The Google Android team has released the x86 version of Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” to the open source community. The software is incomplete — for example, it’s missing support for Ethernet and cameras — but it will open the door for hardware makers to pre-install Android instead of Microsoft Windows on laptops and desktops in 2012.

No hardware makers have yet announced Intel or AMD powered PCs running Android 4.0, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see several companies quickly jump on the bandwagon in early 2012. The top candidates are Dell, Acer, and ASUS. Dell and Acer could be keen because they try to make machines as low-cost as possible and there’s no licensing fee for Android, unlike Windows, so that would shave about £50 off the cost of a PC. ASUS could be a candidate because the company favours innovative, forward-looking PCs and it already has a strong Android product line, including the Eee Pad Transformer, the most laptop-like Android device already in the market.

An Android-powered PC would have a few things going for it. We’ve already talked about the cost factor. Android also has over half a million apps on the platform, although most of those are optimised for a smartphone screen. With the rise of Android tablets in 2011, there is an increasing number of excellent apps that are optimised for tablets with 1280×800 resolution, which will also work great for a laptop.

Google itself is still lukewarm about the idea, so don’t look for much support from Mountain View. The company has consistently said that Chromebooks are its play in the PC space, but the fact that Chromebooks haven’t sold well are probably part of what has motivated the company to release Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” on x86. Google is dipping its toe in the water. We’ll see if OEMs run with the idea and prove that there’s market interest in Android PCs. If they do, look for Google to get a lot more serious about it.

Original article by Jason Hiner of Tech Republic

I remember a day when the mention of open source in a business setting — no matter the size of the business — was unthinkable. The times they have changed, and open source is no longer considered a pariah. In fact, open source is often now considered first when a solution is needed. But when open source is being considered, certain things must be known. If you just dive in head first, there may well be some surprises waiting for you.
To keep new open source users from losing their sanity, I thought it might be helpful to list a few things everyone needs to know about open source before it’s put into place.

1: It’s not just for Linux

This is probably where most users get tripped up. When open source is brought up in a conversation, talk inevitably (and almost always initially) turns to Linux. This causes the public to assume open source is only for Linux. Not so. There are plenty of open source projects that are either cross-platform or Windows-only. Open Source Windows lists a variety of Windows open source software. But that site doesn’t include the listing of big-time players, like Apache, MySQL, and Drupal.

2: It’s not always free

To be considered open source, the source code needs be freely available. This does not mean the application itself must be free. There are actually a lot of companies making money from their open source projects. In many cases, the price tends to be attached for things like support or added features, but companies tend to make a “community” version of their product, which is free. When a company sells a community version, it’s usually a stripped-down, bare-bones version of the commercial (but still open source) product. A great example of this is Zimbra, a powerful email and collaboration tool that offers a free, open source edition and editions that have price tags (as well as more features and less access to source.)

3: It may or may not have support

Some open source software offers support options (sometimes with an associated cost) and some don’t. This is often a deal-breaker for larger companies. But even though a piece of open source software doesn’t have a corporate-friendly 24/7 support hotline to call, that doesn’t mean there is no support. Sometimes, there are forums and /or mailing lists for support. In other cases, the developers who created (or work with) the software can be contacted. Support options are certainly available — even if that support might not be compatible with the corporate train of thought.

4: You have full access to the source code

Although this generally doesn’t apply to the average user, I do like to bring it up to make sure possible users are aware of both ends of the spectrum. Open source does, in fact, mean you have full access to the source code of a program. That does not mean you need access to the source. This is a myth that has been around for a long, long time. Just because the source is out there and available doesn’t mean it’s necessary. In fact, users can go their entire life using open source software and never have to touch the source. But should you (or your company) want to make some modifications to an application, the code is there when you need it.

5: Open source is not just for programmers

A lot of the public seem to think that because of the nature of open source, only programmers use it. Is that because the source code is available? Does the availability of code mean that only those who know how to read, edit, and rebuild that code can and should use it? Not at all. Anyone can use open source software (from both a usage and legal standpoint) with or without the skills to modify and rebuild the software. It’s a safe bet that the majority of open source users do not have a single programming language in their skill set.

