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● 08.13.09

● Links 13/08/2009: GNOME 2.28 Beta, Oracle VM

Posted in News Roundup at 5:29 pm by Dr. Roy SchestowitzContentsGNU/LinuxGNU/Linux

=> ↺ AutoTrader web site switches to Linux

=> ↺ Chrome OS – Lost in the cloud?

• But Google’s biggest asset is not its search techology per se, but the database of the web which is a by-product of its primary activity and is stored on the proprietary file system that it runs on countless thousands of cheap and cheerful Linux servers, estimated at 650,000 as far back as 2006, and growing by the day.

=> ↺ Linux Migration for the Home PC User, Part 7: Making Adjustments

=> ↺ Computer viruses slow African expansion

• Unwin says replacing Windows with Linux would help (80% of viruses are written in China, where Windows dominates). The Ethiopian government has, in fact, made open source software central to its IT plans. Khokhar says it’s no magic solution.

=> ↺ Open-source hardware heralds greater creativity

• We’re all familiar with open-source software, such as the Apache webserver or the Linux OS, but in the last few years, open-source hardware projects have risen in popularity, including the open-source electronics platform Arduino.

Desktop

=> ↺ College-Bound Young Lady Gets A Hand.

• If you want to become a Linux Luminary and sponsor the install of a computer to a disadvantaged kid, you can do so by clicking here. The average install costs us 25.00

=> ↺ Computer Corner Newsletter for August 13

• But even after all that — and my willingness to sacrifice the contents of the built-in hard drive (all my data is always stored on an external USB hard drive) — I still can’t get Windows Vista or Windows 7 to install or run, even though the open source Ubuntu Linux operating system loads and runs right along without any problems.

Kernel Space

=> ↺ VIA Soon To Release Its DRM-Using 2D Driver

• This morning Bruce has written on the dri-devel list that they should soon be releasing this new 2D driver. Bruce is hoping that this 2D driver’s source-code will be released in about two weeks. Right now the driver is in the hands of a few community testers for feedback, but they are hoping that the driver will be released very soon unless any new issues are found.

Applications

=> ↺ Lazarus for Cross-Platform Development

• Lazarus may be the most native cross-platform development environment running on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. Use it to create native applications with platform-independent code.

=> ↺ The Zim Desktop Wiki as a Storywriting Tool

• So, now what? What’s the advantage over a full-fledged word processor, aside from having multiple documents? The advantage is the hyperlinking, which we will soon see. Highlight each name you have entered. Then, press CTRL-L like you had done on the first page. Each name is now a hyperlink. From here, you can create a page for each character in your story, giving background information on them, along with personal notes about their history, personality, likes and dislikes, all of that. Then, you can do the same for places, giving as much information or as little as you want about the places and their history. What about events or objects unique or relevant to the story? You can make pages for them as well.

Games

=> ↺ High speed realtime strategy game for the fast action in between

• Vulcando Games has released the game client for the Linux version of Hive Rise, an extremely fast running online real time strategy game which takes place on huge maps, each providing space for over 1000 human players.

=> ↺ Aquaria Game Coming To Linux. Icculus Porting?

• No release date or pricing information is available for the Linux version of Aquaria at this time.

GNOME

=> ↺ GNOME 2.28 Beta Arrives, Release Next Month

• We are just a month out from the release of GNOME 2.28, which is the last major update before GNOME 3.0′s expected arrival in H1’2010. With development on GNOME 2.28 winding down, these desktop developers have announced the first beta release. GNOME 2.27.90 is this first 2.28 beta and it includes bug fixes and other work along with the usual variety of documentation and translation updates.

=> ↺ 20 GDM Themes For Ubuntu You Probably Haven’t Seen Before

• The most beautiful part of being a linux user is the choice you have, whatever issue it is. Like any other Linux distro, Ubuntu is infinitely customisable with any number of themes and applications. This include login window themes or gdm themes as well. Major source for themes in ubuntu include www.gnome-look.org and www.deviantart.com. There, you could obtain literally thousands of good quality themes.

