[Fri Feb 9 11:13:38 CET 2007]

Anthony Taylor writes in Free Software Magazine about his killer idea for code:

A website dedicated to Free/Open Source code. Not programs. Code.

In other words, something like Koders but free (as in beer). He's convinced this would promote computer literacy and good coding practices, resulting in an open education framework that we all could benefit from.

I can certainly see his point, and agree that such a repository would be a great resource. However, my pressing needs are a little bit different right now: my 10-year old boy is quickly becoming a geek, and shows a lot of interest in science and programming. He's been playing with the idea of writing his own programs for a while now. Sure, I could spend a few hours teaching him how to do some shell scripting, BASIC or perhaps even Python. However, they all have some disadvantages: shell scripting requires that you also get acquainted with a long list of shell programs and what they do, BASIC is quite useless these days, and Python... well, it's way overkill for a 10 year old who is just getting started. So, what to do? Well, I think my wife accidentally found the answer about a week ago. She was browsing around the St. Paul school district's website and came across a small free program put together by the MIT folks: Scratch. For the time being, they only have a Windows and an Apple version, so we downloaded the Mac version and toyed with it for a while. It's marvelous! It's precisely what our educator needs in order to promote the idea of computer literacy among kids. Scratch is extremely easy to use and fun. In just a few minutes, kids can put together small games and programs. No, they are not going to be writing a database or a mail daemon anytime soon, but that's not its purpose. The idea here is to get young kids started in the world of programming and getting used to certain fundamental concepts (a forever loop, if statements, etc.), and that Scratch does accomplish without a trace of a doubt.

{link to this story}

[Fri Feb 9 10:40:46 CET 2007]

It's amazing how much things change in such a short period of time. When I arrived at SGI back in the summer of 2000, I found quite a few snotty managers who stressed how they couldn't believe that Red Hat would ever make any money selling a product that, after all, could also be downloaded for free. Today, I read that Red Hat announced results for its fiscal year 2007 third quarter:

The total revenue for the quarter was $105.8 million, an increase of 45 percent from the year-ago quarter and 6 percent from the prior quarter. Subscription revenue was $88.9 million, up 48 percent year-over-year and 5 percent sequentially.

On the other hand, SGI just reported results for its second 2007 quarter: a total revenue of $108 million... and let's keep in mind that this is a hardware company. Enough said! {link to this story}

[Tue Feb 6 10:43:58 CET 2007]

Gotta love a software project whose leader announces the release of the latest kernel with a message like this:

In a widely anticipated move, Linux "headcase" Torvalds today announced the immediate availability of the most advanced Linux kernel to date, version 2.6.20.

Before downloading the actual new kernel, most avid kernel hackers have been involved in a 2-hour pre-kernel-compilation count-down, with some even spending the preceding week doing typing exercises and reciting PI to a thousand decimal places.

The half-time entertainment is provided by randomly inserted trivial syntax errors that nerds are expected to fix at home before completing the compile, but most people actually seem to mostly enjoy watching the compile warnings, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, scroll past.

As ICD head analyst Walter Dickweed put it: "Releasing a new kernel on Superbowl Sunday means that the important 'pasty white nerd' constituency finally has something to do while the rest of the country sits comatose in front of their 65" plasma screens".

Walter was immediately attacked for his racist and insensitive remarks by Geeks without Borders representative Marilyn vos Savant, who pointed out that not all of their members are either pasty nor white. "Some of them even shower!" she added, claiming that the constant stereotyping hurts nerds' standing in society.

Geeks outside the US were just confused about the whole issue, and were heard wondering what the big hoopla was all about. Some of the more culturally aware of them were heard snickering about balls that weren't even round.

Linus

Yes, the kernel was released on the same day the Superbowl was being played in Indianapolis. {link to this story}

[Fri Feb 2 15:20:54 CET 2007]

There are times when I think I must be living in a parallel reality or something. Today, for example, I came across Daniel Miessler's letter to a Linux desktop user, where he states things like these:

Linux desktops are currently still for hobbyists and tweakers, i.e. those who enjoy tinkering constantly with the very platform that they work from. Those who wish to actually *work* —in an uninterrupted fashion through multiple, major updates— are left with the options of either installing an extremely stable, non-cutting edge distribution and not updating any pivotal packages, or going with an alternative operating system.

In short, I equate "fixing" my operating system with "repairing" a hammer: I might do it once, but the second time the head pops off while I'm trying to work —it's getting replaced.

Like I said, I must be living in a parallel reality. I've been using Linux on the desktop for more than 8 years now —both at work and at home— precisely for this very same reason: I install it, configure it to my needs, and don't have to worry about it anymore. I've upgraded my systems countless times, installed new applications, tried a program I just happened to read about somewhere, then uninstalled it again... all of it without running into any issue whatsoever. I'm not sure I understand what Miessler is talking about. Perhaps his problem is that he tinkers with his system too much, and ends up breaking it all the time. I certainly remember the days when that happened to me, but it was my own fault. I did't dare blaming it on the OS. I tinkered with it, I changed this and that, and broke things. Oh, surprise. In time, I grew out of it, and started using the computer just to get things accomplished. Ever since, I haven't run into the problems Miessler is describing here. To be fair, I did run into some issues with Fedora that I wrote about somewhere in these notes, and that prompted me (among other things) to turn to Ubuntu, which I have already upgraded several times both at work and at home without a trace of a problem. Again, I'm not sure what Miessler is talking about, and it definitely doesn't reflect my own experience. Not only that, but I'd ask him to tell me honestly if his Windows friends truly upgraded their systems from Windows 95 all the way to the latest Windows Vista without a hitch. Oh, and another thing: is an OS that has been in the pipeline, waiting to be released, for five years considered "cutting edge"? In your dreams! Simply put, Miessler is not comparing apples to apples. {link to this story}