04.21.09

Contents

• GNU/Linux
  • Distributions
  • Devices/Embedded
• Free Software/Open Source
• Leftovers
• Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day

GNU/Linux

• Big Blue defies server crash with Q1 profit

  The aggregate amount of computing power for mainframes that IBM shipped in the quarter actually rose by 18 per cent, Loughridge said, with MIPS shipments of so-called specialty engines that run Linux, WebSphere, or DB2 accelerators up 20 per cent and Linux-related MIPS up more than 50 per cent.

• Gear6’s Web Cache Makes Web Scalability Easier

  Gear6 today released Web Cache in an effort to commercialize the Internet’s predominant (de facto, for Linux) distributed caching protocol, memcached. Every Top 20 web site not owned by Microsoft uses memcached (Facebook has almost 1,000 servers dedicated to its memcached tier) and 50-60 percent of all Alexa-ranked Top 10,000 sites use it to some degree, according to Joaquin Ruiz, EVP of products and corporate development at Gear6. With Web Cache, Gear6 is offering a turnkey solution that brings high availability to memcached, as well as significant capital and operating expenditure savings.

• A little help for FLISoL – Open Letter to Microsoft

  Would you be kind enough to provide us at FLISoL Bogotá with say, 15 or 20 of those installation CDs/DVDs? We won’t be using them to install Windows on the computers, don’t have to worry about it. I will personally hand them out to the kids so that they use them to play around (as frisbies or just to scratch on their surface) while we are on our stuff. I know that yours is a toy OS and so we should install them on the kids computers, but I refuse to.

• NAB: Media Express 2.0 improves Mac compatibility

  Blackmagic’s Linux support in Media Express 2.0 allows for fully cross-platform development on Macs, Windows or Linux machines. Version 2.0 adds new double-speed capture from Sony HDCAM SR decks and ships in June 2009.

• Microsoft makes $15 for every netbook sold with Windows XP

  But here’s the question: Would you rather buy a netbook with a deliberately crippled OS that still costs more than Linux, and pay for an upgrade, or just buy a cheap laptop that runs a fully functional Linux distribution like Ubuntu, Mandriva, Xandros, or Linpus Linux Lite? OK, if you’re reading this there’s a good chance you’re a geek and you’re not scared by Linux. So let me rephrase the question and ask which netbook operating system option would you recommend to your friends and family members?

• XP Earning Zilch

• What If Windows 7 Starter Isn’t Meant to Just Stop Linux on Netbooks?

• rBuilder Aims Cloud Computing Tool At Enterprise

  RPath on Monday released version 5 of its rBuilder product for building virtual appliances to run under Linux and ease the number of steps needed to create a workload for Amazon’s EC2 and other cloud computing environments.

• One computers’ Linux experience

  I suppose , in answer to the question “When will Linux be ready for the user desktop?”

  It was ready almost two years ago in this house. Children use it daily, as well as computer phobic wives and memory challenged mad computer geniuses. (The ‘genius’ part is up for speculation.)

• Welcome to the low-cost world of open source

  “It’s amazingly easy to start,” he says. “You just need to get onto the internet. A great example is clarkconnect.com, a site from a Linux distributor that is designed to help people who don’t know what they’re doing set up open source.”

• The Google-Linux Marriage

  It is also a blessing in disguise for Linux. It could have no better than Google itself starting to promote it. Does it mean more Open Source apps? Free apps? Better GUI on Linux games? What else?

• Distributions

  • Red Hat

    • Global Knowledge Joins Red Hat in Celebrating Ten Years of RHCE Certification Training

      Global Knowledge, the worldwide leader in IT and Business training, today announced that it is joining training partner Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) in celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) program. Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of open source solutions.

  • Ubuntu

    • Jackalope gets jaunty with Ubuntu nip and tuck

      Under the hood, the latest version of Ubuntu offers a kernel upgrade, the latest version of GNOME, support for the Ext4 filesystem, and a more stable and robust Linux distro than its less-than-thrilling 8.10 predecessor.

    • Shuttleworth: Oracle’s Sun buy validates open source

      He argued that the major sources in software today are either free software or powered by free software, Google Yahoo etc.

      “The fact that Oracle has just announced a multi-billion dollar acquisition of a company that describes itself as the world’s biggest Free Software and Open Source company to me is enormously instructive,” Shuttleworth said. “To me it suggests that it cements the idea that open source and free software are the big game in town. And everyone is trying to figure out what that means and how they integrate it, what’ they can’t do is ignore it.”

    • Ubuntu Server Edition 9.04: Progress with HP

      During an open Q&A, Shuttleworth said that customers should expect a major netbook OEM announcement within the next couple of weeks or months. Also, when answering a question about the Canonical-Dell relationship, Shuttleworth said the engagement continues to expand.

