Ubuntu comes with a nice application called “Hardware Drivers” (a.k.a. jockey-gtk) for installing proprietary drivers for wireless cards and other devices that lack open-source support. This is great, except when your only connection to the Internet is wireless and you have no way to download the driver or firmware you need. Here’s why this situation should change.

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The Ubuntu Software Store debuted last month in the latest alpha release of Ubuntu 9.10.  Since its announcement, however, there has been more than a little debate over the application’s name, if not the concept behind it, with many commentators questioning the implication of the word “store.”  Here’s the scoop.

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Someone on the Ubuntu forums started an interesting thread today asking, “Can you manage to use only free software on your pc?“  It got me thinking about my dependency on proprietary software, and whether I’d ever really be able to get it out of my life entirely.

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer brought up some interesting points last week when he displayed data showing that Linux, according to Microsoft’s research, enjoys higher desktop market share than Apple.  This observation not only contradicts claims that Linux use remains stagnant, but has the potential to redefine the tired “Mac vs. PC” discourse that has obscured Microsoft’s real challenge–open source–for a decade.

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