Download AMD Catalyst 12.1 Display Driver

 Download AMD Catalyst 12.1 Display Driver

AMD has unleashed the Catalyst software suite 12.1, which includes the AMD display driver version 8.93 and a few other things.

The AMD Catalyst Control Center version 8.93 / AMD Vision Engine Control Center version 8.93 is one of the other components.

The others are a new Southbridge/IXP Driver and HydraVision for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

No large list of game frame rate improvements will be found.

On the flip side, a number of issues were resolved in Windows Vista and Windows 7, for titles like Quake Wars, Dirt 2, Crysis 2, Alien vs. Predator, Lost Planet 2, Rage, Dragon Age 2, Starcraft 2, Metro 2033 and World of Warcraft, among others.

Owners of AMD APUs and/or graphics cards would do well to read through the whole change log of whatever version of the driver is compatible with their system.

That said, games weren't all that the Sunnyvale, California-based company looked at.

The AMD Catalyst Control Center / Vision Engine Control Center, for one, got some enhancements, such as the possibility to create distinct profiles for each application (for individual control of Direct3D and CrossFireX settings).

Secondly, the “Restore Factory Defaults” option under the Catalyst Control Center Preferences menu ensures that no compatibility issues arise between previous drivers and the 12.1 Preview driver (the option should be selected before using the new application profiles feature).

Finally, the AMD HD3D technology is now supported with AMD CrossFireX setups and may deliver in Stereo 3D mode over HDMI 1.4a (1080p, 30Hz).

Download whichever driver version suits your system best. The AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.2 Preview for Vista/Windows 7 (for EyeFinity setups) is available as well (HD 7900 owners should avoid it, though).

AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.1 for XP

AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.1 for XP64

AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.1 for Vista/Windows 7

AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.1 for Vista64/Windows 7 x64

AMD Catalyst Display Driver 12.2 Preview for Vista/Windows 7

Oil Rush Launched on Ubuntu Software Cente

 Oil Rush Launched on Ubuntu Software Cente

Oil Rush, a unique blend of strategy and tower defense game, CoreBreach, an anti-gravity racing game with combat-based gameplay, and “And Yet It Moves”, a physics-based platform game, have all made it to Ubuntu Software Center in January.
 

Oil Rush is a strategy combined with a tower defense game that is built on the UNIGINE technology, already launched on their official website. It has made its way into Ubuntu Software Center.

And Yet it Moves is a platform game that does things a little bit different. Instead of moving the character, users can move the entire world around him. It makes heavy use of a physics engine and should be a thrill to play.

CoreBreach is an anti-gravity racing game with combat-based gameplay, made with cell-shaded graphics and set in a futurist atmosphere.

The games are available for Ubuntu 10.10, Ubuntu 11.04, and Ubuntu 11.10. You can check the official announcement for more details.

Macbuntu 11.10 theme for Ubuntu 11.10 - New!

New! Mac OS X theme for Ubuntu 11.10 and install in your Ubuntu!

Adwaita Cupertino Theme, the solution if you can't install macbuntu 11.10 - Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot

Adwaita Cupertino Theme

It’s a Mac OS X like theme for Ubuntu 11.10 users. The theme is based on Adwaita, and the theme is designed by the user trastes.

Download Adwaita Cupertino Theme

It is based on the theme Adwaita GTK3, changing colors to set the cupertino style

Tested in GNOME 3.2 and Unity

There are 2 versions, one based on the colors of Snow Leopard and the other Lion. Option border or borderless

Version for unity due to global-menu and design of nautilus.

* IMPORTANT *
- GTK3 theme ported to unico-engine, GTK2 theme uses the Murrine and Pixmap engines

- Inside the theme folder there is a readme.txt file with some really simple instructions (styles for nautilus, glassy buttons, Unity top panel transparent mac style)

- "Adwaita Cupertino SL and L" is borderless by default in Gnome Shell (in Unity edges is always)
If you want the version with borders, select in gnome-tweak-tool -> Window theme -> "Adwaita Cupertino (SL or L) Unity" and in GTK+ theme "Adwaita Cupertino (SL or L)"

Hope you like it for everyday use.

Credits:
Original Theme: Adwaita of GNOME 3 and Aldabra GTK2 de ceramicm. (http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Aldabra?content=142247)
Metacity theme: Elementary modified
Metacity theme: Adwaita borderless ( http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Adwaita-borderless?content=145810 )
Modified to fit with the option theme borderless

I recommend this fantastic icon themes:
---------------------------------------
Faience-Azur
http://tiheum.deviantart.com/art/Faience-icon-theme-255099649
or
Faenza cupertino
http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Faenza-Cupertino?content=129008

if you use Chrome, for the scroll bars
---------------------------------------
elementary scrollbars 4 chrome by conorsulli
http://conorsulli.deviantart.com/art/elementary-scrollbars-4-chrome-188112270
or
elementary scrollbars by Aaron
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jfichaompnhpmlpjhcjebedbgaeoeple

Source: http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Adwaita+Cupertino?content=147061

 How to install macbuntu 11.10 theme in Ubuntu 11.10?

Installing Mac OS X theme in Ubuntu 11.10

After Downloading the theme package, you must download some dependent packages/themes/icons.
Then open a terminal and execute the command to open nautilus in root mode -

gksu nautilus

Then extract the theme file (archive) and copy all the themes directory to usr/share/themes and for icons – usr/share/icons. Then open Gnome Tweak Tool (if you haven’t installed it then first install it from Ubuntu Software Center or hit sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool at terminal) and change the themes, icons etc to get the Mac OS X type Look.

