J-F Bilodeau's Blog @ chronogears.com

BSOD(roid)

2009-06-17T13:12:00.004-04:00

I published my first Google Android application today: BSOD(roid). The application is an adaptation of the BSOD XScreenSaver hack that simulates crashes from various operating systems. I've squeezed in 20 crashes for about a dozen operating system. If you have an Android phone, please give it a try! It's free and licensed under the GNU GPL.

Get Application
Source code

Positive reviews!

Bing Ding? Microsoft vs. Google

2009-06-07T20:27:00.006-04:00

Microsoft unleashed it's new Google killer called Bing. At first glance, Bing is remarkably like Google, and seems to work fine with Firefox on Kubuntu 9.04.

Of course, I had to put the engine to the test, and try a couple of searches. Similar to Google, Bing offers suggestions as you type. However, the suggestions seem remarkably biased. Take a look at the followings suggestions after entering Linux as a search criteria.

Google:

Microsoft:

Looking at Microsoft's own product, you can't help but feel that they're trying to sell you Vista instead of encouraging you to wait for Windows 7.

Google:

Microsoft:

As nice as Bing is, I predict that ultimately, it will fail. Not because of any technical or financial reason. It will fail simply because it will not serve the needs of the majority of surfers.
Here's why. Try the following search.

Google:

Microsoft:

Oups? Where are the suggestions? Porn does not give any results either. Shucks! Looks like Microsoft is on the prude side.

Starting PPPoE on boot in Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty

2009-05-28T22:44:00.004-04:00

I spend three hours trying to make sure that PPPoE started at boot time on my mothers computer. PPPoE works normally after running pppoeconf or pon dsl-provider, but for some reason would not reactivate on the next boot.

Turns out, I had to change:
iface eth0 inet manual
to
iface eth0 inet dhcp

in /etc/network/interfaces

After the change, PPPoE now starts automatically on boot.

If you need a hand:

hit ALT+F2.

Enter the following command:

gksudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces

Find the line that read iface eth0 inet manual.

Change the word manual to dhcp

Save the file and reboot!

Birth of Experi

2009-04-01T14:10:00.003-04:00

I've kicked around some code for the pass two or three month to help me develop a couple of game. As the code became stable, I published it on SourceForge.net. the library is named Experi. The name comes from the word experimental but without the mental. In other words, it's an mindless experiment ;).

Experi is a simple game library written in C. It wraps SDL and OpenGL to provide simple APIs to assist in the development of a game. Experi does not strive to reproduce existing game library like Allegro or Crystal Space 3D. Instead, it aims to be lightweight, low-level and minimalistic.

Of course, it's a work in progress, but I'm hoping to showcase a few demos soon. For anyone interested, visit the Experi project on SourceForge for more details.

Get rid of all URLs in an OpenOffice document

2009-02-14T14:46:00.004-05:00

I just stumbled on a really neat trick that I have to share with everyone. Recently, I had to take an HTML document and format it for printing. The act of transforming an HTML document to ODF was remarkably easy, thanks to styles and the find & replace command. However, I learned that getting rid of a URL (link) is not a trivial as I would have liked — especially if you want to get rid of all of them at once!

Purely by accident, I stumbled on the fact that replacing the link address by a space is the equivalent of deleting the URL. Yay!

Thus, to (cleanly) remove all hyperlink in a document without loosing the format, here's what you need to do:

Select the entire document (CTRL+A or Edit->Select All)
Open the format character dialog (Format->Character)
Click on the Hyperlink tab
Type a single space in the URL field
Click OK!

Voila! No more URLs in the entire document. I've tested this with OpenOffice 2.4 and 3. Also, please note that this only works from the Format->Character menu command. The same does not work from the Edit->Hyperlink menu command.

Hope that's of use to someone out there!

J-F

Java (does|doesn't) suck

2008-12-19T15:06:00.005-05:00

I use Java programs all the time: jEdit, Eclipse and ArgoUML just to name a few. As a programmer, Java has served me well for over a decade, and I've never once wrote a piece of Java code of which the performance was unacceptable.

However, I keep hearing other user complain and snicker about the performance of Java. Though I try to defend the performance of one of my favourite programming language, I continue to hear the same chant again and again.

Once and for all, let me say: Java is not slow. If you don't believe me, come to my Java Performance Tuning course. I'll be happy to write equivalent Java and C code and time the execution of both.

An article on Phoronix.com brought to light something that I never expected. It would seem that Java on Windows Vista actually runs slower that Java on Ubuntu. I have to admit that this was a great surprise for me! I always assumed that Windows being the larger market for Java it would be optimize for the platform. However, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Maybe that's why there are still a lot of folks out there who are disillusioned by the performance of Java.

From prior experience, I suspect that Java application take up much less memory on Linux than Windows, but I haven't investigate that yet.

The State of the Operating System Market

2008-12-11T09:18:00.008-05:00

Here's exiting news. For the first time in 15 years, the Windows market share fell below 90%. On the upswing is Mac OS X with 8.87% of the market, and Linux at 0.83%. Source

These numbers are important for a number of reasons. For starters, Microsoft is gradually loosing it's grasp on the operating system market. Apple is doing a fantastic job of nipping Microsoft's monopoly.

As for Linux, you may noticed that it enjoyed 0.93% market share in August. I suspect this has been due to the release of UMPCs like th Eee PC. As the fad cooled down, chances are the sales cooled down as well. However, while visiting Future Shop on the weekend, I saw five UMPC with two of them running Linux. That's a 40% market share for Linux just there ;). As I predicted earlier, the rise of cheap computers will continue to hurt Microsoft as they are struggling to compete against free and open operating systems.

To put the numbers in perspective, here's a little report I put together with my trusty OpenOffice Calc:

A couple of interesting trends to notice.

Windows has been steadily loosing ground. This year alone, they've lost 2% of their market share. The year before that, 1.94%. Ouch! I can see why Microsoft was in a rush to deliver Vista. They needed something to help them regain the ground that they are loosing to other operating systems.

Apple has more than double their market presence over nearly five years. I personally attribute this to Mac OS X and Steve Job's marketing genius. Mac OS X is a true Unix operating system with a gorgeous interface slapped on top of it. This means that newcomers to computer have a system which is simple and inviting, while power-users have a solid Unix machine to hack. Personally, I feel that this has been a stroke of genius on Apple's part. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, or adopting Windows, they took advantage of FLOSS to custom build a rapidly growing operating system that is leaving Windows in the dust.

