Archive for July, 2008

Apple iPhone 3G: A Beautiful Jail

I have already ranted about my displeasure with the iPhone because it’s locked down like a brick and cannot be really used effectively on a Linux box. But if you thought that was bad then you have seen nothing! The Free Software Foundation published an alarming article titled 5 Reasons to Avoid iPhone 3G.

• iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can’t be on everyone’s phones.
• iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
• iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
• iPhone won’t play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.
• iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don’t spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software — like the FreeRunner.

It’s a really interesting read, Johns goes on into more details on each of these points. If you are thinking of getting an iPhone 3G then i highly recommend reading FSF’s 5 Reasons to Avoid iPhone 3G to it’s entirety first before going out and splurging $400 to handcuff yourself.

The Free Software Foundation has done it’s part in preaching the dangers of the iPhone, but defective by design took it a step further and took action! Yesterday they issued an iPhone challenge called Ask Apple About the iPhone. The challenge urges everybody to reserve an appointment at the so called Apple Genius Bar using an online booking system. And ask these so called geniuses a series of 5 questions. Then rate them on a scale from 1-32 on each question, bringing the total to 160 IQ points (Einstien’s IQ):

• Why do all developers have to submit their applications to Apple before they can be loaded onto an iPhone?
• Why does iTunes still contain so much DRM-laden music?
• The iPhone 3G has GPS support. How can users be sure that the GPS cannot be used to track their position, without their permission?
• In ‘Thoughts on Music’, Steve Jobs said, “it is useful to remember that all iPods play music that is free of any DRM and encoded in ‘open’ licensable formats such as MP3 and AAC”. If Jobs really wants to see open formats, why doesn’t the iPhone play Ogg Vorbis, Ogg Theora video and FLAC?
• Why can the iPhone 3G only be activated by Apple and AT&T?

Check out the ideal answers in the original Ask Apple About the iPhone article.

Of course one doesn’t really expect sincere and honest answers from these corporate geniuses, who have been probably spoonfed some marketing boo-ha! They already have been corrupted by Apple’s groupthink, but we will have to wait and see!

10 Cool Open Source Easter Eggs

It’s easy to forget with all the source compiling, the conspiracy theories, and the OS flaming going on in every corner of the Internet, that there is a fun side of our beloved OS and Open Source applications. I have compiled a list of 10 easter eggs found in Open Source project (actually you will find more than 10 here, as I treated each application as one). So here we go:

Amarok

I have previously blogged about this, basically if you change the tag title of a song to “Amarok” and the artist’s tag to “Mike Oldfield”, a pop-up OSD will appear saying:

One of Mike Oldfields best pieces of work, Amarok inspired the name behind the audio-player you are currently using. Thanks for choosing Amarok!

Mark Kretschmann
Max Howell
Chris Muehlhaeuser
The many other people who have helped make Amarok what it is

Read more…

Mozilla releases first Firefox 3.1 alpha

 Mozilla has announced that the first Firefox 3.1 alpha is now available for download. This release, which is codenamed Shiretoko, includes Gecko 1.9.1 and adds a handful of new features.

Firefox 3.1 alpha 1 includes some user interface enhancements like a new graphical tab selector that shows page previews and a smarter filtering system for the Awesome Bar. This release also offers some nice improvements for web developers, such as new CSS properties and selectors. The HTML canvas element also got a boost in alpha 1 with the introduction of support for the canvas text API.

Binary builds are available for all three major platforms, but users should proceed with caution, since its an early alpha release and it’s primarily intended for testers and developers. For additional details, see the official release notes.

WordPress 2.5.1

Version 2.5.1 of WordPress is now available. It includes a number of bug fixes, performance enhancements, and one very important security fix. We recommend everyone update immediately, particularly if your blog has open registration. The vulnerability is not public but it will be shortly.In addition to the security fix, 2.5.1 contains many bug fixes. [...]

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WordPress 2.6

I’m happy to announce that version 2.6 of WordPress.org is now available, almost a month ahead schedule. Version 2.6 “Tyner,” named for jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, contains a number of new features that make WordPress a more powerful CMS: you can now track changes to every post and page and easily post from wherever [...]

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Upcoming WordCamps

WordCamps are my favorite events to go to because there’s something about the core WordPress community that attracts smart folks with good philosophies that are fun to hang out with. In this post I’ve collated the upcoming WordCamps we know about, including the one in San Francisco. Hopefully there will be one nearby so you [...]

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An Event Apart Discount

An Event Apart is a web design and development conference which features some of the same fine folks who helped out with WordPress 2.5. (And many others.) I attended the one in Chicago a while back and was engaged the whole day in interesting talks on design, writing copy as interface, advanced CSS, and creativity [...]

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Screencast and WordPress 2.5 RC2

2.5 is coming along thanks to the fantastic feedback you guys provided on RC1 (over 580 pingbacks and counting), and we’re now ready to show you a bit more of a peek with a short screencast covering the new dashboard and uploader and Release Candidate 2. First here’s the screencast, which is also available embedded [...]

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WordPress Birthday Party

On Tuesday, May 27th, WordPress will turn 5 years old. We’ve come a long way from that original 0.7 release.To celebrate we’re throwing a party in San Francisco at 111 Minna, starting at 9PM. You can get the full details and RSVP on Upcoming.org or on Facebook.I hope you see some of you there, should [...]

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2.5 Sneak Peek

A customizable dashboard, multi-file upload, built-in galleries, one-click plugin upgrades, tag management, built-in Gravatars, full text feeds, and faster load times sound interesting? Then WordPress 2.5 might be the release for you. It’s been in the oven for a while, and we’re finally ready to open the doors a bit to give you a taste.For [...]

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