Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 Has Linux Kernel 2.6.32

While every Ubuntu fan still discovers the powers of the Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system, somewhere deep in the Ubuntu headquarters the Canonical developers are working very hard to bring us all the new stuff that happens in the Linux world today. Therefore we proudly announce that the first Alpha version of the upcoming Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) operating system has been released. As usual, we've downloaded a copy of it in order to keep you up-to-date with the latest changes in the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS development.

What's new in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1? Well, first of all we would like to remind everyone that the release schedule for Ubuntu has been changed to 3 Alphas, 2 Betas and a Release Candidate. Ubuntu 10.04 LTS is the third LTS (Long Term Support) release, which will be supported for 3 years on the Desktop and 5 years on the Server. Second of all, HAL has been completely removed, which makes Ubuntu boot and resume faster than ever!

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 is now powered by the freshly cooked Linux kernel 2.6.32 and it uses the GNOME desktop environment 2.29.3, which brings lots of improvements and new features. Other than that, there are now only five games left in the distribution, including AisleRiot Solitare, Gnometris, Mahjongg, Mines and Sudoku.

Only five games left in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

Transmission has been updated to 1.80 Beta 1, including some interesting, new features. And last but not least, there is a new tool called Byobu Window Manager, which offers a set of configuration utilities and profiles for the GNU screen window manager.

The Byobu Window Manager

The colors on the logo for the Live CD have been changed, with a white logo now, and the installer has an "Update this installer" button that will update it to the latest version (see the screenshots below for details).

The revamped Live CD boot screen

Updating the Ubuntu installer...

What's new in Kubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1? Well, this first Alpha version of the upcoming Kubuntu 10.04 LTS operating system is built on top of the KDE Software Compilation 4.4 Beta 1, which includes lots of new features and improvements over the previous KDE 4.3 releases.It also offers features such as grouping windows into tabs, new widgets and effects, improved configuration and user interface.

Kubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 with KDE SC 4.4 Beta 1

Xubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1

On April 29th, 2010, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) will become the twelfth release of the Ubuntu operating system. See you again in exactly five weeks (January 14th), for the second Alpha version of the upcoming Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx). Happy holidays!

The Lucid Lynx Release Schedule:

December 10th, 2009 - Alpha 1 release;
January 14th, 2010 - Alpha 2 release;
February 25th, 2010 - Alpha 3 release;
March 18th, 2010 - Beta 1 release;
April 8th, 2010 - Beta 2 release;
April 22nd, 2010 - Release Candidate;
April 29th, 2010 - Final release of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.

Download Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 (Lucid Lynx) right now from Softpedia.

Download Ubuntu Server 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 (Lucid Lynx) right now from Softpedia.

Download Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 (Lucid Lynx) right now from Softpedia.

Download Ubuntu ARM 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 (Lucid Lynx) right now from Softpedia.

Download Kubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 (Lucid Lynx) right now from Softpedia.

Download Kubuntu Netbook Remix 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 (Lucid Lynx) right now from Softpedia.

Download Xubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 1 (Lucid Lynx) right now from Softpedia.

Remember that this is an alpha release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only. Please report bugs to the Ubuntu Bug Tracker.

Firmware Update 3.15 for the PlayStation 3 Detailed

Sony has confirmed that it will be bringing the PlayStation Portable Minis program to the PlayStation 3 home gaming console with the upcoming 3.15 firmware update, which is set to arrive at an unspecified date only referred to as “very soon.” The move was rumored for a few days and Sony is also mentioning that the 3.15 firmware update will be optional to those who own a Sony console. Starting with December 17, all the PSP Mini releases will be required to work on both the Sony handheld and the home console. All those players who have bought a game using the program for the PSP will be able to download it again free of charge for the new platform.

The Mini program was started by Sony in an effort to compete with the games launched on the Apple App Store for the iPhone. The idea is to deliver videogames that are limited in sales, sell for a lower price than normal releases and can be easily played on the go. Titles like Fieldrunners, Kahoots and Blast Off will be among the first available on the PlayStation 3, thereby enlarging their potential audience and bringing in more sales for the developers and Sony.

And with the Minis now confirmed as coming to the PlayStation 3, it would not be surprising to see that Sony also relaxes the no online multiplayer rule that has been attached to the releases, allowing for developers to make the gaming experiences they deliver even more appealing.

The 3.15 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 is also set to introduce a feature allowing for data transfer from one console to another, which enables saved data to be moved. The main idea is to cater to those players who are interested in taking the content from their old PlayStation 3 and move it to a new Slim device.

Cast Your Vote on How Apple Should Name Its Tablet

Without a doubt, Apple will (sooner or later) answer the huge demand for a tablet device capable of playing high-definition content, able to browse the Internet, and offer useful applications on the go. Or so we think. If not Apple, then who, right? We figured you’d agree. That’s why we decided to skip speculation as to whether or not the device is coming, and moved on to the next best thing: what’s it going to be called?

