Open Source News

Here are some recent news items pertinent to open source software in general or to Openstrike in particular.

Workshop: Managing your web site

A workshop on "Managing your web site and optimisation" will be presented by Dr. Peter Houston of Openstrike on the 28th of May 2008. The workshop will include advice on making a success of a commercial web presence and optimisation for speed, accessibility and visibility. This breakfast workshop is organised by the local branch of the FSB but is also open to non-members. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

More details, including booking forms, are available at FSB Salisbury.

Uruguay orders first XO laptops

The first concrete order for the XO Laptop from the OLPC organisation has been placed by the government of Uruguay. Their order for a quarter of a million laptops indicates that the project is indeed viable and will allow many Uruguayan children to benefit.

Full details at BBC News.

SCO Loses

A judgement has been handed down in one of the long-running legal battles between the SCO Group and various open source organisations. In this particular case, the judge has ruled that Novell and not SCO owns the copyright to Unix. This lynchpin decision means that the rest of SCO's claims are likely to be dismissed without argument.

This is a major development and excellent news for Linux in particular and open source software in general. While not being much a surprise to anyone involved, it is still a very welcome endorsement of Linux.

Firefox hits 24% usage share in Europe

The popular open source web browser Firefox has reached an incredible 24% of the active use in Europe since its launch just 18 months ago. Given that this is just one of the available open source browsers, it seems reasonable to suppose that more than a quarter of European web traffic comes from purely open source browsers.

As more and more computer users come to appreciate the improved stability, security, reliablility, efficiency and ease of use of open source systems we can expect the popular support for closed source browsers to continue to decrease at an accelerating rate.

Full details from Xitimonitor.

OSDL and the Free Standards Group to merge

Two of the more respected open source organisations are merging to combine their influence and resources in a single new body - The Linux Foundation. This new group will be headed up by the current executive director of the Free Standards Group.

Birmingham City Council moves its desktops to open source

Following a year-long trial of Linux on the desktop, the city council in Birmingham has chosen to proceed with the rollout of open source operating systems and applications across its workforce. The initial pilot, which was assisted by the Open Source Academy, has converted 96 public desktops and 134 staff desktops to open source applications and the migration to an open source OS is expected to follow next year.

Details at Techworld.

Openstrike provides free integer conversion tools

Openstrike has today announced the introduction of two new integer conversion tools on their web site which are free to use by the public. The two tools allow convesion between decimal, hexadecimal and binary numbers and have been written using the open source language Perl.

French Government to go open source

The French National Assembly is converting to open source software on the desktop in time for the next session. Our European neighbours again demonstrate their forward thinking and their elected representatives are leading by example. It is significant that this is a desktop deployment to dovetail in with their previous conversions on the server side.

Full story at PC Advisor.

Malmaison migrates to Linux for stability

The hotel chain Malmaison is migrating its IT infrastructure away from isolated legacy DOS platforms to an integrated one based upon Linux. Chris Lewis, the IT manager at Malmaison said, "We are switching to an email messaging system running on a Linux-based product because we find it stable and cost-effective, and peer-reviewed software does not tie you to one standard or to one vendor."

This story is covered in depth by Computing.

22,000 schoolchildren in one state are now using Linux

The state of Indiana in the USA has already migrated 22,000 schoolchildren onto Linux desktops running open source applications, with a view to rolling the programme out to cover the 1 million children in the entire state in the near future. The lower support costs due to increased reliability and security, coupled with the lack of licensing fees mean that up to 100 million dollars can now be directed at education instead.

CRN have all the details.

Extremadura calls time on closed source and closed standards

In a landmark meeting on the 25th of July 2006, the local adminstration of the Spanish region of Extremadura elected to expand upon their previous commitment to open source software to the extent that the entire public sector will be migrated to open source and open standards within a year.

Techworld has the full article.

New UK business directory is launched

The Qualidex business directory has just been opened and is actively encouraging businesses in the UK to submit their details. Openstrike has been heavily involved in this project since the outset and continues to provide services to Qualidex on an ongoing basis. You can see some of the advantages of this directory straight away by viewing a sample set of results.

Get the facts - Linux has lower TCO

It's official - Linux has a lower Total Cost of Ownership. A new study by EMA has confirmed what most people knew all along. Due to copyright restrictions we are unable to quote directly from the report here, but the figures on virus and spyware activity are well worth a read.

"Extremely Critical" flaw exposed in Internet Explorer

The closed-source browser Internet Explorer (sold by Microsoft) has yet again come under fire for its risible security record. A flaw discovered some six months previously and not yet patched by the manufacturers has been exposed as being far worse than originally feared. While initially thought just to cause a Denial of Service, the flaw can now be shown to allow arbitrary code execution on a computer running the broken browser. The severity of this problem has caused security firm Secunia to release an almost unprecedented Extremely Critical advisory.

