Is OpenOffice.org a Threat? Microsoft Thinks So

Is OpenOffice.org a Threat? Microsoft Thinks So: "Glyn Moody writes "Most people regard OpenOffice.org as a distant runner-up to Microsoft Office, and certainly not a serious rival. Microsoft seems to feel otherwise, judging by a new job posting on its site for a 'Linux and Open Office Compete Lead.' According to this, competing with both GNU/Linux and OpenOffice.org is 'one of the biggest issues that is top of mind' for no less a person than Steve Ballmer. Interestingly, a key part of this position is 'engaging with Open Source communities and organizations' — which suggests that Microsoft's new-found eagerness to 'engage' with open source has nothing to do with a real desire to reach a pacific accommodation with free software, but is simply a way for Microsoft to fight against it from close up, and armed with inside knowledge."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

"

5 Enterprise Trends To Watch in 2010: Part 2

5 Enterprise Trends To Watch in 2010: Part 2: "

In our first post about trends in the enterprise for the coming year, we looked at five forces that will rise in importance in 2010.

In part two, we picked five more trends that we feel will have importance in the enterprise for the year ahead. The more we look at the space, the more we see how mobile looms over all of these trends. It will help shape IT spending in the years ahead as smart phones and other devices increasingly become part of daily work life.

Sponsor

API's

The use of API's will come on strong in 2010 as more companies adopt web-oriented architectures that reflect the growing importance of using social technologies as communication and productivity applications.

For instance. you may know OpenSocial as a consumer-facing service for Google gadgets to integrate with Ning, MySpace and LinkedIn. But its true potential may be in the enterprise. Just before Christmas, OpenSocial announced it had written a white paper on a number of enterprise vendors. The paper lays the framework for an API infrastructure that customers may use for integrating Google gadgets. Companies participating in the effort include Atlassian, SocialText, CubeTree, Cisco, IBM, SAP, eXo Platform, Alfresco and of course, Google. Each of these enterprise vendors is integrating with OpenSocial to extend its products and for purposes of interoperability with other enterprise vendors.

We expect that in 2010 more companies will develop API road maps to push information out to customers. We'll be watching companies like Sonoa Systems and Mashery as barometers for API adoption in the enterprise.

Web Oriented Architecture

The concept of web oriented architecture (WOA) first emerged a few years ago. Gartner's Nick Gall developed the concept and it has since grown in scope. Dion Hinchliffe recently wrote a WOA 'un-manifesto,' detailing the 17 principles that guide it. The future of WOA does not mean the end to service oriented architecture (SOA) but it does point to a shift in views about the way the Web works in the enterprise.

As he always does, Dion Hinchliffe accurately illustrates the concept:

WOA's influence can't be underestimated. Enterprise architects are looking to data-oriented services. Traditional SOA is still important to many organizations but the trends clearly point to the deeper availability of Web service components. And with this comes an increasing volume of applications that can be easily developed. Application architectures will be increasingly perceived as dynamic, configurable items, like pieces loosely joined.

Community Management

Social media has to be one of the most over-used phrases of the year but it should not reflect on the increasing need for community management practices within the enterprise. We expect community management to become an increasingly valued role. You only need to look as far as the proliferation of API's to understand what is happening. As pieces of information spread to communities across the web, the need to create a stronger bond will only intensify. The idea being that as more communities engage, the need to service them will change. The processes for spreading and aggregating information will become further automated but people with communications and technical skills will be increasingly needed to keep the communities cohesive.

VoIP

VoIP will move deeper into the enterprise. The days of closed, siloed telephony systems are coming to an end. The freedom of web-based communications will be far more clear to the enterprise customer this year as the sheer volume of applications and features enter the market. Again, this trend in many ways stems from the move to WOA in the enterprise. The move is to the web. Voice will also heed the call.

