The Latest Linux, Open Source, And Tech News
Leftovers Part 2
16 Music Players for Linux
Linux came a long way concerning music players in the last couple of years and if in the past there were only few choices for users - XMMS has to be mentioned here - well, now there are so many players to choose from, and if most share the same features, each one provides an alternative by bringing a new feature or a different interface. This I can tell, can satisfy any user's taste. Without further ado, here are no less than 16 graphical music players for Linux. more
Linux came a long way concerning music players in the last couple of years and if in the past there were only few choices for users - XMMS has to be mentioned here - well, now there are so many players to choose from, and if most share the same features, each one provides an alternative by bringing a new feature or a different interface. This I can tell, can satisfy any user's taste. Without further ado, here are no less than 16 graphical music players for Linux. more
Pirate Bay bloke wants to set up ICANN alternative
Calls for help
The bloke behind Pirate Bay wants to set up an alternative to the domain name outfit ICANN.
Peter Sunde says that he has been suspicious of ICANN for a long time. ICANN is the non-profit corporation is tasked with managing both the IPv4 and IPv6 Internet Protocol address spaces as well as handling the management of top-level domain name space including the operation of root nameservers. more
Calls for help
The bloke behind Pirate Bay wants to set up an alternative to the domain name outfit ICANN.
Peter Sunde says that he has been suspicious of ICANN for a long time. ICANN is the non-profit corporation is tasked with managing both the IPv4 and IPv6 Internet Protocol address spaces as well as handling the management of top-level domain name space including the operation of root nameservers. more
Microsoft patent challenge heads to Supreme Court
The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear and decide Microsoft's patent challenge case against i4i by June of 2011. Microsoft vs i4i Ltd focuses on patents related to editing documents containing mark-up languages like XML – Microsoft Word had XML editing capabilities. i4i originally sued Microsoft for infringing a patent it held on a method for manipulating the architecture and content of a document separately from each other. Previously, i4i won the case in the US Federal courts, but Microsoft appealed on the basis that the standard of proof required to invalidate a patent is far higher than that required by a court to rule infringement has taken place. Although not directly related to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), if Microsoft is successful in the case, it could signal a change in patent law that would make it far easier for companies to defend patent infringement cases on the basis of prior art which had not been looked at by the patent examiner when the patent was granted. more
The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear and decide Microsoft's patent challenge case against i4i by June of 2011. Microsoft vs i4i Ltd focuses on patents related to editing documents containing mark-up languages like XML – Microsoft Word had XML editing capabilities. i4i originally sued Microsoft for infringing a patent it held on a method for manipulating the architecture and content of a document separately from each other. Previously, i4i won the case in the US Federal courts, but Microsoft appealed on the basis that the standard of proof required to invalidate a patent is far higher than that required by a court to rule infringement has taken place. Although not directly related to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), if Microsoft is successful in the case, it could signal a change in patent law that would make it far easier for companies to defend patent infringement cases on the basis of prior art which had not been looked at by the patent examiner when the patent was granted. more
Install Google Earth 6 In Ubuntu / Linux [With Fixes]
Google Earth 6 has been released yesterday (see what's new HERE), however it's quite difficult to install / run it under Linux due to some errors. But here are exact installation instructions which should get Google Earth 6 to install and run in Linux. more
Google Earth 6 has been released yesterday (see what's new HERE), however it's quite difficult to install / run it under Linux due to some errors. But here are exact installation instructions which should get Google Earth 6 to install and run in Linux. more
Lean & Mean Dell Vostro V130 For Ubuntu Users
Right after Thanksgiving Dell has offered the best gift for all Ubuntu fans. Dell has announced its Vostro V130 laptop which comes pre-installed with Ubuntu 10.04.
Dell claims that Vostro V130 is one of the thinnest and lightest ultraportable 13-inch laptops. The V130 is the first ultra-thin laptop to offer Hyperbaric Cooling, an Intel Advanced Cooling Technology, to help it stay quiet and cool. more
Right after Thanksgiving Dell has offered the best gift for all Ubuntu fans. Dell has announced its Vostro V130 laptop which comes pre-installed with Ubuntu 10.04.
Dell claims that Vostro V130 is one of the thinnest and lightest ultraportable 13-inch laptops. The V130 is the first ultra-thin laptop to offer Hyperbaric Cooling, an Intel Advanced Cooling Technology, to help it stay quiet and cool. more
No joke: A full Gnome desktop on 105Mb
Careful, this might make you spit out your breakfast cereal.
That’s a fully updated installation of Linux Mint Debian, after a cold boot and with nothing else running. No special tricks or shortcuts. Clean and default.
Amazing. This puts it within striking range of Pentium III machines, in terms of memory. Or at least machines with 128 or maybe 192Mb, like this one did. I almost wish I still had that computer, just so I could try it out. more
That’s a fully updated installation of Linux Mint Debian, after a cold boot and with nothing else running. No special tricks or shortcuts. Clean and default.
Amazing. This puts it within striking range of Pentium III machines, in terms of memory. Or at least machines with 128 or maybe 192Mb, like this one did. I almost wish I still had that computer, just so I could try it out. more
Microsoft loses with prominent role in Novell deal
Microsoft's central role in Novell's acquisition is likely to hurt the trust it had begun to build with open source
Press and blogger coverage of Novell's acquisition by Attachmate has identified EMC VMware, previously a rumored Novell suitor, and possibly even Linux and open source in general as being hurt by the acquisition. That coverage has presented the acquisition as having a positive or -- at worst -- neutral impact on Microsoft's competitive position with both VMware and Linux. However, the truth is that Microsoft has lost more than it has won in its decision to pull together a consortium to buy some Novell patents to help raise funds for Attachmate's acquisition of Novell.
Microsoft's high-profile role in Novell's acquisition
Microsoft was prominently highlighted in Novell's press release as having organized the CPTN Holdings consortium that will acquire some 800 Novell patents. The proceeds of this sale will in turn lower Attachmate's eventual cost of acquiring Novell by $450 million. (It's initially paying $2.2 billion.)
That Microsoft worked to create a buyer consortium to assist Attachmate in the eventual acquisition is not surprising. Microsoft would have been unlikely to receive the necessary government approvals to acquire a Linux operating system provider with Suse's market share in the server Linux market, so Microsoft could not have bought Novell itself. Thus, keeping Novell's Suse Linux out of VMware's product portfolio could definitely be seen as strategic to Microsoft as VMware tries to grow beyond the hypervisor market into a vertically integrated platform provider.
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Microsoft's central role in Novell's acquisition is likely to hurt the trust it had begun to build with open source
Press and blogger coverage of Novell's acquisition by Attachmate has identified EMC VMware, previously a rumored Novell suitor, and possibly even Linux and open source in general as being hurt by the acquisition. That coverage has presented the acquisition as having a positive or -- at worst -- neutral impact on Microsoft's competitive position with both VMware and Linux. However, the truth is that Microsoft has lost more than it has won in its decision to pull together a consortium to buy some Novell patents to help raise funds for Attachmate's acquisition of Novell.
Microsoft's high-profile role in Novell's acquisition
Microsoft was prominently highlighted in Novell's press release as having organized the CPTN Holdings consortium that will acquire some 800 Novell patents. The proceeds of this sale will in turn lower Attachmate's eventual cost of acquiring Novell by $450 million. (It's initially paying $2.2 billion.)
That Microsoft worked to create a buyer consortium to assist Attachmate in the eventual acquisition is not surprising. Microsoft would have been unlikely to receive the necessary government approvals to acquire a Linux operating system provider with Suse's market share in the server Linux market, so Microsoft could not have bought Novell itself. Thus, keeping Novell's Suse Linux out of VMware's product portfolio could definitely be seen as strategic to Microsoft as VMware tries to grow beyond the hypervisor market into a vertically integrated platform provider.
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Microsoft, Wikileaks and the nobility of lies
David Gewirtz asks whether the latest Wikileaks data dump could bring on World War III, because it shows (again) how what we say publicly isn’t what we know privately.
Savio Rodrigues thinks Microsoft’s role in the Novell acquisition could do it great harm, because it shows the company (again) saying one thing about Linux while doing another.
What these stories share is the idea that there is comfort in lies.
There is some comfort in white lies. The famous Geico ad where Abraham Lincoln tells his wife the dress does indeed make her look a little fat is one example.
But what about big business lies, like the one about Microsoft caring about Linux and open source on behalf of customers (as opposed to profit)? We know it’s not true. more
David Gewirtz asks whether the latest Wikileaks data dump could bring on World War III, because it shows (again) how what we say publicly isn’t what we know privately.
Savio Rodrigues thinks Microsoft’s role in the Novell acquisition could do it great harm, because it shows the company (again) saying one thing about Linux while doing another.
What these stories share is the idea that there is comfort in lies.
There is some comfort in white lies. The famous Geico ad where Abraham Lincoln tells his wife the dress does indeed make her look a little fat is one example.
But what about big business lies, like the one about Microsoft caring about Linux and open source on behalf of customers (as opposed to profit)? We know it’s not true. more
FCC Postpones Net Neutrality Vote
After more than five years of hemming and hawing, the FCC appears close to voting on net neutrality, the hotly contested means of overseeing Internet access.
The FCC has postponed its Dec. 2 meeting to Dec. 21, prompting speculation the agency is getting its ducks in a row for a vote on the politically polarized issue. The three Democratic commissioners are expected to vote -- now or later -- for a consumer-friendly regulation on Internet access, while the two Republican members are expected to hold out for relatively unfettered oversight favoring industry players. more
After more than five years of hemming and hawing, the FCC appears close to voting on net neutrality, the hotly contested means of overseeing Internet access.
The FCC has postponed its Dec. 2 meeting to Dec. 21, prompting speculation the agency is getting its ducks in a row for a vote on the politically polarized issue. The three Democratic commissioners are expected to vote -- now or later -- for a consumer-friendly regulation on Internet access, while the two Republican members are expected to hold out for relatively unfettered oversight favoring industry players. more
Use Chrome’s auto-updated Flash in Firefox
Keep Firefox updated with the latest patched version Adobe Flash thanks to Google Chrome.
Thanks to a partnership between Google and Adobe Google’s Chrome browser ships with a built-in version of Flash that is more recent than that available to download individually. This ensures better performance and better protection. more
Keep Firefox updated with the latest patched version Adobe Flash thanks to Google Chrome.
Thanks to a partnership between Google and Adobe Google’s Chrome browser ships with a built-in version of Flash that is more recent than that available to download individually. This ensures better performance and better protection. more
Five awesome native Ubuntu First Person Shooters you may not know about
There’s nothing like shooting up some bad guys, be they zombies, terrorists or aliens, everyone loves a good FPS.
Luckily for you, and thanks in part to the open-sourcing of a number of Quake engines, there happen to be a few high quality First Person Shooters available in Ubuntu’s Software Center – and they’re all native and completely free of charge.
With no wine configuration spaghetti and gorgeous graphics, these shoot-em-ups will work out of the box and may literally blow you away. more
There’s nothing like shooting up some bad guys, be they zombies, terrorists or aliens, everyone loves a good FPS.
Luckily for you, and thanks in part to the open-sourcing of a number of Quake engines, there happen to be a few high quality First Person Shooters available in Ubuntu’s Software Center – and they’re all native and completely free of charge.
With no wine configuration spaghetti and gorgeous graphics, these shoot-em-ups will work out of the box and may literally blow you away. more
The 233-Line Kernel Patch and the (Even Easier) Alternatives
The debate over the two original approaches "shows the division in the Linux camp," said Slashdot blogger hairyfeet. "On one side you have the DIYers with the patch; on the other, the 'make it easy' option with an update that will end up rolled in the kernel. "Who is right? Well, I still say that Linux needs to be looking at Apple and MSFT on the usability standpoint, so I'd go with the easier option."
Ingenuity has always been a hallmark of the Linux world, but sometimes the community really outdoes itself.
Take the 233-line patch to the Linux kernel's scheduler that was recently created by developer Mike Galbraith, for example. With the ability to reduce the average latency of the desktop by as much as 60 times under heavy loads, the patch even drew kudos from Linus himself, who said it enables group scheduling to go "from 'useful for some specific server loads' to 'that's a killer feature.'"
One could hardly ask for praise much higher than that, and the Slashdot crowds were soon echoing Linus' enthusiasm with gusto. more
The debate over the two original approaches "shows the division in the Linux camp," said Slashdot blogger hairyfeet. "On one side you have the DIYers with the patch; on the other, the 'make it easy' option with an update that will end up rolled in the kernel. "Who is right? Well, I still say that Linux needs to be looking at Apple and MSFT on the usability standpoint, so I'd go with the easier option."
Ingenuity has always been a hallmark of the Linux world, but sometimes the community really outdoes itself.
Take the 233-line patch to the Linux kernel's scheduler that was recently created by developer Mike Galbraith, for example. With the ability to reduce the average latency of the desktop by as much as 60 times under heavy loads, the patch even drew kudos from Linus himself, who said it enables group scheduling to go "from 'useful for some specific server loads' to 'that's a killer feature.'"
One could hardly ask for praise much higher than that, and the Slashdot crowds were soon echoing Linus' enthusiasm with gusto. more
The bad guys are worried - did we win?
Recently two pieces of first class anti-free software diatribe hit the headlines. The first is Microsoft’s “please don’t use OpenOffice.org” video and the second is Steve Jobs’ anti-Android rant. Both are pretty shallow attempts at deflection and have been rightly called out as actually endorsing the subject of the attack as a valid opponent. In both cases it does seem to say that Microsoft and Jobs are concerned enough about OpenOffice.org and Android respectively that they need to tell the rest of us how bad they are. This is good news for those of us who like openness and freedom in our computers. more
Recently two pieces of first class anti-free software diatribe hit the headlines. The first is Microsoft’s “please don’t use OpenOffice.org” video and the second is Steve Jobs’ anti-Android rant. Both are pretty shallow attempts at deflection and have been rightly called out as actually endorsing the subject of the attack as a valid opponent. In both cases it does seem to say that Microsoft and Jobs are concerned enough about OpenOffice.org and Android respectively that they need to tell the rest of us how bad they are. This is good news for those of us who like openness and freedom in our computers. more
Why Android outsells Windows Phone 7
We all knew Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 would have a hard time catching up with the leading contenders in the smartphone arena, and now there's yet another fresh batch of evidence suggesting that it can't.
Following the platform's lackluster launch, Windows Phone 7 is being outsold by Android phones by about 15 to 1, a U.K. retailer reported today. Even battle-weary Symbian is doing better, with its Symbian 3 handsets--primarily the Nokia N8--outselling Windows Phone 7 by three to 1, Mobiles Please reported Monday on its blog.
Specifically, for the sales period between Nov. 11 and 24, Windows Phone 7 accounted for a measly 1.87% of Mobiles Please's smartphone sales, while Android weighed in with 28.56%, company representative Ben Pusey told me this morning. BlackBerry accounted for 19.36%, Symbian 3 drew 6.95%, and Apple's iOS pulled in 6.83%, according to the company's data. more
We all knew Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 would have a hard time catching up with the leading contenders in the smartphone arena, and now there's yet another fresh batch of evidence suggesting that it can't.
Following the platform's lackluster launch, Windows Phone 7 is being outsold by Android phones by about 15 to 1, a U.K. retailer reported today. Even battle-weary Symbian is doing better, with its Symbian 3 handsets--primarily the Nokia N8--outselling Windows Phone 7 by three to 1, Mobiles Please reported Monday on its blog.
Specifically, for the sales period between Nov. 11 and 24, Windows Phone 7 accounted for a measly 1.87% of Mobiles Please's smartphone sales, while Android weighed in with 28.56%, company representative Ben Pusey told me this morning. BlackBerry accounted for 19.36%, Symbian 3 drew 6.95%, and Apple's iOS pulled in 6.83%, according to the company's data. more
A Schizophrenic Look at Microsoft, Novell, and Patents
I read with interest Savio Rodrigues' post today that postulated that Microsoft's not-so-secret role in (at least) the patent segment of Attachmate's acquisition of Novell would damage "Microsoft's positive work with open source projects and communities."
