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Links 21/12/2009: Sabayon Linux CoreCD 5.1 and Other Releases



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Contents





GNU/Linux

  • Dec 20: #088 - Fresh Ubuntu #1
    Larry appears on the Fresh Ubuntu podcast. Harlem Quijano and Peter Nikolaidis welcome Larry as their guest host for this episode.




  • Kernel Space

    • NVIDIA Linux 2009 Year In Review
      Simple NVIDIA driver fixes this year were scattered all over the board from addressing issues with Plasma in KDE 4.x to fixing up some GPU memory problems that was present in the 180.xx series to cleaning up many other areas of this binary-only driver.








  • Applications







  • Instructionals





  • Distributions

    • Noteworthy changes 30 November – 20 December 2009
      Lots of important changes happened in Mandriva Cooker during the last few weeks. Here is a quick summary:

      * GNOME has been updated to the development version 2.29.3. There is a new game, called LightsOff, Empathy has improved IRC support, Evince supports PDF file attachment annotations and opens each document in a separate process, more and more applications support Seed and more applications have been ported to new APIs such as GtkBuilder. * KDE is now at version 4.4 beta 1.




    • New Releases

      • Sabayon Linux CoreCD 5.1 x86/x86-64 Released
        The Sabayon Linux CoreCD 5.1 release is available for download now at Sabayon’s mirror sites:http://www.sabayonlinux.org/mirrors

        This updated release keeps with the tradition of the CoreCD 4.2 release. The CoreCD is designed with a minimalistic feature set to provide a foundation for building a customized installation tailored to the users specific needs.


      • Absolute 13.0.5 released
        Also removed Brasero (CD Burning) as it is too dependent upon Gnome and switched to simpler xfburn. Has a few xfce-related dependencies but these are small and also allow easier development for users if they want to use the libraries. You may also notice that wxGTK libraries are in the base install, used by the the chm help viewer and also support Audacity, now compiled and sitting on CD2 in the multimedia folder.


      • Parsix GNU/Linux 3.0r1 `Kev` has been released
        The first update version of Parsix GNU/Linux 3.0 aka `Kev` is available for immediate download. This version merges all security and bug fix updates published on the APT repositories.


      • Parted Magic 4.7
        Parted Magic 4.7 adds and removes some programs and fixes a few bugs.


      • kademar Linux (formerly K-DEMar) 4.9.1


      • StartCom Linux 5.04








    • Red Hat Family

      • Week Ahead: Oil, Retail, Housing Ahead of Christmas
        Tech companies reporting next week include electronics-component maker Jabil Circuit (JBL) on Monday and memory-chip maker Micron Technology Inc. (MU) and open-software developer Red Hat Inc. (RHT), both Tuesday.


      • Fedora 13 all set for the Rocketry Artwork
        By now you would know that the next Fedora release, Fedora 13, will be named "Goddard", after the famous Rocket scientist Robert H Goddard. After deciding on the name, fedora contributors have started working on the designs, themes and other artwork for the next release. There are a few ideas in the air about Rocketry related artwork but they are also looking of other fedora users and enthusiasts to come up with their more innovative stuff.


      • Acer Adventure 6: Fedora
        Smooth and easy. That's how Linux should be. My compliments to the UNetbootin author, and to the Fedora team, for a painless experience!








    • Debian Family

      • Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 173
        Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #173 for the week December 13th - December 19th, 2009. In this issue we cover: Mark Shuttleworth: My new focus at Canonical, Lucid Community Team Plans, Michal Zajac (quintasan) Interview, Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Notification, New update coming for the Ubuntu Israeli website, Ubuntu Catalan: What a LoCo November, James Westby: Ubuntu Distributed Development Overview, Ubuntuforums: In a month, Ubuntu's Jono Bacon: Managing an Open Source Community, Cloud-oriented netbook distro arrives in beta, and much, much more!












  • Devices/Embedded

    • New AVR simulator for Linux
      simavr is a software simulator for the AVR line of microcontrollers. You might be asking why anyone would write this sort of thing considering the simulator provided with AVR Studio is a wonderful tool? Well, a lot of folks don’t run Windows and don’t wish to use that development environment even if Wine or Virtualbox could make it happen.


    • Nokia N900 Review
      Nokia N900 is the final product which opens up a new path for the Finnish smartphone producer. After Google, which launched its new open source operating system for mobile phones, Nokia raised the stakes a few months later with its own vision, which is called Maemo. Android OS, as well as Maemo are both based on the well-known Linux platform, but they are pretty much different because they are the results of two different working teams. Before getting into more in-depth information, do not overlook the fact that we will be reviewing an Internet tablet, with some limited phone capabilities.




    • Sub-notebooks

      • Wolverton: A new generation of computer tablets is on its way
        In San Francisco, a startup company called Fusion Garage showed off the JooJoo, a touch-screen device that looks like the iPhone's big brother. The JooJoo is one of the first of a new generation of tablet computers expected to hit store shelves in the coming year.


