Why Linux Jobs Are Burning Up the Tech Market: Q&A with Dice.com's Alice Hill

The Linux Foundation, in partnership with Dice.com, today released the results of the first-ever Linux Jobs Report. Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin breaks down the significance of those findings in his blog. In this special interview, we talk to Dice Managing Director Alice Hill for her perspective on what is most interesting about the 2012 Linux Jobs Report and the outlook for Linux professionals.

What do you think is the most important finding from the 2012 Linux Jobs Report? Why?

Hill: Linux is firmly at the core of software development and system administration and still growing. What the survey respondents tell us about Linux as a priority for 2012 echoes recruitment posting activity on Dice. We have seen demand in areas like mobile and cloud take off, but Linux-related jobs are a consistent leader. In fact, Linux job postings on Dice.com are up 17 percent year/year and is one of the top 10 most requested skills.

What surprised you about the results? Why?

Hill: It’s not a surprise to us that Linux talent is in demand, but what is surprising is the fact that 85 percent of companies report having difficulty finding qualified Linux professionals. That’s substantial. Linux is a core skill and employers understand this. Now tech professionals need to recognize the opportunity and join this community.

Dice works closely with recruiters and hiring managers. What are you hearing about demand or points of pain for Linux talent?

Hill: Hiring managers tell us they’re looking for Linux talent who can not only build and update complex systems, but also contribute to the success of the tech department and the company overall.

We advise hiring managers to watch for shortages in certain high demand areas like Linux and to work hard on retention. Aside from salary, offering the option to telecommute or to take on new and challenging projects have been powerful retention tools and work to ward off poaching.

Looking beyond 2012, what would you predict the Linux jobs market will look like?

Hill: At Dice.com we don't really predict specific job markets, but we do study our data, which is a leading indicator of growth and movement in certain skills and tech metro areas. Linux talent is not only in demand in 46 states, but as we saw in our salary survey, these professionals are also commanding salary increases after two years of flat salaries overall. Linux garners an average annual salary of more than $86,000, above the national average of $81,000.

Software programming and development skills have been getting a lot of attention nationally. What kinds of things can employers and universities do to encourage more men and women pursue this line of work?

Hill: I think we've seen that tech in general, and programming and development specifically, has been where demand is. Even in an uncertain economy, tech unemployment rates fall well below the national average. With a shortage of computer science grads, as evidenced by a report Dice did last May, this only fuels the demand for more skilled entry-level developers. Shortages put pressure on tech wages, and some colleges and universities are creating exciting new programs to get students accredited sooner and into the workforce faster to capitalize on these higher salaries. It's a great time to be in this field.

Thank you to Alice for taking the time to give us her insights. Please feel free to download the full 2012 Linux Jobs Report .

Why Linux Jobs Are Burning Up the Tech Market: Q&A with Dice.om's Alice Hill

The Linux Foundation, in partnership with Dice.com, today released the results of the first-ever Linux Jobs Report. Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin breaks down the significance of those findings in his blog. In this special interview, we talk to Dice Managing Director Alice Hill for her perspective on what is most interesting about the 2012 Linux Jobs Report and the outlook for Linux professionals.

What do you think is the most important finding from the 2012 Linux Jobs Report? Why?

Hill: Linux is firmly at the core of software development and system administration and still growing. What the survey respondents tell us about Linux as a priority for 2012 echoes recruitment posting activity on Dice. We have seen demand in areas like mobile and cloud take off, but Linux-related jobs are a consistent leader. In fact, Linux job postings on Dice.com are up 17 percent year/year and is one of the top 10 most requested skills.

What surprised you about the results? Why?

Hill: It’s not a surprise to us that Linux talent is in demand, but what is surprising is the fact that 85 percent of companies report having difficulty finding qualified Linux professionals. That’s substantial. Linux is a core skill and employers understand this. Now tech professionals need to recognize the opportunity and join this community.

Dice works closely with recruiters and hiring managers. What are you hearing about demand or points of pain for Linux talent?

Hill: Hiring managers tell us they’re looking for Linux talent who can not only build and update complex systems, but also contribute to the success of the tech department and the company overall.

We advise hiring managers to watch for shortages in certain high demand areas like Linux and to work hard on retention. Aside from salary, offering the option to telecommute or to take on new and challenging projects have been powerful retention tools and work to ward off poaching.

Looking beyond 2012, what would you predict the Linux jobs market will look like?

Hill: At Dice.com we don't really predict specific job markets, but we do study our data, which is a leading indicator of growth and movement in certain skills and tech metro areas. Linux talent is not only in demand in 46 states, but as we saw in our salary survey, these professionals are also commanding salary increases after two years of flat salaries overall. Linux garners an average annual salary of more than $86,000, above the national average of $81,000.

Software programming and development skills have been getting a lot of attention nationally. What kinds of things can employers and universities do to encourage more men and women pursue this line of work?

Hill: I think we've seen that tech in general, and programming and development specifically, has been where demand is. Even in an uncertain economy, tech unemployment rates fall well below the national average. With a shortage of computer science grads, as evidenced by a report Dice did last May, this only fuels the demand for more skilled entry-level developers. Shortages put pressure on tech wages, and some colleges and universities are creating exciting new programs to get students accredited sooner and into the workforce faster to capitalize on these higher salaries. It's a great time to be in this field.

Thank you to Alice for taking the time to give us her insights. Please feel free to download the full 2012 Linux Jobs Report .

Wired: World Clamors for Linux Coders

Wired's Caleb Garling reports on the first-ever Linux Jobs Report, talks to Jim Zemlin and Greg Kroah-Hartman.

Need a Job? New Study Says Learn Linux.

No one disputes that that tech jobs are fueling the economy in the U.S. and around the world. The U.S. President said in his recent State of the Union address that there are twice as many openings in the science and technology sector as there are people to fill them. But where exactly are these jobs? And, who exactly is landing them?

Today, we have new data that helps us understand where are the tech jobs and that tells us we need more trained people in the most profitable and rewarding areas of tech.

The first-ever Linux Jobs Report released today surfaces two of the most lucrative areas in the tech jobs market - Linux development and Linux systems administration. Eighty-one percent of recruiters surveyed for the report say hiring Linux talent is a priority in the year ahead. And, 63% percent will hire Linux talent over candidates with other skill areas.

A NYU Professor recently said "code is the literacy of the future" (CNN: Computer Geeks King in Job Hunt). We agree. And, we believe that Linux is an important currency in that future. It powers the Internet. It runs Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter and millions of other Internet technology companies. It runs the world's supercomputers, data centers, smartphones, financial institutions and stock exchanges, and the list goes on. It's no surprise that with its widespread ubiquity that today there is also growing demand for talent to support it. In fact, when the Linux Jobs Report survey respondents were asked why hiring Linux talent was a priority in the year ahead, most reported their companies are growing, increasing their use of Linux and requiring in-house expertise to support the OS.

But the Linux Jobs Report also finds a wrinkle in an otherwise positive story: Linux and open source developers can be hard to find. Eight-five percent of those surveyed say that finding Linux talent is really difficult.

Google, Facebook, Amazon, Qualcomm, IBM, Intel and hundreds of other companies who rely on Linux to support their businesses, especially their highly-valued data centers and embedded systems, are paying big bucks to find and retain Linux talent. The Linux Jobs Report shows that nearly 1/3 of the companies surveyed are giving pay increases to these professionals that are above the industry norm. Dice's 2012 Salary Report backs this up, showing that Linux professionals have seen salaries go up by 5% over the last few years, while tech professionals overall have seen just a 2% increase. The 15% bump in bonus payouts to Linux professionals just solidifies the point.

It's become glaringly obvious that students and mid-level career professionals who can confidently write Linux code can also write their own ticket to long-term job security. It’s a really good time to know Linux.

Getting involved in open source projects and understanding the open development model are more important than ever, and the good news is that the “University of Open Source” is open to everyone. There are no entrance exams, no admissions counselors, and no student loans; all you need is a connection to the Internet. And, it doesn't matter where you live or what your local economy is dictating. In a world that is flat, Linux and open source software development is a global opportunity for job seekers working anywhere, any time. 

Looking for a place to start? Check out Jon Corbet’s guide on participating in the Linux kernel community. We also invite you to check out our Linux training courses, which are taught by leaders from the Linux and Linux kernel communities.

Get all the results from the Linux Jobs Survey and Report by downloading it here: http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/linux-foundation/2012-linux-jobs-report

Wall Street Journal: Linux Popularity Sparks Salary Jump

The Wall Street Journal reports on the 2012 Linux Jobs Report

2012 Linux Job Forecast: Demand is on the Rise

Highlights:

• Eight in ten recruiters say hiring Linux talent is a priority in 2012

• Managers report they’re hiring more Linux professionals relative to other skill areas in the next six months

• Linux professionals are hard to find, garnering higher salaries and better bonuses

NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, February 14, 2012 – The first-ever report forecasting the Linux job market shows demand for Linux skills is on the rise but that finding talent is difficult. This is triggering better salaries and bonuses for Linux professionals.

The 2012 Linux Jobs Report released today shares the results of a recent survey of more than 2,000 hiring managers. The survey was conducted by Dice, the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals, and The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the growth of Linux.

Key statistics from the report include:

Eighty-one percent of survey respondents say that hiring Linux talent is a priority in 2012. This urgency is driving a substantial increase in recruiting activity, with nearly half (47%) of hiring managers expecting to add more Linux professionals to their firms in early 2012 and 63 percent noting Linux hires are increasing relative to jobs created in other skill areas.

But, a full 85 percent report having difficulty finding qualified Linux professionals to fill these positions, pointing to the need for more skilled Linux talent.

In an economy where contract and temp-to-hire positions have become more prevalent, Linux professionals garner more full-time positions and better salaries, bonuses and perks. While average pay increases for tech professionals averaged just two percent in 2011, professionals with Linux skills have seen a five percent increase in salaries and a 15 percent jump in bonus payouts over the same timeframe.

Seventy-five percent of respondents cited the mid-level professional with three to five years of experience as their most-sought hires, especially those with development or systems administration skills.

“Linux jobs have become some of the hottest jobs in all of tech,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “Clearly, hiring managers throughout the IT tech sector understand this and are aggressively seeking Linux professionals. It is our job to meet this demand by ensuring developers and systems admins have access to the community networking opportunities and Linux training they need to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity.”

With the tech industry having twice as many openings as professionals who can do the job , college grads to mid-career professionals are considering how to take advantage of that opportunity. Software programming has been highly touted as a lucrative area of technology, and with the increasing use of Linux and open source software across industries, Linux know-how is topping the list of most highly sought expertise in this area.

“In the last ten years, there’s been no tech skill that matches Linux in terms of growth in hiring requests and size of demand and clearly it’s not done,” said Alice Hill, Managing Director, Dice.com. “The best Linux candidates have options and we need more talented professionals to join the community. Linux is simply a core skill for anyone pursuing a career in software development or systems administration.”

To download the complete report, please visit: http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/linux-foundation/2012-linux-jobs-report

The 2012 Linux Jobs Report Methodology

From December 6 to December 16, 2011, Dice and The Linux Foundation surveyed hiring managers at corporations, Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs), government organizations, and staffing agencies. More than 2,300 responded with 42 percent indicating their company was headquartered in the United States, 27 percent in Europe, 11 percent in Asia, seven percent in South America, as well as Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Japan, the Middle East, Mexico and Central America. Respondents needed to have hired at least one Linux professional in the last year, or plan to hire Linux professionals in 2012 to participate in the survey, and were allowed to check as many responses to questions as appropriate.

About Dice

Dice, a Dice Holdings, Inc. service, is the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals. With a 21-year track record of meeting the ever-changing needs of technology professionals, companies and recruiters, our specialty focus and exposure to highly skilled professional communities enable employers to reach hard-to-find, experienced and qualified technology and engineering candidates. www.Dice.com

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Forbes: Geek Picture of the Day

A 1999 picture of Linux creator Linus Torvalds makes picture of the day on Forbes.com

The Embedded and Mobile Linux Trends Shaping 2012

We’re preparing for our weeklong extravaganza of mobile and embedded development next week. Android Builders Summit kicks off Monday and ELC follows on Wednesday, taking place February 15-17, 2012. For the really hard-core, we’ve even lined up some hands-on mobile and embedded Linux training courses over the weekend. I'm especially looking forward to the Yocto Project crash course.

This is a great way to kick off our annual events calendar for 2012, and it provides me a good excuse to share my take on the state of embedded Linux.

The face of embedded software development is changing fast. The power and functionality of mobile and embedded devices are reaching new levels of performance  previously found in general purpose systems, such as desktop and mobile computers. The classic definition of an embedded system being "a computer system designed for specific control functions within a larger system" may still hold true for control modules found in cars, machinery and other core embedded applications. However, the lines are becoming blurry when it comes to mobile devices, Smart TVs and other consumer electronics products. These devices now allow users to customize their look and feel and user experience, installing third-party software applications, downloading media, and more, which a few years ago was only possible with personal computers.

Following is a breakdown of the trends I see shaping the embedded Linux area and the ways that engineers write software for these systems in the year ahead.

Convergence of development and deployment platforms

If you are a veteran embedded engineer you very well know that the systems you once utilized to develop software were substantially different from the systems you were developing for. In the majority of cases, the target systems had a different processor architecture, different I/O functionality, substantially less processing power, different or no memory management, and many other diverging characteristics. System-on-Chips (SoC) integrating processor cores of general purpose CPUs with peripheral devices typically found in embedded systems into a single chip allows software developers to tap into a large software pool previously written for general purpose CPUs. The most prominent example is certainly the Linux kernel.

Before the advent of SoCs, Linux was not a good choice for embedded or mobile systems. General purpose CPUs required too many external peripheral devices to be economically used in an embedded system, and microcontrollers typically used in such systems did not fulfill the memory management requirements of the Linux kernel. A second hurdle for Linux in embedded system design was the need for a read/write file system. Not too long ago, file system meant the use of hard drives, which are not practical for embedded and/or mobile use. Memory Technology Devices (MTD) are now closing the gap. SoCs and MTDs are enabling the use of Linux in embedded and mobile devices.

The utilization of Linux for embedded devices is naturally bringing deployment and development platforms together. Now, developers can use the exact same software development tools they are familiar with on their Linux development system to write software for a Linux-based target. The same processor architecture on development system and target may even make the use of cross-development tools unnecessary. In some cases, developers are even given the possibility of directly developing software on the target itself. Many SoCs have integrated graphics and USB ports, making connecting a display, keyboard and mouse a breeze. Development boards available for most processor architectures provide all the necessary functionality in single board computer form factor to jumpstart embedded software development.

Emulation and simulation

In the past, embedded hardware and software development were mostly serialized. Software development did not start until the first prototype of the hardware was available for the software engineers. Emulators allow software engineers to test new features even before they are accessible in the form of hardware. For example, the QEMU open source machine emulator and virtualizer can easily be used to test new CPU instructions and compilers to create code for these instructions long before the first silicon gets in the hands of software developers. Simulation can be utilized to test new APIs for sensors and other hardware devices. GUI simulators facilitate rapid prototyping of user interfaces.

Virtualization

The original intent of the Java platform was to provide a hardware independent platform for interactive television. It was too advanced for the digital cable television industry at the time but its adoption by the Android mobile operating system as application development and deployment platform proved that the concept of virtualization for embedded and mobile systems is fundamentally correct. Virtualization provides several benefits for embedded and mobile systems: secure partitioning of applications, migration of legacy applications, platform-independent application ecosystems. Depending on the focus for the virtualization, different solutions are appropriate. Secure partitioning of native applications can be achieved with a hypervisor. A hypervisor may also be the solution for migrating existing and consolidating existing software on a new platform. Ecosystems for third-party applications are a major differentiator for mobile devices. While Java is Android's technology for building an application ecosystem, web browsers, WebKit, HTML5 and other web technologies provide the abstraction layers necessary to build application ecosystems that extend across many different device types and categories using a variety of hardware technologies, processor architectures and operating system.

HTML5

Ecosystems for third-party applications are a vital part of mobile device platforms and will undoubtedly influence purchasing decisions for other consumer electronics products such as Smart TVs, and potentially cars, in the near future. The more applications that are available for a particular platform, the more valuable it becomes in the perception of the consumer. If you trust the forecasts of market analysts, then the battle of the ecosystems has just begun.  And within the next couple of years, two to three prevailing software platforms (with their respective ecosystems) will evolve as the winners. The winners will bring on board the critical mass of application developers providing a steady stream of new applications to maintain the attractiveness of the platform to consumers. In my opinion, HTML5 will make the discussion about the winning mobile platform moot and end the predicted battle of the ecosystems.

A major headache for mobile application developers is the rapidly increasing number of variances in devices, form factor, screen resolution, operating system versions, etc. An application designed for a mobile phone with a 4" screen typically viewed in portrait orientation will most likely not provide the same user experience on a tablet with a 10" screen commonly viewed in landscape orientation. Current mobile software platforms and their respective application development environments do not provide an adequate solution. HTML through CSS, allows easy separation of presentation from business logic making it straight forward for developers to change the visual layout of their applications and have it automatically adapt to the form factor and orientation of the device. HTML and CSS also give developers more freedom to design their own look-and-feel. Current SDKs for mobile applications are rather limiting in how developers can create differentiating user experiences.

New markup tags introduced with HTML5 further close the gap between native and web applications. Web applications can now access sensors, cameras and other hardware devices found on mobile platforms, store application-specific information on the device and play media through standardized tags and objects.

With these features, HTML5 provides a unique opportunity to create an application ecosystem for embedded and mobile devices that is truly independent from the underlying hardware and software platform. This ecosystem will benefit all parties involved with the value chain: the device manufacturers, the application developers and the consumers. None of them will have to make the decision for a particular platform wondering if the investment will be voided by becoming obsolete before returning the expected value.

Security and privacy

A steady and rapidly increasing number of embedded devices are either directly or indirectly connected to the Internet. This poses new challenges for embedded system developers. Even if an embedded device is only connected to a private network, engineers now must keep security in mind since other devices on the private network could act as bridges, deliberately or involuntarily, providing outside access to those devices. For instance, an engine management module in a car connected to the vehicle's private network could potentially become exposed to the Internet through an infotainment head-unit connected to the same private network while also being connected to the Internet via data modem and cell phone network. Encrypted data communication on private networks and embedded firewalls to protect them will soon become standard for embedded systems.

