Left over stuff from the weekend:
The Neuros OSD, which claims to be the first Open Source Linux Embedded Media Center for US$ 229.00 or something. It’s the buzz around now since it’s Linux-based and (evidently) a growing community of hackers developing software for it: from FTP servers to XMMS2 streaming servers.
The other thing I noticed was the Debian Windows boot loader/Installer: it’s brilliant, although I have my doubts about it. When I have time, I’ll do a test run.
Windows Vista officially goes on sale today, but as you guessed it, don’t expect line-ups. What is really new to it? Even the beta-testers (the Windows fans as other would call them) don’t have me convinced. Better user-experience and productivity? They promised that since Windows 95, if you remember. And if Vista does break-even, what else can we expect in the future?1, 2, 3, 4 I bet that there are hundreds of discussions going on about that within Microsoft. Listen: if I’m not allowed to make a legitimate copy of a file and listen it elsewhere on my own property and on my own hardware, count me out of your ‘Digital Revolution’.
1 Michael Geist about Vista’s DRM and fine print.
2 Security researcher breaks Microsoft’s DRM.
3 Microsoft patents idea taken from professor
4 Microsoft withdrawing patent-application.