Mindless reporting, Scare Tactics

It’s almost as if no one in the Media, or for that matter, any reporter, makes any connections with the facts. As an example:

Connecting these two articles,

Mac OS vulnerabilities increased 200 percent McAfee rains on Apple’s smug parade

and again

Cold water thrown on Apple TV claim

Leave it to McAfee to rain on those new television commercials Apple Computer is running about its virus-free computing.

and this article?
Vista to hit anti-spyware, firewall markets

New security features in Windows Vista will largely eliminate the need to run separate antispyware or firewall software, according to a new analyst report.

Spyware-killing Vista could take out rivals

The first two articles, while feeding on themselves, never makes the connection that McAfee, or for that matter any anti-virus company is facing elimination at the hands of the Microsoft Monopoly Monster. And that for them to survive they, like President Bush, must find a new enemy, and a new platform that needs their protection. It has very little to do with Apple needing virus protection. And everything to do with scare tactics as a marketing tool.

Palm and the mysterious nosedive

I am seeing all sorts of articles about Palm and handheld devices in general being in a nosedive. Handheld Sales Nosedive and Handheld sales continue to slide and it represents what is wrong in market research. Market Research!

The primary reason that Handheld sales, and most notably Palm, it this. While most companies are in the replacement/upgrade mode of operation, Microsoft/Intel mindset. Where every time a software release is, well, released. You must buy a new computer. Palm has had a serious problem with their systems, they don’t need replacement. At least not very often. And while they are not perfect, they have bugs, and issues, they do something that other machines don’t do. They are consistent, focused products. Once a bug becomes a known bug, there is a known work around by the owner. And once learned, it’s not a problem. They don’t break often, I still have my Palm Vx, the battery still holds a charge for weeks, it’s reliable and still syncs with my Mac. The only upgrade I ever had for the palm was from a V to the Vx and that’s only because I crushed the screen on the V. Mind you the crushed V still works, but the screen is a bit unusable. And that is the problem. Lots of people have Palms, almost no one needs an upgrade. So the appearance of a ‘slide’ is sales is more about saturation than about lack of interest. I still use mine, and I’ll bet many people still do. But an upgrade, not really. Though the Palm T/X has been tempting with it’s WiFi abilities.

So get over the ‘sales’ figures, if you need a Palm, go buy one. It’ll last for years, and you probability won’t need another. And forget about this UMPC thing, it won’t keep up with a Palm.

The Stockmarket as Reality

I always love this Microsoft delays launch of Vista and Apple Stock price drops. With this kind of reality, it doesn’t matter how good Mac’s are or how much better OS-X is (now and in the Future) than Vista. If Vista fails to ship, Apple loses.

It’s like if the sun does not rise, neither will the moon. What kind of people trade stocks anyway. Apple will be making a killing on the Vista delay, heck, with Vista out of the running for the fall Christmas season, there will be only one computer to buy for the back to school crowd?

Vindication

I have some vindication about my previous post about Windows.
NY Times and WSJ blast Palm’s Windows-powered Treo

Windows, and Microsoft have never deliver leading edge, or even Innovative Software. And when they copy other works, they never seem to have a quality worth buying. So why do they succeed? They Succeed because their ability to take their illegal monopoly profits, and ‘buy’ their way in to other markets.

Looking forward to a Treo 700P in the near future.

History upon a media floats.

Watching a documentary about underage British soldiers in WWI. They presented many cases of mail, not email but letters, from the soldier to parents and loved ones, and from parents to their children. And it struck me that much of the domestic history we view is wrapped up in letters. Paper letters, written most often longhand, and delivered by whatever postal method existed at the time.

One of the most important archeological artifacts of our time is called The Rosetta Stone. which is really only a set of decrees. Not some piece of literature in a library, but a plain bit of government ‘paperwork’ . It provided a vital key in cross translation that was missing in ancient Egyptian language.

Moving forward, to current times, I look at the way my wife and I treat our emails. I have always kept my in folders in my email system. My wife will always print any important email, then delete everything else in the inbox. She never keeps email electronically. Bill Gates mentioned that the Blu-Ray, HD DVD media will be the last physical media ever produced. And while I doubt this, it brings up an important issue. Who will document us as a people in the future, and with what? If all future media, literature, emails, communications will be stored in ephemeral media electronically or otherwise. What will tell of our stories in the future?

If the electronic history is anything, it is a story of change. Changing protocols formats, (ASCII, Unicode) different document formats, and storage media. If say, I had keep my resume on 8 inch Floppies, who in the future would be able to read my CV on a IBM-3740 format encoded in BCD and what “Rosetta Stone” would they be using?

