStorm
Byte: The Business of Open Source
Louis Rosenfeld, co-author of the well-known O'Reilly book on information architecture, finally caved in and started a weblog. Go Lou!
Excellent Salon article on Google's search and ranking techniques.
I'm not the only one who thinks the Internet will fracture into several pieces. This Register article talks about a company called New.net which wants to extend the DNS system to circumvent the controlling interests of companies like Microsoft and AOL-Time Warner.
Andrew Welch: Why is OS X Slow?
Yesterday, Macromedia announced the development of a new product called Sitespring. At first glance, it looks like a pretty well put-together client-server package for managing the production and project management of web sites. They're selling it as a tool for collaboration and are focusing on the team aspect. I'm mostly interested in how their "Transparent Versioning" is supposed to work. The product manager claims that Sitespring will work with existing versioning technologies like Sourcesafe and CVS. I'm waiting for the FAQ on this. My guess is it's using WebDAV.
A couple of excellent papers from Earthlink:
Filtering mail with procmail. [via Qube Quorner]
Simpsons on DVD!
Halsey Minor's new company, Grand Central, may be exactly what the Internet needs to compete against Microsoft's Passport/Hailstorm Web Services initiative. Anyone but Microsoft!
Kevin Werbach's article on weblogs is up online now. It's a good read.
Gimme bandwidth: If anyone in the NYC area is looking for DSL access, my provider has said they'll bump up my connection speed for free for every referral I send them. So far, I'm pretty happy with the DSL line I have. No problems yet. Let me know if I can refer you.
One of my coworkers, leonardr, is posting his mom's adventures in housecleaning and home improvement. All the content comes in the form of emails she sends him. Read down to the last email called The Mummy. Gross!
Software Methods and Tools. This is an amazing site. It has a ton of information, most of it written in a very straightforward manner. If you don't know anything about software development or the various kinds of methods behind it, this site should at least give you a great introduction. [via Have Browser]
Kendall Clark: Three Myths of XML
Junkfilter is a procmail recipe that several people have said is very good at filtering out most spam. Here's another one.
Excellent O'ReillyNet article about the new Apple retail stores. I think Apple is onto something here. People want information, they want to play with the computers, they want knowledgeable salespeople. They don't want high-pressure sales tactics.
Here's an interesting article that talks about using Freenet as "a platform for writing decentralized, anonymous, secure applications."
With all the talk lately of Microsoft's Hailstorm and Passport technologies, it's important to note that alternatives are forming. Ramanathan V. Guha, the guy who created RDF while at Netscape and then went on to create the Web of Trust feature at Epinions, is now working for a startup called Alpiri which is "building the core software for the Data/Services Web." Their software will be called Flurry (possibly a code name). I'm keeping my fingers crossed and am patiently waiting to learn more. Hurry up guys!
Great article from one of my coworkers about how to prepare source code for collaborative development.
ContentBiz: Simone Paddock, O'Reilly Evangelist Program. [Thanks Luke]
NY Times: Tim O'Reilly on Open Source and Microsoft
A funny User Friendly comic.
Calendar: Upcoming GNU/Linux Events in the New York City Area
A phone conversation:
Heh, serves them right.
Happy Birthday! I started CamWorld five years ago today. Here's to five more. As always, I don't expect anything from my readers. No gifts, no money, no cards. All I ask is that you continue reading, continue learning, and continue spreading the knowledge.
Jakob Nielsen: Avoid PDF for On-Screen Reading. Just last week I was having a private argument with one of my co-workers who insisted on storing [on the company intranet] the team's meeting notes in PDF format instead of a much more accessible and usable text/ASCII format.
Frank Hecker comments on Hailstorm and the language being used by Microsoft to describe these services. He paints a pretty scary picture for third-party companies who wish to use the Hailstorm technologies.
I said back on May 31 that we should probably expect the Internet to fracture into two separate networks: a Microsoft one and a non-Microsoft one. Now the Smart Tags issue has people thinking this same thing. This is probably exactly what Microsoft wants. They've realized that they can't compete with the open-standards based Internet, so instead of competing they simply will supplant it with their own proprietary technologies. Unfortunately, this means that we'll likely be right back where we started and will be building two versions of our sites: one for the Microsoft Internet, with Smart Tags, .Net services hooks, etc. and one for the non-Microsoft Internet. Sigh...
Despite the controversial nature of ORBS, I did notice an increase in spam this past week, which is probably directly related to the shutdown of ORBS. This is an excellent article, as always, from Salon's Damien Cave.
This NY Times article about the signage at the NYC airports is pretty good. What they are really talking about is called wayfinding, a specialized field of study that ties information design, graphic design, and environmental engineering together. Most large public building projects like hospitals and airports spend several years working with architecture firms that specialize in wayfinding, mapping out foot traffic paths, creating uniform signage, and studying how people will find their way about a large building complex they are not familiar with. I have always been fascinated with how some of the core principles of wayfinding have mapped almost directly to that of the information architecture of large web sites. How do you find your way in an unfamiliar building? How do you find your around an unfamiliar web site?
Here is another excellent Greg Palast article about the untold story of how the Presidential election was decided by the decisions of the Florida government.
