UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue55

Contents

In This Issue
General Community News
LoCo News
1. Gutsy Release Parties: Jono Bacon
In The Press
In The Blogosphere
Meetings and Events
Community Spotlight
1. Pennsylvania Team Prepares for A Busy September
Updates and security for 6.06, 6.10, and 7.04
Bug Stats
Translation Stats
Archives and RSS Feed
Additional Ubuntu News
Conclusion
Credits
RSS
Feedback

Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #55 for the week August 26th - September 1st, 2007. In this issue we cover the announcement of the next Ubuntu release "Hardy Heron 8.04", Full Circle's latest issue, the Month of Ubuntu Screen Casts, Gutsy Gibbon's release parties, and, as always, much much more!

UWN Translations

Deutsch - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue55/De
Español - Start one! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue55/Es
Français - http://ubuntu-fr.org/lettre/lhu55.html
Italiano - http://wiki.ubuntu-it.org/NewsletterItaliana
Português - Start one! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue55/Pt

In This Issue

Introducing Hardy Heron 8.04
Full Circle Magazine - Issue #4
Month Of Screen Casts 2007
Kubuntu was represented at the FrOSCon 2007
Ubuntu HQ: Community powered News
Gutsy Release Parties
In The Press and In the Blogosphere
Translation stats
Bug Stats

General Community News

Introducing Hardy Heron 8.04

Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04), will be the next version of Ubuntu. It will succeed Gutsy Gibbon 7.10 (due for release in October 2007). The Ubuntu community continues to do what it does best, produce an easy-to-use, reliable, free software platform, but this release will proudly wear the badge of Long Term Support (LTS) and be supported with security updates for five years on the server and three years on the desktop. Everyone is welcome to think of and develop ideas for features that could be present in the Hardy Heron release. These ideas are written as specifications (detailed documents outlining how the idea would work and be implemented) https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu. Everyone is welcome to participate, everyone is welcome to get involved, and everyone is welcome to help shape the form of the Hardy Heron. Let's work together to shake things up, make things happen and make the most compelling Ubuntu release yet. Start your engines... https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-announce/2007-August/000336.html (hardy heron)

Full Circle Magazine - Issue #4 Available

Full Circle - the Ubuntu Community Magazine are proud to announce our fourth issue. It contains:

Edubuntu - What’s in it for the kids?
How-To : Hosting Code on Launch`Pad, Learning Scribus part 4 and Keep your kids safe in Ubuntu.
Preview of Miro 0.9.8.
Interview with Ubuntu Developer Colin Watson.
Letters, Q&A, My`Desktop, MyPC, Top5 and more!

Get it while it’s hot! http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-4/

Month Of Screen Casts 2007

Ubuntu Month of Screen Casts is a mad plan concocted by the Screencast Team to produce one full length screen cast per day for the whole of one month. That month is September 2007. The goal is that each video will go into one subject in some depth, to help educate new users about Ubuntu. We will cover a wide range of topics which should answer some questions that new users to Ubuntu often ask. We aim to go into enough detail to be interesting, hopefully without being baffling or boring. Each screencast will be made available through the Ubuntu Screen cast site in three sizes and two formats (OGG and Flash). The screencasts are licensed under the permissive Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License, so you're free to modify, pass on, sell or otherwise distribute them so long as the attribution to us stays intact. http://screencasts.ubuntu.com/MoS2007

Ubuntu HQ: Community powered News

Ubuntu HQ's goal is to collect all Ubuntu related articles in one place. You can find recent news issues, application reviews, howto's and other stories. Every article has a "Full Story" link to the original website and an easy browsable archive of howto's. You can vote articles up or down and add comments. Check it out! http://www.ubuntuhq.com/

Kubuntu was represented at the FrOSCon 2007

After the success of the latest exhibitions for Open Source Software in Germany, the kubuntu-de.org community also represented the *ubuntu family at the FrOSCon 2007. The FrOSCon 2007 is an annual event that takes place at the Fachhochschule (Polytechnic College) Bonn-Rhein-Sieg near the metropolitan areas of Bonn and Cologne. This year, the exhibition occurred on the last weekend of August.

Due to kubuntu-de.org's very good relationship with the KDE and Amarok projects, all three groups shared a common area which was very beneficial for the visitors and lead to many interesting talks and also new *ubuntu users. Visitors had the opportunity to see and try out Kubuntu Feisty as well as a preliminary version of Gutsy.

More information can be found at http://www.kubuntu-de.org/nachrichten/veranstaltungen/nachlese-froscon-2007 (German) and http://www.kubuntu-de.org/english/reflections-froscon-2007 (English)

MOTU

Mario Limonciello became a MOTU! After months of putting great work into Mythbuntu and other places of Ubuntu's Universe, we're happy to welcome Mario in the team! Go Mario!

