n the modern gaming world, there are countless exciting games that capture players' attention. One standout title you can't miss is Slope. This simple yet challenging online game has become a phenomenon among gamers in the USA.

Introduction to Slope

Slope is a 3D game with simple yet eye-catching graphics. Players control a ball rolling down an endless slope, aiming to avoid obstacles and keep the ball from falling off the track. 

Why is Slope So Popular?

1. Simple and Easy to Play: With straightforward controls, anyone can jump into the game without prior experience.

2. High Challenge: Despite its simplicity, Slope offers numerous challenges. Progressively harder, keeping players engaged and eager to conquer them.

3. Competitive Element: The game allows players to compare scores with friends or other players, creating an exciting competitive environment.

4. Playable Online: You can play Slope anytime and anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. This makes it an ideal choice for those looking for quick entertainment.

Conclusion

Slope is not just a game; it's an enjoyable experience that helps players hone their reflexes and concentration. With its appealing elements and high competition, this game has won the hearts of many gamers in the USA. If you haven't tried your hand at Slope yet, start today and see how high you can score!

 Microsoft still has a stranglehold on the desktop and servers for small business. While wheels are in motion for the former, the answer to the latter may already be here.

When it comes to the Internet, Linux is a big win.

Mail and web servers, databases, computational clusters and supercomputers all belong to the domain of free software. When it comes to embedded devices, Linux is also king of the roost.

There are two main areas where Linux has still not broken through, however - the desktop and servers for small business. Many small to medium enterprises are already “Microsoft shops” because the desktops run Windows. To break in, Linux needs to slot into these environments without causing a fuss.

Certainly the cloud is offering one solution to this problem, but not all companies are willing to put their sensitive data on-line and in the hands of another. So, a market for local servers to perform these functions is still alive and well.

The requirements

Part of the reason that Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) is attractive is that it includes many core features required by a company, out of the box. Important services like central authentication, email, file and print sharing and web. Perhaps most important of all is calendaring. It’s something which businesses simply cannot survive without and has been a thorn in the side of Linux based alternatives for a long time.

Here’s a quick glance at some of the main features included with SBS:

• Centralized Authentication (LDAP)
• Primary Domain Controller (Samba)
• File and Print Services (Samba and CUPS)
• Mail (SMTP, POP, IMAP, Webmail)
• Calendaring (Kolab groupware)
• Webserver (Apache)
• Firewall plus intrusion protection (iptables, Snort)
• Antimalware (Clam Antivirus, Antiphishing, Antispyware)
• Antispam (Spamassassin)
• Database (MySQL)
• Virtual Private Network (IPSec, OpenVPN, PPTP)
• Web Proxy (Squid)

The complexity of these individual components is hidden behind the web based management interface, where users can simply turn on and off these modules as required.

While users are encouraged to administer the system via the provided management interface, it is also designed to be extensible. The back end is not hidden away, but offered up in plain sight for admins to get right in and change things if they want to. Various how-tos provide details on how to perform extra functions, such as enabling shell access for users.

ClearOS supports external modules, that is extra services outside of those included by default. This is part of the design goal of the operating system which will hopefully foster collaboration and increase its range of useful features. It is possible to replace the default groupware server with a more sophisticated one or even create new custom modules, such is the flexibility.

The included Kolab groupware server is reasonable, however it appears that a connector for Outlook must be purchased separately, such as that from Toltec or KONSEC. A feature rich, but rather unattractive, web client is also included via Horde. Linux users can have native support through KDE’s Kontact application, or Mozilla’s Thunderbird and the Sync Kolab addon.

The installer is straight forward and supports both hardware and software RAID. During installation the user is able to select a number of services to include, however these can also be configured at a later stage via the web management interface.

The web-based management interface is very intuitive and easy to follow. Server features are broken up into sections, such as Directory, Network, System and Gateway, where admins can configure various components thereof. Everything, from adding a user to configuring an IPSec VPN is a matter of a few simple steps. Within 5 minutes an administrator can have a fully functional Windows domain server, with all the bells and whistles. Pretty neat, eh?