Note: Downloading Icons is already there in theme page:  http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Faenza-Cupertino?content=129008

macbuntu 11.10, macbuntu, ubuntu 11.10 mac theme, mac theme for ubuntu 11.10, ubuntu 11.10 themes, mac ubuntu 11.10, mac theme ubuntu 11.10, ubuntu 11.10, ubuntu themes 11.10, Adwaita Cupertino Theme

NEW UPDATE :  

How to install Mac OS X Lion Theme in Ubuntu 11.10/12.04 - New!

Download Bada 2.0 Update for Samsung Wave S8500

Download Bada 2.0 Update for Samsung Wave S8500 - get the better performance!


It looks like bada 2.0 update has finally been released after Samsung delayed it last year. Initially slated for a 2011 release bada 2.0 update for Wave smartphone is now available for download.

However, the major software update is only available for Samsung Wave S8500. Those who own this model will need to download and install the latest version of Samsung Kies desktop software on their PCs in order to be able to update their smartphones.

There’s no official word on the update yet, but the folks over at Sammobile spotted the bada 2.0 for Wave S8500 on the company’s servers. For the time being, the update is available in Belgium, Luxemburg, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia and Switzerland.

Samsung will roll out bada 2.0 for the Samsung Wave S8500 in additional countries as well, but these are the first to get it.

Wave II (SHW-M210S) Tastes bada 2.0 in South Korea

Download bada SDK 2.0.5 with Enhanced WQVGA Features

Download VLC Media Player 2.0.0 RC1

Download VLC Media Player 2.0.0 RC1 for Linux, Apple, Windows platform

The wait for VLC media player 2.0 is almost over, as the development team readied the first release candidate for this version.

Modifications available in this build are plenty, touching on packagers, core, access, codecs, demuxers, interfaces, video output, audio output and filters, video filters and stream output. Some modules have been removed, such as the noise filter or the SDL audio output, which has been replaced by native outputs.

New video filters have been added: posterize, sepia, anti-flickering, gradfun (for debanding videos using dithering). As far as audio is concerned, output is now based on AudioQueue API for iOS in the new release and there are new audio resamplers, one using Speex and the other using Secret Rabbit Code.

What's new in VLC media player 2.0.0 RC1:

January 27th, 2012

· The licenses of libVLC and libVLCcore have changed from GPLv2+ to LGPLv2.1+
· Start/end titles/chapters are now specified with # rather than @ to fix conflicts with some URLs and file names. For instance, this plays a DVD from the 2nd chapter of the 1st title up to the 4th chapter of the 3rd title: vlc dvd://#1:2-3:4
· The 40+ --*-caching options were simplified and dumbed down to 4 options. All values are expressed in milliseconds as in previous versions.
· HTTP server IP address, port, and TLS configuration is now centralized: - The --http-host option sets the address, e.g. "--http-host=2001:db8::1". By default, both :: and 0.0.0.0 are used. - The --http-port and --https-port options set the port numbers. By default, 8080 is used for HTTP, and 8443 for HTTPS. - The TLS credentials are configured with --http-cert (public certificate), --http-key (private key), --http-ca (optional CA) and --http-crl (optional CRL).
· RTSP server IP address and port are updated similarly. Use --rtsp-host and --rtsp-port respectively.
· The --miface-addr option does not exist anymore. To select the multicast output interface, use --miface instead, e.g. --miface=eth0.
· The Windows version will only work with Windows XP SP2 or later. Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP < SP2, Windows 2003 SP0 are now unsupported.

Important changes for packagers:
· The default builds now assume that the operating system uses UTF-8 for its file systems and files content (except the Windows port). If this is not acceptable, pass --enable-non-utf8 to the configure script. Non-UTF-8 file systems support will be removed in future versions.
· The VLC plugins path can be overridden with the VLC_PLUGIN_PATH environment variable. The --plugin-path command line option was removed.
· The default tarballs are now compressed with XZ/LZMA: .tar.xz
· The webplugins has moved to git://git.videolan.org/npapi-vlc.git

Core:
· Major Video Core and Outputs rework and rewrite: Subtitles, subpictures and OSD can now be sized and blent inside video outputs x11 (Unix), OpenGL (Unix) and Direct3D (Windows) are such video outputs.
· Almost every video filter can now be transcoded
· Playback rate doesn't get resetted to 1 between items anymore
· Option --sub-filter was renamed --sub-source
· Port to Android, iOS, OS/2 and Win64

Access:
· Multiple files are now supported inside RAR files
· BDA: experimental support for ClearQam devices
· DVB-S scanning support on Unix
· DVB-C scanning on Unix scans correct modulation/symbolrate if needed
· DShow: support for freq and video standard selection
· Support for VDR recordings (http://www.tvdr.de/) folders
· Blu-Ray Discs integration using libbluray
· HTTP Live Streaming (IETF draft) playback support
· PulseAudio audio input support
· RTP: support for dynamic payload types by specifying the payload format in an option (no autodetection): only Theora supported for now
· Basic HTCPCP implementation for Coffee Pot control
· QTCapture: added support for all QTKit-compatible video input devices
· QTSound: added support for all QTKit-compatible audio input devices
· X11 Screen: support for capturing partially hidden windows
· MPEG DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) support

