In our previous post, we discussed how mainstream media is adopting
linux('Stop
using Windows, Use Ubuntu instead'). And a lot of people started
complaining how not-user-friendly Linux really is. Before saying such
far fetched statements, one thing they all need to consider is this, Linux!=Windows!
It
is not the friendliness factor, it is the user familiarity factor that
is giving a lot of bad name for Linux. Most of the Linux users are those
migrating from Microsoft Windows and it requires a certain amount of
time to get familiar with the new OS.
I have my own experience to substantiate this statement. I
was not much of a computer user at all till I bought my laptop 4 years
ago. I installed Ubuntu as dual boot with Windows XP. I instantly
started liking Ubuntu, it was fun to use and all the compiz eyecandy was
just overwhelming. To that day, I considered linux as an outcast or
never really though about it at all.
But even a guy like me with minimal Windows experience
took 2-3 months to get fully familiar with Ubuntu. But once I got
familiar, their was no looking back. To this day, there was not even a
single instance where I had to go back to the Windows era.
That is probably the issue. Most of them are so
too familiar with Windows and so are they, in a way, expecting
everything in Linux to be just as like in Windows. That has to change.
Another good example of this 'familiarity
factor' is the IT@School project introduced in Kerala, India in 2002.
Kerala government completely shut
down windows, and made schools to use only Linux. Students or
parents didn't protest, they just went on with it. And now Kerala is
among the states having the highest e-literacy rate.
Here is another guy proudly proclaiming Ubuntu is NOT
user friendly and that he is going 'back' to Windows. He never
'came' to Ubuntu to go 'back' to Windows.
All I have to say to those who say Ubuntu is
tough to use is, spend some more time on it before quitting. It is worth
it. I can't even think about using Windows now, partially because I am
all too familiar with Ubuntu and Linux. So please do bear that in mind
always.
Linux have a special place in Robotics. Many Robots built by multi
billion organizations like NASA for advanced space exploration and other
complicated tasks are powered by Linux. Robotics and automation is the
key for human progress and it is good to know that Linux holds a special
advantage when advanced Robotics is concerned. Here is a nicely
compiled list of Robots powered by Linux from around the world.
K-10 - NASA's Linux Based Space Exploration Robot
K-10 was created
by the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) at NASA's Ames Research Center,
as part of a project to build exploration rovers for future robotic
missions to the moon and to Mars.
K-10 runs Red Hat Linux, which NASA says was chosen for
its large user base and application compatibility. According to NASA,
"Linux's flexibility and scalability enable us to easily add, remove,
and extend devices with minimal difficulty."
Scout - NASA's Yet Another Space Exploration Robot
The Scout is
a fully autonomous vehicle that can also be teleoperated, or controlled
by touchscreen and joystick.
Its control system is based on a pair of Dell D400 laptops
running Gentoo Linux.
Low-cost,
user-programmable humanoid robot targeting educational and research
applications.
The Choromet stands about 13-3/4 inches tall, and is
capable of walking upright on two legs. It can also assume supine or
prone positions, and stand up from either.
The Choromet is based on several technologies developed by
AIST, including an operating system said to provide a user-space
real-time Linux environment called "ARTLinux".
Humanoid Robot
called HOAP-1 (Humanoid for Open Architecture Platform) developed by
Fujitsu is designed for wide range of applications in research and
development of robotic technologies.
Fujitsu miniature humanoid Robot runs on RTLinux. The basic
simulation software and user-developed programs are designed to run on
RTLinux.
Owned by
Switzerland-based Neuronics. The Katana Robotic Arm is typically used
for handling, measurement, or testing applications in assembly,
production, and laboratory automation, says Neuronics.
Operating system that runs on Katana is Linux 2.4.25 with
Xenomai hard real-time extensions. The robot is billed as an
"intelligent" industrial robotic arm with safety features that "allow it
to work directly hand-in-hand with human operators without the need for
any additional safeguards or fences," says the company.
Nao - Humanoid Household Service Robot Running Linux
Aldebaran
Robotics, of Paris, created Nao - a humanoid household service robot
running Linux.
"Nao" household robot will compete with robotic research
prototypes in terms of functionality. The walking, talking, WiFi-enabled
bot will stand 21.6 inches tall, and will feature 23 degrees
of freedom of motion.