The widespread proliferation of smartphones may enable botnets of entirely new dimensions. Access to platform sensors, such as GPS, makes it easy to physically locate the bots and aggregate the ones close in location for attacks in specific areas. For example, thousands of compromised smartphones in a Super Bowl stadium could be used to create a mass panic or do other harm. Embedded and mobile device designers must devise technologies to protect the platforms against viruses, Trojan horses and other malware.

As more and more users of smartphones use them for online banking, financial transactions at store checkouts and to unlock their cars, among other applications, the protection of the private data stored on these devices becomes mandatory. But not only the data that the user explicitly stores on the device is at risk. but also the data that the user indirectly creates while carrying and using the device: the places he visits, the stores she pays, the pictures of places and people he takes, the tunes she plays, etc. While each piece of data by itself may be meaningless the combination of it together with information found online through social media networks and personal websites may expose the person to identity theft and more. It is not a trivial task to enable user convenience and at the same time keep the user's personal information safe from unauthorized access.

Embedded and mobile system developers must learn to understand the threats, be aware of them and proactively design their software accordingly. There is no absolute security and privacy; however, a simple message during installation that an application accesses the user's contact list, the data network, the camera, etc., and asks the user whether to proceed or not is not merely a security concept but simply an excuse.

The Future Belongs to Embedded and Mobile Computing

The future of computing is in embedded and mobile. Orders of magnitude more of these systems will be deployed and used for a myriad of applications than have ever been for PCs or other computers. The possibilities and opportunities seem limitless but so seem the challenges. However, lessons learned from the personal computing era and the Internet still apply. As embedded and general purpose computing platforms converge, embedded and mobile developers must adapt to harvest the benefits and meet the challenges.

Zuckerberg is Spot on with “Hacker Way” (but The Linux Community Already Knew That)

Facebook filed its IPO last week , which is big news in and of itself. However, what struck me most was the letter from Mark Zuckerberg to potential investors that puts an exclamation point on something that the Linux community has been practicing for years: first - don't do it for the money, second maintain the hacker way. And, the money follows.

Zuckerberg points out that Facebook wasn't started to become a company. It was a cause. It was an idea -- to connect people. Linus Torvalds had a similar idea 20 years ago when he started Linux as a way to collectively develop software. Linus kicked off the project “just for fun” and has repeatedly stated that his motivation behind Linux is solving interesting problems with code.

In the letter, Zuckerberg clearly demonstrates how he and his company have been inspired by the core principles that Linux and the open source software movement started twenty years ago.

Just take a look at these statements:

“People sharing more — even if just with their close friends or families — creates a more open culture and leads to a better understanding of the lives and perspectives of others.”

“Hacker culture is extremely open and meritocratic. Hackers believe that the best idea and implementation should always win — not the person who is best at lobbying for an idea or the person who manages the most people.”

“The Hacker Way is an approach to building that involves continuous improvement and iteration. Hackers believe that something can always be better, and that nothing is ever complete. They just have to go fix it — often in the face of people who say it’s impossible or are content with the status quo.”

“We think the world’s information infrastructure should resemble the social graph — a network built from the bottom up or peer-to-peer, rather than the monolithic, top-down structure that has existed to date. We also believe that giving people control over what they share is a fundamental principle of this rewiring.”

Sound familiar? Zuckerberg’s interpretation of the “hacker way” could be cut and pasted from the daily workings of Linux kernel development for the last two decades:

"Code wins arguments."

"Quickly releasing and learning from smaller iterations."

"The best idea and implementation should always win."  

Linux is the quintessential example of the hacker way. As an example, if you don't think that code wins arguments, post some bad code along with the best-crafted argument in the world to the Linux kernel mailing list and see how it goes.   

Linux is the fastest moving collaborative software project in the history of computing; it releases every three months and in small iterations with literally thousands of code changes in every release.  In fact Linux is often a leading indicator of things to come.  Virtualization technology, high performance computing, and more are often developed in the open first in Linux and then productized by companies later.  

Of course, Facebook wasn’t just inspired by the hacker ethos. It is built on hacker code itself: Linux and a wide variety of open source technology. In fact, the economics that come with having open source software at its base makes Facebook’s filing even that much more compelling. Without the cost and flexibility advantages of open source, Facebook would be tied into proprietary contracts that would impede its ability to add users without the need to generate significant revenue. Before open source it was simply too difficult to scale, and the risk of your costs rising without your control was just too great. Zuckerberg made a brilliant decision -- albeit inevitable -- when he built Facebook on Linux using open source components. Would this IPO even be happening had he written Facebook as a Windows application?

It is no coincidence that one of the greatest entrepreneurial success stories of the last decade is deeply rooted in one of the greatest technology innovations of the last two decades: Linux and open development. Facebook is a great example of code + ethos that is driving great things.  
 

TechCrunch: What Startups Can Learn from Linux

Scott Merrill posts today about what startups, including Facebook, can learn from Linux... More at TechCrunch

LinuxDevices acquired ...

Android fragmentation not so serious, says study

SODIMM-sized Cortex-A8 module sports CAN bus, onboard flash

Linux Mint 12 KDE released!

Monthly Stats – January 2012

Monthly Stats – December 2011

Sprint's seven-inch tablet is just $100 on contract

COM Express module has power-saving, soldered-on Cores

HTC announces fix for Android Wi-Fi security flaw

Defunct email service offers handhelds to hackers

Openmoko smartphone reborn as hackable GTA04

Ruggedized Atom E600 module ships in EMC-proof enclosure

Eurotech module adopts 32nm Atom

Radisys unveils 'first' ruggedized Core i7 COM Express module

NTT Docomo's Android phones have Mickey Mouse user interface

Red Hat unveils 10-year support plan

'Low power' server packs 64 Xeon processors

Linux multiseat solution advances to Ethernet with HP thin client

Get Your Embedded Linux On: Join Me at Yocto Project Developer Day

Building an embedded Linux distribution can be a daunting task. From the Board Support Package (BSP) to Kernel configuration, root file system setup and the selection many additional software package there are many choices to make and taking the wrong turn can easily lead to a dead end and many hours of wasted time.

The Yocto Project greatly simplifies this process with a set of proven tools and recipes allowing you to build you own custom Linux distribution tailored to your requirements.

During The Linux Foundation's Embedded Linux Conference at the Hotel Sofitel San Francisco Bay in Redwood Shores from February 15 through 17, you have the unique opportunity to build your competence in embedded Linux and the Yocto Project.

On the day before the conference, February 14, the first-ever Yocto Project Developer Day you will have the opportunity to meet the Yocto Project's supporting organizations and many experts who will be presenting sessions and labs.

Stay a little longer and right after the conference on Saturday/Sunday February 18/19, you can deepen your Yocto Project knowledge with a 2-day crash course offered by The Linux Foundation.

Join me for two days of hands-on learning fun, building Linux system images to boot in an emulator and on a Beagleboard. First you will get an introduction into the Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded and how they relate. Then we will dive into the Poky Build Process, the core of the Yocto Project, and the Bitbake build orchestrator. You will learn about metadata layers, recipes and classes and how to use them to customize your distribution built by the Yocto Project.

What will you need? You know your way around on a Linux system and are not afraid of a commnad shell. You can use any of the standard text editors such as vi or emacs. You understand the basics of compiling and linking programs and constructing Makefile.

What to bring? Tag along your laptop with Ubuntu 10.04 LTS 32-bit installed on it. Or alternatively, have VirtualBox 4.1.8 installed on your system. We can provide you with an appliance ready to be imported in VirtualBox.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon in Redwood Shores!

Stable kernel release candidates

I thought it would be easier to do a round of stable kernel releases in
the middle of the larger kernel merge window, to prevent the next round
from being so big (given that there are a lot of patches usually
applying during the -rc1 merge window cycle).

So, I've now done:

• Linux 2.6.32.54-rc1 release
• Linux 3.0.17-rc1 release
• Linux 3.1.9-rc1 release
• Linux 3.2.1-rc1 release

Please go test and let me know if there are any problems with any of
these kernels. If I've missed any patches that you feel should be in
them, also please let me know.

Note, this is most likely going to be the LAST 3.1.y kernel
release, so please move off to the 3.2 kernel at this point in time.
Maintaining so many different kernel branches all at once is not
trivial, and I want to minimize it if at all possible.

Stable kernel tree status, January 9, 2012

As 3.2 is now out, here's a note as to the current status of the
different stable/longterm kernel trees.

First off, please everyone remember to mark any patch that you want to
have applied to the stable kernel trees with a simple:

Cc: stable

marking in the Signed-off-by: area. Once the patch hits Linus's tree, I
will automatically be notified of it and it will be applied if possible.
If it does not applied, you will be notified of that.

Note that the address is stable@vger.kernel.org, not the older address
that used to be used before October of 2011.

At this time, all stable and longterm kernel trees are being maintained
in one big git tree, located at:

git.kernel.org:/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux-stable.git

There are different branches for every different major kernel version.

Here's the different active kernel versions that I am maintaining at the moment:

• 3.2.y - this will be maintained until 3.3 comes out
• 3.1.y - there will be only one, maybe two, more releases of this tree
• 3.0.y - this is the new "longterm" kernel release, it will be
  maintained for 2 years at the minimum by me.
• 2.6.32.y - this is the previous "longterm" kernel release. It is
  approaching it's end-of-life, and I think I only have
  another month or so doing releases of this. After I am
  finished with it, it might be picked up by someone else, but
  I'm not going to promise anything.

All other longterm kernels are being maintained in various forms
(usually quite sporadically, if at all), by other people, and I can not
speak for their lifetime at all, that is up to those individuals.

If anyone has any questions about any of this, please
let me know.

Leading Kernel Maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman Joins The Linux Foundation

Kroah-Hartman joins distinguished group of Linux Foundation fellows, including Linus Torvalds, to advance the operating system

SAN FRANCISCO, February 1, 2012 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Greg Kroah-Hartman is joining the organization as Fellow.

Kroah-Hartman is among a distinguished group of software developers that maintain Linux at the kernel level. In his role as Linux Foundation Fellow, Kroah-Hartman will continue his work as the maintainer for the Linux stable kernel branch and a variety of subsystems while working in a fully neutral environment. He will also work more closely with Linux Foundation members, workgroups, Labs projects, and staff on key initiatives to advance Linux.

The Linux Foundation Fellowship program provides financial support to software developers working on Linux and open source community projects. Under the auspices of this fund, The Linux Foundation works with users, vendors and developers to identify where and how additional work or resources could accelerate development efforts and spur the adoption of Linux and open source software.

“The Linux Foundation does extremely valuable work, and I am proud to join the organization,” said Greg Kroah-Hartman. “I’m excited to continue my work on the Linux kernel alongside the best developers in the world and to increase collaboration among Linux Foundation members and kernel developers.”

“Greg is among the world’s most talented software developers and is providing unmatched contributions to the advancement of Linux,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “We’re looking forward to working even more closely with Greg and to allow him to expand his focus on the kernel.”

Kroah-Hartman created and maintains the Linux Driver Project. He is also currently the maintainer for the Linux stable kernel branch and a variety of different subsystems that include USB, staging, driver core, tty, and sysfs, among others. Most recently, he was a Fellow at SUSE. Kroah-Hartman is an adviser to Oregon State University’s Open Source Lab, a member of The Linux Foundation's Technical Advisory Board, has delivered a variety of keynote addresses at developer and industry events, and has authored two books covering Linux device drivers and Linux kernel development.

The Linux Foundation Fellows today include Till Kamppeter, Greg Kroah-Hartman, Janina Sajka, Richard Purdie and Linus Torvalds. Previous Fellows include Steve Hemminger, Andrew Morton, Andrew Tridgell and Ted Ts’o. For more information on Linux Foundation Fellows, please visit the Linux Foundation Fellowship website.

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Review: Razr Maxx boasts best Android smartphone battery

Mini PC can use SSD as cache, supports Sandy Bridge CPUs

Samsung's Android tablet/smartphone hybrid will debut in mid-February

Linux-based home energy gateway supports ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0

Tilera ships 36- and 16-core RISC processors

Samsung spins another S phone, and Motorola announces unlocked Razr

Qseven module sports a TI ARM-plus-DSP chip

Review: Verizon's LG Spectrum offers speed, long life -- and weird UI customization

Embedded PC moves up to Cedar Trail chips

It's a new Android Trojan -- or at least 'aggressive advertising'

Open source Linux tablet showcases KDE Plasma Active technology

Android smartphones down, tablets up, say reports

America's first 'WhiteFi' network goes live

Ubuntu 12.10 will bypass menus via predictive search

ZTE Android tablets popping up everywhere

Cortex-A8 evaluation module gets higher-quality camera

Ubuntu 12.10 to debut menu-free search interface

PocketBook unveils seven-inch Gingerbread tablet

Droid Razr Maxx is 'longest-lasting' smartphone

Chromebooks pick up steam in the classroom

WebOS' Enyo 2.0 dev platform goes cross-platform, adopts Apache license

Tiny server offers modular design

Half-size PICMG card supports Core processors

Coverity code analyzer to integrate with Wind River Linux embedded tools

TI ships Linux-ready DLP eval module for pico projectors

Red Hat, Ubuntu, and Arch Linux patch Linux kernel exploit

KDE 4.8 adds adaptive power management, new windowing tricks

Free Embedded Linux Training at Yocto Developer Day on February 14th

Use of Linux in the mobile/embedded space is exploding, and we find many companies are adopting the open source Yocto project to build custom embedded Linux systems. The project is hosting a free day of training on Yocto on Feb 14th as part of the Embedded Linux Conference. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn Yocto if you're a beginner or get more advanced if you are already familiar with the tool. Find out more about Yocto Developer Day.

Yocto includes the BitBake build tool, a large set of customizable build metadata, the EGLIBC library, Eclipse-based graphical user interfaces for both the build system and an accompanying Application Development Toolkit that is automatically generated, and several other tools that bring some order to the occasional chaos of developing systems with embedded Linux - and indeed, embedded systems in general. The Yocto Project supports multiple Intel architectures, multiple ARM architectures, MIPS, and PowerPC with standard BSPs and QEMU-based emulators. The build system that is customizable end-to-end but still easy to use. The project is supported by major embedded hardware vendors, embedded Linux operating system vendors, the OpenEmbedded Project, and many other organizations, with a governance structure based on the open source tenets of transparency and meritocracy. It's one of the Linux Foundation Labs projects I am most excited about. Seating is limited for this free training, so early registration is highly encouraged. The ELC schedule is out and this Yocto training, combined with the conference and Android Builders Summit held concurrently, should make for a fabulous week of embedded Linux. 

For those of you who want a bit more embedded Linux, we are also hosting two in-depth training courses on the weekend following the conference:

LF410 Embedded Linux Development: A Crash Course (View Course Overview)

Saturday, February 18th - Sunday, February 19th
9:00am - 5:00pm (Pacific Time)
 

LF404 Building Embedded Linux with Yocto: Crash Course (View Course Overview)
Saturday, February 18th - Sunday, February 19th
9:00am - 5:00pm (Pacific Time)

You can find out more about these embedded Linux classes. These courses are hands on and intense. Let me know if you have any questions. See you at the Hotel Sofitel! 

HP Releases More Details on the Open Sourcing of webOS

BusinessWeek: HP Plans September Release of Open Source webOS

BusinessWeek's Aaron Ricadela talks to Jim Zemlin about HP's webOS roadmap.

4Linux, Erlang Solutions and Linux Professional Institute Join The Linux Foundation

Training and consulting companies come together to help meet demand for Linux-specific knowledge, advance the platform 

SAN FRANCISCO, January 25, 2012 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that three companies are joining the organization: 4Linux, Erlang Solutions and Linux Professional Institute (LPI).

While the national and international job markets continue to struggle, the IT market offers a brighter outlok, according to technology jobs board Dice.com. And wihtin the IT market, indicators point to Linux jobs as an area of specific growth. This is trigger new demands for training and consulting services focused on the platform. By joining The Linux Foundation, 4Linux and Erlang Solutions and LPI can collaborate on educational programs, network with industry peers and collaborate with the Linux community to advance the operating system for specific opportunities.

More details on today’s new Linux Foundation members:

4Linux is a leading Brazilian company providing solutions, training and services based on free and open source software. The 4Linux technical team is highly qualified and experienced in infrastructure and middleware architecture for mission-critical workloads. 4Linux has implemented open source solutions for the Federal Government Bank of Brazil (Caixa Economica Federal), which serves more than 50 million Brazilians. 4Linux also provides basic and advanced e-learning classes in Portuguese throughout the world.

“In 2011, when Linux celebrated its 20^th anniversary, 4Linux celebrated its 10-year anniversary. This was a very successful story in the Brazilian market, and we decided to expand our work into the global market,” said Rodolfo Gobbi, general director, 4Linux. “Our membership with The Linux Foundation is one of the actions in this direction that will allow us to collaborate with a worldwide network of developers vendors and users who are all, like 4Linux, working toward the same goal: advancing and supporting Linux.”

Erlang Solutions provides businesses with scalable solutions that are based on the general purpose Erlang programming language and runtime system. Through the creation, integration, delivery and lifetime support of products and services, Erlang Solutions supports the Erlang user community with industry-leading research, development, training and worldwide support. The company has offices in London, Stockholm and Krakow.

 “Erlang and Linux are a powerful combination for scalable cloud solutions,” said Marcus Taylor, commercial director and co-founder, Erlang Solutions. “That’s why our Linux Foundation membership is so important to us. We see this as the ideal forum to bring together our two communities. Through collaboration, we can advance Linux and Erlang in a way that supports our work and our clients, while giving back to the Linux community.”

Linux Professional Institute (LPI) represents a worldwide network of affiliates, training partners, industry representatives, enterprise customers, community professionals, and academic organizations that support programs and services to further lifelong professional careers in Linux and open source technologies. LPI is globally recognized Linux certifications are delivered in thousands of locations worldwide and in multiple languages.

