Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-15

August 15, 2010 Leave a comment

  • Build a Linux Media Center PC HOWTO: http://bit.ly/a3lmUp #
  • Heading to Boston for #linuxcon #
  • Wim Coekaert or Oracle at #linuxcon "We will not kill Linux or Solaris. We like BOTH." #
  • Rob Chandhok of Qualcomm at #linuxcon "We think we'll have a dual core CPU at 1.5GHz per core in a phone in the next year or so." #android #
  • Currently shopping for an #android phone, most likely a Nexus One. #linuxcon was the impetus and the final push I needed. #
  • @benfox The Samsung Captivate looks to be my second choice. The unfettered android experience of the Nexus One is compelling though. in reply to benfox #
  • There was a recent "security issue" at kernel.org, but details have not been released yet (they will be soon). John Hawley at #linuxcon #
  • RT @linux_pro: First packed talk I've seen at #Linuxcon is unsurprisingly about #Android <- currently sitting on the floor myself #
  • #android represented 27% of the smartphones sold in the first half of 2010. #linuxcon (~ 6 million devices are activated per month) #
  • "Application developers exist to make your phone do more for a very short time, and then turn off" #android Matthew Garrett at #linuxcon #
  • on the topic of my previous tweet: how do #android users find the battery life of their current phone? Ideally, include phone model in reply #
  • RT @TechJournalist: shouting match in #Android session #LinuxCon Garrett asked an audience member to leave the room. Never seen that before. #
  • James Morris at #linuxcon "security features are now mainstream in Linux.We're better equipped to address modern threats but need to evolve" #
  • RT @jzb: Getting ready for press panel at #LinuxCon – nice crowd! http://twitpic.com/2dh5kh <- you got me while I wasn't looking. #
  • @jzb at #linuxcon "Ubuntu forced other companies such as Red Hat and Novell to focus on Community again" <- panel is vehemently disagreeing #
  • While the panel at #linuxcon didn't wholly agree on the biggest Linux story of the last decade, the consensus for this year is mobile Linux. #
  • @jzb adroitly points out that the lack of a reliable methodology for counting unpaid Linux has a big impact on reliability of #'s #linuxcon #
  • @sjvn at #linuxcon "Linux is everywhere, but from a news perspective it's nowhere" (as it becomes mainstream, the media landscape changes) #
  • Will the biggest challenge to future Linux kernel development be finding exciting things to work on? Kernel panel at #linuxcon #
  • @tytso talking about Google taking heat for shipping non-mainline code when Red Hat and Novell both ship patched kernels. #linuxcon #android #
  • Markus Rex of Novell at #linuxcon "Linux is the best example of how people working together can create more than individuals working apart" #
  • Jeffrey Hammond of Forrester at #linuxcon "congratulations, you're on the winning team" – says Linux has crossed the chasm #
  • only 21% of developers "have not used OSS as part of my dev projects" (notes that the demographic was skewed toward MSFT users) #linuxcon #
  • US adoption of Open Source is closing the gap with Europe. Telco still leads industry adoption. #linuxcon #
  • "Open Source is changing the culture and dynamics of enterprise IT" @jhammond at #linuxcon #
  • Dawn Foster on MeeGo at #linuxcon – many challenges (technical, architectural, governance, social, community) in merging Maemo and Moblin #
  • Right now core #MeeGo contributions are very low outside of Intel and Nokia, with the notable exception of Novell #linuxcon #
  • Bret Piatt of Rackspace at #linuxcon – Rackspace is using Xen while Nasa is using KVM. OpenStack supports both. #
  • Hype vs. Reality: Today's Linux Story from the Media's Perspective on opensource.com by @suehle (that's a nice screenshot IMHO) #linuxcon #
  • Survey: 98 percent of enterprises using Open Source – http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-20013258-62.html #
  • Chris Kenyon of Canonical is discussing the level of success the Linux desktop has reached at #linuxcon #
  • "Much of the success Linux has on the desktop is a result of its flexibility as a platform." #canonical at #linuxcon #
  • audience member at #linuxcon "In the enterprise, interop with legacy Microsoft infrastructure is still a huge pain point for desktop Linux" #
  • audience comment at #linuxcon "OSS developers are far too open to removing features that many people use, without giving a viable option" #
  • IDC at #linuxcon "One of the top reasons for Linux adoption is 'Microsoft avoidance' (ABM)" #
  • Eben Moglen of the SFLC at #linuxcon "We are not defending freedom against capitalism or business, but usually from greed" #
  • "The patent crisis is NOT going to go away" Moglen at #linuxcon #
  • "We have to find ways for freedom to make good business" Moglen at #linuxcon #
  • "The cloud is a cloudy phrase" in response to a GPL-related cloud question at #linuxcon #agpl #gplv3 #
  • from Nokia at #linuxcon one meego differentiator is that it's a full Linux experience, a truly open computing environment in your pocket. #
  • from Intel at #linuxcon the multiple vendor model of meego means they don't have to predict where innovation will come from. #
  • The upstream first philosophy is key to the future meego strategy. There will be no bifurcation in the project. #linuxcon #
  • Audience question: Has the success of Android compromised some of its openness and can the same happen to MeeGo? #linuxcon #
  • Nokia on Symbian at #linuxcon – it's not going anywhere and will move forward independently of MeeGo. "Its role remains interesting" #
  • This Oracle Systems Strategy Update webcast seems to confirm (by complete omission) that OpenSolaris is no more. http://bit.ly/cbOpb3 #
  • The roadmap for Solaris, which unsurprisingly marks the end of OpenSolaris http://bit.ly/d7osQ3 <-an ugly Friday for Oracle in the OSS world #
  • Google Calls Oracle Patent Suit Baseless And An Attack On The Open-Source Java Community – http://tcrn.ch/bvjGkx #SCOracle #

