Slackware 12.2 is released!

Again! slackware's developer team announce new release of slackware. according to ANNOUNCE.12_2's file that come from slackware 12.2 release directory, here is some features that available on slackware 12.2 (grab from that file):

- Runs the 2.6.27.7 version of the Linux kernel from ftp.kernel.org. Also included is a kernel patched with Speakup to support speech
synthesizers providing access to Linux for the visually impaired community.

- Some packages were upgraded from slackware/x directory

- Installs gcc-4.2.4 as the default C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran-77/95, and Ada 95 compiler.

- Apache (httpd) 2.2.10 web server with Dynamic Shared Object support, SSL, and PHP 5.2.8.

- New development tools, including Perl 5.10.0, Python 2.5.2, Ruby 1.8.7-p72, Subversion 1.5.4, git-1.6.0.3, mercurial-1.0.2, graphical tools like Qt designer and KDevelop, and much more.

- Updated versions of the Slackware package management tools make it easy to add, remove, upgrade, and make your own Slackware packages. Package tracking makes it easy to upgrade from Slackware 12.1 to Slackware 12.2 (see CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT). The slackpkg tool can also help update from an older version of Slackware to a newer one, and keep your Slackware system up to date. In addition, the slacktrack utility (in extra/) will help you build and maintain your own packages.

- Web browsers galore! Includes KDE's Konqueror 3.5.10, SeaMonkey 1.1.13 (this is the replacement for the Mozilla Suite), and the immensely popular Firefox 3.0.4, as well as the Thunderbird 2.0.0.18 email and news client with advanced junk mail filtering.

- The complete K Desktop Environment (KDE) version 3.5.10, including the KOffice productivity suite, networking tools, GUI development with KDevelop, multimedia tools (including the amazing Amarok music player and K3B disc burning software), the Konqueror web browser and file manager, dozens of games and utilities, international language support, and more.

- using xfce 4.4.3 for a fast and lightweight but visually appealing and easy to use desktop environment. upgrade from 4.4.2 release.

- A collection of GTK+ based applications including pidgin-2.5.2, gimp-2.4.7, gkrellm-2.3.2, gxine-0.5.903, xchat-2.8.6, xsane-0.996, and pan-0.133.

- Using Java(TM) 2 Software Development Kit Standard Edition release 6 update 11 on extra directory. Upgrade from jdk-6u6.

for people who try to upgrade from previous release, don't forget to read CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT file before. There are some notable changes and hints that you must apply to get your slackware working properly.

And also based from CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT file, here are package additions since release 12.1:
a/kernel-firmware: Added. This is architecture-independent firmware for devices (mostly sound cards), which was previously embedded into the kernel image.
ap/gphoto2: Added.
ap/libx86: Added.
ap/pm-utils: Added.
ap/radeontool: Added.
ap/slackpkg: Added (moved from /extra).
ap/sqlite: Added.
ap/vbetool: Added.
d/dev86: Added. Replaces d/bin86.
l/beecrypt: Added.
l/enchant: Added (moved from /testing/packages/kde4/deps/).
l/gtkspell: Added.
l/gstreamer: Added.
l/gst-plugins-base: Added.
l/intltool: Added.
l/libcap: Added.
l/libgphoto2: Added.
l/liboil: Added.
l/libraw1394: Added (moved from /testing/packages/kde4/deps/).
l/libvisual-plugins: Added.
l/parted. Moved from /extra.
n/alpine: Added. Replaces n/pine.
n/iwlwifi-5000-ucode: Added.
x/dri2proto: Added.
x/xdg-utils: Added.
x/xf86-input-acecad: Added.
x/xf86-input-dmc: Added.
x/xf86-input-synaptics: Added. See note below.
x/xf86-input-void: Added.
x/xf86-video-mach64: Added.
x/xf86-video-openchrome: Added.
x/xf86-video-r128: Added.
xap/xmms: Added (again) :-)
/extra/wicd: Added.

and package removals since release 12.1:
d/bin86: Removed. Replaced by d/dev86.
n/pine: Removed. Replaced by n/alpine.
extra/parted: Moved to l/ series.
extra/slackpkg: Moved to ap/ series.

and many others upgraded packages. For more info just upgrade or install it! ;-)

Slackware 12.1 Released

Long live for Slackware!
another new version has released this year. It's time to upgrade my system. As usual, more packages has been upgraded by developer team. But it still looks like an old-fashioned style, because I have see no new appearance inside instead a lot of upgraded packages.

