Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 28/07/2009: KDE 4.3 Coverage, More Mobile Linux Support



GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • Build A Real Time Audio Studio
    Linux is a fantastic platform for audio production. Find out how to build the perfect production environment.

    [...]

    ALSA, or the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture, sits within the Linux kernel itself as a series of hardware drivers. Audio data is passed from ALSA to the user-level applications that manipulate the audio. But despite this low level integration and a built-in potential for good low latency performance, most default Linux installations make poor audio production computers. That’s because there’s still too much going on in the background, and too many throwbacks from the time when Linux was designed primarily for server installation.

    Luckily, Linux is a highly configurable operating system, and this means that you can create the perfect audio platform just by making a few tweaks. We’ve chosen the latest version of Ubuntu to be our guinea pig.


  • Linux Foundation Launches Branded Credit Card. Yes, It Features Tux.
    The Linux Foundation, the non-profit that supports the growth of the Linux kernel, is today announcing an affinity Visa Platinum credit card for people who want to contribute to advancing the OS through the organization’s initiatives. Reading the press release announcing the new credit card made me raise my eyebrows, but after giving it a bit of thought I think that this is actually not that bad an idea.


  • [Satire:] Run, the Communists are coming!
    But I highly doubt that! Simply, GNU/Linux equates to Communism and we have to be aware of this.

    Also, if you think even for a second that I am being serious, then you might have some serious issues...


  • Computer Memory - How much is good enough ?
    And now in 2009, their conclusion still holds true, I guess. You can run all the applications that a normal user will want to run - be it in Windows or Linux, in a PC or laptop which sports just 1 GB memory. Windows Vista doesn't count, as it is an aberration.


  • Future of Linux in Automotive Industry
    This future in automotive linux is a possible reality. Fast booting and reliable embedded systems, hardened open source linux and willing manufacturers will make it work.




  • Desktop

    • What's "Linux on the Desktop" Mean, When We Don't Know What a Desktop Is, Anymore?
      It's typical, sensible, and useful for a conference wrap-up keynote address to look at the big picture, with session descriptions like, "Where Linux has been and where it's headed." At last week's Open Source Convention, the role of identifying the major Linux trends and challenges was given to Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation.


    • Open Source Future
      There are essentially two types of software: proprietary and open source. Proprietary software may be sold (Microsoft Windows comes to mind) or given away (shareware or freeware). In either case, the source code behind proprietary software is subject to legal protections. Programmers are not to access, modify or redistribute proprietary code. Open source software, on the other hand, is has completely "open" (accessible) code which can be manipulated and shared freely. It is my opinion that although much of what is in common use today is proprietary, such will not always be the case.

      [...]

      Rather than buy proprietary software, companies can (and should) grab open source software and either use it as is or pay developers to tailor it to specific business needs. This, I think, is the future of software.


    • Go Back to School With Linux: Part One
      There are four different app bundles to choose from, depending on the age level of the user: Tertiary for university-level students, Secondary for 13-18 year-olds, Primary for 6-12 year-olds, and Preschool for the five and under set. Alternatively, you can download the complete educational desktop and receive all four bundles at once.


    • Upgrading from Windows XP to a Linux desktop
      If you are going to wipe your hard drive, but before you pay a dime for Windows 7, try a Linux desktop distribution. If you don’t like it, what’s the worst that’s going to happen? You spent no money other than for a burnable CD or DVD, a little time, and you just have to wipe your disk again before installing Windows 7.


    • What Linux really lacks
      Linux does not lack user friendliness any more. Ubuntu. openSUSE. Try them out. Linux does not lack quality software. Openoffice.org. Firefox. Pidgin. Thunderbird. They all run on Linux. Linux does not lack power. It runs on the widest range of hardware. Linux does not lack company backing. Novell. Canonical. Red Hat. They are large corporations.








  • Server

    • Univa unveils UniCloud 2.0
      The new offering is available as a standalone product or in an Enterprise package. Both packages include Sun Grid Engine software. The Enterprise package also includes Oracle VM, Oracle Enterprise Linux and a version of Reliance, which is reportedly Univa’s proprietary infrastructure and application service governor.








