Bring4th

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There's always news sources claiming how linux is going to be the OS of the next year. This seems to be slightly exaggerated. I believe the last 4 years they've been predicting that practically everyone is going to use it the next year.

Now, while we are leaving januari 2009 a few news articles have come into view speculating how the economic crisis would actually force large companies to use cheaper solutions and thus allowing smaller players to a bigger piece of the cake and creating a lot of progress in the mid sector on the way.

Even the US government under Obama is considering open source as a way to save a lot of tax money. Now as you may know this open source software lives on the principle that when people produce programs designed to scratch their own itch and yet others add their input to scratch yet another set of itches then the end result is going to scratch a lot of itches in other words do a lot of things a user could wish it to do.

Microsoft on the other hand is reporting some problems with the first lay offs ever and some depressing set backs with vista. This together with the expectation that this tide is not going to turn just yet would indicate that linux is going to play a bigger role in the nearby future. It sounds good, but is it true this time?

A typical linux distribution was recently estimated to cost about 12 billion dollars if you had to build it from scratch. And every penny of this is donated by people who volunteer their time and effort to make something tangible in the vacuum of cyberspace..

Is this a model that we're going to see more of? Not just in the open software movement? But is it possible to get most of the people on the planet to participate in open projects that serve the long term benefit of mankind and the small term benefit of being part of a community with a bigger purpose?

A planet full of people who stand side by side Heart
(02-02-2009, 06:00 PM)Ali Quadir Wrote: [ -> ]Is this a model that we're going to see more of? Not just in the open software movement? But is it possible to get most of the people on the planet to participate in open projects that serve the long term benefit of mankind and the small term benefit of being part of a community with a bigger purpose?

A planet full of people who stand side by side Heart

Yes, I think it is. Just look at this website -- I believe it's put together entirely out of open-source packages, combined with love and devotion by Bring4th_Steve on an entirely voluntary basis. (Steve, correct me if I'm wrong about any of that.)

As a linux user, I'm always surprised that more people don't use it. It's free! And good! And software updates are free! On everything I use!

But I have to admit that even though I use open source software every day I have not released the web applications I've written. Mostly I think that may be out of shyness -- I'm not quite ready to let anybody else see my underwear. Partly it's out of a sense that managing an open-source project well takes a lot of time, and I have other, compelling demands on my time at the moment. And partly it's out of a desire to retain some degree of (possibly illusory) autonomy. It's like open source is a river rushing by and I'm using it to power my water wheel, but I haven't decided to swim in it yet.
I feel the same way. Smile I'm confident about my code having done this a number of years professionally already. But no "kick ass" app has fallen into my mind yet.

I am working on a game to sharpen my skills and satisfy my drive to solve puzzles on. It will certainly be available free of charge and hopefully open source. I am just not sure if it's going to be done before "the world comes to an end"... Tongue

What do you use for the webapps? I have some "practical tapestry" questions. Smile

I believe too that this website is fully put together with open software. There is no closed source equivalent that could deliver this same quality sites at an affordable price that I know of. I'm thinking about using another open source package, a webshop (zen-cart). My mother has this web site where she sells her home made creative impulses. (Embroidery and quilting) I built the current site from scratch but she really needs web shop software to bring it from "Nice" to "Wow, professional!" At the very least in your webshop you need a "Put in cart" option, right?

I haven't told her she needs it yet. I'm hoping to surprise her. Her birthday is in two months. Angel
win7 is pretty awesome. Being using it now for 2 years. Does the job.

I played around with various linux distros back in the day.

the internet runs on open source, but pcs are still microsoft and macs.
Hi Linux fans.
Wow ! That ARE late answers !! B-)

I use Linux 99% of my time.
The only time I use XP is for my flying activities:
1 = Use Flight Simulator.
2 = Preparing the flight plans of real flights in a rented Cessna 172.
So, I am in XP to stay "compatible" with my brother and
sharing planification documents with him, some in LOTUS 123.
3 = Use TRACON, an "Air Traffic Controler" program.
4 = Other rare stuff I forget. . . B-)

I had the Slackware Linux, and now, the Linux I have is:
Ubuntu 11.04 the Natty Narwhal.
Architectures: i386

I LoOoOove my Linux, because you have many multi-platfrom apps
like: Firefox, Thunderbird, GoogleEarth, acrobat, and ALL the needed
apps to seeand edit Win stuff. . .
I can export and import the "bookmarks" and "address books"
between my "Win Firefox and Thunderbird" and my
"Linux Firefox and Thunderbird" !! Quite usefull!! B-)

We are right to feel or say that Linux is a "STO crowd" ! B-)

Blue skies.