Newbies Paradise

Great news for Newbies Paradise !

contact@newbiesparadise.com (ixM) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:58:14 +0100

Update: That was an April's fool by the way

Hello everybody,

I'm really glad to share this great news with all of you. Thanks to the ads on Newbies Paradise, we've been able to save a lot of money these last months. We decided that it was time to give Newbies Paradise a new look which would give it something special, something really different to what we've been used to.

Although it was a little bit expensive (around 1000 €), we are really satisfied and we think that the result is worth the price.

We are now thinking about saving enough money to buy a beautiful Flash banner that would possibly pop-up at each page loading to emphasize the ads.

We hope that you will enjoy the new look of Newbies Paradise and also find its contents easier to use since the new design is particularly light and helps to focus on the text.

I would also like to thank all of you for having clicked on the ads and therefore allow us to buy this delightful design.

The entire Newbies Paradise team.

P.S. It was supposed to be a secret but M@teo21 is now writing a tutorial which will explain how to create your own OS (like Microsoft Windows Vista for example) with JavaScript, HTML and assembly language !!!

DreamSpark : free developpement software for students

contact@newbiesparadise.com (Cam) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:37:29 +0100

So far, Microsoft’s MSDNAA program has allowed students to download some of their softwares (such as Visual Studio 2005 Professional and SQL Server 2005, among others) for free. Recently, the company launched a similar program called DreamSpark.

Free Developpement Software

Just like the MSDNAA program, DreamSpark is only for students. It is available in 11 countries: the United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Sweden and China. If you are a student and live in one of these countries, you will have access to this new program.

Microsoft plans to add more countries to this program. So if you are unable to download the software, you need to wait. Here is the software selection:

Visual Studio Professional Edition (2005 and 2008);
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition;
SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition;
Microsoft ® Expression ® Studio;
XNA Game Studio 2.0;
And many others ...

This list is not complete, you can find all the modules on the program; as you can see, it is mainly development tools. If you are interested in the DreamSpark program, you should visit the website, which was set up for the occasion, and select the software you want to download.

Specifically, how do we get this famous software?

You should first go to the detailed data sheet for the software you want (which you can find here). Here, you will see three icons: Sign In, Verify and Download. Click on "Sign In".

Once connected, you will be asked where you live; you can either choose your region on the world map, or directly choose from the drop-down menu on the right. Once you've indicated your country, you must choose your school or your institution, as shown here:

Reaction from the Open Source world

The main players in the world of open source softwrare have not taken the news positively. AFUL (fr), the French Association of Users of Linux and free software, whose goal is to promote free software, see it as a "Last Chance Operation".

On the one hand, a certain satisfaction is created, because if Microsoft has implemented this system, it is good for recovering customers in the college market, which has almost disappeared (people are using Apache and MySQL more than Windows Server and SQL Server). Free softwares would be a threat for Microsoft, and they are facing it..

On the other hand, Free software companies are not reassured by the economic aspect Microsoft's operation. Indeed, it is a question of free and non-release of the sources. They are not sure that what is free today would be free tomorrow. The AFUL is worried and warns that Microsoft is only trying to make people dependent on its softwares. A student who has worked with Windows software for five years will tend to keep using the same software in his professional life.

Thanks to Linktim for his reaction paragraph in "the world of free software"

Enjoy !

This new was originally written by Cam in french.
Thanks to the NTS for translation.

Google Maps Street View, Gmail and Android's SDK

contact@newbiesparadise.com (Cam) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:05:25 +0100

In this news we will overview the 12 cities recently added to the Google Maps Street View, the new Gmail version available in 37 languages, and to finish, the new version of the Android's SDK.

Google Maps Street View

From what I know, we've never talked about Google Maps Street View on Newbies Paradise before, which is why it is important to introduce it to you. It is actually a Google Map function, that enable new views which lets you browse certain streets. Indeed, these panoramic views (360°) almost make you feel like you are there.

This function, which already created controversy about people's private lives who live around these views, is only available in the United States, in only about twenty cities. It is on Google Earth where we can see that 12 new cities have already been added, including Salt Lake City and San Antonio. All available cities can be found here.

