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LONG [News Digest] Mark Kent Linux News Digest for the 24hrs preceding 08-02-09

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Mark Kent

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Feb 8, 2009, 7:37:25 AM2/8/09

In today's Mark Kent linux news digest, we have:
* GNU/Linux Sneaks Into Everything Including the Desktop
* GNU/Linux Just Too Easy
* GNU/Linux Beats Mac OS X in Areas
* Linux Became Very Easy, Microsoft Terrified of Desktop GNU/Linux
* Java Applications for GNU/Linux Show Great Promose
* Boxee Rocks on GNU/Linux
* List of Strategy Games for GNU/Linux
* Video Editors for GNU/Linux: Plenty of Libre Ones
* Torrent is Legal, Spreads Terabytes of GNU/Linux Love
* Olivier Fourda's Remarks on Success of GNU/Linux in Sub-notebooks
* More Dell Sub-notebooks Run GNU/Linux
* Linux is Still Taking Over Cameras
* More Exciting Development for Mobile Linux (LiMo Touchscreen)
* Linux is Entering More Cars with COQOS
* Broadcom Mixes with Linux Phones
* GNU/Linux-based Set-top Box Opens up to Developers
* KDE Conference Concludes, KDevelop 4 Reaches Beta
* GNU/Linux Distributions Released When Ready, Not Rushed
* Apple Macs... Powered by Many GNU/Linux Distributions
* Sabayon Linux Pulls a Nice One with Version 4
* A Look at Two Special-purpose, Lightweight GNU/Linux Distributions
* Fedora 11 Includes Major New Features, New Community Liaison
* Fedora a Star on Acer Sub-notebooks
* Red Hat Chief Talks About 20% Growth for GNU/Linux on Desktops
* Major New Release of RPM
* Early Glimpse at Fedora 11, Comparison to Ubuntu
* Ubuntu GNU/Linux Kicks Ass in Servers
* Ubuntu GNU/Linux Enters People Living Room
* Stanford Releases Free Software (GPL) for Molecular Motions
Simulation
* Free Software Released to Fix Oracle's Broken Software
* Free Software is Great for Business, Powered by Business
* Free Software as Policy is Taking Over
* Mozilla Proceeds to Phone with Free Software
* Funding for Free Software in India, Economy Forces Adoption
* OpenOffice.org Gets Faster, Gets Grammar Checker, More Goodies
* New Version of Ed, AGPL-licensed Twitter Clones/Editors
* Wintel-corrupted Press is Dying
* Sri Lankan Telecom Kicks Microsoft, Embraces Free Software and ODF
* Freedom Under Major Attack in Britain
* Copyrights Seems to be Growing Obsolete
* MAFIAA Proven to be Morally Corrupt, Gets Government Seats from Biden
* Proof That Intellectual Monopolies Are Absolutely Sick
* Storage Solution Done with GNU/Ballnux
* [Rival] BetaVista7 a Security Failure Before Arrival
* [Rival] More Layoffs Hit Microsoft

From the following esteemed reporters:
* Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>

This is a digest of the previous 24 hours (GMT day) of [News] postings in
comp.os.linux.advocacy. If you have any comments, suggestions or remarks,
please reply to this message and I will take account of all that I can.

Try the faq at: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/
for more information about cola.

The digest is now presented in the UTF-8 character-set, in order to
improve legibility for readers in all parts of the world.

Just like other public, unmoderated discussion fora, cola has
its share of disruptive posters. This blog has been created by
a concerned cola netizen to assist newcomers in identifying them:
http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/

In order to find the last week's digests, try:
http://groups.google.co.uk/groups/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&num=10&q=group%3Acomp.os.linux.advocacy+insubject%3Alinux+insubject%3Anews+insubject%3Adigest+author%3Amark.kent%40demon.co.uk&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=w&safe=off&qt_s=Search

Alternatively, you can start at the first one, posted 3/Sep/06, and
work fowards:
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/comp.os.linux.advocacy/browse_thread/thread/204520deb472e5ef/fa8c1f5e12433243?&hl=en#fa8c1f5e12433243

For information regarding JAIN SLEE, try this thread:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.advocacy/browse_thread/thread/db9925f8d4305760/d36f7eeda94fc6ac?lnk=st&q=mark+kent+jain+slee#d36f7eeda94fc6ac

I very much hope that you find this digest useful.

You can email me at: echo ma...@NOSPAM.ellandroad.demon.co.uk, removing
the obvious bit.

Happy reading, Mark Kent, Digest Editor.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message-Id: <9597269.g...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] GNU/Linux Sneaks Into Everything Including the Desktop
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:11:27 +0000

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Linux runs my life :-)

http://www.saigonnezumi.com/2009/02/01/linux-runs-my-life/

The hidden world of Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| There are many great FOSS projects that utilise old PC hardware and give it a
| new lease of life. The best is desktop computing with various Linux
| distribution flavours like Mint, PCLinux, Ubuntu and countless others. In
| fact it is my considered belief that the best hardware to run Linux on is
| infact (almost) any machine that is at least 12 months old. It is possible,
| of course, to select components based on the degree (and maturity) of the
| specific support under Linux but this has two major drawbacks.
|
| [...]
|
| Not only do such projects look to modify embedded Linux devices, but some
| great projects have sprung up to utilise old PCs every household seems to
| accumulate in order to fulfil a number of key uses. For example,
| comprehensive firewall distributions like IPCop or Smoothwall or NAS
| distributions like FreeNAS (although this is based on BSD.) These are not
| dirty hacked operating systems either but very mature, streamlined, low
| memory footprint distributions which run headlessly. Being totally
| administered through a web browser makes these distributions feel extremely
| professional and polished (even if the archaic hardware they are running on
| doesn’t) this being coupled by the extraordinary amount of options present
| really makes these projects an extraordinary example of the flexibility of
| Linux/BSD.
`----

http://whyamistilltyping.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/the-hidden-world-of-linux/

Linux everywhere

,----[ Quote ]
| Take yesterday as a case in point. I checked the order status of my Elonex
| One, and sent an email to see if my order for the One can be upgraded to the
| One+ (bluetooth, and bigger internal memory). I then caught the train to the
| Queen Elizabeth hospital, watching the in-train tv which is powered by some
| Linux flavour (given the error message I saw a few weeks back). Visiting my
| friend Simon at the QE, he’s spotted that the tv/phone/internet screens that
| each patient has are powered by Linux. This is of course when he’s not
| tapping away on his Asus EEE, and hopefully writing the next Da Vinci Code
| (only better).
`----

http://andyhollyhead.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/linux-everywhere/

Linux is truly everywhere

,----[ Quote ]
| I spent a long time smiling about the Linux bootup screen that I had just
| seen. To begin with, it reminded me that Linux, and other open-source
| products, are now everywhere. Linux is no longer for the uber-geeks. It's not
| just for system administrators and programmers, either. Linux is now at the
| core of mainstream appliances, there even when you don't think that a
| computer or operating system might be involved.
|
| [...]
|
| Finally, Moore's Law and the general trend toward cheaper and faster hardware
| means that Linux now fits into even more places than it did before. We
| normally think of Linux as an operating system for servers, or even for
| desktop computers. But we can expect Linux to be at the heart of a growing
| number of appliances, from video-on-demand devices to digital video recorders
| (e.g., TiVo), to cellphones (e.g., Android and OpenMoko). The Linux-powered
| refrigerator, with a built-in bar-code scanner that can tell you how long ago
| you bought milk, isn't far behind.
`----

http://ostatic.com/158401-blog/linux-is-truly-everywhere

What CAN’T Linux do?

,----[ Quote ]
| 1. The story mentioned above. A man installs Linux on sixteen Playstation 3s
| (with zero hardware modifications), clusters them together, and creates a
| system to simulate black holes.
| 2. Installing Linux on a Mac. I was just reading the most recent Wired
| magazine that has a good story on how Apple has created a very closed system
| where only Apple software plays on Apple hardware. Hello Yellow Dog Linux! I
| have run Linux on an iBook - it was sweet.
| 3. Routers. We all know that Linux works well on routers. OpenWRT installs
| well on many Linksys routers.
|
| [...]
|
| 11. Airplane black boxes. Montavista uses a Carrier Grade Linux to power
| in-flight recorders.
| 12. Brain surgery. Yep. This Linux-powered robot helps in brain surgery.
`----

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/opensource/?p=186
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Message-Id: <2509489.W...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] GNU/Linux Just Too Easy
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:13:37 +0000

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Are you an "average" user?

,----[ Quote ]
| According to here average has several definitions. However they all generally
| mean the same thing. So an average user would be a user that consists of the
| most common traits that all users have. I think that these traits would be.
|
| Average intelligence.
| Average health.
| Average age.
| Average education.
| Average job.
| Average computer skills.
| Etc.
|
| I think that you get my drift. Concentrating on three of those traits that I
| listed, intelligence, education and computer skills. I think that these are
| most important for our "average user".
|
| [...]
|
| Unless I have missed some earth shattering point I would say that if you give
| the average user a windows computer and a Linux computer they would be able
| to use each operating system equally easily. Menu navigation is the same. The
| way a mouse is used is basically the same. The methods of opening a programme
| is the same.
`----

http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/locutus/are-you-an-average-user-29514

Picking Linux software made easy

,----[ Quote ]
| In a recent story, my fellow scribe Preston Gralla wrote, "If Linux has an
| Achilles heel, from the point of view of a Windows user, it's installing new
| software." Now, he's seen the error of his ways about that, but he also noted
| that, "I was rewarded with a long list of recommended updates -- and what
| they were, or were used for, is anyone's guess. For example, ... alacarte:
| easy GNOME menu editing tool. ... " His point was that he didn't have a clue
| what this programme might be.
`----

http://blogs.computerworld.com/picking_linux_software_made_easy

Recent:

Migration from Microsoft to Linux - O, the Joy

,----[ Quote ]
| So I finally made the plunge. I've long wanted to be part of that geeky elite
| who broke from the crowd, stepped aside from their fellow computer lemmings
| and took a different plunge - not off the cliff, but into an alien and poorly
| understood (by the masses) computer operating system - Unix.
`----

http://therantzone.blogspot.com/2009/01/migration-from-microsoft-to-linux-o-joy.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <246824719....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] GNU/Linux Beats Mac OS X in Areas
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:16:26 +0000

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Ubuntu shines where OS X fails

,----[ Quote ]
| Coming from a lifetime as a Mac user you can imagine that I am rather
| trusting of the OS, especially as a creative tool. In recent years, as Apple
| has evolved OS X, it has continued to surprise me (in a good sort of way.)
|
| Regarding their OS X server, given that I have used it since 2001, I was
| rather excited to try it out in my new web software venture. My impression
| was it would be as easy to run a web site on OS X server as it is easy to
| manage a creative project.
|
| Wrong.
|
| I have had the distinct displeasure of trying to get a simple php script to
| run via the command line (instead of a browser.) The first catastrophe was
| using Leopard server. After the upgrades kept locking the machine such that
| the only solution was a complete system reinstall (with careful attention to
| NOT update) we opted to use the standard Tiger client version to run this
| test.
`----

http://www.ubuntuproductivity.com/journal/venting/02/2009/ubuntu-shines-where-os-x-fails/

Linux vs. Mac vs. Windows

,----[ Quote ]
| Benefits of Linux - extremely easy to use, automatic updates of all your
| software, everything is completely free, you hardly ever need to install
| special drivers whenever you get new hardware, it comes with all the software
| you will need for most day to day work out of the box, installation of
| additional programmes is *extremely* easy, you can change anything you want,
| you can upgrade any part of the computer (motherboard, etc.) and it will work
| without reinstallation (you can quite literally take out the hard drive, plug
| it into another computer and it will work just fine), runs on any system,
| excellent support.
`----

http://davidhilton.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/linux-vs-mac-vs-windows/

Recent:

Dell Mini 9 Has a More Pro Screen Than MacBook Pro

,----[ Quote ]
| Using an Eizo ColorEdge CE240W as reference monitor, professional
| photographer Rob Galbraith compared the screens on the three bestselling
| notebooks in their respective categories MacBook Pro, Dell Mini 9 and Lenovo
| W700 and that of the Lenovo ThinkPad T60 whose in-plane switching LCD panel
| is well-regarded. His conclusions are amazing -
`----

http://asuseeehacks.blogspot.com/2009/01/dell-mini-9-has-more-pro-screen-than.html

The Difference Between Vista, XP, Linux and Mac OS Explained

,----[ Quote ]
| A middle school student I know asked me to explain the difference between
| Vista, XP, Linux and Mac OS.
`----

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/155470/the_difference_between_vista_xp_linux_and_mac_os_explained.html

10 things Linux does better than OS X

,----[ Quote ]
| #1: Flexibility
|
| [...]
|
| #2: Open source
|
| [...]
|
| #3: Command line
|
| [...]
|
| #4: Hardware requirements
|
| [...]
|
| #5: Security
|
| [...]
|
| 6. Portability
|
| [...]
|
| #7: Cost
|
| [...]
|
| #8: More available software
|
| [...]
|
| #9: Not so dumbed-down
|
| [...]
|
| #10: Keyboard efficiency
`----

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=461

Moving from Mac to Ubuntu: Why I’m switching

,----[ Quote ]
| Why I’m leaving Mac
|
| 1. Crap file management.The Finder doesn’t work for me. No location bar
| and no tree strucure side panel makes it difficult to navigate folders and
| move files around the way I want to.
| 2. Insufficient panels & customisation. In Ubuntu I can have as many
| panels I want, can put all kinds of stuff on them, and can arrange them
| however I want. In OSX You just have the dock, and you can really only put
| applications or files on them, and you can’t even put in a separator to
| keep them organised.
| 3. Various other annoyances. Such as:
| * programme menus are glued to the top of the screen on one monitor
| only, which detaches them from the window. This is especailly
| annoying when the programme you’re using is on the second monitor.
| * the date/time doesn’t open to a navigable calendar. I often use
| this to check dates in the past or future.
| * you can’t see hidden files unless you run a command from the
| terminal to turn them on. Thus, hidden files are either always on
| or always off.
`----

http://meganmcdermott.com/2008/08/29/moving-mac-ubuntu-switching/

A Mac Devotee Looks at Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex"

,----[ Quote ]
| If Apple came out with a netbook, I'd be tempted to choose it over a
| Linux-based netbook for a variety of reasons. One of them is that it would
| slot into our Mac-centric home network (mostly in terms of syncing and
| existing software) more easily. Another is that I've been more blown away by
| the iPod Touch than I ever thought I could be, and an Apple netbook might
| have the same effect. Today, however, that choice doesn't exist and won't for
| the forseeable future, and as my shoulders and back start to ache and cramp
| from the time spent in front of a desktop writing overlong blog posts, an
| Ubuntu netbook continues to be an increasingly attractive option.
`----

http://diderotsdiary.iannelli.us/2008/12/mac-devotee-looks-at-ubuntu-810.html

Ubuntu on an iBook

,----[ Quote ]
| I started by backing up my information. Everything, everything - including
| the System Folder. I used Disk Copy to image everything in around 600 MB
| chunks so that I could burn them to a CD.
`----

http://linuxtidbits.wordpress.com/2008/11/28/ubuntu-on-an-ibook/

Dell Mini Inspiron 9

,----[ Quote ]
| I’m living the dream, I tell you! I’ve swapped my MacBook for a Dell Mini and
| so far the experience has been pretty positive.
`----

http://jonrob.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/dell-mini-inspiron-9/

Ubuntu and Mac OS X Integration

,----[ Quote ]
| So, when everything is said and done, I was able to achieve all my stated
| goals. The only outstanding issue that I haven’t yet figured out yet centres
| on automatic logins; for both AFP and SMB/CIFS, I get prompted for a password
| when connecting, even though I keep my password synchronised (manually)
| between my Mac and the Ubuntu server. Any tips on how to resolve that would
| certainly be appreciated.
`----

http://blog.scottlowe.org/2009/01/02/ubuntu-and-mac-os-x-integration/
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <2188929.s...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux Became Very Easy, Microsoft Terrified of Desktop GNU/Linux
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:19:44 +0000

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Linux is a piece of cake.

,----[ Quote ]
| Like cake, Linux is a mixture of ingredients. You can mix and match those
| ingredients to achieve your desired result. As in making a cake, how well
| your Linux turns out depends on your experience or ability to follow a recipe
| or instructions.
`----

http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/locutus/linux-is-a-piece-of-cake-29811

Proof that Microsoft Now Fears for the Desktop

,----[ Quote ]
| Hmm, lookee here: Microsoft wants to hire a Director, Open Source Desktop
| Strategy
`----

http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-microsoft-wants-director-os-desktop.html

This would be the people who -bribe- -extort- lobby companies like H-P and Dell
to drop GNU/Linux.

Recent:

Is Linux Easy to Use?

