Can free Red Hat on AWS make it the de facto Linux for the cloud, too?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux gets a free tier of its own on Amazon Web Services, perhaps in a bid to unseat Ubuntu which runs more than half of all EC2 instances. Read more »
Ubuntu’s number 1 bug is fixed: Microsoft is no longer the enemy
Nine years ago, the Linux distribution Ubuntu came out with the mission of challenging Windows’ status as the default preinstalled PC operating system. But, since then, the whole game changed. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Where new opportunity lies in the mobile operating system space
Roughly half a dozen new mobile operating systems will come to market over the next 6 to 12 months. Many of these look to be more sophisticated than the older ones controlled by Apple and Google, for whom serious competition could be just around the corner. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Subscriber Content
How data warehousing is now a cost-effective solution for businesses
Data-warehouse providers are quickly adding Hadoop distributions, or even their own versions of Hadoop, into their architecture, adding further cost advantages to collections of extremely large data sets. Finding the talent to manage this newly converged environment will not be easy, but it presents tremendous opportunity for companies willing to take some risk. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Jolla swaps out its CEO yet again, this time bringing in a logistics veteran
The Finnish handset firm, which is reviving the Linux-based MeeGo operating system as the Sailfish OS, has just announced its first new CEO in a whole seven months. Read more »
One Linux over all: Mark Shuttleworth’s ambitious post-PC plans for Ubuntu
Canonical Founder Mark Shuttleworth has really big, plans to put Ubuntu on your smartphone, on your tablet and (via OpenStack). What he doesn’t offer is details on revenue. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Cloud and data first-quarter 2013: analysis and outlook
Cloud computing is finally starting to add value to business, as those in charge of cloud within enterprises are moving from talking to doing. That much was very evident in the first quarter of 2013. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Jolla’s Sailfish OS SDK installers are now out for Windows, OS X and Linux
Developers can now sink their teeth into the smartphone OS that picks up where MeeGo left off. However, the operating system will struggle to make its voice heard in a turbulent year for mobile. Read more »
Video look: Gaming on a Chromebook Pixel: Linux and Steam make it easy
While the Chrome browser takes full advantage of the Chromebook Pixel’s hardware, I thought it would interesting to see how video gaming works on the device. Quite well, with just a few small issues, it turns out. Read more »
Fusion-io picks up software-defined storage firm ID7 for SCST chops
The British company behind the widely-used SCST target software stack is now part of Fusion-io’s ION Data Accelerator team. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Read more »
Startup Strongloop brings supported Node.js to Red Hat
Strongloop, founded by a group of Node.js heavy weights, aims to bring a supported version of the popular server-side language to Red Hat Enterprise Linux as well as Ubuntu, Mac OSX and Windows. Read more »
Video: Chromebook Pixel running Chrome OS and Linux simultaneously
Google’s Chromebook Pixel is quite versatile after all. Here’s a video look of it running Chrome OS and Linux at the same time, allowing me to use Skype and other third-party apps. Read more »
Cloud Foundry faces fear of forking
Forking of open-source projects can be good or bad. Developers love freedom of choice but big customers fear lack of compatilbility. In either case the prospect of a Cloud Foundry fork is worth examining. Read more »
3 alternatives to Chrome OS on Google’s Chromebook Pixel
Paying $1,299 or more for “just a browser” is a common theme against buying Google’s Chromebook Pixel. There are ways to use a full desktop operating system on this impressive laptop, however. Read more »
Here’s what Ubuntu will look like on tablets, and why enterprise users might be interested
Canonical has shown off the tablet UI for the touch-friendly Ubuntu, with many of the features pitched squarely at the corporate market. Whether it succeeds there depends on how Windows 8 fares in the enterprise. Read more »
Following Raspberry Pi, the $89 Odroid U2 continues small, cheap computing movement
As chips for smartphones and tablets improve, there’s a growing market for small computers running on this silicon. Take a look at the $89 Odroid 2 and what it can do. Read more »
Online gaming power Steam disses Windows 8, pushes Linux
The company behind the popular Steam online gaming platform is definitely not impressed by the latest Windows version and is instead pushing Windows developers to Ubuntu Linux. Read more »
Cloud9 IDE brings its distributed development smarts to the enterprise
Startup Cloud9 IDE says its new enterprise development environment will let far-flung developers collaborate in real-time on their projects. Given the demand for quality developers, companies need to hire where they can and find ways to enable collaboration. Read more »
Podio sees surprisingly high Ubuntu numbers, delivers One integration
No, it doesn’t seem plausible, but the Citrix-owned collaboration company Podio says 10 percent of its users access it from Ubuntu. That’s one reason the platform now offers Ubuntu One integration. Read more »
Could we use open-source tools to improve politics?