Linux is still barely a blip on the radar, but is still growing. Between this year and last year, Linux enjoyed a growth of 30%. I feel that this is important, since Linux is already well established on the server, but is struggling to gain traction on the desktop. I'm of the opinion that this increase is due to the UMPC explosion earlier this year. Linux is slowly by steadily spreading to the desktop.

What remains to be seen is how next year will play out. Windows 7 is due out in mid 2009, and sounds like Microsoft may actually get this one right. I don't expect to see the same level of anticipation as there was with Vista, since Windows 7 sounds like the Windows Vista that customers where expecting to get in the first place.

Linux has definitely penetrated the market. It is becoming more and more of a household term but retains a mythical aura. It has become one of those buzzwords that folks like to throw in conversation.

I'm a very poor prophet of the future, but I would like to predict some exciting movements next year. I believe that Mac OS X will continue to climb. I suspect that Linux may drop a bit, now that the UMPC buzz is dying down. Windows may regains some of it's share. I would even go so far as saying that Windows' market share will remain stable next year — that is, no significant drop or rise.

However, in the years to come, as cell phones are starting to overlap desktop computers in terms of functionality, I suspect that this is where we will see Linux shoot up. Reading about the buzz on Windows 7, I'm getting the impression that Microsoft is positioning Windows to be a competitor not to Linux or even the Mac OS X, but for the iPhone. Unfortunately, I don't think they are going the right way about it. Microsoft's vision seems to be focused on the tablet PC. Windows XP running on a tablet PC was introduced in 2001 by Bill Gates. However, seven years later, tablet PCs failed to make a dent in the market.

The reason tablet PC have not replaced laptop is due their limitation. As cool as they look, they are nowhere near as useful as a regular laptop. For instance, most do not have a keyboard, or a cover for the screen. Also, a tablet PC cost considerably more than a regular laptop. As for competing with cell phones, a tablet is simply too bulky to haul, and whip out whenever you need it. Thus, the tablet PC is not the best of both world. It's just an expensive toy.

I have no doubt that multi-touch displays a-la-iPhone will become de facto in a few years. But once again, Microsoft is playing catch-up since Apple has already invested heavily in the technology, and has already benefited from the fruits of their research. Linux is also multi-touch aware, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the community builds with the technology.

One more OS to note is OpenSolaris. When Sun Microsystem initially decided to open-source their flagship operating system, I was skeptical. My original impression is that Sun was hoping to breathe back life into the venerable but ailing SunOS before it sputtered and died. To my surprise, it looks like OpenSolaris could quickly become competition for the likes of Ubuntu. As much as I like Linux, I'm please to see solid competition on the horizon. I would go as far as to say that OpenSolaris is an operating system you may want to keep your eyes on.

Is Google Harming Linux

2008-09-25T16:09:00.006-04:00

Google is a huge supporter of Linux and open source. They strive to ensure that their products work on Windows, Mac and Linux. However, it recently hit me that their cross-platform development may actually be harming the image of my favourite OS: Linux

Recently, Google released the Chrome browser. In my opinion, the fine developers at Google did a marvelous job re-inventing the browser on every level. After trying-out the browser, I must say that I am more than impressed. There is only one detail that annoys me: Chrome is only available on Windows. Google promises that it will eventually make its way into Linux and the Mac. But when?

This is what is harming Linux (and the Mac to some degree). I personally feel that it was a mistake to release Chrome for Windows only. That seems to communicate that development on Linux is very difficult compared to Windows. I agree that there are important differences between both operating system, but there is a slew of open-source cross-platform libraries that could have been used to permit a simultaneous release between Linux, Mac and Windows.

Google is not alone in that. The MyEclipse IDE, which runs on Linux, Mac and Windows, has some features that are either stripped down, or unavailable outside of Windows. Again, that communicates not only a lack of love towards my favourite OS, but it furthers the impression that Linux is a difficult platform to develop for.

It's true that Windows has a huge market share compare to the Mac or even Linux. Thus, there is more money in the Windows world. However, the Windows market share is slowly being eroded by Apple and even Linux. I'm a very poor prophet of the future, but current trends seems to indicate that alternative operating system will become very important. For example:

UMPC - Ultra-Mobile PCs. Many come with Linux pre-loaded thanks to the smaller foot-print.
Cell phones — Again, Windows is not very prominent there
The rising Apple market share
One word: Vista

I'm willing to bet that in not too long, development for alternate operating system will be seen as a necessity. This type of situation is not uncommon. I remember the web about 10 years ago. It was considered normal by web developers to code their HTML for Internet Explorer specifically. Today, that is a big no-no. I don't remember seeing one of the infamous 'Best View With...' button on a website in so long. Thank you W3C!
Another issue to keep in mind is the current distrust that many organizations and governments have with Microsoft. The OOXML fiasco has harmed ISO's reputation in a way that it may never recover, and Microsoft's tactic of committee stuffing has been well documented. The EU still have their eye on the behemoth, and even my province of birth is challenging Microsoft's dominance.
Microsoft may be the next IBM. They will not disappear tomorrow, or even after tomorrow, but their relevance and influence over the market will lessen over time. This will open the playing field for alternative operating system.
As a software house, you have two choice:

Edge your bet on the Microsoft platform, and ignore the alternatives
Develop products with cross-platform compatibility in mind

Which one are you going to choose? If you choose option 1, then get ready to fork out money into the four to five digits (at least) to buy the Windows development stack. That will typically include Windows (XP, Vista or Server), Visual Studio, Microsoft Office and so on.
On the other hand, most of the cross-platform development tools are open-source with optional corporate support if desired.

Wine Success Stories

2008-09-17T09:28:00.008-04:00

I've had a bit too much Wine recently. Not the hard kind, but the soft(ware) kind. I'm talking about the Wine project, a great piece of software that allows a user to run Windows program natively on Linux. The name Wine is a recursive acronym that stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator. The reason for the name is to emphasize the fact that Wine does not 'emulate' Windows, but provides a translation layer instead. This means that instead of re-writing the Windows functionality (API) in Linux, Wine simply translate a regular Windows function into a regular Linux function. Thus, a Windows application running in Wine thinks it's running in Windows, however, whenever it asks Windows to perform a task, the request is processed by Linux. From the perspective of Linux, Wine is just another program that runs in memory. Linux will receive request from Wine, and execute them normally, not knowing that it comes from a Windows application.

