Showing all newswire headlines

One the most straightforward ways to potentially profit from the open source movement and specifically the Linux operating system is buying stock in the leading vendors, according to one investment research firm. A new research report recently published from Equity Research firm, Caris & Company, titled The Best Things in Life are Free? indicates that the research group has high hopes for both Novell and Red Hat.

It was billed as a brawl, but turned out to be a low key chat that revealed one interesting piece of information: Not all computer geeks are open-source advocates. Normally, you can expect a rousing, positive response when open-source development is mentioned in a room full of programmers. But during the "Big Question" debate on the merits of open-sourcing Java, held at Sun Microsystems JavaOne Conference on Thursday, controlled source clearly appeared to be the development method of choice.

Sun Microsystems is grappling with applying an open-source philosophy to its Java software, faced with risks and benefits whether it jumps in further or stays aloof. But some experts are suggesting that there is a middle way.

Although Microsoft has released cut-rate versions of Windows for Malaysia and Thailand, it may not do the same for China, one of the world's largest PC markets. Speaking to reporters in China, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said he doesn't know whether discount versions of the company's software will be needed in that country. He also said that antitrust regulations being passed by the Chinese government will not particularly hurt Microsoft's business.

The Banking & Financial services sector has always been a cautious experimenter when it comes to embracing Open Source technologies. Anti-Linux hardliners have done their bit, by spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt in the market. The result: Support and security concerns surrounding Linux still exist in the CIO world. After all, how do you explain the concept of Open Source to an industry where the word ‘open’ is considered as the most dreaded term in a CIOs dictionary?

Developer support is critical to the success or otherwise of the smartphone platforms and Microsoft and Nokia are both adapting some measures of openness to encourage programmers to their operating systems. As software rather than devices become the basis for competition, Microsoft can no longer have a free run at client OSes, and in turn will increase its dependence on services as Java dominates on the handset. In the cellphone world, Microsoft is trapped uncomfortably between two mighty pressures on its traditional business model - the handset makers' determination to control the software environment of their devices on the one; and the implacable rise of open source on the other.

A major fear of some of the movers and shakers in the Open Source movement is that someone (Microsoft, perhaps, but actually anyone with a patented ax to grind) will come gunning for Linux, Apache, Tomcat et al through the courts with a fistful of patents.

Linux Gazette is a reader-supported monthly ezine dedicated to two simple ideas: making Linux a little more fun, and sharing ideas and discoveries.

After many years' worth of success stories, however, CVS has begun to show problems, mostly related to security and to the lack of such important features as atomic commits. Recently, many CVS-replacement candidates have begun to appear on the scene. Some of them still are immature for critical deployments, while others propose radically new approaches, making them inadequate for a smooth migration. Among this plethora of new players, Subversion is receiving the attention of many open-source developers due to its robustness, similarity to CVS and innovative architecture. Having recently marked its 1.0 version release, Subversion is being used in many open-source projects, including SpamAssassin, the Linux 1394 FireWire support project and the SILO Sparc Boot loader.

You've probably heard about a particularly nasty Trojan horse attack recently which exploited several vulnerabilities in Microsoft Internet Explorer and Internet Information Services. While viruses and Trojans have been around for years, this particular attack was new because it used several vulnerabilities at once, and it didn't require the user download or install any programs or visit any malicious Web sites. It's time to say goodbye to Internet Explorer and its security flaws forever. Here's how to do it.

Making Java open source could lead to the creation of several incompatible and competing sub-standards, as happened with Linux, according to Java creator James Gosling.

Solutions to lure more investment capital into Viet Nam's information technology, applications and development of open source software will be the main topics of the Viet Nam Information Technology Forum 2004 and the Viet Nam Computerworld Expo 2004 (VITF & VCW '04) scheduled to open in HCM City on Monday.

In another sign competition is heating up in the software industry, Microsoft Corp. has slashed prices by more than half for Paris City Hall as the French capital considers switching to low-cost open-source programs.

Hackers have long insisted that steering clear of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser is one of the easiest ways to protect computers from many of the security threats that lurk on the Internet. That suggestion is often greeted with apathy or angry accusations that the geek in question was indulging in Microsoft-bashing -- admittedly a not-uncommon activity in hacker circles.

Internet Explorer isn't the only browser companies are being urged to drop due to ongoing security problems. Hewlett-Packard (HP) is now also recommending users erase America Online's (AOL) Netscape browser from their hard drives due to a hair-raising list of "potential" vulnerabilities allowing denials of service, information leaks, unauthorized access and remote malicious code execution.