Comments on: Ten brilliant things the internet has done

By: Lise

Lise — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:20:31 +0000

sage advice from Lise

Anytime!

By: Tess

Tess — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:08:09 +0000

Yes, I agree that MyOtherDrive is a cool site. I have read the review at the online backup review website:

http://www.BackupReview.info

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:39:31 +0000

Mozy and carbonite are mentioned for online backup and Dropbox and livemesh for sharing. Check out http://www.myotherdrive.com as that site cleverly blends online backup and file sharing into one service.

By: Steve Cassidy

Steve Cassidy — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:18:28 +0000

the only package I can point to which has good and fair penetration into the enterprise, and is free, is 7-Zip. After that, “free” starts to mutate from the British meaning, which is simple – and over to the American meaning, which is slippery.

I think there’s actually more “free” software in the public sector, than there is in enterprises. But I can’t find a neat set of numbers for that.

By: pcernie

pcernie — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:24:30 +0000

‘@pcernie – uploads are slow, but imho it almost doesn?t matter. You just set it going and let it get on with it.’

Maybe it’s just crappy VM or their connection, but uploading anything slows the WHOLE browsing experience down at my end. Actually, maybe it’s Firefox…

By: John Dowdell

John Dowdell — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:03:28 +0000

“Despite the best efforts of Adobe, Microsoft and Symantec, there?s absolutely no need to pay for software any more.”

Hmm, I’m not sure of that. Are you saying GIMP is the equal of Photoshop, or are you talking about using (potentially infectious) cracks rather than just shoplifting, or…?

jd/adobe

By: Tim Danton

Tim Danton — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:08:57 +0000

Thanks both. I agree about free software not always measuring up in terms of quality – I’d always use MS Office over OpenOffice – but there are some exceptions to the rule. For example, Google Picasa.

The enterprise argument is more interesting. Obviously, Windows still dominates, but I know there are plenty of companies out there who have opted for free software and are happy with it.

@pcernie – uploads are slow, but imho it almost doesn’t matter. You just set it going and let it get on with it.

By: pcernie

pcernie — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:01:21 +0000

Agree with everything there Tim, bar Facebook and not losing your docs – uploading is so painfully slow I just wouldn’t be arsed…

By: Arek

Arek — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:37:03 +0000

I would add: travel – online booking, reviews, maps, satellite pics, etc simplified travelling short- and long-haul no end; social life – the net unified some people (online dating) and alienated hoards of others (Twitter, Facebook); crime – it gave all sorts of conmen a new world of possibilities.
I would disagree: free software has such a big impact, especially in the enterprise, besides free replacements often still dont’t measure up in terms of quality; disputable advantage of online shopping for some type of goods (eg. groceries, shoes).