• Fleet Commander Now Ready To Deploy Fedora & RHEL Desktops At Scale

  Fleet Commander is now declared "production ready" by the Red Hat developers working on this software project for easing the process of deploying and managing Fedora/Red Hat desktops across a large number of systems.

  Fleet Commander builds off the Cockpit web-based administration tools and FreeIPA for making it easier for system administrators to deploy Fedora and Red Hat based systems on a large scale within an organization.

• A Look At The New Features For Fedora 27

  Fedora 27 is now under its final freeze for release in the next few weeks so here's a recap of the prominent changes coming to this next installment of the Red Hat sponsored Linux distribution.

  First and foremost, the Fedora Workstation 27 release is making use of GNOME 3.26 and its many exciting improvements, many of which upstream improvements were worked on by Fedora / Red Hat developers. GNOME 3.26 offers better Wayland support, some HiDPI improvements, initial built-in screencast / remote desktop support through Mutter, the reworked GNOME Control Center UI, many app improvements, and more as outlined in that aforelinked article.

• Is the Stock In Play?: Red Hat Inc (NYSE: RHT)

• ZTE launches crazy, foldable, dual-screened smartphone

  Budget Android company ZTE is launching what has to be its craziest-looking smartphone ever, the Axon M. The M looks like someone took a Nintendo DS, removed the controls, and stuck two big smartphone screens on each side.

  The Axon M is a whopping 12.1mm thick. A hinge runs along the long side of the phone, and it opens up, just like a Nintendo DS. On each side of the phone, you get a 5.2-inch, 1080p TFT LCD. Open the whole thing up, and when combined the screens sort of become a 6.75-inch, 8:9 aspect ratio, 1920x2160 display. I say "sort of" because of course there's a big seam down the middle.

• Google's Pixel 2 Earns High Marks in Spite of Dull Design

  As Google's new Pixel 2 smartphones get ready to hit the shelves, reviews of the models have begun mushrooming online.

  While the new phones generally have received positive grades, many reviewers found the their design boring.

  "The Pixel 2 hardware is ho-hum," observed Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.

 

• Surprise! The Pixel 2 is hiding a custom Google SoC for image processing

• GMO Internet introduces open source KYC as blockchain project enters fifth phase

• Eclipse Science Advances Open Source Technology for Scientific Research

  The Eclipse Science Working Group, a working group of the Eclipse Foundation, today announced the new releases of five open source projects used by the scientific research community to advance and simplify the software used by science projects, like genomic, astrophysics, nuclear simulations, etc. The new project releases are part of an annual release train that is managed by the Science WG.

• Dmark East Africa to develop open source IT applications

  We have an operation around the region; in South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda. And this has exposed us to different levels of talent across the region.  As a result, we have come to a conclusion that Uganda has special talents in the area of information technology, specifically, product development or software engineering.

• DevOps Jobs: 4 trends to watch

• Amazon, PwC join campaign to bring open-source EMR to Puerto Rico in wake of Hurricane Maria

  The first phase of the campaign comprises immediate disaster response. The collaborators will deploy a version of the open-source cloud platform OpenEMR-Plus, which proved successful in response efforts after Hurricane Harvey in Houston. They will also provide supply chain assistance.

• UK Startup Lifebit Builds on Popular Nextflow Open-Source Genomics Platform

• Makerbot Labs Is One Step Toward Open Source 3D Printing

  3D printing feels a bit stuck. At the dawn of the 2010s, the device seemed destined to reimagine the creative process, putting the power of additive manufacturing within anyone's grasp. But trend has gone cold since reaching its popular zenith in 2013. While people continue to create amazing things with 3D printing, the "one in every household" promise has been put on temporary—or possibly permanent—hold.

  But the leader of the once great 3D printing revolution hasn't gone away quietly. In fact, it's done the opposite. Makerbot, the Brooklyn-based startup that sold its first printers back in 2009, is launching a brand new platform, Makerbot Labs, to help turn its 3D printing community into super-users, able to access parts of the printer that were otherwise inaccessible. Makerbot describes this new platform as a place, built for creators, who want to experiment with 3D printing but still have the bedrock of the platform to fall back on if need be.

• IEEE to develop standard for automotive Ethernet of over 1 Gbps

  Industry body IEEE and the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) announced the formation of a task force to develop IEEE P802.3ch—Standard for Ethernet physical layer specifications and management parameters for greater than 1 Gbps automotive Ethernet. The new standards development project aims to meet the demand for higher speed Ethernet in the automotive environment to support ongoing technological developments, such as connected cars, advanced driver assisted systems and infotainment systems.

• Press Release Baker-Polito Administration Launches the New Mass.gov [Ed: powered by Drupal]

• Leading Tech Startup Releases Open Source Laravel Admin Package, Voyager 1.0

  The Control Group released Voyager version 1.0 on GitHub on Sept. 18, 2017. As of publication, the open source Laravel admin package has earned nearly 4,500 stars. Voyager makes it easy to quickly build out websites and applications with maximum control over appearance and functionality.

