THE RESUMPTION of "business as [almost] usual" can gradually be felt here. This morning at 9AM the Council sent out the gardeners to mow the grass (public/shared areas), but the 'reopening' of the so-called 'economy' is very limited. Today is the first day. The grass, when cut after like 2 months, is brown/yellow. Months of neglect or lack of care are now exposed, laid bear for all to see. The economy won't recover. Deep inside we all know it's mere promises as austerities deepen, people are encouraged to take jobs below their expectations and skills level, pay stagnates while expenses rapidly soar. This isn't a temporary downturn but the start of a new normal. Guess who gets the biggest bailouts... not hungry people who can barely make ends meet, let alone pay the rent.

"For Microsoft, Windows licensing won't benefit from people working remotely (i.e. at home). And they won't shell out $1000 for some fancy Microsoft "business" stuff. Judging by recent figures, many people who feel 'stranded' at home (and bored) explore alternative operating systems and maybe repurpose 'old' hardware (as 'old' as 5 years)."We don't write much about lock-down amid lock-down (almost recursion), even though almost every reader is affected by a lock-down. When we do mention the COVID-19 situation we tend to focus and write about its impact on technology (software freedom, privacy and so on). Our next bunch of Daily Links will contain 3 articles about Twitter letting workers stay at home and work from there permanently. Assume office shutdowns or further down-sizing. What that means to Free software isn't immediately clear; on the one hand, open offices are privacy-infringing by nature and by design (people see you over your shoulder, your browsing history centrally logged etc.) but when employees work 'remotely' (assuming staying at one's own home is "remote") there are some additional requirements imposed on them that can restrict their intimacy and the environmental/spatial freedom of those who surround them.

"There may never be another opportunity this big... for people to reconsider their choices."Apple relies heavily on sales of overpriced hardware; with stores closed and families on tight budget it's hardly surprising that Apple's sales for this past quarter collapsed. For Microsoft, Windows licensing won't benefit from people working remotely (i.e. at home). And they won't shell out $1000 for some fancy Microsoft "business" stuff. Judging by recent figures, many people who feel 'stranded' at home (and bored) explore alternative operating systems and maybe repurpose 'old' hardware (as 'old' as 5 years). GNU/Linux works just fine on that... it also cuts the cost. We need to be cordial and helpful to these people; those of us with spare time can help them migrate and encourage them to study some new skills. There may never be another opportunity this big... for people to reconsider their choices. Or... actually make choices. Few people actually choose (or ever chose) Windows. It... just... "came with my computer..." ⬆