The software trap
Software companies have long ignored piracy most developing Asian countries, as a way of building market share. They are now starting to crack-down, and Adobe have apparently started on Sri Lanka. A friend of mine asked me what a business faced with a sudden increase in its costs (licences for some of this stuff are expensive), could do by way of switching to open source. This is my reply. (more…)
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Switching back from (K)Ubuntu
I used Ubuntu and Kubuntu for over an year, but I recently switched back. Ubuntu has its strengths, but its fans forget its weaknesses. Software installation with Synaptic is superb (the best on any OS), as is the range of packages available. However, other admin tools are lacking. (more…)
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Analyser for Google Webmaster Tools link info
I have written a simple program to provide a slightly more convenient summary of information in the CSV of incoming link information you can download from Google Webmaster Tools. (more…)
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Technology confuses everyone
A blog post by a leading IT security expert explains why the market for security products fails because buyers are unable to evaluate products. This is a more striking example than those I presented earlier because it concerns sophisticated professional buyers like banks and intelligence services. (more…)
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Why your IT department is incompetent
Complaints about IT are common. It is not difficult to find examples of gross incompetence. So why does it happen? (more…)
Open source: what investors need to know
I have blogged about open source before, but not specifically from an investors point of view. Because this is not a subject that most investors are familiar with, I am going to make this a basic introduction. (more…)
Ten effects of DRM
For those who do not know, DRM is the technology that prevents users from taking copies of various types of videos, audio and even written material in electronic form. It is an abbreviation of Digital Rights Management – and its your rights they are managing. (more…)
Wrong again, BBC
I have blogged about this before, but the BBC were good enough to give me a superb example to technology journalists getting things wrong. (more…)
Volunteers? No.
I have noticed that the media make serious factual mistakes when covering any topic about which I have any real knowledge. This applies even to supposedly quality media. I can only assume that what I read about topics/countries/issues that I have no particular knowledge is equally wrong. (more…)
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Apps designed for smart people
f you read the same blogs I do, you may recognise where I got the title of this post from. An email from Mike Vanier that was published on Paul Graham’s website describes the difference between computer languages designed for smart programmers and “the massesâ€.
It recently struck me that a similar divide applies to users as well as programmers, and that programs exist to cater to both smart users and the others. (more…)
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