Issue44

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WORK IN PROGRESS

Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #44 for the week April 3rd - April 9th, 2007. In this issue we cover ...

UWN Translations

In This Issue

General Community News

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-announce/2007-June/000301.html (tribe 1 released)

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/launchpad-users/2007-June/001552.html (launchpad 1.5)

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2007-June/023791.html (new MOTU)

LinuxTag 2007

Members from the German speaking Kubuntu community participated in Europe's leading conference and exhibition for Free Software, Linux, and Open Source, the LinuxTag. It was held from May 30th to June 2nd, 2007 in Berlin. This was the first time it was held in Berlin, but due to a long term contract with the Berlin's exhibition organisation this will be repeated in 2008.

With 9600 visitors in attendance, the LinuxTag was a great success. As usual in such events, no Ubuntu/Kubuntu CDs were left over, but in fact the last couple of days only Edgy CDs were available, which together with the printed notices for the upgrade website for feisty were taken nevertheless without hesitation by the visitors. More information about the experiences of the German Kubuntu community can be found at http://www.kubuntu-de.org/nachrichten/veranstaltungen/nachlese-linuxtag-2007 (German) and http://www.kubuntu-de.org/english/reflections-linuxtag-2007 (English). Photographs are available at http://www.kubuntu-de.org/bilder/events/linuxtag-2007.

Ubuntu Hug Day

On a [:HugDay], when someone closes a bug, then someone else should hug him/her. Why? This is a very special way for us to tell everyone that we love contributions! And triaging bugs is a really big contribution.

Triaging bugs is one of the best ways to start contributing to development. It provides you an opportunity to learn more about Ubuntu, packages and packaging too. All of which leads down the path to becoming a [:MOTU], the Ubuntu developers who take care of the Universe and Multiverse repositories.

The next Hug Day will be this Wednesday, June 13th, all the day in all timezones, taking place in #ubuntu-devel on Freenode IRC servers and we would be really glad to see you there! Since we have just released the first Alpha of the next version of Ubuntu, Gutsy Gibbon, it's a very good moment to test it and help make the next release of Ubuntu even better.

We will be triaging every type of bug, but specifically the list at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuBugDay/20070613 . There you will find bugs you will be able to work on, regardless of your experience. Even if you have never triaged bugs, there are easy ones (bugs tagged bitesize) so you can start with easier tasks, and go to harder bugs when you're a bit more experienced. We will be there to help you if you don't know how to proceed for any bug. Also, if you want to learn packaging (or if you already know a bit), there are bugs tagged as packaging, which are perfect for starting. And if you have any doubt, we will be there to help you out!

Hope to see you there!

LoCo News

http://coloco.ubuntu-rocks.org/?p=36

This Week's Quiz

Thanks to the UbuntuTrivia Team, we had another exciting quiz this week.

Quizmaster

Champion

Sponsor

Prize

Upcoming for next week:

Sponsor

Prize

More info: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuTrivia

To participate in the quiz, join #ubuntu-trivia on irc.freenode.net on Friday and/or Saturday UTC-nights - the topic will usually tell you when the next quiz is scheduled.

For more info on prizes, donating, quizzes and giving quizzes see the above link.

New in Gutsy Gibbon

Launchpad News

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/launchpad-users/2007-June/001552.html

In The Press

  • The Economist discusses Mark Shuttleworth's work with Ubuntu. It provides a background on how Linux is perceived in different quarters, but that "most computer users do not know or care about the politics of open-source software." Mark and Ubuntu do not focus on ideologies, but concentrates on the user. OSS does not simply copy proprietary applications, instead the "collaborative approach of the open-source community is the richest model for stimulating innovation.” Still, the community tends to focus on functionality, and not ease of use. The lack of consistent packaging creates "an artificial barriers where none need exist.” In essence, open source should be about "a desire for greater digital inclusiveness" and "making sure that everyone has access to the next wave of thinking." Read the full article: http://economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9249329

  • ExtremeTech provides a chapter on multitasking from their book, Hacking Ubuntu: Serious Hacks Mods and Customizations. The chapter covers little details like the difference between Alt+Tab and Ctrl+Alt+Tab, to more sophisticated configurations, such as X-resources, which allow the customization of a program's startup position its fonts, size, and colors. Tutorials on dnotify and other task automation tools are included as well. The dnotify program watches a directory for any changes like file creation and deletion, which triggers the running of a specified script. Read the full article: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2139727,00.asp

  • Canonical announced details of the Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded Edition at the Computex trade show in Taiwan. The first release, expected in October, will include video, sound, and "full-featured internet browsing." The new edition will focus on Intel's Mobile Internet Device platform, which will be used for mini-tablet PCs containing low-power processors and tiny keyboards. while delivering fast boot and resume times, with small memory and disk footprints. At Computex, Canonical is working with manufacturers to ensure better driver support and with system builders to provide devices for release next year. Read more at http://www.cellular-news.com/story/24222.php and http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39287421,00.htm.

