http://www.linuxinsider.com LinuxInsider -- "Linux News & Information from Around the World" en-us Copyright 2009 2012-02-03T18:14:11-08:00 ECT News Network ECT News Network LinuxInsider -- "Linux News & Information from Around the World" hourly 1 2012-02-03T18:14:11-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/images/rss/lni_100x36.jpg http://www.linuxinsider.com http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74333.html The recently announced Spark tablet might prove to be the first Linux-running open source tablet fully capable of being modded by users. It has an open Linux stack on unlocked hardware, and it will come with an open content and services market. The Spark will come under the GNU General Public License from its inception. Richard Adhikari 2012-02-03T05:00:00-08:00 Mobile The recently announced Spark tablet might prove to be the first Linux-running open source tablet fully capable of being modded by users. It has an open Linux stack on unlocked hardware, and it will come with an open content and services market. The Spark will come under the GNU General Public License from its inception. Pricing will be about US$265, according to KDE developer Aaron Seigo. The Spark will be offered as a device made for customization and project-specific integration. ]]> 2012-02-03T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-03T12:09:59-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74339.html Google announced a new layer of security for its Android Market on Thursday, unveiling a program called "Bouncer" that will automatically scan apps for malware. Bouncer works by analyzing each app as it's uploaded to the Market, scanning for threats, spyware and trojans. Rachelle Dragani 2012-02-03T10:49:00-08:00 Malware Google announced a new layer of security for its Android Market on Thursday, unveiling a program called "Bouncer" that will automatically scan apps and developer accounts for malware. Bouncer works by analyzing each app as it's uploaded to the Market, scanning for threats, spyware and trojans. It also takes a look at developer accounts to make sure they don't have a malicious history. If they do, Bouncer will discourage them from returning. The program will do repeated scans on existing apps to keep tabs on the entire marketplace. ]]> 2012-02-03T10:49:00-08:00 2012-02-03T11:02:26-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74329.html When HP announced late last year that it would open source webOS, it was hard not to be skeptical. After all, it would be all too easy for a company to whitewash its own abandonment of a project by grandly "donating it to the community." However, that pessimistic view is beginning to fade, thanks to HP's publication last month of an official road map for its webOS plans. Katherine Noyes 2012-02-02T05:00:00-08:00 Community When HP announced late last year that it would open source webOS, it was hard not to be skeptical. After all, it would be all too easy for a company to whitewash its own abandonment of a project by grandly "donating it to the community." However, that pessimistic view is beginning to fade, thanks to HP's publication last month of an official road map for its webOS plans, including the inclusion of a mainline kernel by March and ongoing involvement from HP itself. Are webOS's prospects looking a little brighter now? That's what Linux bloggers have been trying to figure out. ]]> 2012-02-02T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-01T15:33:04-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74310.html When it comes to playing audio and video files in Linux, media players pretty much all work the same way and have a very similar user interface. It usually all comes down to features. With SMPlayer it depends on what you want to play. Unfortunately, this bug of sorts is something its developer Ricardo Villalba has yet to resolve in the latest release, version 0.7.0. Jack M. Germain 2012-02-01T05:00:00-08:00 Reviews When it comes to playing audio and video files in Linux, media players pretty much all work the same way and have a very similar user interface. It usually all comes down to features. With SMPlayer it depends on what you want to play. Unfortunately, this bug of sorts is something its developer Ricardo Villalba has yet to resolve in the latest release, version 0.7.0. It is more of an inconvenience than an all-out reason to reject using SMPlayer completely. The problem is this app's inability to read directories from CD/DVD music collections inserted in the optical drive. ]]> 2012-02-01T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-01T10:26:36-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74305.html Antivirus vendor Symantec announced recently that up to 5 million Android devices may have been infected with a particular type of malware. Multiple publishers were pushing out apps -- some of which were found in the official Android Market -- containing malware known as "Counterclank," according to the AV company. Richard Adhikari 2012-01-31T05:00:00-08:00 Security Antivirus vendor Symantec announced recently that up to 5 million Android devices may have been infected with a particular type of malware. Multiple publishers were pushing out apps -- some of which were found in the official Android Market -- containing malware known as "Counterclank," according to the AV company. This is a minor modification of Android Tonclank, a bot-like threat that can receive commands to carry out certain actions as well as steal information from the device. ]]> 2012-01-31T05:00:00-08:00 2012-02-02T09:41:15-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74298.html Some of us here in the Linux blogosphere may have hoped for a quieter 2012 than 2011 turned out to be, but so far at least, it doesn't look