Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 16/4/2010: SimplyMepis 8.5 Reviewed by LWN; Goldman Sachs Accused of Fraud by SEC



GNOME bluefish

Contents





GNU/Linux

  • Introducing the EVTV - A step forward in Linux-based Home Theater PCs
    EightVirtues.com Computers and ElementHTPC.com are proud to announce the EVTV! An innovative Home Theater PC designed to deliver a fully functional computing environment for your television alongside web media services like Hulu Desktop, Boxee TV, YouTube XL, and more.


  • The $100.00 (USD) Coolest Linux Workspace Contest
    After posting the 15 Cool and Unique Linux Desktop Workspaces, I decided to officially launch today "The $100.00 (USD) Coolest Linux Workspace Contest". This contest is open to everyone who can show and tell us something about his/her cool and unique Linux workstation setup.


  • LinuxCertified Announces its next Linux Device Driver Development Course
    With the increasing adoption of Linux in wide variety of environments, supporting Linux has become vital for device vendors. Being able to support Linux opens a rapidly growing market to these device vendors. For developers,the skill set to develop and maintain Linux drivers presents a lucrative career option.


  • Sony falls short with system update to PS3
    The issue isn’t that users are losing the ability to install Linux on their machines, but whether a company can remove a feature after purchase. Owners must agree to what is called an “End User License Agreement” upon purchase, which explicitly states that revisions to the firmware are expected; if the agreement also says that Sony can engage in some nefarious bait-and-switch scheme, though, the agreement can be challenged in court.


  • Could open source overtake the iPhone?
    "In a few years, you may just find that what happened to Sun happens to Apple as open source and Linux and this huge collective of companies comes back with some pretty stunning stuff," Zemlin said.


  • Google and Sun differences are more than source deep


  • Google and Sun: Same vision, different results




  • Server





  • Google

    • Google: “With Chrome OS, Net access will be in a few seconds”
      The product manager Anders Sandholm behind the scenes development of Chrome and Chrome 5 OS. Two programs pursuing the same goal: faster access to Web applications.

      With 40 million users, Chrome is now the third most used browser in the world. A software that Google has managed to impose only a year and a half, thanks to a marketing campaign unprecedented for a browser. This is just the beginning.


    • Google Chrome Cloud Printing Enables Universal Printing
      Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks of the anticipated Google Chrome OS has been the absence of computer peripherals compatibility. The drivers contained in printer software etc. simply haven't been announced compatible with Google's operating system, requiring printer owners to use Linux or Windows to print pages from the internet. Yesterday though, Google announced a significant step to repair this weakness in their operating system, with the introduction of: Google Chrome Cloud Printing.






  • Kernel Space

    • Collabora joins the Linux Foundation
      According to the Foundation, the open source development veterans will also contribute to the MeeGo mobile Linux platform. Collabora Ltd. director and co-founder Philippe Kalaf said, “The Linux Foundation provides a home for important projects such as the MeeGo platform,” adding that, “We’re excited to join the Linux Foundation so that we can participate directly in upstream development of the MeeGo platform, attend online and face-to-face meetings and do what we can to invest in the project’s success.”




    • Google

      • Android and Linux Foundation to Reunite?
        The Linux Kernel Archive hasn’t been too pleased with the direction Android has taken. Claiming Android’s developers offer little cooperation and are slow to patch and update their code, they parted ways last year.

        But all of that may change soon, as Google has extended the old proverbial olive branch at the Linux Collaboration Summit taking place today and tomorrow in San Francisco. Executive Director of the Linux Foundation Jim Zemlin and open source and public engineering manager for Google Chris DiBona both see hope for Android to rejoin the good graces of Linux.


      • Android and Linux Discuss Code Reunion
        The guardians of the Linux Kernel Archive, repository for the source code for the Linux open source operating system, turned the code for Google's Android phone out the door last year. The guardians felt they were getting too little cooperation from Google and too few patches from its engineers.








