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Links 26/08/2009: Ubuntu's Firefox and JPEG 2000



GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • Linux. More fun than flubber.
    In fact, I cannot remember the last time I have had to re-install Linux at all. Thinking about it, the last time I...., nope not even then. Since Redhat 6.2 I have not had to do a complete reformat and reload, ever!


  • IPTV Soc adds Linux, multi-format video support
    NEC Electronics is shipping a Linux-ready image-processing system-on-chip for IP set-top boxes (STBs). The EMMA3SL/P offers dual MIPS32 cores, is compliant with H.264 high definition (HD) and China's audio/video standard (AVS), and offers multi-format video support for IPTV, says the company.


  • No more Windows support
    It’s not entirely their fault. Windows, for release after release, is just one big broken promise. The slick happy interface promises a smooth, high-tech, trouble-free experience, and Microsoft’s marketing takes full advantage of that misconception. But that promise is never, ever fulfilled. Sooner or later, on every computer it’s installed on, Windows’ inherent flaws break the system. We all know what happens. More and more frequent reboots. Slow performance. Junkware and crapware and spyware slowing things down, and even if they’re not there to do it, the scanners to catch them slow things down on their own. Viruses and incompatible .dll files and broken drivers and too many things being loaded as services that have no reason to exist. Disk fragmentation and registry cruft. Eventually the system gets too weighted down with all this crap to be usable, and it grinds to a useless halt, and you have to reinstall the operating system to clean things up and start fresh.

    [...]

    So I’m cutting everyone off. Well, no, not everyone. I’ll still help my non-technical friends who are running Linux now, because I got them started on it. But strangely, they don’t seem to need much help, after the initial learning curve.


  • Save a Burn – Use UNetbootin
    So I thought wow, what a great tool. I’ve recommended it to others before, but never actually used it. I’m glad UNetbootin added in the support for Sabayon Linux. I’m not sure how one goes about getting the options updated for the newer ISOs tho, but it will work with 5.0 when it comes out.


  • Big chip for big boxes: IBM cracks open lid on Power7
    The Power7 chip is running in the IBM labs right now supporting its AIX and i operating systems as well as Linux.


  • Six steps for migrating Xen virtual machines to KVM
    If you use virtualization on Linux, chances are that you've implemented a system based on the Xen hypervisor. Because the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) has become increasingly popular on Linux, you may want to consider switching your Linux-based virtualization environment from Xen to KVM. This article provides a six-step tutorial on migrating Xen-based virtual machines (VMs) to KVM.




  • Applications

    • Pidgin Brings Order To The IM Jungle
      Instant messaging is supposed to be quick and easy. One of my favorite open-source projects actually delivers on that promise.


    • On-line Backups: Flexible Enough for Home & the Office
      Another on-line backup service that uses rsync is rsync.net. It is a very popular service, primarily because of it’s support (i.e. engineers man the phones for the most part). Currently, rsync.net supports:

      * rsync/scp/sftp

      * unison

      * rdiff-backup

      * It also supports certain commands using ssh

      * You can mount the file system using sshfs

      * An encryption tool called duplicity that uses rsync but also performs GPG encryption in the process

      * Remote subversion repositories

      * Remote data dumps of MySQL and PostgreSQL databases


    • My Perfect Backup Setup
      For a long time I relied on an external hard drive and Jungle Disk as my daily backup solution. This wasn't the most advanced backup setup, but it did the trick. Recently, however, I added a new device to my local network: a tiny Linux-based server with the silly name Bubba Two. Initially, I planned to use it for hosting my private wiki and testing LAMPP-based applications.








  • Desktop Environments

    • Become a GNOME Ambassador
      The GNOME Marketing team is pleased to announce the creation of the GNOME Press Team. The Press Team is a subset of the Marketing team, with a focus on tracking GNOME events worldwide, and communicating and engaging with journalists all over the world to help spread GNOME news.




