Open Source Law

Contact:

Brendan Scott
+61 414 339 227

lists at opensourcelaw.biz
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OSWALD Newsletter Archives (by issue #, click to view)

The Open Source Law Weekly Digest or OSWALD first launched late in 2002. Since then it has been regularly providing updates on all things open source related. The focus of this newsletter is on business, rather than technical developments in open source. Another strong component of the newsletter is IP news, as it is of interest to me and has an effect on open source.

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OSWALD #506 Period ending 2 December 2013

Welcome to the Open Source Law Weekly Open Source Digest (OSWALD)

A very broad ranging list of stories this edition. Most noted has been the release by Facebook of its query engine as open source. Heaps of embedded Linux related stories as well as more news on the release of the Steambox.

*From my blog:
http://brendanscott.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/it-pricing-report-available/
http://brendanscott.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/should-governments-specify-licence-conditions/
http://brendanscott.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/ip-issues-paper-42-costs/

Verbatim distribution with attribution ok.

Other distribution - email me.

Regards

Brendan

***** Open Standards/ODF

Cisco plans to open-source H.264 code, widen support for web-based video chat
http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/30/cisco-plans-to-open-source-h-264-code-for-webrtc/

Mozilla is endorsing the strategy; although it still prefers open video technologies like VP8 and Daala,

***** Off Topic

Dark Mail Alliance aims to offer Email 3.0, with built-in end-to-end encryption
http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2013/10/31/dark-mail-alliance-aims-to-offer-email-3-0-with-built-in-end-to-end-encryption/
http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/05/dark-mail/

As founding partners of The Dark Mail Alliance, both Silent Circle and Lavabit will work to bring other members into the alliance, assist them in implementing the new protocol and jointly work to proliferate the worlds first end-to-end encrypted ‘Email 3.0′ throughout the world’s email providers.

Encrypted Email and Communications with CryptoHeaven
http://all-things-linux.blogspot.com/2013/11/encrypted-email-and-communications-with.html

The case for encrypted communications has been in the news quite a bit lately. Many ways to encrypt your email exist, with the use of PGP in the client and the ability for digital signing of messages to prove their authenticity and that they have not been tampered with being the most popular and probably oldest one.

***** Government/Policy

Open-source advocates to government: Let us help you fix healthcare.gov
http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/01/21268571-open-source-advocates-to-government-let-us-help-you-fix-healthcaregov?

As computer experts hired by the U.S. government scramble to fix the much-maligned healthcare.gov website, a corps of independent kibitzers is chiming in from around the world, publicizing coding flaws that they’ve discovered and offering suggestions for fixing them.

Free and open source education materials for children and teens
http://opensource.com/education/13/11/open-source-materials-children-teens

What I have discovered since exploring open source materials for children and teens is astonishing. The amount of open source materials is simply breathtaking. Every day more and more open source materials become available and accessible to all.

OpenStack Cloud Vendors Vigilant in the Face of NSA Snooping
http://www.eweek.com/cloud/openstack-cloud-vendors-vigilant-in-the-face-of-nsa-snooping.html

The Edward Snowden revelations about NSA snooping in the cloud are not having an impact on OpenStack cloud vendors, including Rackspace and Dreamhost.

Then, now, and the future of open source fonts
http://opensource.com/life/13/11/dave-crossland-history-future-open-source-fonts

During his own course of study, Crossland created Cantarell in 2009 using only free software, specifically FontForge, which was created by George Williams. Cantarell is now the default font in GNOME (and one of the official Fedora fonts). Williams started the FontForge project when QT and GDK didn't support Unicode.

Facebook Launches Open Academy To Give Kids College Credit For Open Source Contributions
http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/13/facebook-open-academy/

Open Academy students get paired with mentors and an open source project to which they’ll add code. At the start of the semester, all the mentors and students come to Facebook’s Menlo Park HQ for an intensive kick-off weekend. Then they work in virtual teams from their schools. Mentors teach students about open source, review students’ code and may give lectures too. The winter 2014 session will begin in February.

Google hosts code-in to get teens contributing to open-source projects
http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/18/google-hosts-code-in-to-get-teens-contributing-to-open-source-projects/

Google Code-in is intended to help students who may have wanted to get involved in open source but didn’t know where to start.

The European Commission's Neelie Kroes believes in open
http://opensource.com/government/13/11/interview-europe-neelie-kroes

I believe in openness, and I'm grateful for the many ways technology allows us to be open. This site is a useful tool for me to see how my speeches are received by people. And, there has been some very helpful feedback. Indeed, I would recommend this approach to other leaders.

Hacked by the NSA
http://fossforce.com/2013/11/hacked-nsa/

There is little doubt that the NSA’s activities will have a negative effect on the U.S. tech sector. Some countries are already considering mandating that business servers be located in-country in an attempt to thwart intrusions by the agency. The Swiss are taking a further step and have hopes of profiting from their strong privacy laws with “Swiss Cloud,” a cloud service being developed with security in mind by Swisscom, in which the Swiss government has a majority stake.

***** Patent/CR/DRM News+Policy

4 ways open source protects you against software patents
http://www.infoworld.com/d/open-source-software/4-ways-open-source-protects-you-against-software-patents-230433

Software patents continue to drag down competition and innovation. The troubling news that a consortium of huge companies is using Nortel's patent portfolio to attack competitors underlines the problem. Continuing their war on Android using purchased patents rather than fair competition, the funders of Rockstar highlight the need for both patent reform and patent defenses.

