News (71)

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 »

Despite irregularities, OOXML may clear ISO vote

Early reports indicate that Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) document format appears to have enough votes to be certified an ISO standard but complaints of irregularities and strong-arm tactics are rife. 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 »

Google votes on whether to protect free speech

For the second year in a row, Google shareholders will be asked to hold the Web search giant accountable for protecting free speech, regardless of international borders. Read more »

Protests derail software patents vote

The European Parliament delays voting on a controversial software-patents directive, following protests and criticism by computer scientists and economists. 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 »

Microsoft OOXML becomes an ISO standard

Microsoft's bid to make the Open XML (OOXML) file formats international standards has succeeded, barring any last-minute changes. The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is scheduled to issue the official communique today. Read more »

Microsoft makes OpenDocument ISO move

The software giant has joined a group involved in the ISO standardisation process for OpenDocument, but claims its presence in the group 'will have no impact on the voting'. Read more »

Microsoft and Eclipse cosy up on Java

Microsoft will begin collaborating with the Eclipse Foundation to improve native Windows application development on Java. Read more »

Nokia to acquire Linux firm Trolltech

Nokia is to buy Trolltech, the company whose Linux-based Qt application-development framework is at the core of many PC and mobile applications including Google Earth and Skype. Read more »

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Features (25)

Is government switched on?

E-business can do a lot for improving government and health services, but is Australia taking advantage? Read more »

Development madness

Requirements are unclear, but coding continues as your team strives to hit deadlines. Could agile methods help ensure project success? Read more »

Totally RAD: we road test five IDEs

Builder AU technical editor, David McAmis gets down and dirty with the most popular IDE's to see how they they stack up as Rapid Application Development (RAD) tools. Read more »

Digging code: Software archaeology

At first glance, business software developers have little in common with Indiana Jones. But the emerging field of software archaeology applies some of the same skills, if not the dashing adventure. Read more »

Developer spotlight: James Gosling

We recently caught up with James Gosling, the creator of Java about his new role at Sun, software patents, the open source movement, and the future of Java. Read more »

Developer Spotlight: Richard Stallman

Builder AU recently caught up with RMS to talk about his achievements, the Free Software movement and his concerns with the US-Australian Free Trade Agreement. Read more »

Developer Spotlight: Inside .NET with Juval Lowy

Builder AU caught up with Lowy during his masterclass in Sydney and discussed what is in .NET 3.0, the design review process and how developers can better learn. Read more »

Google vs. Microsoft

At the 2008 Gartner Application Development, Integration and Web Services Summit, David Mitchell Smith, vice president and Gartner fellow gave a presentation titled "Google vs. Microsoft", discussing the seeming battle between the two companies. Read more »

Microsoft plays open but patent jaws still have teeth

Despite Microsoft's claim it will not sue developers that build free open source software on Microsoft platforms, a caveat leaves a yawning space for its legal teeth to gnash those that commercialise the software. 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 »

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Blog (6)

Firefox 3 add-ons to make you a better Web developer

Brendon Chase [blogs:codemonkeybusiness] -- Firefox might be a fast browser but it's extensions can transform it into a powerful development tool for Web developers and designers. Here are 10 of the best to get you started. Read more »

MyPerfect.com.au has potential

[blogs:bootstrappr] -- Victorian Web start-up My Perfect has a strong story and rationale for why it will succeed. But it has to overcome some challenges and design flaws first. Read more »

Flickr fans band together to fend off Microsoft

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- This is what happens when Microsoft tries to take over not just a company but also a community: a number of Flickr users have launched a group opposing the attempted acquisition. Read more »

How useful is OpenSocial?

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- This week's coverage was all over the local MySpace developer launch, we took a look at Google's AppEngine, had more videos than we knew what to do with and can someone put us out of our misery buy Yahoo already! Read more »

Get Ready for This

Brendon Chase [blogs:codemonkeybusiness] -- It seems software developers are quite a musical bunch. Microsoft have a band called "band on the runtime" which play cover songs like "VB.NET" to the tune of the Villiage People's YMCA, and Richard Stallman sings his woeful Free Software song. Read more »

Adobe MAX conference day 2: Cumby, Mobiles, and Winners

Andrew Muller [blogs:nouveauricheinternet] -- Today was the second day of the Adobe Max conference in Las Vegas. There was some big news for Flash developers looking to target mobile devices. 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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