open source - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Repentant Microsoft re-issues Windows 7 tool as open-source

  Microsoft yesterday re-released a Windows 7 installation tool that it admitted included open-source code, and has posted the utility's source code to its own open-source site.

• Gluster extends file system into Storage Platform, VM failover

  Open source file system vendor Gluster released its Storage Platform, integrating a file system, an operating system and a management UI to create a cluster that can store petabytes of information and provide failover for virtual machines.

• Google will release EtherPad as open source

  EtherPad, the real-time hosted word processor Google acquired on Friday, will live on as open-source software instead of being discontinued in the coming months.

• NSW Government flags new era in software procurement

  The NSW Government has put a call out to the ICT industry for more options for alternative delivery and acquisition models for the provision of software solutions.

• VirtualBox 3.1 released, live migration added

  Open source virtualization hypervisor VirtualBox has reached version 3.1, which adds the ability to migrate a live virtual machine session between physical hosts.

• Microsoft delays open-sourcing of Windows 7 tool

  Microsoft has delayed re-releasing a Windows 7 installation tool that it has admitted included open-source code, saying that it's still testing the revamped utility.

• KOffice 2.1 released, ups Microsoft Office compatibility

  KOffice, a cross-platform open source office suite, has reached version 2.1 with the import and export of Microsoft Office on the list of big improvements.

• Open source no panacea for e-health

  Open source software could provide a model for better e-health collaboration, but should not be seen as a panacea for addressing the interoperability challenges in healthcare, according to a leading healthcare industry CIO.

• Open source virtualisation: Who's biting?

  Virtualisation is unarguably one of the biggest trends of the past few years, and open-source software has been on the IT radar for a while now. So does that make open-source virtualisation twice as much of a good thing?

• AARNet launches CloudStor

  AARNet is to launch a supercharged file transfer service, CloudStor, capable of transferring files hundreds of gigabits in size via the organisation's high-speed academic network.

• Flinders University gives open source the boot

  Flinders University will migrate its 16,000 students over to Microsoft’s Live@edu email platform from mid-2010 after dropping an in-house open source solution.
  

• Is open source the key to successful national e-health?

  The Federal Government and healthcare industry bodies should abandon proprietary software and embrace open source if Australia is to have a successful national e-health platform, argues e-health academic, Professor Jon Patrick. Professor Patrick, who heads up the health information technology research laboratory at the University of Sydney, said the existing proprietary software used in the health industry lacked the flexibility and cost-effectiveness to meet the demands of emergency department clinical situations.

• Microsoft yanks Windows 7 tool over open-source code swipe

  Microsoft has yanked a tool it touted as a way for netbook owners to install Windows 7 without a DVD drive after a prominent blogger accused the company of using open-source code without acknowledging where it originated.

• Open source software ready for big business

  The combination of pumped-up technical features and relatively low prices are giving vendors with open source-based products more inroads to corporate networks than ever before.

• Computerbank installs Ubuntu on recycled PCs

  Computerbank Victoria is installing Ubuntu on recycled PCs as a way of making computing accessible to low income earners. The not-for-profit organisation, which is run by volunteers, has been using Linux in its refurbished systems since 2006. The organisation recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and is on the lookout for volunteers with a strong Linux background.