Infoworld News

Ruby shining on Java, Windows, and Mac OS

Paul Krill — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:11:03 +0000

Ruby, the popular open source dynamic language, is making headway not only on Java but also on the Windows and Mac platforms.

Appearing at the RubyConf event in Burlingame, Calif., on Friday afternoon, Engine Yard officials offered insights on JRuby, which puts Ruby on the JVM (Java Virtual Machine). JRuby also functions with Windows. Apple personnel at the conference detailed MacRuby, which puts Ruby on Mac OS.

Qualcomm's updated 3G chipset coming to ThinkPads

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:59:45 +0000

Lenovo will offer Qualcomm's latest Gobi multimode 3G (third-generation) mobile data chipset on ThinkPad laptops, allowing users to connect to the world's two major types of 3G networks and use assisted GPS for location-based services.

Microsoft previews Rx for asynchronous programming

Paul Krill — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:36:41 +0000

Microsoft is previewing extensions for .Net catering to asynchronous and event-based programming.

iPhone owners demand to see Apple source code

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:40:15 +0000

iPhone owners charging Apple and AT&T with breaking antitrust laws asked a federal judge this week to force Apple to hand over the iPhone source code, court documents show.

The lawsuit, which was filed in October 2007, accuses Apple and AT&T of violating antitrust laws, including the Sherman Act, by agreeing to a multi-year deal that locks U.S. iPhone owners into using the mobile carrier.

Corporate IT turns to open-source virtualization

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:27:54 +0000

Virtualization is unarguably one of the biggest trends of the past few years, and open-source software has been on the IT radar for a while now. So does that make open-source virtualization twice as much of a good thing?

EU gives Oracle extra time to respond to Sun inquiry

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:18:38 +0000

Oracle and Sun Microsystems have been granted an extra week to defend their planned $7 billion merger in front of European regulators, the European Commission said Friday.

H-1B hiring bill takes aim at tech firm layoffs

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:18:22 +0000

The two lawmakers who successfully added H-1B hiring restrictions to the financial bailout bill earlier this year have introduced legislation that would bar any firm that lays off 50 or more workers from hiring guest workers.

This legislation, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), could potentially affect a broad swath of tech firms that have laid off large numbers of workers but continue hiring.

New SSL attack can steal sensitive info from secure Web sites

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:49:21 +0000

A Seattle computer security consultant says he's developed a new way to exploit a recently disclosed bug in the SSL protocol, used to secure communications on the Internet. The attack, while difficult to execute, could give attackers a very powerful phishing attack.

You don't know tech: The InfoWorld news quiz

Jason Snyder — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vapor was in the air this week as rumors swirled around two products that exist only as pixels, not molecules: the Google Phone and the Apple Tablet. In its war over 3G ads, AT&T fired back at Verizon (and missed); Twitter got dissed; and Activision dodged a Kalashnikov bullet with its wildly popular Modern Warfare 2. Can you hit the bull's-eye with this week's quiz? Give yourself 10 points for each correct answer. Now: ready, aim ... fire!

1. Google announced a number of cool new things this week. Which of the following was not among them?

Google holds the future of Linux

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I used to think Ubuntu was destined to lead Linux into the mainstream, but now it's looking much more like Google -- not Canonical -- will be the first Linux vendor to truly challenge Microsoft.

You don't know tech: The InfoWorld news quiz

Jason Snyder — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

1. Google announced a number of cool new things this week. Which of the following was not among them?

Microsoft Windows chief decries standards grandstanding

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:37:49 +0000

Microsoft will be compliant with industry standards in Internet Explorer 9 such as HTML 5, but Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live division, decried the habit of vendors getting ahead of the process.

Google's Chrome OS: A Web appliance, not a PC

Galen Gruman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:13:25 +0000

Google unveiled more details about its much-anticipated Chrome OS at a press event at its Mountain View, Calif., campus today, but those who were hoping for a beta release of the OS were in for a disappointment. "We aren't launching the product today. There is no beta today," said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management. "Our target is the end of next year. We want to be there for the holiday season."