the great software blog

In the category of “I’m not falling for that again,” I suggest we take 2010 off as a year of predictions. Your tech life will get smaller, smarter, and more mobile. But it will not necessarily be cheaper.

As computing has gradually moved toward the cloud in the past three years, one may not have noticed until Google announced its Chrome OS this week. But as Microsoft and Apple have put their money on locking in users by controlling their platforms in consistently more restrictive ways through patenting everything they can think of, [...]

The Chrome OS demo on YouTube. Very exciting. Windows users unfamiliar with Linux’s multiple desktop feature will be in for a surprise (or be pissed that Windows doesn’t have this old, old feature)!
If I’m spending 90% of my time online and 10% inside applications, Chrome OS is going to be nice. The fact that I [...]

Google’s Chrome OS, is based on Google’s Chrome web browser and the Linux kernel. What Chrome represents, however, is something much larger and far more significant for consumers than is realized with regard to data storage, IT and software licensing costs, and hardware savings.

With Chrome, the web and the browser are united as the platform [...]

I’m amazed at how many stories appear out of nowhere and land in major publications praising Microsoft’s press releases. The innumerable Bing stories alone are laughable in their content. They read very much like the typically hyped iPhone stories, and the themes read like press release talking points.
But love or hate Microsoft (I proudly hate [...]

If so, how much? Except for letters to family members who don’t have internet access, I’ve printed virtually nothing in the last three years. I want to blame it on expensive print cartridges and the rising cost of paper, but it’s just not needed (for me).

Let me explain. I’m finally learning that it’s not features that sell software, it’s the benefits the user gets from using the software. Self-evident, right? You’d think so, but software companies are not getting it.
For example, Gmail doesn’t have many features compared to a desktop email program, but its spam detection is pretty fantastic, making [...]

Cloud computing can win if it overcomes the following ten obstacles (PDF), so say UC Berkeley researchers.
1. Availability of service
2. Data lock-in
3. Data confidentiality and auditability
4. Data transfer bottlenecks
5. Performance unpredictability
6. Scalable storage
7. Bugs in large distributed systems
8. Scaling quickly
9. Reputation fate sharing
10. Software licensing
The biggest obstacle is #2: data lock-in via proprietary formats. That’s [...]