Contents

• GNU/Linux
  • Distributions
  • Devices/Embedded
• Free Software/Open Source
• Leftovers
• Digital Tipping Point: Clip of the Day

GNU/Linux

• The easiest operating system to update is…

  I prefer Linux myself for most desktop uses but I confess that Mac OS X Snow Leopard is also an easy upgrade. Just like Ubuntu Linux, all you really need to do is put in the DVD, make a few mouse clicks, and go have lunch while it runs. Snow Panther, on my Mac mini, took just over an hour to install and about 45-minutes on my MacBook Pro.

  Once installed, both Snow Leopard and Ubuntu ran perfectly. That’s more than I can about Windows 7. After installing it, I found that an old Vista networking problem with working with NAS (networked attached storage) was still present and required me to manually adjust an obscure local security setting. Sure Windows is easy! What nonsense!

• Can Ubuntu 9.10 Outperform Mac OS X 10.6?

  Of the 26 tests shown in this article, Ubuntu 9.10 “Karmic Koala” was the clear winner in 12 of the 26 tests while Snow Leopard had won a handful and the rest of the tests had results that were too close to call or unchanged between the Apple and Canonical operating systems. Ubuntu 9.10 can certainly compete with Mac OS X 10.6 when it comes to the performance, but of course a few of these tests do show performance regressions compared to the earlier Ubuntu 9.04 release, an area where Ubuntu developers could improve. Additionally, not all areas of the system or hardware combinations were tested, such as with the Intel Linux graphics performance struggling compared to Mac OS X. On top of that, the Ubuntu Linux installations had NVIDIA’s proprietary driver manually installed, where as the “out of the box” experience on Ubuntu does not provide any 3D acceleration for NVIDIA hardware.

  Stay tuned for our large Mac OS X, Linux, OpenSolaris, and BSD operating system comparison in the next month.

• Linux Support for the Saleae Logic Analyzer!

  As you can see if you look closely, its just a simulation ( I don’t have the device yet ), but it looks like it has everything I would want out of a $150 logic analyzer. Also, the guys at Sparkfun seem to like it enough to sell it, another good mark in my book. I’ll be buying a device from here soon! Thanks for the Linux support

• 25 Linux tips for Windows switchers

  The experience of switching to Linux needn’t be a traumatic one.

  Here are 25 things you need to know that will make your transition to an open source OS easy.

• How to Start Moving to Ubuntu

  Most of people who think to move to ubuntu are Windows users, People who have Mac would never think to move to Ubuntu I guess .. so You will need to have an Ubuntu CD . You can just download the ISO file and burn it on a CD or you can request a free CD which will be delivered to you by mail in about 2 weeks . Installation is too easy if you are a windows user, It will show you an option to install with Windows but you will need to create a partition on your HDD to put Ubuntu System files on . I would recommend a 10 or 15 GB Partition for Installing Ubuntu .

• NZ Post trials open source on desktops

  The project is about freedom and diversity in the choice of operating systems, not about specifically moving towards an open-source desktop, says NZ Post’s technology innovation manager, Barry Polley. NZ Post already uses some open source software, for example Red Hat Linux in the company’s datacentre, but not on the desktop.

  NZ Post is the only government-owned agency that has gone public on its participation in the Remix open-source public-sector desktop programme (see page 14), coordinated by the New Zealand Open Source Society (NZOSS).

• Softpedia Linux Weekly, Issue 59

  For this edition, we offer you a first look at the upcoming Jolicloud operating system for netbooks. The following Linux distributions have been announced last week: Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Beta.

• Multi-booting over the internet

  Many operating systems can already be booted over the net, especially so for the installation systems of the major Linux distributions, but the netboot.me web service offers a universal boot loader which presents them all in one menu. The boot loader can be installed on a USB stick, burned onto CD, or on a floppy disk. This allows users to start an always current selection of operating systems over the internet using one single boot medium.