Dropbox joins Linux patent protection hit squad
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/26/oin_dropbox_linux_cloud/

The Open Invention Network (OIN) has revealed Dropbox is its latest licensee, potentially shielding the cloud document-sharing service from patent attackers.

***** Applications/Gadgets

First Steam Machine Priced At $499 - Xbox One Is In Trouble
http://www.cinemablend.com/games/first-steam-machine-priced-499-xbox-one-trouble-60770.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Valve-and-Linux-Could-Beat-Microsoft-and-Sony-at-the-Console-Game-403813.shtml

Previously, we wrote about the Steam Machines beating the pants off the PS4 and Xbox One in the specs and pricing department, but it was all theoretical. Now we have actual confirmation from OEM provider iBuyPower, who has announced that their first Steam Machine will be available for only $499.

Automotive-oriented hypervisor taps ARM TrustZone
http://linuxgizmos.com/hypervisor-enables-secure-linux-and-android-automotive-designs/

Mentor Graphics announced a small-footprint hypervisor designed for in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and automotive telematics systems that use its Linux-, Android-, Nucleus-, and AUTOSAR-based automotive middleware.

IoT framework appears first on Rasbperry Pi
http://linuxgizmos.com/internet-of-things-framework-appears-first-on-a-rasbperry-pi/

Echelon Corp. announced an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) framework for peer-to-peer networking of embedded controllers. The IzoT multi-protocol stack is now available in an ARM-ready beta version and reference implementation optimized for the Linux-based Raspberry Pi SBC, and will soon be included in Marvell’s Easy Connect SDK for Marvell’s 88MC200 WiFi SoC.

Frindo robotics platform review : A Raspberry Pi Robot
http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/reviews/frindo-robotics-platform-review-a-raspberry-pi-robot
http://linuxgizmos.com/open-source-robot-lets-you-add-your-own-arduino-or-raspberry-pi/

Frindo is a new open source robot platform specifically designed to cater for users of Arduino, Raspberry Pi and similar mini-PCs and microcontrollers.

BirdFont: An Open Source, Free Graphical Font Creater And Editor
http://www.unixmen.com/birdfont-open-source-free-graphical-font-creater-editor/

BirdFont is a free, Open Source font editor written by Johan Mattsson using Vala programming language. It lets you create vector graphics and export TTF, EOT & SVG fonts.

Intel's open-source Galileo computer on sale for $69.90
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/110113-intel39s-open-source-galileo-computer-on-275529.html

Galileo runs a lightweight version of Linux. The board supports the Arduino development environment, which is used to write programs for other boards and standard microcontrollers.

Facebook Releases Query Engine to Open Source Community
http://www.cio.com/article/742769/Facebook_Releases_Query_Engine_to_Open_Source_Community
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/110613-facebook-goes-open-source-with-275682.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2066080/facebook-goes-open-source-with-its-workhorse-embedded-data-store.html
http://www.cio.com/article/743588/Facebook_Open_Sources_Its_Embedded_Database_Code

Presto is a distributed SQL query engine—now an open source distributed SQL query engine—optimized for running ad-hoc interactive analytic queries against data sources ranging in size from gigabytes to petabytes.

Inktank Brings Ceph Open Source Cloud Storage to Enterprises
http://thevarguy.com/open-source-application-software-companies/inktank-brings-ceph-open-source-cloud-storage-enterprise

Inktank Ceph Enterprise is a new, comprehensive solution offering deployment and support services for Ceph, the open source distributed storage platform for cloud computing and Big Data.

Media rendering box supports WiDi and Miracast
http://linuxgizmos.com/media-streaming-box-supports-widi-and-miracast/

ViewSonic announced an embedded Linux-powered wireless receiver for rendering multimedia content on projectors, desktop monitors, large format displays, and HDTVs.

Tiny COMs run Linux and Android on ARM9 SoCs
http://linuxgizmos.com/tiny-embedded-modules-run-linux-and-android-on-arm9/

MYIR has released five Linux- and Android-ready computer-on-modules and a common baseboard built around Atmel’s 400MHz, ARM9-based AT91SAM9X5 system-on-chips

SUSE tool to manage Windows-Linux environments
http://www.itwire.com/business-it-news/open-source/62221-suse-tool-to-manage-windows-linux-environments

SUSE Linux on Monday announced that it would be releasing a tool to enable systems administrations running mixed Windows and Linux environments to manage things from a single interface.

Open hardware for education with littleBits library of electronic modules
http://opensource.com/education/13/11/littlebits-education-toolset

Littlebits is disrupting the open hardware space. It's "an open source library of electronic modules that snap together with magnets for prototyping, learning, and fun." The company is the invention of Ayah Bdeir, an MIT graduate and TED senior fellow, and was founded in September 2011.

HDMI dongle turns TVs into giant Android tablets
http://linuxgizmos.com/hdmi-dongle-turns-tv-into-giant-android-tablet/

A startup called BiggiFi is approaching its Indiegogo funding goal for a $79 HDMI dongle that essentially turns HDTVs into supersized Android tablets.

