Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 3/8/2013: Calligra Suite 2.7, New Benghazi Leaks





GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux



  • Server



  • Audiocasts/Shows



  • Applications



  • Desktop Environments/WMs



    • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

      • Microsoft Office alternative Calligra Suite 2.7 released
        There are many free and open source alternatives of Microsoft Office including LibreOffice and Calligra Suite. The Calligra team has announced the release of version 2.7 of the Calligra Suite, Calligra active and the Calligra Office Engine.


      • New KDE Media Center Inches Closer
        A new media center for KDE 5 / Plasma 2 has been in the works for a while and today Sinny Kumari posted some tangible details. With the release of a new beta, users can try it out too. Of course, it has that "smartphone" look, but it still works as a desktop application. Plasma Media Center 1.1 Beta introduces several cool new features besides a ton of bug fixes.


      • Now Open for Donations
        We've been asked many times how to contribute to Kubuntu financially so we are now open for donations. Your donations will help finance project expenses such as hardware, travel and cloud computing.


      • In Conversation with Andreas Raninger
        I'm living in Sweden.I'm currently working as a IT-Technician in a company called IT-Hantverkarna. Painting in my free time.


      • Calligra and Krita Release 2.7
        Maria Far today announced the release of Krita 2.7 with "a lot of cool new features, bug fixes and improvements. Soon to come to a Linux distribution near you." The transform tool was rewritten and said to be "hugely improved." A new line smoothing ink function was highlighted, as well as "greyscale masks and selections."


      • Call for Recordings: American(US) English.
        Hey everyone! As we, the Artikulate team, are targeting to release Artikulate this fall, we would like to invite more and more contributors to come help us with the project (which is aimed at helping users with their language learning/pronunciation skills). :-)


      • KDAB at Qt Contributor Summit
        The program of the Qt Contributor Summit was mostly determined by who was attending and what the important topics at the time were. KDAB attended the summit with strength, and participated in many relevant discussions.


      • AudioCD. Week 6.


      • Okteta ported to Qt5/KF5


      • Project Neon 5 daily builds, Ubiquity Wireless Setup
        Project Neon is a fantastic resource for KDE developers giving daily builds for KDE software. It's maintained by the lovely Kubuntu community on the lovely Launchpad infrastructure. KDE developers can install the various bits they need to develop their part of KDE without having to worry about compiling everything themselves. It installs everything into /opt so it doesn't touch your normal software installation.




    • GNOME Desktop/GTK

      • GUADEC 2013, Day 1
        GUADEC 2013, GNOME's annual European Conference, kicked off today in a warm and sunny Brno (Czech Republic). This is the main GNOME event of the year, and there are hundreds of contributors here for 8 days of talks and working events.


      • New Wikis for Ubuntu GNOME!
        Ali Linx (almost Linux ;)) from Lubuntu is the new Head of QA in Ubuntu GNOME (UG) and he is asking for your help to test 13.10 release. Furthermore the cool guys from UG community have some new wikis!






  • Distributions

    • What was your first Linux distro?
      Foss Force has the results of a poll of their readers that asked about their first Linux distro. Wow. Talk about taking me back a long, long time! I haven't thought about how I got started with Linux for ages.


    • Parted Magic 2013.08.01 Features More Than 100 Application Updates
      Parted Magic, an operating system that employs core programs of GParted and Parted to handle partitioning tasks with ease, while featuring other useful software, is now at version 2013.08.01.

      Parted Magic 2013.08.01 integrates a large number of updates, but the developers also chose to fix some old problems and add some new features.


    • And Your First Linux Distro Was…
      Back on June 23, when we asked you to name the first Linux distro you ever used, we pretty much knew that the choice “Other” would take the day.

      That’s because we wanted to be completely neutral, so the ten choices we offered besides “Other” were just the top ten distros from the Distrowatch “Page Hit Ranking,” which meant that those who started their Linux life with something other than Debian or SUSE in the pre-Ubuntu era were not represented.