Also built into the interface are various reports, such as the state of system resources, traffic usage and analysis, mail and web server statistics, as well as good old system logs.

ClearOS Web Management Interface

It would be good to see some improvements in the interface, to provide greater feedback. While installing packages for example, the interface appears to be doing nothing, while it is in fact downloading or installing. Reading the install log makes sense, but only if you know what you’re looking for. It would be great to see a simple feedback method in addition to the log. A rotating orange swirl while performing the task would suffice, turning green upon completion. It’s also a shame that there is no 64 bit version, however this might come at a later date if warranted.

Despite this, ClearOS is truly a decent replacement for Windows SBS. It has all the features yet is simple to manage and has the full power of Linux and free software right behind it.

Read Entire Article Here

A late happy new year to everyone!

We are making progress on building out the necessary infrastructure to develop ClearOS.   Some of the infrastructure is new, while other parts are migrating over from the old ClarkConnect system.

On January 14 2010,  the Bug Tracker  was added to the web site.  If you suspect that you have found a bug, we really do appreciate it when you take the time and effort to report them.  Without the feedback, it makes it difficult to make future releases better and more bug free!

In the next week or so, the source code repositories will be coming online.  In addition, we have three other pieces of infrastructure under active development:

• A feature/wishlist system
• A new translation system that will make life easier for translators
• A new build system that will pave the way for 64-bit support

We'll post a message when these tools are available.

ClearOS Enteprise 5.1 Release Candidate 2 is now available!  This second release candidate has all the features available and is ready for production use.   You won't be able to register the system with ClearCenter quite yet... please stay tuned!  

• Download
• Release Information

Salt Lake City, Utah, December 8, 2009 – ClearFoundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the proliferation of ClearOS, a leading open source network, gateway and server operating system, has been named a finalist in the Best Security Software Development Solution category in the 2010 SC Awards for outstanding achievement in information technology (IT) security. ClearOS was named as a premiere solution in the Reader Trust Award competition, which honors best-in-class security products and services.

ClearOS was selected from more than 600 entries submitted in more than 31 technology categories. All finalists will be reviewed and winners will be chosen by the Reader Trust Voting Panel – comprised of security and technology experts from large, medium and small enterprises from all major vertical markets – representing the wide distribution of SC Magazine readers.

“ClearOS is among today’s most respected security products as chosen by our panel,” said SC Magazine Editor-in-Chief Illena Armstrong. “Security is a key challenge for IT organizations and businesses worldwide and our readers recognize that organizations like ClearFoundation are helping them meet their security challenges.”

As the industry’s preeminent awards program, the annual SC Awards has recognized security’s key contributors and outstanding products for more than a decade. The SC Awards are designed to honor the professionals, companies and products that help fend off the myriad security threats confronted in today's corporate world. Individuals, brands and solutions recognized in the program address not only the security challenges prominent today, but also the emerging threat “ClearFoundation is pleased to be recognized by SC Magazine as a leading provider of security solutions,” said Michael Proper, ClearFoundation.He continued, “ClearOS, combined with ClearSDN cloud-based services from ClearCenter, forms a unique IT offering that can be tailored to the needs of small and distributed IT environments. With installations in over 80 countries in 20 languages, we are quickly growing to be the pre-eminent solution for network, gateway and server functionality with the reliable security of cloud-based services.

Winners of this year’s SC Awards will be announced at a gala dinner and award ceremony to be held in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 2, 2010. The event is an evening filled with excitement and offers an invaluable opportunity to network with the top corporate IT professionals in attendance. To attend the SC Awards, please register at http://www.scmagazineus.com/sc-magazine-awards-2010/section/1053/

About SC Magazine

SC Magazine provides IT security professionals with in-depth and unbiased information through timely news, comprehensive analysis, cutting-edge features, contributions from thought-leaders and the best, most extensive collection of product reviews in the business. By offering a consolidated view of IT security through independent product tests and well-researched editorial content that provides the contextual backdrop for how these IT security tools will address larger demands put on businesses today, SC Magazine enables IT security pros to make the right security decisions for their companies. Besides the monthly print magazine and daily website, the brand’s portfolio includes the SC Awards,SC Directory, SC Magazine Newswire and the annual SC World Congress conference and expo.