Open-source Raspberry Pi-powered PetBot looks after your pooch
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/08/petbot-kickstarter-raspberry-pi-open-source-dogs-cats

The front-facing webcam uses image recognition to detect when your pet happens to be standing in front of the PetBot and will ping your phone. You can then control the movable camera via a phone app or the PetBot website to bring your animal friend into view.

Linux distro hosts web services on Raspberry Pi
http://linuxgizmos.com/linux-distro-hosts-web-services-on-raspberry-pi/

A startup called the Citizen Web Project has raised over $23,000 in crowdsourcing funds for an alpha-stage fork of Arch Linux intended for hosting easily-administered web services on low-end hardware

Tiny open source board runs Linux on i.MX6
http://linuxgizmos.com/tiny-open-source-board-runs-linux-on-i-mx6/

Slovakia-based Fedevel and its Voipac manufacturing partner are prepping an open source computer-on-module and baseboard built around Freescale’s dual-core i.MX6 system-on-chip.

Ubuntu Linux server with ARM processor rolled out by Boston Limited
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/111913-ubuntu-linux-server-with-arm-276114.html

When it ships, the Viridis Microserver will be one of the few commercially available ARM servers. Top server makers like Hewlett-Packard and Dell have announced their intent to release ARM servers, but only a handful of products from small vendors are commercially available.

HUD-enabled ski goggles run Android
http://linuxgizmos.com/hud-enabled-ski-goggles-run-android/

Recon Instruments announced an Android-based $399 heads-up display (HUD) designed to fit inside ski goggles. The Snow2 is equipped with a 1GHz, dual-core processor, a 428 x 240 mini-display, plus WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and sensors, and it syncs to Android and iOS devices.

Nintendo Developing Educational Android Tablet
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nintendo-android-tablet,25153.html

The Android market is awash with tablets. Whether it's higher end devices like Samsung's Note line, cheap and cheerful offerings based on Nvidia's Tegra, or kid-friendly slates like Polaroid's 'Kids Tablet,' there is literally something for everyone, and it seems that Nintendo is keen to throw its hat in the ring.

Linux-fueled networked DVR adds second tuner
http://linuxgizmos.com/linux-powered-networked-dvr-gets-second-tuner/

Really Simple Software has begun accepting pre-orders for the second generation of its Linux-powered networked DVR. The new model, known as “Simple.TV by SiliconDust” and priced at $250, adds a second TV tuner and is expected to ship by the end of the year, by which time Android and iOS apps for both generations of the product will be available for free download.

Tizen pops up in an IVI system, and in a fridge
http://linuxgizmos.com/tizen-emerges-in-an-ivi-system-and-in-a-refrigerator/

Close on the heels of the revelation that Samsung’s NX300M camera runs Tizen, this week saw an announcement by Nexcom of a developer-focused, Intel Atom-based automotive computer called the VTC 1010-IVI that supports the Tizen In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) stack, plus news of a Tizen-enabled Samsung smart refrigerator.

NTRU public key crypto released to open source community
http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=15997

Today, Security Innovation announced the availability of NTRU crypto for free use in open source software. With the GPL open source license, NTRU can be confidently deployed in open source products such as web browsers and TLS/SSL servers. For those wishing to incorporate NTRU into a proprietary product, a commercial license is available.

Pico-ITX hacker board runs Linux on Allwinner A20
http://linuxgizmos.com/pico-itx-hacker-board-runs-linux-on-allwinner-a20/

Anichips announced a $59 SBC said to be the first Pico-ITX board based on Allwinner’s dual-core, Cortex-A7 based A20 SoC.

Arduino compatible $39 SBC runs Linux on x86
http://linuxgizmos.com/arduino-compatible-boardset-runs-linux-on-x86/

DM&P Group has begun shipping an Arduino compatible boardset and mini-PC equipped with a new computer-on-module based on a new 300MHz x86 compatible Vortex86EX system-on-chip.

***** Reports

After a Few Months, the Ouya Game Console Draws Mixed Reactions
http://ostatic.com/blog/after-a-few-months-the-ouya-game-console-draws-mixed-reactions

"It's not our worst platform," another said, "but it pales in comparison to the others as you can see in our 1 year postmortem we released 2 months ago."

Motorola joins forces with Phonebloks to introduce open source hardware
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2303597/motorola-joins-forces-with-phonebloks-to-introduce-open-source-hardware

Motorola said, "We want to do for hardware what the Android platform has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers to entry, increase the pace of innovation, and substantially compress development timelines."

When the cloud's not enough: How open-source servers can work for any size company
http://venturebeat.com/2013/10/28/when-the-clouds-not-enough-how-open-source-servers-can-work-for-any-size-company/

In this way, Open Compute gives data center and server suppliers a clear idea of what’s new and what’s coming down the pike in large-scale computing; it also lets them know what their biggest customers are going to be asking for next.

Samsung Sweden to Linux User: UEFI BIOS Bug Not Our Problem
http://scienceblogs.com/aardvarchaeology/2013/10/29/samsung-sweden-to-linux-user-uefi-bios-bug-not-our-problem/

The bug they inserted is pretty serious. The Samsung UEFI BIOS bug disables a machine’s bootup firmware entirely if you boot Linux under certain circumstances. This renders the computer dead, without even the distasteful option of reverting to Windows. Your computer becomes a brick.

