Linux in the news
Recommended Reading
It's Final - MA Goes With Open Document (Groklaw)
Groklaw reports the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has posted its final decision to use only formats that conform to the Open Document format for office productivity applications. "The bottom line is this: whose documents are they? Do the people of Massachusetts have the right to control their own documents? Does a governmental agency have the right to decide what software it wishes to use, particularly if it believes it can save money? If it does, then all the hue and cry is pointless. And the real issue, as Kriss pointed out, is the issue of sovereignty, and the very important issues of access and control not only now but also in the distant future."
Google's Summer of Code concludes (NewsForge)
NewsForge reports on the completion of Google's Summer of Code program. "The original program called for 200 students. However, after an announcement on Slashdot, interest was so high that Google doubled the number of applications it would accept. In the end, DiBona said the Summer of Code received 8,744 applications and accepted more than 400 projects, with 41 FOSS projects participating. Major beneficiaries included the Apache Software Foundation with 38, KDE with 24, and FreeBSD with 20. Smaller and more specialized projects also benefited, with WINE, Samba, and Mambo each receiving six."
Free the Cell Phone! (Wired)
Wired reports on the latest example of DMCA abuse: preventing the unlocking of cellular phones. "But CellPhoneCo isn't asserting that Unlocko's program copies any copyright-protected software or content. Its claim is more subtle. Unlocko's software reprograms your mobile phone so it bypasses the 'secret handshake' CellPhoneCo's locking software requires before the phone will operate. After 'circumventing' the handshake requirement, the phone -- like virtually any modern piece of electronics -- runs software installed on its internal chip. Therefore, CellPhoneCo claims, Unlocko's program unlawfully circumvents a technological measure controlling access to the phone's copyright-protected software." Incidentally, your editor was discouraged to see an increasing number of locked phones for sale in Italy this summer; this is no longer just a U.S. issue.
Companies
IBM's Power-style promotion of Cell (IT Manger's Journal)
IT Manger's Journal looks at IBM's efforts to promote the Cell processor. "With nine processor cores, 234 million integrated transistors, clock speeds topping 4GHz, and support for multiple operating systems, including Linux and real-time operating systems suited for home media devices, Cell may be most effective with the latest and greatest in embedded applications and consumer electronics, according to Hofstee. The Cell engineer said that similar to the Power processor, Cell will be ideal for the Linux operating system, and IBM will look to leverage the new chip's Linux likeability."
Linux Adoption
Open-Source Success Roiling Software Field (Investors.com)
Investors.com covers the increasing acceptance of the open-source development model by the business world. "For every multimillion-dollar software program being sold, there's a good chance that at least one free alternative can do the same thing, at a fraction of the cost. If that's good news for tech buyers, it's downright chilling for tech investors. "There is an open-source application that is maturing in every software category that exists," said Pete Kronowitt, a strategic planner for Intel (INTC) who helps manage the chipmaker's dealings with open-source firms. "Open-source is poised to commoditize those segments. We're already seeing it." Few open-source programs claim to be as complex or full featured as their commercial counterparts. But for many customers, they're more than adequate."
Open Source Goes Corporate (InformationWeek)
InformationWeek looks at Linux deployments in several large companies. "From ABN Amro Bank NV in the financial industry to Yahoo Inc. on the Web, billion-dollar companies are expanding their embrace of the Linux operating system and other open-source components for a wide range of purposes. The Linux penguin has hit the big time. If you missed the announcement of this industry-changing development, that's because it never went out. The deployment of open-source software is happening a project at a time, and many of them are never publicly discussed. So InformationWeek set out to find out just how large corporations are using the stuff, conducting interviews with 10 big companies that are beyond the dabbling stage."
Legal
Debian trademark policy under question (News.com)
News.com covers possible changes to the Debian trademark policy. "The leader of the Debian Linux distribution has called for changes to be made to the open-source project's trademark policy, to ensure it has the appropriate level of protection against legal challenges. Debian's current trademark policy states that businesses can use the Debian trademark if they make a CD of the Debian version of Linux, but cannot use Debian in the name of their business. Branden Robinson, Debian's project leader, said on Tuesday that this policy needs an update."
