Editors • About the Site • Comes vs. Microsoft • Using This Web Site • Site Archives • Credibility Index • OOXML • OpenDocument • Patents • Novell • News Digest • Site News • RSS

11.19.10

Links 19/11/2010: GNOME 2.32.1 Released, Debian GNU/Linux Recruits Women

Posted in News Roundup at 3:23 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNOME bluefish

Contents

GNU/Linux

  • Desktop

    • Could the Windows Comparison Game Hurt Linux?

      Competition is good, blogger Robert Pogson told Linux Girl.

      “If we cannot out-perform that sad imitation of an OS that M$ produces, GNU/Linux should be shut down,” Pogson asserted. “In my experience, GNU/Linux has out-performed M$ since 2000 because GNU/Linux did not crash and was much easier to manage and cost less.”

      Of course, “we should check our rear-view mirrors occasionally to see what the competition is doing,” he added. “I don’t see MacOS as much competition since it does not run on the same hardware by decree, so there is no proper way to compare.”

    • French Gendarmerie switch 85,000 PC’s to Ubuntu and save €€€

      The police force has been able to tailor Ubuntu Desktop to meet its exact requirements. Gendarmerie Commandant Jean-Pascal Chateau says: “We have a lot of personnel who work in the field. The fact that Ubuntu Desktop is so easy to use is a huge benefit. Agents can personalize their desktops to fit their needs. That means that they can access the same desktop environment no matter which workstation they log in from.” He adds: “Now staff are more motivated and we’ve reduced costs and introduced solutions that better match our needs.”

  • Server

  • Ballnux

    • Samsung Galaxy Tab source code released

      Samsung has released the open source portions of the Galaxy Tab operating system and made them available for download. Of course, much of their software isn’t open source, so don’t expect to see everything in the code. It is very refreshing to see manufacturers quick to comply with the license agreements, and my hat’s off to Samsung for this.

    • Video Face-Off: Android Galaxy Tab vs. the iPad
    • Everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Tab

      Next to the Apple iPad, it may be the most anticipated tech product of 2010. You could even claim that a big part of its anticipation is actually due to the iPad. Of course, I’m talking about the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the first major Android slate to give the iPad a run for its money in the touchscreen tablet market.

    • Samsung Galaxy Tab review

      Although the Tab’s diagonal screen size is only 2.7 inches smaller than that of the iPad’s, the device itself is nearly half the size and weight – in short, it’s a much tidier little package. Though not as slim as perhaps we’d have liked, the ability to operate the Tab single-handed and drop it in our back pocket is a massive advantage in terms of overall usability.

  • Kernel Space

  • Applications

  • Desktop Environments

    • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC)

      • KMyMoney 4.5.1 stable version is out

        The KMyMoney Team is pleased to announce the release of KMyMoney version 4.5.1.

        This version contains several fixes for bugs found in 4.5.0 since it was released almost three months ago as the stable release for the KDE Platform 4.

      • Polishing

    • GNOME Desktop

      • GNOME Shell – Then And Now (Or How Unity Has Influenced It)

        I the past I have commented on how GNOME Shell’s redesign is heading towards what Canonical’s Unity looks like currently. Well, today a reader, Frederico Araújo, left a very interesting side-by-side comparison of GNOME Shell during its initial stage and now. He also added comparison with Unity. It is a very interesting comparison and we thought we’d share it. Do leave your thoughts in the comments.

      • 7 Brilliant GNOME GTK Themes

        GNOME Shell is the future of GNOME desktop and its already evolving quite beautifully. You might want to check out our collection of breathtaking GNOME Shell themes too.

      • GNOME 2.32.1 released

        The first update to GNOME 2.32 (and my own first release) is now available. It provides bug fixes, translation updates and the usual care and kindness that our brave GNOME developers and contributors deserves to details.

      • GNOME 2.32.1 released

        The GNOME Release Team have issued version 2.32.1 of the GNOME desktop for GNU / Linux and Unix, the first maintenance update to the GNOME 2.32 series. According to GNOME developer Luca Ferretti, the latest stable release includes a variety of bug fixes, translation improvements and minor updates to the included GNOME packages, such as the Empathy instant messaging app and the Evolution mail client.

      • OpenRespect: It’s About Time

        I will admit that, despite Bacon’s arguments to the contrary, OpenRespect is coming across as a defensive move on behalf of Bacon’s employer, Canonical. Canonical has been the target for a lot of frustration from the broader community lately, some of it perhaps deserved, and some perhaps not, so it’s a reasonable assumption that the Ubuntu Community Manager might want to deflect.

