Microsoft contributes open-source code to Samba

Summary: Microsoft has contributed source code under the GPLv3 to Samba, the file server software that enables Linux servers to share files with Windows PCs. No, I’m not making this up.

Freak snowstorm reported in hell. Tea party agrees Obama is the best candidate for 2012 presidential election. Microsoft submits open-source code under the GPLv3 to Samba. Those are all pretty unlikely, but Microsoft really did submit code to the Samba file server open-source project.

This might not strike you as too amazing. After all, Microsoft has supported some open-source projects at CodePlex for some time now and they will work with some other projects such as the Python and PHP languages and the Drupal content management system (CMS). But, Samba, Samba is different. They’re an old Microsoft enemy.

Samba, itself, is a set of Windows interoperability programs that provide secure, stable and fast file and print services for all client operating systems that use the Server Message Block (SMB)/Common Internet File System (SMB/CIFS) protocol. As such Samba is used to seamlessly integrate Linux/Unix servers and desktops into Active Directory (AD) networks using the Winbind daemon. In common usage, Samba is on almost every network attached storage (NAS) device that ships today. In short, Samba enables Linux to rival Windows Server on workgroups.

In fact, it was Samba on Linux that took Linux from being an edge server, used for Web serving and e-mail, to being an infrastructure server. With Samba, Linux delivers the bread and butter of file and print serving that every business needs in millions of companies.

Since Samba began in 1992, Microsoft has been well, less than happy, with its server rival. But, every since Microsoft lost an anti-trust case in the European Union and was forced to open its network protocols to Samba in 2007, Microsoft has ever so slowly been getting along better with Samba.

But, even so it came as a surprise when on October 10th, when Stephen A. Zarko of Microsoft’s Open Source Technology Center, gave Samba some proof of concept code for extended protection (channel and service binding) for Firefox and Samba for NT LAN Manager (NTLM) authentication. That’s one small step for open source, one giant leap for Samba/Windows interoperability.

As Chris Hertel of the Samba Team wrote, “A few years back, a patch submission from coders at Microsoft would have been amazing to the point of unthinkable, but the battles are mostly over and times have changed. We still disagree on some things such as the role of software patents in preventing the creation of innovative software; but Microsoft is now at the forefront of efforts to build a stronger community and improve interoperability in the SMB world.”

Hertel continued, “Most people didn’t even notice the source of the contribution. That’s how far things have come in the past four-ish years. …but some of us saw this as a milestone, and wanted to make a point of expressing our appreciation for the patch and the changes we have seen.”

Jeremy Allison, one of Samba’s leaders and a software engineer at Google Open Source Programs Office told me that he was “really pleased. It does show that Microsoft now consider us part of the landscape they inhabit, and cooperating with us is a really good sign that engineering-wise they understand Free Software/Open Source is a really good thing that can help them also (not to put words in their mouth, but I think recent work from them on Hadoop [An Apache open-source framework for reliable, scalable, distributed computing] and others have shown this).

That said, “Sending code to Samba is a big deal due to historical legacy of the EU lawsuit, and shows that Microsoft is becoming a mature member of the OSS [open source software] ecosystem,” said Allison.

He continued, “Now if they’d only stop threatening OSS over patents, and just tried to make money with it the same way everyone else does by building it into products (they’re nearly there I think), I think we could finally bury the hatchet :-).”

“But,” Allison concluded, “I want to be fair to the guys who sent the patch, that’s another department in Microsoft (the one who is suing people :-). These guys are in the OSS-lab in Microsoft and they’re great!”

OK, I was wrong. One amazing thing hasn’t happened. Two amazing things have happened. First, Microsoft has contributed code of its own free will to a former enemy, Samba. And, second, one of Samba leaders and a well-known champion of open-source software is saying that people at Microsoft are great. It’s a day of miracles!

Posted via email from Akshay Dake

Drupal Camp Mumbai......

It's DrupalCamp Mumbai !!!

DrupalCamp Mumbai is a two-day, community organized event for the people who want to know all about Drupal. There will be various sessions covering topics from the basic introdcution to Drupal, to the more complex site building, with plenty other interesting stuff in between.

At DrupalCamp, you ask the questions and the experts provide the answers - you discover solutions to your most pressing Drupal problems. Come share your ideas, get involved in the community, join us at the DrupalCamp in the city of dreams - Mumbai.

This event is put on by the people, for the people and with the help of some friendly sponsors. It's a amazing event to meet fellow drupalars, web enthusiast, drupal shops personal and much more, so don't miss out!

