The two main Linux bodies, the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and the Free Standards Group (FSG), have merged to form the Linux Foundation, announcing that they will provide a comprehensive set of services to compete effectively with closed platforms, which primarily means Microsoft Windows.

Founding platinum members of the Linux Foundation include Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Intel, NEC, Novell, and Oracle. Jim Zemlin, former executive director of the Free Standards Group, leads The Linux Foundation. Other members of the new organization include every major company in the Linux industry, including Red Hat, as well as community groups, universities and industry end users.

"Computing is entering a world dominated by two platforms: Linux and Windows. While being managed under one roof has given Windows some consistency, Linux offers freedom of choice, customization and flexibility without forcing customers into vendor lock-in," said Zemlin. "The Linux Foundation helps in the next stage of Linux growth by organizing the diverse companies and constituencies of the Linux ecosystem to promote, protect, and standardize Linux."

The Linux Foundation will continue to sponsor the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and other key developers and employ a shared resources strategy to collaborate on platform development.

OSDL and the FSG were important forces behind open source adoption and played key roles in preventing fragmentation of the Linux market.

According to the the Linux Foundation, for Linux to remain open and attain the greatest ubiquity possible, important services must be provided, including legal protection, standardization, promotion and collaboration.

Late last year, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer raised the spectre of patent challenges to Linux distributions, a view bolstered by an indemnity agreement signed between Microsoft and major Linux distributor Novell.

With Google's Gmail having gained notable adoption as an e-mail
service, the company is now pushing office apps such as word
processing, spreadsheets, document management, and sharing and
collaboration. Google's Docs & Spreadsheets, sporting technology from
the acquisition of Web 2.0 startup Writely last year, enables users
to collaborate around shared documents, view and edit online in real
time with others. And the service wisely provides the capability to
import traditional document types from Excel or OpenOffice and other
sources into the mix -- thus tying the online world to the legacy
desktop apps found in most corporations.

By Carolyn April
Executive Editor of Features, Redmond magazine


MICROSOFT VS. GOOGLE OFFICE SHOWDOWN?
Microsoft-vs.-Google enthusiasts, take heart: It's looking like 2007
will see the two foes up the stakes in their search battle by squaring
off over the desktop.

As you all well know, Microsoft is shopping Office 2007 and a host of
new and upgraded collaboration products. Not to be outdone, search
giant Google is amassing technologies and revving services to mount
its own potentially formidable entrance into the marketplace.
Microsoft's clearly got the installed-base edge and entrenched market
lead. But Google's got buzz and thus far has outpaced Microsoft Live
initiatives in the rapidly growing model for software as a service.

With Google's Gmail having gained notable adoption as an e-mail
service, the company is now pushing office apps such as word
processing, spreadsheets, document management, and sharing and
collaboration. Google's Docs & Spreadsheets, sporting technology from
the acquisition of Web 2.0 startup Writely last year, enables users
to collaborate around shared documents, view and edit online in real
time with others. And the service wisely provides the capability to
import traditional document types from Excel or OpenOffice and other
sources into the mix -- thus tying the online world to the legacy
desktop apps found in most corporations.

Meantime, Google has in beta trial its Google Apps for Your Domain
service that competes squarely against Microsoft's Office Live
service. Google Apps for Your Domain, like Office Live, is a set of
services that gets small business users up and running with a domain
name and Web site for their company, corporate e-mail addresses,
calendaring, online storage and other tools needed to establish a
business presence on the Web. In beta since August, the service has
already signed up "tens of thousands" of domains, according to Google
executives who spoke with Redmond magazine last week.

To see more of my Google interview with Jonathan Rochelle, product
manager of Docs & Spreadsheets, and Rajen Sheth, product manager of
Google Apps for Your Domain, please pick up the February issue of
Redmond Magazine, or read the story online near the end of this
month. In the meantime, I'd like to hear what you think about
Microsoft vs. Google on the desktop: Who's got game? Let me know
at capril@redmondmag.com.

On another note: I'm looking to hear from those of you who have tried
to figure out or dabbled in Microsoft's nascent -- some might say
weak -- attempts to stake some ground in the open source world. The
company has CodePlex, its community development project Web site, and
has released certain pieces of code as open source so that it's ISV
partners and IT professionals can modify away to their hearts'
content. But is this simply lip service, or is Microsoft genuinely in
the spirit?

What do you think of Microsoft's open source strategy, such as it is?
Write to me at capril@redmondmag.com.

Windows to the Universe

지식 정보 컨텐츠가 가치를 만드는 세상 :: 네이버 블로그

About Threatened by the Collection Agency MRS Associates : From 59,963 members: "Legally speaking, you should get the complete details of your accounts from the collection agency that is trying to recover the debt from you. This is known as the debt validation process as per the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and through this, you can force them to provide you the following details:


* The details of the account.

