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My first blog

blogger — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:05:00 -0800

testing blog entry

Shouldn’t Obama use Linux, and not a Mac?

bproffitt — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:49:26 -0800

For those of you who haven’t heard, Barack Obama will be the first president to have a laptop on his desk at the oval office. (He does however have to give up his trusted Blackberry.)

Google CEO Eric Schmidt, in a conversation with Arianna Huffington on MSNBC, today said that he hopes Obama uses a Mac and not a PC. Excuse me Eric (and Arianna) isn’t there another option you may be missing?

Quickly Move an Executable Between Systems with ELF Statifier

linux.com — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:56:04 -0700

This looks like a cool tool to help with distribution portability...

The Compelling Economics of Linux: What It Means for the Future of Computing

jimzemlin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:08:08 -0700

The Economics

The True Value of Nothing

Community Manager — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:53:35 -0700

Glyn Moody has an interesting take on our paper released today...

Why Do We Release openSUSE on Thursdays--Or Why Do We Slip?

Community Manager — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:50:19 -0700

A candid look at how one distribution is put together...

"openSUSE 11.1 Beta3 is a bit later than expected (it should go out later today). Of course, this raised couple of questions why. So let me explain how a build of a Beta release works in general from release manager perspective and what are the reasons for the slip.

Why Microsoft Wants Us to Get All Mixed Up

LinuxJournal — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:37:30 -0700

Mixed source is a term being bantered about a lot these days...

“'What's in a name?' some bloke in the sixteenth century once asked. As Microsoft knows, quite a lot. What you call something can have a major influence on how you think about it. So how Microsoft talks about free software is important--not least for the clues that it gives about its latest tactical move to defang the open source threat.

Actual Chickens Win Plat'Home's "Will Linux Work?" Contest

Community Manager — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:23:30 -0700

Well, Linux does have an affinity for birds...

"First, there was a 'chicken sitter.' Gordon Smith of Lakewood, CO, wanted to do a Linux project and also had a chicken coop. Obviously they go together. His system is being built around an inexpensive webcam with IR capability to see in the dark, along with a computer vision library to count the chickens.

Google Releases Complete Android Open Source Project

Community Manager — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:59:24 -0700

A look inside the Android source, which is now open...

"Google on Tuesday released the Android Open Source Project, the complete source code for its mobile phone platform.

More Compatibility Issues Easily Managed With LSB

bproffitt — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:40:48 -0700

It's easy to understand why compatibility between different operating systems is a complicated procedure.

Linux Foundation Unwraps Distro Normalizer 4.0

Community Manager — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:22:34 -0700

Ted T'so gives a preview of the upcoming LSB 4.0...

Does Linux Need a $300 Million Ad Campaign?

LinuxJournal — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:22:40 -0700

Ads are all well and good, but some development funding for apps would likely be more welcome...

"Microsoft is now spending $300 million to counter Apple's 'I'm a Mac' ads. Does Linux need its own ad campaign?

Is the Linux Community Afraid of Opensolaris?

Community Manager — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:01:46 -0700

Not everyone thinks OpenSolaris is a dead-end proposition...

"In the last few weeks I've heard one sentence quite often: 'Why you you still develop Solaris? You should contribute to Linux!' from people administering Linux systems. And you could read at other places, that Solaris is irrelevant, that there is nothing worth of mentioning it or even for an integration to Linux. Just think about the Zemlin quotations! Or several other comments of proponents of Linux.

Linux Foundation End User Summit Wrap-Up

Amanda McPherson — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:14:50 -0700

We have a great sense of timing at the Linux Foundation. Who else would schedule a summit for large Linux users on Wall Street the day after “black Friday”? Actually we were worried that the news of the financial markets would distract our end users from attending the event. Luckily for us, this didn’t seem to be the case. (Jim Zemlin lightened the mood with a clever presentation you should check out here.)

The Mirror Universe Linux

bproffitt — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:49:03 -0700

It's not everyday you learn that your employer could be part of a massive 20-year old conspiracy of "IT systems monopolists" to keep Microsoft from stealing their mojo.

Well, shoot. This never came up at the company picnic. (Awk-ward...)

Want to Laugh? Another Tall Tale About Where Linux Came From

Groklaw — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:47:48 -0700

Whoops, I'd better go hide the black helicopters...

Ext4 Completes Development Phase as Interim Step to BtrFS

Community Manager — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:37:40 -0700

While we wait for BtrFS, we still have ext4 to look forward to...

Linux Foundation End User Summit: New BtrFS Filesystem and Knowledge Center

Community Manager — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:33:29 -0700

A focus on the filesystems detailed at last week's End User Summit...

FOSSBazaar Tackles Open Source's Legal Obstacles

Community Manager — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:00:04 -0700

A look at one of our more popular working groups...

"Who's afraid of open source?