Official Website of Drupal Camp Mumbai......

http://drupalcampmumbai.org/

Posted via email from Akshay Dake

Charge Your Phone with Your Shirt

चमत्कार (The Miracle Workers)

                                                                                                                          
जपानमधे रजनीकांत नाही म्हणूनच आपत्तींचा त्रास असावा
आमची किती बोलकी प्रतिक्रिया ही तिथेही अवतार त्या अण्णाचा व्हावा
केवळ लुंगीच्या वाऱ्याने ज्याच्या निसर्गही भयभीत होईल
समुद्रदेखील दडीच मारून अगदी गरीब गोगलगाय होईल
तो रजनीकांतच काय तेथे महात्मासुद्धा एकही नाही
महापुरुष वा राष्ट्रपुरुषही चौकाचौकात उभाच नाही
तरीही राष्ट्र ते महान झाले नागरिकांच्या स्वयत्नांनी
करून कठोर पालन कर्तव्याचे ना हक्कांच्या मागण्यांनी
ना हक्कभावना दैववाद अन अलौकिक पुरुषोत्तमांचा 
चमत्कार तो भगीरथासम पण छोट्याश्याच खारींचा
त्याच नम्रपणाने जिद्दीने ते सेतू सागरी किती बांधले
जरी थोडीशीच शिबंदी तरीही कसे अटकेपार घोडे गेले
इंग्रजी भाषा अवगत नाही तरीही सावकार साऱ्या जगाचे
आपत्ती त्या कितीही येवो तरीही दर्शन ना असहायतेचे
प्रतिक्षा नाही अवताराची ना दैवाला कधीही दोष देणे
प्रत्येक हाती कुदळ फावडे ते म्हणून चमत्कारांचे लेणे    
तोच चमत्कारही येथेसुद्धा गरीब रयतेनेच केला होता
जरी भवानीची तलवार घेऊन शिवशंकरही अवतरला होता
कारण प्राणप्रेरणा स्वराज्याची नव्हती चाकरी भोसलेकुळाची
नागडी उघडी पोरे उभी राहिली खाल खेचण्या दिल्लीकराची
ती स्फुर्तीच होती स्वबळावर त्या मंगल स्वप्नपूर्तीसाठी
बाजी तानाजी पावन झाले मुक्तीच्याच लगीनासाठी
जरी ती सहस्त्र त्सुनामींची संकटे अन वज्राघातांचीच मालिका
गडकिल्ले आरमार उभारून आम्हीही रोखली काळघटिका  
आनंदभुवन येथे सजले नवप्राण लाभले मृत देशाला
केवळ जपानमध्ये नाही तोच चमत्कार सह्याद्रीत झाला
कोणी केला कसा केला का मंत्राने वा तंत्राने
कसे अचानक दैव फिरले का कोणाच्या अवताराने
होती प्रयत्नांचीच पराकाष्ठा अन प्रबळ इच्छाशक्ती आमची
आमचा गनिमी कावा पाहून झाली त्रेधा साऱ्या संकटांची
राजा पडला तरीही येथे कबर गनिमांचीच खोदली
येथील कोमल अबलासुद्धा ती मर्दानी तनुजा झाली
डोहाळे ज्यांना स्वातंत्र्याचे हट्टही केवळ पराक्रमाचा
तो पोटशूळ त्या जिजाईन्चा सुटला त्रिशूळ महाराष्ट्राचा
त्या अस्मानी संकटांस साऱ्यां अन गेला भेदून कळीकालाही
का विस्मरण त्या इतिहासाचे का पुनरावृत्ती अजुनी नाही
का स्फुर्तीसाठी जावे लागे ती जपानचीच धूळ घेण्या
कसे करावे स्वसंरक्षण साऱ्या संकटांतून जीवघेण्या
शिकण्यासाठी पुष्कळ झाला तो मंत्र मावळखोऱ्यामधला
जेथे असामान्य आपत्तींवरही घातला सामान्यांनीच घाला
अशा उच्च ध्येयप्रेरणेने दुर्बल जनता जेथे उभी राहते
चमत्कार वा अवतारांची कधीही ना कमतरता तेथे
आमचे दैववाद व्यक्तिपूजा अन हक्क स्वार्थ सारे सोडून
ती तीव्र वेदना सतत स्मरावी विस्मरणाची गुंगी झटकून
सैनिक उभे ठाकतील मातीतूनही जपानी असो वा मराठी
होईल राखेतूनही गरुडभरारी या देशाच्या उत्कर्षासाठी
शून्यातून ब्रम्हांड होईल ती पुन्हा सृष्टी शिवरायांची
चक्रावून सारे विश्व देईल भेट आम्हाला स्तुतिसुमनांची

----

Posted via email from Akshay Dake

Just a click to get all Earth data!

Just at the click of a mouse button, you can now get all of Earth’s data, thanks to researchers who have developed a software which reveals all historical and geological information about our planet. The free software, called GPlates1.0, developed by an international team led by Sydney University, a llows anyone to easily visualise the Earth’s tectonic plates, continents and oceans far back in geological time.

"It’s a little bit like having Google Earth with a time slider," said Prof Dietmar Müller at the University of Sydney’s School of Geosciences.

"You ask the software to show you, for example, how the supercontinent Pangaea and the large oceans surrounding it were assembled 200 million years ago. It delivers that by calculating the probable positions, orientations and motions of the tectonic plates through time," he added.

GPlates does much more than merely visualise the appearance of the Earth’s surface.

Its users can reconstruct the topography of the continents and the oceans through time and then use that geological and geographic data as a boundary condition for a range of computer simulations from recreations of past climates to simulations which unravel the evolution of the Earth’s hot interior.

In another promising application, the software may be used to help locate oil, natural gas and mineral deposits far below the Earth’s surface, say its developers.

"In the long term, our goal is to expand its capability even further, linking the desktop software to remote databases and allowing it to automatically download a diversity of geodata and detailed map images depending on how far the user zooms in. It will essentially be a virtual geological observatory," said Prof Müller.

Press Trust Of India

Posted via email from Akshay Dake

Free AntiVirus Software For Android Tablet, Phones

Considering the ever-lasting Tablet war, it becomes all the more obvious for the Anti-virus companies to step in and provide their Anti Virus applications to run on various Tablets ensuring their security from any Virus program or file.

Here, we take into account, the Android tablets. Following the enormous success of AVG Mobilation Anti-Virus Free for Smartphones, AVG has now released state-of-the-art security software designed specifically for Android tablets. Right After the Kaspersky offering security suite to Android devices, AVG is now offering their Antivirus for Android tablets which can be downloaded for free. Its named as “AVG Mobilation for Android”.

• scans apps, settings, data and media files in real time(before downloading them from market or internet) for viruses and other malware.
• Automatic scans can be run weekly, daily, or on demand
• It can also locate lost or stolen tablets remotely and you can remove the important information before something happens seriously
• You can also backup contacts, call logs, bookmarks, messages and applications installed to SD card. These backups occur automatically at scheduled intervals
• the ‘app locker’ can protect any app passwords kept on your phone to prevent children from using certain applications or accessing your data.
• Basic protection from SMS Spammers

Android tablet users can now enjoy peace of mind  knowing their valuable data and device are protected thanks to cloud-based technology that’s simple to use, always up-to-date, and light on device resources and battery life.

Owners of Android Tablets can download the product from the Android Market by simply searching for ‘AVG’ and download directly to their device or get it here.

Facebook via Gmail

Google Labs is getting better day by day, I will tell you that why I am stating this statement. Gmail, one of the mostly used e-mail service these days and Facebook, the most popular social networking site in the present scenario, if they tend to combine their service then I suppose that it will be far better than best. Google labs have come up with a great application which will help you to use Facebook via Gmail. So now when you will open Gmail to check your mails then you can check the wall posts, news feeds and the status updates of your Facebook profile. In this post i will be talking about this new application and I will also tell you that how you can use this new application in your Gmail.

You can see the screenshot of this application posted above. Just follow the steps mentioned below and then you will be able to use this application in your Gmail profile. The steps are mentioned as follows:-

• Enable a gadget in your Google Labs where you can add any application in your Gmail with the help of the URL of any other gadget, you can search this gadget in the Google labs and you can enable them as shown in the snapshot.

• After you enable it you can see a new tab named a Gadget in the tabs in the settings as shown in the snapshot below.

• Now add the following URL in the text field, where you can add any application of Gmail.

  http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/104971404861070329537/facebook.xml

• After adding this URL you will observe an application of Facebook which will look similar to the one shown in the snapshot below.

• After adding this application you will another option of Facebook below the chat list. Click the expand button highlighted in the snapshot to see your profile and from there you can make any status update or you can see any news feeds.

• The profile page in Gmail application will look similar to the one shown in the snapshot below but let me tell you that when you will install this application for the first time them you will have to sign in this application and then you can use it.

I hope that you will find this tutorial quite helpful in installing this application for Gmail and then using it fluently. This application will really help you to be in touch with your friends on Facebook because every time we need to check our mails and whenever you will be opening your Gmail mailbox then you can check you Facebook account also.

Posted via email from Akshay Dake