Joris Evers

(IDG News Service) — The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has issued a policy that officially authorizes the use of open-source software at the department, a move open-source pundits say opens the door to more government use of open-source software. Open-source software within DOD is accepted as long as it complies with the same DOD policies for commercial and government off-the-shelf software and meets certain security standards, according to a memo outlining the policy written last week by John Stenbit, assistant secretary of defense and DOD chief information officer (CIO). The policy is significant and sets an important precedent, said Tony Stanco, director of the Center of Open Source & Government and associate director of the Cyber Security Policy & Research Institute at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. "This is the first time the federal gover... (more)

Linux takes backseat in new Motorola phones

(IDG News Service) — Motorola Inc. grabbed a lot of headlines in February when it announced the world's first mobile phone that runs Linux, however, developers won't be able to create Linux applications and run those on the phone because Linux is not secure enough, Motorola spokesman David Rudd said Wednesday. "The main issue here is that a phone's operating system must be made secure so that, for example, badly written or malicious code cannot power up the modem and rack up charges on your bill," he wrote in an e-mail response to questions. Developers may get to write Lin... (more)

Motorola calls on Linux for smart phone

Amsterdam (IDG News Service) — Motorola will launch a mobile phone that runs Linux later this year, it said Thursday, introducing yet another software platform for mobile phones. Motorola's A760 phone will run the open-source Linux operating system and support Java. The handset will feature a color touchscreen and digital camera and will offer full PDA (personal digital assistant) functionality, Motorola of Schaumburg, Ill., said in a statement. In addition to the applications on the phone when it ships, developers will be able to create new software to run on the phone. Th... (more)

Sun, Oracle embark on low-cost computing drive

(IDG News Service) — Admitting it arrived late to the game, Sun Microsystems Inc. on Monday announced new low-cost blade servers based on Intel Corp. processors and a partnership with Linux vendor Red Hat Inc., following rivals such as Dell Computer Corp. and IBM Corp. Also, reaffirming its relationship with Oracle Corp., Sun said Oracle's software will run on all of its systems whether they run Solaris x86, Solaris SPARC or Linux. Together, Sun and Oracle will go on a low-cost computing drive and launch a joint "Oracle makes Sun unbreakable" advertising campaign, they said. "W... (more)