Kontron announced a PC/104-Plus board designed for headless devices, featuring a 1.0GHz AMD T24L processor. The Microspace MSM-eO-N accepts up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, has two onboard SATA ports, includes gigabit Ethernet, has a bootable microSD slot, and offers both PCI and ISA expansion, the company says.

In its statement announcing the Microspace MSM-eO-N, Kontron noted that modern, highly integrated x86 processors combine a CPU and graphics processing unit (GPU) on a single chip. While this is great for customers who actually want graphics, it increases cost and lowers thermal efficiency for headless applications, the company added.

Accordingly, Kontron says, it has designed its latest PC/104-Plus board without a GPU. The device is said to be "ideal for fanless small form factor (SFF) designs that run purely as number crunchers," with applications including industrial automation and smart grids

Kontron introduced a related PC-104-Plus SBC (single board computer) back in May, the Microspace MSM-e0 . That device used the AMD G-Series T44R, a single-core CPU with a 1.2 clock speed, Radeon HD6250 graphics, and a nine-Watt TDP.

Kontron's Microspace MSM-e0-N
(Click to enlarge)

The new Microspace MSM-e0-N employs AMD's A55E I/O controller, as did the earlier SBC, but it switches to one of the chipmaker's "headless" G-Series variants . Specifically, the SBC employs the 1.0GHz T24L, which has no GPU but offers a TDP of just five Watts.

Apart from the deleted graphics circuitry, the Microspace MSM-e0-N is basically the same as the earlier Microspace MSM-e0, though Kontron cites one Ethernet port for the newer model instead of the earlier two. Again, there's PCI (4 slots, 33MHz) and ISA expansion via the PCI/104-Plus connector, according to the company.

Kontron says the Microspace MSM-eO-N accepts up to 4GB of DDR3 memory via a single DIMM slot. The device includes a bootable microSD slot and has two onboard SATA ports, with support for RAID levels 0 and 1, the company adds.

Headers provide access to four serial ports (two RS232, two TTL), four USB 2.0 ports, and eight configurable GPIOs, according to Kontron. The audio capabilities (line out, line out, S/PDIF out) of the earlier MSM-e0 have been dropped, however.

Specifications listed by Kontron for the Microspace MSM-eO-N:

Processor -- 1.0GHz, single-core AMD T24L Chipset -- AMD A55E Memory -- up to 4GB DDR3 via single SODIMM Storage -- bootable microSD slot; 2 x SATA Expansion -- PC/104-Plus (ISA and PCI) Networking -- 1 x gigabit Ethernet Other I/O: 2 x RS232 2 x TTL 4 x USB 2.0 8 x GPIO Power requirements -- n/s Operating range -- 32 to 140 deg. F Dimensions -- 4 x 3.54 inches Operating system support -- Linux, Windows, and VxWorks Further information

According to Kontron, the Microspace MSM-eO-N is available now. More information may be found on the Microspace MSM-eO-N product page .

Jonathan Angel can be followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense .

The OpenSUSE project released version 12.1 of its enterprise-focused Linux distribution, featuring Linux 3.1, GNOME 3.2 and support for KDE's "OwnCloud" cloud platform. OpenSUSE 12.1 introduces the SystemD configuration utility and Google's Go programming language, and further integrates the Btrfs file-system with a "Snapper" tool for rolling back system updates and configuration changes.

A bare-bones beta of OpenSUSE 12.1 was released in early October, with the primary purpose of giving OpenSUSE developers a chance to get better acquainted with GNOME 3.2. According to the community project -- which is closely backed by Attachmate and its new SUSE (formerly Novell) business unit as an upstream contributor to SUSE Linux -- GNOME 3.2 is a major improvement over the controversial GNOME 3.0. (The latter shipped as a preview version in the previous OpenSUSE 11.4 release in March.)

OpenSUSE 12.1 showing video player in GNOME 3.2
(Click to enlarge)

With GNOME 3.2n OpenSUSE offers "deeper integration of collaboration tools such as calendar notifications, chat and a centralized online accounts configuration," says the OpenSUSE project. "The UI elements and workflows are touch-screen friendly, equipped to handle smaller screens, multi-screen setups and automatic rotation for touch screen devices." Other touted GNOME 3.2 features are said to include a new document manager, as well as quick preview in the Nautilus file manager.

OpenSUSE 12.1 with GNOME 3.2
(Click to enlarge)

Other recent Linux distros, including Fedora 16 and Linux Mint 12 , have also adopted GNOME 3.2. However, due to continuing discomfort with the radical new interface, Mint 12 is offered with extensions that let users customize the environment to look and act more like the familiar GNOME 2.3.2.

KDE also supplied

OpenSUSE 12.1 also supplies the long-time GNOME desktop rival KDE 4.7, and the distro is touted for being the "first major Linux distribution" to ship both GNOME and KDE with color management tools. In the case of KDE, these are the new KolorManager + Oyranos color tools, says the project.

Other new features in KDE 4.7 are said to include the introduction of the Apper software manager, as well as a new Plasma Active tablet interface. OpenSUSE 12.1 also provides lightweight desktop alternatives in Xfce and LXDE, although neither has seen a major feature update since OpenSUSE 11.4, says the project.

KDE 4.7 activities menu in OpenSUSE 12.1
(Click to enlarge)

OpenSUSE 12.1 debuts a Snapper tool that builds on the snapshot functionality in the now fully supported Btrfs file-system to let users view older versions of files and revert changes. Snapper is integrated into OpenSUSE's Zypper package manager to let users roll back system updates and configuration changes, says the project.

Like Fedora 16, OpenSUSE 12.1 fully implements Systemd as the new init configuration tool, controlling and speeding up the boot process, according to the project. Noted features of Systemd are said to include a "powerful" socket- and bus- activated service system, as well as tight integration with the Cgroups kernel feature, providing better security and control over processes.

Interestingly, SystemD was said to have been "developed in close cooperation with fellow Linux Distribution Fedora," showing that community rivals can still get along despite the more fierce competition among their backers: SUSE and Red Hat, respectively.

All systems Go with new Google language

The new release is also the first major distribution to ship Google's open source Go programming language , says the project. Touted for being fast and easy-to-use, Go is said to be optimized for working with multicore, networked machines, and providing easier development of garbage collection and run-time reflection code.

OpenSUSE 12.1 also adds Google's Chromium 16 to the standard repositories as an alternative web browser to the default Firefox 7. The latest version of the LibreOffice productivity suite and Thunderbird email client are also said to be available among other apps. In addition, with OpenSUSE 12.1, the Tumbleweed rolling-update version of the distro now contains the latest stable versions of all OpenSUSE software, says the project.

OwnCloud support leads cloud enhancements

Designed for both desktop and server use, OpenSUSE 12.1 is built on the latest Linux 3.1 kernel. This makes the distro "even more versatile and extensible for supporting mixed IT environments including public and private clouds," says the OpenSUSE project.

The project also puts in a plug for SUSE's SUSE Studio web-based appliance-building service. SUSE Studio can be used to develop different versions of OpenSUSE 12.1 with custom package selections, artwork, and scripts, for deployment to Amazon EC2 and other cloud platforms, says the project.

OpenSUSE 12.1 is said to be the first Linux distribution to support the KDE-backed OwnCloud cloud platform. In fact, the project has developed its own Mirall desktop integration application designed expressly for the open source OwnCloud. The cloud platform is said to offer an easy web interface suitable for home users, while posing minimal server requirements.

OpenSUSE also supports the latest versions of the Eucalyptus, OpenNebula, and OpenStack cloud platforms, says the project. Virtualization updates are said to include new virt-manager and open-vm-tools that support Xen 4.1, KVM, and VirtualBox.

Stated Bryen Yunahsko, member of the OpenSUSE Board and SUSE marketing lead, "We're standing on the shoulders of the gigantic open source community. I would not be surprised if openSUSE's latest update has over 300,000 improvements that resulted from efforts in the open source community."

Availability

OpenSUSE 12.1 is available now for free download in its final stable version at the OpenSUSE 12.1 download page . More information on OpenSUSE 12.1 may be found in this SUSE announcement , as well as this very similar OpenSUSE announcement on LWN.net , and even more can be found in this OpenSUSE 12.1 feature overview .

O'Reilly Media has published a book on embedded system development. Elicia White's 328-page "Making Embedded Systems" ranges from embedded controllers and sensors to more advanced systems, provides the basics of good development practices, and a encourages a disciplined approach to programming in an environment where "inefficiency isn't tolerated," says the publisher.

"Making Embedded Systems" offers fundamentals and tips on developing software for embedded systems. The guidelines are based on "classic software design patterns and new patterns unique to embedded programming," says O'Reilly.

The book covers everything from developing digital watches and door locks to smartphones and nuclear power systems, says the publisher. Highlights are said to include:

optimizing systems to reduce cost and increase performance developing a robust architecture for resource-constrained environments exploring sensors, motors, and other I/O devices reducing RAM consumption, code space, processor cycles, and power consumption updating embedded code directly in the processor implementing complex mathematics on small processors preparing for an embedded systems job interview Other selected highlights from the table of contents (see link farther below for full list) include: creating system diagrams your processor is a language having a debugging toolbox (and a fire extinguisher) separating the hardware from the action the input in I/O scheduling and operating system basics how not to use interrupts onboard bootloader designing and modifying algorithms understanding power consumption putting the processor to sleep

Author Elicia White (pictured) is the founder of Logical Elegance, an embedded systems consulting company based in San Jose. White has created a wide variety of embedded systems ranging from urban surveillance and DNA scanners to children's toys, and is familiar with FAA and FDA certification processes, says O'Reilly.

Stated White, "Embedded systems are where the software meets the physical world. Writing software for these things is more difficult than computer software because the systems have so few resources. Instead of building better software, the trend has been to allow a cowboy mentality of just getting it done. We can do better than that. We must do better than that."

