kenmay

List of Major Linux Desktop Problems Updated For 2016

An anonymous reader writes: Phoronix reports that Artem S. Tashkinov’s Major Linux Problems on the Desktop has been updated for 2016. It is a comprehensive list of various papercut issues and other inconveniences of Linux on the PC desktop. Among the issues cited for Linux not being ready for the desktop include graphics driver issues, audio problems, hardware compatibility problems, X11 troubles, a few issues with Wayland, and font problems. At the project management side, there is also cited a lack of cooperation among open source developers and fragmentation of desktops. Let’s discuss. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Oculus Rift will ship with VR platformer ‘Lucky’s Tale’

Evoking the days of when consoles shipped with actual games, Oculus just announced a second bundled title for its upcoming Rift VR headset: Lucky’s Tale , a platformer from Words with Friends creator Paul Bettner. Earlier this month, the company also revealed that Eve: Valkyrie will also come every Oculus Rift. For the most part, Lucky’s Tale looks like a typical platforming title along the lines of Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie — the big difference is that the Rift serves as a virtual camera. But even if it doesn’t look very original, another free game will certainly make the Rift more appealing to mainstream consumers. While there’s still no official launch date or price, Oculus says the Rift will launch in the first quarter of 2016. Source: Oculus

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Oculus Rift will ship with VR platformer ‘Lucky’s Tale’

Google will strip Oracle’s Java code out of Android

Google has confirmed that it will no longer use Java application programming interfaces (APIs) from Oracle in future versions of Android, according to VentureBeat . Instead, it will switch to OpenJDK, an open-source version of Oracle’s own Java Development Kit. While you might ask, “Who actually cares?”, Google says the change will simplify app development by creating a common codebase for Java. It’s hard to imagine that such a huge change (8, 902 files are supposedly affected) isn’t related to Google’s ongoing legal dispute with Oracle, though. That dispute, depending on how it’s resolved, could adversely affect Android development and app coding in general. The epic dispute started when Oracle sued Google for copyright back in 2010, claiming that Google improperly used its Java APIs. Google argued that the APIs in question were essential for to software innovation, and therefore couldn’t be copyrighted. In 2012, a jury found that Google didn’t infringe Oracle’s copyright, but a Federal court mostly reversed the decision in 2014. The US Supreme court didn’t want to touch the case and sent it back to a lower court, where it currently sits. Users on Y Combinator’s Hacker News who first spotted the code have theorized that it may mean that Google and Oracle have settled the lawsuit out of court. However, Google told VentureBeat that the legal dispute is still ongoing, so it couldn’t comment on whether the code change is related. As for how this affects you or me, the new code should make it a touch simpler for Android N developers, possibly resulting in better apps and quicker updates. However, the court’s upcoming decision could have much wider ramifications. If they decide that API’s from the likes of Java can be copyrighted, it could turn the patent wars into even more of a cluster-you-know-what. Source: VentureBeat

ArcaBoard is a real hoverboard—but it’ll cost you $20,000

(credit: Arca Space Corporation ) After all the teased products that didn’t live up to their promises and the trouble caused by self-balancing scooters, ArcaBoard appears to be the closest we’ll get to an actual hoverboard in 2015. Designed by the US-based Arca Space Corporation, the mattress-shaped vehicle packs 272 horsepower and is propelled by 36 ducted fans spinning at 45,000rpm. Buying one will set you back about £13,500 ($19,900). Arca has begun taking pre-orders for ArcaBoard and promises to start shipping it to the customers in April 2016. The device’s speed is limited to 20km/h (12mph) and its flying height to 30cm (1ft). It’s powered by a set of Li-Po batteries that account for a significant part of its price: getting a new battery pack after the 1-year warranty has expired will cost you £4,600 ($6,840). There are two versions of the device: one for riders that weigh up to 80kg (176lbs), and another for riders up to 110kg (242lbs). The lighter option can hover for six minutes, the heavier just three minutes. The lighter rider can theoretically travel up to 2km (1.2mi) on one charge. Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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ArcaBoard is a real hoverboard—but it’ll cost you $20,000

