LinuxWorld Reports Continue

Readers have sent in quite a few links to stories wrapping up this year's LinuxWorld. The most interesting thing I saw was the HP MP3 stereo component which looks a lot like a tivo, but for sound. I'm not sure if they're going to get it right, but it looks close. Hopefully the code will be available. If it is, I'm buying one. Hit the link to read a bunch of other links related to the show compiled by Timothy.

Sharon Machlis writes: "The Linux operating system celebrated its 10th birthday this month, but as that milestone was lauded here this week at the LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, founder Linus Torvalds and other open-source gurus offered very different ideas of what will come next. In a lively panel discussion, Torvalds gathered with fellow Linux leaders before a packed house to debate the present state of the open-source movement . . . "

An Anonymous Coward writes: "Here's Rick Lehrbaum's "traditional" wrap-up of the embedded side of LinuxWorld from this week's show in San Francisco. He says the turnout overall was disappointing, but the showing for embedded was quite strong. Lots of good detail on what was there, plus some pictures too. Sounds like PDA & set-top boxes are the next big conquest for Linux. Worth a read!"

Jonny5 of LinuxLookup writes: "The third and final installment of my expo coverage has just been posted on LinuxLookup.com. Check it out here"

pnelson talks about Red hat CEO Matthew Szulik's keynote address at Linux World in SF. Szulik said "I'm here today to challenge the open source community. To ask you to join together to promote open source in our schools, and to protect open source in our government." Szulik highlighted the K12 Linux Terminal Server Project and ended with, "as we work as a community, we can fight as a community. And through the grassroots power of the Internet, together we can advance the cause...""

Comments

Link, please?

[jcr]

Where can we read about this nifty HP MP3 player?

-jcr

Re:Link, please?

[blowdart]

http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6581413126.html

Re:Link, please?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not the HP one mentionned above, but a nice looking one indeed : http://www.futuresoundtech.com/us/produit/frb-on.h tml

Re:Link, please?

[BrerBear]

> Linux faces a bleak future... ["The sky is falling", etc.]

Now we _finally_ know what Microsoft's Linux analysts are doing to keep busy!

Yeah!!

[TheLinuxWizard]

Just another step towards WORLD DOMINATION, baby!! ;)

Be Inc's HARP rip-off?

[Computer suck!]

But with T.V. output...

if HP add a visualation extra, i'd be tempted...

CS!

Re:linux's direction

[Anonymous Coward]

That's just the point.
Open Source users have many options and are able to choose.
Proprietary OS's bond you to 1 single "Option"

Media Distribution

[Pengo]

Anyone know of a MP3/Video distribution under way? It would be very cool to have a Debian distro sitting in an old computer on my corner that was controled via remote control, etc. Just buy the big-ol hard drive and your up and going. I wouldn't mind spending 80-90 dollars on any special equipment to give me remote control or even a video output to my TV..

Anyway, just an idea...

Re:Media Distribution

[Anonymous Coward]

try ffmpeg.sourceforge.net While not a distro, I supect it is what you are looking for.

Re:can some one

[Lonath]

OOOH big tough words from an AC.

Anonther Site - Joe Barr's

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.idg.net/ic_683987_1794_9-10000.html

Microsoft Remedy

[ClarkEvans]

Reading all of these made me revisit what I think would be a good microsoft remedy? How about:

1. No use of patents against open source software
2. Open specifications for their protocols.
3. Maintain a fully-operable port of Office to
Linux not more than 2 years behind their
windows offering.

One and two are from RMS's proposed remedies... but seeing that office compatibility is so important; perhaps 3 should be added to the list?

Re:Microsoft Remedy

[HiThere]

How about:
1) throw all of their software patents into public domain.
2) open specifications for all of their file formats and url protocols.
3) maintain the ability to export in all of the formats that they can currenly do so.

1 is because I don't believe that there are more than about 12 reasonably valid software patents (though if challenged to name two I would be in difficulty).

2 is to prevent monopolization of communications. They already have the first move advantage in these formats, surely they don't need more. (Only works, however, in conjunction with 1, because of the *** patent office. I'm sure that they'd grant a patent on zero if properly asked.)

3 is to protect the current users. If file formats are open, then programmers can adapt to them. The current users can't. Possibly a 7 year sunset clause on any particular form of export would be reasonable. (Of course, if they stopped being a monopoly, then this wouldn't be a necessary legal requirement. The marketplace would require it.)

Thats kind of interresting.

[codeforprofit2]

"as we work as a community, we can fight as a community. And through the grassroots power of the Internet, together we can advance the cause..."

I guess this really means: _You_ should work for free and give us good stuff we can sell so that _we_ can get rich.

HP Appliance == Encrypted Hardware

[ckm]

I talked to the HP guy. What he said about the appliance was pretty worrysome, actually.

I asked specifically if the machine was hackable ala Tivo.

He said NO, but he'd like to see anyone try. Evidently, the hardware encrypts everything, and all the hardware serial numbers are tied together so that you can't replace any part of the hardware, including the hard drive without HP's permission.

It was a cool device, but, as I told him, I'm never buying one since I already built one of these (and it looks much the same...) and there's is not open.

I don't doubt that large chunks of the code will be available, but most of it is likely to be proprietary.

Chris.

Re:HP Appliance == Encrypted Hardware

[Muck]

I got the same thing from him, he also noted that you cannot copy from your HP device TO Your computer. thats their attempt at, quote "avoiding napster like situations" According to him, the source code will not be available, at all. I will gladly spend my thousand bucks elsewhere.

Re:HP Appliance == Encrypted Hardware

[HiThere]

My first take on this was "What do you expect from HP", but that's probably slightly unfair. It's a big company, and different segments of it probably have different philosophies. Probably.

But this feels like something of a piece with their approach to printers. "It's ours, and if we don't choose to support your os, tough rocks." (I hope that that's clearly a paraphrase. I'm interpreting their actions rather than their words.)

But I'm sure that there are parts of the company that are ... I meant there's .... Well, they did hire Bruce Perens? Have they done anything else favorable (actions, not words)? If so, I don't seem to be able to recall it at the moment.

My WAG is that they see Linux as competition to HPUX, so they don't like it. But, as I said, that's just a wild ass guess.

Szulick's Keynote

[Anonymous Coward]

There are a few articles about Szulick's keynote:
C|Net, Wide Open News and InfoWorld.

I wonder who he has in mind for this "Open Source Education Corporation?"

Re:linux's direction

[HiThere]

What's the most important leg of a three legged stool?

OK. Now what's the most important leg of a one legged stool?

A king is a lousy answer. Always has been. Always will be. Sometimes you don't have the opportunity to look for a good answer, but a king is an answer with an extremely large number of quite well known problems.

A director, now that has possibilities. But don't forget the crucial difference. The director only has delegated power. When people stop agreeing, he looses it. Automatically. Without any necessity for political process (though there will be one, people being people). And if you really disagree with the director, then you just head off on your own. Examples that come to mind are Linus (Linux), Guido (Python), and Matz (Ruby). And Larry Wall (Perl).

N.B.: Giving someone the title "Benevolent Dictator for Life" doesn't make him one, though probably what would happen is a source tree forking. And that's what makes it a reasonable thing to say. The director has socially accepted control, but anyone who really disagrees, can just head in a different direction.

Re:fp!

[big_hairy_mama]

I second that!