With all due respect to Rodrigues, I don't believe that's the case at all. Microsoft's role in snapping up the 882 Novell patents for $450 million makes no difference in how Microsoft regards open source and how open source regards Microsoft. Not one bit of difference at all.
And hey, this is a multiple-personality statement, too. First up, angry open source rant guy:
Microsoft won't have its open source work affected by its participation in the Novell/Attachmate acquisition because at the end of the day, Microsoft doesn't give a ____ about open source. Period. Any efforts Microsoft makes in the open source community or with open source software is cursory at best--a token effort to "participate" while they look for ways to either get control of this open source phenomenon or kill it outright. more
I read with interest Savio Rodrigues' post today that postulated that Microsoft's not-so-secret role in (at least) the patent segment of Attachmate's acquisition of Novell would damage "Microsoft's positive work with open source projects and communities."
With all due respect to Rodrigues, I don't believe that's the case at all. Microsoft's role in snapping up the 882 Novell patents for $450 million makes no difference in how Microsoft regards open source and how open source regards Microsoft. Not one bit of difference at all.
And hey, this is a multiple-personality statement, too. First up, angry open source rant guy:
Microsoft won't have its open source work affected by its participation in the Novell/Attachmate acquisition because at the end of the day, Microsoft doesn't give a ____ about open source. Period. Any efforts Microsoft makes in the open source community or with open source software is cursory at best--a token effort to "participate" while they look for ways to either get control of this open source phenomenon or kill it outright. more
Google Launchs a new open source programming Language
Google has announced the launch of a new -open source- programming language which is built on C programming language and other more languages like Python.
This new language combines the speed of development from Python and the performance and security in C and C++. more
Google has announced the launch of a new -open source- programming language which is built on C programming language and other more languages like Python.
This new language combines the speed of development from Python and the performance and security in C and C++. more
Tandberg illustrates stupidity of software patent policy
Tandberg, the videoconferencing unit of Cisco that some reporters have called a patent troll, has accidentally revealed the stupidity of software patents with a recent application. X264 developer Jason Garrett-Glaser, a student at Harvey Mudd College (from which this picture was taken after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs referenced his blog) wrote that Tandberg had tried to patent his open source code. more
Tandberg, the videoconferencing unit of Cisco that some reporters have called a patent troll, has accidentally revealed the stupidity of software patents with a recent application. X264 developer Jason Garrett-Glaser, a student at Harvey Mudd College (from which this picture was taken after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs referenced his blog) wrote that Tandberg had tried to patent his open source code. more
The Rise of Web Censorship
Back in 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart of famously wrote on what was, and wasn’t “hard-core pornography” that, “I know it when I see it.” Today, free speech on the Web is impeded by far more restrictions than just what is, or isn’t, pornographic. On the Web in 2010, even the appearance of enabling file-sharing of copyright materials seems to be enough for the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Web-sites without notice .
ICE has shut down dozens of file-sharing and what are alleged to be counterfeit good sites such as Torrent-Finder.com, 2009jerseys.com, and Dvdcollects.com. Their domain names have been taken over by ICE leaving behind only a single page stating that “This domain name has been seized by ICE–Homeland Security Investigations, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a United States District Court.”
In a statement to the New York Times, Cori W. Bassett, a spokesperson for ICE said that the “ICE office of Homeland Security Investigations [had] executed court-ordered seizure warrants against a number of domain names.”
Fine and dandy. I have no use for sites that traffic in counterfeit goods such as fake autographed sports jerseys or designer purses. I do, on the other hand, worry when a site like Torrent-Finder is shut down. more
Back in 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart of famously wrote on what was, and wasn’t “hard-core pornography” that, “I know it when I see it.” Today, free speech on the Web is impeded by far more restrictions than just what is, or isn’t, pornographic. On the Web in 2010, even the appearance of enabling file-sharing of copyright materials seems to be enough for the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Web-sites without notice .
ICE has shut down dozens of file-sharing and what are alleged to be counterfeit good sites such as Torrent-Finder.com, 2009jerseys.com, and Dvdcollects.com. Their domain names have been taken over by ICE leaving behind only a single page stating that “This domain name has been seized by ICE–Homeland Security Investigations, pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a United States District Court.”
In a statement to the New York Times, Cori W. Bassett, a spokesperson for ICE said that the “ICE office of Homeland Security Investigations [had] executed court-ordered seizure warrants against a number of domain names.”
Fine and dandy. I have no use for sites that traffic in counterfeit goods such as fake autographed sports jerseys or designer purses. I do, on the other hand, worry when a site like Torrent-Finder is shut down. more
Microsoft and Attachmate were not Novell's destiny
Big bets, brass balls, and other lost assets
Open...and Shut Novell, a collection of mostly legacy software businesses, has announced that it will be devoured by another collection of legacy software businesses, Attachmate.
It's not Novell's finest hour, and is made worse by the sale of 882 patents to Microsoft-friendly CPTN Holdings, even despite Novell retaining its Unix copyrights. Novell, the one-time networking giant, sold for scrap, and possibly selling out the open-source community in the process. more
Big bets, brass balls, and other lost assets
Open...and Shut Novell, a collection of mostly legacy software businesses, has announced that it will be devoured by another collection of legacy software businesses, Attachmate.
It's not Novell's finest hour, and is made worse by the sale of 882 patents to Microsoft-friendly CPTN Holdings, even despite Novell retaining its Unix copyrights. Novell, the one-time networking giant, sold for scrap, and possibly selling out the open-source community in the process. more
US Government Seizes 77 Domains Including Torrent Meta-Search Engine
The US government today has seized 77 domains for various types of copyright infringement, TorrentFreak reports. Many of the site were selling blatant knock-offs of popular clothing lines. So no one operating those sites can really feign ignorance of the situation. One site on the list, however, is a little more confusing. Torrent-Finder was taken down in the action, having its content replaced with the same takedown notice as all the other sites. more
The US government today has seized 77 domains for various types of copyright infringement, TorrentFreak reports. Many of the site were selling blatant knock-offs of popular clothing lines. So no one operating those sites can really feign ignorance of the situation. One site on the list, however, is a little more confusing. Torrent-Finder was taken down in the action, having its content replaced with the same takedown notice as all the other sites. more
Attachmate may keep 882 Unix patents, not Microsoft
Attachmate posted a short statement on Novell's Web site just before Thanksgiving, saying stories that Microsoft would get 882 Unix-related patents as part of Attachmate's $2.2 billion acquisition of Novell, are not accurate.
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Attachmate posted a short statement on Novell's Web site just before Thanksgiving, saying stories that Microsoft would get 882 Unix-related patents as part of Attachmate's $2.2 billion acquisition of Novell, are not accurate.
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Apache takes over Google Wave project
Some of the developers behind Google Wave have submitted their software to the Apache Software Foundation for inclusion.
The project is now a candidate to become a Podling within the Apache Incubator, ASF's preparation stage for Apache open-source products.
Google first introduced Wave in 2009, only to abandon the project a year later, citing low user adoption. A wave is a digital conversation that can span different electronic modes of communication, such as e-mail, chat and document sharing. more
Some of the developers behind Google Wave have submitted their software to the Apache Software Foundation for inclusion.
The project is now a candidate to become a Podling within the Apache Incubator, ASF's preparation stage for Apache open-source products.
Google first introduced Wave in 2009, only to abandon the project a year later, citing low user adoption. A wave is a digital conversation that can span different electronic modes of communication, such as e-mail, chat and document sharing. more
Pirate Bay founders lose appeal
Three founders of The Pirate Bay have lost an appeal against a conviction for illegally sharing copyrighted content.
The Swedish appeals court upheld the 2009 ruling against the site's founders which saw them sentenced to a year in jail and heavily fined.
The ruling reduces the sentences the men face but increases fines to 46m crowns (£4.1m).
Three of The Pirate Bay's four founders were in court for the verdict. The other was too ill to attend. more
Three founders of The Pirate Bay have lost an appeal against a conviction for illegally sharing copyrighted content.
The Swedish appeals court upheld the 2009 ruling against the site's founders which saw them sentenced to a year in jail and heavily fined.
The ruling reduces the sentences the men face but increases fines to 46m crowns (£4.1m).
Three of The Pirate Bay's four founders were in court for the verdict. The other was too ill to attend. more
Shuttleworth's Ubuntu makes like Space Shuttle
I'm a Rocketman. Again
It looks like astronaut and tech magnate Mark Shuttleworth's investment in the Ubuntu commercial Linux distribution is about to pay off. Ubuntu is taking off like a rocket, and the sale of Novell to Attachmate plus the higher prices Red Hat is charging for its Enterprise Linux 6 are probably going to fuel Ubuntu's adoption even more in the data centers of the world.
The third Long Term Support release, Ubuntu 10.04, came out in April and seems to have been a turning point for the Ubuntu distribution. With that release, Canonical demonstrated that it could tame the Debian variant of Linux and put together a polished desktop and server operating system with commercial-grade support options like those available through Red Hat and Novell. On the server front, the server variant of the 10.04 LTS release had all of the new or impending x64 processors from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices baked into it as well as a fully integrated variant of the Eucalyptus cloud framework for creating cloudy infrastructure for applications to romp around. more
I'm a Rocketman. Again
It looks like astronaut and tech magnate Mark Shuttleworth's investment in the Ubuntu commercial Linux distribution is about to pay off. Ubuntu is taking off like a rocket, and the sale of Novell to Attachmate plus the higher prices Red Hat is charging for its Enterprise Linux 6 are probably going to fuel Ubuntu's adoption even more in the data centers of the world.
The third Long Term Support release, Ubuntu 10.04, came out in April and seems to have been a turning point for the Ubuntu distribution. With that release, Canonical demonstrated that it could tame the Debian variant of Linux and put together a polished desktop and server operating system with commercial-grade support options like those available through Red Hat and Novell. On the server front, the server variant of the 10.04 LTS release had all of the new or impending x64 processors from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices baked into it as well as a fully integrated variant of the Eucalyptus cloud framework for creating cloudy infrastructure for applications to romp around. more
Will Microsoft Go After Linux, Again?
Microsoft just purchased 882 patents from Novell, and I think that amongst this treasure trove is something Microsoft wants to use against Linux. It's not a huge secret that Microsoft hates the entire idea behind open-source software.It thinks it's a monster that creates free products that erode Microsoft's commercial offerings.
The company can tolerate many of these packages, such as Open Office, because they are simply not as good as the Microsoft product and the company knows that people who use something like Open Office will often migrate to Microsoft Office when they can either afford to do it or must do it.
Of course, when it suits Microsoft, it will use various chunks of open source code as needed. Microsoft notoriously lifted the TCP/IP operational code from the open-source BSD-Unix product to get Windows NT to work right on the Internet. From what I can tell, it still uses code derived from that original stack. Even if Microsoft managed to recode from scratch, it is still sensible about bits and pieces of code they might find useful. more
Microsoft just purchased 882 patents from Novell, and I think that amongst this treasure trove is something Microsoft wants to use against Linux. It's not a huge secret that Microsoft hates the entire idea behind open-source software.It thinks it's a monster that creates free products that erode Microsoft's commercial offerings.
The company can tolerate many of these packages, such as Open Office, because they are simply not as good as the Microsoft product and the company knows that people who use something like Open Office will often migrate to Microsoft Office when they can either afford to do it or must do it.
Of course, when it suits Microsoft, it will use various chunks of open source code as needed. Microsoft notoriously lifted the TCP/IP operational code from the open-source BSD-Unix product to get Windows NT to work right on the Internet. From what I can tell, it still uses code derived from that original stack. Even if Microsoft managed to recode from scratch, it is still sensible about bits and pieces of code they might find useful. more
Avatar: Made with Linux
New Zealand may be known as the home of Lord of the Rings, but you may not know that it is also the unofficial birthplace of Avatar.
Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop in Wellington is behind the special effects of films such as Heavenly Creatures and Prince Caspian. But more famously, it has produced the effects in both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and now Avatar. In fact, the company was working up until July 2010 to finish work on the Extended Edition of the Avatar Blu-ray.
Weta not only produced the effects for the film, but most of the live-action sequences were also shot in its New Zealand studios.
ZDNet Australia sister site CNET Australia was taken behind the scenes at Weta studios to witness how the movie was made. As this extensive photo gallery shows, we were taken through each step of the process — from motion capture through to the finished product. more
New Zealand may be known as the home of Lord of the Rings, but you may not know that it is also the unofficial birthplace of Avatar.
Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop in Wellington is behind the special effects of films such as Heavenly Creatures and Prince Caspian. But more famously, it has produced the effects in both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and now Avatar. In fact, the company was working up until July 2010 to finish work on the Extended Edition of the Avatar Blu-ray.
Weta not only produced the effects for the film, but most of the live-action sequences were also shot in its New Zealand studios.
ZDNet Australia sister site CNET Australia was taken behind the scenes at Weta studios to witness how the movie was made. As this extensive photo gallery shows, we were taken through each step of the process — from motion capture through to the finished product. more
Digital vaccine needed to fight botnets
The equivalent of a government-backed vaccination scheme is needed to clean up the huge numbers of PCs hijacked by cyber criminals, suggests research.
In Europe, about 5-10% of PCs on broadband net links were hijacked and part of a botnet in 2009, it suggests.
ISPs are key to wresting control of these machines away from criminals, says the Dutch report.
Initiatives in Germany and Australia show how official help can boost efforts to clean up infected machines. more
The equivalent of a government-backed vaccination scheme is needed to clean up the huge numbers of PCs hijacked by cyber criminals, suggests research.
In Europe, about 5-10% of PCs on broadband net links were hijacked and part of a botnet in 2009, it suggests.
ISPs are key to wresting control of these machines away from criminals, says the Dutch report.
Initiatives in Germany and Australia show how official help can boost efforts to clean up infected machines. more
Attachmate: Novell's openSUSE project is safe
Following the announcement that it would acquire Novell, the Attachmate Corporation has confirmed that, if the acquisition closes successfully, the openSUSE project will continue to operate as it always has in the past. In an official statement, the Attachmate Corporation Chairman and CEO Jeff Hawn said, "The openSUSE project is an important part of the SUSE business," adding that his company "anticipates no change to the relationship between the SUSE business and the openSUSE project as a result of this transaction". Hawn also notes that his company plans to "operate SUSE as a stand-alone business unit after the transaction closes". more
Following the announcement that it would acquire Novell, the Attachmate Corporation has confirmed that, if the acquisition closes successfully, the openSUSE project will continue to operate as it always has in the past. In an official statement, the Attachmate Corporation Chairman and CEO Jeff Hawn said, "The openSUSE project is an important part of the SUSE business," adding that his company "anticipates no change to the relationship between the SUSE business and the openSUSE project as a result of this transaction". Hawn also notes that his company plans to "operate SUSE as a stand-alone business unit after the transaction closes". more
Novell to retain UNIX copyrights
Novell has announced that it will be retaining the copyrights to the UNIX operating system. In the wake of the acquisition of Novell by Attachmate, which included a sale of intellectual property to CPTN, a Microsoft led consortium, there were questions raised over whether that intellectual property included the copyrights to the UNIX operating system. more
Novell has announced that it will be retaining the copyrights to the UNIX operating system. In the wake of the acquisition of Novell by Attachmate, which included a sale of intellectual property to CPTN, a Microsoft led consortium, there were questions raised over whether that intellectual property included the copyrights to the UNIX operating system. more
Attack of the Backup: Clonezilla Linux Rampages Over Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery and backups are the "eat your vegetables" of the IT world. Most folks just don't get excited about backups, or do it often enough. Buck the trend with Clonezilla, a Linux distribution that makes it dead easy to clone and restore systems.
Clonezilla is similar to Norton Ghost, but it's free software (GPL) and it's good for cloning Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and UNIX systems — to name just a few. It supports a ton of filesystems, and will resort to direct (dd) copying for filesystems it doesn't support. more
Disaster recovery and backups are the "eat your vegetables" of the IT world. Most folks just don't get excited about backups, or do it often enough. Buck the trend with Clonezilla, a Linux distribution that makes it dead easy to clone and restore systems.
Clonezilla is similar to Norton Ghost, but it's free software (GPL) and it's good for cloning Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and UNIX systems — to name just a few. It supports a ton of filesystems, and will resort to direct (dd) copying for filesystems it doesn't support. more
Who really bought Novell? Microsoft.
Who really bought Novell? Of course, I know that Attachmate is the company that's on record as purchasing Novell for $2.2-billion, while Microsoft shelled out $450 million for some Novell intellectual property. But tell me, where did Attachmate get $2.2-billion? Could it have been Microsoft? I think so.
I've covered Attachmate over the years, so I knew who they were when the news broke that Attachmate had purchased Novell. What I couldn't see was where the heck they had gotten the money for the deal. Attachmate's main business over the years has been software terminal emulation. That's a business line that's been dying ever since the Web came along in the early 90s.
I mean who needs to emulate a mainframe 3270 terminal, a mini-computer VT-102 terminal, or even a Windows-based X-term today? There are only a handful of people who still need that kind of thing. In short, even with its NetIQ systems and security management subsidiary, Attachmate is a niche company in a declining industry segment. There's no way they had a spare billion and change to buy Novell. more
Who really bought Novell? Of course, I know that Attachmate is the company that's on record as purchasing Novell for $2.2-billion, while Microsoft shelled out $450 million for some Novell intellectual property. But tell me, where did Attachmate get $2.2-billion? Could it have been Microsoft? I think so.
I've covered Attachmate over the years, so I knew who they were when the news broke that Attachmate had purchased Novell. What I couldn't see was where the heck they had gotten the money for the deal. Attachmate's main business over the years has been software terminal emulation. That's a business line that's been dying ever since the Web came along in the early 90s.
I mean who needs to emulate a mainframe 3270 terminal, a mini-computer VT-102 terminal, or even a Windows-based X-term today? There are only a handful of people who still need that kind of thing. In short, even with its NetIQ systems and security management subsidiary, Attachmate is a niche company in a declining industry segment. There's no way they had a spare billion and change to buy Novell. more
EFF Tool Offers New Protection Against ‘Firesheep’
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has launched a new version of HTTPS Everywhere, a security tool that offers enhanced protection for Firefox browser users against “Firesheep” and other exploits of webpage security flaws.
HTTPS secures web browsing by encrypting both requests from your browser to websites and the resulting pages that are displayed. Without HTTPS, your online reading habits and activities are vulnerable to eavesdropping, and your accounts are vulnerable to hijacking.
Unfortunately, while many sites on the web offer some limited support for HTTPS, it is often difficult to use. Websites may default to using the unencrypted, and therefore vulnerable, HTTP protocol or may fill HTTPS pages with insecure HTTP references. EFF’s HTTPS Everywhere tool uses carefully crafted rules to switch sites from HTTP to HTTPS. more
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has launched a new version of HTTPS Everywhere, a security tool that offers enhanced protection for Firefox browser users against “Firesheep” and other exploits of webpage security flaws.
HTTPS secures web browsing by encrypting both requests from your browser to websites and the resulting pages that are displayed. Without HTTPS, your online reading habits and activities are vulnerable to eavesdropping, and your accounts are vulnerable to hijacking.
Unfortunately, while many sites on the web offer some limited support for HTTPS, it is often difficult to use. Websites may default to using the unencrypted, and therefore vulnerable, HTTP protocol or may fill HTTPS pages with insecure HTTP references. EFF’s HTTPS Everywhere tool uses carefully crafted rules to switch sites from HTTP to HTTPS. more
SAP ordered to pay Oracle $1.3bn
Drop-your-pants time (again)
In a final act of ritual humiliation, SAP has been ordered to pay Oracle $1.3bn over stolen intellectual property.
A US court has told the world's largest business software company to pay up after Oracle had sought damages for theft of its IP by defunct SAP subsidiary TomorrowNow.
Oracle had been gunning for $1.7bn in damages in closing arguments in the case, while SAP called for an award closer to $40m. more
Drop-your-pants time (again)
In a final act of ritual humiliation, SAP has been ordered to pay Oracle $1.3bn over stolen intellectual property.
A US court has told the world's largest business software company to pay up after Oracle had sought damages for theft of its IP by defunct SAP subsidiary TomorrowNow.
Oracle had been gunning for $1.7bn in damages in closing arguments in the case, while SAP called for an award closer to $40m. more
Novell acquisition doesn't signal victory for Microsoft over Linux
Microsoft is likely walking away with valuable technologies and FUD fuel, but it still won't have control over open source
Observers around the blogosphere have been fixated not so much on the impact of Attachmate's $2.2 billion acquisition of Novell as they are on Microsoft's role in spending $450 million on 800-plus undisclosed Novell patents.
The lack of details behind the deal has generated speculation that Microsoft has managed to snag core Linux patents -- perhaps the same ones Novell proved it owned in court against SCO. With that chunk of intellectual property in its portfolio, Microsoft would have a weighty club to brandish at Linux vendors, bullying them to play nice or face lawsuits.
The reality is likely less interesting if you pause to consider what we know about the deal and the non-Linux components of Novell's technology treasure trove. It's plausible that Microsoft has indeed gained some useful patents, not to mention avoided the risk of seeing Novell fall into the hands of VMware. There's also something to be said regarding the uncertainty Microsoft has created with its new acquisitions, but the notion that Microsoft now has a hold on WMDs to win its war with Linux is less convincing. more
Microsoft is likely walking away with valuable technologies and FUD fuel, but it still won't have control over open source
Observers around the blogosphere have been fixated not so much on the impact of Attachmate's $2.2 billion acquisition of Novell as they are on Microsoft's role in spending $450 million on 800-plus undisclosed Novell patents.
The lack of details behind the deal has generated speculation that Microsoft has managed to snag core Linux patents -- perhaps the same ones Novell proved it owned in court against SCO. With that chunk of intellectual property in its portfolio, Microsoft would have a weighty club to brandish at Linux vendors, bullying them to play nice or face lawsuits.
The reality is likely less interesting if you pause to consider what we know about the deal and the non-Linux components of Novell's technology treasure trove. It's plausible that Microsoft has indeed gained some useful patents, not to mention avoided the risk of seeing Novell fall into the hands of VMware. There's also something to be said regarding the uncertainty Microsoft has created with its new acquisitions, but the notion that Microsoft now has a hold on WMDs to win its war with Linux is less convincing. more
Ubuntu to become a rolling release distro?
The Register is reporting that Mark Shuttleworth has hinted that Ubuntu could be moving from its’ current six-month release schedule to something much ‘faster’.
Shuttleworth is said to have told press: -
“Today we have a six-month release cycle, in an internet-oriented world, we need to be able to release something every day. That’s an area we will put a lot of work into in the next five years. The small steps we are putting in to the Software Center today, they will go further and faster than people might have envisioned in the past.” more
The Register is reporting that Mark Shuttleworth has hinted that Ubuntu could be moving from its’ current six-month release schedule to something much ‘faster’.
Shuttleworth is said to have told press: -
“Today we have a six-month release cycle, in an internet-oriented world, we need to be able to release something every day. That’s an area we will put a lot of work into in the next five years. The small steps we are putting in to the Software Center today, they will go further and faster than people might have envisioned in the past.” more
Is Microsoft Acquiring Novell? Conspiracy Theory
As this post indicates, Microsoft is acquiring technology assets aka Intellectual Properties developed by Novell, the leading Open Source vendor. Novell will sell its 'so-called' Intellectual Properties to Microsoft-owned CPTN Holdings LLC for mere $450 million in cash.
It doesn't surprise many. The foundation of Novell's acquisition (or its technology assets) by Microsoft was laid when the two companies signed a highly controversial patent-agreement deal to cover their products on November 2, 2006. Under the five year agreement, the companies also agreed to work closely in the name of 'inter-operability'.
While Novell kept pushing projects that increase reliance on Microsoft technologies, Microsoft supposedly did nothing to bring its products to the Linux platform. Mono and Moonlight are dubbed as Microsoft's trojan horses waiting at the Linux gates. What does it mean? It means Linux developers will be dependent on Microsoft technologies if they base their products on Mono. more
As this post indicates, Microsoft is acquiring technology assets aka Intellectual Properties developed by Novell, the leading Open Source vendor. Novell will sell its 'so-called' Intellectual Properties to Microsoft-owned CPTN Holdings LLC for mere $450 million in cash.
It doesn't surprise many. The foundation of Novell's acquisition (or its technology assets) by Microsoft was laid when the two companies signed a highly controversial patent-agreement deal to cover their products on November 2, 2006. Under the five year agreement, the companies also agreed to work closely in the name of 'inter-operability'.
While Novell kept pushing projects that increase reliance on Microsoft technologies, Microsoft supposedly did nothing to bring its products to the Linux platform. Mono and Moonlight are dubbed as Microsoft's trojan horses waiting at the Linux gates. What does it mean? It means Linux developers will be dependent on Microsoft technologies if they base their products on Mono. more
Grub Customizer 2.0 released
Grub Customizer 2.0 released, This new Major release contains an user interface to edit the /etc/default/grub-Settings. You can use it to select the default entry, change the visibility of the menu, timeout, kernel parameters, disable recovery entries, change screen resolution, (GFX_MODE), Menu colors (grub2 only), background image (grub2 only). more
Grub Customizer 2.0 released, This new Major release contains an user interface to edit the /etc/default/grub-Settings. You can use it to select the default entry, change the visibility of the menu, timeout, kernel parameters, disable recovery entries, change screen resolution, (GFX_MODE), Menu colors (grub2 only), background image (grub2 only). more
Clementine music player adds Sound menu support
Chalk another one up people for the latest developer builds of Clementine now supports the Ubuntu sound menu. more
Chalk another one up people for the latest developer builds of Clementine now supports the Ubuntu sound menu. more
Novell Agrees to be Acquired by Attachmate Corporation
WALTHAM, Mass.
22 Nov 2010
Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL), the leader in intelligent workload management, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Attachmate Corporation would acquire Novell for $6.10 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $2.2 billion. Attachmate Corporation is owned by an investment group led by Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital and Thoma Bravo. Novell also announced it has entered into a definitive agreement for the concurrent sale of certain intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of technology companies organized by Microsoft Corporation, for $450 million in cash, which cash payment is reflected in the merger consideration to be paid by Attachmate Corporation. more
WALTHAM, Mass.
22 Nov 2010
Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL), the leader in intelligent workload management, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Attachmate Corporation would acquire Novell for $6.10 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $2.2 billion. Attachmate Corporation is owned by an investment group led by Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital and Thoma Bravo. Novell also announced it has entered into a definitive agreement for the concurrent sale of certain intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of technology companies organized by Microsoft Corporation, for $450 million in cash, which cash payment is reflected in the merger consideration to be paid by Attachmate Corporation. more
Novell Sold - What Will Become of openSUSE?
It was announced this morning that Novell has sold off some portion of its intellectual properties to CPTN Holdings, (backed by Microsoft) for $450 million. The remainder of Novell assets will be acquired by Attachmate Corporation for about $2.2 billion. This should be of no surprise as Novell staked a For Sale sign in their front yard several months ago. But this has undoubtedly left users and developers wondering what will become of openSUSE.The press release says, "Attachmate Corporation plans to operate Novell as two business units: Novell and SUSE; and will join them with its other holdings, Attachmate and NetIQ." However, there was no further mention of openSUSE in either discussion of Attachmate or CPTN Holdings, although some speculate Mono was of primary interest to Microsoft. more
It was announced this morning that Novell has sold off some portion of its intellectual properties to CPTN Holdings, (backed by Microsoft) for $450 million. The remainder of Novell assets will be acquired by Attachmate Corporation for about $2.2 billion. This should be of no surprise as Novell staked a For Sale sign in their front yard several months ago. But this has undoubtedly left users and developers wondering what will become of openSUSE.The press release says, "Attachmate Corporation plans to operate Novell as two business units: Novell and SUSE; and will join them with its other holdings, Attachmate and NetIQ." However, there was no further mention of openSUSE in either discussion of Attachmate or CPTN Holdings, although some speculate Mono was of primary interest to Microsoft. more
Microsoft purchasing 882 Novell patents
Attachmate's planned acquisition of Novell will allow it to work with vendors such as IBM and Microsoft
November 22, 2010, 03:00 PM — IDG News Service — CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of technology companies organized by Microsoft, is purchasing 882 Novell patents for US$450 million cash, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing submitted Monday by Novell.
The deal is part of the Attachmate acquisition of Novell, also announced Monday, and expected to close in the first quarter of next year. In the original announcement, Novell stated only that CPTN would acquire "certain intellectual property assets."
In a Form 8-K filing with the SEC, Novell stated that in the patent purchase agreement "Novell will sell to CPTN all of Novell's right, title and interest in 882 patents ... for $450 million in cash."
A quick look through the U.S. Patent Office database finds 461 patents that listed Novell under the assignee name.
Microsoft declined to comment beyond sending out a statement from the company's general counsel. "We are pleased to be a part of the acquisition of certain intellectual property assets of Novell. Microsoft looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Novell into the future, to bring mixed source IT solutions to customers," said Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's corporate vice president and deputy general counsel. more
Attachmate's planned acquisition of Novell will allow it to work with vendors such as IBM and Microsoft
November 22, 2010, 03:00 PM — IDG News Service — CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of technology companies organized by Microsoft, is purchasing 882 Novell patents for US$450 million cash, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing submitted Monday by Novell.
The deal is part of the Attachmate acquisition of Novell, also announced Monday, and expected to close in the first quarter of next year. In the original announcement, Novell stated only that CPTN would acquire "certain intellectual property assets."
In a Form 8-K filing with the SEC, Novell stated that in the patent purchase agreement "Novell will sell to CPTN all of Novell's right, title and interest in 882 patents ... for $450 million in cash."
A quick look through the U.S. Patent Office database finds 461 patents that listed Novell under the assignee name.
Microsoft declined to comment beyond sending out a statement from the company's general counsel. "We are pleased to be a part of the acquisition of certain intellectual property assets of Novell. Microsoft looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Novell into the future, to bring mixed source IT solutions to customers," said Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's corporate vice president and deputy general counsel. more
The End of the Penguin is Not Nigh
We don't know for absolute sure that somewhere in the $2.2 billion acquisition of Novell by Attachmate and the “concurrent sale of certain intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of technology companies organized by Microsoft Corporation, for $450 million in cash” that those unidentified IP holding were, in fact, Novell's ownership of UNIX.
True, a sale of UNIX to Microsoft is the sort of thing that conjures up the unlikeliest of outcomes--the kind of headlines that only too recently were atop April Fools' Day stories.
And yes, it is troublesome that Microsoft, which leads the CPTN investment group, has so far declined to specify just what IP was part of the $450 million side deal. But not too troublesome--after all, that kind of uncertainty only works in Microsoft's favor for now.
That fact is, that while many in the Linux community are wondering if UNIX is now owned by Microsoft, we don't know if that's what has happened, and even if it was, it doesn't necessarily mean The End of All Things Penguin. more
We don't know for absolute sure that somewhere in the $2.2 billion acquisition of Novell by Attachmate and the “concurrent sale of certain intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings LLC, a consortium of technology companies organized by Microsoft Corporation, for $450 million in cash” that those unidentified IP holding were, in fact, Novell's ownership of UNIX.
