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● 04.02.10

● Links 2/4/2010: Ubuntu 10.10 is Maverick Meerkat

Posted in News Roundup at 2:41 pm by Dr. Roy SchestowitzContentsGNU/LinuxGNU/Linux

=> ↺ 7 Things That Are Easier To Do In Ubuntu Than In Windows

• When the average computer user hears about Ubuntu or Linux, the word “difficult” comes to mind. This is understandable: learning a new operating system is never without its challenges, and in many ways Ubuntu is far from perfect. I’d like to say that using Ubuntu is actually easier and better than using Windows.

• This doesn’t mean you’ll experience it that way if you’ve used Windows for a long time: at a certain your habits begin to feel like conventional wisdom, and any system that doesn’t match your current habits will seem difficult.

• [...]

• In many ways, Ubuntu is easier to use than Windows. Does this mean Ubuntu is superior to Windows? Of course not, and I wouldn’t suggest so. You should use whatever operating system works best for you.

=> ↺ Linux Gazette – April 2010 (#173)

=> ↺ KVM, QEMU, and kernel project management

=> ↺ Lexmark’s Linux Secret

• Not only are they providing CUPS drivers, but also they are even printing Tux in the corner of every box they ship right besides the Windows and Apple logos. Do you know who we are talking about? Probably not, but it’s Lexmark. After months of wrangling within the company, Lexmark has stepped up to become a Linux and open-source friendly company. We are seeing how far this Linux support extends as we try out the Lexmark Pro905 Platinum multi-function printer.

Applications

=> ↺ PlanCake Keeps You on Track With Task and Todo Lists

=> ↺ 7 of the Best Free Linux Bible Software

=> ↺ Artha – A Linux desktop dictionary worth having

=> ↺ Miro 3.0 and Miro Video Converter Make Movie Watching a Breeze

=> ↺ Research and Organize Your Family Tree With Gramps

• Gramps has a mile-long feature list of ways to help you organize and analyze the data you gather on your family history. Use it to record the details of individual people in your family, and also manage the intricate relationships found in your family tree.

=> ↺ Nautilus Trash Information Plugin: Date Deleted And Original Location

Distributions

=> ↺ Element 1.1 for home theater PCs

• Element is a lightweight Linux distribution for use on a home theater PC (HTPC). It comes with most of the same video-playback applications one would find in a modern desktop distribution, but the development team has put considerable effort into wrapping the applications in an environment that is easy to navigate from across the room, and comfortable for non-multimedia-hackers. Tough challenges still remain for any HTPC distribution at the hardware and configuration level, but Element’s results are definitely an improvement over basic Linux systems in setup, application integration, and usability.

=> ↺ What’s new in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5

• Optimised virtualisation, support for recently introduced AMD and Intel processors, new versions of OpenOffice, PostgreSQL and Samba as well as numerous fresh drivers are all among the major advancements of RHEL 5.5.

• After releasing a beta version in early February, Red Hat has now released version 5.5 of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). As usual at the first stage in the life cycle of this Linux distribution for corporate customers, the new version not only offers new drivers and various corrections, but also numerous new features.

Ubuntu

=> ↺ Shooting for the Perfect 10.10 with Maverick Meerkat

• Our mascot for 10.10 is the Maverick Meerkat.

• This is a time of change, and we’re not afraid to surprise people with a bold move if the opportunity for dramatic improvement presents itself. We want to put Ubuntu and free software on every single consumer PC that ships from a major manufacturer, the ultimate maverick move. We will deliver on time, but we have huge scope for innovation in what we deliver this cycle. Once we have released the LTS we have plenty of room to shake things up a little. Let’s hear the best ideas, gather the best talent, and be a little radical in how we approach the next two year major cycle.

=> ↺ Ubuntu 10.10 to be codenamed Maverick Meerkat

• Ubuntu 10.04 is a long-term support release, which means that the focus during the current development cycle has largely been on stabilization and refining the existing technology. Shuttleworth says that we can expect to see a return to experimentation in the 10.10 release, with the potential for some radical changes.

• Some of the most important goals include delivering a new Ubuntu Netbook Edition user interface, improving the Web experience, boosting startup performance, and extending social network integration on the desktop. Shuttleworth also hopes to advance Ubuntu’s cloud support by simplifying deployment and making it easier to manage cloud computing workloads.

