- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Aging and bloated OpenSSL is purged of 2 high-severity bugs
by Peter Reutemann 03 May '16

03 May '16

"Maintainers of the OpenSSL cryptographic library have patched high-severity holes that could make it possible for attackers to decrypt login credentials or execute malicious code on Web servers. The updates were released Tuesday morning for both versions 1.0.1 and 1.0.2 of OpenSSL, which a large portion of the Internet relies on to cryptographically protect sensitive Web and e-mail traffic using the transport layer security protocol. OpenSSL advisories labeled the severity of both vulnerabilities "high," meaning the updates fixing them should be installed as soon as possible. The fixes bring the latest supported versions to 1.0.1t and 1.0.2h." -- source: http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/05/aging-and-bloated-openssl-is-purged… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Huge number of sites imperiled by critical image-processing vulnerability
by Peter Reutemann 03 May '16

03 May '16

"A large number of websites are vulnerable to a simple attack that allows hackers to execute malicious code hidden inside booby-trapped images. The vulnerability resides in ImageMagick, a widely used image-processing library that's supported by PHP, Ruby, NodeJS, Python, and about a dozen other languages. Many social media and blogging sites, as well as a large number of content management systems, directly or indirectly rely on ImageMagick-based processing so they can resize images uploaded by end users." -- source: http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/05/easily-exploited-bug-exposes-huge-n… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

fast good unlimited internet
by Ian Young 03 May '16

03 May '16

As per the subject it sounds great. Alas this is New Zealand, home of the rapacious duopoly, and one cable outwards. So you won't be looking at 'Spark' (aka former monoply Telecom) or global corp Vodafone. The fast thing has got a bit better since the powers that be finally fibred up at taxayer expense at least in part. Or so I hear. Ultra fast is probably an exaggeration compared with benchmark nations. Long white cloud has some issues with population density and geography. However it sounds like there may be a local option. Tauranga is an opulent region so there must be some money in it for small providers. Until a bigger fish appears bent on acquisition.

1 0

Art Or Spam?
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 03 May '16

03 May '16

A bot has been hanging around 3D-printing site Thingiverse, generating random and bizarre/surreal remixes of objects posted to the site by others <http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/05/that-time-a-bot-invaded-thingiverse-…>. The creators of the bot recently showed some of the results at an exhibition. Is “confrontational art” just another term for “trolling”? Opinions about the bot’s contribution to the community seem mixed...

1 0

Tauranga ISPs
by Chris McClimans 03 May '16

03 May '16

Any suggestions for fast, good, unlimited broadband? Maybe with a chance for static IPs?

3 2

Ubuntu Quietly Raises Install Image Size to 2GB
by Peter Reutemann 02 May '16

02 May '16

'You can expect to see a larger Ubuntu desktop installation image by the time the Yakkety Yak yips out. Developers are currently debating the exact size limits that official flavours will adhere to, with some favouring a 2GB hard limit while others are looking to go full-DVD size at 4.7GB+. Canonical's Steven Langasek explains the plans for Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak: "I've finally gone ahead and bumped the limit on Ubuntu desktop images to 2GB for a minimally-sized USB stick; this gives us a new limit that I think we will care about, while also leaving us headroom so we're not constantly fighting it back down to the line." The Ubuntu ISO is supposed to be around the 1GB mark but has creeped past this in recent releases. The current Ubuntu 16.04 LTS desktop .iso is 1.4GB.' -- source: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/16/05/02/1035248 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

2 1

From Paintbox to PC: How London became the home of Hollywood VFX
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 01 May '16

01 May '16

Nice article about the video-effects business, from the Quantel Paintbox to present-day CGI <http://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2016/05/how-london-became-the-home-of…>, from Ars Technica UK. Betting on Moore’s Law: Framestore tried to predict when technology would allow them to charge what their clients were willing to pay, and adjust the business accordingly. It was a risky, yet incredibly shrewd plan—and it paid off. This same company went on to make “Walking With Dinosaurs”. Moving away from the legendary SGI workstations of the early 1990s, towards more commodity hardware nowadays: Today, VFX studios are powered by Intel processors, Nvidia graphics cards (all the VFX studios I spoke to used Nvidia graphics cards, citing reasons of driver stability), and Linux operating systems. These parts are just as accessible to consumers as they are to businesses: one only need look at the rise of YouTube and high-quality homemade videos to see just how far the commoditisation of VFX technology has come. But those Nvidia cards are mainly used for on-screen previews, not the final renders: Like the rest of the VFX industry, Pixar is yet to introduce GPUs into its render farms, preferring instead to use them in local or farm-based workstations for quick and dirty lighting previews. It faces the same issue as everyone else: GPUs simply don't have enough memory. Each frame in a final render requires as much 64GB of system memory, with films like Avatar pushing 128GB. The highest-end Nvidia graphics card comes equipped with just 12GB of memory. The article has a strange reluctance to use the term “renderer”. It describes Arnold as “a cutting edge lighting program” and Renderman as “a way to flesh out an existing 3D model or animation with interactive lighting and shading”. One quote I found revealing: At most VFX studios the final render is done at around 2K resolution. It doesn’t qualify this by saying this is for TV work, not for film work. So is 2K enough even for film work? And just like when they moved from TV to film, studios like MPC, Framestore, and Pixar are waiting for technology to catch up with their creative ambitions, even if they're not all convinced 4K is the answer. Meanwhile, some people are managing 4K renders <https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=blender+foundation+4k> just fine...

