OpenNews

Microsoft hails open source outreach

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Original Article

By Paul Krill
Infoworld
September 16, 2008

The company detailed accommodations made for open source, including the Microsoft Open Source Technology Center, at ZendCon 2008

Microsoft continued to make its case on Tuesday that it is a friend to open source, listing a number of efforts it has undertaken in spaces ranging from Linux to virtualization and rich Internet application technology.

Traditionally, Microsoft has been viewed as the commercial counterpoint to the open-source movement. But the company's presentation on Tuesday at the ZendCon 2008 conference in Santa, Clara, Calif. reiterated accommodations for open source

"We are trying to drive interoperability and integration with open source into the Windows platform by design," said Tom Hanrahan, director of the Microsoft Open Source Technology Center.

This center, he said, is composed of engineers from Linux and the open-source world hired by Microsoft to better understand how to cooperate and collaborate with the open-source community. The center features both an open-source software lab, to research how open-source software can run on Microsoft products, as well as a Microsoft-Novell interoperability lab.

Microsoft works closely with Novell on identity management and on translators for the OpenOffice and Microsoft Office office suites, he said. Also, Microsoft has assisted with a Novell-backed effort to produce a Linux implementation of Microsoft's Silverlight rich Internet application technology, dubbed Moonlight, Hanrahan said.

(The two companies also recently extended an interoperability arrangement pertaining to Windows and Novell's Suse Linux.)

Other Microsoft open-source efforts have included testing between Windows and Samba open-source file and print services technology. Collaboration with the PHP community also has taken place, Hanrahan said. Future projects under discussion with the PHP community could include more database and application support

Microsoft's business strategy involves supporting open-source software on Windows. Interoperability between Windows and open source is being done at a product level and through use of networking standards that allow for interoperability. Data interoperability also is offered.

Work with open-source communities also was cited. The company recently became a Platinum-level sponsor of the Apache community and made available a C# plugin for Eclipse, Hanrahan noted.

Microsoft also has made protocols available to the open-source community, such as its VHD format for virtualization, Hanrahan said. Anyone can access and share the data without licensing requirements, he said. The company also wants to make sure that Linux performs well as a guest on Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualization platform, said Hanrahan.

There also is a MySQL database plugin to the Microsoft Visual Studio development platform.

A conference attendee held out hope for Microsoft's commitment to open source. "I'm hoping that they get more serious about open source so that way, it's easier for me to use PHP in the enterprise environment that we already have," said Michael Kierstad, database administrator at forwarding and logistics services provider Panalpina. The company uses PHP on Windows with Microsoft's SQL Server database, Kierstad said.

Hanrahan also cited other developments, such as provision of a downloadable plugin for Windows Media content to run on the Firefox browser and work with the Java, PHP, and Ruby communities to provide APIs for Microsoft CardSpace authentication capabilities.

Paul Krill is an editor at large at InfoWorld, specializing in news and features related to application development, Java, and .Net. He can be reached at paul_krill@infoworld.com.

test

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 00:14:00 +0000

before the race the neighbour�s cows broke into our field

Project Portland: Linux Desktop Developers Find Common Ground

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 20:41:00 +0000

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
December 6, 2005

News Analysis: A developer meeting strengthens a Linux desktop alliance that could lead to better leverage with hardware vendors and more cross-distribution efforts such as the newly created Portland Project.

Open Source Development Labs Inc. this weekend called together architects from over two dozen key desktop-oriented Linux projects to work out their differences and to find common cause in their efforts to create the best possible Linux desktop.

"Portland will provide a common set of Linux desktop interfaces that allows applications to easily integrate with the Linux desktop that the end user or his organization has chosen to work with," said Waldo Bastian, a KDE engineer and a FreeDesktop leader.

Nokia heeds the call for open source

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 01:55:00 +0000

11/4/2005 5:20:41 PM, by Ryan Paul

Is open source software the next big thing in the mobile computing market? Nokia certainly seems to think so. Linux is scalable, portable, free, and extensible, which makes it an ideal operating system for embedded platforms. From toaster ovens to orbital death ray cannons, Linux does it all.

