The project displays a global map, and updates in real-time when a change is made on Wikipedia, displaying it as a small circle that flashes on the editor’s location, as well as the name of the article that was revised and the editor’s IP address. Below the map is a scrolling text box containing more information, including a link to the article, the language of the article, and the city, state, and country where the edit was made.

So far, edits made on the English, Japanese, Russian, German, Spanish, Indonesian, and French Wikipedias are available, with users being able to select one or more to view. When watching the map under the English version of the website, it averaged about 500 edits per 33 seconds. While the edits shown are substantial, the project only tracks those made by unregistered users, which represent about 15-percent of the edits made to the online encyclopedia. The information is pulled via live feeds broadcast with Wikimon.

The programmers behind the project advise that, according to a survey done in 2007, edits made by unregistered users on Wikipedia are often of less value than ones made by registered users, advising that you can correct an issue if you happen to spot one while using their real-time visualization. The project was built using DataMaps, d3, and other services and libraries, and is open source for anyone to grab on github.

Watching the map provides an interesting passive sort of observation, giving us a peek into what articles are of interest to users and where those users are located. When observed long enough, shifts can be noticed, such as edits increasing and decreasing with the fluctuations of waking and working hours, topic trends, and more.

SOURCE: Hatnote

In a short-and-sweet blog post from the three founders of GitHub, they note that 6,000 users were signed up with the website when it first launched five years ago, and it was home to just 2,500 repositories at the time. That number has since grown tremendously, obviously, but it shows how far the service has come in just five short years.

GitHub reached the one-million-user mark back in September of 2011, and three million users were gained in January of this year, meaning that 500,000 new users signed up for GitHub in just a matter of months. The site was co-founded by Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, and PJ Hyett back in 2008, and now Github employs over 150 people.

Not only is GitHub a great place to share your open source creations and to collaborate with other programmers, but you can also use GitHub to receive feedback on your products. Users can ask for reviews, comment on lines of code, report issues, and even ask other users about ideas that they have and attempt to turn them into a reality.

[via The Next Web]

The source code for the new phone is based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and all the files come in at 100MB in size after it’s all said and done. Of course, releasing source code for its phones is typical fashion for HTC, and the HTC One is simply added to a list of HTC devices with source code out in the wild.

While we would eventually see custom ROMs even if HTC didn’t release the source code for the One, the official source code makes sure that custom ROMs work seamlessly with the phones that they’re put on. Many custom ROMs come with caveats and may not be fully-functional. With the source code, developers are able to make flawless ROMs.

If you’re in the mood to grab an HTC One, you can do it right now because it’s available for pre-order on AT&T, with a release date of April 19 on both AT&T and T-Mobile. You can pick up the 32GB model for $199.99 and the 64GB model for $299.99. If you already happen to have HTC’s Droid DNA, the company also announced that the source code for the phone is available now as well.

[via Android Community]

The feature that blocks such operating systems is Microsoft’s UEFI Secure Boot, which is there for security purposes on Windows 8 machines during bootup. However, the open source group, known as Hispalinux (get it?), says that the feature makes “Microsoft’s Windows platform less neutral than ever,” and that users have to obtain special license keys from Microsoft in order to install non-Windows operating systems.

Microsoft was fined earlier this month for failing to comply with an antitrust agreement that required the company to allow Windows users the opportunity to use any web browser. They were eventually fined a whopping $731 million for the violation, which is pretty stiff fine no matter how you look at it.

There’s no say if the EU will fine Microsoft again for this latest complaint, but we’re sure that the organization will investigate the situation to see what’s up. Hispalinux says that the UEFI Secure Boot feature “is absolutely anti-competitive,” and that “it’s really bad for the user and for the European software industry.”

[via Reuters]

According to the BBC, this collaboration will be the home of a brand new Ubuntu-based operating system by the name of Ubuntu Kylin, and it’ll be released as soon as April. This is also the timeframe for the next regular version of Ubuntu, which leads us to believe that Canonical may be considering releasing more than one country-centric version of its operating in the future, should the need arise. This deal is also part of a 5-year plan China is inflicting in order to get more of its citizens to use open-source software (believe it or not).

The creation of this operating system will be done in a single laboratory in Beijing filled with engineers from both Canonical and a series of Chinese R&D agencies. There will be more than one version of Kylin, the second being one worked on by Canonical to work on servers for online shops, hosting firms, and webpages of all kinds can use the software both online and off.

The first wide release of Kylin will be pushed to both desktop and laptop computers, with additional devices in mind for the future. In the future, it’s been noted (similar to the US), that Ubuntu Kylin will be released for tablets, smartphones, and everything in-between. This Kylin version of Ubuntu works with Chinese character sets natively and will, according to the BBC:

“Also do more to support the way Chinese people interact with computers as well as reflect China’s date conventions.” – BBC

In the future, Canonical and the Chinese government will be releasing versions of the operating system with connections to Baidu maps, Taobao shopping service, and new versions of image management tools and office apps created specifically for this market.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see other recent China homegrown news to see how odd we find it that the country will be pushing an open source operating system to its citizens, and let us know what you think!

It was just this past week that the lawyers working with the Swartz estate requested that the documents at hand be released in full. Though both MIT and the lawyer group agreed that some details would certainly be redacted for the safety of those involved, it would appear that more than just phone and social security numbers will be cut from this release.

The letter released today to the MIT community from MIT president Rafael Reif noted that they remain dedicated to as open a system as possible, but that they’d still have to cut out names and details that would lead back to those involved. The full text of the letter can be found in a PasteBin page – PasteBin being a repository for documents that can be submitted entirely anonymously, if you did not know.