Juniper Networks Debuts MetaFabric and Updates Switches
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/datacenter/juniper-networks-debuts-metafabric-and-updates-switches.html

Back in 2011, after $100 million of investment, Juniper Networks debuted its QFabric solution to scale networks. Now in 2013, Juniper is rolling out Metafabric, a superset of multiple existing Juniper fabrics, to help simplify networking topology.

Start-up Threat Stack aims to protect Linux-based clouds from hackers
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/102913-threatstack-275357.html
http://ostatic.com/blog/threat-stack-offers-security-monitoring-for-linux-based-cloud-deployments

Threat Stack’s Cloud Sight is intended to give enterprises a way to be alerted if hackers are breaking into Linux-based servers that they may use in their cloud services. The Cloud Sight agent software for Linux monitors process activity, sends an alert if a break-in by hackers is underway, and can provide forensics about incidents, according to CEO Dustin Webber, who co-founded the firm with Jennifer Andre.

Cumulus Linux 2.0 Updates Network Silicon Support
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netsp/cumulus-linux-2-0-update-network-silicon-support.html

Cumulus Networks is out this with the the second major public iteration of its namesake Linux distribution that is purpose built as a bare metal network operating system.

Open-source software projects need to improve vulnerability-handling practices, researchers say
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2059580/opensource-software-projects-need-to-improve-vulnerability-handling-practices-researchers-say.html

Many open-source software developers need to improve the way in which they handle vulnerability reports, according to researchers from security firm Rapid7, who recently found and reported vulnerabilities in seven popular open-source software applications.

The Halloween Documents: Microsoft's Anti-Linux Strategy 15 Years Later
http://thevarguy.com/open-source-application-software-companies/halloween-documents-microsofts-anti-linux-strategy-15-yea

One key strategy for the company was implementing proprietary protocols to lock customers into Microsoft software. Another was touting Microsoft software as offering lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than Linux, even though the documents showed that Microsoft itself found Linux to be the cheaper overall solution in many cases.

Red Hat Delivers New Onboarding Program for Enterprise OpenStack
http://ostatic.com/blog/red-hat-delivers-new-onboarding-program-for-enterprise-openstack

Red Hat is very rapidly increasing its focus on OpenStack. The company is out with a new initiative called On-Ramp to Enterprise OpenStack to drive enterprise adoption of the framework for building and managing private, public, and hybrid clouds.

ARMv8 Project Thunder SoC gains Linux support
http://linuxgizmos.com/armv8-project-thunder-soc-gains-linux-support/

At ARM TechCon, Cavium demonstrated an SDK for its upcoming ARMv8-based Project Thunder SoC family, and announced Ubuntu support for Project Thunder, while Cavium subsidiary MontaVista announced Carrier Grade Linux support for ARMv8.

From NSA to open source : Apps are nuggets of innovaton
http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/10/31/from-nsa-to-open-source-apps-are-nuggets-of-innovaton-says-sqrrl-bigdatanyc/

Fuchs first commented on Accumulo’s shift from the NSA to open source, saying that “open sourcing software from the government and from the other side of the wall isn’t actually that hard. The hard part is continuing to participate in the project afterwards.”

Tizen phone a no show as Samsung seeks more devs
http://linuxgizmos.com/tizen-phone-no-show-samsung-seeks-more-developers/
http://linuxgizmos.com/tizen-camera-released-mobile-lite-version-coming-phones-delayed/

The Tizen phone failed to make an appearance at Samsung’s Developer Conference this week, with some observers suggesting the mobile Linux platform could be delayed yet again to early 2014.

Ubuntu Touch Notebook: Microsoft Surface, MacBook Air Alternative?
http://thevarguy.com/ubuntu/ubuntu-touch-notebook-microsoft-surface-macbook-air-alternative

Can a touch-based Ubuntu notebook become a single device that counters Apple's (AAPL) iPad and MacBook Air -- and maybe even Microsoft (MSFT) Surface tablets? System76, promoter of the Darter UltraThin notebook, certainly hopes that's the case. Here's The VAR Guy's spin.

Brocade Opens Up OpenStack with DNRM
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/datacenter/brocade-opens-up-openstack-with-dynamic-network-resource-management.html

The open source OpenStack cloud platform is growing in popularity, and networking vendor Brocade wants to help it grow even more. Brocade is leading a new open source effort, the Dynamic Network Resource Management (DNRM) blueprint, to provide more networking choices to OpenStack.

Drone takes gaming controllers open-source for cross platform compatibility
http://www.gizmag.com/drone-gaming-controller/29625/

A new one, called the Drone, brings an open source controller to a wide range of devices, saving users from having to buy a separate controller for each.

Cloud-based speech tech humanizes humanoid robot
http://linuxgizmos.com/cloud-based-speech-tech-helps-robot-act-human/

Nao is “a fully-programmable and interactive humanoid robot equipped with state-of-the-art motion, vision, tactile, and audio capabilities,” says Aldebaran Robotics. Nao can “walk on different surfaces, track and recognize faces and objects, express and understand emotions, and react to touch and interact by voice.”

Wind River Reports Embedded Linux Platform to Further Support Open Source Innovation
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/11/2/wind_river_reports_embedded_linux_platform.htm

According to a release, the new version includes expanded hardware support for the latest ARM, Intel, MIPS, and Power architectures. Wind River Linux is also updated with the current Linux kernel, toolchain, and user space based on the latest Yocto Project release.

