Links 31/3/2012: Wine 1.5.1, Valve for Linux
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2012-03-31 16:08:35 UTC
- Modified: 2012-03-31 16:08:35 UTC
Contents
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Audiocasts/Shows
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Kernel Space
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Qualcomm has clarified their views today regarding the presentation of two of their Atheros developers proposing that all proprietary drivers be killed for good across all platforms and replaced with open-source drivers.
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As the latest work queued up for merging in the Linux 3.4 kernel is the Btrfs file-system pull, which Chris Mason describes as "pretty big, picking up patches that have been under development for some time."
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This board is certainly capable of single digit power draw, at least with certain specific setups. With Linux, running the latest kernel (at least 3.3.0) is recommended to achieve lower power consumption. MeeGo with it's included proprietary xorg driver for CedarView Atoms shows that Linux can achieve similarly low power draw as Windows 7 with an optimized graphics driver. What remains to be seen is if the Linux kernel developers will have access to enough information about the PowerVR SGX 545 GPU core to enable them to incorporate all power saving features of this GPU into the Linux kernel DRM driver.
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Applications
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Want to learn the art of writing a screenplay? Check out Trelby, open source screenwriting software you can try right now if you’re a Linux or Windows user.
Whether you’re an aspiring writer or a planning on becoming a YouTube star, knowing how to write a script is an essential skill. It’s possible, of course, to write a screenplay using Microsoft Word, but using software built for screenplays saves a lot of time. Formatting for screenplays is very specific, so why waste time imitating it? It will just frustrate you, distracting you from your writing.
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Instructionals/Technical
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Wine
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Games
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Do you want to play a game with extreme violence in a background populated with characters that are American Caricatures ?
Welcome to Postal 2.
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Desktop Environments
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K Desktop Environment/KDE SC)
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A few months ago I took a look at KDE-Telepathy from within Fedora Rawhide. I said I would check it out after upgrading to Fedora 16 and then I got busy getting ready for the arrival of my daughter. (my first kid) So I just kept using Kopete for my multi-protocol IM needs. It’s the only way I keep up with anyone on Gchat or Facebook chat because I refuse to have to keep any specific tab open on my web browser for chatting. Also, it tends to be more annoying to chat – instead of chatting in a small window that I can put off to the corner of whatever virtual desktop or activity I’m in, I’d need my entire web browser.
But recently I came across this blog post in planet KDE that talks about what’s coming in KDE-Telepathy 0.4. I really like logging for my chats because it can be very useful to go back and look for a reference or a URL that someone mentions. So, even though there isn’t an easy way to view the logs right now, the fact that the logs are being saved was enough to allow me to over to KDE-Telepathy. I’m also really excited for the Gchat-like interface coming in 0.4. It’s mentioned in that previous link as well as here.
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GNOME Desktop
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There's a new simulation game in town and this one is aimed straight for the Linux user. With Linux Tycoon, you can design, build, and manage your very own Linux distribution and compete with other distros for users. "Basically take all the fun parts of building your own Linux Distro... and take out all the work. Bam! Instant entertainment!"
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Red Hat Family
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Red Hat Inc. (RHT) jumped 15 percent after the software maker forecast earnings that beat analysts’ estimates.
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Debian Family
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The Debian Project is pleased to announce that it is joining the Open Source Initiative ("OSI") as an affiliate. The OSI was founded in 1998 by Eric S. Raymond and Bruce Perens, with the aim of explaining, advocating, and protecting the term "open source". Debian shares the OSI's desire to encourage Free Software. Debian's Social Contract commits it to producing a system which is 100% free.
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Derivatives
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Canonical/Ubuntu
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A quick update: we’ve uploaded digital versions of the latest issue and our previous issue to Ubuntu’s Software Centre, and we’ll try to do the same for future issues as well.
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Depending upon your hardware, the power consumption when running Ubuntu 12.04 LTS can either be at its best or worst. Here's a look at the two power consumption extremes of the Precise Pangolin.
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I’ve been an Xfce user since 2004, this post from last year documents my UI adventures. It’s been my Desktop Environment of choice for my whole professional career as a systems administrator and I’m very set in my ways configuration-wise at work. These days I help out with the Xubuntu team on marketing, website, release notes and testing. I really love Xfce and I’ll continue to use it and contribute to Xubuntu (we had our beta2 today too, and formal release of our new branding!).
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Almost there! Day by day we are getting closer to the final stable release of Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin the long term support release. Today the second beta release is available to download for the testing purposes. So, let’s check the recent changes to Ubuntu Precise Pangolin highlights.