Wine is also available for other operating system like the Mac.

In the past week alone, for different reasons, I ended up going back to Wine. Normally, I prefer to run native Linux applications. For example, I use OpenOffice instead of Microsoft Office, GIMP instead of PhotoShop and Eclipse instead of Visual Studio. Typically, an application written specifically for Linux will 'feel' natural and better integrate itself with my desktop. This is important since Linux is not Windows, Since there are things I can do in Linux that I can't do in Windows, I want to be able to take advantage of that!

I don't mind paying for a piece of software if I feel it's worthwhile. For example, I purchased a license for Mandriva Linux, Cedega and MyEclipse, even though they are mostly free software. I use free software because it is free as in free speech, not because it's free as in free beer. However, most of my money usually goes towards games.

Sure, I have a Wii and a PlayStation 2, and I enjoy both greatly. However, there are too many great games for the PC to ignore that market. Though many great games are available for Linux, like Doom 3, Unreal Tournament and Neverwinter Nights, many are not.

One such game is Morrowind. I shudder to think how many hours I wasted on that game. It's one of the main reasons I purchased Cedega in the first place. Cedega is a product based heavily on Wine that concentrates on providing as seamless an experience for running Windows games on Linux.

My loving wife is currently on maternity leave, taking care of Mr. George Henri. She selflessly invests much of the time taking care of the kid. But I don't want her to get overly bored. So, what is a husband to do to keep a wife busy? Buy her computer games, of course!

Pop Quiz

2008-08-20T08:08:00.000-04:00

For anyone who is interested, I've put together a pop quiz. The quiz may be oriented towards my American neighbours, but is open to anyone who is interested.

How many times does the letter "E" appear in the following word: Watermelon

Nope, it's not a trick question. Sounds easy enough? I hope so! But what if the word was spoken to you instead of written?

Please watch the following video:

To give you a little bit of background, the show is called Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. The contestant is Kellie Pickler, an American Idol finalist who started a successful recording career.

The 'premise of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?' is to pit adults against grade school kids, and see who can best answer grade 5 questions. I do not have cable TV at home, and I rarely watch television, so I've never seen an entire episode of the show. However, from what I can gather online, the 5th graders are most likely chosen because they are head of their class. In other words, I don't think they qualify as your average fifth grader.

The goal of this article is not attack, or defend Kellie Pickler. There are plenty of sites that took care of that. I'm not going to attack the show either, because it obviously exists for entertainment purpose. The only thing I'm going to say is that I don't think it's fair to judge someone's intelligence solely on their memorization skills.

The Piccolo is a member of what musical family: woodwinds, strings or percussion.

Please watch the following video:

Again, we get an unwittingly humorous response from Pickler. Yes, I admit I laughed and shook my head — especially since I knew the response to the question.

However, is it fair to expect a rising country star to remember her grade 5 knowledge? How many of us remember the knowledge that was crammed into us during grade school?

Some may say that knowing what a piccolo is has no impact in their adult life, and is wasted knowledge. On the other hand, I'm surprised that as a musician, Pickler did not know about the instrument.

Budapest is the capital of what European country

If you haven't seen the following video, it's worth the watch. Hint: The answer is in the video.

To be fair, I did not know the answer of the top of my head.

Being a teacher myself, I often hear questions by begins with "this might be a stupid question, but..." Personally, I believe that the only question that qualifies at dumb or stupid is the one that goes unasked. Thus, the question, though humorous, is in my opinion very valid. However, the question betrayed an alarming ignorance in terms of basic geography. I find it concerning that some Americans are not even sure what France is.

But, let's carry on with our quiz.

Who donated the Statue of Liberty to the United States of America?

One of America's most recognized landmark, the Statue of Liberty, is a gift from a foreign nation. Need a hint? Without this nation, the American probably would not have succeeded in pushing back the British and winning their independence. Need another hint? What about Freedom Fries?

That's right. France is the country that designed, build and donated the Statue to the United States. The two nations enjoyed close ties and supported each others in times of needs. Without the help of France, the war for independence could have easily been crushed by the British.

What is the name of the American ambassador that negotiated the military alliance with France?

Benjamin Franklin, a writer, scientist, politician and founding father negotiated the critical alliance with France that permitted the fledgling nation to declare their independence and prosper. He wrote "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

That's a strong statement. For bonus points: why does trading liberty for safety gets you neither?

What happens to the circumference of a circle as the radius is increased?

Oh no! A math question!

When was the last time you had to worry about the diameter of a circle as the radius is increased? For that matter, what the heck is a circumference and a radius?

I'll make it easy for you. The answer is: the circumference of the circle increases in relation to the radius. For bonus points: how do you calculate the circumference of a circle using the radius?

Here's a quote for you: "As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it."

Please take a moment to think about this quote before we move ahead. What does it say about knowledge and ignorance?

Who said "Imagination is more important than knowledge."?

I’ll give you the answer right away: the quote is from Albert Einstein, a German physicist who formulated the (in)famously popular formula: E=mc². (For bonus points: what does the formula mean?)

The above quote is very popular on motivational and spiritual paraphernalia. It sounds like Einstein is giving us a license to stop learning since whatever I imagine will be more important that what I know. As long as you're imaginative, you can get along in life, right?

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." is usually all that is quoted, but I think that most people do not know the context — or the rest of the quote for that matter.

Here's the full quote: "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."

I personally believe that this quote summarize what E=mc² has brought to the world. Einstein studied and learned the rules of classical physics. His knowledge was vast, and so was the 'diameter' of ignorance. Taking his knowldge to the next level, Einstein challenged the very foundations of physics, and opened an entirely new world of understanding. His theory of relativity allowed physics to progress and evolved in fashions that were completely unimaginable — and unintuitive — before June 30th, 1905.

How much knowledge did Einstein need to get to his revolutionary idea? To get an idea, please read his revolutionary paper, ON THE ELECTRODYNAMICS OF MOVING BODIES. Does that sound like the work of someone who chose to forgo his formal education?

What is the meaning of the Latin phrase "Cogito, ergo sum"?

If you are still with me, congratulation! Now, we are in the realm of Latin.

