FreeSoftNews

For most areas of enterprise open source, there is one clear leader. The business intelligence (BI) space is unusual in that there are two strong players: JasperSoft and Pentaho.

Here Doug Moran, one of Pentaho’s founders, offers a fascinating description of how the company was created in part by bringing on board the chief architects of several other open source projects, offers not one but two explanations of the Pentaho name, says more on the recent adoption of the GNU GPLv2 for its BI platform, and explains why – of course – he thinks Pentaho’s solutions are the best.

Read more at Computer World

One security outfit which conducted a study into the use of open source software in the enterprise, the results of which are published today, seems to think so. It states that “Open Source Software (OSS) development communities have yet to adopt a secure development process and often leave dangerous vulnerabilities unaddressed.”

New data from Fortify Software suggests that the rising adoption of open source software within the enterprise is putting the average business at far greater risk than it should.
The Open Source Security Study has just been published and reveals that some of the most widely-used open source software used within the business environment are leaving users exposed to a “significant and unnecessary business risk.”

Read more at iTWire

iXsystems announced today the launch of its Professional Services Division for FreeBSD and PC-BSD. The new Professional Services Division will provide Professional Enterprise Grade support, consulting, and development for FreeBSD and PC-BSD.

Service offerings include desktop support such as installation and basic customization of the operating system. Software application support is also offered and includes assistance configuring and installing third-party applications, either through the FreeBSD ports and packages system or via Push-Button Installers (PBIs), graphical utilities to remove and install PC-BSD software in a simple to use, self-contained format.

Also included are more customized support offerings across a wide range of server-related issues such as kernel tuning and system optimization, device driver creation, kernel, userland, and embedded systems development, and a host of other services. iXsystems offers 8×5 PC-BSD and FreeBSD OS support and has a devoted Service Support Office and US-based Call Center to assist with technical support issues.

Read more at PRWeb

Open source companies are finally getting on their feet in the IT channel, The VAR Guy believes. In fact, companies like Digium, GroundWork Open Source, Openbravo and Untangle are following Red Hat and Novell into the IT channel — on a global basis. Here’s a look at their progress.

First, some background: During their early days, many open source companies didn’t want or need channel partners. Instead, they depending on direct sales as well as “community” members who assisted open source code development and product evangelism. That’s wonderful for a start-up. But growing up — and going global with localized support — requires VARs, integrators and managed service providers (MSPs).

Read more at VAR Guy

We know your company uses open-source applications. We also know many of you already have an open-source policy. Sort of. As CIO.com discovered when researching the adoption of open-source in enterprise IT, a quarter of respondents have a formal policy in place to control how such software is chosen, supported and deployed. Another 18 percent expected to adopt such a policy in the next 12 months. But those who have some kind of policy aren’t necessarily thrilled with it; just 45 percent said their policies are very effective.

“Somewhat effective” policies are like “somewhat effective” security; clearly, there’s more to be learned. CIO.com asked CIOs and other people in the trenches about what’s working—and what’s not working—with their open-source usage policies.

Read more at CIO

Xandros bought Linspire the other day, and nobody really noticed.

Neither Xandros nor Linspire has won the hearts and minds of Linux users or developers. Both are sold as Linux for the Windows user. Both sell versions of GNU/Linux that are easy to install and use, and both have tried, with varying success, to break into the business and consumer desktop market that is currently owned by Microsoft.

Linspire has been sold on OEM machines through WalMart in the United States. Xandros makes a solid Linux distribution that has become the default operating system on the ASUS Eee PC, through which it can claim to have gained 1.5 million users.

Read more at IT PRO

Windows Vista debuted to muffled applause, followed by lackluster sales. Up until June 30, cash-strapped businesses looking to avoid the cost of upgrading to new Vista-compatible hardware could still purchase trusty Windows XP. Now, however, Windows XP is available only as a costly “downgrade” from Windows Vista–if you buy a copy of Vista, you can install the 6-year-old XP operating system using the Vista license.