,----[ Quote ]
| Today’s Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Suse and Fedora can be installed
| very easily. In Ubuntu the user required actions are just 4-5 clicks. The
| installer is clever enough to partition the hard disc without loss of data
| and co-living with other operating systems installed prior. I love this
| feature a lot.
`----

http://blog.feradz.com/2009/01/is-linux-easy-to-use/

Easy Peasy Eeebuntu Netbooks

,----[ Quote ]
| Recently I purchased an eeepc 1000H and was quite impressed with the new and
| different operating system. I hail from a windows only background and
| anything apart from the Microsoft offerings I have left well alone, until
| NOW. The eee came with something called xandros installed and although fairly
| basic it did give me a taste of linux and I wanted more.
`----

http://www.tuxmachines.org/node/33539

_EeeBuntu made my wife happy_

,----[ Quote ]
| My wife bought an eeePc 701/4G earlier this year.
|
| I was checking all the Windows machines for MS and anti-virus updates.
| When I turned on her eeePC it gave a low disk warning. I tried cleaning
| everything off the computer that she didn't need; however, I couldn't
| get enough free disk space to update Windows. After I had plaid with it
| for an hour or so, my wife told me she didn't use it anymore because it
| was too slow. She told me I should install Linux on it </shock>.
|
| I installed the EeeBuntu remix on it. She has been using it for the past
| 2 days. It runs pretty well when the CPU isn't supporting an anti-virus
| programme as well as the OS. It has all the applications she needs, and
| still has 1 GB of SSD left for more of them.
|
| It's the remix of Ubuntu 8.10.
|
| When she is happy, I am happy.
|
| Edit: I'm not complaining about Windows. It was just the wrong OS for my
| wife's needs.
`----

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=6418534&postcount=1
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Message-Id: <3012239.n...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Java Applications for GNU/Linux Show Great Promose
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:28:07 +0000

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Don't Forsake These Java Apps, Linux Users

,----[ Quote ]
| Over the years, the value of Java has been replaced by more emphasis on Flash
| and Ajax on the web front. But what about Linux users who need applications
| that can deal with changes in the back-end to desktop environments, amongst
| other changes? I happen to believe that to some extent, Java can be a really
| beneficial thing to consider for the desktop. Here are my favourite Java apps
| in no uncertain order.
`----

http://www.intranetjournal.com/articles/200902/ij_02_05_09a.html

The long road to a working Cheese

,----[ Quote ]
| Google Summer of Code project entitled Photobooth-like application for the
| GNOME-Desktop. (See this GNOME Journal interview with Daniel Siegel). Several
| additional GSoC projects involved Cheese, these include Cheese integration
| into Gnome with student Felix Kaser and mentor Daniel Siegel and Extend
| Cheese with OpenGL effects with student Filippo Argiolas and mentor Daniel
| Siegel.
`----

http://lwn.net/Articles/316870/

Recent:

Study: Java still top programming language

,----[ Quote ]
| Java has its detractors, but according to a recent reading of the Tiobe
| Programming Community Index, it's still the dominant programming language,
| with little change in its overall popularity since August 2007. Runners up?
| C, (Visual) Basic, C++, and PHP.
`----

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10009669-16.html

Sun Provides 64-bit Java Plug-In For Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| After years of complaints by its users, last month Adobe released 64-bit
| Flash for Linux. Now this month Sun Microsystems has come to the table with a
| Java plug-in that is compatible with 64-bit web browsers.
`----

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NjkyOQ

Java and Linux - an open marriage in search of success

,----[ Quote ]
| That other pillar of open source, and creator of the GNU Project Richard
| Stallman, meanwhile, became one of Java's loudest opponents - sternly
| advising people not to install the closed-source evil that was Java, and
| giving Java as a dire example of corporate lock-in.
|
| Two years later Sun silenced the the baying crowd with OpenJDK - an
| open-source project based on Sun's closed-JDK codebase.
|
| Sun also released Java Standard Edition (Java SE) for the desktop, Java
| Mobile Edition (Java ME) for mobile devices and Glassfish - Sun's
| implementation of Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) - under GNU General
| Public Licence v2 (GPLv2). Sun said GPLv2 would achieve the objectives
| of "driving more volume and adoption for Java and maintaining the 'write once
| run anywhere compatibility' promise."
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/28/open_source_java_birthday/
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Message-Id: <2162847.p...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Boxee Rocks on GNU/Linux
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:22:03 +0000

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Why Does Everyone Heart Boxee?

,----[ Quote ]
| The buzz has been building for Boxee lately. Mainstream news outlets like The
| New York Times, BusinessWeek and NPR are getting hip to the little
| open-source media centre that could quite possibly change the way you
| experience TV.
`----

http://gigaom.com/2009/02/06/why-does-everyone-heart-boxee/

Recent:

Boxee now open to all Ubuntu, Mac, ATV users

,----[ Quote ]
| Boxee has just opened up its free A/V media centre platform to all Ubuntu,
| Mac, and AppleTV users. Additionally, Boxee for Windows has
| entered “private-alpha” phase, during which prospective users apply for the
| software online and wait for a download link.
`----

http://www.deviceguru.com/boxee-now-open-to-all-ubuntu-mac-atv-users/

Boxee: Open Source Connected TV

http://www.pcworld.com/article/156759/boxee_connected_tv.html?tk=rss_news

Boxee does better

,----[ Quote ]
| So, credit where it is due - it at least looks like Boxee is trying to both
| recognise and comply with the GPL.
`----

http://meandubuntu.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/boxee-does-better/

Boxee plugs into Joost, MTV Music

,----[ Quote ]
| In addition, Boxee will be totally opening up its Mac, Linux, and Apple TV
| alphas to anyone who wants to sign up. The Windows version, however, will not
| be entering an open alpha, but rather an invite-only alpha while it scales.
`----

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13515_3-10136340-26.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <4257555.y...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] List of Strategy Games for GNU/Linux
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:23:17 +0000

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More about Linux games - Part 5

,----[ Quote ]
| This time of season again: Linux gaming. Today, I will show you several more
| interesting titles that you may want to run on your Linux desktop. We'll
| mainly talk about strategy games, but we'll also see a few special, unique
| games, including a pair focused on physics. Hmm, physics, you say? Physics,
| fun, does not seem to go well together. Wait until you read the article,
| then. We'll also review a Java/Flash game, so all those who love to play
| games through their Web browser, this one is for you. Oh, we'll also mention
| an incredible new First Person Shooter toward the end of the article, so
| don't run away after four paragraphs!
`----

http://www.dedoimedo.com/games/linux-games-more.html

Recent:

5 Best Free/Open-source Turn-based Strategy Games for Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| If you are already bored of playing chess, how about trying these highly
| entertaining and challenging free and open-source turn-based strategy games
| that you can easily get and install on Linux:
`----

http://www.junauza.com/2008/09/5-best-freeopen-source-turn-based.html

5 Best Free and Open-source Real-time Strategy Games for Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Spring (formerly known as TA Spring or Total Annihilation: Spring), is a full
| 3D free/open source RTS game engine originally created by the Swedish
| Yankspankers, intended to bring the gameplay experience of Total Annihilation
| (TA) into three dimensions. Games are played using one of a number of mods.
| The standard installation comes with a range of prepackaged mods, some which
| requires that one own a copy of TA to legally play them, and other Free
| Content mods which may be used free of charge without owning a copy of TA.
| Spring’s core game engine is licensed under the GNU GPL.
`----

http://www.junauza.com/2008/09/5-best-free-and-open-source-real-time.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <14380081....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Video Editors for GNU/Linux: Plenty of Libre Ones
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:25:49 +0000

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Top 10 Free Video Editors for Ubuntu Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| I earlier wrote about Top 5 BitTorrent Clients for Ubuntu Linux, 7 Awesome
| 3D Graphic Design Applications for Linux and 23 Free Ubuntu Linux Login
| Screens. Today I’m going to write about some of the best Video editing tools
| for Ubuntu Linux because Linux itself doesn’t offer any default or built-in
| video editor application but there are tens of third party software for Linux
| you can use to add effects to your videos and do a lot more.
`----

http://techcityinc.com/2009/02/top-10-free-video-editors-for-ubuntu-linux/

Recent:

Apple eats video editing jobs

,----[ Quote ]
| Well, yes indeed. Step forward Object Matrix and its MatrixStore. It's a
| clusterable set of nodes, three at a minimum, with each node having up to
| 24TB of SATA disk storage (1TB drives) and Linux x86 server running the
| MatrixStore software. The capacity is no problem for now as a 50x4TB node
| setup has been tested and the company says 24TB nodes would work just as
| well, meaning a 1.2PB cluster is feasible.
|
| Object Matrix is primarily a software company and makes its technology
| available, in the UK only at present, as an integrated hardware and software
| product with Linux cluster nodes or as software only for Mac OS nodes.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/01/video_editing_online_archives/

7 Free Open Source Video Editors For Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Avidemux is a free video editor used mainly for simple cutting, filtering and
| encoding tasks. It is often dubbed as the VirtualDub for Linux as it can do
| many things that VirtualDub can do. It supports many files types, including
| avi, DVD compatible mpeg files, mp4, asf and even the not-so-common ogm and
| matroska format.
|
| Some of the useful features of Avidemux include a simple WYSIWYG interface,
| easy conversion from one format to another, plenty of filtering effects and a
| built-in subtitles processing capabilities.
`----

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-free-open-source-video-editor-for-linux/

KDE 4 Video Editor Kdenlive Released

,----[ Quote ]
| The promising nonlinear video editor Kdenlive has made its first non beta for
| KDE 4, version 0.7 is on us. This closes another gap of the free desktop
| world: a usable open source video editor. Kdenlive has the potential to
| become the Amarok or K3b of video editors, offering comfort and elegance so
| far not available in alternative programmes. The feature set looks amazingly
| complete and far exceeds the KDE 3 version already. Check the release
| announcement.
`----

http://dot.kde.org/1228076951/

Video Editing in Linux: Kino v Open Movie v KdenLive

,----[ Quote ]
| Out of the 3 programmes previewed, I liked Kdenlive the best, but not having
| the Title show up was a real bummer. Kdenlive could eventually become my
| editor of choice by the time it gets to 1.0 status. The trick is going to be
| to keep the development moving and thus keep my interest alive. This type of
| progression is what has helped Linux reach critical mass as desktop choice.
`----

http://desktoplinux.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/video-editing-in-linux-kino-v-open-movie-v-kdenlive/

Hollywood, Linux, and CinePaint at FOSDEM 2008

,----[ Quote ]
| At first, studios had no choice but to develop Linux applications in house.
| The film industry has millions of lines of Linux code, both desktop
| applications and server pipelines. Studio Linux programmers write code in
| C++, Python, Perl, and Java. What does all this secret proprietary Linux code
| do? And, why do they do parallel programming with grid computing? How does
| the film industry use renderfarms with thousands of CPUs?
`----

http://linuxgazette.net/147/rowe.html

DreamWorks wins an award for its innovative use of Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Behind that effort sits Ed Leonard, chief technology officer at DreamWorks,
| who has been recognised for his work with an Annie Award for "promoting the
| Linux open system for animation in animation studios and gaming software
| development."
`----

http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9865829-16.html

Linux Goes Hollywood With New Terra Soft Film Rendering Tool

,----[ Quote ]
| Y-Film is a product formed from two separate applications. The first is a
| cluster construction suite supported by Terra Soft's Y-HPC platform. The
| second is the Artist Productivity and Asset Management Tools developed by
| Scott Frankel, president and VFX supervisor at Circle-S Studios and the lead
| developer of Y-Film. The tool set runs on x86 Linux, Power Linux and Mac OS
| X.
`----

http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/60254.html

Linux in Hollywood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=636VZ_R-NVs

Studios Using Linux

http://linuxmovies.org/studios.html

,----[ Quote ]
| "Linux is the default operating [system] on desktops and servers at major
| animation and visual effects studios, with maybe 98 percent [or more]
| penetration," CinePaint Project Manager Robin Rowe told LinuxInsider.
`----

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/57300.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1269325.l...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Torrent is Legal, Spreads Terabytes of GNU/Linux Love
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:30:28 +0000

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LinuxTracker.org 4th Anniversary!!

,----[ Quote ]
| Every day after until we run out, we will be giving away at least one prize
| pack daily consisting of a complimentary subscription to LinuxJournal (print
| subscription for Canadian, US, or Mexico, online subscription for
| international members), a Google Sticker (sticker in photo may not be the one
| you receive) and an LNX Oval from ThinkGeek!
`----

http://blog.linuxtracker.org/2009/02/05/linuxtrackerorg-4th-anniversary/

Linuxtracker - Moving 180 Terabytes of Linux a Year

,----[ Quote ]
| Nearly three years ago, we mentioned Linuxtracker in a short post on
| BitTorrent sites that list ‘legal’ software downloads. Now, the site is
| celebrating its 4th anniversary, and with over 1400 torrents it is one of the
| best places to get your Linux fix.
`----

http://torrentfreak.com/linuxtracker-pushing-180-terabytes-of-linux-a-year-090206/

Real Geeks do Peer Clouding

,----[ Quote ]
| Perhaps I'm stretching the definition of "cloud" a bit, but that's OK because
| I'm sick of hearing it. But I do think the idea of informal hosting and
| sharing is a good one; it's under the radar of Big Brother, and of course
| with Linux it's secure, reliable, and not that hard to do.
`----

http://blog.linuxtoday.com/blog/2009/02/the-cloud-is-co.html

Recent:

Linux-driven BitTorrent appliance ships

,----[ Quote ]
| Myka is shipping an embedded Linux device that downloads, stores, and plays
| BitTorrent media files on an attached TV. Available in 80GB, 160GB, and 500GB
| models, plus a Developer's Edition with a 1TB disk, the Myka appliances
| offload BitTorrent peer-to-peer duties from a PC.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2052643284.html?kc=rss

Tribler: BitTorrent and Beyond

,----[ Quote ]
| P2P (peer-to-peer) is the nature of the Net. You can fight that, or you can
| embrace it. Here in the US, the mainstream entertainment business has mostly
| been fighting it. Hollywood and its phone and cable company allies have long
| regarded P2P, and BitTorrent in particular, as a copyright piracy system and
| a bandwidth hog. In the European Union, however, P2P is more than accepted:
| it's supported by the Union itself.
|
| [...]
|
| “Everything we're doing is based on open source”, says Johan Pouwelse, PhD,
| scientific director of P2P-Next and Assistant Professor of Computer Science
| at Delft. The good doctor also runs P2P-Next's first trial application:
| Tribler (pronounced “tribe-ler”), a BitTorrent-based client with no servers
| and a “zero-cost” business model. Tribler provides an all-in-one way to find,
| consume and share media.
`----

http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/tribler-bittorrent-and-beyond

FireTorrent Adds BitTorrent Powers to Firefox

,----[ Quote ]
| The add-on, technically in the alpha stage and
| pseudo-invite-only (the link below gets past that
| requirement, however), doesn't have any preferences to
| configure, and limits your upload speed to 15 kb/s, most
| likely to preserve Firefox's basic browsing ability while
| you download.
`----

http://lifehacker.com/5119552/firetorrent-adds-bittorrent-powers-to-firefox?skyline=true&s=x

BitTorrent president: Comcast agreement is a 'win'

,----[ Quote ]
| "We're not going to be the ones who hire lobbyists, we'll leave that to the
| ones at Google and Microsoft," Navin said.
`----

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9905096-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Comcast, Microsoft team up to serve smaller firms

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's move to offer the online software suite appears designed to
| compete with a similar offering from rival Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote,
| Profile, Research) known as Google Apps.
`----

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKN1361814420071114?rpc=44

Comcast admits paying attendees at FCC hearing

,----[ Quote ]
| Comcast Corp. admitted yesterday that it paid people to attend a government
| hearing. Company critics say the freelance attendees were there to crowd them
| out; Comcast says they were merely saving seats for employees.
`----

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20080228_Comcast_admits_paying_attendees_at_FCC_hearing.html

Comcast stacked Net Neutrality meeting

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/27/comcast-stacked-net-neutrality

Allegations fly in FCC hearing aftermath

,----[ Quote ]
| Comcast Corp. on Tuesday acknowledged hiring people to fill seats before the
| start of a contentious federal hearing on how the company manages its
| broadband network, allowing its employees to take those seats when the
| filled-to-capacity hearing started.
`----

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_hi_te/internet_regulation

US senator accuses FCC of rigging 700MHz auction

,----[ Quote ]
| Wireless watchers are still waiting for the final results of the The Great
| American Wireless Auction, but that hasn't stopped at least one US Senator
| from dubbing the FCC's $20bn bid-off "a disaster".
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/26/fcc_accused_of_rigging_700mhz_auction/

BitTorrent Admin Monitored by US Government, Forced to Dump Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Sk0t, an ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker is to have
| his internet connection forcibly monitored by the US Government. If that
| wasn’t bad enough, the monitoring software is Windows based - which means he
| is being forced to ditch Linux - or face being barred from the internet.
`----

http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-admin-monitored-by-us-government-forced-to-dump-linux/

Is Comcast's BitTorrent filtering violating the law?

,----[ Quote ]
| Assuming that the SYN packet goes through, the three-way handshake is allowed
| to happen, then the two hosts will be able to begin communicating. Your ISP
| can still kill the connection later, should they wish to, merely by blocking
| the transmission of future packets.
|
| According to Torrent Freak, Comcast is not doing this. They are instead
| sending a reset (or RST) packet to the Comcast customer, pretending to be
| from the host at the end of the BitTorrent connection.
`----

http://www.cnet.com/8301-13739_1-9769645-46.html

Comcast Isn’t Net Neutral; Are They Liars, Too?

,----[ Quote ]
| Following reports that Comcast isn’t net neutral, Consumerist blog has
| acquired several leaks from Comcast insiders, claiming that they do indeed
| use Sandvine for packet shaping, and that customer service representatives
| are being told nothing about how the network technology works,
`----

http://mashable.com/2007/10/26/comcast-isnt-net-neutral-are-they-liars-too/
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1337430.I...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Olivier Fourda's Remarks on Success of GNU/Linux in Sub-notebooks
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:33:25 +0000

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Xfce creator talks Linux, Moblin, netbooks and open-source

,----[ Quote ]
| SlashGear caught up with Xfce creator Olivier Fourdan, whose desktop
| environment has not only been selected by Intel for Moblin but can be found
| on many existing Linux netbooks, and talked Intel, Moblin, the future for
| netbooks and what challenges he sees for open-source newcomer Android.
`----

http://www.slashgear.com/xfce-creator-talks-linux-moblin-netbooks-and-open-source-0633329/

Recent:

Netbooks are a win for Microsoft? Think again.

,----[ Quote ]
| And given that price is the most important element of the netbook market, the
| moment Microsoft feels they've solidified their market share and being
| raising prices, their share will vaporise. Linux's existence on netbooks
| will continue to create a loss for them, regardless of how much "market
| share" they have. And the best part is, as people get used to Linux on the
| netbooks, they'll eventually want it on the desktop as well. And that's
| something that Microsoft will do anything to avoid.
`----

http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid=521

Microsoft Leaves the Door Wide Open for Linux on Netbooks

,----[ Quote ]
| Windows 7 Starter Edition will also be made available to OEM's for
| installation on netbooks in all markets. This is presumably so that MS can
| finally end the sales of Windows XP to the netbook makers. I find it
| hilarious that Microsoft will offer such a limited, pathetic product for the
| netbook market. This will be a huge opportunity for the Linux community to
| educate the public about the plethora of free, feature complete Linux
| distributions available to run on their netbooks.
`----

http://linugadgetech.blogspot.com/2009/02/microsoft-leaves-door-wide-open-for.html

Cheap PCs Weigh on Microsoft

,----[ Quote ]
| But most netbooks have less processing power than their full-featured cousins
| and can’t run high-spec versions of Windows, the world’s most widely used
| operating system. Microsoft is selling netbook makers cheaper, lighter
| versions of its operating system, but some manufacturers cut it out
| altogether by using Linux, an open-source OS. About 30% of netbooks, which
| sell for as little as $300, run a version of Linux.
`----

http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/12/08/cheap-pcs-weigh-on-microsoft/

Will the netbook cannibalise the traditional PC market?