    • Jaunty Jackalope ARM’d and ready

      Canonical will release Ubuntu 9.04 (nicknamed “Jaunty Jackalope”) on April 23. The new release of the fast-growing open-source Linux distro boasts faster boot and resume operations, a new desktop notification service, smoother handoffs between WiFi and 3G service, and Ubuntu’s first ARM port, says Canonical.

    • Canonical Announces Ubuntu 9.04 for Desktop, Server and Netbook Systems

    • My other OS is Ubuntu

      He may sound innocent, but Leigh Dyer has attempted to get Linux working on an iPod, which means help desk workers everywhere view him as “difficult”. He also knows his stuff. Leigh is a software developer and systems administrator with more than 10 years Linux and Windows experience. He’s been using Ubuntu since before its official announcement in 2004, although he’s not afraid to admit he’s also quite a fan of Mac OS X.

    • Neuros Link: Tuning In HDTV, Using Ubuntu

      DRM Free

      The company that make this device, Neuros Technology, have clearly positioned themselves as anti-DRM – they created an ‘Unlocked Media’ trademark and logo to market their devices as being open and DRM free. They are also supporters of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Free Software Foundation’s ongoing ‘Defective By Design‘ campaign that aims to ‘identify defective DRM enabled products and target them for elimination’.

    • 10 reasons where Ubuntu excels

      1. You will find it quite easily that Ubuntu stands as the best Linux distro available that takes the hardware recognition quite easily and effectively. I have used Ubuntu on many systems including laptops and desktops with different configurations and there is no hardware problem that I faced.

      2. Synaptic makes it easier and simple for you to handle package management and software installation and you won’t feel dismembered from your earlier love operating system Windows.

    • Here comes Ubuntu 9.04

      Besides the main desktop release, Canonical is also releasing the Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix. This is a version that’s designed to work well on the limited resources of a netbook like the Dell Mini 9. That said, you can, of course, run ordinary Ubuntu on a netbook.

    • RightScale + Ubuntu + Eucalyptus = cloud in a box

      Need a cloud in a box? Want a cloud in a box? Well, then, start requisitioning a couple of machines now so you’re ready on Thursday to load up Ubuntu 9.04, install Eucalyptus, and follow the prompt to register your cloud with RightScale! And best of all, it’s all free! Free open source software and access to a free RightScale service account.

    • Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope slices boot time in half!

      One of the great promises of the Ubuntu spring release is the shortening of boot times. Alongside a modest range of humble changes, the boot performance is supposed to be one of the major improvements that Jaunty Jackalope brings over Intrepid.

    • New Ubuntu 9.04 installed – not many dead

      I upgraded at 6:30. I turned off at midnight (another wild evening), having forgotten I’d done it. Fantastic.

      There is an argument – for want of a better word – among creationists, that while microevolution is possible (small features may change between generations of living beings), macroevolution (ie, a dog to a horse) is impossible. The biologist’s world-weary reply is, well, a dog never becomes a horse. Things do change gradually – and if they diverge enough, then one day you’ll have a dog and a horse from a common ancestor. In short, there is no ‘macroevolution’.

• Devices/Embedded

  • Embedded Linux Training (May 6-May 8) 4 Clock Tower Place, Maynard, MA

  • Sharp Debuts Laptop With Optical-sensor LCD Pad

    The applications in the sensor panel are running on Linux and data is communicated back and forth to the main PC, which runs Windows.

  • Big things come in little packages: An overview of the Maemo project

    But that’s not all that’s brewing at Maemo.org. So if you get a chance, drop by Maemo.org and check out the project. They’re a group worth your time and consideration.

  • New Pre Classic emulator video shows off 3D gaming prowess

    The last time we saw the Pre’s Classic Palm OS emulator in action, we had a few lingering questions in our mind, chief among them being how well can it game? From the looks of this latest video, released by Motion Apps to answer that very question, pretty well so far. In addition to confirming sound support for the latest build, we also get a brief glimpse of the software handling 3D driver GTS World Racer.

  • Angelina Jolie’s Latest Love Is The Palm Pre

    Shock jock Howard Stern may have picked a BlackBerry over the Palm Pre, but the unreleased device has captured the heart of actress Angelina Jolie.

  • Phones

    • Intrinsyc Announces Development Center in Beijing to Support Android Handset Makers

      The Intrinsyc Center of Excellence will make it easier for device makers all over Asia to take advantage of Intrinsyc’s years of experience in Linux and handset development.

    • Google Sees Strong Year For Android, But Sony Ericsson Is In No Rush

      Schmidt said this year’s Android-related announcements will include both phones and netbooks, and will be “quite significant.” Schmidt said device manufacturers have started putting Android into netbooks without any prodding from Google (NSDQ: GOOG). IDG said Taiwan’s Asustek Computer is rumored to be working on an netbook that uses Android, while other Taiwanese companies are also reportedly developing products.

