GNU/Linux becomes dominant OS
For many companies, Linux just makes strategic sense.
KOREAN ELECTRONICS GIANT Samsung will build a smartphone with a 2GHz dual core processor by the end of the year.
Speaking to the Korean website daum.net, a spokesperson for Samsung said, "We are planning to release a 2GHz dual core CPU-equipped smartphone by next year." This is an improvement of 800MHz on the 1.2GHz dual core processor that's found in the Galaxy S II smartphone, which is currently the fastest chip in a phone.
Sprint's Kyocera Echo smartphone is a unique Android 2.2 gadget that converts from a standard smartphone to a 4.7-inch tablet formed from dual 3.5-inch displays. If the abysmal battery life doesn't faze you, the Echo is an enjoyable phone that may give you all the tablet you really need, says this eWEEK review.
Last month I noted some of the problems facing embedded Linux on ARM SoCs in terms of graphics drivers with regard to the variety of memory management APIs available (for graphics there's primarily TTM and GEM within the kernel but also there's other options: HWMEM, UMP, CMA, VCM, CMEM, and PMEM). There's also other graphics driver problems in the ARM world, but the Linaro group has announced they've taken up the issue of embedded Linux memory management for graphics and other areas. They're forming a working group to hopefully work towards resolving this issue for their next six-month development cycle.
Libelium announced an updated version of its Debian Linux-based multi-protocol mesh router and sensor network gateway, now including dual database servers. The Meshlium Xtreme includes Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and GPRS, offers local or external database options, and enables the transmission of SMS alarms to GSM-enabled mobile phones, says the company.
Just hours ago a new Linux KMS driver entered the world for the Cirrus GPU.
So things have sadly not continued to calm down even further. We had more commits in -rc4 than we had in -rc3, and I sincerely hope that upward trend doesn't continue.
The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Igalia is its newest member.
Igalia is an open source development company that offers consultancy services for desktop, mobile and web technologies. Igalia developers maintain and contribute code to a variety of open source projects, including GNOME, WebKit, MeeGo, the Linux kernel, freedesktop.org, Gstreamer and Qt. Igalia has experience helping other companies contribute to upstream projects and take advantage of the open source development process.
AMD has announced today they have open-sourced Tapper from their Operating System Research Center.
What is Tapper? It's basically their version of the Phoronix Test Suite and Phoromatic. "Tapper is an open source infrastructure originating at AMD for all aspects of testing including Operating Systems and Virtualization. Its goal is to help QA departments to maintain a complete test life cycle from planning to execution and reporting. It provides independent modules to adapt to different levels of QA requirements, from simple tracking and presenting test results to complete automation of machine pools multiplexing complex virtualization use-cases with detailed data evaluation."
Last week, while I was away skiing in the Swiss Alps, Opera released version 11.10 of my favorite browser. The major change in this release is even more flexibility in "Speed Dial". It has now progressed from a fixed 3x3 grid, to a selection from a number of different grids, to the point in this release where you can select the number of columns, or leave it on "Automatic" and it will adjust the rows and columns to fit the number of items you use.
Primary target is to get virt-install supporting options “–graphics spice”,”–video qxl”,”–channel spicevmc”. One drawback has been noticed. Virt-manager requires “Add hardware”->”Graphics”->”VNC Server” before you can proceed with normal VNC installation. Obvious workaround is via option “Customize configuration before install”.
Welcome Mac and Linux users. You have probably stumbled upon this page because you want to run Power Bible CD for Christian Bible study, but Power BibleCD is widely known as an easy-to use Windows only application. And you don't have Windows. Well fear not. With CrossOver you can get the most out of your Bible study time by running your Power BibleCD on Mac and Linux.
Cairo Dock (also known as GLX Dock) is a launcher / task manager like Avant Window Navigator or Docky and its major advantage is the huge list of applets it comes with: menus (MintMenu, Cardapio, etc.), Drop to Share applet, Ubuntu Me Menu and Messaging Menu applets, keyboard indicator, netspeed, network monitor, notification area, power manager, stacks, terminal, weather, weblets, system monitor and many many more. Also, unlike other docks, Cairo Dock also comes with stand-alone applets meaning the applets don't have to be attached to the dock and you can use them like Screenlets / Desklets.
The T-shirt Design Competition for the Desktop Summit has just opened. We are looking for designs that go beyond your typical conference shirt which finds its final resting place in the closet or drawer once you have returned home. The winning design should reflect the passion and energy of the Free Desktop communities that The Desktop Summit represents.
Over the last week we received quite some complaints about blur not working after an upgrade to the latest beta of Kubuntu Natty. So far we could not make anything out of it. All users had already been using Plasma Workspaces 4.6.2 in Maverick and were often using the Xorg Edgers drivers. So you would assume that they had more or less the same software versions like before the upgrade.
Half-left (who has created the amazing Smooth Inset Gnome Shell theme) has created yet another beautiful theme for Gnome Shell called Atolm (based on Atolm by SkiesOfAzel).
Back in June 2005, I noticed that we were lacking some "tarballs due" mails for the GNOME 2.11 release cycle and I sent a small mail to get this fixed. This is how I got trapped: after this mail got read by Mark McLoughlin, he suggested I could replace him on the GNOME release team. A few years later, in September 2007, Elijah chose to pass his GNOME release manager hat to me. And now, in April 2011, it's time for me to pass the baton: Luca Ferretti is replacing me on the release team (he joined as a trainee in the past few months), and my good friend Frédéric Péters becomes the new GNOME release manager.
KDE 4 and Trinity KDE
Traditionally, KDE has been the first choice for those who are looking for an alternative to GNOME. That remains broadly true, but the KDE 4 release series has a set of innovations that, if anything, are even more radical than GNOME 3's, including such things as containments (shells for a workspace) and Folder Views (collections of icons that can be swapped in and out).
By setting a Folder View to cover the entire screen, you get a desktop experience very similar to that of the GNOME 2 series. However, I suspect that anyone impatient with GNOME 3 is unlikely to satisfied with the latest KDE.
Pardus Kurumsal 2 was a rather interesting respin of a great distribution. I decided I would give it a try on the VIA ARTiGO A1100. Overall, it's a great experience. If you own an ARTiGO, this would be a distribution to try on it.
Phil Miller proudly announced the last milestone for Chakra the GNU/2011.04 a powerful Arch Linux distro last week. The Chakra Project, today, remains a milestone for Arch Linux and is as important as Ubuntu has become for Debian. It was born out of need for an Arch Linux distribution but with simple project principles combing the
From June 2011, We will start working on version 7. It will feature great improvements on both the architectural structure and the included applications.
Despite the last-minute problems discovered last week which resulted in a 1-week delay, Mandriva 2011 beta2 should finally be hitting the mirrors in some hours. Make sure to check the devel/iso/2011 directory on your favorite mirror for the latest .iso images.
[...]
Besides the UI and KDE changes, Mandriva 2011 beta2 features LibreOffice 3.3.0, and comes with the latest kernel 2.6.38.3, systemd 24, gcc 4.6.0, besides smaller package versions updates.
The Fedora Project has made the first and only beta of Fedora 15 available for download. This should signal the end to major changes for the Linux distribution, which is scheduled for release in late May. The focus is now on rounding off any rough edges and bug fixing.
Fedora 15 will be the first major Linux distribution to include GNOME 3, which was released two weeks ago. Fedora 15 will not include GNOME 2; the KDE Plasma Desktop will be a member of the 4.6 series. The Fedora Project has also undertaken a major behind the scenes change, so that Fedora 15 will see a switch from Upstart to the sysvinit and Upstart alternative systemd, which was first introduced just under a year ago. The kernel in the beta is based on Linux version 2.6.38. LibreOffice will fill the office suite shoes and the C and C++-Compiler will be the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) 4.6.
With Canonical ditching the GNOME 3.0 Shell in favor of their custom-developed Unity Desktop, one of the first Linux distributions where you'll see GNOME 3.0 shipping in full "out of the box" is Fedora 15. Fedora 15 is set to be released at the end of May, but a beta release happens to be coming out today. Additionally, this Thursday they're looking for your help in testing out GNOME 3.0.
[...]
The Fedora developers are particularly interested if you use multiple displays, many storage devices, optical media, WiFi/Bluetooth adapters, and various other non-standard configurations.
But first let me reiterate this: GNOME 3 is in Debian experimental because it’s a work in progress. You should not install it if you can’t live with problems and glitches. Beware: once you upgraded to GNOME 3 it will be next to impossible to go back to GNOME 2.32 (you can try it, but it’s not officially supported by Debian). Even with the fallback mode, you won’t get the same experience than what you had with GNOME 2.32. Many applets are not yet ported to the newest gnome-panel API.
Welcome to this year's sixth issue of DPN, the newsletter for the Debian community. Topics covered in this issue include...
[...]
Neil McGovern sent some bits from the Release Team calling for feedback on the recent release. He also addresses various subjects that are currently under discussion: time-based freezes, transitions, release goals, sprint organisation and 0-day NMU policy.
The Ubuntu Technical Board has voted not to install the non-free extras package by default during a standard Ubuntu Install. This an option that, if selected, installs proprietary software including hardware drivers, media codecs and the Flash player. It has been opt-in rather than opt out since its first appearance.
When considering the issue, bear in mind that the fact that many proprietary technologies “just work” is often cited as a superiority of distributions such as Mint. Also bear in mind that Ubuntu targets the “typical desktop user” who needs things like DVD and YouTube playback. However, it's arguable that a user who is sufficiently clued up to carry out an operating system install would be able to decide if he or she needed to tick the box.
Also of note: Canonical VP Neil Levine in March 2011 provided some deeper perspectives on where Ubuntu was heading in the cloud. Now here’s the twist: Assuming Ubuntu 11.04ââ¬Â²s software works as advertised, Canonical should be well-positioned for cloud computing. But the real challenge for Canonical resides in the company’s channel partner and service provider relationships. Generally speaking, Ubuntu is widely used within cloud environments. Rackspace sources, for instance, tell me Ubuntu is among the most widely deployed operating systems in the Rackspace Cloud.
Ubuntu's 11.04 release is now on the horizon and unless you have been living under a rock then you know that their big change is going to be the move to the Unity desktop. Personally I found this move to be odd when I first heard it, I mean after all it was Ubuntu that allowed the Gnome desktop to initially take off and beat out the KDE desktop. There have been piles of different articles about Unity, so I'm not going to bore you with the same details you can find lots of other places.
This is a nice system. I would say it is best then any other Mint system I've ever seen before. It is not overloaded with Mint specifics like Mint menu. It is quick and responsive. It is easily customizable, although not all the options are obvious.
The explosion of Android handsets has kept Sony Ericsson in profit, to the surprise of the markets, which were expecting a significant loss for the first quarter of 2011.
I don't say this very often, but some days Google is stupid. Until recently, Google's biggest blunder was Google Wave. But now Google has announced that it won't release Android 3.0, the tablet version of its mobile operating system, until it has made it "better."
In a statement, Andy Rubin, head of Google's Android group, said, "Android 3.0, Honeycomb, was designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes and improves on Android favorites. ... While we're excited to offer these new features to Android tablets, we have more work to do before we can deliver them to other device types, including phones." In other words, Google will release the Honeycomb source code as soon as it's ready. Just don't ask when that will be.
The delay in releasing the code has some mobile product developers worried that Google might recant and keep Honeycomb out of the open source inventory altogether. A more likely outcome could be a rift in the Android ranks. That scenario would see newer products running a restricted or closed source Android OS with better functionality than the existing open source Android devices.
So far, Google has remained tight lipped about how it views its obligations to the FOSS community. This silence could raise more questions about what the company's expectations are for a continued free access relationship with mobile device makers.
The Guardian Project is an open source initiative which aims to take advantage of Google's Android operating system to bring smartphones the same sort of security and privacy that savvy users have come to expect from laptops and desktops. Featuring capabilities like full-disk encryption, secure instant messaging, and anonymous Web browsing, the project hopes to give people better control of their personal information on mobile devices.
Sonos today released several enhancements to its Linux-powered streaming audio player devices. The new capabilities, all delivered via free apps and software upgrades, include the first Android app for remote control of Sonos gear, new support for Apple AirPlay audio sources, and the introduction of iOS 4 multitasking capabilities into the remote control apps.
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer won the race to be the first tablet on sale in the UK to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb on 6 April. Asus has said that the initial batches of stock that were shipped to the UK are now entirely sold out.
Motorola Xoom is probably the first 'real' Android tablet to be released since it was the first to come pre loaded with tablet optimized Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS. Motorola Xoom comes with a 10.1 inch display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, 3G/4G/Wi-Fi connectivity, 1080p video playback, dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 2 MP front facing camera, a rear facing 5 MP camera, 1GB RAM, and 32GB on board storage[SD card slot is a plus]. Amazon US price for Motorola Xoom hovers around $800.00(based on service type you select).
For the first ten years of my open source life, I spent tens of thousands of hours pouring over hundreds of thousands of lines of source code across perhaps a dozen or fewer projects, mostly GCC, G++, GDB, and various other parts of the GNU toolchain. If there were a PhD in open source software, I was definitely specialist enough to have earned one. I was vaguely aware of the mountains of source code in the BSD distribution, and obviously Linux, but didn't really pay much attention to that until I joined Red Hat.
Once again this year I’ll be traveling down to the Southeast Linux Fest for a weekend full of informative talks, social fun, and exceptional collaboration opportunities with fellow Linux geeks from around the region and the nation. SELF has been an enormous hit since its inaugural outing in 2009. I’ll be joined by fabulous people from across the Fedora friendsphere, and of course there will be lots of free goodies at the Fedora booth for everyone. I hear tell of a tasty grilling event that will honor our favorite meaty champion of free software, and I expect to catch up with wonderful friends from all around the open source world.
According to the company, Firefox 5 Aurora will become Firefox 5 beta on May 17 and go final on June 21. It is unclear which new features will make it into Firefox 5 and it appears that Mozilla will use the new release schedule to simply release new features when they are ready, independent from the initially targeted version.
Wladimir Palant – the man behind the most famous of Firefox add-ons, AdBlock Plus – has pushed back against Mozilla's recent efforts to rate the performance of his and other add-ons, claiming the outfit's testing methods were flawed.
We've covered the open source Apache project Hadoop before from many angles, and it continues to make its way into many enterprises and smaller businesses who want to sift and analyze large data sets. We've also covered Cloudera, a startup that focuses on support and services surrounding Hadoop. Now, Cloudera has announced that Groupon--the hot daily deals site--is using its Cloudera Distribution for Apache Hadoop (CDH) to get more value out of the massive data sets it maintains. It's yet another sign of Hadoop's success as a cutting-edge, sophisticated open source phenomenon.
Given our most recent efforts to track open source software in the enterprise, it is relevant to note that we see a continued, symbiotic relationship between open source and cloud computing. In fact, in many ways, the future of open source depends on the future of cloud computing and vice-versa. One of the symbiotic relationships between open source software and cloud computing is also one of the main reasons I believe both will continue to be a big part of enterprise IT and a big opportunity for vendors and investors: customer enablement. The lessons, practices and community of today’s enterprise IT that have been ushered in by open source – more transparency on the plans for products and code, more flexibility in working with both legacy products and software as well as newer open components, add-ons and combinations, faster development and fewer dead ends via vendor death, acquisition or strategy shift — are being applied to cloud computing. We also see evidence of this customer enablement in the makeup of today’s communities, both open source and non, which include both developes and users/customers.
OOo 3.4 Beta includes a much-requested change to the way AutoFill works if there are filtered rows. The new behavior, based on a patch from the IBM Symphony team, is illustrated by the following three screenshots...
Oracle announced on Friday that it is to discontinue its commercial interest in the OpenOffice.org project, prompting a barrage of criticism from the open source faithful with regards to its approach to the open source applications project, and community in general.
The company was accused of being community-hostile, for example, and comparisons were also made to Colonel Gadhafi, while a translation of the press release into “plain English” apparently shed new light on the announcement.
Either way, the question now appears to be who, if anyone, will really want to pick up OpenOffice and continue working on it at this stage in the game.
Now that the community has fairly unanimously moved on to LibreOffice, in other words, Oracle's move could well be too little, too late for the software suite. In a conversation this morning, for instance, Canonical spokesman Gerry Carr told me that, while OpenOffice is still available through its repositories, Ubuntu will continue to offer LibreOffice by default for the foreseeable future.
So, while it may be nice to see Oracle turn the software over to the community--whatever its motivations--it's going to be interesting to see where it goes from here. Now that we have LibreOffice, I'm just not sure there's a place for OpenOffice anymore.
Frederic Muller, president of Software Freedom International, was flaunting two things at the Gnome Asia Summit in Bangalore -- his passion for free software, and his newly acquired beard. We try to capture both in this interview. Frederic has lots of hands-on experience of promoting free software in education and offers wonderful advice for others who want to do the same.
Tea Party members who railed against health care reform because of the spin they were sold about how "Obamacare" would affect Medicare played a big role in returning the House of Representatives to Republican control.
I'm betting that many of them, if they're paying attention to what Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) wants to do to the Medicare program, are having some serious buyer's remorse. If Democrats are wise, they're already drafting a strategy to remind Medicare beneficiaries, including card-carrying Tea Party members, just how fooled they were into thinking that Republicans were the protectors of the government-run program they hold so dear.
Free Software Foundation Europe has provided the European Commission with input on modernising the way in which public bodies buy software and related services.
The enterprise portal technology product that CAST has used for this project combines the benefits of Open Source software with guaranteed support services, which offers greater assurances. These services are currently being offered by the company’s engineering team in Spain.
The German political party Alliance '90/The Green wants the Federal government to do more to support the use of free software. The parliamentariens disapprove that the ministry of Foreign Affairs is moving back to proprietary desktop software and proprietary office applications.
The party sent a list of 39 questions to the government. Some of their questions are general, the MPs for instance are asking for the Federal policies on open source, open standards and vendor-independence. Yet they also want specified the estimated costs involved in developing open source drivers for specific hardware use by the Foreign ministry, and want to know in detail the costs involved in writing proprietary modules for fingerprint readers used by that ministry.
Since 1 April 2011, there have been no mandatory requirements for the format in which public authorities shall provide editable documents.
This is the conclusion of a meeting between Danish Science Minister Ms. Charlotte Sahl-Madsen and the Danish Parliament's spokesperson for IT on 30 March 2011.
ioBridge, Inc. (http://www.iobridge.com) releases ThingSpeak, the first open source solution for "Internet of Things" products and services. Much like WordPress allows people to create blogs easily, ThingSpeak (http://www.thingspeak.com) allows developers to interact with devices using standard Web technologies. ThingSpeak can be run via its free hosted service or on personal servers.
A tussle between different designs of plugs used in prototype electric cars has derailed an attempt to create a common European standard, highlighting industrial jealousy as the sector attempts to go mainstream.
Plans to exploit Iraq's oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world's largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show.
In keeping with this pro-business tone, NOAA's draft policy fails to acknowledge that the marine environment is a public commons that should be managed and regulated for the overall public good. The policies don't mention that aquaculture should not restrict public access to the oceans, or a require that aquaculture businesses submit an Environmental Impact Statement prior to obtaining an aquaculture permit. The policy fails to define or describe what constitutes "sustainable" aquaculture -- a term now so overused that it has lost clear meaning in many contexts. In fact, the draft policies assume all aquaculture will be of benefit regardless of the circumstances, and doesn't acknowledge any responsibility to assure that aquaculture products -- including genetically-engineered seafood -- don't pose a threat to human health.
Portland, Oregon is now far enough along in its transition away from oil that by 2015 one can imagine this city being able to market and sell its own example to the rest of the world. Most of Portland’s longstanding initiatives, from public transport and the integration of the bicycle, to city agriculture, water and waste management, and use of technology are solutions that will be seen not as discretionary but necessary by mid-decade.
European authorities have impounded 5m portions of fish destined for tables across the continent following allegations they were caught by illegal "pirate fishing" off west Africa using child labour.
The block on catches of octopus, squid, sole, shrimp and grouper landed in the Spanish port of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands represents the biggest action yet against the landing of illegally caught fish in the European Union following the introduction of new Brussels regulations last year that ban the practice.
NATIONAL Australia Bank is believed to be considering legal action against its one-time house broker Goldman Sachs after a US Senate report found the bank was apparently misled when it was sold an exotic security that quickly turned toxic.
Senior NAB executives yesterday were reviewing the bank's legal position following a wave of revelations contained in a report on the financial crisis by the US Senate that draws on internal documents and private communications of bank executives and regulators.
It makes my blood boil when I read an opinion article like the one Robert Lenzner (Streettalk, Forbes) wrote entitled, "There Can't Be A Criminal Prosecution Of Goldman Sachs." Oh, yes, there can be; there just isn't the will to follow the rule of law and prosecute where corruption occurs. To my mind, it is corrupt not to prosecute.
According to Mr Lenzner, a criminal prosecution of Goldman Sachs would threaten Goldman Sachs's status as a dealer in government securities. To which I reply, GSs's status already threatens the work of the government, and in the future that may include securities. We still do not know what the end will look like.
The Derivative Project is a non-partisan taxpayer advocacy organization that seeks to ensure the long-term growth and stability of the U.S. economy through equitable enforcement, for both individuals and corporations, of financial laws and regulations.
At Monday's public hearing in Milwaukee on Governor Walker's budget, Wisconsin Republicans once again resorted to anti-participatory tactics to avoid criticism of their far-right agenda. Despite these efforts, strong criticisms were squeezed-in by longtime Milwaukee school choice advocate Howard Fuller, calling GOP efforts to lift income limits on school vouchers an "outrageous" program "that subsidizes rich people."
The AP just fell for a hoax press release, which claimed that GE would repay the government the $3.8 billion tax loss carryforward it received. The hoax was designed to correspond with last month's controversy originated by the New York Times about how GE, despite its huge profits, was paying no taxes.
At a rally held in front of Chase Bank on Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin today, a few dozen people gathered to air their grievances against Chase and other U.S. corporations who will pay no taxes for 2010. Jeff Kravat of MoveOn hosted the rally along with Gene Lundergan, who gathered a group of four or five people to present a tax bill of almost $2 billion to the branch bank manager. This bill, for $1.988 billion, was drawn up using Chase's 2010 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a December 2008 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report (pdf). When Lundergan, Steve Hughes of Young Progressives and several others approached the front entrance of the bank, they were refused admission by the security guard, so they left the bill propped in the front window.
Leading organic gardening and food safety advocates who oppose growing food in sewage sludge are attending the national BioCycle magazine conference Tuesday, April 12, 2011 in San Diego to demand an apology and retraction from Sally Brown, a columnist and editorial board member of BioCycle magazine, and from Nora Goldstein, the executive editor of BioCycle.
On April 14 the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Darrell Issa (R-California), held a hearing on state and municipal debt where the key question was State Budget Cuts: Choice or Necessity?
Chairman Issa started off by framing the issue in a manner that was thrilling to Wall Street barons and corporate big wigs. He said that states will face a shortfall of $112 billion in 2012 and the reasons for this were "obvious." The primary reasons, according to Issa, are reckless spending and unfunded or underfunded pension funds. The 2008 Wall Street financial crisis and the staggering job loss, which caused state and federal tax revenues to tank, were not mentioned.
Sarah Palin graced Wisconsin with her maverickness on a cold, wet Saturday where counter-protesters outnumbered Tea Party supporters. Wisconsin Wave held an early rally on the opposite side of the capitol, giving progressives a platform for the day but ending in time for attendees to march in opposition to Palin's speech.
Terry Jones, the crackpot Christian cultist with the Lemmy Kilmister mustache, was “hateful” and “intolerant” when he burned the Muslim holy book last month, said Gen. David Petraeus, commander of American forces in Afghanistan. Mark Sedwill, NATO’s ambassador to Afghanistan, denounced Jones’s stunt as “an act of disrespect to the Muslim faith and to all peoples of faith.” Faced with crowds of braying and baying religious fanatics, it’s doubtless true that countless soldiers and diplomats feel the same.
Dropbox, the online backup and file sharing service claims to have hit 25 million users in a single year. Big news for any start-up. A change in its terms and conditions received a lot less attention because it seemed like adding a common term for online services.
Security researchers have discovered that Apple's iPhone keeps track of where you go – and saves every detail of it to a secret file on the device which is then copied to the owner's computer when the two are synchronised.
The file contains the latitude and longitude of the phone's recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone or the computer could discover details about the owner's movements using a simple program.
Freedom on the worldwide Internet is in danger, according to a new report by Freedom House.
