The right to communicate with your friends and family in private, -without anyone snooping, is a right every citicen have in a liberal -democracy. But this right is under serious attack these days.
- -A while back it occurred to me that one way to make the dragnet -surveillance conducted by NSA, GCHQ, FRA and others (and confirmed by -the whisleblower Snowden) more expensive for Internet email, -is to deliver all email using SMTP via Tor. Such SMTP option would be -a nice addition to the FreedomBox project if we could send email -between FreedomBox machines without leaking metadata about the emails -to the people peeking on the wire. I -proposed -this on the FreedomBox project mailing list in October and got a -lot of useful feedback and suggestions. It also became obvious to me -that this was not a novel idea, as the same idea was tested and -documented by Johannes Berg as early as 2006, and both -the -Mailpile and the Cables systems -propose a similar method / protocol to pass emails between users.
- -To implement such system one need to set up a Tor hidden service -providing the SMTP protocol on port 25, and use email addresses -looking like username@hidden-service-name.onion. With such addresses -the connections to port 25 on hidden-service-name.onion using Tor will -go to the correct SMTP server. To do this, one need to configure the -Tor daemon to provide the hidden service and the mail server to accept -emails for this .onion domain. To learn more about Exim configuration -in Debian and test the design provided by Johannes Berg in his FAQ, I -set out yesterday to create a Debian package for making it trivial to -set up such SMTP over Tor service based on Debian. Getting it to work -were fairly easy, and -the -source code for the Debian package is available from github. I -plan to move it into Debian if further testing prove this to be a -useful approach.
- -If you want to test this, set up a blank Debian machine without any -mail system installed (or run apt-get purge exim4-config to -get rid of exim4). Install tor, clone the git repository mentioned -above, build the deb and install it on the machine. Next, run -/usr/lib/exim4-smtorp/setup-exim-hidden-service and follow -the instructions to get the service up and running. Restart tor and -exim when it is done, and test mail delivery using swaks like -this:
- -- --torsocks swaks --server dutlqrrmjhtfa3vp.onion \ - --to fbx@dutlqrrmjhtfa3vp.onion -
This will test the SMTP delivery using tor. Replace the email -address with your own address to test your server. :)
- -The setup procedure is still to complex, and I hope it can be made -easier and more automatic. Especially the tor setup need more work. -Also, the package include a tor-smtp tool written in C, but its task -should probably be rewritten in some script language to make the deb -architecture independent. It would probably also make the code easier -to review. The tor-smtp tool currently need to listen on a socket for -exim to talk to it and is started using xinetd. It would be better if -no daemon and no socket is needed. I suspect it is possible to get -exim to run a command line tool for delivery instead of talking to a -socket, and hope to figure out how in a future version of this -system.
- -Until I wipe my test machine, I can be reached using the -fbx@dutlqrrmjhtfa3vp.onion mail address, deliverable over -SMTorP. :)
+ +I just donated to the +NUUG defence +"fond" to fund the effort in Norway to get the seizure of the news +site popcorn-time.no tested in court. I hope everyone that agree with +me will do the same.
+ +Would you be worried if you knew the police in your country could +hijack DNS domains of news sites covering free software system without +talking to a judge first? I am. What if the free software system +combined search engine lookups, bittorrent downloads and video playout +and was called Popcorn Time? Would that affect your view? It still +make me worried.
+ +In March 2016, the Norwegian police seized (as in forced NORID to +change the IP address pointed to by it to one controlled by the +police) the DNS domain popcorn-time.no, without any supervision from +the courts. I did not know about the web site back then, and assumed +the courts had been involved, and was very surprised when I discovered +that the police had hijacked the DNS domain without asking a judge for +permission first. I was even more surprised when I had a look at +the web +site content on the Internet Archive, and only found news coverage +about Popcorn Time, not any material published without the right +holders permissions.
+ +The seizure was widely covered in the Norwegian press (see for +example Hegnar Online and +ITavisen +and +NRK), +at first due to the press release sent out by Ãkokrim, but then based +on +protests +from the law professor Olav Torvund and +lawyer +Jon Wessel-Aas. It even got some +coverage +on TorrentFreak.
