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Friday afternoon OpenSource chat
My Brain ^ | 2005-06-24 | N3WBI3 (Tim)

Posted on 06/24/2005 12:10:06 PM PDT by N3WBI3

******************************************************* (1) Fedora Core4 Review http://www.osjournal.com/content/85/Reviews/A_look_at_Fedora_Core_4/

Fedora Core 4, released June 13 2005, is the latest of the Fedora Project releases that offers many enhancements and features over the previous versions. Fedora Core 4 includes all of the latest software updates, including window managers GNOME 2.10 and KDE 3.4. GNOME 2.10 and KDE 3.4 both offer numerous desktop enhancements that increase performance and performance while still offering plenty of eye candy. Fedora Core 4 also boasts the newest GCC 4.0 Compiler and OpenOffice 2.0 Beta.

NeLogic Content Management System One feature that especially caught my eye was the default inclusion of the Xen package. Xen allows for additional virtual computers to be run on one system, similar to software such as VMWare or UML (User-Mode-Linux). Xen is included, by default, in Fedora Core 4 allowing users to create virtual environments as they please.

Fedora Core 4 offers a very secure environment that makes it a wonderful alternative to other operating systems such as Microsoft Windows. Fedora Core 4 was vulnerable to 0 of 863 potential known vulnerabilities that could have harmed the system. The secure nature of Fedora Core 4 also makes it ideal for not only a desktop environment but also a server environment where stability and security are extremely important.

Fedora Core 4 also includes the SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) packages that tighten the privileging system for certain UNIX daemons. One negative impact regarding SELinux, however, is that it is currently not compatible with cPanel; therefore, you cannot use Fedora Core 4 and cPanel together.

In addition, Fedora Core 4 now fully supports the PowerPC CPU architecture, allowing it to be run on Apple’s G3, G4 and 64-bit G5 processors. PowerPC support will add a new market for Fedora Core 4, now allowing Apple users to enjoy the performance, reliability, and usability of Linux. Previously, Apple users were limited to a limited number of systems with packages precompiled for the PowerPC architecture. Fedora Core 4 remedies this by providing Apple users with a robust and stable operating system as an alternative to Mac OS X.

Out of the box Fedora Core 4 will work almost perfectly on every system—no tweaking or command line editing necessary, just pop in the DVD and go. Best of all, Fedora Core 4 is completely free and open source. Fedora Core 4 can be downloaded and installed via CDROM or DVD, whichever is more convenient. The download size is hefty so it is recommended that dial-up and non-broadband users purchase CDs opposed to downloading them.

Overall, Fedora Core 4 provides a very robust, secure, and feature-packed system. Users can install it with little to no Linux experience and not have to worry about tweaking the system to work with their hardware. Not only is Fedora Core 4 ideal for Desktop systems but would also make a great server environment due to its emphasis on security and stability. All of these features, combined with the ease of use, make Fedora Core 4 one of the best Linux distributions to date.

******************************************************* (2) Wirelless home netertainment system built on Linux

http://www.sonos.com/us/?tref=gstore http://webreprints.djreprints.com/1187860342562.html

Dozens of companies offer gadgets to "stream" the music that's stored on your computer over a home network so you can hear it in other parts of the house. But most of these products are deficient in some way or another.

Many are too hard to set up on a typical home wireless network. Others have a lousy interface for controlling and selecting the music in the room where you plan to do remote listening. And nearly all of them assume that you have good audio systems in the rooms where you want to do remote listening, and that you know how to hook up the streaming devices to these audio systems.

But I have been testing a new music-streaming product that handily overcomes every one of these problems and limitations. It's called the Sonos Digital Music System, and it comes from a start-up company, Sonos Inc., in Santa Barbara, Calif. (www.sonos.com)

Sonos can be set up quickly, without any technical knowledge, because it contains its own secure Wi-Fi wireless network, which co-exists with your existing wired or wireless network. It works with both Windows PCs and Apple Computer's Macintoshes. It has a gorgeous wireless remote control with an embedded color screen. The system works in multiple rooms of a home, allowing you to play different songs, or the same songs, in each room simultaneously.

And each Sonos module, called a ZonePlayer, is a stand-alone audio-playback device, with a built-in amplifier that sounds great. So you don't need an existing audio system in every room where you want to hear music, and you don't have to know how to hook up audio gear.

The Sonos system is easily the best music-streaming product I have seen and tested. It's the Lexus of the category.

Unfortunately, like a Lexus, Sonos is also costly. A starter system with two ZonePlayers and a remote costs $1,199. Each additional ZonePlayer costs $499, and each additional remote control costs $399.

And that doesn't include speakers for the ZonePlayers. The company assumes you'll supply these yourself, though it plans to offer its own optional speakers, for an unspecified charge, starting next month. [sonos remote] The Sonos remote control

I tested the Sonos starter system with an HP Pavilion computer running Windows XP. The computer is in an upstairs bedroom. At least one Sonos ZonePlayer in any system has to be wired directly to the networking device, called a router, that typically sits atop or next to a cable or DSL modem. So I placed one of my two ZonePlayers on a desk next to the PC and plugged it into my router by wire.