“At MIT, we believe in openness, and we are not afraid to reexamine our own actions; indeed, it was with those values in mind that I asked Professor Hal Abelson to undertake his analysis following Aaron Swartz’s tragic suicide. But I believe that openness must be balanced with reasonable concern for privacy and safety. That is especially true in this situation. In the time since Aaron Swartz’s suicide, we have seen a pattern of harassment and personal threats. In this volatile atmosphere, I have the responsibility to protect the privacy and safety of those members of our community who have become involved in this matter in the course of doing their jobs for MIT, and to ensure a safe environment for all of us who call MIT home.” – Reif

So it’s passwords to systems and the names and phone numbers – and social security numbers, all that sort of stuff – that’s being kept blank. Make sense to you? The exact wording from Reif is as follows:

“Therefore – in the spirit of openness, balanced with responsibility – we will release the requested MIT documents, redacting employee names and identifying information as appropriate to protect their privacy, as well as redacting information about network vulnerabilities.” – Reif

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information leading up to this moment and be sure to stick with SlashGear for more updates as this case continues. Let us know what you think of the progress that’s being made, and be sure to speak up if you’ve got any details you’d like us to know that we don’t already!

Thanks for the tip, Jack!

[via GigaOM]

At the moment, the DEFCAD crew host a single zip file that contains 50+ files for your easy printing-at-home entertainment. These pieces include pieces of guns, mostly, but exist in a way that – at the moment – is entirely legal. The whole show is powered by the group known as Defense Distributed, also known as the “home of the wiki weapon project.”

The mission of Defense Distributed should not be mistaken for the mission of DEFCAD. With Defense Distributed, their aim is to “create the world’s first 100% 3D printable gun.” Meanwhile the mission statement for DEFCAD is more broad – their aiming to create a search engine for “all 3D printable files, not just innocuous trinkets and garden gnomes.” With the release of DEFCAD in the future, it’s said that the entirety of the project’s source will be released on github under AGPL license. According to the DEFCAD collection of manifesto-like snippets, they do not aim to maximize profit with this venture.

“Like Wikipedia, nightly database mirrors will also be made available via BitTorrent. Our goal is not profit maximization, it is an end to the artificial scarcity of copyright, IP, and regulation.” – DEFCAD

Also according to the DEFCAD set to mission statements, they’re aiming to support hackers and veterans of foreign wars here in the USA – and 4chan, oddly enough.

“Hackers are persecuted by federal prosecutors while the basic needs of veterans go unmet. All purchases mediated by the defcad.com search engine will be rounded up to the nearest dollar; 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the VFW, and 50% will be donated to 4chan to support free speech on the internet.”

The DEFCAD crew have made it clear that they oppose Google’s methods in search and video limitations, love Makerbot but do not agree with the limits they’ve set with their own “Thingiverse” collection, and suggest that politicians across the board – across the world, even – will continue to oppose the free distribution of 3D printing models to everyday citizens without regulation.

DEFCAD says that they will go forth and create an environment where anyone with access to the internet can download templates for objects of all shapes and sizes, printable with easily accessible 3D printers. Have a peek at their “We the People” or “We WILL” statement here:

Laws were changed and political parties founded over Napster, Bittorrent, and The Pirate Bay…over music and movies. But with 3D printed firearms, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, drones, and medical devices, the stakes will suddenly get much higher. Because 3DP is not about reviving manufacturing jobs or competing with assembly lines on cost. It is not about disrupting manufacturing. It is about disrupting copyright, IP, and regulation. It is about printing items whose prices have been set to infinity. It is about disrupting man-made forms of artificial scarcity. It is about DEFCAD.

Sound like a good idea to you? Let us know what your stance is on a free and open 3D Printing file search engine, especially if you plan to fund DEFCAD – or oppose it with your whole heart.

[via DEFCAD]

We saw a demonstration of the Ubuntu mobile operating system earlier this year at CES 2013 and found it to be interesting, if not titillating enough to want to use on an otherwise Android-based smartphone in the near future. At the moment that operating system is working quite well on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, a device that otherwise would be running the most basic Google-only stripped-down version of Android. Because both systems have very similar roots, Ubuntu is able to be hacked in quite easily.

You’ll also want to know that Ubuntu already has a bit of software you can run on your Android device easily: Ubuntu for Android. This software (as shown in the demo video below) allows you to work in a familiar Android UI when your on your smartphone and a lovely desktop mode when you’re connected to a larger screen with your HDMI-out (or whatever mirroring method you generally work with.) This would be the perfect jumping-off point for an Ubuntu tablet.

But what’s the point of all this if it’s closed-source? What we’r hoping-against-hope for here is a real-deal open environment the likes of which HTC has been warming up to over the past couple of years. If HTC’s Bootloader Unlock initiative is any indication, we’ll likely see more open and free excellence in the very near future. Sound alright to you?

Also note – HTCGlobal posted a picture earlier today of a set of covered devices, each of them rather small save for one nearest the camera. Is that an Ubuntu tablet we see? Could be! Join us tomorrow when the countdown clock is up right here on SlashGear – we’ll be live from both New York City and London – double coverage for all!

As well as the dualcore chip – running at 1.2GHz – Peak also has a 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, an 8-megapixel main camera, and a 2-megapixel front camera. There’s 4GB of ROM and 512MB of RAM, along with WiFi b/g/n, triband UMTS (2100/1900/900) and quadband GSM/EDGE. Mozilla also squeezes in a microSD card slot, light and proximity sensors, a g-sensor, and GPS, along with an LED flash for the camera and a 1,800mAh battery.

In comparison, the Keon lacks a front-facing camera, though it has the same connectivity options, RAM, and ROM. Its battery runs to 1,580 mAh. Both devices will be supplied unlocked and SIM-free, ready for developers to slap their own SIM card inside and get coding.

That coding, meanwhile, may well be done at one of the Firefox OS App Days, happening this week across the world. However, Mozilla also has a Firefox OS Simulator for those wanting to code without hardware; there’s more detail on Firefox OS here.

