● 04.29.10

● Links 29/4/2010: Sony Sued for Removing GNU/Linux Support

Posted in News Roundup at 10:58 am by Dr. Roy SchestowitzContentsGNU/LinuxGNU/Linux

• The well equipped training centre provides perfect environment to build new Linux systems and simulate troubleshooting.

• Hyderabad based, Taashee Linux Services, a 100% Linux and Open Source Software company, today announced the opening of its Red Hat Training facility in Adarsh Nagar, Hyderabad. Taashee will also begin its training for Red Hat’s, Red Hat Certified Engineer and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization programs in this facility.

• Installing MythTV can be as easy or as difficult as you want to make it. You could install a plain vanilla Linux distro and then install and configure MythTV with a lot of nasty terminal and command-line work, but if you fancy going down the easy route, it’s simple to install a Linux distro with MythTV built in to the installer.

• Some of them will be based on distros we’re all familiar with (MythDora is based on Fedora/Red Hat, for example) and some will be a little more obscure. Ubuntu is one of the most widely used Linux distros, thanks in no small part to the user-friendly Windows/Mac feel of its front-end, and a Ubuntu installation with MythTV built-in is just too good an opportunity to pass up for this system.

• It was during LinuxFest Northwest 2010, and it took place April 24 and 25.

• Bill Wright, director of LinuxFest Northwest, said this was the 11th festival. The Bellingham Linux Users Group started the festival after the dot-com crash of the ’90s, when the software community was disjointed.

• The goal was to create an event that would allow the Linux community to meet in person, he said.

• Another goal was to show people what Linux is, Wright said.

Sony

• A PlayStation owner has taken legal action against Sony following the company’s decision to drop the ‘Other OS’ option from the PlayStation 3, via a recent firmware update to the console.

• The ‘Other OS’ update was released earlier in April, causing one aggrieved California man to sue Sony for essentially dropping Linux support for PS3.

• A class action lawsuit has been filed against Sony Computer Entertainment America for the removal of the ‘Other OS’ feature from the PlayStation 3.

• In March, Sony released firmware v3.21 that disabled the feature, disallowing users from installing the Linux operating system. The update was not mandatory; however those who chose not to download it were cut off from a number of other features, one of which included signing in to PlayStation Network.

Desktop

• Ever wished you had two monitor setup for desktop so that you can improve your work efficiency.Or do you have a spare monitor at home which you are planning to sell? Wait, if you are running Linux and wish to have a multi-monitor setup(dual station) here is something interesting.Yes, i am talking about dual-station PC.

• The Free version of software called Userful Multiplier can easily transform your dual-monitor linux PC into a dual-station PC.Meaning , if you already have a dual-monitor setup, you can now transform it into two different working stations with Useful Multiplier.

• The software basically incorporates set of Linux software packages that can extend the X Window System to support upto 10 fully independent workstations using your single PC.

• Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant of Sophos, has warned users that ‘hackers’ are exploiting a problem with McAfee’s anti-virus product that has caused hundreds of thousands of computers around the world to repeatedly reboot themselves.

• I use ‘computers’ and they are not at risk because of McAfee’s whatever mistake. The reason is simple. I use GnuLinux on my ‘computers’. It is surprising that an expert like Graham could make such a huge mistake and overgeneralization by calling Windows running computers as computers. What about those computers which run on Gnu/Linux, BSD, Solaris and other such operating systems? These computers are not affected by this attack.

• The second mistake is the usage of word hacker. Anyone who looks inside or makes changes to a systems is a hacker. If you tune the engine or your car, you are hacking your car. If you are tweaking the code of your computer to enhance performance you are a hacker. Calling all hackers criminals is, I think, shameful and outrageous.

Server

• HPC Enterprise Edition is supported on x64-based clusters and currently supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, the CentOS clone of Red Hat, and another clone of Red Hat called Scientific Linux, which was created by CERN and FermiLab. No word on when Microsoft’s Windows 2008 HPC Server will be tossed into the mix.

• As a consolidation server, the Power 560 Express provides the flexibility to use leading-edge AIX®, IBM i, Linux for Power and x86 Linux applications all on the same system. The Power 560 Express is designed with capabilities to deliver near-continuous application availability and allow more work to be processed with less operational disruption. PowerVM™ Editions offers comprehensive virtualization technologies designed to aggregate and manage resources while helping to simplify and optimize your IT infrastructure and reduce server sprawl.

