[nmglug] Check out these guys selling corebooted thinkpad x60's.

[Arlo Barnes]

>
> Do you think that we have passed the peak of laptop hardware development?

 As long as we have a shared wish list for laptops, I think there will be
development to try to take advantage of that want. I am hoping for cheaper
durable cases (including ceramics) and more modularity, myself; basically a
mainstreaming of the barebook <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barebook>niche.

> I mean by this that new additions are either trivial or degrading, like
> incremental memory and the UEFI/Secure boot which seems to put Microsoft
> Corp. in charge of vetting all OS software. What does it say about monopoly
> control and capitalism's stifling of true competition and innovation?
>
 The monopolists certainly are still up to their old tricks, as
reprehensible as ever. I am hoping that we will see computer users to a
more overwhelming degree reject the premise that, in order to get quality
computing they have to indebt themselves to a company in order to get
support for costly, closed-off products. In many fields we have seen the
rise of the amateur, for better and to a lesser extent for worse, and I
think that, even as it has to some degree already, we will see a consensus
arise that although computing is complex, it is not so complex that
communities of individuals willing to put effort and passion in, and
working together, cannot produce something better than what a monolithic
company structure could produce. Of course profit will continue to play a
role, but hopefully not in the usurious role it has enjoyed so far.
It would be an interesting but probably overwhelming project to see if the
NMGLUG could convert some public institution (government office, school)
from a Windows workflow.
I have not heard about the incremental memory thing, would like to learn
more. Also, apparently UEFI originally had the possibility of being an
improvement in BIOS security, not proprietary lock-in:
http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/principles.html

On 11/18/13, Sam Noble <s at mnoble.net> wrote:
>
Firstly, this is an awesome email address. I guess the closest I could get
would be arlob at rnes.tld, which does not have quite the same iconism.

>  > This is attached somehow to the Canvey Island (U.K) GNU/Linux
> user group. www.gluglug.org.uk Most of you know how coreboot obsessed I
> am, so this sales site caught my attention. But I love their domain almost
> as much :)
>
Seems like it should be CIGLUG... Guesses at what GLUGLUG stands for
include: GNU/Linux "UnGratefulLeech" User Group, GNU/Linux User Group
Lacking UnderGraduates, and others. Silly jokes aside, it seems like a
really nice site with a statement that the actual group is still pretty
small. The laptops look nice though.

TPP

 Surprised that there has not been as much <http://stopthetrap.net/> of a
fuss on the net over this as much as there was over SOPA/PIPA/CISPA; if I
understand correctly it compromises fair use.

-Arlo James Barnes
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