Mozilla says the Keon and Peak Firefox OS Developer Preview Phones will begin shipping from February, though pricing for each device is yet to be confirmed.

[Thanks Al!]

It is US Attorney for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts Carmen Ortiz who called for the end to this case due to the untimely death of its defendant. The official filing reads as follows and makes the situation extremely clear, if not abundantly oversimplified:

“Pursuant to FRCP 48(a), the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Carmen Ortiz, hereby dismisses the case presently pending against Defendant Aaron Swartz. In support of this dismissal, the government states that Mr. Swartz died on January 11, 2013.” – Document 105, Case 1:11-cr-10260-NMG, filed 1/14/2013

Aaron Swartz was a co-writer of the original specifications for RSS (Rich Site Summary aka Really Simple Syndication) back when he was 14 and creator of one of the original pieces of Reddit, that being his own “Infogami.” BoingBoing’s Cory Doctorow, a friend of Swartz’s, lets us know in a tribute that in Swartz “singlehandedly liberated 20% of U.S. law” by spending “a small fortune” on pay access to a government-run site called PACER where he moved court records from that site to a public site – legal, but costly.

Swartz founded Demand Progress, fought the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) (both of which he was instrumental in helping bring down), and became entangled in a case which would ultimately (or so it seems) lead to him taking his own life. This case (that was just dismissed) suggested that Swartz used MIT’s computer networks to download 4 million (or more) articles from the digital library of academic journals known as JSTOR back in 2010 and 2011. The initial claims can still be found at the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

“The indictment alleges that between September 24, 2010, and January 6, 2011, Swartz contrived to break into a restricted computer wiring closet in a basement at MIT and to access MIT’s network without authorization from a computer switch within that closet. He is charged with doing this in order to download a major portion of JSTOR’s archive of digitized academic journal articles onto his computers and hard drives. JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization that has invested heavily in providing an online system for archiving, accessing, and searching digitized copies of over 1,000 academic journals. It is alleged that Swartz avoided MIT’s and JSTOR’s security efforts in order to distribute a significant proportion of JSTOR’s archive through one or more file-sharing sites.” – US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts

Though JSTOR declined to prosecute and “urged the government to drop the case” according to CNN, Swartz was going to be tried for “wire fraud, computer fraud, unlawfully obtaining information from a protected computer, and recklessly damaging a protected computer.”

Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist and a senior policy analyst at the ACLU, summed up the situation as follows:

“These are the kinds of things you’d assume the government would use in a serious hacking case — identity theft, millions of credit card numbers stolen, hacking into protected government databases or corporate networks. Aaron was accused of downloading too many articles from a website that anyone connected to the MIT network could log into.” – Soghoian

Now that Swartz is no longer on trial, those that teamed up with him while he was alive will continue to push for a more open system for the distribution of information across the web in as free a manner as possible. Though Swartz’s death was tragic, his public persona’s goals will be sought with his life and acts as a catalyst for change through the future – this isn’t the last you’ll hear his name.

[via Wired]

The OUYA Development Kit is also being released under a free license - Apache 2.0, in fact, just like Android itself – meaning as long as coders steer clear of OUYA’s own trademarks, they’re free to modify the console software at will. However, with an eye on the fragmentation that has become a headache for Android-based phones and tablets, the OUYA team say there’ll still be some control retained, to make sure it’s a safe, welcoming, and productive place for developers and gamers alike:

“It’s worth mentioning that “open” does not mean “anarchy” — and as we continue to build out OUYA’s core services, please know that not every facet of OUYA will be totally open. In order to ensure the best possible experience for our gamers and developers, for example, we will be screening games for copyrighted content and offensive material (which we’ll define under our developer guidelines), and we’ll make sure that OUYA is a secure place to discover great games and conduct business” OUYA

The first developer boxes should be reaching lucky recipients in the next couple of days, though the ODK is available to anybody who wants to sign up. In addition to the frosted casing, it has a microUSB port for connecting to a computer and debugging more straightforward. There’s also a fan, as you can see in the company’s new video:

OUYA Dev Console overview video:

The full package contents include:

• Jet-black OUYA Devs package
• Official Developer Welcome Letter
• One frosted translucent OUYA Dev Console
• Two frosted translucent OUYA Dev Controllers
• HDMI cable
• Micro-USB cable
• Power adapter

Meanwhile, there’s also a sneak peak at the UI which will face gamers; it’s still a work-in-progress, OUYA says, as is the version loaded onto the Dev Consoles, but the final thing should look something like this:

Regular Kickstarter supporters and those who have pre-ordered the console since its funding round finished will have to wait until 2013 to get their unit. Shipping is expected to begin in March.

What we’re looking at here is an effort by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the specific custodians of the manuscripts to make the texts as public as they can be. In the past it was simply not possible to show these historical documents off without risk of damage, but here now in our futuristic world and with broad access to the internet had by millions across the planet, this plan can come to fruition.

“Only five conservators worldwide are authorized to handle the Dead Sea Scrolls. Now, everyone can touch the scroll on screen around the globe.” – Israel Antiquities Authority Director Shuka Dorman

In 2011 Google worked with the Israel Museum to put five full scrolls online, now it’s bringing some 5,000 images of the scrolls to the web. These 2,000 year old documents, for those of you having never heard of them before, are widely considered to be part of one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century. In these texts, whose original physical forms were originally found near the shores of the Dead Sea, you’ll find some of the most important information revealed about the Bible and the origins of Christianity.

“We are now looking at a brave new world, a new world of Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship.” – Professor Emanuel Tov, Hebrew University, Editor-in-Chief, Dead Sea Scrolls Publication Project

You can see The five scrolls as well as the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library right this minute – the latter being the library announced this week.