Distributions

=> ↺ SystemRescueCd version 1.2.3 released

• The developers of SystemRescueCd have now released version 1.2.3 of the French mini–Linux distribution. The new SystemRescueCd release updates a range of tools and includes a firmware package missing from the previous version (sys-kernel/linux-firmware). The developer has updated the alternative kernels to Linux 2.6.27.29.

=> ↺ Parted Magic 4.4 released

• Version 4.4 of Linux distribution Parted Magic was released yesterday (Wednesday). The system, which includes a range of hard drive partitioning and many other useful tools, contains updated software, such as kernel 2.6.30.4, new versions of hdparm, Clonezilla and GNU Parted and a whole range of new features.

=> ↺ GoboLinux 014.01 After a Year

• So, my HDD went bust. I have been using GoboLinux since its launch, and there has yet to be a new release since 014.01. Try as I might, I couldn’t switch distributions. So, I installed. This isn’t an easy task. The install CD is so old that you will have to do a lot of updating to install anything new. So where to start?

Red Hat Family

=> ↺ Oracle spells out VM tools plans

• In the wake of its acquisition of Virtual Iron, and its hammering out of a converged roadmap for the Oracle VM Server variant of Xen hypervisor, Oracle’s techies are still at work, making tools that wrap around the existing Oracle VM Server hypervisor to make it more useful.

• First up is a gadget called Oracle VM Template Builder. This is a graphical utility that allows software developers or in-house IT departments to create a JEOS skinnied down version of Oracle Enterprise Linux. They can then plunk it and a set of system and application software on top of that streamlined Linux inside of an Oracle VM image.

=> ↺ Oracle launches tool for virtual appliances

• Oracle has released new tools for building virtual appliances, the software maker’s first significant move in server virtualisation since its purchase of Virtual Iron.

=> ↺ Oracle Deepens Virtual Application Plans

Debian Family

=> ↺ Debian-Ubuntu debate: an upstream view

• Ever since the release team of the Debian GNU/Linux Project announced that it would be adopting a time-based freeze for future releases, there has been much debate about it on the project’s mailing lists.

=> ↺ Ubuntu Coming to Amahi Home Server?

• The Amahi Home Server, an open source system that handles a range of in-home applications, could soon run on the Ubuntu 9.04 desktop environment. Here’s the scoop and some thoughts about Ubuntu’s potential presence in the home server and media server markets.

• According to the Amahi web site, the open source system is a “Home Digital Assistant” (HDA).

=> ↺ Ubuntu remixes netbook interface

• Ubuntu’s UNR is a customised version of the standard Linux desktop aimed at making the most of the smaller screen sizes typical in netbook PCs. With its first attempt at the UNR desktop, Ubuntu’s developers removed the obvious top and bottom panels of the standard interface and melded them into the overall appearance of the desktop to maximise onscreen space. They also replaced the bulky panel icons with streamlined tabs for managing open windows as well as making sure all application windows were maximised. By doing this UNR makes it easier to switch between applications and removes the need to drag application windows around.

=> ↺ Ubuntu User Interface Tweaks

=> ↺ Pearson’s Prentice Hall Professional Publishes The Official Ubuntu Server Book

Devices/Embedded

=> ↺ Timesys Launches Free Webinar Series on Building Linux Devices Based on Texas Instruments OMAP-L137 and OMAP35x Processors

• The second series, which uses the TI Zoom(TM) OMAP35x Development Kit from Logic, will introduce the use of Qt/Embedded for Linux framework, and will result in a demo-ready medical device.

=> ↺ RealDVD software still banned from sale

• Called Facet, it is a hardware version of RealDVD which is Linux-based and has the capacity to hold around 70 DVDs digitally.

Phones

=> ↺ O2 UK denies pre-Halloween Pré launch

• A report that O2 will launch the Palm Pré in the UK on 30 October is false, the network operator has told Register Hardware.

=> ↺ Nokia prep’ing first Linux phone?

• The world’s largest mobile phone vendor will adopt Linux for its higher-end phones, a report claims. Instead of its Symbian-based S60 stack, Nokia will look to open source OS technology such as Maemo, in order to better compete with RIM and Apple, says the Financial Times, Germany.