"LPI represents many Linux professionals from around the globe and we have been promoting the professional use of Linux and open source since 1999. Our membership in The Linux Foundation is a natural partnership for us given our long-standing history of industry and community cooperation. We look forward to working with The Linux Foundation to enhance the open source ecosystem that supports innovation and evolution in this dynamic industry," said Jim Lacey, president and CEO of LPI.

"Linux is reaching a tipping point where its penetratio across industries is creating high demand for knowledgeable professionals who can work on the platform in a variety of environments," said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer services at The Linux Foundation. "4Linux, Erlang Solutions and Linux Professional Institute are examples of organizations what are contributing to the work we're all doing  as a community to help meet this demand, and we look forward to collaborating with them."


About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

'Cinnamon' GNOME 3 fork now 'fully stable' with version 1.2

Modular panel PC will accept display upgrades

Rugged, biometric smartphone and tablet run ICS on OMAP 4 CPUs

Accurately measuring CPU power consumption a challenge, authors say

Tiny USB server runs on batteries, streams to iOS, Android devices

3.5-inch SBC sports Cedar Trail Atoms

Notion Ink's Adam II tablet will move to OMAP 4 chip

Linux-based flight recorder optimized for drones

Linux Adoption Trends 2012: A Closer Look

Toyota, Google, Facebook, New York Stock Exchange, Burlington Coat Factory, Amazon.

These names represent just a handful of the thousands of large companies using Linux today. As early adopters of Linux (some having used the OS well over a decade) with some of the most technically advanced challenges to overcome in their business environments, companies such as these can give us important insight as to how Linux is being used and where it's growing.

That is why we started surveying large companies using Linux in 2010 and why today's new report, "Linux Adoption Trends 2012: A Survey of Enterprise End Users," sheds light on what we can expect from enterprises, both large and small, that are using Linux. We hope this research can help inform the industry, our members and us as we prioritize our work for a New Year.

In order to intimately understand the adoption trends among this elite level of companies, we filtered the responses to our survey to collect just the data from companies with more than $500m+ in annual revenues or 500+ employees. You will find a variety of new data points in this year's report, but here's three that I think are interesting and/or surprising.

Linux is growing, even as spending forecasts remain bleak

Companies using Linux are bucking the forecast trends of reduced spending on IT. Eight out of ten respondents said they've added more Linux servers in the last 12 months and will add more in the next 12 months. Eight out of ten are also planning more Linux deployments over the next five years, while only 21.7% said they would be adding more Windows in the next five years.

"Big Data" might be a buzzword, but it's a real concern

The rising level of data is not lost on large companies. In fact, it's a concern for more than 75% of our respondents. With the number of collection points spreading and more elements of our personal and professional interactions being digitized, the term "Big Data" is becoming part of our regular vocabulary. We were very interested to learn that more than two-thirds (or 71.8%) are planning to add more Linux in the next 12 months to support it. Given Linux's incumbent position in high-performance computing (HPC), maybe this shouldn't come as a surprise.

Overall concerns/issues with Linux dropping

While management perception remains at the top of the list of concerns among even large enterprise users, we found that few people see much impeding Linux's ongoing success. In fact we saw a 40% drop in people who thought technical issues would hold back the platform. Ten percent fewer this year say there are no issues at all impeding the success of Linux.

The 2012 Enterprise End User survey surfaces a very positive story for Linux among enterprises that use the operating system most. As our report says, "Once enterprises deploy Linux, they stick with Linux and plan to add more Linux, because the platform provides sustainable benefits that include a broad feature set, security, cost-savings and flexibility."

One last note: This report is not intended to be an assessment of the overall penetration of Linux in the market, or is it a cross-platform study. This "Linux Adoption Trends 2012: A Survey of Enterprise End User" report reflects the usage trends of enterprise users most familiar with Linux, surfacing important data that can inform important work.

TechCrunch: Linux Foundation Expects Gains for Enterprise Linux in 2012

Scott Merrill reports on today's report "Linux Adoption Trends 2012"

A lot has happened since late 2010, and the Linux Foundation survey reflects that. In “Linux Adoption Trends 2012: A Survey of Enterprise End Users” we find that a substantial number of enterprise users “expressed concern with the rapid growth of data, and Linux is clearly the platform of choice to address it.” Less than half of respondents are planning to use Windows to handle their “Big Data” requirements.

Cloud Pro: Linux: A Strategic Asset for Cloud, Big Data

Jennifer Scott reports on the cloud- and big data-specific stats from The Linux Foundation's "Linux Adoption Trends 2012" report.

ZDNet: Big Business, Big Linux

Steven Vaughan-Nichols reports on the latest report from The Linux Foundation: "Linux Adoption Trends 2012: A Survey of Enterprise End Users."

The Linux Foundation Releases Enterprise Linux User Report

World’s largest enterprises will add more Linux to support cloud computing, “Big Data” – all at the expense of Windows and Unix

SAN FRANCISCO, January 19, 2012 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the immediate release of its latest report “Linux Adoption Trends 2012: A Survey of Enterprise End Users,” which shares new data representing Linux’s dominant role in supporting cloud computing, “Big Data” and new, “greenfield” deployments.

The data in the report reflects the results of the second invitation-only survey of The Linux Foundation’s Enterprise End User Council as well as other companies and government organizations. The first Enterprise Linux survey and report was released in October 2010.

This year’s survey was conducted in partnership with Yeoman Technology Group late last year and received responses from nearly 1900 individuals. Like the 2010 report, it filters the data to surface trends among the world’s largest enterprise companies and government organizations – identified by 428 respondents at organizations with $500 million or more in annual revenues or greater than 500 employees. The number of respondents from the largest enterprises in the world grew by more than 10% this year, providing an even better picture of enterprise Linux adoption trends.

The 2012 Enterprise Linux survey shows that affinity among new and veteran Linux users continues to increase at the expense of Windows and Unix. Part of this growth is due to Linux’s role in two of today’s biggest IT trends: supporting the increasing level of “Big Data” and achieving productivity and security gains with virtualization and cloud computing. Enterprise Linux users show steady progress on all of these fronts and a clear preference for Linux as the foundation for these trends. Key findings from this year’s report include:

* Even as IT spending forecasts remain soft, enterprise users are adding more Linux: 

Eight out of ten respondents say that they have both added Linux servers in the last 12 months and plan to add more in the next 12 months, with the same number planning to add more Linux in the next five years. Only 21.7% of respondents are planning an increase in Windows servers during that same period (next five years).

* More than 75% of respondents expressed concern about supporting "Big Data," and nearly 72% are choosing Linux to support it: 

Most enterprises expressed concern with the rapid growth of data, and Linux is clearly the platform of choice to address it. Only 35.9% are planning to use Windows to meet the demands of this new environment.

* Linux users see fewer issue impeding the operating system's success, with technical issues cited among respondents dropping 40% from last year's report: 

Technical issues cited by Linux users dropped 40%, from 20.3% in 2010 to 12.2% today. Twenty-two percent fewer respondents cite perception by management as an issue, and 10% fewer say there are no issues at all impeding the success of Linux. 

* The largest collaborative development project gains more contributions from enterprise users: This year's survey surfaced a nearly 12-point increase in those participating in Linux Foundation activities, an 8-point increase among respondents who are working on code, and a 5-point increase in those who are testing submitting bugs.

* TCO, feature set and overall security top Linux benefits: More than two-thirds of respondents consider Linux to be more secure than other operating systems.

“The Linux Foundation strives to provide unique research that informs the industry and its members on Linux adoption and that can illustrate a more complete picture of the state of Linux. This year’s Enterprise End User survey and report does just that, especially in the areas of overall growth and support for cloud computing and big data,” said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer services, The Linux Foundation. “By understanding how the world’s largest and most advanced enterprise managers are using Linux, we can work to advance the operating system in priority areas.”

The Enterprise Linux User survey is not intended to be an assessment of the overall penetration of Linux in the market, nor is it designed as a cross-platform study. It’s also important to note that enterprise users who are motivated to take a survey from The Linux Foundation are not an unbiased lot, but the size of these organizations, their buying power and technical prowess – as filtered by The Linux Foundation and Yeoman – can provide important guidance both for Linux vendors and developers, as well as their competitors.

To download the full report, please visit The Linux Foundation’s Publications website.

The Linux Foundation End User Council will meet with vendors and the developer community this April 30-May 1, 2012 at The Linux Foundation’s Enterprise End User Summit. The event will take place this year at the NYSE offices. More information can be found on The Linux Foundation’s events website.


About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

From CES: Will HTML5 Threaten the Closed World of the App Store?

Last week I attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. A few years ago CES was not on my calendar as a “must-attend” show. While there has been Linux in play in consumer devices for many years, only in the last few years has Linux become a fundamental building block of virtually all major consumer electronics segments, from mobile phones to televisions to stereo equipment to automobiles. CES is now an event I simply can’t miss.

This year I was struck by the shifting nature of software ecosystems. On one hand you had Steve Ballmer and Steven Elop repeating over and over how Microsoft and Nokia will be the "third ecosystem" to Apple and Android’s already successful ones. I find it ironic that what Ballmer means when he says he wants  “to build the strong third ecosystem in the smartphone market” is that Microsoft and Nokia really want to be well, Microsoft and Nokia again. Except this time in third place. We all know that the rise and hold of Microsoft’s desktop domination was driven not by technology superiority but by the “ecosystem,” the availability of applications and peripherals supporting that operating system (OS), and only that OS. Microsoft and Nokia would like to return to that world with their mobile platforms. As Elop said, “We believe the industry has shifted form a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems.”

But are they too late? Will ecosystems really matter as much in the world of HTML5?

Let’s be honest. HTML5 is really just another way to say “the Internet,” and when it comes to breaking "ecosystem" lock in there have been fewer better mechanisms than the Internet. With HTML5, developers can target multiple platforms with their applications, making silo’ed app stores less important than they are today. Imagine a world where developers can use new tools to publish their apps to the Android, Apple, Amazon and “whatever else” store with one click. No 30 percent revenue share if they don’t want it. No proprietary programming interfaces. That is the promise of the Internet.

AT&T has made a huge bet on HTML5. Even Apple promotes HTML5 and touts that every Apple mobile device, every new Mac, every new version of Safari, will support it. As they say, "These web standards are open, reliable, highly secure, and efficient. Standards aren't add-ons to the web. They are the web."

A new developer survey out this week shows three quarters of developers are planning HTML5 projects. And, why wouldn't they? The promise of "write once, run everywhere" has always been incredibly alluring for any developer who wants the widest possible market for her or her apps.

I believe that HTML5 will be begin to be very important in 2012 and will make great strides in leveling the playing field away from the largest two mobile ecosystems. I also think it will help Android, since Android on other devices, like TVs, are also prone to application ecosystem fragmentation. As Wired Magazine says in their discussion of ecosystem wars in the (Android) television market, “This trepidation around rallying around a common platform is troublesome for consumers, who ultimately just want to use apps that work.”

HTML5 could deliver that experience and fuel a truly open mobile world where ecosystems won’t matter quite so much. Of course the hardware vendors must support and enable those standards, and to do that they must see it as in their best interest. They must embrace HTML5 as a way to enhance their platform and reduce the costs of building and supporting a software ecosystem. While some see closed app stores as a way to differentiate and generate revenue in a tight margin business, I personally feel that the wisdom of the Internet, along with vendor opportunities for revenues (such as in-app transactions) will win. Only time will tell.

The Best Linux Events of 2012

{lfnews}The Linux Foundation today announced its 2012 Linux events and onsite training schedule. Some highlights include a triple-header in San Diego in August: LinuxCon North America, Linux Plumbers Conference and Linux Kernel Summit. Someone better warn San Diego natives that we're taking over their city this summer. We're also really excited to host three events in Barcelona: LinuxCon Europe, Embedded Linux Conference Europe and KVM Forum. Viva Linux!

You can check out today's news release for details on these and other events or check out this slideshow we whipped together with some cool images and photos from past events. Shows us what's in store this year.

Linux Mint 12 KDE RC released!

The Linux Foundation Announces 2012 Event and Onsite Linux Training Schedule

World's premier Linux events bring global community of administrators, developers and vendors together in collaboration

LinuxCon North America co-located in San Diego with Linux Kernel Summit and Linux Plumbers Conference; Barcelona to host LinuxCon Europe 2012

Exclusive discounts available for early event and training registration

SAN FRANCISCO, January 12, 2012 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced its 2012 event and onsite Linux training schedule. The organization is also opening the Call for Presentations (CFPs) for its remaining 2012 event lineup, which includes LinuxCon conferences in North America, Japan and Europe.

LinuxCon North America will take place this year in San Diego, Calif., where it will be co-located with the Linux Plumbers Conference and exclusive Linux Kernel Summit. Hosting these events together in one location will ensure the brightest minds in Linux are together in one place to advance the state of the art of the Linux platform. LinuxCon Europe, which debuted to a sold out crowd in Prague in 2011, will be in Barcelona, Spain this year. Embedded Linux Conference Europe and KVM Forum will also take place in Barcelona. LinuxCon Japan returns to Yokohama.

“The Linux Foundation’s 2012 event lineup and onsite Linux training schedule are designed to facilitate face-to-face collaboration among the community’s best and brightest,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “These neutral forums help advance the most pressing opportunities for Linux and bring to bear the highest quality technical content. We’re especially excited about the trifecta of events taking place in San Diego. This area is a hotbed for software development and embedded design.”

The Linux Foundation has also designed an annual event-specific Linux training schedule to help attendees maximize their educational experiences onsite. The Linux Foundation’s courses are designed to give attendees hands on experience and the advanced technical skills needed to thrive in their careers today. With all indicators showing an increasing demand for Linux talent, this program helps prepare new and veteran professionals for the best Linux jobs.

To view the 2012 onsite Linux training schedule, please visit: https://training.linuxfoundation.org/about/types-of-linux-training/events-training

The Linux Foundation is offering a special promotion to those who want to commit early and book their registration for this year’s events and/or onsite training courses. The first 50 people to register for any LinuxCon event will receive a 35 percent discount by using the code ‘12PM35’ when registering online. In addition, a 35 percent discount is available for onsite training courses and is limited to five people per course. The code is ‘JANSPESH’ and is valid through January 31, 2012. These event and training offers will go quickly, so people who are interested are encouraged to register now.

The Linux Foundation’s 2012 Schedule of Events

Android Builders Summit

February 13-14, 2012, Hotel Sofitel SF Bay, Redwood Shores, Calif. 

A technical summit for OEMs, their device manufacturers, integrators, custom builders, and the growing Android and Linux Kernel developer communities.

Embedded Linux Conference

February 15-17, 2012, Hotel Sofitel SF Bay, Redwood Shores, Calif. 

The premier vendor-neutral technical conference for companies and developers using Linux in embedded products.

Linux Storage, Filesystems and MM Summit

April 1-2, 2012, Hotel Nikko, San Francisco, Calif.

Invitation-only event that brings together developers and researchers who work with the Linux storage and file system stack.

Linux Foundation Member Legal Summit

April 2-4, 2012, Hotel Nikko, San Francisco, Calif. 

Invitation-only event where legal counsel from member organizations collaborate on protecting and advancing Linux and open source.

Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit

April 3-5, 2012, Hotel Nikko, San Francisco, Calif. 

An exclusive, invitation-only summit that brings together core kernel developers, distribution maintainers, ISVs, end users, system vendors and other community organizations for plenary sessions and workgroup meetings that help solve the most pressing issues facing Linux today.

Linux Foundation Enterprise End User Summit

April 30-May 1, 2012, New York Stock Exchange, New York, New York 

An invitation-only event that brings together high-performance end users with the highest-level Linux community developers.

LinuxCon Japan

June 6-8, 2012, Pacifico Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan 

The premier Linux conference in Asia that brings together a unique blend of core developers, administrators, users, community managers and industry experts.

Linux Kernel Summit

August 26-28, 2012, Sheraton San Diego, San Diego, Calif. 

This Summit brings together the world's leading core kernel developers to discuss the state of the existing kernel and to plan the next development cycle.

LinuxCon North America & Linux Plumbers Conference

August 29-31, 2012, Sheraton San Diego, San Diego, Calif. 

LinuxCon is the leading annual technical conference in North America, providing a needed collaboration and education space for the Linux community.

LinuxCon Europe& Embedded Linux Conference Europe

November 5-7, 2012, Hotel Fira Palace, Barcelona, Spain

LinuxCon Europe brings together the European Linux community to collaborate and advance Linux for the region. ELC Europe is in its 7th year and has the largest collection of sessions dedicated exclusively to embedded Linux and embedded Linux developers.

KVM Forum

November 7-9, 2012, Hotel Fira Palace, Barcelona, Spain 

Brings together the community of developers working on and defining the KVM hypervisor.

For more information on any of these events, including registration and CFP details, please visit the Linux Foundation events page at: http://events.linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation's events provide a neutral, collaborative environment that advances the state of the art of the Linux platform and provides networking and education in the technical, business and legal arenas, including professional Linux training opportunities. Pressing issues facing Linux are solved in these open forums where the Linux community collaborates on everything from the next kernel release to workgroup milestones to major enterprise deployments.

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Linux Training for Your New Year’s Resolutions

We’ve scheduled several training classes to help you ring in the New Year.

Immediately on the horizon is our LF331 Developing Linux Device Drivers class on January 16-20, 2012. LF331 introduces programmers to the Linux kernel and the different device drivers used in the Linux kernel space, while hands-on exercises and demos provide the necessary tools to learn how to develop device drivers for Linux. Register by 5pm PT on January 11th and get an early start on the New Year!

If your interest is in embedded development, then February is your month. The 2012 Embedded Linux Conference takes place February 15-17, 2012 in Redwood Shores, CA. If you’re going, you can round out the conference with a crash course in Embedded Linux Development or Building Embedded with Yocto. Both 2-day courses step through all phases of embedded development on an embedded target device and you can take this hands-on practice directly to your own projects.

Please subscribe to our training newsletter (sign up from the homepage of our training site) or our Twitter feed for exclusive discounts.

