Category: Software

Posts related to computer programs

Ubuntu 11.10 “Oneiric Ocelot” Alpha 2 released

Lukas Rox Software , , ,
Ubuntu 11.10 desktop
Ubuntu 11.10 desktop

The Alpha 2 build of the new Ubuntu 11.10, which should be released in about 3 months, has just been released by Canonical. New version of this popular Linux distribution will bring some changes, for example:

  • No Ubuntu Classic (GNOME) fallback. Unity-2d/Qt by default – Unity-2d as default 2d experience.
  • Plan how to integrate GNOME 3 and port GTK2/pygtk2 apps to it.
  • LightDM default login/user switching by LightDM. Ubuntu themed greeter
  • Deja Dup – Simple backup by default
  • Gwibber UI port to speed up UI and more modern look and feel
  • Thunderbird as default email client
  • Software Center UI Focus areas for this cycle are a general visual “makeover” (new icons, etc.), enhanced integration with Unity, targeted performance improvements, better touch-friendliness, increased stability and usability improvements.
Ubuntu 11.10 lock screen
Ubuntu 11.10 lock screen

On a side note, lock screen reminds of an… iPad lock screen.

Source: lists.ubuntu.com

iPad2 jailbroken, serious hole in iOS PDF

Lukas Rox Mobile, Software , , , , , ,

On 4th of July some jailbreak related websites (limera1n) Mentioned that www.jailbreakme.com has changed and probably a new jailbreak is coming soon. They were not mistaken:

 

»

This means, that the following devies:

  • iPhone 3GS running iOS 4.3 to 4.3.3
  • iPhone 4 running iOS 4.3 to 4.3.3
  • iPod 3rd & 4th gen running iOS 4.3, 4.3.2, 4.3.3
  • iPad running iOS 4.3 to 4.3.3
  • iPad2 running iOS 4.3.3

can now be jailbroken by visiting the website above. The new jailbreakme.com 3.0 exploits a vulnerability in the iOS’s PDF reader which has been exposed by a guy called comex. This unfortunately means, that the current build of iOS 4.3.3 is unsafe, and users who don’t jailbreak should be very cautious about unknown links and PDF files, as it is possible they can exploit the same hole as said jailbreak. It is possible to patch the vulnerability by installing a patch from Cydia: PDF Patcher 2 to Fix the PDF Exploit also released by comex.

Paper about virtualization

Lukas Rox General, Software, System Administration , , , , , ,
Paper about virtualization

If you haven’t heard or used virtualization yet, now is a good time: this trend has been growing over the past years. Now most companies are using this technology to cut on IT costs. Fear not, this technology is free and available for everyone. I have written a paper about what virtualization is and how to get involved – feel free to read it here.

I have also plans to write more about each free virtualization product available, so stay tuned.

Apple iOS 5 unveiled on WWDC 2011

Lukas Rox Mobile, Software , , , ,
Apple iOS 5 unveiled on WWDC 2011

Yesterday Steve Jobs has presented the brand new iOS 5, which should arrive in iPhones, iPods and iPads this Fall. The new flag OS for Apple mobile devices brings an extensive list of changes, some of which are quite important.

  • Notification system revisited. The iOS notification system with it’s disruptive nature and rather cumbersome alert and badges system was quite outdated. The overhaul includes Notification Center, which is very similar to the one found in Android (drag a finger down from the top of the screen, Notification Center will scroll down)
  • PC Free – independence from a PC or Mac. It will now be possible to activate and use an iDevice without the need to connect it to iTunes.
  • Wireless Sync – an old Windows Mobile feature comes to iOS: all iDevices running iOS 5 will sync to iTunes over WiFi connection, so cables are not necessary anymore.
  • iCloud – Free 5 GB of personal storage cloud, along with the ability to view and redownload all Apps and Books owned by the user. This is already working once you update iTunes to 10.3.
  • Calendar and Reminders also received a huge overhaul. It is now possible to make a list of reminders – say shopping list. Or To Do list. You can not only set the iDevice to remind you at given time, but also based on location: reminders can sound based on arrival or departure. Calendar has now the week view.
  • Camera – users can now use volume buttons as shutter – this feature is long overdue!
  • Newsstand – along with iBooks, this is yet another new app, which will bring all the magazines into one place, for your reading pleasure.
  • iMessage – an instant messaging app with contacts and history wirelessly snchronized between all iDevices under one iTunes account.
  • Airplay Mirroring for iPad 2 – if you have an Apple TV, then you don’t need the HDMI cable anymore. It will be possible to stream the mirror of the screen wirelessly over to a paired Apple TV.
  • Minor changes to Mail, Game Center, Photos and Safari.

 

 

Incursion 1.6 patch brings Carbon UI and… lots of problems

Lukas Rox EVE Online, Games, Software , ,
Incursion 1.6 patch brings Carbon UI and… lots of problems

New Carbon UIMost seasoned EVE players have already got used to a rough ride after a patch day. CCP has commited to make this experience less painful, and over the years, patches have became smoother and situations where a new patch introduced new bugs are not as common now as they used to be in the past. Unfortunately the latest Incursion 1.6 patch, which replaced the old GUI with a brand new Carbon UI, brought lots of quite severe bugs. Patch notes were rather short, so no one expected trouble, such as:

  • When running two clients on some machines, the client in the background crashes during jumping through the gate on the active client.
  • Hotkeys are currently working incorrectly – you have to press the hotkey before clicking on the object you want to interact with.
  • Planetary resources showing as 0. This can be fixed by clearing your cache.
  • Anti-Aliasing is causing “ghost” windows to appear after dragging a window. Workaround is to turn off Anti-Aliasing.

