In my opinion, Linux is much more secure than any Windows system. But with the technical sophistication of hacks increasing and taking into account the technical skill level of the average computer user, you really have no certainty that any system has not been compromised.
2008 is shaping up to be the year that GNU/Linux hit the Windows desktop. Already the year has seen the first working version of the KDE Windows project, Wubi, which installs Ubuntu to an existing Windows filesystem, and LiveUSB Creator, a wizard for installing the Fedora distribution to a flashdrive from within Windows.
KDE 4.1, which is supposed to become the KDE4 version usable by 'normal' people, is coming at the end of July. When Ars reviewed the beta release, they were positive in that it was moving forward at an "extraordinary pace".
Downloading OpenOffice in a handful of minutes instead of half an hour and saturating your 5Mbit ADSL link? Great. Doing so without having to spend a dime. Priceless!.
If what we're hearing in the trade sites is correct, the brand new ultra-mobile Eee PC 901 will be released in the next few days. However, the price point is supposed to be close to the $650 mark, which is a far cry from the sub-$400 sweet spot of the 701. Still, I'm eying that one carefully for my road kit, given how well my own 701 has performed.
John Nash, network manager and head of ICT for SIA, said: "This academic year, rather than using proprietary software, what we've done is be slightly different and use things like the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) instead of Photoshop, Scribus for desktop publishing and InkScape, which is a full, scalable vector graphics program."
The peer-to-peer production of open-source information is increasingly becoming mainstream. Even traditional knowledge companies are integrating Web 2.0 tools like wikis, podcasts and blogs into their business and media strategies.
Many sites will go offline and many social control networks will shut down once they realise or even openly admit they spend money and time gardening a bunch of bots and slop
it would rightly seem like the era of centralised "social" sites (they're not social, they're about controlling the users) is ending, not overnight but gradually
The next few years will be interesting because if Microsoft lays off tens of thousands of workers each year, there won't be much left except mountains of debt and dying brands
