Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts published by “Christine Hall”

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

Open Source Hardware Gets CES Cred

By Christine Hall on January 18, 2014 |

Copyright, Hardware and Patents

Open Source Hardware Gets CES CredChristopher Clark speaker at All Things Open

At last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, we again had the opportunity to witness how much the ideas behind open source are changing industries outside of software. I say this because open source hardware was much in evidence at this year’s event.

The press is taking note. In their coverage of CES, Adweek posted an article on an impressive mobile 3D mapping device being made by Occipital.

“All of this is made possible because Occipital is participating in a trend of open source hardware which is changing the way that startups operate. They focus on creating a stable piece of hardware and rely on the development community to extract its full potential for practical application.”

Christopher Clark talks about open source hardware
Christopher Clark, Director of Information Technology, SparkFun Electronics
This is a trend with the potential to eventually change hardware as radically as the various open source licenses have changed software. Indeed, it’s already making changes — and the concept isn’t just being adopted by small startups either.

Continue readingOpen Source Hardware Gets CES Cred
Firefox OS: The Return of Microsoft’s Netscape FearsZTE Open Firefox OS

Firefox OS: The Return of Microsoft’s Netscape Fears

By Christine Hall on January 10, 2014 |

Browsers, Distros, Internet and Mobile

Once upon a time there was a browser called Netscape…

Back in the days before the release of Windows 95, just as the public was discovering the Internet as an alternative to private networks such as Prodigy and CompuServe, Netscape was the bomb. In those days, Microsoft didn’t supply any method for surfing the Internet, so people visited their local Egghead store, or other software outlets, to buy a shrink wrapped version of Netscape on floppy disks, which opened up a whole new world to computer users.

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue readingFirefox OS: The Return of Microsoft’s Netscape Fears
Rollapp’s Online LibreOffice Nearly Ready for Prime Time – But Not YetRollapp - Scribus

Rollapp’s Online LibreOffice Nearly Ready for Prime Time – But Not Yet

By Christine Hall on January 7, 2014 |

Browsers, Internet and Web Apps

I wanted to be able to tell you that despite rollApp being in beta it’s pretty much ready to go. Unfortunately, I can’t, because it isn’t. There are some limitations that make using the site a deal breaker for most users. When the developers get those worked out, however, rollApp will be ready to be a major player in the world of online apps.

For those who don’t know, rollApp is a startup that intends to offer in-the-browser online versions of many favorite applications. Already they have an impressive roster of apps up and running–such as the entire LibreOffice suite, Gedit, Scribus, Inkscape and Darktable. Except for some limitations, they work great–you’d hardly know you weren’t using an application that’s sitting on your own hard drive.

However, the limitations, until fixed, render the online apps unusable for most real-life purposes.

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue readingRollapp’s Online LibreOffice Nearly Ready for Prime Time – But Not Yet
2013 — That Was the Year That Was

2013 — That Was the Year That Was

By Christine Hall on January 1, 2014 |

Browsers, Business, Distros, Hardware, Internet, Media, Mobile, News, Patents, Politics and Security

Now that the celebrating is out of the way, I thought it might be time to take a look at some of the stories we covered on FOSS Force this year.

1. The NSA. The biggest story to come down the wire this year undoubtedly had to do with Edward Snowden’s revelations about the National Security Agency’s bag of dirty tricks. Even those of us who have long understood that the Internet isn’t necessarily a place to expect privacy were surprised at how deeply the NSA has managed to reach into the Internet. Odds are, if you’ve been using social networks, everything you’ve posted is now on file with the NSA. What’s worse, every email you’ve sent probably has a copy resting on a NSA server somewhere.

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue reading2013 — That Was the Year That Was
Is Rockstar Android’s SCO?SCO logo

Is Rockstar Android’s SCO?

By Christine Hall on December 30, 2013 |

Business, Internet, Mobile, News and Patents

Am I the only one who’s been having a bit of SCO déjà vu when it comes to Rockstar’s suit against Google and a bevy of Android handset makers?

You remember SCO, don’t you? They’re the company, once a major Linux player with the Caldera distro, that bought the rights to Unix then turned around and sued IBM for $1 billion, claiming that Big Blue had been copying Unix code into Linux. They’re also the company that sued two of their former clients, AutoZone and Daimler Chrysler, for moving to Linux. Trouble was, they had nothing, not even the copyrights to the code they claimed had been infringed.

