News (21)

EC reluctant to back OpenDocument

The European Commission is reluctant to recommend the OpenDocument file format, even though the format has been endorsed by international standards groups. Read more »

Microsoft goes limp as OOXML vote nears

Microsoft's top executives have promised not to sue open source developers who create non-commercial software based on Microsoft's protocols, but skeptics say it's a ploy to soften its image before the upcoming OOXML vote. Read more »

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Samba: EU made Microsoft talk again

Australia's very own "smartest man in ICT", Samba author Andrew "Tridge" Tridgell, talks about the days when Microsoft was run by programmers, not lawyers, and how the software giant has finally started to give open-source developers due credit. Read more »

Microsoft vows to play fair

Microsoft pledged on Wednesday that all of its future operating systems, including Windows Vista, will abide by self-imposed rules aimed at bolstering choice and competition. Read more »

OSDL ponders open-source code repository

The organisation is considering working on an open-source repository with SourceForge which could be used to check for prior art in software patents, but an anti-patent expert argues it would be of limited use. Read more »

OpenDocument format gathers steam

Big guns in the software industry are massing behind OpenDocument as government customers show more interest in open-source alternatives to Microsoft's desktop software. Read more »

IBM teams with Linux firms for Microsoft-free PCs

IBM has launched its latest attack on Microsoft in the enterprise, forming an alliance with three top Linux distributors to promote Microsoft-free PCs around the world. Read more »

Microsoft publishes 14,000 pages of protocol docs

Microsoft has made public over 14,000 pages of preliminary technical documentation on the protocols built into its Office 2007, Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 products. Read more »

Australia abstains on final OOXML vote

Standards Australia has maintained its "abstain" vote on Microsoft's attempt to attain international standard status for its Office Open XML file format. Read more »

OOXML just a Microsoft 'marketing tool'

The developer of XML and a former ISO committee chair have both claimed that Microsoft was interested in having Office Open XML accredited as an international standard in order to forward the company's wider interests. Read more »

More Development, Documents, Europe News Results

Features (9)

Microsoft not yet open for business

The most impressive aspect of Microsoft's statement on Thursday in favour of caring and sharing wasn't in anything the company said. It was the speed at which the world, or that part of it not in a commercial relationship with Microsoft, digested the information and replied: Heard it before. Not good enough. Read more »

Why the Eurocrats are patently mad

The vote on Tuesday in Brussels to remove all the limits that had been placed on software patents is a sad day for Europe, but it's not too late to change. Read more »

Australian Mobile Development Landscape

Slow networks, expensive data charges, and a plethora of technical problems have prevented the mobile phone taking off as a computing platform. Is that about to change? Read more »

Python in the enterprise: Pros and cons

Python has developed quite a following among a small-but-growing cadre of self-described Pythonistas. This article highlights the pros and cons of building enterprise-class application in Python. Read more »

Discuss the impact of ISO 9001 and CMM

ISO 9001 and CMM have similar goals but different methods. Three experts describe what these quality standards mean to the software industry. Read more »

Planning a Web-based project management system

Here's how one large construction company planned a Web-based project management system. You'll learn firsthand about how the company met the challenges presented by a massive project. Read more »

Using Perl's Finance::Quote to retrieve stock information from the Web

Looking for a way to add stock quotes to your web site? With a little Perl and the Finance::Quote module you can script this up in no time. Read more »

Will open source kill off the CMS money pit?

Open source gurus comment on content management system enterprise adoption, the effects of OSS, and understanding community goals. Read more »

James Gosling Q & A

James Gosling was in Australia this week to give two question-and-answer session to local developers. A rare opportunity for local developers, Builder AU was on hand to transcribe the event for those who couldn't make it. Read more »

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  • Staff Crying, mooning and leaving

    In this week's roundup we see that continuous whining can get results, Linux users get 64-bit Flash and Moonlight previews, the latest in the Yahoo/Microsoft relationship and Senator Conroy ducks and weave in Senate Question Time. Read more »

    -- posted by Staff

  • Brendon Chase Sun eye Web developers with Netbeans 6.5

    Despite the recent employment axe hitting Sun the company has pushed out a new release of its Netbeans open source IDE with an eye to appeal more to Web developers. Read more »

    -- posted by Brendon Chase

  • Renai LeMay BarCamp buzz: Let the hacking continue

    Attending last weekend's BarCamp in Sydney, it was hard to escape the conclusion that a certain "dot-com bust" flavour had seeped into the kool aid previously being drunk by Australia's web 2.0 and early stage start-up sector. Read more »

    -- posted by Renai LeMay

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