• BITA to create awareness on Linux

  With the Gujarat government keen on promoting Linux and including it as one of the prominent subjects to be covered in the HSC and SSC courses, Baroda IT Association (BITA) has resolved to hold an awareness seminar on Linux. The seminar will witness participation from the members and their employees.

• Convincing the World, One Computer and One User at a Time

  - Another friend is going on a disaster relief mission to Kosovo soon, and wants to take a netbook along so he can stay in touch with his wife here in Switzerland. No sweat, I have prepared one of the HP 2133 Mini-Notes with Ubuntu, and all the email and communication software he might want to use on it. Another convert.

• Kernel Space

  • OpenCL Support Atop Gallium3D Is Here, Sort Of

    OpenCL is present in NVIDIA’s Linux driver as well as the just-released Mac OS X 10.6, but there is support for the Open Computing Language coming forward in the open-source world through the Gallium3D driver infrastructure.

  • ALSA 1.0.21 Released With Many Driver Updates

    With it being a few months since the release of ALSA 1.0.20, it’s now time for the ALSA 1.0.21 update. The ALSA driver package update (finally) brings the Creative X-Fi Linux driver officially along with a horde of updates to the other drivers and more.

  • Kernel Log: Coming in 2.6.31 – Part 5: CUSE, USB 3.0, FireWire networking and the rest

    Linux 2.6.31 will support USB 3.0, although the corresponding hardware is not yet available. Distributions are to use the new FireWire stack that now offers LAN support. CUSE emulates the Open Sound System via a userspace program. Another new addition is a driver for Acer’s Aspire One netbook.

    Last Friday, Linus Torvalds released the eigth pre-release version of Linux 2.6.31. As the lead developer stressed in the release announcement, it will be the last pre-release version. He is on holiday diving for the next week and hopes to present the 2.6.31 release on the Labor Day US Holiday, which falls on September 7th this year.

• Applications

  • ChatZilla: Powerful IRC Client for Firefox

    ChatZilla is an IRC client built as a Firefox add-on and providing enough features to use it just like any other standalone IRC client. ChatZilla will fit best as an IRC client when you don’t want to use a separate application for getting on IRC.

  • 6 of the Best Free Linux Family History Software

    Now, let’s explore the 6 genealogy software at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, providing a screenshot of the software in action, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, together with links to relevant resources and reviews.

  • A New Development Release Of GNOME Shell

    GNOME 3.0 will not be rolling out until the first half of 2010, but work is already underway on this major GNOME update that is the first to bring some radical changes in a long time. One of the major components of GNOME 3.0 is the GNOME Shell. The GNOME Shell will begin handling some of the responsibilities that previously was done by the window manager and GNOME Panel in GNOME 2.xx while offering a modern graphics experience.

  • Chrome

    • Google Chrome 4.0.203.2 Available for Download

      With the availability of 4.0.203.2, Google continues to indicate its commitment to building truly 64-bit Chrome for Linux. The Mountain View company is also working to port the V8 JavaScript engine to 64-bit (x64) Windows, but has failed to provide an ETA for delivery so far.

    • 10 Interesting Google Chrome OS Mock-up Designs

      We may never see the first development version of Google Chrome Operating System until the beginning of next year. We can however look at some mock-up desktop designs of Chrome OS which are scattered throughout the web.

• Desktop Environments

  • KMail Marrying Plasma.

    I’ve created a screencast showing this.

• Distributions

  • Vector Linux 6.0 Light Live CD

    The Vector Linux team is happy to announce Vector Linux 6.0 Light LIVE.

    This version is intended as a preview of the traditional installable release. It closely mirrors the original VL Light, but some packages have been added or upgraded, including the 2.6.27.29 kernel.

  • [Clonezilla 1.2.3-1 Released]

  • 3 Linux distros you would love to laugh at

    I must say that the number of Linux distributions is greater than one can imagine and it is growing every day.Every time I see some geek coming out with a distro of his own as if it is trendy to do so.Making a Linux distro has become relatively easier given the number of tools there are for doing it,but that doesn’t mean that you can come up with anything you like.Here are the some distributions/editions you shouldn’t be using if you really have a life.

