04.01.09

Contents

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

GNU/Linux

• The Sashimi Tabernacle Choir: An awesomely effective assault on good taste

  What do you get when you cover an old Volvo with singing fish and lobsters and combine the whole thing with a Linux server?

• Open Source Is The Pinnacle Of The Free Market

  Though I am not going to advocate Laissez-faire economics, I do want to point out that the open source world is as close as you can get to a pure free market. The reason is because if you make a product in the open source world, anybody is able to study it, modify it, redistribute it and even sell it without many restrictions.

  [...]

  Proves Red Hat Is The Best
  This is not true of Red Hat. Red Hat makes billions, and if someone was able to take Red Hat, make it better and cheaper in a way that pleases customers there is nothing stopping them.

• PXE: Not Just for Server Networks Anymore!

  In closing, thanks to the efforts of the Ubuntu and LTSP teams, I now have an environment that lets my users do some kind of work, even when their systems may have some kind of issue. And, thanks to the Unattended team, I don’t have to sit at a Windows machine physically to install it, nor do I have to mess with half-baked images or other strange packaging solutions. I’m already getting other ideas on how to extend this system even further.

• Who is going to run IBM?

  In 1999, when Palmisano was 48, was tapped to run IBM’s Server Group, and spearheaded the company’s move into Linux and open source. Soon after that, he was tapped to be president and chief operating officer at IBM, and everyone knew Sam was The Man. In March 2002, Palmisano was named CEO, and Gerstner, who was 60, stayed on as chairman until the following December to let Wall Street got used to the idea that the man who saved IBM from itself might retire. (He didn’t stay retired for long. In January 2003, Gerstner took the position of chairman at private equity giant The Carlyle Group.)

• Why is Microsoft afraid to use the ‘L’ word?

  The sales “cheat sheet” does acknowledge, via a single-line mention, that ” Windows Server Foundation is an alternative to running open source (Linux) software.” But the primary marketing messages that Microsoft is emphasizing with its new Server product aren’t Linux-focused at all, if the Battlecard is any kind of guide. Instead, Microsoft is suggesting partners emphasize that Foundation Server will be easy on IT budgets; help optimize the Web for your business; and provide “peace of mind” for those concerned about the ramifications of running pirated Windows.

• Green Hills offers military software enhancements for network centric warfare

  Green Hills is enabling a Linux operating system to coexist securely and seamlessly with the performance, reliability-critical, and real-time portions of networking devices on one general-purpose microprocessor to help bring mission critical software to the networked battlefield.

• Free 2D/3D CAD on Windows and Linux – MEDUSA4 Personal™ Version 3.1 Release

  CAD Schroer Group (CSG), the global engineering solutions provider, today announced the latest release of its free personal use version of the powerful MEDUSA4 design automation suite, available for Windows and six different Linux distributions. The industry-proven 2D/3D CAD solution now also includes the MEDUSA4 Smart Drafting Tool (a new way of creating geometry without construction lines), along with many additional enhancements.

• Shopping delivered to Great Grandma, by Ubuntu Linux

  The family are users of Ubuntu linux, and also had a lot of experience with helping vulnerable novices, so Ubuntu was judged ideal in terms of ease of use and dependable security.

• Applications

  • Music Notation Software for Linux: a Progress Report, Part 1

    The following article presents a status report on the development of five of the most active notation software projects for Linux. Most of them are works in progress, but all are well along on their development track and in varying states of usability.

  • 7 Free Mind Mapping Softwares

    With mind mapping software, you can take notes, capture ideas, project planning and so on. Here are 7 free mind mapping softwares. I hope you will find this information useful.

• Desktop Environments

  • New GNOME version brings Linux desktops two steps closer to business

    The GNOME project has released version 2.26 of its eponymous open source desktop environment for Linux. It adds support for MAPI to Evolution, the messaging client in GNOME, allowing it to work with all versions of Microsoft’s Exchange Server. It also adds the ability to open Outlook mailbox (.pst) files.

  • KDE

    • Experimental process-per-tab browser created with Qt, XEmbed

      A KDE developer has used Qt to make a simple proof-of-concpet web browser that manages each tab in a separate process, just like Chrome. This was achieved by using XEmbed and the D-Bus interprocess communication system.

    • New Qt Community

      Today, the Qt Marketing Team has launched a new website to engage the community in a different way: QtOverload.com. This site is dedicated to unusual Qt development and will mirror the diversity of the ecosystem surrounding Qt.

      Qt Software directly asks for submissions by their readers and hopes for a broad spectrum of contributions ranging from mockups to actual applications that make use of Qt technology.

