SuperX OS 2.1 "Ada" is released!

About SuperX OS

SuperX stands for "Simple, User friendly, Powerful,Energetic and Robust eXperience". SuperX is a Linux-based computer operating system originally developed in Guwahati, the capital city of the state of Assam in India. SuperX uses a tweaked version of KDE and is aimed towards beginners, casual users and business looking for a well supported user-friendly Linux OS.

What's new in SuperX 2.1?

SuperX 2.1 “Ada” is a minor update to Darwin and contains mostly performance tweaks and updated software stack. This release is named after Ada Lovelace, one of the pioneers of computing, she is often described as world's first computer programmer. If you have installed Darwin and constantly updating it, you are probably running Ada at the moment as they have updated the packages few weeks ago but no downloadable ISOs were available then.

Minor Release (Continuation from Darwin): Starting SuperX 2.0 “Darwin” ,they adopted a whole new release model which differs fundamentally with previous 1.x releases. They are now going our their way, making a diversion from their upstream distribution. SuperX 2.1 is a way forward to that diversion.

SuperX still use Ubuntu codebase but starting from Darwin release, they only use the LTS versions and development is done on its solid foundation. But unlike other solid, stability concerned Linux OS, SuperX provide the latest user land software. They are keeping their core stable but will provide latest and greatest apps, all tested before its pushed to the users. One note, "latest" here doesn't mean bleeding edge. They provide relatively new versions of apps as compared to Ubuntu LTS provided that they clear all their tests. Tests includes KDE desktop integration, Stability and Usability etc..

User Experience: As an effort of enhancing user experiencing in Ada, they have removed certain software from the default selection that doesn’t play well with SuperX or if they have a very specialized audience which complements SuperX’s goal of being a general purpose/daily driver OS.
Major Applications removed from the default install are:

1. Firefox - Yes it is a great browser, but Chromium plays better with SuperX, especially when it comes to global menu integration.

2. Blender - Very specialized application, showcases the power of open source development. They removed it because the “real” use of this great software is limited to 3D designers/animators only.

Apart from this, they've updated KDE to 4.10.5, the final increment in the 4.10 series. KDE 4.11.x packages are still under testing.

32-bit edition: SuperX 2.0 Darwin was 64 bit only, but they promised to come up with a 32 bit version also. SuperX 2.1 is now available in both 32-bit (PAE) and 64-bit architectures.

What's left out?

They said few weeks ago that they'll make a 'wrapper' script for SuperX that will allow users use package manager commands for non-Debian distros in SuperX. They've postponed it until next release due to some technical reasons.

Known issues

Plasma Theme “whiten” at times: Sometimes Plasma theme “whitens”, the transparency is gone and it doesn’t look good although no impact on performance is noticed. You can fix it by running “superx-theme-refresh” from the Terminal.

Availability

SuperX 2.1 'Ada' is available for free download on their official site:

http://superxos.com/download-superx.html

Screenshots

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LibreSoft to release "SuperX OS v2.0" codenamed "Darwin" on 23rd May, 2013

After the huge success of SuperX v1.1 "Cassini", LibreSoft (formerly TechnoSunz) has officially announced today that the new version of the SuperX Operating System v2.0 codenamed "Darwin" will be released on 23rd May, 2013 and will be available for free download on their official website.

About SuperX OS

SuperX is the ultimate Linux platform, computer operating system. The system is highly modular and flexible with user interface especially designed with enterprise desktop in mind. Focused on simplicity and user-friendliness, SuperX comes with an out-of-the-box experience, automatically configured. The user can focus on his work rather than messing with complex underlying Linux system.

Fast and incredibly easy to use, SuperX operating system powers thousands of PCs around the world. It works your existing PC files, printers, cameras, music players and smartphones - and it comes with thousands of free applications.

Introduction to SuperX OS v2.0 "Darwin"

SuperX 2.0 codenamed “Darwin”, is named after the great English scientist Charles Darwin as a tribute to his contributions towards science. It comes with Linux kernel 3.2 and KDE 4.10.2 by default. For those who want newer kernels, they are available in the repository.

SuperX 2.0 “Darwin”

Availability

    ISO will be available for free download on Thursday, 23rd May 2013.

What's new in v2.0 "Darwin" ?

New Development model: SuperX 2.0 is a whole new release of SuperX which differs fundamentally with previous 1.x releases. Starting from SuperX 2.0 we are going our own way, making a diversion from our upstream distribution. We still use Ubuntu codebase but from this release we only use the LTS versions and development is done on its solid foundation. But unlike other solid, stability concerned Linux OS, we provide the latest userland software like LibreOffice 4 and KDE 4.10. Starting from Darwin, we are keeping our core stable but will provide latest and greatest apps, all tested before we push them to you.

