Joomla! 1.5 is Out
Well, I know I am a bit late on this but it is worth mentioning anyway.
Probably the world’s most popular CMS (Content Management System) has just had a major update. The Joomla! 1.5 release has been over 2 years in the making and is a vastly different product (behind the scenes at least) than the 1.0 version which has been so popular since the fork from Mambo.
Visit the Joomla! site to get the low-down on 1.5. I have just got the release and set-it up in house to start testing. Install was a total breeze and the new admin UI feels a whole lot cleaner.
It will be some time before it is as widely used as the 1.0 series, not least due to the huge numbers of extensions and plug-ins which are now only compatible when accessing the new Joomla in legacy mode. Also, there are major changes to the way templates are handled and although the changes are certainly for the better, again, it will take some time for writers to migrate their templates and for the community to start creating lots of new stuff for 1.5 only systems.
Congratulations to the Joomla! team. It is a great product, and I’m sure this release will go a long way to making it even more popular as the CMS of choice.
Dell offers another Ubuntu Linux laptop
So Dell are obviously having some success with their Ubuntu loaded computers then. Announcing yesterday that they are to add a new model to the line up and it arrives in Europe before the US and they add Spain to their list of supported countries. Well done Dell.
It would great to get some numbers or statistics about units sold, number of technical calls after purchase (I bet it is a shed-load less then Vista lol…).
Did Steve Ballmer Just Die?
I’m not sure what to make of this really…
Microsoft, through ECMA (the body currently dealing with DIS29500) announced today that it is going to:
… in response to requests for even easier access to the Binary Formats, Microsoft has agreed to remove any intermediate steps necessary to get the documentation, and will post it and make it directly available for a direct download on the Microsoft web site. Microsoft will also make the Binary Formats subject to its Open Specification Promise (see www.microsoft.com/interop/osp) by February 15, 2008.
In plain English, they are basically stating that they are going to make publicly available the specifications for their legacy [Update. that was my assumption. Discussion already suggests that they are in fact ONLY releasing access to Office 2007 binary formats] Office binary file formats. There are a few questions I’d be interested in getting answers to about this statement.
- Which versions of their Office Binary Formats will be published?
- What does their OSP (Open Specification Promise) really mean? Especially in relation to the GPL.
- Why and why now…?
The published reason is that because there are so many statements in the DIS29500 spec that refer to instructions like “doLineBreaksLikeWord95″ that they really didn’t have much of an option. Either include all the old specs as part of DIS29500 or make them available elsewhere.
If Microsoft are really genuine about this, and the OSP stacks up and enables developers to use the information with GPL licenced software then, quite frankly, I applaud their decision even though I am quite amazed by it.
Of course we have just had the announcement by the EU regarding two new investigations into Microsoft’s monopoly and abuse thereof; one of which is specifically to do with Office file formats. So could this also be an attempt to deflect the EU investigators? Only time will tell I guess.
The second significant announcement they have made relates to the setting up of an Open Source project:
Microsoft have agreed to:
Initiate a Binary Format-to-ISO/IEC JTC 1 DIS 29500 Translator Project on the open source software development web site SourceForge (http://sourceforge.net/ ) in collaboration with independent software vendors. The Translator Project will create software tools, plus guidance, showing how a document written using the Binary Formats can be translated to DIS 29500. The Translator will be available under the open source Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) license, and anyone can use the mapping, submit bugs and feedback, or contribute to the Project. The Translator Project will start on February 15, 2008.
That is quite an amazing statement from Microsoft. The BSD license is an interesting choice. It is very business friendly. But what this really says to me is:
- that Microsoft have had enough of trying to do this [manage multiple file formats, ad nausea] on their own.
- their own converter isn’t that good!
- there are too many requests for a platform independent or agnostic converter (Mac, Linux, OpenBSD and mobile platforms etc etc etc). Obviously Microsoft couldn’t really write a converter for Linux now could they?
There are some good comments below Brian’s post, with some confusion about OSP and GPL compatibility, but on the whole most people’s reaction seems positive.
I find myself in the strange position of having to agree. They should probably be encouraged and praised for these decisions; although I can’t help but think there is a sting-in-the-tail somewhere…
But how on earth have they managed to actually do this is what gets me – has Steve Ballmer just died or something?