* All the calculation should be shown of the amount that is owed.

* Any copies of the papers to be furnished that shows the payment agreement.

* Provide a verification or copy of any judgment if applicable

* The original creditor needs to be identified.

* The Statute of Limitation needs to be proven for the collection of the debt.

* The license of the collection agency applicable in the state is to be furnished along with the license numbers and Registered Agent

* Proof of the agreement that the debt collector has purchased the debt or has been hired by the creditor to collect the debt from the debtor as this is the basic contract law.

* Complete payment history showing the details of the creditors, payment history, amount of the debt, break up of fees/interest should be provided in paper.

* A copy of the"

IBM buys open-source Java outfit Gluecode | CNET News.com: "IBM buys open-source Java outfit Gluecode
Big Blue fills out the low end of its WebSphere line and throws its weight behind Apache's Geronimo project.
By Martin LaMonica
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: May 10, 2005, 10:22 AM PDT
TalkBack E-mail Print del.icio.us Digg this
update IBM on Tuesday said it acquired privately held start-up Gluecode Software, a company that offers a low-end, open-source alternative to IBM's WebSphere line.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Based in El Segundo, Calif., Gluecode sells corporate customers services around a suite of open-source software developed at the Apache Foundation. The company offers small and midsize businesses subcription-based support and updates for a suite of Java server products, called Joe.
As part of the acquisition, IBM said it will contribute to the Apache Geronimo project, a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) application server that forms the basis of Gluecode's product line. The 18 Gluecode employees will be part of IBM's software group; IBM said it will devote dozens of people to the Joe product.
IBM said the Gluecode products will fill out the low end of its WebSphere suite, software to build and run custom business applications. IBM's WebSphere brand covers a wide range of products, including an application server, portal and integration software.
WebSphere is targeted at large corporate customers and at medium-size companies, but IBM does not have a strong presence among smaller organizations and individual developers, said Robert LeBlanc, general manager of IBM's application and integration middleware division. He said IBM will offer Gluecode customers more functional WebSphere products as their ne"

Software: No longer business as usual | CNET News.com: "'Finding new revenue streams is really important so (vendors) are looking at all kinds of contract models,' said Joanne Correia, an analyst at Gartner. 'When markets become really mature, what happens is people fight for customer control, and that is done via contracts.'
In particular, big companies are demanding the ability to buy on an annuity basis, where they pay in smaller increments rather than shell out large sums up front, analysts said.
'It's not going to be a complete shift to open source, software-as-a-service or build-your-own. Will (this) have a major impact on the market? Absolutely.'
--M.R. Rangaswami, investor and software industry consultant With tight IT budgets and slim increases projected for the coming years, corporate customers are eyeing shorter-term contracts--or no contracts at all--rather than pay a perpetual license fee and maintenance costs. "

Software: No longer business as usual | CNET News.com: "The business software market has been wrestling with changes for several years now. Many companies, like PeopleSoft and Siebel Systems, have been acquired. Some have simply gone out of business. And all of the big software makers acknowledge that it has become harder to sell new software licenses. Oracle, SAP and others now rely on selling ongoing maintenance contracts.
'There are some seismic shifts happening' in all areas of the software industry, said M.R. Rangaswami, an investor and software industry consultant. 'It's not going to be a complete shift to open source, software-as-a-service or build-your-own. Will (this) have a major impact on the market? Absolutely.'
The growing popularity of open-source software, particularly for server software like databases, has shifted strategies at Microsoft, Oracle and other large companies, which now offer free or low-cost products.
Similarly, hosted applications like Salesforce.com that allow companies to switch to a recurring monthly charge instead of a large capital outlay have forced Microsoft, SAP and others to offer similar products.
The confluence of these factors and others is causing dramatic changes in how software is bought, said analysts and company executives. Rather than just charging customers for a CD stuffed with code, providers are increasingly turning to the Web, and to new licensing models, they said.
'Finding new revenue streams is really important so (vendors) are looking at all kinds of contract models,' said Joanne Correia, an analyst at Gartner. 'When markets become really mature, what happens is people fight for customer control, and that is done via contracts.' "

Software: No longer business as usual | CNET News.com: "The old, traditional model of selling software, either through up-front fees or long-term licenses, is increasingly under strain as both consumers and big businesses demand change.
The latest sign of turmoil: an admission by Microsoft's top executives that ad-supported Web-based services pose a risk to the company's traditional business. Other internal memos show that Microsoft is worried by the growing reluctance of consumers to spend money on software. "

Name that metaverse | CNET News.com: "'Second Life' is one of a very small number of so-called virtual worlds that eschew the traditional medieval fantasy-based role-playing game play common to such online blockbusters as 'World of Warcraft,' 'EverQuest' and 'Ultima Online.' As such, Linden Lab is loathe to call 'Second Life' a game, despite the accessibility of such a term. "

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