Issue111

Contents

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Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #111 for the week September 28th - October 4th, 2008. In this issue we cover: Ubuntu 8.10 Beta released, Intrepid Countdown banner, Intrepid CDs for Approved LoCo's, New Ubuntu Members, Ubuntu Testing Day, Kernel Hug Day, PackageKit call for testing, Ubuntu 8.10 release party (San Francisco), MOTU news, LoCo News, Launchpad News, Ubuntu Kung Fu by: Keir Thomas, e1000e patch, and much, much more!

UWN Translations

  • Note to translators and our readers: We are trying a new way of linking to our translations pages. Please follow the link below for the information you need.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Translations

In This Issue

  • Ubuntu 8.10 Beta released
  • Intrepid Countdown banner
  • Intrepid CDs for Approved LoCo's

  • New Ubuntu Members
  • Ubuntu Testing Day
  • Kernel Hug Day
  • PackageKit call for testing

  • Ubuntu 8.10 release party (San Francisco)
  • MOTU News
  • Ubuntu Stats
  • LoCo News

  • Launchpad News
  • In the Press & Blogosphere

  • In other News
  • Upcoming Meetings & Events

  • Updates & Security

General Community News

Ubuntu 8.10 Beta released

The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the beta release of Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop and Server. Codenamed "Intrepid Ibex", 8.10 continues Ubuntu's proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.

Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition delivers the features you need for an increasingly mobile digital life, including 3G wireless support and guest sessions that lets users temporarily share computers without compromising security.

Ubuntu 8.10 Server consolidates its support for virtualization with an integrated Virtual Machine builder, and brings with it a fully-supported Java stack and support for per-user directory encryption.

The Ubuntu 8.10 family of variants, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, UbuntuStudio, and Mythbuntu, have also reach beta status. Features of the different variants, and the information about local downloading mirrors can be found at the link.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2008-October/000114.html

Intrepid Countdown Banner - Help spread the news!

Adding the Ubuntu countdown timer to your website is easy! Just copy and paste the lines of code found at the link into your web page, and each day the image will update showing the days remaining before the release. There are two options this time around, one dark and one light, so one or the other should fit nicely with your website theme. Thanks to Thorsten Wilms(thorwil), the Ubuntu community member who created these beautiful banners, and to the Ubuntu Web Presence team for all their hard work in bringing this project to life. Get the scripts at the link.

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/countdown

Intrepid CDs for Approved LoCo's

Approved LoCo teams can now submit their request for their bulk shipment of assorted Ubuntu CDs. By placing you order before October 27th, you can ensure delivery of your shipment within two weeks after the Intrepid release date.

The prepackaged shipment contains:

  • Ubuntu: PC: 230
  • Kubuntu: PC: 50
  • Server PC: PC: 50
  • Server 64bit: PC: 20

One of the perks of being an "Approved Ubuntu LoCo" is the ability to receive bulk shipments of assorted Ubuntu variants. Officially approved LoCo teams can find the ordering information at the link.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoGettingCds

New Ubuntu Members

The Asia Oceania Membership board announce these new Ubuntu members:

Nizar Kerkeni is the Team contact of Tunisian LoCo Team. He was instrumental in molding the Tunisian LoCo Team in becoming an approved team. Nizar has also made translations contributions in Arabic. Launchpad: https://edge.launchpad.net/~nizarus Wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Nizarus

Didier Roche belongs to the French LoCo Team, and is the Author of the "Simple Comme Ubuntu" book. Organizing a monthly meetup for Ubunteros around Paris, ensuring stronger relationship between Press and Ubuntu-fr association are among his future plans for Ubuntu. Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/~didrocks Wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DidierRoche

Ara Pulido is just out of first Ubuntu Testing Day (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/UbuntuTestingDay/20080922). She is also part of Canonical's QA Team and is from Spain. Launchpad: https://www.launchpad.net/~apulido Wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/AraPulido

Hew McLachlan, from Sydney, Australia as the new member after today's meeting. He is active in Bug Management and is a member of Ubuntu Bug Control. Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/~hew/ Wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HewMcLachlan

The Asia Oceanic Board is proud to welcome these newest Ubuntu members!

Monday October 6th: Ubuntu Testing Day!

