- wlug - list.wlug.org.nz

Skype for Linux 4.2 brings interface improvements
by Peter Reutemann 22 May '13

22 May '13

"Microsoft's Skype division has released a new version of its proprietary voice, video and text messaging client for Linux that includes user interface improvements and fixes a number of bugs including a crashing problem when using the call window." -- source: http://h-online.com/-1867112 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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Arduino launches Wi-Fi board and ready-to-roll robotics platform
by Peter Reutemann 21 May '13

21 May '13

"Arduino has launched a new family of development boards and its first full robotics platform. The Arduino Yún is a Wi-Fi enabled board running Linux and the Arduino Robot is the company's first robotics platform that is fully functional out of the box." -- source: http://h-online.com/-1866147 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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Tails 0.18 can install packages on the fly
by Peter Reutemann 21 May '13

21 May '13

"The latest version of the live Debian Linux distribution for anonymity and privacy especially in repressive environments is now available with on the fly package updating and support for the latest obfuscation bridges." -- source: http://h-online.com/-1866479 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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Development plans for Ubuntu 13.10
by Peter Reutemann 21 May '13

21 May '13

"Among the topics discussed by the developers at Ubuntu Developer Summit 13.05 were the planned new features for Ubuntu 13.10. The next version of the distribution, code-named "Saucy Salamander", could include early versions of Ubuntu's Mir display server and have the Qt-based Unity Next desktop environment for testing. However, the default configuration will continue to include the graphics stack of Ubuntu 12.10 with X11, Compiz and Unity 7. By 2014, Canonical plans to unify the code base for Ubuntu's smartphone, tablet and PC desktops, based on Mir and Unity Next." -- source: http://h-online.com/-1866071 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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Jolla Announces First Meego Phone Available By End 2013
by Peter Reutemann 20 May '13

20 May '13

"Jolla, the Finnish company that continued Nokia's work on the MeeGo mobile platform, announced details of its first smartphone on Monday. Availability for the Jolla device is expected by year end and can be pre-ordered now; the phone will be priced at no more than €399 (US $512.26). The Jolla hardware looks similar to that of Nokia's Lumia, with a clean, button-less front face that houses the 4.5-inch touchcscreen. The phone will use a dual-core processor and support 4G LTE in some regions. Internal storage tops out at 16 GB, but can be expanded via microSD card. The phone also includes an 8 megapixel rear camera with auto focus. The phone is also 'Android app compliant' which, in a move similar to that of BlackBerry, can help with available apps at launch." -- source: http://linux.slashdot.org/story/13/05/20/1345232/jolla-announces-first-meeg… 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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upcoming meeting
by Peter Reutemann 19 May '13

19 May '13

Hi there The next wlug meeting is next week on Monday, with the following topics: - CrunchBang 11 - what's this: Peter Reutemann - Ubuntu 13.04 - what's new: Ian Stewart - Discussion: re-design of wlug.org.nz website http://elgg.wlug.org.nz/event_calendar/view/733/meeting 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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NetBSD 6.1 Has Shipped
by Peter Reutemann 19 May '13

19 May '13

"The NetBSD Project is pleased to announce NetBSD 6.1, the first feature update of the NetBSD 6 release branch. It represents a selected subset of fixes deemed important for security or stability reasons, as well as new features and enhancements. NetBSD is a free, fast, secure, and highly portable Unix-like Open Source operating system. It is available for a wide range of platforms, from large-scale servers and powerful desktop systems to handheld and embedded devices. Its clean design and advanced features make it excellent for use in both production and research environments, and the source code is freely available under a business-friendly license. NetBSD is developed and supported by a large and vibrant international community. Many applications are readily available through pkgsrc, the NetBSD Packages Collection." -- source: http://bsd.slashdot.org/story/13/05/19/054239/netbsd-61-has-shipped 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 Mint 15 "Olivia" gets release candidate
by Peter Reutemann 19 May '13

19 May '13

'The Linux Mint developers have announced a release candidate for Linux Mint 15. The "most ambitious release since the start of the project" includes a custom control centre application, a new screensaver tool and a number of other features.' -- source: http://h-online.com/-1864900 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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Exploit for local Linux kernel bug in circulation - Update
by Peter Reutemann 19 May '13

19 May '13

"Back in April, the Linux kernel developers fixed an incorrectly declared pointer in the Linux kernel. However, it appears that they overlooked the potential security implications of such a bug – particularly the fact that it is possible to gain access to almost any memory area using a suitable event_id. The developers only got into gear and declared the bug as an official security hole (CVE-2013-2094) after an exploit was released that proves that normal, logged-in users can gain root access this way. " -- source: http://h-online.com/-1863892 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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Ubuntu Developers Revisit Replacing Firefox With Chromium
by Peter Reutemann 16 May '13

16 May '13

"Expressed shortcomings of switching to Google's Chromium open-source web-browser is that data migration from Firefox isn't too obvious, extensions don't migrate between browsers, Chromium isn't supported on all architectures (e.g. PowerPC), the browser doesn't work with the Orca screen reader and doesn't integrate well for accessibility reasons, there is no native PDF plug-in, and Chromium is said to have worse performance under memory pressure. There were also some concerns expressed about differences with WebApps in Chromium. ... It looks like the switch to Chromium will happen in the name of a better user experience for the desktop with Chrome/Chromium now arguably surpassing Firefox in its features and performance while pushing Chromium as the default leads to a more consistent experience across Ubuntu form factors from phones/tablets to the desktop." -- source: http://news.slashdot.org/story/13/05/16/2037212 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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