05.24.08
Links 24/05/2008: PCs Reborn with GNU/Linux, Fights on the Procurement Front
GNU/Linux
- FOSS helps Free Geek Vancouver become an ethical recycler
Free Geek Vancouver (FGV) is now certified as the first ethical recycler in western Canada by the Basel Action Network (BAN), and an important part of the certification is the organization’s refurbishing of used computers with free and open source software (FOSS).
- Red Hat says Enterprise Linux 5.2 is greener
- Kenya Linux Group Challenges Procurement Policies
After losing out on many software tenders to the government, the Linux Professional Association (LPA) will engage the Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA) in Kenya over procurement rules, according to the association chairman.
The association members have been locked out of government tenders because the requests for proposals are usually skewed toward Microsoft products, therefore locking out open-source software developed locally, says LPA Chairman Evans Ikua.
- Portrait: NimbleX creator Bogdan Radulescu
- Zenwalk Continues To Impress With 5.2 Beta
We have just been using Zenwalk 5.2 beta for a few hours now, but it continues to live on as a distribution we would certainly recommend at least trying out. Zenwalk is quite polished and has a nice theme/artwork and is full-featured for being on an Xfce desktop and the ISO coming in at just over 500MB.
- [Wine 1.0 Release Candidate 2 Released]
- Carrier-grade boards boast Scope compliance
F/OSS
- KDE at the Libre Graphics Meeting 2008
- KDE Commit Digest
- Smell the Roses Already: 4 OSs that Should Be Open Source
Microsoft
- Microsoft Burns Down Book Search
Citing poor demand, Microsoft will back away from scanning and indexing books and academic works for Live Search
- GameStop to Stop Zune Sales
Video-game retailer GameStopGME has decided to stop selling Microsoft’s Zune players at its stores due to what it sees as insufficient demand from customers.
- Microsoft needs Windows Home Server test dummies
Microsoft is looking for Windows Home Server guinea pigs to test a public beta of a patch to a major corruption bug that has blighted the product since late last year.
The bug, which corrupts data on a number of well-known Microsoft and third-party apps when the programs are used to edit or transfer files in the firm’s latest server operating system for the low-end, home user market, first reared its ugly head in December.
[You get what you pay for, eh?]
- Newham refuses to reveal revised Microsoft MOU
- “Then, they fight you”
I asked the organizers if our Free Software Group could hold a short session about the benefits of FOSS in education, with references to Ubuntu, Edubuntu and Kiwilinux and we were given a slot after the ones which had already been planned a while ago - those of Microsoft, Cisco and a local company that sells education software for Romanian schools.
[…]
It is sad to know they are resorting to this sort of coercing and that they have such influence over the educators but looking on the bright side of it, and that’s how I perceived it after thinking a bit about it, THEY ARE SCARED
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.
master_chief said,
May 24, 2008 at 7:04 am
MS selling off their most loss making units.
master_chief said,
May 24, 2008 at 7:42 am
Only thing MS is good at is - Issuing press releases, Vapourware products, Lobbying.
Roy Schestowitz said,
May 24, 2008 at 8:48 am
You forget “selling and buying their own stock/assets.” I could elaborate because I’ve heard from some professor about it. There’s more to Microsoft than meets the eye (of an innocent journalist or an observer that trusts everything in the paper).