Linux Archive

"A bug in the Caiaq USB driver, which could be used to execute arbitrary at the kernel level has been reported by Rafael Dominguez Vega of MRW InfoSecurity. The device drivers are vulnerable to buffer overflow condition when an USB device with an unusually long name (over 80 characters) is connected to the machine."

If you're an owner of a netbook or other hardware containing an Intel Poulsbo / GMA 500, the Linux 2.6.39 kernel should be rather exciting. Entering the Linux kernel's staging tree is an initial open-source driver for this notorious Intel graphics processor derived from Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX graphics core.

"A lot of modern Linux distributions created with desktop users in mind go out of their way to be user friendly. Ubuntu, Mint, openSUSE, Fedora - and many more. It is a sign of how desktop Linux has matured that even non-techy types can get a fully featured and easy-to-use open source operating system up and running in not much time at all. The creators of CrunchBang Linux, however, haven't quite gone in the same direction."

"PCLinuxOS is a great distro for individuals who favor rolling updates, performance, and a dedicated community. If you're a first-time Linux user or if you favor aesthetics over technological prowess, better choices are available."

"CRUX PPC 2.7 is now available. It works on Apple 32bit 'NewWorld' G3/G4 and Apple 64bit G5, Genesi PegasosII and Efika, Acube Sam440ep, YDL Powerstation, IBM Intellistation POWER and IBM Power Systems servers. CRUX PPC 2.7 is, as usual, released via two different installation ISO: 32bit and 64bit. The 32bit version is based on a single lib toolchain instead the 64bit one comes with a multilib toolchain. These two versions share the same ports tree."

I'm uncertain what Linux distro they were using before but today's release of version 0.9.8.1 is free to use on Intel Atom based systems. It would be nice if they distributed an image that doesn't require Windows to install but their target market appears to be Windows devices that include Slashtop OS as an alternate boot option in order to get online faster.

Peppermint Ice is a Linux distribution whose main claim to fame is its use of a 'site-specific browser', dubbed Ice, which is based on Google's Chromium browser. This lightweight Linux distro is designed for netbooks and has a strong focus on Web applications.

"The MeeGo project has updated its roadmap. The project will now release Meego 1.2 in April 2011 and plans to release MeeGo 1.3 in October, moving to a biannual release schedule. The six-monthly release schedule has been a target for the MeeGo developers as they establish their open development and release process."

"Nothing can dampen the spirit surrounding this year's Linux.conf.au in Brisbane, not even a flood crisis, as it officially kicked off in the state's soggy capital today."

Alienware is currently "trying to gauge the level of interest consumers like you have in buying a new computer that features a Linux-based operating system" through a short (~3 min) survey. The more manufacturers that embrace Linux, the more popular it becomes and the better hardware support we all get, so why not help out?

"Martha Lane Fox is promising GBP 98 computers to tempt the last remaining digital refuseniks in UK to get online. The machines, refurbed by Remploy, will come complete with telephone support, monitor, mouse and Linux software."

"The open source Lustre technology is a parallel file system that is often found in high performance computing (HPC) environments. Users of the file system will soon get a community Lustre distribution , thanks to the leadership of startup Whamcloud. The reason why Whamcloud is building a Lustre distribution isn't about creating a fork from Oracle, but is about helping to support and expand the Lustre community."

"At the end of 2010, the 'open-source' software movement, whose activists tend to be fringe academics and ponytailed computer geeks, found an unusual ally: the Russian government. Vladimir Putin signed a 20-page executive order requiring all public institutions in Russia to replace proprietary software, developed by companies like Microsoft and Adobe, with free open-source alternatives by 2015."

"Now that the kernel mode-setting page-flipping for the ATI Radeon DRM kernel module has been merged into the Linux 2.6.38 kernel and the respective bits have been set in the xf86-video-ati DDX, we're in the process of running new open-source ATI graphics benchmarks under Linux. Our initial results (included in this article) show these latest improvements to cause some major performance boosts for the open-source ATI driver as it nears the level of performance of the proprietary Catalyst driver."