Oracle gives OpenOffice.org to Apache

According to a June 1 post on ZD Net by David Meyer, "Oracle has ceded control of the OpenOffice.org code base to the Apache Software Foundation Incubator project." This opens up some interesting possibilities for universities and others looking to reduce their dependence on proprietary software. According to Meyer:

OpenOffice.org is the most popular free productivity suite, and a major rival to Microsoft Office. The software giant said it was 'donating' the open-source code so as to "demonstrate its commitment to the developer and open source communities".

If folks look at OpenOffice.org they may find it offers all the features they need without having to deal with licensing fees and complex activation schemes.

Apple vs. Google battle part of a philisophical tech war?

According to a recent Business Week article, "The Valley giants both want to determine how users access the mobile Web. Eric Schmidt's exit from Apple's board may be the shot that starts the race in earnest." The article goes on to say:

"By most measures—revenue growth, stock appreciation, magazine cover stories—Apple and Google are the two most successful and influential companies of the past decade. Yet their visions for how the computer industry will shape up in the next one could hardly diverge more."

I love Apple's hardware and interfaces, but the company is far from being open. Its closed position on things as simple as employees blogging, to its tight grip on developers, has been noted many times. In my opinion Apple is a closed company, tightly guarding its public image. The secrecy of the health of its CEO is just one of many examples of the walled garden that is Apple.

Google, on the other hand, has embraced open source technology and philosophy. In my opinion this is not just about companies, it is another battle in a bigger philosophical tech war. The real war is the war of open source vs. proprietary computing.

As Apple is the Microsoft of hand held computing devices (like the iPhone) this battle was to be expected. It is Linux vs. Microsoft all over again, except this time the battle is not over desktops. This battle is over what is in the palm of your hand. This war is far from over

Technorati Tags: Google, Open Source, Apple, ssloansjca

Free VM Ware?

Do you want to run Windows on your Mac but don't want to buy Parallels or VMWare Fusion? There is a free program called VirtualBox that is Open Source that reportedly does the same thing. According to their Web site:

VirtualBox is a family of powerful x86 virtualization products for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). See "About VirtualBox" for an introduction.

It is on my list of things to try out. As companies lay off talented programmers expected that pool of talent to find expression supporting Open Source projects like this.

Technorati Tags: VirtualBox, Open Source, Apple, ssloansjca

Androids are coming

Android Developer Contest Winners Announced

Remember Android?
Android was announced an Internet eternity ago on November 5, 2007. According to Wikipedia, "Android is a software platform and operating system for mobile devices based on the Linux operating system and developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. Google has pledged to make most of the Android platform available under the Apache free-software and open-source license, once it is released in 2008." Android has been heralded as an open source alternative to Apple's iPhone platform.

Well, we are approaching Q4 of 2008. There was a contest, called the Android Developer Challenge, to design applications for this platform. Does the Android platform measure up to the iPhone platform? Let's look at some of the winners of that contest.

Technorati Tags: iphone, gphone, Apple, ssloansjca

Get Linux

There will be a Linux Installfest on Saturday, March 8 from 11am to 4pm in the SCE room, ENGR 294. Bring your laptop or desktop for help with installing, configuring or troubleshooting Linux. We will also provide support for setting up a dual-boot configuration. For questions please post here or contact Andrew at atomlins (at) email.sjsu.edu.

rms at SJSU

Camera Phone Post: "rms" speaking at SJSU
Richard Matthew Stallman who launched the GNU Project (Gnu's not Unix) expousing Free Software that sought to and finally brought to the world a free version of UNIX (with help from Linus Torvolds) spoke at SJSU today. Most of what he said I have already heard, but what a thrill it was to hear rms (lower case intentional) say it himself. In the first edition of the Hacker's Dictionary, he wrote, "'Richard Stallman' is just my mundane name; you can call me 'rms'." This was the name he used in him computer accounts. Hacker, in those days, was a term for a person who made things work through unique and creative methods and it did not have the negative connotation it now has.

UPDATE: More and better photos here on Flickr

Richard Stallman coming to SJSU

Free Software GNU Guru coming to SJSU on Sept. 11th
Richard Stallman will speak about the goals and philosophy of the Free Software Movement, and the status and history of the GNU operating system, which in combination with the kernel Linux is now used by tens of millions of users world-wide. This speech will be accessible to all audiences and the public is encouraged to attend. The speech is Tuesday, Sept 11 3:00-5:00pm San Jose State University, "Umunhum Room", Floor 2, Student Union Building, Student Union, Inc., One Washington Square, San Jose, CA.

Technorati Tags: San Jose State University, SJSU, CSU, California State University, San Jose, ssloansjca