It's decanting time; Apache Karaf 2.1.5 RC is up for voting :)

It's decanting time!

Apache Karaf 2.1.5 release candidate is up for voting as of now. This update of Apache Karaf is based off of the 2.1.x series branch, representing an update to Apache Karaf 2.1.4. It contains several bug fixes identified in the prior releases, including; improved Eclipse console karaf shell output, handling TAB characters in feature repository to avoid resolution errors when adding features to repo, and multiple fixes to the config shell. As a head's up, this patch also updates the Felix Framework from version 3.0.2 to 3.0.9.

As alluded to in my previous Karaf 2.1.5 planning post, I've queued up several albums by the Novaks, and started to decant my bottle of Jacob's Creek Merlot 2007. While I'm waiting for the release candidate process I've decided to get some baking out of the way:

Yes, the RC build was made on a macbook, sitting on top of 36 bottles of Pinot Grigio.  On the stove top you can see the beginnings of my casserole.

Broccoli, covered in a mixture of Mushroom soup & Mayonnaise,  Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, and butter sautéed soda cracker crumbs.

More Bacon to finish.

 The next 72 hours I'll be monitoring the RC vote, so until we know the results I'll be enjoying some comfort food, and listening to great music, while waiting to sample the decanted wine (will only sample it once the vote is passed). Best release management role ever? Definitely must be one of the better release processes :)

Reasons to attend Security BSides St John's 2011 (part 2)

So you've heard about the Security BSides St John's 2011 event and wonder if you'll sign up to attend? Well if you do you'll be able to take in a variety of information security talks from leaders in the field, while  having the opportunity to meet other information security practitioners, and researchers. In this week's 'Reasons to attend Security BSides St John's 2011' I'm highlighting Ajay Sood's talk entitled "Modern Malware Exposed!":

Modern Malware Exposed!
Ajay K. Sood, Territory Manager for FireEye.

The evolution of malware has yielded some shocking results. Sophisticated botnets like Zeus/ZBOT have infiltrated numerous secure zones and established communication channels globally, giving botnet herders unprecedented access to systems and data which should be protected, were it not for the fact that these compromises are going largely unnoticed, despite current controls in place. The latest strains of modern malware have been architected to exploit stealthily via the browser and application, and leverage approved communication methods and channels to call back, which make solving the malware question all the more daunting. This presentation will take a look at the trend of modern malware, and what the challenges surrounding it are.

Preparing for Apache Karaf 2.1.5

The fifth maintenance release of the Apache Karaf 2.1.x branch has moved into the planning phase, as such I'm starting to prepare for the release management role.

Preparing for the Apache Karaf 2.1.5 release.

To prepare I've selected a bottle of Jacob's Creek Merlot 2007 to decant while listening to The Novaks' latest album Things Fall Apart. I'll also be watching them live too, hopefully during the release candidate build process. I really have to thank our community of contributors, they allow me to enjoy this process on a regular basis - you all rock :)

The wine, as always, will only be sampled after being given proper time to breath in its container - much like our RC will only be promoted after proper attentions have been made (see our release guide for more details on our process).

Unfortunately I can't share the wine with you, but I can share the below link to a track from Things Fall Apart.

I'm looking forward to starting the 2.1.5 release process. I'll be posting updates to our Twitter stream (#karaf) and on our IRC channel (irc.codehaus.org #karaf).