http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Linux Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2009 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:58:16 GMT Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:58:16 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://www.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com/ http://news.softpedia.com/news/Google-Chrome-OS-Promises-a-3-Second-Boot-127592.shtml Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at Google, announced on November 19th the immediate availability of the source code for their upcoming Chrome Operating System, under the name of Chromium OS. The actual Chrome OS, as Google said, will be released sometime at the end of 2010, one year from now, and it will be available at first for netbooks and, later on, high-end machines.

With this source code freely available for download, various developers can get involved in the project, by creating applications, patches, etc. In other words, from now on, the development of the upcoming Chrome OS will be done transparently.

"There is still a lot of work to do, and we're excited to work with the open source community. We have benefited hugely from projects like GNU, the Linux Kernel, Moblin, Ubuntu, WebKit and many more. We will be contributing our code upstream and engaging closely with these and other open source efforts." - was stated in the official release annoucement.

OK, so please enjoy the official, 1 hour and 20 minutes long "Google Chrome OS Open Source Project Announcement" video, in high-definition!


So, here's what we've learned about the Google Chrome OS until now. Under the hood, it will be powered by the Linux kernel (version 2.6.30 in the current so... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:45:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Google-Chrome-OS-Promises-a-3-Second-Boot-127592.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Google-Chrome-OS-Promises-a-3-Second-Boot-127592.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/KNOPPIX-6-2-Is-Available-for-Download-127441.shtml Klaus Knopper proudly announced on November 18th version 6.2 of the famous KNOPPIX Live Linux distribution. Being based on Debian Lenny (Testing and Unstable), the brand-new KNOPPIX 6.2 is powered by Linux kernel 2.6.31.6, X.Org 7.4 and it uses the lightweight LXDE as a desktop environment. The Live CD version of KNOPPIX, entitled "Microknoppix," has been completely rewritten based on the KNOPPIX boot system, from the 6.0 and 6.1 versions. Also included in KNOPPIX 6.2 is the A.D.R.I.A.N.E. 1.2 (Audio Desktop Reference Implementation And Networking Environment) talking menu, especially designed for the visually impaired.

"'Microknoppix' is a complete rewrite of the KNOPPIX boot system from version 60 and up. [...] The current version 6.2 has been completely updated from Debian/'Lenny,' 'Testing' and 'Unstable,' and uses Kernel 2.6.31.6, xorg 7.4 for supporting current/most computer hardware." - Klaus Knopper said in the official release announcement.

Highlights of KNOPPIX 6.2:

· Based on Debian Lenny;
· Linux kernel 2.6.31.6;
· X.Org 7.4;
· LXDE desktop environment;
· Fast startup;
· GNOME and KDE4 desktop environments on the Live DVD;
· Added NetworkManager and nm-applet;
· Persistent ISO image.
<... (read more)]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:27:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/KNOPPIX-6-2-Is-Available-for-Download-127441.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/KNOPPIX-6-2-Is-Available-for-Download-127441.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/ATI-Catalyst-9-11-Has-Initial-Support-for-openSUSE-11-2-127242.shtml Advanced Micro Devices, or AMD, announced on November 17th a new version of its versatile ATI Catalyst proprietary display driver for Linux users, for both x86 and x86_64 architectures. The ATI Catalyst 9.11 suite updates the software to version 8.671 and brings production support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4 and initial support for openSUSE 11.2. Among the resolved issues in ATI Catalyst 9.11, we can mention:

· For Ubuntu 9.04 users, the animated busy mouse cursor flickering issue, in Clone mode, has been resolved;
· Resolved an issue on SUSE 11.1, in which, when the secondary display was unplugged, the main display became corrupted and blank;
· Virtual Terminal switch and display hot-plugging issues were resolved;
· Fixed an issue when the machine became unstable and unresponsive when it was switched to DC (battery) mode, with CrossFire enabled and with programs running in fullscreen;
· Fixed a screen corruption when a flash video was playing in fullscreen mode, on a secondary display;
· Fixed a screen corruption when an OpenGL screensaver was running while the desktop effects were active.

A few other known issues remain unresolved for this release of the ATI Catalyst suite, including one for Ubuntu 9.04 users!
<... (read more)]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/ATI-Catalyst-9-11-Has-Initial-Support-for-openSUSE-11-2-127242.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/ATI-Catalyst-9-11-Has-Initial-Support-for-openSUSE-11-2-127242.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fedora-12-Officially-Released-127223.shtml After Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala), Mandriva Linux 2010.0 and openSUSE 11.2, the time has come for Fedora fans to grab the final release of the Fedora 12 (Constantine) operating system, announced a few minutes ago by the Fedora Project developers.

Fedora 12 is powered by Linux kernel 2.6.31, and it includes the KDE 4.3 and GNOME 2.28 desktop environments. Just like Mandriva, the Fedora developers introduced support for Moblin, as well as improved power management and webcam support, audio/video codec support and many more!

