Apache OpenOffice
That is the link to the AOO homepage, and it's nice, clean and efficient. I rather like it. It also departs from the prior OpenOffice homepage--and the differences are worth going over.
The old page, at http://www.openoffice.org/, ultimately had shifted to focus more on the user, less on the developer. The new AOO page actually resembles the initial pages of OpenOffice, and not coincidentally. OpenOffice was squeezed into CollabNet's original template for collaborative projects, and that template was designed, at least in part, by the same people who ended up designing Apache's. (CollabNet was co-founded by Brian Behlendorf, who was instrumental in founding the Apache project. I joined CollabNet in 2000, to work on OOo, among other projects.)
Despite my likes or dislikes--they're pretty irrelevant, I hope--I'm also interested in promoting (and that means, "creating," too) the associated ecosystem. I'm frankly indifferent if that ecosystem works with other ODF implementations, or no ODF implementation but tools that nevertheless support OpenOffice technology. Elemental to that promotion is ensuring that users of all abilities, experiences, languages, expectations are able to negotiate the site, get what they want, and also--important!--contribute as they can and as they may.
But does that page we have now provide for that set of desires?
2012-10-26
2012-10-24
El software libre ahorró a Brasil 225 millones de dólares en el 2010
El software libre ahorró a Brasil 225 millones de dólares en el 2010
Personally, I think that the number cited is incorrect. A lot more was not only saved but implicitly invested. Free software is not, in my estimation, about saving money; it's not cheap software or "free" software, as in licensed no-fee software that's given away as a kind of loss-leader.
Rather, free and open source software (Foss) is a strategic investment that is aimed at not only providing the applications people want so as to continue with their habits but also to provide them with the tools that allow them to go beyond those habits and create something new--and valuable. That is, locally, regionally valuable, not just sentimentally or affectionately valuable but something of value that can be exchanged in the recognized market for money. You know, commodities, things.
I mean to say: it's not about cheap alternatives. It's not about altruism. It's about creating new markets where new things are bought and sold; and it's about emerging economies gaining a foothold on grounds other than natural resources or indentured servitude (extracted materials, cheap labour). Foss is crucial because it enables regions to optimize local education and other intellectual resources in making valuable commodities.
Personally, I think that the number cited is incorrect. A lot more was not only saved but implicitly invested. Free software is not, in my estimation, about saving money; it's not cheap software or "free" software, as in licensed no-fee software that's given away as a kind of loss-leader.
Rather, free and open source software (Foss) is a strategic investment that is aimed at not only providing the applications people want so as to continue with their habits but also to provide them with the tools that allow them to go beyond those habits and create something new--and valuable. That is, locally, regionally valuable, not just sentimentally or affectionately valuable but something of value that can be exchanged in the recognized market for money. You know, commodities, things.
I mean to say: it's not about cheap alternatives. It's not about altruism. It's about creating new markets where new things are bought and sold; and it's about emerging economies gaining a foothold on grounds other than natural resources or indentured servitude (extracted materials, cheap labour). Foss is crucial because it enables regions to optimize local education and other intellectual resources in making valuable commodities.
2012-10-23
US data centers get bigger, but there are fewer of them – survey • The Register
US data centers get bigger, but there are fewer of them – survey • The Register
The IDC report that El Reg uses for this is very much worth looking at. Essentially, starts by numerating the obvious--the cloud's increasing dominance--but does so by nuancing the crucial point often elided: that this move away from corporate centralized intranets is a move to 3rd-party service providers. That migration is immensely important, for a couple of reasons. One is that it implicitly promotes the development of specific technologies able to manage a renaissance of data. Another is that it puts into play a logic of standards and even code openness. And it implicitly lays the groundwork for the creation of a professional class able to work in this burgeoning field.
The IDC report that El Reg uses for this is very much worth looking at. Essentially, starts by numerating the obvious--the cloud's increasing dominance--but does so by nuancing the crucial point often elided: that this move away from corporate centralized intranets is a move to 3rd-party service providers. That migration is immensely important, for a couple of reasons. One is that it implicitly promotes the development of specific technologies able to manage a renaissance of data. Another is that it puts into play a logic of standards and even code openness. And it implicitly lays the groundwork for the creation of a professional class able to work in this burgeoning field.
2012-10-18
ApacheCon NA 2013 | Welcome
ApacheCon NA 2013 | Welcome
And ApacheCon EU has not even taken place yet! But it's not too early to consider the North American version. Apache Software Foundation is an institution that has steadfastly nurtured and promoted open source projects benefiting all who use just about anything to do with computing. That means that each Apache Conference offers the rare opportunity to meet and even discuss software and community with the contributors making up Apache.
And ApacheCon EU has not even taken place yet! But it's not too early to consider the North American version. Apache Software Foundation is an institution that has steadfastly nurtured and promoted open source projects benefiting all who use just about anything to do with computing. That means that each Apache Conference offers the rare opportunity to meet and even discuss software and community with the contributors making up Apache.
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