Tsikbal: from my perspective

With Microsoft open sourcing its ASP.NET framework, and the fact that a replacement for the Internet Explorer browser called  Spartan in the works to be shipped with Windows 10, radical change might be coming faster and deeper than anyone can imagine. I believe that Microsoft might continue to keep making more of its software open source, yet I don't think that it would open source all of it. Ideally, Microsoft should make the move completely to open source. The move would be greatly beneficial for Microsoft itself, the users of its products, and the open source community. The idea of having Windows becoming open source, is one that can really makes me happy and gives me some hope that it would make easier for open source software to reach more people. Having Windows as an example of open source, would make a lot to help people to trust open source software in a way they don't do at the moment. What's more, turning software from proprietary to open source se...

At work, tablets proved to be a popular gift. And though I find tablets can be useful, they are not for me. My needs are not meet by tablets at all, I prefer ultrabooks and smartphone combination. The main reason for this, is that I prefer the ultrabook when I'm not moving around. Since I tend to read, while I've several other thing running on the background like my audio player and IMs, or writing, the tablet doesn't really does a good job at that. When I'm on the move, I like to have something I can get on my pocket and get out of the way when I'm not responding to messages, checking for directions, taking a picture, or listening to music. As such, the tablet doesn't really fits my needs. When I write comments, and specially on my blog, I prefer the comfort that a physical keyboard gives me. Call me old fashioned, but I like the feedback I get from the keyboard with each stroke. And for the short messages on Whatsapp, Facebook, or Twitter, the sma...

It seems that no matter what, I keep coming back to the Unity user interface . After a couple of weeks of using the MATE user interface , I just had to move back to Unity. I really liked the experience I got with MATE, yet it lack something that Unity gives me. It's not something tangible, it's mostly my personal taste. I do recommend MATE as an option, yet personally I prefer running Unity. The major change I make to the stock setting, is using the Numix theme and circular icons. Personally, no other user interface quite fits what I want my desktop to work and feel quite as well as Unity does. My two other favorite user interfaces, MATE and Cinnamon simply don't work as well for me. In a way, this is way I like GNU/Linux. I like to have my choice of how my OS works, and how it looks. My personal choice is Ubuntu running Unity, though I also like and recommend Linux Mint running Cinnamon. I haven't used Mate on Linux Mint, yet I do like it and recommend it...

That Tallef Fog Heen had to quit as a Debian systemd maintainer do to bulling as he explains on his blog , reflects badly on all the open source community. There is an urgent need to change the way dissent is shown, since it is only given in a negative way which is not beneficial to anyone. Though dissent, and the debate that comes with it, make communities healthy, we can't allow it to descend into bulling when other don't agree with the other's side view point. Sometimes the project we support, makes the choices we agree with. While other times, it will make the choices we don't agree, or like, with. Keep in mind that with any change comes to a project, it must come with consensus of the majority. This means that not everyone needs to agree with the change, if the majority comes to the agreement to make the change proposed. By resorting to name calling, and bullying, those who don't agree with us, we are not creating the kind of environment really nee...

After hearing a lot of good things about the Mate desktop environment , and the fact that it became available for Ubuntu, I've decided to give it a spin. So far, I've liked much. I got remained of why I fell in love with GNU/Linux, and Ubuntu in particular, in the first place. I felt right at home from the start, and I didn't have much trouble getting up to speed with it. Ever since Ubuntu started using Unity desktop environment as default on the Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal release, Unity became my go to desktop environment. I've tried using Cinnamon desktop environment with Linux Mint a couple of times now, but never felt as comfortable with as I'm with Unity. Yet, Mate has felt a lot better than both Unity and Cinnamon have so far. The best part for me, is that I can run it on Ubuntu with ease. Which means that I don't have to leave my favorite distro to use Mate, while getting the desktop experience I feel most comfortable with. I know that...

One of the biggest misconceptions about open source software, is that one needs to be a skilled programmer, or even a hacker, in order to use it at all. Yet, even though having such skill do help trouble shoot some of the problems one can encounter while using any software, it's not mandatory since there are ways to get help from people who know how to fix the problems you might encounter. What's true, is that depending on the GNU/Linux distribution the needed technical skill change. Distros like Linux Mint and Ubuntu are really friendly to people who don't have that many computers skills to use it. Then you have distros like Arch Linux and Debian, where having a strong technical skill set is very important to have to use it to their full potential. It's not like your average user wouldn't be able to use it, but they will not have a good experience with them when they run into problems. Open source software can be used by everyone, independently of how ...

Robert Lindh's blog post over at opensource.com , make a good point arguing that open source software might need a re branding. There is no need to change the core principals of the movement, but how they are conveyed to people who are not familiar with them. One of the biggest obstacles that keep people from embracing free software is their perception, and it only gets worse when it comes to free and open-source software . At the core of free and open source software are the user rights, so that they truly own their both their computer and software. They can do with them as they please, but that doesn't mean that others can do it as well. It's also about people coming together to build communities around the software they use to make it better, by sharing the changes they made to it among themselves. Also, making it safer by looking for bugs and vulnerabilities in order to take them out. Free and open source is not about people working for free, or stealing ...