Future of IT in Lebanon
- From: BM <m-e-d-a-w-a-r@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 23:07:29 -0500
josephmouhanna wrote:
josephmouhanna wrote:
This explains it. This product is not open source. The license is very costly.
It's Linux, right? you say tomatoe, I say tomato... :-) So, if it's for the enterprise, it's not really a community effort, but a single company making decisions?
Let's get the definitions straight. Linux is an operating system kernel. You can't do much with Linux alone except to micro-control devices. Linux + GNU utilities make a usable "Linux/GNU" operating system. Linux/GNU are bundled as distributions. An agency that bundles a distribution makes an editorial selection what options available with the Linux Kernel to activate (compile) and what GNU utilities to include. A distribution editor may include other software, Perl, TeX, mysql, etc. A distribution may also include closed source software in the distribution. Linux is only the OS kernel. Everything else added above the Kernel (including the enterprise thingy by Novel) is not Linux proper.
Comparing Windows with Linux is not apt. MS labels as Windows not just the OS but everything else that ships on a Windows CD. MS does not make the distinction between the Windows OS kernel and the added Windows utilities. EU took MS to court to get it to un-bundle components from the OS.
It's not about the percentage of source code changes, it's about the number of APIs that must be supported in between generations of the OS.
There is a corrolation. To support more API's you need to add more source code.
OK, so I'm exaggerating a bit to illustrate a point, but this is based on hard core data and not theory (sorry, but the data is proprietary). If you say that having one company in control is bad for a number of reasons (absolute power, absolutely corrupts), then I will concur, but based on practical experience, I cannot agree with the notion that a private development environment is better than an open environment (there are pros and cons to both).
Everything in life has pros and cons.. except fundamentalism (all pros and no cons :-) )
[on open source]
This has yet to be proven in the field.
- Linux, some 25-35% of the installed server base (don't know the latest stat).
- Mozilla (BTW 1.5 just out) with some 10% of the market
- Apache with some 60-70% of the http server installed server base
- GNU cc
- Perl
- PHP
- and the list goes on
[..] Also, the Linux community's claim that Windows does not undergo extensive peer review (or peer review, period) is a myth (sorry, but I cannot elaborate).
I know, you will then have to shoot me :-)
[..] Also, don't assume that you cannot diff between versions of Windows (yes, developers who work for private companies know how to use development tools :-))
You *can* diff apples to oranges. Point is that the delta between different versions of Linux is small. It is in fact more cost effective (storage-wise) to distribute a Linux diff's then to distrubute a whole package.
I expect it to be easier than stopping at a gas station for a refill, the thing will never need refueling.
Perpetual machine? :-)
Sure, I have plenty of Windows horror stories. I'm countering your argument of no-complexity at the Linux level :-)
Hm.. I didn't claim that there are no-complexities at the Linux Level.
I can't, it's built into the motherboard. Corporations will continue to make decisions that make business sense.
Then your solution is a Linux friendly motherboard. What makes a piece of hardware Linux friendly or not is whether the vendor releases its spec's. If it does, a legion of developers will develop device drivers for it that could then make the next release of the Linux Kernel.
I'm not underestimating market dynamics, I was trying to remind you that they exist :-) Paradigm shifts are not always about applications, they're also pretty complex. The jump from horse power to internal combustion engines created a paradigm shift that rippled throughout everyone's lives. The invention of the transistor created a paradigm shift or similar proportions, building on that, the invention of the Integrated Circuit created a paradigm shift, and set the stage for another paradigm shift. This next paradigm shift happened gradually, and it was not about the killer app alone: first came the PC, then came VisiCalc which turned the PC into something more useful than a boat anchor, then came *standardization* (yes, brought to you by none other than the Emperor himself), and that set the stage for mass production of PCs, next came the graphical user interface (brought to you by Xerox, and emulated by Apple, Microsoft and eventually Linux), then came the Internet, at which point, this paradigm shift is somewhat completed.
All examples above are about killer apps by any other name:
- from horse power to internal combustion: killer app engine => car - transistor => small Radio - IC => computer
Standards are not set by a company. They are set by standard bodies. Of course a company could inovate a technology that gets adopted by a standards body.
What is the next paradigm shift? is it Linux? no, Linux part of the existing paradigm shift.
Linux is just an app (in the context above).. not a paradigm shift. Open source is a paradigm shift. What's the next paradigm shift? Perhaps computing as a utility.. just plug it into the wall... or better yet.. wireless cities.. the apps move to centralized locations.. people use communicators (tablets for example made by multiple vendors).. the communicators would only have simple hardware (input/output) components. No moving parts.. turn the communicator on, handshake with one of many hosting vendors using any number of local wireless vendors.. hosting vendors host any number of competing applications.. etc. Key concept here is multisourcing:
- of products - mutiple communicator vendors - of services - wireless communcation, hosting services - of applications that run on hosting services
Competition drives prices down. Quality drives prices up. People chose (better price vs better quiality) based on needs and means.
