2010 Software Trends: Big Ideas from Small Places

by Michael J. Miller
What does the next year of software look like? Some things are obvious, such as new versions of Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office and continued improvement in online applications, mobile tools, collaboration, and new forms of communication. But what’s most exciting about software is that often the biggest changes come [...]

No shocker: Google prefers HTML5 to Gears

By Stephen Shankland
Word from the LA Times is that Google plans to phase out its Gears plug-in in favor of HTML5 when it comes to augmenting browser abilities. The precise details of its enthusiasm for the plug-in aren’t clear yet, but the general trajectory is no surprise.

The Best Free Software of 2009 : App Launchers

by Eric Griffith
The best things in life often actually are free. Here, a list of 173 of the best things in life—free software, for launching apps, networking, backup, synchronization, entertainment, and more.

Videogames seen good for children

By Sarah Luehrs
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Videogames can be good for children, encouraging creativity and cooperation, a European Union report concluded Wednesday which ran counter to the violent reputation of some titles.

Obama’s spending plans might help, but tough times to continue

By Dan Gallagher, MarketWatch
WASHINGTON D.C. (MarketWatch) — Barack Obama plans to name the nation’s first-ever “chief technology officer,” but the incoming president’s devotion to tech issues might not help the industry weather a dismal climate in 2009.

Former eBay exec tackles perils of e-commerce at Omidyar Network

By Scott Duke Harris, Mercury News
In his time as eBay’s vice president of global trust and safety, Matt Halprin used to hear from plenty of eBay members wondering why he or other company executives had apparently sent them e-mail flagging a problem with their account and asking them to re-register.

A Software Populist Who Doesn’t Do Windows (3)

By ASHLEE VANCE
In the following years, Mr. Shuttleworth set up venture capital and charitable organizations. Through investments in the United States, Africa and Europe, he says, he has amassed a fortune of more than $1 billion.

A Software Populist Who Doesn’t Do Windows (2)

By ASHLEE VANCE
Canonical, based in London, has more than 200 full-time employees, but its total work force stretches well beyond that, through an army of volunteers. The company paid for close to 60 volunteers to attend its developer event, considering them important contributors to the operating system. An additional 1,000 work on the Debian project [...]

A Software Populist Who Doesn’t Do Windows (1)

By ASHLEE VANCE
In December, hundreds of these controversial software developers gathered for one week at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. They came from all over the world, sporting many of the usual signs of software mercenaries: jeans, ponytails, unruly facial hair and bloodshot eyes.