Archive for May, 2007
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
MySQL’s Mickos Comments on Microsoft’s Fortune Statements
I found this article interesting – Mickos’ comments are actually funny when you consider it was always Microsoft calling Linux zealots religious… tables turn.
“I don’t think you can say Microsoft is pragmatic on open source – it’s religious. It’s categorical in a way it shouldn’t be, and it’s harming them,” Mickos said.
“You must never lose the trust of the customer [even] customers who are not using open source. They are looking at Microsoft and asking: ‘why are you doing that?’ People have a sense of fairness, and you don’t want to get hurt.
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Fedora 7 looks good – really good
I have to try this out. The artwork and polish on the interface look fantastic although in the past I’ve found Fedora to be lacking in the “actually works” department. I’ll post once I’m done testing this.
http://fedoraproject.org/?sc_cid=bcm_bnrhpfedora_055
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
GPLv3 Final Call (and RMS’ commentary on why upgrade from GPLv2)
New draft of GPLv3 is available here – Final Call. It’s good to see Apache license compatibility included in the new draft.
RMS’ own commentary on why upgrade is available below (also explains license incompatibility and what that means with regard to GPLv2) can be found at the URL below.
http://gplv3.fsf.org/rms-why.html
Why Upgrade to GPL Version 3
by Richard StallmanVersion 3 of the GNU General Public License will soon be finished, enabling free software packages to upgrade from GPL version 2. This article explains why upgrading the license is important.
First of all, it is important to note that upgrading is a choice. GPL version 2 will remain a valid license, and no disaster will happen if some programs remain under GPLv2 while others advance to GPLv3. These two licenses are incompatible, but that isn’t a serious problem.
When we say that GPLv2 and GPLv3 are incompatible, it means there is no legal way to combine code under GPLv2 with code under GPLv3 in a single program. This is because both GPLv2 and GPLv3 are copyleft licenses: each of them says, “If you include code under this license in a larger program, the larger program must be under this license too.” There is no way to make them compatible. We could add a GPLv2-compatibility clause to GPLv3, but it wouldn’t do the job, because GPLv2 would need a similar clause.
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
WordPress InstantUpdate 1.0alpha1 available for testing
So you’ve “bought into” WordPress and you love it, but it can be annoying to update your WordPress installation with deleting directories, turning off plugins, etc… well, enter the InstantUpgrade plugin – a plugin to update your WordPress. It’s in alpha1 so use it on non-production sites, but the developers are interested in your feedback. URL to get it is in the notice below:
—————————————–
Hi all,
some of you know the InstantUpgrade plugin and apprechiate its simple
and clean upgrading. Now there is a new version in development, which
doesn't need the blog owner to mess with file permissions -- it does the
file transfers via FTP.
However, this feature needs plenty of testing before we can release it
to the general public, so I'd ask you very kindly, please visit
http://zirona.com/blog/software/instantupgrade-10-alpha1-testers-needed
download a copy and test the plugin. And please spread the word about
this dev release.
If we get this thing stable, this could be a revolution in maintaining
WordPress installations.
Thank you very much in advance.
Best regards,
Alex
--
Alex Günsche, Zirona OpenSource-Consulting
http://www.zirona.com/ | Hilfe für das HQ AC: http://www.prohq.de
PubKey for this address: http://www.zirona.com/misc/ag.ml2007.asc
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
Google Gears is here: take web apps offline
You can download it here (including for Linux): http://gears.google.com/
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
Ubuntu splashes across the dell.com homepage
It’s exciting to see the image below showing up on the main dell.com website. (it’s one of a few rotating banners, if you don’t see it, click refresh until you get it)
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
New Goolge Maps Street View
Impressive! Google Maps has Street View available for NYC.
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
Dell Ubuntu PCs are here, buy now
One way to tell vendors support Linux is worth it is to buy from the vendors that support Linux. Dell’s Linux line is out there for purchase now. You can read about it all here, or you can buy them here.
There are oddities that you could probably say Dell “missed” – complain about this or that, but one thing is clear – Dell supports Linux on desktops and laptops better than any other mainstream vendor (ahem, they’re the only one). Sure I might save $50 on my next PC from someone else, or get some different video card, but for $50 difference, I’m going to buy a Dell and then tweak where it really matters. I actually went for the base video card b/c the other upgrade option on the E520 was not a solid card. I want DVI and better 3D card capabilities to make Beryl and unstoppable.
Heck, I may even wipe the PC and reload Ubuntu. I did an “instant chat” with a Dell rep yesterday when I had a question about whether the Ubuntu 7.04 operating system was the 32-bit or 64-bit version. I was shocked that this online rep knew the answer – stunned. (btw, it’s the 32-bit version, hence I may reload Ubuntu with the 64-bit)
Anyway, there are certainly refinements to be made, but Linux users now have a major PC vendor in their camp selling mainstream systems – it’s time to prove there’s a Linux market. If you’re buying your next PC, I’d encourage you to give Dell a strong consideration. They didn’t meet 100% of my intricate hardware requests, but they met 90% and I’m willing to fix the other 8% I really need myself.
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007
MAKE Magazine: “Open Source Hardware – What Is It?”
