Posts tagged applications
Microsoft loves PHP. Yes, seriously
Oct 26th
There has in the past been a wide chasm between perspectives regarding commercial software and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). On the one side, FOSS is about the sharing of ideas and fostering communities of passionate software professionals and hobbyists to build great software that anyone can download and use. On the other side, commercial software places a financial value on the software a company develops and offers and the expectation is that their customers provide compensation for that software in some form (usually paying for a license or subscription).
Paul Laberge
Despite the well-documented history between these two camps, the gap is closing and both are starting to see that they need each other to not only survive but also to thrive in this brave new world of cloud computing and services-based software. By doing so, developer communities from open source and companies like Microsoft will grow together, for the benefit of customers. This is why open source is increasingly becoming part of Microsoft’s developer DNA.
For example, in Canada Microsoft has participated actively in WordCamp Toronto and Montreal, GovCamp and hosts an annual open source conference called Make Web Not War. Microsoft has also participated in significant open source and open data initiatives with the Cities of Edmonton and Vancouver. Read the rest of this entry »
Newsflash: Facebook doesn’t care about your privacy
May 7th
Claudiu Popa
I love how every other article about Facebook has some kind of privacy angle. As if Facebook, a site designed to share your information as broadly as possible, was also responsible for preserving people’s personal details under their control. All for free.
The latest privacy snafu allowed a confidentiality breach to occur with people’s Facebook chats. Given the often sensitive nature of Facebook communications, it’s no wonder that the public is concerned. However, every incremental breach and privacy functionality change is re-listed in every article produced on the topic.
I was particularly amused by this statement in a very recent Times article: “the breach heightened a feeling among many users that it was becoming hard to trust the service to protect their personal information.” Read the rest of this entry »
