Google to Take on Nuance with Speech Recognition API

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March 25, 2016

google-speechAM Google’s “Cloud Speech API” enters limited preview in 80 languages. If you want to build a product with speech recognition capabilities, Nuance has been the default choice for some time. The company’s technology powers Apple’s Siri and Samsung’s S-Voice as well as car computing interfaces from BMW, Chrysler, Ford, and many other automakers.

Google has had its own voice recognition service for some time, but previously it was only used in Google-branded products like the Google app, Google keyboard, or Google.com. Now that voice recognition technology is being opened up to developers. At its NEXT cloud platform conference, Google announced the Cloud Speech API.

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Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS Beta 2 Adds UI Refinements, Synapse Integration for MATE

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Softpedia

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March 25, 2016

Softpedia has just been informed by Martin Wimpress, the leader of the Ubuntu MATE project, about the immediate availability of the second Beta build of the upcoming Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) operating system.

Release highlights of Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS Beta 2 include full integration of Synapse, the GNOME Do application launcher replacement, with the MATE desktop environment, though it’s not enabled by default. MATE Tweak has been updated to version 3.5.8, bringing support for enabling Synapse, and multiple bug fixes.

Plank, the dock-like app, has been updated to version 0.11, a release that adds support for docklets, and a new theme for Ubuntu MATE. Other in-house built apps have been updated as well,…

Tele2 Adopts Canonical’s Ubuntu Open Source OpenStack Cloud for NFV

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The VAR Guy

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March 25, 2016

Telecommunications provider Tele2 will use Canonical’s Ubuntu-based open source OpenStack platform, BootStack, for telecom services.

Canonical scored another major telecom partnership related to its open source Ubuntu Linux platform this week, when Tele2announced that it is moving more operations to the cloud using Canonical’s Ubuntu-based OpenStack platform. Tele2 is a major European telecommunications provider. On Wednesday, it announced that it is migrating more of its infrastructure to the cloud by adopting OpenStack and network functions virtualization (NFV).

Lubuntu-Based LXLE 14.04.4 “Posh Paradigm” Linux OS Officially Released

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Softpedia

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March 25, 2016

lubuntu-based-lxle-14-04-4 On March 24, 2016, the developers of the LXLE distribution of GNU/Linux have been proud to announce the release and immediate availability for download of the final LXLE 14.04.4 operating system.

Dubbed Posh Paradigm, LXLE 14.04.4 appears to be based on the long-term supported Lubuntu 14.04.4 LTS (Trusty Tahr) OS and comes with the latest SeaMonkey 2.40 Internet suite that includes web browser, email, and chat components. SeaMonkey is an important part of the user experience offered by the LXLE distro.

As we reported back when the Release Candidate (RC) build of LXLE 14.04.4 was announced, the distribution received a fresh coat of paint on its user interface. This consists of the smoothing of all the rough edges, new artwork, and a new layout that appears to be easy to use…

Weak Links in the Blockchain: We’re Neglecting the Foundations

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ZDNet

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March 25, 2016

Premature infatuation with blockchain overlooks security weaknesses in the platform that underlies Bitcoin digital currency.

In the rush to make bigger and grander claims for the disruptive potential of blockchain, too many commentators are neglecting the foundations. If they think blockchain is important, then it’s all the more important they understand what it does well, and what it just doesn’t do at all.

Blockchain has one very clever, very innovative trick: it polices the order of special events (namely Bitcoin spends) without needing a central authority. The main security aspect that blockchain provides is not tamper resistance or inviolability per se; you can get those any number of ways using standard cryptography. Rather it’s the process for a big network of nodes to reach agreement on the state of a distributed ledger, especially the order of updates to the ledger.

Native Docker Comes to Windows and Mac

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The Linux Foundation

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March 25, 2016

Docker has launched a beta of Docker for Mac and Docker for Windows, two software packages that represent significant software architecture changes made to optimize Docker for an OS-native experience.

While users could previously use Docker on Windows and Mac, the packages remove additional layers of dependencies and offer native, tightly integrated user experience. Docker can now be installed as a native Windows or native Mac app, launched and utilized from a system toolbar just like any other packaged application. The bottom line is that Mac and Windows users can enjoy faster Docker-driven iteration cycles because their code changes can be tested instantaneously on the laptop without the need to build the Docker application image first.

“Docker for Mac and Windows reflects deep OS system-level work from our Unikernel Systems team and demonstrates how, moving forward, we can leverage native platform capabilities to provide users with the same optimized Docker experience on all platforms,” said Solomon Hykes, Docker founder, chief technology officer and chief product officer.

How to Install and Configure MySQL Cluster on CentOS 7

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Falko Timme

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March 24, 2016

MySQL Cluster is designed to provide a MySQL compatible database with high availability and low latency. The MySQL Cluster technology is implemented through the NDB (Network DataBase) and NDBCLUSTER storage engines and provides shared-nothing clustering and auto-sharding for MySQL database systems. In the shared-nothing architecture, each of nodes has its own memory and disk, the use of shared storage such as NFS, SANs is not recommended and supported.

Linux Best Bets: There’s a Desktop Distro Just Right for You

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ZDNet

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March 24, 2016

linux-desktop-2016 There are hundreds of Linux desktop distributions. What’s a would-be Linux desktop user to do? Luckily for you, you don’t have to try them all out to find a good fit.

The key question is: “What do you want to use Linux for?” Once you know that, everything else is easy.

For those of you who haven’t met me before. I’ve been using Linux as a desktop operating system since 1993, two years after Linux was created. Since then I’ve used dozens of different Linux distribution and I used to run a website called Desktop Linux. Today, I use three different Linux desktops on a regular basis. In short, I know the Linux desktop. So, let’s get started shall we?

Read more at ZDNet Linux and Open Source

Oracle Issues Emergency Java Patch for Bug Leading to System Hijack

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ZDNet

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March 24, 2016

Users have been warned to patch their systems as soon as possible. Oracle has released an emergency patch for Java which fixes a critical bug leading to remote code execution without the need for user credentials.

In a security alert posted Thursday, the tech giant said the flaw, CVE-2016-0636, is rather potent — having achieved a rating of 9.3 through the Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The bug is considered so severe as the flaw “can impact the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of the user’s system.” Oracle Java SE 7 Update 97, and 8 Update 73 and 74 for Windows, Solaris, Linux, and Mac OS X are affected.

Gorgeous Cub Linux 1.0 (Chromixium OS) Release Candidate Now Available – Gallery

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Softpedia

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March 24, 2016

cub-linux-1-0 The Cub Linux (previously Chromixium OS) developers have just announced on their Twitter account that the RC (Release Candidate) build of the upcoming 1.0 version of the operating system is available for download.

Before we tell you what goodies have been shipped with the first Release Candidate builds of Cub Linux 1.0, we would like to remind those of you who are not in the loop that, earlier this year, the team announced the rename of the project to Cub Linux from Chromixium OS at the request of Google’s Trademark Enforcement Team.

The Chromixium OS devs were asked, at the point in time, by Google, to cease the use of the name “Chromixium” for their GNU/Linux operating system because of infringement, despite the fact that Google doesn’t yet use that name on any of its projects.