Announcements
Non-Commercial announcements
MozillaZine Folding@Home Team Completes 10 Million Points (MozillaZine)
MozillaZine covers the progress made by the Mozilla folding@home team. "Folding@Home is a project based on the distributed computing model, and aims to find a cure for diseases related to protein folding. Over a year ago, MozillaZine forum members had formed a folding@home team, and had entered the top 100 folding teams last year. We're pleased to announce that our team has been making steady progress and has completed 10,000,000 points towards the cause."
Portland Project releases desktop "technology preview"
The community open source effort, the Portland Project, is releasing its first software that ties together the KDE and GNOME desktops. The protocols are being released to Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) for testing and the first beta is expected next month. The final set of the interfaces are slated for inclusion in the Linux Standard Base. The Portland Project has technology preview is available.Software Freedom Conservancy launched
The Software Freedom Law Center has announced the launch of the Software Freedom Conservancy, meant to provide free services to free software projects. "The Software Freedom Conservancy will be a fiscal sponsor for FOSS projects by providing free financial and administrative services to its members. It will provide individual developers protection from personal liability for their projects and will seek to provide participating projects with tax-exempt status, allowing them to receive tax deductible donations. The Conservancy will file a single tax return that covers each of the member's projects and will handle other corporate and tax related issues on behalf of its members." Initial members include Wine and Busybox.
Commercial announcements
ARM Launches RealView Development Suite 3.0
ARM Ltd has announced availability of its RealView Development Suite version 3.0. "With this release, ARM has created an integrated, end-to-end toolchain for true hardware/software co-development, optimized for the SoC features most requested by embedded systems developers. These features include an enhanced compiler optimization engine that results in more than 10 percent improvement on the EEMBC score, a powerful debug engine with multicore DSP awareness, high-performance compilation of Linux, and GNU tools interoperability."
Emu Software Releases Flagship Product NetDirector Under Open Source License
Emu Software has announced that the its flagship product, NetDirector, is now available under a modified version of the Mozilla Public License, the NetDirector Public License. NetDirector can be downloaded from the NetDirector community portal. Emu Software will continue to offer commercial support and release new management modules to extend the product's functionality in conjunction with partners and the open source community.FSMLabs launches Compact Server Platform
FSMLabs, Inc. has announced a new real time compact server platform. "FSMLabs' RTCore technology scales seamlessly from single processor systems to multi-core silicon including the impressive 8-way / 16 core platform recently introduced by IWILL. "Running on eight dual core chips in a single box really highlights the flexibility of RT Linux and the utility of the dynamic processor reservation scheme in RTCore," said Cort Dougan, FSMLabs Director of Engineering. FSMLabs "processor reservation" technology permits real-time threads to set aside processors exclusively for real-time operations (typically data plane), while remaining CPU resources are shared among threads in enterprise-type loads (control and management plane)."
IBM provides Linux PPC64 machines to universities
IBM has announced an effort to place 64 bit PowerPC machines in Universities. "IBM has been working with a small number of Universities around the world to assist them with their interest in getting closer to the Linux development community. IBM has provided 64-bit Linux on Power Architecture machines to the Universities who in turn host them for the Open Source development community at large. The Universities are interested in creating a closer connection w/ the Open Source community and contributing to it, and they feel this is a means of accomplishing that. These servers are freely available with a simple registration for use."
LPI Appoints Operations Manager for North America and Asia Pacific
The Linux Professional Institute has appointed Larry McArthur as Area Operations Manager for North America and Asia Pacific. "Mr. McArthur has had an extensive career of broad executive-level experience at several global companies and has been very active in business activities in North America, China and Asia for over 30 years."
LPI Names Prosoft Learning Corporation as North American Affiliate
The Linux Professional Institute has announced a new affiliate, Prosoft Learning Corporation. "We are delighted to welcome Prosoft to our worldwide team of affiliates. Their successful history in providing highly innovative IT training and certification solutions makes them an ideal partner for our efforts to continue to spread Linux professionalism in North America, said Jim Lacey, president and CEO of LPI."
OpenVZ Project Releases Software to Support Fedora Core 5
The OpenVZ project has announced the availability of its operating system level server virtualization software for Fedora Core 5. Also, the industry-exclusive "zero downtime migration" feature will be made available for the OpenVZ software.Oracle's Cluster File System Endorsed by Linux Community
Oracle Corporation has announced the endorsement of its cluster filesystem by the Linux community. "Building on the company's long-term commitment to the Linux and open source community, Oracle today announced that its enterprise-class cluster file system has been accepted into the mainline Linux kernel. As the first cluster file system to be distributed with the Linux kernel, Oracle(R) Cluster File System 2 (OCFS Release 2) provides users with an open source alternative to proprietary cluster file systems."
Penguin Computing announces Scyld ClusterWare
Penguin Computing, Inc. has announced its new Scyld ClusterWare portfolio. "Scyld ClusterWare, the latest evolution of the innovative architecture of Scyld Beowulf(R), provides a virtualized cluster environment that allows even non-system administrators to run a cluster. The new portfolio introduces support for multiple Linux platforms for broad compatibility with commercial applications and a high availability feature set to ensure maximum productivity in competitive HPC environments."
