Open Source Licensing Detection Gets More Competitive

With the current economic recession, open source software is a route that some enterprise developers are increasingly considering as a lower-cost alterative to proprietary solutions. However, one of the potential issues with open source software adoption is license compliance-ensuring that developers and enterprises are not in violation with a particular license.

There are a few companies in the market today with solutions to help serve the need for open source license identification, including Black Duck, Palamida and now OpenLogic. The business itself is also evolving from just being about detecting licenses to becoming part of an entire open source software adoption lifecycle process.

"Open source has made its way into enterprises of all sorts, and because open source software is so pervasive now, it's critical for companies to look at how they comply with open source licenses," Kim Weins, senior vice president of products and marketing at OpenLogic, told InternetNews.com."Before they can comply with open source licenses, they need to know which open source licenses they are using. As much as you might think that's easy to track, it's not."

OpenLogic is an open source stack and services support vendor. While it provides commercial support for open source software-most recently including the Red Hat Enterprise Linux clone, CentOS-OpenLogic's flagship service is OpenLogic Exchange (OLEX), which enables enterprises to manage their open source usage.

This week, the company announced new OLEX services to provide license discovery and compliance.

Weins said the difficulty in license identification is that open source software is often bundled together in sophisticated ways. As a result, a single open source project can often have additionally open source projects inside of it-with bits of code inside that can all be under different licenses.

"It's not as simple as saying this particular application is licensed under Apache and being done with it," Weins said.

The issue has led to a number of high-profile legal spats over the last two years. For instance, the Software Freedom Law Center has settled out-of-court disputes with at least four different vendors over license violation issues that arose because of open source code buried with their software.

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Use Spring Batch's 'Chunk' Processing for Large Data Sets

Spring Batch is an amazing tool for efficiently processing large amounts of data. Sometimes data sets are too large to process in-memory all at once, so the JVM runs out of memory and buckles under the pressure. A better approach is to use Spring Batch's "chunk" processing, which takes a chunk of data, processes just that chunk, and continues doing so until it has processed all of the data.

This article explains how to create a simple Spring Batch program that fixes an error in a large data set. (Click here to download the source code.) Specifically, the large data set holds employee records for an organization, with columns for the employee's ID, name, and department ID. When the data was created, however, the department ID was accidently omitted. Thankfully, the department ID is the first two digits of the employee ID, so we can use the employee ID to fill in the department ID column. But the data set consists of 20,000 employees (I know, a bit unrealistic but you get the point).

We'll generate our own test data using Java.

Project Requirements

You should be working on a Linux box and have MySQL installed. You may need to do some initial configuration, such as creating a root user. Consult the documentation for your distribution, as well as the documentation on the MySQL website. Optionally, you could try out the example in this article with the H2 database.

You need a complete understanding of dependency injection and how the Spring core works. You also need to know some SQL. (But that's easy for an enterprise developer such as yourself. :-)

The following are the Java dependencies for this project:

• The Spring 2.5 core (Download the 'with-dependencies' version)
• xstream
• Spring Batch, again get the 'with-dependencies' version
• mysql connector/J

After grabbing all of your dependencies, be sure to add the various JARs to your project classpath.

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Firefox Gains 'Personas' Engine for Customization

Customizing and theming, or "skinning", your open source browser is about to get easier, thanks to the integration of Personas in the upcoming Mozilla Firefox 3.6 release.

The Personas engine, which enables users to easily change the way the browser looks, had previously been available as a Firefox add-on, but will soon become part of the default browser itself. Other popular Firefox add-ons, including Weave and Prism might one day follow suit, as well as a new technology for add-ons called Jetpacks, Mozilla said.

"Our add-ons site has over 6,000 add-ons, but it's a fairly heavy experience," Mike Beltzner, director of Firefox at Mozilla, told InternetNews.com. "You go there, you search, you find one, install it, then restart your browser. For cases where you're changing functionality, that makes a lot of sense, but what we've seen is that for a lot of people, for changing the way the browser looks, they're looking for something more lightweight."

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Compose a MVC Paradigm for PHP with Symfony

As you probably know, Model-View-Controller (MVC) is a programming technique that Wikipedia defines as: "an architectural pattern used in software engineering. The pattern isolates 'domain logic' (the application logic for the user) from input and presentation (GUI), permitting independent development, testing and maintenance of each." If you apply this definition to PHP, you may very well come up with the Symfony framework. Symfony is an open-source PHP web framework that provides architecture, components and tools for developers to build and maintain complex web applications faster. The Symfony framework uses the MVC architecture to make the web applications a lot easier and faster to modify.

