What Recent Changes in Microsoft Mean?

What do the following statements mean?

• Microsoft to give Windows OS free to Indian Phone Manufacturers

• Microsoft to give Windows OS free for phones and small tablets

• Microsoft to give Windows OS free for laptop OEMs

• Microsoft to give Windows OS for "Internet of Things" for free

• Microsoft open sources large portion of .NET

Let me share my opinions on each of the above statements here.

Note: People are so confused with the terms free software, open source and freeware. If you are one such person, please read this post for clarity!

Microsoft to give Windows OS free to Indian Phone Manufacturers

Microsoft wanted some Indian phone manufacturers to make cheap Windows mobiles so that they can compete in low-end market. But who will be able to pay around Rs. 1,200 extra for every phone to get the license of the OS when a costless alternative is available? This is the reason Google made Android available for free of cost. As Android is free of cost, most phone manufacturers adapted it to their phones and now Android is the clear market leader. Now Goolgle is earning through ads, app purchases, by selling songs/books/movies etc.

Windows thought that the same tactic that worked on PCs of desktop era will also work on mobiles of smartphone era. But their market share was (and is) so pathetic that at one point they earned more from Android phones than Windows phones. Very few people are developing Windows phone apps. People in developing nations are buying cheaper alternatives. So they tried their best to push their OS to the world's second largest developing market with their Microsoft tax. But the Indian companies rejected Microsoft's offer until they were down on their knees and accepted to give the OS without licensing fee. The funniest part is, even Nokia can't get Windows for free. Why Microsoft did this? Are the Indian companies so clever to bargain and strike such deal? I think no! The Indian companies are the reality that every other company is going to end with. With increasing demand for higher hardware specs in a lower price range, sooner or later, companies should let go the unwanted load of paying for OS. So, it is much like Indian companies telling Microsoft what reality is and Microsoft accepting it without any other option left!

Microsoft to give Windows OS free for phones and small tablets

The previous happened by February/March 2014. As noted, all companies, no matter how big they are will follow the Indian manufacturers in opting for a free of cost operating system to cut cost and stay competitive in the market. So Microsoft can't tax every phone produced and expect their market share to grow or even sustain. It is just Microsoft realizing the truth again. But here is a catch. Microsoft will charge tablets with screens larger than 9 inches. So, it is much like, they will give the OS for free to smaller devices and increase their market share and bring more people to develop their apps, while on the other side, they will gradually start charging license fee. Once a market monopoly is attained (that will never happen!), they will charge the fee in full swing and from everyone. Remember, they are giving it for free of cost, but the source is still closed. So for everything like updates/upgrades/bug-fixes/optimization/customization etc, the companies need to depend upon Microsoft as the code is not open.

Microsoft to give Windows OS free for laptop OEMs

Now Microsoft is also considering a free of cost version of Windows for laptops so that laptop manufacturers can bundle them without paying the fee. Again, this is a honey trap to trick many users to buy laptops running crippled version of Windows. If they want a better version, they should pay. They may restrict the number of applications that can run at same time.They may not provide options to do critical administrative tasks in Control Panel etc. And if a user wants that, Microsoft will ask them to pay for a professional or ultimate edition.

Microsoft to give Windows OS for "Internet of Things" for free

Nobody can imagine an OS that runs on every electronic/electrical equipment around you as a paid software. If you have to buy a bulb or coffee maker running Windows (or any other OS that has license fee) the cost will be doubled or tripled or quadrupled due to the cost of license fee. So a paid OS for Internet of Things will never work. If that is the case, the manufacturers will come up with their own Linux based or BSD based or home grown solutions. And mark my word, the Internet of Things OS will most probably be open sourced. Unless it is open sourced it can't be modified and adapted to everything around you from your bike to bulb and your AC to mosquito repellent. Only exception will be Apple, who will still insist that their hardware and software are unique and that will drive the last nail on their coffin.