True, a sale of UNIX to Microsoft is the sort of thing that conjures up the unlikeliest of outcomes--the kind of headlines that only too recently were atop April Fools' Day stories.
And yes, it is troublesome that Microsoft, which leads the CPTN investment group, has so far declined to specify just what IP was part of the $450 million side deal. But not too troublesome--after all, that kind of uncertainty only works in Microsoft's favor for now.
That fact is, that while many in the Linux community are wondering if UNIX is now owned by Microsoft, we don't know if that's what has happened, and even if it was, it doesn't necessarily mean The End of All Things Penguin. more
Archlinux the best way to K.I.S.S
Ok its official, am a perceptual distro hopper at last count I have tried over 40 different Linux distributions. Its a hobby am addicted to (partly due to the fact that the school were i work is in the middle of no where and there is little else to do than to learn python and become a DJ – Distro Jockey). Recently I started observing a surge of positive raves and reviews about Archlinux. It seems everywhere I go ubuntuforum,Identica,twitter, random blog post, reddit, digg etc whenever the name Archlinux come up most people always have nice things to say about it. I naturally stick to distros that use live cd because of the ease in installation, but such was the hype around arch that I decided to give it a try and see what the “FOSS” is all about.
Having used arch for almost 3 weeks now. Here are some of the things i find unique and love about it. more
Ok its official, am a perceptual distro hopper at last count I have tried over 40 different Linux distributions. Its a hobby am addicted to (partly due to the fact that the school were i work is in the middle of no where and there is little else to do than to learn python and become a DJ – Distro Jockey). Recently I started observing a surge of positive raves and reviews about Archlinux. It seems everywhere I go ubuntuforum,Identica,twitter, random blog post, reddit, digg etc whenever the name Archlinux come up most people always have nice things to say about it. I naturally stick to distros that use live cd because of the ease in installation, but such was the hype around arch that I decided to give it a try and see what the “FOSS” is all about.
Having used arch for almost 3 weeks now. Here are some of the things i find unique and love about it. more
Long Live the Web
The Web is critical not merely to the digital revolution but to our continued prosperity—and even our liberty. Like democracy itself, it needs defending
By Tim Berners-Lee
The world wide web went live, on my physical desktop in Geneva, Switzerland, in December 1990. It consisted of one Web site and one browser, which happened to be on the same computer. The simple setup demonstrated a profound concept: that any person could share information with anyone else, anywhere. In this spirit, the Web spread quickly from the grassroots up. Today, at its 20th anniversary, the Web is thoroughly integrated into our daily lives. We take it for granted, expecting it to “be there” at any instant, like electricity.
The Web evolved into a powerful, ubiquitous tool because it was built on egalitarian principles and because thousands of individuals, universities and companies have worked, both independently and together as part of the World Wide Web Consortium, to expand its capabilities based on those principles.
The Web as we know it, however, is being threatened in different ways. Some of its most successful inhabitants have begun to chip away at its principles. Large social-networking sites are walling off information posted by their users from the rest of the Web. Wireless Internet providers are being tempted to slow traffic to sites with which they have not made deals. Governments—totalitarian and democratic alike—are monitoring people’s online habits, endangering important human rights. more
The Web is critical not merely to the digital revolution but to our continued prosperity—and even our liberty. Like democracy itself, it needs defending
By Tim Berners-Lee
The world wide web went live, on my physical desktop in Geneva, Switzerland, in December 1990. It consisted of one Web site and one browser, which happened to be on the same computer. The simple setup demonstrated a profound concept: that any person could share information with anyone else, anywhere. In this spirit, the Web spread quickly from the grassroots up. Today, at its 20th anniversary, the Web is thoroughly integrated into our daily lives. We take it for granted, expecting it to “be there” at any instant, like electricity.
The Web evolved into a powerful, ubiquitous tool because it was built on egalitarian principles and because thousands of individuals, universities and companies have worked, both independently and together as part of the World Wide Web Consortium, to expand its capabilities based on those principles.
The Web as we know it, however, is being threatened in different ways. Some of its most successful inhabitants have begun to chip away at its principles. Large social-networking sites are walling off information posted by their users from the rest of the Web. Wireless Internet providers are being tempted to slow traffic to sites with which they have not made deals. Governments—totalitarian and democratic alike—are monitoring people’s online habits, endangering important human rights. more
12 Ubuntu Derivatives You Should Consider
It's no secret that Ubuntu 10.10, or Maverick Meerkat, is one of the most user-friendly Linux distributions of all time for business and home users.
What many people don't realize, however, is that there are several other Linux distributions out there that are also based on Ubuntu and offer many of the same advantages. Some are focused on a specific niche; others are simply variations on the same general theme.
If you're already a fan of Ubuntu or simply want to experience what the excitement is all about, consider the following alternatives for what just may be an even more perfect match with your business's needs. more
It's no secret that Ubuntu 10.10, or Maverick Meerkat, is one of the most user-friendly Linux distributions of all time for business and home users.
What many people don't realize, however, is that there are several other Linux distributions out there that are also based on Ubuntu and offer many of the same advantages. Some are focused on a specific niche; others are simply variations on the same general theme.
If you're already a fan of Ubuntu or simply want to experience what the excitement is all about, consider the following alternatives for what just may be an even more perfect match with your business's needs. more
Free ClamWin virus scanner moves most of Windows into quarantine
A "very unfortunate coincidence" when updating virus signatures and scanner software caused the free ClamWin (ClamAV for Windows) virus scanner to run amok and move large numbers of files into quarantine on Windows systems. On the ClamWin forum, various users reported that 25,000 files, including system files, were moved into quarantine as a result – more or less the entire system. more
A "very unfortunate coincidence" when updating virus signatures and scanner software caused the free ClamWin (ClamAV for Windows) virus scanner to run amok and move large numbers of files into quarantine on Windows systems. On the ClamWin forum, various users reported that 25,000 files, including system files, were moved into quarantine as a result – more or less the entire system. more
Geek Sheet: A Tweaker's Guide to Solid State Drives (SSDs) and Linux
Is 20th century conventional Winchester multi-platter, multi-head random-access disk technology too quaint for you? Want to run your PC or server on storage devices that consume far less energy than the traditional alternatives? Want a portable or mobile storage unit that will never fail due to G-forces or “crashing?“. Looking for a highly reliable and fast random access storage medium to use for your most important data? Do you have $250.00-$500.00 in spare change lying around? Then Solid State Drives (SSDs) are for you. more
Is 20th century conventional Winchester multi-platter, multi-head random-access disk technology too quaint for you? Want to run your PC or server on storage devices that consume far less energy than the traditional alternatives? Want a portable or mobile storage unit that will never fail due to G-forces or “crashing?“. Looking for a highly reliable and fast random access storage medium to use for your most important data? Do you have $250.00-$500.00 in spare change lying around? Then Solid State Drives (SSDs) are for you. more
The ~200 lines patch that does wonders? We have it
Given the hype generated by this Phoronix article I decided that the bloody patch (:D) was worth a try. An updated 2.6.36 kernel package is now available in our testing (sabayon-limbo) repository and will be moved to mainline in a dozen of hours. more
Given the hype generated by this Phoronix article I decided that the bloody patch (:D) was worth a try. An updated 2.6.36 kernel package is now available in our testing (sabayon-limbo) repository and will be moved to mainline in a dozen of hours. more
Bob Lee declines to support Java standardisation "charade"
High profile Java developer Bob Lee, best known for his work on Google's Guice Framework and on the specification for dependency injections patterns in Java, has publicly rejected Oracle's invitation to collaborate on the new Java Specification Requests (JSRs) for Java 7 and 8. 'Crazy Bob', as he is sometimes known, explained his decisions by stating that, as a committed supporter of open source, he says he is not prepared to contribute to a specification which is anti-competitive in nature. In his view the recent attempts to standardise Java Standard Edition fall into this category and do not belong in the open Java Community Process (JCP). more
High profile Java developer Bob Lee, best known for his work on Google's Guice Framework and on the specification for dependency injections patterns in Java, has publicly rejected Oracle's invitation to collaborate on the new Java Specification Requests (JSRs) for Java 7 and 8. 'Crazy Bob', as he is sometimes known, explained his decisions by stating that, as a committed supporter of open source, he says he is not prepared to contribute to a specification which is anti-competitive in nature. In his view the recent attempts to standardise Java Standard Edition fall into this category and do not belong in the open Java Community Process (JCP). more
Alternative To The "200 Lines Kernel Patch That Does Wonders" Which You Can Use Right Away
Phoronix recently published an article regarding a ~200 lines Linux Kernel patch that improves responsiveness under system strain. Well, Lennart Poettering, a RedHat developer replied to Linus Torvalds on a maling list with an alternative to this patch that does the same thing yet all you have to do is run 2 commands and paste 4 lines in your ~/.bashrc file. I know it sounds unbelievable, but apparently someone even ran some tests which prove that Lennart's solution works. Read on! more
Phoronix recently published an article regarding a ~200 lines Linux Kernel patch that improves responsiveness under system strain. Well, Lennart Poettering, a RedHat developer replied to Linus Torvalds on a maling list with an alternative to this patch that does the same thing yet all you have to do is run 2 commands and paste 4 lines in your ~/.bashrc file. I know it sounds unbelievable, but apparently someone even ran some tests which prove that Lennart's solution works. Read on! more
Linuxers from Russia dedicate a monument to Linux - The first Ever!!
There is something about linuxers everywhere that makes this great OS and the community invincible. Inspite of our geographical, cultural, religious differences we help each other on forums/irc, try to grow the community, promote it, help in the development etc. and thanks to the Tyumen Linux community we have even started dedicating monuments to Linux. Its going to be a sculpture with the statue of Tux in Eagle Wings on a plaque, symbolizing the unlimited possiblities Linux has - "sky is the limit". more
There is something about linuxers everywhere that makes this great OS and the community invincible. Inspite of our geographical, cultural, religious differences we help each other on forums/irc, try to grow the community, promote it, help in the development etc. and thanks to the Tyumen Linux community we have even started dedicating monuments to Linux. Its going to be a sculpture with the statue of Tux in Eagle Wings on a plaque, symbolizing the unlimited possiblities Linux has - "sky is the limit". more
Ubuntu One All Set To Invade Microsoft Windows
Ubuntu is all set to invade Microsoft's Windows platform. Ubuntu One is Canonical's storage application and service. The service enables users to store and sync files online and between computers.
Cristian Parrino of Ubuntu One posted a blog stating: "Expanding to Windows is actually a fantastic thing for Ubuntu users. There are many of you out there that use Ubuntu at home and Windows, for example, at work. This platform expansion will make it easier to integrate Ubuntu into more aspects of your digital world." more
Ubuntu is all set to invade Microsoft's Windows platform. Ubuntu One is Canonical's storage application and service. The service enables users to store and sync files online and between computers.
Cristian Parrino of Ubuntu One posted a blog stating: "Expanding to Windows is actually a fantastic thing for Ubuntu users. There are many of you out there that use Ubuntu at home and Windows, for example, at work. This platform expansion will make it easier to integrate Ubuntu into more aspects of your digital world." more
Woz Rebuffs Report He Gave Android His Blessing
An article in a Dutch publication caused a stir Thursday when it quoted Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak as saying some very complimentary things about Android, the Apple iPhone's biggest competitor. Later Thursday, however, Wozniak took issue with the article, telling another publication that his statements had been misrepresented.
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) cofounder Steve Wozniak on Thursday took issue with an article in a Dutch publication that asserted the Apple cofounder believes the Android platform's greater variety of features will soon make it the dominant platform in the smartphone market. more
An article in a Dutch publication caused a stir Thursday when it quoted Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak as saying some very complimentary things about Android, the Apple iPhone's biggest competitor. Later Thursday, however, Wozniak took issue with the article, telling another publication that his statements had been misrepresented.
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) cofounder Steve Wozniak on Thursday took issue with an article in a Dutch publication that asserted the Apple cofounder believes the Android platform's greater variety of features will soon make it the dominant platform in the smartphone market. more
SystemD Has New Shutdown Logic, Gives Everyone CGroups
Fedora 14 was set to be the first major distribution shipping SystemD to replace SysVinit, but that ended up getting pushed back to the Fedora 15 release that will now come in May of 2011. Fortunately, for the developers behind Fedora and SystemD, this means the init replacement daemon will be in much better shape for its premiere. Lennart Poettering, the original developer of SystemD, has written about some of the recent improvements. more
Fedora 14 was set to be the first major distribution shipping SystemD to replace SysVinit, but that ended up getting pushed back to the Fedora 15 release that will now come in May of 2011. Fortunately, for the developers behind Fedora and SystemD, this means the init replacement daemon will be in much better shape for its premiere. Lennart Poettering, the original developer of SystemD, has written about some of the recent improvements. more
How to choose a Linux laptop
With the many choices and factors to consider, choosing a laptop of any kind can be a considerable challenge. Choosing one for use with Linux, however, brings its own special set of considerations, since it's not yet always a plug-and-play world for the open source operating system.
Linux is typically not fussy about hardware--that, indeed, is one of its most endearing advantages. Some hardware, however, still doesn't work well with Linux, due primarily to a persistent lack of the right drivers.
Still, there are more laptop choices today than ever before for the Linux user. Here are some guidelines for choosing the one that's right for you. more
With the many choices and factors to consider, choosing a laptop of any kind can be a considerable challenge. Choosing one for use with Linux, however, brings its own special set of considerations, since it's not yet always a plug-and-play world for the open source operating system.
Linux is typically not fussy about hardware--that, indeed, is one of its most endearing advantages. Some hardware, however, still doesn't work well with Linux, due primarily to a persistent lack of the right drivers.
Still, there are more laptop choices today than ever before for the Linux user. Here are some guidelines for choosing the one that's right for you. more
Cateia Games Are Coming To GNU/Linux !
Recently I’ve spoken with Krešimir Špes from Cateia Games about their GNU/Linux support.
More then a year ago I’ve posted about the puzzle adventure game “The Legend of Crystal Valley”, a GNU/Linux client was promised but due to major difficulties in porting the old engine to GNU/Linux it’s most likely not going to happen (the MacOS client barely made it) .
But since then Cateia Games developed a new engine which games can be easily ported to GNU/Linux.
The first game to reach our beloved OS is Kaptain Brawe, afterwards the strategy game “Medieval Battlefields” and the puzzle adventure games , “Tales from the Dragon Mountain: The Strix” and “Family Secrets: Ghosthunters” will follow. more
Recently I’ve spoken with Krešimir Špes from Cateia Games about their GNU/Linux support.
More then a year ago I’ve posted about the puzzle adventure game “The Legend of Crystal Valley”, a GNU/Linux client was promised but due to major difficulties in porting the old engine to GNU/Linux it’s most likely not going to happen (the MacOS client barely made it) .
But since then Cateia Games developed a new engine which games can be easily ported to GNU/Linux.
The first game to reach our beloved OS is Kaptain Brawe, afterwards the strategy game “Medieval Battlefields” and the puzzle adventure games , “Tales from the Dragon Mountain: The Strix” and “Family Secrets: Ghosthunters” will follow. more
Best Linux apps for managing your media
In Depth: Organise and edit your music, movies and photos
Not long ago, a digital photo was a rarity, and even if you had a camera that could take them, you couldn't fit many on your hard drive. It's a similar story with music.
These days, it's almost impossible to believe that the original MP3 player, Audio Highway's Listen Up from 1997, had a capacity of 32MB, which could hold about an album's worth of audio with a low enough compression ratio. Most of our TuxRadar podcasts are larger than that, and a typical broadband connection can grab the data in seconds.
Digital video has become ubiquitous too. Since most camera devices have a video mode, you may be one of the many who like to take impromptu videos of events you find yourself in. The net result is a mess of files, formats and software sitting on your hard drive.
