Announcements
Non-Commercial announcements
EFF's Coders' Rights Project
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has announced the launch of the Coders' Rights Project. "'Coders who explore technology through innovation and research play a vital role in developing and securing the software and hardware we use everyday. Yet this important work can be stymied by bogus legal threats,' said EFF Civil Liberties Director Jennifer Granick, who is heading up the project. 'EFF's Coders' Rights Project will provide a front-line defense for coders facing legal challenges for legitimate research activities.'"
EFF Releases "Switzerland" ISP Testing Tool
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has announced the release of the Switzerland ISP Testing Tool. "San Francisco - Hours before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to take action against Comcast for violating the FCC's net neutrality principles, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is releasing "Switzerland," a software tool for customers to test the integrity of their Internet communications."
FSF demonstrates iPhone's incompatibility with free software and GPLv3
The Free Software Foundation has sent out a press release concerning Apple's position on free software on the iPhone. "The statement contrasts the iPhone with other proprietary computer operating platforms that have allowed free software access, saying "For many years, we have been suffering from Microsoft's PC monopoly; a platform that has allowed Microsoft to inflict untold harm on computer users and the computing industry. The free software community has been working for many years to give people an opportunity to escape to GNU/Linux from Windows, but the iPhone would allow no such escape route.""
Commercial announcements
IBM, Canonical, Novell, and Red Hat go for the desktop
IBM, Canonical, Novell, and Red Hat have jointly announced a scheme aimed at making progress in "the one billion-unit desktop market." "The four leaders are working with their local business partners in markets around the world to build and distribute a pre-loaded PC offering that features IBM's Open Collaboration Client Solution (OCCS) including Lotus Notes, Lotus Symphony and Lotus Sametime; the Linux operating system of each distributor; and software applications and installation services from the local partners in each market. The final product will be branded by the local IT firms that bring it to market."
IBM has launched a number of other initiatives as well, celebrating its ten years of support for Linux.
BitRock partners with Rightscale
BitRock and Rightscale have announced a partnership. "BitRock Inc., the leading provider of tools and services for deploying open source applications, and RightScale, the leader in cloud computing management, announced today a partnership to provide one-click deployments of popular open source applications on Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). Users of RightScale's cloud computing management system can now select from a menu of applications, such as Drupal, Joomla!, Wordpress, and MediaWiki, and launch them in an instant to EC2."
Funambol Version 7 has been released
Funambol has announced the release of Funambol Version 7, a push email and mobile sync system. "Funambol v7's new capabilities include open source software for BlackBerry push email and PIM sync, an iPhone plug-in for contacts sync, an enhanced Java ME push email client for hundreds of millions of feature phones, Yahoo! and Gmail contact import into the Funambol Portal, server syncing of tasks and notes via native SyncML clients, an enhanced SDK and greater scalability. Funambol v7 ties into key trends in the mobile industry, the first being open source."
MontaVista Linux supports Cavium OCTEON processors
MontaVista Software, Inc. has announced support for Cavium Networks OCTEON processor family. "MontaVista® Software, Inc., the leader in embedded Linux® commercialization, today announced that MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition (CGE) 5.0 now supports Cavium Networks OCTEON CN58XX, CN56XX, CN52XX, CN50XX, and CN38XX processor families, enabling embedded developers to use the widely adopted MIPS64-based OCTEON architecture to create high performance multicore applications that are multi-threaded and core-aware while delivering the interoperability, high availability, and field serviceability that carriers need."
Openmoko publishes schematics for Neo phones
Openmoko has announced the forthcoming release ("under a Creative Commons License") of the schematics for its Neo 1973 and Neo FreeRunner phones. "Just as Free and Open Source Software provides source code information, open schematics provide vital information to engineers who may want to add functionality, external instruments or sensors, or assist the company in debugging problems, ultimately creating a better product for the entire mobile community."
Partners Embrace Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program
Oracle has posted a LinuxWorld press release that promotes the Unbreakable Linux support program. "Further demonstrating its commitment to support, promote and advance Linux in the enterprise, Oracle today announced continued momentum across its Linux partner ecosystem with new partners adopting the Oracle(R) Unbreakable Linux Support Program, by certifying with Oracle Enterprise Linux and participating in the Oracle Validated Configurations testing program. In addition, Oracle announced an enhanced Linux partner program provided through the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN)."
Promise Technology announces Linux support for RAID subsystems
Promise Technology has announced Linux support for its products. "Promise Technology, Inc., a global supplier of sophisticated RAID storage solutions for enterprise and SMB customers, today announced Linux support for all its products as an important extension of its Linux business strategy."