This newest addition to the archive has what Google said was a collection 2 years in the making. You can have a peek at a massive amount of fragments now complete with Google translations and connections to Google maps where applicable.

“We’re working to bring important cultural and historical materials online and help preserve them for future generations. Our partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority is another step toward enabling users to enjoy cultural material around the world.” – Yossi Matias, head of Google’s Research and Development Center in Israel

Go forth and archive the entire universe! Let us know what you think of Google’s efforts to bring artifacts and texts such as these into the digital realm!

Among other things, the Esplora comes with a temperature sensor, an analog joystick with a central push-button that’s reminiscent of the clickable joysticks on the Xbox 360 and PS3, a set of four push buttons, a three-axis accelerometer, a buzzer, and a microUSB port. On the upper left corner of the controller is where you’ll find the reset button and a group of LED status lights. The Esplora is also expandable, as it features two TinkerKit inputs and outputs, along with a TFT display connector, so you can connect a color LED screen or an SD card.

Since the board is already equipped with everything it needs to run, all you’ll have to do is connect it to a computer using the microUSB port and you’re on your way. Users can program the Esplora using Arduino’s downloadable software, and the company has set up a getting started page for those who are eager to get things moving. It can also appear as a regular old keyboard and mouse when connected to a computer, which means there are potential applications beyond just gaming for the Esplora.

It’s relatively inexpensive too, with the standard edition coming in at €41.90 ($54 US) and the retail edition demanding €44.90 ($58). It should be compatible with all of Arduino’s software as well, so this is one user-friendly controller. Are you planning on picking one of these up?

The homescreen-level interaction, Jolla suggests, means Sailfish will be the most streamlined and speedy OS for users to navigate through. For instance, they’ll be able to pause a song or end an ongoing call without having to open the respective apps themselves: you can swipe a finger across the music player app thumbnail to the left to pause playback, or to the right to skip to the next track.

Sailfish also has a so-called “Pulley Menu” for “fast and effortless interaction” and the open-source SDK is already being fleshed out. It consists of components including Qt, the Mer Core, and the Linux kernel, and can turn its hand to duties on smartphones, tablet, smart TVs, in-car systems, and other applications. Jolla will have a copy of the version shown off today “very soon.”

According to Jolla, many Android apps will run on Jolla devices with no modifications. However, there’ll need to be tweaks made if best use of Sailfish is desired “If you want to take advantage of all UI and other features of Sailfish OS and make yourapplications fast,” the Sailfish SDK wiki explains, ”you can port your applications to native QT/QML.” That’s the full version of Qt, too, along with HTML5, though there won’t be DRM support.

Jolla also has its first carrier onboard, with DNA set to get the first Sailfish-based devices and be part of what the company says will be “a network of partners” around the OS “during the coming year.”

Jolla isn’t content with just one chipset partner, however. “ST-Ericsson’s NovaThor platform combined with Sailfish OS will enable vendors to bring highly competitive mobile products to the market. We welcome other players in the mobile industry to join and contribute to this game changing movement” Jolla CEO Marc Dillon said today. “We also target to announce other chipset provider partnerships soon.”

Update: MTV3 has a hands-on video demo of Sailfish here. [Thanks Kote!]

That input is described as being “directly involved in advancing Linux-based initiatives, workgroups, Labs, events, and more that support its business goals” by The Linux Foundation, though specifics of what HP hopes to achieve are conspicuous by their absence. The company itself name-checks Linux as “a strategic asset” but gives little more in the way of insight into exactly what strategy that might be.

Nonetheless, Linux has a place across HP’s range, with servers, printers, networking kit, and other hardware all using the open-source platform. Open webOS, meanwhile – the open-source version of webOS - is also based on the Linux kernel, though as yet has been little used in any consumer-facing way.

Still, it’s a sign that HP is hedging its bets on positioning moving forward, something CEO Meg Whitman has warned is still a work-in-progress. The company has seen sales of desktops, accessories, and other hardware dip in recent quarters.

Platinum membership in The Linux Foundation is priced at $500,000 each year, five-times more than what gold members pay.

It’s not clear whether that’s Jelly Bean 4.1, as has been out for a while now, or Jelly Bean 4.2 which was made official on Monday; of the features in the latter, it’s the multi-user logins which strike us as being most useful. That could mean different gamers could easily switch between their own highscore profiles, as well as keeping age-inappropriate titles out of the reach of younger players.

As for the hardware, the board shown up in the top photo – looking dwarfed by a Coke can – is from the first development run, and apparently worked with no hardware problems. OUYA is now tinkering with graphics, wireless, and user-experience performance on the quadcore processor.

Next on the roadmap are developer units, which should be ready by December the team re-confirms. They’ll be produced in limited numbers – and have aesthetic differences from the production versions – though won’t have games or the final UI, instead only being intended for developers to bring their apps up to speed.

There’s more for developers keen to get on board here, while those gamers who still want to preorder an OUYA can find more here.

The 1.0 release offers some changes that the Open webOS team hopes will offer major new capabilities for developers. The team also mentions that over 75 Open webOS components have been delivered over the past 9 months (totaling over 450,000 lines of code), which means that Open webOS can now be ported to new devices thanks to today’s 1.0 release.

In the video below, Open webOS architect Steve Winston demoes the operating system on a HP TouchSmart all-in-one PC. He mentions that it took the team just “a couple of days” to port Open webOS to the PC that he has in front of him. The user interface doesn’t seem to be performing super smoothly, but you can’t really expect more out of a 1.0 release.

Winston says that possible uses for Open webOS include kiosk applications in places like hotels, and since Open webOS is aimed to work on phones, tablets, and PCs, there’s the possibility that Open webOS could become an all-in-one solution for kiosk or customer service platforms for businesses. Obviously, version 1.0 is just the first step, so the Open webOS team is just getting started with this project and they expect to only improve on it and add new features as time goes on.