Open Sourcery Wants To Save Energy by Writing More Efficient Software
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/open-sourcery-wants-to-save-energy-by-writing-more-efficient-software

We want people to be writing code that’s faster and less resource intensive. What does that look like? Better use of existing resources; being smarter about the way you query a database; writing things that don’t have to look nine times when they can look once. There’s millions of things you can do.

KDE and Canonical Conflict Over Mir Finally Bursts into Open
http://news.softpedia.com/news/KDE-and-Canonical-Conflict-Over-Mir-Finally-Bursts-into-Open-396651.shtml

The conflict that has been brewing between the KDE developers and Canonical has finally exploded in a flurry of statements which show just how many problems the Mir display server has caused.

OpenStack Cloud Computing Gains Attention in China
http://www.eweek.com/cloud/openstack-cloud-computing-gains-attention-in-china.html
http://www.zdnet.com/red-hat-wants-to-be-openstacks-big-dog-7000022829/
http://www.datamation.com/cloud-computing/ibms-openstack-ambition-laid-bare-in-hong-kong.html
http://www.serverwatch.com/server-news/mark-shuttleworth-pivots-ubuntu-openstack-with-cloudfoundry.html
http://www.eweek.com/cloud/slideshows/open-stack-cloud-goes-global-to-draw-in-developers-technologies.html/
http://ostatic.com/blog/red-hat-delivers-more-tools-services-for-enterprise-openstack
http://www.serverwatch.com/server-news/the-evolution-of-openstack-continues-with-new-projects.html
http://www.datamation.com/cloud-computing/openstack-in-china-attracts-big-deployments.html
http://www.eweek.com/cloud/openstack-defines-itself-in-hong-kong.html
http://www.eweek.com/cloud/slideshows/openstack-summit-highlights-clouds-global-influence.html
http://www.eweek.com/cloud/citrix-embraces-anyness-and-the-openstack-cloud.html
http://www.datamation.com/cloud-computing/government-of-hong-kong-accelerating-innovation-with-openstack-cloud.html

In a survey of 150 cloud and virtualization practitioners in China, 33 percent said that they are considering using OpenStack to build private or public cloud solutions—or both—to deliver OpenStack services.

Valve Confirms That SteamOS Is Not Based on Ubuntu, It's Custom-Made
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Valve-Confirms-that-SteamOS-Is-Not-Based-on-Ubuntu-It-s-Custom-Made-397209.shtml
http://www.techspot.com/news/54574-valve-reveals-design-of-prototype-steam-machine.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/You-Can-Trick-Steam-for-Linux-to-Think-It-s-Running-in-SteamOS-399168.shtml

Valve has confirmed that its operating system, SteamOS, will not be based on Ubuntu, as previously believed.

Microsoft & Friends Define 'Commitment to Openness'
http://fossforce.com/2013/11/microsoft-friends-define-commitment-openness/
http://fossforce.com/2013/11/rockstar-consortium-players/

Rockstar, by the way, is more than just a convenient way for five companies to throw in together to buy and manage some patents; it's also a buffer to protect these five companies from counter suits. In addition, it's a PR tool. Poor little Microsoft or poor little Apple isn't suing anybody. They have no control over what the big bad folks at Rockstar do. According to Ars, Rockstar is more than willing to play along with that notion.

Sorry Rackspace Et Al, Ubuntu To Offer OpenStack Hosted, CloudFoundry Based PaaS
http://www.forbes.com/sites/benkepes/2013/11/04/breaking-sorry-rackspace-et-al-ubuntu-to-offer-openstack-hosted-cloudfoundry-based-paas/

Details are scant but sources tell me that Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical and leader of the Ubuntu operating system, is today announcing at the OpenStack summit a CloudFoundry based solution on top of OpenStack as the Ubuntu direction for PaaS.

Tuxmachines Tentatively Sold
http://fossforce.com/2013/11/tuxmachines-tentatively-sold/

Although Ms. Linton doesn’t identify the purchaser, it was evidently bought by Roy Schestowitz who is perhaps best known for publishing the FOSS site Techrights. Mr. Schestowitz blogged about the purchase of the site on October 30th.

Android KitKat aims at a broader range of devices
http://linuxgizmos.com/android-4-4-kitkat-aims-at-a-broader-range-of-devices/

Google’s release of Android 4.4 (“KitKat”), featuring a lower 512MB memory requirement, should make Android more viable on the low end, helping to ward off mobile Linux upstarts like Firefox OS and Tizen.

Cisco Productizes OpenStack Cloud Support
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/datacenter/cisco-productizes-openstack-cloud-support.html

Cisco is now extending its OpenStack support by way of partnerships with major Linux vendors, including Red Hat, SUSE and Ubuntu. All of those vendors now have their own respective OpenStack distributions and are supported on the Cisco UCS server platform.

Open Source Apigility Project from Zend Aims to Standardize API Development
http://blog.programmableweb.com/2013/11/05/open-source-apigility-project-from-zend-aims-to-standardize-api-development/

Zend, a provider of application development tools for building PHP applications, is promoting the adoption of a new open-source Apigility project that provides a standardized way to build and maintain multiple versions of an API.

