Open Source Daily Journal

Introducing, the Gnucleus! This is an Open-Source Gnutella Client which represents the beginnings of the few known Gnutella projects namely, GwedCache, GnucDNA and GnucNS. Gnucleus is an application for Windows that is used to access the G2 and Gnutella networks. Nullsoft released Gnucleus after the introduction of the Gnutella concept in the year 2000. The different builds of Gnucleus can be accessed and downloaded on the Internet. The core of the Gnucleus program is the GnucDNA and this contains the bulk of the development efforts as compared to the main interface of the Gnucleus. When you try to download the Gnucleus client from the main download page, you will automatically obtain the latest version of the application.

Making open source applications a credible option both at the enterprise and SMB levels will help avoid a major challenge to open source vendors. Development and adoption of open source is one of the most significant phenomena in the IT industry during the past decade. It has seen the development of various open source software solutions in a wide spectrum not only at the operating system but also at the middleware level.

With this initial success of open source software solutions, the next step for the industry is for vendors to take the initiative to make meaningful contributions. These contributions ultimately include infrastructure, staffing, financial and engineering support. This is the time for a leading group of enterprise open source vendors to step up. There is a need for them to stand together for mutual benefit. If everyone can do their share in furthering the cause of open source development then there is a good chance of keeping multibillion software giants at bay.

Source: opensource.sys-con.com

With the focus being on enterprise, Zend Technologies which is a vendor of Hypertext Preprocessor or PHP will be releasing the version 3.6 of the Zend Platform application server geared towards PHP and the Zend Studio for Eclipse which is described as an IDE for PHP that uses Eclipse’s open source technology. The two application programs are seen as the vehicle which will move Zend Technologies closer to enterprise readiness. The latest edition of Zend Platform includes the feature of monitoring HTTP, Java events and Apache while incorporating better performance alerts coupled with an improved diagnostics implementing debugging production problems experienced on development servers.

The official release of Ubuntu 8.04 alpha was announced by the Ubuntu development community. Ubuntu is a version of the popular Linux distribution. The alpha release is codenamed Hardy Heron with final release scheduled sometime in April of 2008. Support for the version will be three years for the desktop and five years for the server.

The alpha release can now be freely downloaded from mirror sites and is primarily for testing only and not intended for production environments yet. The new release includes some new packages that are merged from Debian. Installation CD images for the server and desktop are available for the x86 and AMD64 architectures. The latest release also includes the automatic graphics configuration feature.

Source: arstechnica.com

With the technological advancements in the Information Technology industry, it is not surprising that big business would try to cash in. With rising costs in operating and maintaining systems, technical support and the cost of software, the idea of free software or open software was conceptualized. Open source does not only cover the source code or the original programming text but it also pertains to the process of distribution of whatever software that is created under the open source concept.

Some distribution concepts of open source software are:
1. Redistributed for free
2. Distributed program must include source code
3. It must allow derived works and modifications
4. Keeping the integrity of the author’s code
5. Groups or Persons must not be discriminated
6. All fields of endeavor must be recognized
7. All rights are included in the distribution
8. No specific license for any product
9. No other software must be restricted
10. Technology neutral license

Source: www.opensource.org

1. Free Redistribution: the software can be freely given away or sold. (Intended to
encourage sharing and use of the software on a legal basis.)
2. Source Code: the source code must either be included or freely obtainable. (Without
source code, making changes or modifications would be impossible.)
3. Derived Works: redistribution of modifications should be allowed. (Allowing legal sharing and
to permit new features or repairs.)
4. Integrity of The Author’s Source Code: licenses will require that modifications are
redistributed only as patches.
5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups: no one can be locked out.
6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor: commercial users cannot be excluded.
7. Distribution of License: The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the
program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those
parties.
8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product: the program cannot be licensed only as part of
a larger distribution.
9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software: the license cannot insist that any other
software it is distributed with must also be open source.
10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral: no click-wrap licenses or other medium-specific ways
of accepting the license must be required.
(Source:The Wikipedia)

With the fourth month of the Writers Guild of America’s strike showing no signs of ending, some companies are taking a look at the key issues involved. One of the most publicized issued involves the profit sharing of proceeds from online distribution. With this on the table, some companies which include Founders Media Group, Hollywood Disrupted and Virtual Artist would like to meet with representative of the Guild in order to explore new avenues of experimentation in finding ways to resolve the issue. The group is putting forward the idea of alternative online distribution which just might hit the right note with the striking WGA.

From the very rise of an instant manufacturing to the growth of open-source business models, these trends show that innovation can bloom even in a grim economic climate.
Take a look at the nine trends driving business in 2008 — and a deeper explanation of the ever surprising secrets to Apple’s success. Last spring, the marketer and blogger Hugh MacLeod posted a question on his site: If an open source is such a phenomenon, where are all the open source billionaires? His audience wasn’t bit amused. The open source software relies on a community of a volunteer developer who amend program.

One of the key findings is that the open source software has had a superficial impact on all the enterprise database market in that adoption has been widespread but shallow. While the open source databases have been widely deployed for the Web-tier applications, there has been a minimal adoption in the enterprise application tier, and adoption for the enterprise applications is at this time limited to certain but specific application of workloads.
To which I’d always respond, yes, but you’ve got to start it somewhere, and it’s impressive to be able to start with some of the most and very demanding customers on the planet. It’s a bit like programming platforms in the entire enterprise.

That is a very difficult question to ask for big businesses who normally have complex customized programs that allows them to function as a business. But the economic conditions have been forcing a lot of thought into the technology, considering both the advantages and disadvantages of the many successful open source projects that have already been out on the market. To ask that question would result in varying answers depending on who you ask, for large companies that use large programs and technology would not be so keen on adopting such a public technology. This does not however mean that they are not considering them for even some of the staunchest developers of closed systems have been trying out some of these technologies on a limited basis, proving the benefits, which is mainly cost are enticing enough for them to take notice. Continue Reading »