Clipmarks | rmowery's OpenSource collection

Open-source fans mixed on Microsoft move

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:58:53 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Open-source fans mixed on Microsoft move

Open-source fans can be a skeptical bunch, but I've seen their collective opinions shift--for example in the gradually diminishing loathing for Sun Microsystems as that company stopped deriding Linux and started moving its portfolio to open-source software.

So it's not a surprise that various representatives had a mixed reaction to Microsoft's move Thursday to share details of its technology with open-source programmers.

The move could make it easier for many projects to work well with Microsoft products and potentially replace them--for example the Thunderbird e-mail software could communicate better with Microsoft Exchange servers and also displace Microsoft Outlook on PCs. But Microsoft also made it clear that a pledge not to sue open-source programmers only applied in "non-commercial" contexts, so open-source fans didn't get everything they want.

Tags: open source, microsoft, linux, apps

Open Source Clothing -- Cool Idea

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:53:53 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: For those that know how to sew --- this is awesome.

Clip Source: www.burdastyle.com

Collections

Tags: sewing, open source patterns, clothing, fashion

Virus writers use open-source methods

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 19:08:26 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: news.com.com

Virus writers use open-source methods

By Tom Espiner
Special to CNET News.com

Malicious software writers are increasingly using open-source methodologies when developing their code, according to security company McAfee.

In its Global Threat Report for 2006, McAfee warned that more hackers are sharing source code and ideas freely. This includes distributing source code with documented explanations and annotations of how that code works, which helps programmers adapt it.

McAfee said that this can be an extremely effective way of developing code, both legitimate and malicious.

"Like any powerful tool, open source can also be used for malicious purposes, particularly in security," McAfee said in its Global Threat Report for 2006.

"DoomJuice was a mass-mailer that distributed a copy of MyDoom. Maybe the author was proud of their skills being reused. It contained the documented source code of MyDoom, like a Lego kit with instructions," said McAfee UK security consultant Greg Day.

So-called script kiddies, who download easy-to-use malicious software from the Internet, have long been a reality. But McAfee's report claims that more virus writers, especially those involved in organized crime, are forming communities and typically share information over IRC (Internet Relay Chat) networks.

However, these groups are much harder to join than open-source software communities, as the malicious software writers try hard not to attract the attention of the authorities.

Tags: organized crime, virus writers, open source methodology, computer crime, security, technology

Bringing free software to the masses

Tue, 09 May 2006 19:00:31 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: news.com.com

Newsmaker: Bringing free software to the masses

You'd think it would be easy to research the right-hand man of free-software icon Richard Stallman, given the mass of information online about the free-software movement.

But a search on "Peter Brown"--the executive director of the Free Software Foundation--and "free software" produces only 14,000 hits on Google and little information about Brown's past.

So when we visited the foundation's headquarters in Boston, it was a surprise to discover a clean-cut, business-suited Englishman from Oxford--very different from FSF founder Stallman, with his impressive beard and baggy clothes.

Their backgrounds are also totally different. While Stallman is a programmer, having almost single-handedly developed the original version of applications such as Emacs and the GNU C Compiler, Brown has a background in business and finance, and he only dabbled with coding when he was in his teens.

Despite these differences, the two men share the same goal--in basic terms, freedom around software, but more specifically, to give people the freedom to run software for any purpose; to study and adapt that software, passing on the improvements to the public; and to freely redistribute copies of the software.

Both men are responsible for the overall direction of the Free Software Foundation and seem to offer complementary skills, with Brown coming across as more of a pragmatist than Stallman, whose idealism and drive to fulfill his goals has led him to spend his life telling people across the world about free software.

Tags: fsf, freeware, stallman, gnu, peter brown, programmer, businessman, opensource

OpenSource CMS -- Try Before You Install

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 05:48:09 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: This is cool as you can test out lots of opensource systems for free before you spend time downloading and getting them setup.

Clip Source: www.opensourcecms.com

Latest 5 posts	Latest 5 threads (Posts)
Re:Easy PHP/Xampp CMS + XP by chanh	Easy PHP/Xampp CMS + XP (2)
Re:Access to PHP-Fusion by fcmonier	Re:Help w/ PHP + Localhost (5)
Easy PHP/Xampp CMS + XP by will	updates (1)
Re:Help w/ PHP + Localhost by will	CMS for integration of existi ... (2)
Re:Help w/ PHP + Localhost by will	CMS-Game Site (1)

Tags: open source, php, cms, java, trial