Sun CA Program Closes :(

I am no longer an employee of Sun Microsystems :( Unfortunately the campus ambassador program of Sun has come to an end. Its been over 16 months since I was hired. It was an thrilling experience all through the tenure. It was learning all through and an amazing experience which I will never forget throughout my life. Many moments during these 16 months will be engraved in my memory books which I will cherish forever.

I will really miss my bosses Ganesh Sir, Rajesh Sir & Anuradha Mam. Not to forget Ajay Sir had also been really helpful and kind to me in my first session. Well life has to move on. I would like to wish them best of times ahead.

So the tag line is - I am out of Sun Microsystems. Anyone interested for any kind of project Do contact me @ patnaik.sampat@gmail.com

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JOIN ME AT OSUM

REASONS TO JOIN OSUM:

• OSUM members will gain benefits that can help them prepare for an IT career by getting access to the latest open-source technologies including free media kits and student-developer resources.
• Participate in OSUM club activities at your university to learn about open-source technologies that are opening up new career opportunities
• Get access to free online courses, webinars, tutorials, discounts on certifications, and other student resources that can fast-track your career
• Connect and make friends with student coders from around the world to Get and Give technical support and share project ideas.

TRAINING:

• Hands-on training through student projects and games
• Online training through the Sun Academic Initiative program
• Preparation for and discounts on Sun certifications

IN ADDITION, OSUM MEMBERS CAN REAP THE FOLLOWING SOCIAL BENEFITS:

• Global social interaction and camaraderie with other student developers
• Opportunities to collaborate with each other on projects and activities
• Opportunities to get challenged, get motivated, and get excited

STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO DO THE FOLLOWING:

• Write blogs
• Post comments
• Use an instant-messaging application
• Upload photos and videos
• Post profiles of themselves
• Communicate in forums

STEPS TO JOIN ME :

STEP I: LOG ON TO http://osum.sun.com AND CLICK ON "SIGN UP"

STEP 2: ENTER YOUR MAIL ID, PASSWORD & DATE OF BIRTH

STEP 3: ENTER YOUR DETAILS

STEP 4: YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY JOINED OSUM. NOW IT’S TIME TO JOIN ME & “JITM OSUM CLUB“.In case of any problem you can enter this url in your browser and join us:

http://osum.sun.com/group/jitm

and click on “JOIN JITM OSUM CLUB” in the top right corner

ADD ME AS YOUR FRIEND AT :

http://osum.sun.com/profile/SampatPatnaik

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What Is ZEMBLY ?

Zembly is a browser-based development environment from Sun Microsystems that enables social programming of applications for Facebook, Meebo, OpenSocial, iPhone web applications, and other social platforms, as well as web widgets.

Users of zembly interact with one another via zembly's social networking features to engage in co-development of applications for these platforms.

Zembly combines features from traditional IDEs (such as a rich scripting editor) with wiki- and social-networking-based technologies to attempt to innovate on the application development paradigm for smaller-sized applications.

Applications created at zembly are automatically and transparently deployed, hosted, and scaled on its underlying cloud computing infrastructure.

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What Is Cloud Computing ?

Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources are provided as a service over the Internet.Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them.

The best example : Google Apps which provides common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet.

The concept incorporates infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) as well as Web 2.0 and other recent technology trends that have the common theme of reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users.

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Is IBM acquiring SUN ?

Yes , Sun Microsystems is not going to be taken over !!! Goodness me !!! 

The breakdown of talks to acquire Sun Microsystems Inc. won't significantly set back IBM position in its hardware, software or services markets, though a deal would have given it useful technologies.Talks had been going on for several weeks and the deal was initially pegged at close to $8 billion.

The deal would have brought IBM a host of assets, including significantly bulking up its presence in high-end servers used at corporate data farms and brought its share of the market to 42% from 32%, according to IT research firm IDC. It also would have given IBM intellectual property, such as Java, that could be used to further the company's ambition of becoming a player in cloud computing, the growing practice of selling computing power to customers via the Internet.