+ +I + +wrote about the case a month ago, when the +Norwegian Unix User Group (NUUG) +where I am a member decided to ask the courts to test this seizure. +The request was denied, but NUUG and its co-requestor EFN have not +given up, and now they are rallying for support to get the seizure +legally challenged. They accept both bank and Bitcoin transfer for +those that want to support the request.
+ +If you as me believe news sites about free software should not be +censored, even if the free software have both legal and illegal +applications, and that DNS hijacking should be tested by the courts, I +suggest you show +your support by donating to NUUG.
I am happy to report that I on behalf of the Debian Edu team just -sent out -this -announcement:
- --The Debian Edu Team is pleased to announce the release of Debian Edu -Jessie 8.0+edu0~alpha0 - -Debian Edu is a complete operating system for schools. Through its -various installation profiles you can install servers, workstations -and laptops which will work together on the school network. With -Debian Edu, the teachers themselves or their technical support can -roll out a complete multi-user multi-machine study environment within -hours or a few days. Debian Edu comes with hundreds of applications -pre-installed, but you can always add more packages from Debian. - -For those who want to give Debian Edu Jessie a try, download and -installation instructions are available, including detailed -instructions in the manual[1] explaining the first steps, such as -setting up a network or adding users. Please note that the password -for the user your prompted for during installation must have a length -of at least 5 characters! - - [1] <URL: https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Jessie > - -Would you like to give your school's computer a longer life? Are you -tired of sneaker administration, running from computer to computer -reinstalling the operating system? Would you like to administrate all -the computers in your school using only a couple of hours every week? -Check out Debian Edu Jessie! - -Skolelinux is used by at least two hundred schools all over the world, -mostly in Germany and Norway. - -About Debian Edu and Skolelinux -=============================== - -Debian Edu, also known as Skolelinux[2], is a Linux distribution based -on Debian providing an out-of-the box environment of a completely -configured school network. Immediately after installation a school -server running all services needed for a school network is set up just -waiting for users and machines being added via GOsa², a comfortable -Web-UI. A netbooting environment is prepared using PXE, so after -initial installation of the main server from CD or USB stick all other -machines can be installed via the network. The provided school server -provides LDAP database and Kerberos authentication service, -centralized home directories, DHCP server, web proxy and many other -services. The desktop contains more than 60 educational software -packages[3] and more are available from the Debian archive, and -schools can choose between KDE, Gnome, LXDE, Xfce and MATE desktop -environment. - - [2] <URL: http://www.skolelinux.org/ > - [3] <URL: http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Educational_applications_included_in_Debian_Edu___Skolelinux__the_screenshot_collection____.html > - -Full release notes and manual -============================= - -Below the download URLs there is a list of some of the new features -and bugfixes of Debian Edu 8.0+edu0~alpha0 Codename Jessie. The full -list is part of the manual. (See the feature list in the manual[4] for -the English version.) For some languages manual translations are -available, see the manual translation overview[5]. - - [4] <URL: https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Documentation/Jessie/Features > - [5] <URL: http://maintainer.skolelinux.org/debian-edu-doc/ > - -Where to get it ---------------- - -To download the multiarch netinstall CD release (624 MiB) you can use - - * ftp://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/debian-edu-8.0+edu0~alpha0-CD.iso - * http://ftp.skolelinux.org/skolelinux-cd/debian-edu-8.0+edu0~alpha0-CD.iso - * rsync -avzP ftp.skolelinux.org::skolelinux-cd/debian-edu-8.0+edu0~alpha0-CD.iso . - -The SHA1SUM of this image is: 361188818e036ce67280a572f757de82ebfeb095 - -New features for Debian Edu 8.0+edu0~alpha0 Codename Jessie released 2014-10-27 -=============================================================================== - - -Installation changes --------------------- - - * PXE installation now installs firmware automatically for the hardware present. - -Software updates ----------------- - -Everything which is new in Debian Jessie 8.0, eg: - - * Linux kernel 3.16.x - * Desktop environments KDE "Plasma" 4.11.12, GNOME 3.14, Xfce 4.10, - LXDE 0.5.6 and MATE 1.8 (KDE "Plasma" is installed by default; to - choose one of the others see manual.) - * the browsers Iceweasel 31 ESR and Chromium 38 - * !LibreOffice 4.3.3 - * GOsa 2.7.4 - * LTSP 5.5.4 - * CUPS print system 1.7.5 - * new boot framework: systemd - * Educational toolbox GCompris 14.07 - * Music creator Rosegarden 14.02 - * Image editor Gimp 2.8.14 - * Virtual stargazer Stellarium 0.13.0 - * golearn 0.9 - * tuxpaint 0.9.22 - * New version of debian-installer from Debian Jessie. - * Debian Jessie includes about 42000 packages available for - installation. - * More information about Debian Jessie 8.0 is provided in the release - notes[6] and the installation manual[7]. - - [6] <URL: http://www.debian.org/releases/jessie/releasenotes > - [7] <URL: http://www.debian.org/releases/jessie/installmanual > - -Fixed bugs ----------- - - * Inserting incorrect DNS information in Gosa will no longer break - DNS completely, but instead stop DNS updates until the incorrect - information is corrected (Debian bug #710362) - * and many others. - -Documentation and translation updates -------------------------------------- - - * The Debian Edu Jessie Manual is fully translated to German, French, - Italian, Danish and Dutch. Partly translated versions exist for - Norwegian Bokmal and Spanish. - -Other changes -------------- - - * Due to new Squid settings, powering off or rebooting the main - server takes more time. - * To manage printers localhost:631 has to be used, currently www:631 - doesn't work. - -Regressions / known problems ----------------------------- - - * Installing LTSP chroot fails with a bug related to eatmydata about - exim4-config failing to run its postinst (see Debian bug #765694 - and Debian bug #762103). - * Munin collection is not properly configured on clients (Debian bug - #764594). The fix is available in a newer version of munin-node. - * PXE setup for Main Server and Thin Client Server setup does not - work when installing on a machine without direct Internet access. - Will be fixed when Debian bug #766960 is fixed in Jessie. - -See the status page[8] for the complete list. - - [8] <URL: https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/Status/Jessie > - -How to report bugs ------------------- - -<URL: http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu/HowTo/ReportBugs > - -About Debian -============ - -The Debian Project was founded in 1993 by Ian Murdock to be a truly -free community project. Since then the project has grown to be one of -the largest and most influential open source projects. Thousands of -volunteers from all over the world work together to create and -maintain Debian software. Available in 70 languages, and supporting a -huge range of computer types, Debian calls itself the universal -operating system. - -Contact Information -For further information, please visit the Debian web pages[9] or send -mail to press@debian.org. - - [9] <URL: http://www.debian.org/ > -+ +
Today, after many years of hard work from many people, +ZFS for Linux finally entered +Debian. The package status can be seen on +the package tracker +for zfs-linux. and +the +team status page. If you want to help out, please join us. +The +source code is available via git on Alioth. It would also be +great if you could help out with +the dkms package, as +it is an important piece of the puzzle to get ZFS working.
I spent last weekend at Makercon -Nordic, a great conference and workshop for makers in Norway and -the surrounding countries. I had volunteered on behalf of the -Norwegian Unix Users Group (NUUG) to video record the talks, and we -had a great and exhausting time recording the entire day, two days in -a row. There were only two of us, Hans-Petter and me, and we used the -regular video equipment for NUUG, with a -dvswitch, a -camera and a VGA to DV convert box, and mixed video and slides -live.
- -Hans-Petter did the post-processing, consisting of uploading the -around 180 GiB of raw video to Youtube, and the result is -now becoming -public on the MakerConNordic account. The videos have the license -NUUG always use on our recordings, which is -Creative -Commons Navngivelse-Del på samme vilkår 3.0 Norge. Many great -talks available. Check it out! :)
+ +Where I set out to figure out which multimedia player in +Debian claim support for most file formats.
+ +A few years ago, I had a look at the media support for Browser +plugins in Debian, to get an idea which plugins to include in Debian +Edu. I created a script to extract the set of supported MIME types +for each plugin, and used this to find out which multimedia browser +plugin supported most file formats / media types. +The +result can still be seen on the Debian wiki, even though it have +not been updated for a while. But browser plugins are less relevant +these days, so I thought it was time to look at standalone +players.