Ballnux

• StressLinux is a minimalistic Linux distribution aimed at stress-testing PCs under the best conditions. The latest release, StressLinux 0.5.111, has been launched bringing a number of improvements and updates over the previous versions. StressLinux is now based on openSUSE 11.2 and most core packages have been updated in 0.5.111.

Kernel Space

• While early adopters of Ubuntu 10.04 “Lucid Lynx” have had access to the Catalyst 10.4 Linux driver for more than a month (in fact, two pre-releases) this afternoon AMD has officially released their April Linux driver.

Applications

• System Administrators (SAs) have a tough job: Dealing with users and user accounts, security, patching, updates, upgrades, disk space, performance and other miscellaneous tasks often known as “other duties as assigned.” For some SAs, the day never ends. Despite the challenges, pitfalls and occasional irate user; system administration is a fulfilling job with intangible rewards like no other position in IT. To assist those weary SAs in their quest to conquer their Linux systems, I’ve devised this list of 12 native Linux system monitoring tools that are always at my fingertips.

• Having covered Linux installation, running Windows XP in Ubuntu, Internet applications, and a handful of open source communications titles, Adam Overa is back with a comprehensive look at office apps for Windows users considering a switch to Linux.

• If you have been reading Ghacks long enough you know I am partial to the Nano text based editor. For many users that editor (or one like it) is all they need. Because of the simplicity of the tools, why slow down your work with a GUI right? But for some, those GUI-less editors are a big turn off. It’s like they are the command line equivalent for text editing. Fortunately, for those, there are alternatives to the text-based editor. In the next few articles I will address this by introducing you to some of the better GUI-fied text editors. In this particular instance, I will introduce you to the GNOME default editor Gedit.

Proprietary

• Rancocas, N.J.-based SQN Banking Systems, a leading provider of integrated fraud detection and process improvement products for the financial industry, has responded to client demand for open source enabled solutions by releasing Linux versions of its SENTRY: SigCheck™ and SENTRY: Inspect™ products.

Instructionals

Games

• The Speed Dreams developers have announced the availability of version 1.4.0 of their open source 3D motor sport simulator. Speed Dreams is a fork of The Open Racing Car Simulator (TORCS) that includes a number of additional features, cars, tracks and AI opponents.

Distributions

• Following the success of the Live Hacking CD a Linux distribution packed with tools for ethical hacking and penetration testing, Dr. Ali Jahangiri decided to turn his attention to a smaller, leaner variant which fits on a Mini CD. This new version of the Live Hacking CD, dubbed the Live Hacking Mini CD, is small, faster and yet packed full of important ethical hacking tools.

• Arch’s uptake has been surprising. The first time I installed Arch, I was rather unimpressed. The installation procedure seemed like a somewhat menu driven LFS installation, though faster because it used binaries. Since that first use, the installation has become better. It’s now somewhat similar to a Slackware installation, though the system-after-install is much more similar to a Debian installation or Ubuntu Minimal installation.

• The oldest Linux distribution in existence is Slackware. It’s about time that I actually posted something about my favorite Linux distribution on this blog.

• [...]

• I’m running Firefox in Slackware right now to write this article. I’ve been a Slacker for nearly four years now. I have other Linux distributions on my systems, but Slackware is my Linux now. Ubuntu was that cute girl at the bowling alley that I had the fling with way back when. Debian is an X who I keep in touch with. Arch is a sweetheart from the office. Sidux, CentOS, and those others are occasional flings, but Slackware is the girl I always come home to.

• Have FUN with it!

New Releases

• Macpup Opera 2.0 has been released and is now available for download. The frugal Linux distribution is based on the latest version of the popular Puppy Linux 4.3.1. It features the Enlightenment e17 window manager and the Opera web browser. Macpup aims to take Puppy Linux’s best features while bringing the look and feel of a Mac on Linux.

• · Announced Distro: PCLinuxOS 2010 · Announced Distro: Sabayon Linux CoreCD 5.2 · Announced Distro: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Beta · Announced Distro: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Release Candidate · Announced Distro: StressLinux 0.5.111 · Announced Distro: Macpup Opera 2.0

Mandrake/Mandriva Family

• Mandriva will provide 10 more backgrounds to complete official design of your favorite distribution.

