Category Archives: Open Source

CNET Insider Secrets – Open Source Free Software

I am not the only one who knows that there is an alternative to commercial software.

This video explains how there are open source free software alternatives to some of the most popular commercial software. openoffice, Firefox, Audacity, GIMP, mediacoder. Well worth a watch if you are unsure about the benefits of free software. Source: www.cnettv.com

Open Source to Give Apple a Run for It's Money

On the cool gadget front, there is a new upstart that can give Apple a run for it’s money with open source applications.  The device is called the GiiNii Moveit which is a mobile Internet device that operates on a 4.3 inch screen.

The device is Wifi enabled and can be used with a Skype account to call anyone anywhere via VoIP internet connections so you know how much that costs per call.  This device also has a build in mini webcam to make your Skype connection face to face.

Add that to the Internet connection with Google and social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter and you really have something worth talking about.  Everything you would like on a small device where open source can add any application you want.

The landscape is looking good out there.

Open Source Audio Capture Utility

Are you looking for an open source audio capture utility?  If you are there are a few good ones out there that will do the job for you. one of the most popular of these programs is Nanogong.

Nanogong is an applet that can be used to record, save, and playback a voice recording.  It’s very simple to use, you just download the applet and stick it in the web page and your users can record using the microphone attached to their local PC.   There is also code that integrates the recording device in the open source tinyMCE editor so recordings may be made and attached as audio files to your web page.

There is another audio capture software program  available called Audacity which is an open source program for both capturing and editing sounds.  This software is a cross platform program in that it is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.  This is a great program especially if you are interested in editing the sounds.  This program comes with many USB turntables that can be used to clean up all those pops and hisses that exist on your old vinyl records when you convert them to digital.

Elsewhere in the Open Source

Audacity Free Audio Editor for Windows, Mac, Linux | I

Audacity: Free Audio Editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux Audacity is a free and open source audio editor and recorder that works for Windows, Mac, and Linu… … It can record live audio through a microphone or mixer. Level meters can monitor volume levels before, during, and after recording. Can digitize recordings from cassette tapes, vinyl records, or minidiscs. Can capture streaming audio. Dub over existing tracks to create multi-track recordings. […]

 .NET Voice Recorder

NET framework does not provide any direct support for recording audio, so I will make use of the open source NAudio project, which includes wrappers for a number of Windows audio recording APIs. Note: It is important to point out that . … Normally, you will be able to use the default audio capture device without any difficulties, but should you need to offer the user a choice, NAudio will allow you to do so. You can use the WaveIn.DeviceCount and WaveIn.  […]

Moodle

Moodle is an open source course management system that is also parlayed as a learning management system or a virtual learning environment.   In reality Moodle is a content management system writtne in PHP which has all of the functionality if many PHP online collaboration and development tools available in open source.

The Moodle platform creates a community of users that can communicate with its various levels of citizenry using email, forums, blogs, task managers, chat rooms, and online educational routines.  For the educational community, Moodle offers a fully integrated platform that lets administrators and teaches communicate and manage course activities among themselves and to the students who take online courses through the Moodle network.

This platform can be used within a school or within an entire school district to manage courses and activities across multiple locations in a central location.  The platforms allows members to communicate with each other using either email, forums, or chat which in turn increases productivity through mutual collaboration while extending courses to students that can be worked on independently within a classroom atmosphere.

Moodle

After a few weeks of using Moodle, an open-source and therefore free VLE, it finally took over from WebCT and we all breathed a sigh of utter relief. To entirely misquote Steve Jobs, using Moodle really is like drinking a glass of ice cold water in the dark depths of Hell.

Moodle vs Blackboard 

Moodle vs. Blackboard Learning Management System: An Evaluation – Moodle is the industry-leading, open source learning management system and it is gradually taking marketshare from Blackboard due to its scalability, dramatic cost savings, and robust features.

Open Source SSO

Open Source SSO is project that provides the core identity services to simplify and implement a transparent single sign-on (SSO) as a security component in a network infrastructure. OpenSSO provides the basis for integrating diverse web applications that might typically operate independently with a disparate set of identity parameters which and are hosted on a variety of platforms such as web and application servers.

This project is based on the code base of Sun Java System Access Manager which was developed by Sun Microsystems.  

Glassfish is Open SSO’s  preferred deployment container The general idea os the SSO is to provide an tiered relationship between the different functions and applications acrros an enterprise network.  The tiered relationship bascialy creates separate and isolated functional areas.

