After being announced just a couple of weeks ago, the HTC One is seeing its source code being released to the public. However, it seems that only Vodafone UK and Vodafone France versions of the new device are involved. However, that could change in the future. The release of the source code will make it easier for developers to create custom ROMs for the One.
The source code for the new phone is based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and all the files come in at 100MB in size after it’s all said and done. Of course, releasing source code for its phones is typical fashion for HTC, and the HTC One is simply added to a list of HTC devices with source code out in the wild.
While we would eventually see custom ROMs even if HTC didn’t release the source code for the One, the official source code makes sure that custom ROMs work seamlessly with the phones that they’re put on. Many custom ROMs come with caveats and may not be fully-functional. With the source code, developers are able to make flawless ROMs.
If you’re in the mood to grab an HTC One, you can do it right now because it’s available for pre-order on AT&T, with a release date of April 19 on both AT&T and T-Mobile. You can pick up the 32GB model for $199.99 and the 64GB model for $299.99. If you already happen to have HTC’s Droid DNA, the company also announced that the source code for the phone is available now as well.
In an interesting series of events, Microsoft is being accused of preventing Windows 8 users from installing Linux or other operating systems. A Spanish advocacy group that represents various open source software, has filed a complaint with the European Union, saying that the Microsoft’s method for blocking Linux-based operating systems is “a de facto technological jail.”
The feature that blocks such operating systems is Microsoft’s UEFI Secure Boot, which is there for security purposes on Windows 8 machines during bootup. However, the open source group, known as Hispalinux (get it?), says that the feature makes “Microsoft’s Windows platform less neutral than ever,” and that users have to obtain special license keys from Microsoft in order to install non-Windows operating systems.
Microsoft was fined earlier this month for failing to comply with an antitrust agreement that required the company to allow Windows users the opportunity to use any web browser. They were eventually fined a whopping $731 million for the violation, which is pretty stiff fine no matter how you look at it.
There’s no say if the EU will fine Microsoft again for this latest complaint, but we’re sure that the organization will investigate the situation to see what’s up. Hispalinux says that the UEFI Secure Boot feature “is absolutely anti-competitive,” and that “it’s really bad for the user and for the European software industry.”
If there’s one technological breakthrough China’s government thinks it needs right this second, it’s their own operating system. Or more control over the internet – but that’s (perhaps) besides the point. Today the big news is the Chinese government signing a deal with Canonical, the creators of the OS Ubuntu, to create their own home-grown operating system to “wean its IT sector off Western software in favor of more home-grown alternatives.”
According to the BBC, this collaboration will be the home of a brand new Ubuntu-based operating system by the name of Ubuntu Kylin, and it’ll be released as soon as April. This is also the timeframe for the next regular version of Ubuntu, which leads us to believe that Canonical may be considering releasing more than one country-centric version of its operating in the future, should the need arise. This deal is also part of a 5-year plan China is inflicting in order to get more of its citizens to use open-source software (believe it or not).
The creation of this operating system will be done in a single laboratory in Beijing filled with engineers from both Canonical and a series of Chinese R&D agencies. There will be more than one version of Kylin, the second being one worked on by Canonical to work on servers for online shops, hosting firms, and webpages of all kinds can use the software both online and off.
The first wide release of Kylin will be pushed to both desktop and laptop computers, with additional devices in mind for the future. In the future, it’s been noted (similar to the US), that Ubuntu Kylin will be released for tablets, smartphones, and everything in-between. This Kylin version of Ubuntu works with Chinese character sets natively and will, according to the BBC:
“Also do more to support the way Chinese people interact with computers as well as reflect China’s date conventions.” – BBC
In the future, Canonical and the Chinese government will be releasing versions of the operating system with connections to Baidu maps, Taobao shopping service, and new versions of image management tools and office apps created specifically for this market.
Have a peek at the timeline below to see other recent China homegrown news to see how odd we find it that the country will be pushing an open source operating system to its citizens, and let us know what you think!
