Did the NSA Ask Linus Torvalds To Include Backdoors In Linux? His Father Says Yes

The United States� National Security Agency (NSA) are alleged to have to asked the creator of Linux, Linus Torvalds, to create �backdoors� into GNU/Linux through which they could access.  

Far from being a rumour, word of the approach comes via Linus� father, Nils Torvalds.

As a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Nils was present at recent committee inquiry held on the �Mass Surveillance of EU Citizens�. Here, representatives from a number of companies named in documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden were questioned about their own (alleged) involvement.

Following a question put to a Microsoft spokeswoman by Pirate Party MEP Christian Engstr�m on whether the company willingly include �backdoors� for the NSA in their system, Nils Torvalds MEP said:

When my oldest son [Linus Torvalds] was asked the same question: �Has he been approached by the NSA about backdoors?� he said �No�, but at the same time he nodded. Then he was sort of in the legal free. He had given the right answer �everybody understood that the NSA had approached him.

Shocked? Angry? Unsurprised?

Following on from allegations that Google, Yahoo! Facebook and, indeed, Microsoft are among the many companies wilfully cooperating with the agency to provide �backdoor� access to their systems, this revelation is far from earth-shattering. In fact, is makes sense in the grand scheme of things. After all, why wouldn�t the NSA ask Linus to do this?

While Nils doesn�t explain how Linus responded � I�d like to think it involved two fingers � we can be sure that it, at the very least, involved an explanation of how open source prevents something like that being possible.

If any holes were left around for the NSA�s overly-long tentacles to creep into, you can bet your bottom dollar that they�d have been found, exposed and rooted out long before now.

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/11/nsa-ask-linus-torvalds-include-backdoors-linux-father-says-yes

SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 Release Candidate Revved Up And Ready for Testing

Hands up if you don�t like open-source racing game SuperTuxKart? You, folks, are strange.

As kart-racers go, it�s one of the most popular freely available. And for good reason: it�s fun, easy to play and has a dedicated team of developers who are continually adding to and improving what is already a really polished game.

But it�s getting even better. The first release candidate of build 0.8.1 � the first update since last year�s 0.8 build � has been made available for testing (for �testing� see �excuse to play it for hours and not feel guilty�).

SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 adds a number of improvements, including:

• A new Star Trek themed track �STK Enterprise�
• Three tracks updated (�Old Mines�, �Lighthouse� & �Zen Garden�)
• New �Egg Hunt� and �Soccer� modes
• New and updated karts
• New difficulty level
• Bubblegum shield weapon
• Option to save and resume Grand Prix mode 
• WiiMote Support

Geting SuperTuxKart 0.8.1

No release date has been given on when to expect the final, stable release of 0.8.1 but I�d expect it to land sometime in December � marking one year from the previous release in the 0.8.x series.

In the meantime, if you�re okay with �Release Candidate�-quality software, you�ll find a pre-compiled binary for Linux over on the project�s Sourceforge Page.

Download SuperTuxKart 0.8.1 Release Candidate

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/11/supertux-kart-0-8-1-release-candidate

How to create desktop shortcut or launcher on Linux

If you have a program you use regularly on Linux desktop, you may want to create a "desktop shortcut", so you can launch the program by simply clicking on the shortcut. While most GUI programs automatically create their desktop shortcut during installation, GUI programs built from their source or terminal applications may require you to set up associated shortcuts manually.
In this tutorial, I will describe how to create a desktop shortcut or launcher on various Linux desktops.
A desktop shortcut is represented by a corresponding .desktop file which contains meta information of a given app (e.g., name of the app, launch command, location of icon file, etc.). Desktop shortcut files are placed in /usr/share/applications or ~/.local/share/applications. The former directory stores desktop shortcuts that are available for every user, while the latter folder contains shortcuts created for a particular user only.

Create a Desktop Shortcut From the Command Line

To manually create a desktop shortcut for a particular program or command, you can create a .desktop file using any text editor, and place it in either /usr/share/applications or ~/.local/share/applications. A typical .desktop file looks like the following.