    • KDE

      • KDE's Expanded Desktop vs. Online Apps
        For example, in the current release of KDE, you can use the new geolocation support to connect to locate other KDE users nearby so that you can socialize or exchange information. If you want information about the music album you are playing in Amarok, you can access Wikipedia without troubling to open up your browser. If you want to download your photos from Facebook, you can do so from within digiKam. Although these are far from the first applications to access the web directly, the extent to which the latest releases of KDE applications are doing so amounts to an integration of the desktop and online resources that provides a clear alternative to the idea of online applications.


      • Another Platform for KDE
        While the KDE community busied itself with preparations for the 4.3 release, KDE 4 continued to spread to new platforms with ReactOS user Davy Bartoloni reporting (machine translation of original Italian) some success in running KDE applications on that operating system.

        [...]

        ReactOS is still in alpha stage and not recommended for everyday use. Attempting to use the latest KDE Windows installer on ReactOS resulted in a blue screen of death and so this demonstration of running KDE applications required compiling them on Windows and then transferring the binaries to ReactOS.


      • Konqueror Now Supports Opensearch Too








  • Distributions

    • Great Distros You May Not Have Tried
      There are some great distributions in our wonderfully cluttered Linux distro landscape. Some are very similar to others, and some are wildly different from the rest. The one thing to remember is that while these distributions may be amazingly well thought out, and amazingly well put together their obscurity will present two problems.


    • Many Changes for SimplyMEPIS 8.0.10
      MEPIS LLC has released SimplyMEPIS 8.0.10, an update to the community edition of MEPIS 8.0. The ISO files for 32 and 64 bit processors are SimplyMEPIS-CD_8.0.10-rel_32.iso and SimplyMEPIS-CD_8.0.10-rel_64.iso.


    • HAM Radio and Linux Shows make History
      On Ocotber 24, 2009 the HAM Radio operators attending the Florida Linux Show 2009 Orlando sponsored by Red Hat will be contacting the Ontartio Linux Fest through HAM Radio operators attending that Linux show on the same day.




    • Debian Family

      • New Debian developer Emilio Pozuelo Monfort
        Big thanks to all the people that have helped and guided me since I came to Debian, including (but not limiting to) Piotr Ożarowski, Loïc Minier, Josselin Mouette and Sebastian Dröge! I also want to thank all the people involved in the NM process, including my application manager Patrick Schoenfeld.


      • Ubuntu's Firefox May Gain JPEG 2000 Support
        Canonical picking up a JPEG 2000 patch for Ubuntu's Firefox would certainly be interesting and welcome, although it doesn't change the matter of JPEG 2000 image files largely being unused by a majority of Linux desktop users.












  • Devices/Embedded

    • PalmOS catalog ported to Android and Moblin
      Brazilian independent software vendor (ISV) Handcase has ported 60 applications from PalmOS to the Android and Moblin platforms, with another 40 said to be on the way. The apps are available in English via web-based subscriptions, in a variety of free, advertising-driven, and paid plans.


    • Low-cost ARM9 chip gains Linux development support
      Timesys announced a new version of its LinuxLink software development framework for embedded Linux that supports the 2.6.30 kernel and Atmel's industrial- and PoS-focused, ARM9-based AT91SAM9G45 processor. LinuxLink now supports Atmel's SAM9G45 evaluation kit and provides a wide variety of peripheral drivers, says the company.


    • Media control point adopts plug-in computer design
      Eyecon Technologies has announced a media "control point" reference design based on Marvell's tiny, Linux-based SheevaPlug Plug Computer reference design. Due this fall from unnamed consumer electronics companies, the device offers an embedded version of Eyecon's UPnP/DLNA-compatible home media content aggregation software, says the company.




    • Phones

      • Android Developer Challenge 2 open for submissions
        The time has come! The submission site for Android Developer Challenge 2 is now open. You can now submit applications for the Challenge at http://market.android.com/adc. Full instructions are also available on the site.






    • Sub-notebooks

      • Top 15 Linux Distributions for Netbooks
        Mandriva Linux One is the best way to test, install and switch to Linux thanks to Mandriva Linux 2009 Spring.A full Linux operating system on a single CD for both new and experienced Linux users, it is fast to download and install, and also safe to try with a live mode. Install Mandriva One in a few clics and get a complete desktop with full hardware support.