When is the last time you watched a movie about a lost or misdirected email in a romantic setting. Letters, yes, email not a chance. What if Shakespeare, had written his works in WordStar version 1? Would anyone value a newly discovered e-manuscript? Or even be able to read it? Not a chance. Physical media, substance, printed materials, BOOKS, will survive. They are our future for history.

Massachusetts may have hit upon a weak link in this electronic history when it attempted to standardize on an open document for future government documents. These may prove to be the future Rosetta stone for the historians. A method to remember the meaning of all language translations, or not.
But for now, I think I’m going to stop saving my important documents in PDF. and start printing them on good low acid paper and black ink. (and who said computers would make a paperless office ;-))

F*** Bombs and Innovation

With all the F*** Bombs falling out of Microsoft is it any wonder that there is so much talk about the impending implosion of Microsoft?

With leadership of this caliber, what would you expect, Vision? Innovation? Vista? This kind of attitude is indicitive of the bully, striking out at what they themselves can not provide.

What next for poor Struggling Microsoft?

Windows replacement

My wife’s school has just been donated with 5 used PC’s. Not great ones, but much better than many of the existing ones in the school. Most are around 600 Mhz, 128MB and 15GB systems with monitors.

The rub is that they have no Operating systems. The company has suggested that she contact Microsoft for a deal on an OS. But between my wife the Principal of the school and her husband, Linux will be what we try. The problem is choosing which distribution to use.

I just tried installing Debian (Sarge) 3.1 on my Virtual-PC version 5 on my Mac to see how it works, it looks nice, but it took hours to install. I’ve been looking for a free Lycoris, Xandros even Linspire as they would be easier on the teachers if it looks like windows and is easy to install.

The installations for most of the other distro’s have been the breaking of them. When is someone going to make a simple installation for Ma and Paw, and Mabel the teacher.

I know, this is a hot topic in the Linux world, I hope for a fast solution.

Microsoft and the Lifeboat test

There is a lot of discussion about Microsoft and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) call it publishing of content on the web. When I started out life on the world wide web…. never mind stick to the point. Whenever MS embraces a new technology, always one that it did not invent, and usually arriving late to the party. They bring to mind a life boat test I remembered long ago. Even before the web (makes me sound older and wiser doesn’t it).

The test goes something like this;

You are stranded on an Island, not even a bad island. You are stuck there with one other person. The only problem is that in order for you to survive on this island, and maybe escape, you need this other person, and he/she needs you also. You are dependent on each other for your survival.

The good thing is, you get to choose who you want to be stranded with!

The choices you have are these two.

A) A bitter, but rational, enemy?
or
B) A good, but irrational and untrustworthy, friend?

It comes up like a rock and a hard spot question. My answer has always been questioned by people I know. And is usually a great conversation starter in these days of survivor TV.

Where would you place Microsoft (A or B) and which would you choose?

The Future of Technology

I recently watched the latest Star Wars movie and while the plot was well known to me, I was very happy that the threads in the movie did a fair job of connecting the movie to the original three episodes. I have observed that the technology displayed in the movies is also interesting in that it does two very interesting and different things. The first is something that should be in everyone’s requirements documents during any IT project, or for that matter any software or technology project.

First in the movies there is a common use of technology, very high tech, but not intrusive in that the technology is what used to be called ‘Appropriate Technology’. Often this has been used in third world countries to describe technology that fits the situation. As in use of solar electronic devices in an area where distributed power is not common, or skipping the ‘Industrial Age’ in favor of the Digital Age. In any case the technology is enough to help, but not enough to intrude. Making the technology a comfortable chair rather than a large lounger/vibrator/bar/desk object that takes up half a room. This could explain the iPod fad, it’s not intrusive, and does only what it was designed to do. The technology should just work for you, you shouldn’t have to work at the technology. This could apply to most things, Operating Systems, entertainment systems, IT information systems. Always available, doing just as needed, and not intrusive.

The other point gleaned from the movies is related but different and that is culture, the technology reflected the various cultural differences, but still provided similar benefits. The spaceships reflected the culture of the planet that operated them. In Ireland, and Europe in general, that is reflected today in automobiles. The cars here are smaller, shaped differently and in some cases are dead ugly functional. Even the heavy equipment here has identifiable differences to those in the U.S. Some of this is due to the environment in which they operate, smaller streets, more expensive fuel, ect. Even McDonalds has adapted their menus here. The one size fits all is not, and should not be a requirement of the technology. It should recognize that there are different cultural and environmental elements to accommodate in the development of technology. I cannot count the number of E-Commerce systems that attempt to sell in Ireland and require an area code or a street number. Here a house address could be a proper name, associated with a village or an estate name, no zip code and no street address. The mapping sites operating on the Internet are going to go crazy here, where the only real way to find some houses are GPS coordinates and the help of the local postman.

