Greetings from Vermont! In this NixMashup we look at two maps: the Linux cartographic kind and the Java Dictionary kind. Good news now and no doubt in the future for Linux affectionados seeking employment. Linux Web Traffic surges to 2%–and it’s a big deal. Why DuckDuckGo is also a big deal and for today’s believe-it-or-not headline, someone used a Windows Phone for over 3 years!
In case you haven’t seen it, the World Map is now part of Linux popular culture. Very clever depiction of the various distributions of Linux with references to how they might be perceived by the Linux Community. “Debian Republic” and “Rogue State of Mint” as two examples.
No, this is not mapping like the Linux World Map, but rather the equivalent of C# Dictionaries (for other former .NET developers out there.) Both are list objects with key-value pairs, and this post has several examples of Map enhancements coming in Java 8.
Lots of good numbers in this Linux.com article that you can savor if you’re a Linux user. Bottom line, there are more career opportunities in Linux than in other platforms.
This post is almost two years old but I just discovered it. The main point the author is making is no one appreciates how much time and effort goes into being a competent programmer. Here’s a great anecdote comparing a programmer’s skill with that of a good guitarist (paraphrased), “Even if people don’t fully understand how long it took for that guitarist to play so well, how much work and effort went in to it, or how talented he or she is, they at least can have some appreciation of it. You are doing something that they can’t do, and it sounds good and looks good besides. But if you are a great programmer, no one is ever going to see that or make those same judgements. Instead, it’s ‘Thanks, now here’s the next thing I need you to do.”
The full title of this Fast Company article is “Inside DuckDuckGo, Google’s Tiniest, Fiercest Competitor.” Interesting background on the company and it’s mission. A section title that sums up the company mission is “DuckDuckGo’s Secret Weapon: Hardcore Privacy.” Here’s a telling quote on searching and privacy which most people don’t consider. “If you look at the logs of people’s search sessions, they’re the most personal thing on the Internet,” Weinberg says. “Unlike Facebook, where you choose what to post, with search you’re typing in medical and financial problems and all sorts of other things. You’re not thinking about the privacy implications of your search history.”
Why Linux Use at 2% is a Big Deal
A new report out from an Internet advertising firm reports from web logs that Linux usage on the web is at 1.9% in January 2014. That doesn’t sound like much, but the significant stat is that Linux web traffic rose from 1.1% to 1.9% over the course of the 4th quarter of 2013. That’s a big increase, and I’m betting we’ll continue to see Linux use increase in 2014. A lot.
Hanging Tough with Windows Phone for 3-1/2 Years
A ZDNet writer who is obviously a big Windows Phone fan explains why he is done with the phone after 3-and-1/2 years of daily use. That’s the longest I heard of anyone sticking with Windows Phone. I stuck with my Lumia 900 for 8 months until I couldn’t stand it anymore and went back to my 4-year-old iPhone 3G for the remainder of my current AT&T contract. In a crazy twist surprising everyone including myself, I pulled the Lumia out of the drawer recently and am now using it as my primary camera. And I actually like the phone again (as a single-function camera.) I guess it’s about managing expectations. “Windows Phone: not a bad camera!”
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Today’s Vermont Photo is provided by Don Shall, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.