Linux in the news

Linux first to offer USB 3.0 driver (Linux Devices)

Linux Devices reports on the addition of USB 3.0 support in the upcoming 2.6.31 kernel. "A kernel hacker from Intel has posted a Linux driver for USB 3.0, making Linux the first operating system (OS) to support the new connectivity standard. Sarah Sharp announced that her xHCI-compliant driver for USB 3.0 will be supported in Linux 2.6.31 in September. The xHCI (Extensible Host Controller Interface) host controller driver is available now, and will be formally supported by the Linux kernel in September in version 2.6.31, reports Sharp, also known as the "Geekess." This should make Linux the first OS to offer a USB 3.0 driver, according to Sharp, who says she has worked a year and a half on the project."

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KOffice 2009 Sprint In Berlin (KDEDot)

KDEDot reports on the KOffice Sprint. "Last weekend - it seems like yesterday and like a year ago at the same time - the KOffice team came to Berlin for the first post 2.0 sprint. Graciously hosted by KDAB and smoothly organized by Alexandra Leisse, this sprint was one of the most productive sprints ever for KOffice. Not only because there were many developers attending, among them three out of four of our KOffice Summer of Code students, but also because everyone was filled to the brim with joy and relief about having release 2.0 and eager to forge forwards to 2.1."

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Network Manager Sprint In Oslo (KDEDot)

KDE.News covers a recent Network Manager Sprint. "A small but intense code sprint took place in Oslo last weekend. Peder Osevoll Midthjell, Sveinung Dalatun and Anders Sandven, who work on mobile broadband connections for Linux as their thesis project, met with Darío Freddi, Will Stephenson and Frederik Gladhorn of KDE. Knut Yrvin spent his weekend with us to make us feel comfortable at Qt Software."

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SCO rises from the dead (Computerworld)

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols reports that bankrupt SCO may have a buyer. "I've never been a fan of horror-movie series where no matter what happens to the baddie, such as Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies, he's up and ready to kill again in the next sequel. So, you can imagine just how pleased I am to see that SCO, just when it looked like it was dead as a doornail, came up with a buyer at the 11th hour and 59th minute. According to reports on Groklaw, Gulf Capital Partners LLC, a group formed by Stephen Norris of Stephen Norris & Co. Capital Partners, a private-equity firm, has offered to buy SCO, just as the company faced the end of the bankruptcy road. If the deal is real and goes through, SCO's nearly dead Unix business will continue, and, oh the pain of it all, so will its zombie-like lawsuits against IBM, Novell, and other Linux companies."

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Is Android the key to the GNU/Linux desktop? Really? (Free Software Magazine)

Tony Mobily wonders if Android is the key to the Linux desktop on Free Software Magazine. "I don't know. First it was "network computing". Then it was Java. Now Android. As much as Android can be considered mature in terms of a phone-like environment. If used on a laptop, will it recognise your scanner or your printer? Will it recognise an external webcam? Will OpenOffice ever work on it? What about a secondary monitor? Will we ever be able to create proper Android applications in Python, or Ruby?"

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Interview with Intel's Pankaj Kedia at Computex 2009 (c|net)

c|net Asia features an interview with Intel's Pankaj Kedia, director of ecosystems for Intel's ultra-mobility group. "Why is Intel focusing on the Moblin OS rather than MS' Windows OS for its Atom and Moorestown platforms? Kedai: I think association of the Intel chipset and MS Windows OS is the best thing that differentiates with ARM-based Netbooks and MIDs which getting the spotlight during Computex 2009, such as Qualcomm's Snapdragon and Nvidia's Tegra-based Netbooks and MIDs. All those devices are based on the Android or Linux operation systems because of cost-efficiency issues but also because of lack of support from Microsoft. (This was also confirmed by Steve Guggenheimer, Microsoft's corporate VP for original equipment manufacturers during his interview at Computex)."

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More Pre Hacks and Inner Details Revealed (Palm Infocenter)

The Palm Infocenter has information about hacking the Palm Pre. "Intrepid hackers have accomplished everything from custom Universal Search engines to unlocking the three-page limitation in the Launcher, but the most truly impressive achievement thus far is the ability to directly install the 1700+ Optware Linux command-line packages - all without interfering with Palm's own built-in webOS applications."

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Upbeat about Updates (Linux Journal)

Dave Phillips looks at updates to some audio software, including MusE, SuperCollider, Jackbeat, Rationale, SLV2, and midish. "MusE has had an uneven development history. The project first took shape as an audio/MIDI sequencer with notation capabilities until Werner Schweer (MusE's original designer) extracted the notation parts and turned them into the excellent MuseScore (MScore). Alas, directed work on MusE slowed for a while, but now we have a revived and revivified MusE 1.0 rc2. As the rc2 indicates, this version is the second release candidate, so if no further egregious bugs or annoyances are found, this version will serve as the 1.0 public release. The MusE developers encourage users to stress test this candidate as hard as possible."

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Open source Carrier Grade Linux middleware rev'd (LinuxDevices)

LinuxDevices reviews OpenSAF 3.0. "The OpenSAF project announced a new version of its open source High Availability (HA) middleware platform for Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) networking systems. Release 3.0 of the Open Service Availability Framework (OpenSAF) adds numerous platform management features, usability improvements, and support for Java APIs, says the project."

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Palm's Linux phone "exceptional," says reviewer (LinuxDevices)

LinuxDevices takes a look at the Palm Pre with screenshots and links to reviews. "Several reviews came to the same conclusion: The Pre may not be an Apple iPhone killer, especially with the arrival this week of the iPhone 3GS, but with its multitasking and synchronization features, it may give RIM's BlackBerry a run for its money in the corporate market. Others note that in order to do that, however, the device will first need to spread beyond the Sprint network, as planned for early next year, to Verizon Wireless and possibly AT&T. Palm will also need to quickly boost the number of available WebOS apps, say reviewers."

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Linux Foundation Takes Training Online (Linux Journal)

Linux Journal takes a look at the Linux Foundation's online training. "The original sessions of the Linux Foundation Training Program, held at the annual Collaboration Summit, took the form of in-person, hands-on training, a method that provides students an unmatched learning opportunity, but limits the number of students the program can reach. The addition of online courses takes the program to the students, complementing the continued on-site courses offered at Linux Foundation events, local training sessions in select U.S. cities, and by request, specialized training for corporate developers."

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