Free critically acclaimed software for linux

JackLab Audio Distribution is a remastered openSUSE for musicians, producers and media creators.

The JackLab Team is proud to present the first public alpha-release of the JackLab Audio Distribution (JAD). The 1.2GB DVD iso can be downloaded from jacklab.org.

We have found that musicians have particular requirements for their Linux environment. A Linux-based distribution that is designed for music needs to be flexible, powerful, yet easy and quick to use. All of these things are essential in a busy, creative environment. Thinking about these requirements, we decided to base JAD on openSUSE due to its stability and long development history. All major administrative tasks can be done graphically and easily without having to learn any complicated terminal commands.

JAD will be fully compatible with the recently released openSUSE 10.2. It will contain a full production environment for media production, primarily music. For this, the JackLab team added a Realtime Kernel version 2.6.19 to have fast audio processing with a latency up to 1.5ms. The default audio system will be based on the the Jack Audio Connection Kit (JACK) which is designed for the needs of musicians and producers and gives a professional audio/midi controlling interface.

The installer is based on the acclaimed YaST2, which also serves as an easy-to-use administrative tool. To keep as many essential computer resources for music as possible, we have decided to use Enlightenment D17 desktop shell as the default window manager. KDE desktop environment is also included, so the user-friendly file manager - Konqueror, is available along with Kmail, Konversation, k3b and other KDE tools. For music creation and editing, we have included around 70 audio applications with sequencers, synthesizers and tools all installed and ready to go. User-friendly support for setting up and running VST instruments and effects is given. Additionally, there are applications for video production and a graphic suite that are included on the DVD. For browsing the internet, we have included Firefox 2.0 chosen for its stability, security and extendability.

JAD is a community based effort and is the culmination of the work of many contributors. Recently, JackLab and PackMan (packman.links2linux.de) have joined forces to offer JAD access to the PackMan repositories so that up-to-date audio software, non-audio software and multimedia codecs are available to JAD users. The JAD development team would like you to participate in the development process too. There are different ways you can help:

-As a tester, you can download the most recent version and use the bugtracker to report any problems.
-You can participate in the graphics contest: The best graphics submitted will be used as default for the bootscreen, wallpaper, skins and icons.
-You can submit feature requests and take part in discussions on the mailing list.
-For taking part in providing user support, there is a web based forum and an IRC channel - it is also an essential part of the development process to see feedback.

Nmap is a utility for network exploration or security auditing. It supports ping scanning (determine which hosts are up), many port scanning techniques (determine what services the hosts are offering), version detection (determine what application/service is runing on a port), and TCP/IP fingerprinting (remote host OS or device identification).
Nmap project also offers flexible target and port specification, decoy/stealth scanning, SunRPC scanning, and more. Most Unix and Windows platforms are supported in both GUI and command line modes. Several popular handheld devices are also supported, including the Sharp Zaurus and the iPAQ.
Main features:
- Flexible: Supports dozens of advanced techniques for mapping out networks filled with IP filters, firewalls, routers, and other obstacles. This includes many port scanning mechanisms (both TCP & UDP), OS detection, version detection, ping sweeps, and more. See the documentation page.
- Powerful: Nmap has been used to scan huge networks of literally hundreds of thousands of machines.
- Portable: Most operating systems are supported, including Linux, Microsoft Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, IRIX, Mac OS X, HP-UX, NetBSD, Sun OS, Amiga, and more.
- Easy: While Nmap offers a rich set of advanced features for power users, you can start out as simply as "nmap -v -A targethost". Both traditional command line and graphical (GUI) versions are available to suit your preference. Binaries are available for those who do not wish to compile Nmap from source.
- Free: The primary goals of the Nmap Project is to help make the Internet a little more secure and to provide administrators/auditors/hackers with an advanced tool for exploring their networks. Nmap is available for free download, and also comes with full source code that you may modify and redistribute under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).
- Well Documented: Significant effort has been put into comprehensive and up-to-date man pages, whitepapers, and tutorials. Find them in multiple languages here.
- Supported: While Nmap comes with no warranty, you can write the author (fyodor@insecure.org) if you experience any problems. We also host several mailing lists you can join.
- Acclaimed: Nmap has won numerous awards, including "Information Security Product of the Year" by Linux Journal, Info World and Codetalker Digest. It has been featured in hundreds of magazine articles and is even recommended by Microsoft. Visit the press page for further details.
- Popular: Thousands of people download Nmap every day, and it is included with many operating systems (Redhat Linux, Debian Linux, Gentoo, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc). It is among the top ten (out of 30,000) programs at the Freshmeat.Net repository. This is important because it lends Nmap its vibrant development and user support communities.