● 03.20.09

● Links 20/03/2009: New Compiz and New GNU/Linux in the Philippines

Posted in News Roundup at 6:53 pm by Dr. Roy SchestowitzContentsGNU/LinuxGNU/Linux

• Server maker Sun Microsystems has a new Linux partner for its “Niagara” family of multicore processors and their related servers: Wind River Systems.

• Linux supercomputer maker Penguin Computing is ramping up its use of nVidia Tesla graphics processing units as co-processors for its x64-based Linux clusters.

• Back at the SC08 supercomputing show in November, Penguin was showing off what it called a “personal supercomputer,” the “Bumble Bee” Niveus HTX workstation, which uses Intel’s “Seaburg” chipset and supports the “Harpertown” Xeon DP processors. The Intel side of the workstation has two quad-core E5400 chips running at 2.8 GHz or 3 GHz and from 8 GB to 32 GB of main memory.

• The amount of time I have wasted in the past while trying to fix things in Windows has been irritating to say the least. I can’t say enough how beneficial it is to a self-employed individual these days, to have a computer or computing environment that is stable and secure, and does not require constant maintenance.

• I believe a computer is meant to be a tool for productivity, not a constant money pit with many inherent problems. Anyone that leads a busy life, and whose time is a valuable commodity will understand this.

• I hope this rundown, albeit a bit silly and rudimentary, offers an idea or ideas to anyone looking for a another way to install Linux, or just benefit from tools such as Qemu. Maybe you’ll develop ideas from this that I just don’t see. More power to you.

• Time is something we can never get back, but computers are. I genuinely hope Linux helps you make the most of your time.

• Actually, there’s one way it could happen. The Linux Foundation could start the ball rolling on it. After all, one of their prime directives is standardization. A UPM is one step toward that goal and a darn fine one at that.

• It is unfortunate to notice how difficult it is to assert ones’ rights in IT tax removal. I dare to hope that this kind of initiatives as well as those relayed by the project “detaxe” from swisslinux, the racketiciel.info site at the French level and racketware.info at the international level, will allow everyone not to pay pointless expenses of licenses for software of no use (whether they do not wish to use them, or because they already possess them) whatever their choice of equipment. A clear display of the prices of this ” inclusive software ” as well as their optionality would be to the advantage of the consumers and the computers makers.

• I should probably add that the Thinkpad is a rather good choice for using Linux on, support is solid and it just works (am typing this on a X41 tablet, my partner has a X31 and my eldest son an ancient a22e, all of which run Debian and work magnificently).

• The fifth version of “Bayanihan” Linux for Government is ready, the Advanced Science and Technology Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (ASTI-DOST) said.

• The new version has been updated with a new K Desktop environment, OpenOffice desktop application suite, the latest Mozilla Firefox web browser, an optical drive burning application, XVidCap screen capturing tool and the MPlayer music and video player, the agency said.

• Bayanihan Linux 5 for Government has also been enhanced with security features like ClamAv antivirus and GuardDog firewall.

• This is the first stable release of Compiz 0.8 series. This release is the first merged release of both (former) Compiz and Compiz Fusion projects, and what is newly released here is what previously was the -fusion part ; the core part was released on Sunday, March 1st. This release is the result of the 0.7 development series and is mostly a bugfix release. A fully detailed changelog is available below.

• With Linux you have an operating system that uses your hardware resources efficiently and can even run off of floppy disks (remember those?) In the days of hundreds of gigabytes of free space we still seem to fill it up with files that are now gigabytes in size. In the days of multiple gigabytes of ram it never seems to be enough for the programs we run.

• I’m in DC because I gave some talks this morning about Linux along with our Red Hat partner. To summarize:

• * Linux is more than ready for business critcal deployments. * The ability to run Linux on multiple hardware platforms offers great flexibility to match your IT workloads to the systems you already own or to systems that are tuned to the applications you will be running. * Linux and virtualization go together very naturally, with Linux fitting above, below, and probably sideways to many other operating systems. * Linux and cloud computing are also naturals. * Linux is “green” in that it can be an important element in datacenter consolidation to reduce hardware footprint, energy used, heat output, and CO2 emitted.

Applications

• KDENLIVE is SIMULAR to a Linear editor like Microsoft Windows Movie Maker, but with a few more flexible options in rendering. Very easy to use, no special tweeks.. all around good decent editor.

• If you love music then you’re probably looking for the music player of your choice. You could choose among several types of music players out there. In my case, as long as it doesn’t hang, as long as it shows me all the important information I need as well as store playlists well, then everything’s alright.

• In this article we’re going to take a look at another great cloud operating system, EyeOS. EyeOS differentiates itself from other solutions, such as Cloudo, by being licensed under AGPLv3. You can install EyeOS on your own server as easily as you would install WordPress. This eliminates many issues, as we’ll prove by the end of the article.

Kernel Space

• The Netfilter development team’s Patrick McHardy has released an alpha version of nftables, a new firewall implementation for the Linux kernel, with a user space tool for controlling the firewall. nftables introduces a fundamental distinction between the user space defined rules and network objects in the kernel: the kernel component works with generic data such as IP addresses, ports and protocols and provides some generic operations for comparing the values of a packet with constants or for discarding a packet.