“We agree that the Aliyun OS is not part of the Android ecosystem and you’re under no requirement to be compatible” Andy Rubin, senior VP of Android at Google took to Google+ to point out. “However, the fact is, Aliyun uses the Android runtime, framework and tools. And your app store contains Android apps (including pirated Google apps). So there’s really no disputing that Aliyun is based on the Android platform and takes advantage of all the hard work that’s gone into that platform by the OHA.”

In a post on the official Android blog, meanwhile, Rubin phrases the OHA ecosystem as a “virtuous cycle” where events are reinforced “through a feedback loop” in which “each iteration of the cycle positively reinforces the previous one.” The contrast, the exec points out, is that Aliyun does not move to reinforce Android in any way.

“So if you want to benefit from the Android ecosystem, then make the choice to be compatible. Its easy, free, and we’ll even help you out” Rubin concluded. “But if you don’t want to be compatible, then don’t expect help from OHA members that are all working to support and build a unified Android ecosystem.”

Rubin’s comments were prompted by arguments by Alibaba exec Jon Spelich, who told CNET that Google was “just speculating” about the company’s platform, and that “Aliyun is different”:

“Aliyun is an open-source based OS that is also an open ecosystem that allows others to host their mobile-enabled Web sites in our cloud and we make those Web sites available to users who use Aliyun OS phones. So we are an ecosystem that includes other Internet companies, whereas Android does not because it provides apps through downloads. It’s the crux of the whole cloud vs. app debate. Cloud is open, apps system is closed because it is controlled by the operator of the apps marketplace. So you see: Two competing ecosystems, one that’s open through the cloud, the other is closed and restricts users to only the apps that they want you to see” Alibaba

That argument of broader flexibility for developers, service providers, and end users doesn’t wash with Google, however. “Noncompatible versions of Android, like Aliyun, weaken the ecosystem” the company said in a statement.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

This code is bringing (in beta) a set of 54 components making 450,000 lines of code, and all the elements you’ve seen of the desktop build released to Ubuntu are included of course as well. Developers will be glad to find a collection of 3rd party Enyo apps supported here on the packages System Manager as well as the ones you’d expect from the basic set of apps included on the mobile device build.

HP’s servers will be bursting at the seams with this lovely offering starting today – if you don’t see it, wait a bit longer. You’ll be grabbing such lovely bits as “build-desktop” and “core-apps” never before legally distributed to the public. Grab em all and report back to tell everyone how much awesome developing fun you’re having!

Also check the timeline below for more information on webOS as it’s made its path towards the open environment it’s about to be in now. HP is working with the community to keep webOS an operating system worth working with, and we’re excited to see it continue to expand. Also see our webOS tag portal and HP tag to keep up to date with both groups in the very near future too – exciting things are bubbling up!

“For Open webOS we are aiming for support on future hardware platforms where SoC’s support Linux 3.3+ kernel and where open source replacements for proprietary components are integrated. Existing devices cannot be supported because of those many proprietary components, including graphics, networking and lack of drivers for a modern kernel (but of course, there is the Community Edition for those interested in improving the TouchPad)” Open webOS project

Having acquired Palm and its software and hardware assets, HP proceeded to run the platform into the ground and subsequently decided to make webOS open-source. The so-called Open webOS result was thrown open to the developer community and other device manufacturers alike, while a separate Community Edition - currently available for the TouchPad – was released a short while ago.

HP’s excuse is that the existing phones and tablets don’t support the Linux Standard Kernel and lack open-source drivers for some of the hardware components; moving forward it plans to work only with new hardware, leaving the Community Edition to handle those with earlier devices. Unsurprisingly that hasn’t gone down well with the webOS community itself, which points out that HP already has access to the necessary drivers for existing devices, and yet has opted not to release them as open-source or, if it cannot, at least work on variants that could be more freely distributed.

As we’ve seen with Microsoft and the decision to make Windows Phone 8 not backward compatible with Windows Phone 7/7.5 handsets, sometimes companies decide it’s better to cut ties with the past than bring everyone along for the ride. Still, with webOS still with minimal market share and highly dependent on the support of existing owners and developers, HP’s strategy could have a significant impact on the platform’s future.

[via webOS Nation]

For those of you wondering what’s going on here, the following nutshell explanation should suffice, starting with the difference between “hacking” and “rooting” : When you’ve got an Android-based device, you need to be able to get past a block or two before you can get at the guts if you want to “hack” the device. The OUYA device will be provided in two states, one of them “rooted”, one of them not rooted. The non-rooted device will also be able to be rooted with a set of instructions given by the manufacturer on request.

If your device is rooted, this generally means that you’re going to be able to make whatever changes you want to the Android software inside. The fact that the OUYA team is providing this set of root services to all of its users is unprecedented entirely. Google’s Nexus line of devices is root-able and Google encourages developers to get into the line’s insides, but never before has a company provided the means to do so with the product itself.

In addition, again, OUYA is providing several different software builds so that if you change your software in a way that leads you to a dead end, you can simply load the software given to you by the OUYA team and you’ll be fresh and clean. Have a peek at the timeline below to see all the other elements that are making this Android-based project a blockbuster over and over and over again.

[via OUYA]

“Shooters, platformers, sports games, arcade classics and experimental indie games just feel bigger on a TV screen” the Ouya team says. “It’s how most of us grew up gaming.”

Inside, there’s NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 chipset running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of flash storage. It has an HDMI output, capable of up to 1080p HD, along with WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and a single USB 2.0 ports.

The controller, meanwhile, is wireless and includes two analog sticks, a d-pad, eight action buttons and a system button, along with a touchpad for controlling games ported from smartphones or tablets.

However, the Ouya won’t be limited to gaming. Since the software is open-source and, so it’s said, easy to root (without voiding the warranty), and has easy access to the internal design, the team expects various third-party apps including media streaming and more.

