Showing all newswire headlines

The advantages of free software are not always immediately apparent to all computer users. Many people think that, since they have no interest in or ability for working with the source, its free availability is of no benefit to them. LWN readers, instead, tend to understand this issue well, so we try to resist harping on the point too much. Every now and then, however, the problems associated with non-free software hit such a level that one can only sit back and laugh - before writing a snide article on the subject.

[...]
Impounded cars may be a major annoyance, but locking doctors out of their medical records can lead to life-threatening situations.

After reading report after report of people using Ubuntu Linux on various flavors of desktop and laptop computers, I've finally decided to give it a try.

[Another favorable review, contradicting the detractors. -- grouch]

In September, Sony expects to ship a Linux- and Qtopia-based handheld device featuring WiFi connectivity, an Opera web browser, and a variety of text- and voice-messaging clients and media players. The Mylo -- short for "My Life Online" -- will be available in black or white, priced at $350.

A new porting programme could see games released simultaneously for the PC, Mac and Linux.

FreeBSD, perhaps the last OS that is really open to discovery as the Linux adoption rate continues to climb. With this belief in mind, I decided to take the OS known as PC-BSD for a spin. After all, their website was pretty clear that PC-BSD was designed with the 'casual PC user in mind.'

[DPL == Debian Project Leader]

64 Studio is a special Linux version for creating digital contents. It is a software collection based on Debian, containing many 64-bit audio and video editing applications.

The Intel Open Source Technology Center graphics team is pleased to announce the immediate availability of free software drivers for the Intel® 965 Express Chipset family graphics controller. Designed to support advanced rendering features in modern graphics APIs, this chipset family includes support for programmable vertex, geometry, and fragment shaders. These drivers include support for 2D and 3D graphics features for the newest generation Intel graphics architecture.

[Let's hope that AMD now follows by open sourcing the ATI drivers - Sander]

Savoir-faire Linux Inc is proud to announce its partnership with the top monitoring solution provider in the world, ZABBIX. This partnership is intended to provide Canadian businesses with the tranquility they deserve.

Open-source software stack vendor OpenLogic Inc. today unveiled its OpenLogic JumpStart program, which is designed to help companies better organize and plan their use of open-source software alongside proprietary applications.

Many CIOs are now implementing Linux and open source software as policy within their organizations, a sign of how deeply those technologies have penetrated the enterprise, analysts say.

Microsoft Internet Explorer has substantially lost ground in recent months to Firefox within the APCMag.com user community. A whopping 37% of users are now browsing with Firefox. Another six per cent use Apple Safari.

As you may recall from my last entry, I exchanged my cable box from a Scientific Atlanta 8000HD to a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD. The latter, new box continues to output a signal from the cable connection even if I have it in HDTV mode. It probably also continues to output AVI and S-Video. This finally opened up a way for me to use my cable box with a MythTV box.Thanks to a serious (and mysterious) spinal injury (I say mysterious because I haven't figured out how I did the damage), I can only work on the project for a half hour at a time, at most. I have discovered some interesting things in those short segments.

Mozilla has long relied on its community to help it identify bugs within applications. Now it has another ally in the fight against bugs. Internetnews.com has learned that Mozilla will announce that it is using Coverity's source code analysis software, which extends beyond the confines of Coverity's Department of Homeland Security grant to improve open source software code quality.

One of the principal advantages of Emacs over competing editors is how flexible and customizable it is. In fact, in several other "Emacs tips" columns, you may find references to customizing your setup. It's a big topic, so this is a quick start guide to the fundamentals: the .emacs file and basic customization techniques.

Sensitive information that only certain people need to have web access to must be secured. If sensitive or proprietary information is located on your web site and you do not want public access to this information, you must password it. An obscure file name with no links to it anywhere on the site will not keep the information secure. Security through obscurity does not work.

Lenovo recently made headlines by adding Linux as a pre-installed OS option on its top-of-range T60p. Now, InterVideo has revealed that InstantON, its Linux-based quick-booting media-player environment, is shipping in a lightweight Lenovo notebook. InstantON offers immediate access to media functions, before Windows boots.

The association founded in May is responsible for establishing an Innovation Center for Young Companies developing Linux-based or open source-based software in the Metropolitan Region of Nuremberg. The Innovation Center located in Maxtorhof offers young companies an attractive welcome package. This includes the first three months rent-free, a very attractive rent and the use of a joint infrastructure equipped to a high technical standard.

What are some of the hottest trends in the Linux/open source market today? Avid activity among some resellers, abundant virtualization, and a growing tendency to mixed open source/proprietary deployments, according to a trio of top industry analysts, who helped to preview LinuxWorld San Francisco.

Aspiration and Blue Oxen Associates is hosting "FLOSS Usability Sprint II: Extreme Usability" on August 22-24, 2005 at 1366 Mission in San Francisco, California.