After a lot of work on the migration-assistant, ubiquity and other installer related packages, lots of merges and updates to the Ubuntu Desktop finally Evan Dandrea becomes a MOTU. Welcome Evan - you rock!

If you want to become a MOTU yourself, read up on MOTU here.

LoCo News

Gutsy Release Parties: Jono Bacon

Well folks, we are getting closer and closer to the release of Ubuntu 7.10, the Gutsy Gibbon, and it is going to rock like a good ‘un when it comes out. Now, I need to draw your attention to something that is always important when we put out a new release - Release Parties!! When a new Ubuntu hits the streets, groups from around the world (typically our incredible Loco Community (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams) organize release parties on the day of the release. This gives everyone a chance to get together, have some fun and celebrate another chunk of Ubuntu being born into the world. Well, the next release is Thu 18th October 2007 and it would be great to have a worldwide blanket of release parties going on. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/loco-contacts/2007-August/001535.html

In The Press

Ubuntu Adds Ho-Hum Features In Latest 'Gutsy Gibbon' Alpha (By Alexander Wolfe) - Ubuntu, the Linux distro which I've personally found to be somewhat less than it's cracked up to be -- your mileage may vary -- is getting an update. Notable in Gusty (as compared with Feisty) is a new GUI tool to make it easier to configure your graphics card, set up your monitor resolution and refresh rate, and configure dual monitors. Such a tool has, of course, long been standard in Windows, the operating system many Linux users love to hate. Regardless, the maturation of the feature in Gusty Gibbon is both worthy and welcome. Ubuntu has set itself apart from the pack, mainly on the basis of the strength of its user community. Ubuntu's second significant boost toward the mainstream came earlier this year, when Dell decided to offer it on several laptops and desktops. Whether an upgraded release, focused on improved drivers, bug fixes, and some nice but not very revolutionary tools, can do anything additional to increase the already overblown publicity Ubuntu has received is doubtful. Still, it's hard to argue with success, and it's seeming more and more like Ubuntu is the face of consumer Linux future, whether it deserves to be or not. http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/08/ubuntu_adds_hoh.html
The Invisible Desktop - If you go by what the mainstream press reports, you’d think there were only two computer desktop operating systems in the world—Windows and Mac OS. This notion would be most unfortunate because it might keep you or your company from exploring Linux as a reliable, secure and powerful desktop operating system for your PC that’s cheaper than the two proprietary platforms. In fact, it’s often free. Today, more than a year after I switched, there’s very little I can’t do in terms of business and personal productivity on my Ubuntu Linux PC that I did when I used Windows. I can run all the open source applications, including a free alternative to MS Office, without worrying about violating any copyrights. If I really need to run any Windows applications, I can do that in a virtual machine or use Wine, software that interprets Windows commands and runs them in Linux. Best of all, I don’t waste time dealing with crashes, spyware and viruses. There’s simply no comparison. With the Beryl windows manager installed, Ubuntu blows Windows Vista away. I’m convinced these advantages have already created a strong undercurrent in favor of increased Linux usage on the desktop that writers in the mainstream press—even respected technology journalists such as Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal—have not recognized. http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business6_aug28_2007
Ubuntu Xorg maintainer demonstrates bulletproof X - Ubuntu Xorg maintainer Bryce Harrington recently demonstrated the Bullet Proof-X feature that is planned for inclusion in Ubuntu 7.10. Bullet Proof-X provides a failsafe mode which will ensure that users never have to manually configure their graphics hardware settings from the command line. If Xorg fails to start, the failsafe mode will initiate with minimalistic settings, low resolution, and a limited number of colors. The failsafe mode also automatically runs Ubuntu's new GTK-based display configuration utility so that users can easily test various display settings and choose a configuration that will work properly with their hardware. Bullet Proof-X represents a big step forward for graphics hardware support on the Linux platform, but there are still some gaps. The effort that developers have invested in features like Bullet Proof-X deliver tangible usability improvements that contribute to a more positive user experience. Bullet Proof-X and recent improvements to XRandR now resolve the vast majority of issues that once detracted from the quality of Linux graphics hardware support.http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/08/29/ubuntu-xorg-maintainer-demonstrates-bulletproof-x

