Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 13/08/2009: GNOME 2.28 Beta, Oracle VM



GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • AutoTrader web site switches to Linux


  • Chrome OS – Lost in the cloud?
    But Google's biggest asset is not its search techology per se, but the database of the web which is a by-product of its primary activity and is stored on the proprietary file system that it runs on countless thousands of cheap and cheerful Linux servers, estimated at 650,000 as far back as 2006, and growing by the day.


  • Linux Migration for the Home PC User, Part 7: Making Adjustments


  • Computer viruses slow African expansion
    Unwin says replacing Windows with Linux would help (80% of viruses are written in China, where Windows dominates). The Ethiopian government has, in fact, made open source software central to its IT plans. Khokhar says it's no magic solution.


  • Open-source hardware heralds greater creativity
    We're all familiar with open-source software, such as the Apache webserver or the Linux OS, but in the last few years, open-source hardware projects have risen in popularity, including the open-source electronics platform Arduino.




  • Desktop

    • College-Bound Young Lady Gets A Hand.
      If you want to become a Linux Luminary and sponsor the install of a computer to a disadvantaged kid, you can do so by clicking here. The average install costs us 25.00


    • Computer Corner Newsletter for August 13
      But even after all that — and my willingness to sacrifice the contents of the built-in hard drive (all my data is always stored on an external USB hard drive) — I still can't get Windows Vista or Windows 7 to install or run, even though the open source Ubuntu Linux operating system loads and runs right along without any problems.






  • Kernel Space

    • VIA Soon To Release Its DRM-Using 2D Driver
      This morning Bruce has written on the dri-devel list that they should soon be releasing this new 2D driver. Bruce is hoping that this 2D driver's source-code will be released in about two weeks. Right now the driver is in the hands of a few community testers for feedback, but they are hoping that the driver will be released very soon unless any new issues are found.








  • Applications

    • Lazarus for Cross-Platform Development
      Lazarus may be the most native cross-platform development environment running on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. Use it to create native applications with platform-independent code.


    • The Zim Desktop Wiki as a Storywriting Tool
      So, now what? What's the advantage over a full-fledged word processor, aside from having multiple documents? The advantage is the hyperlinking, which we will soon see. Highlight each name you have entered. Then, press CTRL-L like you had done on the first page. Each name is now a hyperlink. From here, you can create a page for each character in your story, giving background information on them, along with personal notes about their history, personality, likes and dislikes, all of that. Then, you can do the same for places, giving as much information or as little as you want about the places and their history. What about events or objects unique or relevant to the story? You can make pages for them as well.




    • Games











  • GNOME

    • GNOME 2.28 Beta Arrives, Release Next Month
      We are just a month out from the release of GNOME 2.28, which is the last major update before GNOME 3.0's expected arrival in H1'2010. With development on GNOME 2.28 winding down, these desktop developers have announced the first beta release. GNOME 2.27.90 is this first 2.28 beta and it includes bug fixes and other work along with the usual variety of documentation and translation updates.


    • 20 GDM Themes For Ubuntu You Probably Haven't Seen Before
      The most beautiful part of being a linux user is the choice you have, whatever issue it is. Like any other Linux distro, Ubuntu is infinitely customisable with any number of themes and applications. This include login window themes or gdm themes as well. Major source for themes in ubuntu include www.gnome-look.org and www.deviantart.com. There, you could obtain literally thousands of good quality themes.






  • Distributions

    • SystemRescueCd version 1.2.3 released
      The developers of SystemRescueCd have now released version 1.2.3 of the French mini--Linux distribution. The new SystemRescueCd release updates a range of tools and includes a firmware package missing from the previous version (sys-kernel/linux-firmware). The developer has updated the alternative kernels to Linux 2.6.27.29.


    • Parted Magic 4.4 released
      Version 4.4 of Linux distribution Parted Magic was released yesterday (Wednesday). The system, which includes a range of hard drive partitioning and many other useful tools, contains updated software, such as kernel 2.6.30.4, new versions of hdparm, Clonezilla and GNU Parted and a whole range of new features.


    • GoboLinux 014.01 After a Year
      So, my HDD went bust. I have been using GoboLinux since its launch, and there has yet to be a new release since 014.01. Try as I might, I couldn't switch distributions. So, I installed. This isn't an easy task. The install CD is so old that you will have to do a lot of updating to install anything new. So where to start?




    • Red Hat Family

      • Oracle spells out VM tools plans
        In the wake of its acquisition of Virtual Iron, and its hammering out of a converged roadmap for the Oracle VM Server variant of Xen hypervisor, Oracle's techies are still at work, making tools that wrap around the existing Oracle VM Server hypervisor to make it more useful.

