09.18.09

Contents

• GNU/Linux
  • Distributions
  • Devices/Embedded
• Free Software/Open Source
• Leftovers
• Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day

GNU/Linux

• Cool things with SELinux… Introducing sandbox -X

  One of the downsides of working in security is that we seldom get to do cool things. The desktop engineers, VM engineers, even kernel engineers get to show off cool stuff. But security guys usually only ever get to show how we broke something, if that. Sometimes all we can do is say “trust us, it’s working.” But I think I have something cool to show off which I’m calling sandbox -X.

• Hewlett Packard’s Linux Systems

  On one of their web pages they did something that will disturb many of the Microsoft Sheep out there, they referred to the Linux system they are offering as being user friendly

• Mainframe shops gush over big iron

  What can be said is that by corralling some mainframe engines, slashing their prices, and letting them run Linux instances or speed up Java or DB2 workloads, IBM has been able to keep the installed base of mainframe processing power, as measured in MIPS, growing – even as it has its ups and downs each quarter. And the downs have been especially sharp since the economic meltdown kicked in a year ago.

• My preference for cross-platform applications leads me to Scribus for desktop publishing

  So the bottom line is that I hope Scribus does as well as some are claiming, because having a free, open-source application for creating high-quality printed documents, and having that application run on just about every computer out there is just what I’m looking for.

• KDE

  • Indicators, notifications and co

    What is the difference between the “Indicator Display” plasmoid and the “Incoming Message” plasmoid from kdeplasma-addons?
    Both plasmoids have the same goal, but the “Incoming Message” plasmoid tries to implement this goal with application-specific code: it has specific code for Evolution, KMail, Pidgin, Kopete and XChat.

  • Amarok 2.2 Beta 2 “Red Dawn” released

    The Amarok team is pleased to release the second beta version of Amarok 2.2. For a list of the most important changes and fixes see the changelog below.

    As always please help us by testing, reporting bugs, sending patches and most importantly by enjoying discovering music. Thanks to everyone who already helped us this way. We are especially looking for help with podcasting support.

• Distributions

  • GENTOO MAINTENANCE

    This tutorial is going to focus on two main aspects of working with a system…

  • Ubuntu

    • Ubuntu 9.10 “Karmic Koala” Alpha 6 Released

      If the traditional Ubuntu with GNOME on the desktop is not your thing, 9.10 Alpha 6 spins are already available for Kubuntu, Ubuntu Server EC2/UEC, Ubuntu ARM, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, Mythbuntu, and Edubuntu. More information on this release is available from its Ubuntu Testing Page.

    • Ubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 Has Ubuntu Software Store

      A few minutes ago, the Ubuntu development team unleashed the sixth and last alpha version of the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system, due for release in late October this year.
      As usual, we’ve downloaded a copy of it in order to keep you up-to-date with the latest changes in the Ubuntu 9.10 development.

    • Ubuntu releases last 9.10 Alpha

    • My thoughts on Ubuntu

      Ubuntu will be staying here, on my laptop, for the foreseeable future. I like Ubuntu, as I’ve discovered. And, since I’ve started recommending it to others, people for whom I provide ongoing computer support, I now need Ubuntu as well.

    • …and now using Ubuntu!

      So well, I’ve decided to stick to Ubuntu, Synaptic, and to my very own surprise, even GNOME. I am liking it thus far. Synaptic “just works”, and GNOME gives timely responses to my keyboard commands and mouse gestures.

• Devices/Embedded

  • PowerPC SoC family gains multi-core members

    Freescale Semiconductor has announced a quad-core “P4040″ version of its eight-core QorIQ P4080 system-on-chip (SoC), aimed at networking, military, and industrial applications. The company also announced a new power-efficient dual-core “P1022″ member of its Linux-ready, PowerPC-based QorIQ family.

  • Rugged CompactPCI SBC runs Linux

    Aitech Defense Systems has released a rugged 3U single-slot CompactPCI single-board computer (SBC). Targeting embedded and harsh environment applications, the Linux-compatible C800 SBC offers an Intel Core 2 Duo clocked at up to 2.2GHz, 8GB of SATA flash, plus dual gigabit Ethernet and serial ports, says the company.

  • Pico-ITX board boasts 1080p video

  • Phones

    • Palm Pre beats expectations, drops WiMo to focus on WebOS

      Part of that strategy involves dumping any distractions, including both the company’s original Palm OS and the Windows Mobile partnership that Palm forged with Microsoft in 2006, a year before Rubinstein arrived. Palm’s support for Windows Mobile helped nearly double Microsoft’s market share at the time.

    • Palm dumps Windows Mobile

      PALM HAS SAID that it will be dropping the Windows Mobile operating system in favour of its own webOS platform.

  • Sub-notebooks

    • First Moblin v2 netbook launches

      The first netbook preinstalled with Moblin v2 for Netbooks will likely launch next week, possibly at Intel’s Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco. Following that, the Moblin Project will release the first milestone release of the Moblin v2 Linux distribution, which began beta testing in May.

