12.28.11

Contents

• GNU/Linux
  • Distributions
  • Devices/Embedded
• Free Software/Open Source
• Leftovers

GNU/Linux

• Desktop

  • A Week in Limbo, Epilogue: An outstanding machine

  • Tech That Should Be on Your Company’s Radar for 2012

    Linux is nothing new, and has been used for many years in specialized roles such as Web servers and application servers. Now, however, the open source OS is making inroads into production environments, with database servers, file and print servers, and even workstations running on Linux. Its great customizability, capability to run on much less expensive hardware than Windows can, and the availability of mature open-source applications for nearly any enterprise application mean that it can be much less expensive to run than competing operating systems.

  • CTL launches MB40U Ubuntu powered notebook

    CTL has announced the MB40U as their first Ubuntu compatible notebook.

    The 14.1″ MB40U offers impressive features including up to 8 GB memory and up to 6 hours of battery life.

• Applications

  • Top 3 IP Scanners for Linux

  • Six Free Software Packages to Load on Your New PC

    Assuming it’s not a Mac–or a machine with Linux preloaded–Windows almost certainly came installed on your device. If you’re a Windows fan, that’s great–you’re all set for an operating system, then. If not, the hard part is choosing what to install instead.

  • Instructionals/Technical

    • Creating Custom Fancy Address Labels in LibreOffice

    • Qemu-kvm 1.0 & Spice 0.10.0 & Spice-Gtk 0.7.159 & Libusb 1.0.9-rc3 (official) for Ubuntu Precise

    • HOWTO: Setup Comp-Scale under Enlightenment

    • How to create a business card with GIMP

  • Games

    • 0 A.D. Alpha 8!

    • Humble Indie Bundle Makes Over 2million, Linux Users Pledge Most

• Desktop Environments

  • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC)

    • Check and Optimize digiKam’s Databases

  • GNOME Desktop

    • Gnome 3 Shell Forked As Cinnamon

• Distributions

  • New Releases

    • Untangle 9.1.1

  • Red Hat Family

    • Slideshow: Businessperson of the Year, Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst

      One of the interesting aspects of having profiled several “Businessperson of the Year” award winners for Triangle Business Journal over the years is seeing how past experiences shape the core of who the winners are today.

    • Fedora

      • SecureBucket.com Adds New Open Source Projects to “Awesome Projects” List

        Secure Bucket has chosen Fedora Linux for becoming a reliable, stable OS. Fedora Linux is a fast and powerful operating system for everyday use built by a worldwide community of friends. It’s free to use, study, and share.

  • Debian Family

    • Derivatives

      • About DebEX-Mint 12 Xmas with KDE 4.7.3 and kernel 3.1.4

        DebEX-Mint 12 Xmas Live DVD is a remaster of Linux Mint 12 – codenamed “Lisa” released on 26 November 2011. The original system includes the Desktop Environments Gnome 3.2, Gnome Classic (Gnome 2.32) and Mate (a fork of the venerable GNOME 2 Desktop Environment). In DebEX-Mint 12 Xmas Edition, I have installed KDE 4.7.3 (latest stable version), as an alternative, so that everyone on the spot (during live operation) can compare the different Desktop Environments. I have replaced the original kernel 3.0.0-12-generic (the same kernel as in Ubuntu 11.10) with “my” kernel 3.1.4-exton-xmas-custom. Kernel 3.1.4 is the latest available stable kernel, which can be downloaded from kernel.org. The system language is English.

      • Canonical/Ubuntu

        • Test OpenJDK 6.0 ARM Port for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

          Christian Robottom Reis, Engineering VP at Linaro, announced last week that an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) ARM port of the OpenJDK 6.0 package for Ubuntu is available for download and testing.

        • Introducing Ubuntu Social Networking Lens for Unity

          Following our previous articles, Ubuntu Books Lens, Ubuntu Cities Scope, Ubuntu Grooveshark Scope, Ubuntu Calculator Scope and Pirate Bay Torrents Lens for Unity, today we are introducing the Ubuntu Gwibber Lens for Unity.

        • Introducing Ubuntu Calculator Scope for Unity

          Following our previous articles, Ubuntu Cities Scope for Unity, Ubuntu Grooveshark Scope for Unity and Pirate Bay Torrents Lens for Unity, today we are introducing the Ubuntu Calculator Scope for Unity.

        • Ubuntu 11.10: Oneiric Ocelot and the cloud

          There’s a lot of new features in the latest iteration of Ubuntu. Today we take a look at the new Software Centre, OneConf and Ubuntu One.

