Here’s a key to getting more people to adopt Nokia’s software (and in turn, the Ovi suite of online services):

Running the Ovi Suite installer of the Nokia N97, it’s clear that Nokia’s PC software could use improvement. A lot of improvement.
At first glance, it’s nice to see the installer provide the user with some options during setup. Install Nokia Photos? Leave out Nokia Music? But in hindsight, this approach—separating the various facilities into different applications—does not work. Not only does it come off as cumbersome (What, I have to install all of this?!), it lets users potentially miss out on …read more

Steven Chu, the current US Energy Secretary, argues that open source software will cut down on global warming. Long story short, widespread adoption of open source software would cut down on IP- and standards-related conflicts, allowing both the so-called first and third world to quickly reap the benefits of technology, particularly in doing more with less power. Yes, there’s a us-against-them aspect to the idea:
blockquote>But he is adamant that great efficiency, particularly in buildings, will significantly reduce the number of power plants built. To really take effect, he says, global co-operation on technology to improve efficiency is vital. And that …read more

Looks like software makers have their own sort of catching up to do, reminiscent of consumers constantly upgrading their hardware to run the latest applications. Ironically, according to IT research firm Gartner, users will be hard-pressed to maximize their hardware, thanks to software that has consistently failed to catch up to multi-core functionality.