Ubuntu Testing day is a special day where the Ubuntu Community comes together with a shared goal of testing a specific set of ISO images (Alpha, Beta, RC, Gold, or Point releases). Modeled after Ubuntu Bug Day, the idea is to apply the same concepts to ISO testing.

  • Who can join in: Everyone, you don't need to be a developer, or know how to code.
  • Where to join in: Come to #ubuntu-testing on freenode IRC. The team will be there day and night to help resolve any testing questions you might have.
  • Which release will they be testing: Apart from testing the beta ISOs, they will be focusing on testing distribution upgrades. If you want to upgrade your Hardy system (*buntu 8.04) to Intrepid (*buntu 8.10) this is a great way to help get you on your way.

Marc Tardiff(cr3) will be giving a session in #ubuntu-classroom IRC channel (15:00 UTC), about the testing infrastructure, giving an overview on the tools available to make Ubuntu testing easier. Please, join in next Monday and help to make Ubuntu even better!

http://ubuntutesting.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/monday-6th-october-a-new-ubuntu-testing-day/

Kernel Hug Day - Tues Oct. 7th

The next Ubuntu Hug Day target will be . . . The Kernel! With Intrepid Ibex 8.10 Beta just being released, it's important that we be aware of any new bugs introduced, as well as any existing ones that need to be resolved.

You'll find plenty of people in #ubuntu-bugs ready to answer your questions and help you out. It can't stress enough that anyone can help. Whether you choose to blog about it, triage a few bugs, or help answer questions, every little bit helps, and is much appreciated.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-news-team/2008-October/000208.html

PackageKit: Call for testing

The APT backend for PackageKit has made a lot of progress recently in the 0.3.x series. It nearly supports all features of PackageKit.

Highlights of the 0.3.x series are:

  • Search for codecs and mime type handlers
  • Local file installation
  • Change log for updates
  • Group support
  • Repository handling
  • Notification of new distro releases
  • A lot of bug fixes

Currently in use is a quite outdated 0.2.4 version in Intrepid. So if you are interested in this piece of software, and want to push packagekit forward please, test it on your system and report bugs that you may encounter. Details on how to get this version from the PPA at the link.

http://www.glatzor.de/blog/blog-details/select_category/1/article/packagekit-call-for-testing/?tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=394ae6b1d7

Ubuntu 8.10 Release Party: San Francisco

Jono Bacon will be in San Francisco when Ubuntu 8.10, Intrepid Ibex is released. He felt it would be remiss to not organize a bit of a knees up, (translation for my American friends: “drinks in a bar“). So, in conjunction with his partner in crime Tom Haddon, they are organizing the Ubuntu San Francisco Release Party. Yes!

Here are the details:

  • WHEN? - Thursday 30th October : 7.30pm
  • WHERE? - The lower bar as you walk in on the left, The Thirsty Bear, 661 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94105 : Tel: (415) 974-0905
  • HOW TO FIND IT? - Google Maps: http://tinyurl.com/3t8ey2

Get ready Frisco!! http://www.jonobacon.org/?p=1309

MOTU

We're very pleased to announce that James Westby just became MOTU. Some of you might know him from his work in the bzr project, some for his great work on coordinating MOTU School, some for the fixes he worked on and others might just know him as the helpful guy who gave you the right answer. Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/~james-w Wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/JamesWestby

Ubuntu Stats

Bug Stats

  • Open (46594) +370 # over last week
  • Critical (21) +1 # over last week
  • Unconfirmed (20846) -62 # over last week
  • Unassigned (38209) +369 # over last week
  • All bugs ever reported (215401) +2041 # over last week

As always, the Bug Squad needs more help. If you want to get started, please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad

Translation Stats Hardy

  • Spanish (11869) -2 # over last week
  • English-UK (30771) -69 # over last week
  • French (38907) -2 # over last week
  • Brazilian Portuguese (49862) -4 # over last week
  • Swedish (53189) -1 # over last week

Remaining strings to translate in Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron," see more at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/hardy/

5-a-day bug stats

Top 5 contributors for the past 7 days

  • crimsun (301)
  • chrisccoulson (61)
  • hew (51)
  • jonathan (49)
  • lfaraone (42)

Top 5 teams for the past 7 days

  • dcteam (345)
  • ubuntu-berlin (49)
  • ubuntu-de-locoteam (33)
  • kubuntu-de.org (27)
  • ubuntu-uk (27)

5-A-Day stats provided by Daniel Holbach. See http://daniel.holba.ch/5-a-day-stats/

Some contributors and teams have moved onto translating Ibex instead of concentrating on Hardy

LoCo News

Ubuntu-IN LoCo has new forum site

The Ubuntu-IN forums (Ubuntu India Forums) are up! The forum is maintained by lut4rp (Pratul Kalia) and the Ubuntu-IN administrators. Ubuntu-IN Wiki: http://ubuntu-in.info/wiki/index.php/Documents Forum link: http://forum.ubuntu-in.info/

http://sayakb.blogspot.com/2008/10/ubuntu-indian-loco.html

Ubuntu-ES announces weekly translation sprints

Leandro Gomez has announced that because of the success of the Spanish speaking LoCo Teams Intrepid Translation Sprint, the ubuntu-l10n-es team, (https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-l10n-es) has decided to hold regular translation sprints every Saturday of the month. The team can be found in #ubuntu-es-locos at irc.freenode.net, and anyone is welcome to stop by and give them a hand (even if you don’t speak Spanish). http://leogg.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/regular-ubuntu-translation-sprints-kicks-off/

Ubuntu-DK at Open Source Days 2008

The Ubuntu Danish team is scheduled to participate at Open Source Days 2008 (http://www.opensourcedays.org/). Open Source Days is the largest open source conference in the nordic area. It's your opportunity to meet, share, experience and learn from professional open source experts. Help make the Danish team's Ubuntu booth a success by stopping by, it will be on the second floor of the event venue.

http://compadre.dk/blog/2008/10/02/open-source-days-i-got-my-ticket/

Launchpad News

Launchpad Code down-time Monday 6th October 2008

On October 6th Launchpad’s code hosting and browsing will be unavailable for around four hours from 22.00 UTC.

  • Going offline: 22.00 UTC 6th October
  • Expected back before: 02.00 UTC 7th October

During this down-time, the following services will be unavailable:

  • pushing to, pulling and branching from Launchpad-hosted branches
  • code browsing
  • code review
  • mirroring from externally hosted Bazaar branches
  • imports from CVS and Subversion repositories.

Mirrors and imports will return to their normal schedule following the down-time. Non-code hosting parts of Launchpad should be unaffected.

http://news.launchpad.net/notifications/launchpad-code-down-time-monday-6th-october-2008

Launchpod episode #10 - API and bug plugins

Launchpod: the Launchpad team podcast! Hosts: Matthew Revell, Graham Binns and Joey Stanford. Theme: Obscurity by Barry Warsaw.

  • 02.32: Leonard Richardson talks about the progress and scope of the Launchpad API.
  • 13.45: Graham Binns talks about Launchpad’s plugins for Bugzilla and Trac, which allow bug comment history sharing across bug trackers.

Send your ideas and questions to feedback@launchpad.net!

Download ogg vorbis file: http://www.archive.org/download/LaunchpodEpisode10/launchpod-e10-20081003.ogg

Podcast feed: http://news.launchpad.net/category/podcast/feed

In The Press

  • Ubuntu 8.10 Beta Released - Get your Internet connections warmed up Ubuntu fans, Canonical has just released the beta for the next version of Ubuntu 8.10. This is the first real look at what will be a major Ubuntu upgrade. There’s a whole laundry list of new features, but there are four major improvements for most users. First are the combination of the new GNOME 2.24 desktop interface and X.org 7.4 windows system. This pairing should give users a faster graphical interface. Next up is the encrypted private directory feature, which provides an encrypted folder in every users home directory. Third, many of you may not know about DKMS (Dynamic Kernel Module Support), but you’re going to enjoy the improvements it brings to Ubuntu. DKMS will make it easier for you to get up-to-the-minute drivers without hand compiling device drivers. Finally, this latest distribution includes Samba 3.2. This is a major step-forward in getting Ubuntu to work closer with Windows clients and servers file systems. http://practical-tech.com/operating-system/ubuntu-810-beta-released/

  • Ubuntu Server: Canonical's Third Way to the Enterprise - You’ll find servers carrying out tasks on every network, but why should anyone pick Ubuntu? Enterprises usually have to make a choice between the commercial model, or the community driven model. The third way allows organizations to use fully tested, and guaranteed software that Canonical stands behind, without having to pay a subscription. Steve George, Canonical’s Director of Corporate Services says that Ubuntu allows customers to select, and pay for exactly the options they want. With RHEL or SLES you effectively have to pay for security updates, but Ubuntu says that you only have to pay for support, and only if you want it. http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netos/article.php/3775026

  • Gameloft moves 1,000 desktops to Ubuntu Linux - Businesses are catching on to Ubuntu. The latest example: Gameloft, a major mobile games developer, has moved more than 1,000 desktops to Ubuntu, according to a source who reached out to The VAR Guy. Gameloft’s move to Ubuntu is noteworthy for several reasons. First, Gameloft is publicly held and its stock is traded on the Paris Stock Exchange. In other words, Ubuntu has pushed beyond the hacker crowd and, is now gaining traction in profit-driven businesses. Second, Gameloft has nearly 4,000 employees, placing it somewhere between a mid size and large enterprise. Gameloft has been profitable since 2003, and sales are growing 25 to 30 percent annually. Translation: Big Business is starting to take Ubuntu seriously. Finally, Gameloft creates games for mobile devices. And cranking out all that code requires a stable development environment. Hello, Ubuntu. http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/03/gameloft-moves-1000-desktops-to-ubuntu-linux/

  • How often do we need GNU/Linux releases? - Of what use is an operating system if all it does is to make you look forward to the next release? For years, Microsoft thrived on just such a strategy, adding features to Windows as though they were going out of style, and not caring about anything apart from market share. What has been the end result? Windows is a widespread but highly insecure and buggy operating system which everyone is forced to use simply because it has become some kind of de facto standard. Sam Varghese, of itwire, fears that GNU/Linux - or at least some distributions - are following in its wake. Ubuntu releases every six months, but do we really need release cycles where features are added at breakneck speed? Sam thinks a release once every 18 months is more than enough. Given that interval, there is time to properly test software, and there is time to incorporate packages that will really make a difference. http://www.itwire.com/content/view/20969/1090/

  • Ubuntu: Not A Small Business Server Replacement (Yet) - One market that Ubuntu has yet to crack is that of the SoHo server. Millions of office workers all over the world send email and save documents to a Microsoft Windows Small Business Server. But is Ubuntu ready to compete head-on against SBS? The current answer may not thrill Ubuntu fans. Many SoHos have a physical host in their office with enough space for storing documents from their desktop, a simple backup solution, and net connectivity including a firewall, and access controls. Some use external hosted services providing similar features. This sounds like an ideal market opportunity for Ubuntu Server Edition. But is it? Most of these small businesses have no dedicated IT personnel and minimal computing expertise. For many the graphical administration tools and integrated nature of SBS are essential for them to use the computer as tools in their businesses. http://www.workswithu.com/2008/09/30/ubuntu-not-a-small-business-server-replacement-yet/

In The Blogosphere

  • First Look at Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibix" Beta - Kevin Purdy comments on the Intrepid Ibex beta release saying that the major focus of the next version of Ubuntu is compatibility, and usability. The desktop features have been tweaked, and new tools have been added. Installation now includes a graphical view for the partition editor. Browser data, backgrounds, music, and pictures can now be imported from XP and Vista. Nautilus now supports tabbed browsing, and each user will have an encrypted private directory by default. Improved support for 3G and cellular connections in Network manager, and enhanced multiple connections handling (e.g. wired and wireless). Graphics and external monitors have received a fair amount of attention, eliminating the need to hack xorg.conf., and the window for enabling proprietary devices (e.g. NVidia cards, wireless chips, etc.) now provides more information and offers more choices in drivers. Other improvements include "guest" log-in, improved SAMBA, and persistent permissions. http://lifehacker.com/5058730/first-look-at-ubuntu-810-intrepid-ibex-beta#c8143006

  • Ubuntu: Not a Small Business Server Replacement (Yet) - Alan Pope at the blog WorksWithU tells us that the SoHo server market has yet to be a success for Ubuntu. Many businesses have a server in their office running MS Small Business Server which allows storage, backup, and net connectivity. A significant number of them have no dedicated IT staff, however, and rely on the integrated nature, and graphical tools within SBS. Users are also required to purchase Client Access Licenses for each device which connects to the server. Viruses, mal-ware, and spam administration also require both time and money from the business. This situation appears to be a significant opportunity for Ubuntu...however, the issue becomes ease of use and administration. While LDAP, PAM integration, and SAMBA are not difficult, they are beyond the level to which an average office worker is prepared to go. SoHos need an SBS replacement similar to that provided for desktop users with Ubuntu Desktop. http://www.workswithu.com/2008/09/30/ubuntu-not-a-small-business-server-replacement-yet/

  • In Ubuntu, less is more - Steven Rosenberg discusses the differences in the installation of Ubuntu and Debian desktops. Debian installs via a network connection and needs less updating post install, where as when installing Ubuntu on multiple machines a single installation CD can be used to install many machines without any network connection needed. Rosenberg also points out how clean the typical Ubuntu installation is as it provides a starting point for users to customize their systems. So whether you call it clean and logical or sparse and lacking, the Ubuntu GNOME desktop starts out quite a bit more lean than the equivalent in Debian. http://www.insidesocal.com/click/2008/10/in-ubuntu-less-is-more.html

In Other News

Ubuntu Kung Fu by: Keir Thomas

Keir Thomas has just announced the publication of his new book, Ubuntu Kung Fu.[1] This book, published by indie publisher Pragmatic Programmers, has over 300 tips for Ubuntu. Pragmatic Programmers is also the publisher of the Ruby on Rails books.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-news-team/2008-September/000203.html

e1000e nvm fix (new patch from intel for e1000e bug)

Jesse Brandeburg has reported to the LKML.org mailing list that a patch is being applied to the Linux 2.6.27-rc8 kernel to fix the problem with the e1000e NVM (non volatile memory) after the driver is loaded. This patch locks the registers until the machine is power cycled. Intel Ethernet is reproducing the problem on multiple machines, and are working with the Linux kernel team, and community members to rectify it. This patch does not solve the underlying problem, but does buy them some time to address it in depth.

http://lkml.org/lkml/2008/10/1/368

NOTE: Ubuntu announced that the driver will remain disabled until after the beta release cycle is finished, will be re-enabled in daily builds for the release candidates, and should be resolved by the time Ubuntu 8.10 final is released.

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Asia Ocenania Membership Board Meeting

Technical Board Meeting

NOTE: There is a time conflict with the Server Team meeting below!

Server Team Meeting

NOTE: There is a time conflict with the Technical Board meeting above!

Loco Council Meeting

Community Council Meeting

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

QA Team Meeting

Platform Team Meeting

  • Start: 22:00 UTC
  • End: 23:00 UTC
  • Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
  • Agenda: None as of publication

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Ubuntu Mobile Team Meeting

  • Start: 12:00 UTC
  • End: 13:00 UTC
  • Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
  • Agenda: None as of publication

Desktop Team Meeting

Ubuntu Java Meeting

  • Start: 14:00 UTC
  • End: 15:00 UTC
  • Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
  • Agenda: None as of publication

Updates and Security for 6.06, 7.04, 7.10, and 8.04

Security Updates

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Updates

Ubuntu 7.04 Updates

Ubuntu 7.04 will reach the end of its support period on Sunday, October 19, 2008. After that date, no further listing for it will be posted here. You are encouraged to upgrade to Ubuntu 7.10.

Ubuntu 7.10 Updates

Ubuntu 8.04 Updates

Archives and RSS Feed

You can always find older Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter issues at: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter

You can subscribe to the Ubuntu Weekly News via RSS at: http://fridge.ubuntu.com/uwn/feed

Additional Ubuntu News

As always you can find more news and announcements at:

and

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter.

See you next week!

Credits

The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter is brought to you by:

  • Nick Ali
  • John Crawford
  • Craig A. Eddy
  • Dave Bush
  • Arlan Vennefron
  • And many others

Glossary of Terms

  1. SoHo - Small Office, Home Office

  2. LDAP - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
  3. PAM - Pluggable Authentication Module
  4. LKML - Linux Kernel Mailing List

Feedback

This document is maintained by the Ubuntu Weekly News Team. If you have a story idea or suggestions for the Weekly Newsletter, join the Ubuntu News Team mailing list at https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/Ubuntu-news-team and submit it. Ideas can also be added to the wiki at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Ideas. If you'd like to contribute to a future issue of the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, please feel free to edit the appropriate wiki page. If you have any technical support questions, please send them to ubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com.

UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue111 (last edited 2008-10-06 04:13:33 by ip-118-90-59-202)