Ubuntu Sverige

Microsoft and DoubleClick: What if Redmond wanted to lose?

The pundits have spoken: Chalk up another win for Google and another loss for Microsoft in the bidding war for display-ad vendor DoubleClick.

Many industry watchers believe Google was wiling to pay a whopping $3.1 billion as much because of its desire to keep DoubleClick out of Microsoft's hands as for DoubleClick's customer and partner lists. And if you thought Microsoft was doomed before in the online advertising market, the Redmondians are really toast now thanks to the DoubleClick loss, some sages are claiming.

But what if Microsoft bluffed? What if the Microsoft didn't really want DoubleClick and simply wanted to bid up the price that Google had to pay to make its latest acquisition? I know I might sound like a Microsoft apologist trying to explain the DoubleClick loss. But think this through:

If you look at Microsoft's spending patterns, as of late, the company is leaning more toward doing less-than-$1-billion-sized acquisitions. In the increasingly rare cases when Microsoft does shell out big bucks (like close to $800 million for TellMe), it's because it envisions the target as a technology acquisition, not an advertising/customer acquisition. Did Microsoft view TellMe as more of a mobile-search purchase or a voice-technology buy? I'd bet the latter….

Läs mer här.........

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=390

Ubuntu 7.04 to Arrive April 19

For Linux business users, the most important Linux release of 2007 so far is Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. But for most other Linux fans, the upcoming release of Ubuntu Version 7.04 on April 19 demands more attention.

This new v7.04 release encompasses five versions: Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Desktop, Edubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu. Along with the self-explanatory server and desktop versions, Edubuntu is meant for educational uses; Kubuntu is a desktop platform that uses KDE 3.5.6 for its desktop environment instead of Ubuntu's GNOME 2.18; and Xubuntu is a desktop for lower-end PCs and uses the lightweight Xfce 4.4 desktop manager.

Läs mer här...........

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,21 ... X1K0000594

Ubuntu 7.04 arrives Thursday

For Linux business users, the most important Linux release of 2007 so far is Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. But for most other Linux fans, the upcoming release of Ubuntu Version 7.04 on April 19 demands more attention.

This new v7.04 release encompasses five versions: Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Desktop, Edubuntu, Kubuntu, and Xubuntu. Along with the self-explanatory server and desktop versions, Edubuntu is meant for educational uses; Kubuntu is a desktop platform that uses KDE 3.5.6 for its desktop environment instead of Ubuntu's GNOME 2.18; and Xubuntu is a desktop for lower-end PCs and uses the lightweight Xfce 4.4 desktop manager.

The family is built around the new Linux 2.6.20 kernel. As a cutting-edge distribution, Ubuntu's developers try to bring together the latest and best of open-source software every six months. Users interested in a more settled, stable distribution with full support can turn to Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Long Term Support).

Ubuntu Server

Ubuntu 7.04 Server Edition adds support for hardware facilities that speeds the use of virtual machines, and boasts improved hardware support and easy upgrades.

On x86 systems with the Intel VT or AMD-V extensions, Ubuntu supports the new KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine support) virtualization, which was first implemented in the Linux 2.60.20 kernel. This enables users to run multiple virtual machines on unmodified Linux. Each virtual machine has private virtualized hardware: a network card, disk, graphics adapter and so on. Canonical Ltd. officials said Ubuntu is the first Linux distribution that supports VMware's VMI (Virtual Machine Interface), which provides optimized performance under VMware.

A great advantage to this, said Ubuntu's leader and financial backer Mark Shuttleworth, in a Linux-Watch interview, is that KVM and VMware makes it easy for Linux to support paravirtualization-style virtual machines. Unlike, "Xen, which is not quite there yet, VMware and KVM work on Linux without a special kernel, while still producing great performance numbers."

Jane Silber, Canonical's director of operations, stated, "Virtualization is becoming de rigueur in the data center and we've made it a priority to incorporate it into this latest release. Our users want choice and ease of use, so whether as a guest or host operating system, Ubuntu 7.04 will support commercial virtualization products such as VMware, as well as open-source projects including Xen and KVM."

The server also has a new management tool that enables simple, automated upgrading to new releases of Ubuntu. This completes the ability to easily and safely upgrade Ubuntu whether using it on the desktop or server. The server tool gives administrators control over how the upgrade will be undertaken and lets the manager override decisions where required. By default the upgrade tools provide full dependency-checking and task upgrades ensuring the server remains functional. Whether using Ubuntu server on a single system or across a data center, this ability to upgrade seamlessly should help administrators save time and money.