Open source engine Docker teams up with the Fedora Project
http://opensource.com/business/13/11/docker-fedora-red-hat-collaboration

Developers are excited because Docker offers an easier to use alternative to Chef and Puppet for managing server environments.

Two top PC games gain Linux support ahead of SteamOS
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2061284/two-top-pc-games-gain-linux-support-ahead-of-steamos.html

Metro: Last Light, which PCWorld praised as a flawed but unique first-person shooter, will be bundled with Valve's 300 prototype Steam Machines. Developer 4A Games has pledged support for SteamOS in the future.

New Bucks For Bugs Program Focuses On Open-Source Software, Internet Infrastructure
http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerability/new-bucks-for-bugs-program-focuses-on-op/240163714

There are two rewards for each bug -- one for finding it and the other for fixing it. So a researcher could make twice as much money by discovering and repairing a flaw.

Android Is Gaming Future, And The One OS To Rule Them All, Says Nvidia CEO
http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/08/android-is-gamings-future-and-the-one-os-to-rule-them-all-says-nvidia-ceo/

Nvidia has some side bets on Surface and Windows RT, but Android is the really exciting OS of the future, according to CEO and co-founder Jen-Hsun Huang on an investor call today to discuss the company’s latest financial results.

Oracle abandons commercial support for Glassfish JEE Server
http://www.zdnet.com/oracle-abandons-commercial-support-for-glassfish-jee-server-7000022945/

But, and it's a big but, Oracle also said that it would "no longer release future major releases of Oracle GlassFish Server with commercial support — specifically Oracle GlassFish Server 4.x with commercial Java EE 7 support will not be released." Instead, "Oracle recommends that existing commercial Oracle GlassFish Server customers begin planning to move to Oracle WebLogic Server."

Why I love OwnCloud: answer to Dropbox lock-in
http://opensource.com/business/13/11/owncloud-answer-dropbox-lock

I publicly lamented the Dropbox lock-in scenario on Twitter a few weeks ago, and Gunnar Hellekson clued me into OwnCloud. Dutifully, I read a few articles, and deployed OwnCloud on OpenShift. It worked nicely—inside of a few minutes, I was able to deploy the upstream version of OwnCloud and set up syncing of my Calendar, auto-upload of pictures from my Android, and even had a nice OwnCloud folder on my Mac via their OSX client. I had to admit, this was quick and easy.

Low-end laptops:The rise of the Chromebooks
http://www.zdnet.com/low-end-laptopsthe-rise-of-the-chromebooks-7000022991/

Some people are still in denial about the rise of the Linux operating system with the Chrome Web browser interface, Chrome OS, and its hardware: the Chromebooks. The experts say, however, it's the one segment of the PC market that's growing while everything else shrinks.

Jacob Cook has an ambitious plan to replace Google with Raspberry Pi servers running his arkOS.
http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/10/arkos-secure-google-alternative/

He’s now building an operating system that anyone can use to replace all of the services that Google provides — or any other cloud company, for that matter. Email, chat, file sharing, web hosting: With Cook’s arkOS, you’ll be able to run all of those essential services on a secure, private server in your own home that’s about the size of a credit card.

Facebook hardware VP says we're very close to open source switches
http://gigaom.com/2013/11/11/facebooks-hardware-vp-says-were-very-close-to-open-source-switches/
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/111213-facebook-open-compute-project-picks-275862.html

The idea of creating an open source switch is a natural expansion of the OCP’s original mission of creating open source servers and its subsequent evolution into open source storage-system designs.

Red Hat Gears Up OpenShift PaaS
http://www.eweek.com/cloud/red-hat-gears-up-openshift-paas.html/

Red Hat is lowering the price and expanding the functionality of its hosted cloud platform-as-a-service offering.

USENIX: Red Hat prepares for 64-bit ARM servers
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/110813-usenix-red-hat-prepares-for-275794.html

Enterprise open-source software vendor Red Hat is keeping an eye on the development of 64-bit ARM processors for servers, building up expertise in case the nascent platform takes hold in the data center.

Suse Linux Enterprise expands regular support to 10 years
http://www.itworld.com/operating-systems/382610/suse-linux-enterprise-expands-regular-support-10-years
http://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/suse-linux-goes-long-on-support.html
http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/news/susecon-2013-post-con-thoughts

Suse Linux Enterprise (SLE) version 11 and up will come with 10 years of general support instead of the seven years offered up to now, in a move that matches services from competitors.

Android Blows Past 80 Percent Market Share
http://ostatic.com/blog/android-blows-past-80-percent-market-share
http://www.zdnet.com/windows-phone-gains-but-android-rules-7000023096/

With a total base of 211.6 million smartphone units shipped during the quarter, Android accounted for 81.0 percent of all smartphone shipments, marking the first time that Android topped 80 percent in its short history.

SUSECon 2013 : a keynote to remember
http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/news/susecon-2013-day-1-a-keynote-to-remember

Recent figures show that, while IT are reporting to CFOs, a large percentage of these CFOs don’t believe that IT is strategic to their business. IT is losing control of their deparrtments. This is where SUSE comes in, offering open source solutions that they believe can bring control back to the IT department thanks to the innovation they can bring.

OpenDaylight SDN Project Gets New Leadership
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netsp/opendaylight-project-sdn-gets-new-leadership.html

Jacques added that he sees a big part of his role as helping the industry understand how open source and collaborative development can get us there faster and why it makes sense in the long-term.