• I have loaded PCLinuxOS 2010 onto my laptop and am testing it out. I used to use PCLinuxOS 2007 and due to a moribund development cycle had tried Ubuntu and Linux Mint. I like both of those distributions, but when the new version of PCLinuxOS came out I decided to give it a go and am not disappointed.

Red Hat Family

• In a bid to simplify cloud computing for its large customers, Red Hat has announced that subscribers to Red Hat Enterprise Linux with premium support may move their instances between on-premises and in-the-cloud without modifying their license agreements.

Fedora

Debian Family

• ThinkIO-Solo is a fanless embedded PC with an Intel Celeron M processor clocked at 1.06GHz, 1Gbyte RAM, up to 4Gbyte of soldered internal flash, and 512kbyte non-volatile memory. And the firm has released a companion Debian Linux desktop distribution.

• ThinkIO-Solo and ThinkIO-Duo include an aluminium housing, Compact Flash socket for adding mass storage, standard PC interfaces, and field bus options including industrial Ethernet and a modular I/O interface option.

Ubuntu

• Ubuntu is a Debian-based distribution of Linux. What does that mean? Buggered if I know. If you do, and you are feeling a powerful urge, already, to recommend a different version of Linux, then let me stop you right there. Is it easier to use? Is it prettier? No? Well, not interested. Move along.

• The Ubuntu Manual Team are proud to announce the release of Getting Started with Ubuntu 10.04, a comprehensive beginner’s guide designed for the Ubuntu operating system. It is written under an open source license and is free for you to download, read, modify, and share. This manual will help you become familiar with everyday tasks such as surfing the web, listening to music, and scanning documents. With an emphasis on easy-to-follow instructions, it is suitable for all levels of experience.

• I have written here in this blog of my brother and his conversion years ago from Windows to Linux and Apple. He has four computers, two of which have Linux, and two of which a have PowerPC based OS.X. One of the Linux computers recently suffered a motherboard failure, so he was down one.

• [...]

• So, for that matter, is Ubuntu 10.04. Another strong release.

• As many of you will know, Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx is officially being released today – perhaps has already been released as I am writing this. Ubuntu 10.04 is an Long Term Support (LTS) version. With the Long Term Support (LTS) version you get 3 years support on Ubuntu Desktop, and 5 years on Ubuntu Server.

• Let’s get a bird’s eye view of what is on offer in this latest avatar namely Ubuntu 10.04 a.k.a Lucid Lynx.

• Overall: 4/5 (Great!)

Variants

• The EasyPeasy developers have announced the availability of a release candidate for version 1.6 of their Linux distribution aimed at netbooks. EasyPeasy was originally called “Ubuntu-eee” until Canonical intervened and has historically focussed on the ASUS Eee PC, however, a number of other netbook devices are also supported. The 1.6 release is based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, code named “Lucid Lynx”, which is still under development.

Devices/Embedded

• Most NAS systems use Linux, and don’t use the Windows-friendly file systems FAT or NTFS. You stand a better chance of success attaching one to a Linux machine and running Linux file recovery software, but that may not work, either. Not all NAS systems use the standard Linux File System.

• Nexenta is sticking to software putting a BASH/Linux CLI and of course management GUI on OpenSolaris to create NexentaStor which they then sell direct to users that want to roll their own unified storage systems and to OEMs like OnStor and PogoLinux who’ll sell fully packaged NAS appliances.

• Kakai is a unknown company myriad in secrecy in Silicon Valley. It has about 50 employees and a venture capital of roughly 10 million.

• Also at ESC, Freescale will announce partnerships with embedded software houses to give its customers an alternative to Wind River’s technology, which is now owned by Intel. Although Wind River’s real time OS and Linux software is still being offered to all its clients, its new embedded software packages, to debut at ESC, are targeted initially at x86. Freescale is broadening its own ecosystem by working with Enea Systems, Green Hills Software and Mentor Graphics. It says it has chosen to create a strong group of independent software houses rather than acquiring its own technology, as Intel has, as well as Cavium, which purchased embedded Linux firm MontaVista.

• Multicore Leaders Collaborate to Deliver Comprehensive RTOS and Linux Platforms Targeting Communications Equipment

• “Stanford took the power of Linux and put it in a middleware OS and the biggest barrier to entry for MIPS has been removed”, said Vij.

• The three USPs for Android, said Vij, is that: “It harnesses the power of Linux; it is backed by Google, and it’s free.”

