Linux in the news
Recommended Reading
2007 Top Ten Free and Open Source Legal Issues (Law & Life)
Law & Life: Silicon Valley has a column on the top-ten 2007 legal issues relevant to free software. "In August, the district court in San Francisco surprised many lawyers by ruling that the remedies for breach of the Artistic License were in contract, not copyright. Most lawyers believe that the failure to comply with the major terms of an open source license means that the licensee is a copyright infringer and, thus, can obtain injunctive relief" (which means that the court orders a party to cease their violation). On the other hand, if the remedy is limited to contract remedies, then the standard remedy would be limited to monetary damages. Such damages are of limited value to open source licensors."
Samba Team receives Microsoft protocol documentation (Groklaw)
Groklaw reports on the release of Microsoft protocol information. "The Protocol Freedom Information Foundation has just signed an agreement with Microsoft to receive the protocol documentation needed to fully interoperate with the Microsoft Windows workgroup server products and to make them available to Samba and other Free Software projects. No. This isn't a bit like the Novell-Microsoft agreements. This is for access to Microsoft's protocols, as ordered by the EU Commission and agreed to by Microsoft. It's a good thing, in my opinion, and the Samba guys worked really hard to make this as good as it gets."
Samba's Big Step (ComputerWorld UK)
Over at ComputerWorld UK, Glyn Moody analyzes the recent news from the Samba world, finding it mostly positive. "First, it confirms that there are groups within Microsoft who are willing to work in good faith with the free software world whatever their chair-hurling boss may say. Judging by Tridge's comments and contrary to my own impressions it also demonstrates that there are people within the European Commission who really get this open source stuff, and want to nurture it. That's something that goes well beyond this agreement, since it is likely to impact future decisions too."
The SCO Problem
SCO Delisted as of Today (Groklaw)
Groklaw reports that SCO has been delisted from the NASDAQ. "All those Mesirow and legal hours working on the SEC delisting did not pay off. SCO announces today that Nasdaq has sent them a letter. SCO will be delisted as of December 27. They found out on the 21st, it seems, but they tell us today. Here's the press release, where they once again describe themselves as "a leading provider of UNIX software technology and mobile services"."
Companies
Open-Sourcing Fibre Channel over Ethernet (eWeek)
eWeek covers Intel's release of GPLv2-licensed Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) code for Linux. "FCoE's purpose is to enable data centers to consolidate LAN and SAN (storage area network) traffic over 10GB Ethernet. FC, which comes in speeds from 2 to the just arriving 8G bps, is commonly used in data center SANs. In recent years it's been challenged by iSCSI. Fibre, which, despite the name can run both on copper and fiber-optic cables, is seen as faster and more reliable, while iSCSI is commonly thought of as less expensive. Intel, along with FCoE's founder Cisco Systems, is hoping to combine the virtues of both Fibre and iSCSI with this new high-speed, dual-purpose network fabric." Further: "
Unlike iSCSI, FCoE does not run on the TCP/IP stack. This is Fibre Channel on Ethernet without the overhead or the management and analysis tools of TCP/IP."
Red Hat has a great quarter; CEO leaves (Linux-Watch)
Linux-Watch looks at Red Hat's financial results for its third fiscal quarter. "For Red Hat's share owners, the net income for the quarter came out to a healthy $20.3 million. That works out to a dime per diluted share. Last quarter saw 9 cents per diluted share and 7 cents per diluted share in the equivalent 2006 quarter. At the same time that Red Hat was making money, the company has also been saving money. Its total cash and equivalents at quarter's end was $1.3 billion."
Linux Adoption
Signposts of GNU/Linux Growth in 2007, Part 1 (Datamation)
Datamation takes a look at areas where Linux has gained ground in 2007. "As time goes by, appliances might inherit the important role of traditional desktops. Mobile and ultra-mobile devices could gradually replace laptops and servers to become more predominant owing to Web-based software, which also moves storage toward the back end. Let's explore how GNU/Linux fits this broader vision and discover just how ubiquitous it is, with growth consistently on the upside."
Technology in 2008 (Economist)
The Economist makes some predictions for 2008 which reveal an interesting view of causality in the Linux world. "The [SCO/Novell] verdict removed, once and for all, the burden that had been inhibiting Linux's broader acceptance. Linux is now accepted as being Unix-like, but not a Unix-derivative. Bulletproof distributions of Linux from Red Hat and Novell have long been used on back-office servers. Since the verdict against SCO, Linux has swiftly become popular in small businesses and the home."
Linux at Work
MIT spinoff's little green laptop a hit in remote Peruvian village (Chicago Tribune)
The Chicago Tribune is carrying a look at one of the first OLPC deployments in Peru. "The children of Arahuay prove One Laptop's transformative conceit: that you can revolutionize education and democratize the Internet by giving a simple, durable, power-stingy but feature-packed laptop to the worlds' poorest kids. 'Some tell me that they don't want to be like their parents, working in the fields,' first-grade teacher Erica Velasco says of her pupils. She had just sent them to the Internet to seek out photos of invertebrates - animals without backbones.'"
