Mobile Coding – 4 Code Editor di Smartphone dan Tablet

admin    IT News    

Mac Malware: OS X 10.6.8 Has A Plethora of Critical Security Updates

admin    IT News, Malware, Security    

According to the Sophos Naked Security blog, the most important fixes concern “arbitrary code execution.”

“That’s computer-speak for ‘allow a bad guy to run malicious code on your computer, without your authorization,’” wrote Graham Cluley of Sophos.

Digging into the Mac OS X 10.6.8 security summary, one striking aspect is how long it is in comparison with other security summaries from previous patches and OS versions. OS X 10.6.7 had three security updates, all dealing with Mac Defender. Two were file quarantine updates and one was specifically for “malware removal.”

The 10.6.8 update has 28 specific items. Five items are related to QuickTime and have to do with downloading malicious movie or picture files that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Other updates of vulnerabilities to arbitrary code execution include OpenSSL, MySQL, ImageIO, CoreGraphics, CoreFoundation, ColorSync and ATS.

Apple also patched MobileMe where a vulnerability where “an attacker with privileged network position may read MobileMe’s email aliases.”

Apple is expected to sell between 13 and 15 million MacBooks in 2011, driven largely by a coming refresh of its MacBook Air series. In comparison to how many Windows computers are shipped every year that is not a lot. Yet, criminal hackers are starting to recognize that Mac computers are susceptible to malware and socially engineered attacks. The fallacy that Macs are safer than PCs is starting to erode. As such, expect more security updates to come from Cupertino on a regular basis.

[RWW]

5 Free E-Books and Tutorials on SQL

admin    Books, IT News    

Practical PostgreSQL

Practical PostgreSQL from O’Reilly Media is designed to introduce the SQL beginner to PostgreSQL. The book is focused on Postgres running on Red Hat, but has many lessons applicable to other environments.

W3 Schools SQL Tutorial

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, W3 Schools has tutorials on nearly every Web development subject, and SQL is no exception.

Oracle Database 10g Express Edition Tutorial

This Oracle Database 10g Express Edition tutorial introduces Oracle’s SQL database using its free version.

Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MySQL

If you’re planning on learning MySQL along with PHP, you can check out Sitepoint’s Build Your Own Database Driven Web Site Using PHP & MySQL by Kevin Yank. The first 168 pages are available as a free PDF if you’re willing to fork over your e-mail address. However, you can find much of the material on the Web in this series of tutorials by Yank.

You can find more resources for learning PHP here.

SQL Performance Explained

For the more advanced practitioner, there’s SQL Performance Explained. In the words of the publisher it “It avoids unnecessary details about database internals but highlights the one topic that is most often neglected: proper indexing.” It’s available as an e-pub, or as a continually updated website called Use The Index, Luke.

[RWW]

Selain SMS, Windows 8 Juga Akan Dilengkapi Fitur Geo-Location?

admin    IT News, Windows    

Satu lagi bocoran Windows 8 setelah sebelumnya dirumorkan hadir dengan fitur SMS. Seseorang bernama Thomas Hounsell telah menggali kedalam berdasarkan kode-kode dari file-file tertentu. Dia telah memposting apa yang ia temukan di akun twitternya.

Seperti gambar dibawah, ada kode-kode untuk mengirimkan SMS di OS yang belum dirilis ini. Mungkin terdengar aneh untuk mengirim SMS dari PC, tetapi tidak ada alasan mengapa Windows 8 yang berbasis tablet atau netbook tidak harus memiliki fitur ini. Jika Anda menghubungkan hal ini dengan kesepakatan Microsoft-Nokia terakhir, Booklet 3G berikutnya mungkin memiliki fitur SMS.

Microsoft juga mungkin menerapkan geo-location di Windows yang akan datang. Fitur ini akan memungkinkan aplikasi untuk mendeteksi lokasi komputer (hanya jika pengguna mengijinkan). Fitur ini setidaknya akan membantu kita dalam memilih zona waktu. Lihat gambar dibawah.

