Issue #147 / Feb 2013

As these pages go to print, I notice that we have reached issue 147. The number 147 might not seem particularly noteworthy to the rest of the world, but I noticed it. You see, the first issue with my picture on page 3 was issue 48, and if you count by ones from the beginning of the issue 48 cycle to the end of the issue 147 cycle, you get to 100 issues. This number 100 is always good for a milestone moment in our base 10 universe. Celebrating a numeral is not so important on its own, but having these reasons to look back can provide some context for looking ahead into the future – or looking around at the present.

Linux Mint 14 “Nadia”

Linux Mint is a wildly popular Ubuntu-based desktop Linux with an emphasis on simplicity. Along with a strong assortment of open source applications and utilities, Mint takes pains to provide proprietary drivers and other helper tools for seamless-as-possible operations. The Mint 14 release features a new Windows Quick-list app for managing windows across multiple workspaces, as well as Alt+Tab window-switcher virtualization and a handy notification tool. Also debuting with this release is the new Nemo file browser, a fork of Gnome’s Nautilus file manager based on the Nautilus 3.4 codebase.

• OpenShift for data centers and clouds
• MariaDB non-profit foundation launched
• Fedora 18 to include Mate desktop
• Oracle repository for kernel changes
• NVidia GeForce R310
• Android OS leads the smartphone market
• Microsoft contemplating yearly major release cycle
• HP writes off US$ 8.8 million on Autonomy
• Stallman alleges “surveillance code” in Unity

• Red Hat Releases RHEL 6.4 beta and Enterprise Virtualization 3.1
• Amazon Announces Redshift Data Warehouse Service
• Ceph on SUSE 
• XtreemFS 1.4

The Knoppix Live Linux distro is packed with powerful tools for fixing broken systems. We ask Knoppix creator Klaus Knopper for his favorite Knoppix rescue tricks.

If your Linux or Windows system won’t boot, or if you’re worried that the hard disk is on its last legs, the first thing you need to do is rescue the partition data and copy it to a safe location.

Rootkits allow attackers to take complete control of a computer. We describe the tricks intruders use to gain access to the Linux kernel and provide guidelines on hardening the kernel against such attacks.

Making online schema changes to your database can be tricky, but the right tools can help. We show how to change even the largest tables in an orderly and efficient manner.

A few years ago, I bought an IBM ThinkPad T41p. It’s a great machine that served me well for a long time, although for the last year it mainly sat on the shelf. I had some free time at hand, so I decided to give it one more chance.