In a typical arrangement, multi-tiered application have a client tier, a middle tier, and a data tier (or enterprise tier).  The client tier consists of a client tier which makes requests to the middle tier. The middle tier’s comprises of the business functions which handle client requests and process application data, and then storing it in a permanent datastore in the data tier. 

This means that the middle tier holds the business logic of the application and provides the framework for conversations with the client.  From a users perspective this is comprised if the web tier which handles the interaction between the client (e.g. the individual workstation) and the business tier (the business application itself) which collects input from the client, generates content, controls the flow of the screen or pages (the application flow), maintains the user session, and performs basic logic to hold data temporarily, and then forwards the completed data to the enterprise tier for permanant storage of information for use by other systems.

Open Source SSO

Specifically, the WinSSO plugin had a few problems with the interceptor implementation as it would also only allow SSO when a user was in the KnowledgeTree database and it did not work for Kerberos authentication. … Every open source project lives mainly from its community. With a thriving community OSS projects will undoubtedly succeed. It is imperative that everyone that uses and enjoys KnowledgeTree contribute their ideas, bug fixes, documentation, translations, etc.

Google Open Source Blog: New Functionality for Moodle

Our Open Source Programs Office sponsored the work and the result is an Open Source single sign-on integration between Moodle and Google. The best part is the extensibility features allow any educational software vendor to take a  similar approach to provide user directory synchronization, single sign-on, and user data integration.

Secure Internet Single Sign-On (SSO)

Written for anyone interested in understanding how secure Internet SSO works, this white paper explores the limitations of current SSO implementations outside of a single security domain (including identity and access management systems and open source development)  and introduces standalone secure Internet SSO as a solution.

Open Source Telephone Software – Asterisk

Why Asterisk?

Firstly, to use a product, you will have to know what it is. Asterisk is an Open Source PBX telecommunication platform. It is flexible because it is able to run on different operating systems – Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Open BSD, etc. Only basic software is required. Asterisk comes with high end features like IVR, voice mail, automatic call distribution, etc. It is highly programmable and it able to handle VoIP calls over multiple VoIP protocols.

You are able to easily integrate PSTN with VoIP. Asterisk also allows mix match of analog, IP and digital phones. Even if you have no knowledge of how to change from traditional PBX to Asterisk, fear not! Asterisk allows you to migrate from traditional PBX easily. It gives the user a complete control of telephony. What’s more, it is free! It is licensed under the GPL open source. A commercial license version is also available.

I quote, Joshua Stephens, CEO of Switchvox, "With Asterisk, you can build any phone system you want. It’s irreplaceable when you need custom programming. It lets you build PBXs with the kinds of features that otherwise would cost many tens of thousands of dollars."

Just like any other open source project, the need for Asterisk was also there. It started with Mark Spencer, creator of Asterisk. Mark felt traditional PBX was too expensive for his business, and started writing software, which was the first version of Asterisk. In actual fact, voice lines can hook up to PC via expansion cards and process itself by software.

Mark teamed up with Jim Dixon to build inexpensive expansion cards for inexpensive PCs to interface with PSTN. These inexpensive expansion cards are known as Digium PCI cards. Today, Asterisk is the de facto standard for voice switching and PBX functions in open source space.

Asterisk allows one to take control of their phone system, and the costs are very low. It allows you to integrate with business systems or existing PBX and it is in an easy development environment. Asterisk is not tied down by proprietary systems and it comes with a powerful and flexible dial plan. You can have advanced telephone features for a low cost access.

The customer has a lower deployment cost and has freedom for him in the network implementation. It frees the customer from single vendor dependency, and eliminates upgrade-path costs. The calls cost less, and provides the alternative avenues for support big fixes.

The supplier benefits from the broad base of potential users, with a technically savvy user base. Because the existing software is very expensive and the need for extreme customization, customers would take an easy way out and leave it all to the supplier. The supplier has a potential hardware market and there is a strong advantage for entering the fast expanding convergence market.

By: San Singhania

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Article contributed by Phil Lam who is a VoIP consultant at Lantone Communications. Led by a team of experienced IT developers, Lantone Communications is one of the leading VoIP Provider in Singapore. Please visit their official website for the latest information on VoIP. This article may be reprinted in its original form as long as the resource box is left intact and the links live and the article is not to be modified in any way.

