Some interesting news!!
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thu, May 22, 2008 at 11:29 PM Subject: [TECTONIC] MS ODF, Ubuntu Lite To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TECTONIC The source for open source news www.tectonic.co.za TECTONIC NEWS - Thursday, 22 May 2008 Who would have thought it? Just weeks after Microsoft concluded a bruising battle with the open source community over document standards the company announces it has plans to include Open Document Format support in Office. It's a step forward, but if you read what Microsoft's Jason Matusow has to say about open source in South Africa you have to wonder just how deep this supposed committment to open source at Microsoft really goes. On the distribution front, Mark Shuttleworth announced plans to release a version of Ubuntu for ultraportables next month, disgruntled Gentoo developers create a new distribution that they don't actually want you to use, and Red Hat and Suse issue important updates. This week we also released a beta version of the Tectonic Blog, a place for you to share your thoughts on open source software. Take a look at it at www.tectonic.co.za/blog. Do you want to contribute? Let us know and register on the site. Enjoy Alastair ----------------------------------------------- ULTRAPORTABLE UBUNTU VERSION OUT NEXT MONTH http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIOAR8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D Canonical head and Ubuntu founder, Mark Shuttleworth, says that Ubuntu will be releasing an ultraportable version of Ubuntu next month. RED HAT, SUSE UPDATE ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIOAB8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D Red Hat and Novell Suse yesterday both announced updates to their enterprise Linux operating systems. Red Hat released Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.2, which includes virtualisation, desktop, encryption and security updates. Suse Linux released Service Pack 2 (SP2) for its Suse Linux Enterprise 10 operating system. MICROSOFT TO SUPPORT ODF, AID OSS COMMUNITY http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIOAx8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D Fresh from a bruising battle with the open source community over document formats, Microsoft says it is ready to support the Open Document Format in its Office suite. The company has also laid out plans to implement support for its own Office Open XML (OOXML) format in its products. OPEN SOURCE SECURITY GETS THUMBS UP http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIOAh8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D The quality of open source code has improved over the last two years, according to an audit sponsored by the US Department of Homeland Security. SOUTH AFRICANS DON'T UNDERSTAND OSS - MICROSOFT http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIODR8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D Despite having an open source strategy the South African government doesn't really understand how to benefit from OSS. This is according to Microsoft director of corporate standards, Jason Matusow. Matusow, who was in South Africa on an 'external outreach' trip around the time SA adopted ODF as a national standard, writes on his blog that not only does government not understand how to benefit from open source software, but South Africans were unlikely to ever do any 'deep' development work on Linux. NEW OPEN SOURCE DNS SERVER UNBOUND http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIODB8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D A group of online experts this week released an open source alternative to the BIND DNS server software that the group claims boast higher performance and better security. THE GENTOO DERIVATIVE THAT ISN'T http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPBR8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D Gentoo developer Bryan Ostergaard yesterday revealed what he has been working on over the past few months: Exherbo. The only thing is, Ostergaard doesn't want you to use Exherbo, and even if you did it probably wouldn't work. RUN LINUX APPLICATIONS ON WINDOWS http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPBB8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D Mandrake Linux founder Gael Duval is back. This time he is behind the launch of a virtual Linux desktop that runs on Windows machines. Ulteo Virtual Desktop gives Windows users access to a full selection of Linux applications on their desktop. OBSIDIAN BECOMES ENTERPRISEDB PARTNER http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPBx8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D South African service provider, Obsidian, has been selected as a premier partner for EnterpriseDB. EnterpriseDB is an enterprise-focused database based on the open source PostgreSQL. FIREFOX 3.0 RELEASE CANDIDATE FLIES http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPBh8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D The Mozilla developers have announced a release candidate for Firefox 3.0. The release candidate includes new features as well as dramatic improvements to performance, memory usage and speed. MOONLIGHT RELEASES DEVELOPER EDITION http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPAR8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D Miguel de Icaza yesterday announced a source code release of Moonlight 1.0, the open source world's answer to Microsoft's Silverlight. OPENSUSE RELEASES NEW 11.0 MILESTONE http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPAB8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D The OpenSUSE team have released the third beta of the upcoming 11.0 release. SYNCHRONISE LINUX RELEASES, SAYS UBUNTU HEAD http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPAx8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D Canonical head and Ubuntu founder, Mark Shuttleworth, says that he would be prepared to adjust the release dates of Ubuntu if it meant they would match those of other major Linux distributions. CALL TO SUPPORT FREE AND OPEN STANDARDS http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPAh8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D The Digital Standards Organization (Digistan) and its supporters are calling on governments around the globe to use only free and open standards. LINUX ON ALL ASUS MOTHERBOARDS http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAIPDR8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D More good news from that quiet giant Asus. Last year the company announced Splashtop, an on-board version of Linux that would give users an instant-on desktop. ---------------------------------------- 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 www.tectonic.co.za/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1 or send your email address to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To advertise in Tectonic's weekly newsletter email [EMAIL PROTECTED] or phone 083-267-7657. For more information on the newsletter visit www.tectonic.co.za/?page_id=1958 Visit www.tectonic.co.za for the latest news and most up to date resources on open source software on the continent of Africa. All material copyright Free Speech Publishing. You are free to distribute copies of this newsletter on the condition that credit is given to www.tectonic.co.za. For permission to re-print articles that appear in this newsletter or on the www.tectonic.co.za website email [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To unsubscribe from this list visit http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAUGBB8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D To update your preferences visit http://tectonic.co.za/lists/lt.php?id=YR4ACAUGBx8GClAaVQwNBg%3D%3D -- Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com -- -- Subir B. Pradhanang www.fossnepal.org --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ FOSS Nepal mailing list: [email protected] http://groups.google.com/group/foss-nepal To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Community website: http://www.fossnepal.org/ -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