1 0

Re: [wlug] Intel?s Atom Chips Circling The Plughole (Lawrence D'Oliveiro)
by rowan schischka 01 May '16

01 May '16

>I wondered--still wonder--why Intel doesn?t just make ARM chips. It?s got to be more profitable than the billions it has wasted on developing Atom processors that nobody seems to want. I believe the Atom was Intel's competition to the AMD geode which is I think is still available. I wouldnt say no one wants them. Microsoft has been keen on them since Windows RT failed. Arm is an old competitor to Intel; remember Acorn computers? I dont think they would attract investors if they were buying licenses from ARM. Seems logical they are dropping the Atom in favour of their new IoT chips. Im more interested in what Samsung is doing with its Artik 12x12mm SOC, an arm you can fit in your undies! -- Rowan Schischka

3 3

Intel’s Atom Chips Circling The Plughole
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 30 Apr '16

30 Apr '16

The next, “Broxton”, generation of Intel’s Atom chips have been cancelled, along with future SoCs incorporating Atom cores <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/30/intel_atoms_cancelled/>. I can remember when the first generation of Atom chips were announced, back in 2008 or so with the debut of “netbooks”--remember them? (/me glances at an old Asus Eee 701 sitting within arm’s reach.) Intel claimed it was two years ahead of ARM at that point, and able to offer the “full Internet experience” (which was code for “can run Flash videos”). That “two years ahead” claim went quiet after a few months... I wondered--still wonder--why Intel doesn’t just make ARM chips. It’s got to be more profitable than the billions it has wasted on developing Atom processors that nobody seems to want.

1 0

Intel’s Clear Linux Is Making Waves
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 26 Apr '16

26 Apr '16

Intel has brought out “Clear Linux”, incorporating many optimizations for speed. Now the Fedora folks are looking into these speedups, with a view to making them more mainstream <http://phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Fedora-Looks-At-Clear>.

1 0

Cinnamon 3.0 Desktop Environment Tagged for Linux Mint 18, Here's What's New
by Peter Reutemann 25 Apr '16

25 Apr '16

"With updated dependencies on board and numerous bug fixes, Cinnamon 3.0 comes with multiple new features, among which we can mention an option that lets users display or hide the favbox in the Menu applet, the addition of new default application buttons, as well as support for displaying the panel-launchers actions. The Sound settings have been rewritten in Python, and there's a custom page that shows users when there's no input devices available or if any apps are now playing. Additionally, the Sound panel received a custom settings box that should prevent the sound effects dialog to be opened in a very tall window." -- source: http://www.linuxtoday.com/developer/cinnamon-3.0-desktop-environment-tagged… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Mozilla Seeks New Home For Email Client Thunderbird
by Peter Reutemann 25 Apr '16

25 Apr '16

"In a report commissioned by Mozilla to explore the next home for Thunderbird, two potential new hosts have been offered: the Software Freedom Conservancy (host to git, boost, QEMU, and a host of other projects) and The Document Foundation (home of LibreOffice). At the same time, the report discusses completely uncoupling Thunderbird from the rest of the Mozilla codebase and bringing in a dedicated technical architect to chart the software's roadmap. Given that the two named organizations are already on board with taking Thunderbird under their wing, is this a new lease on life for the email program Mozilla put out to pasture four years ago?" -- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/04/25/1949239 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0

Still On For Tonight?
by Chris McClimans 25 Apr '16

25 Apr '16

I noted that we seem to be scheduled, even though it is a public holiday today. I was planning to attend, but wanted to make sure it was still on. I have some fun org-babel-async stuff I use that might be fun to share. (vim users might enjoy looking at spacemacs.org as well) Cheers, -chris

2 2

Docker-Online-Meeting tomorrow 9am
by Chris McClimans 24 Apr '16

24 Apr '16

http://www.meetup.com/Docker-Online-Meetup/events/230475901/ Wouldn't mind meeting in person if anyone is up for it. Cheers, -chris

1 0

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Available To Download; Mozilla To Offer 0-Day Firefox Releases Via Snaps
by Peter Reutemann 22 Apr '16

22 Apr '16

"The latest, and hopefully, the greatest version of Ubuntu is now available to download. On the sidelines, Mozilla today announced the availability of future releases of its popular Firefox web browser in the snap package format for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. Earlier today, Canonical unleashed the final release of the highly anticipated Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) operating system, bringing users a great set of new features and improvements. Also today, it looks like Canonical has renewed its partnership with Mozilla to offer Firefox as the default web browser on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and upcoming releases of the Linux kernel-based operating systems. As part of the new partnership, Mozilla is committed to distributing future versions of Firefox as a snap package. Having Firefox distributed in the snap format means that you'll have 0-day releases in Ubuntu 16.04. Yes, just like Windows and Mac OS X, users are enjoying their 0-day releases of Mozilla Firefox and don't have to wait for package maintainers of a particular GNU/Linux distribution to update the software in the main repositories. For Mozilla, having Firefox as a snap package means that they'll be able to continually optimize it for Ubuntu." -- source: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/04/21/1940213 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

