Links 04/01/2009: Big Win for ODF in Brazil, Penguin Awareness Day Coming
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2009-01-05 00:00:57 UTC
- Modified: 2009-01-05 00:00:57 UTC
GNU/Linux
- Penguin Awareness Day - January 20th, 2009
I was riding Southwest Airlines, coming back from visiting my relatives in Pennsylvania. I piked up a copy of the airline's Spirit Magazine from the seat back pocket, and started reading about various little-known holidays. Then I noticed that "Penguin Awareness Day" is January 20th.
While "Penguin Awareness Day" officially has little to do with Linux, and there is even controversy on which day is the "official" Penguin Awareness Day, there is really no reason why we could not use this day to make people aware of our favorite operating system and Free Software in general.
- 7 Best Free/Open-source Backup Software for Linux
A computer application utilized to perform a complete backup by duplicating the original source of data is called backup software. Obviously, the main purpose of backup software is to create order out of chaos by recovering essential files in the event of a disaster.
If you are using Linux, there are plenty of backup software to choose from. I have here a list of some of the best free and open source backup software that you may want to check out.
- KDE 4.1 across Linux distributions
There are three major Linux families: Debian, Red Hat/Fedora, and SuSE/OpenSuSE. There’s a great family tree here. Red Hat (by Red Hat) and SuSE (by Novell) are non-free distributions aimed at enterprises. Fedora and OpenSuSE are their free, open source offerings. Debian is a free open source distribution. Most other Linux offerings are derivatives of these three families at some level. There are exceptions, of course, like Gentoo, but I’m not building a catalog here. My point is simply that if you stay within a major family, you’ll find more similarities than differences. Wander outside a family, the learning curve grows significantly.
[...]
In the end, I think that KDE 4.1 is simply too imature to allow distribution creators to do much with it. It still lacks the basic configurability and flexibility of KDE 3.5.10 and even Gnome 2.24. Perhaps as KDE 4.x matures, distributions will be able to better differentiate their KDE implementations. In the meantime, I translate statements about the superiority of particular KDE 4.1 implementations as really being declarations of personal preferences for the underlying distribution family. Fair enough.
-
Distributions
- First impressions: Sabayon Linux Four Oh!
Two years ago I ran into Sabayon Linux for the first time. Version 3.2 was about to be released and I gave Sabayon a spin on my laptop. The article on my Dutch website about my experiences is still attracting a lot of readers, which indicates a consistent and growing interest in this Linux distribution. Strange enough, I wasn’t very lucky with later releases which simply refused to be installed. Two weeks ago Sabayon Linux Four Oh! was released. How far did Sabayon progress over the last two years?
[...]
So, coming back to the question: “How far did Sabayon progress over the last two years?” what is the answer? Well, Sabayon kept it’s strong points: bleeding edge, style and easy installation, and is adding a solid and fast package manager to extend your box. With a distribution that is pushing forward as much as Sabayon is doing you can expect some rough edges, but -apart from minor issues- it didn’t hinder me from using Four Oh! for day to day work. The only set back is the speed of the desktop. There is definitely some room for improvement in that area. But, overall, a nice release. Kudos for the team. I will be checking Sabayon again in the near future.
-
Ubuntu/Debian
- Sidux Linux with LXDE - First Impressions
I am still new to Sidux and LXDE but I will give it a throrough test. I use my Thinkpad for much of my work when I travel Saigon by motorbike.
- Resolutions and mean people.
Kudos to the people on the Ubuntu Forums for helping this guy out. Who knows, the next user might expect working suspend and resume, that would be ridiculous!
-
Devices
- Slimming down in 2009: laptops, software and upgrades
We've begun to see the implications of that. One sign was the emergence of so-called netbooks - simple, ultra-portable handheld computers with smallish displays, no moving parts and running a lightweight version of Linux. They came with onboard wi-fi, simple webcams and Skype built in and were essentially portable life-support systems for a browser and a few selected web applications such as Gmail or Hotmail. And they are the fastest-growing market segment in the industry: about 10% of all portable computer sales last year were netbooks.