    • Zorin OS 7 "Lite" Review: Beautiful and functional LXDE operating system
      Zorin has a history of creating pretty refined Ubuntu spins specifically targeted to newcomers. Their recent release Zorin OS 7 is based on Ubuntu 13.04 and it has 6 months of support. I earlier reviewed the Zorin OS 7 Core (with GNOME desktop) and found it to be very good in terms of functionality, stability and aesthetics. Zorin, as a tradition, first releases the core or GNOME distro and follows it up with "Lite" and "Educational Lite", two lightweight Zorin OS variants with LXDE desktop. Both are actually Lubuntu 13.04 spins. I, myself, am a big fan of LXDE desktop as it is possibly the most efficient of all fully featured DEs. However, LXDE requires the users to have a little bit of expertise in Linux; simple things such as autologin, adding programs to start up, setting up compositing manager, etc. are easier in other desktop environments (DEs) like XFCE, KDE & GNOME. However, of late, I saw LXDE control center in PCLinuxOS and ROSA which actually makes these things easier for the users.


    • New Releases



    • Gentoo Family

      • Sabayon is So Pretty and Fast
        I’ve been seriously slacking on the Sabayon stuff, but been hanging with the community on the Official Sabayon Facebook page and watched a thread on a background image erupt into a mountain. It really is amazing at how a small change to a GUI send people running for their pitchforks and torches. I’ve been guilty of this in the past myself and probably will be in the future too. The GUI is very important to us and it’s drastic unchangeable changes really ticks a guy off. Gnome and KDE both felt the feedback when they revamped their GUIs. I abandoned Gnome cause of the gnome shell. Some love the gnome-shell and brag it up and down. Gnome maybe pays them to do it….




    • Red Hat Family

      • This month (July) in Red Hat KDE
        After a couple of really hot days I'm back with a short overview of what kept us[1] busy while working on KDE in Red Hat this month.


      • Fedora

        • Fedora 17 "Beefy Miracle" Is Officially Dead
          The Fedora 17 operating system, otherwise known under the name of Beefy Miracle, is now officially dead.

          It's not uncommon for the developers to stop supporting various operating systems and now the time has come for Fedora 17 (Beefy Miracle), an OS launched a little over a year ago, on May 29, 2012.






    • Debian Family





  • Devices/Embedded

    • Quadruped Linux robot feels its way over obstacles
      The Italian Institute of Technology gave its first public demonstration of a Linux-based quadruped robot for navigating rough terrain. Meanwhile, a new version of the Hydraulic Quadruped (Hyq) robot is under development that can “feel” and step over obstacles using a step reflex algorithm, letting the robot navigate more easily in low-visibility environments.

      Linux-based robots come in all shapes and sizes, from Biorob’s ankle-high Cheetah-cub Robot to the knee-high models that can be built from the Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot kit to NASA’s full-scale humanoid Robonaut 2. In the heavyweight class, we’ve seen Micromagic Systems’ 2.8-meter, 1800-Kilogram Mantis Hexapod Walking Machine. Now, the Department of Advanced Robotics at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology, or IIT), has developed another heavyweight contender in the Hydrolic Quadruped (Hyq) robot.


    • Top 10 BeagleBoard Projects
      Since BeagleBoard was born five years ago, the four open-source BeagleBoard.org platforms (BeagleBoard, BeagleBoard-xM, BeagleBone, and, most recently, BeagleBone Black) have made a deep impact on the open-source world. They have enabled fun and functional projects, including superhero costumes, robots, and home automation gadgets.


    • MinnowBoard: First open-source PC with x86 processor
      The PC, called the MinnowBoard, is basically a motherboard with no casing around it. It was codeveloped by Intel and CircuitCo Electronics, a company that specializes in open-source motherboards, and went on sale this month for US$199 from a handful of retailers.


    • Tiny rugged mini-PC runs Linux on dual-core 1.6GHz Atom
      Aaeon announced the availability of a rugged, Linux-compatible embedded controller computer that measures only 4.9 x 3.0 x 0.73 inches. The AEC-6401 Compact Embedded Controller runs on a dual-core, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600 processor, offers an SSD bay, provides gigabit Ethernet, USB, HDMI and serial connectivity, and supports -20 to 40€°C fanless operation.


