Issue88

Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 88 for the weeks April 20th - April 26th, 2008. In this issue we cover: Hardy Heron Release Parties, Ubuntu 8.04 press release translations, Open Week, Forum Interviews & Tutorials, Preinstalled Ubuntu PCs for Russia, Ubuntu UK Podcast, Full Circle Magazine, Team Meeting Summaries, 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 8.04 Released!
  • Hardy Heron Release Parties
  • Ubuntu Open Week
  • Ubuntu 8.04 Press Release Translations
  • Northeast Louisiana Regional Ham RadioFest

  • Full Circle Magazine Issue #12
  • Ubuntu Stats & Bugs

  • Ubuntu Forum News & Tutorials

  • In the Press & Blogosphere

  • In Other News
  • Team Meeting Summaries
  • Upcoming Meetings & Events

  • Updates & Security

General Community News

Ubuntu 8.04 Released!

Canonical, Ltd. announces the release of it's newest operating system. Ubuntu 8.04 Long Term Support (LTS) provides a stable platform for software and hardware vendors, developers and users. With three years of support and maintenance on the desktop, 8.04 LTS is a great choice for large-scale deployment. A substantial and growing ecosystem of free and commercial software built for Ubuntu provides a rich set of choices for desktop users. This is the eighth desktop release of Ubuntu. http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-8.04-lts-desktop

Hardy Heron Release Parties

Hardy Heron is official and the LoCo parties are now in full swing. Don't miss out on the excitment, find the release party nearest to you by clicking on the link. As long as you're going, fill your vehicle with other folks, and let them in on the "Good Times". https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardyReleaseParties

Ubuntu Open Week Monday, 28 April to Saturday, 3 May

The always popular Ubuntu Open Week returns this month. We welcome everyone from all walks of life, distros, skills, opinions and curiosities to come along and get involved. The aim of the week is to help grow the Ubuntu community, and we have an awesome set of topics ready for you to attend. If you’ve considered getting involved in Ubuntu and don’t know where to start, then this is a great opportunity to jump in.

Sessions will cover main topics, including Reporting and Triaging bugs, Building Upstream Kernels, Kubuntu Development (including KDE4!), Bazaar, Packaging 101, Ubuntu Mobile, Merging Packages, Launchpad Personal Packaging Archives, Ubuntu Server, Security, Xubuntu, Community Q+A, Packaging Firefox Extensions, Artwork, Producing Podcasts, Training, Preseeding d-i/Ubiquity, the Future of Ubuntu Desktop, Community support with the Forums, Python Packaging, Ask Mark, Wubi, Unwinding Stacktraces, Documentation, and much more!

The schedule is located at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek.

Ubuntu 8.04 Press Release Translation

Follow the link to find translations of the press release for Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 LTS in many languages. http://fridge.ubuntu.com/node/1409

Ubuntu Stats

Bug Stats

  • Open (43907) +697 # over last week
  • Critical (28) -3 # over last week
  • Unconfirmed (21670) +673 # over last week
  • Unassigned (34665) +935 # over last week
  • All bugs ever reported (176152) +2404 # 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 Hardy

This is the top 5, not specific languages, so the languages might change week to week.

  • Spanish (16164 )
  • French (39682)
  • English-UK (50139)
  • Swedish (53028)
  • Brazilian Portuguese (67946)

Remaining strings to translate in Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron," see more at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/hardy/

Ubuntu Forums Interviews

Tutorial of the Week

  • Last week tutorial of note was the massive and detailed "How to make a live CD/DVD from your hard disk installation" by capink. If you've ever wanted a customized version of Ubuntu, or if you just want a portable mimic of the system you use at home, this tutorial might be of interest. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=688872

  • For this week, the highlighted tutorial is Stormbringer's voluminous "HOWTO: Setup Samba peer-to-peer with Windows". This one has lots of step-by-step instructions, code boxes and sample configuration files, and should give you a big boost if you need to network machines with different operating systems. It also has a lot of links, in case you need more information about Samba and how it works. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=202605

