Issue115

Contents

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Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #115 for the week October 26th - November 1st, 2008. In this issue we cover: Ubuntu 8.10 released, Ubuntu 8.10 Server: significant new features, UDSJaunty, Ubuntu Open Week, New Contributing Developer, Dustin Kirkland interview #2, Ubuntu Brainstorm 8.10 report, SFD in Tunisia, Launchpad EPIC, Over 6 million Forum posts and counting, Ubuntu Sighting, Full Circle Magazine #18, New TurnKey Linux release, Release week for Ubuntu and CohesiveFT, 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 released
  • Ubuntu 8.10 Server: significant new features
  • UDSJaunty
  • Ubuntu Open Week
  • New Contributing Developer
  • Dustin Kirkland Interview #2
  • Ubuntu Brainstorm 8.10 report
  • Ubuntu Stats
  • SFD in Tunisia
  • Launchpad EPIC
  • Over 6 million Forums posts and counting
  • Ubuntu Sighting
  • In the Press & Blogosphere

  • Full Circle Magazine #18
  • New TurnKey Linux release

  • Release week for Ubuntu and CohesiveFT
  • Upcoming Meetings & Events

  • Updates & Security

General Community News

Ubuntu 8.10 released

The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the release of Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop and Server. Intrepid Ibex continues Ubuntu's tradition of integrating the latest, and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution. Ubuntu 8.10 will be supported for 18 months on both desktops and servers. Users requiring a longer support lifetime may choose to continue using Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, rather than upgrading to or installing 8.10. Ubuntu 8.10 is also the basis for new 8.10 releases of Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and UbuntuStudio:

It is recommend that all users read the release notes, which document caveats and workarounds for known issues. They are available at:

You can find more information on where to download Ubuntu Desktop, or Server editions here:

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2008-October/000116.html

Ubuntu 8.10 Server: significant new features

Ubuntu 8.10 Server Edition will be maintained for 18 months and adds significant enhancements in virtualization, Java development, and system management. This continues the project’s commitment to serve the needs of those users for whom innovation, and performance are vital. The server edition embraces cloud computing, virtualization, mail server enhancements, Java development and deployment, as well as a range of services to help system administrators, and developers. The six-monthly release cycle allows the project to get these features in front of users faster, which in turn helps to make Ubuntu the best option for innovative organizations. http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-8.10-server

UDSJaunty

  • What: Ubuntu Developer Summit for version 9.04
  • Where: Google Campus, Mountain View, California, USA
  • When: Monday 8th - Friday 12th December 2008
  • IRC: #ubuntu-devel-summit

At the beginning of a new development cycle, Ubuntu developers from around the world gather to help shape and scope the next release of Ubuntu. The summit is open to the public, but it is not a conference, exhibition or other audience-oriented event. Rather, it is an opportunity for Ubuntu developers -- who usually collaborate online -- to work together in person on specific tasks.

Small groups of developers will participate in short Forum and Workshops (formerly called "BoF"/Birds-of-a-Feather) sessions. This allows a single project to discuss, and document a written specification. These specifications will then be used for planning the new release of Ubuntu, as described in Feature Specifications[1] and Time Based Releases[2]. Find out more about UDSJaunty, including how to attend, and where to find lodging by clicking on the link. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UDSJaunty

Ubuntu Open Week

Ubuntu Open Week is a week of IRC sessions that are geared toward teaching. Sessions use a Q+A format, and it's all about getting involved in the rock-and-roll world that is the Ubuntu community. It is also a week for organizing the beginning of a new release cycle, and to help new contributors get involved. Jorge has put together a week full of great sessions to help anyone interested in getting involved, and it's going to be a rockin' week!