Quoted from release announcement file:

This first Slackware edition of the year combines Slackware's legendary simplicity (and close tracking of original sources), stability, and security with some of the latest advances in Linux technology. Expect no less than the best Slackware yet.

Want to know more, read the official announcement's page.

An interactive linux kernel map

For people who wants to know what is inside linux kernel, maybe this map is helpful. This is a map that explain a lot of how kernel works. An author said it could navigated similar to google map. All indetifier on the map are linked to the LXR, a toolset for indexing and presenting linux source code. Either you can view an online version or buy the poster from that map.

Link site: http://www.linuxdriver.co.il/kernel_map

Slackware 12.0 is released

A new slackware version has released now, after waiting for a long time. there is an issues before a release date, that said a release version would jump directly in major number without passing a minor one. A mistery question has asnwered. An issue became a surprise for me, that slackware has released into version 12.0. Maybe this is an unusual habit from a developer team.

I'm really curious what a great change was happen. Then I start to find out into README.TXT's file first, if there is an explanation for this question. There are only some info about major components inside slackware 12.0 which are only a new version from major components of slackware 11.0. Here are the componets's version:

- Linux kernel 2.6.21.5
- C compiler gcc-4.1.2
- Binutils 2.17.50.0.17
- GNU C Library glibc-2.5
- X Window System X11R7.2.0 from X.Org.
- KDE 3.5.7
- Xfce 4.4.1

But This is really surprising me, when I read a RELEASE_NOTES's file. Here are a qoute from that file:

About the only things to mention here are that Slackware now requires a recent 2.6.x kernel (I believe 2.6.18 is a minimum), but as usual unless your needs are specific you're probably better off running the included kernels that we've tested things against. The best kernel to run (even on a one CPU/core machine) is the generic SMP one, but that needs an initrd, so be sure to read the instructions in /boot after installing with a huge* kernel if you plan to switch. Since the initrd has been around since Slackware 11.0, hopefully most
Slackware users can take on this task easily and will not be "shocked and appalled".

Yeah, developer team decide to use kernel version 2.6 as default instead of 2.4 that usually being default from a release version before. I think this is a big changes that cause developer to jump a release version direct to major number. Also hotplug as device manager before has replaced with udev.

Another changes are completely documented in Changelog.txt's file and also in ANNOUNCE.12_0's file. As usual, it's time for upgrading system. If you would like to upgrade the system don't forget to read CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT's file. There are enough explanation and completes guide for upgrading system from 11.0 inside that file.

Happy slacking! :-)

TopologiLinux - Running Linux inside Windows

If you think this is a stuff that tells us about a GNU/Linux operating system topology, you're completely wrong. Because this is just another kinds of GNU/Linux distro which is a slackware-based variant. An interesting part from this distro that it can run on windows partition natively.

Topologi linux come in two mode: Colinux mode and Real Mode
a. Colinuxmode:

in this mode, you can install it directly into windows partitions ofcourse with a coLinux support ( tools for optimize operating your linux in windows natively).

b. Real Mode:
which means you can install this distro likely as general linux installation especially in native slackware installation.

This distro support for installing into NTFS filesystem. Based on official site, latest release (when I wrote this article) is 6.1.0 which support 6 GB software repository. Full version is bundled into 1 installation DVD. Beside that, this distro still use native slackware's package format (.tgz) and can run under Windows Vista.

There are also some FAQ and complete installation howto on official site. But there is no full documentation that spesifically for this distro as far as I know. Maybe you can use slackware documentation as reference.

related link: www.topologilinux.com

Linux Community Against Steven Balmer's Claim

This is from Steven Balmer's claim that linux violates Microsoft's intellectual property. Linux Community response and against this claim with make a petition that Microsoft should show the windows code that Linux has violated it.
Linux Community do it, with launch a site that contain an open letter to Steven Balmer whom make the claim again and again.

On this petition also, Linux Community calling out all Linux Developer and Open Source leader also developers for any Linux distribution or any company that feels threatened by Microsoft non-existent lawsuits.

read more...

Slackware 12.0 is released

A new slackware version has released now, after waiting for a long time. there is an issues before a release date, that said a release version would jump directly in major number without passing a minor one. A mistery question has asnwered. An issue became a surprise for me, that slackware has released into version 12.0. Maybe this is an unusual habit from a developer team.

