Software

First the facts – Google has officially announced its latest and most over-hyped project yet – the Chrome OS. Google Chrome OS is touted as an open source ang lightweight OS specifically geared for netbooks. Google will be launching it in partnership with netbook manufacturers. And Google Chrome was built upon the Google Chrome platform,  or in other words it is basically Google Chrome running on its own withouth Windows XP or Vista.

[Read more…] about Google Chrome OS, Why it Will Not Be a Windows XP Killer

Originally posted on July 9, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

As Microsoft keeps working on the development of Windows 7, I am starting to hear all sorts of reviews and feedback. Most people that tried it are happy with the OS, I won’t deny that. But then another day I came across an article on The Inquirer titled Windows 7 is enough to kill Linux on the desktop.

I didn’t want to be a basher, so I took the time to read it despite getting annoyed by the title.

So what are the arguments of the author? Basically he says that Windows 7 is somewhat stable, has some nice graphics, and also runs fine with open source applications. Then, and don’t ask me how on Earth, the guy concludes that given those factors, user friendly Linux distributions like Ubuntu won’t be worthwhile anymore.

Say what?

I do believe that Windows 7 will be an improvement for Microsft. After all they are launching an OS after Vista, so it is not like it would be too hard to achieve that…

Regardless, I don’t see Windows 7 removing the main two advantages that Linux has over Windows, even if you consider desktop users.

One: Linux is open source, and therefore free and supported by the community
Two: Linux is one of the most secure desktop operating systems out there

If you then consider the fact that with each new release most Linux distros are also getting very user friendly and graphically appealing, well, I don’t see how Windows 7 is going to hurt it.

Now I am not arguing that Linux on desktop is mainstream, or that it will become anytime soon. But you can’t deny that is does have its market, and its market share (albeit small) has been growing steadily.

I wonder why that guy has not checked the numbers, in fact.

The W3Counter reports that in May 2007 1,26% of the Internet users from around the world were using Linux as their OS. In December 2008 this number is up to 2,13%, with a growth of almost 70%.

The overall number might not seem big, but Apple’s OS X is not far away, with 5,24% of market share.

If anything, therefore, Linux is growing steadily, and I don’t think Windows 7 will change this pattern.

Originally posted on January 23, 2009 @ 1:12 pm

If don’t use Gmail, you are with the minority. Google’s email service is undoubtedly the most advanced and user friendly one on the web. It is also very reliable and has a huge disk space. That being said, if you rely on it for all your email communications, it would be a good idea to back it up once in a while right?

For this purpose there is a tool called Gmail Backup. You need to download the software to your computer (Windows or Linux), and it will backup your account with one click.

Originally posted on January 7, 2009 @ 10:58 am

Adobe will soon be porting the full fledged Flash Player to the ARM processor, bridging the gap between its offering for the desktop and mobiles. Earlier Adobe had pushed ahead Flash Lite, a scaled down version of Flash but now with its plans to bring Flash to ARM processors, the attempt is to snag a major share of mobile devices internet experience.

An excerpt from Technology Review:

Specifically, the companies say that Adobe’s Flash Player 10 and AIR (a platform for building complex Web applications) will be compatible and optimized for the ARM chips available in 2009. While ARM is used in a huge number of mobile phones, the announcement has broader implications: the chips are also used in set-top boxes, mobile Internet devices, personal media players, and automotive platforms.

Though Flash is not coming to the iPhone, its hoped that this initiative will aid that process too by showing that it is possible to run full blown Flash functionality without slowing down the mobile device. Developers of mobile software also stand to benefit from the availability of the same technology across multiple devices, essentially negating the need to work on portability issues. Adobe does not want to miss out from being the major format for videos on mobile as well, especially considering how Microsoft is pushing Silverlight.

Originally posted on November 19, 2008 @ 4:49 pm