Today in Open Source: Ubuntu is storing Wi-Fi passwords in clear text. Plus: The fifty best Android games of 2013, and the fifty best Android apps of 2013 Ubuntu and Wi-Fi passwords Softpedia has a disturbing report about Ubuntu storing Wi-Fi passwords in clear text. Ubuntu operating systems are storing the Wi-Fi profiles, including the clear text passwords, outside the home folder, making them a lot more accessible. A user has pointed out that the Wi-Fi passwords are not encrypted because they are stored in a folder outside of Home, which can be encrypted during the installation of the operating system. More at Softpedia This is probably going to alarm some Ubuntu users when they find out about it. And it’s yet another potentially negative story about Ubuntu and Canonical. I wonder how long it will be before something is done about this on Canonical’s end? Perhaps if enough users complain they will get it changed in future releases of Ubuntu. Fifty best Android games of 2013 The Guardian has a list of the fifty best games of 2013 for Android devices. 2013 was a very good year for Android games, as more developers recognised the potential of Google-powered smartphones and tablets. From action and puzzle games to sports and strategy, Android was well-served with impressive and inventive games to suit all tastes. Trends? As on Apple’s iOS, the dominant business model for mobile games this year was freemium: you could play for free, but the games made their money from in-app purchases and ads (but mainly the former). More at The Guardian I have to confess that I’m not too much of a gamer these days. I can enjoy very casual games like pinball, but I don’t seem to have enough of an attention span to play more complicated games that require a lot of time. But there’s plenty of great games on the Guardian’s list to keep you busy well into 2014. Fifty best Android apps of 2013 The San Jose Mercury News has a roundup of the fifty best Android apps of 2013. Google ended 2013 with more than a million Android apps on its Google Play store, and a commanding share of the smartphone market – as well as rapidly-rising tablet sales. It was a good year for new Android apps too, from entertainment and lifestyle apps through to more serious productivity tools. The year also saw a notable upswing in the number of high-quality children’s apps available on Android, as developers caught on to growing use by parents. More at San Jose Mercury News I’m somewhat surprised that the Kindle app for Android wasn’t listed. I’m a book junkie so I regard that app as a must-have on any platform. Perhaps next year they can include an ebooks category in their top apps for Android list. What’s your take on all this? Tell me in the comments below. Open SourceSoftware DevelopmentTechnology Industry