photo: Flickr user Fabio Venni
Open-source principles have helped create a host of useful software, including the Linux operating system and the crowd-powered resource that is Wikipedia — but could the same approach be used to open up the process of producing government legislation? Clay Shirky argues that it could. Read more »
Subscriber Content
The rise of M2M security challenges
As the volume of connected devices increases, so too will the probability of hackers targeting these systems to exploit networks, steal data, hijack systems, and compromise workflows. Security specialists recognize the potential risks and are already developing technologies and methodologies for hardening M2M systems from attack. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Open source champ Mark Shuttleworth invests $1M in Ceph storage startup
photo: Photo courtesy of markshuttleworth.com
Mark Shuttleworth, a superstar in the open-source world and the force behind Ubuntu Linux, is funding Inktank to the tune of $1 million. DreamHost spun out Inktank last year to help get customers up and running on Ceph open-source storage technology. Read more »
Prediction: More cloud confusion ahead
Well into the cloud computing era, the definitions of what constitutes an “open cloud,” and how to select the right technology are still a mystery to potential users. And, consumers are still in the dark when it comes to the concept of cloud. Read more »
Red Hat posts OpenStack preview
The company behind the enterprise Linux market leader has now made preview code of its OpenStack cloud platform available for download. The final release is due next year. Rackspace, Internap, HP and others already have OpenStack deployed. Is IBM next? Read more »
Subscriber Content
Cloud computing’s impact on chip and hardware design
Cloud computing is changing the world of microprocessor-chip design. Soon we will see a division between the traditional players (typified by Intel and AMD) and a group of new incumbents (Tilera and others) that offer fresh solutions to make the world’s microprocessor chips as efficient as possible. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
10 Google Chromebook tips, tricks and tweaks
After buying a Chromebook four weeks ago, I quickly became a full-time user of the device. Along the way I picked up some tips and tricks that make my Chromebook more productive and fun. Here are ten of those tips for owners of Google’s new Chromebook. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Cloud computing infrastructure: 2012 and beyond
Discussions about the cloud now involve more than just the IT department. New developments in hardware architectures, more-energy-efficient data centers, regulatory concerns and simplifying analytics are all discussions currently circling through the industry. Here’s what to consider when thinking about your business in the cloud. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Red Hat dilemma: Cloud players balk at new support fees
Red Hat is changing its support price model in a way that opens the door to rival operating systems — including Windows –at least in the cloud service provider market and perhaps more broadly. One service provider said his support costs will more than double. Read more »
Dell tests open-source laptop for developers
With its Project Sputnik laptop, Dell hopes to lure Linux-loving developers back into its camp and perhaps even get some who defected to Mac OSX to return to the open source fold. The laptop bundles Ubuntu, tools and an on-ramp to github repositories. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Infrastructure Q1: Cloud and big data woo enterprises
This quarter saw Amazon Web Services finally relaxing its public-cloud-only stance and launching services to support hybrid-cloud deployments. Meanwhile, Hadoop players moved to make their platforms more accessible to mainstream BI analysts and database administrators. A new quarterly report analyzes these trends and provides a near-term outlook. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Rackspace gets its OpenStack cloud in order
Customers can now get early access to Rackspace’s OpenStack-based public cloud, slated to come online May 1. The news comes as the OpenStack Spring Conference kicks off in San Francisco. The company also unveiled OpenStack-based Cloud Block Storage and MySQL-based database services. Read more »
Red Hat, IBM sign on for OpenStack
Two major tech players — IBM and Red Hat — are ready to sign on the dotted line to join OpenStack, sources said. That should go a long way to ease the pain of Citrix’s decision to set up CloudStack as an OpenStack rival. Read more »
OwnCloud puts data in IT’s cloud of choice
OwnCloud 2012 service lets IT pros move and manage corporate data in their cloud of choice while giving end users a “Dropbox-like” experience, according to OwnCloud CEO Markus Rex. The software supports WIndows, Linux and Mac desktops and iOS and Android mobile devices. Read more »
Subscriber Content
New challenges for the IT organization
Cloud computing, mobile computing and the consumerization of IT combine to create another force that overwhelms IT departments: complexity, including complexity of devices and applications, physical and virtual computing environments, and related challenges for IT staff. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
If web apps take off, Mozilla is prepared on mobiles
Could a smartphone run solely on web code instead of native software? Mozilla thinks so and recently demonstrated such a device on video, replacing the Google Android operating system on a Samsung Galaxy S II phone with its Boot 2 Gecko (B2G) technology. Read more »
Rackspace readies OpenStack for prime time
The big hosting provider that, along with NASA, launched the open-source cloud infrastructure project two years ago, will start beta testing the software, running tens of thousands of computing instances as opposed to the hundreds under test now, said John Engates, Rackspace’s CTO. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Tablet market to hit over 377 million units by 2016
Tablets represent the next evolution in the advancement of mobile computing, and by 2015 or 2016, the tablet will begin to replace the laptop and the desktop operating systems market will begin to level off or perhaps decline. Our latest forecast examines these trends in detail. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Ubuntu and Android make for a mobile one-two punch
Canonical will turn Android phones into Ubuntu desktops, which could eliminate the need to carry a laptop. The idea of using a docked phone as a full-fledged desktop computer isn’t new — remember Motorola’s lapdock? — but Canonical is better suited to make the concept work. Read more »
Subscriber Content
CES 2012: a recap and analysis
This year’s CES was the biggest in the show’s 44-year history. It boasted 15 miles of exhibit hall aisles, 3,100 booths and 153,000 attendees. It is easy to be jaded by the endlessly repetitive products, but the thousands of innovations point toward a future of connectivity. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Why is Amazon hiring like a drunken sailor?
The most striking thing about Amazon’s Q4 filing was that head count was up a whopping 67 percent to 56,200 full- and part-time employees, compared with 33,700 from a year ago, according to Amazon’s 8-K filing; 67 percent is a very big number — even for Amazon. Read more »
