What matters from LinuxWorld expo

The LinuxWorld expo has just ended, and although there's a huge lack of excitement found from the open source annual event, there are still some news worthy to be heard. I'm just gonna do a quick recap on few of the news that matters most, here they are:

Netbook sparks Linux redesigns

"The sparsely populated floor at Linuxworld was a disappointment, ..." that's what Agam Shah (IDG News Service) has said about the last LinuxWorld expo, shows how much Linux is in a great need of push from every "hankering" Linux die-hard fans and from every major computer manufacturers + open source developers.

Agam also noted that most of the expo visitors are more interested to look at the netbook products from Canonical & gOS, and thus this could be a sign of a new movement from open source developers/distros to make better Linux OS that's more compatible with netbook's hardwares.

Stormy Peters, executive director of the Gnome Foundation explained why: "Standard Linux distributions could work on netbooks but they are mostly designed for standard laptops. For example, the Linux footprint could be reduced as the limited netbook resources -- including processing power and storage capabilities -- are not the same as in standard laptops."

Read on the rest of the news at this link.

gOS will be equipped with Google's apps

The San Francisco-based company announced the details of gOS 3 Gadgets, the newest version of its Linux OS. Dong Ngo (Crave) was reporting that the main feature of gOS 3 Gadgets is its ability to instantly launch Google Gadgets for Linux on start-up, allowing users access to more than 100,000 iGoogle and Google Gadgets applications. These applications, though graphically rich, are small enough to be added to the computer in seconds over an Internet broadband connection. The new operation system will also be loaded with WINE 1.0, Lightweight X Desktop Environment (LXDE), and other Google software for Linux to improve the user experience.

Zimbra now available for Ubuntu

Zimbra, the open-source e-mail software that's acquired by Yahoo last year, is now available for ubuntu. As reported by Caroline McCarthy (Webware); Ubuntu users have been able to access Zimbra for the past year. But now, the e-mail software will be in the Ubuntu Partner Repository, providing easy access to both offline and online Yahoo Mail, Gmail, AOL Mail, and any IMAP or POP e-mail accounts. Zimbra also offers document and spreadsheet functions, as well as mashup features with services like Flickr, Amazon.com, and Yahoo Maps.

"Since we first announced general availability of Zimbra for Ubuntu last year, we have seen incredible adoption within the Ubuntu community," Andy Pflaum, senior director of business management for Yahoo's Zimbra division, said in a statement. "We are eager to offer our world-class collaboration experience, Yahoo Zimbra Desktop, to the vibrant community of Ubuntu users worldwide."

Shuttle's XP19 monitor makes an appearence

Shown along side with Shuttle's KPC mini desktop K4800 ($299) & K4500 ($199), there's a look alike iMac monitor also sat down next to them: the XP19. Shuttle says the XP19 is 0.9 inches thick, has a 5-millisecond response time, a 9-millimeter border, and integrated speakers. Also, there will be a tablet version of the XP19 in late October or early November. --click on the image to enlarge it--

Bug Labs' Bug Base refreshed

Erica Ogg (Crave) who attended the LinuxWorld expo said that the Bug Base gadget hardware is essentially the same from the previous model, but the software interface for the Lego-like gadget prototyper has been improved. The device now runs Poky Linux--which is intended for small devices--and now has a Web browser and window environment. The software update, available in either late August or early September, will also support Wi-Fi. Also, we hear the MMCmicro card slot will be switched out in favor of microSD in the next version.

[blogged with my Treo 750v]