,----[ Quote ]
| Will netbooks ultimately put the Linux OS on an equal footing with Windows in
| terms of market share? Probably not. Given how consumers view netbooks right
| now -- more as a "mini laptop" than as another category of device in its own
| right-- an ultra mobile device more in line with a mobile Internet device
| (MID) than a PC -- consumers are favoring Windows.
|
| "As consumers come to view it as less of a PC and more of a tool to access
| the Internet that happens to look like a laptop because of its larger screen
| and keyboard, then they will probably come to accept Linux more readily,"
| Solis said. "In addition, only x86-based processors from Intel and Via (AMD
| had not yet jumped into this game) can support Windows. x86 also support
| Linux. The competing platform base would be ARM -- mostly with Cortex A-8 and
| Cortex A-9 based processors from ARM itself and its licensees. These
| platforms do not support Windows XP or Vista, but they do support full PC
| versions of Linux (that would be optimised for netbooks and MIDs)."
`----

http://www.echannelline.com/usa/story.cfm?item=24078
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1764744.F...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] More Dell Sub-notebooks Run GNU/Linux
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:34:40 +0000

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Dell Mini 12" Now With Ubuntu

,----[ Quote ]
| Yup, the 12" are now selling with Ubuntu from the Dell website (Click the
| picture for the link). Our school system purchased a 9″ with Ubuntu, which we
| were happy with and seek to deploy into elementary schools to rival our
| eeePCs running Xandros
`----

http://www.k12opensourceclassroom.org/?p=49

Recent:

Dealzmodo: Refurbed 4GB Dell Inspiron Mini 9 $177

,----[ Quote ]
| You're basically trolling through their inventory until you find the one you
| want, which the $209 model with 4GB of storage and Ubuntu. The first time I
| picked one and added to cart, some dude apparently grabbed it before me, so
| I'd check two or three to add to your cart, then just delete the extraneous
| ones. Then just add the coupon code $C$TXXP1CT3BLC which will knock the price
| down to $177 for up to two notebooks in your cart.
`----

http://i.gizmodo.com/5142877/dealzmodo-refurbed-dell-inspiron-mini-9-177

Dell's Ubuntu Mini 9 gets more storage and memory

,----[ Quote ]
| The guys over at NetbookNews.it have noticed that Dell's Ubuntu based Mini 9
| netbook can now be equipped with a 64GB solid state drive and up to 2GB of
| memory.
|
| Unlike the Windows XP version of Dell's Mini 9 which is rather crippled and
| limited to 16GB/160GB and 1GB of memory options, the Ubuntu Dell Mini 9 can
| now be upgraded to 2GB of memory and up to 64GB of solid state drive
| capacity. The new features will of course lift the price tag to over US $500
| but it is nice to know that you at least can go for it.
`----

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11308&Itemid=1

Dell Mini 9 gets 64GB SSD option for Linux, same 'ol for Windows

,----[ Quote ]
| Looking for a little more room to grow in a netbook yet still can't get over
| the fear of spinning platters that's plagued you for years? So long as your
| odd phobias don't also include open source software Dell has your fix with
| the Mini 9, now available with a $75 64GB SSD option when purchasing a model
| sporting Ubuntu.
`----

http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/07/dell-mini-9-gets-64gb-ssd-option-for-linux-same-ol-for-windows/

Memo to Dell: Pump Up Ubuntu Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Sure, Dell has successfully introduced a few Ubuntu PCs and laptops to the
| geek crowd. But now it’s time for Dell to disrupt the very PC industry it
| helped to build.
|
| Remember: Michael Dell himself used Ubuntu Linux on a home PC before Dell
| (the company) decided to sell Ubuntu systems in mid-2007. Greg Davis, Dell’s
| new global channel chief, should do the same.
|
| Start using disruptive technology, Greg, to see emerging market opportunities
| before Dell's competition.
`----

http://seekingalpha.com/article/113646-memo-to-dell-pump-up-ubuntu-linux

Dell’s Linux Ads: Microsoft’s Nightmare Before Christmas?

,----[ Quote ]
| For at least the third time in recent weeks, prominent Dell newspaper
| advertisements feature the Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook running Canonical’s Ubuntu
| 8.04 (that’s a small Linux notebook, folks). The VAR Guy hears Microsoft “has
| gone postal” over the Linux notebook ads. You might even say this is
| Microsoft’s nightmare before Christmas. Here’s the complete scoop.
|
| [...]
|
| At $349, Dell’s low-cost Ubuntu Linux system is “giving Microsoft fits,”
| according to one source familiar with the Microsoft-Dell relationship. “It’s
| one thing to have Dell ship Linux to consumers,” said the source. “It’s quite
| another to have Dell advertising Linux to millions of consumers in a Sunday
| newspaper heading into the holiday season.”
`----

http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/11/17/dell-continues-newspaper-ads-for-ubuntu-linux-laptop/

Dell Takes on Asus With Tiny Laptop

,----[ Quote ]
| The term "mini-laptop" may not have been coined by the people at Asus
| computers -- but they've sure made it their own. In less than a year, Eee PCs
| have defined the genre.
|
| [...]
|
| The new Inspiron Mini 9 is Dell's contender in the battle for mini-laptop
| supremacy. It is small (9.13 by 6.77 by 1.07 inches) and lightweight (less
| than 2.3 pounds). It's also configurable. You can choose your operating
| system (Ubuntu Linux or Windows XP), memory (512MB or 1GB) and solid-state
| storage (4GB, 8GB or 16GB). You even have your choice colours: Obsidian Black
| or Alpine White.
|
| [...]
|
| I asked Dell if I could try a Linux-based model. That's because Dell offers
| the current version (8.04) of Ubuntu Linux. I've been using it on a home
| laptop for more than a year, and I love it. It's fast, full of features that
| anyone can use, and best of all, free.
`----

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10440967/1/dell-takes-on-asus-with-tiny-laptop.html?puc=googlen&cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

Dell’s Linux-powered Inspiron Mini 9 out now

,----[ Quote ]
| Been waiting for the Ubuntu-toting Dell Inspiron Mini 9? Well, wait no more:
| Dell has just launched the Eee PC-style netbook in the UK, priced at £269.
`----

http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2008/10/06/dells-linux-powered-inspiron-mini-9-out-now/
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1784438.5...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux is Still Taking Over Cameras
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:39:36 +0000

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Smart cameras gain open-source platform

,----[ Quote ]
| The LeanXcam runs the open-source µClinux operating system. In addition, a
| software framework and integrated development environment, designed by
| Supercomputing Systems, are distributed under the LGPL v2 open-source
| license.
`----

http://www.tmworld.com/index.asp?layout=talkbackCommentsFull&talk_back_header_id=6581866&articleid=CA6632153

Recent:

Sony DSC-G3 Camera Has Wi-Fi and Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| At the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show Sony presented the new camera from
| its Cyber-shot product line. The DSC-G3 comes with a Zeiss lens with 4x zoom,
| a large 3.5" touch display and 4 GBytes of internal memory. Most interesting
| is the camera's software that includes, among other things, face and scene
| recognition, based on Busybox and Kernel 2.6.11 for the Access Linux Platform
| (ALP).
`----

http://www.linuxpromagazine.com/online/news/sony_dsc_g3_camera_has_wi_fi_and_linux

WiFi digital camera runs Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Sony Electronics is shipping a digital still camera with WiFi for uploading
| files to photo-sharing services. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 offers
| 10-megapixel recording, a 4X optical zoom, DLNA compliance, 4GB of memory,
| and face- and scene-recognition software that runs on Linux.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2881537833.html?kc=rss

Linux still top embedded OS

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS4920597981.html

Embedded Linux research report ships

,----[ Quote ]
| EDC noted that some 40 percent of the survey's 500 respondents were targeting
| embedded Linux.
|
| [...]
|
| Also in the earlier reports, Andrews observed that the need for RTOS source
| code was "one of the reasons that proprietary RTOSes created in-house for a
| specific system have long been popular, and now it's a primary motivating
| factor in the adoption of Embedded Linux."
|
| The now completed survey results are said to include "expert analysis" from
| Ann Thryft, a 20-year industry veteran. The report includes chapters on
| platforms, processors, tools, languages, security, target devices, mobile
| development, and of course, Linux.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS7613839836.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1529177.N...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] More Exciting Development for Mobile Linux (LiMo Touchscreen)
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:42:13 +0000

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LiMo-compliant mobile stack gets touchy

,----[ Quote ]
| Azingo announced a touch-enabled version of its LiMo (Linux Mobile)-compliant
| Azingo Mobile middleware and browser stack. Destined for use on
| Vodafone-delivered handsets, Azingo Mobile 2.0 offers a new runtime,
| homescreen interface, browser, and UI toolkit that together enable a
| smartphone-ready touchscreen- and web-widgets interface.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS3132230643.html?kc=rss

Linux is winning. [Sheesh. Don't tell the Microsoft Munckins. Deep inside they
already know it.]

Recent:

T-Mobile Drops The Mother of All Bombshells - More G Series in ‘09!

,----[ Quote ]
| In a Fierce Wireless interview dated earlier today, T-Mobile let slip a real
| doozy. Apparently the 4th largest carrier in the US is not going to rest on
| the laurels of the G1.
`----

http://androidguys.com/?p=3500

Motorola ditching Windows Mobile?

,----[ Quote ]
| Rumour has it that Motorola is ditching the Windows Mobile platform for its
| smartphone handsets in favour of Google's new Linux-based Android.
|
| As reported over on BetaNews, the company has announced to the State of
| Florida that it is to shut down its Windows Mobile development centre in
| Plantation, Florida – with 77 jobs for the chop as a result, added on to the
| 4,000 jobs the company has already 'restructured' this month.
`----

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2009/01/28/motorola-ditching-windows-mobile/1
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1683541.g...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Linux is Entering More Cars with COQOS
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:43:57 +0000

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"Car OS" links Linux with telematics systems

,----[ Quote ]
| OpenSynergy is readying a Linux-based "car operating system" and an Intel
| Atom-based evaluation board for automobile infotainment systems. The COQOS
| platform aims to let Linux-based infotainment applications and
| AUTOSAR-compliant telematics modules share the same system-on-chip processor,
| which is virtualised by a "micro operating system" (μOS) layer.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6665597846.html

Recent:

Can automotive survive without open source?

,----[ Quote ]
| The struggling automotive industry needs to embrace open software platforms
| if it wants to cash in on the growing automotive telematics and infotainment
| business, says an ABI Research white paper. Partnerships with Linux
| technology companies are cited by ABI as potential avenues for success.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2766520970.html

Wind River, Intel ride Linux into car market

,----[ Quote ]
| Intel and Wind River Systems have teamed up to create a Linux/x86 platform
| for car electronics, which will debut at the Telematics Detroit 2008
| conference today (May 20). The offering is based on Intel's low-power Atom
| processor and a new variant of Wind River's embedded Linux.
`----

http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207801122

Linux Soon to be in your Car

,----[ Quote ]
| Thanks to a new joint effort between Intel and Wind River, you may soon be
| running Linux in your car.
`----

http://blog.internetnews.com/skerner/2008/05/linux-soon-to-be-in-your-car.html

Intel and Wind River driving Linux infotainment systems to cars

,----[ Quote ]
| Linux is in our computers, our phones, our Wi-Fi equipment, and our TiVos —
| why not our cars? Intel Corp. and Wind River have been working with both the
| embedded and automotive industries to advance in-vehicle infotainment (IVI)
| with open, Linux-based, standards-based, interoperable hardware and software
| called Open Infotainment Platforms (OIP).
`----

http://www.linux.com/feature/135687
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <13896426....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Broadcom Mixes with Linux Phones
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:37:22 +0000

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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Broadcom Delivers Combo Wireless Functions Within Android

,----[ Quote ]
| It looks like Android-based phones are going to become more competitive with
| other smartphones on a very important front: diversified wireless
| capabilities on "combo" chips. Broadcom announced today that the software
| that controls its leading Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM combination chips is standard in
| the latest Android operating system. Android handsets already support
| Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but only through discrete components, which means, among
| other things, that handset designs have included compromises, and extra costs
| for buyers.
`----

http://ostatic.com/blog/broadcom-delivers-combo-wireless-functions-within-android

Recent:

New Linux Broadcom Wi-Fi drivers arrive

,----[ Quote ]
| Now Dell, with some help from Broadcom and Canonical, the company behind
| Ubuntu, has just released a Linux friendly Broadcom Wi-Fi driver for both 32
| and 64-bit Linuxes. According to John Hull, Dell's Manager of Linux OS
| Engineering, "updated Linux wireless drivers that support cards based on the
| Broadcom 4311, 4312, 4321, and 4322 chipsets" are now available.
`----

http://blogs.computerworld.com/new_linux_broadcom_wi_fi_drivers_arrive

SimplyMEPIS 8.0 Beta 4 Adds New Broadcom Support

,----[ Quote ]
| Morgantown, WV, Oct 27, 2008 -- ISO files of the fourth beta of SimplyMEPIS
| 8.0 are available for 32 and 64 bit processors as
| SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.91-beta4_32.iso and SimplyMEPIS-CD_7.9.91-beta4_64.iso.
`----

http://www.mepis.org/node/14200

Broadcom Switches to the Light Side: The Start of a New Era?

,----[ Quote ]
| Although Broadcom had very good in-house Linux drivers for its wireless
| cards, which it sold to manufacturers of wireless routers that ran on Linux,
| it refused to release the drivers to the community, even in binary-only form,
| or to provide documentation that would assist Linux users in writing their
| own drivers. Consequently, ndiswrapper was for many years the only way to
| get Broadcom cards running on Ubuntu and other distributions.
|
| [...]
|
| Many individuals, especially die-hard disciples of Richard Stallman, will
| argue that Broadcom still has a ways to go if it wants to prove that it’s
| serious about Linux support. The source of its drivers remains essentially
| closed, with their future status unclear. As the Ubuntu developer
| writes, “It’s hard to go on a company’s word that they will open a driver up
| and play nice, especially Broadcom.”
|
| All the same, these drivers are a concrete example of the legitimacy that
| Ubuntu has gained, thanks in large part to the leverage that Canonical
| enjoys. This isn’t to say that 2009 will become the elusive Year of the
| Linux Desktop, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
`----

http://www.workswithu.com/2008/10/02/broadcom-switches-to-the-light-side-the-start-of-a-new-era/

SEC charges Broadcom founder, gen counsel

,----[ Quote ]
| The men schemed from 1998 to 2003 to secretly backdate stock option grants,
| which forced the company to eventually restate its financial results and
| report more than $2 billion in extra compensation expenses, the SEC said in a
| statement.
`----

http://uk.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUKN1451854920080515

Broadcom Demonstrates Support for All Key Mobile Phone Open Operating Systems
on Its Single-Chip Smartphone Solution

,----[ Quote ]
| ...demonstrate support for the three most popular open operating systems
| (OpenOSs) on its innovative and cost effective third generation (3G) cellular
| design platform...
`----

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-11-2008/0004753009&EDATE=
http://tinyurl.com/2qvqou

Linux-Based VoIP Partnership Announced

,----[ Quote ]
| Chipmaker Broadcom and software developer Trolltech this week formed a
| partnership to create a multimedia voice over IP development platform based
| on Linux.
`----

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205601431

Broadcom aims advanced comm chips at Linux handsets

,----[ Quote ]
| Jim Tran, GM of mobile communications at Broadcom, added, "Broadcom has a
| long history of working closely within the Linux community on advanced
| communications products."
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS5018305716.html

Broadcom Joins the LiMo Foundation as a Leading Semiconductor Provider for
Mobile Linux(R) Solutions

,----[ Quote ]
| Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and
| wireless communications, today announced that it has joined the LiMo
| Foundation as one of its first semiconductor suppliers.
`----

http://www.stockhouse.ca/news/news.asp?tick=VOD&newsid=6113695

65nm "STB-on-a-chip" runs Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Broadcom is sampling a highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) for cable,
| satellite, and IP set-top boxes (STBs). Built on outsourced 65nm process
| technology, the BCM7405 "STB-on-a-chip" is based on a 400MHz MIPS32/16e
| processor core, runs Linux, and supports numerous video compression standards
| as well as networked personal video recorder (PVR) functionality.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS2059877832.html

Broadcom to Bring ARM Cortex-A8 to Powerful Videocore Mobile Multimedia
Product Line

,----[ Quote ]
| In addition to its robust processing power, the Cortex-A8 processor is
| fully supported by the ARM RealView(R) Development Suite enabling OEMs
| to deliver rich content to Linux-based devices that fully exploit
| the high-performance Cortex-A8 processor with significantly reduced
| memory footprint. The ability to seamlessly build Linux application
| libraries with the compilation tools in the RealView Development
| Suite enables developers to maximise the performance of key elements
| of their code base, ultimately providing end customers with highly
| responsive Linux devices that have an exceptionally long battery life.
`----

http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=198693

Broadcom Demonstrates Linux OS Support on Its CellAirity Platform for Low
Cost Smartphone Handsets

,----[ Quote ]
| Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired
| and wireless communications, today announced that it will
| demonstrate the flexibility of its cellular platform with a
| new reference design that can run powerful applications on the Linux
| operating system.
`----

http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2007-02/artikel-7748243.asp

Broadcom samples one-chip HSDPA smartphone silicon

,----[ Quote ]
| At 3GSM this week, Broadcom unveiled a smartphone SoC (system-on-chip)
| that integrates an HSPDA baseband modem with application, audio,
| and multimedia processors on a single monolithic chip.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS3387753378.html

Broadcom Offers Linux BSP for Wi-Fi Phone Chipset

,----[ Quote ]
| Broadcom has said that the Broadcom Wi-Fi phone chipset has been
| selected by Samsung for its new line of consumer and small business
| Wi-Fi phones.
`----

http://www.linuxelectrons.com/News/Mobile/Broadcom_Offers_Linux_BSP_for_WiFi_Phone_Chipset

Broadcom app processor targets Linux phones

,----[ Quote ]
| The company offers a variety of Linux-based software and middleware for
| the chip... The BCM2820 is now sampling to early access customers, along
| with a development kit that includes a Linux BSP, a suite of multimedia
| codecs, and application software.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS7357900819.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <5216375.1...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] GNU/Linux-based Set-top Box Opens up to Developers
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:45:41 +0000

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IP-STB maker tempts devs with discount

,----[ Quote ]
| Myka, which recently began shipping an IPTV set-top box (STB), is offering a
| $100 discount to entice developers to roll up their sleeves and contribute to
| its device’s open-source, Linux-based software stack.
`----

http://www.deviceguru.com/ip-stb-maker-tempts-devs-with-discount/

Recent:

Open set-top box ships

,----[ Quote ]
| Neuros Technology has started shipping its second open set-top box, which
| targets both consumers and product companies. The high-definition
| capable "Open Source Device 2.0" (OSD 2.0) runs several open Linux stacks on
| a tiny TI Davinci-based CPU module delivered with a mini-ITX I/O board and
| enclosure.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS9949081537.html?kc=rss

Open Source Consumer Electronics: Neuros OSD

,----[ Quote ]
| For Neuros, transparency and openness has transitioned from a notion to an
| identity. Six years ago, the company developed their first product behind
| closed doors, like most manufacturers. By the time the Neuros OSD (Open
| Source Device) was envisioned, the company was in the habit of publishing its
| preliminary design specifications—closely guarded secrets for some
| companies - and actually requesting consumer feedback. They sold pre-release
| versions of the OSD to future-adopters, hoping they would try their hand at
| hacking the firmware. Neuros refers to the OSD as an "embedded media centre,"
| a sort of set-top-box for audio/video playback and recording. The OSD's
| firmware is open source and based on the Linux 2.6 kernel—anyone and everyone
| is encouraged to download the source code and improve it.
`----

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2942,2321105,00.asp

The Neuros OSD

,----[ Quote ]
| What attracts me to the project is that I can use it as a really, really
| cheap MythTV frontend. This is not at all one of the intended uses of the
| product as conceived by Neuros Technology, but they will get a sale from me
| just because of that. And right now its MythTV support comes down to the
| fact that MythTV and the Neuros OSD both speak uPNP. But if I wanted to, I
| could write code and load it onto the OSD that would access my MythTV
| recordings as seamlessly as if it had been designed for just that purpose.
| Then I can put this code online and even more people might buy an OSD just
| for that purpose. Afterall, the Neuros OSD is selling for $179 and it would
| cost me >$400 to create a suitable MythTV front end.
`----

http://server.ericsbinaryworld.com/blog/2008/06/13/the-neuros-osd/

Hack Your Media Player (1/2)Hack Your Media Player (1/2)

,----[ Quote ]
| Overall I was pretty impressed with this device. Easy setup, easy use, and
| performance exactly as advertised. If you're looking for a low-cost and
| lightweight media centre to stream those Divx AVI files you keep downloading
| and play them on your TV, this device will certainly fulfill your needs.
`----

http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=reviews&id=1024

Review: Neuros OSD

,----[ Quote ]
| Need some helpful suggestions of what kind of things you can do with a Neuros
| OSD? How about getting the OSD to play nicely with Tivo? Neuros is even
| offering a cash bounty for the folks who get this done.
`----

http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1006086

The Neuros OSD: A New Paradigm for Consumer Devices?