Pretty much everyone having the smallest connection with Apple and its products has, at least once, speculated on the tablet subject. It’s obvious to us that Apple sees the huge demand and will do everything in its power to plug this hole, so to speak. And yes, it’s a gap that Apple’s very fanbase has created between the iPod touch and the MacBook. After all, it’s them the company is trying to appeal to.

Over the course of this year, we’ve seen more Apple tablet rumors than reports on AH1N1 (swine flu). Basically, every analyst tracking Apple’s moves has predicted that the company will deliver an over-sized iPod touch sometime in 2010. Calling it the “iPad,” “iTablet,” or simply going for the “tablet device” dubbing, most of them think Apple is gearing up to ship this thing. They’re probably not even close on these names – for all we know, Apple could dub it “iSlab,” just to honor its “think different” motto – but clearly there’s a surprise to be had in the product’s name too.
This is probably the most widely accepted view of Apple’s forthcoming “iTablet.” Most Apple device owners agree that, if the product does emerge in this form, it will most likely run an advanced version of the iPhone OS, or a hybrid operating system, borrowing key elements from Mac OS X and the iPhone software.
Credits: ZDNet
Those who don’t think Apple is rolling out this elusive tablet computer, or media device (or whatever) are more than welcome to share their own arguments. As for those of you who’ve already boarded the iTablet train, use the comments to tell us what you think Apple is going to name the product. An argument would also be appropriate, for that matter.

Facebook Creates Safety Advisory Board

Online safety has always been an issue, yet even today, it looks more like a “religious” battle rather than one based on facts and proper studies. This may have been one of the reasons why most companies had a more relaxed attitude only intervening after something bad had happened. Now though, Facebook is taking a more active approach and has created the Facebook Safety Advisory Board, a group made up of five organizations in the field from the USand Europe, Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely, WiredSafety, Childnet International and The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). The group will be tasked with helping the social network come up with better measures and policies regarding online safety.

The group will start by advising with the overhaul of the help content on safety-related issues available in the Facebook Help Center. The social network wants to make the information available a useful and comprehensive tool focused on the three groups which are likely to be the most interested, parents, teachers and teens.

“We believe that the only way to keep kids safe online is for everyone who wants to protect them to work together,” Elliot Schrage, Vice-President of Global Communications and Public Policy at Facebook, said. “The formation of a board to advise specifically on safety issues is a positive, innovative and collaborative step towards creating a more robust safety environment, and we are thrilled that such a well-respected, trusted group of organizations has joined us in this endeavor.”

Facebook plans to meet with the group regularly to consult on safety issues if problems arise but also to review the existing policies, material and the steps the social network takes to protect its users. Facebook claims that the matter has always been taken very seriously and points out that it already has a collaboration agreement with some 49 Attorneys General in the US.

Fake Windows Security Bulletin Notifications Link to Malware

Malware distributors continue resorting to the fake software update lure for their email spam campaigns. The latest attack poses as a notification regarding a Windows security bulletin, which links to a malicious executable.

The rogue emails impersonate Steve Lipner, Microsoft’s Director of Security Assurance, who allegedly informs the receiver about a high-priority security update for all versions of Windows. "Please notice that Microsoft company has recently issued a Security Update for OS Microsoft Windows. The update applies to the following OS versions: Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Millenium [sic], Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows 7," the fake message reads.

There are some more or less subtle signs that this email is fake, depending on who's at the receiving end. For example, for an IT professional, the poor technical language used or the fact that Windows Millennium is no longer receiving updates since 2006, when its product life ended, will ring alarm bells. However, the message is credible enough to trick an average user.

As expected, the email goes on to recommend that the security update be installed immediately and provides a link to download it. It even tries to explain the reason for the message reaching your inbox in the first place, by claiming that "your computer is set to receive notifications when new updates are available."

The Windows-KBxxxxx-ENU.exe executable file linked in the email is generically detected by Sophos as Mal/EncPK-LL. "The executable itself is a Delphi executable packed using a custom packer but it seems to be malformed and caused errors while executing on my test system. Additional testing would be required for a detailed analyses of the cause," Vanja Svajcer, Sophos' principal virus researcher, explains.

This spam run is a reiteration of an older one that circulated back in October 2008. Just as in this case, the 2008 campaign was timed to hit right before Microsoft released its monthly security bulletin, a day known in the industry as "Patch Tuesday."

The security updates theme is a recurring one with malware distributors. Back in June, we reported on two similar email attacks that offered a bogus Microsoft Outlook security update and a Microsoft-developed removal tool for the infamous Conficker worm. Security experts advise against following direct links to executable files sent through email.