Filed under Uncategorized

Oracle Sues Google For Patent And Copyright Infringement

August 13, 2010 2 Comments

In one of its first big moves with the assets it’s acquired as part of the Sun acquisition, Oracle has just announce that it’s Suing Google for patent and copyright infringement. From the press release:

“In developing Android, Google knowingly, directly and repeatedly infringed Oracle’s Java-related intellectual property. This lawsuit seeks appropriate remedies for their infringement,” said Oracle spokesperson Karen Tillman.

The patents in question are:

* Protection domains to provide security in a computer system
* Controlling access to a resource
* Method and apparatus for pre-processing and packaging class files
* System and method for dynamic preloading of classes through memory space cloning of a master runtime system process
* Method and apparatus for resolving data references in generated code
* Interpreting functions utilizing a hybrid of virtual and native machine
* Method and system for performing static initialization

As Techdirt points out, it’s rare for large Silicon valley tech companies to sue each other like this, so it’s possible there’s more to the story here (and it seems likely the companies may have been negotiating in private for some amount of time):
Over the past few years, Sun has been one of the more outspoken companies against abusing the patent system, with former CEO Jonathan Schwartz explaining that real companies innovate, not litigate. However, Sun and its patents are now owned by Oracle, and apparently Larry Ellison feels otherwise. Oracle is now suing Google for patent infringement, using a bunch of patents that Sun owns around Java, claiming that Google’s Android implementation of Java is done without a license. This is a bit surprising, really, as big Silicon Valley tech companies don’t often get into patent battles with each other — and, historically, when they do launch such patent attacks, it’s usually a sign of something bigger being wrong with the company.

It should be noted that both Oracle and Google are Open Invention Network (OIN) licensees.

A little history on the situation from Ars:
Google makes heavy use of Java in the Android software development kit (SDK). Third-party developers code Android apps in Java, which is then translated into bytecode that runs in Dalvik, Google’s own custom VM. Google subsequently released the Android Native Development Kit, which allows developers to build Android components with C and C++. It is not intended to replace the Java development model, though, which remains the strongly preferred means of Android development.

Aside from its use of Java syntax, Google’s Android SDK implementation is largely independent from Oracle’s. It uses its own compiler and runtime tailored specifically for Android.

Originally developed by Sun Microsystems as a “write-once, run anywhere” language, Java became the property of Oracle when it purchased Sun in April 2009. Java was a significant part of the deal for Oracle, as it has been a major player in the world of Java middleware.

Prior to its acquisition by Oracle, Sun proved hostile to the Harmony Project, the Apache Software Foundation’s attempt to build an Apache-licensed Java SE implementation. In addition to Dalvik, Google also uses Harmony’s class libraries in Android, which has apparently aroused the ire of Oracle.