GNOME Shell is also available for testing, in the default software repository, and it will offer a preview of how GNOME 3 will look like!
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Highlights of Fedora 12:

· Linux Kernel 2.6.31.5;
· Dracut, the new booting system;
· Plymouth graphical boot splash;
· KDE 4.3.2;
· GNOME 2.28.0;
· New artwork;
· Empathy Instant Messenger;
· Moblin support;
· Better webcam support;
· Spanning desktop support;
· Improved HD video codecs;
· Network Manager mobile broadband for GSM networks;
· EXT4 is the default filesystem... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:34:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fedora-12-Officially-Released-127223.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fedora-12-Officially-Released-127223.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Parted-Magic-4-6-Runs-Better-on-Netbooks-127149.shtml Yesterday evening, November 16th, Patrick Verner announced the immediate availability of Parted Magic 4.6, a Slackware-based Linux distribution that was created to help users easily partition their hard drives or perform recovery tasks. Parted Magic 4.6 comes with improved support for netbooks, Super Grub Disk, the Clamav anti-virus and lots of other new packages, improvements and bug fixes. Without further introduction, let's have a look at the long list of changes brought by Parted Magic 4.6:

· Improved support for netbooks;
· Fixed the "ERROR: Current NTFS volume size is bigger than the device size!" error in GNU Parted;
· The Parted Magic Save Session function now uses the xz compression algorithm instead of the 7-zip one;
· Added the Clamav anti-virus tool (the definitions must be downloaded manually, for now);
· Adobe's Flash Player can now be downloaded and installed from the Application Launcher in the Panel;
· Added the epdfview for reading PDF manuals;
· Added a small tool on the desktop, to easily change the keyboard layout;
· Added the lxrandr package to be able to resize the display while in the X11 session;
· Removed Clonezilla from the main ISO image. Parted Magic – Clonezilla is provided as ... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:06:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Parted-Magic-4-6-Runs-Better-on-Netbooks-127149.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Parted-Magic-4-6-Runs-Better-on-Netbooks-127149.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-71-127085.shtml Welcome to the 71th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

The following Linux-based operating systems were announced last week: SystemRescueCd 1.3.2, DEFT Linux 5, sidux 2009-03, openSUSE 11.2 and Linux Mint 8 RC1. This week's YouTube-powered video clip showcases the "hidden" powers of the newly released openSUSE 11.2 Linux-based operating system. At the end of the weekly, you will find the latest Linux distributions released and updated last week, and, of course, the development releases. Enjoy!



Summary: [tablec][row][col]· Announced Distro: SystemRescueCd 1.3.2 Is Powered by Linux Kernel 2.6.31.5
· Announced Distro: DEFT Linux 5 Is Available for Download
· Announced Distro: sidux 2009-03 Has Linux Kernel 2.6.31.6 and KDE 4.3.2
· Announced Distro: openSUSE 11.2 Officially Released
· Announced Distro: Linux Mint 8 RC1 Is Based on Ubuntu 9.10
· Video Clip of the Week: The Power of Linux - openSUSE 11.2
· New Distributions: Zenwalk Core 6.2, VectorLinux KDE-Classic 6.0 and ThorsHammer 090109
· Distributions Updated Last Week: Ultimate Edition 2.4, ZevenOS 2.0, PelicanHPC 1.9.3, and more...
· Development Releases: Parted Magic 4.6 RC1, Tiny Core Linux 2.6 RC1, BioPuppy 2.0 Beta, and more...[/col][/... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:26:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-71-127085.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-71-127085.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Linux-Mint-8-RC1-Is-Based-on-Ubuntu-9-10-126966.shtml Clement Lefebvre, the father of the Linux Mint project, proudly announced earlier today (November 13th) on their official blog the immediate availability of the first release candidate of the upcoming Linux Mint 8 (codename Helena) operating system. Linux Mint 8 will be based on the newly released Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) and it will be powered by Linux kernel 2.6.31, X.org 7.4 and GNOME 2.28.1. Above all that, the 8th release of Linux Mint will include brand-new artwork, updated applications and many, many other amazing features for all its fans out there!

"The 8th release of Linux Mint comes with numerous bug fixes and a lot of improvements. In particular Linux Mint 8 comes with support for OEM installs, a brand new Upload Manager, the menu now allows you to configure custom places, the update manager now lets you define packages for which you don’t want to receive updates,the software manager now features multiple installation/removal of software and many of the tools’ graphical interfaces were enhanced." - Clement Lefebvre said in the official release announcement.

Highlights of Linux Mint 8 RC1:

· Based on Ubuntu 9.10;
· Linux kernel 2.6.31;
· EXT4 filesystem;
· X.Org 7.4;
· GNOME 2.28.1;
· Improvements to ... (read more)]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:14:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Linux-Mint-8-RC1-Is-Based-on-Ubuntu-9-10-126966.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Linux-Mint-8-RC1-Is-Based-on-Ubuntu-9-10-126966.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/openSUSE-11-2-Officially-Released-126823.shtml First was Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala), followed by Mandriva Linux 2010.0, and now it's time for openSUSE to take the spotlight. In other words, we are proud to announce that openSUSE 11.2 was just released a few minutes ago, and it is our pleasure to offer you a first look at the new features included in the brand-new and shiny openSUSE 11.2 Linux-based operating system. After more than eleven months of hard work, openSUSE 11.2 can now be downloaded for free either as Live KDE4 and GNOME CDs or as installable only DVDs, for both i586 and x86_64 architectures (see download links at the end of the article).

Under the hood of openSUSE 11.2:

· Linux kernel 2.6.31.5;
· EXT4 filesystem;
· GNOME 2.28.0 desktop environment;
· KDE 4.3.1 desktop environment;
· X.Org 7.4;
· X.Org server 1.6.5;
· New artwork.

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The openSUSE 11.2 feature tour:

· Next-gen file systems - being stable for some time now, the EXT4 filesystem arrived in the popular openSUSE 11.2 distribution, along with the possib... (read more)]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/openSUSE-11-2-Officially-Released-126823.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/openSUSE-11-2-Officially-Released-126823.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/sidux-2009-03-Has-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-6-and-KDE-4-3-2-126694.shtml Stefan Lippers-Hollmann proudly announced earlier today (November 11th) the immediate availability of the sidux 2009-03 Linux-based operating system (codename "Mamos"). The new release ships with the ultimate Linux kernel 2.6.31.6 and the breathtaking KDE 4.3.2 desktop environment. sidux is a full-featured Live CD based on Debian Sid, with a special focus on hard disk installations, a clean upgrade path within Sid and supplementary hardware and software support. This is also the first release of sidux without the KDE 3.x and Qt 3.x packages!

"For 'Μώμος,' development had to take massive upstream changes for sysvinit/ insserv, X.org— and device detection, as well as sidux infrastructure changes into account, but also concentrates on furthering the KDE4 integration into sidux and upgrading to kernel 2.6.31. Subsequently it is the first sidux release to ship without KDE3 or qt3 packages. [...] Our special thanks go to the sidux art team and especially all mirror hosters for their efforts regarding sidux. In particularly our thanks go to the Hetzner Online AG for upgrading the server hardware of sidux.com. Following this we would like to welcome the mirror hosted by Cybermirror in Düsseldorf, Germany." - Stefan Lippers-Hollmann said in the official release announcement.

read more)]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:47:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/sidux-2009-03-Has-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-6-and-KDE-4-3-2-126694.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/sidux-2009-03-Has-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-6-and-KDE-4-3-2-126694.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/DEFT-Linux-5-Is-Available-for-Download-126551.shtml Announced yesterday (November 9th) by Stefano Fratepietro, DEFT Linux 5 is now based on the Linux kernel 2.6.31 of the Xubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system, and DEFT Extra 2.0 (Computer Forensic GUI). Starting with this version, DEFT uses the LXDE desktop environment and therefore it should no longer be considered as a Xubuntu customization. DEFT Linux 5 has been also split in two releases, one for disk forensics activities (see the download link at the end of the article) and one for cell/network forensics tasks, which will be published next week.

Besides the LXDE desktop environment, DEFT Linux 5 also uses a new file manager, Thunar, and the Guymager, DHash2, GNU ddrescue, Dcfldd, Linen forensics imager tools. For disk forensics tasks, DEFT Linux 5 includes the Sleuth Kit 3.01 and Vautopsy 2.21 applications.

"DEFT Linux 5 is available for free download (ISO file) and USB 2.0 pen marked DEFT Linux, available for only 15 € (special price for law enforcement, contact us for more information). [...] Special thanks to the people who worked with me: Massimiliano Dal Cero, Salvo Tarantino, Sandro Rossetti, Valerio Leomporra and Davide Gabrini. Thank you guys!" - Stefano Fratepietro said in the official release announcement.

Highlights of DEFT Linux 5:

· Linux kernel 2.6.... (read more)]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:21:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/DEFT-Linux-5-Is-Available-for-Download-126551.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/DEFT-Linux-5-Is-Available-for-Download-126551.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/SystemRescueCd-1-3-2-Is-Powered-by-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-5-126496.shtml François Dupoux announced earlier today, November 9th, the immediate availability of the SystemRescueCd 1.3.2 operating system. The new version of the tiny, Gentoo-based Linux distribution for system administrators and data recovery tasks comes now with the latest 2.6.31.5 Linux kernel, the alternative Linux kernel 2.6.27.38, a few important updated packages and a couple of other improvements. SystemRescueCd 1.3.2 also introduces initial support for Super Grub Disk! Without further introduction, let's have a detailed look at what's new in SystemRescueCd 1.3.2:

· Updated the standard Linux kernel packages to version 2.6.31.5 (with support for the Btrfs filesystem);
· Updated the alternative Linux kernel packages to version 2.6.27.38;
· Updated LVM2 (Logical Volume Manager) to version 2.02.51;
· Updated the Xorg Server to version 1.6.3.901;
· Updated dmraid to version 1.0.0 RC16;
· Updated mdadm to version 3.0.2;
· Updated GParted to version 0.4.8;
· Updated NTFS3G (Advanced NTFS-3G Features) to version 2009.4.4-AR21;
· Added Super Grub Disk 1.21;
· Added support for framebuffer video in the standard Linux kernel (the vga=xxx boot option);
· Replaced the Xvesafb grap... (read more)]]> Mon, 9 Nov 2009 19:51:01 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/SystemRescueCd-1-3-2-Is-Powered-by-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-5-126496.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/SystemRescueCd-1-3-2-Is-Powered-by-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-5-126496.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-70-126458.shtml Welcome to the 70th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

The following Linux-based operating systems were announced last week: Mandriva Linux 2010, Monomaxos 4.0 English Edition, Scientific Linux 5.4 and Moblin 2.1. In other news: the KDE Community released the third maintenance release of the famous KDE 4.3 desktop environment. An in-depth review and tutorial of the Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system are also present in this edition. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions updated last week and the development releases.