Microsoft open sources large portion of .NET

Microsoft has open sourced lot of .NET projects under an unbrella .NET Foundation. Mostly they will be released under Apache 2.0 license which is FSF approved and GPL v3 compatible. So this from the same company that called Linux a cancer and took extreme measures like secure boot to lock laptops and not allowing users to install other operating systems. Why? I think the major reason is, they can't maintain the crappy code their highly paid and poorly skilled developers are making. So they are releasing the code to public so that they can just oversee the activities while hobby programmers and others like college students, freelance programmers etc can take up review, bug reporting, fixing and enhancements. So I feel the motive behind open sourcing too is selfishness. Let us see how things unfold in the long run.

Conclusion:

Microsoft, like Apple and Google is a corporate that tries to become a monopoly in digital world. Apple and Google are also known to release some software code as open source but still their activities prove time and again that their intention is to keep people without any real freedom. Android, Chrome, Darwin, Webkit etc are open sourced not to benefit the public. There are two reasons. Either these software are lifted from existing open source software or their nature itself forces the source to released, without which, development/maintenance becomes costly and problematic. Now Microsoft has joined them. It may be the new CEO or the dying industry! They have taken a 180 degree turn. But the real freedom loving people should try their best to ignore these gimmicks and go ahead with truly free (as in freedom) and open software.

References:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/microsoft-to-stop-linux-older-windows-from-running-on-windows-8-pcs/9589

http://wind8apps.com/windows-free-phones-small-tablets-iot-devices/

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-open-sources-more-of-its-net-technologies-7000028031/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Microsoft-offers-Windows-Phone-OS-free-to-Indian-players/articleshow/31924651.cms

http://www.osnews.com/story/24800/Microsoft_Earns_More_from_Android_than_Windows_Phone_7

http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/03/microsoft-launches-net-foundation-to-foster-the-net-open-source-ecosystem/

http://searchengineland.com/battle-for-books-evil-google-versus-the-altruistic-open-content-alliance-10115

Why You Don't Need an App for Everything - 10 Reasons

We need the so called "apps" in order to get the maximum out of the hardware of our phones. For example, without apps, how can we take photos or use the magnetic compass or flash-light? Apart from these hardware specific tasks, I think we don't need apps for things we can easily do with a good browser. I am not against necessary apps. But some people start to install every possible app out there. Is that the right way to go?

1. They eat up your memory

 

Apps usually eat up lot of memory in your mobile. Especially if you have a low end mobile, memory dedicated for apps will be lesser (< 300MB). Every app will occupy around 5 to 10MB and some even take up to 25MB (these are normal apps, not those games with fancy graphics and sound effects). Also with time, they store data as cache. This will result in low free memory in your phone which may cause it to slow down, crash often or behave in unexpected ways. Some "clever" people say they can move the apps to SD card. That too is not a good option. SD card apps are relatively slower and when you change your SD card or the SD card becomes corrupted, those apps are lost.

2. They consume your RAM

Apps are started and stopped by Android automatically. So when you reboot your phone, even without opening any app, many apps will be up and running. They occupy more RAM and when you open a message or contact book, those apps will be closed by Android to free some RAM for the app you are accessing. So, it too slows your phone down. Some people claim Android is smart enough to handle tasks. But those who use their phone with good amount of apps know what I am saying. Some "smart" people use task-killers to kill those tasks. But again, in few minutes those same apps will be started. There is no sure way to ensure that particular app is not started automatically than to uninstall it.

3. They suck your network bandwidth up

As mentioned in above point, apps automatically start and also start to consume your Internet connection. Some apps will be synchronizing, some may be downloading ads, others may be busy checking whether a latest version is available while some "great" apps are sending your private information to their servers. There are apps that upload your SMS, contacts, emails and even whatever you type etc to their servers. All these take a good amount of network bandwidth and you may run out of free data soon. Some "brainy" people try to circumvent this by going for "unlimited" data plans. Even then there will be a limit after which the connection speed will be throttled. Also when all these apps are chocking your network in background, you may wonder why that small email is taking so much time to be sent or why your browser is taking too long to show that your IRCTC ticket is not booked.