The answer to the question is "I think, therefore I am." The phase was popularized by René Descartes in his work: Principles of Philosophy. In this work, Descartes tries to validate his knowledge and beliefs. He boldly dares to establish certainty not by attempting to prove what is real, but by eliminating what cannot be proven to be real. At the end, he comes to the conclusion that there is nothing that can be certain to exists, except for his thoughts. He thinks — he exists. Descartes treats this as the start of knowledge and understanding. This is the very pillar on which we can build our understanding.

'I think, therefore I am' does not establish any proofs. All it does is establish a foundation — a pillar on which to build knowledge. We cannot learn from what we know. We can only learn from what we don't know.

From this point forward, we can continue to build a foundation from which we can model the very universe around us. Since everybody (assuming that you are not alone and the other beings are real) has a different perspective, we need to provide a foundation which is common to all.

What is the name of the Medieval English Franciscan friar known as 'Doctor Mirabilis'?

Doctor Mirabilis was a theologian, philosopher and considered by many to be the grandfather of modern science. His contributions and discoveries range from gunpowder to optics.

The real name of Doctor Mirabili is Roger Bacon. He is quoted as saying "If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behoves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics."

Mathematics is not a new subject of research. The foundations that we are using have been around for thousands of years — some are from times immemorial. It may surprise some, but mathematics is far from static. It is still a growing field. Every year, ten of thousands of new theorems and proofs are discovered and documented.

However, what's interesting about mathematics is that it's about the only knowledge that is truly universal. No matter who you are, where you come from or what your education, two plus two always equals four. This is one of the things that make mathematics so valuable. Unlike anything else that you learn in school, math is not going to change on you.

Because math as close to a universal language as we have, I would like to propose that we place that on the pillar established by Descartes.

Who was the third president of the United States of America and principal author of the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States of America. From a beautifully crafted letter addressed to the citizen of the thirteen original colonies, the United States was born. From the courage of a handful of people that was spread to an entire nation, blood was shed in the name of rights and liberty. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Wow! Everyone — not just the kings and emperors — is entitled to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

But lets go back to the original question. Who was the third president? His name is Thomas Jefferson, and he is a personal hero of mine. If it were not for him, there is a chance that the United State as we know it would not exist today. Jefferson is often described as a polymath or a renaissance man. He not only helped found the United States, but was a remarkable scientist, inventor and a powerful humanitarian.

The United States enjoyed remarkable scientific achievement that fostered its dominant position in the world. This may be thanks to Jefferson's stance. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

And speaking of science, that brings us to the next question:

What scientific endeavour did John F. Kennedy launch but did not live to see?

In 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy challenged his nation with the following words: "...I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him back safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."

The speech was bold, especially since the United States was playing catch-up with the Soviet Union. By the time Kennedy made his announcement, the USSR has already launched the first artificial satellite and the first animals in space. They where the first to send a satellite in orbit around the moon and to land an unmanned probe on the moon. Shortly after Kennedy's announcement, the USSR has sent the first man in space. The US had a lot of catching up to do.

Yet, in 1969, six years after Kennedy's assassination and for the first time in the history of mankind, a man walked on the moon bearing the stars and stripes over his left shoulder.

The moon landing is probably humanity's grandest achievement to date, and it's easy to see why Kennedy is remembered for that. However, Kennedy has done more than launch the space program. During his inaugural speech, he boldly state "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country."

It's a powerful statement, but placed in full context, even more powerful. Kennedy is not asking his fellow Americans to abandon everything so that their energy is fully dedicated to serving the US. He is reminding Americans that they are enjoying their freedom thanks to the hard work off their ancestors — and that the current generation is responsible to maintain this freedom. He continues by saying "My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

So, did you feel you got a good grade? Don't worry about the score. That's not the important part. As a teacher, I feel that rote memorization is not learning. Passing or failing quizzes is not learning. Learning may not even be that your circumference of knowledge expands. So, what is learning?

I've got my idea on what is learning. I believe that this article highlights what I think of learning and ignorance. But fundamentally, learning is not about increasing the complexity of our understanding. It's about reducing the complexity of our understanding.

You probably noticed a number of political statements strewn in the article. I won't hide from them. My concern lies in the complacency of some members of society. Everyone is unique. Everyone has something unique to contribute. What are you contributing?

George Henri Bilodeau

2008-08-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

George Henri Bilodeau was born on August 13th @ 18:33. Mommy and daddy are doing well.

Ghost Software

2008-08-08T15:09:00.002-04:00

I'm having another Microsoft day. Yay me!

Here I am, installing Windows again. Why does it have to be an all day event? Beyond the Blue Screen of Death, undecipherable error messages and the most annoying Genuine Windows (dis)Advantage, I finally got to my software update.

The fun part is that Windows is asking me to install two updates for Office 2007. I don't have Office 2007 install. What's the deal? Same thing with SQL Server 2005.

Looks like I have ghost software on my machine.

Having a Microsoft Day

2008-07-30T08:43:00.003-04:00

What a day yesterday.

I had the dubious pleasure of delivering a SharePoint 2007 development course. The course was set on a Windows Server 2008, running SharePoint, IIS, SQL Server, Visual Studio and Office 2007.

My training career spans more than 10 years, and I've seen courses that went smooth as silk and courses that went terrible. However, I have never encountered a course as difficult as the one I just delivered.

A couple of crashes is to be expected, but to have Internet Explorer 7 crash every five minutes (literally!), and Visual Studio crash at least two dozen times and IIS blow up for no reasons is something I have never seen. As for the overall performance, let's just say that the course made very powerful machines look rather wimpy.

At least the participants had a chance to learn what they came to learn, and left reasonably satisfied. On the other hand, I'm not satisfied, since I know the course could have gone much more smoothly.

Oh well, it's water under the bridge and another nasty Microsoft story to add to my bible. for now, I'm back with my Linux machines, where souped-up hardware is not necessary to gain decent performance. Things work. I'm happy.

Been a while

2008-07-22T09:36:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a while. I was on vacation, so please forgive me. However, I'm back at work, but then, I'm expecting my baby boy in about three weeks, so there may be silence for a while again.

There has been many minor events in the world of free software, but nothing earth shattering. My only frustration is ISO and their handling of the OOXML appeals.