6: You aren’t breaking any laws by adopting open source

Thanks to SCO, people used to think open source adoption might be illegal. But fortunately, all that changed when the SCO case was tossed out. The use of open source software does not break any intellectual property laws. Nary a single case has proved that open source has infringed on other, proprietary work. So it’s safe to say that if you are using open source, you are not considered a rebel who is breakin’ the law.

7: You don’t have to be an expert to use it

This relates to the previous entries. Repeat after me: I do not have to be an expert computer user to use open source software. I still hear that old question, “Do you have to write your own drivers to use that?” The answer has been, for a long time, no. Many people still believe that open source software is for uber-geeks who can compile software in their sleep. Not so. In fact, with most open source projects, there’s no need to install from source now. Most platforms have binary installers that make adding open source software to your PC as easy as installing proprietary software. In some cases, it’s even easier. And using most open source software is the same. Open source, like all things computer, has evolved in direct opposition to that of the average computer user. As the intelligence of the average computer user drops, the ease of use of open source software increases.

8: Most open source software is as reliable as its proprietary counterpart

Open source software is everywhere. It’s available on Download.com, in the Android Market, in every Linux distribution’s Add/Remove Software utility, from Web sites across the globe… you name it. If you can do a Google search, you can find it. There are dedicated sites for open source software on specific platforms, and even Microsoft has a dedicated open source site. Open source has come a long way from its earlier roots, where locating the counterpart to a proprietary piece of software was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Now that haystack has grown small and the needle very large.

9: Freeware and shareware are not the same as open source

Most users are familiar with freeware and shareware. Those two types of software are not the same as open source. If the source code to the software is not made available, that piece of software is definitely not open source.

10: You’re probably already using it

Are you using the Firefox browser? If so, you are already using open source software. In fact, a lot of people use open source without knowing it. OpenOffice, Thunderbird, Pidgin, Drupal, WordPress, GnuCash, Notepad++, and many more products enjoy widespread usage. And that doesn’t even account for the snippets of open source code that find their way into proprietary software.

A growing trend

Open source software no longer has the stigma attached to it that it once had. Many open source apps are now seen as either equal to or superior to their proprietary counterparts. I would expect this trend to continue, especially as more and more users move away from the traditional desktop and to cloud-based or virtualized solutions.

If you’re considering the migration from closed to open source software, there are things you should know, but very little you have to know. Armed with the right information, your migration to open source software can be painless and worry free.

Original Article By Jack Wallen Of Tech Republic – Click Here

I’m pleased to announce that Firefox 4 (currently in beta) has a new feature called Firefox Panorama. This could be the killer feature of the popular browser that could win back some power users from Google Chrome.

Not all of the ideas that the Mozilla Firefox Team had indicated previously have made it into the official version of Firefox Panorama, but the core feature of being able to group tabs together and having an OS-like interface to quickly jump between tab groups is now going to be part of Firefox 4.

Aza Raskin has a detailed blog post in which he lays out how and why the Firefox team developed Panorama, including the basic design principles.

Some of the design issues he mentioned included:

• Harness the power of spatial memory
• Seeing is remembering
• Minimize required interactivity
• Remove distractions: out of sight, out of mind

Here’s a short video clip in which Aza Raskin explains what you’ll see in the new Firefox Panorama:

OpenOffice.org 3 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.

Great Software

OpenOffice.org 3 is the result of over twenty years’ software engineering. Designed from the start as a single piece of software, it has a consistency other products cannot match. A completely open development process means that anyone can report bugs, request new features, or enhance the software. The result: OpenOffice.org 3 does everything you want your office software to do, the way you want it to.

Easy To Use

OpenOffice.org 3 is easy to learn, and if you’re already using another office software package, you’ll take to OpenOffice.org 3 straight away. Our world-wide native-language community means that OpenOffice.org 3 is probably available and supported in your own language. And if you already have files from another office package – OpenOffice.org 3 will probably read them with no difficulty.

and it’s free

Best of all, OpenOffice.org 3 can be downloaded and used entirely free of any licence fees. OpenOffice.org 3 is released under the LGPL licence. This means you may use it for any purpose – domestic, commercial, educational, public administration. You may install it on as many computers as you like. You may make copies and give them away to family, friends, students, employees – anyone you like.

OpenOffice.org 3.0 New Features

OpenOffice.org 3.0 has a host of new features. Here are a few highlights to whet your appetite but if you want the full details then click on the link at the end of the list:

• Mac OS X Support
• Microsoft Office 2007 Import Filters
• New, Fresh-Looking Icons
• Start Center
• VBA Support
• Enhanced PDF Export
• PDF Import Extension

For a full details and explanatory notes click here >> OpenOffice.org New Features

To learn more about OpenOffice 3.0 and download a copy for your operating system visit OpenOffice.org by clicking the following link:

OpenOffice.org

Enjoy!!

7-Zip is a file archiver with a high compression ratio.

7-Zip is open source software. Most of the source code is under the GNU LGPL license. The unRAR code is under a mixed license: GNU LGPL + unRAR restrictions.

You can use 7-Zip on any computer, including a computer in a commercial organization. You don’t need to register or pay for 7-Zip. But you can make a donation to support further development of 7-Zip.

The main features of 7-Zip

* High compression ratio in new 7z format with LZMA compression
* Supported formats:
o Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
o Unpacking only: RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, MSI, WIM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS
* For ZIP and GZIP formats, 7-Zip provides a compression ratio that is 2-10 % better than the ratio provided by PKZip and WinZip
* Strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats
* Self-extracting capability for 7z format
* Integration with Windows Shell
* Powerful File Manager
* Powerful command line version
* Plugin for FAR Manager
* Localizations for 69 languages

.
7-Zip works in Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista.

There is a port of the command line version to Linux/Unix.

Further Information About 7-Zip can be found by clicking on the link below:

Download 7-Zip Here

OpenProj is a free, open source desktop alternative to Microsoft Project.

OpenProj has been downloaded over 600,000 times in over 142 countries and has quickly become one of the most popular open source applications.

If you want a free replacement to commercial desktop software, then OpenProj is perfect.

It’s available on Linux, Unix, Mac or Windows, and it’s free

Open Project Website

Does Linux have what it takes to meet the needs of the corporate desktop? Jack Wallen thinks so. Here’s his list of office apps that can handle everything from word processing to project management to data backups.

Let’s face it: Without a good set of office applications, your workday will be a waste of time. Productivity requires the right tools, and contrary to what some people think, Linux has everything you need to get you through the day without a hitch. We’re going to look at applications that will satisfy everyone in the organization — from HR to marketing to the front office.

#1: OpenOffice

This one goes without saying, offering word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, database management, drawing, and Web page editing. Add to that the ability to read and write Microsoft Office files and export to PDF and Flash (among other formats), and you have a complete office suite that should meet every need your office has. The OpenOffice user interface has little to no learning curve, so users will hardly know the difference between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice. OpenOffice is also cross-platform capable, with installation binaries for Linux, Solaris, Windows, and OS X (both Intel and PPC).

#2: Evolution

This is the Linux version of Outlook. Another one-stop shop, only this time it’s all about the PIM. E-mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, advanced searching, desktop integration, shared vCards, junk filters, encryption, LDAP support, iCal support, and much more. And if your company uses an Exchange server, you’re in luck because the Evolution Connector will be able to keep you connected. Evolution tends to be the default e-mail client for the GNOME desktop, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Evolution on KDE (or any other window manager.)

#3: Scribus

This is desktop publishing at its open source finest. Scribus can do almost anything Adobe Acrobat can do — minus draining your wallet. Scribus does layering, opacity, ICC color management, CMYK color separations, and versatile PDF creation. With this tool, your newsletters, press packets, fliers, books, manuals, etc., are done in-house and on the cheap. I have used Scribus on numerous projects ranging from simple fliers to complex books.

#4: Gnucash

Gnucash is one of the best accounting packages available for Linux. It uses double-entry bookkeeping and is a suitable replacement for individual accounting as well as a small business accounting. Gnucash is one of the only accounting packages that is available across most all platforms (Linux, Solaris, UNIX, OS X, and Windows).

#5: OpenProj

This is the open source replacement for Microsoft Project. OpenProj has an equivalent user interface and functionality similar to Project and is interoperable with Project. OpenProj is released under the CPAL (Common Public Attribution License) license and is available for Linux, OS X, 32-bit Windows, BSD, and UNIX-like operating systems. OpenProj does require Java.

