back to article Latest NORKS Linux and Android distros leak

The latest copy of North Korea's in-house Red Star Linux has leaked to the internet and it looks a lot like OS X, computer science graduate Will Scott says. An unnamed source contacted Scott ahead of his talk on Red Star and North Korea computing at the Chaos Communications Congress last month and shortly after published the …

  1. present_arms

    That screenshot up top looks like ElementaryOS Luna but with NORK localisation

    http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/280/d/1/elementary_os_luna_appmenu_1_by_kxmylo-d5h43c4.png

    Although it has an old versions of KDE (3.5.1) libreoffice and firefox

  2. Ole Juul

    Excellent presentation

    I would have liked to know a little more about the students themselves, but I guess for an IT presentation, and with time constraints, this wasn't gong to happen here. Still, what a great presentation.

    BTW, the video here was unwatchable, but I got a good stream of Will Scott's presentation from the North Korea Tech web site.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    The Norks just messed with the wrong dead IT Saint

    Apple scorched-Earth patent war initiating in 3,2,1.... we have lift-off...

    1. Message From A Self-Destructing Turnip
      Mushroom

      Re: The Norks just messed with the wrong dead IT Saint

      Nah, I think you will find NK believe Apple have copied their OS, "Like monkeys stealing butter from the fridge" (or some other nonsensical statement, I think they use a random phrase generator.) Apple better batten down the hatches, the three letter agencies may have another PR exercise coming their way (who do you think it was that really hacked Sony?)

    2. Oninoshiko

      Re: The Norks just messed with the wrong dead IT Saint

      I think you'll find they have not properly filed for and obtained a "patent" in DPRK.

  4. John Savard

    Of Course

    Of course they had to clone Angry Birds! They wouldn't want it tempting North Koreans into getting bootleg software from outside the country and acquiring subversive ideas along with it! Actually, I'm surprised they didn't clone Flappy Bird as well.

    1. RyokuMas
      Coat

      Re: Of Course

      "I'm surprised they didn't clone Flappy Bird"

      They're probably the only buggers who haven't, then!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I love the aerial on the tablet

    My iPad would be much cooler with an aerial. Apple, take note.

    1. Message From A Self-Destructing Turnip

      Re: I love the aerial on the tablet

      Its a simple mod, coat hanger and gaffer tape will do the trick, add some flashing LEDs for a touch of class.

    2. xperroni
      Gimp

      Re: I love the aerial on the tablet

      My iPad would be much cooler with an aerial. Apple, take note.

      Funny thing, mobile devices with embedded TV are big in Asia. A lot of Chinese no-brand phones (smart and dumb alike) pack analog TV receptors, while many Japanese devices support 1seg. Some, like my own Android 2.3 LUMIX Phone, even include an extensible antenna, though many don't bother. I haven't checked if they do tablets, but I bet they do.

      So the good news is that you can have an aerial-equipped tablet! All you have to do is (1) take a trip to Asia and (2) abandon your false Apple god for the Truth and Glory of Our Saviour Google and His Prophet Android. A bit of tourism, a nifty piece of kit and salvation to your immortal soul all in one go, what's not to like?

      1. PartTimeLegend

        Re: I love the aerial on the tablet

        Do you mean the Prophet DuARTe?

  6. Turtle

    Pidgin English.

    "He detailed the dirt-cheap Red Star Linux system which contained a modified version of the Firefox browser dubbed Naenara and an Apple-like Mail client renamed Carrier Pigeon."

    "Carrier Pigeon"? Shouldn't that be "Stool Pigeon"?

  7. midcapwarrior

    unfiltered access

    "Scott along with graduate students and professors had unfiltered access during his time in the country with online activities logged through a campus-level proxy"

    How is this unfiltered?

    1. Steve Foster
      Headmaster

      Re: unfiltered access

      "Unfiltered" - no content restrictions were imposed.

      "logged" - a record of what activities were carried out is kept.

      Two distinct options which are not mutually exclusive.

      The use of a proxy would allow filtering to occur, if the operators of the proxy so desired, but the implication is that they have chosen not to do so.

    2. Andrew Meredith

      Re: unfiltered access

      "How is this unfiltered?"

      A filter would stop stuff that broke the rules, whereas a proxy just gives the NORK thought police a heads up as to what you are doing.

  8. Primus Secundus Tertius

    Big Download

    The download mentioned in the article has a truly throttled server. 2.4GBytes took more than 9 hours.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like