What has Microsoft done for Massachusetts lately? (NewsForge)
Sam Hiser analyzes an open letter from Microsoft's Alan Yates regarding the adoption of the OpenDocument standard by Massachusetts. "Alan Yates' public letter reveals many chinks in Microsoft's armor and shows his company's lack of fitness, and unwillingness, to compete on a level pitch. This is a letter of arrogance and deliberate misdirection. In it, Yates expresses his warm concern for the citizens of The Commonwealth, his grave misgivings about the appropriate use of their tax dollars, and his fond hopes for their future felicity with office software -- his Office software."
Peru Passes Free Software Law - That's Free as in Free Speech (Groklaw)
Groklaw reports that Peru has passed its law encouraging procurement of Free Software by the government.
The law defines free software and proprietary software by means of the
licenses, as per my own translation:
1. Free Software: is software whose license guarantees the following: unrestricted use of the program for any use; unrestricted right to study the code and figure out how the program works; to make and distribute copies of the program; to modify the program and freely distribute the modifications under the same free conditions as the original program.
2. Proprietary software: is software whose license does not permit you to do all or any of the things listed in the above definition.
Interviews
RMS: The GNU GPL Is Here to Stay (O'ReillyNet)
O'Reilly's OnLAMP talks with Richard Stallman about the GPL v3. "RMS: The GNU GPL is designed to achieve the goals of the Free Software Movement; specifically, to ensure that every user of a program gets the essential freedoms--to run it, to study and change the source code, to redistribute copies, and to publish modified versions. The GPL does that job very well; most other free software licenses don't try."
Janet Theobroma (People Behind KDE)
The People Behind KDE interview Janet Theobroma, a graphic artist. "In what ways do you make a contribution to KDE? I organize art related KDE contests, created and maintain the new KDE-Artists.org website and the Kollaboration Forums." (Found on KDE.News)
Aaron Seigo on the Upcoming OSDW in San Diego
Wade Olson interviews Aaron Siego for the upcoming Open Source Desktop Workshop in San Deigo. "WO: Whats the primary message to people who are considering attending? Who are you targetting? AS: Well, for these developers, number one, the Open Source desktop is something that is worth looking at from a developer's perspective. We've got an amazing technology stack as far as application development goes. There are opportunities within the projects as well as in the commercial economy around the Open Source desktops. So that's really what the message is, to help developers feel confident to roll out applications for the Open Source desktop, whether for KDE or GNOME or whatever."
Resources
Protecting Linux against automated attackers (Linux.com)
Ryan Twomey presents some useful security tips on Linux.com. "As many systems administrators will tell you, attacks from automated login scripts specifically targeting common account names with weak passwords have become a substantial threat to system security, especially via SSH (a popular program that allows remote users to log in to a Linux computer and execute commands locally). Here are some common-sense rules to follow that can greatly improve security, as well as several scripts to cut down on the computing resources wasted by these attacks."
Peter van der Linden's Guide to Linux: A Lesson in Encryption, Part 2 (Linux Journal)
Linux Journal continues its book excerpt series on encryption with part two. "To cope with the uncertainties, or at least express them, the GPG program has the concept of levels of trust in keys. A key that someone leaves on a CD on your desk may have a low level of trust. Perhaps someone switched or copied the CD. A key that you yourself generated a moment ago can be trusted absolutely. You might notice that the output when we generated a key included the text "key marked as ultimately trusted.""
Peter van der Linden's Guide to Linux: A Lesson in Encryption, Part 3 (Linux Journal)
Linux Journal presents an excerpt from chapter 11, "Keeping Your Data Private", of Peter van der Linden's Guide to Linux. "People often sign files or e-mail that they encrypt. That way, only the intended recipient can read it, and the recipient knows that you are definitely the person who sent it, too. Computerized signatures based on encryption are far more reliable than written signatures that are forged on a daily basis by people with criminal intent. But computerized signatures are only as good as the encryption scheme and key length you use. For GPG, that's a pretty good assurance, until you start to look at all the interfaces outside GPG that can be subverted."
