Linux evolves for mobile devices with UBUNTU

A version of the increasingly popular Linux operating system Ubuntu will be developed for use on net-enabled phones and devices.

The Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded project aims to create the open source platform for initial release in October 2007.

The operating system will be developed by members of the Ubuntu community, along with staff from chip giant Intel. Its development was prompted by the growth of power hungry portable devices that place new demands on software.

"It is clear that new types of device - small, handheld, graphical tablets which are Internet-enabled - are going to change the way we communicate and collaborate," said Ubuntu CTO Matt Zimmerman.

"These devices place new demands on open-source software and require innovative graphical interfaces, improved power management and better responsiveness." Mobile firms such as Nokia are already using open source technologies in some of its products.

Big deal

Ubuntu is already a popular choice of operating system on desktop and laptop computers. In contrast to offerings from companies such as Microsoft that earn money by licensing and charging for use of their products, Linux code is freely available.

That means anyone can modify it or develop applications for it. As a result, there are many different types, or distributions, of Linux operating systems. The driving force behind the Ubuntu project is Mark Shuttleworth, one of the world's first space tourists.

The self-made millionaire from South Africa founded the firm Canonical in 2004 to promote and support open source software projects. The firm's partnership with Intel to develop the mobile operating system is just the latest deal with some of the powerhouses of the technology world.

In April this year, Ubuntu announced a deal with Dell, the world's second largest manufacturer of PCs, to offer certain computers with the operating system preinstalled. "We are delighted to be working with Intel on this version of Ubuntu," said Mr Zimmerman. "Intel is making significant contributions of technology, people and expertise to the project."

Power drain

The chip-maker has already shown off a device running a prototype of the Ubuntu mobile platform. At a recent meeting Intel CEO Paul Otellini held up a prototype device, like a large cell phone, running the system, although he said it was also capable of running versions of Microsoft's Windows.

Intel is keen to grab a slice of the fast growing market for net-enabled phones and devices. It has already endorsed another open source project to develop applications for mobile devices known as the Gnome Mobile & Embedded Initiative (GMAE).

The firm also recently unveiled plans for a tiny low-energy chip designed specifically for mobiles and portable computers. Codenamed Silverthorn, the chips will be one-seventh the size of conventional processors and consume just 10% of the power, Intel said.

Hardware developments such as this are important to maximise battery life for portable devices that are required to run increasingly sophisticated software and deliver relatively power-hungry applications like the web. The new Ubuntu platform will also aim to maximise energy efficiency whilst offering a graphical interface designed specifically for the small screen.

More details of the new operating system will be announced at the Ubuntu Developer Summit being held in Seville, Spain from 06 to 11 May.

An initial version will be released in October this year.

Source: BBC News, May 8

Top 10 things Microsoft loves and hates about Open Source

Over the years, Microsoft has had some pretty harsh words (and actions) for the open source community in general and for Linux in particular. And with news this week that the company reportedly wants open source software users to pay royalties on 235 alleged patent violations, the relationship is obviously changing. We take a look at five ways Microsoft is embracing open source or Linux and five ways it is doing to battle against those same forces.

Microsoft loves open source

1. Silverlight runtime and scripting language opened up from the start

Last week at its Mix07 conference (which mimics a “conversational” style familiar at open source confabs), Microsoft said its new IronRuby dynamic language and the Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR) will be offered under Microsoft’s BSD-style Permissive License, which lets users modify and distribute the code. The intent is to add cross-platform support for dynamic language programming in .Net (DLR works in conjunction with .Net’s CLR) and to encourage developers to implement other language on top of the DLR. Last year, Microsoft made its IronPython available under the Permissive License.

2. Deals with open source vendors

Integration-style deals with SugarCRM and JBOSS show that Microsoft understands non-Windows components must be able to attach reliably to Windows server software. The company works with vendors to make that happen. Also “co-opetition” agreements with the likes of XenSource and MySQL, an open source database, show that Microsoft understands the pressure is coming from all sides. A similar deal with Novell on Linux had its good points, but one aspect landed it on the Top Five Battles list below.

3. Port 25

In August 2006, Microsoft launched (at LinuxWorld no less) Port 25, a Web site that provides a look inside Microsoft’s Open Source Lab, which is under the direction of Bill Hilf, who once helped lead Linux strategy development for IBM. The blog-style site digs under the research lab’s testing, analysis and interoperability work.

4. Codeplex

The year-old open source project hosting Web site started by Microsoft lets users share open source development projects. The big news is that portions of Visual FoxPro will be posted as open source on Codeplex. A new version of the Web site is released every three weeks adding additional features and updates. As of early March, there were 1,029 projects on the site.