Nokia's new web tablet is finally available for purchase in Europe, and could potentially reach shelves in the states late next week. The 802.11b/g enabled, Linux-based Nokia 770 features an ARM port of Debian GNU/Linux, and a powerful user interface based on GNOME technology. Though the product just recently became available to the general public, Nokia distributed a number of them at a GNOME development convention earlier this year. The eight ounce 770, which features a three hour batterey life and 64 MB of RAM, is Nokia's first attempt at a Linux powered portable. With an 800x480 pixel four inch screen, the 770 was designed specifically for mobile web browsing. Integrated bluetooth and USB support make the 770 appealing, but the absence of an internal hard drive is a real disappointment, particularly since the 770 comes with support for a wide variety of media formats.

[More ...]

Storage vendors launch open source consortium

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 03:57:00 +0000

Building on existing efforts
By Lucy Sherriff
Published Tuesday 25th October 2005 16:04 GMT

Eight major storage vendors, including IBM and Cisco, have joined forces to develop a common open source platform for managing storage devices. The idea is that customers will be able to use the result of their labours to make it easier to manage their storage systems, regardless of the vendor.

Brocade, CA, Engenio Information Technologies, Fujitsu and McData complete the line up, while players like Sun, Symantec, EMC and HP are more notable by their absence

[More ...]

A novel definition of a SOA platform

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 15:05:00 +0000

>
>http://ct.zdnet.com.com/clicks?c=626123-2205239&brand=zdnet&ds=5&fs=0
<snip>
Miko and I also delve into why <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_Service_Bus>ESBs, as a subset of a SOA platform, are sprouting open source projects like mushrooms after an autumn rain, but UDDI registries remain commercial. Miko suspects that an open source UDDI/SOA registry is likely in the near future. I wouldn't be surprised if Infravio has something significant to do with that.
</snip>

Tracking Mobile Phones For Real-Time Traffic Data

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 12:49:00 +0000

By David A. Lieb, The Associated Press
18 Oct 2005

Missouri and other states are planning projects to monitor thousands of mobile phones to map traffic conditions, as privacy advocates raise red flags.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)--Driving to work, you notice the traffic beginning to slow. And because you have your cell phone on, the government senses the delay, too.

A congestion alert is issued, automatically updating electronic road signs and Web sites and dispatching text messages to mobile phones and auto dashboards.

In what would be the largest project of its kind, the Missouri Department of Transportation is finalizing a contract to monitor thousands of cell phones, using their movements to map real-time traffic conditions statewide on all 5,500 miles of major roads.

It's just one of a number of initiatives to more intelligently manage traffic flow through wireless data collection.

City of Rome, Ga., Awarded WiFi Grant for Downtown "Hot Zone" - Government Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 16:35:00 +0000

City of Rome, Ga., Awarded WiFi Grant for Downtown "Hot Zone" - Government Technology: "City of Rome, Ga., Awarded WiFi Grant for Downtown 'Hot Zone'
Oct 12, 2005 By News Staff

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded the city of Rome, Georgia a grant in the amount of $22,500 for a one-year pilot project to implement broadband wireless Internet access along the Broad Street corridor. The city will provide matching funds for a total project budgeted at $45,000.

The wireless fidelity system (commonly referred to as WiFi) will result in what is called a 'hot zone' where the public, using WiFi capable computers and mobile digital devices such as PDAs, will be able to access the Internet at high speeds. During the pilot, basic outdoor wireless Internet access will be available to individuals within the coverage area at no cost."

Peru's parliament approves pro-open source bill

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 15:26:00 +0000

'Bill here. Get Steve on a flight to Lima'
By Gavin Clarke
29 September 2005

Legislators in Peru have approved a hotly contested bill sanctioning use of open source software by government and levelling the playing field for start-ups against Microsoft.

The Peruvian Congress has passed a bill that prohibits any public institution from buying systems that tie users into any particular type of software or that limits 'information autonomy'. Public institutions are also barred from having a pre-determined preference for either proprietary software or open-source software."

Motorola Exec To Congress: Improve Communications

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 14:09:00 +0000

Sept. 29, 2005
EE Times

MANHASSET, N.Y. ? Gary Grube, Motorola Inc.'s corporate vice president of technology, called on Congress to immediately improve the nation's emergency communications infrastructure.

