| LinuxDevices year-end review: Top industry standards stories of 2006 |
(Dec. 21, 2006)
JANUARY
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW: BILL WEINBERG OF THE MOBILE LINUX INITIATIVE
LinuxDevices.com recently caught up with OSDL spokesperson Bill Weinberg, to discuss the organization's new Mobile Linux Initiative (MLI). Weinberg, who serves as the OSDL's representative to the MLI, filled us in on the initiative's early progress, strategy, and tactics for the year ahead. Find out more about the MLI by reading our comprehensive interview. Details
INDUSTRY ALLIANCE PROMOTES OPEN TELECOM SPECIFICATIONS
Six global network equipment providers (NEPs) have allied to promote open carrier grade base platforms. SCOPE, founded by Alcatel, Ericsson, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, and Siemens, intends to create subsets of existing standards, such as Carrier Grade Linux, with the aim of promoting open platforms among constituents' service provider customers. Details
GPL VERSION 3 DRAWS EARLY PRAISE
A draft third version of the GNU GPL (general public license) released this week is no more complex than it needs to be, despite the addition of language to deal with threats posed by software patents and DRM (digital rights management), columnist Steven J. Vaughan Nichols writes. The draft GPLv3 license is now expected to undergo a year of scrutiny, discussion, and possibly modification, before being finalized and released early next year. Details
LINUX PHONE, VOIP SPECIALISTS JOIN FIXED-MOBILE CONVERGENCE GROUP
An industry association devoted to fixed-mobile convergence has grown from 21 to 29 member companies. New members of MobileIgnite (Mobile Integrated Go-To-Market Network IP Technology) include Linux smartphone pioneer e28, and Linux VoIP stack vendor HelloSoft, along with a variety of other convergence software and testing specialists. Details
ALLIANCE AIMS TV AT US MOBILES
Several large chip and handset makers are backing an alliance chartered to bring high-quality television to mobile devices in the US. The Mobile DTV Alliance initially comprises representatives of Intel, Texas Instruments (TI), Motorola, and Nokia, along with US DVB-H (digital video broadcast -- handhelds) operator Modeo. Details
FEBRUARY
TORVALDS NIXES GPL 3 FOR LINUX KERNEL
In a message to the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) on January 25th, Linus Torvalds made it clear that the Linux operating system is going to stay under GPL (General Public License) 2 and not migrate to GPL 3. Details
MARCH
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR CGL 3.2
The first "registerable" release of the Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) 3 specification has been made. Linux distributions can now be registered as compliant with CGL 3.2, which includes a variety of changes based on feedback from specification users, according to the OSDL (Open Source Development Labs), the member-funded industry group that maintains the specification. Details
MAY
GPL VERSION 3 TO MANDATE DEVICE HACKABILITY?
Draft GNU GPLv3 (General Public License version 3) language would require embedded systems and devices incorporating GPLv3-licensed software to be user-modifiable, stated license author Richard Stallman in a recent speech. The draft license's "anti-tiVoization" rider drew criticism early on from Linus Torvalds, who called it "insane." LinuxDevices readers are invited to comment on this issue using a talkback thread provided at the end of the article. Details
FIRST DRAFT OF 802.11N SPEC VOTED DOWN
The first draft 802.11n standard failed to win a simple majority, let alone the 75 percent needed to finalize it, in voting among IEEE 802.11 working group members this week. Several products claiming 802.11n draft compliance have already reached market, but the standard may not be ratified prior to mid-2007, an online article suggests. Details
JULY
NEP GROUP SPECIFIES CARRIER GRADE LINUX NEEDS
Right on schedule, an alliance of NEPs (network equipment providers) formed last January has published its first Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) "profile." The SCOPE Alliance profile shows what top NEPs care about most, the group says. Details
LINUX PHONE STANDARDS GROUP DOUBLES MEMBERSHIP
The LiPS (Linux Phone Standards) Forum -- an industry group devoted to standardizing Linux for mobile phones -- has announced three highly influential new members, and nine new members overall. Among the new members are number-one mobile phone chip vendor Texas Instruments, top Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer ZTE, and global carrier/operator Telecom Italia. Details
AUGUST
GPLV3 DRAFT MOVES FORWARD, TORVALDS UNIMPRESSED
On July 27, the FSF (Free Software Foundation) and the SFLC (Software Freedom Law Center) released the next discussion draft of the GNU GPL (General Public License) version 3. In addition, the groups released the first draft of the revised GNU LGPL (Lesser General Public License) version 3. Linux creator Linus Torvalds, after reviewing the draft, reportedly was less than impressed. Details
SEPTEMBER
EMBEDDED LINUX AT HEART OF GPLV3 DEBATE
The current draft of GPLv3 includes controversial language forbidding DRM-locked embedded operating systems, but compromise remains possible, suggests ExtremeTech columnist Victor Loy in an insightful look at the GPL's role in device development. Loy's story includes quotes from Eben Moglen's LinuxWorld BoF (birds-of-a-feather) session. Details
DECEMBER
OPEN SOURCE DEVELOPMENT LABS REORGS, REFOCUSES
The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), the self-proclaimed "center of gravity" of Linux, is re-aligning priorities and changing leadership. CEO Stuart Cohen has departed, and various personnel have been laid off, but the organization continues to offer "safe haven" for Linus Torvalds and other key developers, among other stated priorities. Details
NEP GROUP REFINES CARRIER GRADE LINUX REQ'S GUIDELINES
The Scope Alliance has updated its Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) "profile" paper, which aims to guide Linux standards bodies, distributors, and application providers in meeting NEP (network equipment provider) requirements. Operating System Profile, Version 1.1, prioritizes CGL 3.2 requirements and roadmap items in greater detail than did the first version. Details
OPENKODE OFFERS OPEN ALTERNATIVE TO DIRECTX
The Khronos Group is launching an open set of royalty-free, cross-platform APIs aimed at standardizing the way native applications deliver media, games, and graphical user interfaces on mobile devices. OpenKODE, due early next year, combines several pre-existing open audio/visual APIs with an OS abstraction layer. Details
(Click here for further information)
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FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
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