AsteroidOS and OpenWatch Aim to Open Up Smartwatch Market

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May 23, 2018

The AsteroidOS project has released version 1.0 of its open source, Linux-based smartwatch distribution. Designed for after-market installation on “Wear OS by Google” (formerly Android Wear) watches, AsteroidOS can now be dual booted on seven different models. The release follows the late March announcement of an OpenWatch Project for building Android based open source custom ROMs on Wear OS watches.

Despite the widespread view that wearables have been a disappointment, both smartwatches and other wearables are growing in popularity, with better days projected ahead (see farther below).

In truth, it’s not so much wearables that have been a disappointment as it is Wear OS. According to a recent Strategy Analytics report, Wear OS devices have cumulatively slipped from second to third place this year, slightly behind Samsung’s Tizen Linux based Gear watches. They both trail the AppleWatch, which owns about half the smartwatch market.

One problem is that unlike Android in general, Wear OS is, like Android Things, primarily a proprietary platform. Tizen is more open source, but unlike Google, Samsung has yet to encourage third party hardware vendors, and some software developers chafe at a platform controlled by one giant corporation.

Open source may not be a cure-all for technology market success, but wearables could benefit greatly from more developer participation. AsteroidOS and OpenWatch may offer a way forward.

AsteroidOS 1.0

AsteroidOS was developed by Florent Revest as an open source, privacy-oriented smartwatch platform. The distribution appeared last summer on the Connect Watch, but the product failed to reach its crowdfunding goal and quickly disappeared. An AsteroidOS blog post at the end of the year suggested that the company — essentially one individual — turned out to be unreliable and uncommunicative. (For example, as we noted in our story, Connect Watch never revealed that the prototype was actually an Android Wear watch from KingWear.)

The campaign was good for AsteroidOS, however. Revest says that the project has drawn on contributions from about 100 developers. The new stable release is ready to replace or dual-boot with Wear OS stacks on the Sony Smartwatch 3, the LG G Watch, G Watch Urbane, and G Watch R, as well as the Asus Zenwatch 1, 2, and 3.

Under the hood, AsteroidOS is built on open source Linux components such as OpenEmbedded, opkg, Wayland, Qt5, systemd, BlueZ, and PulseAudio. The platform uses libhybris for porting to Android Wear.

Version 1.0 provides phone notifications, agenda, alarm clock, calculator, music remote control, settings customizations, stopwatch, timer, and a weather forecast app. There is support for 20 languages and numerous watchface designs, and an open source SDK enables developers to add more of each.

Future plans may include an always-on display, grouped notification, calendar synchronization, and sync apps for more platforms. Farther out, there’s the potential for a personal assistant.

OpenWatch Project

The OpenWatch Project emerged from the Phonebloks inspired Blocks project, which in 2014 announced a modular Blocks watch that was to run Tizen on an Intel Edison module. The company quickly switched to Android Wear, but found that just as limiting and finally settled on its own platform based on Android 5.0.

The following year, Blocks ran a successful, $1.6 million Kickstarter campaign for a new Blocks watch that ran Android 5.0. Like the original, the design is unusual in that it houses modular components in the watchband links. Yet unlike the original, it’s proprietary rather than open source.

After significant delays, the Blocks watch was improved to keep up with the times. It switched to a higher resolution, 400 x 400 screen and swapped out the dual-core Snapdragon 400 for a quad-core MediaTek MTK6580M. Earlier this year, Blocks said it was finally shipping to backers, and it opened new pre-orders starting at $259. Yet, recent angry comments on the Kickstarter page suggest that many are still waiting.

In March, Blocks launched Project OpenWatch. The project is not open sourcing the full Blocks stack, but only key components including a Linux kernel and an Android Oreo based BSP. The idea is that others can build their own custom ROMs.

Early partners include LineageOS — the main fork of the discontinued CyanogenMod — as well as CarbonROM, a newer project that similarly produces smartphone aftermarket firmware based on Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Both projects are building their own custom ROMs based on OpenWatch.

Initially, OpenWatch will run only on watches built on the MediaTek MTK6580M SoC. These include low-end Android Wear devices like the Zeblaze Thor, Lemfo LES1, and KingWear KW88, KW98, and KW99.