    • Phones



      • Android



        • Zeebox Serves as Tonto to Second-Screen Lone Rangers
          Zeebox pitches itself as a "TV sidekick" that helps you discover new shows and learn more about shows you're already familiar with. I found the experience similar to that obtained in a Twitter session with a Twitter hashtag, where you follow based on hashtag as the show plays out. One difference with Zeebox is that it has a built-in schedule -- you can see upcoming shows without leaving the app.


        • Samsung at work on dual-screen 'Galaxy Folder' -- report
          The Folder is a flip phone that comes with a dual-sided touch screen, according to a manual discovered on Samsung's site.


        • Android-Ubuntu Edge Superphone: What's Canonical's End Game?
          Is the Ubuntu Edge, the Linux-powered "superphone" that Canonical hopes to develop through a crowdsourced funding campaign, a dying prospect? Maybe. But that doesn't mean the project hasn't already succeeded in significantly advancing Canonical's goals in the smartphone and mobile-device market. Here's why.


        • Cheaper Moto X in the works says Motorola CEO, will it be Moto X Mini?
          According to the current industry trend, smartphone makers are releasing a cheaper, ‘Mini’ version of their flagship devices. We had HTC One Mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, now Motorola is said to be making a cheaper version of the Moto X that was released yesterday, will it be the Moto X Mini?


        • Say hello to PiCast, the open source solution to Chromecast using a Raspberry Pi
          There is a lot to love about the Chromecast. It lets you stream your browser, your desktop, and a number of apps directly to your TV with little more than a $35 dongle that plugs into HDMI on your TV. However, lately, a few problems have arisen. For one, it’s really difficult to find one unless you’re willing to wait weeks for the next stock to come in. Additionally, the root method that was discovered over at XDA has since been patched. So Google isn’t letting everyone play fast and loose with their new dongle. It’s still a great device, but it’s not perfect and now there is an alternative called PiCast.


        • Moto X on AT&T and Verizon will have locked boot loader
          If you were planning to get a wooden phone, whole boot loader you can unlock without using an axe, you are going to get very very disappointed.


        • Nvidia Shield: shipped, praised, critiqued, dissected
          Nvidia began shipping its Nvidia Shield handheld gaming console, which runs Android 4.2.1 on a 1.9GHz Tegra 4 SoC, for $300. Early reviews praised the device on just about every level except for its weight and price, and the lack of decent Tegra-optimized Android games, while an iFixit teardown found an internal design unlike anything it had ever seen.


        • Android's seven best new security features and one lingering security problem
          Android 4.3 added significant new security features, and Google has also added two other new security features to older versions of Android. Now, if only the carriers and OEMs would patch the Bluebox security hole every Android user would be happier.


        • Facebook Brings Home’s Lockscreen Replacement To Their Main Android App — A Bad Sign For Home?
          Four months after the launch of Facebook Home, which aimed to turn every Android phone into the long-rumored Facebook Phone, the company is starting to bring certain Home features into their primary app with an update today. In other words, bits and pieces of Home are coming to the main app… without requiring anyone to actually download Home.


        • Black Hat: Android Master Key Vulnerability Makes Us Safer
          Today at the Black Hat Security conference, Forristal delivered a talk that detailed precisely what the Android master key vulnerability is all about. As Forristal explained, Google's Android had multiple vulnerabilities in how the operating system verifies JAR/ZIP/APK files, which run on Android devices.


