Opinions Section Index

One of the arguments in Massachusetts against OpenDocument centered on the needs of the visually impaired. In this guest column, a visually impaired PC user explains that not only is using an exclusively Windows solution a crash-prone option, it is also far more expensive than equivalent technologies in OS X and, eventually, Linux. Scott Seder makes the case for more open source development in the Assistive Technology arena.

"IT service companies have been telling small businesses 'trust us' for a long time. With nowhere else to turn, our customers trusted us to deliver reliable and economical IT solutions. Was their trust misplaced? Happy with the status quo, failing to investigate or innovate alternatives, have we simply been feeding off our customers?"

Maria Winslow gives her take on the power of commercial distros: "The conventional wisdom asserts (and I have argued as well) that only a commercial Linux distribution can provide the 'whole product' to customers, and make the shift to widespread mainstream adoption. But now I'm not so sure..."

64-bit platforms are here. The operating system of choice, Linux, is here. So what does it take to get more widespread adoption of the next generation of processing power? Rob Reilly has a few words of advice for those hardware vendors.

Linux is the bazaar within which many participate. But what happens when one merchant of the bazaar does so well that they overshadow every other member of the market? The bazaar does not go away, but according to Progeny Chief Strategist and Debian founder Ian Murdock, there is a real danger that the strongest Linux company can limit access to what is really open-source and free about Linux.

The end of the Linux as a geek-oriented operating system has officially arrived. This change has been coming for quite a while and it was confirmed last week during the LinuxWorld Expo in Manhattan. Is it a joyous occasion or a requiem for the beanbag chairs? LinuxPlanet Editor Brian Proffitt reports on the change from within.

Meeting and greeting members of the corporate community has given LinuxPlanet editor Brian Proffitt a new perspective on what's needed in the enterprise. More applications? Better support? Stronger education? Maybe so. Or maybe Linux just needs a clearer message.

Recent developments have given Linux supporters cause for hope. But favorable government rulings and computer companies taking new interest in Linux take us only part way, says Dennis E. Powell. They let us enter the battle -- but it's still up to us to win.

Despite knee-jerk responses from all points on the political spectrum, U.S. v. Microsoft is not a political case but instead one of right and wrong, as Dennis E. Powell learned in an interview with controversial and outspoken antitrust expert Judge Robert Bork.

What is it with January? Every year at this time, weird bugs and malfunctions spring to life. Dennis E. Powell describes this year's crop at his house.

"Windows users should hate the settlement; the dean of KDE bugs gets squashed; the shootout on bootloader hill; and an idea for bringing Linux to those who could really use it. Dennis E. Powell clears his desk."

Linux might not take to Toshiba's tiny Libretto like a penguin to water, but with a little effort you can own a feather-weight Linux laptop for very little money. Dennis E. Powell explores the risks and rewards of two-pound Linux on the cheap.

From a nifty little notebook that's difficult to find to new notebook peripherals standards to a more notebook-friendly Linux distribution, Dennis E. Powell describes things he wants, but won't get, for Christmas.

The public comment period on the proposed Microsoft settlement has opened. Dennis E. Powell offers a lesson in guerilla civics: why you should care and how you can make your opinion count.

There is a lot of duplication of effort among Linux productivity applications developers, some of it unnecessary. Dennis E. Powell, in a fit of insanity or, possibly, clarity, proposes a LUPI solution.