SCO logoThere’s plenty about Rockstar vs Everybody Android to remind me of the SCO fiasco. Enough so to make me wish we still had PJ and Groklaw to take care of the play-by-play. Last week, Google returned fire. Wouldn’t it be nice to have PJ’s take on this?

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue readingIs Rockstar Android’s SCO?
Target Breach Illustrates Internet WeaknessTarget POS

Target Breach Illustrates Internet Weakness

By Christine Hall on December 23, 2013 |

Business, Internet, News and Security

In October, 2000, when Microsoft was presumably working on what would become XP, they were hacked. Somebody broke into their systems and managed to at least look at source code for Windows and Office. The folks in Redmond dutifully called in the FBI, examined their code and found it hadn’t been compromised. Or so they said.

“It is clear that hackers did see some of our source code,” Ballmer announced to a group of reporters and programmers at a seminar he was attending in Stockholm. “I can assure you that we know that there has been no compromise of the integrity of the source code, that it has not been modified or tampered with in any way.”

Target POS
The point of sale locations at Target stores — ground zero for the latest data breach.
At the time, this was disturbing, more so than if it were it to happen today. It was also an eye opener.

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue readingTarget Breach Illustrates Internet Weakness
WordPress – Too Fast For ComfortWordPress logo

WordPress – Too Fast For Comfort

By Christine Hall on December 18, 2013 |

Internet, Software and Web Apps

Something’s got to give with the WordPress cycle.

Just three months ago, back in September, WordPress issued version 3.6.1 of their content management and blogging platform. Last week they issued 3.8. In between there was 3.7 and 3.7.1, the later release raising eyebrows when it included an automatic “minor point” upgrade feature that can’t be easily disabled.

That’s an average of one release per month, a burden for someone trying to keep sites safe from exploitation by the black hats. By quickening the pace of releases, WordPress may be inadvertently forcing webmasters into remaining with older versions, a potential security risk. Just as the enterprise balked at too much “release often” pressure from their vendors, folks who administer WordPress sites would be justified in complaining and pushing for a solution to this aspect of the WordPress development process.

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue readingWordPress – Too Fast For Comfort

Oracle’s Oregon Website Failure

By Christine Hall on December 17, 2013 |

Business, Internet, News and Politics

So far the state of Oregon has paid Oracle at least $43 million dollars for a website primarily intended for residents to use to enroll for healthcare insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The site was initially due for delivery on October 1, which now has been pushed back on numerous occasions because the site doesn’t work. In fact, by all accounts, it’s an outright disaster.

The most recent missed deadline was announced on December 5, according to a report from KOIN TV.

“Cover Oregon’s former director, Rocky King — who took a long-term medical leave of absence last week — had said the online system would be ready Monday for insurance agents and community groups that have contracts with Cover Oregon, and then Dec. 16 for all individuals. King was replaced by Goldberg, who is the director of the Oregon Health Authority…

“Both those deadlines will be missed. In an email to KOIN Monday, Cover Oregon spokesman Michael Cox alleged that the Dec. 9 and Dec. 16 dates were ‘targets set by Oracle, not deadlines set by Cover Oregon.'”

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue readingOracle’s Oregon Website Failure
Reglue ’12 Geeks’ UpdateReglue logo

Reglue ’12 Geeks’ Update

By Christine Hall on November 26, 2013 |

Operating Systems

I’m smiling right now. I just discovered that FOSS Force has some compassionate and generous readers.

I heard from Ken Starks with the Reglue project yesterday. He has his 12 Geeks of Christmas. This is great! It means that 12 school kids who’ve been trying to keep up with their school work without the benefit of computers will return from winter break with that obstacle overcome. What’s more, they’ll have a leg-up because the computers they’re receiving will be loaded with a special school kids version of Linux.

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue readingReglue ’12 Geeks’ Update
Hacked by the NSABumblehive NSA

Hacked by the NSA

By Christine Hall on November 25, 2013 |

Business, Internet, News, Politics and Security

The Internet has become a neighborhood infested with cockroaches.

On Saturday, the Dutch newspaper NRC reported that the NSA has infected over 50,000 computer networks with malware designed to steal sensitive data. The allegation arises from examination of documents supplied by Edward Snowden and “seen by” NRC reporters.

“The malware can be controlled remotely and be turned on and off at will. The ‘implants’ act as digital ‘sleeper cells’ that can be activated with a single push of a button. According to the Washington Post, the NSA has been carrying out this type of cyber operation since 1998.”

Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux

FOSSForce.com
Continue readingHacked by the NSA
Latest Articles