Availability

O'Reilly Media's 328-page"Making Embedded Systems," by Elicia White, is available now. Pricing is $40, or $32 for the ebook version. More information may be found on O'Reilly's Making Embedded Systems web page .

The following two security updates has been released for Gentoo Linux: [ GLSA 201111-03 ] OpenTTD: Multiple vulnerabilities and [ GLSA 201111-04 ] phpDocumentor: Function call injection [ GLSA 201111-03 ] OpenTTD: Multiple vulnerabilities - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gentoo Linux Security Advisory GLSA 201111-03 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - http://security.gentoo.org/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Severity: High Title: OpenTTD: Multiple vulnerabilities Date: November 11, 2011 Bugs: #381799 ID: 201111-03 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Synopsis ======== Multiple vulnerabilities were found in OpenTTD which could lead to execution of arbitrary code, a Denial of Service, or privilege escalation. Background ========== OpenTTD is a clone of Transport Tycoon Deluxe. Affected packages ================= ------------------------------------------------------------------- Package / Vulnerable / Unaffected ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 games-simulation/openttd < 1.1.3 > = 1.1.3 Description =========== Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in OpenTTD. Please review the CVE identifiers referenced below for details. Impact ====== A remote attacker could execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the OpenTTD process or cause a Denial of Service. Local users could cause a Denial of Service. Workaround ========== There is no known workaround at this time. Resolution ========== All OpenTTD users should upgrade to the latest version: # emerge --sync # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose "> =games-simulation/openttd-1.1.3" NOTE: This is a legacy GLSA. Updates for all affected architectures are available since September 27, 2011. It is likely that your system is already no longer affected by this issue. References ========== [ 1 ] CVE-2010-4168 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4168 [ 2 ] CVE-2011-3341 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3341 [ 3 ] CVE-2011-3342 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3342 [ 4 ] CVE-2011-3343 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3343 Availability ============ This GLSA and any updates to it are available for viewing at the Gentoo Security Website: http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201111-03.xml Concerns? ========= Security is a primary focus of Gentoo Linux and ensuring the confidentiality and security of our users' machines is of utmost importance to us. Any security concerns should be addressed to security@gentoo.org or alternatively, you may file a bug at https://bugs.gentoo.org. License ======= Copyright 2011 Gentoo Foundation, Inc; referenced text belongs to its owner(s). The contents of this document are licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution / Share Alike license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5

36 updates has been released for CentOS
[CentOS-announce] CEBA-2011:1443 CentOS 5 x86_64 mktemp FASTTRACK Update CentOS Errata and Bugfix Advisory 2011:1443 Upstream details at : http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2011-1443.html The following updated files have been uploaded and are currently syncing to the mirrors: ( md5sum Filename ) x86_64: 61443c59583339251051fa3e6c214fe9 mktemp-1.5-24.el5.x86_64.rpm Source: 405b59bf4b089a534dc478a415397290 mktemp-1.5-24.el5.src.rpm

Adobe has released patches for a string of critical vulnerabilities in Flash on all of the major supported platforms
From Threatpost: The update to Flash fixes 12 vulnerabilities, including a number of memory corruption vulnerabilities, stack overflows and heap corruption bugs. All but one of the flaws could lead to remote code execution, and the remaining one which only affects Flash on Internet Explorer, could result in a cross-domain policy bypass. "Critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Flash Player 11.0.1.152 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris, and Adobe Flash Player 11.0.1.153 and earlier versions for Android. These vulnerabilities could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system," the company said in its advisory.

Win Enterprises announced a fanless, 9.4 x 6.0 x 1.6-inch networking security appliance based on Freescale QorIQ P1015E or dual-core P1024E processors clocked from 400 to667MHz. The PL-80380 offers up to 1GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 4GB flash, a CompactFlash socket, dual gigabit Ethernet ports and four gigabit switch ports, plus optional SATA storage and Wi-Fi.

The PL-80380 is the latest in a series of PL-branded networking appliances from Win Enterprises. Recent entries have included the Atom-based, 1U rackmount PL-80300 and rugged, Atom-based PL-80190 .

Designed primarily for the SOHO (small office, home office) market, the PL-80380 lacks PL-80300 features such as multiple PCI and PCI Express options, multiple USB ports, or an LCD display. However, it measures just 9.4 x 6.0 x 1.6 inches, about half the size of its Atom-based sibling.

Win Enterprises PL-80380

The PL-80380 incorporates Freescale's PowerPC based, single-core QorIQ P1015E or dual-core QorIQ P1024E processor. These new variants of the lower-end QorIQ P1010 and P1020 line of QorIQs are paired on a single Freescale product page and data sheet .

Freescale touts the processors for their power management, DDR3 support, and integrated security engine. The latter is said to support cryptographic algorithms commonly used in IPsec, SSL, 3GPP, and other networking and wireless security protocols.

Block diagram for single-core QorIQ P1015E and dual-core QorIQ P1024E
(Click to enlarge)

The two QorIQ system on chips (SoCs) appear to be identical except for the number of cores. Both can be clocked between 400MHz and 667MHz, and ship with 256KB of L2 cache with ECC, says Freescale. The SoCs feature three gigabit Ethernet controllers, four SerDes controllers, and dual USB controllers, among other I/O.

The PL-80380 offers a base level of 512MB of DDR3 memory, upgradable to 1GB, and provides 1GB of NAND flash, expandable to 4GB, says Win Enterprises. A CompactFlash socket is standard, and an internal SATA port is optional along with a hard disk drive (HDD) for the available 2.5-inch bay, says the company.

PL-80380, back panel

A Mini PCI Express slot is optional, as is the Wi-Fi module that plugs into it, says Win Enterprises. The Wi-Fi option comes with dual antennas.

The PL-80380 ships with dual gigabit Ethernet LAN ports with bypass function, as well as four Ethernet gigabit Ethernet switch ports, says the company. Each Ethernet interface is paired with an LED indicator for monitoring activity and data transfer rate. Other back-panel I/O includes a USB 2.0 port and serial console port.

PL-80380 detail
(Click to enlarge)

No operating system support is listed for the PL-80380, but Freescale's QorIQ processors all offer Linux support.

Features and specifications listed for the PL-80380 include:

Processor -- Freescale QorIQ P1015E or P1024E Memory: 512MB of DDR3 677MHz RAM, expandable to 1GB 1MB SPI flash, expandable to 8MB 32MB NOR flash 1GB NAND flash, expandable to 4GB Storage -- CompactFlash socket; optional SATA port and 2.5-inch HDD bay Expansion -- optional internal mini-PCI Express slot Networking -- 2 x gigabit Ethernet ports (one pair bypass between LAN1 and LAN2) ; 4 x gigabit Ethernet switch ports Wireless -- optional Wi-Fi with 2 x antennas Other I/O -- serial RJ45 port (COM1); USB 2.0 port Other features -- LEDs (power, HDD, bypass, WLAN, 6 x LAN) Dimensions -- 9.4 x 6.0 x 1.6 inches (240 x 152 x 40mm) Power -- 25W power adaptor (+5V/5A); optional +12V DC in Operating temperature -- 32 to 104 deg. F (0 to 40 deg. C) Availability

No pricing or availability information was available for the PL-80380. More information may be found at Win Enterprises' PL-80380 product page .

Republic Wireless announced a contract-free cellular plan that offers unlimited text, data, and voice for $19/month. The service requires a customized LG Optimus Android 2.3 phone ($199 with one free month of service) that switches automatically to Wi-Fi connectivity whenever it's available, according to the company.

VoIP backbone provider Bandwidth.com's Republic Wireless venture has gone live in beta mode, adopting a limited number of new customers until the service matures. TechCrunch, which broke the news on the stealth venture last week, has a follow-up story that offers further details.

Republic Wireless' LG Optimus phone with pointer indicating a green arc icon that shows Wi-Fi usage

The hybrid calling service uses a version of Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology. This is bundled in some T-Mobile BlackBerry and Android phones, including the T-Mobile MyTouch and Motorola Defy, but with much higher fees, according to a story in GigaOM .

Republic Wireless' UMA-based hybrid calling service automatically switches users to Wi-Fi whenever available. It then supports voice calls with VoIP technology, and IM with IP texting over Wi-Fi. Otherwise, the phone switches automatically to Sprint's 3G network.

Theoretically, the Voice over Wi-Fi service could provide better voice quality, depending on one's Sprint 3G coverage. The key benefit, though, is that Wi-Fi is generally free or cheap, and Republic Wireless pushes those cost savings on to the user. The $19 a month plan includes unlimited voice, text, and data in the U.S. with no overages, roaming, or termination fees, let alone contracts, says Republic Wireless.

According to Republic Wireless, its first phone is a modified version of an LG Optimus running Android 2.3. This would appear to be the original 3.8-inch, 1GHz Optimus One (pictured) as opposed to Sprint's 3.2-inch LG Optimus S .

The Optimus costs $199 without contract and includes one month of free service, after which the service costs $19 per month. A discounted price of $99 for the first month is available through Nov. 27.

The catch for both the regular or discounted plan is that Republic Wireless reserves the right to kick off any user who rarely uses Wi-Fi, says the company. Users must prove that a Wi-Fi connection is available to their phones, but they won't be disqualified unless they exceed at least 550 talk minutes, 150 texts, and 300MB of downloads per month over cellular, according to the company.

Users will be warned and given a chance to correct their usage patterns before they are booted off the network, says the company. Users can monitor usage with the help of a green icon in the shape of an arc that flips on when using Wi-Fi. This is much the same as the "eco" icons on hybrid cars.

One other catch for some is that there's no support for international networks as of now, but the company suggests this may change in the future. Also in the future, says TechCrunch, is a version of the Samsung Galaxy S II .

Availability

The Republic Wireless service with hybrid calling using the LG Optimus phone is available now in beta. Users are encouraged to sign up now for the service, which costs $199 the first month, including the phone, and then $19 a month after that. Within the first month, users can get a money-back guarantee, says the company.