This is a cool article I stumbled across describing open source hardware with some examples that you can actually implement (i.e. MAKE) at home ;-)
http://www.makezine.com/extras/93.html
The NYLUG has a special subscription offer where you get an extra volume for free. MAKE is a quarterly publication – almost reminds me of the 80’s-90’s infomercials for magazines on building porches and making home improvements… can’t recall who published those things…
Friday, May 25th, 2007
“Checking out Nexenta GNU/OpenSolaris”
Friday, May 25th, 2007
Realtime Linux kernel LiveCD
Burn, test, fall in love with determinism.
http://www.osadl.org/projects-live-cd.0.html
Friday, May 25th, 2007
Jim Zemlin: “Linux Foundation Fires Back at Microsoft” in BusinessWeek
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2007/tc20070525_325967.htm
Jim Zemlin “fires back” at Microsoft. Not sure I agree with the wording of the title, but I guess it makes for a good headline. Regardless, I’m seeing great community response and coalescing mentalities that this is not about patent violations in Linux, this is about companies, open source communities, and the patent system needed to take a strong, realistic look at what’s going on and how we can fix it. We’ve seen comments here from the Linux Foundation, Linus, and even Sun’s chief exec and weighed in. A wide swath of analysts have expressed their views and I have yet to see one, not one rallying to say Microsoft was right to try this FUD tactic… although, let’s be honest, I’m sure the Yankee Group’s Laura DiDio has a check in hand already to work on it and I’m sure Daniel Lyons is cooking something up ;-)
There are plenty of “band-aides” programs in place in various organizations: OIN, Linux Foundation, FSF, Patent Commons, but not one addresses the larger issue – the system itself. That takes lobbying, Congressional support for change, a “fire” to rally around (maybe I’ll sue “Linux” to start it ;-) ), and we need close collaboration with the broader IP legal community. These are not exactly the “comfort areas” of the Linux developer community, but someone needs to take the torch.
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
Buy your Dellbuntu system starting at 5PM EST
http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/05/24/15994.aspx
It’s finally here. Later today, Dell will offer U.S customers three different systems with Ubuntu 7.04 installed: the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops and the Inspiron E1505n notebook. These systems will be available at www.dell.com/open by 4pm CST today. Starting price for the E520n desktop and the E1505n notebook is $599; the XPS 410n starts at $899.
I am very likely to purchase one of these to replace an aging Duron system I have at home. I also want to get a dual core 64-bit processor finally with VT…. KVM/Xen here I come.
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
Linux Foundation Desktop Architects Meeting (DAM 4) Agenda Posted
http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Desktop_Architects_Meeting_4
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
Required Summer Reading: Interview with Simon Phipps of Sun on Software Patents
Yes, you read that headline correctly. While I’m often not shy about calling a bluff on Sun building vendor-neutral open source developer communities (I didn’t say user), I absolutely love Sun’s recent public discussions around software patents and the FUD storm created by Microsoft. I might actually print out this interview with Simon Phipps and hand it to people on the streets – or perhaps mail it to every Senator and Representative in Congress… the recommendations laid out in the bullet are very well thought through.
I’m not very shy about my thoughts on the U.S. patent system with regard to software patents (not all patents). I don’t know enough about other jurisdictions internationally, but the problem with the U.S. patent system is migration to a new model. Just think of all the case law, processes, attorneys, forms, and prior patents out there – it’s quite a challenge to suddenly change any rule. So any changes to the U.S. patent process are likely going to be incremental, slowly rolled out, and in general band aids on a wound. Simon’s bullets for changes are fantastic – hopefully we’ll have enough interest in the future to implement them…
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
What causes some emerging economies to never fully emerge?
This makes you wonder how far we’ve actually progressed... if China is a cornerstone of the future technology market, how do things like this happen?
In response, people here said, birth control bureaucrats showed up in a half-dozen towns with sledgehammers and threatened to knock holes in the homes of people who had failed to pay fines imposed for having more than one child. Other family planning officials, backed by hired toughs, pushed their way into businesses owned by parents of more than one child and confiscated everything from sacks of rice to color televisions, they said.
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
Tux500.com Passes $15,000
Tux500.com has blown passed the $15,000 mark – and they could use your donations. There are tens of thousands of visitors who reach my site – just $20/each could go a long way…
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
The Register: IBM pAVEs the way for x86 Linux apps
http://www.theregister.com/2007/05/22/ibm-p_ave/
IBM has introduced an open beta version of the IBM System p Application Virtual Environment (System p AVE), a virtual Linux environment that enables x86-based Linux applications to run without modification on POWER processor-based IBM servers. This announcement follows the company’s recent launch of three System p Web-tier servers that target the consolidation of x86 Linux workloads.
According to the company, customer orders for System p5-560Q servers sold in Q1 2007 had an average of thirty logical partitions configured for Linux. System p AVE will allow most x86 Linux binaries to run on System p as well as BladeCenter JS20 and JS21 servers that are running a Linux operating system along with nearly 2,800 Linux applications that already run natively.
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
Microsoft funds a study to attack the GPLv3 drafting process… whaaa???
What’s the point of attacking the GPLv3 drafting process – and spending shareholder $’s on it? How can Microsoft justify to its shareholders this is a valuable use of people and resources? The drafting process??? Customers of Microsoft care because…..? What possible use and credibility could this report have… needless to say even I’m baffled by this extravagant waste of corporate resources… why not just buy golden shower curtains?
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
Linux in every garage by 2017
I found this quite interesting. A US government and industry consortium are collaborating on a system to lower driver death rates, reduce traffic jams, and media-enable cars before 2017. How long do you think it will take before Microsoft releases its $3/car Starter Edition ;-)
Subscribe to RSS/Atom Feed
