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NewsVac: News from around the Web
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Book review: Backup & Recovery
16 minutes ago
The undeniable importance of backup is the reason why system administrators invest time and effort into creating and maintaining a backup system fit for their infrastructure. While for a home user it may be enough to burn their files to a DVD from time to time, professionals and organizations must tackle the problem of possible data loss with a strong understanding of their needs. -
All OSS Developers Are Equal, But Some OSS Developers Are More Equal Than Others!
46 minutes ago
The Open Source Software community was founded on the notion that any party can use, modify and further distribute OSS, so long as that party contributes back to the OSS community the human-readable "source code" of any changes/ enhancements made to the software. Unfortunately, the Free Software Foundation's recent efforts to revise the GNU General Public License have eroded this core "share-and-share-alike" principle. More specifically, the FSF's failure to fix a legal glitch in the GPL called the "ASP Loophole," and its treatment of certain OSS developers more favorably than others in terms of which of their OSS enhancements they are asked to contribute back to the OSS community, have relegated certain OSS developers to second-class status and have (along with other FSF missteps) caused dissension and division within the OSS community. -
OpenID and Good Citizenship
1 hour, 46 minutes ago
Hey! So I’ll just blurt it out: we’ve joined the OpenID Foundation! But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start from the beginning. -
OLPC's capitulation to Windows: A community failure?
5 hours, 46 minutes ago
Is Nicholas Negroponte's capitulation to Windows last month due largely to a lack of open-source community involvement in the One Laptop Per Child project? -
OpenKM 2.0. - Open Source Document Management System (dms)
7 hours, 46 minutes ago
OpenKM , open source document management system announces release of OpenKM version 2.0.
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Gates: Vista is doing just fine
9 hours, 46 minutes ago
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates says sales of Windows Vista have been "rapid", with more than 140 million copies sold worldwide. -
Installing an all-in-one printer device in Debian
13 hours, 46 minutes ago
Recently I had cause to buy a scanner. Being in a reasonably small home I was eager to save on desk-space, and so decided to upgrade my ageing inkjet printer at the same time. Having looked around I eventually went for an HP Photosmart C5180 device. This is my experience of installing it on Debian Lenny. -
Impossible thing #6: Freedom for all with the One Laptop Per Child project
15 hours, 46 minutes ago
For many years, there has been a growing concern about the emergence of a “digital divide” between rich and poor. The idea is that people who don’t meet a certain threshold income won’t be able to afford the investment in computers and internet connectivity that makes further learning and development possible. They’ll become trapped by their circumstances. Under proprietary commercial operating systems, which impose a kind of plateau on the cost of computer systems, this may well be true. But GNU/Linux, continuously improving hardware, and a community commitment to bringing technology down to cost instead of just up to spec, has led to a new wave of ultra-low-cost computers, starting with the One Laptop Per Child’s XO. These free-software-based computers will be the first introduction to computing for millions of new users, and that foretells a much freer future. -
Why many MCSEs won’t learn Linux
17 hours, 46 minutes ago
Here’s the entirety of a note by discussion contributor nhudd responding to my e-mail exchange with “MCSE Mike”: -
AGPLv3 Keeps Open Source Vibrant in Age of SaaS
18 hours, 16 minutes ago
Software as a service (SaaS) entered the IT landscape in 2000 and has revolutionized the deployment models of many software companies and even entire industries, such as Internet search. It has also becoming an increasingly popular form of consuming applications within enterprises of all shapes, sizes and geographies. -
Blogging Live From Ubuntu Live 2008
18 hours, 46 minutes ago
Generally speaking, The VAR Guy is a procrastinator — except when it comes to timely blogs. In fact, he’s already confirmed plans to blog live from Ubuntu Live 2008, scheduled for July 21 and 22 in Portland, Oregon. Here are five reasons you should care about the Ubuntu distribution of Linux, and the Ubuntu Live conference. -
Windows XP Eee PC Cheaper than Linux Variant
19 hours, 16 minutes ago
As we all know, the Eee PC, running a modified Xandros, has been a major hit for Asus, and because of that, also a major hit for Linux. The device proved that a computer with a pre-installed Linux distribution can still be s successful machine, and many hoped that this would push Asus and other vendors to produce more computers with Linux pre-installed. This hope could be in vain after all if the new Windows XP-based Eee PC has anything to do with it. -
Red Hat Heads For The JON 2.0
19 hours, 46 minutes ago