A discounted price of $99 for the first month is available through Nov. 27 for users entering the "welcome19" promo code. More information may be found at the Republic Wireless site .

Advantech announced a 4.5 x 3.7-inch ETX module that comes with Intel's single-core Atom N455 or dual-core Atom D525, plus up to 4GB of DDR3 memory. The "SOM-4463 B1" includes two SATA ports, support for VGA and LVDS displays, four USB 2.0 ports, plus PCI and ISA expansion potential, the company says.

Advantech's SOM-4463 B1 (pictured) is an ETX 3.0 module that's designed to snap onto separately available baseboards. It's an upgrade to the company's original SOM-4463 , released in January 2010 as part of a bevy of devices with Intel's then-new "Pineview" Atoms, the single-core N450 and dual-core D510 .

The changes here frankly aren't major, but Advantech has switched to the later Atom N455 (1.66GHz, single core, 5.5-Watt TDP) or D525 (1.88GHz, dual core, 13-Watt TDP), still with Intel's ICH8M I/O controller. This means the module can now employ DDR3 memory -- 2GB of it on the N455 model and 4GB on the D525 version.

A block diagram of Advantech's SOM-4463 B1
(Click to enlarge)

As before, the module includes two SATA ports, but all other interfaces travel through the usual ETX board-to-board pins. Expansion potential includes four PCI masters as well as ISA, and there are two IDE interfaces, according to Advantech.

Advantech says the SOM-4463 B1 can support dual displays: It offers 18/24-bit single-channel LVDS, plus VGA (up to 1400 x 1050 pixels with the N455, 2048 x 1536 pixels with the D525). Also on board are gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, 1-bit GPIO, two serial ports, HD audio, and a floppy/LPT interface, the company adds.

According to Advantech, the SOM-4463 B1 supports Linux, Windows CE 6.0, Windows XP Embedded, and QNX operating systems. Operating range is from 32 to 140 deg. F, says the company.

Specifications listed by Advantech for the SOM-4463 B1 include:

Intel Atom N455 or D525 Chipset -- ICH8M Memory -- up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM on N455 model, 4GB on D525 model Storage -- 2 x SATA ports; 2 x IDE interfaces Networking -- gigabit Ethernet Other I/O: 4 x USB 2.0 ports 1-bit GPIO 2 x COM ports 1 x FDD/LPT Power -- ATX, AT; 5VDC Operating range -- 32 to 140 deg. F Dimensions -- 4.5 x 3.74 inches A note about ETX

ETX was originally developed by Kontron, which later switched to the 4.92 x 3.75-inch ETXexpress format, the basis of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) COM Express standard. Congatec, meanwhile, moved forward with its 2005 XTX (eXpress Technology for ETX) standard: This maintains the same four baseboard connector types and locations as ETX, but replaces the ISA bus on the "X2" connector with four PCI Express lanes, four Serial ATA ports, two additional USB ports, and the Low Pin Count (LPC) bus.

Congatec gained adherents such as Ampro, but it's fair to say things have been pretty quiet lately in both the ETX and XTX front. The last ETX module we covered was Congatech's AMD G-Series powered Conga-EAF , released last March.

Further information

Advantech's SOM-4463 B1 appears to be available now. More information on the module and compatible baseboards may be found on the SOM-4463 B1 product page .

Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense .

Ubuntu Geek shows you how to remove autohide option in unity on Ubuntu 11.10
By defauly unity does autohide and sometimes this is ver annoying you can disable using the following procedure First you need to install CompizConfig Settings Manager package using the following command from your terminal

The following CentOS 5 updates has been released: CEBA-2011:1425 CentOS 5 x86_64 libhbaapi FASTTRACK Update, CEBA-2011:1428 CentOS 5 i386 openais Update, CEBA-2011:1428 CentOS 5 x86_64 openais Update, CEBA-2011:1429 CentOS 5 i386 rsh Update, CEBA-2011:1429 CentOS 5 x86_64 rsh Update, and CEBA-2011:1425 CentOS 5 i386 libhbaapi FASTTRACK Update CentOS Errata and Bugfix Advisory 2011:1425 Upstream details at : http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2011-1425.html The following updated files have been uploaded and are currently syncing to the mirrors: ( md5sum Filename ) x86_64: 4a541edfb038fe2c08876cfed15c842a libhbaapi-2.2-6.el5.i386.rpm 96058c049788fd6b699ae2b7eef005a9 libhbaapi-2.2-6.el5.x86_64.rpm dbe1434f6a1ef4e57a2455c135088047 libhbaapi-devel-2.2-6.el5.i386.rpm c0e1219ebaa6f2016cbb22a93dafa872 libhbaapi-devel-2.2-6.el5.x86_64.rpm Source: 6896e6f69cc6046e25f76ea208138431 libhbaapi-2.2-6.el5.src.rpm

Updated Oracle JRE/JDK packages has been released for Gentoo Linux
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gentoo Linux Security Advisory GLSA 201111-02 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - http://security.gentoo.org/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Severity: Normal Title: Oracle JRE/JDK: Multiple vulnerabilities Date: November 05, 2011 Bugs: #340421, #354213, #370559, #387851 ID: 201111-02 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Synopsis ======== Multiple vulnerabilities have been found in the Oracle JRE/JDK, allowing attackers to cause unspecified impact. Background ========== The Oracle Java Development Kit (JDK) (formerly known as Sun JDK) and the Oracle Java Runtime Environment (JRE) (formerly known as Sun JRE) provide the Oracle Java platform (formerly known as Sun Java Platform). Affected packages ================= ------------------------------------------------------------------- Package / Vulnerable / Unaffected ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 dev-java/sun-jre-bin < 1.6.0.29 > = 1.6.0.29 * 2 app-emulation/emul-linux-x86-java < 1.6.0.29 > = 1.6.0.29 * 3 dev-java/sun-jdk < 1.6.0.29 > = 1.6.0.29 * ------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Packages marked with asterisks require manual intervention! ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 affected packages ------------------------------------------------------------------- Description =========== Multiple vulnerabilities have been reported in the Oracle Java implementation. Please review the CVE identifiers referenced below and the associated Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory for details. Impact ====== A remote attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities to cause unspecified impact, possibly including remote execution of arbitrary code. Workaround ========== There is no known workaround at this time. Resolution ========== All Oracle JDK 1.6 users should upgrade to the latest version: # emerge --sync # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose "> =dev-java/sun-jdk-1.6.0.29" All Oracle JRE 1.6 users should upgrade to the latest version: # emerge --sync # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose "> =dev-java/sun-jre-bin-1.6.0.29" All users of the precompiled 32-bit Oracle JRE 1.6 should upgrade to the latest version: # emerge --sync # emerge -a -1 -v "> =app-emulation/emul-linux-x86-java-1.6.0.29" NOTE: As Oracle has revoked the DLJ license for its Java implementation, the packages can no longer be updated automatically. This limitation is not present on a non-fetch restricted implementation such as dev-java/icedtea-bin. References ========== [ 1 ] CVE-2010-3541 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3541 [ 2 ] CVE-2010-3548 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3548 [ 3 ] CVE-2010-3549 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3549 [ 4 ] CVE-2010-3550 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3550 [ 5 ] CVE-2010-3551 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3551 [ 6 ] CVE-2010-3552 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3552 [ 7 ] CVE-2010-3553 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3553 [ 8 ] CVE-2010-3554 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3554 [ 9 ] CVE-2010-3555 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3555 [ 10 ] CVE-2010-3556 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3556 [ 11 ] CVE-2010-3557 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3557 [ 12 ] CVE-2010-3558 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3558 [ 13 ] CVE-2010-3559 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3559 [ 14 ] CVE-2010-3560 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3560 [ 15 ] CVE-2010-3561 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3561 [ 16 ] CVE-2010-3562 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3562 [ 17 ] CVE-2010-3563 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3563 [ 18 ] CVE-2010-3565 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3565 [ 19 ] CVE-2010-3566 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3566 [ 20 ] CVE-2010-3567 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3567 [ 21 ] CVE-2010-3568 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3568 [ 22 ] CVE-2010-3569 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3569 [ 23 ] CVE-2010-3570 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3570 [ 24 ] CVE-2010-3571 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3571 [ 25 ] CVE-2010-3572 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3572 [ 26 ] CVE-2010-3573 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3573 [ 27 ] CVE-2010-3574 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-3574 [ 28 ] CVE-2010-4422 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4422 [ 29 ] CVE-2010-4447 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4447 [ 30 ] CVE-2010-4448 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4448 [ 31 ] CVE-2010-4450 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4450 [ 32 ] CVE-2010-4451 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4451 [ 33 ] CVE-2010-4452 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4452 [ 34 ] CVE-2010-4454 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4454 [ 35 ] CVE-2010-4462 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4462 [ 36 ] CVE-2010-4463 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4463 [ 37 ] CVE-2010-4465 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4465 [ 38 ] CVE-2010-4466 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4466 [ 39 ] CVE-2010-4467 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4467 [ 40 ] CVE-2010-4468 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4468 [ 41 ] CVE-2010-4469 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4469 [ 42 ] CVE-2010-4470 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4470 [ 43 ] CVE-2010-4471 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4471 [ 44 ] CVE-2010-4472 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4472 [ 45 ] CVE-2010-4473 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4473 [ 46 ] CVE-2010-4474 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4474 [ 47 ] CVE-2010-4475 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4475 [ 48 ] CVE-2010-4476 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2010-4476 [ 49 ] CVE-2011-0802 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0802 [ 50 ] CVE-2011-0814 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0814 [ 51 ] CVE-2011-0815 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0815 [ 52 ] CVE-2011-0862 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0862 [ 53 ] CVE-2011-0863 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0863 [ 54 ] CVE-2011-0864 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0864 [ 55 ] CVE-2011-0865 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0865 [ 56 ] CVE-2011-0867 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0867 [ 57 ] CVE-2011-0868 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0868 [ 58 ] CVE-2011-0869 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0869 [ 59 ] CVE-2011-0871 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0871 [ 60 ] CVE-2011-0872 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0872 [ 61 ] CVE-2011-0873 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-0873 [ 62 ] CVE-2011-3389 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3389 [ 63 ] CVE-2011-3516 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3516 [ 64 ] CVE-2011-3521 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3521 [ 65 ] CVE-2011-3544 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3544 [ 66 ] CVE-2011-3545 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3545 [ 67 ] CVE-2011-3546 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3546 [ 68 ] CVE-2011-3547 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3547 [ 69 ] CVE-2011-3548 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3548 [ 70 ] CVE-2011-3549 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3549 [ 71 ] CVE-2011-3550 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3550 [ 72 ] CVE-2011-3551 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3551 [ 73 ] CVE-2011-3552 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3552 [ 74 ] CVE-2011-3553 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3553 [ 75 ] CVE-2011-3554 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3554 [ 76 ] CVE-2011-3555 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3555 [ 77 ] CVE-2011-3556 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3556 [ 78 ] CVE-2011-3557 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3557 [ 79 ] CVE-2011-3558 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3558 [ 80 ] CVE-2011-3560 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3560 [ 81 ] CVE-2011-3561 http://nvd.nist.gov/nvd.cfm?cvename=CVE-2011-3561 Availability ============ This GLSA and any updates to it are available for viewing at the Gentoo Security Website: http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201111-02.xml Concerns? ========= Security is a primary focus of Gentoo Linux and ensuring the confidentiality and security of our users' machines is of utmost importance to us. Any security concerns should be addressed to security@gentoo.org or alternatively, you may file a bug at https://bugs.gentoo.org. License ======= Copyright 2011 Gentoo Foundation, Inc; referenced text belongs to its owner(s). The contents of this document are licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution / Share Alike license.

