submitted by happinessmachine
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InfoWorld thinks it's a bad idea to replace Windows XP with Linux. They're wrong, of course, and I'll tell you why in this column.

I want to know if Redditors think there are any huge security blunders here. I have a server that was1 running ubuntu 12.04 and I wanted to add more security for ssh and add some convenience at the same time. I wanted public key and two factor authentication, unless I logged in from home, in which case, I wanted just public key authentication. Here is what I did:

• running ubuntu 12.04
• upgraded to openssh-server 6.2 from saucy
• added two factor authentication with libpam-google-authenicator

• set up sshd_config with:

  PermitRootLogin yes

  AuthenticationMethods publickey,keyboard-interactive

  ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes

  PasswordAuthentication no

  UsePAM yes

• set up /etc/pam.d/sshd with:

  auth sufficient pam_access.so debug accessfile=/etc/security/root_access.conf

  auth sufficient pam_google_authenticator.so

  #@include common-auth (this is commented out)

• set up /etc/security/root_access.conf with this:

  • : root : 192.168.0.1
  • : ALL : ALL

I wanted to use public keys to login to the server and have two factor authentication, which is why I needed to upgrade openssh to version 6.2.

I also wanted to bypass the two factor authentication if I logged in from my home computer. This also allows me to run rsync via cronjobs and not have to use the two factor authentication. The server doesn't get much use, but I decided to use a different access.conf file from pam_access.so so that I didn't lock out any other users.

If I log in from elsewhere, I still have to use the two factor authentication.

Does anyone see any glaring security issues? I'm not too familiar with PAM aside from the all the warnings in the sshd config file about security risks. meh, warning schwarning

1 I wrote was running 12.04 because I accidentally left saucy in the apt repositories and ran apt-get upgrade one morning before I had my tea. I did see that there were about 300 packages to upgrade, but it didn't register and I let it fly. It reports 13.10 now.

edit: formatting

submitted by gee-one
[link] [1 comment]

submitted by valgrid
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I've been having some wireless issues, fairly randomly, since upgrading. It happened immediately after the first 13.10 update, then became less of an issue (That time it was the proprietary drivers) but now it has returned after installing some updates and I can't find many other posts about it online.

It doesn't necessarily "drop" the internet connection, as it SAYS it's maintaining the connection with the router the entire time. Instead it will be working perfectly fine for an amount of time and then halt entirely. Pages don't load, and if I'm try pinging a website it won't work.

Using

ping google.com

I get results around 20-30ms regularly, but when this halting occurs the process stops entirely and no new ping can be received. I should also mention that this occurs every 1-2 minutes, where websites load consistently fast and then freeze immediately for about a minute, and then continue.

Sorry if my description is not totally helpful. If anybody knows what I'm talking about though it would be hugely appreciated.

submitted by roland23
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The PC-BSD project is developing its own desktop environment from scratch! The ultimate plan is for Lumina to become a full-featured, open-source desktop environment that may ultimately replace KDE as its default desktop environment...

The 18.5 x 9.4 x 8.5-inch device runs Linux on a Raspberry Pi SBC, or for $110 more, on a quad-core, Freescale i.MX6 based Udoo Quad, which also runs Android. Each SBC furnishes Bluetooth and WiFi streaming, as well as I/O made available at the rear of the system.

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Puppy Arcade 11 uses the power of Puppy Linux and fuses it with every games console emulator imaginable. The ROM Loader is a great tool for loading games into each emulator but there are a few rough edges.

Red Hat has proven many times that it can acquire and oversee open source projects without tainting them with commercial efforts or otherwise fouling them up. I expect most CentOS users, like the project itself, stand to gain from wearing Red Hat. As for Red Hat, joining with CentOS represents a net win in terms of growing community, ecosystem and paying customers.

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There was a somewhat quiet, cost-free acquisition of sorts in the Linux world earlier this year when Red Hat announced it was joining forces with Red Hat Enterprise Linux community clone CentOS. The move, which effectively brings organization, governance, backing and technology of CentOS under Red Hat's brim, is interesting for a few reasons. First, it illustrates the continued presence and power of unpaid community Linux distributions like CentOS. Second, it's part of the changing Linux market, which is being driven by cloud computing and new types of uses on the rise.

The new rules, according to the people briefed on them, will allow a company like Comcast or Verizon to negotiate separately with each content company – like Netflix, Amazon, Disney or Google – and charge different companies different amounts for priority service.

A Seattle-based band called netcat - not to be confused with the networking tool of the same name - has perked ears in the software community by releasing its debut album as a Linux kernel module (among other more typical formats.)

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submitted by krofna1
[link] [1 comment]

When it comes to software, the best way to learn something new, or even just figure out if it's the right tool for you, is to dig your hands in, get dirty, and try it out. For the OpenStack universe, this is where TryStack comes in.

Testing Ubuntu for phones is now even simpler with an application that is capable of installing the new operating system from Canonical without having to delete Android. Getting a dual boot system in place will perhaps turn the attention of even more users towards the new open source platform for mobiles and tablets.

The fans of the Opera Internet browser have long given up the hope of seeing their favorite software get a Linux version. There are still a few stranglers that still hang on to the old version, but there is no indication that anything will happen on the Linux front.

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Hello I have a quick question about ubuntu 14.04 is it possible to install it "inside" windows like what i was previously able to do for linux mint using mint4win?

i know about wubi but cant seem to find one for 14.04 thanks

submitted by Obiwan2three
[link] [2 comments]

Geeky Gadgets: This week the new BeagleBone Black Rev C development board has been unveiled offering a similar board to that offered by the Raspberry Pi mini PC and Arduino UNO.

While the Catalyst 14.4 OpenGL Linux graphics driver offers OpenGL 4.4 support, bug-fixes, and other improvements, it seems the performance improvements are limited -- at least in terms of raw frame-rate performance and frame latency. Some Phoronix readers have been boasting about the Catalyst 14.4 Linux driver being better with some Steam Linux games, but from my tests of a few Source Engine games, there didn't seem to be any major differences. The Catalyst 14.4 Linux driver only showed measurable performance boosts in a few benchmarks, where the biggest performance change for the four tested graphics cards was 6~9% faster.

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Greenie 14.04 was quietly released. Greenie Linux is a Slovak desktop distribution based on Ubuntu and optimised for users in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Created as an operating system for every-day use, Greenie Linux combines a set of applications for home use, out-of-the-box functionality and Ubuntu repositories. The goal of this distribution is to create a user-friendly desktop system and a useful live CD.