OStatic

Talk of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program, once on the tip of everyone's tongue, has been waning lately as executive members jump ship and project teams are sent in different directions.

Not everyone has forgotten about this important program designed to put affordable laptop computers into the hands of children in impoverished nations, however. PocketMac, creators of Mac-to-handheld device syncing software, announced a fundraising partnership today with OLPC to drive additional money to the program and raise awareness of the project.

The skyrocketing success of Apple's App Store and the recent launch for Research In Motion's (RIM) App World for BlackBerry is clear proof that people want third-party apps for their mobile phones. Unfortunately, developers with a brilliant idea for the next blockbuster app typically have to decide which platform to choose before they write their first bit of code -- iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile, etc.

The creators of PhoneGap think it's nonsense that developers have to write the same app in several different programming languages to reach the widest swath of mobile phone customers, so they developed an open source, cross-platorm framework that bridges the gaps among them.

Apple announced today that it's releasing the Software Development Kit (SDK) for the iPhone. We all know what that means for consumers (more apps!), but what does it mean for open source developers?

Well, that depends on who you talk to. ZDNet's Dana Blankenhorn says the move is simply a way to forestall bigger market share losses to Google.

Although the 8th annual Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE) isn't until February, 2010, a Call for Papers has already been announced. If you've got something you want to discuss with the FOSS community, head over to the registration page and submit your idea for a talk. There are five speaker tracks to choose from including two specialized tracks -- one for beginners and one for developers.

I caught up with SCALE Publicity Chair Orv Beach, to get the inside scoop on what makes a successful presentation, what the review committee is looking for (hint: it's not Big Names in FOSS), and more.-- By Lisa Hoover

Life can't be all work, all the time. You need to make room for some fun and games. When you're ready to kick back, kill some aliens, or riff on a guitar, here are some really fun open source video games to check out.

Hedgewars - In this game, you control an army of hedgehogs bent on destroying all the other hedgehogs in your opponent's army. They get around via parachutes, ropes, or UFOs and have a huge trove of weapons at their disposal to off the enemy. Each play is timed so you don't overthink your next move, so just get out there and blow 'em up.

Last month, the open source community was buzzing over a report released by the Linux Foundation that placed the value of the Linux ecosystem at around $25 billion. Now that the dust has settled somewhat, we caught up with Amanda McPherson, the foundation's VP of marketing & developer programs, to get her thoughts on the study, what the results mean for the community, and what the take-away message ought to be.

There's been a lot of talk about the gigantic particle accelerator known as the Large Hadron Collider recently. Lots of people were excited about the search for the theoretical Higgs boson. A few were concerned that it would open a black hole and end life as we know it. Most were disappointed when technical issues forced the Collider's early shutdown for repairs. Few people, though, mentioned that part of the multi-billion dollar project relies heavily on Linux.