Carlo Daffara has posted a good analysis:
Let’s clear the table from the actual patent claims: the patent themselves are quite broad, and quite generic; a good example of what should not be patented (the security domain one is a good example; look at the sheet 5 and you will find the illuminating flowchart with the representation of: do you have the rights to do it? if yes, do it, if no, do nothing. How brilliant). Also, Dalvik implementation is quite different from the old JRE one, and I have strong suspicions that the actual Dalvik method is substantially different. But, that is not important. I believe that there are two main points that Oracle should have checked before filing the complaint (but, given the use of Schiller&Boies, I believe that they have still to learn from the SCO debacle): first of all, Dalvik is not Java and Google never claimed any form of Java compatibility. Second, there is a protection for patents as well, just hidden in recent history.

On the first point: in the complaint, Oracle claims that “The Android operating system software “stack” consists of Java applications running on a Java-based object-oriented application framework, and core libraries running on a “Dalvik” virtual machine (VM) that features just-in-time (JIT) compilation”. On copyrights, Oracle claims that “Without consent, authorization, approval, or license, Google knowingly, willingly, and unlawfully copied, prepared, published, and distributed Oracle America’s copyrighted work, portions thereof, or derivative works and continues to do so. Google’s Android infringes Oracle America’s copyrights in Java and Google is not licensed to do so … users of Android, including device manufacturers, must obtain and use copyrightable portions of the Java platform or works derived therefrom to manufacture and use functioning Android devices. Such use is not licensed. Google has thus induced, caused, and materially contributed to the infringing acts of others by encouraging, inducing, allowing and assisting others to use, copy, and distribute Oracle America’s copyrightable works, and works derived therefrom.”

Well, it is wrong. Wrong because Google did not copied Java – and actually never mention Java anywhere. In fact, the Android SDK produced Dalvik (not Java) bytecodes, and the decoding and execution pattern is quite different (and one of the reasons why older implementations of Dalvik were so slow – they were made to conserve memory bandwidth, that is quite limited in cell phone chipsets). The thing that Google did was to “copy” (or – for a better word – inspire) the Java language; but as the recent SPSS-vs-WPS lawsuit found, “copyright in computer programs does not protect programming languages from being copied”. So, unless Oracle can find pieces of documentation that were verbatim lifted from the Sun one, I believe that the copyright part is quite weak.

I have to wonder if the timing of this suit has anything to do with the negative publicity Google is getting over the recent Net Neutrality issue (and also note that the press release occurred right *after* Linuxcon ended, where Linux in the mobile space was an extremely hot topic.). The recent killing of OpenSolaris made some in the Open Source community even more leery of Oracle’s intention than they already were. This suit should serve to destroy any and all credibility Sun had built up in the FOSS world. It may also be the death knell for Java in mobile. It will be interesting to see how Google responds to this, and it’s certainly a topic I’ll be following closely and likely posting more about as details emerge. It will also be interesting to watch how this impacts other Open Source projects that were acquired by Oracle as part of the Sun portfolio.

Finally, James Gosling (the father of the Java) notes:
Oracle finally filed a patent lawsuit against Google. Not a big surprise. During the integration meetings between Sun and Oracle where we were being grilled about the patent situation between Sun and Google, we could see the Oracle lawyer’s eyes sparkle. Filing patent suits was never in Sun’s genetic code.

–jeremy

Additional Reading:

GigaOM
Business Insider
cnet
Joel West
Miguel de Icaza

Filed under Android, Google, Open Source, Oracle Tagged with , , ,

Linuxcon Coverage

August 10, 2010 Leave a comment

I’m in Boston at Linuxcon and while I usually liveblog the events I attend, I’m going to try something new this time. While I may blog some of the event, I’ll be tweeting much more heavily than I have at past events. Check my twitter page if you’re interesting in following my coverage at Linuxcon.

On the topic of blogging, it’s been a bit quiet here lately. I’m hoping to resume regular blogging when I return from Linuxcon. Stay tuned.

