I noticed a piece in The Australian today about the terrible situation schools in South Australia find themselves in.
If you ever wonder what the impact of the Microsoft monopoly is just read this article and realise that our schools are being forced to pay huge license fees to the Satan from Seattle. That's taxpayer money being shipped overseas at a great rate because of vendor lock in, monopoly behaviour and the cowardice of both state and federal governments to tell MS to take a huge hike.
When will someone in government realise that we could be spending that money hiring Aussie programmers to improve Linux so that Australian schools and governments could use it. More than 25% of the federal government grant to schools is being wasted on the license fees for a third-rate bootloader suffering from feature creep.
I'd say I was appalled but I passed appalled years ago. I think we should tell MS that if they want to sell their fourth-rate, bug-ridden, insecure operating system in this country they can grant all schools and universities a free license.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
What's This Chrome?
So the big news on the 'net is the release of the Chromium beta from Google. Google have unveiled the long rumoured web browser.
This is an important event on a number of levels, remember Google would be happiest if you lived in the browser using Google products (where they can show you advertising) rather than in a stand alone application. To do that Chrome is a smart move, they need better browsers and throwing real competition into the space can only help.
So I downloaded it. I'm not going to comment on speed or stability for several reasons. First, it's a beta - we'll give them some slack. Second, I'm running it in Fusion on a Mac. Third, my copy of Fusion is the release candidate for v2. Hey, if it runs it's a bonus.
Before We Run
Before we have a look inside the browser itself let's have a look at some of the things Google has done below the UI to make this a better browser.
The most important is that they have split each tab into a separate process. Modern CPUs are perfectly capable of running multiple processes each with multiple threads, until now browsers have ignored that and been single process, single thread. that was all well and good when all we were doing was looking up information on fairly static web sites, but now we run multiple tabs with our word processing, mail and calendar inside the browser and view web pages that include movies.
Shifting each browser tab into its own process offers a wealth of advantages. The most obvious to the user will be that things don't stop in one tab when one is busy. It will also mean that a hung tab will be less likely to take the whole browser down. Then it also has benefits for memory management, where closing a tab will take all the memory requirements with it.
The other important move is to a new architecture for the JavaScript engine. When we all started using JavaScript we had a few lines per web page, now we are loading enormously large libraries for AJAX and user interface. It once made sense to have a JavaScript interpreter, the runtime advantage of compiling in the browser was outweighed by the time it took. Now you can gain a speed boost in your web applications by compiling the JavaScript after you read it and then running much faster.
First Look
When you run Chromium the first thing you will notice is that the top appears upside down. Rather than being under the address bar the tabs are now at the top. You also get a new tab button at the right of the current tabs.
There is also a lot less UI to go around. There is no menubar at all. The top bar of the tab has just two menus at the right. If the web page requires no scrollbars then there are nothing on the edges either. It will be interesting to see how they handle this on the Mac, with its permanent menubar.
Tab handling is nice. You can easily shuffle them, rip one up or down and you can create a new window. You can even shove the new window back in to the old one.
The whole look and feel of Chromium seems to be aiming at minimizing the feel of being in a browser.
What Does It All Mean For Me?
Google have made move into the browser market for one good reason. They want us all using a better browser so we spend more and more time inside it, preferably using Google products so they can show us advertising. Despite giving a lot of money to Mozilla they haven't really started a genuine browser war, the two major contenders are Firefox, used by the smart folks, and the bloated Internet Explorer, used by the default folks and the corporates forced to by their lazy corporate programmers.
So Google had to build their own. They need a more resilient, faster and more secure web browser so that we use it more. The other element that comes into this is that Google don't even need to win the browser war. So long as they start Microsoft, Mozilla and to a lesser extent Apple (remember all those iPhones running Mobile Safari) moving in the same direction towards fast, secure, stable web browsers they win.
Seen in this light we can even start to see the Android project as the exact same move. With more and more of us using our mobile phone as a second computer and browsing the web Google want a good web browser with a good interface and screen in our phones. Certainly Nokia, Motorola and Sony-Ericsson weren't really delivering which gave Apple a wide open market for the iPhone. So Google needs Android to push the competition along, give the iPhone some competition and get the big three actually delivering on their promise of the mobile web.
So, in conclusion, what Chromium means to you and I is a major push in the performance and stability of our web browser. Even if you never run Chromium then you will benefit from the work and money Google is spending (they are giving the source way, after all) in your current favourite browser on both your computer and your phone. The real laugh in all of this is that Microsoft can't not compete in delivering a better browser and as the browser improves we will be less and less concerned with the operating system and more and more with web applications.