  • Applications

    • wine patches the black hole of code
      # Patches rarely receive feedback - positive or negative - on the wine-patches list

      # Patches that are rejected aren't labelled as such, or publicly given a reason for why they were

      # Hundreds of patches don't get in, that just need a tweak or two, that would REALLY improve the wine experience

      # These failed patches can't easily be seen by anyone unless they know exactly what to Google for


    • Ohh My God !! Debian / Ubuntu Package for Sex/ porn Download : Gnaughty
      Gnaughty is a program to automatically download adult sex content, i.e. porn movies and pictures, from a known Internet porn directory.

      Providing a friendly interface, users who feel like having some porn can have it served fastly and directly to their desktop.


    • Create Oscar-Worthy Movie Scripts With Celtx
      Celtx is a media pre-production editor that allows you to easily create screenplays and storyboards for your next movie. You can use it to create a whole assortment of media, including theater, comics, advertising, and video games.


    • Tycoon Games releases Bionic Heart for Mac, PC, Linux systems
      The game is set in the not too far future of London 2099, where climatic catastrophes have changed the Earth’s climate permanently. In this interactive novel, bionic beings and complex technologies, clash with complicated relationships and even more complicated romance. Wise decisions build relationships with other characters, but one wrong move could ruin a friendship forever.






  • K Desktop Environment 4.3

    • KDE 4.3 Shaping Up Nicely, KWin Needs Work
      Overall though, KDE 4.3 is shaping up to be a nice release, and it brings some much-needed fit and finish to the KDE4 desktop environment.


    • KDE4.3 in Kubuntu
      With KDE 4.3, I think I will start using KDE part-time again, so congrats to the KDE team for their bold move to rebuild their desktop from scratch! I hope Gnome 3 brings an equal amount of innovation.








  • Distributions

    • Hannah Montana Linux
      Hannah Montana Linux is clearly geared toward those who are, in fact, Hannah Montana fans. I’m guessing that this group must be comprised mainly of very young people. I can’t imagine adults really being fans of this obnoxious little TV pop tart.


    • [Mandriva] Noteworthy Cooker changes (15 June – 26 July 2009)
      An update of the noteworthy Cooker changes was long overdue. Here’s a short, incomplete summary:

      * KDE is now at version 4.2.98 aka KDE 4.3 RC 3. Other KDE related updates include KOffice 2.0.1, Amarok 2.1.1, Digikam 1.0 beta 3, Kipi plug-ins 0.5.0. The KMess MSN Live instant messenger had its first stable KDE 4 release with version 2.0.0.




    • Africa

      • Linux4Afrika Integrates Sugar Desktop and WLAN
        The Linux4Afrika development help project that is active in a number of east African countries has released the next verson of its software distribution. The donated used hardware will be expanded by new functionality.

        The newest version of the Linux4Afrika terminal server solution will no longer require interested parties to buy from One Laptop per Child (OLPC) to test its Sugar learning interface. The GUI can be installed optionally and, after registration, started simply from the dropdown menu.


      • TEN REASONS WHY AFRICANS SHOULD TRY UBUNTU LINUX.
        Ubuntu comes on a live CD which you can try without having to touch your existing installation. And if you like it, there is an icon right on the desktop where you can install the system as you are testing it.

        These are just a few of the reasons why I would very much encourage my African brothers and sisters to give Ubuntu Linux and other Linux distros a try. After all, they are free, great, safe and you become part of a worldwide community.








    • Red Hat

      • Global Business - Hat's off to Red Hat


      • DON'T MISS: Red Hat boot camp
        Red Hat, a leading provider of open source solutions, will host a series of sales enablement boot camp sessions by Red Hat’s worldwide sales trainer, Brian Cole.