Future Smartwatch

Despite the slow growth of wearables, the category appears to be gaining speed. The market grew 15.1 percent in 2018, totaling 132.9 million units, according to an IDC report released in March. The research firm projects that the segment will see compound growth of 13.4 percent through 2022, when it projects 219.4 million unit shipments. Explanations for the growth include lower prices and a larger choice of sensors.

IDC’s wearables definition includes fitness bands, smart earbuds, and smart clothing in addition to smartwatches, which IDC projects will represent “almost two out of every five wearable devices shipped in 2022.” Low-end health tracking wristbands, which led the way in the early years, will drop from a 36 percent share in 2018 to 22 percent in 2022. The fastest growing categories will be earbuds with voice assistant technology and sensor-laden clothing aimed at athletes, says IDC.

The Apple Watch represented over half of all smartwatches that shipped in 2017, says IDC. A Forrester report from last November pegged it as slightly less than half, with Samsung and Garmin coming in second and third.

Like Garmin, FitBit has introduced a proprietary stack for its first full-fledged smartwatch, the fitness oriented FitBit Ionic. FitBit acquired Pebble, and now aims to build up its app library with the help of Pebble developers.

A lack of apps could be the reason why Samsung is rumored to be switching from Tizen to Wear OS for its next watch. Years ago, Samsung released the Sony Smartwatch line of Android Wear watches, but flopped with the Wear-based Gear Live, and never looked back.

If the rumors are true, Samsung could draw on a much wider selection of apps available for Wear OS. Yet, in a May 22 9to5Google post about the unconfirmed rumor, Ben Schoon suggests that Samsung might consider sticking to Tizen. He acknowledges Google’s huge app advantage and says that Wear OS offers easier setup and better security. Yet, he argues that the Gear watches are superior in both hardware and software and have better battery life.

The story also notes that Google is rumored to be releasing its own Pixel-branded smartwatch in the fall based on Wear OS. Considering that Google never sufficiently opened up Wear OS to enable true innovation, perhaps it should have gone that route in the first place.

Join us at Open Source Summit + Embedded Linux Conference Europe in Edinburgh, UK on October 22-24, 2018, for 100+ sessions on Linux, Cloud, Containers, AI, Community, and more.

How to Connect your Android Device to your Linux Desktop

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Tech Republic

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May 23, 2018

If you’re an Android and Linux user, you know well the frustration of not being able to connect those two together, especially given that Android makes use of so much of the Linux kernel. Out of the box, these two should easily communicate. They don’t. Fortunately, a lot of work has gone into making this happen, by way of a GNOME Shell extension and an Android app, developed by the KDE Community.

I want to show you how to install the necessary components, and then get your Android device communicating with your Linux desktop.

What you’ll need

Obviously you’ll need an Android device and a Linux desktop. The Linux machine will need to be running the GNOME desktop environment. You’ll also need to install the KDE Connect app on your Android device (found on the Google Play Store).

Let’s install.

When to Use Git Reset, Git Revert & Git Checkout

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Dev.to

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May 23, 2018

Git toolbox provides multiple unique tools for fixing up mistakes during your development. Commands such as git reset, git checkout, and git revert allow you to undo erroneous changes in your repository.

Because they perform similar operations, it is very easy to mix them up. There are a few guidelines and rules for when each command should and should not be used. Let’s take a look!

Be careful! You can’t always redo after an undo. This is one of the few areas in Git where you may lose some work if you do it wrong.

Undoing with Git Commands

I will start off by clarifying the main differences between these three commands.

Catch Up on the Cloud Foundry Training Series

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Amber Ankerholz

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May 23, 2018

We’ve been talking a lot about the cloud on Linux.com lately, with a look at the recent KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe in Copenhagen and new Linux and cloud training options, including a new Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) Exam and corresponding Kubernetes for Developers course through the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.

We also just wrapped up a tutorial series previewing the Cloud Foundry for Developers training course. In these articles, we provided an overview of Cloud Foundry and how to get started using it to develop applications. The first three articles covered basic concepts, terminology, and architecture. Then, in the last two articles, we showed how to write and push an app to a Cloud Foundry instance. You can catch up on the entire series here:

And download the sample chapter for more information.

The Cloud Foundry for Developers training course teaches you how to use Cloud Foundry to build, deploy and manage a cloud-native microservices solution. Topics include:

Cloud Foundry Motivators: Industry changes which have led to the cloud-native movement and the role of Cloud Foundry in the enterprise.
Basic Definitions & Core Themes: Established a basic lexicon around simple Cloud Foundry concepts like targets, orgs, spaces, users, and roles.
Technical Overview: The main technical components/areas of Cloud Foundry, from the perspective of a developer interacting with the platform.
Best Practices: Best practices for designing, deploying, and managing applications.
Security: Using Cloud Foundry to secure applications and endpoints.
CI/CD & Automation: Best practices in automating the lifecycle of applications.

The information in this article series is based on the Cloud Foundry for Developers (LFD232) training course from Cloud Foundry and The Linux Foundation. You can download a sample chapter here.

Best Linux Laptops of 2018

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Tech Radar

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May 23, 2018

There was a time, not so long ago, when Linux was seen as an outcast operating system… times have now changed as the operating system – which launched in September 1991, has made some serious inroads in the server market, then in the cloud – not forgetting that it underpins the most popular ecosystem out there: Android on smartphones.

Because none of the main notebook vendors – bar Dell – offer Linux as an OS option, this leaves other smaller companies the ability to carve a niche for themselves.

Below are the five best Linux laptops of 2018 we’ve picked out using our expert eye – note that they have been fine-tuned to run a specific flavour of Linux (such as Ubuntu, for example).

1. Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition

The XPS 13 retains its crown as the undisputed champion of the Ultrabook market, and one can only admire Dell for its unwavering Linux support on a flagship machine.

How Security Can Bridge the Chasm with Development

By

Dark Reading

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May 23, 2018

Enhancing the relationships between security and engineering is crucial for improving software security. These six steps will bring your teams together.

There’s always been a troublesome rift between enterprise security teams and software developers. While the friction is understandable, it’s also a shame, because the chasm between these teams makes it all the more challenging to build quality applications that are both great to use and safe.

Why is the strife between security teams and software developers so acute? Essentially, it’s because both teams have, to a large degree, opposing goals. For security, it’s about ensuring that apps are not easily exploitable and reasonably secure versus, on the development side, creating new applications and features for existing ones.

The reality is that both software development and security are hard. The mindsets – breaker verses builder — are completely different. And we as security professionals need to take different approaches than we have in the past. Let’s take a deeper look at these challenges, and then how security teams can help close the gap.

Free Resources for Securing Your Open Source Code

By

Sam Dean

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May 22, 2018

While the widespread adoption of open source continues at a healthy rate, the recent 2018 Open Source Security and Risk Analysis Report from Black Duck and Synopsys reveals some common concerns and highlights the need for sound security practices. The report examines findings from the anonymized data of over 1,100 commercial codebases with represented Industries from automotive, Big Data, enterprise software, financial services, healthcare, IoT, manufacturing, and more.

The report highlights a massive uptick in open source adoption, with 96 percent of the applications scanned containing open source components. However, the report also includes warnings about existing vulnerabilities. Among the findings:

“What is worrisome is that 78 percent of the codebases examined contained at least one open source vulnerability, with an average 64 vulnerabilities per codebase.”
“Over 54 percent of the vulnerabilities found in audited codebases are considered high-risk vulnerabilities.”
Seventeen percent of the codebases contained a highly publicized vulnerability such as Heartbleed, Logjam, Freak, Drown, or Poodle.

“The report clearly demonstrates that with the growth in open source use, organizations need to ensure they have the tools to detect vulnerabilities in open source components and manage whatever license compliance their use of open source may require,” said Tim Mackey, technical evangelist at Black Duck by Synopsys.

Indeed, with ever more impactful security threats emerging,the need for fluency with security tools and practices has never been more pronounced. Most organizations are aware that network administrators and sysadmins need to have strong security skills, and, in many cases security certifications. In this article, we explored some of the tools, certifications and practices that many of them wisely embrace.

The Linux Foundation has also made available many informational and educational resources on security. Likewise, the Linux community offers many free resources for specific platforms and tools. For example, The Linux Foundation has published a Linux workstation security checklist that covers a lot of good ground. Online publications ranging from the Fedora security guide to the Securing Debian Manual can also help users protect against vulnerabilities within specific platforms.

