Sunday Reading

Some things I've been reading (or plan to read) that you might find interesting too. Like everyone else, I suffer from "information overload" and have to sift through the news and articles and allocate my reading time to the most compelling or useful ones. Here are my candidates from the last week or two:


Why Microsoft and Intel tried to kill the XO $100 laptop
“I had wildly underestimated,” says Negroponte, “the degree to which commercial entities will go to disrupt a humanitarian project.”

"...and when you threaten businesses, especially very large ones, they are going to react in ways that hurt you.” Ethan Beard

"On the academic side of the OLPC project, they were shocked by the ferocity with which Intel attempted to kill their product."

"Here was a mighty company trying to crush a philanthropic project."

"Apple still markets itself as the countercultural alternative to a Microsoft-powered machine. But the ultimate countercultural gesture is “Open Source” software."

"Computers are like drugs, literally."
I'll leave it to you to read the article to get the context of that, but regardless of whether you think the XO is the right educational tool for the third world, this is the best article I can remember on the OLPC project. Of course I hate the fact they are going to offer the XO with XP too...

Making desktop Linux work for business
"Fortunately, the future of Linux on the business desktop has never been brighter. Bolstered by contributions from some of the biggest names in IT, today's Linux offers a rich, highly functional user experience to compete with any proprietary OS."

No More Odes to Bill Gates, Please!
"Gates will score brownie points for giving away billions of his own money (plus Warren Buffet's). But this isn't a business feat, it's a philanthropic feat. Most philanthropic feats of the past were managed by old women who had outlived their husbands and had a fortune to disperse over teatime meetings while eating small, crust-free sandwiches. So what Bill accomplishes, however noble, is in a field of uncompetitive old biddies. It would be like noting his table-tennis prowess as he picks small children to serve against."

2008 Best of Open Source Software Awards

Anatomy of Linux loadable kernel modules
"Linux® loadable kernel modules, introduced in version 1.2 of the kernel, are one of the most important innovations in the Linux kernel. They provide a kernel that is both scalable and dynamic. Discover the ideas behind loadable modules, and learn how these independent objects dynamically become part of the Linux kernel.

Explaining Software Freedom to a Beginner

Learn 10 good UNIX usage habits

Linux free software tools to preserve your online privacy, anonymity and security