• Google Quietly Releases Chrome 62 to Stable Channel for Linux, Mac, and Windows

  Google quietly promoted the Chrome 62 web browser to the stable channel today for desktops, including Mac, GNU/Linux, and Microsoft Windows platforms.

• Chrome 62 Promoted To Stable

  Google has released Chromium/Chrome 62 as the latest update to its widely-used web browser.

• Chrome Working On JPEG Encode Accelerator With VA-API/V4L2 Support

  Landing in the Chromium browser code-base this morning is a JPEG encode accelerator interface.

• Mozilla brings Microsoft, Google, the W3C, Samsung together to create cross-browser documentation on MDN

  Community contributions are at the core of MDN’s success. Thousands of volunteers have helped build and refine MDN over the past 12 years. In this year alone, 8,021 users made 76,203 edits, greatly increasing the scope and quality of the content. Cross-browser documentation contributions include input from writers at Google and Microsoft; Microsoft writers have made more than 5,000 edits so far in 2017. This cross-browser collaboration adds valuable content on browser compatibility and new features of the web platform. Going forward, Microsoft writers will focus their Web API documentation efforts on MDN and will redirect relevant pages from Microsoft Developer Network to MDN.

• A Week-Long Festival for Internet Health

  Says Mark Surman, Mozilla’s Executive Director: “The Internet is layered into our lives like we never could have imagined. Access is no longer a luxury — it’s a fundamental part of 21st century life. A virus is no longer a nuisance consigned to a single terminal — it’s an existential threat that can disrupt hospitals, governments and entire cities.”

  But much of the Internet’s best nature is flourishing, too. Each day, new communities form despite members being separated by whole continents. Start-ups and artists have access to a global stage. And open-source projects put innovation and inclusion ahead of profit.

• The pervasive risk of vulnerable open source components [Ed: Veracode is at it again (FUD); see the Black Duck connection. Veracode is connected to Microsoft through this other FUD firm. Black Duck, by its own admission, was created to smear the GPL. Every now and then Black Duck and its cohorts find some gullible or complicit journalist to publish marketing as 'article'.]

• Report: 88% of Java Apps Vulnerable to Attacks from Known Security Defects

• Companies Turn Blind Eye to Open Source Security Risks

• The critics are wrong about AWS’s open source approach [Ed: Mac Asay]

• Salesforce Offers 5 Tips for Open Source Program Success [Ed: Salesforce gave money. So Salesforce gets puff piece from the Linux Foundation. Openwashing.]

Hackers broke into Microsoft's secret, internal bug-tracking database and stole information related to vulnerabilities that were exploited in later attacks. But the software developer never disclosed the breach, Reuters reported, citing former company employees.

In an article published Tuesday, Reuters said Microsoft's decision not to disclose details came after an internal review concluded the exploits used in later attacks could have been discovered elsewhere. That investigation relied, in part, on automated reports Microsoft receives when its software crashes. The problem with that approach, Reuters pointed out, is that advanced computer attacks are written so carefully they rarely cause crashes.

Reuters said Microsoft discovered the database breach in early 2013, after a still-unknown hacking group broke into computers belonging to a raft of companies. Besides Microsoft, the affected companies included Apple, Facebook, and Twitter. As reported at the time, the hackers infected a website frequented by software developers with attack code that exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Oracle's Java software framework. When employees of the targeted companies visited the site, they became infected, too.

• Slapping minions, defeating heroes and being delightfully evil in Dungeons 3, my thoughts

  Combining elements from many different genres, Dungeons 3 [Steam, GOG] has arrived for you to spread evil across the world. Dungeons 3 was a same-day release for Linux, but how does it feel to to be bad?

• The Humble Down Under Bundle is a very good deal for Linux gamers

  The Humble Down Under Bundle features nine games, all of which have a Linux version and it's a rather nice selection.

• Adventure Game Hiveswap: Act 1 Releases For Linux

  Hiveswap: Act 1 [Official Site, Steam, Humble], based on the popular, long-running webcomic Homestuck by Andrew Hussie, has released for Linux, just over 1 month following release of the Windows and Mac versions.

• RUNNING WITH RIFLES: PACIFIC DLC has a trailer, launching October 26th

• Battlevoid: Sector Siege promises to be an interesting 2D space RTS, releasing this month

  Battlevoid: Sector Siege [Steam] promises to be an RTS where the action is never far away, I liked the previous Battlevoid game for its simplicity and Battlevoid: Sector Siege seems better in every way.

• Indonesia and Khmer are heading to Civilization VI

• The Linux version of Beyond Enemy Lines is being held up by Unreal Engine 4 bugs

  This is sadly a familiar story, the Linux version of Beyond Enemy Lines [Steam, Official Site] is now waiting on bugs being fixed in Unreal Engine 4.

• Slide!! A simplistic and slow puzzle game released with Linux support

  If you're in the mood to slow down a bit with a puzzle game, perhaps Slide!! [Steam, Official Site] from Red Chain Games Ltd. might help.