  • Backtrack : Linux Distro for the White Hat

    Backtrack is a slackware based Linux distro which uses the KDE environment. Backtrack was developed by the Mati Aharoni, an Israeli security consultant.

  • Red Hat Family

    • ‘Grid computing Red Hat’ lands elephant on VMware cloud

      Cloudera – the star-studded Silicon Valley startup that commercialized the epic number crunching of the open source Hadoop project – is now offering a version of its stuffed elephant distro for use on VMWare’s imminent vCloud.

    • Wellness Solution Pioneer, Sensei, Standardizes on Red Hat and JBoss Solutions

      Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that Sensei Inc. has standardized its IT infrastructure on JBoss Enterprise Middleware and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Since migrating from Microsoft Windows, the scalable joint Red Hat and JBoss solution has helped Sensei Inc. to significantly carve out infrastructure and development costs, and gain more flexibility when deploying applications.

    • Scientific Linux Live CD/DVD 4.8 has been released for i386 and x86_64

      The Scientific Linux Live CD/DVD runs Scientific Linux 4.8 directly from CD/DVD without installing.

    • Fedora looking to target Netbooks?

      I’m assuming that the x86-64 version of the distro will continue with the same optimizations as past releases.

  • Debian Family

    • 7 Reasons to Use Debian

      1. Stable
      Any application needs time to be used and tested enough time in order to make it stable. One of the greatest goals of Debian is stability. It’s released when it’s ready and applications included in the repositories have enough time to be tested through.

    • Debian 64 Bit Linux Overview

      I wanted to see Linux in action in 64 bits. It seems there are only a few choices, Ubuntu and Debian were the only distributions I found using 64 bit software. I thought I would give Debian a go first planning on installing Ubuntu afterwards. Ubuntu is/was derived from Debian, and many programs could be interchanged between repositories without issue.

    • [Elive 1.9.41 Released]

    • Back To School: Ubuntu Laptop Pick

      If you’re truly interested in using the Ubuntu operating system I highly recommend a pre-installed option over installing on an existing computer. Besides the obvious points of compatibility, quality, and cost, i have one more. Buying Ubuntu installed computers is the only way to create more Ubuntu installed laptop and netbook options in the mainstream marketplace.

    • 4 apps new Ubuntu users should not do without

      The amount of applications available in the Ubuntu repositories can sometimes be overwhelming for a new user who is used to scouring the net for very simple applications to run on their Windows platform. To make things simple for such users, I have compiled this short list of four applications that new users should start their Ubuntu life with whiles they get used to the abundance of programs they lacked in Windows.

    • kubuntu installer

      While I am still pondering a good topic for my next CS oriented post, I thought I would finally take the time to promote and show off some of the changes I have been making to the Kubuntu installer, Ubiquity.

    • [Full Circle Magazine] issue 28

      * Command and Conquer
      * How-To : Program in Python – Part 2, LAMP Server – Part 1, Networking with SSHFS and Fast Internet With Squid.
      * My Story – My Linux Experience I and II.
      * My Opinion – AllMyApps
      * Review – Tellico.
      * MOTU Interview – Stephane Graber.
      * Top 5 – SIP Clients.
      * Ubuntu Women Interview, Ubuntu Games and all the usual goodness!

    • Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 157

      Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #157 for the week August 23rd – August 29th, 2009. In this issue we cover: Karmic: Feature Freeze in place – Alpha 5 freeze ahead, Ubuntu Pennsylvania Open Source Conference, Ubuntu Arizona Installfest, Ubuntu Mexico Podcast #1, Ubuntu Georgia UbuCon at Atlanta Linuxfest, Launchpad news, Ubuntu Forums news, Ubuntu at Parliament of Zimbabwe, Full Circle Magazine #28, Ubuntu UK podcast: Slipback, August 2009 Team Reports, and much, much more!