      • Asus eeetop 2002 and Ubuntu
        After much deliberation I settled on a black friday Amazon deal, $431 for an Asus Eee Top ET2002 (video review) with free shipping. This is an all in one box with a 20″ monitor, Atom 330 processor, and 2gb of RAM , and ~240gb drive. This is quite an amazing deal so I went with it. Having seen one of these at an Ubuntu booth at Ontario Linuxfest I was confident that everything would just work. Keep in mind at this price this is the non-touchscreen screen. (EDIT: Correction to the price, this PC was $431, not $331, that would be ridiculous!)










Free Software/Open Source

  • Five things Free Software has taught me
    I’ve been in Free Software for a few years now and learned a ton from it. Sure, I learned how to use new types of software, became efficient on them, and honed my programming skills, but stopping there would be missing the point. Free software has so much more to offer than just computing and technical benefits. In fact, the technical side is the least important thing I’ve learned from my experiences. Free Software has brought me far beyond knowledge of its source code and taught me lessons I will value for a lifetime.

    1. Centralized control isn’t worth it

    When one single governing body gains absolute control over something, it is only a matter of time before that governing body increases its power tremendously. Many times, it does this in order to avoid vice, but counterintuitively, only ends up creating more of it in the process. Take any modern established proprietary software company that started out in the 60’s or 70’s for example. These software companies were revolutionary in their decision not to share their software for the benefit of learning, but rather, keep it a secret in order to make money from it. As time went on, the companies began imposing slightly harsher methods upon users in an attempt to foil the plans of those who refused to pay. This was the beginning of techniques such as license keys. As users developed ways around the methods, the methods kept getting progressively harsher, severely punishing casual proprietary software users who had been legally using and paying full price for the software since the beginning.


  • 10 questions to ask when selecting open source products for your enterprise
    To make sure you realize all the benefits of open source, run these simple background checks on an open source project.


  • Doing research with open source tools
    This edition of Netspeak features a few open source tools that facilitate the research process with special reference to the free statistical software ‘R’.


  • Independent Appeal: Bridging the digital divide for the blind of Kenya
    Open-source software – free-to-use programs donated by developers which can then be customised to particular needs – has proved to be a boon. Computer Aid has employed its own research and development officer, Ugo Vallauri, to collect feedback from African users.

    Putting a Braille machine in front of a child costs an initial $600 (€£375). A digital book stored on a USB stick with open-source software to read aloud to the child costs about $3. "This has been a big step for us," says Martin Kieti, the head of KUB. "We're looking at a 95 per cent reduction in costs."


  • `BI, next wave in the BFSI sector'
    Open Source: Such software has a great opportunity to benefit, because more and more organisations realise the importance of BI as a key business strategy, even while striving to keep a check on the huge licensing and maintenance costs associated with commercial software.


  • Open Source Part 2—Human Rights
    One example is Sahana, a free and open source disaster management system. This Web-based collaboration tool addresses the common coordination problems during a disaster, such as finding missing people, managing aid and volunteers, tracking camps effectively between government groups, the civil society (NGOs), and the victims themselves.




  • CMS

    • Drupal tattoo
      As part of my annual Drupal prediction, I was going to predict that in 2010, someone would get a Drupal tattoo. Of course, Kristof De Jaeger (aka swentel), fast as always, would get one just before the start of the new year. Who else has a Drupal tattoo?


    • Oh great, another Wordpress update and now it’s 2.9!
      Another fantastic addition to 2.9 is the Wordpress image editor. With this, you can edit an image inside Wordpress, like cropping, flipping and do more magical stuff that no other blogging platform can do.

      What I like most about 2.9 is the batch plugin update. You can update 5, 10 or even 20 plugins at the same time with just one click. Now that’s what makes WP2.9 really awesome!








  • Licensing

    • It's All About The License
      As director of intellectual property strategy for the Linux Foundation and an attorney at Choate Hall & Stewart, Karen Copenhaver knows a bit about open source software licensing. She recently spoke with Dr. Dobb's editor in chief Jonathan Erickson.

      Dr. Dobb's: Are open source and public domain the same thing?

      Copenhaver: Not at all. Open source licenses are granted by the copyright holder and the license is an exercise of the copyright. In order to enjoy the benefits of the license, you must comply with its terms. If you don't comply with the license, you're not licensed--and another word for unlicensed use is "infringement."








Leftovers

  • The Only Good Things During the 2000s Happened In Technology
    If it wasn't for technology, I'd be tempted to leave a note for future time travelers to please, somehow erase the years 1999-2009 from all memory and reality. But even though every other culture and category is weeping in its collective beer, the 2000s might go down in history as the best decade ever for technology!


  • Nvidia boss: Intel suit to 'transform computer industry'
    "Today's FTC announcement highlights the industry-changing impact of the GPU and the importance of our work," he says. "Our innovation is making the PC magical and amazing again. I can now imagine the day when Intel can no longer block consumers from enjoying our creation and experience computing in a way we know is possible."


