New Guides Demystify the Open Cloud

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February 3, 2015

If you’re bewildered by the number of open cloud platforms and usage models for them that are available, there are some useful new guides you should know about. The Linux Foundation has announced the release of its 2015 report “Guide to the Open Cloud: Open Cloud Projects Profiled.” To download the full report, you can visit The Linux Foundation’s Publication’s website at: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/linux-foundation/guide-to-the-open-cloud

Meanwhile, The Open Data Center Alliance has issued a “usage model” that defines how computing, network and storage resources combine to form cloud infrastructure. It is available here.

Simplicity Linux 15.1 Is Based on Slacko – Gallery

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Softpedia

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February 3, 2015

Simplicity Linux, a Linux distribution based on Slacko that uses the LXDE desktop, has reached version 15.1 and is now available for download and testing.

Simplicity Linux is based on Slacko and I can tell you right away that this is not a popular system to use, although it’s a very good one. Most other distros use stuff like Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, RHEL, and a few other, but very few developers choose Slackware or Slacko. It’s an interesting choice and it has its perks.

As usual, there are … (read more)

Read more at Softpedia News

MongoDB 3.0 To Have WiredTiger, Big Performance Improvements

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Phoronix

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February 3, 2015

MongoDB 3.0 was announced today with an expected GA release in March. MongoDB 3.0 has “massive improvements to performance and scalability, enabled by comprehensive improvements in the storage layer.”..

Linux Kernel 3.14.31 Is Now the Most Advanced LTS Branch Available

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Softpedia

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February 3, 2015

The latest version of the stable Linux kernel, 3.14.31, has been announced by Greg Kroah-Hartman, and this is the most advanced long-term support branch of the kernel.

It’s been some time since the 3.14.x branch of the kernel got its LTS status and the devs have pushed quite a few updates since then. Being the most advanced LTS branch has its perk and it usually means that it gets integrated in quite a few distros.

“I’m announcing the release of the 3.14.31 kernel. All users of the 3.14 kern… (read more)

Read more at Softpedia News

Android Banking Trojan Is Controlled via SMS

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Softpedia

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February 3, 2015

A newly discovered banking Trojan targeting Android users has been found to receive its instructions through short text messages, suggesting that the attacker is monitoring the activity of the victims.

Among the list of capabilities there is the possibility to intercept SMS communication, both incoming and outgoing, copying the list of contacts stored on the affected device. It can also intercept incoming calls and terminate the conversation.

All the information collected from the compromise… (read more)

Read more at Softpedia News

How KDE Plasma 5 Optionally Uses systemd

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Phoronix

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February 3, 2015

For those wondering how KDE Plasma 5 — and other desktop environments — have come to begin utilizing systemd,..

Encrypted Flash Drive Released by Toshiba with Up to 32 GB

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Softpedia

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February 3, 2015

Flash drives have come to be quite small, compact to the point where they barely stick out of the universal serial bus port. But there are some features that still need the full stick form factor. Toshiba’s new product is one of them.

Not that the drive is all that small. The newcomer, aptly called Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive, is barely wider than the USB connector and not much longer than your index finger.

And yet, it still somehow has enough space for a full number pad, which you us… (read more)

Read more at Softpedia News

IT Work Shortage Poses a Challenge to Businesses

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eWeek

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February 3, 2015

One in five companies have postponed or canceled projects due to understaffing, according to the CompTIA study.

Open Collaboration is Paving the Path for NFV

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OPNFV

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February 3, 2015

By Heather Kirksey

I am thrilled to be joining OPNFV as its Director of NFV working directly with those who are committed to advancing open source NFV for all. I am excited about this organization, this technology, this community, and what the future holds for NFV.

Let me explain what lead me to OPNFV. I have a long running passion for open source and open communities, most recently through my role at MongoDB where I got to experience being at an open source company first-hand. Before that most of my career was spent in the telecom industry where I held a variety of positions including running a partner program for CPE, doing solutions marketing for the IP Division at Alcatel-Lucent, business development, and participating in numerous standards activities. I was most active at Broadband Forum where I helped create and launch TR-069, served as BroadbandHome Technical Working Group Chair, served on the board, and oversaw collaborative activities with ATIS, 3GPP, OSGi, ITU-T, OMA, IETF, Small Cell Forum, UPnP Forum, Home Gateway Initiative, and other groups.

I am keenly interested in NFV and SDN and the evolution they represent. When I started in this industry we were just starting to roll out broadband, and a feature flip phone was still considered somewhat of a luxury. The intervening time has seen high-speed internet give way to triple-play give way to OTT streaming, the rise of the smart phone, and both the increasingly rapid evolution of cellular technology and almost ubiquity of WiFi. The rise of smart home, connected car, M2M, IoT and wearables is further transforming the kinds of services that networks deliver and what subscribers expect.

Balancing Diversity and Creativity in the World of FOSS

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LinuxInsider

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February 3, 2015

The Linux community is filled with friction and diversity. One of the advantages of open source software is the diversity that leads to innovative approaches to improve the computing environment. But can the diversity go too far? Is it a defining characteristic that kills programming creativity? LinuxInsider spoke with a panel of open source developers about the creative versus destructive nature of the seemingly fractured world of open source.