• Devices/Embedded

  • Samsung i8320 Leaked!

    Well here is something good for you Linux fans out there. Nokia recently leaked their Nokia N900/RX-51 Rover which runs on the Maemo (Linux) Platform.

    It now seems that Samsung are also wanting to try out Linux on their phones and here’s the end result. The Samsung i8320 is a Linux Based smart-phone which is in the final stages of production. The phone supports touch pad.

  • The Move to Linux – Netbook Remix

    All Linux installations should be this easy and this straight forward. Yes, Linux is an incredibly flexible and incredibly powerful operating system. This is one of its strengths. But if the OS is going to make a dent in the desktop market, especially the non-technical, end-user market, then the installation experience offered by the Ubuntu Netbook Remix is an experience that I would hold up as the gold standard. It has certainly been one of the easiest Linux installations I have done in quite some time.

Free Software/Open Source

• Free software a back-to-school bargain

  It’s up to the purchaser to equip a new laptop with usable software and that additional cost can quickly become overwhelming. Luckily, the Internet is a treasure trove of free software that will replicate most of the expensive retail products for a Windows, Mac or Linux computer.

• Open Source Revitalized Enterprise Software, Says SugarCRM CEO

  In an interview with eWEEK, SugarCRM CEO Larry Augustin suggests that a combination of global connectivity and open-source startups has revitalized the enterprise software market. SugarCRM’s upcoming open-source customer relationship management suite, Sugar Suite, is designed as an alternative to proprietary offerings by Salesforce.com, NetSuite and Oracle.

• VMukti Releases New Open Source Version on Source Forge

  VMukti releases the new, intensely tested and more stable version on the Source Forge, the largest Open Source applications and Software Directory. The new release takes care of all the feedbacks form the live users in the pilots. And it also comes up with new user interface.

• China Mobile Launches Open Source Mobile Op System Platform

• Xen.org aims for the cloud with open source initiative

  Developers of the Xen open source hypervisor are trying to make Xen the industry’s cloud-building platform of choice with a new initiative designed to expand upon the hypervisor’s ability to create “secure, customizable, multi-tenant cloud services.”

• Alert: What’s Coming for Open Source CMS in September 2009

  In August, Plone (news, site) 3.3 was released. As a point release, its focus was refinements rather than massive changes.

  In particular, Plone 3.3 offers the ability to localize navigation, tabs, sitemaps and searches within folders, which makes creating autonomous sub-sites within a Plone site easier.

• Underutilization of open-source technologies

  All open-source projects that fall under the GPL, (General Public License), are not given away for free, they are open for the public to use and are distributed to the public with the understanding that you will use their product for meaningful reasons.

  [...]

  In realizing what I have just outlined, I am not anti software development companies. There is many great products out there that I have bought and paid for, and I would buy and pay for again. But the fact of the matter is, why pay for something, when you can get it for open?

• Why would a Googler use Solr for search?

  All for Good is completely open source, so it makes sense that it would opt for open-source Solr over Google Base.

• Dialogic Announces Sponsorship of Project DiaStar(TM) and Availability of the DiaStar(TM) Server (DSS)

  Dialogic Corporation (“Dialogic”), a global provider of world-class products and technologies for multimedia and signal processing, today introduces Project DiaStar(TM), an open source project sponsored by Dialogic to create software that allows open source developers to access portions of the Dialogic((R)) product portfolio to bring advanced communications technology to demanding open source markets. The open source community is invited to participate in this project at www.projectdiastar.org.

• OpenAjax Alliance Delivers Software for More Secure Enterprise Mashups

  The OpenAjax Alliance announced today the approval and availability of OpenAjax Hub 2.0 as an industry standard for more secure Web 2.0 mashup applications. Advances in security in Hub 2.0 can help protect enterprise mashups from malicious intent, giving IT staff greater confidence in adding these features to their Web sites.