Recommendations included making 700 MHz of spectrum available for emergency communications and the use of a network based on the Project 25 standard for first responders.

Appearing at a congressional hearing of public safety officials and communications providers, Grube told the the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee U.S. public safety communications networks must be fixed before the next disaster strikes.

"We should establish standards for response that assure minimal communications shall be restored in any area of the country within 12 hours," Grube said. "This can be accomplished by prepositioning trucks that are self-contained and come equipped with hundreds of portable radios for immediate deployment."

Chip Helps Electric Outlet Go Broadband

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 14:11:00 +0000

By YURI KAGEYAMA
The Associated Press
Thursday, September 29, 2005; 8:58 AM

TOKYO -- The common electric socket will serve as your home's connection to broadband with a new chip developed by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. _ doing away with all the Ethernet cables or the hassle of hooking up to a wireless network device.

Products are still being developed, but gadgets embedded with the chip from the Japanese manufacturer of Panasonic products can hook up to a broadband network by plugging into the common electrical outlet, company officials said Thursday."

TRW To Consolidate On Dell And Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 14:10:00 +0000

By Darrell Dunn
InformationWeek
Sept. 28, 2005

The supplier of automotive safety systems will purchase 24,000 Dell desktop computers, laptops, and workstations, hundreds of servers, and dozens of storage systems.

TRW Automotive has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Dell that involves standardizing on Dell enterprise products and services, including an on-going effort to consolidate dozens of server sites into four regional data-center hubs.

TRW, a supplier of automotive safety systems with annual revenue of about $12 billion, will purchase a mixture of Dell hardware and services that includes 24,000 desktop computers, laptops, and workstations, hundreds of servers, and dozens of storage systems.

Joe Drouin, global CIO for TRW, says the company first began standardizing on Dell desktop equipment in 1999, and is now looking to move as much of its server infrastructure as possible off Unix-based equipment to Dell systems running a Linux operating system. The effort is expected to help the company, which has more than 200 facilities in 24 countries, to consolidate dozens of server installations into four primary regional data centers in North America, Germany, Brazil, and Kuala Lumpur.

The consolidation effort began about 18 months ago when TRW moved its ERP system from Unix-based servers to a Linux-on-Dell cluster, 'which we found was every bit as fast, and we are able to run those Linux systems at a much lower cost for both procurement and maintenance.'"

Coming Next Year: The First 'Trusted' Linux Operating System

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 12:49:00 +0000

Sept. 27, 2005
By Larry Greenemeier
InformationWeek

Red Hat, with help from IBM and Trusted Computing Solutions, plans to put its operating system through the paces of the National Information Assurance Partnership's Common Criteria evaluation program to create the first 'trusted' Linux operating system.

Google Offering Video Streaming Of Prime-Time TV

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 12:39:00 +0000

Sept. 26, 2005
By Anick Jesdanun, The Associated Press

The company will start by streamcasting the new Chris Rock sitcom 'Everybody Hates Chris.' Google wants to demonstrate that its beta Google Video service has commercial potential, and is more than just a collection of home videos.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Search engine leader Google Inc. is delving deeper into an unconventional business, offering an Internet streamcast of last week's television premiere of Chris Rock's new comedy.

Other online outlets have made network prime-time shows available before, but 'Everybody Hates Chris' marks Google's most high-profile video offering so far.

It comes as Google increasingly ventures beyond its search roots as it battles the likes of Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp."

Nokia gets more firmly behind Eclipse

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 12:37:00 +0000

By Jonathan Bennett, ZDNet (UK)
Published on ZDNet News:
September 23, 2005, 6:31 AM PT
Nokia is hoping to attract more developers to its platforms through its involvement in Eclipse, an open-source tools project.

The phone maker has increased its level of participation in the project by becoming a board member and strategic developer. Nokia will take the lead in developing tools for mobile applications based on the Eclipse platform. One of its aims will be to extend the Java-based integrated development environment, or IDE, to have full support for J2ME (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition).

As part of the move, Nokia will donate some of its own code to Eclipse and dedicate resources to generating new tools for the platform. The company wants to be able to create applications based on two Java specifications--MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile) and CDC (Connected Device Configuration)--although in the longer term it also intends to use Eclipse for other languages."

