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GNOME 3.6 arrives with new notifications and improved accessibility support

Daniel Cooper — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:41:00 -0400

The third update to the third version of Gnome may send numerologists to their calendars, but we're not that way inclined. Instead, the latest bump to the software adds a new Boxes application, a new notification system and an activities overview. It's also chucking in improved accessibility support in addition to the usual raft of tweaks and bug fixes you'd expect from an update like this. It'll be available from your own vendor (or distribution) soon, or you can pick up a live image from the official site straight away.

Filed under: Software

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Source: GNOME

Steam for Linux entering private beta in October for just 1,000 users

Daniel Cooper — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 08:29:00 -0400

Next month, Valve is inviting 1,000 fortunate gamers to take part in the first external beta test of Steam for Linux. The trial includes the service itself and one game (which we're taking to be Left 4 Dead 2) that'll run on systems running Ubuntu 12.04 and above. Users won't get their hands on any other Valve titles, or Big Picture Mode, and the company is asking that only experienced Linux users get in touch -- novices are politely asked to wait for a subsequent release. It'll offer up details of how to sign up shortly, and given the love for the Valve's other products, we suspect it'll be a little oversubscribed.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

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Via: VentureBeat

Source: Valve

Moving from Cupertino to Mountain View? Samsung's here to help (update: UK only)

Steve Dent — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:23:00 -0400

Moving? We all have our reasons, but if you're transferring your stuff from iOS to a Galaxy device, Samsung and Media Mushroom are there to help with the Easy Phone Sync app. The free software installs on your Galaxy product and a PC or Mac, then shleps your stuff wholesale -- media, contacts and all -- from iTunes over to your chosen Samsung Android slate or phone. It even lets you continue to use iTunes to manage music, photos and videos, while keeping everything sync'd up with the non-Cupertino devices. We're sure that Samsung is just trying to lend a hand, and doesn't have any (ahem) other purposes in mind. Check the PR after the break to see for yourself.

Update: To be clear, Easy Phone Sync's only for Galaxy-toting folks living in the UK.

Filed under: Mobile

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Microsoft revives free Windows desktop development tools, didn't mean to make you cry

Daniel Cooper — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 05:49:00 -0400

Microsoft has resuscitated Visual Studio Express for Windows Desktop, a few weeks after deciding to bump it off. The company had wanted to push developers onto the $400 professional edition of the software, but a volley of complaints forced the climbdown. When it arrives in the fall, it'll let hobbyists, beginners and open-source coders create desktop and command-line applications... for free!

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YaCy's gunning for Google with free-software bullets

Daniel Cooper — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:21:00 -0500

YaCy's a new free-software search engine aiming to wrest control of your private data back from the Googles and Bings of this world. There's no targeted advertising here, just a global network of peers all connected with the site's software. It currently has 600 peer operators servicing 130,000 queries monthly, with each user able to create individual search rankings so results improve over time. Project head Michael Christen said it's important no person decides what is listed, or in what order -- which makes us wonder what would happen if the Justin Bieber fan club decided to game the system. The software is available on GNU/Linux, Windows 7 and OS X and you can try a web-based tester (if you can get it working) at the source link below.

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Microsoft and Amazon announce open-source patent agreement, trinkets in exchange for air kisses

Thomas Ricker — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:51:00 -0500

Mention "Microsoft" and "open-source" in the same breath and you're guaranteed to create a suspicion interrupt within the Linux community. Toss in "patent agreement" and out come the irate spokesmen. So imagine the response to the announcement that Microsoft and Amazon have reached a cross-patent agreement that gives Amazon the right to use open-source software in its Kindle in exchange for an undisclosed tithe to Redmond. Microsoft also gains rights to Amazon's patent portfolio.

The move prompted Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, to claim that Microsoft appears to be trying to, "create uncertainty around Linux." Mind you, this isn't just tin-foil worry from the wire colander collective, Microsoft claims that free and open-source software violates some 235 Microsoft patents. A big enough stick to coax a number of companies -- like Novell, Linspire, Xandros, Apple, and HP -- into striking agreements with Microsoft or risk litigation as was the case with TomTom. Agreements that Canonical's Mark Shuttelworth called, "Trinkets in exchange for air kisses," or "patent terrorism" if you prefer Sun Microsystems' take.

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Open source license ruled enforceable, hippies rejoice

Nilay Patel — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:44:00 -0400

Good news, open source fans -- copyleft licenses just got a big boost from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ruled last week that the open source Artistic License is valid and enforceable, and that violating the terms of the license constitutes copyright infringement. (You might be familiar with the Artistic License -- it's what governs Perl.) That's a big deal, as it's the first open source license to get put to the test -- while traditional EULAs have been upheld for years, open licenses hadn't been directly litigated like this yet, and it means that similar licenses like the GPL and Creative Commons now stand on firmer ground. As you'd expect, OSS advocates like Lawrence Lessig and the Open Source Initiative are all pretty pumped about the ruling, with Lessig calling it "huge and important news." We'd agree wholeheartedly, but here's some food for thought while you celebrate in the comments: if you're okay with FOSS software developers enforcing open-source license agreements, are you also okay with commercial software developers enforcing their own EULA restrictions? We can think of one in particular that seems to have people pretty ticked off.

Read - InformationWeek article
Read - Lessig blog post

Filed under: Misc

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How-To: Automatically back up your computer

Will O'Brien — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:51:00 -0400

We've seen plenty of crazy ways to keep your precious data safe. Some people burn a few tons of DVDs, others make a montly habit of swapping hard drives into a safe location. In today's How-To we'll show you how to automatically keep your data backed up from your computer with ssh and rsync. Feel that? That's our warm comfy safe-data blankie. Check it out.

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