Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Submission + - JavaScript Inventor Brendan Eich Named New CEO of Mozilla (eweek.com)

Submitted by darthcamaro
darthcamaro writes: Mozilla today announced that Brendan Eich would be its new CEO. Eich had been serving as Mozilla's CTO and has been with Mozilla since day one — literally day one. Eich was a Netscape engineer when AOL decided to create the open-source Mozilla project in 1998. The choice of Eich as CEO seems obvious to some, after a string of recent short-tenured CEOs at Mozilla's helm.

Submission + - Ubuntu phone isn't important enough to demand an open source baseband (networkworld.com)

Submitted by colinneagle
colinneagle writes: Canonical is producing a version of the Ubuntu Linux distribution specifically for smartphones, but Richard Tynan, writing for PrivacyInternational.org, recently pointed out that the baseband in Ubuntu-powered phones will remain closed source (and highly proprietary). So, while Ubuntu itself is Open Source, the super-critical firmware on the phones will not be. This creates the immediate practical problem of leaving the information transmitted by your phone open to snooping by organizations that take advantage of issues in the Closed Source firmware.

Some have criticized Canonical for missing an opportunity to push for a fully Open Source smartphone, but in order to fix this problem (and open up the code for this super-critical bit of software), we need companies that have a large amount of clout, in the smartphone market, to make it a priority. Canonical (with Ubuntu) just doesn't have that clout yet. They're just now dipping their toes into the smartphone waters. But you know who does have that clout? Google.

Google has made a point of touting Open Source (at least sometimes), and they are the undisputed king of the smartphone operating system world. And yet I hear no big moves by Google to encourage phone manufacturers to utilize Open Source basebands, such as OsmocomBB. So has Canonical missed an opportunity? No. Not yet. If (some may say "when") Ubuntu gains a critical amount of market share in the phone world, that will be their chance to pressure manufacturers to produce a truly Open Source phone. Until then, Canonical needs to continue to work within the world we have today.

Submission + - GOG.com Bringing Linux Games To The Store

Submitted by jones_supa
jones_supa writes: More great news for Linux gamers: following the footsteps of Steam, GOG.com is preparing delivery of Linux games, with expected showtime being this autumn. The officially supported distributions will be Ubuntu and Mint. Right now they are performing testing on various configurations, training up their teams on Linux-speak, and generally preparing for the rollout of at least 100 titles — DRM-free as usual. This will update some existing games of the catalog with a Linux port and bring new ones to the collection. Further information on specific games is yet not known, but GOG invites fans and customers to their community wishlist to discuss.

Submission + - Ubuntu's Mark Shuttleworth Calls For End Of ACPI (phoronix.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth has called for an end to ACPI in next-generation devices. Mark wrote a blog post calling to do away with executable firmwares for devices in an age of the NSA where they can be used as attack vectors to devices. In place of the status quo Mark calls for declarative firmwares and more innovation to happen within the upstream Linux kernel.

Submission + - Docker Ecosystem Mapped Out (allthingsplatforms.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Docker, the open source Linux containers, is fast becoming an industry standard due to the mindshare it has been receiving in the industry. From developers using Docker for their app dev needs to startups and bigger companies investing resources on the project, it is fast emerging as a standard for application containers. A vibrant ecosystem is developing around the project and it is mapped out in this article

Submission + - Open source project builds mobile networks without big carriers (networkworld.com)

Submitted by smaxp
smaxp writes: Open source projects garner the attention of the tech community because the passionate people behind these developments occasionally cause major disruption and create opportunities to change industries, as Android and Linux did. An open source project with the goal of changing how mobile networks are built, from expensive proprietary hardware to cheap commodity hardware — just as mainframe data centers moved to commodity X86 hardware — is certainly worth a deeper look. Learning that former Cisco CTO Ed Kozel is leading the venture, Range Networks makes it worth a deep dive.

