5802155
submission
DigDuality writes:
Dieter@be over at Arch Linux forums and a release engineer for Arch Linux got inspired by this post. The idea? To create a browser based on the Unix Philosophy: "Write programs that do one thing and do it well, programs that work well together, programs to handle text streams because that is a universal interface", among other points. The result? A low resource fast browser named Uzbl, based off WebKit and passes the Acid3 Test with a perfect score. The browser is controlled (by default) by vim-like keybindings, not too dissimilar from vimperator for Firefox. Things like url changing, loading/saving of bookmarks, saving history, downloads, are handled through external scripts that you write (though the uzbl software does come with some nice scripts for you to use). It fits great in a tiling window manager and plays extremely well with dmenu. The learning curve is a bit steep, but once you get use it to, it's smooth sailing. Not bad for alpha software. Thought built for Arch it has been reporting to work on Ubuntu.
542652
submission
DigDuality writes:
With the news that Windows 2008 (recently discussed on Slashdot) will have GUI-less installs and be fully scriptable, that they've opened up their communication protocols for non-commercial usage and are providing a patent covenant (Redhat Responds), and now finally an interesting rumor floating around that Microsoft will be taking on GNU directly. Has Microsoft totally switched gears in how it is approaching the Unix and FOSS sector for direct competition? According to an anonymous email leaked from a Microsoft employee, it seems Microsoft will be developing a framework that will be completely GNU compatible. Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, said on Friday(23 February) that they are aiming to restore a Unix-like environment to its former propriety glory, at the same time, proving that Microsoft is committed to interoperability. Ballmer emphasized that Microsoft's new strategy is to provide users with a complete package, and this includes users who like Unix environments. According to the supposedly leaked email, UNG, which stands for UNG's not GNU is set to be released late 2009 .
185997
submission
DigDuality writes:
Microsoft, shrugging off licensing moves to prevent it from repeating its controversial patent deal with Novell, has signed a set of broad collaboration agreements with Linux provider Xandros that include an intellectual property assurance under which Microsoft will provide patent covenants for Xandros customers.
Will the response to Xandros be similar to that of Novell? We can only hope.
