Posts by khess

Yes, there is a huge Linux customer base. Not home users, mind you: Corporate ones. Neither Microsoft nor Novell have any real use for home users in the Linux space. Novell's CEO was quoted not long ago stating that very fact. Microsoft does have the money for development and they are getting it via the Linux community and Novell. Don't kid yourself; they have something up their sleeves. This is not just a feelgood relationship. Microsoft believes that there are paying customers...or why else would they buy $100 million in certificates? Good will? Philanthropy? No. The almighty dollar rules that roost.

One has to wonder what's going on in the world between Microsoft and Novell. They signed a deal in 2006 worth over $300 million so that Novell could provide licensing certificates and support to Microsoft for its SuSE Linux distribution. Novell, in turn, has to pay Microsoft $40 million over 5 years for indemnification for its customers.

Huh?

Stories like this one stem from the announcement of a couple of days ago when Novell invoiced Microsoft for a $100 million payment based on this agreement.

I still don't get the whole idea behind this deal. It sounds great for Novell who gets a lot of money to fund further development of SuSE and other branded products but what the heck is Microsoft getting out of this? Has Ballmer lost his ability to negotiate? Is Bill Gates ok with this deal? Still?

It makes one wonder if Microsoft is actually buying in to a Linux solution because they see the writing on the wall for their own beleaguered OS, much as Novell did a few years ago with NetWare, or if Novell is simply selling out.

Microsoft could be investing in Novell for a complete buyout at some point in the future after Novell developers create the ultimate OS for them, using Microsoft's money, of course. $300+ million buys you a lot of development.

How much would it take to buy Novell? $2 billion? $3 billion? More? Whatever the asking price, …

The Linux Foundation announced today that Canonical, Inc., commercial sponsor of Ubuntu Linux, joined its fold to become the latest supporter of the expansion of Linux into the business sector. Recently, many big commercial software companies have joined the Linux Foundation including Adobe and VMware.

“Canonical is an important new member for the Linux Foundation,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation. “Matt [Matt Zimmerman - CTO of the Ubuntu project at Canonical] and his team have created an exciting distribution that has taken the world by storm. They have rallied the cause of cross-industry, cross-community collaboration for years. We are extremely pleased to work even more closely with Canonical as we push Linux to the next stage of growth.”

The purpose of the Linux Foundation and member sponsorship is to provide momentum to grow adoption and use of Linux by focusing in three main areas:

1. Sponsorship of key developers like Linus Torvalds and others so that they may concentrate their full-time efforts on improving Linux.

2. Offering standardization services for developers through the Linux Standards Base and the Linux Developer Network.

3. The Linux Foundation also offers a single point of contact for the Linux Community as spokesperson representation, legal representation, and developer collaboration.

The Linux Foundation does not create or promote any distribution nor does it compete in any way with any Linux vendor efforts or business.

The Linux …

At the Hacker's conference, it was never hacked. MacOS X fell first, then Vista, but never Linux. Maybe they don't know what they're doing.

Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel, posted a nasty smackdown on security nerds and their obsession with security in the gmane.linux.kernel newsgroup. Linus is referring to security professionals who feel that security should be the only focus for bug fixes and patches.

His argument is that all bugs are equally important and security bugs are simply a part of the greater whole. Linus often posts his irritation with security experts in this newsgroup. In his most scathing reprimand of the security-focused, he states the following:

Security people are often the black-and-white kind of people that I can't
stand. I think the OpenBSD crowd is a bunch of masturbating monkeys, in
that they make such a big deal about concentrating on security to the
point where they pretty much admit that nothing else matters to them.

Linus also dislikes the whole media circus (and the media, in general, I gather) surrounding security because it glorifies and encourages the wrong behavior making heroes out of security people. He feels that his primary responsibility to the Linux Community is to do a good job in creating and maintaining a viable Linux kernel and not fall prey to the media feeding frenzies that take place every time a security vulnerability is discovered.

The bottom line is that the major maintainer of the Linux kernel, Linus himself, perceives bug fixes, which include so-called security fixes, as just that: Bug fixes. He doesn't separate or even …

I like the idea too. Very often my wife, or I, just need to quickly find something or to check email. It's a pain to wait for 5 minutes for a computer to come up to the point where we can do that. I'm glad I am waiting to buy a laptop until I can get one with Linux mode so I can use that aspect of it.
Currently, I have to only go where I can plugin to electricity after about an hour of use. One of these would be great for quick and prolonged use.

Major players in the laptop computer market go virtual with Linux. HP, Lenovo, and now Dell offer laptops that have a Linux Mode.

Linux Mode in the Dell Latitude line offers the user a minimal environment where one can surf the web, check email, and perform a few other tasks. In this mode that boots in 2 seconds, the battery lasts about 19 hours.

What's the magic that makes this happen, you ask? An ARM embedded processor and a special version of Linux designed specifically for the ARM. From the ARM website:

ARM is the industry's leading provider of 32-bit embedded RISC microprocessors, offering a wide range of processors based on a common architecture and delivering high performance together with low power consumption and system cost.

ARM processors are licensed by the majority of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers, who together have shipped in excess of ten billion processors since the company was formed in 1990.

This combination of an ARM processor, Linux, and long battery life turn a clunky laptop with a battery life of 1 to 2 hours into a flexible and portable Internet gadget. You won't even have to carry around the AC adaptor in Linux mode. Just grab the laptop and go in search of a free WiFi connection at your local coffee shop.

