LWN Weekly Edition
Front pageSecurity
Kernel development
Distributions
Development
Linux in the news
Announcements
->One big page
This page
Previous weekFollowing week
| |||||||||||||
Linux in the newsRecommended Reading Degrees of Openness (O'ReillyNet)Adrien Lamothe explores some aspects of openness in an O'Reilly article. "The open source software movement has received a lot of press coverage in recent years. A result of this is many people associating the term "open" with open source software. This popular definition of "openness" is incomplete. Openness affects many aspects of computing besides freedom to view and modify source code. Shrewd proprietary computer companies have been able to take advantage of popular misconceptions about openness, masking their products in partial degrees of openness, then applying the "open" label. We should understand the different forms of openness and how they apply to the many facets of computers, software, systems, and even warranties and service agreements."
How GPLv3 tackles license proliferation (LinuxDevices.com)Ciaran O'Riordan discusses license proliferation issues with regards to the GPLv3 on LinuxDevices.com. "The most obvious way to limit license proliferation is to write new licenses as rarely as possible. So while updating the GPL, it's good to be thorough so that it doesn't have to be done too often. What any one license can do to lessen the problem is less obvious, and this is an area where GPLv3 is breaking new ground. In case the more controversial provisions of GPLv3 have overshadowed the provisions that tackle license proliferation, I've put together this summary as a discussion primer."
Trade Shows and Conferences Report from the Ubuntu Developer Summit (Linux.com)Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier covers the Ubuntu Developer Summit on Linux.com. "Ubuntu developers and other interested parties from all over the world have swarmed to Google's offices in Mountain View this week for the Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) to plan out the next release of Ubuntu. In total, about 140 people have registered for the summit. According to Jane Silber, head of marketing with Canonical, only 30 of the attendees are actually employed by Canonical, the company that sponsors Ubuntu. The remainder of the participants include members of the Ubuntu community, representatives of upstream projects, and other parties who have an interest in how Ubuntu is developed."
Companies Microsoft open to more deals like Novell Linux one (TechSpot.com)TechSpot.com suggests that Microsoft may be willing to get involved in more Linux support deals. "What is all of this about? Well, Steve Ballmer (Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft since January 2000) believes that Microsoft will have to change its business model in order to continue to prosper. "The next frontier for us is to embrace a new business model. And if we embrace it well and that business model is subscription and advertising, where we will be a market leader. If we do not embrace it well there will be issues.""
Microsoft starts a group for software harmony (ZDNet)ZDNet reports that Microsoft is creating a council with other technology vendors in an effort to sort out product interoperability problems. "The list of vendors participating in the initiative include Sun Microsystems, Novell and SugarCRM. Microsoft already has a formal partnership with these companies to ensure their respective products work well together. Other members include open-source virtualization company XenSource, Xcalia, Software AG, Siemens, Citrix, BEA Systems, CA and Advanced Micro Devices."
Sun Set To Move On GPL License For Open-Source Java (Dr. Dobb's Portal)Dr. Dobb's Portal claims that Sun Microsystems is very close to announcing that it will put the mobile (ME) and standard (SE) editions of the Java platform into the GNU General Public License (GPL). "Offering Java only under the GPL would have a cataclysmic effect on the software industry, forcing Java platform developers to freely release their contributions if they continue developing around the platform's GPL code. IBM, for example, licenses Java from Sun and has its own version of the Java Virtual Machine." (Thanks to Francesco P. Lovergine)
Linux Adoption The war is over and Linux won (ZDNet)This ZDNet blog post looks at an IBM sponsored study. "Web servers and database servers remain the dominant applications, but development environments are now among the most popular systems in production, meaning the trend toward Linux and open source applications should accelerate."
Large public-sector Linux project flops (ZDNet)ZDNet UK reports on the Birmingham Linux project, which has been mothballed. "[City council manager Les] Timms said the council had compared the cost of the Linux desktop migration with an upgrade to Windows XP, and had found that a Microsoft upgrade would be cheaper. Most of the difference was made up of costs attributed to 'decision making' and 'project management', largely brought about because of a shortage of skills in open-source networking and the changes to IT processes that would result."
Legal 'Second Life' faces threat to its virtual economy (ZDNet)ZDNet writes about the open source "CopyBot" tool which, by being able to make copies of objects, is stirring up the Second Life community. "Problem is, it's not clear yet if there's anything Linden Lab can do to stop people from using the bot. Linden Lab said Second Life content creators who had their wares stolen had few immediate options for stopping the thefts and that the best recourse for them could be to file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act complaint--in the real world--against offenders."
SFLC's Bradley M. Kuhn's Letter to the FOSS Development Community (Groklaw)Groklaw covers a statement from Bradley Kuhn, CTO of the Software Freedom Law Center, regarding the Novell/Microsoft deal. "The Software Freedom Law Center's CTO Bradley Kuhn has issued a statement regarding the Novell-Microsoft agreements and how they will impact FOSS developers. They have analyzed in particular Microsoft's Patent Pledge for Non-Compensated Developers and see little value and in fact say it's worse than useless, because it creates an illusion of safety and because it limits severely what that developer is allowed to do with his work."