ROB-1 is actually
a robot with a built-in digital camera that you control from your Sony
Ericsson mobile phone using Bluetooth.
It is equipped with a VGA camera (640x480) that will
transmit the video back to the mobile phone. The camera is a mini
computer running on Linux, powered by a 200Mhz ARM processor and 2MB of
memory.
Robosoft RobuROC Autonomous Vehicle
French transport
and cleanliness robot specialist RoboSoft has used real-time Linux in a
six-wheeled outdoor autonomous vehicle aimed at reducing human risks in
reconnaissance, monitoring, and safety operations.
RoboSoft says that despite its relatively small size, the
RoboROC 6 boasts "incomparable crossing capabilities" thanks to its
flexible, articulated design.
The 17-inch, 4.5-pound humanoid robot can speak, learn, interact
with its surroundings, and even recognize faces, according to creator
Hanson Robotics.
Linux is responsible for the robot's "physical brain,"
controlling its animation, while Windows XP is responsible for its
"verbal brain," controlling its voice recognition and interaction with
others.
Sony's AIBO
(artificial intelligence bot) platform with a canid design and an open
API (application programming interface), was among the most widely used
platform in robo tournaments like Robocup.
However, Sony announced in January of 2006 that it would discontinue
AIBO.
der neue Roboter
(the new robot), the would-be AIBO replacement, also had a canid design
similar to the AIBO. der neue Roboter is much larger than the
AIBO and has 15 joints, including three for each leg, and three for the
neck.
Although Microsoft is beginning to acknowledge that the rich ecosystem of open source software can bring a lot of value to Windows users, the most popular open source software projects are largely developed on other platforms, which means that they aren't always easy to deploy on Windows. A relatively complex open source server stack can be rolled out on Linux with a few clicks, but it might take hours to get the same software installed and properly configured on Windows.
Microsoft developer Garrett Serack has identified a compelling solution to this problem. He is launching a new project to build a package management system for Windows with the aim of radically simplifying installation of popular open source software on Microsoft's platform. He calls it the Common Open Source Application Publishing Platform (CoApp).
Much like the package management systems that are a standard part of popular Linux distributions, the CoApp project will provide a delivery platform for packaged open source software libraries and applications, with support for dependency resolution and automatic updates. It could be a powerful tool for system administrators who want a WAMP stack or developers who want to port Linux applications to Windows.
Serack wants to use Microsoft's MSI format for the packages and intends to take advantage of WinSxS in order to deliver parallel binaries so that users will have access to multiple builds of the same library generated by different compilers. The project will also seek to establish some basic standards for filesystem layout so that files are put in consistent places.
He is coordinating the project with Microsoft's blessing, but the actual development effort will be community-driven—an approach that will hopefully enable CoApp to evolve in a way that best serves its users rather than being directed by Microsoft.
"The folks here at Microsoft have recognized the value in this project—and have kindly offered to let me work on it full-time. I'm running the project; Microsoft is supporting my efforts in this 100%," he wrote in a blog entry about the project on Wednesday. "The design is entirely the work of myself and the CoApp community, I don't have to vet it with anyone inside the company."
Making open source development on Windows suck less
Having ported several of my own Linux applications to Windows, I know from personal experience how insanely difficult it can be to set up a proper environment for developing open source software on Microsoft's operating system. For the last Qt application that I ported, the process of getting all of the dependencies installed took hours. I had to install CMake, find just the right version of Automoc, and compile OpenSSL from source.
My current Windows VM has a half a dozen different build systems and three separate sets of version control tools, all of which had to be installed individually. I also have two completely separate installations of MinGW and a rather heavy Cygwin setup. I need all of this crap in order to port my software to Windows, but it's a nightmare to maintain. I have to meticulously document every step of the setup process if I ever want to be able to do it again on a different Windows installation.
These headaches are enough to deter many open source software developers who would otherwise be releasing Windows versions of their applications. Spending a few hours developing on Windows often serves as a painful reminder of how much I depend on my distro's super cow powers. That is why I'm convinced that CoApp is a very good idea.
Cygwin arguably constitutes a package management system by itself, but it tends to be somewhat insular and isn't very native. Serack believes that CoApp offers an opportunity to do it the right way and close the gaps that isolate ported open source software components from the rest of the Windows ecosystem. If it's done properly, that could be very significant.