        • The new Moto X is 'always listening' - and so is the NSA!
          New phone, new spy-software






    • Sub-notebooks/Tablets







Free Software/Open Source



Leftovers



Recent Techrights' Posts

The "Alicante Mafia" - Part XIII - Is EPO Vice-President Steve Rowan in Cahoots With the "Alicante Mafia"?
that deserves much media attention, political intervention, and condemnation
“Wikilaundering” Explained
"London PR firm rewrites Wikipedia for governments and billionaires"
Some Slopfarms and Some Real News Sites Cover Richard Stallman’s (RMS) Talk
If his message about Software Freedom spreads, then we're all better off
 
Expect More XBox Layoffs Shortly
As expected
Links 27/01/2026: Japan-China Feud Escalates Again, "Iran's Internet Blackout Persists"
Links for the day
Online 'Gathering' Held Today to Organise Industrial Actions in EPO, Strikes Will be Starting Shortly
"Online Extraordinary General Meeting on Action Plan"
It's Not About What You Know, It's About Who You Know (and Stay Quiet About the Cocaine)
This is not an organisation that exists to ensure laws are followed
FOSDEM 2026: democracy panel: FSFE uses women as stooges, gerrymander
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Must Use Proprietary JavaScript to Submit Feedback to the European Commission About Moving From GAFAM to Free Software
Nevertheless, go tell them why Software Freedom would benefit Europe's defence and economy
Distortion of the Facts About Mass Layoffs at IBM
more layoffs are ahead
Gemini Links 27/01/2026: "Waiting Isn't a Waste", Posting from Lynx, and Bookmarks
Links for the day
Links 27/01/2026: "Oracle Debt and TikTok Transition Troubles Vex the Ellison Media Empire", Richard Stallman Quoted on Copyrights
Links for the day
Steven Field (Red Hat) Speaks of "Recent Layoff" (RA/Wave) in Red Hat
IBM really doesn't like it when people talk about "RAs"
A Week Ago We Contacted the EPO's Stephen (Steve) Rowan About Cocainegate
Tomorrow we'll write some more about Rowan
IBM Reports 'Results' Tomorrow, Expect More "RAs" (Mass Layoffs)
they use words like "efficiency", "optimisation", "AI", "pivot", "modernisation" and so on
Earlier This Month Microsoft Lunduke Said in Public It Was Good That Renee Good Was Murdered, Now He Mocks or Demonises People for Saying the US is Unsafe
Don't be easily conned by demagogues
Google News and "Linux" Slop
Why won't Google be interested in tackling this issue? Instead Google has been trying to participate in this issue.
IBM Kills Red Hat in the Darkness
What IBM does to Red Hat is malicious
IBM Red Hat's Goal Is Not Real Security (It Probably Never Was)
Spies and trolls are very malicious people and sometimes they're the same thing
With Absurd Lies About Slop, Which Lacks Intelligence or Financial Potential, GAFAM and IBM Will Twist Mass Layoffs as 'Efficiency Drive' or 'AI Pivot'
More layoffs are on the way
Animal Advocacy Works
All it takes is effort and determination
EPO Strike This Week
What has happened to Europe?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, January 26, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, January 26, 2026
For the EPO to Survive, António Campinos and the "Alicante Mafia" Must Fall on Their Sword
There are EPO insiders who are convinced Campinos too is (or was) a cocaine addict
Gemini Links 26/01/2026: Pocket Power Pack, Batteries, and Breaks
Links for the day
"Microsoft Vista 11 Emergency Update" as Windows Fails to Boot (Again)
Microsoft is desperately trying to find some new business model as the debt soars
4 Hours Ago The Register MS Published Paid-for Spam About "AI" (Slop, Buzzwords)
"AI" mentioned 13 times in the page
IBM 'Results' Due Wednesday Evening, Expect Clues About Mass Layoffs
Don't expect IBM to say anything about "layoffs" or "RAs"
The Fall of the EPO (or the "Alicante Mafia" at EPO) Will be Due to This Reckless Lawyer Who Does Cocaine in Public While Speaking for the EPO
The longer European politicians (and media) turn a blind eye to this corruption, the worse it'll get
Why RMS is Scary to GAFAM 'Engineers' and the GAFAM Apologists (or Addicts)
especially because of his ideas and his way of life
Firefox 'Market Share' Down to All-Time Low in 2026, Adding to It User-Hostile 'Features' Only Worsens Things
