Treeduck

Nearly a year ago Cisco announced (in THIS BLOG Oct 14th, 2008) a new contest where teams would develop creative, open source applications for a Cisco Integrated Services Router. With a total prize of $100,000 USD, this contest brought in a number of teams to compete. Of those teams that entered, there were eight finalists. Of those finalists I had the pleasure of interviewing three teams that have a chance to share the prize money. The questions focused on open source (of course) and just might shed some light on how projects like this can help further the cause. You can click on the link for each team to see the project they are working on.

Team Ideate (Gopinath Bailur)

1. What inspired you to create this particular project?

Gopi New platforms excite us all the time and our curiosity to do new things in every platform was the driving factor for us to create this project. Also being so long with Servion Global Solutions and handling Customer Interaction Management domain, we felt the need to address common customer issues while managing the platform. Having intelligence at the edge is something we are very cognizant about, and AXP has a good solution for that which we wanted to explore.

2. What draws you to develop open source projects?

Gopi: What interests us in particular on open source is the fact that I am working collaboratively with the best minds across the world. Also in converse, the pride that we get that somebody else is using our code drives us to work more in these projects and initiatives.

3. What are the particular problems you run into when developing open source projects?

Gopi : As always support is a big problem. It is always at “best effort” and there are no SLAs or owners we can reach out to. In hear we ensured to use the best of best open source tools available which does not hinder development.

4. What operating systems will this be available for? Or will this only require the use of Cisco hardware?

Gopi : This can work on a Linux based kernel. But we tweaked it to work for AXP as well. Though as a standalone model it does not require Cisco hardware, to get the best of both worlds, we recommend that these applications are used in tandem with Cisco gear. Our application depicts and enhances the capability of the platform and makes more sense to deploy for our customers.

5. Do you ever plan on releasing this code to the public and/or porting it to a standard Linux (or Linux variant) operating system?

Gopi: Some of the code we developed was already based on open source, so if given a chance we would evaluate releasing it to public.

6. What other open source projects are you working on?

Gopi : We have worked extensively on Asterisk and we might do the same in the future as well. We will be continuously looking for opportunities which tickle our brain and more importantly are useful to the customer.

7. What are the biggest challenges facing open source in the future?

Gopi: We believe ownership to be the biggest challenge facing open source in the future. Honestly, we believe that open source will challenge proprietary code.

8. Does this team develop with open source tools (if so, what)?

Gopi: We do work on Linux on kernels which we compile based on the requirement of our product.

9. If the team could only choose one operating system to work with, what would that be?

Gopi : Linux

10. How does the work you are doing with this Cisco project directly benefit the open source community?

Gopi : If our source code can be given back to the public, it would help a lot. Especially some of the feature set that we developed are utmost required by any customer using the Cisco platform which ensures proactive monitoring, managing the overall asset, capacity planning etc..

SNAT (Patrick McNeil)

1. What inspired you to create this particular project?

Patrick: The initial inspiration for the project came from my professional job as a computer network and security consultant. During the course of my normal work, I would do network assessments for customers which had minimal information on the devices on their network. The initial work was a series of scripts to do data collection (not integrated into a cohesive package).

At the same time, I was working on my first Master’s degree from the University of Advancing Technology (UAT - http://www.uat.edu). As part of my final applied thesis, I created the first generation of the SNAT. This project integrated a number of separate scripts into a cohesive application with a web front end and a database back end.

The inspiration to integrate the standalone SNAT project with the Cisco AXP hardware platform comes from a desire for organizations to deploy devices that can perform audit functions within the network, but without the need for separate hardware and software to manage. This integration enables the network team to deploy their auditing tools without requiring additional space or cooling in the data center.
2. What draws you to develop open source projects?

Patrick: I prefer development on the open source projects because of the freedom to modify and review source code for the applications and libraries I use. Additionally, the open source projects generally have low cost to entry (free in most cases) and are more agile and responsive to the needs of the community. From a support perspective, most large open source projects have an active community that can provide examples or troubleshooting tips for common issues during the development process.

3. What are the particular problems you run into when developing open source projects?

Patrick: Typical issues I have run into when developing in an open source environment is the lack of a unified vision or direction for related projects. Also, documentation is sometimes lagging behind the current releases (though this is not always the case). On smaller projects, there may not be a large or active community making support more difficult. However, I typically do not run into these issues very often.

4. What operating systems will this be available for? Or will this only require the use of Cisco hardware?

Patrick: The SNAT project utilizes the Cisco Hardware or nearly any operating system meeting the prerequisites (Perl, MySQL, Apache, and a number of Perl libraries). I am currently in development on a Java version of the application to get around some limitations of portability between different operating system versions.