At time of writing, the Ouya project is already past the $150,000 pledge point in just a few hours time, with over 1,000 backers, and it could well challenge the Pebble smartwatch for Kickstarter appeal. Still, shipments are not scheduled to start until March 2013.

One of the questions posed by someone in the audience was about Nvidia’s lack of compatibility with Linux. “I was expecting that maybe Nvidia would kind of chip in and do something for it, but they said flat out, ‘No. We’re not doing any support … What’s your comments on this?” she asked. Torvalds tried to be diplomatic at first, saying, “”I know exactly what you’re talking about … Nvidia has been one of the worst trouble spots we’ve had with hardware manufacturers.”

But then he just let loose, finishing his comments with this great sound byte: “Nvidia has been the single worst company we’ve ever dealth with. So Nvidia, f*** you.” Yeah, he actually said the f-word, and not only that, he also flipped the bird. Want to see this for yourself? You better believe it’s on YouTube. Check out the video below and go to 48:14 to see the entire exchange.

[via BSN]

Enter Project Magenta. It is an open-source project that aims to offer the same kind of experiences that iPhone and iPad users are able to have, but without the need to own an Apple device. “Magenta is an implementation of Darwin/BSD on top of the Linux kernel. It is made up of a number of kernel and userland components that work together. It is fully binary compatible with iPhone OS 5.0 (as in, it uses the same binary format),” the official Project Magenta website states.

The eventual goal of Project Magenta is to create the iPhone OS 1.0 stack. “I think this is a pretty feasible goal, considering the fact that there are so many open source libs that can be used to replace the proprietary libs used by Apple,” the project head writes. One limitation is that Project Magenta probably won’t be able to run apps that live on Apple’s App Store, but just replicating the iOS experience on generic hardware would be a great feat.

[via 9to5Mac]

The executive director at The Linus Foundation Jim Zemlin spoke this week about the announcement before it was made public saying how glad he was to be welcoming Samsung into the fold. Having been part of the Linux community for some Time, Samsung will be taking a larger role now in deciding its fate.

“By becoming a leader among its peers in Linux and open source software, Samsung Electronics is clearly raising the bar for innovation once again. The company’s commitment to Linux and investment in its development firmly plants it in a position to continue its achievements in the mobile, embedded and consumer electronics markets. This is a strategic business decision that will result in advancing Samsung Electronics’ success and accelerating Linux development work.” – Zemlin

The Platinum membership that Samsung now holds is the highest membership any group can hold, it including, again, a spot on the Board of Directors. Have a peek at this video to see in a very basic way how Linux works and what it means for you in your everyday technologically advanced life.

TomTom details how open source map alternatives aren’t quite as reliable as paid offerings, saying that they have “a third less residential road coverage and 16% less basic map attributes such as street names.” Not only that, but maps are vulnerable to attack, with TomTom citing the case where Google contractors were found to tamper with OpenStreetMap data. The company goes on to say that such errors in maps are potentially dangerous for drivers, especially when it comes to one-way streets.

The community, meanwhile, isn’t swayed by any of the arguments. One user has taken to a blog to scrutinize TomTom’s claims, saying that the company’s citation of “100,000 individual attacks” is “plain wrong”, detailing that only a couple of dozen of hits were considered to be malicious, promptly fixed by the OpenStreetMap community.

In regards to map coverage, it’s true that OpenStreetMap doesn’t quite have the far reaching coverage expected from a professional service, but the writer notes that the mapping project is growing every day and that TomTom has stretched the truth somewhat to support its claims. Head on over to both websites if you want to read both sides of the argument.

[via Slashdot]

This update effectively lets the browser loose for the world to play with, your own ability to download its source code gifted to you at GitHub as well as http://kylo.tv/ You can also feel free to download the OS X or Windows version of the browser there for free, it also recently upgraded for 1080p support for your gigantic television interface! Steve Scheirey, vice president of TV software and services at Hillcrest Labs, noted the following about the project:

“Releasing Kylo to the open source community is a natural progression for the TV browser. Kylo has always been a distinct initiative apart from our core Freespace business. By releasing Kylo’s source code, we expect to see new innovations and product enhancements from a much broader development community.” – Scheirey

You’ll want to use Kylo as it exists today with your home theater device plugged into your large screen TV. Today this could be anything from a PC tower dedicated to being your television’s brain to an Ultrabook with HDMI output capabilities. Any high-powered machine can be a home theater these days, and Kylo is prepped to bring the web browsing bit of this equation into the limelight. As it’s quoted by Kylo:

“Unlike other applications or websites, Kylo does not offer a “walled garden” of aggregated video content. Instead, it is a fully featured Web browser that lets users browse the open Internet. Compared to conventional browsers, the Kylo browser provides more onscreen viewing space with less visual clutter; larger fonts and buttons for easy navigation from across the room; an easy-to-use onscreen keyboard; and zoom-and-pan capability for enhanced viewing.” – Kylo

Give it a try today, and all you developers out there in the business of using these opportunities to your advantage: let us know what you’re up to!

For the uninitiated, CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) is NVIDIA’s parallel computing system that allows heavy processes to be side-loaded to a computer’s GPU, rather than being handled solely by the CPU. Gamers know CUDA from its ability to load separate processes from a PC game, like the physics engine, into a second NVIDIA graphics card, thereby allowing the primary card to focus on keeping graphics and framerates high. Other applications include accelerated encryption, decryption and compression, video processing and distributed processing as in the Folding@Home project.

The open source code will allow the LLVA compiler to accelerate its operations, no matter which of its supported programming languages it’s working in. The adjustments to LLVA’s core code will enable programmers to more easily accommodate GPU acceleration in their projects, and use a wider array of programming languages to do so. The latest version of LLVA with support for NVIDIA GPU acceleration can be downloaded from the project website.

