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Amid continued traction for Android, there have been a number of other developments for mobile operating systems based on Linux. Given my support for and belief in Linux and open source software, you might expect me to be bullish on the prospects for all of this mobile and device Linux. However, bas...

The link between open innovation and open source has long been documented. That there is a significant correlation is obvious and not arguable, but to what extent is there causation? And in what direction? Open innovation describes a process, whereas open source has traditionally described a product...

The Android community is abuzz with speculation about Samsung's plans for its Unpacked event on Oct. 11 at the upcoming CTIA Enterprise & Applications Conference to be held in San Diego. Some rumors suggest Samsung will unveil the latest item in the Android Nexus family of smartphones, while oth...

Sometimes you find good things in small packages. At least that has been my experience with picking through the wares often buried in directories of open source software that feeds my Linux OS passion. Dillo, a little-known tiny Web browser, was an unexpected find. This baby browser has a very small...

A vulnerability in a logging tool that HTC has installed on some of its Android devices poses a serious security problem for users. The devices at risk are the Evo 3D, Evo 4G and Thunderbolt. The vulnerability allows hackers to collect a great deal of information about the device and its user -- inf...

eMusic's old, custom-built content management system was slowing the team down. We're a digital media company, and our team has to be able to react quickly and share content on hot topics. When reviewing the different content management systems out there, we found that WordPress was an ideal solut...

Burning optical platters can be frustrating and time-consuming. Show me a computer user who doesn't have a trash bin filled with spent CDs and DVDs, and I will show you a user who doesn't burn discs. Linux users have several good CD/DVD burning apps available -- and a pile of not-so-good choices. Th...

A series of intrusions into the heart of the Linux Kernel.org servers in late August that went undetected for some 17 days is still shrouded in mystery. If Linux developers know how the breach occurred, they are not saying. They also are keeping mum on the extent of any damage the break-in caused. T...

Orb Network's media server software has been around for years; in fact, Orb and TVersity are the grandparents of current media-everywhere apps. However, this is the first time Orb has officially been available in an app for Android phones. Orb functions by grabbing indexed media content from your ...

The task of ripping files from CDs is fast becoming old hat -- that is, unless you have a collection of plastic discs you want to put onto your smartphone or portable music player. In that case, you will find Asunder to be an indispensable tool. Asunder is a graphical audio CD ripper and encoder f...

Google's recent plan to buy Motorola Mobility has the potential for reshaping the entire Android landscape. If it wins regulatory approval for the purchase, Google may only have a short time span to connect its marketing strategy. When and if this happens, it could further fracture the open source A...

My quest for a secure file deletion app started by accident. But it resulted in my finding a solid solution with Wipe. My approach to making sure nobody harvests sensitive data from my cast-away aging equipment is to never give it away. Instead, I yank the hard drive from the computer's innards and ...

"Strike while the iron is hot" -- and the usual suspects have made Android licensing a hot issue. However, the title of the FSF article, "Android GPLv2 termination worries -- one more reason to upgrade to GPLv3," gives the game away. This is about politics, not licensing. About pushing a specific ...

Where did this "you are permanently barred from distributing" stuff originate? In digging around, I found a post titled "A Practical Guide to GPL Compliance" at the Software Freedom Law Center dated August 26, 2008, written by the team of Bradley M. Kuhn, Aaron Williamson and Karen M. Sandler. It st...

One of the most essential computer maintenance tasks is pruning outdated and orphaned files from the deep, dark dungeons within the Linux filing system. These disconnected scraps and bits are endemic to the file structure in any operating system, Linux included. Weeding the Linux software garden is ...