Although Linux enthusiasts tend to disdain Windows, porting Linux applications to Microsoft's operating system can open up a lot of opportunities. A Windows port can expose your application to a whole new audience, making it possible to attract new contributors. We have seen a number of prominent open source software projects benefit in that manner from Windows compatibility in the past.
A positive side effect of that phenomenon is that it introduces Windows application developers to open source frameworks and technologies. Broader adoption of cross-platform Linux-friendly software and toolkits on Windows would obviously help boost the availability of software for Linux.
Although I'm really impressed with Serack's vision, I'm a bit skeptical that a task of such magnitude and complexity can be fulfilled to an extent that would truly deliver on its potential. Such an undertaking will require considerable manpower. Ars readers who want to participate in the project or learn more can check out the CoApp page on Launchpad.
San Francisco (CA) - At the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco on
April 8-10, 2009, a meeting of the great OS minds will take place.
There, sponsored by Intel, will be assembled together the Linux
Foundation, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft representatives. For the
first time ever, the three-way group will sit down at a single table to
debate and discuss the future not only of their respective operating
systems, but also the OS industry in general. What will come from such
a meeting? I truly believe that only God knows.
The sit-down meeting will be moderated by Jim Zemlim, Executive
Director at the Linux Foundation. It will include Microsoft's Sam
Ramji, Director of Platform Strategy, and Sun's Vice President of
Developer and Community Marketing, Ian Murdock. But where's Apple?
Apple currently holds around 10% of the global OS marketshare,
and yet they are notably absent from these talks. Surely the UNIX-based
OS X maker has something to contribute? The gathering is by invitation
only, so maybe they weren't invited. Or, maybe they were but have
chosen not to go -- deciding instead to do their own thing (which would
not be out of character for Apple).
Also on the agenda is IDC Program Vice President, Systems Software, Al
Gillen, who will share new findings on operating system forecasts and
who will give a talk about the economic downturn and its impact on the
global OS markets.
Edward Screven, Oracle Chief Corporate Architect, will deliver the
opening day keynote with the company's business model centered around
Linux.
The Host sponsor, Intel, will send Imad Sousou, Director of the Open
Source Technology Center, who will speak about Mobile Linux and its
Moblin State of the Union keynote and demonstration.
A panel comprised of Jono Bacon (community manager at Ubuntu), James
Bottomley (kernel developer at Novell), Joe Brockmeier (community
manager at openSUSE), Dan Frye (VP of open systems development at IBM's
Systems and Technology Group) and Karsten Wade (of the Fedora Project),
will discuss community contributions to the OS movement.
LWN.net's editor-in-chief, Jon Corbet, along with additional panelists
(comprised of Greg Kroah-Hartmann, Andrew Morton and Keith Packard of
Ted Ts'o), will discuss the Linux kernel and what's coming next.
The event is an invitation-only gathering of the brightest minds in
Linux, including core kernel developers, distribution maintainers,
ISVs, end users, system vendors and other community organizations. This
is the only conference designed to bring together such disparate
business models, DRM beliefs, closed and open source initiatives, and
free and fee-based models, into a single forum for such a discussion.
As the sponsor, it seems that only Intel could go to San Francisco.
The event will be co-located with the CELF Embedded Linux Conference,
along with the Linux Storage and Filesystem workshop. For more
information on this, see Collaboration-summit.
For more information on the Linux Foundation, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft OS meeting, see the Linux Foundation's press release. This is the third annual summit. See highlights from 2007 and 2008.
In 2007, the primary focus was on drivers. In 2008 the drive theme was
extended, but it was also about Internet compliance as well as
virtualization.
Although Microsoft is beginning to acknowledge that the rich ecosystem of open source software can bring a lot of value to Windows users, the most popular open source software projects are largely developed on other platforms, which means that they aren't always easy to deploy on Windows. A relatively complex open source server stack can be rolled out on Linux with a few clicks, but it might take hours to get the same software installed and properly configured on Windows.
San Francisco (CA) - At the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco on
April 8-10, 2009, a meeting of the great OS minds will take place.
There, sponsored by Intel, will be assembled together the Linux
Foundation, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft representatives. For the
first time ever, the three-way group will sit down at a single table to
debate and discuss the future not only of their respective operating
systems, but also the OS industry in general. What will come from such
a meeting? I truly believe that only God knows.