If that feels like a waste of your small business’s precious IT budget, and you’re still looking for an alternative to Windows Vista, look no further than Linux. The latest distributions are free, easy to install, and highly customizable; they harness your existing hardware without overtaxing it; and they include a wealth of productivity applications and utilities. You may already have a closet Linux expert on staff, but if you don’t, paid support is usually available at rates far less than Microsoft’s.

Read more at PC World

New York-based Linux company Xandros on Wednesday bought Linspire, another open source distributor in a bid to increase its presence in the enterprise, an executive said.

Xandros, which originally launched in Canada, did not disclose what it paid for Linspire, which was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in California.

In buying Linspire, Xandros wants to be able to compete head-to-head with rivals Red Hat, Novell, SUSE Linux, and Microsoft, said Vince Londini, research analyst with Info-Tech Research Group. Already, Xandros’ approach is to provide a Linux-based operating system that looks a lot like Windows, said Londini, “so it’s not so hard to say ‘Come on over the water’s fine,’ sort of thing.’”

Read more at Linux World

Custom Linux provider Xandros announced Wednesday that it has acquired Linspire, developer of the CNR software distribution facility, and the Linspire and Freespire Linux desktop operating systems. Xandros, which also develops Linux desktop and server products along with advanced cross-platform Windows-Linux management tools, will use the combined technologies, expertise and market presence of the two companies to support its goal to becoming a one-stop Linux solutions company.

Read more at LinuxInsider

Today’s IT managers face tough choices. PCs that run fine today have an uncertain upgrade path, now that Microsoft has chosen to discontinue Windows XP. Upgrade costs associated with Vista, coupled with the ever-escalating cost of application licenses, make switching to desktop Linux an increasingly attractive option.

For many businesses, however, it’s difficult to know where to begin. The Linux market is broad and thriving, with myriad options to choose from. Most organizations will want to phase in Linux gradually, which in many cases will mean supporting a heterogeneous computing environment for the first time. As a result, it can be hard to predict where software incompatibilities might affect critical business processes.

Read more at InfoWorld

Practical Technology has learned from several sources that Linspire, the San Diego, Calif-based Linux distributor is being bought out by Xandros, the Canadian desktop Linux vendor.

In an announcement that was sent out today, June 30, to Linspire stockholders, CEO Larry Kettler wrote that the stockholders had decided to sell all of Linspire’s assets. This deal specifically includes Linspire, Freespire, and the company’s distribution agnostic CNR (Click ‘N Run) desktop installation platform.

Read more at Practical Technology

Is it possible to make money by giving something away for free? John Powell, CEO of Alfresco Software, believes that the open source software market is worth $60 billion. The value doesn’t accrue from the revenue that it generates. Rather, that value is rooted in the cost savings for his customers. Looked at from this angle, open source is the largest tech industry, Powell believes. That was the basis for a decision he made when Alfresco began developing an open source alternative for enterprise content management and other tasks.

Read more at LinuxInsider

Most free-libre accounting applications that ship with GNU/Linux distributions are for personal accounting only: they manage one person’s finances. Corporations and accounting firms need far greater functionality, however, such as the ability to maintain a complete sets of multi-company accounts, tally final accounts automatically, generate MIS reports, and function synchronously across multiple offices. Though there are some free-libre applications with such functionality, such as SQL Ledger and Ledger-SMB, the lay user may find their installation complicated, as it can involve manual configuration with the PostgreSQL database, possibly the programming language Perl, and the remote access software Samba. And these accounting apps are not installed by default in any distribution. But OpenLX is a distro with an accounting app.

Read more at Linux.com

Many people don’t realize the wealth of applications that are available for Linux. I am asked all the time about X and/or Y application on Windows and whether there’s an equivalent on Linux. Most of the time the answer is yes.

The arena of finance is no exception. Plenty of outstanding financial applications are available for the Linux operating system. From personal finance to business finance, there is an application for nearly every need. Let’s take a look at the top Linux financial applications.