  • Haiti's largest political party banned from election process
    The Obama administration "artfully pursues a policy of smiles and handshakes all around while undermining democratic forces through proxies whenever the opportunity arises." Washington reserves its rawest deceits for the small countries of the Americas like Honduras and Haiti.

    [...]

    The Haitian government-under-US/UN-occupation has again excluded Haiti's largest political party from participating in upcoming elections financed, orchestrated and supported by the United States and the International Community. This time, the February and March 2010 legislative elections where the 99 seats in the Parliament's Chamber of Deputies will be at stake, along with, one-third (10) of the 30-member Senate seats.


  • Google expands tracking to logged out users
    Anyone who's a regular Google search user will know that the only way to avoid the company tracking your online activities is to log out of Gmail or whatever Google account you use. Not any more.




  • Environment

    • Ahead of Copenhagen Talks, Tens of Thousands Protest Across Europe Calling for Climate Justice
      While protests are expected to start later this week in Copenhagen, tens of thousands of people marched throughout Europe on Saturday calling on world leaders to reach an agreement to reduce emissions in Copenhagen. Protesters took to the streets in Belfast, Glasgow, Paris, Brussels, Berlin and London. The largest protest was in London, where organizers of the Stop Climate Chaos protest put the crowd total at 50,000. Participants in the march included Britain Climate and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, actor Peter Capaldi and former BBC weather presenter Michael Fish.






  • Finance

    • Hedge Fund Founder's Ex-Wife Files Suit Accusing Him of Insider Trading
      The ex-wife of Wall Street magnate Steven Cohen, founder of the $13 billion hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors, has filed a civil racketeering suit against Cohen in which she accuses him of committing insider trading violations.

      The suit, according to The New York Times, was filed Wednesday in federal district court in Manhattan under a civil version of RICO laws used mostly against organized crime figures. The suit accuses Cohen of understating his income during divorce proceedings and hiding money from his ex-wife, Patricia. She is seeking $300 million. Her attorney, Paul Batista, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. An attorney for Cohen could not immediately be located.


    • Even Bigger Than Too Big to Fail
      Citigroup’s planned exit from the bailout — like Bank of America’s earlier this month — would be welcome if the banks were the picture of health. But their main motive is to get out from under the bailout’s pay caps and other restraints. The Treasury Department’s approval is a grim reminder of the political power of the banks, even as the economy they did so much to damage continues to struggle.


    • Spitzer, Partnoy, Black Call for AIG Open Source Investigation (and Goldman Implications)
      Why has there been NO serious investigation of ANY kind of the recipient of such extraordinary taxpayer largesse? Why has virtually NOTHING been demanded of them? Why the unseemly rush to let them off the hook and let them “pay back the TARP”? This is completely unwarranted in the case of AIG, which has had its deal with the government retraded in AIG’s favor a full four times. Why has AIG at every turn gotten a better and better deal, each time at the public’s expense, and is now allowed to lobby that it should be freed of its obligations? No private sector lender would allow a troubled borrower that could not meet its commitments to renegotiate and get IMPROVED terms. The inability to meet the terms of the original funding (one on terms private sector lenders were willing to consider, and that per Sorkin, AIG itself proposed) only strengthens the case to continue with the original plan, which is to break up AIG and sell the pieces for what they can fetch. This is the course that would yield the highest returns to the public, and that program will not produce a systemic event, which should be the ONLY offsetting consideration. There is no business rationale to have an agglomeration of diverse insurance businesses, particularly one that has been as badly managed as AIG (Sorkin’s account also reveals a shocking lack of financial and operational controls).








  • AstroTurf

    • Bryan Cave Partner Chosen for Commerce Post
      Kevin Wolf, a partner in the Washington office of Bryan Cave who raised money for President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, is the president's pick for a top trade position.








  • Internet/Censorship/Web Abuse/Rights

    • Public Officials Sue for Right to Be Secret
      I make no bones about my ferocity in support of open government. I believe religiously in the time-honored words spoken in 1933 by Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, "Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant." I write about open meetings and public records issues at my Media Law blog and lobby around them on behalf of my state's newspaper association.

      [...]

      Thus, it should surprise no one that I consider it outrageous that a coalition of Texas municipalities and elected officials have filed a federal lawsuit claiming they have a First Amendment right to conduct the public's business in secret. The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Pecos, by four Texas cities and 15 elected officials, alleges that the Texas Open Meetings Act violates officials' free speech rights by preventing them from speaking in private on issues facing the public. No, I'm not making this up.








  • Intellectual Monopolies/Copyrights

    • Sarkozy's cronies make song and dance of it
      The video is not only an unwanted internet triumph – it has got the Jeunes Populaires into legal hot water. The group obtained permission to use the song, written and recorded by the French-Canadians Luc Plamondon and Christian St-Roch in 1976. By mistake, the video used another version, recorded recently by a Quebec singer, Marie-Mai. Legal negotiations are in progess.










Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day



Joerg Heilig, Sun Microsystems Senior Engineering Director talks about OpenOffice.org 05 (2004)

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

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