But Linux, and open source, is a free-flowing movement, and this means we can now take advantage of some of the best tools, transcoders and apps to help us do something with those files. These tools can give us the power to regain control of that growing library of files and folders, whether they contain images, music or video.
We've pooled our experience in dealing with media to find the best tools for the job, regardless of which desktop or distro they're built for, and we'll show you how to use them to solve the most common problems you're likely to encounter.
From command line tinkering to point-and-click authoring, there's something here for everyone. more
In Depth: Organise and edit your music, movies and photos
Not long ago, a digital photo was a rarity, and even if you had a camera that could take them, you couldn't fit many on your hard drive. It's a similar story with music.
These days, it's almost impossible to believe that the original MP3 player, Audio Highway's Listen Up from 1997, had a capacity of 32MB, which could hold about an album's worth of audio with a low enough compression ratio. Most of our TuxRadar podcasts are larger than that, and a typical broadband connection can grab the data in seconds.
Digital video has become ubiquitous too. Since most camera devices have a video mode, you may be one of the many who like to take impromptu videos of events you find yourself in. The net result is a mess of files, formats and software sitting on your hard drive.
But Linux, and open source, is a free-flowing movement, and this means we can now take advantage of some of the best tools, transcoders and apps to help us do something with those files. These tools can give us the power to regain control of that growing library of files and folders, whether they contain images, music or video.
We've pooled our experience in dealing with media to find the best tools for the job, regardless of which desktop or distro they're built for, and we'll show you how to use them to solve the most common problems you're likely to encounter.
From command line tinkering to point-and-click authoring, there's something here for everyone. more
FBI brass ask Google, Facebook to expand wiretaps
Top officials from the FBI traveled to Silicon Valley on Tuesday to persuade Facebook and Google executives to support a proposal that would make it easier for law enforcement to wiretap the companies' users.
FBI Director Robert Mueller III and General Counsel Valerie Caproni were scheduled to meet with “managers of several major companies” including Facebook and Google, according to The New York Times. It wasn't clear how the companies responded.
The proposal first came to light in September, when the FBI warned that much of its information-gathering ability was under threat by the move to VoIP and other encrypted communications. Legislation under consideration would require cellphone carriers, websites, and other types of service providers to have a way to unscramble encrypted communications traveling over their networks, according to the NYT. more
Top officials from the FBI traveled to Silicon Valley on Tuesday to persuade Facebook and Google executives to support a proposal that would make it easier for law enforcement to wiretap the companies' users.
FBI Director Robert Mueller III and General Counsel Valerie Caproni were scheduled to meet with “managers of several major companies” including Facebook and Google, according to The New York Times. It wasn't clear how the companies responded.
The proposal first came to light in September, when the FBI warned that much of its information-gathering ability was under threat by the move to VoIP and other encrypted communications. Legislation under consideration would require cellphone carriers, websites, and other types of service providers to have a way to unscramble encrypted communications traveling over their networks, according to the NYT. more
Minister Ed Vaizey backs 'two-speed' internet
Culture minister Ed Vaizey has backed a "two-speed" internet, letting service providers charge content makers and customers for "fast lane" access.
It paves the way for an end to "net neutrality" - with heavy bandwidth users like Google and the BBC likely to face a bill for the pipes they use.
Mr Vaizey said ISPs must be free to experiment with new charges to help pay for the expansion in internet services.
But critics warn the move could harm free speech and stifle innovation. more
Culture minister Ed Vaizey has backed a "two-speed" internet, letting service providers charge content makers and customers for "fast lane" access.
It paves the way for an end to "net neutrality" - with heavy bandwidth users like Google and the BBC likely to face a bill for the pipes they use.
Mr Vaizey said ISPs must be free to experiment with new charges to help pay for the expansion in internet services.
But critics warn the move could harm free speech and stifle innovation. more
The rise of Google - should we be worried?
We all know that Google is huge and there are more than enough examples of people crying the end is nigh regarding the seemingly insurmountable rise of the one-time search engine. But are they really that big? Do they have that much of a hold over us and should we be worried? more
We all know that Google is huge and there are more than enough examples of people crying the end is nigh regarding the seemingly insurmountable rise of the one-time search engine. But are they really that big? Do they have that much of a hold over us and should we be worried? more
The FBI and Service Provider Wiretapping, or What’s In Your Wallet?
The FBI’s apparent desire to require all communications service providers to design a means for law enforcement to access encrypted communications in plain text could have negative effects on personal privacy and industry innovation. Computer scientists, however, concentrate on a different concern: the danger that such design mandates could harm cybersecurity. In an ironic twist, the FBI’s well-intentioned attempt to ease their own access to suspicious phone calls might well provide criminals and others easy access to computer networks and the rich data they process. more
The FBI’s apparent desire to require all communications service providers to design a means for law enforcement to access encrypted communications in plain text could have negative effects on personal privacy and industry innovation. Computer scientists, however, concentrate on a different concern: the danger that such design mandates could harm cybersecurity. In an ironic twist, the FBI’s well-intentioned attempt to ease their own access to suspicious phone calls might well provide criminals and others easy access to computer networks and the rich data they process. more
Update for Adobe Reader fixes 19 holes
The unscheduled update 9.4.1 for Adobe Reader and Acrobat essentially eliminates the 18 holes in the embedded version of the Flash Player. One of these holes has already been exploited to attack users and infect PCs. more
The unscheduled update 9.4.1 for Adobe Reader and Acrobat essentially eliminates the 18 holes in the embedded version of the Flash Player. One of these holes has already been exploited to attack users and infect PCs. more
Easily transform Ubuntu into mac os x with macbuntu – now better than ever!
Ape the look of OS X in Ubuntu using the ‘Macbuntu’ transformation pack.
Kyle Baker, with whom regular readers will know is a source of many great things, has been diligently posting a guide to skinning Ubuntu into that resembling OS X.
Improvements Kyle has done much more than just knock together an ‘how to’ ace: after trying the pack out he found a few things were lacking so rather than just point them out and hope for the best he went and fixed, improved and contributed them to the Macbuntu project. more
Ape the look of OS X in Ubuntu using the ‘Macbuntu’ transformation pack.
Kyle Baker, with whom regular readers will know is a source of many great things, has been diligently posting a guide to skinning Ubuntu into that resembling OS X.
Improvements Kyle has done much more than just knock together an ‘how to’ ace: after trying the pack out he found a few things were lacking so rather than just point them out and hope for the best he went and fixed, improved and contributed them to the Macbuntu project. more
Linux Video Editing Apps: The Simple, the Slick and the Stumbly
Linux users and other fans of free software aren't out in the cold when it comes to video editing applications. Avidemux provides a simple set of tools for cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. Moving up to something like OpenShot will give you more features, though the layout can be confusing. And if you try PiTiVi, don't let the relatively sparse-looking interface fool you -- there's a lot going on in this app.
It used to be that only hard-core film buffs carried video recording equipment on vacations. Unless your job required working with film, film editing software was not on most computer users' must-have list of tools. Maybe that is why until recently, few really useful film editing apps existed for the Linux platform.
But today's Linux users are more savvy and more demanding. Mobile phones typically come with built-in filming capabilities. So more opportunity exists for editing and repackaging the film we shoot. Three solid Linux film editing apps make your film preparations easy. Avidemux, OpenShot video editor and PiTiVi have many common features and are all built around ease of use.
These three video editing apps work well with most video and audio formats. Their user interfaces take both the guesswork and trial-and-error episodes out of the film-editing process. more
Linux users and other fans of free software aren't out in the cold when it comes to video editing applications. Avidemux provides a simple set of tools for cutting, filtering and encoding tasks. Moving up to something like OpenShot will give you more features, though the layout can be confusing. And if you try PiTiVi, don't let the relatively sparse-looking interface fool you -- there's a lot going on in this app.
It used to be that only hard-core film buffs carried video recording equipment on vacations. Unless your job required working with film, film editing software was not on most computer users' must-have list of tools. Maybe that is why until recently, few really useful film editing apps existed for the Linux platform.
But today's Linux users are more savvy and more demanding. Mobile phones typically come with built-in filming capabilities. So more opportunity exists for editing and repackaging the film we shoot. Three solid Linux film editing apps make your film preparations easy. Avidemux, OpenShot video editor and PiTiVi have many common features and are all built around ease of use.
These three video editing apps work well with most video and audio formats. Their user interfaces take both the guesswork and trial-and-error episodes out of the film-editing process. more
AMD Already Has Open-Source Fusion Drivers
There's good news for those of you wanting to quickly go out and pickup an AMD Fusion system as soon as it's available: there's already open-source drivers for Fusion.
AMD's Alex Deucher has now confirmed that there are open-source graphics drivers for Fusion on Linux already in existence, but they're just waiting for them to be approved for release. Alex (a.k.a. agd5f) mentioned this in our forums. "Open drivers are already written, just waiting for final approval to release." more
There's good news for those of you wanting to quickly go out and pickup an AMD Fusion system as soon as it's available: there's already open-source drivers for Fusion.
AMD's Alex Deucher has now confirmed that there are open-source graphics drivers for Fusion on Linux already in existence, but they're just waiting for them to be approved for release. Alex (a.k.a. agd5f) mentioned this in our forums. "Open drivers are already written, just waiting for final approval to release." more
Spotlight on Linux: Fedora 14
Fedora is the open source community driven testbed for Red Hat Enterprise Linux containing many of the technologies that will become available and commercially supported in RHEL. This means that Fedora is oftentimes considered "cutting edge." Despite its business class roots and developer appeal, many regular desktop users find Fedora just the right fit due to its general purpose nature.
The latest version was released November 2 and is still getting positive reviews. Most often highlighted were the features for the enterprise such as newly added developer tools, security auditing tools, a new virtual machine framework, and cloud and remote management software. Many are new technologies (or new to Linux) and are on their way to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. As exciting as they are, many use Fedora for their plain ole everyday email/Web/chat/multimedia desktop. more
Fedora is the open source community driven testbed for Red Hat Enterprise Linux containing many of the technologies that will become available and commercially supported in RHEL. This means that Fedora is oftentimes considered "cutting edge." Despite its business class roots and developer appeal, many regular desktop users find Fedora just the right fit due to its general purpose nature.
The latest version was released November 2 and is still getting positive reviews. Most often highlighted were the features for the enterprise such as newly added developer tools, security auditing tools, a new virtual machine framework, and cloud and remote management software. Many are new technologies (or new to Linux) and are on their way to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. As exciting as they are, many use Fedora for their plain ole everyday email/Web/chat/multimedia desktop. more
Linux to gain significant speed boost thanks to small kernel patch
Linux has always been the champion in terms of speed, maybe that is why it powers 90% of the world’s supercomputers. The speed is mostly seen on servers rather than desktops, but a new a patch has appeared that brings a huge speed boost to the desktops.
The Patch The patch by Linux kernel developer Mike Galbraith which adds a mere 233 lines of code to the Kernel’s scheduler, cuts the desktop latency by a factor of ten! more
Linux has always been the champion in terms of speed, maybe that is why it powers 90% of the world’s supercomputers. The speed is mostly seen on servers rather than desktops, but a new a patch has appeared that brings a huge speed boost to the desktops.
The Patch The patch by Linux kernel developer Mike Galbraith which adds a mere 233 lines of code to the Kernel’s scheduler, cuts the desktop latency by a factor of ten! more
Ubuntu: Roll your own 64-bit Lubuntu with Compiz
Regular readers (and newcomers drawn here by the Throwing In The Towel on Kubuntu post) will already know I’m trying out new desktop environments in anticipation of having to switch away from Gnome one day if it takes an unsuitable direction with Gnome Shell (or Unity on Ubuntu). I’ve been playing a lot with KDE, and my experiences with Kubuntu are already documented. My openSUSE experiences will be documented soon, but first, here’s a howto that came out of an experiment in another direction.
LXDE stands for Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment. It’s your classic GUI; traditional windows and frames and buttons and dropdown menus, no plasmoids or fancy integrated notifications or that kind of stuff. It’s basic, and rather primitive by comparison to the slick and pretty KDE environments I’ve been experimenting with; but it is also stable and holy wow is it fast. You click on something and BAM there it is, no waiting. This is because it’s designed to work on low end hardware. Naturally a group of enthusiasts picked it up and created an Ubuntu derivative with LXDE. It’s called Lubuntu (of course) and it contains a sort of slimmed-down subset of Ubuntu packages, chosen for speed and small resource footprint. I decided to try it out, because if KDE and Gnome are heading off toward specialized uses I’m not interested in, LXDE’s focus on low-end hardware might keep it more traditional and more in line with my needs.
Two problems presented themselves: 1) I rely on an application dock, for which I prefer Docky, for which I need compositing (better known as “desktop effects”), which Lubuntu doesn’t have (not surprising, given its low-resources focus), and 2) I want a 64-bit OS, but Lubuntu doesn’t have an x86_64 version, just a 32-bit version.
What to do? Why, cobble it up yourself, of course. Here’s how to do it. more
Regular readers (and newcomers drawn here by the Throwing In The Towel on Kubuntu post) will already know I’m trying out new desktop environments in anticipation of having to switch away from Gnome one day if it takes an unsuitable direction with Gnome Shell (or Unity on Ubuntu). I’ve been playing a lot with KDE, and my experiences with Kubuntu are already documented. My openSUSE experiences will be documented soon, but first, here’s a howto that came out of an experiment in another direction.
LXDE stands for Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment. It’s your classic GUI; traditional windows and frames and buttons and dropdown menus, no plasmoids or fancy integrated notifications or that kind of stuff. It’s basic, and rather primitive by comparison to the slick and pretty KDE environments I’ve been experimenting with; but it is also stable and holy wow is it fast. You click on something and BAM there it is, no waiting. This is because it’s designed to work on low end hardware. Naturally a group of enthusiasts picked it up and created an Ubuntu derivative with LXDE. It’s called Lubuntu (of course) and it contains a sort of slimmed-down subset of Ubuntu packages, chosen for speed and small resource footprint. I decided to try it out, because if KDE and Gnome are heading off toward specialized uses I’m not interested in, LXDE’s focus on low-end hardware might keep it more traditional and more in line with my needs.
Two problems presented themselves: 1) I rely on an application dock, for which I prefer Docky, for which I need compositing (better known as “desktop effects”), which Lubuntu doesn’t have (not surprising, given its low-resources focus), and 2) I want a 64-bit OS, but Lubuntu doesn’t have an x86_64 version, just a 32-bit version.
What to do? Why, cobble it up yourself, of course. Here’s how to do it. more
Should Companies That Use Open Source Software Pay a Tithe?
The founder of search engine Duck Duck Go just pledged 10 percent of the site's income--will anyone follow suit?
Gabriel Weinberg, founder of search engine Duck Duck Go, isn't religious, which is one of the reasons he's comfortable calling his latest project a "tithe," despite the connotations attached to the term.
Just about every startup on the planet benefits from the use of open source software--everything from database software PostgreSQL to the Apache web server--which is free to use.
Weinberg's idea is simple: reckons companies that make a profit with the help of Free and Open Source Software should return a tenth of their profit to the open source community, to help solve problems with some open source projects. more
The founder of search engine Duck Duck Go just pledged 10 percent of the site's income--will anyone follow suit?
Gabriel Weinberg, founder of search engine Duck Duck Go, isn't religious, which is one of the reasons he's comfortable calling his latest project a "tithe," despite the connotations attached to the term.
Just about every startup on the planet benefits from the use of open source software--everything from database software PostgreSQL to the Apache web server--which is free to use.
Weinberg's idea is simple: reckons companies that make a profit with the help of Free and Open Source Software should return a tenth of their profit to the open source community, to help solve problems with some open source projects. more
Sophos bypasses Firesheep
INSECURITY EXPERTS at Sophos have released a Linux-based do-it-yourself defence against the HTTP hijacker known as Firesheep and said people can use it in order to browse the web safely over unencrypted WiFi.
