Status-Q

[Original Link]

Well, I have to say, I'm very encouraged. I had given up hope that running OpenOffice on my Mac would be a viable option in the near future. Yes, you can run it under X11, and it's reliable, but it's ugly, it's a version behind everybody else and it doesn't integrate well with the rest of the Mac system. Plans for a version that runs natively under the Mac's Aqua graphics system have been shelved until OpenOffice 2.0 comes out, meaning it'll be at least a year and a half away. All of which is a pity, because I've come to really rather like OpenOffice.

So what's cheered me up? A project called NeoOffice/J, which is using the graphics facilities of Java in place of those provided by X11. If you look at the web site you are greeted with all sorts of warnings about how this is a prototype and not for regular daily use, which may be the case, but I have successfully opened both OpenOffice and Microsoft documents, edited them, print-previewed and printed them without any problems. What's more, the on-screen appearance is lovely. The font handling is much better than OO under X11 or, indeed, Microsoft Word on my machine.

Best of all is the fact that, despite all the disclaimers, there seems to be ongoing development. A new version was released three days ago, and I'm downloading it now. A big round of applause for those involved, particularly Edward Peterlin and Patrick Luby. This is great work.

[Original Link] Neil McIntosh quotes from the Economist's leader about the problems with Microsoft:

"Isn't this simply a matter of Microsoft competing vigorously? The strange thing is that its products invariably succeed in PC-based markets where the dominance of Windows provides an advantage... in other markets that have nothing to do with PCs, such as mobile phones, set-top boxes and games consoles, the company is far less successful. Odd, that."

[Original Link] A nice spoof...

[Original Link] Pilgrim Beart has a fascinating page about what it's like to be colour-blind. As I read it, I was thinking that even that page doesn't look the same to the author...

[Original Link] From Dan Gillmor's blog:

Wikipedia Shows Power of Cooperation
Sometime in the next few days or weeks, one of the world's most comprehensive online reference sites will publish its 200,000th article.... Wikipedia, an encyclopedia created and operated by volunteers, is one of the most fascinating developments of the Digital Age. In just over three years of existence, it has become a valuable resource and an example of how the grass roots in today's interconnected world can do extraordinary things.

I agree. I'm a great fan of Wikipedia and have often found answers to questions there.

A 1 GB microdrive costs around £300. Apple's new iPod Mini, which contains a 4 GB microdrive, costs around £140. There are rumours of people buying iPods, taking the microdrive and dumping the rest. Can't be true, can it?

[Original Link] John Naughton's article in the Times on Bill Gates' knighthood.

C'est evident qu'il n'y a pas assez de blogs sur le web in Franglais. Recentement, c'est apparent que la phrase 'Franglais' est utilisé to refer to la variant de Francais spoken by certain des Quebequois. Mai pour beacoup de nous, c'est encapsulé primarily dans les livres humoureux de M. Miles Kington.

Maintenant, je croix, le jour est venu pour Franglais to make son vrai impact felt sur le multi-national medium de le web! Ecrivez votre blog en Franglais et reach encore de les gens online!

Les grands tenets of le online community doit etre translated au Franglais:

• "Sur le internet, personne connait que vous etes un chien!"
• "Libre software: 'libre' comme en 'speech', pas comme en 'biere'!"

• Plus ca change, plus c'est reflected in the RSS feed
• Voulez-vous Googler avec moi ce soir?

[Original Link] Richard Dawkins on his first experience of the Apple Macintosh.

[Original Link] From John Naughton's weblog:

The NYT asked Aaron Schwartz to contribute a piece defending downloading. He wrote the piece, but apparently the Times chopped it (presumably the notion of someone arguing that downloading music was not unethical was a bit strong for that venerable organ). Anyway, Aaron's unexpurgated piece is interesting. And it has some useful stats and references.