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Category: Linux

There are 3 posts published under Linux.

Will Upcoming Ubuntu Phone Disrupt Mobile OS Landscape?

Ubuntu has, since its release as a free, open source software, been labeled as the world’s most popular free operating system. Scheduled to launch in mid-October, Ubuntu 13.10 will be the first version of Linux’s line of operating systems that will provide full support for a wide range of products — from servers to desktops to tablets and smartphones.

 

This highly flexible operating system will now allow users to run mobile applications on their computers with keys and mouse and share the same navigating comfort as using the app on a phone with touchscreen controls. This brings about a truly mobile experience as it transforms your mobile device into an all-in-one device. Although there are thousands of apps already compatible with Ubuntu, Canonical still needs third party developers to create applications that can run in both mobile and desktop mode, as many Ubuntu applications can only run on computers.

 

While Linux still has to make its debut on phones, it can be safe to say that its revolutionary dual modes are going to change the mobile playing field dramatically. It will be interesting to see how competing companies such as Apple, Google, and even Microsoft will respond to this technological breakthrough. Some other welcomed changes we can expect to see with this Ubuntu update, is an improved Smart Scopes and XMir.

 

Smart Scopes is a desktop search engine of sorts and allows users to find files on the computer as well as related sites on the internet Previously, it seemed to be a bit problematic for users, providing a slew of irrelevant results while not returning what was intended. Now, we can expect even more results, except that it will return what we’re looking for as its top choice.

 

XMir is a computer display server for Linux and will replace the currently used X Windows. The old display server has proven to be a bit glitchy, causing applications to take some action without the proper inputs. Additionally, it would be hard to have it working across platforms fluidly without having tight controls. The shift to XMir will allow for a more fluid display while easily maintaining cross platform activity.

 

It will be interesting to see what other packages Linux will be adding, changing, and dropping with the release of Ubuntu, and how popular the Ubuntu phone will be amongst other contenders.

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Top Startup and Tech News Today-7 Things You Missed Today

1. IBM Commits an Additional $1 Billion to Linux Innovation

 

IBM announced at LinuxCon that it would invest $1 billion in Linux and other open source technologies. The hope is that this investment will let clients utilize big data and cloud computing. This is IBM’s second commitment of $1 billion to Linux development. With this announcement came the unveiling of the Power Systems Linux Center initiative in France and the Linux on Power development cloud initiative. Both are intended to expand IBM’s support of Linux open source vendors and applications.

 

The Linux on Power development cloud initiative is done in hopes of expanding IBM’s Power System Cloud. Users will be allowed to access a no-charge cloud service that will give developments, partners, and clients the ability to “prototype, build, port, and test” their Linux applications. IBM VP of Power Development, Brad McCredie, says that “the era of big data calls for a new approach to IT systems; one that is open, customizable, and designed from the ground up to handle big data and cloud workloads.”

 

2. How Facebook Stands to Gain by Sharing Its Trade Secrets

 

Companies used to live by the idea of secrecy, and guard their operations in order to ensure that competitors never gained an advantage. This used to be the method that most corporations employed; however, Facebook changed this game by disclosing a very detailed report on how they ran their data centers, powered their website, and developer their mobile apps.

 

This 71-page report also details the company’s approach. This includes everything from removing the plastic bezels from their servers to reject app modifications that increase power consumption. This report was published as part of the multi-company effort called Internet.org to bring the Internet to the next 5 billion. This effort has generally been called a philanthropic effort, and an effort of economic empowerment and human rights, but there is, naturally, plenty to gain from Facebook in terms of opening up huge new markets.

 

Asides from opening new markets, Facebook has a lot to gain in terms of sharing such information: it makes their own life far easier. If Facebook can get companies thinking how they think, they’ll buy similar materials that Facebook runs on. The less “exotic” and special something is, the cheaper its cost will be. Facebook has a large enough presence that it can easily steer product decisions.

 

Facebook is not the only company to share their secrets and embrace open-source software; there are many other companies that do the same. But, they are one of the larger companies to do so, and though they stress the charitable nature of their action, there is a clear economic advancement that can be gained from doing so.

 

3. Iran restores blocks on Facebook, Twitter

 

Iran’s block on Facebook and Twitter was lifted for several hours. The brief access was a “technical glitch” that was quickly fixed. Those who managed to gain access only gained it for a brief period of time. This points to increasing struggles between groups seeking to have Facebook and other social networking sites unblocked by those working in the Iranian government, who have firm control over Internet access.

 

Many Facebook and Twitter users in the capital, Tehran, assumed that the brief Internet freedom was the result of a new policy from President Hasan Rouhani. Many people wrote on their social media accounts, praising him for the new openness in Iran. This praise was quickly subdued when the social media sites became no longer available on Tuesday morning.

 

4. What will iOS7 do for your iDevice?

 

iOS7, the first operating system designed by Jony Ive, the man behind the physical look and feel of all Apple devices, will be ready for download on Wednesday. But, even if your device is compatible, not all promised 200 new features of iOS7 will be available.

 

The latest OS brings a serious overhaul of Siri to make her performance more in line with what Android offers via Google Now. Siri can now directly plug into Wikipedia, Twitter, Bing, transit routes, traffic updates, and even the user’s own photo album. But, not all headlines features will function on every Apple device; ultimately, it depends on each device’s processor, RAM, and screen resolution requirements.

