07.21.08

Links 21/07/2008: New Pushes for Free Software in India, South America

Posted in News Roundup at 5:09 am by Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Welcoming Brian Proffitt (and looking forward to the LDN)
The Wikipedia ‘Naming Controversy’ by Joshua Gay

On the English version of Wikipedia there is an article that discusses the naming controversy over whether one should call the operating system “GNU/Linux” or “Linux.” In that article, some contend that Linux is the more popular and common name for the system. But when writing an encyclopedia, neither popularity nor commonality are the paramount concerns. Calling the system “GNU/Linux” is more factually accurate, as the GNU project largely forms the base of all distributions of the operating system. For example, GNU packages accounts for 14.79% of the 16.5GB of source packages used to build the Main repository of the gNewSense GNU/Linux distribution (deltad). They also constitute 6.69% of the 27GBs of source packages from which the Universe repository is built. Linux weighs in at about 253MB and accounts for approximately 1.5% of the source code needed to build the Main repository. Furthermore, Linux itself is generally built using GNU libraries and GNU tools, and on many systems depends on them being there.
Top 5 Awesome Linux Distro Upgrades Coming Out in Second Half of 2008

1. Debian Lenny 5.0 (around September)…

2. Fedora 10 (October)…

3. Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex (October)…

4. Gentoo Linux 2008.1…

5. Puppy Linux 5.0….
Former Delta Exec Whitehurst Riding High At Red Hat’s Helm

“We have almost too many opportunities,” he said in an interview. “We have to really focus hard.”

Red Hat, with $523 million in sales last year, gets much attention for its size. It’s long been the largest company focused on open-source Linux. It serves as an example for others that want to use open-source software to build a business worthy of Wall Street’s attention.
Linux at Lowes

I don’t think the employee would have had a clue what Linux was or why I would be curious, but I was. I’m willing to bet that computer maintenance costs are extremely low at Lowes compared to Windows based businesses of the same size. I’m sure they have some Windows boxes somewhere, but on the floor, it looked Linux on almost every monitor I saw.

Curious about how long they had been using Linux, I did a quick Google search and found that I wasn’t the only eagle eyed shopper spotting Linux at Lowes, the subject has been kicked around for at least three or four years.
NComputing: Little Box, Big Aspirations
Join the first Maemo Summit
10 things I’ve overheard about my Linux laptop while on public transportation

I’ve been taking the train to work for 4 years now. It’s a 45 minute rambling ride in which I usually either read a book, sleep, or grab my laptop loaded up with Ubuntu and get some stuff done. Over time, I’ve collected a few funny remarks I’ve either over heard, or that people have said directly to me. Here are the 10 best.

1. That’s not windows, it’s a Mac! (One teenager to another).
2. Where’s the start button? (Asked directly to me on a train).
[KDE4:] Leaving the mockup phase
Compiz Fusion - Unmatched 3D Environment in Linux

Think Aqua interface in Mac OSX and 3D Flip in Windows Vista was the best looking Operating system? Ever thought that the 3D effects on hacker’s desktop shown in movies are not for real? No need to think again, just read on because the freedom and flexibility Compiz Fusion provides is beyond imagination.
Simplis GNU/Linux: A new face in GNU/Linux Town

For the first public release of Simplis it is almost a perfectly stable distribution with some small issues with package management which I think can be easily fixed.
Look for the silver lining

Clamping down too hard on pirates may also encourage people to switch to free, open-source alternatives. “It’s easier for our software to compete with Linux when there’s piracy than when there’s not,” Microsoft’s chairman, Bill Gates, told Fortune magazine last year.
Mandriva - Linux 2008 Spring review

The latest Mandriva Linux distro includes the usual updates to the component parts plus a number of extras such as support for the Asus Eee PC and tools to synchronise data with Windows Mobile 5 and other handheld devices. Multimedia support is much improved in this release and parental controls added for home users. There’s no server implementation but it’s a good desktop for Linux learners.
Azingo to raise Rs 200 cr

Azingo, a US-based company that offers a complete open Mobile Linux stack, will be raising $50 million (approximately Rs 240 crore) in a Series-B funding from US-based private equity firm Garnett Helfrich Capital and a few strategic partners by the end of the current financial year. The company, which has its research and development (R&D) centres in Hyderabad and Pune, had earlier received $30 million (Rs 125 crore) from Garnett.

Ubuntu

Ubuntu Kaipidi Thozhargal - Across Tamil Nadu

Ubuntu Kaippidi Thozhargal has been successfully put into practice from now on. We launched the scheme two months ago calling for volunteers who could hand over Ubuntu CDs in their cities/ town/ village if there is a demand.
Ubuntu VS Other Linux Distributions
Ubuntu advantages
A first look at Ubuntu 8.10

In summary, it’s early days for Intrepid Ibex but it works well even at this stage. In fact, it is running sufficiently so that I am writing this very post in a Firefox session running on the thing. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes from here and if any more pleasant surprises are visited upon us.
*Baine is on Ubuntu*
A socialist’s view of Ubuntu: love it or leave it?

F/OSS

The Economic Motivation of Open Source Software: Stakeholder Perspectives
The Economic Motivation of Open Source Software: Stakeholder Perspectives
GPL Project Watch List for Week of 07/18
The Impact of Open Source VoIP
Software Freedom Day 2008
Bringing Open Source Best Practices into Corporations Using a Software Forge
BlazeDS Overview [LGPLv3 Now from Adobe]

Previously available only as part of Adobe LiveCycle® Data Services ES, Adobe is contributing the proven BlazeDS Overviewtechnologies to the community under the LGPL v3.

Rights

Microsoft

Google Gets 70% of U.S. Searches

Yahoo Inc. received 19.62% of U.S. searches in June, down from 21.31% last year, while MSN Search received 5.46%, down from 9.85% in June 2007.
Microsoft’s Windows 95 Architect Is a Happy Mac Convert

Based in Bellevue, WA — right next to Microsoft’s home turf of Redmond — Satoshi spent nearly 14 years at Microsoft, serving as the software architect of Windows 95 and 98. He also oversaw the development of Internet Explorer 3.0 and 4.0. While at Microsoft, he developed the third largest portfolio of intellectual property of any employee at the company, according to his bio.
How I got a Windows Vista refund from HP

If you take the time to read the Microsoft EULA it is disturbing to say the least. But I won’t get into that here - many others have bashed this EULA to bits. Notice that there is no option to not accept their terms - you agree, or else… Or else what? I stared at the screen, and decided it was time to take the leap to Linux.
Microsoft shifts its search to AOL
A Cloudy Future for Microsoft Partners
10 Great Microsoft Technologies That Failed
Newer candidates include: