Linux

Freeing the way for independent Linux distributions to be installed on Windows 8 computers, the Linux Foundation has released software that will allow Linux to work with computers running the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware.

The Linux Foundation Secure Boot System solves a fundamental problem for many Linux distributions, by providing a way for a Linux-based OS to run on new hardware controlled by UEFI firmware, also known as "secure boot" technology.

As you all know, Canonical unveiled today, January 2, their gesture-based phone operating system based on the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution.

Many websites are already posting various articles related to this interesting piece of news, but it looks like The Verge has the first hands-on video with the Ubuntu OS for smartphones, as you can see in the video above.

Ubuntu OS for phones is a mobile operating system based on Ubuntu Linux, especially designed for smartphones like Galaxy Nexus, which is also the only supported device, at the moment.

As you may have heard by now, the Linux kernel is dropping support for the 386 processor.

It's okay. I'll wait right here while you finish pushing over monitors and flipping over every desk at work in a nerd rage. I did the same thing. Get it out of your system.

Variety and choice have long been hallmarks of the Linux world, not least because new distributions emerge practically every day.

That's been just as true in 2012 as it has in other years gone by, meaning that as this year draws to a close, we have even more options than we did when it started.

Canonical may not have published an official alpha release for its core Ubuntu Linux 13.04 OS last week—or a corresponding list of new features—but on Friday the company did reveal some specifics about what's coming in this next version of its popular Linux distribution.

In fact, Cristian Parrino, Canonical's vice president of online services, outlined three key new features in a post on the Canonical blog.

The Linux Foundation's promised workaround that will allow Linux to boot on Windows 8 PCs has yet to clear Microsoft's code certification process, although the exact reason for the hold-up remains unclear.

As The Reg reported previously, the Secure Boot feature of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) found on modern Windows 8 PCs will only allow an OS to boot if its code has been digitally signed with a key obtained from Microsoft.

Researchers are analyzing a new rootkit that they believe signals the latest development in criminals' attempts to secretly compromise websites with the goal of directing users to exploits.

Details of the rootkit were posted anonymously Tuesday on the Full Disclosure mailing list, leading researchers from security firms CrowdStrike and Kaspersky Lab to study the malware. The anonymous poster, who runs a web service, found the rootkit on company servers after customers said they were redirected to malicious sites.

After receiving over 60,000 beta applications since last week, Valve has begun sending out the first wave of invites for the Steam for Linux beta today.

Linux gamers are used to being afterthoughts when it comes to most major game releases, but Valve seems set to change that soon. The company announced a pending beta test for a long-awaited Linux version of its popular Steam distribution service. Valve is seeking to fill 1,000 spots for the closed beta through a Web survey for existing Steam users, asking them to detail their gaming system and experience with Linux.

In a twist that is sure to raise eyebrows and cause no end of neckbeard scratching, Canonical founder and Ubuntu’s de facto spiritual leader, Mark Shuttleworth, has announced that key parts of Ubuntu 13.04 will be developed in secret.