Unixster

The deal is done. Oracle now owns Sun. Oracle’s main message to Sun’s customers seems to be "Don’t worry, be happy." That’s not easy when Oracle is not explaining in any detail what it will be doing with open-source software offerings like MySQL, OpenOffice and OpenSolaris. In general, we know that Sun’s software product catalog will be cut back and that many Sun staffers will soon be laid off. Historically, when Oracle acquires a company, deep cuts are the rule. For example, Oracle fired about 5,000 workers after acquiring PeopleSoft. This time around, Oracle is saying that there will be only about a thousand layoffs. In particular, although no one is going on record, it’s feared that Sun’s open-source groups will take the brunt of these cuts.

When I write about the disposable PC, blame for the creation and maintaining of such a culture does not belong to a single entity. It has gotten to the point where hardware has become so cheap that whenever someone who lacks any real technical knowledge comes across a computing problem (whether it be hardware or software related) has no problem running out and purchasing a new replacement. Microsoft and retail stores add to this culture.

Well, it’s been a few weeks since the launch of Apple’s comically named “iPad,” and there’s no doubt the world has much to think over. That’s particularly true for those in the FOSS community, of course, given the decidedly closed nature of Apple’s new device. Fans of Cupertino may be swooning with delight, but the picture is less clear for those of us in the rest of the world. The new device is “a frightening step backward for computing and for media distribution,” according to the Free Software Foundation.

When the Symbian Foundation announced the opening up of its namesake smartphone platform on Thursday, it caused a major shift not just in the mobile landscape but also in the FOSS world. Announced by Nokia back in 2008, the transition of the leading platform from proprietary code to open source was completed four months ahead of schedule and is the largest in software history, the foundation said. “The development community is now empowered to shape the future of the mobile industry,” said Lee Williams, the Symbian Foundation’s executive director.

Coming off of its own acquisition by VMware, SpringSource, a provider of Java application infrastructure and management software, has announced its acquisition of Cloud Foundry and a new SpringSource cloud offering based on the Cloud Foundry technology.
– Coming off of its own acquisition by VMware, SpringSource, a provider of Java application infrastructure and management software, has announced its acquisition of Cloud Foundry and a new SpringSource cloud offering based on the Cloud Foundry technology.
In an interview with eWEEK, Rod Johnson, CEO …

Satellite receivers from Viasat, Yousee and Stofa use a Linux system as software base. Danish developer Rasmus Rhode suspects a breach in the GPL.

It takes money to make money, and commercial Linux distributor Red Hat knows this. Red Hat has made no secret of the fact that it wants to get more of its sales through indirect channels. This is not just a matter of shifting the burden of sales to resellers, as is the case with most server makers, but is also a means of keeping Red Hat’s overall revenues growing so it attains its long-term goal of becoming a $1bn, profitable software company.

LMMS is music creation software similar to programs such as GarageBand for OSX and FL Studio for Windows. Those programs are designed to streamline the process of making music with a computer in order to get new users into music composition as quickly and painlessly as possible. Their feature sets include preset audio loops, MIDI tracks, and other ready-made musical materials available for immediate use in a piece. Their GUIs invite involvement in the process of making music and it’s clear that the designers want the user to have fun with the program and the process. In this mini-review we’ll see if LMMS lives up to the precedents set by those programs.

Linux comes with various GUI based email client to stay in touch with your friends and family, and share information in newsgroups with other users. The following software is similar to Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail and is used by both home and office user.

The Register’s latest video webcast, an expert look at open source and traditional proprietary software models, is now available on-demand from the Reg archives. This broadcast explores the relative merits of open source and traditional proprietary software, and discusses how they can best be made to co-exist happily. El Reg event moderator Tim Phillips welcomed Steve Harris of Novell and Freeform Dynamics’ Tony Lock into our swanky London studio. Joining the chaps over the wire from across the pond were Frank Rego of Novell and Jose Thomas of Microsoft.