Showing headlines posted by dcparris

CEO Steve Ballmer said Linux has been outselling Microsoft in areas such as file services, e-mail security and e-science, and that demonstrates Microsoft needs to innovate.

[Yeah, they're gonna innovate all right. They have apparently got a great start with their innovative "license-brokering" program. - dcparris]

Draft GNU GPLv3 (General Public License) language would require embedded systems and devices incorporating GPLv3-licensed software to be user-modifiable, stated license author Richard Stallman in a recent speech. The draft license's "anti-TiVo-isation" rider drew criticism early on from Linus Torvalds, who called it "insane." Where do LinuxDevices readers stand?

As the Free Software Foundation (FSF) works toward finalizing the next version of the GNU General Public License (GPL), free software developers are still trying to make sure companies are complying with the current version of the GPL.

The custom designed M210 is a powerful smart box that relays content and display management information wirelessly and plays back video content stored in its built-in hard disk. It enables location owners and operators to deploy a full digital signage system to pinpoint audiences with targeted content such as advertising and promotions, without the hassles of wiring or laying cables.

Panda Software released a new public beta Tuesday for DesktopSecure, their antivirus and firewall program for Linux. It's available as a free download from their Web site, and should run on major distributions including Redhat, SUSE and Debian. I've got it running right now under Ubuntu (Breezy Badger).

Oracle (ORCL:Nasdaq - commentary - research - Cramer's Take) has been running roughshod over the enterprise-software world of late, winning gobs of market share by buying up the competition in an $18 billion acquisition spree. Now it appears that the database giant is gearing up to make a run at a very different sort of enemy: Red Hat, the pre-eminent seller of Linux.

Who would have thought just a few months ago that Microsoft would start to bite the hands it feeds. The security industry is running around in circles trying to head off the speculation that Microsoft might finally start to eat into the substantial profits they make out of plugging security holes once it releases its new operating system Vista.

Ansoft announced the availability of Nexxim v3 and Ansoft Designer v3 for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux v.3 and Sun Solaris 8 and 9 operating systems. Nexxim is the company's circuit simulation software for high-performance IC design and signal-integrity analysis. Ansoft Designer provides an integrated schematic and design management front-end for complex analog, RF and mixed-signal applications. In addition to Linux support, Nexxim v3 adds phase and time-variant noise, autonomous source harmonic balance and integration with Cadence ADE/Spectre RF. Adding accurate phase and time-varying noise analyses to Nexxim is critical to the full characterization of communication ICs.

The company's lack of a coherent Linux strategy is hurting its products -- and the community.

The recent release of Frugalware version 0.4 has the makings of a fine Linux distribution. It aims to be as simple as possible while still providing the user with a comfortable, enjoyable experience -- and it is well on its way to achieving that goal.

Sometimes I worry that I sound like a broken record repeating the phrases Open Source and open standards

Band plays on

Novell has been juggling thenumbers in its latest effort to gain a toehold on business desktops against Microsoft's Office and integrated server software.

As Linux laptop use - particularly the proliferation of Linux-based smartphone and handheld devices - has grown, making these devices wireless has become a challenge for some users. When 90% of the world runs on another operating system, getting wireless LAN device drivers that are reliable and bug-free isn't always easy.

Most organizations aren't ready to migrate to a wireless, network-centric, thin hardware, server/client model, which makes the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet a bit ahead of its time. This handheld device has a basic browser, email client, and multimedia player, but the real beauty of this Linux-based system is its ability to expand it functionality by installing a limited but growing list of applications.

Six months ago, architects from two dozen desktop-oriented Linux projects gathered in Portland, Ore. to work together on creating the best possible Linux desktop. Thus was born the Portland Project. Now, in Mainz, Germany, the expanded group is meeting again on May 8 and 9 to see how far it's come and to look at what's ahead.

One of the benefits of living in a place as exotic as Abilene, Texas, is that it presents you with a choice of not one but three Internet-connected coffee shops. Last week, I spent an afternoon in each, scouting for the place I'll go to hole up and get work done this summer when the triple-digit temperatures hit, when mentally calculating the air conditioning costs begins to prove too distracting at home. I haven't yet reached a final decision, but I have some choice words for anyone weighing the idea of starting up a new Internet coffee shop.

A lot of folks use Vim, but many exploit only a small percentage of the editor's features. Sure, you might know how to do the basics in Vim, but what about using more advanced features such as folding, split windows, and marks? With a little practice, you can really boost your productivity with Vim.

KnowledgeTree Professional Brings Document Management to the Desktop With a Familiar Windows(R) Explorer and Microsoft(R) Office(R) Interface Into the Document Repository

Trout Creek, Montana hardly seems like a place one would expect to find a center of Linux learning. Please do not tell Mike Weber of SpiderTools that. He spent the last six years developing one of the more robust training facilities in the US.

York, UK – Mambo lead developer Martin Brampton has said that he is severing all ties with the Open Source project. His departure — which is eerily similar to the departure of an entire development team last year — comes in the wake of him finding himself unable to continue due to matters of conscience.

[That's the thing about FOSS projects - attempts to absolute control every little detail will fail. It's one of those hard lessons that you have to let go to gain. Kudos to Brampton! - dcparris]