Also, some of you may have heard that Viacom is suing Google over YouTube. Viacom is the owner of MTV, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. The suit has been ongoing ever since Google purchased YouTube. Viacom's claim is that YouTube is a haven of illegal movie uploads. To prove their point, Viacom has asked the judge that Google hand over all their user accounts as well as a list of all the videos they watched. The idea is that Viacom wants to demonstrate that copyrighted videos are more popular than non-copyrighted videos.

I think that it's only fair that Viacom attempts to protect their copyright. However, I cannot accept Viacom's request for identifiable user information. This means that Viacom would not only be able to know which videos are more popular on YouTube, they know immediately know who are the copyright infringer.

On one hand, it's true that whoever illegally uploads and whoever watches a copyrighted video on YouTube may be breaking the law. On the other, it's setting up the Internet to become a corporate police state.

In my opinion, Viacom is simply playing dirty to win the lawsuit against Google — a rather short-sighted strategy to control their copyright-catalog. It's the type of corporate action that pits David against Goliath — David being Google, the good guy.

Though I don't foresee this backfiring too much in Viacom's face, I'm of the opinion that Viacom will loose more than it will gain from this lawsuit even should they win.

On a personal note, I've aquired a mayhem device, also known as a video camera. Of course, the first victims of my mayhem device was the pets. The following video is the result.

Of course, it has been posted on YouTube ;). You may notice I've used copyrighted music. I would like to claim Fair Use.

Hope you have a great day!

KDE 4 - Is it really bad?

2008-07-06T07:40:00.003-04:00

KDE, which stands for the 'K Desktop Environment,' is one of the many graphical environment for Linux. Some of the environment include Gnome & Xfce.

I use all three regularly for different reasons. I like Xfce on my Eee PC because it's lite and takes little resources. When introducing someone to Linux, I stick to the default Gnome environment since I find it reasonable easy to get started with. For my day-to-day, I recently switch to KDE 3.x.

In January 2008, the KDE team released version 4 of their desktop environment — a dramatic departure from the original design. The original reviews were remarkable positive for a first-generation desktop.

However, now that the party is over, the hangover starts. The bugs are starting to make itself known and users are getting more and more impatient to see their favourite KDE 3.x feature ported to version 4.

So, this begs the question: Is KDE 4 the new Vista?

I would like to answer the question with an emphatic no.

It's true that it's easy to draw parallels between KDE 4 and Windows Vista. For starters, it was late, it did not include all the promised features and was riddled with bugs upon delivery.

So, why is this different?

For starters, I don't think KDE 4 is mean to immediately replace KDE 3.x. Both are being developed in parallel. It may be preferable to think of KDE 4 as another desktop environment as opposed to the next version of KDE. The changes are too dramatic to liken it to an upgrade. Think Mac OS 9 -> Mac OS X.

Another important point is that KDE 4 is available for early adopters. As opposed to Microsoft which is scrambling to get everyone to upgrade to Vista, the KDE developers are not forcing anyone to move to the next version. Of course, anyone who is interested can try it, and having used KDE 4 since before January, I can tell you that it's an impressive endeavour. It's a bold departure from KDE 3.

Finally, KDE 4 is free software, and that's what matters. You like it? Great! Don't like it? Then fix it! Don't care to fix it? Then go back to KDE 3 or Gnome or Xfce or whichever desktop environment tickles your fancy — and I think that this is what makes KDE 4 so different from Windows Vista. As opposed to Vista, where the license clearly states that 'you may not
work around any technical limitations in the software,' KDE 4, like any free software, encourages you to work around any limitation of the software.

Just like anything else in Linux, it's about choice. I personally congratulate the KDE developers for their bold foray into new territories with KDE version 4. It may not yet be to the level that KDE 3 users out of their environment, but it's getting there. And in a few years, I think that we'll see KDE 4 become an important player in the realm of desktop environments.

Firefox Adoption

2008-06-27T12:57:00.007-04:00

I was intrigued by this article from PC Pro in the UK about the trailblazing pace of Firefox 3.0 adoption. It turns out that just after 10 days, the number of visitors using Firefox 3.0 is outnumbering those using Firefox 2.0. Wow! Talk about success!

Just for the fun of it, I looked at my (completely unscientific and scewed) site stats. It turns out that the number are very similar for me. Before June 17^th, it turns out that Firefox 2.0 was already in the lead, followed by Firefox 3.0.

Here are the stats over a 32 day period:

Before June 17^th:


Firefox 3 52.87%
Firefox 2 45.98%
Firefox 1 1.15%

On June 17^th and after:


Firefox 3 62.00%
Firefox 2 38.00%

For the sake of comparison, here's how Firefox fared between the other browsers.

Before June 17^th:


Firefox            85.29%
Internet Explorer  11.76%
Mozilla             1.96%
Safari              0.98%

On June 17^th and after:


Firefox            86.21%
Internet Explorer   8.62%
Opera             5.17%

So, what conclusions should we draw behind these stats?

Well, to begin with, I don't think my site counts as a solid benchmark of Firefox for two reasons. I think it's fair to say that a lot of my visitors are like-minded and a lot of my regulars are friends and family. Most of them will be using Firefox.

The only surprise is that Firefox 3 was already ahead of Firefox 2 on my site 16 days before the release. This is most likely due to me encouraging my friends to try the latest beta.

I'm happy to see that Firefox is going to strong on my site — and not all of those visits are from people I know.

Beyond that, I'll let you draw your own conclusion.

Have a great day!

How Microsoft Won and is Loosing

2008-06-26T22:47:00.007-04:00

Steve Ballmer had it right. Developer developer developer!

The prime reason why Windows won over OS/2, the MacIntosh and even MS-DOS was thanks to the mighty influx of application that crept up for the OS. And the only way that those applications existed was thanks to developers.

Thought the Windows API are not the most graceful API I've encountered, they were reasonably well documented. I learned the Win16 and Win32 APIs mostly by reading the MSDN help files.

Using the simple tactic of ensuring that developers would favour the Windows platform early on, Microsoft achieved dominance in the operating system market.

But what is happening today? Balmer has been singing a different tune for the past few year. Since the rocketing rise of Microsoft's stocks capped in 2000, the behemoth is now struggling to pierce new markets while retaining their heavy monopoly.

It's interesting to see Microsoft running like a chicken with it's head cut off. Vista is a disaster, they are still loosing money in their search and gaming division and .NET is barely making a dent in the Java marketplace. Let's not even mention their iPod killer: the Zune.

If it wasn't for the near monopoly on Windows and Office, Microsoft would be hemoraging money faster than the speed of sound. BANG! Bankrupcy before they know it.

I think the reason is pretty clear. Microsoft is now spitting in the face of the very people that brought them to where they are: the developers.

Balmer himself said that he would like open source innovations to happen on Windows. However, he seems (or chooses) to be clueless about the free software philosophy.

Balmer can push all he wants, but he should realize that developers are usually intelligent folks. Many open source developers are quite brilliant. I do believe that most developers can smell bullcaca when it is spewed out of someone's mouth.

Genuine honesty free of marketspeak is not something you often hear from Microsoft!

It's certainly not by forcing proprietary software or standards down the FOSS developer's throat that Microsoft is going to win any friends. Neither is it going to give developers the desire or even the posibility to innovate.

Personally, I like computers to work for me and not the other way around. That's one of the many reasons I don't use Windows &mdash I cannot stand an OS that thinks it can tell me how I should work.

ODF is the Winner: Microsoft

2008-06-20T12:31:00.003-04:00

I'm kinda worried when Microsoft themselves declare that ODF is the clear winner in the OOXML-ODF war.

However, I think I can agree with Microsoft. The whole ISO/OOXML saga gave ODF a huge boost both in terms of popularity and credibility. This means that more people and organizations are aware of ODF than ever before.

I've long learns not to take anything Microsoft says at face value, so I'm a bit concerned about the statement. Maybe the statement is genuine, but I can't help but think that Microsoft has something up their sleeve. Until they display they ace, I'll keep my eyes and ears open.

Microsoft and Québec

2008-06-12T16:00:00.008-04:00

"Vive le Québec Libre!"

I'm both honoured and weary of Microsoft's reach in Quebec.

The honour comes from the fact that Microsoft is calling their next version of Windows Embedded 'Quebec.' It's nice to see Canada recognized again.

However, using Canadian landscapes to win me over. Things like recognizing the GPL and supporting standards (instead of redeveloping them) would make me look at Microsoft again.

I'm also weary of Microsoft and their deal with the government of Quebec. Microsoft recently objected public access to the deals, since it would "likely risk to cause serious prejudice to our client and would procure the competition an appreciable advantage and would substantially undermine the competitivity of our client."

What I find interesting is that both IBM and Novell had no quorum against exposing the deal. So, what does Microsoft have to hide? What kind of prejudice would it place on the government of Quebec? If Microsoft feels that if would procure a appreciable advantage to their competition, does that mean that Microsoft has priced their products well above that of their competitors? What else was in the deal?

I'll keep my eyes on http://blogs.savoirfairelinux.net/cyrilleberaud/ and see which way this story goes. I'm sure it worth it!

"Vive le Québec Enchainé!"

The MS-OOXML Standard

2008-06-02T15:47:00.002-04:00

Venezuela appealed OOXML as well, following the lead of South Africa, Brazil and India. Norway has also filed a letter of protest.

Though the news is interesting, what I find even more interesting is that it seems that even discussion of OOXML usually leads to Microsoft and/or Office.

The reason why I find this interesting is that no other companies are ever mentioned as direct benefiters beyond Microsoft. If the standard is truly a standard, why is only one company's name attached to it.

It's true that Microsoft created the standard, but why is Corel or Apple — supposed backer of the standard — never mentioned? Why are so many headlines along the line of 'Microsoft looses OOXML war?'

I don't know about you, but that tells me that there is only one company that stood to win from OOXML, and that's Microsoft. Let's face the fact: Microsoft did not create OOXML out of the goodness of their heart, or with inter-compatibility in their mind. OOXML was simply another tool in their lock-in arsenal.

Though ODF, MS-OOXML's so-called competitor was created originally with OpenOffice in mind, it has grown and evolved thanks to their own standardization process. Companies like IBM, Novell, Sun Microsystem and Google all participate to the development of ODF.

In the case of OOXML, who gets to participates in its future development?

Here's a hint

This is one of the many reasons I cannot support any Microsoft-controlled technologies or standards. No matter how 'open' they claim to be, Microsoft develops in secrecy, and announces specific features as they are getting close to completion. This ensures that any competing project continuously have to play catch-up with Microsoft. The standards controlled by Microsoft are pegs in the sand, and it's Microsoft that chooses where to put those pegs.

Who wants to play a game against an opponent who is also the referee?

Good News All Abound

2008-06-01T11:52:00.005-04:00

Yay!

OOXML has been formally appealed by South Africa, Brazil and India. Microsoft has announced that they will support ODF 1.1 in Office 2007. However, they will not even support OOXML until the next version of Office.

To keep up with the good news, Internet Explorer 8 will finally be standards compliant. As a web developer, this is such a relief! No more double standards for web pages.

Furthermore, thanks to the success of the Eee PC, Linux is becoming more and more ubiquitous. Desktop Linux is, in my (no so) humble opinion at a level that is above that of Windows and the Mac. Not only do you have choice, but if you compare the ease of use of Gnome or KDE, I think that Linux is a powerful contender. The only obstacle that remains is education. Windows users need to unlearn things like C:\ drives or the pain of running setup programs.

Finally, even Novell is reporting success in the Linux front. I took the plunge and installed Novell's openSUSE, and thus far I'm greatly enjoying it. As much as I like Ubuntu, I would hate for a single Linux distribution to become the 'defacto standard,' just like I would hate to see Gnome or KDE displace one or the other. Choice and competition are good.

I'm so excited to see real competition gearing up in the world of informatics. I'm afraid that the Microsoft monopoly has set us back a number of years from where we could be in terms of technology. For example, it if hadn't been for Internet Explorer slowing the adoption of standard HTML, then CSS, where would the web be now?

Oh well. That's water under the bridge. Now that we are freeing ourself from the Microsoft stranglehold, who know what real innovation we are going to see in the world of computing.

What is Windows?

2008-05-29T07:00:00.003-04:00

What is Windows? Yeah, I know, it's supposed to be an operating system, but I'm completely confused as to what is Windows.

Here's the situation. My work laptop is back. Of course, I promptly installed Ubuntu 8.04. Now, Ubuntu, like most Linux distribution is much more than an operating system. You get the rock-solid Linux kernel, the GNU tools, and a full-fledge desktop environment. By full-fledged, I mean that I have my office suite, Internet browser, email program, photo management and photo editing software, games, and other miscellaneous doodads. The whole thing takes a little over 2G. Oh, and none of those programs are crippled trialware.