Asterisk PBX System Install

I dial 1 and the 207 phone on my desk rings and I can pick it up and talk pretty cool when you get that working for the first time. Next time we will get outbound calls working. Asterisk PBX Install – Index. 

Asterisk on Steroids

You can schedule reminders by telephone by dialing 1-2-3 from a phone connected to your Asterisk PBX. The default password is 12345678. To keep strangers from using your reminder system, you need to change this password.

VOIP Phone Server

I have gotten it work with asterisk pbx though. I had to manually specify my public IP in the asterisk SIP configuration. Then it did work. I don’t know your PBX solution, but it probably should have a setting like that.

Benefits of Open Source Software

There are many benefits to using open source software in any technological environment.  Here are a few examples of those benefits.

Open source software is a type of software that is developed using a particular method that allows the software to be more open than other methods. It harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. As a result, open source software is of a higher quality, has higher level of reliability, is more flexible, has a lower cost than other software options, and is a feasible end to predatory vendor lock-in.

Open source software has a higher level of quality than many other software options thanks to its peer review process. Much like the peer review methods that are used by scientific, medical, or scholarly magazines, open source software programs undergo many of the same processes. Peer review enables fellow software writers to ensure that the software will actually do what it is designed to do. Open source coding can be analyzed, audited, and vetted by dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of individuals who all expect to be able to use their software without problems.

Another benefit is that bugs and other aberrations can be discovered quickly and patched. This is because the coding for open source software is open and transparent. Because people can look at it, they can easily figure out where the bug or aberration is. This creates something of a disincentive for malicious programmers to place back doors, Trojan Horses, and other types of malicious coding in their programs. In addition, once it has been affected by such a negative item, open source code can be corrected more easily.

Another benefit of  is that it is much less expensive than other options. If I company needs $60 billion worth of software for its offices and chooses to go with a less expensive option that still gives all the benefits and minimizes the risks, that company has just saved a lot of money. That can lead to an investment of the money into other areas that will lead to a return on investment rather than further draining the company’s coffers with costly updates.

Open source software really has too many benefits to be named in one place. One of the newest benefits is that the benefits of using it now, in many cases, out weight the possible risks. A recent survey of businesses in Europe revealed that 54% now felt that open source software brought more benefits than risks.

For more information on the open source software and its uses, please visit http://www.mpoweropen.com.

Author: Joseph Devine

Joseph Devine

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Devine

Open Source

The segment also takes a look at the personal reasons behind this collaboration and the benefits of an “Open Source” approach to sharing biomedical knowledge. Featured in this segment are representatives from two of Health Commons.

Open Source Benefits Of MySQL

Looks like it works in benefit of the open source philosophy. In fact, we can effectively use it to highlight free-as-in-speech benefits of open source software that usually get ranked below the free-as-in-beer ones.

Open Source Sotware Benefits

Considers benefits to producers including lower capital costs, reduced operating costs and higher revenues, and benefits to users including improves quality and reliability, lower costs and greater consumer choice. Discusses economic and societal benefits such as reduced energy consumption, enhanced national security, conservation of natural resources, less air pollution and lower carbon emissions.

Who Uses Open Source Software

Trolltech ASAis a Norwegian company with its headquarters in Oslo, Norway, that is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The company was founded in 1994, by Eirik Chambe-Eng and Haavard Nord (although they had actually begun writing Qt in 1991).

Trolltech’s principal product is Qt (pronounced "cute"), a multi-platform framework for developing applications – originally GUI applications only, but since version 4, also suitable for use in developing console-based programs and server applications. As well as cross-platform functions for developing GUIs, Qt includes a wide variety of other useful functions, also cross-platform, such as functionss for multi-threading, database access, XML parsing, file manipulation, internationalization, etc.

The Qt framework has been used to develop a wide variety of applications. These include KDE, a popular desktop environment (in fact Trolltech employs several KDE developers), as well as the Opera web browser, Skype, Google Earth, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and OPIE (Open Palmtop Integrated Environment). Qt itself is written in an extended version of the C&#43&#43 programming language (a special preprocessor is used to add features to standard C&#43&#43), but the toolkit can in fact be accessed from a variety of programming languages including Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, Pascal, C#, and Java, as well as C&#43&#43.

In 2001, Trolltech introduced Qtopia, a version of Qt adapted for applications on devices running an embedded version of Linux, such as mobile phones, PDAs and other consumer devices. In 2004, a version of Qtopia for smart phones, called Qtopia Phone Edition, was introduced. Qtopia Phone Edition has been subsequently used by Trolltech themselves in their own brand smart phone, named "Greenphone", which they began selling in 2006.

