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Links 16/2/2013: New Fuduntu, Sabayon Linux





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Contents





GNU/Linux

  • The Ultimate Operating System
    Microsoft should use a Linux base for an OS. Right, now I've got the awful part of saying it out the way I'll go into detail about how and why I think this would be such a good idea. For everyone. Yes, including Microsoft.

    OK, here goes. I'm not going to go into the ideals and fundamentals of open-source, freedom, free software and all the stuff that Linux represents, that's everywhere else, and I really don't have time. For this post I'm only interested in the ideals. Henceforth I present my case m'lud.


  • Applications



    • Instructionals/Technical



    • Games

      • Top 10 Best Games on Steam for Linux So Far
        Steam for Linux has already garnered quite a few interesting games, but some of them will stand out due to their quality. We compiled a list of the most interesting titles that are working right now and have the most potential.

        The list is not put together in any particular order, but it does respect one condition. All the games mentioned here are working and are not in Beta, with one guilty exception.






  • Desktop Environments/WMs



    • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt



    • GNOME Desktop/GTK



      • Gnome 3.8 on Ubuntu 13.04!
        Testing and even using not-ready-yet technology of tomorrow is something that characterizes almost any Gnome user out there.

        Many of us want to see the new exciting changes that the 3.8 release will bring, test the new features and see how the new version our favorite DE is evolving in almost real time.


      • GNOME Shell 3.6.3 release fixes 4 major bugs


      • My favorite GNOME Hackers for 2012 ;)
        This post is about two months late and just one day after IGNOME Valentine’s Day ..and is pure gossip ;)

        The girl on the left, is Karen Sandler and she is my personal favorite Gnomer for 2012!

        This hasn’t to do anything about good or bad developers or how significant their contribution is in GNOME. Therefore I am not including people as Bastien Nocera, Matthias Clasen, Emmanuele Bassi, Florian Mullner and others. As a matter of fact I am including only people I have talked with. The order is totally random, with the exception of Karen and Jasper, which I place them in first position ;)






  • Distributions

    • Review: Chakra 2013.02 "Benz"
      It's been a while since I looked at Chakra, so I was thinking now might be a good time to do that. Plus, KDE 4.10 just came out with a whole bunch of new features and fixes, so I wanted to check that out too. So this is the subject of today's review.

      I've tried Chakra a number of times before. It was originally derived from Arch, but since a couple years ago it has been developed in a fully independent manner. It uses a "semi-rolling" release model, in which applications like Mozilla Firefox and other front-end features like KDE are updated on a rolling basis, while core system components are held to be more stable.


    • New Releases



      • Zorin OS 6.2 Lite is released
        The Zorin OS Team have released Zorin OS 6.2 Lite, the latest evolution of the Zorin OS Lite series of operating systems, designed specifically for Windows users utilizing old or low-powered hardware. This release is based on Lubuntu 12.04.2 and uses the LXDE desktop environment to provide one of the fastest and most feature-packed interfaces for low-spec machines. This new release includes newly updated software out-of-the-box. We also include our innovative Zorin Look Changer, Zorin Internet Browser Manager, Zorin OS Lite Extra Software and other programs from our earlier versions in Zorin OS 6.2 Lite.




    • Gentoo Family

      • Press Release: Sabayon 11


      • Sabayon 11 Review
        The 11'th iteration of Sabayon has been released, as Fabio Erculiani announced on the official Sabayon page, stating that "this is a release you cannot miss!"

        Those who don't know, Sabayon Linux is a Gentoo-based rolling-release Linux distribution created by Fabio Erculiani that pursues the "Out of the box" thinking that's available in both x86 and x64 architectures. It comes in many flavours and is available for users of all the leading Desktop Enviroments like KDE, GNOME, MATE, XFCE, and others.


      • Sabayon Linux 11 Released




    • Red Hat Family

      • Red Hat Releases OpenShift 1.1
        Red Hat has announced the release of version 1.1 of OpenShift which brings a number of enhancements and updates. OpenShift Enterprise 1.1 features a fully supported developer console that enables application deployment via a web browser, in addition to OpenShift Enterprise’s CLI and Eclipse IDE interfaces.