This is an important event on a number of levels, remember Google would be happiest if you lived in the browser using Google products (where they can show you advertising) rather than in a stand alone application. To do that Chrome is a smart move, they need better browsers and throwing real competition into the space can only help.
So I downloaded it. I'm not going to comment on speed or stability for several reasons. First, it's a beta - we'll give them some slack. Second, I'm running it in Fusion on a Mac. Third, my copy of Fusion is the release candidate for v2. Hey, if it runs it's a bonus.
Before We Run
Before we have a look inside the browser itself let's have a look at some of the things Google has done below the UI to make this a better browser.
The most important is that they have split each tab into a separate process. Modern CPUs are perfectly capable of running multiple processes each with multiple threads, until now browsers have ignored that and been single process, single thread. that was all well and good when all we were doing was looking up information on fairly static web sites, but now we run multiple tabs with our word processing, mail and calendar inside the browser and view web pages that include movies.
Shifting each browser tab into its own process offers a wealth of advantages. The most obvious to the user will be that things don't stop in one tab when one is busy. It will also mean that a hung tab will be less likely to take the whole browser down. Then it also has benefits for memory management, where closing a tab will take all the memory requirements with it.
The other important move is to a new architecture for the JavaScript engine. When we all started using JavaScript we had a few lines per web page, now we are loading enormously large libraries for AJAX and user interface. It once made sense to have a JavaScript interpreter, the runtime advantage of compiling in the browser was outweighed by the time it took. Now you can gain a speed boost in your web applications by compiling the JavaScript after you read it and then running much faster.
First Look
When you run Chromium the first thing you will notice is that the top appears upside down. Rather than being under the address bar the tabs are now at the top. You also get a new tab button at the right of the current tabs.
There is also a lot less UI to go around. There is no menubar at all. The top bar of the tab has just two menus at the right. If the web page requires no scrollbars then there are nothing on the edges either. It will be interesting to see how they handle this on the Mac, with its permanent menubar.
Tab handling is nice. You can easily shuffle them, rip one up or down and you can create a new window. You can even shove the new window back in to the old one.
The whole look and feel of Chromium seems to be aiming at minimizing the feel of being in a browser.
What Does It All Mean For Me?
Google have made move into the browser market for one good reason. They want us all using a better browser so we spend more and more time inside it, preferably using Google products so they can show us advertising. Despite giving a lot of money to Mozilla they haven't really started a genuine browser war, the two major contenders are Firefox, used by the smart folks, and the bloated Internet Explorer, used by the default folks and the corporates forced to by their lazy corporate programmers.
So Google had to build their own. They need a more resilient, faster and more secure web browser so that we use it more. The other element that comes into this is that Google don't even need to win the browser war. So long as they start Microsoft, Mozilla and to a lesser extent Apple (remember all those iPhones running Mobile Safari) moving in the same direction towards fast, secure, stable web browsers they win.
Seen in this light we can even start to see the Android project as the exact same move. With more and more of us using our mobile phone as a second computer and browsing the web Google want a good web browser with a good interface and screen in our phones. Certainly Nokia, Motorola and Sony-Ericsson weren't really delivering which gave Apple a wide open market for the iPhone. So Google needs Android to push the competition along, give the iPhone some competition and get the big three actually delivering on their promise of the mobile web.
So, in conclusion, what Chromium means to you and I is a major push in the performance and stability of our web browser. Even if you never run Chromium then you will benefit from the work and money Google is spending (they are giving the source way, after all) in your current favourite browser on both your computer and your phone. The real laugh in all of this is that Microsoft can't not compete in delivering a better browser and as the browser improves we will be less and less concerned with the operating system and more and more with web applications.
Friday, August 29, 2008
New Tutorial at Macintosh Tech People
I’ve posted a new tutorial in the Macintosh Tech People wiki, “Safe, Secure Image Serving with Mac OS X Server.”
It details the method I’ve developed for using NetBoot and NetRestore to allow imaging Macs across a wide campus by a number of different groups while limiting access to the core setup of your Server. Hope you find it useful.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Andy speaks!
Ok, excuse me for a moment while I go a little weak at the knees.
Andy Hertzfeld has been interviewed by James Turner over at O'Reilly. The Mac at 25 discusses some interesting stuff about the Mac. Since Andy doesn't speak too often I'm going to have to read every word three times. It's a great interview. Andy Hertzfeld is up there with Brian Kernighan, Dennis Ritchie and Bill Atkinson in my pantheon. (Yes, I know - Larry Tesler, Bruce Horn, Bill Joy, Aho and others were major influences on my favourite OSes but those four are the rock stars.)