The best of Zeth published a review on Ubuntu 11.10
Once upon a time, I used to be a Gentoo user and made it a hobby to tweak my computer's operating system to be as minimalist and high performance as possible. It was great fun and I learned a lot about what was going on with my computer. I knew what each file on my system did because I had directly or indirectly chosen for it to be there. At one point I had five Gentoo machines compiling away. In 2006, I found I didn't have time for this any more, especially since I wanted to spent time honing my programming skills, so I reluctantly decided to limit myself to one Gentoo machine, and for the others I would use Ubuntu in the most default configuration possible. The idea being that I can take any new (or old) computer, and within 20 minutes be completely productive, having installed Ubuntu and the extra packages I need within that time.

The following CentOS updates has been released: CEBA-2011:1420 CentOS 5 x86_64 xorg-x11-drv-sis Update, CEBA-2011:1420 CentOS 5 i386 xorg-x11-drv-sis Update, CEBA-2011:1416 CentOS 5 x86_64 libxml2 Update, CEBA-2011:1416 CentOS 5 i386 libxml2 Update, CEEA-2011:1410 CentOS 5 x86_64 tzdata Update, and CEEA-2011:1410 CentOS 5 i386 tzdata Update CEBA-2011:1420 CentOS 5 x86_64 xorg-x11-drv-sis Update CentOS Errata and Bugfix Advisory 2011:1420 Upstream details at : https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2011-1420.html The following updated files have been uploaded and are currently syncing to the mirrors: ( md5sum Filename ) x86_64: eec28ede0b25766232f8b900726bbcbe xorg-x11-drv-sis-0.9.1-7.3.el5_7.1.x86_64.rpm Source: ec2105a440b5ce22abe152e98653fcf0 xorg-x11-drv-sis-0.9.1-7.3.el5_7.1.src.rpm

Dotdeb has released Nginx 1.0.9 packages for Debian 5.0 and 6.0
Nginx 1.0.9 has just been released, bringing 12 bug fixes. The packages are now available on Dotdeb : for both Debian 6.0 “Squeeze” and 5.0 “Lenny”, for both amd64 and i386 architectures. Take a look at the full list of changes before upgrading.

Howtoforge posted a tutorial about installing Nginx on Ubuntu 11.10
Nginx (pronounced "engine x") is a free, open-source, high-performance HTTP server. Nginx is known for its stability, rich feature set, simple configuration, and low resource consumption. This tutorial shows how you can install Nginx on an Ubuntu 11.10 server with PHP5 support (through PHP-FPM) and MySQL support.

Partner announced a POS (point of sale) system that incorporates a 15-inch resistive touchscreen and an Intel Atom D525 processor. The SP-800 offers an aluminum body, 4GB of RAM and a 2.5-inch drive bay, a bevy of ports, plus optional peripherals that include an MSR (magnetic stripe reader), 2 x 20 customer display, smart card reader, and more.

Taiwan-based Partner says its all-in-one SP-800 includes an Intel Atom D525 processor (1.8GHz, dual-core, 10-Watt TDP), ICH8M I/O controller, and up to 4GB of DDR3 memory. The device is said to run most x86 operating systems, including Ubuntu and Fedora plus all the usual Windows flavors ( Windows Embedded POSReady 7 , Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 , and Windows Embedded for Point of Service ).

Partner's SP-800

The SP-800's aluminum housing is wall- or stand-mountable, according to Partner, and houses the device's main board, a 2.5-inch bay for SATA drives, and a 15-inch screen. The display offers restive touch capabilities and a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, according to Partner.

Like other POS-targeted PCs, the SP-800 offers a multitude of ports, though the company's data sheet didn't tip us off as to just where on the device they reside. Partner says there are four serial ports, two of which provide available 5/12VDC power, as well as an RJ11 port that provides 24VDC power to single or dual cash drawers.

Other more general-purpose ports include a VGA port, for a secondary monitor, a DB25 parallel port, an RJ45 Ethernet port (gigabit, we presume), a PS/2 port, and four USB 2.0 ports. Partner also listed the following optional peripherals, without saying how they interface to the SP-800:

a three-track magnetic stripe reader a 2 x 20 customer-facing character display a fingerprint scanner a smart card reader and an RFID reader According to Partner, the SP-800 accepts AC power ranging from 100 to 240 Volts via a 90-Watt adapter. Operating range is from 32 to 104 deg. F, the company adds.

Specifications listed by Partner for the SP-800 include:

Processor -- Intel Atom D525 clocked at 1.8GHz Chipset -- Intel ICH8M Memory -- up to 4GB of RAM via dual DIMM sockets Display -- 15-inch screen with resistive touch; 1024 x 768 pixel resolution Storage -- 2.5-inch bay for SATA drives Expansion -- Mini PCI Express slot Networking -- Ethernet port Other I/O: VGA port 4 x serial (2 offer optional 5/12VDC power) 1 x RJ11 cash drawer port (24VDC) 1 x PS/2 4 x USB 2.0 Power -- 120~240VAC via 90-Watt adapter Operating range -- 32 to 104 deg. F Dimensions -- 14.1 x 12.7 x 9.2 inches Weight -- n/s
A promotional video featuring Partner's SP-800
(click to play)

Further information

Partner did not cite pricing for the SP-800, but the device appears to be be available now. More information may be found on the SP-800 product page .

Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense .

Motorola Mobility and Verizon Wireless began selling the Droid Razr Android smartphone on pre-order for $300, with shipments promised by Nov. 10. Meanwhile, a 3.5-inch Motorola Fire XT Android smartphone was announced in Italy; Motorola Mobility announced strong third-quarter earnings of $3.3 billion; and more evidence piled up regarding an imminent release of two Motorola Xoom 2 tablets.

Motorola Mobility's Droid Razr smartphone was placed on pre-sale by Verizon Wireless for $300. When the Droid Razr was announced two weeks ago, billed as the world's thinnest 4G LTE smartphone, $300 was said to be the approximate price. Now -- unfortunately -- the high price is for real. And the Razr also requires a two-year contract and a smartphone data package. 

After that, the news gets better, as the Droid Razr (pictured) is not only super thin, at 5.14 x 2.71 x 0.28 inches (130.7 x 68.9 x 7.1mm), but it pushes the envelope on features. Housed in a Kevlar-reinforced case, the Razr features a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage, according to Motorola. It also offers a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen packing 960 x 540 pixels.

Other features include dual cameras, including an eight-megapixel model, plus a full range of wireless features, including 4G LTE. There's also a wide range of accessories including a new 14-inch Lapdock 500 Pro.

The device ships with Android 2.3.5, but Motorola was quick to announce that the Droid Razr will be updated to Android 4.0 by early 2012. Verizon is guaranteeing shipment no later than Nov. 10.

More thoughts on the Razr's chances against the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S II may be found in this Oct. 27 story by Clint Boulton in our sister publication eWEEK .

Motorola Fire XT

Motorola Mobility announced a Motorola Fire XT smartphone for the Italian market, selling for 199 euros ($282) without contract by the end of November. Following that, the phone is slated for other European and Asian markets. 

Housed in titanium, the phone runs Android 2.3 on an 800MHz processor, and is equipped with 512MB of RAM and a 2GB microSD card in a slot that holds up to 32GB, says Motorola. The 3.5-inch capacitive screen offers 480 x 320 resolution, says the company.

The Fire XT (pictured) is equipped with a five-megapixel rear-facing camera and a front-facing VGA webcam, and includes HSDPA/EDGE cellular support, as well as Wi-Fi and GPS. A 3.5mm audio jack and a 1540mAh battery with up to eight hour of talk time are also said to be available.

On the software front, the phone features a "Moto Switch" user interface that enables users to switch between friend and work-centric modes, says Motorola Mobility.

Mot earnings up in third quarter

Motorola Mobility reported strong third-quarter earnings of $3.3 billion, up 11 percent from third quarter 2010. Non-GAAP net earnings were listed at $0.12 per share, compared to net earnings of $0.13 per share in the third quarter of 2010. This beat analyst estimates, according to a report in BGR , and was due primarily to strong sales of the company’s Android-powered smartphones.

