News

Kotlin 2.3.20 harmonizes with C, JavaScript/Typescript

Update to Java competitor language also backs name-based destructuring declaration as well as Maven and Gradle tools.

By Paul Krill

Mar 27, 20263 mins

C LanguageJavaScriptKotlin

Purism seeks funding for 15-inch free software Linux laptop

In today's open source roundup: Purism wants to sell a Linux laptop that runs only free software. Plus: The Jolla Linux tablet easily surpasses its $380,000 funding goal, and how well does Nvidia's open source driver perform while running L

By Jim Lynch

Nov 19, 2014 3 mins

Open Source

BitTorrent dismisses security concerns raised about its Sync app

The cryptographic implementation is solid and cannot be compromsied through a remote server, the company says

By Lucian Constantin

Nov 19, 2014 3 mins

Application Security Encryption Security

Facebook’s Flow could help JavaScript programmers spot elusive bugs

Open-sourced Flow offers much-needed static type checking for the JavaScrtipt language

By Joab Jackson

Nov 19, 2014 3 mins

Development Tools JavaScript Technology Industry

25 years after Lotus Notes, IBM tries to reinvent email again

IBM's Verse borrows ideas from Google's Inbox, then adds Watson-powered querying to let users tame their email

By Serdar Yegulalp

Nov 19, 2014 3 mins

Software Development

Time to secure the Web? EFF says HTTPS can soon be the norm

Led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Let's Encrypt wants to make HTTP an oddity within a few years' time

By Paul Krill

Nov 19, 2014 2 mins

Network Security Technology Industry

Prominent developers pulling out of Debian as voting deadline nears

Clashes over systemd continue, with final voting deadline in hours

By Jon Gold

Nov 18, 2014 3 mins

Open Source Software Development

Canonical might switch to systemd in Ubuntu 15.04

In today's open source roundup: Ubuntu 15.04 might be the first version that uses systemd. Plus: The advantages and disadvantages of rolling release distributions, and eleven Linux games on sale on Steam this week

By Jim Lynch

Nov 18, 2014 3 mins

Open Source

Facebook continues tools deluge with JavaScript type checker

Open source Flow is the social network’s latest effort to introduce its technology to the community at large

By Paul Krill

Nov 18, 2014 2 mins

JavaScript Software Development

Microsoft redoes SChannel patch, releases MS14-068/KB 3011780, KB 3000850

Three unexpected patches barreled out of the Automatic Update/WSUS chute, including a massive Windows 8.1 patch rollup

By Woody Leonhard

Nov 18, 2014 4 mins

Patch Management Software Small and Medium Business Software Development

Suse jumps into software-defined storage

As its steady post-Novell recovery continues, Suse moves into enterprise software-defined storage

By Simon Phipps

Nov 18, 2014 2 mins

Open Source Software Development

Docker gains migration and networking help with Flocker

Flocker promises to address issues of data portability and migration between systems, but the project is still in its early stages

By Serdar Yegulalp

Nov 18, 2014 3 mins

Software Development

EFF, Mozilla back new certificate authority that will offer free SSL certificates

The new CA is called Let's Encrypt and its goal is to encourage the widespread adoption of SSL/TLS on the Internet

By Lucian Constantin

Nov 18, 2014 4 mins

Encryption Security

Microsoft: ‘Nobody loves developers more than us’

Sharing? At Microsoft? It's more likely than you think, according to Microsoft Developer Evangelist Matt Thompson

By Matt Weinberger

Nov 18, 2014 3 mins

Open Source Software Development Technology Industry

No, Google Glass isn’t dead

Reports of its demise are premature — but users and developers want Google to put up or shut up

By Sharon Gaudin

Nov 18, 2014 5 mins

Consumer Electronics Small and Medium Business Technology Industry

OS X Yosemite update fails to solve Mac Wi-Fi mess

Early reports say OS X 10.10.1 does not resuscitate Mac Wi-Fi connections

By Gregg Keizer

Nov 18, 2014 3 mins

Patch Management Software Software Development Technology Industry

Intel to combine PC and mobile divisions as market shifts

As the line between tablets and laptops blurs, Intel's PC and mobile products now will be developed by the new Client Computing Group

