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Links 19/9/2011: Linux Mint Debian 201109, Knoppix 6.7.1





GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • Rugged Linux field computer acts as mission-critical video server
    The MCP runs Linux on a 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, with the help of 4GB of DDR3 RAM, says Harris. An optional H.264 video encoder is said to be available for video-intensive applications, supporting video capture, storage, and real-time playback capabilities. A removable 160GB, SATA 2 solid state drive (SSD) "provides ample storage for long duration video recording," says the company.


  • More Linux Site Hacks, ReactOS Ready to Go, Obama Signs 'America Invents Act'


  • Happy 20th Birthday, Linux: 10 Cool Devices That Embrace You
    The Linux operating system is not just for nerds. Even though you may not realize it, chances are you probably have a version of Linux running right under your nose. It’s found its way into a multitude of devices, both large and small.

    Today, Sept. 17, 2011, is the 20th anniversary of the date when the first Linux kernel (version 0.01) was released and uploaded to an FTP server by Linus Torvalds in Helsinki. Although Torvalds had been working on the code since April, 1991 (recognized by some as the birthday of Linux), it wasn’t until September of that year that he released the first Linux kernel to the world. That early iteration consisted of a mere 10,239 lines of code.


  • Desktop

    • Why Ultrabooks Should Run Ubuntu 11.10
      When Steve Jobs unveiled the slim but powerful Macbook Air, it was as if a magician had pulled a flailing rabbit out of a hat. Everyone was amazed at how laptop technology had moved forward, and instantly the latest Macbook Air became a massive success.

      The Macbook Air might be an awesome product, but there are currently no alternatives for folks who don’t want to get converted to the Apple religion. But don’t get disappointed just yet; come Q4 2011, Intel will be bringing us the new revolution in computing called Ultrabooks.

      Touted as the direct competitor to Macbook Air, Intel’s ambitious project will leave no stone unturned to prove itself in the not-so-dead laptop market. While it is not confirmed as to which operating system manufacturers will be using, there is a high chance that Windows 7 will be the one.

      However, we here at TechSource believe that running Ubuntu 11.10 (or higher) on Ultrabooks might actually be more profitable.


    • LinuxCon: The world's largest Linux desktop deployment
      Userful deploys Linux in very large-scale "digital inclusion" projects — such as schools in second- and third-world environments — including the world's largest, a 500,000 seat deployment in Brazil.




  • Server

    • The Little Woman Now Uses a GNU/Linux Terminal Server
      Her former terminal has an aluminium case that sings and must be positioned and burdened just so to minimize the noise. In the hot days of this summer it also put out too much heat so it is banished to the basement in a dark closet. In its place she will be using a tiny thin client about the size of a box of chocolates.


    • Will Ubuntu make to Mainframes?
      A recent development between IBM and Canonical, predicts that soon IBM’s p mini-computers and blades; System Z mainframes will be certified for use with Ubuntu. It is most likely that minicomputers should be running on Ubuntu in the next month or so, while mainframes could well receive full support by end of the month.




  • Audiocasts/Shows





  • Kernel Space

    • Testing EXT4 & Btrfs On A Serial ATA 3.0 SSD
      Last month I wrote a review on the OCZ Vertex 3 240GB solid-state drive, which was a very impressive Serial ATA 3.0 SSD. The performance of this solid-state drive was terrific and a huge improvement over previous-generation SATA 2.0 SSDs and over SATA 3.0 hard drives. All of that testing was done when the drives were formatted to the common EXT4 file-system type, but in this article are more benchmarks from the OCZ Vertex 3 as it's tested with Btrfs and various mount options.


    • Understanding the File System and Structure in Linux
      The file system in Linux can be intimidating coming from other operating systems like Microsoft Windows. At first glance it may seem that there is no organisation to the files, but there is a method to this madness. After spending some more time with the file system in Linux, it will seem a lot more secure and organised.


    • TI Proposes A Low-Level Linux Display Framework
      An OMAP driver developer at Texas Instruments wrote a rather lengthy post about a new low-level display framework.


    • Graphics Stack

      • The Proposal For Nouveau GPU Command Scheduling


      • This Is What Started AMD's Open-Source Strategy
        While AMD's open-source strategy was announced on Phoronix on 7 September 2007, it was on 17 September of the same year that the Novell/SUSE developers did their first public release of their xf86-video-radeonhd driver. This was the X.Org driver created by the Novell Linux engineers in months prior for R500 and R600 GPUs. Here is some special reading -- a letter that was volleyed from Novell to AMD that kicked off this entire process -- to celebrate what would have been the fourth birthday of this open-source Linux driver.






  • Applications



  • Desktop Environments



    • Are Mobile-Style Interfaces Leaving Desktop Power Users Behind?
      Both Unity and Metro borrow heavily from the mobile world, and for that reason seem likely to appeal to an increasingly mobile-minded world of consumers. As I've said before about Unity, this is a good way to attract mainstream users, particularly when you're trying to help them get used to something new.


    • A Native Enlightenment EFL Port To PlayStation 3
      From the announcement, "This port comes as great news for the ps3 homebrew community which has been strugling with a complete lack of tools for easily developing application. With PSL1GHT (The unofficial PS3 SDK) and a port of the SDL as pretty much the only available libraries for the PS3, not much could be done without a huge waste of time in order to reimplement all the basic things. The initial port of the EFL was done in just a couple of days, where eina, eet, evas, ecore, embryo and edje were made available and a port of expedite and eskiss were successfully running on the PS3.The port was made using the SDL engine for evas, and while it worked, the performance wasn't great."


    • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC)

      • Nepomuk – What Comes Next
        After a very generous start to my fundraiser (thank you so much for your support) it is time I get into more detail about what you are actually supporting. Originally I wanted to do that by updating nepomuk.kde.org. I will still do that but it will take a little more time than anticipated. Thus, I will simply start with another blog post.


      • KDE e.V. Report for Second Quarter 2011


      • KDE Commit-Digest for 11th September 2011


      • Kubuntu and KDE love story continued
        Over the last couple of weeks the better part of the Kubuntu team has been working on bringing KDE SC 4.7.1 to Kubuntu.

        Especially the last week we started to backport it to Kubuntu 11.04. We’ll need some more time since 4.7.1 need a lot being backported to natty.




    • GNOME Desktop

      • Top 10 GNOME Shell Themes
        GNOME Shell is at the very beginning of its long treacherous journey. As we saw in our earlier post, it is now possible to easily install GNOME Shell in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneric Ocelot, whose final release is scheduled to happen next month itself. Meanwhile, I have been using GNOME Shell in Ubuntu Oneric beta for sometime now and one thing I am really unhappy about is its default theme. But third party GNOME Shell themes are already pouring in. Here is a collection of top 10 GNOME Shell themes(installation instructions towards bottom of this post).


      • Ten Gnome 3 features that won me over
        I like uncluttered desktops, and Gnome 3 offers about as clean a desktop as you'll find without running E16. The only object on the desktop is the panel — until you reveal the launcher. But Gnome 3's minimalist approach does not make it difficult to use. On the contrary, once you're familiar with it, Gnome 3 is one of the most user-friendly desktops available.






  • Distributions



    • Arch linux: my perspective
      Arch is really simple in the sense at the system level. I was able to create init scripts for Arch far more easily than on Gentoo for the same package. Arch however is not as configurable as Gentoo is. No distribution can match or even come close to Gentoo in this regard. It uses a unique system for this called USE flags. With Arch I can not have a custom KDE; but with Gentoo I have a large number of options as to what I want to have and what not. This flexibility of configuration in Gentoo comes at a price: every package is compiled on your system.


    • Chakra GNU/Linux: A Review With Screenshots
      According to Distrowatch, Chakra GNU/Linux is a Live CD distribution aimed at ease of use and originally forked from Arch Linux. Some of its features include a graphical installer, automatic hardware detection and configuration, the latest KDE desktop, and a variety of tools and “extras”.


    • Gentoo Family

      • The state of Gentoo
        It's been three years since LWN last covered Gentoo Linux, so checking in on Gentoo's activities since then seems appropriate. Let's start with a re-introduction to Gentoo. Gentoo is a source-based distribution that is unlike the more common binary distributions because packages are compiled on your machines rather than remotely on the distribution's infrastructure. Source-based distributions allow for far more customization than is possible with binary distributions because you can not only control which packages are installed, but also which features of a given package are enabled (and consequently how many dependencies get pulled in).




    • Red Hat Family



    • Debian Family

      • Francois Marier, Debian Developer


      • Linux Mint Debian Edition 201109 Is Ready to Roll
        Good day, everybody! What better way to start my morning other than announcing a new release of Linux Mint Debian! Last time I tried it, there was only a GNOME version available, but now Xfce is here to party as well.


      • Derivatives



        • The Tails Project's The Amnesic Incognito Live System (Tails)
          The live distro, which runs on any PC powerful enough to run Windows XP, is based on Debian Live and runs directly from CD and/or USB Flash memory. No trace is left after using Tails, thanks to many features, such as independent operation of all software and all hardware drivers from the PC's operating system, no permanent data storage and all the channeling of all Internet connections through the Tor anonymization network. "With Tails", say the distro developers, "we provide a tongue and a pen protected by state-of-the-art cryptography to guarantee...basic human rights and allow journalists worldwide to work and communicate freely and without fear of reprisal." The journalists of these pages humbly salute the valiant effort.



        • Linux Mint Debian 201109 Released
          Linux Mint can be a bit difficult to keep up with these days. One is based on Ubuntu, another on Debian. The newest Debian-based version comes with GNOME or Xfce while the Ubuntu-based counterpart is available in GNOME or LXDE. 32- and 64-bit versions are available for both. Today brought a new release: Linux Mint 201109 Debian (GNOME & Xfce).


        • Knoppix 6.7.1 with Firefox 6.0.2, LibreOffice 3.4.3 and Linux 3.0.4 Kernel Is Here
          Knoppix 6.7.1 has been released. The latest version of the popular live CD/DVD Linux distro that started it all, comes with a lot of bleeding-edge software, along with all of the things you've grown accustomed to.

          The latest release comes with updated packages from its Debian upstream, picked from the testing and unstable repositories. It brings the latest Linux kernel, modern browser options and the latest LibreOffice 3.4.3.


        • KNOPPIX 6.7 and ADRIANE Audio Desktop Review
          Once upon a time the daddy of this distribution, Klaus Knopper, started a trend with his pioneering Knoppix live CD as rescue and repair tool. It was known for incorporating extensive hardware detection that required minimal to no configuration at boot to arrive at a fully working desktop. Nowadays nearly every Linux based project also has a live CD or hybrid live and install image to offer, and Knoppix has been out of the limelight for a while. It's still around though and has some unique points to offer, as I'm about to find out in this review of Knoppix 6.7, which was recently released to the world on 3rd August 2011 with the 2.6.39.3 kernel.

          As a heavily KDE leaning distribution Knoppix was also one of the first to ship with KDE 4 when it debuted, where it allowed for an early view of things to come. The DVD came with a variety of desktops including GNOME, Fluxbox and IceWM which could be enabled through entering cheat codes at the boot prompt. These days, ever since 6.0 was released, LXDE has become the default on the CD, with more environments and window managers available on the DVD. Besides, Klaus Knopper also issues special versions to coincide with the annual CeBIT and LinuxTag expos and conventions, so there are usually three releases a year to keep the system up to date with the ever changing requirements of hardware detection.


        • The Perfect Desktop - Mepis 11
          This tutorial shows how you can set up a Mepis 11 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. Mepis is a Linux distribution based on Debian Stable.


        • Canonical/Ubuntu

          • New Games, Books and Magazines in Ubuntu Software Center
            Canonical announced that lots of new games, books and magazines will be available in the Ubuntu Software Center for all Ubuntu users.

            While Canonical is preparing the final version of the upcoming Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system, many developers submit their interesting apps in the Ubuntu Software Center.


          • Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 Beta Released with Revamped User Interface
            Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 beta has been released with new user interface and all new plugin system.

            The entire interface is divided into four categories - Overview, Tweaks, Admins and Janitor. Plugins can be installed for all of these categories, though in this release they are available for Overview category only.


          • Flavours and Variants

            • PinguyOS 11.04 Review
              PinguyOS is the distribution made for everyone, the out-of-the-box functionality of PinguyOS makes this distribution a perfect choice for Linux newcomers. The massive list of hand-selected applications ensures that users get the best possible experience no matter what they plan to do. Though if you prefer a minimalistic interface, or if you are picky about your applications, PinguyOS may not be the right choice for you. The polished interface is highly functional and easy to navigate. And I feel that the Conky system monitor is a tool that is missing on most distributions. So if you want a full featured distribution that holds nothing back try PinguyOS 11.04 today.


            • Trisquel 5.0 Release announcement
              In what we can now call it a tradition, we celebrate the Software Freedom Day by publishing our latest release: Trisquel GNU/Linux 5.0 STS, codename Dagda.

              Today we publish both the standard GNOME based, and the lightweight, LXDE based Trisquel Mini editions. Current Trisquel 4.5 users can upgrade using the update-manager application, without the need for reinstallation. Advanced installations -server, RAID/LVM, encrypted, etc- can be done using the netinstall images. Two more editions, one based on KDE and other using the educational environment Sugar are on the way.


            • Joli OS 1.2 review
              1.1, and now 1.2 are based on the perennial Ubuntu 10.04 LTS edition












  • Devices/Embedded



    • Phones



      • Android

        • Jellybean to Follow Ice Cream Sandwich
          As each alphabet progresses, it comes with a delectable treat to water your mouth. I don’t know if tasty names are the reason why Android is getting popular, but they certainly make it more interesting.






    • Sub-notebooks/Tablets







Free Software/Open Source



  • Openindiana- The revolution continue | Screenshots Tour
    OpenIndiana is a continuation of the OpenSolaris operating system. It was conceived during the period of uncertainty following the Oracle takeover of Sun Microsystems, after several months passed with no binary updates made available to the public. The formation proved timely, as Oracle discontinued OpenSolaris soon after in favour of Solaris 11 Express, a binary distribution with a more closed development model to début later this year. OpenIndiana is part of the Illumos Foundation, and provides a true open-source community alternative to Solaris 11 and Solaris 11 Express, with an open development model and full community participation.


  • Open source tool enables security tests for chip cards
    At this year's Black Hat Conference, crypto expert Karsten Nohl of SRLabs demonstrated the degate tool that can be used to take a closer look at applications stored on smartcards, such as credit cards and SIM cards.


  • New Award: Community Member of the Month!


  • Seven Ways to Celebrate Software Freedom Day
    Today is Software Freedom Day, and that means fans of free and open source software around the globe are celebrating all the ways it improves our lives.


  • Web Browsers



    • Chrome

      • Google Releases Chrome 14 Stable for Linux
        The Google Chrome developers at Google proudly announced a few minutes ago, September 16th, the stable release and immediate availability for download of the Google Chrome 14 web browser for Linux, Windows, Macintosh and Chrome Frame platforms.




    • Mozilla

      • Password Protect Firefox Bookmarks
        Firefox bookmarks are accessible for all users of a computer system if one user account is used instead of individual user accounts. This can be a issue if you want to protect data from being seen or accessed by other users. But even if there are multiple user accounts, chance is that some may have access to your Firefox profile folder. A system administrator for instance would have that access.






  • Databases

    • Oracle Further Commercializes MySQL Database
      Oracle has added additional commercial extensions to the enterprise edition of its open-source MySQL database, further differentiating it from the community version available to anyone at no charge.




  • Oracle/Java/LibreOffice



  • Openness/Sharing

    • Open Source Drug Discovery for Malaria
      We’re starting a new project – open source drug discovery for malaria. Initially the participants are my group at the University of Sydney and the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), but naturally as an open project we need to expand beyond this. If you’re reading this, you can join us. Check here for what's needed at the moment.




  • Programming

    • A Look at the Future of Perl 5.16 and Beyond
      Despite many assertions that "Perl is dead," it's very much alive – particularly Perl 5, which is and will be in widespread use for quite some time. It may not be getting as much attention as JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python, and whatever the language du jour is that Google wants to put out – but it's not going anywhere.






Leftovers

  • A Beginners' Guide to Internet Trolling
    Nowadays, the phenomenon of trolling other people online is considered a bad thing. But it has not always been so. Trolling was a noble cause once, perpetrated by Usenet veterans, who would pull simple and innocent general ignorance type of jokes on unsuspecting newbies. There was much rejoicing and a handful of tears, but in the end, people learned through whimsical, violent allegories.




  • Finance

    • Rudolf Elmer – the man who exposed the dark side of global finance
      Blowing the whistle on government or corporate malpractice takes great courage and involves a high sense of civic duty, as whistleblowers often put their lives on the line in order to inform society on behaviour that is against its citizens' interest as well as the basic principles of democracy and human rights. Because of the possible consequences of such an act, it is important to have the feed-back of prominent whistleblowers who share their experience, thoughts and advice with potential whistleblowers and society as a whole, as anyone can find themselves in the uncomfortable seat of government or corporate crime witness from inside. Also, because they are often the victims of smear campaigns, at Liberté-info we like to give whistleblowers the opportunity to be heard without the bias and censorship that can surround economically motivated media outfits. Plus this is #OccupyWallStreet day, a good occasion to talk about global financial crime.




  • Civil Rights

    • Tesco threatens journalist with arrest for writing down prices
      A Guardian journalist who was researching prices at a Tesco supermarket was threatened with arrest for writing down prices as he walked around. The security guard who questioned him claimed that it was illegal to write down prices at Tesco's. The manager later allowed as how it wasn't illegal, merely against store policy.




  • DRM

    • FSF speaks against patent and DRM provisions at Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiators' meeting
      The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is a free trade agreement currently under negotiation that could require member countries to enact strict copyright and patent legislation that hurts free software users and developers. Our license compliance engineer Brett Smith talked about the FSF's opposition to these terms with negotiators last weekend; in this blog post, he shares his perspective on the event.






