I read in a Groklaw link y'day:

"Spark: The first free-software, Linux tablet is on its way"

"Open-source software and Linux, thanks to Android, is well represented on tablets. But, if you didnâ(TM)t want to deal with proprietary firmware and software, you were out of luck⦠until now. Aaron Seigo, one of the KDEâ(TM)s lead developers, and his team are just about ready to roll-out the first tablet based entirely on Linux and free software: The Spark.

For those of you who are a little puzzled right nowâ"âBut, isnâ(TM)t Android based on Linux??â let me start by explaining that yes, Android is Linux and open-source software. But, its implementations on various smartphones and tablets always uses some proprietary software, firmware, and/or shims to combine the code into a working device. Spark is different. - Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, ZDNet"

So I think if Google hates proprietary stuff on Android phones, it should remove developer support for all GSM phones that have it too. Talk of double standards.... or maybe Google is actually against Qualcomm, not CDMA?

"Just out of curiousity, are you European?"

I'm an Indian, and in our Parliament, after our British overlords, Bills are tabled in the House for voting.

The people who brought the bill in the first place, are still active; and still receiving funding. More fundamental provisions are called for, to ensure such bills are not tabled in the first place.

Google has taken Linus and modified it to suit their aims and goals, rather than using the power of community Linux. Canonical will give the smartphone world the power of Linux minus the controls and restrictions imposed by Google. Customers will be the biggest winners here.

Just checking.. been a long while since I last commented.

Don't be surprised to see a spate of patent attacks on Ogg Theora... which we may or may not fund ourselves.

Wow!! Amazing.. just the very thought! Long may it continue...

I've been in IT for over 20 years now; and until 7 years ago, Office was my mostly used application. Nowadays though I hardly ever use Word or Excel, I've used Powerpoint more often though. At a hospital I consult; we changed to OOo and after changing the default save format option to the corresponding Office equivalents; the users hardly noticed the difference.

These days the only application used in offices is the browser, and Firefox has already won the battle and the war on that front.

and they are trying to upgrade it to XP instead...

In other words, they are blaming Windows 7. Very conforting for Average Joe.