- Google boosts Android with ‘Cupcake’ update
A sizable slew of the improvements in Cupcake were developed by the open source community and submitted into the public code repositories, and along with Google’s own body of work have now been incorporated into the final update. And while Cupcake began as a separate development branch of Android, it’s now been rolled into the OS codebase and thus will be available on all new Android devices.
F/OSS
- 7 Reasons Why Pirates Should Jump Ship to Open Source
1. Support the Software that Supports Your Values
[...]
2. Price Does Not Always Reflect Value
[...]
3. Don’t Spend Time Learning to Use Software You’ll Never Buy
[...]
4. Open Source Can Benefit From More Users
[...]
5. Joining a Community is More Fun Than Fighting a Dictator
[...]
6. You Don’t Have to Keep It a Secret from Your Boss
[...]
7. It’s the Right Thing to Do
- The BUGS Are Worked Out
While most tech gadget companies carefully guard their products from hackers, start-up Bug Labs is courting them.
The company has just released a series of modules, known as the BUG, that snap together like electronic Legos to form an array of different gadgets, from GPS locators to motion detection cameras.
It's DIY electronics.
- FLOSS Weekly 50: Open MPI
Open MPI, a software implementation of the Message Passing Interface standard.
- Obama's Health IT Dilemma: The 'Some Dude' Problem
Free and Open Source health IT Software outlined in a recent AMIA white paper, inherently suffers far less from the Some Dude problem than proprietary software does. How the Obama administration's $50 Billion proposal is going to deal with Some Dude, if they deal with Some Dude at all, will be interesting to watch.
-
Applications
- Google's Microsoft-esque landgrab for IE's market share
Fair? Yes. A bit sneaky? You bet. Clint Boulton at eWeek sees it as a way to promote Chrome, and he's right. Google now regularly hawks its own Chrome browser on its search page, the same page that 63.5 percent of the world uses. In true Microsoft fashion, Google is going to tie its products together, making a holistic experience that ostensibly helps customers while bludgeoning competitors.
- Mozilla chief John Lilly is fired up about making a better Web browser
With 200 employees and a $50-million budget, Mozilla is the for-profit subsidiary of the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation. Firefox is "open source," meaning users everywhere are encouraged to improve it. Its success depends largely on thousands of devoted volunteers -- 40% of the code is written by people who don't clock in.
"If people participate in the construction of the Web, it will be better and more robust." For example, Mozilla produced Firefox in one language: English. Volunteers translated it into 61 other languages and also made it accessible to the blind and deaf and others with physical limitations. Next up: Firefox for mobile phones. Consumers appreciate the Mozilla mission: "It's like organic food. When you tell people about the values that go into building the product, it builds loyalty."
-
Annual
- Five Tech Trends to Watch in 2009
4. Open Source Software
Real investment in open source software is still off the radar of many SMBs, and that’s a pity, because cost-conscious midmarket companies can look to open source as an easy way to reduce IT costs: There are no licensing or upgrade costs, not to mention no initial software purchase.
Companies can save money by switching their CRM platforms to SugarCRM, a Linux-based CRM application, from Salesforce.com. Even running a supported version of the software, which means paying support costs, is far less than the forced upgrades and licensing issues that can crop up with a vendor lock-in.
While open source certainly hasn’t become a dominant force in the midmarket space, as more SMBs adopt open source technologies for non-critical applications, it is likely others, particularly tech-savvy small business owners, will realize the cost benefit potential of open source technology.
- The top tech resolutions for 2009
One specific way to save money smartly is to be open to open source, advises InfoWorld Open Sources blogger Zach Urlocker. "In many cases, organizations just default to certain closed source applications or infrastructure decisions because they are not familiar with other options," he notes. Yet, open source approaches can reduce total cost by as much as 90 percent over traditional offerings. There's another benefit for staffers: "Even if the decision is made to go with closed source, staff will appreciate getting exposure to new technologies."
