German Government Commissions KDE Groupware System "It will consist of a server made of standard OSS components (Apache, Postfix, LDAP, etc) called Kolab, and a KDE client. The contractors are aiming for functional equivalence to MS Exchange and Outlook 2000." [Slashdot.org]

This is a fantastic way to spend tax dollars -- the return on investment for government use alone will be tremendous.  Not to mention the private sector.  I wish the US Government would do this kind of thing.  Political concerns notwithstanding, it's a great way to get the most bang for your budget buck.

12:36:19 PM   

ZDNet: IBM pressures Sun to free Java. [Hack the Planet]

This is a long but well-written story about IBM's efforts to get Sun to loosen its grip on the Java platform.  Many Java developers I've worked with think Java is an open standard (like HTML or C++) in contrast with proprietary languages like Microsoft's Visual Basic. 

Java is most certainly not an open standard.  It is patent protected and bears onerous licensing fees.  Sun exerts an iron grip on the platform; the primary goal of the Java Community Process is to give the appearance of openness.  It's a marketing exercise.

I like Java, have used it quite a bit, and I think developers should choose it when it meets their needs.  But don't confuse it with an open standard.

12:05:52 PM