      • Make the GNOME panel font bold, italic, bigger, smaller etc
      • 10 Incredible Icon Sets for Ubuntu/GNOME

        Elementary project is one of the most talked about and actively developed open source project meant to provide much needed finesse to Linux desktop. Download Elementary Icon Theme. Also, check out beautiful Elementary theme for Ubuntu as well.

      • Beautify Ubuntu Desktop Window Border with Emerald Themes

        If you want to decorate your window border, you can try following installation and setup.

  • Distributions

    • Pardus

      I think I will stick with Pardus on this laptop, for a while, and see how it goes. If I ever get around to my long term plan of upgrading my parents’ computer from Windows XP then Pardus could be a strong candidate for that too. It’s impressive.

    • Announcing Bodhi Linux

      You may have noticed the blog has been rather quiet the last couple of weeks, this is because I have been working on a project. Last month I posted details about an E17 LiveDVD I was working on that was modeled after PinguyOS. It weighed in at a 1.4 gig download that was jam packed with every application you might ever use. It was also slightly crude in some aspects (such as the Enlightenment desktop it contained was compiled and installed from source).

      [...]

      The Bodhi is built from an Ubuntu 10.04 minimal disc, but you will notice it does contain some Ubuntu 10.10 features. Backported via the Bodhi Repository, are the 2.6.35 kernel and the newer Ubiquity installer. Also enabled by default are the Ubuntu partner repository, Medibuntu, and GetDeb.

    • Reviews

      • A Linux server OS that’s had 11 years to improve

        Review: SME Server is pretty much the original ready-rolled server distribution. Although it has changed hands – and names – a few times, it’s been around since 1999, when it was known as e-Smith, a name you’ll still see in a few places.

    • Red Hat Family

      • RHN Satellite 5.4, the second analysis

        My first analysis and the first experiances of RHN Satellite 5.4 have been very good, I was quite excited.

        I also was very happy to be able to sync the rhel-x86_64-server-6 channel on the newly upgraded master satellite. First tests on test systems registered to the master (=staging) Satellite have all been successful.

      • Linux, Open Source & Ubuntu: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Is Ready for Heavy-Duty Computing
      • Red Hat Educates Professors About Open Source

        Provider of open source solutions, Red Hat, expanded its outreach to introduce open source into the computer science curriculum at leading colleges and universities. The company is a member of Teaching OpenSource ( News – Alert) community and acts as its catalyst. It sponsors Professors’ Open Source Summer Experience (POSSE) workshops.

      • Red Hat Enterprise Linux and the Trickle-Up Effect

        The announcement of a royal wedding is a cause for excitement among loyal subjects, but it’s also an opportunity for assorted tea-towel vendors, commemorative plate makers and many other people to make a great deal of money off the back of it.

        And so it is with enterprise server operating systems. Last week’s release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.0 generated much excitement from its loyal customers. Many of Red Hat’s partners are hoping the release will provide them with an opportunity to make a great deal of money off the back of it, too. Although the RHEL 6.0 server OS includes numerous significant new features — a new hybrid 2.6.32 kernel; support for more cores and memory; better reliability, availability and serviceability (RAS) capabilities; the ext4 file system by default; and so more — it was hard to discern that from the clamor of Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) hardware partners preparing to make money by selling more of their lovely server boxes and associated services.

      • Red Hat sizes up NZ for 2011 growth

        Channel growth is encouraging open source vendor Red Hat to consider establishing a local office next year. Sydney-based Max McLaren, Red Hat’s ANZ general manager, says growth in its business here would justify the investment but it’s too early to treat it as definite. “We’ve always had aspirations to open an office in New Zealand. It’s just a question of when.”

        In September Red Hat posted global revenue and operating income increases of more than 20 percent over the previous year, and McLaren says local growth echoes that of the company overall.

      • FLOSS Weekly 142: CentOS

        Hosts: Randal Schwartz and Dan Lynch

        CentOS is an enterprise-class Linux distro derived from sources freely provided to the public.

        Guest: Karanbir Singh for CentOS

      • Fedora

        • Quality journalism

          At the end of the last week the FOSS news exploded with titles about Fedora and Wayland, in many cases going as aggressive as “Fedora to ditch X.org for Wayland” and “May bring Wayland Fedora 15″, all of them based on an insightful post made by ajax, the X.org maintainer in Fedora, but most of the time letting out relevant details as “eventually”, “not usable default”, “something you can play with” or “don’t have a timeframe”.

          The result was a flood of posts, comments, dents, twitts and so, many of them based only on partial titles and raving about how awesome Wayland is going to be, now that Red Hat will put resources behind it (that’s really jumping to a conclusion!). Net effect: the community moved focus from singling out Canonical for they anti-community perceived Wayland announcement from a couple of weeks ago. That’s good relations with the press! And that’s spinning!

        • Quick update on my upgrade to Fedora 14

          This is why, folks, everyone always recommends just going for a fresh install. Upgrades always require a bit more work.

        • Spotlight on Linux: Fedora 14

          So, if you’re in the market for a new or additional Linux distribution, Fedora can most assuredly fill the bill. Many think of Fedora as a distribution for more advanced users, but it can fit into just about any routine.

    • Debian Family

      • Debian GNU/Linux 5 “lenny” [Review]

        Debian GNU/Linux 5 is highly recommended to people who want a robust system which simply works. If you are running a server, or otherwise need a platform which doesn’t keep changing, Debian 5 is a brilliant choice. If however you want a more up-to-date system, it is preferable to use one of the many Debian-based distros such as Ubuntu, or use Debian testing.

      • Debian Trying to Recruit More Women

        The Debian Women project is beginning training sessions to encourage more women to participate in the nuts and bolts of Debian development. Alexander Reichle-Schmehl (Debian spokesman, event organizer, and developer) said in a recent press release that “the main goal of this initiative is to encourage more people, and specifically women, to contribute to Debian while introducing them to different aspects of the Debian Project.”

      • Benchmarks Of Debian Etch, Lenny & Squeeze

        With Debian 6.0 “Squeeze” set to be released in the coming months, we have decided to run a set of benchmarks looking at the performance of Debian 6.0 across different sub-systems relative to the performance of Debian 5.0 “Lenny” and Debian 4.0 “Etch” to see how this new release may stack up.

      • Canonical/Ubuntu

        • Respect Freedom, Not Pragmatism

          Having just discovered this “openrespect” thing, I have to say I find the whole idea rather sinister. It seems to me that Jono Bacon is endorsing a sort of moderation, or more bluntly, censorship of criticism, in order to silence those who oppose pragmatic concessions that undermine our ideals.

          [...]
          Here’s one thing he can start doing right away: spend a little less time respecting corporate thugs like Microsoft, and a little more time respecting our Freedom.

        • Ubuntu’s Feature Friction
        • Ubuntu: Innovative or reckless?

          Ubuntu chief Mark Shuttleworth is making some bold and potentially risky decisions about the future of Ubuntu Linux.

          It’s been almost a year since Mark Shuttleworth relinquished the reins at Canonical, stepping down as CEO to take a more hands-on approach in the company that is the backer of the Ubuntu Linux operating system. Judging by the various sharp turns Ubuntu has taken in the past year his steerage is starting to have an effect.

        • The monospace is coming

          In contrast to a proportionally spaced font a the characters in a monospace occupy all exactly the same width. In the past monospace type was used on typewriters, and more recently in some specialised printing environments such as Credit Card embossing, or ticketing. Today, monospace fonts are primarily used within a programming environment working on terminal windows. The monospace font answers the need for clear code structuring and predictable line lengths. Using monospace fonts allows the programmer to immediately spot a mis-typed character or double space, any of which would prevent the code from compiling as expected.

        • Living with Linux: installing and using Ubuntu Netbook Edition

          There’s no way I’d revert to XP now, because Ubuntu does everything I need my netbook to do in roughly half the time.

        • No Maverick PPA For Unity

          There was consensus in the porting team around this. Of course, if anyone in the community wants to take the time to make a Maverick PPA, run with it, but it is felt that the resources are better spent focusing on Natty right now. I agree with this too.

        • Slew of New Business Tools Coming to Ubuntu

          If you use Ubuntu in your company, you’re already familiar with its many advantages for businesses. But guess what? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, as they say.

          Particularly in the wake of the release last month of Canonical’s user-friendly Ubuntu 10.10, or Maverick Meerkat, partners have been virtually lining up outside the company’s door to help deliver business tools with high-level commercial support.