Lockheed chooses Linux for mission-critical defence system

Concurrent, the distributors of RedHawk Linux have announced that Lockheed Martin have chosen RedHawk as the operating system behind the Theater High Altitude Area Defese program for the USA Army. The key factors werer the precision and guaranteed response time of the operating system. This rather contradicts anyone who might claim that open source software is in any way unsuitable to mission-critical applications.

The full details are available on the Business Wire web site.

PCG demands answers on IR35

The PCG has called on the Paymaster General to the Treasury to come clean about the financial burden to the taxpayer of the current policies regarding IR35 investigations. As a business offering contractual services in the United Kingdom, and a member of the PCG, Openstrike is in full support of this action and awaits the government's response with interest.

The full announcement is available on the PCG web site.

Massachusetts says no to closed standards

According to an article on Forbes, the US state of Massachusetts will be ordering all of the public sector employees of the state to use only open standards for their documents. The report in question specifically mentions OpenDocument and PDF as the only permitted formats.

Major internet spy ring used flaws in proprietary browser

It has recently come to light that a criminal group has harvested a vast amount of private, personal data from computers running the proprietary browser Internet Explorer. A representative from Sunbelt, the company which uncovered the spyware said that the scale of the theft was unimaginable. Once more this highlights the danger involved in using proprietary network applications.

This story is detailed at Infoconomy.

Norwegian government signals the end for proprietary formats

In a move towards greater freedom the government of Norway has announced that it will no longer accept communications in proprietary formats. This is fantastic news for everyone connected with open standards and raises the bar for the rest of Europe.

The announcement was covered by The Register.

Open source laboratory opens for public sector

The government has launched a new open source laboratory for public sector organisations to use in evaluating open source without any impact on their live systems. This is an excellent opportunity for such organisations to fully explore the power, reliability and flexibility of open source systems in a controlled environment.

More details are available at ZD Net.

Linux use in enterprise databases doubles in a year

A recent report from Gartner has shown that in the last 12 months, revenue from Linux-based database servers has increased by a massive 118%. Over the same period, the market as a whole expanded by just 10%.

ZD Net have a full story on this report.

Open Source is the right choice for schools claims independent body

Both primary and secondary schools in the UK can benefit substantially by using open source software instead of proprietary operating systems and applications. This unsurprising news comes from no less a body than Becta (the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency) which has vowed to continue and extend its research in this area.

Online banks to recommend Linux to customers for security

According to ZDNet, the Australian company Cybersource is in discussions with major banks to use the inherent security in Linux live CDs to help protect their customers. The open source browser FireFox is used on the CDs for extra security so the bank does not need to worry about their customers using insecure proprietary browsers or operating systems.

Developing world to get $100 PC running open source software

According to Red Herring, Nicholas Negroponte is working with several leading technology companies to put together a personal computer for sale to governments in developing countries for a unit price of just $100 (approximately £57). Naturally, this PC will run open source software so that the users will be free from crippling licensing restrictions.

Financial sector use of Linux more than doubles in a year

As recently reported by Finextra, the number of wholesale finance organisations supporting Linux has increased from 27% in 2004 to a massive 58% in 2005. With over half of the sector now actively involved with Linux, there can be no doubt that this technology is highly valued in this demanding sector.

UN organisation releases desktop Linux guide

The International Open Source Network (IOSN), an organisation funded by the United Nations has released a User Guide to Linux on the desktop. Its aim is to provide assistance to developing communities who wish to harness the undoubted power of such open source systems.

BBC relies on Linux for Olympic coverage

The BBC has chosen Linux to power its coverage of the Olympic games in Athens this summer. This very high-profile deployment of an open source operating system showcases the benefits which it brings in terms of efficiency and reliability to the world's pre-eminent broadcasting organisation.

Full story at Computing.

Linux replaces proprietary solution for the French Ministry of Equipment

Continuing the recent trend, the Ministry of Equipment in France has chosen Linux to replace its current proprietary systems. 1500 servers are being upgraded to the new software now, with the possibility of one million desktop computers to follow.

Full story at ZD Net.

Online cable shop opens

Openstrike has launched a new online shop for the provision of custom made ethernet cables. These superior cables, which have in the past been used by Openstrike in the installation of computer networks for our clients, are now available to the general public through this new site.

Bergen switches to Linux

Yet another major european city has announced the migration of its core public sector IT infrastructure from proprietary to open source systems.