Ubuntu Open Week is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 3rd - Friday, Nov. 7th in #ubuntu-classroom, on the Freenode IRC network. You can use any IRC client program, such as XChat-GNOME to connect. So, what session topics are on the scheduled? The timetable is available here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek, along with who's giving the presentations, and more. Everyone will want to mark their calendars now to attend any, or all, of the sessions. Don't miss out!

http://fridge.ubuntu.com/node/1702

New Contributing Developer

Please welcome Andrew Starr-Bochicchio(asomething) who is the newest Contributing Developer. Andrew has been actively contributing to Ubuntu for a little over a year now, starting out as a bug triager. During the Hardy cycle he jumped in with a number of bugfix uploads, and has continued working on these through the Intrepid cycle. Andrew continues to be active in bug triage, and other QA activities. Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/~andrewsomething Wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Andrewsomething

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-news-team/2008-October/000262.html

Dustin Kirkland Interview #2

In last weeks issue of the UWN, we published an interview with Dustin Kirkland. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue114 This weeks Fridge interview gives us a more in-depth review of Dustin and his work related activities. This new interview is a more technical review, and covers his work on encrypted directories. Follow the link to get the whole story. http://fridge.ubuntu.com/node/1701

Ubuntu Brainstorm 8.10 Report

The Brainstorm project has published a report summarizing its activities from its launch in February 2008 to the end of the Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10 development cycle in October 2008. The summary covers:

  • General overview
    • Users
    • Ideas
      • Idea quality
      • Idea vote repartition
      • Idea voting pattern
      • Moderation and developer participation
    • Votes
  • Most popular user requests
    • GUI configuration tools
    • Artwork
    • Entry barrier for developers too high
    • Smoother system update experience
    • Simple popular requests
    • Popular feature requests needing work/discussion
  • Impact of Ubuntu Brainstorm
    • More user participation in the feedback process
    • Some projects are launched
    • Impact on the Ubuntu development process
  • What's next
  • Summary

Read the whole report here: http://www.ndeschildre.net/downloads/UbuntuBrainstorm810Report.html

Ubuntu Stats

Bug Stats

  • Open (47940) +474 # over last week
  • Critical (19) -1 # over last week
  • Unconfirmed (20385) +257 # over last week
  • Unassigned (39706) +403 # over last week
  • All bugs ever reported (226165) +2583 # 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 Intrepid

  • Spanish (20508) -1386 # over last week
  • French (61998) +2127 # over last week
  • Swedish (78459) +27 # over last week
  • English (UK) (81467) +3035 # over last week
  • Brazilian Portuguese (85416) -226 # over last week

Remaining strings to translate in Ubuntu 8.10 "Intrepid Ibex," see more at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/intrepid/

5-a-day bug stats

Top 5 contributors for the past 7 days

  • crimsun (392)
  • maco.m (60)
  • chrisccoulson (47)
  • hew (35)
  • angusthefuzz (29)

Top 5 teams for the past 7 days

  • dcteam (452)
  • ubuntu-au (35)
  • ubuntu-us-ohio (29)
  • ubuntu-pl (15)
  • ubuntu-cl (12)

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

LoCo News

SFD in Tunisia

Software Freedom Days in Tunisia was held on October 29th, 2008. It was delayed until this date because of conflicts with Ramadan. The Tunisian Team participated and hosted a booth of about 10 PCs, 2 sun servers, and 5 Sunray's. There was also a conference with the theme, "Ubuntu: the spirit, the OS and the community". The team handed out about 400 CDs, gave talks, hosted workshops, and sponsored an install party. The article, in French, can be found at http://rafiiik.blogspot.com/2008/11/rsultat-de-la-journe-du-logiciel-libre.html

Launchpad News

Launchpad EPIC

What do you get when you bring together a group of developers, QA engineers and other Launchpad team members? Cheesy photos, of course! They came by air, and by land to meet in London for a couple of weeks at what they’re calling the Launchpad EPIC. It’s was a rare chance to get the full Launchpad team together for planning, training and, of course, unrepentant bad dancing. You can see the "Not so Cheesy" picture at: http://news.launchpad.net/

Ubuntu Forums News

Over 6 Million Forum posts and counting

The forums continue to grow and be a vital part of the Ubuntu Community. Most of us have, at one time or another, hunted for answers, or provided some technical support to the community through the forums. In fact, it's likely that most active community members got their start with Ubuntu by using or working the forums. Recently, stats show that over 6 million posts have been made to the forums, and they are closing in on 1 million threads. Like all the projects in the Ubuntu community, the forums are driven by people who care, and are committed to volunteering their time and effort to make it the best. Thanks to everyone involved, and congratulations on breaking the 6 million post mark!

Ubuntu Sighting

Intrepid Ibex on Berliner Fenster - Mathias Hasselmann tells us about the Berlin subway cars being equipped with LCD screens showing news, headlines, event tips, and advertising. He was recently surprised to see a very familiar wallpaper, and an advertisement for Intrepid Ibex. If you've seen Ubuntu in a place you wouldn't have expected, take a picture, and let the Ubuntu Weekly News know by emailing our list at: ubuntu-news-team@lists.ubuntu.com We would be happy to include your sighting of Ubuntu from around the world.

http://taschenorakel.de/mathias/2008/10/31/intrepid-ibex-berliner-fenster/

In The Press

  • Shuttleworth: Canonical may need 3-5 more years of funding - Chris Kanaracus of IDG News Service, reporting on a teleconference with Mark Shuttleworth, notes that Mark is willing to continue supporting Canonical for the next 3 to 5 years. He adds that it may not take that long for the commercial side of Ubuntu to operate in the black due to the present world economic climate. Looking forward from Ubuntu 8.10, Mark suggests that there are 3 trends that Ubuntu will follow: Touch based interactivity, 3-D imagery and the integration of Web-like features on the desktop. http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2008/102708-shuttleworth-canonical-may-need-3-5.html?fsrc=rss-linux-news

  • WORLD FIRST review of Inspiron Mini 12: Dell’s super-slim netbook! - David Flynn went for a cup of coffee during a conference in Shanghai, and ended up getting a first hand look at the upcoming Dell Mini 12. Compared to the Mini 9, the Mini 12 has a larger screen, and a keyboard that is more like a normal keyboard. Also, where the Mini 9 only had a Solid State Drive, the Mini 12 has a regular hard drive of 60GB (80GB in Australia). The Mini 12 is slated to come with Windows Vista Home Edition, with the possibility of Windows XP and Ubuntu in the future. http://apcmag.com/scoop_we_review_the_inspiron_mini_12__dells_supersized_yet_superslim_12_inch_netbook.htm

  • Ubuntu Linux: 8 Million Users and Growing - Sean Michael Kerner reports that the number of Ubuntu users, according to Chris Kenyon, director of business development at Canonical, is 8 million. This compares very favorably to Fedora with 1.2 million reported for Fedora 9, and more than 2 million (in 2007) for Fedora 6. It also compares favorably to Red Hat with over 2.5 million paid subscriptions to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. http://www.internetnews.com/software/article.php/3780651

  • Editor's Note: Does Linux Deliver For Small Businesses? - Carla Schroder reports for Linux Today that Linux fills many niche rolls, and has a lot to offer small businesses, too. Much of that she attributes to Canonical and Ubuntu. There are some drawbacks however - such as the lack of visibility and support for Linux, and the need for some specialized Windows or Mac-centric software. Despite that, Carla feels that Linux is "good enough" for small businesses. http://www.linuxtoday.com/it_management/2008103103235OPBZCY

  • Review: Ubuntu 8.10 Is The Real Deal - Edward F. Moltzen outlines a number of improvements in Ubuntu 8.10, over Ubuntu 8.04, and include wireless connectivity. He also mentions the continued bundling of applications like OpenOffice.org, Rhythmbox, Firefox and GIMP. The bottom line however, is that Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition is not just an alternative to Windows, but a strong OS in its own right. http://www.crn.com/software/211800390

  • Ubuntu 8.10 Charges Up the Mountain - Justin Ryan reviews Intrepid Ibex, and relates to us a number of problems, and changes with the new distribution. Among the issues are some problems with certain NVidia cards, and a Totem plugin for BBC content. A number of these problems are documented in the Release Notes[1], and system requirements are available from the Ubuntu Documentation Site [2].