Summary: [tablec][row][col]· Announced Distro: Mandriva Linux 2010 Officially Released
· Announced Distro: Monomaxos 4.0 English Edition Released
· Announced Distro: Scientific Linux 5.4 Brings Improved Support for Wi-Fi Networks
· Announced Distro: Moblin 2.1 Has 3G and Bluetooth Support
· Other news: KDE 4.3.3
· Review of the Week: Ubuntu 9.10
· Tutorial of the Week: Installing Ubuntu 9.10
· Video Clip of the Week: Moblin 2.1 User Interface
· Distributions Updated Last Week: WeakNet Linux 3.0, GParted LiveCD 0.4.8-1, SimplyMEPIS 8.0.12, and more...
· Development Releases: Lubuntu 9.10 Beta 23, Fedora 12 RC1, Frugalw... (read more)]]> Mon, 9 Nov 2009 11:54:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-70-126458.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-70-126458.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Installing-Ubuntu-9-10-126370.shtml Ubuntu 9.10, also known as the Karmic Koala, arrived exactly on October 29, 2009 and is the eleventh release of Ubuntu OS. We've created the following tutorial to teach Linux newcomers how to install the Ubuntu 9.10 operating system on their personal computer. Therefore, it is addressed to people who have just heard about Ubuntu, those who have never installed Ubuntu before and want to test it, but don't know how.

The tutorial will make things very simple for you, but if you get stuck somewhere in the middle of the installation and you need help, do not hesitate to use our commenting system at the end of the article!

Requirements:

You will need the Ubuntu 9.10 Desktop ISO image that corresponds to your hardware architecture (i386 or amd64), and which can be downloaded from here. When the download is over, burn the ISO image with your favorite CD/DVD burning application (Nero, CDBurnerXP, Roxio) on a blank CD at 8x speed.

Reinsert or leave the CD in your CD/DVD-ROM device and reboot the computer in order to boot from the CD. Hit the F8, F11 or F12 key (depending on your BIOS) to select the CD/DVD-ROM as the boot device.

Select your language when asked...

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Select the second option "Install Ubuntu," and hit the "Enter" key...

[ta... (read more)]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2009 17:38:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Installing-Ubuntu-9-10-126370.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Installing-Ubuntu-9-10-126370.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Moblin-2-1-Has-3G-and-Bluetooth-Support-126210.shtml The amazing team of developers behind Intel's Moblin project, through Imad Sousou, proudly announced last night (November 4th) the immediate availability of the Moblin 2.1 operating system for Intel Atom-powered netbooks and nettops. In this release, users will find a new and powerful web browser, support for 3G data connections, Bluetooth support, an integrated application installer for Moblin Garage, an improved user interface and overall performance. Additional documentation has also been added in Moblin 2.1.

"The Moblin project steering committee today announces the project release of Moblin v2.1 for Intel Atom processor-based netbooks and nettops. This project release includes the broadest feature additions, customer requested improvements, and overall polish to date. [...] In addition to the various new features, this new version of Moblin includes several hundred bug fixes and incorporates feedback from users and the developer community. Much polish and performance improvement was accomplished within this release from the Moblin developers." - Imad Sousou, Moblin Steering Committee and director of Intel Open Source Technology Center, said in the official release announcement.

Highlights of Moblin 2.1:

· Linux kernel 2.6.31;
· Intel Linux video driver 2.9;
· ... (read more)]]> Thu, 5 Nov 2009 13:36:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Moblin-2-1-Has-3G-and-Bluetooth-Support-126210.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Moblin-2-1-Has-3G-and-Bluetooth-Support-126210.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Scientific-Linux-5-4-Brings-Improved-Support-for-Wi-Fi-Networks-126189.shtml Connie Sieh and Troy Dawson announced last evening (November 4th) the immediate availability of Scientific Linux 5.4, a Linux distribution put together by various universities and labs around the world. Being based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 4, the new release of Scientific Linux brings improved support for Atheros wireless chipsets, the iwlwifi 5150 ucode firmware, lots of updated packages and numerous bug fixes. The iwlwifi 4945, 3945, and 5000 ucode has also been updated, and the Lua programming language has been added.

"We want to thank everyone who has contributed, tested, and given us feedback. We say that every time, but we really mean it. Without everyone's help and testing, this release wouldn't be as good as it is. Scientific Linux release 5.4 is based on the rebuilding of RPMS out of SRPMS's from Enterprise 5 Server and Client, including Update 4. It also has all errata and bugfixes up until November 1, 2009." - the Scientific Linux team said in the official release announcement.

