Vixta is a Fedora-based Linux distribution designed to be user-friendly and eye-catching, with a GUI similar to Windows Vista, but (hopefully) not as slow and annoying…

Screenshot (Click image for more)

The project’s overall goals are:

• Bring Linux to the “masses”
• Absolutly NoConfig (ANB)
• User-friendly
• Eye-catching
• “Vista” a like

The latest version of Vixta (0.94) released yesterday are available for immediate download (ISO image).

Secunia reported earlier today that they’ve discovered multiple vulnerabilities in the Sun Java JRE (Java Runtime Environment):

1. Multiple unspecified errors in the Java Runtime Environment can be exploited by e.g. a malicious applet or by using Java APIs to establish network connections to certain services on machines other than the originating host.
2. Multiple unspecified errors in Java Web Start can be exploited by a malicious applet to read/write local files or determine the location of the Java Web Start cache.
3. An unspecified error in the Java Runtime Environment can be exploited to move or copy arbitrary files on the system by e.g. tricking a user into dragging and dropping a file from an applet to a desktop application that has the proper permissions.

Secunia has constructed the Secunia Software Inspector, which you can use to check if your system is vulnerable: secunia.com/software_inspector/

Solution:
Update to the fixed versions.

JDK and JRE 6 Update 3:
java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

JDK and JRE 5.0 Update 13:
java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index_jdk5.jsp

SDK and JRE 1.4.2_16:
java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

SDK and JRE 1.3.1 for Solaris 8:
java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/download.html

NOTE: Some vulnerabilities only affect certain versions or browsers. Please see the vendor’s advisories for details [ 1, 2, 3, 4 ]

Wubi is an unofficial Ubuntu installer for Windows users that will bring you into the Linux world with a single click. Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other application. If you heard about Linux and Ubuntu, if you wanted to try them but you were afraid, this is for you.

Wubi is Safe

It does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different boot loader.

Wubi is Simple

Just run the installer, no need to burn a CD.

Wubi is Discrete

Wubi keeps most of the files in one folder, and If you do not like, you can simply uninstall it.

Wubi is Free

Wubi (like Ubuntu) is free as in beer and as in freedom. You will get this part later on, the important thing now is that it cost absolutely nothing, it is their gift to you…

Visit the project web site or proceed to the download >>

In a combined effort of reducing pirating and helping out students SoftwareFor.org have put together 2 software distro’s, one for Mac and one for Windows (Linux users know their way around anyway).

The ISO’s (CD images) are downloadable via BitTorrent technology or HTTP mirrors (direct downloads) and consists of free and/or open source applications. A full list of available software is found in their FAQ.

Interested? Go get the Software for Starving Students package.

Note! Remember that Opera has built-in torrent support in case you don’t have a BitTorrent client.

In my post yesterday about the forthcoming Ubuntu Server OS that is optimized for VMware I was also wondering what the others would do. The answer came blistering fast and was announced on Sun.com yesterday.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. REDMOND, Wa September 12, 2007 Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced that Sun has signed on as a Windows Server OEM. Additionally, Sun and Microsoft will collaborate to further enable deployment of Windows Server on Sun x64 systems.

In the ongoing battle (against WMware) for virtualization market shares, and most likely also to try to catch up technologically, Sun and Microsoft are now working side-by-side on cross-platform virtualization:

Solaris and Windows Virtualization - Sun and Microsoft will work together to ensure that Solaris runs well as a guest on Microsoft virtualization technologies and that Windows Server runs well as a guest on Sun’s virtualization technologies. Sun and Microsoft will work together on a support process for customers who are using the virtualization solutions. This joint commitment to customers ensures that Windows and Solaris will provide a solid virtualization experience.

Visit Sun’s press room for full story.