    • Graphics Stack

      • Nvidia Releases OpenGL 4.0 Linux Drivers
        OpenGL was released just a month days ago. Now, Nvidia has released its latest OpenGL Linux driver with full support for OpenGl 4.0 on GeForce GTX 480/470. In addition to this, Nvidia has also release four new OpenGL extensions which provides additional capabilities to developers.










  • Applications







  • Distributions



    • Debian Family

      • SimplyMepis 8.5
        In conclusion, while technically this was a minor version update, SimplyMepis 8.5 represents a big change for developers and users. As the last official KDE 3 holdout moves on, it signals the true beginnings of a new era. I still get emails every once in a while from users complaining about being forced to migrate to KDE 4 and for that body of users, SimplyMepis 8.5 is a wonderful transitional release. It presents KDE 4 in an environment that remains very similar in appearance to its previous KDE 3 desktop. For SimplyMepis users, it still very much like home. For new users, it could be a gentle introduction to KDE 4.




      • Ubuntu

        • Ubuntu One Music Store has arrived
          This morning I woke up to write an article for Ghacks. I was searching around for inspiration while I was updating my Ubuntu 10.4 beta install. Near the end of the update I thought “Let’s just check to see the status of the Ubuntu One Music Store”. So I fired up Rhythmbox and, to my surprise, there it was…all ready for me to start shopping!

          So…with that said, in this article I am going to introduce you to the Ubuntu One Music Store and how it works. It’s time for the real fun to begin.


        • Ubuntu One Music Store Open for Testing


        • The New Wallpapers of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS














  • Devices/Embedded

    • 6WIND Speeds Time to Market for Multicore Processors
      6WINDGate, set up by tier one networking and telecom OEMs around the globe, is the commercial multicore packet processing software’s gold standard. The product enables OEMS to create multicore-based produced that attain the industry’s best integration, energy efficiency and cost-performance by offering a complete Linux networking software solution that brings a 7-10px packet processing performance improvement weighed against the standard Linux networking stacks.


    • SOFTWARE TOOLS: eSOL Unveils eSOL for Android
      According to company president Tsutomu Sawada, eSOL for Android consists of eSOL Adaptor for Android(TM), which enables Android to run on non-Linux OSes, and eSOL Professional Services for Android(TM), which offers technical services for Android-based software development. As a result, he said, eSOL for Android is expected to bring Android to a much wider market beyond mobile phones.

      eT-Kernel Adaptor for Android, the first in a series of eSOL Adaptor for Android products, permits replacement of a Linux kernel with the eSOL eT-Kernel OS, a high-performance, highly reliable POSIX- and TRON-conformant OS.




    • Phones

      • Linux gets mobile and starts to build a big following
        Linux is taking on the big boys of mobile technology, with most of the leading vendors using its systems.

        US software firm Adobe and three other firms joined the wireless Linux group LiMo, underlining the growing role of the Linux computer operating system in cellphones.




      • Nokia/Intel

        • Nokia, Intel demo MeeGo at IDF
          Nokia and Intel have demoed their upcoming MeeGo platform co-venture at the Intel Developer Forum 2010 in Beijing, showing not only how the platform is being developed for netbooks, TVs and smartphones, but how the system will be able to cooperate from device to device. In the demo video (below) an Intel spokesperson plays a video streaming to a netbook on a TV and a smartphone at the same time.


        • Intel shows off MeeGo devices
          MeeGo is a joint venture with Nokia and is built on their Moblin and Maemo mobile OSes. Unlike rival operating systems, MeeGo is intended to "support multiple hardware architectures across the broadest range of device segments, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems."


        • Intel shows off Meego


        • Linux-based MeeGo mobile OS makes its netbook debut
          The open-source offspring of Intel’s Moblin and Nokia’s Maemo gets its first public outing running an an Atom netbook, as well as a smartphone and a TV set...


        • MeeGo May Go Somewhere With New Partners and Updates
          MeeGo is a Linux-based operating system for portable devices. It’s the product of a partnership between Nokia and Intel which brings together Nokia’s Maemo and Intel’s Moblin environment. This operating system could power your smart phone and your netbook as well as other devices you might not consider like a vehicle or an embedded system.


