Power to the Penguin

About 3 years ago, I went cold turkey from Windows, and installed Ubuntu Linux. Almost 2 years ago, my parents bought their first computer. It was a nice Toshiba laptop, ran Windows XP, and would suit their needs for some time to come. The last computer they were familiar with was an Apple IIgs, so computers had come on a bit since then.
The first 6 months of PC ownership were punctuated by frequent calls to me for support for various issues, usually related to popups, viruses, spyware, etc. Bear in mind this was while running the same protection that our (then XP) laptop was running with no issues. After 6 months of emergency service, I decided it was time for mom and dad to meet the penguin.
The results were drastic - so much so that after the first week I called them, worried they weren't using the computer anymore, since I had no calls about it. "Oh, no, it's working fine. We were just looking at some pictures your Uncle Ken sent us, and scanning some to send back...." And, that's how it's been ever since.
After this experience, I'm often asked if Linux is ready for the mainstream. I always say it depends. For people like my parents, for whom the computer is a simple tool to perform 5 or 6 simple tasks, it can be a great OS. At the other end of the spectrum, for those who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty working under the hood, it can be a liberating experience. For the other 90% of the market, it's still not a good choice for 2 major reasons:

1.) "It's not like that in Windows/on my Mac"
This is true. Whether you use the KDE interface or Gnome, it's not the same. New converts from good ol' winders often cannot fathom that there is no "C drive." Just can't take it. Mac users take this a bit easier, which makes since since both have Unix/BSD ancestry.

2.) "I can't run Photoshop/WoW/my office's proprietary software/etc"
This is half true - most windows software CAN be tweaked to run either under Wine or, for a fee, Cedaga or Crossover Office. But not all software can, and frankly, sometimes it's not worth the effort. If you MUST MUST MUST use a specific program that does not offer a Linux version, Windows or Mac may be a better choice. However there are programs for Linux tghat nearly mimic the functions of most popular Windows programs.

Anyway, that's my experience with Linux - it works for me, but your mileage may vary.

Librarians are Filthy Pirates

Ah, technology. Someone once said anything that exists before you are born is a natural part of the world. Anything developed before you are 30 is exciting and new, and anything produced afterward is unnatural and against the very nature of things. Now that I have my three full decades, I see that they were on to something these. You see, I really WANT to like the Amazon kindle. It's e-paper display calls out to me, its storage capacity, and the ability to easily convert Project Gutenburg texts for $0.10 a work is intriguing. I like the wireless delivery service. Aside from the (currently) astronomical price, the thing that keeps me from getting one is the idea of what it means for literature. In making a book a digital file, it makes it too easy for publishers to apply the "License Doctrine" that has rules the world of the MP3. By this rule, libraries would need to seek special arrangements with the publishing company, and secondhand bookshops dissapear from the Earth. No longer can an old professor leave his collection of the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, dogears, marginalia, and all, to a favored grandchild. No longer can the works of Wil Cuppy be found - if it's out of print, it's out of existence - reminiscent of Phillip Dick's librarians in Counter-Clock world. All of things things make me want to throw a bit of oil on the tracks of progress. I like my collection of books. I like finding a First Edition of Neil Gaiman's Stardust at a local secondhand shop. I like the idea that my collection of books may someday be a family heirloom. I like that if I want to loan a book to a friend, the police don't come bursting though the skylights. Likewise if I want to buy a new book, I do not have to give my name, address, and purchasing habits to the person behind the counter. In fact, were it not for second hand books, I would likely have never become a reader at all. Fortunately, I was supplied with so many books from older cousins and yard sales in my youth, that I was reading 3rd/4th grade materials before kindergarten. So how you you feel? Do you own a kindle? What's on it? Do you think it will replace printed material? Do You Like Green Eggs and Ham? Would you have been able to get that reference had your parents not bought the book at a garage sale?

Obligatory First Post

One thing I've found, in looking at probably 30-40 of these things is that everyone starts off with a nice shiny new post. It usually includes words like "cyberspace," "test," and "Hello World!" So, there you are. I also found that apparently blogging is like a new diet. Sure, some people make it a part of their life, and some even accomplish such great things they become rich and famous as people pay great sums of money to view the results fo their hard work (I'm lookin at you, Jared). However, most people post once or twice, forget their password, and go off to lead completely blog free lives. So there you have it. Already, you are in suspense. What kind of blog will this be? Will I be the next Wil Wheaton? Or will I be like the guy that took "The Drones Club?" Only time will tell. Which, if you've been following the goings on at CERN, may be as simple as looking back on our 4-D universe from a moving point int he 5th dimension. Or not. Scientists rarely agree on such things. I'm going to try leaving commenting open, If this descends into a collection of dirty limericks or worse, well, I'll remove them, no one will be able to comment, and I'll still have all kinds of witty rhymes about people from places like Nantucket. So really, I win.

Oh, and I meant the bit about the humorous pub sign. I just need to draw it up. I mean, if you know my (very low) sort of humor, you can likely figure it out. It will involve a garderobe, a dead canary, and a very embarrassed monarch.

Some upcoming ideas:

The Amazon Kindle
My Parents on Linux, 1 year later
Whither the Wii?

Anyway, that's enough unjustified self importance for one night. Seacrest out.