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I do like a number of the improvements and fixes that have been included into the RC but have to say that the speed has definitely gone down hill from the beta. The test box that I have running it is slower running the W7 RC than it is with Vista. It may just be specific to the system and to do with drivers or something but it is not encouraging. I even get mouse stalls where the mouse stops moving for short periods of time when the system is doing something challanging - like changing to a resize cursor at the edge of a window . I had none of these issues with the original beta so I hope that this kind of nonscence is ironed out before release or at least only affects a very few machines. The system if kind of old but should cope, its lowst rateing is a 3 so I kind of expect more from it. I do like the maths entry program though, that looks very useful for entering formulas and the like.

Link: Share folders in shared drives with a new beta

For UK: Alpha Wars For German: http://de.alphawars2.com For Spanish: http://es.alphawars2.com For French: http://fr.alphawars2.com For US: http://us.alphawars2.com NOTE: This game is still in beta!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Apart from that enjoy the game!

It’s nearly beta time, folks! Now that I have a little time free to work on my projects again there’s some good work going on behind the scenes and another component gets ticked off as finished. Today that’s the File Inspector - a new tool in this release. http://www.paulbeesley.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/fileinspector.png I’ve lost count of the number of files I’ve come across and thought “What on earth is that doing there? Where did it come from!?”. All too often, harmless-looking files are renamed copies of dangerous scripts or programs. For example, what if My Coursework.doc is actually a copy of lophtcrack.exe or even a virus? Often, you can do a little detective work of your own but the file inspector makes light work of it. With a single click you can access owner information, view created, modified and last access dates and, most importantly, whether the file is what it seems to be. During development I’ve worked with Marco Pontello to incorporate his TrID file analyser into EduSweep. Together with my own EduEngine 2, the file inspector can tell you if everything isn’t as it seems. The inspector will show you, among other things: * The extension that the file currently has - e.g .docx * The extension that EduEngine and TrID think that it should really have - e.g. .exe * The MIME type, as detected by Internet Explorer (application/x-zip-compressed) * The most likely file format - e.g. Microsoft Word Open XML Document When these have been detected, analysis notes will be presented which highlight any discrepancies and give the file an overall threat rating, allowing you to take appropriate action. Soon this technology will be integrated further, allowing the main engine to detect suspicious files for a truly intelligent scanner.

I upgraded us to vBulletin 3.7 Beta 4 last night. This allows users to add comments to images in gallerys now as well as upload a background for use on the now enabled, customise profile options. For a example of what backgrounds look like see my terrible example at my profile page. Also now in your profile you can set your country flag and also your region/state flag (if available). If your country/region is not listed please can you obatin a copy of the flag in the dimensions (32x20) and post it here (in gif form) and I will add it. Comments/bugs please post here also. Enjoy