Codecs:
· You can now use ffmpeg-mt in conjunction with vlc
· Important fixes for RealVideo 3.0 and 4.0 playback, notably in MKV
· Experimental Hardware decoding using Broadcom CrystalHD cards
· New module for decoding EBU subtitles (.stl)
· Support for 9bits and 10bits H.264/AVC decoding
· Support for 20-bits PCM and DAT-12 (digital magnetic tapes) from RTP
· New module for Dirac encoding, using the faster libschroedinger The Schroedinger module should be prefered to the Dirac one
· Support for WMV Images, aka WMVP and WVP2, as used by Photo Story
· Support for Lagarith Lossless video codec
· Support for ProRes 422 video codec in 10bits
· EIA-608 closed captions improvements
· Support for JPEG 2000 and Motion JPEG 2000 in the Windows and Mac binaries
· Experimental support of IOMX for OpenMAX IL codecs on Android
· One can use "mp2 " fourcc to encode in mpeg1/2 layer 2

Demuxers:
· New images demuxer supporting jpeg, png, targa, xcf, git, tiff, bmp, pcx, lbm
· C64 SID file playback support of using sidplay2
· Support for images/cover art in wma/wmv/asf files
· Improvements in .ape files metadata reading and writing
· New demuxer module for EBU subtitles (.stl)
· Support for caf, mtv, awb, f4v, amr, vro (DVD-VR) files
· Ogg, flv, mxf, amr seeking improvements
· Major improvements in Matroska (mkv) chapters/segments handling and seeking
· Support for duration and better seeking in Mpeg-TS files (.ts, .m2ts, .mts)
· Mov improvements, notably for aspect-ratio handling and Audio DV tracks
· Improved support of tracker files

Interfaces:
· Qt: effects dialogs rework
· Qt: new CoverFlow-like view of the playlist
· Qt: small look improvements
· Skins2 / Qt: misc improvements and usability fixes
· Skins2: fullscreen controller support, relative placement support and important cleanups and optimisations
· The rc and telnet lua interfaces were merged into a new "cli" interface
· lua: the recommended way to run custom interface scripts is now to pass -I luaintf --lua-intf myscript
· ncurses: heavy refactor of the complete interface
· dbus: Rewrite of the main loop to use a more efficient poll-based model
· dbus: Upgrade to an mpris2 compliant interface, see http://www.mpris.org
· webUI/http: Rewrite of the web interface, using jQuery
· webUI/http: some requests are now supported in JSON in addition to XML
· webUI/http: path values for input and output are deprecated in favour of uri
· Qt/Win32: the update system now downloads the updates in the temp folder
· Qt: preferences are now searchable

Video Output:
· New video output based on Direct2D for Windows 7 and Vista (with Platform Update)
· New video output for iOS platform
· Experimental work in progress on a video output using EGL
· Adaptation of the OpenGL layer for OpenGL ES 1.1
· Various vmem improvements
· OpenGL video output now accepts YUV as input and uses fragment programs for chroma conversion
· New video output for Android platform, based on Surface
· Support for 9/10bits output in the OpenGL output
· Updated OpenGL video output for Mac, requires a Quartz Extreme capable machine
· New video output based on kva API for OS/2

Audio Output and Filters:
· New audio output based on AudioQueue API for iOS
· New audio output in memory (amem)
· Important simplification and improvements in the core audio output
· New audio output based on OpenSL ES API for Android
· New audio resampler using Speex (DSP)
· New audio resampler using the Secret Rabbit Code (a.k.a. libsamplerate)
· New Compressor filter, a dynamic range compressor
· New simplistic Karaoke filter
· New audio output based on kai API for OS/2
· Automatic handover from S/PDIF to PCM with PulseAudio 1.0

Video Filter:
· New gradfun filter for debanding videos using dithering
· Rewrite of the grain filter, faster and with better quality
· New posterize filter for lowering the number of colors
· Atmo ambilight: improve Fnordlicht up to 254 channels
· New sepia filter for creating sepia effect in videos
· New deinterlacer mode Phosphor, a framerate doubling CRT TV simulator
· New deinterlacer mode IVTC, to do live inverse telecine for NTSC films
· New subsdelay filter to change subtitles delay
· New anti-flickering filter
· New OpenMAX DL IPCS filter for color space conversion and resizing
· New video filter for denoising, based on the famous hqdn3d filter
· Major improvements in the freetype text-rendering module, notably supporting blackbox and customizable shadow. NB: The freetype module is now used by default on the Mac OS X instead of the quartztext module, which can still be enabled manually. The Win32 font selection was improved too.

Stream output:
· New livehttp-module for HTTP Live Streaming (IETF draft) output example: vlc inputfile :sout="#transcode{vcodec=h264,acodec=mp3, venc=x264{profile=baseline},width=320,vb=256,ab=96}:std{ access=livehttp{index=public_html/iphonestream.m3u8, index-url=http://url-to-iphonestreamfile-###.ts},mux=ts{use-key-frames}, dst=public_html/iphonestreamfile-###.ts}"
· RTP: support for Vorbis and Theora
· Major rework of VoD support
· New delay module, to introduce delays of one ES, when streaming: #delay{id=12,delay=500}:standard...
· New setlang, setid modules to change lang or id of one ES, when streaming: #setid{id=12,new-id=42}:std...
· New langfromtelx module, to change lang of one ES, when streaming, based on a telextex page: #langfromtelx{id=12,magazine=7,page=0x99,row=1}:std...
· New select module, to replace an existing ES with another ES in the same track #duplicate{dst=bridge-out{id=1},select=video,dst=bridge-out{id=0xa3},select=audio} #transcode{...}:bridge-in{id-offset=0}:select{disable=0}:setid{id=0,newid=0xa3}:autodel:std{...}
· New libavformat/avio access_output module for network streaming

Services Discovery:
· Search API to be able to query distant search APIs from the interfaces
· Upnp module was ported to Win32

libVLC:
New capabilities for libVLC:
· libvlc_media_player_navigate for DVD navigation
· libvlc_audio_filter_list_get, libvlc_video_filter_list_get to get the list of available audio and video filters
· libvlc_audio_set_format, libvlc_audio_set_format_callbacks, libvlc_audio_set_callbacks allow grabbing audio data from a chosen memory location in real-time.