        The camps are available to Red Hat Ready Partners and Red Hat Advanced Business Partners across Australia and New Zealand.
      • Fedora 12 Picks Up Another Batch Of Features
        Going back to May before the release of Fedora 11, features that were planned for Fedora 12 (the release that's codenamed Constantine) began to get laid out. Among these features were LVM enhancements, replacing nash/mkinitrd with Dracut, and using Empathy as the default instant messaging program. With time more features have come about for Fedora 12, such as re-basing the desktop environments to KDE 4.3 and GNOME 2.28, updating the kernel, etc. Over the weekend though, the Fedora Project Wiki was updated to reflect a whole batch of new features that are now planned for Fedora 12. Below are some of these new features.


      • Red Hat offers a tip of the fedora to Microsoft … oh really?








    • Ubuntu



      • Keeping Score: Canonical’s Ubuntu Partner Program
        Canonical has organized its Ubuntu partner program into three segments — business partners, technology partners and training partners. But to spot the next generation of potential Ubuntu channel partners you need to check out two areas: Cloud computing and the so-called Ubuntu Marketplace. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.


      • Canonical’s Ubuntu Partner Program: Moves Worth Watching
        Dig a little deeper and you’ll find a new segment listed as Cloud Partners — a critical area that could make-or-break Canonical’s server strategy. Early cloud partners include Eucalyptus Systems, Amazon Web Services, Cohesive Flexible Technologies and RightScale.












  • Devices/Embedded

    • Ten years after: An Interview with MontaVista's Jim Ready
      READY: One thing we underestimated was the number of semiconductor engineers and partners working on Linux to enable Linux on chips. That happened faster and at a larger level than we thought. When we started out building MontaVista Linux earlier in the decade, we had to make the assumption that Linux may not exist on a given piece of hardware, or that if it was available, the kernel version might be four or five rev's back. Beyond that, Linux was still somewhat unstable. So we developed a set of requirements and industrial processes to produce a commercial quality Linux that could go into any device. But now Linux has gotten really deep into the fabric of the chip business, and we are now adjusting to that reality with our new MDE approach in MontaVista Linux 6.


    • Garmin-Asus nüvifone finally hits Asia
      Two versions will be available, the Linux-based G60 and the Windows Mobile 6.1-based M20, both of which have touch-screen displays that feature three primary icons: Call, Search and View Map. All other features are available through a gesture-based interface.


    • Acer reveals Veriton N260G nettop
      It's got an HDMI port, though don't expect to be pumping out lots of HD without that Ion chip, and it's got a very low energy consumption, as well as recyclable packaging materials. It comes pre-installed with Vista, XP or Linpus Linux.


    • Active Media Products Introduces Penguin Bootable Linux USB Drive
      Active Media Products (AMP), manufacturer of SSDs and WWF series USB drives, today announced immediate availability of a bootable Linux USB (BLU) drive that is compatible with Windows€® 7 and benefits WWF. These new penguin BLU drives are preloaded with the full installation of Ubuntu Linux 9.0.4.




    • Phones

      • Tether an Android Phone Using Proxoid
        Meet Proxoid, a proxy server application that lets you use your phone as a modem without hacking its system. Making Proxoid work does require a few steps, but the entire process is simple enough even for uninitiated users. Here is how to make Proxoid work with an Ubuntu-based system.


      • Sprint To Offer Android Phone In 2009
        The move is another sign that the Linux-based OS is picking up some steam, and Google said it expects up to 20 handsets to be released by the end of the year. Because it is a free OS, some of these handsets will be from relatively unknown manufacturers, but Android has drawn interest from top-five cell phone makers like Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson.


      • Palm webOS: The Other Linux Phone Platform
        While Android has enjoyed the lime-light of being the “open source, linux based” mobile platform — and it is all of that and more, the Palm webOS is heavily invested in Linux






    • Sub-notebooks

      • Review: HP Mini 110
        The $499 version of the Mini 110 weaves its wallet-friendly magic by opting for the free Linux operating system instead of Windows XP. HP has done much to make Linux a doddle to use, including a customised home screen that looks slicker and more professional than anything we've ever seen out of Microsoft. You'll also find some bespoke programs, such as a multimedia player that resembles Apple's Front Row.










