Archive for the ‘Free Software’ Category

Finxact launches free software platform – Jacksonville Business Journal


Jacksonville Business Journal
Finxact launches free software platform
Jacksonville Business Journal
Finxact's API is available through its sandbox, a safe software environment to isolate and run new programs. The company was the first core banking provider to join the Open API Initiative, an effort to standardize the systems on which applications ...

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Finxact launches free software platform - Jacksonville Business Journal

Mobdro: What is the ‘new Kodi’ that lets you stream TV, films and sport for free? – The Independent

Designed by Pierpaolo Lazzarini from Italian company Jet Capsule. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.

Jet Capsule/Cover Images

A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore

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A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore

Getty Images

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea

Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images

Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi

Rex

Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session

Rex

A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

Reuters

A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

Reuters

A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

Rex

A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

Reuters

A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China

Reuters

A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London

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A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv

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Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S

Reuters

The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. This is a production preview of the Jaguar I-PACE, which will be revealed next year and on the road in 2018

AP

Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan

Reuters

Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03'

Reuters

Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot 'TRX03' performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan

Reuters

Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

Reuters

The interior of Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

Reuters

Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0

Reuters

A picture shows Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China

Reuters

Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo. The Connected company is a part of seven Toyota in-house companies that was created in April 2016

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A Toyota Motors employee demonstrates a smartphone app with the company's pocket plug-in hybrid (PHV) service on the cockpit of the latest Prius hybrid vehicle during Toyota's "connected strategy" press briefing in Tokyo

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An exhibitor charges the battery cells of AnyWalker, an ultra-mobile chasis robot which is able to move in any kind of environment during Singapore International Robo Expo

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A robot with a touch-screen information apps stroll down the pavillon at the Singapore International Robo Expo

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An exhibitor demonstrates the AnyWalker, an ultra-mobile chasis robot which is able to move in any kind of environment during Singapore International Robo Expo

Getty

Robotic fishes swim in a water glass tank displayed at the Korea pavillon during Singapore International Robo Expo

Getty

An employee shows a Samsung Electronics' Gear S3 Classic during Korea Electronics Show 2016 in Seoul, South Korea

Reuters

Visitors experience Samsung Electronics' Gear VR during the Korea Electronics Grand Fair at an exhibition hall in Seoul, South Korea

Getty

Amy Rimmer, Research Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, demonstrates the car manufacturer's Advanced Highway Assist in a Range Rover, which drives the vehicle, overtakes and can detect vehicles in the blind spot, during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

PA wire

Chris Burbridge, Autonomous Driving Software Engineer for Tata Motors European Technical Centre, demonstrates the car manufacturer's GLOSA V2X functionality, which is connected to the traffic lights and shares information with the driver, during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

PA wire

Ford EEBL Emergency Electronic Brake Lights is demonstrated during the first demonstrations of the UK Autodrive Project at HORIBA MIRA Proving Ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire

PA

Full-scale model of 'Kibo' on display at the Space Dome exhibition hall of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center, in Tsukuba, north-east of Tokyo, Japan

EPA

Miniatures on display at the Space Dome exhibition hall of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center, in Tsukuba, north-east of Tokyo, Japan. In its facilities, JAXA develop satellites and analyse their observation data, train astronauts for utilization in the Japanese Experiment Module 'Kibo' of the International Space Station (ISS) and develop launch vehicles

EPA

The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to the music during the Japan Robot Week 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight. At this biennial event, the participating companies exhibit their latest service robotic technologies and components

Getty

The robot developed by Seed Solutions sings and dances to music during the Japan Robot Week 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight

Getty

Government and industry are working together on a robot-like autopilot system that could eliminate the need for a second human pilot in the cockpit

AP

Aurora Flight Sciences' technicians work on an Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automantion System (ALIAS) device in the firm's Centaur aircraft at Manassas Airport in Manassas, Va.

