Mark Kent
24-08-2007, 10:07 PM
In today's digest, we have:
* Wind River is on the block: IBM is lead buyer
* Microsoft Hires Patton Boggs to Lobby Government on Google's
Acquisition of DoubleClick
* Ron Hovsepian Spins to Escape Hard Questions
* [Rival] Nintendo Leaves Microsoft Behind Very Fast, Increases
Microsoft's Loss-per-sale Figure
* Microsoft-BBC Corruption: iPlayer is Only the Beginning
* 3Com Bets on GNU/Linux to Fight a Monopoly
* Linux Killer Apps: New Version of AmaroK; GIMP 2.4 Approaches
Release; New 2.6.22 Kernel
* Linus is Not Worried About Microsoft at All
* Adobe Might Launch Web-based Office Suite
* IBM to Become Solaris OEM
* Goldman Sachs Foresees Linux Growth
* Accounting Web Uses Lenovo and Dell Linux Preinstalls to Recommend
Linux
* Linux Hardware Compatibility a No-brainer Thanks to Live CDs
* Linux on a USB Key Gets Mainstream Media Exposure
* XenSource-Citrix Deal Anticompetitive and Predatory
* Open Source Software Simply Sells Better
* Debian GNU/Linux Celebrates Birthday
* Darl McBride Gone "Mad" Amid Bankruptcy?
* Syllable OS Adopts the Linux Kernel, a Look Back at the Scheduler
* Open Source More Credible for Security Purposes, JavaScript Still
a Risk
* Palm Gets New Smartphone Ready, Good News for Mobile Linux
* [Rival] Corruption at Microsoft, IBM, and Dell
* [Rival] Microsoft and US Government Caught 'Moderating' Their
Wikipedia Pages
* New Linux Users Lean Out of Windows
* Radical Views on Windows and Linux Text Editors
* Mozilla Hosts Conference, Lightning and Thunderbird Live on and
Evolve
* Peter Galli: Microsoft Might Snatch Xen Through Citrix (Antitrust
Loophole)
* Google Thrives, So Microsoft Takes Over US Government (a Whole
GROUP of Lobbyists)
* Study: Internet Can Replace Big Media, SCO's Lies Set Free
* New Revision of Debian Etch Released
* KDE 4 Beta and Red Hat's Developer Studio Taken for a Test Drive
* Red Hat Expands in India (Without Bribing Bloggers Like Microsoft
Does)
* Truly Free Software Makes a Business, Momentum Grows
* Even Cisco Starts Releasing Open Source Code
* [Rival] People Looks Away and Beyond the Vista "Downgrade"
* [SOT] Government Embraces Secrecy, Spying, Restricts Web Access
* [Rival] Many More Security and Patching Problems in Microsoft Windows
* Linux Stack for DaVinci Processors Unveiled
* Proprietary, Insecure-by-design, Windows-based Diebold Dead in the
Water, Tries Name Change
* Novell Defends Microsoft's New Pal, Microsoft Attempt to Manage
the World's Population?
* [Rival] Theft of over 40+ Million Credit Card Accounts Has Windows
Traces?
* [SOT] Copyrights Insanity in 'Land of the Free'
* More OOXML Ugliness -- Browser Disrimination; Sun Won't Write OOXML
* Free Open Source Management Tools Get Thumbs Up and Adopted for
Huge Savings
* Industry Support for Free Software Comes from Google, Others
* Industry Chooses Free Software (More Stories)
* Proprietary Software Gradually Devoured by Free Software (Study
and Success Story)
* Graphics and Debugging in Linux Still at the Front
* Linux Highly Popular on Machines Big and Small
* [Rival] Ways to Fight Microsoft's OOXML 'Corruption Train'
* Sun Wants to Extract Money from Linux Clone
* Comparison of VMware and Parallels Using GNU/Linux VMs
This is a digest of the previous 24 hours (GMT day) of [News] postings
in comp.os.linux.advocacy. If you have any comments, suggestions or
remarks, please reply to this message and I will take account of all
that I can. The digest is created from my leafnode news spool, which is
pre-filtered, so some posters' articles might not appear.
Try the faq at: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/
for more information about cola.
Just like other public, unmoderated discussion fora, cola has
its share of disruptive posters. This blog has been created by
a concerned cola netizen to assist newcomers in identifying them:
http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/
In order to find the last week's digests, try:
http://groups.google.co.uk/groups/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&num=10&q=group%3Acomp.os.linux.advocacy+insubject%3Alinux +insubject%3Anews+insubject%3Adigest+author%3Amark .kent%40demon.co.uk&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=w&safe=off&qt_s=Search
Alternatively, you can start at the first one, posted 3/Sep/06, and
work fowards:
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/comp.os.linux.advocacy/browse_thread/thread/204520deb472e5ef/fa8c1f5e12433243?&hl=en#fa8c1f5e12433243
I very much hope that you find this digest useful. I also run a blog in
which I post occasionally, which you can find at http://thereisnomagic.org
It does tend to the philosophical end of free software, engineering and
economics, you have been warned!
You can email me at: echo mark@NOSPAM.ellandroad.demon.co.uk, removing
the obvious bit.
Happy reading, Mark Kent, Digest Editor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message-ID: <1187307194.923029.34500@g12g2000prg.googlegroups.c om>
From: "nessuno@wigner.berkeley.edu" <nessuno@wigner.berkeley.edu>
Subject: [News] Wind River is on the block: IBM is lead buyer
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:33:14 -0700
<Quote>
Wind River, a leader in real-time and embedded Linux is up for sale.
Sources close to the deal say IBM is the buyer.
It makes sense. Wind River used to be anti-Linux because of its own
operating system. More than two years ago it shifted to embrace Linux
and started making a profit.
IBM is the biggest supporter of Linux because it provides a rosseta
stone type cross-platform development technology plus it allows IBM to
profit from its value-add software components while commoditising the
business of rivals. Wind River has followed the same strategy.
Please see SVW, March 2005: How I learnt to love Linux and profit
from it--Wind River turns from Linux basher to religious zealot...
</Quote>
\http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2007/08/
wind_river_is_o.php
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1187307630.276407.16530@q4g2000prc.googlegroups.co m>
From: "nessuno@wigner.berkeley.edu" <nessuno@wigner.berkeley.edu>
Subject: [News] Microsoft Hires Patton Boggs to Lobby Government on Google's Acquisition of DoubleClick
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:40:30 -0700
<Quote>
Microsoft Corp. hired Patton Boggs LLP to lobby the federal government
on Google Inc.'s $3.1 billion buyout of online advertising company
DoubleClick Inc., according to a disclosure form.
Microsoft would not comment...
[Microsoft has voiced objections to the deal because of...]
"serious competition and privacy concerns" because it would give
Google "unprecedented control in the delivery of online advertising,
and access to a huge amount of consumer information by tracking what
customers do online."
[Ah, the irony of it all.]
[Congress plans to scrutinise Google. It certainly won't hurt if they
are bribed by Microsoft.]
[Microsoft has made its own acquisitions, recently $6 billion for
aQuantive.]
The lobbying disclosure form was posted online Thursday by the
Senate's public records office.
</Quote>
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070815/microsoft_lobbying.html?.v=1
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3985261.9J7K3f6GYC@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Ron Hovsepian Spins to Escape Hard Questions
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:54:27 +0100
LinuxWorld: User Q&A with Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian
,----[ Quote ]
| Q - You stated that Novell will ship GPL3? Then how will Novell support MS
| coupons and customer s with GPL3 software when Microsoft has explicitly said
| that they will not support or endorse GPL3? (pause for applause -- Jack)
|
| A - Fundamentally what this relationship is, is that as a customer goes to
| redeem certificates the customer calls up Novell and redeems, and then with
| that certificate we will give them the most current release we are shipping
| to the market - including GPLv3 code. What Microsoft feels is they are not a
| legal party to the contract. In its simplest form it is a coupon that
| customers redeem and we’ll deliver to them latest distro on the shelf at that
| time.
`----
http://enterpriselinuxlog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/08/08/linuxworld-user-qa-with-novell-ceo-ron-hovsepian/
http://tinyurl.com/3xaprl
He asked the wrong question.
Related:
Eben Moglen: GPLv3 not about MS and Novell (video)
,----[ Quote ]
| Professor Moglen explains briefly about GPLv3's work on globalisation
| of the software licence, preventing harm to others by members of
| the community, and the most contentious in earlier drafts, DRM.
`----
http://community.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/05/17/1616214&from=rss
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1841788.eY3kihb4Ee@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Nintendo Leaves Microsoft Behind Very Fast, Increases Microsoft's Loss-per-sale Figure
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:57:39 +0100
Wii Brits love Nintendo. Will pass Xbox 360 in October
,----[ Quote ]
| The weather in the UK must truly be awful, as the latest gaming generation
| stay indoors and embrace the new generation consoles. The Nintendo Wii is
| poised to overhaul Microsofts yearlong start with the Xbox 360.
`----
http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14027&Itemid=1063
Related:
Microsoft Xbox 360 Sales Plunge 60% As Problems Mount
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft’s growing troubles with the Xbox 360 video game console appear to
| be catching up to the company. Sales of the gaming machine plunged 60% in the
| fiscal fourth quarter, Microsoft disclosed Thursday. In its earnings
| statement for the quarter, Microsoft said it shipped 700,000 Xbox 360 units
| during the period, compared to 1.8 million in the fiscal fourth quarter of
| 2006 -- a fall off of 61%.
`----
http://www.mtechxp.net/main/microsoft-xbox-360-sales-plunge-60-as-problems-mount
Microsoft: XBox 360 Price Drop Won't Fix Broken Strategy
,----[ Quote ]
| So in the end, it doesn’t matter if the 360 is $50 or even $100 less.
| Ultimately, the price cut will just reveal how niche the system has become.
|
| Exactly. Come on, guys. The blogosphere, be it the guys at GigaOM, Chris
| Kohler at Wired Game I Life or myself, have come up with some pretty rational
| approaches for how you can get it together. Unfortunately, however, our
| protestations seem to fall on deaf ears. Best of luck with your "winning
| strategy." I guess you know best. * *
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070809/43985_id.html?.v=1
------------------------------
Message-ID: <13493167.WgO5WkGoS1@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft-BBC Corruption: iPlayer is Only the Beginning
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:57:17 +0100
What tricks is the BBC up to with Microsoft?
,----[ Quote ]
| The twin elephants in the meeting room will be Microsoft's Silverlight and
| PlayReady.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/16/silverlight_iplayer_playready/
More patents, more hijacks, more monopoly.
SCO leaders warn against monopolistic world order (Roundup)
,----[ Quote ]
| In a final declaration at their summit in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, the
| leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
| warned that unilateral actions were not adequate to solving existing
| problems.
`----
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1343937.php/SCO_leaders_warn_against_monopolistic_world_order_ _Roundup_
That's another SCO. Here's an SCO cartoon:
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20070816
Related:
BBC's iPlayer's Prospects Looking Bleak
,----[ Quote ]
| "The future of iPlayer, the BBC's new online on-demand system for delivering
| content, is continuing to look bleaker. With ISPs threatening to throttle the
| content delivered through the iPlayer, consumers petitioning the UK
| government and the BBC to drop the DRM and Microsoft-only technology, and
| threatened legal action from the OSC, the last thing the BBC wanted to see
| today was street protests at their office and at the BBC Media Complex
| accompanied by a report issued by DefectiveByDesign about their association
| with Microsoft." * * *
`----
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/15/1721229&from=rss
BBC iPlayer protest report
,----[ Quote
| First on site with me is Tom Chance, Green Party spokesperson on Free
| Software. He has organised for Dr Derek Wall, lead spokesperson for the Green
| Party to join us and make some statements about BBC iPlayer and the Microsoft
| lock-in it establishes. *
|
| [...]
|
| We have 1500 fliers to distribute, that focus on the key issue with the
| iPlayer, and why $130 Million and 4 years of development don't get you much
| when you choose Microsoft DRM. *
`----
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/iPlayerProtestReport
Anti-DRM Protesters call on the BBC to eliminate DRM from the iPlayer
,----[ Quote ]
| London and Manchester, England – Two weeks after the BBC officially launched
| the iPlayer, protesters wearing bright yellow Hazmat suits gathered outside
| BBC Television Centre in London and BBC headquarters in Manchester to demand
| that Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) be eliminated from the BBC. *
|
| The BBC have developed the "iPlayer" at a cost to the BBC license fee payer
| of £130 Million and rising. *
|
| [...]
|
| FSF Executive Director attending the protest spoke about the corrupting
| influence of Microsoft, "BBC values have been corrupted because BBC
| Executives are too closely associated with Microsoft. BBC values have been
| corrupted because the iPlayer uses proprietary software and standards made
| under an exclusive deal with Microsoft. BBC values have been corrupted
| because license fee payers must now own a Microsoft operating system to
| download BBC programming. BBC values have been corrupted because license fee
| payers must accept DRM technologies that spy and monitor on the digital files
| held on their computers. We are here today to help BBC Director General Mark
| Thompson, clean up this DRM mess, and to encourage the BBC Trust to reverse
| course and eliminate DRM from the BBC iPlayer" * * * * *
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/11186/anti-drm-protesters-call-bbc-eliminate-drm-iplayer
Internet groups warn BBC over iPlayer plans
,----[ Quote ]
| Some of the companies involved have told the BBC that they will consider
| limiting the bandwidth available to iPlayer – a process known as traffic
| shaping. The measure would limit the number of consumers who could access the
| iPlayer at any one time. *
`----
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2856766.ece
Lobby Group: Microsoft Too Close to BBC
,----[ Quote ]
| A software lobby group is campaigning to highlight the role of software giant
| Microsoft Corp. in the British Broadcasting Corp.'s digital media strategy by
| petitioning Great Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown to address the issue. *
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070803/microsoft_bbc.html?.v=1
BBC iPlayer Protests
,----[ Quote ]
| Who are the people responsible for creating this mess?
|
| * * * Mark Thompson, BBC director general (DG)
| * * * Erik Huggers, group controller at BBC Future Media & Technology
| * * * Ashley Highfield, director of new media and technology
|
| Right now, there is very considerable concern within the BBC that the actions
| of the Director General and his team are sending the corporation in the wrong
| direction. The BBC has been embroiled in a number of recent controversies,
| all linked back to the DG's leadership. *
`----
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/iPlayerProtest
BBC Corrupted
,----[ Quote ]
| Today the BBC made it official -- they have been corrupted by Microsoft. With
| today's launch of the iPlayer, the BBC Trust has failed in its most basic of
| duties and handed over to Microsoft sole control of the on-line distribution
| of BBC programming. From today, you will need to own a Microsoft operating
| system to view BBC programming on the web. This is akin to saying you must
| own a Sony TV set to watch BBC TV. And you must accept the Digital *
| Restrictions Management (DRM) that the iPlayer imposes. You simply cannot be
| allowed to be in control of your computer according to the BBC. * * *
`----
http://defectivebydesign.org/blog/BBCcorrupted
http://labs.live.com/photosynth/BBC/default.htm
Requires ActiveX, IE, Windows...
Silverlight looks better by the Moonlight
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC has already experimented with Silverlight and says it is looking for
| an "embedded media solution".
`----
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/insideit/story/0,,2123942,00.html
BBC iPlayer petition hits 10,000
,----[ Quote
| More than 10,000 people have signed an e-petition on the 10 Downing Street
| website urging the BBC to make its iPlayer available to non-Windows users.
`----
http://www.silicon.com/retailandleisure/0,3800011842,39167923,00.htm?r=1
EC threat to BBC over downloads
,----[ Quote ]
| However, OSC disagrees and says the next step is to make a formal
| complaint to the European Commission (EC).
|
| "We're preparing the full details at the moment and we will be
| sending a formal letter within the next week," said Mr Taylor.
`----
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6236612.stm
Open sourcers rattle EU sabre at BBC on demand player
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC is being threatened with an anti-trust challenge in Europe over its
| use of the Windows Media format in its on demand service, iPlayer, which is
| in the final stages of testing.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/22/iplayer_osc_eu_ofcom/
Free the BBC
,----[ Quote ]
| We are deeply concerned about the BBC's use of "Digital Rights
| Management" (DRM) to manage content delivered to users over the
| Internet. There are dozens of arguments against DRM, however we
| believe these are the most important and relevant to the BBC.
`----
http://www.freethebbc.info/node/5
MPs rap BBC over Siemens deal
,----[ Quote ]
| But public spending watchdog the PAC said BBC executives misled the board
| of governors about possible savings while trying to convince them to give
| the deal the go-ahead.
|
| The committee of MPs found £60m of costs was excluded when budgets were
| put to the governors for approval.
|
| [...]
|
| The PAC said the BBC was failing to manage the contract properly.
|
| [...]
|
| The report suggests the BBC should open up its accounts to government
| officials for proper scrutiny.
`----
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/06/29/pac_bbc_siemens/
BBC Trust chairman scuppered by Skype
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC has gone into a massive navel gazing operation after an internal
| investigation that revealed it had made quite a few mistakes.
|
| Naturally every hack+dog on the British national press is weighing in
| describing it as a scandal, a "breach of trust" and the rest. *
|
| [...]
|
| ohn Humphreys, the interviewer, proceeded to explain that the chairman was
| using something called Skype. Sort of re-assuring that the BBC Trust isn't
| wasting licence payers' money though. *
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=41100
Save the BBC from Windows DRM!
,----[ Quote ]
| Clearly, shutting out 25% of your audience sits ill with the BBC's
| remit of serving all of its users...
|
| There is no denying that this is an extremely difficult area for
| the BBC, since it must negotiate not one but three minefields -
| those of technology standards, copyright and contract law. But
| there are still things that it could do without turning into a
| global advertisement for Microsoft's flawed DRM approach.
`----
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000183
BBC plans to lock viewers into Microsoft monopoly says Open Source Consortium
,----[ Quote ]
| The Open Source Consortium (OSC) believes the plans are anti-competitive
| and will use public money to lock viewers into the technologies of
| a repeatedly convicted monopolist.
`----
http://www.publictechnology.net/article_avantgo.php?sid=7655
Beeb slammed for 'fawning' to Bill Gates
,----[ Quote ]
| BBC viewers have flooded the corporation with complaints over how it
| covered the launch of Microsoft Vista earlier this week.
|
| In one cringingly servile interview worthy of Uriah Heep, the
| Beeb's news presenter Hugh Edwards even thanked Gates at the
| end of it, presumably in appreciation at being allowed to give
| the Vole vast coverage for free.
|
| In other TV news items presenters excitedly explained how Vistac
| ould be obtained and installed - details courtesy of the BBC's
| website.
|
| But British viewers, currently forced to pay a £131.50 licence
| fee to maintain the BBC's "impartiality", were less than impressed.
|
| Scores got in touch to complain that so much was Auntie up Bill's
| bum that you could barely see her corset.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
http://slated.org/bbc_microsoft_bias
Brits! Act now to save the BBC from Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC are holding an open consultation regarding how they're
| going to delivery on-demand content, they want answers to
| questions like: "How important is it that the proposed seven-day
| catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who
| are not using Microsoft software?"
`----
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/31/brits_act_now_to_sav.html
Beeb breaks out with Windows WMA protection
,----[ Quote ]
| According to a press release from Sonos, the blokes over
| at the Beeb have decided to jump ship for relying on
| Realplayer for web content, and have switched over
| entirely to the Windows-friendly WMA format. Now
| that the BBC has made The Big Switch, BBC radio
| stations will be received automatically for users
| of wireless music and radio provider Sonos.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35282
Avoid the Vista badge, it means DRM inside
,----[ Quote ]
| The root of this crappy DRM infection is Microsoft. It is the driving
| force here. This has nothing to do with protecting content, as we
| keep pointing out, there has never been a single thing that has had
| a DRM infection applied that didn't end up cracked on the net in
| hours. DRM is about walled gardens and control.
|
| He who controls the DRM infection controls the market. DRM is
| about preventing you from doing anything with the devices
| without paying the gatekeeper a fee. This is what MS wants,
| nothing less than a slice of everything watched, listened to
| or discussed from now on. DRM prevents others from playing
| there, thanks to the DMCA and other anti-consumer laws.
|
| Make no mistake, MS is pushing the DRM malware as hard as
| it can so it can rake in money hand over fist with no
| competition. It is really good at lock-in, in fact, the firm
| based its entire business model on harming the user so they
| have to comply and spend more.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38926
Microsoft Tells Apple To Stop Complaining About DRM
http://www.podcastingnews.com/2007/04/13/microsoft-apple-drm/
Microsoft launches 'PlayReady' DRM system
,----[ Quote ]
| Although digital rights management (DRM) is popular with content
| creators, it has attracted criticism. Sony was widely attacked after
| using a rootkit-like application to hide content protection on some
| music CDs, and earlier this month Apple CEO Steve Jobs called on
| the music industry to drop its use of DRM.
`----
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6158553.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
Golden Rant : Microsoft DRM's gone too far
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft appears to have hit the wrong button on its critical
| Windows XP download service late last month, pretty well forcing
| every XP user to upgrade to Windows Media Player (WiMP) 11 if
| they (like me and many others) have the automatic download/install
| option enabled for critical updates.
`----
http://securityblog.itproportal.com/?p=712
The Longest Suicide Note in History
,----[ Quote ]
| Gutmann: The genie's out of the bottle before the operating system has even
| been released! But that doesn't mean Vista users in particular - and
| the computer community at large - won't end up paying for Microsoft's
| DRM folly. At the risk of repeating myself repeating myself, yet
| another reason to move to Linux.
`---- * * ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/01/the_longest_suicide_note_in_hi.html
DRM in Windows Vista
,----[ Quote ]
| Windows Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want.
| These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure.
| They'll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will
| cause technical support problems. They may even require you to
| upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software.
| And these features won't do anything useful. In fact, they're
| working against you. They're digital rights management (DRM)
| features built into Vista at the behest of the entertainment
| industry.
|
| And you don't get to refuse them.
`----
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/02/drm_in_windows.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1472260.cb9cJ8GxBr@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] 3Com Bets on GNU/Linux to Fight a Monopoly
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:59:47 +0100
3Com chooses an open strategy
,----[ Quot ]
| The OSN infrastructure runs on Linux.
`----
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62030960,00.htm
Related:
3Com, IBM extend VOIP/messaging interoperability
,----[ Quote ]
| The VCX/Sametime interoperability also extends to 3Com and IBM
| software running on stand-alone servers. (3Com ships VCX systems
| on a Linux-based appliance, and IBM's Sametime runs on a variety
| of operating systems and server hardware).
