Issue675


Contents

  1. In this Issue
  2. General Community News
    1. IRC Council Call for Nominations (2021)
  3. Ubuntu Stats
    1. Bug Stats
    2. Translations
  4. Hot in Support
    1. Ask Ubuntu Top 5 Questions
    2. Ubuntu Forums Top 5 Threads
  5. LoCo Events
  6. The Hub
    1. Ubucon Asia 2021 Meeting reports update thread
    2. Hirsute Hippo Draft Release Notes
  7. The Planet
    1. Snap interfaces from Android App developer perspective
    2. Linux Application Summit: Call For Papers
    3. Ubuntu Wiki Reboot
    4. Stable Release Updates on Xubuntu
  8. Ubuntu Cloud News
  9. Canonical News
  10. In the Blogosphere
    1. Wine-Staging 6.4 Released With 686 Patches Rebased Against Upstream
    2. Ubuntu Touch OTA-16 Released As The Second Largest Release Ever
    3. New Ubuntu Linux Kernel Security Updates Address Six Vulnerabilities, Patch Now
    4. KDE Plasma 5.21.3 Is Out to Improve the New Plasma System Monitor App and Support for GTK Apps
    5. Standalone XWayland Makes It For Ubuntu 21.04 Along With Linux 5.11, Mesa 21.0
    6. NVIDIA 460.67 Graphics Driver Released with Better Support for Linux 5.11, Bug Fixes
    7. Ubuntu 21.04 (Hirsute Hippo) Is Now Powered by Linux Kernel 5.11
  11. Other Articles of Interest
  12. Featured Audio and Video
    1. Ubuntu Security Podcast: Episode 108
    2. Ubuntu Podcast from the UK LoCo: S14E02 – Toast Letter Club
    3. Ubuntu Portugal Podcast: 133 - Tom and Jerry
    4. Late Night Linux: Episode 116
  13. Meeting Reports
  14. Upcoming Meetings and Events
  15. Updates and Security for 16.04, 18.04, 20.04, and 20.10
    1. Security Updates
    2. Ubuntu 16.04 Updates
    3. Ubuntu 18.04 Updates
    4. Ubuntu 20.04 Updates
    5. Ubuntu 20.10 Updates
  16. Subscribe
  17. Archive
  18. Further News
  19. Conclusion
  20. Credits
  21. Glossary of Terms
  22. Get Involved
  23. Feedback

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Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 675 for the week of March 14 - 20, 2021.

In this Issue

  • IRC Council Call for Nominations (2021)
  • Ubuntu Stats
  • Hot in Support
  • LoCo Events

  • Ubucon Asia 2021 Meeting reports update thread
  • Hirsute Hippo Draft Release Notes
  • Snap interfaces from Android App developer perspective
  • Linux Application Summit: Call For Papers
  • Ubuntu Wiki Reboot
  • Stable Release Updates on Xubuntu
  • Ubuntu Cloud News
  • Canonical News
  • In the Blogosphere
  • Other Articles of Interest
  • Featured Audio and Video
  • Meeting Reports
  • Upcoming Meetings and Events
  • Updates and Security for 16.04, 18.04, 20.04, and 20.10
  • And much more!

General Community News

IRC Council Call for Nominations (2021)

The IRC Council has five members nearing the end of their terms; thus five seats are open for nominations. Details of what is required, dates for the various stages in the election, plus how to apply are provided.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-irc/2021-March/001912.html

Ubuntu Stats

Bug Stats

  • Open: 136694 (+33)
  • Critical: 346 (-1)
  • Unconfirmed: 68040 (+50)

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

Translations

  • Ukrainian: 87.86% (39368/1747)
  • German: 86.51% (43743/286)
  • French: 81.16% (61071/6629)
  • Spanish: 80.68% (62656/3843)
  • Swedish: 75.81% (78416/903)

Hot in Support

Ask Ubuntu Top 5 Questions

Ask (and answer!) questions at: https://askubuntu.com/

Ubuntu Forums Top 5 Threads

Find more support at: https://ubuntuforums.org/

LoCo Events

The following LoCo team events are currently scheduled in the next two weeks:

Looking beyond the next two weeks? Visit the LoCo Team Portal to browse upcoming events around the world: http://loco.ubuntu.com/events/

