All Articles

Two Big Reasons Dell Should Buy Red Hat

OpenRoad — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:33:28 -0800

Well, this is certainly an interesting premise...

"Dell's biggest problem is that its one-time differentiation--low-cost hardware assembly and distribution--is now common industry practice. Indeed, it now routinely gets beaten at its own game, as called out in a recent article by Ashlee Vance in The New York Times...

Next Netbook--Thinner, Cheaper, Better, Linux

451group — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:29:35 -0800

More details on Freescale's netbook announcement at the CES show...

Early Adopters and IDEs (Integrated Development Experiences)

Community Manager — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:23:00 -0800

What are your tool habits, and how have they evolved...?

"Tim Bray: '[H]ere it is nearly thirty years into my programming career and I'm still debugging with print statements.'

"Heh. Same here, though it’s only been 25 years for me (wow, 'only' 25 years?).

I Invented Twitter

Community Manager — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:19:47 -0800

There really is no such thing as a completely new idea. A hacking tale from Jono Bacon...

"Well kind of…in a way…possibly…OK, not at all.

"The other day I was digging through some old articles that I wrote. To my amusement, I saw a reference to a little program I hacked up once when I was involved as a KDE developer. I had totally forgotten about it, and I figured it would be fun to share the story.

Basic JavaScript Engine: The Go Forward Strategy After Looking Back

Community Manager — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:16:01 -0800

A detailed look inside a JavaScript-based desktop app...

Exploring the Limits of Package Management with Nix

BruceByfield — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:26:00 -0800

Package management on Unix-like systems has improved out of all recognition in the last decade. However, improvements are being suggested all the time, ranging from improved utilities for existing package tools like apt and yum to Autopackage and Zero Install, both of which allow non-users to install software, to Conary, which combines package management with version control to permit multiple versions of the same software to co-exist.

Software Development Predictions for 2009

Community Manager — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:16:27 -0800

Neil McAllister portends the development future...

Interview with Stormy Peters - GNOME Foundation

Community Manager — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:12:26 -0800

Wondering what the new year will bring for GNOME? Here's some answers...

"Scott: It strikes me that people tend to think of GNOME as just the shell, but it is really a set of other stand-alone, independent applications, as well. Talk a little bit about that relationship between GNOME the shell and all those other projects, as well as what it means for something to be under that GNOME umbrella.

Perl 5 Now Uses Git for Version Control

oreilly — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:07:38 -0800

Perl development is now in a single open source repository...

Rumor: Palm to Unveil Nova-Powered Smartphone

OpenRoad — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:05:55 -0800

Nova, it's reported, is based on Linux...

"Palm is rumored to be launching a smartphone on Thursday that runs Nova, its next-generation operating system, according to a report Sunday on CrunchGear.

"The report, which cites 'a trusted source,' says the device will have a full QWERTY keyboard that will slide under the touchscreen..." [Read more at The Open Road]

The Google Linux Desktop Has Arrived

Community Manager — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:24:49 -0800

A very interesting insight into the future of Android...

Linux Needs Fewer Friends

LinuxToday — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:51:57 -0800

Ted's recent blog on Debian has stirred up dissenting opinions, and good food for thought...

"It's a cliche, but it's an apt one: 'God save me from my friends--I can protect myself from my enemies.' Theodore Ts'o wrote an anti-Free Software rant this week that could have come straight from the massive, never-sleeping Redmond FudMachine, Debian, Philosophy, and People. He seems to blame Free Software for Debian's ills.

Mickos: A New Year of 'Radical Transparency' for MySQL

OpenRoad — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:48:09 -0800

It will be interesting to see how this transparency affects developers...

Develop a GPS-Aware Application for the Nokia N810, Part 1

developerWorks — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:50:17 -0800

Paul Ferrill delves into the innter workings of the Nokia N810 platform...

"The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet is a great little device with lots of functionality, all in a package that fits in your pocket. It comes with several standard applications and links to the Maemo Web site, from which you can download a whole host of other applications...

Android-Powered G1 Phone is an Enticing Platform for App Developers

linux.com — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:46:56 -0800

A review of the G1 from a developer's point of view...

"The free and open source software community has been waiting for the G1 cell phone since it was first announced in July. Source code for Google's Android mobile platform has been available, but the G1 marks its commercial debut. It's clearly a good device, but is it what Linux boosters and FOSS advocates have long been anticipating?

The Future of Compiz

Community Manager — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:42:55 -0800

Even for those not following Compiz, this is still a cautionary tale of how open source projects can run into trouble...

"The reality is that there has been the equivalent of no progress since the merge. We've basically only been in maintenance mode. The reason for this, from my point of view, is a complete lack of direction and leadership.

Upgrading a C# Mono Application on Gentoo Linux, Part 1

KevinFarnham — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:40:27 -0800

In 2002, I developed a C# application using the beta version of Visual Studio .NET. Three years later, I ported the application to Mono Version 1.0.5. Today, more than six years after the original development of the application using beta VS.NET, I've decided to upgrade my application on Mono, as a way of reviewing the progress the Mono project has made in recent years.

Happy 2.6.28

LWN — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:55:21 -0800

In case you missed the pre-holiday announcement, Linux 2.6.28 was faithfully delivered by Santa Linus...

"It doesn't really matter what day it is, or what holiday (if any) you're celebrating, because even if you sit at home, alone in your dank basement, without any holidays or friends, I bring you a tiding of great cheer: you can now download Linux-2.6.28, and compile it to your hearts content!

linux.conf.au Announces Miniconf Schedule

LWN — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:51:24 -0800

The 2009 conference season is already in the works...

"linux.conf.au organisers are pleased to announce the mini-conferences schedules for linux.conf.au 2009. 'The miniconf organisers along with our miniconf liaison, Joshuaua Hesketh, have put together a pretty exciting schedule,' said linux.conf.au organiser, Ben Powell. 'These specialist conferences really showcase some of the important fields that are in free software today--both technical and social'" [Read more at LWN]

Seven Most Influential GNU/Linux Distributions

Community Manager — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:39:37 -0800

A roundup of the most influential distros; do you agree...?

"GNU/Linux offers a bewildering variety of flavors -- or distributions, as they're called. To a newcomer's eye, many of these seem virtually identical to each other.