Let's have a closer look now at the main packages that were updated in Scientific Linux 5.4:

· 915resolution 0.5.3-6;
· Alpine 2.00-2;
· AUFS 0.20090202.cvs-6;
· CFITSIO 3.100-1;
· DKMS 2.1.0.1-1;
· dropit ... (read more)]]> Thu, 5 Nov 2009 11:43:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Scientific-Linux-5-4-Brings-Improved-Support-for-Wi-Fi-Networks-126189.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Scientific-Linux-5-4-Brings-Improved-Support-for-Wi-Fi-Networks-126189.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Monomaxos-4-0-English-Edition-Released-126074.shtml Dimitris Papadatos proudly announced on November 3rd that the fourth edition of Monomaxos Greek operating system was now also available for English users! Being based on Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope), Monomaxos 4.0 comes as a 1.7 GB Live DVD and it offers out of the box support for HD (High-Definition) video files and any other multimedia content.

It contains lots of useful applications, such as OpenOffice.org 3.1, the XBMC Media Center, the MAME emulator (with more than 500 functional games), the Avant Window Navigator, and many more. Besides the various software packages, Monomaxos 4.0 provides lots of new drivers for various devices, and it can be easily installed from within the Windows operating system, thanks to the Wubi Installer. New artwork has also been added in Monomaxos 4.0.

Before you download (see link at the end of the article) and install the Monomaxos 4.0 Linux distribution, make sure that you meet the following recommended system requirements:

· 2 GHz X86 CPU;
· 512 MB of RAM (system memory);
· 5 GB of free hard drive space (or a 4 GB USB stick);
· Video card capable of 1024x768 resolution, with at least 64 MB;
· A modern sound card;
· Internet/Network connection.

About Monomaxos

Mono... (read more)]]> Wed, 4 Nov 2009 11:26:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Monomaxos-4-0-English-Edition-Released-126074.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Monomaxos-4-0-English-Edition-Released-126074.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Mandriva-Linux-2010-Officially-Released-126020.shtml After Canonical showed off their latest operating system, Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala), it is now time for another Linux mammoth to take the spotlight. In other words, Mandriva Linux 2010.0 was just released a few minutes ago, after two Alpha versions, one Beta and two Release Candidates, totaling more than four months of hard work. With this article, we are proud to present the new features that are included in the new Mandriva Linux release. Don't forget that Mandriva 2010.0 can be downloaded for free either as a Live KDE and GNOME CDs or a 100% Free DVD/Dual CD/Mini CD, for both i586 and x86_64 architectures (see download links at the end of the article).

Under the hood of Mandriva Linux 2010.0:

· Linux kernel 2.6.31;
· GNOME 2.28.0 desktop environment;
· KDE 4.3.2 desktop environment;
· EXT4 filesystem;
· X.Org 7.5;
· X.Org server 1.6.5;
· Moblin support;
· New artwork.

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The Mandriva Linux 2010.0 feature tour:

· Improved boot performance - through various tweaks and hacks, the boot p... (read more)]]> Tue, 3 Nov 2009 20:11:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Mandriva-Linux-2010-Officially-Released-126020.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Mandriva-Linux-2010-Officially-Released-126020.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/KDE-4-3-3-Is-Available-for-Download-125990.shtml Dubbed Clockwork, the third maintenance version of the amazing KDE 4.3 desktop environment was released a few minutes ago by the KDE community. Bringing only translation updates and bug fixes to applications such Dolphin, Konqueror, KWin, KGeography, KLettres, KStars, KPat, Okular, KAlarm, KGpg, Okteta or JuK, KDE 4.3.3 is the next-generation KDE desktop environment for Linux, Windows and Macintosh platforms. With every release, KDE 4 is here to deliver the most modern, beautiful and attractive desktop environment!

"Like the ticking of a Swiss watch, every month the KDE team brings you a new release. November's edition of KDE is a bugfix and translation update to KDE 4.3. With the KDE 4 series picking up in popularity, we're happy to encourage even more people to give KDE 4 another spin -- or just upgrade your existing KDE to KDE 4.3.3. As the release only contains bugfixes and translation updates, it will be a safe and pleasant update for everyone." - was stated in the official release announcement.

KDE 4.3.3 offers smoother effects (that means no more visual glitches), while Juk's stability has been greatly improved and KDE PIM has received an important update. Moreover, all applications are in the process of being ported to the new Akonadi cache and storage!

Currently, the KDE 4.3.3 desktop environ... (read more)]]> Tue, 3 Nov 2009 14:09:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/KDE-4-3-3-Is-Available-for-Download-125990.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/KDE-4-3-3-Is-Available-for-Download-125990.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-69-125874.shtml Welcome to the 69th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

The following Linux distributions were announced last week: Endian Firewall 2.3, Toorox 10.2009, Ubuntu 9.10 and openSUSE 11.2 RC2. In other news: Nvidia releases the new 190.42 video driver for Linux users, now with support for OpenGL 3.2. For this week, we had the pleasure of reviewing the PS3 Media Server 1.10.5 application. We are also proud to announce gedit is the "Application of the Month" for October! The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated last week and the development releases.