Symfony generates the front controller MVC logic component. The front controller and the layout are common to all actions in a Symfony-based application. You can use Symfony's Propel library to generate the classes of the model layer automatically. By providing a simple API for storing and retrieving data, the Propel library allows you to access your database using a set of objects. The database implementation is invisible to you. If you want to change the database, all you need do is modify a parameter. The view logic is a simple configuration file, which you can easily modify as you like.

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Dynamic Language Support in the .NET 4.0 Framework

Welcome to this installment of the .NET Nuts & Bolts column! The focus of this article will be on the dynamic language support that will be released as a part of the upcoming 4.0 version of the .NET Framework. In order to run the examples contained within this article you'll need to use an early preview such as a beta or CTP of the .NET Framework 4.0 release.

Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR)

Dynamic languages are those that have a loose coupling between applications and data services. They involved implicit typing, meta programming, and do not involve compilation. The popularity of dynamic languages such as Python, Ruby, and JavaScript can be seen all across the Internet. To date Microsoft .NET has been about static languages.

The argument for and against dynamic languages and static languages has been around since programming languages were first created. Each paradigm has its strengths and weaknesses. The Common Language Runtime (CLR) is a common platform introduced in Microsoft .NET 1.0 for statically typed objects. Since the static paradigm was the only paradigm supported, those seeking support for dynamic languages were forced to turn elsewhere.

The Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR) introduces support for dynamic languages on .NET. This creates the possibility of a "best of" scenario where you can use from both paradigms. The core infrastructure of the DLR includes expression trees (such as LINQ), dynamic dispatch to different binders, and call side caching to avoid resolving to the same location more than once. The DLR interfaces with other platform types via binders. There are binders that map dynamic objects to statically typed .NET objects, a JavaScript binder that allows binding directly to JavaScript in Silverlight applications, COM objects, and Python and Ruby. It provides a single programming experience for talking to all of these environments that are not statically typed

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Has Google Begun Changing How it Indexes the Web?

Last summer Google announced a new project called "Caffeine", which was described as a re-write of Google's web search architecture. Around that time, Matt Cutts discussed Caffeine with WebProNews, comparing it to the "Big Daddy Update" of 2005, which consisted of changes to the way Google crawls and indexes websites. It appears that more people are now seeing the effects from Caffeine out in the wild.

Back before the holidays, Google made it a point to assure everybody that Caffeine would not be rolled out (except for at one data center) until after the holidays were over - January at the earliest. The reason for this was that Google didn't want to shake everything up during a key time for businesses (they didn't want a repeat of the Florida update).

The company let everyone know about its intentions at PubCon in November. In fact, a few days ago, Google's Matt Cutts posted a video running through his presentation from that event on his blog. He also provided the slideshow. It covers much more than just Caffeine, but if you missed it, you may want to consider watching it anyway (Caffeine discussion starts at about 22:10 in the video and at slide 29 in the presentation).

"It's a re-write of our indexing infrastructure. It's taking the old way that we used to index things that we'd crawled around the web, and we're replacing that with new architecture that's fresh and that had been written to be more scalable, more flexible, [with] the ability to attach different types of data, and in the process of indexing, the ability to do more documents for a more comprehensive version of the web, and the ability to do it faster," Cutts says of Caffeine.

But enough background. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable points to a WebmasterWorld forum thread where administrator Tedster claimed to have seen Caffeine in action at a number of IP addresses.

It seems to take 5 IP addresses to build the complete SERP, where in the past it often took only 3.

We don't know for sure if this is all really Caffeine in action though. Google hasn't commented on it, and has not made any announcements regarding Caffeine since what Matt said above. Some people don't believe this is Caffeine at all. As Schwartz notes, we'll have to wait for Google to say something.

Still, January is almost over, and Google said it would wait until after the holidays, specifically mentioning the month of January. It's about time for this to be rolling out to some extent. Speed has been emphasized a significant amount in Caffeine discussion, and Cutts told us that page speed would likely become a ranking factor. Regardless of whether or not you are witnessing Caffeine in action yet, rest assured that it will be here sooner or later, and any edge you can give yourself in the meantime is for the good of your own site's performance. Speed will not only supposedly help you in search going forward, but it just makes for a better user experience.

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E-mail marketing is a cost-effective way to communicate

E-mail marketing is a cost-effective way to communicate. Your business will benefit if you use it correctly. When you market via e-mail, you need to comply with federal regulations that affect all commercial enterprises.