The Hub

Ubucon Asia 2021 Meeting reports update thread

Youngbin Han provides an update on the Ubucon Asia team. He provides links to minutes of recent meetings, plus a brief summary of the most recent meeting, and links for more details on Ubucon Asia.

https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/ubucon-asia-2021-meeting-reports-update-thread/21417

Hirsute Hippo Draft Release Notes

Iain Lane has published the Draft "Hirsute Hippo Release Notes". These notes will be amended and more details added to them, as they become firm.

https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/hirsute-hippo-draft-release-notes/19221

The Planet

Snap interfaces from Android App developer perspective

Omer Akram (om26er) blogs to provide a few details of the snap build process. He illuminates some terminology and provides a link to the process documentation. Omer notes a desired feature he hopes will be implemented in the future.

https://om26er.dev/2021/03/15/snap-interfaces-from-android-app-developer-perspective/

Linux Application Summit: Call For Papers

Alan Pope reminds us of the aims of the Linux Application Summit, and tells us the next one will be held online from 13 May to 15 May 2021. We are told there is a "Call for Papers" which will close on 22nd March 2021. We are provided with the duration of talks, topics wanted, and asked to submit an abstract using the link provided.

https://popey.com/blog/2021/03/las-cfp/

Ubuntu Wiki Reboot

Alan Pope writes about the love the Ubuntu Wiki requires. We are given details on what software the Ubuntu Wiki runs on, and given some examples of its current use. We are then introduced to some of the problems that exist in the wiki today, and some history on some attempts to overcome some (eg. spam) of the problems. Alan gives us numerous considerations on fixing the wiki that need addressing, and his thoughts.

https://popey.com/blog/2021/03/ubuntu-wiki-reboot/

Stable Release Updates on Xubuntu

Sean Davis writes about Stable Release Updates (SRU) and how they keep Xubuntu updated and safe once a release reaches Final Freeze. Sean outlines what fixes qualify for SRU updates, for Xubuntu in particular, with an example of two packages currently going through SRU (Exo & XFCE weather plugin). In walking us through each of the steps performed in SRUs, detail is provided that allows users to help contribute via testing and then recording their testing of these fixes. This process promotes updated packages to end-users faster.

https://bluesabre.org/2021/03/16/stable-release-updates-on-xubuntu/

Ubuntu Cloud News

Canonical News

In the Blogosphere

Wine-Staging 6.4 Released With 686 Patches Rebased Against Upstream

Michael Larabel reports on the patches, additions, updates, and fixes in this latest release. Supporting links are provided.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Wine-Staging-6.4

Ubuntu Touch OTA-16 Released As The Second Largest Release Ever

Michael Larabel briefs us on the Ubuntu Touch OTA-16 release's many updates, added support, and fixes. Though the code base is 16.04 LTS, work continues for an eventual Ubuntu 20.04 migration. Michael provides the links to UBports.com for full details and the download.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Ubuntu-Touch-OTA-16

New Ubuntu Linux Kernel Security Updates Address Six Vulnerabilities, Patch Now

Marius Nestor reports that Canonical has published new kernel security updates. He expounds on the various CVEs and relates the affected releases. He advises that the new kernels are now available in software repositories for all supported architectures and urges all users to update as soon as possible. Guidance to update is provided.

https://9to5linux.com/new-ubuntu-linux-kernel-security-updates-address-six-vulnerabilities-patch-now

KDE Plasma 5.21.3 Is Out to Improve the New Plasma System Monitor App and Support for GTK Apps

Marius Nestor relates the bug fixes and improvements in this the third maintenance update for the 5.21 Plasma desktop. Of greater note is the enhancements to the new Plasma System Monitor app and System Monitor widgets. Additionally noted are improved support for GTK apps, keyboard repeat rate increase, Wayland's “Force Font DPI” useability improvements, as well as improvements for Plasma Mobile. For complete disclosure Marius links to the full changelog. All KDE Plasma 5.21 desktop users are urged to update as soon as the update arrives in the software repository.

https://9to5linux.com/kde-plasma-5-21-3-is-out-to-improve-the-new-plasma-system-monitor-app-and-support-for-gtk-apps

Standalone XWayland Makes It For Ubuntu 21.04 Along With Linux 5.11, Mesa 21.0

Michael Larabel reports the landing of XWayland 21.1 as a release candidate in the Hirsute-Proposed archive, replacing X.Org Server. Michael also advises of Mesa 21.0’s landing that gives many driver improvements for Intel and Radeon. Last but not least is the inclusion of the Linux 5.11 kernel as default. Finally Michael provides significant dates on the map to 21.04's release.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=XWayland-Standalone-Ubuntu-Pkg

