apps on ms windows; osdw expands; solitude

we are heading towards kde on win32 (and OS X, and...) with kde4. as i've noted before there are strategic issues we need to be aware of, in my opinion. i think we have a great opportunity to welcome in developers who are currently windows-only with this move, but we will need to manage things with wisdom.

fortunately we have other apps that have gone before us in challenging microsoft on their own turf with open source offerings in recent times, for instance firefox. i think we should look at the path it's taken and is taking and learn from both the positives and the negatives. already people are positioning ie7 as a "firefox killer". well, i don't think it'll kill firefox but it may certainly beat it back. or maybe it won't. no matter which way it goes, it will be something we ought to keep our eye on as we move forward.

and speaking (two paragraphs ago, anyways) about windows developers, osdw is another plot of mine to hopefully address that issue in some small way. october's event is approaching (so reg soon if you haven't and want to attend!), but already other osdw events are filling up the pipeline. we'll be at linux conf australia and probably in the netherlands in march. other locations are in the works as well. of course, north american osdw events are still my main focus (others are helping arrange and organize the international osdw events) with phillie being the next up.

things are growing on that end so much that i've been driven to start up mailing lists for those organizing, sponsoring and speaking at them. heck, we even have a kpresenter template now thanks to danny allen; neat! i've also taken to lurking on #osdw on freenode if you want to chat me up about osdw. i think eventually i'll have to find someone who is actually good at organizing these sorts of things to help out or even succeed me =)

sometimes i look at the crazy things i try to do and wonder, "aaron, are you completely out of your mind?" probably am. but at least there's lots of great people around me who either help me stay on track or make me look less insane by comparison.

one of those people more recently in my life has been t. i dropped her off at the airport today where she caught a flight out to nova scotia for ~4 days for some much deserve r&r. i'll miss her. i'll also have more time to hack. upside to every downside, they say.

speaking of which i got a wireless router as a gift today from t. i hope to get to playing with it today. i also happen to have a wireless card for the laptop that i brought back from malaga. someone lent it to me one of the days there and then i forgot to give it back. but i forget who. gah! if it was you, please email me your postal address so i can mail it back asap. thanks =)