Electronic Frontier Foundation Goes After Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Electronic-Frontier-Foundation-Goes-After-Mark-Shuttleworth-and-Canonical-400353.shtml
http://ostatic.com/blog/mark-shuttleworth-apologizes-for-trademark-kerfuffle

“Over the past few days, EFF and one of our staff technologists, the talented Micah Lee, have had an illuminating back and forth with Canonical Ltd over the use of the Ubuntu mark. While we don’t believe that Canonical has acted with malice or intent to censor, its silly invocation of trademark law is disturbing. After all, not everyone has easy recourse to lawyers and the ability to push back,” states the organization on its website.

Linux backdoor squirts code into SSH to keep its badness buried
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/15/stealthy_linux_backdoor/

Symantec concludes that the mystery malware – which it detects as Fokirtor – is different from any other Linux backdoor that its security researchers have previously analysed.

TrueCrypt or false? Would-be open source project must clean up its act
http://www.infoworld.com/d/open-source-software/truecrypt-or-false-would-be-open-source-project-must-clean-its-act-230862?

Fortunately, since the source code is publicly available, an audit is possible independent of the developers. This month a crowdfunded project to perform a professional audit of the code achieved full funding in a very short time. The project will also seek to devise release practices that give users confidence that the program they download has in fact been built from the audited source and not some modified version with secret backdoors.

Pre-loaded Linux: The solution to a mass of problems
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/linux-and-open-source/pre-loaded-linux-the-solution-to-a-mass-of-problems/

What a pre-installed Linux machine (one from, say, System76 or ZaReason) eliminates is all the guesswork you must do to know if a system will work with Linux. If you buy a machine from System76, you know that when you unbox it, that system will work seamlessly with Linux. You also know that, should you have a problem, you can place a phone call and speak to an actual person who not only gets Linux but can also help you resolve your issue.

Top 20 open source gifts for the holidays
https://opensource.com/life/13/11/open-source-2013-holiday-gift-guide

We've searched the Internet and consulted with the open source geeks in our lives to identify some of 2013's coolest open source-related gifts for the holidays. We've found something for everyone's budget from big (a LulzBot TAZ 2 3D printer!) to small (who doesn't need a free download of Cards Against Humanity?), and everything in between.

When three Linux journos go crowdfunding
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/17/linux_voice_indigogo_crowdfunding_campaign/

Also it is interesting that Andrew, Mike and Ben think there is a living to be had from a printed computer magazine - this is publishing but not as we know it, Jim.

Dell Expands Project Sputnik, Open Source Linux Laptop
http://thevarguy.com/ubuntu/dell-expands-project-sputnik-open-source-linux-laptop

Dell introduced the first Project Sputnik laptop just short of a year ago, and released an upgraded version a few months later. Now, the company has announced the availability of a new, third-generation edition featuring enhanced hardware specifications, including touch support.

Sales of Raspberry Pi Linux computer hit two million
http://www.zdnet.com/sales-of-raspberry-pi-linux-computer-hit-two-million-7000023301/
http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/news/raspberry-pi-sells-two-million-units

The credit card-sized Raspberry Pi was designed as a low-cost, portable board that kids could plug in and start coding wherever they were.

Docker: An open source startup you need to know about
http://www.zdnet.com/docker-an-open-source-startup-you-need-to-know-about-7000023273/

"Docker aims to enable a new age of agile and creative development, by building 'the button' that enables any code to instantly and consistently run on any server, anywhere.

Linux Foundation: Open Source Tizen Is Alive And Well
http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/linux-foundation-open-source-tizen-alive-well-132062

The version of Android that Google shares with its handset partners and the version maintained by the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) are two separate platforms. The open source version cannot include various proprietary extensions, so it won’t boot up easily on actual phones.

Will a shot of Android be enough to save BlackBerry?
http://www.zdnet.com/will-a-shot-of-android-be-enough-to-save-blackberry-7000023331/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2067380/blackberry-increases-android-app-support.html

If all goes well, BlackBerry will be able support most, but not all, modern Android programs. With fewer and fewer developers spending their time programming for the declining native Blackberry OS, BlackBerry desperately needs Android apps.

Source code snippets open door for raw photos on Android
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57612766-94/source-code-snippets-open-door-for-raw-photos-on-android/

As spotted by Ars Technica, Google programmers have been working on a revised camera interface that exposes new features to Android app programmers.

Google adds Android and Apache to open source security rewards programme
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2308040/google-adds-android-and-apache-to-open-source-security-rewards-programme

Google has extended its Patch Reward Program to include a raft of new platforms and technologies including its own Android system as it looks to improve the securiry of open source software.

Automotive Linux Leaves Microsoft and Blackberry QNX in the Dust
http://www.linux.com/news/featured-blogs/158-jim-zemlin/749390-automotive-linux-leaves-microsoft-and-blackberry-qnx-in-the-dust

Sales of automotive Linux are expected to rise to 53.7 million units in 2020, overtaking Microsoft and Blackberry QNX in the global automotive infotainment market, according to a new report from IHS Automotive.

Playstation 4 Runs FreeBSD Kernel
http://news.softpedia.com/news/It-s-Official-Playstation-4-Is-Running-a-FreeBSD-Kernel-401574.shtml

Sony has just launched its PlayStation 4 console, and it seems that the rumors about being based on FreeBSD are actually true.

