Summit 2009
OFE WORLD NEWS ROUND UP
OpenOffice 3.2 - now with less Microsoft envy
.
2010-02-15
The Register - OpenOffice 3.2 - now now available
for Windows, Mac and Linux - boasts faster start-up times than before.
But the really big news is that now - finally - this open-source suite
offers full compatibility with files created using Microsoft's Office
2007.
If you've ever tried opening or converting .docx and other Microsoft
Office 2007 file formats outside of Office 2007 itself, you've likely
pounded your head against more than a few walls - downloading plug-ins
or struggling with online conversion services.
Read More
Red Hat projects to seed cloudy IT
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2010-02-12
The Register - Let's get one thing straight. We don't like the term cloud computing any more than you do. Of course, Richard Stallman doesn't like when we call it Linux
rather than GNU/Linux. He's gotta live with Linux. And, well, we've
gotta live with cloud computing. It's not going away.Commercial Linux and middleware distributor Red Hat is, like other
platform providers, trying to get money from IT departments that buy
software. But Red Hat can't say that. For one, the company can't sell
software because that violates open source licensing, and two, it's too
boring to just come out and say that.
Read More
Relevant link of today: OOXML not suitable for Norwegian government
.
2010-02-11
Jochen Friedrich's Open Blog - A study published by the Norwegian "Direktoratet for forvaltning og
IKT" (Agency for public adminstration and ICT) comes to the result that
OOXML is not suitable for being used by the Norwegian government. The study is available online in Norwegian.
Amongst the reasons that are given are that the standard with its more
than 6000 pages is not appropriate; it is not suitable for
collaboration; and there is only one software that can implement it and
produce the respective file format. Norway recommends pdf for
electronic document exchange of documents that don't need to be edited
and ODF (open document format) for all other documents.
See, for instance, the reports on Heise online (German), CIO and on Computerworld. Read More
See, for instance, the reports on Heise online (German), CIO and on Computerworld. Read More
Group aims to set standard for cloud security
.
2010-02-11
ZDNet - A 24-strong consortium of service providers, vendors,
government organisations and consultants has begun work on a set of
measurements designed to make it easier for businesses to compare the
security features offered by cloud-computing providers.
The
project, launched on Monday, aims to provide a Common Assurance Metric
(CAM) that will consist of objective, quantifiable measurements, the
as-yet unnamed consortium said in a statement. It will draw from
existing standards, which are often industry specific.
Read More
Time to turn open source words into action
.
2010-02-10
NewStatesman - Since early 2004, it has been the government's stated policy to use
open source software in the public sector wherever possible, as long as
it offers the best value for money. To date, the policy has had little impact. So will the latest tweaks to its open source Action Plan make a difference?
Software
is "open source" when the source code is freely available to be viewed,
shared or changed - things that you can't do with more traditional
proprietary software. Crucially, open source is also the cheaper option
in many cases.
So how good is the government's record on using open source so far?
Read More
Is Unix on its way out?
.
2010-02-10
The Inquirer - This week IBM unveiled its Power7 processor and Intel introduced its 9300 range of processors both fighting over the future of Unix. While this battle has been interesting with both Biggish Blue and HP
trying to club Sun to death, it is taking place as interest in Unix is
dropping.
IDC had reported that 2009's third-quarter saw a 23.4 per cent fall
in Unix server revenue, which seems to indicate that the market for
these boxes is gradually falling.
It is possible to put this fall in terms of a general decline in
corporate spending. After all, these are big expensive boxes and
corporationd are not buying.
But Sun's problems, which ultimately led it to being bought out by
Oracle, were related to the fact that interest in its Unix based SPARC
is slacking.
Read More
OOXML not suitable for Norwegian government, says study
.
2010-02-09
Computerworld - Microsoft's XML-based office document format, OOXML, does not meet the
requirements for governmental use, according to a new report published
by the Norwegian Agency for Public Management and eGovernment (DIFI).
The agency wants to start a debate over the report as part of its work on standards in the Norwegian government.
Read More
Open-source repository hits 2,000 apps
.
2010-02-09
ZDNet - An EU platform for exchanging free and open-source code now
offers more than 2,000 applications for use by public bodies in the
region.
The EU Open Source Observatory and Repository (Osor.eu) announced the milestone on Wednesday.
"The
federation of the 2,000th open-source project is an important milestone
for Osor and a proof of its value," said Francisco García Morán,
European Commission director of informatics, in a statement.
"Furthermore, I am very happy to see the use of open-source progressing
in public administrations."
Read More
Canonical scoops Alfresco man for operations
.
2010-02-08
The Register - Open-source evangelist and überblogger Matt Asay has been named as
chief operating officer of Canonical, Ubuntu's commercial sponsor. Asay will align strategic goals and operational activities, optimize
day-to-day operations, and lead Canonical's marketing and back-office
functions, Canonical said Friday. He joins Canonical from open-source enterprise content-management
specialist Alfresco, where he'd worked since 1998, most recently as
vice president of business development.
Read More
NEWS FROM THE OPEN SOURCE OBSERVATORY
CZ: Open source to fix mandatory e-government's service — published on Feb 12, 2010
ES: Valencia migrates three open source GIS tools to OSOR — published on Feb 11, 2010
RECENT OFE PRESS RELEASES
OFE Press Release - Government Action Plan for Open Source, Open Standards and Software Re-Use - Updated Released 28-01-2010
OFE Press Release - The EC Settlement Sends an Unambiguous Message to the Market – Lock-In is Dead Released 16-12-2009
OFE Press Release - Statement by OFE in Response to Ministerial Declaration on eGovernment Malmo Released 19-11-2009
OFE Press Release - EU Presidency 1, European Commission 0 Released 09-11-2009
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