Sun Updates StarOffice; Touts Open Document Advantage Over Microsoft

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 11:51:00 +0000

Sept. 27, 2005
By Gregg Keizer
TechWeb News

StarOffice 8, which runs on Windows, Linux, and Solaris, supports the Open Document Format. ODF, which is not supported by Microsoft, was recently embraced by Massachusetts as a standard for government purchasing, and other government agencies are expected to follow.

South Africa: Sita Issues Open-Source Software Tender

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 14:34:00 +0000

Business Day (Johannesburg)
September 22, 2005
Lesley Stones

THE largest tender yet issued for open-source software has been released by the State Information Technology Agency (Sita), formalising its plans to switch from brand-name packages to the free-to-use alternatives.

Sita is offering three-year deals to supply software and technical support so that many of government's estimated 300000 PCs can migrate to open source.

Sita has not said how much it expects to spend with open-source suppliers, nor how much it will save on software licence fees. But with each computer costing R1000-R5000 in licence fees each year, the savings should eventually hit billions of rand."

Open Source Goes Corporate

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 14:20:00 +0000

Big business has opened its doors to the Linux software stack
By Larry Greenemeier
InformationWeek
Sept. 26, 2005

One line of code at a time, application by application, Web server by Web server, the data centers of a growing number of major companies are taking on a new personality, one that smells of the ocean and waddles when it walks. The trend is open-source software, the motivation is added flexibility at lower costs, and the long-term ramifications--well, those aren't entirely clear. From ABN Amro Bank NV in the financial industry to Yahoo Inc. on the Web, billion-dollar companies are expanding their embrace of the Linux operating system and other open-source components for a wide range of purposes. The Linux penguin has hit the big time."

San Diego Municiple wireless access

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 22:18:00 +0000

Technology - City's heading for wall-to-wall wireless access
By Clint Swett -- Sacremento Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Aiming to make wireless Internet accessible citywide, the Sacramento City Council on Tuesday approved a plan that could blanket downtown and midtown with Wi-Fi coverage by early next year - and the entire capital within two years.

In a unanimous vote, council members authorized city staff workers to negotiate with MobilePro Inc., a Maryland-based company, to install a Wi-Fi network throughout the city that will provide residents and visitors alike with wireless access for their computers."

Long-Distance Wi-Fi

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 21:37:00 +0000

http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/10/issue/ftl_info.asp?trk=nl

Protocol extends the range of wireless networks

Results: Researchers in India have developed a communications protocol to increase the coverage area of Wi-Fi mesh networks. In a conventional Wi-Fi network--like the ones that are now common at many urban cafEs and airports--a base station with a wired connection to the Internet exchanges radio signals with users' portable devices.

In a Wi-Fi mesh network, by contrast, several nodes can exchange radio signals with each other as well as with users. Such a network can provide Wi-Fi coverage for a given geographical area at a lower cost than a series of conventional Wi-Fi networks, because not all of its nodes must be wired to the Internet.

The new protocol enables off-the-shelf Wi-Fi radios to form mesh networks with distances of up to 40 kilometers between their nodes--compared with one kilometer or less for existing Wi-Fi mesh networks--while maintaining or even increasing data transfer speeds.

In a simulation of a mesh network with nodes at least seven kilometers apart, the researchers achieved data transmission speeds 20 times as high as those possible with Wi-Fi's existing protocol.

Massachusetts Finalizes Plans to Phase Out Microsoft Office

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 19:36:00 +0000

Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service
Friday, September 23, 2005

In a first for a U.S. state, executive branch agencies will adopt the OpenDocument standard by 2007.

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122685,00.asp

The state of Massachusetts has finalized a proposed move to an open, nonproprietary format for office documents, a plan that involves phasing out versions of Microsoft's Office productivity suite deployed in the state's executive branch agencies.

Massachusetts released a final version of its Enterprise Technical Reference Model on the state's Web site Wednesday. According to the site, the new version, which became effective that day, "incorporates a new discipline for data formats within the information domain." As part of this new discipline, the state, going forward, will support the newly ratified Open Document Format for Office Applications, or OpenDocument, as the standard for its office documents.