Manufacturers and VARs (Value Added Resellers) know that Linux is the key to low-cost, low power …

Thanks. I know about it. It's alpha software and not recommended.

Yes, you read that correctly: Servers to Gadgets to Desktop. It seems that Linux Operating System expansion will occur in that order. First, Linux was in the Data Center booting Apache to the top spot for worldwide web services. Next, Linux was found on gadgets as small as cell phones, wristwatches, and microservers. Finally, Linux will hit the Desktop.

Why is the Desktop the final destination for Linux? It is the one place that seems unconquerable.

Bob Sutor, IBM's Vice President of Open Source and Standards, had the following to say at the LinuxWorld Conference in San Francisco in his KeyNote Address:

What desktop Linux needs is "some really good designers," Sutor said. "Stop copying 2001 Windows. That's not where the usability action is."

I agree.

Trying to compete with Windows, by becoming Windows, is the wrong direction to go. Linux needs to diverge from a Windows-like interface to its very own more efficient and clever way to work with the Operating System. I know I just posted Got XP? but that is just for those making the transition from Windows to Linux. At some point the Linux desktop must go in a new direction and users will follow.

As Bob Sutor also said in that speech, "Linux developers can improve Desktop Linux taking a page from Apple's playbook." Apple has never looked to Windows as a competitor mainly because the Apple OS was first with its cute graphical interface that …

That IS a bonus!!!

Since most legitimate vendors are no longer able to sell or install Windows XP after June 30, I have an option for you: Use Linux. That's right, retain that XP look and feel goodness without violating any rules or creating other problems for yourself by using the little known XPDE (XP Desktop Environment). Even better, you install it on the uber-goodness (and freeness--is that a word?) of Linux.

The good folks at XPDE offer you an almost exact replica of the XP Desktop on Linux.

Familiar XP icons, taskbar, and cascading menus coupled with the speed and stability of Linux is just what you need to continue the XP legacy.

I know I'm the Linux maven in these here parts but I appreciate good software no matter where it comes from and XP is good. It's so good in fact, that I support the effort to keep it alive. XP is so good that the large (100K+ employees worldwide) company I work for isn't switching to Vista. IBM isn't switching either.

Projects like XPDE and Wine make it that much easier for companies, individuals, and governments to make the switch to Linux. Armed with the XP Desktop Environment, Microsoft Office and other applications under Wine, and Linux under the hood: It just doesn't get any better than that.

Buddylee17 said,

"Apache will always dominate the web. We don't need a fancy gui, an overpriced host, or a bunch of .net bs running in the background. No thanks, Micro$oft."

You are truly my protege and I couldn't have said it better myself.

The money donated is not a one-shot. Being a Platinum Sponsor is an ongoing financial commitment. If I had a company that was supported by donations, I would be very happy with $100K.

Are there any $100K+ developer jobs around? I want one. The company I work for offshores those jobs.

Hell has either frozen over or there was a very cold day in July when Microsoft announced at OSCON that they are now giving money to The Apache Software Foundation (ASF). Microsoft joined rivals Yahoo and Google as Platinum Sponsors of the ASF.

This money will help pay administrators and programmers and help with day-to-day expenses. The ASF is pleased to get this large infusion of cash from Microsoft.

"We thank Microsoft for their generous sponsorship that goes towards supporting The Apache Software Foundation and the over 60 top level projects in use and development within the ASF," said ASF Chairman Jim Jagielski. "The ASF Sponsorship program is an excellent way for companies and organizations to show their commitment and enthusiasm towards the ASF and The Apache Way, and helps to ensure that highly innovative, freely-available and community-based/consensus-developed software can continue to flourish and thrive within one of the most successful and respected communities in Open Source. Microsoft's sponsorship makes it clear that Microsoft 'gets it' regarding the ASF."

Ok, I too would appreciate the money but methinks this snake may be hiding its fangs.My spider senses are tingling. I'm sorry to be so cynical when it comes to Microsoft's commitment to open source or Linux. Everything comes with a price and I think we should graciously accept the money but realize that Microsoft may be leveraging some future favors here too.

Alternatively, maybe Microsoft is following the rest of the OS …

Plat'Home, Linux pioneers in Japan and creators of the diminutive OpenMicroServer, are running a contest called "Will Linux Work?" They are basically asking people to submit crazy/extreme environments or ideas using their Linux servers and see if they work. Whoever has the best idea will get 5 of their OpenMicroServers shipped to them for free and be able to test their idea -- you can find all the details here.

The contest is going live tomorrow (Friday, Aug 1) and will run until September 5th.

I just finished testing the OpenBlockS microserver and would have to say that it is interesting. Its applications are many and its footprint small--just a little larger than a standard computer mouse. The device has two Ethernet connections and comes ready to serve--web pages that is. Its management interface is web-based also.

It runs a special SSD (Solid State Device) Linux with thttpd 2.25b as the web server. It can also serve as a DNS server, mail server, FTP Server, Telnet Server, DHCP server, and Firewall.

I think this little device and its big brother, the OpenMicroServer, have a lot of potential for small to medium sized businesses or even for larger companies who use instrumentation at remote sites or in harsh environments. At $499, it isn't cheap but it is well made and has a lot of possibilities.

I will be competing against you in this contest because I already have some ideas for its …

About time. Its useful life has kind of passed. That is, of course, my humble opinion. UseNet has been happily replaced by forums and blogs.