=> ↺ Final Decision For Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Window Controls Placement Announced By Mark Shuttleworth

• Mark Shuttleworth announced seconds ago that the Metacity window controls will remain on the left in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx), however the order will change to: close, minimize, maximize.

Devices/Embedded

=> ↺ Cool fastest Linux on the road

=> ↺ Android and Chrome OS Look Poised to Accompany Other OSes

• Acer’s Aspire One line of netbooks has been a huge hit, and the company continues to experiment with designs and software configurations. As the number of applications for Android has risen, it makes more and more sense for the operating system to run alongside Windows and various flavors of Linux. After all, Linux resides on many dual-OS systems, and Android is Linux-based.

=> ↺ Eekore’s Ubuntu-based Tablet Focuses On Flexibility

Free Software/Open Source

=> ↺ Paralyzed Artist Relies on Open Source Device for Drawing

• Even though Los Angeles-based graffiti artist Tony Quan’s body has been ravaged by Lou Gehrig’s disease, his mind is as sharp as ever. Unable to move anything but his eyes, he nearly had to give up his love of creating art until a group of hackers stepped in with an alternative. They designed Quan an open source eye tracking device that allows him to continue creating his artwork using nothing but the muscles in his eyes.

=> ↺ Mozilla Labs where the future is being made today

• A good place to join the discussion is around Mozilla’s Concept Series, which as the name implies is really a system for brainstorming. Once a prototype is built and a group created around it, it gets its own icon and identity, as with the Bespin code editor or Raindrop messaging group.

=> ↺ WordPress theme generator for non-geeks

• WordPress is unquestionably the most used blogging platform out there. There also are thousands and thousands of templates ranging from the free to the most expensive available for use on any WP powered blog.

=> ↺ Pentaho Secures $7 Million in Funding, Looks Toward the Future

• Open source business intelligence (BI) software vendor Pentaho has raised a cool $7 million in fourth-round funding, bringing it’s total funding to around $32 million. Company CEO Richard Daley talked to OStatic about how Pentaho plans to use its cash influx, and has some advice for other companies considering an open source business model.

Programming

=> ↺ Ruby Development Gains Commercial Support on Java as New JRuby Version Looms

=> ↺ Conditions

=> ↺ Build Web applications with HTML 5

=> ↺ Elevate Your PHP Development with PHP 5.3′s Powerful New Features

• By typical development conventions, PHP 5.3 only qualifies as a “point release.” However, the features packed into this new version are easily the most significant PHP development enhancements since PHP 5.0 was released in 2004. The powerful new PHP 5.3 features include namespace support, lambda functions and closures, late static binding, improved Windows support, and a host of syntactical additions. This article provides all the information you need to begin taking advantage of these PHP 5.3 goodies.

Leftovers

=> ↺ ‘Supertaskers’ can safely use mobiles while driving

• A University of Utah study into the effects of mobile phone use on people’s driving skills has come to the expected conclusion that using a phone while driving can be highly dangerous.

=> ↺ Developers aim to attach transfer fee to homes

• Freehold Capital Partners, a company started in Texas, is selling developers across the country on a plan that would attach a private transfer fee to homes, allowing developers to profit for generations.

=> ↺ EBay Wins Tiffany Trademark Appeal, Faces Ad Claim

• EBay Inc. isn’t responsible for the ssale of fake Tiffany & Co. jewelry on its Web site, an appeals court ruled, while returning Tiffany’s lawsuit to the trial court for further action on a false-advertising claim.

Security

=> ↺ How many does China execute?

• You might have heard it said that China executes more people than all other countries in the world put together. Not just a handful, but thousands and thousands of people every single year. This, broadly, is true.

Environment

=> ↺ Rotterdam whale meat blockade

• The activists chained themselves to the mooring ropes of the container ship NYK ORION, which has meat from 13 endangered fin whales onboard in seven containers. Greenpeace is calling on the authorities to seize the containers and urging the protection of whales at the upcoming meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

Finance

=> ↺ A London trader walks the CFTC through a silver manipulation in advance

• On March 23, 2010, GATA Director Adrian Douglas was contacted by a whistleblower by the name of Andrew Maguire. Maguire is a metals trader in London. He has been told first-hand by traders working for JPMorganChase that JPMorganChase manipulates the precious metals markets, and they have bragged to how they make money doing so.