Free Software/Open Source

  • Linux Warehouse named Zimbra distributor
    Zimbra, a Yahoo company, offers next-generation open source e-mail and collaboration. With this partnership, Linux Warehouse hopes to satisfy the local market's growing demand for more sophisticated and cost-effective collaboration tools, says Linux Warehouse MD, Johnny Martins.


  • Wookie widget server to incubate at Apache
    Wookie, a Java based server application which eases deployment of Web widgets, such as the W3C Widgets, has begun incubating at the Apache Foundation. The Wookie project started life at the University of Bolton, where a team, supported by the TenCompetence EU project and supported by the CETIS Widgets Working Group...




  • Browsers







  • OSCON 2009

    • OSCON 2009
      I’d be hard-put to say whether OSCON or RubyConf is my favorite conference of the year; when I miss either I’m grumpy. Here’s a brief report from the latest San Jose instalment, with pictures.


    • Standing out in the crowd: my OSCON keynote
      If you weren’t at OSCON this morning, here is what I spoke about in my keynote, Standing Out in the Crowd. I’m including most of the key visuals, so my apologies for the image-heavy post. I’ll also be uploading to slideshare.net (with voiceover I hope) and I’m told there will be video up at the OSCON blip.tv channel in due course. (ETA: it’s up.)








  • Funding

    • Schooner nabs $20m in venture funding
      The initial round of funding was also used to create the Schooner MySQL appliance. This unit puts a highly optimized version of the InnoDB 1.0.3 transactional storage engine in a System x box equipped with solid state disks and an OEMed version of Sun's MySQL 5.1 Enterprise Edition database, which Schooner has shown in benchmark tests can deliver about eight times the oomph of a plain vanilla x64 server running Linux and MySQL. The MySQL appliance costs $45,000 as well.






  • Government

    • Houston Confirms VistA GUI-Scheduling Has Landed
      It began at the dinner table with two software engineers at a VistA Community Meeting and ended 3 weeks later with Graphic User Interface Scheduling for VistA.

      While coming equipped with powerful text-based scheduling capabilities, the private-sector VistA and WorldVistA(tm) Electronic Medical Record system communities have long wanted but lacked a Graphic User Interface scheduling front end. Ignacio Valdes, MD, MS reports "The wait is over. Sam has done it."








  • Standards/Consortia

    • Open source API dreams of The Meta Cloud
      Last week, at OSCON, a San Jose startup known as Cloudkick unveiled an open source project that hopes to provide a single programming interface for a host of so-called infrastructure clouds, including Amazon EC2, Rackspace Cloud Servers, Slicehost, and GoGrid. Dubbed libcloud, the project reaches for a world where developers can build an app that's easily shuttled from one cloud to another.






Leftovers

  • Russian Telcos: Skype Is Hurting Our Business And Must Be Stopped
    Over in Russia, for example, it appears that a bunch of telco execs are complaining about Skype. They at least try to pass off a plausible non-save-our-asses reason: mentioning security, but they don't do a very good job hiding the truth.




  • Censorship/Web Abuse

    • AT&T Blocks 4chan Over DDoS... But May Not Like What Happens Next...
      A few folks have submitted the news that, apparently, AT&T is blocking access to a certain subdomain of 4chan. I just checked on my own AT&T DSL account and it's true that I can't get there (I can get there if I don't go via AT&T). That doesn't mean that AT&T definitely is blocking it, but there are reports that folks at AT&T have admitted that it's true. If you don't know what 4chan is, the 4chan Wikipedia page is probably the best way to understand it.


    • On Pi Approximation Day, Flying Pigs and DRM
      Those designing the DRM "simply refuse to face reality," he concluded. "I have a machine with an AMD 7550 Dual Core, a ton of RAM, and most importantly nearly a TB of hard disc space, and yet I am supposed to keep my games and my movies piled around my machine so I can stuff in a disc every time I want to use them? What good is all that space for if DRM won't let me use it?"

      In short, "and it pains me to write this," hairyfeet said, "I have to agree with RMS for once. DRM is simply too nasty to allow it to infect Linux."