5. Identity

Led by Kim Cameron, Microsoft’s identity architect, Microsoft has fostered a community discussion with identity that has involved open source movers and shakers such as Doc Searls, independent developers and those with a fascination for the technology. In Sept. 2006, Microsoft announced its Open Specification Promise, which gives developers access, without need for licenses or fear of legal action, to 35 Web services protocols Microsoft has developed, including many Microsoft uses in its own identity technology.

Microsoft hates open source

1. Open Document Format (ODF)

Microsoft likes to make money and its file formats have kept users anteing up for new Office versions for years. With governments far and wide evaluating or adopting open file formats, Microsoft came up with OpenXML (the default format in Office 2007) and is pushing it to the same standards bodies that christened ODF. There are debates over the merits of each, but it’s likely to get uglier before it gets better.

2. $3 software bundle in foreign countries

See above. With Linux and open source representing a major threat in emerging markets (those not already saturated with Windows), Microsoft is playing defense with a bundle that includes Windows XP Starter Edition, Office Home and Student 2007, Windows Live Mail and other applications. Chairman Bill Gates said Microsoft will work with local governments to get students low-cost PC’s that include the software.

3. Novell patent deal

While some of last year’s Novell deal around joint sales and R&D efforts drew praise, the part dealing with protecting customers from patent lawsuits and intellectual property infringement, the Covenant to Customers, ruffled major feathers in the Linux and open source community for its many loopholes and missing details and led to accusations that Novell was bamboozled again by Microsoft.

4. Attack on the GNU General Public License (GPL) 3.0

Microsoft has been a longtime contributor to the lobbying organization Association for Competitive Technology, which critics charge is a Microsoft puppet organization, for spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt about the forthcoming upgrade to the GPL. And just to connect dots, Richard Stallman, the leader of the Free Software Foundation says GPL 3.0, which is nearing final draft, will be crafted to block the type of patent/IP deal Novell and Microsoft cut.

5. Digital Rights Management (DRM)

Microsoft’s digital rights management is incompatible with Linux and open source tools, where users could use the source code of document or multi-media software to work around DRM controls. Microsoft has locked down its DRM capabilities, thereby locking non-Microsoft approved clients out of the DRM loop. Purists say content control should be in the hands of content providers not imposed by Microsoft and out of reach of users with open source software.

Is RSS Secured Enough?

RSS is growing at a lightening speed. What was once only known as a “techie tool”, RSS is becoming a tool that is continuously being used by the general population. Along with the good comes, the not so good. And while some have mentioned the emergence of RSS spam, where content publishers dynamically generate nonsensical feeds stuffed with keywords, the real concern relates to security. While an annoyance to the search engines, spam in RSS feeds pales in comparison to the possible security concerns that could be in RSS’ future.

Security Implications Related to RSS.

As RSS gains momentum security fears loom large. As publishers are quickly finding innovative uses for RSS feeds, hackers are taking notice. The power and extendibility of RSS in its simplest form is also its achilles heel. The expansion capabilities of the RSS specification, specifically the “enclosure” field which has launched the podcasting phenomenon, is where the vulnerabilities lie. The enclosure field in itself is not the problem, in fact the majority of RSS feeds do not even use the enclosure tag. The enclosure tag is essentially used to link to file types, things like images, word documents, mp3 files, power point presentations, and executables and can be thought of in similar terms to email attachments.

The fact that RSS can be used to distribute these file types has opened a myriad of doors to users of the syndication standard, but also has created cause for concern. Most people do not feel that the risk is significant because people “choose” the content that they receive, and while it might make the distribution of malware, viruses and spy applications via RSS less prevalent, their is still the inherent risk of a infected file being distributed.

The problem is one of both technology and lack of education.

The danger lies in the fact that many RSS readers, news aggregators, or pod-catchers automatically download the information contained in the enclosure field regardless of its file type or source.

Most RSS developers acknowledge the risks associated with the enclosure field, but few have had the forethought to include filtering, screening or authentication capabilities and many automatically download enclosures.

Nick Bradbury of Bradsoft/NewsGator seems to be proactive, designing FeedDemon with security in mind. FeedDemon uses an editable safelist of file types as well as allowing users to monitor what files are automatically downloaded. FeedDemon also contains hard-coded warnings related to specific file types.

Developers of ByteScout took a different approach to the handling of enclosure files, ByteScout does not automatically download anything without user intervention for each download.

Unfortunately, not all RSS readers, aggregators and podcatchers consider the possible security implications associated with RSS feeds and podcasts, some will automatically download enclosures without warning or any thoughts of security. Be sure to examine how your RSS reader handles files contained in the enclosure field of an RSS feed.

With the increased use of RSS and podcasting, the security risks increase with it. Their is cause for concern, however proactive users and conscientious developers can easily subvert the risk by taking precautions seriously. Computer viruses and malware are cause for legitimate concern, there is ample time and action that can avert potential problems.