Anyway, the point is this, development of technology is as much an element of culture and lifestyle as any other object in use today, and should be incorporated into any requirements analysis for future development. The shape of a computer case, the color of a keyboard, the data entry screen, the controls on an MP3 player must all be taken into consideration. Apple more or less knew this with the creation of colored iMacs and iPods. And the PC industry has often copied this with no real understanding as to why one should do this. This is why! Discrete useful, culturally integrated technology is the goal.

Plumbing supplies, Apple, Linux and Windows

Living in another country has been a learning experience. Coming from the U.S. I had been spoiled with choices. My house in Seattle had different faucets in almost every bathroom and in the kitchen. The fixtures were even from different venders, some very good venders. The kitchen faucet broke once, it was from a vendor that had a lifetime warrant. And they honored it, after I called the support number, told them the problem and the part number. They sent me the replacement part, twice! The first kit they sent was for a newer version of the same faucet, not the older version I had. (Some of you know where this is going, I’ll bet.)

In Ireland I was struck by the ‘primitive’ nature of the plumbing fixtures. But when I was trying to fix a faucet in the bathroom recently, the primitive part was an easy fix, and every DIY (Do It Yourself) store in town had the part. And it fit, and was cheap. This was not a small part, bits and bobs of brass, washers and seals. Fairly complete piece, but the broken piece just screwed out and back in with the new. Even the old handle worked.

Now some of you who skipped ahead saw this coming. Linux, Apple, and Windows have been selling to the U.S. market. A market where everyone expects choice, and products all try to differentiate them selves to provide value. And this has lead to hundreds of different Desktops (GUI) in Linux Distros. The Linux advocates call this freedom to choose. but a vast majority of the population just want things to work. Like the plumbing, choice is good, when you have a support infrastructure and lifetime warrantees from the vendor. But if the plumbing is available at the corner hardware store and can be replaced by anyone, why can’t Linux’s parts do the same? Any Geek could I’m sure, but if we talk about Ma and Paw user, not a prayer.

Looking at Windows, it takes a different tack. It puts every part into the kit, to fit every possible plumbing issue. And that’s a lot of parts. Apple on the other hand, builds the parts and puts in only the parts it makes into the kit. Clean and simple. It’s no wonder that OS-X is so much more stable. No second hand, third party parts in the plumbing. But then you can’t get the plumbing parts from anyone but them. Heck, you can barely find the whole system for sale here in Cork, and they have a factory in town!

This is not a new concept, everyone knows the story of interchangeable parts. I always like the flintlock part. Instead of custom flintlocks with custom parts the parts were all the same. Not as pretty, maybe not as good, but faster to make and easier to fix when broken. And yes, even custom parts do break, even it they are better made. But replacing is not so simple. Interchangeable parts made weapon (read product) production easy.

Operating systems have become this way. Windows trying to fit everything, and locking the customer into their custom parts. Linux providing so may parts, it’s hard to choose, and then some of them don’t fit without rebuilding the house (kernel). And trying to use Windows parts in Linux (read drivers) don’t fit either.

Now everyone will state the obvious Standards (there is even a plumbing supplier called Standard, but do you have one?) but then that’s the nice thing about standards, there are so many to choose from.

The point I’ve been trying to reach is Linux will have to start standardizing it’s plumbing parts. These Distro ‘choices’ are going to have to be dropped to save Linux. The FUD about Linux fragmenting isn’t FUD, Linux IS fragmented! It will never be a desktop replacement until it becomes as common and familiar as DIY faucets. Microsoft will have to drop all the legacy plumbing parts in the Longhorn release (or fail). Apple will have to open DIY shops (and stores) everywhere. And I have to get this bit of a drip from the faucet stopped, and clean up the floor.

Apple’s Piracy Marketing

There is an article and an idea Mac OS X on Intel: Try before you buy?. That just tickles my fancy. This would be a great marketing idea, Piracy as a marketing tool. Apple releasing OS-X for Intel to the Pirate world without having to support it. But still alluding to it as the future of Mac’s.

Getting everyone a try at OS-X then requiring them to buy a Mac for future versions of the OS. It converts PC users, clobbers Longhorn, promotes the Mac on Intel idea sooner, and opens up a new platform to developers not currently signed up as Apple developers.

Lots of goodness here. I hope the leaked software gets a wide spread, maybe I can get it installed on my wife’s broken Sony.