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php?id=87960963&rid=-50
3Com: Turnaround Depends on IBM Deal
,----[ Quote ]
| And that open source voice over IP system, called Asterisk, has reached
| its tipping point. But instead of ignoring such threats, 3Com appears
| ready to embrace them. In fact, I hear that 3Com plans to address
| the Asterisk market within the next few months.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070323/30493_id.html?.v=1
3Com Evaluating Askerisk Strategy
,----[ Quote ]
| The manager politely danced around the question, then indicated that
| 3Com planned to address Asterisk without necessarily competing with
| the open source system. Sounds like 3Com is piecing together a
| strategy to embrace Asterisk. Could there be a partnership or
| acquisition around the corner?
|
| [...]
|
| Supporting Asterisk would propel 3Com?s open platform strategy
| forward.
`----
http://techiqmag.com/2007/02/26/3com-evaluating-askerisk-strategy/
3Com touts open source
,----[ Quote ]
| 3Com's OSN module is a Linux-based server blade that fits into
| the company's 6000 series routers. It is designed to run
| applications that benefit from being close to the network
| layer, the company says.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/012907-3com-open-source.html?fsrc=rss-linux-news
3Com introduces first 'open services' product
,----[ Quote ]
| Launched at the end of last year, OSN is basically an effort to bring
| some server capabilities into network appliances by using a
| Linux-based server blade, as well as to allow users to plug
| open-source modules into the appliance.
|
| [...]
|
| Interestingly, there is a twist in 3Com's adoption of open source:
| Its founder, Metcalfe, was once known to be anti-open source.
| Fortunately, Metcalfe has since become a convert in line with the OSN.
`----
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20070611.Q01&irec=0
Networks finally learning to work together
,----[ Quote ]
| A more technically interesting solution that 3Com has just rolled out is a
| Linux blade running in its high end switches.
|
| "Imagine a switch or router with a little bit of extra hardware
| running Linux. We are inviting our partners to put their stuff on
| there, essentially a Linux PC on a blade. It's not about replacing
| servers, it's about putting an app into the network, like WAN
| optimisation, packet analysis, netflow, security, things like
| this," he said.
`----
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62017006,00.htm
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1983150.rtNyZVmFkI@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Killer Apps: New Version of AmaroK; GIMP 2.4 Approaches Release; New 2.6.22 Kernel
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:04:24 +0100
Fast Forward to 1.4.7
,----[ Quote ]
| Amarok 1.4.7 includes an improved collection backend as well as a new icon
| coloring provided by Pasi Lallinaho. The streams we provide got a cleanup to
| give you the finest and coolest streams available. Of course we have also
| fixed a bunch of bugs, even though our main focus has moved to Amarok 2.0
| development.
`----
http://amarok.kde.org/en/node/243
Gimp 2.4 RC Released
,----[ Quote ]
| If you want to help by testing this release candidate, you can grab the
| source code from ftp.gimp.org.
`----
http://www.linuxlookup.com/2007/aug/16/gimp_2_4_rc_released
New kernel:
http://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.22.3
Linux 2.6.22.3 Kernel Released
,----[ Quote ]
| The Linux 2.6.22.3 kernel has been released by Greg Kroah-Hartman.
`----
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NTk4Mw
Related:
Linux Audio Players, Tested and Graded
,----[ Quote ]
| KDE users have it easy: Amarok is slick enough to crow about in a
| room full of iTunes or Windows Media Player users.
`----
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128636-page,4-c,linux/article.html
Gimp 2.3 (preview of 2.4)
,----[ Quote ]
| The major change for this release seems to be a big usability
| overhaul. New defaults are now in place that make the Gimp look
| a little bit like Photoshop, but still has many features that
| make it unique.
`----
http://fosswire.com/2007/06/08/gimp-23-preview-of-24/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1217502.Ay2r9XIyYc@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linus is Not Worried About Microsoft at All
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:08:23 +0100
Linus Torvalds: "Linux Is Much Bigger Than Me!"
,----[ Quote ]
| Q: The soon to be released Windows Longhorn is touted to be Microsoft's
| answer to the Linux threat, as Windows NT was for Novell in the 90s. Are
| there any improvements planned in Linux, keeping the technology advancements
| of Longhorn in mind?
|
| Linus: I actually don't worry about MS at all. Their strength is in their
| marketing, and in the (obvious) market share they have. They've never been
| all that interesting from a 'technical' angle. And since all I personally
| care about is the technology, I don't end up being all that interested in
| what MS does.
|
| [...]
|
| Q: What do you think about Microsoft's efforts to sign cross-licensing deals
| with Linux distros like Novell, Xandros and Linspire? How is this going to
| affect the development of the kernel?
|
| Linus: I don't really have a hugely strong opinion on it. Business is
| business, and I don't get involved with it; I worry about the technology.
| Yes, software patents are certainly worrisome, but I also tend to think that
| people just overreact a bit whenever MS is involved, and that some of the
| shrill reactions on the Internet have been a bit over the top.
|
| Let's see what happens.
`----
http://www.efytimes.com/archive/144/news.htm
New interview. Very long.
------------------------------
Message-ID: <5764641.6SC3K23WoV@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Adobe Might Launch Web-based Office Suite
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:14:25 +0100
Adobe may launch Office rival
,----[ Quote ]
| Adobe is pumping significant resources into Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR,
| formerly known as Apollo), which gives developers a way to take code written
| for the web browser and repurpose it for the desktop.
|
| It is the AIR platform which excites many observers, and which could give
| Adobe a solid starting point for the launch of office applications.
`----
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39288562,00.htm?r=6
Related:
Adobe Photoshop: Online Edition
,----[ Quote ]
| One of the risks of trying to find a niche to build a startup is that
| the big guys can land on your face at any time. That?s why all of
| these startups are going to be in serious trouble when Adobe releases
| a free, ad supported online version of Photoshop in six months.
`----
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/28/adobe-photoshop-online-edition/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3014475.kXQZM2TUyM@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] IBM to Become Solaris OEM
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:21:45 +0100
IBM Expands Support for the Solaris OS on x86 Systems
,----[ Quote ]
| The agreement announced today is an extension of IBM's existing support for
| the Solaris OS on select IBM BladeCenter servers, and exemplifies IBM's
| commitment to offering clients the widest choice of operating systems
| available in the industry, as well as Sun's commitment to offer customers a
| wider choice of systems for the Solaris platform.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070816/aqth080.html?.v=16
Counting the roots of growth: BSD vs Linux vs Solaris
,----[ Quote ]
| The answer is that we simply don’t know. There are two main reasons, one
| obvious, the other rather subtle in the way it works out. The obvious problem
| is that some portion, and probably a majority portion at that, of Linux
| installs simply don’t show up in anybody’s hardware or license sales columns
| and are therefore impossible to count accurately.
|
| The corolary problem is that the OpenSolaris community is quite young
| relative to Linux and that growth rates in downloads cannot, therefore, be
| fairly compared - and there’s no evidence either way for the assumption that
| more Linux downloads go to mere tire kickers than do Solaris downloads.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Murphy/?p=940
Related:
OpenSolaris users group to Ian Murdock, Sun: You’re missing the point
,----[ Quote ]
| Coincidence or not, Ratcliffe (voluntarily) left Sun shortly after he spoke
| with SearchEnterpriseLinux.com for the article. Ian Murdock joined the ranks
| soon after in a newly created — albeit slightly mysterious — role.
`----
http://enterpriselinuxlog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/07/18/opensolaris-users-group-to-ian-murdock-sun-youre-missing-the-point/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1966742.EJyZoWRp0b@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Goldman Sachs Foresees Linux Growth
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:24:14 +0100
Goldman Sachs: Tech Spending Might Decline
,----[ Quote ]
| Elsewhere in the report, Goldman Sachs predicts that Linux, the open source
| operating system, will make more inroads into businesses, and that IBM, Red
| Hat and Citrix are companies that are positioned well, regardless of what
| happens to the tech market as a whole.
`----
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2007/08/16/goldman-sachs-tech-spending-might-decline/?mod=yahoo_hs
Some months ago, Goldman Sachs threw Microsoft out of its basket. Also see the
following:
,----[ Quote ]
| After a while, I bet even Microsoft and Novell's customers got sick of
| hearing about how important customers are.
|
| During Thursday's last-minute teleconference and Webcast, Steve
| Ballmer went on and on about how customers like Randy Cowan,
| Goldman Sach's CTO, had given Microsoft "some serious coaching"
| on how the proprietary software giant needed to work better with
| Linux distributions. I don't imagine Cowan's coaching stipulated
| that Microsoft endorse a single distribution, because even if
| Goldman Sachs uses Suse, it probably has some Red Hat as well.
| Maybe some Debian, too.
`----
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=41048
Goldman Sachs software analyst Sherlund leaving
,----[ Quote ]
| Sherlund started covering Microsoft in 1986, the year it went public,
| and became well known on Wall Street for tracking its growth from
| start-up to 800-pound gorilla of software.
|
| [...]
|
| The slew of companies competing with Microsoft has of course grown
| over the years, and now includes Yahoo, Oracle,IBM and Novell.
|
| Linux to work with Windows
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnnm/061104/110406_goldman_sherlund.html?.v=1
------------------------------
Message-ID: <9576087.mtLCTvT18S@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Accounting Web Uses Lenovo and Dell Linux Preinstalls to Recommend Linux
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:29:16 +0100
Is it time to exit from Windows?
,----[ Quote ]
| The offer of pre-installed Linux by mainstream PC makers doesn't mean the
| open-source operating system is poised to sweep aside Microsoft’s; but while
| its cost advantages may never be compelling, finance departments must prepare
| to consider the merits of switching their own operations to Linux – and to
| hear a stronger case for its company-wide adoption.
|
| [...]
|
| According to Dell, up to 30,000 buyers have already asked for pre-installed
| Linux.
`----
http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=171829&d=1032&h=1020&f=1026
When Dell started this whole Linux thing it estimated that only 20,000 people
would buy the PCs (in a year, IIRC). A couple of months later, even before
expansion overseas, they already hit 30,000, so it _BY FAR_ exceeded their
expectations. No wonder they take this offer abroad, add SUSE, and offer the
PCs to businesses.
Related:
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS7159701171.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1280425.gQY3A9kfQi@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Hardware Compatibility a No-brainer Thanks to Live CDs
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:31:44 +0100
When Buying PCs, Always Bring your Live CD!
,----[ Quote ]
| What I found was very disappointing but also very promising. Disappointing
| because the Toshiba model completely failed my test, but very promising
| because Circuit City seemed very willing to let me test these machines to my
| heart’s content.
`----
http://www.manchicken.com/2007/free-software/when-buying-pcs-always-bring-your-live-cd.html
Related:
Toshiba Italy mulls pre-loaded Linux notebooks
,----[ Quote ]
| Toshiba's Italian channel sales and marketing operation reportedly
| is considering offering pre-loaded Linux in its Tecra, Satellite, Portege,
| and Qosmio notebook lines, according to a story published online last week
| in the Il Sole newspaper.
`----
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS9644921792.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1269489.32fm4gstOL@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux on a USB Key Gets Mainstream Media Exposure
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:36:49 +0100
Desktops on the move
,----[ Quote ]
| A slightly more expensive but less limited way of creating a portable desktop
| is by going with Mandriva, a version of Linux, installed on a 4GB flash drive
| made by Dane-Elec called the Zmate Pen. This is a full-featured operating
| system that fits into 1 GB of space, leaving the remaining 3GB in the thumb
| drive for extra applications or files.
`----
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070815.wgtkaplab0816/BNStory/Technology/columnists
Related:
Portable Qemu Persistent Ubuntu Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| One advantage to using Qemu hardware emulation as opposed to a
| native USB boot is that it allows you to plug your USB stick or
| portable hard drive into any available PC and run a complete
| operating system without restarting. The additional advantage
| of using Ubuntu's persistent feature is that you can save your
| personal settings, files and changes back to the stick. Qemu and
| persistent Ubuntu make for a nice and simple combination.
`----
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2007/03/26/portable-qemu-persistent-ubuntu-linux/
Photoshop CS2 on Linux (Ubuntu)
,----[ Quote ]
| Having tried to install it before, I knew the typical route
| wouldn't work. Instead I headed over to portableapps.com,
| and dug up some info on making CS2 portable, and followed
| the steps here (on a Windows XP install of course). I
| tested it out on Windows, worked like a charm.
|
| I crossed my fingers and booted up ubuntu. Fingers crosse
| tighter yet, I ran the photoshop.exe file on my USB drive and...
|
| Photoshop cs2 on LinuxSweet Panda! It worked!
`----
http://26bits.com/2007/photoshop-cs2-on-linux-ubuntu/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1675622.xvi7gS7Hd3@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] XenSource-Citrix Deal Anticompetitive and Predatory
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:38:35 +0100
What the XenSource deal says about open source
,----[ Quote ]
| This is what Citrix is paying for. That and a close relationship with
| Microsoft that looks likely to get closer. “We will be building dynamic
| virtualisation services and management tools on top of Viridian,” Levine
| added. “We will build the same set of products we’ve built on top of Xen for
| Viridian. We’ve already hired a team to go do that up in Redmond.”
|
| While Citrix maintained it will continue support for the Xen project, this
| deal is not about a proprietary vendor getting open source religion. It's
| about grabbing an emerging player in a rapidly expanding sector of the
| market.
`----
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/08/what_the_xensou.html
Related:
Increasing Virtualisation Insanity
,----[ Quote ]
| For sysadmin types this means: do what you have to do with Xen for now. But
| keep the investments small. For developers this means: don't let yourself be
| tied to a platform. Use an abstraction layer such as libvirt to bridge over
| the differences. For architects this means: don't looking to Xen for answers,
| base your new designs on KVM.
`----
http://udrepper.livejournal.com/17577.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1791811.5hCU4yIojq@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Open Source Software Simply Sells Better
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:42:19 +0100
Selling software that sells itself: An interview with Matt Asay
,----[ Quote ]
| Open source is changing not just how companies make software, but how they
| sell it. Alfresco's Matt Asay explains the new sales cycle and the skills
| that today's software sales people need to close deals.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/081607-matt-asay-interview.html?fsrc=rss-linux-news
Giving proprietary vendors a run for their money
,----[ Quote ]
| A new business model has emerged based on the concept of products that are
| community-based and available with the source code at no cost -- the open
| source movement.
`----
http://opensourceblog.itproportal.com/?p=403
Related:
Open Source Sending Shock Waves Says IT Survey
,----[ Quote ]
| Disruptive technology is an innovation that disrupts or overturns existing
| market conditions, making an existing technology less important or even
| obsolete. Examples include "on-demand" software and open-source technology.
| Many times disruptive technologies emerge by targeting a small subset of the
| market, then having the technology catch on to the broader market. * *
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/11173/open-source-sending-shock-waves-says-it-survey
Calling all disruptors: the perfect storm of SOA, SaaS, and open source
beckons
,----[ Quote ]
| The SOA/SaaS/open-source combination is a highly potent disruption force,
| and we ain't seen nothing yet.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/service-oriented/?p=892
Meet the 'New Disruptors': Executives Finding Success in Shaking Up Their
Industries
,----[ Quote ]
| Red Hat develops and provides support for Linux software services.
|
| [...]
|
| "I have an amazing amount of respect for what Bob built," he added. "I
| think Red Hat is one of the most successful companies to ever come from
| NC, and as I told Bob that night I just hope that Motricity will one day
| be seen in the same league as companies like Red Hat and SAS here in
| the triangle!"
`----
http://www.localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/news/story/1451389/
Constructive disruption: an enterprise perspective on open source
,----[ Quote ]
| It was refreshing to hear how ardently each panelist spoke of the
| benefits of open source. These are significant, global brand names,
| and each is leveraging open source to discover value and drive
| innovation. The tide surely has turned in open source's favour.
`----
http://weblog.infoworld.com/openresource/archives/2007/05/constructive_di.html
Credit Suisse Disruptive Technology Portfolio Mover Of The Week: Red Hat
,----[ Quote ]
| This was the second quarter in a row in which Red Hat's multiyear deals
| grew significantly compared with the prior year, and some investors
| probably see this as a sign that the company is discounting
| contracts. Pricing pressure of this sort is a particularly
| important issue for investors now that Oracle is offering a
| discounted alternative to Red Hat.
`----
http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198800838
Having Fun With Disruptive Models
,----[ Quote ]
| Net software infrastructure is another classic example. Imagine a world
| where no free Linux or Apache or MySQL existed and then imagine how
| many billions Microsoft and Sun have lost because they do.
|
| [...]
|
| The answer to the business model for static media is, unless someone has
| a flash of business genius, likely to be that beautiful, ugly word "free."
| Free, of course, comes in more shades than Eskimo snow, but whatever shade
| of free your music is, if you are paying .001 cents more on a can of Coke,
| you're not going to be complaining much. The money will still be flowing,
| but the bill to you will be bundled into some other cost like the
| advertising margin in your groceries. With all this "free," it's easy to
| think dot-com stands for dot-communism, but in reality, it's just an
| efficient market at work. In the meantime, we should all be trying to think
| up crazy ideas like text adverts in little boxes down the side of Web
| pages.
`----
http://www.forbes.com/2006/09/16/microsoft-google-oracle-business-model-pf-guru-in_cc_0918soapbox_inl.html?partner=yahootix
http://tinyurl.com/qqd5y
Disruption in the Software Industry
,----[ Quote ]
| Many corporate IT managers considered Linux to be woefully inadequate
| in its early days and for the most part, they were right. *But it
| was good enough for quick and dirty applications and for
| provisioning non-critical systems like file & print servers and
| web servers. *As the web started to grow in importance, those
| niche applications became more prevalent and Linux continued to
| get better. *Now you find Linux in pretty much every corporate
| data centre in the world.
`----
http://www.theopenforce.com/2007/01/disruption_in_t.html
Standards and Disruptive Technologies
,----[ Quote ]
| Look for more and more recognition of the importance of
| standards-based co-opetition in the years ahead -- and for the
| success of more disruptive technologies as a result.
`----
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070104044420309
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3770237.yUyGdvRhdM@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Debian GNU/Linux Celebrates Birthday
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:46:41 +0100
Debian Turns 14 Today!
,----[ Quote ]
| Debian, one of my long time favourite Linux distributions turned 14 today.
| Without the Debian project there would be no Ubuntu.
`----
http://linuxlookup.com/2007/aug/16/debian_turns_14_today
Ian Murdock in 1993:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.development/msg/a32d4e2ef3bcdcc6?output=gplain
Recent:
In-vehicle Linux system assists first responders
,----[ Quote ]
| U.K.-based Thorcom Systems Ltd is shipping a rugged, Debian Linux-based,
| in-vehicle computer intended for emergency first responders.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS5083494428.html
Related:
Goodbye etch, hello lenny
,----[ Quote ]
| The long-anticipated Debian 4.0 may only just have made its debut this
| week, but it's never too soon for the developer community to be making
| plans for its successor.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=497673827&rid=-219
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1663896.usSrbqqnu6@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Darl McBride Gone "Mad" Amid Bankruptcy?
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:50:00 +0100
SCO Just Won't Quit
,----[ Quote ]
| So what happens next? Here, McBride falls back to vague promises. "We do feel
| a responsibility to you and our shareholders to defend our rights when we
| believe they have been violated and that is simply what we continue to do
| within the courts. In the end, our legal team will focus on the necessary
| actions needed to protect SCO, its customers and shareholders."
`----
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS9620416770.html
Related:
,----[ Quote ]
| The media reaction to SCO's flurry of press releases and teleconference
| yesterday is intriguing. Just from the headlines, you can see how well it
| did or didn't go.
|
| [...]
|
| "If people think SCO has gone crazy or 'MAD' it's now official,"
| McBride said.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060808084608494
SCO on the brink of financial collapse
,----[ Quote ]
| The company's share price had closed at $1.56 on Friday ahead of a court
| ruling that Novell, and not SCO, was the rightful owner of the copyrights for
| the Unix operating system. The price remained steady in early trading,
| however, valuing the company at about $9.5m.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=12A15472-0D2D-4B86-8121-992AEA422BBB
------------------------------
Message-ID: <7330078.OPPJ2LJKEU@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Syllable OS Adopts the Linux Kernel, a Look Back at the Scheduler
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 03:03:20 +0100
Syllable Server Video Demonstration
,----[ Quote ]
| Turning our attention to the future, there's a demonstration video of
| Syllable Server, the server companion to Syllable Desktop that is under
| development and is being built on the Linux kernel [torrent, 91 MB AVI
| video].
`----
http://www.osnews.com/story.php/18470/Syllable-Server-Video-Demonstration/
Everyone is moving to Linux for faster and better development.
Linux: The Original Process Scheduler
,----[ Quote ]
| In a June of 1992 posting to the linux-activists mailing list, Linus Torvalds
| described the original Linux scheduler noting, "the scheduler in linux is
| pretty simple, but does a reasonably good job at giving good IO response
| while not being too unfair against cpu-bound processes."
|
| [...]
|
| * 1996-12-23 Modified by Dave Grothe to fix bugs in semaphores and
| * make semaphores SMP safe
| * 1998-11-19 Implemented schedule_timeout() and related stuff
| * by Andrea Arcangeli
| * 2002-01-04 New ultra-scalable O(1) scheduler by Ingo Molnar:
| * hybrid priority-list and round-robin design with
| * an array-switch method of distributing timeslices
| * and per-CPU runqueues. Cleanups and useful suggestions
| * by Davide Libenzi, preemptible kernel bits by Robert Love.
| * 2003-09-03 Interactivity tuning by Con Kolivas.
| * 2004-04-02 Scheduler domains code by Nick Piggin
| * 2007-04-15 Work begun on replacing all interactivity tuning with a
| * fair scheduling design by Con Kolivas.
| * 2007-05-05 Load balancing (smp-nice) and other improvements
| * by Peter Williams
| * 2007-05-06 Interactivity improvements to CFS by Mike Galbraith
| * 2007-07-01 Group scheduling enhancements by Srivatsa Vaddagiri
`----
http://kerneltrap.org/node/14191
Related:
New Syllable Build System for Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| The Syllable project has released a new package of Builder, the system that
| builds Syllable, its native applications, and ported applications. Builder
| can also be installed on Linux. *
`----
http://www.osnews.com/story.php/18299/New-Syllable-Build-System-for-Linux/
Five Questions: Kristian 'Vanders' van der Vliet, Syllable
,----[ Quote ]
| Getting hardware support to a point that is even as good as Linux will take
| time.
|
| [...]
|
| Kaj has been planning
| it for a long time and it's exciting that it's really happening now. We
| have already been noticing that it opens doors for us. On the other hand,
| it's just a side project to help Syllable Desktop out. Using the Linux
| kernel for Syllable Server gives us several things: stability, REBOL/Core,
| and ReiserFS 3.
