Opinions

opinions

Where's the missing link on non-profit case management

I still haven’t found a free software case management framework for non-profits emerging on the horizon. If you search SourceForge or Freshmeat, you find legal case management systems, but nothing ori ...

by Chris Holt – 1/9/2007

opinions

Not everyone is a geek. So why do we act like they are?

Not everyone is a Michael Schumacher, but a lot of people have cars. Not everyone is a Robert Capa, but many of us have cameras. The analogy can apply to computers. Not everyone is a geek, but many pe ...

by Chris Mostek – 1/9/2007

opinions

What if Microsoft got a clue?

While amidst yet another frustrating exercise in Windows XP I thought; What if Microsoft got a clue? I was trying to do what should have been a fairly simple task, scheduling the system to reboot once ...

by Ken Leyba – 1/8/2007

opinions

Free software may kill some software firms. So what?

Some people who advocate against free software claim that it's bad for the economy and not sustainable in the long term, because the lack of direct revenue on developing free software makes it harder ...

by Wouter Verhelst – 1/7/2007

opinions

Digital archaeology of the microcomputer, 1974-1994

_(Or, how to prevent the Dark Ages of computing through free software)_ In a few years time, it will be impossible to study the history of home computers since everything at the time was proprietary; ...

by Steven Goodwin – 1/5/2007

opinions

How usability inhibits good software

Have you ever founda new piece of software that sounds like it's the perfect match foryour needs, only to get bogged down by bad documentation or ahorrendous interface? Many people will quickly discar ...

by Jon Peck – 1/4/2007

opinions

The Nouveau Project

It’s been mentioned in one of my previous posts. Now, I’m putting it forward due to some progress...

by Mitch Meyran – 1/3/2007

opinions

Software ain't patentable, damn it!

_"Thus, this [Supreme] Court's precedent repeatedly sets out that software, which is nothing more than a set of instructions – an algorithm – to be performed by a computer in order to solve some mathe ...

by Jabari Zakiya – 1/3/2007

opinions

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink

Not long ago, a family member's company discovered their former IT consultant had dealt with them dishonestly. The office had paid him for a number of MS Office licenses, but later found out that only ...

by Chris Mostek – 1/2/2007

opinions

Looking the gift horse in the mouth

I believe, by now, everyone has heard of Microsoft's attempt to bribe bloggers by giving them free laptops running Vista. More amusing is that, in response to the publicity they received when they wer ...

by David Sugar – 1/2/2007

opinions

A new year (or: second verse, same as the first!)

Welcome, 2007! The fresh scent of hope and useless prognostication is in theair. Journalists and bloggers all over the world are cranking outtop-ten lists of the best of 2006, and the most likely or m ...

by Anthony Taylor – 1/1/2007

opinions

The Microsoft Tax revisited

Rudyard Kipling retained the services of six honest serving men who taught him all he knew (What and Why, When and How and Where and Who). By contrast the Bobsey twins at Microsoft, Steve and Bill, we ...

by Gary Richmond – 12/30/2006

opinions

Needed: advice about free Content Management Systems

Greetings, everyone. I've been searching for months now for a free reliable CSS to replace the Drupal server we're currently running at Armchair Arcade. The problem is that our host, modserver, is ver ...

by Matt Barton – 12/29/2006

opinions

All I want for Christmas is a big fat bribe...

Dear Santa, We need to talk. Here’s the thing... I have to admit I was pretty upset the other day when I found out that in the spirit of festive cheer, a selection of bloggers got given an Acer Ferrar ...

by Bridget Kulakauskas – 12/29/2006

opinions

Free software New Year's resolutions

As the New Year swiftly approaches, it’s time to write those resolutions. From exercising more, eating fewer snacks, or remembering to call your mother on her birthday, we all think of various ways we ...

by Jon Peck – 12/29/2006

opinions

The OS Agnostics

The annual choice awards are published in the December issues for many software magazines. A number of the winners were chosen because of their ability to use extensions or flexibility in configuring ...

by Chris Mostek – 12/28/2006

opinions

Happy Kwanzaa to FOSS!

Kwanzaa is an African inspired end of year observance of the Nguzo Saba (seven guiding principles) celebrated from December 26 – January 1. On each day ceremonies take place to emphasize characteristi ...

by Jabari Zakiya – 12/27/2006

opinions

Keeping your system tidy: creating simple packages

Installing software on a GNU/Linux system is often as simple asopening a package management interface, selecting with the mouse whichpackages you want installed, and letting the package management sys ...

by Wouter Verhelst – 12/26/2006

opinions

Santa Claus - the most successful open source project

It dawned on me the other day, as I was shopping for the dozens of gifts it seems I have to buy every December (this year, I bought myself a holiday accommodation in Denmark, WA!), that Santa Claus is ...

by Chris Holt – 12/26/2006