A number of factors point to this trend. Google's intentions to enter the enterprise are pretty clear. Google acquired Gizmo5, the web-based service for making calls from your computer or your mobile phone. This is a service that Google is expected to provide as a business service. Bandwidth.com recently unveiled its nationwide voice IP-network. Skype is making a play for the enterprise. Cisco and Skype have a partnership to offer Skype's service to customers. Avaya is said to be close to a deal with Skype.

The signs are all there for VoIP to be a trend to watch next year.

The Big Sync

Finally, cloud computing will continue its pace as a trend to watch. But with it will come a battle that will leave some players bruised and battered. Microsoft has to be the most vulnerable. Joe Wilcox of Betanews makes an interesting point about this in a post about the need for Microsoft to do a better job in syncing mobile devices to the cloud.

Here's why:

Syncing has real importance with the advent of the mobile enterprise. Take the Blackberry as an example and its ability to sync to your email. Now, we have applications that update all the time. Syncing is critical in order for these applications to work on your mobile device. Wilcox makes the point that Google seems to get this and has done a good job in providing the ability to sync on the mobile. Ironically, this is in large part thanks to Microsoft, which licensed its 'ActiveSync,' technology to Google. Soon after, Google used ActiveSync in 'its e-mail, calendar and contact synchronization from its cloud services to iPhone and Windows Mobile handsets,' writes Wilcox. 'Google also used the technology to provide Exchange Server sync with Google Apps, so that businesses could use the hosted service instead of Outlook.'

Google has it right. Apple seems to get it. But Microsoft does not have a clear path for syncing updates across a wide network of applications to a mobile device connected to the cloud.

Conclusion

As we look deeper into trends, it's evident that Google is getting a lot of attention. But the attention is deserved. Google took advantage of the recession to invest in research and development. Microsoft keeps promising big things but its direction is confusing.

How data is accessed and delivered is the name of the game in 2010. It's a disadvantage to keep information in a silo. Monolithic applications and static documents will be less valued, replaced by a mobile enterprise fueled by web-based services.

We saw massive adoption of the social Web in 2009. Next year will be the year where WOA and mobile technologies become core parts of the infrastructure for the enterprise.

Discuss

"

How Many Admins Per User/Computer Have You Seen?

How Many Admins Per User/Computer Have You Seen?: "miffo.swe writes 'I'm trying to find the normal ratio of technicians/support tech per user or computer in your average IT-shop. When searching around, I can't find that many examples or any statistics. We manage around 900 computers (mostly Windows XP) and 25+ servers (mostly Linux). There are around 2600 users of varying knowledge, mostly pretty low. I can't find any statistics on this, so real-world examples are very welcome since we do this with one sysadmin (me) and two sneaker techs. Are we seriously understaffed, or is this normal?'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

"

Meet Ailurus (AKA Ubuntu Tweak On Steroids)

Meet Ailurus (AKA Ubuntu Tweak On Steroids): "Ailurus is an Ubuntu enhancement and application management programme designed to help Ubuntu users tweak, tune and get more from their systems.



Ailurus really does pack in a ton of common enhancement tricks and tips, all of which can be easily applied via a check n' apply system. It's also able to install applications, manage software sources and provide general system information on hardware and software.



In many respects it's like Ubuntu Tweak on steroids only without the breadth of available applications.



Is it useful?

Potentially yes - the amount of tweaks and adjustments Ailurus can apply to your system is pretty impressive. However it's hampered by a slightly confusing layout, inconsistent look and the lack of a backup feature should instill caution in most users.

Momma wouldn't know where to click first; the interface is quite unintuitive at first glance

The roster of applications falls maddeningly short of Ubuntu Tweak - which is a shame as this application truly holds the potential to be the comprehensive de-facto Ubuntu tweaking application.



I like: The Firefox add-ons section; easy multimedia codec install; nautilus tweaks

I dislike: The confused interface, lack of applications

Install

You can install Ailurus - which is still in development - from the following PPA: -




Karmic:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ailurus/ppa



Hardy - Jaunty:

Add the following to your Software Sources: -

• deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/ailurus/ppa/ubuntu karmic main

Then import the key: -

• sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 9A6FE242
  

Then update and install via Synaptic or the terminal: -

• sudo apt-get install ailurus

Via Soft-Libre

© omgubuntu.co.uk 2009. | Ubuntu News, Tips, Apps and more.