Summary:

[tablec][row][col]· Announced Distro: Endian Firewall 2.3 Includes Lots of New Features
· Announced Distro: Toorox 10.2009 Enables Desktop Effects for Many Video Cards
· Announced Distro: Ubuntu 9.10 Officially Released
· Announced Distro: openSUSE 11.2 RC2 Has Linux Kernel 2.6.31.5 and Firefox 3.5.4
· Other news: Nvidia Video Driver 190.42
· Application of the Month: gedit
· Review of the Week: PS3 Media Server 1.10.5
· Video Clip of the Week: Ubuntu 9.10 3D Desktop Video Players
· New Distributions: Leeenux 1.2, Lots of TurnKey Appliances, ALT Linux School Servers and more...
&... (read more)]]> Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:16:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-69-125874.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-69-125874.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Gedit-Don-t-Get-Tricked-by-Its-Simple-Looks-125672.shtml Every Linux user that has used the GNOME desktop environment must have had at least an encounter with its default text editor, Gedit. You start it up, and it looks like a simple notepad type application with a toolbar added on top. However, don't let yourself fooled by that simple appearance. If you know how to customize this application, it can be modified to serve almost any text exiting purpose, and you can even create an IDE-like environment.

With Gedit, it's not the general appearance that counts, it's all the little details that make a great application. As a programmer, I know that simple things like auto indentation and syntax highlighting can make your job much more easier. Gedit's can do syntax highlighting for quite a large number of programming languages or file formats, over 70 in fact. Also, the customizable tab width makes it easy to structure your texts, and the option to fill tabs with spaces makes it so much friendly to many environments in which your files could end up. The line numbers make it easy to collaboratively edit text files like source code, and along with the jump to line function it provides a way to refer and return to a certain section of the document without scrolling through to it.

Many text editors have trouble opening files that were created on other platforms, or with spec... (read more)]]> Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:41:01 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Gedit-Don-t-Get-Tricked-by-Its-Simple-Looks-125672.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Gedit-Don-t-Get-Tricked-by-Its-Simple-Looks-125672.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Doru Barbu) http://news.softpedia.com/news/openSUSE-11-2-RC2-Has-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-5-and-Firefox-3-5-4-125685.shtml While everyone was celebrating the release of Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala), Joe Brockmeier proudly announced last night (October 29th) the immediate availability of the second and final release candidate of the upcoming openSUSE 11.2 Linux-based operating system. This last development version fixes some of the nasty bugs found in previous versions, updates various packages, and it is now powered by Linux kernel 2.6.31.5. Also, switching the package vendor between repositories has been improved.

"This is it folks! We’re almost there for openSUSE 11.2. Time to grab the final 11.2 release candidate and shake out any remaining bugs to get the lizard ready for release. This release includes an updated kernel, Samba, Firefox, and more. This release should be almost ready for the gold master stamp, but there’s still time to shake out remaining bugs. This release should not be deployed on production systems, but should be ready for early adopters and contributors who want to help with testing and development of 11.2." - Joe Brockmeier, the openSUSE community manager, said in the official release announcement.

[tablec][row][col][/col][col][/col][/row][/tablec][tablec][row][col]openSUSE 11.2 boot splashes[/col][/row][/tablec]
Highlights of openSUSE 11.2 RC2:

· L... (read more)]]> Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:06:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/openSUSE-11-2-RC2-Has-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-5-and-Firefox-3-5-4-125685.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/openSUSE-11-2-RC2-Has-Linux-Kernel-2-6-31-5-and-Firefox-3-5-4-125685.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ubuntu-9-10-Officially-Released-125578.shtml After six alphas, a beta version and a release candidate, we are pleased to announce that Ubuntu 9.10 is here, today (October 29th), available on mirrors worldwide (see the download links at the end of the article). It is our greatest pleasure to introduce you guys to the highlights of this new release dubbed Karmic Koala. It all began on February 20th, 2009, when Mark Shuttleworth announced the Karmic Koala operating system, the next major release of the popular Ubuntu Linux operating system. Ubuntu 9.10 is also the eleventh release of the Ubuntu OS and will be supported for 18 months on both servers and desktops.

Under the hood of Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala):

· GNOME 2.28.1 desktop environment;
· Linux kernel 2.6.31.1;
· EXT4 filesystem;
· X.Org 7.4;
· X.Org server 1.6.4;
· Mesa 3D DRI 7.6;
· Compiz Fusion 0.8.4;
· Xsplash 0.8.4;
· New artwork.

The Ubuntu 9.10 feature tour:

· Improved boot times - Once again, the boot speed has been improved through various modern tweaks;
· New default filesystem - EXT4 is now the default file system for new installations;
· New boot loader - GRUB 2 replaces GRUB Legacy to support EXT4 file systems;
· Ne... (read more)]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:11:02 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ubuntu-9-10-Officially-Released-125578.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ubuntu-9-10-Officially-Released-125578.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Toorox-10-2009-Enables-Desktop-Effects-For-Many-Video-Cards-125592.shtml Joern Lindau announced today the next release of Toorox, version 10.2009. This Gentoo-based Linux distribution features the KDE 4.3.2 desktop environment and many other updated packages, all running on top of the 22.6.31 Linux kernel and Xorg Server 1.6.5. The base install also comes with OpenOffice.org 3.2.1, Amarok 2.2, IceCat (Firefox) 3.5.3 and The VLC media player 1.0.2.