  • Intellectual Monopolies

    • The AP has no place on the Internet
      It's becoming more and more and more clear that the Associated Press does not like the rules of the Internet and intends to resist them. That's actually pretty predictable when you think about it, because the Internet doesn't like the AP either.










Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day



Luis Casas Luengo, Director of Extremadura's Fundecyt foundation 06 (2004)



Digital Tipping Point is a Free software-like project where the raw videos are code. You can assist by participating.

Recent Techrights' Posts

IBM and MCC: Layoffs Coming Again to Metro Connect Company Limited (MCC) as Tariffs Bite and IBM's Shares Fall
Blacklists applicable to Chinese suppliers also mean that IBM can no longer cooperate with key partners in Asia
Go Static
Please don't Go(lang) or JavaScript or PHP or...
Keeping Track of Microsoft Layoffs in 2025
So here's a quick roundup of 2025
The Sixth Anniversary of the Lightweight Alternative to the Web (Gemini Protocol)
Now 11 short of 3,000 active capsules. 65 short of 4,500 total.
People Are Sick of LLM Slop. Offer Them Alternatives.
We never used LLM slop for anything and we never will
You Can Be an A--hole to Women (Even Strangle Women) as Long as You Work for Microsoft
Recalling the Mark Shuttleworth origin story
 