Become a fan of SC Magazine on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

About ClearFoundation

ClearFoundation is an Incorporated Society dedicated to the vision that every small organization and distributed IT environment on the globe deserves proper security, filtration, and management tools. Internet access is the great equalizer in economics, but each network requires security and management. ClearFoundation is dedicated to providing essential IT tools to everyone that needs them. More information is available at www.clearfoundation.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

The ClearOS Enterprise 5.1 Release Candidate #1 is here!  Though there are a handful of low impact items to address, the software is stable and ready for the masses.  The highlights since the last beta release include:

• A new antiphishing engine
• Improved Windows 7 support
• Improved menu system
• Updated bandwidth management engine 

Please review the release notes for more details. 

The registration and ClearSDN services will be activated in the next week so you will have to hold on for a few more days to take advantage of those services.  We are one step closer... stay tuned!

Download ClearOS 5.1 RC1 here.

We thought we'd drop you all an early Christmas gift and release some screenshots of the new ClearOS interface.  We won't say when it will be released....just that it is coming soon! 

The interface has been tested in all major browsers and will be accessible via netbook, laptop, desktop, tablet and even mobile devices (Android/iPhone).

You'll notice that we've changed up the menu items a bit.  This reflects the  complete solution ClearOS brings to SMBs to manage every layer of the LAN environment:

• Network Layer
• Gateway Layer
• Server Layer 

First of all I guess I should do the obligatory disclosure according to the American FTC which is just a guide but has lawful penalties (how do they figure that one out?) I received this product for free from the Clear Foundation. In return I am going to do a review of their product.

That being said they are giving their product away for free to everyone. In typical Open Source business model it is the service they are charging for. The product? The new release of the beta version of their latest ClearOS(5.1). I found out about this when their marketing manager Aaron contacted me here on ITtoolbox and basically just said check out what we did and tell me what you think.

Well since it was no skin off of my nose to download their ISO image and whack it into a VirtualBox session I did so. While I was trying to download it I hopped over to their website and had a peek and poke around (aah the old basic days, sigh). What I saw intrigued me to say the least. I was expecting just another fork of another Linux distribution. You know the standard Ubuntu, Debian, SUSE, RedHat type of thing. One thing was evident was that these people were definitely thinking out of the box.

The second beta has arrived!  Along with the usual bug fixes, the two significant changes from beta 1 are:

• Updated base system to CentOS 5.4 (released just last week).
• Updated Samba to prepare for improved Windows 7 support.

 You can find more details in the release notes.  Please remember, this is still beta software.

This past week ClearFoundation made an appearance at the Utah Open Source Conference.  It was a great opportunity to show off ClearOS!

Thursday was full of booth visitors, classes and meeting new friends, and later that night the opensource learning came to a pause, and a new sort of education ensued, a Lego building competition! The ClearFoundation team recreated a scene from Dune. We didn't win, but had a lot of fun! After the Legos were put away, we enjoyed Ignite Salt Lake, which consisted of ten five minute talks on various subjects. We were dazzled with a lot of useful information on topics ranging from traditional music from Bali to why we can't allow robots to take over the world.  Saturday the whole family was invited. Family day activities included pizza, and games for the kids.

We made some great new friends who are now becoming contributing members of the ClearFoundation community.

ClearFoundation continues to focus on growing the opensource community and driving awareness around ClearOS.  We are committed to maintaining the integrity of the open and free nature of ClearOS and engaging community developers and end-users. 

