What is Digg?96 Comments
- mournsanity, on 10/10/2007, -2/+56As more and more countries begin to adopt Linux for their schools and government, the quantity and quality of new FOSS applications will increase. The future looks bright for free software.
- oobuntu, on 10/10/2007, -6/+39Why can't the UK have these initiatives? Soon the UK will be the dumb kid in the class when other countries' children grow up using decent alternatives to Microsoft.
- qwuinc, on 10/10/2007, -2/+33"(...) it initially ties a young user to the platform and products of one company, although very popular and convenient in operation".
I think most of us in this section agree that windows may "kinda work" but the reason we use it despite alternatives is because we are tied to that ***** (yay vendor lock-in). I hope the russians can pull this off :-) - schestowitz, on 10/10/2007, -6/+32OMG! So they finalised this after the experiment in one school? This is HUGE! I thought it was going to take longer to finalise.
A lot of this began with the Russian BSA equivalent sentenced a teacher to go to jail (pirated Windows). - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+25You haven't seen the US have you?
- aiten, on 10/10/2007, -0/+197of7, the biggest windows fanboy/ubertroll on digg that I know.
If anybody would like to do a validity-check on this statement - check his previous comment history, haha. - djGentoo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+17Point? We're lagging everywhere because of our monopolies and corruption. This isn't news.
- o0joshua0o, on 10/10/2007, -1/+16But they WILL see it again, if it becomes the OS of choice for a whole generation of Russians
- Flamekebab, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14Using Windows again is painful for me..
- Tsiolkovsky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14Should be no problem. We are using Mandriva Linux at home and have 2 language supports installed and it is easy to switch to any of it per application or per user.
- azprofessional, on 10/10/2007, -3/+16fail
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -2/+15I don't think you quite understand the difference between open and proprietary software here. If "Linux" had 96% market share then there would be more different software than there is now. And Apple could release their own version, if they wanted. And Microsoft could, too.
- reedatschool, on 10/10/2007, -1/+14We are heading into the next big computer revolution. Choice is integral for the success of the the human race and Linux, with it thousands of varieties, offers all the choices you could ever want plus some. I applaud every government who takes the steps to put the power back in the hands of the people where it belongs. A world dominated by Windows is slowly slipping away and that is in every respect a good thing. Windows will always be around to serve those people who just love "brand" names, but for the rest of the world, that just want their computers to work and to actually own their software, the choice is clear.
- oobuntu, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Microsoft deliberately hamper competition, and despise open standards. A greater ground swell of people who (1) learn computing principles other than "microsoft's way", and (2) kick against the microsoft closed formats by using and demanding support for open standards is a good thing.
Additionally. Computing becomes cheaper for families who then don't require paying for an OS, antivirus, firewall solution and office software.
I could write pages about why FOSS is a better solution , especially by starting with schools and universities - tito13kfm, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12As cute and funny as this anecdote is, it isn't true. The Fisher AG-7 Space Pen was developed by Paul Fisher and purchased for use by NASA. It is not known how much NASA spent on these pens, but you can buy one for about $50 from the manufacturer, here http://www.spacepen.com/usa/catalog/1001/cat%5F1001.htm
Oh yeah, and if they hadn't had the Space pen, Armstrong and Aldrin might have been stranded on the moon.
More info http://www.thewritersedge.com/story.main.cfm - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -13/+24When NASA started sending astronauts in to space, they discovered that ballpoint pens did not work in 0 gravity. To address this problem NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 Million developing a pen that wrote in zero G, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface (including glass) and, in temperatures from below freezing to over 300C.
The Russians used a pencil.
KISS!!! - blackjack75, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12I told you one day an evil Finnish guy would conquer Russia. But no one would believe me.
- OBKenobi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+107of7 = Steve Ballmer.
- o0joshua0o, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10Sorry for the stupid question, but is this version of Linux fully compatible with English-language versions of popular Linux programs like open office? In other words, I wouldn't run into any kind of weird regional compatability problems, would I?
- timjim31, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11Like it's hard to make the transisition from linux to windows
- OBKenobi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9Once the Russians or Chinese get some idea in their heads, they are unstoppable. If they fully back Linux, you can say goodbye to Microsoft. India is also going along with this, so all combined that is an incredibly huge new influx of R&D about to come into the Linux community. Things are looking very good.
- Nossie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9the reality of it is....
software written for Unix
can be easily ported to Linux, Solaris, xBSD, Mac OSX etc etc
Windows software can easily be ported to windows.
software written for OpenGL
can be easily ported to Linux, Solaris, xBSD, Mac OSX etc etc
Software written for DirectX can be easily ported to Windows and Xbox 360...
take away the monopoly and it appears building for anything other than windows and Apples 'core' technology makes more sense. - baalzebub, on 10/10/2007, -0/+97of7 if you have msft stock you better sell...
- Spuy767, on 10/10/2007, -5/+12First, it would be, "Linux installs you." Second, go kill yourself.
- MxM111, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Are you talking about Linux or Windows users ;)
- vvaduva, on 10/10/2007, -5/+11And you sir are a total jackass: http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp
- tian2992, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6How? the good thing on Linux is that is FREE (not in money but in freedom) and that by itself is better than MS.