Desktop Environments

• I honestly have no idea. I find myself going back and forth on this one. The safe and easy choice would be GNOME, the pretty and challenging one would be KDE.

KDE

• This summer KDE will once again be participating in Google Summer of Code! This will give KDE another opportunity to achieve the massive forward momentum and influx of new developers that has been the hallmark of each Summer of Code.

• Mandriva has decided to help porting K3b, the leading and award-winning KDE burning software, to Qt4.

• 2 engineers of our KDE team are working together with Sebastian Trueg, the lead developer of this project, so that new version can be released sooner and hopefully for 2009 Spring release. Linux users will finally be able to make K3b use the full power of the KDE4 platform through Solid, Phonon and all the Plasma environment. Boiko is one of our 2 engineers working at the moment on this port.

GNOME

• GNOME 2.26 now offers support for 48 languages with at least 80 percent of strings translated.

• The GNOME Release Team would like to announce that git will be the new Version Control System (VCS) for GNOME. In our opinion, the decision reflects the opinion of the majority of our active contributors.

• I’m especially excited about the new per-application volume control feature in PulseAudio and the fact that Brasero, my all-time favorite burning application, is now the default one in GNOME 2.26. We’ll meet again with a new version of the GNOME desktop environment six months from now, when 2.28 is expected to be released.

Distributions

• We are releasing a new Linux Distro called Ultra X Linux.

• Tiny Core Linux runs great on minimal hardware and might be just what you’re looking for to put that machine gathering dust in the basement to good use. The Opera browser provides a solid foundation for a simple Internet machine you could remote boot without even installing on a local hard drive. Other scenarios for utility computing require only a little research to get the right modules loaded and running. All that’s left now is for you to drag that old machine out and give it a spin.

PCLinuxOS

• PCLinuxOS has come out with a beauty of a distro with 2009.1 The overall handling is like a Cadillac and is full featured enough to get right down to business without too much setup.

• PCLinuxOS Gnome 2009.1 is a slick looking offering with plenty of tools to get started with. The repros have most of the more popular packages, and it tricks out nicely. This distro always has a place on my HD.

Ubuntu

• Ubuntu 9.04 (the Jaunty Jackalope) will be released towards the end of next month and it is picking up the Linux 2.6.28 kernel, GNOME 2.26, and other improvements like install-time support for the EXT4 file-system and some subtle improvements. When it comes to the X.Org side it is shipping with X Server 1.6 and the stabilized version of Mesa 7.3. Specifically in regards to the ATI Linux graphics, it will be shipping with an updated xf86-video-ati driver by default and Catalyst 9.4 will be an option for the user (in fact, right now Ubuntu 9.04 is using an unreleased driver).

• Being so bright, and contrastful, I can’t see it being the default wallpaper, at least as it is now, but would be nice to have some alternative wallpaper shipped with Jaunty. Sadly, the LiveCd space is limited, so it’s unlikely we’ll see more than one or (maximum) two wallpapers shipped by default.

• Ubuntu is the face of GNU/Linux for many non-techies.

• While there is no question that Ubuntu has brought some high-powered marketing to the table for GNU/Linux, I’ve heard many discussions recently about Ubuntu actually hurting Linux and the Linux community.

• I ask the question, “Is Ubuntu good for Linux?” Of course, this depends largely on your definition of what being “good” for Linux means.

Devices/Embedded

• Lineo Solutions has launched a failure analysis service for embedded Linux developers. The “LL-rescue” service reproduces and analyzes embedded Linux kernel, middleware, application, and hardware problems and bugs, and then offers corrective action and performance improvement solutions, says the Japanese embedded firm.

Sub-notebooks

• Top Crown says the 3G Netbook is available with a 2.5-inch SATA HDD in sizes from 40GB to 160GB, or SSD storage in capacities from 16GB to 64GB. Offered with three- or six-cell batteries, the device runs Linux or Windows XP.

• Embedded-systems OEM CompuLab wants to jump-start the nettop market with a system one hardware site describes as the “smallest, most energy-efficient PC ever.” The company’s Fit-PC2 is about the size of a ham sandwich, but it can pack up to a 1.6MHz Atom processor, 160GB of SATA or solid-state storage, and 1GB or memory, with Ubuntu Linux 8.04 running the show.

• Judging from photos of the Fit-PC2 posted on DesktopLinux.com, the system also includes six USB ports (including two mini-USB ports on the front), Ethernet and wireless LAN capability, audio line-in and -out jacks, and a DVI video connector.

Free Software/Open Source

• Open Source has played a major role in the progress of Cloud Computing. The Open Stack like LAMP are the ones that provide the backbone to many Cloud based solutions. Hadoop is transforming the way organizations and companies use Cloud. Whether you are an enthusiastic geek trying to set up a Cloud like infrastructure at the basement or an enterprise trying to run a private cloud inside the firewall, Open Source software like Hadoop and Eucalyptus are playing a significant role.