New JBoss Operations Network takes aim at open source middleware management, though the solution isn't entirely open source -- yet. -
AMD Alters Course on the Way to 12 Cores
20 hours, 16 minutes ago
AMD today offered industry observers a look at a very different roadmap for the next two years of its server processors, changing its plans from just a few months ago to focus on offerings that will scale to up to 12 cores without increasing power demands. -
Embedded Linux SQL database adds Java, C# bindings
20 hours, 46 minutes ago
ITTIA has released a new version of its lightweight SQL R-DBMS (relational database management system) for embedded systems and mobile devices. Version 2.5 of the Linux-compatible DB-SQL R-DBMS adds language bindings for Java and C#, as well as VxWorks support, says ITTIA. - More News
Linux.com : Features
Using a wiki for FOSS application documentation
For a lot of programmers, writing an application is fun, but writing its manual is not. Adding new features, refining the product, and responding to users' input are all more rewarding than writing instructions on how to use the software. However, good documentation is necessary to have happy, informed users who can contribute meaningfully to future development. A few months ago, Gilbert Ashley, the author of src2pkg (Slackware's "magic package maker") invited me and two other people to help him manage the user documentation for his program. The process we used to create the src2pkg wiki may be a useful example for other free and open source software (FOSS) application developers.
Book review: The power of group sharing
Clay Shirky's book on what information technology is doing to our world, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations, has important things to say to anyone interested in open source software (OSS). His thoughts on the evolving effects of the technological revolution we are all living in make for a fun way to spend a few hours.
Ubuntu 8.04: Upgrade or clean install?
Which path should you follow? Should you take advantage of Ubuntu's package manager and use it to upgrade your system to the latest 8.04 Hardy Heron release, or should you download a CD or DVD ISO image and do a clean install? Common wisdom says that doing a clean install is the better, safer course of action. There may be a little extra work involved configuring everything once the latest and greatest is installed, but that's nothing compared to the pain of an update gone wrong, according to traditional thinking. But that cautious approach may no longer be necessary.
Synchronize your databases with SqlSync
SqlSync lets you compare two databases to see which tuples have been added, removed, and changed. You can also use SqlSync to make one database a clone of another and maintain its contents to be that way. One benefit of using SqlSync to perform synchronization is that you can perform heterogeneous syncs -- for example, from MySQL to PostgreSQL.
Tomboy note-taker keeps you organized
I use Tomboy, an open source notetaking app, to cull and organize the hundreds of bits of information I track, and to prioritize it on to-do lists on the fly. When we first reviewed Tomboy 0.3.5, it had some obvious flaws. The project has had a number of updates since then, and the newest version, 0.10.0, really makes the grade.
Interview with Bluewhite64 creator Attila Craciun
Slackware Linux has stood strong for more than a decade by refusing to compromise. There was a time when people used to say, "If you want to learn Linux and learn it well, give Slackware a try." Attila Craciun, a Romanian software developer and Linux enthusiast, has ported the Slackware tree to the AMD64 architecture to create the Bluewhite64 distro. We spoke with him to find out about Bluewhite64, where it came from, and where it's going.
Creative Commons promotes standard license expression
If Creative Commons (CC) has any say in the matter, the Web will soon have a standard machine-readable notation for licenses. Named the Creative Commons Rights Expression Language (ccREL), the notation has been under development for the last few years, partly with the cooperation of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3). It is described in a paper by four Creative Commons employees and published by Communia, a European site that explores the relationship between technology and the public domain. Creative Commons plans future presentations of ccREL, and is also actively explaining the need for it -- which is what CC's Chief Technology Officer, Nathan Yergler, was doing when Linux.com caught up with him at the recent Open Web Conference in Vancouver.
Play multimedia content with style using Entertainer
Every major operating system has more than one media center solution for users who can't spend a day without watching a movie or listening to music. In Linux we're all familiar with MythTV and Freevo, two media center applications that are so appreciated they even have got their own distributions. Freevo is highly configurable, and Freevo 2 SNV builds look promising. MythTV has everything a personal video recorder needs, from scheduled recordings to weather plugins. The thing is, many people need a media center application just to watch Xvid files, listen to their favorite music, and watch family pictures on their television. If this is the case for you, give Entertainer a try.
