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Sun releases OpenOffice.org under LGPL

By Ted Roche on September 5, 2005 in OpenSource, Technology

OSNews notes OpenOffice.org Goes LGPL. “On 2nd September 2005 Sun announced the retirement of the Sun Industry Standard Source License. As a consequence, no future Sun open-source project will use the SISSL. Projects currently using the SISSL under a dual-license scheme, such as OpenOffice.org, are dropping the SISSL and thus simplifying their license scheme as soon as the development cycle allows. Effectie with the announcement that Sun is retiring the SISSL, OpenOffice.org will in the future only be licensed under the LGPL (.pdf). A FAQ is also available.”

Kudos to Sun MicroSystems for dropping their license and making Open Source that much simpler.

Five Reasons NOT to Use Linux

By Ted Roche on August 30, 2005 in LAMP, Microsoft, Security, Technology

OSNews points to Five Reasons NOT To Use Linux. “Linuxwatch.com is running a great story called “Five Reasons NOT To Use Linux.” It includes a nice list of reasons why one might want to steer clear of Linux, along with a nice comparison to how easily these reasons are addressed in Microsoft Windows.”

I always suspected that Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols was secretly a Linux-hater.

Struggling with HP OfficeJet d145

By Ted Roche on August 27, 2005 in Technology

I use an HP OfficeJet d145 for very rare color printing: ERDs, business cards, the occasional map. When I do, invariably, the magenta ink irregular, leaving a green cast to the pictures. Using the supplied HP utilities to print a couple of test pages, print head alignment tests and inkjet purges, I can get great results, but at the cost of 10% of the $40 cartridge. Pretty expensive printing.

To save the costs, I’m looking at less expensive ink refill kits. Any advice or observations would be appreciated. Here’s a few links I’ve spotted:

Resetting Your Hewlett Packard Printer’s Estimated Ink Level http://www.cartridgerefills.co.nz/ink_cartridge/tech_support.php#b6

HP OfficeJet d145 Printer Ink Cartridges HP OfficeJet d145 ink refills kits discount http://www.ask4ink.com/printers.asp?PrinterID=987

THE FIRST GUIDE IN TAKING BACK YOUR HP OFFICEJET! http://www.fixyourownprinter.com/forums/inkjet/27744

Passed MySQL Core Certification

By Ted Roche on August 19, 2005 in OpenSource

I took the MySQL Core Certification exam yesterday, and passed. It was a tough exam, a bit too picky about edge cases, I think, but I passed. The NDA pretty much forbids me saying more about the exam. Fair enough. The exam is only valid if the Q&A aren’t published, otherwise, the value of the exam and certification plummets, as happened with “paper CNEs” and “paper MCSEs”.

I have earned the MySQL Core Certification

The MySQL folks don’t seem as constrained by the NDA, and post a “real life story” as well as point to two blog entries. That ought to give you a pretty good idea of what’s involved. I’ll wait a while before taking the Pro certification, as it’ll require a few weeks of dedicated night and weekend studying, but I think that’s the proper level of certification for a software development consultant like me to have.

OTOH, if you have a Mac G5 and run (rare) 64-bit apps, hold off on patching…

By Ted Roche on August 17, 2005 in Apple Macintosh OS X, Security, Technology

OSNews reports Latest OS X Update Breaks 64-bit Support. “The most recent Mac OS X security update from Apple Computer includes a glitch that prevents users from running 64-bit applications on the company’s new Tiger operating system, AppleInsider has confirmed.” 64-bit apps are still rare in the Apple world, limited mainly to console or background tasks, according to the linked AppleInsider article.

SANS ISC: InfoCon Yellow

By Ted Roche on August 14, 2005 in Microsoft

Over at Resigned to the Bittersweet Truth, Bill McGonigle posts InfoCon Yellow!. “The Internet Storm Center has declared InfoCon Yellow for the first time since May 2004. ”

“Due to a number of very well working Windows exploits for this weeks patch set, and the zero-day Veritas exploit, we decided to turn the infocon to yellow.

Advice: Use the weekend to patch ALL … read the rest at InfoCon Yellow!

New Linux Thin Clients from HP?

By Ted Roche on August 11, 2005 in OpenSource, Technology

I may have missed the initial announcement when these shipped, but browsing through a PC Connection catalog yesterday, I spotted the HP t5515 Thin Client Workstation on sale for a little over $300. This is a diskless PC with a Transmeta Crusoe CPU, 128 Mb RAM, Linux 2.4 burned into Flash RAM, video, audio, NIC, spare PCI slot and USB2. Looks cute, and I could see a lot of places where clients with browser-based data entry, mail and other processes could benefit from the small cost, form factor and power demands to make for a better, cheaper office. Hey, hang an external drive off the USB connection and you have a PC!

HP is a pretty open company and has been pushing Open Source solutions on many platforms. I was surprised to dig through the technical documentation to discover that the Linux image burned into Flash RAM can only be made with a proprietary toolkit from MetroWorks under a fee-based licensing scheme. This looks like a prime opportunity for someone to reverse-engineer the box and allow developers to customize the image to their own needs. The base image that ships with the HP Thin Client includes a proprietary Citrix client, Altiris image management tool, and other software that a developer could clear out, leaving room to customize the box. (The default image also ships with Mozilla, the Open Source rdesktop Windows RDP client, VNC client and VNC server.)

A local technician tells me that his past experiences with thin clients indicated that they should only be used in controlled and air-conditioned environments and that they would tend to overheat if left in a warm room. I’ll be interested to follow how these devices fare.

Update: here’s a review at OSNews.

Print envelopes directly from Tiger Address Book

By Ted Roche on August 10, 2005 in Home Page

macosxhints points out 10.4: Print envelopes in Address Book. “Did you know you can print envelopes directly from Address Book in 10.4? According to the Address Book help, this is a new feature. I know I haven’t seen it before.” Spiffy.

Open Source, the kinder, gentler revolution?

By Ted Roche on August 8, 2005 in OpenSource, Technology

OSNews posts Open Source Is a ‘Velvet’ Revolution. “There may not be fireworks. CIOs and IT directors may not be heaping their proprietary software on bonfires and dancing. Even so, the open source revolution is happening right now and will carry the day, said Bill Weinberg, open source architecture specialist and Linux evangelist for OSDL.”

What’s in your kernel?

By Ted Roche on August 5, 2005 in OpenSource, Technology

OSNews points in turn to a DevX article, Study: Linux Code Grows as Defects Decline. “Between December 2004 and July 2005, the “defect density” in the Linux kernel has fallen from 0.17 to 0.16 and all serious defects have been corrected, a new report out from code analysis firm Coverity asserts. Defect density declined by 2.2 percent.”

How many defects are in the OS kernel you’re using? Has the defect density gone up or down over time? Cars have satisfaction surveys. Consumer Reports lists pluses and minuses. Why don’t we have a similar test for operating systems.

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