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Linux Preferred OS for International Space Station Crew

If there is one thing about the crew on the International Space Station, it is that they use a lot of laptops. The crew up there consists of only six members but they have around 140 laptops up there. That equates to around 23 laptops per person. What’s even more surprising is that at least 80 of the laptops are in use at any given moment.

Linux: To Infinity and Beyond

Up till now, the ISS crew was quite happy with their laptops that were powered by Windows XP. Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that Microsoft is discontinuing support for XP in the near future. Apart from that, XP is an older version of the Windows OS, with Windows 7 and 8 having been released since.

As it turns out, the crew at the ISS has lost interest in Microsoft completely. This time around, they have opted to go for Debian-powered laptops. This means the open source platform Linux becomes their operating system of choice. Linux was already being used on the ISS, but not by a human. The R2 Robonaut runs on Linux as well.

The crew has been trained, briefed and educated about the Debian 6 OS that they are going to use from now on. The system has been deployed and is now being used to power the laptops the crew is going to use up there. So, for once, the ISS crew can stop moaning about the drawbacks of using Windows up there, when it is quite clear that most of their equipment problems are caused by broken screens.

For Linux, it is a journey to infinity and beyond.

[Image via rowetel]

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Cybersecurity chat focuses on industry-government collaboration

Revealing Hidden Secret Service Menu in Dish TV DTH Set Top Box

There are many DTH (Direct-To-Home) television service providers in India such as Tata Sky, Dish TV, Airtel Digital TV, Reliance Big TV, Videocon D2H, Sun Direct, etc and Tata Sky and Dish TV are the most popular brands among them. In past we have shared a secret trick to access hidden service menu in Tata [...]

Read rest of this article at AskVG.com

via Tweaking with Vishal http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AskVG/~3/ZsODlnx0Dxo/

Fitbit Flex: The New Activity Tracker in Town

There is a fast growing market for activity and sleep tracking devices, especially for wearable ones, but this little gadget is something else: Fitbit Flex is actually a rubber wristband that is very comfortable to wear and you will never have to take off.

The Fitbit Flex is the latest in Fitbit’s range of wireless activity trackers. It is similar to its predecessor, the Fitbit One, but is not provided with a display. And while previous Fitbit trackers were easy to misplace because of their small size and the fact that they had to be attached to your clothing, you won’t have to worry about that with the Flex.

Fitbit Flex activity tracker

At a first glance, the Flex looks like any ordinary rubber wristband. It is very simple and slim and the only element distinguishing it from other wristbands is the LED lights that give the wearers feedback about their activity stats.

The five LED lights turn on gradually, as the wearer gets closer to their set goals. For instance, if the wearer has set the goal of 10,000 steps in a day, the lights will turn one by one as soon as you complete 20 percent of the task. So as soon as you have made 2,000 steps, the first LED will light up and so on.

The Fitbit Flex can be worn in the shower and it also monitors your sleep, which is yet another reason for not taking it off. The device monitors the duration and quality of sleep and will record how many times you woke up or moved during the night. It is also equipped with a silent alarm feature that vibrates to wake you up at the set time.

Fitbit Flex: The New Activity Tracker in Town

Given that it does not have a display, the Fitbit Flex will not show you statistics for your daily activity like traditional tracking gadgets do. Instead, it will wirelessly communicate these data via Bluetooth 4.0 to iOS devices and a limited number of Android operated systems. So far, only the Samsung Galaxy Note II and the Samsung Galaxy S III are compatible with the Flex. The tracker will be sold together with a USB device to sync with a computer, for all those who do not own compatible phones.

The Fitbit Flex is available in five colors: black, navy, tangerine, teal and slate and can be purchased for $100. Since the tracker can be removed from the wristband, you can purchase a set of bands in various colors for an extra $30.

[Images via uncrate & thrillist]

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Microsoft to Roll out Free Windows 8 Update Later This Year

Microsoft has had to face criticism like never before because of Windows 8. Even though the company has released some products that flopped in the past, like Windows Vista, the criticism wasn’t as intense as it has been for Windows 8. The sales continue to plod along, having reached 100 million in six months. This puts the operating system at par with Windows 7, the version Windows 8 was intended to replace. At present, it is finding it tough to carve a niche for itself, let alone replace Windows 7.

Microsoft to Roll out Free Windows 8 Update Later This Year

Even the people seem to have rejected Windows 8. There have been numerous instances of people downgrading their PCs from Windows 8 to Windows 7. Needless to say, the backlash has been strong. So, it comes as no surprise that Microsoft is trying to change the situation as much as it can. For this purpose, the company had announced they were going to release a Windows 8 update before the end of the year. Initially titled Windows Blue the update was intended to rectify the problems Windows 8 was receiving criticism for.

Since then, the name for the update has been changed to Windows 8.1. The purpose will remain the same, which is improving the Windows 8 user experience. However, what this does not show is whether the update will actually contribute towards stronger Windows 8 sales. Microsoft further added to the intrigue by announcing recently that they intend to roll out Windows 8.1 as a free update rather than with strings attached. This means there is little chance it would boost the Windows 8 sales.

Microsoft has been trying to project optimism as far as Windows 8 is concerned. The 100 million licenses sold, as an umbrella figure, have contributed immensely towards alleviating some of the doubts. However, some reports are showing that the number of licenses sold doesn’t represent the number of people actually using Windows 8 on their PCs. That number is close to 60 million if the reports are to be believed. This means that Microsoft has been banking its future chances on hope rather than solid performance.

Yet, one cannot help but say that 58 million is a huge number. If that many people are actually using Windows 8, there must be something good about it. As things stand, Windows 8.1 will be available to Windows 8 users as a free update. They simply need to download and install the update to upgrade their version of Windows 8. However, there are no certainties regarding whether people will actually want to download it, even if it is available for free. After all, there are not many changes which are being spoken of before the update is actually revealed.

Microsoft wants to get more people to use Windows 8. That much is clear from the actions the company has taken over the past few months. Providing an update free of cost, and that too Windows 8.1, seems like a desperate measure to get people to use their operating system.

[Image via windows8keys]

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