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A New Dual EC DRBG Flaw

The dual elliptic curve deterministic random bit generator (Dual EC DRBG) cryptographic algorithm has a dubious history—it is believed to have been backdoored by the US National Security Agency (NSA)—but is mandated by the FIPS 140-2 US government cryptographic standard. That means that any cryptographic library project that is interested in getting FIPS 140-2 certified needs to implement the discredited random number algorithm. But, since certified libraries cannot change a single line—even to fix major, fatal bugs—having a non-working version of Dual EC DRBG may actually be the best defense against the backdoor. Interestingly, that is exactly where the OpenSSL projectfinds itself.

Read more at LWN

 

30 Cool Open Source Software I Discovered in 2013

These are full-featured open source software products, free as in beer and speech that I started to use recently. Vivek Gite picks his best open source software of 2013.

#1 Replicant – Fully free Android distribution

Replicant is entirely free and open source distributions of Android on several devices including both phones and tablets. I have installed it on an older Nexus S. You can install apps from F-Droid store a GPLv2 client app that comes configured with a repository hosting only free as in freedom applications.

Read more: 30 Cool Open Source Software I Discovered in 2013

2013: A Linux Christmas

Amazon’s preliminary Christmas sales information is in and Linux-powered gear was a holiday-season winner.

Chromebooks’ Success Punches Microsoft in the Gut

Chromebooks had a very good year, according to retailer Amazon.com and industry analysts.

And that’s bad news for Microsoft.

The pared-down laptops powered by Google’s browser-based Chrome OS have surfaced this year as a threat to “Wintel,” the Microsoft-Intel oligarchy that has dominated the personal-computer space for decades with Windows machines.

On Thursday, Amazon.com called out a pair of Chromebooks — one from Samsung, the other from Acer — as two of the three best-selling notebooks during the U.S. holiday season. The third:Asus’ Transformer Book, a Windows 8.1 “2-in-1” device that transforms from a 10.1-in. tablet to a keyboard-equipped laptop.

Read more at ComputerWorld.

Red Hat, With Dell, Could Provide Much Needed OpenStack Direction

While Red Hat is often lauded for its ability to support open source software and retain loyal subscribers to its support contracts, the company has also established itself as a strong leader and open source community booster. In 2014, Red Hat’s focus is going to shift much more in the direction of cloud computing, as it pursues numerous OpenStack-focused initiatives. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform is positioned to serve as the foundation for OpenStack-powered cloud deployments. And, Red Hat announced its Red Hat Certificate of Expertise in Infrastructure-as-a-Service and expanded training in support of its OpenStack technology.

Noted open source writer and leader Matt Asay notes that OpenStack needs Red Hat, because while the open cloud platform has much going for it, it doesn’t have the leadership it needs. Red Hat could provide that leadership.



 
Read more at Ostatic

Reports Say That Windows/Android Hybrid PCs Will Debut at CES

Just as 2013 was beginning, I wrote a post called “Should Microsoft Embrace Both Android and Firefox OS?” The gist of the post was that Microsoft’s entries into a couple of important product categories–including smartphones and tablets–have included many missteps and its best advice may be to embrace open source mobile technology, especially Android.

Fast-forward to now, as the last days of 2013 are upon us, and there are reports emerging about a new class of hardware products that will arrive at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) called PC Plus devices. Purportedly, these are going to run both Windows 8 and Android. Better late than never, Microsoft.  


 
Read more at Ostatic

Positions Forming in the Debian Init System Discussion

Some of the members of the Debian Technical Committee are starting to post their conclusions regarding which init system the distribution should use in the future. In particular, Ian Jackson has come out in favor of upstart: “Firstly, unlike the systemd maintainers, I think portability to non-Linux systems is important. It may be that our existing non-Linux ports are not very widely used, undermaintained, and/or not of production quality. However, I think it is important for us to keep those options open.

Russ Allbery, meanwhile, is in favor of systemd. “There are two separate conceptual areas in which I think systemd offers substantial advantages over upstart, each of which I would consider sufficient to choose systemd on its own. Together, they make a compelling case for systemd.

In both cases, the authors have extensively documented their reasons for their decisions; reading the full messages is recommended.

Read more at LWN

 

 

Intel X.Org Driver Gets Fixes, Broadwell Acceleration

Besides publishing their Haswell hardware documentation, coming out of Intel’s Open-Source Technology Center today is the latest Intel 3.0 X.Org driver development release…

Read more at Phoronix

Samsung Chip Advance Paves Way for Phones with 4GB Memory

The Korean electronics giant’s low-power DDR4 memory chips, due to ship in 2014, will help lift a key performance bottleneck in today’s mobile devices. Samsung says the new chips are faster and use less power, too. [Read more]

 
Read more at CNET News

The Most Popular Linux Stories of 2013 on Linux.com

NASA logo2013 was another great year for Linux, and as usual many of the top trends in the Linux and tech worlds, in general, are evident in the most popular original articles published here on Linux.com. 

The rise of the low-cost, single-board computer, a la Raspberry Pi, for example, as well as the continued growth of Google’s Linux-based Android mobile operating system are reflected in this year’s top 10. Our new “Android App Development for Beginners” series was a hit, along with the new series of embedded Linux board reviews and how-to’s.

Mixed in were some classics such as the annual pick of top distros and a few desktop app reviews and tutorials. And who could forget the awesome story from Linux Foundation Training this year about the International Space Station switching to Linux? Here, we list the top 10 out of the hundreds of original articles published on the site throughout the year, starting with the most popular article.

1. The 2013 Top 7 Best Linux Distributions for You

Katherine Noyes was prescient when she declared Ubuntu the best gaming desktop due to Valve’s endorsement of the distro for its newly released Steam platform for Linux. Now, of course, Valve has its very own SteamOS.

2. Android Programming for Beginners: Part 1

The first part in a popular new series of Android tutorials from Juliet Kemp. 

3. Top 3 Linux Video Editors

Carla Schroder gives her picks for the best video applications on Linux.

4. How to Install CyanogenMod on an Android Phone

Mod your phone at your own risk, reads Juliet Kemp’s disclaimer at the start of this tutorial.

5. Getting Started With the BeagleBone Black: A 1GHz ARM Linux Machine for $45

Ben Martin reviews the ARM-based SBC and explains how to get it up and running and access the various pins and headers.

6. Introducing the $99 Linux Supercomputer

In this guest post, Andrew Back tapped into what was easily one of the biggest trends of the year: the astonishing rise of low-cost, single board computing inspired by the Raspberry Pi. Here he introduces the Parallella, which launched with a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 and shipped its first boards in 2013.

7. How to Run Linux on ODROID-U2: A Monster of an ARM Machine

Another SBC article — this one covers how to install Linux on the ODroid-U2, “an extremely small form factor, ARM-based computer that packs enough grunt to replace a modest desktop.”

8. Android Programming for Beginners: Part 2

While part 1 focused on how to set up a development environment and build a basic app, Juliet’s second article takes a closer look at the structure of an Android app and how to create a menu, and run the app on a phone.

9. Professional Audio Production on Linux

Carla Schroder gives her top software picks for making, editing and mastering good recordings, as well as writing a score and broadcasting over the web.

10. Linux Foundation Training Prepares the International Space Station for Linux Migration

The story of how United Space Alliance, a NASA contractor deeply involved in Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) operations, decided to migrate to Linux and used The Linux Foundation Training program to train its team.