• As a freelancer, you don’t have to fork over expensive commercial software: there are plenty high-quality open source applications and utilities that can help you to run your daily business smoothly. Even if you are new to open source, you are probably already familiar with the usual suspects such as OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox, and Thunderbird. But there are quite a few other useful applications that deserve a place in your freelancer toolbox.

FSF/GNU

• Many people have been commenting on and/or asking about my keynote, When Software Is A Services, Is Only the “Network Luddite” Free? from Scale 7x in late February. There is finally a downloadable H264/MPEG-4 AAC version (114MB) available. Also, please note that the keynote is substantially similar to my Plone Conference Keynote, which we released as a podcast, if you want an audio-only version.

Sun

• At the front-end, Sun will be providing the CHPC with its Visualization system which allows for users to assemble and view 3D models of their data. The Open Storage solution is based on ten AMD Opteron-powered Sun Fire X4540 Open Storage servers, which provide 480 terabytes of data storage.

Open (But No Source Code)

• The main api only lets you grab 5,000 points per request; you have to page the request to get the additional data. To pull out a really large chunk of data, or to filter it (for example to just download all the pubs in the city) use the extended OSM API (XAPI, or ‘zappy’). Access to really enormous amounts of data, such as the entire planet or a country, can be found in the frequently updated dumps listed on the Planet.osm wiki page.

Leftovers

• Moving online will give the PI vastly more flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions and focus on those areas where they can create the most value. The PI says they’ll have about 20 people producing content for the new web-based outlet. That’s a lot fewer than the print paper employed, but it’s enough to produce a lot of valuable content. And now that they’re freed of the costs and constraints of newsprint, and the expectation to cover every topic under the sun, it’ll be a lot easier to experiment and find a sustainable business model.

• One of the many disgraceful aspects about the disgraceful ID card programme is the reluctance of the UK government to make key documents available.

• For such a momentous change in the relationship of government to governed, it is critically important that a full debate about all the issues be conducted; but without key details of the scheme, that is made more difficult – which is presumably why the UK government has resisted the publication of the so-called “Gateway reviews” so long.

• Then, there’s Rep. Jennifer “Jen” Seelig, who voted for the bill. But, that shouldn’t be surprising. You see, even though she’s an elected official in the state legislator, she’s also still employed as a registered lobbyist for 1-800 Contacts, the company that has been pushing the bill. Apparently that sort of conflict of interest isn’t seen as a problem in Utah.

• The latest gullible reporter? Tony Wong of the Toronto Star, who has written an article that probably could have been written every year for the last decade about the awful threat of piracy to the satellite TV industry. What’s amusing is that it really does look just like an article years ago, even quoting bogus 2001 “piracy” stats and then just saying “that number is likely far higher today.” But the reporter does nothing to verify this at all. He then goes on to talk about how the satellite TV companies are “fighting back,” with a “tough new encryption system.

Censorship/Web Abuse

• The Australian communications regulator’s top-secret blacklist of banned websites has been leaked on to the web and paints a harrowing picture of Australia’s forthcoming internet censorship regime.

• Wikileaks, an anonymous document repository for whistleblowers, obtained the list, which has been seen by this website, and plans to publish it for public consumption on its website imminently.

• Conroy claimed the list published yesterday of sites banned in Australia was not the full Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) list. But he also threatened a police investigation and possible legal action against the leaker.

• Critics of online media raise concerns about the ease with which gossip and unsubstantiated claims can be propagated on the Net. However, on the Net we have all learned to read with a grain of salt between our teeth, like Russians drinking tea through a sugar cube. The traditional media, to the contrary, commanded respect and imposed authority. It was precisely this respect and authority that made The New York Times’ reporting on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq so instrumental in legitimating the lies that the Bush administration used to lead this country to war. Two weeks ago and then last Friday, The Washington Post was still allowing George Will to make false claims about the analysis of a scientific study of global sea ice levels without batting an eyelid, reflecting the long-standing obfuscation of the scientific consensus on the causes of climate change by newspapers that, in the name of balanced reporting, reported the controversy rather than the actual scientific consensus. On some of these, the greatest challenges of our time, newspapers have failed us. The question then, on the background of this mixed record is whether the system that will replace the mass mediated public sphere can do at least as well.

Copyrights

• The owner of the ISOHunt search engine website (used specifically to find Bittorents submitted by users) is fighting the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) in court against claims that his site pirates music. The company’s president, Gary Fung, wants Canada’s Supreme Court to rule on the legality of search engines being used to identify material which may ultimately be used illegally to determine if they, too, are culpable.

• Gawker MediaGawker Media, the blog conglomerate that includes Gizmodo, Gawker, and Lifehacker among others has adopted our Attribution-NonCommercial license for all of their original content.

• Richard Smith has an interesting post discussing James Boyle’s excellent book, The Public Domain, which we’ve been discussing as well. In his post, though, Smith makes a really good point, comparing the extension of copyright to the banning of Wikipedia.

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