GNU/Linux: Parrot 4.0, Oregan, Containers and Linux 4.18 Plans

• Parrot 4.0 is out

  Parrot 4.0 has been released. Parrot is a security-oriented distribution aimed at penetration tests and digital forensics analysis, with additional tools to preserve privacy.

• Parrot 4.0 release notes

• Oregan launches SparQ middleware for Linux and Android TV

  Oregan said that the open standards-based offering resolves the differences between the current security and performance requirements of modern-day TV services and the hardware capabilities of STBs that were deployed up to a decade ago.

• Linux app support coming to older Chrome OS devices

  Linux apps on Chrome OS is one of the biggest developments for the OS since Android apps. Previous reports stated Chromebooks with certain kernel versions would be left in the dust, but the Chrome OS developers have older devices on the roadmap, too. When Google first broke silence on Linux app functionality, it was understood that Linux kernel 4.4 was required to run apps due to dependencies on newer kernel modules. Thanks to an issue found on Chromium’s public bugtracker, we have confirmation that containers won’t be limited to the handful of Chrome OS devices released with kernel 4.4.

• Looking Ahead To The Linux 4.18 Kernel

  There still are several weeks to go until the Linux 4.17 kernel will be officially released and for that to initiate the Linux 4.18 merge window, but we already know some of the features coming to this next kernel cycle as well as an idea for some other work that may potentially land.

Red Hat and Fedora Leftovers

• Open source and communities essential in spreading diversity in tech

  I feel a deep responsibility. It’s interesting, because when I started with Red Hat I was in the legal organisation and I didn’t notice there weren’t that many women. But when I moved over to the people team and I looked at the data it was a bit of a revelation – there were hardly any women here and I had no idea. From that point forward, it’s been something I’ve been thinking about – how can we can counter this? When we were really small there was limited resources to do anything different, but as we started to get bigger and more successful, I started having more latitude to really start diving into it and exploring possible solutions.

• Red Hat and Juniper Networks Expand Collaboration to Provide a Simplified and More Secure Path to Multicloud

• BRIEF-Red Hat And Juniper Networks Expand Collaboration For Multicloud

• Red Hat Extends Operators Ecosystem for Kubernetes

  The number of independent software vendors (ISVs) that have embraced the Kubernetes Operator Framework for managing applications deployed on top of Kubernetes clusters is growing dramatically.

• BRIEF-Red Hat Says Tata Communications Selects Red Hat Cloud Suite

• Container Testing in OpenShift with Meta Test Family

  Without proper testing, we should not ship any container. We should guarantee that a given service in a container works properly. Meta Test Family (MTF) was designed for this very purpose.

• [Podcast] PodCTL #36 – VMs for Infrastructure or Isolation?

• OpenShift Online and Dedicated Response to Variant 4

• Java exceptions from container

• How Are Markets Valuing Glu Mobile Inc. (GLUU), Red Hat, Inc. (RHT)?

• Heroes of Fedora (HoF) – F28 Beta

• Heroes of Fedora (HoF) – F28 Final

Security Bugs and FUD

• Security updates for Tuesday

• Red Hat responds to Speculative Store Bypass and helps explain Variant 4 chip vulnerability

• Microsoft, Google: We've found a fourth data-leaking Meltdown-Spectre CPU hole

• Google and Microsoft Reveal New Spectre Attack

• WhiteSource Launches Next-generation Software Composition Analysis Technology for Prioritizing Open Source Security Alerts [Ed: Looking to monetise FOSS by scaring companies]

• How does GDPR impact open source security expectations?

  Unfortunately for security teams, these postings are distributed, and difficult to track on one's own manually.

Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth takes aim at VMware and Red Hat at OpenStack Summit

“Google, IBM, Microsoft [are] all investing and innovating to drive down the cost of infrastructure. Every single one of those companies engages with Canonical to deliver public services,” he said. “Not one of them engages with VMware to offer those public services – they can’t afford to. Clearly they have the cash, but they have to compete – and so does your private cloud.” To capitalise on this trend, the firm is in the throes of rolling out a migration service to help users shift from VMware to a “fully managed” version of Canonical’s Ubuntu OpenStack distribution, which Shuttleworth said costs half as much to run. “When we take out VMware, and displace VMware, we are regularly told that a fully managed OpenStack solution costs half of the equivalent VMware estate [to run],” he added.