Practical Technology

for practical people.

April 9, 2010
by sjvn01
4 Comments

Linux’s worst enemies? Linux fans

Do you know why Unix failed to take off as a mainstream operating system? It wasn’t because it was too hard to use. Mac OS X, the universally acclaimed ‘easy’ operating system is built on top of BSD Unix. It’s certainly not because Windows is better. It wasn’t and it isn’t. No, I put most of the blame for Unix’s failure on its internal wars. Unix International vs. Open Software Foundation; BSD vs. System V, etc., etc. For the most part, Linux has avoided this…. for the most part.

That’s not to say that Linux doesn’t have its share of internal battles that don’t do anyone any good. Free software founder Richard M. Stallman’s insistence that Linux should be called GNU/Linux puzzles more people than it does bringing anyone to Linux, or GNU/Linux if you insist. In the last few days though, another Linux family fight has erupted.

This time around, it’s open-source developer and anti-patent political lobbyist Florien Mueller accusing IBM of breaking its promises to the FOSS (free and open-source software) community of not using patents against it. Mueller’s is ticked off that TurboHercules, an open-source z/OS emulator company, over its possible misuse of IBM patents, which includes two that’s covered by IBM’s pledge to not sue open-source companies or groups using these patents.

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April 9, 2010
by sjvn01
1 Comment

Get Off IBM’s Back Already!

The recent attacks on IBM patent use by some in the open-source community are way out of line.

First things first, I hate software patents as much as the next open-source supporter, but the recent claims that IBM has betrayed open-source with recent patent claims are way over the top. If it were just one person throwing mud at IBM I wouldn’t bother with responding to this, but with many other open-source advocates are jumping with both feet on IBM over the issue, I have to address it.

The story starts with open-source developer and political lobbyist Florian Mueller accusing IBM of breaking its promises to the FOSS (free and open-source software) community of not using patents against it. What had raised Mueller’s ire was that a letter from IBM CTO Mark Anzani to TurboHercules President Roger Bowler dated March 11, warning that IBM would defend its patents if TurboHercules used them without permission. TurboHercules sells an open-source virtualization program that lets users run z/OS and other mainframe operating systems on AMD, Intel, and other mainstream processors.

While Mueller and I usually see eye to eye on patent issues, I don’t think that an IBM executive sending a letter, not a lawsuit, over TurboHercules’ possible misuse of up to 173-patents, including two that are covered by IBM’s patent pledge to open source, rises to the level of IBM being hypocritical with its patents and open source. Or, that the European Union should start “Regulatory intervention against IBM.”

Simon Phipps, former master of all things open source for Sun, wrote that IBM actions against TurboHercules “indicates a change in the balance of power inside IBM, one probably reflected in other large corporations, as cloud computing rises in prominence and as the main disruptive force becomes Google — a large user of FOSS — instead of Microsoft.” Phipps concluded, “IBM doesn’t seem to need the FOSS community as a stick to beat its foes any more. This action tells us that there is now no FOSS advocacy function at IBM with the authority to veto actions against open source. All of us need to take note of this development.”

Excuse me. IBM has long been one of Linux and open source’s main supporters, and they still are. They did it then, and they do it now, not because IBM executives believe that open source is somehow the morally right decision. IBM supports open source because it makes good business sense. In short, IBM is an open source business.

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April 7, 2010
by sjvn01
2 Comments

C is number one!

Right next to my desk in a bookshelf is my 1988 copy of Kernighan and Ritchie’s the second edition of The C Programming Language. I’ve kept this book, the ur-text of C programming, because C has always been the first language of Unix and Linux and I like to be able to read source code. I knew that, over the years, C had declined in use. What I didn’t know was that, old as it is, C has actually maintained more of its popularity than I had thought and that now it’s once more the number one programming language in the world.

In a survey of programming language use by TIOBE Software, an analysis company focusing on software quality, they found that “After more than 4 years C is back at position number 1 in the TIOBE index.” It’s not, however, that C has suddenly gained new developers. No, “The scores for C have been pretty constant through the years, varying between the 15% and 20% market share for almost 10 years.” The real reason C’s is back on top is because Java use has been declining.

Still, as the company observed, while “Java has a long-term downward trend. It is losing ground to other languages running on the JVM. An example of such a language is JavaFX script that is now approaching the top 20.

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April 7, 2010
by sjvn01
0 comments

The Rise of Personalized Spam

In just today’s e-mail, I’ve received offers of “$8.500.000,00 (Eight million,Five hundred thousand United State dollars)” and similar garbage. Like most such spam it includes a link that, were I to follow it, leads to Windows malware. But, I also received an e-mail informing me that a real law firm was suing me because I’d libeled someone in one of my recent stories. That got my attention. There was one problem: It wasn’t real. It was a personalized spam message.

I didn’t fall for it because I know how law firms work inside and out thanks to my lovely wife, and if someone were suing me, the first I’d hear of it wouldn’t be via e-mail. Had I clicked on the link, which also looked real, the Web site would have tried to give me a case of Windows malware. Since I use a Linux system, the attempt did nothing but harmlessly bounce off my desktop.

Now, generic personalized spam is old news. You know the drill as well as I do. You get some trash message about cheap Viagra or some relative of a third-world dictator wants to give you a wheel-barrow of cash that uses your name. This was far more than that though.

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April 6, 2010
by sjvn01
1 Comment

Beyond Wi-Fi: WiMAX, LTE, and Windows 7

You might think that you wouldn’t need to worry with any new wireless technologies for your laptop, after 802.11n, with its 100-Megabit per second (Mbps) speeds, finally became a standard. You’d be wrong. Two new technologies, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), also called 802.16e, and Long Term Evolution (LTE), already are beginning to offer computer road warriors new wireless choices.

However, neither one will bring users a significantly faster network experience. In practice, both WiMAX and LTE top out at around 100Mbps. The real difference between these technologies is that instead of access point ranges measured in dozens of meters, these two standards can reach over 50 kilometers. How would you like to use a single “Wi-Fi hotspot” that can keep you connected at home, at the office, at your favorite coffee shop — and on the road between all these places? That’s the promise of both WiMAX and LTE.

Of the two technologies, WiMAX is the more mature. Numerous vendors have already released WiMAX network interface cards (NICs), which are certified by the WiMAX Forum industry consortium as compliant with IEEE standards and thus interoperable. WiMAX is already well accepted in Asia and, with the support of many smaller telecomm firms and the Intel, Google, and Sprint-supported Clear, it’s moving into major U.S. cities.

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April 6, 2010
by sjvn01
0 comments

What’s coming in the new Ubuntu Linux Desktop?

I’m already using the beta of the forthcoming version of Ubuntu 10.04 and I like it a lot. I decided to ask the good people at Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, what they thought about the new Ubuntu, scheduled to arrive on April 29th, and this is what Gerry Carr, head of platform marketing had do say.

One thing I noticed in looking at the beta of Ubuntu 10.04 was that Ubuntu, more than ever, is becoming the Linux desktop distribution for new users. I was right. Carr said, “We want new users.” Ubuntu has never been the distribution for Linux purists or experts. “We’ve always felt that one of the most important things that we can bring, hopefully, to open source is popularity as a desktop OS.”

Carr continued, “Open source projects have found success but are delivered on proprietary formats, which is great but not ideal. Delivering great open source or proprietary experiences but on an open source platform, and in a way where new users feel they are getting the best experience (not just best for free), is the real win-win.”

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