In addition to virtualization support and easy upgrades, new server features include:

* A range of new performance improvements including better performance on multicore processors, support for the Processor Data Area and optimizations for 64-bit architectures.

* New print and sound support through Jetpipe, a printing architecture, and PulseAudio sound server for thin clients.

* Improved availability of network services via improved scheduling for highly parallel services. Services such as SQL and Apache should remain more responsive and stable under heavy loads.

* Secure remote network installation using a remote SSH (Secure Shell) terminal.

* Improvements on UltraSPARC systems so that Ubuntu recognizes other operating system installations and can install without damaging data or operating systems.

* An updated LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Python/Perl) stack, which includes new versions of Apache, 2.2.3; MySQL 5.0.38, Python, 2.5; and PHP 5.2.1.

* Updates to the supported cluster suites: Updates to the latest software along with the latest Red Hat GFS (Global File System) and OCFS2 (Oracle Cluster File System). The server also includes technology previews of GFS2 and the new local mount capability for OCFS2 for administrators to start testing before production deployments.

Ubuntu Desktop

On the desktop side, the new Ubuntu comes with a Windows migration tool. The tool recognizes Internet Explorer bookmarks, Firefox favorites, desktop wallpaper, AOL IM and Yahoo IM contacts, and imports them all into Ubuntu during installation. This offers easier and faster migration for new users of Ubuntu and individuals wanting to run a dual-boot system.

While Ubuntu is not embracing proprietary software the way Freespire has, this new version does make it simpler to work with proprietary multimedia formats. It includes a new guided wizard for automatically installing multimedia codices not shipped with Ubuntu, which gives users a safe and easy way to experience proprietary music and videos.

Ubuntu 7.04 will also work with Linspire's upcoming open CNR (Click 'N Run) application installation program, which will let users easily install both open-source and proprietary programs.

Shuttleworth added, however, that "There are no plans to make CNR part of the default package management." Users who prefer to use the traditional Synaptic Package Manager or even the command-line Deb commands can continue to do so.

The new desktop also includes plug-and-play network-sharing support with Avahi. This is a system that facilitates service discovery on a local network. Its functionality is similar to Apple Mac OS X's Rendezvous and Bonjour. This Zeroconf (Zero configuration) enables users to immediately view and use network-enabled printers and file and media servers.

All versions of Ubuntu 7.04 will be maintained for 18 months on both the desktop and server, with additional free support available from the Ubuntu community. For deployments that require additional service guarantees, full telephone and online support is commercially available globally from the professional support team at Canonical and service partners.

http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3252861445.html

New DVD Restrictions Loom

HD DVD and Blu-ray protection is in question after recent hacker attacks on AACS.

Next week, new HD DVD movies will hit the shelves that won't play on some players, the first countermeasure by the content and software industries to combat intensive efforts by hackers to break copy-protection technology.

The move comes four months after hackers first poked a hole in AACS (Advanced Access Content System), the complex encryption scheme used to protect HD DVD and Blu-ray Discs. In the interim, they've been able to decrypt HD DVD movies and, theoretically, upload them to file-sharing networks.

Läs mer här...........

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,13076 ... ticle.html

Ban DRM, Says Norwegian Group

Venstre political party urges end to limits on how consumers can use and distribute legal software.

A small Norwegian political party has called on the government to ban DRM (digital rights management) and legalize file-sharing, responding to growing consumer opposition in the country to restrictive controls on downloading and duplicating content from the Internet.

Norway's liberal party, Venstre, approved a resolution on Sunday seeking, among other things, to limit technologies, such as DRM, that limit how consumers can use and distribute legally purchased digital music or software.

"We have a unique opportunity in the world to distribute culture, ideas and knowledge in a way that was never possible before," said party spokesman Jonas Stein Eilersten. "We believe our resolution is a big step in this direction."

Läs mer här..........

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,13075 ... ticle.html

Google Rivals Urge Antitrust Scrutiny

Regulators may examine Google's purchase of DoubleClick as potential monopoly in the online advertising market.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Internet and media rivals to Google Inc., fearing an unprecedented consolidation of power in the online advertising market, are expected to urge regulators to closely scrutinize the Web search leader's $3.1 billion deal to buy DoubleClick Inc.

Google on Friday beat out Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. to buy Web ad supplier DoubleClick, securing a leadership position as the Internet's top advertising business.

Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, said the deal would allow Google to corner the online advertising market and provide them access to a huge amount of information on consumer behavior on the Internet.

Mer om saken här.........

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,13076 ... ticle.html

Google Moves to Radio Ads

Search giant contracts with with Clear Channel for 30-second audio ads on AM and FM stations.

