Technology News: Developer

FOSS and the Google Question
November 19, 2009

Devices based on Google's Linux-based Android operating system may be dominating headlines in the mobile world, but does the search giant *really* love FOSS? Google's introduction of the open Go programming language, for instance, has attracted considerable notice in the blogosphere, inviting widespread speculation as to how it will compare with competitors.

Microsoft FOSSifies .Net Micro Framework
November 18, 2009

The latest version of Microsoft's .Net Micro framework is now in the hands of the FOSS community. Microsoft announced at its Professional Developer Conference on Tuesday the release of version 4.0 under the Apache 2.0 license. The license transfer makes good on a longstanding promise from Redmond that it would make the popular .Net code base available as open source.

IT Needs Its Darth Vaders
November 17, 2009

If there were a psychiatrist seated across the room from us, and we were to present to her our feelings about information technology as a force in our lives, her diagnosis would be simple and immediate: We have an obsession. Maybe having nothing to do with technology itself at all, we're obsessed with the notion of a nemesis with an unfair advantage influencing the decisions we make.

Go Go Google Programming Language
November 11, 2009

Google on Tuesday announced an experimental new computer programming language called "Go." This combines the development speed of dynamic languages such as Python with the performance and safety of compiled languages like C or C++, the Internet search giant said. Go is still in the experimental stage, and Google says it is still working on it.

Yahoo Lets FOSS Community Drive Its Traffic Server
November 04, 2009

In a move that resembles a major food vendor giving away its prize recipe -- minus the secret sauce -- to all of its customers and competitors, Yahoo on Monday donated the source code for its Traffic Server software to the Apache Software Foundation through the Apache Incubator Project.

Firefox 3.6 Tweaks Are Mostly Under the Hood
November 03, 2009

Promising faster performance and a bevy of new features, Mozilla on Friday released the first beta version of its Firefox 3.6 browser. Built on the Gecko 1.9.2 Web rendering engine, the new version contains numerous improvements for developers and users, Mozilla said, including support for what it calls "personas," improved responsiveness and faster startup time.

Frankencamera Could Herald a New Digital Photography Era
October 20, 2009

There's a pieced-together monster shaking up the campus of Stanford University this fall, and it's named after the legendary, lumbering creature that Halloween nightmares are made of. It's the Frankencamera, and it's here to change the way digital photography is done.

An Autumnal Tour of Linux Workshops
October 08, 2009

As the days get shorter and temperatures get cooler here in the northern hemisphere, it's clear Linux geeks' thoughts have begun to turn to the many delights of the season. Yes, there are pumpkins, hay rides and apple pie aplenty as October wears on, but for real Linux geeks, one of the keenest joys of the season lies elsewhere.

Google Lashes Out at Android Dev
September 29, 2009

Google sent shock waves through the Android community late last week by launching a cease-and-desist order at well-regarded modder Cyanogen for bundling some of its closed-source applications with his CyanogenMod ROM. CyanogenMod is a free, heavily optimized build of Android 1.5r2 that focuses on performance and reliability.

Fat or Fit? The Penguin's Bulging Waistline
September 28, 2009

"The kernel is huge and bloated," said none other than Linus Torvalds during a panel at LinuxCon, triggering a discussion that's still generating heat in the blogosphere. Every time a new feature gets added, the problem gets worse, he reportedly said. It is "frightening that thousands of lines of kernel code are changing daily," said blogger Robert Pogson, but "it works."

Should Operating Systems Be Intuitive?
September 24, 2009

Should computers be intuitive, requiring little to no learning or thinking? For that matter, is it even possible for them to be so? "Nothing is intuitive," said Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack told LinuxInsider. "Think about it: We have to be taught to use a toilet, how to use a fork and how to drive. Why do we expect computers to be some magic thing that does not have a learning curve?"

Linpus Hones Moblin-Based Linux Lite
September 23, 2009

Linpus Technologies on Tuesday released Linpus Linux Lite 1.2, a new version of its consumer Linux software based on Moblin version 2 that's been enhanced with improved social networking applications and power management capabilities. The first version of the Moblin v2-based technology was released earlier this year.

GroundWork Cuts Ribbon on MonitoringForge
September 16, 2009

GroundWork Open Source, a provider of commercial open source systems and network management software, has launched MonitoringForge, a hub for IT administrators and developers interested in open source monitoring tools. The new site aims to encompass the monitoring space as a whole, as opposed to focusing on specific products or applications.

Trade-Offs, Evolution and the Truth About Mobile Phone Development
August 25, 2009

It has been said that a great user experience in mobile phone offerings is a combination of good engineering, marketing and graphical and user interface design. More importantly, it is about keeping the balance between all these elements. This is why the term "trade-off" is a recurrent one in the mobile phone industry.

The Joy of Linux Myth Debunking
August 24, 2009

Debunking long-held myths is always a gratifying exercise, but never is that more true than when said myths have done our favorite operating system harm. It was with great glee, then, that Linux Girl came across not one but two myth-debunking conversations on the blogs in recent days.

Google Gives Chrome Users Bookmarks to Go
August 18, 2009

Google on Tuesday announced a new feature that will let users of its Chrome browser sync bookmarks on multiple computers. Announced only a few weeks after its developers began working on the project, sync is yet another round fired in a browser war that appears to be drawing in even more players. However, it has also drawn some early criticism.