In The Blogosphere

Matt Zimmerman on Ubuntu Mobile - Ubuntu Mobile is one of the most promising flavor for Canonical distro. It will run on different devices such tablet pc, Intel MID, UMPC and, probably, lots more. Our aim is to assemble a functional and free mobile operating environment which can be used as the basis for further development. For the initial 7.10 release, we’ll be focused on getting the infrastructure and basic features in place. http://www.ossblog.it/post/3021/matt-zimmerman-on-ubuntu-mobile
Ubuntu for Entrepreneurs: 15 Business Apps for Our Favorite OS - With the entire biz-world buzzing about cause marketing and corporate responsibility, it’s no surprise that in the truest democracy on the planet - the World Wide Web - Netizens have adopted Open Source as their moral code. Not only have many migrated to open-source applications like Fire Fox and Open Office from their Microsoft counterparts, but more and more people are making the leap to Linux, fueling its rise as one of the most powerful influences in computing today - consumer demand has also prompted Dell to finally offer factory-installed Linux PCs. In fact, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell himself uses the Feisty Fawn version of Ubuntu Linux at home on his Dell Precision M90 laptop. It is easy to understand why many entrepreneurs have crossed over Ubuntu Linux.http://www.businesscreditcards.com/bootstrapper/ubuntu-for-entrepreneurs-15-business-apps-for-our-favorite-os/
Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon 7.10 - New Features: Ubuntu’s Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) slated for an October 18th release, has released their alpha “Tribe 5″ version - which includes a Feature Freeze for the Gutsy development cycle. What that means in layman’s term is that while the software is still in heavy development there won’t be any new features added to Gutsy Gibbon. As for the new features added in Gutsy Gibbon there are plenty, most of which are particularly well suited for new users to Linux. Some of the more notable new features are a Graphical Configuration tool for X, improvements in plug-in handling for Mozilla Firefox, revamped printing system with PDF printing by default, fast user switching, new desktop search (Tracker) application and the new App`Armor security framework.http://lunapark6.com/ubuntu-gutsy-gibbon-710-new-features.html
Ubuntu Founder Mark Shuttleworth on Productivity and Linux - Founder of Ubuntu Linux Mark Shuttleworth took time out of his busy schedule to talk about email, productivity, travel, web applications, Ubuntu, free software and much more. We asked Shuttleworth what you wanted to know and he gave us the full scoop. http://lifehacker.com/software/exclusive-lifehacker-interview/ubuntu-founder-mark-shuttleworth-on-productivity-and-linux-294941.php

Meetings and Events

Community Council Meeting

Start: 13:00 UTC
End: 16:00 UTC
Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
Agenda: https://wiki.kubuntu.org/CommunityCouncilAgenda

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Kernel Team Meeting

Start: 15:00 UTC
End: 16:00 UTC
Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/Meeting

New York Loco Team Meeting

Start: 18:00 America/New York
End: 19:30 America/New York
Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-newyork
Agenda: https://wiki.kubuntu.org/NewYorkTeam

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Edubuntu Meeting

Start: 12:00 UTC
End: 14:00 UTC
Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
Agenda: https://wiki.edubuntu.org/EdubuntuMeetingAgenda

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Gutsy Tribe 6 Release

Start: 00:00 UTC
End: 23:59 UTC
Release Schedule: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GutsyReleaseSchedule

Saturday, September 8, 2007

MOTU Team Meeting

Start: 00:00 UTC
End: 2:00 UTC
Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.comMOTU/Meetings

Xubuntu Developers Meeting

Start: 17:00 UTC
End: 19:00 UTC
Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Xubuntu/Meetings

Community Spotlight

Pennsylvania Team Prepares for A Busy September

The LTSP Project at MALT is well on its way, just yesterday several more thin clients were donated to the project. For more information on this project check out the forum thread and the LTSPMALT wiki page. Next meeting is scheduled for August 29th. Software Freedom Day on September 15th the team is working with the Philadelphia Area Computer Society to do demonstrations of Ubuntu. One of our volunteers will also be presenting a MythTV setup with Ubuntu. The weekend following SFD Matt Mossholder will be hosting an Ubuntu MythTV seminar where interested parties can bring their PCs for an overview of MythTV and an install session to review the basics. http://www.meetlinux.com/2007/08/22/philly-se-pa-upcoming-events/

Updates and security for 6.06, 6.10, and 7.04

Bug Stats

Open (32172) +220 # over last week
Critical (17) -2 # over last week
Unconfirmed (15989) +173 # over last week
Unassigned (24259) +353 # over last week
All bugs ever reported (117563) +1650 # 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

Spanish (19894) -924 # over last week
French (39851) +222 # over last week
English-UK (50306) -8668 # over last week
Swedish (54854) +334 # over last week
German (64713) +675 # over last week

Remaining string to translate in Ubuntu 7.10 "Gutsy Gibbon", see more at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/gutsy/

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:

http://www.ubuntu.com/news

and

http://fridge.ubuntu.com/

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
Dawid van Wyngaard
John Crawford
And many others

RSS

You can subscribe to the UWN feed at: http://fridge.ubuntu.com/uwn/feed

Feedback

If you would like to submit an idea or story you think is worth appearing on the UWN, please send them to ubuntu-marketing-submissions@lists.ubuntu.com. This document is maintained by the Ubuntu Marketing Team. Please feel free to contact us regarding any concerns or suggestions by either sending an email to ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com or by using any of the other methods on the Ubuntu Marketing Team Contact Information Page (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MarketingTeam). 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 then ubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com.