Pissed that all their maps will be wrong after this.

Electronic degredation isn't the problem in record-keeping. The reliability of retreival and permanance of paper keeps trumping electronic records in the critical arena. A physical chart attached to a hospital bed keeps a permanent record of check-in, tracks changes (scribbles out), is always accessible, and can provide enough information to allow simple questions to verify identity. The chart could even be e-ink, as long as it had persistent storage. Telemedicine, like the telephone, requires a human on both ends to be useful, so let it bluetooth the monitors, infusers, and a nursePod, and stay off the EHR network altogether. When the patient checks out, the chart goes to the checkout desk with the patient, and everything dumps into billing/EHR, chart is cleaned, and goes back to an empty bed.

The writer states in section 0 that proprietary software will stay indefinately. Had he looked at the industrial revolution an even paid much attention to the computer revolution he would have seen that published standards endure and proprietary standards are starved off from the market.

Linux needs open standards and specifications so that end users can retain their data and devices. Microsoft did that with standard device driver models, PlugandPlay protocols, and read access to as many competing data formats as they could buy. I think that until the models changed in Vista, most people could get their hardware to "just work" with Windows from version to version. In fact, I think DOS users had more open and complete device interface documentation than Linux enjoys today. But without agreed upon industry standards to build critical power applications and device drivers, Linux will struggle to provide for the needs of the average desktop user.

...of Windows 7 so they can claim it is a resounding success of a product launch. And Gartner is just the cheerleader they pay to get the "message" out. Nothing to see here.

Basically the reason no one wanted to keep a Linux netbook is because the support friends and relatives all drank the Microsoft kool-aid and can't fix the netbook when it stops working or make their favorite website work again. It isn't that the Linux required more hands on, it's that the grandson, neice, or geeky neighbor had never seen Linux or knew how to make it work, so the existing support network for most cheapskates wasn't compatible.

I think that in the absence of real market competitors that the people deserve fair competition, and if they need to petition their government to provide it, then so be it. Also, last time I had to ship a package I had several choices and all but one was private, and in general all provided an excellent value to the entire market. So I think that private companies can compete with government if they are willing to provide a product that the market wants at a price consumers are willing to pay.