Linux in the news

Recommended Reading

Why We Need an Open Source Second Life (Linux Journal)

Glyn Moody writes about the game Second Life, on Linux Journal. "Unless you have been living under a rock for the six months, you will have noticed that the virtual world Second Life is much in the news. According to its home page, there are currently around 1,700,000 residents, who are spending $600,000 - that's real, not virtual, money - in the world each day. These figures are a little deceptive - there are typically only 10,000 to 15,000 residents online at any one time, and the money flow is not a rigorous measurement of economic activity - but there is no doubt that Second Life is growing very rapidly; moreover, we are beginning to see it enter the mainstream in a way that has close parallels with the arrival of the Web ten years ago."

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Novell CEO gives behind-the-scenes account of deal with Microsoft (ComputerWorld)

ComputerWorld talks with Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian. "We never changed our position. All I cared about was, I lost a deal with a large retailer to Microsoft for the first time about 12 or 18 months ago. It was going to be an all-Linux deal, and I lost it because they were unduly influenced, in my opinion, to be fearful of these [IP and indemnity issues]. From my point of view that was really too bad, because Linux lost. Then I watched it happen three more times."

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IBM sees Novell/MS deal benefiting Linux (Linux-Watch)

Linux-Watch talks with Scott Handy, IBM's Vice President of Worldwide Linux and Open Source, about the Novell/Microsoft patent agreement. "Handy put it more strongly, though. From where he sits, Microsoft's Novell deal indicates that "Microsoft is coming to terms with the fact that Linux is an unstoppable force in the marketplace." Rosenthal continued, "Unfortunately, embedded in Microsoft's recent endorsement of Linux are claims regarding customers' needing protection from patent attack. Those claims are baseless."

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Trade Shows and Conferences

Mobility, web services, and kernel development: open source innovations at the FOSS.in conference (LinuxWorld.com)

LinuxWorld.com covers FOSS.in, India's premiere Free and Open Source Software conference. "The FOSS.in conference, since its 2001 launch, has been scaling up to tap into some of the best tech presentations from across the globe, as also the growing Indian digirati scattered worldwide. Sirtaj Singh Kang, who is of Indian origin and now based in Australia, is back to FOSS.in for the sixth time. Commented corporate computing strategist Atul Chitnis, "He is the closest we have in India to having a FOSS superstar..." The initials FOSS stand for "Free and Open Source Software.""

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Software patent conference outlines problems, possible solutions (NewsForge)

NewsForge covers the "Software Patents: A Time for Change?" conference. "On November 17, Boston University Law School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology hosted the "Software Patents: A Time for Change?" conference. A unique gathering of geeks and lawyers, the 10-hour conference consisted of a series of panels ranging from the perceived problems with software patents to possible solutions."

Comments (3 posted)

Linux Adoption

French parliament dumping Windows for Linux (ZDNet)

ZDNet reports that the French parliament is about to put Linux on its desktops. "The project, backed by parliament members Richard Cazenave and Bernard Carayon of the Union for a Popular Movement party, will see 1,154 French parliamentary workstations running on Linux, with OpenOffice.org productivity software, the Firefox Web browser and an open-source e-mail client."

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Linux at Work

More than a toy, PlayStation 3 does Linux (InfoWorld)

InfoWorld reports on efforts to run Fedora Core 5 on the Sony PlayStation 3 platform. "If you're one of the fortunate few to have scooped up a Sony PlayStation 3 (and not gotten mugged in the process), and you're looking for a tax break, I have some good news: You might be able to count your new "toy" as a business expense. Seems that Sony was good enough to make available a download called Open Platform for PlayStation 3, which enables users to install third-party apps on their PS3s. Some Linux enthusiasts are already taking advantage of it by loading their shiny new systems with Fedora Core 5 OS."