LoCo News

Northeast Louisiana Regional Ham RadioFest

The Louisiana LoCo team had a booth at the Northeast Louisiana Regional Ham RadioFest on Saturday April 26th. They passed out cds, stickers, flyers and had a giveaway that included Ubuntu t-shirts, and two complete computers running Ubuntu Hardy Heron. There was a lot of interest in Ubuntu by the attendees and many people were excited to try out the latest version. In addition to the booth, the team also held a presentation followed by a Q&A session with good attendance. Everyone was excited and receptive. At the end of the day the team got a chance to relax at the release party and enjoy some good food and fellowship. It was a very successful day. A special thank you to all those team members who were able to attend and help out with the booth, it wouldn't have been possible without you!

In The Press

  • Canonical seeks partners, certifications for Ubuntu 8.04 - Canonical Ltd. is betting that its latest Ubuntu release, now available, will attract more partner support and build credibility with business accounts. This is the first Ubuntu release to really focus on garnering third-party support from hardware and software vendors. Mark Shuttleworth told SearchITChannel.com. "The essential ingredient for us to migrate from being an exciting community phenomenon to being a commercial phenomenon is certification. Integrator and VAR partners can make real money selling and implementing what many see as free software. 500 organizations have registered as Ubuntu service providers, and ideally we want to work with them in partnership. We provide some services -- escalation support that gets you to the developers -- and we offer the channel the opportunity to resell that. They can also offer their own direct support." http://searchitchannel.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid96_gci1310488,00.html

  • Ubuntu 'reaping Linux dividend' - The public perception of open source software is changing fast, says Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Ubuntu. "The success of the Asus Eee PC and the work of the One Laptop Per Child program have driven up awareness of open source. We have seen a real shift in the last six months from folks seeing open source as being only for people who run data centers, or as an enthusiast thing, to something which is energizing the straight commercial PC industry. Most of the growth in users is from people buying a device that comes with Ubuntu pre-installed, or wanting an alternative for a second or older computer". He described the latest version of Ubuntu, dubbed Hardy Heron, as "perhaps our most significant ever". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7358483.stm

  • Ubuntu's Hardy Heron is here - With the April 24 release of Ubuntu 8.04 (code named Hardy Heron), Canonical will ship its second LTS, (long term support) version. Hardy Heron comes in two builds, one with packages oriented around server use (Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition) and another around desktop applications (Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition). Ubuntu's release schedule is currently configured to have an LTS release about every two years with non-LTS releases filling in the gap about every six months. Certain releases are designated LTS to give hardware and software manufacturers longer cycles for their certification process. Both LTS and non-LTS releases can be downloaded and distributed at no charge with the option for a support subscription also available in both cases.http://www.cnet.com/8301-13556_1-9925358-61.html

  • Hardy Heron reflects Ubuntu Linux ambitions - Hardy Heron, is Canonical's "proof-in-the-pudding" moment that will show whether the company can grow beyond its subsidized roots into a self-sustaining business. "Ubuntu will require continuing investment from me and from others. We are on a trajectory that will make the company sustainable," Shuttleworth said. What is a surprise to Shuttleworth, is that the desktop version is financially more significant than the version for servers. "The desktop contributes more to Canonical's bottom line than the server. The server business is still Canonical's primary focus for support revenue, but the company has been getting paid for desktop and consumer-electronics work." http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9924912-39.html?tag=newsmap

  • Ubuntu Linux takes on enterprise server market with new OS - Linux vendor Ubuntu is firmly aiming its long-awaited, enterprise-ready server operating system at the world of business computing. This isn't Ubuntu's first server release, but this is the first one that is truly enterprise-ready. It has a full specification sheet of features needed in complex business IT shops, including support for virtualization, enhanced performance and certification on an assortment of hardware from Sun Microsystems Inc. Ubuntu Linux founder Mark Shuttleworth said he knows there's a lot of competition in the enterprise marketplace. "We're modest about where we stand," Shuttleworth said. "We know we're a new entrant in that game and that we have a long way to go still. Ubuntu's focus will continue to be on the operating system, and will continue to work with partner ISVs that are the true creators of application innovations."http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=linux_and_unix&articleId=9079020&taxonomyId=122&intsrc=kc_top

