Developers

The Free Software Foundation has released the "last call" draft of version 3 of the GNU General Public License. The near-final draft simultaneously paves for the way for the controversial Microsoft-Novell Suse Linux distribution pact while at the same time inhibits similar deals from occurring again...

Google has created new Web software that runs both online and offline, allowing users to work just about anywhere -- even in places with spotty or no Internet connections. The new open source technology for creating offline Web applications, Google Gears, is a browser plug-in that will let people ru...

Following weeks of anticipation, open source software fans can now buy three Dell computers preloaded with Linux. The machines -- the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops, and the Inspiron E1505n notebook -- have factory-installed Ubuntu 7.04 Linux operating systems. Although the move is expected t...

Dell reportedly will launch three models of its much anticipated laptop and desktop computers loaded with Ubuntu Linux this Thursday. Although the company has refused to provide any details, blogger Jeremy Garcia -- a Linux advocate who runs the Web site Linuxquestions.org -- released an e-mail from...

A tiff between the world's largest chipmaker and an organization selling low-priced laptops to the developing world will ultimately benefit poor kids, according to one tech aid expert. "I think it's wonderful that Intel and OLPC are now competing," Wayan Vota, editor of OLPC News and director of Gee...

As new open source document standards emerge, Microsoft continues to expand interoperability options for its Microsoft Office customers. Microsoft has launched an open source project with Chinese organizations to support interoperability with Microsoft Office and the Chinese UOF standard, the compan...

Mozilla Labs, the division of Mozilla focused on developing new technology, is working on a new Firefox browser add-on that will let a mobile phone user collect interesting Web content, aggregate the content in Firefox, and then access it via a mobile phone. The project is called "Joey," named after...

Sun Microsystems is previewing a new family of Java-based solutions for creating and deploying rich Internet applications for use on mobile handsets, set-top boxes, PC desktops and anywhere else the Java Runtime Environment is deployed. Sun previewed the solutions, organized under the name "JavaFX,"...

Consumers are becoming more conversant with the use of the Linux OS embedded in many of their products, such as auto accessories, remote controls and cell phones. An even bigger secret is the extensive use of Power Architecture to run most everything else consumers and gamers touch. For instance, re...

What do you do when a thriving segment of the computing industry has an identity crisis because few people beyond key vendors know it exists? That's the dilemma many of the supporters of Power Architecture are trying to fix. One approach to establishing a better identity is to gather software vendor...

Adobe is making an aggressive push into open source with its plans to release the code for its Flex platform. The Flex SDK and documentation will be available under the Mozilla Public License in the second half of 2007. At the same time, though, Adobe will continue to make the Flex SDK and other Fle...

Canonical, the London-based commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, released on Thursday version 7.04 of its OS family, known as "Feisty Fawn." The latest releases contain upgrades for both the Ubuntu Server Edition and the desktop version. These versions use the standard Linux Gnome de...

Microsoft released a new Windows Media Player plug-in for the Firefox 2.0 open source Web browser Monday via its Port 25 blog. The official plug-in is one of several Microsoft is developing at its Port 25 Open Source Software Lab, according to the company. "I am very proud to announce that we have r...

Open source software provider OpenLogic last week announced the results of a survey focusing on the most recent draft of the GPLv3. The survey results indicate that OpenLogic Expert Community members are positive toward the most recent GPLv3 draft. Seventy-one percent of respondents who currently us...

Palm, maker of the Treo smartphone, announced Tuesday it is developing a Linux-based operating system for its line of handheld devices. The new operating system will lead to greater stability for its smartphones and also provide increased functionality, according to Ed Colligan, chief executive offi...