,----[ Quote ]
| Surprisingly one of the media establishment's darling devices at the 2008
| Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is fully open, runs Linux and invites
| hacking - er, customisation. The device is the Neuros OSD, a $200 video
| recorder that allows you to archive, organise and play back all of your video
| media, such as live television, DVDs, VHS tapes, etc. The acronym "OSD"
| stands for "open source device". Hot dog, this is our kind of gadget!
`----

http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1006049

What This Gadget Can Do Is Up to You

,----[ Quote ]
| The OSD has not only open hardware, but also open software: it is based on
| the Linux operating system. Neuros Technology encourages hacking of the
| device; it has contests with cash rewards for new applications for the OSD.
| One winner, for instance, designed a programme that lets people use it to watch
| YouTube on their televisions.
`----

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/business/06novel.html?ref=business

ArsGeek reviews the Neuros OSD

,----[ Quote ]
| The first two observations I made when I opened my Neuros OSD were that the
| unit was a lot smaller than I was expecting (about five and a half inches by
| five and a half inches in size) and that it looked nice. This was no flat
| looking boxy apparatus, nor was it a standard component. It was curved, it
| was sleek, black and more aerodynamic than any other DVR I’ve come across.
|
| I liked the size and the look immediately. Not only was this thing slick
| looking, but I could easily grab the RCA cables and the Neuros and bring it
| over to a friends house to watch whatever I’d recorded.
`----

http://www.arsgeek.com/?p=2831

Review: The Linux Powered Neuros OSD

,----[ Quote ]
| The future is very bright for this little piece of open source goodness. I
| look forward to seeing how it grows and improves.
`----

http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid=326

The Linux-based Neuros OSD

,----[ Quote ]
| Neuros Technology did it again: one more of their interesting media products
| hits the market, and this time it uses Linux. We used the Neuros OSD this
| past week and here's what we think about it.
|
| [...]
|
| Overall, Neuros seems to get it. Extensibility, plus a powerful product.
| Hopefully HD abilities and failing that, S-Video out, will be available on
| the next major revision of the product. Sure, it doesn't feel as cool as an
| AppleTV, but it does so much more!
|
| Rating: 8/10
`----

http://www.osnews.com/story.php/18832/The-Linux-based-Neuros-OSD/

Product alert: Neuros Open Source Device

,----[ Quote ]
| With an Open Source basis, the potential for the developer community to make
| grand extensions to the Neuros OSD could be huge.
`----

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/news.aspx?CIaNID=63630

YouTube on the TV with the OSD

,----[ Quote ]
| Neuros is certainly not the only ones bringing net video to the TV, but we
| are probably the only CE company doing it with open source. Nowhere is the
| intersection between free software and free speech more obvious. If the
| connection between the internet and the TV falls into the hands of a
| proprietary vendor's closed solution, then the hard won free speech victory
| of he internet will fall far short of its ultimate potential.
`----

http://open.neurostechnology.com/node/905

Apple TV hacked already

,----[ Quote ]
| Enthusiasts from Something Awful forum were annoyed by the general
| lack of third party movie support for Apple's latest product, Apple
| TV - and went on to create something useful with it. Awkward and
| Sabretooth modified Apple's little box and got it working with
| Xvid files with no problems.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38498

A logo programme I can get behind

,----[ Quote ]
| Neuros is a device manufacturer with a simple focus: it creates devices that
| let you record video from almost any source into a digital format (MPEG-4)
| that can then be played on almost any device. The trick: its devices connect
| to your video output sources (VCR, DVD player, etc.) using standard analogue
| RCA cables, avoiding digital copy-protection technologies like HDCP or CSS.
`----

http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13526_1-9835832-27.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Unlocked Open Source Anti-DRM Logo

http://gizmodo.com/335830/unlocked-open-source-anti+drm-logo

Linux hacker bounty aims TiVo at mobile gadgets

,----[ Quote ]
| A TiVo upgrade/repair specialist and a vendor of tiny Linux-based DVRs
| (digital video recorders) have partnered on a coding contest. DRVupgrade and
| Neuros will pay $3,500 for hacks enabling Neuros's gadget DVR to track TiVo
| selections, recording the same content for playback on mobile devices.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8485261245.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <9038693.D...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] KDE Conference Concludes, KDevelop 4 Reaches Beta
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:48:51 +0000

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Camp KDE Continues And Finishes

,----[ Quote ]
| Camp KDE, the KDE community event of North and South America, has finished.
| Similar to the European KDE meeting, Akademy, the first two days were based
| around a series of talks on various topics. After that we moved towards BOF
| sessions, local discussions and programming. We had a trip to the Appleton
| Estate, visited Rick's café and had a lot of fun. The following article
| details some of the things that kept us busy.
`----

http://dot.kde.org/2009/02/06/camp-kde-continues-and-finishes

KDevelop 4 Beta 1 Available

,----[ Quote ]
| On behalf of the KDevelop team I am happy to announce that we have reached
| the next milestone on our way to a final release, KDevelop 4 Beta 1. We feel
| that KDevelop 4, although in no way feature complete, is now usable and
| stable enough to get first feedback from a somewhat wider audience. Being a
| beta there are of course still bugs and missing functionality, but we have
| excellent language support for C++, integration of the CMake buildsystem,
| subversion, git and even starts of Qt GUI designer integration.
`----

http://dot.kde.org/2009/02/05/kdevelop-4-beta-1-available

KDevelop 4: A New Era

,----[ Quote ]
| I've decided to write a series of blogs detailing the work that has gone on
| behind the scenes for KDevelop version 4, the new IDE that is now 3 years in
| the making. Like KDE4, KDevelop has seen much work on essential internal
| mechanisms (much like the pillars of KDE), the power of which will become
| evident over the next year or so. Progress has been great recently, with the
| hackathon we had in Munich earlier this year, productive SoC projects and
| several more/new developers becoming active again, it's looking like we can
| expect to be releasing a pretty solid beta within about a month.
`----

http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/3561

KDevelop 3.4 release Announcement

,----[ Quote ]
| The KDevelop Team developers are proud to ship KDevelop 3.4, the
| fifth major release of this award-winning Integrated Development
| Environment (IDE).
|
| This version of KDevelop offers many new features and fixes around
| 500 bugs.
|
| "A small team of 27 developers contributed over a timespan of fifteen
| months to this release. The userbase has been growing steadily, the
| average download of 25 times per hour is a proof of it, and that gave
| us lots of inputs on how to improve the programme." noted Amilcar
| do Carmo Lucas, release co-coordinator.
`----

http://www.kdevelop.org/index.html?filename=3.4/announce-kdevelop-3.4.html

Qt Creator, KDevelop

,----[ Quote ]
| I decided to give both Qt Creator, the new IDE from Qt Software, and KDevelop
| from today's svn trunk/ a whirl. Now, I'm not an IDE kind of guy. It's no
| secret that I'm an old fart who uses vim and lots of konsole tabs to do his
| development. The only GUIs I use in development are tools to visualise the
| output of valgrind runs, a web browser for patch review and defect reports
| and applications to communicate with my teammates (konversation, kontact and
| skype). No IDE is in that mix and I like it that way.
`----

http://aseigo.blogspot.com/2008/11/qt-creator-kdevelop.html

New Qt Creator IDE from Qt Software

,----[ Quote ]
| News emerged recently that Qt Software (formerly Trolltech) were working on
| their first IDE for Qt, code named Project Greenhouse. Today saw the release
| of the first technical preview under the name Qt Creator. The initial release
| is binary only, and under the terms of the Qt preview license, but the final
| release will be released with source code under a GPL compatible license.
`----

http://dot.kde.org/1225455418/

plasma is now feature complete?

,----[ Quote ]
| Behold, new eyes plasmoid in all its scalable SVG greatness!
`----

http://aseigo.blogspot.com/2008/10/plasma-is-now-feature-complete.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <5852249.Z...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] GNU/Linux Distributions Released When Ready, Not Rushed
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:50:45 +0000

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Why Debian release schedules don't matter

,----[ Quote ]
| We all love it when things run on time. There are certain things which need
| to happen when the clock strikes the hour - buses and trains need to arrive,
| a cron job on your server needs to spark some script or the other to life,
| your kids need to be at school.
`----

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/23082/1148/

Old:

No Rush to Adopt Vista

,----[ Quote ]
| "I say Microsoft never intended anybody to run Vista prior to January,"
| he said. "What works on Vista, beyond Office 2007?" he asked. "I'm going
| to Vista... when my VPN supplier tells me that they have drivers that
| work, and when my antivirus vendor tells me that they have non-beta
| versions that work."
`----

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20061228/tc_pcworld/128346

Life with Vista - Is this dogfood really for the dogs?

,----[ Quote ]
| # Vista is not ready for primetime. By that I mean that Vista still
| feels like a beta. That's right. It has so many compatibility
| problems with existing applications that running anything other
| than stuff from Microsoft that specifically says "for Vista Build
| XXXX" makes me feel like I'm taking my life into my own hands.
|
| 1. Games - don't even get me started...
|
| 2. Visual Studio 2005 - I can't find the words to express the irony...
|
| 3. Virtual PC - worthless. Don't even attempt on Vista.
`----

http://dotnetaddict.dotnetdevelopersjournal.com/vista_dogfood.htm
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1509452.I...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Apple Macs... Powered by Many GNU/Linux Distributions
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:52:47 +0000

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Best Linux Distro for Mac

,----[ Quote ]
| At the moment, I have a short list of Linux distros that could replace
| Xubuntu Hardy on my Mac:
|
| Fedora 10
| I dual-booted Fedora 9 and Xubuntu before but ultimately decided to just use
| Xubuntu since it performed a lot better than Fedora. Right now, I’m keeping
| my fingers crossed that Fedora 10 will do wonders for my Mac.
|
| Mepis 8.0
| I have great memories using Mepis Linux, so I want to take the plunge and
| test the upcoming version.
|
| Sabayon Linux 4
| Putting this Gentoo-based distro on my Mac can be suicide since I’m probably
| on my own when I do this. But since danger is my middle name, I will most
| likely try Sabayon Linux on my Macbook Pro.
`----

http://www.junauza.com/2009/02/best-linux-distro-for-mac.html

Linus runs Linux on Apple hardware (and see article below).

Recent:

Torvalds rejects one-sise-fits-all Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Linus Torvalds has rejected the argument that Linux developers should pool
| their resources behind a single distribution.
`----

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/246534/torvalds-rejects-onesizefitsall-linux.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <4535178.g...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Sabayon Linux Pulls a Nice One with Version 4
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:54:31 +0000

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Sabayon Linux 4

,----[ Quote ]
| Sabayon Linux began life as a binary shortcut to a fully working Gentoo
| system. Early experiences with RR4 - Sabayon's original name - ranged
| from "nothing installed" to "data lost." Fortunately, the developers never
| gave up and today Sabayon is a beautiful, functional, and stable Linux
| desktop distribution.
`----

http://lwn.net/SubscriberLink/316880/49ec1c4d05ecddc3/

Recent:

Review: Sabayon 4 Lite MCE (Media Centre Edition)

,----[ Quote ]
| SABAYON Linux's live DVD provides one of the easiest ways of getting a
| Gentoo-based system installed on your PC, and its consistent top-10
| Distrowatch listing is testament to its success.
`----

http://reddevil62-techhead.blogspot.com/2009/02/review-sabayon-4-lite-mce-media-center.html

Sabayon - LiteMCE - sneak-peek

,----[ Quote ]
| With sabayon Linux 4.0 rolling on it’s way it’s time to look at some sort of
| a mini edition. We are gonna spin out a mini-dvd instead of a mini-cd. There
| is several reasons for this move and I’m not going to go into them as I don’t
| want to hear comments of not having a dvd drive for whatever reason it is.
| It’s the 21st Century, get with it and get a dvd drive, even microsoft is
| moving to dvd format releases.
|
| LiteMCE stands for lite dvd version, multimedia centre edition. It’s desktop
| environment is gnome. It comes with xmbc for your multimedia. If I recall
| correctly the dvd download will be roughly 2GB.
`----

http://wgo.wolf911.us/?p=76

Review: Sabayon Linux 4.0

,----[ Quote ]
| Overall, I really enjoyed Sabayon 4. It's a nice improvement from 3.5 in
| that it fixes many of the issues that existed (what few there were) and
| noticeably increased speed and performance. The entire distro is standing
| by and ready to perform for you in whatever way you want.
`----

http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid=517

Sabayon - LiteMCE - sneak-peek

http://wgo.wolf911.us/?p=76

First impressions: Sabayon Linux Four Oh!

,----[ Quote ]
| Two years ago I ran into Sabayon Linux for the first time. Version 3.2 was
| about to be released and I gave Sabayon a spin on my laptop. The article on
| my Dutch website about my experiences is still attracting a lot of readers,
| which indicates a consistent and growing interest in this Linux distribution.
| Strange enough, I wasn’t very lucky with later releases which simply refused
| to be installed. Two weeks ago Sabayon Linux Four Oh! was released. How far
| did Sabayon progress over the last two years?
|
| [...]
|
| So, coming back to the question: “How far did Sabayon progress over the last
| two years?” what is the answer? Well, Sabayon kept it’s strong points:
| bleeding edge, style and easy installation, and is adding a solid and fast
| package manager to extend your box. With a distribution that is pushing
| forward as much as Sabayon is doing you can expect some rough edges,
| but -apart from minor issues- it didn’t hinder me from using Four Oh! for day
| to day work. The only set back is the speed of the desktop. There is
| definitely some room for improvement in that area. But, overall, a nice
| release. Kudos for the team. I will be checking Sabayon again in the near
| future.
`----

http://www.ruminationsonthedigitalrealm.org/2009/01/04/first-impressions-sabayon-linux-four-oh

Sabayon 4 & future Entropy

,----[ Quote ]
| Also, it’s very probable that Sabayon 4.1 will be shipped in two forms,
| Sabayon and Sabayon Lite (DVD version with just one Desktop Environment and
| only selected applications).
`----

http://planet.sabayonlinux.org/?p=205

The road to Sabayon 4

,----[ Quote ]
| Some of them are: KDE4, GNOME 2.24, 2.6.27/28 kernel, i686 CHOST, new theme,
| Entropy 0.24. To sum up, it’s something I’ve been working on since Jan. 2007,
| more than 150000 lines of code, AI.
`----

http://planet.sabayonlinux.org/?p=199
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <6458562.Z...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] A Look at Two Special-purpose, Lightweight GNU/Linux Distributions
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:57:08 +0000

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Clonezilla, IN DEPTH

,----[ Quote ]
| Take a point in time backup of your computer with Clonezilla. Chris covers
| the open source drive imaging software.
`----

http://www.jupiterbroadcasting.com/?p=567

Damn Small Linux - An Amazingly Small Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| I created a basic 75MB ext3 partition on my 1GB USB drive and installed the
| OS as per the given instructions. I rebooted my machine and through GRUB, was
| successfully able to boot my laptop from DSL. It detected the required
| hardware during boot process and launched without a hitch.
`----

http://xenstreet.com/2009/02/damn-small-linux-amazingly-small-linux.html

Recent:

Torvalds rejects one-sise-fits-all Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Linus Torvalds has rejected the argument that Linux developers should pool
| their resources behind a single distribution.
`----

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/246534/torvalds-rejects-onesizefitsall-linux.html

Review: CloneZilla 1.2

,----[ Quote ]
| I'm really impressed with CloneZilla. While it's not
| graphically driven like Parted Magic is, it's still very
| easy and intuitive to use and one I would recommend for
| newer users (but not complete newbies) to use when copying
| or cloning their hard drives.
`----

http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid=508

Manage partitions and disks with GParted-Clonezilla live CD

,----[ Quote ]
| For a home user or an administrator with just a few systems, the
| GParted-Clonezilla live CD is an excellent tool for managing disks. It can
| save you several hours when preparing new disks or migrating partitions from
| one disk to another. It's also a fantastic way to move a partition that's not
| around free space into a bigger partition without much fuss.
`----

http://www.linux.com/feature/115208
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <9104939.a...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Fedora 11 Includes Major New Features, New Community Liaison
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:03:59 +0000

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Fedora 11 Alpha now ships with Windows cross compiler

,----[ Quote ]
| Today, Red Hat's Fedora Project division announces that it has released its
| new Fedora 11 Alpha version, and has provided OS Today with some of its main
| features.
|
| Fedora's newest release includes a number of new features including the new
| Windows Cross Compiler and a development release of Gnome 2.26 as the default
| desktop.
|
| “The new Fedora ver. 11 Alpha should boot on the majority of systems, and
| provides a look at what new features are to be included in the next release,”
| Fedora’s Jesse Keating said today in an emailed announcement.
`----

http://www.ostoday.org/os-news-1/00016-020609.shtml

Fedora 11 alpha - and a new community liaison

,----[ Quote ]
| Fedora has also brought in Adam Williamson as a community liaison. "I am
| working for Red Hat as of this Monday. I have been hired into the Fedora QA
| team essentially to drive community involvement in the Fedora QA process.
| RH - and, to put a more personal touch on it, Jay Turner, who's responsible
| for Fedora QA - felt that Fedora could really benefit from more community
| involvement in the QA process, so my role is to try and help develop that."
| Adam previously did community work for Mandriva.
`----

http://lwn.net/Articles/318170/

Recent:

Ten Reasons to Get Fired Up Over Fedora 10 Part 1

,----[ Quote ]
| Over the next week we plan to post a series of blogs that explore ten
| examples from around our community, of people making a difference to free
| software through their work in Fedora. These are just ten of the many reasons
| you’ll want to fire up Fedora 10 and take it for a spin on your system. We’ll
| dive into some of the cool features that have been developed in this release,
| as well as some of the advances that have spread throughout the Fedora
| community. We’ll show off the collaboration that happens between volunteer
| contributors and Red Hat’s engineering staff to advance free software. And
| you’ll see why Fedora leads the pack in providing the future first.
`----

http://www.press.redhat.com/2008/11/17/ten-reasons-to-get-fired-up-over-fedora-10/
http://www.press.redhat.com/2008/11/18/ten-reasons-to-get-fired-up-over-fedora-10-part-2/
http://www.press.redhat.com/2008/11/20/ten-reasons-to-get-fired-up-over-fedora-10-part-3/
http://www.press.redhat.com/2008/11/21/ten-reasons-to-get-fired-up-over-fedora-10-part-4/

Migration to Fedora

,----[ Quote ]
| Every time when user wants to try something different, many unanswered
| questions raised. Is is good? Why should I migrate, I am satisfied from my
| operating system now. Could I lose data on my computer? Is it possible just
| to see that thing and if I like it I would give it a try?
|
| Yes, now it is possible. Take a virtual migration tour with screenshots in
| just a few clicks. Do not try anything until you liked it! When you are
| completely sure about that, then you would migrate on real.
`----

http://spreadfedora.org/sf/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=40

Fedora on the Final Frontier

,----[ Quote ]
| There has been a long standing rumour regarding NASA running Fedora which all
| of us in the Fedora community have been always intrigued by. Is it true? What
| are they doing with it there? Why don't they run RHEL. Fortunately enough, a
| couple of weeks ago, I got to experience NASA behind the scenes, first hand,
| and hang out with the coolest members of the Fedora community, and find out
| the answer to these questions and lots more.
`----

http://jaboutboul.blogspot.com/2008/02/fedora-on-final-frontier.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <2279311.A...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Fedora a Star on Acer Sub-notebooks
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:05:48 +0000

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One month of living with an Acer Aspire One and Fedora 10

,----[ Quote ]
| Personally, I like the little fellow and Fedora 10 works well! ;-)
`----

http://meanderingpassage.com/2009/02/05/one-month-of-living-with-an-acer-aspire-one-and-fedora-10/

Linpus is based on Fedora as well and these Acer sub-notebooks are the best
sellers in the market.