–jeremy

Filed under Linux Foundation, Linuxcon Tagged with

LinuxQuestions.org Turns Ten

June 28, 2010 1 Comment

I’m extremely excited to announce that just over 10 years ago today I made my very first post at LinuxQuestions.org, which served to introduce the site to the public. WOW. To say that LQ has exceeded every one of my expectations in the 3,655 days between then and now would be a monumental understatement. 441,743 members have made 4,007,867 posts in 807,878 threads. The LQ Wiki has 7,895 articles and LQ ISO has facilitated 12,185,643 downloads. LQ even has a new sister site of sorts in Linux Exchange. There’s one thing that has stayed consistent despite our continued growth, however, and that’s the fact that we have one of the best member communities on the web. I’d like to once again thank each and every LQ member for their participation, dedication and feedback. That we’ve been able to stay true to our goals for a decade is a testament to just how great our members are.

Feedback has been absolutely critical to our continued success and we really do listen. It would be impossible to enumerate the features we’ve added or changes we’ve made as a direct result of member feedback. With that in mind, I’d like to use this thread to collect as much feedback as possible about LQ. What are we doing well and where can we improve? What new features or sections would you like to see? What should we be doing differently? In addition to our fantastic members, I’d be remiss for not mentioning the LQ mods team. The amount of time and dedication they put into the site probably goes unnoticed by many. They keep LQ on topic and on point. The work you see them put into the forums is only the beginning and for that I can not thank them enough. LQ truly would not be what it is without them.

With a full decade under our belts, you may be wondering what’s next for LQ. I’m happy to say that a full ten years after we started, our mission remains as laser focused now as it was when I started the site; to be the absolute best resource we can be for the Linux and Open Source community.

–jeremy

Filed under LinuxQuestions.org

Google Android outsells Apple iPhone in Q1 of 2010

May 11, 2010 Leave a comment

From the article:

Smartphones based on Google’s Android mobile operating system have outsold Apple’s iPhone in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2010, according to a report by research firm The NPD Group. The data places Android, with 28 percent of the smartphone market, in second place behind RIM’s Blackberry smartphone market share of 36 percent. Apple now sits in third place with 21 percent.

NPD points to a Verizon buy-one-get-one-free promotion for all of its smartphones as a major factor in the first quarter numbers. Verizon saw strong sales for the Motorola Droid and Droid Eris Android phones, as well as the Blackberry Curve, thanks to its promotional offer. Verizon launched a $100 million marketing campaign for the Droid when it hit the market in November 2009, which likely attributed to strong sales in the first quarter as well.

While these numbers do not take into account the Droid Incredible (which looks to be the nicest Android-based handset yet), you should also keep in mind that they don’t account for the many people likely holding out on buying an iPhone now due to the almost certain release of the next iteration which will be available some time this quarter. I think even with the new iPhone, however, we’ll continue to see Android gaining market share… and the reason is fairly simple: If you want an iPhone you can get one made by exactly one vendor, and then use it only on mobile carriers blessed by that one vendor (yes, you can jailbreak your phone, but that’s far outside the technical knowhow of the average user and still doesn’t give you carte blanche in choosing a carrier). With Android, on the other hand, you have an Open mobile OS that any handset manufacturer is welcome to use and any carrier is welcome to support. You can buy an unsubsidized phone right from Google, or choose a subsidized option via the carrier of your choice (and I’m not aware of a major mobile carrier that doesn’t have some kind of Android option at this point). You can even buy myriad Android devices that are not mobile phones, from tablets and set-top boxes to cars and home appliances. As time goes on, it’s very difficult to imagine that this openness and product lineup replete with options will not become an even larger advantage, despite the very polished product that Apple is putting out. I’d like to think Apple has learned the repercussions of being too closed, but it seems they may be doomed to repeat the mistakes they made in the late 80′s.

Does that mean Android will blow past Apple in overall market share? Nope; whether that will happen remains to be seen. How the myriad versions and releases of Android play out over the next 24 months or so is going to have a huge impact on its long term success. I’m already seeing reports of some incompatibility issues and if that passes a certain threshold, many app developers will simply stop making Android apps (or will relegate them to second tier releases) which have a huge negative impact on the Android ecosystem and the mobile carriers willingness to support Android. I think Google understands this, but whether or not they’re able to avoid it is a question only time will answer.