#6: Meeting Room Booking System

Meeting Room Booking System is a Web-based booking system for meeting rooms but can be altered to suit your needs. Although I wanted to include only applications that could be installed locally, I felt it necessary to include this application simply because it’s so useful. For corporate environments that have multiple rooms to book, this small-footprint application is perfect. It can also be modified for use as an appointment book, too. MRBS can do repeated bookings, reports, DAY/WEEK/MONTH views, multiple authorization levels, and multiple language support. The installation is simple but requires both a Web server (Apache) and a database server (either MySQL or Postgres).

#7: GnoTime

Formerly GTT, GnoTime is a desktop application that tracks time spent on projects and offers time-based invoice generation. Numerous reports can be generated (Journal, Activity, Daily, Status, To Do, Invoices, Query, Primer, New Reports, Edit Reports), and the interface is simple to use. GnoTime also includes a diary entry editor for each project. With GnoTime you can embed simple SQL queries into report templates. In addition, GnoTime benefits from autosave. So in the rare event your Linux desktop crashes, your data is safe from loss. GnoTime runs on Linux, UNIX, and OS X.

#8: GIMP

I realize that graphics software isn’t always included in lists of necessary office software — but if your office does any of its PR or marketing in-house, graphics tools are a necessity. And when using Linux, GIMP is the de facto standard for graphics creation and/or manipulation. GIMP is to Linux what Photoshop is to OS X and Windows. But GIMP goes Photoshop one better because it’s cross-platform ready. You can install GIMP on Linux, OS X, or Windows. It features a customizable interface, photo enhancement, digital retouching, hardware support, a huge range of file format support, plug-in support, its own scripting language, filters, and a host of other outstanding features.

#9: Pidgin

Many corporate businesses have started regarding instant messaging as a legitimate form of interoffice (or inter-cubicle) communication. And Pidgin is one of the finest of the instant messaging clients. Pidgin works with nearly all of the instant messaging services and can have multiple accounts configured. It’s released under the GNU License, it’s free, and it works on Linux, UNIX, Windows, and OS X. Pidgin supports file transfer, typing notification, spell-check, buddy pouncing, away messages, etc.

#10: K3b

What office doesn’t back up data? None, if they employ safe business practices. And the CD offers one of the safest means of data backup. K3b makes backing up to CD simple. Not only can you do multiple backup types (audio, data cd, data dvd, copy cd, iso cd, iso dvd), you can save the backup information to a file. If you do the same backup regularly, all you need to do is open up the particular backup file and click burn. (No more having to drag and drop or hunt for particular files/folders to back up.) K3b can also blank CDR-Ws, retrieve TOCs, and write cue/bin files. K3b is available only for Linux and has been optimized for KDE.

This short list includes software that can easily handle much of your day-to-day office needs and do it on the Linux operating system. The software listed here is simple to use, reliable, (mostly) scalable, and business ready. Of course, this is a generalized list. Far more specialized office-type software is available on the Linux platform. One of the best places to look for such software is in your Install Software tool, such as Synaptic or Yumex. (The tool you have will depend upon the distribution you use.) Fire that tool up and look through the various categories (a good place to start is the “Office” category) to find what you need.

Linux is an outstanding platform for the office. It is flexible, cost-effective, reliable, secure, and enjoys a small learning curve. So if you’re doubting Linux can take over your office software needs, doubt no more!

Will Microsoft become more open to open source with the departure of Bill Gates?

It’s a tough call. Observers from both the open and closed source worlds say the exit of Microsoft’s longtime leader won’t usher in a GPL era at the company but it will likely accelerate what is already a changing attitude in Redmond.

“We already see quite a different approach to dealing with OSS and OSS companies from Sam Ramji’s group [which is] doing a great job in establishing dialog,” said Rafael Laguna, CEO of Open-Xchange and a former marketing exec at SUSE Linux. “With Gates’ departure, the only mammoth remaining is Ballmer. With him away in a near future, Microsoft will definitely open up. They have to.”

Gates’ exit will help acceptance of open source, another observer said.

