Showing all newswire headlines

A group of companies including PalmSource and France Telecom have set up a new forum to develop mobile Linux standards. The Linux Phone Standardization Forum (LiPS) will launch officially in mid-November and hopes to standardise the applications layer of Linux-based mobile devices.

A group of industry heavyweights have come together to develop and promote open-source storage management software.

The new group, named Aperi, from the Latin verb "to open," will include IBM, Cisco Systems, Network Appliance, Computer Associates, Brocade Communications, Fujitsu, McData and Engenio Information Technologies.

Kochi-based All Kerala Computer Manufacturers and Dealers Association (AKCMADA) is considering pushing the use of Linux OS in the state.

The rationale behind the move is the scope for higher margins and additional service in the long term that the open source software provides PC dealers. With the shift to Linux, the association is also encouraging its members to steer away from pirated software often bundled with the PCs that they sell.

P. K. Harikrishnan, president of AKCMADA, said, "Hardware margins are an area of concern, and offering pre-loaded Linux operating system would generate valuable margins. In the long run it would also enable the charge for service and support for software. We are currently addressing this as well as the legal angle of selling a PC."

Let the academy come to you, says Linux Holdings managing director, Kin le Roux. The training company is planning to offer Linux short courses at small towns in Southern Africa with their "Academy on Wheels".

GroundWork Open Source Solution is shipping an upgrade to its end-to-end IT management software based on a variety of Open Source modules, bringing to admins an easy to use UI, new configuration tools, and even middleware for data capture.

Widespread corporate adoption of Web-based applications is a sure bet for the future, and that future will also bring a more scalable and user-friendly MySQL, said MySQL AB CEO Marten Mickos.

In part two of our conversation with him, Mickos discusses those trends, as well as the pitiful state of e-mail applications today and MySQL's changing user base. In part one, he predicted that partnerships with proprietary systems and software vendors are the key to putting open source on the corporate IT map.

[Ed: This is one of the most confusing pro-open source articles I have read. Ultimately, the author gives his reasons why FOSS works. He starts off, however, saying that the major companies he had at a panel we not enthusiastic about FOSS. He named the firms and suddenly, I realized he was speaking with the wrong people. Some of those companies have made major investments in Linux. Stay cool until you finish. It's not that bad. -tadelste]

One thing is for sure... The open source movement is gaining momentum and serious technology managers are beginning to rethink how they might participate in the open source movement. So what would you say if I asked you straight up, Wwhat are you doing about open source software in your companies?''

The fourth issue of (IN)SECURE, a free digital security magazine published in PDF format, has been released.

Eric Nathanson, enterprise architect for Oakwood corporate housing, was working in an environment where management had a "certain level of suspicion" about using open source software. But Nathanson convinced his superiors that a GPLed portal package was more secure, more efficient, and much better on the budget than proprietary alternatives. "We convinced by delivering," Nathanson says.

DistroWatch reports - A new test CD image of PCLinuxOS has been released: "PCLinuxOS .92 Test 01 is available. PCLinuxOS .92 features an updated 2.6.12 kernel, hotplug has been moved to udev to provide faster boot times. The fabulous KDE has been updated to version 3.4.3. KOffice replaces Openoffice on the live CD. OpenOffice 2.0 can be installed after a hard drive install. X.Org has been updated to X.Org 6.9cvs. Approximately 400 package update brings PCLinuxOS .92 up to date with the latest open source applications....

OSDir has some nice shots of the slick PCLinuxOS .92 Test 1.

Microsoft's business practices get it in trouble again, as the S. Korea Fair Trade Commission continues its investigation of Microsoft. Faced with the possibility of unbundling some trinkets, Microsoft is threatening to pull Windows from the S. Korean market. Sure they will. Linux news? Not strictly, but useful knowledge for Linux consultants or others who may sell against Microsoft.

[Ed - Slashdot picked up on our survey. Thanks to everyone who participate - tadelste]

tadelste writes "During the last month, Lxer.com conducted a survey of readers who use Linux. They asked readers why they switched to Linux and received a plethora of answers. Surprisingly, anti-Microsoft sentiment had less to do with the choice than one might imagine. Linux stands on its own merits.

OSBC is designed for IT business executives (buyers and vendors), venture capitalists, attorneys, and other decision-makers tasked with developing businesses that leverage open source software. It explores the legal, investment, vendor and customer risks, rewards, and opportunities presented by open source software.

[Hey, Eben Moglen will be there to deliver a keynote address, and Microsoft's own Jason Matusow will surely be an entertaining speaker. Hopefully he'll explain why Microsoft is so unwilling to meet their customers needs by supporting OpenDocument. - Ed]

"Ninety-five percent of e-mail users fear identity theft, and nearly 30 percent categorically refuse to open messages from financial institutions," he said. "Goodmail CertifiedEmail will be distinctly labeled both in the inbox list view and when the message is opened so the user can quickly recognize that the message is certified and thus authentic and safe to open."

The OpenDocument Fellowship has launched a web-based petition to encourage Microsoft to support the OpenDocument standard. As of today, just over a week after the initiative was launched, the petition has over 5500 signatures representing well over 168,500 computers.

DistroWatch reports - Nonux is a Dutch live and installation CD based on Slackware Linux. Incorporating the Dropline GNOME desktop with several key applications localised into Dutch, the product is designed specifically for business use in the Netherlands. Version 1.6 was released earlier today...

OSDir has some nice shots of Nonux CD 1.6.

At some time during the child-raising process, you put away the pampers, baby powder and hand the young 'un a pair of knickers. Well Newbies...here's your knickers. Tag goes in the back.

Con Zymaris is a man on a mission, and that is to educate both the local IT community and government to the benefits of Linux and open source technology.

Now you’re in on the secret. Sick of sendmail’s security bug of the week? Exchange crashed again and took everyone’s calendar with it? Microsoft Outbreak let another virus into the intranet again? Want your email and calendaring to Just Work? With a nice web interface for the road warrior executive types? It’s time to take a good look at Citadel.

Goldman Sachs has invited Open Source Consulting principal Tony Hansmann to speak at the Software & IT Services Retreat, November 7-9 in New York City.