By James Niccolai

Nov 18, 2014 3 mins

Technology Industry

HP plugs the Vertica analytics engine into Hadoop

HP Vertica for SQL on Hadoop promises to pair the reliability of SQL with the scalability of Hadoop

By Joab Jackson

Nov 18, 2014 2 mins

Analytics Data Management

WebRTC hammers out compromise on video codec standards

Browsers must support H.264 and VP8 as part of real-time communications effort

By Paul Krill

Nov 18, 2014 2 mins

Technology Industry

Microsoft’s changes to OneDrive spark a user rebellion

Necessary changes to OneDrive rolled out last week — leaving unhappy users, thanks to poor explanation. Here's what Microsoft should have said

By Simon Bisson

Nov 18, 2014 6 mins

Cloud Storage

Cisco crashes the enterprise mobile party with new collaboration app

Project Squared will let users strike up ad hoc team meetings with audio, video conferencing, file sharing and text chat

By Juan Perez

Nov 17, 2014 5 mins

Small and Medium Business Software Development Technology Industry

Google Wallet for Digital Goods API is folding

Google's payment solution for in-browser purchases will be retired on March 2, 2015

By Paul Krill

Nov 17, 2014 2 mins

Web Development

CouchDB 2.0 counters MongoDB with improved scaling

The new version of the CouchDB NoSQL database adds open-sourced contributions from Cloudant, including clustering

By Serdar Yegulalp

Nov 17, 2014 3 mins

Databases Open Source

Debian systemd maintainer resigns after online attacks

In today's open source roundup: Systemd opponents force the resignation of a Debian maintainer. Plus: Linux Mint 17.1 MATE and Cinnamon release candidates available, and Space Hulk Ascension is out for Linux

By Jim Lynch

Nov 17, 2014 4 mins

Open Source

Facebook business collaboration tool could be just another distraction, analysts say

Facebook at Work, currently in early-stage testing, would compete with similar tools from Google, LinkedIn and Microsoft

By Loek Essers

Nov 17, 2014 4 mins

Small and Medium Business Software Development Technology Industry

Microsoft does it again, botches KB 2992611 SChannel patch

Last Tuesday's MS14-066 causes some servers to inexplicably hang, AWS or IIS to break, and Microsoft Access to roll over and play dead

By Woody Leonhard

Nov 17, 2014 4 mins

Patch Management Software Small and Medium Business Technology Industry

FCC seeks fiber-optic delay data from AT&T

Request comes after CEO Stephenson said AT&T would delay its fiber-optic buildouts two to three years while the FCC considers Net neutrality

By Matt Hamblen

Nov 17, 2014 2 mins

AT&T Technology Industry

U.S. sets sights on 300-petaflop supercomputer

There is bipartisan support for spending $325 million on two new supercomputers to reach 300 petaflops, regaining the lead from China

By Patrick Thibodeau

Nov 17, 2014 4 mins

High-Performance Computing Technology Industry

4 ways Docker is remaking Linux

Red Hat, Ubuntu, Suse, and CoreOS are following different paths for adopting Docker and its virtualization technology

By Serdar Yegulalp

Nov 17, 2014 3 mins

Open Source Software Development

How Apple, Samsung, and BlackBerry are fighting to win the enterprise

Samsung partners with BlackBerry to improve security and Apple expands program to ease roll out of its devices

By Mikael Ricknäs

Nov 14, 2014 3 mins

Small and Medium Business Technology Industry

AT&T sees delays on fiber rollouts of ‘two to three years’

CEO Randall Stephenson refines earlier statements in reaction to Obama approach to Net neutrality

By Matt Hamblen

Nov 14, 2014 3 mins

AT&T Technology Industry

Malware served through rogue Tor exit node tied to cyber espionage group

There is strong evidence the malware dubbed OnionDuke was used to target European government agencies, F-Secure says

By Lucian Constantin

Nov 14, 2014 3 mins

Cybercrime Malware Security

Microsoft upgrades its F# functional language

Preview of F# 4.0 features runtime, compiler, and language enhancements

By Paul Krill

Nov 14, 2014 3 mins

Open Source Software Development Technology Industry

Oracle, SAP settle long-standing TomorrowNow lawsuit

SAP will pay Oracle about $359 million in damages and interest to settle the casetechno

