Linux in the news

The Torvalds Transcript (InformationWeek)

InformationWeek interviews Linus Torvalds about GPLv3. "Finally, the real basic issue is that I think the Free Software Foundation simply doesn't have goals that I can personally sign up to. For example, the FSF considers proprietary software to be something evil and immoral. Me, I just don't care about proprietary software. It's not "evil" or "immoral," it just doesn't matter. I think that Open Source can do better, and I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is by working on Open Source, but it's not a crusade -- it's just a superior way of working together and generating code."

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Perens blasts Microsoft/Novell 'protection racket' (Linux-Watch)

Linux-Watch reports on Bruce Perens' press conference protesting the Novell/Microsoft deal. "In a small conference room across the street from the location of Novell's BrainShare conference, free-software advocate Bruce Perens attacked Novell's patent deal with Microsoft and said that Novell was enabling Microsoft to run "a protection racket" with the threat of its patents."

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PyCon Wireless Network (tummy.com)

Sean Reifschneider, from tummy.com, writes about running the wireless network for PyCon 2007. "How do you make 600 Python geeks happy? Well, wireless network access is a good start... It was so bad [at PyCon 2006], that we decided to run our own wireless network this year. The wired network last year worked reasonably well, though there were some issues with DHCP there as well. So, I volunteered to run the network for 2007."

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Linux platform supports dual-mode phones (Digit Online)

Digit Online covers the latest offering from A la Mobile. "A la Mobile is hoping to help fuel the supply of converged Wi-Fi and GSM (Global System for Mobile) phones with a new version of its Linux-based mobile phone software package. A la Mobile designed the new Linux system stack to make it easier for handset makers to quickly build and deliver converged phones that can support VOIP (voice over IP) services over Wi-Fi as well as GSM voice. The software stack includes a standard SIP (Session Initiations Protocol)-based VOIP client as well as the other applications included in A la Mobile's initial offering such as Java, Adobe Flash, a browser and e-mail."

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Novell adds Virtuozzo virtualization to SLES (Linux-Watch)

Linux-Watch looks at SWSoft's Virtuozzo virtualization software in Novell's SLES 10. "Novell and SWsoft have partnered to combine Novell's SLES 10 (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10) with SWSoft's Virtuozzo virtualization software, to deliver an integrated virtualization server, SWSoft announced today."

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Secure Linux Appliances in Your Enterprise

High Mobley at q!Bang Solutions talks about the Debian Router Project, which provides an easy way to build your own Linux appliances. "What's great about DebRouter is that you get a fully functional Debian Linux installation. So you can add whatever software packages you want to extend the functionality of the DebRouter. This is implemented through the usual Debian package management utilities, which means that you can change a DebRouter's functionality on the fly and in the field after it's been deployed."

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Red Hat bands with open-source allies (ZDNet)

ZDNet covers Red Hat's upcoming Red Hat Exchange program. "Red Hat, planning a new expansion beyond its core Linux operating system business, will launch a service later this year called the Red Hat Exchange to sell partners' open-source software. The service, which the company announced Wednesday, marks a new stage both in Red Hat's competition with proprietary software companies such as Microsoft, IBM and Oracle, and in its alliances with open-source companies. The Red Hat Exchange is designed to help bring a much broader collection of open-source options to market, piggybacking on Red Hat's brand and customer connections."

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Red Hat Plans Linux Desktop Offering 'for the Masses' (eWeek)

eWeek looks at Red Hat's plans for an Enterprise Desktop. "Red Hat is planning a packaged Linux desktop solution that it hopes will push its Linux desktop offering to a far broader audience than exists for its current client solution. The move is designed in part to compete with Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 platform, which includes SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, which were released in July 2006."

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Sun hires Debian Linux founder (ZDNet)

ZDNet reports that Ian Murdock has taken a job at Sun. " At Sun, Murdock now holds the title of chief operating platforms officer. On his blog, he said he'll work both with Linux and Sun's competing, newly open-source Solaris. "I'm not saying much about what I'll be doing yet, but you can probably guess from my background and earlier writings that I'll be advocating that Solaris needs to close the usability gap with Linux to be competitive," he said on his blog. But it won't be just about Solaris at Sun: "Even with Solaris front and center, I'm pretty strongly of the opinion that Linux needs to play a clearer role in the platform strategy.""

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Symantec's Storage Software To Support Red Hat Linux 5 (crn.com)

crn.com reports that Symantec's Veritas storage products will be available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 in the near future. "Symantec, which has had a working partnership with Red Hat since 2003, will offer Veritas Storage Foundation, Veritas Cluster Server and Veritas NetBackup solutions to Red Hat customers, and will also offer support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 within 90 days, said Laura Shepard, Linux product line manager."