Greetings avid Linux fans and welcome to Crystal Ball Sunday #9: Intelligent Control. By Intelligent Control, I mean using artificial intelligence programming for the next generation of automobiles, manufacturing, air traffic control, environmental systems, handicapped person devices and prosthetics, and perhaps the most inspiring of all: Robots.

Intelligent systems have been around for years in video games and some of the other applications mentioned above but the future of those systems lies with Linux. Linux is the new Intelligent Platform for developers, integrators, and adopters alike. The operating system itself will likely become an intelligent system.

In the near future, I foresee AI (Artificial Intelligence) applications created for robotic control and to intelligently navigate terrain, surface streets, homes, yards, retail stores, and shopping malls. In the old days of robotics, robots used programmed pathways so that their navigation never varied or they following some sort of painted or wired path on the floor of where they were used.
Nowadays, robots use the bump and turn method of navigation where the robot runs until it touches an object. Once it touches an object, it turns a specified number of degrees and tries again until it is free from the object. Neither of these methods is particularly useful for non-repetitive tasks or trips to the local market.

To be truly useful, Linux AI programmers will have to use a variety of methods including GPS feedback for street navigation, LASER feedback for object navigation, and perhaps InfraRed feedback for …

Mark Shuttleworth, founder and financial backer of Ubuntu, urges the Linux Community to "build a better desktop than Apple." Shuttleworth made this statement this week at OSCON (O'Reilly's Open Source Convention). He added that interoperability with Windows is of very high importance.

Sounds easy enough. Let me get right on that.

Shuttleworth is actually correct. We should focus on a better Linux desktop--better than Apple's Mac OS X--better than Windows--and better than current Linux offerings. If you're not a billionaire like Mark Shuttleworth, how do you go about building a better desktop and then offer it for free?

I'm all for free software. I love free software but someone, somewhere has to pay for all this free software--in time, in salaries, in legal fees, in marketing, in hosting, and in maintenance. I think Mark Shuttleworth should pay for it--seriously. He has the money. It's his idea. Let him shell out the bucks for it.

I'm not being nasty here; I'm being realistic.

The question is: Can a great desktop operating system that people will embrace and use be built and offered for free? The answer, sadly, is no. To create a better anything requires talent. Recruiting and maintaining that talent requires money. So, yes, let's build a better desktop than Apple. Let's build a better desktop than Microsoft. Let them use volunteer labor for 5 years and we'll hire great developers to create the ultimate desktop operating system.

Microsoft and Apple have …

Welcome to Crystal Ball Sunday #8! Today's discussion focuses on Virtual Appliances which are small virtual machines designed for a very specific purpose. There are Virtual Appliance Email servers, VPN servers, Firewalls, Routers, Dial-in servers, DNS servers, CMS application servers, and the list goes on and on.

I had this Crystal Ball vision while writing the virtual networking and storage chapter of my upcoming book, Practical Virtualization Solutions (Pearson/Prentice Hall). In this chapter, I was explaining how to create a VPN server virtual machine using Windows 2003 Server when I had the brainstorm that there were probably some Virtual Appliances built for this sole purpose. I was right! I found several on the VMware Appliance Marketplace website and began downloading and testing them to include in the book.

What suprised me was the small footprint and low memory requirements of these appliances. You can download a VPN server Virtual Appliance that uses less than 150MB of disk space and 64MB of RAM. Truly revolutionary considering that a comparable installation of Windows 2003 Server is over 2GB!

Linux is a perfect choice for Virtual Appliances because of its infinite customizability options, ability to be placed on, and run from, a Live CD, its licensing and distribution rights, and of course it's free.

Several companies and independent vendors create freely available Virtual Appliances that you can download and use for free. Try out a few of these locations for starters: VMware, ThoughtPolice, …

Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, Inc. announced Friday that it is now offering the latest Ubuntu (8.04 Hardy Heron) released in April of this year on some of their popular consumer grade laptops and desktop models.

Currently available in the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico and Colombia. You may purchase the following computers with Ubuntu 8.04: XPS M1330N, the Inspiron 1525N notebooks, and the Inspiron 530N desktop.

Ubuntu is an easy-to-use Linux distribution with superb hardware detection and Linux stability. A boxed version of Ubuntu is available through Amazon and Best Buy stores. See my complete entry about the Best Buy offering here.

Some new users have apprehension when it comes to Linux--and for good reason--it has a long history of being for computers experts only. Ubuntu brings Linux to everyone with its simplified installation and pre-installed options from Dell and others. Search the Forums here on DaniWeb should you run into any problems with it.

Ubuntu is the brainchild of South African Mark Shuttleworth. Development is funded by The Shuttleworth Foundation. Ubuntu releases major official updates twice a year--every six months. Ubuntu also offers its own software repository for security fixes, updates, and optional software available via the apt-get utility.

Ubuntu will always be available free of charge, several companies offer commercial support for it including Dell and Canonical.

Netbook's, or mini-laptops as they are known, popularity, low price, portability, and solid state technology make them prime targets for innovation. Companies like Cyberlink, a multi-media software developer, want in. Their PowerCinema Linux, a custom Linux distribution bundling media software including photo, music, video and a DVD player, may be one of several new choices given to Netbook buyers.

The small notebook computers already come standard with Xandros, Linpus Lite, or Windows XP. The Asus Eee PC and Acer Aspire One are the best-known examples of the Netbook PCs.

One of Cyberlink's offerings, Cyberlink Live, allows users to acess and use their media files and documents from anywhere. There is a free version and a premium version that allows live TV show recording and viewing. Cyberlink is in negotiations now to add their software to Netbooks but no word as yet which ones or when.

Linux is attractive to manufacturers and vendors because it is free and there are no licensing hang-ups from using it. Linux is easily customized to fit any need or whim and the customized version may be redistributed at will.

BestBuy is now offering Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) in a shrink-wrapped box for $19.99. This is the only packaged Linux that BestBuy currently sells. I haven't seen the package or visited my local BestBuy store in several months but I am happy about this decision.

Shelf space is at a premium in retail stores so it says something for the Zeitgeist of the future of Linux. And sure, there have been shrink-wrapped Linux CDs before and you can usually get a CD or DVD of the latest version of some distribution attached to one of the glossy Linux magazines at a bookstore but this is different.

It just feels different this time.

It feels like this may be the first in a well-received retail Linux offering. Linux may, at some point, get its very own shelf at BestBuy or CompUSA. It could happen.

I checked out the BestBuy website at www.bestbuy.com to see the box and the description, etc. I am impressed with the accurate marketing information given. The technical system requirements are spot on.

The only issue I have is that the online information doesn't tell you what's in the box. Is there a book? Is there any info whatsoever to help out a new user? Telling someone to look at a website doesn't really cut in my opinion. You need some documentation.

There should be a small install help manual with screenshots of a typical installation and a note somewhere …

Welcome back to another Crystal Ball Sunday. Those of you who celebrate freedom on July 4 hopefully have had a safe and enjoyable holiday. Freedom comes in packages of all shapes and sizes and this week's Crystal Ball Sunday is about freedom in small packages: Embedded Devices.

Embedded device refers to a piece of hardware that has limited resources (memory, power, range) and usually has a very specific function--sometimes a singular function. This means that the operating system that the device uses must have a very small footprint and be energy efficient.

Embedded devices are as diverse as the above description implies--from mobile phones, routers, and thin clients to digital watches, MP3 players, and traffic lights to robotic brains, microservers, and virtual appliances. As technology advances and component sizes shrink, the embedded device market is going to continue its expanse.

Linux will most likely be the operating system of choice for these devices. It's well suited for such applications because of its small footprint, modular design, built-in automation, open licensing, customizability, and last but not least; It's price--free. Free is not to be taken lightly in today's market. It may just be the edge up-and-coming builders and integrators need to boost their products into the marketplace at a much lower price point than their better known competitors.

Freedom from cost isn't the only reason to choose Linux for embedded devices. The freedom to innovate is another huge reason in the eyes of developers since they can …

Xandros, Inc. announced July 3 that they have acquired the Linspire and Freespire desktop operating systems. This will further enhance their desktop operating system offerings and their "one stop shop" status for all things Linux. The Click'N'Run (CNR) software distribution facility was also acquired by Xandros. CNR technology allows users to install software with a single mouse click.

Xandros is best known for its mixed-environment BridgeWays management tools and intuitive Linux solutions including SMB and enterprise servers, consumer and business desktops, OEM products, and mission-critical applications. It also provides a broad licensing and indemnity for its cross-platform and interoperability products through a deal it struck with Microsoft.

Linspire, Inc began its desktop operating system crusade in 2001 as Lindows, Inc. Microsoft filed a trademark infringement suit against Lindows alleging that the name Lindows is too close to its own Windows and would cause confusion. The courts rejected the suit but Microsoft pushed the issue into retrial but later settled and Lindows transferred the Lindows name to Microsoft and changed its name to Linspire.

Linspire originally marketed its operating system as an inexpensive, easy-to-use alternative to Windows and able to run Windows programs. For a time, Wal-Mart carried Linspire loaded computers at a very low price point.

Not everyone was happy about the distribution from its earliest incarnations. Richard Stallman, GNU founder, was quoted as saying "No other GNU/Linux distribution has backslided so far away from freedom. Switching from MS Windows to Linspire …

Yesterday, NetGear released the long-awaited open source wireless router WGR614L--a high-performance, full-featured, wireless router with 4-port switch running, you guessed it, Linux. The router currently supports the free open source Linux-based Tomato and DD-WRT firmware and will soon support OpenWRT.

From a hardware perspective, the WGR614L sports a 240 MHz MIPS32® CPU core with 16 KB of instruction cache, 16 KB of data cache, 1 KB of pre-fetch cache, and incorporates 4 MB of flash memory and 16 MB of RAM. In addition to an external 2 dBi antenna, the WGR614L integrates a second internal diversity antenna to provide enhanced performance and range according to their press release.

NetGear is attempting to gather a new breed of customer for its products: Open source enthusiasts.

From the myopenrouter.comwebsite:

“The launch of the WGR614L is significant to the open source community as there has been a growing demand for more powerful platforms to support a rapidly growing segment of open source enthusiasts that are seeking to create more robust, commercial-grade applications for their wireless routers,” stated Som Pal Choudhury, senior product line manager for advanced wireless at NETGEAR.

This new product should start a cascade of competing products for the open source community to test and develop. I would like to see an open source load balancer for large networks. Maybe, at some point, there will be a standard open source router OS so that it doesn't take an …

Red Hat announced a new bare-metal hypervisor technology last week at the Red Hat Summit in Boston. It is based on KVM (Kernel-Based Virtual Machine) technology and actually has been included in Linux kernel version 2.6.20 and up. This announcement has some Red Hat and virtualization proponents wondering why Red Hat is throwing its support behind this solution when it already includes Xen technology.

Xen is true hypervisor virtualization; KVM is not. KVM is hosted virtualization that employs QEMU for virtual machines.

Red Hat may be pushing this KVM solution to allow more users to try an entry-level bare metal virtualization solution. There is much debate amongst virtualization professionals about why Red Hat is doing this and why they are calling a non-hypervisor virtual machine builder a hypervisor. My guess is that they are calling it a hypervisor because it is installed on bare metal. Bare metal refers to a server system that has no operating system on it.

For production-level virtualization, you should still stick with Xen or another true hypervisor technology. This KVM-related solution is still in beta and will take a while to become a viable option for those who wish to use it in limited production environments.

If you want to try this new KVM-based pseudo-hypervisor technology, go to ProxMox.org and download the Proxmox VE. Let me know what you think of it. To try one of the Xen products, go to the Citrix Xen site. See for …

Linux Magazine's print subscriber base was acquired by Linux Pro Magazine aka Linux New Media on or about June 11, 2008. As the "On the Desktop" columnist for Linux Magazine, I was both shocked and excited by the announcement to cease the print version in favor of a web-only zine. June 2008 is the last print version of Linux Magazine and it's on newsstands now.

Linux Magazine, the U.S. version, has been a tireless print and web-based proponent of all things Linux-related for almost a decade now (1999 - 2008). When I first heard the news, it left me a bit cold I admit. After some consideration, I feel that the right decision was made for Linux Magazine. A web-only version will be far more profitable and more accessible to the many Linux-hungry readers than the print version ever was.

With national newspapers and other print media outlets downsizing, converting to web-only versions of their magazines, and massive layoffs--it's obvious that the publishing world is changing. Web-based news and information is more timely than print considering that print may have a lead time of 3 to 9 months. Some magazines prefer to receive queries and manuscripts a whole year in advance of publication. A lot can change in a year. Many things can change in the course of a month or two.

I love the timeliness of the web but I also enjoy being able to take a magazine anywhere with me to …

Welcome to Crystal Ball Sunday #6. This week I'm exploring the possibility of Linux becoming the operating system of choice for virtualization--specifically Desktop Virtualization. Regardless of which operating system or desktop type one uses, Linux will be the underlying operating system that gets you there.

Way back in 2002, I wrote an article for Sys Admin (Linux as a Windows Terminal Server Client), the now defunct CMP publication that ran for over 10 years, about this very topic. 6 years later, the Zeitgeist may have arrived for desktop virtualization and Linux. The original article may be found here.

The whole point of desktop virtualization is to provide a common desktop environment for users who may be spread around the globe and using operating systems ranging from Windows 98 through the latest version of Linux. A common desktop environment brings geographically disparate users together and allows them to use a common set of tools. This commonality will become increasingly important in the near future as more companies globalize their service offerings.

The common desktop environment also provides administrators a single point of update and repair. Managing hundreds or thousands of desktops is an almost impossible and expensive task. Linux further decreases the costs associated with providing this environment by providing a no cost lightweight client or by providing the no cost server upon which the virtual desktop environment runs.

Desktop virtualization is the future for large computing environments where client hardware and operating systems will …

Now that's funny. Duckman posting a positive comment! Now that, my friends, is newsworthy. Garth Brooks a brilliant musician and composer. OMG, that is funny. You should take that act on the road. Hey, you could team up with Barf and be his comic relief.

The other thing they have in common is that they both suck. Kid Rock is talentless. Barf Brooks is just a dumb dork.

Yes, I'm afraid it's true; Firefox is the most popular browser out there. Standing at this moment at over 11.5 millions downloads since its production release Tuesday, June 17. How can I make such a sweeping statement? It is the most popular browser ever because of the number of voluntary downloads. Firefox doesn't come standard on any OS--although a few Linux distributions package it in by default. (Note the word voluntary above. Internet Explorer may enjoy more installations but it's shoved onto every Windows computer by default and you really have no choice in the matter).

Wow, I'm overwhelmed with excitement for the folks at Mozilla.com. No, seriously overwhelmed. To start a new browser in the already well-established browser world was something of an enigma back in 2004.

Perhaps the folks at Mozilla.com knew something we all didn't or don't yet know. Maybe they realized at the time that creating a cross-platform browser that is stable, fast, free, and customizable is something that is needed in the Internet community. A browser that is equally at home on Windows, Unix, Mac OS, or Linux with Java support, plugins galore, and speed and stability to boot is what the world needed--and still needs.

At last count, Firefox accounts for approximately 20% of the world's share of Internet browser usage. The number is probably somewhat outdated in light of 11.5 million downloads but it still has a ways to go before usurping the No. 1 spot from Internet …

Yes, it's Sunday again and you know what that means--Crystal Ball Sunday and new predictions for Linux and Open Source for the coming months. This week I probe application and operating system interoperability.

Developers and integrators are going to begin focusing considerable effort on the interoperability of Windows, Linux, and possibly even Mac OS applications. Interoperability between operating systems and applications seems to be a thing of great interest amongst would-be corporate adopters of Linux and open source technologies.

Interoperability means different things to different people but most often it means application interoperability through the use of underlying standards. For example, OpenOffice.org OO.o) isn't compatible with Microsoft Office but through the use of some document type standards; the two are interoperable.

You can open MS Office documents (Office 97 - Office 2003) documents in OpenOffice.org and you can save OO.o documents as MS Office types.

Standards and open information exchange will enhance the ability of developers to create programs that benefit us all. My crystal balls says that interoperability is the key to application success. These days, if you create a completely proprietary data format for an application, it will be discarded in favor of one (with possibly fewer features) that is standards-based.