I'd forgotten he was now working a Google. I knew there was a reason I liked Google. Go and read the interview immediately and then buy Andy's book "Revolution in the Valley".
Disclaimer: O'Reilly like me almost as much as I like them.
Andy Hertzfeld has been interviewed by James Turner over at O'Reilly. The Mac at 25 discusses some interesting stuff about the Mac. Since Andy doesn't speak too often I'm going to have to read every word three times. It's a great interview. Andy Hertzfeld is up there with Brian Kernighan, Dennis Ritchie and Bill Atkinson in my pantheon. (Yes, I know - Larry Tesler, Bruce Horn, Bill Joy, Aho and others were major influences on my favourite OSes but those four are the rock stars.)
I'd forgotten he was now working a Google. I knew there was a reason I liked Google
Disclaimer: O'Reilly like me almost as much as I like them.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Oh no, Apple's grabbed my TV
On Friday a colleague returned after lunch with an Apple TV - a local electrical retailer was selling them for half price.
Well considering that it's running OS X under all that GUI goodness it was too hard to resist. I went and bought one for myself with a HDMI cable so I could hook it up to my HD TV.
Oh joy, oh rapture. The quality of the picture and the ease of use are phenomenal. My one complaint is that there is no fast forward or reverse using the Apple remote. I may have to see abou hacking the software to fix that. I've also discovered instructions for replacing the hard drive with a larger one though the current 40GB drive would seem to be fine at the moment - I have a lot of music and photos on there along with a dozen music clips and five movies without even half filling it.
My one problem is that I am quickly running out of HD inputs on the TV. When I get a Blu-Ray player (I'm thinking a Playstation 3 for Xmas if Santa is kind) I'll have to get a switch box I fear.
Well considering that it's running OS X under all that GUI goodness it was too hard to resist. I went and bought one for myself with a HDMI cable so I could hook it up to my HD TV.
Oh joy, oh rapture. The quality of the picture and the ease of use are phenomenal. My one complaint is that there is no fast forward or reverse using the Apple remote. I may have to see abou hacking the software to fix that. I've also discovered instructions for replacing the hard drive with a larger one though the current 40GB drive would seem to be fine at the moment - I have a lot of music and photos on there along with a dozen music clips and five movies without even half filling it.
My one problem is that I am quickly running out of HD inputs on the TV. When I get a Blu-Ray player (I'm thinking a Playstation 3 for Xmas if Santa is kind) I'll have to get a switch box I fear.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Mac Tech People launches (sort of)
Recently I sent out the following email to a number of people. I thought I'd repost it here. If you're interested in building a first class resource for Macintosh support and tech folk join me.
Hi,
I've recently been thinking about the gathering places for Mac technical people in the net – what is available and what is missing. So what is missing?
I've wanted a good blog that gives me just the news on tools for administering and supporting Macs.
I've wanted a wiki with well written articles telling me what I need to know to deploy or support Mac systems, particularly in the middle of a Windows centred world, or that I can point desktop support staff to when they need answers. Good answers that link to further information when they need it.
I've wanted a discussion forum to get together with my peers to talk about possible solutions to some of the harder problems.
I want to do this in a place uncluttered by discussion of the best way to replace the Dock or the best application for running "Getting Things Done".
At work we have a wiki that is starting to contain some good quality how-to articles. Problem is you need to be senior IT staff to read it. No junior staff and certainly no one outside the organisation can read it, so what's the point? I'd prefer to contribute to somewhere I can send less skilled support staff.
Where can you find it?
I've been looking for a website that included a technical wiki as well as a forum and news. Most of the sites with forums are pitched at mid level Mac users operating on their own computer or there are a few that cater to the huge organisation looking after hundreds of Macs where infrastructure can be devoted to supporting them. Where are the places for people supporting anything from a dozen to a several hundred Macs, often in the middle of a larger Windows infrastructure? Most of the news sites offer more rumour and gossip than solid news about the tools we use.
I've started the task!
I've come up with a concept for a website designed to fill the void. I've built a site that uses WordPress with SimpleForum integrated with Dokuwiki. I even have single sign on tieing both together. I've also registered a domain name – mactechpeople.com .
What am I offering you? I'm offering you the opportunity to help shape the final concept and design of the site – how to break up the forums into topics, how to break up the wiki into topics, what sort of membership we might want to invite or attract.
You will also gain a place on the net to share your technical knowledge with the right people and get the right answers to our shared problems.
Come help build it!
In return I'd like your assistance in populating the wiki with some good reference material. I'd like your help in fashioning a good discussion forum.
I will provide the place for you to do it. You don't even have to be a great writer – since this is a wiki we can all help each other improve the quality – personally I have more than a decade's experience writing and editing documentation and magazines. If you provide the information I can help with writing skills.