- Software development predictions for 2009
Java moves toward an open source mindset
Oracle's acquisition of BEA Systems made it one of the largest players in the Java application server market. But it's still too early to say how BEA customers have weathered the transition. Some might not appreciate their contracts being subsumed into Larry Ellison's software juggernaut.
On the other hand, the Red Hat/JBoss merger has proven to be a comfortable match for most JBoss customers, the majority of whom were Linux users to begin with. And Red Hat shows a strong interest in Java; for example, it has put considerable effort into the IcedTea project, a fork of OpenJDK that improves upon Sun's open source Java stack.
Leftovers
- Major Win for ODF in Brazil
Until the latest version of the e-Ping the format ODF was recommended to the status of the document, and voluntary bodies to use, version 4.0 in the ODF takes characteristic of adopted thus becomes mandatory for all government agencies direct, municipalities and foundations.]
As ever, Brazil's decision is doubly significant: important in itself, given the size of the country, and important as an example to others.
- Bailing out the press, newspapers at risk
The New York Times is in trouble, layoffs are underway and even small town publications are finding they're not immune to the recession and its affect on their business of reporting the news.
As an independent web news publisher I have little sympathy for newspapers, though publishers online are feeling the economic pinch of the recession as well with ad rates down considerably.
Reporter Robert MacMillan noted in a December 31, 2008 Reuters story that two major Connecticut newspapers were in jeopardy of closing for good if something isn't done to come to their rescue. "The Bristol Press, may fold within days, along with The Herald in nearby New Britain," wrote MacMillan.
- DRM as Freedom-Eating Infection
I've often written about DRM, and how it is antithetical to free software. But here's an interview with Amazon's CTO, which provides disturbing evidence that it actively *reduces* the amount of free software in use...
Recent Techrights' Posts
- Wayland is About Less Choice, About Removing Choices, It's Not About Freedom
- IBM insists that it cares about "diversity"
- Keeping Things Accessible
- Gemini Protocol seems to be growing
- Not Much Better Than LLM Slop: Linux Foundation-Funded 'News' Site Writes Linux Foundation 'News', Composed by Linux Foundation Operative, Quoting Linux Foundation Staff
- ...they get paid (sponsored) to produce this spam. Then they call it "journalism".
- Annual Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE 22x) 'Bought' by Microsoft and Microsoft Exceeded Sponsorship Limits by Giving Double the Maximum Permitted Amount
- When people get bribed they tend to forget how to utter a simple word: "No."
-
- Links 27/06/2025: International Tensions and Contentions Over Plagiarism Perfumed as "Hey Hi" and "Fair Use"
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 27/06/2025: Poetry and Censorship by Social Control Media Centralisation
- Links for the day
- Links 27/06/2025: Journalists Under Fire and Microsoft Has Serious Slop Problems
- Links for the day
- X is Dying, But Not XServer/X11. Twitter X.com is Dying.
- People or businesses or government officials (and departments) that still rely on Social Control Media are playing Russian Roulette with their future online
- Escaping Colonialism (or 'Hegemony') Requires Abandoning GAFAM, Microsoft in Particular
- Europe is already in the process of abandoning Microsoft
- Microsoft Will Shut Down More Studios This Week, Its Media Operatives Will Tell Lies About the Magnitude of the Shutdowns and Layoffs (They Always Do)
- Many people who get counted as "workforce" are "temps" or similar
- What Linux Foundation 'Research' is: Paid Marketing
- What is Linux Foundation 'Research'?
- No, IBM Does Not Care About People With Disabilities
- "Aktion T4" did not seem to bother Watson
- Microsoft's Financial Problems Mean Shutdowns, Not Just Mass Layoffs
- If the original rumour is true, then expect almost 30,000 Microsoft workers to be let go this year
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Thursday, June 26, 2025
- IRC logs for Thursday, June 26, 2025
- The Netherlands: GNU/Linux Measured at All-Time High
- Are any Dutch cities going to announce dumping Microsoft?
