Linux

It seems fair to say that every tech community out there has its own hot-button issues that are pretty much guaranteed to get conversations flowing and blood pressures rising. The Linux community, of course, is no exception, and it's difficult to imagine a better illustration than a debate that came up recently over at Linux Advocates.

"The Linux Desktop Mess" is the title of the post that got the discussion going, and sphygmomanometers throughout the blogosphere have been getting a workout ever since.

'We Need to Do Something'

"Today we have Linux complete with all of the wonderful open source and choice at our fingertips," wrote Dietrich Schmitz, author of the post in question. "So much variety. That is trumpeted as a good thing. I would tend to agree, to a point."

There's a pressing need for standardization, Schmitz asserted, pointing to the Linux Standards Base (LSB) as a mechanism already in place to help make that happen.

"What would it take to join together to achieve LSB compliance for one file structure standard, one universal package management standard?" he asked. "If that were accomplished, we'd see the number of installers reduced substantially."

Standards "need not be a control issue," Schmitz added. "Standards help reduce costs.... We really need to do something about this before it gets out of hand."

Read More: Sorting Out the Linux Desktop Mess

Google Street View has unveiled shots from some of the world's highest mountains.

In addition to Argentina's Mount Aconcagua, Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro and Russia's Mount Elbrus, Google has now also captured photos from Everest Base Camp in Nepal.

Because Street View's camera-equipped vehicles were unable to make the trek, a tripod and digital camera were used. A 6.9 magnitude earthquake reportedly struck near Everest while Google was taking its images.

Report: Regulators Investigating Microsoft "Kickbacks" In China

Microsoft is being investigated for its relationship with business partners who allegedly used bribes to score software contracts.

A former Microsoft rep in China reportedly made the allegations, which are now being examined by the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission.

Regulators are also looking at Microsoft's relationships with certain resellers and consultants in Romania and Italy.

The government has not accused Microsoft or its business associates of wrongdoing. Indeed, it is possible that no charges will be filed.

Read More: Street View Captures Sky-High Mountain Views

From the first day of the tablet computing revolution -- April 3, 2010, when Apple's iPad became publicly available -- users have willingly traded limitations in computing form/function for innovations in access/interface.

In part, that was because Apple maintained a careful line between the iPad and its traditional Macbook and iMac products to avoid self-cannibalization. However, as time wore on, it also reflected PC and other vendors' inability to come up with compelling alternatives. That was largely due to the immaturity of competitive platforms and technologies.

Despite the rapid uptake and popularity of Android-based smartphones, vendors had trouble creating truly able, attractive and affordable tablets. PC vendors were even farther behind the curve, lacking operating systems, hardware and applications that could support touch-enabled features and applications, let alone the notable battery life of smaller, lighter tablets.

The situation fundamentally changed last fall with the launch of Microsoft's Windows 8, as well as the first touch-enabled notebooks -- or Ultrabooks, in Intel's parlance -- and all-in-ones based on the new OS. However, marketplace impact was anything but revolutionary.

Windows 8's learning curve -- not at all surprising for such a wholly revised and redefined product -- inhibited or irritated many PC users. Plus, the high cost of many systems made them a tough sell in markets still recovering from the worst financial meltdown in 80 years.

Read More: Dell's XPS 18: Radically Rethinking the Tablet

Once upon a time there was a modest young operating system named "Chrome OS."

It tried to live a quiet life helping others, but its ancient roots made some in the mainstream computing world wary. Not only was it one of the first examples of a new type of operating system, focused as it was on the browser, but it was also descended from Linux, the very name of which was still widely misunderstood among the masses.

One day, however, young Chrome OS was given a chance to prove itself. In a contest previously focused on its browser cousins, Chrome OS was invited to compete against the world's toughest hackers in the illustrious Pwnium 3 competition.

No Winning Entries

Naysayers laughed as the hackers rolled up their sleeves, but Chrome OS stood firm, secure in all the gifts it had inherited from its forebears.

The crowds watched with breathless anticipation as the hackers threw their deadliest weapons, but little Chrome OS remained standing through onslaught after onslaught. By the end of the day, when it emerged unscathed from a field of felled competitors, it was clear Chrome OS had inherited its ancestors' greatest treasure of all: the Cloak of Unhackability.

"We just closed out the competition," confirmed the final announcement on Google+. "We did not receive any winning entries but we are evaluating some work that may qualify as partial exploits. Thanks to those who attempted, see you next time!"

All eyes in the crowd turned with new respect to the young Chrome OS.

Read More: Chrome OS and the Cloak of Unhackability

Andy Rubin knocked it far out of the park with Android, but his job directing its development is now done. He'll be taking on a different role at Google, while Android operations will be pulled under the Chrome umbrella. There, presumably, Sundar Pichai will undertake the task of merging the two, perhaps addressing one of the common complaints about Android -- its fragmentation.

Andy Rubin, the man who helped maneuver Android into the No. 1 mobile OS position, is stepping down as head of Android at Google.

