MongoDB’s Eliot Horowitz: The Database Renaissance Has Begun

NoSQL technologies are giving the database landscape a new look as they steadily push a shift from the relational database model. Young entrants to the alternative technology, such as MongoDB, have been gaining traction despite an admitted need to mature with more needed features. “For MongoDB as a part of the NoSQL space, it is a matter of maturity,” said Eliot Horowitz, CTO of MongoDB.



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Valve’s SteamOS Arms Linux Gaming for Living Room Wars

After bringing its Steam gaming service to Linux earlier this year, Valve on Tuesday unveiled SteamOS, a new, Linux-based operating system that is designed to deliver PC entertainment in the living room. The new OS will connect with the Steam gaming service, offering all of the features PC-based Steam users are accustomed to, and yet is designed with the big screen in mind, Valve said.



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Valve Chief: All Gaming Roads Lead to Linux

The future of the gaming industry is Linux, Valve CEO and founder Gabe Newell told the crowd during his keynote address at LinuxCon on Monday. Newell also hinted at a Valve announcement next week that will bring Linux into the living room. The company could be planning to release Steam Box, a Linux-based device designed to connect with TVs to play Steam-based games.



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FOSS Devs’ Biggest Complaints: Documentation and Licensing

Open source software may hold considerable appeal for software developers around the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s without its aggravations. While no one aspect qualifies as the ultimate reason to oppose writing or using open source code, a significant number of programmers report that poor documentation and problems interpreting licenses rank high on their list of grievances.



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FOSS Devs’ Biggest Complaints: Documentation and Licensing

Open source software may hold considerable appeal for software developers around the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s without its aggravations. While no one aspect qualifies as the ultimate reason to oppose writing or using open source code, a significant number of programmers report that poor documentation and problems interpreting licenses rank high on their list of grievances.



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The Great OpenStack-Amazon API Debate

The discussion and debate over open source cloud software’s compatibility with cloud leader Amazon’s proprietary APIs was just beginning when the 451 Group released “The OpenStack Tipping Point” in April. With the advancement of the OpenStack software and community — along with lingering questions about the desired level of compatibility with Amazon’s cloud — the matter is heating up.

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BitTorrent Sync Could Keep Data Under Wraps

BitTorrent, whose P2P software has been widely used by software pirates, hackers and IP thieves — as well as for legitimate purposes — on Wednesday released the beta version of BitTorrent Sync. BitTorrent has characterized Sync as a response to the limitations on speed, size and space associated with personal data movement, as well as the challenges to privacy and security.

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Google Overhauls Maps App for Android

Google on Wednesday launched a new Google Maps app for Android mobile devices, just one month after announcing its purchase of social mapping location data startup Waze. The new Google Maps app has many features offered by Waze, such as information on current traffic conditions, reports of problems on a route, and alerts if better routes become available.

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Valve Opens Portal for Linux Gamers

Online gaming service Steam announced on Monday that the popular shooter, puzzle-solving hybrid action game Portal has officially been released on the Linux platform. The game had been available on the open source operating system in beta form since early May, but this week Portal was declared stable and ready for purchase.

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The Linux Standard Base: Order From Chaos

Imagine going out to do your shopping errands in a world devoid of standards. What would that be like? Without standard sizes, something as routine as buying clothes would be an exercise in frustration. Finding a replacement bulb or buying tires for your car would require unique parts made only by the manufacturer. That’s why the world of Linux has the Linux Standard Base.

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