Removed modules:
· asademux: use libass only
· subsass: use libass
· fake, invmem: use the new image demuxers
· hal, v4l, gapi, omapfb, hd1000a, hd1000v: obsolete unmaintained modules
· id3tag: use taglib
· upnp: use upnp_intel
· removal of old telnet interface in favor of the new lua CLI
· removal of http interface in favor of luahttp
· removal of the noise filter
· removal of the SDL audio output, use the native outputs
· growl_udp: use Growl for local notifications on the Mac. UDP support will be removed in Growl's next release, too.
· removal of the OSSO screensave module, use the MCE one

Download VLC for Windows
Download VLC for Mac
Download VLC for Linux

How to Install KDE SC 4.8 on Ubuntu 11.10

How to Install KDE SC 4.8 on the Ubuntu/Kubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system

After another six months of hard work, the famous KDE Software Compilation (SC) suite reached version 4.8 on January 25th, 2012.

Loaded with many interesting and new features, updated applications, new technologies and functionality, breath-taking effects, KDE SC 4.8.0 is composed of the KDE Plasma Workspace, the KDE Applications and the KDE Development Platform.

Today's tutorial is for those of you who want to install KDE SC 4.8 on their Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) systems. In other words, with this guide, we will teach you, step by step, how to install KDE SC 4.8 on top of your existing Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) installation.

Step 1 - Add KDE SC 4.8 repositories

Hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination on your keyboard and paste the following command in the terminal window:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports


Enter your password when asked and hit the Enter key.
/>

Then paste the following command in the terminal window:

sudo apt-get update

Close the terminal window when the operation is done! Proceed to the next step.

Step 2 - Install KDE SC 4.8

All you need to do now is to click the link below...



Click here to Install KDE SC 4.8 
Wait a few seconds, and the Ubuntu Software Center application will appear. Click the "Install" button on the new window...

To install the KDE SC 4.8.0 packages enter your password when asked...

Wait for the KDE SC 4.8 packages to be downloaded and installed...

...when the installation is over close Ubuntu Software Center and reboot your computer.

When you get back, at the login screen, select your username, click the Sessions button and select the KDE Plasma Workspace entry.

Type your password and voilà... KDE 4.8 fun on your Ubuntu 11.10 desktop!

Uninstalling KDE SC 4.8 (optional)

If you want to remove KDE SC 4.8 from your system, or downgrade to the previously installed version, all you have to do is to hit the CTRL+ALT+T key combination on your keyboard and paste the following commands in the terminal window (one by one, hitting Enter after each one):

sudo apt-get install -y ppa-purge
sudo ppa-purge ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports
sudo apt-get -f -y autoremove

Source&images: softpedia

special thanks

Download KDE Software Compilation 4.8

Download KDE Software Compilation 4.8

After six month of hard work, the KDE Software Compilation 4.8 is finally here, bringing beautiful new features, various software updates, and lots of performance improvements.

Click here to Install KDE SC 4.8 on the Ubuntu/Kubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system!

KDE Software Compilation 4.8.0 is composed of the KDE Plasma Workspace, the KDE Applications and the KDE Development Platform. Click on each one to see a detailed announcement.

Highlights of KDE Software Compilation 4.8.0:
 · Kwin optimizations;
· Adaptive power management, integrated with Activities;
· New QtQuick-based Plasma widgets;
· Ability to choose the layout of Plasma's Alt-Tab window switcher;
· Shared password storage was implemented in KSecretService;
· A new splash screen implementation using QtQuick;
· Improved on-screen keyboard;
· Better taskbars and docks with improved support for launchers and nicer context menus;
· Revamped device notifier widget;
· New picture-of-the-day wallpaper plugin;
· Dolphin got a lot faster and more prettier;
· Gwenview offers improved image viewing abilities and better usability;
· Okular has advanced text selection features;
· KMail received lots of performance improvements and bug fixes;
· Kate features a new Search & Replace plugin, a new editor, useful indicators, and more;
· Cantor received support for Scilab and Qalculate;
· Lokalize has better support for XLIFF (XML Localisation Interchange File Format) translation catalogs and TBX (TermBase eXchange) glossaries;
· Marble is now integrated with Plasma's KRunner;
· QtQuick was integrated in Plasma Workspaces allowing developers to easily port widget to QML;
· New Plasma QtQuick components provides standardized user interface elements;
· KDE Telepathy enters KDE Extragear.

The KDE team is also working hard to bring you KDE Development Platform, dubbed Frameworks 5 and based on Qt5, which will allow developers to use only parts of the platform and reduce dependencies considerably.

KDE Software Compilation 4.8 also brings updates to lots of other included applications and core libraries. KDE Software Compilation 4.8 is translated into more than 55 languages.

About KDE

KDE is an international technology team that creates free and open source software for desktop and portable computing. Among KDE's products are a modern desktop system for Linux and UNIX platforms, comprehensive office productivity and groupware suites and hundreds of software titles in many categories including Internet and web applications, multimedia, entertainment, educational, graphics and software development. KDE software is translated into more than 60 languages and is built with ease of use and modern accessibility principles in mind. KDE4's full-featured applications run natively on Linux, BSD, Solaris, Windows and Mac OS X.