Now comes the fun part: installing Windows Vista Ultimate!

Installing Vista is actually straight forward. Similar to Ubuntu, you just pop in the installation CD and reboot. Unfortunately, there's not 'live DVD' for Windows, so you can't try it on your hardware before you install it. That would have been really nice, as you'll see later.

Moving ahead, I went through the necessary motions (like entering the insanely long activation code). Vista installed. Vista rebooted. Vista came up. It took a little longer to install than Ubuntu but not too much, especially considering that the whole thing takes 10G of disk space already!

Now, for the fun part: Pop! pop! pop! pop!

That's the sound of all the popups that came up after the installation — or at least that would be the sound if my sound worked.

Windows Activation was one of the biggest annoyance. It complained that it had to phone home and validate with Microsoft that I'm allowed to run Vista — but it cant! Why? Well, both my wired and wireless network cards do not run.

Now, I should specify that the laptop is about half a year old. The version of Windows Vista comes with SP1, which means that it should be up to date, right?

So, here I am with 10G of hard disk space eaten up by an operating system that threatens to cripple its functionality if I don't phone home, but the operation system cannot phone home. Ouch! I can't even download the drivers, since I can't connect to the Internet.

We'll skip over the hunt for drivers and move ahead to the next interesting part about Windows Vista Ultimate. For the price, it contains remarkably little. I mean, I've got a web browser that passes as a poor imitation of Firefox, a crippled word processor called WordPad that supports only RTF or plain text and a paint programs that reminds me of my DOS days. My computer is barely powerful enough to support the whizzbang visual effects and is better without it.

(Do I need to mention that the 'whizzbang' effects are turned on in Ubuntu?)

So, here's my question to anyone who wishes to answer it: what the heck is Windows? What is the 10G for? What am I paying so much money for?

I mean, it can't be for the glitzy user interface, since that's been available long before Windows Vista (Mac OS X, XGL). It can't be for the load of default applications that are installed on it, since it's pretty naked for an operating system. It can't be for development purpose since I can't seen to find a single compiler on it, much less a decent text editor. It can't be for its hardware support since it was missing drivers for at least 7 devices on my older laptop. It can't be for it's performance, since Ubuntu is more responsive, boots faster and uses less memory.

I'm starting to suspect it's for games, since a lot of games are written for Windows. Is Windows Vista a really, really expensive virtual game console? Actually, I just learned that it's probably not the case. I just tried to run Civilization IV on Vista, and it told me that it had compatibility problems. It doesn't sound like it's the best operating system for games.

The other possibility is that people want to run Microsoft Office. Yes, Microsoft Office is a nice office suite, but I've been using OpenOffice.org since the StarOffice days. True, OpenOffice does not have all the features of Microsoft Office like talking paper clips or online activation, but it serves me marvelously well — and it has a real drawing toolbar instead of the silly ribbon. That ribbon may be great for Office neophytes, but is a total hindrance for power users.

But I digress. Let me close by saying that it's true that the best things in life are free.

Windows Vista is No Help

2008-05-20T11:38:00.006-04:00

Since my work laptop is being repaired, I have the pleasure to work on another laptop running Windows Vista. I feel like I'm working on a poor imitation of Mac OS X that has been designed by a marketing committee. Actually, the whole thing feels like it was designed by multiple committees, each striving to do their best job, but always having to compromise to meet the needs of another committee. Unlike the Mac OS, or a Linux Desktop, it has no personality — no soul. I think that Vista should win the Best Jumble of Ideas with the Worst Implementation Possible award.

Here was my surprise this morning. I was working in Microsoft Access 2007, when I accidentally hit F1. For those who may not know, the F1 key is typically used to bring up the help.

And help it did bring me indeed. Here's the screenshot:

Wow. So, I can't open Office 2007's help on Windows Vista. Did two committees forget to meet?

Here's the official reason why Windows Help is no longer included in Windows:

Ever since Windows 3.1, Microsoft included the Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) with new releases. WinHlp32.exe is used to view 32-bit Help files that have the .hlp file name extension. Starting with the release of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, Microsoft has decided to no longer include in WinHlp32.exe as a component of the Windows operating system. Microsoft made this decision because WinHlp32.exe has not had a major update for many years, and it does not meet Microsoft’s standards for all new Microsoft programs. Microsoft realizes that this may cause some difficulties for customers who want to upgrade to Windows Vista or to Windows Server 2008 but still rely on 32-bit .hlp files. Therefore, Microsoft is making WinHlp32.exe available as a download from the Microsoft Download Center. (Source)

So, an incomplete product is considered a higher standard than a product that is used by millions of people but has not been updated by the very company that made that product. Wow. I'm sure if I were a Microsoft customer, I'm sure I would feel content knowing that Microsoft is watching out for my best interest. I mean, I'm sure glad Microsoft invested in transparent title bars (that I had to turn off) instead of updating such a crucial component to Windows.

Which brings me back to an earlier question: What the heck is Windows anyway?

Microsoft Windows for (Nearly) Free?

2008-05-16T21:29:00.004-04:00

This is a follow up to Microsoft Windows for Free?

Shortly after I wrote this entry, a couple of interesting events occurred. As I predicted, Microsoft went ahead to compete with Linux on ultramobile PCs (UMPC) like the Eee PC. They are now offering Windows XP Home for $32 US. It's not free, but it's getting close to cheap. Actually, it's not free in either sense of the word, since Microsoft dictates what it considers a UMPC. The maximum specs are: 1G of RAM, 80G of hard disk space, single-core processor running at 1Ghz, screen size of 10.2 inches and no touch screen capability. Anything higher than that requires the vendor to buy Windows XP at their regular price.

That's fair. It's their product, so they can choose how it's licensed. However, I fail to see how they plan to compete with Linux on this field with those restrictions. Furthermore, the $32 US is only for Windows. This means that if you want Word or Excel, be ready to fork out more money. I'd be surprise that Microsoft would allow the vendors to ship Windows with OpenOffice prepackaged. Have fun playing Minesweeper!

With Ubuntu, I have a full fledged desktop with my office suite. The full install that takes up less disk space than Windows — And the $32 stays in my pocket.

