● 12.04.09

● Links 04/12/2009: Eben Moglen Enters Oracle-Sun Debate

Posted in News Roundup at 9:46 am by Dr. Roy SchestowitzContentsGNU/LinuxGNU/Linux

• Lifehacker reader Vanderfleet-Martin had an office in serious need of some cleaning and some “spiffing up”, so he designed a new layout in Google Sketchup. Over Thanksgiving weekend he hauled everything out, repainted the whole thing, brought in a new desk with support shelves, and remade the whole office into a colorful and well organized version of its former self.

• Lifted by fast-growing notebook shipments, Taiwan’s Acer Inc. grabbed the No. 2 spot in the global PC market for the first time over Dell Inc., according to iSuppli Corp.

Server

• 1 Swishmail FreeBSD 0:00:00 0.025 0.391 0.020 0.040 0.104 2 Verio Linux 0:00:00 0.025 0.380 0.087 0.176 0.176 3 www.hosteurope.de Linux 0:00:00 0.030 0.294 0.116 0.614 1.066 4 www.dinahosting.com Linux 0:00:00 0.030 0.488 0.121 0.244 0.244 5 DataPipe unknown 0:00:00 0.035 0.265 0.023 0.047 0.047 6 iWeb Technologies Linux 0:00:00 0.035 0.164 0.041 0.084 0.084 7 www.hostway.com Linux 0:00:00 0.040 0.608 0.006 0.012 0.037 8 New York Internet FreeBSD 0:00:00 0.040 0.385 0.019 0.044 0.113 9 www.netcetera.co.uk Windows Server 2003 0:00:00 0.040 0.453 0.076 0.155 0.363 10 www.aplus.net Linux 0:00:00 0.045 0.327 0.057 0.267 0.301

• I think that it would behoove Google to snatch up an established player like Carbonite or to home-brew a backup service of their own. Let’s face it, a lot of people already use GMail for backup, but not in the way you’d traditionally work with an Internet-based backup service — they email themselves their own critical files and documents. It’s a kludgy, yet effective way of storing your important data. I keep probably 100 critical files in my GMail account, labeled under “Critical Documents”.

Google

• After Google’s Chrome OS Open Source announcement two weeks ago, it’s looking like Google is out to change the world again — this time by dominating operating systems. With Google and its device partners gearing up to drop the first Chrome OS netbooks on us by year’s end, 2010 may well be called the Year of the Netbook.

Kernel Space

• Linus Torvalds announced the release of a stable Linux 2.6.32 kernel. Major new features include the implementation of kernel-based mode setting (KMS) plus 3D graphics support for new Radeon cards, plus new kernel shared memory (KSM) technology for KVM virtualization, power-saving and performance improvements, and a faster “Devtmpfs” boot technology.

• Developers of the Linux kernel have patched a bug that allowed attackers to remotely crash a machine by sending it malicious Wi-Fi signals.

• The flaw in the delBA handling of mac80211 has been fixed in version 2.6.32, the latest stable release of the Linux kernel. Various distributions of the open-source operating system have already acknowledged the issue and are expected to push out updates soon. Based on developer notes on the official Linux website, the vulnerability appears to have been introduced in February.

Instructionals

• Obviously, Pombo can be useful only if the person who has your notebook actually turns it on, logs into the system, and establishes an Internet connection. Considering that your notebook runs Linux, this is not very likely, but installing Pombo definitely won’t hurt.

Distributions

New Releases

Debian Family

• Overall Ubuntu CE beta surprised me a bit with many of the things they have going on here. This distro is yet another example of how Linux continues to mold itself to fit the needs of all kinds of people.

• If you have a few minutes to spare, drop in and take the 2009 Ubuntu Server Edition user survey and help Canonical figure out what direction the product should take during future development.

Devices/Embedded

• Direct Insight is readying a SODIMM-sized computer-on-module (COM) based on Freescale’s ARM Cortex-A8 i.MX51 system-on-chip. The 800MHz, 2.7 x 1.0-inch Triton-TX51 module offers extensive I/O, including Ethernet and USB 2.0 On-The-Go and host, plus an available “StarterKit-5″ baseboard with a Linux BSP, says the company.

• Libelium announced a ZigBee-enabled wireless mote-sensor platform with open source code and a Linux-compatible IDE. The Waspmote runs on an Atmel microcontroller, boasts low 0.7uA power consumption, provides 2.4GHz, 900MHz, and 868MHz radios, and offers add-ons for GPS, GPRS, and SD, as well as gas, events, and prototyping sensors.

