HMG begins to see the light on Open Source

BBC Online is reporting that “UK government departments moved a step closer to using open-source operating systems such as Linux after a study found that they were ‘viable’ products. The software could ‘generate significant savings’, according to the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).

The OGC summary of the report says:

* Open Source Software is now a viable Desktop alternative for the majority of government users
* Interoperability is not now a major issue
* Open Source Software can generate significant savings, particularly in conjunction with Server consolidation and by delaying hardware replacement
* Potential ‘green’ benefits through the prolonging of hardware life, with less resources consumed in producing new hardware and less waste/disposal/landfill of old machines
* Decisions should be based on a holistic assessment of future needs, taking into account total cost of ownership, with proper consideration of both proprietary and open source solutions

OGC Chief Executive, John Oughton, said that the pilot studies underpinning the findings “have provided us with valuable evidence on Open Source Software. They show it could support government bodies by offering efficient and cost-effective IT solutions. Effective use of IT is a crucial element in the Government’s modernisation agenda. This Report will assist public sector bodies in making informed, value-for-money judgements when deciding upon which solution best suits their needs.”

Why not movies on the iPod? (Hint: Steve Jobs’s other job)

When launching the new photo-displaying iPod, Steve Jobs went to great pains to ridicule the idea of movies on iPod. This didn’t impress Russell Beattie, who thinks it may have something to with the fact that he runs a movie studio:

“Jobs had no problem promoting ‘ripping’ when he was ripping the Music Industry, did he? But ‘ripping’ a Pixar movie and suddenly Steve is talking about how video isn’t the right direction suddenly. Okay, sure. See you next year when the iPod Video is announced… it’ll be fun to hear the explanations then about how the ‘market is ready’ for the product, etc.”

Dang furriners, keep out!

Well, well. I’ve just tried to access Dubya’s official re-election website, www.georgewbush.com. I get an Access Denied You don’t have permission to access “http://www.georgewbush.com/” on this server message. And, according to the BBC, this is deliberate. “Surfers outside the US have been unable to visit the official re-election site of President George W Bush. The blocking of browsers sited outside the US began in the early hours of Monday morning. Since then people outside the US trying to browse the site get a message saying they are not authorised to view it. The blocking does not appear to be due to an attack by vandals or malicious hackers, but as a result of a policy decision by the Bush camp.”

John Kerry’s website, however, still welcomes furriners.

Update: The Bush camp claims the lockout is for ‘security’ reasons. An interesting thought is whether US soldiers serving in Iraq, or devout Bush supporters living outside the US, are likewise excluded from access to the site. If they are then the poor dears may find what they’re looking for at this address.

NYT comes out for John Kerry

Surprise, surprise! Good editorial though.

The Florida voting experience

Wonderful animated spoof by Boom Chicago. Very funny unless you know about Diebold voting machines. Thanks to Gerard for the link.

The new iPod…

… does indeed — as the rumours predicted — handle images as well as music.

Quote from NYT story:

“SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 26 – Apple Computer introduced on Tuesday its next generation iPod music player, which has the ability to display digital images as well as play songs.

The new iPod Photo, priced at $499 and $599, will be able to store up to 25,000 wallet-size digital images and display them on a television via a cable. It comes with 40-gigabyte or 60-gigabyte disk storage, capable of storing up to 15,000 songs.”

Footnote: At today’s exchange rate, (USD) 499 translates into (GBP) 272. So guess how much the 40GB model costs at the UK Apple store? Why (GBP) 359. What a racket.

Vorsprung durch technik

This image puzzles most people who aren’t interested in cars.

But for anyone who is interested in automobiles, it’s obvious: the filler cap on an Audi TT roadster!

The Cornell note-taking system

What every student should know.

Explanation here. Thanks to Ben for link.

Unstoppable eBay

Text version of my Observer column about eBay is here.

Google mail

I’ve been using Gmail for nearly a fortnight, and am very impressed at the slickness of the interface and the speed with which it works. Webmail used to be like wading through treacle. Gmail changes that. Jon Udell has done some poking under the bonnet/hood and come up with this informative account of how it’s done.