FusionCharts Free: Cross-platform charts that rock
It has been said that the best things in life are free. While this isn't always true, it applies in this case. If you've struggled with GNUplot, JPgraph or other charting applications, FusionCharts Free is a breath of fresh air. Have you dreamed of finding a charting and graphing application that is simple to install, easy to configure, and drop-dead gorgeous? Stop dreaming and download a copy of FusionCharts Free. You'll be producing professional quality charts and graphs in no time.
Meet Inna Kuznetsova, IBM's Linux Strategy Director (video)
I always ask people who market (as opposed to develop) GNU/Linux and open source products or services what Linux distribution they use on their own computers. More often than not, the answer is along the lines of, "I'm a marketing person so I use Windows. The techies use Linux." Inna, on the other hand, uses not one, not two, but three different Linux distributions on her home computers. When she tells an IBM client Linux is the way to go, she obviously means it, and this surely makes a difference -- even if it's only a subtle one -- in her work.
Free Flash community reacts to Adobe Open Screen Project
From the presentation, you might imagine that Adobe's announcement of the Open Screen Project was major news. According to the news release, the project's goal is "to enable a consistent runtime environment" by relaxing some restrictions on the Flash format and releasing some specifications. However, in the free Flash community, the small group of developers dedicated to producing non-proprietary Flash tools, the reaction to the news was polite at best -- and serves as a much-needed reality check to the over-enthusiastic announcement.
What can you do with a second Ethernet port?
Purchase a new PC or motherboard soon, and the chances are good that it will come with two built-in network interfaces -- either two Ethernet jacks or one Ethernet and one Wi-Fi. Tossing in a second adapter is an inexpensive way for the manufacturer to add another bullet point to the product description -- but what exactly are you supposed to do with it? If you are running Linux, you have several alternatives.
OfflineIMAP makes messages and attachments available locally
OfflineIMAP allows you to read your email while you are not connected to the Internet. This is great when you are traveling and really need an attachment from a message but cannot connect to the Internet.
Tim Bray provides a bridge between Sun and developers
"I'm a genuine old fart," says Tim Bray as he looks back at his three decades in computing. Widely known for his standards work on XML and the Atom syndication format, at an age when many former developers have moved entirely into management, he seems to have found a niche that takes advantage of his experience. As director of Web technologies at Sun Microsystems, his job is to keep current with Web and general programming and to encourage adaptation of new developments within the corporation. At the recent Open Web Vancouver conference, Bray talked to Linux.com about how he fills his role at Sun, and the trends he sees in computing.
As the SCO rolls
Reality, as good writers know, is sometimes stranger than fiction. SCO's recent performance in the U.S. District Court in Utah is a perfect example. With years to prepare, SCO executives made some remarkable statements in their attempt to show that SCO, not Novell, owns Unix's copyright.
Korn -- an extended shell
Everyone knows what a Linux shell is -- you open up a Linux terminal window (such as Konsole or xterm), type in some commands, and there you are, using your Linux shell. Write your commands to a file, make it executable, run it, and you're a shell programmer. But did you know that there are different shells that you can use, and that each shell operates in a slightly different way? My personal favorite is the Korn shell; by the end of this article, it may be your favorite as well.
Four multimedia plugins make WordPress more fun
WordPress plugins for multimedia can make your blog more interesting. These four plugins make it possible to automatically generate and configure multimedia, making your site a richer experience for your visitors and for you.
Desktop Linux strategies for marketplace success
What strategy is needed to really spread desktop Linux to average home users? Here are some ideas that just might work.
Open source diva Danese Cooper (video)
We first met Danese Cooper when she was working for Sun, where she was a major internal open source advocate and often Sun's major spokesperson to the rest of the world about open source. She's currently doing something similar at Intel, besides serving on the Open Source Initiative board and generally being a popular speaker at GNU/Linux and open source conferences. She's also quoted now and then about open source, often on licensing matters.
Computer makers push device builders for Linux-compatible hardware
For years, device and peripheral builders could get away with ignoring the Linux desktop market. It was too small to matter, they would say. Things have changed. At the Linux Foundation meeting in Austin, Texas, last month, major PC vendors ASUS, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo said they would be telling their chipset, component, and peripheral OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) that they were going to demand Linux-compatible hardware from them.
