What if they released an OS and nobody cared?

Vista at the tipping point | Tech News on ZDNet

No matter how much spin is put on this launch, it's a disaster. There's simply no excitement about it. Most quotes from businesses are about how much of a chore it will be to upgrade, with warnings about how much old software will be incompatible and how people will have to buy new machines just to run it. No one actually wants this new system, except Microsoft and some of the hardware vendors who are desperately hoping Vista will revitalize moribund computer sales.

I think the day of the big-bang operating system release will die with Vista. This kind of upgrade has become obsolete. It might have made sense in the age of disconnected computers, where an upgrade involved a PC technician going to each desktop with a CD-ROM, but with the advent of Internet-connected PCs it's crazy. People want to simply keep patching their existing systems remotely and securely until eventually all of the original code has been replaced and you're running a new operating system. This at least is something we in the Open Source/Free Software community have become very good at, as it mirrors the very environment we need to create our software in the first place.

The good, the bad, and the beautiful

The good: got in my walk at lunchtime. The good one, taking the hill both ways. Got a fair amount done, besides: made it through the patent application I'm reviewing the draft of, and got started on tech reports.

The bad: it took me over an hour to get to work, thanks to a serious accident on I280. Youch!

The beautiful: when I finally did get to work, the little 120-cell I ordered yesterday was sitting there waiting for me. It's gorgeous; you can really get lost in there. Pix tomorrow maybe.