At the moment I'm limiting this offer to a small number of people who will become moderators of the site. Get in on the ground floor and create something useful for yourself and others.
Register now
At the moment I'm keeping the site quiet so go to http://www.mactechpeople.com and register. You will then receive an email from me telling you of your acceptance into the beta program once I upgrade you to moderator. You can have a look at the design, see some of my articles in the wiki and post your thoughts in the forum.
While you're waiting for that email you might think of one or two people you know who'd also benefit from joining the beta program, perhaps you feel you can't contribute. Feel free to pass this offer along to – just make sure you've registered first. You wouldn't want them to take the last spot offered ahead of you.
Yours,
Tony Williams
Hi,
I've recently been thinking about the gathering places for Mac technical people in the net – what is available and what is missing. So what is missing?
I've wanted a good blog that gives me just the news on tools for administering and supporting Macs.
I've wanted a wiki with well written articles telling me what I need to know to deploy or support Mac systems, particularly in the middle of a Windows centred world, or that I can point desktop support staff to when they need answers. Good answers that link to further information when they need it.
I've wanted a discussion forum to get together with my peers to talk about possible solutions to some of the harder problems.
I want to do this in a place uncluttered by discussion of the best way to replace the Dock or the best application for running "Getting Things Done".
At work we have a wiki that is starting to contain some good quality how-to articles. Problem is you need to be senior IT staff to read it. No junior staff and certainly no one outside the organisation can read it, so what's the point? I'd prefer to contribute to somewhere I can send less skilled support staff.
Where can you find it?
I've been looking for a website that included a technical wiki as well as a forum and news. Most of the sites with forums are pitched at mid level Mac users operating on their own computer or there are a few that cater to the huge organisation looking after hundreds of Macs where infrastructure can be devoted to supporting them. Where are the places for people supporting anything from a dozen to a several hundred Macs, often in the middle of a larger Windows infrastructure? Most of the news sites offer more rumour and gossip than solid news about the tools we use.
I've started the task!
I've come up with a concept for a website designed to fill the void. I've built a site that uses WordPress with SimpleForum integrated with Dokuwiki. I even have single sign on tieing both together. I've also registered a domain name – mactechpeople.com
What am I offering you? I'm offering you the opportunity to help shape the final concept and design of the site – how to break up the forums into topics, how to break up the wiki into topics, what sort of membership we might want to invite or attract.
You will also gain a place on the net to share your technical knowledge with the right people and get the right answers to our shared problems.
Come help build it!
In return I'd like your assistance in populating the wiki with some good reference material. I'd like your help in fashioning a good discussion forum.
I will provide the place for you to do it. You don't even have to be a great writer – since this is a wiki we can all help each other improve the quality – personally I have more than a decade's experience writing and editing documentation and magazines. If you provide the information I can help with writing skills.
At the moment I'm limiting this offer to a small number of people who will become moderators of the site. Get in on the ground floor and create something useful for yourself and others.
Register now
At the moment I'm keeping the site quiet so go to
While you're waiting for that email you might think of one or two people you know who'd also benefit from joining the beta program, perhaps you feel you can't contribute. Feel free to pass this offer along to – just make sure you've registered first. You wouldn't want them to take the last spot offered ahead of you.
Yours,
Tony Williams
Monday, August 4, 2008
Looking for Mac sysadmins and support people for new project
I've been working away on a new project that will give something back to the Macntosh community. I'm currently looking fo other Mac sysadmins and support people who would like to be involved.
I'm excited about the idea and the few people I have shared my idea with share my enthusiasm. I don't want to say too much until we are ready to launch on the world but it is a way of sharing information and expertise that I believe is unique in the field.
If you are currently supporting Macs then this is a project I believe you will want to be a part of.
I'm also looking for someone who has more expertise than me in web design and CSS. I don't have that much expertise so if you have a little and want a project to expand your knowledge then this might be the one for you.
I hope you want to take part. If you do the drop me a line or add a comment to this post and you can be part of the team. You can reach me at tonyw at honestpuck dot com
I'm excited about the idea and the few people I have shared my idea with share my enthusiasm. I don't want to say too much until we are ready to launch on the world but it is a way of sharing information and expertise that I believe is unique in the field.
If you are currently supporting Macs then this is a project I believe you will want to be a part of.
I'm also looking for someone who has more expertise than me in web design and CSS. I don't have that much expertise so if you have a little and want a project to expand your knowledge then this might be the one for you.
I hope you want to take part. If you do the drop me a line or add a comment to this post and you can be part of the team. You can reach me at tonyw at honestpuck dot com
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