Open Recall: Makeblock, VLC 2.0.5, and 0 A.D. Alpha 12

Makeblock allows the creation of autonomous vehicles
Source: Makeblock Open Recall is a space on The H for those things that are too small to package as news but are worth covering. In this edition: Makeblock, VLC 2.0.5, Newscoop 4.0.3, ngIRCd 20, Skrooge 1.4.0, IPFire 2.11 Core Update 65, and 0 A.D. Alpha 12.

• Makeblock – Described by the company as "an aluminum version of Lego bricks", Makeblock aims to create a modular open source robotics kit. The parts are compatible with Lego products and the electronic components are linked with RJ10 connectors and phone wires. The kit's modules are also compatible with Arduino boards. Schematics and firmware source code for the kits are available under a Creative Commons BY-SA licence. The company is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund further development on the project.

• VLC 2.0.5 – A maintenance release of VLC fixes a problem with DVB-s delivery system detection, synchronisation issues when using PulseAudio, several bugs that caused the media player to crash, and a buffer overflow in the HTML subtitles parser. A complete list of changes is available in the NEWS file for VLC 2.0.5.

• Newscoop 4.0.3 – The latest version of the open source Newscoop content management system for news organisations. The update includes a permanent fix to a password restore vulnerability in the admin interface and fixes several non-critical bugs with headlines, topics and article behaviour. The application has also received several speed and performance improvements. Details of all fixes and improvements in Newscoop 4.0.3 can be found in the release notes. Newscoop is supported on Ubuntu 12.04, Debian 6 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2. Updating to the new version is strongly recommended; it can be downloaded from the Sourcefabric web site.

• ngIRCd 20 – Release 20 of the open source IRC server ngIRCd includes several bug fixes and new features such as enhanced hostname cloaking and added channel modes. A full list of the features is available in the change log.

• Skrooge 1.4.0 – Version 1.4.0 of Skrooge, the Qt-based personal finance tool, now supports KDE's Activities functionality and its developers have added functionality to track a stock portfolio in the monthly report. New widgets and improved advice features have also been added. Skrooge is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux from the Skrooge web site.

• IPFire 2.11 Core Update 65 – The 65th Core Update for IPFire 2.11 brings a new graphical interface for the configuration of OpenVPN clients and improvements to OpenVPN connections to the open source firewall distribution. Minor bug fixes are also included and the distribution's install of Samba has been upgraded to version 3.5.20. The ISO image for IPFire is only 77.9MB and can be downloaded from the project's web site.

• 0 A.D. Alpha 12 – Alpha 12 of the open source strategy game 0 A.D., code-named "Loucetios", adds a diplomacy model to the game. The new release also adds siege engines that must be packed up before they can be moved, heroes, hotkeys to train units and five new random maps. Graphics improvements include better water rendering, added post-processing options, and rubble which is left behind by destroyed buildings. The menu and in-game user interface has also been improved and the soundtrack for the game includes a new song. 0 A.D. is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game's source code is available under the GPL and all assets and art content is licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA.

(fab)