• The E10 uses a powerful 32-bit RISC processor running an open, embedded version of Linux. [...] Full Linux services are also available to administrators and natively hosted applications.

• Canal Digital is close to introducing a new Linux-based application that will bring in a new video-on-demand service for its satellite and cable customers. The initial plans were first revealed to Broadband TV News last November by Telenor Broadcast Holding CEO Christian Albech in an exclusive interview.

Phones

• Japan’s largest mobile network service provider NTT Docomo has announced it will be teaming up with Sharp, Panasonic, Fujitsu and NEC to develop an all-new mobile phone operating system platform, compatible with Symbian and Linux OS.

Palm

• HP is going to acquire smartphone maker Palm. In a conference call after the announcement, a high-level HP executive raised the possibility that his company might produce tablet computers running Palm’s webOS.

• Of course, the good news for open source is that it doesn’t really matter whether HP’s move proves deeply wise or totally witless. Both Android and webOS have Linux at their heart, and both use additional free software (that found in the latest webOS includes ALSA and webkit elements.) In that sense, the lifeline that HP has thrown to Palm and hence webOS is good news: more resources will be expended on making key parts of open source better.

• The PalmPilot is credited with popularizing the personal digital assistant, or PDA. And it was the device that established the basic form factor that later smartphones would use. After earlier attempts by Apple and others, Palm proved there was a market for a third category of portable computing device, something more than a cell phone but less than a laptop.

Nokia

• Ari Jaaksi, Nokia’s VP for Maemo devices and MeeGo operations, spoke first, which he saw as an advantage because Intel’s Imad Sousou would be sure to correct anything he said “wrong”. The goal of the MeeGo project is to “provide industry with an open platform” for various kinds of devices. Both companies have been working on mobile distributions, which means that they “integrate the same components multiple times”, and that is “stupid”, Jaaksi said. That is one of the main ideas behind the merger.

Android

• Apart from Android, these netbooks may also come with Moblin (Mobile Linux) OS on them. Dell will also introduce Looking Glass and Looking Glass Pro tablets based on Android OS with Bender. All these Android based products are projected to be launched by the third quarter of fiscal year 2011.

Sub-notebooks

• Now that Windows is no longer the only operating system featured in netbooks, with Android and Linux steadily gaining ground, the time may have finally come for the ARM architecture to seriously consider making a foray into this market segment. ARM has been meaning to do so for quite a while now, but there has been little word on what effort, if any, is being put into this endeavor. The time of silence may have finally come to a close, however, now that a certain roadmap document from Samsung has been exposed.

Tablets

• The system currently runs Debian Linux but the user claims that loading Ubuntu results in a slightly better battery life. Either way, the whole shebang with the extended battery, weighs around 800 grams. Unlike the Ipad, however, it has peripheral ports, including a working VGA output, which given the lack of screen is pretty important.

Free Software/Open Source

• The word “open” — like “green” or “eco-conscious” — is one of the more amorphous concepts floating about the tech industry. Google touts openness while keeping its advertising and search algorithms secret. On the opposing side, Apple regularly faces heated criticism about the barriers it has erected to the app store.

• Inside Contactless has taken a further step towards making its Open NFC technology available to all by making its source code and API documentation available to download from the Sourceforge.net open source website.

• Jacques Honoré, TioLive Community Manager adds: “TioLive Grid is one more step towards Complete Freedom and Total Control by users over their private data. All customers’ data is kept on his own server. All server software is open source. There is no lock-in at all for TioLive users.”

• The National Library of Australia has opted for an open source platform to drive its newly unveiled search engine.

• Called, Trove, the search engine provides access to more than 90 million items about Australians and Australia, sourced from more than 1000 libraries and cultural institutions across the country.

• He explained that the need for interoperability to support open source projects helped raise the demand for standard-based architectures and drive down cost.

• The recession also raised the profile of cloud computing, which in turn has had a positive spillover effect on open source, he said. With companies looking to offload services to the cloud, companies are now adopting standards to ensure smooth data traffic between clouds, he said.

• These developments have helped recast open source software as a means for enterprises to lower cost, he said.

• Growing acceptance of open source software (OSS) is ushering in new interest from small and large developers in the Philippines, according to industry voices.

• Although some early players have fallen by the wayside, there appears to be a steady upsurge of new companies capitalizing on the increasing OSS opportunity in the country and a boom in demand from foreign players.