"

Ubuntu 64bit Really Is Faster Than 32bit

Ubuntu 64bit Really Is Faster Than 32bit: "The usual story given to a user who asks "is 64bit Ubuntu is worth it?" on the Ubuntu Forums is a muddle of "not really...", "not that much faster...", "if what you got works, stay with it..." etc.

Many people are recommended to use the Ubuntu PAE kernel with 32bit Ubuntu allowing them to address more than the heady heights of 3GB RAM 32bit usually allows.



Well, kiss those presumptions goodbye because kernel-loving website Phoronix decided to run some tests to see how the normal Ubuntu kernel, the PAE kernel and the 64bit kernel stacked up against one-another. Their results were pretty conclusive - Ubuntu 64bit is incredibly faster than Ubuntu 32bit - even with PAE enabled.



In their test conclusion they state: -

"By far though exhibiting the best performance was the Ubuntu 64-bit kernel that often ended up being leaps and bounds better than the 32-bit kernel. Unless you have technical or business reasons for not migrating to 64-bit Linux with compatible hardware, there is no reason to stick around with a 32-bit kernel..."

You can read the full analysis over @ Phoronix

Thanks to Vadim P.

© omgubuntu.co.uk 2009. | Ubuntu News, Tips, Apps and more.

"

USPTO Awards LOL Patent To IBM

USPTO Awards LOL Patent To IBM: "theodp writes "Among the last batch of patents granted in 2009 was one for IBM's Resolution of Abbreviated Text in an Electronic Communications System. The invention of four IBMers addresses the hitherto unsolvable problem of translating abbreviations to their full meaning — e.g., 'IMHO' means 'In My Humble Opinion' — and vice versa. From the patent: 'One particularly useful application of the invention is to interpret the meaning of shorthand terms ... For example, one database may define the shorthand term "LOL" to mean "laughing out loud."' USPTO records indicate the patent filing was made more than a year after Big Blue called on the industry to stop what it called 'bad behavior' by companies who seek patents for unoriginal work. Yet another example of what USPTO Chief David Kappos called IBM's apparent schizophrenia on patent policy back when he managed Big Blue's IP portfolio."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

"

Ubuntu User Days – January 23, 2010

Ubuntu User Days – January 23, 2010: "

At this past Ubuntu Developer Summit in Dallas, the idea was brought up to create a “beginners day,” similar to Open Week, teaching new Ubuntu users the basics of using Ubuntu. Myself, along with Elizabeth Krumbach, Penelope Stowe and Mark Cox volunteered to take the lead on this project. We have worked over the past month or so to plan and create the very first User Day on January 23, 2010. The times for the first User Day are currently set at 1200 UTC with the last course being offered at 0100 UTC.

The idea behind this is to take users from no knowledge of how to use Ubuntu, to installing it, finding programs that are equivalent to the programs they used in either a Windows or Mac environment, the basics of running Ubuntu, and how to get help when it is needed.

I would like to thank all of the volunteers who have offered to teach courses for our first User Day.

Please check out the User Days website for more information.

"

XBMC 9.11 makes your open source home theater look shinier

XBMC 9.11 makes your open source home theater look shinier: "

The developers behind the XBMC project have announced the official release of version 9.11, codenamed Camelot, a major update that includes an improved user interface theme and a number of new features.

XBMC is a cross-platform media center application that is distributed under an open source license. Originally designed to run on Microsoft's Xbox gaming console in 2003, the program has evolved to run on conventional desktop computers and has attracted a considerable audience of users and developers. Although it lacks DVR capabilities, it supports a broad assortment of media playback and library management features.