Linux.com Security: Introduction to Port Scanning
Hypocrite. Dave Winer, over at Userland allegedly threatens to sue a company over the use of the word "Radio" in their product. Userland also has a product that uses the word "Radio." Now, Dave is working on a new piece of software called Smurf Turf. Somehow, I doubt that I.M.P.S., the trademark owner for all things Smurf, will approve of Dave's new name and the use of a Smurf likeness in the logo. Perhaps Smurf Turf is a code name, and the software will eventually be named something else. We'll see. Update: Dave confirms it's a code name. Anyway, just giving Dave a taste of his own medicine. Tastes pretty nasty, doesn't it Dave?
O'ReillyNet: .NET on Linux: Will they or won't they?
Tim O'Reilly: Lee Gomes on Jxta
jwz's rant about web design is awesome. Lots of the old-timers in the web design industry have been saying some of these exact same things for years. Form follows function...
Running a country is a serious matter. So, it doesn't surprise me to learn that Bush is playing the puppet role exactly as the GOP intended him to when they got him elected. You can't continue to run a country this way, Mr. Bush.
An excellent "death match" review of Mac OS X vs. Windows 2000. In the far corner, in translucent blue shorts, the challenger, upstart Mac OS X....
I'll have to check this out: Atomz Publish: Web-Based Content Management System
Usenix: Windows, A Software Engineering Odyssey. This is excellent info, but this slide kind of bugs me. It implies that Unix development stopped in 1989 when WinNT development began.
Microsoft's Smart Tags:
"Microsoft's Internet Explorer Smart Tags are something new and dangerous. They mean that the company that controls the Web browser is using that power to actually alter others' Web sites to its own advantage. Microsoft has a perfect right to sell services. But by using its dominant software to do so, it will be tilting the playing field and threatening editorial integrity."
jwz: Netscape and AOL/Time-Warner, Part Two.
Amy Wohl, an expert in office systems automation, has some great articles up at her site: wohl.com. Be sure to read some of the Back Issues. Clearly, a clued-in technologist who recognizes trends long before many others.
A good article about free content management systems. This reminds me, I really need to update that CMS matrix. It's completely out-of-date, and I have several hundred more CMS packages (commercial and open source) to add. Sigh...
Random House: 100 Best Novels since 1900.
This joke is funny the first time you see it, but gets old pretty fast.
An excellent CNN article about my favorite American composer, Philip Glass. I have 953 MB (159 songs; 15 hours, 13 minutes) of ripped Glass MP3s, and that's only half of his available music (yes, I own all the CDs). [via Stuffed Dog]
Three Proposals for the Future of Open Publishing
More reasons why Microsoft's Shared Source initiative may be incredibly harmful to developers but very beneficial to Microsoft.
The Project to Promote Competition and Innovation in the Digital Age is a coalition of companies and trade groups dedicated to "protect competition and consumer choice in the electronic marketplace". In other words, they are against everything Microsoft is working towards. Check out their white paper called Microsoft's Expanding Monopolies: Casting A Wider .Net (PDF).
"The clear and present danger is that Microsoft's strategy of bolting its Internet-related services to its Windows, Office and browser monopolies will lead to a monopoly in Internet services. Microsoft will then be in the position of supplanting the Internet as we know it today with an Internet proprietary to Microsoft."
This quote by Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft:
"These guys can be taken. But the only way we're going to take them is by studying them. Know what they know. Do what they do. Watch them, watch them, watch them. Look for every angle. Stay on their shoulders. Clone them. Take every one of their good ideas and make it one of our good ideas."
Now, read this quote from Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game:
"I am your enemy, the first one you've ever had who was smarter than you. There is no teacher but the enemy. No one but the enemy will ever tell you what the enemy is going to do. No one but the enemy will ever teach you how to destroy and conquer. Only the enemy shows you where you are weak. Only the enemy tells you where he is strong. And the rules of the game are what you can do to him and what you can stop him from doing to you. I am your enemy from now on. From now on, I am your teacher."
Why Unicode Won't Work on the Internet: Linguistic, Political, and Technical Limitations
Some typical response from Microsoft in this NY Times article about the recent DoS attacks and the vulnerability of Windows-based computers. I think it's hilarious that this article uses the word "zombies" but doesn't explain what they are. Can you imagine the sheep on the subway reading this article?
Ha ha! I forgot about this very funny picture I took three years ago.
"You can't pass out free software here."
Jon Udell's weekly Monday column in Byte is becoming a regular read for me. His latest column talks about building a better file system.
Dan Lyke thinks all of Microsoft's recent anti-Open Source FUD is a smokesceen to take the focus off of their upcoming subscription-based Web Services technologies. I'll bet he's right. Joel Spolsky elaborates on Microsoft's behaviour. Kurt Cagle says "Microsoft's Shared-Source is basically a marketing gimmick..." and will come back to hurt them.
Lindsay muses about the lack of Flash-based porno. Come to think of it, I haven't seen much either. Is this possibly a new way for all those laid-off dot-com designers to make some money? (How many sex puns did you catch in that post?)
"The company that creates a development model for Web services on the Java path will capture the high ground in Internet platforms and change the current competitive balance of power."
The Ubersoft Letters
Steve Ballmer: "Linux is not in the public domain. Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches." Let the Microsoft bashing begin (er, continue).
Check out all the links at the bottom of this article about Knowledge Management. Wow.
An old article from September 1998 about the immoral practices of Microsoft and its PR teams.