4. They drain your battery

As mentioned in points 2 and 3, these apps start and connect to Internet automatically. So they consume lot of power. They cause phones to heat up and you may not be able to call someone or listen to music as these apps had already sucked the last drop of power out of your battery. Some people come up with some "tricks" to sort this out. That is by installing an app to improve battery life. What an idea sirji! Some say they are not bothered as they always carry the charger with them. I think they also carry a generator with them or their charger is solar powered!

5. Slows down your phone

Due to insufficient internal memory, processor load, insufficient RAM, clogged network etc, your phone may slow down to unusable levels. One of my friend came to me saying that his phone's touch-screen was not working. I checked it. Actually the touch-screen was working fine, but due to overload, the response was slow. I uninstalled few bloatwares, and it started to work normally again.

6. Threat to your privacy

Most people won't give a damn about what all the permissions the app asks before installing. And Android's innovative design makes it impossible to restrict access to SD card or Internet at app level. There are some options like Droidwall to restrict the app's access to Internet, but still, it is is bit tough if the app demands that an Internet connection is needed to proceed and our people will set that app as exception permanently to avoid "hassles". There apps like Truecaller which uploads entire contact book with photos, pet name, and other details to Internet. I know people who store their PAN number, Bank account number, ATM PIN number etc in their contact book. Imagine what will happen if these details are uploaded to someone somewhere! I have recently seen some apps that require permission to send/receive SMS but they are actually meant to be live wallpaper.

7. They distract you a lot

These apps annoy you a lot by giving unwanted notifications. You may be awaiting an SMS from your bank stating your "one time password" for a credit card transaction or you may be in a meeting. "beeeep" There is a notification saying that some has invited you to play a stupid online game. To take it to the next level, some apps give alerts/notifications/reminders to rate their app in Playstore, purchase unlocked version or to try their new app. All these things distract you and waste your time for no good.

8. They have misleading ads

Yes, ads are there in websites too. But why I am mentioning it here as a specific problem in using apps? The ads in apps are displayed like buttons or links in the app itself. This misleads the user and make them click on them. Once clicked, you are taken to malicious websites/apps. Moreover, there are some apps which are meant to be used by kids, but contain ads suitable for adults.

9. They are hard to maintain

These apps are hard to find, install, keep updated and to use. For example, if you want to book flight tickets, then you have many apps to do that. How to tell which one suits your needs? Are you going to install every app and use them to find out? In case of websites, it is easy to just hit the URL and try it and move to other. Similarly, if you have many apps installed, you need to keep them updated. That costs you lot of data and also battery power. It can be time consuming at times. Also, if your home screen and app-drawer are crowded with these apps, it is hard to spot the app  you need. Yes, we can use the built-in search to spot the app, but still, it is not that easy right?

10. Most apps are unethical

Most apps are so called proprietary software or "closed-source". So, even if you want an app, please look in the F-Droid repo for a free software alternate. Don't use apps that don't respect your privacy or freedom. Don't feel proud about yourself that you have purchased an app and that is going to support the developer of that app. No! The developer only gets a fraction of the money you paid unless you directly pay the developer and get the app in some other way other than from the Playstore or App store. So these apps also cheat developers. So which developer will allow themselves to be cheated? Those who want to cheat others in some other ways right?

Points to Note:

So, as you can see, don't buy in to the apps argument and install any "crapp" unless and until you are sure that there is no other good way to do it and sure that the app is legitimate and respects your privacy and freedom.

1. Check for website alternates and use a good mobile browser like Firefox to access the site directly instead of using apps

2. Check the apps' developer and ensure that it is from a legitimate source. For example, you can find apps with same/similar names but from different developers (some apps are just repacked malwares)

3. Don't install .apk files shared in forums/sites/bluetooth etc. Download them from F-Droid or Playstore alone

4. Check the apps permission before you install. If the app asks unwanted permissions or if you feel suspicious about the permissions, don't install it, even if it seems a must have. Security first. Rest later!

5. Read reviews about the app both in the repository as well as in tech-sites. Now-a-days paid reviews are very common and there are companies that offer services to boost your Playstore ratings/reviews. So you should be able to differentiate between genuine and bogus reviews.

