My laptop has to last for quite some time...

When I think about getting a new laptop, the first question that comes to mind is which design is one that I'll be happy to use for at least the next 2-3 years.

That is that minimum amount of time I expect any good laptop to last with the type of use I give to my laptops. As a matter of fact, I could use one up to 5 years before I need to change it because it can't be repaired or because the specs are not up to my everyday usage.

My current laptop has about 3 years, and I can safely say that could last about 1 more year. So, it's time for to start thinking about the replacement.

The only two factors that aren't subject to change are that it has to be able to run Ubuntu, and that the screen size shouldn't be less than 13". All other aspects are variable, and all depends on what offering are on the market that meet the prior two requirements while being something that I can see me using for at least 2 years.

I want it to last for at least that long because it's quite an investment, and because it's an extension of my personality. Not to mention that is where I keep some of my information, and the portal from which I keep in touch with friend and family. As such, I don't want to have to change my laptop often.

The longer it lasts on working order, the better. Points are added for looking good while doing so.

Finally on Ubuntu 12.10...

I've been using Ubuntu 12.10 for some time now, and I'm liking it much so far. I upgraded from the 12.04 version, and most of the things I use regularly have been improved.

The main thing that I've noticed so far, is that Unity has been improved a lot from what I was used to.

As it has been the norm for each time that I came to the latest version of Ubuntu, I've like it better than the one before. There has been some details with which I'd some problems, but overall Ubuntu has delivered on each release.

If work on Ubuntu keeps going as it has, I'll be a long term user of the OS. My next laptop replacement has to be Ubuntu compatible if I'll buy it, this requirement is not optional.

Now, I only need to change my smartphone to an Android powered one to have all my devices running on open source software.

Design and ease of use are companions...

Great design is not just about making software looking pretty, or about the ease of use. It's about both, since people judge both aspects at the same time. We like the software we use to look good, while it's easy to use and let's you do what you want without getting in your way.

Software needs to have both in order to be the best it possible can, if one is lacking it'll suffer as a whole. Being the best in one area is not enough to compensate for the lack of the other, no matter how well it's executed.

Yet, as with anything else that deals with people, there is no single implementation that'll be universally liked by all. There a few things that every implementation would have in common, but everything else will be different depending on the people using it.

That's why having different users interfaces on Linux is not a bad thing, since it let's people to choose the best one for their needs. If you don't like one, use another that better suit you. There is choice, and there are several great one out there for you to try out before settling for the one that better suits your needs.

Having options gives people power, since they can choose what they want to have and discard those things that they don't. Linux, and the open source community in general, give users just that. It's a user centric model, that allows users to choose what they want while having a say on the development of the software they use.

I prefer software built by a community, than software done behind closed doors without any feedback by a community of users. At the end users are the ones who are going to be working with the software, so our voice should be part of the process.

Invest on education and research...

When it comes to education, and research, I don't like when politicians say they'll increase or maintain the expenditure. Money given to those areas shouldn't be seen as an expense, it's an investment on our people and our future.

As with health care or security, education and research are areas that should have a big percentage of the budget assign to them. These areas are not just expenses, they are investments and the money assigned to them is going to pay back in the future when the recipients starts using their education, or when research bears fruits by advancing our quality of life.

Not investing on those areas don't just hurt the individuals who don't get access to them, the society as whole gets hurts because its members can't develop their full potential or have access to a better quality of life. Having quality education and research make society better as a whole, it doesn't just benefit a sector or the individuals who receive education, or do research.

So, let's change our mindset. Let's thing about education and research as the investments they are, so to promote that a bigger share of the budget is given to those areas. Both our communities, and ourselves as individuals, have a lot to gain from investing heavily on those areas.

They are investments on the future of all of us, and one of the best we can make.

Free thinkers...

It's impressive that many people out there don't have a clear background of many subjects not because they aren't smart or intelligent enough, but because their understanding of many basic concepts is lacking or there are several misunderstandings about what is happening.

To make matters worse, people are not willing to take a look on what's going and how things happen. Most are contempt with having a shallow view of what happens around them, and the consequences of events can have on theirs lives. They seem to be happy, or just be contempt, to accept whatever media or other outlets tell them is going to happen.