    • First Google Android Netbooks spotted

      SkyTone isn’t the only Android Netbook game in town either, they are just first to announce. Plenty of others are planned, namely Pegatron’s Freescale based netbook. There is also the i-Buddie prototyple shown below (although this is based on Intel Atom).

  • Sub-notebooks

    • Linux Wizard – Thoughts about Linux marketing #1 : Linux and Netbooks

      Here is a long series of articles about things that i think which could be improved concerning Mandriva PR. If possible, I will take a subject or some articles and show how Mandriva could have react or communicate about this. Today i will take about the netbook market and Mandriva situation.

    • What IS the relevance of an operating system?

      Being the nice guy, I suggest I would install it for her, right in front of her face. She agreed and I whipped out the USB drive containing Eeebuntu (that I carry with me all the time) and proceeded to install it over her Windows installation. After it was finished, I sat with her for a bit to make sure she could use it. She didn’t ask a single question. Instead she was all smiles at how cool the new interface was on her netbook. Did she know it was Linux? No. Did she need to know it was Linux? No.

Free Software/Open Source

• A nation of programmers?

  Computer skills must mean more than word processing, says Bill Thompson.

• Where In the World Is Open Source Software?

  The research, conducted by Georgia Tech, is based on the prevalence and acceptance of open source software in 75 different countries around the world. Each country was awarded points for “its policies, practices, and other data in the fields of Government, Industry, and Community.” The data also takes into account that, though some countries have may not have a particularly high rate of FOSS use, the fact that it holds several IT patents or has a large number of Internet users indicates a open source software has a high potential of gaining traction in the future.

• OpenOffice.org Opens up for Business

  The economic situation is eating into your profits, and the Microsoft Office licenses look more expensive than before. Or maybe you are familiar with the way Microsoft Office has looked for over a decade: it had a file menu, edit menu, and format menu, and you balk at the thought of retraining your staff for Microsoft Office 2007’s bizarre ribbon. In either case, you don’t have to buy Microsoft Office thanks to OpenOffice.org: the best kept secret in office suites.

• Sarien open source multi-player game engine released

  Martin Kool, a developer from Web applications specialist Q42, has released his open source multi-player game engine. Sarien.net is a “portal for reliving the classic Sierra On-Line adventure games” and is completely browser based. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari and Chrome are all supported.

• Business

  • Untangle: OEMs Embrace Open Source Security Gateway

    By around August 2008, Untangle exited the hardware appliance business to build stronger OEM relationships. Apparently, it was a smart move. A case in point: Untangle’s March 2009 software subscription sales were up 5 times over March 2008, according to Andrew Fife, a senior product marketing manager at Untangle.

• Sun/Oracle

  • Oracle buys MySQL shocker (and they get the rest of Sun too)
  • The five biggest changes out of Sun/Oracle
  • OpenSolaris, Linux Could Merge Under Oracle
  • Oracle-Sun: an enterprise catastrophe
  • Oracle’s Sun Purchase Raises New Questions
  • What the Oracle Acquisition of Sun Means for Linux
  • Shuttleworth: Oracle now largest open source player
  • What does Oracle mean for Sun’s open source efforts?
  • What Sun can do now – and why you should help.
  • Oracle Buys Sun. Linux Gets a Boost.
  • What Might Oracle Do With OpenOffice?
  • Shuttleworth: Oracle’s Sun buy validates open source
  • Oracle buys Sun, but does it buy open source?
  • Oracle buys Sun: understanding the impact on open source
  • MySQL conference kicks off; too early for Oracle buzz

Leftovers

• Google avoids millions in UK taxes

  GOOGLE HAS AVOIDED paying over £100 million in UK tax through employing an elaborate revenue billing structure, an accountant reckons.

• Censorship/Web Abuse

  • Court finds file-sharing application Foxy illegal

    Foxy, a peer-to-peer file-sharing program popular among Taiwanese Internet users, is illegal because it may help users illegally download files, the Banqiao District Court ruled.

  • The Case of AT&T’s Incredible Shrinking Broadband Tiers

    Time Warner Cable may have backed off its plans to meter broadband for now, but AT&T still has tiered broadband trials going on in Reno, Nev., and in Beaumont, Texas. And judging from one consumer’s experience with the trial, AT&T doesn’t inform users of the caps until after they’ve ordered service.

• Copyrights

  • RIAA Brief Attacks Free Software Foundation

    In their proposed response, the RIAA lawyers personally attacked The Free Software Foundation, Ray Beckerman (NewYorkCountryLawyer), and NYCL’s blog, ‘Recording Industry vs. The People’. The 9-page response (PDF) — 4 pages longer than the document to which it was responding — termed the FSF an organization ‘dedicated to eliminating restrictions on copying, redistribution, and modifying computer programs’, and accused the FSF of having an ‘open and virulent bias against copyrights’ and ‘blatant bias’ against the record companies.