Revenue from device sales in the third quarter totaled $2.4 billion, up 20 percent year-over-year, says Motorola. Some 11.6 million devices were shipped during the quarter, including 4.8 million smartphones (but just 100,000 Xoom tablets ). Motorola shipped 400,000 Xoom tablets in the second quarter and 250,000 units in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, CEO Sanjay Jha announced that the company continues to make progress toward closing its acquisition by Google .

Xoom 2 tablets coming soon

The Xoom tablet may not have been a huge success for Motorola Mobility, hampered due to a high price and a buggy Android 3.0 operating system, among other issues, but Motorola is expected to soon unveil two "Xoom 2" models to try, try again.

After Droid-Life released some images of one of the alleged Xoom 2 models back in September, the publication in early October found them again in a Verizon database , listed as the Pasteur (MZ617) and Fleming (MZ609).

Now, Droid-Life has discovered another Verizon listing of the tablets, this time listed with "4G branding and storage size." The MZ617 is the flagship 10.1-inch version, listed with up to 64GB of storage while the MZ609 is a smaller "media edition" of the Xoom 2 with up to 32GB, says the story.

PC Perspective posted a review on the Samsung Galaxy S II Android Smartphone
Our first look at the Galaxy S II out of its retail packaging was a mix of emotions. While I liked the size of the display and the layout of the volume controls, power button, and USB port, the quality of the materials used on this device felt a bit flimsy and cheap for my taste. I've been using a T-Mobile G2 smartphone for more than a year now, and it is built like an indestructable tank compared to the Galaxy S II. The thin dimensions are quite impressive at 9.4 millimeters, but the overall feel of the phone didn't give me any confidence that it could survive minor drops or other accidents during normal everyday use.

Xilinx launched an open source Linux platform and developer community for its Zynq-7000 Extensible Processing Platform (EPP), which combines a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor and a 28nm FPGA. The Zynq-7000 EPP Linux Solution offers GNU toolchain, runtime libraries, and debuggers, plus options including a Virtual Platform hardware emulator based on Cadence VSP.

The Zynq-7000 EPP Linux development platform is equipped with a GNU toolchain, including C/C++ compilers, says long-time FPGA (field programmable gate array ) leader Xilinx. Also available are NEON optimized runtime libraries, debuggers, and a QEMU system model for emulation, says the company.

An Eclipse environment-based tool suite is included, as well as an optional Xilinx ISE Design Suite for embedded hardware design on the FPGA. A new developer website and community, meanwhile, offers a GIT Linux source distribution, a Wiki, and forums.

Xilinx has also expanded its Linux support for the Zynq-7000 EPP system on chip (SoC), which was previously available only in a limited early access program launched in April, a month after the SoC was announced (see farther below for more details).

New tools are said to include the optional ARM Development Studio 5 (DS-5) toolchain. The latest version of DS-5 adds "seamless" multicore debug and trace on Cortex-A9 processors, as well as system-wide performance analysis of Linux software stacks, says the company.

According to Xilinx, more than 60 percent of its Zynq-7000 EPP early access customers expressed interest in using Linux as their primary OS. Of those, 80 percent said they were planning to use an open source Linux distribution.

Cadence Xilinx EPP Emulation

A Cadence-designed Xilinx EPP Emulation platform, previously available to some selected early access developers, is now offered more widely via a newly launched Virtual Platform Early Access program, says Xilinx. This will open to a broader customer base by the end of this year, says the company.

The emulator provides a complete hardware model of the Zynq-7000 EPP, including the ARM MPCore processor system and programmable logic resources, says Xilinx. Xilinx EPP Emulation is said to be based on Cadence Virtual System Platform (VSP), part of the Cadence System Development Suite.

The virtual platform provides a functionally accurate model of the Zynq-7000 EPP processor system, its peripherals, memory and I/O, capable of booting Linux and other operating systems, says Xilinx. Developers can extend the virtual platform using transaction-level models (TLM) to support custom devices that will "ultimately be instantiated within the Zynq-7000 device's programmable logic," says Xilinx.

PetaLogix SDK Zynq Edition

In addition to the Xilinx open source toolsuite for the Zynq-7000, as well as the ARM DS-5 for Zynq-7000 and the Cadence Xilinx EPP Emulation platform, Xilinx is making available a commercially-supported Linux distribution from Xilinx Alliance Program member PetaLogix . This System Development Kit (SDK) Zynq Edition supports all phases of embedded design flow, and integrates with the Xilinx Embedded Development Kit for hardware design entry and implementation, says Xilinx.

Based on the PetaLinux distro, the SDK Zynq Edition is said to include a Linux kernel, standard libraries and applications, a system image builder, and custom application and device driver templates. Also provided is a QEMU-based dynamic virtual Zynq platform for prototyping.

Zynq-7000 EPP background

The Zynq-7000 EPP line of SoCs was announced in early March, targeting high-end markets such as video surveillance, automotive driver assistance, and factory automation, among others. Xilinx first announced its plans for EPP architecture SoCs in May 2010, following an initial partnership agreement with ARM in Oct. 2009. The processor is one of the first tight integrations of ARM Cortex and FPGA technology, a segment dominated by Xilinx.

Zynq-7000 block diagram
(Click to enlarge)

PowerPC-based processors have been used in FPGA products such as the company's Virtex-II Pro, Virtex-4 FX, and Virtex-5 FXT, along with IBM's Core Connect bus. However, the Zynq-7000 is the first FPGA/application processor hybrid that boots at power-up and can run a variety of operating systems independent of the programmable logic, says Xilinx. The processing system then configures the programmable logic on an as needed basis.

The Zynq-7000 SoCs incorporate dual-core Cortex-A9 cores with 32KB/32KB L1 and 512KB L2 caches, plus 256KB memory on-chip. A variety of memory controllers including DDR3 and NAND flash are also provided.

The Zynq-7000 family's programmable logic is based on Xilinx's latest "7 series" FPGA architecture [PDF] . The FPGA technology offers "massive parallel processing to handle large amounts of data across a wide range of signal processing applications," says Xilinx.

Devices in the Zynq-7000 family include the Zynq-7010 and Zynq-7020 -- each based on Xilinx' Artix-7 FPGA family, which is optimized for low-cost and low power, says the company. The larger Zynq-7030 and Zynq-7040 SoCs incorporate the more powerful Kintex-7 FPGAs and include between four and 12 10.3Gbps transceiver channels, plus a PCI Express Gen2 block for high-speed off-chip connectivity.

A high-bandwidth AMBA4 "Advanced Extensible Interface" (AXI4) interconnect between the processing system and the programmable logic, enables multi-gigabit data transfers at very low power, says Xilinx. (For more details, charts, and a spec list, see our previous Zynq-7000 coverage .)

Stated Lawrence Getman, vice president of Processing Platforms at Xilinx, "The Cadence/Xilinx solution takes embedded software development to a whole new level by mapping it to the Zynq-7000 family's unique extensibility without the need for any hardware other than the designers' workstation."

Stated John Williams, PetaLogix Founder and CEO, "PetaLinux SDK is the only Embedded Linux distribution specifically targeting FPGA-based system-on-chip designs. The company is focused exclusively on Xilinx FPGA-based Embedded Linux platforms."

Availability

The open source Zynq-7000 EPP Linux Solution is available now, with more information available at the new Zynq-7000 community site . The extensible Virtual Platform Early Access program has begun and will open to a broader customer base by the end of this year, and to general availability in Q1 2012. More information may be found on the Xilinx Virtual Platform page , as well as at this Cadence Zynq page .

First silicon devices based on the Xilinx Zynq-7000 family are scheduled for the second half of 2011, with general engineering samples available in the first half of 2012. ARM TechCon attendees can see a demonstration of the Zynq-7000 EPP and the extensible virtual platform through Oct. 27 at Xilinx booth #207.

Released several weeks late due to malware attacks on kernel.org in August, the Linux 3.1 kernel is out now, with a variety of enhancements to performance, virtualization, and power management. It also includes support for near field communication (NFC), the OpenRISC open source CPU, Nintendo's Wii controller, and 3D acceleration with Nvidia GEForce graphics processor units (GPUs).

The new kernel arrives more than three months after Linux 3.0 , delayed primarily by a late-August malware attack on kernel.org. Although the attacks compromised several key servers, the source code for the Linux kernel does not appear to have been affected, thanks to its "git" distributed revision control system.

According to the semi-official Linux 3.1 overview on KernelNewbies.org , the release offers a grab-bag of goodies, from new performance and virtualization enhancements to support for new devices.

For starters, Linux 3.1 provides support for near field communication (NFC) short-range wireless radios. NFC is supported by Android 2.3 and later releases, including a new "Android Beam" peer-to-peer transfer feature in Android 4.0 , and is incorporated in Google's Android-based Google Wallet mobile payment initiative. Some 552 million NFC handsets are expected to ship in 2016, according to ABI Research.

OpenRISC 1200 block diagram

Linux 3.1 also adds support for OpenCores.org's open source OpenRISC processors, specifically the 32-bit, RISC-based OpenRISC 1000 family. The OpenRISC 1200 , for example, has been used in a variety of Linux-based system on chips (SoCs), including Vivace's VSP200 . The OpenRISC processors are offered as open designs licensed under LGPL, with freely available software development tools, libraries, operating systems, and applications.

One popular improvement is likely to be the addition of Nvidia Nouveau driver code for Mesa and X.org, as well as 3D acceleration on several Nvidia GeForce graphics chips. As Thorsten Leemhuis explains it in his Linux 3.1 overview on The H , the Nouveau-DRM/KMS driver will be able to generate firmware for GPUs that use Nvidia's Fermi architecture . As a result, Linux now exploits the 3D functions of Nvidia's recent GeForce 400 and 500 GPU series.

Linux gamers should appreciate the new driver for the Nintendo Wii Remote. There are also some new Wi-Fi drivers, including a "rtl8192de" driver that supports Realtek's RTL8192DE and RTL8188DE PCI-Express Wi-Fi chips.