Google Inc. has struck a deal with Clear Channel Communications Inc. to sell 30-second audio ads on its AM and FM radio stations, reinforcing Google's advertising sales business beyond the Web.

The deal, announced on Monday, comes two weeks after Google announced that it will sell slots on EchoStar Communications Corp. digital satellite television service.

The Clear Channel deal will give Google access to a guaranteed proportion of the 30-second slots on the 675 Clear Channel stations covered by the deal. Clear Channel and Google also announced plans to link their respective advertising sales systems, Viero and AdSense for Audio.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,13075 ... ticle.html

DRM strikes again

YES ! It appears that Sony have done it again. In their zeal to make their DVD movies copyproof (yeah right) they have in fact made their latest releases unplayable on some DVD players, including my Sony DVP-CX995V DVD player.


http://sonystrikesagain.wordpress.com/

Microsoft sheds light on Flash rival

Microsoft's answer to Adobe Systems' Flash Player has an official name--Silverlight--and a coveted target audience: media and entertainment companies bringing video to the Web.

The company intends to release a beta of Silverlight, formerly called Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere (WPF/E), at the Mix07 conference for designers and Web developers in Las Vegas later this month.

Along with the public launch of Silverlight, Microsoft announced a number of media and advertising agency partners that have shown interest in using the software. Partners include Major League Baseball, online video broadcaster Brightcove, Netflix and Akamai Technologies.

What's new:

Microsoft on Monday plans to launch Silverlight, a Web browser plug-in for playing media files and running interactive Web applications.
Bottom line:

The introduction of Silverlight at a media and entertainment conference is part of Microsoft's plans to dethrone Adobe's Flash Player for Web video.

Also at NAB, Microsoft introduced a digital content management tool called Interactive Media Manager. The company says the software works with its existing SharePoint Server product and is targeted at companies in media, entertainment, advertising and marketing. No price was announced.

Silverlight, which has been under development for at least two years, is a player that can display Web applications on both Windows and the Mac in Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari. The download of the player will be less than 2 megabytes.

Läs mer här........

http://news.com.com/Microsoft+sheds+lig ... =nefd.lede

Notes on Vista forensics

The problems are not only related to forensic software, however, and while some may be addressed with a simple driver update others may be considered even more fundamental as Scott A Moulton of Forensic Strategy Services, LLC. explains: "I still have major problems mounting large drives under Vista. I use many 1 terabyte or 2 terabyte drives and Vista is absolutely worthless on these drives - I'm lucky if Vista does not actually mess the drive up. Deleting files is a nightmare and sometimes takes days. Just simply copying files is so slow it is unbearable. "I received quite a few responses from people who have had similar issues and it seems that DRM [Digital Rights Management] may be the most probable cause. They've found that Vista tries to check each file to see if there is a protection flag on it or not before even deleting the file."

Jamie Morris, SecurityFocus, The Register

Microsoft's 'Men in Black' kill Florida open standards legislation

It was just a bit of text advocating open data formats that was slipped into a Florida State Senate bill at the last minute with no fanfare, but within 24 hours three Microsoft-paid lobbyists, all wearing black suits, were pressuring members of the Senate Committee on Governmental Operations (COGO) to remove the words they didn't like from Senate bill 1974.

http://enterprise.linux.com/article.pl? ... 4&from=rss

Vad är det här, får jag konkurrens som nyhetsreporter?

TOPPEN, tack för hjälpen mcNisse!

(nyheter är alltid spännande)

Mark Shuttleworth: "Time for Mass Consumer Sales of Linux on Desktop Has Not Yet Come"

Mark Shuttleworth: "Time for mass consumer sales of Linux on desktop has not yet come"

The founder of the Ubuntu-project talks in an interview about the integration of proprietary drivers, the One Laptop per Child project and "great applications" from Microsoft

In the fall of 2004 a new distribution entered the Linux scene: Ubuntu. It's popularity grew quickly, making it the number one Linux distribution according to Distrowatch. Ubuntu was initiated by the South-African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth, who made a fortune by selling his own company Thawte to Verisign in the Nineties and was therefore able to guarantee the funding for the project. Till today Shuttleworth remains the "face of Ubuntu", Andreas Proschofsky spoke with him - amongst other things - about the current status of the distribution, the competition and the One Laptop per Child project.

Läs mer här..........

http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2845484

Linux winds of change: friction between Ubuntu and old guard

I remember a couple of months ago being warned by an acquaintance from the Linux crowd that within that community there are some very closed minds. Never has that remark hit home as hard as in the past two weeks. However, it appears that winds of change are afoot, with a growing rift between some old guard stalwarts and the stewards of the increasingly popular Ubuntu distribution.