Sub-notebooks

=> ↺ Kogan drops 10-inch Linux netbook price to $399

• Melbourne-based boutique electronics company Kogan Technologies has reduced the price of its 10-inch Agora Netbook range with the basic model now $399, down from $499.

Free Software/Open Source

=> ↺ New release of Mozilla Lightning and SOGo

• Open source software company Inverse released the version 1.0.4 of Scalable OpenGroupware.org (SOGo). SOGo provides a rich AJAX-based Web interface and supports multiple native clients through the use of standard protocols such as CalDAV, CardDAV and GroupDAV. It features a very tight integration with Mozilla Thunderbird and Lightning and enable mobile devices synchronization through the use of the Funambol middleware. Version 1.0.4 provides new features such as Apple iPhone OS 3 support, better Apple iCal 3 support and memcached support for high-scalability. Moreover, Inverse releases Lightning “Inverse Edition” v0.9.6. This is a maintenance release of Mozilla Lightning based on our 0.9 release which focuses on stability and includes many bug fixes, several small enhancements and some new features of the upcoming Mozilla Lightning 1.0 extension.

=> ↺ Can Open Source Work for SSD Designs?

• I’m spending the week at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara. Surprisingly, there were something like 1200 registrations and there’s a lively crowd at the Summit. Good news for the business climate, I think. The presentations have been excellent and I’ll be sharing several with you over the next few days. First off is a keynote presentation by Michael Cornwell, Lead Technologist for Flash Memory at Sun Microsystems. (By the way, all of Cornwell’s Flash-related projects have names associated with the fictitious superhero Flash Gordon, hence the map of the Planet Mongo over on the right, which I’ve cribbed from Cornwell’s title slide.)

=> ↺ Open source solutions vs. SaaS applications: Weigh the options

• The application options available for the midmarket are many and varied. Two popular alternatives to the more traditional — and often more costly — route of on-premise applications are open source and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. Although both provide many benefits, including reduced capital costs and subscription-based pricing models, it’s the differences between the two models that may dictate which is best suited for your organization.

=> ↺ Unicon Announces New Hosting Services for Sakai™ and Moodle™ Open Source Learning Management Systems

• Unicon, Inc., a leading provider of software consulting services and open source solutions for the education market, today announced new application hosting services for higher education institutions wanting to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of open source learning management systems Sakai and Moodle. Unicon’s hosting service fully supports the community source code versions of the open source software, and delivers a feature-rich, fully functional learning management solution based on the comprehensive out-of-the box product capabilities available in Sakai and Moodle.

=> ↺ “Stripped-down” open source ESBs still solid middleware engines

• The past year’s economic slump has lead many application architects to explore open source components for their SOA middleware stack – even such complex components as the enterprise service bus (ESB). The decision to adopt an open or closed-source ESB can be tough. It requires a company to weigh cost against complexity and gauge its own programming savvy.

=> ↺ 802.11 Planet Insights

• Open Source’s Green Genes

• Open source software negates the existence of software “piracy,” so if enough people began using open source, the industry surrounding the pursuit and prosecution of software “pirates” would go away. All that money and energy could be spend doing something more important. Do you know how many natural resources it takes to manufacture a three-piece suit like lawyers wear? Eliminate “piracy” and you eliminate the need for thousands of three-piece suits every year. Lawyers who work for open source projects don’t need to wear suits. And they probably don’t need to shower as often, either.

=> ↺ More open source software to ease your wallet

• Open source projects in software industry said the programs that the design and construction created for the purpose of free distribution under specific license. In addition to these projects, can participate voluntarily people with little or extensive experience in software issues.Good free open source software programs for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems with no adware and no spyware.

Business

=> ↺ Open-source, Proprietary Vendors Partner on Cloud BI

• Four open-source and proprietary vendors on Wednesday announced a new partnership resulting in a cloud-based BI (business intelligence) stack.

