Free software is a sort of misnomer. It is a matter of liberty rather than the price. It is essentially about freedom to users to copy, distribute, change or improve the software. Access to source code is essential to achieve this.This debate on whether Microsoft offers a better and stable operating system or a free operating system developed by Linux, Fedora or Ubuntu would make better option, is being fuelled by growing perception about Microsoft being greedy.

No doubt, for a long time, in mid nineties, when there was no credible substitute for its products, it tried to manipulate the market to the extent possible. It was the first major software company to enhance software upgrade charges to 50% against 20% which was industry norm. Standard practice of Microsoft had been to add features to its software that would put its competitors out of the business and later on selling those as add-on features.

Free open source operating systems were perceived as answer to Microsoft’s perceived greedy attitude. Free software was started as ethical movement as constructive alternative to Microsoft’s growing monopoly.

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GPhone (the Open Handset Alliance and Android) is soon to be in your pockets. It’s time to experience new horizon of user experience with new applications and new capabilities beyond your imagination. Soon it will be a foundation for many of Open Handset Alliance innovations. (More than 30 technology and mobile leaders including Motorola, Qualcomm, HTC and T-Mobile)

The Big G is now striking into mobile industry! Get info anywhere anytime. Much more than a phone!

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Digg, launched in December 1994, is a community based website that allows users to rank the stories they like to the home page or to “bury it to death” the stories they do not like. The more the numbers of diggs that a story receives, the higher it ranks. Its promoters earlier wanted to call the site “Diggnation”, but for choosing a simpler name, they settled for Digg. They could not take the domain “dig” as the same was owned by Walt Disney Internet Group.

Digg bought a site that was engaged in “Spiking the Digg” as it felt that it would be worth to jump at the opportunity to shut down a scheme that attempts to undermine the legitimacy of Digg’s voting system. If you are a member of any such spiking community, tomorrow Digg could have all your activity known and your site could be penalized by Digg.

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