Reaction to Microsoft’s Linux code. Open Source for America. And more.

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Reaction to Microsoft’s Linux code release
There was a mixed reaction to Microsoft’s release of Linux code, much of it was positive although the company was also criticized for serving its own interests. Linus Torvalds defended Microsoft’s actions. See this post for more on that. Meanwhile it was also widely reported that Microsoft’s apparent altruism was in fact the result of a violation of the GPL. See this post for a round-up on that subject.

Elsewhere Stephen Walli pointed out that the LinuxIC code is not Microsoft’s first contribution under the GPL, while Microsoft made sure it was not the last by contributing a plug-in for Moodle under GPLv2.

Microsoft also dismissed Red Hat’s demands that it should “pledge that its patents will never be used against Linux or other open source developers and users”.

We are the code
# Open Source For America, a coalition of vendors, individuals, academic and NGOs, formed to record an ensemble charity single promote open source in Government. Roberto Galoppini wondered whether we need Open Source for Europe while Glyn Moody pondered Open Source for Britain.

Best of the rest
# The recorded presentations from Red Hat’s Open Source Cloud Computing Forum are now available. In response to the event ITWorldCanada reported on why cloud computing needs open source, while The Register published Open source and the cloud: An unbalanced marriage.

# Rackspace released the specs for its Cloud Servers and Cloud Files APIs under a Creative Commons license.

# Kaltura launched Kaltura Community Edition, an open source self-hosted online video platform MindTouch 2009 release added video, application packaging and content staging to collaboration platform, and announced a partnership with Mindtouch, which released MindTouch 2009 with video, application packaging and content staging.

# Actuate hired Ray Gans as the first community manager for BIRT Exchange.

# Glyn Moody reflected on the deep, fundamental tension at the heart of FOSS, and its value.

# Black Duck Software reported a 53% rise in new subscriptions in Q2.

# Jaspersoft launched Community Edition v3.5, support for MariaDB and JBoss Teiid.

# Red Hat adopted the BPEL engine developed by Intalio.

# WSO2 delivered WSO2 Governance Registry 3.0 and WSO2 Identity Server 2.0.

# Likewise announced support for heterogeneous file sharing via Server Message Block with Likewise-CIFS.

# UK construction group K&G outsourced its IT systems to open source services firm Sirius.

# Matt Asay reported on NASA taking open source into space with some cool projects, while the Apollo 11 Command Module code and Lunar Module code transcribed and released as open source.

# OmniTI released Reconnoiter, a new open Source monitoring and trending system.

# Chris Messina declared himself sceptical about Adobe (and Microsoft’s) open source intentions.

# Oracle announced that drivers are available to run Windows guests in an Oracle VM environment.

# Open source software saved Indian IT@schools program $2 million.

# Dave Neary published “Barriers to community growth”.

# Voxeo announced that the Tropo.com cloud telephony service source code will be available as open source.

# Open Source Database Magazine, issue #1 was published.