A Google Maps Street view

The new Gmail available in 37 languages

Gmail developers recently introduced the second version of Gmail, the Google's mail service. This new version is now available in 37 languages, and brings some new and interesting functions to Gmail.

Developers have added color labels, chat groups, smileys, a new adress book, and some keyboard shortcuts. Gmail's whole code was revised.

If you don't have the new version yet you will have to wait for the update. It will be done soon.

New Android's SDK

The Mobile World Congress was standing in Barcelona, Spain, from the 02/11 to the 02/14. A new Android-based cell phone presented, and was even tested by visitors.

An Android smart-phone

Android is the Mobile OS developed by Google for smart-phones or PDA's. The new development kit was released a few days ago, under the cute name "m5-rc14", and you can download it here. The code and the design were both reviewed.

Conclusion :

Enjoy .

Thank to the NTS for translation.

Deezer: new version

contact@newbiesparadise.com (ixM) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:22:58 +0100

At the end of last summer, just before back-to-school, a news about Deezer came through "Le site du Zéro". If Deezer doesn’t sound familiar to you, acknowledge that it is an online music broadcaster. It allows you to listen to your music as well as millions of songs legally and for free, online! A couple of days ago, Deezer's staff showed us a brand new version, which replaces the old, beta test version.

Deezer’s popularity

Deezer, created by Daniel Marhely and Jonathan Benassaya, is available in 16 different languages. The creators had to negotiate huge contracts with the biggest record labels to propose their music. Most of the money comes from the advertisements on the website.

In addition, let me remind you that Deezer had problems with music copyrights. Indeed, Universal Music didn't give their agreement to Deezer for using their music. Those songs were actually used illegally. It should be noted that, at the very beginning, some users found a way to download the music that they had listened. This mistake was corrected as fast as they figured it out.

The website’s founders had to negotiate precious agreements with those disc companies. With this new version, the creators announce that they signed with new independent record labels: "Because Music" and "Believe". The Website now features more that 1.5 Million tracks !

The new Deezer

The new version of Deezer appeared a few days ago. The developers have stressed the "community" aspect. Actually, there are some new features more "community oriented" : each user has a profile (music style, favourite artists, etc.), and a friends list. The artists also have a detailed profile (biography, discography, fans, comments, etc.).

Deezer is becoming what we could call a social network. You can even listen to your friend's playlists, become fan of an artist, and more ! Here is a quote from one of Deezer's foundators:

Quote: A foundator

The first version was a kind of prototype. Now we have a stable version.

New modes: radios

In its first version, Deezer accepted only one listening mode : you looked for a music, and listened to it. With the new version, Deezer introduced "SmartRadios" and "Theme radios".

SmartRadio is an intelligent radio . Using that mode, if you don't like a song, you just tell the radio, and it will change it for you (two buttons: "I like" and "I don't like"). The theme radios are sorted by genres (rock, rap, jazz, etc...).

GeoIP

As seen earlier in the news, Deezer had some problems with users who could download music illegally on the website. Deezer's team then implemented an IP black-list to avoid the illegal download.

With that new version, a new system was implemented to authorise only the IP's in a delimited zone : GeoIP. Each time a user connects to the website, his IP is localised by. If the IP is out of the zone, many songs will be inactive for the user.

That system wasn't stable in the first version of Deezer, and some users couldn't listen to the music. But it was upgraded, and security checks are harder to go round.

A new interface

Deezer now has a new interface. It is mostly black, like the last version, fully coded in Flash. The design changed for a clearer style, for the user's comfort.

Some pictures of the new interface (click for bigger size).

The forum's new design will come in a few days. Deezer also changed its URL system. They now are permanent. That means that each page on Deezer has a URL that does not change. It is useful to share your favourite music with your friends. It allows Deezer to be more stable and faster.

Conclusion, links

Enjoy !

