Software

The Mozilla Foundation yesterday urged users to download the latest security update to Firefox, its popular open-source Web browser. Firefox 1.0.5 is a security update that addresses several bugs and makes improvements to the software's stability, according to Mozilla. In all, the new version addres...

The battle between Microsoft- and Linux-based servers just got a new twist. It is spelled N-O-V-E-L-L. While many IT managers are still arguing about which platform is fundamentally better, Novell is hoping to generate a buzz around its new Open Enterprise Server system. Open Enterprise Server is a ...

The adoption of service-oriented architecture (SOA) is accelerating, as collaborative efforts like the Celtix Project gain momentum, experts said. Dublin, Ireland-based Iona Technologies last month disclosed that it is planning to contribute proprietary technologies for Celtix, a Java-based open-sou...

The monitoring and management of open-source software is becoming a significant market opportunity as users seek ways to mitigate risk and developers pursue revenue streams for their "free" software offerings, experts said. A 2004 Forrester Research survey of 140 large North American companies revea...

IBM and Sun yesterday announced a 10-year extension of their Java technology agreement along with plans to deliver IBM middleware support for the Solaris 10 operating system on SPARC, x86 and x64 systems. Analysts said the agreements play a key role in Sun's new direction. "The next wave of economic...

People often ask me how likely it is that an open-source license like the GNU General Public License will ever be enforced. When they ask that, they usually mean: "If I violate it will I get caught?" It's a legitimate question, if one lays aside moral rhetoric, such as the idea that proprietary so...

As part of an effort to foster innovation and help developers more quickly and easily build applications using the eBay and PayPal Web services platforms, eBay today introduced a new online forum for open-source developer collaboration. Free to all eBay Developers Program and PayPal Developer Networ...

Linux distribution developer Xandros announced earlier this week that it will release localized editions of the Xandros Desktop operating system in German and French. The company plans to make the new editions available in the fall. "We have received many requests from individuals and enterprises fo...

Linux vendor Mandriva today said it would buy North American Linux distributor Lycoris in a deal that could open up new markets to a top Linux reseller, especially in the home personal computer space. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. It was the second acquisition this year for France-...

In a bid to recover lost market share, Sun Microsystems today officially released Solaris as open-source software. Sun hopes to compete more effectively against rivals Red Hat, IBM and Microsoft with its open-source strategy that shares code from its once popular Unix version. With Linux and Microso...

EnterpriseDB made its official debut in May with the release of its EnterpriseDB 2005 public beta release. Built on the open-source PostgreSQL database, the company is touting it as the world's most advanced and mature open-source database. While MySQL, the open-source database leader, may have some...

While Mozilla is celebrating over Firefox's growth in Europe, the open-source browser maker is simultaneously up in arms over software vulnerabilities. A security research firm is reporting Mozilla's current browsers are once again susceptible to a seven-year-old flaw that could let malicious people...

When it comes to open-source technology, there are three camps. Some companies are fully dedicated to open-source software. Others wouldn't dare stray from the commercial applications they know and trust. Still others are interested in integrating open source at some level -- so long as it doesn't r...

In a move to extend its open-source portfolio, Red Hat announced plans to release the Red Hat Directory Server yesterday. The announcement came alongside the launch of its Red Hat Certificate Management System at the first annual Red Hat Summit in New Orleans and officially moves the company into th...

IBM announced last week that Hong Kong-based Duty Free Shops (DFS) plans to unveil a technology system for international shoppers in the DFS Galleria mall located at the international Naha airport in Okinawa, Japan. The new integrated, Linux-based solution will enable shoppers to move quickly and se...