AP

Stefan Schwart and Udo Klingenberg preparing a self-built flight simulator to land at Hong Kong airport, from Rostock, Germany

EPA

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Mobdro: What is the 'new Kodi' that lets you stream TV, films and sport for free? - The Independent

Free software programming education app wins Facebook’s Global App of the Year – SDTimes.com

Facebook is releasing the results from its FbStart Apps of the Year competition. Apps of the Year is an annual competition designed to recognize and showcase the most immersive apps from its global startup program.

Winners were chosen based on their current and projected growth, the customer experience, the apps design, and the way the apps leveraged Facebook products to drive engagement. We are honored to award this years winners with a combined $160,000 in prizes to help them continue to build and grow their products,Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, strategic partner manager at Facebook,wrote in a post.

The 2017 winners are:

Global App of the Year: SoloLearn, a free programming and coding education app designed to teach users the basics of software development. SoloLearn won the Global App of the Year award.

Social Good App of the Year: Golden, an application that connects people with volunteer opportunities. Golden won the Social Good App of the Year award.

Asia-Pacific App of the Year: Maya, an iOS/Android app for tracking menstrual cycles, monitor symptoms, and tracking pregnancy.

Europe, Middle East and Africa App of the Year: Mondly, a language education app with a virtual reality experience for learning langauges.

Latin America App of the Year: ReservaTurno, a on-the-go beauty appointment booking app.

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Free software programming education app wins Facebook's Global App of the Year - SDTimes.com

AMD’s new AMD4U program offers up free software for skipping Intel … – Digital Trends

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Why it matters to you

If you're considering an AMD-based system, or already bought one, then don't miss out on your AMD4U benefits.

AMD has been making some noise lately, introducing its increasingly popular line of Ryzen CPUs based on its new Zen architecture and giving Intel some real competition. And, the upcoming and hotly anticipated release of its Radeon Vega consumer GPUs is keeping gamers on their toes. Now, AMD is looking to build on its momentum with the introduction of its AMD4U program.

AMD4U is designed to highlight games and creative applications that are optimized for AMD CPUs and GPUs. The program is being kicked off with some special offers from Square Enix and Adobe and offers some serious benefits for anyone who is thinking of buying a new system based on AMD technology.

First up is Square Enix, which is offering up to three free games from its Square Enix Collective portfolio of indie titles estimated to be worth a cool $40. As Phil Elliott, the creator of the Square Enix Collective, put it:

With AMDs commitment, as part of the AMD4U program, we are able to provide gamers with access to an amazing array of new gaming experiences from these handpicked indie developers. The games available as part of the offer will showcase the variety and depth of the Collective portfolio, and bring fresh perspectives and new ideas, taking full advantage of AMDs powerful systems.

Next up is Adobe, which is offering free subscriptions to a couple of its cloud creative solutions, including up to two months of Adobe Creative Cloud (a $100 value) or three months of the Creative Photography plan (a $30 value). Sue Skidmore, Adobes head of partner relations, describes the companys participation saying:

Adobe Creative Cloud and the Creative Cloud Photography plan offered in the AMD4U program provide an amazing opportunity to discover the best creative tools available, like Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe InDesign CC, Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Adobe Lightroom CC, and a wealth of personalized learning resources.

Qualifying AMD-based systems include those using Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 desktop processors and Radeon RX 500 series GPUs, along with some older components so nobody is left out. If you already picked up an eligible system, then you can redeem your AMD4U perks here. If you are in the market for a new AMD-based system, then be sure to check out this list of eligible systems before pulling out your credit card.

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AMD's new AMD4U program offers up free software for skipping Intel ... - Digital Trends

How open source took over the world – The INQUIRER

GOING WAY BACK, pretty much all software was effectively open source. That's because it was the preserve of a small number of scientists and engineers who shared and adapted each other's code (or punch cards) to suit their particular area of research. Later, when computing left the lab for the business, commercial powerhouses such as IBM, DEC and Hewlett-Packard sought to lock in their IP by making software proprietary and charging a hefty license fee for its use.