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The Ninja Block not only runs on open software, but it itself is open hardware, with designs available under Creative Commons. It also includes a 3D printed case. Prices start at $155 AUD ($160 USD, €£100 GBP) for the basic device, with external sensors costing more. You can pre-order from the Ninja Blocks website.
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Phones
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Sub-notebooks/Tablets
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According to a report in The Wall Street Journal citing "people familiar with the matter," Google intends to go head-to-head with Apple's iPad by selling co-branded Android tablets. Google, of course, has its hands tied with regard to its lofty goals to become a big player on the hardware scene, as it waits for its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility to be approved. Is Google biting off more than it can chew with its smartphone and tablet plans?
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The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) announced that Apache Rave, the organization’s open-source mashup platform, has graduated from the incubator to become a top-level project.
The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) announced that Apache Rave, the organization's open-source mashup engine, has graduated from the Apache Incubator to become a top-level project (TLP).
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Web Browsers
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Mozilla
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Ever wonder where the phrase “jump the shark” came from? It’s dates back to the once wildly popular TV show Happy Days. It’s widely accepted that the show lost its way, and its audience, in an episode where the lovable hero “Fonzie” jumps a shark on water skis in a pathetic attempt to keep the audience’s attention. I wonder how if Firefox jumped the shark when its parent company Mozilla decided to put Firefox on a hyper-accelerated release schedule last summer. Today, five releases later, Firefox keeps falling farther behind Google’s Chrome in popularity, it’s not very stable, and it can’t keep up with Chrome in speed.
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Public Services/Government
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The United States and India jointly launched a new Web portal to distribute an open source software applications to help governments manage and release their data to the public, according to an announcement on March 30.
The “Open Government Platform” website will make available code, tools and processes to government agencies and to developers, analysts, media, academia and the public to make government data more transparent and useful, officials said in the news releases.
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Openness/Sharing
Recent Techrights' Posts
- GNU/Linux Measured at All-Time High in Sweden
- Can 'influencers' have played a role
- GNU/Linux Becoming More Universal
- It seems likely the end of Vista 10 coinciding with a sharp rise in memory prices (and now energy prices) will benefit GNU/Linux and therefore give us more to write about
- Can Economies Like the American One Hang On?
- The coming weeks will be "interesting" unless wars end
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- SLAPP Censorship - Part 32 Out of 200: Garrett Made Spurious Requests (Later Withdrawn) the Same Week Someone He Later Spoke to by E-mail Sent Threats to Our Webhost
- The "plot thickens" because there's a multi-party tag-team act, as confirmed by Garrett after he had sworn on the Bible
- IBM is a Dying Company, Nowadays It Kills Red Hat With Slop
- when your last day is a national holiday in IBM's country
- "Independence Drives" and Community-Run Sites
- Independence in reporting is a much-valued trait
- When Charlatans Are Only Good at Losing Money and Storytelling (e.g. About Investment in Them)
- Wait till a a barrel of oil costs $300
- What Apple Fans Are Missing
- Apple is a bad company
- The "Pale Blue Dot" Moment Had Returned
- To many people, the "bitter-sweet" observation of how small we are
- Saudi Arabia Does Not Rely Much on Microsoft/Windows
- Putting aside politics, this is good for Free software
- Almost 12 Years of Exposing Corruption in Europe's Second-Largest Institution
- The "unready" President is now an abandoned President
- Easter Moon Mission and Its Reminder of IBM's Demise
- A lot of NASA operations now rely on GNU/Linux
- When Power is Scarce and GNU/Linux Has Power
- In Cuba, GNU/Linux has long enjoyed high adoption rates
- Don't Totally Dismiss the 'Survivalists'
- 'Survivalists' or similar terms are used to describe a particular mindset of people who prepare for some really awful scenarios
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 02, 2026
- IRC logs for Thursday, April 02, 2026
- A Much Better Use of Fuel Than Slop
- Something positive for a change
- Hoping for Peace
- There are still many things to be enjoyed, including nature and kind people
- Gemini Links 03/04/2026: "Slide Rule Triple Multiplication" and End of "Picture Pages"
- Links for the day
- Rumours of Microsoft Layoffs This Season
- Just how much trouble is Microsoft in at this point?
