the new topyli standard » random http://www.siltala.net Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:19:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Free OS for Human Beings made more feasible? http://www.siltala.net/2007/02/08/free-os-for-human-beings-made-more-feasible/ http://www.siltala.net/2007/02/08/free-os-for-human-beings-made-more-feasible/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2007 22:00:00 +0000 admin http://topyli.kapsi.fi/2007/02/08/free-os-for-human-beings-made-more-feasible/ Today I learned that Linspire and Canonical have just announced a significant partnership. Both companies produce a Debian-based desktop distribution, but they approach the problem of bringing Linux to the masses differently. Ubuntu proclaims to be first and foremost a Free Software distribution, while Linspire boasts with its proprietary drivers and codecs to make all the evil file formats and mystery hardware work out of the box.

A combination of both would be ideal from the user’s point of view, wouldn’t it? Free OS for humans who just wants stuff to work. This deal could bring such an OS closer to Ubuntu users. Here’s the shortest possible version of the FAQ issued by the companies:

  • In the future, Linspire will be based on Ubuntu rather than directly on Debian
  • Linspire’s Click-N-Run service will be available on Ubuntu so that users can easily get proprietary drivers multimedia codecs and applications on their systems

I don’t know enough about Linspire to be able to say much about what this means to them. It might well be easier for them to build desktop-only systems on Ubuntu and have some of the Humanization work already done for them.

For Ubuntu, the integration of CNR could solve one of the most pressing problems: the Evil Proprietary Driver and Codec problem.

  • Canonical can ship a 100% free distribution and users will know their operating system is not evil when they install it
  • Users can, if they wish, easily install whatever proprietary stuff they need / want and purchase appropriate licenses for them (if Click-N-Run lives up to its name, it must be easy). No more system and upgrade breakage after newbies try to find and install their “essential” flash plugin or WMA codec.

So, all in all this is probably a good deal for both distributions and companies, and the users of both.

]]> http://www.siltala.net/2007/02/08/free-os-for-human-beings-made-more-feasible/feed/ 0 Lost in translation? http://www.siltala.net/2006/12/11/lost-in-translation/ http://www.siltala.net/2006/12/11/lost-in-translation/#comments Mon, 11 Dec 2006 13:30:00 +0000 admin http://topyli.kapsi.fi/2006/12/11/lost-in-translation/ I’ts fun enough to let machines translate a piece of text to another language and then back again, to see what happens to the meaning.

I hope not too many english speakers die laughing when they get their hands on this Revenge of the Sith DVD.

]]> http://www.siltala.net/2006/12/11/lost-in-translation/feed/ 0 Nerds http://www.siltala.net/2006/10/24/nerds/ http://www.siltala.net/2006/10/24/nerds/#comments Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:20:00 +0000 admin http://topyli.kapsi.fi/2006/10/24/nerds/ (19:04:49) Vuen: Chewbacca is made with curly brackets
(19:04:50) Vuen: omfg
(19:04:53) Vuen: i'm loling my ass off
(19:07:04) topyli: this is too nerdy. watching ascii star wars over telnet, with another nerd on irc
(19:07:10) Vuen: hahaha
(19:07:21) Vuen: yep this is up there with the nerdiest things i've ever done
(19:07:56) sharperguy: i want some e-corn

ASCII Star Wars

You can watch the ASCII Star Wars by telnetting to towel.blinkenlights.nl

]]> http://www.siltala.net/2006/10/24/nerds/feed/ 0 All Your Base Are Belong to Kim http://www.siltala.net/2006/10/11/all-your-base-are-belong-to-kim/ http://www.siltala.net/2006/10/11/all-your-base-are-belong-to-kim/#comments Wed, 11 Oct 2006 12:20:00 +0000 admin http://topyli.kapsi.fi/2006/10/11/all-your-base-are-belong-to-kim/ North Korea’s nuclear experiment has effects on the Internet too, of course. I think this GIF was inevitable. Leaders really should take more responsibility of their actions. Don’t they see that whenever they’re acting stupid, the Interweb will place sanctions immediately, and the sanctions have a devastating effect on netizens’ productivity!

Thanks to tigert for the discovery.

]]> http://www.siltala.net/2006/10/11/all-your-base-are-belong-to-kim/feed/ 0 The best blonde joke ever! http://www.siltala.net/2006/09/24/the-best-blonde-joke-ever/ http://www.siltala.net/2006/09/24/the-best-blonde-joke-ever/#comments Sun, 24 Sep 2006 13:55:00 +0000 admin http://topyli.kapsi.fi/2006/09/24/the-best-blonde-joke-ever/ I never post jokes on my blog (being the serious fellow I am,) but I have to make an exception for the Best Blonde Joke Ever!

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