`----
http://osnews.com/story.php/18218/Five-Questions-Kristian-Vanders-van-der-Vliet-Syllable/
Linux: Tuning CFS
,----[ Quote ]
| Nick Piggin used 'git bisect' to track a lmbench regression to the main CFS
| commit, leading to an interesting discussion between Nick and Ingo Molnar. *
`----
http://kerneltrap.org/node/14055
Linux: CFS and 3D Gaming
,----[ Quote ]
| Some of the concerns expressed about the Completely Fair Scheduler were
| reports that it might not handle 3D games as well as the SD scheduler.
`----
http://kerneltrap.org/node/14023
CFS scheduler to appear in Linux kernel 2.6.23
,----[ Quote ]
| And also credit where credit's due, Con Kolivas was the first one to
| prove via RSDL/SD that 'fair scheduling' is possible and that it
| results in better desktop scheduling.
`----
http://www.linuxinsight.com/cfs-scheduler-to-appear-in-linux-kernel-2.6.23.html
Linux: Linus On CFS vs SD
,----[ Quote ]
| "People who think SD was 'perfect' were simply ignoring reality," Linus
| Torvalds began in a succinct explanation as to why he chose the CFS scheduler
| written by Ingo Molnar instead of the SD scheduler written by Con Kolivas. *
`----
http://kerneltrap.org/node/14008
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3068983.b9v4oXnXSW@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Open Source More Credible for Security Purposes, JavaScript Still a Risk
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 03:09:35 +0100
Open Source Security, Part 1: Securing Credibility
,----[ Quote ]
| Based on the virus-hunting and removal performance, Morris's own tests led
| him to determine that ClamAV outperformed all the commercial products he
| tested. As a result, Untangle decided to go with ClamAV.
|
| However, neither Morris nor Walters was happy about the unsettled debate over
| open source versus closed source security products. So Morris convinced
| Walters to take their tests further.
|
| "We found that ClamAV was the quickest with the least drained resources. We
| also noticed that same thing with other types of open source security
| products," Morris said. "I didn't believe that open source was better. Now I
| do."
`----
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/58851.html
Researchers Warn of Ajax Attacks
,----[ Quote ]
| Among the biggest threats, said Hoffman, is that poorly coded Ajax sites can
| provide hackers with an opening to change the order in which a programme
| executes functions.
`----
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/58868.html
Yesterday:
Open source security OK, experts assure SMBs
,----[ Quote ]
| Ignore the myths. Open source security technology is an affordable and robust
| option for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
`----
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2007/08/15/226207/open-source-security-ok-experts-assure-smbs.htm
http://tinyurl.com/2q8svn
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2124986.UAu6O0N69x@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Palm Gets New Smartphone Ready, Good News for Mobile Linux
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:41:38 +0100
Palm shows off 'Centro' smart phone
,----[ Quote ]
| Gearlog called the Centro "Treo 800" and "Gandolf," both names that have come
| up before among the Palm enthusiasts. It's also not clear if Centro will run
| Garnet, the decaying version of Palm OS, or a newer Linux-based version from
| Access or Palm. No further details were forthcoming from Palm, but the
| devices shown at the Sprint event were slated for this fall.
`----
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9761440-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Mobile Linux gets serious
,----[ Quote ]
| That's exactly why the Limo (Linux Mobile) foundation has apparently decided
| to allow Wind River deep into its midst.
|
| Wind River can now lay claim to being on the forefront of being, "the first
| commercial Linux platform and tools provider in the Limo consortium."
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=41750
Yesterday:
Wind River is on the block: IBM is lead buyer
,----[ Quote ]
| Wind River, a leader in real-time and embedded Linux is up for sale. Sources
| close to the deal say IBM is the buyer.
`----
http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2007/08/wind_river_is_o.php
ACCESS Strengthens Global Partner Programme by Adding More Members and
Participating in Launch of New Orange Developer Centre in Beijing
,----[ Quote
| ACCESS CO., LTD., today introduced new members of the ACCESS
| Connect Ecosystem (ACE) partner programme, including five local
| Chinese partners.
`----
http://digital50.com/news/items/PR/2007/06/04/AQM046/access-strengthens-global-partner-program-by-adding-more-members-and-participating-in.html
http://tinyurl.com/yqezhm
Cellphone giants unveil mobile Linux foundation
,----[ Quote ]
| Six of the world's largest telecommunications companies have
| officially launched a non-profit organisation dedicated to
| creating a common mobile Linux software platform. Founded by
| Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications,
| Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone, the LiMo Foundation is
| inviting membership and participation from application
| and middleware developers.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2923387573.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <11994040.jeQMl3Rv8k@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Corruption at Microsoft, IBM, and Dell
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:48:11 +0100
Microsoft Executive, Robbie Bach: A Master Of Bad Timing
,----[ Quote ]
| At the time of Microsoft’s July 5 announcement, Bach said that, “In the last
| couple of months, we started to see significant increases in repair
| requests … and significant attention from people” regarding an Xbox flaw
| known as “the red ring of death.”
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070816/44666_id.html?.v=1
DoJ says IBM, PwC agree to settle kickback allegations
,----[ Quote ]
| International Business Machines Corp. has agreed to pay about $2.97 million,
| while auditing firm PwC will pay about $2.32 million, the DoJ said in a
| statement.
`----
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKBNG4268720070816?rpc=44
Dell execs skewed numbers to meet earnings targets
,----[ Quote ]
| Dell concluded an internal investigation into its accounting procedures
| Thursday and found that three years' worth of quarterly earnings statements
| were improperly adjusted, and senior executives knew about it.
`----
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9761223-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More here: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6203071.html
On the bright side, Dell's Linux sells _by far_ exceed expectations and they
have just released a nice Linux video:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/shared/corp/media/en/studio_dell?c=us&l=en&s=corp&targetNetwork=1&targetCha
http://tinyurl.com/3xe3s6
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2195655.piKKNbUfcC@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Microsoft and US Government Caught 'Moderating' Their Wikipedia Pages
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:54:19 +0100
CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia edits
,----[ Quote ]
| The changes may violate Wikipedia's conflict-of-interest guidelines, a
| spokeswoman for the site said on Thursday.
|
| The programme, WikiScanner, was developed by Virgil Griffith of the Santa Fe
| Institute in New Mexico and posted this month on a Web site that was quickly
| overwhelmed with searches.
`----
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2007-08-16T224359Z_01_N16428960_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-WIKIPEDIA.xml
http://tinyurl.com/2om2aq
Edit by Microsoft Corp.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=prev&oldid=3864532
Edit by the MSBBC:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_W._Bush&diff=prev&oldid=9152976
Yesterday:
Vote On the Most Shameful Wikipedia Spin Jobs
,----[ Quote ]
| Caltech graduate student Virgil Griffith just launched an unofficial
| Wikipedia search tool that threatens to lay bare the ego-editing *and
| anonymous flacking on the site. Enter the name of a corporation, organisation *
| or government entity and you get a list of IP addresses assigned to it. Then
| with one or two clicks, you can see all the anonymous edits made from those
| addresses anywhere in Wikipedia's pages. * *
`----
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/08/vote-on-the-top.html
Related:
Microsoft Hires Programmer to edit Wikipedia Entry For OOXML
http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/79130/index.html
Microsoft Programme Manager: Wikipedia is a Giant Joke
,----[ Quote ]
| I am especially amused by all the bits in red font since they are
| either borderline libel or just straight up hilarious.
`----
http://www.25hoursaday.com/weblog/PermaLink.aspx?guid=136975bc-b378-4408-bf7e-dbaa28fe21e6
Cjhebgen re-writing SCO's history on Wikipedia
,----[ Quote ]
| It's very interesting what changes they try and make. Like they've
| removed the link to Groklaw
`----
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_S/threadview?m=tm&bn=2942&tid=415572&mid=415572&tof=5&frt=2
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1925324.UiJSJhatXg@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] New Linux Users Lean Out of Windows
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:57:15 +0100
Choosing Windows Vs. Linux - Which One & Why & What Lies Ahead !
,----[ Quote ]
| Vista arrival has opened new avenues for Linux. As most users find themselves
| unable or unwilling to switch to Vista, for reasons outlined above, they want
| to change, (and they will have to, as Microsoft & Windows Software developers
| will stop supporting Windows XP Within 1 or 2 years.
`----
http://www.pkblogs.com/cyneuron/2007/08/choosing-windows-vs-linux-which-one-why.html
Living with 2 OS’s
,----[ Quote ]
| In closing, Linux is a great OS for those not picky with what they use so
| long as it’s working. It’s fine now unless you have specific needs like me.
| That’s where the need for windows comes in.
`----
http://atmaxplorer.com/2007/08/17/living-with-2-oss/
Related:
Linux gains despite and because of Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| Despite the heightened competition over the last two quarters from
| Microsoft-Novell and a move by Oracle to undercut Red Hat on the cost of Red
| Hat Linux support service, Red Hat has reported double-digit growth in
| revenue and an increase in profit.
|
| “The success of Red Hat has been able to validate the future potential for
| open source software,” Szulik says.
|
| Emerging countries are also lucrative markets for Linux, says IDC’s Gillen,
| because there isn’t as much of the legacy Windows technology to have to
| displace.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/072507-linux-microsoft-gains.html?page=3
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2505871.0e3L47mRDM@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Radical Views on Windows and Linux Text Editors
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:02:48 +0100
What does your favourite text editor say about you?
,----[ Quote ]
| Gedit
|
| You are a bit like the Notepad user, but you use Ubuntu or Fedora instead of
| Windows. Gedit is the default, and that’s what you use. It is completely
| sufficient for editing small config files, and you never really needed stuff
| like syntax highlighting. It never occurred to you that you could use
| anything else. The KDE practice of starting names of all their applications
| with k annoys you.
|
| Microsoft Word
|
| Microsoft Word is not a text editor. You should not be allowed near a
| computer. In fact you are the cancer that is killing the internet. Kill
| yourself.
`----
http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/index.php?p=1843
Watch this Windows user from ComputerWorld blaming Linux for not running a
Windows (win32) application well enough. Linux is not Windows.
Linux text editors: Do any make the grade?
,----[ Quote ]
| So, did I find the single killer text editor I'd been seeking? No, but I
| uncovered several good applications that should meet the requirements of
| users with different needs. If I switch to Linux full time, I'm confident I
| could stitch together a couple of separate apps that would largely do what I
| need.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9030879&pageNumber=1
Related:
Poll shows majority favour Vi as their editor of choice
,----[ Quote ]
| Two weeks back, this blog had run a poll which asked which was your favourite
| editor. The poll was open for voting roughly for a period of two weeks or 14
| days. And nearly 750 people participated in the poll. *
`----
http://linuxhelp.blogspot.com/2007/08/poll-shows-majority-favor-vi-as-their.html
The Church of Emacs
,----[ Quote ]
| Emacs is my OS and Linux its device driver
`----
http://www.tuxdeluxe.org/node/178http://www.raiden.net/images/titles/title-letter-space.jpg
The Text Editors of KDE
,----[ Quote ]
| Kate is somewhat of the all in one "Swiss army knife" of basic text
| editors. It's got a little bit of everything for everyone that you'd
| need in a basic text editing interface. The next step up is to go
| directly to a full blown word processor. There really is a
| fascinating number of things you can do with Kate, not the
| least of which is to use it to do basic perl and php coding.
`----
http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid=235&pid=2
Chat it up in Emacs with IRC modes
,----[ Quote ]
| Sometimes it seems like the Emacs editor has features that only
| operating systems have. You can, for instance, run an Internet
| Relay Chat client to chat online right from inside of Emacs.
`----
http://applications.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/01/12/166226&from=rss
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1697154.yKazYdj3lG@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Mozilla Hosts Conference, Lightning and Thunderbird Live on and Evolve
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:06:05 +0100
Mozilla plans 24-hour developer conference
,----[ Quote ]
| Mozilla is to host a 24-hour web conference to develop new ideas for open
| source coding.
|
| [...]
|
| The event will host speakers including Dr Vint Cerf, chief internet
| evangelist at Google, and Dr Lawrence Lessig, founder of Stanford Law
| School's Centre for Internet and Society.
`----
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2196744/mozilla-plans-hour-developer
The future of Lightning... after the Thunderbird announcement
,----[ Quote ]
| We'd like to state publicly that we will continue to work on our two products
| Lightning and Sunbird in the foreseeable future and that we still envision
| great things for Lightning and Thunderbird. We are currently hard at work for
| our next release 0.7 (coming this fall) and are starting the planning work
| for the following releases 0.9 and 1.0.
`----
http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/calendar/2007/08/the_future_of_lightning_after.html
Related:
[Thunderbird] Comunity reports back!
,----[ Quote ]
| This report was compiled from hundreds of comments, ideas and suggestions
| made to various web blogs, wikis and mailing lists, due to the recent Email
| call to action by Mitchell Baker. It aims to provide an overview of the
| information we found important, ordered by feasibility and relevance... *
`----
https://blog.startcom.org/?p=32
Reviewing Features of Mozilla Thunderbird 2
,----[ Quote ]
| In case it's not obvious, extensions are basically software utility
| add-ons of varying complexity, while themes are user interface styles
| that can somewhat dramatically change the look of the application.
| Mozilla installs a single extension in Thunderbird by default-for
| error reporting-and a single, default user interface theme. I
| find the default Thunderbird theme to be pleasing and in keeping
| with the standard Firefox look and feel.
`----
http://linux.wordpress.com/2007/05/01/reviewing-features-of-thunderbird-2-reviewing-features-of-mozilla-thunderbird-2/
First look: Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0
,----[ Quote ]
| The one e-mail client that seems to still be on the rise is the
| open-source Mozilla Thunderbird, which recently hit Version 2.0.
| While it hasn't changed radically, the new release includes several
| new features, most notably for organising and finding messages.
| In this review, we'll assess which additions are useful and
| which are fluff.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9018106&source=rss_news50
Mozilla Thunderbird 2 Review
,----[ Quote ]
| Though it's likely that I'll move back to Outlook full-time at some
| point (I still use it for calendaring, actually), I have to admit
| that I had intended to use Thunderbird for about a month and then
| move on, but it's proven usable and efficient. Thunderbird is an
| excellent and high-quality email solution, and while I'm guessing
| that many of the people who read this site haven't really given it
| a shot, my advice is to do so, especially if you can't get your
| hands on Outlook 2007. Thunderbird is quite a bit better than
| Windows Mail or Outlook Express, and while many Web-based email
| services have improved with Ajax/Web 2.0-based interfaces, users
| who have to manage a lot of email will be better off with a true
| email application.
`----
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/thunderbird2.asp
Thunderbird 2 Flies Ahead, Racing Web Mail
,----[ Quote ]
| To a certain degree, Mozilla's Thunderbird could be a victim of
| the success of its browser sibling. As next-generation browsers
| like Firefox have become better at supporting highly interactive
| GUIs for browser-based applications, managing e-mail strictly
| through a Web interface has become much less of a chore, and,
| for some people, has even replaced desktop mail clients as thef
| irst choice for dealing with e-mail.
`----
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2116136,00.asp
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2500598.L3GmvMcp7L@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Peter Galli: Microsoft Might Snatch Xen Through Citrix (Antitrust Loophole)
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:11:18 +0100
Will Microsoft Buy the New Citrix?
,----[ Quote ]
| VMware, holding some 85 percent of the market, with its VI3 technologies
| offers a fully integrated stack and represents a third generation of
| virtualisation technology, while Viridian and Xen-based products, including
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, XenEnterprise
| and Virtual Iron, remain second-generation products, the report stated.
`----
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2171434,00.asp
Also new:
Scalix in bed with Microsoft
http://www.19incheswide.com/blog/2007/08/16/scalix-in-bed-with-microsoft/
Speculative ideas about Microsoft and some commercial Linux vendors deals
http://libreinfo.wordpress.com/2007/08/16/speculative-ideas-about-microsoft-and-some-commercial-linux-vendors-deals/
Related:
What the XenSource deal says about open source
,----[ Quote ]
| This is what Citrix is paying for. That and a close relationship with
| Microsoft that looks likely to get closer. “We will be building dynamic
| virtualisation services and management tools on top of Viridian,” Levine
| added. “We will build the same set of products we’ve built on top of Xen for
| Viridian. We’ve already hired a team to go do that up in Redmond.” * *
|
| While Citrix maintained it will continue support for the Xen project, this
| deal is not about a proprietary vendor getting open source religion. It's
| about grabbing an emerging player in a rapidly expanding sector of the
| market. *
`----
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/08/what_the_xensou.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <6250002.aPVNHx08vW@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Google Thrives, So Microsoft Takes Over US Government (a Whole GROUP of Lobbyists)
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:19:01 +0100
Google expands Puget Sound presence
,----[ Quote
| Online search giant Google Inc. has signed a lease for nearly 200,000 square
| feet for three new office buildings in Kirkland.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/bizj/070816/1507596.html?.v=1
Google Web applications expanded to 5 universities
,----[ Quote ]
| Google Inc said on Thursday that five U.S. universities have signed on for
| its Internet-based applications including e-mail and instant messaging.
`----
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN1645238820070816?rpc=44
It is rather nasty that academic institutes put their students in the hand of
companies, but Google is not a convicted criminal (yet).
Now, watch Microsoft...
Microsoft trying to derail Google/DoubleClick deal by lobbying congress
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has hired lobbying firm Patton Boggs LLC to do work on "competitive
| issues surrounding Google/DoubleClick [sic] merger."
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070816-microsoft-spends-40000-to-lobby-congress-about-googledoubleclick-merger.html
So it's not just the one guy that got exposed yesterday. It's a whole firm.
More here:
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9760830-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Related:
Legislators Wimp Out on Open Document Format Bills
,----[ Quote ]
| As both Peter Quinn and Louis Gutierrez both found out, trying to
| make responsible standards-related decisions where huge sums of
| vendor revenues are at stake is scarcely a career-enhancing pastime.
| CIOs should be entitled to stay out of harm's way, and try their best
| to serve the public's interests the best they can. Where that can't be
| done, legislatures should protect them, and keep them safe from the
| types of unwarranted threats and attacks that Carol Sliwa reported
| on in a series of public-records request-based stories at ComputerWorld
| last December.
|
| [...]
|
| After the impressive lobbying assault mounted over the past six
| months against open document format legislation, I expect you
| won't be hearing of many state IT departments taking the baton
| back from their legislators.
| *
| And who can blame them? If they tried, it wouldn't be likely to
| be anything as harmless as an open document format that would
| bite them in the butt.
`----
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070610175856704
Microsoft trounces pro-ODF forces in state battles over open document formats
,----[ Quote ]
| In a resounding victory for Microsoft Corp., bills seeking to mandate the
| use of open document formats by government agencies have been defeated
| in five states, and only a much-watered-down version of such legislation
| was signed into law in a sixth state.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9022878
Packing The Court At The ISO?
,----[ Quote ]
| * * *...P member countries ('participating member' countries) sending
| * * representatives, and I am interested to note the majority of
| * * their representatives are, as individuals, also Microsoft employees.
|
| [...]
|
| How can they not see that OOXML (ECMA 376) is unwanted by anyone outside of
| Microsoft? How about it Brian Jones? Are you really so desperate that you
| have to resort to that?
`----
http://lnxwalt.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/packing-the-court-at-the-iso/
Q&A: Former Mass. CIO feels 'bittersweet pride' after battles with Microsoft,
legislature
,----[ Quote ]
| As CIO of Massachusetts from February to November last year, Louis
| Gutierrez had to endure most of the brunt of Microsoft Corp.'s political
| wrath over a state policy calling for the adoption of the Open Document
| Format for Office Applications, or ODF -- a rival to the software vendor's
| Office Open XML file format.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012760&source=rss_news50
,----[ Quote ]
| * *Quinn: *Almost to a person, to anybody involved or who knows about
| * *the ODF issue, they attributed the story to Microsoft, right, wrong
| * *or otherwise. Senator Pacheco may be a bully but I do not believe he
| * *is disingenious and would stoop to such a tactic. Senator Pacheco and
| * *Secretary Galvin's office remain very heavily influenced by the
| * *Microsoft money and its lobbyist machine, as witnessed by their
| * *playbook and words, in my opinion.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060119232859729
MA Governor-Elect Names MS Anti-ODF Lobbyist to Technology Advisory Group
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20061128161343183
Bonnie Garcia - Enter the FUD Brigade
,----[ Quote ]
| In opposing California AB 1668, Bonnie spreads a heaping
| helping of fear, uncertainty and doubt by discussing
| wholly unrelated IT projects that failed.
`----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpfu7pwabLY
Bill seeks study of open document formats in New York
,----[ Quote ]
| A bill introduced in the New York state legislature on
| Wednesday would require the state government's IT director
| to study the issue of using open document formats within
| agencies, although the proposal doesn't seek to
| mandate an immediate or long-term move to such formats.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft also is seeking the ISO stamp of approval for
| Office Open XML, the default file format in its Office
| 2007 software. But the software vendor has fought
| the open formats bills in every state as part of an
| effort to protect its Office franchise.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php?id=1431489376&rid=-50
Politics and tech companies: follow the money
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061110-8194.html
Years of deadlock on EU patent bring some new thinking
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/08/business/patents.php
,----[ Quote ]
| "A source that deals with the company said unofficially that Gates
| proposed Microsoft's Digital Rights Management technology as a national
| standard to fight piracy at the governmental level."
`----
http://www.kommersant.com/p719683/r_528/
State by state, Microsoft responds to creeping threat
,----[ Quote ]
| Characteristically, as lawmakers like Homan have learnt,
| Microsoft's hardly taking a passive position.
|
| [...]
|
| 'Microsoft sees what's coming. Things like Word and Excel
| sort of like a drug now getting ready to go generic.'
`----
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/state-state-microsoft-responds-assault/story.aspx?guid=%7BC0D943C4%2D4ADC%2D471C%2D8F87%2 D9181A4EC3E7B%7D&siteid=yhoof
http://tinyurl.com/2akafj
Microsoft's 'Men in Black' kill Florida open standards legislation
,----[ Quote
| It was just a bit of text advocating open data formats that was slipped into
| a Florida State Senate bill at the last minute with no fanfare, but within
| 24 hours three Microsoft-paid lobbyists, all wearing black suits, were
| pressuring members of the Senate Committee on Governmental Operations
| (COGO) to remove the words they didn't like from Senate bill 1974.