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Version=1.0                                     # version of an app.
Name[en_US]=yEd                                 # name of an app.
GenericName=GUI Port Scanner                    # longer name of an app.
Exec=java -jar /opt/yed-3.11.1/yed.jar          # command used to launch an app.
Terminal=false                                  # whether an app requires to be run in a terminal.
Icon[en_US]=/opt/yed-3.11.1/icons/yicon32.png   # location of icon file.
Type=Application                                # type.
Categories=Application;Network;Security;        # categories in which this app should be listed.
Comment[en_US]=yEd Graph Editor                 # comment which appears as a tooltip.

Besides manually create .desktop file, there are various desktop-specific ways to create an application shortcut, which I am going to cover in the rest of the tutorial.

Create a Desktop Shortcut on GNOME Desktop

In GNOME desktop, you can use gnome-desktop-item-edit to configure a desktop shortcut easily.

$ gnome-desktop-item-edit ~/.local/share/applications --create-new

In this example, gnome-desktop-item-edit will automatically create a desktop launcher file in ~/.local/share/applications. To customize icon location and other info, you may have to edit the .desktop file manually afterward.
If gnome-desktop-item-edit is not available (e.g., on Ubuntu), you can install it as follows.

$ sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends gnome-panel

Create a Desktop Shortcut on KDE Desktop

kickoff is the default application launcher in KDE desktop. Adding a new application shortcut to kickoff is straightforward.
First right-click on kickoff icon located at the left bottom corner of your desktop, and then choose "Edit Applications" menu.

Click on an appropriate category (e.g., "Utilities") under which you want to create a shortcut, and click on "New Item" button on the top. Type in the name of the app.

Finally, fill in the meta information of the app being launched by the shortcut.

Create a Desktop Shortcut on Xfce Desktop

If you are on Xfce desktop, right-click on the desktop background, and then select "Create Launcher" menu. Then fill out the details of the shortcut.

Create a Desktop Shortcut on Cinnamon Desktop

If you are on Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop, you can create an application launcher by right-clicking on the desktop background, and selecting "Create Launcher" menu.

Create a Desktop Shortcut on LXDE Desktop

On LXDE desktop, simply right click on the desktop background, and choose "Create New Shortcut".




 


http://xmodulo.com/2013/11/create-desktop-shortcut-launcher-linux.html

How to draw flowchart or diagram on Linux

There are several well-known commercial flowchart and diagram software available, e.g., Visio on Windows, OmniGraffle on MacOS X. Then what about Linux? In fact, there are a couple of reasonably good Linux alternatives to Visio or OmniGraffle, for example, yEd, Dia, LibreOffice Draw, Pencil Project, etc.
In this tutorial, I will describe how to create flowchart or diagram with yEd graph editor on Linux.
yEd is an extremely easy-to-use, yet feature-rich diagram editor written in Java. Using yEd, you can create flowcharts, BPMN/UML diagrams, organizational charts, or any kind of graphs containing nodes and edges. It also features many sophisticated layout generation algorithms built-in, which allow you to test alternative layouts of created diagrams or graphs with a single button click.

Install yEd on Linux

yEd is a standalone Java application whose JAR file is freely downloadable from its website. So you can run yEd on any platform which has Java Run Time (JRE) installed. Assuming that you downloaded yEd zip file and have JRE installed on your Linux, you can install yEd as follows.

$ sudo unzip yEd-3.11.1.zip -d /opt

Then create a script named yed in /usr/bin directory, which launches JVM as shown below.

$ sudo vi /usr/bin/yed

#!/bin/sh
java -jar /opt/yed-3.11.1/yed.jar

Next, make the script executable.

$ sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/yed

Now you can launch yEd editor simply by running the script as follows.

$ yed

If you want, you can also create a desktop shortcut for yEd with the following information.

• Name: yEd
• Command: java -jar /opt/yed-3.11.1/yed.jar
• Icon: /opt/yed-3.11.1/icons/yicon32.png

Once you launch yEd, you will see an initial yEd window where you can create or open a yEd document file.