        • Flavours and Variants

          • The Perfect Desktop – Linux Mint 10 (Julia)

            This tutorial shows how you can set up a Linux Mint 10 (Julia) desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge. Linux Mint 10 is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu 10.10 that has lots of packages in its repositories (like multimedia codecs, Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, Skype, Google Earth, etc.) that are relatively hard to install on other distributions; it therefore provides a user-friendly desktop experience even for Linux newbies.

  • Devices/Embedded

    • Multi-touch in Ubuntu using Kinect [video, ppa]

      I’m not quite sure how this incredibly slick proof-of concept (i.e. hacky first version) video showing off multi-touch in Ubuntu using Microsoft’s recently launched Kinect hardware passed us by, so props to yo2boy for sending it in.

    • Linux distros advance on the networking front

      Wind River announced that Arkoon Network Security will use Wind River Linux to develop its FAST 360 family of network security devices. Meanwhile, Wind River rival MontaVista Software announced it has joined the OpenSAF Foundation, which promotes the high availability middleware integrated into recent releases of MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition.

Free Software/Open Source

  • Web Browsers

    • Mozilla

      • AniWeather, Display Weather Conditions In Firefox

        What’s the weather like today? If you want to answer that question you will have to either find it out by yourself, for instance by stepping outside, by asking other people or with the help of weather reports. AniWeather displays weather conditions in the Firefox web browser, unobtrusively. I did not see the weather conditions directly in the browser after installation. That’s usually caused if the add-on places them in a toolbar that is hidden by default. In this case the icons were displayed in the Navigation Toolbar which is hidden in my Firefox installation.

      • Mozilla millions still 86% Google cash

        Google still provides 86 per cent of Mozilla’s revenue, according to the open source outfit’s latest financial statement.

        On Thursday, Mozilla released its audited financial statement for 2009, and as in previous years, an unnamed search company is listed under “concentrations of risk.” In 2008, Google accounted for 91 per cent of Mozilla’s revenues, so the risk has dropped. But 86 is still a very large number.

      • The State of Mozilla

        Mozilla has filed its audited financial statements for 2009. This is the perfect time to look at the state of the Mozilla mission, our successes, our opportunities and our challenges.

  • Oracle

  • CMS

    • LCDTV.net – New Online Magazine Using Drupal 6

      LCDTV.net is an online magazine dedicated to LCD TV information and LCD TV Reviews. It employs several journalists to stay up to date with the latest technology news related to LCD televisions, has a large database of the latest TV specifications, and offers enthusiasts the opportunity to write in-depth TV reviews receiving full byline credit getting paid for their efforts.

  • FSF/FSFE/GNU/SFLC

    • GNU Robbo 0.66

      GNU Robbo is a free open source reimplementation of Janusz Pelc’s Robbo for the Atari XE/XL which was distributed by LK Avalon in 1989.

    • Cateia Games Are Coming To GNU/Linux !

      But since then Cateia Games developed a new engine which games can be easily ported to GNU/Linux.

  • Programming

Leftovers

Clip of the Day

Partnering with Red Hat: Performance, Reliability and Scalability


Credit: TinyOgg

Share this post: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Reddit
  • co.mments
  • DZone
  • email
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • NewsVine
  • Print
  • Technorati
  • TwitThis
  • Facebook

If you liked this post, consider subscribing to the RSS feed or join us now at the IRC channels.

Pages that cross-reference this one

What Else is New

  1. Links 22/5/2013: Debian GNU/Hurd, New Go Language Release

    Links for the day

  2. The FRAND Apple-Microsoft Conspiracy Attempts to Destroy Android/Linux, Ban Imports

    How Microsoft and Apple are using patents in bulk (sometimes acquired in unison, e.g. from Novell and Nortel) to artificially lower market saturation of the Android operating system or drive costs up

  3. Gates Foundation: Buying Influence for Bill's Ego and Bill's Profit

    New examples of power being acquired and investments (i.e. for profit) being funnelled into the beneficiaries

  4. Bill Gates Enters Financial Centres With His Goons Becoming US Budget Chief, Top Bankers

    How Bill Gates' staff is entering positions of financial power, indirectly giving Gates power over US (national and international) finance

  5. IBM Ignores Small Companies' Interests, Denies Patent Scope is a Problem, Focusing on Its Own Problems (Trolls) Instead

    How David Kappos and IBM (his longtime employer) continue to ignore the obvious problem which kills small businesses and everyone is complaining about

  6. The New York Times Publishes Factually-Flawed Patent Propaganda Benefiting Microsoft and Apple

    Eamonn Fingleton is rewriting history in the US' top newspaper, insinuating that patents contributed to the rise of software duopolists

  7. Software Patents Eligibility Likely to be Decided by SCOTUS

    Analyses suggest that an escalation by appeal to SCOTUS is likely to be the next stage in 'Bilski 2.0'

  8. Does Bill Gates Try to Flush GNU/Linux Down the Toilet in Kerala?

    Renting Microsoft software rather than using Free (as in freedom, or libre) software?