      • Fedora

        • Steam for Fedora Now Available
          Valve gave the best Valentine Day gift to its fans (to be precise Linux fans) by launching the Steam for Linux client officially. The company is endorsing Ubuntu Linux at the moment as it finds easier to focus on one product when it is experimenting.


        • Fedora 18: Graphical Installer Horror
          I am usually quick to write an article or something on the latest Ubuntu or Fedora release. But for Red Hat’s new Fedora 18 operating system, I thought I’d hold off a little and read some other users opinions before I make my own final call of judgement. Reading others opinions and reviews prompted me to check it out for myself due to the mixed reactions that I read. To be blunt,

          Fedora 18 is a horrible release. Let me explain the issues that I encountered with the latest update.






    • Debian Family



      • Derivatives



        • Canonical/Ubuntu

          • Finally It's Steam for Linux But Only Officially for Ubuntu


          • Ubuntu Developer Preview for Nexus 4, Galaxy Nexus arrives February 21st
            As was promised, enthusiasts and developers will be able to flash Ubuntu onto their Galaxy Nexus' before the end of the month. Canonical has announced that the Developer Preview of the new operating system will be released on February 21st. The surprise, however, is that the company has added support for the Nexus 4, and users with the latest Nexus phone will be able to download and flash Ubuntu onto their devices on the 21st as well. Additionally, the source code for the operating system and the tools needed to flash phones will come out on that date.


          • What Ubuntu Phone Apps Should Look Like
            Canonical is working on creating a pleasant experience on Ubuntu Phone, which is expected to be released later this year. The company made a call for collaboration on core apps and according to Mika Meskanen of Canonical the response has been great. This response encouraged the team to help those developers and designer who are working on core apps.


          • Ubuntu for Phones Hits Developers Next Week
            Canonical — the company behind the Ubuntu project — announced that the Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu will be available for the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4 on Feb. 21, 2013.

            Canonical says the Touch Developer Preview is designed for enthusiasts and developers — giving them a chance to "familiarize themselves with Ubuntu's smartphone experience and develop applications on spare handsets."

            Even better, Canonical will install the new OS on the phones of developers who want it and are attending Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona Feb. 25-28.


          • Flavours and Variants

            • Fuduntu 2013.1 in my production setup!
              Remember the perfect grade that Fuduntu got in my earlier review? Well, it's not gonna happen this time. There are three reasons for that. One, it's too easy to enable the Testing repository and screw your system. Two, the package manager needs more rework, namely being more flexible and responsive, having fewer issues with the locking, allowing easier, friendlier and more robust search, and allowing a smooth, seamless installation of the graphics drivers without the user having to resort to any command line tricks and tweaks. Lastly, the Nvidia driver installation was not flawless.

              At the end of the day, I was having a badass distro that was fast, light, beautiful, and modern, but the cost was some pain, several hours of time lost, and the knowledge that a pristine setup is impossible. Overall, Fuduntu 2013.1 did what I needed, and I had my Nvidia drivers in place. I do not regret my decision to include this distribution in my setup, and the decision stays. But there's more work needed, especially under the hood, to make sure that nothing goes wrong in multi-boot setups, blessed with tons of proprietary drivers. All that said, Fuduntu 2013.1 is still an awesome product.

              To conclude this review, yes, another revolution did happen. I am running a Fedora-based distribution in my setup. It's bleeding edge, it's fast, modern, light, elegant, and comes with a mighty punch of programs, including Steam and Netflix. That's nothing you can sneeze at. Fuduntu 2013.1 promises to be a big player in the Linux arena, and it sure has the capability to stand alongside Ubuntu and friends without feeling antiquated or complex or anything of that sort. The ultimate question of long-term support and relevance remains, the ability to remain flexible and adapt to changes, as well as iron out all and any bugs in the user space that could lead to systems being unbootable, botched or both. If this can happen, then Fuduntu 2013.1 could very well become No.1 Linux distro. for now, with this test concluded, it gets 9/10. Almost perfect. So damn close.












  • Devices/Embedded





Free Software/Open Source



  • Adobe Photoshop v 1.0 Source Code Published
    The Computer History Museum has made available the source code of version 1.0.1 of Photoshop for non-commercial use. Adobe Photoshop is the magic software which redefined the image manipulation. This 20 year old software which was first written for Apple's Mac in pascal has become a verb.


