Memeorandum launches its new service

That was quick. On Sunday, I pointed to Gabe Rivera’s self-deprecating comments about the service he founded, and on Monday the new version is out, in two flavors, a Tech Web and a cleaner view of the original Politics/News version.

Scoble says:

It’s a news page for blogs. It tells you what bloggers find important. Right now.

I remain to be convinced. The tech page looks promising, but my first reaction to the political page is that it’s worse than before.

More than anything, what this service needs is a bozo filter. There are many sources in both tech and political news that I consider to be just noise. Some are routinely inaccurate, others add nothing of value to the conversation. Gabe, give me a way to filter these people out.

Now let’s see if this comment makes it into tech.memeorandum.

Update: Richard MacManus has this concise description:

How it works: the more people that link to a blog post, the bigger the headline. The biggest and most recent headlines are at the top of the page, but move down as newer popular stories emerge to take their place. Below the original source of each story are links to other bloggers who have linked to it. But the beauty of it is, only posts with a decent amount of writing in them make the memeorandum page. A simple link and a sentence won’t do.

All in all, it’s like a hybrid of populicio.us and the New York Times!

It’s almost entirely automated too, which amazed me when I found out – because the quality of the posts and stories that it uncovers is top notch. As is the connecting together of all relevant links, which Gabe has an excellent phrase for: “relate the conversation”. I’ve been using this new version of memeorandum as my prime source of breaking blog news for the past couple of months. It’s so quick to scan and find out what’s hot in the tech blogosphere.

The link to this piece came, ironically, through tech.memeorandum.

Why memeorandum is kind of lame

For a while now I’ve been telling people like Robert Scoble that I think Memeorandum is lame and overrated. It reinforces the worst cheerleading elements of the political blogosphere and rewards the intellectually empty “Heh. Indeed.” school of commentary.

So it should come as no surprise that I agree with this post: Why memeorandum is kind of lame. What is surprising, however, is that the post was written by Gabe Rivera, who runs Memeorandum. He says Memeorandum is about to change, big time.

OK, I’m willing to take another look. Meanwhile, I still think the Daou Report at Salon.com (premium subscription or watch-an-ad daily pass required) is more interesting, easier to scan, and much more valuable if you really want to get outside your own echo chamber.

Dear Microsoft, why not sell Starter Edition everywhere?

I originally wrote this post about six months ago and never published it. Given the current discussion about different editions of Windows Vista, and especially the contention from Robert McLaws that Microsoft still hasn’t decided on the product mix for Windows Vista, I thought it made sense to update it.

The Internet has a big problem: People continue to use old, insecure versions of Windows. I can’t find any up-to-date statistics, but my WAG is that between 10 and 20% of people on the Internet today are running operating systems from the Windows 9X family. These old computers are less reliable and far less secure than they would be if they were running Windows XP, and they aren’t able to install many modern programs.

Why don’t these people upgrade? Because upgrading is expensive. The upgrade package is $90-100 if you’re a good shopper. A new PC is going to run between $400 and $500. That’s a lot of money for people who are on a fixed income or who are struggling to make ends meet.

Microsoft already has a solution: Windows XP Starter Edition. It was designed for use in emerging markets where the average annual income can’t justify the cost of a full Windows XP license. First released in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, it soon spread to Russia, India, and Brazil, and it’s now available in 22 countries and in six languages. (There are some interesting details in this article from Microsoft Watch and a very Microsoft-friendly profile, with screen shots, at Paul Thurrott’s site.)

Well, we have plenty of people in this country who can’t afford the cost of a new PC or an expensive upgrade. But they might pay $30, especially if they got some bonuses kicked in with the deal, like a six-month subscription to Microsoft’s OneCare security software, or a limited version of MSN.

Would Starter Edition cannibalize sales of existing Windows versions? I don’t think so. The operating system has some serious limitations that would rule out its use by any computer enthusiast:

Only three programs run at a time. (Hey… You can’t reliably run more than a handful of programs on Windows 9X anyway.)
The display runs only at 800 X 600 resolution. Most people who are stuck with old hardware and an old version of Windows are probably running at this resolution anyway.
No home networking or multiple user accounts.
Settings are preconfigured for novices.

