Showing all newswire headlines

Ichthux.com states - Ichthux is an operating system aimed at Christian users. It is based on Kubuntu in order to provide the best desktop environment of the moment, together with Christian programs and settings. The name Ichthux comes from the Greek word ichthus, which means fish. The ichthus fish, drawn with two crossed arcs, is a long-used symbol among Christians... OSDir has some cool shots of Ichthux 6.09 in the Ichthux 6.09 Screenshot Tour.

It is now 22 years since a fast-food concern showed a crusty old lady peering between a burger's buns and asking "where's the beef?" And as new approaches such as open source continue to arrive, we continue to ask, where's the real-world value?

You might expect the article "Why Desktop Linux Will Not Take Off, and Why You Don't Want It To," by self-styled "former Linux evangelist" Martin Girard, to simply be a troll. Girard likens Linux to early transistor-radios with clear cases, enabling users to see their intricate inner workings.

[Sheesh! I should think the more accurate comparison would be one of those dual-mode 4-wheel drive vehicles. They normally drive in 2-wheel drive mode, but you can stop and turn the knob on the wheel a notch to put it in 4-wheel drive mode. Some of those things even let you switch modes from inside the vehicle these days. The additional capability is there if you need/want it. If not, don't use it. That shouldn't be so confusing. - dcparris]

A group of Princeton computer scientists has published a study that examines flaws and vulnerabilities in Diebold's AccuVote-TS voting machines.Complete with a video that demonstrates the ease with which the electronic voting machine can be compromised, the study provides chilling insight into the serious risk of election tampering and fraud created by modern voting technology.

Commoditization of Web mapping tools compels Autodesk to release the source codes of its once-proprietary MapGuide software.

[Cool! - dcparris]

Independent Music Online, a music service based on FLOSS, recently started offering the online lectures of a North Carolina State University Professor. On campus, there has been a mixed reaction by both the University and the Students.

[There's a note on the music site that the professor has, for the time being at least, removed the lecture files. Keep your eyes peeled. - dcparris]

A recent poll asked to compare the quality of open source and commercial software development tools. And the winner is... not obvious ;o)

There is nothing more frustrating for Macintosh users or those who use the Firefox browser than going to a video site and hitting a wall demanding Windows and the Internet Explorer browser. But when the Associated Press’ Online Video Network first launched last spring in conjunction with Microsoft, the requirements for users were just that: Windows and Internet Explorer. The idea behind the OVN is that Microsoft provides the video hosting, technology and ad sales; AP provides the video content; and small and medium news site partners show the videos on their sites for a split of revenue with Microsoft and the AP.

[Fine. Firefox users and Mac users benefit. What about GNU/Linux users? - dcparris]

A Linux-based NASA lunar rover is on maneuvers -- and Internet webcams -- this week in the Arizona desert near Meteor Crater. The K-10's maneuvers are related to a NASA project tasked with building extra-vehicular activity (EVA) hardware and developing EVA procedures for planetary surface exploration.

[I wonder if they would send up a stuffed penguin and let the robots drop it off? - dcparris

Open source platforms offer flexibility and faster time to production if your team is adept at hand coding and working with command lines. LogicBlaze, sponsors of an open source SOA distribution, released an Eclipse-based development environment last week that is designed to do some of the heavy lifting for you.

Red Hat has released its Xen-enabled Enterprise Linux 5 code into beta testing but won't likely ship the final code until early 2007.

Tonight in the two-weekly People Behind KDE series we are featuring Allan Sandfeld Jensen. He is a KDE core developer, mostly active for KHTML and KDE multimedia. After reading the interview you will know what his personal "carewolf" looks like, together with all other personal things you have to know about this developer.

Flash Player 9 for Linux made its public debut (finally) at a controlled demonstration during a conference. Meanwhile, a number of people have suggested ways that Ubuntu Christian Edition will work for its users.

In this episode: a very special guest host, Pat Davila of The Linux Link Tech Show, explains how to import, edit, and export digital video to and from Kino. Additional articles of interest are here and here.

“Microsoft irrevocably promises not to assert any Microsoft Necessary Claims against you for making, using, selling, offering for sale, importing or distributing any implementation,” the company stated in the “Open Specification Promise” published on its web site.

[I'll believe it when I see it..MS not suing that is. - Scott]

China is hoping the participation of Baidu -- a big player in the domestic Internet search market -- will help upgrade the nation's overall OSS application level. Under the contract, Baidu and CSIP will jointly push OSS application of Baidu's products. Baidu, in turn, will choose appropriate products for sharing in the CSIP's OSS community.

Rutgers used to use WebCT, a similar piece of course-management software, until a new version of WebCT was developed. The university considered this too expensive, however, hence the switch to Sakai, said University Director for the Office of Instructional and Research Technology Charles Hedrick.

The VIA C7®-D processor continues a path of power-efficient processor innovation, ideal for organizations looking to reduce their Carbon Footprint

[This is not Open Source releated but I thought it newsworthy none the less. - Scott}

In our previous installments we got our little Soekris board up and running, installed Pyramid Linux, and built a nice stout iptables firewall. Today we'll build a wireless access point, so that you can have both wired and wireless clients on your LAN. Some security-conscious admins prefer using a standalone WAP, rather than combining it with a firewall/gateway. It's simpler to build a dedicated WAP, so that's what we'll do today. You are welcome to put it together however you like

Linux and open source software users in the Buckeye State who want to network with several hundred of their colleagues will get the chance when Ohio LinuxFest 2006 gets underway later this month. The one-day conference, to be held on Saturday, September 30, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in downtown Columbus, features presentations, exhibits, an after-conference party, and a special appearance by some live penguins.