Full Circle Issue 2
Editorial
You may notice a few changes in the design this month (he says with a healthy dose of sarcasm). We received quite a bit of feedback, both good and bad, on the design of issue one. With this issue we hope to address those problems. We also wish to apologise for the grammatical errors which slipped through last month. No one person is to blame, mistakes happen and we'll keep an eye out for them this issue.
Other than some small niggles, issue #1 was a roaring success. Our server managed to hold up to 'the Digg effect' and served in excess of 15,000 downloads within the first 24hours of release time.
What delights do we have for you this issue? Well, we have tutorials on Virtual Private Networking (VPN), installing Ubuntu on a Mac, how one man converted his 80 year-old Grandmother into an Ubuntu user (!) and an excellent review of a System76 Darter laptop. And, of course, so much more! Remember: if you want to have your say about the magazine come and visit us in our monthly, all welcome, meeting. See the last page of this issue for dates and times.
All the best,
Ronnie
Editor
News
Ubuntu Not Signing Microsoft Patent Deal
Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth, has made it clear that Ubuntu isn't interested in forming a deal with Microsoft along the lines of those recently reached by Linspire, Xandros and Novell.
"We have declined to discuss any agreement with Microsoft under the threat of unspecified patent infringements"
Shuttleworth said in a blog post on Saturday.
His remarks follow speculation in the press that, following Linspire's agreement with Microsoft last week, Linspire partner Ubuntu might follow suit.
However, as with recent Microsoft agreements with Novell and Xandros, another aspect of the deal has been raising hackles in the open source community - the purchase by Linspire of protection from patent lawsuits. Microsoft says Linux infringes a number of its patents, and that Linux companies should sign up to patent licensing deals. Shuttleworth said Microsoft's intellectual property arguments are not valid, and that in any case an agreement offering protection from them would be no real barrier to litigation. http://www.techworld.com
Taiwan Firm to Launch Open Source Mobile Phone
The NEO1973, from First International Computer (FIC), is planned as the first of a series of phones based around the OpenMoko (http://www.openmoko.org/) platform.
William Lai, of OpenMoko's community development department, said that the 2.5G touch-screen phone will be available online from OpenMoko priced at US$350. The phone is expected to be ready in September.
OpenMoko was set up by FIC to develop the open source platform for the phone. FIC is making hardware specifications available to software developers and is working closely with them.
The phone communicates on GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) networks and sends data using GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), offering data rates of around 60 kbps to 80 kbps.
Expected features include a 266 MHz Samsung CPU, 64 MB of Flash memory, 128 MB of DRAM, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS (global positioning system), 3-D graphics acceleration and motion sensing accelerometers.
http://www.linuxinsider.com
RedHat Next To Sign Patent Deal?
"We'd love to do the same deal with Red Hat"
said Tom Robertson, general manager of corporate interoperability and standards at Microsoft.
"We're always open to talking with them"
That sentiment has not so far been echoed by Red Hat's. The company has said it's not interested in a deal. Red Hat spokeswoman Leigh Day said that is still the case.
"We continue to believe that open source and the innovation it represents should not be subject to an unsubstantiated tax that lacks transparency"
she said.
Still, some wonder - as Microsoft lines up the other Linux ducks in a neat little row - if Red Hat might be next, and rumours suggest a pact might be imminent. http://www.computerworlduk.com
Ubuntu Home Server Edition
A new home server distribution of Ubuntu is in development. _Named Ubuntu Home Server, it is competing against Windows Home Server which is currently in beta. _Ubuntu Home Server is still in planning and development stages and as yet there is no release date planned.
Developers are needed so if you think you can help please visit www.ubuntuhomeserver.org to get more details.
Venezuelan Government to sell Linux-based Computers
The Venezuelan government has officially launched the Bolivarian Computer initiative, a project that aims to mass produce low-cost Linux-based laptop and desktop computers for use in government programs and eventual sale to the public. The computers, which are all being manufactured in Venezuela in the state of Falcon, were developed by Venezuela's Ministry of Light, Industry, and Commerce in collaboration with the Hong Kong-based Inspur Group.
Pricing ranges from $405 to $1,400 for various models depending on the hardware configuration.
"The price of other similar brands is $930, and the price of our computer is $690, almost 40 percent less"
says Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, describing one particular model.
"But, in addition, it has an added value, given that it comes with open-source software and a three year guarantee, while other brands only offer one year"
Venezuela isn't the first country in South America to push adoption of Linux and open source software. The Linux operating system is widely used in Brazil, where an enthusiastic government technology minister once expressed a desire to create a "continent of open source." http://arstechnica.com