2 2

meeting next Monday
by Ian Young 21 Apr '16

21 Apr '16

If there is time available I could talk about a distro called LXLE I have been looking at lately. ~ Ian Y

2 1

Tauranga Makerspace
by Chris McClimans 20 Apr '16

20 Apr '16

http://onurcelebi.com/blog/how-a-diode-changed-my-life/ I've been working with electronics over the past year, including making a keyboard with batteries, and charging ports, etc for use with various embedded systems, usb, and bluetooth. Reading this article actually helped me solve some of the charging and power problems, and makes me realize I don't know much about electronics. I'm looking forward to getting together with other folks who solder, and see what happens. (Still trying to find housing, but I'm hanging around @basestationnz most mornings)

1 0

Intel To Sack “Up To 12,000” Staff
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 19 Apr '16

19 Apr '16

<http://arstechnica.com/business/2016/04/intel-announces-evolution-away-from…> ...the firings were meant to "accelerate [Intel's] evolution from a PC company to one that powers the cloud and billions of smart, connected computing devices." And yet they still insist on trying to push unpopular x86 chips on these markets, instead of the ARM chips that everybody else wants to use.

1 0

topics for next monday?
by Peter Reutemann 19 Apr '16

19 Apr '16

Hi everyone At the moment, we don't have anything lined up for next Monday. Any ideas for topics? New distros or applications uncovered? Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

5 8

Cybersecurity Report From 1970
by Lawrence D'Oliveiro 19 Apr '16

19 Apr '16

<http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/04/flashback-declassified-1970-dod-cyb…> The Ware Report included a list of conclusions and recommendations that (based on recent data breaches and security failures) many have failed to take to heart. “Plus ça change”, as they say...

1 0

The Ars guide to building a Linux router from scratch
by rowan schischka 19 Apr '16

19 Apr '16

> What about a MIPS-oriented distro like OpenWRT? I have never tested OpenWRT. I would think that the strength of openWRT would be in its web interface and it has been customised for specific hardware. Both my embedded devices are capable of running debian and I have no need for a web interface. I think you would use OpenWrt if you already have the hardware for it.

1 0

Re: [wlug] The Ars guide to building a Linux router from scratch
by Roger Hardy 18 Apr '16

18 Apr '16

I run several instances of pfsense on both pcengines APU boards and as Xen VM's, and I would use that over pretty much anything these days. Good throughput, easy to manage, and lots of features. In my case this was because my iptables script was getting to be handful as well as IPSec and OpenVPN installations that are now much easier to manage and monitor. Industrial strength magic for home router price from my point of view.

1 0

The Ars guide to building a Linux router from scratch
by rowan schischka 18 Apr '16

18 Apr '16

A few years ago I built an ap on a pc engines alix board. Of course the choice of wireless card is going to be the deciding factor in performance as the alix's cpu and ram is higher than most wireless appliances. My performance was good but not as good as similar priced appliances. I am not using it atm because I'm using a skinny 4g modem. If I needed a wireless ap in the future I would buy an appliance over built due to cost, time, and performance. What you loose out on appliance ap is software and security upgrades. Also the coolest thing with building a router based on debian is you can install anything you want. But if you want to install proxy server, file server and virus scanners don't go for an embedded chip, get a proper pc with decent cpu and hard drive. And lastly I tested the original raspberry pi as an ap. Throughput was terrible. About 1mb per second file transfer speed using rsync, my understanding is that is due to everything running through its USB controller

2 1

The Ars guide to building a Linux router from scratch
by Peter Reutemann 17 Apr '16

17 Apr '16

"After finally reaching the tipping point with off-the-shelf solutions that can't match increasing speeds available, we recently took the plunge. Building a homebrew router turned out to be a better proposition than we could've ever imagined. With nearly any speed metric we analyzed, our little DIY kit outpaced routers whether they were of the $90- or $250-variety." -- source: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/04/the-ars-guide-to-building-a-linux-ro… Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

2 1

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Will Bring Snap Packages For Up-To-Date, More Secure Apps
by Peter Reutemann 13 Apr '16

13 Apr '16

"Canonical, Ubuntu's parent company, has announced that Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Long Term Support) will come with support for the snap packaging format and tools. As a result, end users will get more up-to-date apps, something that proved tricky in the past due âoethe complexity of packaging and providing updates,â which prevented updates to some apps being delivered. Snaps will make the Ubuntu platform more unified, developers will more easily be able to create software for PC, Server, Mobile, or IoT devices. The other major benefit of snaps is that that they're more secure than software installed through deb packages. Snaps are isolated from the rest of the system, meaning that malware packaged with a snap won't be able to affect your Ubuntu installation." -- source: https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/04/13/1627204 Cheers, Peter -- Peter Reutemann Dept. of Computer Science University of Waikato, NZ +64 (7) 858-5174 http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/ http://www.data-mining.co.nz/

1 0