Recent:

Acer Aspire One and Fedora 10

,----[ Quote ]
| This particular Netbook has been on the market a while and
| a number of people have shared their experiences with
| changing the operating system. My first thought was to
| install the latest version of Ubuntu Linux but research
| seemed to indicate that Fedora 10 was perhaps a little more
| compatible with the Aspire One hardware and would require
| less command line tinkering.
|
| I’m sure the situation of Linux release compatibility is
| constantly changing so my choice may not match your own
| decision.
|
| Not being sure how successful this Linux transformation
| would be, I decided to leave Windows XP on the Aspire One
| and have it dual-boot Linux and Windows. What follows are
| the basic steps for accomplishing this from the 10,000 foot
| level. You can find much more detail and knowledge here,
| here and here.
`----

http://meanderingpassage.com/2009/01/01/acer-aspire-one-and-fedora-10/

Review: Acer Aspire One

http://www.osnews.com/story/20465/Review_Acer_Aspire_One

The Acer Aspire One Netbook Review

,----[ Quote ]
| We'll be taking a look at the Acer's Aspire One, which makes its debut into
| the rough and ever-evolving world of the netbook market. Featuring an
| 8.9-inch screen packed into a compact frame, this version of the Aspire One
| that we're reviewing uses Linux and has only 8GB of storage space, similar to
| the earlier ASUS Eee PC models. Size wise, this unit is slightly bigger than
| the Eee PC 901, but still smaller than the MSI Wind NB U100.
`----

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=14&id=2619

Acer Aspire One: the new sub-laptop to beat?

,----[ Quote ]
| Mind you, the 120GB HDD-equipped One is only down as £30 more and comes with
| 1GB of memory rather than 512MB, though that's plenty for Linux and do you
| really want a hard drive in a machine that's going to be chucked around a
| lot? Well, at least you have the choice.
`----

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/07/16/eb_acer_aspire_one/

Acer: PC industry 'disappointed' with Vista

,----[ Quote
| Acer president Gianfranco Lanci became the first major PC manufacturer to
| openly attack Microsoft over the Windows Vista operating system in the
| Financial Times Deutschland on Monday.
|
| Lanci said the operating system was riddled with problems and gave users and
| businesses no reason to buy a new PC, according to the report. Taiwan-based
| Acer is the world's fourth-largest PC manufacturer, after HP, Dell and
| Lenovo.
|
| "The whole industry is disappointed with Windows Vista," Lanci said.
`----

http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=9579
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <2539711.l...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Red Hat Chief Talks About 20% Growth for GNU/Linux on Desktops
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:59:43 +0000

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Q&A: Red Hat UK chief Phil Andrews

,----[ Quote ]
| As the financial crisis affects more and more companies, IT budgets are being
| squeezed significantly, with IT managers' plans for rollouts of "nice to
| have" solutions being shelved to concentrate on core services.
`----

http://www.whatpc.co.uk/computing/analysis/2235652/q-red-hat-european-regional

Recent:

Why is Net Applications (Hitslink) changing its browser stats after publishing
them?

http://my.opera.com/haavard/blog/2008/09/04/why-is-net-applications-hitslink-changing-its-browser-stats-after-publishing

http://www.linkedin.com/in/vizzav

"Our Partners/Clients include Microsoft, Apple, Amazon/Alexa, Opera and
ExactTarget. And, we're looking to grow that base as well as enhance our
contact and communications with our existing base."
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <2773797.S...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Major New Release of RPM
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:00:42 +0000

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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RPM 4.6.0 released

,----[ Quote ]
| Nine months after the last release, the RPM.org developers have announced RPM
| 4.6.0, a new version of the RPM Package Manager, one of the main packaging
| formats for many Linux distributions and part of the Linux Standard Base
| (LSB). One of the more important features of the RPM 4.6 release is that it
| is now based upon an cleaner and more maintainable codebase than RPM 4.4, and
| is being actively developed. For the average user, there should be very
| little change, apart from some queries being much faster and unsupported
| features being removed. The update contains many bug fixes and enhancements,
| including some long standing requests.
`----

http://www.heise-online.co.uk/open/RPM-4-6-0-released--/news/112583

Recent:

FreshRPMs and Livna Join Forces

,----[ Quote ]
| If you use Fedora and you want to be able to do useful things like play MP3s
| or DVDs you need to add an external repository like FreshRPMs or Livna. This
| is because MP3 playback is covered by patents in the United States, libdecss
| may be illegal to distribute, and a licence agreement is required to playback
| DVDs. Ever since I tried Debian, I liked their way of doing things. The
| nonfree packages are in the official repos; they’re just disabled by default.
`----

http://server.ericsbinaryworld.com/blog/2008/12/10/freshrpms-and-livna-join-forces/

Red Hat Fedora Claims It's the Leader in Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| Red Hat's Fedora community Linux distribution has now tallied its user base,
| and it's a number that on the surface would make it the largest installed
| base of any Linux distribution, with at least 9.5 million users and possibly
| as many as 10.5 million.
`----

http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3786726/Red+Hat+Fedora+Claims+Its+the+Leader+in+Linux.htm

RPM Fusion is now Available

,----[ Quote ]
| The RPM Fusion team is proud to announce the public availability of
| our repositories that provide software which the Fedora project cannot
| provide as easy-to-install RPM packages.
`----

https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-announce-list/2008-November/msg00003.html

RPM Fusion enters testing state

,----[ Quote ]
| RPM Fusion, a merge of several former Fedora 3rd party repositories providing
| licence/patent problematic packages, has entered the public testing state.
| Fedora Rawhide users can now start using it, and the brave among the Fedora 9
| and Fedora 8 users can also help testing.
`----

http://liquidat.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/rpm-fusion-enters-testing-state/

What is the RPM Fusion project?

,----[ Quote ]
| Hans de Goede: We want to be a one stop place for Fedora add-on packages
| which cannot be in Fedora proper due to various issues. Currently we are a
| merger of the dribble, freshrpms and livna repositories, and we invite other
| repositories to join us.
`----

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Interviews/RPMFusion

The RPM Fusion Project

http://lwn.net/Articles/249179/

RPM Fusion for Fedora

,----[ Quote ]
| Time will tell if RPM Fusion will live up to its own expectations and will be
| able to provide a consistent and fully working 3rd party repository for
| Fedora 9 or even Fedora 8.
`----

http://liquidat.wordpress.com/2007/11/11/rpm-fusion-for-fedora/

First rpm.org-RPM version released

,----[ Quote ]
| Recently the first version of rpm.org’s RPM tool was released. While it is
| only a minor version (4.4.2.1) this release is a milestones because it is a
| coordinated release between the participating distributions.
`----

http://liquidat.wordpress.com/2007/07/24/first-rpmorg-rpm-version-released/

RPM Package Manager

,----[ Quote ]
| Welcome to the home of the official RPM Package Manager (RPM) code base!
`----

http://rpm5.org/

Install .rpm Files in Debian and Ubuntu

,----[ Quote ]
| Some time you might find some applications are having only .rpm files but
| you want a .deb package for your debian,Ubuntu and other debian derived
| ditributions.If you can?t find .deb debian package in any of the
| debian,ubuntu repositories or elsewhere, you can use the alien
| package converter to install the .rpm file.
|
| Alien is a programme that converts between the rpm, dpkg, stampede slp,
| and slackware tgz file formats. If you want to use a package from
| another distribution than the one you have installed on your system, you
| can use alien to convert it to your preferred package format and install
| it.
`----

http://www.debianadmin.com/install-rpm-files-in-debian-and-ubuntu.html

Fedora Project to Help Revitalise RPM

,----[ Quote ]
| The Fedora Project has announced plans to revitalise RPM, the package
| manager used by many Linux distros.
`----

http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/15/040258&from=rss

The future of RPM

,----[ Quote ]
| We wanted to make sure those parties agreed that this was the right
| thing to do for their respective communities. We touched base with
| some of these people at the recent LSB conference, and the
| overwhelming community opinion there was in favour of what we are
| outlining here.
`----

http://www.linuxlookup.com/2006/dec/14/the_future_of_rpm
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <7290280.g...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Early Glimpse at Fedora 11, Comparison to Ubuntu
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:07:53 +0000

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Fedora 11 Alpha Screen Shots

http://www.lampwebsitedesign.com/index.php?linux&release=Fedora%2011%20Alpha

Ubuntu Vs. Fedora Artwork

,----[ Quote ]
| I’ve had this discussion a couple of times with some friends about which
| looks better: Ubuntu or Fedora. So, I decided to take a poll from my readers,
| and see what you think. Which vendor does a better job at artwork? I’ve
| provided screenshots of the default wallpaper for each release on both
| distributions. Now, you may be asking, “Why not [insert your favourite distro
| here]?” Frankly, because if I were to meet everyone’s needs in that regard,
| this would be a very large post, and it wouldn’t change your biased mind
| anyway. Also, the discussion my friends and I have had in the past were
| Ubuntu vs. Fedora, not Ubuntu vs. Fedora vs. Arch vs. Mandriva vs. Debian vs.
| etc., etc., etc.
`----

http://pthree.org/2009/02/05/ubuntu-vs-fedora-artwork/

Recent:

A Penguin Deathmatch? Fedora 10 vs. Ubuntu 8.10

,----[ Quote ]
| I’ve talked about a lot of pros for Fedora. What Ubuntu has going for it is
| that it is a bit simpler to get installed and working for a basic setup on
| common hardware and getting common software packages installed is much
| easier. If you know what you are doing (aka you are a geek seeking fun and
| entertainment), Fedora is more efficient, can be hacked around with a bit
| more, and in my opinion is a better distro, but not by very much.
|
| Above all - you can’t really go wrong with either one of these fine software
| systems. They are easily better than MS Vista…I can’t comment on what Apple
| and BSD has to offer yet. Now I’m onto getting Eclipse 3.4, Seam, MySQL, and
| JBoss AS/Portal installed on my shiny new Fedora laptop. That should provide
| hours of geeky fun”.
`----

http://tarnaeluin.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/a-penguin-deathmatch-fedora-10-vs-ubuntu-810/

Red Hat Fedora Claims It's the Leader in Linux

http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3786726/Red+Hat+Fedora+Claims+Its+the+Leader+in+Linux.htm

Short review: Fedora 10 and Ubuntu 8.10

,----[ Quote ]
| Both distributions are very solid. Ubuntu still has the better package
| managment, and a bigger selection of packages. This has only been possible
| due to Debian, which is the base of Ubuntu. I tried to write this blog post
| not as an Ubuntu member. I always liked Red Hat and Fedora, and one of my
| first Linux distributions was Red Hat 9.
`----

http://juliank.wordpress.com/2008/12/19/short-review-fedora-10-and-ubuntu-810/

Fedora Core 10 might make me a believer again

,----[ Quote ]
| To all the developers at Fedora and Red Hat, I tip my, well, hat to you. You
| have made me a believer again.
`----

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/opensource/?p=311

Screencast: How to Build a Fedora 10 Remix

,----[ Quote ]
| I made a two-part screencast on how to build a Fedora Linux remix. The first
| video has some slides at the beginning that explains the process and then
| walks through it with a live demo. The second video boots the LiveDVD that
| was created, shows an "Install to Hard Drive" and then shows some of the
| features of the remix.
`----

http://www.montanalinux.org/fedora-remix-howto-screencast.html

Fedora 10 Comes Out With Five More Spins

,----[ Quote ]
| Fedora 10 was officially released a few days ago, but the Fedora SIG (Special
| Interest Group) has this weekend announced the availability of a few
| application-specific spins for Cambridge. Well, seven different spins to be
| exact.
`----

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Njg4Nw

Linux & Open Source Slideshow: eWEEK Labs Walk-Through: Upgrading to Fedora 10

,----[ Quote ]
| eWEEK Labs has been testing Fedora 10, the latest version of the
| community-supported Linux-based operating system that serves as a technology
| proving ground for future Red Hat software products. Here is a rundown on
| upgrading from Fedora 9 to the current version using the distribution's handy
| preupgrade tool.
`----

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Linux-and-Open-Source/eWEEK-Labs-Walkthrough-Upgrading-to-Fedora-10/

Installing Fedora 10

,----[ Quote ]
| Fedora 10, also known as Cambridge, was released on November 25th, 2008, and
| it brings GNOME 2.24 and KDE 4.1, faster boot experience with Plymouth,
| better printing, better webcam support, improved wireless network connection
| sharing, better software maintenance and update (powered by PackageKit and
| RPM 4.6), and virtualisation storage. Plus, it adds a new security tool for
| IDS (Intrusion Detection System) called SecTool.
`----

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Installing-Fedora-10-99413.shtml

The ups and downs of Fedora 10

,----[ Quote ]
| Kudos for the quick bootup with Plymouth. Resising exist
| partitions/filesystem on install is a great idea. Just carry it to non-Linux
| parts/systems ... Thanks for finally including Thunderbird on the install
| media. Should have been done in Redhat 9!
`----

http://www.raiden.net/?cat=2&aid=498

Big Story: Fedora 10 Review

,----[ Quote ]
| This episode of Fedora 10 features information about the new Fedora 10
| release, some new features developed by the Fedora project, as well as a
| final commentary on their new theme.
`----

http://www.jupiterbroadcasting.com/?p=404

Fedora 10 Review

,----[ Quote ]
| Fedora is really aggressive about keeping up with bug fixes and security
| updates over the lifecycle of their products. With Fedora 9, they updated
| (and will continue to update) KDE every time the KDE folks did. As a result,
| the KDE that ships with Fedora 10 is very similar to the KDE that you have on
| a fully updated Fedora 9 system. This is a good thing. After KDE came out
| with the 4.1.x series I switched back to KDE and have been fairly happy ever
| since. That isn't to say that all KDE users are happy with KDE 4 but I find
| it to be quite usable now.
`----

http://www.montanalinux.org/fedora-10-review.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <82296162....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Ubuntu GNU/Linux Kicks Ass in Servers
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:09:35 +0000

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Ubuntu shops believe in Ubuntu

,----[ Quote ]
| Unlike many surveys that land on the desks of IT journos each week, the one
| done by Canonical and Red Monk was based on a very large number of responses.
| People from 6,819 companies answered questions about the operating systems
| they have deployed in their organisations and how these OSes are used to
| support mission-critical and other workloads. (You can see the results of the
| survey here). About 55.5 per cent of those polled for the Ubuntu server
| survey came from Europe, with 28.4 per cent coming from North America, 1.7
| per cent from Africa, 5.2 per cent from Asia, and 5.2 per cent from Latin
| America.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/06/ubuntu_server_study/

Ubuntu Server Edition Survey: Canonical’s Real Agenda

,----[ Quote ]
| When Canonical revealed the results of its Ubuntu Server Edition 2009 Survey,
| some pundits thought the news was designed to attract more customers to
| Canonical’s server software. In reality, I think Canoncial had a far
| different — and far wiser — goal for the survey.
`----

http://www.workswithu.com/2009/02/05/ubuntu-server-edition-survey-canonicals-real-agenda/

Recent:

Wikipedia simplifies IT infrastructure by moving to one Linux vendor

,----[ Quote ]
| Since the free, online Wikipedia user-created encyclopedia began in 2001, the
| Linux-based IT infrastructure behind it has been expanded and lassoed
| together to keep up with the demands of the popular Web site.
`----

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9116787&intsrc=hm_list

Wikipedia standardises servers on Ubuntu

,----[ Quote ]
| The operator of the popular Wikipedia website has reportedly standardised its
| 400 servers on Ubuntu. San Francisco based Wikimedia Foundation, which
| employs five geographically distributed IT staff, and serves two million
| pages daily, says the move will simplify server maintenance, according to a
| report.
`----

http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6069835429.html?kc=rss

Why choose Ubuntu 8.10 as a server?

