Linux News for Aug 01, 2007

• Microsoft and Xen and Patent Leadership (2007-08-01 23:00:52)
  Once More Unto the Breach: "Indeed, Xen comes from a GPL licensed project where Microsoft was a sponsor of the original University of Cambridge work..."


• The Value of an Independent Linux (2007-08-01 23:00:13)
  CNET News: "On the other side of this coin, however, is the reality that today's integration is tomorrow's barrier to entry against all other applications. Take Microsoft, for example..."


• "I (Don't) Want" Doesn't Mean "I (Don't) Get" (2007-08-01 22:30:05)
  Computer Business Review: "The shorthand for that could have been ''I want' doesn't mean 'I get''. A similar phrase could be applied in the light of some of the responses to Microsoft's intention to submit its licenses to the OSI..."


• The Pendulum Has Swung in the Open Source Debate (2007-08-01 22:00:15)
  The Open Road: "Once upon a time, the term 'open source' was coined to save the free-software world from itself. Or, rather, from the free-software zealots, as you can read on the Open Source Initiative's website..."


• Freetards in Deep Denial (2007-08-01 21:30:25)
  The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: "But the best part of the fallout comes from freetards, who first said the story wasn't true and that Linux still rules in China (ahem)..."


• Windows vs. Linux vs. OS X: CIO John Halamka Tests Ubuntu (2007-08-01 21:00:37)
  CIO: "As part of his ongoing effort to find a secure, stable, user-friendly alternative to the Windows desktop operating system, CareGroup CIO John Halamka got to know Ubuntu..."


• Linux Vs. Mac: Which Is The Better Alternative To Microsoft Windows? (2007-08-01 20:30:12)
  InformationWeek: "The switch from Windows XP to Vista has created a world of opportunity--not only for Microsoft, but for supporters of competing operating systems..."


• RealNetworks Case Highlights Sea-Change In Patent Law (2007-08-01 20:00:46)
  internetnews.com: "Discerning what's obvious and what isn't when it comes to technology patents became a bit less gray last week when a federal judge in San Francisco reversed himself and abruptly dismissed a case brought against RealNetworks..."


• 'Big Four' Systems Management Vendors Ripe for Open Source Shake-Up (2007-08-01 19:30:13)
  Enterprise Linux Log: "The 451 Group found the open source systems management category is dominated by systems monitoring, configuration, provisioning and patching components. That said, open source systems management offerings lack the full feature set provided by the leading proprietary systems management vendors. Still, these core features represent the primary demands from IT end users...'" Link repaired.


• Microsoft Offers Treats to Linux Hackers (2007-08-01 19:00:55)
  LinuxDevices: "Microsoft's Windows Embedded team is offering 'the biggest selection of [free] apps outside of Moscone Center,' in connection with next week's LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco. The 'apps,' in this case, are appetizers, plus free beer and wine..."


• Virtualization Engulfs LinuxWorld 2007: A Preview (2007-08-01 18:30:16)
  SearchEntepriseLinux: "LinuxWorld 2007 has added virtualization tracks and keynotes at this year's conference--a welcome and insightful move..."


• City Uses Linux, OSS for its Free Municipal Wi-Fi (2007-08-01 18:00:12)
  The Inquirer: "Since last week the coastal city of Rosario, home to about a million Argentinians, is among the growing club of cities with free municipal Wi-Fi access..."


• MS to Answer Questions About OOXML on 4Linux's Podcast Aug. 2 (2007-08-01 17:30:09)
  Groklaw: "4Linux in Brazil has a live podcast show and the next theme is 'Microsoft, Open source e Interoperabilidade com OpenXML...'"


• Mozilla Updates Firefox Ahead Of Black Hat (2007-08-01 17:00:54)
  internetnews.com: "Mozilla has patched a pair of security vulnerabilities in its Firefox Web browser just in time for its release of security tools at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas this week..."


• Tim O'Reilly, Eben Moglen, and Jane Jacobs (2007-08-01 16:30:14)
  Once More Unto the Breach: "And it was in poor enough taste that many of the excellent ideas [Eben Moglen] delivered on the need for a second order debate and tools to deal with conflicts in rights were lost..."


• Linux Treo Available Now (2007-08-01 16:00:21)
  MyTreo: "Independent programmers in the community recently achieved Palm's goal of running Linux on Palm devices..."


• Why OOXML Will Not Be an ISO/IEC Standard in 2007 (2007-08-01 15:30:05)
  Bob Sutor's Open Blog: "Even though the JTC1 ballot closes on September 2 on Microsoft's product description for Microsoft Office, namely OOXML or DIS 29500, this will not become an ISO/IEC standard in 2007..."