- Gemini Links 27/06/2025: "Interstitial Existence" and Autocorrect
- Links for the day
- EPO Examiners Point Out to the Heads of Delegations in the Administrative Council of the EPO That the "AI Policy" of the Office is Illegal
- "the Central Staff Committee (CSC) asks the Administrative Council to exert its supervisory role and instruct EPO management to enter into genuine dialogue with the staff representation on the AI Policy, to revise the “Leverage AI” target of 90% AI-automated classification in the SP2028 and to put in place the measures supported by staff in the resolution."
- Technical People Need Technical Lawyers
- Technical Litigants in Person (LIPs) have many real and concrete advantages
- 10,000+ Articles in About 20 Months (and How We Got Here)
- More bloat does not beget efficiency and "bells and whistles" tend to have a hidden cost
- French Cities Dumping Microsoft Because They Recognise Software Freedom, Open Standards, GNU/Linux Autonomy
- We hope that more French cities - maybe Paris - will follow Lyon.
- Links 26/06/2025: Illegal Kangaroo Court (UPC) Failing Scandinavia, K-Pop Agencies Abuse People
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 26/06/2025: AuraGem Twitch Proxy is Back and UI Sluggishness
- Links for the day
- LWN is a Voice of GAFAM (Through Linux Foundation, Their Front Group or Occupying Force Inside Linux)
- remember who the chief editor works for and who sponsors many of the articles
- Links 26/06/2025: Noise Pollution Considered High in Europe, Mass Layoffs Next Week in Microsoft Confirmed, Very Large in Scale and Scope
- Links for the day
- The 'Case' of the Serial Strangler From Microsoft is a Lot of Copypasta (Maybe Also LLM Slop) From the Matthew Garrett 'Case'
- 5RB deserves to know and the matter shall be properly reported in due course (when the time is right)
- EPO Squeezing the Staff - Part II - Office Breaks Rules, Ignores Courts, Defies Justice
- False promises everywhere
- No, I Don't Want Your Latest XYZ, ThankYouVeryMuch...
- Wayland is finally ready?
- China Keeps Breaking Into Microsoft Systems, So for True Sovereignty, Nations Wary of China Need to Dump Microsoft
- Looking at data from Taiwan (not China) and Maharlika (not Philippines, the king is dead and Spain is out), there are encouraging signs
- Linux Journal Wants Ads on Its LLM Slop or Ads as 'Articles'
- it's basically another BetaNews
- How to Kill a Monopoly
- in 10 simple steps
- IBM - Like Microsoft - is a Dying Company and Perishing Brand ("AI" is a Lie and Decoy)
- "Arvind is cutting costs (layoffs, PIPs, forced RTO, etc...) like crazy. IBM offices are closing all over the place in the US."
- "Code of Conduct" Invoked When Fedora and Red Hat Users (Since the 1990s) Don't Want to Use Wayland
- That is IBM "DEI"
- Mozambique: GNU/Linux Rose From 0.5% Last Year to 3% This Year
- what (or how) statCounter is measuring
- Microsoft Layoffs Next Week: About 10% to be Laid Off in Microsoft Gaming (2 Days Before Independence Day), About 20%+ of XBox Staff
- Microsoft is rapidly collapsing
- Next Month Marks 11 Years Since Our In-Depth EPO Coverage
- The same is happening to Microsoft right now
- Free Software Foundation (FSF) Campaigns Against Vista 11, Adds 4 New Associate Members Per Day
- If more people understood the underlying principles, more of them would flock to Free software overnight
- Canonical Seems to Have Culled Some Sources of LLM Slop From Planet Ubuntu
- It's like "junk food", it's not information
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 25, 2025
- IRC logs for Wednesday, June 25, 2025
- On "Weak Claims"
- For the record, they sent me unjustified threats, repeatedly tried injunctions (censorship)
- EPO Squeezing the Staff - Part I - Burnout and Family Health
- more exceptional circumstances
- This Month's Mail (MX) Server Survey Shows Microsoft at 0.20% "Market Share"
- We need to remind people that desktops and laptops decline (in proportion to other client devices) and at the "back end" GNU/Linux is already dominant and has long been dominant
- Links 26/06/2025: Filespooler Guide and Learning to Code
- Links for the day
- Why Techrights Cannot be Vilified (and Instead It Gets SLAPPed Repeatedly by Microsoft People)
- Attack dogs are all "bark"; because they have no actual "bite"
- Austrian GNU/Linux Usage Up to About 5% as More of Europe Abandons Microsoft
- Since inauguration day the Austrian people have adopted more and more of GNU/Linux
- Why the "Wayland People" and "Rust People" Will Lose Hearts and Minds (Same Reasons)
- Wayland pushers are fast becoming like "Rust People"
- 5,600 Pages/Articles Per Year
- So far this year we've kept all the promises
- BetaNews Beginning to Show What Its True Goals Are
- The 'new' BetaNews won't be about journalism. It's trying to sell things.
