Ubuntu Linux v5.04 Released

The final version of Ubuntu Linux v5.04 is now available for public release. You can either download a copy or have one shipped to you free of charge.

Some of the featured software in Ubuntu v5.04 include Gnome 2.10.1, X.org 6.8.2 and Firefox 1.0.2. You can read about all the changes in the Release Notes for v5.04.

Ubuntu Linux is primarily based around a Gnome desktop environment, but if you prefer KDE, you can take a look at Kubuntu, a project that makes Ubuntu v5.04 available using KDE 3.4 as it’s base.

If you’d like to try both desktop environments, you can simply install Ubuntu and then issue an apt-get install kubuntu-desktop to install the necessary Kubuntu files, allowing you to choose which DE to use at login.

If you’re curious about Ubuntu Linux, but don’t want to install it on top of the operating system you already have, you can download a “Live CD” from the link above, which will allow you to boot from the disc and try a version of the OS that lives completely on the CD-Rom. With this you can try the distribution out on your particular hardware with no changes made to the underlying system.

$2 Bills Lead to False Arrest

The Baltimore Sun has a story up about Mike Bolesta, a Baltimore County resident, who went to Best Buy to have a new radio installed in his son’s car and ended up in jail because of $2 bills.

According to the story, Bolesta purchased a radio that Best Buy’s installation team could not fit into the car due to its size, so the store offered to install another, cheaper radio for free. However, despite the store telling him that there would be no charge for the installation, the next day Bolesta received a telephone call at home demanding that he come in and pay the installation fee, the store would call the local police.

Obviously, Mike Bolesta got a little upset over this and decided that he would pay the $114 fee in rare $2 bills he gets from the local bank through his company which puts together nationwide tours for students to east coast cities. But when Bolesta showed up at Best Buy, the staff was convinced that he was attempting to defraud them with fake bills.

The police were called and the bills were marked with a special anti-forgery pen, which was never designed for the old and rare $2 bills, causing the ink to smear. Because of this, Bolesta was arrested and walked out in front of store customers in handcuffs and leg irons.

Eventually a Secret Service agent, responsible for investigating forged money claims, arrived and declared the bills legitimate $2 bills after a brief period of examination. Mike Bolesta was quickly let go, much to the embarrassment of both the Baltimore County police and Best Buy.

Blogging Without Getting Fired

In the day and age of nearly anything on the Internet being found with a few minutes of search time through Google, corporations are more concerned with their online images than ever, which can be bad news for bloggers who’s posts might reflect badly on that image.

One of the first bits of advice most experienced bloggers will give you is to not post anything in a blog or web forum that you wouldn’t want posted on the front page of the New York Times.

In light of this, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has an article up entitled “How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)“.

In recent years there have been a number of incidents of employees being fired for entries posted in their blogs, such as the Delta Airlines flight attendant or the staff assistant for a Senator.

The EFF article is a good read for those involved with blogging, be it on their own website or through a service like LiveJournal.

Geek Language Results in Less Secure Users

BBC News has a piece up that suggests that the overuse of computer “geek speak” in news items and warnings to the public can actually result in a decrease in overall security.

According to the article, the problem is that terms like “phishing” (fake emails designed to defraud someone of valuable information) or “trojans” (malicious programs hidden inside other programs) can confuse average computer users and leave them uninformed of the true nature of the danger described.

The solution is obvious, though made difficult out of habit. When speaking to the general public about a growing risk, technology and computer professionals need to be aware that using industry terms that aren’t obvious in their meaning, such as the term “pharming” to describe the process of redirecting unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites, can be counter-productive for the average computer user and that clear, simple and most importantly, accessible language will do more good than an in-depth technically orientated discussion.