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Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #167 for the week November 1st - November 7th, 2009. In this issue we cover ...

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

General Community News

Ubuntu Stats

Bug Stats

• Open (73074) +2834 # over last week
• Critical (28) +3 # over last week
• Unconfirmed (37416) +2370 # over last week
• Unassigned (63937) +2640 # over last week
• All bugs ever reported (343795) +6794 # over last week

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

Infamous Bugs

Translation Stats Karmic

1. Language (#) +/- # over last week
2. Language (#) +/- # over last week
3. Language (#) +/- # over last week
4. Language (#) +/- # over last week
5. Language (#) +/- # over last week

Remaining strings to translate in Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala", see more at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/karmic/

# NEEDS UPDATING. # #=== 5-a-day bug stats === # #==== Top 5 contributors for the past 7 days ==== # # * person (#) # * person (#) # * person (#) # * person (#) # * person (#) # #==== Top 5 teams for the past 7 days ==== # # * team (#) # * team (#) # * team (#) # * team (#) # * team (#) # #5-A-Day stats. http://qa.ubuntu.com/reports/five-a-day/

Ubuntu Brainstorm Top 5 this week

• Manage the Grub menu is a bit complicated - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/22223/

• Can't preview .xcf files without Gimp - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/22297/

• Show download rate and add pause option in software center - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/22197/

• When i add an application i have to manually add the correct icon for the app - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/22228/

• Provide a manager for upstart - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/22204/

Ubuntu Brainstorm is a community site geared toward letting you add your ideas for Ubuntu. You can submit your own idea, or vote for or against another idea. http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/

LoCo News

New in Karmic Koala

Launchpad News

Ubuntu Forums News

In The Press

Q&A: Ubuntu 9.10 security

Net-Security.org's Mirko Zorz tells us that Kees Cook is the security engineer and Gerry Carr is the head of platform marketing at Canonical, and Zorz interviews both on the security improvements in Ubuntu 9.10, the security challenges the Ubuntu team faces as well as what the latest version of Ubuntu offers to the developer community. Zorz questions them on what the most notable security features are that were introduced with Ubuntu 9.10, and also asks what Ubuntu version 9.10 has in store for the developer community. Follow this link for Cook and Carr's replies: http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=1343

Fedora 12 vs. Ubuntu 9.10 Benchmarks

Michael Larabel of Phoronix reports that Canonical released Ubuntu 9.10 last week, which introduced the Ubuntu Software Center and brought a wide variety of other improvements, while Red Hat is scheduled to release Fedora 12 in two weeks. With the impending release and the current development freeze, he took the compose release candidate for Fedora 12 x86_64 and have looked at how its performance compares to Ubuntu 9.10. In many of the tests Ubuntu 9.10 had carried the lead -- both by small and large margins -- but the Karmic Koala had stumbled when it came to the OpenGL performance, PostgreSQL, and NASA NPB. Hit this link for further details on Larabel's testing and results: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=fedora12_ubuntu910&num=1

Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 Shines Bright

LinuxPlanet's Paul Ferrill notes that Canonical released Ubuntu 9.10 in various forms last week including the Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) edition. UNR has been around since Ubuntu 8.04 and has taken on some pretty stiff competition of late from Moblin. In Ferrill's opinion UNR represents a solid step forward for netbook users. It provides anyone familiar with Ubuntu the same basic commands and applications you'll find in the desktop addition. It also makes it a snap to sync your key files between your main machine and a second (or third) painlessly. In contrast, Moblin caters to the mobile user interested in quick access to their favorite applications coupled with a quick boot time. Both do what they do well and should meet the basic needs of most any netbook user. http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reviews/6893/1/

Pulling the trigger on Ubuntu 9.10 upgrade, Part 1: Eyes wide open/shut

Steven Rosenberg of Inside So Cal says that even though he said he'd wait a month, or two or more, before upgrading his main laptop from Ubuntu 9.04 to 9.10, he got in early enough one day and had a fast enough connection to his chosen mirror that he decided to do the upgrade to Karmic then. Rosenberg states that Ubuntu 9.04 worked better than Ubuntu 8.04 on his hardware. He hopes for minimal regression and maximal improvement, which he received when going from Hardy to Jaunty. He hopes for more of the same as he goes from Jaunty to Karmic. Follow this link to see how things worked out for him: http://insidesocal.com/click/2009/11/pulling-the-trigger-on-ubuntu.html

