OO.o important, why Intel not AMD (and today is the day for timber shivering, arrr)

In today's IT Blogwatch, we look at the impressive but under-resourced OpenOffice.org and Apple's choice of Intel over AMD. Not to mention talking like a pirate all day, arrr...

OpenOffice.org is a huge, important project, explains Jono Bacon:

One of the most critical Open Source desktop applications is OpenOffice.org ... the reality of maintaining an office suite is the sheer size of the project ... [what] concerns me is the sheer dependence on OpenOffice.org and the responsibility for the suite to help the push to Open Source ... the software is not just important, but critical ... If you are reading this and feel inspired to contribute, I really encourage you to.

Ric Shreves calls Bacon's post "wonderfully informative."

Banglogic thinks the FOSS community should chip away at Microsoft's dominance, not expect a sea change:

Open Office is one of the most important open source projects. This is because it won't be a Linux derivitive that makes its way onto the desktops of the masses first. It will be open, free applications that can reliably provide the benifit of expensive commercial applications on the *Windows* desktop. A company I work for is interested in an open source "Save to PDF" tool because, well, have you priced Adobe's Acrobat lately?

Doug Porter adds his perspective:

I have been using the latest builds ... over the past 9 months or so. ... I am quite impressed with how mature this product has become ... this suite could be ready to replace Microsoft Office for the vast majority of users out there ... give it a try if it has been a while since you looked at OpenOffice. I am fully convinced my company could get by using this suite ... think of all of the licensing costs that could be saved.

Mark Johnson is shocked:

I find it amazing that such a critical, high visibility and important project like Openoffice.org has only 100 developers and only 10 of them are non-corprate sponsored developers ... I am no programmer but I do intend to head over to the contributing page and see what I can do. If you are reading this, can I ask as a favour to me that you do the same.

Why did Apple pick Intel over AMD? asks Laurianne McLaughlin:

Why didn’t Jobs, ever the maverick, opt for the scrappy challenger, Advanced Micro Devices, instead of the old-money establishment, Intel? ... AMD would need to develop a chip core especially suited to low-power, as Intel did with the Pentium M, a costly undertaking ... By choosing Intel, Apple gets access to the highly-anticipated chip code-named Yonah, a low-power chip with a dual core processor ... AMD does not have a direct Yonah competitor that would be available in the same timeframe that Intel is discussing. Is AMD working on a Yonah-like competitor? AMD won’t discuss timeframe or specifics ... Interestingly, performance really isn’t the driving force behind Apple’s Intel vs. AMD decision.

Adam Flati flames Jobs:

Personally I feel Jobs and company have made some bad decisions that have crippled Apple over the past decade. We wouldn’t be living in a Microsoft world had Jobs been a little more aggressive and open. I think if Apple had approached AMD with it’s plans — maybe they did? — then AMD would have done what they could to accommodate Apple. I guess it doesn’t matter, as I wouldn’t be too shocked in AMD move in on some of the action. They’ve done it in the past, and they could probably do it again.

Pubjames has a theory why Apple aren't coming out with Intel-based machines until sometime next year:

I believe they actually want to come out with new machines at the same time as Vista is released ... Microsoft is going to spend (pinkie to mouth) 100 hundred billion dollars on promoting Vista. That's going to make a lot of noise, which Apple can cheaply ride on the back of. Imagine, loads of mainstream publications will cover Vista, and if Apple launches at the same time they'll surely do comparisons ... It will be switching time for everyone - current Windows users will be thinking - should I move to Vista? If there is another viable option visible at the same time, then they might consider that too ... Steve Jobs may be confident that the next generation of OSX will beat Vista in comparison reviews - hell, the current version (Tiger) has a lot of the features Vista is supposed to have already.

Hatig reckons that it's about future roadmaps and delivering on time:

Intel have a public roadmap into 2007, so their private roadmap must extend even further. AMD have a public roadmap into 2006, but nothing long term. Privately, it may be different. IBM have a roadmap into next week if you're lucky. Privately it may be different, but 3GHz G5s?

But 787style thinks everyone else is missing the point:

The reason isn't technical, it's personal. Apple was unhappy about the direct attacks AMD was making against Apple on the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) front. Look at all the inroads AMD is making into the music and video business, and some of the negative comments that were made toward Apple. It's not hard to see why they wouldn't get in bed with AMD.

Buffer overflow:

• Where will the next generation of IT employees come from?
• Stop the presses: Windows Workflow Foundation is running early
• Profiles of RIAA victims who fought back
• Skype's billion-dollar idea? Ringtones
• Unraveling of SCO's case begins?
• When security problems get bad, IT managers blame everyone else
• Answering 'What is Open Source?'
• Python interactive debugging
• Dumb ideas and educated users!
• Put smart cards into your plans
• Life and death (literally) data management challenges
• When free software passes the "gift test"
• Why we don't often switch to free (or any) software
• Safe -- sort of
• 24/7 global application development? Sounds good, doesn't work.
• Privacy and liberty in Holland

Ahoy and avast, ye landlubbers... today is Talk Like A Pirate Day, mateys! Arrr!

Richi Jennings is an independent technology and marketing consultant, specializing in email, blogging, Linux, and computer security. A 20 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. Contact Richi at blogwatch@richi.co.uk.