OStatic

Computerworld reported today that the Linux Foundation plans to add another conference to its events repertoire -- LinuxCon.

LinuxCon is targeting both developers and users, and will ideally foster new lines of communication between these two groups. Unlike some past Linux Foundation events, which were invitation only, this conference will be open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Datamation's Matt Hartley revisited the timeless issue of Linux and uniformity-- the infamous question of choice. On one side of the argument, people say that the number of options available is what makes Linux great. The other side says that the array of choices holds Linux back.

Both sides have valid points. Uniformity shouldn't mean giving up options, and choices shouldn't be a scapegoat for what ought to be an expected (but not necessarily painful) learning curve.

Legal news wire service Courthouse News reported recently that Reuters was suing the Commonwealth of Virginia because George Mason University was handing out its proprietary software. Nothing is ever that simple, is it?

George Mason University's Center for History and New Media distributes Zotero, an open source Firefox extension that helps users manage citations found on the web. It performs a similar function as Thomson Reuter's EndNote software. The lawsuit is based on the premise that Zotero's newest beta is able to convert the proprietary EndNote format to the open CSL (Citation Style Language) format. A lawsuit over a file format conversion?

InformationWeek details the conception of House Resolution 6898. The bill's name is more cryptic than the shorthand on a prescription order, but could bolster both the US Health Care system, and perceptions of open source in both public and private sectors.

The Health-e Information Technology Act of 2008 offers incentives for health care providers to move to an open, shared platform for health records.

Many say that the web is becoming the desktop. How soon, and how completely, that will happen is anyone's guess, but it is undeniable more desktop applications are delivered through browsers. There are advantages: user interfaces don't change between operating systems, web applications aren't platform specific, and work can be done at any computer with a network connection.

There are sizable disadvantages. Who can access (or alter) information stored in a web application? Who actually owns it? Reading an application's Terms of Service is crucial on the user's end. Free Software Magazine explains why an open license is crucial for all involved.

eWeek has posted an insightful interview with Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch. Though Adobe's approach to open source wasn't the entirety of the piece, Lynch made several statements illustrating that he really understands -- and appreciates -- what opening code can bring to an application.

Some of Adobe's open source efforts may not feel as though they are coming fast enough, or even feel open enough, presently. But Lynch's explanations of Adobe's position on open source, and how it may be changing, seem logical and encouraging.

This week the GNOME Desktop team officially released GNOME version 2.24. This release incorporates numerous bugfixes and impressive new features, including the first release of the GNOME Mobile Platform.

The GNOME Mobile Platform will naturally be of greater interest to developers, and the GNOME team is preparing to make virtual machine images of various mobile platforms available for improved testing.

Gentoo Linux has had a rough time of it the last few years. James Bellenger has briefly detailed the migration from Gentoo, and some reasons why it is occurring. He wonders where all the Gentoo users are going.

Matt Asay at CNET suspects Ubuntu's rising star is responsible for the exodus rather than Gentoo's lack of strong leadership.

Having used both distributions extensively, and strongly preferring one, I agree with Asay when he says that given Ubuntu's popularity, Gentoo's stats seem far less impressive. That could be said about thriving distributions when compared to Ubuntu.

The Linux Plumbers Conference may have ended last Friday, but the discussions -- and one discussion in particular -- will be analyzed, deconstructed, and argued for quite a bit longer.

Greg Kroah-Hartman's assertion is that Canonical doesn't contribute significantly to kernel development and the packages that make up the core of a Linux system. Canonical CTO Matt Zimmerman responded to this assertion. It seems at that point, much of the community, developers and users alike, took to examining their particular parts of the open source elephant.

Herein lies the problem.

The fateful day has arrived for the first Android-powered phone. This Google-backed open phone will likely be sufficient for a large number of users -- if not in its first incarnation, certainly within a few models and revisions.

But it certainly isn't the only open phone. It isn't the first by any means, and it has another competitor hot on its heels.

Some more pioneering souls might forego the tamer Android for the Neo FreeRunner or the upcoming NeoPwn.