This forum thread contains a full list of problems introduced by the last patch. Good luck to CCP, so they fix this soon!

Is Android not enough for you?

Lukas Rox Mobile, Software , , ,
Is Android not enough for you?

If so, and you have a HTC Desire HD, you are lucky. XDA-Developers member called bergfex has published a native Ubuntu build for Desire HD. The following features have already been implemented:

  • touchscreen (works like a touch pad in a notebook)
  • two finger scrolling
  • WIFI
  • dragging windows
  • ADB
  • incoming calls
  • SMS text messages

Some features are not yet fully supported: sound, hardware keys, USB host, and Firefox web browser. Original thread with instructions on how to boot Ubuntu on Desire HD is linked here.

Android 2.2 and 2.3 on legacy phones: HTC Tattoo

Lukas Rox Mobile, Software , , , , ,
Android 2.2 and 2.3 on legacy phones: HTC Tattoo
ROM nFinityGB v1.03 - 2.3.4 on HTC Tattoo
ROM nFinityGB v1.03 - 2.3.4 on HTC Tattoo

Most modern handsets offer Android 2.3 nowadays, but what about older phones? Most legacy devices are stuck to Android 1.6 or even 1.5, because their manufacturers abandoned them, concentrating on new models. HTC has promised its customers, that HTC Tattoo (also known as HTC Click) was going to get update from 1.6 to 2.1 at some point. Unfortunately, Eclair was newer released for this terminal. The last stock ROM for this device is 1.67.405.70, which is based on Android 1.6 and HTC Sense for QVGA.

Fear not, you still have a chance to install more recent Android version on your phone. Some third party developers (namely a guy known as cn.fyodor) took matters into their own hands, and released a custom ROM, which runs Froyo on HTC Tattoo. Most known issues have now been removed and the last stable version is available for download from this link (xda-developers).

Another nice build for HTC Tattoo is the newest nFinityGB 1.03 running on Android Gingerbread 2.3.4. This build is available on xda-developers.com.

To make sure GPS is working, leave it on in the old ROM, otherwise it might not work after flashing 2.3.

WARNING: To install custom ROMs you need to root your Tattoo first and then install ClockworkMod.

Android 3.1 SDK now available. Motorola XOOM receives 3.1 update.

Lukas Rox Mobile, Software ,
Android 3.1 SDK now available. Motorola XOOM receives 3.1 update.

Android 3.1 HomeAndroid has recently been split into two branches: mobile and tablet. Android for mobile is the one we have known for some time now, whereas the  Honeycomb 3.0 version is the recent spin off. Users don’t like it and neither does Google: Ice Cream Sandwich will be an unified system for both phons and tablets. But before that…

Android 3.1

Google has just published the SDK for Android 3.1. Additionally, Motorola XOOM 3G users can already update their slate to use this new version of Android.

What’s changed?

  • UI is now more intuitive and more efficient to use. Animations are optimized for faster and smoother transitions.
  • Users can connect a broad range of USB input devices (keyboards, mice, game controllers) and digital cameras. It is possible for developers to create third party drivers for other USB devices.
  • Better multitasking and instant access to the Recent Apps list, which is now expandable. Users can now select from a list of recent apps vertically to see thumbnail images all of the tasks in background, then touch an image to jump back into that program.
  • Efficient Home screen planning. Users can now resize their Home screen widgets using drag bars delivered by the OS. Users can expand widgets both horizontally and/or vertically to include more content, where supported by each widget.
  • Android 3.1 adds additional Wi-Fi features. A new high-performance Wi-Fi lock lets programs keep high-performance Wi-Fi connections even when the device screen is dimmed. Internet radio is one of many possible uses for this feature.
  • Proxy – it is now possible to configure a separate proxy server for each access-point. Web browser will use proxy when connecting to web sites or downloading files.

Unity review

Lukas Rox Software , , , ,
Unity review

About two months ago Jack Wallen has posted a nice comparison of GNOME and Unity on techrepublic.com. I really recommend reading this text, because it compares the old Unity from Ubuntu 10.10 with GNOME, and also points out is weaknesses. This post is a quick review of the new Unity, which comes included in the recently released Ubuntu 11.04. We will try to see if and how Ubuntu developers responded to feedback from users.

Read more

Ubuntu 11.04: Natty Narwhal released

Lukas Rox Software , , , , ,
Ubuntu 11.04: Natty Narwhal released

Today is a very good day for Ubuntu Linux fans, because Canonical has just released the brand new Natty Narwhal (11.04) version of its very popular Ubuntu distribution.

New Ubuntu introduces a common desktop environment for both desktop and netbook computers called Unity. It replaces the Gnome desktop and is very functional on limited netbook screens. It also provides very good-looking program menu, which reminds Android and iOS – it is useful, but requires some getting used to.

  • Move your cursor to the left side of the screen to show the launcher ribbon.
  • Click on the Ubuntu logo to display menu with apps, programs, documents and games.
  • Type in the text box on the top to find the program or file you are looking for.

Classic GNOME desktop is still available, if your graphics card does not offer hardware acceleration (this might be the case in some virtual environments, like VMware server).

The new version can be downloaded from the official ubuntu website.