`----
http://enterprise.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/04/16/2019244&from=rss
Leaked letter warns of open source 'threat to eco-system'
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=7109
Study: open source needs official support; Lobbyist disagrees with "flawed"
conclusions
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061017-8011.html
Report Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to Abramoff
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/12/AR2006101200889.html
Open Source Foes In Bed With Abramoff
http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/12/2036223&from=rss
EU official joins consultancy serving Microsoft
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-10-03T134311Z_01_L03693228_RTRIDST_0_TECH-MICROSOFT-OFFICIAL.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna
US ambassador to the EU was former Microsoft lobbyist
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34706
US politicians go to bat for Microsoft
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/26/microsoft_eu_political_lobbying/
Changing the Report, After the Vote
http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/01/commission
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3412900.46LzC5LlSn@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Study: Internet Can Replace Big Media, SCO's Lies Set Free
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:26:17 +0100
Big Media losing grip thanks to the Internet and America's political divide
,----[ Quote ]
| Most notably, the Internet news audience—that is, "people who rely on the
| internet as their main news source"—appears to be quite dissatisfied with
| mainstream media. Pew says that the Internet news audience tends to
| be "younger and better educated" than the general public and is perhaps more
| exposed to different types of news because of their reliance on the Internet.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070812-big-media-losing-grip-thanks-to-the-internet-and-americas-political-divide.html
Requiem for a legal disaster: a retrospective analysis of SCO v. Novell
,----[ Quote ]
| After IBM refused to hand over the money, SCO upped the ante by insisting
| that all companies that use Linux should also pay licensing fees. SCO then
| proceeded to expand its litigation campaign and threatened to file suits
| against 1,500 companies. Novell eventually stepped in and argued that SCO
| wasn't actually the owner of the UNIX copyrights and that the UNIX
| intellectual property, in fact, belonged to Novell. SCO retaliated by
| accusing Novell of "slander of title" over the disputed UNIX ownership
| rights.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/requiem-for-a-legal-disaster-a-retrospective-analysis-of-sco-v-novell.ars
Where are all the Forbses and Motley Fools when Linux beats slander? News with
agenda.
Enterprise Network Security: The Wall Street Journal Gets It Wrong
,----[ Quote ]
| Is the tabloid ethos of Murdoch and News Corp. already rubbing off?
`----
http://www.itsecurity.com/features/wsj-gets-it-wrong-081307/
Related:
More on Troy Wolverton, the Street, and Apple Scandal
,----[ Quote ]
| MediaNews did buy the Mercury News with a loan from Bill Gates' foundation,
| and is in the process of paying back that loan by publishing information
| without much journalistic or technical integrity. *
|
| Specifically, I wrote “One might think that the San Jose Mercury News, being
| located in Apple's backyard, would tend to trumpet the company's success. One
| would be wrong... Apple's corporate proximity to San Jose is trumped by the
| Mercury News’ need to publish low cost, highly sensational news to make
| enough money to pay back Bill Gates for the favour of his humanitarian loan.” * *
`----
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q3.07/082663E0-6FD8-4F1D-909F-1BC72833AD02.html
Bill Gates fund reports 12.8 pct PlanetOut stake
,----[ Quote ]
| Bill Gates' investment fund Cascade Investment LLC reported in a regulatory
| filing on Friday that its holds a 12.8 percent stake in the common stock of
| online media company PlanetOut Inc. *
`----
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKN1331033020070713?rpc=44
Bill Gates lends cash to buy newspapers
$350 million to MediaNews
,----[ Quote ]
| Gates involvement has been very behind the scenes. In fact many of
| those involved in the deal didn'teven know he was one of the investors.
| It was carried out through the Gates Foundation, the world's largest
| philanthropy outfit.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33849
Gates sold 100,000 Univision shares-SEC filing
,----[ Quote ]
| The foundation said it sold its remaining stake in Univision,
| which is in the process of being acquired by private investors,
| for an average of $35.34 per share in open market transactions.
`----
http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybrid.aspx?storyID=urn:newsmlreuters.com:2 0070105:MTFH49951_2007-01-05_22-11-13_N05298823&type=comktNews&rpc=44
http://tinyurl.com/yll88p
What happened to the guts?
,----[ Quote ]
| Of one thing I am fairly certain. Microsoft all but eliminated
| mainstream software competition. As a result, Microsoft became
| the primary source of advertising revenue for mainstream publications.
| You don't bite the hand that feeds you. So instead of publishing
| issues calling for a worldwide boycott of Vista because it focuses
| more on what you can't do than what you can do, you see special
| editions praising Vista as the greatest advancement in computing
| since Windows 95. Granted we all know that Windows 95 was a dog
| from day one, but by the 90s, the mainstream press had already
| become rampant with Microsoft sycophants and they pushed Windows
| 95 like it was the second coming.
|
| [...]
|
| In short, I'd love to see a mainstream publication become an
| advocate for the consumer once again.
|
| As noted above, there are exceptions, including Linux Journal,
| most other FOSS-centered publications and even The Register.
| But we're the little guys.
`----
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000173
http://slated.org/bbc_microsoft_bias
Beeb slammed for 'fawning' to Bill Gates
,----[ Quote ]
| BBC viewers have flooded the corporation with complaints over how it
| covered the launch of Microsoft Vista earlier this week.
|
| In one cringingly servile interview worthy of Uriah Heep, the
| Beeb's news presenter Hugh Edwards even thanked Gates at the
| end of it, presumably in appreciation at being allowed to give
| the Vole vast coverage for free.
|
| In other TV news items presenters excitedly explained how Vistac
| ould be obtained and installed - details courtesy of the BBC's
| website.
|
| But British viewers, currently forced to pay a £131.50 licence
| fee to maintain the BBC's "impartiality", were less than impressed.
|
| Scores got in touch to complain that so much was Auntie up Bill's
| bum that you could barely see her corset.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
PC World Editor Resigns When Ordered Not to Criticise Advertisers
,----[ Quote ]
| Apparently he also told the staff that product reviews had to be
| nicer to vendors who advertise in the magazine. The sad thing is
| that given the economics of publishing in this day and age, I
| doubt anything even comes of this even tho it essentially
| confirms that PC World reviews should be thought of as no
| more than press releases. I know that's how I will consider
| links from them in the future. But congratulations to anyone
| willing to stick to their guns on such matters.
`----
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/03/1810239&from=rss
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1261410.XFINjVxSP6@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] New Revision of Debian Etch Released
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:28:08 +0100
Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 updated
,----[ Quote ]
| The Debian project has updated the stable distribution Debian GNU/Linux 4.0
| (codename Etch).
`----
http://times.debian.net/1161-etch-r1
Related:
Goodbye etch, hello lenny
,----[ Quote ]
| The long-anticipated Debian 4.0 may only just have made its debut this
| week, but it's never too soon for the developer community to be making
| plans for its successor.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=497673827&rid=-219
Debian Turns 14 Today!
,----[ Quote ]
| Debian, one of my long time favourite Linux distributions turned 14 today.
| Without the Debian project there would be no Ubuntu.
`----
http://linuxlookup.com/2007/aug/16/debian_turns_14_today
------------------------------
Message-ID: <5849820.4a5sI1qmKd@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] KDE 4 Beta and Red Hat's Developer Studio Taken for a Test Drive
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:33:22 +0100
KDE 4: cursor themes, LinuxMCE, some impressions
,----[ Quote ]
| Current KDE 4 SVN has an improvement that makes it possible to change the
| cursor theme without re-starting X. Also, the LinuxMCE team now officially
| cooperates with KDE to merge technology where it makes sense. I also took
| some general KDE 4 screenshots to gather some impressions.
`----
http://liquidat.wordpress.com/2007/08/16/kde-4-cursor-themes-linuxmce-some-impressions/#comment-29962
Red Hat Developer Studio first contact
,----[ Quote ]
| Project has a nice 'All JBoss Libraries' library which contains 50+ jars
| which will hopefully let me develop without worrying on jars (for a while at
| least). Something similar happens with 'Web App Libraries', which includes
| not only seam but also other must-have like facelets.
`----
http://ideasse.blogspot.com/2007/08/red-hat-developer-studio.html
Related:
Why KDE 4 Matters
,----[ Quote ]
| This is also why Gnome is just now starting to talk about their long term
| future, since they've been stuck in the incremental stuff for a while and I'm
| getting the feeling that some of them feel trapped in the cycle.
`----
http://troy-at-kde.livejournal.com/5647.html
KDE4 is Very Attractive
,----[ Quote ]
| KDE4 will be a big step towards an enterprise software business based on free
| software. The software on the big servers is there already, the desktop is
| next. - kdedevelopers blogs *
`----
http://linux.wordpress.com/2007/08/01/kde4-is-very-attractive/
LinuxMCE Partners with KDE for New Release
,----[ Quote ]
| In an effort to address the '10 foot' interface challenge, LinuxMCE and KDE
| Plasma developers are working to bring the two projects together. The first
| step was making a prototype showing how LinuxMCE and KDE can work together,
| which is showcased in the 0704 release where LinuxMCE is integrated with
| Kubuntu and KDE 3.5. * *
`----
http://dot.kde.org/1187201437/
Linux media centre distro adds flashy features
,----[ Quote ]
| LinuxMCE appears to comprise a set of add-ons -- such as the MythTV DVR
| (digital video recorder), for example -- that sit on top of Kubuntu, the
| version of Ubuntu that uses KDE (K desktop environment). It adds numerous
| fancy features, including the optional alpha-blended UI (user interface)
| shown in the screenshots below. * *
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6449672401.html
LinuxMCE 0704 Released
,----[ Quote ]
| "LinuxMCE 0704 is a major improvement over the original 1.0 release.
| According to a poll, 86% now report LinuxMCE installs and starts up without
| problems, versus 27% with the original release. *
`----
http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/Software/LinuxMCE-0704-Released.html
LinuxMCE 1.1 Released -- Now Runs KDE
,----[ Quote ]
| There's also word that LinuxMCE, since it works so well with the
| KDE desktop environment, that the guys at the KDE project are
| seriously considering integrating LinuxMCE into their upcoming
| 4.0 release. Now this is HUGE! If combined in the KDE 4.0 release,
| LinuxMCE + Kubuntu would be a free, open-source competitor/aternative
| to Windows Vista Ultimate.
`----
http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/3891/linuxmce_1_1
CodeGear, Red Hat add dev tools for Eclipse, Java
,----[ Quote ]
| CodeGear is unveiling JGear, featuring a set of Eclipse plug-ins and server
| software to address Java development challenges. Red Hat, meanwhile, will
| offer a beta release of Red Hat Developer Studio, an IDE leveraging Eclipse
| as well as Red Hat and JBoss software. *
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20070813/tc_infoworld/90938
Red Hat small business desktops available in Australia early 2008
,----[ Quote ]
| According to Mr Riveros, Red Hat's new Linux desktop release will be easy to
| implement by small businesses with no Linux expertise in house and will
| require less security knowledge than for Microsoft Windows.
`----
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/13943/53/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1749612.GY1f9F557Q@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Red Hat Expands in India (Without Bribing Bloggers Like Microsoft Does)
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:36:23 +0100
Beyond subscriptions: Red Hat looks to services
,----[ Quote ]
| A lot of SMB members are looking to go for Linux and we provide them with a
| full roadmap for the same specific to each customer’s needs.
`----
http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20070820/market06.shtml
Related:
Red Hat in talks with states for open source solution
,----[ Quote ]
| The open source software business is gaining momentum in the country with
| governments keen on adopting this technology.
`----
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Red_Hat_in_talks_with_states_for_open_source_solut ion/rssarticleshow/2283777.cms
New Linux version supports 10 Indian languages
,----[ Quote ]
| Mr Nandu Pradhan, Red Hat India's President and Managing Director,
| explained that Release 5 had doubled the Indian language support to
| 10 languages - a case of fortuitous timing in the light of the
| government's budget-day announcement of sharply increasing monetary
| support for e-governance initiatives at the Centre and the States.
`----
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/03/16/stories/2007031603980400.htm
Red Hat Organises Red Hat Developer Day
,----[ Quote ]
| Red Hat, Inc. organised the first Red Hat Developer Day in
| India in Bangalore on 18 October 2006. The one-day Red Hat
| event brought together Linux developers and users to
| facilitate the growth of open source technologies,
| development, techniques, tools and standards through the
| sharing of technical knowledge and expertise.
`----
http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=14947&magid=11
Red Hat and Satyam partner to deliver open source solutions
,----[ Quote ]
| He feels that such strategic tie ups a clear indication that
| companies have now started to see a great demand and value int
| he open source business model, unlike the past.
`----
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/34151
IIT Delhi and Red Hat India hold Knowledge Symposium
,----[ Quote ]
| "Software patents hurt the Indian software industry, and could have
| a negative, crippling effect on the open source model. Governments in
| the United States and elsewhere are adopting Linux and striking down
| software patent legislation. Call it economic efficiency or a
| futuristic approach, we believe that all roads lead to open source."
`----
http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/business/stories/155330.html
Microsoft Traps and Hunts for Bloggers in India !!
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has announced the "Microsoft BlogStars" contest, to Hunts
| for Developer Bloggers in India. After feeling the power and increase of
| the Bloggers community in India, Microsoft tries to trap and hunt Bloggers
| in India to buildup the blogging community, for writing blog posts
| supporting towards Microsoft Technologies.
`----
http://i5bala.blogspot.com/2006/10/microsoft-traps-and-hunts-for-bloggers.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <5549327.DYayDNmZKL@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Truly Free Software Makes a Business, Momentum Grows
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:41:59 +0100
Ada Core Technologies: Free Software Business Model Is Viable
,----[ Quote ]
| Ada Core is one of a few businesses listed as such by the Free Software
| Foundation/GNU Project.
|
| [...]
|
| There is a clear trend towards greater use of Free Software licences (e.g.,
| in the wide adoption of GNU/Linux systems)
`----
http://blue-gnu.biz/node/99
Second and final AGPL draft released
,----[ Quote ]
| The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today released the second discussion
| draft of the GNU Affero General Public Licence (GNU AGPL). This new
| license is based on version 3 of the GNU GPL. It has a new requirement to
| ensure that users who interact with the software over a network can receive
| the source for that programme.
`----
http://lwn.net/Articles/245647/
Recent:
Open Source Sending Shock Waves Says IT Survey
,----[ Quote ]
| Disruptive technology is an innovation that disrupts or overturns existing
| market conditions, making an existing technology less important or even
| obsolete. Examples include "on-demand" software and open-source technology.
| Many times disruptive technologies emerge by targeting a small subset of the
| market, then having the technology catch on to the broader market. * *
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/11173/open-source-sending-shock-waves-says-it-survey
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2237046.cIYYiG0L5R@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Even Cisco Starts Releasing Open Source Code
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:51:03 +0100
Cisco offers up safe mapping tool as open source
,----[ Quote ]
| This is the first we've come across an open source tool from Cisco. What are
| the others it has offered?
`----
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/18481
Open Source Outsourcing
,----[ Quote ]
| The smart software companies like Google and Red Hat know this and respond
| directly to their users. They have already made the mistake of not
| communicating and have suffered and learnt.
`----
http://weblog.infoworld.com/ittroubleshooter/archives/2007/08/open_source_out.html?source=rss
Will Cisco, Microsoft Bury the Hatchet?
,----[ Quote ]
| Cisco and Microsoft are cordial to each other, but they aren’t exactly the
| best of partners.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070816/44643_id.html?.v=1
Related:
Chambers: We're Not Plumbers Anymore *
,----[ Quote ]
| In response to a question about Cisco's views on open source posed
| by internetnews.com Chambers responded, "I think that open source or
| open content is the future. You want to be able to create your own
| content and we want to do that empowerment."
`----
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3684241#49977821313266324796
Citizen journalism innovation using open source methodology
,----[ Quote ]
| “What I like about HULIQ.com is the possibility to use the open
| source methodology to tap on the unlimited resource of public
| journalism,” continues Helge.
`----
http://www.huliq.com/blog/admin/06/19/2007/citizen-journalism-innovation-using-open-source-methodology#810088711395918233
Partner Progam: Vyatta Partner Programme To Accelerate Adoption Of Open-Source
Networking
,----[ Quote ]
| "Developing our Vyatta Ready partner programme is an important step in
| the rapid growth of our global partner ecosystem, which we believe
| will make our Linux-based networking solution a standard fixture
| in growing networks and data centres around the world," said Keith
| Hartley, vice president of alliances at Vyatta.
`----
http://www.itreselleronline.com/content/news/article.asp?docid=ffc059ac-bca4-4d4a-bc27-de0e3b34a69c&atc~c=771+s=773+r=001+l=a&VNETCOOKIE=NO
Open source and secret sauce
,----[ Quote ]
| Open source router outperforming Cisco device in test revives the
| "commodity" vs. "special purpose" debate
|
| [...]
|
| Marketing trumped technology, however. Competitors would say "you don't
| want to trust your network to a PC" -- even though it really wasn't a PC.
| And FUD prevailed. Today we can expect to hear the same comments made in
| reference to open source. Will they work this time?
`----
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2007/041107tolly.html?fsrc=rss-ibm
Comcast invests in Vyatta, open source router maker
,----[ Quote ]
| The company has raised a total of $18.5 million so far. The
| investment indicates that cable carriers are getting serious
| about chasing the small and medium sized businesses, and
| competing with the telephone companies in more than just
| consumer markets.
`----
http://gigaom.com/2007/04/01/vyatta-comcast/
Free Linux router distro gains sophisticated QoS
,----[ Quoye ]
| A small, Linux router distribution for x86 has added QoS
| (quality-of-service) management features claimed capable of
| classifying packets regardless of port. The 1.0.beta4 release
| of Zeroshell now includes QoS software from the open source
| "L7-filter" project, along with a QoS management interface.
|
| Zeroshell is available as a live CD or bootable CompactFlash
| (512MB) image. It includes a Web-based user interface, and
| supports many advanced features; see our earlier coverage
| for specifics.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS9446520379.html
Vyatta Delivers Twice the Performance of Cisco at Half the Price
,----[ Quote ]
| Vyatta today announced the release of independent third-party testing
| results from The Tolly Group that measured the throughput and
| performance of the open-source, x86-based Vyatta router and
| firewall appliance versus the proprietary Cisco 2821 ISR.
|
| "This report shatters the myth that proprietary hardware products
| are a better choice than standard x86-based systems for network
| infrastructure," said Dave Roberts, VP of strategy and marketing
| at Vyatta. "For the majority of routing applications, open-source
| software and x86-based hardware can easily address the performance
| requirements and at significantly lower price points."
`----
http://www.topix.net/content/prweb/2794294903426800112404643709233288209670
Will an open source router replace your Cisco router?
,----[ Quote ]
| By using VMware, I was able to get this new router up in less than 30
| minutes--as promised by the evaluation guide. In fact, half of that time
| came from downloading the file. In addition, I ended up reading some of the
| guide to learn the default login and the basics of the user interface.
|
| In my opinion, Vyatta shows a lot of promise. While I'm not recommending
| throwing out Cisco routers in favour of Vyatta just yet, spending 30 minutes
| to familiarise yourself with what it can do is a smart idea.
`----
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035_11-6163569.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=tr
http://tinyurl.com/37zkvp
Open source router on par with Cisco, users say
,----[ Quote ]
| "I'd say that any PC we could put [Vyatta OFR] on today is going to be
| way faster than Cisco. I would not be doing backbone routing with this,
| but I would not hesitate to say this will compete against Cisco
| either," Newnam said. "Well, as long as we're not switching half of
| the U.S. of course."
`----
http://searchopensource.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci1218088,00.html
University dumps Cisco VOIP for open-source Asterisk
,----[ Quote ]
| SHSU is in the process of moving its 6,000 students, faculty and staff off
| of Cisco CallManager IP PBXs and a legacy Nortel Meridian PBX over to Linux
| servers running Asterisk...
`----
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1646405846;fp;4;fpid;78268965
Dumping Cisco for open-source
,----[ Quote ]
| Open-source networking trend is limited so far, but it
| could grow fast
|
| The open-source movement, which has long made inroads
| into corporations via Linux and other enterprise-level
| software, now has a potentially bigger target in its
| cross hairs: the PBXs and network routers from companies
| such as Cisco Systems Inc. that form the basis of
| networking infrastructure.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9004223
http://tinyurl.com/t8cfw
Cisco CEO Says Microsoft Screws Its Partners Everytime...Just Like Apple.
,----[ Quote ]
| If partnering with Microsoft is not a win-win then it must be a win-lose…in
| Microsoft’s favour of course.
`----
http://www.ceosmack.com/2007/07/25/cisco-ceo-says-microsoft-screws-its-partners-everytimejust-like-apple/
Cisco CEO: 'Microsoft Has Given Us a Three-Year Lead'
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has given us a three-year lead. And we've never lost a
| game when we've had a three-year lead... It's a battle we fully
| intend to win.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070405/31630_id.html?.v=1
Microsoft's Worst Nightmare (Nope, Not Google)
,----[ Quote ]
| The Cisco/Linksys drive into the home follows an absolutely miserable
| effort by Microsoft, which had a first-mover advantage but blew it in
| favour of its Xbox gaming play. Maybe Microsoft figured the timing just
| wasn't right. In any case, Microsoft angered a lot of digital home
| integrators who were hoping for some support to break open the
| market.
`----
http://www.crn.com/digital-home/198700830
Cisco benefits as Microsoft keeps moving the goalposts
,----[ Quote ]
| Forced between choosing between unified comms vendors, many users
| are reluctantly opting to use an alternative to Microsoft. Others,
| it seems, are a lot less disappointed.
|
| [...]
|
| The Microsoft partner confessed that Cisco is the preferred option. "Cisco
| has a better track record of consistency on upgrades. Whereas Microsoft?s
| new products can be a completely different kettle of fish from the last,"
| he said.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38259
Cisco, Microsoft, Others Get Together On Security
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft, Cisco Systems and the open-standards Trusted Computing
| Group each developed their own NAC approaches, which use a variety
| of software and hardware to boost network security.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/070531/tech01.html?.v=1
Can Microsoft and Cisco Still Be Pals?
,----[ Quote ]
| That puts it in direct competition with Microsoft, which is No. 2
| with its Live Meeting service. Microsoft's big push will come in
| June when it begins producing a host of products, including Microsoft
| Office Communicator 2007.
`----
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/may2007/db20070509_476708.htm?campaign_id=yhoo
http://tinyurl.com/2pt3yw
Why the world needs openness, not interoperability.
,----[ Quote ]
| This NAC/NAP lovefest would be laughable if it weren't such
| a kick-in-the-teeth to the rest of the industry, enterprise IT, and
| all Internet users. A Cisco/Microsoft oligopoly stalls implementation,
| stifles innovation, and makes the network less secure. In this way, Cisco
| and Microsoft are standing in the way of progress.