• Microsoft Not So 'Open' After All? (2007-08-01 15:00:44)
  Computerworld: "The head of the open-source group that will decide whether to certify Microsoft Corp.'s "shared source" software licenses as open-source licenses said that more than half of Redmond's licenses appear to automatically fail the group's rules..."


• IDC: Patents Inhibit Open Source Adoption (2007-08-01 14:30:21)
  internetnews.com: "Apparently patents do matter when it comes to open source software adoption..."


• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1 Beta Announcement (2007-08-01 14:00:58)
  Red Hat: "Red Hat is pleased to announce the availability of the *beta* release of 5.1 (kernel-2.6.18-36.el5) for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 family of products..."


• Acer Installing Linux on Some Notebooks, But Not Ubuntu (2007-08-01 13:30:57)
  InfoWorld.nl: "Acer Inc. did not install the Ubuntu Linux distribution on a batch of Aspire notebooks for sale in Singapore, but the company is installing a different version of the open-source operating system on some notebooks..."


• IBM Saves $250 Million Consolidating Linux Servers On To Mainframes (2007-08-01 13:00:05)
  NetworkWorld: "Talk about eating your own dog food. IBM today will announce it is consolidating nearly 4,000 small computer servers in six locations onto about 30 refrigerator-sized mainframes running Linux saving $250 million in the process..."


• Wireless Software for Linux Cleared of Legal Uncertainty by SFLC (2007-08-01 12:45:13)
  Software Freedom Law Center: "Earlier this year, allegations were made that OpenHAL might include material that infringed the copyright of Atheros' proprietary HAL software. The Linux Wireless developers asked the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) to investigate these rumors, and SFLC agreed to help on a pro-bono basis. SFLC subsequently conducted a confidential audit..."


• Software Freedom Day: Taking Open Source to the Streets (2007-08-01 12:00:13)
  Linux.com: "Thousands of open source advocates and enthusiasts from around the world are expected to take the message of free and open source software to the streets on September 15 for the fourth annual Software Freedom Day..."


• Essential Tools for Web Developers (2007-08-01 10:00:13)
  ThemBid.com: "From a static html page to creating a Content Management System from scratch, there are certain tools that increase productivity geometrically. Here I present the tools that have greatly enhanced my own productivity and our team."


• ASRock ALiveNF7G-HDReady (2007-08-01 08:30:13)
  Phoronix: "It has been a while since we last reviewed an ASRock motherboard, but this budget manufacturer has kept churning out new and more innovative products. The ASRock motherboard we have our hands on for this Linux and Solaris review is the ALiveNF7G-HDready, which combines NVIDIA's GeForce 7050 and nForce 630a MCP with a wealth of integrated extras such as IEEE-1394a Firewire to offer a rather good package for its low price. This motherboard is also capable of handling 720p H.264 video playback with low CPU Utilization and HDCP decoding through supported software."


• The Story of DEFCON (2007-08-01 07:00:13)
  Help Net Security: "Jeff Moss, the founder of DEFCON and Black Hat, tells the history of the largest hacker conference and how it all got started. (YouTube video)"


• Linux security: Authenticate your users and know what they're up to (2007-08-01 05:30:13)
  Search Enterprise Linux: "Here's a question for Linux systems administrators out there: Do you know what your users are up to? You probably think you do, but Kurt Lingel, the principal product architect at Sugar Land, Texas-based JME Software LLC, begs to differ."


• Linux: Custom Kernels with Debian and Fedora (2007-08-01 04:18:54)
  Enterprise Networking Planet: "Fedora patches its kernels all to heck, to the point that a vanilla kernel may not work. Of course it costs nothing but a bit of time to try. But if you want to use genuine Fedora kernel sources they come in source RPMs, so you'll have to build your kernel and then package it into an RPM. First fetch your kernel SRPM from your favorite Fedora mirror..."


• Use gperf for Efficient C/C++ Command Line Processing (2007-08-01 04:00:13)
  developerWorks: "The GNU tool gperf is a 'perfect' hash function that, for a given set of user-provided strings, generates C/C++ code for a hash table, a hash function, and a lookup function..."


• Vector Linux 5.8 SOHO--A Review (2007-08-01 02:30:13)
  Shift+Backspace: "Let's keep this review ball rolling! After a few incoming links from the Vector Linux website I decided to give their latest offering, Vector Linux 5.8 SOHO, a look..."