Green500 List top 10 are all powered by NVIDIA Tesla GPUs and Linux
http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2013/11/21/green500-list-top-10-are-all-powered-by-nvidia-tesla-gpus-and-linux/

Unlike the TOP500 List, which lists 500 of the worlds fastest supercomputers, the Green500 List lists the most energy-efficient supercomputers that made the TOP500 List.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5 Delivers Precision Timing
http://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/red-hat-enterprise-linux-6.5-delivers-precision-timing.html

A key addition in the new RHEL 6.5 release is support for the Precision Timing Protocol (PTP). PTP enables the Linux operating system to precisely time-stamp operations down to submicrosecond levels of accuracy, which is a critical feature for those in the financial services industry.

Linux is the platform for robotics
http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/features/linux-is-the-platform-for-robotics

In order to put this hardware to good use, however, you need software, and as luck would have it, Linux is the platform where the most exciting developments in robotic software are taking place.

Mozilla Revenue Tops $311 Million From Open-Source Technology
http://www.eweek.com/enterprise-apps/mozilla-revenue-tops-311-million-from-open-source-technology.html

Mozilla announced its 2012 earnings this week, reporting record revenue of $311 million.

Why elephants never forget big data
http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/open-source-insider/2013/11/why-elephants-never-forget-big-data.html

Hortonworks is down at the watering hole, blowing its trumpet and enjoying a period of positive development.

Open Sourcity is a place where great ideas inspire talented programmers
https://opensource.com/life/13/11/open-sourcity-great-ideas-platform

It's time to change the game. Ideas for software programs should no longer be left in the hands of people with just technical skills. People with good ideas should be able to inspire and work alongside open source programmers to create amazing software, regardless of their computing background.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5 arrives
http://www.zdnet.com/red-hat-enterprise-linux-6-5-arrives-7000023500/

Red Hat, the world's leading Linux company, has announced that the newest version of its flagship operating system, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.5, is ready to go.

MySQL needs to retain open source roots to keep developer base, survey shows
http://www.cloudcomputing-news.net/news/2013/nov/25/mysql-needs-retain-open-source-roots-keep-developer-base-survey-shows/

Nine in 10 respondents claim the primary reason their company uses the MySQL database is because of its open source nature, according to a survey from SkySQL.

HTC, Samsung release open source files for Google Play edition phones
http://www.androidauthority.com/htc-samsung-google-play-edition-kitkat-319702/

Now it appears that the OTA is on its way, as both HTC and Samsung have published the kernel source code and framework support files for the HTC One GPe and Galaxy S4 GPe, respectively.

Out in the Open: Say Hello to the Apple of Linux OSes
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/11/elementaryos/

Before too long, he and a pseudonymous developer named ammonkey “forked” the popular Linux file manager Nautilus. Foré handled the design side, creating a new version that looked more modern and streamlined. They called it Nautilus Elementary. And as other designers and developers started getting in touch, asking if they could build design-centric apps under the Elementary banner, he found himself juggling several Linux-related projects.

Could Mozilla become a branch of Google?
http://www.zdnet.com/could-mozilla-become-a-branch-of-google-7000023495/

A Mozilla spokesperson told me, "Mozilla's search agreement with Google accounted for approximately 90 percent of our 2012 royalty revenue, as disclosed in our annual financial statement."

Winamp lovers beg AOL to open source code
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/11/winamp-lovers-beg-aol-to-open-source-code/

"The history of digital music started with Winamp," says the group, which includes nine developers who have pledged to improve Winamp if the source code is released. "Our goal is to convince Nullsoft [the AOL subsidiary behind Winamp] to release the Winamp source code and we will take it further in an open-source way."

Dell Staff Shows Ubuntu Linux Some Love
http://thevarguy.com/ubuntu/dell-staff-show-ubuntu-linux-some-love

The biggest news surrounding Dell's Ubuntu Linux offerings has been about the Project Sputnik XPS 13 laptop for developers. But in a sign of the healthy internal interest in open source support within the company, a Dell engineer recently posted instructions for loading Ubuntu on other hardware. They're unofficial, but they certainly don't hurt in keeping the Linux-friendly dream alive for fans of Dell's laptops.

New White Source Study Sheds Light on Open Source Security Risks
http://www.newsday.com/business/press-releases/new-white-source-study-sheds-light-on-open-source-security-risks-1.6493718

A recent White Source study of 2,944 software projects with open source components found that 23% had security vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, only 1.3% of the open source libraries with vulnerabilities were updated with the latest version. Ninety-three percent of the vulnerabilities in infected open source libraries had either high or mid-range severity.

Commercializing open source software via Shareware
http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/commercializing-open-source-software-shareware

Many software developers, like myself, have a difficult time finding the right balance between respecting the rights of the users of their software (such as releasing the source code under a license like the GPL) and earning a living developing that software.

New open-source database InfiniSQL aims for high performance at scale
http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/26/new-open-source-database-infinisql-aims-for-high-performance-at-scale/

A former engineer at Visa has built and open-sourced a database with these qualities in mind, called InfiniSQL. He’s now looking for people who’d like to test the technology, developers who want to work on it, and investors who want to bet on it.

***** Snippets

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