Sun to buy MySQL for $1b
SANTA CLARA, CA January 16, 2008 Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MySQL AB, an open source icon and developer of one of the world’s fastest growing open source databases for approximately $1 billion in total consideration. The acquisition accelerates Sun’s position in enterprise IT to now include the $15 billion database market. Today’s announcement reaffirms Sun’s position as the leading provider of platforms for the Web economy and its role as the largest commercial open source contributor.
Wow. That really makes sense for Sun and makes the chaps from MySQL nicely rich!
Sun have already shown themselves to be pretty into the Open Source thing. In the last couple of years they have Open Sourced Java and Solaris. Two of their biggest software platforms. I recall Jonathan Schwartz saying how, after giving away the software for free they made more money from it… That makes perfect sense to me, but it doesn’t seem to work for Microsoft yet.
Cool
A REALLY BIG day for OOXML [Updated (or is it deprecated?)]
Today the 14th January 2008 is actually quite a BIG day. Two things have happened that are not directly related but may well, ultimately, have a very positive cumulative effect for us all.
The first thing is ECMA must present, to the voting bodies (NBs) of ISO that will decide the fate of DIS29500, their deliberations and suggested alterations on the 3522 comments which were given during the fast track review period last year.
Update: It has come to my attention that ECMA has issued the dispositions for all 3522 comments. As they are password protected and not for public consumption I couldn’t possibly have seen them but from what I can gather, large parts of the OOXML specification have been moved into a deprecated annex. How long before Office 2007 supports what is effectively a new DIS29500 remains to be seen. If of course, Microshaft decide to bother that is.
That the proposed specification should never have been fast-tracked (it was not ready, full of errors and inconsistencies and worse), or that Microsoft tried to bribe and corrupt their way through the ISO processes to ensure that it passed (and it still failed because it was so bad), is now neither here nor there.
There is to be a meeting in Geneva next month called a BRM (Ballot Resolution Meeting) where members will participate in the review of ECMA’s suggestions for amendments and changes to DIS29500. After the meeting (which only lasts 5 days) the members will have 30 days to decide if they should change their September vote.
One can only begin to imagine what will be going on in the countries that have been Microsoft’s puppet before and those which have so far resisted the borg’s influence. There are already stories of high skulduggery appearing.
The blogosphere is already starting to hot up again for this topic. Here’s a few good links to get you in the mood for what is to come.
Rob Weir (An Antic Disposition),
No OOXML
Groklaw
Open Forum Europe
The second event to have occurred today which may well have a bearing is the EU’s decision to start two more investigations into Microsoft’s anti-competitive practises and more specifically:
The European Commission has decided to initiate two formal antitrust investigations against Microsoft Corp concerning two separate categories of alleged infringements of EC Treaty rules on abuse of a dominant market position (Article 82). The first case where proceedings have been opened is in the field of interoperability in relation to a complaint by the European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS). The second area where proceedings have been opened is in the field of tying of separate software products following inter alia a complaint by Opera.
The Interoperability investigation is explained thus:
In the complaint by ECIS, Microsoft is alleged to have illegally refused to disclose interoperability information across a broad range of products, including information related to its Office suite, a number of its server products, and also in relation to the so called .NET Framework. The Commission’s examination will therefore focus on all these areas, including the question whether Microsoft’s new file format Office Open XML, as implemented in Office, is sufficiently interoperable with competitors’ products.
So they want to find out if their new file format (OOXML) is actually implementable by anyone else or is just a smokescreen to make them appear to be playing ball. As usual Groklaw does some in-depth analysis of these issues (where you will always get a good read).
Oh Goody. This will keep us all busy for a while…
And who knows, the EU and the ISO might just both get it right 
OOXML Questions Microsoft Cannot Answer in Geneva
Here is a great summary of the stuff that Microsoft cannot or will not deal with for Geneva’s BRM.
OOXML Questions Microsoft Cannot Answer in Geneva
Written by Charles H Schultz, Russell Ossendryver and Lars Nooden. Spread the word and let your NB’s take a look before they go to Geneva.