What is the goal of Mozilla at this point?
Links 26/01/2026: Windows Back Doors, American Winter Storm, and Report Says Iran's "Protest Death Toll May Exceed 30,000"
Links for the day
Life Got Simpler and Therefore Also Healthier and Happier
Some people envy not wealth but happiness (which they're unable to attain, even with hoarding and accumulation)
Richard Stallman's Experiences With 'Cancel Brigades' Ought to Educate Linus Torvalds
Now they talk about "if Linus dies" scenarios
Links 26/01/2026: Financial Stress in German Farms and Germany Wants to Take Its Gold Reserves Out of the US
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/01/2026: "Lack of Meaningful Things" and Getting Back to Programming
Links for the day
Strong Correlation Between the Slop Ponzi Scheme (or Bubble) and Major Disasters
BitCoin ruins the planet; so does slop
We Will Never Allow the "Alicante Mafia" to Hide "Cocainegate"
transparency typically scares malicious actors
Fewer Involuntary Interruptions This Year
This year we're doing much better
Prisons Are for Dangerous People Who Pose a Threat to the Public, Not People Who Inform the Public
At the end of the week EPO workers go on strike
Microsoft Loses Grip on Indian Ocean
Many countries, including in older allies of the US (such as Canada and the US), look for ways to get out of Microsoft dependence urgently
XBox Consoles Nearly Dead by Now, the 'XBox' (ex-Box) Brand Now Stands for Something Full of Slop, Spam, Filler, and Chaff
We're seeing the last day (maybe year) of "XBox"
The Great "AI" CON Explained by Dr. Andy Farnell
LLMs are basically advertisers of sorts
Links 26/01/2026: "Journalists Detained", in Germany "Unjustly Jailed Man Gets €1.3 Million Compensation"
Links for the day
Red Hat Quietly Going Extinct After Bluewashing in 2026
At this point it would be rather foolish to assume that IBM will let Red Hat just "do its own thing" or maintain its corporate culture, identity, projects etc.
The "Alicante Mafia" - Part XII - Kris De Neef and Roberta Romano-Götsch, Who Stepped in for the Cokehead, Have No Comment on His Cocaine Usage (and the EPO's Cover-up)
Sh-t floats to the top.
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, January 25, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, January 25, 2026
Gemini Links 26/01/2026: Cold Perception, Software Patches in NixOS, and Sunk Cost Fallacy
Links for the day
Fake IBM Retirements (IBM Gives Older Workers Ultimatums, Deadlines, and Carrots on Sticks)
As they point out, IBM is desperate to lower costs
Linuxiac is Basically a Fake News Site, But It's Being Fed by Google News
Because Google News is run by Google, a slop pusher
Links 25/01/2026: Slop "Tribalism", Nike Apparently Cracked
Links for the day
Claims That PIPs Are Abused for Silent Mass Layoffs at IBM (Without Severance) or Forced Retirements
Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) "clearly bogus as everyone on my team who has been on one has been fired"
WebM Version of Richard Stallman's Latest Talk (Georgia Tech Talk)
The file size is smaller
After Half a Decade Vista 11 is Still a Giant Failure
Don't expect Microsoft to gain a foothold
Details on IBM Layoffs in the EU Last Week, Same Allegedly Coming to the US Shortly
"Around 50 people affected in Belgium."
Technology Trends Driven by DRM Giants, Planned Obsolescence, Not the Needs of the Buyers
The "pushers" think of customers as "users"; and they encourage passivity, Stockholm Syndrome
Links 25/01/2026: Microsoft BitLocker Backdoored for Decades Already, Microsoft-Backed ICE Still Murders Civilians
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/01/2026: "Expert in a Dying Field" and Global Commands
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, January 24, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, January 24, 2026
After the Slop Bubble
At the end, looking back, we'll all generally understand that the net effort of slop was environmental destruction
IBM CEO Says IBM is Just Reliant on Buzzwords That Are Overhyped
IBM has nothing to show anymore and telling fairytales to shareholders is a temporary 'fix'
The "Alicante Mafia" - Part XI - No Comment From Steve Rowan, Niloofar Simon, and Christoph Ernst About Cocaine Inside EPO
What kind of patent office is this?