Additional Reading:
* NPD Press Release
* Is Android Really Outselling Apple?
* Android market share over iPhone not as impressive as it looks
* Is Android the new Microsoft for Apple?

–jeremy

Filed under Android, Apple, Google, iPhone, Linux, Open Source Tagged with

New Site Launch: LinuxExchange.org

April 13, 2010 5 Comments

I’m happy to announce that I just launched a new site: LinuxExchange

LinuxExchange is “StackOverflow for Linux and Open Source” and is built on the StackExchange platform. That means it’s a collaboratively edited question and answer site about Linux and Open Source with a workflow somewhere between the forums of LinuxQuestions.org and the Mediawiki-based LQ Wiki. We’re still in a sort of BETA mode, but the site is live and a few people have already signed up and are asking/answering questions. We considered launching this under the LQ brand but in the end decided that the paradigm of this site was sufficiently different that having an LQ instance would be confusing and possibly counterproductive. That means the only connection between LQ and LE are that I’m the sole founder of both.

As always, feedback is welcome. It’s going to be interesting to see how LinuxExchange progresses and grows. I haven’t launched a new site in a while and am used to things being at LQ-scale, so starting from zero should be a challenge. I’m also looking forward to seeing what lessons we’re able to learn and then apply to LQ.

–jeremy

Filed under Linux, LinuxExchange.org, Open Source Tagged with , ,

The Post-Oracle Sun Exodus

March 8, 2010 Leave a comment

It appears Oracle is starting to experience some high profile departures from ex-Sun employees now that the acquisition has been finalized. First came Tim Bray:

Today I resigned from Sun/Oracle — the official integration date here in Canada is March 1st, so I won’t ever have actually been an Oracle employee. I’m not currently looking for another job. I’ll write some looking-back and looking-forward stories when I’ve got a little perspective. I can’t say enough good things about the people at Sun – and outsiders with whom I worked – over the past few years. Thanks for enriching my life!

…then, Simon Phipps:

Today is my last day of employment at Sun (well, it became Oracle on March 1st in the UK but you know what I mean). I am a few months short of my 10th anniversary there (I joined at JavaOne in 2000) and my 5th anniversary as Chief Open Source Officer. I hope you’ll forgive a little reminiscence.

Followed by most of the Drizzle team, including Monty Taylor, Eric Day, Stewart Smith, Lee Bieber and Jay Pipes (although notably not including Brian Aker from what I can tell [UPDATE 3/9/10 11:44AM: Ilan has informed me that Brian mentioned leaving Sun during his Drizzle QA at SCaLE 8X. Confirmation here; "Now I work for myself. All opinions expressed are solely the opinion of me, myself, and I..."]):

Although a few folks knew about where I and many of the Sun Drizzle team had ended up, we’ve waited until today to “officially” tell folks what’s up. We — Monty Taylor, Eric Day, Stewart Smith, Lee Bieber, and myself — are all now “Rackers”, working at Rackspace Cloud. And yep, we’re still workin’ on Drizzle. That’s the short story. Read on for the longer one

So, what does this mean for Oracle? Well, obviously less than it would have meant for Sun. Whenever two large technology companies merge, you always expect some attrition… both voluntary and involuntary. That’s what makes M&A in this industry so difficult, especially when Open Source companies are involved. With an Open Source company, much or what you’re acquiring when you buy a company is the people. If those people start leaving in droves, much of the value of the company goes with it.

That being said, this situation is probably a little different. That’s in part because Oracle handles these situations a little differently than most companies and likely knew exactly what they wanted out of Sun when they made the acquisition. With many in the Open Source community already skeptical of Oracle, however, the fact that many of these early departures have been directly related to Open Source positions is not going to instill a lot of confidence. Like Sun or not, they had a huge number of critical Open Source projects under their belt. The stewardship of those projects will help dictate to what extent they flourish moving forward. How Oracle will handle that stewardship remains to be seen. They’re certainly more focused on profits than Sun was, but you can see some positive anecdotal experiences out of previous FLOSS acquisitions such as Sleepycat. My guess is that things will play out substantially different on a project-by-project basis here… and a couple forks and a couple abandoned projects are probably inevitable.

–jeremy

Filed under Open Source, Oracle, Sun Tagged with ,

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