Favorites old and new

Starting with Redhat Linux 2.0 then to mandrake 7.0 and to Debian to Knoppix and Mepis. Then I picked up my little distro DSL. Now my favorites are Ubuntu to install (maybe until Taprobane comes with a good installer) and Puppy linux as the live distro. Puppy is truly amazing! I also found that Ubuntu server is excellent for LAMP/Zope stuff ( I haven’t seen Taprobane 4!)

I am not sure if I will have to change to Kubuntu in case I don’t like GNOME. However the fact that the MAIN Ubuntu distro is based on GNOME and the KDE version is just a – well – another variant distro, may make all the diference to GNOME’s future.

However Mark Shutleworth is using Kubuntu on his desktop :-).

Since I am also more familiar with KDE, I may join him. Whatever happens……

Thanks Mr Shutleworth!

The stupidest species -us??

Human beings need a conscience. Without it we do the stupidest things. Despite being the most intelligent, knowledgeble species in the planet, we seems to be lacking in both wisdom and conscience for our deeds.

Having explored space and landed in a few planets, we are all excited with our own cleverness. We have failed to take the most important point of our findings – that we do not have another habitable planet anywhere. We have learnt to control our immediate little environment around us – the buildings, houses and clothing materials – and not realised that we are destroying the environment of our planet. Indeed, we are well on the way to destroying our own species, but thinking that if we die, the whole planet will be destroyed, somehow!

Homo sapiens is a new, young species and our worldly experience is incredible brief when compared to so many animals around us, not to mention the most important living thing on the planet – plants. These species have survived for such a long time and are evolutionary success stories par excellence.

The great religions of our world have taught us how to live wisely in this world, but we do not follow this advice. They tell us to “share”, “give” and “let-go” and not to grasp in greed. They tell us to live and let live and to respect the environment.

When we want to kill others in our own species and we choose a weapon that will destroy everything, and the environment in that area we drop our bomb into becomes inhabitable for those who drop it; the conquerors conquer what?

We eat all the wrong foods, do not exercise, pollute the water we drink, food we eat and the air we breath so we get ill and to cap it all, our sperm counts are dropping all over the world. Our males are going sterile. The stupid young species may soon be no more!

When will our conscience stop us? When will wisdom come to our rescue? After destroying many species or both flora and fauna, if we are the endangered species now, will the other living things in our planet help us survive?

The rising tide

The tide rises insidiously, not suddenly and unexpectedly. Free open source software and GNU/Linux have been growing in stature, range, publicity, acceptence by non-geeks and the corporate world, in a somewhat similar way. It is 10 years since I got interested in linux, and when I look out there, the change is awesome!

When we see IBM, Sun Microsystems, Intel supporting this platform, and Nokia producing a new internet tablet based on it, it is apparent that GNU/Linux is now serious business. With mobile phones to ship with linux, and some computers selling with Linux pre-installed, embedded linux systems becoming well established, this is overwhelming evidence.

This is why, that, it becomes absolutely necessary, for developing countries in particular to adopt FOSS with a vengence. The advantages are clear, and to promote it to government is also easier. Indeed, it becomes suspicious, if those in the top IT hierarchy of a developing country, talks otherwise. The acceptence of FOSS and Prorietary on equal terms is a plus for FOSS, but not for the government. No government of a developing country can accept these on equal terms. They owe it to their citizens and for posterity, to take a stance for FOSS. They must take to a proprietary solution only if a FOSS solution is not available.

It is also necessary to remember that it is not only the cost that is important. FOSS gives the local software development platform a certain freedom and the government complete control of their data,
liberation from proprietary lock-in and security that is more assured.

Therefore, all deployment of proprietary software in government in a country such as ours, and the intentions of those who advocate them without reasonable explanation, must be questioned.

Even in the private sector, more knowledgeable share holders may well ask questions in the future when software costs are talked about in he sharholders meetings.

The tide is high…..

museums old and new

The excavations done in the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa in the recent years have resulted in some great new finds. The best place to see them is to visit the sites, but to understand them, walk into the museums.

The Jethavanaramaya museum in Anuradhapura is well worth a visit. I was facinated by the things found there. Elaborate marble carvings to those in stone, beautiful bead necklaces and also minute work in gold that would have needed working under a small microscope!

The coins that were found there were over 1600 years old, but still looks good.

But the most interesting piece there was something of special interest to me. More about this later.

..and to prevent, hopefully.

It is time to take preventing things more seriously. It seems to me that all of us are letting things happen to us which we could prevent or at least, put off – like the inevitable, that is. This is taken very seriously in the airline industry, for example.

The disasters that hit various parts of the world, showed how unprepared we are and how, we failed to prevent or minimise damage almost in all instances. Irrespective of what work you do and where, home or office, prevention is not getting enough of our attention.

Anything that has to be taught, is best started in school and the home. Thus it maybe worthwhile starting to teach and bring awareness to these things. This is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, political-savyy advice. So why the lack of effort?

When we consoider our own health, almost every common disease and/or it’s complications, are preventable or minimisable. In a patient, any disease he presents with can be affected by other diseases/illnesses known and unknown within that person. This must be always considered regards the common diseases like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, prostate enlargement, osteoporosis and cataract related blindness. Thus it is best to look for these whatever else the patient actually presents with, particularly those over 40 years of age.

Be aware. Plan to prevent!

This should be the main thrust of 21st centuary education…..

Nature’s architects

I was always facinated by the variety of things that are made by mother nature, and the efficiency of the architecture or structure. The feathers of birds, leaves of trees, birds nests, bees and termite nests are some examples. I used to think there were lessons for us there. I read a couple of years ago, for example, how the structure of the lotus leaf had inspired new types of synthetic materials, including glass, which may not need cleaning.

Therefore I was most interested in a program on BBC , which showed how some architects had made use of nature to study new ways to make more efficient structures and even eco-system like developments. This is indeed heartening to note. It is amazing how efficient, energy saving, pollution preventing, recycling and thus waste contriolling these are. And they are cost effective too.

The strange thing is as to why they are not part and parcel of city development all over the world.

see http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/tv/bionic_buildings/gallery.shtml

See the remarkable secret of the lotus leaf

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00088C40-BE58-1E5F-A98A809EC5880105