• Distributions

  • Billix: The Distro to Install Distros

    This is Billix, a lightweight distribution that allows you install several other distributions, and also contains a handy Windows tool for those of us who tend to forget our passwords.

  • Red Hat

    • Fedora

      • Fedora 11 boasts 20-second startup

        The Fedora Project has released a beta version of its community-sponsored, Red Hat-based Linux distribution, with the final due in May. The Fedora 11 beta release offers faster, 20-second bootups, improved package management, new virtualization features, and support for cross-compiling Windows applications, says the open-source project.

      • Fedora 11 beta posted with new security, developer features

        Fedora project developers also have added security for virtualized containers running on the OS by extending Fedora’s security model, SELinux, Frields said. A new extension called Svirt provides access control for virtual guests, locking what processes the guests have access to, he said.

      • Fedora 11 Beta Screenshot Tour

        Leaving technicalities aside, you should find out that Fedora 11 Beta has a brand new wallpaper featuring the famous Greek Acropolis, to be in tone with Fedora 11′s codename, Leonidas. Moreover, a Clearlooks-based theme is in testings (see the first screenshot below). Without futher ado, we will let you enjoy the screenshot tour of Fedora 11 Beta.

      • Testing the Fedora 11 Installation Guide

        Every release, the dedicated volunteers in the Documentation team produce the Fedora Installation Guide, an exhaustive and detailed guide to installing Fedora. For Fedora 11, they have asked us in the QA team to co-ordinate ‘testing’ of the Installation Guide. By doing installations following the instructions in the Installation Guide, we can find issues in both the Guide and the installation process itself, and thus improve both.

      • Fedora 11 coming closer

    • CentOS

      • CentOS 5.3 released

        The CentOS developers have released version 5.3 for i386 and x86-64 architectures. CentOS 5.3 is a free Linux distribution based on the source of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 (RHEL). The 5.3 release includes several changes over version 5.2 including both new and updated packages based on RHEL 5.3 and custom changes by the CentOS developers.

      • CentOS 5.3 Is Here, Based on RHEL 5.3

        The CentOS development team, through Karanbir Singh, announced last evening (March 31st) the immediate release of the CentOS 5.3 Linux distribution. Just like Scientific Linux 5.3, the third maintenance release of CentOS 5 is based on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 operating system.
        What’s new in CentOS 5.3? Well, first of all the software repositories were combined into a single one, which will make it easier for the end-user to update or install packages. Moreover, a new option has been added in the installer, to allow them to add third-party software repositories.

  • Ubuntu

    • Ubuntu Requests Reviewers to Handle Flood of Brainstorm Ideas

      As KDE jumps boldly into the waters of its new brainstorming initiative, the Ubuntu Brainstorm team battles a strong current of incoming ideas.

      Ubuntu’s Brainstorm project has witnessed a steady increase in idea submissions since its inception, and given this upward trend and current workload, the team has decided to call for reinforcements. The Brainstorm team is seeking users familiar with Ubuntu’s Brainstorm process to act as Idea Reviewers.

    • Just what is Jaunty Jackalope?

      The cutesy name for the next cloud-capable version of Ubuntu, which will follow 9.04, is “Karmic Koala”. Do you see a naming pattern here? London-based Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu project, does love their unique animal references. Albeit fun, the serious side of the company is their promise that the Linux distro, Ubuntu, will always be free to download, free to use, and free to distribute to others.

• Sub-notebooks

  • HP Confirms Considering Android in Netbooks

    Hewlett-Packard confirmed Tuesday that it is testing Google’s Android operating system as a possible alternative to Windows in some of its netbook computers.

    Analysts said the move would allow HP to develop a low-cost netbook optimized for wireless networks that provides access to Web-based services such as Google Docs, but others questioned whether the Google software is ready for such a task.

  • One giant step closer to the Google Linux desktop

    The usual response to the idea of a desktop Linux from Ubuntu, Novell or Red Hat or anyone else is a loud cry of ‘nonsense,’ from the Windows crowd. Android, however, is different.

  • The latest Ubuntu 9.04 Beta comes with improved netbook support

    The popular Linux distribution Ubuntu has it latest Beta version released, version 9.04. This Beta is running fine on several Netbooks.

  • A netbook with Linux? Here are six options

    Not the best known of the netbooks on offer, the Toshiba NB100 is a relatively new entrant to the market. It ships with a choice of Windows XP or Ubuntu Linux installed. As with most of the netbooks it is built with Intel’s Atom processor and sports 512MB of memory. Under Vista that would be woefully underpowered but with Ubuntu and Netbook Remix – Ubuntu’s netbook interface – is more than adequate. An 80GB hard drive and a standard 8.9-inch screen rounds out the package. Locally the Toshiba NB100 costs around R3 900.