Thank to the NTS for the translation

Mac World 2008 : MacBook Air & Apple TV

contact@newbiesparadise.com (Cam) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:48:39 +0100

Mac World 2008

Hi everyone,

On January 14th and 15th 2008 was standing THE event for Apple fans: The Mac World 2008, which took place in San Francisco, CA. Steve Jobs, Apple's boss, has showed some new interesting products, some of which you are going to discover through this news.

MacBook Air

Some visitors were sure that Apple would change the standards of the technology another time just as they did last year by presenting the iPhone. But this year Steve Jobs presented the MacBook Air, the thinnest laptop ever. According to Apple, it would be the "most portable laptop", and the "most different from the others".

The new Mac is really thin: 0.73 inches (1, 94 cm) !! It is 12.8 width and 8.94 depth (32, 5 cm and 22, 7 cm). It even fits in an envelope!
Mac's newest gadget is made out of aluminum, as his brother the iMac. It weighs 3.0 pounds (1, 36 kg), and has a 13 inches screen, which allows a resolution of 1440x900. It comes with a full back lit keyboard, just like the ones theMacBook and the MacBook Pro. Very useful when typing in the dark ...

Here are some pictures of the beast .

Cilc to show details.

Apple TV reviewed

If you don't know Apple TV yet, it is a device that enable a connection between your computer (Mac or PC) using a wireless or Ethernet media, and can broadcast your data, such as music, pictures onto a TV screen. It wasn't successful at first, so Apple decided to design a new version, which was presented during the Mac World 2008.

The first version of Apple TV wasn't really popular, because of its poor features. With the new Apple TV, it is now possible to watch YouTube videos from a TV set through the Cover Flow interface. Apple is also going to introduce iTunes Movie Rental, a movie renting service from the well-known iTunes Store. That feature is now available in the USA. The movies' quality will be DVD or HDDVD, and the sound format will be Digital Surround 5.1. A movie will be sold 3 to 5 dollars for a 24 hours rental, depending on the release date.

Apple will sell the new Apple TV less than the old one: $229 instead of $299. Unfortunately the price is will still be the same in Europe ($299).

Conclusion

Some surprises this year in the Mac World 2008: the release of the MacBook Air, a new version of Apple TV, new features for the iPhone, etc.
As always, Steve Jobs showed a couple of statistics: Apple has sold 4 millions iPhones, and 5 millions copies of Mac OS 10.5 Loepard !

Links

Enjoy!

Thank to the NTS for the translation

Merry Christmas

contact@newbiesparadise.com (ixM) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 15:48:56 +0100

The whole team of Newbies Paradise wishes you a Merry Christmas

OpenSUSE 10.3 is released !

contact@newbiesparadise.com (vcarter) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:30:15 +0100

Hello, I am going to talk you about the new version of OpenSUSE.

As you can see, the last version of OpenSUSE has been released since October 4th !

What's new ?

Gnome 2.20 and a preview of KDE 4 are available !
1-Click-Install system, you can install applications and libraries with one click if you see this logo on the Web :
The Y@st interface was rebuilt with GTK, now it's really integrated in the system.
Banshee and AmaroK can play MP3 default.
Compiz is available directly on all CDs/DVDs and Compiz Fusion in official repositories.
A new version of OpenOffice (2.3), Gaim has been replaced by Pidgin ... and more !

Y@st :

Compiz Fusion :

How to download ?

You can download OpenSUSE 10.3 on http://software.opensuse.org.

You have choice :

Live CD Gnome (you can test OpenSUSE 10.3 with Gnome)
Live CD KDE (the same thing with KDE)
DVD Version (all free applications)
CD Gnome Version (only Gnome and some applications)
CD KDE Version (only KDE and some applications)

So, it's finished ! I hope you enjoyed my presentation and you desire to try OpenSUSE 10.3
GoodBye !

A Mobile Open-Source OS

contact@newbiesparadise.com (Azymuth) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:04:45 +0100

With 3 billion users around the globe, which is twice more than televisions sets presently in use and three time the users of Internet, we can say that mobile phones is a technology that has taken a huge place in the technology world. Recently, the Apple iPhone brought a fresh wind into this market and the competition needed to force the mobiles constructor to offer new products. And it seems that another giant is coming in the game. Say «Hi !» to Android, an open-source OS developped by the Open Handset Alliance.