      • Arch and Asus EEE 900
        Battery life is surprisingly good on this little thing. I’ve been working on it for what must be over two hours now, and I’m still at 30%. CPU load is something like 10% on average, and memory usage has yet to rise over 200 MB, and that’s with Firefox open.


      • Mini-notebook sales jump 398%, desktops shunned: Report
        Australian sales of mini-notebooks jumped a massive 398.4% in the second quarter of this year, compared with 12 months ago. It's clear evidence that consumers prefer mobile PCs, even when they come with a higher price tag than a desktop equivalent.












Free Software/Open Source

  • Software vendors and the UK Government: how to peer behind the scenes
    The Spencer System allows the Open Source advocate to counter the machinations of the cosy relationships between established vendors and government.


  • SearchCRM.com: What are your goals in this interim period as SugarCRM's CEO?
    Larry Augustin: Increase our focus on our customers, continue to support the very strong developer and open source community and continue to drive the business along those directions. I think we've got a great customer base here. We have a product that people love. I think that's witnessed by the developer, open source traction we have. We're going to continue to leverage that.


  • Podcast: SugarCRM CEO Larry Augustin
    In this pocast, SugarCRM Interim CEO Larry Augustin discusses the company’s search for a permanent CEO; the company’s cloud- and SaaS-focused channel partners; working with Microsoft and Windows Server; and SugarCRM’s growth strategy for open source CRM. Plus: Will SugarCRM run in Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud?


  • Contributing to an open source project
    An alternative scenario is that Mark simply made a local fix to their Moodle code. Doing that would miss out on the opportunity to engage with and learn from the development community. Worse that fix would have to be reapplied each time a new Moodle release is installed, something that could involve costly merging of changes.However the actual result is that Mark now has better understanding of the code, Moodle has bug fix and both parties have a positive interaction to look back on and that will hopefully encourage further work together. Mark also has a good standing with the Moodle community, something of benefit to him personally as well as his employers.


  • Zenoss Core Reaches 1 Million Downloads
    The Zenoss Core project recently hit the 1 million downloads mark on SourceForge. That means on average someone downloads Zenoss every 90 seconds. These downloads have translated into over 1M managed servers & network devices, and 75K active end users from over 23K organizations across 175 countries . Needless to say we’re thrilled with the up-take over the past 27 months. This is a good sign that we are moving the ball forward in enterprise IT operations and there is clearly a lot of interest in better ways of managing infrastructure.


  • Open Source Society mounts public sector desktop raid
    The New Zealand Open Source Society is launching a project to demonstrate the viability of free open source software on public sector desktops.

    The Public Sector Remix project aims to help public agencies reduce the cost of desktop computing. The project will deploy free open source software for nominated staff to use for common business tasks and evaluate the results.


  • Middle East Red Hat representative signs new partner
    Zimbra, which is a Yahoo! company, specialises in open source server software for e-mail and collaboration and claims its software provides a set of end-user and administrator benefits that make it a flexible solution for deployments of all sizes.


  • Opennet snaps up Zimbra’s regional distribution deal
    Leading open source server software for email and collaboration now available across the Middle East


  • 10 Resources for Successfully Launching an Open Source Project
    If you're stitching together open source code or deploying applications, Hewlett-Packard's free application Fossology is designed to analyze the source code for any project and report accurately on which licenses are being used.