E-mail Marketing Providers

One question that confronts most people is if they should use an e-mail marketing provider. If your business just sends out e-mails via Microsoft Outlook or another e-mail program you may be missing out on certain statistics and tools that help you manage your e-mail campaign.

There are several advantages of using an e-mail marketing provider. The first of which are metrics and analytics reports.

These tools give campaign managers the information they need to determine performance and where improvements need to be made. Additionally, built in tools help you craft your e-mails to comply with existing spam regulations.

Where do you get a Database to Market to?

Looking to build a database of targeted e-mail addresses? The best place to start is your current information on existing customers or known prospects. If you don't have access to this resource, then you need to build one from scratch.

You have a couple of options here. You can buy or rent lists from specialist providers. Renting is less expensive in the short term, but remember these contacts are never actually owned by your business. This approach doesn't work for everyone.

Another option is to buy a list or two to get started and send out a promotion where people come to your site and "opt in" to a new e-mail database that will contain individuals who are now interested in your products or services. Then, through other campaigns and other marketing efforts, continue growing your list that you now own.

E-mail Frequency -- How Often Should you Send out E-mail?

Typically, people who have opted in to your e-mail campaign will probably stay loyal to you if you don't bombard them with too many e-mails. Over-mailing your subscribers can turn them off.

Monitor your unsubscribed count after each blast. Slow down your frequency if you see many subscribers bailing out. As a general rule, no more than once a week is a good place to start. Adjust accordingly.

Consider testing your responses before you send an e-mail to your entire database. Select a small sample of subscribers to do a test push and check for responses.

Spam -- E-mail Compliance

So what happens when the fine line between requested marketing e-mails and unsolicited messages (spam) is crossed? The consequences can and have led to upset customers -- and even lawsuits.

Laws are still catching up with the technology, but you should be aware of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. Many states also have laws that govern e-mail advertising, so investigate these before doing an e-mail blast.

Familiarize yourself with these regulations before developing your campaign to ensure you don't fall into any legal traps.

The Landing Page Should fit the E-mail and the Offer

Make sure to lead your reader to the right destination through the links provided in the message. People hate wasting their time, and if this happens even once, you stand the risk of losing credibility.

By tailoring your landing page for links, you also make better use of your Web site to further engage the customer's interest.

How to Use Graphics

Many people like to get their e-mails in a text format. So if you plan to use images you should consider those who prefer text.

If you decide to use images, label each image so that those who receive e-mails as text can make sense of the message. Images should also complement your message content, not take away from it. Also remember that a large image can push content below the fold and large images can slow message loading.

Social Media and E-mail Marketing

The messages you send out to your subscribers could be of interest to others. If your subscribers feel the information is valuable they will likely share it with their friends. Don't underestimate the use of social media as an adjunct to your e-mail marketing campaign.

Also, be prepared for any responses generated from your e-mail marketing campaign. Small companies can easily become overwhelmed with responses and not have the resources to respond in a timely manner. It's important to anticipate demand and plan accordingly.

Make sure you learn from your campaigns. Not all will be successful, but pay attention to how customers respond and update campaigns accordingly to improve each time.

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Zend Framework 1.10 Joins PHP to Windows Azure

Zend - one of the lead commercial sponsors behind PHP - and Microsoft have had an ongoing relationship over the last few years to make PHP a first class citizen on Windows Servers.

Now Microsoft is help PHP to take the next step, into the cloud.

Today Zend Framework 1.10 was released including support for Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services. Zend Framework is a PHP framework for application development and deployment that already has benefited from contributions from IBM, Google and others.

The new Zend_Service_WindowsAzure component was actually contributed by Microsoft to the open source Zend Framework project. It enables to PHP developers to call Windows Azure APIs from within PHP applications.

"The ubiquity, simplicity and flexibility of PHP make it ideal for building cloud applications. Native Windows Azure support in Zend Framework 1.10 brings the power of Windows Azure to a substantial community of Zend Framework users,"said Zeev Suraski, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Zend in a statement.

Is this a good thing for open source?

Sure it is. Azure is just another deployment option and with the new Zend Framework capabilities PHP developers now have yet another choice.

It's also great to see open source contributions from Microsoft like this one. Microsoft's goal is to make it's platforms the ones that developers - any developers PHP or otherwise - want to deploy on. By making this open source code donation they're making a good step forward in their goal, at least for PHP developers.

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Drupal Opens the Garden to Boost CMS

Drupal wants to put you on notice that setting up a Web site is about to get a lot easier. That's what it's claiming with its new Drupal Gardens offering, which looks to demystify the process of building and hosting powerful Web sites.

