The KDE Project has announced the release of KDE 4.4 packages for Windows, reports OStatic. The packages allow Windows users to install KDE applications such as digiKam, Amarok and Konversation natively on Windows. The developers of KDE say that introducing Windows users to KDE applications is a lot easier than getting them to switch to a Linux distro entirely. Obviously the long term objective is to get users used to open source alternatives before making the switch to an all-Linux desktop.

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Open source software is anti-capitalism and undermines intellectual property. It’s not a new claim against free and open source software, but now a new report suggests that a pro-proprietary lobby group has not only been pushing this line around the globe but is also looking to get pro-open source countries listed on the US’ Special 301 watchlist.

The Special 301 watchlist is a list of countries that don’t “adequately” conform to the USA’s definition of intellectual property protection. It’s a list that is most often used in pressuring countries to conform to US guidelines around pharmaceutical and counterfeiting. Essentially, it is a list of countries considered to be “anti-capitalism”.

According to a report by Andres Guadamuz, a lecturer in law at the University of Edinburgh, the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), an umbrella group for organisations such as the MPAA and RIAA, has requested that the US Trade Representative list countries like Indonesia, Brazil and India on its Special 301 watchlist because they use open source software.

Read the full article at MyBroadband

Microsoft said on Monday that it will open up the data format behind its Outlook program, CNet reports.

In a blog posting, Microsoft group manager Paul Lorimer said the company was working to publish the specifications behind Outlook’s .pst files.

The move, he said, would “allow developers to read, create, and interoperate with the data in .pst files in server and client scenarios using the programming language and platform of their choice.”

Lorimer said the documentation effort was still in its early stages. “We are engaging directly with industry experts and interested customers to gather feedback on the quality of the technical documentation to ensure that it is clear and useful.”

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The Ubuntu team last night announced the release of Ubuntu 9.10, aka Karmic Koala. Streamlined bootup and Gnome 2.28 on the desktop are just some of the main features of Karmic Koala. Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud setup is now included in the installer and AppArmor boosts system security.

Desktop features

GNOME 2.28 featuring Empathy: with this latest beta release, Ubuntu now uses the Empathy instant messaging service by default, introducing the Telepathy framework.

Ubuntu Software Center: the first step in a replacement for Add/Remove Software has landed for testing and feedback.

New boot experience: multiple changes to look, feel and speed of the boot experience have been included in the Ubuntu 9.10 beta.

Server features

Cloud computing: Ubuntu 9.10 builds on cloud support in Ubuntu 9.04, with support for Eucalyptus configuration at install time and publishing of standard VM images for UEC.

AppArmor: Ubuntu 9.10 continues to raise the bar for server security, with AppArmor profiles enabled by default for ntpd and libvirt providing another layer of protection from attacks on the network or via guest virtual machines.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix features

Ubuntu Netbook Remix is optimised to run on Intel atom based netbooks. It includes a new consumer-friendly interface that allows users to quickly and easily get on-line and use their favourite applications. This interface is optimised for a retail sales environment.

It includes the same faster boot times and improved boot experience as Ubuntu desktop.

Kubuntu features

Kubuntu 9.10, built on KDE 4.3, brings users a complete, full-featured KDE4 desktop with many new applications and innovations. This is also the first release for a new Kubuntu variant, Kubuntu Netbook Edition.

Xubuntu features

Xubuntu 9.10 comes with the light-weight Xfce 4.6 desktop environment
to provide a desktop designed for productivity while conserving system resources.

Xubuntu 9.10 includes an improved multimedia experience with the Exaile media player, a more integrated power management solution with the Xfce4 power manager, and more convenience built right in with improved multimedia volume key support and more consistent desktop notifications.

Edubuntu features

Edubuntu 9.10 transitions from an add-on educational CD that depended on an existing Ubuntu installation to a full Ubuntu derivative delivered on as a DVD image. This allows prospective users and decision makers to try the educational offerings prior to installation and the flexibility to make Edubuntu a first class educational operating system.

Mythbuntu features

Mythbuntu 9.10 introduces MythTV 0.22. The entire stack has been ported to QT4 and now allows for very neat UI effects. Also 0.22 adds support for VDPAU hardware acceleration, and HD-PVR hardware support.

More wisdom from that other operating system.

Steve Ballmer going off about various topics and not sounding good doing it.

Read the full story here.

They bring up the issue of M$ bundling IE with Windows.

I always thought that was abuse of market share because of so many PC shipping with no choice in operating system, therefore no choice in browser. Apparently the bundling is the issue.

I am not sure about the browser being the operating system, I think browsers have a way to go before the replace the OS. This type of approach will only work well if people use the cloud for the computing, or if everything is built to run inside a browser, wether online or off.