13-Year Software Veteran Learns New Tricks with Embedded Linux Course

Derald Woods is a 13-year engineering veteran who today works in software development, designing and supporting electronic vehicle controls for heavy equipment and trucks. Lately, his time is being used to work on an ARM9-based embedded Linux solution that involves NTSC/PAL video CSI input, V4L2 overlay, and graphics provided by an SDL implementation.

This work lead him to The Linux Foundation's "Embedded Linux: A Crash Course" to dig in deeper and build upon his existing knowledge in this area.

"I have had embedded Linux training from other sources, but this was an opportunity to ask questions and discuss some approaches that I have taken in the process of maintaining my own embedded Linux environment. It was good that the other class participants were also experienced Linux developers. We were able to pinpoint our specific needs and pull from the instructor's background. The instructor was a seasoned and experienced professional who actually has helped to deliver real solutions. He was able to sense the needs of the class and tailor the time spent toward those needs."

Vendor-neutral Training Offers Intimate Level of Expertise

In addition to the instructor's depth of knowledge, Derald said that the Linux training offered an opportunity to learn from other developers and engineers who deal with problems similar to his own. He says the biggest reason he chose this course from The Linux Foundation is because of the organization's neutral position and alignment with the Linux development community.

"I wanted to be sure that the information received was from a group that has some exposure to Linux at an intimate level."

Combining Training with Event Attendance Has Its Benefits

Derald was able to maximize his Linux training investment by taking "Embedded Linux: A Crash Course" while attending LinuxCon North America in Vancouver, B.C.

"The combination of the Embedded Linux training and the LinuxCon event provided a unique opportunity to get a full open source experience. I am usually the only person in the room who has gone beyond the high-level interactions with Linux code. At LinuxCon North America, everyone was like me to some degree. That was very refreshing."

As for the learning experiences in the LinuxCon sessions, Derald says that the sessions were very good. "They gave me some perspective on how open source projects are managed," he added. "Being in the same room with kernel maintainers was an interesting experience. Once you realize that they are actually 'human' beings and not 'mystical' beings, the big picture starts to unfold. They need our help with testing, validation, and occasionally a good idea."

Linux Foundation Training Translates into On-the-Job Expertise, Career Maturity
Derald is already using his new knowledge on the job.

"I have started using 'crosstool-ng' to generate the embedded Linux toolchain. This should allow me to have more fine-grained control of the compilation artifacts of the entire software stack. It forces me to consider more factors that impact overall software performance. I am learning more about how things really work."

He added, "If you are delivering an embedded Linux solution, you really need to continue learning. Even if you already perceive that you are good at what you do with Linux, training keeps you honest and engaged."

The Linux training Derald received from The Linux Foundation will add to his ongoing evolution as a software engineer and Linux enthusiast. He says that his career as as software engineer and Linux will always be completely intertwined. His technical interest in the Linux operating system started as a hobby but he soon found his knowledge helpful at work. That knowledge grew into an area of core competence for Derald in his job, and today it's his primary career focus. "Embedded Linux: A Crash Course" adds another level of understanding for his journey forward.

For more information, please visit The Linux Foundation's Linux Training website.
 

How Can We Help You? LinkedIn Linux Poll.

We are always considering different ways to serve the Linux community. We use a variety of social networks to share information about Linux that we hope is useful. We would like to learn from you how we can be even more useful to our followers on LinkedIn in 2012 and are running an informal poll on the site today and tomorrow to understand what types of information (Linux training, Linux jobs, etc.,) you would like to see from us on that network. Please take one minute to click your preferences: Linux Foundation LinkedIn poll.

It has been a pleasure celebrating 20 years of Linux with you throughout the year. We're looking forward to even deeper collaboration with you in 2012. Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Linux Job Opportunities: A Snapshot

Jobs today are like good, new television shows: hard to come by. But we're finding that there are some very bright spots in the areas of IT management and software development, especially related to Linux jobs.

Jobs today are like good, new television shows: hard to come by. But we're finding that there are some very bright spots in the areas of IT management and software development, especially related to Linux jobs.

We just finished analyzing the data from our Linux.com Jobs Board for September through November 2011 and are releasing some of the key findings today in the infographic below. While this illustration provides just a snapshot of the types of skills sought for Linux professionals and the locations of jobs found on our Board, we think it sheds some light on trends to watch.

In 2012, we hope to dig deeper with additional research on the demand for Linux talent and the specific skills most sought. We will use that data to help inform members, both corporate (employers) and individual (job seekers), about the Linux job environment and to continually improve our Linux Training offerings.

Based on the latest data published below, are you prepared for a job working on Linux?

Best Linux Devices of 2011

Android this year surpassed both iOS and Blackberry as the most popular smartphone OS, further catapulting Linux into the spotlight in the mobile device industry. Just a couple months ago, Amazon announced what analysts say is the first real threat to the iPad, the Amazon Kindle Fire. This introduction once again put Linux in the spotlight by allowing a major comapny like Amazon to build a self-branded device that is, as BusinessWeek reporter Brad Stone described, "cheap, pretty, and puts Amazon in perfect position to take a bite out of Apple - and every online transaction you make."

{lfnews}

Linux is making it possible for organizations to innovate in every device category. Because of its flexibility and cost, we expect to see a variety of new services-based business models take shape around Linux-based devices in 2012.

Before we embark on the New Year, though, let's take a look at some of the most interesting Linux-based devices of 2011. You can view the full gallery here, at Best Linux Devices of 2011.

Linux Mint signs a partnership with Blue Systems

Introducing Cinnamon

ComputerWorld UK: Interview with Jim Zemlin

Glyn Moody recently interviewed Jim Zemlin while in Prague. Here are the details from that conversation.

Is Your Company New to Open Source? Here's Where to Start

Over the past year, we've been working on a number of projects to help those who want to more closely participate in the Linux community, but don't know where to start. 

First, there's the Linux Foundation Training program. We've continued to add courses as new needs arise, and have had the opportunity to give on-site training to many companies over the past year. While much of our content is on improving technical skills (e.g. "Developing Linux Device Drivers," "Embedded Linux Development," "Advanced Linux Performance Tuning"), we have also added courses on being more effective when working with open communities. "How to Participate with the Linux Community" is a roadmap of sorts for developers and managers who are comfortable with the technology, but need some guidance in understanding the Linux kernel community processes. (A related guide on participating with the Linux community is also available.)

In addition, our newest course is "A Practical Guide to Open Source Development," which is intended for traditional development organizations that are preparing to consume or contribute to open source. This course goes beyond Linux kernel development, and addresses the ways in which organizations can get greater value from the open source process. In addition to best practices, it also discusses the process of launching new open source projects, how to open source proprietary code, and how to adopt principles of open source to speed up any sort of software development, open or closed. For more information, see the outline of the course.

We've also been working on a series of papers along the same lines. "Understanding the Open Source Development Model" is an introduction to the process of open source development. While it applies to Linux development, it's also useful for understanding how other communities function, as well. This paper is a good place to start for any company that is planning to get involved as a consumer or contributor to an open source project.

The second paper in the series, "Establishing an Open Source Software Strategy: Key Considerations and Tactical Recommendations," focuses on the different ways companies participate in open source development, and can be used as a guide when creating or updating a corporate development strategy. It discusses three ways in which companies participate in open development - consumers, contributors, and leaders - and provides guidance on actions that can help maximize your own effectiveness.

A third paper in the series, to be published early next year, focuses on the process of upstreaming.

As with all of our training and papers, we are happy to talk to your company in more detail or customize offerings. Becoming a member of the Linux Foundation connects you even more closely with these resources and their authors, and also helps supports these free resources for all.

Also, keep an eye out for these courses to be offered around major Linux Foundation events in 2012. We will have a schedule announced soon.

Monthly Stats – November 2011

ZDNet: Finding a Linux Job

Steven Vaughan-Nichols reports on some additional insights from the upcoming Linux Foundation Linux Jobs infographic.

IT World: Dowsing Linux Jobs and Skills

Brian Proffitt takes a close look at the data surfaced in The Linux Foundation's latest snapshot on Linux jobs.

LinuxInsider: Open Source and the Open Road

The Linux Foundation's Rudolf Streif is interviewed in this story about Linux's role in the cars of the future.

eUKhost provides Linux Mint with a new server

Important fix for MATE – Feedback needed

First-Ever Automotive Linux Summit: Two Communities Become One

Nearly 125 years ago, German inventor Karl Benz introduced his Patentmotorwagen Number 1, the world's first automobile designed to be propelled by a motor. Twenty years ago, Finnish computer science student Linus Torvalds posted on the Internet...Ok, ok, you know the rest.

But fast forward to November 28, 2011, in a conference center overlooking picturesque Yokohama Bay (in Yokohama/Japan and not on Oahu/Hawaii for the surfers among you), and we begin to see these two worlds collide in collaboration for the future of computing. The Linux Foundation yesterday hosted the first-ever Automotive Linux Summit, a conference designed to bring together experts from the automotive industry and Linux and open source software community.

The event's morning keynotes illustrated nicely why the traditional and rather conservative automotive industry is looking to join forces with Linux.

Reason one, said Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin in his opening keynote, is customer expectations. "I want to have Internet access in my car! Why can't my car that costs so much do what my smartphone can do?" The automotive industry has to catch up with consumer electronics and mobile devices, and Linux is the only system that can jump from one application to another by leveraging previous innovation.

Reason two, it saves money. It is the price pressure of innovation. Software complexity is driving cost but that complexity is mostly invisible to the end user, as it should be. The user is paying for applications and services valuable to him or her and not for operating systems and middleware. Although necessary, they don't provide any differentiation. Linux provides the ideal foundation for collaboration on non-differentiating, but necessary, functionality.

Reason three, the car is not an island anymore but connected and part of a greater information and communication technology infrastructure. Carmakers are looking to provide telematics and other value-added services to create additional revenue streams beyond the original vehicle sale. They need instrumentation to collect data, network servers to gather and store the data, supercomputers to analyze and process the data, and devices to display and present the data. Linux has already been deployed in many similiar applications where huge amounts of data are processed (such as smart electricity grids), giving the automotive industry instant value without having to reinvent the wheel.

That is precisely one of the reasons Toyota is committed to Linux. "We are not information and communication technology experts," said Ken-ichi Murata, Toyota's project general manager and chief engineer for next generation multi-media and telematics systems, during his keynote. "But we need systems that scale all the way, from embedded to data processing, to be able to deliver our vision of the connected car."

(You can get a glimpse of how Toyota envisions the integration of cars into the mobile lifestyle of the near future from this video that he showed during his presentation.)

Indicating a full understanding of open collaboration, Graham Smethurst, GENIVI president and head of infotainment architecture design at BMW, said that "when it comes to in-vehicle infotainment then, our competition is not so much Toyota and other carmakers but the consumer electronics industry." That clearly underlines how the paradigms are shifting.

In another keynote speech, Juha-Matti Liukkonen, CTO of device creation at Symbio, outlined that next generation IVI systems require a fundamentally new approach for their development and challenged the audience. "Nobody has yet done an 'Apple' in automotive! However, I am sure somebody, and potentially somebody in this room, will soon. Apple created disruption. It is about the user experience: intuitive, connected and personal."

Next generation IVI systems must allow users to leverage their existing investment in gadgets and use their online identities. They must integrate with users' devices smoothly while harnessing the advantages of the unique environment of the vehicle. Cars should not just be docking stations for brought-in devices. It is interesting to see how this is independently aligned with Toyota's vision shown in its video, where the personal electronic assistant seamlessly integrates with the electric vehicle.

The morning keynotes were followed by an afternoon of 16 breakout sessions in four tracks, a keynote on the Linux kernel development process delivered by stable kernel tree maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman, and a closing panel discussion moderated by Jim Zemlin.

The breakout sessions covered a wide range of topics from business, technology, and open source licensing and compliance. As a "newbie" in open source, the automotive industry is learning about the variety of licensing options and how to ensure compliance. Hence, the sessions in the compliance track were filled to the last seat. HTML 5 was also a hot topic that packed its sessions rooms, as well as the Yocto Project sessions.

Back in the filled keynote room, Greg Kroah-Hartman stunned the audience with numbers on the Linux kernel: 2,889 developers and 358 companies are contributing to the kernel making an average of 5.44 changes every hour. Even the interpreter was surprised. Greg elaborated how each patch is reviewed at least two times by different people, demonstrating unsurpassed quality assurance for any software project.

"I am reviewing over 5,000 patches every year. Please understand that I sometimes get grumpy," said Greg. Asked how he does that, he humbly offered, "that's what we do." Talk about commitment.

A panel discussion with Toshiro Muramatsu, chief service architect at Nissan, Ken-ichi Murata and Graham Smethurst moderated by Jim Zemlin concluded the official program of Automotive Linux Summit. Asked by Jim what his two wishes for Linux and the community are, Graham said "Please accept amateurism. We are not experts in open source, not yet. But we are committed."

"We are learning", said Ken-ichi, "and learning how to do open source is one of the reasons why we joined The Linux Foundation."

Once again, the penguin is going to transform yet another industry. If you missed this year's Automotive Linux Summit the presenters' slides will be made available shortly on The Linux Foundation events website.

Linux Supercomputing Dominance: A Look Under the Hood

A few weeks ago, the top500 Supercomputer list came out, as it does each November. As expected, Linux is still the most used OS for supercomputing, as it has been since taking the list by storm in the early 2000s.

While this is certainly a feel-good thing to write about (who doesn't love being #1?) it's worth taking some time to think about how this happened, and why. Linux's rise to dominance at the forefront of modern science was no accident.

One of the main reasons it has done so well is that quite frankly, supercomputing is somewhat weird computing. Supercomputers are dramatically different from the average PC or server, even the supers that are x86 based. This is due in large part to the way the systems are connected together and pass data around, for example, exotic switching infrastructures, stringent requirements for efficient message passing, efficient and rapid dispersal of data among many nodes, and so on.

The net result is that something has to run these one-of-a-kind, highly specialized environments. One of the reasons Linux has performed so well in this space is that anyone is able to adapt, optimize, and tune it according to the latest and greatest system design thinking.

We also have academia to thank for this. It certainly does not hurt that when academic research is being done into optimal system design, proofs of concept are almost always built on Linux. Why? Because it's easier to prototype (you have all the source code) and there are no restrictions on publishing the source code in a paper (tenure matters). For the system designers, it's easier to apply the latest academic thinking if you work in the same environment as the researchers.

Finally, many supercomputers are designed so that you can use a normal system interface when you are coding and submitting a job, and then the system farms the real work out to super-optimized compute nodes. Whereas a typical x86 server has 10-30% system utilization, a compute node must function as close to maximum capacity as possible. We've heard (jokingly) that even an operation system is too much overhead, which basically means a compute node needs to be optimized to the extreme.

Linux works well for these compute nodes because it is so flexible, and because it's actually fairly common to strip the kernel down into a hyper-optimized package - the mobile and embedded space being a great example. It is the only OS with a single kernel that runs on both the tiniest and the largest systems in the world.

We also recently had a question, why is it that Linux has done so well on the list, but Unix and Windows are doing so poorly?

Linux has completely dominated Unix and Windows in the supercomputer market for three reasons: What the server vendors want to sell, what their clients want to buy, and what the system does.

The conventional server selling process is basically an assembly line - you figure out what features most of your clients need, develop an OS and server accordingly, and sell them something that's mostly optimized for most of their workloads. You try to make your money by selling a lot of them as fast as possible, and without having to do much customization to keep your customers happy.

Supercomputers are an entirely different breed, which means they don't fit well into this mold. More often than not they are custom designed, very expensive, sell in low volumes, and must be deeply tuned for the specific workload. It's very hard for the proprietary OS vendors to keep up, because they are limited by a fixed number of developers who are focused on their core server market - and more importantly, nobody but their own developers can get their product out the door.

With Linux, though, anyone can see (and optimize) the source code, and scalability work done by one company can be extremely beneficial for others - after all, ~90% of the kernel is architecture agnostic. It's just plain faster to build a price competitive machine with Linux, and when selling a supercomputer, the time to first boot is critically intertwined with profitability.

The second reason is due to the skills of the people who will be using the system. Most supercomputers are deployed to academia or government labs. The customers (professors, students, researchers, engineers) don't want to spend time learning something different before getting down to science. The fresh talent all comes in knowing Linux. UNIX just isn't a marketable skill in research anymore, and the choice of OS reflects this.

Finally, Linux evolves much more rapidly than any other OS, and diversifies faster. No other operating system has jumped to new platforms, new workloads, and new architectures so quickly. As a result, Linux tends to get new features and functionality sooner than the other options, on a wider variety of platforms. In the case of supercomputers, this could be support for a new interconnect, advancements in extreme scalability, or any other feature that tends to appeal to the ultra high end of the computing market.

The point is, Linux is where it is in supercomputing for a reason. Congratulations Tux, you've earned it.

ZDNet: Customizaton, Costs Key to Linux HPC Dominance

Excerpt: Linux...allows vendors to build a price-competitive machine faster than when using proprietary operating systems, Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs at The Linux Foundation, pointed out.

The executive said in her e-mail that supercomputers are generally custom-designed and deeply tuned for the specific workload, very expensive, and have low sales volumes. This is why the open source operating system's low cost appeals to IT vendors.

"With Linux, anyone can see and optimize the source code, and work done by one company can be extremely beneficial for others. After all, about 90 percent of the kernel is architecture-agnostic. When selling a supercomputer, the time to first boot is critically intertwined with profitability," McPherson explained.

By contrast, commercial servers are like assembly lines where vendors figure out what the customers need, pick a suitable OS and system, and churn out machines that are optimized for most of the identified workloads, she said.

More at ZDNet

Linux Mint 12 “Lisa” released!

Linux Mint signs a partnership with DuckDuckGo

Misc. news

OpenMama and AMQP: Open Collaboration in Action

Two weeks ago, The Linux Foundation announced a new Labs project -- OpenMama. This project was the result of a relationship forged with NYSE Technologies years ago at our Enterprise End User Summit held in New York every year.

