Category: NewsFeed

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Info on MSFT’s Linux Lab Operation

Meet the Head of Microsoft’s Linux Lab
“Before joining Microsoft about a year-plus ago, Hilf was instrumental in driving IBM’s Linux technical strategy for its emerging and competitive markets organization. Before his stint at IBM, Hilf was the senior director of engineering for eToys, where he helped build the company’s e-commerce business infrastructure. All told, Hilf has been involved with the open-source world for over a dozen years, he said.

Hilf says he spends a lot of time “making Linux more transparent to Microsoft managers.” He does a lot of educating around the open-source development, testing, deployment and licensing models, he said.“

There is also a good set of interviews with Martin Taylor and Bill Hilf at Channel 9 that sheds some light Microsoft and Linux. Part 1 | Part 2

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Deploying Linux Desktops in a Windows Environment

Linux in Government: Linux Desktops in the Enterprise with Microsoft Terminal Services | Linux Journal
“Enterprises considering Linux as an alternative desktop to Microsoft Windows often believe they have some essential Win32 applications or tools that prevent them from making the switch. I have seen CIOs eliminate the Linux option because someone advising them failed to mention how Linux can run Win32 applications. In fact, Linux has the ability to run Windows applications in a number of different ways.“

Good article outlining ways that Linux desktops can be deployed while still making Windows applications available to the users.

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Tiger Server Roars, Too

Tiger Server Roars, Too
“While most of the attention Friday is on the client version of Apple’s latest release of its Mac OS X operating system, Tiger Server is a major event in itself. It bridges the worlds of open source, Unix and Windows, and may be the key to finally gaining Apple a foothold in the corporate data center.

Integrated into Tiger Server are a secure instant messaging server, a mail gateway with spam and virus filtering, and a Weblog server—all of which can integrate directly with corporate directory services and access control systems, including LDAP and Microsoft’s Active Directory Service…

And since Apple doesn’t charge for CALs (client access licenses), an Apple box running Tiger Server could do the same job as a Windows 2003 system for hundreds or thousands of dollars less.“

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Verizon To Drop NYC Hotspots

Verizon decommissions wireless LAN hot spots in N.Y. – Computerworld
“Citing low usage levels, Verizon Communications Inc. plans to decommission the 380 free Wi-Fi hot spots in New York City that it had turned on for its DSL customers two years ago.

Fewer than half the hot spots were generating more than 80% of the traffic. “Usage didn’t live up to our expectations,” a Verizon spokeswoman said. “Customers didn’t take advantage of it.”“

I wonder if people really want o be online all the time anyway? I mean I certainly want access to information that is found on the net at any given moment, but I don’t want to be constantly followed around by email, IM, Skype, RSS, etc. I just want to know when the next boxing match is on TV or how much the doodad I just find at Goodwill is selling for on Ebay.

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Novell Hires Samba Co-Author

Novell Tightens Its Open-Source Embrace
“Novell is continuing its embrace of the open-source community with new hires and the promise of even greater integration with key open-source projects.

Novell Inc. has just hired Jeremy Allison, co-author of the Samba open-source software suite, which delivers file and print services to SMB/CIFS (Server Message Block/Common Internet File System) clients.“

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First Podcast Driven Radio Station

Infinity Set To Debut First Podcasting Radio Station
“Beginning today, users will be able to upload podcasts of varying lengths for free at www.kyouradio.com where it will be eligible to be selected for broadcast. Programming on the station will be determined by listener interests and feedback, and evaluated on a daily basis.“

Picked this up via Scripting News. Sounds like a neat idea, but it could get a little scary:) The site mentioned right now is a little bare, but it does invite you to upload your podcasts. I couldn’t find any public information about copyright, royalties to podcasters, etc. so there is no way of telling what happens when you upload your stuff. The general terms of use of site are pretty standard, but I wonder, if I upload something, do I lose control of it? Am I signing over copyright? Do I get royalties? Should I just be happy that I’m geting ‘air time’? I’m sure a big opreation like Infinity has thought these things out. It would be nice to share.

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WordPerfect, Not Dead Yet, Gets An Email Client

Corel adds e-mail client to WordPerfect suite | InfoWorld | News | 2005-04-26 | By Joris Evers, IDG News Service
“The e-mail client is based on Bloomba, which was distributed by San Mateo, California-based Stata Labs until that company was acquired by Yahoo last October. Bloomba was lauded by reviewers as being efficient and easy to use, but it lacked a high profile. Yahoo discontinued distribution of Bloomba after it bought Stata Labs.

Corel was in talks with Stata Labs before it was taken over by Yahoo and has now struck a deal with the Sunnyvale, California, Internet company to distribute Bloomba as WordPerfect Mail, said Richard Carriere, a general manager at Corel. Details of the agreement were not disclosed.“

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Pegasus Mail Ponders Open Source

Pegasus Mail and Linux
“As discontent with Microsoft’s “business practices” grows, we have seen unprecedented interest in alternative solutions for operating systems and applications. As a natural consequence of this, I have received numerous, or maybe even innumerable requests for a Linux version of Pegasus Mail. As a corollary to these requests, I have had a lot of people suggest that I also move to an Open Source basis for maintaining the Pegasus Mail and Mercury source code.

In the past, I have taken a cautious “wait-and-see” approach to the idea of Open Source. I am now willing to accept that it is a valid model, and that it is producing some genuinely excellent packages (such as FireFox, of which I am inordinately fond). Ideologically, I believe that Open Source and I are a good match, and I would like to consider going that way.“

Pegasus Mail has always been one of my favorite windows email clients. I hope David Harris finds away to take it to open source.

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DoubleClick bought for $1.1 billion | InfoWorld | News | 2005-04-25 | By InfoWorld staff

In Brief: DoubleClick bought for $1.1 billion | InfoWorld | News | 2005-04-25 | By InfoWorld staff
“Two U.S. private equity firms have bought online advertising company DoubleClick for $1.1 billion, DoubleClick announced Monday. The firms, Hellman and Friedman and JMI Equity, expect to complete the deal in the third quarter. JMI Equity, which focuses on the software and business service industries, will hold a minority interest. Hellman and Friedman sees the acquisition of DoubleClick as an opportunity to extend its online advertising and marketing and data businesses, in part though the recognizable DoubleClick brand as well as utilizing its experienced staff, the company said.“