I'm really curious what a great change was happen. Then I start to find out into README.TXT's file first, if there is an explanation for this question. There are only some info about major components inside slackware 12.0 which are only a new version from major components of slackware 11.0. Here are the componets's version:

- Linux kernel 2.6.21.5
- C compiler gcc-4.1.2
- Binutils 2.17.50.0.17
- GNU C Library glibc-2.5
- X Window System X11R7.2.0 from X.Org.
- KDE 3.5.7
- Xfce 4.4.1

But This is really surprising me, when I read a RELEASE_NOTES's file. Here are a qoute from that file:

About the only things to mention here are that Slackware now requires a recent 2.6.x kernel (I believe 2.6.18 is a minimum), but as usual unless your needs are specific you're probably better off running the included kernels that we've tested things against. The best kernel to run (even on a one CPU/core machine) is the generic SMP one, but that needs an initrd, so be sure to read the instructions in /boot after installing with a huge* kernel if you plan to switch. Since the initrd has been around since Slackware 11.0, hopefully most
Slackware users can take on this task easily and will not be "shocked and appalled".

Yeah, developer team decide to use kernel version 2.6 as default instead of 2.4 that usually being default from a release version before. I think this is a big changes that cause developer to jump a release version direct to major number. Also hotplug as device manager before has replaced with udev.

Another changes are completely documented in Changelog.txt's file and also in ANNOUNCE.12_0's file. As usual, it's time for upgrading system. If you would like to upgrade the system don't forget to read CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT's file. There are enough explanation and completes guide for upgrading system from 11.0 inside that file.

Happy slacking! :-)

Linux Foundation has founded

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007 by the merger of the Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group, it sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes, protects and standardizes Linux by providing unified resources and services needed for open source to successfully compete with closed platforms.

Since OSDL and the FSG were each formed more than six years ago, Linux has grown significantly in server, desktop, and embedded usage around the world. Moreover, the open source model has transformed development by providing faster demand-side learning, higher quality, better security, shorter development cycles, and lower prices than closed platform development models. OSDL and the FSG were important forces behind open source adoption and played key roles in preventing fragmentation of the Linux market.

For Linux to remain open and attain the greatest ubiquity possible, important services must be provided, including legal protection, standardization, promotion and collaboration. Successful proprietary software companies, for instance, do several important things well: backwards compatibility, promotion, interoperability, developer support, and more. In the voluntary and distributed world of Linux development, the industry continues to successfully use the consortia model to rapidly improve these value attributes for Linux. The Linux Foundation has been founded to help close the gap between open source and proprietary platforms, while sustaining the openness, freedom of choice and technical superiority inherent in open source software.

Official site

Hackers Selling Vista Zero-Day Exploit

By Ryan Naraine

Underground hackers are hawking zero-day exploits for Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system at $50,000 a pop, according to computer security researchers at Trend Micro.

The Windows Vista exploit—which has not been independently verified—was just one of many zero-days available for sale at an auction-style marketplace infiltrated by the Tokyo-based anti-virus vendor.

In an interview with eWEEK, Trend Micro's chief technology officer, Raimund Genes, said prices for exploits for unpatched code execution flaws are in the $20,000 to $30,000 range, depending on the popularity of the software and the reliability of the attack code.

Bots and Trojan downloaders that typically hijack Windows machines for use in spam-spewing botnets were being sold for about $5,000, Genes said.

The Trend Micro discovery highlights the true financial value of software vulnerability information and serves as further confirmation that a lucrative underground market exists for exploit code targeting unpatched flaws.

Back in December 2005, researchers at Kaspersky Lab in Moscow found evidence that the exploit code used in the WMF (Windows Metafile) attack was being peddled by Russian hacker groups for $4,000.

However, according to Genes, the typical price of a destructive exploit has increased dramatically, driving an underground market that could exceed the value of the legitimate security software business "I think the malware industry is making more money than the anti-malware industry," Genes said.

Trend Micros researchers also found the underground marketplace saturated with personal data stolen in phishing attacks and virtual currency hijacked from online gamers.

Genes said the average prices for credit card and bank log-in data can vary dramatically, depending on the banks brand and the way the data is mapped to names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and physical addresses.

A custom Trojan capable of stealing online account information can be bought for between $1,000 and $5,000, while a botnet-building piece of malware can cost between $5,000 and $20,000, Genes said.

Credit card numbers with valid PINs are sold for $500 each, while billing data that includes an account number, physical address, Social Security number, home address and birth date can be found for between $80 and $300.