It was WordPress / Linux Consulting member Chad McCullough who raised the point at the end of launch day for Google Drive, the point being that Google Drive did not support Linux, one of the primary components behind such hits as Android – a Google staple. In his message he spoke on how he’d have to sit tight with DropBox, a system he doesn’t mind using but would rather drop in favor of Google’s flavor:

“I’m sure you’re being inundated with questions about your lack of support for Linux but I need to ask the same question. Why? Is it coming soon? I’d rather not have to stick with Dropbox but if you don’t support Linux, that’s exactly what MANY of us are going to have to do. Google, we love you but you need to show that love for Linux, too.” – McCullough

Though it’s been tipped to us that the release of this integration may come as soon as May, we’ve got our doubts. Remember just this past week that Google did away with Picasa for Linux altogether. On the other hand, that may have been done to make way for Google Drive – we’ll see soon!

Have a peek at our miniature review of the desktop version for Mac OS X and note how the environment Google is providing here in the first days of Google Drive’s arrival are so simple that they should be applicable to essentially any operating system. It’s just windows and folders, after all.

At present, Linux users can’t automatically synchronize their files with Google Drive as per their Mac and PC counterparts. Instead, they need to log in via the browser-based interface and access content there instead, still a workable option but less seamless than a native app.

No timescale for the Linux support has been given, though with Google being something of a cheerleader for open-source products – such as Android, the Chromium browser and Chromium OS – we’re guessing the goal is sooner rather than later. Android and iPhone are already supported with apps, and an iPad app is in the pipeline as well.

If you’re still trying to decide between Google Drive, Box, DropBox or other services, make sure to check out our full comparison of the best options out there.

[via OMG! Ubuntu!]

Of course this in itself isn’t incriminating at all, but the followup response from Oracle may well be. They brought out a 2011 playback of Bloch’s deposition on this same case responding to essentially the same question on the same file. Bloch’s response then was “the same order and same name is a strong indicator that it is likely that I did.” This of course was followed up by Bloch noting (back in 2011) that engineers regularly used that same method in that code. He also noted (in 2011) that he followed up by contributing that code to the Java Development Kit as well.

The key to this situation may well be the fact that Bloch has testified that he wrote the code in question all the way back in 1997, while Sun (now part of Oracle) has the code copyrighted in 2004.

Responding to a question about whether he recalled “accessing” any copyrighted code from Sun or Oracle, he said no, but “under the circumstances I wrote the code, yes, I’m perfectly willing to believe it.” Bloch continued “if I did, it was a mistake, and Im sorry I did it.”

We’ll be continuing to follow this case as it unfolds.

[via The Verge]

The candidates are names you should recognize, both of them being pioneers in their fields for their discoveries and innovations. Linus Torvalds is being recognized this year for his creation of the open source operating system for computers, this leading to the most famous software of all: Linux. As the academy writes:

“The free availability of Linux on the Web swiftly caused a chain-reaction leading to further development and fine-tuning worth the equivalent of 73,000 man-years. Today millions use computers, smartphones and digital video recorders like Tivo run on Linux. Linus Torvald’s achievements have had a great impact on shared software development, networking and the openness of the web, making it accessible for millions, if not billions.” – Technology Academy Finland on Linus Torvalds

The other candidate Dr. Shinya Yamanaka is known, on the other hand, for his discovery of a method of developing medical research-worthy induced pluripotent stem cells which in turn do not rely on the controversial use of embryonic stem cells. As the folks at the academy write:

“Using his method to create stem cells, scientists all over the world are making great strides in research in medical drug testing and biotechnology that should one day lead to the successful growth of implant tissues for clinical surgery and combating intractable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Yamanaka is specifically cited for his prominent work in ethically sustainable methodology.” – Technology Academy Finland on Dr. Shinya Yamanaka

These two will be up for the prize this summer, the winner to be announced at “a festive ceremony” in Helsinki on the 13th of June, 2012. Dr Ainomaija Haarla, President of Technology Academy Finland, added the following:

“We had many worthy nominations that we deliberated over, but ultimately we narrowed it down to these two candidates who have made such a significant impact in the field of computing and stem cell research. I hope this announcement will lead to added recognition for these extraordinary scientists and the technologies that they have developed. These two men may well be talked about for centuries to come.” – Haarla

We’ll let you know who wins when the time comes! Who do you expect will take the prize? Which of these two candidates would you choose?

The Qbo kit includes a basic chassis and mounting plates, the five open-source hardware controller boards TheCorpora has developers, webcams and the necessary cabling. However, buyers will have to provide everything else: the PC brain, servo motors, batteries, etc. There’s a full list of components here.

The Qbo Lite comes in at €1,699 ($2,220; again, a promotion), and is fitted with an Atom D2700 Mini-ITX board, 2GB of DDR3 memory, an HDD and WiFi b/g/n. It will begin shipping in Q4 2012.

Finally, the Qbo Pro is €2,299 ($3,005; a promo price), and comes with an Intel Core i3-2100T Mini-ITX computer with 2GB of ultra-low-profile memory and a 40GB Intel SSD. There are also various added extras on top of the Lite model, such as mechanical eyelids. It too will ship in Q4.

We’ve been huge fans of Qbo over the months, watching the robot learn how to use 3D cameras for environment mapping, take advantage of crowd-sourcing to recognize objects, and track gestures, among many other things. More details in the timeline below.

In fact, not long ago Microsoft made the list of the top contributors to the open source Linux kernel. Microsoft has now announced that it has formed a new subsidiary for open-source standards called Microsoft Open Technologies Incorporated. The new subsidiary will have 50 to 75 employees to start with.