Malware in Proprietary Software - Latest Additions
Original by Free Software Foundation, Inc.
The Rumours Were Likely True: Sixth Wave of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in 2025 (Days After "50" Anniversary and About 5,000 Layoffs)
5 hours ago, by Ashley Stewart
Links 09/04/2025: More Trade Wars and Wars, Chinese Army Troops Found Fighting in Ukraine
Links for the day
Linux Clickbait by Slop
Give it up for Brian Fagioli, the Serial Slopper
Microsoft's Entire Premise for Its Future Existence Goes Up in Flames
32 minutes ago
GNU/Linux on a High in Colombia
Stereotypes much?
Techrights Be Like...
K.I.S.S.
Gemini Links 09/04/2025: Autism, Cybersecurity, and LLMs Attacking Services Online
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Would be Measured at Over 5% Globally (by statCounter) Had the Data in India Not Been Changed
GNU/Linux grew a lot in many countries and has expanded since then
Links 09/04/2025: Quartz Fires All Writers (Shutdown, LLM Slop or Slopfarm Instead), "Bitcoin Is Crashing Hard"
Links for the day
Web Surveyor statCounter Sees Apple's macOS Falling From 5.6% to 3.6% in Two Months, It Might Soon be Smaller Than GNU/Linux
Apple's "value" (faked, exaggerated) is back to "pandemic times"
UK House of Lords Recognises the SLAPP Issue in the UK and EFF Pursues "Bill (That) Could Put A Stop To Censorship By Lawsuit" in the US
"A House of Lords inquiry into how the news industry can survive into the future has accused the government of “failing to prioritise” action on strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs)."
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: Seeking Class Action Against the OSI
"LETTER SEEKING CLASS ACTION REPRESENTATION"
The Value of Slop, by Alexandre Oliva
Original by Alexandre Oliva
Gemini Links 09/04/2025: Neocities, Tinylogs, and Inter-community Protocols
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 08, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 08, 2025
Canonical is a Proprietary Software Reseller With a 'Debian Base'
"Canonical Ubuntu" is just Debian with some proprietary things sold on top of it
statCounter Sees Microsoft Bing at Lowest Level Since Last Summer
Since 2023 Bing has repeatedly had layoffs
Nearly 5,000 Microsoft Layoffs Disclosed on Week of Microsoft 'Anniversary' (Media Noise), The HR Digest Says More Layoffs Coming
more "Microsoft layoffs on the horizon"
Windows "Market Share" Down to 1% in Sudan, Based on statCounter
Among those 1% who use Windows to access the Web fewer than 30% are on Vista 11
People Who Facilitate Truth Will Always Win at the End
"Just always stick to the truth"
Slopwatch: LinuxTechLab, linuxsecurity.com, "Cyber Security News" and More LLM Slopfarms
So the Web has this bunch of slopfarms pretending to "cover" GNU/Linux
Links 08/04/2025: More Mass Layoffs Expected at Microsoft (Gaming), Fentanylware (TikTok) Unsold
Links for the day
Gemini Links 08/04/2025: "Shared Ownership" and Rant About Scrapers
Links for the day
Links 08/04/2025: Microsoft Shrinking, Oracle's Clown Computing Cracked
Links for the day
Walmart Vizio TVs Scream At Immigrants to Leave America
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
Stolen Credit Card and LinkedIn. DHS Spies on Immigrant Social Media.
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
How Corporations Such as Microsoft Try to Crush Critics and Dissolve Activism
Stay focused
Wikipedia Can Lower Its Hosting Bill by Going More Static, Not Just by Caching, But It Would Not Solve Its Biggest Problems (Bribes and AstroTurfing)
For about 15 years we had a Wiki in this site
At 50, Microsoft Has Over 100 Billion Dollars in Debt and Less Than 25% "Market Share" (Windows)
statCounter basically sees less than a quarter of Web requests coming from Windows
linuxhint.com Died 12 Months Ago (After Adopting Image Slop)
Zombie sites
LLM Slop Will Eventually Stop Due to High Costs, Worse Training Sets (Polluted Models Ingesting Their Own Junk), and No Real Returns
This too shall pass
Urgent Need for SLAPP Litigation Transparency
Microsofters really want to shut us up
Courage is Contagious
I became a witness to acts of great courage from EPO examiners
On Shutdowns and 2,000 More Layoffs at Microsoft (10,000 Microsoft Staff May Have Already Been Laid Off in 2025)
Microsoft tries to hide and belittle mass layoffs; its data centre business also flounders, so it issues puff pieces about some anniversary over and over again
Gemini Links 08/04/2025: Gabbro 0.1.4 and Disillusioned With Social Control Media
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows in Jordan: From 99% Down to 10%
This is becoming more "normal"
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: A "Deep Dive" Into the Complaint at the California Privacy Protection Agency
There are many facets to it and it may be the first complaint of several
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, April 07, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, April 07, 2025
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Stock Market, Galène, and DMT Entities
Links for the day
During the Weekend We Said Fedora DEI Requires Proprietary Software, Now the Chat About It Is No Longer Accessible Over the Open Web
is this just a coincidence and an habitual change in Element?
Microsoft Problems in Europe Even Before the Cheeto Tariffs
The case of Romania, Europe's notorious Microsoft fan
Oman in 2025: GNU/Linux Growing to 5%
what can Microsoft do about it except sabotage the PCs?
Links 07/04/2025: US Measles Fatalities and China Launches HDMI and DisplayPort Alternative
Links for the day
Links 07/04/2025: More Cuts to Science Funding, Snail-speed Internet in Germany
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Leasehold and Safe Gifts
Links for the day
Microsoft Shares Collapse Again (Down $101), Fifth Round of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in Less Than 100 Days in 2025
disaster
In Some Countries, Laptops and Desktops Become a Dying Breed (Even Before Tariffs), Windows Has Nowhere to Go
expect more GNU/Linux on new and existing laptops
When the Credibility or 'Quality' of Clients Ceases to Matter, It's About Helping Rich Companies Like Microsoft Censor Critics (No Matter the Risks)
Bad ideas typically result in undesirable outcomes
UAE: GNU/Linux and Android at Record Levels, Windows at New Lows and Falling Below Apple
Even iOS is measured as bigger than Windows this month
Links 07/04/2025: Reddit Occupied (Social Control Media Controlled by Oligarchy), Demise of Globalisation Ongoing
Links for the day
Windows Has Fallen to All-Time Lows in Switzerland Since GNU Celebrated 40th Anniversary (GNU’s 40th Birthday in Biel, Switzerland)
GNU/Linux has been doing well in Switzerland
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 06, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, April 06, 2025
Links 07/04/2025: Leaving Gemini/smolweb and Mastodon Migrations
Links for the day