IBM, which posted annual sales of $103.6 billion, will remain one of the IT industry's biggest players with or without Sun.

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SUN xVM VIRTUALBOX

During one of my sessions a student came to me and said - " I have Windows Vista installed on my laptop. Now that you have demonstrated Open Solaris I would love to check out Solaris. But I cannot have another partition dedicated for it. Is there a way out ??? "

Thanks to Sun Microsystems. I had a beautiful solution to his query. A faster and easier way - "SUN xVM Virtual Box". It turns your PC into an easy-to-use virtualization platform. The enterprise-class open source software runs on all major operating systems and eliminates the need for tradeoffs or multiple hardware systems.

Check Out Virtual Box for yourself at :

http://www.sun.com/software/products/virtualbox/index.jsp

Check out its exciting features at :

http://www.sun.com/software/products/virtualbox/features.jsp

I suppose its time you download it for yourself at:

http://www.sun.com/software/products/virtualbox/get.jsp

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HOW TO JOIN JITM OSUM CLUB !!!

STEP I: LOG ON TO http://osum.sun.com


STEP 2: Enter your mail ID and login.

STEP 3: Enter your details



STEP 4: You have successfully joined OSUM. Now its time to join the JITM OSUM community


STEP 5: In your address bar, type in http://osum.sun.com/group/jitm

NOW YOU ARE A JITM OSUM MEMBER !!!

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Code For Freedom

The free and open source movement is emerging as the new world order in the technology sector across the world. Today, free and open source products such as Apache Web Server, OpenOffice.org and GNU/Linux have dwarfed several proprietary software products.

Sun Microsystems, a front-runner in supporting free and open source software and one of the largest contributors to this movement, takes this opportunity to invite the young, dynamic academic community of India to come and become a part of this exciting free and open source wave. Sun encourages everyone to take this opportunity to learn about free and open source technologies and make contributions by developing applications that make use of these free and open source technologies.

Sun Microsystems is happy to announce the Code For Freedom 2008 contest where students across India will contribute to the technologies that are empowering the Participation Age. One can gain valuable industry experience while at college by participating in this contest. And there is more. Sun in turn will reward you for your valuable contributions towards the free and open source movement.
This year, Sun has a new format which is designed to generate enthusiasm for open source software technology and to encourage academic developers to contribute software applications that demonstrate use and adoption of various Sun open source technologies. The contest is open to any college student in India and provides many exciting prizes. Students are required to submit complete project implementations that use at least two Sun open source technologies and are developed using either Netbeans or Sun Studio. For more details, please visit http://in.sun.com/codeforfreedom.

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Access NTFS partition from Solaris

1) Install the FSWpart package
Download http://www.belenix.org/binfiles/FSWpart.tar.gz
Uncompress: gunzip -c FSWpart.tar.gz | tar xvf -
Install: pkgadd -d . FSWpart

2) Install the FSWfsmisc package
Download http://www.belenix.org/binfiles/FSWfsmisc.tar.gz
Uncompress: gunzip -c FSWfsmisc.tar.gz | tar xvf -
Install: pkgadd -d . FSWfsmisc

3) prtpart /dev/rdisk/c0d0p0 -ldevs
This will display all the partitions in this format ==> /dev/dsk/c0d0pN : FAT/NTFS
NOTE : N means 0,1,2,3 etc.

4) Now to mount the particular NTFS partition

Example :
mkdir /mnt/c
mount -F ntfs /dev/dsk/c0d0p1 /mnt/c

if you have more than one partition, than make more directories in '/mnt/'
and put the address (/dev/dsk/..)

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OPEN SOLARIS : ALL U WANTED TO KNOW

Hey this is an impressive compilation from one of my juniors ANUP KUMAR MISHRA !!! Its worth reading !!! Go for it ...

OpenSolaris is an operating system (OS), a source base, and a community. The project's goals are innovation, collaboration, and the extension of OpenSolaris technology. There are some key OpenSolaris-related technologies like:

OpenSolaris Source Code: This is the source base for open development of the Operating System.It consists of several components called consolidations. At present, the OpenSolaris source base is not enough to bootstrap an entire system, so developers start by downloading an OpenSolaris distribution and installing the OpenSolaris bits on top.