    [1] http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/810

    [2] https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements

    http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/ubuntu-810-charges-mountain

  • Ubuntu quality: or, “but what about my bug?” - Quality in software is an ever-increasing condition, and this article focuses on that problem, and the tools used to address it. First on the list is people to review the bugs, with the Ubuntu bug squad as a focal point, and the 5-a-day program as a good way to get started. The QA Team adds such tools as the package status pages, regression tracker, and release management weather report. More detail is given at http://www.e-linux.it/news_detail.php?id=6809

  • Ubuntu 8.10 is here! - Neil Bothwick says that there isn't a great deal of difference between Ubuntu 8.04, and Ubuntu 8.10. This is mostly due to the distribution having matured to the point where changes are more incremental. He did note however, that there were some major improvements. Among them are a new kernel (2.6.27), X.Org (7.4) and KDE (4.1.2). Also highlighted were the number of different download options, including 32 bit and 64 bit desktop and server editions, and the new Mobile USB image option. Neil goes on to outline his experience with installing Ubuntu 8.10, at http://linuxformat.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=759&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

  • Ubuntu 8.10: A Positive Evolution - Adrianot has had Ubuntu 8.10 installed on his computer for over two weeks now. The tests began with the beta version, and continued through RC. Now that he has tried the final release, he's not disappointed. NetworkManager supports 3G, Nautilus is equipped with tab support, the new guest account feature is great, encrypted file in home directory, new theme, and the upgrade which has been problematic in the past was a breeze. In his opinion, the decision to focus on the evolution, and bug fixes, instead of stuffing too many (often unstable) packages into this release of Ubuntu, is a correct one. http://polishlinux.org/linux/ubuntu/ubuntu-810-a-positive-evolution/

In The Blogosphere

  • A User's Look at Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex - Keir Thomas, who has been reviewing and writing books on Linux for years, looks at Ubuntu 8.10 as if he were new to Linux. In a detailed article, complete with various screen-shots and graphics, he outlines what he sees as improvements, and/or updates to previous releases of Ubuntu. His bottom-line conclusion is that while there are some glitches with Intrepid Ibex, it is a good release, and a month's wait will probably eliminate most of the problems. http://lifehacker.com/5072351/a-users-look-at-ubuntu-810-intrepid-ibex

  • Ubuntu 8.10, The Intrepid Ibex - Linux is ready for prime time! - Brett Martin has some very nice things to say about Ubuntu and about his new installation of Intrepid Ibex. Having used Ubuntu 8.04 as his main OS for the past 4 months, he's found the difference between it, and the new 8.10 version, to be a refreshing experience. An example, is the ability of 8.10 to handle an AT&T 3G network, then hand off seamlessly between a WiFi hotspot, and the wireless network. http://itchannelcast.com/blog1/2008/10/31/ubuntu-810-the-intrepid-ibex-linux-is-ready-for-prime-time/

  • Get Set... (Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex) - J.A. Watson tells us that while the release of Intrepid Ibex is not focused exclusively on improvements to mobile computing, that is where he uses it the most. He highlights Intrepid's support for Mobile Broadband connections (3G cellular modems) as something that is crucial to him. Getting wireless networking connections to work is now easier than ever. Improved video display support when working with multiple displays has improved, and has allowed Watson to use both his laptop display and a separate attached display at the same time. These, and other improvements have resulted in Watson being able to use his laptops with Ubuntu anywhere at any time. He no longer has to boot into Windows for his twice daily commute. He commends Canonical for doing an excellent job with this release. http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10009643o-2000498448b,00.htm

In Other News

Full Circle Magazine - Issue #18

Full Circle - the independent magazine for the Ubuntu Linux community are proud to announce the release of their eighteenth issue.

