linux

Many of the most interesting big economic landmarks in IT have happened around what might be called "re-platforming," as users take existing applications and redeploy them on new platforms, such as we see when applications move from corporate data centers to the Amazon Web Services EC2 or the Rackspace Cloud.

We see this trend every few years, for example when the IT masses switched from the mainframe to the client server world, and then again when we went from big iron Unix to Intel-driven X86 commodity platforms. Today, cloud and virtualization represent the next major re-platforming trend as … Read more

Future versions of Ubuntu will include the cross-platform Qt interface libraries and could come preloaded with Qt applications based on the framework, according to Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical and the Ubuntu Project.

Shuttleworth announced the decision on his blog yesterday, noting that, following the Linux platform's Natty Narwhal release, the company will need to assess the benefits of including Qt apps and frameworks with the disc and download installation by default.

"Ease of use and effective integration are key values in our user experience. We care that the applications we choose are harmonious with one another and … Read more

LAS VEGAS--A new gadget from Aluratek takes the idea of an Internet-enabled TV and ramps it up a few notches.

Being demonstrated this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, the new device lets you use your TV as a full computer with the ability to surf any Web site. The device is so new that it doesn't yet have an official name. The working title is Plug PC, but that may change based in part on the response it gets from the crowds at CES.

How does it work? Plug PC contains an embedded copy of Ubuntu Linux. Just … Read more

Few would question the impact that mergers and acquisitions have had on the IT landscape over the past year, and most people believe the acquisition trend will continue to heat up in 2011. Market consolidation is already happening with big companies getting bigger, and a host of start-ups are looking to carve out a niche.

One of the biggest consolidators via acquisition is IBM. Big Blue has acquired no less than 65 companies since 2003 and in an exclusive interview with CNET, IBM Senior VP and Group Executive Steve Mills told me the company will continue to look for acquisitions … Read more

The Linux Foundation is releasing its "Who Writes Linux" analysis, illustrating who crafts the code, the pace of its evolution, and which companies are behind the kernel's development.

Kernel development follows a time-based release model with a new release occurring every two to three months. This is designed to help speed the development for all Linux distributions so that each one doesn't need to make kernel-specific updates or changes. More than 6,100 individual developers from more 600 different companies have contributed to the kernel since 2005, according the report.

Jim Zemlin, executive director of the … Read more

Adobe Systems has announced a beta release of Flash player 10.2 for all supported platforms (Windows, Mac, and Linux) that includes a new "Stage Video" feature that promises high-performance video playback which uses "just over 0 percent CPU usage," according to a news release issued today.

Adobe has been developing GPU acceleration in recent builds of Flash player, and the Stage Video feature in the 10.2 release now offloads the whole video rendering pipeline to the GPU, so not only is H.264 decoded in hardware, but other adjustments such as color conversion and … Read more

Novell today announced that it would continue to be the owner of its copyrights to Unix.

The news comes just two days after Novell announced plans to be acquired by Attachmate as part of a $2.2 billion deal that also involved the sale of some of the company's intellectual property being sold to the Microsoft-organized tech consortium CPTN Holdings.

"Novell will continue to own Novell's Unix copyrights following completion of the merger as a subsidiary of Attachmate," Novell's chief marketing officer, John Dragoon, said on the company's site earlier today.

What remains to … Read more

Brainteasers can be both fun and useful, helping you develop your problem-solving skills and memory while also providing hours of addictive entertainment. Gbrainy is a basic program that contains a variety of different mental challenges, effectively helping you pass time and sharpen your mind. It's not the most attractive program we've ever seen, but it's not bad for what it is.

Gbrainy's interface is plain, especially for a game; there is a handful of colored buttons across the top, but the rest of the interface is pretty drab. User can choose between four different types of … Read more

Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices has joined the MeeGo open-source Linux project where it will contribute its expertise to drive the adoption of MeeGo in tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices.

Unveiled earlier this year, MeeGo is an open-source operating system created through a merger of Intel's Moblin OS and Nokia's Maemo software. The MeeGo OS is designed to run on mobile gadgets, including Netbooks, tablets and phones, and on embedded devices, such as connected TVs and in-car systems.

The MeeGo project is run by the Linux Foundation, a nonprofit group whose goal is to push the growth and … Read more