Free Software/Open Source

• Version 4.2 of OSGi Java component technology available

  Popular open source implementations of the specification are Apache Felix and Eclipse Equinox; almost all enterprise application vendors use OSGi to provide modularised Java software.

• Q&A: Visa dips a toe into the Hadoop pool

  Hadoop effectively gives enterprises the power of Google or Yahoo Web indexing for free, or for the cost of a CloudEra subscription if you want to involve Hadoop’s core developers in your rollout. Credit card giant Visa is an early corporate adopter of Hadoop, and points to a bright future for the open-source project.

• DragonFly BSD 2.4 released

  Developer Matthew Dillon has announced the release of version 2.4 of DragonFly BSD, originally created as a fork from FreeBSD 4.x. The major release includes several bug fixes, performance improvements and a new 64-bit port.

Leftovers

• The 10 biggest moments in IT history

  It’s unlikely that everyone will ever agree on the most important dates in the history of IT. I know my IT timeline has a personal and professional bias. But I’ve tried to be objective in examining the events that have served to shape the current landscape of the modern computing industry.

• Censorship/Web Abuse

  • Ex-BT tech chief quits Phorm

    Stratis Scleparis, the former BT Retail chief technology officer who joined Phorm after overseeing secret trials of its web monitoring and profiling system, has quit the firm.

  • Cable: Let us lock down your TV (we’ll offer movies sooner)

    Top reps from Time Warner Cable and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association have met with the FCC to back the MPAA’s bid for selectable output control. It’s a sure sign that Big Content is still big on this proposal, despite tons of opposition from device makers and public interest groups.

  • FCC To Further Investigate Janet Jackson Super Bowl Reveal

    The FCC has reasserted its power to regulate fleeting nudity and says it wants to further investigate “whether CBS’ indecency violation [in the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake Super Bowl reveal] was willful.”

• Intellectual Monopolies

  • Back to school with RIAA-funded copyright curriculum

    School kids in American could certainly stand to learn about copyright in the classroom—it’s a fascinating topic that increasingly impacts the life of every “digital native” and intersects with law, history, art, and technology. But should they be exposed to industry-funded materials meant to teach kids:

    That taking music without paying for it (“songlifting”) is illegal and unfair to others (RIAA)
    Why illegally downloading music hurts more people than they think (ASCAP)
    How the DVD-sniffing dogs, Lucky and Flo, help uncover film piracy (MPAA)
    To use problem-solving approaches to investigate and understand film piracy (The Film Foundation)
    The importance of using legal software as well as the meaning of copyright laws and why it’s essential to protect copyrighted works such as software (Business Software Alliance)

  • Michael Robertson Wants To Crowdsource Proof Of EMI’s Lies: You Lie EMI Bookmarklet Available

    EMI has been involved in a lawsuit with MP3Tunes for a while now. The whole lawsuit seems weird, since MP3Tunes is about creating a storage locker for the songs you already have. But one of the points that MP3Tunes made in response to EMI’s claims is that EMI was lying in saying that it has never authorized MP3s to be available online.

  • Smashing Pumpkins Like Free Online Music Concept

    Billy Corgan Plans on Making Money From Real Fans

    Offering your album online for free seems to becoming quite a trend these days. The concept was pioneered by acts like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, and the latest group to jump on the bandwagon is Smashing Pumpkins.

  • Smashing Pumpkins Latest To Embrace Free Music… With A Reason To Buy

  • New Smashing Pumpkins album

  • UK Music Pretends That Musicians Aren’t Against Kicking People Off The Internet

    There were rumors that following this little dustup, that the UK music industry would drop its support for three strikes. Instead, Feargal Sharkey, the head of the UK Music lobbying group, has come out with a totally meaningless statement that basically says that the industry supports the government’s plan and there’s nothing to see here in terms of a rift in the views of the UK music industry.

    That’s not very believable. More and more musicians have realized that a proposal to kick people off the internet does nothing to promote better business models and does a lot to create significantly more ill will with fans.

  • ASCAP, BMI Demanding Payment For 30 Second Previews At Web Stores

    It’s been really stunning to see just how little dignity groups like ASCAP and BMI have in trying to suck every last penny out of any kind of musical usage, without ever once considering the damage they’re actually doing to songwriters. It’s as if the folks who run these groups have no concept of the actual impact of their crazy demands.

  • I’m Sorry, But It Was Never Just About The Music

    Frank Sinatra made movies to reach a bigger fan base. Elvis’s hips and haircut were as much a part of his success as his recordings were. David Bowie learned that image and imagery could propel him to greater heights. After Saturday Night Fever, dance steps helped propel many live shows and for a time MTV made being visual an important component of success.

  • Britain’s postal-code database online at Wikileaks: produced at public expense, not owned by the public

    Wikileaks is hosting a copy of the “1,841,177 post codes together with precise geographic coordinates and other information” for the UK.