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News

• Munich opts for open source groupware from Kolab

  Munich is continuing its switch to open source software with its decision to start using Kolab Enterprise groupware for its city-wide IT infrastructure.

• Open-Xchange adds cloud storage to its app suite

  Collaboration software vendor Open-Xchange added cloud storage to its offerings to allow users to sync files, folders, documents and pictures.

• Intel wants to be the 'operating system' for big data

  Intel is continuing to build out its array of software tools for the Hadoop open-source big data processing framework, with an emphasis on the security and reliability features demanded by large enterprises.

• Red Hat and Hortonworks hook up for Hadoop

  Red Hat and Hortonworks have vowed to work together to make it easier to run Hortonwork's Hadoop Data Platform (HDP) with Red Hat's JBoss set of middleware, and other Red Hat enterprise software.

• LibreOffice enhances its enterprise spreadsheet abilities

  Open source office suite LibreOffice has overhauled its spreadsheet program, Calc, to try to make it better suited to the needs of enterprise users who handle big data sets.

• SkySQL aims for high-availability database clusters with MariaDB Enterprise

  Finnish software vendor SkySQL has launched the first version of MariaDB Enterprise, a subscription product which combines the MariaDB database with clustering software.

• Wikimedia mulls support for 'patent-encumbered' video file format

  Wikimedia, the foundation that hosts Wikipedia and other sites, is considering supporting the MP4 video file format on its projects, because it finds that the current open formats it supports limit the number of videos and the ability to view them on mobile phones.

• Microsoft expands open-source efforts in Asia

  A Microsoft Open Technologies subsidiary is coming to Shanghai, as the company aims to expand its open-source and open standards efforts in China.

• Red Hat takes more active role in CentOS, funds developers

  Red Hat plans to take a greater role in the community developing CentOS, in the hope of attracting more paying customers to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), the distribution on which CentOS is based.

• Google, car companies to bring Android to cars

  Google has teamed up with several auto manufacturers on Monday with the goal of bringing Android to cars by the end of this year.

• Moving a city to Linux needs political backing, says Munich project leader

  This year saw the completion of the city of Munich's switch to Linux, a move that began about ten years ago. "One of the biggest lessons learned was that you can't do such a project without continued political backing," said Peter Hofmann, the leader of the LiMux project, summing up the experience.

• German coalition favors German-owned or open source software, aims to lock NSA out

  Germany's new coalition government listed open source software among its IT policy priorities, and said it will take steps to protect its citizens against espionage threats from the NSA and other foreign intelligence agencies.

• Dell and Red Hat team to sell enterprise OpenStack

  Dell will start selling systems early next year that run Red Hat's version of the OpenStack open-source cloud platform.

• Switch to open source successfully completed, city of Munich says

  Munich's switch to open-source software has been successfully completed, with the vast majority of the public administration's users now running its own version of Linux, city officials said Thursday.

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 issued in beta form

  For the next generation of its flagship enterprise Linux distribution, Red Hat aims to support new cloud technologies while preserving the ways of the seasoned system administrator.