NVIDIA 460.67 Graphics Driver Released with Better Support for Linux 5.11, Bug Fixes

Marius Nestor advises of the fixes and improvements on this long production branch driver, supporting the Linux 5.11 kernel series. Firstly is fixing the driver install failures. Then is the fix within ray tracing extensions on multi-GPU setups; followed by addressing G-SYNC and the vkCreateSwapchain Vulkan extension. A link is provided to the official website to download the driver with an advisement of the “Additional Information” tab for detailed instructions.

https://9to5linux.com/nvidia-460-67-graphics-driver-released-with-better-support-for-linux-5-11-bug-fixes

Ubuntu 21.04 (Hirsute Hippo) Is Now Powered by Linux Kernel 5.11

Marius Nestor reports as "good news", that Ubuntu 21.04 (Hirsute Hippo) is now powered by the Linux 5.11 kernel. This brings many "hardware improvements and new features", which includes support for Nvidia 460.67. We are reminded Ubuntu 21.04 is due to be released in a month, as Marius wrote the article.

https://9to5linux.com/ubuntu-21-04-hirsute-hippo-is-now-powered-by-linux-kernel-5-11

Ubuntu Security Podcast: Episode 108

"This week we start preparing for 16.04 LTS to transition to Extended Security Maintenance, plus we look at security updates for OpenSSH, Python, the Linux kernel and more, as well as some currently open positions on our team."

https://ubuntusecuritypodcast.org/episode-108/

Ubuntu Podcast from the UK LoCo: S14E02 – Toast Letter Club

"This week we have been rediscovering keybase.io and blogging, a lot. We discuss a smart TV equipped with RokuOS, bring you some command line love and round up all your wonderful feedback."

https://ubuntupodcast.org/2021/03/18/s14e02-toast-letter-club/

Ubuntu Portugal Podcast: 133 - Tom and Jerry

"Conversa (ainda) sobre o tracking via CNAME, fizemos também um duelo de ratos e não podíamos deixar de comentar o churrasco da semana que aconteceu em Estrasburgo, vulgo datacenter da OVH."

https://podcastubuntuportugal.org/e134/

Late Night Linux: Episode 116

"Graham tries to argue that NFTs are sometimes good, SUSE prepares IPO, Canonical gets friendly with Google, Konvergence in KDE Korner, and more."

https://latenightlinux.com/late-night-linux-episode-116/

Meeting Reports

Upcoming Meetings and Events

  • Developer Membership Board: Mon, March 22, 7pm – 8pm
  • Desktop Team: Tue, March 23, 2:30pm – 3:30pm
  • Technical Board: Tue, March 23, 8pm – 9pm
  • Ubuntu Foundations: Thu, March 25, 3pm – 4pm

Times shown are UTC. For more details and farther dates please visit: https://fridge.ubuntu.com/calendars/

Updates and Security for 16.04, 18.04, 20.04, and 20.10

Security Updates

Ubuntu 16.04 Updates

End of Standard Support: April 2021

Ubuntu 18.04 Updates

End of Standard Support: April 2023

Ubuntu 20.04 Updates

End of Standard Support: April 2025

Ubuntu 20.10 Updates

End of life: July 2021

Subscribe

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Archive

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

Further News

As always you can find more Ubuntu news and announcements at:

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter.

See you next week!

Credits

The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter is brought to you by:

  • Krytarik Raido
  • Bashing-om
  • Chris Guiver
  • Wild Man
  • And many others

Glossary of Terms

Other acronyms can be found at: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/glossary

Get Involved

The Ubuntu community consists of individuals and teams, working on different aspects of the distribution, giving advice and technical support, and helping to promote Ubuntu to a wider audience. No contribution is too small, and anyone can help. It's your chance to get in on all the community fun associated with developing and promoting Ubuntu. More on this at: https://community.ubuntu.com/contribute/

Or get involved with the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter team! We always need summary writers and editors, if you're interested, learn more at: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Join

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 check https://community.ubuntu.com/help-information/ for more information on where to get help.

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UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue675 (last edited 2021-03-22 19:44:28 by bashing-om)