If one wants to get a flavour for what's going on, then visit an article and subsequent postings on a site called Penguin Pete's Blog which could be described as some as virulently anti-Ubuntu, although the author of the article and the site developer Pete Trbovich would probably deny that.

Trbovich has a great writing style and the logic of his argument does appear consistent. It is also unashamedly elitist. Acording to Penguin Pete, Ubuntu is not really Linux but a cultural cringe to refugees from Windows. Paraphrasing his words, Ubuntu is a Linux distro that is trying to stretch itself like taffy to fit Windows users.

Läs mer här.........

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/11403/1023/

Sun 'Fawns' Over Ubuntu 

Ubuntu 7.04, codenamed Feisty Fawn, is set for its official release today. Along with advanced virtualization features, the release provides access to some of Sun Microsystems' Java platform technologies.

Sun and Canonical, Ubuntu's commercial sponsor, consider the Java platform technology inclusions as an important milestone in a larger effort of collaboration. Sun's Netbeans IDE, Glassfish Java Application Server, Java SE and Java DB 10.2 will all be available to Ubuntu Feisty Fawn users, but they won't be part of the core Ubuntu software repository.

Läs mer här...........

http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/ar ... hp/3672751

Michael Dell's Linux Choice? Ubuntu

What operating system do the heads of Fortune 500 companies run on their personal laptops?

In the case of Michael S. Dell, president and CEO of Dell, it's Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn.

Yes, the head of Dell, with a market-capitalization of just south of $56 billion, isn't just saying that Dell will be selling Linux-equipped PCs in the near future—he's already running Linux at home.

Läs mer här..........

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2115645,00.asp

Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) is out!

After weeks of patient waiting, I'm finally downloading Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn.

The download servers are obviously being hammered at this time and the file is coming in very slowly (and getting slower by the minute).  However, if you've got nothing better to do, you can always join the crowd and get yourself a copy - download available here.  Release notes for 7.04 can be found here.

I'm pretty sure I'll have a lot more to say about 7.04 soon …

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=364

Microsoft’s Linux defense: $3 Windows-Office bundle in emerging markets

Microsoft can't afford to have open source software dominate emerging markets–or it's growth is toast. The solution: $3 Windows for governments to give away.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates outlining a plan to provide low-costs bundles of Office and Windows to governments, who in theory would load these on PCs for students to use.

Ina Fried reports the details (Techmeme discussion, Microsoft statement):

The collection of software, which will start shipping in the second half of this year, includes Windows XP Starter Edition, Office Home and Student 2007, Windows Live Mail Desktop and several educational products. The $3 price includes the software license, while backup discs and documentation will cost extra. In order to be eligible, governments must pick up at least half the tab for the PC, though the software can also be used on refurbished computers, which can cost as little as $50, Microsoft said.

Läs mer här..........

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=4877

Sun Takes Lead in Open Source

European Commission reports Sun contributes to more open source projects than any other company.

A recent report on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) prepared for the European Commission measured Sun's activity within the GNU/Linux community. The report found that Sun contributes substantially more code to a Linux distribution than any other organization, including IBM, Red Hat, Novell, Hewlett-Packard, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


Windows XP will be around a lot longer than you think

Over at CNET News, the bold headline reads: No more Windows XP as of 2008. And the opening line continues the theme: “Starting next year you won’t be able to buy a new PC loaded with Windows XP…” A PC World story echoed that report, noting Microsoft’s plans to “discontinue shipments of Windows XP to OEMs on January 31, 2008.” The PC World reporter went out to the web to find anonymous comments on message boards (apparently this is now a staple of online journalism) and found this doozy: “[T]ime for enterprises to stock up on shrink-wrapped copies of XP Pro.”

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http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=242

Sun and Canonical to distribute Java with Ubuntu Linux

A complete Sun Java stack, including Java SE 6, GlassFish, JavaDB, and NetBeans, is now available with the latest release of UbuntuUbuntu v7.04 (Feisty Fawn). Users can find it in the "multiverse" repository and install the packages just like any other Ubuntu programs, according to Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth.

"Last November we announced a goal to integrate Java and GlassFish into Ubuntu," Shuttleworth told ZDNet in an interview Tuesday, "but we've exceeded that." The Linux community has shown a great deal of interest in Java but up to now has "missed out on the surge of Linux adoption," he says. That's about to change, because of the steps that Sun is taking to make Java friendlier and more accessible to free and open source developers.

Läs mer här..........

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Burnette/?p=294