Taking Rubin's place will be browser and applications chief Sundar Pichai. The reshuffling effectively folds Google's mobile OS, applications and Chrome browser into one operation.

The Man Behind Android

Google CEO Larry Page has credited Rubin for making Android what it is today. Rubin introduced Page and cofounder Sergey Brin to the platform when he visited the company in 2004.

"He believed that aligning standards around an open source operating system would drive innovation across the mobile industry," Page wrote in a blog post. "Most people thought he was nuts."

Today, Google has global partnerships with more than 60 manufacturers for Android. Android has been activated on more than 750 million devices globally, and 25 billion apps have been downloaded from Google Play.

Rubin will be staying at Google in a role that is so far undefined -- at least to the public. He likely can write his own ticket, either at Google or another company.

Read More: Android Mastermind Rubin to Turn His Thoughts Elsewhere

"On the verge of success, [Shuttleworth] is waving the white flag, demanding defeat if he cannot be like Apple and M$," said blogger Robert Pogson. "It's a Greek tragedy, where the winner sees defeat and commits suicide. Sometimes great leaders are "just greatly wrong. The error here seems to be based on the idea that a single GUI should somehow work on huge monitors or tiny smartphones."

Given all the legends surrounding Apple's widely mourned Steve Jobs, it's not entirely surprising that comparisons should be made any time another tech leader begins to resemble him in any way.

Case in point: Mark Shuttleworth. The billionaire Canonical founder has actually been compared to Jobs on numerous occasions before, but lately the discussion was renewed afresh by a recent post on Linux Advocates.

"Is Canonical heading in Apple's direction?" is the title of said post, which was penned by none other than Muktware founder Swapnil Bhartiya, and it sparked quite a lively conversation on the young Linux news site.

'Canonical Didn't Do Anything'

"Canonical never addressed any major issues facing the Linux world," Bhartiya charged. "When Adobe decided to stop AIR support for Linux, Canonical did not do anything. Then Adobe decided to stop supporting Flash and again Canonical didn't do anything and left the users on their own.

"When secure boot became a serious concern, Canonical didn't do anything; it was a Red Hat developer Matthew Garrett who worked on a solution," he added. "So what is this largest open source project doing for Linux or other core open source projects?"

Adding further fuel to the fire was a later Muktware post, again by Bhartiya, accusing Canonical of fraud in its collection of donations for the support of flavors such as Kubuntu.

Bottom line? A considerable amount of "Ubuntu hate," as TechRepublic's Jack Wallen recently put it, in the community these days.

Down at the Linux blogosphere's Broken Windows Lounge, everyone had a pet theory.

Read More: Canonical: The Next Apple

Well March has arrived here in the Linux blogosphere and with it, widespread hopes for the rebirth and renewal of spring.

Linux Girl wishes she could say things have been calm and tranquil over the past few days, but of course they haven't -- this is the Linux community we're talking about, after all.

There have been many trials and tribulations for Linux fans recently, as is pretty much the norm, but surely the one weighing heaviest on Linux Girl's mind is the fate of Linux Advocates, a fledgling site that may be compared to the springtime chick of the Linux news world.



'Candid and Unbiased'

Founded just about a month ago by lifelong Linux advocate Dietrich Schmitz (with some help, it should be said, from Linux Girl), Linux Advocates is a young startup here in the Linux blogosphere that's designed to operate as a nonprofit. Original reporting and quality writing from community insiders are part of what it promises, as is a dedication to interpreting the news from a Linux perspective.

"Whereas most Linux sites seem to either regurgitate Linux stories from elsewhere or walk a fine line in terms of corporate advertisers and 'partnerships,' Linux Advocates will, by virtue of being a nonprofit and maintaining an independent status, be unencumbered to provide candid, unbiased, accurate and meaningful information from a Linux perspective," the site explains.

To keep itself going -- not to mention Schmitz himself, who has been left unemployed for over a year by the current economic mess -- Linux Advocates is now in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign.

'This Site Will Go Offline'

"I am happy to report that we had a banner start-up month recording 19,323 pageviews for February, 2013," wrote Schmitz in a post on Friday. "For a first month, I'd say that is a general measure of success.

"However, this site cannot continue unless we reach our funding campaign goal," he added. "In fact, if I cannot reach that goal, this site will go offline, I shall deplete all personal funds, file for welfare, and declare bankruptcy."

An Indiegogo campaign is now under way to help this Linux advocate keep himself -- and this promising young news site -- afloat.

Unfortunately, things are getting urgent.

Read More: Advocating for Linux on the Front Lines and in the Kernel

Red Hat, Inc., the world's leading provider of open source solutions, proudly announced a few hours ago, December 6th, the immediate availability of the final and stable version of the powerful Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 operating system.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 is a maintenance release, bringing new features and lots of enhancements in various areas, keeping the enterprise platform stable.

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 delivers significant improvements in virtualization, resource management and high availability, and offers new features in storage and file system performance and identity management."