Monthly Archive:: June 2010

Opera 10.54 Released for Mac OS X, Windows

Guest post by vodoomoth 2010-06-25 Opera 21 Comments

Opera 10.54 has been released on June 21. Both the Windows release and the Mac release are recommended security upgrades, although on Mac OS X, other fixes and improvements are listed as well. No 10.54 for Unix. As a matter of fact, the 10.53 version is still beta.

Ubuntu Nearing X Server Not Running as Root

Guest post by lopisaur 2010-06-25 Ubuntu 91 Comments

Based upon a recent email to the X.Org developers' mailing list, Canonical is nearing the point of one of their goals for Ubuntu 10.10 of a rootless X Server, or being able to run the X.Org Server without root privileges.

Canonical Joins The Open Invention Network

Submitted by dizmal 2010-06-25 Legal 13 Comments

Canonical have become the first member to sign up to the Open Invention Network's new associate membership program. The Open Invention Network exists to acquire patents and license them royalty free to entities which, in turn, "agree not to assert their own patents against Linux or Linux-related applications." Current well-known companies involved with the OIN include Sony, IBM and Novell.

Why Xbox Kinect Needs an App Store

Submitted by superphage1 2010-06-25 Games 4 Comments

The Xbox 360 Kinect may be designed for games, but its true potential lies in Apps. Because Kinect has full-body tracking, gesture recognition, and specialized microphones that are good for hands-free voice recognition, new types of non-game apps that have never been seen anywhere except maybe in Star Trek could come into being. "Computer, show me the best Italian restaurants in North Beach." Kinect could then show these on the screen, and you could flick through this list with gestures, minority report style. What app is this? Why, Yelp for Kinect, of course.

Microsoft Open Source Strategy is Upside Down

Submitted by martini 2010-06-25 Open Source 7 Comments

Last April I was on a Microsoft interoperability and Open Source conference in Ecuador (South America). On this conference Microsoft spread the word that they support Open Source Software and they do have an OSS strategy. But by checking their OSS Strategy I just felt something sour in my mouth, so I wrote this article to explain it.

Linaro Seeks to Simplify ARM Linux Landscape

Submitted by fran 2010-06-25 Hardware 3 Comments

The ARM processor family is a complicated one, with many different variations, leading to large numbers of separate sub-architectures in the Linux kernel. A quick glance at the ARM directory in a recent kernel tree shows nearly 70 different sub-architectures, each corresponding to a different CPU or system-on-chip (SoC). That complexity has made it harder to develop new products for new or existing ARM devices. A new organization that was formed by six silicon vendors, Linaro, seeks to simplify that landscape, and allow easier--faster--development of ARM-Linux-based products.

Sad State of South Korean Internet

Submitted by neticspace 2010-06-24 Internet 76 Comments

Internet users throughout the world, and particularly in the United States, have long been chastened to hear of South Korea's legendary broadband penetration. The urbanized, technologically-advanced nation has been famous for rolling out ultra high speed network for the majority of its citizens, and many of us have looked on with envy. However, it turns out it's not all good news. An OSNews reader gives us the skinny from the trenches in Korea.

Symbian^3: A Review

Eugenia Loli 2010-06-24 Wireless 8 Comments

Mobile-Review took on the exhausting task of reviewing the new Symbian^3 Nokia system, an evolution off of their touchscreen-based S60 5th Edition. A new system at a time when Nokia announced that their high-end N-series phones won't run Symbian anymore, but MeeGo.

Microsoft Adds Yet Another Mobile OS

Submitted by fran 2010-06-24 Microsoft 12 Comments

This is getting ridiculous. Windows Embedded Handheld? And to make it worse, there are two different versions of Windows Embedded Handheld coming out, each based on a different underlying OS.

Android App Security Risk

Submitted by Governa 2010-06-24 Privacy, Security 52 Comments

About 20 percent of third-party apps available through the Android marketplace allow third-party access to sensitive data, and can do things like make calls and send texts without the owners' knowledge, according to a recent security report from security firm SMobile Systems. There's no indication that any of the highlighted apps is malicious, but the report does underscore the inherent risks of a more open ecosystem as opposed to Apple's oppressive yet more controlled environment, with every app being vetted before availability.

Is LGP Going The Way Of Loki Software?

Submitted by Michael 2010-06-24 Games 18 Comments

Born out of the demise of Loki Software in 2001 was Linux Game Publishing, but now a decade later the fate of LGP is not looking good for the company that has ported about two dozen game titles to Linux.

iOS4 and Linux

Submitted by dmbkiwi 2010-06-24 Wireless 1 Comment

One thing that is always of concern when dealing with Apple is the extent to which Apple might break "unauthorised" access to "your" device with a new OS update. The recent 1.0 release of libimobiledevice allows access to iPhones and iPads on Linux. So does iOS4 break this newcomer to the iPhone scene? Read more.

Mandriva Saved By New Investors

Submitted by visconde_de_sabugosa 2010-06-24 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 4 Comments

After weeks of concern about the "catastrophic state of its finances" and an indefinite delay in the release of version 2010.1, the French website LeMagIT is reporting that Mandriva has been saved by new investors.

openSUSE Linux Seeks More Autonomy From Novell

Submitted by lopisaur 2010-06-24 SuSE, openSUSE No Comments

Ars reports: The developers behind openSUSE are drafting a new "community statement" as part of a broader effort to define a technical strategy for their project. The purpose of the community statement is to describe the kind of collaborative environment that the project wants to create as it refines its technical focus. The full text of the community statement is published in the openSUSE wiki. Additional details about the strategy proposals and community review process are available from the openSUSE News site.

Timothy Miller, Michael Dexter: OGD1s Almost Here

weildish 2010-06-23 Original OSNews Interviews 20 Comments

It's been a while since any of us have seen head or tail of the Open Graphics Project, but they haven't been just sitting around twiddling thumbs. Enjoy an in-depth interview between OSNews and Timothy Miller, the founder of the Open Graphics Project and the main man behind the drive that keeps it going, and Michael Dexter, Program Director at Linux Fund and a key player in Linux Fund's partnership with the OGP. Though it's been some time since there has been much public action, much of the work that the OGP has been putting into the OGD1 is finally coming to fruition.

Community Asking Mandriva More Directions

Submitted by E. Hermechals 2010-06-22 Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris 7 Comments

Following the previous article on the Mandriva situation, the various users communities, notably the French and German ones ( among others, as there is more and more people who express their support with the initiative ) have issued an open letter to Mandriva SA about the future of the distribution, asking for clarification about the possible deal, and their impact on the community.

Dell Back-Tracks on Linux Being Safer Than Windows

Submitted by sjvn 2010-06-22 Privacy, Security 37 Comments

A Computerworld editorial takes note of some interesting changes Dell made to the Linux page we linked to last week. They watered down some of their pro-Linux claims, but not as far as you might think.

Solaris, OpenSolaris, and the Oracle Wall of Secrecy

Submitted by Jeremy Prince 2010-06-22 Oracle and SUN 44 Comments

Sometimes, Google's search engine does a better job of telling us about IT vendors than the vendors' own public relations and marketing machines, which are often there mostly to deflect questions rather than answer them. So it is with the next commercial and development iterations of Oracle's Solaris Unix operating system.

Toshiba Raises Courier From the Dead

Guest post by Moochman 2010-06-22 Wireless 15 Comments

In a move out of nowhere, Toshiba just announced the limited release of a "concept" device with almost the exact same form-factor as the Microsoft Courier. The Libretto W100 features dual 7" multi-touch screens that fold out flat or clap together like a book. Those wanting the full Courier experience, be prepared for disappointment, however: no pen support is present, and the OS is stock Windows 7 Home Premium--albeit with the addition of some pretty slick-looking touch-friendly widgets.

Death of Windows XP SP2 Support Is a Security Risk

Submitted by shaneco 2010-06-22 Privacy, Security 21 Comments

With Windows XP SP2 support ending in three weeks, a new report highlights the security risks that come with running an unsupported service pack.

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