Open Source Development News & More


Microsoft's Open Spec Is Bad for GPL, Law Group Says

Analysis by the Software Freedom Law Center states that Microsoft's open specification promise provides "no assurance to GPL developers."

Mono Project To Release Dev Tool and New Beta

Solutions help port Microsoft .NET apps to Linux.

CodeGear Releases 3rd Rail 1.1, Donates Ruby Debugger

Company donates debug tool to Eclipse project.

Novell VP Openly Laments Microsoft Deal

According to IDG news service, Novell Vice President Miguel de Icaza publicly decried his company's patent licensing deal with Microsoft at Redmond's MIX08 conference last week in Las Vegas.

Ballmer Acknowledges Mistakes, Offers Insights on Roadmap at MIX08

Microsoft's CEO acknowledged frustration with the acceptance of Windows Vista and the company's failure to upgrade its Internet Explorer browser more routinely, as well the questionable decision to pursue separate development paths for Internet Explorer and the .NET Framework.

Document Interoperability Initiative Unveiled by Microsoft

Move aims to assure the interoperability of OOXML, ODF and other document formats.

FreeBSD 7.0 Open Source OS Released

Engineering team cites marked performance improvements over the last version.

AMD Cites Windows Server 2008 Support Efforts

AMD, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based CPU chipmaker, announced its collaboration efforts with Microsoft leading up to Microsoft's big launch yesterday.

European Commission Slaps Microsoft With $1.3 Billion Fine

EU cites overpricing for "interface documentation" on work group servers.

First Look: PostgreSQL 8.3

New version adds additional functionality to an easy-to-use open source database.

Sun Plans Open Source Buying Spree, Completes MySQL Deal

Exec describes Sun plans to acquire open source companies whose products have "broad distribution" and community support.

Adobe Releases AIR Runtime for the Desktop, Opens Flex

The rich Internet application development platform for Windows and Macintosh was released, with a Linux version expected later this year.

Microsoft E-Mails Employees Regarding Yahoo Acquisition

Letter suggests that the Yahoo acquisition may close by the second half of 2008, if approved by regulators.

.NET Developers Applaud Microsoft's Open Moves

Redmond's stated policy shift suggests better interoperability with open source solutions may happen, some say.

Microsoft Takes Bold Steps Toward Open APIs and Publishing Tech Specs

CEO Ballmer described a company shift toward promoting open connections, data portability, standards and community engagement.