Now accepting student applications for Google Summer of Code

Starting today, we’re accepting applications from students for the 2011 Google Summer of Code. In this global program, now in its seventh year, university students receive a stipend to write code for open source projects, gaining experience in real-world software development and creating more source code which benefits everyone on the web.







To apply, visit the program website, where you can review this year’s 175 accepted projects and submit your proposal. Space in the program is limited, so be sure to consult the Google Summer of Code student manual and read over some tips on crafting the best proposal and suggested dos and don’ts for participating in the program.



You can find more information on the Open Source blog. Applications are due Friday, April 8 at 12pm PDT. Good luck!



Posted by Stephanie Taylor, Open Source Programs Office

Source: The Official Google Blog

Java Creator Joins Google; Will Android Benefit?

James Gosling, the man who created the programming language, Java, has just joined Google.

The hire was quite the win for Google, which is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with Java’s owner, Oracle, over some uses of Java in the Android stack.

Gosling said in a blog post on the move, “I don’t know what I’ll be working on. I expect it’ll be a bit of everything, seasoned with a large dose of grumpy curmudgeon.” Call us psychic, but we’re willing to bet Gosling will be working on the Android platform.

Gosling developed Java while he was an employee at Sun Microsystems. The project began in 1991, and the language was released in 1995.

But when Sun was acquired by Oracle in a deal that closed in January 2010, Gosling left the company a few months later. At the time, he said, “Just about anything I could say [about Oracle] that would be accurate and honest would do more harm than good.” He’s since been notably cynical about Oracle’s treatment of the Java language and community, even going so far as to call Oracle CEO Larry Ellison “Larry, Prince of Darkness.”

Gosling said he had turned down several “excellent” opportunities prior to signing with Google. He wrote that the new job, whatever it may entail from day to day, “looks like interesting fun with huge leverage.”

source: Mashable

Firefox 4 also crashing due to outdated graphics drivers

Firefox 4 also crashing due to outdated graphics drivers: "After reading a new post from Mozilla, it appears as though Google isn't the only browser maker having a hard time with outdated graphics drivers. As Mozilla inches closer and closer to the final release of Firefox 4 -- which, of course, packs hardware accelerated rendering kung fu -- the company's Benoit Jacob has posted a plea to its users.



Please update your graphics drivers.



Like Google, Mozilla has noticed higher volumes of crash reports from Firefox 4 users who were running stale drivers. In addition to offering a general reminder to update your drivers, Mozilla has also posted a listing of the video card drivers which have been added to the Firefox 4 blocklist. If your driver is listed, it's imperative you update if you want to get the best performance out of Firefox 4.

Firefox 4 also crashing due to outdated graphics drivers originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.