“For much of Microsoft’s history, its primary strategic initiative has been Windows everywhere. Bill Gates was the primary architect of this and it has served the company well in reaching the $50 billion revenue mark. To get from $50 to $100 billion, however, they will clearly need to embrace the non-Windows world,” said Barry Crist, CEO, Likewise Software. “I suspect this will be easier for Microsoft to accomplish without Gates. We see substantive signs of this happening already.”

One open source backer hints that Gates’ early departure from Microsoft signals the beginning of the end for proprietary software.

“Bill Gates figured out how to harvest from software licensing early on in the game, and built the biggest software company on the planet from it. [But] selling software licenses has become a triviality,” said Juergen Geck, CTO of Openxchange, which competes against Microsoft Exchange.

No one expects Microsoft to open source any of its crown jewels but even Microsoft programmers expects to see more openness and source code releases in the post Gates era.

“I have a strong feeling that Microsoft will consider anew all their options with regard to open source strategy and the open source community. I think that Microsoft will remain much like it is now [in that] it will continue to release commercial software and take intellectual property rights very seriously. But I do think you’ll see more open source/shared source/community projects on CodePlex, on the model of the ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit, “ said Andrew Brust, chief of new technology at TwentySix, a longtime Microsoft partner and developer in New York. “I think you’ll see Microsoft engage more closely with open source companies, interest groups and enthusiasts, both within the .NET world, and outside of the Microsoft universe.”
Brust said a “good harbinger of this is Moonlight, the Novell-sponsored, open source, Linux-based implementation of Silverlight, and the fact that Microsoft worked with that team to help them get the product built. “Scott Guthrie is largely responsible, as far as I can tell, for this kind of constructive engagement with the open source world, and I think his influence will grow.”

One exec at the Linux Foundation can’t predict what Microsoft’s new top brass will do but open source will continue to put enormous pressure on the company’s margins and closed source ways.

“That depends on Ballmer and Ozzie and the results of what I imagine are some interesting debates internally. There is no doubt that Microsoft has no choice but to acknowledge that the closed development model for building software doesn’t work any more,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation. “The future of cloud computing and Web 2.0 application development will be built on Linux and open source.”

Others say Gates will continue to influence the company as its chairman of the board and largest shareholder, and impose his vision on strategic decisions.

“Bill Gates has planned his departure well and today Microsoft is led by so many great leaders. He is a powerful symbol and an icon that we all will miss. But being Chairman is also an important position in Microsoft so he will still oversee long term strategy,” said Per Werngren, president of IDE, of Stockholm, Sweden and president of the Internal Association of Microsoft Certified Partners.

FastStone Photo Resizer is an image converter / resizer intended to enable users to convert, rename, resize, crop, rotate, change color depth, add text and watermarks to images in a quick and easy batch mode. Drag and Drop mouse operation is well supported.

Features

* Convert and Rename images in batch mode
* Support JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF and JPEG2000
* Resize, crop, change color depth, apply color effects, add text, watermark and border effects
* Rename images with sequential number
* Support folder/non-folder structure
* Load and save settings
* And much more…

Download FastStone Photo Resizer Here

µTorrent, the BitTorrent client that is..

Micro-Sized Yet Feature Filled

Most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients are present in µTorrent, including bandwidth prioritization, scheduling, RSS auto-downloading and Mainline DHT (compatible with BitComet). Additionally, µTorrent supports the Protocol Encryption joint specification (compatible with Azureus 2.4.0.0 and above, BitComet 0.63 and above) and peer exchange.

Resource-Friendly

µTorrent was written with efficiency in mind. Unlike many torrent clients, it does not hog valuable system resources – typically using less than 6MB of memory, allowing you to use the computer as if it weren’t there at all. Additionally, the program itself is contained within a single executable less than 220 KB in size.

Skinnable and Localized

Various icon, toolbar graphic and status icon replacements are available, and creating your own is very simple. µTorrent also has support for localization, and with a language file present, will automatically switch to your system language. If your language isn’t available, you can easily add your own, or edit other existing translations to improve them!

Actively Developed and Improved

The developer puts in a lot of time working on features and making things more user-friendly. Releases only come out when they’re ready, with no schedule pressures, so the few bugs that appear are quickly addressed and fixed.

You can download uTorrent BitTorrent Client from here:

http://utorrent.com