Turn a Raspberry Pi Zero Into Just About Any USB Device You Can Imagine

The Raspberry Pi Zero is a pretty low key little device , but the folks over at Adafruit figured out that it’s possible to turn the Zero into a USB device, which means it can be used to make a number of electronics, ranging from an ethernet device to a camera. Read more…

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Turn a Raspberry Pi Zero Into Just About Any USB Device You Can Imagine

Radiohead’s rejected theme song for the James Bond movie Spectre

Radiohead says, “Last year we were asked to write a theme tune for the Bond movie Spectre. Yes we were. It didn’t work out, but became something of our own, which we love very much. As the year closes we thought you might like to hear it. Merry Christmas. May the force be with you.” (Image: Michell Zappa/Wikimedia )

Using the new Apple TV to emulate classic game consoles

Enlarge / The Apple TV and the Horipad Ultimate MFI controller. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) For those of us fortunate enough to have the privilege, late December and early January bring two things: new toys and a bit of vacation time. That makes it a great time to tinker with little tech projects, things that are inessential and maybe a bit time-consuming but fun enough and useful enough to be worth doing. One of my projects was to experiment with classic console emulators on the new Apple TV . There aren’t many of them yet, and installation takes a little work (Apple doesn’t allow emulators in the App Store), but new capabilities introduced in iOS 9 and the iOS-based tvOS make it possible to install them. Emulation and the Apple TV Right now there are two notable emulation projects targeting tvOS. One is a distant relative of the MAME arcade emulator , though it doesn’t seem as though it’s being maintained. Another, Provenance , is the one we’ll be spending the most time with. It’s a multi-system emulator that supports most major 8- and 16-bit consoles, including the NES, SNES, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance. Read 17 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Using the new Apple TV to emulate classic game consoles

Yandex worker stole search engine source code, tried selling for just $28K

(credit: Yandex ) An employee of Russia’s Internet giant Yandex, Dmitry Korobov, stole the source code of its search engine and tried to sell it on the black market to fund his own startup, according to a report by the Russian newspaper Kommersant . A Russian court has found Korobov guilty and handed down a suspended sentence of two years in jail. The Kommersant investigation revealed that Korobov downloaded a piece of software codenamed Arcadia from Yandex’s servers, which contained the source code and algorithms of the company’s search engine. Later on, he tried to sell it to an electronics retailer called NIX, where a friend of his allegedly worked. Korobov also trawled the darknet in search of potential buyers. Korobov put a surprisingly low price on the code and algorithms, asking for just $25,000 and 250,000 Russian rubles, or about £27,000 in total. There’s no information on Korobov’s position within the company, but it appears that he wasn’t aware that the data he had in his possession could be worth much more. Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Yandex worker stole search engine source code, tried selling for just $28K

Google Glass For Work Is Sleeker, Tougher and Foldable

An anonymous reader writes: FCC filings published today are offering a glimpse of the “Enterprise Edition” of Google Glass. According to Engadget: “…The work-focused eyepiece touts a much slicker (and likely more durable) design with both a larger display prism and a hinge that lets you fold it up for travel. The test photos also reveal a spot for a magnetic battery attachment and what looks to be a speedier Atom processor. There’s still no word on when Google will announce this headset, although the FCC presence hints that it might not take long.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Google Glass For Work Is Sleeker, Tougher and Foldable

Everlance Automatically Tracks Your Mileage to Optimize Your Tax Deduction

iOS/Android: If you’re self-employed, you can deduct mileage expenses from your taxes. But most of us don’t think to keep up with our mileage during the year, and that leads to a rough, likely inaccurate estimate at tax time. Everlance aims to change that by keeping track of your mileage for you. Read more…

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Everlance Automatically Tracks Your Mileage to Optimize Your Tax Deduction

Ken May

Author: kenmay