5. Do you ever plan on releasing this code to the public and/or porting it to a standard Linux (or Linux variant) operating system?

Patrick: The current version of SNAT operates on standard Linux systems today. I am working on porting the application to Java to enable a more portable (less library dependent) installation of the application. I have been considering releasing the code into the public and creating the application as an open source project.

6. What other open source projects are you working on?

Patrick: Currently, I a not working on any other open source projects.

7. What are the biggest challenges facing open source in the future?

Patrick: I believe the biggest challenge for open source in the future is the perception that open source means free. Although most open source projects are free, that does not mean that the
developers should be working for free (or that all open source projects should be free). For example, a common method for monetizing an open source project is to offer professional
services (installation, configuration, customization, support, etc) around the open source project.

Another challenge around open source is the perception that organizations are basically on their own for support. The perception with going with commercial software is the fact that there is an organization which provides support services, upgrades, etc for the product. When compared to an open source project, there may not be an organization providing support (or even continuing the development of a project).

8. Does this team develop with open source tools (if so, what)?

Patrick: Team SNAT used the Eclipse IDE (http://www.eclipse.org/) for the development of the primary application components and source code development.

9. If the team could only choose one operating system to work with, what would that be?

From the application development perspective the Linux operating system (Ubuntu specifically) would be the primary operating system for the application hosting. The development workstations can be any operating system supporting the Eclipse IDE (in this case a combination of Windows and Ubuntu workstations were used at different points in the development process).

10. How does the work you are doing with this Cisco project directly benefit the open source community?

Patrick: The most obvious benefit is the additional exposure from a large organization such as Cisco putting support and development effort into the open source community. The open source community also benefits from more teams developing projects utilizing open source technologies. These projects expand the knowledge and breadth of applications and offerings available in the open source community.

BugsBernie (Bernie Beckmann)

1. What inspired you to create this particular project?

Bernie: Several customers’ demands

2. What draws you to develop open source projects?

Bernie: To fill some infrastructure gaps of closed software. Plus, speed & flexibility.

3. What are the particular problems you run into when developing open source projects?

Bernie: Sometimes lack of documentation, community response at very specific issues

4. What operating systems will this be available for? Or will this only require the use of Cisco hardware?

Bernie: The current release is closely linked with the Cisco H/W (AXP/CUCME), which is one of the great benefits of having such a close integration (such as high security for IOS API communication etc.).

5. Do you ever plan on releasing this code to the public and/or porting it to a standard Linux (or Linux variant) operating system?

Bernie: It actually runs on Ubuntu too, for example.

6. What other open source projects are you working on?

Bernie: Use of Ubuntu, PJSIP, Mono project, plans for Jabber/XMPP

7. What are the biggest challenges facing open source in the future?

Bernie: S/W patent issues and solid business models for developers

8. Does this team develop with open source tools (if so, what)?

Bernie: Other tools: .NET/C# (ECMA standards) on Visual Studio

9. If the team could only choose one operating system to work with, what would that be?

Bernie: Fortunately, there is a large selection of OS’s available, in the open source world as well as in the closed source world to give the developers and customers the best choice depending on demands and requirements (business workflow, embedded, real-time, …) Developers just love to have the choice. So when it comes to operating system, the Linux variants are best, but for development tools I do prefer .NET. Mono seems to unite both worlds which was part of my personal challenge of this project. And a successful proof of concept, too!

10. How does the work you are doing with this Cisco project directly benefit the open source community?

Bernie: Directly? That is hard to say. Maybe indirectly two points: 1. Reputation for the open source SIP stack connected to the Cisco Unified Manager Communications Manager Express with great stability and compatibility 2. Cross platform usage proof of concept of Mono from the Mono project, which yielded an even better performance and compatibility on the Linux platform than on its Windows counterpart!!! (such as Socket communications with Cisco IP phones)..

Two prominent Web-based programming advocates have left Mozilla for Palm, arguing that the time has come to use browsers to bypass Apple's controlling role in mobile applications.
Dion Almaer and Ben Galbraith, who help run the Ajaxian site for elaborate Web interfaces and who worked on Mozilla's Web-based Bespin tool for collaborative programming, announced their move to Palm on Friday.