  • The 10-Minute Netbook Guide

    Operating system, Windows XP or Linux:

    The two main options here are Windows XP and Linux.

Free Software/Open Source

• Open Sources Episode 10 (video): Web 2.0 is dead

  Lucky break for all you Open Sources podcast fans–Matt Asay and I went to the Web 2.0 event Tuesday and instead of podcasting, we shot some video footage using the iSight camera on my Mac and a Flip Video camera. It won’t win any videography awards, but it was great sitting next to each other to record this episode.

• 5 Free and Open Source OS which You didn’t But Should Try Once

  There are a list of other operating systems beyond the ones that rule the market. For Windows users too, did you know that there is a fast MS-DOS clone for you too? And those of you who love open source operating systems, if you like experimenting or trying out new things, here are some cool alternatives for you.

• Business

  • The Cost Savings of FOSS: Business Success for the Wrong Reason

    Controlling costs is a natural concern of any company. Nor can Zemlin be faulted for doing his job and promoting FOSS by any available means. Still, this emphasis makes me seriously uneasy as a FOSS advocate.

    The problem is not that business is becoming more deeply involved with FOSS. That has been a reality now for years, and the majority in the FOSS community have long ago made their peace with the fact. If nothing else, FOSS would not be as advanced as it is today without the massive contributions made by corporations.

• Mozilla

  • Firefox 3.0 ekes ahead of Internet Explorer 7 in Europe

    Mozilla’s web browser Firefox 3.0 crawled past Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 7 in European market share for the first time last week.

  • Mozilla Labs Adds Style and Star Power to Firefox with New Personas

    You are an individual with unique styles and tastes. That’s why today Mozilla Labs is expanding its effort to help you give your Internet browser the look you want. Personas are free, easy-to-install “skins” for Firefox that make changing the look of the browser as easy as changing your shirt. With Personas, you can individualize your browser with hundreds of artist-created designs from brand new cause, sports, fashion and music categories, seeded with new styles from leading brands and gifted designers. You can also turn Firefox into a canvas and create your own design to share with a worldwide audience of millions.

  • about:mozilla – Firefox, Personas, Weave, 3D, Taskfox, Sfx, Seneca, and more…

    In this issue…

    * Firefox 3.0.8 security release now available
    * Personas: what will your browser wear today?
    * Weave 0.3 released!
    * Bringing accelerated 3D to the web
    * Notifications and flow
    * Mozilla.org redesign: round 2

  • Make Your Firefox Browser Look Better With Mozilla Labs’ Latest Skins

  • Mozilla Adds Style and Star Power to Firefox with New Personas

    Mozilla, a public-benefit organization dedicated to promoting choice and innovation on the Internet, today announced the immediate availability of new designs for the Mozilla Firefox web browser by leading fashion, cause, sports and music brands. Personas are free, easy-to-install “skins” for Firefox that make changing the look of the browser as easy as changing a shirt.

• Funding

  • Saving money — and Mass. — with open source software

    Arguably, white papers and reports take a long time to influence the direction of business. Nonetheless we in Massachusetts are well down the open source path. It was in Massachusetts that the Open Software Foundation was launched in 1988 and flourished. Its current iteration, The Open Group, is still working hard to influence the use of open software in commercial software development. Larger employers with a Massachusetts presence, such as Red Hat and Novell, advocate for the use of open source. And smaller companies, including Project.net and Best Practical, provide open source software that powers businesses, which in turn build products that eventually feed the consumer stream.

• Legal/Foundations

  • Episode 0x0A: A Guide to GPL Compliance

    This episode is primarily composed of a recorded speech that Bradley made on complying with the GPL. An introduction and wrap-up segment with Bradley and Karen is included.

  • FSF releases audio recording of LibrePlanet conference

    Monday, March 30, 2009 — The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today released the complete audio recordings from the first day of the LibrePlanet GNU/Linux conference, held on March 21, 2009, in Cambridge, MA.

  • 275 Open Source Policy Initiatives (and growing)…

    The Center for Strategic and International Studies released their sixth update to their CSIS Open Source Policy Study last year, and given their track record we should expect to see a new report later this year. The report now cites 275 Open Source policy initiatives, with 70% now reaching “completed” status. What is become clear to me is the extent to which open source development, deployment, and maintenance practices are becoming the templates for government best practices for managing information technology and transformation.

• Open (But No Source Code)

  • Open Sourcing Healthcare One Patient at a Time

    Open source healthcare IT solutions are just beginning to become acceptable alternatives to proprietary software systems. As is happening in other fields, open source medical projects are getting noticed as cost-saving alternatives to proprietary vendors. The battle for supremacy between the two marketing strategies may gain national political attention as President Obama’s administration drives toward the creation of a national electronic health records network built on standards for interoperability and affordability.