  • An Open Source Prodigal Returns
    A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to spend my days working with and talking about Open Source software. It was exhilarating while it lasted, but after a few years, I had to return to product-based professional services to make a living.


  • Oracle/Java/LibreOffice

    • The State of Open Source Office Software in 2013
      If the arrival of Windows 8 opened new doors for Linux in the world of desktop operating systems last fall, then it seems fair to say that the recent arrival of Microsoft Office 2013 and Office 365 has surely done something similar for free and open source office suites.




  • Education



  • Openness/Sharing



    • Open Access/Content

      • Former Copyright Registers: We Must Limit Fair Use At Public Universities, For The Poor Publishers Who Are Paying Us To Say This
        We've written a few times now about an important case involving fair use within university libraries and their "e-reserves." It involves some academic publishers (Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and Sage Publications) suing the Georgia State University for daring to allow professors to designate content such that it can be checked out electronically, just like they would with physical content. The publishers demand to be paid extra for such things, because the key to things going digital, to them, is the ability to get paid multiple times for what used to be free. The court eventually came out with a detailed and complex ruling that found most of the e-reserves to be fair use. We had some concerns about some seemingly arbitrary "tests" that the judge came up with, but on the whole were encouraged by the strong fair use support.




    • Open Hardware

      • This Open-Source, Robotic Tentacle Will Haunt Your Dreams
        In the underground world of robotic tentacle makers, there are two rules: 1) don’t talk about underground tentacle-making and 2) don’t talk about underground tentacle-making. Both of those rules have been shattered by Matthew Borgatti, a robotics designer who has created a life-like, 3D-printed tentacle that flails around quite disturbingly using Arduino boards and a set of mini air compressors.







  • Standards/Consortia

    • Multistakeholder WCIT
      The article of Klimburg overlooks that ITU-T is a multistakeholder organisation and European players embark on a cybersovereignty approach, simply because the multistakeholderism of the US does not give them a fair share, still they cannot support an expansion of power for ITU world governance: In a world with more than 200 nations “world governance” leads to hypocrite political corruption, nurtures a political class that at best trickles down the “capacity building and technical assistance” in their nation.






Leftovers



  • Science



  • Security



    • Famed US hacker helps Ecuador secure its vote
      Kevin Mitnick, who once gained notoriety as America's most wanted computer hacker, now heads a thriving Internet consultancy tasked with helping keep Sunday's presidential elections in Ecuador secure.

      "Eighteen years ago I was busted for hacking. I do the same thing today but with full authorization. How cool is that?" Mitnick wrote on his @kevinmitnick Twitter account on the eve of the vote.




  • Defence/Police/Secrecy/Aggression



  • Cablegate



    • [2010] Why does PPE rule Britain?
      It is the degree of choice for the Westminster elite, claiming six cabinet members and three Labour leadership contenders among its alumni. Why does Oxford's politics, philosophy and economics course dominate public life?


    • Cost of monitoring Julian Assange running at €£6m a year
      The full cost to Scotland Yard of preventing Julian Assange from escaping from the Ecuador embassy was disclosed yesterday as €£2.9 million.

      The figure, released after a Freedom of Information Act request by The Times, includes €£2.3 million diverted from normal policing duties and €£600,000 in extra overtime.


    • Oh Yoko! Ms. Ono at 80
      ...campaigned against fracking and honored Julian Assange..


    • US pressure to seize explosives behind 2011 Cyprus Naval Base explosion
      The Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion in Mari occurred on 11 July 2011, when 98 containers of explosives that had been stored for 2€½ years in the sun on the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base near Zygi self-detonated. The resulting explosion killed 13 people, and damaged all of the buildings in Zygi, the island’s largest power station, then responsible for supplying over half of Cyprus’ electricity.

      The containers of explosives on the base had been seized by the US Navy in 2009 after it intercepted a Cypriot-flagged, Russian owned vessel, the MV Monchegorsk, travelling from Iran to Syria in the Red Sea. According to US diplomatic cables leaked through WikiLeaks, the US pressured Cyprus to confiscate the shipment, as it was apparently in violation of UN sanctions on Iran. [1] The Cyprus Navy was given responsibility for the explosives, and it moved them to the Evangelos Florakis a month later.