• BI

  • Open Source Driving More Business Intelligence These Days

    As the Pentaho release asserts, the real cost of moving to open source BI is around the conversion and disruption of porting the reports. Therefore, you’re much better off going open source BI from the jump, rather than migrating later.

  • Open-source BI vendor Pentaho pushes migration deal

    Add open-source BI (business intelligence) vendor Pentaho to the list of vendors rolling out financial incentives to lure customers during the global recession.

• BSD

  • Announcing Jibbed 5.0.1

    It’s NetBSD time. The long awaited new version of the LiveCD has finally arrived. It is freshly built from the NetBSD 5.0.1 sources which includes many bugfixes and contains the latest packages from pkgsrc including the new package Filezilla. As always, it contains Xorg from base and the xfce4 window manager.

  • New BSD Licensed debugger: D

    D is a systems programming language. Its focus is on combining the power and high performance of C and C++ with the programmer productivity of modern languages like Ruby and Python. Special attention is given to the needs of quality assurance, documentation, management, portability and reliability.

• OpenOffice.org

  • OpenOffice 3.1.1 released

    Today Monday will be the day of OpenOffice.org 3.1.1. This is a bug-fix version and there are no actual new features this time.

  • Test out OpenOffice.org online without installing it

  • Scaling the Fence: Achilles’ Thesaurus

    Language tools like the thesaurus present an opportunity for the open source community. Just as our friend was quickly dissuaded from using OpenOffice.org because she perceived the thesaurus to be inferior, she might have been quickly won-over by a toolset that performed head-and-shoulders above those she was used to. Between WordNet, the OpenRogets project, the Big Huge Thesaurus, the New York Times’ thesaurus and the Moby Project (hey, it’s only the largest thesaurus in the English language!), we have the opportunity to package an offline thesaurus (or offer an optional download supplement, if binary size is a concern) for OpenOffice.org that could run circles around proprietary offerings.

• Government

  • Building On The Government 2.0 Platform

    I would add that government-as-platform should include open source, APIs, database access, and cloud computing. The Defense Information Systems Agency, for example, recently announced that it was releasing an internally developed stack of Web apps as open source. DISA’s Forge.mil open source portal is another step in this direction. A government-wide open source portal along the lines of SourceForge could be (should be?) next.

• Licensing

  • MegaPanzer: Parts of Possible Govware Trojan Released under GPL

    The name Ruben Unteregger may well become more newsworthy in the next few days. Unteregger has been working at the Swiss ERA IT Solutions company to develop the trojans MegaPanzer and MiniPanzer and has released the code under GPL.

  • That Old GNU Thing: Licensing

    It’s plain, though, that open licenses are both thriving and spreading, and this report offers a useful snapshot of just far we have come from the trailblazing GNU GPL.

• Openness

  • PLoS Currents Uses Google Knol Collections Feature for Swine Flu Reports

    PLoS is a leader in the open access movement. It operates a series of peer-reviewed journals at its website. However, the peer-review process can slow down scientific communication, which becomes particularly obvious and unfortunate in the case of a worldwide pandemic.

  • An open letter to Andrew Holness and the Jamaican Ministry of Education

    I am convinced the government has been lacklustre in pursuing technologies such as Linux, Open Source and notions such as FOSS. Brazil, Mexico and India are already using these to bring technology more cheaply to their nation. There are also revolutionary methods of implementing technology in the class room all throughout the Americas.

  • Open source DNA

    Dr. Halperin hopes his research will reverse the NIH policy, and he will provide access to the software so that researchers can use it to decide which genetic information can be safely loaded into a public database. He also hopes it will quell raging debates about DNA usage and privacy issues.

Leftovers

• Wikipedia to Color Code Untrustworthy Text

  Starting this fall, you’ll have a new reason to trust the information you find on Wikipedia: An optional feature called “WikiTrust” will color code every word of the encyclopedia based on the reliability of its author and the length of time it has persisted on the page.

