07.19.08
Links 19/07/2008: More GNU/Linux-based Appliances, KOffice Reaches Alpha 9
GNU/Linux
New versions of Gibraltar, Vixta, Slitaz, TFM, xPUD, CentOS (Live), Absolute, and Webconverger GNU/Linux have been released.
- Unisa toasts open source success
It uses a customised open source operating system that allows the kiosks to burn multiple disks at once.
- Ubuntu hits new high in Linux boredom
Last weekend a friend was moaning about endless problems with Windows XP on his desktop PC. We installed Ubuntu 7.04 on it. The problems went away.
- Xirrus to Bring WiFi to Open Source Linux Show Next Month
- Virus : A paralysed object on GNU/Linux
Recently I faced two incidents when I had to format my flash drive as it would simply refuse to open at all just because it was infected with some nasty viruses from my office computers.
[…]
Revenge taken, justice done to the innocent looking little evils, thanks to my PCLinuxOS : )
- Debian packages for KDE 4.1, KOffice alpha9 and more
- Beyond Compare - Now On Linux!
I haven’t given it a really thorough test but all the basics seem to work just as well as the Windows version. They also have a nice upgrade plan and you can by a ‘dual platform’ license that covers both Windows and Linux versions.
F/OSS
- Jump start your Web app deployment with a JumpBox
- Forrester projects growth in open source DBMS
- Open-Source Support: The More You Know, The Better It Looks
- KOffice Releases Ninth Alpha of KOffice 2.0
The KOffice team announces the availability of the ninth alpha release of KOffice 2.0. With KDE4 becoming more stable by the week, KOffice development is picking up at a fast pace and developers who previously had trouble keeping up are now getting active again, leading to a much increased rate of commits for KOffice. Both the NLnet sponsored Girish Ramakrisnan, who is working on OpenDocument support, and the KOffice Google Summer of Code students are delivering solid work.
Microsoft
- The suspicious death of XP support
As Microsoft slowly kills off Windows XP itself — over the protest of many users — it’s still unclear exactly when Redmond will formally cut off all support for its old OS. But one reader’s experience in dealing with a series of update fiascos over the last few months suggests that XP support may actually have expired already, and under suspicious circumstances.
“I lost my XP system near the middle of May, and it took me until the end of June to get it back,” the reader wrote. “What happened was that, suddenly, all of my hardware disappeared from the Windows device manager as did my administrator privileges. I had a lot of licensed apps on my system, and the prospect of starting with a fresh install was too daunting, so I decided to recover instead. During this time, I spent over eight cumulative hours talking to Microsoft’s Indian ’support technicians.’ I was at least six hours into that ordeal before I finally spoke with one that had a small clue what he was talking about.”
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.
Marti van Lin said,
July 20, 2008 at 12:43 am
I love the Ubuntu story.
Recently I posted a message about Windows Vista vs Ubuntu on my brand new Acer Aspire 7220 in my favorite Usenet Newsgroup COLA (news:comp.os.linux.advocacy)
Now one of the Microsoft marketeers (DFS) claims, that “Linux” won’t run properly on Acer Aspire series. I proved this is a blatant lie.
Now this story is about Windows XP vs Ubuntu, but trust me Vista is worst - by far -. I gave it a fair chance and suddenly it started reinstalling itself again, formatting the entire C: partition thus removing all my data and additional software.
Ubuntu simply detected all the hardware and installed the appropriate kernel modules (drivers).