The precedent was set and up until five years ago, generally speaking, that was the way things went. Proprietary software ruled the roost and even in the enlightened environs of the INQUIRERoffice mention of open source was invariably accompanied by jibes about sandals and stripy tanktops, basement-dwelling geeks and hairy hippies. But now the hippies are wearing suits, open source is the default choice of business and even the arch nemesis Microsoft has declared its undying love for collaborative coding.

But how did we get to here from there? Join INQas we take a trip along the open source timeline, stopping off at points of interest on the way, and consulting a few folks whose lives or careers were changed by open source software.

The GNU projectThe GNU Project (for GNU's not Unix - a typically in-jokey open source monicker, it's recursive don't you know?) was created by archetypal hairy coder and the man widely regarded as the father of open source Richard Stallman in 1983. GNU aimed to replace the proprietary UNIX operating system with one composed entirely of free software - meaning code that could be used or adapted without having to seek permission.

Stallman also started the Free Software Foundation to support coders, litigate against those such as Cisco who broke the license terms and defend open-source projects against attack from commercial vendors. And in his spare time, Stallman also wrote the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), a "copyleft" license, which means that derivative work can only be distributed under the same license terms - in 1989. Now on its third iteration GPLv3, it remains the most popular way of licensing open source software. Under the terms of the GPL, code may be used for any purpose, including commercial uses, and even as a tool for creating proprietary software.

PGPPretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption was created in 1991 by anti-nuclear activist Phil Zimmerman, who was rightly concerned about the security of online bulletin boards where he conversed with fellow protesters. Zimmerman decided to give his invention out for free. Unfortunately for him, it was deployed outside of his native USA, a fact that nearly landed him with a prison sentence, digital encryption being classed as a munition and therefore subject to export regulations. However, the ever-resourceful Mr Zimmerman challenged the case against him by reproducing his source code in the form of a decidedly-undigital hardback book which users could scan using OCR. Common sense eventually won the day and PGP now underpins much modern communications technology including chat, email and VPNs.

"PGP represents the democratisation of privacy," commented Anzen Data CIO and developer of security software, Gary Mawdsley.

LinuxIn 1991 Finnish student and misanthrope Linus Torvalds created a Unix-like kernel based on some educational operating system software called MINIX as a hobby project. He opened up his project so that others could comment. And from that tiny egg, a mighty penguin grew.

Certainly, he could never have never anticipated being elevated to the position of open-source Messiah. Unlike Stallman, Torvalds, who has said many times that he's not a "people person" or a natural collaborator (indeed recent comments have made him seem more like a dictator - albeit a benevolent one), was not driven by a vision or an ideology. Making Linux open source was almost an accident.

"I did not start Linux as a collaborative project, I started it for myself," Torvalds said in a TED talk. "I needed the end result but I also enjoyed programming. I made it publicly available but I had no intention to use the open-source methodology, I just wanted to have comments on the work."

Nevertheless, like Stallman, the Torvalds name is pretty much synonymous with open source and Linux quickly became the server operating system of choice, also providing the basis of Google's Android and Chrome OS.

"Linux was and is an absolute game-changer," says Chris Cooper of compliance software firm KnowNow. "It was the first real evidence that open could be as good as paid for software and it was the death knell of the OS having a value that IT teams would fight over. It also meant that the OS was no longer a key driver of architectural decisions: the application layer is where the computing investment is now made."

Red HatRed Hat, established in 1995, was among the first proper enterprise open source companies. Red Hat went public in 1999 with a highly successful IPO. Because it was willing to bet big on the success of open source at a time when others were not, Red Hat is the most financially buoyant open source vendor, achieving a turnover of $1bn 13 years later. Red Hat's business model revolves around offering services and certification around its own Linux distribution plus middleware and other open source enterprise software.

"Red Hat became successful by making open source stable, reliable and secure for the enterprise," said Jan Wildeboer, open source affairs evangelist at the firm.

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How open source took over the world - The INQUIRER