Draw a Diagram with yEd

yEd allows you to create any kind of diagram in a snap. You will see a "palette" window in the right sidebar, which shows a variety of nodes and edges to choose from. For example, I created the following network diagram in less than ten minutes.

Once you create a diagram, you can try yEd's built-in layout algorithms to automatically transform the diagram into different layouts. For example, I tried regenerating the original layout as follows.
Layout #1: Edge routing - orthogonal bus style

Layout #2: Edge routing - orthogonal channel

Layout #3: Circular

Draw a Flowchart with yEd

Besides diagrams, you can also draw flowcharts as easily. For example:

Once you create a flowchart, you can also explore various flowchart layouts. For example, you can change the orientation of the flowchart from vertical to horizontal as follows.

Draw a Generic Graph with yEd

yEd has built-in templates for various graph types: grid, tree, planar and random graphs. For example, if you want to generate a tree graph, you can instantly create one by entering the number of nodes, fan out, and tree depth as follows.

Among a number of other features, yEd has automatic grouping feature, where you can group individual components in automatic fashions. This is convenient when you are dealing with so many different components in your diagram.

Once you are done with editing a flowchart or diagram, you can save it to a file. By default, yEd saves a current layout in GraphML format which is an XML-based textual file format for graphs. So you can manually edit or version control yEd files easily. If you want, you can export it to various image formats including png, jpg, gif, eps, pdf and svg.

http://xmodulo.com/2013/11/draw-flowchart-diagram-linux.html

Ubuntu Touch Coming to the Oppo Find 5 Smartphone

 

Work is underway on bringing Ubuntu Touch to the Oppo Find 5 smartphone.

The device is made by China-based electronics manufacturerOppo  Digital.

Like many 3rd party, community-contributed builds it will be not be formally supported by Canonical.

With the Oppo Find 5 sporting some impressive specs at an equally impressive price, the device could find favour with Ubuntu enthusiasts burnt out on the (seemingly inevitable) failure of the Edge campaign.

Specifications

Specifications wise the Oppo doesn�t quite match the Edge � but at $533 (nearly $300 less than the Edge�s original price), and the fact it�s already available to buy,  it�d be unfair to expect it to.

The device, available in 16GB and 32GB versions, comes with:

• Snapdragon (A7) Quad-Core CPU @ 1.5GHz
• Adreno 320 GPU
• 5? screen (1080�1920, 441 PPI)
• 2GB RAM

Features-wise the device boasts the usual set:

• GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, DLNA
• WiFi Display & WiFi Direct
• Gyroscope & digital compass
• Light, IR proximity, magnetic & gravity sensors

Ubuntu Touch Progress

The developer behind the port, Oppo forum user Eoghan, has only just started ��getting a device tree etc modified to work with ubuntu touch�s build environment�. As such there�s little �fancy pants� stuff to see for now.

But, with Ubuntu Touch developers providing a comprehensive set of documentation on porting Ubuntu Touch to Android devices, it shouldn�t be too long before Eoghan is able to get the platform up and running.

Here�s hoping that Ubuntu Touch also finds (ho-ho) its way to Oppo�s forthcoming R819 device. It�s slimmer, sleeker albeit less powerful than the Find 5.

For more information on the Ubuntu Touch port for the Oppo Find 5 head over to the official Oppo forums using the link below.

Oppo Forums � Ubuntu Touch Thread

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/08/ubuntu-touch-coming-to-the-oppo-find-5

Nerds Vs Zombies: ZHackers Volume 2 Hits Ubuntu Software Center

 

Like a herd of the shuffling, mindless dead, the follow up to 2012's Ubuntu-themed Zombie novel �Zhackers� has taken a while to arrive.

But, over a year after the first instalment became a best seller on  the Ubuntu Software Center, volume 2 is finally upon us�

Zhackers, a �zombocalypse� story written by David Jordan, tells the saga of three weaponless Ubuntu-using nerds trying to find their way in a world gone to ruin.

�Can these hackers pull off their hardest hack yet, surviving the threat of zombies, thirst, hunger, and internet withdrawal?�

Now, I�ll �fess up: I haven�t had chance to read this latest instalment � which I�m told includes some pretty gruesome moments � but I was taken with the first volume, describing it in a mini-review as �a romp of a read�.

Jordan�s writing style strikes the perfect balance of wit, pace and characterisation � something I�m in no doubt he continues with in volume 2.

Zhackers is published under a Creative Commons license, lacks DRM, and is distributed in interactive, .pdf and ePub formats. This edition also comes with some extras: an interactive 3D cover and an additional short story.

The novel is available to buy direct from the Ubuntu Software Center for $2.99.

Zhackers � Volume 2 on the Ubuntu Software Center

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/11/nerds-vs-zombies-zhackers-volume-2-hits-ubuntu-software-center

WhatsApp Coming to Firefox OS � Could Ubuntu Touch Be Next?

 

With over 350 million active users a month across 100 countries, sending a staggering 18 billion messages a day, WhatsApp, the multi-platform mobile messaging service, is undeniably popular. 

And, if reports that it�s heading to Firefox OS are accurate, it�s about to get even more popular.

WhatsApp Goes WebApp

According to several leading tech sites in Spain, the telecoms carrier �Telef�nica� has, apparently, confirmed that an official WhatsApp client will be released for FirefoxOS sometime before the year is out. The launch of the app will coincide with new Firefox OS-powered handsets from LG and Sony.

Spanning platforms is part of what has made WhatsApp popular. The more people who can use the service, the more money the company behind it can, potentially, make. Official clients are already available on Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone, as well as many others. Adding FirefoxOS to this line-up, if true, makes perfect sense.

With adoption of Firefox OS growing � another european carrier, Telenor, has announced plans to bring Firefox OS smartphones to Serbia, Montenegro and Hungary shortly � the arrival of big name apps like WhatsApp will become more and more commonplace.

Could such apps also find their way on to Ubuntu Touch?

We�ve since heard from a source that WhatsApp have �no plans� to support Ubuntu Touch.

While Canonical�s mobile OS lacks hardware partners, telecom carriers and definite release plans, it may find itself able to bask in the successes of Mozilla�s OS and its decision to push open, web-based technologies as a basis for its apps.

Any WhatsApp client running on Firefox OS will likely make use of HTML5, Javascript and open hardware APIs. As such, getting it to run on other platforms that embrace web apps, like Ubuntu Touch, wouldn�t require too much effort on the part of WhatsApp developers.

When you next see someone comment that they�ll only use Ubuntu Touch when it has a WhatsApp client, be sure to tell them that that day could be much closer than they think.

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/11/whatsapp-on-firefox-os-ubuntu-touch

Ubuntu Tablet Will be �Key Focus� During Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Cycle

 

Honing the Ubuntu Touch tablet interface will be the �focus� of Ubuntu�s development activities over the next 6 months.

For April 2014's release of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Canonical are aiming to release version 1.0 of the Ubuntu for Tablets for the Nexus 7 and 10 hardware.

Ubuntu Touch images are already available for both tablets but lack support for hardware features like camera and sensors. Similarly, both the UI and Mir, the display server, lack tablet-specific optimisations.

Work on improving �side-stage�, the Windows 8-like feature for running two applications on screen side-by-side, will also get underway. To make use of this, many of Ubuntu�s core apps will be adapted to become �convergent� � better able to make use of larger screens and tablet workflows.

Several apps will also be redesigned.

Canonical Community Manager Jono Bacon says that �press, carriers and OEMs� are �excited� by the tablet OS story, adding that tablets are �easy�for people to ship� due to the need to pass through fewer regulatory checks and certifications.

With no major carriers or OEMs yet to signal plans to adopt Ubuntu Phone, Canonical�s mobile plans may fare better on tablets. The cost to market is lower, with small computer resellers able to buy and import no-brand tablets from abroad and install the OS themselves.

