Practical Technology

for practical people.

October 21, 2009
by sjvn01
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Red Hat’s number one

Microsoft will get the headlines tomorrow with the release of Windows 7, but, on the server side of life, Red Hat is quietly becoming the dominant player. Don’t think that Microsoft doesn’t know that. I find it fascinating just how many of Windows 7’s best business networking features, like DirectAccess and BranchCache, requires you to also have Server 2008 R2.

While Microsoft, as always, wants to tie you down, desktop, laptop, server and all to Windows, Red Hat is continuing to show that an open-source, open-standards Linux server company can deliver the IT goods to business customers. Besides owning the lion’s share of the Linux server market, Linux’s overall market-share of the server market continues to grow. According to the latest IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker numbers, despite the fact that everyone in the server biz’s revenue is taking a hit, Linux server revenue actually continues to grow. It’s now up to 13.8% of all server revenue, which, in practice, means that Red Hat is continuing to gain on Windows’ server revenue lead.

You don’t have to take mine or IDC’s word for it. The stock market agrees. On October 19th, 2009, at the end of the NASDAQ day, Red Hat’s share price was $28.46 with Microsoft lagging behind it at $26.36. Yes, that’s right. Red Hat’s shares were worth more than Microsoft.

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October 20, 2009
by sjvn01
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IBM & Canonical to launch Ubuntu desktop for business

Recall how IBM and Canonical launched the Ubuntu IBM Client for Smart Work Linux desktop in Africa? Wish you could get one in the States? Well, wish no longer, the two companies are introducing an Ubuntu-based Linux-based desktop package for arrival in 2010

The IBM Client for Smart Work with Ubuntu is being built on top of Ubuntu 9.10. For applications, it uses IBM’s OCCS (Open Collaboration Client Solution software). This includes Lotus Symphony, IBM’s take on OpenOffice, and Lotus Notes for e-mail and groupware.

You’ll be able to run the Ubuntu-powered IBM Client both as a traditional desktop operating system and as a virtualized desktop. If you elect to go the virtual route, the IBM Client can run off either a cloud or servers using Virtual Bridges’ VERDE (Virtual Enterprise Remote Desktop Environment) software

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October 19, 2009
by sjvn01
3 Comments

Windows unsafe for online banking? Shopping?

People, who like Linux, like yours truly, often harp on the fact that Linux is more secure than Windows. And, so it is, but most people still stick with Windows since that’s what they know and like so many bad habits it’s hard to break. That’s especially true when the benefit, improved security, isn’t seen as giving an immediate benefit. In the last few weeks, though, experts who aren’t Linux fans, have been noticing that these days there are so many dangers with shopping or banking online while using Windows that they’re now recommending people use Linux instead.

The most prominent example of this is The Washington Post’s security columnist, Brian Krebs. Krebs recently recommended that after interviewing “dozens of victim companies that lost anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000 dollars because of a single malware infection,” he’s now recommending that, “commercial online banking customers consider accessing their accounts solely from non-Windows systems.”

As Krebs points out, he’s not the only one. The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, an online financial-sector security forum recommends business users, “”carry out all online banking activity from a standalone, hardened, and locked-down computer from which e-mail and Web browsing is not possible.”

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October 19, 2009
by sjvn01
1 Comment

SCO fires CEO Darl McBride

No one has taken SCO’s lawsuits against Linux-using companies seriously for years, but somehow or the other SCO kept hanging on like a bad cold that you couldn’t quite shake. The main reason for this was that SCO CEO Darl McBride doesn’t know the meaning of surrender. Time after time, McBride would come up with a new buyer or a re-take on a long dead anti-Linux legal claim and SCO would stagger forward once more. Until now. This morning, October 19th, SCO filed an 8K with the SEC, which announced that the company had fired McBride.

It took them long enough.

To be more precise, SCO, under the order of the Bankruptcy Court, has “eliminated the Chief Executive Officer and President positions and consequently terminated Darl McBride.” That leaves COO, Jeff Hunsaker; CFO, Ken Nielsen’ and General Counsel, Ryan Tibbitts nominally in charge. It’s clear as glass though that it’s the Chapter 11 Trustee, Edward Cahn, former chief U.S. district judge, is the one who’s really calling the shots.

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October 15, 2009
by sjvn01
1 Comment

No, that’s not the Google Chrome OS

I know lots of people who really want to see Google’s Linux-based Chrome operating system. I should. I’m one of them. But, alas, that story going around that there’s been a leak of Chrome isn’t true.

The tales goes that this guy was knocking around Google’s Chromium file archives, when he found the code for the operating system. He then announced his findings and released the code on RapidShare, a pay to download Web site.

Interesting download site choice don’t you think? That’s what I thought. I then looked at the screen shots and I thought this looks real familiar. Of course, it did. I quickly recognized an early version of Google Chrome Web browser for Linux.

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October 15, 2009
by sjvn01
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Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News

The good news is that Microsoft says it thinks it can get most of your data back. The bad news is how the problem happened in the first place.

OK, here’s the good news about the Microsoft/Sidekick data loss fiasco: Microsoft corporate vice president Roz Ho claims that “We have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage.” Here’s the bad news, the data was lost in the first place because of a “system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up.”

I’ll get back to why that’s bad, but first, let me point out that Microsoft isn’t saying the problem’s all better now. They’re saying that they think they can get most of the data back for most Sidekick users. Microsoft engineers are working on restoring customer data, starting with contact lists and then moving on to other information. But, “Before Microsoft begins this process, the company must first check the data to make sure it is stable and finalize the data restoration plan.”

In other words, don’t hold your breath. I’ll be interested in seeing how many of the burned Sidekick users actually get all their data back at the end of the day.

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