The auction marketplace is also selling drivers licenses for $150, birth certificates for $150, Social Security cards for $100, and credit card numbers with security code and expiration date for between $7 and $25PayPal or eBay account credentials are available for $7, Genes said.

visit article's source for more details.

FSF launches campaign against Microsoft Vista

by John Sullivan

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today launched BadVista.org, a campaign with a twofold mission of exposing the harms inflicted on computer users by the new Microsoft Windows Vista and promoting free software alternatives that respect users' security and privacy rights.
“Vista is an upsell masquerading as an upgrade. It is an overall regression when you look at the most important aspect of owning and using a computer: your control over what it does. Obviously MS Windows is already proprietary and very restrictive, and well worth rejecting. But the new 'features' in Vista are a Trojan Horse to smuggle in even more restrictions. We'll be focusing attention on detailing how they work, how to resist them, and why people should care”, said FSF program administrator John Sullivan.
The campaign will organize supporters into effective and unusual actions drawing attention to this daylight theft of computer users' rights, aggregate news stories cutting through the Vista marketing propaganda, and provide a user-friendly gateway to the adoption of free software operating systems like gNewSense (http://www.gnewsense.org).
Peter Brown, executive director of the FSF said, “Whilst Microsoft embarks upon its largest ever product launch, its marketing dollars will be spent in an effort to fool the media and user community about the goals of Vista. Our campaign will ask the important questions. Can you set yourself or your company free? Can you ever be free from Microsoft? As with our campaign against Digital Restrictions Management, we aim to demonstrate that technologists can be social activists, because we know the harm that Vista will cause”.
Among other harms, BadVista.org will focus on the danger posed by Treacherous Computing in Vista. Commonly called Trusted Computing in the industry, it is an attempt to turn computers from machines controlled by their user into machines that monitor their user and refuse to operate in ways that manufacturers don't authorize.
Supporters can sign up to receive more information and participate in the campaign at http://badvista.org

read more article..

Windows Is Still More Reliable than Linux On The Server

Windows Server and Linux are growing up fast, but they still aren't a match for the solid, stable Unix systems on the high-end of the server scale.
That's the conclusion of a report from The Yankee Group, which released it 2006 Global Server Reliability Survey on Wednesday. The report compared a number of server operating systems in areas of reliability, down time and recovery.
It found that Windows Server 2003 showed the highest reliability gains, surpassed only by mature Unix-based server operating systems like HP-UX from Hewlett-Packard and Sun Solaris 10 from Sun Microsystems .
Windows Server 2003 had nearly 20 percent more annual uptime in similar deployment scenarios over Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
The Yankee Group found that corporate Linux, Windows and Unix servers experience on average three to five failures per server per year, resulting in 10.0 to 19.5 hours of annual downtime for each server. The down time for Linux systems was longer not due to a software failure, but because Linux often isn't as well-known or that well documented.
"One of the reasons for extended down time often had nothing to do with performance and reliability of the OS," said Laura DiDio, research fellow for application infrastructure and software platforms at The Yankee Group.
"The one random element I can't emphasize enough is I think some of the disparity we see between Red Hat Linux down time and Windows and Unix comes not so much from any inherent flaws in the Linux core kernel, but the unfamiliarity of some of thenetwork administrators with Linux."
When a Linux system fails, it can sometime send a Linux administrator, who likely has less years of experience than a Sun or IBM Unix veteran, scouring the Internet for documentation or a fix.
Overall, DiDio said, all of the server operating system environments have shown markedly improved reliability in recent years, both in hardware and software. The improvements in hardware from Dell, HP and other vendors has given the operating systems a better base on which to run.
This in turn helps the software, which has also improved. With each new release of the Windows server since Windows 2000 was released in 1999, Microsoft has showed a 20 to 30 percent improvement in reliability, said DiDio.
The poorest performing operating system was Debian GNU/Linux, while SUSE Linux from Novell had the best performance, even topping some of the big Unixes. But it's used so little as to be statistically irrelevant, said DiDio.
Another reason Linux may prove shakier is that many shops, more than 50 percent in this survey, were making some level of customization to their Linux environment. Making changes to the kernel and underlying system increases the chances for breakage somewhere in the system.
But don't unplug the mainframe just yet. In terms of power, performance and reliability, DiDio said the only thing that could come close to mainframe performance is the high-end Unix systems from Hewlett-Packard, Sun and IBM. "And even that is debatable."

Author : Andy Patrizio

news source