A decade after releasing the source code for MS-DOS 1.1 and MS-DOS 2.0, Microsoft has open sourced a (slightly) more recent operating system: MS-DOS 4.0. First released in 1988, you can now download the source code from GitHub, where it’s been shared under the MIT license. Of course there’s not much reason to actually run MS-DOS […]
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6 Comments on Fairberry lets you attach a BlackBerry keyboard to modern phones (some assembly & customization required)
Fairberry lets you attach a BlackBerry keyboard to modern phones (some assembly & customization required)
6 Comments on Fairberry lets you attach a BlackBerry keyboard to modern phones (some assembly & customization required)Smartphones with built-in keyboards are nearly (but not completely) extinct. But die-hard fans of physical keyboards have kept the dream alive with accessories like the Clicks keyboard case and any number of DIY solutions. The Fairberry project is one of the more interesting DIY options, as it’s an open source design that should, at least […]
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Fossify apps pick up where Simple Mobile Tools left off (free and open source suite of Android apps)
10 Comments on Fossify apps pick up where Simple Mobile Tools left off (free and open source suite of Android apps)When the lead developer behind Simple Mobile Tools sold the business to ZipApps last year, many long-time users of this suite of simple, free, and open source Android apps were wary. And, as expected, ZipApps soon started inserting ads and locking features that had once been free behind expensive subscriptions. But a developer who had […]
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Lilbits: Google Messages blocks RCS on rooted phones, HDMI Forum blocks AMD’s open source high-res/refresh rate drivers
19 Comments on Lilbits: Google Messages blocks RCS on rooted phones, HDMI Forum blocks AMD’s open source high-res/refresh rate driversGoogle has spent the last few years pushing RCS as the future of instant messaging, thanks to support for features that are missing from SMS such as typing notifications, read receipts, high-res photo sharing, and support for sending messages over WiFi as well as cellular networks. But… many Google Messages users recently noticed that they […]
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Open source webOS port LuneOS Eiskaffee is the first stable release in five years
A year after HP discontinued its webOS smartphones and tablets in 2011, the company began the process of open sourcing the software behind those devices. And that allowed a team of independent developers to keep the dream of webOS alive… sort of. The webOS Ports team has been developing a fork of the operating system […]
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OpenWrt developers consider launching their first hardware design
OpenWrt is an open source, Linux-based operating system designed for embedded devices like routers. The project has been around for two decades at this point, and can now be installed on thousands of routers and other devices. Now some of the developers behind the project have put together a proposal for the first hardware designed […]
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Android app maker Simple Mobile Tools acquired by ZipoApps
Simple Mobile Tools is the developer behind a suite of open source Android apps that live up to their name, with simple, ad-free user interfaces and features. Simple Voice Recorder has long been my go to recommendation for anyone looking for a no-nonsense way to record voice memos on an Android phone, and the developer […]
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Ploopy Adept is an open source, customizable trackball that sells for about $60
The Ploopy Adept Trackball is an input device that looks a bit like a Kenginston Expert trackball, but it has more buttons, a smaller trackball, a 3D-printed case, and a completely open source design. In other words, in addition to pre-ordering one from Ploopy for $80 CAD (about $60 USD) and up, you can visit the […]
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Open source 8088 BIOS version 1.0 released after a dozen years of development
Intel’s 8088 processor was released in 1979 and the 4.77 MHz processor was at the heart of the first IBM PC that was released two years later. While the processor is pretty sluggish by modern standards, it’s kind of legendary among retro computing fans, and it’s even popped up recently in new devices like the […]
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LibreOffice 7.6 released with new features, improved compatibility, and a legacy version name (next up, LibreOffice 24.2)
2 Comments on LibreOffice 7.6 released with new features, improved compatibility, and a legacy version name (next up, LibreOffice 24.2)The Document Foundation has announced the release of LibreOffice 7.6 Community edition, featuring a number of new features and improvements. But this release of the open source, cross-platform, community-supported office suite is also noteworthy because it’s the last version that will use the legacy 2-digit naming convention. So rather than LibreOffice 7.7 or 8.0, the […]