• Allow me to explain: Hidden inside the Pogoplug is a 1.2GHz Marvell ARM SOC RISC processor and 256MB of RAM and 512MB of internal flash storage. On this neat little package runs a stripped-down Linux distro with the 2.6.22.18 kernel.

• Here’s what the Pogoplug does: You power up the device, plug in an Ethernet cable, connect a nerd stick or a USB HDD drive (USB or externally-powered) and then browse to my.pogoplug.com where you create an account giving your e-mail address and selecting a password.

Phones

• The report predicts that Linux will emerge as the dominant mobile platform, capturing well over 60 percent of the smartphone market over the next seven years. Operating systems embracing the Linux platform include Android, Symbian, WebOS, and LiMo. This is bringing down costs and enhancing features that Linux phones offer.

• Nokia has pledged to update the user interface for its Symbian and Linux-based Maemo smartphones in 2010.

Sub-notebooks

• Want to give Chromium OS a try, but don’t have a spare 4GB USB stick lying around? Fear not as a new ‘diet’ build of Chromium OS (the open-source project upon which Google Chrome OS is based), which only requires a 1GB drive, is now available for download, courtesy of a UK-based student.

Free Software/Open Source

VoIP

• IntuitTech Sdn Bhd, a pioneer and leading provider of Asterisk IP-PBX and Nagios Enterprise Monitoring solutions plans to spread its wings to seven countries next year.

• [...]

• The company focuses on two open source software that are making a huge difference in communications and networking, the open source PBX system, Asterisk and Nagios, the open source network monitoring and reconnaissance software.

• Pika announced its Pika Warp Appliance for Linux device (pictured below, at right) in 2007, and in June 2008 shipped it with a cross-compiling SDK (software development kit) based on Denx Linux and the open source Asterisk PBX software stack.

BSD

• When it comes to new features in an open source operating system, sometimes features are developed by community developers and other times they are contributed by commercial vendors. The recent FreeBSD 8.0 operating system release benefited from both types of contributions.

Media

• Boxee, the popular open-source media center platform, will signal its long-term strategy this Monday with the launch of a new consumer electronics device on which the platform will run — the Boxee Box. In the meantime, NewTeeVee reported today that Boxee is also adding the Clicker app, which provides slick program guide and search features, to its software. And the company continues to strike new deals with content providers.

• Clearly Linux and open source software is catching on at both the enterprise and consumer level. Now its up to or community to make sure the journalists that are not covering the tech beat have the information they need to cover future stories well. What’s the best way to achieve this? What can projects and individual members of the open source community do to help sensibly and tactfully educate mainstream media? Let me know in the comments.

• Once Joseph addressed these challenges, the project went live in February 2009. The completely Open Source solution brought many benefits to Mudra. It led to efficient job allocation and re-assigning of jobs based on workloads. Now each stakeholder can ascertain the status of a job through a dashboard and studio managers can see job queue, operator-wise workloads, etcetera.

Fog Computing/Web

• Like the old saying goes, when you build a better mousetrap, Mother Nature will just build a better mouse. The same holds true for technology: just when mobile device users figure out how to effectively sync mobile device data to servers, along comes the cloud. Now, in addition to syncing smartphones in the cloud, many people want to also manage other devices as well, like printers, cameras, and

• If Dallé’s correct, the right place to look for open-source businesses to flourish is at the nexus of on-premises open-source software and cloud computing. It could prove to be a potent mix. And while the cloud might not be the right delivery platform for some software, it probably does have a high degree of salience for many.

OpenOffice.org

• Before you read the more important stuff below this, let’s just take a quick look at three basic questions.

• Yesterday, I shared a list of ways you can cut back on your business expenses. One item that made my list was using open-source software instead of mainstream commercial applications in the day-to-day management of your business.

• Here are some popular open-source and other free applications you may want to consider using in your business.

• Method two is to install a copy of the Linux operating system on your laptop so you have a choice of operating systems at boot up. Most versions of Linux come with OpenOffice. Org, a suite of programs similar to Microsoft Office. This includes an AV presentation program that’s compatible with PowerPoint, and like Linux it is virtually immune to viruses and malware infections. There is a simple to follow tutorial on dual-booting Linux and Windows in Boot Camp 446.

Hospital

• It was a difficult choice this year among many worthy people and projects but the panel of judges has spoken. The recipients of the 2009 Linux Medical News Freedom Award presented at the American Medical Informatics Association (amia.org) Fall Conference are the open source, US Government NHIN Connect project and Kevin Toppenberg, MD for his invaluable work and use of Veterans Affairs VistA in the private sector.

Mozilla

• Mozilla last week slipped in a fourth beta of its upcoming Firefox 3.6 browser, but said this week that it is still shooting to ship the final code by the end of the year.

