Open Source

Event shows the many faces, challenges of big data

IDGNS staff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:04:40 +0000

The burgeoning tech industry movement around big data is churning up a variety of new applications, but remains an evolving field that faces lingering challenges, judging from an event held Wednesday at a Microsoft research facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

HP CEO: Google-Motorola deal could close-source Android

IDGNS staff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:29:28 +0000

WebOS could be an important player in the long run as an open-source mobile OS because Android could become closed source with Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility, Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman said Wednesday.

Rackspace soon to partner with developers of private OpenStack distros

IDGNS staff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:23:18 +0000

Rackspace expects to soon announce commercial private OpenStack distributions that it will support as part of its Rackspace Cloud: Private Edition set of services.

Ubuntu and Slackware named top desktop Linux distros

IDGNS staff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:11:11 +0000

The world of desktop Linux is often portrayed these days as a battle primarily between longstanding leader Ubuntu and up-and-coming challenger Linux Mint, frequently with the suggestion that Mint is winning.

Open APIs fall far short of open source

bproffitt — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:52:27 +0000

The benefits of open APIs come at a cost: little to no influence on the larger product and a higher chance of lock-in.

Five good reasons to download LibreOffice 3.5

IDGNS staff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:47:34 +0000

After many months of widespread anticipation, the Document Foundation on Tuesday announced the arrival of LibreOffice 3.5, the third major release of its free and open source office productivity suite.

JetBrains open-sources Kotlin language

IDGNS staff — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:38:59 +0000

Built as a general-purpose language, Kotlin can be compiled to the JVM or JavaScript

LibreOffice 3.5 arrives

IDGNS staff — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:29:37 +0000

The Document Foundation on Tuesday announced the availability of LibreOffice 3.5, which it described as the third major release of the open-source productivity suite derived from the OpenOffice.org codebase.

What's the big deal about Hadoop?

IDGNS staff — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:49:44 +0000

Hadoop is all the rage, it seems. With more than 150 enterprises of various sizes using it -- including major companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Google and Yahoo -- it may seem inevitable that the open-source Big Data management system will land in your shop, too.

FSF asks web devs to ID JavaScript code

bproffitt — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:28:54 +0000

The Free Software Foundation wants web developers to insert license info within sites to avoid what Richard M. Stallman calls "the JavaScript trap."

Linux: Where the jobs (and bigger salaries) are

IDGNS staff — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:13:57 +0000

Numerous studies have emerged over the past few years indicating that Linux skills are a hot item in the IT hiring market, but on Tuesday the Linux Foundation will publish a brand-new report suggesting that the search for such talent is taking on a new level of urgency.

Move to mobile will bring big changes for Linux

bproffitt — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:12:56 +0000

Linux is free, Linux is ubiquitous. What cxould that mean for distributions, interfaces, and the future of mobile platforms?

Sabayon Linux 8 debuts with a dash of Cinnamon

IDGNS staff — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:55:58 +0000

The Linux Mint project has made quite a splash in the Linux world over the past few months, not just for the growing popularity of its user-friendly operating system but also for the launch of Cinnamon, its brand-new desktop alternative.

HP TouchPad kernel released, tinkerers rejoice

IDGNS staff — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:00:57 +0000

Did you happen to pick up a HP TouchPad, but wish you'd been among the select few with the gadget running Android instead? Since the accidental Android drama, HP has decided to release the kernel and General Public License (GPL) for its tablet, much to the joy of the hacking community.

Free Web tool consolidates data on code vulnerabilities

IDGNS staff — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:59:24 +0000

Enterprise coders can now use an open source Web application that lets them consolidate software vulnerability data from a range of scanning and test tools. With a centralized view, and reporting and management tools, ThreadFix speeds the work needed to fix software bugs and vulnerabilities, including those in proliferating mobile apps.