Review: Ubuntu 9.10 first look

The Globe and Mail's Lynn Greiner tells her readers that the Ubuntu Linux menagerie has birthed a new creature, the Karmic Koala, with the release last week of Ubuntu Linux 9.10. The successor to the release code named Jaunty Jackalope (aka version 9.04) boasts a herd of changes and enhancements that are so far making testers smile. As Linux matures, it's becoming more and more of an OS accessible to the average user. Karmic Koala is another step in that direction. There are still a few foreign concepts for a Windows convert to absorb, but on the whole Ubuntu 9.10, Karmic Koala, is a package that won't be a horrible stretch for the novice, yet contains enhancements for the Linux guru as well. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/review-ubuntu-910-first-look/article1348084/

Ubuntu 9.10 'Karmic Koala' is here: 5 things CIOs must know

CIO.com.au's Rodney Gedda says that in case you’ve been too busy dealing with rogue iPhones, October 2009 was a big month for operating systems. Gedda questions if CIOs care about operating systems? Probably not as much as they used to, but with Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" being released within days of each other, CIOs at least have a reason to be excited about the future of the desktop. In addition to the countless upgrades and enhancements that arrive every six months with each new Ubuntu release, Karmic has some useful enhancements that should prove particularly interesting to CIOs and IT managers. It's almost as though Ubuntu is standing up to be counted among business operating systems now that Windows 7 has been released. Gedda goes on to list five reasons that he believes CIOs must know about Ubuntu 9.10. Click this link to see those reasons: http://www.cio.com.au/article/324578/ubuntu_9_10_karmic_koala_here_5_things_cios_must_know

In The Blogosphere

Memo to Ubuntu Devs: Make Separate Home Default

Christopher Tozzi, workswithU, in this article lists the reasons why having the Ubuntu installer give /home (home directory) a partition automatically. Tozzi states," Unfortunately, separate /home is an option that only geeks are likely to choose, since it requires manual partitioning, which will frighten most normal people away" but that's not the only reason he sits. Backing up /home then reinstalling and putting the data can be tedious and time consuming. Take a look and at the article, Christopher even gives a link to a Brainstorm idea for just such a thing. See what you think and if you have time check out the idea and cast your vote. http://www.workswithu.com/2009/11/06/memo-to-ubuntu-devs-make-separate-home-default/

Testing the Nouveau Driver on Ubuntu

Christopher Tozzi, workswithU, found some time to test the Nouveau video driver for nVidia cards. In the this article he gives a bit of history surrounding the Nouveau video driver project. Tozzi reminds readers that nouveau in the default driver for nVidia in Fedora 11 but as of Jaunty, when nouveau began available in Ubuntu, is is not installed by default but available in the repositories. Tozzi also gives the outcome of his testing, discussing the basics of the 2D functionality and the drivers performance. With a positive outlook on the project Tozzi notes, "nouveau may not be much yet, but it’s a solid start to what should one day allow more Linux users to take full advantage of their computers’ capabilities without having to rely on closed-source software." Have an nVidia driver? Take a look at the Nouveau project. http://www.workswithu.com/2009/11/06/testing-the-nouveau-driver-on-ubuntu/

5 Reasons why Ubuntu 9.10 is better than Windows 7

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, Computerworld Blog, talks about the 5 reasons Ubuntu 9.10 is better than Windows 7.

1. Security
2. Cheap
3. Easy Upgrade
4. Hardware compatibility
5. Applications

In this article he describes each of these points in further detail. Vaughan-Nichols states, "What I do hope...is to give some food for thought" He reminds people that there are many ways to try Linux without changing anything on your Windows machine. He say "Give Ubuntu a try." and see what you find for yourself.

http://blogs.computerworld.com/15035/5_reasons_why_ubuntu_9_10_is_better_than_windows_7

Bomgar Embraces Ubuntu for Remote IT Support

http://www.workswithu.com/2009/11/02/bombar-embraces-ubuntu-for-remote-it-support/

Ubuntu 9.10 (karmic Koala) on Netbooks - Part 3 (Kubuntu Netbook)

http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,2000498448b,00.htm

In Other News

Canonical Matching Creative Commons Donations

http://www.jonobacon.org/2009/11/05/canonical-matching-creative-commons-donations/

Meeting Summaries: <MONTH> <YEAR>

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Community Spotlight

Updates and Security for 6.06, 8.04, 8.10, 9.04 and 9.10

Security Updates

Ubuntu 6.06 Updates

Ubuntu 8.04 Updates

Ubuntu 8.10 Updates

Ubuntu 9.04 Updates

Ubuntu 9.10 Updates

UWN #: A sneak peek

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Additional Ubuntu News

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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:

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Glossary of Terms

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