6. Periodically check and uninstall apps you no longer use.

7. Disable Internet connection while using apps that have ads.

Conclusion:

Apps are waste of time for users and waste of money for companies developing them. If you are a business looking for app development, my advice is, don't go for it. Are you going to build an app for every platform out there? (Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, Ubuntu etc) It will cost you more to develop, bug-fix and make changes in apps for multiple platforms than to develop and maintain a good mobile site. If you are a developer, please advise the same to your clients who come to you for developing an app.

Sooner or later, everyone is going to realize that apps are not the solution for everything. So you better realize it now.

Related Sites:

• https://f-droid.org/
• http://www.replicant.us/

Top 10 Distros

Well, I have been using Free Software based distributions from 2004 (that was when I got my first own PC). I have come across many distributions. Now, I will share 10 of the best distributions I recommend people and their target audience. The list is sort of a count-down. So let us start with 10.

10. PC-BSD

BSD is not Linux. It is a UNIX clone too. Its file system, partition management, working differs greatly from Linux based distros. But this is a very solid platform and provides a secure and robust system suitable for servers and research and development labs. If you are freaky enough, you can try to install it as a dual booting system along with a GNU/Linux system.

9. Puppy Linux

Do you have a very old PC? Or have you managed to assemble a PC from junkyard? Here is a distro that can fire it up to life. Puppy Linux requires very less memory and other requirements. Of course it lacks fancy GUI and powerful tools like office applications. But it works like charm in very old hardware. Puppy is derived from Ubuntu.

8. Lubuntu

This LXDE flavor of Ubuntu is Puppy Linux for bit newer hardware. Also this packs good driver support and adds option to install latest and greatest packages. So if you have a 10 years old PC and want it to perform fast like a new one, Lubuntu is for you.

7. Gentoo

For those who doubt pre-compiled binaries in repositories, Gentoo is the answer. If you have enough time and powerful hardware, you can do the entire compilation of your GNU/Linux system right on your machine. You may find the installation bit tough. But it is rewarding. You never need to upgrade the system. You only need to update it. This is called rolling release. Compared to Fedora in which you need to upgrade frequently, this is relatively simple. Suitable for BASHers. So install once and forget how to install. You can still complain that the stage-3 tarballs are tainted by NSA ;-)

6. Arch Linux

This is the one for those who are not afraid of command line interface. You have to set up this distro by executing commands. No GUI based installation.This is much like Gentoo minus compilation. Arch is awesome and has a very good community to support. If you search for generic Linux issues, Arch wiki is where you land.

5. Ubuntu/Linux Mint

These are derivatives of Debian. Mint comes with Mate desktop environment for those who hate GNOME 3 and Ubuntu comes with Unity interface. These distros ship with lot of proprietary drivers. The reason I recommend them is because they are suitable for lazy people who just want everything working out of the box. Especially if you have laptops with locked hardware, this will work out in most cases. But the better suggestion is to choose a more open hardware and go for a better distribution.

4. CentOS

CentOS is community supported clone of RedHat Linux. This is one of the most stable and well tested distro. But it lags a lot in terms of package versions. For example, current version of CentOS (as of 26th Feb, 2014) ships with 2.6.x kernel, while a uname -r in my machine spat out 3.13.3. But this has its own plus. All packages are well tested. Almost all bugs fixed and most drivers for bit older hardware are readily available. This makes it suitable for servers and workstations. Also this distro as of now lacks fancy desktop environments. So it uses less resources and perform well.

3. OpenSUSE

OpenSUSE is community edition of SUSE from Novell. Made in Germany. IT has good driver support and an active community to help you out. If you can switch to Tumbleweed channel, you can get a taste of rolling release like that of Arch. Yast makes the system management easy. So this is the distro suitable for home PCs with good hardware configurations. It ships with awesome desktop environments like KDE 4 and GNOME 3. Everything you need in one place!

2. Fedora

This the future version of Red Hat. What is today Fedora will become Red Hat one day. It is one of the most bleeding edge distro. This makes it a bit hard to use for people with proprietary hardware. As the kernel and other stuffs are constantly updated, it may impact the system sometimes. Mostly the stable releases won't have any problem. But don't ask me about why x or y is not working after an update. This is suitable for power users with good open hardware (without proprietary graphic cards, wi-fi chips, web cams etc).