Emulator, Phone 1.5 & New-Look Apps

While the push on the Tablet front will, Bacon says, command �a big chunk of focus� this cycle, it�s not the only effort getting underway.

Work on adding an emulator to the Ubuntu SDK is ongoing. The goal is to allow developers lacking reference hardware the ability to test and iterate their apps within the Ubuntu Touch framework.

Ubuntu Phone 1.5

Ubuntu for Phones will reach version 1.5 in April next year. This milestone will feature improvements to the OS, including limits on the amount of memory apps can access and battery life optimisations.

Other key aspects, like vibration support, a way to shutdown and restart the phone, app ratings, reviews and purchases, etc, will also feature. So too  will a set of �expanded scopes� featuring refinements to the way results are displayed and filtered.

Ubuntu Desktop

The Ubuntu desktop is unlikely to see any major changes this cycle, with Unity 7 remaining in �maintenance mode�.

The aim is to offer a preview session of Unity 8 (not desktop optimised) running on Mir as a login option in 14.04 LTS.

Full desktop convergence is not planned until nearer Ubuntu 14.10, due October 2014. Even then this is only a goal. The sheer undertaking involved in tailoring Unity 8 and Mir for desktop use may see it pushed back to Ubuntu 15.04.

 http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/11/ubuntu-tablet-will-key-focus-ubuntu-14-04-lts-cycle

Linux E-Mail App �Geary� Updated With IMAP Fixes

 

Desktop Linux e-mail app Geary has been updated with a number of key bug fixes.

In the first update to the popular mail client since October�s major release of version 0.4, a number of issues have been corrected. They include a problematic crash that occurred when an IMAP connection timed out.

Other fixes listed by Yorba, the non-profit organisation behind the app, include:

• Compile-time support for WebKitGTK 2.2
• IMAP STARTTLS Connection Failure Bug Fix
• IceWarp IMAP Servers Crash Fix
• IMAP Connection Timeout Crash Fixed
• CamelCased MIME Type Fix, Preventing Blank E-mails
• Missing RTL Icons Added

Geary 0.4.1 can be installed on Ubuntu 12.10 and 13.04 from the official Yorba PPA.

Ubuntu 13.10 users should find this latest update available from the Ubuntu Software Center (or, if already installed, via the Software Updater) in the coming weeks

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/11/geary-0-4-1-released-bug-fixes

 

 

Motorola Moto G harga Murah spek mantap

Smartphone Motorola Moto G yang dikabarkan akan meluncur esok hari sudah menunjukkan wujud aslinya.
Dilansir Softpedia (12/11), dari foto yang pertama kali diunggah oleh situs Evleaks melalui akun Twitternya ini akan hadir di pasaran cover belakang warna-warni, layaknya smartphone Motorola Moto X.
Berdasarkan lansiran tersebut, kemungkinan Motorola Moto G ini akan dirilis di India. Hal ini semakin diperkuat dengan update status dari Motorola India. "Namaste India! Daftar hari ini untuk menikmati global streaming hari Rabu, dan jadilah orang pertama yang menyaksikan Moto G." tulis Motorola India di akun Facebooknya.
Motorola Moto G akan dilepas ke pasaran dengan dibekali spesifikasi seperti layar 4,5 inci 720pp dengan Gorilla Glass, prosesor quad-core 1,2GHz Snapdragon, RAM 1GB, internal memori 8 GB, kamera belakang 5MP dengan kemampuan perekaman video hingga 720p, dan kamera depan 1,3MP.
Smartphone yang akan menggunakan Android 4.3 Jelly Bean sebagai sistem operasinya ini juga akan didukung baterai dengan daya 1.950 mAh untuk menunjang agar Motorola Moto G bisa digunakan sepanjang hari.
Untuk perkiraan harganya, smartphone Motorola Moto G ini akan dibanderol dengan harga sekitar..



http://www.merdeka.com/teknologi/mengintip-warna-warni-motorola-moto-g.html