OpenMama provides a high performance middleware agnostic messaging API that interfaces with message-oriented middleware systems. While this project isn't a core piece of "Linux," we feel it has the potential to cement Linux rising position as the defacto OS for markets that need to process huge amounts of data (such as financial, high performance computing, web services, telco, logistics and more). This is all about doing open development for an important technical sector, while enhancing the relationships and networking between this project's users and developers with core Linux developers and other members of the Linux Foundation. It -- like most technology -- is both about the soft science of relationships as well as the bits and bytes.

And it's already working. Just a few days after the launch, I saw this message on the OpenMama mailing list from Raphael Cohn from StormMQ:

"OpenMAMA looks like it's got the potential to solve a substantial hole in messaging. In particular, it makes a superb way to write portable C applications that use MQ. We've been looking at the documentation and source, and are interested in working with the OpenMAMA community to develop an AMQP 1-0 bridge.

We currently have an active open source project for a C client for AMQP 1-0, libamqp (https://github.com/libamqp) It looks like it would be quite possible to integrate this into OpenMAMA."

AMQP is a financial messaging system wire protocol that many people erroneously assumed competed with OpenMama. This collaboration is important work that will make Linux an even more attractive choice. It also shows the non-zero-sum nature of open source. If you open it, they will come and collaborate with you to benefit all parties. Based on the response to Raphael from Michael Schonberg, a maintainer of OpenMama, it looks as if the collaboration in this burgeoning community is going to yield positive results.

Getting companies like StormMQ as well as the members of OpenMama (Bank of America Merrill Lynch, EMC, Exegy, Fixnetix, J.P. Morgan) involved in Linux Foundation events, networking and knowledge exchange will also ensure the Linux continues to advance in these market segments. This bridge is open development in action, and I'm pleased we could provide the neutral framework to make it happen.

The Linux Foundation Announces Four New Members from Around the Globe

New members hail from Brazil, Japan, Canada and the U.S.; each focused on advancing Linux for next-generation computing

SAN FRANCISCO, November 15, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that four companies are joining the organization: DENSO Corporation, Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS), ProFUSION Embedded Systems and Savoir-Faire Linux.

These companies are joining The Linux Foundation to advance the Linux operating system for next-generation electronics, such as connected automobiles, phones and televisions, as well as for industrial automation and the development of mobile and web applications.

The Linux Foundation’s new members are also taking advantage of upcoming events that include LinuxCon Brazil November 17-18, 2011, and the first-ever Automotive Linux Summit November 28, 2011.

Today’s new Linux Foundation members include:

DENSO Corporation is headquartered in Japan and is a leading supplier of advanced automotive technology, systems and components for all the world’s major automakers. It operates in 35 countries and regions with more than 120,000 employees. The company is also on the Steering Committee for The Linux Foundation’s Automotive Linux Summit.

“The automotive market is at the beginning of a major technology revolution, and Linux is poised to play an important role,” said Hiroaki Tanaka, General Manager, DENSO Corporation. “DENSO is investing in the Linux platform to maximize its use of the operating system as the foundation for car computing for the long-term. We’re excited about the future of Linux in the auto industry.”

Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS) is headquartered in the USA and provides product development services and training for clients developing sophisticated, multi-touch applications for modern devices running Linux. It provides independent support for the LGPL version of Qt, and helps developers deliver applications for a broad range of touch-based devices, including tablets, handsets, in-vehicle infotainment systems and desktops.

“Embedded and mobile application development on Linux is growing fast, and we’re in a position to help navigate that growth with the community and our customers,” said Peter Winston, CEO, ICS. “Having long been proponents of open source technologies, our Linux Foundation membership will allow us to accelerate that work and to participate in the collaborative development process, ensuring that Linux-based applications continue to grow.”

ProFUSION Embedded Systems develops Linux and Android embedded software technologies for devices such as digital TV set-top boxes, media centers, Internet tablets and mobile phones. Based in Brazil, the company’s expert developers and consultants are known for working on the Linux kernel and graphical user interfaces, including work on the stack for Tizen. ProFUSION Embedded Systems will be presenting three talks at LinuxCon Brazil next week, one of which is titled “Tips and Tricks to Develop Software for CE Products on Low-End Hardware.”

“Linux is the leading operating system for embedded development, and it’s important for ProFUSION to contribute to this growing community through membership at The Linux Foundation,” said Gustavo Sverzut Barbieri, Director, ProFUSION Embedded Systems. “We’re looking forward to the collaboration opportunities at LinuxCon Brazil and through other initiatives such as the Yocto Project in the coming year.”

Savoir-Faire Linux is headquartered in Canada and helps companies maximize their return on investment through seamless integration of Linux and open source software in existing business environments. The company specializes in embedded Linux development, enterprise application consulting, and infrastructure design and support. Savoir-Faire Linux is also responsible for more than 100 contributions to various open source projects, including the Linux kernel.

“The Linux Foundation is a great place for an embedded Linux specialist to network with technology and thought leaders. Together, we can more effectively promote the real-time capabilities of Linux and benefit from the adoption of this powerful OS, in both industrial environments and consumer electronics,” said Dr. Abhay Ghatpande, director of Industry Solutions, Savoir-Faire Linux.

“Companies and organizations are coming to Linux from every industry and every region around the globe. The collective commitment to the platform is advancing Linux for a new generation of computing as we look towards the next 20 years,” said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs at The Linux Foundation. “We’re very excited to welcome these leading companies to The Linux Foundation.”


About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

###  

Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

The Linux Foundation Announces Program for Automotive Linux Summit

BMW, Nissan and Toyota are among the companies keynoting at this first-time event

SAN FRANCISCO, November 14, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced its program for the first-ever Automotive Linux Summit taking place November 28, 2011 in Yokohama, Japan.

The Automotive Linux Summit will bring together the brightest minds from the automotive industry, the Linux developer community and the mobility ecosystem. As the premier vendor-neutral business and technical conference focused on Linux and automotive technologies, attendees can expect to learn about how to use Linux and open source software in automotive applications, ranging from in-vehicle on-board systems to cloud solutions for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.

This one-day event is packed with six keynote presentations from major car manufacturers and the Linux kernel community. It also includes 15 breakout sessions, which will cover best practices for Linux in automotive, HTML5 technology in cars, compliance, and In-Vehicle-Infotainment, among other topics. The confirmed keynote speakers include:

♣ Toyota’s Ken-ichi Murata, project general manager, Electronics Development Division #1. Murata will present “Opening Up the Automotive Industry.”

♣ Nissan’s Toshiro Muramatsu and BMW’s Head of Infotainment Architecture Design Graham Smethurst will join The Linux Foundation’s Jim Zemlin and Toyota’s Ken-ichi Murata for a closing panel on “How Can We Make It Happen?”

♣ Intel Japan’s Director and Vice President Yoshie Munakata will address how shared technology will accelerate innovation in the automotive marketplace.

♣ Graham Smethurst, who is also president of the GENIVI Alliance, will share the organization’s lessons learned with open source software.

♣ Linux kernel developer and SUSE’s Greg Kroah-Hartman will present a history of the Linux kernel and the kernel community.

♣ Symbio’s CTO of Device Creation, Juha-Matti Liukkonen, will talk about how next generation IVI systems are built.

♣ The Linux Foundation’s Jim Zemlin will open the event with an overview on the challenges to overcome for Linux in the automotive space.

“Linux has a competitive advantage in the automotive industry due to its ability to support the long-term support needs of automakers,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “But we’re at the very beginning of what Linux will do to revolutionize the way people interact with their cars. The Automotive Linux Summit will help advance that work.”

To review the complete Automotive Linux Summit program, please visit the Linux Foundation Events website. To register for the event, please visit: https://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/automotive-linux-summit/register.

The Automotive Linux Summit is made possible, in part, due to its generous sponsors. Platinum sponsors include Intel and Symbio. GENIVI is a Gold sponsor. Silver sponsors include Black Duck, Clarion, Fujitsu Ten, Nomovok, Palamida and Renesas.

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

###

Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and the Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Linux Mint 12 “Lisa” RC released!

Monthly Stats – October 2011

Android Builders Summit CFP Now Open

Just a few weeks back from LinuxCon Europe in Prague and we're already starting to cultivate content for next year. Most notably, I am please to announce that the Call for Participation for the Android Builders Summit is now open. We created ABS last year at the behest of our members who are vendors in the Android Ecosystem who needed a place to collaborate with their peers on systems level engineering and discussion of core issues and opportunities when designing Android devices.

This year we plan on increasing collaboration by introducing a Lightening Round where people can present their project, pain point, or solution in a quick five minute or less talk. We'll also have Open Spaces sessions set aside with technical leaders and have a networking social event just for this conference. ABS is held during the same week as  the ever important Embedded Linux Conference. AS the use of Linux in embedded has grown, so has ELC until it is now a must-attend conference for anyone in that space. The CFP for ELC is also open, so please submit a talk to one or both of these events. By holding these two events in the same week, we also aim to increase collaboration between the Android Builders Ecosystem and traditional embedded Linux developers.

For ABS, I am pleased to have a great group of technical leaders joning me on the program committee:

Tim Bird, Sony Network Entertainment
Mark Charlebois, Qualcomm Innovation Center
Amanda McPherson, The Linux Foundation
C. Craig Ross, The Linux Foundation
Karim Yaghmour, Opersys

The CFP closes on Dec 31 so be sure to get your speaking proposal in before you party the year away. If you have any suggested topics or speakers you'd like to see included please feel to email me at amanda (at) linuxfoundation dot org.

Show Your Linux Smarts and Win 20th Anniversary Memento

It has been an incredible year for Linux. I can't possibly list every amazing milestone but here are a few that we won't soon forget.

It has been an incredible year for Linux. I can't possibly list every amazing milestone but here are a few that we won't soon forget:

* Linux kernel 3.0 released

* Android surpassed iOS globally

* IBM celebrated its centennial

* The cracking of kernel.org 

* The release of Amazon's Kindle Fire 

And, last but not least, the Linux operating system turned 20-years-old this year. We don't let any excuse to party pass us by so we hosted a 20th Anniversary of Linux Gala in Vancouver, B.C. at LinuxCon. It was a grand party attended by many, including Linux creator Linus Torvalds.

We want to offer one more chance to secure your memento from this important year, so we're hosting a Linux Trivia game through the end of 2011. Each week, we'll post a Linux Trivia question on our Twitter, Identi.ca, Facebook and Google+ channels. Reply with the correct response and be entered into a weekly drawing to win two 20th Anniversary of Linux T-shirts.

The correct responses to each question will be found on Linux.com, LinuxFoundation.org or...in your head. Trivia questions will be posted every Wednesday around 11 a.m. PT. The game begins today and will run through December 28, 2011.

Here's to celebrating an incredible year!

Need Linux Skills: 12 Places to Learn Online

PC World reports on online Linux training opportunities.

Linux Mint 12 Preview

LinuxCon Europe Pics Available Now

LinuxCon Europe surpassed all of our expectations. It was an amazing event with an amazing turnout. Here is a special slideshow of some of the best pictures we've assembled...

LinuxCon Europe surpassed all of our expectations. It was an amazing event with an amazing turnout. Here is a special slideshow of some of the best pictures we've assembled. You can see the full LinuxCon Europe/ELC Day One album on Flickr. We'll update you here when more pictures and videos become available.

Member Spotlight: KeyPoint CTO Explains Bridge Between Text Input and Open Source

The Linux Foundation recently has welcomed a variety of new members. I had the opportunity this week to talk to one of our newest members, KeyPoint Technologies. In this Q&A, the company's CTO Sunil Motaparti explains what is OpenAdaptxt and how Linux and open source software figure into the KeyPoint Technologies' strategy.

The Linux Foundation has recently welcomed a variety of new members. I had the opportunity this week to talk to one of our newest members, KeyPoint Technologies. In this Q&A, the company's CTO Sunil Motaparti explains what is OpenAdaptxt and how Linux and open source software figure into the KeyPoint Technologies' strategy.

What is KeyPoint Technologies? OpenAdaptxt?

Motaparti: At KeyPoint Technologies, we are a team that is passionate about combining linguistics and computing to deliver new experiences for consumers. Our initial focus lies in improving the current text input experiences across all types of connected devices like smart phones, feature phones, tablets, connected TVs and IVI systems. We are a trusted partner for OEMs, platform providers and developers looking to innovate and deliver an enhanced user experience in this area. We are privately owned, with our headquarters in Scotland and offices in India and the US.

OpenAdaptxt is an open source community project that we launched recently by contributing key technology and language assets developed for our flagship, best-in-class Adaptxt prediction and error correction engine. With OpenAdaptxt, our goal is to facilitate the development of a leading, open, next-generation text input platform and standard, enabling different players in the ecosystem to improve the quality and effectiveness of text input experiences across different types of connected devices.

We are actively inviting members of the open source community, hobbyists, developers, linguists, OEMs and application developers to join us in the project and accelerate its development.

Why did you decide to open source your text input technology?

Motaparti: The simple answer is that we believe this is the only way forward.

When we started working on text input technologies, our discussions with OEMs, end users and developers all indicated that they were experiencing lots of pain points around text input and most of the issues came down to the proprietary monopolies that have been established in this space over the last decade or so. We felt that simply introducing new technology while pushing the problems with the development, innovation and business models under the carpet would not allow us to address all the pain points effectively.

On the other hand, we saw a number of benefits by approaching the problem from an open source perspective. At a high level, we believe it will facilitate more innovation, increase the reach of the innovation to more users speaking more languages, lower costs for everyone, avoid vendor lock-ins again, etc.

What are the supported platforms for the project and the target devices?

Motaparti: Currently, OpenAdaptxt works on Linux-based platforms targeted at ARM and X86 (e.g., Android, MeeGo, etc.) powered devices. All devices that require a reasonable amount of text input from end users would be potential targets.

How do you use Linux to advance your technology? What is the roadmap for OpenAdaptxt on Linux?

Motaparti: Tremendous! Over the last few years, Linux has played an ever-increasing role in the development of new platforms for connected devices and almost all of these platforms focus quite a bit on making two-way exchange of information very easy for users. It is not sufficient to just create a good content consumption experience any more, the content creation experience has to be equally good. Whenever this is the case, OpenAdaptxt could have a role to play and contribute to the success of such platforms and Linux overall.

With respect to our roadmap on Linux, we are very keen to integrate OpenAdaptxt with leading Linux-based platforms for connected devices of different kinds. This would also involve actively engaging with players working on the development of those platforms and devices to understand the use cases for text input that they envision and making sure OpenAdaptxt stays at the leading edge and meets those needs. We are also quite keen on helping Linux-based platforms and devices reach as large an audience as possible from a Localization/Internationalization perspective.

Of course, these are some of the thoughts we have for OpenAdaptxt purely from a KeyPoint Technologies perspective. We would be very interested in understanding what other members of the community around Linux and OpenAdaptxt think should be priorities for the project and incorporating the same to the roadmap.

Tell us more about your recent membership decision to join The Linux Foundation. How will you be working with the organization and the Linux community?

Motaparti: With the recent launch of OpenAdaptxt, we have just taken the first steps in contributing to the wider Linux-based ecosystem with respect to a key user experience component like text input. As I mentioned earlier while outlining some of our roadmap plans for OpenAdaptxt, there is still a lot of work to do to build on this start and we felt that becoming a member of Linux Foundation would help us do this more effectively. With OpenAdaptxt, it is our goal to constantly make sure Linux-based platforms and devices provide the best possible text input experience across a wide set of languages. We would love as many opportunities as possible to work with Linux Foundation and the Linux community to achieve this goal.

Thank you to KeyPoint Technologies for telling us more about their projects and vested intersted in Linux. You can learn more at the OpenAdaptxt website. You can also read more about how KeyPoint is using open source development to bridge the text input gap on devices in this BBC story.

Forbes: OpenMAMA Project

Forbes contributor Tom Groenfeldt reports on NYSE Technologies and OpenMAMA project, hosted by The Linux Foundation

Push for Trading Technology Standards

The venture will allow other market participants to develop software code originally by NYSE Technologies, the IT services arm of NYSE Euronext, for the parts of trading conducted by a computer’s middleware.

The project will be hosted by Linux Foundation...

More at FinancialTimes.com

PC World: Secure Boot Need Not be a Problem

There's been considerable concern in recent weeks over the secure boot mechanism planned for Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8, primarily among Linux users and others worried that the technology will make it impossible to run alternative operating systems on Windows 8 certified PCs.

Such fears were only compounded when the Free Software Foundation weighed in with its own statement of concern about what the technology might mean for users of free and open source software.

On Friday, however, the Linux Foundation added its own voice and perspective to the mix with an explanation of why secure boot doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing for Linux users.

More on this story from Katherine Noyes at PCWorld

Wired: Wall St. Won't Share the Wealth But It Will Share The Code

Wired.com's Cade Metz reports on new OpenMAMA project hosted by Linux Foundation and supported by NYSE, J.P. Morgan, Bank of America and others.

Financial Services Industry Leads Collaboration on New OpenMAMA Project

The Linux Foundation to host development on common messaging interface that speeds time to market for new applications

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., October 31, 2011 – Major industry leaders today joined forces to announce the OpenMAMA open source project.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, EMC, Exegy, Fixnetix, J.P. Morgan and NYSE Technologies will form the Steering Group to collaborate on OpenMAMA, a high performance Middleware Agnostic Messaging API (MAMA) that provides a common, consistent layer over a variety of message-oriented middlewares.

OpenMAMA will be hosted by The Linux Foundation, which provides a neutral framework and governance infrastructure on top of which communities can innovate. OpenMAMA joins a variety of other projects hosted by the organization as part of Linux Foundation Labs. Companies that participate on projects hosted at The Linux Foundation use collaboration to advance Linux and open source technologies. A new course offered by The Linux Foundation titled “Practical Guide to Open Source Development” helps companies understand this process.

Until now there has not been a common open source API that connects multiple transports to applications. The move to high volume, low latency messaging in multiple market sectors has created the need for an open source project and standard. The OpenMAMA project will provide a way for companies to collaborate across industries and accelerate adoption of this common API for any architecture.

As a middleware agnostic project, OpenMAMA enables users to embrace new middleware technologies and applications as the market changes. It also helps organizations speed time to market for “event-driven” applications and ensures high performance, both in terms of throughput and message latency.