Consequences are not thought, so when they arrive the surprise that comes with them can be quite a shock. Some even feel offended because no one told them about them, even when just having thought their actions before hand could have prevented any harm.

Not only that, they don't stop to think what they should do. They just do as they are to do at all times, it doesn't seem to matter what they personally think or feel about anything. It seems that many have become a sort of automated machine that can be told what to do, and how to do it.

We need to educate people to think for themselves, and to seek information relevant to their needs before making any decision. Also, they should be able to take the responsibility for those decisions, to accept the consequences and to learn from them. In essence, there is a dire need for free thinkers.

If not, we could end up having a disparate society. Where the top members can manipulate rest of society, just because they don't question why they have to think or act a certain way.Any freedom will be traded to become sheep.

A diverse global village...

The Internet is not just a tool to reach out to the world, but also to attract the world's attention to any particular issue that needs to be taken into account. It can really become a great tool to bring attention to an issue, and to explain why it matters.

There are few tools with more power to bring attention to an issue than the Internet, since it's a platform that allows individuals or small groups the chance to directly contact people that could be of help. There is little need for intermediaries, making the exchange between the ones who need help, and those that could give it, more direct and faster.

With the Internet we have the most powerful tools to create awareness about the issues that truly matter to the communities, and the individuals. There are less middle men than ever before, making contact between interested parties a lot easier with less aggregated interests to them. The messages becomes more clear, and honest, to the message that the originator intended to give.

In many ways, the Internet has the power to make the world closer and to make people more conscious and proud of their roots. Something that seems to be contradictory, but doesn't have to be. Being proud of your community, while feeling connected to the world at large, is something that humanity should strive for.

Each of us belongs to a community, and to the human race at large. By humanizing the members of other communities, we create bridges between us that make humanity truly one. Yet, in order to bring humanity closer there is no need to destroy regional identities.

At the end, diversity is something that communities need to be healthy.

Connected at all times...

It's rather interesting how communication technology has been integrated to our daily lives in such an intricate way. Modern smartphones let us to share with others in many ways, it can be as private as phone call or as public as a Twitter entry.

We can even share photos and videos from our mobile devices from the spot we took them, it's as easy as just selecting the file we want to upload and push a button to do so. There is a few things we can't share yet, not to mention that the smartphone is at all times with us.

Information overload is an ever present possibility, and it's ever more important to be able to filter noise from useful and relevant information. So, there is a need to learn how to effectively filter all the information we get in order not to be overwhelmed, or not be able to differentiate good from bad information.

The hard part is to be able to know which information is relevant to us, so that we can actually do something, and not if the information is available. Now the people who knows how to get that information, and can put it to work more effectively, are the ones who have the edge.

More than ever, we need to give people the tools to effectively balance the capacity to find the right information and the ability to put it to use.

How to do things, almost anything we can imagine, is at hand. I'm hopeful that most will be able to make use of the information we have today, and take humanity to even higher levels.

For a better scientific and technological education...

One of the main areas where education is lagging behind, is on science and technology. Since many people don't really understand the basic scientific concepts, it becomes harder to try to explain concepts that are more complex or how technology works.

This lack of understanding is what generates a lot of the lack of trust in science in general, and why many can't really explain how the technology they use works. In many ways, since many don't really know what to expect from them, the results are never they want them to be.

There is also the fact, that because of this we are losing a lot of brilliant scientist and engineers. Since many children, and teenagers, don't have the motivation to take on studies related to these areas they move on to others that seem to be a lot more interesting.

As a society that depends so much on science and technology, we need to have a higher level of interest and understanding of science to be able to explain the basic concepts. Also how technology comes from science, specially the advanced technology.

Not only that, everyone should be able to join scientific debates or participate on development of technology. Only this way, trust on science and technology can be common place and people would be comfortable around them.

It's important that people don't feel alienated from science and technology, as they are now an integral part of our lives and will continue to be in the future.

Science and technology should be an integral part of education, as the arts and other areas of human knowledge and experience.

Ubuntu's path...

