Showing headlines posted by dcparris

Microsoft this week released a plug-in for the rival Firefox browser so that users can validate their Windows systems prior to downloading software from the Redmond, Wash.-based developer's Web site.

An informed source says the newly created Open Invention Network (OIN) has received $40 million, down precipitously from the $280 million originally envisioned by its founders. The sources also says that erstwhile founding members Nokia and Yahoo also dropped out of the original announcement, and that the company was months late in its founding.

When SuSE Linux founder Hubert Mantel announced his resignation from Novell ast week, he became the third former SuSE executive to leave in the past six months. There was much speculation as to why Mantel left, which was sparked, in part, by the manner of his leaving. He announced his resignation via a Linux e-mail discussion list, claiming that SuSE had changed so much it was no longer the company he had founded 13 years before.

Last week, IBM certified the Ubuntu Linux distro for use with its DB2 enterprise database. These types of vendor certifications are pretty routine; and as a rule, they're nothing to get worked up about. This one, however, is truly interesting: Could an obscure Linux distro with a funny name, hippy-dippy motto, crazy-commie talk about truly free software, and a Debian (ahem!) lineage soon have both Red Hat and Novell on the run?

LXer Feature

A small group of ministers spoke out on OpenDocument, challenging Microsoft to support it in their office suite. The reaction we drew was mixed, but largely positive. We simply expressed what many already felt, but words are meaningless unless followed by action.

Diggable

David Berlind writes: "For those looking to alter the technology landscape in a way that affects People With Disabilities (PWDs), Chong's opinion can make or break new initiatives like the one in Massachusetts where that state's Information Technology Division (MA ITD) is trying to establish the OpenDocument Format (ODF) as a standard format for creating and saving public documents. So far, Chong has opposed the Massachusetts plan. But, as you're about to find out, he's actually willing to endorse it and he's putting the ball in the pro-ODFers' court."

[Ed: This is an excellent discussion of getting the Visually-impaired and other people with disabilities (PWDs) on board with OpenDocument - a must read. - dcparris]

Had a discussion recently with a cranky SMBer, who complained that he'd love to use open source software (especially to save money), but that neither he nor his employees felt comfortable with Linux. I did that thing that my Oliver Twist namesake got when he asked for more gruel..."Whaaaaat?"

[Ed: For those of us who still have to live with Microsoft Windows (or believe we do), here's a good article on libre software for Windows. - dcparris]

Chinese computer giant Lenovo Group has made another step towards becoming a more significant world player, fully endorsing the adoption of genuine software in its computers in partnership with US giant Microsoft and Chinese top software firms UFIDA and Kingsoft.

[Ed: Apparently the GNU/Linux vendors aren't the only ones busy in China. - dcparris]

TUNIS, Tunisia — A summit focusing on narrowing the digital divide between rich and poor residents and countries opened Wednesday with an agreement of sorts on who will maintain ultimate oversight of the Internet and the flow of information, commerce and dissent.

Matt Loney writes: "Asked whether this signalled a growing acceptance within Microsoft of the heterogeneous nature of its larger customers, Muglia said: "Any enterprise customer has a ton of heterogeneous environments, and we have always accepted that. We're just giving them what they want."

[Ed: Does this sound off the wall to anyone else, or is it just me? - dcparris]

'Can you please put Kylie into the photo with her cousins?" a relative asked me one day. "She was asleep when it was taken." I love a challenge. Digital cameras usually come with basic image editing programs but pasting Kylie into a photo is beyond basic.

[Ed: This is a cool little tutorial, demonstrating how to add someone to a photo they weren't originally a part of. Sounds like that could lead to some funny photos! - dcparris]

OpenDocument got a lot of publicity lately. StarOffice 8 and OpenOffice.org 2.0 finally arrived, and all the other makers of office suites (with the notable exception of Microsoft) have started implementing the new standard into their programs. Massachusetts recently decided to use OpenDocument as the standard file format, effectively locking out MS Office as soon as January 1st, 2007. Other countries are on their way to do the same. Also, OpenDocument recently got submitted to become an ISO standard.

[Ed: Hmmm... View OpenDocument XML in my browser without a special plug-in? I'll take it! - dcparris]

Autodesk will launch its high-end visual effects Discreet Flame system on Linux workstations this winter, the company was announced. Previously the system, which is synonymous with top-flight effects for films and commercials, was only available on SGI workstations running the Irix platform.

It's easy to lose track of what's going on with Linux. That's due in part to the almost total lack of marketing hype. The kernel crew, led by Linus Torvalds, just keeps working away quietly in the background. Red Hat and Novell keep racking up strong revenue gains but don't spend much on advertising. And the big tech players, such as IBM, HP, and Dell, would actually prefer it if customers bought their proprietary and higher-margin products.

[Ed: Those penguinistas will sneak up on you if you're not careful! - dcparris]

Technology vendors and open source community align to set standards for Snort rules, ensuring consistent protection throughout the industry...

LXer Feature

Let's face it. deploying computer technology in non-profit organizations can be a real challenge, especially if you don't have a bunch of tech geeks on staff. Well, meet the organizations that will show you how libre software can help you accomplish your mission without having to re-allocate your operational funds to your IT budget. These organizations can guide you from planning to implementation.

Diggable

Several Christian Ministers and laymen from across the US and Britain have spoken out against Microsoft's refusal to support OpenDocument, thus leaving visually-impaired users of their office suite effectively unable to use the new standard adopted by Massachusetts. The Christians see Microsoft's stance as intentionally withholding support so that it can turn a technical business decision into a political fight. By refusing to support OpenDocument, Microsoft is ignoring the cross-platform document sharing needs of visually impaired users, not only in Massachusetts, but also in the other 49 states, not to mention the rest of the world. The economically disadvantaged will also suffer from the lack of Opendocument support in Microsoft Office.

Diggable

"Too many of these companies (now forming) are being funded without a community," said Matrix Partners' David Skok in the story. "If a community doesn't form and form fast, then they're going to burn through their venture capital, and they're going to be disasters."

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Penguin Computing today unveiled the Penguin Application-Ready Cluster(TM) Portfolio, a new line of integrated hardware/software Linux-based cluster systems that provides greater productivity and efficiency in high performance computing (HPC) and commercial data center environments. The pre-configured, pre-tested Application-Ready Cluster Portfolio reduces time to deployment and eliminates the need for many traditional cluster end user and system administration tasks, making clustered computing dramatically simpler and more efficient.

James E. Gaskin writes: "I planned to spend more time playing with the recent Linux distribution from Xandros, Version 3 of Business Edition, but Microsoft caused so many headlines recently I moved this column up. Since the state of Massachusetts and the country of South Korea are pushing Microsoft away, or at least demanding open source document formats, should you dump Microsoft? No, but you should at least take some time and consider alternatives such as Linux and OpenOffice 2.0, especially if saving money matters to you."

[Ed. Aside from being confused about open standards, he at least is willing to point out the cost benefits of Xandros Desktop over Windows. - dcparris]