Hi all, Forwarding you a very useful site from bytesforall list. Some of you may already know about it, but for those who don't, it seems to be a really good one.
http://www.tectonic.co.za/ Jwalanta, maybe you are already aware, but we could use this site for the FM news updates and FKK as well :) Cheers, Subir ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> TECTONIC NEWS - 17 May, 2007 Tracking the shifts in technology www.tectonic.co.za ------------ FSF READY TO BATTLE MICROSOFT http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1522&s=news Following the attacks earlier this week by Microsoft on the free software movement the Free Software Foundation has set up a new activist wing to fight back. SA UNAFFECTED BY PATENT THREATS http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1527&s=news Local open source developers and companies do not seem particularly concerned by the recent threats made by Microsoft. 'A storm in an American teacup,' is how Obsidian Systems' CTO Anton De Wet described it. MICROSOFT: OPEN SOURCE INFRINGES 235 PATENTS http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1514&s=news In a Fortune Magazine article over the weekend Microsoft made the claim that free and open source software 'infringes on no less than 235 patents'. While this announcement has kicked up some fuss among the open source community into a frenzy, for the most part it was received with little more than stifled yawns. FREE SOFTWARE MOVEMENT DEAD - MICROSOFT http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1515&s=news Redmond giant continues attack on free software movement with platform strategist saying Linux doesn't even exist in 2007. NOVELL REJECTS MICROSOFT PATENT CLAIMS http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1517&s=news Recent Microsoft partner Novell today distanced itself from the Redmond giant's claim that free and open source software violated more than 200 of the company's patents. TORVALDS TALKS TOUGH ON MICROSOFT http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1518&s=news Linux founder says it is likely that Microsoft violates more patents than Linux but no-one will know until the source code is openly audited. MICROSOFT 'EVIDENCE' TURNS AGAINST THEM http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1519&s=news Microsoft's evidence is turning against them in the heated issue of software patents. Steve Ballmer cited a report that stated Linux broke 228 patents, but the author of that report has lashed out at Microsoft for misrepresenting the report's findings, saying they found the opposite STUDENTS TRANSLATE WEBMAIL INTO LOCAL LANGUAGE http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1523&s=news isiXhosa speakers have translated the interface for Rhodes' University's email system in a 48-hour [EMAIL PROTECTED] The translated software is the first application of its kind that will allow the institute's students and staff to access email in their mother tongue. IT COMPANIES TO DECLARE IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1521&s=news For the first time South Africa's top 40 listed companies, which includes Telkom and MTN, have been asked to make available information on their greenhouse gas emissions. WIND AND SOLAR POWERED CELL SITE FOR NAMIBIA http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1524&s=news Motorola and GSM Association launch wind and solar cell trial in rural Namibia for MTC Namibia. FSF LAUNCH PLAYOGG.ORG http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1525&s=news In their ongoing battle against software patents, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) has launched PlayOGG.org, a campaign to promote the use of the OGG Vorbis standard for compressed audio. MICROSOFT SA PUNTS INTEROPERABILITY http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1526&s=news Unlike the Microsoft head office which appears intent on attacking free software, Microsoft South Africa is trying to position itself in a better light. It will start next week with an event to discuss interoperability. SAP AND NOVELL COSY UP http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1520&s=news Companies announce joint support for customers running SAP on Novell's SuSE Linux. Customers want integrated stack and support, says Novell chief. WIKIFYING EDUCATION http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1516&s=news EduWiki is a new wiki-type site aimed at providing, and gathering, information related to schooling in South Africa. Besides age-specific information to help children with school, there will also be various community related information for the family. CLEVER IT USE SLASHES CARBON DIOXIDE OUTPUT http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1512&s=news Switching off your computer at the end of day saves about 75 percent of the electricity it uses which could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by more than 500kg. UBUNTU MOBILE SHOWS OFF ITS CODE http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1513&s=news A week in sunny Spain and the Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded team have opened the way for developers to join the new mobile Linux project. RED HAT EXCHANGE GOES LIVE http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1509&s=news Red Hat yesterday launched Red Hat Exchange, a site where customers can buy open source software from the company's business partners. The list is a who's who of the open source world. FSF TO INCLUDE APACHE COMPATABILITY IN GPL3 http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1510&s=news The Free Software Foundation is on track to include Apache Licence compatibility in the next draft of the General Public Licence version 3. Previous drafts excluded this compatibility because of legal issues. OPINION ----------------------------------------------------- ONE SMALL STEP ONTO PLANET MONGO Jason Norwood-Young http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1504&s=news After years of writing about open source software Jason Norwood-Young decides to start creating his own open source applications. Now that he's built it will they come? REVIEWS ----------------------------------------------------- PREVIEW WEBSITES WITH COOLIRIS http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1511&s=news Do you suffer from too many pages open on your browser? Do you compulsively open multiple links, just out of curiousity of what might be on the other side? If so, Cooliris Preview may just be the Firefox add-on for you. ---------------------------------------- Contact Tectonic: Editor Alastair Otter [EMAIL PROTECTED] 083-267-7657 -- Tectonic's newsletter is sent out weekly to subscribers and delivers the best of open source news from around the continent direct to their desktop. To subscribe visit http://phplist.tectonic.co.za/lists/?p=subscribe or send your email address to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ FOSS Nepal mailing list [email protected] http://groups.google.com/group/foss-nepal Community website: http://www.fossnepal.org/ -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