The Alliance

First of all, who is behind this project? As told before, it is an alliance of some thirty companies that is in charge of it. And we are talking about giants such as Intel, nVidia, Motorola, T-Mobile, etc. (complete list here.) However, the company that started it and whose name is associated to it is the well-known Google. It has been a while ago since the rumors telling the people behind the most-seen website have an eye on the mobile phone market have begun. Well, rumors aren't rumors anymore, so let's present the Google's new child.

Android

Let's start by reminding us what is Android again. It is an operating system (OS), which is the «bridge» between the software and the hardware of your machine. Operating systems generally come with preinstalled softwares too, and it is no different with Android. Better, the Google OS is going to be open-source under the Apache v2 license. The open-source label means that the programming code of the OS will be available for everybody who wants it, just like Linux (on which Android is based). This way, it will be easy for developers to make applications on this platform. Talking about this, the Open Handset Alliance has launched a challenge that will give away $10 million in awards to the developers that will make the best programs on their open-source platform. See the official page.

In addition, somebody who would want to make a complete operating system for mobiles could use the Android code without any fee. There would not be any restraint, nothing that you would be obliged to keep. Your new OS would even not have to be open-source, so you could make money with it if you want to. And everything above could be done without telling the Alliance of anything. Though, there are little conditions about trademarks and files to keep. See the complete license.

Little is known presently about the applications that are going to be provided. Still, we know that it will (of course) support Gmail, the Google webmail application, and Google Maps. A program using Google Maps and GPS to provide information on the neighborhood you currently are. Do not worry, the list is not over yet.

Finally, the opinions about the coming of Google in the mobile war are mixed. Some love the open-source idea and believe it will obliged Windows and Nokia to improve their products. Others dislike the idea of having publicities on your own phone and the presence in another field of a company already too... present. But one thing is sure, you are going to hear a lot about Android in the next months.

Link

The Open Handset Alliance web site

Release of Ubuntu Gusty Gibon 7.10 !

contact@newbiesparadise.com (Tarmalik) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:12:41 +0100

Hello world

Ubuntu is a distribution based on Debian, linux. Today is released v7.10 ...

Gutsy Gibbon

Introduction according to the Official site of the distribution :

"The Ubuntu developers are hurrying to bring you the absolute latest and greatest software that the open source and free software communities have to offer. This is the Ubuntu 7.10 release candidate, which brings a host of excellent new features.

We consider this release candidate to be complete, stable and suitable for testing by any user. The final stable version will be released in October 2007.

The news compared to the previous version

GNOME 2.20

The Gutsy Gibbon release candidate brings you the latest and greatest GNOME 2.20 with lots of new features and improvements.

Desktop 3D effects

Compiz Fusion is enabled by default and will bring 3D desktop visual effects that improve the usability and visual appeal of the system. Ubuntu 7.10 automatically detects whether the hardware is capable of running compiz; if not, it falls back to normal desktop. Additional effects can be enabled in "System/Preferences/Appearance" under the "Visual Effects" tab. There you can also disable the effects entirely.

Desktop search

The deskbar applet is now included in the default configuration. It allows quick access to your common actions, including opening web bookmarks and searches, sending messages to your contacts, and more.

The Tracker indexer has been added to the desktop, making it easier and faster to search for your documents, photos, music, videos, chat logs, and all other files. You can use Tracker in the search dialog, the file selector, nautilus, or the deskbar applet.

Fast user switching

It is now possible to easily switch between user sessions without the inconvenience of entering your username or password numerous times, a time-saver on computers shared by multiple users.

Firefox plugins in Ubuntu

Firefox now comes with an improved plugin finder wizard that allows users to search and install packaged plugins easily, bringing users a richer web-browsing experience with the integrated security support of the rest of the Ubuntu system:

Dynamic screen configuration

Several drivers, including ones for ATI, nVidia, and Intel graphics chips now support the X Resize and Rotate Extension (xrandr). This enables dynamic monitor detection, and resizing and rotating of video output, for no-fuss support for projectors and external monitors.

