A new profile is provided for Firefox as well, though it is disabled by default. Users can enable AppArmor sandboxing of their browser by running:

$ sudo aa-enforce /etc/apparmor.d/usr.bin.firefox-3.5

The basic idea is that Firefox is a complex application. It (like all browsers due to the complexity) has had a lot of security vulnerabilities. AppArmor confines an application to being able to perform only a known and well-defined set of actions. Because of Firefox's complexity, the profile is disabled by default, to not interrupt the user's experience. If the profile can provide the necessary protection as well as a good user experience, then it may be enabled in a future release of Ubuntu.

I absolutely recommend using AppArmor in a corporate environment, which is one reason why we ship it. It is well tested in Ubuntu, and does work with extensions and plugins shipped in Ubuntu. The best thing to do is try it out and report any bugs.

• Across from the Federal Triangle Metro Station
• 302 12th St., NW
• Washington, DC

• Ubuntu on a netbook has proven itself, even providing a 'Remix' version best suited for the smaller netbook screens. Dell just released their Ubuntu 9.04 ISO, so anyone can purchase brand-name hardware that supports Ubuntu.

• Virtual Desktop Integration (VDI) is starting to get some serious attention. These platforms have come a long way from their earlier, nearly dumb terminals based on protocols like VNC. Citrix and Microsoft are promoting the XenDesktop package, with VMware and Parallels presenting their own VDI infrastructure. Canonical's Ubuntu has had several different VDI choices, but with the addition of IBM's approval and partnership, Ubuntu under VDI is being recast as Enterprise Grade.

• Lotus Symphony looks good and works well on Windows, Macintosh and Linux. As a Microsoft Office alternative, it's a good choice, but it's not the only player. The question for IT managers is whether or not Sun's OpenOffice is preferred to Lotus Symphony. Both have large companies behind their development, offer support and sell at a zero price point. Until recently, I would have understood a hesitancy to pull in Lotus Symphony. But, Sun is now in negotiations to be purchased by Oracle; a company that is not a flagbearer for Free Open Source (FOSS). The future of OpenOffice is uncertain, and IBM is strongly committed to the ongoing maturation of Symphony. Interestingly, Lotus just released an upgraded Symphony development kit that uses a Visual Basic style of programming (LotusScript) that works with Lotus Notes.

• Lotus Notes is now at release 8.5.1, and has revitalized their entire product line. It's obvious from numerous press accounts, that inclusion for iPhone support has been widely welcomed. Lotus Notes has been polished up and shows well in any office environment. Rob Koplowitz, Forrester Research's principal analyst summarizes that,"Lotus can now go side-by-side with Microsoft in a UI bake-off." Add in the integration capabilities of Lotus Notes and Lotus Symphony and there is now a framework for a uniquely productive office suite. I'm not sure there is anything equal to it. With the addition for Sametime IM and Quickr Entry, IBM has a challenge to Google Apps.

• Simple and easy to use graphical user interface
• Comfortable way to specify the motion path for each picture
• Picture comments are generate into subtitle file
• Several output possibilities
• Special feature is Full-HD resolution and MPEG4 output
• Background music for the slideshow
• Export and Import of a PhotoFilmStrip project (all pictures in one file)
• Automatic detection of picture rotation (extracted from EXIF)
• Some picture effect like "black and white" and sepia
• Some quality settings for each output renderer
• Command line interface for batch processing

• It's business email that is spartan.
• It's already well-established because it's built on last year's purchase of Outblaze, with 18 million accounts.
• IBM is claiming "security" and "stability" as their foundation.
• It's cost-competitive.
• It's one more move forward on a very large chessboard.

The inbox presents an uncluttered interface. It's a feature of LotusLive iNotes to eschew any advertising.

The inbox presents a paging GUI for mail.

Creating a new email presents a stripped-down, functional rich-text editor.

The calendar provides the usual view choices of day, week and month. It's possible to also create a company calendar.

Interestingly, the support resources are built on Lotus Notes Wikis, looking like the latest 8.5 release.

LotusLive iNotes is a member of a family of products for on-line collaboration. We can expect to hear much more about these services as "Engage" and "Connections" have received positive reviews.