,----[ Quote ]
| There are several reasons that are important in deciding to employ Ubuntu
| server. First, Ubuntu is very popular and gaining momentum. On
| distrowatch.com Ubuntu is listed as the most accessed distribution. The
| popularity of Ubuntu suggests that there will be business and job
| opportunities for those who are trained in configuration of the Ubuntu
| Server. Popularity of Ubuntu also demonstrates that the distribution will be
| around for awhile so your training will remain a valuable commodity.
`----

http://beginlinux.com/blog/2008/11/why-choose-ubuntu-810-as-a-server/

Ubuntu Server: Cheap 'n' Cheerful, and Easy to Use

,----[ Quote ]
| The absolute numbers or Ubuntu servers in use is impossible to come by as
| anyone can download, copy and install the software on multiple servers
| without any form of registration.
`----

http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/newss/6554/1/
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <11148473....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Ubuntu GNU/Linux Enters People Living Room
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:11:20 +0000

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Walkthrough: Installing Ubuntu on a PS3

,----[ Quote ]
| It's easy to forget that the PS3 is a fully-equipped PC in your living room
| attached to your house's best monitor. Installing Ubuntu can help you
| remember, and play SNES games in the process.
`----

http://www.thetechlounge.com/news/13506/Walkthrough-Installing-Ubuntu-on-a-PS3/

Nice photo.

PS3 + Linux + Firefox = Office 2.0 computing

,----[ Quote ]
| Sony and a technology site are using a conference to show off a confluence of
| next-generation, monopoly-bypassing technology: a Sony Playstation 3
| videogame console running Linux and Firefox as a foundation for
| Web-based "Office 2.0" applications.
|
| IT|Redux, a site run by blogger and tech adviser Ismael Ghalimi, is showing
| off the system at the Office 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. IT|Redux is the
| show organiser.
`----

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9772115-1.html

PS3 available pre-installed with Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| TerraSoft is now taking direct pre-orders with no delivery
| time guarantees for a Sony PS3 pre-installed with Linux,
| priced at $650.
`----

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS7863481537.html

Ubuntu Linux and Symfony on a PlayStation 3

,----[ Quote ]
| Running linux on a playstation 3 is not a hack, it doesn’t require any
| hardware modification, won’t disable any feature on your Playstation 3 and is
| not difficult to do.
|
| Sony officially support running linux on your ps3 with dedicated tools
| present in the XMB ( Cross-mediabar, the UI of the Playstation 3).
`----

http://demenzia.net/2007/08/21/linux-and-symfony-on-a-ps3/
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Message-Id: <3331025.T...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Stanford Releases Free Software (GPL) for Molecular Motions Simulation
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:16:52 +0000

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New Open-source Software Permits Faster Desktop Computer Simulations Of
Molecular Motion

,----[ Quote ]
| Whether vibrating in place or taking part in protein folding to ensure cells
| function properly, molecules are never still. Simulating molecular motions
| provides researchers with information critical to designing vaccines and
| helps them decipher the bases of certain diseases, such as Alzheimer's and
| Parkinson's...
`----

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205093554.htm

Stanford goes fully molecular with OpenMM

,----[ Quote ]
| Said Vijay Pande, an associate professor of chemistry at
| Stanford, "Simulations that used to take three years can now be completed in
| a few days. With this first release of OpenMM, we focused on small molecular
| systems simulated and saw speedups of 100 times faster than before."
`----

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/41352/140/

Open access and open source in chemistry

,----[ Quote ]
| Scientific data are being generated and shared at ever-increasing
| rates. Two new mechanisms for doing this have developed: open
| access publishing and open source research. We discuss both,
| with recent examples, highlighting the differences between the
| two, and the strengths of both.
`----

http://www.journal.chemistrycentral.com/content/1/1/3

Open Source Research -- the Power of Us

,----[ Quote ]
| Open source methods have delivered tangible benefits in the computer
| science community. We describe here efforts to extend these principles
| to science generally, and in particular biomedical research. Open
| source research holds great promise for solving complex problems in
| areas where profit-driven research is seen to have failed. We
| illustrate this with a specific problem in organic chemistry that
| we think will be solved substantially faster with an open
| source approach.
`----

http://www.publish.csiro.au/view/journals/dsp_journal_fulltext.cfm?nid=51&f=CH06095

Biology Goes Open Source

,----[ Quote ]
| Some of the world's biggest drug companies are finding that
| their genetic research is worth more to them if they give it away.
`----

http://www.forbes.com/business/2007/02/12/novartis-genes-diabetes-research-biz-cz_mh_0212novartis.html?partner=rss
http://tinyurl.com/2vqssl
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <3005067.K...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Free Software Released to Fix Oracle's Broken Software
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:19:15 +0000

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New open source tool boosts Oracle security

,----[ Quote ]
| Database security software vendor Sentrigo Inc. released a new open source
| fuzzing tool, FuzzOr, designed to identify vulnerabilities found in Oracle
| database software applications.
`----

http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com.au/articles/29137-New-open-source-tool-boosts-Oracle-security

More new FOSS:

Version 3.0 of Opsview, the Leading Open Source IT Monitoring Tool is Released

,----[ Quote ]
| Opsera Limited, a leading provider of Open Source software and services,
| today announced the release of Opsview version 3.0.
`----

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-05-2009/0004966791&EDATE=

Oracle plays defense against open source

,----[ Quote ]
| Caught between strong commercial rivals on one side and open source
| challengers on the other, Oracle appears to have two options: acquire the
| open source challengers to get them out of the way, or shore up its
| commercial position. By buying BEA, Oracle eliminates a strong commercial
| rival and greatly expands its reach into enterprise customers for middleware.
| Considering that the open source threat is increasingly broad and varied, and
| tomorrow's open source threat may be different than today's, buying the top
| commercial rival instead of the leading open source challenger could be the
| right strategy. Red Hat can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now.
`----

http://weblog.infoworld.com/techwatch/archives/014302.html

Oracle to push out 51 patches

,----[ Quote ]
| Oracle plans to push out 51 fixes for flaws in its software, in a
| self-described "critical patch update" on Tuesday.
`----

http://www.news.com/Oracle-to-push-out-51-patches/2100-1002_3-6213495.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news

Oracle to release 46 patches next week

,----[ Quote ]
| Oracle Database will get 20 fixes, two of which patch vulnerabilities that
| could allow remote execution of code on the network without authentication.
|
| [...]
|
| The E-Business Suite will get 14 patches, also for vulnerabilities that could
| be exploited over a network without a username and password. Three of the
| four patches for Oracle's Application Server fix problems that could also be
| exploited remotely.
`----

http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20070713/tc_infoworld/90186

Oracle UK systems accused in 'SSH hacking spree'

,----[ Quote ]
| Compromised computers at Oracle UK are listed among the 10 worst offenders on
| the net for launching attacks on servers which run SSH (secure shell) server
| software.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/13/oracle_ssh_shamelist_listing/

Oracle plugs 51 security flaws

,----[ Quote ]
| Oracle on Tuesday released fixes for 51 vulnerabilities that
| affect its software products.
`----

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6150671.html
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Message-Id: <4705773.K...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Free Software is Great for Business, Powered by Business
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:22:42 +0000

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Open Source Means Business

,----[ Quote ]
| Everything around us is choking up: Credit, equity investments, mergers and
| acquisitions, initial public offerings. The slowdown is strangling
| innovation, and it is suffocating entrepreneurship.
|
| But some entrepreneurs have found ways to build their companies on a
| shoestring using open source software, and they have figured out how to make
| money off something generally considered free.
|
| Take Brian Behlendorf, an open source pioneer who recounts those early
| days. "The term 'free software' made it sound like an anti-capitalist
| movement, yet the reality is we were hardcore capitalists," he says. "We
| liked a lot of the attributes of that type of software and felt a rebranding
| effort was needed. That is when the term 'open source' was coined."
`----

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/04/open-source-entrepreneur-technology-enterprise-tech_0206_mitra.html

Recent:

How To Choose The Best Linux For Your Business

,----[ Quote ]
| For IT decision makers in small and midsize businesses, Linux is all about
| choice. But the dizzying array of different distros, service, and support
| options can make the choice a challenge. This guide to understanding the
| differences will help you pick the distro your business needs.
`----

http://www.bmighty.com/hardware_software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212902088
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <3147731.G...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Free Software as Policy is Taking Over
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:23:55 +0000

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The open-source mandates are coming

,----[ Quote ]
| Next phase? We're already there, too. It's called open source, and it forces
| software vendors to provide ongoing value to justify CIOs spending money with
| them. Red Hat has led this shift, but it's a movement that is accelerating as
| open source permeates all areas of the software stack, from applications like
| Openbravo (ERP) and MindTouch (collaboration) to core infrastructure like
| Lucid Imagination (search) and MySQL (database).
`----

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10157924-16.html

Yesterday:

,----[ Quote ]
| A good news for the open source scene. Two great events are running -or going
| to run- this month in the Arab region. The first one it’s called the iFoss09
| and it’s currently going on in Damascus, Syria at the SCS Centre, Tishreen
| Park in Omaween Square.
`----

http://mediaoriente.com/2009/02/04/syria-and-lebanon-go-open-source/

Canadian government eyes open source, asks for feedback

,----[ Quote ]
| The Canadian government is looking to shave costs wherever it can and is now
| eyeing open source software as one way to accomplish that goal.
`----

http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/02/canadian-government-eyes-open-sources-asks-for-feedback.ars
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <8258109.y...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Mozilla Proceeds to Phone with Free Software
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:21:23 +0000

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Mozilla thinks outside the box, launches open source Mozilla Phone project

,----[ Quote ]
| It looks like things are about to get heavier than ever in the smartphone
| world as Mozilla begins work on designing and building what may be the
| world’s first crowd-sourced mobile handset. Working closely with Aza Ruskin
| of Mozilla Labs, Yanko Design’s Billy May has been tasked with heading the
| design aspect of the project and this is where things get interesting. Anyone
| familiar with YD knows that May certainly has an eye for design but that
| doesn’t mean he should go it alone, right? In true Mozilla fashion, the
| company will begin designing its first ever handset - dubbed Mozilla Phone
| for the time being - with help and guidance from anyone and everyone.
`----

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/02/05/mozilla-thinks-outside-the-box-launches-open-source-mozilla-phone-project/

Mozilla spreads the Freedom elsewhere too (video, ID, etc.):

Facebook Throws its Weight Behind OpenID

,----[ Quote ]
| In a blog post Thursday, Facebook's Mike Schroepfer (formerly of Mozilla),
| said, "It is our hope that we can take the success of Facebook Connect and
| work together with the community to build easy-to-use, safe, open and secure
| distributed identity frameworks for use across the web."
`----

http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/02/facebook-throws.html

Recent:

why open video?

,----[ Quote ]
| There’s one exception to this: video on the web. Although videos are
| available on the web via sites like youtube, they don’t share the same
| democratised characteristics that have made the web vibrant and distributed.
| And it shows. That centralisation has created some interesting problems that
| have symptoms like censorship via abuse of the DMCA and an
| overly-concentrated audience on a few sites that have the resources and
| technology to host video. I believe that problems like the ones we see with
| youtube are a symptom of the larger problem of the lack of decentralisation
| and competition in video technology - very different than where the rest of
| the web is today.
|
| In my mind there are two things that help drive that kind of
| decentralisation:
|
| * You should be able to easily understand how something moves from a
| computer-readable format to something that is presented to a user. For
| example, turning HTML into a document, turning a JPEG file into a picture
| on the screen or using HTTP to download a file.
| * You must be able to implement and deliver that technology without
| requiring anyone’s permission or license. In reality this means that it
| should be available on a royalty-free basis and without encumbered
| documentation.
`----

http://www.0xdeadbeef.com/weblog/?p=977

Mozilla champions Open Source Web video

,----[ Quote ]
| THE MOZILLA FOUNDATION is putting its significant clout and cash behind an
| initiative to create an open video format on the Web which would let users
| watch streaming video all over the Internet without having to use a plug-in.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/649/1050649/mozilla-champions-open-source-web-video
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Message-Id: <24711035....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Funding for Free Software in India, Economy Forces Adoption
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:26:48 +0000

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Varun Singh Confirms He Is Leaving Web18 To Start Open Source Company

,----[ Quote ]
| Singh seems to have tied up some kind of venture funding. “We are expecting
| our first round of funding to close soon,” Singh said, declining to give
| further details citing confidentiality reasons. The company will primarily
| target the US and India market, with offices in San Francisco and
| Mumbai, “but we have the ability to deliver our services remotely anywhere in
| the world,” Singh said.
`----

http://www.contentsutra.com/entry/419-web18-cto-varun-singh-quits-sets-up-open-source-solutions-company-scala/

Open Source India: An Answer To Economic Meltdown!

,----[ Quote ]
| India's leading Open Source event is coming to Chennai with an aim to spread
| awareness about how Linux and other open source technologies can help India
| survive, and thrive, despite these 'hard times'!
`----

http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/32102/news.htm

Microsoft is committing serious crimes in India (details below). It needs to be
embargoed.

IIT Bombay, Microsoft at loggerheads

,----[ Quote ]
| The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, has taken strong objection to the
| fact that despite a "No" to OOXML by a majority of the Bureau of Indian
| Standardsmembers, the software giant "continued to make representations to
| the top Indian leadership (read Ministry of Consumer Affairs), pressuring
| them to change the Indian vote".
|
| The BIS represented India as a participating member of the ISO. Its LITD 15
| committee -- of which IIT-Bombay was a part -- was responsible for examining
| OOXML and deciding on a "No" regarding India's position at the ISO.
`----

http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/may/28iit.htm

An Open Letter to LITD15 committee of BIS

,----[ Quote ]
| On 20th March 2008, the LITD15 committee of the Bureau of Indian Standards
| voted against Microsoft's proposed OOXML standard. 29th March 2008 was the
| last date for participating countries to vote on OOXML. In the interval
| between these two dates, Microsoft went to the Prime Minister of India and
| alleged that this committee acted against the national interest. Fortunately,
| the Indian bureaucrats who met the PM did a good job of defending the
| committee's vote against OOXML.
|
| Prof. DB Phatak of IIT Bombay recently wrote a mail to the LITD15 committee
| saying that, "In my opinion, these actions go well beyond the behavioural
| boundaries for a commercial entity, some of these amounting to interfering
| with the governance process of a sovereign country." IIT Bombay was a member
| of the LITD15 committee and Prof. Phatak was part of a four-member team at
| IIT Bombay that did a very intense review of OOXML before the institute voted
| against OOXML. While Prof. Phatak is a great supporter of open source, he
| also has a great reputation for being fair and balanced.
|
| [...]
|
| As a committee member, I would like to place on record my deep disappointment
| at the fact that Microsoft chose to question the decision of this committee
| at the highest office of our country. For over a year, we have reviewed the
| proposed standard with a fine tooth comb. Every opportunity was given to
| Microsoft to put their points across. At every meeting they brought a
| disproportionate number of participants along; some of these participants
| were not even Indian nationals. I think the committee as a whole was very
| courteous in accommodating all this but drew the line when this began to
| detract from the functioning of the committee. The only words that came to my
| mind when I heard that Microsoft's complaint had prompted the Prime Minister
| of my country to review this committee's decision was "stabbed-in-the-back."
| This was a great disservice to this committee and the country and I hope this
| never happens again.
|
| [...]
|
| Standards cannot (and should not) be created in a technical vaccum. Without a
| moral and ethical framework, we cannot create standards that benefit
| humanity. Mahatma Gandhi summed it up best when he said that, “Real swaraj
| will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few but by the acquisition
| of capacity by all.” I believe that this committee should be focused solely
| on the user's swaraj (freedom) to encode and decode their data.
`----

http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/04/open-letter-to-litd15-committee-of-bis.html

Microsoft embraces and extends server promiscuity

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft of course has a long way to go before it can match market VMware
| for virt. technology or market share. But "deep integration" with
| SystemCenter is the key to how it will play catch-up. And if it fails, the
| company will certainly hasten the day that VMWare will have to lower its
| prices.
|
| [...]
|
| A third principle is to encourage data portability, so that customers can
| move their data, without let or hindrance. That is entirely admirable, but
| the way Microsoft is working to ensure this, by way of a fourth principle -
| to work with all the software standards bodies on God's planet - is the stuff
| of battlefields, as this year's furore over Open XML shows. Microsoft is
| content to work behind the scenes, while its rivals cry foul.
|
| When the rivals stop shouting, we will know that Microsoft truly is fully
| interoperable and is seen to be fully interoperable. In the meantime, we look
| forward to reporting the bush wars for many years to come.
`----

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/29/microsoft_muglia_system_center_interoperability/

Microsoft wins Open XML vote, frowns at Indian panel

,----[ Quote ]
| Industry experts said they were "unhappy" with the Microsoft which has almost
| accused the committee of being packed with "open document format (ODF)
| supporters".
|
| "I am very upset and uncomfortable with such complaints. In fact, the
| chairperson of the committee (LITD 15) offered to step down over the
| allegation," D.B. Phatak, professor at IIT Mumbai, told DNA Money.
|
| IIT Mumbai is a member of LITD 15, and Phatak was part of the deliberations
| that have been taking place within IIT on the issue.
|
| Phatak said a Microsoft official was asked if it would withdraw the
| complaint, but the company refused as the "complaint was made by some higher
| officer in Microsoft".
|
| Jaijit Bhattacharya, country director of government strategy for Sun
| Microsystems India, a company that has been at loggerheads with Microsoft for
| years, talks in a similar vein.
|
| "I am surprised that such allegations are made against India's top academic
| and government institutions … such allegations lack credibility,'
| Bhattacharya said. Venkatesh Hariharan, co-founder Open Source Foundation of
| India said, "I am just amazed and shocked at the depths to which Microsoft is
| willing to descend."
|
| He said Microsoft's complaint is a "great disservice to the committee, its
| chairperson and the BIS".
`----

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=14636329

OOXML: decision time is nigh

,----[ Quote ]
| Wipro, Infosys and TCS are the three big companies that accept business
| process outsourcing from the American and other markets, hence their vote for
| Microsoft is not a surprise at all. These are companies that maintain the
| status quo, conservative to the core and willing to do the bidding of the
| piper. Nasscom represents the interests of the bigger IT companies and it
| probably had no choice but to fall in line.
`----

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/17353/1148/

Microsoft files complaint on OOXML vote to apex office and Ministry of Consumer
Affairs

,----[ Quote ]
| At the meeting held on 20th March 2008, we were informed that Microsoft has
| complained to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and to the apex office of the
| country about the constitution of the committee and also cast aspersions on
| the impartiality of the chairperson of LITD15, Mrs. Neeta Verma. The
| chairperson was furious and offered to step down from her post. She pointed
| out that the committee has met numerous times and Microsoft never brought
| this issue up in front of the committee nor did they check the facts with her
| or her organisation before complaining to the apex office.
`----

http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/03/microsoft-files-complaint-on-ooxml-vote.html

Should India change its vote No vote for OOXML? - please?