Now you may ask what OS the hosting services run :-) Take a look at the server market for the shape of things to come. Currently the breakdown is about (don't quote me):
1/3 Linux 1/3 Windows 1/? Unix (RS/6000, Solaris, etc.) 1/? Other (mainframe, etc.)
The server market is a totally different arena then consumer desktop.
OK, so I'm dated as well, doom rules :-)
A couple years ago I got me an Xbox just to see what the fuss is about. To my dismay I found that my 7 year old nephew has better hand-eye coordination :-) As I got older I drifted more towards "strategy" games. The slower the game, the better for me :-)
We'll talk when Halo and Half-Life are available on Linux.
Halo is a MS product.. you won't see it on Linux in our lifetimes. http://www.microsoft.com/games/halo/default.asp
Half-Life is apparently on Linux: http://lhl.linuxgames.com/
If I tell you, I would have to eliminate you :-)
Here is the website: http://laptop.media.mit.edu/
The closest to a spec is apparently a FAQ: http://laptop.media.mit.edu/faq.html
There's not much available in terms of public specs (to my knowledge). I base my comments in this thread on publicly available information. This is a *proposed* laptop. [..]
Thanks for the info.
Let's start by defining what Lebanon needs. Lebanon needs a curriculum incorporating the Internet and connectivity as part of the teaching experience. [..]
It is interesting that you frame the need in pedagogic terms.
I think it is fair to say that there are a variety of needs for multiple uses. A housewife need for computing is other than a company CEO need, is other than a student need.
Looking at the available info that you stated and I glmipsed from the MIT website it looks like this device is a little more than a toy.
I frame Lebanon softwre needs in two broad categories by price:
- Pay software (PS) - Free software (FS)
Both should be available and promoted as viable alternatives to piracy.
All segments of the society could use both. For example schools and businesses might have a few PS PC's and many FS PC's.
Of course the price of the hardware has to be affordable.. mass production/import of components and local assembly would defray the cost. Of course, quality control of some sort is needed so that locally assembled PC's would meet some standard qualification test. The test could be run by a user at purchase time so that the performance test result would help drive the price of the hardware. Laws must be passed to protect the consumer so that a minimum warrantee is implied. People who assemble PC's could be licensed to ensure compliance with consumer protection laws.
As far as infrastructure, the better the merrier. There is an initial investment cost that the society has to accept. The funding can be privatized if there is a safe return on investments. The government needs to get out of the monopoly control business. Communications laws should be liberalized to create multi-sourcing competition while ensuring consumer protection at the same time.
BTW, the Linux discussion is very relevant to Lebanon.
Agreed..
If an IT industry were to develop in Lebanon, then the question should be what would bring the biggest bang for the investment. It's all about the bottom line, as in how much can you make by selling an X number of copies of your products. If that number is large, then the investment you make in your development system is irrelevant relative to the returns.
For a healthy IT industry to develop, it has to be based on the creation of intellectual property (IP) assets and not just consumption of imported goods. For this to happen, IP must be protected. Of course there is always going to be (needs to be) a service-based component to the IT industry. From my perspective it appears that the service component today exceeds 99% of the IT market share. Investments in the IT services segment means importing hardware (devices, switches, communications gear, etc.) There is little growh that can be achieved with the service segment because the paying base is small (within Lebanon geographic confines). Whereas if IP based segment (software/hardware/gadget creation) expands then the products are exportable and are not limited to the small Lebanon population market.
There should be some hedge betting, but the bulk of resources should be directed toward what makes commercial sense for Lebanon, and sorry Bassem, but the calculated business decision made by the guy in the business suit, is what will put a meal on the table at the end of the day.
The problem is precisely the end-of-the-day, short term, get-rich-quick, scope. There needs to be national long term planning where the society's long term interest is considered. This type of planning can not be done by a business suit looking to put a meal on the table at the end of the day.
One Lebanese government national IT planning strategy a few years back was to cut a sweetheart deal with a large global software company (that shall remain anonymous) to cut the price of software sold to students. That's it! Pitiful! And it was only done to pass an IP protection law!
bassem .
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Future of IT in Lebanon
- From: josephmouhanna
- Re: Future of IT in Lebanon
- Prev by Date: Re: How to
- Next by Date: British mercenaries in Iraq
- Previous by thread: Re: Ahalan wa Sahlan bil CHABEB!
- Next by thread: Re: Future of IT in Lebanon
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