In The Blogosphere

  • Is it lift off for Linux? - Darren Waters had a very interesting conversation with Mr Ubuntu, aka Mark Shuttleworth, at the end of last week. His main point was that Linux, and use of Ubuntu, was on the rise. According the Shuttleworth, " We are seeing a lot of innovation in the consumer electronics area - all driven by Linux. It suggests that Linux enables anyone to innovate. If you look at all the innovation in internet itself, which is largely powered by free software, and then if you look at the innovation placed on top of that - everything from YouTube to Facebook, eBay, Amazon, Google - these extraordinarily innovative technology companies are really powered by free software. Now, we are seeing innovation happening on things that every day consumers use, like Firefox."http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/04/is_it_lift_off_for_linux.html

  • Nokia Internet Tablets get Ubuntu and Qt - Nokia is actively sponsoring an Ubuntu ARM port that will bring the popular Linux distribution to Nokia's Internet Tablet devices. The ARM Ubuntu builds, which are being developed by Ubuntu's Handheld Mojo team, can be tested in QEMU or run from an SD card in an actual Internet Tablet device.http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2008/04/23/nokia-internet-tablets-get-ubuntu-and-qt

  • An Apple User Tries Ubuntu - As James Maguire sat down to Ubuntu, he was curious about the dreaded command line. Would it suck him into the dark swirling abyss of Geeksterism? In a word, no. It turns out the command line is completely optional. If you don’t want to mess with it, Ubuntu lets you use point and click for everything. Major relief. He found the Ubuntu interface to be intuitive and straight forward. After checking out Open Office, he realized something pretty shocking: there’s no appreciable difference between Word, which costs serious cash, and Open Office, which is totally free. Firing up Firefox he was, again, seriously impressed. "I have never seen the Internet run so fast. Ubuntu makes the grade. A good laptop running Ubuntu is a fast, fully productive machine that works for home or office. Because it does everything that Windows does – and does it for free – I assume that in the long run it will encroach on (or devour?) the Windows market share." http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/osrc/article.php/12068_3742066_2

In Other News

Linux Ubuntu PCs set for sale in Russia

Within a month, several Russian companies will start installing the popular Linux Ubuntu OS on PCs, according to Vladimir Kryukov, Canonical representative in EMEA. Strictly speaking, Canonical partners in Saratov, Samara, Taganrog, Biysk and Nizhny Novgorod are already selling PCs with Ubuntu preinstalled, while other rather large companies are going to join them in the near future. A contract has been signed with Excimer, and negotiations are being held with NT Computer. According to Mr. Kryukov, several companies are likely to join in. Slightly less than 50 thousand computers with Ubuntu preinstalled were sold in Russia over the past year. According to Mr. Kryukov’s optimistic forecasts that number might expand to 300 thousand by the end of 2008. http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2008/04/23/298333

Ubuntu UK Podcast episode four: Such An Easy Question

Ciemon Dunville, Alan Pope, Dave Walker and Tony Whitmore present the fourth episode of the Ubuntu UK Podcast.

  • Unix/Linux Malware & Security precautions.

  • Interview with Ian Ozsvald from Showmedo.
  • A short phone call from Mark Shuttleworth.
  • Red Hat Skips Consumer Linux Desktop
  • MySQL/Sun Add proprietary code to MySQL
  • Trivia competition - we have coupons for the Canonical Store to give away!

http://podcast.ubuntu-uk.org/2008/04/23/s01e04-such-an-easy-question/

Full Circle Magazine Issue #12

Full Circle - the Independent Magazine for the Ubuntu Linux Community are proud to announce the release of our twelfth issue.