World Bank Fosters Open Innovation

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 13:55:00 +0000

Plan by 13 Nations Urges Open Technology Standards By STEVE LOHR (NY Times)In a report to be presented at the World Bank today, a group that includes senior government officials from 13 countries will urge nations to adopt open-information technology standards as a vital step to accelerate economic growth, efficiency and innovation.

The 33-page report is a road map for creating national policies on open technology standards, and comes at a time when several countries - and some state governments - are pursuing plans to reduce their dependence on proprietary software makers, notably Microsoft, by using more free, open-source software.

The project, begun by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at the Harvard Law School, gathered government officials from China, India, Thailand, Denmark, Jordan, Brazil and elsewhere at a three-day meeting in Silicon Valley in February to discuss technology standards and economic development. The meeting was followed by e-mail exchanges, conference calls and postings on a shared Web site.
===================================
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/

Today the Berkman Center will release the ?Roadmap for Open Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Ecosystems.? The Roadmap demonstrates how to build our technological environment to foster interoperability and growth. From the report:

Technology?s transformative power has always been a source of great expectation and challenge. Today, globalization, fueled by information and communication technologies (ICT) is rapidly changing every society. Our drive towards globalization creates a new set of unique demands on government, business, and our everyday lives. Increasingly, decision makers in all fields are looking to technology to provide solutions and drive desired changes by commingling local, national, and global resources in innovative ways.

NESSI initiative aims to help Europe develop a 'knowledge-based economy'

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 15:06:00 +0000

http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/09/06/HNnetworkedsoftware_1.html?source=NLC-TB2005-09-06

Thirteen software and telecommunications companies are launching a consortium to work together to develop new software and services based on open standards.

The organization, Networked European Software and Services Initiative (NESSI), which will be officially launched on Sept. 7 in Brussels, aims to tap into European research initiatives to develop new services architectures and software infrastructure.

The consortium brings together telecommunications companies from the U.K., Spain, Finland, and Italy, software companies like IBM (<http://www.infoworld.com/IBM/company_45843.html?index=0&view=0&curNodeId=0>Profile, <http://www.infoworld.com/IBM/company_45843.html?index=0&view=1&curNodeId=0>Products, <http://www.infoworld.com/IBM/company_45843.html?index=0&view=2&curNodeId=0>Articles), Hewlett-Packard, and SAP (<http://www.infoworld.com/SAP/company_45853.html?index=0&view=0&curNodeId=0>Profile, <http://www..infoworld.com/SAP/company_45853.html?index=0&view=1&curNodeId=0>Products, <http://www.infoworld.com/SAP/company_45853.html?index=0&view=2&curNodeId=0>Articles), and IT service and systems providers such as Atos Origin and Thales Group.

WS02 to support Apache Web Services Applications

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 23:32:00 +0000

Start-up targets open-source Web services
By Martin LaMonica, CNET News.com

Some of the technical minds behind Web services protocols have launched an open-source services company, pulling in fellow open-source company Covalent Technologies as an investor.

WSO2 officially launched on Monday with offices in Sri Lanka and Boston. It announced partnerships with Covalent and start-up SourceLabs.

The newly formed company, funded by Covalent and angel investors, intends to offer support services to corporate customers that use the Apache Axis tools, which are available for free under the Apache Foundation's open-source license.
[More ...]

WSo2 Web Site
Covalent
SourceLabs

802.11n Standard - Late 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Endurance.Net) — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 22:45:00 +0000

For months, the two leading standard proposals?TGnSync and WWiSE (World-Wide Spectrum Efficiency)?have been at a stalemate, neither being able to garner 75 percent of the votes, which is needed to move forward in the ratification process.

A third, Motorola Inc. and Mitsubishi Corp.'s MitMot proposal, previously out of the running, was reinstated after the stalemated vote in May, according to protocol, officials said.

IEEE officials said a partial merged proposal should be posted for review during a September 2005 meeting and a complete proposal will be ready for group review at meeting in November. (If the groups fail to complete the proposal by then, the IEEE will go back to the drawing board and re-instate the voting process.)

[More ...]]