Issue #133 / Dec 2011

“What are you going to say about Steve Jobs?” everyone has been asking me – or at least, the rare subset of people who know about this column and are also sufficiently co-located to bump into me in restaurants and bars. “Important guy…he changed the world…must be lots to mention…”

The latest DVD in our sixpack series delivers a smart collection of the leading Ubuntu variants. Boot this disc and sample the new Ubuntu 11.10 release with any of the following distros:

• Ubuntu – The most recent release of the main Ubuntu line
• Kubuntu – Many users prefer this KDE version of Ubuntu.
• Lubuntu – A steady and stable ‘buntu that uses the LXDE desktop and specializes in low-spec hardware.
• Xubuntu – This light and lively variant, which features the Xfce desktop, also shines on legacy systems.
• Mythbuntu – A specialty distro for MythTV media center systems.
• Ubuntu Rescue Remix – Command-line-only distro designed for troubleshooting downed Linux and Windows computers.

Sys admin Charly has been an enthusiastic amateur photographer for many years. Recently, he started worrying about something happening to his rapidly expanding photo collection. Can the cloud save the day?

A few tools and tricks can find and correct web app vulnerabilities.

Since the death of Steve Jobs, a lot has been written about him. I never met the man in person, but I admired the work Apple did in creating well-designed products.

Chronicler Zack Brown reports on the latest news, views, dilemmas, and developments within the Linux kernel community.

RapidSMS offers a flexible framework for developing SMS-based applications, and PhoneGap streamlines the art of cross-platform app development.