In a survey of 37 countries, only 8 qualified as having completely "Free" Internets, while 11 were designated "Not Free" and the remainder were "Partly Free." The survey measured Internet freedom by studying obstacles to access, such as governmental efforts to block technologies or control over Internet access providers, limits on content, including the blocking of websites and other forms of censorship, as well as violations of user rights including privacy, online surveillance and real world repercussions for online activity. The U.S. scored second on the list as ranked by most to least free, with Estonia taking the lead as the nation where the Internet was most free. Germany, Australia and the UK were ranked just behind the U.S.
Last week, Congress and the administration refused to seriously consider the problem of government spending. Despite the fear-mongering, a government shutdown would not have been as bad as claimed.
It is encouraging that some in Washington seem to be insisting on reduced spending, which is definitely a step in the right direction, but only one step. We have miles to go before we can even come close to a solution, and it will involve completely redefining the role of government in our lives and on the world stage. A compromise was struck at the last minute, but until Democrats agree to rein in entitlement spending, and Republicans back off the blank checks to the military industrial complex, it all amounts to political gamesmanship.
Don't like the way airport screeners are doing their job? You might not want to complain too much while standing in line.
Arrogant complaining about airport security is one indicator Transportation Security Administration officers consider when looking for possible criminals and terrorists, CNN has learned exclusively. And, when combined with other behavioral indicators, it could result in a traveler facing additional scrutiny.
The need to ensure that citizens and businesses are easily able to access an open and neutral internet has been underlined by the European Commission in a report adopted today. The Commission will be vigilant that new EU telecoms rules on transparency, quality of service and the ability to switch operator, due to enter into force on 25th May 2011, are applied in a way that ensures that these open and neutral internet principles are respected in practice. For example, the Commission will pay close attention to the existence of generalised restrictions of lawful services and applications and to EU citizens' and businesses' broadband connections being as fast as indicated by Internet Service Providers' advertising. The Commission has asked the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) to undertake a rigorous fact-finding exercise on issues crucial to ensuring an open and neutral internet, including barriers to changing operators, blocking or throttling internet traffic (e.g. voice over internet services), transparency and quality of service. The Commission will publish, by the end of the year, evidence from BEREC's investigation, including any instances of blocking or throttling certain types of traffic. If BEREC's findings and other feedback indicate outstanding problems, the Commission will assess the need for more stringent measures.
Bobbie Johnson at Gigaom worries: Is France Plotting to Kill the Free Internet?, and “can’t help be concerned at what the summit might mean, given it’s essentially a closed shop of governments and corporations discussing how best to carve up the online world for us.”
As promised, all left over legal defense money, plus a little to bump it to a nice number, has been sent to the EFF. Thank you all so much for your support, without it, things could have been much worse.
This money goes to the EFF in hopes that America can one day again be a shining example of freedom, free of the DMCA and ACTA, and that private interest will never trump the ideas laid out in the constitution of privacy, ownership, and free speech.
Once again a move to extend copyright is making its way through the European Parliament. The move to extend the copyright on sound recordings (and other "neighbouring rights") began in April 2009 when, under intense pressure from the music publishing lobby, the European Parliament agreed to increase the duration of this copyright from 50 years to 70 years (compromising on the Commission's and lobbyists' demand of 95 years). However, before this could be implemented, elections were called and a new Parliament was voted in, including one member from the Pirate movement. Now, nearly two years later, this process has been resurrected following a change of heart within the Danish government.
New copyright law could hinder the uptake and use of ultra-fast broadband networks, says an international industry analyst.
Ericsson's director of government and industry relations, Rene Summer, said the enforcement of copyright does not encourage the growth of markets that will drive the demand for high-speed internet.
"We have done three global studies [over the last four years] - the bottom line of it is that media regulation and copyright impact the prospect of take-up on new ultra-fast broadband services," he said.
Last March 22 Brazil’s Ministry of Culture made public the “March 2011 Copyright Draft Bill” (PDF file, in Portuguese), an amended version of the 2010 Draft Bill, after it was sent by the former administration, i.e. in late 2010, to the Inter-Ministerial Group on Intellectual Property (GIPI, under the Portuguese acronym).
Parsix 3.6r0 RC Linux (u virtual boxu)