Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to Linux distributions, Slackware could well be called the archetype. It’s not just one of the longest-serving releases at nearly 20 years old — it’s designed to be “pure” and cut back on customized apps, many graphical interface assistants and the requirement to download anything during the installation process. Pat Volkerding and team have nonetheless given us a bit of a break with the launch of Slackware 14.0. While many open-source fans will be downloading a copy for the more recent Linux 3.2.29 kernel and other updated packages, ease of use is the guiding principle for the new build: there’s now a graphical NetworkManager interface to manage wired and wireless connections, for a start. In tandem with the newer kernel, updated versions of the KDE and Xfce desktop environments also result in much broader hardware support than many veteran users will remember. Slackware is now much more savvy about removable storage, accelerated 3D video, SATA and other features that have sometimes demanded command line trickery. Anyone can download the revamped distribution for free, including for ARM-based devices like the Raspberry Pi, although we’d consider springing for the $33 subscription to CD-based copies of Slackware to fund Volkerding’s long-term efforts.

Filed under: Software

Slackware 14.0 now available, freshens and simplifies a Linux vanguard originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 Sep 2012 19:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Parallel computing is normally reserved for supercomputers way out of the reach of average users — at least at the moment, anyway. Adapteva wants to challenge that with its Parallella project, designed to bring mouth-watering power to a board similar in size to the Raspberry Pi for as little as $99. It hopes to deliver up to 45GHz (in total) using its Epiphany multicore accelerators, that crucially, only chug 5 watts of juice under normal conditions. These goliath speeds currently mean high costs, which is why they need your funds to move out of the prototype stage and start cheap mass production. Specs for the board are as follows: a dual-core ARM A9 CPU running Ubuntu OS as standard, 1GB RAM, a microSD slot, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet and a 16- or 64-core accelerator, with each core housing a 1GHz RISC processor, all linked “within a single shared memory architecture.”

An overriding theme of the Parallella project is the openness of the platform. When finalized, the full board design will be released, and each one will ship with free, open-source development tools and runtime libraries. In addition, full architecture and SDK documentation will be published online if-and-when the Kickstarter project reaches its funding goal of $750,000. That’s pretty ambitious, but we’re reminded of another crowd-funded venture which completely destroyed an even larger target. However, that sum will only be enough for Adapteva to produce the 16-core board, which reportedly hits 13GHz and 26 gigaflops, and is expected to set you back a measly $99. A speculative $3 million upper goal has been set for work to begin on the $199 64-core version, topping out at 45GHz and 90 gigaflops. Pledge options range from $99 to $5,000-plus, distinguished mainly by how soon you’ll get your hands on one. Big spenders will also be the first to receive a 64-core board when they become available. Adapteva’s Andreas Olofsson talks through the Parallella project in a video after the break, but if you’re already sold on the tiny supercomputer, head over to the source link to contribute before the October 27th closing date.

Continue reading Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers

Filed under: Misc

Insert Coin: The Parallella project dreams of $99 supercomputers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next month, Valve is inviting 1,000 fortunate gamers to take part in the first external beta test of Steam for Linux. The trial includes the service itself and one game (which we’re taking to be Left 4 Dead 2) that’ll run on systems running Ubuntu 12.04 and above. Users won’t get their hands on any other Valve titles, or Big Picture Mode, and the company is asking that only experienced Linux users get in touch — novices are politely asked to wait for a subsequent release. It’ll offer up details of how to sign up shortly, and given the love for the Valve’s other products, we suspect it’ll be a little oversubscribed.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Steam for Linux entering private beta in October for just 1,000 users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It doesn’t take much driving to notice that many in-car infotainment systems are custom-built and locked down tight. The Linux Foundation sees it differently and wants our cars to embrace the same notions of common roots and open code that we’d find in an Ubuntu box. Its newly-formed Automotive Grade Linux Workgroup is transforming Tizen into a reference platform that car designers can use for the center stack, or even the instrument cluster. The promise is to both optimize a Linux variant for cars and provide the same kind of years-long support that we’d expect for the drivetrain. Technology heavy-hitters like Intel, Harman, NVIDIA, Samsung and TI form the core of the group, although there are already automakers who’ve signaled their intentions: Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and Toyota are all part of the initial membership. We don’t know how soon we’ll be booting into Tizen on the morning commute, but we’d expect in-car systems to take a step forward — just as long as we don’t have to recompile our car’s OS kernel.

Continue reading Linux Foundation forms Automotive Grade Workgroup, aims to open-source your ride with Tizen

Filed under: Transportation

Linux Foundation forms Automotive Grade Workgroup, aims to open-source your ride with Tizen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Developers have their work cut out. Even if we (impolitely) sidestep the likes of Windows Phone, BlackBerry and the rest, those coders often have to pitch their work across web, iOS and Android. Google’s trying to make that job a little easier, introducing a new tool that automatically converts Java source code into Objective-C, which is used in iPad and iPhone apps. While the J2ObjC tool can’t tackle the UI for these, it does allow developers to craft other parts (including data access and nuts-and-bolts programming) into an easily shareable code without editing. Some existing Google projects already utilize the new translator, but its results remains a little temperamental — the tool hasn’t translated all possible paths just yet, and many Java devs have, according to the project page, “a slightly different way of using Java.”

Google releases new Java to iOS source code translator originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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