• Being Unique Is Not The Same As Exclusive (Or Scarce)

  Taylor Davidson alerts us to an odd blog post with suggestions on how photographers need to adapt to the changing market place. As Davidson properly notes, there’s some good points mixed in there with some really odd conclusions. The writer does a decent job explaining how the market has shifted — with the ease of digital production and distribution, the old exclusivities have gone away. But, from there, gets confused about what to do with it, focusing on trying to build up artificial scarcities or suggesting that photographers try to ignore basic economics. That’s not going to work.

• New DHS laptop search policy: crap sandwich, fancier bread

  The DHS has issued formal rules to govern how Immigration and Customs authorities handle the seizure of electronic devices and records. The upshot is that agents can still keep your hardware for at least five days before anyone has to decide whether it’s reasonable to continue.

• AstroTurf

  • Attack of the Living Front Groups: PRWatch Offers Help to Unmask Corporate Tricksters

    Fake “grassroots” groups have started springing up like toadstools after a rain, and this time they’re coming at us from every angle: they’re on TV, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube: “Americans for Prosperity,” “FACES of Coal, “The “Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights,” “Americans Against Food Taxes,” the “60 Plus Association,” “Citizens for Better Medicare,” “Patients First” … It’s making our heads spin! Issues affecting some of the country’s biggest industries, like health insurance reform, a proposal to tax sodas and sugary drinks, and the FDA’s possible reconsideration of the plastic additive Bisphenol A, have boosted corporate astroturfing up to a dizzying pace. With all these corporate fronts coming out of the woodwork, how can citizens tell true grassroots organizations from corporate fronts operated by highly-paid PR and lobbying firms? Here are some tips to help readers spot this kind of big-business hanky-panky.

  • Unmasking Astroturf: Smear Campaigns Threaten Health Care and Net Neutrality

    If you haven’t been paying attention to the rise of Astroturf in Washington, in the media and at your local town hall meeting, now’s the time to tune in.

    Astroturf front groups have been everywhere this summer — spreading misinformation about health care reform, carbon emission caps and financial regulation.

    Astroturf shills, notably FreedomWorks’ Dick Armey and Americans for Prosperity’s Tim Phillips, surface wherever and whenever reform policies threaten the corporate or political status quo.

• Intellectual Monopolies

  • American Federation of Musicians Demand NDP Apology For Supporting Balanced Copyright

    Yesterday I posted on how security guards outside the Toronto copyright town hall demanded that the Canadian Federation of Students and NDP MP Olivia Chow stop distributing flyers discussing their positions on copyright. It turns out there is further fallout from the incident. Chow was distributing a flyer that included NDP MP Charlie Angus’ interview with Exclaim! on copyright along with “count on me to speak out against Bill C-61 and anti-circumvention rules. I support stronger fair dealing.” The Angus interview includes comments on the need for forward looking laws, the failed DMC, and the need to ways to monetize online activities.

  • Recording Industry Lobbyists Says Politicians Worried About User Rights Are ‘Disgusting’?

    Apparently two Parliament Members, Olivia Chow and Charlie Angus, who have been big supporters of consumers’ rights on copyright issues, have been called out by music industry lobbyists for distributing a ‘disgusting’ flyer. Why? Because that flyer contained an interview with Angus (a former musician in a popular punk band), where he talks about the importance of consumer rights and not following through with a DMCA-style law in Canada. It’s hard to read anything in that interview that is “disgusting” — unless you don’t believe consumers have any rights.

  • Copyright Town Hall security threatened MP, students with ejection for handing out flyers

    At last week’s Canadian copyright town hall meeting in Toronto — the one where the speaker-roster was overwhelming stacked with representatives from giant entertainment conglomerates — security guards prevented the Canadian Federation of Students from distributing literature by the doors that advocated for more liberal copyright rules.

  • Business Software Alliance wants in on three-strikes action

    The Business Software Alliance calls graduated response its preferred plan for dealing with online software piracy, but it wants Internet disconnections to be overseen by a judge and feature due process and a chance to appeal. Well, sort of.