“In addition to the IT-based benefits from migrating to Linux, we attain a business model that doesn't tie us to a single vendor's solution architecture. By migrating to Linux, the City of Bergen has a business model that is open and democratic and, we believe, that will ensure a greater degree of freedom of choice, more efficient operation and major cost savings that will benefit the citizens,” said Janicke Runshaug Foss, CIO of the City of Bergen.

Full story at ZD Net.

Microsoft admits that open source is the way forward

Following its overtly robust position against the open source movement, Microsoft has finally realised what we've all known for many years - that open source is indeed the way forward. The Redmond behemoth is dipping its toe in the water with a release of the code for its WiX software.

Read the shocking truth at ZD Net.

Government publishes open source consultation document

The Office of the E-Envoy has published a cosultation document on the use of open source software and open standards within the public sector. This is an excellent opportunity for software suppliers and their customers to put forward the arguments for open source systems.

Small firms worry about reliance on Microsoft

According to a recent survey it seems that SMEs are slowly waking up to the fact that having a single supplier for all of their IT systems puts them at a serious disadvantage. A staggering 72% of small businesses want to lessen the dominance of Microsoft's products in their operations.

Paris considers open source migration

Hot on the heels of Munich's decision to switch to Linux, it appears that the French capital is considering taking the same path. Can this be in response to the recent MyDoom carnage? It certainly looks like a contributing factor given the timing. Another possibility is that the blustering response from Microsoft to the news that parts of its codebase have been leaked has posed the question: What do they have to hide?

Full story at ZD Net.

Microsoft's Gates to get knighthood shocker

To the total bemusement of the entire UK information technology industry, Bill Gates, the man who has done more than anyone else to drag the word “computing” through the mud, is to be given an honorary knighthood for his outstanding contribution to enterprise, employment, education and the voluntary sector in the UK. One can only wonder if Saddam Hussein is to be similarly commended for his outstanding contribution to international diplomacy.

Gory details at ZD Net.

Linux 2.6 is released

2.6 is here. The first production release is now available and things are looking pretty good so far.

Full story at ZD Net.

1 in 4 SMEs are trying Linux

In an IBM survey, the astounding success of Linux in reaching the SME market is revealed. One quarter of SMEs are actively engaged in Linux trials, with half expecting to replace their current proprietary system with the open source OS in the near future.

Full story at ZD Net.

Openstrike partners with Thawte Consulting

Openstrike has become a referral agent for Thawte Consulting and we are now in a position to offer SSL certificates for securing web servers and for code signing through our new partners at Thawte. SSL certificates are essential for encrypting communications between web browsers and web servers and must be used by e-commerce sites or those transmitting or receiving any sensitive information such as medical or financial records. To find out more about encrypting your web traffic or to obtain an SSL-enabled web server, please call us on 01722 770036 today.

More security flaws in MS Windows and Exchange

Yet more security problems have been found both in Microsoft's email and groupware server (Exchange) and in the underlying operating system (Windows).

MS Internet Explorer flaws outlined (again)

The latest in the very long list of security lapses with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser have provoked an angry respose from the internet security fraternity. If you use this insecure browser, you should consider one of the more secure alternatives.

Business First 2003

It was great to see so many of you at the show. We hope you found it as useful and beneficial as we did. Congratulations to our prize draw winner, Terry Brotherhood of Planned Occasions, who wins a day of consultancy at his premises. Congratulations also to the four runners-up: Song Xu of Slemba, James Grant of Business Finance Partners, Kim Chapman of Chapman Design Associates and Maria Mina of 4ward coaching - we will be in touch soon to help you choose your UK domain names!

Openstrike were exhibiting at Business First 2003 in Croydon on the 8^th and 9^th of October. There were demonstrations of Linux on the desktop, a chance to talk about the benefits of open source, and a competition to win a day of on-site consultancy. The white paper “How Open Source Software Benefits Business” which was available at the show can be downloaded here in PostScript or PDF format.

Sobig

Another virus rampaging across the net is called Sobig. You may have heard of this one, and if you are running a proprietary email client, you could well have been infected. Why run the risk? Switch to open source and have peace of mind as well as a healthier bank balance. Everyone wins, except for the peddlers of insecure, inferior software.

Read about it at C-Net.

MS Blaster

Of course, users of open source operating systems are immune to the notorious MS Blaster worm which only affects those running Microsoft's proprietary operating systems. Do you use anti-virus software? Are you happy to pay one company to protect you from defects in the software you bought from another company? We thought not. Call us today to discuss the open source alternatives.

Read about it at ZD Net.

Other news

More headlines are available at Small Business News.

Home