Why Microsoft’s New Pay-As-You-Go Scheme Will Fail

Microsoft gave out more details on how they would persue a pay-as-you-go scheme for their software.  When I first heard of their new idea, I thought it would be something along the lines of paying a low(er) price to activate Windows and other software for a fixed period of time, like a year or 18 months.

Apparently not.

Microsoft’s new form of payment that they have been working on actually charges you for the amount of time you use your computer, which software you use, and how much memory you use.  Sadly, their method of keeping track of the software that you use is to use a program that monitors your use of the computer.  More so than price, my concern would be with privacy and control.  What would keep Microsoft from shutting down a particular app or even your computer; a kill switch?  Additionally, this whole idea seems to back up Microsoft’s ideology that you don’t really own your computer or software, you are effectively using a copy of that software.  It’s not yours to do anything you want with it.

Thankfully for Ubuntu and free software, there is an escape route from this lock-in software.  Before I get to preaching Linux too heavily… I’ll get back to the main point of this post:

When consumers find out they have to keep paying high prices for software that they use, down to their memory on their computer, they will be looking for alternatives, namely Apple.  Some will be concerned because they often work with large files.   Others may be concerned about security and privacy.  Others may not like the idea of having to pay money for everything they do on their computers.  Ownership just makes sense to people.  Microsoft’s new plan only says how much you really own with their software.

Georgia LoCo: What’s Up for 2009

So, it’s close to the beginning of a new year.  New sights, new (and some old) resolutions, and a completely new LoCo calendar full of events!  For this new year, here’s a heads-up for what we will be doing over the next year.

First, there will be a LoCo kickoff meeting over in the IRC channel on Jan. 13, at 8pm.  There we will discuss the plan for the year, as well as answer any questions.  After that, it’s open chat with anything goes.

Now that I mentioned the schedule, there will be several changes.  First, the IRC meetings will move from a weekly schedule to one of necessity.  If we need to hold a meeting, we’ll call it on.  This way, we will not have meetings where there is a complete absence of things to talk about, and we can also change the schedule so that those who need to be able to attend can.

Next, face to face meetings will not occur every month as in the past, as this has been shown to be hectic, and during months where folks are out of town, only a few people show.  So, we will be moving face to face meetings to months where there are no events occurring, and away from most holidays.  Release parties will now be held for every release, typically a day or so after the download links hit the ubuntu.com site.  InstallFests will happen a month after each release (typically June and November).  And most importantly of all…

The Atlanta Linux Fest 2009!  It will be held on Sept. 19 (tentatively set for Software Freedom Day).  We are still in the planning stages, but I’ll talk more about that event later on.

The web site, http://ubuntu-georgia.org, will also see some changes, such as a new help page, filled with helpful how-tos for Ubuntu with answers to common questions.

The LoCo now also has it’s own twitter and identi.ca accounts, which you can follow to get updates on what’s going on with the team, notification of meetings, and other important updates.

Right now, you may be wondering why we have made these changes.  The main purpose is that we are working to streamline the schedule so that we can make the most out of the year and make the events as good as possible.  As always, we will continue to provide support on the Georgia LoCo forums and on the IRC channel.  The Georgia LoCo has now been around for two years now — we’ve come a long ways since then, and we can make 2009 the best year yet!

Wow

Wow… that’s all I have to say. KDE 4.2 in Kubuntu 8.10 is awesome… Great job KDE/Kubuntu team!

Couple of updates making their way down the wires. For one, the “K” menu now allows for rearranging favorites. The task bar also has fixed a lot of the graphical bugs, and there’s all sorts of other stuff that I’ve only been able to begin to discover.

Somehow it’s just not the same…

*sniff*  My desktop:

My Packed-Out Palm

If you’ve read my blog before, you know that I love Palm PDAs.  For the past several years they helped me organize my life.  Just looking at my PDA, I am surprised at what all it can do.  Here’s a quick list:

1.  Connect via Bluetooth

2.  Connect via Wi-Fi

3.  Create and Edit Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files

4.  Surf the Web

5.  View PDF files

6.  Tell me what stars will be up tonight

7.  Play MP3s

8.  use Avantgo to get the forecast and news

9.  calendar, to-do list, memos, etc.

10.  Read E-books

11.  use Google Maps to find directions

Whew… that’s a lot of stuff.   It can do even more, but that’s a long enough list for now.  My older PDA, a Palm Zire 72, could even take pictures and video, and even record sound.  Most importantly, none of my PDAs are phones.  For whatever reason, mixing a PDA with something that costs money for the data plan just does not rest well with me.  I like knowing it’s my PDA, not connected to a single provider (since verizon does not use sim cards) that I can use as long as it is able to function.

Dell’s New Ads Minimize Ubuntu

Today I saw the new Dell ads in the paper.  It’s fun to see the product you support in a paper.  As usual, my attention was turned to the page where they advertised the Dell Mini 9s. Part of me hopes they would bring the price down to $300 or less.  Unfortunately, the price was still at $349 for the Ubuntu version.

What caught my eye is something far more agitating than just a hefty price tag:  two versions were advertised, the Windows version and the other Ubuntu version.  Guess which one was given advertising priority?  The Windows machine.  Since I was unable to take a good enough picture, I will describe it as best possible.  The page is in portrait layout, and is divided into two halves, top and bottom.  The top, which filled in with a shaded box, held a large picture of the Windows version, with all the usual Dell advertising stuff.