- SLAPP Censorship - Part 31 Out of 200: Speaking About 20+ Years of Alleged Harassment/Defamation and High-Profile 'Targets' of Garrett
- attempts were made to settle (in effect end the case) by the person who started the case almost half a dozen times along the way
- In Asia, Windows is in Its Teens (Below 20%)
- On a global scale, Windows is down to about 26%
- Low Morale at IBM and Perception of Destructive Management
- IBM is going nowhere, fast
- Gemini Links 02/04/2026: Super Mario Galaxy Movie and New Antenna Instance
- Links for the day
- It Seems Like Google News Cracked Down on (Omitted, Delisted) a Lot of Slopfarms
- There's no justification/point in spending so much energy just to plagiarise things poorly
- Steam Survey for Last Month Says 5.33% Use GNU/Linux
- big leap for GNU/Linux
- Links 02/04/2026: Science News, Energy Scarcity, Oil Sold in Yuan
- Links for the day
- Links 02/04/2026: Apple Turns 50, Efforts To Ban VPNs
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 02/04/2026: Kubernetes With FreeBSD, OFFLFIRSOCH, and Great Circle Distance
- Links for the day
- Dr. Andy Farnell on Microsoft Silencing or Deplatforming Opposition in the UK and Elsewhere
- Microsoft as a king or a kind of "religion" one cannot question
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 01, 2026
- IRC logs for Wednesday, April 01, 2026
- SLAPP Censorship - Part 30 Out of 200: The Time We Reported Abuse to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and It Was Escalated to Its Cybercrime Unit
- he started trolling and harassing me for criticising his employers' monopolistic and users-hostile agenda
- 'Modern' Cars Not a Rosy Industry
- The current "modern" cars already have a shelf life similar to that of many toothpastes
- Wrongthink Detector and Filter in "Think About the Children" Clothing
- It is not about "age verification", it's a Trojan horse for social control
- IBM Facilities Now Deemed Legitimate (Military) Target, Along With GAFAM Bases
- Does IBM have any defences in place to protect against "downtime by explosions"?
- What Happens When Some Large News Sites Turn to Slop and Spew Out Nonsense
- LLM slop makes such grotesque mistakes abundant
- Hardly Seeing Slopfarms Today, Even in Google News
- Google's adventures with slop increased its debt significantly
- Links 01/04/2026: Quantum Hype (Turing and Google), "US Fuel Prices Surge Past $4 a Gallon"
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 01/04/2026: "Sacred Week of Cycling" and Zenity for Scripts
- Links for the day
- Losing Debian: Sruthi Chandran election flop
- Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
- French judgment: parasitisme by FSFE & Matthias Kirschner (CO23.002709)
- Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
- Microsoft Uses April Fools to 'Joke' About Inserting "Age Verification" (Surveillance) Into Linux
- MinceR says the "lkml [message/page] one is April Fools or at least they're trying to pass it off as April Fools [however] the [GitHub] one was archived on the 8th and yesterday, so that probably isn't..."
- IBM "Headcount Reductions" by Early Retirement and Death
- The tragedy at IBM started 33 years ago on the first of April
- Red Hat: Latin-1 character set under threat from Bishop Michael Martin, North Carolina
- Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
- Links 01/04/2026: Microsoft GitHub Now Pushing Ads Into People's Code/Commits, Earth Overshoot Day Draws Nearer
- Links for the day
- What IBM and EPO Workers Have in Common: European Media Not Covering Very Major News (Press Became Dysfunctional)
- Are IBM operatives working to scuttle the process of investigative journalism?
- Free Speech in the United Kingdom When "Chilling Effect" is Increasingly Prevalent
- If politicians cannot even use a term like "parasitic behaviour", then where do we as a society end up?
- Oracle Lays Off Because of Debt and Commercial Issues, Not Slop
- Like Scam Altman, Larry Ellison hangs around Cheeto King because he could use some bailouts in the form of government contracts or phony money with an incredible name like "Stargate"
- The Real Reason Many Sites and Forums Shun Microsoft Lunduke
- When forums say that they banned Microsoft Lunduke or don't want him mentioned it's probably because they are familiar with the "stench" that follows him around
- Gemini Links 01/04/2026: Hallucinations, Stitching, and Type Systems
- Links for the day
- Lots of Layoffs at IBM, "Media Blackout" About Mass Layoffs at IBM's HashiCorp and Confluent Last Month
- IBM is a dying company circling down the drain while manipulating or paying the media to pretend everything is fine
- Microsoft Under Investigation by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for Abusive Tactics
- What's noteworthy is that this is "set to begin in May"
- Sounds Like Red Hat (IBM) Layoffs in Slop Clothing
- This is an IBM policy. They try to justify staff cuts.
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
- IRC logs for Tuesday, March 31, 2026