Palm is a logical place for them to go. The Palm Pre has won accolades as a competitive mobile phone, and its foundation for applications is a WebKit-based browser, meaning that Palm programs are essentially Web programs.
"I will be joining Ben, my best friend, partner in crime, and fellow Ajaxian, as we take a new role as directors of the Palm Developer Relations team. We will have the responsibility of the developer experience with Palm. We will be trying to create a rich connective tissue between the company and the Web developer community that we love," Almaer wrote on his blog.
Web-based programs are typically slower and less capable than alternatives that run natively on a computing device. But they have one big potential advantage: written once, they can run on any device with a browser and hardware up to the task.
Although Galbraith and Dalmaer are excited by the possibilities of Web applications and the new era of mobile computing ushered in most notably by Apple's iPhone, Galbraith appears to be concerned about the control Apple exercises over the applications people can use on their phones.
"Clearly, a revolution in hardware is taking place, and it doesn't take a prophet to work out that the future of computing lies along this new trajectory," Galbraith said. "However, my enthusiasm for this amazing new world is tempered by some unfortunate decisions made by some of the players in this space. It seems that some view this revolution as a chance to seize power in downright Orwellian ways by constraining what we, as developers, can say, dictating what kinds of apps we can create, controlling how we distribute our apps, and placing all kinds of limits on what (we) can do to our computing devices."
He didn't mention Apple by name, and I don't want to put words in his mouth, but who else besides Apple could Galbraith be referring to? The programmers and Apple didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Apple exerts its control to try to give iPhone users a simple, stable, and useful experience. But that control can be at odds with what programmers and users want, as was most clearly illustrated in Apple's rejection of the Google Voice application--though Apple said it hasn't actually rejected the application.
Meanwhile, as it did with its Latitude location application for the iPhone after Apple rejected a native version of that software, Google is working on a Web-based interface for Google Voice. It also offers a Web-based Gmail application for the iPhone.
What's curious is that the Palm Pre, the Google Android operating system, and the iPhone OS all use a browser based on the WebKit project, and Apple is among those working hard to advance the state of the art for Web application programming through its WebKit work. So there is some philosophical agreement along with the differences.
Originally posted at Deep Tech

Orange will carry the iPhone in the U.K. in the fourth quarter of this year, the operator announced Monday.
The move marks the end of competitor O2's lucrative exclusivity on Apple's handset in this country, and comes days after O2 announced the release details for the rival Palm Pre smartphone, on which it has U.K. exclusivity.

Orange did not say exactly when it will begin to carry the iPhone. When O2 launched its iPhones in November 2007, it did not specify the duration of its exclusivity deal with Apple, other than to describe it as "multiyear." The most conservative understanding of "multiyear" as "two-year" indicates that the earliest Orange could start stocking the handset is November 9.
All currently available versions of the iPhone--the 8GB 3G, the 16GB 3GS, and the 32GB 3GS--will be offered by Orange, a spokesperson for the company said. The France Telecom-owned operator has not given details of pricing. Orange sells the iPhone in 28 countries and territories worldwide.
The end of O2's iPhone exclusivity in the U.K. confirms rumors that had been circulating in recent months, and "fits in with O2 getting the Palm Pre," Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said.
"It's something we expected, given how Apple moved away from exclusivity deals in all the other countries except the U.K., Germany, and U.S.," Milanesi said. "Apple will get a larger footprint in the U.K., which is their biggest market outside the U.S."
Milanesi predicted that Orange will offer similar iPhone tariff pricing to that available on O2 and will rely instead on "differentiated offerings on services" to set it apart from its rival. O2 has various tariffs for the iPhone--for example, a 44.05-pound-per-month ($70 per month) tariff on a 24-month contract gives the user the iPhone 3GS for free.
The Gartner analyst also said O2 would be likely to position the Pre as an alternative to the iPhone for "people who want a similar experience but with a QWERTY keyboard."
Orange and T-Mobile are currently in talks regarding a merger, which is scheduled for mid-2010. A spokesperson for T-Mobile said Monday that the two operators are remaining "standalone operations" for now, and that the Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier has no plans to stock the iPhone.
David Meyer of ZDNet UK reported from London.
Originally posted at Apple

Following the finalization of the Wireless-N (802.11n) standard, the Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit group that tests and certifies wireless products to ensure they interoperate, launched on Tuesday its new test program that supports the final specs of the standard.
This certification is still necessary because, according to Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the final specs include a lot of options and items that vendors could interpret differently, which could lead to products that don't work with each other. "Our certification program ensures that the product conforms with the final standard and interoperates with others." Felner added.