A special addition to the Linux kernel that Toorox uses is the Direct Rendering Manager, which is installed as a module and enabled by default. Its presence allows Intel, SIS and ATI Radeon video cards to display advanced window compositing effects without needing a proprietary driver. However, this may prove problematic to certain hardware configurations, and to avoid this the module can be disabled altogether by using the "nodrm" boot option. Other new kernel features include support for the EXT4 filesystem, which can be used for the root partition during installs, and the inclusion of Kernel Staging Drivers, supporting a larger set of hardware than the ones officially included in the kernel.

A few new features make life easier on laptops. The improved Systemconfig "LAN+WLAN" can now detect if your wireless card needs a firmware file to function, it will inform you about that requirement and you will be given the opt... (read more)]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:21:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Toorox-10-2009-Enables-Desktop-Effects-For-Many-Video-Cards-125592.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Toorox-10-2009-Enables-Desktop-Effects-For-Many-Video-Cards-125592.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Doru Barbu) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Endian-Firewall-2-3-Includes-Lots-of-New-Features-125484.shtml On October 27th, Christian Graffer from the Endian team proudly announced the immediate availability of the Endian Firewall Community 2.3 Linux-based operating system. The new version includes a lot of bug fixes, improvements and many new and breathtaking features. We, at the Softpedia Labs, took the 2.3 release for a test drive and, among the new features, we noticed the support for backups, a dashbord, the VPN support, the SNMP support, e-mail notifications, policy routing, QoS, intrusion prevention, and many more.

Highlights of Endian Firewall 2.3:

· USB backups;
· Encrypted backups via email;
· Scheduled backups;
· Dashboard (with live graphs and system/services statistics);
· E-mail notifications for upcoming events;
· Time-based access control lists for HTTP proxy;
· New HTTP proxy web interface (with user-based and group-based content filtering);
· Intrusion prevention (with configurable Snort rules);
· Policy routing rules;
· Better port forwarding;
· QoS (Quality of Service) – replaces the Traffic Shaping feature;
· Added support for SNMP;
· A better and easy-to-use SMTP proxy web interface;
· Support for VLAN (I... (read more)]]> Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:45:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Endian-Firewall-2-3-Includes-Lots-of-New-Features-125484.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Endian-Firewall-2-3-Includes-Lots-of-New-Features-125484.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nvidia-190-42-Linux-Display-Driver-Has-Support-for-OpenGL-3-2-125389.shtml After quite a long development period, Nvidia finally decided to make Linux users happy again, by releasing a few minutes ago a brand-new and improved version of its graphics driver, Nvidia 190.42. As you see in the title, the big news is that Nvidia 190.42 now supports OpenGL 3.2. But, it also introduces support for the following video cards: GeForce G102M, GeForce GT 220, GeForce G210, GeForce G210M, GeForce GT 230M, GeForce GT 240M, GeForce GTS 250M and GeForce GTS 260M.

However, the above is not even close to what the new driver has to offer. Here are some of the most important new features in Nvidia 190.42:

· Newer Debian-based Linux distributions that use the /usr/lib32 path instead of the /emul/ia32-linux one, for the 32-bit library, are now detected by the Nvidia installer;
· More modes can now be validated by the Nvidia X driver, on GeForce 8 or later graphics cards;
· GLX support for OpenGL 3.2 was added;
· Added GLX_ARB_create_context_profile;
· Support for the IgnoreEDIDChecksum option was added, and it can be used to force the Nvidia X driver to accept an EDID if the checksum is invalid;
· GPU's fan speed configuration is now supported;
· Added support for decoding MPEG-4 Part 2, DivX 5 and D... (read more)]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nvidia-190-42-Linux-Display-Driver-Has-Support-for-OpenGL-3-2-125389.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nvidia-190-42-Linux-Display-Driver-Has-Support-for-OpenGL-3-2-125389.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-68-125234.shtml Welcome to the 68th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

The following Linux distributions were announced last week: Fedora 12 Beta, CentOS 5.4, Ubuntu 9.10 Release Candidate and Elive 1.9.51. In other news: Novell releases the second beta version of the upcoming Banshee 1.6 player and Ubuntu 9.04 offering from Dell. An in-depth review of the KeePassX 0.4.1 application is also present in this edition. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated last week and the development releases.



Summary: [tablec][row][col]· Announced Distro: Fedora 12 Beta Is Available for Download
· Announced Distro: CentOS 5.4 Arrives, Complete with Live CDs
· Announced Distro: Download Ubuntu 9.10 Release Candidate
· Announced Distro: Elive 1.9.51 Features Dynamic Filesystem Compression
· Other news: MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition, Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!, and more...
· Review of the Week: KeePassX 0.4.1
· Video Clip of the Week: Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) Release Candidate (RC) - review
· New Distributions: JULinux 0.1.4.7 and Slax Router 0.2
· Distributions Updated Last Week: Greenie Linux 5.1j, Berry Linux 0.99, TurnKey Live CDs, and more...
· ... (read more)]]> Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:37:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-68-125234.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Softpedia-Linux-Weekly-Issue-68-125234.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Pre-Order-Ubuntu-9-10-Free-CDs-125086.shtml Only six days are left until the final release of Ubuntu 9.10 and, if you are anxious to get your hands on a very nice CD with the Karmic Koala operating system, then you should know that they can be pre-ordered from Ubuntu's ShipIt service, free of charge (a free account or an OpenID is required). It has started taking the orders a few days ago, so hurry up! However, Canonical wants you to consider downloading the release of Ubuntu 9.10 from the worldwide mirrors.