`----
http://news.com.com/2061-11203_3-6112960.html?part=rss&tag=6112960&subj=news
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1813683.MWEHji215o@schestowitz.com>
From: R
* Wind River is on the block: IBM is lead buyer
* Microsoft Hires Patton Boggs to Lobby Government on Google's
Acquisition of DoubleClick
* Ron Hovsepian Spins to Escape Hard Questions
* [Rival] Nintendo Leaves Microsoft Behind Very Fast, Increases
Microsoft's Loss-per-sale Figure
* Microsoft-BBC Corruption: iPlayer is Only the Beginning
* 3Com Bets on GNU/Linux to Fight a Monopoly
* Linux Killer Apps: New Version of AmaroK; GIMP 2.4 Approaches
Release; New 2.6.22 Kernel
* Linus is Not Worried About Microsoft at All
* Adobe Might Launch Web-based Office Suite
* IBM to Become Solaris OEM
* Goldman Sachs Foresees Linux Growth
* Accounting Web Uses Lenovo and Dell Linux Preinstalls to Recommend
Linux
* Linux Hardware Compatibility a No-brainer Thanks to Live CDs
* Linux on a USB Key Gets Mainstream Media Exposure
* XenSource-Citrix Deal Anticompetitive and Predatory
* Open Source Software Simply Sells Better
* Debian GNU/Linux Celebrates Birthday
* Darl McBride Gone "Mad" Amid Bankruptcy?
* Syllable OS Adopts the Linux Kernel, a Look Back at the Scheduler
* Open Source More Credible for Security Purposes, JavaScript Still
a Risk
* Palm Gets New Smartphone Ready, Good News for Mobile Linux
* [Rival] Corruption at Microsoft, IBM, and Dell
* [Rival] Microsoft and US Government Caught 'Moderating' Their
Wikipedia Pages
* New Linux Users Lean Out of Windows
* Radical Views on Windows and Linux Text Editors
* Mozilla Hosts Conference, Lightning and Thunderbird Live on and
Evolve
* Peter Galli: Microsoft Might Snatch Xen Through Citrix (Antitrust
Loophole)
* Google Thrives, So Microsoft Takes Over US Government (a Whole
GROUP of Lobbyists)
* Study: Internet Can Replace Big Media, SCO's Lies Set Free
* New Revision of Debian Etch Released
* KDE 4 Beta and Red Hat's Developer Studio Taken for a Test Drive
* Red Hat Expands in India (Without Bribing Bloggers Like Microsoft
Does)
* Truly Free Software Makes a Business, Momentum Grows
* Even Cisco Starts Releasing Open Source Code
* [Rival] People Looks Away and Beyond the Vista "Downgrade"
* [SOT] Government Embraces Secrecy, Spying, Restricts Web Access
* [Rival] Many More Security and Patching Problems in Microsoft Windows
* Linux Stack for DaVinci Processors Unveiled
* Proprietary, Insecure-by-design, Windows-based Diebold Dead in the
Water, Tries Name Change
* Novell Defends Microsoft's New Pal, Microsoft Attempt to Manage
the World's Population?
* [Rival] Theft of over 40+ Million Credit Card Accounts Has Windows
Traces?
* [SOT] Copyrights Insanity in 'Land of the Free'
* More OOXML Ugliness -- Browser Disrimination; Sun Won't Write OOXML
* Free Open Source Management Tools Get Thumbs Up and Adopted for
Huge Savings
* Industry Support for Free Software Comes from Google, Others
* Industry Chooses Free Software (More Stories)
* Proprietary Software Gradually Devoured by Free Software (Study
and Success Story)
* Graphics and Debugging in Linux Still at the Front
* Linux Highly Popular on Machines Big and Small
* [Rival] Ways to Fight Microsoft's OOXML 'Corruption Train'
* Sun Wants to Extract Money from Linux Clone
* Comparison of VMware and Parallels Using GNU/Linux VMs
This is a digest of the previous 24 hours (GMT day) of [News] postings
in comp.os.linux.advocacy. If you have any comments, suggestions or
remarks, please reply to this message and I will take account of all
that I can. The digest is created from my leafnode news spool, which is
pre-filtered, so some posters' articles might not appear.
Try the faq at: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/
for more information about cola.
Just like other public, unmoderated discussion fora, cola has
its share of disruptive posters. This blog has been created by
a concerned cola netizen to assist newcomers in identifying them:
http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/
In order to find the last week's digests, try:
http://groups.google.co.uk/groups/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&num=10&q=group%3Acomp.os.linux.advocacy+insubject%3Alinux +insubject%3Anews+insubject%3Adigest+author%3Amark .kent%40demon.co.uk&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=w&safe=off&qt_s=Search
Alternatively, you can start at the first one, posted 3/Sep/06, and
work fowards:
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/comp.os.linux.advocacy/browse_thread/thread/204520deb472e5ef/fa8c1f5e12433243?&hl=en#fa8c1f5e12433243
I very much hope that you find this digest useful. I also run a blog in
which I post occasionally, which you can find at http://thereisnomagic.org
It does tend to the philosophical end of free software, engineering and
economics, you have been warned!
You can email me at: echo mark@NOSPAM.ellandroad.demon.co.uk, removing
the obvious bit.
Happy reading, Mark Kent, Digest Editor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message-ID: <1187307194.923029.34500@g12g2000prg.googlegroups.c om>
From: "nessuno@wigner.berkeley.edu" <nessuno@wigner.berkeley.edu>
Subject: [News] Wind River is on the block: IBM is lead buyer
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:33:14 -0700
<Quote>
Wind River, a leader in real-time and embedded Linux is up for sale.
Sources close to the deal say IBM is the buyer.
It makes sense. Wind River used to be anti-Linux because of its own
operating system. More than two years ago it shifted to embrace Linux
and started making a profit.
IBM is the biggest supporter of Linux because it provides a rosseta
stone type cross-platform development technology plus it allows IBM to
profit from its value-add software components while commoditising the
business of rivals. Wind River has followed the same strategy.
Please see SVW, March 2005: How I learnt to love Linux and profit
from it--Wind River turns from Linux basher to religious zealot...
</Quote>
\http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2007/08/
wind_river_is_o.php
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1187307630.276407.16530@q4g2000prc.googlegroups.co m>
From: "nessuno@wigner.berkeley.edu" <nessuno@wigner.berkeley.edu>
Subject: [News] Microsoft Hires Patton Boggs to Lobby Government on Google's Acquisition of DoubleClick
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:40:30 -0700
<Quote>
Microsoft Corp. hired Patton Boggs LLP to lobby the federal government
on Google Inc.'s $3.1 billion buyout of online advertising company
DoubleClick Inc., according to a disclosure form.
Microsoft would not comment...
[Microsoft has voiced objections to the deal because of...]
"serious competition and privacy concerns" because it would give
Google "unprecedented control in the delivery of online advertising,
and access to a huge amount of consumer information by tracking what
customers do online."
[Ah, the irony of it all.]
[Congress plans to scrutinise Google. It certainly won't hurt if they
are bribed by Microsoft.]
[Microsoft has made its own acquisitions, recently $6 billion for
aQuantive.]
The lobbying disclosure form was posted online Thursday by the
Senate's public records office.
</Quote>
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070815/microsoft_lobbying.html?.v=1
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3985261.9J7K3f6GYC@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Ron Hovsepian Spins to Escape Hard Questions
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:54:27 +0100
LinuxWorld: User Q&A with Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian
,----[ Quote ]
| Q - You stated that Novell will ship GPL3? Then how will Novell support MS
| coupons and customer s with GPL3 software when Microsoft has explicitly said
| that they will not support or endorse GPL3? (pause for applause -- Jack)
|
| A - Fundamentally what this relationship is, is that as a customer goes to
| redeem certificates the customer calls up Novell and redeems, and then with
| that certificate we will give them the most current release we are shipping
| to the market - including GPLv3 code. What Microsoft feels is they are not a
| legal party to the contract. In its simplest form it is a coupon that
| customers redeem and we’ll deliver to them latest distro on the shelf at that
| time.
`----
http://enterpriselinuxlog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/08/08/linuxworld-user-qa-with-novell-ceo-ron-hovsepian/
http://tinyurl.com/3xaprl
He asked the wrong question.
Related:
Eben Moglen: GPLv3 not about MS and Novell (video)
,----[ Quote ]
| Professor Moglen explains briefly about GPLv3's work on globalisation
| of the software licence, preventing harm to others by members of
| the community, and the most contentious in earlier drafts, DRM.
`----
http://community.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/05/17/1616214&from=rss
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1841788.eY3kihb4Ee@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Nintendo Leaves Microsoft Behind Very Fast, Increases Microsoft's Loss-per-sale Figure
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:57:39 +0100
Wii Brits love Nintendo. Will pass Xbox 360 in October
,----[ Quote ]
| The weather in the UK must truly be awful, as the latest gaming generation
| stay indoors and embrace the new generation consoles. The Nintendo Wii is
| poised to overhaul Microsofts yearlong start with the Xbox 360.
`----
http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14027&Itemid=1063
Related:
Microsoft Xbox 360 Sales Plunge 60% As Problems Mount
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft’s growing troubles with the Xbox 360 video game console appear to
| be catching up to the company. Sales of the gaming machine plunged 60% in the
| fiscal fourth quarter, Microsoft disclosed Thursday. In its earnings
| statement for the quarter, Microsoft said it shipped 700,000 Xbox 360 units
| during the period, compared to 1.8 million in the fiscal fourth quarter of
| 2006 -- a fall off of 61%.
`----
http://www.mtechxp.net/main/microsoft-xbox-360-sales-plunge-60-as-problems-mount
Microsoft: XBox 360 Price Drop Won't Fix Broken Strategy
,----[ Quote ]
| So in the end, it doesn’t matter if the 360 is $50 or even $100 less.
| Ultimately, the price cut will just reveal how niche the system has become.
|
| Exactly. Come on, guys. The blogosphere, be it the guys at GigaOM, Chris
| Kohler at Wired Game I Life or myself, have come up with some pretty rational
| approaches for how you can get it together. Unfortunately, however, our
| protestations seem to fall on deaf ears. Best of luck with your "winning
| strategy." I guess you know best. * *
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070809/43985_id.html?.v=1
------------------------------
Message-ID: <13493167.WgO5WkGoS1@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Microsoft-BBC Corruption: iPlayer is Only the Beginning
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:57:17 +0100
What tricks is the BBC up to with Microsoft?
,----[ Quote ]
| The twin elephants in the meeting room will be Microsoft's Silverlight and
| PlayReady.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/16/silverlight_iplayer_playready/
More patents, more hijacks, more monopoly.
SCO leaders warn against monopolistic world order (Roundup)
,----[ Quote ]
| In a final declaration at their summit in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, the
| leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
| warned that unilateral actions were not adequate to solving existing
| problems.
`----
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1343937.php/SCO_leaders_warn_against_monopolistic_world_order_ _Roundup_
That's another SCO. Here's an SCO cartoon:
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20070816
Related:
BBC's iPlayer's Prospects Looking Bleak
,----[ Quote ]
| "The future of iPlayer, the BBC's new online on-demand system for delivering
| content, is continuing to look bleaker. With ISPs threatening to throttle the
| content delivered through the iPlayer, consumers petitioning the UK
| government and the BBC to drop the DRM and Microsoft-only technology, and
| threatened legal action from the OSC, the last thing the BBC wanted to see
| today was street protests at their office and at the BBC Media Complex
| accompanied by a report issued by DefectiveByDesign about their association
| with Microsoft." * * *
`----
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/15/1721229&from=rss
BBC iPlayer protest report
,----[ Quote
| First on site with me is Tom Chance, Green Party spokesperson on Free
| Software. He has organised for Dr Derek Wall, lead spokesperson for the Green
| Party to join us and make some statements about BBC iPlayer and the Microsoft
| lock-in it establishes. *
|
| [...]
|
| We have 1500 fliers to distribute, that focus on the key issue with the
| iPlayer, and why $130 Million and 4 years of development don't get you much
| when you choose Microsoft DRM. *
`----
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/iPlayerProtestReport
Anti-DRM Protesters call on the BBC to eliminate DRM from the iPlayer
,----[ Quote ]
| London and Manchester, England – Two weeks after the BBC officially launched
| the iPlayer, protesters wearing bright yellow Hazmat suits gathered outside
| BBC Television Centre in London and BBC headquarters in Manchester to demand
| that Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) be eliminated from the BBC. *
|
| The BBC have developed the "iPlayer" at a cost to the BBC license fee payer
| of £130 Million and rising. *
|
| [...]
|
| FSF Executive Director attending the protest spoke about the corrupting
| influence of Microsoft, "BBC values have been corrupted because BBC
| Executives are too closely associated with Microsoft. BBC values have been
| corrupted because the iPlayer uses proprietary software and standards made
| under an exclusive deal with Microsoft. BBC values have been corrupted
| because license fee payers must now own a Microsoft operating system to
| download BBC programming. BBC values have been corrupted because license fee
| payers must accept DRM technologies that spy and monitor on the digital files
| held on their computers. We are here today to help BBC Director General Mark
| Thompson, clean up this DRM mess, and to encourage the BBC Trust to reverse
| course and eliminate DRM from the BBC iPlayer" * * * * *
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/11186/anti-drm-protesters-call-bbc-eliminate-drm-iplayer
Internet groups warn BBC over iPlayer plans
,----[ Quote ]
| Some of the companies involved have told the BBC that they will consider
| limiting the bandwidth available to iPlayer – a process known as traffic
| shaping. The measure would limit the number of consumers who could access the
| iPlayer at any one time. *
`----
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2856766.ece
Lobby Group: Microsoft Too Close to BBC
,----[ Quote ]
| A software lobby group is campaigning to highlight the role of software giant
| Microsoft Corp. in the British Broadcasting Corp.'s digital media strategy by
| petitioning Great Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown to address the issue. *
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070803/microsoft_bbc.html?.v=1
BBC iPlayer Protests
,----[ Quote ]
| Who are the people responsible for creating this mess?
|
| * * * Mark Thompson, BBC director general (DG)
| * * * Erik Huggers, group controller at BBC Future Media & Technology
| * * * Ashley Highfield, director of new media and technology
|
| Right now, there is very considerable concern within the BBC that the actions
| of the Director General and his team are sending the corporation in the wrong
| direction. The BBC has been embroiled in a number of recent controversies,
| all linked back to the DG's leadership. *
`----
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/iPlayerProtest
BBC Corrupted
,----[ Quote ]
| Today the BBC made it official -- they have been corrupted by Microsoft. With
| today's launch of the iPlayer, the BBC Trust has failed in its most basic of
| duties and handed over to Microsoft sole control of the on-line distribution
| of BBC programming. From today, you will need to own a Microsoft operating
| system to view BBC programming on the web. This is akin to saying you must
| own a Sony TV set to watch BBC TV. And you must accept the Digital *
| Restrictions Management (DRM) that the iPlayer imposes. You simply cannot be
| allowed to be in control of your computer according to the BBC. * * *
`----
http://defectivebydesign.org/blog/BBCcorrupted
http://labs.live.com/photosynth/BBC/default.htm
Requires ActiveX, IE, Windows...
Silverlight looks better by the Moonlight
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC has already experimented with Silverlight and says it is looking for
| an "embedded media solution".
`----
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/insideit/story/0,,2123942,00.html
BBC iPlayer petition hits 10,000
,----[ Quote
| More than 10,000 people have signed an e-petition on the 10 Downing Street
| website urging the BBC to make its iPlayer available to non-Windows users.
`----
http://www.silicon.com/retailandleisure/0,3800011842,39167923,00.htm?r=1
EC threat to BBC over downloads
,----[ Quote ]
| However, OSC disagrees and says the next step is to make a formal
| complaint to the European Commission (EC).
|
| "We're preparing the full details at the moment and we will be
| sending a formal letter within the next week," said Mr Taylor.
`----
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6236612.stm
Open sourcers rattle EU sabre at BBC on demand player
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC is being threatened with an anti-trust challenge in Europe over its
| use of the Windows Media format in its on demand service, iPlayer, which is
| in the final stages of testing.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/22/iplayer_osc_eu_ofcom/
Free the BBC
,----[ Quote ]
| We are deeply concerned about the BBC's use of "Digital Rights
| Management" (DRM) to manage content delivered to users over the
| Internet. There are dozens of arguments against DRM, however we
| believe these are the most important and relevant to the BBC.
`----
http://www.freethebbc.info/node/5
MPs rap BBC over Siemens deal
,----[ Quote ]
| But public spending watchdog the PAC said BBC executives misled the board
| of governors about possible savings while trying to convince them to give
| the deal the go-ahead.
|
| The committee of MPs found £60m of costs was excluded when budgets were
| put to the governors for approval.
|
| [...]
|
| The PAC said the BBC was failing to manage the contract properly.
|
| [...]
|
| The report suggests the BBC should open up its accounts to government
| officials for proper scrutiny.
`----
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/06/29/pac_bbc_siemens/
BBC Trust chairman scuppered by Skype
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC has gone into a massive navel gazing operation after an internal
| investigation that revealed it had made quite a few mistakes.
|
| Naturally every hack+dog on the British national press is weighing in
| describing it as a scandal, a "breach of trust" and the rest. *
|
| [...]
|
| ohn Humphreys, the interviewer, proceeded to explain that the chairman was
| using something called Skype. Sort of re-assuring that the BBC Trust isn't
| wasting licence payers' money though. *
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=41100
Save the BBC from Windows DRM!
,----[ Quote ]
| Clearly, shutting out 25% of your audience sits ill with the BBC's
| remit of serving all of its users...
|
| There is no denying that this is an extremely difficult area for
| the BBC, since it must negotiate not one but three minefields -
| those of technology standards, copyright and contract law. But
| there are still things that it could do without turning into a
| global advertisement for Microsoft's flawed DRM approach.
`----
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000183
BBC plans to lock viewers into Microsoft monopoly says Open Source Consortium
,----[ Quote ]
| The Open Source Consortium (OSC) believes the plans are anti-competitive
| and will use public money to lock viewers into the technologies of
| a repeatedly convicted monopolist.
`----
http://www.publictechnology.net/article_avantgo.php?sid=7655
Beeb slammed for 'fawning' to Bill Gates
,----[ Quote ]
| BBC viewers have flooded the corporation with complaints over how it
| covered the launch of Microsoft Vista earlier this week.
|
| In one cringingly servile interview worthy of Uriah Heep, the
| Beeb's news presenter Hugh Edwards even thanked Gates at the
| end of it, presumably in appreciation at being allowed to give
| the Vole vast coverage for free.
|
| In other TV news items presenters excitedly explained how Vistac
| ould be obtained and installed - details courtesy of the BBC's
| website.
|
| But British viewers, currently forced to pay a £131.50 licence
| fee to maintain the BBC's "impartiality", were less than impressed.
|
| Scores got in touch to complain that so much was Auntie up Bill's
| bum that you could barely see her corset.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
http://slated.org/bbc_microsoft_bias
Brits! Act now to save the BBC from Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC are holding an open consultation regarding how they're
| going to delivery on-demand content, they want answers to
| questions like: "How important is it that the proposed seven-day
| catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who
| are not using Microsoft software?"
`----
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/31/brits_act_now_to_sav.html
Beeb breaks out with Windows WMA protection
,----[ Quote ]
| According to a press release from Sonos, the blokes over
| at the Beeb have decided to jump ship for relying on
| Realplayer for web content, and have switched over
| entirely to the Windows-friendly WMA format. Now
| that the BBC has made The Big Switch, BBC radio
| stations will be received automatically for users
| of wireless music and radio provider Sonos.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35282
Avoid the Vista badge, it means DRM inside
,----[ Quote ]
| The root of this crappy DRM infection is Microsoft. It is the driving
| force here. This has nothing to do with protecting content, as we
| keep pointing out, there has never been a single thing that has had
| a DRM infection applied that didn't end up cracked on the net in
| hours. DRM is about walled gardens and control.
|
| He who controls the DRM infection controls the market. DRM is
| about preventing you from doing anything with the devices
| without paying the gatekeeper a fee. This is what MS wants,
| nothing less than a slice of everything watched, listened to
| or discussed from now on. DRM prevents others from playing
| there, thanks to the DMCA and other anti-consumer laws.
|
| Make no mistake, MS is pushing the DRM malware as hard as
| it can so it can rake in money hand over fist with no
| competition. It is really good at lock-in, in fact, the firm
| based its entire business model on harming the user so they
| have to comply and spend more.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38926
Microsoft Tells Apple To Stop Complaining About DRM
http://www.podcastingnews.com/2007/04/13/microsoft-apple-drm/
Microsoft launches 'PlayReady' DRM system
,----[ Quote ]
| Although digital rights management (DRM) is popular with content
| creators, it has attracted criticism. Sony was widely attacked after
| using a rootkit-like application to hide content protection on some
| music CDs, and earlier this month Apple CEO Steve Jobs called on
| the music industry to drop its use of DRM.
`----
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6158553.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
Golden Rant : Microsoft DRM's gone too far
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft appears to have hit the wrong button on its critical
| Windows XP download service late last month, pretty well forcing
| every XP user to upgrade to Windows Media Player (WiMP) 11 if
| they (like me and many others) have the automatic download/install
| option enabled for critical updates.
`----
http://securityblog.itproportal.com/?p=712
The Longest Suicide Note in History
,----[ Quote ]
| Gutmann: The genie's out of the bottle before the operating system has even
| been released! But that doesn't mean Vista users in particular - and
| the computer community at large - won't end up paying for Microsoft's
| DRM folly. At the risk of repeating myself repeating myself, yet
| another reason to move to Linux.
`---- * * ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://blogs.pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/tux-love/2007/01/the_longest_suicide_note_in_hi.html
DRM in Windows Vista
,----[ Quote ]
| Windows Vista includes an array of "features" that you don't want.
| These features will make your computer less reliable and less secure.
| They'll make your computer less stable and run slower. They will
| cause technical support problems. They may even require you to
| upgrade some of your peripheral hardware and existing software.
| And these features won't do anything useful. In fact, they're
| working against you. They're digital rights management (DRM)
| features built into Vista at the behest of the entertainment
| industry.
|
| And you don't get to refuse them.
`----
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/02/drm_in_windows.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1472260.cb9cJ8GxBr@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] 3Com Bets on GNU/Linux to Fight a Monopoly
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 01:59:47 +0100
3Com chooses an open strategy
,----[ Quot ]
| The OSN infrastructure runs on Linux.
`----
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62030960,00.htm
Related:
3Com, IBM extend VOIP/messaging interoperability
,----[ Quote ]
| The VCX/Sametime interoperability also extends to 3Com and IBM
| software running on stand-alone servers. (3Com ships VCX systems
| on a Linux-based appliance, and IBM's Sametime runs on a variety
| of operating systems and server hardware).