The Daemon, the GNU and the Penguin (Groklaw)
Groklaw presents chapter 19 of the online book "The Daemon, the GNU and the Penguin" by Dr. Peter Salus. This chapter is titled "Just for Fun" and covers the early history of Linux.Linux LDAP authentication (Linux.com)
Dave Kline explains LDAP authentication under Linux in a Linux.com article. "When you have to administer a network of many machines, you quickly find out how much duplication of effort is involved with normal administrative tasks. Routine operations like changing passwords, canceling accounts, and modifying groups become time-consuming if repeated on many individual machines. Centralizing user and authentication information can solve these issues. The former king of centralized authentication systems was NIS, or Network Information System. NIS is a simple and well-supported technology, but it's also insecure. LDAP, short for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, is now the preferred way of managing centralized user accounts."
At the Sounding Edge: A September Trio (Linux Journal)
Dave Phillips touches on several Linux audio topics in this Linux Journal column. "Toledo Hip-Hop is a cooperative project for bringing together and promoting area hip-hop artists. The group recruited artists and performers for the Reboot project and donated its production abilities toward creating a professionally polished sound. Reboot was created and produced with proprietary software, but its creators acutely are aware of the desirability of switching to Linux. As my AGNULA T-shirt says, there is no free expression without control of the tools, and the people I met at the meeting are aware of the importance of this level of control."
Reviews
What Is Firefox (O'ReillyNet)
O'ReillyNet has a three page article on Firefox. "Firefox 1.0 was released in November 2004. Since then, there have been supplementary releases, mainly to address security and stability issues. The current official release is 1.0.7. In the meantime, however, work has been continuing on the next major release. That release was to be 1.1, but because of all the new features added, it was deemed worthy to be bumped up to a 1.5 version. Firefox 1.5 Beta 1 was released on September 8, 2005, and Firefox 1.5 final is due in November after further beta releases."
Inkscape review: It's all in the UI (NewsForge)
NewsForge reviews Inkscape. "One obvious interface choice in Inkscape is a reliance on keyboard and mouse button combinations rather than a straight point and click interface. This choice is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, once the combinations are learned, they are far more efficient than relying on a menu or toolbars. As much as possible, they keep your mouse on the drawing, and your hands on the keyboard. On the other hand, they mean a learning curve steep enough for a cardiovascular workout."
KDE 4 promises radical changes to the free desktop (NewsForge)
NewsForge looks ahead to KDE 4. "Its developers see KDE 4 as a chance to experiment and introduce new concepts and applications that do more than build on the strength of KDE's existing architecture. Just as KDE 3 brought major transformations in that architecture, developers are looking to KDE 4 to transform the desktop experience and enable a surge in third-party application development. With a KDE 4 release not likely to happen for at least another year, the developers have plenty of time to experiment."
Miscellaneous
In Memoriam: John R. Hall (Linux Journal)
Linux Journal notes the passing of John R. Hall. "John R. Hall, a respected programmer, writer and Linux advocate, passed away on September 17 at age 24. John studied computer science at the Georgia Institute of Technology and was the author of Programming Linux Games, which he wrote at age 19 while interning with Loki Software. He later worked at Treyarch."
How will Linux be leveraged in next-gen supercomputers? (NewsForge)
NewsForge takes a look at the next generation of supercomputers. "[Top500 list co-founder and co-editor Erich] Strohmaier indicated that multi-core processors will be a bigger driver of performance than operating system software in the next round of faster supercomputers, but also said Linux must adapt to continue to be successful. "It's a matter of four or eight cores instead of megahertz," he said. "Which means that Linux has to put more emphasis on multi-threaded performance and parallel performance. Linux has been single-threaded, traditionally. I think that, in general, has to change, which will help the community as well.""
Page editor: Forrest Cook
Next page:
Announcements>>