Also, if you want to spread the word about the Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) release, which will happen on the 29th of October, you can get two nice, animated countdown scripts and a static one to post on your website. Each day, the image will change, counting the days remaining until the release of Ubuntu 9.10. Choose your favorite right now from here!

For those of you who don't know yet, Ubuntu 9.10 is dubbed Karmic Koala and it will come with new artwork, the lightweight and powerful GNOME 2.28.1 desktop environment, which brings lots and lots of improvements in many areas, such as Empathy, Evolution, GNOME Control Center, GNOME Media, GNOME Power Manager, and many more. Karmic's kernel packages will be based on the latest version of Linux kernel 2.6.31, which will offer improved support for various webcams, wireless devices, and new filesystems. Moreover, a... (read more)]]> Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:09:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Pre-Order-Ubuntu-9-10-Free-CDs-125086.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Pre-Order-Ubuntu-9-10-Free-CDs-125086.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Elive-1-9-51-Features-Dynamic-Filesystem-Compression-125077.shtml The Elive Team has announced earlier today the release of Elive 1.9.51, a new development version of this Debian-based operating system. One of the greatest features that have been added is the compressed filesystem that can help users with limited hard drive space to get the most out of their computer. The entire operating system will fit in 1GB, and the files that are created by the user will be automatically compressed, transparently and in real time.

The Shared Folders implementation has received many fixes and new features, and so did Virtual Private Network support, improvements that will come in handy for users dealing with corporate networks. Legacy applications that rely on the Open Sound System for audio output are better supported, in that category falling many games or other special purpose implementations.

Running in Live mode has been enhanced and a few problems have been fixed. Selecting Catalan in the boot menu now works as supposed, and running the system completely from RAM is now possible again. If you already have Elive installed, you can test this latest version without writing it to a CD. All you need to do is access your Administration menu, click "Upgrade Elive" and point it to the downloaded ISO image. Reboot your computer and, presto, you have the new version running. Thi... (read more)]]> Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:37:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Elive-1-9-51-Features-Dynamic-Filesystem-Compression-125077.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Elive-1-9-51-Features-Dynamic-Filesystem-Compression-125077.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Doru Barbu) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Download-Ubuntu-9-10-Release-Candidate-124982.shtml With only one week left until the final release, Canonical unleashed a few minutes ago the Release Candidate version of the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system. As usual, we've downloaded a copy of it in order to keep you up-to-date with the latest changes in the Ubuntu 9.10 development. Oh, and once again, we would like to say Happy 5th Birthday, Ubuntu!

What's new in Ubuntu 9.10 RC? Well, this is the last development version of the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system and much of the new features that will be part of it were presented here on our website. Nothing really changed from the Beta release, except many bugfixes and lots of updated packages. But, there is a better login screen now, and some nice fade-in/fade-out animation to the boot splash.


As a little reminder, HAL has been replaced by DeviceKit-power, DeviceKit-disks and udev, in order to provide a better power management, better handling of the hotkeys on laptops and better handling of storage devices.

The kernel packages have been updated a lot in the last two weeks, and they are now based on Linux kernel 2.6.31.1. The old linux-restricted-modules package has been replaced by DKMS, and KMS (Kernel Mode Setting) is enabled by default for the owners of Intel's graphic cards.

Ubuntu... (read more)]]> Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Download-Ubuntu-9-10-Release-Candidate-124982.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/Download-Ubuntu-9-10-Release-Candidate-124982.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Marius Nestor) http://news.softpedia.com/news/CentOS-5-4-Arrives-Complete-With-Live-CDs-124975.shtml Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4.0 was released about a month and a half ago, and it was only natural for the CentOS developers to follow suit. Yesterday it was up to Karanbir Singh to officially announce the immediate availability of CentOS 5.4. This new release comes in i386 and amd64 versions and, unexpectedly, Live disks are also available for these two architectures. Previously CentOS Live CDs were built exclusively for i386 processors and they were usually made available a week or two after the main version was released. Notably, the amd64 LiveCD weighs in at 757MB, larger than a standard CD, so it requires higher capacity optical disks.

For CentOS 5.4 the upstream package repositories have been combined into a single one, making it easier for users to manage their software sources. External package repositories can be enabled during the installation, as this feature has been added to the distribution's installer. Also, starting with this CentOS version, fast-track rpm packages will be available in the distribution's fasttrack repository, which will be populated during the next few weeks. This also means that CentOS will have a functional yum-security setup, but more details on this subject will be released on the 15th of November, 2009.

Bug fixes created for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4.0 from its release... (read more)]]> Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:41:01 GMT Softpedia News - Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/CentOS-5-4-Arrives-Complete-With-Live-CDs-124975.shtml Linux http://news.softpedia.com/news/CentOS-5-4-Arrives-Complete-With-Live-CDs-124975.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Doru Barbu)