Blogosphere

Yahoo's Too Uncool for Some Tumblr Bloggers
May 20, 2013

Yahoo confirmed on Monday that it was acquiring Tumblr for US$1.1 billion -- perhaps further propelling the flight of Tumblr bloggers that began when rumors of the sale intensified last week. While the deal has implications on many levels and for many players, at least one group appears to have weighed the transaction and come to a conclusion about its merits.

Linux: The Gold Standard of Code
May 16, 2013

There are few things more gratifying to those of us here in the Linux blogosphere than seeing the many and varied virtues of our favorite operating system get officially recognized. It happens with increasing regularity these days, of course -- after all, there are so very many virtues to consider -- but recently an example emerged that has been warming FOSS fans' hearts ever since.

Ubuntu Strikes Out on Its Own Again
May 13, 2013

If Canonical has shown anything over the past few years, it's that it's not afraid of doing things differently. Ever since the arrival of Unity in Ubuntu 10.10's netbook edition back in 2010, it's been clear the company is "marching to the beat of its own drum," as they say, with a growing focus on mobile and convergence. Well, last week brought yet another example of Canonical's independent-mindedness.

Linux, Freedom and Cold Cash
May 09, 2013

Well it's spring storm season in many parts of the world, so it should come as no great surprise that we've had some storms here in the Linux blogosphere as well. The latest example? None other than an intriguing poll about paying for Linux. Could you, would you, do you pay for Linux? the poll asked. The question had barely hit the airwaves when the stampede began.

Taiwanese University Sues Apple... Again
May 07, 2013

National Cheng Kung University may not have a fight song -- but it is definitely willing to fight. For the second time in a year, the Taiwanese university has sued Apple. The most recent suit is for alleged infringement of the university's patents relating to video compression technology in Apple software such as FaceTime and QuickTime.

The Bank, the Budget and the OS Shocker
May 06, 2013

Well the FUD continues to flow fast and furious here in the Linux blogosphere, where local pharmacists have recently noticed a sudden surge in demand for blood pressure medications. No sooner did Linux fans begin to calm down after the recent attack on open source in general, in fact, than a fresh report arrived from down under that caused tempers to flare up all over again.

How to Get Breaking News on Twitter
May 02, 2013

News, in particular, breaking news and events, is now easily obtained through Twitter feeds. Here's how to go about building a news feed, and how to follow breaking news events through this new medium. First you'll want to create a News list populated with sources of your choice. Start by accessing Twitter with a Web browser and sign in to your account.

A Drooling Attack Over the BeagleBone Black
May 02, 2013

There's been no shortage of gloom and doom here in the Linux blogosphere lately, what with Fuduntu's demise, a fresh round of anti-FOSS FUD, and even criticisms of Linux distros' girth. So it was with particular joy that Linux bloggers received the news about the all-new BeagleBone Black.

FOSS Fact or Fiction? A Tale of Two Surveys
April 29, 2013

It's a well-known fact that statistics can be manipulated to suit virtually every occasion and purpose, but every once in a while an example comes along that illustrates that rule with breathtaking clarity. Case in point? Two recent surveys on the topic of FOSS that came out in the very same week.

India to Get a Smartphone for the Blind
April 25, 2013

A company in India has developed a smartphone for the blind. The device will be equipped to read text messages and emails, and it will then convert the text to Braille. It will utilize shape memory alloy technology, which exploits a metal's ability to "remember" its original shape. The phone's screen is not a screen so much as a grid of pins that move up and down to form Braille characters.

Have Linux Distros Gotten Too Tubby?
April 25, 2013

The size of Linux's waistline has long been the focus of recurring attention here in the Linux blogosphere, even drawing occasional criticism from Linus Torvalds himself. Recently, however, a fresh weight-related complaint was made -- not about the kernel itself, but about today's Linux distros.

Market Jitters Hint at Social Hacks' High Threat Level
April 24, 2013

Shortly after 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the world just about ended as far as Wall Street was concerned, when the AP tweeted that President Obama had been injured by explosions at the White House. Within minutes, the Dow dropped 145 points. Shortly afterward, the AP reported its Twitter account had been hacked. The markets quickly settled back into their normal rhythm of buying and trending, but the event left its mark.

Farewell, Fuduntu: The Untimely Demise of a Winning Linux Distro
April 22, 2013

Last Monday delivered both death and taxes. April 15 was not only the day U.S. taxes were due, but also the day two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon. The magnitude of that tragedy is far beyond the scope of this column, of course, but Monday also brought a casualty -- albeit on a much smaller scale -- to those of us here in the Linux world. It wasn't a human death, fortunately.

Twitter's #Music Whistles a Happy Tune
April 18, 2013

Long before a tweet was a 140-character post on Twitter, it was a component of birdsong. Now the microblogging site is singing the praises of its new Twitter #Music, an app that will help users find tunes they'll like, based on their current preferences and songs' popularity on Twitter. The app utilizes Twitter activity, including tweets and other engagements, not only to identify the most-popular tracks, but also to detect emerging artists.

How to Get Loopy With Vine
April 18, 2013

A flash-in-the pan, or a truly spellbinding new way to share video? Vine is a free Twitter product that is designed to let you share short video, and its popularity is escalating fast. Vine's social video clips are limited to six seconds. They loop. The idea is to be as comedic or creative as possible within the limitations of the medium, and many of the videos are indeed captivating.

Is 'Linux' a Word Better Left Unspoken?
April 18, 2013

It's no secret that brand image is a crucial consideration in most any consumer product's success, and Linux is surely no exception. That's been a hot topic of conversation before, but recently it's popped up again with a fresh new twist. "The Linux Inside Stigma" was the title of the post that started the ball rolling this time, and rolled it has.

Lame U/P Combos Make WordPress Irresistible to Hackers
April 16, 2013

An attack of unprecedented proportions has been hitting sites using WordPress, a free and open source blogging tool and content management system that powers more than 60 million websites worldwide. It appears the hackers are trying to take over WordPress servers to give them added muscle for future attacks. Poor choice of passwords and inadequate server security are making their task easier.

What We Think We Know About Twitter Music: Presumably Uncondensed
April 15, 2013

Twitter has officially announced its forthcoming push into the digital music space. After weeks of rumors, including one that promised such a service would officially launch over the weekend, Twitter has announced that something, indeed, is coming. On Friday, Twitter made public its music website. Then it slightly revised the wording over the weekend to say "coming soon." There is a link inviting users to sign in.

Fairness Is MIA in FairSearch.org
April 15, 2013

It's a good thing the tequila flows so freely here in the Linux blogosphere, or public health officials would have a lot more problems on their hands. After all, between Secure Boot, Canonical's wild moves and the Menace of Mordor -- er, Redmond -- Linux fans have more than their fair share of things to worry about in any given day, week or month.

Konnichi-Whoops! Japanese City Accidentally Tweets About North Korean Attack
April 12, 2013

The official Twitter page for the Japanese city of Yokohama announced that "North Korea has launched a missile." This would be scary if true, but because it didn't actually happen, it's just kind of embarrassing. The tweet, which was sent out to 40,000 followers, had been drafted in case, you know, North Korea actually did attack. It had blank spaces to indicate the time of the rocket launch. The city deleted the tweet and apologized to its followers.