1. BLAG/Dragora/Dynebolic/gNewSense/Musix/Parabola/Trisquel

These are all Free Software Foundation (FSF)  approved distros. They may lack some drivers, no flash,  they can't play mp3s. These are not so fancy and these are not meant for kids playing flash games or adults watching porn. But if you care about freedom, these are the distributions you should run. Especially gNewSense is the distribution that Dr. Richard Stallman himself runs. You can find more information about these distributions at http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html

Phone Review: Sony Ericsson W700i

When I first had an idea of buying a new mobile phone, I just asked my friend. He told he is using a W700i for more than one and half years and it is fine. I just bought it without any second thought as I was already fed up with Nokia. The phone with bill cost around 8,800 INR when I bought 8 months back. Unlike Nokia phones, they gave data cable, headset, memory card adapter etc. But the real problems I faced made me to think Nokia is better.

1. The headset comes with a data-cable port pin. This is a total rubbish idea. The data cable port should be used as minimal as possible for long life. But if you plug and unplug your head set, then the port or the headset will go soon. You can not hear songs or radio while charging via USB port.
2. The second problem is the charger also comes with same data-cable port pin. How can you charge while you listen to music or radio? Total waste.
3. The back battery case cover is not tight. If you take your mobile out of pocket in a hurry, you’ll have your case in pocket, batter at ground and your switched off mobile in hand. I had few bitter experiences like this while attempting to attend calls.
4. The loud speaker (loud is too much for that speaker) is so feeble than other mobiles my friends own.
5. The next thing is joystick. It will have a rubber like tip. It fell down after 2 months use. I’m not a game or message freak. Just regular use only made it to fall. Now my joystick won’t work in downwards and right-side.
6. The keys are too small, surely a set back for SMS freaks.
7. While hearing music, you can not hear the ringtone in your headphones if the mobile is in loud mode. This is again a crazy idea. If you have paused the song, the earphones still in your ears, you’ll not hear your mobile ringing. As I told earlier, the speaker also is too weak. I missed several calls like this.
8. If your phone is in vibrate mode, if you receive a message even during a call, your phone will vibrate. How annoying it will be if the phone vibrates while keeping it tightly over ears? My old Nokia phone will give a feeble yet distinguishable beep sound for this same case.
9. The software of the phone really sucks. It will give you unnecessary notifications. Like “Busy tone sent” with an “OK” option. You may press it for ok. But it will disappear before that making your press to call the number again.
10. If you have received a service message, and not given an OK for that, then all the other Text messages you receive will not produce any vibration or tone. I have missed many important messages like this.
11. You can not install any software except the good old jars. This is really funny. After buying a higher model I have to still play snake and Tetris!
12. If you receive a message or service message, it will recognize each and ever number as phone number. With a faulty joystick the problem is doubled. If you press down, it will call the number in the message.
13. You can not customize the panel.
14. The phone is comparatively bulky.
15. The only supported DUO-memory card is costlier than other cards. Your memory upgrade will be a budget shock for you.
16. The data-port is open and often gets dusty. This will be a problem for headset, charging and connectivity.
17. The phone lacks a keypad lock with password.
18. You can not hide personal files in the phone behind a password.
19. The built-in phone browser is very slow and incompatible with many web-sites. I am currently using Opera Mini. That is good. Sony should think about embedding such browsers.
20. The “C” button is a clear nonsense. It will delete whatever highlighted. I have found contacts and files deleted when I kept keypad unlocked in pocket.
21. Only latest attended or received or dialed call time will be saved. If you got 5 missed calls from same number, you can only know the last call’s time.
22. The PC-suite and the disk2Phone software which comes with the phone will ask you service pack, .NET and .NET service pack in windows platform. For a Linux user like me they provide nothing but frustration.

If you still think W700i is worth buying, I don’t bother. But I now fell that I missed Nokia or some other mobile phones for this W700i. Sony Ericsson can’t even satisfy a customer who had spent nearly 9,000 INR should learn a lot or just quit from market.