        • Comment: Has Intel's Android move wrong-footed Microsoft?
          The news that Intel has got the Android mobile software stack from Google running on Atom-based smartphone designs as well as being important in its own right, could also be a sign of a break in the log-jam over Big Windows and ARM processors.

          Maybe Intel has wrong-footed Microsoft with the move, or maybe Intel is responding to a Microsoft move that has not yet gone public. But what does Intel and Google Android have to do with Microsoft's full Windows operating system and ARM, I hear you ask?

          Well some observers have assumed that there was tacit understanding between Intel and Microsoft to the effect that Intel wouldn't support the Microsoft-threatening Android software as long as Microsoft wouldn't expand its support of the Intel-threatening ARM.


        • €£55 p/m Nokia N900 Ultd Min Ultd Text + Free 32-inch Samsung LCD
          The Nokia N900 is a powerful smartphone running the Linux based Maemo OS. Featuring a vivid 3.5 inch WVGA touchscreen display, the N900 also features a slide out QWERTY keyboard which aids messaging and web browsing.


        • Mobile Linux collaboration gets a boost as MeeGo grows
          Opportunities for the open source Linux operating system in the mobile device market was a prominent theme of the keynote presentations at the Linux Collaboration Summit on Wednesday.








      • Android

        • Android/HTC Desire Question
          I've read it's down to something to do with android being Linux based, with application piracy also to blame. This aint the case for the HTC devices running windows mobile as they can save to external memory cards.














Free Software/Open Source

  • Why Open Source?
    Managers are quickly realizing the benefit that community-based development can have on their businesses. The real-time communication and transparency their developers are discovering in open source communities are exactly what internal development teams need in order to create in a more agile way and meet the increasing business demand for delivering higher-quality software with reduced development cycles.


  • What is the future of open source software?
    The open source movement has changed the course of modern software development. Certainly, Linux has been the most prominent example so far, but there is far more to come. Open source continues to infiltrate mainstream development at an ever faster pace. As that happens, the rules change too.

    Open source Eclipse tools overturned the IDE business. Open source frameworks helped drive Ajax. Open source unit testers are now par for the course. In the form of Hibernate and Spring, open source has challenged the conventional application server stack. Open source has penetrated the mysterious world of BPM in the form of BPEL and various rules engines. Open source software is on the evaluation list for more and more messaging and enterprise service bus projects.


  • HUBzero Open Source Release Is a Hub-in-a-Box, Without the Box
    It also is a tool now available to anyone, thanks to the new free, open source release of the software package -- called HUBzero -- underlying nanoHUB.org. The open source package became available Wednesday (April 14, 2010) on the HUBzero web site at http://hubzero.org/getstarted.

    Developed at Purdue, HUBzero is the YouTube of simulation tools -- sort of a Swiss Army Knife for deploying and accessing computational research codes, and visualizing and analyzing results, all through a familiar Web browser interface. Built-in social networking features akin to Facebook create communities of researchers and educators in science, engineering, medicine, almost any field or subject matter and facilitate online collaboration, distribution of research results, training and education.


  • ImageWare Creates Open Source Biometrics Initiative
    The Open Biometrics Initiative (OBI) is an open source project and forum managed by ImageWare Systems, but available for inclusion by anyone participating in the open source community.




  • International

    • Will 'Telecentros' Transform Cuba's Internet Access?
      Another new development is arriving by way of Brazil's "Telecentro" program. Telecentros are public computer labs that use open source software and provide free Internet access.

      [...]

      Open source software is playing a key role in the Telecentros. Ryan Bagueros, the owner and founder of NorthxSouth, a software development company that describes itself as a "network of open source developers from all over the Americas," said Brazil and other Latin American governments are unenthusiastic about the high cost and security leaks of U.S.-made proprietary software. (Bagueros joined me on a panel at the annual meeting of Roots of Hope.) He noted that these Latin American countries are investing heavily in developing open source alternatives, and expanded via email about the value of open source software:


    • Malta Open Source End User Group
      Free Open Source Software (Foss) has reached appropriate levels of maturity in terms of quality and reach; Foss is also being adopted as a mainstream solution and also an alternative to proprietary solutions. The Malta Information Technology Agency (Mita) seeks to adopt cost-effective and non-disruptive OSS within government and is therefore seeking open participation, collaboration and transparency through the creation of a Government of Malta Open Source End User Group to become a major driving force behind the evolution of Open Source initiatives.