,----[ Quote ]
| Well done to the Bureau of Indian Standards for standing firm against this
| raging bully. Hopefully one day the bully will learn how to play fair and
| contribute positively to the standards process, and not try to manipulate its
| way in.
|
| Truly despicable behaviour. Shame on you, Microsoft, yet again. How will we
| ever trust you?
`----

http://www.openmalaysiablog.com/2008/03/should-india-ch.html

Steve Ballmer was in India?

,----[ Quote ]
| Interestingly, that was the day when BIS met to discuss OOXML. For those who
| have been following this issue, India's final vote on the subject will be on
| 20th May 2008. Talk about timing!
`----

http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/03/steve-ballmer-was-in-india.html

Microsoft influencing partner NGOs to support OOXML in India

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is encouraging its business partners to promote its Office Open XML
| specification (OOXML) to the Indian Bureau of Standards (BIS) and Ministry of
| IT. This move has incensed supporters of the rival OpenDocument Format (ODF)
| who fear that the "soft" Indian state may not be able to stand up to
| Microsoft pressure tactics.
`----

http://www.linux.com/feature/128528

Microsoft India using NGOs to fake support for OOXML

http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-44038/microsoft-india-using-ngos-to-fake-support-for-ooxml

Becoming a better company: Microsoft helps NGOs in India

,----[ Quote ]
| Of course, there has to be some trade-offs, because there should never be
| free lunch, even for the ones who starve: Microsoft, according to this
| article, has conditioned its help to Indian NGOs to their support of OOXML.
| What the NGOs had to do was to send letters of support on OOXML to the
| federal government of India.
`----

http://standardsandfreedom.net/index.php/2008/02/29/becoming-a-better-company-microsoft-helps-ngos-in-india/

Microsoft "persuades" NGOs to support OOXML

,----[ Quote ]
| Our friends at Linux Delhi have put up a copy of the form letters that
| Microsoft has been sending NGOs on the OOXML issue. Apparently, these NGOs
| have been sending copies of these letters to the Ministry of IT and Bureau of
| Indian standards.
`----

http://osindia.blogspot.com/2008/02/microsoft-persuades-ngos-to-support.html

Developers around the world, unite!

,----[ Quote ]
| Monopoly and proprietary software have an advantage in influencing state and
| governmental institutions because of their large market base and ready
| capital. Unscrupulous ways of influencing state governments have persisted in
| India, for example, where executives of proprietary software cajole
| government heads to promote their brands in lieu of some form of charity
| given. FLOSS activists must overcome this huge challenge in order to get
| their philosophy accepted and model implemented for the good of people who
| are still on the barren side of the digital divide.
`----

http://thepost.com.pk/OpinionNews.aspx?dtlid=147277&catid=11

Using NGOs to Push Agendas

,----[ Quote ]
| The extent to which Microsoft can go in its efforts to get OOXML is
| interesting. Microsoft has "persuaded" several non-profit organisations to
| bombard the Indian IT Secretary and the Additional Director General of the
| Bureau of Indian Standards with letters supporting its OOXML proposal. A copy
| of the form letter they have been circulating to NGOs is given below.
| Somebody should interview these NGOs to see how much they really know about
| OOXML and open standards.
|
| The sequence of events leading up to the spamming of GoI? is:
|
| Letter from an NGO thanking Microsoft (name changed to protect their
| identity)
`----

http://wiki.linux-delhi.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/OpenStandards/MsNgoLobby

Wipro Microsoft alliance is a shame for all Indians – alliance or slavery?

,----[ Quote ]
| The alliance uses Microsoft technologies instead of challenging Gates in his
| own game. Wipro is just a servant of Microsoft facilitating Indian cyber
| slavery under the American corporate banners.
`----

http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/19365.asp

An Open Letter to Wipro, Infosys and TCS

,----[ Quote ]
| This letter is to express our deep disappointment over your open support to
| the OOXML format forced through ISO by Microsoft. Being the top IT giants and
| thus the representatives of the IT industry in the country, it is a great
| shock to us that you do not stand with academia of the country and its
| representatives like the IITs, IIMs and IISc in supporting the Open Document
| Format (ODF) which is a true Free and Open Standard already recognised as an
| ISO Standard. Considering that a major portion of your employees come from
| such institutions, it is a wonder to us that you have decided to go ahead
| with this decisions.
`----

http://www.fossmeet.in/node/128

Candle Light Vigil for Document Freedom

,----[ Quote ]
| The Candle light vigil demands India to appeal ISO approval of ooxml based on
| its comments and no vote. We also demands the Department of IT to draft a
| clear national policy for the use of Free standards for data storage.
|
| This programme is planned as a starting point for various events & awareness
| campaigns on Document freedom.
`----

http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Campaign_for_Document_Freedom#Candle_Light_Vigil_for_Document_Freedom
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Message-Id: <3517436.8...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] OpenOffice.org Gets Faster, Gets Grammar Checker, More Goodies
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:29:29 +0000

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OpenOffice.org Performance Project

,----[ Quote ]
| Improving OOo performance is obviously important, and beside the renaissance
| project, this is an other project where we massively want to concentrate on
| now.
`----

http://blogs.sun.com/GullFOSS/entry/openoffice_org_performance_project

Proofreading in OpenOffice.org

,----[ Quote ]
| Grammar checking is a feature that was missed in OpenOffice.org for quite
| some time. Grammar checking software for several languages is available,
| either as standalone tools or integrated into other programmes. I prefer the
| name “proofreading” for this kind of software, as usually these programmes go
| beyond checking grammar. Some offer style checking, others may check text
| against abstract rules. In general the task for this kind of software is to
| check and improve text regarding anything else than simple spell checking
| (though it makes sense to include spell checking into the process as this
| helps to analyse the text).
`----

http://blogs.sun.com/GullFOSS/entry/proofreading_in_openoffice_org

Sun ODF plugin 3.0 released

,----[ Quote ]
| Finally, a new version of the ODF Plugin for Microsoft Office is available!
|
| It's been a while that we have released version 1.2 - but hey, why is it
| called 3.0? Did I miss version 2.0?
|
| Well, the answer is very simple. I thought it would be a good idea to give it
| the same version number like the underlying version of OpenOffice.org.
`----

http://opendocument.xml.org/node/1009

Officeshots.org

,----[ Quote ]
| A thousand flowers are blossoming in the world of productivity tools, thanks
| to the rise of open standards like the Open Document Format (ISO 26300:2006)
| for storing and sharing content. Innovation is taking place where it was once
| thought impossible. With diversity comes choice, but also the need to make
| sure you are working with the best-of-breed solutions - wether they are open
| source, freeware, software-as-a-service or paid solutions.
`----

http://opendocument.xml.org/product/officeshotsorg

Recent:

OpenOffice 3.0.1 Released

,----[ Quote ]
| The OpenOffice.org project team have released OpenOffice 3.0.1 to the general
| public. Version 3.0.1 for Windows was leaked early by FileHippo on Monday,
| but now is officially available for download from the OpenOffice.org website
| and its mirrors. The new release of the open source office suite includes
| several bug fixes to repair some of the more major issues, such as fixing
| when auto-recovery does not recover the previously auto-saved document
| version, but the last one which was regularly saved, along with other smaller
| fixes.
`----

http://www.heise-online.co.uk/open/OpenOffice-3-0-1-Released--/news/112504

New Chart features in OpenOffice.org 3.1

,----[ Quote ]
| Interested in the new Chart features that will be available in OOo 3.1? Have
| a look...
`----

http://blogs.sun.com/GullFOSS/entry/new_chart_features_in_openoffice1

Making menus a little nicer

,----[ Quote ]
| So now that code freeze for 3.1 is almost upon us, work for 3.2 begins. As a
| first little step I looked through some old issues and noticed Issues 42227
| and 48965 which I must admit went a little under in the load of my intray.
| The problem described in there is basically an aesthetic one: currently menus
| reserve two "columns" for checkmarks and item images, because menu items can
| be checked as well as have an image and both should be reflected of course in
| the display. But this creates a large area where most of the time nothing
| appears on the left of the menu, making the menu look clunkier than
| necessary.
`----

http://blogs.sun.com/GullFOSS/entry/making_menus_a_little_nicer

New Features in OpenOffice.org 3.1, an Early Look

,----[ Quote ]
| OpenOffice.org 3.1 is 65 days away, and developers are finishing up more than
| 1000 issues targeted for this Microsoft-Office-killer packing an army of new
| features, enhancements, and bug fixes.
`----

http://www.oooninja.com/2009/01/openofficeorg-31-new-features.html
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Message-Id: <2018715.c...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] New Version of Ed, AGPL-licensed Twitter Clones/Editors
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:31:48 +0000

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Version 1.2 of GNU ed released

,----[ Quote ]
| I am pleased to announce the release of GNU ed 1.2.
|
| GNU ed is an 8-bit clean, more or less POSIX-compliant implementation of the
| standard Unix line editor.
`----

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/info-gnu/2009-02/msg00000.html

Where are the open-source twitter clients?

,----[ Quote ]
| On the other hand, perhaps it is not the need for an open-source client that
| is missing, but an open-source micro-blogging service to replace Twitter;
| enter identi.ca, which is available under the AGPL licence. identi.ca has a
| bridge which allows posts (or "dents") from identi.ca to also appear on
| Twitter. Essentially, identi.ca has solved two problems in one go, with the
| highly open-source community using the service as a testament to this.
`----

http://www.zdnet.com.au/blogs/null-pointer/soa/Where-are-the-open-source-twitter-clients-/0,2001102868,339294773,00.htm

Recent:

Source Code For Twitter-Like App, Trillr, Now Available

,----[ Quote ]
| Developers of Trillr, a microblogging project similar to Twitter, announced
| this week that its source code is now available to anyone who wants it. The
| idea for Trillr was conceived in 2007 as a peer group experiment among team
| members who wanted to learn more about Python and Django, and was created as
| an enterprise tool with enhanced features like group discussion and a user
| directory.
`----

http://ostatic.com/blog/source-code-for-twitter-like-app-trillr-now-available

Vietnamese Twitter-clone Saigonica violates AGPL

,----[ Quote ]
| There is a new Twitter-clone in Vietnam called Saigonica. It is based on the
| open source micro-blogging tool called Laconica, currently one of the most
| popular Twitter-clones. It is nice to see the Vietnamese technology
| community embracing open source software. Their contribution to the open
| source community will be very valuable in the upcoming years. The Vietnamese
| localisation of Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, and OpenOffice are some clear examples of
| their contributions so far. Their contributions demonstrates a willingness
| to give back to the open source community and keeping the open source
| software free.
|
| Unfortunately, Saigonica does not seem willing to give back to the open
| source community.
`----

http://www.saigonnezumi.com/2008/12/13/saigonica-violates-agpl/

identi.ca creator Evan Prodromou explains why he's taking on Twitter (video)

,----[ Quote ]
| Bzzz.... bzzz...... bzzz...... That's not the sound of bees. It's the buzz
| surrounding new, open source Twitter competitor identi.ca. Creator Evan
| Prodromou sat down at OSCON in front of Linux.com's video camera and
| explained what identi.ca is all about and why it's suddenly such a hot item
| that he's been meeting with multiple venture capitalists -- and can be
| cavalier enough about those meetings that he canceled one to work on some
| code bugs that were bothering him instead.
`----

http://www.linux.com/feature/142676

Identi.ca Launches, an Open Source Twitter

,----[ Quote ]
| Evan Prodromou, one of the better citizens of the wiki community and founder
| of WikiTravel, launched Identi.ca today. Its a Twitter clone that is also
| distributed as Open Source licensed software.
`----

http://ross.typepad.com/blog/2008/07/identica-launch.html

Laconica: Can Open Source Save Twitter?

,----[ Quote ]
| Lots of people are addicted to microblogging service Twitter - including
| substantial chunks of some open source communities. There are a fair number
| of Ruby on Rails developers twittering these days, for example. But Twitter's
| scaling and reliability issues lately have many people wondering whether it's
| time to look for an alternative. Identi.ca, backed by open source package
| Laconica, wants to be that alternative.
`----

http://ostatic.com/167237-blog/laconica-can-open-source-save-twitter

Could An Open Source "Twittersphere" Save Twitter? Or Kill It?

,----[ Quote ]
| Is Twitter too important to be left in the hands of Twitter? That's the
| argument that bubbled up over the weekend. The argument is that Twitter is
| not distributed. This means that if Twitter goes down no one can Twitter. It
| also means if Twitter goes out of business, or just screws up, we could lose
| all of our tweet history.
`----

http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/5/could_an_open_source_twittersphere_save_twitter_or_kill_it_
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Message-Id: <8483492.X...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Wintel-corrupted Press is Dying
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:33:27 +0000

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The Death of the Newspaper

,----[ Quote ]
| Why does the newspaper deserve to be saved? Just because they have been
| around for a long time? That's not a good enough reason for me. Or the
| arguments that society will somehow be lessened by their absence or be less
| informed without them is arrogant and presumptuous.
|
| I am sorry to say that most newspapers do not deserve to be saved, yes even
| the one in my hometown. They have become no more than mouthpieces for their
| owners and editorial staffs most of the time. They are more concerned with
| molding public opinion than informing them.
`----

http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/115710/index.html

Coppers arrest bloggers for libel

,----[ Quote ]
| INSPECTOR KNACKER OF THE TOKYO YARD has arrested 18 people for defamatory
| posts on a comedian's blog alleging he was involved in a killing.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/854/1050854/coppers-arrest-bloggers-libel

Recent:

Good-Bye PC Magazine

,----[ Quote ]
| Today, almost all of my work appears online first. I’m fine with that. Still,
| I got my start with now long gone print publications like Byte and
| PC/Computing. Seeing PC Magazine, the most popular of all the print PC
| publications leave is like seeing an old friend moving to another country. I
| know he’ll still be alive out there online, but it just isn’t going to be the
| same.
`----

http://practical-tech.com/business/good-bye-pc-magazine/

Ziff Davis files for bankruptcy protection

,----[ Quote ]
| Print and Web publisher Ziff Davis Media filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
| protection on Wednesday, citing declining advertising revenue and
| subscriptions as contributing factors, according an Associated Press report
| Wednesday.
`----

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9887337-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Breaking: Wikileaks Missing

,----[ Quote ]
| Breaking News has just learnt that Wikileaks — the website utilised to post
| materials obtained from Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin's
| personal Yahoo mail account — is, for undisclosed reasons, no longer
| available online. The extent of the outage is not currently known, thought it
| appears all mirrors of the site are offline, including domains for the United
| Kingdom, Belgium, and Christmas Island.
|
| We have been unable to identify the source of the outage, though the internet
| is alive with rumours. Paramount among them is the obvious and expected
| suggestion that U.S. law enforcement — who are known to be investigating the
| incident — has shut down the site. However, Wikileaks is hosted by Swedish
| provider PRQ — notorious for employing a "no questions asked" policy towards
| its customers — and U.S. authorities would lack the jurisdiction to take
| action against PRQ.
`----

http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/breaking-wikilinks-missing

Wikileaks Shutdown: Censorship Is Censorship

,----[ Quote ]
| If Wikileaks were a print publication, the injunction that has shut down the
| site would be unthinkable. Back in 1931, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a
| Minnesota law that allowed the closing of any "malicious, scandalous and
| defamatory" periodical. This court, by contrast, has not only barred future
| publication of the documents at issue but elected to put Wikileaks out of
| business.
`----

http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/61873.html

Free Speech Advocates Mount Legal Battle to Unchain Wikileaks

,----[ Quote ]
| In Bank Julius Baer & Co., Ltd v. Wikileaks, et al, the plaintiff claims that
| the posting of certain documents to the Wikileaks site violated Swiss and
| Cayman Island bank secrecy laws.
|
| Judge Jeffrey White ordered domain registrar Dynadot to disable Wikileaks.org
| in response to Julius Baer & Co.'s complaint. The groups behind the request
| to lift the injunction claim that it violates the First Amendment.
`----

http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/61876.html

WikiLeaks Under Fire

,----[ Quote ]
| The transparency group WikiLeaks.org currently seems to be under heavy fire.
| The main WikiLeaks.org DNS entry is unavailable, reportedly due to a
| restraining order relating to a series of articles and documents released by
| WikiLeaks about off-shore trust structures in the Cayman Islands. The
| WikiLeaks whistle blower, allegedly former vice president of the Cayman
| Islands branch of swiss bank Julius Baer, states in the WikiLeaks documents
| that the bank supported tax evasion and money laundering by its clients from
| around the world
`----

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/18/043211&from=rss
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <3587754.W...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Sri Lankan Telecom Kicks Microsoft, Embraces Free Software and ODF
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:42:47 +0000

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Suntel bids adieu to Microsoft, embraces IBM

,----[ Quote ]
| IT major IBM announced today that Suntel, a Sri Lankan based
| telecommunications provider, has selected IBM Lotus software to create a
| collaborative environment to improve the way employees work together in any
| mode at any time, raising employee performance and cost-efficiency.
|
| [...]
|
| He added that they are also pleased with the contribution IBM has made to the
| open community through Lotus Suite of products. With Lotus Symphony, which is
| based on the Open Document Format (ODF), an open industry standard, Suntel no
| longer relies on a proprietary technology.
`----

http://www.ciol.com/News/News-Reports/Suntel-bids-adieu-to-Microsoft,-embraces-IBM/5209115632/0/

Recent:

Four alternatives to Microsoft Office

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft Office is so common that very few computer users are even aware
| that there are many good, and often free, alternatives to the software. Here
| are four of the better alternatives.
|
| OpenOffice.org
|
| This has to be the number one alternative to Microsoft Office. The open
| source productivity tool includes all of the features offered by MS Office
| but for free. Version 3.0 of OpenOffice was released earlier this year and it
| includes full compatibility with documents created in Microsoft Office, the
| biggest stumbling block to switching to a new office suite.
`----

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Software/6436.html

ODF Annual Report 2008

http://www.odfalliance.org/resources/Annual-Report-ODF-2008.pdf

Open Document Format Has Been Accepted By 16 Governments

,----[ Quote ]
| The Open Document Format continues to gain ground with governments as the
| format in which they wish to create important documents, despite Microsoft's
| Office format, OOXML, being recognised as an international standard as well.
`----

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/enterpriseapps/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=XVB21TSOTSDSSQSNDLPCKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleID=212700444&_requestid=293222&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Windows&_requestid=442662
http://tinyurl.com/99y9um
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1726659.e...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Freedom Under Major Attack in Britain
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:37:36 +0000

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Britain's surveillance culture undermines democracy

,----[ Quote ]
| BRITAIN IS BEGINNING to sharply resemble Orwell's vision of a Big Brother
| society. While most of us living here have known it for some while, even the
| doddery old duffers in the House of Lords have now noticed.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/865/1050865/britain-surveillance-culture-undermines-democracy

Carnival on Modern Liberty No. 2

,----[ Quote ]
| Tom Griffin (London, OK): Welcome to the second edition of the Carnival on
| Modern Liberty, chronicling the online debate in the run up to the Convention
| on Modern Liberty at the end of the month.
|
| It's been a week that has highlighted the state's interest in diverse areas
| of our private lives, especially our online activities. There's good news for
| file-sharers though, as long as they're not dowloading comics...
`----

http://www.opendemocracy.net/blog/email/tom-griffin/2009/01/31/carnival-on-modern-liberty-no-2

A Tale of Two Consultations

,----[ Quote ]
| I'd like to urge you similarly to comment on Lord Carter’s *interim* report
| on Digital Britain: if it's “interim”, that suggests it will be iterated,
| drawing on feedback. But in contrast to the excellent Power of Information
| Taskforce site, there seems to be no easy way to offer paragraph by paragraph
| comments on Digital Britain. Instead, many people (like myself) have simply
| posted an overall view on the report.
`----

http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=1837&blogid=14

European ID card data is not encrypted

,----[ Quote ]
| None of the data stored on identity cards in the European Union is encrypted,
| according to a study by the European Network and Information Security Agency.
`----

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39612304,00.htm

Recent:

UK music Mafia threatens kiddies

,----[ Quoye ]
| The campaign tries to convince kids that downloading even one song without
| paying for it will send Daddy's computer into virus hell, and goes on to
| point out that, as children are not legally responsible for their own
| actions, downloading that Bob the Builder live bootleg will almost certainly
| end up with mummy going to prison.
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/30/uk-music-mafia-threatens

How many bricks for 67Bricks?

