Skip to main content

Visual FoxPro, SQL, Linux and Windows - What the first LinuxOnly store reminds me of...

(ok - so I couldn't get a good title for this post)

Interesting article from Linspire about Linux trying to break into the big-box chain support for Microsoft and Windows.

It sounded really good until you see the picture of the place. I'm sure it's a nice place but it would have been better to get a bit nicer picture. I was expecting to see the comparison between a Microsoft aisle and a Linux aisle. Anyways...

The store is here: Sub300 and I'm sure it will do very well.

I also read an interesting post in the Wiki about comparing Visual FoxPro and the other MS databases. Of course, Microsoft doesn't make money on Visual FoxPro applications like it does on SQL Server (that's what happens with a royalty free runtime) but I draw the comparison (and it's a very big stretch of a comparison) to Linux/Windows and their costs. The Visual FoxPro community has always been extremely vocal (so much to the point that it's great to see that members of that community doing well in the other MS areas (kudos Yag and Ken) and inspiring that type of community spirit. The entire blog community is also huge and growing. I'm not being all "touchy feely" about the community idea - but rather that it's GREAT to see positive enthusiasm in both camps.

And so what I see in Windows and Linux are two different communities, and the louder and more complimentary group to date are certainly the Linux people (I won't even begin to talk about the Apple community which has always been more vocal and greater than both). People like Scoble and others are certainly trying to change that at Microsoft - ensuring that people see Microsoft not just as the big target, but as people who are genuinely excited about their technology.

Enough of nay-sayers, put the products out there and let the best win.

Linspire.com - Michael's Minutes

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Merry Christmas

Whether you celebrate now, have already celebrated your past holiday, are planning to, or not, I hope you find yourself surrounded by family and those you love during this holiday season and are able to remember fondly those who are not with you. We often find ourselves buried in work, or too distracted by other problems, to share and remember a few moments with those closest to us. So many of us are separated by huge distances, we often find it easier to focus on those who are out of arm's reach yet so easy to connect with online, instead of those who are right beside us. So do yourself a favour, put down the keyboard (stylus, mouse, etc) and spend that time. I know I will. Merry Christmas. Powered by ScribeFire .
4 comments
Read more

Programmers vs. Developers vs. Architects

I received an email this morning from Brandon Savage 's newsletter. Brandon's a PHP guru (works at Mozilla) but his newsletter and books have some great overall perspectives for developers of all languages. However, this last one (What's the difference between developers and architects?) kind of rubs me the wrong way. Either that, or I've just missed the natural inflation of job descriptions. (maybe, it's like the change in terminology between Garbage man and Waste Engineer or Secretary and Office Administrator) So maybe it's just me - but I think there's still a big difference between Programmer, Developer and then of course, architect. The key thing here is that every role has a different perspective and every one of those perspectives has value. The original MSF create roles like Product Manager, Program Manager, Developer, Tester, etc - so every concept may pigeon hole people into different roles. But the statements Brandon makes are often distinction...
11 comments
Read more

From Writing to AI: the pattern repeats itself

When I was ten years old, my dad bought a computer and, thanks to an advertising supplement in a Superman comic I read, it was a TRS-80. A month later, he dragged the entire family (my mom and brother were not the most enthusiastic) to a class at Radio Shack teaching how to use microcomputers. At the time, I understood why my mom wasn’t that excited: the computer was yet another gadget in the house. But today I find it fascinating. My mother went to Vassar in the 50s. She learned how to type — not a common skill at the time — but it opened doors. Her ability to communicate effectively led her to a career in adult education and later communications work with the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). This isn’t a nostalgia post. Today, the ability to use artificial intelligence, be it through Copilot or simply writing the right prompt, is becoming a critical skill. But is it really that novel? In the 1500s and 1600s, the printing press gradually made reading accessible beyond cler...
Post a Comment
Read more