Open Source

A group of iPhone developers will be releasing a new software tool today that will enable users to fully customize and control their iPhones. A Youtube video details what is possible with the tool.

The tool known as "Pwnage Tool" is currently a Mac OS X application that allows users to modify their iPhone's bootloader to allow it to boot any software. In its native state, the iPhone bootloader is what prevents it from booting unauthorized (non Apple) firmware.

One Laptop Per Child's XO Laptop is an extremely rugged, energy efficient, low cost laptop designed to be used by children in developing countries. The only way most people in the US or Canada can get one is through the Give One Get One program, which ends on December 31. I got mine yesterday.

August 21, 2007 -- WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA -- MacTech Magazine announced today that its MacForge Mac open source project index now has over 45,000 projects. MacForge.net was created for not only the experienced open source user, but to introduce the Mac technical community to the wonderful array of projects available.

Intel® Threading Building Blocks (TBB), a popular software C++ template library that simplifies the development of software applications running in parallel (key to any multicore computer), is now available as an open source project under the GNU General Public License version two (GPLv2) with the runtime exception.

A startup in Alameda, Calif. plans to release a kind of holy software grail the third or fourth week of June. Lina said its dual-licensed Lina virtual Linux machine will run more or less normal Linux applications under Windows, Mac, or Linux, with a look and feel native to each platform.

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project is asking software coders to develop free, open-source educational computer games for the XO laptop, continuing its push toward a September launch date.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 26, 2007 — Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced plans to release source code for Adobe® Flex™ as open source. This initiative will let developers worldwide participate in the growth of the industry's most advanced framework for building cross-operating system rich Internet applications (RIAs) for the Web and enabling new Apollo applications for the desktop.

Santa Clara, California, USA - Planamesa Software and the NeoOffice.org community are proud to introduce NeoOffice 2.1, a significantly-enhanced version of the Mac OS X-native version of the OpenOffice.org office suite that includes Microsoft Office-compatible word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and database applications.

Beginning with Ubuntu 7.04 ("Feisty Fawn", to be released in April 2007), the PowerPC edition of Ubuntu will no longer be officially supported. The PowerPC software itself and supporting infrastructure will continue to be available, and supported by a community team. However, support for Intel Macs has been added in this release.

Democracy Player version 0.9.5 has been officially released, introducing a host of new improvements and enhancements since the 0.9.2 release back in November of 2006. Here are some of the highlights of the new release: