It's all so clear now...

Now I think I know what the deal is with Ulteo. It's going to be a completely online OS that can be run over a fast internet connection on a remote computer. They don't have the entire system in place, but right now, you can sign up for a free account, and (supposedly) test it. It won't seem to let me try it out, but apparently, they managed to get OpenOffice working.
Ulteo will run via a Java virtual machine on your system, communicating with the main system over the Internet. This means that your settings and files will be available anywhere, and can easily be shared. Think Google Docs, but with an entire OS.
Wow.
Take that, Fedora!
What about that 1.0-alpha CD they released a year ago (based on Kubuntu)? That was just the base system. AFAIK, they've ironed out the bugs and they're moving the system online. Now, some of the features (the UGD, for instance, which does the maintenance) are starting to make sense. Ulteo supposedly repairs itself and upgrades automatically, which would be essential to keep the system running smoothly without having to hire an admin for each person's online system... Imagine what a nightmare that would be!
Lead developer and Mandriva founder (remember how they kicked him out?) Gael Duval has been pointing out uses for Ulteo on his blog. Here are some of the implications:
-Collaboration. If something's online, it'll obviously be easier for more people to collaborate on it. Letting multiple people log into your account (as guests, obviously) could let you all work together on a project, similar to a wiki.
-Portability. This one's obvious. Ulteo can be accessed anywhere, be it an internet cafe, a hotel room, or even on a plane. But more importantly, you don't need a computer of your own to use it. Borrow a friend's computer or work from school. Hey, that's not a bad idea!
-Impact on the host machine. What effect does a live CD have on the machine that runs it? Nothing. Unless the host system doesn't have a web browser or Java, you don't need to change anything to run Ulteo- not even the BIOS, which most computers need changed to run live CDs and USBs.
-Anonimity. Ulteo uses proxy servers. Enough said. wink wink nudge nudge say no MORE!
-Friendliness. It's no secret that the main reason why people don't use Linux is because they're scared (Microsoft's incessant FUD may have something to do with this) that they'll have to do everything from the command prompt. Ulteo looks (SUSPICIOUSLY!) like Windows, which might help them overcome their fear, and does almost all of the maintenance (and there's less to do than on Windows) automatically.
The future looks good...
From SimplyMEPIS 7.0-rc2,
The DistRogue.

Online Desktop: Holy ^&*@!!!

Imagine life without a hard disk. (Or USB- sorry!) Or better yet, imagine life with a hard disk only being used for temporary storage and really big files (ISOs, music collections...). You use the Web for everything- word processing, image editing/storage, etc- and can access your data from pretty much anywhere via the Intertubes. Life is good, huh?
There are lots of people that do that. Must rock to be them... And soon, there are going to be more.
Meet the Online Desktop. It's a project sponsored by Fedora and Red Hat (and, to an extent, Google) to move settings and documents onto the Web, and have them available with a few clicks. It's possible. Here are some demos of it in action (surprise! it's already been implemented in Fedora 8 Test 3).
This is the next step forwards in how we work with our computers. What goes on the Web can instantly be shared with anyone, not to mention used with all sorts of services. Open source will be at the cutting edge of the revolution (for once), and odds are that when Microsoft jumps in the game, they'll pump up their prices for similar services, driving more people to Linux. And integrating everything with the 'Net could start a "Web 3.0"- one where everything is online and integrated tightly with online services.
From Ubuntu 7.10rc,
A very bewildered DistRogue.

The Internet died 3 days ago.

Net neutrality is dead.
Without Net Neutrality, ISPs could control how much bandwidth is allotted to each site. This could be used to censor dissidence or extort webmasters. Obviously, only major ISPs like Verizon would do this, but how many of you are signed to an indie ISP? Without freedom of bandwidth, we can kiss freedom of speech and freedom of the press buh-bye.
Save the Internet
[inspirational rant]
To all 12-year-old AOLers, to all teens with no social life save MySpace and World of Warcraft, to all bloggers who write about their bland, ordinary life that nobody cares about: In the words of some famous Greek philosopher or another (Aristotle? Plato? Socrates? Help me out!): "I disagree with what you have to say; at the same time, I will defend to the death your right to say it." The Internet's rich culture thrives on people like you. Without net neutrality, the flow of new content is cut off, leaving a stale wasteland of the past. The Internet is self-deprecating; without anything new to replace the layers of old, mildewed crap, it will destroy itself. Everyone has a stake in this; think, for a moment, what would happen if the Internet dissolved in a pool of monotony. What if all those webcomics you treasure were annihilated? What if User Friendly disappeared? If Penny Arcade disappeared? If PvP disappeared? If Sluggy Freelance disappeared? What would you do without all those social networking sites? What if Myspace disappeared? What if Facebook disappeared? What if Blogger disappeared? If Xanga disappeared? Where would your Internet radio come from without Last.fm or Pandora or Shoutcast... Those sites aren't backed by millionaires; they run on donations! Wikipedia provides a place for the pooling of the complete knowledge of all mankind (in theory), not for the pooling of a few "experts" hired by some corporate juggernaut. What would happen to freedom of speech and press if every news site was run by Microsoft or Apple or, God forbid, the government? (ZDNet readers, move along, nothing new to see here...)
We are the people. We are the Internet. We are who we want to be, not what Verizon or Comcast wants us to be! For freedom! For Net Neutrality! For the world!
[/inspirational rant]