Read more at TechRepublic

Realizing that “What if” articles tend to bring out the best and worst in people, I thought it was worth exploring this mindset again, just for kicks. This time, however, there is a clear angle to the idea. One that I hope can crossover and inspire, if nothing else.

In this piece, I want to explore what if the power players in the corporate Linux world actually bothered to make their interests in Linux an all or nothing type of game. Here is a breakdown of what I’m talking about:

Read more at Mad Penguin

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw a item entitled “Maybe we should charge for Linux” in an established GNU/Linux site like Linux Today, and from the managing editor no less! Well I just couldn’t let it pass without comment.

The author of that piece (Brian Proffitt) asked us to “put the pitchfork and torches away”. Well don’t worry Mr Proffitt, I’m not a fan of pitchforks. I did read your piece in full before writing this so what follows is — I hope — a measured response.
Cost is not the issue

The main thrust of the piece seems to be that if consumers are content with paying for their software (or baseball tickets) and associate worth with the price then perhaps we should give them the impression that GNU/Linux has a greater worth by charging them. To quote the article: “After all if they (myself included) are consistently willing to pay the prices … then clearly this is what the market will bear. “

Read more at Free Software Magazine

It’s an interesting question: Why would large, established companies like Adobe and others embrace open source strategies? In some ways, it seems counterproductive. After all, releasing a software application’s source code to the community could be viewed as letting an organization’s competitive advantage walk out the door. However, as anyone involved in the open source community knows, this shortsighted view fails to acknowledge the true benefits of open source development. I’ve been engaged in free software — which later became “open source” in 1998 — for almost two decades.

Read more at Linux Insider

Pia Waugh is a leading advocate for FLOSS in her home country, Australia, and all over the world. In addition to running a consultancy in partnership with her husband, she is the vice president of Linux Australia, the president of Software Freedom International (sponsor of the annual Software Freedom Day events), and on the board of directors of the OLPC Australia program. Perhaps because her activities are born out of a love for open source software, or maybe because her husband Jeff is also a major figure in global FLOSS, Waugh says the balance between work and life for her right now is “nonexistent. But we love what we do.”

Waugh was introduced to Debian Linux about nine years ago. “I took to [it] immediately,” she says. “I really enjoyed tinkering with the software, learning how it worked, and I ultimately learned more in six months of Linux about general computing than I did in over 10 years of DOS, Windows, and Netware.” In addition to the transparency of open source, Waugh says working with the software gave her a sense of personal empowerment, and it was fun. “I … started going to the Sydney Linux User Group, which in itself was a whole new experience. I really felt a part of something bigger, something important, and after about three years of focusing on Linux and other FOSS projects, I started to really understand the broader socio-economic impact, and the importance of software freedom in a rapidly digital world.”

Read more at Linux.com

So, you have all this wonderful FOSS/Linux know how and a passion for it. Your passion is so great that you want to make a living doing it. That is sooo cool. But before you do, you need to learn how to boil to water and develop a solid business model around it so you can actually make money. When I first started a Linux Migration biz, I started off as a Linspire reseller, consultant, and builder. I was doing a little of everything and charging LOW fees to do it. I had few clients and when I did have a client, I operated at a loss. I did not give up, however, I kept at it.

I started talking to other Linspire users trying to make a go of this professionally and found it was most of us in the same boat. I then began to wonder…is it possible that being a geek and a businessman are two different things? When the answer to that was yes…I then asked the question: Is it possible for a geek to learn how to be a competent businessman? I found out the answer was yes…but I had to unlearn some bad habits.

Read more at Cooking With Linux

There is a funny thing about commercial open source software companies as much as they like talking about their community-driven open source heritage they end up doing a lot of things their proprietary counterparts do. Spout off about being enterprise-ready, boast, offer TCO studies, and all manner of other things that make them look like a typical proprietary software company. A lot of them neglect the transparent open source traits that makes them truly disruptive and interesting (see yesterday’s post on SourceFire).

Read more at socializedsoftware.com