,----[ Quote ]
| Inigo Surguy, the 67 Bricks Chief Technologist, was appointed Principal UK
| Expert in Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML) document format by the British
| Standards Institute technical committee responsible for British and
| international XML standards.
|
| 67Bricks is part of the Microsoft Empower programme.
`----

http://www.noooxml.org/forum/t-49516/how-many-bricks-for-67bricks

Final deadline looms in OOXML vote

,----[ Quote ]
| Lobbying has intensified ahead of Saturday, 29 March, the deadline for
| Microsoft to convince the world that its Office Open XML specification should
| be accepted as a formal standard.
|
| The specification is still short of the two-thirds majority required in a
| vote of national standards bodies on whether to approve Office Open XML
| (OOXML) as an International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standard.
`----

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39373617,00.htm
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <2181419.y...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Copyrights Seems to be Growing Obsolete
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:40:57 +0000

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Textbooks? Textbooks? We don’t need no stinkin’ textbooks!

,----[ Quote ]
| As we get our ducks in a row for our new computer science class offerings
| next year, the high school principal asked me to give him some
| recommendations on textbooks. I’ve always hated buying technology textbooks
| since they tend to be outdated by the time you receive them and because we
| have this great thing called the Internet filled with technology information.
`----

http://education.zdnet.com/?p=2127

Open Source and Copyleft in a Copyright, Closed Source World.

,----[ Quote ]
| There is no escaping the reality that community is what really ensures the
| success of a good project (I'm looking at you, Ubuntu), no matter how
| technically sound or enjoyable that project is or is not in and of itself.
`----

http://nousessence.com/node/1263

The copyrights cartel is still fighting for intellectual monopoly and publicly
smears people like Larry Lessig.

Recent:

UK Government To Force ISPs To Become Copyright Cops

,----[ Quote ]
| Like other industry trade groups around the world, the British Phonographic
| Industry, that country's RIAA equivalent, has been pushing for British ISPs
| to become its copyright cops, something a number of ISPs have refused to do.
| After some threatening noises from British politicians, some ISPs relented,
| and now, the government is set go all the way by forcing the ISPs to play
| ball.
`----

http://techdirt.com/articles/20090116/0957263441.shtml

Labour plan to censor internet in shreds

,----[ Quote ]
| The Government's plan to censor the internet is in tatters, with Australia's
| largest ISP saying it will not take part in live trials of the system and the
| second largest committing only to a scaled-back trial.
|
| And the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has written to critics
| saying that the so-called "live" trials would be "a closed network test and
| will not involve actual customers". Greens Senator Scott Ludlam said this was
| a sign the Government was slowly backing away from the heavily criticised
| policy.
`----

http://www.theage.com.au/news/home/technology/labor-plan-to-censor-internet-in-shreds/2008/12/09/1228584820006.html

A glimmer of hope from whitehouse.gov

,----[ Quote ]
| Politicians in general are not terribly tech-savvy, let alone conscious of
| the most important intellectual freedom issues, but President Barack Obama
| does have a reputation of being more aware than most of the new media and new
| possibilities of the internet. The new US presidential website shows some
| promise that indeed, we now have a US president who isn’t afraid of the
| future.
`----

http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/glimmer_hope_whitehouse_gov

,----[ Quote ]
| Politicians often do and say silly things when they come into contact with
| celebrities.
|
| So it was last Thursday when a star-struck Andy Burnham, Britain’s secretary
| of state for Culture, Media and Sport, showed up for a speech and
| photo-opportunity with the former lead singer of the Undertones, a punk-pop
| combo of the 1970s. In addition to the usual pleasantries about Britain’s
| creative industries, Mr Burnham set out a novel argument about the law of
| copyright protecting musicians’ work.
|
| There was, he said, “a moral case” for performers – who often do their best
| recorded work in their 20s and 30s – to benefit from it throughout their
| lifetime. The government would therefore consider extending copyright for
| recordings to 70 years from the present 50.
|
| As political speeches go, this is pretty silly. A moral case? You might just
| as well say sportspeople have a moral case to a pension at 30.
|
| Copyright is an economic instrument, not a moral one, and if you consider the
| economic arguments – as I did two years ago at the request of Gordon Brown –
| you will find that they do not stack up. All the respectable research shows
| that copyright extension has high costs to the public and negligible benefits
| for the creative community.
`----

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ba280756-ca07-11dd-93e5-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Good for Gowers

,----[ Quote ]
| And whose words are these? Why, none other than Andrew Gowers, who once again
| shows his deep grasp of copyright. Pity that the government is likely to
| ignore all appeals to logic, and to join the EU in a retrograde extension of
| the term of copyright protection for sound recordings that will give
| practically nothing to hard-working musicians, lots to the parasitic music
| business fat cats - and take away from everyone else through the enclosure of
| the public domain for another 20 years.
`----

http://www.computerworlduk.com/toolbox/open-source/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=1646&blogid=14

Spot the Disconnect

,----[ Quote ]
| So how do we reconcile those? Well, could it be, dear Times whingers, that
| the Internet actually *drives* traffic to your precious films and TV
| programmes, whatever they are? Could it be that the Internet is actually
| going to keep you all employed and so fraffly well-paid?
`----

http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2008/12/spot-disconnect.html

Creative Commons Asks How You Define "Non-Commercial"

,----[ Quote ]
| Joi Ito and the Creative Commons need help getting the word out -- and
| defined. Creative Commons licences allow (to varying degrees) the content
| they apply to to be freely used, distributed, and altered, with varying
| levels of attribution or certain restrictions on commercial use. One of the
| gray areas Creative Commons has been grappling with is how exactly one
| defines "non-commercial."
`----

http://ostatic.com/blog/creative-commons-asks-how-you-define-non-commercial

Award-winning Open Source Doc Looks at Digital Copyright

,----[ Quote ]
| Digital technology opens up an unprecedented global economy of ideas. RiP
| explores the robber barons and revolutionaries squaring off across this new
| frontier as the film journeys from the control rooms of Washington to the
| favelas of Brazil.
|
| Along the way, Gaylor interviews key figures about the complexities of
| intellectual property in the digital era, among them Creative Commons founder
| Lawrence Lessig, culture critic Cory Doctorow, Brazilian musician and former
| Minister of Cultural Affairs Gilberto Gil, and Jammie Thomas, the single mom
| successfully sued by the Recording Industry Association of America for
| illegal downloading.
`----

http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=93048&issue=12032008

Introduction to Copyleft Movement

,----[ Quote ]
| When a car breaks down on a high way, the driver opens the bonnet and checks
| if he can fix the problem. Often, experienced drivers do so. If he does not
| know, he will take the car to the garage or call a mechanic if he cannot tow
| it to the garage. The mechanic in the garage fixes the problem, and the car
| is back on the road. This is what happens with every other technology. Does
| this happen with software?
|
| [...]
|
| I did not spend time explaining giving technical or economic reasons for
| using FS. This is not because FS is not a superior technology. FS is already
| a success story. From small industries to big one, everyone is using it. The
| list of success stories is very big. You will possibly hear about them from
| other sources. Most people who use FS often talk only about the technical
| features, and much often about the economical aspect of it. Since there is
| little awareness about the social, ethical and political reasons mentioned
| above, I chose to talk about them instead of the technical and economical
| arguments.
`----

http://playingwithsid.blogspot.com/2008/12/introduction-to-copyleft-movement.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <18449126....@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] MAFIAA Proven to be Morally Corrupt, Gets Government Seats from Biden
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:47:24 +0000

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RIAA lies exposed

,----[ Quote ]
| THE RIAA HAS BEEN OUTED as a lying toad as it claimed in a letter sent out on
| December 23rd last year that it was discontinuing lawsuits when in fact, this
| was simply not the case.
|
| Mitch Bainwol’s letter to the Congressional Committees claimed that the
| Recording Industry Association of America "discontinued initiating new
| lawsuits in August."
`----

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/869/1050869/riaa-lies-exposed

RIAA and BSA's Favourite Lawyers Taking Top Department of Justice Posts

,----[ Quote ]
| RIAA-fan Biden's influence in the Obama administration may be larger than
| anticipated, at least when it comes to file sharing: His good pals with RIAA
| and BSA connections keep getting Department of Justice's seats.
|
| According to CNET, "President Obama is continuing to fill the senior ranks of
| the U.S. Department of Justice with the copyright industry's favourite
| lawyers" with the selection of Donald Verrilli, from the Verrilli Family, el
| Señor Presidente's latest acquisition.
`----

http://i.gizmodo.com/5146966/riaa-and-bsas-favorite-lawyers-taking-top-department-of-justice-posts

Recent:

RIAA Sued For Racketeering Yet Again

,----[ Quote ]
| A few people have filed lawsuits against the RIAA for racketeering in the
| past, though these charges have always been dismissed. In one such case,
| where the filed charges were dismissed over the summer, new claims were filed
| again charging the RIAA with racketeering for extortion, mail fraud and wire
| fraud in its ongoing efforts involving weakly supported threats against
| alleged file sharers demanding money to avoid being sued.
`----

http://techdirt.com/articles/20081121/1203512916.shtml
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <2275230.I...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Proof That Intellectual Monopolies Are Absolutely Sick
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:48:37 +0000

50 Years Of Scientific Discovery & Sharing In Antarctica May End Thanks To
Patent Greed

,----[ Quote ]
| Beyond the rather serious question of why either organisms or molecules can
| be patented, this is a microcosm of what's wrong with patents. Patents are
| supposed to be used to encourage research (promoting the progress, remember).
| And this treaty has done a great job promoting progress without patents.
`----

http://techdirt.com/articles/20090206/0931323669.shtml

Recent:

Scientists Feel That Patents Cause Significant Harm To Research

,----[ Quote ]
| Michael Geist points us to a recent survey of scientists who say that IP
| protection has a negative impact on their research. It's greatly slowed down
| the ability to do research, as universities (thanks to the dreadful and
| damaging Bayh-Dole Act -- which has significantly hurt progress in scientific
| research) are trying to hoard anything that can be patented for the sake of
| profit, rather than scientific advancement. Of course, advancement doesn't
| work that way. It works through collaboration and sharing ideas -- and what
| patents do is add a huge bureaucracy to the process, encouraging secrecy, not
| sharing and hoarding, not collaboration. Once again, we're seeing that about
| the only folks who really truly benefit from patents are the lawyers.
`----

http://techdirt.com/articles/20090125/1827273529.shtml

Free The Facts: Critical Issue, Killer Presentation

,----[ Quote ]
| Dave Gray's Free The Facts presentation is a must-read, must-share for anyone
| who cares about either science or open access.
`----

http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/01/free-the-facts-open-access.html

Patent office rejects subdomain patent claims

,----[ Quote ]
| The PTO rejected all 20 patent claims over Internet subdomains held by a
| company called Hoshiko, which were used to bully sites like LiveJournal and
| Freehomepage.com and pursue litigation against larger companies like Google.
| The idea behind how to manage subdomains--domains hosted within larger
| domains, such as news.cnet.com--is too obvious to patent, the PTO ruled after
| the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation requested the patent be
| re-examined.
`----

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10147722-38.html

"Where does the pressure come from?"

,----[ Quote ]
| Peter Jungen and the EEI wonder if openness rhetorics risks turning Europe
| into an innovation "dead zone".
`----

http://www.digistan.org/forum/t-121737/where-does-the-pressure-come-from

------------------------------

Message-Id: <1511228.K...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] Storage Solution Done with GNU/Ballnux
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:50:37 +0000

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Saving Big Money With Open Source Storage

,----[ Quote ]
| Digitar has been using Novell's (NASDAQ: NOVL) SUSE Linux software on its HP
| (NYSE: HPQ) servers since it opened its doors. However, the company tried the
| Linux storage subsystem a few years ago with unsatisfactory results.
|
| "At that time, we found the Linux storage subsystem to lack reliability and
| the Linux Volume Manager (LVM) to be slow," said Williams. "Back then, I
| wasn't familiar with OpenSolaris and I must confess that I was anti-Solaris,
| as I had found it difficult to use while at college. I preferred the Solaris
| kernel but believed Linux to be more user-friendly."
`----

http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/ipstorage/features/article.php/3800986

Propalms, Inc. Expands Footprint in Europe Through Agreement With Swedish
Distributor

,----[ Quote ]
| Areas of expertise are Linux, High Availability, Virtualisation, and Backup
| and cross platform solutions. Vendors include: Novell, Acronis, Parallels,
| Coyote Point, Avira and Propalms, among others.
`----

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29031425/

Recent:

Get a Linux-powered HP Netbook for $299 shipped

,----[ Quote ]
| In the market for a Netbook? Amazon has the baseline HP 2133 on sale for
| $299, down from $499. Right away that solves one of the HP's main problems:
| its high price. Best of all, this is a new unit--not a refurb--and you don't
| have to deal with any rebates.
`----

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-10076884-58.html
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1965770.k...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] BetaVista7 a Security Failure Before Arrival
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:53:32 +0000

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Microsoft admits it messed up Windows 7 security

,----[ Quote ]
| Following a week where no less than two security flaws were reported in
| Windows 7 which were officially dismissed and not constituting a
| vulnerability, it seems there has now been a rather huge change of mind at
| Microsoft and a frankly astonishing confession.
|
| Microsoft has been at the sharp end of the flawed security stick this week,
| and the funny thing is it seems that they both made the stick and have been
| responsible for the continued prodding with it.
`----

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/23084/1231/

Everyone pays the price for Microsoft's incompetence:

Data breach incidents are increasing, study shows

,----[ Quote ]
| My official title may be "analyst," but market research is the part of my job
| that appeals to the geek in me. Good thing I work at ESG, where we do market
| research around information assurance all the time.
`----

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10157069-83.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Nothing will change. What a fail.

They think that renaming Vista will help?

Recent:

Windows 7: Not Quite The Change We Need

,----[ Quote ]
| To fix those deeper-seated ailments, however, Microsoft would have had to put
| in a lot more than two years of work. We might not be able to try out Vista's
| replacement for another year or two--but at that point, we might see a
| dramatically improved operating system that could never be mistaken for a
| Service Pack update to Vista.
`----

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2009/01/windows_7_not_quite_the_change.html?hpid=sec-tech

Windows 7 Beta Flunks Out Of Georgetown

,----[ Quote ]
| A prestigious Washington, D.C., university has barred students and faculty
| from using the trial version of Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system on
| school computers.
|
| "Do not install new Microsoft beta release," states a new warning from
| Georgetown University's IT group. "Installing any beta version of software is
| extremely risky," the warning states.
`----

http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212903508&subSection=All+Stories

Some Fanboys Don’t Like Windows 7 Either

,----[ Quote ]
| Amazingly, the Windows Supersite of Paul Thurrott is showing some falling out
| of lockstep with Redmond.
`----

http://www.lockergnome.com/theoracle/2009/01/15/some-fanboys-dont-like-windows-7-either/

Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Windows 7 Edition

,----[ Quote ]
| Windows 7, the much-hyped upcoming version of Windows operating system is now
| in Beta. And though it’s kind of promising based on reading some of the
| positive reviews, one thing is for sure; it will never become the 'awesomest'
| operating system that everyone will love.
`----

http://www.junauza.com/2009/01/blue-screen-of-death-bsod-windows-7.html

Windows 7 Unmasked

,----[ Quote ]
| But after the stage props came down, and after the projectors finally went
| cold, attendees were left with a pre-beta copy of something that looked less
| like a new OS than the repackaging of an old one. At least that was my
| impression after I started exploring the Windows 7 M3 (Milestone 3) bits that
| came on my shiny new 160GB Western Digital USB hard disk (one of the better
| tchotchkes I've received at a conference). As I reported on my Enterprise
| Desktop blog, the more I dug into Windows 7, the more I saw an OS that looked
| and felt like a slightly tweaked version of Windows Vista.
|
| [...]
|
| Just what was so new about Microsoft's next Windows, apart from a rejuggled
| UI? Windows 7 appeared to suck memory like Vista, to consume CPU like Vista,
| and to have the same consumer focus. How would this product be received by
| enterprise customers, the vast majority of whom had soundly rejected its
| predecessor? After all, if Vista wasn't good enough for big business, then
| surely a Vista-derived encore would meet with a similarly chilly reception.
|
| [...]
|
| Otherwise, Windows 7 operates much like Vista. There are subtle visual tweaks
| here and there, but nothing on the level of the dramatic XP-to-Vista
| transition. Ironically, Vista users may be more annoyed by the UI changes
| than users coming from XP. Because the Windows 7 and Vista Aero experiences
| are so similar, seasoned users of Vista will be more likely to look in the
| wrong places for common functions. By contrast, XP users won't be burdened
| with now-outdated Aero navigation skills.
`----

http://www.pcworld.com/article/153624/windows_7_preview.html?tk=rss_news
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------------------------------

Message-Id: <1608769.1...@schestowitz.com>
From: Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com>
Subject: [News] [Rival] More Layoffs Hit Microsoft
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 10:41:29 +0000

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Razorfish cuts more staff

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| Microsoft's online ad agency Razorfish is slashing staff again. The agency
| laid off 70 employees yesterday in its West coast offices of Seattle,
| Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The job cuts follow two other rounds
| of layoffs last year, in October and December.
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http://www.techflash.com/microsoft/Razorfish_cuts_more_staff39238862.html

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| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
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