+ +A few days ago I was tired of VLC not being listed as a viable +player when I wanted to play videos from the Norwegian National +Broadcasting Company, and decided to investigate why. The cause is a +missing MIME type in the VLC +desktop file. In the process I wrote a script to compare the set +of MIME types announced in the desktop file and the browser plugin, +only to discover that there is quite a large difference between the +two for VLC. This discovery made me dig up the script I used to +compare browser plugins, and adjust it to compare desktop files +instead, to try to figure out which multimedia player in Debian +support most file formats.
+ +The result can be seen on the Debian Wiki, as +a +table listing all MIME types supported by one of the packages included +in the table, with the package supporting most MIME types being +listed first in the table.
+ +The best multimedia player in Debian? It is totem, followed by +parole, kplayer, mpv, vlc, smplayer mplayer-gui gnome-mpv and +kmplayer. Time for the other players to update their announced MIME +support?If you ever had to moderate a mailman list, like the ones on -alioth.debian.org, you know the web interface is fairly slow to -operate. First you visit one web page, enter the moderation password -and get a new page shown with a list of all the messages to moderate -and various options for each email address. This take a while for -every list you moderate, and you need to do it regularly to do a good -job as a list moderator. But there is a quick alternative, -the -listadmin program. It allow you to check lists for new messages -to moderate in a fraction of a second. Here is a test run on two -lists I recently took over:
- -- --% time listadmin xiph -fetching data for pkg-xiph-commits@lists.alioth.debian.org ... nothing in queue -fetching data for pkg-xiph-maint@lists.alioth.debian.org ... nothing in queue - -real 0m1.709s -user 0m0.232s -sys 0m0.012s -% -
In 1.7 seconds I had checked two mailing lists and confirmed that -there are no message in the moderation queue. Every morning I -currently moderate 68 mailman lists, and it normally take around two -minutes. When I took over the two pkg-xiph lists above a few days -ago, there were 400 emails waiting in the moderator queue. It took me -less than 15 minutes to process them all using the listadmin -program.
- -If you install -the listadmin -package from Debian and create a file ~/.listadmin.ini -with content like this, the moderation task is a breeze:
- -- --username username@example.org -spamlevel 23 -default discard -discard_if_reason "Posting restricted to members only. Remove us from your mail list." - -password secret -adminurl https://{domain}/mailman/admindb/{list} -mailman-list@lists.example.com - -password hidden -other-list@otherserver.example.org -
There are other options to set as well. Check the manual page to -learn the details.
- -If you are forced to moderate lists on a mailman installation where -the SSL certificate is self signed or not properly signed by a -generally accepted signing authority, you can set a environment -variable when calling listadmin to disable SSL verification:
- -- --PERL_LWP_SSL_VERIFY_HOSTNAME=0 listadmin -
If you want to moderate a subset of the lists you take care of, you -can provide an argument to the listadmin script like I do in the -initial screen dump (the xiph argument). Using an argument, only -lists matching the argument string will be processed. This make it -quick to accept messages if you notice the moderation request in your -email.
- -Without the listadmin program, I would never be the moderator of 68 -mailing lists, as I simply do not have time to spend on that if the -process was any slower. The listadmin program have saved me hours of -time I could spend elsewhere over the years. It truly is nice free -software.
- -As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my -activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address -15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b.
- -Update 2014-10-27: Added missing 'username' statement in -configuration example. Also, I've been told that the -PERL_LWP_SSL_VERIFY_HOSTNAME=0 setting do not work for everyone. Not -sure why.
+ +The machine is a complete ARM-based PC with micro HDMI, SATA, USB +plugs and many others connectors, and include a full keyboard and a 5" +LCD touch screen. The 6000mAh battery is claimed to provide a whole +day of battery life time, but I have not seen any independent tests +confirming this. The vendor is still collecting preorders, and the +last I heard last night was that 22 more orders were needed before +production started.
+ +As far as I know, this is the first handheld preinstalled with +Debian. Please let me know if you know of any others. Is it the +first computer being sold with Debian preinstalled?