Another interesting event is the fact that One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) recently announced that they would support Windows XP on the XO laptop. What a shame. To me, that alienates the whole concept of the XO — learning. How can they learn in a closed, controlled and censored system that greatly limits their freedom. Some of those children who are growing up in a dictatorship are denied yet another freedom. That is a massive loss for them.

Those poor children are denied freedom in the world of computing to further entrench the monopoly of an American company. I cannot help but wonder what goes on in the mind of folks who are more concerned with buying yet another, bigger yacht on the back of those children.

I remember in the early days that OLPC decided that the XO should only use free software (as in free speech). Thus, both Windows and Mac OS X were refused early on. Steve Jobs, president of Apple, went as far as offering Mac OS X for free (as in beer) for the XO, but was denied, since he would not free (as in speech) the software.

In their 'philanthropic' move, Microsoft is charging about $3 for Windows XP. Of course, that does not include Office or anything like that. Just Windows (Yay! Minesweeper!). Furthermore, to allow the XO to dual boot between Windows and Linux, the machine will cost an additional $7 to make.

Since Microsoft is all about their image, I was surprised that they did not offer Windows for free as Steve Jobs did with Mac OS X. I mean, $3 per copy isn't going to register a blip on Microsoft's revenue radar. So, why?

The only thing I can see is anti-thrust. Microsoft is having enough problems with the EU and the Department of Justice, that they may be reticent to offer Windows for free out of fear that it will be perceived as an anti-competitive move.

Though I may be painting Microsoft as a nasty, greedy ogre, we have to remember that they cannot force people to buy their products. They are doing a fantastic job of both painting their software as the 'only' option and — more importantly — hiding the true monetary cost of buying (and using) Microsoft software.

As long as the average consumer remains ignorant of both of those aspects, they may never realize that there are alternatives — much less of the need for those alternatives.

Ubuntu Vs. Windows Vista

2008-05-11T08:55:00.005-04:00

Wow. What can I say? I actually had a chance to work on Vista. Really! Since the hard disk in my work laptop died, I was given another portable pre-installed with Windows Vista.

What an experience. It's an HP dual core 1.9GHz 2G laptop with an nVidia graphics card. It should fly, right? Well, it flew about as gracefully as a turtle on it's back in the middle of the highway.

For comparison, I'm currently writing this blog from an older Gateway machine running on an AMD Turion 64 (single core), 1G of RAM with a Radeon XPress 200M. running (for now) Ubuntu 7.10. The machine was out of commission since I dropped an entire cup of coffee into the DVD drive. Thankfully, the folks at Farstar Networking in Alexandria did a fantastic job resurrecting it for a fraction of the cost I would have assumed it would have been.

However, back to Vista. For starters, after I had booted, the machine was already sucking up >700MB of ram. That leaves less than 1.3G to run my applications. That's not overly bad, since I've go to 2G on the HP, but my Gateway has only 1G. So, forget about running Vista on it. In Ubuntu, running the Gnome desktop with Compiz, Apache, MySQL, Firefox 2, Thunderbird and a system update, I'm not quite at the 475MB watermark.

I've heard a lot of folks complain about the performance of Vista. I finally had a chance to experience this first hand. Yuk! Is it ever SLOW. I could not even drag a window without the system studdering. Furthermore, I got kind notification from Norton Anti-Virus that my subscription was expired, and I should renew. What's that about my credit card number? I forgot what it's like to run an OS where you need an anti-virus. Let's not get into the endless array of continual popups.

Here's my first major gripe: No package manager. HP installed tons of crap on the laptop, including a (I would assume) redundant wireless connection manager, a trial version of Norton, tons of little application that are — supposedly — there to improve the user experience, and god knows what else. Time to clean the system!

I crack open the Add/Remove program, click on the first application, hold down control, and click on the next. Guess what? You can't! In Windows, you can only uninstall a single application at a time. Furthermore, it takes forever to remove the tiniest of application. Oh, and let's not get into the reboots. Remember, I'm cleaning this up because I need to get some work done. How much fun is it when all of a sudden, all your windows starts to close one after an other, and the machine reboots. Oh, I just love it when my operating system controls me. Sure! I love being a slave to the machine. Kiss your freedom goodbye.

On the other hand, I want to upgrade my Eee PC to Ubuntu 8.04. Unfortunately, I lacked disk space. No problem. I cracked open Synaptic package manager, selected a number of application for uninstallation, clicked Apply, and waited while the applications were removed. By the time the applications were removed, Windows Vista had finished booting, and was almost at the desktop. Of course, that was just one of the many reboots I had to do with Vista. None so far on the Eee PC!

Vista is slow. I asked one of my Windows Guru how I could turn off Areo. After digging around a bit, my guru showed me the option where I could chose the Windows Basic theme instead of Areo. What a difference this makes!!! I can move my Windows without feeling like the system is about to go into terminal shock. Here, on my Gateway, I've got Compiz working with the wobbly windows and all the fun graphic effects. It works great &mdash smooth as silk. Oh, and the Gateway is Windows Vista Capable. Not Ready, which means that Areo would not even work on the machine. My Eee PC is running eeeXubuntu with Compiz as well. It's pretty!

As a last point, one of my coworker asked about an 'upgrade path' from Vista Home to Vista Premium. He needed to upgrade Vista so he could run SQL Server Reporting Services (if I'm not mistaken). The software does not run on Windows Home. Not because Windows Home is incapable of running it, but because Microsoft thinks you should not. That is why I love free software. I come from a country that enjoys freedom of expression, movement, religion, etc. I cannot imagine myself relinquishing any of those fundamental freedoms for any price. It's the same thing with software.

I'm a free person. I refuse to pay for proprietary software that limits your freedom when there are perfectly good (better!) free solution out there.

In closing, my Eee PC quietly upgraded to Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04). One reboot was all it took. I then reinstalled whatever applications I had removed. No reboots. Everything works. Don't you wish it was the same in Windows? (To be fair, the wireless card did not come back up. But it took two minutes of googling, and found a simple solution)

While I'm writing this on my Windows-Vista-Incapable Gateway laptop running Ubuntu 7.10, I'm upgrading to Hardy Heron. Can you work on your machine while you are upgrading your Windows version?

If the answer is no, I would then ask you: why not?

Oh, and you paid how much for Windows Vista? And that does not even include an office suite???

<SHOCK>!!!!</SHOCK>