Windows 10 phones home (A LOT) even with all reporting and telemetry disabled
One computer user has become so disillusioned with Windows 10's spying features that he has been driven to using Linux Mint as his primary operating system. But Voat user CheesusCrust was curious to find out just how pervasive Microsoft's privacy invasion is. The results of his investigation are quite staggering.
Using a router kitted out with DD-WRT, and a copy of Windows 10 Enterprise installed in a virtual machine on his Linux laptop, he started by disabling every single one of the tracking and telemetry features found in the operating system. Eight hours later, 4,000 connection attempts to 93 different IP addresses were logged, with most of these IPs addresses being linked to Microsoft.
Canonical fulfills its Linux convergence vision with BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet
Convergence is all the rage in the technology industry nowadays and for good reason -- our handheld devices are insanely powerful. It makes sense to leverage a smartphone or tablet's processor for desktop computing. By connecting a monitor, mouse, and keyboard to the mobile device, it can serve as a full-fledged computer. Those with more hardcore computing needs, such as editing video, for example, may have to wait a while for more powerful handheld devices.
Microsoft has shown off its Continuum functionality, which turns a Windows 10 Mobile smartphone into a desktop, but because of shocking limitations, it really isn't ready for prime-time. Canonical has long been working on its own convergence plans with Ubuntu -- it is not copying Microsoft's. Quite frankly, it can be argued that the open source Linux kernel is a more adaptable base for such Swiss Army-like devices as Windows could be too bloated. Today, Canonical unveils the BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet which fulfills its Linux convergence vision. Not only can a user be productive with the tablet itself, but it can be connected to peripherals to create a full desktop experience.
ASUS VivoMini VC65 is world's smallest PC with four 2.5-inch drive bays
When people buy a new computer, there is a good chance they will be attracted to a diminutive offering. While the mini computer is not a new concept they can, quite often, be under-powered or limited in their expandability.
Enter the ASUS VivoMini VC65 Series. This new computer series is designed to not only save physical space, but with optional Intel Skylake processors, offer high performance too. Plus, more importantly for some, it can be configured to accommodate up to four 2.5 inch storage drives!
Bernie Sanders' campaign is right, Microsoft could hurt election -- open source is needed
When it comes to government agencies at all levels, and things like the voting process, I am a hardcore believer in open source being necessary. To truly know that votes are being counted correctly by machines, only open source would allow independent auditing. It will also help to prevent unknown backdoors in secure government computer systems.
Closed source technologies from companies like Microsoft could, in theory, contain backdoors or vulnerabilities that hackers and evildoers could exploit. Even worse, Microsoft or its employees could purposely alter voting software to influence outcomes. Am I saying the company is doing this? Not at all. But with closed source software, there is no way to know for sure. Now, Bernie Sanders' campaign is questioning Microsoft's technologies being used in Iowa Caucuses. You know what? They have a point.
Canonical and Oracle team up to boost enterprise cloud use
Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux, has announced a collaboration with Oracle to make Ubuntu images available on Oracle Cloud.
Under the deal, Certified Ubuntu images will be available on the Oracle Cloud Marketplace, providing Oracle enterprise customers with increased choice and new and innovative ways to manage and scale their enterprise workloads, using the number one cloud operating system.
Ubuntu Linux and open source play key role in Microsoft Azure Stack Technical Preview
The current perceptions of Microsoft by some home users can be quite negative. This is likely due to privacy concerns with Windows 10, which is a legitimate issue. With that said, the company is still the darling of the enterprise. After all, Windows 7 and Office are integral tools for many successful businesses.
Windows and Office aside, another wildly popular business tool from Microsoft is Azure. This cloud platform is great, but some companies wisely prefer an on-premises solution. Enter Azure Stack. Today, Microsoft announces that the first Technical Preview of its hybrid cloud/datacenter product is coming this week. Bigger news, arguably, is that Canonical's operating system, Ubuntu Linux, will play a key role. Once again, Microsoft is leveraging open source -- noticing a trend here, folks?
IBM adds hybrid cloud capability to LinuxONE
Back in August last year we reported on IBM's bid to take a slice of the enterprise Linux market with the launch of a range of dedicated mainframes.
Today the company is announcing an expansion of its Linux ecosystem along with new hybrid cloud capabilities to allow organizations to develop, deploy and manage applications for the cloud more easily and with robust security.
HP announces rugged Chromebook 11 G4 Education Edition
Chromebooks are great for home use, but they truly shine for education. Its easy to see why -- they are easy to use, cost effective and (unlike the iPad) offer multi-user support. These are all essential things for school districts on a tight budget.
Today, HP announces the Chromebook 11 G4 Education Edition. Starting at a paltry $199, it looks to offer incredible value. Thanks to military-grade build quality, it should be very durable. This is very important, of course, as children are often rough on computers.