"According to the open source industry group FOSSBazaar, there are plenty of organizations that view using the software as risky. But the group maintains that concerns about open source stem from often poorly understood legal issues that could be overcome with some education.

Greg K-H Recommends New Kernel Version Naming

Community Manager — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:58:46 -0700

This might be an interesting idea to explore...

"Greg Kroah-Hartman, Linux developer at Novell, suggests a new naming scheme for the Kernel releases on the Kernel mailing list. The four-digit year would be included in the name.

Community-cation: A Look Back at Week 42, 2008

bproffitt — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:54:20 -0700

One of the recurring themes at this year's End User Summit was this whole notion of consumers vs. prosumers of Linux and open source software technology. "Prosumer" is not one of my usual words... I got it from Monday keynote speaker Anthony Williams, one of the authors of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.

Summit Attendees Discuss Concerns, Gains with Linux

bproffitt — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:16:45 -0700

Amidst the halls of a former seminary built in the 19th Century, the future of 21st technology was explored in the 2008 Linux Foundation End User Summit.

The Desmond Tutu Center in Manhattan might seem like an unlikely venue for Linux developers and end users to congregate, but the updated facility's nooks and crannies proved a good place for lots of impromptu discussions between Summit attendees.

The Five Best Things in Linux 2.6.27

digg — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:24:34 -0700

As more people dig into Linux 2.6.27, they find subtle new features that they like...

"Does anyone really know what will be better in Windows 7? I don't and I follow Windows almost as closely as I do Linux. With Linux, on the other hand, we know exactly what we're getting well in advance of its arrival. In this latest Linux kernel, I see several outstanding new features that have been coming down the road for some time.

Python 3.0 Makes a Big Break

linux.com — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:46:47 -0700

Python 3.0 isn't backwards-compatible with other versions. With the final version due soon, what choices will Python developers have?

Livin’ La Vida Linux

ZDNet — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:24:04 -0700

Samba's Jeremy Allison examines freedom, Linux, and DRM...

"Last weekend I finished a home project I’ve been slowly working on for several months. I finally finished converting all the CD’s in my collection from physical media to digital files. It turns out that every CD I ever bought, which now comes to somewhere around 400, fits within 160 gigabytes of storage. It’s hard to buy a new disk that small these days, that’s how much storage capacity has increased.

Ruby's Vocal Minority

OpenRoad — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:23:25 -0700

How fares Ruby and its community...?

"Esther Schindler over at CIO.com does a great job picking apart some recent data on Ruby adoption. The (Koders.com) data, which is gleaned from language-specific searches on its code repository site, suggests that Ruby interest is up by a factor of 20 since 2004.

OIP an Electrical Engineer's OSS Dream

re_authors — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:10:10 -0700

A couple of weeks ago, we looked mostly at programs coded in Python and hosted in systems small enough to fit in gadgets like cellular handsets, networking appliances, and other such products. Several Tcl projects illustrate a different role for Linux, one of which marries a conventional personal computer with add-on special-purpose hardware.

FOSSBazaar Nearly Doubles its Membership

Community Manager — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:42:51 -0700

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux and open source software, today announced that its Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) governance workgroup, called FOSSBazaar, has nearly doubled its membership since launching in January.

The newest members include Ars Aperta, Black Duck, BT, Krugle, Palamida, and nexB, which contribute to 15 total members today.

Bash Redirecting Input from Multiple Files

LinuxJournal — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:32:49 -0700

Redirecting information in bash is not that hard, according to this article...

"Recently I needed to create a script that processed two input files. By processed I mean that the script needed to get a line from one file, then get a line from the second file, and then do something with them. Sounds easy enough, but it's not that easy unless you know about some of bash's extended redirection capabilities.

Cisco Romancing Linux Developers

Community Manager — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:13:36 -0700

Cisco's looking for a few good embedded developers, and it's throwing in fabulous prizes...

"Networking giant Cisco is gearing up to expand its Linux platform with a bunch of new hardware. But it won't be a success without developers to build more applications for the platform, so a little romancing is in order.

Dell and Canonical Ubuntu Continue Groundbreaking Linux Work

451group — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:13:23 -0700

An exploration of the Dell/Canonical relationship...

6 Scripting Languages Your Developers Wish You'd Let Them Use

Community Manager — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:59:32 -0700

CIO's look at some scripting languages you may not have heard of yet--but you should...

Several up-and-coming scripting languages--some open-source--are gaining popularity among software developers. These dynamic programming languages deserve more attention for your enterprise software development, even if your shop is dedicated to Java or .NET. Here's why..." [Read more]

LSB Beta Reveals New Tools, Features for Developers

bproffitt — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:55:53 -0700

In another step towards general release, the first beta of Linux Standard Base (LSB) 4.0 was released today. LSB 4.0 will introduce a new application checker, a new shell script checker, and a new multi-version software development kit (SDK) that will enable developers to build applications to earlier LSB specifications without changing SDKs.