Interviews Red Hat Speaks: Microsoft And Oracle Are Following The Linux Leader (IW)Information Week interviews Paul Cormier, Red Hat's executive VP of engineering Paul Cormier. "Everyone wants a piece of Red Hat lately, in particular software giants Microsoft and Oracle. If competition is the sincerest form of flattery, then Red Hat should feel flattered several times over. What Red Hat doesn't feel is worried. InformationWeek editor-at-large Larry Greenemeier spoke Friday with Red Hat executive VP of engineering Paul Cormier about Red Hat's response to the newly invigorated competition in the Linux market."
Resources Demystifying LDAP Data (O'ReillyNet)Brian K. Jones explains LDAP in an O'Reilly article. "Is LDAP a database or a protocol? Is it understandable and deployable without reading a thousand pages of explanation and documentation? Brian Jones explains LDAP schemas and the layout of data to help you understand what you can store and how you can retrieve it."
Give the Gift of Pre-Installed Linux This Year (LXer)LXer has been compiling a database of vendors that will ship pre-installed Linux computers. "A few months back, LXer reader, cyber_rigger, began compiling a list of vendors who offer GNU/Linux pre-installed. The list quickly grew, even drawing attention from other news outlets. Meanwhile, the LXer team went to work to produce a usable database that anyone can browse and search. We still have one or two features to implement, but users can quickly and easily browse the Pre-Installed Linux Vendor Database of 106 vendors. All vendors in the list offer reasonably-priced desktops and/or notebooks for home and office users, and either offer Linux only, or as an installation option on the system configuration page of their sites."
An Introduction to Salesforce.com's AppExchange (O'ReillyNet)O'ReillyNet looks at building and distributing applications on Salesforce's AppExchange. "I attended Salesforce's Dreamforce conference last month because I'd heard that Salesforce has been making a big effort to build a platform that was friendly to developers. I expected to be confronted with a pile of corporate-speak and a lot of vaporware, but what I found was much more surprising. Six different keynote presenters talked about mashups, and one-third of customers in attendance talked about wanting to build or purchase mashups. There was some corporate-speak, which these articles should cut through. The technology, however, was powerful and easy."
Getting Started with WSGI (O'ReillyNet)Jason R. Briggs introduces WSGI on O'Reilly. "Python 2.5 added support for the WSGI standard. This is a specification for web programming that allows interoperability between frameworks and components. It's also terribly easy to use. Jason Briggs introduces WSGI and gives the background you need to use it productively."
Reviews Apache project keeps pace with Java changes (ZDNet)ZDNet looks at the Apache Harmony project. "Apache Harmony, started last year, is creating an open-source version of Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE), software for making Java programs on PCs. About two weeks ago, the board of the Apache Software Foundation approved a change in status from incubator to top-level project, Geir Magnusson, who is the chair of the Harmony Project Management Committee, said Tuesday."
Reviews of financial software (Linux.com)Linux.com has reviewed two more financial software packages, Ledger and KMyMoney. From the Ledger review: "Ledger is a command-line accounting application for the hardcore financial professional. If you're an MBA who groks Emacs and regular expressions, or a kernel hacker who appreciates tax deferred accruals, you'll love this application."From the KMyMoney review: "KMyMoney is KDE's personal financial management program. If you don't have complex needs and a lot of history to import, KMyMoney lets you set up accounts, enter transactions, and generate reports easily, and other features are doable with some help from the generous amounts of documentation. However, KMyMoney is not a good choice for small business owners, who need more functionality than it can provide."
SQL-Ledger: Impressive capabilities, but needs polish (Linux.com)Linux.com reviews SQL-Ledger, a web-based accounting system. "SQL-Ledger is a popular free accounting application with a rich set of features. It's written in Perl and stores your accounting information in a PostgreSQL database, which makes deployment much easier when you have users who work on different machines. Like GnuCash, supports double-entry accounting. Unlike GnuCash, however, it appears to be squarely aimed at the small business community, boasting multiple user support, multiple company support, point-of-sale entry, accounts receivable and payable, and stock tracking. It has a good list of supported languages (29, according to the Web site), and by virtue of its HTML interface is usable on practically any modern operating system -- or indeed a whole range of different operating systems simultaneously."
Linux printing: much done and more to do (Linux.com)Bruce Byfield summarizes the state of Linux printing on Linux.com. "In the last seven years, printing on Linux has undergone a metamorphosis. Barely adequate printing support, provided on a program by program basis, has been transmuted by a half dozen projects into a wealth of options comparable to those available on Windows or the Mac OS. Where printer manufacturers once ignored Linux, a growing number support it and the rest are watching closely. Standardization and support for multiple distributions remain major problems, but community and corporate interests have recently started working together to address these last remaining problems."
Page editor: Forrest Cook |
|||||||||||||