Sangat menarik untuk melihat jumlah fitur yang ingin ditawarkan Microsoft dengan OS yang akan datang ini. Mereka telah mengatakan bahwa satu versi dari Windows 8 bisa diimplementasikan di tablet, netbook, dan desktop. Ini berarti disk instalasi akan berisi semua fitur. Dengan kata lain bisa mengungkapkan fitur terbaru yang lain dengan menggali hanya ke dalam satu versi Windows.

[teknoup]

Geohot, Jailbreaker iOS dan PS3, Kini Kerja di Facebook

admin    IT News    

George Hotz, hacker muda yang terkenal karena membuat jailbreak untuk perangkat iOS, dikabarkan telah bergabung dengan Facebook. Informasi ini diperoleh setelah seorang anggota kelompok Chronic-Dev Team bernama Joshua Hill mengatakan bahwa Geohot tidak tertarik ketika ditantang olehnya untuk melakukan eksploitasi bootrom iPad 2 karena telah bekerja di Facebook.

Geohot di waktu-waktu belakangan ini seperti diketahui sedang bermasalah dengan Sony karena melakukan hacking pada PS3. Setelah sempat meminta bantuan dana kepada para pendukungnya dan dikabarkan melarikan diri ke Amerika Latin, Geohot seperti hilang ditelan bumi. Ternyata hilangnya Geohot ini terkait dengan adanya pekerjaan baru di Facebook ini.

Geohot sendiri tidak memnerikan pernyataan resmi tentang kapan dirinya telah bergabung dengan Facebook. Namun Gabe Rivera dari Techmeme pernah mengeluarkan twit yang mengabarkan dirinya menemukan halaman Geohot di Facebook yaitu Facebook.com/Geohot dengan tulisan pertama berupa kata-kata bahwa Facebook merupakan tempat bekerja yang benar-benar menakjubkan. Gabe Rivera juga menemukan bahwa Geohot mulai bekerja bulan ei dan mengumumkannya kepada teman-temannya pada tanggal 17 Juni 2011.

Facebook sendiri saat ini diketahui sedang mempersiapkan sebuah aplikasi untuk iPad setelah sebelumnya pernah mengatakan mereka tidak akan melakukan hal tersebut. Apakah ini kerjaan Geohot saat ini?

[teknoup]

iOS dan Android Akan Bisa Mainkan Game Xbox 360

admin    Android, Games, IOS, IT News    

Kabar gembira untuk gamer yang menginginkan game sekelas Xbox 360 dalam perangkan iOS dan Android mereka. Andrew Russell, seorang pengembang yang sudah cukup dikenal saat ini sedang membuat software open source yang memungkinkan developer game untuk memporting game Xbox 360 dan Windows Phone 7 ke dalam perangkat iOS dan Android.

Dengan prosesor dual core dan GPU berdaya grafis tinggi yang sudah ada di smartphone saat ini, portingan games Xbox 360 mungkin dapat dilakukan ke iOS dan Android. Russell menamakan proyek ini ‘ExEn’ yang didanai oleh komunitas developer dan juga mendapat dana dari sumbangan pengembang lain yang mendukung proyek ini. Software ini nantinya akan memudahkan developer yang menggunakan XNA framework dalam mengembangkan game untuk Xbox 360, Windows, dan Windows Phone 7.

Jika proyek ini berhasil, mungkin saja kita dapat memainkan game seperti Halo pada gadget iOS dan Android nantinya.

[teknoup]

Oracle v. Google update: USPTO rejects several patent claims, leaves chinks in Oracle’s IP armor?

admin    Google, IT News, Oracle    

AMD Demos Working 16-Core Interlagos CPU at ISC 2011

admin    AMD, Hardware, IT News, Processor    

At this year’s International Supercomputing Conference, AMD has showcased a working version of its upcoming Interlagos server processor based on the Bulldozer architecture, marking the first public demonstration of such a chip.

The machine used for this demo was based on a Supermicro 1U dual socket server which packed two 16-core Interlagos processor with additional space left for installing a GPGPU card and was running the POVRay rendering application.

No actual details about the performance of the chips were released by the company, but The Inquirer did manage to find out that Interlagos will carry the same TDP as the current Magny Cours Opteron CPUs.

AMD’s Interlagos processors are based on the company’s high-performance Bulldozer architecture and will have either 12 or 16 processing cores, while also featuring a series of improvements that should increase their performance when compared with the current Opteron 6100-series CPUs.

The chips will also feature support for AMD’s Turbo Core 2.0 dynamic overclocking technology and come with advanced power saving technologies.

Interlagos CPUs features a multi-chip design (the processor is built by joining together two six or eight core Valencia dies) and are compatible with the existing G34 socket.

At the beginning of July, AMD confirmed the rumors that stated the company plans to postpone the launch of the Zambezi FX-series desktop processors.

These were expected to debut at the beginning of June, but AMD is now planning to launch them at the end of the summer, in August or September. According to one of the company’s previous statements, the delay was caused by a strategic decision.

This decision however, won’t affect the sixteen-core Opteron “Interlagos” processors as these are still on-track for a Q3 launch.

One of the first machines to include the new server CPUs will be built by Cray and is expected to arrive in the second half of this year. The XK6 pairs AMD’s multi-core processors with Nvidia’s Tesla 2000-series compute boards.

[softpedia]

Here’s the very first Windows Phone Nokia phone

admin    IT News, Nokia, Windows Phone    

During a media event today, Nokia unveiled its first Windows Phone-powered mobile device.

But before the company’s CEO Stephen Elop revealed the phone, he asked everyone there to refrain from taking any pictures. It was strictly to be for the eyes of the invited media only.

Given how much hullabaloo there is surrounding Nokia’s deal with Microsoft, however, it’s not surprising that someone just had to covertly snap a couple shots.

Originally posted on the Hungarian blog Technet, the pictures reveal a phone that looks remarkably similar to the upcoming Nokia N9 handset, which is likely to be the first and last (that is, the only) phone powered by Meego – the mobile operating system that was to be Nokia’s last-ditch effort before signing up for Windows Phone 7.

A slick Gorilla Glass screen and an 8 MP camera including a Carl Zeiss lens are among the first known technical specs of the phone, which reportedly goes by the code name Sea Ray.

Of course, Nokia and Microsoft entered into a partnership earlier this year. In exchange for a huge wad of cash, Nokia agreed to abandon its decades-old Symbian operating system and start using Windows Phone 7 on all of its future phones.

Nokia has a huge, almost monopolistic presence in emerging parts of the world, and it employs some of the most heralded mobile phone designers and manufacturers on the planet. So the company is by no means irrelevant now, even though it has for the first time slipped to below the #1 position on the list of global mobile phone companies.

As expected, neither Nokia nor Microsoft has been willing to comment on when the first Windows Phone 7-powered Nokia handset will be shipped to stores, but it is noteworthy that means they haven’t officially ruled out a 2011 launch.

[tgdaily]

Amazon EC2 now runs Red Hat Linux

admin    IT News, Linux    

EC2 has many different operating systems available, including Windows Server and several different Linux versions including SUSE, Oracle and OpenSolaris. (On the horizon are support for Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu and Gentoo.)

Instances of Red Hat start at 14.5 cents per hour, depending on the size of the VM deployed. There are a variety of Red Hat versions 5 and 6 for both 32-bit and 64-bit instances available.

For those of you that haven’t ever touched Amazon’s EC2 and are itching to get started, as a new AWS customer, you can receive for free up to 750 hours per month of EC2 running Linux along with 750 hours per month of Elastic Load Balancing, plus 10 GB of storage for up to a year.

[RWW]