Author: JT Smith
The Register
tells us that, after last Friday’s European debut of the PlayStation 2, gamershave been frantically putting the new console through its paces over
the weekend, and are beginning to uncover potential problems.
PlayStation 2 launch marred by DVD, fan issues
have been frantically putting the new console through its paces over
the weekend, and are beginning to uncover potential problems.
How entrepreneurship and democracy affect Net development
Author: JT Smith
Rarely has a technology had greater effect on the spread of the global marketplace than the
emergence of the Internet. From CNETnews.com.
emergence of the Internet. From CNETnews.com.
Palm finally embraces the Internet
Author: JT Smith
Fairfax IT reports that, “with Palm offering Net connectivity at last, a whole new world has opened up for hand-held PCs.”
Category:
- Unix
Find out how ugly you are, for free
Author: JT Smith
Wired.com reports on Amihotornot.com: “You never go wrong by appealing to vanity, as the two guys who set up the Am I Hot or Not? website found out.”
Computers make you stupid
Author: JT Smith
zez.org: about code has an editorial by Gunnstein Lye: “We human beings want to understand how things work. That’s why we don’t live in caves anymore, and why we do things like traveling to the moon and building computers. We have collected enormous amounts of information, and the giants whose shoulders we are standing on have never been taller.” –pkej
Category:
- Linux
ConfigMan is for sale
Author: JT Smith
ConfigMan is liquidating assets and unless sold, will dissolve. We never recovered from the indefinite postponement of our venture capital closing last June. Of special interest is the offer for sale of our unpublished, incomplete configuration management toolkit. Please see ConfigMan’s web site for full details. –John Minnihan
Open Source developer’s agreement released
Author: JT Smith
“We’ve just released our open source developer’s agreement. The OSDA allows companies or employees to negotiate into their employment contracts the certainty of owning IP they develop under clear guidelines. This will help all the people out there who develop open source software but are afraid to release it, or more likely, are afraid their boss will react and ask for it to be taken down or ask for a cut of the (non-existent) action. Get it on the main web site, or on SourceForge.” –Andrew van der Stock
Microsoft antitrust appeal begins today
Author: JT Smith
Today — Monday, November 27 — is the day Microsoft’s brief is due at the U.S. Court of Appeals, but this is just the start of the process, which will drag on through February and into March, at least. Reuters story at infoworld.com.
How to create a database driven website (PHP/MYSQL)
Author: JT Smith
Are you looking to creating a dynamic web presence? Or a database driven website? In this article we will cover some basics on PHP and MYSQL programming. PHP is a server side scripting language similar to MS ASP, but different in syntax. With it you can create a website that dynamically generates itself on request. MYSQL is SQL server software that supports the full SQL standard. It will provide your web application with all that is needed to generate web pages from databases. So lets get coding. Complete Story-Anonymous Reader
Weekly news wrapup: European software patent decision delayed
Author: JT Smith
– By Grant Gross–
Business columnist Jack Bryar says an “irrational pessimism” plagued Open Source vendors at Comdex this year, after last year’s “irrational exuberance.”
News editor Dan Berkes explains the wireless technology, Bluetooth, and why it’s important to Open Sourcers.
We examine a Internet voting project hosted by FreeDevelopers.net and a debate over why the project’s code isn’t released yet.
Even though the Open Source news world was suffering from a Comdex and a U.S. turkey day hangover this week, news still happened in fits and spurts, especially in places that didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving this week. Europeans were busy debating software patents, with the Open Source community heavily involved in arguing against an expansion of the law.
On Tuesday, most European Union countries voted to postpone an expansion of patents to software, with the EuroLinux group declaring it “a clear victory for democracy.”
KDE vs. Gnome vs. Windows
The KDE League, KDE’s answer to the competing Gnome Foundation, continued to warrant coverage this week. One member of the KDE team wrote a letter to the community, explaining the reasons for the marketing alliance. The big reason: Promoting KDE and Linux to the 95 percent of computer users who don’t use either one. Meanwhile, a ZD Net column noted that a prolonged war between the two user interfaces would do more harm to the Open Source community than good.
What would a week be in the Open Source world without someone finding a new way to bash Windows — or at least a new way of saying it? (For the record, I like to read a good Windows skewering as much as anyone; it’s far more entertaining than endless election news.) This week’s Rip on Windows Award goes to LinuxWorld.com, which revisited Windows security flaws in a piece titled, “Is Windows now playing catchup to Linux?” NewsForge’s own Jeff Field jumped into the KDE vs. Gnome vs. Windows fray in his comparison of Windows Whistler to Gnome, KDE and Mandrake Update.
Odd stories not all related to elections
While we’re on the subject of election news, Eric S. Raymond, the Open Source evangelist and geek speak lexicographer, released a special “chad” edition of his Jargon File, with an expanded explanation for all you Florida election fans out there.
Winning the Odd Story of the Week Award, The Register reports on a Linux devotee, Intrinsa software developer Bill Softky, winning Microsoft’s most coveted patent award.
Supercomputers and BSDs
We often get a how-to story that chances the eyes of many readers. This week, osfaq.com’s “How to set up a Linux supercomputer” was popular, with its explanation of software and hardware configurations.
And for all you non-Linux users out there, the NetBSD team announced the release of version 1.4.3 and promised 1.5 shortly. If you’re new to BSD, check out Network World Fusion’s “Discovering the BSDs.”
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