This month:

  • Flavour of the Year - How Ubuntu and Kubuntu have matured in twelve months.
  • How-To : Creating & Distributing Deb files, Ubuntu Disk Usage, Backup with Partimage, Using GIMP Part 1 and Create Your Own Server Part 4.

  • Review of Wiki on a Stick.
  • Letters, Q&A, MyDesktop, Top5 and more!

Get It While It's Hot: http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-12

Meeting Summaries

Community Council

  • Meeting: April 15th:
    • Fixed Meeting times: Daniel Holbach is going to ask all CC members to agree on 1st Tuesday of the month 11:00 UTC and 3rd Tuesday of the month 20:00 UTC
    • Move-On date for Regional Membership Boards April 18th. Daniel to solicit outstanding feedback.
    • Updating CommunityCouncil/TeamReport now is a fixed agenda item. Daniel Holbach to get in touch with Team Councils to participate in TeamReports.

    • LoCo Council was agreed on. Loco Council members are to meet, set up meeting times, wiki pages, etc. and report back with that.

MOTU

  • Scott Ritchie patiently worked on Wine in Ubuntu for a long time. He has demonstrated he has all it takes to become a MOTU and joined the team.
  • In just 6 short months of being involved in the MOTU process, Andrea has displayed what it takes to be an outstanding member of the MOTU community. With an interest in games and science, Andrea wasn't fulfilled and has since then taken a liking to the QA process, spending countless amount of hours fixing FTBFS, unmetdeps, as well as library transitions, stuff you typically see seasoned MOTUs go after. It is this dedication that makes Andrea Colangelo a member of the MOTU community.
  • Having worked on Xubuntu quite a lot, we're happy to welcome Cody Somerville to the MOTU team.
  • After outstanding feedback from all people Morten Kjeldgaard worked with, he was deemed ready for MOTU membership.

Mentoring

  • warp10 is now a MOTU and offered himself as a Mentor. He has now been assigned two contributors, congratulations and thanks Andrea!
  • pitti is now mentoring mattismyname, thanks Martin, you ROCK!
  • dktrkrantz now mentors dudus, way to go Luca!
  • We have received six new requests for a mentor since the last report; we have now 11 contributors on our waiting list.

Mobile and Embedded

The full report is here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MobileAndEmbedded/ReportingPage

  • Visual improvements this month with work on:
    1. A Moko Finger Scroller
    2. rdesktop panning support
    3. cairo + xcompmgr
    4. interface integration for treb
  • Linked into this UI work is easier access for the backgrounds applet. If there are 10 or more photos in the backgrounds applet a slider to the right of the dialog allows the user to quickly move through them all. It also has a button on top that jumps to the first photo and a button on bottom that jumps to the last photo. Background images now load much faster.
  • It should now be fairly easy to create a lpia VM image; as a next step we fill it with moblin-image-creator's output and add some fset's for vmware and/or qemu support
  • Merged Firefox beta5 RC code into Midbrowser.
  • Some debate about the choice of Java runtime. We should use openjdk but the web plugin will still be gcj's and this is not feature complete
  • And, of course lots of bugfixing particularly on the now stabilized Moblin kernel

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Launchpad users meeting

Server Team Meeting

Updates and Security for 6.06, 6.10, 7.04, 7.10, and 8.04

Security Updates

  • None Reported

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Updates

Ubuntu 6.10 Updates

This will be the last report for this release.

Ubuntu 7.04 Updates

Ubuntu 7.10 Updates

Ubuntu 8.04 Updates

Beginning April 24, 2008

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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:

  • Nick Ali
  • John Crawford
  • Craig A. Eddy
  • And many others

Glossary of Terms

  1. SD card - Secure Digital memory Card.
  2. FTBFS - Fails To Build From Source.
  3. RC - Release Candidate

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.

UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue88 (last edited 2008-08-06 17:00:27 by localhost)