• Need a Horror Game for October? Join the 'Doki Doki Literature Club'

Just a few short days ago, the KDE team released Plasma 5.11, the latest edition of this desktop environment, plied with a range of bug fixes as well as some new features. Reason enough to celebrate, but even more so when you consider the fact that Plasma has been slowly, steadily – and consistently – improving over the past few years.

For me, the culmination of this effort is my great satisfaction with Plasma – epitomized in the shape and form of Kubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zoltan, including the most excellent twining of the distro with my HP Pavilion laptop. And on this very machine, I will be testing the KDE neon live edition, furnished with the latest desktop version. So let’s see what it does.

Also: GCompris at KDE-edu sprint 2017

• The Darker Past of the Next President of the EPO – Part I: Introduction
• Confessions of EPO Insiders Reveal That European Patents (EPs) Have Lost Their Legitimacy/Value Due to Battistelli’s Policies
• Patent Firms From the United States Try Hard to Push the Unitary Patent (UPC), Which Would Foment Litigation Wars in Europe
• In the Age of Alice and PTAB There is No Reason to Pursue Software Patents in the United States (Not Anymore)
• IAM is Wrong, the Narrative Isn’t Changing, Except in the Battistelli-Funded (at EPO’s Expense) Financial Times
• The Federal Circuit Continues Squashing Software Patents
• SUEPO Representatives Like Elizabeth Hardon Vindicated as Battistelli’s Detrimental Effect on Patent Quality is Widely Confirmed

• Use an Android Launcher to Get the Pixel 2's New Search Bar On Your Current Phone

• Gmail on iOS might get what Android already had—third-party email support

• Review: Google's Pixel 2 gives you the best of Android – if you can find it

• Monument Valley 2 is coming to Android in November

• You can now access your Plex library in Android Auto

• Google just gave Play Music a fresh redesign on Android TV [Gallery]

• A Virtual Android

Canonical founder and CEO Mark Shuttleworth is one of the most prominent people in open source software.

Ubuntu, the GNU/Linux-based operating system that he helped birth in 2004 is now one of the best-known open source projects in the world, accounting for a vast proportion of the Linux VMs in the public cloud and huge numbers of connected devices.

Ubuntu contributor Didier Roche shared today the last blog article for the development cycle of the Ubuntu 17.10 (Artful Aardvark) operating system, which is expected to launch tomorrow, October 19.

Also: Ubuntu 17.10 is back on track with GNOME: Here's why that's a good thing

Now that the KDE Applications 17.08 software suite got its second point release, it's time for the KDE developers to concentrate their efforts on the next major update, KDE Applications 17.12.

All good things must come to an end, however, in that particular case, it’s rather a beginning! We are indeed almost done in our road to Artful, which means that 17.10 is just around the corner: official Ubuntu 17.10 release is due tomorrow. Of course, it doesn’t mean we stop right away working on it: you will have bug fixes and security updates for 9 months of support! It’s thus time to close this series on Artful, and for this, we are going to tackle one topic we didn’t get to yet, which is quite important approaching the release: upgrading from a previous Ubuntu release! For more background on our current transition to GNOME Shell in artful, you can refer back to our decisions regarding our default session experience as discussed in my blog post.

Besides Ubuntu 17.10 "Artful Aardvark" launching tomorrow, System76 is also expected to issue their first official release of the Ubuntu-derived Pop!_OS operating system they plan to begin shipping on their laptops/desktops. Curious about their modifications to Ubuntu 17.10, I decided to give the latest snapshot of it a ride.

For those that missed the earlier news this summer, back in June is when System76 announced Pop!_OS as the Linux distribution to be shipped on their future PCs/laptops. System76 had been shipping stock Ubuntu installations on their systems since its founding in 2005, but with Ubuntu shifting from Unity back to GNOME Shell and other changes, System76 found it time to give their own take on a Linux desktop OS.

MYIR has launched a $239, HMI touch panel with a 7-inch resistive screen that runs Linux on a TI AM335x, and offers -10 to 70°C support and a 4G LTE module.

MYIR’s Linux-based “MY-EVC5100S-HMI” touch-panel computer is designed for HMI systems in industrial control, manufacturing, vending, food and beverage, automation, and utilities applications. MYIR has already used the platform to develop a billing display application for electric vehicle charging pile stations.

The Parrot Project began work on a new version of their Linux-based ethical hacking and penetration testing operating system, Parrot Security OS 3.9, and they recently put out a call for testing.

The development cycle of the GNOME 3.28 desktop environment kicked off with a bunch of updates for various of the core components and apps, including Mutter and GNOME Shell.

Also: GNOME 3.28 Desktop Will Add Google Safe Browsing Support to Epiphany Web Browser

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is a famous computer scientist and academic who invented the World Wide Web in 1989—so when he talks about new technologies it’s worth paying attention.

Today, one of the topics on his mind is blockchain, a revolutionary way of creating permanent, tamper-proof records across a disparate network of computers.

Blockchain is most famously associated with the digital currency bitcoin but the technology is increasingly being used for record keeping by banks and retailers. It will also come to be used by more ordinary citizens in the near future, says Berners-Lee.