Next, I installed the Sonos software on the PC and followed the directions for connecting the ZonePlayer. This simply required holding down the player's Volume and Mute buttons simultaneously. In less than a minute, I was done.

Then I set up the second ZonePlayer, with the optional Sonos speakers, downstairs in my dining room. This one would have only a wireless link to the system. Again, I set the software upstairs to connect a new player and held the two buttons on the dining-room player. It worked perfectly.

Finally, I connected the wireless remote to the system by calling up its setup screen and once again holding down buttons on the dining-room player. Again, this process was flawless.

Back upstairs on the PC, the Sonos software had found and indexed all the song files on my computer, and had even located and imported the play lists I had set up in Apple's iTunes program. Sonos works with all the main types of music files—MP3, WMA, AAC and WAV. And it can use play lists that have been set up in iTunes, on either Windows or the Mac; Windows Media Player; Musicmatch Jukebox; or WinAmp.

But Sonos can't stream or play back music files that contain copy-protection encryption. That means it can't handle files purchased from legal online-download sites, such as Apple's iTunes music store.

Each ZonePlayer has only two control buttons—mute and volume. But you can control what's playing on them using the remote or the software on the PC.

The remote control is a thing of beauty. Its bright color screen shows the track title, artist and album of the song that's playing, along with the album-cover art. It has an iPod-like scroll wheel for navigating through lists of songs, albums, artists and genres. Backlit buttons control volume, play, pause, back, forward and mute.

A built-in rechargeable battery powers the remote. The company estimates it will last about five days in typical use. A wall charger is included.

With either the remote or the PC software, you can control each player, or "Zone," separately. Or you can group the "Zones," so several receive the same music simultaneously. And you can mute or pause all the players in a house at once.

The system also can play back music from Internet radio stations. And you can plug any outside music source, like an iPod, into any one of the ZonePlayers and hear its music throughout the system.

Next month Sonos plans to add another function to the product: the ability to receive streaming music from RealNetworks' Rhapsody online subscription music service.

If you can afford the price, Sonos is a great choice for those who want to hear computer-based music all over the house.

******************************************************* (3) Too many opensource licenses?

http://opensource.org/weblog/2005/04/08#licenseproliferation

"OSI's approach on the development and distribution problems involved building as many different bridges as possible between developers and the corporate world. In doing this, we accepted a proliferation of new licenses. This is a problem in that although physical bridges between communities don't interfere with each other, licenses do. Interference between different open-source licenses is now perceived as a sufficiently serious problem that OSI has become as a victim of its own earlier success."

******************************************************* (4) Opensource 3D?

http://www.digitalmediadesigner.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=33153

When you're beginning work on a brand new project, one of the most difficult things to do is to create 3D models. You could purchase some 3D models but that will add to your budget. You want high quality 3D models but you can't afford to spend a fortune on them.

Three companies recently joined forces to create the Open Source 3D Project. The project presents free, high quality 3D models to all individuals. All you need to do is register at the Open Source 3D Project website and you will gain immediate access to their library of various 3D models. Sounds too good to be true? Then read on and learn more about the Open Source 3D Project.

DMN: What is the Open 3D Project? Why did you start it? Open Source 3D Project: The Open Source 3D Project is an Open Source 3D community designed to expand the availability of quality models with license agreements catering to the expansion of creativity and innovation. The goals of the Project are to develop and maintain open 3D content and to provide this content to the public free of charge. By joining the Open3DProject you receive access to these royalty free models. Our only requirement is that you adhere to the license agreements for each of the models.

DMN: Since you are giving the 3D models away for free, how will you afford to manage and maintain the Open 3D Project? Open Source 3D Project: Zygote, e Frontier and Sixus1 Media are funding the project and are willing to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We all have sufficient financial resources that we are not dependent on this for income. We are considering sponsorships and donations but currently don’t need those to continue this effort.


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: opensrouce
Im going to be putting things up about once a week which are probably too small to be their own threads but together might be of more interest to people
1 posted on 06/24/2005 12:10:08 PM PDT by N3WBI3
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To: ShadowAce; N3WBI3; Tribune7; frogjerk; Salo; LTCJ; Calvinist_Dark_Lord; Buck W.; clyde asbury; ...

OSS PING

If you are interested in a new OSS ping list please mail me

2 posted on 06/24/2005 12:11:05 PM PDT by N3WBI3 (I musta taken a wrong turn at 198.182.159.17)
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To: N3WBI3

I'll take an OSS ping please.


3 posted on 06/24/2005 12:43:55 PM PDT by DarthFuzball ("Life is full of little surprises." - Pandora)
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To: N3WBI3

bookmark


4 posted on 06/24/2005 5:29:03 PM PDT by clyde asbury
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