headkase - Slashdot User

Submission + - API-Translation the key to cracking MS' Monopoly? 2

Submitted by

headkase

on Wednesday January 09, 2008 @08:45PM

headkase writes: "Microsoft currently enjoys lock-in through the fact that developers write their software for Windows because the majority use it and consumers buy Windows because all software is written for it. How to go about cracking this nut? One line of reasoning that may actually be able to make some in-roads into this situation is API-Translation. Wine and Cedega right now do a fairly decent job of intercepting Windows calls and rerouting them into Linux infrastructure. Expanding outwards from this core, would developing this translation process to cover as many Windows API's as possible provide a good chance of a future where a neutral common infrastructure (with Linux being todays implementation) would be able to run everything out-of-the-box? Obviously it is an inefficient long-term strategy to translate all OS' calls but in the medium-term can a path such as this ease the migration away from closed infrastucture into open by breaking the feedback loop that keeps Windows dominant?"

Submission + - Canadian Police Tolerate Piracy

Submitted by

headkase

on Sunday November 11, 2007 @02:45PM

headkase writes: "Torrentfreak brings word that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have stated that they are not that interested in pursuing piracy in the case of personal use. Another link to offset the slashdot effect. And a link in Canada's other official language: French. Considering Canadians already pay levies on blank media to compensate publishers for piracy loss, do you believe this is a positive or negative development?"

Submission + - Wider Integration of OLPC?

Submitted by

headkase

on Sunday July 15, 2007 @04:04AM

headkase writes: "As everyone knows, the One Laptop Per Child project is a noble effort. Once the laptops begin to enter wide circulation are there more supporting systems that could complement OLPC? Imagine financial, logistical, and knowledge mechanisms working in concert. The Internet infrastructure comes first so as an example a village needs to build a water well. So they have a wireless connection and they access a logistical site that is basically Wikipedia for how-to(s). The how-to(s) tell them how to make a well and the logistical infrastructure provides information on what required parts can be manufactured locally and what needs to be ordered (such as one metal piece as part of the well-pumping mechanism). Then financial supports could subsidize specific items only such as the one piece that couldn't be made locally in the well pump example. Now, the software to implement all this would be a great open source project to develop with the OLPC hardware as the target. Basically the question is this: should the OLPC project expand out from an initial position of just providing hardware into wider education, philanthropy, and self sustainable development missions? Please try to elaborate more on these or your own ideas."

Submission + - Calling all Citizens!

Submitted by

headkase

on Friday October 27, 2006 @02:10AM

headkase writes: "Wired is running an article on Saving Democracy with Web 2.0. They discuss organizing information that is publicly available into models that can be easily used and understood by an average person. This is all well and good but can informed citizens following self interest really be trusted to motivate politics in place of big business and special interest groups? Maybe some support can be drawn from a recent book, The Wisdom of Crowds? What do you think, how can the web fulfill the great expectations people have of it?"

Slashdot Top Deals