modules

Maybe everything (not just VMware) violates the GPL

Larry Augustin, a venture capitalist and early open-source entrepreneur, made a really good point via e-mail in reference to my post about VMware violating the GPL. A range of people in the open-source community has been pointing the finger at VMware for allegedly creating derivative works of Linux in its ESX virtualization technology without contributing those changes back.

Larry's suggestion? If VMware is violating the GPL, so are a lot of others...with Linus Torvalds' (apparent) express permission. With Augustin's permission, here is part of his e-mail to me:

This is a longstanding general problem. It is not … Read more

Confessions of a Bluetooth convert

Thanks to California's new hands-free phone law, I have been dragged into Bluetooth land. It's not somewhere I really ever saw myself landing. I never really saw a need; I don't use my cell phone as frequently as anyone else I know, and my car tends to sit in the garage undriven for days, sometimes weeks.

With the enforcement of laws beginning in California and Washington last week, Bluetooth earpieces have become the rage--even when people aren't behind the wheel. Sorry in advance if I offend, but this strikes me as a bit odd--maybe not … Read more

Adding an aux input to a Subaru

There are plenty of options for connecting an iPod to a car stereo--increasingly, car makers themselves are offering full iPod control as an aftermarket add-on. But if you're like me and own multiple MP3 players, most of which won't work with the specialized iPod connectors, the solution's different: get an aftermarket stereo with a built-in auxiliary input or (better yet) a USB connection.

Subaru must have thought its customers didn't care about audio. The 2005 and 2006 Outbacks and Forresters came with decent-sounding stock stereo systems, complete with 6 CD changer. But for some unfathomable reason (… Read more

Facebook for Netvibes: Steals pageviews, productivity

Netvibes has a brand-new, first-party widget for Facebook that's been making the rounds today. It came in just after the publication of our Newbie's Guide to Facebook, but it would definitely have made the cut as a useful add-on. The custom module does what several of the third-party Facebook widgets manage, but with a good feeling of snappiness and a nice, clean layout. You can view the latest status messages from your friends, see if you have new messages, pokes, friends requests, or invitations to groups or events. There's also a link to your status, and any … Read more

Google Talk widget gets better

Google pushed out a nice update to the Web version of their Talk application earlier this week. Users can now have more than four conversations at once, embed Flickr slide shows into chat, and my personal favorite, pop out the chat list as its own window.

The Flickr slide show implementation is pretty slick, although I got a little confused trying to paste in the slide show URL, only to get a dead-end. Users need only paste in an album URL, and Google Talk will automatically convert it into a slide show for you. You can shuffle back-and-forth between photos, … Read more

New Google Talk module better than desktop app

Google has released a new module to use on its personalized homepage that retains the look and feel of its Windows-only installable chat application, Google Talk. What's interesting is that the Web-based version ends up having a few extra features you don't get with the desktop client. For instance, starting a conversation with a contact creates a new tab on the top of the interface. You can jump through these like tabs on a Web browser. It's far better system than the Google Talk application, which uses expandable horizontal bars like Microsoft Outlook.

There's also a … Read more