- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

WLUG meeting tomorrow
by Peter Reutemann 24 Aug '14

24 Aug '14

Hi there There is a WLUG meeting tomorrow: "3D animations (or CGI) are everywhere nowadays. You don't need deep pockets for purchasing good software, the FLOSS world has its own package for creating first-class animations:Blender. Lawrence D'Oliveiro will give a hands-on demonstration on how to use Blender, introduce you to the basics and show how to create simple animations. He will also present some of the animations that he created over the years." http://www.meetup.com/WaikatoLinuxUsersGroup/events/197651342 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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Qt Upgrades From LGPLv2.1 to LGPLv3
by Peter Reutemann 20 Aug '14

20 Aug '14

"Digia has announced that existing Qt modules will now be covered under the LGPLv3 in addition to the LGPLv2.1, GPLv3, and the enterprise (proprietary) license. New modules will be dropping LGPLv2.1 and GPLv3+ and be released under the LGPLv3 and GPLv2+ instead. This should be a good move: new Qt modules will be Apache license compatible, LGPLv3 code can trivially be converted to GPLv3, and Digia is even releasing a few modules it intended to make proprietary as Free Software. The KDE Free Qt Foundation is on board. The move was made because of device vendors exploiting a loophole in the GPLv2/LGPLv2.1 that denied users the right to modify Qt or write their own applications. Digia has some self-interest as well, since those vendors were exploiting the tivoization loophole to avoid buying enterprise licenses." -- source: http://news.slashdot.org/story/14/08/20/1446240 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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WLUG meeting next Monday
by Peter Reutemann 19 Aug '14

19 Aug '14

Hi there There is a WLUG meeting coming up next Monday: "3D animations (or CGI) are everywhere nowadays. You don't need deep pockets for purchasing good software, the FLOSS world has its own package for creating first-class animations:Blender. Lawrence D'Oliveiro will give a hands-on demonstration on how to use Blender, introduce you to the basics and show how to create simple animations. He will also present some of the animations that he created over the years." http://www.meetup.com/WaikatoLinuxUsersGroup/events/197651342 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-on-the-desktop pioneer Munich now considering a switch back to Windows
by Peter Reutemann 18 Aug '14

18 Aug '14

"The world is still waiting for the year of Linux on the desktop, but in 2003 it looked as if that goal was within reach. Back then, the city of Munich announced plans to switch from Microsoft technology to Linux on 14,000 PCs belonging to the city's municipal government. While the scheme suffered delays, it was completed in December 2013. There's only been one small problem: users aren't happy with the software, and the government isn't happy with the price." -- source: http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/08/linux-on-the-desktop-pioneer-munich… 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 Kernel Git Repositories Add 2-Factor Authentication
by Peter Reutemann 18 Aug '14

18 Aug '14

yubikeys in the news: "For a few years now Linux kernel developers have followed a fairly strict authentication policy for those who commit directly to the git repositories housing the Linux kernel. Each is issued their own ssh private key, which then becomes the sole way for them to push code changes to the git repositories hosted at kernel.org. While using ssh keys is much more secure than just passwords, there are still a number of ways for ssh private keys to fall into malicious hands. So they've further tightened access requirements with two-factor authentication using yubikeys." -- source: http://linux.slashdot.org/story/14/08/18/191251 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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Turin To Be The First Italian Open Source City
by Peter Reutemann 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

"Turin’s local authorities have decided to switch to open source and entirely ditch all the Microsoft products, saving alot of money to the local government. The mission of this move is to get rid of proprietary software, make Turin one of the first Italian open source city and save six million euros. [...] According to republica.it 8300 computers of the local administration will soon be powered by Ubuntu, shipped with Mozilla Firefox web browser and Open Office. No more Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer." -- source: http://www.unixmen.com/turin-first-italian-open-source-city/ 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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Free Intro to Linux Online Course Starts Today (ie 1st August 2014)
by Peter Reutemann 03 Aug '14

03 Aug '14

"The Linux Foundation's free online course, Introduction to Linux, started today on the edX website. Students have already begun to take the course, which covers the basic tools and techniques commonly used by Linux programmers, system administrators and end users. It's not too late to sign up! You can complete the lessons, interact with students and instructors on the message board, and take the tests at your own pace. The first thing you'll do is install Linux – instructions are available in a PDF sent to all students enrolled in the course. Topics covered during the course include:" -- source: http://www.linux.com/news/featured-blogs/200-libby-clark/782685 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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The Art of Failure 2014
by chris 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

http://spectrum.ieee.org/slideshow/semiconductors/materials/the-art-of-failu re-2014/ The Art of Failure 2014 <http://www.mmsend10.com/link.cfm?r=788576329&sid=47555527&m=5637048&u=IEEEN Y&j=20644385&s=http://spectrum.ieee.org/slideshow/semiconductors/materials/t he-art-of-failure-2014/?utm_source=techalert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=0 73114> When chipmakers examine failed semiconductors for clues regarding why they went kaput, they sometimes discover beauty amid the ashes. We've collated some of the more spectacular happy accidents from factories and labs around the world for this year's showcase.

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LibreOffice 4.3 upgrades spreadsheets, brings 3D models to presentations
by Peter Reutemann 31 Jul '14

31 Jul '14

"LibreOffice's latest release provides easier ways of working with spreadsheets and the ability to insert 3D models into presentations, along with dozens of other changes." -- source: http://bit.ly/1tvDM9e 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 Apache Code At Root of Android FakeID Mess
by Peter Reutemann 30 Jul '14

30 Jul '14

'A four-year-old vulnerability in an open source component that is a critical part of Android leaves hundreds of millions of mobile devices susceptible to silent malware infections. The vulnerability affects devices running Android versions 2.1 to 4.4 ("KitKat"), according to a statement released by Bluebox. The vulnerability was found in a package installer in affected versions of Android. The installer doesn't attempt to determine the authenticity of certificate chains that are used to vouch for new digital identity certificates. In short, Bluebox writes, "an identity can claim to be issued by another identity, and the Android cryptographic code will not verify the claim." The security implications of this are vast. Malicious actors could create a malicious mobile application with a digital identity certificate that claims to be issued by Adobe Systems. Once installed, vulnerable versions of Android will treat the application as if it was actually signed by Adobe and give it access to local resources, like the special webview plugin privilege, that can be used to sidestep security controls and virtual 'sandbox' environments that keep malicious programs from accessing sensitive data and other applications running on the Android device. The flaw appears to have been introduced to Android through an open source component, Apache Harmony. Google turned to Harmony as an alternative means of supporting Java in the absence of a deal with Oracle to license Java directly. Work on Harmony was discontinued in November, 2011. However, Google has continued using native Android libraries that are based on Harmony code. The vulnerability concerning certificate validation in the package installer module persisted even as the two codebases diverged.' -- source: http://news.slashdot.org/story/14/07/29/2230242 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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