 

Here’s a list of what iOS7 will do for you:

-       Airdrop, a protocol for sharing files over wifi, even when there is no signal, will be coming to the iPhone 5, Touch (5th generation), iPad 4 and iPad Mini.

-       Siri will be updated with a new graphical interface and the ability to tap into Wikipedia and Bing for web searches.

-       iOS7 will include lens filters which will only be available on the iPhone 5 and the iPod touch (fifth generation.) You can now apply effects before you take the photo.

-       iTunes Radio will work across iPhones 4, 4s, and 5, and the iPad 2, 3, 4, and mini.

 

5. Google buys Bump app for sharing smartphone files

 

Google has bought  out Bump, the smartphone app that lets you share contacts, pictures, and other data by bumping” smartphones together. Google has bought out the Bump team but is leaving popular Bump application available to users. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to join Google,” Bump co-founder and chief, Lieb, said “Bump and Flock will continue to work as they always have for now; stay tuned for future updates.”

 

The deal has been reported to have been worth $30-$60 million.

 

6. AT&T Promises (Again) Not To Disconnect Your Account If It Suspects You Of Illegally Downloading

 

Even though its copyright warning letter says AT&T will cut users suspected of illegally downloading copyrighted material off from Internet, AT&T says that it will not. The letter warned that illegally downloading was a violation of AT&T Term’s and could result in “a limitation of Internet access or even suspension or termination” of the account.

 

The letter is a part of the “six strikes plan,” where nation’s ISPs send warnings to those they think are breaking copyright law. This is supposed to be about education and repeat violators are not supposed to be cut off from the Internet; instead they are supposed to be temporarily redirected to another page where they will be required to view educational materials on copyright. AT&T says that the letter in which they warn off cutting people off from internet is simply telling people what could happen should the person be guilty of illegally downloading under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. But the six strike warnings are merely allegations, AT&T promises it won’t be closing down anyone’s internet.

 

7. Google’s AdID to take a bite out of third-party cookies

 

Google is fed up with the third-party cookies. So, they have a plan called AdID to get rid of them from your online advertising. This plan could upend the $120 billion online advertising business while giving more control over which ads are shown to customers and to Google. An anonymous source at Google says that AdID could give Google a big bump in the company’s online ad business (Google currently controls 1/3 of all online advertising revenue.) “The AdID would be transmitted to advertisers and ad networks that have agreed to basic guidelines, giving consumers more privacy and control over how they browse the Web,” said the anonymous source.

 

Google, on the other hand, designed that any plans were imminent. “We believe that technological enhancements can improve users’ security while ensuring the Web remains economically viable,” a Google spokesperson told CNET. “We and others have a number of concepts in this area, but they’re all at very early stages.”

 

 

 

 

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Linux, the Future of Gaming?

Linux, the open source operating system (OS), was deemed the future of gaming by Gabe Newell, Co-founder and managing director of Valve, at yesterday’s LinuxCon.

Newell first talked about how Valve’s past decisions to distribute games on the PC, Mac, and game consoles were based on evolving technology—namely the diminishing cost of computing and networking. One industry that has been greatly affected is the gaming industry. This can be observed by the boom in the emergence of digital distribution platforms like Steam or even in Free-to-Play games, where the “marginal cost of a player is below the marginal benefit to the community.”

 

While Linux owns only around 1.5% of the market share, it is the leading OS on servers, mainframe computers, and supercomputers. With the gaming industry slowly shifting from a hardware oriented platform to a software & developer based platform, Linux is becoming a stronger contender in the future of gaming. After all, the majority of Valve’s gaming servers already run on Linux.  Additionally, all the source code is run on top of Linux. Newell said that, outside of Valve, other game developers are more comfortable working under Linux.

 

On the consumer side, however, Linux makes up less than 1% of almost any metric used to measure (e.g. players, revenue, time used, etc.). With this in mind, Newell went on to discuss why Linux is the future of gaming. First and foremost, there is a steady decline in PC sales, but PC gaming is still going strong. Also, open environment of the PCs was outcompeting proprietary systems—“the rate of innovation was way faster.” Likewise, it was predicted that innovation friendly systems, denoting openness, will have more competitive advantages than closed systems.

 

Newell stated that the gaming industry will become more democratized, with consumers, alongside with the game creator, making strong contributions to games. “The one entity that [Valve] would not want to compete with are the users… You don’t want to compete with your customers, because they will be way better.” He merges this line of thought with the idea of proprietary systems, stating that they create a set of roadblocks for game development. For example, “It took Valve 6 months to get through the certification process for an update;” it goes against the user-centric model of game development. Thus, to promote the evolution of the gaming industry, it’s most prudent to reduce the number of these roadblocks.

 

For years, Valve has been planning of a way to help raise Linux to be a viable gaming platform. The first step taken was to get games to work on Linux, which already has a slew of problems. To success, Steam was shipped to Linux, with 198 games available. Valve has also worked with various partners to decide how to improve Linux in the context of gaming. At the moment, there is much effort being put into improving the living room environment experience of users by defragmenting everything—there should be no need for using different devices based on where one is. A goal for Linux is also to have a grand unification of devices so that gaming can be even more consistent.

 

Currently, proprietary software and hardware is dominating the gaming market, but will they be able to maintain their seat on the throne? While in need of a lot of revamping, Linux could provide a new, popular, and more efficient outlet for gamers and developers if successful.

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