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php?id=87960963&rid=-50
3Com: Turnaround Depends on IBM Deal
,----[ Quote ]
| And that open source voice over IP system, called Asterisk, has reached
| its tipping point. But instead of ignoring such threats, 3Com appears
| ready to embrace them. In fact, I hear that 3Com plans to address
| the Asterisk market within the next few months.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070323/30493_id.html?.v=1
3Com Evaluating Askerisk Strategy
,----[ Quote ]
| The manager politely danced around the question, then indicated that
| 3Com planned to address Asterisk without necessarily competing with
| the open source system. Sounds like 3Com is piecing together a
| strategy to embrace Asterisk. Could there be a partnership or
| acquisition around the corner?
|
| [...]
|
| Supporting Asterisk would propel 3Com?s open platform strategy
| forward.
`----
http://techiqmag.com/2007/02/26/3com-evaluating-askerisk-strategy/
3Com touts open source
,----[ Quote ]
| 3Com's OSN module is a Linux-based server blade that fits into
| the company's 6000 series routers. It is designed to run
| applications that benefit from being close to the network
| layer, the company says.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/012907-3com-open-source.html?fsrc=rss-linux-news
3Com introduces first 'open services' product
,----[ Quote ]
| Launched at the end of last year, OSN is basically an effort to bring
| some server capabilities into network appliances by using a
| Linux-based server blade, as well as to allow users to plug
| open-source modules into the appliance.
|
| [...]
|
| Interestingly, there is a twist in 3Com's adoption of open source:
| Its founder, Metcalfe, was once known to be anti-open source.
| Fortunately, Metcalfe has since become a convert in line with the OSN.
`----
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20070611.Q01&irec=0
Networks finally learning to work together
,----[ Quote ]
| A more technically interesting solution that 3Com has just rolled out is a
| Linux blade running in its high end switches.
|
| "Imagine a switch or router with a little bit of extra hardware
| running Linux. We are inviting our partners to put their stuff on
| there, essentially a Linux PC on a blade. It's not about replacing
| servers, it's about putting an app into the network, like WAN
| optimisation, packet analysis, netflow, security, things like
| this," he said.
`----
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62017006,00.htm
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1983150.rtNyZVmFkI@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Killer Apps: New Version of AmaroK; GIMP 2.4 Approaches Release; New 2.6.22 Kernel
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:04:24 +0100
Fast Forward to 1.4.7
,----[ Quote ]
| Amarok 1.4.7 includes an improved collection backend as well as a new icon
| coloring provided by Pasi Lallinaho. The streams we provide got a cleanup to
| give you the finest and coolest streams available. Of course we have also
| fixed a bunch of bugs, even though our main focus has moved to Amarok 2.0
| development.
`----
http://amarok.kde.org/en/node/243
Gimp 2.4 RC Released
,----[ Quote ]
| If you want to help by testing this release candidate, you can grab the
| source code from ftp.gimp.org.
`----
http://www.linuxlookup.com/2007/aug/16/gimp_2_4_rc_released
New kernel:
http://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.22.3
Linux 2.6.22.3 Kernel Released
,----[ Quote ]
| The Linux 2.6.22.3 kernel has been released by Greg Kroah-Hartman.
`----
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NTk4Mw
Related:
Linux Audio Players, Tested and Graded
,----[ Quote ]
| KDE users have it easy: Amarok is slick enough to crow about in a
| room full of iTunes or Windows Media Player users.
`----
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128636-page,4-c,linux/article.html
Gimp 2.3 (preview of 2.4)
,----[ Quote ]
| The major change for this release seems to be a big usability
| overhaul. New defaults are now in place that make the Gimp look
| a little bit like Photoshop, but still has many features that
| make it unique.
`----
http://fosswire.com/2007/06/08/gimp-23-preview-of-24/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1217502.Ay2r9XIyYc@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linus is Not Worried About Microsoft at All
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:08:23 +0100
Linus Torvalds: "Linux Is Much Bigger Than Me!"
,----[ Quote ]
| Q: The soon to be released Windows Longhorn is touted to be Microsoft's
| answer to the Linux threat, as Windows NT was for Novell in the 90s. Are
| there any improvements planned in Linux, keeping the technology advancements
| of Longhorn in mind?
|
| Linus: I actually don't worry about MS at all. Their strength is in their
| marketing, and in the (obvious) market share they have. They've never been
| all that interesting from a 'technical' angle. And since all I personally
| care about is the technology, I don't end up being all that interested in
| what MS does.
|
| [...]
|
| Q: What do you think about Microsoft's efforts to sign cross-licensing deals
| with Linux distros like Novell, Xandros and Linspire? How is this going to
| affect the development of the kernel?
|
| Linus: I don't really have a hugely strong opinion on it. Business is
| business, and I don't get involved with it; I worry about the technology.
| Yes, software patents are certainly worrisome, but I also tend to think that
| people just overreact a bit whenever MS is involved, and that some of the
| shrill reactions on the Internet have been a bit over the top.
|
| Let's see what happens.
`----
http://www.efytimes.com/archive/144/news.htm
New interview. Very long.
------------------------------
Message-ID: <5764641.6SC3K23WoV@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Adobe Might Launch Web-based Office Suite
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:14:25 +0100
Adobe may launch Office rival
,----[ Quote ]
| Adobe is pumping significant resources into Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR,
| formerly known as Apollo), which gives developers a way to take code written
| for the web browser and repurpose it for the desktop.
|
| It is the AIR platform which excites many observers, and which could give
| Adobe a solid starting point for the launch of office applications.
`----
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39288562,00.htm?r=6
Related:
Adobe Photoshop: Online Edition
,----[ Quote ]
| One of the risks of trying to find a niche to build a startup is that
| the big guys can land on your face at any time. That?s why all of
| these startups are going to be in serious trouble when Adobe releases
| a free, ad supported online version of Photoshop in six months.
`----
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/28/adobe-photoshop-online-edition/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3014475.kXQZM2TUyM@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] IBM to Become Solaris OEM
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:21:45 +0100
IBM Expands Support for the Solaris OS on x86 Systems
,----[ Quote ]
| The agreement announced today is an extension of IBM's existing support for
| the Solaris OS on select IBM BladeCenter servers, and exemplifies IBM's
| commitment to offering clients the widest choice of operating systems
| available in the industry, as well as Sun's commitment to offer customers a
| wider choice of systems for the Solaris platform.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070816/aqth080.html?.v=16
Counting the roots of growth: BSD vs Linux vs Solaris
,----[ Quote ]
| The answer is that we simply don’t know. There are two main reasons, one
| obvious, the other rather subtle in the way it works out. The obvious problem
| is that some portion, and probably a majority portion at that, of Linux
| installs simply don’t show up in anybody’s hardware or license sales columns
| and are therefore impossible to count accurately.
|
| The corolary problem is that the OpenSolaris community is quite young
| relative to Linux and that growth rates in downloads cannot, therefore, be
| fairly compared - and there’s no evidence either way for the assumption that
| more Linux downloads go to mere tire kickers than do Solaris downloads.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Murphy/?p=940
Related:
OpenSolaris users group to Ian Murdock, Sun: You’re missing the point
,----[ Quote ]
| Coincidence or not, Ratcliffe (voluntarily) left Sun shortly after he spoke
| with SearchEnterpriseLinux.com for the article. Ian Murdock joined the ranks
| soon after in a newly created — albeit slightly mysterious — role.
`----
http://enterpriselinuxlog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/07/18/opensolaris-users-group-to-ian-murdock-sun-youre-missing-the-point/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1966742.EJyZoWRp0b@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Goldman Sachs Foresees Linux Growth
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:24:14 +0100
Goldman Sachs: Tech Spending Might Decline
,----[ Quote ]
| Elsewhere in the report, Goldman Sachs predicts that Linux, the open source
| operating system, will make more inroads into businesses, and that IBM, Red
| Hat and Citrix are companies that are positioned well, regardless of what
| happens to the tech market as a whole.
`----
http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2007/08/16/goldman-sachs-tech-spending-might-decline/?mod=yahoo_hs
Some months ago, Goldman Sachs threw Microsoft out of its basket. Also see the
following:
,----[ Quote ]
| After a while, I bet even Microsoft and Novell's customers got sick of
| hearing about how important customers are.
|
| During Thursday's last-minute teleconference and Webcast, Steve
| Ballmer went on and on about how customers like Randy Cowan,
| Goldman Sach's CTO, had given Microsoft "some serious coaching"
| on how the proprietary software giant needed to work better with
| Linux distributions. I don't imagine Cowan's coaching stipulated
| that Microsoft endorse a single distribution, because even if
| Goldman Sachs uses Suse, it probably has some Red Hat as well.
| Maybe some Debian, too.
`----
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=41048
Goldman Sachs software analyst Sherlund leaving
,----[ Quote ]
| Sherlund started covering Microsoft in 1986, the year it went public,
| and became well known on Wall Street for tracking its growth from
| start-up to 800-pound gorilla of software.
|
| [...]
|
| The slew of companies competing with Microsoft has of course grown
| over the years, and now includes Yahoo, Oracle,IBM and Novell.
|
| Linux to work with Windows
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnnm/061104/110406_goldman_sherlund.html?.v=1
------------------------------
Message-ID: <9576087.mtLCTvT18S@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Accounting Web Uses Lenovo and Dell Linux Preinstalls to Recommend Linux
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:29:16 +0100
Is it time to exit from Windows?
,----[ Quote ]
| The offer of pre-installed Linux by mainstream PC makers doesn't mean the
| open-source operating system is poised to sweep aside Microsoft’s; but while
| its cost advantages may never be compelling, finance departments must prepare
| to consider the merits of switching their own operations to Linux – and to
| hear a stronger case for its company-wide adoption.
|
| [...]
|
| According to Dell, up to 30,000 buyers have already asked for pre-installed
| Linux.
`----
http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=171829&d=1032&h=1020&f=1026
When Dell started this whole Linux thing it estimated that only 20,000 people
would buy the PCs (in a year, IIRC). A couple of months later, even before
expansion overseas, they already hit 30,000, so it _BY FAR_ exceeded their
expectations. No wonder they take this offer abroad, add SUSE, and offer the
PCs to businesses.
Related:
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS7159701171.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1280425.gQY3A9kfQi@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Hardware Compatibility a No-brainer Thanks to Live CDs
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:31:44 +0100
When Buying PCs, Always Bring your Live CD!
,----[ Quote ]
| What I found was very disappointing but also very promising. Disappointing
| because the Toshiba model completely failed my test, but very promising
| because Circuit City seemed very willing to let me test these machines to my
| heart’s content.
`----
http://www.manchicken.com/2007/free-software/when-buying-pcs-always-bring-your-live-cd.html
Related:
Toshiba Italy mulls pre-loaded Linux notebooks
,----[ Quote ]
| Toshiba's Italian channel sales and marketing operation reportedly
| is considering offering pre-loaded Linux in its Tecra, Satellite, Portege,
| and Qosmio notebook lines, according to a story published online last week
| in the Il Sole newspaper.
`----
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS9644921792.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1269489.32fm4gstOL@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux on a USB Key Gets Mainstream Media Exposure
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:36:49 +0100
Desktops on the move
,----[ Quote ]
| A slightly more expensive but less limited way of creating a portable desktop
| is by going with Mandriva, a version of Linux, installed on a 4GB flash drive
| made by Dane-Elec called the Zmate Pen. This is a full-featured operating
| system that fits into 1 GB of space, leaving the remaining 3GB in the thumb
| drive for extra applications or files.
`----
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070815.wgtkaplab0816/BNStory/Technology/columnists
Related:
Portable Qemu Persistent Ubuntu Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| One advantage to using Qemu hardware emulation as opposed to a
| native USB boot is that it allows you to plug your USB stick or
| portable hard drive into any available PC and run a complete
| operating system without restarting. The additional advantage
| of using Ubuntu's persistent feature is that you can save your
| personal settings, files and changes back to the stick. Qemu and
| persistent Ubuntu make for a nice and simple combination.
`----
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2007/03/26/portable-qemu-persistent-ubuntu-linux/
Photoshop CS2 on Linux (Ubuntu)
,----[ Quote ]
| Having tried to install it before, I knew the typical route
| wouldn't work. Instead I headed over to portableapps.com,
| and dug up some info on making CS2 portable, and followed
| the steps here (on a Windows XP install of course). I
| tested it out on Windows, worked like a charm.
|
| I crossed my fingers and booted up ubuntu. Fingers crosse
| tighter yet, I ran the photoshop.exe file on my USB drive and...
|
| Photoshop cs2 on LinuxSweet Panda! It worked!
`----
http://26bits.com/2007/photoshop-cs2-on-linux-ubuntu/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1675622.xvi7gS7Hd3@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] XenSource-Citrix Deal Anticompetitive and Predatory
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:38:35 +0100
What the XenSource deal says about open source
,----[ Quote ]
| This is what Citrix is paying for. That and a close relationship with
| Microsoft that looks likely to get closer. “We will be building dynamic
| virtualisation services and management tools on top of Viridian,” Levine
| added. “We will build the same set of products we’ve built on top of Xen for
| Viridian. We’ve already hired a team to go do that up in Redmond.”
|
| While Citrix maintained it will continue support for the Xen project, this
| deal is not about a proprietary vendor getting open source religion. It's
| about grabbing an emerging player in a rapidly expanding sector of the
| market.
`----
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/08/what_the_xensou.html
Related:
Increasing Virtualisation Insanity
,----[ Quote ]
| For sysadmin types this means: do what you have to do with Xen for now. But
| keep the investments small. For developers this means: don't let yourself be
| tied to a platform. Use an abstraction layer such as libvirt to bridge over
| the differences. For architects this means: don't looking to Xen for answers,
| base your new designs on KVM.
`----
http://udrepper.livejournal.com/17577.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1791811.5hCU4yIojq@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Open Source Software Simply Sells Better
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:42:19 +0100
Selling software that sells itself: An interview with Matt Asay
,----[ Quote ]
| Open source is changing not just how companies make software, but how they
| sell it. Alfresco's Matt Asay explains the new sales cycle and the skills
| that today's software sales people need to close deals.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/081607-matt-asay-interview.html?fsrc=rss-linux-news
Giving proprietary vendors a run for their money
,----[ Quote ]
| A new business model has emerged based on the concept of products that are
| community-based and available with the source code at no cost -- the open
| source movement.
`----
http://opensourceblog.itproportal.com/?p=403
Related:
Open Source Sending Shock Waves Says IT Survey
,----[ Quote ]
| Disruptive technology is an innovation that disrupts or overturns existing
| market conditions, making an existing technology less important or even
| obsolete. Examples include "on-demand" software and open-source technology.
| Many times disruptive technologies emerge by targeting a small subset of the
| market, then having the technology catch on to the broader market. * *
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/11173/open-source-sending-shock-waves-says-it-survey
Calling all disruptors: the perfect storm of SOA, SaaS, and open source
beckons
,----[ Quote ]
| The SOA/SaaS/open-source combination is a highly potent disruption force,
| and we ain't seen nothing yet.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/service-oriented/?p=892
Meet the 'New Disruptors': Executives Finding Success in Shaking Up Their
Industries
,----[ Quote ]
| Red Hat develops and provides support for Linux software services.
|
| [...]
|
| "I have an amazing amount of respect for what Bob built," he added. "I
| think Red Hat is one of the most successful companies to ever come from
| NC, and as I told Bob that night I just hope that Motricity will one day
| be seen in the same league as companies like Red Hat and SAS here in
| the triangle!"
`----
http://www.localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/news/story/1451389/
Constructive disruption: an enterprise perspective on open source
,----[ Quote ]
| It was refreshing to hear how ardently each panelist spoke of the
| benefits of open source. These are significant, global brand names,
| and each is leveraging open source to discover value and drive
| innovation. The tide surely has turned in open source's favour.
`----
http://weblog.infoworld.com/openresource/archives/2007/05/constructive_di.html
Credit Suisse Disruptive Technology Portfolio Mover Of The Week: Red Hat
,----[ Quote ]
| This was the second quarter in a row in which Red Hat's multiyear deals
| grew significantly compared with the prior year, and some investors
| probably see this as a sign that the company is discounting
| contracts. Pricing pressure of this sort is a particularly
| important issue for investors now that Oracle is offering a
| discounted alternative to Red Hat.
`----
http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=198800838
Having Fun With Disruptive Models
,----[ Quote ]
| Net software infrastructure is another classic example. Imagine a world
| where no free Linux or Apache or MySQL existed and then imagine how
| many billions Microsoft and Sun have lost because they do.
|
| [...]
|
| The answer to the business model for static media is, unless someone has
| a flash of business genius, likely to be that beautiful, ugly word "free."
| Free, of course, comes in more shades than Eskimo snow, but whatever shade
| of free your music is, if you are paying .001 cents more on a can of Coke,
| you're not going to be complaining much. The money will still be flowing,
| but the bill to you will be bundled into some other cost like the
| advertising margin in your groceries. With all this "free," it's easy to
| think dot-com stands for dot-communism, but in reality, it's just an
| efficient market at work. In the meantime, we should all be trying to think
| up crazy ideas like text adverts in little boxes down the side of Web
| pages.
`----
http://www.forbes.com/2006/09/16/microsoft-google-oracle-business-model-pf-guru-in_cc_0918soapbox_inl.html?partner=yahootix
http://tinyurl.com/qqd5y
Disruption in the Software Industry
,----[ Quote ]
| Many corporate IT managers considered Linux to be woefully inadequate
| in its early days and for the most part, they were right. *But it
| was good enough for quick and dirty applications and for
| provisioning non-critical systems like file & print servers and
| web servers. *As the web started to grow in importance, those
| niche applications became more prevalent and Linux continued to
| get better. *Now you find Linux in pretty much every corporate
| data centre in the world.
`----
http://www.theopenforce.com/2007/01/disruption_in_t.html
Standards and Disruptive Technologies
,----[ Quote ]
| Look for more and more recognition of the importance of
| standards-based co-opetition in the years ahead -- and for the
| success of more disruptive technologies as a result.
`----
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070104044420309
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3770237.yUyGdvRhdM@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Debian GNU/Linux Celebrates Birthday
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:46:41 +0100
Debian Turns 14 Today!
,----[ Quote ]
| Debian, one of my long time favourite Linux distributions turned 14 today.
| Without the Debian project there would be no Ubuntu.
`----
http://linuxlookup.com/2007/aug/16/debian_turns_14_today
Ian Murdock in 1993:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.development/msg/a32d4e2ef3bcdcc6?output=gplain
Recent:
In-vehicle Linux system assists first responders
,----[ Quote ]
| U.K.-based Thorcom Systems Ltd is shipping a rugged, Debian Linux-based,
| in-vehicle computer intended for emergency first responders.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS5083494428.html
Related:
Goodbye etch, hello lenny
,----[ Quote ]
| The long-anticipated Debian 4.0 may only just have made its debut this
| week, but it's never too soon for the developer community to be making
| plans for its successor.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=497673827&rid=-219
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1663896.usSrbqqnu6@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Darl McBride Gone "Mad" Amid Bankruptcy?
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:50:00 +0100
SCO Just Won't Quit
,----[ Quote ]
| So what happens next? Here, McBride falls back to vague promises. "We do feel
| a responsibility to you and our shareholders to defend our rights when we
| believe they have been violated and that is simply what we continue to do
| within the courts. In the end, our legal team will focus on the necessary
| actions needed to protect SCO, its customers and shareholders."
`----
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS9620416770.html
Related:
,----[ Quote ]
| The media reaction to SCO's flurry of press releases and teleconference
| yesterday is intriguing. Just from the headlines, you can see how well it
| did or didn't go.
|
| [...]
|
| "If people think SCO has gone crazy or 'MAD' it's now official,"
| McBride said.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060808084608494
SCO on the brink of financial collapse
,----[ Quote ]
| The company's share price had closed at $1.56 on Friday ahead of a court
| ruling that Novell, and not SCO, was the rightful owner of the copyrights for
| the Unix operating system. The price remained steady in early trading,
| however, valuing the company at about $9.5m.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=12A15472-0D2D-4B86-8121-992AEA422BBB
------------------------------
Message-ID: <7330078.OPPJ2LJKEU@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Syllable OS Adopts the Linux Kernel, a Look Back at the Scheduler
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 03:03:20 +0100
Syllable Server Video Demonstration
,----[ Quote ]
| Turning our attention to the future, there's a demonstration video of
| Syllable Server, the server companion to Syllable Desktop that is under
| development and is being built on the Linux kernel [torrent, 91 MB AVI
| video].
`----
http://www.osnews.com/story.php/18470/Syllable-Server-Video-Demonstration/
Everyone is moving to Linux for faster and better development.
Linux: The Original Process Scheduler
,----[ Quote ]
| In a June of 1992 posting to the linux-activists mailing list, Linus Torvalds
| described the original Linux scheduler noting, "the scheduler in linux is
| pretty simple, but does a reasonably good job at giving good IO response
| while not being too unfair against cpu-bound processes."
|
| [...]
|
| * 1996-12-23 Modified by Dave Grothe to fix bugs in semaphores and
| * make semaphores SMP safe
| * 1998-11-19 Implemented schedule_timeout() and related stuff
| * by Andrea Arcangeli
| * 2002-01-04 New ultra-scalable O(1) scheduler by Ingo Molnar:
| * hybrid priority-list and round-robin design with
| * an array-switch method of distributing timeslices
| * and per-CPU runqueues. Cleanups and useful suggestions
| * by Davide Libenzi, preemptible kernel bits by Robert Love.
| * 2003-09-03 Interactivity tuning by Con Kolivas.
| * 2004-04-02 Scheduler domains code by Nick Piggin
| * 2007-04-15 Work begun on replacing all interactivity tuning with a
| * fair scheduling design by Con Kolivas.
| * 2007-05-05 Load balancing (smp-nice) and other improvements
| * by Peter Williams
| * 2007-05-06 Interactivity improvements to CFS by Mike Galbraith
| * 2007-07-01 Group scheduling enhancements by Srivatsa Vaddagiri
`----
http://kerneltrap.org/node/14191
Related:
New Syllable Build System for Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| The Syllable project has released a new package of Builder, the system that
| builds Syllable, its native applications, and ported applications. Builder
| can also be installed on Linux. *
`----
http://www.osnews.com/story.php/18299/New-Syllable-Build-System-for-Linux/
Five Questions: Kristian 'Vanders' van der Vliet, Syllable
,----[ Quote ]
| Getting hardware support to a point that is even as good as Linux will take
| time.
|
| [...]
|
| Kaj has been planning
| it for a long time and it's exciting that it's really happening now. We
| have already been noticing that it opens doors for us. On the other hand,
| it's just a side project to help Syllable Desktop out. Using the Linux
| kernel for Syllable Server gives us several things: stability, REBOL/Core,
| and ReiserFS 3.
