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NewsVac: News from around the Web
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Mac OS, Linux May Share a Windows Flaw
20 minutes ago
This week Microsoft Corp said it would patch Windows to reduce the risk of a new kind of Web-based security vulnerability, but security researchers say that other operating systems are probably at risk too. -
An open-source web moocher comes clean
1 hour, 20 minutes ago
Backcountry.com has been using open source for years. Last week, it finally gave something back. Unlike other web properties that have built their businesses on open source but acknowledge little need to contribute back, Backcountry.com has also given little back...but at least takes no pride in it. -
The Windows URI exploit: Who's Bug Is It, Anyway?
2 hours, 20 minutes ago
Microsoft is fixing a well-known bug in Window XP and Windows Server 2003 that has been at the root of vulnerabilities. The bug relates to the Uniform Resource Indicator (URI) handler in Windows that allows you to launch other programs to support a clicked link. -
Review: New CrossOver Linux improves Windows apps support
3 hours, 20 minutes ago
Who says you have to give up all your Windows programs to use Linux? Not CodeWeavers, with its latest version of CrossOver Linux 6.2. -
rPath Linux 1.0.7 released
4 hours, 20 minutes ago
Michael K. Johnson has announced the release of rPath Linux 1.0.7, an independently developed distribution featuring the Conary package management system -
Linux patent lawsuit: follow the money
6 hours, 20 minutes ago
Mark Radcliffe hints at something that I hope isn't true: that open source's growth might make it a prime candidate for patent trolls. This is one of the primary things that has bothered me about the IP Innovation lawsuit against Red Hat and Novell, two Linux desktop companies:There is no Linux desktop market, and comparatively little in the bank accounts of both companies. Why sue penny pinchers when you can instead sue the sugar daddy?
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Linspire 6.0 Includes Lawsuit Protection
7 hours, 20 minutes ago
Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu founder and head of Canonical, took to his blog earlier this year to express his distaste for the covenant principle. "A promise by Microsoft not to sue for infringement of unspecified patents has no value at all and is not worth paying for," Shuttleworth wrote. "It does not protect users from the real risk of a patent suit from a pure-IP-holder." -
Google updates Linux version of Desktop
8 hours, 20 minutes ago
Keeping its Linux fan base in mind, Google has updated its Desktop for Linux, which it launched in June. -
Linspire Updates Desktop Linux, But Demand Is Weak - VARs
9 hours, 20 minutes ago
Desktop Linux software vendor Linspire released a new version of its operating system this week, the first commercial release in two years from the company trying to position Linux as a mass-market alternative to Microsoft's Windows. -
High-end processor core gains embedded Linux support
10 hours, 20 minutes ago
TimeSys has extended its online embedded Linux customization service, adding support for the newest and fastest 32-bit processor core from MIPS Inc. "LinuxLink" support is available now for the MIPS 74K core, touted as the first synthesizable core capable of clocking over 1GHz, according to the company. -
FOSS Crowd Unfazed by First Linux Patent Lawsuit
11 hours, 20 minutes ago
At the end of a week filled with more chest-thumping and FUD-spewing by software's self-appointed patent sheriffs, two of Linux's major players have been slapped with a patent infringement lawsuit. Friday's suit marks the first time Linux patents have ever been challenged in court. -
CSS Equivalent of Prototype?
14 hours, 57 minutes ago
One of our programmers had the following comment in a recent Subversion commit: “Verified to display correctly with IE6, IE7, FF Ubuntu, FF, Galeon, Konqueror”. Sigh… don’t you hate when you have to do that? -
When Bullies Rule: A Call For Patent Reform in America
16 hours, 3 minutes ago
For some time now, Microsoft has been accusing the FOSS community of violating its patents. FOSS journalists have been calling their bluff for about as long. And now the patent armageddon game is on. And we could have prevented this all along. -
Restricting zone transfers with IP addresses in BIND DNS Server
16 hours, 14 minutes ago
DNS server can be attacked using various techniques such as:
[a] DNS spoofing
[b] Cache poisoning
[c] Registration hijacking
One of the simplest ways to defend is limit zone transfers between nameservers by defining ACL. I see many admin allows BIND to transfer zones in bulk outside their network or organization. There is no need to do this. Remember you don't have to make an attacker's life easier. -
High-end processor core gains embedded Linux support
1 day, 2 hours ago
TimeSys has extended its online embedded Linux customization service, adding support for the newest and fastest 32-bit processor core from MIPS Inc. "LinuxLink" support is available now for the MIPS 74K core, touted as the first synthesizable core capable of clocking over 1GHz, according to the company. - More News
Lessons learned from open source Xara's failure
On October 11, 2005, proprietary software maker Xara announced its plans to open the source code to its flagship vector graphics package Xara Xtreme, and with the help of community developers port it to Linux. Today, two years later, the project is stagnant and on the verge of irrelevance, primarily because the company couldn't figure out how to work with the open source community.
Javalobby calls for Java port to OLPC
Rick Ross, founder of Javalobby, a popular site among Java developers, recently wrote an article about the One Laptop Per Child project and how cool it is. Ross also noted that OLPC does not appear on Sun Microsystems 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which outlines that company's social responsibility obligations. Ross thinks it's time to change that.
Mandriva 2008.0 rocks
Mandriva 2008.0, released this week, is the best version of Mandriva since 7.2.