This interoperability of applications will be the hottest focus in the coming months for open source developers enabling users of free and open source software to use documents and data created by proprietary applications. Interoperability on some level …

A few months ago, I did an "On the Desktop" article for Linux Magazine on Getting to Know Konqueror, the default Linux web browser, file manager, and remote protocol client. Until I saw FireFox version 3, I had never really been very impressed with it.

I actually submitted a little poem about the Browser Wars for that article (It was pulled so you're seeing it for the first time here):

Mosaic opened the door.
Navigator showed us the way.
Explorer taught us to fear.
Opera sang its own song heretofore.
Lynx handles the text-based fray.
Konqueror's time is here.

I did a review of the FireFox 3 web browser for LinuxPlanet called FireFox 3: Losing My Religion. Today FireFox 3 finally is ready to enter the fray for real. On June 17, the production release of FireFox 3 will be publicly available for all to have.

I highly recommend it now.

New security features protect you and your computer better than ever before. It is now loaded with most Linux distributions and, in some cases, the defaut browser, usurping long-time resident of that spot, Konqueror.

Perhaps it's time to update the poem for FireFox's inclusion. Anyone care to share a clever additional line or two?

RedHat settles its patent infringement lawsuit filed by Firestar Software and DataTern in Federal Court for an undisclosed amount. Part of the settlement that RedHat made was made on behalf of the Open Source Community--indemnifying users and its customers from future infringement suits by said parties.

RedHat's corporate opinion is that software patents spoil innovation and hinder new developments. Their opininon has not kept them out of the courtroom for patent infringement suits however. They are currently still involved in a patent suit with IP Innovations over 3 of its user interface patents.

Patent infringement is serious business and can reel in some major money for the damaged party's often near-empty coffers. I hate lawsuits and if a person or company has been truly damaged by an infringement; they are certainly due compensation for those damages. Many times, however, such lawsuits (and lawsuits in general) are usually just a desperate attempt at filling those coffers with ill-gotten gain.

If it were truly the principle of the thing or to truly seek justice, lawsuits would be aimed at whomever violated the patents, copyrights, or whatever--not just aimed at those with deep pockets. The fact that such suits are always aimed at deep-pocketed companies like RedHat, IBM, and Novell informs me otherwise. For once, I'd like to see some lawsuits launched against a non-profit organization that has no money just to send a message to offenders and not for any monetary gain.

I'll be here holding my breath …

It's true that some people can be that way but forums and IRC things are sometimes pretty harsh on those who ask questions that seem simple to them. There does seem to be a bit of that Linux elitist attitude around. I'm not one of them. I once walked a guy through installing Linux over the phone at 11pm when I had my consulting business. Of course, I never got paid for that but it was sort of an investment in his future so I did it...gladly.

You have to connect with the right people to get your questions answered in a non-hostile way. It shouldn't be so but it is.

FYI - Mac OS X is FreeBSD - another free open source OS like Linux with Mach64 (NeXT) pretties added in. Linux does have a chance and it will take over a large number of desktops, both professional and home, in the coming days.

Welcome to another edition of Crystal Ball Sunday! This week my predictions center around system builders and integrators and their use of Linux to lower costs, standardize hardware offerings, and provide a new systems to buyers that are ready to go to work.

Acer has already discussed Linux being the key to the low-cost laptop market. Most major laptop system builders realize that Linux is the key to maximizing usability while minimizing costs. Laptop computer have a short life and buyers just aren't willing to pay huge dollars for them. They are basically seen as throw-away units with a projected life expectancy of 2 to 3 years. The use of Linux will likely extend the life expectancy of hardware that lasts beyond the 3 year mark since its hardware requirements are far less than that of Windows.

The low-cost laptop and low-cost desktop system market is very competitive and builders and integrators are looking to put inexpensive systems into the hands of buyers with as much functionality and as little hassle as possible. Linux is the key to their success.

If builders and integrators pre-install Linux on systems, most of the user-related complaints disappear completely. Users enjoy 100% functionality as soon as they power on the system. Wireless networking, wired networking, video, sound, and a well-designed and intuitive interface with hundreds of free productivity programs await buyers who take the Linux option plunge.

Not only will Linux be an option for buyers but it will be …

Where do you want to go in a few months? Windows 7? You'd be better off converting to Vista before holding your breath for that one. The Linux world keeps releasing new versions of its vendor-customized Operating System while the Windows world keeps waiting for more and more promises. While you're waiting, try out the new OpenSuSE 11 RC1.

OpenSuSE 11 is the latest Linux entry to the world-at-large with its plethora of virtualization tools and software and the new KDE4 Window Manager. OpenSuSE's public release will no doubt garner its share of converts. It's faster, easier to install, and has excellent hardware detection and installation than its predecessors--namely OpenSuSE 10.x.

OpenSuSE 11 makes no promises that it can't deliver. Even when virtualized, it performs at near native speed. Still, OpenSuSE and all Linux distributions are like Harley-Davidson motorcycles: Powerful, stable, fun--but you'd better own a wrench and know how to use it. No, unfortunately, OpenSuSE 11 isn't quite a Windows Killer...OpenSuSE 12, if its release timing is right--just may do the trick.

SuSE Linux, a commercially sold and supported Linux owned by Novell, began a project (OpenSuSE) which is similar to RedHat's Fedora project. OpenSuSE is free and downloadable as a Live CD/DVD and is compatible with most hardware and peripherals.