Trademark Notices. KDE® and the K Desktop Environment® logo are registered trademarks of KDE e.V. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks and copyrights referred to in this announcement are the property of their respective owners.

Download KDE Software Compilation 4.8.0

Source&pics:
softpedia 

http://kde.org/announcements/4.8/plasma.php

http://kde.org/announcements/4.8/applications.php

http://kde.org/announcements/4.8/platform.php

Download GhostBSD 2.5

GhostBSD, a FreeBSD-based operating system with the GNOME and LXDE desktop environments, is now at version 2.5.
 

After a few release candidates, the final version of GhostBSD 2.5 is here. The developers have assured us that a lot of important bugs have been fixed and the operating system was updated and fine-tuned.

GhostBSD 2.5 comes in two distinct flavors. One is based on GNOME desktop and the other one on LXDE desktop environment.

GhostBSD 2.5 is distributed for both amd64 and i386 platforms, and users can choose between CD/DVD or USB images.

GhostBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible (including Pentium and Athlon), amd64 compatible (including Opteron, Athlon 64, and EM64T) architectures.

It is derived from FreeBSD which is derived from BSD, the version of UNIX developed at the University of California, Berkeley.

Download GhosBSD 2.5

Download VMware Workstation and Player Updated

Download VMware Workstation and Player Updated

VMware just updated two of their main products, Workstation and Player to new builds. The two applications share almost the same changes.

One fix refers to a failure with an unrecoverable error when releasing input from the guest to the host (e.g.: moving the cursor from the virtual machine window to the host screen).

Most of the fixes, however, relate to Linux running guests and hosts. As such, copying and pasting from a guest to an Ubuntu 11.10 host should no longer fail. Also, shared folders would not work in Fedora 16 and OpenSuse 12.1 guests.

In the case of Windows, the developer took care of an issue that caused a virtual machine to use a physical disk to fail to power on if the host had a volume backed by more than one physical disk.

In the case of Workstation, machines with Visual Studio 2010 SP1, vix-perl installation failed with dynamic link errors.

Download VMware Player for Windows or Linux

Download VMware Workstation for Windows or Linux

Download Thunderbird 9.0 for Ubuntu 11.10

 Thunderbird 9.0 Officially Lands in Ubuntu 11.10

After the official upgrade to Firefox 9 in Ubuntu 11.10 at the beginning of the month, Canonical announced on January 24th that the Mozilla Thunderbird 9.0 email client is now available on the official software repositories of the Oneiric Ocelot operating system. 

All Ubuntu 11.10 users can upgrade now (by running the Software Update app from the Settings icon) their default email client to Thunderbird 9.0, which was officially released by Mozilla at the end of last year, on December 21st, 2011.

The Mozilla Thunderbird 9.0 email client brings improved keyboard handling for attachments, user interface improvements and fixes.

Other Linux users can download the Mozilla Thunderbird 9.0 binaries and source packages for 32-bit and 64-bit architectures.

OpenJDK 6 Vulnerabilities Fixed for Ubuntu OSes

OpenJDK 6 Vulnerabilities Fixed for Ubuntu OSes

Several security vulnerabilities that were discovered in the OpenJDK 6 packages by various developers, this time affecting the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx), Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat), Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal), and Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating systems, were announced by Canonical.

These are the kernel vulnerabilities found recently in the Linux kernel packages: CVE-2011-3389, CVE-2011-3377, CVE-2011-3389, CVE-2011-3521, CVE-2011-3544, CVE-2011-3547, CVE-2011-3548, CVE-2011-3551, CVE-2011-3552, CVE-2011-3553, CVE-2011-3554, CVE-2011-3556, CVE-2011-3557, CVE-2011-3558, and CVE-2011-3560.

As usual, you can click on each one to see how it affects your Ubuntu system, or go here for an in-depth description.

The security flaws can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the proper version of OpenJDK, as detailed in the security notice.

After a standard system update you need to restart any Java applications or applets to make all the necessary changes.

Jailbreak Tweak Said to Fix iOS 5 Battery Woes

Jailbreak Tweak Said to Fix iOS 5 Battery Woes

Apple never got around to fixing the battery drainage problem on iPhone 4S handsets, but a new jailbreak tweak might do the trick.

According to this CydiaHelp post, a new tweak released in Cydia called ‘iOS 5 Battery Fix’ should help alleviate the battery drain caused by iOS 5 and / or iOS 5.0.1.

It’s hard to believe it simply kills off the bugs that cause the problem, but then again, it’s worth the shot. That is, if you’re ready to shell out five bucks for VIP membership on the Insanelyi forum / repository.

For those who aren’t too fond of jailbreaks, there’s a good chance Apple will release iOS 5.0.2 soon. It’s been hinted at by several renowned hackers in the iOS ecosystem, so those of you who don’t want to tamper with their device can play the waiting game.

Download Joomla 2.5, a Long-Term Support Release

Download Joomla 2.5, a Long-Term Support Release

One month after the first beta landed, Joomla 2.5 is here. The big news in Joomla 2.5 is support for Microsoft SQL in addition to MySQL, the first time a different database system has been supported. More are expected to be supported in the future.

Other highlights in this release are update notifications for the main software as well as extensions.

Also new is a natural language search engine which should significantly improve search results relevancy.

"Multi-database support is a huge step forward for Joomla, which is already powering more than 1.6 million websites worldwide. It ensures companies and organization, both large and small, will save even more money and time by adopting Joomla," said Ryan Ozimek, president of Open Source Matters, announced.