If you have this hardware and used MergedFB / Xinerama previously, you may need to update your X configuration to use this new feature.

Graphical configuration tool for X

You can now configure what driver you want to use for your graphic card, change the default resolution for all users or change your monitor's refresh rate without having to turn to the terminal. A new GUI has been added making it easy to adjust your video and monitor settings. This tool can also set up dual screen capabilities for cards that use the Xinerama mode.

Fully automatic printer installation

Printers are now automatically configured by merely plugging them in and turning them on. Printer setup cannot get any easier!

Handling of non-free device drivers

Restricted-manager can now handle drivers which are free in themselves, but which require non-free firmware or other packages to operate. Only three clicks are needed to fetch and install firmware for wireless cards with Broadcom chipsets, and for a number of Winmodems commonly found in laptops, provided that you have an alternative Internet connection.

NTFS writing

While previous Ubuntu releases only supported read access to Windows (NTFS) partitions, Gutsy Gibbon now fully supports reading and writing to them, by integrating the NTFS-3g project. This significantly eases file and document sharing with Windows.

Power consumption

Ubuntu includes the latest Linux kernel, featuring dynticks. It allows the processor to use less power and produce less heat. For laptops this means more battery life and burn-free laps and for desktops and media center PCs, a quieter, cooler environment.

Encrypted hard disks

The alternate installer now given you the option to encrypt the entire hard disk (or individual parts if you partition manually). This provides robust data protection for laptops and other mobile devices which may be lost or stolen. Please keep in mind that this only protects the data when the machine is powered off.

AppArmor security framework

This easy-to-deploy kernel technology limits the resources an application is allowed to access and can be used to provide an added layer of protection against undiscovered security vulnerabilities in applications. Head to the AppArmor user guide to learn about this new security feature.

Additional installation profiles for Ubuntu Server

New pre-configured installation options have been added to the Ubuntu Server CD. Mail Server, File Server, Print Server, and Database Server options join existing LAMP and DNS options for pre-configured installations, easing the deployment of common server configurations.

Profile-based Authentication Configuration

Deploying authentication configuration has become a lot easier with the addition of auth-client-config. Files may be added to the profiles database, allowing for an administrator to set up a single profile for site-wide network authentication roll-outs. Find out more about AuthClientConfig.

Improved thin-client support

The speed of LTSP thin clients has been greatly improved through the use of compressed images, and LDM, the thin-client login manager included in Edubuntu, also now has support for autologin, multiple servers, and unencrypted graphics transport as an additional speed boost.

And more ...

Downloads

Get it while it's hot. ISOs and torrents are available at:

-> http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/7.10 (Ubuntu)
-> http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/kubuntu/7.10 (Kubuntu)
-> http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/edubuntu/7.10 (Edubuntu)
-> http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/7.10/rc (Xubuntu)

Links

-> Official site of Ubuntu ; http://ubuntu.com/
-> Site of the english community ; http://www.ubuntu-uk.org/

Goodbye

Source: http://ubuntu.com/

PHP translation

contact@newbiesparadise.com (M@teo21) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 15:58:00 +0100

Hey dear newbies!

We are proud and very happy to release the first part of our PHP tutorial.

The NP team has been working hard for the last 2 months for this event. It was hard, believe us! But we've made it! We did the best we could to give you something you could read with great pleasure and fun

The battle was hard because Mr Grammar, his wife Spelling and their kid WritingStyle were valiant fighters. They could hide between the lines very easily and use to change places everytime. The plan to win the battle was to check and double-check every single word in order to catch them all! If ever you find one of them when reading the chapters (we are almost sure), please report!

From WAMP, variables, functions and so on and so forth, you will discover the PHP world and its richness.

Anyway we let you enjoy your reading and learning and stay tuned because Part II is coming very soon.

What are you waiting for, click here to read it!

Thanks to the NP team and all our contributors, and see you for the next part!