Linux and open source, in general.

Got a note from Gael duval, founder of Mandrake-Mandriva concerning a new service.

"We are pleased to announce the release of a new and 100% Open Source Ulteo product: "Open Virtual Desktop"!
Aimed at being installed on a server on the local network, the Open
Virtual Desktop can deliver applications - Linux apps for now, Windows
apps early 2009 - to users who are connected to the same network,
assuming that they can use a compatible web browser such as Firefox or
Internet Explorer. As a result, it doesn't require any prior installation of a client software on the client desktops.
In some way, the "Open Virtual Desktop" ("OVD"), is the installable
and free version of our "Online Desktop" which runs for 12 months on
Internet, and has delivered more than 140,000 user sessions.
Additionally, our solution offers a comprehensive administration
console, and can be linked easily with an Active Directory or a LDAP
user directory. It can use CIFS fileservers (Windows or Samba), so
that users can immediatly access their documents from the applications
they are running on the OVD.

The Open Virtual Desktop is the result of several months of work for
our engineering team, and has been designed with the help of a desktop
virtualization expert.

Learn more and install the product from our website:
http://www.ulteo.com

Feel free to spread the good news!

Gaël Duval & all the Ulteo Team.

I am signed up with ulteo.com and must say it is so nice to use online software and leave it there, plus storing data on someone else's server.
Mr. Duval may be a bit ahead of the times with his site, but I think it has great potential.

After playing with photosynth for a few days, I have decided it is something I can do without. The worst thing I found about it is the fact that it uses Active-X, and I just can't bring myself to activate this app on a permanent basis. It has been a major security hole since it's inception, and I can't understand MS still wanting it include it in their line up. I would rather use a flash slideshow that is not browser specific. I'll wait until someone develops a similar app for Linux. I would think CompizFusion should have something like this, in their 3D line.

Yesterday I downloaded photosynth to check it out. Today I took 4 photos of a hot banana pepper plant, from 4 different angles, as they suggest you use at least 3 different angles. It would only show 2 of the photos, while the other 2 were shown as a regular slide show. I also discovered that I had to use IE to view the results, as Firefox 3 would keep looping back to the download page. Not quite sure if there is a plugin for FF to view this or not. You have to use Active-X, which I consider a security concern. Their demo was impressive, so I'm sure I might have not completed all the required steps, or did something wrong. This may appeal to photographers, but considering all the extra photos you have to take to make it work I would rather use a regular slide show program. I am going to continue playing with this for a few days and see what happens.

It looks like the way vista is constructed, and the way Microsoft chose to protect it will kill it. The following link has the full story.
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid14_gci1324395,00.html
"By taking advantage of the way that browsers, specifically Internet Explorer, handle active scripting and .NET objects, the pair have been able to load essentially whatever content they want into a location of their choice on a user's machine." This is not a new flaw, this is something that can only be fixed by a full re-construction of the OS. I wonder if this will cause a mass migration away from Microsoft products, because obviously they didn't consider this when building vista. IE has always been the most insecure browser on planet earth, and now with this new information it will need to be rebuilt from the ground up. So, anyone using vista, and IE, happily roaming around thinking they are safe, because they have been told this is the most secure version of windows ever had better be thinking where they go from here. Computer manufacturers forced to preload vista might be thinking it's time to start offering alternatives. Be interesting to see how Microsoft reacts to this news.

Are vista sales really going as well as Microsoft reports say? I was curious so did a bit of research and found some useful polls and articles that blow their figures out of the water. It appears they are trying to convince themselves that they made the right move, or else they think the consumer is to stupid to know the difference.
Several vendors initiated a Vista to Xp crossgrade. Basically, if a customer ordered a computer and it came with Vista installed, the customer could get an Xp license instead.Microsoft does not count the crossgrade as a sale for Xp. Rather, they count it as a sale for Vista. Now, combine that data with public statements from vendors that Xp is outselling Vista on an average of 3 to 1. Now go take a look at Microsoft's sales statements for Vista and for Xp, and you'll note a startling difference. Microsoft's finance numbers do not add up if one accepts the numbers Microsoft has floated for sales. Care to guess how the numbers appear to be adding up? If you are thinking that Vista is selling worse than Windows ME, you'd probably be close to what appears to be reality. Now, Microsoft reported back in July, of 2007, that 60 million copies of Vista had been sold. Now start subtracting the crossgrades to Xp that are not counted as sales. Microsoft needs to take a hard look at the market and the feedback they’ve received and be honest with themselves. After a ton of time developing Vista, I can imagine that the last thing Microsoft wants to do is publicly admit that it’s not the product it was supposed to be and their sales figures seem to back them up. It’s important to note, though, that new PCs that are shipped with Vista and then downgraded to Windows XP, are counted as Vista sales. Westminster College, last year, purchased around 90 computers with Windows Vista. Every single one was upgraded to XP. Now, I know that 90 computers is a miniscule fraction of PC sales, but they are far from the only organization with a similar policy that purchased computers with Vista.
Change, for change's sake, is never a good idea. And while you can understand Microsoft's desire to refresh the Windows UI (all those Mac OS X screen shots look so much prettier than XP), Vista's designers seem to have cut off their nose to spite their face. Regardless, the usability "improvements" in Vista are unlikely to make IT's list of compelling reasons to move away from XP anytime soon. After all is said and done, I believe the number of people, and businesses running vista are far below the number of licenses sold. I think it accounts for a lot of MAC's moving up the ladder and the Linux uptake has to account for a few cases. I personally know of several individuals, and companies that switched and most went back to XP, some gave Linux a shot. The reasons I heard most often was, “our software won't run correctly on vista.” With windows seven due in 2009, or 2010, it appears Microsoft is starting to get a little concerned about vista.
A lot of this information came from InfoWorld, Tech Republic, and various forums, and windows techies.