To see supporting comments about OpenMAMA, please visit: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/announcements/2011/10/support-openmama-project

The financial services industry is often recognized for developing advanced technologies that accelerate complex transactions. Linux has become the dominant operating system in this environment due, in part, to its ability to support the largest number of complex transactions in real-time. For example, NYSE, which is the world’s largest exchange and runs on Linux, generates 1.5 million quotes and processes 250,000 orders every second.

Companies in financial services, telecommunications and High Performance Computing (HPC), among other industries, are looking to open source software and best practices to drive this same kind of innovation at the middleware level.

“The open source development model is powerful. By collaborating on the OpenMAMA project, companies can accelerate technology advancements while adapting to industry changes,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “By providing support and infrastructure for important projects like OpenMAMA, we can help advance Linux and open source software.”

The MAMA API was originally conceived in 2002 with the goal of enabling banks and hedge funds to distribute market data throughout their ticker plants regardless of the underlying middleware. This resulted in reduced development times, lower costs and broader support for a range of interconnected systems and applications.

To start participating in the OpenMAMA project, please visit: http://www.openmama.org.

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Support for OpenMAMA Project

EMC
“Big data is increasing the complexity of messaging technologies. EMC believes that open development and collaboration on the OpenMAMA project can reduce this complexity and speed innovation throughout the financial services industry as well as other markets. We’re looking forward to the work we’ll do as Steering Group members of the project,” said Richard Reichgut, Principal, Industry Solutions Group, Financial Services, EMC. 

Exegy
“The MAMA API is a strong technology that enjoys wide adoption in our industry.  By forming an open source project, we help to accelerate its development and drive standardization,” said Scott Parsons, Chief Technology Officer at Exegy. “The project opens the door for rapid innovation and thereby allows new technologies to have a broader impact in a shorter time frame.”

Fixnetix
“Fixnetix is pleased to participate in the OpenMAMA steering group as we strongly believe collaborative efforts will yield the best results,” says Anthony Kingsnorth, Director of Operations, Fixnetix. “Demands for new technology are constant. The steering group’s work will offer stronger insight into making available the best products and solutions.”

Intel
"Collaborative development is critical to accelerating market adoption of technologies that can benefit everyone - from the developers to the consumers of technology," said Doug Fisher, corporate vice president and general manager of the Systems Software Division, Software and Services Group at Intel. "The OpenMAMA Project will help foster strong adoption of a common messaging API starting in financial services followed closely by other industries, such as telecommunications and high-performance computing."

NYSE Technologies
"By open sourcing our MAMA API and collaborating with so many of our respected peers on the steering group, NYSE Technologies is proud to help shape a capital markets community that can share the most innovative technologies from a range of service providers alongside its market participants,” said Stanley Young, CEO, NYSE Technologies. “We know that this kind of collaboration can accelerate technology adoption and technical advancement in some very interesting ways.”

Boing Boing: Cory Doctorow: How to Make a Computer that Doesn't Lock out GNU/Linux

UEFI is a new hardware standard nominally aimed at stopping malicious software, but it could also make it illegal to replace Windows or MacOS with GNU/Linux on your computer. The Linux Foundation has written a technical memo...

More at Boing Boing

LinuxCon Europe Debuts to Standing Room Only Crowd

With flashing cameras and a crowd that flowed into the lobby where attendees could watch the keynotes on large screens, LinuxCon Europe debuted with an appearance by Linux creator Linus Torvalds and hundreds of Linux community members...

With flashing cameras and a crowd that flowed into the lobby where attendees could watch the keynotes on large screens, LinuxCon Europe debuted with an appearance by Linux creator Linus Torvalds and hundreds of Linux community members.

Day one of the first-ever LinuxCon Europe was heavy on stellar content and great beer. The day started with a welcome from Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin, followed quickly by the exclusive Linux Kernel Panel featuring Linus Torvalds. The rest of the day included individual sessions from "Why the Free Desktop Matters" to "File and Storage Systems: Making Complex Systems Easy to Use"and "Using Dynamic Analysis to Hunt Down Problems in Kernel Modules." The technical content featured at Linux Foundation events is the result of detailed review by Amanda McPherson of hundreds of submissions as well as her discussions with community members about the most important topics to address that will help advance the platform.

The evening event featured FREE BEER, which brought out nearly every attendee for a good time at Prague's oldest brewery U-Fleků Brewery. U-Fleků has been brewing beer for 500 years, and I think the LinuxCon crowd gladly drank its share of the dark brew.

The Linux Foundation also made a number of announcements on opening day of the event:

A new project aimed at reducing complexities in maintaining Linux for consumer electronics devices, which requires long-term support for the lifecycle of a typical device. The new Long Term Support Initiative has been created by The Linux Foundation's Consumer Electronics working group and provides for both an annual release of a Linux kernel suitable for supporting the lifespan of consumer electronics products and regular updates of those releases for two years.

The Yocto Project announced release of Yocto Project 1.1 as it celebrated its one-year milestone at this year's LinuxCon Europe event.
This project has quickly become a trusted upstream resource for embedded vendors who need to quickly and easily develop products for a variety of architectures, and get to market fast.

Five new Europe-based members have joined The Linux Foundation, totally a dozen new members who have joined the organization just this month. The European Linux and open source software community is committed to advancing Linux as it embarks on the next 20 years.

So, where will LinuxCon Europe be in 2012? Put Spain on your calendar for next fall when we reconvene for face-to-face collaboration.

The Linux Foundation Announces Consumer Electronics Long Term Stable Kernel Initiative

New kernel tree addresses electronics makers' need for regular updates and long-term support

PRAGUE {LinuxCon Europe} October 26, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced it is hosting a new project created by its Consumer Electronics (CE) workgroup.

The new project, the Long Term Support Initiative (LTSI), provides for both an annual release of a Linux kernel suitable for supporting the lifespan of consumer electronics products and regular updates of those releases for two years.

LTSI is an industry-wide project created and supported by Hitachi, LG Electronics, NEC, Panasonic, Qualcomm Atheros, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung Electronics, Sony and Toshiba and hosted at The Linux Foundation to maintain a common Linux base for use in a variety of consumer electronics products. The project creates and maintains a long-term industry tree, which is expected to be stable in quality for the typical lifetime of a consumer electronics product, typically 2-3 years.

Please visit The Linux Foundation Announcements page to see comments from the supporting companies.

This new initiative is crucial because device makers are doing significant back-porting, bug testing and driver development on their own, which carries substantial cost in terms of time-to-market, as well as development and engineering effort to maintain those custom kernels. Through collaboration in this initiative, these CE vendors will reduce the duplication of effort currently prevalent in the consumer electronics industry.

“The CE industry has leveraged Linux to reduce costs and speed time to market. Now they are taking the next step to reduce the costly duplication of effort at work maintaining custom kernels,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “LTSI is an important effort because it will allow vendors to share the work of maintaining a common kernel for the consumer electronics industry, resulting in more use of Linux in the industry and increasing contributions from CE makers to the advancement of Linux.”

The LTSI tree is expected to be the usable base for the majority of embedded systems, as well as the base for ecosystem players (e.g., semiconductor vendors, set-vendors, software component vendors, distributors, and system/application framework providers). The LTSI project will combine the innovative features in newer kernels needed by CE vendors with a stable kernel, while helping those vendors get their code upstream to benefit the entire Linux community. The goal is to reduce the number of private trees currently in use in the CE industry and encourage more collaboration and sharing of development resources.

“The vendors in the CE Workgroup are excited to work with the Linux kernelcommunity on this project,” said NEC executive and Linux Foundation boardmember Tsugikazu Shibata. “We need kernels that are both regularly updatedand well maintained, and LTSI will provide that.”

“I am very happy to be working with the LTSI group to help them get their device-specific code into the mainline kernel.org tree through this initiative,” said Greg Kroah-Hartman, fellow at SUSE and member of the Technical Advisory board of The Linux Foundation.

For more information about LTSI, please visit: http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/celf.


About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month and include important Linux video resources. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Industry Support for Long Term Support Initiative (LTSI)

NEC
“NEC welcomes this announcement as a key member to support The Linux Foundation,” Chikara Imafuku, Executive Engineer, leading Android Technology Center of NEC Corporation, stated. "There are a number of common issues using Linux between community and broader range of Consumer Electronics industry. Long-Term-Support Initiative for Linux should solve such issues and also give benefit to much wider industries. I believe this initiative will build better Linux ecosystem in the industry."

Sony

“The Long Term Support Initiative is an example of how The Linux Foundation is able to enhance industry and community cooperation in utilizing Linux for consumer electronics products,” said Keiichiro Shimada, SVP of Sony Corporation. "The LTSI created by The Linux Foundation’s Consumer Electronics workgroup will advance Linux in CE products by providing a way in which companies can work together and share resources for maintaining Linux for these products.”

Panasonic  

“LTSI will be very beneficial for consumer electronics industry by saving time and cost,” said Kazuo Kajimoto, Director System Engineering Center of Panasonic Corporation. “LTSI which is supported not only by industry engineers but by all Linux community will bring high quality and stability for next generation consumer electronics products.”

Qualcomm

"Qualcomm Atheros welcomes this LTSI initiative", said Phil Kearney, Director of Engineering at Qualcomm Atheros. "We recognize similar shifts in the router industry as faced by embedded Linux consumer products. As router capabilities expand to support the growth of IP-based devices throughout the connected home, the new applications demand recent (yet stable) kernel versions. Gaining this type of directed support from the Linux Foundation will decrease integration burdens and speed time to market -- it's a win-win."

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Hiromi Watanabe, General Manager of SoC Software Platform Division atRenesas Electronics Corporation said, "Linux becomes one of mostimportant operating system for embedded device now. RenesasElectronics supports LTSI project as it would solve existing Linuxkernel version fragmentation issues that makes significant customersupport overhead. We hope it also encourage corporate developers tocollaborate community engineer to eliminate duplicated work currentlyhappening on each production support."

Samsung Electronics 

“We believe the LTSI project is well aligned to address Samsung’s needs. We are delighted to have an opportunity to contribute to open source communities via this project,” said WonJoo Park, Vice President in Digital Media & Communications R&D Center, Samsung Electronics.

Toshiba

"LTSI will accomplish a way to streamline Linux kernel support for consumer electronics products, while bringing community and industry closely together. This is to be the first leap to solve new, exciting problems and let Linux make innovations continuously with us for the Long Term," said Toshinori Odaka, Director of Corporate Software Engineering Center, Toshiba Corporation.

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The Linux Foundation Announces Five New European Members

Europe-based software services companies commit to the advancement of Linux

PRAGUE {LinuxCon Europe}, October 26, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that five Europe-based companies are joining the organization: AboveIT, Comarch, CSR, Symbio and Tieto.

These companies are joining The Linux Foundation to collaborate on advancing Linux in the enterprise and in mobile computing. They join seven other new members from Europe announced earlier this month and are coming together to collaborate this week at the first-ever LinuxCon Europe taking place in Prague, Czech Republic.  

Today’s new Linux Foundation members include:  

Above IT is a Dutch ICT integrator that implements the newest open source technology while optimizing business processes for the Small and Medium Business (SMB), enterprise, government, education and embedded systems markets.

“Linux is the foundation for all of our open source software development and business in general. The choice for open source technology is driven by the market demand for innovation, agility, and continuity of services in sectors like SMB, education, industry and government institutions. Above IT recognizes the innovative power of technologies like open virtualization and open standards as enablers of business agility. By joining The Linux Foundation, we will be able to push our technology to the edge with more direct collaboration with a worldwide community of developers, vendors and IT users,” said Dimitri van der Spek, CEO, AboveIT. 

Comarchhas been an active player in the mobile and embedded software domains since 2001. Through a variety of projects in the area of mobile software development, integration, quality assurance, interoperability and cross-platform consulting services, Comarch has proven its deep technical knowledge, know-how and market understanding. With more than 3,500 employees, Comarch can offer flexibility and scalability in building business partnerships and expertise alliances.

“Linux-based solutions have always been an important part of Comarch’s offering since the company was created in 1993. We want to share our experience in virtually all Linux flavors, including desktops, servers, clusters, mobile/embedded and automotive platforms,” said Dariusz Filipski, R&D Director, Open Source, Mobile Solutions & Services, Comarch. “Membership in The Linux Foundation will bring us closer to our business partners as well as open source communities to streamline our efforts for providing what’s best in open technologies.”

CSR  is a leading global provider of personal wireless technology, including Bluetooth, GPS, FM and Wi-Fi to industry leaders in consumer electronics, mobile handsets and the automotive industry. Its technology has been adopted by market leaders in a wide range of mobile consumer devices. With close to 3,000 employees and a longstanding Bluetooth market leadership position, CSR brings a wealth of knowledge to the Linux community,

"Linux is at the heart of networking and wireless technologies,” said Ahmet Alpdemir, SVP Mobile, CSR. “Our Linux Foundation membership will inform our Linux and open source strategies and allow us to collaborate on advancing Linux in this area.”

Symbio is a global software R&D company providing software product engineering to industry leaders in mobile phones, consumer electronics, automotive In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI), industrial systems, and internet and cloud services. The backbone of Symbio’s expertise for consumer devices is a deep understanding of Linux architecture and system performance. Symbio utilizes a Design Centric Development (DCD) approach paired with agile programming methods to help its clients meet the ever-increasing demand for more consumer-friendly, user-experience driven device software. Symbio’s main locations are in China, Finland, Sweden and the USA.

“Linux plays a central role in the work we do for our clients developing consumer devices, automotive IVI or industrial systems. Let’s face it, most of the projects we carry out are pretty demanding, and Linux provides the flexibility, accessibility and technical feasibility for us to meet those high demands,” said Konsta Hansson, VP & General Manager, Symbio. “We’re looking forward to fruitful collaboration with the Linux community and contributing to the promotion, protection and advancement of the Linux operating system.”

Tieto is based in Northern Europe and provides IT and product engineering services. With about 18,000 experts on staff, the company focuses on offering specialized IT solutions and services complemented by a strong technology platform.

“The Linux community is global and diverse, representing interests of companies and individuals from around the world. We’re proud to be a part of this community. The Linux Foundation membership allows us to formalize our commitment to this community. As a result, our customers, such as network equipment providers, mobile device manufacturers, automotive sector and smart products engineering businesses, can even better capture the benefits of this platform,” said Ville Aittomäki, Head of Devices R&D, Tieto.

“Europe is a hotbed for Linux and open source development and business, which is why we created LinuxCon Europe and why we’re so excited to welcome more members from this region,” said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs at The Linux Foundation. “We’re looking forward to the collaboration opportunities with AboveIT, Comarch, CSR, Symbio and Tieto this week and in year ahead.”  

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Yocto Project Introduces New Features

The Linux Foundation-hosted Yocto Project fosters growing community of embedded Linux developers, technologies and products

PRAGUE {LinuxCon Europe}, October 26, 2011 – The Yocto Project, a hosted project at The Linux Foundation, today announced the availability of Yocto Project Release 1.1, as well as a variety of one-year milestones for the project.

The Linux Foundation today also announced it will become the host for the Embedded GNU C Library (EGLIBC), further broadening and strengthening a common set of tools for embedded Linux development.

The EGLIBC library is an add-on to the GNU C library (glibc) and is optimized for use in embedded development. Until now, Mentor Graphics, the founder and chief maintainer of the project through its acquisition of CodeSourcery, hosted the EGLIBC library. Other participants have included Freescale, MIPS Technologies, MontaVista Software and Wind River, among others.

The Yocto Project was announced one year ago (October 2010) to provide developers with greater consistency in the software and tools they’re using across multiple architectures for embedded Linux development. The collaborative project brings together the elements needed to make the normally difficult embedded Linux development process much easier. The following milestones and activities are contributing to a vibrant community for embedded development:

• Alignment of OpenEmbedded technology and the inclusion of OpenEmbedded representation in the Yocto Project governance structure. The projects share a common core that consists of software build recipes and core Linux components that prevent fragmentation and reinforce the OpenEmbedded methodology as an open standard for embedded Linux build systems.

• Contribution of tools and technologies such as Cross-prelink, EGLIBC, Pseudo, Shoeleather Lab (for automated testing) and Swabber have been contributed from Intel, Mentor Graphics, MontaVista Software and Wind River.

• Commercial adoption with examples such as FIC’s Pegasus platform powered by Tridium’s Niagara Framework. The Pegasus platform is an industrial tablet design that was quickly ported to Linux based on existing Yocto Project Board Support Packages. Tridium is a world leader in software frameworks, automation infrastructure technology and device-to-enterprise integration solution, and FIC is a global designer and manufacturer of mobile and commercial hardware solutions.

• Board Support Packages that include Intel’s Atom-PC, Freescale’s MPC8315e-RDB, TI’s BeagleBoard and Ubiquiti’s RouterStation Pro, among others.

The new Yocto Project Release 1.1 is based on Linux kernel 3.0 and consists of the following new features and resources that enable developers and third parties to more quickly and easily build embedded Linux systems:

• Multi-lib: Reduces storage and memory footprint by allowing the system developer to mix and match binaries.

• Hob: An improved graphical user experience enables developers to select target architecture, image and layer combinations, and to select or remove individual packages before building, making the use of the Yocto tools even easier.

• Layer Tooling: Eases the integration and development of layers by “flattening” them together into a collection of meta-data, making it much easier for third parties to develop and release layers.

• Initial support for x32, allowing execution of 32-bit code with all the benefits of 64-bit mode bringing performance and footprint improvements on x86 processors.

• Small footprint/fast boot layers that make it easier to develop tiny embedded systems (less than 8MB of memory) with Yocto.

• New packages and components include 3G cellular data support and advanced btrfs filesystem, which improve applicability of the Yocto Project tools to new segments.

• New Yocto Project Developer Guide: This document provides important information on how to get started in open source, Board Support Package and kernel development.

“Since its introduction one year ago this week, the Yocto Project has exploded into a strong open source community of developers, users and vendors working together to advance Linux in the mobile and embedded markets,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “The Yocto Project has quickly become a trusted upstream resource for embedded vendors who need to quickly and easily develop products for a variety of architectures, and get to market fast.”

