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Linux in the newsRecommended Reading Build It. Share It. Profit. Can Open Source Hardware Work? (Wired)Wired has a lengthy look at open-source hardware, and Arduino in particular. "Right now, open design pioneers tend to follow one of two economic models. The first is not to worry about selling much hardware but instead to sell your expertise as the inventor. If anyone can manufacture a device, then the most efficient manufacturer will do so at the best price. Fine, let them. It'll ensure your contraption is widely distributed. Because you're the inventor, though, the community of users will inevitably congregate around you, much as Torvalds was the hub for Linux. You will always be the first to hear about cool improvements or innovative uses for your device. That knowledge becomes your most valuable asset, which you can sell to anyone."
Bruce Perens: A Vertical Market Seeks Open Standards (Datamation)Bruce Perens discusses open standards in vertical markets in a Datamation article. "History repeats itself in interesting ways. Vertical markets are today grappling with their own need for truly Open Standards, going through all of the pain that the broader IT industry suffered two decades ago. Fortunately, the verticals can learn from the experience of the broader IT industry that has already fought these battles. So, of all the critical industries crying out for Open Standards, who is campaigning for them in their own industry today? Is it the manufacturers of voting machines, who must establish high standards to safeguard democracy? Or the medical records system vendors? Nope, it's the makers of casino slot machines."
Companies Linux now an equal Flash player (Linux-Watch)Linux-Watch reports on Adobe's release of the proprietary Flash Player 10 for Linux. "Welcome to the future. Linux is now a first-class desktop operating system citizen. Adobe today released version 10 of its Adobe Flash Player, available now in a variety of convenient packaging formats for Linux, as well as other popular desktop operating systems. Once upon a time, desktop Linux was a second-class citizen, where Flash was concerned. As recently as 2007, Linux users waited six months for Flash 9 to arrive. Now, while Microsoft appears bent on leaving Linux users behind on Silverlight technology, its Flash alternative, Adobe has made Linux an equal player."
Linux phone pioneer acquired (LinuxDevices)LinuxDevices takes a look at Wind River's acquisition of Korean firm Mizi Research. "Founded in 1999, Mizi was among the first wave of companies attempting to commercialize embedded Linux. From the beginning, the company took an interest in Linux on handsets, as well as PDAs. It began offering GPL-licensed Linux BSPs (board support packages) for Samsung system-on-chip processors targeting smartphones in 2003, and later that year released Mizi Linux 2.0, a full software stack targeting phones and other mobile devices. Samsung first experimented with the stack in 2003, and Mizi collaborated with an unspecified partner in 2004 on a low-cost handset hardware/software reference design."
Linux Adoption Why OpenOffice.org Failed - and What to Do About It (ComputerWorld UK)Glyn Moody has an article in ComputerWorld UK which is, in essence, a summary of a lengthy study in First Monday on why a Belgian agency chose not to switch to OpenOffice.org. "In other words, the principal reason OpenOffice.org was not adopted was Microsoft lock-in. The difficulty of converting macros, and the use of customised apps in Microsoft Access, were the two biggest obstacles... Open source effectively has one hand tied behind its back by the legacy code that its tightly wedded to Microsoft's products. The only way to create a level playing field is to insist on completely open standards, where Microsoft cannot simply fall back on the need for backward compatibility with its proprietary formats." On the other hand, forcing people to change might not be the best way to build good will.
Resources Animating slide shows in OpenOffice.org Impress (Linux Journal)Bruce Byfield discusses animation in OpenOffice.org Impress in a Linux Journal article. "Animation is one of the less-known features in OpenOffice.org Impress. Its most obvious uses are for transitions for individual objects on a slide (rather than for the entire slide), or for dramatic emphasis and calling attention to objects. But it can also be used for more serious purposes, such as illustrating a procedure that is clearer if you can see it in motion -- for instance, one of the most effective animations I saw showed was on a Society for Creative Anachronism site that explained how the links in chain mail fitted together."
Reviews Lightweight, Linux-compatible browser evolves (DesktopLinux.com)DesktopLinux.com takes a look at Dillo 2.0. "The eight-year-old Dillo project has released version 2.0 of its Linux-compatible, ultra-lightweight HTML browser for embedded systems, antiquated PCs, and other low-powered devices. Dillo 2 adds support for anti-aliased text, multiple languages, and tabbed browsing, while improving table rendering and lowering memory usage, says the project."
Hands on: Fennec alpha 1 puts Firefox on your handheld (ars technica)Ars technica has posted a detailed review of the Mozilla Fennec alpha release. "The project, which is codenamed Fennec, aims to bring the desktop Firefox browsing experience to mobile devices like MIDs and phone handsets. This early alpha release delivers a compelling user interface and demonstrates the impressive scope of the browser's potential on diminutive devices, but suffers from performance limitations and instability that reflect the need for significant refinement before it's mature enough for mainstream adoption."
Linux Standard Base boosts developer features (IT World)IT World takes a look at the LSB 4.0 beta release. "A beta version of Linux Standard Base (LSB) 4.0 released this week adds developer features to technology intended to reconcile differences between Linux distributions, the Linux Foundation said. Version 4.0 offers application and shell script-checkers and a multiversion software development kit, the foundation said. The full release of LSB 4.0 is set for this fall."
Miscellaneous Nine Attitude Problems in Free and Open Source Software (Datamation)Here's your sermon for the day: Datamation lists a set of perceived "attitude problems" found in the free software community. "Especially in large projects, documenters, testers, artists, marketers and managers -- to say nothing of general end users -- have all become essential contributors. Increasingly, a FOSS software release is becoming a collaboration among people of different skill sets. Yet, despite this change, in many projects, non-developers are given second class treatment. In a large number of cases, they cannot become full members of the project, and are not allowed to vote."
UK gains LPI affiliate (Linux-Watch)Linux-Watch reports that Bristol, UK based LinuxIT has joined the Global Affiliate Network of the Linux Professional Institute (LPI). "In its capacity as an official LPI affiliate, LinuxIT has established an independent "LPI-UK" organization aimed at ensuring that "all UK Linux training is accredited under the LPI framework," LinuxIT CEO Peter Dawes-Huish said."
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