=> ↺ Goldman Sachs not sorry for role in economic crash

• Goldman Sachs is back. This time, they are not at the door asking for handouts to shine their guilded toilet fixtures. They are on a public relations mission to recover their image. Perhaps, they shouldn’t have claimed they were doing God’s work as they plundered billions from public coffers to save themselves if they cared about public perception.

• [...]

• The fact of the matter is that Goldman Sachs has reached its tentacles into the Obama administration, as it had the administrations of George W Bush and Bill Clinton. Thus, there has been little movement by the adminstration to follow through on it’s promise to reign in Wall Street’s risky behavior. This is where the people need to be heard.

PR/AstroTurf/Lobbying

=> ↺ Why Quietly Pro-War ‘Hurt Locker’ Has the Oscar Edge

• After another divisive war, Hollywood now has a chance to get back in the good graces of the American people, who always want to see our fighting men portrayed positively.

=> ↺ US oil company donated millions to climate sceptic groups, says Greenpeace

• Greenpeace says that Koch Industries donated nearly $48m (£31.8m) to climate opposition groups between 1997-2008. From 2005-2008, it donated $25m to groups opposed to climate change, nearly three times as much as higher-profile funders that time such as oil company ExxonMobil. Koch also spent $5.7m on political campaigns and $37m on direct lobbying to support fossil fuels.

Censorship/Privacy/Civil Rights

=> ↺ Israel’s Supreme Court rules that no legal procedure is available to reveal anonymous commenters

=> ↺ Sham Email Subpoena Violates Whistleblower’s Constitutional Rights

• The whistleblower, Charles Rehberg, uncovered systematic mismanagement of funds at a Georgia public hospital. He alerted local politicians and others to the issue through a series of faxes. A local prosecutor in Dougherty County, Ken Hodges, conspired with the hospital and used a sham grand jury subpoena to obtain Mr. Rehberg’s personal email communications. The prosecutor then provided that information to private investigators for the hospital and indicted Mr. Rehberg for a burglary and assault that never actually occurred. All the criminal charges against Mr. Rehberg were eventually dismissed. Hodges is currently running for Attorney General of Georgia in the Democratic primary.

Intellectual Monopolies/Copyrights

=> ↺ Obama admin: time to make radio pay for its music

• The recording industry scored a significant victory today with news that the Obama administration will provide its “strong support” for the Performance Rights Act. The bill would force over-the-air radio stations to start coughing up cash for the music they play; right now, the stations pay songwriters, but not the actual recording artists.

=> ↺ Spain’s piracy epidemic has studios considering no longer selling DVDs there

• As if problems in the U.S. home entertainment market weren’t bad enough, with declining sales revenue and continued pressure from low-cost rental services Redbox and Netflix, the major movie studios are close to being overwhelmed by piracy in a second major foreign market.

=> ↺ Hollywood Threatens To Stop Selling DVDs In Spain In A Push To Increase Unauthorized File Sharing?

• I’m really curious how Lynton keeps his job when his response to a market challenge is to leave the market entirely, shifting the unauthorized rate from whatever it is all the way up to 100% by choice. This is the same guy who claimed that the internet was killing the movie business, in the midst of a year with more movie releases than ever before and the largest box office take ever. He’s also in charge of the company that wouldn’t even support one of its own movies for the Oscars because it was afraid that the Oscar reviewer copies would end up online, even though the movie was already available for download.

=> ↺ On April 11, Jill Sobule and John Doe are recording their next solo releases in Los Angeles and they’re doing it together. YOU ARE INVITED ! !

• Keeping with the idea of creating innovative ways to fund recording sessions of new music while involving fans in the creative process, Jill Sobule and John Doe are inviting 40 fans to buy tickets to both participate and observe an exclusive recording session with Grammy-award winning producer, engineer, and mixer Dave Way on Sunday April 11th in Los Angeles. We’ve laid out a couple of different paths to experiencing the studio with the artists for your enjoyment:

• ALL-DAY “MUSICIAN’S MUSICIAN” ACCESS ($200) For recording engineers, DIY musicians or anyone that wants to see it from the ground up. Only 10 tickets are available.

• Attendees will be able to see and interact with every aspect of the recording process for the entire day, starting at 10am: set up, getting sounds, tracking, overdubs, editing and rough mixing. No prior recording experience is required but we’ll drill down as much as you’d like into the technical side of the process.

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