=> ↺ Acquia, Supporting the Drupal CMS, Adds 200 New Customers

• We’ve reported a number of times before on Acquia, which offers a commercially supported version of the open source Drupal content management system. OStatic runs on Drupal, and Drupal version 6 is expected to soon run over 240,000 web sites, with many large media companies switching to it.

=> ↺ Open source Aussies land $500m VMware deal

• SpringSource, a software company founded by Australian open source entrepreneur Rod Johnson, has been acquired by virtualisation kingpins VMware in a transaction valued at over US$420 million (AU$505 million).

=> ↺ Apache makes its first $420 million

• Others and I have made much of VMware’s acquisition of SpringSource for $420 million, but one crucial point has been overlooked: this is the first big acquisition of a company that depends on the Apache license.

=> ↺ Commercial open source is essential to enterprise IT

• In the ideal world, open source software would be free of charges and its communities would operate on a Service Level Agreement (SLA) scale.

• There would be virtually no expenses to acquire, use and maintain the software in enterprise IT production environments.

=> ↺ SugarCRM’s new CEO on open source CRM and cloud computing

• Nearly three months ago, John Roberts, one of the founders of SugarCRM, a commercial open source CRM vendor, stepped down as CEO. Larry Augustin, a former venture capitalist and one of the driving forces behind SourceForge.net while he was chairman of VA Software, stepped in to replace him. SearchCRM.com sat down with Augustin to discuss his plans while he serves as interim CEO and to get his perspective (as a longtime open source evangelist) on the CRM market.

FSF/GNU

=> ↺ FSF launch GNU Generation

• GNU Generation, says Shinn in a posting on the Open Source At Google blog, plans to provide a “very informal and relaxed environment”. Participants in the program will have a chance to win a T-Shirt if they are selected as a “contributor of the month” and a GNU/Linux powered netbook if selected as contributor of the year. Details of how to join are available on the GNU Generation wiki.

Government

=> ↺ Local Googlement

• There is one of its services that Google forgot to promote to councils that could save them a lot of money: Google Code. Local government in this country needs to share code as well as using open source software developed by other organisations.

=> ↺ Councils ‘turning to open source software’

• Local authorities in the UK are increasingly turning to open source software as a way to reduce IT costs, says new research..

• Around half of councils surveyed by Public Sector Forums said they will increase use of open source by 2011.

Licensing

=> ↺ United States: Defending Against Trade Secret Misappropriation Lawsuits

• The second strategy pertains to open-source software.

Openness

=> ↺ Sony to adopt open source format for ebooks

• Sony Electronics is to change the format of the ebooks it sells so that they will work on devices other than its own Sony Reader.

Leftovers

Censorship/Web Abuse

=> ↺ Chinese porn blocker killed off

• It’s not certain whether the Middle Kingdom’s U-turn was brought about by public pressure (incredibly unlikely), security fears (significantly more likely) or the impending threat of legal action over copyright infringement (ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!), but it seems that Green Dam will no longer be forcefully installed on every single computer manufactured in or imported to China.

=> ↺ China scales back censorship plans

Intellectual Monopolies

=> ↺ Why The Associated Press plans to hold some web content off the wire

• That’s one revelation from a document we obtained (labeled “AP CONFIDENTIAL — NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION”) that offers new insight into how the AP is planning to reinvent itself on the Internet.

• [...]

• The link economy

• Plenty of people have observed — and the AP surely understands — that the consortium’s 163-year-old, print-centric methods of syndication don’t really make sense online, where a link can do the work of distributing content. That sounds like the impetus for this rethinking, but it will surely raise hackles among AP members accustomed to publishing that wire content on their own sites (not to mention selling ads against it).

=> ↺ Downloading is not enough

• The unwillingness to use streaming services is interesting, especially since I’ve seen every one of my son’s friends sign up to Spotify recently. While is is possible that kids really do value “ownership” of music, I suspect it has more to do with the limitations of their online lives.

Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the DayThomas Bartol, computational neuroscientist for the Salk Institute 02 (2005)Digital Tipping Point is a Free software-like project where the raw videos are code. You can assist by participating. Share in other sites/networks: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. Permalink  Send this to a friend

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