The president of the new subsidiary will be Jean Paoli. Paoli did note in an interview with GeekWire that Microsoft’s existing product groups and divisions will continue to work with open-source standards initiatives. The goal for the new division is to allow it to be more flexible and able to work with outside projects at a faster pace.

“We believe that the subsidiary will provide a new way of engaging with open-source communities in a more clearly defined manner,” he said, adding that the effort is about “bridging Microsoft and non-Microsoft technologies.”

[via GeekWire]

TheCorpora say that three versions of the robot will be available. First, the company will offer a kit, which will let brave souls build their own robot from scratch. If you’re not quite feeling up for that, you’ll be able to buy two different pre-assembled kits. The Lite edition will come with an Intel Atom processor inside, while the Pro version will pack a little more juice with a Core i3 CPU.

The Qbo robot has a myriad of powerful features at its disposal that developers will be able to take advantage of. Included in the body are four ultrasonic sensors, two HD webcams to serve as eyes, as well as an ASUS 3D sensor which will scan the surrounding environment and generate a 3D model that can be layered on top of the 2D mapping generated by the other sensors.

Unfortunately there are no pricing details for the Qbo robots yet, although we expect that there will be some info when the official website and pre-orders go live next week.

In addition to mentioning the future of Android, Page noted that they’ve currently got over 850,000 devices activated every day at this point with Android across the earth. That number comes from a network of 55 manufacturers and more than 300 individual mobile carriers. Page also mentioned how difficult it was at first with Android all the way back in 2004 when he first met with Andy Rubin – “We had a closet full of over 100 phones, and we were building our software pretty much one device at a time.” Such development nightmares are all too fresh today for some game and app makers, mind you.

In addition to noting that Google’s acquisition of Motorola would not stop Google from keeping Android completely open source, he noted how nice Motorola will be to work with through the future:

“In August, we announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility, a company that bet big on Android very early on. We are excited about the opportunities to build great devices capitalizing on the tremendous success and growth of Android and Motorola’s long history of technological innovation. But it’s important to reiterate that openness and investment by many hardware partners have contributed to Android’s success. So we look forward to working with all of them in the future to deliver outstanding user experiences. Android was built as an open ecosystem, and we have no plans to change that.” – Page

Does this mean Google will be putting a lot more input into Motorola’s future devices for Android? Very possibly. Check out the rest of our coverage of this talk today by heading to our [Google portal] or by checking out the timeline below:

In total there are five hardware boards that TheCorpora have designed, the specifications of which will be released under open-source licensing for others to play with. They’ll be paired with standard EMG-30 motors, SRF10 ultrasonic sensors, an LCD, storage, a PC motherboard and “many other components” before being hidden by the plastic body panels.

However, although the expectation is that most will probably choose the Qbo base platform to work from, that’s not to say it’s a requirement. As long as there’s sufficient room in your platform of choice, there’s plenty of flexibility; if you’d rather have an intelligent Dalek rather than the altogether cuter Qbo then you can.

Exactly how intelligent that Dalek can be might surprise you. Although Qbo looks toylike, it can use 3D sensors similar to Microsoft’s Kinect for digital terrain mapping and navigation, identify people and objects and recognize them subsequently, and even use crowdsourcing to boost its skills. There’s also an Android remote control app for using Qbo as a telepresence or security system.

Luckily for those who are more hands-off with their tech, TheCorpora will be offering a fully-constructed version of the Qbo so that you can leave your screwdrivers in the toolbox. Pricing and availability are still yet to be confirmed, though the ‘bot is said to be coming “very soon.”

This marks the first time that Microsoft has appeared on this list grabbing the 17th spot on the list. The significant contributions made by Microsoft to Linux hint that Microsoft may have finally accepted that corporate customers will use open-source operating systems alongside Windows, whether or not Microsoft likes it. The Linux Foundation reported along with the list of top contributors, that developers who are paid perform over 75% of the kernel development done for the operating system.

The first contribution Microsoft made to the Linux kernel was back in 2009 when it released a driver that helped Linux run on Windows server virtualization technologies. Landing on the top contributors list for the open-source operating system certainly doesn’t mean Microsoft is embracing open source with open arms. It still uses patents it holds against open-source operating systems such as Android. Along with the top contributors report, the Linux Foundation also offered up a video talking about how Linux is built that you can view below.

[via GeekWire]

OpenStreetMap is run by the non-profit OpenStreetMap Foundation and works like Wikipedia with all the mapping data provided by volunteers. There have already been half a million volunteers providing mapping data to the service, which can be used by both consumers and businesses for free.

But what really helped spur the growth of OpenStreetMap is Microsoft. The software giant has reportedly donated valuable map data along with big dollars to the non-profit. It also uses OpenStreetMap data for its own Bing Maps service.

Back in November 2010, Microsoft even hired back OpenStreetMap founder Steve Coast to work as Principal Architect for Bing Mobile, allowing him to work on both Bing and OpenStreetMap. Coast is now working on developing open-source software that will make it easier for developers to get data from OpenStreetMap.

[via PC World]

To check out the 180 projects at hand, head over to http://goo.gl/1YHCG, then once you’ve figured out which projects you’d like to work on, head over to the Google Summer of Code Project Website to get going! The date and time this submission period will be over is April 6th, 19:00 UTC, so get moving now!

This entire project, again, will take place over a period of three months this summer and each student accepted into the program will be paired with a mentor from a participating project. This pairing will have students gaining “exposure to real-world software development” and will give the student a fabulous mark on their resume to show to future employers. The code created in all cases will be released to the public in an open-source manner.

If you’re interested and would like to know more before doing any submitting, head to the Google Students page for a Hangout on Air with open source programs manager Chris DiBona. You’ll there have your questions answered should Google find them radically helpful enough to answer – but you’ll need to submit said questions with Google+ or Twitter using the #gsochangout hashtag between then and now. Head to it!

Also check out an example of a Hangout on Air here!