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Living (and dying) with Linux in the workplace (ComputerWorld)

ComputerWorld has a "Windows user tries Linux" article; this one is rather longer and more detailed than most. "Unlike many of the applications included on new Windows systems, these don't seem to come with annoying self-launching advertisements, such as the irony-challenged Trend Micro Anti-Spyware pop-up upgrade pleas that plagued my HP system at home. Novell's SUSE also boasts some of the on-screen eye candy corporate users have come to expect, such as a 3D swoosh when a window minimizes."

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More Hope for the Linux Desktop (CIO)

CIO reports from a "council" held by HP involving a number of large financial companies. "Based on my take regarding the Council's interest in the Linux desktop, I would say that these organizations are diligently seeking a desktop solution beyond the Microsoft nightmare of purchase, patch, and upgrade. When your wealthiest clients are actively looking to stop using your solution, you should be worried."

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Pharmacy System Using Ubuntu to fight AIDS (tectonic)

tectonic looks at iDART-in-a-box. "Written in Java and released under the GPL, iDART (intelligent Dispensing of Antiretroviral Treatment) is a pharmacy system designed for use at antiretroviral (ARV) pharmacies in the public health sector. Initially distributed only as software, it was generally implemented on machines using Windows. Due to issues of reliability and security, Cell-Life have created iDART-in-a-box, which is a complete system running on Ubuntu Linux." (Found on LinuxMedNews)

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Ian Murdock: Debian "missing a big opportunity" (Linux Format)

Linux Format interviews Ian Murdock. "I believe that open source projects are no different from businesses or any other kind of organization in that to get any meaningful work done, there has to be strong leadership. That leadership has to be empowered to make decisions even when those decisions are unpopular. I think that's part of the reason why Ubuntu has done well: there is a strong leader, and that strong is empowered."

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Pino Toscano (People Behind KDE)

Here's a People Behind KDE interview with Pino Toscano. "In what ways do you make a contribution to KDE? I'm the current okular maintainer (Albert Astals Cid gave me his blessing two months ago). First of all, I'm an active KDE-Edu developer, holding the maintainance of kig, and being and helping hand all round. Moreover, I give my contributions translating KDE into Italian (I'm part of the Italian translation team)." (Found on KDE.News)

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Open source video editing still has a long way to go (Linux.com)

Robin 'Roblimo' Miller discusses the state of Linux video editing tools in a Linux.com article. "Once or twice a year I look at FOSS video editing tools to see if they're ready for everyday use by advanced amateur and low-end professional video makers, which is where I classify myself in the video production hierarchy. There have been several notable improvements recently that have moved FOSS video editing tools a little closer to practicality, but FOSS desktop video editing still has a long way to go before it can be taken seriously by people who need to turn out high-quality video productions on tight deadlines."

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How to create a command-line password locker (Linux.com)

Duane Odom creates a simple locker script for passwords, on Linux.com. "Like many people, I have too many passwords to remember. To keep them straight, I wrote a simple password locker script using dialog and GnuPG (GNU Privacy Guard). The script prompts the user for a master password using a dialog box, unencrypts a file that holds a list of passwords, and opens the file in a text editor. When the editor is closed, the script re-encrypts the password file."

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How To Install VMware Server On A Fedora Core 6 Desktop (HowtoForge)

HowtoForge presents a tutorial on installing VMware Server on a Fedora Core 6 machine. "With VMware Server you can create and run guest operating systems ("virtual machines") such as Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, etc. under a host operating system. This has the benefit that you can run multiple operating systems on the same hardware which saves a lot of money, and you can move virtual machines from one VMware Server to the next one (or to a system that has the VMware Player which is also free)."

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The Fedora Desktop User Guide needs some editing (Linux.com)

Linux.com takes a look at the Fedora Desktop User Guide. "Aimed at new users, the Fedora Project's Fedora Desktop User Guide (FDUG) attempts to address some worthwhile questions: What does its audience want to do? What does the audience need to know to accomplish those tasks? What explanations and layout will help them absorb the information they need as easily and as quickly as possible? FDUG does a reasonable job of anticipating audience need, covering topics from logging in and basic desktop features to descriptions of setting up mail and managing photos and sharing directories. However, its presentation of information fails to answer the other questions implicit in technical writing, and suffers in both text and design from a lack of consistency."

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FSlint: annoyingly vague, but useful (Linux Journal)

Bruce Byfield looks at FSlint 2.20. "Version 2.20 of FSlint is a program whose functionality is at odds with its design. On the one hand, a program for -- as the name suggests --- locating and removing unnecessary or useless material ("lint") from a filesystem is a handy one to install. On the other hand, a rough interface with cryptic buttons and options and a lack of anything except minimal help files makes accessing its options a bit of a challenge, especially at first."

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PDFedit fills hole in the desktop (Linux.com)

Linux.com reviews PDFedit. "PDFedit is not the first tool for editing PDF files on the GNU/Linux desktop, but it does have a strong claim to being the first truly practical one. Although only at version 0.2.5, PDFedit is already a practical solution for manipulating pages and text in PDF files, as well as for salvaging content in usable formats. It suffers only from an eccentric interface and some of the instability typical of an early release."

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