  • Events







  • SaaS

    • Startup Pushes Hadoop via Spreadsheet
      A startup called Datameer is offering a simpler way for business analysts to use Hadoop, the open-source framework for large-scale data processing on clusters of commodity hardware.






  • Databases







  • Oracle

    • Oracle Analyzing MySQL, OpenOffice Partner Strategies
      When it comes to Sun Microsystems’ technology, Oracle’s top partner priority is to promote Sun servers and storage. But if you listen closely to Oracle Channel Chief Judson Althoff, you’ll discover that he’s already contemplating channel partner strategies for Sun’s MySQL, Java and OpenOffice offerings.



    • The viability of open source forking
      Although my feelings haven't changed, based on the information currently available, questions regarding OpenSolaris are starting to generate notable discussion.

      [...]

      Said differently, "The source is available, so be warned, Oracle."

      OpenSolaris community member Ben Rockwood wrote a measured response:
      Here is where I want to be careful. Asking for autonomy at this juncture would be very foolish I think. If they grant it, they will essentially expect us to fork and re-establish the community without Sun/Oracle resources. That means the website goes, communication is severed, employees are instructed not to putback to the autonomous codebase, etc. I think it would go very very badly and we'd essentially help kill the community.

      The size of the community at present is pretty small and relatively inactive. Support for Nexenta, Belenix, etc, is orders of magnitude less so. These projects are productive and active, but the numbers are tiny compared to the official community. Add it all up and I think we have little reason to think that an autonomous community would really have any real support unless we get a sudden and massive influx of contributing developers. So it is, imho, a non-starter.








  • Business







  • Government

    • Lib Dem manifesto focuses on ‘better’ IT procurement
      "As part of the review, we will seek to identify additional savings which can be used to pay down the deficit further, including better government IT procurement, investigating the potential of different approaches, such as cloud computing and open-source software," Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrats leader, wrote in the manifesto.


    • Conservative manifesto aims for open data
      Large ICT projects would be opened to smaller suppliers by breaking them up into smaller components. All government tender documents worth more than €£10,000 would appear on the Supply2Gov website, a far lower level than that currently used by the Official Journal of the European Union, and a "level playing field" would be created for open source ICT in government procurement.


    • Government remains vague on open-source commitments
      Digital Britain minister Stephen Timms has said in an interview with V3.co.uk that smaller firms should be given more opportunities to compete for public sector contracts, but he was vague when discussing the government's open-source commitments.

      We asked Timms how Labour's strategy compares with statements made in the Tory manifesto, which promises to open up the €£200bn government procurement market to small and open-source companies, partly by breaking up large ICT projects into smaller components.








  • Applications

    • Open Source Video Conferencing
      Open Source Video Conferencing software are pretty new. Except the grand father Ekiga (former GnomeMeeting), the most promising Open Source Video Conferencing solutions have less than 2 years on the market.DimDim and Vmukti are the gorilla of the field, with aggressive features list.Open Source Video Conferencing software are pretty new. Except the grand father Openmeetings (former GnomeMeeting), the most promising Open Source Video Conferencing solutions have less than 2 years on the market.DimDim and Vmukti are the gorilla of the field, with aggressive features list.


    • Test VLC 1.1 With GPU Acceleration
      The developers of VLC are already working on the next iteration of the video player which could be beneficial in future comparisons as the developers plan to add gpu acceleration to the media player.








Leftovers

  • 10 things the Internet has ruined and five things it hasn't
    For some people, the Internet is the killer app -- literally. From newspapers and the yellow pages to personal privacy and personal contact, the Net has been accused of murdering, eviscerating, ruining, and obliterating more things than the Amazing Hulk. Some claims are more true than others, but the Net certainly has claimed its share of scalps.




