A Setback for FOSS in the Public (War) Sector, CONNECT Interoperability Project Shifting to the Private Sector

• GAO: DoD Not Fully Implementing Open-Source Mandates

  The Department of Defense has not fully implemented mandates from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to increase its use of open-source software and release code, according to a September 10 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report notes that the 2018 NDAA mandated DoD establish a pilot program on open source and a report on the program’s implementation. It also says that OMB’s M-16-21 memorandum requires all agencies to release at least 20 percent of custom-developed code as open-source, with a metric for calculating program performance. However, DoD has released less than 10 percent of its custom code, and had not developed a measure to calculate the performance of the pilot program. In comments to GAO, the DoD CIO’s office said there has been difficulty inventorying all of its custom source code across the department, and disagreement on how to assess the success for a performance measure. While the department worked to partially implement OMB’s policy, the department had not yet issued a policy.

• Pentagon moves slowly on open-source software mandate amid security concerns

  The Defense Department has been slow to meet a government-wide mandate to release more open-source software code, as DOD officials have concerns about cybersecurity risks and are struggling to implement such a program across the department, according to a new audit.

• DOD struggles to implement open source software pilots

  The Department of Defense’s congressionally mandated efforts to create an open source software program aren’t going so well. DOD must release at least 20 percent of its custom software as open source through a pilot required by a 2016 Office of Management and Budget directive and the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. Open source software, OMB says, can encourage collaboration, “reduce costs, streamline development, apply uniform standards, and ensure consistency in creating and delivering information.”

• DOD drags feet with open-source software program due to security, implementation concerns

  The Defense Department has been slow to meet a government-wide mandate to release more open-source software code, as DOD officials have concerns about cybersecurity risks and are struggling to implement such a program across the department, according to a new audit. Since 2016, DOD has been required by law to implement an open-source software pilot program in accordance with policy established by the Office of Management and Budget.

• DOD pushes back on open source

• DOD pushes back on open source

• CONNECT Interoperability Project Shifting to the Private Sector

  The CONNECT project, an open source project that aims to increase interoperability among organizations, is transitioning from federal stewardship to the private sector and will soon be available to everyone. Developed ten years ago by a group of federal agencies in the Federal Health Architecture (FHA), CONNECT was a response to ONC’s original approach to a health information network. The agencies decided to build a joint health interoperability solution instead of having each agency develop its own custom solution, and they chose to make the project open source.

Android Leftovers

• You need to delete these 24 malware-infested Android apps right now

• 5 Android apps you shouldn't miss this week! - Android Apps Weekly

• [Update: Back in stable] Spotify will officially bring back its Android widget

• Samsung Galaxy Note10 Review: Switching From Apple iOS To Android

• iOS 13 vs. Android 10: Where Apple and Google are now

• Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs. iPhone 11 Pro: Which should you buy?

• Chromecast support now available for Apple Music beta on Android

• Color OS vs MIUI: Which Android Skin Is Better for You

• How to fix Chrome OS 76 bug that blocks Android apps from internet access

• Android 9 Pie lands on Verizon LG V30

• Verizon's LG V30 starts receiving Android Pie update

• Samsung Galaxy S8 Active gets Android 9 Pie on T-Mobile

• How Nokia smartphones keep getting better with pure Android

• Lexus brings Android Auto to its cars, following Toyota's footsteps

• Twitter's darker Dark mode for Android is delayed

• Huawei Nova 5T hands-on: Android flagship for less (Yes, Android)

• 1500 days of OxygenOS: Talking to OnePlus about custom ROMs, Open Ears, Android 10, and more

Linux VR Headset

Since most VR Headsets support Windows platforms today, there are very few options for Linux users. Despite its support, many people have faced troubles setting up and running their Headsets on Linux. However, not anymore. The VR gaming experience is now getting better! The all-new Xrdesktop is an open-source development that lets you work with various desktop environments like GNOME and KDE. Since this project is under progress right now, we can hope for more features like Steam, Valve and other platforms for gaming and Virtual Reality experience. In addition, the Xrdesktop will also offer integration with Windows as well. Once completed, it will be a great step towards traditional Linux desktop environments. The program is available for installation in both packages for Ubuntu Linux and Arch Linux.

An Easy Fix for a Stupid Mistake

I waited a long time for Mageia 7 and for OpenMandriva Lx 4. When both distros arrived, I was very happy. But new distros bring changes, and sometimes it is not easy to adapt. Mageia 7 has been rock-solid: it is doing a great job in my laptop and both in my daughter's desktop and in mine. There is one thing, though. I have been avoiding a strange mesa update that wants to remove Steam. OpenMandriva is also fantastic, but this new release provided options like rock, release, and rolling. When I first installed the distro, I chose rock because I was shying away from the rolling flavor. Eventually, I had to move to rolling because that was the only way in which I could manage to install Steam in both my laptop and desktop machines.