`----
http://osnews.com/story.php/18218/Five-Questions-Kristian-Vanders-van-der-Vliet-Syllable/
Linux: Tuning CFS
,----[ Quote ]
| Nick Piggin used 'git bisect' to track a lmbench regression to the main CFS
| commit, leading to an interesting discussion between Nick and Ingo Molnar. *
`----
http://kerneltrap.org/node/14055
Linux: CFS and 3D Gaming
,----[ Quote ]
| Some of the concerns expressed about the Completely Fair Scheduler were
| reports that it might not handle 3D games as well as the SD scheduler.
`----
http://kerneltrap.org/node/14023
CFS scheduler to appear in Linux kernel 2.6.23
,----[ Quote ]
| And also credit where credit's due, Con Kolivas was the first one to
| prove via RSDL/SD that 'fair scheduling' is possible and that it
| results in better desktop scheduling.
`----
http://www.linuxinsight.com/cfs-scheduler-to-appear-in-linux-kernel-2.6.23.html
Linux: Linus On CFS vs SD
,----[ Quote ]
| "People who think SD was 'perfect' were simply ignoring reality," Linus
| Torvalds began in a succinct explanation as to why he chose the CFS scheduler
| written by Ingo Molnar instead of the SD scheduler written by Con Kolivas. *
`----
http://kerneltrap.org/node/14008
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3068983.b9v4oXnXSW@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Open Source More Credible for Security Purposes, JavaScript Still a Risk
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 03:09:35 +0100
Open Source Security, Part 1: Securing Credibility
,----[ Quote ]
| Based on the virus-hunting and removal performance, Morris's own tests led
| him to determine that ClamAV outperformed all the commercial products he
| tested. As a result, Untangle decided to go with ClamAV.
|
| However, neither Morris nor Walters was happy about the unsettled debate over
| open source versus closed source security products. So Morris convinced
| Walters to take their tests further.
|
| "We found that ClamAV was the quickest with the least drained resources. We
| also noticed that same thing with other types of open source security
| products," Morris said. "I didn't believe that open source was better. Now I
| do."
`----
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/58851.html
Researchers Warn of Ajax Attacks
,----[ Quote ]
| Among the biggest threats, said Hoffman, is that poorly coded Ajax sites can
| provide hackers with an opening to change the order in which a programme
| executes functions.
`----
http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/58868.html
Yesterday:
Open source security OK, experts assure SMBs
,----[ Quote ]
| Ignore the myths. Open source security technology is an affordable and robust
| option for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
`----
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2007/08/15/226207/open-source-security-ok-experts-assure-smbs.htm
http://tinyurl.com/2q8svn
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2124986.UAu6O0N69x@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Palm Gets New Smartphone Ready, Good News for Mobile Linux
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:41:38 +0100
Palm shows off 'Centro' smart phone
,----[ Quote ]
| Gearlog called the Centro "Treo 800" and "Gandolf," both names that have come
| up before among the Palm enthusiasts. It's also not clear if Centro will run
| Garnet, the decaying version of Palm OS, or a newer Linux-based version from
| Access or Palm. No further details were forthcoming from Palm, but the
| devices shown at the Sprint event were slated for this fall.
`----
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9761440-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Mobile Linux gets serious
,----[ Quote ]
| That's exactly why the Limo (Linux Mobile) foundation has apparently decided
| to allow Wind River deep into its midst.
|
| Wind River can now lay claim to being on the forefront of being, "the first
| commercial Linux platform and tools provider in the Limo consortium."
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=41750
Yesterday:
Wind River is on the block: IBM is lead buyer
,----[ Quote ]
| Wind River, a leader in real-time and embedded Linux is up for sale. Sources
| close to the deal say IBM is the buyer.
`----
http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2007/08/wind_river_is_o.php
ACCESS Strengthens Global Partner Programme by Adding More Members and
Participating in Launch of New Orange Developer Centre in Beijing
,----[ Quote
| ACCESS CO., LTD., today introduced new members of the ACCESS
| Connect Ecosystem (ACE) partner programme, including five local
| Chinese partners.
`----
http://digital50.com/news/items/PR/2007/06/04/AQM046/access-strengthens-global-partner-program-by-adding-more-members-and-participating-in.html
http://tinyurl.com/yqezhm
Cellphone giants unveil mobile Linux foundation
,----[ Quote ]
| Six of the world's largest telecommunications companies have
| officially launched a non-profit organisation dedicated to
| creating a common mobile Linux software platform. Founded by
| Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications,
| Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone, the LiMo Foundation is
| inviting membership and participation from application
| and middleware developers.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2923387573.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <11994040.jeQMl3Rv8k@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Corruption at Microsoft, IBM, and Dell
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:48:11 +0100
Microsoft Executive, Robbie Bach: A Master Of Bad Timing
,----[ Quote ]
| At the time of Microsoft’s July 5 announcement, Bach said that, “In the last
| couple of months, we started to see significant increases in repair
| requests … and significant attention from people” regarding an Xbox flaw
| known as “the red ring of death.”
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070816/44666_id.html?.v=1
DoJ says IBM, PwC agree to settle kickback allegations
,----[ Quote ]
| International Business Machines Corp. has agreed to pay about $2.97 million,
| while auditing firm PwC will pay about $2.32 million, the DoJ said in a
| statement.
`----
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKBNG4268720070816?rpc=44
Dell execs skewed numbers to meet earnings targets
,----[ Quote ]
| Dell concluded an internal investigation into its accounting procedures
| Thursday and found that three years' worth of quarterly earnings statements
| were improperly adjusted, and senior executives knew about it.
`----
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9761223-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More here: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6203071.html
On the bright side, Dell's Linux sells _by far_ exceed expectations and they
have just released a nice Linux video:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/shared/corp/media/en/studio_dell?c=us&l=en&s=corp&targetNetwork=1&targetCha
http://tinyurl.com/3xe3s6
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2195655.piKKNbUfcC@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] Microsoft and US Government Caught 'Moderating' Their Wikipedia Pages
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:54:19 +0100
CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia edits
,----[ Quote ]
| The changes may violate Wikipedia's conflict-of-interest guidelines, a
| spokeswoman for the site said on Thursday.
|
| The programme, WikiScanner, was developed by Virgil Griffith of the Santa Fe
| Institute in New Mexico and posted this month on a Web site that was quickly
| overwhelmed with searches.
`----
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyid=2007-08-16T224359Z_01_N16428960_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-WIKIPEDIA.xml
http://tinyurl.com/2om2aq
Edit by Microsoft Corp.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=prev&oldid=3864532
Edit by the MSBBC:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_W._Bush&diff=prev&oldid=9152976
Yesterday:
Vote On the Most Shameful Wikipedia Spin Jobs
,----[ Quote ]
| Caltech graduate student Virgil Griffith just launched an unofficial
| Wikipedia search tool that threatens to lay bare the ego-editing *and
| anonymous flacking on the site. Enter the name of a corporation, organisation *
| or government entity and you get a list of IP addresses assigned to it. Then
| with one or two clicks, you can see all the anonymous edits made from those
| addresses anywhere in Wikipedia's pages. * *
`----
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/08/vote-on-the-top.html
Related:
Microsoft Hires Programmer to edit Wikipedia Entry For OOXML
http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/79130/index.html
Microsoft Programme Manager: Wikipedia is a Giant Joke
,----[ Quote ]
| I am especially amused by all the bits in red font since they are
| either borderline libel or just straight up hilarious.
`----
http://www.25hoursaday.com/weblog/PermaLink.aspx?guid=136975bc-b378-4408-bf7e-dbaa28fe21e6
Cjhebgen re-writing SCO's history on Wikipedia
,----[ Quote ]
| It's very interesting what changes they try and make. Like they've
| removed the link to Groklaw
`----
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_S/threadview?m=tm&bn=2942&tid=415572&mid=415572&tof=5&frt=2
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1925324.UiJSJhatXg@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] New Linux Users Lean Out of Windows
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:57:15 +0100
Choosing Windows Vs. Linux - Which One & Why & What Lies Ahead !
,----[ Quote ]
| Vista arrival has opened new avenues for Linux. As most users find themselves
| unable or unwilling to switch to Vista, for reasons outlined above, they want
| to change, (and they will have to, as Microsoft & Windows Software developers
| will stop supporting Windows XP Within 1 or 2 years.
`----
http://www.pkblogs.com/cyneuron/2007/08/choosing-windows-vs-linux-which-one-why.html
Living with 2 OS’s
,----[ Quote ]
| In closing, Linux is a great OS for those not picky with what they use so
| long as it’s working. It’s fine now unless you have specific needs like me.
| That’s where the need for windows comes in.
`----
http://atmaxplorer.com/2007/08/17/living-with-2-oss/
Related:
Linux gains despite and because of Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| Despite the heightened competition over the last two quarters from
| Microsoft-Novell and a move by Oracle to undercut Red Hat on the cost of Red
| Hat Linux support service, Red Hat has reported double-digit growth in
| revenue and an increase in profit.
|
| “The success of Red Hat has been able to validate the future potential for
| open source software,” Szulik says.
|
| Emerging countries are also lucrative markets for Linux, says IDC’s Gillen,
| because there isn’t as much of the legacy Windows technology to have to
| displace.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2007/072507-linux-microsoft-gains.html?page=3
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2505871.0e3L47mRDM@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Radical Views on Windows and Linux Text Editors
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:02:48 +0100
What does your favourite text editor say about you?
,----[ Quote ]
| Gedit
|
| You are a bit like the Notepad user, but you use Ubuntu or Fedora instead of
| Windows. Gedit is the default, and that’s what you use. It is completely
| sufficient for editing small config files, and you never really needed stuff
| like syntax highlighting. It never occurred to you that you could use
| anything else. The KDE practice of starting names of all their applications
| with k annoys you.
|
| Microsoft Word
|
| Microsoft Word is not a text editor. You should not be allowed near a
| computer. In fact you are the cancer that is killing the internet. Kill
| yourself.
`----
http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/index.php?p=1843
Watch this Windows user from ComputerWorld blaming Linux for not running a
Windows (win32) application well enough. Linux is not Windows.
Linux text editors: Do any make the grade?
,----[ Quote ]
| So, did I find the single killer text editor I'd been seeking? No, but I
| uncovered several good applications that should meet the requirements of
| users with different needs. If I switch to Linux full time, I'm confident I
| could stitch together a couple of separate apps that would largely do what I
| need.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9030879&pageNumber=1
Related:
Poll shows majority favour Vi as their editor of choice
,----[ Quote ]
| Two weeks back, this blog had run a poll which asked which was your favourite
| editor. The poll was open for voting roughly for a period of two weeks or 14
| days. And nearly 750 people participated in the poll. *
`----
http://linuxhelp.blogspot.com/2007/08/poll-shows-majority-favor-vi-as-their.html
The Church of Emacs
,----[ Quote ]
| Emacs is my OS and Linux its device driver
`----
http://www.tuxdeluxe.org/node/178http://www.raiden.net/images/titles/title-letter-space.jpg
The Text Editors of KDE
,----[ Quote ]
| Kate is somewhat of the all in one "Swiss army knife" of basic text
| editors. It's got a little bit of everything for everyone that you'd
| need in a basic text editing interface. The next step up is to go
| directly to a full blown word processor. There really is a
| fascinating number of things you can do with Kate, not the
| least of which is to use it to do basic perl and php coding.
`----
http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid=235&pid=2
Chat it up in Emacs with IRC modes
,----[ Quote ]
| Sometimes it seems like the Emacs editor has features that only
| operating systems have. You can, for instance, run an Internet
| Relay Chat client to chat online right from inside of Emacs.
`----
http://applications.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/01/12/166226&from=rss
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1697154.yKazYdj3lG@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Mozilla Hosts Conference, Lightning and Thunderbird Live on and Evolve
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:06:05 +0100
Mozilla plans 24-hour developer conference
,----[ Quote ]
| Mozilla is to host a 24-hour web conference to develop new ideas for open
| source coding.
|
| [...]
|
| The event will host speakers including Dr Vint Cerf, chief internet
| evangelist at Google, and Dr Lawrence Lessig, founder of Stanford Law
| School's Centre for Internet and Society.
`----
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2196744/mozilla-plans-hour-developer
The future of Lightning... after the Thunderbird announcement
,----[ Quote ]
| We'd like to state publicly that we will continue to work on our two products
| Lightning and Sunbird in the foreseeable future and that we still envision
| great things for Lightning and Thunderbird. We are currently hard at work for
| our next release 0.7 (coming this fall) and are starting the planning work
| for the following releases 0.9 and 1.0.
`----
http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/calendar/2007/08/the_future_of_lightning_after.html
Related:
[Thunderbird] Comunity reports back!
,----[ Quote ]
| This report was compiled from hundreds of comments, ideas and suggestions
| made to various web blogs, wikis and mailing lists, due to the recent Email
| call to action by Mitchell Baker. It aims to provide an overview of the
| information we found important, ordered by feasibility and relevance... *
`----
https://blog.startcom.org/?p=32
Reviewing Features of Mozilla Thunderbird 2
,----[ Quote ]
| In case it's not obvious, extensions are basically software utility
| add-ons of varying complexity, while themes are user interface styles
| that can somewhat dramatically change the look of the application.
| Mozilla installs a single extension in Thunderbird by default-for
| error reporting-and a single, default user interface theme. I
| find the default Thunderbird theme to be pleasing and in keeping
| with the standard Firefox look and feel.
`----
http://linux.wordpress.com/2007/05/01/reviewing-features-of-thunderbird-2-reviewing-features-of-mozilla-thunderbird-2/
First look: Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0
,----[ Quote ]
| The one e-mail client that seems to still be on the rise is the
| open-source Mozilla Thunderbird, which recently hit Version 2.0.
| While it hasn't changed radically, the new release includes several
| new features, most notably for organising and finding messages.
| In this review, we'll assess which additions are useful and
| which are fluff.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9018106&source=rss_news50
Mozilla Thunderbird 2 Review
,----[ Quote ]
| Though it's likely that I'll move back to Outlook full-time at some
| point (I still use it for calendaring, actually), I have to admit
| that I had intended to use Thunderbird for about a month and then
| move on, but it's proven usable and efficient. Thunderbird is an
| excellent and high-quality email solution, and while I'm guessing
| that many of the people who read this site haven't really given it
| a shot, my advice is to do so, especially if you can't get your
| hands on Outlook 2007. Thunderbird is quite a bit better than
| Windows Mail or Outlook Express, and while many Web-based email
| services have improved with Ajax/Web 2.0-based interfaces, users
| who have to manage a lot of email will be better off with a true
| email application.
`----
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/thunderbird2.asp
Thunderbird 2 Flies Ahead, Racing Web Mail
,----[ Quote ]
| To a certain degree, Mozilla's Thunderbird could be a victim of
| the success of its browser sibling. As next-generation browsers
| like Firefox have become better at supporting highly interactive
| GUIs for browser-based applications, managing e-mail strictly
| through a Web interface has become much less of a chore, and,
| for some people, has even replaced desktop mail clients as thef
| irst choice for dealing with e-mail.
`----
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2116136,00.asp
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2500598.L3GmvMcp7L@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Peter Galli: Microsoft Might Snatch Xen Through Citrix (Antitrust Loophole)
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:11:18 +0100
Will Microsoft Buy the New Citrix?
,----[ Quote ]
| VMware, holding some 85 percent of the market, with its VI3 technologies
| offers a fully integrated stack and represents a third generation of
| virtualisation technology, while Viridian and Xen-based products, including
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, XenEnterprise
| and Virtual Iron, remain second-generation products, the report stated.
`----
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2171434,00.asp
Also new:
Scalix in bed with Microsoft
http://www.19incheswide.com/blog/2007/08/16/scalix-in-bed-with-microsoft/
Speculative ideas about Microsoft and some commercial Linux vendors deals
http://libreinfo.wordpress.com/2007/08/16/speculative-ideas-about-microsoft-and-some-commercial-linux-vendors-deals/
Related:
What the XenSource deal says about open source
,----[ Quote ]
| This is what Citrix is paying for. That and a close relationship with
| Microsoft that looks likely to get closer. “We will be building dynamic
| virtualisation services and management tools on top of Viridian,” Levine
| added. “We will build the same set of products we’ve built on top of Xen for
| Viridian. We’ve already hired a team to go do that up in Redmond.” * *
|
| While Citrix maintained it will continue support for the Xen project, this
| deal is not about a proprietary vendor getting open source religion. It's
| about grabbing an emerging player in a rapidly expanding sector of the
| market. *
`----
http://www.businessreviewonline.com/os/archives/2007/08/what_the_xensou.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <6250002.aPVNHx08vW@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Google Thrives, So Microsoft Takes Over US Government (a Whole GROUP of Lobbyists)
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:19:01 +0100
Google expands Puget Sound presence
,----[ Quote
| Online search giant Google Inc. has signed a lease for nearly 200,000 square
| feet for three new office buildings in Kirkland.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/bizj/070816/1507596.html?.v=1
Google Web applications expanded to 5 universities
,----[ Quote ]
| Google Inc said on Thursday that five U.S. universities have signed on for
| its Internet-based applications including e-mail and instant messaging.
`----
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN1645238820070816?rpc=44
It is rather nasty that academic institutes put their students in the hand of
companies, but Google is not a convicted criminal (yet).
Now, watch Microsoft...
Microsoft trying to derail Google/DoubleClick deal by lobbying congress
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has hired lobbying firm Patton Boggs LLC to do work on "competitive
| issues surrounding Google/DoubleClick [sic] merger."
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070816-microsoft-spends-40000-to-lobby-congress-about-googledoubleclick-merger.html
So it's not just the one guy that got exposed yesterday. It's a whole firm.
More here:
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9760830-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Related:
Legislators Wimp Out on Open Document Format Bills
,----[ Quote ]
| As both Peter Quinn and Louis Gutierrez both found out, trying to
| make responsible standards-related decisions where huge sums of
| vendor revenues are at stake is scarcely a career-enhancing pastime.
| CIOs should be entitled to stay out of harm's way, and try their best
| to serve the public's interests the best they can. Where that can't be
| done, legislatures should protect them, and keep them safe from the
| types of unwarranted threats and attacks that Carol Sliwa reported
| on in a series of public-records request-based stories at ComputerWorld
| last December.
|
| [...]
|
| After the impressive lobbying assault mounted over the past six
| months against open document format legislation, I expect you
| won't be hearing of many state IT departments taking the baton
| back from their legislators.
| *
| And who can blame them? If they tried, it wouldn't be likely to
| be anything as harmless as an open document format that would
| bite them in the butt.
`----
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070610175856704
Microsoft trounces pro-ODF forces in state battles over open document formats
,----[ Quote ]
| In a resounding victory for Microsoft Corp., bills seeking to mandate the
| use of open document formats by government agencies have been defeated
| in five states, and only a much-watered-down version of such legislation
| was signed into law in a sixth state.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9022878
Packing The Court At The ISO?
,----[ Quote ]
| * * *...P member countries ('participating member' countries) sending
| * * representatives, and I am interested to note the majority of
| * * their representatives are, as individuals, also Microsoft employees.
|
| [...]
|
| How can they not see that OOXML (ECMA 376) is unwanted by anyone outside of
| Microsoft? How about it Brian Jones? Are you really so desperate that you
| have to resort to that?
`----
http://lnxwalt.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/packing-the-court-at-the-iso/
Q&A: Former Mass. CIO feels 'bittersweet pride' after battles with Microsoft,
legislature
,----[ Quote ]
| As CIO of Massachusetts from February to November last year, Louis
| Gutierrez had to endure most of the brunt of Microsoft Corp.'s political
| wrath over a state policy calling for the adoption of the Open Document
| Format for Office Applications, or ODF -- a rival to the software vendor's
| Office Open XML file format.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012760&source=rss_news50
,----[ Quote ]
| * *Quinn: *Almost to a person, to anybody involved or who knows about
| * *the ODF issue, they attributed the story to Microsoft, right, wrong
| * *or otherwise. Senator Pacheco may be a bully but I do not believe he
| * *is disingenious and would stoop to such a tactic. Senator Pacheco and
| * *Secretary Galvin's office remain very heavily influenced by the
| * *Microsoft money and its lobbyist machine, as witnessed by their
| * *playbook and words, in my opinion.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060119232859729
MA Governor-Elect Names MS Anti-ODF Lobbyist to Technology Advisory Group
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20061128161343183
Bonnie Garcia - Enter the FUD Brigade
,----[ Quote ]
| In opposing California AB 1668, Bonnie spreads a heaping
| helping of fear, uncertainty and doubt by discussing
| wholly unrelated IT projects that failed.
`----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpfu7pwabLY
Bill seeks study of open document formats in New York
,----[ Quote ]
| A bill introduced in the New York state legislature on
| Wednesday would require the state government's IT director
| to study the issue of using open document formats within
| agencies, although the proposal doesn't seek to
| mandate an immediate or long-term move to such formats.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft also is seeking the ISO stamp of approval for
| Office Open XML, the default file format in its Office
| 2007 software. But the software vendor has fought
| the open formats bills in every state as part of an
| effort to protect its Office franchise.
`----
http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php?id=1431489376&rid=-50
Politics and tech companies: follow the money
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061110-8194.html
Years of deadlock on EU patent bring some new thinking
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/08/business/patents.php
,----[ Quote ]
| "A source that deals with the company said unofficially that Gates
| proposed Microsoft's Digital Rights Management technology as a national
| standard to fight piracy at the governmental level."
`----
http://www.kommersant.com/p719683/r_528/
State by state, Microsoft responds to creeping threat
,----[ Quote ]
| Characteristically, as lawmakers like Homan have learnt,
| Microsoft's hardly taking a passive position.
|
| [...]
|
| 'Microsoft sees what's coming. Things like Word and Excel
| sort of like a drug now getting ready to go generic.'
`----
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/state-state-microsoft-responds-assault/story.aspx?guid=%7BC0D943C4%2D4ADC%2D471C%2D8F87%2 D9181A4EC3E7B%7D&siteid=yhoof
http://tinyurl.com/2akafj
Microsoft's 'Men in Black' kill Florida open standards legislation
,----[ Quote
| It was just a bit of text advocating open data formats that was slipped into
| a Florida State Senate bill at the last minute with no fanfare, but within
| 24 hours three Microsoft-paid lobbyists, all wearing black suits, were
| pressuring members of the Senate Committee on Governmental Operations
| (COGO) to remove the words they didn't like from Senate bill 1974.
