Open Source
How to help build a free software search engine and use it too. Welcome to Wikia -- Part 2
Wiki evolution
The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed a toolbar in the screenshots. This is the wikia evolution extension which adds a toolbar to the browser (it works in both Firefox and Netscape Navigator). This is a really, really useful addon because it means you can still help Wikia to build the web index and the search engine even when you are not searching directly from the Wikia search page.
The toolbar gives you the main features you have when working directly from Wikia itself. So, I opened a page from one of my bookmarks about adding repositories to the Asus EeePC and clicked on the “Add URL to Keyword”. A dialogue box opens and you are prompted to submit a search term under which the URL will be submitted to the Wikia search index. You will know that your URL has been added because an entry will have added to the toolbar.
How to help build a free software search engine and use it too. Welcome to Wikia
Mention Jimmy Wales and you automatically think Wikipedia; however, that is not his only love child. The Wikia search engine is his latest offspring — or least it was when it was launched in January 2008. Wikia has been devised as a free software and open source alternative to Google and othersNow.
In an article in June I speculated about how the internet might change the way we think.; I mentioned in passing the Wikia search engine. Enough time has passed to see how this attempt to democratise a web search engine has come.
Shouldn’t Obama use Linux, and not a Mac?
Source: http://www.linux-foundation.org/weblogs/amanda/2008/11/17/shouldnt-obama...
For those of you who haven’t heard, Barack Obama will be the first president to have a laptop on his desk at the oval office. (He does however have to give up his trusted Blackberry.)
Google CEO Eric Schmidt, in a conversation with Arianna Huffington on MSNBC, today said that he hopes Obama uses a Mac and not a PC. Excuse me Eric (and Arianna) isn’t there another option you may be missing?
Barking at the wrong tree
Source: https://fossbazaar.org/content/barking-wrong-tree
Gartner notes that 85% of companies are now using Open Source, yet 69% of them lack a formal Open Source policy, hence opening the door to “huge potential liabilities for intellectual-property violations”. Glyn Moody and Matt Asay righteously start bashing the report, noting how IP violations are not a big deal once you take FUD away. End of story? Not really...
Mixing free and proprietary software: not a rosy future
A recent article caught my eye and turned it a nice shade of red. It discussed the — hardly new — idea that the future of software usage must involve a mixture of free and proprietary products — something the writer refers to as “mixed source”. The piece was entitled “Mixed source - the best of both worlds” which may give you a clue as to where I disagree with it.
The article was an opinion piece by Steve Harris, senior director for open source products at Novell in issue 78 of Linux User & Developer magazine. Sadly it’s not yet available on-line and I don’t honestly know if it will be. If it is I’ll post a comment with a link here so you can read it for yourself.
2009, Year of the FOSS?
Source: https://fossbazaar.org/?q=content/2009-year-foss
Making bold predictions is a great way to be proved wrong. Whilst those who do so and with any reasonable success, tend to either be in positions of power, else wise old hands with an acturial knowledge of their domain. Since I fall into neither category, I'll proceed with some intrepidation...
I'm not sure how many times I've heard people state that Linux is ready for the desktop. But each time this has been said I've also heard a number people counter the claim. If it's not with the complaint that it's too difficult to configure, that it lacks hardware support or certain productivity tools. And whilst such things have now been largely addressed, more recent gripes seem to be around overall user experience, and beyond which the fact that from a fresh install it rarely, if ever, looks as shiny and polished as some operating systems do.
Open Source as a Linux Feature
Source: http://ldn.linuxfoundation.org/blog-entry/week-45-open-source-a-linux-fe...
For the record, I like the Twitter. But darned if I can figure out how someone would make money from it.
The concept of micro-blogging is straightforward: in 140 characters, you tell the world at large what you're doing, how you're feeling, or why your life is so good/bad. I know quite a few people who use it, and like it, but I know quite a few more who think the whole exercise is just silly.
Trust but Verify
Posted October 25th, 2008 by ernest.park
http://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2008-0166
http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/310.html
In the Debian example, the open source community trusted that someone else would look and find the problem. Users believed that the power of community review would reduce the risk of using the software.
Linux powers "cloud" gaming console
Source: http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS4852301494.html
Envizions has announced an "open source hybrid Linux gaming system" aimed at game developers. The EVO Smart Console is based on a 2.9GHz, 64-bit Athlon, includes its own Linux distro called Mirrors Evolution, and offers game-play, Internet access, VoIP, and HD video playback, Envizions says.
Open Source Software for electrocardiogram interpretation
Question:
Hi,
I work as a Nurse in a Cardiology department, but specifically Coronary Care. I have a lot of experience of reading adult electrocardiograms (ECGs) but am about to switch to neonatology (babies) and paediatrics (children). I seem to recall that one of the administrators is a cardiologist - can't remember which one, though! - and there is a site dedicated to ECGs. Does anyone know of one for neonates and paeds, or whether the aforementioned has this knowledge available? Thanks for your consideration.

