WilliamX - Slashdot User

Submission + - Hewlett-Packard Brings Linux To Select Desktops (wired.com)

Submitted by Tatey on Sunday September 02, 2007 @11:44PM

Tatey writes: The world's largest PC manufacturer, Hewlett-Packard, has reportedly announced it will start selling Linux-based PCs aimed at the consumer market. For the time being it appears the HP Linux models will only be available in Australia, with prices starting at $AU600 (just under $500 USD).

Submission + - GPL3 helping FreeBSD take users away from Linux?

Submitted by WilliamX on Sunday September 02, 2007 @11:37PM

WilliamX writes: GPLv3 will help FreeBSD take some users away from Linux, according to the founder and vice president of The FreeBSD Foundation.

"Through extremely successful evangelization, and the popularity of Linux, the misconception that OpenSource and the GPL are synonymous has become pervasive," he said. "In short, there is a large base of OpenSource consumers that are suddenly very interested in understanding alternatives to GPL licensed software."

"Against the backdrop of GPLv3, the stark difference between the BSD licensing philosophy and that of the Free Software Foundation are only too clear."

"A GPL proponent might argue that a license for free software must be upgraded periodically since we cannot anticipate what new use models for free software might be developed that restrict freedom. The BSD license is as permissive as possible exactly because we cannot predict the future or to what beneficial purpose (commercial or otherwise) our software will be used." said Gibbs.

Submission + - Latest Google Earth has a hidden flight simulator

Submitted by MMHere on Sunday September 02, 2007 @11:29PM

MMHere writes: Tips4Mac reports that Google Earth now sports an as yet unannounced flight simulator:

http://tips4mac.blogspot.com/2007/09/flight-simula tor-from-google.html

Microsoft Says PS3 Linux Not 'Competitive' To XNA 231

Posted by CowboyNeal on Friday December 15, 2006 @08:32AM from the ignorance-is-bliss dept.

nz17 writes "Gamasutra has a preview of its upcoming interview with Dave Mitchell, Director of Marketing for Microsoft's Game Developer Group. In the interview Mitchell dismisses Linux on the PS3 as a game creators' solution and has said, 'What we [at XBox] are focused on doing is providing great tools at a free or low price point that are going to enable consumers to be absolutely successful at creating games for both the Windows and the Xbox 360 platforms.'"

Submission + - FSF Gives $60,000 To Free Ryzom

Submitted by

foobbs

on Friday December 15, 2006 @07:18AM

foobbs writes: "Free Software Foundation announces that it will officially support the Free Ryzom campaign with a pledge of $60,000, telling this is "a high priority project for the free software movement". The Free Ryzom campaign was established to purchase the online game and universe known as Ryzom, property of the now bankrupt Nevrax company, and release the entire game as free software."

Submission + - Bill Gates on DRM: "Buy a CD and Rip it" i

Submitted by

cyclomedia

on Friday December 15, 2006 @06:41AM

cyclomedia writes: "One blogger who recently visited MS (including many others, all of whom had mac laptops) for a Q&A session with Bill Gates quotes his apparent stance on DRM. Gate's apparently agreed that DRM "causes too much pain for legitmate buyers" and suggested that "People should just buy a cd and rip it.".

Gates has previously gone on record stating that the presence of DRM in windows is actually out of consumer interest, saying that "if there's content that can only be there if it's rights protected, we want to be able to have that content available to you.". Which is a variation on the please-don't-shoot-the-messenger theme."

Submission + - Anger at Christian Video Game

Submitted by

tttonyyy

on Friday December 15, 2006 @06:34AM

tttonyyy writes: "The Christian game Left Behind: Eternal Forces has been accused of glorifying violence in the name of religion, the BBC reports.

The Christian Alliance for Progress has been campaigning to get Wal-Mart and other retailers to take it off the shelves.
"It's essentially faith-based killing," said Tim Simpson of CAP. "The object of the game is to either kill or convert one's opponents inside the game."
"Rather than seeking to close the gap between neighbours, as Jesus did in his ministry, the game's purpose is to drive a wedge between people, teaching teenagers that what God intends is for them to slaughter those who do not share their beliefs."

According to popular reviews, it's not even a good game."

Submission + - Move to End Preinstalled Windows in France

Submitted by xarak on Friday December 15, 2006 @05:34AM

xarak writes: French media are reporting that the main consumer protection agency, "UFC Que Choisir" are attacking PC vendors in an effort to force them to provide bare or alternative OS's for their hardware. They are taking HP and two shops to court. Article in French.

Fedora Project to Help Revitalize RPM 334

Posted by CowboyNeal on Friday December 15, 2006 @04:48AM from the breathing-life-back-in dept.

-=Moridin=- writes "The Fedora Project has announced plans to revitalize RPM, the package manager used by many Linux distros. According to the announcement, 'Job #1 is to take the current RPM codebase and clean it up, and in doing so work with all the other people and groups who rely on RPM to build a first-rate upstream project.' For more information, see the the RPM web site and the new wiki-based RPM FAQ. The issue of RPM's upstream development has been a thorny issue ever since Jeff Johnson, the original maintainer of RPM, left Red Hat."

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