  • Finance

    • U.S. Accuses Goldman Sachs of Fraud in Mortgage Deals
      Goldman let Mr. Paulson select mortgage bonds that he wanted to bet against — the ones he believed were most likely to lose value — and packaged those bonds into Abacus 2007-AC1, according to the S.E.C. complaint. Goldman then sold the Abacus deal to investors like foreign banks, pension funds, insurance companies and other hedge funds.


    • Update: SEC says Goldman defrauded investors of $1 billion
      The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged investment banking titan Goldman Sachs with civil fraud over a pre-packaged mortgage instrument they say was designed to fail.

      Goldman Sachs created the derivative -- called Abacus 2007-AC1 -- in response to a request from a hedge fund manager who predicted that the housing market would collapse and wanted to bet against it. The trader, John Paulson, later earned $3.7 billion for his wager. Goldman's practices cost investors $1 billion, according to the filing.








  • Internet/Net Neutrality/DRM

    • Internet becomes an election issue
      Downloading has become an election issue. Elsewhere in Europe ever stricter measures are being taken to protect copyright and security on the internet. Which way will digital freedom go in the Netherlands after the parliamentary elections on 9 June? "Prepare yourselves in The Hague! The Pirates are about to enter." This is the Twitter warning with which the Dutch Pirates Party presented itself. 'Captain' Salim Allioui hopes to win 14 seats in June. The phenomenon began in Sweden four years ago, where the Pirate Party has the third largest membership in the country.


    • FOI shows Department of Justice planning internet blocking for Ireland
      In January we filed a Freedom of Information Request with the Department of Justice asking for all documents dealing with internet blocking by ISPs. Last month the response came back – refusing access to almost every internal document!

      Sometimes, however, it can be informative to know what is being concealed. When answering FOI requests, departments prepare a schedule of records listing each document they hold by data and title.








Clip of the Day



SourceCode Season 1: Episode 6 (2004)

[an error occurred while processing this directive]



Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

The PIPs or 'Voluntary Termination Offers' Help IBM Fake Its Situation
"IBM is not a tech company"
General Assembly Covers EPO Strikes on Thursday, September 17th (2026)
The EPO's staff representation at The Hague has asked people to join an upcoming online session about industrial actions
SLAPP Censorship - Part 182 Out of 200: UK Dockets With Machine-Generated Applications to the Court (From American Slop Companies)
Earlier this year Garrett was using machine-generated output as legal papers and submissions
 