Windows 8 Coming into Focus in 2010

Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22nd, 2009, along with Windows Server 2008 R2, and both platforms made it to customers by October 22nd, 2009, with the client flavor of the OS being the last to reach the general availability stage. Undoubtedly, for the latest iterations of the client and server operating systems, the Redmond company will produce the first service pack come next year. There might even be a third service pack for Windows Vista, although Microsoft is keeping all details under a hermetically shut lid. But one thing is certain, as 2010 rolls in, Microsoft will shift its focus to Windows 8, the next generation of Windows.

Users are bound not to come across publicly shared details on Windows 8 from Microsoft for quite some time. Going out on a limb, I would say that the software giant will start unveiling the first Win8 information through official channels no sooner than the end of 2010, or even in 2011. After all, Jon DeVaan, senior vice president, Windows Core Operating System Division, and Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division, kicked off the Windows 7 engineering conversation with the public in August 2008, a year and a half after Vista’s GA in January 2007.

Make no mistake about it, Sinofsky continues to helm the Windows project, and Windows 8 is bound to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, Windows 7. Certainly, Sinofsky will not want to change what proved to be a winning strategy, considering the indications of Windows 7’s early commercial success, with strong sales, outpacing Vista’s by more than double.

In some way, the software giant is already offering Windows 8 tidbits to the public, albeit, all details available are insufficient to contour the company’s plans and strategy for the next iteration of Windows. As Windows 7’s successor starts coming into focus, Microsoft is looking for additional people to join the planning and development efforts behind the Windows project. In this regard, the company has published a variety of Windows 8 related job posts, which have been “harvested” by a variety of Microsoft watchers, including MSFTKitchen.

Microsoft has the Windows 8 job for you

One of the most interesting Windows 8 roles Microsoft is looking to fill is that of Sr. Manager, Partner Skills Development – Launch Lead, in the Worldwide Partner Group (WPG), Small Medium Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) Division for Microsoft Business.

“Do you want to help ready the entire partner ecosystem on all the new Microsoft products and solutions? The Partner Skills Development Team is looking for a senior thought leader and skilled project/product manager to ensure the health of the partner ecosystem through the strategic evolution skills development framework (and its execution) for upcoming Microsoft product launches. For example, in Fy10, the focus will be on Windows Server R2, SQL Server R2, and Wave 14 (Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, and Exchange 2010) and, as we head into Fy11, the focus will quickly switch to Windows 8. In this role you will lead the execution of partner skills development BOMs – by partner type for the entire partner ecosystem – on a WW basis. This role with interact with and influence individuals from across Microsoft, including individuals within the Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Learning, SMSGR, the product groups (BGs), Operations, and partner segment teams with SMSG,” Microsoft reveals.

Then there’s the Software Engineering: Program Management job for the Windows Division.

“Are you ready to get closer to Microsoft’s best customers and biggest partners while staying in a highly technical role? The new Ecosystem Fundamentals team in Windows is hiring a Senior PM to work closely with OEMs driving continued increases in performance and reliability while providing tools, testing, training and telemetry. The successful candidate for this critical role will ride the Windows 7 wave of success to enabling continued improvements into the ecosystem. This work includes Windows 8 planning, OEM tool and kit ownership, performance testing and analysis focused on improving the hardware/software ecosystem while working closely with OEMs, ODMs, ISVs, and IHVs in order to strengthen Windows partnerships. Now is the time to move into a great role centered in the Windows group and focused on customer satisfaction improvements based on solid engineering,” according to the company.


“The Windows Fundamentals Reliability, Security and Privacy (ReSP) team will improve the quality of Windows 8 by driving the trustworthy computing pillars of reliability, security and privacy in the Windows operating system. We analyze reliability data from hundreds of millions of machines, making data-driven decisions to improve the ecosystem-meaning Windows itself, other Microsoft products, and our partners such as the OEMs, ODMs, chip makers, ISVs and IHVs. We will extend this to measuring the security and privacy of the ecosystem as well. We believe Windows will transparently recover from failures and will drive scenarios to enable this. We broadly own implementing the SDL process inside Windows, and will extend the SDL concepts to reliability, and possibly other Fundamentals. We have strong technology ownership in support of this mission, including advanced detection, control and reporting components such as the client-side portions of Windows Error Reporting (WER), Software Quality Metrics (SQM), Reliability Analysis Component (RAC), and prevention and recovery technologies such as the WinRE, restart manager, fault-tolerant heap, process reflection, RADAR leak detection, and network hang recovery. We will continue to build on our world-class auto-analysis and expert debugging infrastructure which processes millions of user and kernel mode failures, as well as expanding on tools and test infrastructures such as Longhaul testing, and a Fuzz testing lab infrastructure and expertise for testing protocols across Windows,” Microsoft notes in a job post for the position of Software Engineering: Test in the Windows Division.

