Showing headlines posted by Abe

So I am writing this rant on the eve of the release of KDE 4.2, and in the face of interviews from Linus Torvalds stating that he abandoned KDE after the 4.0 release, and partially in response to Steven Vaugh-Nichols negatively equating 4.2 to Windows 7. My bottom line: I've been using KDE since around the time version 2 came out, and while KDE 4.2 is not perfection, it is better than the 3.5 series, and as of right now 4.2 is easily my favorite Linux desktop... and this rant will address some complaints I've seen and to dissect which complaints are warranted and which are not.
[Nicely stated] - Abe

Nokia announces that its Qt cross-platform User Interface (UI) and application framework for desktop and embedded platforms will be available under the Lesser General Public License (LGPL) version 2.1 license from the release of Qt 4.5, scheduled for March 2009. Previously, Qt has been made available to the open source community under the General Public License (GPL) license. In addition, Qt will now be available from the new domain, http://www.qtsoftware.com.

Our growth to almost 30,000 users has put some strain on our aging systems, though. For over a year, we've been planning and executing a migration to new hardware and software, the goal of which is a more reliable and stable platform on which to grow. We're moving away from commercial packages, in favor of open-source applications, to help reduce costs and standardizing our hardware and software so the systems are easier to maintain.

[I encourage everyone to donate and make this effort very successful. Go Army. - Abe]

The thinking seems to go something like this. Linux has to succeed broadly on the desktop as an alternative to Windows because:

* It’s a good way to support development of the OS and its attendant applications. People are more likely to invest in an existing success story than one that’s struggling.
* Linux is a technologically better system and it deserves to win.
* Someone has to stand up to bully-boy Microsoft

Linux is hot again. In fact, there's never been a better time for Microsoft Windows users to give Linux a whirl.

The OS is more usable than ever, easier to install, and more compatible with PC hardware. It still helps to be somewhat tech-savvy to get the most out of Linux, but that's no longer a major requirement.

[Pretty nice unbiased review. - Abe]

Last weekend, we completed the move from .NET ASP to LINUX/PHP. We did this to take advantage and contribute to the open source community and to prepare for scalability down the road.

[Performance improvement table is included - Abe]

I wrote once that I wanted to be a tech analyst when I grew up, because no one seems to expect them to get their facts right. That, I reasoned, would make it an easy gig. I could lean back in my chair, put my feet up on the desk, and just make things up. Why research? And people would actually print it as if it were true. And next time they wanted to know something, they would call me up again, even though I called it completely wrong the last time, had huge gaps in my knowledge, got random but truly vital facts utterly wrong, and said the opposite of what is observably true.

Red Hat, the largest Linux vendor, and Ubuntu-maker Canonical have both rejected calls from Microsoft to forge a deal similar to the one the Redmond giant signed with Linux distributors Novell, Xandros, and Linspire.

An open, XML-based standard for displaying and storing data files (text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations) offers a new and promising approach to data storage and document exchange among office applications. A comparison of the two XML-based formats–OpenDocument Format ("ODF") and Office Open XML ("OOXML")–across widely accepted "openness" criteria has revealed substantial differences, including the following:

[Note: Excellent review about the differences between ODF & MS OOXML. -Abe]

The Venezuelan government of President Hugo Chavez announced the launch of their "Bolivarian Computers" last week, consisting of four different models produced in Venezuela with Chinese technology. The new computers will run the open-source Linux operating system and will first be used inside the government "missions" and state companies and institutions but eventually are expected to be sold across Venezuela and Latin America. .......
With respect to the operating system, Venezuela has taken a strong position in favor of open-source software in order to "promote technological development" and help "reach technological independence." For this reason the computers will use the open-source Linux, but the components are also compatible with the Windows operating system.

A few days ago I suddenly realized Microsoft was dead. I was talking to a young startup founder about how Google was different from Yahoo. I said that Yahoo had been warped from the start by their fear of Microsoft. That was why they'd positioned themselves as a "media company" instead of a technology company. Then I looked at his face and realized he didn't understand. It was as if I'd told him how much girls liked Barry Manilow in the mid 80s. Barry who?

Opinion -- Slowly, ever so slowly, the Linux desktop has been picking up momentum. It keeps getting better and better, but Microsoft's monopoly has kept many PC users from realizing that there really is a viable alternative to Windows. However, that's about to change.
Just like a few more snowflakes can turn a quiet snowy mountainside into an avalanche, Linux is teetering on the edge of becoming a real force in the desktop computing world.

LinuxWorld OpenSolutions Summit speaker Jeremy Allison explains some tricky details of Linux/Windows interoperability, what the Novell/Microsoft deal really does for interoperability, and a vision for a future easy-to-administer network filesystem.
Excellent read and very informative[Abe]

As HP claims market leadership over IBM, will the the real leader in Linux servers step forward?
HP is stepping up its interest in Linux and has set up a UK centre of excellence for Linux in Reading.
The company is also planning to set up similar centres in mainland Europe and in the US. Further details weren't available on Thursday, but it's understood that Germany and Atlanta are under consideration.

Microsoft warned users Thursday that they needed to set aside time on Tuesday, Feb. 14, to deploy seven security bulletins, the most the Redmond, Wash.-based developer has released since October 2005.

Linux and open source software are jumping the hurdles to wider corporate adoption, and are delivering significant cost savings to companies that use them, according to a report released last month by consulting firm Optaros.
From an August-September survey of 512 US companies, government agencies, and others, Optaros reported that 87 percent were using open source software. Dave Gynn, application infrastructure practice lead at Optaros, said all companies and agencies are likely using open source software in reality. "There's still a gap of many people who don't realize they're using open source," Gynn said.

Thursday, January 19 2006 @ 08:01 AM EST
You know how Microsoft FUD hammers home the idea that total cost of ownership of using GNU/Linux is higher than with Windows, because of needing to train administrators? Well, look at this EU FLOSSpols survey of FLOSS use by 955 European local governments, which found that "FLOSS users administer 35% more PCs per IT administrator than non-users – FLOSS use appears to reduce administrator workload per PC, and IT departments with high workloads are more likely to want a future increase in FLOSS use." The survey was done in March of 2005.

Windows isn’t the only operating system in town: there's growing interest in Linux and open-source applications, both for server and desktop deployment. This guide looks at what small businesses have to gain by going down this route, and where the pitfalls lie.

Introduction

Walk into any small business and, for the most part, you’ll find individually licensed Windows desktops connected via Windows networks to Windows servers running Windows applications. However, it doesn’t have to be that way, and an increasing number of companies are discovering the benefits of switching some, if not all, of their IT to the open source Linux platform.

Head teachers from across the country are visiting a school in Essex to see its IT infrastructure, which includes a fully open source computer suite that was built for under £1,000

An Essex junior school that has used open source software to cut the cost of setting up and running its computer room was showing off its IT infrastructure to a group of UK head teachers on Wednesday.

...According to Attorneys

Wasabi Systems Releases a New Study Analyzing Sarbanes-Oxley Risks Associated with Linux

NORFOLK, Va.--Jan. 18, 2006--Many companies using Linux for embedded applications may be unwittingly violating the Linux license and even breaking federal securities laws, according to a white paper released today by Wasabi Systems, a leading embedded operating systems provider. The white paper, When GPL Violations are Sarbanes-Oxley Violations, is the first in a series of legal studies analyzing the common misperceptions and risks associated with Linux and its license, the GNU General Public License (GPL). Future white papers will look at the GPL implications of Loadable Kernel Modules (LKM) and how upstream GPL violations impact VARs and end users.