Awesome article! I too made a LOT of money over the past 15 years off of Windows. I am glad it wasn't and isn't better. My house will be paid off in 4 years because of it.

I actually don't believe in global warming. I think that there is global climate change. But since the earth is a closed system and as such must remain in equilibrium, there will be compensation for some areas becoming too warm. There will be changes resulting from polar ice melt. It may come in the form of stronger storms, more intense hurricanes, more storms in general, deserts becoming lush forests and vice versa...after all, Saudia Arabia was once an extremely densely populated forest teeming with animal life.
Is it manmade? Yes, in part, it is. In history, you can pinpoint major catastrophic events that triggered climate change. This time you can't--other than man's presence.

Welcome to Crystal Ball Sunday #3. As promised, I'm going to explore the use of distributed computing for the workplace today. Whether you call it grid computing, distributed computing, volunteer computing, or some other name, it is the same animal: Donation of distributed (remote) computing power to a central project.

Most distributed computing projects focus on worldwide issues such as solving cancer-curing molecule syntheses, finding extraterrestrial life, or solving some high-end mathematical problems.

My prediction for distributed computing is that it will invade the workplace in the next year or so as the next big thing. Projects will emerge in great number in the coming year to assist in distributing OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) and OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) queries, some application processing and delivery, network services overhead, and possibly even backup processing or caching.

LAN grids will be formed so that idle computing power will be donated to the greater corporate cause. Idle CPU, unused memory, spare network bandwidth, and available disk space will all be donated into a network resource cloud for on-demand use by data center applications.

You may be asking how Linux will fit into this corporate distributed computing scenario. Linux, most likely, will be the platform of choice to manage the LAN resource cloud. Linux is used for the large compute clusters in research laboratories worldwide and has a long history in this area. Linux will also most likely be the Desktop platform due to its more efficient use of resources …

Linux not only wants to dominate the Data Center and your Desktop but now it wants your unused CPU power as well. Nightlife is a grid-based computing effort that is Fedora Linux-specific.

Designed for scientific and medical research, the Nightlife project starter, Bryan Che explains the project's goals below:

Fedora Nightlife is a new project for creating a Fedora community grid. People will be able to donate idle capacity from their own computers to an open, general-purpose Fedora-run grid for processing socially beneficial work and scientific research that requires access to large amounts of computing power.

Nightlife is based on the Condor project at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. RedHat and UW-Madison signed a strategic partnership agreement around the Condor project in 2007.

The first distributed grid-computing project of this type I ever heard of was called SETI@Home. Seti@Home is still the most successful project of its type to date with over 5 million participants.

Look for my upcoming Crystal Ball Sunday #3 where I explore distributed computing in the workplace.

VIA Technologies, Inc., maker of innovative and power-efficient processor platforms, announced today that they have released an open source laptop design to the public. Formally known as the VIA OpenBook Mini-Note Reference Design, VIA is responding to global demand for ultra-portable notebook computers. The VIA OpenBook is based on the VIA C7-M ULV processor and the new all-in-one VIA VX800 digital media chipset.

The design weighs in at 1kg (2.2lbs.) and features a large 8.9" screen, WiMAX (or HSDPA, EV-DO/W-CDMA) for wireless connectivity, video resolutions up to 1024x600, high performance VIA Chrome9 DirectX 9.0 3D graphics, advanced video acceleration for MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9, VC1, and DiVX video formats. It also has a VMR capable HD video processor and 8-channel HD audio.

The notebook features a wide range of options for hard drives, solid state drives, and will accept up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM. Up to 3 hours of battery life is provided by its 2600mA lithium-ion 4-cell battery. It ambitiously supports Windows Vista, XP, and several major Linux distributions including OpenSuSE, gOS, and Ubuntu.

The CAD files for the OpenBook are available at the VIA OpenBook website. The design is released under the Creative Commons ShareAlike Attribution 3.0. By releasing the design files and specifications, VIA hopes to promote innovative design and broader acceptance of its ultra-portable computing platform.

Yet another victory in the open source vs. all takers (well, one taker for sure) battle for world dominance--London's Oyster system is now Linux-powered. Oyster is a RFID (Radio frequency identification) card recognition and payment system for London's Tube (Subway) and bus network. The old system needed a serious upgrade mostly due to performance issues. The new system sports a combination of RedHat Enterprise Linux, Apache web server, and JBOSS.

The system isn't free of proprietary software though as it still uses Oracle for its database. MySQL or PostgreSQL could have been used to further drive down costs but would have required more development and consulting time. The new system has lowered costs due to licensing and hosting by over 80%. The first year's savings from the switch paid for the Deloitte and Touche development time.

The new site is faster and offers the added bonus of no downtime when new code is applied. The developers also used standard SQL for database queries so that the system would less proprietary allowing for a future move to an open source database.

The complaints of the old system and praises for the new are nothing extraordinary for those "in the know" on Linux and open source solutions. Over-priced, underperforming, proprietary systems are on their way out in favor of low-cost, open source, high performance solutions.

Mozilla Corporation, Red Bend Software, Sagem Mobiles, SFR, SK Telecom and Verizon Wireless have joined the LiMo (Linux Mobile) Foundation in order to expand and deliver wireless choices to mobile phone users.

Verizon's choice to join LiMo further creates a rift between them and Google's OHA (Open Handset Alliance) over whose service will be more 'open.' Openness of the platform is important for adoption. The more open your platform, the more developers, hobbyist programmers, and end users you'll have converting to it.

