Firefox Sponsored Tiles Advert Strategy: Do You Object?

Mozilla Firefox nightly builds now include Sponsored Tiles on the 'New Tab' page Here is the issue:  Firefox has survived on Advertisement revenue right along.  Yes?   Most of their revenue is based on a contract with Google which has been confirmed will end in November 2014, unless Google has a change of heart and renews. Consequently, Mozilla is looking at contingency planning and has now added Sponsored Tiles to their nightly...

Read More

The Linux Distro Repository System Safety Assurance

(Image credit: ablogabouthistory.com) THE LINUX DISTRIBUTION REPOSITORY CONCEPT Most people don't give a thought to this subject.  In fact, with Legacy Windows (x86), including Windows 8.1, there is no such concept as a 'repository'. Every Linux Distribution (call it a 'flavor' if that helps), provides its own repository.  What is a repository?  Imagine a Castle (Library of Applications) with a moat around it and a draw bridge....

Read More

Google Does Evil. And Then Some.

Every day, I go about my business using my computer tools, all the whilst thinking about what I am doing.  Specifically, I am most concerned about Privacy on the Internet. We all know what that means at this point and given past events that punctuate the need for Privacy Protection, I see little being done about it, in particular, by Google. You see, Google stands to profit on every little piece of meta data connected to you.  Use...

Read More

Patch as Patch Can

(Image credit:  theregister.co.uk) What happens when you use proprietary code?  This story from The Register is quite representative. Yes.  Google Chrome is proprietary.  Chromium is Open Source. Open Source Chromium gets looked at by 'many eyes' and that is by Contributors across the Globe Folks. Bugs get fixed quickly. With any piece of proprietary code, including Chrome, only the employees who work as developers...

Read More

Cry Babies Cry. Programmers Code.

A schism of sorts is forming in the Debian developer community as one developer has gone on record to formally criticize Debian's decision to adopt systemd in an Open Letter to the Linux World. Here's what I have to say to Mr. Christopher Barry and others who may agree with his viewpoint.  Accept it.  Systemd is a done deal.  It's here for good reasons whether you realize it or not.  But I hope you eventually grasp why...

Read More