Microsoft is ramping up its buzz machine for the launch of Windows 7 on October 22 and, as part of its effort to get word-of-mouth marketing going, is urging users to host Windows 7 “launch parties”. And just to make sure that users get it right the company has released a video giving party-hosts tips for throwing the best party. The video is a mix of good demographics, bad acting and disturbingly cheerful people so you have been warned.

The open source community regularly throws launch parties to mark new releases of their favourite distribution. Somehow Microsoft has tried the same thing but misses the point horribly.

[youtube 1cX4t5-YpHQ]

The Register reports that Intel and Microsoft have announced a new port of Silverlight to Linux, specifically for the Intel-sponsored Moblin operating system running on Atom-powered devices such as netbooks. The port enables Intel to include Silverlight as a supported runtime in the Atom Developer Program, which will feed an iPhone-like App Store.

Microsoft has already provided Intel with Silverlight source code and test suites. Intel will build an optimized Moblin version of Silverlight, which Microsoft will supply to OEMs.

The decision to port Silverlight for Atom-powered devices rather than use the existing open source Moonlight version is an interesting one. Microsoft’s director of the Developer Platform Group Brian Goldfarb says that this is part of the company’s strategy to make Silverlight available for as many platforms as possible.

Full story at The Register

Richard Stallman is the godfather of free and open source software. His Free Software Foundation, the GPL licensing matrix and his countless code contributions make him a giant of a man in the fight for free software. But he is also a difficult man, know for his uncompromising line and an unwillingness to bend his own standards even the slightest. Which is why he has garnered so much respect over the many years he has led the FSF. Many may not like him or his opinions, but they could always respect a man that stuck to his guns.

Stallman’s most recent outburst, however, in which he labels Miguel De Icaza a “traitor”, may have been a step too far. De Icaza is, among considerable other achievements, the founder of Gnome as well as of Mono, a GPL-licensed implementation of Microsoft’s .Net framework. De Icaza also recently joined the board of the newly-formed CodePlex Foundation, a not-for profit organisation created by Microsoft to promote open source collaboration.

It may have been this CodePlex board position, or Mono’s close working relationship with Microsoft, that was the final straw for Stallman but he lashed out over the weekend saying De Icaza was “basically a traitor to the Free Software community” and calling the Mono founder “Microsoft apologist”. The real reason, perhaps, is that De Icaza has made a decision to work on interoperability between the free software and proprietary worlds, something that Stallman finds hard to reconcile.

ZDNet’s Jason Perlow points out that without De Icaza, so much of the free software world as we now know it would either not be or would be radically different. Perlow describes the outburst as the “FOSS community equivalent of sending Leon Trotsky into exile during the Russian Revolution. Trotsky called himself a ‘non-factional social democrat’.”

Stallman’s rigid politicking has always been an asset in the free software movement, but attacks like this may well do more damage to the cause of FOSS than good.

Ubuntu’s April 2010 release will be codenamed Lucid Lynx and will be the third long-term support release. In a video message to attendees of UbuCon Atlanta, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth said that Lucid Lynx, officially known as Ubuntu 10.04, would be based on the Gnome 2.0 [series] desktop with releases following Lynx being based on the Gnome 3.0 [series].

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Shuttleworth said that the name Lucid Lynx “brings together all the key characteristics we are striving for in the next LTS. Lucid is is to be clear … which is what we want from a long-term support release. Lynx is a thoughtful and considered predator.”

Cloud computing continues to be a key part of Ubuntu releases and Shuttleworth said that Lucid Lynx would take the “scalability heritage of Debian and push that into cloud computing. We want Lucid Lynx to be the platform for anyone building large scale web infrastructure.”

He said that there had been “good work behind the scenes with other distributions”, especially with Debian and that he hoped that this could be extended to other distribution makers.

On the desktop, Shuttleworth said that Lucid Lynx would be very much focused on the best of Gnome 2.0. “After Lucid our attention will be on the new architectures of Gnome 3.0″.

Ubuntu’s long-term support releases are supported for three years on the desktop and five years on servers.

Jono Bacon, an Ubuntu community manager, has written a book which offers a collection of his experiences and observations in building and growing communities.  It’s called “The Art of Community: Building the New Age of Participation“. The print edition which is published by O’Reilly is expected to cost about R400 from Amazon.com. However it is available as a free download from Jono’s site www.artofcommunityonline.org. Those who attended the Software Freedom Day event in Pretoria may find it a useful resource to go along with Stefan’s presentation on “Community”. Debian founder Ian Murdock is included among key Open Source community members recommending this book.