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Legal

Attribution may matter (in open source licensing) (ZDNet)

Here's a fairly long ZDNet weblog entry by David Berlind on the problem of "open source" licenses which lack OSI approval. "When it originally avoided the OSI's process for certifying the authenticity of its license, SugarCRM set a precedent that others have already followed. If the trend continues (and it shows no signs of abating), the total number of unblessed licenses will at some point out-number the number of blessed ones. If the SPL takes an inch... another unblessed license that takes a mile, or maybe even two will eventually turn up. Sooner or later, 'open source' will become nothing more than a meaningless catch-all phrase that, by virtue of standing for all sorts of licenses (blessed and unblessed), actually ends up standing for none of them."

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Kurdish Ubuntu under investigation in Turkey

It would appear that an effort to localize the Ubuntu distribution for the Kurdish language has come under investigation in Turkey. Relatively vague press reports can be found on Wikinews and Kurdish Info. "The Diyarbakir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office yesterday launched an investigation into Sur Mayor Abdullah Demirbas who commissioned a Kurdish language version of a widely used computer program." There is also an article in Turkish which is said to cover the situation.

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SPI set to settle long-standing domain name dispute (Linux.com)

Linux.com looks at Software in the Public Interest (SPI). "Software in the Public Interest (SPI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to further the interests of free hardware and software. It is best-known as the public face of Debian. However, after several years of relative inactivity, SPI is getting its affairs in order and expanding to include other projects. At its November meeting yesterday, the SPI board of directors discussed a wide range of topics, from the status of talks with potential member projects, the removal of an apparently defunct project, and the issue of the Debian trademark in Spain. Most importantly, the board resolved to settle at its next meeting a domain name dispute with the Open Source Initiative (OSI) that dates backs to 1998."

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Interviews

Another 15 years of Java: JBoss' Fleury on the GPL, IBM, patents and Microsoft (LinuxWorld.com)

LinuxWorld.com talks with Marc Fleury, the founder and leader of the JBoss Division of Red Hat. "From the point of view of the free software movement "it is very good news that Java has been GPL'd, because it creates a protection in terms of intellectual property around the Java Virtual Machine [JVM]." Fleury believes that JVM will evolve more rapidly under the influence of the open source community, but that Sun will benefit by retaining control of the branding "and that's a good thing" for JBoss, for the developers, and for the open source community."

Comments (6 posted)

Resources

BluWiki Vendors page

BluWiki has a new vendors wiki page that contains information on computer hardware. The site includes information on the availability of open-source drivers, FOSS friendliness and more. (Thanks to Fred.)

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New online class teaches basic Linux for free (DesktopLinux.com)

DesktopLinux.com reports on the availability of the free online course An Introduction to Linux Basics. "LinuxBasic.org, an online community devoted to helping people learn to install and run Linux, has announced its second free Linux class. "An Introduction to Linux Basics" aims to instill a basic understanding about Linux for beginners who want to know more about how the system works, according to the site. Advanced Linux users will find an opportunity to dig deeper into some areas they always wanted to know more about or to fill gaps in their knowledge, according to Stefan Waidele of the LinuxBasic.org team."

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Anatomy of Postfix (Linux Journal)

Ralf Hildebrandt and Patrick Koetter present an excerpt from The Book of Postfix in a Linux Journal article. "Developed with security and speed in mind, Postfix has become a popular alternative to Sendmail. The Book of Postfix published by No Starch Press is a complete guide to Postfix whether used by the home user, as a mailrelay or virus scanning gateway, or as a company mailserver. Practical examples show how to deal with daily challenges like protecting mail users from SPAM and viruses, managing multiple domains, and offering roaming access. The following is chapter 5 from "The Book of Postfix"."

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Miscellaneous

Behind the scenes at GNOME's Web site revision (Linux.com)

Linux.com looks at GNOME project web site rejuvenation. "Like any large organisation, the GNOME Project faces a formidable challenge in maintaining an effective Web site. Trying the balance the demands of promotion, documentation, and community coordination is made all the more difficult when you only have volunteers to do the work. But over the past year the GNOME community has developed and begun to execute a well-defined process to refocus and rejuvenate its much-neglected Web presence."

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