ISS Moves from Windows to Linux

In space there's no room for errors, and although the laptops aboard the International Space Station are not mission critical, they'll now say goodbye to their trusted Windows XP and say hello to a more reliable and secure Linux OS (Debian 6). The switch from Windows XP to Linux will enhance the security and reliability of onboard laptops.

If you think being in space would mean these Window computers would be safe from earthly worms...  you'd be wrong. There's at least one confirmed incident when these computers were infected by a "digital worm", when a russian cosmonaut brought his infected laptop (in 2008) and it quickly spread to the other PCs. With Debian, it's far less likely a rootkit/virus will somehow get into their machines - as well as it gives them full control to patch the operating system as they see fit in the upcoming years.

Hopefully, no one will be doing a "rm -rf" onboard... :)

(rm -rf is "delete everything" command... and is considered one of the "no-no" commands for Linux newbies)

Ubuntu Running on the Asus Transformer

If you feel Android Honeycomb doesn't yet cut it for your needs, but you do love the idea of having a compact netbook that can turn into a tablet in a moment's notice, you'll love to hear that you can get Ubuntu running on the Eee Pad Transformer!

As usual, this isn't something for the faint of heart - meaning, you should really know what you're doing should you decide to proceed down this road. But, no one can deny that the prospect of running Ubuntu and having a full fledged Linux netbook that can "transform" back and forth to tablet, at a more than reasonable price, is something you can't overlook.

Maybe we'll even have Asus offering a Ubuntu Eee Pad Transformer soon... ;)

Linux PC Emulator in Javascript

As a programmer, I've always said that (almost) everything is doable in any computer language - although there are computer languages better suited to each and every problem.

However, there's no denying javascript has come a long way since it's first inception. And if any more examples are needed to prove its worth, how about this Linux PC emulator in javascript!

Yep, albeit it's a simple computer comparable to a plain 486 CPU, we're talking about a PC emulator done entirely in Javascript - which is, at the very least, awesome!

It was created by Fabrice Bellard, creator of QEMU and FFmpeg, and also winner of several IOCCC competitions).



You can find more details about this javascript PC emulator here.

Linux is 20 Years Old

Looks like congratulations are in order: Linux is 20 years old.

Along the years, much has changed since Linus Torvald first released it into the wild in 1991. I imagine no one could ever think Linux would now be all around us, from washing machines to routers to... pretty much any and every "intelligent" electronic device out there.

Now, it is spreading even faster, in the pocket of millions of users of Android smartphones.

Be sure to celebrate any way you can and be sure not to miss the following video. :)

Ubuntu on Nexus One

Tired of all the things you can't do with your Android? (I admit, there's not a lot you can't do with it, but...) How about running a "complete" Linux OS in your Nexus One?

Yes, I'm serious, you can install and run Ubuntu on your Nexus One.

Best of all, you're not letting go of your Android, it will still work as always, for all intents and purposes, it will act just like another App... but giving you access to the full power of Ubuntu.

Chrome for Linux and Mac

It's kind of weird to see a Google product without "beta" in its name but indeed it's true: Chrome is now "stable" for both Mac and Linux.

Besides bookmark, page and even settings syncing between computers, you can also expect built-in Flash support as soon as Flash 10.1 is released.

So, what are you waiting for? Google's Chrome is now a truly universal browser available to all platforms.

Ubuntu Tweak

While Ubuntu (and Linux, in general) allows for endless customization ability, sometimes it's not easy for a newcomer to find the right settings to change.

Now, if you're using Ubuntu, you can do it in a much easier and friendlier way, simply by using this Ubuntu Tweak.

With regular updates and a busy development cycle, this is one tool you'll want to keep in your Ubuntu system.

Ubuntu in HTC Touch Pro 2

Remember the times where your desktop computer had a CPU running in the few dozen Mhz range, and had just a few Megabytes of Ram?

Even so, it still ran a full graphical OS and every program you could need back then.

So, no matter how amazing it might seem, running Ubuntu on a HTC Touch Pro 2 which has far superior specs... just serves to prove that point.

Openshot 1.1.0 Video Editor

One of the most popular open-source video editing programs, OpenShot just reached 1.1 and is now better than ever.


OpenShot 1.1.0 Released! from Jonathan Thomas on Vimeo.

Here's what you can expect from this new version:

• Speed, speed, and more speed improvements. Over 1300% faster rendering previews after an edit. 1000% faster launching OpenShot. Seriously though... it's way faster.
• Undo / redo (with history panel)
• Improved export screen. Only your installed formats and codecs are listed. Improved notifications after the export has finished (using libnotify). One of the most common crashes of OpenShot was selecting an export format that was not installed. So this should provide much more stability.
• Multiple copies of effects can be added to clips. A common scenario would be using 2 chroma key effects, each with a different shade of green or blue.
  