Paul Ducklin, the head of technology at Sophos has posted the defence in a blog post, and he claimed that it can be installed in 60 seconds. Firesheep is a Firefox plug-in that harvests unencrypted authentication cookies as people surf, giving hackers read and write access to users' unencrypted WiFi session data. It was developed in October by an IT security researcher to highlight exploitable cookies that contain personal information and aren't encrypted. Naturally, it sent coffee shop WiFi users into a panic attack. more
INSECURITY EXPERTS at Sophos have released a Linux-based do-it-yourself defence against the HTTP hijacker known as Firesheep and said people can use it in order to browse the web safely over unencrypted WiFi.
Paul Ducklin, the head of technology at Sophos has posted the defence in a blog post, and he claimed that it can be installed in 60 seconds. Firesheep is a Firefox plug-in that harvests unencrypted authentication cookies as people surf, giving hackers read and write access to users' unencrypted WiFi session data. It was developed in October by an IT security researcher to highlight exploitable cookies that contain personal information and aren't encrypted. Naturally, it sent coffee shop WiFi users into a panic attack. more
Ubuntu's Great Graphical Gambit: X Won't Mark the Spot
Reaction in the Linux community to news that Ubuntu will be getting a new graphics system -- replacing X.org with Wayland -- has been mixed, but the worriers seem seriously worried. "I really think they may have gone too far with this change," Montreal consultant and Slashdot blogger opined. "There are still plenty of ways to get better speed out of the existing system without a wholesale change like this."
For many here in the FOSS community, Canonical's decision to make Unity the next desktop Ubuntu's default interface was shocking enough. There are some, in fact, who still need to lie down in a dark room with a cold compress at the very thought of it.
So, ever since Mark Shuttleworth made known the new, equally shocking plan to switch away from X.org and onto Wayland as the distro's new graphics system, let's just say it's been a good time to invest in anti-anxiety pharmaceuticals. more
Reaction in the Linux community to news that Ubuntu will be getting a new graphics system -- replacing X.org with Wayland -- has been mixed, but the worriers seem seriously worried. "I really think they may have gone too far with this change," Montreal consultant and Slashdot blogger opined. "There are still plenty of ways to get better speed out of the existing system without a wholesale change like this."
For many here in the FOSS community, Canonical's decision to make Unity the next desktop Ubuntu's default interface was shocking enough. There are some, in fact, who still need to lie down in a dark room with a cold compress at the very thought of it.
So, ever since Mark Shuttleworth made known the new, equally shocking plan to switch away from X.org and onto Wayland as the distro's new graphics system, let's just say it's been a good time to invest in anti-anxiety pharmaceuticals. more
The case for National Linux Distributions
There's a lot of news flying around at the moment about the latest Russian attempt to create a national, Linux-based operating system. Let's take a look at some of the issues that surround the creation of national Linux distributions.
The first point to make is that this isn’t the first Russian attempt adopt open source software. In 2007, the Armada group won the government tender to supply Russian schools with a Linux based operating system, making use of ALT Linux, a Russian fork of Mandrake Linux. Red Flag (China), Pardus (Turkey) and Bayahnian (Philippines ) were all created to meet the requirements of state institutions. more
There's a lot of news flying around at the moment about the latest Russian attempt to create a national, Linux-based operating system. Let's take a look at some of the issues that surround the creation of national Linux distributions.
The first point to make is that this isn’t the first Russian attempt adopt open source software. In 2007, the Armada group won the government tender to supply Russian schools with a Linux based operating system, making use of ALT Linux, a Russian fork of Mandrake Linux. Red Flag (China), Pardus (Turkey) and Bayahnian (Philippines ) were all created to meet the requirements of state institutions. more
EU laws already protect the open Internet: let’s enforce them now to stop the rise of the ‘unternets’
There’s a sign in a street near the Skype office which reads: I can’t understand why people are afraid of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones. I like that. It is actually indicative of some of the things we witness in the world of Internet access today: a desire by some to change the Internet to lots of little old-style ‘unternets’, away from the current openness where anyone can put their opinion, apps, services online, and anyone can access these, whether on fixed or mobile devices, without asking prior permission from anyone. more
There’s a sign in a street near the Skype office which reads: I can’t understand why people are afraid of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones. I like that. It is actually indicative of some of the things we witness in the world of Internet access today: a desire by some to change the Internet to lots of little old-style ‘unternets’, away from the current openness where anyone can put their opinion, apps, services online, and anyone can access these, whether on fixed or mobile devices, without asking prior permission from anyone. more
GNOME Shell: Getting prettier by the day
Gnome-Shell’s UI revamp continues apace and the ‘relayout’ version of GNOME-Shell, first shown off at GUADEC earlier this year, is getting ready to land.
With it containing so many visual changes MrMars dropped off screenshots of the ‘relayout’ GIT branch in the OMG! Inbox! and a link to his Italian Ubuntu forum post touching on them. more
Gnome-Shell’s UI revamp continues apace and the ‘relayout’ version of GNOME-Shell, first shown off at GUADEC earlier this year, is getting ready to land.
With it containing so many visual changes MrMars dropped off screenshots of the ‘relayout’ GIT branch in the OMG! Inbox! and a link to his Italian Ubuntu forum post touching on them. more
AMD Joins Up With Intel & Nokia On MeeGo Linux
The first-ever MeeGo conference is going on this week in Dublin, Ireland and from that event that's about furthering this open-source mobile/embedded Linux distribution founded by Intel and Nokia, AMD has announced they want in on this Linux lovechild too. They have officially announced from Dublin they have joined the MeeGo project and will begin contributing to this OS that targets netbooks, smart-phones, in-vehicle computer systems, and other embedded devices. more
The first-ever MeeGo conference is going on this week in Dublin, Ireland and from that event that's about furthering this open-source mobile/embedded Linux distribution founded by Intel and Nokia, AMD has announced they want in on this Linux lovechild too. They have officially announced from Dublin they have joined the MeeGo project and will begin contributing to this OS that targets netbooks, smart-phones, in-vehicle computer systems, and other embedded devices. more
Oracle responds to Apache Java defiance
Hoping to move Java forward, Oracle asks the Apache Foundation to reconsider its position on Java
November 15, 2010, 05:45 PM — IDG News Service — Seemingly anxious to get the next version of the Java programming language ratified, Oracle has asked the Apache Software Foundation to reconsider its stance on the proposed Java Standard Edition 7.
"We would encourage Apache to reconsider their position and work together with Oracle and the community at large to collectively move Java forward," wrote Don Deutsch, Oracle vice president of standards and architecture, in a statement posted Monday on an Oracle blog site. more
Hoping to move Java forward, Oracle asks the Apache Foundation to reconsider its position on Java
November 15, 2010, 05:45 PM — IDG News Service — Seemingly anxious to get the next version of the Java programming language ratified, Oracle has asked the Apache Software Foundation to reconsider its stance on the proposed Java Standard Edition 7.
"We would encourage Apache to reconsider their position and work together with Oracle and the community at large to collectively move Java forward," wrote Don Deutsch, Oracle vice president of standards and architecture, in a statement posted Monday on an Oracle blog site. more
You can protect yourself from Firesheep -- if you use Linux
November 15, 2010, 06:03 PM — PC World —
The Firesheep plug-in for Firefox has done an admirable job of illustrating the insecurity of public Wi-Fi, just as its creators intended. Now that it's out there in the wild, however, the question for users is how to protect their sensitive information.
On the Windows side, pretty much all we've seen so far have been tools that simply alert you when Firesheep is being used on the network you're connected to. Unfortunately, they don't go beyond that to actually protect your data.
For Linux users, however, the situation is better. A free new solution from security firm Sophos lets users of the open source operating system "browse over unencrypted Wi-Fi access points with no more risk than you'd browse at home," according to its blog post from earlier today.
It takes only 60 seconds to set up, even for users on the road, and it works even if you're already working over unencrypted Wi-Fi, the company says. more
November 15, 2010, 06:03 PM — PC World —
The Firesheep plug-in for Firefox has done an admirable job of illustrating the insecurity of public Wi-Fi, just as its creators intended. Now that it's out there in the wild, however, the question for users is how to protect their sensitive information.
On the Windows side, pretty much all we've seen so far have been tools that simply alert you when Firesheep is being used on the network you're connected to. Unfortunately, they don't go beyond that to actually protect your data.
For Linux users, however, the situation is better. A free new solution from security firm Sophos lets users of the open source operating system "browse over unencrypted Wi-Fi access points with no more risk than you'd browse at home," according to its blog post from earlier today.
It takes only 60 seconds to set up, even for users on the road, and it works even if you're already working over unencrypted Wi-Fi, the company says. more
Top 10 Firefox Add-ons to Make Browsing Safe, Secure and Private Once Again
We have already seen top Google Chrome extensions to secure your web browsing, now lets talk about Firefox add-ons a bit. Many of the Google Chrome extensions we featured are originally inspired by Firefox's top notch add-ons. So without much delay, lets start making Firefox a much more secure one. more
We have already seen top Google Chrome extensions to secure your web browsing, now lets talk about Firefox add-ons a bit. Many of the Google Chrome extensions we featured are originally inspired by Firefox's top notch add-ons. So without much delay, lets start making Firefox a much more secure one. more
Schmidt: Google Chrome OS 'a few months away'
Google boss Eric Schmidt has said that Chrome OS will be available "in the next few months" — which may be an indication that the company's browser-based operating system has been delayed.
Since unveiling the Chrome OS project last year, Google has said that systems using the operating system would be available by the end of this year. But the end of the year is a mere six weeks away. As he dropped the "a few months away" line at this week's Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Schmidt said that Gingerbread, the new version of Android, was "a few weeks away." more
Google boss Eric Schmidt has said that Chrome OS will be available "in the next few months" — which may be an indication that the company's browser-based operating system has been delayed.
Since unveiling the Chrome OS project last year, Google has said that systems using the operating system would be available by the end of this year. But the end of the year is a mere six weeks away. As he dropped the "a few months away" line at this week's Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Schmidt said that Gingerbread, the new version of Android, was "a few weeks away." more
Linux Mint 10 Reviewed
Linux Mint is arguably the front-runner when it comes to Linux distributions that target Windows users looking to migrate to linux. Now Mint has released a new version named “Julia”. Mint claims to be a user-friendly OS that just works for the average user; its forte being elegance, ease of installation and usability. It began in 2006, based on Ubuntu, and basically follows Ubuntu except in some important areas which we will discuss after installation. more
Linux Mint is arguably the front-runner when it comes to Linux distributions that target Windows users looking to migrate to linux. Now Mint has released a new version named “Julia”. Mint claims to be a user-friendly OS that just works for the average user; its forte being elegance, ease of installation and usability. It began in 2006, based on Ubuntu, and basically follows Ubuntu except in some important areas which we will discuss after installation. more
YaRock 0.0.35 Adds Automatic Cover Art Fetching, Playlists Support
YaRock is a new Qt4 music player designed to provide a nice overview of your music by allowing you to browse your music collection based on the album cover art. And this isn't just about the visuals because YaRock allows you to browse your music in such a way (multiple ways actually) that you won't need to use the search feature anymore (though it has that too).A new YaRock version (0.0.35) has been released, adding some of the features I was suggesting it should add in our previous YaRock post, like automatic cover art fetching, support to load/save playlist (m3u, pls, xspf) and a new playlist browser as well as other features such as:
YaRock is a new Qt4 music player designed to provide a nice overview of your music by allowing you to browse your music collection based on the album cover art. And this isn't just about the visuals because YaRock allows you to browse your music in such a way (multiple ways actually) that you won't need to use the search feature anymore (though it has that too).A new YaRock version (0.0.35) has been released, adding some of the features I was suggesting it should add in our previous YaRock post, like automatic cover art fetching, support to load/save playlist (m3u, pls, xspf) and a new playlist browser as well as other features such as:
- option to get cover from file directory
- simple systray support
- Now playing cover art display simplification more
Supercomputers 'will fit in a sugar cube', IBM says
A pioneering research effort could shrink the world's most powerful supercomputer processors to the size of a sugar cube, IBM scientists say.
The approach will see many computer processors stacked on top of one another, cooling them with water flowing between each one. The aim is to reduce computers' energy use, rather than just to shrink them. Some 2% of the world's total energy is consumed by building and running computer equipment. more
A pioneering research effort could shrink the world's most powerful supercomputer processors to the size of a sugar cube, IBM scientists say.
The approach will see many computer processors stacked on top of one another, cooling them with water flowing between each one. The aim is to reduce computers' energy use, rather than just to shrink them. Some 2% of the world's total energy is consumed by building and running computer equipment. more
Desktop Linux Reviews
Debian 5
I’ve written a lot of reviews of distros based on Debian, but never a review of Debian itself. So this time around I decided to look at Debian 5 (Lenny). Debian, if you aren’t familiar with it, is the rock upon which popular distributions like Ubuntu and MEPIS are built on. Sometimes folks who use a Debian-based distribution aren’t even aware of what it is based on, and that’s a shame because Debian itself has so much to offer. more
Debian 5
I’ve written a lot of reviews of distros based on Debian, but never a review of Debian itself. So this time around I decided to look at Debian 5 (Lenny). Debian, if you aren’t familiar with it, is the rock upon which popular distributions like Ubuntu and MEPIS are built on. Sometimes folks who use a Debian-based distribution aren’t even aware of what it is based on, and that’s a shame because Debian itself has so much to offer. more
BURG Manager 1.0 Released With Option To Boot ISO From BURG, New Themes, More
Burg Manager 1.0 has been released today, the major highlights of this release being an option to add an ISO to the BURG menu (and thus boot an ISO), an option to restore BURG into MBR after a Kernel upgrade and an option to remove old kernels and its menu entries.
Other changes in BURG Manager 1.0 include new themes, option to reset all settings to their default values, a live updated and notificator and bug fixes. Unfortunately the GUI remains a bit unpolished and is almost unusable on a netbook.
Burg Manager is an application to easily install Burg (along with the default Burg themes and a Burg emulator) and change most of the Burg settings such as the timeout, download and install new themes, remove Burg and restore Grub 2, set the default operating system and many advanced options. more
Burg Manager 1.0 has been released today, the major highlights of this release being an option to add an ISO to the BURG menu (and thus boot an ISO), an option to restore BURG into MBR after a Kernel upgrade and an option to remove old kernels and its menu entries.
Other changes in BURG Manager 1.0 include new themes, option to reset all settings to their default values, a live updated and notificator and bug fixes. Unfortunately the GUI remains a bit unpolished and is almost unusable on a netbook.
Burg Manager is an application to easily install Burg (along with the default Burg themes and a Burg emulator) and change most of the Burg settings such as the timeout, download and install new themes, remove Burg and restore Grub 2, set the default operating system and many advanced options. more
RHEL 6: serious Linux built for growth
Review Red Hat has released Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, the first major update for RHEL in over three years.
RHEL 5 debuted in March 2007 and used the Linux 2.6.18 kernel. Although incremental updates have added a number of kernel updates and new features, RHEL5 is starting to look aged. Of course much of the appeal of an enterprise distro is precisely that it ages well - ten years in RHEL's case.
This means that, for all the appeal of what's new in RHEL6, 5.x will still be supported for another seven years. more
Review Red Hat has released Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, the first major update for RHEL in over three years.
RHEL 5 debuted in March 2007 and used the Linux 2.6.18 kernel. Although incremental updates have added a number of kernel updates and new features, RHEL5 is starting to look aged. Of course much of the appeal of an enterprise distro is precisely that it ages well - ten years in RHEL's case.