New Alien Arena 6.10 blows away its FPS competition
Today, COR Entertainment is scheduled to release version 6.10 of Alien Arena 2007, the popular free software, 3-D, first-person shooter built atop id Software's Quake II engine, which was released under the GPL in 2001. The new release of Alien Arena comes with seven new arenas, a better arsenal of weaponry, and a new game mode for one-on-one duels.
A simple task manager for OpenOffice.org
If you spend most of your time in OpenOffice.org, you might want to be able to manage to-do lists and tasks without leaving the comfort of the office suite. Since Writer doesn't have such a feature, you can create your own no-frills task tool and at the same time sharpen your OOoBasic skills.
Support the Miro media player project, buy a T-shirt
The Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF) believes the media is controlled by a small group of corporations. In response, it created the open source video player Miro as a way to make media available to the masses. Although the foundation receives funding from organizations like the Mozilla Foundation and Skyline Public Works, PCF relies heavily on hackers in the open source community and a small bevy of paid programmers to help develop its software. As a nonprofit organization, PCF sometimes has to get creative in order to pay the bills -- and thus its latest release.
OpenStreetMap project imports US government maps
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative project in the process of building a free, Web-accessible, user-editable map of the world. So far, most of its map data has come through user-contributed GPS traces, but OSM has recently undertaken the bulk import of government-collected data covering the entire United States. The massive import will jump-start OSM's US map coverage, but its sheer size poses an interesting challenge to the project's resources.
Upgrading to openSUSE 10.3
OpenSUSE 10.3 was released last week, and I quickly downloaded the new version to update my two openSUSE boxes. Here's a chronicle of the updates and some problems that surfaced during the process.
Office shootout: OpenOffice.org Calc vs. Microsoft Excel
In earlier articles, I compared OpenOffice.org 2.3's and MS Office 2007's word processors and slide show programs. It seems appropriate to round off the comparison with a look at spreadsheets, the third of the core programs in any office application.
Notes from a FOSS conference in New Delhi (with videos)
Every year, Linux enthusiasts in India's capital, New Delhi, hold a conference to help spread word of free and open source software (FOSS). This year they called their conference Freed.in, and had more talks and attendees than they've had in the past. While the event was a wonderful opportunity for the FOSS community to interact in person, discuss issues, and brainstorm solutions, attendees were overwhelmed by the number of talks jammed into a two-day schedule.
Converting text files into ODF with odtwriter
While you can create and save documents in the OpenDocument format using OpenOffice.org, KWord, or AbiWord, there are other ways to generate ODF files. odtwriter, for example, can help you quickly convert plain text files formatted using reStructured Text markup into ODT (OpenOffice.org Writer-compatible ODF) documents. Using odtwriter, you can generate ODF files on machines that don't have ODF-compatible word processors installed, such as those running lightweight Linux distros, or simply compose documents in a text editor and leave the task of properly formatting them to odtwriter.
Installing Cinelerra on Ubuntu Studio
Cinelerra, one of the only serious video editing and compositing tools available for Linux, can cause frustration for users trying to install it on Ubuntu Studio. Fortunately, after several attempts, I found a way to install it easily.
Brainstorming ideas for the GIMP's next interface
The GIMP image editor is preparing for the start of a new development cycle, and you can have your say in the way the next version looks by submitting a mock-up to the GIMP UI Brainstorm blog. User interface designer Peter Sikking spoke with us about the project and how it fits into the larger work of creating the GIMP's UI.
A label printer for Linux
When Seiko Instruments said it is now offering Linux drivers for its Smart Label Printer 450 and offered to send me one to test, I was happy to hear it, because it seemed like an example of how Linux is being recognized for even non-mass-market hardware devices. While the printer does work as advertised, it is clear that Linux support is a work in progress.
Control multimedia applications with ReMoot
You can manage most of today's multimedia applications easily with ReMoot, a universal remote control program. ReMoot even provides an esoteric way of controlling your PC remotely from your cell phone or PDA, earning it top geek points.
Talking FOSS at the UN
When Nathan Eckenrode goes to the United Nations in New York City next week to help demonstrate the technology behind open source software, he doesn't really expect to discover the answer to world peace. If he gets a little closer, though, he's all right with that.
Skype for Linux 1.4 out of beta
Skype 1.4 for Linux after five months of testing. Now that it's officially out of beta -- along with a slew of bug fixes and new features -- developers are calling it a recommended release.
Novell is not forking OpenOffice
From recent media reports, casual readers could easily believe that OpenOffice.org, the popular free office suite, is fragmenting. Slashdot reported last week that Novell is backing an official fork, while Ars Technica suggested that if what was happening fell short of a fork, then it was still "serious fragmentation" and "not a good thing for the OpenOffice.org community." However, a closer look at the situation shows that what is happening is less of a dramatic split than the airing of long-time grievances and the media's discovery of a long-established institution.
Firefox extensions for tab addicts
For Firefox users who are constantly referring to multiple pages, tabbed browsing is not a feature, but a way of life. There are enough of us that the Firefox addon page lists more than 110 extensions related to tabs. These extensions feature everything from simple add-ons to various means of saving tab addresses and sessions to thumbnails and collections of functions, as well as one or two uncategorizable ideas.
Uruguay poised to make first governmental OLPC purchase
Uruguay's government this week announced the results of a study indicating that XO computers from the One Laptop Per Child project were a better value for the nation's schoolchildren than Intel's similar offering, the Classmate PC. The next step is likely to be a purchase agreement between OLPC and Uruguay for at least 100,000 laptops. Though nothing has been finalized yet, when asked what needs to happen for formal agreement to occur, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte simply says, "business closure."