This month:

  • Command and Conquer - Package Management.
  • How-To : Program in C - Part 2, Secure A Network Drive, Using GIMP - Part 7, and Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex.
  • My Story - Ubuntu And Me
  • Review - Urban Terror
  • My Opinion - How Many Distro's are Too Many?
  • MOTU Interview - Stephan Hermann
  • Top 5 - Mind Mapping Apps

Get it while it's hot! http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-18/

New TurnKey Linux release

In issue #108, https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue108, we reported on a new Ubuntu based project code-named TurnKey Linux. The motto of TurnKey is "everything that can be easy, should be easy". In short, the project is trying to make certain tasks, mostly server oriented, easier for the everyday user. In response to that article, it seems the Ubuntu community pitched in to help out. As a result, the project is happy to announce that their latest version of LAMP, Joomla, and Drupal appliances now feature:

  • an easy to use configuration console (written from scratch in Python)
  • a beautiful web management interface (Mac OS X themed)
  • auto-login while in demo/live mode
  • root password configuration during installation

Detailed information, screen shots, and release notes are available in the appliances section of their website: http://www.turnkeylinux.org/appliances

Launchpad blueprints for this release can be found at: https://blueprints.launchpad.net/turnkeylinux/2008.10.17-hardy-x86

Release week for Ubuntu and CohesiveFT

This week, Ubuntu released the latest version of its operating system, 8.10 (aka Intrepid Ibex). In an unsurprising twist, the CohesiveFT team is delivering their own Ubuntu bundles of joy, available now in the Elastic Server factory! Elastic Servers are custom application stacks, built from components, virtualization-ready, that you can download to test, or deploy to a cloud. The Community Version of Elastic Server is also free: http://cohesiveft.com/community/

Initial Elastic Server support for Ubuntu comes in the form of the Hardy Heron 8.04 LTS version for 32-bit, and includes Amazon EC2 small, on the most popular bundles in the Elastic Server factory. To quickly locate Ubuntu-ready bundles, go to the Bundle Explorer, and search for the tag, Ubuntu 8_04LTS. This tag indicates that the specific bundle has been tested and approved for use on your Elastic Server. http://es.cohesiveft.com/bundle-explorer

Elastic Server gives you the freedom to choose the components you want from their library of horizontal, open source, and third-party software components. Don't like those? Upload your own components with their Build-Your-Own (BYO) option (here's how): http://www.cohesiveft.com/Elastic_Server/Main/CohesiveFT_FAQ/#addbundles

http://elasticserver.blogspot.com/2008/10/its-release-week-for-ubuntu-and.html

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Mozilla Team Meeting

  • Start: 19:00 UTC
  • End: 20:00 UTC
  • Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
  • Agenda: None listed as of publication

Monday, November 3, 2008

Ubuntu Open Week

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Server Team Meeting

Ubuntu Open Week

Kernel Team Meeting

  • Start: 17:00 UTC
  • End: 18:00 UTC
  • Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
  • Agenda: Not listed as of publication

Community Council Meeting

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Ubuntu Open Week

QA Team Meeting

Edubuntu Meeting

  • Start: 18:00 UTC
  • End: 19:00 UTC
  • Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
  • Agenda: None listed as of publication

Platform Team Meeting

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

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Ubuntu Mobile Team Meeting

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

Desktop Team Meeting

Ubuntu Java Meeting

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

Ubuntu Open Week

Friday, November 7, 2008

Ubuntu Open Week

Updates and Security for 6.06, 7.10, 8.04, and 8.10

Security Updates

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Updates

  • No updates this week

Ubuntu 7.10 Updates

  • No updates this week

Ubuntu 8.04 Updates

Ubuntu 8.10 Updates

Archives and RSS Feed

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Additional Ubuntu News

As always you can find more news and announcements at:

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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 Eddy
  • Dave Bush
  • Liraz Siri
  • And many others

Glossary of Terms

  1. LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
  2. QA - Quality Assurance
  3. SFD - Software Freedom Day

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.

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UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue115 (last edited 2008-11-03 15:36:29 by c-24-126-137-73)