When it comes to the path taken by Canonical selected for Ubuntu, as an user and fan of the OS, I agree and like with it. Yes, there are somethings that I don't like and others than I just love about Ubuntu.

The one thing that I like the most about Ubuntu, is the Unity shell. Personally, I like the way it works and it actually doesn't get in my way. Not only that, most of the bugs and lack of customization have been solved to my satisfaction on the

Precise Pangolin(12.04) version. And for the looks of it, Unity will become even more refined on the upcoming Quantal Quetzal(12.10) version.

In the 2 years I've been using Ubuntu, I've had no major problems. The only crash I had was while testing a beta version, which is not really that much of the issue. Not only that, all the software I need can be used on Ubuntu without much trouble.

I'm not saying that Ubuntu is perfect, it's not the best option for everybody and it may not fit all tasted. I find that I miss being able to easily video chat on MSN, but since I mostly use Skype for it doesn't really matter. I also disliked that for a

Rhythmbox was not included as default for a couple of version, but it was just a matter of downloading it from Ubuntu's software center and install it.

For the looks of it, Canonical is setting Ubuntu to be a great option for beginners and users like me that want to use a Linux distro but don't want to dig on the technical side of it. Not only that, it's a stable and robust OS that has great design.

I plan to stick with Ubuntu on the long haul, since it gives me the best option for my particular computing needs, while being a distro that I'm proud to recommend to new and advance users that want something that works.

Open science and technology...

In order for science and technology become a driving force that improves our lives, we need to start making them more open and facilitate people ability to get more knowledge about what it's been work on in those areas.

Not only that, communities should be allowed to grow around then to work directly on those projects. That work should be allowed to be within the any set of rules made by the initial group that started the project, or independently by other communities.

There should be some level of interaction, and compatibilities, among what worked by the different communities. Yet at what level of interaction should be left to the members of each community to decide. There should be some ground rules on how the can use, and what levels of compatibilities, should be allowed. But, those restrictions shouldn't interfere with the ability to work with the core technology being work with.

Independent efforts, more often than not, are not as effective as efforts made in conjunction with a community working on different aspects of the same problem. That effect can be multiplied if there are several communities working on it from different angles. It allows some communities to hone to a particular aspect that it's more relevant for them, while other work on other areas.

All the while, people would trust science and technology a lot more if they can see what's going on and are given the opportunity to see what's going on. Support could be more easily harnessed, in a variety of ways, if more people can do so by letting them to easily participate in any way they can.

At the end, we can't be interested or support that we don't understand. So, let's open science and technology to all.

Working on a common goal...

One of the attributes that I like about open source, is that it gives anyone the chance to take a piece of software to work with it. By allowing this, it opens up the chance for people to create versions of the software that wouldn't exist otherwise, because the original developer doesn't have the resources or any other reason.

It also benefits users by allowing to make custom versions of the software they, since it maybe that the software doesn't work as well for them as it comes of the shell. Adding or subtracting capabilities could be as easy as adding modules, since in some cases there is no need to change the source code,or the source code could be modified to better comply to what it's needed by the end user. All this could be made in house, or by third parties if there is no way to do it any other way.

Those changes then could be shared back to the main version of the software, or shared with others with the same needs than the one who made those changes. By doing so, more users benefit from those changes, allowing them to have functionality than they couldn't before, and to perfect or add to it if they see a way to improve on it.

It gives users to make the software they work with, and even love, better and to share the improvements with others. Also, if some users don't agree with how the software is managed or where it's been taken, they can take the source code and fork it to take the software on the road they believe it should go.

In many ways, it stops being a black and white view on how software should work. Open source gives users the freedom to take whatever software better suits what they need or want, and work with it as they choose to do so. It allows to exchange ideas among a wider community, speeding the development while making it easier for more voices to be listened and to contribute to the project.

Open sources give a chance to a lot of people to be heard, people that otherwise wouldn't be able to make their voices heard because there isn't a way for them to speak up.What it seems to be a landscape of disparate and dislocated projects, is in reality a thriving collection of communities working on projects that can actually make a difference.

Supporting, and using, open source software is one of the best ways to make our world a better place.