    • Calls to reduce Met Police's 24/7 Julian Assange guard


    • Assange's $4.5-million lockdown: UK police spending huge sums on 24-hour patrol
      British police have already spent some $4.5 million in patrolling for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, eight months into his confinement at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London, Scotland Yard says.


    • "Our government refused to listen to us" - WikiLeak's Castro
      Sam Castro, the co-founder of the WikiLeaks Australian Citizens Alliance, spoke with the VOR's John Robles about Julian Assange's Australian Senate bid, internal Australian politics and the rules and current condition of Australian government policies, the public's support of Mr. Assange and the soon-to-be-official WikiLeaks Party and what has happened to Australia and the Australian people since the United States of America pulled Australia into the endless "War on Terror". Her viewpoint from the inside of Australia is both refreshing and informative as she details everything from surveillance to foreign policy.






  • Finance

    • Einhorn case against Apple rests on unusual legal tactic
      Hedge fund star David Einhorn wants to force Apple Inc to share some of its huge cash reserves with investors, but his lawsuit rests on a U.S. securities rule that has little legal precedent.


    • Apple CEO on shareholder lawsuit: 'It's a silly sideshow'


    • SEC sues unknown traders over Heinz options
      U.S. securities regulators filed suit on Friday against unknown traders in the options of ketchup maker H.J. Heinz Co, alleging they traded on inside information before the company announced a deal to be acquired for $23 billion by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc and Brazil's 3G Capital.

      The suit, in federal court in Manhattan, cites "highly suspicious trading" in Heinz call options just prior to the Feb. 14 announcement of the deal. The regulator has frequently in past filed suit against unnamed individuals where it has evidence of wrongdoing, but is still trying to uncover the identities of those involved.


    • Arrested Development
      But compare this rapid arrest of “small men” with the LIBOR scandal, where banks indisputably rigged, deliberately and repeatedly rigged, the basis of many trillions of dollars worth of financial transactions. It was deliberate dishonesty, fines on the banks have added up to billions, but not one of the fraudulent bankers who did it has been arrested – even though it is known who they are and there is a ton of documentary evidence. Not one arrest. Not one. Just as nobody has been arrested in this country for the fraudulent sub-prime packages and interest rate swaps that led ordinary, and even very poor, people to have to pay out huge proportions of their income to “bailout” the bankers.


    • Gangster Bankers: Too Big to Jail
      How HSBC hooked up with drug traffickers and terrorists. And got away with it


    • Elizabeth Warren Embarrasses Hapless Bank Regulators At First Hearing (VIDEO)


    • Elizabeth Warren Asks The Most Obvious Question Ever And Stumps A Bunch Of Bank Regulators
      Someone drank too much coffee this morning before a Senate Banking Committee hearing and decided to "do the job we hired her for" and ask the question the rest of us have been "asking for years." That someone is my new favorite senator, Elizabeth Warren. Someone go on another Starbucks run for her, pretty please?


    • POGO Sticks It to the SEC
      In our last episode of that ongoing Washington soap opera, “As the Door Revolves,” we introduced you to former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White, pursuer of drug lords and terrorists, who left government to become a hot shot Wall Street lawyer defending such corporate giants as JPMorgan Chase, UBS, General Electric and Microsoft. Oh yes — and former Goldman Sachs board member Rajat Gupta, currently appealing his insider trading conviction.




  • PR/AstroTurf/Lobbying

    • John Bolton’s Fake Applause
      The Oxford Union has dubbed fake applause onto the videos of John Bolton’s address to the Union. It has not done this for any other speaker.




  • Privacy



  • Civil Rights



  • DRM



  • Intellectual Monopolies

    • US And Europe Move On To TAFTA: Yet Another Chance To Push Through ACTA/SOPA Style IP Maximalism
      ACTA and SOPA may have flopped, but minor setbacks like that won't stop the onslaught of abuses from the entertainment and pharmaceutical industries looking to use the international treaty process to try to pressure everyone to keep ratcheting up protectionist laws concerning copyright, patents and trademarks. Obviously, we've been talking about the still worrisome TPP agreement involving a bunch of Pacific Rim countries, but it's not stopping there. Back in October, we warned that the US and EU were preparing a new trade agreement as well, and the preliminary plans noted that it would include a "high level of intellectual property protection, including enforcement."


    • Copyrights







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