  • Barry Shilliday, at IT Week, takes a look at Ubuntu 7.04. Installation via the Live CD is easy, while migration tools allow users to copy documents and setting from Windows partitions. Since the universe and multiverse repositories are enabled by default, necessary codecs for audio and video files can be installed without any hassle. Barry describes how to add support to play encrypted DVDs and a different backend to play more video formats. Read the full article: http://www.itweek.co.uk/personal-computer-world/features/2191657/hands-ubuntu-04

In The Blogosphere

  • SynergyMX reviews usability and new features in Ubuntu 7.04. Installation works with no problems and "it's hard not to see why this distro is really ruling the Linux word right now." New tools like the Windows Migration tool, easy codec installation, and plug and play network installation are discussed along with support for kernel 2.6.20 and Gnome 2.18. Ubuntu 7.04 is referred to as a "mature, stable and easy to use system." Read more at http://www.synergymx.com/page.php?Title=Ubuntu_7.04_-_Feisty_Fawn_Review/

  • Ian Murray, at OhmyNews, discusses how many users are searching for an alternative OS after the release of Windows Vista. With Vista's price and compatibility issues, "Ubuntu Linux has some amazing visual effects, which consume very little resources compared to Vista." Ian points out that the bundled software which provides a productivity suite, browser, instant messenger, and email client, are all free. The lack of viruses and need to install anti-virus software keeps the PC running faster and efficiently. Read more at http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=364905&rel_no=1

  • Michael Larabel, at Phoronix, has published a guide to building an Ubuntu Myth Tv PC. A primer on Myth TV is provided, describing the front-end and backend, and its many features like the support for plugins. Michael discusses different tuner, hard drive, and video cards options and what he selected for the PC. Ubuntu is selected as the distribution of choice since MythTV is available in the repositories and the Ubuntu Community Wiki provides documentation on many different possible configurations. Read more at http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=736&num=1

  • Paul Nowak, at Sys-Con, discusses how well his switch to single-boot Ubuntu has gone. Ubuntu has made installation easy, become a good productivity tool, and the lack of viruses can save considerable amounts of money. Paul describes his experience trying to reinstall Windows XP on an IBM T60 which had a corrupted rebuild partition. The process involved time, money (to buy OEM CDs and a Symantec subscription) , and the hassles of product keys. Maintaining a clean Windows installation has become a burden and and Paul believes IBM and Lenovo should provide Ubuntu as an OEM install. Read more at http://linux.sys-con.com/read/382946.htm

  • Ashton Mills, at APC Magazine, writes about the new Dell Ubuntu PCs. The kernel version is one point newer than the one shipped with Ubuntu 7.04. A full Ubuntu image is stored in a separate FAT32 partition, similar to other PC s sold with Windows. Price differences between comparable Windows machines can vary from $100 to $299 depending on the Vista edition. Read more at http://www.apcmag.com/6339/first_look_at_dells_ubuntu_boxes

Meetings and Events

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Georgia US LoCo meeting

Catalan LoCo meeting

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Kernel Team Meeting

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Edubuntu Meeting

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Ubuntu Development Team Meeting

  • Start: 16:00
  • End: 18:00
  • Location: #ubuntu-meeting

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Xubuntu Developers Meeting

Community Spotlight

Updates and security for 6.06, 6.10, and 7.04

Security Updates

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Updates

Ubuntu 6.10 Updates

Ubuntu 7.04 Updates

Bug Stats

  • Open (#) +/- # over last week
  • Critical (#) +/- # over last week
  • Unconfirmed (#) +/- # over last week
  • Unassigned (#) +/- # over last week
  • All bugs ever reported (#) +/- # over last week

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

Check out the bug statistics: http://people.ubuntu-in.org/~carthik/bugstats/

Infamous Bugs

UWN #: A sneak peek

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:

  • Martin Albisetti

RSS

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Feedback

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