  9. Links 21/5/2013: Handbrake Turns 0.9.9, NetBSD 6.1

    Links for the day

  10. Links 20/5/2013: First Salifish Smartphone, Mageia 3 Released

    Links for the day

  11. Microsoft Corruption (Illegal Tenders) Stopped by European Court

    Microsoft cannot bypass public tenders, based on a ruling from a court of law in Europe

  12. Not Satire: Microsoft Wants to Show the World How Security is Done

    Software security 'standard' to be led by the company which made insecurity an acceptable engineering practice?

  13. Microsoft is Struggling to Maintain Industry 'Standards'

    With Microsoft's common carrier and browser share down considerably Microsoft finds itself increasingly irrelevant and it tries subversive means of making another comeback

  14. Microsoft Entryism and Bribery Get the Microsoft Way Implemented

    A recollection of very dirty tactics from Microsoft, which uses money to oppress, overthrow, and even hijack its opposition

  15. Patent Policy Laundering in the European Union and New Zealand

    How the so-called 'free' trade agreements help spread patent policy which favours software patents

  16. Ongoing Focus on Patent Litigation and Patent Trolls Reduces Focus on Software Patents

    The problem with increased focus on the players that use software patents litigiously and the litigation itself

  17. Andrew Y. Schroeder Shows That Patent Lawyers Are Sociopaths

    Bully and law misuser is trying to get his way with foul language, intimidation, and sheer lack of professionalism

  18. IBM-backed Book on 'Open Innovation'

    OpenForum Europe (OFE), which helps IBM's turf wars in Europe, releases a new book filled with its talking point

  19. Joseph E. Stiglitz Criticises the Patent System

    More critical words about the patent system and the way it is harming lives

  20. Senator Schumer Should Focus on Software Patents, Leaving Patent Trolls (Side Effect) Aside

    Reform in the USPTO and the US courts should focus on patent scope and not patent holders

  21. Links 20/5/2013: Plenty of Linux News, Google/Android Announcements

    Links for the day

  22. IRC Proceedings: May 12th, 2013-May 18th, 2013

    IRC logs for May 12th, 2013 (and subsequent days until May 18th, 2013)

  23. Microsoft Spin Regarding Skype Spying Does Not Withstand Scrutiny

    Microsoft's response to allegations that Skype is spying on all users is full of holes

  24. MPEG-LA Ruined the Licence of WebM, Made it Less Freedom-Respecting

    The Microsoft-, Nokia-, and Apple-backed patent troll appears to have ruined the freedom assured by Google's multimedia format, which was previously made free only after public pressure

  25. Microsoft-controlled Nokia is Lobbying to Enable Bans on Android Imports (Linux Phones as a Whole in Danger)

    Nokia is shown lobbying for embargoes while it is also suing -- with limited success -- Android handsets makers

  26. Courtroom and New Book Recognise That Software Patents Correspond to Mathematics and Mathematics Abused in Court

    Important observations about the nature of computer-implemented 'inventions', or software patents

  27. The Reality Distortion Field of Patent Lawyers Helps Impede Abolition of Software Patents

    How widespread coverage and talking points from the tiny minority which is patent lawyers have contributed to biased and at times utterly distorted reporting on the subject of software patents around the world

  28. Eugene Kaspersky Says Patents Harm Innovation

    Some more criticism of the patent system and software patents in particular, courtesy of Eugene Kaspersky

  29. UEFI Restricted Boot Good for Microsoft Agenda, Not for Security

    News and analysis of UEFI 'secure boot' (lockdown), including the new role played by the Microsoft-funded SUSE

  30. Anniversaries

    Sites that deal with patents and with FUD as well as their respective ages

RSS 64x64RSS Feed: subscribe to the RSS feed for regular updates

Home iconSite Wiki: You can improve this site by helping the extension of the site's content

Chat iconIRC Channel: Come and chat with us in real time

Recent Posts