Articles by Jay Lyman

Following last month's release of Lotus Notes collaboration software for Linux, IBM this week started supporting the open source platform on desktop and server computers with its enterprise instant messaging solution Lotus Sametime Big Blue said the collaboration messaging solution would support integration with Linux desktop PCs and servers, broad...

AOL continued its string of acquisitions this week with its purchase of video game publisher GameDaily. The move prompted speculation on AOL's larger strategy, as well as confusion over how the technology and content pieces will fit together for the venerable Internet company The GameDaily deal, financial details of which were not disclosed, comes...

On the heels of its recent Suse Linux Enterprise 10 platform release, Novell said it would put its marketing money where its mouth is with a multimedia ad campaign for Linux The campaign, dubbed "Your Linux is Ready," will be backed by the company's entire fourth quarter advertising budget and will continue through the end of the year....

Virtualization -- the use of multiple instances of operating systems, applications, or other software running on single hardware devices -- comes in many different forms and flavors, but among the most often mentioned of late is XenSource and its open source Xen virtualization technology While still not on the scale of virtualization giant VMware i...

The United States government began issuing new electronic passports this week that include radio frequency identification technology (RFID) to store citizens' personal information The U.S. State Department referred in its announcement to the use of biometric technology and "a contactless chip," the latter a controversial device that will be embedde...

Linspire, a company that is aiming to develop a more mainstream version of Linux, has often taken heat for being less open with itssoftware than other Linux distrubution providers. Now, the San Diego-based firm is inviting criticism again, this time by offering a free version of its Linuxoperating system that includes proprietary drivers and other code intended to deliver better multimedia support. The company launched Freespire 1.0 last week...

Advanced Micro Devices rolled out new and improved versions of its dual-core Opteron server processors this week, touting better power efficiency and virtualization capabilities AMD said its new Rev F chips will carry it through to the end of the year, when it plans to make the transition to quad-core processors. Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Sun Micro...

PalmSource this week announced that it will push its new software library, which is part of the Access Linux Platform, into the open source developer community The firm said its libsqlfs software library, a SQLite add-on, would ease implementation of the ALP. The library is immediately available for download under the Lesser General Public License,...

Microsoft announced on Monday a new set of development tools aimed at allowing the average user to create game content for its Xbox 360 console The software giant hopes its new XNA Game Studio Express software and support will spur games innovation, develop new talent and generally change the way video games are created. The tools will give hobbyis...

In yet another sign that the Hollywood studios are getting more comfortable with the idea of digital distribution for films, the DVD Copy Control Association (CCA) announced changes to the industry's encryption system which will allow some legitimate movie DVD burning DVD burning capabilities are already offered legally from some services, but the ...

In an effort to reach out to open source developers, Apple Computer this week said it will release buildable kernel source code for Intel-based Macs, beginning with code for Mac OS X, version 10.4.7. The firm previously released similar code for its PowerPC-based Macs Apple quietly announced the open code release during its World Wide Developers Co...

Rockstar Games, the maker of the popular but controversial video game series "Grand Theft Auto," is roughing up the industry yet again with its coming new title, "Bully." The new game -- a portrayal of life for a 15-year-old boarding school student navigating the cliques and confrontations of adolescence -- has already been met with harsh resistanc...

Microsoft demonstrated at the DVD Forum in Los Angeles this week a new high-definition DVD (HD DVD) drive add-on for the Xbox 360 gaming console. The device is the company's answer to Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 (PS3), which features an integrated media disc drive using the rival Blu-ray format Microsoft did not indicate pricing or availability o...

Sony is looking to take advantage of the popularity of instant messaging (IM) with its new handheld device unveiled this week. The Sony Mylo is capable of IM and Internet access through any available, open wireless network Offering a 2.4-inch color LCD screen and pullout QWERTY keyboard, Mylo works with popular IM services, including Google Talk an...

The wireless data transfer capabilities of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are intended to speed and assist transactions, but it appears the RFID chips of new U.S. passports are speeding and assisting circumvention, according to a German expert's demonstration at last week's Black Hat hacker conference in Las Vegas DN Systems consultant ...

Virtualization continued to capture attention last week as open source system utilization software from OpenVZ won operating system (OS)-level support from Debian Linux OpenVZ Project Manager Kir Kolyshkin told LinuxInsider the announcement was key for the open source project's larger objective of incorporation into the Linux OS kernel. OpenVZ syst...

In a show of its changed approach to the security of its operating system, and in an effort to reach out to those who might be likely to poke through holes in its proprietary code, Microsoft handed out beta copies of its new Vista operating system and outlined its security features at the Black Hat hacker conference in Las Vegas this week Bearing t...

Linux leader Red Hat made clear this week it supports XenSource and its open source Xen virtualization technology, announcing plans to integrate the offering into the next major release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux Despite speculation that Red Hat might be building its own virtualization technology, the company will, in fact, be working to include X...

Chip giant Intel has entered the mobile phone memory market, making its first NOR flash memory semiconductor products available this week for low-cost, wireless devices in emerging markets Intel said the development of NOR flash, a non-volatile, read-only memory technology -- was a direct response to demand for low-cost phones. Currently 80 percent...

IBM this week revealed five new, higher-end, Opteron-based server systems for increased energy efficiency. The releases further highlight the company's commitment to Advanced Micro Devices' server processor products IBM said its AMD-based server expansion, to include x86 blade servers with new IBM technology, will bolster its arsenal of x86 servers...