    [..]

    “It’s a very fractured field out there. It is reminiscent of what the computer science industry went through in the 1950s and 1960s where you had brilliant people all over the world working but nobody knew what everybody else was doing,” Donahue told LinuxInsider.

• Programming

  • The current state and future of Python

    So what does python have to offer? It is a nice mix of procedural programming, object oriented and functional. That is what I love about it. It allows you to work in a mix of all three. It also seems that it is made by a bunch of people that understand that while flexibility is important (Perl code) you have to be able to READ and UNDERSTAND something written by another human being. One way python does this is by forcing you to indent your code. This may seem stupid to some but readability goes WAY up, when something is consistently indented the same way. Another way they make it easier to read than other languages is by making it more like natural language, the language is more verbose than your average language but not as bad as something like BASIC.

  • Rails 2.3 Makes Finders Fancier

    As I said, these new find features are relatively small, incremental improvements, but I find these much easier and natural to express what I am trying to find. I can think of several places in my own code that can benefit from the clarity. Lord knows I need the help!

    In coming weeks I’ll present more about Rails 2.3 and also wander all over the World Wide Web to find tools, techniques, and tinkering to entertain you.

eyeOS

• First Look: eyeOS 1.8.5 – A first look in the cloud

  In the past, having your head in the clouds was generally regarded as a bad thing. Nowadays, everybody wants to have their share of The Cloud. Having all your digital stuff somewhere on a server, ready to be accessed from virtually anywhere, is bliss for some and an absolute nightmare for others. While I know the fact that my files will never be completely safe in the cloud, I also know that they aren’t completely safe on a local Internet-connected computer either, so I am ready to embrace (within some limits) the Cloud.

  [...]

  The best part is that you’ll be able to save your documents not only in eyeOS’ format but also either as .doc (Microsoft Word’s format) or as .odt (Open Document Text).

• Create Your Own Cloud Operating System With EyeOS

Leftovers

• Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity

  For several years now a small research group has been working on some challenging problems in the areas of neural networking, natural language and autonomous problem-solving. Last fall this group achieved a significant breakthrough: a powerful new technique for solving reinforcement learning problems, resulting in the first functional global-scale neuro-evolutionary learning cluster.

• Copyrights

  • DRM should be disclosed on game-boxes

    Ars Technica has a report from the FTC’s hearings on DRM, where Hal Halpin from the Entertainment Consumers Association proposed that game manufacturers should be required to disclose what kind of DRM they’re using prior to purchase (“WARNING: World of Warcraft contains spyware called Warden to stop you from cheating — it checks files and registry settings here and here, hides itself from the process manager, etc”) and to stick to a set of standard EULA terms that everyday people can understand.

  • Electronic Arts releases DRM-removal tool

    Electronic Arts has released a de-activation tool for removing the SecuRom digital rights management that the company earlier deployed on several of its games. SecuROM is known as the most Draconian DRM tool for games, apt to screw u your computer and harm your ability to play the games you bought.

  • U.K. Biz ‘Disappointed’ At EU Term Extension Rejection

    The U.K. music industry has collectively voiced its disappointment, after the Council of the European Union rejected a proposal on term extension for copyright in sound recordings.

  • MPAA, RIAA continue to woo ISPs

    As the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) continue to look for ways to combat peer-to-peer piracy, their latest aim has been to work alongside service providers operating in the United States.

  • Controversy over new Pirate Bay Facebook feature

    The Pirate Bay has added a small, but significant feature to their website which will almost certainly prove to be controversial. The new feature is a link provided on each torrent page which allows users to post the link to the particular torrent onto their Facebook profile. Friends can then begin to download the particular torrent straight from their Facebook page, assuming a torrent client is installed.

  • Is AT&T violating DMCA by not booting ‘repeat infringers’?

    One of revelations that surfaced following last week’s report that AT&T was helping the recording industry fight illegal file sharing was how differently Internet service providers interpret U.S. copyright law.

  • Senators counter performance royalty bill

    Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and John Barrasso (R-WY) have taken the Local Radio Freedom Act, which has been gaining steady momentum in the House, and introduced it into the Senate. It would prevent any attempt to impose performance royalties on broadcast stations. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK ) is on board as original co-sponsor.

  • Billion Dollar Charlie takes on the RIAA

    Ars sits down with “Billion Dollar Charlie” Nesson, the Harvard Law professor who’s taking on the RIAA in federal court. Winning his case would be great, but Nesson’s thinking even bigger. He wants nothing less than a national, Internet-enabled conversation about copyright and damages in the digital age.