This year started off on a sad note with the suicide of the man known as Aaron Swartz, made famous for his development of Reddit and Demand Progress. His death is said to have been due to massive legal pressure put on by the Department of Justice and MIT after it was discovered that he’d hacked into the academic journal system known as JSTOR, releasing documents to the public that otherwise would have been limited to students and academics of all sorts still under the payment plan required by the system. Today it’s been announced that MIT will release until-now locked-down documents related to the case.
It was just this past week that the lawyers working with the Swartz estate requested that the documents at hand be released in full. Though both MIT and the lawyer group agreed that some details would certainly be redacted for the safety of those involved, it would appear that more than just phone and social security numbers will be cut from this release.
The letter released today to the MIT community from MIT president Rafael Reif noted that they remain dedicated to as open a system as possible, but that they’d still have to cut out names and details that would lead back to those involved. The full text of the letter can be found in a PasteBin page – PasteBin being a repository for documents that can be submitted entirely anonymously, if you did not know.
“At MIT, we believe in openness, and we are not afraid to reexamine our own actions; indeed, it was with those values in mind that I asked Professor Hal Abelson to undertake his analysis following Aaron Swartz’s tragic suicide. But I believe that openness must be balanced with reasonable concern for privacy and safety. That is especially true in this situation. In the time since Aaron Swartz’s suicide, we have seen a pattern of harassment and personal threats. In this volatile atmosphere, I have the responsibility to protect the privacy and safety of those members of our community who have become involved in this matter in the course of doing their jobs for MIT, and to ensure a safe environment for all of us who call MIT home.” – Reif
So it’s passwords to systems and the names and phone numbers – and social security numbers, all that sort of stuff – that’s being kept blank. Make sense to you? The exact wording from Reif is as follows:
“Therefore – in the spirit of openness, balanced with responsibility – we will release the requested MIT documents, redacting employee names and identifying information as appropriate to protect their privacy, as well as redacting information about network vulnerabilities.” – Reif
Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information leading up to this moment and be sure to stick with SlashGear for more updates as this case continues. Let us know what you think of the progress that’s being made, and be sure to speak up if you’ve got any details you’d like us to know that we don’t already!
The group known as DEFCAD have, up until today, been known primarily for their supply of downloadable CAD (read: 3D Printing) templates for firearms. This week they’ve announced that they’re going full steam ahead with a DEFCAD search engine for 3D printable models of all kinds – and they need funding. If you’re willing to toss a few bucks their way, they’ll be willing to let you in on the final product once it exists: completely devoid of the censorship they maintain is running rampant.
At the moment, the DEFCAD crew host a single zip file that contains 50+ files for your easy printing-at-home entertainment. These pieces include pieces of guns, mostly, but exist in a way that – at the moment – is entirely legal. The whole show is powered by the group known as Defense Distributed, also known as the “home of the wiki weapon project.”
The mission of Defense Distributed should not be mistaken for the mission of DEFCAD. With Defense Distributed, their aim is to “create the world’s first 100% 3D printable gun.” Meanwhile the mission statement for DEFCAD is more broad – their aiming to create a search engine for “all 3D printable files, not just innocuous trinkets and garden gnomes.” With the release of DEFCAD in the future, it’s said that the entirety of the project’s source will be released on github under AGPL license. According to the DEFCAD collection of manifesto-like snippets, they do not aim to maximize profit with this venture.
“Like Wikipedia, nightly database mirrors will also be made available via BitTorrent. Our goal is not profit maximization, it is an end to the artificial scarcity of copyright, IP, and regulation.” – DEFCAD
Also according to the DEFCAD set to mission statements, they’re aiming to support hackers and veterans of foreign wars here in the USA – and 4chan, oddly enough.
“Hackers are persecuted by federal prosecutors while the basic needs of veterans go unmet. All purchases mediated by the defcad.com search engine will be rounded up to the nearest dollar; 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the VFW, and 50% will be donated to 4chan to support free speech on the internet.”