Performance and file-system enhancements

Under the hood, Linux 3.1 offers various performance improvements, including dynamic throttling of "writeback" -- the process of writing data from RAM to the disk. The new feature temporarily blocks processes until the current data has been written to the disk, thereby reducing bottlenecks. It also avoids "random IO patterns which are not good for performance," according to KernelNewbies.org.

In addition, the kernel's default "slub" slab allocator now implements wider lockless operations, said to speed up slab-intensive workloads. In addition, the Virtual File System (VFS), which mediates between the file-system and user space, is now said to be more scalable.

There's not a lot of file-system news in this release, but Linux 3.1 does alter the Ext3 file system to enable "barriers" by default. These barrier instructions are sent by the file system to improve robustness in case of a crash. They have previously been seen to reduce performance on many systems, but the new version appears to have greatly reduced the performance tradeoff, motivating the kernel team to make the feature a default.

The newer Ext4 filesystem has been improved to speed up batched discard, a technique said to be useful for solid state drives (SSDs) and thinly provisioned storage, according to The H's Leemhuis. Meanwhile, the experimental Btrfs filesystem offers an improved locking mechanism that can make the Btrfs "significantly faster during read-heavy workloads," according to his report.

New iSCSI support, plus power and virtualization improvements

Other storage-related enhancements include a new iSCSI implementation. In addition, the MD layer, otherwise known as software RAID, has gained bad block management support, says KernelNewbies.org. Also, a "Cpupowerutils" power consumption management userspace utility has been added, featuring a hardware monitoring tool. 

On the networking front, "ipset" support has been improved so that IP sets are provided with filter information. This is said to make it easier for firewall code to access the tables

As usual, the kernel continues to refine its virtualization support, with further enhancements to both KVM and Xen code. Linux 3.1 adds Xen PCI backend support, which enables the kernel to pass through PCI and PCI-Express devices to Xen guests, according to Leemhuis. In addition, KVM is now said to offer nested virtualization, letting developers start a guest system from within another guest system on Intel processors.

Availability

The Linux 3.1 kernel is now freely available. More information may be found at KernelNewbies.org , as well as this Linux kernel changelog .

Phoronix takes a look at Linux kernel 3.1
The Linux 3.1 kernel was released earlier this week and it further enhances the Intel Sandy Bridge graphics support while also prepping the open-source kernel driver for Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge processors.

ARM is set to provide an in-depth look at its recently announced Cortex-A7 processor this week at a Santa Clara, Calif.-based event. Other highlights of ARM TechCon 2011, scheduled for Oct. 25 to 27, will include a keynote by ARM CTO Mike Muller, and a demonstration of a $25 ARM11-based Ubuntu Linux computer from Raspberry Pi.

UBM Electronics' ARM TechCon -- set to begin Oct. 25 at the Santa Clara Convention Center -- is billed as "the most comprehensive forum for learning about technology based on the ARM architecture." It will include more than 85 sessions, addressing "areas such as developing for open source platforms, low-power design, safety and security and the latest in human interface design," according to the organizers.

Since the first ARM processor was released in 1987, more than 25 billion ARM-based chips have shipped, via an ecosystem of more than 850 licensees, according to UBM Electronics. ARM designs have loomed as being more important than ever, however, ever since Microsoft announced at last January's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that its next major version of "big Windows" would run on ARM processors as well as x86 chips .

Since then, Microsoft has kept the pot boiling by releasing a Windows 8 Developer Preview version (albeit only in x86 form) and by blogging regularly about what features its forthcoming operating system will include.

Equally important, though, is that younger users have embraced smartphones as the computing platforms they're most excited about: ARM-based processors are included in Apple's iPhone and iPad, an overwhelming majority of Android phones and tablets, and in handsets using Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system.

Showing off the Cortex-A7

Last week, ARM responded to burgeoning smartphone demand by announcing its 28-nanometer Cortex-A7 , described as offering five times the energy efficiency, one fifth the size, and 50 percent better performance than the current Cortex-A8 . A single-core version set for a 2013 debut will target sub-$100 smartphones, offering performance as good as today's $500 devices, according to the company.

ARM also announced a "big.Little" system on chip (SoC) design that combines the Cortex-A7 with the more powerful Cortex-A15 processor in a design that features a 20-microsecond interconnect between the two. (For more details, see our earlier coverage .)

Cortex-A7 speed and power comparison with Cortex-A8

UBM says ARM TechCon attendees will get detailed information on the Cortex-A7 via a pair of sessions on Oct. 26. At 2:30 p.m., ARM CPU Product Manager Brian Jeff will present a session titled "ARM Cortex-A7 Processor for the Mainstream Low-power Mobile Market." This will be followed up at 3:30 by another titled "big.Little processing with the Cortex-A15 and Cortex-A7 Processors," delivered by Lead Designer Peter Greenhalgh.

These are just two among dozens of ARM processor-related sessions over the event's three days. Those on Oct. 25 are aimed most particularly at chip design teams working with ARM silicon IP and tools, while those on Oct. 26 and 27 are aimed at system designers and software developers, UBM says.

A 9:30 a.m. keynote on Oct 26 will be delivered by Microsoft's Dan Javnozon, group product manager for the Windows Embedded marketing group. "Creating business value with Microsoft" will feature a discussion of "key elements of Windows Embedded's use of ARM architecture, and outline how customers and partners can begin planning for ongoing technical innovations," according to the conference organizers.

Given that Javnozon is responsible for marketing today's Windows Embedded Compact 7, which runs on ARM processors and was revised just last week , we'd expect to hear more emphasis on what Microsoft has to sell today, and less on Windows 8 hype. Still, it will be worth looking around to see if the show provides any demos of Windows 8 running on ARM SoCs.

Meanwhile, there doesn't appear to be a keynote planned by anyone from Microsoft's arch-rival Google. However, there are multiple sessions devoted to the search giant's Android operating system, as follows:

Android on Low-cost ARM Systems -- Thurs. 10/27 at 4:00 pm Design and Development of the First Android Smartphone -- Wed. 10/26 at 2:30 pm OS Selection for ARM-Based Systems -- Thurs. 10/27 at 2:00 pm Professional Debug Solutions for Linux on ARM -- Wed. 10/26 at 3:30 pm OME - A Fully OpenMAX Complaint Media Framework for Android -- Thurs. 10/27 at 3:00 pm

According to UBM, additional keynotes will include, in chronological order:

A Mentor Graphics keynote by Walden C. Rhines, chairman and CEO, discussing issues related to measuring and enhancing product differentiation. (9 a.m. Oct. 25)

A TSMC keynote by Dr. Shang-Yi Chang, senior vice president of R&D, discussing the manufacturing challenges facing the industry and the value of collaboration across the development lifecycle (9:30 a.m. Oct. 25)

An Oracle keynote by Henrik Stahl, director of Java product management, who will speak about how Oracle's continued focus on Java Embedded is making computing more pervasive in the real world embedded domain. (9 a.m., Oct. 26)

An Avnet keynote by Harley Feldberg, corporate vice president and president of Avnet Electronics Marketing, who will discuss the moves companies can take to stay ahead of the technology curve in an ever-changing marketplace. (10 a.m., Oct. 26)

An ARM keynote by Mike Muller, chief technology officer, who will look at the technological advances that will bring us to 2020 in 26 steps (9 a.m. Oct. 27)

A keynote by Ole Lund Hansen, United Nations head of Global Compact LEAD, who will discuss how his organization is challenging and inspiring companies to achieve higher levels of sustainability (9:45 a.m., Oct. 27) Finally, we're told the show will feature a demonstration of a tiny ARM computer that runs Ubuntu Linux and may sell for as little as $25. Featuring a USB port on one and an HDMI port on another, the device was first announced back in May by the Raspberry Pi foundation.

The ARM11-powered Raspberry Pi prototype, with optional camera on top
(Click to enlarge)
Raspberry Pi did not disclose the processor of its eponymous computer, but the device uses a Broadcom SoC, according to an Oct. 25 EETimes article . The device will be demonstrated by Eben Upton, an SoC architect at Broadcom who is one of Raspberry Pi's founders, according to author Colin Holland.

An image published by EE Times suggests that the Raspberry Pi device no longer features its original form factor, and is now about the size of the proverbial credit card, but we'll just have to wait and see. An ARM TechCon Expo session set for 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 27th will provide more details, Holland adds.

Further information

Advance registration for UBM's ARM TechCon 2011 is no longer available, but onsite registration will begin when the show opens Oct. 25. Further information may be found on the event website .

Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense .

Googles complaints about patent-based attacks against Android dont seem to be doing the company any good. We all know Steve Jobs pledged to destroy Android, claiming it stole its ideas from Apples iOS. Yet what is likely an even bigger threat comes from Microsoft, which claims that more than half of all Android devices are now subject to patent licensing agreements. From Ars Technica: What does that mean? When you buy an Android phone, theres a good chance either the vendor whose name is on the device or one of the manufacturers who contributed hardware to it is paying Microsoft a fee for each sale. Today, Microsoft announced an agreement with Compal, an original design manufacturer that produces smartphones and tablets for third parties and takes in $28 billion in annual revenue. This was the tenth license agreement providing coverage under our patent portfolio for Android mobile phones and tablets, and the ninth in the last four months, Microsoft lawyers Brad Smith and Horacio Gutierrez write in a blog post.