RedPost announces next phase of it's Ubuntu-based DIY hardware platform
RedPost has announced a new Ubuntu-based digital photo frame device. "Today, RedPost inc. announced the next phase of its Ubuntu-driven hardware with the formation of a strategic partnership with Hurco Automation Ltd., a Taiwan-based industrial computer manufacturer with a twelve year history of building specialized, quality electronics. Hurco will manufacture RedPost's new Sign, a 19" all-in-one PC with the capability of a digital photo frame or as a digital sign when connected to RedPost's software."
New Books
FBML Essentials--New from O'Reilly
O'Reilly has published the book FBML Essentials by Jesse Stay.Intellectual Property and Open Source - New from O'Reilly
O'Reilly has published the book Intellectual Property and Open Source by Van Lindberg.The Productive Programmer - New from O'Reilly
O'Reilly has published the book The Productive Programmer by Neal Ford.Learning the vi and Vim Editors - New from O'Reilly
O'Reilly has published the book Learning the vi and Vim Editors by Arnold Robbins, Elbert Hannah, and Linda Lamb.
Resources
Git Magic
Git Magic may not be exactly new, but some of us have stumbled across it later than others. It is a highly readable introduction to git with lots of examples of how to get things done. "As Arthur C. Clarke observed, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. This is a great way to approach Git: newbies can ignore its inner workings and view Git as a gizmo that can amaze friends and infuriate enemies with its wondrous abilities. Rather than go into details, we provide rough instructions for particular effects. After repeated use, gradually you will understand how each trick works, and how to tailor the recipes for your needs."
Contests and Awards
Nominations Open for 2008 Linux Medical News Freedom Award (LinuxMedNews)
LinuxMedNews has announced the opening of nominations for the Linux Medical News Freedom Award. "Nominations are officially open for the 8th annual Linux Medical News Freedom Award to be presented at the November 8th-12th AMIA Fall conference at the Hilton Washington and Towers, Washington, D.C. Deadline for entries is August 31th, 2008."
15 Proposals for Third Quarter of TPF Grants (use Perl)
use Perl looks at the proposals received for the 2008 Perl Foundation Grants. "The Perl Foundation grants committee received 15 proposals during the third call for grant proposals for 2008. These proposals are published for public discussion. You are invited to comment each proposal about its relevance and objectives."
Calls for Presentations
O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing 2009 Conference opens Call for Proposals
A Call for Proposals has gone out for te O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference. "The O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing Conference 2009 will parse the future February 9-11, 2009, at the Marriot Marquis in New York City. Following last year's sold-out conference in New York, Program Chair Andrew Savikas invites proposals for conference sessions and tutorials for this third year of the TOC Conference." The proposal deadline is August 25.
Upcoming Events
Installfest for Schools at LinuxWorld
For those attending LinuxWorld next week, who might have a little time on their hands, the Installfest for Schools is looking for volunteers. "Building on the success of the first Installfest for Schools on March 1st, 2008, we are launching a global installfest this Summer at LinuxWorld! We'll be refurbishing older computers, recycled by the Alameda County Computer Resource Center, right on the LinuxWorld Expo floor August 4-7, 2008. With over 10,000 GNU/Linux users attending LinuxWorld, theres no telling how many F/OSS computers we can donate to Schools. But why stop there? We're working with volunteers all over the world to organize Installfests for Schools in their own neighborhoods during the week of LinuxWorld."
Linux Foundation announces End User Summit
The Linux Foundation End User Summit has been announced. "Join us on October 13 & 14 as the Linux Foundation holds the first Linux Foundation End User Collaboration Summit at the Desmond Tutu Center in New York City. This event is gathering the leaders of the Linux development and vendor communities to collaborate with CTOs, architects and senior IT representatives from the largest and most dynamic end users in the world to accelerate problem solving and advance the Linux platform."
Registration opens for the OpenOffice.org annual conference
Registration for the OpenOffice.org annual conference has been opened. "Please note we have now opened registration for our annual international conference OOoCon 2008, to be held in Beijing, China between 5th.-7th. November. This OOoCon is a double first - it's the first OOoCon to be held outside Europe, and it will also see the biggest concentration of OpenOffice.org developers ever assembled in one location on the planet."