Vista 11 Flunked
Microsoft cannot start a "Vista 12" campaign as it would only make matters worse
Microsoft Urgently Needs Distraction: There's No "Next XBox", But There's a New Boot Screen (Like 'Dark Mode', a Feature That Can be Implemented in Mere Minutes/Hours)
Anything to distract from XBox fiasco
IBM Flying Away to Sweatshops (So Will Red Hat)
Even on Sunday people post about 'leaving' IBM
RFID Ambitions Already Established by Widespread Skinnerbox Adoption
A society that cannot maintain privacy for those who deserve it will not manage to assure dignity of citizens
SLAPP Censorship - Part 183 Out of 200: What Actually Happened Two Months Ago (Based on People Who Attended)
It's dangerous to assert what happened in a hearing you did not attend (there was no video stream or recording, either)
Phil Harvey, an Editor-in-Chief in a B2B Site, Explains Why ChannelFutures (Connected to TechTarget) and Other Sites That Used to Cover Linux Deleted Many Articles
Every old article in channelfutures is gone!
Software Freedom Day 2026 is 5 Days From Now, Fresh Reminder to Boycott Proprietary Software
Let this be a timely reminder of why people should avoid proprietary software
Links 14/09/2026: Slop Hardly Used for Actual Work (Chatbots Are for Lonely People), Slop Bots (Scrapers, Plagiarism) "Are Thirsty for Power"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 14/09/2026: Trip, Hiding, and OCR
Links for the day
IBM PIPs Are Layoffs (RAs Come Later Even If You Satisfy the "Performance" and "Plan")
Notice how "the media" almost never mentions silent layoffs, as if just because they're silent, there's nothing to investigate, nothing to see there
Slop Companies Engage in Plagiarising the Web, Now They Pay People to Contaminate the Web With Their Lies
Remember that the lawfare against us is funded by slop salaries!
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 13, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, September 13, 2026
Microsoft is Laying Off All Year Long (It's Just Keeping Quiet About It)
The issue here is also the media. It's complicit.
MElon's Twitter Takeover Was Meant to Amplify People Like Himself or David Heinemeier Hansson (Slop Pyramid Schemes and Bigotry)
Social control media is not neutral
Microsoft Lunduke of 'Linux Sucks' (and Microsoft Corp.) Tries to Replace GNU/Linux With Toxic Discussions About Toxic Politics
Poisoning the well people drink from
Links 13/09/2026: Republican Campaign Aide Uses Nazi Photo and Convicted Felon is Wielding Power to Stifle Speech
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/09/2026: Never Settling, Plain Text Digital Life, and Newsgroups
Links for the day
Efforts to Cancel Matt Mullenweg Have Made Us More Sympathetic Towards Mullenweg and More Sceptical of the People Who Run Automattic (Named After Mullenweg)
Mullenweg, unlike Automattic, is not "in it for the money"
Boosters of Omarchy Are No 'Underdogs'
There are many Arch derivatives that do not rely on "viral" marketing in MElon's child porn-pushing social control media and are instead relying on real development, not slop
PIPs Are a Setup: They Set Workers Up to Fail While Working Their Arse Off Before Getting Kicked (Out) in the Arse
Malicious and exploitative
SLAPP Censorship - Part 181 Out of 200: This is Really More Like Brett Wilson LLP v Schestowitz (Using Money From American Slop Companies, Plagiarism Pushers)
We approach the parts where we explain that the Application to the Court with Garrett's name on it was instead complaining about fair criticism of the combative law firm (irrelevant to any injunctions) as if it was impermissible to explain what it had done - and still does - to my wife and I
It Sometimes Feels Like Slop Companies Are Committing Online/Digital Crimes
"GPT" out of control
Gemini Links 13/09/2026: Why Omarchy is "Plain Disgusting" and "AI Slop" and Why "Plain Text To Do List" Rocks
Links for the day
Links 13/09/2026: Scam Altman Admits Issues (Financial), Rival Says Stop Slop (Plagiarism)
Links for the day
Windows Down to New Lows as Switzerland's Federal Government Abandons Microsoft (Where Feasible for Now)
That's how it starts...
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 12, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, September 12, 2026
Televisions Have Become Billboards
Bottom line: you get what you pay for
Mass Layoffs at Microsoft as "Voluntary Separation Agreement" (or PIP)
the man who kept lying about the layoffs has just left the company
The Cyber Show on Media Clickbait About Slop as 'Existential Threat' and Derek Thompson's Response to That
Ignore the hype, focus on real news
Links 12/09/2026: "Revolt Is Here" Against Slop and "Top Chinese Court" Cracks Down on Slop That's Fake/Misleading
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/09/2026: Rants About Slop, Switching From QWERTY, and Why TVs Are 'Cheap'
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 180 Out of 200: A Third Act, (Mis)Using Your Client's Application to the Court for Your Own Purposes as a Law Firm (Reputation Management and Censorship)
How much can a lawfare firm get away with?
Canonical Has Withdrawn Ubuntu 24.04.5 Installer Due to a Critical Bug Connected to Microsoft-Controlled Restricted Boot and TPM
already breaking systems running GNU/Linux [...] Who asked for TPM in Linux?
SLAPP Censorship - Part 179 Out of 200: Using One's Clients to Save Face at Their Expense
Who's being served really?
Switzerland's Software Freedom/Digital Sovereignty is Improving as People Move to GNU/Linux
Well done to them
Links 12/09/2026: "U.S. Debt Surpasses $40 Trillion" and "Trump Wants to [Illegally] Bribe Voters."
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/09/2026: Readjusting, Fighting Sleep, and FreeBSD bhyve
Links for the day
Matt Mullenweg Got the 'Linus Treatment' or 'RMS Treatment'
"back, but not in charge any more..."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 11, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, September 11, 2026