Recent Techrights' Posts

With 9 Mentions of Azure In Its Latest Blog Post, Canonical is Again Promoting Microsoft and Intel Vendor Lock-in, Surveillance, Back Doors, Considerable Power Waste, and Defects That Cannot be Fixed
Microsoft did not even have to buy Canonical (for Canonical to act like it happened)
Links 28/03/2024: GAFAM Replacing Full-Time Workers With Interns Now
Links for the day
Consent & Debian's illegitimate constitution
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
The Time Our Server Host Died in a Car Accident
If Debian has internal problems, then they need to be illuminated and then tackled, at the very least in order to ensure we do not end up with "Deadian"
China's New 'IT' Rules Are a Massive Headache for Microsoft
On the issue of China we're neutral except when it comes to human rights issues
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, March 27, 2024
WeMakeFedora.org: harassment decision, victory for volunteers and Fedora Foundations
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 27/03/2024: Terrorism Grows in Africa, Unemployment in Finland Rose Sharply in a Year, Chinese Aggression Escalates
Links for the day
Links 27/03/2024: Ericsson and Tencent Layoffs
Links for the day
Amid Online Reports of XBox Sales Collapsing, Mass Layoffs in More Teams, and Windows Making Things Worse (Admission of Losses, Rumours About XBox Canceled as a Hardware Unit)...
Windows has loads of issues, also as a gaming platform
Links 27/03/2024: BBC Resorts to CG Cruft, Akamai Blocking Blunders in Piracy Shield
Links for the day
Android Approaches 90% of the Operating Systems Market in Chad (Windows Down From 99.5% 15 Years Ago to Just 2.5% Right Now)
Windows is down to about 2% on the Web-connected client side as measured by statCounter
Sainsbury's: Let Them Eat Yoghurts (and Microsoft Downtimes When They Need Proper Food)
a social control media 'scandal' this week
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
Windows/Client at Microsoft Falling Sharply (Well Over 10% Decline Every Quarter), So For His Next Trick the Ponzi in Chief Merges Units, Spices Everything Up With "AI"
Hiding the steep decline of Windows/Client at Microsoft?
Free technology in housing and construction
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
We Need Open Standards With Free Software Implementations, Not "Interoperability" Alone
Sadly we're confronting misguided managers and a bunch of clowns trying to herd us all - sometimes without consent - into "clown computing"
Microsoft's Collapse in the Web Server Space Continued This Month
Microsoft is the "2%", just like Windows in some countries
Links 26/03/2024: Inflation Problems, Strikes in Finland
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/03/2024: Losing Children, Carbon Tax Discussed
Links for the day
Mark Shuttleworth resigns from Debian: volunteer suicide and Albania questions unanswered, mass resignations continue
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 26/03/2024: 6,000 Layoffs at Dell, Microsoft “XBox is in Real Trouble as a Hardware Manufacturer”
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/03/2024: Microsofters Still Trying to 'Extend' Gemini Protocol
Links for the day
Look What IBM's Red Hat is Turning CentOS Into
For 17 years our site ran on CentOS. Thankfully we're done with that...
The Julian Paul Assange Verdict: The High Court Has Granted Assange Leave to Appeal Extradition to the United States, Decision Adjourned to May 20th Pending Assurances
The decision is out
The Microsoft and Apple Antitrust Issues Have Some But Not Many Commonalities
gist of the comparison to Microsoft
ZDNet, Sponsored by Microsoft for Paid-for Propaganda (in 'Article' Clothing), Has Added Pop-Up or Overlay to All Pages, Saying "813 Partners Will Store and Access Information on Your Device"
Avoiding ZDNet may become imperative given what it has turned into
Julian Assange Verdict 3 Hours Away
Their decision is due to be published at 1030 GMT
People Who Cover Suicide Aren't Suicidal
Assange didn't just "deteriorate". This deterioration was involuntary and very much imposed upon him.
Overworking Kills
The body usually (but not always) knows best
Former Red Hat Chief (CEO), Who Decided to Leave the Company Earlier This Month, Talks About "Cloud Company Red Hat" to CNBC
shows a lack of foresight and dependence on buzzwords
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 25, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 25, 2024
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
Discord Does Not Make Money, It's Spying on People and Selling Data/Control (38% is Allegedly Controlled by the Communist Party of China)
a considerable share exists
In At Least Two Nations Windows is Now Measured at 2% "Market Share" (Microsoft Really Does Not Want People to Notice That)
Ignore the mindless "AI"-washing
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Still Has Hundreds of Thousands of Simultaneously-Online Unique Users
The scale of IRC