Software: Liberation of Code, GNU Parallel, Devhelp

• When should you open source your software?

  It’s 20 years this this since the term ‘Open Source’ was coined. In that time the movement for free and open software has gone from a niche to a common method of distribution and a normal way of operating for businesses. Major technology shifts are now driven by open source technologies: Big Data (Hadoop, Spark), AI (TensorFlow, Caffe), and Containers (Docker, Kubernetes) are all open projects. Massive companies including Google, Facebook, and even Lyft regularly release Open Source tools for the world to use. Microsoft – whose former CEO once described Linux as a cancer – now embraces the concept.

• GNU Parallel 20180422 ('Tiangong-1') released

  Quote of the month: Today I discovered GNU Parallel, and I don’t know what to do with all this spare time. --Ryan Booker

• Devhelp news

  For more context, I started to contribute to Devhelp in 2015 to fix some annoying bugs (it’s an application that I use almost every day). Then I got hooked, I contributed more, became a co-maintainer last year, etc. Devhelp is a nice little project, I would like it to be better known and used more outside of GNOME development, for example for the Linux kernel now that they have a good API documentation infrastructure (it’s just a matter of generating *.devhelp2 index files alongside the HTML pages).

today's howtos

• Best practices for Java and IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) on IBM POWER9

• Verifying local definitions in Coq

• SSH client configuration tricks

• Angle Grinder - Tool to Format and Parse Log Files in Linux

• 3 Command Line Tools to Install Local Debian (.DEB) Packages

• How To Update/Install Oracle Kernel Critical Security Updates Without Rebooting

Android Leftovers

• PUBG Mobile UPDATE: Delayed iOS patch live as fans report Android account issue

• Google launching Android chat service to replace SMS

• Android Auto users can now access full contact list

• SwiftKey for Android gets support for new languages, some bug fixes

University students create award-winning open source projects

In my short time working for Clarkson University, I've realized what a huge impact this small university is making on the open source world. Our 4,300 student-strong science and technology-focused institution, located just south of the Canadian border in Potsdam, New York, hosts the Clarkson Open Source Institute (COSI), dedicated to promoting open source software and providing equipment and support for student projects. While many universities offer opportunities for students to get involved in open source projects, it's rare to have an entire institute dedicated to promoting open source development. COSI is part of Clarkson's Applied Computer Science Labs within the computer science department. It, along with the Internet Teaching Lab and the Virtual Reality Lab, is run by students (supported by faculty advisers), allowing them to gain experience in managing both facilities and projects while still undergraduates.