Minor releases: We are also introducing Minor releases with 2.x. There will be minor releases that will follow 2.0 like 2.1, 2.2 and you can directly upgrade to them just by updating the packages, using the Software Updater. You can install Darwin today and keep upgrading within the 2.x series. Each series will be supported for at least 3 years (maybe more).

When 3.0 will come out you have to do a fresh install, as it will have core changes, and keep on upgrading with the 3.x series. Minor Releases are also part of the New Development Model as explained above.

User Experience: User Experience is one of the key changes in Darwin. Previous versions of SuperX had KDE Search And Launch (SAL) as the default UI, actually we were one of the early adopters of SAL over conventional desktop back then.

But, with SuperX 2.0, we are introducing the “Old but Gold” - The Desktop. SuperX 2.0 “Darwin” is the first version of SuperX to have a conventional desktop UI by default but, added with modern utilities like our own – SuperX App Launcher.

SuperX App Launcher

SuperX App Launcher is the new launcher that will debut with Darwin. It is based on KDE Homerun's code, made with Qt/QML. SuperX App Launcher is special as it allows the user to get to their most used applications very fast by adjusting itself according to user's usage of the computer. It learns and adapts as the user uses it.

Default Software Selection

Some noted apps in the default software selection are: LibreOffice 4 (Writer, Calc, Impress and Draw), VLC Media Player, Musique Audio Player, Minitube, OpenShot Video Editor, K3B, Mozilla Firefox, Chromium browser, Mozilla Thunderbird, GIMP, Blender.

These are only the featured apps, but there are more apps once installed, including few games.

Known issues

No 32-bit only CPU support: Although most of the modern day PCs have 64-bit compatible CPU, but some old PCs are still 32-bit only.  
SuperX 2.0 “Darwin” is not designed for such old machines, and will not work on PCs with 32-bit only CPUs.

Free DVDs

With SuperX 2.0 “Darwin”, we are starting a free DVD shipment programs anywhere within  India. All DVDs will be sent via India Post (भारतीय डाक). International shipping is also planned in the future.

One thing to note is that these free DVDs are only available for people who do not have access to high speed Internet connection, so we will not ship to places that are known to have high speed Internet available and also one person may order one free DVD only for one release series of SuperX.

Sponsorship

SuperX Project is sponsored by Libresoft Technology Pvt. Ltd., and is the prime service provider for SuperX.
Libresoft provides SuperX migration services, installation support, training and management of SuperX based workstations. To get professional support from Libresoft visit: http://superxos.com/premium-support/.

Libresoft also provides hosting services, if you want to get great hosting deals visit: http://superxos.com/web-hosting/.

SuperX Official Website : http://superxos.com

SuperX Wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperX_(Operating_System)

SuperX DistroWatch Page : http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=superx

SuperX Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/superx.os‎

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H.265 (The next generation video coding)

H.264 videos are now common. All the big names online like YouTube, Metacafe, etc are focusing on this standard and its corresponding codecs. Its successor H.265 will be finalized soon. Media specialist "ROVI" has already previewed a compatible encoder. The H.265 standard can compress videos better than H.264 codec by as much as 50%, which is beneficial for streaming videos over the internet. It is currently under joint development by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) & ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG). This coding can support 8K Ultra HD and resolutions upto 8192x4320.

Posted by: Guest Writer Priyanuj Dey.

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Micromax launched its first quad-core smartphone Canvas A116 HD at Rs. 13,990

Micromax has finally launched its long awaited budget Quad-core processor smartphone called "Micromax Canvas A116 HD". They made it available for booking on their official website from 14th February, 2013 at an amazing price of Rs. 13,990. The company claims that it will take about 5 to 7 days for shipping but they didn't made the Cash on delivery option yet.

The Micromax Canvas A116 HD is the successor of their most popular phablet "Canvas A110". The Micromax A116 HD is powered by Mediatek's MT6589 quad-core processor that is clocked at 1.2 GHz. It has a 12.7cms 5 inch IPS HD display having a resolution of 1280x720 and has a color depth of 16.7 million at 294ppi (pixel per inch). It has a RAM of 1GB and internal memory of 4GB out of which 1.7GB is user accessible. It runs on the Google's Android Jellybean 4.1.2 OS.

Coming to the camera, its has a 8 megapixel primary camera with a flash and a 2 megapixel secondary camera at the front for video calling. It has a 2000mAh battery which is quite good for a 5 inch display.

Top Specification of the Micromax Canvas A116 HD:

• 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display
• 1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 4GB internal memory, expandable up to 32GB
• 8 megapixel rear camera
• 2 megapixel front camera
• Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM)
• 2000 mAh battery
• Android Jellybean 4.1
• 720p video recording
• Proximity sensor, light sensor, gravity sensor, motion sensor
• 3G/UMTS/HSPA+ (21mbps download link and 11mbps upload link)

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Over 400,000 Yahoo Accounts hacked by a group of Hackers !