The new logo you want to seek when shopping for wireless networking products in the near future.
(Credit: Wi-Fi Alliance
The new certification program is basically the same as the one used for the Draft N 2.0, with the addition of a few tests for new optional features, including:
Test support for simultaneous transmission of up to three spatial streams
Packet aggregation (A-MPDU), to make data transfers more efficient
Space-time block coding (STBC), a multiple-antenna encoding technique to improve reliability in some environments
Channel coexistence measures for "good neighbor" behavior when using 40 MHz operation in the 2.4 GHz band
Davis-Felner also confirmed that all existing Wi-Fi Certified Draft N products will interoperate with the new Wi-Fi Certified N products. The reason for this is because the final standard only adds more options on top of the specs supported by the Draft N 2.0 without any major changes.
This also means most of the existing Draft N products can be upgraded to receive the final specs via firmware. However, once upgraded, they will need to be tested again to be certified with the final N specs.
Currently, there's not yet any Wi-Fi Certified N products on the market but there are a few vendors that have submitted their hardware to be to be used in the interoperability test bed, and their devices will be the first to become Wi-Fi Certified N products with the new testing program. These devices include:
Atheros XSPAN Dual-band 2.4/5GHz PCIe MiniCard for Computing Designs, Full MIMO Configuration
Atheros XSPAN Dual-band, Dual-concurrent 2.4/5GHz, Gigabit Reference
Platform for AP/Routers, Full MIMO configuration
Broadcom Intensifi Dual-Band 802.11n Client Reference Design
Broadcom Intensifi XLR Dual-Band 802.11n Router Reference Design
Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300
Marvell Smart Wi-Fi 802.11n 3x3 450 Mbps Dual-Band Access Point
Ralink 3x3 AP
It's unclear when any of these will be available but you can expect to buy some by the end of the year.

When WebOS 1.2 didn't refix the syncing compatibility that iTunes 9 rebroke, it almost looked like this bizarre little Apple-Palm standoff had finally just, you know, puttered out. Well, nope, for some reason! Cue WebOS 1.2.1.

Palm's possibly heroic, mostly inconsequential iTunes-molesting theatrics aside, the fix most people were actually waiting for involved an error introduced this week by 1.2, which broke Exchange 2007 EAS syncing for quite a few people. That, along with a few bug fixes, is the main component of 1.2.1, which should be making its way to handsets over the weekend. In other news, paid apps are still totally MIA in the App Catalog. Weird.
Check here for the full 1.2.1 changelog.
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

Update at 5 a.m. PDT Tuesday: Google and Verizon Wireless announced they are forming a partnership to "leverage" Verizon's 3G network and Google's Android platform to deliver mobile applications, services, and devices. They plan to co-develop "several Android-based devices," and Verizon will release Android handsets in the next few weeks, the companies said.
Google and Verizon Wireless plan to hold a joint press conference Tuesday morning on the eve of the CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment Show, they announced late Monday night.

Details were scarce, and a Google representative declined to comment on the nature of the conference. But given the timing and participants--Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam--it seems the companies are ready to talk about plans for Google's Android mobile operating system.
Verizon has yet to release an Android device. At present, the carrier leans on Research In Motion's BlackBerry smartphones, as well as Windows Mobile phones. But rumors have been building for months about Verizon hooking up with Google on a number of Android-powered phones from companies like Motorola and HTC: The Boy Genius Report reported Sunday that Best Buy plans to offer an Android device for Verizon's network.
It's likewise not clear whether we are talking about a smartphone, a Netbook, or something else entirely. It will be interesting to see how Verizon's traditional policy of tight control over the software that runs on its network meshes with Google's free-and-open approach to Android applications.
Originally posted at Relevant Results

A voice chat application launched on Monday in open beta enables Facebook users to place and receive calls within the social network.

Vivox Voice in action.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET
Vivox, which also provides voice services for online virtual words and accommodates more than 15 million users worldwide, is offering the app.
In order to use it, Facebook users first need to add Vivox Voice to their applications list and download a Vivox plug-in. From there, a Vivox channel and phone number are created to accept calls. Users can then place calls to (or receive calls from) Facebook friends also using the app. And because each Vivox channel has a call-in number, non-Facebook users can also participate in the conversation.
In order to invite friends to talk, an invitation is sent via Facebook chat. The recipient can click on the included link and start chatting with the other person.
I had the opportunity to use the app this morning. Overall, I was impressed by it. The installation took just a few minutes, and connecting with others was quick and easy.
The only issue I had with Vivox's Facebook app was its audio quality. At times, the transmission was clear. At other times, I could barely hear my wife, who was on the other end of the call. Luckily, those moments were few and far between.
If you try it out, let us know what you think of the free app in the comments below.
Originally posted at Webware