        First up is a gadget called Oracle VM Template Builder. This is a graphical utility that allows software developers or in-house IT departments to create a JEOS skinnied down version of Oracle Enterprise Linux. They can then plunk it and a set of system and application software on top of that streamlined Linux inside of an Oracle VM image.


      • Oracle launches tool for virtual appliances
        Oracle has released new tools for building virtual appliances, the software maker's first significant move in server virtualisation since its purchase of Virtual Iron.


      • Oracle Deepens Virtual Application Plans








    • Debian Family

      • Debian-Ubuntu debate: an upstream view
        Ever since the release team of the Debian GNU/Linux Project announced that it would be adopting a time-based freeze for future releases, there has been much debate about it on the project's mailing lists.


      • Ubuntu Coming to Amahi Home Server?
        The Amahi Home Server, an open source system that handles a range of in-home applications, could soon run on the Ubuntu 9.04 desktop environment. Here’s the scoop and some thoughts about Ubuntu’s potential presence in the home server and media server markets.

        According to the Amahi web site, the open source system is a “Home Digital Assistant” (HDA).
        “We came up with the term HDA to describe what the Amahi Linux Home Server aims for. Something as simple to use as a PDA, for the home and home networking.”


      • Ubuntu remixes netbook interface
        Ubuntu's UNR is a customised version of the standard Linux desktop aimed at making the most of the smaller screen sizes typical in netbook PCs. With its first attempt at the UNR desktop, Ubuntu's developers removed the obvious top and bottom panels of the standard interface and melded them into the overall appearance of the desktop to maximise onscreen space. They also replaced the bulky panel icons with streamlined tabs for managing open windows as well as making sure all application windows were maximised. By doing this UNR makes it easier to switch between applications and removes the need to drag application windows around.


      • Ubuntu User Interface Tweaks


      • Pearson’s Prentice Hall Professional Publishes The Official Ubuntu Server Book












  • Devices/Embedded







Free Software/Open Source

  • New release of Mozilla Lightning and SOGo
    Open source software company Inverse released the version 1.0.4 of Scalable OpenGroupware.org (SOGo). SOGo provides a rich AJAX-based Web interface and supports multiple native clients through the use of standard protocols such as CalDAV, CardDAV and GroupDAV. It features a very tight integration with Mozilla Thunderbird and Lightning and enable mobile devices synchronization through the use of the Funambol middleware. Version 1.0.4 provides new features such as Apple iPhone OS 3 support, better Apple iCal 3 support and memcached support for high-scalability. Moreover, Inverse releases Lightning "Inverse Edition" v0.9.6. This is a maintenance release of Mozilla Lightning based on our 0.9 release which focuses on stability and includes many bug fixes, several small enhancements and some new features of the upcoming Mozilla Lightning 1.0 extension.


  • Can Open Source Work for SSD Designs?
    I’m spending the week at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara. Surprisingly, there were something like 1200 registrations and there’s a lively crowd at the Summit. Good news for the business climate, I think. The presentations have been excellent and I’ll be sharing several with you over the next few days. First off is a keynote presentation by Michael Cornwell, Lead Technologist for Flash Memory at Sun Microsystems. (By the way, all of Cornwell’s Flash-related projects have names associated with the fictitious superhero Flash Gordon, hence the map of the Planet Mongo over on the right, which I’ve cribbed from Cornwell’s title slide.)


  • Open source solutions vs. SaaS applications: Weigh the options
    The application options available for the midmarket are many and varied. Two popular alternatives to the more traditional -- and often more costly -- route of on-premise applications are open source and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. Although both provide many benefits, including reduced capital costs and subscription-based pricing models, it's the differences between the two models that may dictate which is best suited for your organization.


  • Unicon Announces New Hosting Services for Sakai™ and Moodle™ Open Source Learning Management Systems
    Unicon, Inc., a leading provider of software consulting services and open source solutions for the education market, today announced new application hosting services for higher education institutions wanting to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of open source learning management systems Sakai and Moodle. Unicon’s hosting service fully supports the community source code versions of the open source software, and delivers a feature-rich, fully functional learning management solution based on the comprehensive out-of-the box product capabilities available in Sakai and Moodle.


  • "Stripped-down" open source ESBs still solid middleware engines
    The past year's economic slump has lead many application architects to explore open source components for their SOA middleware stack - even such complex components as the enterprise service bus (ESB). The decision to adopt an open or closed-source ESB can be tough. It requires a company to weigh cost against complexity and gauge its own programming savvy.