Linux vulnerability puts millions of people at risk -- Android users should panic
There are so many reasons to use a Linux-based operating system. Most often, people tell me that they switched because of a dissatisfaction with Microsoft's Windows. The second most common reason people tell me that they use Linux is for security -- a lack of malware. While operating systems such as Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian are rock solid, no operating system is impervious to viruses or trojans. The moment you feel 100 percent safe, you have effectively let your guard down.
While Linux-based operating systems are arguably more secure than Windows, every so often a vulnerability pops up to bring users down to Earth. Today, a rather nasty such vulnerability rocks the Linux community, as millions are at risk. And yes, this includes the oft-denounced Android.
AT&T chooses Ubuntu Linux instead of Microsoft Windows
While Linux's share of the desktop pie is still virtually nonexistent, it owns two arguably more important markets -- servers and smartphones. As PC sales decline dramatically, Android phones are continually a runaway market share leader. In other words, fewer people are buying Windows computers -- and likely spending less time using them -- while everyone and their mother are glued to their phones. And those phones are most likely powered by the Linux kernel.
Speaking of smartphones, one of the largest cellular providers is the venerable AT&T. While it sells many Linux-powered Android devices, it is now embracing the open source kernel in a new way. You see, the company has partnered with Canonical to utilize Ubuntu for cloud, network, and enterprise applications. That's right, AT&T did not choose Microsoft's Windows when exploring options. Canonical will provide continued engineering support too.
Linux Mint 18 details revealed -- code name, release date, and more!
When it comes to desktop computing, I love me some Linux. While Ubuntu is my favorite distro of the moment, I use many others from time to time, such as Fedora, deepin, and Linux Mint. My desktop environment preference is Unity or Gnome, but I understand the love for Mint's Cinnamon or MATE. If you are coming from Windows, and prefer the "Start Menu" approach as an interface, both of those primary Mint DEs will make you comfortable.
Since Mint is based on Ubuntu, there are tons of available packages, and online support -- no wonder it is so popular in the Linux community. Today, new details about version 18 of the operating system have made their way to the web. We now know the code name, approximate release date and Ubuntu version for its base! What is the code name? Well, if you are a fan of Sex and the City, you might be excited, as it shares the first name of the lead actress. Can you guess?
Ubuntu Linux 16.04 'Xenial Xerus' Alpha 1 available now
While Windows 10 is a solid operating system, it is nowhere close to being perfect. Actually, for 2015, I am comfortable saying Ubuntu was the superior operating system. The Linux-based OS is rock solid, while being straightforward -- no confusing privacy settings, silly live tiles, or aggressive upgrade tactics. Quite frankly, Ubuntu 15.10 with Unity is currently my favorite operating system. This is saying a lot, as I have historically preferred Fedora with GNOME.
Today, the first official Alpha of the upcoming Ubuntu 16.04 'Xenial Xerus' becomes available for download. By the way, a Xerus is apparently an African squirrel; you can see an image of one above. Before you get too excited, however, Unity is not available, nor is GNOME or KDE. No, this is exclusively a LXDE, MATE, and Kylin (for Chinese-language users) affair.
Ransom32 is JavaScript-powered ransomware affecting Windows, Mac and Linux
Cross-platform viruses and malware are something of a rarity, but now there's a first-in-its-class JavaScript-based ransomware that can infect Mac, Windows and Linux. Ransom32 uses the Node.js runtime environment running on the NW.js platform to burrow into the target operating system and hold files to ransom.
While on the face of it, this is just another example of ransomware that encrypts files and seeks Bitcoin payments to decrypt them, it is more than that. The NW.js framework not only allows for cross-platform infections, but also means it is harder to detect. Ransom32 bears some resemblance to CryptoLocker and has been dubbed Ransomware-as-a-Service.
Windows doesn't top the vulnerability list for 2015, but Microsoft as a whole does
Software vulnerabilities are a daily event it seems, but some systems just have more of them. When we think of this a couple of names usually spring to mind -- Flash and Java. However, according to the new list being published by CVE Details, they aren't quite at the top, nor is Microsoft's oft-maligned operating system.
Basing its numbers on "distinct" vulnerabilities, the security firm has released its top 50 naughty list of 2015. Leading the way was, in fact, Apple, which claimed the top two spots -- Mac OS X with a number of 384 vulnerabilities, closely followed by iPhone OS (or iOS as most people like to call it) with 375.
Ring in the new year by installing deepin 15 -- a beautiful Debian-based Linux distribution
As 2015 comes to a close, we must again face the reality that Linux is a failure on the desktop -- its share of the pie is almost nonexistent. While the kernel is wildly popular on smartphones and servers, Windows is still the dominant force on home and business workstations. You know what? That's fine. Regardless of popularity, or lack thereof, desktop operating systems based on the Linux kernel aren't going anywhere. We Linux users aren't going anywhere.
Today, a beautiful operating system from China, deepin, hits version 15. No longer based on Ubuntu -- the project has switched to a Debian base -- it is gorgeous and has an intuitive HTML5-based environment. And yes, it is available in English. Happy New Year, fellow Linux users!
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