Kloxo 6.1.7 Beta 2 has been released. Kloxo is a free webhosting software for CentOS to manage clients, resellers, databases, traffic, domains, mail and IPs across multiple locations. As we get closer to a final release LxCenter invites everyone to try Kloxo 6.1.7 Beta. It is very simple. Just run the commands below (as root) and update an existing Kloxo server or install from scratch following the Installation Guide in our wiki: echo "209.40.203.218 download.lxcenter.org" > > /etc/hosts And... /script/upcp LxCenter does not recommend you run Beta releases in production servers. Note Kloxo reports version 6.1.7 but there will always be a new update available. It is recommended you enable "Auto Update" under "General Settings" so you are always running the latest Beta release. The last Beta release will remove the testing server from your "hosts" file and your Kloxo install becomes the final version. Please, report bugs at the Kloxo Development forum. You can see the bug fixes and new features in the roadmap. Please test each of them and add your comment to the issues. Thank you for your support! - LxCenter Team

Kloxo 6.1.7 Beta 3 has been released. Kloxo is a free webhosting software for CentOS to manage clients, resellers, databases, traffic, domains, mail and IPs across multiple locations. As we get closer to a final release LxCenter invites everyone to try Kloxo 6.1.7 Beta. It is very simple. Just run the commands below (as root) and update an existing Kloxo server or install from scratch following the Installation Guide in our wiki: echo "209.40.203.218 download.lxcenter.org" > > /etc/hosts And... /script/upcp LxCenter does not recommend you run Beta releases in production servers. Note Kloxo reports version 6.1.7 but there will always be a new update available. It is recommended you enable "Auto Update" under "General Settings" so you are always running the latest Beta release. The last Beta release will remove the testing server from your "hosts" file and your Kloxo install becomes the final version. Please, report bugs at the Kloxo Development forum. You can see the bug fixes and new features in the roadmap. Please test each of them and add your comment to the issues. Thank you for your support! - LxCenter Team

Norco announced a fanless, ultra-compact PC that can simultaneously support Wi-Fi and dual 3G cellular modems. The BIS-6625 includes a choice of Intel Atom E6xx processors, dual Ethernet ports, five USB ports, and room for an SATA-interfaced hard disk drive or SSD (solid state disk), according to the company.

Announced Oct. 19, Norco's new BIS-6625 will doubtless be offered under the company's Habey brand too, as have the company's previous mini-PCs. News of the product was unfortunately unaccompanied by a product page or data sheet, but it seems clear that the device is related to the previously released BIS-6622 .

The BIS-6222 appeared in September 2010, and was the first complete PC to adopt the Atom E6xx ("Tunnel Creek") processors Intel had announced the same month. It employed Intel's EG20T ("Topcliff") controller and was offered with three CPU choices: the 600MHz Atom E620, the 1.0GHz Atom E640, and the 1.3GHz Atom E660.

Norco then showed its talent for creating variations on a theme when, last June, it announced the BIS-6622II, BIS-6622III, and BIS-6622IV . These mini-PCs had the same internals as the original, but offered various permutations of back-panel ingredients (such as HDMI ports, serial console connectors, and multiple serial ports).

Varying derrieres on Norco's earlier BIS-6622III (left) and BIS-6622IV (right)
(Click either image to enlarge)

The new BIS-6625 (pictured later in this story) employs what appears to be the same 4.9 x 2.9-inch case as these other models, and we'd readily bet money that its motherboard is exactly the same. However, Norco has added an AFC-443V daughtercard (see block diagram, below) that provides the compact PC with two additional Mini PCI expansion slots.

A block diagram of Norco's BIS-6625
(Click to enlarge)

Now with triple Mini PCI slots, the BIS-6625 accepts a wireless local area networking card as well as two 3G cellular modems. This allows for "cellular redundancy and a more pervasive network," and is ideal for applications where reliability is critical, according to Habey.

The front (left) and rear (right) of Norco's BIS-6625
(Click either to enlarge)

Habey provided few other written details, but the above photographs make clear that the little PC's front panel has two USB 2.0 ports and audio I/O. The rear panel, meanwhile, has three more USB 2.0 ports, two gigabit Ethernet ports, a VGA output, and a serial console port.

The company's release also cited an HDMI port which, however, is nowhere to be seen on the images it supplied. Given that the BIS-6622 is orderable in variants with either type of video output, we assume the same is true of the BIS-6625.

No doubt, the BIS-6625 once again has a 1.8-inch bay, compatible with an SATA hard disk drive or SSD. We expect that operating range is still rated at 14 to 122 deg. F, too, though perhaps filling up all three Mini PCI slots would heat things up a little.

Specifications for the BIS-6625, listed by Norco and supplemented by us with BIS-6222 data, include:

Processor -- 600MHz Atom E620, 1.0GHz Atom E640, or 1.3GHz Atom E660 Chipset -- Intel EG20 Memory -- Up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM Storage -- 1.8-inch bay for SATA devices Expansion -- 3 x Mini PCI Express Networking -- 2 x gigabit Ethernet Other I/O: 5 x USB (2 front, 3 rear) audio I/O (mic in and headphone out) VGA HDMI (apparently optionally available) RJ45 port for serial console Operating temperature -- 14 to 122 deg. F (-10 to 50 deg. C) Power consumption -- 12VDC via AC adapter; under 10 Watts Dimensions -- 4.92 x 4.92 x 1.77 inches (125 x 125 x 45mm) Further information

As noted, no product page was available for the BIS-6625 at the time of writing. One should appear in due course on the Norco website .

Jonathan Angel can be reached at jonathan.angel@ziffdavisenterprise.com and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense .

A kdelibs security update has been released for CentOS 5
[CentOS-announce] CESA-2011:1385 Moderate CentOS 5 x86_64 kdelibs Update CentOS Errata and Security Advisory 2011:1385 Moderate Upstream details at : http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2011-1385.html The following updated files have been uploaded and are currently syncing to the mirrors: ( md5sum Filename ) x86_64: 9bc8d8f3b13bd1e86556aac113b79d1c kdelibs-3.5.4-26.el5.centos.1.i386.rpm 02723b60e5c81720d8ff3b513e9b9d98 kdelibs-3.5.4-26.el5.centos.1.x86_64.rpm 43c5e518d234dacaa1b5a9da4155e0f6 kdelibs-apidocs-3.5.4-26.el5.centos.1.x86_64.rpm 3e071569b39063aaf9f3fb589367f71a kdelibs-devel-3.5.4-26.el5.centos.1.i386.rpm 7b7f74abcf830bf67f922774a8b0f596 kdelibs-devel-3.5.4-26.el5.centos.1.x86_64.rpm Source: a149dd622eef4ba2e43a690b5045b9f8 kdelibs-3.5.4-26.el5.centos.1.src.rpm

Google announced Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich"), a version of the mobile operating system that for the first time is optimized for both smartphones and tablets. Unveiled with a preliminary software development kit -- and due to appear first on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- it sports a revamped user interface, a faster browser, an improved camera interface, plus facial recognition and text-to-speech features.

Three years after the first Android smartphone -- the G1 -- appeared on the scene, the Linux-based Android operating system has turned four. Android 4.0 ("Honeycomb") attempts to integrate the previously diverging 2.x smartphone platform and the newer 3.x "Honeycomb" version for tablets.

The heavily revamped OS will appear first on the simultaneously announced Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone (below), previously tipped as the Nexus Prime . This 4.65-inch monster runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, features NFC short-range communications, and is due to ship in November with Google branding.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus
(Click to enlarge)

Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" (ICS) was unveiled along with the Galaxy Nexus at an Oct.19 event in Hong Kong, and Google also released a preliminary version of the ICS software development kit (SDK). ICS highlights are said to include new social and sharing integration, network data usage control, new connectivity and camera options, and an updated set of standard apps, according to Google.

Aside from the fact that for the first time a single Android is optimized to run on smartphones, tablets, and other Android devices, Android 4.0 is most notable for its revamped, Honeycomb-influenced user interface. According to Google, "the lock screen, widgets, notifications, multi-tasking and everything in between has been rethought and refined to make Android simple, beautiful, and beyond smart."

Android 4.0 homescreen (left) , showing virtual buttons on bottom, as well as resizable widgets (right)
(Click on either to enlarge)

Many of the UI changes bring the best of Honeycomb -- most recently upgraded in July to a seven-inch friendly Android 3.2 -- to the Android 2.3 ("Gingerbread") smartphone world. For example, notifications have been made more interactive, and widgets are now resizable (pictured above).

In several cases, elements are automatically expressed differently depending on screen size. For example, on tablets, the notifications appear in the System Bar on the bottom of the screen, but on smartphones, they roll down from the top.

In place of the hardware buttons that previously sat beneath the screen in Android 2.3 phones, new "virtual buttons" are placed in the System Bar. These software buttons point backward and forward, as well as to commonly used features, and can be dimmed by apps in order to open up more screen space.

Google has also revamped the virtual keyboard, with features such as improved error correction, as well as an in-line spellchecker (see image below, right). A new "Roboto" font is said to be optimized for HD displays. Other enhancements have been made to copy and paste and screenshot functions, and data reporting features have also been upgraded.

Multitasking is more manageable with new Recent Apps function (left), and the virtual keyboard now offers a built-in spellchecker (right)
(Click on either to enlarge)

Control over multitasking has been enhanced, says Google. Users can more easily see which apps are still running. The Recent Apps button (above, left) pops up to show thumbnail images of apps, and running apps can be closed with a simple swipe.

The browser is still based on WebKit, but is said to be significantly faster, and offers "a refined tab manager." It also features the ability to sync bookmarks with Google Chrome.

Google's Gmail app has also been given a makeover, letting users do offline search, and "quickly swipe through your inbox and search messages even when you’re offline," says Google. A revamped Calendar app is said to let users pinch-and-zoom into appointment details. In addition, users can now respond to incoming calls via text message, "without needing to pick up the call or unlock the device," says Google.

A new "People" app improves the contacts function with embeddable high-resolution photos, as well as integration with social networking services such as Google+ . The latter is now baked into the ICS build as a standard feature.

ICS has nothing to compare with Apple iOS 5's new Siri voice feature, but Voice Actions for Android has been upgraded with the ability to use voice commands to activate voice actions, rather than selecting an option via the touchscreen.

Other enhanced functions include a voice-to-text feature designed to type texts and emails. With the new voice input engine, users can speak continously for a prolonged time, pausing for intervals if needed, as well as dictate punctuation, says Google.