A job in Software Engineering: Development for Server & Tools Business deals with Windows 8 Server: “Windows Server is the top-selling server operating system and is growing share in a growing market. Central to the success of Windows Server is the experience of IT Professionals managing Windows Server. For our next release, we are taking that experience to the next level by helping to make IT Professionals more effective and more productive by shipping a product they will love to use.We work closely with UX and a passionate PM & Test team to deliver world-beating user experiences for managing Windows Servers. For Windows 8 Server, we are planning, architecting and building a new UX framework around themes that are key to the success of the entire Server product line.”

“The Application Experience Bug Investigation Team, AEBit, is looking for passionate SDETs that want to make an impact on Windows 8. On the AEBit team you will get the unique opportunity to challenge and grow your debugging skills on issues that span the entire OS. You will have the opportunity to engage with software vendors, OEMs, as well as internal component teams. You will also be applying and enhancing your knowledge of system internals. As part of the AEBit team you will be responsible for driving and ensuring compatibility in Windows by engaging with component teams, root causing application bugs, and authoring mitigations. If you are a strong SDET looking for a challenge we would like to hear from you,” an excerpt from a Software Engineering: Test job with the Windows Division reads.

Microsoft is also looking to develop new IIS features for Windows 8. From the job post for a Program Management position with the Server & Tools Business: “IIS team is looking for an experienced PM to join our core platform team. Your role will span across driving key features into Windows 8 as well as owning several out-of-band modules, including web analytics that will bring business intelligence for the customers that host applications and contents on IIS. Your work will help differentiate IIS and Smooth Streaming from Apache and Flash. You should also be ready to work in a fast-paced environment and have a strong desire for quality, security, and performance. Your feature will be used by millions of customers.”

Of course, Windows 8 and Windows Live will continue to be joined at the hip, as Microsoft brings the Windows client closer to the Cloud. “The Windows Live Mail team is looking for a seasoned Lead Program Manager to drive our next generation Mail client, and manage five stellar PMs. Our client has over 40M users world-wide, and serves as a key component of our Windows Live 'light up Windows' strategy. Our current release is centered on hot new consumer features & better synergies with Hotmail & Windows 7, and our future releases will likely be tightly designed to work best with new Windows 8 platform technologies. We will also work closely with the Outlook team on ways to bring Windows Live to Outlook. Mail is part of the WL Desktop Communications team, which also includes Messenger. Our team values user-centered design, technical and engineering excellence, and attention to detail.”

“The TAG team provides the foundation services and infrastructure to support a unified test and dev workflow. This team’s charter includes – developing and running a unified test submission and execution system for Windows 8, Automating Test pass scheduling & execution, results analysis & automated triage, Windows code coverage services, Developing and running the eBVT quality gate, supporting WinSE’s Windows 7 sustained engineering test needs. This is an exciting time to join the Test Automation and Gates team and lead the next wave of foundation services and infrastructure to ensure delivery of a high quality product. With openings across the team, there’s sure to be the perfect opportunity suited to your specific passion and enthusiasm,” Microsoft mentions in a job for the Windows TAG team.

The Redmond company is additionally looking for a software engineer to influence and contribute to Windows 8 serviceability. “The WinSE UX test team needs a strong SDET to develop new test automation, write robust test plans, designing test cases, debug reported issues across Windows Shell and related UX, help establish sound test engineering processes, and influence and contribute to the serviceability of Windows 8. As an SDET on this team, you’ll design, implement, and execute various types of test automation, including functional, integration and release tests. You will also have several opportunities to write test tools, and work on security bugs, and will be interacting with PM and Dev counterparts in a dev/test/pm trio, and various partner teams. In this team, you will have an opportunity to ship important updates for Windows to solve critical reliability, performance and security issues via the Windows Update mechanism. This position requires strong communication and collaboration skills, and a drive for results. Overall, this position is best suited for a strong SDET looking for an opportunity to showcase your skills and innovate.”

Windows 8 in the making

There’s one aspect that is already set in stone, so to speak, when it comes down to Windows 8, one that not even Microsoft can, or will dispute, for that matter. Windows 8 Server will be a major release of the Windows Server operating system, as opposed to Windows 7 Server, which ended up as a Release 2, namely Windows Server 2008 R2. Microsoft has argued that Windows 7 is indeed a major version of the Windows client, despite having Vista at its foundation, and 6.1 versioning specific of the evolutionary, rather than revolutionary development model chosen.

The intimate connection between Windows client and server releases, following Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 RTM/SP1, continued with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and is bound to survive with the building of Windows 8 and Windows 8 Server. But, in this context, it remains to be seen whether Windows 8 Server will drag Windows 8 along with it, and make it a new, undisputable, major version of the client, one that Microsoft won’t have to defend.