Archive for August 2013

Ubuntu Edge failure and what it means to me

A few days ago I received a credit from Indiegogo, because the USD$600 that I pledged for the Ubuntu Edge didn’t work out (I pledged on day one not because it was cheap but because I felt I needed the device and thank Canonical for the wonderful work they’ve done in addition to being brave about going into new markets; I would have paid $895 if need be – we don’t get heavily subsidised phones where I come from). There was a lot of buzz about how this is the largest crowdfunding experience ever, and so on, but to me, as a believer in opensource, I feel this failure to get an Ubuntu Edge more than ever.

It was by no means a shoddy amount that was pledged, in the sense that it raised USD$12,813,501 out of the USD$32,000,000 goal. I was curious with who pledged, and this is quite public as well – see the pledges list. But what you see is that a lot of people pledged not for the phone but smaller amounts which I guess is a huge problem.

Simply put, you need about 50,000 people (community members/Ubuntu users/etc.) to pledge to buy the phone (at an average sale price of USD$695). A mere 50,000. I planned to analyze the data, but its great that The Guardian did most of the work for me, so read: Ubuntu Edge: how many phones were really ordered – and the mistakes.

14,577 individuals pledged to order the phone. Enterprises were shy by the looks of it.

Out of the 14,577 individuals, I expect many of them to be Ubuntu users to some extent (if not lovers of opensource). Where are the rest of the Ubuntu users?

The public stats for Ubuntu are quite impressive – generally it is the most popular desktop Linux distribution out there. Just look at the adoption & reception: in June 2009, it was estimated that there are 13 million active users; in fall 2011 Canonical itself estimated more than 20 million users worldwide. This number must have grown tremendously, but even at a 20 million base, you’re looking at 0.073% conversion rate to buy an Ubuntu Edge.

I know people that are Ubuntu users and wanted to buy it, but not at the price point. Over $600 for a phone with a computer that docks just isn’t feasible as a cost in many parts of the developing world. Without user registration, we can’t tell where Ubuntu users are located, but I’m willing to bet it’s a good mix between the developed/developing world, right?

I was hoping to hold an Edge in my hand come May 2014. I’m still hoping to hold an Ubuntu mobile device in my hand. While I am disappointed, I can imagine Mark Shuttleworth asking himself a lot of questions. He’s spent millions developing Ubuntu, the community that surrounds it and the commercial aspects around it. Apparently monetizing the userbase is harder than it looks.

Nick Vujicic, motivational speaker, in Malaysia thanks to YTL/FrogAsia

I saw a moving video (which I can’t find now) featuring Nick Vujicic and how he overcomes challenges. Check out Leaps of Knowledge: FrogAsia presents Nick Vujicic. I don’t normally listen to motivational speakers but I’m kinda happy that YTL is bringing him to town because both parents and students of the system need to ensure that the next generation don’t give up no matter what challenges they face. Those facing challenges in Malaysia are only stronger in the world because you focus on overcoming it well.

I don’t know if the series Leaps of Knowledge is going to be like a Malaysian TED-equivalent, but from what I’m told this is just the first of the series. Its part of the whole FrogAsia push that YTL’s spearheading to ensure that all students end up learning with a Chromebook. You know I’m excited overall about the ability for students to learn beyond their skewed textbooks and education system. The power of a Chromebook with an Internet connection will help all students overcome challenges. 

Its FREE for 1BestariNet ID holders (so again, targeted at parents/students in the education system). No reason not to go IMHO, so register at yes.my/1bestarinet

Many parents I’ve spoken to talk about how the education system needs fixing. Public education might be free/cheap, but its so incredibly broken. 1BestariNet no matter what will help improve the overall education system because if a student has an inkling to learn more, she will thanks to the Internet. It is a powerful tool, for example there are 24 e-books that focus on Malays in Project Gutenberg. Vast bodies of information that even I am trying to chomp thru over time.

I was lucky to be educated in an international school, learning everything in English and taking the O Levels. Today I am told that even with more international schools, there are waiting lists and the costs have skyrocketed. Its something I generally have to think about going forward because I will have children eventually too. 

So the system might be broken, but you have to overcome challenges. So kudos to YTL for bringing Nick Vujicic to talk about this, to motivate the next generation to thrive in a tough world. Giving it away for free is a bonus; I do sincerely hope that it is eventually extended to more than just 1BestariNet ID holders.

With all the challenges life throws at you, we all can use a little motivation, learn something new, and more importantly be inspired to get ahead of the curve.

SPIDER in MariaDB

One thing you might have missed from the MariaDB 10.0.4 Alpha release announcement is that SPIDER is finally in-tree, inside MariaDB. I’ve been watching the SPIDER engine for quite some years and fondly remember the time when Kentoku Shiba dressed up as spiderman at a MySQL Conference.

There are many factors that plays to an engines success. Distribution is one of them. Having a company backing it with services is another, so it is with great pleasure that I also show you Spiral Arms Ltd by Kentoku and Goto.

Overall, a good time to celebrate and I’m very happy for Kentoku and Goto. Now to promote its use. There’s a lot of dated resources that we need to get back up to speed with, so I expect that in time the Knowledgebase entry will well populated.

Remembering our ideals & staying in control

Hactivist Richard Stallman takes on proprietary software, SAAS and open source – Tech News and Analysis: “‘Our ideals become forgotten,’ he said of open source eclipsing free software, and encouraged the audience to keep talking about free software.”

Richard Stallman is spot on. Read the whole article. I hope video makes its way online, because RMS is right. 

It further augurs well that I spoke with MÃ¥rten Mickos on Twitter today (he’s a former CEO of mine and a brilliant mind) and we got chatting on control. He says, “Every time you choose convenience, you lose a little control.” An interesting conversation followed naturally.

Leaves me a lot to think about as I have over time chosen convenience over control and clearly it has come by because I need to refresh on my ideals.

30-day challenge: The Gym

My favorite view. Don't listen to CNN, Seoul is awesomeFor the last month, I’ve had a 30-day challenge, inspired by Sara. She challenged me to going to the gym three times a week and spending one and a half hours each time. This is 4.5 hours of working out per week.

I just unlocked this achievement yesterday. On average, I spend about an hour on the elliptical, I do abdominal crunches and then I go for a swim (something I always used to do). When travelling I don’t get what my home gym has, so I have also done the treadmill, cycling, chest presses, seated rows and some exercises for my back (this was especially required when I first started on this challenge). Most times at the home gym, I rock up to the sauna afterward as well.

Upon first starting I was pretty exhausted, but after about the first week it got easier and now it just seems like second nature. To pass time I listen to audiobooks so I’m learning as I go along.

I completed the challenge in three cities across three continents: Kuala Lumpur, São Paulo, and Portland, Oregon. A big issue for me was the time spent on planes. Have I lost weight? No. Have I lost fat? Yes. Am I going to continue? Absolutely. Shorter than 1.5 hours each time, but I’m definitely going to continue.

In fact, I should head there now!

(The picture in this post is the view from my favourite gym, the Park Club at Park Hyatt Seoul. I can’t wait to visit it soon.)


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