The widespread use of cloud platforms such as OpenStack is also stepping up the need for cloud-centric security smarts. According to The Linux Foundation’s Guide to the Open Cloud: “Security is still a top concern among companies considering moving workloads to the public cloud, according to Gartner, despite a strong track record of security and increased transparency from cloud providers. Rather, security is still an issue largely due to companies’ inexperience and improper use of cloud services.”

For both organizations and individuals, the smallest holes in implementation of routers, firewalls, VPNs, and virtual machines can leave room for big security problems. Here is a collection of free tools that can plug these kinds of holes:

Wireshark, a packet analyzer
KeePass Password Safe, a free open source password manager
Malwarebytes, a free anti-malware and antivirus tool
NMAP, a powerful security scanner
NIKTO, an open source web server scanner
Ansible, a tool for automating secure IT provisioning
Metasploit, a tool for understanding attack vectors and doing penetration testing

Instructional videos abound for these tools. You’ll find a whole tutorial series for Metasploit, and video tutorials for Wireshark. Quite a few free ebooks provide good guidance on security as well. For example, one of the common ways for security threats to invade open source platforms occurs in M&A scenarios, where technology platforms are merged—often without proper open source audits. In an ebook titled Open Source Audits in Merger and Acquisition Transactions, from Ibrahim Haddad and The Linux Foundation, you’ll find an overview of the open source audit process and important considerations for code compliance, preparation, and documentation.

Meanwhile, we’ve previously covered a free ebook from the editors at The New Stack called Networking, Security & Storage with Docker & Containers. It covers the latest approaches to secure container networking, as well as native efforts by Docker to create efficient and secure networking practices. The ebook is loaded with best practices for locking down security at scale.

All of these tools and resources, and many more, can go a long way toward preventing security problems, and an ounce of prevention is, as they say, worth a pound of cure. With security breaches continuing, now is an excellent time to look into the many security and compliance resources for open source tools and platforms available. Learn more about security, compliance, and open source project health here.

Free Ebook Offers Insight on 16 Open Source AI Projects

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The Linux Foundation

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May 22, 2018

Open source AI is flourishing, with companies developing and open sourcing new AI and machine learning tools at a rapid pace. To help you keep up with the changes and stay informed about the latest projects, The Linux Foundation has published a free ebook by Ibrahim Haddad examining popular open source AI projects, including Acumos AI, Apache Spark, Caffe, TensorFlow, and others.

“It is increasingly common to see AI as open source projects,” Haddad said. And, “as with any technology where talent premiums are high, the network effects of open source are very strong.”

Download the ebook now to learn more about the most successful open source AI projects and read what it takes to build your own successful community.

Fortran and Docker: How to Combine Legacy Code with Cutting-Edge Components

By

Medium Blog

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May 22, 2018

When you think about Fortran, you might conjure up images of punch cards, mainframes, and engineers from the past. You might not think about fast-running web-based tools or modern architecture. But here at Urban, Fortran still has a place alongside cutting edge tools.

In this post, I’ll walk you behind the scenes to share the benefits of Fortran and how we combine it with other, “modern” technologies, such as containers, to provide greater flexibility, portability, and scaling without the pain of re-writing the model.

Why Fortran?

Organizations with long institutional memory, like Urban, often have many complex models in older programming languages that would be time-consuming to rewrite in a more “modern” language (e.g., Python). These models are frequently referred to as legacy systems. When these systems are stable, well-documented and still actively developed, there is no reason to read the word “legacy” as a pejorative.

OpenStack Spins Out Its Zuul Open Source CI/CD Platform

By

TechCrunch

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May 22, 2018

There are few open-source projects as complex as OpenStack, which essentially provides large companies with all the tools to run the equivalent of the core AWS services in their own data centers. To build OpenStack’s various systems the team also had to develop some of its own DevOps tools, and, in 2012, that meant developing Zuul, an open-source continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) platform. Now, with the release of Zuul v3, the team decided to decouple Zuul from OpenStack and run it as an independent project. It’s not quite leaving the OpenStack ecosystem, though, as it will still be hosted by the OpenStack Foundation.

Now all of that may seem a bit complicated, but at this point, the OpenStack Foundation is simply the home of OpenStack and other related infrastructure projects. The first one of those was obviously OpenStack itself, followed by the Kata Containers project late last year. Zuul is simply the third of these projects.