Voice over Internet Protocol service provider Vonage on Monday announced that it has launched its first mobile apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and BlackBerry devices.
Dubbed Vonage Mobile, the company's free VoIP app enables users to place international calls from their mobile devices. iPod Touch owners can do so by placing calls through Wi-Fi. BlackBerry owners will transmit calls over the cellular network only. iPhone owners will be able to place calls from Wi-Fi or through AT&T's network.
According to Vonage, its app will help users save up to 50 percent on international calling charges levied by carriers. After downloading the app, users need to enter an international number. They can also select a call recipient from their existing iPhone or BlackBerry contacts list. Those who receive calls will see the user's cell phone number on their caller IDs. Charges will be taken against the user's credit card, which they need to input when they first start using the app.
For now, Vonage is offering per-minute rates. The company said in a statement that by the end of the year, it will offer the Vonage World plan to users. Vonage World for home users currently allows them to make calls to more than 60 countries for $24.99 per month.
Vonage's app launch comes on the heels of controversy over whether Google's similar Voice app should have been denied access to Apple's App Store. The debate still rages on.
Vonage's new mobile app is available now in Apple's App Store and Research In Motion's BlackBerry App World. Both versions are free.
Originally posted at The Digital Home

Updated at 8:05 am PDT with a slideshow and some first impressions of the Windows Marketplace for Mobile app store, at 4:25 pm PT with a correction about Marketplace reviews, and at 12:10 am PT on 10/7/09 with an update about the availability of Marketplace on other Windows Mobile platforms, and details on the My Phone service.
Windows Marketplace for Mobile--screenshots

View the full gallery
On Tuesday morning, as Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 phones hit the market, two of its mobile services are officially launching.
Brand new to 6.5 phones are Windows Marketplace for Mobile--an application storefront like that found on iPhone, BlackBerry, and every other major mobile OS--and a Web-based backup and sharing service called My Phone.
We've heard plenty about both services in the days and months leading up to this release. The much-anticipated Windows Marketplace for Mobile has a well-thought out model that will eventually include both a Web and on-phone storefront, and a flexible billing system that lets you purchase apps using either a credit card or your monthly phone bill (depending on the carrier). According to Microsoft, the PC catalog isn't available now but is planned to be released before the year's end.
There's also a self-service return policy that gives you a full refund from unwanted apps within a 24-hour period. There's a caveat, of course. You'll be limited to one refund per month to avoid abusing the system. The app store launches in 29 countries on Tuesday.
In our pre-release demo, we found the app store to be a little visually boring, though serviceable. Following a proven app store model, Windows Marketplace for Mobile has a search bar, a featured apps showcase, and a list of browseable categories. In them, you'll only see applications that work on your phone model and in your country. There's also an personalized screen that helps you manage the apps you have. As with iPhones and BlackBerrys, if you switch devices, you can easily re-download the apps you installed through the Marketplace. You'll sign on with your Windows Live ID. We heard before the launch that you won't be able to create your own reviews until the second phase, but in truth, rating and reviews are fully functional today.
Microsoft didn't tell us how many apps were expected in the app store Tuesday morning, but with 82 games ready to download, there are at least 100 apps altogether. We already see Facebook, Netflix Mobile, Zagat to Go, Windows Live, and the Midomi music app. Most app prices range so far from free to about $10, though the most expensive one we spotted so far is a $25 golf calculator. We saw quite a few $20 games as well.

If you need further proof that open-source applications are ready for prime time, take today's news from open-source business intelligence company Jaspersoft, which announced that British Telecom is using its business intelligence suite to support more than 8 million voice mail subscribers.
BT and Unisys, a longtime Jaspersoft partner, say they chose Jaspersoft for its modular design, which reduces maintenance and cost and gives them customization abilities that improve capacity planning.
The deal with BT also represents how important a solid channel strategy is for open-source software companies.
Jaspersoft CEO Brian Gentile has in the past mentioned that the BI market is heavily influenced by a few technical aspects, including SOA/Web services (and overall componentized design), in-memory analytics, integrated search, and the use of rich media services to provide more compelling (Web-based) user experiences.
The other obvious factor in the shift to open-source BI (and open source in general) is the economics behind the applications and ongoing operations. And perhaps more important is the control--both on-premise and online. As consultant Carlo Daffara noted recently, "the critical aspect is being able to assess this control and weight if the lack of control is compensated by the features you get (which is reasonable) or what kind of risk you are accepting in exchange."
In conversation earlier today, Gentile further asserted, "open-source software is both augmenting and displacing aged, proprietary solutions across industries and at the largest companies. British Telecom is just one example of a company that has realized traditional, proprietary software is just too expensive and too complex. The most aggressive companies figured this out long ago. But now, with heightened economic pressures and the feature maturity of open source, the secret is out and the choice is clear."
There was a time when people would debate whether or not open-source software was reliable enough to support a small office. Those days are long gone. The down economy and maturity of open source are the perfect storm for major disruption.