`----
http://enterprise.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/04/16/2019244&from=rss
Leaked letter warns of open source 'threat to eco-system'
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=7109
Study: open source needs official support; Lobbyist disagrees with "flawed"
conclusions
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061017-8011.html
Report Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to Abramoff
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/12/AR2006101200889.html
Open Source Foes In Bed With Abramoff
http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/12/2036223&from=rss
EU official joins consultancy serving Microsoft
http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-10-03T134311Z_01_L03693228_RTRIDST_0_TECH-MICROSOFT-OFFICIAL.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna
US ambassador to the EU was former Microsoft lobbyist
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34706
US politicians go to bat for Microsoft
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/26/microsoft_eu_political_lobbying/
Changing the Report, After the Vote
http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/01/commission
------------------------------
Message-ID: <3412900.46LzC5LlSn@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Study: Internet Can Replace Big Media, SCO's Lies Set Free
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:26:17 +0100
Big Media losing grip thanks to the Internet and America's political divide
,----[ Quote ]
| Most notably, the Internet news audience—that is, "people who rely on the
| internet as their main news source"—appears to be quite dissatisfied with
| mainstream media. Pew says that the Internet news audience tends to
| be "younger and better educated" than the general public and is perhaps more
| exposed to different types of news because of their reliance on the Internet.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070812-big-media-losing-grip-thanks-to-the-internet-and-americas-political-divide.html
Requiem for a legal disaster: a retrospective analysis of SCO v. Novell
,----[ Quote ]
| After IBM refused to hand over the money, SCO upped the ante by insisting
| that all companies that use Linux should also pay licensing fees. SCO then
| proceeded to expand its litigation campaign and threatened to file suits
| against 1,500 companies. Novell eventually stepped in and argued that SCO
| wasn't actually the owner of the UNIX copyrights and that the UNIX
| intellectual property, in fact, belonged to Novell. SCO retaliated by
| accusing Novell of "slander of title" over the disputed UNIX ownership
| rights.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/requiem-for-a-legal-disaster-a-retrospective-analysis-of-sco-v-novell.ars
Where are all the Forbses and Motley Fools when Linux beats slander? News with
agenda.
Enterprise Network Security: The Wall Street Journal Gets It Wrong
,----[ Quote ]
| Is the tabloid ethos of Murdoch and News Corp. already rubbing off?
`----
http://www.itsecurity.com/features/wsj-gets-it-wrong-081307/
Related:
More on Troy Wolverton, the Street, and Apple Scandal
,----[ Quote ]
| MediaNews did buy the Mercury News with a loan from Bill Gates' foundation,
| and is in the process of paying back that loan by publishing information
| without much journalistic or technical integrity. *
|
| Specifically, I wrote “One might think that the San Jose Mercury News, being
| located in Apple's backyard, would tend to trumpet the company's success. One
| would be wrong... Apple's corporate proximity to San Jose is trumped by the
| Mercury News’ need to publish low cost, highly sensational news to make
| enough money to pay back Bill Gates for the favour of his humanitarian loan.” * *
`----
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q3.07/082663E0-6FD8-4F1D-909F-1BC72833AD02.html
Bill Gates fund reports 12.8 pct PlanetOut stake
,----[ Quote ]
| Bill Gates' investment fund Cascade Investment LLC reported in a regulatory
| filing on Friday that its holds a 12.8 percent stake in the common stock of
| online media company PlanetOut Inc. *
`----
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKN1331033020070713?rpc=44
Bill Gates lends cash to buy newspapers
$350 million to MediaNews
,----[ Quote ]
| Gates involvement has been very behind the scenes. In fact many of
| those involved in the deal didn'teven know he was one of the investors.
| It was carried out through the Gates Foundation, the world's largest
| philanthropy outfit.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33849
Gates sold 100,000 Univision shares-SEC filing
,----[ Quote ]
| The foundation said it sold its remaining stake in Univision,
| which is in the process of being acquired by private investors,
| for an average of $35.34 per share in open market transactions.
`----
http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybrid.aspx?storyID=urn:newsmlreuters.com:2 0070105:MTFH49951_2007-01-05_22-11-13_N05298823&type=comktNews&rpc=44
http://tinyurl.com/yll88p
What happened to the guts?
,----[ Quote ]
| Of one thing I am fairly certain. Microsoft all but eliminated
| mainstream software competition. As a result, Microsoft became
| the primary source of advertising revenue for mainstream publications.
| You don't bite the hand that feeds you. So instead of publishing
| issues calling for a worldwide boycott of Vista because it focuses
| more on what you can't do than what you can do, you see special
| editions praising Vista as the greatest advancement in computing
| since Windows 95. Granted we all know that Windows 95 was a dog
| from day one, but by the 90s, the mainstream press had already
| become rampant with Microsoft sycophants and they pushed Windows
| 95 like it was the second coming.
|
| [...]
|
| In short, I'd love to see a mainstream publication become an
| advocate for the consumer once again.
|
| As noted above, there are exceptions, including Linux Journal,
| most other FOSS-centered publications and even The Register.
| But we're the little guys.
`----
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000173
http://slated.org/bbc_microsoft_bias
Beeb slammed for 'fawning' to Bill Gates
,----[ Quote ]
| BBC viewers have flooded the corporation with complaints over how it
| covered the launch of Microsoft Vista earlier this week.
|
| In one cringingly servile interview worthy of Uriah Heep, the
| Beeb's news presenter Hugh Edwards even thanked Gates at the
| end of it, presumably in appreciation at being allowed to give
| the Vole vast coverage for free.
|
| In other TV news items presenters excitedly explained how Vistac
| ould be obtained and installed - details courtesy of the BBC's
| website.
|
| But British viewers, currently forced to pay a £131.50 licence
| fee to maintain the BBC's "impartiality", were less than impressed.
|
| Scores got in touch to complain that so much was Auntie up Bill's
| bum that you could barely see her corset.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
PC World Editor Resigns When Ordered Not to Criticise Advertisers
,----[ Quote ]
| Apparently he also told the staff that product reviews had to be
| nicer to vendors who advertise in the magazine. The sad thing is
| that given the economics of publishing in this day and age, I
| doubt anything even comes of this even tho it essentially
| confirms that PC World reviews should be thought of as no
| more than press releases. I know that's how I will consider
| links from them in the future. But congratulations to anyone
| willing to stick to their guns on such matters.
`----
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/03/1810239&from=rss
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1261410.XFINjVxSP6@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] New Revision of Debian Etch Released
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:28:08 +0100
Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 updated
,----[ Quote ]
| The Debian project has updated the stable distribution Debian GNU/Linux 4.0
| (codename Etch).
`----
http://times.debian.net/1161-etch-r1
Related:
Goodbye etch, hello lenny
,----[ Quote ]
| The long-anticipated Debian 4.0 may only just have made its debut this
| week, but it's never too soon for the developer community to be making
| plans for its successor.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=497673827&rid=-219
Debian Turns 14 Today!
,----[ Quote ]
| Debian, one of my long time favourite Linux distributions turned 14 today.
| Without the Debian project there would be no Ubuntu.
`----
http://linuxlookup.com/2007/aug/16/debian_turns_14_today
------------------------------
Message-ID: <5849820.4a5sI1qmKd@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] KDE 4 Beta and Red Hat's Developer Studio Taken for a Test Drive
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:33:22 +0100
KDE 4: cursor themes, LinuxMCE, some impressions
,----[ Quote ]
| Current KDE 4 SVN has an improvement that makes it possible to change the
| cursor theme without re-starting X. Also, the LinuxMCE team now officially
| cooperates with KDE to merge technology where it makes sense. I also took
| some general KDE 4 screenshots to gather some impressions.
`----
http://liquidat.wordpress.com/2007/08/16/kde-4-cursor-themes-linuxmce-some-impressions/#comment-29962
Red Hat Developer Studio first contact
,----[ Quote ]
| Project has a nice 'All JBoss Libraries' library which contains 50+ jars
| which will hopefully let me develop without worrying on jars (for a while at
| least). Something similar happens with 'Web App Libraries', which includes
| not only seam but also other must-have like facelets.
`----
http://ideasse.blogspot.com/2007/08/red-hat-developer-studio.html
Related:
Why KDE 4 Matters
,----[ Quote ]
| This is also why Gnome is just now starting to talk about their long term
| future, since they've been stuck in the incremental stuff for a while and I'm
| getting the feeling that some of them feel trapped in the cycle.
`----
http://troy-at-kde.livejournal.com/5647.html
KDE4 is Very Attractive
,----[ Quote ]
| KDE4 will be a big step towards an enterprise software business based on free
| software. The software on the big servers is there already, the desktop is
| next. - kdedevelopers blogs *
`----
http://linux.wordpress.com/2007/08/01/kde4-is-very-attractive/
LinuxMCE Partners with KDE for New Release
,----[ Quote ]
| In an effort to address the '10 foot' interface challenge, LinuxMCE and KDE
| Plasma developers are working to bring the two projects together. The first
| step was making a prototype showing how LinuxMCE and KDE can work together,
| which is showcased in the 0704 release where LinuxMCE is integrated with
| Kubuntu and KDE 3.5. * *
`----
http://dot.kde.org/1187201437/
Linux media centre distro adds flashy features
,----[ Quote ]
| LinuxMCE appears to comprise a set of add-ons -- such as the MythTV DVR
| (digital video recorder), for example -- that sit on top of Kubuntu, the
| version of Ubuntu that uses KDE (K desktop environment). It adds numerous
| fancy features, including the optional alpha-blended UI (user interface)
| shown in the screenshots below. * *
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6449672401.html
LinuxMCE 0704 Released
,----[ Quote ]
| "LinuxMCE 0704 is a major improvement over the original 1.0 release.
| According to a poll, 86% now report LinuxMCE installs and starts up without
| problems, versus 27% with the original release. *
`----
http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/Software/LinuxMCE-0704-Released.html
LinuxMCE 1.1 Released -- Now Runs KDE
,----[ Quote ]
| There's also word that LinuxMCE, since it works so well with the
| KDE desktop environment, that the guys at the KDE project are
| seriously considering integrating LinuxMCE into their upcoming
| 4.0 release. Now this is HUGE! If combined in the KDE 4.0 release,
| LinuxMCE + Kubuntu would be a free, open-source competitor/aternative
| to Windows Vista Ultimate.
`----
http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/entry/3891/linuxmce_1_1
CodeGear, Red Hat add dev tools for Eclipse, Java
,----[ Quote ]
| CodeGear is unveiling JGear, featuring a set of Eclipse plug-ins and server
| software to address Java development challenges. Red Hat, meanwhile, will
| offer a beta release of Red Hat Developer Studio, an IDE leveraging Eclipse
| as well as Red Hat and JBoss software. *
`----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20070813/tc_infoworld/90938
Red Hat small business desktops available in Australia early 2008
,----[ Quote ]
| According to Mr Riveros, Red Hat's new Linux desktop release will be easy to
| implement by small businesses with no Linux expertise in house and will
| require less security knowledge than for Microsoft Windows.
`----
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/13943/53/
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1749612.GY1f9F557Q@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Red Hat Expands in India (Without Bribing Bloggers Like Microsoft Does)
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:36:23 +0100
Beyond subscriptions: Red Hat looks to services
,----[ Quote ]
| A lot of SMB members are looking to go for Linux and we provide them with a
| full roadmap for the same specific to each customer’s needs.
`----
http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20070820/market06.shtml
Related:
Red Hat in talks with states for open source solution
,----[ Quote ]
| The open source software business is gaining momentum in the country with
| governments keen on adopting this technology.
`----
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Red_Hat_in_talks_with_states_for_open_source_solut ion/rssarticleshow/2283777.cms
New Linux version supports 10 Indian languages
,----[ Quote ]
| Mr Nandu Pradhan, Red Hat India's President and Managing Director,
| explained that Release 5 had doubled the Indian language support to
| 10 languages - a case of fortuitous timing in the light of the
| government's budget-day announcement of sharply increasing monetary
| support for e-governance initiatives at the Centre and the States.
`----
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/03/16/stories/2007031603980400.htm
Red Hat Organises Red Hat Developer Day
,----[ Quote ]
| Red Hat, Inc. organised the first Red Hat Developer Day in
| India in Bangalore on 18 October 2006. The one-day Red Hat
| event brought together Linux developers and users to
| facilitate the growth of open source technologies,
| development, techniques, tools and standards through the
| sharing of technical knowledge and expertise.
`----
http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=14947&magid=11
Red Hat and Satyam partner to deliver open source solutions
,----[ Quote ]
| He feels that such strategic tie ups a clear indication that
| companies have now started to see a great demand and value int
| he open source business model, unlike the past.
`----
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/34151
IIT Delhi and Red Hat India hold Knowledge Symposium
,----[ Quote ]
| "Software patents hurt the Indian software industry, and could have
| a negative, crippling effect on the open source model. Governments in
| the United States and elsewhere are adopting Linux and striking down
| software patent legislation. Call it economic efficiency or a
| futuristic approach, we believe that all roads lead to open source."
`----
http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/business/stories/155330.html
Microsoft Traps and Hunts for Bloggers in India !!
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has announced the "Microsoft BlogStars" contest, to Hunts
| for Developer Bloggers in India. After feeling the power and increase of
| the Bloggers community in India, Microsoft tries to trap and hunt Bloggers
| in India to buildup the blogging community, for writing blog posts
| supporting towards Microsoft Technologies.
`----
http://i5bala.blogspot.com/2006/10/microsoft-traps-and-hunts-for-bloggers.html
------------------------------
Message-ID: <5549327.DYayDNmZKL@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Truly Free Software Makes a Business, Momentum Grows
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:41:59 +0100
Ada Core Technologies: Free Software Business Model Is Viable
,----[ Quote ]
| Ada Core is one of a few businesses listed as such by the Free Software
| Foundation/GNU Project.
|
| [...]
|
| There is a clear trend towards greater use of Free Software licences (e.g.,
| in the wide adoption of GNU/Linux systems)
`----
http://blue-gnu.biz/node/99
Second and final AGPL draft released
,----[ Quote ]
| The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today released the second discussion
| draft of the GNU Affero General Public Licence (GNU AGPL). This new
| license is based on version 3 of the GNU GPL. It has a new requirement to
| ensure that users who interact with the software over a network can receive
| the source for that programme.
`----
http://lwn.net/Articles/245647/
Recent:
Open Source Sending Shock Waves Says IT Survey
,----[ Quote ]
| Disruptive technology is an innovation that disrupts or overturns existing
| market conditions, making an existing technology less important or even
| obsolete. Examples include "on-demand" software and open-source technology.
| Many times disruptive technologies emerge by targeting a small subset of the
| market, then having the technology catch on to the broader market. * *
`----
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/11173/open-source-sending-shock-waves-says-it-survey
------------------------------
Message-ID: <2237046.cIYYiG0L5R@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Even Cisco Starts Releasing Open Source Code
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:51:03 +0100
Cisco offers up safe mapping tool as open source
,----[ Quote ]
| This is the first we've come across an open source tool from Cisco. What are
| the others it has offered?
`----
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/18481
Open Source Outsourcing
,----[ Quote ]
| The smart software companies like Google and Red Hat know this and respond
| directly to their users. They have already made the mistake of not
| communicating and have suffered and learnt.
`----
http://weblog.infoworld.com/ittroubleshooter/archives/2007/08/open_source_out.html?source=rss
Will Cisco, Microsoft Bury the Hatchet?
,----[ Quote ]
| Cisco and Microsoft are cordial to each other, but they aren’t exactly the
| best of partners.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070816/44643_id.html?.v=1
Related:
Chambers: We're Not Plumbers Anymore *
,----[ Quote ]
| In response to a question about Cisco's views on open source posed
| by internetnews.com Chambers responded, "I think that open source or
| open content is the future. You want to be able to create your own
| content and we want to do that empowerment."
`----
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3684241#49977821313266324796
Citizen journalism innovation using open source methodology
,----[ Quote ]
| “What I like about HULIQ.com is the possibility to use the open
| source methodology to tap on the unlimited resource of public
| journalism,” continues Helge.
`----
http://www.huliq.com/blog/admin/06/19/2007/citizen-journalism-innovation-using-open-source-methodology#810088711395918233
Partner Progam: Vyatta Partner Programme To Accelerate Adoption Of Open-Source
Networking
,----[ Quote ]
| "Developing our Vyatta Ready partner programme is an important step in
| the rapid growth of our global partner ecosystem, which we believe
| will make our Linux-based networking solution a standard fixture
| in growing networks and data centres around the world," said Keith
| Hartley, vice president of alliances at Vyatta.
`----
http://www.itreselleronline.com/content/news/article.asp?docid=ffc059ac-bca4-4d4a-bc27-de0e3b34a69c&atc~c=771+s=773+r=001+l=a&VNETCOOKIE=NO
Open source and secret sauce
,----[ Quote ]
| Open source router outperforming Cisco device in test revives the
| "commodity" vs. "special purpose" debate
|
| [...]
|
| Marketing trumped technology, however. Competitors would say "you don't
| want to trust your network to a PC" -- even though it really wasn't a PC.
| And FUD prevailed. Today we can expect to hear the same comments made in
| reference to open source. Will they work this time?
`----
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2007/041107tolly.html?fsrc=rss-ibm
Comcast invests in Vyatta, open source router maker
,----[ Quote ]
| The company has raised a total of $18.5 million so far. The
| investment indicates that cable carriers are getting serious
| about chasing the small and medium sized businesses, and
| competing with the telephone companies in more than just
| consumer markets.
`----
http://gigaom.com/2007/04/01/vyatta-comcast/
Free Linux router distro gains sophisticated QoS
,----[ Quoye ]
| A small, Linux router distribution for x86 has added QoS
| (quality-of-service) management features claimed capable of
| classifying packets regardless of port. The 1.0.beta4 release
| of Zeroshell now includes QoS software from the open source
| "L7-filter" project, along with a QoS management interface.
|
| Zeroshell is available as a live CD or bootable CompactFlash
| (512MB) image. It includes a Web-based user interface, and
| supports many advanced features; see our earlier coverage
| for specifics.
`----
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS9446520379.html
Vyatta Delivers Twice the Performance of Cisco at Half the Price
,----[ Quote ]
| Vyatta today announced the release of independent third-party testing
| results from The Tolly Group that measured the throughput and
| performance of the open-source, x86-based Vyatta router and
| firewall appliance versus the proprietary Cisco 2821 ISR.
|
| "This report shatters the myth that proprietary hardware products
| are a better choice than standard x86-based systems for network
| infrastructure," said Dave Roberts, VP of strategy and marketing
| at Vyatta. "For the majority of routing applications, open-source
| software and x86-based hardware can easily address the performance
| requirements and at significantly lower price points."
`----
http://www.topix.net/content/prweb/2794294903426800112404643709233288209670
Will an open source router replace your Cisco router?
,----[ Quote ]
| By using VMware, I was able to get this new router up in less than 30
| minutes--as promised by the evaluation guide. In fact, half of that time
| came from downloading the file. In addition, I ended up reading some of the
| guide to learn the default login and the basics of the user interface.
|
| In my opinion, Vyatta shows a lot of promise. While I'm not recommending
| throwing out Cisco routers in favour of Vyatta just yet, spending 30 minutes
| to familiarise yourself with what it can do is a smart idea.
`----
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035_11-6163569.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=tr
http://tinyurl.com/37zkvp
Open source router on par with Cisco, users say
,----[ Quote ]
| "I'd say that any PC we could put [Vyatta OFR] on today is going to be
| way faster than Cisco. I would not be doing backbone routing with this,
| but I would not hesitate to say this will compete against Cisco
| either," Newnam said. "Well, as long as we're not switching half of
| the U.S. of course."
`----
http://searchopensource.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci1218088,00.html
University dumps Cisco VOIP for open-source Asterisk
,----[ Quote ]
| SHSU is in the process of moving its 6,000 students, faculty and staff off
| of Cisco CallManager IP PBXs and a legacy Nortel Meridian PBX over to Linux
| servers running Asterisk...
`----
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1646405846;fp;4;fpid;78268965
Dumping Cisco for open-source
,----[ Quote ]
| Open-source networking trend is limited so far, but it
| could grow fast
|
| The open-source movement, which has long made inroads
| into corporations via Linux and other enterprise-level
| software, now has a potentially bigger target in its
| cross hairs: the PBXs and network routers from companies
| such as Cisco Systems Inc. that form the basis of
| networking infrastructure.
`----
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9004223
http://tinyurl.com/t8cfw
Cisco CEO Says Microsoft Screws Its Partners Everytime...Just Like Apple.
,----[ Quote ]
| If partnering with Microsoft is not a win-win then it must be a win-lose…in
| Microsoft’s favour of course.
`----
http://www.ceosmack.com/2007/07/25/cisco-ceo-says-microsoft-screws-its-partners-everytimejust-like-apple/
Cisco CEO: 'Microsoft Has Given Us a Three-Year Lead'
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has given us a three-year lead. And we've never lost a
| game when we've had a three-year lead... It's a battle we fully
| intend to win.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070405/31630_id.html?.v=1
Microsoft's Worst Nightmare (Nope, Not Google)
,----[ Quote ]
| The Cisco/Linksys drive into the home follows an absolutely miserable
| effort by Microsoft, which had a first-mover advantage but blew it in
| favour of its Xbox gaming play. Maybe Microsoft figured the timing just
| wasn't right. In any case, Microsoft angered a lot of digital home
| integrators who were hoping for some support to break open the
| market.
`----
http://www.crn.com/digital-home/198700830
Cisco benefits as Microsoft keeps moving the goalposts
,----[ Quote ]
| Forced between choosing between unified comms vendors, many users
| are reluctantly opting to use an alternative to Microsoft. Others,
| it seems, are a lot less disappointed.
|
| [...]
|
| The Microsoft partner confessed that Cisco is the preferred option. "Cisco
| has a better track record of consistency on upgrades. Whereas Microsoft?s
| new products can be a completely different kettle of fish from the last,"
| he said.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38259
Cisco, Microsoft, Others Get Together On Security
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft, Cisco Systems and the open-standards Trusted Computing
| Group each developed their own NAC approaches, which use a variety
| of software and hardware to boost network security.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/070531/tech01.html?.v=1
Can Microsoft and Cisco Still Be Pals?
,----[ Quote ]
| That puts it in direct competition with Microsoft, which is No. 2
| with its Live Meeting service. Microsoft's big push will come in
| June when it begins producing a host of products, including Microsoft
| Office Communicator 2007.
`----
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/may2007/db20070509_476708.htm?campaign_id=yhoo
http://tinyurl.com/2pt3yw
Why the world needs openness, not interoperability.
,----[ Quote ]
| This NAC/NAP lovefest would be laughable if it weren't such
| a kick-in-the-teeth to the rest of the industry, enterprise IT, and
| all Internet users. A Cisco/Microsoft oligopoly stalls implementation,
| stifles innovation, and makes the network less secure. In this way, Cisco
| and Microsoft are standing in the way of progress.
`----
http://news.com.com/2061-11203_3-6112960.html?part=rss&tag=6112960&subj=news
------------------------------
Message-ID: <1813683.MWEHji215o@schestowitz.com>
From: R