Unfortunately, this intense competition will end up hurting consumers and end users because companies may rush products to market too soon and alienate early adopters. The OHA predicts that early Android handsets will be out by the end of 2008 while LiMo foresees their product launching in 2009.

From the LiMo Website:

LiMo Foundation is an industry consortium dedicated to creating the first truly open, hardware-independent, Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. Backing from major industry leaders puts LiMo at the Heart of the Mobile Industry and makes LiMo the unifying force in Mobile Linux.

The mission of the LiMo Foundation is to create an open, Linux-based software platform for use by the whole global industry to produce mobile devices through a balanced and transparent contribution process enabling a rich ecosystem of differentiated products, applications, and services from device manufacturers, operators, ISVs and integrators.

LiMo aims to provide a commercial-grade, Linux-based, mobile operating system, APIs, and SDK to all who …

Performance is not that important in financial transactions--where there are hundreds of thousands of transactions per minute??? Ok. Interesting.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and many other financial institutions run their most critical services and applications on Linux. The NYSE specifically uses RedHat Enterprise Linux because of its stability and support.

Linux is the most-chosen operating system in the U.K, France, Germany, and other European countries due to its open source programming. Major companies like LVM Insurance and Deutsche Bank rely on Linux's time-tested stability, transparency, high uptimes, and low maintenance. LVM Insurance in Muenster, Germany converted all 7,700 of its Desktop computers to Linux.

Reuters Group, PLC. converted their Reuters Market Data System to Linux stating that more than half of their 20 largest customers had converted to Linux.

The two big reasons why companies shift their critical computing or desktops to Linux: Price and Performance.

Linux wins bigger in the Data Center than on the Desktop, even in Europe, but there are many companies worldwide now considering conversion to Linux due to the rising costs of Windows software, the need to upgrade for each new Windows version, and performance concerns.

In response to the loss of Data Center space, Microsoft's Server 2008 can be installed as a Core Server without the standard top-heavy graphical interface. Will it help Microsoft's diminishing significance in the Data Center? Maybe, maybe not.

The highly-anticipated release of Fedora 9 is here! It has the new KDE4 desktop that I reviewed on LinuxPlanet which makes some big improvements in user experience and speed. It also includes the hot new FireFox 3 web browser with some new security features that are sure to impress even the most jaded surfer. Fedora 9 also gives you the options of the new ext4 filesystem, encrypted filesystems, partition resizing, and Xen virtualization enhancements.

The ext4 filesystem is a higher-performance, high capacity filesystem based on the ext3 filesystem. Anaconda, the Fedora installer program, allows you to resize ext2/ext3, and NT filesystems. You can also create and install to encrypted filesystems.

Fedora 9, and all things Fedora-related are found at fedoraproject.org. You can now download via direct http or ftp, bittorrent, or jigdo. There are several download options awaiting you at the Fedora Project page--you can download Live Fedora CD images with either the Gnome or KDE Desktop interface, Installation DVD images for x86, x86_64, and ppc platforms, and your choice of download options in case you have a slow or limited Internet connection.

I don't recommend Fedora 9, or any other Fedora release, for production-level use. They aren't beta but they are also somewhat leading edge and therefore less stable than other versions of Linux. But, if you want to test out some coolness, grab Fedora 9 and let me know what you think of it. I'll give you my report …

Welcome back to Crystal Ball Sunday. This week in the Crystal Ball are my predictions for OpenSolaris vs. Linux. The release of OpenSolaris on May 5th has caused quite a stir. Many say that it will replace Linux on the Desktop and in the Data Center.

My first prediction is that there will be sizable battle waged between the two in the Press and in IT labs alike. I foresee a lot of debate going back and forth about the two operating systems, their pros, their cons, and the stalwarts in both camps. This is going to be somewhat of a religious battle so prepare yourselves accordingly.

Second, and perhaps more important, is the license that both operating systems will eventually live under. Linus Torvalds opposes GPL3 and currently refuses to allow the kernel to be governed by it. OpenSolaris was released under the CDDL (Common Development and Distribution License).
I think the first one of these operating systems that is releases under GPL3 will probably gain widespread acceptance with developers, corporations, and adopters. The reason is that most of the other open source apps released under GPL3 will receive vigorous adoption and development by the kernel that also matches that license.

Third, I think that while OpenSolaris will gain some ground in both the Data Center and Desktop spaces, it won't enjoy the amount of Press it probably deserves--except to argue for or against it (See Prediction 1 above). The reason is that Linux has …

ASUS announced that their new EEE 900 PC sporting Windows XP (Vista won't run on it) will cost $50 AUD less than its Linux counterpart. I am no economist but I can figure out quickly that a computer that comes with Windows XP Home and Microsoft Works pre-installed is going to be more expensive than a computer with a free operating system.

The Linux EEE does come with a larger hard drive (20GB) than the Windows XP version (12GB) but does that offer an explanation of the higher price? If you figure that the larger drive boosts the cost $50 for the Linux PC and the OS boosts it $100 for the Windows version, then they would cost the same. Methinks there's something rotten in the State of Washington.

It would make more sense to sell the Windows EEE at a higher price if the assumption is that the Windows version will sell better than the Linux one. Another possibility is to sell the unit without an OS and let the buyer decide for themselves.

Actions like these not only call motives into question but also raises the question "How afraid of Linux is Microsoft?" I think Microsoft should allay any fears of being pushed into bankruptcy by Linux anytime soon since humans seem to have an innate fear of that which is free or open.

I am not sure what the prices for the new EEE PC 900 are for North America but …