- Microsoft Has Lost "The War"
- We'll soon see the 9th or 10th wave of Microsoft layoffs in 2025 alone
- Slopwatch: A Wreck and a Dreck, "Flooding the Zone With Dreck" or Flooding the Web With Junk
- "Slopwatch" continues today because we have many new examples
- Links 25/06/2025: Thwarting More Software Patents, Overlap Grows Between EPO Corruption and Illegal Kangaroo Patent Courts in EU
- Links for the day
- Links 25/06/2025: Elon Musk’s Lawyers Caught Lying, WhatsApp Faces More Bans
- Links for the day
- Wayland Pushers Lose the Argument, Use LLM Slop and Chatbots to Make Up Arguments for IBM
- Another new low and low blow
- Brian Fagioli Created Another Slopfarm Targeting "Linux" After BetaNews Became a Slopfarm of Phantom Accounts and Pseudonyms
- Mr. Fagioli even had slop about a dead Torvalds (hypothetical) as clickbait
- Wayland is Perfect, Nobody Can Escape Its Perfection! (Or Not)
- Do not form on opinion on Wayland based on politics
- What is "MATA"?
- Think of it as GAFAM or "Meta"
- Moral Duty for "Linux Sites" to Speak Out Against LLM Slop
- My wife has long complained about "Linux bloggers" keeping quiet and thus passive about a growing problem: slop
- In Recent Hours Google News Promoted at Least 3 Slopfarms That Relayed Linux Foundation Propaganda Made by Bots or LLM "Bullshit Generators" (as Dr. Stallman Dubbed Them)
- Google is circling down the drain and Google News too is hopeless
- Linux Journal is a Slopfarm, It's Experimenting With LLM 'Authors'
- Is Slashdot next?
- WebProNews is a Slopfarm
- Please avoid linking to WebProNews
- Microsoft LinkedIn is Dying and Many More Layoffs Are on the Way
- LinkedIn is just a failed acquisition of Microsoft. It causes losses and debt.
- Gemini Links 25/06/2025: Combinatorial Music and Self Hosting
- Links for the day
- Richard Stallman Coming Back to Europe This Autumn to Give More Talks
- His last talk in Europe attracted about 400-450 people
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 24, 2025
- IRC logs for Tuesday, June 24, 2025
- Social Control Media, Technology & Catholicism: Synod on Synodality review and feedback
- Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
- How Many More Women Will Managers at Microsoft Strangle and Tell to Kill Themselves (or Try to Kill)?
- The world needs to know what happened
- The New BetaNews: 7 New 'Articles', All of Them LLM Slop
- BetaNews is basically defunct. Nobody writes there anymore.
- Another "Told You So!": XBox Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (Many Recent Reports Were Chaff and Spin), Many Other Divisions Affected
- With mass layoffs at Microsoft the world would be much better
Comments
Lenny Siemens
2009-01-05 12:14:21