• Patrick Chan, Chief Technology Advisor for IDC Asia-Pacific’s emerging technologies practice group, posted that a more dedicated effort needs to be introduced on the part of institutions in order to move universities in the same direction.

• We work in a very different environment now. Teams and networking are the heart of how we live. Sharing ideas and concepts which get developed through collaboration is a way of life. Open Source software is one of the most obvious examples; development through imitation and refinement for the good of all.

• In that essay, Eric S. Raymond, a software programmer, heralded the rise of the Linux operating system and the bottom-up, open-source, we-the-people world that it reflected. He wrote that old-style software was “built like cathedrals, carefully crafted by individual wizards or small bands of mages working in splendid isolation.” Open-source pointed to a new way: “a great babbling bazaar of differing agendas and approaches,” as he put it, “out of which a coherent and stable system could seemingly emerge only by a succession of miracles.”

• Mr. Raymond’s immediate subject was software, but his essay spoke for the age. It was a moment when democracy seemed on the march worldwide, when “the end of history” had been declared by Francis Fukuyama, when new tools called Web logs, or blogs, promised to empower the little guy. In that moment, as went the open-source technology, so went the world.

Android

• NXP and Trusted Logic today announced the release of an open source NFC Android application programming interface (API).

• In developing countries where mobile phones are the most common device for Net access, mobile health (mHealth) applications are taking on a new importance. According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), open-source mobile platforms are equally as important to closing the healthcare divide.

• [...]

• As an open-source platform, users can download code online and install it in any Android handset and, eventually, on open-source Symbian mobile phones.

• NXP and Trusted Logic, which develops software for NFC, have released an open-source API for Google’s Android mobile OS. The goal is to drive the development of compelling applications that take advantage of NFC, according to a statement.

Events

• On Saturday, April 10th, I was in Austin Texas for the inaugural Texas Linux Fest (TXLF), a community-run FLOSS conference. The idea to stage the show arose last August during OSCON, picked up steam in the fall, and in the end a little under 400 people turned out — including speakers and volunteers — which most considered a successful number for a first year event.

• Lucid Imagination, the commercial company for Apache Lucene and Solr open source search technologies, today announced details of the first conference in Europe dedicated to Lucene and Solr. The event will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, May 18th-21st.

• Over the two day event we handed out a little over 360 pieces of media, there was 700+ people on Saturday and 350+ on Sunday.

• Colombian capital Bogota on Saturday is hosting Latin America’s largest festival on freeware and open source software.

• The national coordinator of the festival, Eduardo Estevez, told Prensa Latina news agency that all national communities of users of open source platforms will participate in the event.

• FLISOL is the largest advocacy event of free software in Latin America. It’s held since 2005 and since 2008 it adopted the fourth Saturday of April each year. Its main objective is to promote the use of free software, showing to the general public its philosophy, scope, progress and development.

Databases

• If any open source application needs no introduction, it’s probably phpMyAdmin, the popular web interface to MySQL databases. MySQL is itself the most popular database system for web applications, and phpMyAdmin makes it easy to administer. phpMyAdmin lets database designers connect to MySQL servers, see all databases and tables they have permission to see, and perform actions on them, including creating and modifying table structure, inserting and updating data, import and export, and synchronizing data between servers.

Business

• In May 2009, Armstrong acquired a document management system from open source provider Alfresco which included a contract offering maintenance support for the entire city at only $11,000 annually.

Open Access/Content

• Federal officials have quoted a questionable source in bids to kick foreigners out of Canada – Wikipedia. And judges are not amused.

• “Wikipedia is an internet Encyclopedia which anyone with Internet access can edit,” wrote one exasperated Federal Court judge, criticizing Ottawa’s filings in a case to remove a family of Turkish asylum seekers.

• “It is an open-source reference with no editorial control,” scoffed another judge, as he took federal agents to task for consulting Wikipedia before sending an immigrant back to Iran.

• O’Reilly’s goal now is to free the data. Something that will be easier said than done.

• The new open government is one which offers information in easy-to-organize formats. That is, making schedules or meeting minutes that used to be buried at the bottom of a .PDF into accessible, searchable data.

Clip of the DayNASA Connect – WYGTYA – GPS (1/12/1998) Share in other sites/networks: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. Permalink  Send this to a friend

----------

➮ Sharing is caring. Content is available under CC-BY-SA.