  
  
  
• Dynamic tiling of overlapping clips (Brady Bunch style). This can take an unlimited number of clips (that are all on separate tracks playing at the same time), and tile them across the screen. OpenShot does all of the math, and the user only has to click 1 menu option (in the Layout menu). Just imagine the possibilities.
• New effects have been added: Contrast, Edge Glow, Saturation, and Cartoon.
• Fade in / out menu has been added. This is the quickest and easiest way to dissolve / fade a clip (including audio).
• Edit titles with ease. Use our simple title editor or Inkscape. Just right click on a title, and select "Edit Title". Also, when you duplicate a title, it will now create a new SVG and add it to your project.
• New keyboard shortcut to cut / slice clips. Just press the "c" key, and it will cut clips at the position of the play-head (i.e. the red line).
• Improved localization and translations. Many labels, buttons, and tool-tips were missing from our translation system. Also, numbers on the export screen (such as bit rate) would not work in other languages. These have been fixed, and OpenShot works much better in other languages.
• Timeline scrolling has been improved to better support lots and lots of tracks. The left and right side of the timeline will always stay in sync now.
• H.264 support has been improved to support Debian.

Guru Plug Server

Tired of leaving a power-hungry computer on 24/7? Check this tiny (but amazing) Guru Plug Server Plus .

Using less that 5W, this little box is powered by a 1.2Ghz Marvell Kirkwood CPU, has 512MB Ram, 512MB Flash, and - besides WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, eSata, Micro SD and several other I/Os - has also, not one, but... 2 Gigabit ethernet ports! Imagine the possibilites. :)

Has they say, you'll be able to use this GuruPlug everywhere, from home automatio to surveilance, industrial automation, gris computing... you name it.

Best of all, it can be yours for less than 89 euros / $130 USD!

KDE 4.4.0 is Out

If you're a KDE user, you'll be pleased to know that the latest KDE 4.4.0 is already out.

Code named "Caikaku", this new KDE offers some new and interesting features, such as social network and online collaboration integration, a netbook oriented interface, as well as some "deeper" modifications such as  KAuth authentication - not to mention the thousands of fixed bugs.

You can read more about this new KDE 4.4.0 here.

Netboot.me - Booting Linux over HTTP

Wouldn't it be nice if your computer showed up a list of operating systems at boot, which you could select and boot over a network connection?


That's exactly what you can do with netboot.me!

Unfortunately, you'll still a bootable CD, USB drive or floppy disk for the first "pre-boot" step, but even so... it's a valuable tool that can prove useful in many situations.

You can find a detailed tutorial on how to boot linux over http using netboot here.

PureDyne - Creative Media Linux

If you're an artist working with digital content you might want to give this PureDyne Linux Distro a try.

Based on Ubuntu and Debian Live and available as a "Live OS" you can simply boot off CD/DVD/USB, this
Puredyne is tuned for realtime audio and video processing, with a low latency kernel and offering the high responsiveness needed by artists working in this field.

Inside you'll have all you might need:

• audio
  puredata, supercollider, csound, chuck, ladspa plugins, ardour, audacity, ecasound, ...
• graphics
  gimp, inkscape, fluxus, freej, processing + extras, imagemagick, gthumb, gphoto2, ...
• multimedia
  mplayer, vlc, avidemux, kino, mencoder, transcode, luvcview, xawtv, recordmydesktop, ...
• streaming
  icecast2, ices2, ffmpeg2theora, oggfwd, darkice, darksnow, gstreamer, dvswitch, ...
• network
  firefox, links2, network-manager, wireless-tools, ssh, telnet, gftp, irssi, nfs, ...
• devel
  gcc, make, patchutils, subversion, mercurial, bzr, emacs-goodies-el, java jdk, python, ...

Definitely worth a shot:

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala

In case you forgot about it, Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" is out.

Next in line is Ubuntu 10.04 LTS - Lucid Lynx, available 6 months from now.

10 Free Open-Source Books

Not only software can be free. And to prove it, I bring you 10 free books about free software and the open-source movement.

1 - Linux Starter Pack

As the name suggests, a must read for everyone wanting to try out Linux.

2 - The Easiest Linux Guide You’ll Ever Read

This book guides you through a default Suse Linux installation and provides detailed walk-throughs to show you how things work - probably the easiest way to get the hang of it.

3 - Ubuntu Pocket Reference and Guide

The name says it all. Includes info right up to Ubuntu 8.10.

