10.10.08
Links 10/10/2008: Mandriva 2009 Released, Wikipedia Consolidates on Ubuntu
GNU/Linux
- Red Hat: It’s the value, stupid
Perhaps this wasn’t something to celebrate, but it’s a testament to the power of Red Hat’s software, and a painful reminder to Microsoft that its software is not ready for the heaviest enterprise loads, given its own .Net-inspired crash of the London Stock Exchange last month. Microsoft urges us to “get the facts” about Windows performance. Don’t worry, Microsoft: we got them.
- Sidux grows on you
- New Manju project plans to redraw desktop art
- Linux for the Accountant?
Though this does not provide a complete picture, SMBs can look at Linux as analternative solution that is cheaper to setup and use if it works for you. Also, you could use a combination of applications like Novell OpenOffice on a Windows based computer to reduce costs.
- Quick Reviews: Linux, a n00b’s POV
- Linux Rooted in Fiction: ParanoidLinux
- Debian Project News - October 8th, 2008
- Keynotes announced for linux.conf.au 2009
- Cyberlink broadens Linux offerings
The firm is eyeing a growing market in Linux-powered Netbooks, Nettops and, no doubt, stockingtops.
- Mandriva packs in changes for new release
- Twin POS systems for Linux
NEC announced two new POS (point-of-sales/service) computers that run Linux. The TwinPOS 5500 and 3500 feature integrated flat panel touchscreens, resistance against dust and liquids, and optional MSRs (magnetic stripe readers) and customer-facing displays, says the company.
- Linux at 17 - What Windows promised to be
Linux is what Windows had once promised to be - at least in terms of cross-platform support. In the wake of the PowerPC alliance from IBM, Apple, and Motorola in 1991, Microsoft made a commitment to support Windows NT 3.51 on PowerPC chips. Windows eventually added support for Digital’s Alpha NEC’s and SGI’s MIPS chips. Workstation maker Intergraph ported Windows NT 3.51 to its Clipper chips and said it was creating a port to Sparc chips from Sun. Neither ports saw the light of day.
- Xtreme fuels expansion with open source-based video recording
Advertising intelligence company Xtreme Information plans to drop Ubuntu-based DVRs in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane to expand the reach of its monitoring.
- Envizions’ ‘System of Tomorrow’ Smart Console Is the First of Its Kind
- SERPRO chooses Debian GNU/Linux
Brazilian state IT company SERPRO (US$ 1 billion annual revenue) has selected Debian GNU/Linux as their preferred distribution for its thousands of GNU/Linux development and production servers. The announcement occurred during Debian Day in Porto Alegre.
- MaXX Interactive Desktop Brings a Little SGI to Linux
- Resilience(R) Announces New Line of Purpose-Built Linux Appliances With Rapid Deployment Software for Websense Web Security v7
Embedded
Laptops
- Dell Rivals Smallness of Apple’s MacBook Air, Asus With New Inspiron Mini 9
- Nokia E90 vs Asus EEE PC 900 - The Microlaptop vs the Minilaptop
- Venezuela Gets It
- Netbooks Will Boost Adoption of Linux, Says Novell CTO
- Acer Aspire One WiMAX netbook coming in 2009
- Mandriva Linux 2009 ‘optimised’ for mini laptops
Linux publisher Mandriva has released its latest distribution, Mandriva Linux 2009, offering a faster boot time and up-to-date versions of tools such as KDE, Gnome, OpenOffice and Firefox, plus an installer that optimises the platform for mini-laptops.
AmaroK
Ubuntu
- FSCONS: Interview with Fredrik Jonsson on Ubuntu deployment
- Ubuntu Podcast by the Ubuntu Georgia LoCo
Coming Talks
- Live Streaming from Linux-Kongress For Free
- Richard Stallman: The Free Software Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System
- Registration for Prof. Lessig’s Public Lecture on 24 October, 2008
F/OSS
- Exaile 0.2.14 and Exaile 0.3.0a released
- Pentagon: Open source good to go
The memo should answer many lingering questions still surrounding the open source, said Daniel Risacher, the data strategy leader for the Office of Secretary of Defense who is drafting the memo. The draft may point out some potential benefits as well.
- Open Source vs. Proprietary Intranet Software, Part 3
- The Nature Conservancy and Enfold Systems to Announce the Release of ConserveOnline to The Open Source Community at the Plone Conference 2008 in Washington D.C.
- Why eBay Should Open-Source Skype
- Open-source Drupal turns pro
- User combines open source ESB with data services to speed customer reports
- Free But Unsecured
- Why Open Source is hot now?
- PostgreSQL To Get Boost From Telecom Giant
Healthcare
- Women and Children’s Health Research Institute Adds to OpenClinica Software Developer Community
- Open Source Software Workshop OSEHC 2009
Unix
Finance
- The ‘other’ value of open source in this economy
- Linux in The Economic Meltdown
- Open Source and the Financial Meltdown
- Wall Street meltdown linked to ‘outsourcing’ of regulation to private code
- Making money on open source
- High volume is key for open source
Firefox
- Mozilla adds geographic tagging to Firefox
- Firefox extension blocks dangerous Web attack
- Mozilla locks in Firefox 3.1 feature list
- about:mozilla - Impact Mozilla, FSOSS, Mobile Firefox, SFX, Public Relations, SUMO, Add-on survey results, and more…
- Mobile Firefox ready for download
Wikia
FSFE
Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day
Andrew Pitonyak, author and computer scientist 04 (2004)
Digital Tipping Point is a Free software-like project where the raw videos are code. You can assist by participating.
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.
David Gerard said,
October 10, 2008 at 5:41 am
Wikimedia’s Linux server structure will move entirely to Ubuntu (from the current hodgepodge of Ubuntu and various versions of Fedora and Red Hat) for the sake of sysadmin sanity, but there are still a few back-end storage servers that will continue to run OpenSolaris.
We consider it very important to keep an entirely free stack so people can duplicate our use of the free content freely.
(There was a bit of Java, most prominently the Cortado Vorbis/Theora player expecting Java in browsers, before Java was entirely free software, but Sun has followed through nicely on this. It’s all good!)