Have you ever found yourself waking up (without a crazy alarm clock) with a pit in your stomach, because you didn't do what you committed to do the prior day?  That's how I felt this morning.  The open source world is not the same as the world I have lived in for the past 16 years and I'm learning lessons fast!

I set a hard date of Sept. 30, 2009 for the release of ClearOS 5.1 Beta.  Unfortunately setting that date encroached upon the process Peter Baldwin and many others in the community have been using to release code for the last 10 years. The process has been, "DING, DING, DING, the code is done and on the table, come and get it!" not, "Dinner will be ready at 7:35pm."

Historically, I have been accustomed to walking down to a dev team, asking them to create requirements around a feature, and the next thing I know it has been spec'ed, and a delivery date has been set. Then I move on to the next topic, taking a mental note that we'll soon be getting a peek at a new feature - the anticipation is like opening a gift.

---- PAUSE ---- The sun just came up, off to take a photo of the first snow be back in 10 minutes.

All of this said, First: Peter, I will commit to not call you late at night during development and ask for your blessing on a press release with a solid date in it.  Second: I will learn more about open source release cycles and gain a better understanding of how code gets developed in the open source world.

 --- OBSERVATION --- This is a great real world experience that furthers some of the comments received from both Linus Torvalds and Mark Shuttleworth at LinuxCon last week (great learning experience).

I am glad to see Peter Baldwin is dedicated to great software, not just dates.  Thank you for your patience everyone! 

Sincerely - Michael Proper

Short version -- The release of ClearOS 5.1 Beta is going to slip.  We (read: I) apologize for the missed commitment, and will do our best to make sure it does not happen again.  Our hope is to have a beta in your hands in time for the weekend.

Long version -- There's no excuse for the missed deadline, but thought you should know what's going on.   The underlying operating system is ready to go and we're putting the finishing touches on usability and interface design.  Last night, we decided that the menu system was just not workable (and almost unusable on my Ubuntu/Firefox laptop!).  In the next day or two, we'll be replacing the menu system with an interim solution.  It will likely be changed before the 5.1 final release, but at least we'll have something to beta test!

I posted a comment on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago asking what people expected to see with ClearFoundation.  I had formulated my own vision but I totally missed the social networking aspect.  I am very impressed with inclusion of the social media type tools.  It has become painfully obvious that communications in the world wide web is focused on movements.  What better movement then replacing your entire infrastructure with a product like ClearFoundation?  What better way then allowing members to communicate with eachother in an open platform?  "Yahoo!" or should I say "Clear4U!"

The purposes for which this Incorporated Society has been organized are as follows:

(a) Ensure that every small business and distributed IT environment on the globe can have proper security, filtration, and management tools;
 
(b) To defend Open Source software as publicly available and freely distributed: namely, ClearOS and its open source components;

(c) To promote the development, enhancement, and application of Open Source software within ClearOS;

(d) to ensure that people of any language and ability can use ClearOS for their own purpose.

 Run 3 provides an addictive and challenging endless running experience with its gravity-defying mechanics and progressively difficult levels, making it a favorite among fans of the genre.The gameplay mechanics are simple, with players using the arrow keys or other designated controls to move and jump.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder has sold more copies in the three days following its premiere than any other mario games, according to Nintendo's retweeted tweet (which was deleted because one of the scores was wrong). The company claims that the game has swept the continent.

World,
Below is a message I received from Google Apps today regarding a recent Google Apps (Gmail) web interface mail outage.

--- START GOOGLE EMAIL---
"Dear Google Apps customer,
We would like to follow up on the recent Gmail outage and resulting credit through our service level agreement (SLA) with you.

Between 12:45 PM to 2:15 PM PDT | 19:45 - 21:15 GMT on Tuesday, September 1, 2009, Google Apps Gmail users were unable to access their accounts

Readers of the German "Linux-Magazin" get a sneak peek of ClarkConnect 5.0 and the new features to be included. The special issue "Safeguarding Data" from Linux-Magazin includes a CD copy of ClarkConnect 5.0 beta 3 with prime placement on the full front cover.