Think open source is unsophisticated? Think again. Take a look at the lengths the WordPress team went to in order to redesign the user interface.

To make sure users get a better interface, WordPress engaged the Ball State University’s Center for Media Design, Insight and Research (CMD, blessedly, for short).

CMD conducted eye-tracking studies, usability surveys, and other research to guide WordPress’s complete redesign of the user interface. You can even check out a detailed report of their findings (PDF).

Usability Testing Report: 2.5 and Crazyhorse | WordPress Blog

The rumor mill thinks so. I am getting ready to throw over my Blackberry Pearl when the new handsets show up. Screw the iPhone, I’m going to go make sure my tent is patched up for camping in front of the T-Mobile kiosk at the mall.

(Disclaimer: I am probably not going to camp out for a phone. Ever. Or even buy an Android phone right away. But I am really excited.)

Rumor: T-Mobile prepping Android phone for Oct. 1 | BoingBoing Gadgets (via everyone)

“Free” has two meanings: (1) gratis, and (2) libertas. When I say free software, I mean libertas, although much free software is gratis, as well.

Choice

There are two parts to choice: (1) different software that does the same thing, and (2) the ability to modify software to do what you want.

Don’t like the way Word handles bulleted lists? Try OpenOffice.org. Or AbiWord. Or KOffice. Or . . .

There are many brilliant programmers developing free software, and you might like one better than what you are using now. For text documents, there are a ton of options, and most of them will open and edit your .doc files just like Word.

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Mike Kavis switched to Linux to prove that people can be productive at work without using Microsoft products. One year later, he has proved the point.

I have been Microsoft free* for a couple of months now, as well, using Ubuntu GNU/Linux as my primary operating system, with OpenOffice.org as my office suite. I have not used Microsoft Office in almost a year.

Why do I prefer Ubuntu? Primarily, because it is lighter and faster, more reliable, and more configurable. It has encouraged me to focus on open standards and programs that work equally well on Windows and Mac OSX, so that I can move my data freely between all platforms. It also saves me money, especially on upgrades, although I do believe in contributing to the software projects from which I benefit.

I actually like Windows XP just fine, and always have. But my laptop has a 60GB hard drive, so Vista’s 20+GB install size was a dealbreaker for me. I think Microsoft really went the wrong direction with Vista, but I will not rule out a return to Windows if version 7 turns out to be lighter and faster, instead of bigger and slower.

*I do run Windows XP using VirtualBox (kind of like Parallels or VMWare Fusion for a Mac) so that I can use Adobe Acrobat, since there is still not a good Linux alternative. I also prefer the Windows-only scanner utility for my Fujitsu ScanSnap, since Fujitsu still refuses to support Linux.

Linux is pretty.

New York and Minnesota just completed studies into the merits of using open formats.

In the Minnesota report, the Office of Enterprise Technology came out in favor of open document formats, but stated that the marketplace is in flux, and it may be too early to recommend one format over another. (In related news, Microsoft just announced that it will support the Open Document Format in its next Office 2007 update.)

The New York report was a bit confusing, advising that NY should not adopt any one format due to the risk of it becoming outdated. This is confusing, because open, standardized formats do not become outdated. That is the whole point of ISO standardization.

New York and Minnesota Publish Open Document Studies [/.]

According to InformationWeek, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency is advocating for removing Microsoft Office from the classroom in favor of open-standards compliant office suites like OpenOffice.org.

It is good to see this kind of pressure on Microsoft. If they would either open up their OOXML standard or else support the Open Document Format like nearly every other office suite, it would benefit everyone. Microsoft is already starting to lose money as agencies like BECTA start opting for free software like OOo instead of the costly Microsoft bundle, so it seems like opening up its platform would be in its best interests.

If only the legal system would follow BECTA’s lead.

Version 8.04 of my favorite Linux operating system, Ubuntu, is a big deal. It is a collection of small changes that add up to a big improvement. It is also a long-term service edition, meaning Canonical will support version 8.04 for twice as long as its regular releases.

7.10 was a big leap. 8.04 is a small one, but a ton of small improvements have really come together to make 8.04 well worth downloading. If you want to try it, download a LiveCD and try Ubuntu without installing it. If you like it, it is easy to set up a dual-boot with Windows, although, like me, you will soon start thinking about wiping Windows off your computer entirely.

I am still using 7.10 on my laptop—my main work computer—until the early kinks are worked out. But I am using 8.04 on another computer (and have since the beta came out), and I do not expect too many kinks. Everything seems to Just Work.

AMD/ATI just released an updated driver, v8.3. And they put out a Linux version, which enabled me (finally!) to use my dual-monitor setup in Ubuntu Linux. And so, today I began an experiment in seeing how long I can go without booting into Windows.

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Today Microsoft announced a “new interoperability.” Microsoft promised, among other things, to open up cooperation with open source software, including distributing its APIs for its software and allowing open-source project to use them without fear of lawsuits. It already released its Office binary formats.

The European Union, however, is investigating Microsoft for antitrust violations and called bullshit on Microsoft’s announcement, noting that “today’s announcement follows at least four similar statements by Microsoft in the past on the importance of interoperability.”

If Microsoft is truly willing to cooperate with the open-source community, that is good news. But it would be shocking news, indeed. On the desktop, Microsoft is king. When it comes to the backbone of the internet, Microsoft is a very, very distant second to Linux. Microsoft almost certainly has something else in mind.