Microsoft supports Linux, virtually

After years of hoping to crush Linux, Microsoft is trying to show it can get along with its open source rival.

The software maker is announcing a partnership that will make sure its next virtualisation technology can run versions of Linux that have been adapted for a different, open source virtualisation foundation called Xen. It is linking up with commercial software maker XenSource to offer joint development and support for the two technologies, which take a similar approach.

“What Microsoft and XenSource are committing to, effectively, is building a bridge” between the two tools, said Jeff Price, a senior director in Microsoft’s Windows Server group. >>>>

Linux initial RAM disk (initrd) overview

The Linux® initial RAM disk (initrd) is a temporary root file system that is mounted during system boot to support the two-state boot process. The initrd contains various executables and drivers that permit the real root file system to be mounted, after which the initrd RAM disk is unmounted and its memory freed. In many embedded Linux systems, the initrd is the final root file system. This article explores the initial RAM disk for Linux 2.6, including its creation and use in the Linux kernel.

What’s an initial RAM disk?

The initial RAM disk (initrd) is an initial root file system that is mounted prior to when the real root file system is available. The initrd is bound to the kernel and loaded as part of the kernel boot procedure. The kernel then mounts this initrd as part of the two-stage boot process to load the modules to make the real file systems available and get at the real root file system.

The initrd contains a minimal set of directories and executables to achieve this, such as the insmod tool to install kernel modules into the kernel.

In the case of desktop or server Linux systems, the initrd is a transient file system. Its lifetime is short, only serving as a bridge to the real root file system. In embedded systems with no mutable storage, the initrd is the permanent root file system. This article explores both of these contexts. >>>>

Knock-based commands for your Linux laptop

For the first time, you can hit your computer and get a meaningful response! Using Linux® and the Hard Drive Active Protection System (HDAPS) kernel drivers, you can access the embedded accelerometers on Lenovo (formerly IBM®) ThinkPads, then process the accelerometer data to read specific sequences of “knocking” events — literally rapping on the laptop case with your knuckles — and run commands based on those knocks. Double tap to lock the screen, and knock in your secret code to unlock. Tap the display lid once to move your mp3 player to the next track. The possibilities are endless.

In 2003, IBM began releasing ThinkPad laptop computers with integrated accelerometers and associated software to protect the hard disks when the unit is dropped. Enterprising hackers from IBM and elsewhere have worked to develop modules for the Linux kernel to take advantage of these sensors. On-screen display orientation, desktop switching, even game control and real-time 3D models of the tilt of the laptop are now available. This article presents a new twist — knock codes — and a simple program to run commands when specific knock codes are detected.

Using an updated Linux kernel with the HDAPS driver, you can use a simple program called knockAge to generate knock codes. You can also download and use a Perl script to customize your own knocking input environment. See the Downloads and Resources sections at the bottom of this article for links, including links to see knockAge in action.
click here for the complete story  >>>>

Final thoughts on OSCON – with video!

The eighth annual O’Reilly Open Source Convention wrapped up Friday with a half day of talks and a farewell address by Eben Moglen, general counsel for the Free Software Foundation and chairman of the Software Freedom Law Center, on the importance of software licenses. Moglen’s talk provided a perfect end to an excellent conference. >>>>

KDE 3.5.4 released

KDE 3.5.4 features translations in 65 languages, enhanced removable device support and improvements in the HTML rendering engine (KHTML).

 

The KDE Project today announced the immediate availability of KDE 3.5.4, a maintenance release for the latest generation of the most advanced and powerful free desktop for GNU/Linux and other UNIXes. KDE now supports 65 languages, making it available to more people than most non-free software and can be easily extended to support others by communities who wish to contribute to the open source project.

Significant enhancements include:

• Improved removable device support in Linux (users can now mount all devices supported by FreeDesktop’s HAL and control how it will be done)
• Speed optimisations in Konsole and Kate
• Multiple holidays can now start on the same date in KOrganizer
• Lots of fixes in Konqueror’s HTML engine, KHTML
• The dialog for sending client-side SSL certificates is now more usable
• KNetworkConf now supports Fedora Core 5 and handles WEP keys better

Over 10 new features were added and more than 100 bugs were fixed. For a more detailed list of improvements since the KDE 3.5.3 release in May 2006, please refer to the KDE 3.5.4 Changelog.

KDE 3.5.4 ships with a basic desktop and fifteen other packages (PIM, administration, network, edutainment, utilities, multimedia, games, artwork, web development and more). KDE’s award-winning tools and applications are available in 65 languages. >>>>

Free Software Magazine Issue #13 Now Available

                                                                                                                                           

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TUX Issue #16 Now Available

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Quantum leap

Brain prosthetics. Telepathy. Punctual flights. A futurist’s vision of where quantum computers will take us.

 

By Peter Schwartz and Rita Koselka, Fortune Magazine

 

(Fortune Magazine) — She awakes early on the morning of April 10, 2030, in the capable hands of her suburban Chicago apartment. All night, microscopic sensors in her bedside tables have monitored her breathing, heart rate, and brain activity.

The tiny blood sample she gave her bathroom sink last night has been analyzed for free radicals and precancerous cells; the appropriate preventative drugs will be delivered to her hotel in Atlanta this evening. It’s an expensive service, but as a gene therapist, Sharon Oja knows it’s worth it.

e steps into the shower. The tiles inside detect her presence and start displaying the day’s top headlines. The manned mission to Mars is going to launch ahead of schedule. U.S. military drones have destroyed another terrorist training camp using smart dust. A top Manhattan banker has been found guilty of fraud and sentenced to 10 years of low tech.

And today is the 20th anniversary of the very first quantum computer.

Sharon laughs. It is her 24th birthday, and she has little idea what the world was like before the qubits – the smallest pieces of quantum information – took over.

She dresses and picks out a stylish straw fedora. Quantum computing has brought an unexpected revival in haberdashery: Inside the hatband is Sharon’s communication center and intelligent assistant, which has scanned and sorted the 500,000 e-mails she received overnight.

By the time she reaches the car, it has beamed the 10 most urgent ones and her travel schedule to her visual cortex. The text scrolls down in the bottom of her field of vision.

The Hydrogen Honda knows it is going to be an unseasonably warm day – indeed, thanks to quantum computer simulations it has known today’s temperature for five years – and rolls the top down for her. Sharon drives to the freeway, steers into the Smart Lane, then relinquishes the wheel. The hatband screens a birthday video from her parents and a super-encrypted memo from her boss.

At the airport there is no ticket check-in or security line. Sharon simply walks through the revolving door, which scans her for dangerous items, picks up her identity, confirms her reservation, and delivers her gate number, all in the space of a second. She doesn’t even bother to check whether the plane is on time – since flight patterns are as computable as the weather, O’Hare hasn’t had a late departure in five years.

At the bag drop-off, she sees a familiar man in a yarmulke-like brain cap. The hatband is already on the case and flashes his virtual business card alongside his top 10 Google (Charts) results. “Dr. Horton,” she calls out. “So nice to see you again. How was the diabetes conference?” Only the slightest flicker of Horton’s eyes betrays that he is Googling her details too. “Hello, Ms. Oja,” he says. “Many happy returns of the day.” Sharon grins and gives silent thanks to the quantum computer’s creators. >>>>