        • Flavours and Variants

          • Linux Controversies of 2011: Linux Mint is the Most Popular Distro

            Ubuntu’s introduction of Unity alienated a non-trivial portion of the Ubuntu user-base which then went looking for a new home – and found it in Linux Mint.

• Devices/Embedded

  • TI OMAP4660 ARM Cortex-A9 PandaBoard ES Benchmarks

    The performance of the dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 OMAP4460 configuration as found on the PandaBoard ES is quite commendable and in this Phoronix review the dual-core 1.2GHz ARM system with PowerVR SGX540 graphics is being compared to several Intel Atom, Pentium M, and Core Duo configurations running Ubuntu Linux throughout. To spice things up, the pre-production OLPC XO-1.75 was also thrown into the testing mix with its single-core ARMv7 800MHz Sheeva processor.

  • The £16 Raspberry Pi computer soon to land on shelves

    With a delay in development causing them to be three weeks behind schedule, the $25 (£16) computer is set to go into production in January

  • Raspberry Pi ready to launch low-cost PCs next month

  • Hacker builds allegedly pointless data network out of Lego train set

    A hacker named Maximilien has now recreated that locomotive golden era using Lego, Arduino and Linux, and what his system lacks in bandwidth it more than makes up for in historical relevance.

  • Phones

    • Android

      • How to control your Android device through your browser

      • Meizu planning to launch quad-core MX in 2012?

        According to Chinese blog Techorz, Meizu is readying a killer Android device for the new year. Not much is known, but the device, which is being referred to as the Meizu MX, is said to be packing a Samsung Exynos 4210 quad-core processor and Ice Cream Sandwich. This is reportedly coming straight from J. Wong, the CEO of Meizu. He claims that the device will be released in May 2012.

Free Software/Open Source

• TextSecure App For Android Is Now Open Source

  Following the discovery of Carrier IQ, the devious app that stealthily collects data on smartphone users, putting a little more priority on security is worth considering. After all, you never know who is watching so you should probably assume that lots of prying parties are watching.

• Open Source Software Development Helps You Get Edge in Web World

  The open source application development has become so much popular in the web world, as the users can change it as per their exigencies. Open source software refers to computer software that is to be availed in source code format.

• WonderSchool streams world to a tablet

  Open Wonderland — an open source, Java-based alternative to OpenSim — is now available on a tablet. According to WonderSchool, a subsidiary of Germany’s THINSIA, clients can now access the platform on an iPad by having their user session streamed to the device.

• Events

  • SCaLE 10x BoF registration now open

  • International FOSS conference from Tuesday

    The fourth International FOSS Conference, Kerala, will be held here from December 27 to 29 under the auspices of International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS).

  • Fourth conference on open software on in Kerala capital

• Web Browsers

  • Mozilla

    • 7 Benefits of Mozilla’s Rapid Release!

      Just shortly Mozilla has released Firefox 9 according to its rapid release development oscillation. This rapid release has increased concerns about add-on firefox compatibility and revamped interface that is confusing for consistent browser users. Mozilla has already been criticized for its rapid release program particularly in enterprise sector. Nevertheless, there are benefits of rapid release program too; that we seem to negative. Lets investigate them.

• Business

  • Lucene & Solr Year 2011 in Review

  • Semi-Open Source

    • Why OpenERP can add value

      OpenERP is a comprehensive suite of business applications designed to automate processes and integrate software infrastructure into one easy to manage solution.

• Openness/Sharing

  • Magneti Marelli Introduces Open-Source Platform for the ‘Connected Car’

    In the area of telematics and infotainment technologies for automobiles, Magneti Marelli presented what it believes to be the first open-source platform for in-vehicle infotainment devices. The platform complies with automotive requirements in terms of performance and durability, and, at the same time, is equipped with software developed and certified according to GENIVI Alliance compliance specification.

  • Open Access/Content

    • Steinberg pushes free digital college textbooks for California

      Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg wants to create a digital library of free course materials for California college students.

      The proposal, unveiled earlier this month, is bound to be popular with students grappling with rising tuition and fees at California’s public colleges and universities.

    • Our View: Open-source texts for state colleges

      A fat hardbound economics text that looks no fancier, if no worse, than a best-selling novel that goes for $26.95 can easily be priced at $95 and even into the triple digits. The professors who write these texts famously fight – or are perhaps encouraged to do so by their publishers – the always strong market for used books in college communities by writing sometimes imperceptibly small updates to the original editions and requiring students to buy new.

Leftovers

• Civil Rights

  • SOPA? Get YOUR message across.

    My friend Katie had some bumper stickers made up that pretty much echoes my sentiments of SOPA/PIPA. I normally don’t dally in bumper stickers but this one is going on the old Explorer as soon as it arrives in the mail. 5 bucks out the door to include shipping.