OpenSolaris 2008.05: This is a community-developed binary distribution of an operating system based on the OpenSolaris source code, and it's the first release from Project Indiana. It runs on Intel and AMD processors on the server and desktop. It is free to use, modify, and redistribute. Support is available from Sun Microsystems.

Solaris Express Community Edition: This is Sun's unsupported binary release of OpenSolaris plus additional technology not released as source. The release is also known as Nevada and it is updated every two weeks, available as a free download.

Solaris OS: This is Sun's fully supported and tested enterprise operating system, and future versions of Solaris will be based on technology from the OpenSolaris project. Solaris is available as a free binary download, and Sun offers service packages and regular updates.


OpenSolaris binary distribution :

What does the OpenSolaris OS binary release mean for other OpenSolaris distributions?

The OpenSolaris community has several distributions controlled by their respective project teams. None of the freedoms that allow for the creation of derived works of the OpenSolaris code base are affected by this distribution, although new distributions may be built as customized versions of the OpenSolaris OS. Sun retains control over its distributions (Solaris 10, Solaris Express) and may consolidate its release model around the OpenSolaris OS at some point in the future.

Will this OpenSolaris binary distribution replace Solaris Express Community edition?

In the future, Sun will discontinue providing Solaris Express Community Edition and instead offer service and support for the OpenSolaris OS. OpenSolaris developers still have a need for frequent unsupported builds (currently named Solaris Express Community Edition), and these builds will continue to be provided.


Source code of the OpenSolaris project :

Initially, the OpenSolaris project included source for the kernel, networking, libraries, and commands from Sun's Solaris OS. This set of source is often referred to as the OS/Networking consolidation (O/N). But since the launch, source for additional parts of that system have been released, and the goal is to make as much of the Solaris OS source available as legally possible. Ultimately, source code repositories for most of the Solaris OS will be available on opensolaris.org. The OpenSolaris Roadmap has more detail about when other components might be available, and we compiled a list of OS/Networking (O/N) components currently not included as source.

Why did Sun open source the Solaris OS?

There are many reasons for the decision:
• A community development model creates opportunities for collaboration between Sun and the developer and user community.
• Many Solaris OS customers care about and require open source.
• It allows Sun and its partners to participate in more projects that require open source software.
• Open sourcing creates a platform for a new generation of innovation by allowing developers to leverage the Solaris technology.
• It opens up opportunities in new markets for Solaris: for example, startups can now build a product around the OpenSolaris technology.

Is OpenSolaris for SPARC and x86 architectures?

Yes. There is only one source base for the Solaris operating system for both SPARC and x64/x86 systems, and binaries are built from that common source. By open sourcing the common Solaris source base you automatically get the code for all Solaris-supported platforms.

License for OpenSolaris source code :

OpenSolaris community contributions and Sun-written/-owned code is released under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) Version 1.0 -- an Open Source Initiative (OSI)-approved open source license. The OpenSolaris project also includes a number of existing open source project components, which are released under their current licenses (e.g., Perl is licensed under The Perl Artistic License).

What license is used for the OpenSolaris OS?

OpenSolaris 2008.05 is licensed using the OpenSolaris Binary License.

Is OpenSolaris free software?

Yes, OpenSolaris is free to use, free to modify, and free to redistribute.

Do It need to register to download OpenSolaris from opensolaris.org or opensolaris.com?

Registration is not required to download the source code or binary distribution.

What version of the Solaris OS is OpenSolaris?

The latest development release of the OpenSolaris source code roughly corresponds to Solaris 10 plus development work completed since the release of the Solaris 10. At this time, Sun has no plans to open source the code for the Solaris 10 release or earlier releases.

Security in the Solaris OS:

The Solaris source code has been available on a controlled basis for many years, and this has enhanced the security features of the system. Open source software is well-known for its advantages when it comes to security. Security is all about getting the details right, so having thousands of people examining the source code dramatically reduces the chance that an important bug remains undiscovered and ensures the fastest possible resolution.

