Linux Mint 14 Xfce Edition Is Available for Download

Linux Mint Xfce, a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system based on Ubuntu and Debian, has just reached version 14.

Even though it's a little late to the party, the Xfce version of Linux Mint 14 is finally here and not a moment too soon. It would have been hard to release it after the Apocalypse.


In any case, Linux Mint Xfce shares the same codename with the other releases, Nadia and just like its brethren, it comes with quite a few new features and updates.

As you can imagine, Linux Mint Xfce 14 is based on Xfce 4.10. According to the developers, this is a lightweight desktop environment that aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly.

This latest version of Xfce 4.10 features online documentation, an application finder, multiple rows and deskbar mode in the panel, an actions plugin, a MIME type editor, a single-click operation, automated background image cycling and thumbnail rendering on the desktop, not to mention edge-tiling in the window manager.

Highlights of Linux Mint 14 Xfce Edition:

• Thunar is the default file browser of the distribution;
• Xfce Terminal is the default terminal application;
• Xfburn is the default CD/DVD burner application;
• Ristretto is the default image viewer;
• Blueman is used by default for Bluetooth support;
• The default notification daemon is xfce4-notifyd, which is themeable and configurable.

The MDM display manager comes with a lot of themes and the theme format is so trivial that users can make their own very easily and make the login screen look exactly the way they want.

The Software Manager has also received a lot of "under the hood" improvements and it no longer uses aptdaemon, which was responsible for crashing or freezing the application.

Check out the official announcement for a complete list of changes and updates.

Download it here.

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Secondary Twitter “Sign In” Form Found to Transmit Passwords in Plain Text

Zohar Alon, the CEO of security solutions provider Dome9, discovered that the “secondary” Twitter sign-in page transmitted user passwords via HTTP, instead of the secure HTTPS.

Fortunately, Twitter rushed to address the issue immediately after being notified, but until a few hours ago, many cybercriminals could have exploited the flaw.



According to TNW, the bug didn’t affect the main sign-in page – the one that users are presented with when they access Twitter. Instead, it affected the drop-down sign-in form which customers can access when viewing a profile or a tweet without being logged in to their accounts.

The main login page transmitted the information in a secure manner, but this alternative page used HTTP, which meant that all passwords could be easily intercepted by someone who was sniffing a potential victim’s network traffic.

After being notified by TNW and Alon about the security hole, Twitter’s security team patched up the issue. However, this fairly serious vulnerability could have been there for some time, impacting the social media site’s 200 million customers.

While this secondary sign-in page is not used as often as the main page, it’s still utilized by a large number of internauts.

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Microsoft Details Windows Phone 8 Update for Nokia Lumia 920 and 820

Microsoft has just published the changelog for the recently released Windows Phone 8 update for Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820.

The update is currently pushed in Canada at Rogers and in the US via AT&T. Unfortunately, Nokia announced it wouldn't launch the new firmware version in other countries until early February, 2013.

Microsoft also hints to a staggered rollout of this Windows Phone 8 update and states that it “will be made available at different times, depending on your country or region, mobile operator, and phone model.”

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NASA Hacker Garry McKinnon Is Off the Hook, the UK Will Not Prosecute Him

After ten years of legal battles, it seems that NASA hacker Garry McKinnon is finally off the hook. UK authorities decided that they would not commence a criminal investigation against him.

In a joint statement, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) reveal that the decision comes after consultations with the US authorities.


Back in 2002, the US Department of Justice, the UK police and the CPS decided that McKinnon should be tried in the United States because

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Serbia Google, Gmail, Microsoft, OVI, And More High Level Domains Defaced By Pakistani Hackers

Serbian Google, Gmail, Microsoft, OVI and more high level domain were defaced by Pakistani hackers with the names 1337, H4x0rl1f3, ZombiE_KsA, Invectus, and Shadow008
Those names might be familiar to you from other attacks defacing Israeli MSN, Bing and more high level domains as well.
Mirrors of the website can be found here

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iPad mini – Apple’s Best iPad Yet

If you’re deciding between several gadgets to put something under the Christmas tree this year, you might want to consider the iPad mini. For all the inches it shaves off, it offers a truly compelling tablet experience.

Apple had to jump over many hurdles to get where it is today in the tablet space (and not only). Launching the first iPad in 2010 took a tremendous amount of prototyping over several years.

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Nokia Looking to Hire Linux Engineer, Might Plan Android Devices

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is focused on the release of Windows Phone devices as part of its partnership with Microsoft, but it seems that the company is also looking into other platforms out there.

In fact, the handset vendor has already published a job listing on LinkedIn, announcing that it is looking for a Linux software engineer.

According to the post, which is dated November 29, Nokia is looking into embedding Linux software and drivers into its new products, which would suggest that Android might soon arrive on its devices.

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