4 - Producing Open Source Software - How to Run a Successful Free Software Project

5 - tuXlabs Cookbook

6 - Free Culture

7 - The Blender Basics

Essential for everyone wanting to learn their way into 3D imaging and animation without spending a cent.

8 - Free and Open Source Software for Development


9 - LPI 101 and 102 study notes


10 - The Cathedral and the Bazaar


Just start downloading... and enjoy!

Linux Kernel Interactive Map

Ever wonder what makes your Linux operating system tick?

If you like dissecting what tiny bits of code make your computer work, be sure to check this:

Linux Kernel Interactive Map

Ubuntu 8.10

Today is all about Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 8.10 is here and you can download it now! :)

If you haven't heard about what's new, here are some of the improvements:

GNOME 2.24

Ubuntu brings you the newest GNOME 2.24 desktop environment with tons of bug-fixes and new features, some of which include:

• 
  
  Nautilus file manager has tab support (by Christian Neumair) and Eject icons for removable drives in Places sidebar (by Stefano Teso, Cosimo Cecchi, Christian Neumair, and others).
• 
  
  File Roller archive manager now supports ALZ, RZIP, CAB, TAR.7Z file types also (by Paolo Bacchilega and Changwoo Ryu).

X.Org 7.4

X.Org 7.4, the latest stable version of X.Org, is available in Intrepid. This release brings much better support for hot-pluggable input devices such as tablets, keyboards, and mice. At the same time this will allow the great majority of users to run without a /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. A new failsafe X is introduced, to give better tools for troubleshooting X startup failures.

Two of the older nvidia binary drivers are not available for X.Org 7.4 yet, so users of these drivers will be automatically switched to the corresponding open source drivers.

Linux kernel 2.6.27

Ubuntu 8.10 RC includes Linux kernel 2.6.27, a significant release with better hardware support and numerous bug-fixes.

Encrypted private directory

The ecryptfs-utils package was recently promoted to Ubuntu main, with support for a secret encrypted folder in your Home Folder (by Michael Halcrow, Dustin Kirkland, and Daniel Baumann).

You can help test this new feature by going to Applications → Accessories → Terminal and typing:

• 
  
  sudo aptitude install ecryptfs-utils
• 
  
  ecryptfs-setup-private

Guest session

The User Switcher panel applet (package fast-user-switch-applet) now provides an extra entry for starting a Guest session (by Martin Pitt). This creates a temporary password-less user account with restricted privileges: the account cannot access any users' home directories, nor permanently store data. This is sufficiently safe to lend your laptop to someone else for a quick email check.

Network Manager 0.7

Ubuntu 8.10 RC ships Network Manager 0.7 (by Dan Williams and others), which comes with long-expected features, such as:

• system wide settings (i.e., no need to log in in order to get a connection)
• management of 3G connections (GSM/CDMA)
• management of multiple active devices at once
• management of PPP and PPPOE connections
• management of devices with static IP configurations
• route management for devices

More information can be found on the Network Manager wiki.

What are you waiting for?...

Animate your Linux Logs with Logstalgia

For many people, Linux means watching endless scrolling text on a computer monitor.

However, if you do have to watch endless log scrolling on screen, you can easily make it look a little nicer. You just need to use Logstalgia.



Now you just have to explain to your boss you're really not playing a game. :)

Eee PC boots Linux in 5 seconds

To show that you don't need any high-end hardware to do it, some Intel Linux programmers have shown an Eee PC booting Linux in 5 seconds at a Linux conference.

And there's no cheating involved - this is the time it takes untile both CPU and Flash disk are idle.
(Unlike those methods that show you a working desktop but keep loading stuff for a very long time after it.)

If a modest Eee PC can do it, how can one explain why modern operating systems take such a long time to boot even on a high-end quad CPU?

Let's hope all other programmers out there will keep a close eye on this "speed record" and use some of that info to speed up their own projects.

Ubuntu 9.04 [The Jaunty Jackalope]

While we're all waiting for Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex," which is expected in late October, work has already started on its successor:

Ubuntu 9.04 "The Jaunty Jackalope."

The priorities for next year's Ubuntu are going to be lighting fast boot and resume times and seamless integration with web apps.


People grew used to waiting 1 minute (or even more) for their computers to boot - but that will soon be a faint memory from "older" times. We want to get to a working environment as quickly as possible. With the popularity of small mobile computers (like the netbooks) that we can carry at all times, we need to be able to use it without wasting precious time waiting for it to boot or resume from a suspended state.

As for web apps, soon we won't be able to tell the difference between local installed apps and web based ones.

But I guess we'll have to wait till April 2009 to see that for ourselves. :)

source [ZDnet]