Databases

• Columbia University law professor Eben Moglen said that he has found errors in a document from EU regulators that outlines their concerns about clearing the deal.

CMS

• One of the hot topics at the Gilbane Boston conference this year is open source. The event program features several OSS-focused sessions, there were open source breakfasts, socials and pow-wows — all of that signaling wider adoption and growing popularity of the open source CMS industry.

Releases

• Audacity 1.3.10 beta is available for download for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Since this version is still under development it’s not recommended for editing important work that you can’t afford to lose. If you decide to take it out for a spin, make sure you report any bugs or problems to help get the final version out the door as quickly as possible.

Openness

• The aim of the project, he says, is not to “break anything” but rather to create an awareness of “a long-standing vulnerability” in GSM encryption technology and, ultimately, to push mobile phone operators still delivering calls over GSM networks either to phase in the more advanced voice and text-messaging encryption technology, A5/3, or upgrade to a newer-generation digital phone system.

Programming

• There is an element of truth at the core of Freeman-Benson’s argument in that the foundation’s actions do in many ways reflect those of a trade association. But, then, it is what it is. The foundation is a clear example of what JBoss founder Marc Fleury used to call “professional open source” at work — where profit-seeking companies apply open source technology to making money. Gotta make that money. This is a capitalistic society after all.

Leftovers

Internet/Censorship/Web Abuse/Rights

• Police forces that “name and shame” criminals must remove the details from websites after a month, new rules say.

• Criminals’ details such as name, age, where they are from and their offence, should be published routinely on police websites, the Ministry of Justice said.

Intellectual Monopolies/Copyrights

• A consumer who reported himself to an anti-piracy group to try to force a change in copyright law has finally received a response. Denmark’s Antipiratgruppen acknowledges that the man broke the law when he circumvented DRM, but have told him that since it was for personal use with no further distribution, there is no desire to sue him.

• Like many, I got a laugh out of the Daily Show piece earlier this year poking fun at the New York Times for selling “aged news.” But a talk I heard by Kevin Marks this summer made me realize that newspapers don’t push aged news. They push TiVoed news, or recorded news or stored news. Call it what you want, thinking of newspapers as efficient storage devices, rather than being out-of-date, might increase their respect these days and potentially, their value.

• Next time, Mr. Washington Post article Writer, maybe you should do a little research on exactly what it is users are streaming before you make fantastic claims about the defeat of piracy and the triumph of all that is good and honest in this world. Because in this case, you were severely under-informed.

• Several members of the House of Lords have raised fears over elements of the Government’s controversial Digital Economy Bill.

• The wide-ranging bill covers everything from the future of Britain’s broadband network to measures to deal with illegal file-sharing to broadcasting regulation.

• This goes against numerous studies, including those by the WTO on how developing nations often should have less stringent intellectual property laws while they’re developing. The article is based on some simple conjectures: that even with low budgets, films made in Nigeria are having trouble making money and it’s all the fault of piracy — first from lost sales, but also because people are pirating high budget American films as well. Basically, the argument is that if people can get those high budget films at the same “pirated” cost as local films, of course they’ll go for the high budget films, and thus destroy the local film industry.

• Instead, she tries to lump all who file share into a single camp of people who are pure freeloaders. Of course, she even gets the basics of freeloading wrong, focusing on the sociological issues, but ignoring the economic research on freeloading and the value of commons and sharing. That’s doubly odd considering that our recent Nobel Prize winning economist won that prize for her groundbreaking work showing that the simplistic thinking on “sharing” and “commons” simply isn’t accurate, and that communities will quite frequently create models where sharing is seen as beneficial and other structures make sure that fair compensation occurs.

• It has been more than a decade since I was last fully immersed in the recorded music business [and then only peripherally as GM of eMusic.com,] and I have long held out hope that musicians would ditch the old media model, both the business and the manufacturing sides, and fully embrace the huge possibilities that the unfettered social web allows them — asymmetrical distribution as opposed to old media distribution silos, two-way communication with music fans as opposed to old media PR, and marketing tactics and an unparalleled universal sandbox in which to experiment.

• I am still waiting. Unfortunately my patience is now wearing thin. And my impatience is no longer with the record labels, it’s with the musicians. Despite all the data and untold amounts of writing about the decline in music sales, mainly the fall off of CD sales, musicians appear to be sitting on their hands. The reason I am no longer impatient with record labels is because their business model is transparent — they exist to make money from musicians. On the other hand, musicians are [or ought to be] immersed in their art; no one guarantees a living from the arts, but talk to the average musician about internet music distribution and you will often hear the same refrain — “downloading and file-sharing is killing music and denying me a living..”

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