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devfs removed from Linux

Tux kerneltrap

Well, the flexible devfs (device filesystem in kernel mode) which saw light since 2.4.x have been removed from the the main kernel tree. The removal of devfs have been discussed for more than a year, mainly because it was deprecrated by udev (which does the devfs job but in user-level), and partly because devfs is no longer maintained by it’s developers.

However this led into a lengthy discussion debating the merits of using devfs with embedded systems. 2.6 maintainer Andrew Morton suggested that the fate of devfs is still undecided,

“I don’t have enough info to know whether the world would be a better place if we keep devfs, remove devfs or remove devfs even later on. I don’t think anyone knows, which is why we’re taking this little disable-it-and-see-who-shouts approach.”

devfs is reportedly still being use by embedded system (especially with ones that deals with readonly file system) to ease of system setup.

Another feature planned to be removed from the kernel is the PCI name database, which bloat the kernel (about 82KB in size) and hard to maintain (to sync the the latest pci devices with kernel’s database).

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Pocket PC may now have Java 1.5.0 supports

ThunderHawk PocketPC

News sources from the net revealed that the latest ThunderHawk Pocket PC 2.1 from BitStream will have Java 1.5.0 support. The PocketPC reportedly includes Java 1.5.0 full-desktop capabilities so that applets behave exactly the same on mobile devices as they do on desktop devices.

Previously PocketPC users have to be content with 3rd party JVM or the feature-limited JVM PersonalJava from Sun, both of them lacks the richness and robustness of a fully-featured Java(tm) Platform implementations

The company claim that robust Java support support was one of the top requests from both ThunderHawk subscribers and enterprise clients.

p/s :
Come to think of it, how many times have you encountered web page loaded with java applets nowadays? In 2005 alone, i’ve only encountered only one or two such webpage among hundreds of them that i surfed. The point is, in my point of view, java applets is scarce late these days. They may be cool in the late 90’s, but now it’s hard to find one page that even use a java applet.

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Mozilla project released Firefox 1.0.5 test build

I read about this announcement from MozillaZine. The release focuses on minor bugfix on previous Mozilla Firefox release 1.0.4.

The most notable bugfix included in this test build is the spoofable Javascript Dialog Box vulnerability that would lead attacker into tricking and trick the user into entering his/her account information inside the fake password dialog box.

Internet Explorer is also affected by this vulnerability though we havent heard about Microsoft planning to fix it.

You can download Mozilla Firefox test build here :
Windows
Linux

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Reasons for starting open source project

Well I dont know how to write a good english essay, let alone write an inspiring one. But the story I want to present below is quite related to start a good and decent open source project that will definitely pay off.

Take a lesson from the Matchbox project which was published on Newsforge a couple of days ago. The project only started as innocent attempt by some guy name Matthew Allum, trying to use windows manager in devices which use small display screen. The main reason he created Matchbox was that there are no windows manager that can work on small display (240×320), FYI, the KDE window manager barely works in 640×480 display.

Matchbox screenshot

He later made a practice of publicizing the project on handhelds.org; he published the project on his page there and was well-known in the Linux on handhelds community. He garnered several speaking positions at big conferences like FOSDEM, Usenix, and Python, where he worked to dispel what he called the “myth of slow X.”

Months and months passed, his work unsuspectedly got recognized by one of the phone maker giants. His work on Matchbox caught Nokia eyes which offers him funding to continue his research on producing windows manager on their handheld device. So he did accept his offer and founded OpenedHand, a company whose sole purpose was to help Nokia to build windows manager for N770 Internet Table.

Matchbox window manager

Now, the relationship between Nokia and Allum extends beyond his work on the window manager. “It got to the point where I could suggest new modules and they’d say, ‘go for it.'” Nokia has provided enough work to OpenedHand that it now employs four full-time developers, and it is hiring more.

There are other inspiring works that have been huge success, yet started at a humble open source project. Works that just first started as “scratching an itch” by developers.

For examples of other open source works which was hugely recognize is the infamous Linus Tovarlds and it’s Linux Kernel, Phil Katz with pkzip, Bram Cohen with BitTorrent and many more!

How about you? when will you start your own open source project?

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Debian Developers criticised Firefox Policy

Mozilla Firefox browser which is developed by Mozilla Foundation faced criticism by Debian Developers because of its official trademark policy is seen by them as excessively prohibitive.
Get Firefox!

This have still being debated in the Debian Community.

Most of the concerns came around whether Mozilla’s trademark policy allows them to modify the software for updates and security patches, and still distribute it using its original name. There are a lot of other projects too that recompile Mozilla Foundation source code and make additional changes and still release the resulting binary with Mozilla’s trademark.

Although Mozilla Foundation however, have given Debian explicit permission to use the Firefox logo and brand name, the issue still rise because it contradict with the clause of the social contract which stipulates software licenses must not be specific to Debian.

Mozilla previously have several problems with trademark issues regarding it’s Firefox browser which was change from Phoenix to Firebird and finally to Firefox.

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Nokia favours BSD for its development

BSD Setan
Nokia enters the BSD camp by ZDNet‘s Dana Blankenhorn — Amid all the hoopla about Nokia tying up with Apple and open source, developing a version of the Safari browser for its Series 60 cell phones, what has not been mentioned is its impact on the continuing BSD vs. GPL debate.Apple’s own open source work is strictly under the BSD.

Sounds like even though Nokia show its support towards Linux kernel development by announcing it’s support for the Linux kernel, somehow Nokia is now playing safe with open source, by involving itself with BSD-style licenses development.

Business strategy i presume….