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LIRC is basically a small server which can decode or transmit infra-red signals. This is a tutorial about how to set up the LIRC server and how to use it in order to control your system or specific LIRC-enabled applications with a remote control. Examples of simple or more complicated setups are also provided.

Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, or AJAX, a technique for creating interactive Web applications, has exploded onto the Web development scene, gaining popularity so quickly that some developers are lagging behind in their skills. To address the need for faster AJAX development, lots of companies and developer communities are coming up with Rapid Application Development (RAD) platforms for AJAX. One of those platforms, ThinkCAP JX Framework, combines more than two dozen open source libraries, and the "framework" portion of the application has just been released under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).

Despite my misgivings about the Mozilla Foundation's lack of support for Mozilla, I've bit the bullet and downloaded Firefox with the Google Toolbar, and downloaded Mozilla Thunderbird. I still dislike the fact that I have to start these applications separately - the Mozilla Suite was one button.

Enhanced cyber security cited as a key attribute of open source leader Linux

User level: Beginner After the holidays, you might need to find a spot to get away from everyone in order to just chill out a bit. The RPG (role playing game) simulation Miller's Quest is perfect for such an occasion. You'll need to have the Ruby language installed on your system -- not to worry, it's included in most modern distributions -- but other than that, it's simply download, decompress, and go.

MozillaQuest Magazine (MozillaQuest.Com) reports: "Live Knoppix is very nice Desktop Linux." But it can use some tweaks, which are easy to do using Knoppix cheat codes. "The Knoppix cheat-codes discussions and tutorials in this article should be applicable to most any computer with which you can use the Knoppix live Linux CD or live Linux DVD."

The first draft of GNU General Public License Version 3 will be unveiled next week at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., but that milestone is likely to be more of a beginning than an ending.

Jim Ready, CEO of the embedded Linux specialist, will step down from his post to become chief technology officer.

Obsidian Systems has announced the availability of the international OpenICDL course in South Africa, which skills users in basic computer literacy for Linux, OpenOffice.org, Evolution and Firefox.

All the Power and Functionality of ISE Foundation Now Available in WebPACK - With up to 70% Performance Advantage Over Competing Solutions

Introduced in ATI's v8.19.10 proprietary display drivers for their RADEON series was support for PowerPlay. For the uninitiated, ATI's PowerPlay allows the user to specify various "power-states", or rather various frequencies and voltages at which the card can operate. The purpose for these various performance levels is ultimately to allow mobile users to save on battery life through running at reduced speeds when not performing strenuous 3D tasks.

Linux for enterprise applications is among the 6 hot technologies for 2006.

IBM has joined with three other technology companies, seven universities and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to adopt guiding principles to speed collaborative research for open source software. These 12 enterprises believe the principles will speed innovation and contribute to open source software research, thus enabling the development of related industry standards and greater interoperability, while managing intellectual property in a more balanced manner.

Martin Gregory does one thing, and one thing only, for Microsoft: lobby against open source. Dan Warne talked to him.

Vendors demonstrated everything from a mobile Skype Wi-Fi phone to the ability to support Skype calling through a media center (Yes, making a Skype call through your TV). Netgear (www.netgear.com) took the high-profile lead with the rollout of NETGEAR's Skype Wi-Fi phone. The phone will deliver a “Skype Experience” over any open Wi-Fi access point without having to be tethered to a laptop or PC, so it can be used anywhere with wireless access. The NETGEAR phone is pre-loaded with Skype software and is ready to be used with a wireless network, leaving the user to simply enter a Skype username and password. More information on the Skype Wi-Fi phone, including pricing and availability, will be announced in the first quarter of 2006.

Bitrock Incorporated has announced the release of BitRock InstallBuilder 3.0. The development tool turns the application packaging, distribution and deployment process of multiplatform applications into a fast, easy and cost effective task for independent software vendors and custom application developers. The new version includes native support for Mac OSX, as well as Linux, Linux PPC, Windows, HP-UX, AIX, Solaris and Free BSD. InstallBuilder 3.0 also includes new features such as support for integration with the RPM package management system and the ability to select which components to install during the installation process.

The division between IT workers and marketing and sales staff is so notorious that it is a regular source of humor for comics ranging from Dilbert to General Protection Fault. According to Markku Kauppinen, president of the North American Extended DISC franchise, the division reflects widespread differences in behavioral styles between the two group. However, by learning how to accommodate these differences and watching their own behavioral tendencies, IT employees can learn to complement the marketing staff and develop a truly effective team.

The Venezuelan revolution is perhaps the first revolution in history saved by computer hackers and is one of the reasons the government is so very strong on promoting the use of free software, particularly in public administration....

I eventually meet up with Jeff Zucker from Perl Mongers, who traveled by bus from Caracas. He also failed to find any of these promised military checkpoints filled with marauding troops. I eventually also met up with the well known international free software activist, Juan Carlos Gentile, who drove all the way from Caracas along the same roads. While it is said to take 10 hours to drive from Caracas to Maracaibo, as he is Italian, naturally I expected he would arrive in only 5. These two, and Ana Isabel Delgato from the Debian Venezuela group, were my primary "translation team" whenever I spoke with others who did not speak english.

“It looks like Peter Quinn got a big pile of political nastiness in his stocking from Santa this year,” the Rat remarked to his boss recently, after reading about the Massachusetts CIO’s sudden resignation. The controversial CIO, responsible for the move to mandate that state agencies use the OpenDocument format for all electronic documents, hit the “eject” button on his tenure after the mud started flying from all quarters.

Quinn’s push toward OpenDoc—an open standard created by an alliance of Apple Computer Inc., IBM Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. and others—was seen as a threat to Microsoft Corp.’s domination of office suites.

Sure, Microsoft—not among the alliance members—has now moved to make its own new document format an “open” standard, partially because of Massachusetts’ move. The Redmond giant is working through the standards group ECMA International as it did with VBScript, er, ECMAscript a few years ago.

But Quinn hadn’t counted on the amount of stink that could arrive on his doorstep after he became a champion to the open-source community.

The SCO Group is trying to make more charges stick in its case against Novell. What took them so long?