Richard Hillesley
GCC and LLVM - What's in a licence?

public sector
GCC and LLVM - What's in a licence?
Richard Hillesley discusses the pros and cons of the GCC and LLVM compiler collections, and the difference a licence makes.
17 Dec 2010
PCLinuxOS - Rolling on a river

Software
PCLinuxOS - Rolling on a river
Richard Hillesley charts the trials and tribulations of PCLinuxOS.
20 Sep 2010
The fall and rise of Mandriva Linux

Linux
The fall and rise of Mandriva Linux
Richard Hillesley ponders the future of Mandriva.
25 Jun 2010
Haiku: Reason to believe

operating systems
Haiku: Reason to believe
Richard Hillesley looks at whether Haiku will get the opportunity to move from a hobby to a viable open source alternative.
7 Jun 2010
The lost world of the Xandros desktop

Software
The lost world of the Xandros desktop
The latest release of the Xandros Linux desktop edition was in June 2006, which is several lifetimes in the history of Linux. Is this the end of the l…
20 Apr 2010
The lost world of the Xandros desktop

Software
The lost world of the Xandros desktop
The latest release of the Xandros Linux desktop edition was in June 2006, which is several lifetimes in the history of Linux. Is this the end of the l…
20 Apr 2010
Building on a Linux brand

Linux
Building on a Linux brand
Red Hat is a perfect example of how open source firms need to trade on their reputation, not just their product.
24 Mar 2010
FreeBSD and the GPL

operating systems
FreeBSD and the GPL
Linus Torvalds has said Linux wouldn't have happened if 386BSD had been around when he started up. We trace the history of FreeBSD and how it's affect…
18 Feb 2010
Slackware Linux - Less is more

Linux
Slackware Linux - Less is more
Slackware is the oldest Linux distribution still with us and has a loyal following among those long term Linux users who pine for the old fashioned vi…
18 Jan 2010
Puppy Linux: Just for fun

Software
Puppy Linux: Just for fun
Puppy Linux is something different, a tiny version of Linux that can be stored on a USB memory drive, will run in memory, and can be used for working …
14 Dec 2009
Bona fide open source

public sector
Bona fide open source
Has open source become a victim of its own success?
23 Nov 2009
Copyright overtaken by technology

intellectual property
Copyright overtaken by technology
Public IP networks and digital technologies that enable the copying and transmission of digitised works of music are a very real threat to the industr…
19 Oct 2009
Copyright overtaken by technology

intellectual property
Copyright overtaken by technology
Public IP networks and digital technologies that enable the copying and transmission of digitised works of music are a very real threat to the industr…
19 Oct 2009
SCO: The party never ends

Software
SCO: The party never ends
Like the bad actor in a Victorian melodrama, SCO refuses to lie down, and keeps coming back for more.
18 Sep 2009
10 reasons to use open source in business

open source
10 reasons to use open source in business
Open source software might be cheaper than alternatives, but it has many other business benefits, too.
21 Aug 2009
Chrome OS – Lost in the cloud?

Software
Chrome OS – Lost in the cloud?
It’s no Windows killer and it'll take some belief in the cloud before Chrome OS can change things.
12 Aug 2009
In search of the Linux desktop

Software
In search of the Linux desktop
How can GNOME and KDE developers create the modern Linux desktop?
20 May 2009
IBM, Sun and OpenOffice.org

Software
IBM, Sun and OpenOffice.org
During the ongoing flirtation between IBM and Sun Microsystems, little has been said about OpenOffice.org, which has been viewed as one of the less si…
17 Apr 2009
The politics of the command line

Software
The politics of the command line
Free software has lead to communities of diverse individuals forming to fight for a common cause.
23 Mar 2009
TomTom - The drums of a patent war with Microsoft?

Mobile
TomTom - The drums of a patent war with Microsoft?
Microsoft's IP claim against TomTom could just be the first salvo in an open source patent war.
5 Mar 2009
Corporate investment the price of Linux's freedom

Software
Corporate investment the price of Linux's freedom
It may be open source, but Linux has frequently required corporate support, including from the proprietary software market.
25 Feb 2009
Building customised Linux distributions

Linux
Building customised Linux distributions
UK firm 64 Studios is using Componentised Linux and the Platform Development Kit to offer customised Linux to companies.
30 Jan 2009
Building customised Linux distributions

Linux
Building customised Linux distributions
UK firm 64 Studios is using Componentised Linux and the Platform Development Kit to offer customised Linux to companies.
30 Jan 2009
A question of piracy

Software
A question of piracy
Can software piracy help boost sales, or should vendors give up the battle and set their products free?
14 Jan 2009
Copyright on the tracks

Server & storage
Copyright on the tracks
The origins of the free software movement can be traced back to to the hackers of MIT's Tech Model Railroad Club, but more recently model railways hav…
10 Nov 2008
The need to know: Documentation in Linux

Software
The need to know: Documentation in Linux
Documenting the development of open source software is key to keeping it easy to use, but some disagree on its necessity.
1 Oct 2008
Free Linux driver development

Linux
Free Linux driver development
Open source drivers will become an imperative, rather than a choice, for device manufacturers who want to break into new markets and extend their user…
22 Sep 2008
Strip mining of open source

Server & storage
Strip mining of open source
Strip mining of open source can be interpreted as the appropriation of free software code for proprietary gain with no intention of feeding code chang…
2 Sep 2008
MS-OOXML: A format without a future?

Software
MS-OOXML: A format without a future?
Is Microsoft's Office Open XML a functional standard, and if not, why is it being rushed through the process?
4 Aug 2008
SCO hit with Novell court ruling

Server & storage
SCO hit with Novell court ruling
Court orders SCO to hand over $2.5 million to rival Novell as legal spat over Linux continues.
18 Jul 2008
Linux - a disruptive technology?

Linux
Linux - a disruptive technology?
Is Linux the disruptive technology, or is it the GNU General Public License which really shook up the open source world?
17 Jul 2008
Xandros buys Linspire – What does it mean for Linux?

Software
Xandros buys Linspire – What does it mean for Linux?
Xandros has bought Linspire with a renewed aim of establishing Linux on the desktop, but neither has made the impact that might have been hoped for...
10 Jul 2008
Sunny future for cloud computing

Server & storage
Sunny future for cloud computing
Linux, HPC and virtualisation have all lead to the rise of cloud computing, which offers a range of efficiencies to companies willing to set their dat…
2 Jul 2008
Sunny future for cloud computing

Server & storage
Sunny future for cloud computing
Linux, HPC and virtualisation have all lead to the rise of cloud computing, which offers a range of efficiencies to companies willing to set their dat…
2 Jul 2008
Taking Symbian open source

Mobile
Taking Symbian open source
Nokia's purchase of Symbian, and promise to take it open source, means three quarters of the world's smartphones could soon be running free software.
25 Jun 2008
Taking Symbian open source

Mobile
Taking Symbian open source
Nokia's purchase of Symbian, and promise to take it open source, means three quarters of the world's smartphones could soon be running free software.
25 Jun 2008