UGS Ships NX 4 product lifecycle management software
UGS has announced the release of version 4 of its NX product lifecycle management software for Linux. "UGS is the world's first PLM software and services provider to offer a complete solution for the Linux environment. "This is a landmark step in the PLM industry and creates significant advantages for UGS customers," said Chuck Grindstaff, executive vice president, Products, UGS. "We announced our Linux plans last year and are now the first among our competitors to provide a complete world-class PLM solution for this popular operating environment."
VMware Introduces Open Virtual Machine Disk Format Spec
VMware, Inc. has announced its virtual machine disk format specification. "This will enable use by all developers, software vendors and projects and includes open licensing compatible with those operating under open source licenses such as the GPL. In addition, VMware is committed to supporting any other open virtual machine disk formats broadly adopted by customers and working toward converging on open standards in this area. "Encouraging the use of a common virtual machine disk format should lead to better interoperability across the industry."
LinuxWorld Announcements
Open-Xchange Inc. has announced that its open source collaboration server Open-Xchange has been named a finalist for a LinuxWorld Expo Product Excellence Award in the "Best Messaging Solution" category.rPath has announced that its flagship product has been selected as a finalist in two categories at LinuxWorld Boston 2006 Product Excellence Awards, Best Virtualization Solution (rBuilder Online) and Best Systems Management Tool (rBuilder).
Novell has announced a beta program for Mono 1.2, the upcoming availability of SUSE Linux 10.1, and the company has introduced a Linux* build service framework that will simplify the creation of Linux packages for SUSE Linux or any other Linux distribution and will become the development platform for future SUSE Linux distributions.
Product demos: See Collax Linux-based servers at the Emu Software booth, Appro XtremeServers at the Appro booth and the AMD booth, and storage solutions from Coraid, "the Linux Storage People", in booth # 107.
New Books
Head Rush Ajax - O'Reilly's Latest Release
O'Reilly has published the book Head Rush Ajax by Brett McLaughlin.Ajax Hacks - O'Reilly's Latest Release
O'Reilly has published the book Ajax Hacks by Bruce Perry.
Resources
Linux Heavies Weigh in on Grid / Virtualization Directions
A new edition of the Globus Consortium Journal has been announced. "What is it about the Linux operating system that makes it so well-suited for Grid computing, virtualization and clustering? In today's new release of the Globus Consortium Journal (www.globusconsortium.org/journal), Linux and Grid professionals answer that question."
The Linux Documentation Project Weekly News
The April 4, 2006 edition of the Linux Documentation Project Weekly News is available. Topics include: Discussions on The LDP lists, Updated HOWTOs, FAQs and Guides, Mirror information update and The LDP/LDPWN mini-HOWTO.Linux Gazette #125
The April edition of Linux Gazette is out. Articles include A Brief Introduction to IP Cop, by Edgar Howell, Implementing a Simple Char Device in Linux, by Ranjeet Mishra, Digging Secure Tunnels with IPsec, by René Pfeiffer, uClinux on Blackfin BF533 Stamp - A DSP Linux Port (Part 2), by Pramode C.E., How to Give Linux Away, by Scott Ruecker, plus the usual features.OS Reviews launches
OS Reviews, a site dedicated to reviews of free software, has announced its existence. Currently posted are reviews of AppArmor, OpenVPN, Battle For Wesnoth, Octave, Bacula, and more; the reviewer appears to be doing a fairly thorough job. See the OS Reviews mission statement for more on what the site is trying to do.
Education and Certification
Ubuntu certification from LPI
The Linux Professional Institute and Canonical have announced the creation of a certification examination for the Ubuntu distribution. "The Ubuntu certification will consist of a single exam on top of LPI's existing 101 and 102 exams. This will give candidates the advantage of an existing global standard, LPIC-1, plus the 'Ubuntu Certified Professional' status." The exam expected to be widely available in June.
Calls for Presentations
RUXCON 2006 Call for Papers
A Call for Papers has gone out for RuxCon 2006, a security conference. The event will take place in Sydney, Australia on September 30 - October 1, 2006. Submissions are due by August 31.
Upcoming Events
CMP Media Launches DSO World at ESC
CMP Media has announced the DSO World event at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, CA. "CMP Media will launch DSO World, a 3-day event co-located with the annual Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley, in Booth #1016, April 4 - 6, 2006. CMP joins Intel, IBM, Wind River, ENEA, and Freescale to address key topics of DSO (device software optimization). DSO World will feature the most up-to-date, practical information to help technology and business managers choose the best strategies and approaches for delivering top performance, scalability, and ROI."