Author: Sunil Tanna

First published at http://www.osgram.com/news_companies_trolltech.php

Discover the latest Open Source and Linux news at http://www.osgram.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sunil_Tanna

A Practical Use Of Open Source Software

This is a very interesting article that discusses the use of Open Source software and how each particular software was chosen to fulfill the needs of the company as they are starting their business. 

As we started the project of our web site, we knew that the proprietary software costs would be too high for our financial resources. Our only option then was to make use of Open Source Code softwares.

However, within the Open Source Code there are lots of softwares to choose from, and its up to the system analyst/programmer to pick the ones that best suit the project goals.

  what are the benefits of open source software

In our case, we picked Linux as our operating system. However we faced a big question: Which Linux distribution ? There are dozens of linux distributions, each one with specific advantages, sometimes with or without paid services.

We chose linux Slackware because we thought that it would suit better our needs, in terms of stability and reliability. Slackware is a conservative distribution, meaning that it only offers in its distribution package kernel versions and third party libraries, once its been proved to be stable and reliable. As a result, Slackware is one the most stable Linux operating system on the market. If the user wishes the most recent Linux kernel and libraries, we recommend to look for a different distribution.

Another reason for us picking Slackware, was because of its text interface, which at the beginning may become a bit difficult, in the long run however it offers a better understanding of the Linux environment. This way most of Slackware configurations are done thru text scripts.

Once it was set the operating system, we picked Apache as our web server. Apache is one of the most popular web server in the internet. For server programming language, we chose PHP. Also, a very popular programming language. Our experience with Apache/PHP proves that this setup is very reliable, working extremely well in our production environment. For workstation programming language, we chose javascript, which besides of having a simple syntax, it offers lots of resources.

Apache web server is really a complete web server. Also, it can become very complex with many configuration setups.

For our database, we picked Postgresql. This database has been made available to the public for more than 15 years, and besides of being well debugged, it offers so many resources that it has become one of the best database options from Open Source Code softwares. Extremely reliable, Postgresql has reported cases where there have been databases in production with over 4 terabytes. Besides all of that, Postresql is not the most popular Open Source Code database. A matter of marketing ? Probably.

As for the programming language PHP, we had to use an object oriented application structure. There are many PHP application structures being offered with Open Source Code license. Object oriented application is very important, because it makes programming very easy and scalable up to the point where the system may grow without many problems. Also, it helps to keep PHP code separated from HTML, with the help of some specific libraries, such as Smarty. We make use of Smarty library and we believe that it is a very important resource, which can even make web pages faster thru the use of its cache functions.

Also a very important set of libraries worth mentioning for PHP systems, is the PEAR libraries. In PEAR web site, among the many libraries being offered, there are the database interface DB and the MAIL_QUEUE, which sends emails thru the use of database.

As we came to the end of our project, we had to use some sort of real time database replication. For that we chose the DRBD and Heartbeat libraries. The use of database replication is very important and should not be postponed. Just after 3 months our system got into production, our server hard disk became bad. Thru the use of DRBD/Heartbeat we were able to put the system back into production within seconds, without loosing any data. DRBD/Heartbeat replication is done thru the use of a lan network between the server and slave nodes.

Our project also makes use of ImageMagick (enlarge and reduce images), Iptables (firewall), Tsearch2(text search in portgresql) and Mon (linux monitoring tasks).

Also a very important library worth mentioning is the pseudo APC compiler for PHP. Speed is always a critical factor for internet sites.

Our web site is already in production and based upon our experience we can say that the Open Source Code softwares we picked, proved to be extremely reliable and stable. Open Source Code softwares can certainly be an excellent option for developing web sites.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the authors name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

Adventures in Open Source

Dan Ariely devotes a whole chapter to “free” in his most excellent book Predictably Irrational, and since deploying open source software is not without cost (in either time, money or both) it can be misleading.

Is All Open Source Software Really Free?

When software developers and architects select open source software over commercial alternatives, there is often a premise that because the software is free, (as in beer vs. speech) there is zero cost associated with the choice.


Reassuring End Users Of Open Source

Furthering the adoption of open source software (OSS) is often seen as a natural, contagious progression as more developers and users share with others about the success of their projects. But how can an open source project even hope to  compete with proprietary commercial products with massive marketing budgets and staff?