  • 802.11 Planet Insights
    Open Source's Green Genes

    Open source software negates the existence of software "piracy," so if enough people began using open source, the industry surrounding the pursuit and prosecution of software "pirates" would go away. All that money and energy could be spend doing something more important. Do you know how many natural resources it takes to manufacture a three-piece suit like lawyers wear? Eliminate "piracy" and you eliminate the need for thousands of three-piece suits every year. Lawyers who work for open source projects don't need to wear suits. And they probably don't need to shower as often, either.


  • More open source software to ease your wallet
    Open source projects in software industry said the programs that the design and construction created for the purpose of free distribution under specific license. In addition to these projects, can participate voluntarily people with little or extensive experience in software issues.Good free open source software programs for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems with no adware and no spyware.


  • Business

    • Open-source, Proprietary Vendors Partner on Cloud BI
      Four open-source and proprietary vendors on Wednesday announced a new partnership resulting in a cloud-based BI (business intelligence) stack.


    • Acquia, Supporting the Drupal CMS, Adds 200 New Customers
      We've reported a number of times before on Acquia, which offers a commercially supported version of the open source Drupal content management system. OStatic runs on Drupal, and Drupal version 6 is expected to soon run over 240,000 web sites, with many large media companies switching to it.


    • Open source Aussies land $500m VMware deal
      SpringSource, a software company founded by Australian open source entrepreneur Rod Johnson, has been acquired by virtualisation kingpins VMware in a transaction valued at over US$420 million (AU$505 million).


    • Apache makes its first $420 million
      Others and I have made much of VMware's acquisition of SpringSource for $420 million, but one crucial point has been overlooked: this is the first big acquisition of a company that depends on the Apache license.


    • Commercial open source is essential to enterprise IT
      In the ideal world, open source software would be free of charges and its communities would operate on a Service Level Agreement (SLA) scale.

      There would be virtually no expenses to acquire, use and maintain the software in enterprise IT production environments.


    • SugarCRM's new CEO on open source CRM and cloud computing
      Nearly three months ago, John Roberts, one of the founders of SugarCRM, a commercial open source CRM vendor, stepped down as CEO. Larry Augustin, a former venture capitalist and one of the driving forces behind SourceForge.net while he was chairman of VA Software, stepped in to replace him. SearchCRM.com sat down with Augustin to discuss his plans while he serves as interim CEO and to get his perspective (as a longtime open source evangelist) on the CRM market.








  • FSF/GNU

    • FSF launch GNU Generation
      GNU Generation, says Shinn in a posting on the Open Source At Google blog, plans to provide a "very informal and relaxed environment". Participants in the program will have a chance to win a T-Shirt if they are selected as a "contributor of the month" and a GNU/Linux powered netbook if selected as contributor of the year. Details of how to join are available on the GNU Generation wiki.








  • Government

    • Local Googlement
      There is one of its services that Google forgot to promote to councils that could save them a lot of money: Google Code. Local government in this country needs to share code as well as using open source software developed by other organisations.


    • Councils 'turning to open source software'
      Local authorities in the UK are increasingly turning to open source software as a way to reduce IT costs, says new research..

      Around half of councils surveyed by Public Sector Forums said they will increase use of open source by 2011.








  • Licensing







  • Openness







Leftovers

  • Censorship/Web Abuse

    • Chinese porn blocker killed off
      It's not certain whether the Middle Kingdom's U-turn was brought about by public pressure (incredibly unlikely), security fears (significantly more likely) or the impending threat of legal action over copyright infringement (ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!), but it seems that Green Dam will no longer be forcefully installed on every single computer manufactured in or imported to China.


    • China scales back censorship plans






  • Intellectual Monopolies

    • Why The Associated Press plans to hold some web content off the wire
      That’s one revelation from a document we obtained (labeled “AP CONFIDENTIAL — NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION”) that offers new insight into how the AP is planning to reinvent itself on the Internet.

      [...]

      The link economy

      Plenty of people have observed — and the AP surely understands — that the consortium’s 163-year-old, print-centric methods of syndication don’t really make sense online, where a link can do the work of distributing content. That sounds like the impetus for this rethinking, but it will surely raise hackles among AP members accustomed to publishing that wire content on their own sites (not to mention selling ads against it).


    • Downloading is not enough
      The unwillingness to use streaming services is interesting, especially since I've seen every one of my son's friends sign up to Spotify recently. While is is possible that kids really do value "ownership" of music, I suspect it has more to do with the limitations of their online lives.








Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day



Thomas Bartol, computational neuroscientist for the Salk Institute 02 (2005)



Digital Tipping Point is a Free software-like project where the raw videos are code. You can assist by participating.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Pushing to the Top
Publishing is about exposing corruption
How Long Can a Company Delay Its Financial Report That Likely Confirms Exodus of Staff, Growing Debt, and Other Problems?
Brett Wilson LLP was meant to release its annual report some time early this month
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Networking With the National Delegates
António Campinos with a prime opportunity to network with the Administrative Council delegates and lobby for his reappointment
IBM's Alderon as "Silent Layoffs", Not Just Bailout From Taxpayers
Seeing through the noise
Laptop Bricked After Microsoft Certificates Expiry
Is "Jim" dead?
 
Antisocial People With No Computer Science Background Are Ruining the Technology Space (Like Officials With No Experience in Patents Destroyed the EPO)
This is a real issue; it needs to be widely recognised and tackled
DDoS Attacks Are a Crime and They Only Increase Interest (Intrigue) in Their Target
Information cannot be DDoSed out of reach/existence, except temporarily
Whistleblowing and Retaliation by Microsoft Workers Against Microsoft Seems Increasingly Likely
some will go to the press, looking to expose some shenanigans
SLAPP Censorship - Part 122 Out of 200: Garrett's Solicitors Confirm That Garrett is Ban-Evading and Spying on Our IRC Network
his solicitors basically acknowledge this
PIPs and "Retirements": IBM Layoffs in Anything But Name
That former Red Hat (now IBM) staff threatens to put my wife and I in prison is worse than cruel
Contact Members of the EPO Administrative Council, Tell Them the EPO (Office) Became a Disgrace and an Enemy of Europe's Citizens
If you live in Europe (not just the EU, even Turkey is included), please contact your delegates
The World Needs GNU/Linux for Security, Turn Off "Secure Boot" (It's the Opposite of Security)
They call it "Secure Boot", but what does it mean to say "Secure" when you actively opt for back doors controlled by Microsoft, the FBI, and many more parties?
In Signal of Weakness or Phasing Out XBox (Not Sustainable, According to the CEO) Microsoft "Pauses New Third-Party Game Pass Deals"
Moments ago
Two Pieces About "AI" This Morning Were Paid-For SPAM at The Register MS
The Register MS is the "Tech News" publisher you can pay to promote your company and even key-word-stuff pages for SEO purposes
Week of Microsoft Layoffs, Maybe Record-Breaking Scale
They will mislead about the scale
Links 28/06/2026: More Om Malik Eulogies, Cloudflare Promotes Web Browser Monocultures
Links for the day
'Modern' Web: "Stop! You Are Browsing Too Fast!"
Can the Web ever recover from this?
Pensions Tied to Ponzi Schemes Are Themselves Ponzi Schemes
Pensions are becoming more like that as well
Monoculture in Europe as National (or Continental) Security Threat
We need more browser diversity
Canada 5-0: GNU/Linux Rises to 5.0%, Windows Rapidly Falls to New Lows
Will we be seeing 6-0 (6%) by year's end and will Microsoft be shown two red cards?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 28, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, June 28, 2026
Gemini Links 29/06/2026: Sansieviera, HiFi, and Self-Signed Certificates
Links for the day
Outsourcing is Not Security
Outsourcing to Microsoft is the opposite of security
Links 28/06/2026: Turkey's State Broadcaster Suspends Commentator, Journalists Under Attack
Links for the day
Debugpoint.com Turns to LLM Slop for 'Help'
This is how sites die
Follow the Real Security Experts
Werner Koch
Assessing the Upcoming (July) Proprietary/GAFAM Cuts
The total (or %) matters to us because it can help shed light on what scale of layoffs to expect next week
Microsoft Lunduke Does Not Correct or Clarify Misinformation That He Posted (or Repeats It Instead)
Not the first time [...] detracts and/or distracts from legitimate criticisms
How Not to Do Security
Asking Microsoft for permission
Gemini Links 28/06/2026: Simulation Theory and Pursuit of Novelty
Links for the day
Five Years After Its Formation Libera.Chat Has the Most Simultaneous Users in Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
netsplit.de also measures the cross-network total at over 300k, probably for the first time in years
The Slop 'Religion' is Dying: From Widespread (Paid-for) Hype to Widespread Hate
Wait till "sentiment" in Wall Street - not just general (public) "sentiment" - shifts strongly against slop
For Whistleblowers' Sake, Choose Hosting Platforms Wisely
Techrights is hard to 'sedate'