Register and book accommodation for GUADEC 2006 (GnomeDesktop)
GnomeDesktop.org has posted a reminder for the GUADEC 2006 registration. "The GUADEC 2006 registration has started. Make sure to check the discounts you may get as a group or as a GNOME Foundation member. We recommend you to book accommodation with us in the GNOME Village, you won't get better prices out there, probably not as much fun either. And think this seriously: bring your partner, your friends, your family... (well, maybe not all at the same time). Vilanova 2006 is going to be interesting and fun also for them, with a top summer location in the coast and near Barcelona city."
openSUSE at LinuxWorld Conference and Expo
The openSUSE project has announced its LinuxWorld Conference & Expo presentations. "openSUSE.org is present at next week's LWE in Boston at booth #325. We'll show the current SUSE Linux 10.1, the openSUSE build service and give an general overview over the openSUSE project."
OSDL Desktop Linux Group Gets Ready for Busy Month
The OSDL will hold several summits at the upcoming LinuxWorld Boston conference as well as other summits on printing, power management and wireless networking through the month of April. "The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) today announced that members of its Desktop Linux (DTL) working group will lead an interactive panel discussion on the increasing evolution of Linux from server to desktop at the LinuxWorld East conference in Boston. The panel, "The State of the Linux Desktop," is scheduled to take place on April 4, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. ET in room 104C."
SESS06 call for participation
A call for participation has gone out for Software Engineering for Secure Systems (SESS06). The event takes place in Shanghai, China on May 20-28, 2006 in conjunction with the 28th International Conference on Software Engineering.Events: April 6 - June 1, 2006
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| April 6, 2006 | Embedded Systems Conference(ESC) | (McEnery Convention Center)San Jose, CA |
| April 6 - 7, 2006 | CanSecWest/core06 | (Marriott Renaissance Harbourside hotel)Vancouver, Canada |
| April 6, 2006 | LinuxWorld Conference and Expo | (Boston Convention and Exposition Center)Boston, MA |
| April 7 - 9, 2006 | Notacon 3 | (Holiday Inn Select Cleveland)Cleveland, OH |
| April 7, 2006 | FUDCon Boston 2006 | Boston, Mass. USA |
| April 11 - 12, 2006 | CELF Embedded Linux Conference | San Jose, California |
| April 15 - 16, 2006 | LayerOne 2006 | (Pasadena Hilton)Pasadena, California |
| April 19 - 22, 2006 | Forum Internacional Software Livre 7.0(FISL) | Porto Alegre, Brazil |
| April 19 - 20, 2006 | UK Python Conference | (Randolph Hotel)Oxford, England |
| April 20 - 22, 2006 | International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security(AReS 2006) | Vienna, Austria |
| April 21 - 23, 2006 | Penguicon 4.0 | Livonia, Michigan |
| April 23 - 26, 2006 | ItaniumR Conference and Expo 2006(Gelato ICE) | San Jose, CA |
| April 24 - 26, 2006 | LinuxWorld & NetworkWorld Canada 2006 Conference & Expo | (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Bldg.)Toronto, Canada |
| April 24 - 27, 2006 | MySQL Users Conference | Santa Clara, CA |
| April 24 - 25, 2006 | 2006 Desktop Linux Summit | (Manchester Grand Hyatt)San Diego, CA |
| April 24 - 26, 2006 | SambaXP 2006 | (Clarion Parkhotel)Göttingen, Germany |
| April 26 - 28, 2006 | php|tek 2006 | (Orlando Airport Marriott Hotel)Orlando, FL |
| April 27 - 30, 2006 | Linux Audio Conference(LAC2006) | (ZKM)Karlsruhe, Germany |
| April 29, 2006 | Linuxfest Northwest 2006 | Bellingham, WA |
| April 29 - 30, 2006 | European Common Lisp Meeting 2006 | Hamburg, Germany |
| May 1 - 6, 2006 | DallasCon 2006 | (Richardson Hotel)Dallas, TX |
| May 3 - 6, 2006 | LinuxTag 2006 | (Rhein-Main-Hallen)Wiesbaden, Germany |
| May 6 - 7, 2006 | WebTech 2006 | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| May 8 - 18, 2006 | LinuxWorld on Tour Conference and Expo 2006(LOT2006) | Montreal Ottawa Calgary Vancouver |
| May 12 - 13, 2006 | BSDCan 2006 | (University of Ottawa)Ottawa Canada |
| May 13, 2006 | DebianDay | Oaxtepec, Mexico |
| May 14 - 22, 2006 | DebConf 6 | Oaxtepec, Mexico |
| May 26 - 27, 2006 | FreedomHEC | Seattle, WA |
| May 30 - June 3, 2006 | 2006 USENIX Annual Technical Conference | (Boston Marriott Copley Place)Boston, MA |
Audio and Video programs
Richard Stallman at Torino: transcript and video
Ciaran O'Riordan has posted a transcript of Richard Stallman's March 18 talk in Torino, Italy. This talk was centered on the GPLv3. "However, freedom zero does not include imposing your purposes on someone else who is going to run the program, because his freedom zero is the freedom to run the program for any purpose of his. So, there is no such thing as the freedom to use any software to impose your purpose on someone else, in fact, that should be illegal. I'm serious. And that's what DRM is." The talk is also available as an Ogg Theora video stream.
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