like we're getting our wish. January appears to have started the year off with a bang. Do we get a little break now that it's the end of the month? No, we don't, thanks to the arrival of Ubuntu's "HUD." Katherine Noyes 2012-01-30T05:00:00-08:00 Community Some of us here in the Linux blogosphere may have hoped for a quieter 2012 than 2011 turned out to be, but so far at least, it doesn't look like we're getting our wish. January appears to have started the year off with a bang. Do we get a little break now that it's the end of the month? No, we don't, thanks to the arrival of Ubuntu's "HUD." What in the world is HUD, you ask? Well for those who missed it, it's Head-Up Display, a new interface planned for Ubuntu 12.04 "Precise Pangolin" that will eventually replace menus in Unity applications and recognize voice commands. ]]> 2012-01-30T05:00:00-08:00 2012-01-30T05:32:56-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74274.html Vignette differentiates itself from other Android-based camera apps by adding cross-process, tilt-shift, double exposure and other sophisticated effects like infrared, as opposed to the general toy camera and retro effects commonly found. The paid version of Vignette adds full resolution to the mix. Patrick Nelson 2012-01-27T05:00:00-08:00 Reviews Vignette differentiates itself from other Android-based camera apps by adding cross-process, tilt-shift, double exposure and other sophisticated effects like infrared, as opposed to the general toy camera and retro effects commonly found. The paid version of Vignette adds full resolution to the mix. I had been using the free version for some months and loved the app, but was disappointed with the resolution delivered, when I discovered that you had to buy the full version to utilize the full resolution of your phone. The full version has exceeded my expectations. ]]> 2012-01-27T05:00:00-08:00 2012-01-26T17:53:56-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74276.html There's no denying that the FOSS community has many virtues, but gender equality doesn't seem to be one of them. Gender-related issues and tensions have plagued the FOSS world for as long as many of us can remember, and the problem has already been picked apart on these pages time, time and time again. Well guess what? It's still a problem. Katherine Noyes 2012-01-26T05:00:00-08:00 Community There's no denying that the FOSS community has many virtues, but gender equality doesn't seem to be one of them. Gender-related issues and tensions have plagued the FOSS world for as long as many of us can remember, and the problem has already been picked apart on these pages time, time and time again. Well guess what? It's still a problem. That can hardly be denied. Linux bloggers varied widely, however, in their opinions as to what should be done. ]]> 2012-01-26T05:00:00-08:00 2012-01-26T12:14:40-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74259.html Eye candy can be a great user experience sweetener, but tastes vary widely as to how much is just enough, and it's one differentiator among Linux desktops. Fotowall is a handy app that can spice up your desktop as well as create personalized print and wallpaper displays. Fotowall is a really clever collage-making tool of sorts. Jack M. Germain 2012-01-25T05:00:00-08:00 Reviews Eye candy can be a great user experience sweetener, but tastes vary widely as to how much is just enough, and it's one differentiator among Linux desktops. Fotowall is a handy app that can spice up your desktop as well as create personalized print and wallpaper displays. Fotowall is a really clever collage-making tool of sorts. Its simple point-and-click interface is actually fun to use. But it comes with no on-board help file. The home page support is practically nonexistent. ]]> 2012-01-25T05:00:00-08:00 2012-01-31T16:22:23-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74253.html CyanogenMod, which offers aftermarket firmware for Android mobile devices, is apparently planning to sell apps that have been banned from the official Android Market. Koushik Dutta, who writes apps for CyanogenMod, has put up a screenshot of what seems to be the landing page for the app market. Richard Adhikari 2012-01-24T05:00:00-08:00 Android CyanogenMod, which offers aftermarket firmware for Android mobile devices, is apparently planning to sell apps that have been banned from the official Android Market. Koushik Dutta, who writes apps for CyanogenMod, has put up a screenshot of what seems to be the landing page for the app market. The market's offerings will include root apps, as well as tether apps and Visual Voicemail apps, according to Dutta. The market for root apps "is there, it's talked about in techie circles, but it's not really in the general market," said ABI's Michael Morgan. ]]> 2012-01-24T05:00:00-08:00 2012-01-25T09:13:19-08:00 http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/74240.html What a difference a week makes. It was just the other day that Linux bloggers were celebrating the news from researcher Net Applications that desktop Linux had surged in popularity in recent months. Now, the mood in the blogosphere has plummeted once again as a result of the latest developments on the Windows 8 front. Katherine Noyes 2012-01-23T05:00:00-08:00 Community What a difference a week makes. It was just the other day that Linux bloggers were celebrating the news from researcher Net Applications that desktop Linux had surged in popularity in recent months. Now, the mood in the blogosphere has plummeted once again as a result of the latest developments on the Windows 8 front. Secure Boot, that is -- a topic astute readers may remember from last fall but that lately seems to have taken a turn for the worse. ]]> 2012-01-23T05:00:00-08:00 2012-01-23T07:48:57-08:00