Companies and organizations participating in the project include Dell, Intel, Mentor Graphics, MontaVista, OpenEmbedded eV, Texas Instruments, Timesys, and Wind River, among others. The Yocto Project participants are meeting this week at LinuxCon Europe and the Embedded Linux Conference in Prague, Czech Republic. For more information on these events, please visit the Linux Foundation conferences site. For more information about the Yocto Project, please visit: http://www.yoctoproject.org.

Supporting Quotes

Intel

“The Yocto Project provides an opportunity to help Intel customers differentiate and create unique solutions in the embedded market segment,” said Ton Steenman, vice president and general manager, Intelligent Systems Group, Intel. “Intel remains committed to choice in operating systems and our Intelligent Systems roadmap for embedded views the Yocto Project as a way to provide our customers with a flexible Linux enabling vehicle.”

Mentor Graphics

“The EGLIBC library is a fundamental technology to an embedded Linux system. By integrating it with the Yocto Project and hosting it at The Linux Foundation, we can accelerate the development of EGLIBC,” said Mark Mitchell, Director of Tools, Mentor Graphics Embedded Software Division. “The new Shoeleather Lab hosted by Mentor Graphics will aid the Yocto Project by providing a neutral site for connecting developers to leading-edge hardware platforms, facilitating critical porting and optimization activities around Yocto and EGLIBC.”

MontaVista Software

“The Yocto Project is providing key resources specific to the embedded Linux developer community,” said Dan Cauchy, VP of Marketing and Business Development, MontaVista Software. “We’re glad to be collaborating with our industry peers in improving embedded Linux development.”

Texas Instruments

“The alignment of the Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded continues to accelerate our development," said Jason Kridner, ARM microprocessors community development manager at TI. "We're active in the Yocto Project because it moves as fast as we do to meet the market demands for embedded Linux development. We're proud to be a part of this community."

Wind River

“The adoption of the Yocto Project validates the market demand for a common set of embedded Linux development tools,” said Paul Anderson, vice president of Linux products at Wind River. “As a founding member and active maintainer, Wind River is firmly committed to the success of the Yocto Project and will continue its contributions of code, resources, infrastructure, and tools, as well as draw from the Yocto Project as an upstream source for our commercial Linux releases.”

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community’s leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

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Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Guest Blog: On the Lighter Side – Help Disguise the Pengroid

We want to share with the Linux.com community and members of the wider Linux community a fun little contest we’ve created that will hopefully get your creative juices flowing and give you an opportunity to step away, unplug and have some fun over the next 30 days or so. The contest is designed around something we call the “Pengroid.”

I want to thank Dave Marshall, social media guru at Virtual Bridges, for sharing with us the company's cool new contest in this guest post. I'm thinking about getting in on the action here. Check it out.

We want to share with the Linux.com community and members of the wider Linux community a fun little contest we’ve created that will hopefully get your creative juices flowing and give you an opportunity to step away, unplug and have some fun over the next 30 days or so. The contest is designed around something we call the “Pengroid.”

Ok, first things first. You’re probably asking yourself, what in the world is a Pengroid? And well, that’s a great question. At Virtual Bridges, we’ve created what’s been identified as a second generation VDI solution, or Gen2 VDI – taking desktop virtualization to the next level. And because we’re a 100 percent Linux-based VDI management solution, managing both Linux and Windows desktops and treating them as equal citizens, we decided to promote that fact by having a little bit of fun and allowing the community to take part in it as well.  We’ve taken our Linux friend Tux, and beefed him up a bit, much like we did with Gen2 VDI. And the end result: we’ve created Pengroid, a penguin on, well, ‘roids (or maybe he just works out a lot, who really knows). But he’s beefier and stronger than ever – and now he’s become an “International Bird of Mystery.”
 
Here’s where you guys come in and where the fun begins. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help Pengroid out on one of his many upcoming spy missions.  In order for him to be the James Bond of penguins, he’ll need your help to provide him with various disguises and to place him in exotic locations around the world, sometimes allowing him to hide in plain sight. Think of yourself as Q.

 
To do that, it’s time to break out the crayons and markers, Photoshop or GIMP, or anything else your creative minds can use to make this happen. Where will Pengroid show up next?  What will he look like? Only you can decide. And you might even win a T-Shirt with your Pengroid image on it!  If you can’t come up with your own image, don’t worry. You can still participate by going to our Facebook page and voting for your favorite Pengroid submissions from other people.
 
Visit the Pengroid page for contest rules and descriptions, including submission, voting procedures and prize information. And most of all, just have fun with it!
 

Opera 11.52-1100-1linuxmint upgrade

Shaping the Future of Linux: Clarissa Womack

Clarissa Womack has been a Linux fan for over a decade—and that’s saying a lot since she’s just 21 years old...

Growing up with Linux

Clarissa Womack has been a Linux fan for over a decade—and that’s saying a lot since she’s just 21 years old.

At the tender age of ten, she decided that she wanted to become a computer programmer and, indeed, she has never wavered from that path. While other kids were just playing computer games, Clarissa was reading computer magazines in an effort to learn everything she could about how computers work. In the computer magazines that she read, there weren’t many pages devoted to Linux, but everything that was written was positive—and this is what sparked her interest and kept it burning throughout her formative years. By the time she graduated from high school, Clarissa had already helped assemble home computers, had dabbled in multimedia and HTML, had programmed in Pascal/Delphi and was a member of the local LUG: the Home Unix Machine Brisbane User Group, otherwise known as HUMBUG.

Finding fellow Linux fanatics, and being able to talk shop with them on a regular basis, has helped Clarissa build her expertise and passion for open source. “I love meeting up with other Linux users, seeing their gadgets, and getting help with hardware and driver issues,” says Clarissa, who recently impressed and bemused her mostly male HUMBUG group with her vast array of spudgers that she keeps in a pink makeup case.

Building Linux chops

Hanging out with the guys at HUMBUG is just one of the ways that Clarissa is building her Linux network—and know-how. As a first-year software engineering student at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, Clarissa is currently learning C and programming the AVR ATmega64 microcontroller. Add to this her experience in Python and Eclipse, and it’s easy to see a bright future for this rising Linux star. “I want to keep developing all the skills I need to be able to effectively contribute to the open source community,” she says.

As one of our 2011 Linux Training Scholarship winners, Clarissa will have yet another opportunity to build the Linux expertise she seeks. She hasn’t decided which Linux Training course she’ll take, but she’s leaning toward either Embedded Linux Development or Linux Kernel Internals and Debugging. With the knowledge she gains, she hopes to develop new Linux-based applications, like tools for college students, mobile apps for Android, and exergames for the Wii.

Sharing the good news

As a true Linux evangelist, Clarissa spreads the word about open source everywhere she goes. She invites students to the HUMBUG group, she wears her Linux backpack and T-shirt from the 2011 linux.conf.au, and she even hands out DVDs of Ubuntu, UberStudent, and Fedora to anyone who shows interest. “I want there to be a wider acknowledgement of Linux as a viable, free, open source operating system to rival Windows and Mac OS X,” she says.

Motivated by “the enthusiasm of fellow geeks,” Clarissa is continually experimenting with Linux and often samples new distros just for fun. “I recently installed too many Linux distros on my laptop – and one particular distro caused all of the distros to stop booting,” she says. “I’m not going to start a distro war by naming the culprit – let’s just say I like to try distros – first in virtual machines, then on actual ones.”

Undeterred by distro crashes or temporary setbacks of any kind, Clarissa keeps moving forward on her quest for Linux knowledge, continuing to read the computer magazines that inspired her more than a decade ago—and finding new sources of information online and within the community. She considers herself trained via the “new school” method of programming, using an IDE with a GUI. But she also wants to go back and learn the “old school” method, using a text editor such as Vim or Emacs. “It takes more time to learn, but in the long run it’s more efficient,” she says, admitting that she’s actually looking forward to the process. But that’s not surprising coming from Clarissa. Because in her mind, Linux training isn’t just about continuing education or career building. It’s a way of life.
 

Tying It All Together: The Future of Automotive Connectivity

This year marks the 125th anniversary of Carl Benz' invention of the Patent-Motorwagen Nummer 1, widely regarded as the first automobile...

Paying tribute to technology icon Dennis Ritchie

Most of you who follow the tech industry have likely heard of the passing of computer programming icon Dennis M. Ritchie (also known as dmr) on October 8 at the age of 70. While it could be argued that Linus Torvalds is more famous in today's world than Dennis Ritchie, it's quite safe to say that there wouldn't be a Linux without Dennis Ritchie. 

dmr created the C programming language which makes up 95% of the code base of the Linux kernel according to Ohloh. 

read more

Shaping the Future of Linux: Ken O'Brien

Can computer science change the world? Ask Ken O’Brien, a first-year Ph.D. student at University College Dublin’s Complex and Adaptive Systems Laboratory, and he’ll answer with a resounding “yes.” With his focus on green scientific computing at CASL, Ken works with physicists, mathematicians, statisticians and computer scientists to develop new energy optimization solutions for scientific applications.

Automotive World: Linux Foundation Announces First Auto Summit

The Linux Foundation, the non-profit organisation dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux open source software, announced on 10 October the first ever Automotive Linux Summit...

More at AutomotiveWorld.com

(paid subscription)

The Linux Foundation Announces New Members from Throughout Europe

Europe-based companies invet in protecting, promoting and advancing the Linux operating system

read more

Monthly Stats – September 2011

The Linux Foundation Announces First Ever Automotive Linux Summit, Call for Participation

Carmakers, Linux developers to collaborate face-to-face on advancing Linux in the auto industry

SAN FRANCISCO, October 10, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the first ever Automotive Linux Summit. The event will take place November 28, 2011 at the Pacifico Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan.

read more

The Return of Linux.com

What a long, strange month it's been.

While Luke Skywalker spent most of the "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" movie trying to bring Darth Vader back from the Dark Side

Signatures and donors/sponsors interface

Changes in Enterprise Computing Bring New Members to Linux Foundation

Eucalyptus Systems, Nebula and Virtual Bridges look to Linux to enable innovation in the new enterprise

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., October 5, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that three new members have joined the organization: Eucalyptus Systems, Nebula and Virtual Bridges.

read more

TechCrunch: Linux Foundation Adds Three New Enterprise Companies to Membership

Scott Merrill from TechCrunch reports on the latest Linux Foundation members

PC World: How to Land a Linux Job

Katherine Noyes of PC World reports on landing your dream Linux job

Fox News: Intel, Samsung Back New Mobile OS

Fox News reports on Intel and Samsung decision to support Tizen

TechCrunch: Samsung Taps Intel to Build New Linux-Based Open Source Platform, Tizen

TechCrunch reports on the announcement of Tizen, hosted at The Linux Foundation.

LMDE Update Pack 3 is out!

Welcome Tizen to The Linux Foundation

Today we are welcoming a new project hosted at The Linux Foundation. Tizen is a Linux-based, open source platform designed to address the future of HTML5-based applications across a variety of device types. We think the project has a lot of potential, both for its technology and the major players it has involved in it.

read more

The cracking of kernel.org

As has recently been announced on the main kernel.org page, the main kernel.org server (known as “hera”) was recently compromised by an unknown intruder. This person was able to gain “root” access, meaning they had the full run of the system. Speaking as just one of many members of the kernel development community, I can say that this episode is disturbing and embarrassing. But I can also say that there is no need to worry about the integrity of the kernel source or of any other software hosted on the kernel.org systems.

read more

LiMo Foundation and Linux Foundation Announce New Open Source Software Platform, Tizen™

New cross-device and cross-architecture platform will drive standards-based web applications

read more

InfoWorld: The Best Open Source Software of the Year

Jim Zemlin talks to InfoWorld for its annual open source roundup

RWW: As Jobs Steps Down, Linux Turns 20

Joe “Zonker” Brockmeier analyzes what changed the world most…

Linux Mint signs a partnership with UnixStickers.com

LinuxCon Europe and Embedded Linux Conference Europe Schedules Now Available

We have recently published schedules for LinuxCon Europe and Embedded Linux Conference Europe. These events will be taking place in late October in Prague. Hope to see you all there!

Linux Mint Debian 201109 (Gnome & Xfce) released!

Weekend Project: Blog on Linux.com

One of the things that Linux.com offers to the community is the opportunity to post on Linux.com community blogs. Because it's been a while since we promoted this feature, I wanted to post a reminder about how to post to your blog, and how they're approved. This weekend, let's look at how you can show off your Linux and open source expertise for the Linux.com audience.

Platform Concludes 8-Month Blog Series on HPC Applications A-Z

Since February, 2011, Platform Computing has been blogging on the Applications of HPC from A to Z. As an avid reader, I have to offer them a Tip of the Hat for sticking with it for 26 posts. I remember trying a similar...

Remnant: A New Release Process for Ubuntu?

Scott James Remnant has posted a detailed discussion of problems he sees in the current Ubuntu release process and a proposed improvement: monthly releases. "My proposal is a radical change to the Ubuntu Release Process, but surprisingly it would take very little technical effort to implement because all the pieces...

Mozilla Asks all CAs to Carry Out Security Audits

All CAs with root certificates included in Firefox are being asked to perform a security audit of their infrastructure and to send the results to Mozilla within one week...

Upgrade/Migrate VMware ESX / ESXi 4.* To ESXi 5.0

VMware has recently released its new VM hypervisor product, VMware ESXi 5.0. VMware is replacing its current ESX model with ESXi and the biggest change (between ESX and ESXi) is the architecture, as most of you VM gurus are well aware...

Mozilla's Do Not Track Guide Positions Privacy as Key Tech Differentiator

Many users of the Firefox browser already use DNT (Do Not Track) technology to prevent companies and organizations from watching their behavior online and compiling ever-growing databases of their user behavior.

Stop Using FTP! How to Transfer Files Securely

File Transfer Protocol (FTP), one of the oldest of Internet protocols, is still widely deployed, but it’s the protocol sysadmins love to hate.

Amazon Should Buy WebOS

If there was one company that could rival Apple, Google and Microsoft, it's Amazon. It has devices; it has a content marketplace. But what Amazon doesn't have is its own platform. webOS could be the final piece in its puzzle.

Samsung: We're Not Buying MeeGo

The Korean consumer electronics giant says MeeGo is an open source project that can't be a target of acquisition.

Ubuntu 11.10 Power Consumption Up By As Much As ~50%

The Linux power regressions are not over. The power consumption with Ubuntu 11.04 dramatically increased due to a PCI Express Active-State Power Management change. This was after another major power regression in an earlier upstream kernel release. The Linux PCI-E ASPM support is still not improved, so the 11.04 power...

Actuate Performance Management: Another Way To Save Money With Open Source

Usually when we talk about open source saving customers money it is in regard to lower costs of licensing software and maintenance.  However, here is another way that open source can save you money. Read more...

The New Installer Of FreeBSD 9.0

FreeBSD 9.0 Beta 2 was officially released yesterday, about one month's late, but it comes with several new features. One of the new features to FreeBSD 9.0 is a new installer (pc-sysinstall) for this BSD operating system, which the developers have requested that it be put through its paces...

XLP II SoC Promises Up to 20 Quad-Threaded 2.5GHz Cores

NetLogic Microsystems announced a second-generation, 28-nanometer member of its Linux-ready XLP multicore processor family, claimed to be five to seven times faster. The XLP II integrates up to 80 NXCPUs (threads) via up to 20 2.5GHz MIPS64 cores, boasts 100Gbps network processing performance per processor,supports coherent clustering of up to...

Podcasting from WordPress

WordPress is the leading open source blogging platform for good reasons, but what do you do when the written word no longer suffices? Sure, you can attach an audio or video file to a WordPress post, but if you are interested in managing a professional-caliber podcast from your server, you need more. Let's compare the alternatives.

Shaping the Future of Linux: Karim Allah Ahmed

When Karim Allah Ahmed was 13 years old, he fell in love with computers. And just like a first love, everything about his newfound passion felt totally thrilling—and completely foreign. Linux was one of those things. While he didn’t know what it was, exactly, he felt an overwhelming urge to embrace it...

Tracking Server Uptimes

Unlike some other OS's, Linux almost never has to reboot… or so I was told when I first started learning about it. To illustrate the point, my mentor introduced me to an app that he ran on all of his servers called uptimed.

AMD's Low-End Llanos Have Dual Cores, 65 Watt-TDP

AMD added to its line of A-Series (& Llano& ) processors with two dual-core desktop offerings that sell for $75 or less. The A4-3300 operates at 2.5GHz (CPU) and 444MHz (GPU), while the A4-3400 operates at 2.7GHz (CPU) and 600MHz (GPU), and both feature 160 Radeon Cores and 1MB of...

Michael Hart, Project Gutenberg's E-Book Loving Founder, Passes Away (Ars technica)

Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, died at his home in Urbana, Illinois on September 6. "On July 4, 1971, Hart tried out a new idea of his: typing the text of the Declaration of Independence on a computer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He made the text...

Intel Sandy Bridge Acceleration On Non-SNB Hardware

Last week benchmarks were published of Intel's New Sandy Bridge Acceleration architecture (SNA) that showed several performance improvements for 2D and 3D, but the new acceleration architecture still wasn't mature with a few regressions compared to the normal UXA back-end. While the focus of this SNA support is on speeding...

Virtual Users And Domains With Postfix, Courier, MySQL And SquirrelMail (CentOS 6.0 x86_64)

This document describes how to install a Postfix mail server that is based on virtual users and domains, i.e. users and domains that are in a MySQL database. I'll also demonstrate the installation and configuration of Courier...

Using Vim with the System Clipboard on Linux

Vim mastery is not something that you acquire all at once. In fact, it's more something that you slowly sneak up on. Bits at a time, you learn something new about Vim you didn't know it could do. Or you'll figure out an easier way to do something. Such is the case with using the system clipboard on Linux, at least for me.

Samsung Interested in Meego (Report)

The Korean consumer electronics giant may be looking to purchase Meego to use as its own proprietary mobile operating system.