The DEFCAD crew have made it clear that they oppose Google’s methods in search and video limitations, love Makerbot but do not agree with the limits they’ve set with their own “Thingiverse” collection, and suggest that politicians across the board – across the world, even – will continue to oppose the free distribution of 3D printing models to everyday citizens without regulation.
DEFCAD says that they will go forth and create an environment where anyone with access to the internet can download templates for objects of all shapes and sizes, printable with easily accessible 3D printers. Have a peek at their “We the People” or “We WILL” statement here:
Laws were changed and political parties founded over Napster, Bittorrent, and The Pirate Bay…over music and movies. But with 3D printed firearms, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, drones, and medical devices, the stakes will suddenly get much higher. Because 3DP is not about reviving manufacturing jobs or competing with assembly lines on cost. It is not about disrupting manufacturing. It is about disrupting copyright, IP, and regulation. It is about printing items whose prices have been set to infinity. It is about disrupting man-made forms of artificial scarcity. It is about DEFCAD.
Sound like a good idea to you? Let us know what your stance is on a free and open 3D Printing file search engine, especially if you plan to fund DEFCAD – or oppose it with your whole heart.
Oh 3D printing. You’re so glamorous. You’re so cool. But, let’s be honest, you’re soooo expensive. Maybe instead of printing with $30 spools of plastic you could print with empty shampoo bottles and milk jugs. Oh, you can do that? See, this is why everyone loves you. More »
In a move that’s making as clear a statement as can be made without outright saying the final word, Ubuntu has set up a timer with the words “tick, tock, tablet time” attached, lining up perfectly with the HTC event tomorrow morning. If there’s one thing that’s clear in the world of technology news reporting, it’s that there’s no such thing as a coincidence – and never more than in situations such as these. The doors open at 9:15 AM EST for a 10AM start in New York City – Ubuntu’s reveal looks to be set for the event’s start.
We saw a demonstration of the Ubuntu mobile operating system earlier this year at CES 2013 and found it to be interesting, if not titillating enough to want to use on an otherwise Android-based smartphone in the near future. At the moment that operating system is working quite well on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, a device that otherwise would be running the most basic Google-only stripped-down version of Android. Because both systems have very similar roots, Ubuntu is able to be hacked in quite easily.
You’ll also want to know that Ubuntu already has a bit of software you can run on your Android device easily: Ubuntu for Android. This software (as shown in the demo video below) allows you to work in a familiar Android UI when your on your smartphone and a lovely desktop mode when you’re connected to a larger screen with your HDMI-out (or whatever mirroring method you generally work with.) This would be the perfect jumping-off point for an Ubuntu tablet.
But what’s the point of all this if it’s closed-source? What we’r hoping-against-hope for here is a real-deal open environment the likes of which HTC has been warming up to over the past couple of years. If HTC’s Bootloader Unlock initiative is any indication, we’ll likely see more open and free excellence in the very near future. Sound alright to you?
Also note – HTCGlobal posted a picture earlier today of a set of covered devices, each of them rather small save for one nearest the camera. Is that an Ubuntu tablet we see? Could be! Join us tomorrow when the countdown clock is up right here on SlashGear – we’ll be live from both New York City and London – double coverage for all!
Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire.
In the inaugural appearance of our questionnaire on Engadget, Adafruit founder Limor Fried opens up about her love for her Metcal MX-500 soldering station and the joys of open-source build projects. Follow us after the break for more from Limor.
Our Antipodean chums might be getting a raw deal on modern versions of Photoshop, but at least they can try 1989’s vintage without paying. The Computer History Museum, with Adobe’s permission, has released the source code to version 1.0.1 free to citizens of the world, just as it did with MacPaint back in 2010. It’s just a shame that current CEO Shantanu Narayen isn’t feeling so generous to those on the southern hemisphere.
With home automation being all the rage these days, it was only a matter of time before Siri got her little, occasionally holier-than-thou claws into the action. All it took was YouTube user Elvis Impersonator, a Raspberry Pi, and enough trust in Siri’s goodness to believe she won’t devolve into a Hal 9000 wannabe. More »
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