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How to install Ubuntu on Acer's $199 C7 Chromebook
by Peter Reutemann 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

"Maybe you think the price of Acer's new $199 C7 Chromebook is appealing and that the hardware doesn't look bad, but you're a little worried about using Chrome OS to get your work done. Or maybe you're looking for a small, cheap laptop to run Ubuntu, and you're not really interested in buying a computer running a Windows license you'll never use. If either of those sentences describe you and you aren't afraid of the command line, it's actually pretty easy to convert the cheapest Chromebook yet into a nice little Linux laptop." -- source: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/12/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-acers-199-c… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Samba 4.0 Released: the First Free Software Active Directory Compatible Server
by Peter Reutemann 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

"We released Samba 4.0 today, containing the first compatible Free Software implementation of Microsoft's Active Directory protocols. 'Samba 4.0 comprises an LDAP directory server, Heimdal Kerberos authentication server, a secure Dynamic DNS server, and implementations of all necessary remote procedure calls for Active Directory. Samba 4.0 provides everything needed to serve as an Active Directory Compatible Domain Controller for all versions of Microsoft Windows clients currently supported by Microsoft, including the recently released Windows 8. The Samba 4.0 Active Directory Compatible Server provides support for features such as Group Policy, Roaming Profiles, Windows Administration tools and integrates with Microsoft Exchange and Free Software compatible services such as OpenChange.'" -- source: http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/12/11/1922220/samba-40-released-the-firs… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Linux 3.7 Released
by Peter Reutemann 11 Dec '12

11 Dec '12

"Linux kernel 3.7 has been released. This release adds support for the new ARM 64-bit architecture, ARM multiplatform — the ability to boot into different ARM systems using a single kernel; support for cryptographically signed kernel modules; Btrfs support for disabling copy-on-write on a per-file basis using chattr; faster Btrfs fsync(); a new experimental 'perf trace' tool modeled after strace; support for the TCP Fast Open feature in the server side; experimental SMBv2 protocol support; stable NFS 4.1 and parallel NFS; a vxlan tunneling protocol that allows to transfer Layer 2 ethernet packets over UDP; and support for the Intel SMAP security feature. Many small features and new drivers and fixes are also available. Here's the full list of changes." -- source: http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/12/11/160259/linux-37-released Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Old-ish Fiber-Optic Gear For Disposal
by Elroy 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

Need to clear garage. Have various older hubs (~16-24 ports 10Mbps ethernet plus optical ports), various older fiber-optic cables (mainly patch (less than 1m)), and other bits and pieces. Most gear is untested, was bought as-is. Also have a couple 100Mbps UTP <==> 100Mbps fiber converters. Would prefer they go to non-profit/educational homes; if for-profit, then I'd appreciate a few dollars to a good cause I know of (wikipedia being one). Will try to get a more detailed list shortly. Elroy.

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Python Creator Guido van Rossum Leaves Google For Dropbox
by Peter Reutemann 08 Dec '12

08 Dec '12

"Guido van Rossum, the proclaimed Python Benevolent Dictator For Life, has left Google to work for Dropbox. In their announcement, Dropbox says they relied heavily on Python from the beginning, citing a mix of simplicity, flexibility, and elegance, and are excited to have GvR on the team. While this is, without a doubt, good news for Dropbox, the big question is what this will mean for Python (and for Google)." -- source: http://developers.slashdot.org/story/12/12/07/2242237/python-creator-guido-… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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$100 Android/Linux tablet hits funding goal, ships in January
by Peter Reutemann 03 Dec '12

03 Dec '12

'A $100 tablet that can run both Android and Linux is on the verge of becoming a reality. We wrote about the "PengPod" last month when its creators were seeking $49,000 on a Kickstarter-like site called Indiegogo. The project's deadline expired last night, with the PengPod getting a healthy $72,707 from more than 500 contributors.' -- source: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/12/100-androidlinux-tablet-hits-funding… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Comment: OpenOffice's Tale of Two Cities
by Peter Reutemann 03 Dec '12

03 Dec '12

Failure in Freiburg, success in Munich. Experiences with open source software in the public sector couldn't be more different. If there's a lesson to be drawn from this, it's "go the whole hog or not at all". -- source: http://h-online.com/-1760502 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Secure Boot bootloader for Linux
by Peter Reutemann 03 Dec '12

03 Dec '12

"Linux developer Matthew Garrett has released a version of his Shim Secure Boot bootloader that allows any Linux distribution to be launched on Secure Boot systems without the need to disable UEFI Secure Boot. As Garrett's Shim binary has been signed by Microsoft, the Secure Boot bootloader will be executed by almost any type of UEFI firmware." -- source: http://h-online.com/-1761089 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Plan 9 ported to the Raspberry Pi
by Peter Reutemann 03 Dec '12

03 Dec '12

'Plan 9 developer Richard Miller has ported the open source Unix-like operating system to the Raspberry Pi mini-computer. Plan 9, which was originally developed primarily for research into distributed operating systems by Bell Labs, is still being developed at Bell Labs (now a subsidiary of Alcatel-Lucent) and a number of independent developers. The operating system extends the classic "everything is a file" philosophy of Unix to network objects without differentiating between local and remote resources.' -- source: http://h-online.com/-1761509 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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Dell launches Ubuntu-powered Sputnik for developers
by Peter Reutemann 03 Dec '12

03 Dec '12

"Dell has launched its Ubuntu laptop for developers in the US. The project, which was first announced in May, uses an XPS 13 Ultrabook as the base for a customised Ubuntu 12.04 installation that is aimed at application developers and systems administrators. Dell has worked with Ubuntu sponsor Canonical and various hardware manufacturers to provide support for the hardware, and the system ships with additional features such as the sputnik command that allows developers to easily replicate their development environment on other machines." -- source: http://h-online.com/-1759350 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174

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