But think of the serious advantages. Upgraders would have all the security fixes of Service Pack 2. They’d be able to run IE7 when it’s available later this year. They could run Windows AntiSpyware. They’d have an easier time with digital cameras and portable music players.

So why not make Windows XP Starter Edition (and the Windows Vista equivalent, when its time comes) available here? Sell it for $29.99. Make it available only as an upgrade to Windows 98 or Windows Me. Maybe the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation could set up a program with clinics in low-income neighborhoods that could offer upgrade services or low-cost, Starter Edition-powered computers for families with school-age kids and seniors.

I suggested this back in January, but the more I think about the idea, the more I like it. Windows 98 and Windows Me are long overdue for retirement, and a move like this would help make the Internet a better, safer place.

More on Vista editions

An update on my last post. Robert McLaws at Longhorn Blogs says Paul’s got it all wrong.

Robert says there are at least 20 possible editions still up for consideration: “Confirmed information from Microsoft official sources tell me that editions are not locked down yet. There is only one edition that is confirmed, but I can’t talk about that until Tuesday morning.”

We’ll see.

Vista versions

Update, 25-Apr-2006: For an important follow-up to this post, see Vista versions: Maybe not so confusing after all

Apparently, someone at Microsoft decided to leak the upcoming mix of SKUs for Windows Vista. There are seven Vista versions in all, if Paul Thurrott’s report is to be believed.

And the reaction from the blogosphere is predictable:

The J-Walk Blog: Vista Confusion

Apparently, Microsoft’s new tactic is to confuse the marketplace as much as possible, and hope that people will buy a more expensive version than they really need.

Peter Near: Ready, Aim, Shoot self in foot

How do you confuse end-users and make it so that your customers never know if applications will work?

Confusing? Maybe not. Let’s break down those seven versions:

Windows Vista Starter Edition. Already exists in Windows XP. Available in “emerging markets” where the average income is too low to support sales of full versions – Thailand, Malaysia, and Brazil, for instance. Will not be sold in the U.S., Canada, Europe and other developed economies.
Windows Vista Home Basic Edition. The dirt-cheap, no-frills version for single-PC households.
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. Power user version, with Media Center features and home networking support. (Paul says it even supports DVD ripping. Really?)
Windows Vista Professional Edition. The baseline business version that will go on corporate PCs that don’t need special features.
Windows Vista Small Business Edition. Vista Pro with some extra online services for businesses that don’t have a full-time IT staff.
Windows Vista Enterprise Edition. Includes Virtual PC and some extra features for high-end corporate PCs.
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Includes everything in the high-end Home and Pro editions, with some ill-defined goodies like free downloads and online services.

So, if you’re buying a home PC, you can get the Home Basic, Home Premium, or Ultimate version. Most people will probably make the decision on price, rather than features.

If you’re configuring a corporate network, you can get the Pro or Enterprise version. Some of your really picky users might get the Ultimate version for their home PCs. Most buyers will make the decision based on IT budgets.

If you have a small business, you might want the features in that version. You’ll probably be considering Windows 2003 Small Business Server too.

That’s three choices, at most, after you decide whether you’re buying for a home, a corporation, or a small business. Is that really so confusing?

Update: Ars Technica piles on with the “confusing” meme and gets its facts all wrong:

Ars Technica:

The one thing I will say is that I fear that this may cause a great deal of confusion on behalf of your average consumer. Two versions of XP were enough to cause confusion, and now Joe Blow has four choices that may fit the bill.

Two versions of Windows XP? Try five: Starter (not available in North America), Home, Pro, Tablet, and Media Center.

Update 2: Add Dwight Silverman to the list of those picking up on the “confusing” meme:

TechBlog: Seven versions of Windows Vista??

Can you say “market confusion,” boys and girls? Microsoft certainly can!

To his credit, Dwight does note that “after reading [the details about each version], you’ll understand Microsoft’s thinking.”

And here’s Engadget:

Windows Vista to come in seven (or more) versions

We won’t tell you all the goodies each version’s supposed to have, but the next time we see him we will definitely tell Bill that staggered pricepoints and confusing upgrade feature sets are no way to ensure people buy (or like) your OS.

This week’s not-so-random 20 songs

The usual rules are to shuffle your entire music collection, click Play, and report the first 20 tracks, no matter what. This week’s list is a little different, in honor of recent events. It’s formatted as song title, artist, and album (in italics):

New Orleans Wins the War, Randy Newman, Land of Dreams
New Orleans, Dr. John the Night Tripper, Dr. John: The Essential Recordings
Down South in New Orleans, The Band, The Last Waltz
Tipitina, Professor Longhair, Louisiana Spice
Sunrise on the Mississippi, Bruce Cockburn, Dart to the Heart
Delta Queen, Leftover Salmon, Live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2003
High Water (for Charley Patton), Bob Dylan, Love and Theft
So Many Rivers to Cross, Maria Muldaur, Louisiana Love Call
Down in the Flood, Bob Dylan, Masked and Anonymous (soundtrack)
How Can I Help But Love You, Aaron Neville, Treacherous: A History of the Neville Brothers
Help the Poor, B. B. King, Riding with the King
I Cried, The Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama, The Sermon
Christmas in Washington, Steve Earle, Live at Newport 2004
Some Humans Ain’t Human, John Prine, Fair & Square
Big Hat, No Cattle, Randy Newman, Bad Love
Real Situation, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Songs of Freedom
Dawn in a New World, Ottmar Liebert, Solo Para Ti
Land of Hope and Dreams, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Live in New York City
After the Rain Has Fallen, Sting, Brand New Day
Dry Spell, The Meters, Look-ka Py Py

Back to random songs next week.

Highway 61, Visited

There’s a wonderful piece in the Travel section of today’s New York Times. Called Highway 61, Visited, it’s the chronicle of a road trip along Highway 61, “the fabled Blues Highway that runs from the Mississippi Delta through Duluth, where [Bob] Dylan was born, and that Mr. Dylan mythologized in his 1965 masterpiece ‘Highway 61 Revisited.'” If you’re a Dylan fan, this story will be interesting:

One hundred miles to the northwest, in Fargo, N.D., a little-known but portentous moment in rock ‘n’ roll history occurred when, on the night after Buddy Holly died in a plane crash on the way to a gig there in February 1959, an 18-year-old piano player named Robert Zimmerman (later known to the world as Bob Dylan) sat in with a fellow Minnesotan, Bobby Vee, whose band was conscripted at the last minute to fill Holly’s place on the bill.

If you’re not a Dylan fan, but you love tales of real America, you still might like this fine little piece of journalism.

Recommended Software list updated

As part of the redesign of this site, I’ve been updating some of the static pages. Today I took a few minutes and gave my Recommended Software page a makeover. It’s not complete, but everything on there is a program that I currently use (or have used in recent months) and recommend.

The previous version of this list had detailed version numbers. I’ve removed most of those and instead stuck only with major version numbers where it seemed appropriate. I also broke the list into categories for easier reading.

If you want to suggest products I should try, leave a comment here. Include the full name of the product, a description of why you think it’s useful, and a link. No affiliate links, please. I’ll edit or delete anything that looks like an ad. (That’s what the column to the right is for. If you want to advertise a product, contact me. You might be surprised at how reasonable the rates are.)

Let’s wobulate!

Even after reading the explanation, I have no idea what Wobulation is, but these new digital TVs sound pretty slick.

Freedom?

Today’s Washington Post reports on this weekend’s Freedom Walk in Washington D.C.:

Organizers of the Pentagon’s 9/11 memorial Freedom Walk on Sunday are taking extraordinary measures to control participation in the march and concert, with the route fenced off and lined with police and the event closed to anyone who does not register online by 4:30 p.m. today.

The march, sponsored by the Department of Defense, will wend its way from the Pentagon to the Mall along a route that has not been specified but will be lined with four-foot-high snow fencing to keep it closed and “sterile,” said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense.

[…]

Barber said that organizers would rather not have such stringent measures on their event but that police had requested them.

Pettiford said officers would patrol to keep interlopers out because the Pentagon restricted the event in its permit application. “That is what their permit called for, so we have those fences to keep the public out.”

[…]

What’s unusual for an event on the Mall is the combination of fences, required preregistration and the threat of arrest.

This is a freedom march?

As a wise fictional character once said:

“You keep using that word…I do not think it means what you think it means.”