By John Ribeiro

Nov 14, 2014 2 mins

Intellectual Property Technology Industry

Hidden tricks and fixes in Windows 10 build 9879

From the Insider Hub app, to unsticking Caps Lock, to OneDrive problems galore: There's much more to build 9879 than meets the eye

By Woody Leonhard

Nov 14, 2014 9 mins

Small and Medium Business Software Development Technology Industry

Mozilla plunks ads into Firefox

Officially launches new revenue effort with 'sponsored tiles' in the new tab page of Firefox 33.1

By Gregg Keizer

Nov 14, 2014 3 mins

Software Development Technology Industry

IBM details plans for supercomputing future

IBM is placing more accelerators, CPUs, and FPGAs at multiple layers in supercomputers

By Agam Shah

Nov 14, 2014 5 mins

High-Performance Computing Technology Industry

Net neutrality is not a liberal-vs.-conservative issue

A new poll shows Republican voters overwhelmingly oppose Internet fast lanes — not that you'd know it from the rhetoric in Congress

By Caroline Craig

Nov 14, 2014 5 mins

Technology Industry

Microsoft shocks the world by open sourcing .NET

In today's open source roundup: Microsoft open sources .NET for Linux and Mac. Plus: A comparison of three security distributions, and Ubuntu MATE 14.04 LTS is available for download

By Jim Lynch

Nov 13, 2014 4 mins

Open Source

Complex tools, simple developers: A match made in hell

Functional programming is cool, but is your software team ready for the learning curve?

By Andrew C. Oliver

Nov 13, 2014 3 mins

Java Technology Industry Web Development

BlackBerry bolsters its enterprise pitch

Launches partnerships with Samsung, Salesforce, officially releases BES12

By Matt Hamblen

Nov 13, 2014 5 mins

Small and Medium Business Technology Industry

Amazon ECS turns Docker containers into the new VMs

Amazon's ECS launches Docker containers directly in EC2 instances, with automated clustering, scheduling, and management

By Serdar Yegulalp

Nov 13, 2014 3 mins

Amazon Web Services Cloud Computing Software Development

Amazon Lambda bridges functional programming and the cloud

Amazon Web Services intensifies developer push with cloud service leveraging lambda functions

By Paul Krill

Nov 13, 2014 2 mins

Amazon Web Services Cloud Computing Software Development

Mozilla explores virtual reality Web development

MozVR offers source code, tools, and tutorials to help developers build their own VR sites

By Paul Krill

Nov 13, 2014 2 mins

Web Development

Docker on course for next big frontier: Container monitoring

As Docker grows, so too does the need to monitor containers and their apps, and third parties are stepping up

By Serdar Yegulalp

Nov 13, 2014 3 mins

Careers Software Development

Microsoft quietly yanks botched October patch KB 3000061

Microsoft appears to have pulled last month's MS 14-058/KB 3000061 kernel mode driver patch without warning or explanation

By Woody Leonhard

Nov 13, 2014 2 mins

Patch Management Software Small and Medium Business Technology Industry

‘The cloud is the new normal,’ Amazon Web Services executive says

Andy Jassy touts larger customer cloud deployments at the AWS Re:Invent user conference

By Joab Jackson

Nov 13, 2014 4 mins

Amazon Web Services IaaS SaaS

Ballmer says machine learning will be the next era of computer science

Former Microsoft CEO makes donation to expand Harvard's computer science department

By Sharon Gaudin

Nov 13, 2014 3 mins

Data Management Robotics

Microsoft’s Black Tuesday toll: KB 3003743, IE11, EMET 5, and security webcasts

Amid its patching woes, the demise of Microsoft's security webcasts and deployment priority info hits enterprises hard

By Woody Leonhard

Nov 13, 2014 5 mins

Small and Medium Business Software Development

Don’t put all your encryption keys in Amazon’s basket yet

Amazon's Key Management Service strives to offer all-in-one key management for enterprises, but right now, it's best for protecting data already in AWS

By Serdar Yegulalp

Nov 13, 2014 3 mins

Amazon Web Services Cloud Security Encryption