If the iPhone still has the edge with voice, Android 4.0 pushes the sci-fi envelope with new facial recognition features. These include a Face Unlock feature that lets users unlock the lockscreen by smiling at the camera (pictured at left).

Android 2.3 added near field communication (NFC) short-range wireless support to the OS, but that capability has largely been limited to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4G. This fall, however, we can expect more NFC-imbued devices, and they'll be supported with a new Android 4.0 peer-to-peer function (similar to an NFC-based app unveiled in July by PayPal ).

On NFC-enabled phones like the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4G, the new "Android Beam" feature lets Android 4.0 users share content via a NFC connection. Users can share contacts, URLs, apps, maps, directions, and videos by holding two NFC enabled Android phones close to each other and clicking, says the company.

Like Apple's iOS 5, Android 4.0 boasts improved camera firmware, with features including gridlines for aligning shots. In addition, users can now access the camera from the lockscreen. A new panoramic mode, similar to features already available on some Android smartphones, lets users piece together separate images into one.

Android 4.0 SDK

Development-oriented features mentioned in Google's SDK announcement include a unified UI toolkit that offers a single set of UI components, styles, and capabilities for phones, tablets, and other devices. In addition to APIs for previously mentioned novelties -- including the new social and calendar APIs, text-to-speech, and Android Beam -- the SDK offers new support for Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth Health Device Profile support, says Google.

Other features include improved app management in the launcher, new image and video effects, precise camera metering, and support for new media codecs and containers, says Google. Hardware-accelerated 2D drawing is now available, as well as stylus input support, and improved mouse support.

In addition, accessibility APIs have been added, as well as keychain and VPN APIs for managing credentials and connections, says Google. Sadly for some, there's also a new administrator policy for disabling the camera.

Galaxy Nexus demo on YouTube showing Android 4.0 goodies
Source: Google
(Click to play)

Availability

Android 4.0 is available now to Android OEMs, and the SDK is available for download.

More information may be found in this Google Blog announcement by Google's Andy Rubin, as well as on this Android 4.0 platform highlights page , and this Galaxy Nexus and ICS overview page . More on the SDK may be found in this ICS SDK announcement , and on this Android 4.0 SDK download page .

Tech Drive-In posted their Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot review
Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot final release happened sometime ago. I have been using Ubuntu 11.10 as my default netbook OS ever since Oneiric Alpha 2 was released. So it's not like I am installing Ubuntu 11.10 just for the sake of reviewing it. Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot has been the OS of choice in my netbook for sometime now.

Howtoforge posted a tutorial about setting up Ubuntu 11.10 as server with ISPConfig 3
This tutorial shows how to prepare an Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) server for the installation of ISPConfig 3, and how to install ISPConfig 3. ISPConfig 3 is a webhosting control panel that allows you to configure the following services through a web browser: Apache web server, Postfix mail server, MySQL, BIND or MyDNS nameserver, PureFTPd, SpamAssassin, ClamAV, and many more.

Arbor Technology announced a full-size PICMG 1.3 single board computer (SBC) designed to support Intel "2nd Generation" ("Sandy Bridge") Core i3/i5/i7 processors. The HiCore-i67Q1 is equipped with an Intel Q67 chipset, dual DDR3 sockets for up to 8GB SDRAM, six RAID-enabled SATA ports, 14 USB 2.0 ports, and extensive PCI and PCIe expansion, according to the company.

The HiCore-i67Q1 joins a growing list of PICMG 1.3 SBCs that have adopted Intel's "Sandy Bridge" generation of Core i3/i5/i7 processors. It offers roughly the same feature set as the Axiomtek SHB106 , and offers considerably more I/O than the recently announced Ibase IB960 . Like those boards, the HiCore-i67Q1 features an onboard Intel QM67 chipset. This is said to enable the SBC to support Intel turbo boost, hyper-threading, and vPro technologies.
 

HiCore-i67Q1
(Click to enlarge)

VGA displays are supported at resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 pixels, which makes the board suitable for gaming, digital signage, medical, and digital surveillance applications, says Arbor Technology. There's no stated support for LVDS or DisplayPort, however.

The HiCore-i67Q1 provides two DDR3 "Long-Dimm" sockets, supporting 1066/1333MHz SDRAM up to 8GB, says Arbor. Storage is supported via six SATA ports, including two at 6Gbps and four at 3Gbps, all of which support RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, says the company. Expansion is said to include four PCI masters, a PCI-Express (PCIe) x16 interface, and four PCIe x1 interfaces.

The HiCore-i67Q1 is further equipped with dual gigabit Ethernet ports, which are available on the backplane. Also on the backplane are the VGA port, and one additional port, which is likely the stated PS/2 port.

The board includes headers for 10 USB 2.0 ports. Four more USB 2.0 ports are said to be available via one of the PICMG 1.3-standard golden fingers connectors. Additional I/O includes dual serial ports and 8-bit DIO, says Arbor.

Features and specifications listed for the HiCore-i67Q1 include:

Processor -- LGA1155 socket for 2nd-Gen Intel Core i3/i5/i7 up to 3.4GHz Chipset -- Intel Q67 Memory -- up to 8GB DDR3 1066/1333MHz RAM via 2 x Long-DIMMs Expansion: 4 x PCI Masters 1 x PCIe x16 4 x PCIe x1 Storage -- 6 x SATA (2 x 6Gbps; 4 x 3Gbps) with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 Display -- VGA port for up to 2048 x 1536 pixels Networking -- 2 x gigabit Ethernet ports Other I/O: 10 x USB 2.0 ports 4 x USB 2.0 via golden finger connector 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse 1 x RS-232/422/485 1 x RS-232 DIO (8-bit programmable) Other features -- HD codec audio (Realtek ALC886) with I/O via audio cable; watchdog Power -- ATX +12V; consumption: 6,75A12V, 1.72A/4.94V, 1.27A/3.3V Temperature -- 32 to 140 deg. F (0 to 60 deg. C) Dimensions -- 13.3 x 4.96 inches (338 x 126mm); PICMG 1.3 Availability

No pricing, availability, or operating system information was provided on the HiCore-i67Q1 . More information may be found on Arbor's HiCore-i67Q1 product page .

Ubuntu Server 11.10 is more compelling than as ever as a Linux distribution for cloud deployments, says this eWEEK Labs review. A lack of updated documentation and some other rough edges give pause, but the new Juju cloud deployment framework and tighter OpenStack integration should make "Oneiric Ocelot" a winner when it arrives in its LTS version in April.

With its cloud focus and lack of license fees, Ubuntu has flourished in the cloud, becoming a popular guest operating system on Amazon EC2 and other infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) options. Ubuntu also tends to be the reference OS of choice for the OpenStack and Cloud Foundry projects.

Based on eWEEK Labs' latest tests of Ubuntu Server 11.10 ("Oneiric Ocelot") -- released yesterday along with the desktop version (pictured) -- Ubuntu's cloud-attractiveness shows no sign of abating. The new version is packed with tools for building, orchestrating and running on clouds, both private and public. These include tighter integration with OpenStack, as well as a new Juju framework (see video demo below).

For the full story, click on this eWEEK Labs Ubuntu 11.10 Server review .

Ubuntu 11.10 demo of Ensemble (now called "Juju") on YouTube
Source: Ubuntu project
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Jason Brooks is Editor-in-Chief for eWEEK Labs.

Here the latest updates of the CompatDB compatiblity lists. There are today 15 Windows updates. Windows Applications: Advanced SystemCare Free (IObit) AVG Anti-Virus Updates (Grisoft, Inc.) Avira Free Antivirus (Avira) Gigaget Download Manager (Giganology) Internet Explorer Administration Kit 5.5 SP1 (Microsoft) IObit Malware Fighter (IObit) Mozilla Firefox 6.0.2 Final (The Mozilla Organization) Neotrace PRO 3.25 (Neotrace.com) NOD32 Antivirus System (Eset s.r.o.) Norton Removal Tool (SymNRT) (Symantec) Realtek High Definition Audio for 2K/XP/03 (Realtek) System Mechanic Free (iolo technologies) Win7codecs x64 (Shark007) Windows 8 Transformation Pack (Windows X) Hardware: Promise Ultra 133 TX2 (Promise Technology) Windows Applications: AIDA32 - Personal System Information (Tamas Miklos) Avira Free Antivirus (Avira) Clarion 5.5 for Windows Enterprise Edition 5.5 (Clarion) IObit Malware Fighter (IObit) Mozilla Firefox 6.0.2 Final (The Mozilla Organization) Realtek High Definition Audio for 2K/XP/03 (Realtek) Win7codecs x64 (Shark007) Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (Microsoft Corp.) Windows Installer CleanUp Utility (Microsoft Corp.) Games: 1602 A.D. (GT Interactive) Hardware: AIC-7850 PCI SCSI Controller (Adaptec) Marvell Yukon Ethernet Controller (Marvell) Please contribute to the compatibility lists by submitting reports of your (in)compatible hardware/software to the database. The CompatDB compatibility lists are free and licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License. For more information visit the CompatDB site. To submit reports for Windows: Submit Windows application Submit Windows game Submit Windows hardware To submit reports for Linux: Submit Linux application Submit Linux game Submit Linux hardware To submit reports for Mac OS: Submit Mac OS application Submit Mac OS game Submit Mac OS hardware

An Australian court has awarded Apple a preliminary injunction preventing Samsung from marketing or selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 down under. From Ars Technica: Though Samsung could still appeal, and the judge is encouraging Samsung to agree to an expedited trial, it appears that in any case the device will be missing from store shelves during the critical holiday shopping season this year. Among lawsuits pending in several venues across the globe, Apple sued Samsung for patent infringement in Australia, seeking a preliminary injunction against its iPad competitor, the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Apple has accused Samsung of "slavishly copying" the design and technology of the iPad and iPhone to create its Galaxy Tab tablets and Galaxy S series smartphones.