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Cool excerpts on OPEN SOURCE

These are some of the few excerpts that I cam across on OPEN SOURCE. Thanks to my friend KARTHIK.....

“When the world is wide OPEN …
Why do u require doors or WINDOWS…?”

“What the closed-source players lack is the recognition that the open source movement is a result of years of collaboration with the customer, involving them in every step of development, and delivering premier class support and services - a completely different business model to what they are accustomed to.”

“Any time you give something away for free, you are looking to make money off something else as a result. In this case, the free software compliments a core asset (usually also software). By increasing the market share of the compliment, you increase the market size of the core asset. Open source comes down squarely on one side of this debate, since open source software is an extreme case of an open standard: Not just the interfaces are exposed, but the entire body of source code. Furthermore, competing vendors are more likely to participate in an open source process, not just an open standards process, because there are no hidden components that may be changed out from under them.”

“Open source culture is the creative practice of appropriation and free sharing of found and created content. Examples include collage, found footage film, music, and appropriation art. Open source culture is one in which fixations, works entitled to copyright protection, are made generally available. Participants in the culture can modify those products and redistribute them back into the community or other organizations.”

“Open source is a definite force to reckon with for the companies that create trial wares and for Microsoft and Apple.”

“The main advantage of open source is that the number of developers is enormous as compared to any company. This leads to more ideas, better applications and better performance. We are right now in the transition of completely changing to open source software. By present statistics it shouldn’t take a long time…”

“However, if open source does usurp journal science, several new challenges are created. How are scientific contributions by researchers measured for tenure and grants? How will the quality of science change? Time will tell.”

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Sun Open Source University Meetup (Sun OSUM) Community

Sun OSUM is an on-campus community (club) that educates students about the importance of FOSS(Free and Open Source Software) and the latest Open Source technologies and communities supported by Sun. Sun OSUMs provide students with training in cutting edge technologies in demand by the IT industry, access to resources to advance their careers and the opportunity to make friends through engaging and fun technology-based activities.

It is called a "Meetup" because the nature of the open source world is community and collaboration. Students are encouraged to "Meetup" with existing student groups and share the benefits of Sun's open source technologies and student resources to create an even stronger open source community in the university.

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Benefits for OSUM Members

OSUM members will gain benefits that can help them prepare for an IT career by getting access to the latest open-source technologies including free media kits and student-developer resources. Training:

* Hands-on training through student projects and games
* Online training through the Sun Academic Initiative program
* Preparation for and discounts on Sun certification3
* OSUM activities that encourage team building

In addition, OSUM members can reap the following social benefits:

* Global social interaction and camaraderie with other student developers
* Opportunities to collaborate with each other on projects and activities in a fun and engaging way
* Development of interpersonal skills
* A better attitude about learning
* A sense of accomplishment, with a growing sense of competency and self-esteem
* Opportunities to get challenged, get motivated, and get excited

OSUM Elements:

The OSUM has two elements that create the organization: Physical and Virtual.

Physical: The OSUM energizes students to participate on campus in Sun’s communities through tech demos, projects, and activities based on open-source technologies and communities that Sun supports.

* Monthly meetings
* Typical activities
* Student projects
* Games
* Guest speakers
* Installfests
* Open-source events
* Face-to-face interaction with campus OSUM members

Virtual: OSUMs enables student developers to connect to each other and to Sun through a virtual social network. New OSUMs and existing student-developer groups that affiliate with the Sun OSUM program will receive free access to the OSUM web site. Benefits of this web site include the following:

* A feature-rich social networking site that can host the web site for each individual OSUM and connect it to OSUMs and their members around the world
* Everyday interaction with a global community of student developers

Students will be able to do the following:

* Write blogs
* Post comments
* Use an instant-messaging application
* Upload photos and videos
* Post profiles of themselves
* Communicate in forums

The OSUM web site allows students to participate and create the online communities. Students can create their own subgroups by technology, language, and other special interests.

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