How to Discreetly Leak Important Information to Techrights
Some years ago we published multi-part series about how to contact us securely
Expect Many More Whistleblowers From Microsoft
We envision many pissed off workers from Microsoft will become whistleblowers after next week's giant wave
Efforts to Resume Progress on FreeJS, LibreJS, and Reduce Dependence on Microsoft
It's still in a relatively early development stage
Whistleblowers Improve the World
we should appreciate and respect whistleblowers
Microsoft Windows Plunges to All-Time Lows in Japan
Microsoft is disintegrating; many people no longer use (nor need) Windows
GNU/Linux Turns 43 in 3 Months From Now
The Manifesto of the Free software movement (GNU Manifesto, 1985) turned 40 last year
SLAPP Censorship - Part 121 Out of 200: One Day We'll Discover What Company or Rich Person/s Funded the Lawfare Against Us
Even if the law firm shoulders some of the losses, then it is in effect an investor in the lawfare, according to established caselaw
Working on "Linux", But on Microsoft's Payroll
Under the totally false guise of "security" those same people are now promoting TPMs and other horrible things
Links 28/06/2026: Energy Crunch, EEE by Microsoft, and John Bolton Pleads Guilty in Dictatorship of SLAPPs
Links for the day
Jim Not Dead Yet
Let's wait a few more days
Microsoft Layoffs So Big They Cannot Even Wait for 'D-Day' (July 1)
"Layoffs at Xbox Appear to Have Already Begun, with Multiple Compulsion Games Employees Announcing Their Departures"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, June 27, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, June 27, 2026
Links 28/06/2026: Heatwave in Europe and Media Failing to Actually Criticise Power
Links for the day
Gemini Links 28/06/2026: Poems, Photographs, and Neoliberalism as Religion
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 120 Out of 200: Garrett Undermines His Own Application Because His Friend Graveley Failed to Accomplish What They Had Both Aimed For
Hold off the "popcorn"
Don't Settle for Slop
Slop is a bit of a symptom of where society is told to go
Gemini Links 27/06/2026: Photography From Interlaken to Shynige Platte, Slop 'Code', and Distro Hopping
Links for the day
TIGER COMPUTING LTD Sent Us Threats Half a Decade Ago (Because of Criticism of Their In-House Debian Developer), Now the Company's Debt is Deepening
So what is they're connected to the military?
GNU/Linux in Mexico Near All-Time High
With all the tourists packing the place (or hotels) we can imagine big changes to be seen next month (many portable devices)
Summer Plans in Tux Machines
July is nearly upon us
Gopher (Protocol) Turns 35, Gemini is 28 Years Younger
Bad technology comes and goes very fast
Be Like Stallman and Assange, Not Like MElon or Bill Epsteingate
these people treat women like worse than dirt
Exposure Leads to More Whistleblowing
In areas like IBM or European patent affairs we've always earned a lot of trust
European Patent Office (EPO) Series Will Run Well Into July
We still have a very significant chunk of EPO "trench" stories
Links 27/06/2026: Journalists Kicked Out of China, Torture in Iran and Turkey
Links for the day
How Microsoft is Preventing or Slowing Down Adoption of GNU/Linux (Fake 'GNU' Controlled by GitHub in Windows, WSL, Sabotage at Boot Level, Not Limited to Dual-Booting)
Microsoft is still at it
Rising Computer Prices Good News for GNU/Linux and Free Software
This can greatly assist the adoption of BSDs and GNU/Linux
Links 27/06/2026: More Restrictions on Social Control Media and Russia is Leveraging Cellebrite/Back Doors
Links for the day
Saying "No" is Not a Bad Thing
Society benefits from people who say "No!" even when it seems impolite (and possibly inconvenient) to say so
Next Week's "Bloodbath" at Microsoft Includes "Silent Layoffs" (Which Microsoft Won't Count)
The notion of "silent layoffs" is fast becoming the "new normal"
Akira Urushibata on the Likely False (Unverifiable) Claims Anthropic Makes About Defects for Marketing/Hype
Some pro-LLM person has managed to derail the discussion on this topic
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: "Team Campinos" in Split
The EPO team was of course headed by Campinos himself who delivered a "forward-looking" keynote speech to the assembled audience consisting mainly of Administrative Council delegates from the national IP offices
Supporting Women in the Free Software Community
The common theme here is abuse of women
Left IBM After Many Years, Came to Microsoft/XBox, Now Silent Layoffs at XBox
many inside XBox will have their last day next week
Gemini Links 27/06/2026: Homeworlds and Tarot Cards
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, June 26, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, June 26, 2026