HCoder.org

I read that Office 2007 won’t support ISO’s OOXML. There are two things I find funny in there:

1. After pushing for making OOXML a “standard format” (as in ISO), Microsoft is not implementing the standard spec after all (and won’t until some future version).
2. Microsoft is going to support ODF (competing, open format).

Of course, they want people to use a non-standard OOXML (the one currently in Office 2007 apparently), so they aren’t really in a hurry to support ISO’s OOXML, and their ODF support will probably not be perfect, so they’re just doing the usual stuff, trying to get people to use some format that they are in a better position to support. Oh well.

Nine Inch Nails released their new album, The Slip, under a Creative Commons license. You are actually encouraged to “remix it share it with your friends, post it on your blog, play it on your podcast, give it to strangers, etc.”. After reading that, I couldn’t resist giving away my e-mail address to download it. There is an MP3 version and two FLAC versions, including a very high quality one.

Kudos to them. I just listened to the album for the first time, I will probably like it when I can make an informed opinion. At least the first impression was better than with Year Zero.

Also, looking around in the Net I was saw that they seem to be good Internet citizens, having at least a YouTube and Flickr users…

One week ago (but I just noticed), FFII published this press release about McCreevy trying to legalise Software Patents. I haven’t had time to read the whole thing, but this is just amazing. I mean, doesn’t Mr. McCreevy get fucking bored, if nothing else?

We don’t want your filthy software patents. We have said so many many times. Now go and [censored] yourself, find something useful to do for Europe.

I admit I don’t get it. Tons of people are using Git these days, and most of them seem incredibly happy with it. I don’t really have any relevant experience with it (just used a couple of days), but I didn’t like it that much. Feels weird, clunky and complicated (especially, the interface is horrid, but then I’m used to Darcs so I’m biased/spoilt there).

Yeah, yeah. So everyone says that Git’s power lies in the concepts it’s built on, and that they’re different from other VCS, and you have to learn all that to really “get” Git. But at the same time they admit the documentation sucks and doesn’t really help you understand it. So, to be enlightened you have to play a lot with it then. I just don’t feel like it. I’m just afraid that all that power… well, I just won’t give a shit about it, to put it bluntly. Having a quick look at the net, the arguments supporting Git seem to sound really obscure or not that life saving to me.

And yes, I realise that sounds like the Blub Paradox in Beating the averages, but I just can’t see how a revision control system can be so wonderful and make a difference for small and medium projects. I have no doubt Git does make a difference every single day for the Linux kernel, but when most (non free software) projects work “not that bad” even with a centralised VCS like Subversion, is there really any important feature that Git can add vs. any other distributed system (I’m thinking mostly Mercurial here)? Isn’t the interface going to have a much bigger impact in everyday work (and everyone seem to agree that Git’s still sucks)?

Personally, I’m looking forward to certain talk about Git, to see if it will make me see the light ;-)

I just read in Aaron Seigo’s blog a very nice message from a user that proves that free software is making a difference in many areas, even in some that we don’t usually think about. Some quote:

I cant tell you how much I appreciate the work you all have done. Its a work of art. If I could thank each and every one of you I would.

You have given her the world to learn and explore.

So if you get frustrated or tired in your work for Open Source/Free Software, just remember that somewhere in Missouri there is a 14 year-old girl named Hope, an A-student who runs on the track team, who is now your biggest fan and one of the newest users of Linux/Ubuntu.

Although I haven’t really participated in KDE or Ubuntu (not directly anyway), I too feel proud of what we, as a community, have created. Also, like that person, I feel very thankful for everything I have learned and got from the free software community.

Cheers guys, you all rock!

I just got my OLPC. It’s sweet (and green!). I’ll take pictures and post them later…

w00t!

EDIT: And now I have Opera!

So, the other day I was reading about Scientology, and I stumble upon the Space opera in Scientology scripture. Apart from the odd article title, I couldn’t help but noticing the picture on the right. It has the following footer: “Hubbard said that the galactic ruler Xenu transported his victims to Earth in interstellar space planes which looked exactly like Douglas DC-8s”.

“Wow”, I thought, “that looks like a picture (and comment) from Uncyclopedia, not Wikipedia”. So, obviously, right after thinking that I just go to Uncyclopedia and check the Scientology page. It’s just hilarious, don’t miss it ;-) Apart from the funny reference to the poor journalist in that BBC documentary, it says things like:

Please be aware that Scientology’s beliefs are so absurd to begin with, that writing an Uncycopedia article about it is a massively difficult undertaking.

Not to mention that their parody of the plane is almost exactly the same :-)