This means that, for all the appeal of what's new in RHEL6, 5.x will still be supported for another seven years. more
How to install Linux Mint 10 on a btrfs file system
Linux Mint 10 is the first version of Linux Mint with built-in support for the B-tree File System (btrfs). Btrfs is one of the newest file systems in the Linux kernel. It is a copy on write file system with the following features: snapshotting and writtable snapshots, object-level mirroring and stripping, file system compression, multi-device support, online and offline file system checking, etc. Though it is now possible to install Mint and several other Linux distributions on a btrfs file system, you should be aware that it is still under heavy development and not yet ready for use on production systems. Taken from the man page of btrfsctl, the main management command line tool for btrfs: “Btrfs is currently under heavy development, and not suitable for any uses other than benchmarking and review.”. Note: Btrfs is the default file system on MeeGo.
The rest of this post presents a step by step on how to install Linux Mint 10, aka Julia, on a btrfs file system. more
Linux Mint 10 is the first version of Linux Mint with built-in support for the B-tree File System (btrfs). Btrfs is one of the newest file systems in the Linux kernel. It is a copy on write file system with the following features: snapshotting and writtable snapshots, object-level mirroring and stripping, file system compression, multi-device support, online and offline file system checking, etc. Though it is now possible to install Mint and several other Linux distributions on a btrfs file system, you should be aware that it is still under heavy development and not yet ready for use on production systems. Taken from the man page of btrfsctl, the main management command line tool for btrfs: “Btrfs is currently under heavy development, and not suitable for any uses other than benchmarking and review.”. Note: Btrfs is the default file system on MeeGo.
The rest of this post presents a step by step on how to install Linux Mint 10, aka Julia, on a btrfs file system. more
Google: Android doesn't infringe Oracle's copyrights
The litigation battle between Google and Oracle continues to heat up. The search giant fired the latest volley with a filing that outlines twenty separate defenses against Oracle's claim that Google's Android mobile platform infringes intellectual property that Oracle obtained from Sun. Google argues that no infringement has transpired, and that it isn't responsible even if evidence of actual infringement is found. more
The litigation battle between Google and Oracle continues to heat up. The search giant fired the latest volley with a filing that outlines twenty separate defenses against Oracle's claim that Google's Android mobile platform infringes intellectual property that Oracle obtained from Sun. Google argues that no infringement has transpired, and that it isn't responsible even if evidence of actual infringement is found. more
Google: we're not trying to replace cable TV
Rishi Chandra,Google TV's Product Manager, recently took the stage at the NewTeeVee Live conference to discuss the issue of TV networks pulling their content from the service. Cable companies are viewing Google TV as a threat, as they are increasingly concerned with cord-cutting: the term used for people canceling their cable subscriptions because they can find the content for free or for less online and via other means. more
Rishi Chandra,Google TV's Product Manager, recently took the stage at the NewTeeVee Live conference to discuss the issue of TV networks pulling their content from the service. Cable companies are viewing Google TV as a threat, as they are increasingly concerned with cord-cutting: the term used for people canceling their cable subscriptions because they can find the content for free or for less online and via other means. more
UNR 10.10 Maverick Meerkat - Don't touch this!
After being tremendously pleased with Maverick, as it ran superbly on both standard PC and even Mac, and loving the UNR 10.04 Lucid on my eeePC netbook, I figured Maverick Netbook Remix edition could only be a doubly double win for me. And so I tried it.
I decided to test the distribution on my Asus machine, having no fear my personal data would be harmed, as I have created separate root and home partitions. I downloaded the edition, burned it to a USB stick and let it boot. After a few seconds, I was looking at a whole new concept of UI and I was really liking what I saw. more
After being tremendously pleased with Maverick, as it ran superbly on both standard PC and even Mac, and loving the UNR 10.04 Lucid on my eeePC netbook, I figured Maverick Netbook Remix edition could only be a doubly double win for me. And so I tried it.
I decided to test the distribution on my Asus machine, having no fear my personal data would be harmed, as I have created separate root and home partitions. I downloaded the edition, burned it to a USB stick and let it boot. After a few seconds, I was looking at a whole new concept of UI and I was really liking what I saw. more
Migrating From Windows To Kubuntu: Smoother Than You Think?
The move from Windows to Linux is easier than ever with Kubuntu. Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop, which has a one button start menu similar to Windows. With a large community behind (K)Ubuntu, help is easy to find. So what are you waiting for? Switch to a free and open source software now. more
The move from Windows to Linux is easier than ever with Kubuntu. Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop, which has a one button start menu similar to Windows. With a large community behind (K)Ubuntu, help is easy to find. So what are you waiting for? Switch to a free and open source software now. more
Fedora To Eventually Move to Wayland, Too
Well, what do we have here? It turns out that Ubuntu isn't the only Linux distribution who took a left turn off the X.org highway, now driving on a road that will eventually lead to replacing X.org with Wayland. Fedora's 'graphics cabal', as they call themselves, have explained themselves on Fedora's devel mailing list. They also explain how network transparency can be added to Wayland in a number of different ways, making the mailing list thread intriguing reading material. Also, everybody happy with the headline? No panties in twists this time around...? more
Well, what do we have here? It turns out that Ubuntu isn't the only Linux distribution who took a left turn off the X.org highway, now driving on a road that will eventually lead to replacing X.org with Wayland. Fedora's 'graphics cabal', as they call themselves, have explained themselves on Fedora's devel mailing list. They also explain how network transparency can be added to Wayland in a number of different ways, making the mailing list thread intriguing reading material. Also, everybody happy with the headline? No panties in twists this time around...? more
'Zombie' virus infects over a million Chinese cell phones
According to Shanghai Daily, a "zombie" virus has infected more than 1 million Chinese cell phones , costing users around 2 million yuan or $300,000 in SMS charges per day. Disguising itself as an antivirus application, the malware forwards users' Sim card information to cybercriminals. more
According to Shanghai Daily, a "zombie" virus has infected more than 1 million Chinese cell phones , costing users around 2 million yuan or $300,000 in SMS charges per day. Disguising itself as an antivirus application, the malware forwards users' Sim card information to cybercriminals. more
LinuxMint 10 "Julia" is released!
Announced today by Clement Lefebvre the release of LinuxMint 10 code name Julia, this release comes with many new features: Install codecs and upgrade to the DVD edition from the welcome screen; the menu highlights newly installed applications and makes them easier to find; the menu finds and installs software from the repositories; addition of search engines to the menu's search box; Software Manager with a better categorization of software and use of application icons; update manager can ignore updates and shows download size; upload manager improvements; new look and feel featuring a traditional light theme and dark background; various system improvements. more
Announced today by Clement Lefebvre the release of LinuxMint 10 code name Julia, this release comes with many new features: Install codecs and upgrade to the DVD edition from the welcome screen; the menu highlights newly installed applications and makes them easier to find; the menu finds and installs software from the repositories; addition of search engines to the menu's search box; Software Manager with a better categorization of software and use of application icons; update manager can ignore updates and shows download size; upload manager improvements; new look and feel featuring a traditional light theme and dark background; various system improvements. more
Install Linux Mint 10 Julia
Assuming you have purchased a Linux Mint CD or created one yourself, you may reach the graphical installer by inserting the installation CD into your CD-ROM slot and restarting your computer. On restart you may need to press a keyboard shortcut to access the "boot menu". On most computers this is one of the f keys. The boot menu lets you boot from your CD-ROM, floppy, or hard drives. Select the CD-ROM slot that has the Linux Mint installation CD in it and wait for the Linux mint menu the show up. Select the first option or just wait a few seconds for the Linux Mint live desktop to load. more
Assuming you have purchased a Linux Mint CD or created one yourself, you may reach the graphical installer by inserting the installation CD into your CD-ROM slot and restarting your computer. On restart you may need to press a keyboard shortcut to access the "boot menu". On most computers this is one of the f keys. The boot menu lets you boot from your CD-ROM, floppy, or hard drives. Select the CD-ROM slot that has the Linux Mint installation CD in it and wait for the Linux mint menu the show up. Select the first option or just wait a few seconds for the Linux Mint live desktop to load. more
Arch Linux Vs Slackware: The Best of All Worlds
To paraphrase one of the best "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episodes, "Best of Both Worlds", both Arch Linux and Slackware represent the best of all the OS worlds: the power of traditional Unix, the elegance of BSD and the ease of mind of Mac OS X. This is an article outlining the differences between --what I believe-- are the two best Linux distros around today. Mind you though, "best" doesn't always mean "easy". Installation & First Steps
Both distros feature text-based installation that are quite equivalent in terms of features and ease of use. However, I will give Slackware a slight preference here because of all the networking/package installation that's done by the installer, while Arch requires the user to use a text editor to edit the /etc/rc.conf to its liking, as this requires some extra knowledge.
Winner: Slackware (by a slim margin) more
To paraphrase one of the best "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episodes, "Best of Both Worlds", both Arch Linux and Slackware represent the best of all the OS worlds: the power of traditional Unix, the elegance of BSD and the ease of mind of Mac OS X. This is an article outlining the differences between --what I believe-- are the two best Linux distros around today. Mind you though, "best" doesn't always mean "easy". Installation & First Steps
Both distros feature text-based installation that are quite equivalent in terms of features and ease of use. However, I will give Slackware a slight preference here because of all the networking/package installation that's done by the installer, while Arch requires the user to use a text editor to edit the /etc/rc.conf to its liking, as this requires some extra knowledge.
Winner: Slackware (by a slim margin) more
"Horde of piratical monkeys" creates LimeWire: Pirate Edition
After a years-long battle with LimeWire, the recording industry finally scuppered the pirate ship last month, obtaining a wide-ranging injunction against LimeWire LLC and its file-sharing software. LimeWire devs were bound by the court to remove their software downloads and source code from the Web, and they had to take steps to break existing LimeWire installations. But two weeks later, LimeWire is back.
LimeWire Pirate Edition builds on the old LimeWire codebase, but it removes LimeWire's use of some centralized servers, the Ask.com toolbar, in-app advertising, and software backdoors. It also enables all the features of the "Pro" version that LimeWire LLC used to sell as a premium product.
According to the coders behind the release, "A horde of piratical monkeys climbed aboard the abandoned ship, mended its sails, polished its cannons and released it FREE to the community to help keep the Gnutella network alive." more
After a years-long battle with LimeWire, the recording industry finally scuppered the pirate ship last month, obtaining a wide-ranging injunction against LimeWire LLC and its file-sharing software. LimeWire devs were bound by the court to remove their software downloads and source code from the Web, and they had to take steps to break existing LimeWire installations. But two weeks later, LimeWire is back.
LimeWire Pirate Edition builds on the old LimeWire codebase, but it removes LimeWire's use of some centralized servers, the Ask.com toolbar, in-app advertising, and software backdoors. It also enables all the features of the "Pro" version that LimeWire LLC used to sell as a premium product.
According to the coders behind the release, "A horde of piratical monkeys climbed aboard the abandoned ship, mended its sails, polished its cannons and released it FREE to the community to help keep the Gnutella network alive." more
Apache declares war on Oracle over Java
The Apache Software Foundation threatens to ditch Java if Oracle doesn't relent on use restrictions
November 9, 2010, 10:24 PM — IDG News Service —
Charging that Oracle has willfully disregarded the licensing terms for its own Java technology, the Apache Software Foundation has called upon other members of the Java Community Process (JCP) to vote against the next proposed version of the language, should Oracle continue to impose restrictions on open-source Java use.
The nonprofit organization has also indicated that it could end its involvement in the JCP if the licensing restrictions stay in place. more
The Apache Software Foundation threatens to ditch Java if Oracle doesn't relent on use restrictions
November 9, 2010, 10:24 PM — IDG News Service —
Charging that Oracle has willfully disregarded the licensing terms for its own Java technology, the Apache Software Foundation has called upon other members of the Java Community Process (JCP) to vote against the next proposed version of the language, should Oracle continue to impose restrictions on open-source Java use.
The nonprofit organization has also indicated that it could end its involvement in the JCP if the licensing restrictions stay in place. more
Linux Mint Not To Switch To Unity
LinuxMint is one of the most polished GNU/Linux distros based on Ubuntu. Canonical recently announced that they are abandoning the upcoming Gnome Shell and move to Unity along with a long-term plan to replace X with Wayland. This raises the question, what will happen to Linux Mint which is an Ubuntu derivative?
Clement Lefebvre, Linux Mint, told Muktware, "We're not planning to switch to Unity but to keep our desktop as similar as it is at the moment. So it's hard to say how we'll achieve this technically but we're aiming at using Gnome without Gnome Shell :)" more
LinuxMint is one of the most polished GNU/Linux distros based on Ubuntu. Canonical recently announced that they are abandoning the upcoming Gnome Shell and move to Unity along with a long-term plan to replace X with Wayland. This raises the question, what will happen to Linux Mint which is an Ubuntu derivative?
Clement Lefebvre, Linux Mint, told Muktware, "We're not planning to switch to Unity but to keep our desktop as similar as it is at the moment. So it's hard to say how we'll achieve this technically but we're aiming at using Gnome without Gnome Shell :)" more
Lightworks Is Not Coming To Linux Until Late 2011
Earlier this year we reported that the Lightworks video editor was going open-source. This was big news as Lightworks is a professional-grade non-linear video editing application that has received scientific and technical Academy Awards and Emmy Awards. This software has been used for editing films like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Shutter Island. While many have been excited that this application is going open-source, the Linux port will not be available until late 2011. more
Earlier this year we reported that the Lightworks video editor was going open-source. This was big news as Lightworks is a professional-grade non-linear video editing application that has received scientific and technical Academy Awards and Emmy Awards. This software has been used for editing films like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Shutter Island. While many have been excited that this application is going open-source, the Linux port will not be available until late 2011. more
RhythmArty: Browse Your Music Collection Via Album Art [Rhythmbox Plugin]
RhythmArty is a Rhythmbox plugin that allows you to browse your music collection via album art. I didn't post about it until now because it initially (versions 0.1 and 0.2) crashed my Rhythmbox (you can see comments related to this here) and then when version 0.3 was released it did work but it was very slow with my ~30.000 files music collection.But today, RhythmArty 0.4 was released which not only fixes the crashes but is also very fast and works great with large music collections. Besides the performance improvements, the new RhythmArty also got a new option to fetch the missing cover art (Tools > Get Covers). more
RhythmArty is a Rhythmbox plugin that allows you to browse your music collection via album art. I didn't post about it until now because it initially (versions 0.1 and 0.2) crashed my Rhythmbox (you can see comments related to this here) and then when version 0.3 was released it did work but it was very slow with my ~30.000 files music collection.But today, RhythmArty 0.4 was released which not only fixes the crashes but is also very fast and works great with large music collections. Besides the performance improvements, the new RhythmArty also got a new option to fetch the missing cover art (Tools > Get Covers). more
10 best Linux distros for 2010 In Depth: How to choose a Linux distro that's best for you
Hardware compatibility, ease of use, the size of a software repository. These three attributes are unique to each Linux distribution. But at the same time, each Linux distribution is at liberty to take and mix whatever it wants from any other.
This creates a rather unique situation, where good ideas quickly spread, and bad ones fail. And as a result, there are dozens of distribution updates each month, hundreds each year, in a race to leap-frog the each other in the race to the top of the DistroWatch.com charts.
This is why the answer to the question, of which distribution is best for you, changes with the tides, and why we're keen to keep on top of distribution developments. What follows is our recommendations for this year, split by typical users. Try them yourself. They're all free. more
Hardware compatibility, ease of use, the size of a software repository. These three attributes are unique to each Linux distribution. But at the same time, each Linux distribution is at liberty to take and mix whatever it wants from any other.
This creates a rather unique situation, where good ideas quickly spread, and bad ones fail. And as a result, there are dozens of distribution updates each month, hundreds each year, in a race to leap-frog the each other in the race to the top of the DistroWatch.com charts.
This is why the answer to the question, of which distribution is best for you, changes with the tides, and why we're keen to keep on top of distribution developments. What follows is our recommendations for this year, split by typical users. Try them yourself. They're all free. more
24 things we'd change about Linux
If you use Linux long enough, you'll soon discover a list of things you wished were different.
