Free Versus Open: Does Open Source Software Matter In The Cloud Era?
Author: Reuven Cohen
There is an increasingly common refrain I keep hearing from startups. These young companies, with their generally un-original software products, claim that its solution is just like except open source. Don’t get me wrong. I like open source as much as the next guy but from a value proposition standpoint, just being “open source” doesn’t sound all that compelling to me. This has become especially true in the emerging cloud computing landscape where APIs and Big Data have become some of the most valuable currencies. Read more
How to Change Start-up Programs on Your Computer
Is your computer running more slowly than it used to? It may be because you have enabled too many start-up programs, that is, programs that launch automatically when you start your computer. Read more
Facebook Open Sources Ringmark Mobile Development Testing Suite
Source: Inside Facebook
The social networking giant hopes to promote HTML5 development for mobile platforms.Facebook has open sourced Ringmark, its browser test suite for building apps on the mobile web, according to a post on the company’s HTML5 blog today.
The effort is part of Facebook’s push to promote HTML5 development. One of the major challenges with HTML5 development right now is fragmentation in mobile browser capabilities, but Ringmark lets developers see instantly whether their apps will be able to run on a given mobile browser. Read more
Open source doesn’t mean open season. Check the license!
Author: Alan Zeichick
Just because open source is free, it doesn’t mean that you can incorporate open source elements into your own software without checking the licenses.
No matter what language you prefer, whether it’s C/C++, Java, C#, Visual Basic or JavaScript, you are going to find lots of open source code to study and use.
That’s the good news. The bad news is, nearly all open source code comes with a license agreement. Just because it’s free doesn’t mean you can do anything you want with it. That something is “open source” doesn’t mean that it isn’t covered by its author’s copyright or even by patents. That means, yes, you could be sued. Read more
Ubuntu to Expand to Mobile Devices
Author:Joab Jackson
Companies report difficulty in finding enough IT workers for their Linux systems.
IDG News Service – Canonical plans to expand its Ubuntu Linux distribution so it could be used on smartphones, tablets and other touch interface consumer electronics, said Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth.
“Everyday computer users are starting to do their computing across a broader array of devices and form factors,” Shuttleworth said. Canonical wants to “bring Ubuntu to all the personal computing form factors, on phones, tablets, and smart-screens.” Read more
Linux Developers See Salary Increases
Author: Joseph Walker
Canonical wants to put its version of Linux on smartphones and tablets.Companies adopting the free, open-source Linux operating system are having trouble finding developers and system administrators skilled in Linux, according to a new survey to be released next week.
The tight job market has driven up salaries and bonuses and prompted companies to increase their training and outreach to meet recruiting needs, the survey finds. The median salary for Linux-skilled technologists rose 5% to $84,000 last year with median bonuses at $5,000, according to Dice Holdings Inc., a technology jobs board that conducted the survey with The Linux Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group. Read more
OTHER ARTICLES
13 reasons why Linux should be on your desktop
In 13 Reasons why Linux won’t make it to a desktop near you, we reviewed Linux as a marketing case study. In this column, we take a good look at the product to find out why it has thrived despite its troubled childhood. Read more
Oracle resists Google’s demand for $4 million in court costs
Oracle and Google are at loggerheads over some US$4 million in court costs Google wants Oracle to pay in connection with its patent and copyright lawsuit over the Android mobile OS. Read more
Why VMware is spending $1B-plus to buy Nicira
VMware is a company on the move: its planned $1.26 billion acquisition of Nicira not only brings it into the software-defined network (SDN) market, but should also broaden VMwares support for open standards and even open source. Read more