Legal
News about LANCOR v. OLPC (Groklaw)
Groklaw looks at a lawsuit filed by LANCOR against OLPC. "Yes, it's begun in a Nigerian court. LANCOR has actually done it. Heaven only knows it makes me want to drink. Guess what the Nigerian keyboard makers want from the One Laptop Per Child charitable organization trying to make the world a better place? $20 million dollars. I kid you not. $20 million dollars in "damages". And an injunction blocking OLPC from distribution in Nigeria."
Interviews
Interview with Opera's CEO, CTO and General Counsel (Groklaw)
Groklaw has an interview with several Opera executives on the Opera Software complaint to the EU Commission. "This interview is with Opera's CEO Jon S. von Tetzchner, Jason A. Hoida, Deputy General Counsel, and CTO, Håkon Wium Lie. I have yet to see a media report that gets all the story right, so let's let them speak for themselves in their own words: why file a complaint now, what is it about, what remedies are being sought, which standards are involved, and how does failure to implement standards affect the public, and much more." The Free Software Foundation Europe has announced support for Opera's complaint against Microsoft.
Linux for everyone (CPILive.net)
CPILive.net interviews Mark Shuttleworth. "Free software is part of a broader phenomenon, which is a shift toward recognising the value of shared work. Historically, shared stuff had a very bad name. The reputation was that people always abused shared things, and in the physical world, something that is shared and abused becomes worthless. In the digital world, I think we have the inverse effect, where something that is shared can become more valuable than something that is closely held, as long as it is both shared and contributed to by everybody who is sharing in it."
Interview with ECIS's Thomas Vinje Regarding Opera's Complaint (Groklaw)
Groklaw presents an audio interview with Thomas Vinje. "Groklaw's Sean Daly has been busy getting more information for us about the recent announcement by Opera that it has filed a complaint with the European Commission against Microsoft. He's done two interviews. This one is with Thomas Vinje, the lawyer for the European Committee for Interoperable Systems [ECIS], who is helping to represent Opera before the Commission."
Resources
Commercial Sound And Music Software For Linux, Part 2 (Linux Journal)
Dave Phillips presents more commercially available music and sound software for Linux. "As one reader pointed out, "commercial" doesn't necessarily mean closed-sources, just as "proprietary" doesn't necessarily mean "for sale". The question of how to make money from free software development was the instigation for this article, and I discovered that there are income possibilities other than the traditional exchange of goods for money. Two popular channels are the service/support contract and the subscription model."
Building A Linux Music Studio (LinuxPlanet)
LinuxPlanet looks at audio applications for Linux. "This is a great time to be your own recording and sound engineer. There are all kinds of great digital recording gear, from tiny portable recorders to multi-channel mixer-recorders with CD burners, and Linux has a wealth of good-quality audio recording and editing programs. The hard part is figuring out where to start because there is so much to choose from. I'll talk a bit about the different types of digital recorders, and then run through recording a live performance and making a CD using Linux."
The Sound Of Linux 2007 (Linux Journal)
Dave Phillips highlights the best Linux audio achievements of the year in the Linux Journal. "If I had to select one piece of software that I consider to be crucial to Linux audio development, it'd be JACK. Almost all the software mentioned above either requires it or performs best with it. Some of JACK's notable improvements in 2007 include direct support for MIDI, improved support for multi-processor systems, and a new version for Windows. Linux can claim a variety of excellent sound and music applications, but JACK truly holds the keys to the kingdom."
Reviews
My Very Own OLPC XO Laptop (Groklaw)
PJ got her very own OLPC XO laptop. "I have one!!! Finally I get to play with the OLPC laptop. It was a gift, and it was given to me in a restaurant, where it created a stir, so there's a story to tell you. I met, at their suggestion, a couple at a restaurant that has wireless, and there it was. My very own XO. It's so tiny. So light. So cute. It's not all green, by the way. When it's closed, it's white with green trim, with a textured finish so it's not slippery, and it's soooo darling. It draws you. I couldn't even eat until I tried it out."
Miscellaneous
The top Linux/FOSS events of 2007 (ITWire)
ITWire looks back at 2007. "OpenMoko hasn't received the same hype as, say, the Apple iPhone but it is truly remarkable in terms of the product itself as well as the philosophy of the company who freely give away all the keys to let anyone do anything with the phone. Perhaps in time a new release of the Neo may replicate the success of the ASUS Eee in the mobile world. I certainly think this is one product and company to keep an eye on."
Tech Predictions for 2008 (PC World)
PC World presents some technology predictions for 2008. "As Vista continues to limp toward wider adoption, Linux will make major inroads into the enterprise, as well as in government IT. At the same time, the leaner OS will become a more attractive option for home users and in consumer electronics, spurred by the Open Handset Alliance and the advent of Google's Android mobile platform, which will be built on the Linux kernel. Jim Zemlin, the president of the Linux Foundation, sees 2008 as a "really interesting, breakthrough year for Linux," and we think he's right about that."
Trying to predict 2008 (ZDNet)
Here is a bizarre 2008 prediction posted by "Paul Murphy" at ZDNet. "At the top of the list of continuations is SCO. No matter how the legal action pans out, it will continue to dominate direction setting in the Linux community - and until or unless IBM gets its collective head straight on the issue and cleans house, the polarization this case has led to will continue to undermine Linux legitimacy." LWN's 2008 predictions - to be posted soon - do not mention SCO at all; one wonders if there is anybody else on the planet who thinks this way.
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