"No longer will Joomla developers be tied down to a particular database or have to spend more money and time integrating other software to get Joomla to communicate with their database. This enhances Joomla’s scalability immensely," he added.

Microsoft SQL Server support is good news to anyone already using it for other projects. Once other formats are added, more will benefit.

The second big feature is update notifications, for Joomla and installed extensions. Admins will be notified of newer versions, but still have to install them themselves.

The feature comes in very handy now that Joomla has switched to a faster release cycle. Joomla 2.5 is the first long-term release, following the switch,  and will be supported for at least 18 months, but the next version of Joomla lands in six months.

Support for the current Joomla 1.7 will end on February 24, one month after the release of Joomla 2.5. However, support for Joomla 1.5, the current LTS release, will be dropped in April, three months after Joomla 2.5 became available.

New Kernel Vulnerabilities Affect Ubuntu 11.04

New Kernel Vulnerabilities Affect Ubuntu 11.04

Canonical announced last evening, January 24th, in a security notice, that a new Linux kernel update for its Ubuntu 11.10 (Natty Narwhal) operating system is now available, fixing three security vulnerabilities discovered in the Linux kernel packages by various developers. 

 

These are the three kernel vulnerabilities found in the kernel packages for Ubuntu 11.04: CVE-2011-1162, CVE-2011-2203, and CVE-2011-4110.

As usual, you can click on each one to see how it affects your system, or go here for in-depth descriptions.

The security flaws can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the linux-image-2.6.38-13 (2.6.38-13.54) package(s). To apply the update, run the Update Manager application.

Don't forget to reboot your computer after the upgrade!

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change, the kernel packages have a new version number, which will force you to reinstall and recompile all third-party kernel modules you might have installed. Moreover, if you use the linux-restricted-modules package, you have to update it as well to get modules which work with the new Linux kernel version.

2 New Kernel Vulnerabilities Affect Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

2 New Kernel Vulnerabilities Affect Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

Canonical announced last evening, January 24th, in a security notice, that a new Linux kernel update for its Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) operating system is now available, fixing two security vulnerabilities discovered in the Linux kernel packages by various developers. 

These are the two kernel vulnerabilities found in the kernel packages for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS: CVE-2011-2203 and CVE-2011-4110.

As usual, you can click on each one to see how it affects your system, or go here for in-depth descriptions.

The security flaws can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the linux-image-2.6.32-38 (2.6.32-38.83) package(s). To apply the update, run the Update Manager application.

Don't forget to reboot your computer after the upgrade!

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change, the kernel packages have a new version number, which will force you to reinstall and recompile all third-party kernel modules you might have installed. Moreover, if you use the linux-restricted-modules package, you have to update it as well to get modules which work with the new Linux kernel version.

Samsung Galaxy S III Specs and Launch Date Leaked

Samsung Galaxy S III Specs and Launch Date Leaked

Samsung’s Galaxy S family of devices has already made a name for itself, through phones like the Galaxy S and Galaxy S II, and might soon climb to new heights.

Rumor has it that the South Korean mobile phone maker is already working on the next member of the family, the Galaxy S III, and that it will launch it sometime in April.

This means that we might see the device made official next month during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. For the time being, however, we’ll take the info with a grain of salt. But, since rumored specs of this device look so great, we’ll have a look at them.

The new mobile phone should arrive on shelves with an HD touchscreen display, though it will not be a 3D one. Although its actual size is not known, Samsung is expected to use the Super AMOLED Plus technology for it.

Moreover, the new device is expected to arrive on shelves with a 1.5GHz dual-core application processor inside. Rumor has it that it might be a quad-core device after all, or that Samsung is planning the release of both dual-core and quad-core handsets in the Galaxy S III line.

The smartphone is also expected to feature a 12-megapixel photo snapper on the back. Smartphones featuring 12MP cameras are already available for purchase, and Samsung’s flagship handsets might soon join their ranks.

The smartphone will run under Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the leaked specs, which emerged on Twitter via Eldar Murtazin, show. Since Samsung already launched ICS handsets, this does not come too much of a surprise, that’s for sure.

Galaxy S III is also said to arrive on shelves with a better battery inside, something that should be common to other future Samsung handsets as well.

Moreover, it is expected to sport a range of software tweaks to make it stand up in the crowd. Android 4.0 allows for manufacturer customizations, and the TouchWiz UI from Samsung might be loaded on Galaxy S III.

Download OS X Lion 10.7.3 Build 11D50

Download OS X Lion 10.7.3 Build 11D50 - Developer News

Apple developers in charge with OS X testing have been handed a new beta build of the latest version of Lion - OS X 10.7.3. Build 11D50 has no known issues and should precede the final / public version of the software, or at least the Golden Master seed.

Seeded in developers extended almost identical attitude issues that are unknown and similar areas of focus, OS X 10.7.3 quickly approaching release to the general public, people familiar with the software.

The seed note accompanying this build reveals that OS X Lion 10.7.3 build 11D50 has no known issues whatsoever.

The documentation asks that developers focus their testing skills on iCloud Document Storage, Address Book, iCal, Mail, Spotlight, and the Safari web browser.

“OS X Lion Update 10.7.3 is an update to OS X Lion 10.7,” reads the seed note. “Reversioners are no longer required for installations over previous 10.7.3 seed builds,” Apple tells developers.

“Please be aware that you will not be able to revert back to your previous system after updating. Please install this update on a system you are prepared to erase if necessary,” the company warns.

Apple specifically tells developers, “This build is being provided to you for testing and development purposes. Should you encounter any problems, please submit a bug report using the online Bug Reporter at . Please make sure to include ‘10.7.3 (11D50)’ in the bug title and description. This information will ensure that your bug is processed quickly.”