Community-cation: A Look Back at Week 41, 2008

bproffitt — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:30:36 -0700

A lot of work has been done behind the scenes this week for the End User Summit in New York next week. Thanks to the talented people working on the show, I think it will be an excellent event. This is not, mind you, self-promotion--they've put me in charge of the slide shows, which shows my co-workers know how to best utilize me. :)

Torvalds: On Making Releases...

Community Manager — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:40:34 -0700

Linus reflects on today's 2.6.27 release...

The 2.6.27 Kernel is Out

LWN — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:40:22 -0700

The latest kernel is now released. On to 2.6.28...

Linux-Kongress: Linux Foundation Declares OS X a Luxury Jail

Community Manager — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:29:24 -0700

Prison metaphors seem pretty fitting for proprietary operating systems...

"As a director of the Linux Foundation and a Linux SCSI developer, James Bottomley opened the Linux-Kongress in Hamburg, Germany this week with a keynote investigating the commonalities and differences among the various Open Source operating systems. He describes Linux as the liveliest variant among them.

Linux at 17--What Windows Promised to Be

LinuxToday — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:28:37 -0700

17 years later, and Linux is still rising...

"It is hard to guess how many programmers and system administrators have been educated by the Linux development project, but it forms the core of what so many experts and newbies believe in terms of what an operating system should have in it, how that code is created, and how the systems software stack that rides atop of it is created and maintained.

Mandriva Linux 2009 is Released

LWN — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:26:07 -0700

Along with a new kernel, today marks the latest release of Mandriva...

After 2.0 Release, de Icaza Reflects on Mono's Past and Future

linux.com — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:32:12 -0700

As Mono 2.0 comes out, lots of folks are assessing how it will help (or hurt) Linux development...

Netbooks Will Boost Adoption of Linux, Says Novell CTO

Community Manager — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:24:52 -0700

Looks like more folks are feeling the netbooks love...

"A surge in demand for netbooks is helping drive business for Linux, as the devices are designed to be low-cost with smaller storage, according to Novell's chief technology and strategy officer for Linux.

Red Hat: It's the Value, Stupid

OpenRoad — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:24:45 -0700

Red Hat is, at least, one company that is getting positive results from the NYSE...

Why Mono and Samba Are Patently Different

Community Manager — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:17:29 -0700

A good question, indeed...

"Here's a very good question: why are people (including me) nasty to Mono, but nice to Samba?

"The Mono project has been branded as evil, a sellout, a product of a Microsoft-loving lackey from its inception. I think this is a misguided attitude that is rooted in a mistrust of the power of FOSS, and especially the GPL..." [Read more...]

Build Service Jumps Application Installation Hurdles

pferrill — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:29:33 -0700

Every open source project must deal with the same problem: how do you package your application so that it installs and runs properly on all the major distributions? Use a package manager to bundle the application, configuration scripts and any necessary libraries into a single file. The two most popular methods of accomplishing this are the RPM Package Manager (RPM) and the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT).

Going to a Linux or Open-Source Show?

Community Manager — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:54:23 -0700

There have been big changes in the Linux event ecosystem, and people are still trying to figure the changes out...

"The Linux Foundation recently announced that they’d be holding a new get-together, LinuxCon and a few days later IDG announced that they were transforming LinuxWorld into OpenSource World. My question: Will you be going to either one? Or, to any of the other major open-source shows like OSCon?

The Exciting World of KDE 4

Community Manager — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:25:56 -0700

Aaron Seigo gives us a nice look inside some of the new developments in KDE 4...

Big 4 Customers Not Only Target for Open Source

451group — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:18:09 -0700

Some new executive moves amongst the open source systems management vendors...

LinuxWorld Is No More

bproffitt — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:11:53 -0700

Well, this wasn't unexpected, but it's sad news nonetheless. According to an announcement from IDG today, the show known as LinuxWorld has gone into the history books.

CeBIT: Linux Magazine, LF Announce Call for Projects

Community Manager — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:41:46 -0700

The Foundation is helping out with CeBIT 2009, and we're looking for papers now...

"Open Source is emerging for the first time as a central theme at the CeBIT 2009 conference. Linux Magazine, together with the conference organizers and the Linux Foundation, is now encouraging Open Source projects to bid for free booths at the conference.

Untangle Joins The Linux Foundation

Community Manager — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:15:10 -0700

Welcome to Untangle, the newest member of the Linux Foundation!

"Untangle, developers of the Open Source Network Gateway, is joining the Linux Foundation as a way to further contribute to the open source community. It plans to take advantage of the exclusive Linux Foundation events and to collaborate with the Foundation on outreach to Linux User Groups (LUGs) throughout the globe.