Open source and free software graveyard, 2014
By Bob Brown,
Network World |
Oct 9, 2014 10:07 AM
PT
We've tossed in a couple of freeware offerings that are no more as well
The good thing about open source projects getting killed off is that there always seems to be another to take its place. Here’s a look at this year’s carnage to date, including some free software and freeware.
The managers of the TrueCrypt open source encryption file and disk encryption software project shut down their effort in May, noting that development was ended after Microsoft curtailed Windows XP support. The tool, for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, has been widely used by professionals and consumers to keep sensitive data confidential via on-the-fly encryption. TrueCrypt’s project team offered recommendations for transferring encrypted data to other programs, such as Microsoft BitLocker.
Mozilla, after seeing weak interest in its beta version of a Firefox browser for the Windows 8 tile-based Metro interface. Firefox VP Johnathan Nightingale wrote in March: "Earlier this week, I asked our engineering leads and release managers to take the Windows Metro version of Firefox off the trains. The team is solid and did good work, but shipping a 1.0 version, given the broader context we see for the Metro platform, would be a mistake." Though an ex-Mozilla engineer said the decision had more to do with Microsoft’s restrictive rules for third-party software.
Canonical is shuttering its Ubuntu One cloud-storage service as of June 1, leaving the field to the likes of Dropbox, Google Drive and EMC Syncplicity.
Users' content on the file service will be available until July 31 and customers with paid accounts will get refunds.
Canonical announced in April that Ubuntu for Android, which was to have come preloaded on several phones, was no longer in development. The offering would have allowed Android device users to automatically switch over to Unbuntu upon docking their device. But Canonical said "To take the development further requires a launch partner in order to make the necessary modifications on the Android side." Canonical said it was open to such partnerships, but for now is turning its attention to Ubuntu for phones and tablets not running Android.
This free Microsoft Office-compatible productivity suite came to Google by way of acquisition in 2012. It had been a paid product, but Google converted it into a free app in September of 2013. But in June of 2014, Google pulled the plug on the standalone offering, having integrated some of its features into other products like Google Docs.
LogMeIn pulled the plug on the free edition of its remote access technology in January with very short notice, leading to much outrage among users and much marketing by vendors offering alternatives. LogMeIn hopes to steer users to its assorted offerings, such as LogMeIn Pro.