A Happy Four Years To An Open-Source ATI/AMD

It was four years ago, on the 6th of September 2007, that I exclusively broke the news on AMD's open-source strategy that would end up greatly changing the open-source Linux graphics driver landscape...

Fedora Graphics Test Week, Again

The Fedora Project is having another Graphics Test Week. This time around it's for testing the Intel, Nouveau, and Radeon drivers for the forthcoming Fedora 16 release...

AMD Spins its First 'Bulldozer' Chip

AMD says it has begun shipping a & Interlagos& Opteron 6200 server chip, offering up to sixteen cores. This 32nm-fabbed processor is the first to be based on the chipmaker's long-promised & Bulldozer& architecture, expected to trickle down to desktops and other devices in the future....

AMD Ships First “Bulldozer” Processors to Big Super Installations

Despite recent rumors of delays, today AMD announced revenue shipments of the first processors based on its new x86 “Bulldozer” architecture.

KDE Ships Software Compilation 4.7.1

The KDE team has announced the release of KDE SC 4.7.1. This is the first monthly point release following the major release of KDE SC 4.7...

Security Advisories for Wednesday

CentOS has issued the 6-month notification for C4: End Of Life. Fedora has updated rubygem-actionpack (F15; F14: multiple vulnerabilities), rubygem-activesupport (F15; F14: cross-site scripting), F14: ca-certificates (certificate removal), F14: libsndfile (arbitrary code execution), F14: dhcp (denial of service), and F14: pidgin (denial of service). openSUSE has updated coreutils (command injection),...

Velocity Micro Introduces Two Sub-$300 Android Slates

Two new little Android tablets have joined the ever-growing tablet race, this time from Velocity Micro. Both the 8-inch Cruz T408 and the 10-inch Cruz T410 are nice enough, but what’ll really catch your eye are the pricetags.

HP TouchPad Screen Can Now Support Android

The team at TouchDroid has succeeded in developing drivers for the HP TouchPad that allow it to run Android 2.3.5, with full touch screen capability.

openSUSE 12.1 to Get a Beta

The openSUSE project has announced that the sixth milestone for version 12.1 of the distribution will be reclassified as a beta to reflect the current state of development. Those interested in testing it are encouraged to plan "Beta Pizza parties" around the world when it arrives...

BleachBit Leaves Your File System Sparkling and Grime-Free

One of the most essential computer maintenance tasks is pruning outdated and orphaned files from the deep, dark dungeons within the Linux filing system. These disconnected scraps and bits are endemic to the file structure in any operating system, Linux included. Weeding the Linux software garden is not something that...

Video: First Results from the LHC Experiment and the Role of HPC

In this video, Christoph Grab from ETH Zurich describes how HPC plays a central role in the analysis of the data from the Large Hadron Collider. A tip of the hat goes to the Swiss HPC Service Provider Community for pointing us to this story. Related posts:Video: The Role of...

Feedback Requested: Filesystem Hierarchy Standard Released

Just before LinuxCon North America in Vancouver, The Linux Foundation released a draft proposal for an update to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS)...

Firefox and Thunderbird Updates

New versions of Firefox (6.0.2 and 3.6.22) and Thunderbird (6.0.2, 7.0 beta, and 3.1.14 are out. These releases remove trust exceptions for certificates issued by Staat der Nederlanden.

More Cowbell with Hydrogen Drum Machine on Linux

Linux is a superior audio production platform, and one of its shining stars is the Hydrogen Drum Machine. Hydrogen is an advanced software drum synthesizer that is easy to learn, and yet packed full of great features.

Octopress: Create Static Sites with a Full-Featured Framework

Static sites have better performance than dynamic sites, but you lose a lot of features by giving up a content management system (CMS), right? Maybe not, if you have a framework like Octopress. Last week I looked at static sites and cloud services, but even Todd Hoff's excellent coverage put me off a bit.

Memo to Kid Coders: Enterprise software Exists

If you live or spend time in Silicon Valley, it's easy to forget that enterprise software exists, or that it still drives $245 billion in annual revenue, according to Gartner.…...

Seven-inch Amazon Android Tablet Said to Offer Kindle UI, $250 Price

Amazon's Android tablet is a seven-inch, Kindle-branded device that will feature a customized operating system and sell for $250, according to a TechCrunch reporter who claims to have spent an hour with the device. In other Android tablet news, Samsung pulled its freshly announced Galaxy Tab 7.7 from the IFA...

openSUSE Celebrates Beta 1 with BetaPizza Parties!

The openSUSE community is happy to announce that the 6th Milestone of the upcoming release will be renamed openSUSE 12.1 Beta 1.

Apache2: How To Redirect Users To Mobile Or Normal Web Site Based On Device Using mod_rewrite

Since the massive rise of smartphones and tablets like the iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, BlackBerries, etc. you might have considered creating a mobile version of your web site. This tutorial explains how...

The Next Internet: What's Holding Us Back?

Tim Berners-Lee, to his credit, did not invent the Internet. He did have one good idea. He was not the first person or even the twelfth with the same idea, but he did make it work.

Baidu Announces Android fork and Teams Up With Dell

China's largest search engine company has announced the development of its own Android fork, to include a set of online application services, development tools and an online store...

VMware CEO Cites Patent Weakness Among Newer Tech Players

Do prominent social media companies own enough patents? While the Facebooks and Twitters of the world have risen to prominence on the basis of many innovations, these companies are still young, and there are some technology industry veterans who think that their patent portfolios are weak enough to cause them legal trouble in the years ahead.

Report: Ruby Creator Sets Sights on Mobile App Development

Ruby, the open source programming language, has been a phenomenon in the development community for many years running now.

Monthly Stats – August 2011

Weekend Project: Bootstrap Your Site with Bootstrap

Ever had a Web project in mind, but got stalled at the prospect of having to worry about the site design? If code, and not design, is your strong point you'll want to take a look at Twitter's Bootstrap. This weekend, you can prettify an existing Web site or start a Web project you've been putting off with a full design toolkit.

Linux-based RFID Vendors Combine Forces on Latest Readers

Trimble's ThingMagic division has integrated Linux-based Mercury5e (M5e) embedded UHF RFID (radio frequency identification) reader modules into long-range RFID readers from TagMaster. Aimed primarily at the railway industry, TagMaster's XT-2 is already shipping, and the XT-3 and XT-3HD Readers are on the way and available with an open source Linux...

Reconfigurable Computers to Boost Science

Marlene Cimons from the National Science Foundation writes that science could receive a huge boost from adaptable computing. It’s a new and innovative way to build and use computers,” says Alan George, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Florida and director of the Center for High-Performance Reconfigurable Computing. With reconfigurable computing, the architecture of the processor...

We Won and We Didn't Notice (The H)

The H has an extended interview with Jeremy Allison. "People were sloppy. Code was sloppy, and it can't be that any more. Again, this is the same for proprietary software. If you're writing something simple just to test something out, you can throw it together with a minimum of fuss.

Ubuntu 11.10 Beta Gives Software Center a Mac-Like Makeover

The Canonical-backed Ubuntu project released the first beta of Ubuntu 11.10 (& Oneiric Ocelot& ), featuring both an improved Dash interface for the Unity desktop and a makeover for the Ubuntu Software Center that resembles the Mac App Store. Ubuntu 11.10 moves up to Linux 3.0.3, the Firefox 7.0 browser,...

The People Shaping the Future of Linux

We recently announced the winners of the first-ever Linux Foundaiton Linux Training Scholarship Program. During the month of September, we'll be sharing their stories with you. First, please let us introduce you to Arpit Toshniwal.

As Linux Moves Into a New Decade, Companies Look for Linux Talent

The Linux community has been united around the globe over the last few weeks in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Linux. As we head into a new decade, many of The Linux Foundation's members are looking for Linux talent to help advance the OS into the future.

Gizmodo: Linux Turns 20

“We get it. Linux is just for nerds. Not mere nerds — we’re all nerds — Linux nerds. It’s a hobbyist OS for contrarians. It’s an antique. An oddity. Pointless. Right? Very, very wrong. Happy birthday, Linux — let’s celebrate you like we should…”
More at Gizomodo

The Telegraph: Linux at 20, The Quiet Giant

Christopher Williams reports on Linux as the fabric of computing on its 20th anniversary

CNN: At 20 Linux is Ubiquitous

CNN’s Mark Milian reports on Linux’s 20th anniversary

IDG: Linux at 20

IDG’s Neil McAllister writes a comprehensive feature on Linux’s birthday and its opportunities and challenges in the future.

Linux Mint Debian 201108 RC (Gnome and Xfce) released!

SPDX Workgroup Releases Software Package Data Exchange Standard to Widespread Industry Support

Standard format for communicating open source license and copyright information throughout supply chain ensures better, easier compliance

LINUXCON, Vancouver, B.C., August 17, 2011 – The SPDX workgroup, hosted by The Linux Foundation, today announced the release of version 1.0 of its Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX™) standard.

read more

Widespread Industry Support for SPDX 1.0

Antelink
“SPDX gives us an easy way to get data about licenses in open source projects,” said Guillaume Rousseau, CEO, Antelink. “As a participant in the SPDX beta program, we have found the SPDX specification to be simple, straightforward and easy to work with. We’re very happy to support the SPDX efforts, and look forward to implementing SPDX 1.0 in our search engine of open source files!”

read more

Linux Mint 11 LXDE released!

Linux Marking 20 Years in Vancouver, B.C.

Blogger Stephen Hui reports on the LinuxCon event and wishes community a happy birthday!

The Linux Foundation Announces Linux Training Scholarship Recipients

Five winners chosen from nearly 200 submissions, representing a new generation of Linux developers

SAN FRANCISCO, August 9, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the recipients of its 2011 Linux Training Scholarship Program.

read more

Monthly Stats – July 2011

IBTimes.com: Version 3.0 Released, Celebrates 20 Years of Linux

“The open-source project took on a life of its own, truly becoming the collaborative project of an entire world of programmers — usually unpaid, usually in their spare time. Along the way, companies, foundations, support groups and other organizations sprang up around Linux (or, as some precise types will stress, GNU/Linux or GNU+Linux). Some of these are doing something special to celebrate two decades of Linux, especially the Linux Foundation (from timelines and videos to the Bootlegger’s Ball at LinuxCon in Vancouver next month).”

read more

Linux Mint 11 LXDE RC2 released!

Upcoming releases

basysKom, Codero, Gluster and Nixu Open Join The Linux Foundation

Linux Foundation’s newest members represent Linux’s ubiquity and adaptability across industries

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 13 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that four new members are joining the organization: basysKom, Codero, Gluster and Nixu Open.

read more

Linux Mint signs a partnership with AYKsolutions

Introducing Update Packs in Linux Mint Debian

Monthly Stats – June 2011

eWeek: Toyota Joins Linux Foundation, Revs Up Car Infotainment

Darryl Taft reports on Toyota joining The Linux Foundation and includes information on the 20th Anniversary of Linux and LinuxCon

ZDNet: The Open Source Car

Steven Vaughan-Nichols reports on Toyota joining The Linux Foundation

Toyota Joins Linux Foundation

Toyota looks towards open innovation and collaboration to help transform auto industry

SAN FRANCISCO, July 5, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Toyota is its newest member.

read more

PC World: The HP TouchPad’s Best Feature is Linux

Katherine Noyes assesses the new TouchPad and its Linux-based WebOS

TechCrunch: What WebOS Means to HP, Linux and You

Scott Merrill weighs in on the strengths of the Linux-based WebOS in the HP strategy

Linux Mint 11 LXDE RC released!

LexisNexis Joins Linux Foundation

LexisNexis Risk Solutions further commits to open collaboration and Linux to support “Big Data” after HPCC Systems open source platform announcement

SAN FRANCISCO, June 17, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that LexisNexis® Risk Solutions is its newest member.

read more

The Linux Foundation Announces LinuxCon Program, Confirms Linux Creator Linus Torvalds to Mark 20th Anniversary of Linux in Vancouver

Linux luminaries congregate this summer in Vancouver B.C. to collaborate on all matters Linux

SAN FRANCISCO, June 15, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced its program and schedule for this year’s LinuxCon North America event taking place in Vancouver, B.C. August 17-19, 2011.

read more

The Linux Foundation Announces New Linux Training Scholarships, Student Day at LinuxCon

Linux Foundation will award five scholarships and host a student-focused day at LinuxCon designed to help train the developers who will shape the next 20 years of computing

SAN FRANCISCO, June 7, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced its new Linux Training Scholarship Program and Linux Learners’ Student Day.

read more

Monthly Stats – May 2011

SD Times: Linux Foundation Recognized as Most Influential

SD Times publishes its SD Times 100 with Linux Foundation being recognized among most influential.

Linux Mint 11 “Katya” released!

Linux Mint 11 “Katya” RC released!

Ixonos Joins Linux Foundation

Leading developer of mobile software and solutions to collaborate on mobile Linux platforms

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 9, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Ixonos is its newest member.

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Monthly Stats – April 2011

Linux Mint 11 – Preview

Server issues (solved)

The Linux Foundation Announces LinuxCon Japan Keynotes, Support for Tsunami Relief

News Highlights

• Linux creator Linus Torvalds tops LinuxCon Japan agenda, will share his thoughts on the 20th Anniversary of Linux

• A dedicated day titled, “Open Forum: Power of Collaboration in Crisis,” will facilitate collaboration among open source project leaders working on technology to address crisis

• The Linux Foundation to donate program funds to tsunami relief efforts

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Server issues

Linux Mint signs a partnership with HELLOTUX

Linux Mint 5 LTS Elyssa reached end of life

The Linux Foundation Announces 20th Anniversary of Linux T-shirt Design Contest

Community vote will determine best design to mark this year’s important milestone; design to be featured as official LinuxCon event T-shirt and in Linux.com Store

SAN FRANCISCO, April 26, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the 20th Anniversary of Linux T-shirt Design Contest.

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eWeek: Yahoo! Joins Linux Foundation

Darryl Taft reports

Yahoo! Joins Linux Foundation

Search pioneer and premier digital media company powers its business with Linux, supports ongoing development and initiatives

SAN FRANCISCO April 20, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Yahoo! is its newest member.

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Igalia Joins Linux Foundation

10-year open source contributor to support Linux Foundation activities

SAN FRANCISCO April 19, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Igalia is its newest member.

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Linux Mint Xfce (201104) released!

Monthly Stats – March 2011

Linux Mint 8 Helena reaches end of life

Linux Mint Xfce RC (201104) released!

Linux Mint 10 LXDE released!

New logos acquired

Interview with Jamie “Boo”

Linux Mint poll

Monthly Stats – February 2011

Linux Mint 10 KDE released!

IDG: LinuxCon to Feature Red Hat, WebOS, More at Linux Turns 20

NetworkWorld’s Jon Brodkin reports on the LinuxCon keynote lineup as well as the 20th Anniversary Gala and celebration to take place in Vancouver, B.C. August 17-19, 2011

Ostatic: Linux Foundation Summit Recap

From Yocto 1.0 to the new High Availability Working Group and the 20th Anniversary of Linux, Sam Dean summarizes this year’s Collaboration Summit…

Mashable: Celebrating 20 Years of Linux

Jolie O’Dell reports on the 20th Anniversary of Linux celebrations, shares Story of Linux video.

The Linux Foundation Announces LinuxCon North America Keynote Speakers and 20th Anniversary Gala

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Top mobile and enterprise Linux executives lead keynote agenda: Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst to address enterprise Linux at 20 years and HP Chief Technology Officer Phil McKinney to discuss WebOS

Internet and society author Clay Shirky will illustrate how collaboration is shaping today’s global culture

LinuxCon Gala to mark official 20th Anniversary of Linux celebration and gather an unprecedented who’s who of Linux’ past, present and future

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Renesas Electronics Joins Linux Foundation

Provider of semiconductor solutions will participate in Consumer Electronics workgroup, LinuxCon Japan

SAN FRANCISCO {Embedded Linux Conference} April 11, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Renesas Electronics Corporation is its newest member.

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Linux Foundation Announces 2011 Video Contest: Linux Creator Linus Torvalds to Pick Best 20th Anniversary Video

Annual video contest will celebrate 20 years of Linux, “Father of Linux” to choose the best among community favorites

SAN FRANCISCO {The Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit} - April 6, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced its 2011 Video Contest: the 20th Anniversary of Linux. This is the third year The Linux Foundation has hosted the contest, which is an evolution of the original “We’re Linux” video competition.

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The Linux Foundation Announces High Availability Working Group

New demands on high-availability computing are met with collaborative approach to hosting projects, prioritizing features

SAN FRANCISCO {Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit} April 6, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the formation of the High Availability (HA) Working Group.

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The Linux Foundation Releases Carrier Grade Linux 5.0 Specification

Increased emphasis on high-end data reliability and security across industries inform latest Carrier Grade Linux requirements

SAN FRANCISCO {The Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit}, April 6, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the availability of Carrier Grade Linux Version 5.0 specification (CGL 5.0).

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The Linux Foundation Announces Yocto Project Steering Group and Release 1.0

First major release of common embedded Linux tools includes developer interface and build system improvements for developers

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The Linux Foundation Announces 2011 Linux.com Gurus

Annual recognition of most active Linux.com community members helps to surface unique Linux talent to potential employers

SAN FRANCISCO, March 28, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the Top Five 2011 Linux.com Linux Gurus, including the Ultimate Linux Guru who is the Linux.com member who accumulated the most contribution and participation points over the last year.

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The Linux Foundation Announces MeeGo TV Working Group

MeeGo Smart TV Working Group begins its work to bring open framework and innovation to television ecosystem

LONDON {IPTV World Forum}, March 22, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the formation of the MeeGo™ Smart TV Working Group.

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PingWin Software Joins Linux Foundation

Russian-based systems integrator to work on open compliance program, among other Linux and open source initiatives

SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that PingWin Software is its newest member.

PingWin Software is a leading systems integrator in Russia and is focused on Linux and open source software integration. PingWin Software is the first Russian company to join The Linux Foundation.

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Panasonic Joins Linux Foundation

Global consumer electronics leader joins at Gold level to help inform the direction of embedded Linux and open compliance initiatives

SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2011 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Panasonic is joining the organization as a Gold member.

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