Testers are urged to make sure to include a Summary, Steps to Reproduce, Actual Results, Expected Results, the System Profile Report, and any other relevant information when filing a bug.

The latest OS X 10.7.3 beta can be downloaded from Apple's Mac Dev Center. The barebones Delta update is 997MB in size. The Combo version of OS X 10.7.3 build 11D50 weighs in at 1.26GB, according to those who are privy of the software.

Download Opera 11.61 for Linux

Opera, a full-featured Internet browser, which includes pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, integrated searches, and other advanced functions, is now at version 11.61.
 

The last major update for the stable version of the famous Opera browser was announced in December, 2011. After a month of development, the changelog is quite hefty and it can be found here.

Highlights of Opera 11.61:

· Clicking "Use master password to protect saved passwords" checkbox no longer crashes the browser;
· An occasional crash when clicking a link or opening a new tab has been fixed;
· A wrong new reload icon was displayed;
· A crash that appeared when loadind 3025 background images was repaired;
· NFL.com crashed with admuncher installed;
· A sorting problem with ungrouped mail list was fixed;
· Fixed an issus with unread mail count that was reporting a wrong number.

Download Opera 11.61 for Linux

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Will Have Next-Gen Menus

 Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Will Have Next-Gen Menus

Mark Shuttleworth announced a few minutes ago, January 24th, on his blog that the next version of the Ubuntu operating system, Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin), will feature a HUD (head-up display) system, replacing the old menus.



"Say hello to the Head-Up Display, or HUD, which will ultimately replace menus in Unity applications." - said Mark Shuttleworth in the blog announcement.

Developed in-house during the last 18 months, the next-generation menu system will definitely revolutionize both the Linux and Windows desktops.

The old menus (yes, the ones that are now designed like in Mac OS) will be replaced by the new HUD system developed by Canonical.

Take a look at the video above to see how the HUD feature works and how it will help us do our the daily tasks.

We now understand why the Unity interface was developed!

New Kernel Vulnerability Affects Ubuntu 11.10

Canonical announced last evening, January 23rd, in a security notice, that a new kernel update for its Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system is now available, fixing one security vulnerability discovered in the Linux kernel packages by Jüri Aedla.

These kernel vulnerability was found (CVE-2012-0056) because the kernel couldn't handle /proc//mem permissions, allowing a local attacker to gain root privileges.

The security flaw can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the linux-image-3.0.0-15 (3.0.0-15.26) package(s). To apply the update, run the Update Manager application.

Don't forget to reboot your computer after the upgrade!

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change, the kernel packages have a new version number, which will force you to reinstall and recompile all third-party kernel modules you might have installed. Moreover, if you use the linux-restricted-modules package, you have to update it as well to get modules which work with the new Linux kernel version.

Natty Backport Kernel Fixed for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

Several security vulnerabilities that were discovered in the Linux kernel packages by various developers, this time affecting the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) operating system, were announced by Canonical.

These are the kernel vulnerabilities found recently in the Linux kernel packages: CVE-2011-1162, CVE-2011-2203, and CVE-2011-4110.

As usual, you can click on each one to see how it affects your Ubuntu 10.04 LTS system, or go here for an in-depth description. The security flaws can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the proper version of Linux, detailed in the official announcement.

Don't forget to reboot your computer after the upgrade!

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change, the kernel packages have a new version number, which will force you to reinstall and recompile all third-party kernel modules you might have installed. Moreover, if you use the linux-restricted-modules package, you have to update it as well to get modules which work with the new Linux kernel version.

Oneiric Backport Kernel Fixed for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

Several security vulnerabilities that were discovered in the Linux kernel packages by various developers, this time affecting the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) operating system, were announced by Canonical.

These are the kernel vulnerabilities found recently in the Linux kernel packages: CVE-2011-2203, CVE-2011-4077, CVE-2011-4110, CVE-2011-4132, CVE-2011-4330, and CVE-2012-0044.

As usual, you can click on each one to see how it affects your Ubuntu 10.04 LTS system, or go here for an in-depth description. The security flaws can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the proper version of Linux, detailed in the official announcement.

Don't forget to reboot your computer after the upgrade!

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change, the kernel packages have a new version number, which will force you to reinstall and recompile all third-party kernel modules you might have installed. Moreover, if you use the linux-restricted-modules package, you have to update it as well to get modules which work with the new Linux kernel version.

Untethered Jailbreak iPhone 4S and iPad 2 Under Linux

The Chronic Dev Team has just released a few minutes ago the a new version of their Absinthe jailbreak tool for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 devices, bringing support for the Linux platform. 
 

Image comment: Absinthe Jailbreak tool under Ubuntu 11.10

Until now, the Absinthe untethered jailbreak utility for Apple A5 devices had support only for thr Mac and Windows operating systems, but starting with version 0.3 Absinthe also supports Linux.

Absinthe has support for the following iOS devices and firmwares: iPhone 4S running iOS 5.0 and 5.0.1 (9A405 and 9A406) and iPad 2 Wi-Fi/GSM/CDMA running iOS 5.0.1.

Absinthe for Linux is distributed under a tar archive with binaries for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. We've tested it under Ubuntu 11.10 (amd64) and it works fine (see image above).

Before starting any jailbreak, please make a backup of your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 device! Download Absinthe 0.3 for Linux right now from here.

image: softpedia

Download HWiNFO 3.92.1500

Download HWiNFO 3.92.1500

A new release for HWiNFO is now available for download, for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. The new build adds a few new things, which are not necessarily related to hardware support but the inherent functionality of the application.