And yes it would be a diference, even if only the 5% are geekie enough to mod it, they not only have a clear field, but they are encouraged to do it!! - neko, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7He's the one troll I don't have on my block list, just because he's so hilarious when he says this stuff with a straight face.
- Nossie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6"But in case of Linux no so, because not everyone is a programmer."
I dont know.... my grandmother uses ubuntu just fine and I dont believe she knows how to code. - daftman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I think you are a bot. Nobody can be as dumb and as predictable as that. Who's your daddy bot?
- MeneerR, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Yes, this is one of the few things that suprised me about Windows. That you actually buy windows in a certain language. All the strings are hard-coded into the software.
On linux, 99% are language packs. Notice the help -> translate this application entry on every desktop app's menu? (at least on Ubuntu)
It takes you to Launchpad where you can add, improve or suggest changes to the translation of the application. - bmartin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5The US is still using the English System, long after it was abandoned in favor of the Metric System. And we're using more oil than ever. And we're paying more money to incarcerate drug dealers than to educate our children in some states (e.g. California, New York).
The UK has a long, long way to fall before it hits the level of stupid the US operates at. - Stirk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5If Linux supporters forced you into using linux, then that may be a little ironic. But they don't, so your statement is invalid
- OBKenobi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Awaiting... KGB Office.
The word processing app would be called Manifesto. The spreadsheet would be called Just Another Statistic. The collaboration app would be called Apparatchik.
Instead of Clippy, you would have Ivan the gulag warden: "Work faster scum! No, you cannot shut off the computer!" - cynicist, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Whats wrong with the quality of FOSS applications right now?
- MeneerR, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4What force? The ministry of education has a budget, they need to choose _some_ IT system for its education.
What will the children learn? What is cheaper, better supported by the local economy ? Exactly.
Nobody is forcing them. The children never got to choose. It was windows, now its linux. - CircleFusion, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4It's a VERY inaccurate story which has a misguided moral.
US astronauts did use pencils for years and the space pen is a much better design than a pencil by far.
K.I.S.S. in this case did not prevail. That is the true moral of this story. - baalzebub, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4most all Linux users aren't even interested in causing mischief to other people's computers, they usually are the ones wanting to solve problems not be the cause of them...
- daftman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4May be not, but Windows isn't extensible with Language. There's no such thing as Language packs that you can add on to change the entire GUI like Linux.
May be Microsoft thought that if you want a different language for Windows, you would have to buy an entire new build of Windows instead of adding on a language pack. - rouslan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Many Russians are hackers-I know someone who was talking with University students about computers, and they were mentioning how they rip people off eBay and PayPal. I've once read an article of how a person bought an old p2 200Mhz computer for the first time in his life, and it included a DVD. In it contained a pirated version of XP Professional (yes, it runs on p2's believe it or not), cracked software, and hacking tools/tutorials-these disks can be found being sold anywhere in Russia-even in villages!. He learned how to hack computers by reading the tutorials and running the programs on the disk before he figured out how to shutdown the computer.
- williamdyer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3What about freedom as in "no NSAKEY?" That's freedom, too.
- mcrules, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Could part of the reason be because a head teacher in Russia was charged with pirating Windows even though thats how the PC's came?
- Rileyper, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5I second that fail
- MeneerR, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Yeah, totally unlike how America government behaves. They don't mind being dependent on some oil producing country in the middle east.
Dude, newsflash: ECONOMY == WAR
It's the same thing, just played as a zero-sum game instead of a zero game. It's still competition. That's actually what's good about it. It makes sense for any country, including the US, to be independent. Just in case.
So, Russia is smart to do this. India is smart to do this. America is smart to care about its energy supply.
China is smart to 'not-do' patents. (they don't have any and they'll never catch up)
Europe is smart to make vendor-locking a big deal (and might go the path of russia/india in time)
Your analysis is correct, but since when was economy ever different? Seriously? For weapons, energy and infrastructure, you need to be self-sufficient. Software is a crucial infrastructe element nowadays.
BTW. Even the US defense department runs on linux. That too is politcs: they get the source-code. Pretty crucial for your missle launching thingies. You woudn't want some somebody being able to infilitrate into microsoft and built in some back-door. This way they have the code.
They actually contribute patches back too. How's that for a communist os? Guess those dumb generalisations are just not true. - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3And what's your point? Apple also does try to lock you in their OS.
- OBKenobi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Who doesn't speak English these days? Don't worry, whether they speak English or Russian, they're not going to let Anglo-American fascist corporations take over their countries.
- OrangeTide, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3It is impressive to see Russians and Europeans adopting Linux when the commands, source code and internals are clearly written in English. Old World communities tend to be rather proud and arrogant of their language and it used to be they would reject things not in their mother tongue. I guess with computers you cannot avoid the huge influence the US, Canada and UK have had on the entire industry from their military, universities and later their huge dominating corporations.
- OrangeTide, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Russia has a fair tax system, unlike the US's socialist tax system.
- BossKey, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Yes, there have, actually. When done properly, they can be hilarious, like any joke involving irony.
The problem is that there are so many stupid ones.
A good one must actually be funny when you switch the subject and object. You can't just do it blindly and expect a laugh (I'm talkin' to YOU, duggtodeath!), that's moronic. -
Show 51 - 97 of 97 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is