The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the beta release of Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Long-Term Support) on desktop and server. Codenamed "Hardy Heron", 8.04 LTS continues Ubuntu's proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution. Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition features incremental improvements to familiar applications, with an emphasis on stability for this second Ubuntu long-term support release, and is easier than ever to try out with the new Wubi installer. Ubuntu 8.04 LTS server follows in the footsteps of Ubuntu 7.10 with even more virtualization support and security enhancements - enabling AppArmor for more applications by default, improving protection of kernel memory against attacks, and supporting KVM and iSCSI technologies out of the box. The Ubuntu 8.04 family of variants, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, UbuntuStudio, and Mythbuntu, also reach beta status today. Desktop features ---------------- Improved application selection: the GNOME desktop sports a number of improvements to the default applications, including more feature-full clients for BitTorrent and VNC, as well as an advanced UI for mastering CDs and DVDs. File browsing: an enhanced filesystem layer brings greater performance and flexibility to Nautilus, the GNOME file browser. Pluggable audio and video output: the PulseAudio sound server is integrated in the GNOME desktop for more flexible sound output, and a new Screen Resolution utility allows easier configuration of multiple video displays. Wubi installer: a new Windows-based installer option makes it easier than ever to try out Ubuntu, letting users install a full desktop on Windows systems without needing to partition their hard drive. Please see http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/hardy/beta for details. Server features --------------- AppArmor profiles: a greater number of server applications are now protected by default with AppArmor, a kernel technology that limits the resources an application is allowed to access, providing added protection against undiscovered security vulnerabilities. Memory protection: additional protection now prevents direct access to system memory through /dev/mem and /dev/kmem, and the lower 64K of system memory is no longer addressable by default, changes which help to defend against malicious code. Many applications are also now built as Position Independent Executables, making it harder for application security vulnerabilities to be exploited. Virtualization and iSCSI: KVM is now part of the official Ubuntu Kernel, which, combined with libvirt, allows for simple and efficient virtualization on hardware that support virtualization extensions (AMD-V or Intel-VT). Mounting iSCSI targets is now supported (including in the installer), allowing Ubuntu to interoperate with this class of cost-efficient Storage Area Network. Ubuntu Education Edition ------------------------ Add-on configuration: Edubuntu is now provided as an add-on to Ubuntu instead of as a separate stand-alone flavor, permitting even greater reuse of Ubuntu technologies. Kubuntu features ---------------- Kubuntu comes with the rock solid KDE 3 for those who want a commercially supported desktop. For those who want something more exciting, a KDE 4 Remix is available bringing this cutting edge new version to you first. Please see https://wiki.kubuntu.org/HardyHeron/Beta/Kubuntu for details. Xubuntu features ---------------- Xubuntu comes with the light-weight Xfce 4.4.2 desktop environment for those who want to a desktop that is easy to use, but places particular emphasis on conserving system resources. Please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardyHeron/BetaAnnouncement/Xubuntu for further details. New additions to the family --------------------------- Two new variants join us for this Ubuntu beta. UbuntuStudio and Mythbuntu have done releases separately in the past, and with Hardy Heron Beta we're happy to be able to welcome these fine community projects into the main Ubuntu release process. Other ----- * On the Desktop: KDE 3.5.9, GNOME 2.22, OpenOffice.org 2.4.0rc2, X.org 7.3 * On the Server: Apache 2.2, PostgreSQL 8.3, PHP 5.2.4, LTSP 5.0 * "Under the hood": GCC 4.2.3, glibc 2.7, Linux 2.6.24, Python 2.5 The full release notes can be found at http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/hardy/beta About Ubuntu ------------ Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, and servers, with a fast and easy install and regular releases. A tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications is included, and an incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away. Professional technical support is available from Canonical Limited and hundreds of other companies around the world. For more information about support, visit http://www.ubuntu.com/support To Get Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Beta --------------------------- Download Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Beta here (choose the mirror closest to you): Europe: http://gb.releases.ubuntu.com/8.04 (Great Britain) http://ubuntu.elasztik.hu/ubuntu.bitmind.hu/8.04 (Hungary) http://it.releases.ubuntu.com/8.04 (Italy) http://nl.releases.ubuntu.com/8.04 (The Netherlands) http://mirror.muntinternet.net/pub/ubuntu/releases/8.04 (The Netherlands) ftp://ftp.uninett.no/linux/ubuntu-iso/8.04 (Norway) http://ftp.vectranet.pl/ubuntu-releases/8.04/ (Poland) http://ubuntu.ynet.sk/release/8.04/ (Slovakia) http://se.releases.ubuntu.com/8.04 (Sweden) Asia: http://tw.releases.ubuntu.com/8.04 (Taiwan) North America: http://ubuntu.osuosl.org/releases/8.04/ (United States) http://ftp.ussg.iu.edu/linux/ubuntu-releases/8.04/ (United States) Rest of the world: http://releases.ubuntu.com/8.04 (Great Britain) Please download using Bittorrent if possible. To upgrade to Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Beta from Ubuntu 7.10, follow these instructions: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HardyUpgrades The final version of Ubuntu 8.04 is expected to be released in April 2008. Feedback and Helping -------------------- If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways you can participate at http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/ Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help turn this Beta into the best release of Ubuntu ever. Please report bugs through the Launchpad bug tracker: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bugs If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but are not sure, first try asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel on FreeNode, on the Ubuntu Users mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums: http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users http://www.ubuntuforums.org/ More Information ---------------- You can find out more about Ubuntu and about this preview release on our website, IRC channel and wiki. If you are new to Ubuntu, please visit: http://www.ubuntu.com/ To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu's very low volume announcement list at: http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce

Hey Everyone, I've been developing an open source inventory system for schools that strips out all the unused junk from an expensive inventory system and keeps things basic and organised. It's still in Alpha at present, but will be putting it out for Beta in the upcoming weeks. So far it will do: Bulk Imports of ICT Equipment Individual imports Warranty Monitoring and alerts Note taking on individual machines Simple Scan item Show data, quickly. Admin control panel to manage user logins to the system, database admin etc. The data stored includes: Serial Number Make Model Purchase Date Purchased From (Company you purchased through, with invoice data) Warranty Start Date (If different to purchase date) Warranty Length (with countdown) Warranty Name/Type (Accidental Damage, NBD etc) I chose all these as these are the most commonly used by all technicians around schools. Working with people who script in powershell, we are exploring secure and reliable ways to import data from machines already out in your schools and unlike spiceworks, be quick about it. The sole reason I've done this is for speed. Spiceworks is a fantastic system which I have little trouble with, but it does seem to be a little over developed for the needs of some of the smaller schools. The idea is to take the experience from people who work in the ICT departments of schools and colleges and develop a bespoke, free system, that requires no flash, no shockwave, java etc. Simple Html 5, CSS 3 and some bog standard programming. It's developed in Classic ASP which puts many off, but its a complete language, supported on all latest windows o/s's, plugs into IIS magically and no update for it is going to come along and break it. It's also extremely quick and is running with the latest SQL Express 2012 database. I'm looking for people who want to try it out, aid me in the development, throw ideas at me. At the end of the day, if you are fed up of your current inventory solution and would like a simple one that requires no additional resources on your computer to run, then this might be for you, so help me help you. There's been plenty developed as open source before, but people have different needs. If you want bog standard, why do you need to install all the features, the majority of which you are never going to use. I've designed the whole site in a modular method, you add the features you will use and never install those you won't. It's essentially a sober version of spiceworks, just developed by one guy lol. I'll be posting screenshots in the next few weeks (graphically it needs tidying up) and i'll progress from there. What I would like are more ideas. If you got a new set of laptops, what data would you like stored about them? Would you like what O/S is installed, Software? or are you more specific on the hardware, Maybe RAM amounts etc. The trick is to find what data technicians need and then data that they want. Those we need, will come pre-installed, those people want, i'll create as an option, which can be added by the administrator of the system. If you receive a broken laptop and you scan it, what data do you need to jump out at you. Would you like the option to choose what data jumps out at you before you scan it in? (e.g Click Serial, Scan and it comes up with all data with the serial key highlighted for you) Everything is possible. So far it works in all resolutions between 800x600 to 1920x1080, in IE8+, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera. What do you guys think, would anyone be willing to help out during Beta also.

Hi everyone, After 3 weeks of hacking away, Beta 6 is ready to go. The problems with the proxy authentication and occasional skipped folders should both be fixed and I've patched some smaller problems as well. It's not just fixes though - the log files are now HTML formatted and give you detailed information on errors, the online update gives you an on screen log and checks the definitions at startup, the results viewer is a lot more responsive and the UI has had a nice tidy-up. There's a new set of definitions online as well this morning so you can test out the online update feature. Let me know how it all works out for you! For a list of what's changed, check here. To install the update over the top of beta 5, clear your logs folder, then extract the zip file. Grab the download now http://www.paulbeesley.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/beta6.png