For instance, the graph position can now be preserved and there is a button that lets you reset the minimum and maximum values in sensors.

As for new hardware, HWiNFO 3.95.1500 adds recognition of Intel Knights Corner, support for SMSC SCH5327 sensor monitoring and Nuvoton NCT6779D LPC/HW monitor. On the same note, it improves support for AMD Southern Islands and London series (clock, config, sensors).

General sensor monitoring has also been improved in terms of performance and reliability.

Furthermore, this version of the application increases IPMI support and adds reporting of Firmware Version Information (BIOS, OROM, Reference Code) under SMBIOS/DMI, if BIOS supports it.

Download HWiNFO32; portable version here

Download HWiNFO64; portable version here

Free Download ArtistX 1.2

ArtistX 1.2, a Ubuntu-based distribution that aims to enable artists and creators from a number of fields to work via a live and free environment, has just been released. 

ArtistX 1.2 has been in development for more than ten years and now it has moved from Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) to Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot).

This particular distribution was created with Relinux software for Live DVDs and has Linux kernel 3.0.0.

ArtistX 1.2 also features two different desktop environments, GNOME 3 and KDE SC 4.7, and about 2500 software packages.

Unlike other Ubuntu-based distributions, it doesn't feature Unity. According to the developer, there isn't a password for Sudo and installation; users just need to press enter.

Many audio editing and creation tools are included as well as tools for 2D and 3D graphics. Finally, video editing software is available on the Live DVD as well.

Download ArtistX 1.2

Canonical Removes Java from Ubuntu on February 16

As announced last month, Canonical is preparing to remove the Sun JDK (Java Development Kit) packages from the software repositories, starting with February 16th, 2012, affecting Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Ubuntu 10.10 and Ubuntu 11.04.

Users should not be worried, as Canonical will NOT remove the Java packages from their systems! They will be removed ONLY from the software repository and no future updates will be applied to them.

However, for new installations, the Sun JDK packages will no longer be available, as they will be removed from the partner archive.

"In accordance with our previous announcement, we will be removing the Sun JDK packages from the partner archive on February 16th 2012. In order to prevent unexpected failures, we will not be pushing out empty packages before removing them from the archive." - said Marc Deslauriers in the announcement.

Canonical encourages all Sun Java 6 users to migrate as soon as possible an alternative solution, such as OpenJDK or by downloading Oracle Java.

iPad 2 iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Officially Revealed

Captioning this image (left) with a terse “No more to say!”, French hacker Pod2g is officially unveiling his iPad 2 jailbreak to the world. Owners of a second-generation Apple tablet, as well as those owning an iPhone 4S, have very little to wait for a public release.

Earlier this week, the infamous Pod2g released a YouTube video demonstrating his iPhone 4S untethered jailbreak. A5 devices like the 4S and the iPad 2 are yet to get an official jailbreak from the popular Dev Teams, but progress has been made each day.

This time around, Pod2g is proud to show off his iPad 2 jailbreak via an image that features a white, second-generation iPad displaying Cydia on its 9.7-inch screen.

In a blog post dated January 16, 2012, Pod2g wrote “Only a few to wait now,” referring to the public release of his untethered iOS 5.0.1 jailbreak for A5 devices.

Rogue iOS fans have been encouraged by the hackers to update their A5-based iOS devices to iOS 5.0.1 in anticipation of the untether.

According to BigBoss (via Cultofmac), “Apple is due to release 5.1 soon. When that happens, they will stop signing 5.0.1. This means you will only be able to restore to 5.1. 5.1 breaks the upcoming jailbreak. If you are currently a 4s owner or an ipad 2 owner, you will want to get your device to 5.0.1 ASAP.”

“This way when the jailbreak is released, you will be able to use it. If you do not restore to 5.0.1 now, in a few days when 5.1 is out, you may never be able to get from 5.0 to 5.0.1 and only option will be to wait again,” reads the notice.

Editor’s note
Not sure if iOS 5.1 is so close, but the thing about breaking the upcoming hack should hold water. Apple never misses an opportunity to patch up the holes.

Apple Discontinues Printer Rebate Program for Mac Buyers

People working in the Apple retail environment are signaling that Cupertino has discontinued the annual $100 printer rebate promotion for new Mac purchases.

There is no formal announcement regarding the ending of this promotion, nor should there be, as Apple reserves the right to discontinue such offers without notice.

The company’s retail staff, however, has been handed a formal notice (via MacRumors):

Printer Rebates Ending on January 17

Effective Tuesday, January 17, the printer rebate will no longer be offered.

Monday, January 16 will be the last day customers can get a rebate on a qualifying printer when purchased with a Mac. Customers will have 90 days from the date of purchase to submit rebate claims. An additional 30 days will be given to correct invalid claims.

The Apple Retail Store and the Apple Online Store will continue to sell printers, albeit without a rebate offer.

U.S. and CA only: Wednesday, May 16 is the last day the online Apple Rebate Tool will be available to submit rebates. Customers should submit their claims according to the terms of the promotion.

Sadly, the news didn’t get leaked in good time for people to pick up on the offer while they still had a chance.

The promo continues to be featured on Apple’s web site, where the company states that you can buy any Mac and a qualifying printer through January 16, 2012, and receive a rebate of up to $100.

The terms and conditions of the deal also specifically mention that you can benefit from this offer only if you “purchase an Apple computer and a qualifying printer through January 16, 2012, from the U.S. Apple Online Store or Apple’s U.S. retail stores.”

For those who managed to apply for a free printer before the deal got discontinued, Apple offers a page where they can check the rebate status.