LXer Weekly Roundup for 10-Aug-2008

LXer Feature: 10-Aug-2008 The Roundup this week should really be called the LinuxWorld 2008 Roundup for how many articles are related to it but we have plenty of other things of note. Like, Five things Linus Torvalds has learned about managing software projects, How to remove Mono (M$) from Ubuntu Hardy Heron, The death of a filesystem, A trip down memory lane with some photos of the infamous CalderaLinux disks and packaging and to end things on a lighter note I finish things up with 10 Linux T-shirt that will make you smile.

The Roundup this week should really be called the LinuxWorld 2008 Roundup for how many articles are related to it but we have plenty of other things of note. Like, Five things Linus Torvalds has learned about managing software projects, How to remove Mono (M$) from Ubuntu Hardy Heron, The death of a filesystem, A trip down memory lane with some photos of the infamous CalderaLinux disks and packaging and to end things on a lighter note I finish things up with 10 Linux T-shirt that will make you smile.

20 Most Nimble and Simple X Window Managers for Linux: One of the best ways to speed up your Linux desktop is to utilize an ultra-lightweight window manager. To all speed-conscious techies, minimalist lovers, and to those who are still hoping to revive their ageing computer hardware, let me introduce you to the 20 most nimble and simple X window managers for Linux.

Hi BIOS! My Name Is “Linux”, Or Is It?: A couple of days ago, I read this on Matthew Garrette’s blog, where he tells us about a vendor’s BIOS trying to figure out the OS type/version and setting things around on deciding the OS it is running. The call in question was _OSI(“Linux”). He goes on to say that the action the firmware takes, on finding out if the OS is linux, was probably inaccurate and it was good that linux kernel DOES NOT identify itself as “Linux” and returns false for the _OSI(“Linux”) and instead returns true when probed for Windows. That got me thinking, the first thought being that isn’t this a BIG flaw in the kernel. But “Never make judgements straightaway”, I have learnt in the past. So, thought about reading it a bit more. After some googling around, I came to know the sound reasoning behind the decision.

Five Things Linus Torvalds Has Learned About Managing Software Projects: It's hard enough for managers to motivate and track employees whose livelihood depends on doing a good job. Imagine the project management task for Linux, the free software operating system. Linus Torvalds explains how he keeps the people and software on-track, with the software quality the operating system demands.

LinuxWorld 2008: Thoughts and Pictures: Here are a few thoughts and a quick roundup of what I have seen at LinuxWorld 2008 in San Francisco so far.

IBM, Linux and the Microsoft-Free PC: After 10 years of supporting Linux, IBM (NYSE: IBM) continues to challenge Microsoft on multiple fronts and aims to push Linux even further into the enterprise. While IBM has competed and partnered with Microsoft over the last two decades, the Microsoft-free PC effort is perhaps its most direct assault yet.

How to remove Mono (M$) from Ubuntu Hardy Heron: The nasty taste which has always 'ever-so-slightly' tainted my use of Ubuntu is that Mono is there only to support applications written in languages and for platforms which are basically Microsoft's. It encourages software development using systems that are based on technologies almost certainly encumbered by a whole raft of M$ patents. To my mind, there are many great non M$ languages and architectures out there which are almost part-and-parcel of Linux programming and I see no need to bring .NET, ASP or even Visual Basic to my desktop. If I want to write an application, I could use PHP, Python, PERL, C, C++, Java and, of course, many others. Why do I need to endorse and encourage the proliferation of non-free software by relying on M$'s IP and the smell of their stinky patents? Well, I figured I don't. So, I thought I'd see what happened if I removed Mono from Ubuntu.

LinuxWorld 2008: News, Notes and a Rant: More news, notes and a well deserved rant from LinuxWorld 08', the .org Pavillion booths, installfest and proof of my actual physical presence at the show. :-)

IBM teams with Linux firms for Microsoft-free PCs: IBM has launched its latest attack on Microsoft in the enterprise, forming an alliance with three top Linux distributors to promote Microsoft-free PCs around the world. The deal with Canonical (the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu), Novell and Red Hat is designed to promote PCs running Linux alongside IBM business software, such as Lotus Notes, Lotus Symphony and Lotus Sametime. IBM made the announcement at the Linux World Conference & Expo in San Francisco on Tuesday.