Throughout the eleven chapters and 360+ pages the book covers the major elements of building strong community:

* Foreword by Leo Laporte ' emmy award-winning broadcaster and founder of the TWiT Network provides a thoughtful foreword, complete with his expected wit and repartee.
* Preface
* Chapter 1 ' The Art of Community ' We begin the book with a bird's-eye view of how communities function at a social science level. We cover the underlying nuts and bolts of how people form communities, what keeps them involved, and the basis and opportunities behind these interactions.
* Chapter 2 ' Planning Your Community ' Next we carve out and document a blueprint and strategy for your community and its future growth. Part of this strategy includes the target objectives and goals and how the community can be structured to achieve them.
* Chapter 3 ' Communicating Clearly ' At the heart of community is communication, and great communicators can have a tremendously positive impact. Here we lay down the communications backbone and the best practices associated with using it.
* Chapter 4 ' Processes: Simple Is Sustainable ' We then move on to focus on putting the facilities in place for your community to do great things. In this chapter we build simple, effective, and nonbureaucratic processes that enable your community to conduct tasks, work together, and share their successes.
* Chapter 5 ' Supporting Workflow with Tools ' We continue our discussion of community facilities to build workflows that are driven by accessible, sensible, and rock-solid tools that enable your contributors to do great work quickly and easily.
* Chapter 6 ' Building Buzz ' With a solid foundation in place, we move on to build excitement and buzz around your community and encourage and enthuse every man, woman, dog and pony to get involved and participate.
* Chapter 7 ' Measuring Community ' Although many consider community hand-wavey and unmeasurable, this chapter confronts the myth and guides you in tracking, monitoring, and otherwise measuring the work going on the community so it can be optimized and simplified.
* Chapter 8 ' Governance ' Our next stop is the wide-ranging and seemingly complex topic of governance. We explore what options are available for a low-friction, capable, and representative governance strategy for your community.
* Chapter 9 ' Handling Conflict ' One of the most sensitive topics in community leadership is handling conflict. In this chapter we explore how to identify, handle, and prevent irksome conflict; handle divisive personalities; and unblock problems.
* Chapter 10 ' Creating and Running Events ' Events offer an excellent opportunity for your community to bond, be productive, and have fun, and this is where we cast our beady eye in our penultimate chapter.
* Chapter 11 ' Hiring a Community Manager ' Finally, we close The Art of Community with some advice and guidance for organizations who want to hire a community manager to conduct and implement the wide range of topics that we have discussed throughout the book.

In fact, the slides must be viewed against the broader backdrop of the looming battle between Microsoft and its rivals -- including Apple and Google -- over the very future of computing itself. In essence, Microsoft is trying to prepare the battlefield for the day when Linux may present a viable threat to its stranglehold on the operating system market. That time is coming sooner than most people realize.

Smartbooks are designed to have similar characteristics to netbooks, including compact keyboards and screens. The devices are designed as alternatives to netbooks, most of which are based on Intel's Atom chips and come with Microsoft's Windows OS. The first smartbooks will come with Linux, as Arm-based chips do not support Windows XP.

• Most of the time, the benchmarks were about the same between Ubuntu and Windows XP.
• VMWare produced the best time for Ubuntu on Windows.
• Parallels had the best time for Ubuntu on Macintosh.
• Ubuntu on Microsoft's VirtualPC was a tenth of the performance of Windows XP. It wasn't just bad, it was under water.
  

In our regular shipping offerings, like WebSphere CE and Lotus Notes, we're using many of the Harmony libraries inside our JVM, and inside our core code. We contribute a lot to the Harmony codebase.

. . . many Microsoft partners privately express to me that the Microsoft Program has gone 80/20. That is, the focus is on select elite upper-caste SMB partners and their peers (typically upper-middle class males -- this is the top 20%) that bring in 80% of the licensing revenue. Engaging in an 80/20 strategy is fraught with issues including creating opportunities for your competitors.

I think IBM is doing it right. I've had several demos at different IBM events, and Foundations makes good on its pledge to provide small businesses with an easy to use, turnkey collaboration solution--really! Foundations offers file storage, advanced backup and recovery, connectivity and security, collaboration and email and application services in one integrated package. Some of the things that set it apart include:

• Automated installation and configuration; it discovers and maps the network for you, and auto-configures firewall and VPN, so you can deploy it in 30 minutes or less.
• Automatic data backups, and full system recovery if a disaster should occur.
• Symphony office productivity tools are bundled with, so you don't need to buy Microsoft Office software.
• Under the covers, you get the reliability and cost benefits of Linux and open source technologies (Foundations is priced less than Microsoft SBS servers), but you don't have to know a thing about Linux or these technologies to run it.
• It has the collaboration power of Lotus Notes and Domino, tailored for small businesses, with Notes clients for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

As important, IBM has factored in what's often the biggest hurdle to getting momentum for new product: inertia. Outlook users can continue to use Outlook with Domino Access for Microsoft Outlook. And, IBM added VMware virtualization to Foundations, so you can also run Windows applications on it. Customers don't have to give up things they already use--Outlook and Windows apps, such as Intuit QuickBooks. And, I almost forgot--you can also get a 30-day free trial, and it's black and yellow, like a bumble bee.

The small business technology market and the channel partners that serve them are at a turning point. Many businesses are tired of dealing with the cost and complexity of Microsoft products and licensing, and channel partners are deciding that they need another option for serving customers that don't want to deal with these hassles. This time, IBM is in the right place, at the right time, with the right solution, to give them a true alternative.