Technology

Helm is an open source project that enables developers to create packages of containerized apps to make installation much simpler. Up until now, it was a sub-project of Kubernetes, the popular container orchestration tool, but as of today it is a stand-alone project.

Both Kubernetes and Helm are projects managed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). The CNCFTechnical Oversight Committee approved the project earlier this week. Dan Kohn, executive director at the CNCF says the two projects are closely aligned so it made sense for Helm to be a sub-project up until now.

&Whatnice about Helm is that itjust an application on top of Kubernetes. Kubernetes is an API and Helm accesses that API. If you want you to install this [package], you access the Kubernetes API, and it pulls this many containers and pods and [it handles] all of the steps involved to do that,& Kohn explained.

This ability to package up a set of requirements allows you to repeat the installation process in a consistent way. &Helm addresses a common user need of deploying applications to Kubernetes by making their configurations reusable,& Brian Grant, principal engineer at Google and Kubernetes (and a member of the TOC) explained in a statement.

Packages are known as &charts,& which consist one or more containers. Kohn says for example, you might want to deploy a chart that includes WordPress and MariaDB in a single container. By creating a chart, it defines the installation process and which pieces need to go in which order to install correctly across a cluster.

Kohn said they decided to pull it out as a separate program because it doesn&t always follow the Kubernetes release schedule, and as such they wanted to make it stand-alone so it wouldn&t necessarily have to be linked to every Kubernetes release.

It also allows developers to benefit from the community, who could build Charts for common installation scenarios. &By joining CNCF, we&ll benefit from the input and participation of the community, and conversely Kubernetes will benefit when a community of developers provides a vast repository of ready-made charts for running workloads on Kubernetes,& Matt Butcher, co-creator of Helm and principal engineer at Microsoft said in a statement.

Besides Microsoft and Google, other project sponsors include Codefresh, Bitnami, Ticketmaster and Codecentric. The project website states there are currently 250 developers contributing to this project. By becoming part of CNCF that will very likely increase soon.

Back in 2016, Kanye West announced that his latest album be available exclusively on Tidal. This morning, its follow up, the simply titled ye, arrived on that service, Spotify and Apple Music all at the same time.

The move is a blow for the artist-owned music streaming service, which has amassed much of its fanbase by launching exclusives from top music acts like West and Tidal investor Jay-Z, who made his own 4:44 an exclusive on the service.

Of course, Westown relationship with Tidal (among other things) has been rocky, at best. Last July, the embattled rapper reportedly claimed that the streaming service owed him &more than $3 million& over Pablo royalties, including a bonus from bringing &1.5 million new subscribers& to the service.

West may have been among the most prominent artists to complain about Tidal royalty payments, but he certainly wasn&t alone. Earlier this month, a report surfaced claiming that it was behind on paying record labels, as well.

West ultimately terminated exclusivity for Pablo a few months after its release, a year before it became the first album to go platinum from streaming-only. He also reportedly threatened to not make its followup a Tidal exclusive, if things between the artist and the service weren&t ironed out. As of this morning, that certainly appears to be the case.

The Trump administration just moved to kill a key tool to support immigrant entrepreneurs, and the startup community must make our voice heard to save it.

Supported by Republicans and Democrats, the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER) operates like a startup visa and allows foreign-born founders to launch new businesses in the U.S., rather than overseas. IER is in place after the National Venture Capital Association (which I lead) successfully sued the Department of Homeland Security when it unlawfully delayed the program last year. But now, the administration is taking new steps to end the rule before it has a chance to bring new companies and innovation to our country.

Why would the administration do something so obviously counter-productive Thatthe question those of us who understand the importance of immigrant entrepreneurship keep asking. The track-record of foreign-born founders is staggering.

Studies show that immigrants have startedmore than halfof Americaprivately-held startups valued at $1 billion or more, and 43 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded or co-founded by an immigrant or the child of an immigrant. A2013 NVCA studyfound that one-third of all venture-backed companies that went public from 2006 to 2012 had at least one immigrant founder.

Specific to IER,one study foundthat the rule will create more than 300,000 jobs over 10 years, although I believe this is on the low end because a single entrepreneur could create a startup with tremendous growth or even an entirely new industry. IER is tailored to attract founders who are positioned to launch the next generation of great American companies and would unleash fresh entrepreneurial energy and dynamism that we desperately need in the economy.

The Trump administrationhostility toward IER is also puzzling considering President Trumpprevious statements on immigration. During the State of the Union address, the president emphasized the need for a &merit-based immigration system — one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our country.&

Photo courtesy of Flickr/jvoves

Italmost like he was describing IER without naming it. After all, we are talking about a program where a successful applicant must create a new high-growth enterprise that will in turn employ Americans and contribute to our nationtechnological and scientific advancement.

Furthermore, the applicantstatus in the United States is completely tied to the startup company and would be unable to remain in our country if the enterprise fails. There is nothing more merit-based than that, and yet the administration is saying no to the new jobs that come when young companies scale and grow.

The administrationrejection of IER comes at a particularly troubling time for American entrepreneurial standing. Twenty years ago, U.S. startups received 90 percent of global venture capital, but that number has precipitously dropped to 54 percent last year.

Policymakers must understand that U.S. startup dominance is being challenged every day, and the top entrepreneurs now have a world of choices when it comes to where to launch their high-growth company. Other countries are copying the American blueprint for startup activity and making their countries more attractive for new company creation.

One way they&re doing this is by taking advantage of our intransigence on immigration policy and then welcoming foreign-born founders to their shores. The idea of a startup visa was first proposed in the U.S., and while we still don&t have one, countries like Canada, France and Singapore have copied the idea and are reaping the benefits.

Rejection of IER is also incongruent with the Trump administrationgoal of American leadership on critical technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, machine-learning and new drug discovery.

If we are to lead in these areas, the worldtop entrepreneurs must beherein the U.S., rather than overseas where they will compete with us. Rather than pushing entrepreneurs away, the administration should be fighting to attract top talent. Thatthe only way the U.S. will be the innovation leader going forward.

Despite the overwhelming arguments in favor of IER, the Department of Homeland Security is moving forward to rescind the program before it truly gets off the ground. This is a setback to be sure, but so was the first DHS delay, and we beat the administration that go around. We&re going to keep fighting, but we can&t do it alone.

How can you help The best way to do your part is by engaging in the public comment period that is open now and closes onJune 28. Visitfwd.us/ierand share your perspective on why the International Entrepreneur Rule is needed. Everyonevoice is valued in the process.

Tell your personal stories of immigrant entrepreneurs who have impacted our country, how IER will help maintain U.S. competitiveness or how IER will create American jobs. Together, we can win, and by doing so help our country remain the best place on the planet to launch a new company that provides a better way of life.