In the latest massive breach of a major company’s database security, the Yahoo email servers have been compromised, and over 400,000 users’ account information has been stolen. Fortunately foreveryone involved, the hackers behind the operation don’t appear to have any malicious intent, but rather did it as a way of pointing out Yahoo’s security vulnerabilities. The group behind the attacks, who call themselves D33D Company, briefly posted the stolen information online, with a footnoteexplaining their motives.

“We hope that the parties responsible for managing the security of this subdomain will take this as a wake-up call, and not as a threat. There have been many security holes exploited in Web servers belonging to Yahoo Inc. that have caused far greater damage than our disclosure. Please do not take them lightly. The subdomain and vulnerable parameters have not been posted to avoid further damage.”

Also included in the stolen data was information on thousands of accounts from other email providers, likely accounts that had been linked to existing Yahoo accounts. According to the NY Times, 106,000 Gmail accounts, 55,000 Hotmail accounts and 25,000 AOL accounts were included in the leaked data.

Yahoo has released a statement informing users that they should change their passwords. A spokesperson for the company also warned, “Since Yahoo is still investigating this breach there’s a possibility that it hasn’t been contained yet. You should still go ahead and change [your password] straight away, but you may have to change it for a second time if it turns out attackers are still entrenched in Yahoo’s systems.”

If you’ve still got a Yahoo account that you care about for some reason, it would be wise to change your password as soon as possible. Alternatively, you could take this opportunity to close your Yahoo account and never look back. Gmail’s superior email service awaits.

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SuperX v1.1 "Cassini" is out....grab your copy now!

SuperX is a desktop-oriented computer operating system based on Ubuntu and Debian GNU/Linux, using the KDE desktop environment. It was originally developed in India by a teenager, Wrix who built it using free and open-source software. SuperX is highly modular, flexible and cloud-centric, with a desktop user interface especially designed with Linux beginners in mind.

SuperX consists of a Linux kernel, components from the GNU project, KDE project and many other components. SuperX focuses on simplicity and user-friendliness.

SuperX comes with an out-of-the-box experience, automatically configured. The user can focus on his work rather than messing with complex underlying Linux system, trying to setup the ideal environment for his daily work.

SuperX comes with what is required for day-to-day activities and for unique purposes, additional applications can easily be installed. GUI configuration utilities are officially provided, and most system configuration is performed from the GUI itself and not by editing complex configuration files like many other Linux-based systems.

SuperX does not follow a release model, as of now. SuperX strives be to stable yet bleeding edge, and typically offers the latest stable versions of most applications.

Read more about SuperX here.

Download SuperX v1.1 Cassini here.

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NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 690 Dual-GPU Video Card

Delivering the keynote address at the GeForce LAN/Nvidia Game Festival in Shanghai, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang announced the company's new video card, the GeForce GTX 690.
The latest card from the company to use dual GPUs (following the GTX 590, which was released last year), the GTX 690 utilizes the new 28nm Kepler architecture that Nvidia introduced on the GTX 680 last month.
Huang claimed that the GTX 690 had been "designed from the ground up to deliver the highest performance of any graphics card in history.  This particular graphics card we paid special attention to every single detail so that we could deliver the highest thermals, the highest acoustics, and the highest electrical performance with this particular design."
Foremost among the GTX 690's specs are 3,072 CUDA parallel processing cores, which means the card offers essentially the performance of two GTX 680s, although according to Nvidia the GTX 690 will actually run quieter and with better power efficiency than two GTX 680 cards connected in an SLI configuration.  The card would contain 4GB of 6GHz GDDR5 RAM, and support all the other features found on the GTX 680 (such as GPU Boost, which is a style of automatic overclocking similar to the Turbo Boost and Turbo Core on Intel and AMD's CPUs respectively).
Nvidia touted the revamped design of the GTX 690, which includes an exterior frame of trivalent chromium-plated aluminum, which Nvidia says provides excellent strength and durability; a new fan housing constructed from a thixomolded magnesium alloy, for improved heat dissipation and vibration dampening; high-efficiency power delivery thanks to the use of a ten-phase power supply and a ten-layer, two-ounce copper printed circuit board (PCB); dual vapor chambers, nickel-plated fins, and an optimized center-mounted axial fan (which Huang bragged spins at 3,000rpm) for cooling; and low-profile components and ducted baseplate channels that reduce airflow obstruction to improve the card's acoustics.
The GTX 690 will be available "in limited quantities" starting May 3, and move to a wider distribution from Nvidia's usual add-in card partners (Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI, and others) on May 7.  Pricing for the GTX 690 is $999 list.

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