"

Responsible Open Source Code Parenting

Responsible Open Source Code Parenting: "

I'm a big fan of John Gruber's Markdown. When it comes to humane markup languages for the web, I don't think anyone's quite nailed it like Mr. Gruber. His philosophy was clear from the outset:

Markdown is intended to be as easy-to-read and easy-to-write as is feasible.

Readability, however, is emphasized above all else. A Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it’s been marked up with tags or formatting instructions. While Markdown’s syntax has been influenced by several existing text-to-HTML filters — including Setext, atx, Textile, reStructuredText, Grutatext, and EtText — the single biggest source of inspiration for Markdown’s syntax is the format of plain text email.

If you're an ASCII-head of any kind, you will feel immediately at home in Markdown. It was so obviously designed by someone who has done a lot of writing online, as it apes common plaintext conventions that we've collectively been using for decades now. It's certainly far more intuitive than the alternatives I've researched.

With a year and a half of real world Markdown experience under our belts on Stack Overflow, we've been quite happy. I'd say that Markdown is the worst form of markup except for all the other forms of markup that I've tried. Of course, tastes vary, and there are plenty of viable alternatives, but I'd promote Markdown without hesitation as one of the best -- if not the best -- humane markup options out there.

Not that Markdown is perfect, mind you. After exposing it to a large audience, both Stack Overflow and GitHub independently discovered that Markdown had three particular characteristics that confused a lot of users:

1. URLs are never hyperlinked without placing them in some kind of explicit markup.
   
2. The underscore [_] can be used to delimit bold and italic, but also works for intra-word emphasis. While a typical use like '_italic_' is clear, there are disturbing and unexpected side effects in phrases such as 'some_file_name' and 'file_one and file_two'.
   
3. It is paragraph and not line oriented. Returns are not automatically converted to linebreaks. Instead, paragraphs are detected as one or more consecutive lines of text, separated by one or more blank lines.
   

Items #1 and #2 are so fundamental and universal that I think they deserve to be changed in the Markdown specification itself. There was so much confusion around unexpected intra-word emphasis and the failure to auto-hyperlink URLs that we changed these Markdown rules before we even came out of private beta. Item #3, the conversion of returns to linebreaks, is somewhat more debatable. I'm on the fence on that one, but I do believe it's significant enough to warrant an explicit choice either way. It should be a standard configurable option in every Markdown implementation that you can switch on or off depending on the intended audience.

Markdown was originally introduced in 2004, and since then it has gained quite a bit of traction on the web. I mean, it's no MediaWiki (thank God), but it's in active use on a bunch of websites, some of them quite popular. And for such a popular form of markup, it's a bit odd that the last official update to the specification and reference implementation was in late 2004.

Which leads me to the biggest problem with Markdown: John Gruber.

I don't mean this as a personal criticism. John's a fantastic writer and Markdown has a (mostly) solid specification, with a strong vision statement. But the fact that there has been no improvement whatsoever to the specification or reference implementation for five years is … kind of a problem.

There are some fairly severe bugs in that now-ancient 2004 Markdown 1.0.1 Perl implementation. Bugs that John has already fixed in eight 1.0.2 betas that have somehow never seen the light of day. Sure, if you know the right Google incantations you can dig up the unreleased 1.0.2b8 archive, surreptitiously posted May 2007, and start prying out the bugfixes by hand. That's what I've had to do to fix bugs in our open sourced C# Markdown implementation, which was naturally based on that fateful (and technically only) 1.0.1 release.

I'd also expect a reference implementation to come with some basic test suites or sample input/output files so I can tell if I've implemented it correctly. No such luck; the official archives from Gruber's site include the naked Perl file along with a readme and license. The word 'test' does not appear in either. I had to do a ton more searching to finally dig up MDTest 1.1. I can't quite tell where the tests came from, but they seem to be maintained by Michel Fortin, the author of the primary PHP Markdown implementation.

But John Gruber created Markdown. He came up with the concept and the initial implementation. He is, in every sense of the word, the parent of Markdown. It's his baby.