Submission + - OpenGL ES 3.1 Specification Published (khronos.org)

Submitted by jones_supa
jones_supa writes: The Khronos Group today announced the immediate release of the OpenGL ES 3.1 specification, bringing significant functionality enhancements to the royalty-free 3D graphics API that is used on nearly all of the world’s mobile devices. Key features of ES 3.1 include: compute shaders, mixing and matching shaders without explicit linking step, indirect memory-fetched draw commands, enhanced texturing functionality, new shader language features and, optional extensions. The API will retain compatibility with previous versions of OpenGL ES. The OpenGL ES working group at Khronos expects also to update the OpenGL ES Adopter’s Program to provide extensive conformance tests for OpenGL ES 3.1 within three months. This ensures that conformant OpenGL ES implementations provide a reliable, cross-platform graphics programming platform.

Submission + - EU Votes for Universal Phone Charger

Submitted by SmartAboutThings
SmartAboutThings writes: The European Union has voted in favor of a draft legislation which lists among the “essential requirements” of electrical devices approved by the EU a compatibility with “universal” chargers . According to a German MEP, this move will eliminate 51,000 tonnes of electronic waste. The draft law was approved by an overwhelming majority of 550 votes to 12 . At the moment, according to estimates, there are around 30 different types of charger on the market, but manufacturers have two years at their disposal to get ready for the new restriction.

Submission + - MediaGoblin devs: "Mad about government censorship? Do something about it."

Submitted by paroneayea
paroneayea writes: Responding to recent news that YouTube is giving the UK Government tools to broadly flag even legal videos on YouTube for takedown, the MediaGoblin developers have made a call to arms: "Mad about Government censorship? Let's do something about it." The MediaGoblin crew are currently running a campaign for federation and privacy features, including expanding federation tools like PyPump to make adding federation easier for all sorts of python web applications.

Submission + - Ubuntu phones to cost 'between $200 and $400, Shuttleworth reveals at CeBIT (muktware.com)

Submitted by sfcrazy
sfcrazy writes: So you are one of those who want to become a part of Ubuntu’s mobile story? Well, you will have to shell out anywhere between $200 and $400 to get one when these smartphones finally come to market. Is this attractive price range for phone which can't do much at the moment when compared with Android or iOS phones? Who will buy them?

Submission + - CryEngine officially supporting Linux (phoronix.com)

Submitted by Dega704
Dega704 writes: Crytek sent out a press release today announcing they will be showing off CryEngine Linux support. Found in a press release today, "During presentations and hands-on demos at Crytek's GDC booth, attendees can see for the first time ever full native Linux support in the new CRYENGINE. The CRYENGINE all-in-one game engine is also updated with the innovative features used to recreate the stunning Roman Empire seen in Ryse – including the brand new Physically Based Shading render pipeline, which uses real-world physics simulation to create amazingly realistic lighting and materials in CRYENGINE games."

Submission + - Snowden testifies to the European Parliament about the NSA (theinquirer.net) 1

Submitted by DTentilhao
DTentilhao writes: SURVEILLANCE WHISTLEBLOWER Edward Snowden has responded to the European Parliament's questions about PRISM and data privacy.

Snowden's testimony to the Parliamentary inquiry on electronic mass surveillance saw the whistleblower discuss his role at the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the things that the agency required him to do. He also answered some questions presented by the parliament.

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Linux for Grandma? 2

Submitted by BlazeMiskulin
BlazeMiskulin writes: With XP approaching end-of-life, I find myself in a situation that I'm guessing is common: What to do with Mom's machine (or "grandma's machine" for the younger of you). Since a change has to be made, this seems like a good time to move to a Linux distro.

My mother (82) uses her computer for e-mail and web-browsing only. I know that any distro will be able to handle her needs. I've been using Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, and Redhat--usually with KDE interface) for about 10 years now, but I know that my preferences are quite different from hers.

I have my own ideas, but I'm curious what others think: What combination of distro and UI would you recommend for an old, basic-level user who is accustomed to the XP interface and adverse to change?

Slashdot Top Deals

U X e dUdX, e dX, cosine, secant, tangent, sine, 3.14159...

Close