Here are 24 things that we wish were different.What would you change? Share your thoughts in the comments. more
If you use Linux long enough, you'll soon discover a list of things you wished were different.
Here are 24 things that we wish were different.What would you change? Share your thoughts in the comments. more
Why You Should Only Buy Linux Pre-Installed on your Systems
Many Linux users are geeks, and vice versa, and geeks can build their own systems or at least install an OS, so why should we buy systems with Linux pre-installed? Why is it so important if the OS is free? Let’s talk about a little thing called “market share.”
You’ll see a lot of talk about market share on the Internet, but usually it confuses market share and installed base. See, geeks tend to care about installed base. We’ll argue with the people quoting 1% market share that it can’t be right because how can companies know whether we reinstalled the OS or not? And that’s just the point. Generally, they can’t. But what changes when we change our OS isn’t the market share; it’s the installed base. The market share is still based flatly on the number of units sold—the thing business people care about. more
Many Linux users are geeks, and vice versa, and geeks can build their own systems or at least install an OS, so why should we buy systems with Linux pre-installed? Why is it so important if the OS is free? Let’s talk about a little thing called “market share.”
You’ll see a lot of talk about market share on the Internet, but usually it confuses market share and installed base. See, geeks tend to care about installed base. We’ll argue with the people quoting 1% market share that it can’t be right because how can companies know whether we reinstalled the OS or not? And that’s just the point. Generally, they can’t. But what changes when we change our OS isn’t the market share; it’s the installed base. The market share is still based flatly on the number of units sold—the thing business people care about. more
RockMelt: Chromium meets social
RockMelt is a new cross-platform web browser that's aimed at re-inventing the browser for how people use the web today. According to a post on the RockMelt blog, the browser has been in development for two years and is based on Google's open source Chromium browser platform, the open source project behind Google's popular Chrome web browser. more
RockMelt is a new cross-platform web browser that's aimed at re-inventing the browser for how people use the web today. According to a post on the RockMelt blog, the browser has been in development for two years and is based on Google's open source Chromium browser platform, the open source project behind Google's popular Chrome web browser. more
Nautilus-Elementary is dead, long live ‘Marlin’
The honeymoon is over folks: Nautilus-elementary is no longer being actively developed.The elementary team are instead turning their attention towards creating a file browser that does everything they want it to, and it’s called Marlin. more
The honeymoon is over folks: Nautilus-elementary is no longer being actively developed.The elementary team are instead turning their attention towards creating a file browser that does everything they want it to, and it’s called Marlin. more
NVIDIA Says It Has No Plans To Support Wayland
Last week Mark Shuttleworth shared that Ubuntu will begin shipping the Wayland Display Server with their Unity desktop in a future release (likely around Ubuntu 11.10 it will become an experimental part of their desktop stack, but a PPA repository of Wayland for Ubuntu is already being worked on now). While being a supporter of Wayland and the first to cover this display server project two years ago when it was just in its infancy, this even caught me by surprise and a bit of a shock that Ubuntu, the leading desktop Linux distribution, planned to begin shipping support for it so soon. more
Last week Mark Shuttleworth shared that Ubuntu will begin shipping the Wayland Display Server with their Unity desktop in a future release (likely around Ubuntu 11.10 it will become an experimental part of their desktop stack, but a PPA repository of Wayland for Ubuntu is already being worked on now). While being a supporter of Wayland and the first to cover this display server project two years ago when it was just in its infancy, this even caught me by surprise and a bit of a shock that Ubuntu, the leading desktop Linux distribution, planned to begin shipping support for it so soon. more
Stock exchange delays switch to Linux
As reported by ComputerWorld, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has now postponed switching to the new, Linux-based, Millennium Exchange platform following concerns that the system has insufficient capacity to cope with peak trading loads. While Millennium Exchange can currently process 50,000 messages per second, market experts have said that 300,000 would be a better target, particularly when compared to rival systems. Originally the system was planned to go live on the 1st of November, but the LSE has now formally acknowledged that more work is needed on scaling the infrastructure. The launch has been put back at least until the 15th of November and most probably won't occur until the new year. more
As reported by ComputerWorld, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has now postponed switching to the new, Linux-based, Millennium Exchange platform following concerns that the system has insufficient capacity to cope with peak trading loads. While Millennium Exchange can currently process 50,000 messages per second, market experts have said that 300,000 would be a better target, particularly when compared to rival systems. Originally the system was planned to go live on the 1st of November, but the LSE has now formally acknowledged that more work is needed on scaling the infrastructure. The launch has been put back at least until the 15th of November and most probably won't occur until the new year. more
Panflute: Control Your Favourite Music Player From The Gnome Panel
Your favourite music player is not supported by the new Ubuntu 10.10 sound menu or not using Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat yet? Then try Panflute, a gnome Panel applet and daemon which can control whatever music player is currently running. It can play/pause/stop, display/rate songs, display artist/song title, song change notifications and more. Each of these can be removed from Panflute so you can show only the song info or controls that you want. more
Your favourite music player is not supported by the new Ubuntu 10.10 sound menu or not using Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat yet? Then try Panflute, a gnome Panel applet and daemon which can control whatever music player is currently running. It can play/pause/stop, display/rate songs, display artist/song title, song change notifications and more. Each of these can be removed from Panflute so you can show only the song info or controls that you want. more
AMD CEO - Why the PC is not dead
AMD head-honcho, Dirk Meyer, explains why the PC is doing better than ever PC gaming has come under a lot of fire over the past few years. Many claim that the PC is a dying platform, and that console gaming will eventually swallow it completely. AMD obviously has something to say about that though, and the CEO has recently done exactly that, sending out an editorial which claims just the opposite.
Why The PC Is Not Dead
Written by AMD CEO Dirk Meyer
Pundits have been predicting the death of the PC for some time now. The introduction of each new exciting computing device or software app considered outside the narrow scope of the traditional PC triggers the same, tired PC obituary again and again to the point of a Groundhog Day experience.
But from my industry vantage point, Punxsutawney Phil is nowhere in sight. To the contrary, each new, disruptive innovation is actually a sign of health, and of sustained public desire for the life-enhancing benefits of personal computing and being connected online. In many ways, we've only just begun to experience what a truly "personal" computing experience can look and feel like. more
AMD head-honcho, Dirk Meyer, explains why the PC is doing better than ever PC gaming has come under a lot of fire over the past few years. Many claim that the PC is a dying platform, and that console gaming will eventually swallow it completely. AMD obviously has something to say about that though, and the CEO has recently done exactly that, sending out an editorial which claims just the opposite.
Why The PC Is Not Dead
Written by AMD CEO Dirk Meyer
Pundits have been predicting the death of the PC for some time now. The introduction of each new exciting computing device or software app considered outside the narrow scope of the traditional PC triggers the same, tired PC obituary again and again to the point of a Groundhog Day experience.
But from my industry vantage point, Punxsutawney Phil is nowhere in sight. To the contrary, each new, disruptive innovation is actually a sign of health, and of sustained public desire for the life-enhancing benefits of personal computing and being connected online. In many ways, we've only just begun to experience what a truly "personal" computing experience can look and feel like. more
Another Flash update patches multiple vulnerabilities
Adobe has released an update for Flash Player to address 18 vulnerabilities, some of which are regarded as critical.
Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 addresses multiple vulnerabilities in the widely-installed software for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris. A corresponding update for the Android version is expected by November 9 (US time).
Issues addressed by the update include multiple memory corruption vulnerabilities that could lead to code execution (including one that was specific to Windows and ActiveX), a denial of service vulnerability with potential for arbitrary code execution, an input validation vulnerability that could lead to a bypass of cross-domain policy file restrictions, a library-loading vulnerability with potential code execution, and an information disclosure vulnerability that was specific to Safari on Mac OS X. more
Adobe has released an update for Flash Player to address 18 vulnerabilities, some of which are regarded as critical.
Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 addresses multiple vulnerabilities in the widely-installed software for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris. A corresponding update for the Android version is expected by November 9 (US time).
Issues addressed by the update include multiple memory corruption vulnerabilities that could lead to code execution (including one that was specific to Windows and ActiveX), a denial of service vulnerability with potential for arbitrary code execution, an input validation vulnerability that could lead to a bypass of cross-domain policy file restrictions, a library-loading vulnerability with potential code execution, and an information disclosure vulnerability that was specific to Safari on Mac OS X. more
Linux has the best eye-candy!
Many people like Apple computers because they have great eyecandy. Mac's are expensive and use proprietary software that restricts the end user. GNU/Linux on the other hand is completely free and features amazing eyecandy thanks to an application called Compiz. When you install this application you will be able to make your desktop come alive with amazing 3D effects. more
Many people like Apple computers because they have great eyecandy. Mac's are expensive and use proprietary software that restricts the end user. GNU/Linux on the other hand is completely free and features amazing eyecandy thanks to an application called Compiz. When you install this application you will be able to make your desktop come alive with amazing 3D effects. more
So I bought a netbook - Asus eeePC
When it comes to computers, I'm a bit promiscuous. The more the merrier. And so it happens that I bought myself yet another piece of hardware, an Asus eeePC netbook. Why, you may ask, since I already have the rather powerful LG and HP notebooks running high-end graphics and a plenty of RAM?
The answer is simple. When you travel, you can't afford to lug extra poundage with you. What you need is a lightweight, small-size, ultra-portable mobile device. Even more importantly, you want a device with a long battery life. Most laptops manage only a handful of hours at best, they heat up like a furnace, and they can't quite fit onto a plane's food tray. And smartphones simply don't cut it, being really too small and annoying.
Of course, it's not all about practically. It's about fun, elegance and the illusion of affordability. Shelling out just a few hundreds of dollars for a computer sounds like a good deal, no matter how you look at it. When you combine size, battery life, price, and your irrational need to spend, you end up with a netbook.
All right, you're convinced. Now let me showcase this thing. more
When it comes to computers, I'm a bit promiscuous. The more the merrier. And so it happens that I bought myself yet another piece of hardware, an Asus eeePC netbook. Why, you may ask, since I already have the rather powerful LG and HP notebooks running high-end graphics and a plenty of RAM?
The answer is simple. When you travel, you can't afford to lug extra poundage with you. What you need is a lightweight, small-size, ultra-portable mobile device. Even more importantly, you want a device with a long battery life. Most laptops manage only a handful of hours at best, they heat up like a furnace, and they can't quite fit onto a plane's food tray. And smartphones simply don't cut it, being really too small and annoying.
Of course, it's not all about practically. It's about fun, elegance and the illusion of affordability. Shelling out just a few hundreds of dollars for a computer sounds like a good deal, no matter how you look at it. When you combine size, battery life, price, and your irrational need to spend, you end up with a netbook.
All right, you're convinced. Now let me showcase this thing. more
Can Mark Shuttleworth Be The Steve Jobs Of Ubuntu?
When I met Mark Shuttleworth in 2005 during a Linux event in India, we talked in detail about his trip space and his vision for Ubuntu. In these last 5 years, Ubuntu has come a long way.
What Apple has done with BSD, Mark has done with Debian and GNU/Linux. He has packaged the amazing Debian as a much loved consumer operating system called Ubuntu.
Under his leadership, Ubuntu has created a unique position among the three most popular operating systems in the world. If I put these three (Ubuntu, Windows and Mac) operating systems side by side, I find Ubuntu, as a standalone OS, to have a clear edge over the other two. No, it's not a biased opinion if one looks deeper into the technical aspects verifying this fact (we will get into that later). more
When I met Mark Shuttleworth in 2005 during a Linux event in India, we talked in detail about his trip space and his vision for Ubuntu. In these last 5 years, Ubuntu has come a long way.
What Apple has done with BSD, Mark has done with Debian and GNU/Linux. He has packaged the amazing Debian as a much loved consumer operating system called Ubuntu.
Under his leadership, Ubuntu has created a unique position among the three most popular operating systems in the world. If I put these three (Ubuntu, Windows and Mac) operating systems side by side, I find Ubuntu, as a standalone OS, to have a clear edge over the other two. No, it's not a biased opinion if one looks deeper into the technical aspects verifying this fact (we will get into that later). more
Redmond's Anti-Android Patent Trap
"This is M$'s last desperate attempt at stopping GNU/Linux," said blogger Robert Pogson. "They have no competitive software on smart-thingies and have ceased to innovate, at least in proportion to their huge investment in 'research.' ... These efforts by M$ may delay uptake of GNU/Linux for a few months, but ... the world will see through the lies and the efforts will be in vain."
Following the discovery of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) "A Few Perspectives on OpenOffice.org" anti-FOSS video last month, Linux bloggers have been thinking even darker thoughts than usual about all things Redmond -- if that's even possible.
But now there's more! In its apparently ceaseless quest to attain new heights of hypocrisy -- the company does say it loves open source, after all -- Microsoft has now managed to shock and amaze once again.
How, you ask? Simple: By reportedly charging royalty fees to prevent Acer and Asustek from adopting Android and Chrome OS in their netbook and tablet offerings.
Are there even words to describe this kind of shenanigans?? more
"This is M$'s last desperate attempt at stopping GNU/Linux," said blogger Robert Pogson. "They have no competitive software on smart-thingies and have ceased to innovate, at least in proportion to their huge investment in 'research.' ... These efforts by M$ may delay uptake of GNU/Linux for a few months, but ... the world will see through the lies and the efforts will be in vain."
Following the discovery of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) "A Few Perspectives on OpenOffice.org" anti-FOSS video last month, Linux bloggers have been thinking even darker thoughts than usual about all things Redmond -- if that's even possible.
But now there's more! In its apparently ceaseless quest to attain new heights of hypocrisy -- the company does say it loves open source, after all -- Microsoft has now managed to shock and amaze once again.
How, you ask? Simple: By reportedly charging royalty fees to prevent Acer and Asustek from adopting Android and Chrome OS in their netbook and tablet offerings.
Are there even words to describe this kind of shenanigans?? more
UK copyright laws to be reviewed, announces Cameron
Britain's intellectual property laws are to be reviewed to "make them fit for the internet age," Prime Minister David Cameron has announced.He said the law could be relaxed to allow greater use of copyright material without the owner's permission.The announcement was welcomed by internet campaigners who say it will boost small business. more
Britain's intellectual property laws are to be reviewed to "make them fit for the internet age," Prime Minister David Cameron has announced.He said the law could be relaxed to allow greater use of copyright material without the owner's permission.The announcement was welcomed by internet campaigners who say it will boost small business. more
The White House gets open source
I love this video from Dave Cole (Senior Advisor to the CIO, Executive Office of the President) and Macon Phillips (White House Director of New Media). You hear the feds talk a lot about openness and transparency, but not often specifically about open source. But here, you can see that the White House really gets it. more
I love this video from Dave Cole (Senior Advisor to the CIO, Executive Office of the President) and Macon Phillips (White House Director of New Media). You hear the feds talk a lot about openness and transparency, but not often specifically about open source. But here, you can see that the White House really gets it. more
Is Shuttleworth Crazy, Brave, or Smart?
Last week Mark Shuttleworth dropped the bomb that the next release of Ubuntu, 11.04, would ship with Unity as the default window manager. This caused a lot of concern throughout the community, but most were getting used to the idea, appeased by the knowledge that GNOME Shell would be but a few clicks away. But yesterday he went even further - he announced that Ubuntu would be moving to the Wayland graphical server as well. Has Shuttleworth lost his mind? Or does he know something we don't? more
Last week Mark Shuttleworth dropped the bomb that the next release of Ubuntu, 11.04, would ship with Unity as the default window manager. This caused a lot of concern throughout the community, but most were getting used to the idea, appeased by the knowledge that GNOME Shell would be but a few clicks away. But yesterday he went even further - he announced that Ubuntu would be moving to the Wayland graphical server as well. Has Shuttleworth lost his mind? Or does he know something we don't? more
