Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 14:14:44 -0400 (EDT)
From:"Linux Pipeline Newsletter" <linuxed@techwire.com>
Subject: [LXP] Linux Pipeline - 05.17.2006 - Bored No More Linux Pipeline Newsletter | Bored No More | 05.17.2006
Linux Pipeline Newsletter
www.LinuxPipeline.com
WEDNESDAY, May 17, 2006


In This Issue:
  • Editor's Note: Bored No More
  • Top Linux News
        - Sun To Make Java Open-Source Software
        - ICANN Turns Down .XXX Domain In Controversial Vote
        - Sun, Microsoft Team To Improve Java-.Net Interoperability
        - More News...
  • Editor's Picks
         - Sun's Open-Source Java Plan: Many Questions, Very Few Answers
        - IBM Bets Big On Open Source In Next Lotus Notes Release
        - Ballmer: Linux Gains Set Microsoft R&D Agenda
        - More Picks...
  • Voting Booth: Does Enterprise Linux Have A Future?
  • Get More Out Of Linux Pipeline

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    Editor's Note: Bored No More

    Before announcing yesterday that it would release Java under an open-source license, Sun's executives might have considered the matter very carefully. They might have debated the pros and cons of open-source Java; invited outside experts to weigh in on the matter; and then settled on a carefully-timed plan for getting the job done.

    But they didn't. Rich Green, Sun's prodigal software boss, said yesterday about Sun's decision to open-source Java: "At this point, it's not a question of whether. It's a question of how."

    Actually, if it was a question of "how," we would still be waiting. Here's what we know so far: Java will, in the not-too-distant future, be available under an OSI-approved open-source license.

    Here's what Sun knows about its plan, that it hasn't told us yet: nothing.

    In fact, I'll bet that the entirety of Sun's open-source master plan for Java consisted of the following steps:

    Step One: Wait for the ink to dry on Scott McNealy's resignation letter.

    Step Two: Send an intern downstairs to make sure McNealy's parking spot is empty.

    Step Three: Jonathan Schwartz and Rich Green flip a coin to see who gets to make the announcement.

    Taking care of the details on this improv act won't be a problem, mostly because Sun has more experience organizing, launching, and managing open-source projects than almost any other for-profit organization on the planet. Even if Sun's lack of planning was a problem, the alternative -- another JavaOne event filled with day after day of inane, pointless yapping over the open-source Java "debate" -- was probably too hellish to contemplate.

    As one analyst, Red Monk's James Governor, said yesterday, "I hope Sun moves onward with it quickly, because I'm really bored with the question." Amen, brother.

    See you next week.

    Matt McKenzie
    Editor, Linux Pipeline
    mattcmp@sonic.net
    www.LinuxPipeline.com


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    Top Linux News

    Sun To Make Java Open-Source Software
    At the JavaOne conference on Tuesday, Sun Microsystems said it plans to release Java under an open-source license: a historic step, but one that will have more of a behind-the-scenes impact on the technology, which is already mostly publicly available.

    ICANN Turns Down .XXX Domain In Controversial Vote
    An ICANN proposal to dedicate an Internet domain to adult-oriented Web sites goes down to defeat; critics say the vote proves that ICANN is a captive of U.S. political interests.

    Sun, Microsoft Team To Improve Java-.Net Interoperability
    Sun Microsystems and Microsoft announce plans to cooperate on a series of projects to promote interoperability between the companies' competing Java and .Net enterprise app-dev offerings, including security, messaging, and quality-of-service issues.

    Apple Patches 43 Flaws In OS, QuickTime
    Apple Computer patches more than 40 vulnerabilities in its Mac OS X operating system, and associated applications, including a number of zero-day bugs and several that may present an unusually high risk of compromising users' systems until they are patched.

    BellSouth, AT&T Added To Lawsuit Over NSA Spying
    BellSouth Corp. and AT&T Inc. are added to a $200 billion lawsuit Tuesday, alleging that telecommunications companies violated privacy rights by turning over customer phone records for use in a U.S. government call-tracking program to detect terrorist plots.

    Libraries Fight Bill Targeting Social Networking Sites
    The American Libraries Association is fighting a House bill that would force libraries to limit kids' access to social networking tools -- a category that could include any site using instant messaging, chat, and even Web-based email applications.

    Mozilla Unveils New Firefox 2.0 Alpha
    Mozilla Corp. releases "Bon Echo Alpha 2": the organization's latest pre-release version of its forthcoming Firefox 2.0 update, and the first to reflect Mozilla's recently-modified version 2.0 feature set.

    VMware Alliance Tackles Desktop Management
    Hoping to accelerate the spread of desktop virtualization tools, VMware has formed an alliance of 25 hardware, software and services providers, focused on using virtualization tech to solve a number of desktop-management problems.

    Startup Brings Web-App Model To Linux Platform
    A startup is looking to do to Linux what Microsoft Corp. is attempting to do to Windows -- to transform it into a platform for delivering desktop applications as Web-based services.

    Microsoft IE Usage Slips Since January; Firefox Gains
    Firefox continues its long, slow climb against Internet Explorer, gaining more than half a percent of the global Web-browser market since January.

    French Senate Waters Down DRM-Interop Bill
    The French Senate bowed to intense lobbying pressure, passing a watered down digital copyright bill that replaces a DRM-interoperability requirement with what critics see as a useless and "irresponsible" bureaucratic-review process.


    Editor's Picks

    Sun's Open-Source Java Plan: Many Questions, Very Few Answers
    Sun is finally committing its "crown jewels" to a completely Open-Source future. But for thousands of developers, and millions of end-users, details such as who will manage the code, when they will take control, and which licensing model they will use, remain sketchy.

    IBM Bets Big On Open Source In Next Lotus Notes Release
    The new version of Notes will include support for the open-source, XML-based OpenDocument Format (ODF), and it will be the first major commercial collaboration client based on the Eclipse open source framework, IBM says.

    Ballmer: Linux Gains Set Microsoft R&D Agenda
    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the company will redouble its technology-development efforts in key areas where Linux currently outsells his company, including high-performance computing and security appliances.

    Beyond Outlook: Five Alternative E-Mail Apps
    If you've had it with Microsoft's email bloatware, one of these five independent packages may suit your needs. Five writers advocate for their favorites -- including one of the most popular open-source software choices.


    Voting Booth: Does Enterprise Linux Have A Future?

    Cast Your Vote Now!
    Red Hat and Novell aren't the only two enterprise Linux vendors -- but they are the only two that most people can name. That market dominance, however, may not be enough to allow either company to survive on its own.

    Can Novell and Red Hat survive the enterprise software jungle? Will Oracle turn either of them --or both of them -- into open-source roadkill? Let us know, cast your vote!


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    ------- Advertisement -------------------
    Join InformationWeek and HP for a FREE, live TechWebCast and gain insights to the irresistible power of change management to drive large scale organizational change like ITIL and a proven approach to harnessing it, with examples of client successes. Wednesday,June 7,2006 - 9:00-10:00 AM PT/12:00-1:00 PM ET
    "http://www.techweb.com/webcasts/changemgt060706"

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