Events: August 14, 2008 to October 13, 2008
The following event listing is taken from the LWN.net Calendar.
| Date(s) | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| August 9 August 16 |
Akademy 2008 | Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium |
| August 9 August 17 |
Linuxbierwanderung (Linux Beer Hike) | Samnaun/Compatsch, Switzerland |
| August 10 August 16 |
Debian Conference 2008 | Mar del Plata, Argentina |
| August 11 August 15 |
SAGE-AU'2008 | Adelaide, Australia |
| August 12 August 14 |
Flash Memory Summit | Santa Clara, CA, USA |
| August 13 August 15 |
YAPC::Europe 2008 | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| August 18 | Debian Day | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| August 19 August 24 |
SciPy 2008 Conference | Pasadena, CA, USA |
| August 20 August 22 |
Jornadas Regionales de Software Libre | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| August 23 August 24 |
FrOSCon 2008 | Saint Augustin, Germany |
| August 26 August 29 |
WebGUI Users Conference 2008 | Madison, WI, USA |
| August 27 August 30 |
Drupalcon Szeged 2008 | Szeged, Hungary |
| August 28 August 30 |
Utah Open Source Conference 2008 | Salt Lake City, UT, USA |
| September 2 September 4 |
RailsConf Europe 2008 | Berlin, Germany |
| September 5 September 7 |
FUDCon Brno 2008 | Brno, Czech Republic |
| September 6 September 7 |
DjangoCon 2008 | Mountain View, CA, USA |
| September 7 September 10 |
Workshop on Open Source Software for Computer and Network Forensics | Milan, Italy |
| September 7 September 14 |
Python Game Programming Challenge | Online |
| September 8 | Encontro Nacional de openSUSE | Porto, Portugal |
| September 9 September 11 |
EFMI STC 2008 | London, England |
| September 12 September 14 |
The UK Python Conference | Birmingham, England |
| September 15 September 18 |
ZendCon PHP 2008 | Santa Clara, CA, USA |
| September 15 September 16 |
Linux Kernel Summit 2008 | Portland, OR, USA |
| September 16 September 19 |
Web 2.0 Expo | New York, NY, USA |
| September 17 September 19 |
The Linux Plumbers Conference | Portland, OR, USA |
| September 18 September 19 |
Italian Perl Workshop | Pisa, Italy |
| September 19 September 20 |
Maemo Summit 2008 | Berlin, Germany |
| September 20 | Celebrating Software Freedom Day in Riga, Latvia | Riga, Latvia |
| September 22 September 25 |
Storage Developer Conference 2008 | Santa Clara, CA, USA |
| September 23 September 25 |
4th International Conference on IT Incident Management and IT Forensics | Manheim, Germany |
| September 24 September 25 |
OpenExpo 2008 Zürich | Winterthur, Switzerland |
| September 25 September 27 |
Firebird Conference 2008 | Bergamo, Italy |
| September 26 September 27 |
PGCon Brazil 2008 | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| September 26 | Far East Perl Workshop 2008 | Vladivostok, Russia |
| September 26 September 28 |
ToorCon Information Security Conference | San Diego, CA, USA |
| September 27 September 28 |
WineConf 2008 | Bloomington, MN, USA |
| September 29 October 3 |
Netfilter Workshop 2008 | Paris, France |
| September 29 September 30 |
Conference on Software Language Engineering | Toulouse, France |
| September 30 October 1 |
BA-Con 2008 | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| October 1 October 3 |
Vision 2008 Embedded Linux Developers Conference | San Francisco, USA |
| October 2 October 3 |
ekoparty Security Conference | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| October 3 October 4 |
Open Source Days 2008 | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| October 4 | PyArkansas 2008 | Central Arkansas, USA |
| October 4 October 5 |
Texas Regional Python Unconference 2008 | Austin, TX, USA |
| October 7 October 10 |
OWASP NYC AppSec 2008 Conference | New York, NY, USA |
| October 7 | Openmind 2008 | Tampere, Finland |
| October 7 October 10 |
Linux-Kongress 2008 | Hamburg, Germany |
| October 7 | Red Hat Government Users and Developers Conference | Washington, DC, United States |
| October 10 October 12 |
Ohio LinuxFest 2008 | Columbus, Ohio, USA |
| October 10 October 12 |
PostgreSQL Conference West 08 | Portland, OR, USA |
| October 10 October 12 |
Skolelinux Developer Gathering | Oslo, Norway |
| October 11 October 12 |
Pittsburgh Perl Workshop | Pittsburgh, PA, USA |
| October 11 October 12 |
MerbCamp | San Diego, CA, USA |
If your event does not appear here, please tell us about it.
Event Reports
OSCON 2008 Proceedings are online
The proceedings from the 2008 O'Reilly Open Source Convention have been published. "Presentation files will be made available after the session has concluded and the speaker has given us the files. Check back if you don't see the file you're looking forit might be available later! (However, please note some speakers choose not to share their presentations."
Audio and Video programs
RHT CEO Talks Biz (CNBC.com)
CNBC.com presents a video interview (Flash format) with Red Hat's Jim Whitehurst. "Discussing Red Hat's stock and business, with Jim Whitehurst, president and CEO of Red Hat, and Mad Money host Jim Cramer." (Thanks to Scott Dowdle).
Page editor: Forrest Cook