  • Creative Collective, Service Week, Extend Firefox, Labs, AMO, Firefox, Thunderbird, and more…
    In this issue…

    * Mozilla Creative Collective launches * Mozilla Service Week: Act now! * Extend Firefox 3.5 contest * New Mozilla Labs website * BBC experimenting with open video * Web accessibility and CSS3 transforms * Jetpack developer contest * Fennec 1 beta 3 for Maemo * AMO upcoming projects * Multitouch in Firefox




  • Business

    • Acquia on Why Web Publishers Love Drupal—And How the Startup Balances Business With Belonging to an Open-Source Community
      You might think that Acquia is to Drupal as Red Hat is to Linux, but that analogy doesn’t quite work. For one thing, Red Hat charges for its version of Linux, while all versions of Drupal, including Acquia’s, are free. Imagine that Linus Torvalds wasn’t merely the gatekeeper for the Linux kernel but also chief technology officer at a company aiming to be the central source for Linux support; that’s the somewhat precarious position Dries Buytaert, and therefore Acquia, occupies. So the company has to be extra careful not to make changes that might alienate the thousands of volunteer Drupal developers. “In every major action, we talk about how do we make sure the community stays together,” says Erickson. “But Dries and Drupal are so tied at the heart, it’s in Dries’s DNA for that to happen.”


    • Drupal gains ground down under
      Computerworld speaks with Drupal's lead developer and several Drupal shops about the open source CMS used in a growing number of organisations around the world, including the Prime Minister’s office.

      [...]

      “It is a great time for open source technologies and Drupal is thriving in this environment.” There are now more than 400,000 Drupal sites around the world, and drupal.org has a million unique visitors per month.


    • How open source levels all software market segments
      In a new study on open-source adoption in the business intelligence (BI) market, it's becoming clear that both the benefits and shortcomings of open source software are nearly universal across all technology segments.








  • Fog Computing

    • Cloudera is to Hadoop as Kleenex is to facial tissues?
      Cloudera is clearing making a credible play to become the commercial brand associated with Apache Hadoop. Not only did Hadoop founder Doug Cutting recently join Cloudera from Yahoo!, Cloudera is set to announce the inaugural Hadoop World Conference, scheduled for October 2nd in NYC. The conference is being organized by Cloudera founder Christophe Bisciglia with sponsorship from Yahoo!, IBM, Intel, eHarmony and Booz Allen Hamilton. The tentative agenda has presentations from, amongst others, Cloudera, Yahoo!, Facebook, IBM, Microsoft, eBay, Visa, About.com, NYTimes and JPMorganChase.


    • Brian Aker discusses Drizzle, DB for the Cloud








Leftovers

  • Interview With William Patry: Understanding How The Copyright Debate Got Twisted
    I think that is no more valid a response than those who offered by filesharers who argue that its OK for them to do what they are doing because the labels screw the artists. Not only does iTunes refute the idea that people just want free stuff, but look at what happened in January of this year when Monty Python started a YouTube channel and gave away free streams of their stuff: their DVD sales on Amazon.com went up 23,000% (not a typo). Here's another example. My wife owns a cafe. She makes espresso there and the guy who makes it used to work at Starbucks. I obviously can get espresso for free there. But I don't, I drive two miles away to a Starbucks store and pay $2.01 for it because I like the way it tastes.


  • Pirate Bay buyer claims it's been smeared
    GLOBAL GAMING FACTORY (GGF), the Swedish firm attempting to buy file sharing site The Pirate Bay, has claimed it has been the subject of a smear campaign orchestrated chiefly by former GGF board member and chief technology officer Johan Sellström.


  • Piratebay sunk? – a look at F.A.C.T and is piracy good for Microsoft?
    FACT, I say to you that I believe whilst you have had an impact (albeit small, since Im constantly being harassed by sellers in our local area) at local car boots and places where counterfeit DVD’s are sold, your stance on file sharing and how you intend to tackle it is, IMO very vague.


  • Music Publishers Group Files Copyright Suit
    The National Music Publishers Association filed copyright-infringement suits against two businesses, including one owned by MySpace cofounder Brad Greenspan, that publish lyrics online for profit.


  • Tall Pay Walls May Limit Community Access to Information
    A number of commentators, led by blogger Alan Mutter, have noted lately that the paid online content bandwagon seems to be stalling into a lot of talk and not much action. But what if newspapers rally and act in unison to make much of what they offer online available only to those who pay?




Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Whistleblowers Explain How Brutal the Latest Cull is (Layoffs in Seconds-Long Calls, Mass Elimination of Whole Studios and High-Level Officials)
we see anonymous leakers or whistleblowers in the media today
 
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GNU/Linux Approaching 5% "Market Share" in Oceania, Almost Trebling in 12 Months
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Gemini Links 16/07/2026: esp32-gemserv, Slop-Contaminated Free Software, and Moving Systems
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Last Summer Microsoft Mass Layoffs Came in Two Large Waves, Rumours Say Next Week Another Large Wave is Coming
If many more Microsoft layoffs are formally admitted next week we will not be surprised
Tomorrow is Another Strike Day at Europe's Second-Largest Institution, the Media is Still Deliberately Ignoring It
Fridays are now recommended “anchor days" for EPO strikes
Public Interest News Foundation Shows News Drought or News Deserts in the United Kingdom
Public Interest News Foundation shows that we should be deeply concerned
Illusions of Choice
Choices can be differently bad or equally bad
Windows Down to 10% in India
Windows is a "burning platform"
One Year Has Passed
Our aim is to repair an injured system wherein "abuse of process" can be turned into a weapon, leveraged even by foreigners who are funded by affluent third parties
Techrights is Annoying People Who Work for (and Serve) People Who Annoy (and Abuse) Society
Working against us (instead of with us) has historically been a bad strategy
No Skinnerboxes, No Slop, No False Idols or Corporate Prophets
Torvalds does not understand the everyday struggles of tech workers and tech users because he is a millionaire
IBM's Next Stop: $199 (Market Cap Already Under 2.5 Times IBM's Debt)
Don't rush to call us "sensationalist" over it
Links 16/07/2026: Solar Greenwashing by Energy-Wasting GAFAM and Growing Concerns About Harm by Social Control Media
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/07/2026: Photography, Agility, and "Today I have Truly Become a Linux User."
Links for the day
Rebellion Brewing at Microsoft
As always, we welcome Microsoft whistleblowers
Technology Against Human Nature
Losing a sense of what it means to be alive
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 15, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 15, 2026
IBM Down to $211.20, the Market in General is Up
No recovery for IBM today
UEFI 'Secure Boot' Still Not Secure in 2026, New Holes (or Bypasses) Still Being Found
In 2026 there are still many people who call it "secure" and pretend to themselves that it is about security. It's not. It never was.
Gemini Links 15/07/2026: Lab 6, Retrospective 2, and "Getting Back Into Gemini"
Links for the day
Links 15/07/2026: "Gianni Infantino Under Fire" and "Todd Blanche's Record Raises Alarming Questions About the Future of the US DOJ"
Links for the day
Allegedly More IBM RAs (Mass Layoffs) Same Day the Stock Crashed
No paper trail, so it never happened, right?
Techrights Was Right: Microsoft's Layoffs Tally Was False, Far More People Are Being Sacked
"The Xbox Bloodbath Is Actually Way Bigger Than It Seems"
Get Ready for Increase in PIPs and RAs at IBM, Red Hat, and Other Companies Devoured by IBM
IBM's "market cap" has just fallen to 199 billion dollars and it has about 70 billion dollars in debt
IBM Sinking to Lowest Levels Since 2024, But Will Any Executives Be Arrested for Securities Fraud?
52-week high of $332.46 and now down to $212.94
Microsoft Whistleblowers Say "The Entire Thing is Going to Fall Apart" and There Are "No Benefits" to Being Part of Microsoft
"Multiple sources, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal"
IBM's Crash Continues Today
Stocks go up and down, but they don't typically go down by over 25% in a single day
Like Kyndryl, Multiple Securities Fraud Investigations Into IBM
Remember what happened to Kyndryl
How Long Before GNU/Linux is Measured at 20% in Chad?
The main way to get people to adopt Vista 11 is to sell them a new PCs and in poor countries it happens a lot less
Making Techrights Faster Down Under (Australia and New Zealand)
there's more to life than speed
Strikes at the EPO Approved for the Rest of the Year, "€1,3 Billion Taken From Staff Income"