The bottom half was dedicated to the Ubuntu version.  Shown in a smaller, less eye catching ad than usual.  What really caught my eye was some larger text (14 pt.) in the upper right-hand corner of the Ubuntu section.  It said:

“Dell recommends Windows Vista Home Premium.”

Real smooth, Dell.  Once again, Dell shows it’s weak side when advertising another product, with another form of software installed other than Microsoft Windows.  It’s strange really.  Both models were described as “new” in the advertisement, but the Ubuntu version gets treated like a second-class citizen.  I am glad that Dell is selling Ubuntu machines, but sometimes the whole “we recommend this…” line gets a little old, especially when plastered not in the appropriate section, but in the section advertising an Ubuntu product.

The Most Aswome Demo — Ever.

The most amazing demo I have ever seen, just turned 40.  In 1968, Doug Engelbart,  demoed a computer system, with a display, mouse (yes, even a mouse).  It really has to be seen to be believed.

A Government School, and Linux.

What do they have in common?  Well, it turns out that a middle school in Austin, Texas is having a bit of a tussle over the topic of Linux.  Apparently, HeliOS sent some Linux CDs to a student in a computer class.  The student then proceeded to pass out some Linux CDs, when the teacher saw this whole thing going on.  What did she do?  She took the CDs, and then wrote HeliOS a wonderfully written email, which you can see in the link I created above.  The best line of the email has to be this:

At this point, I am not sure what you are doing is legal. No software is free and spreading that misconception is harmful. These children look up to adults for guidance and discipline. I will research this as time allows and I want to assure you, if you are doing anything illegal, I will pursue charges as the law allows.
And goes on to say:

This is a world where Windows runs on virtually every computer and putting on a carnival show for an operating system is not helping these children at all. I am sure if you contacted Microsoft, they would be more than happy to supply you with copies of an older verison of Windows and that way, your computers would actually be of service to those receiving them…
Wow.  That’s a mouthful.  This anger, of course, can be attributed to the teacher’s union, which has “recommendations.”  One of those may very well be “you must support Microsoft.”  (glad I’m homeschooled!)

So, looking through the email, it looks as if the teacher really has some beef against Linux.  The second part that I quoted above has to be my favorite.  “If you contact Microsoft…”  Oh please, if they would do that, I would already have as many of the old versions as I can get installed in VirtualBox.  Another favorite?  “…your computers would actually be of service to those receiving them.”  Unbelievable.

I wonder just how connected this particular teacher is with technology if these are her beliefs.  If she noticed the trend, use of Microsoft sofware is on the decline, and Apple is quickly snapping up market share.  If things continue to go well for Apple, we could very well be looking towards an Apple future.   Linux has also been increasing in market share.  Just to make a point, Ubuntu and Fedora combined have over 17 million users.

Just goes to show what a tough world it is out there to promote Linux.  Luckily, there are enough people angry with Windows to make the job so much easier.  Keep up the good fight HeliOS!

UPDATE:

On the helios site, twitter updates have shown up showing that the teacher has contacted Helios, and things are looking like they will be resolved soon. 

The Rotten Apple

Well, it could be said that Apple has managed to get itself into a mess over the past couple of days.

First, Apple posted an advisory ad telling Mac users to install anti-virus software on their computers.  While most who are “in” with technology took this to heart and called it a wise move, Apple apparently did not like all the attention.

So, it gets better – Apple pulls the advisory.  Afterall, the rather uneducated public, who are also the potential Windows transfers, think (thanks to I’m a PC ads) that Apple computers are virus free.  Since really they are not virus free (20k viruses compared to 100k for Windows), it was a good thing to have in place, and most people should have known that Apple was going to face more viruses as it became more popular.  Instead, Apple calls the document “old” and removed it.  One year old, to be exact.  If it were just “old,” it would be from when Apple products were not used nearly as much, and would be ever more relevant today.

Now, Apple has gotten itself into a little bit more trouble.  There’s a lawsuit (when is there not one going on somewhere?) coming from someone who bought an iPhone and found out it did not perform like advertised in the commercials.  Apple, while cramming their foot in their mouth, said:

“Plaintiff’s claims, and those of the purported class, are barred by the fact that the alleged deceptive statements were such that no reasonable person in Plaintiff’s position could have reasonably relied on or misunderstood Apple’s statements as claims of fact,” Apple’s attorneys wrote.”

That’s real good.  Call your customers fools for believing the iPhone is the best thing out there.  Unfortunately, it’s misleading advertising that caused this mess, which certainly not new to Apple’s marketing department.  Their Mac vs PC ad campaign built on top of the problems of Vista, while overstating the benefits of using a Mac.  If your average viewer saw the ad, they (depending on their general savvy) might believe that the phone performs at the same rate advertised.  Now, in Apple’s defense, I would recommend trying the device before making a purchase.  It really brings reality into focus.

Odd….

Sometimes, some news stories are either just too stupid or silly to pass up.  Today, that happened to me while snarfing through the Fox News site.

First, a newspaper “stole” the Empire State building.  In a matter of 90 minutes, the New York Daily News made some fake documents… and were able to change the ownership of the $2,000,000,000 property.  Yeah.  In 90 minutes.

Second, a new report shows that German soldiers are getting too fat to fight… Forget the fat figures, just check out how much booze the German soldiers are drinking.  In 2007 alone, 1.7 million pints of beer were consumed, along with 90,000 bottles of wine.  Wow!  The report also said that they are living off “beer and sausages.”  Here’s to living out your nationality!