As Markdown's 'parent', John has a few key responsibilities in shepherding his baby to maturity. Namely, to lead. To set direction. Beyond that initial 2004 push, he's done precious little of either. John is running this particular open source project the way Steve Jobs runs Apple -- by sheer force of individual ego. And that sucks.

Since then, all I can find is sporadic activity on obscure mailing lists and a bit of passive-aggressive interaction with the community.

On 15 Mar 2008, at 02:55, John Gruber wrote:

I despise what you've done with Text::Markdown, which is to more or less make it an alias for MultiMarkdown, almost every part of which I disagree with in terms of syntax additions.

Wow, that's pretty strong language. I'm glad I'm provoking strong opinions, and it's nice to see you actively contributing to Markdown's direction ;)

Personally, I don't actually like (or use) the MultiMarkdown extensions. As noted several times on list, I do not consider what I've done to in any way be a good solution technically / internally in it's current form, and as such
Markdown.pl is still a better 'reference' implementation.

However I find it somewhat ironic that you can criticise an active effort to actually move Markdown forwards (who's current flaws have been publicly acknowledged), when it passes more of your test suite than your effort does, and when you haven't even been bothered to update your own website about the project since 2004, despite having updated the code which can be found on your site (if you dig) much more recently than this.

I despise copy-pasted code, and forks for no (real) reason - seeing another two dead copies of the same code on CPAN made me sad, and so I've done something to take the situation forwards. Maybe if you'd put the effort into maintaining a community and taking Markdown.pl forwards at any time within the last 4 years, you wouldn't be in a situation where people have taken 'your baby' and perverted it to a point that you despise. If starting with Markdown.pl and going forwards with that had been an option, then that would have been my preferred route - but I didn't see any value in producing what would have been a fifth perl Markdown implementation.

It's almost at the point where John Gruber, the very person who brought us Markdown, is the biggest obstacle preventing Markdown from moving forward and maturing. It saddens me greatly to see such negligent open source code parenting. Why work against the community when you can work with it? It doesn't have to be this way. And it shouldn't be.

I think the most fundamental problem with Markdown, in retrospect, is that the official home of the project is a static set of web pages on John's site. Gruber could have hosted the Markdown project in a way that's more amenable to open source collaboration than a bunch of static HTML. I'm pretty sure SourceForge was around in late 2004, and there are lots of options for proper open source project hosting today -- GitHub, Google Code, CodePlex, and so forth. What's stopping him from setting up shop on any of those sites with Markdown, right now, today? Markdown is Gruber's baby, without a doubt, but it's also bigger than any one person. It's open source. It belongs to the community, too.

Right now we have the worst of both worlds. Lack of leadership from the top, and a bunch of fragmented, poorly coordinated community efforts to advance Markdown, none of which are officially canon. This isn't merely incovenient for anyone trying to find accurate information about Markdown; it's actually harming the project's future. Maybe it's true that you can't kill an open source project, but bad parenting is surely enough to cause it to grow up stunted and maybe even a little maladjusted.

I mean no disrespect. I wouldn't bring this up if I didn't care, if I didn't think the project and John Gruber were both eminently worthy. Markdown is a small but important part of the open source fabric of the web, and the project deserves better stewardship. While the community can do a lot with the (many) open source orphan code babies out there, they have a much, much brighter future when their parents take responsibility for them.

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"

A Decade of Dreadful Microsoft Ads

A Decade of Dreadful Microsoft Ads: "Barence writes "PC Pro has rounded up the most howlingly awful examples of ads churned out by Microsoft over the past decade. The selection includes the cringe-worthy Gates & Seinfeld ads — where Gates looks like he’s delivering his lines with the help of a cattle prod — to the terrible Windows 7 party ads (an 'F1 key for social inadequates,' according to PC Pro), to the one that got away: an excellent in-house training video produced by The Office's Ricky Gervais."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

"

"Security Theater"

"Security Theater": "

See Jeffrey Goldberg about Bruce Scheier's "Security Theater" (seen through TechCrunch).

"