Drupal's already powering the content management systems in use by Red Hat, Mozilla and the White House. Developer.com hears from the open source effort's founder on what's coming down the pike.

The Drupal open source content management system (CMS) is on the verge of a major overhaul that could see it become more powerful and user-friendly.

Drupal is among the leading CMSs, in use by Red Hat, Mozilla and WhiteHouse.gov to name a few.

Drupal is gearing up for its 7.0 release, which can now be previewed by way of a new effort called Drupal Gardens. With Drupal Gardens, Acquia—the lead commercial sponsor behind Drupal—is providing an early look at version 7 with a new hosted build-your-own-Drupal-site online service.

Drupal founder Dries Buytaert said the new effort aims to expand the market for Drupal and make it easier for people to build sites.

"Drupal Gardens is essentially Drupal as a service," Buytaert told InternetNews.com. "It's a hosted version of Drupal and it's also a managed service so people don't have to worry about upgrading or security fixes. We take care of all of that."

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Google to End Support for IE6

Google will phase out support for Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 Web browser starting in March, the company said Friday.

"Many other companies have already stopped supporting older browsers like Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers. We're also going to begin phasing out our support, starting with Google Docs and Google Sites," Rajen Sheth, Google Apps senior product manager, wrote in a blog post Friday.

The announcement comes more than two weeks after Google reported that its servers had been the target of attacks originating in China. Those attacks targeted a vulnerability in IE 6, for which Microsoft has since issued a fix.

Support for IE6 in Google Docs and Google Sites will end March 1, Sheth said in the post. At that point, IE6 users who try to access Docs or Sites may find that "key functionality" won't work properly, he said.

Sheth suggested that customers upgrade to Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox 3.0, Google Chrome 4.0 or Safari 3.0, or more recent versions of those browsers.

According to StatCounter, IE6 has 18 percent market share among browsers.

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Azure Makes Cloud Computing Innovation Safe

If you think cloud computing is hard to define, try deploying it. That's one of the main appeals and pitches from Microsoft with its Azure services. It wants to make cloud computing simple and easy to deploy. Datamation checks to see if it's all that.

One of the more interesting problems facing startups today is the double bind that cloud computing offers innovative new software companies.

On the one hand, deploying new innovative software in the cloud is a godsend for startups trying to appease the IT department’s often obstructive attitude toward new software. This is particularly true of anything that requires IT resources to install and manage.

On the other hand, being able to support a newly developed cloud-based offering means building and deploying a cloud infrastructure with the up-time and redundancy that cloud customers have come to expect, before a single contract is signed and a single customer dollar has been put in the bank. It’s a daunting dilemma for those three guys in a garage with a great idea that they’re trying to turn into a software product.

Herein lies Microsoft’s biggest cloud opportunity: Azure has a role to fill as a low-cost, Windows-ready deployment option for new cloud computing offerings. With Azure as the deployment platform, startups can offer 99%-plus up time, failover capacity, and all the other terms and conditions that can make a fledgling startup’s support infrastructure look like a seasoned cloud-based offering.

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dotCMS Readies to Support CMIS

Open source dotCMS announced that the upcoming 1.9 release will feature an implementation of CMIS v1.0, which is currently in public review.

According to the vendor, Will Ezell, CTO, has been working with other content management vendors supporting CMIS -- IBM, Alfresco, others -- who are part of the founding members of the specification.

dotCMS says it plans to invest in CMIS to help decrease the amount of connector and integration work on the customer's part. "The big win is the huge increase in the amount of content available to all. dotCMS felt that CMIS would be very attractive to larger enterprises -- a key target for the company," said Bill Beardslee, SVP, strategy and development.

"Fresh, highly relevant content is the most crucial aspect of building traffic and converting visitors into customers. CMIS unlocks the power of a content repository, creating opportunities for those organizations that know how to pair content with commercial opportunities," added Ezell.

dotCMS, who is also an OASIS TC member, plans to roll out their CMIS implementation iteratively. Version 1.9 is scheduled to go GA in Q1 2010 and will include a draft implementation that will be finalized by release 2.0 some time in Q3 2010.

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WordPress for Android Now Available

The battle between Google and Apple over the mobile device marketplace is in some ways a battle between open source and proprietary software. Google's taking the open source route, and now the open source WordPress blogging software has just rolled out WordPress for Android 1.0.

"This initial release of WordPress for Android," reports TechShout, "should enable users to manage their blogs while on the go."

With their Android powered mobile device, WordPress users will be able to manage multiple blogs, moderate comments, create and edit posts including categories, tags and photos, as well as create and edit pages.

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