Intensity can be revised and increased over time
Focusing on What We Really Ought to Focus on
Today we'll focus mostly on EPO affairs
Violence is Not a Joke
"Police say Widdecombe killing was targeted but motive remains unclear"
How to Properly Measure the Performance of a Patent Office
A "contribution from staff [which] is published by SUEPO Munich."
Who Next After IBM? (Bubbles Don't Last Forever)
the demise of companies with "ai" in their name/domain
EPO "Cocaine Communication Manager" - Part XIV - "Not One of Us" (How the Group Dubbed by EPO Insiders "Alicante Mafia" Pushes Out Talent, Replacing It With Friends)
misuses the EPO's budget like it is a fountain of money for his friends
LibreTech Collective Abandons Microsoft GitHub and All Other Proprietary Software
Each time a project eliminates control by a hostile party it stands to gain
GNU/Linux Estimated at 8% "Market Share" Today (in statCounter)
Days ago it said 7.1%, then 7.3% or 7.4%
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Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/07/2026: Old Computer Challenge, "Trial by Fire", LLM Slop Destroying Companies
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Heshan de Silva-Weeramuni Becomes Program Manager at the Free Software Foundation (FSF)
Heshan's addition means that the FSF is growing after a solid financial year (best in years)
Michael McMahon Explains Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks on the Free Software Foundation (FSF)
The real solution is a curb on botnets. A mitigation strategy, however, would involve going static.
Matters of Public Safety
"Police say Ann Widdecombe killed in 'targeted attack' as motive investigated"
The Register MS and Its Promotional Microsoft Content
It's not too hard to see what the business model of The Register MS is
IBM: From $306 to $212 in 7 Days, IBM Won't Go Up More Than 50% to Where It Was at 'Peak Vapourware'
There's a limit to how much or how long a company can fake its performance and its potential [...] Early this morning a few insiders ("traders") cashed in on their "pump-n-dump"
Red Hat Staff Needs to Start Looking for the Next Job
Workers can conveniently lie or deny it to themselves, but waves of PIPs ("silent layoffs") will sweep over more and more units or teams as the company runs out of money to play with
IBM the Next Bear Stearns
IBM cannot recover if all it has to show is vapourware
IBM Stock Collapses and It's Only the Beginning
Will GAFAM soon follow and will any executives be arrested for the accounting fraud insiders have long cautioned about?
I'll Be Extremely Difficult for Microsoft to Sell Any XBox Consoles Now
Microsoft understands this
How Software Freedom Would Benefit Everybody
A society that denies control by greedy companies would do a disservice to monopolies and improve all services to citizens
Links 14/07/2026: Harsh But Also Fair Criticism of Hey Hi (AI) Slop, 'Open' AI Shuts Down Its Own Products as Funds Run Out
Links for the day
Gemini Links 14/07/2026: Old CD Binder and AWK
Links for the day
In Defence of Physical Tickets
Tickets are not some "app" and not some "code" on some "screen"
Microsoft Layoffs Not Limited to XBox (False Narrative in the Mainstream Media)
Microsoft is becoming less relevant and workforce reductions won't end any time soon
Links 14/07/2026: Plagiarism Spun as "Training", Zelensky Announces Leadership Shuffle
Links for the day
The Register MS Has Just Published "AI" Webspam That Mentions "AI" 54 Times. It Was Paid to Do This.
Who pays for all this "AI" hype or "buzz"?
Gemini Links 14/07/2026: Self-Advocacy Online; "The Internet Is Dead: How the Web Lost Its Human Soul"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 13, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, July 13, 2026
Modern Technology Harms Women More Than Men (Because the 'Tech Bros' Who Dominate STEM Have a Poor View of Women)
“Privacy protects us from abuses by those in power, even if we're doing nothing wrong at the time of surveillance.”
Internet Relay Chat Trolls Are Not Expressing Opinions, They Are Saboteurs
For the record
Links 14/07/2026: "The Freedom of Information Act Is in Serious Trouble"; Irish Datacenters Use Up Almost 25% of Total Energy
Links for the day