What chance the Microsoft-free desktop in the real world?: According to various online sources, the fourth largest maker of computers is looking to get involved. The Chinese-based company that acquired the IBM laptop business some years back, Lenovo, is apparently involved in 'active discussions' with regard to bringing out a series of systems with a Microsoft-free desktop running the Linux/Lotus combination.

Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges: A fast, fast-booting, implementation of GNOME aimed at netbooks and older hardware has emerged, and shows "a lot of promise." LXDE has already stacked up a heap of distribution partners. The LXDE project has released its lightweight Linux desktop for general use. Built into the latest gOS 3 Gadget distro, LXDE is touted as being fast, fast-booting, compatible with old computers, and designed so that "every component can be used without LXDE," say the developers.

Death of a filesystem(?): "Over the last months there were repeating news about the murder on Nina Reiser by her husband Hans Reiser, known in the community for his work on his filesystems ReiserFS and Reiser4." "What I want to deal with here are the consequences of this "story" that may be in store for Reiser's filesystems."

Tiny, 6-chip 'open' computer runs Linux: Embedded designer Paul Thomas is showcasing a tiny, open-sourced computer at LinuxWorld in San Francisco this week. Would-be "Linuxstamp" enthusiasts can obtain pre-built boards for the hefty sum of $120 directly from Thomas, or they can download the design for free and build it themselves. The Linuxstamp is an extremely simple hardware design, consisting of six integrated circuits (processor, flash, RAM, serial-to-USB, ethernet PHY, and power conversion) plus a bunch of passives.

Portrait: Michelle Murrain lives the open source lifestyle: Michelle Murrain is a great example of what the FOSS community is all about. She's complicated: she calls herself a "scientist turned technologist turned theologian turned writer," all blended into one person. She's also an active supporter of and contributor to open source software projects. She's not a developer, however, and Murrain would really like to see more space for people like her, with different gifts to share, in the open source community.

LWCE 2008 Day Two - Report from inside the .org Pavilion: No one showed up to man the Debian booth which was actually one booth over from us. I have no idea why... although there was a hand written sign that said many of the Debian folks were in Argentina at some Debian specific conference. Ok?!? Oddly enough no one showed up to man the Gentoo booth either. It was in the next isle over from us. There wasn't any explanation as to why their booth was empty. Eventually someone took the Gentoo sign down.

Is Microsoft trying to kill Apache?: When the story about Microsoft shelling out $100,000 to Apache for ASF sponsorship broke across my radar it rather tickled my funny bone and my curiosity. When ASF Chairman Jim Jagielski declared that “Microsoft’s sponsorship makes it clear that Microsoft “gets it” regarding the ASF” I had a fit of the giggles—and then, like many others, I started to ponder on the reasons why and what it actually meant.

Some Pictures Worth a Thousand Words - Caldera OpenLinux Lite: I have some screenshots from an old Caldera OpenLinux Lite CD that a member still had in his possession to show you. They disprove certain allegations SCO has made regarding Linux, I think, in the IBM litigation. For example, SCO claimed that it never released anything under the GPL. And it tried to allege that some headers and other features were their property and that Linux infringes them. I will show you differently.

Analyst: Ubuntu, community distros ready for the enterprise: At the LinuxWorld expo in San Francisco, analyst Jay Lyman of the 451 Group spoke about the potential for enterprise adoption of Ubuntu and the impact that community-driven Linux distributions will have on the market. Companies are increasingly choosing free community-driven Linux distributions instead of commercial offerings with conventional support options. Several factors are driving this trend, particularly dissatisfaction with the cost of support services from the major distributors. Companies that use and deploy Linux internally increasingly have enough in-house expertise to handle all of their technical needs and no longer have to rely on Red Hat or Novell, according to Lyman.

10 Linux T-shirt that will make you smile: There are time when I want to let my geekiness out and I want the world to know about it. I decided to share with you my favorite collection of Linux t-shirts that you also might like. Please share you ideas for healthy geeking in the comments.