Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #113 Part 2

Submitted by k4tz on Tue, 10/21/2008 - 13:49

LoCo News

Ohio LinuxFest 2008

The Ubuntu-US-OH team was in full swing for the Ohio LinuxFest 2008. The booth was crowded for most of the conference, and it was a great opportunity to introduce new users to Ubuntu and Linux in general. One particular moment that was very interesting was when Jono Bacon asked who in the audience (of around a thousand) used Ubuntu, and 90% of the attendees raised their hands.

Thanks go to vorian for setting up the booth the night before, Derath for getting System 76 and Hackett & Bankwell on board, Delvien for working the booth and helping out the new users, System76 for providing demo laptops and discount coupons, and Canonical for all of the free swag and marketing materials!

http://jacob.peddicord.net/blog/

SFD Tunisia 2008

This year the Tunisian Software Freedom Day 2008 will be held on October 29th in the El Ghazala technology center. The delay from September 20th is due to that date coinciding with the month of Ramadan. This will be the first public event for the newly approved Tunisian LoCo Team. They will be distributing Ubuntu CDs, holding a mini-install party, as well as other Ubuntu activities. For further information, contact the Tunisian LoCo Team: http://www.ubuntu-tn.org/

Launchpad News

Launchpad 2.1.10 released

The Launchpad team is excited to announce the release of Launchpad 2.1.10! New features include:

  • Slashing branch upload times: With this release, the team has introduced support for Bazaar’s new stacked branches feature. Stacked branches mean that uploading a large project’s code to Launchpad can now take just a couple of minutes. To use it, you need to upgrade your branches to Bazaar format 1.6 and run Bazaar 1.7 or later.
  • This bug affects me too: If you’ve ever come to file a bug and found that it’s already been reported, you may have wanted to let the project know that you too have been affected. However, many projects find “me too” comments unhelpful because they don’t add much to the discussion. Launchpad’s new “This bug affects me too” feature lets you record just that, but without the guilt!

Getting help with Launchpad - Each weekday, members of the Launchpad team are taking turns to offer help with Launchpad. Check the #launchpad channel topic, or their wiki page to see who’s on duty.

http://news.launchpad.net/general/la...branch-uploads

Launchpod espisode #11

Hosts Matthew Revell, Graham Binns and Joey Stanford present Launchpod episode #11

  • Launchpad teams: Each weekday, a member of the Launchpad team is available to help you with your Launchpad queries. A discussion of their new help rotation. https://help.launchpad.net/HelpRotation
  • Martin Albisetti discusses his new role looking after Launchpad’s UI, and also talks about the team’s vision for the future of Launchpad’s web interface.
  • Stuart Metcalfe talks about the Drupal plugin he’s created that allows Drupal sites to grant additional permissions to users based on their Launchpad team memberships. It’s now in action on the Ubuntu Fridge.

Download ogg vorbis file here: http://www.archive.org/download/Laun...1-20081013.ogg

Get the podcast feed here: http://news.launchpad.net/category/podcast/feed

http://news.launchpad.net/podcast/la...community-help

In The Press

  • Dell Launches Consumer Advertising for Ubuntu Linux PCs - The Var Guy reports that Dell is advertising computers with Ubuntu. Many U.S. newspapers ran the add on Sunday, October 12th, as part of a multi-page Dell flier.[1] The Dell Mini 9, is a sub-notebook aimed at students and business professionals. Like other Netbook manufacturers, Dell offers the Mini 9 with a choice of Linux or Windows. These advertisements however, do not mention the Microsoft Windows option at all. The Var Guy references Work With U 1000 to show that the use of Ubuntu is growing in corporate settings. [1] http://www.thevarguy.com/wp-content/...tu-cropped.jpg http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/10/13/...ntu-linux-pcs/
  • 1000+ Free Ubuntu Apps - Appnr is a web interface that lets users search and browse Ubuntu programs by category, and popularity. When you find the program you need, you can just click on the "Install" button to get it. All applications are pulled from the Ubuntu repositories already available on the user's computer, so there is no problem with compatibility. Appnr setup: http://blog.appnr.com/help/ Appnr web interface: http://appnr.com/ http://www.technobuzz.net/1000-free-ubuntu-apps/
  • NSW considers giving students Linux laptops - Fran Foo reports on a move by the government of New South Wales, Australia. The NSW government is considering placing $56 million worth of computers, loaded with non-proprietary software such as Edubuntu, with secondary school students. In briefing papers sent to NSW Labor Party politicians, and school principals two weeks ago, students will also have access to thousands of other open source educational programs. A Microsoft Australia spokesperson said the company had not seen the document and could not comment. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/...-15306,00.html
  • Linux and Laptop Screen Resolutions - J.A. Watson has been looking into the problem that Linux has with screen resolutions, and found a pleasant surprise. It used to be that Linux "didn't get it right". Now, Mandriva has managed to get the resolution just as he wants it by default, and when he adds another screen, it gives the best possible solution for a mirrored screen. Ubuntu doesn't do the same thing as well, using the highest resolution that they both share. However, Ubuntu with mirrored screens unchecked, does optimizes each screen to its best possible resolution. Watson's conclusion is that between the two distributions, there have been major improvements. http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,...498448b,00.htm
  • Open source's usability challenge - From the staff of ZDNet UK, this article defines the difference between functionality and usability. Products may mimic each other in functionality, but how usable are they? When it comes to open source, the concern is that it appears to lack someone with the vision of what usability actually means and how to achieve it. Without that spark of creativity, open source will give its competitors a free ride. http://www.builderau.com.au/program/...9292604,00.htm
  • Ubuntu 8.10 Has a Brand New Wallpaper - Marius Nestor reports on his disappointment with the wallpaper that has been offered in the Alpha and Beta releases of Intrepid Ibex. Ubuntu 8.10 had promised to have a new, and breathtaking theme. However, the first theme was dark, the second was a rehash of the Human Murrine theme, and then came dots. On October 10th, a new theme was released that better represents the Intrepid Ibex, and an alternative has been suggested. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ubunt...er-95451.shtml
  • History of Ubuntu, from Warthog to Ibex - From Sizlopedia comes a brief history of Ubuntu, starting with Ubuntu 4.10, Warty Warthog, in October of 2004. Complete with some screen graphics of each release, the main thrust of each release is noted in a brief blurb. This brief history follows the chief advances made in Ubuntu, and its included applications. http://www.sizlopedia.com/2008/10/18...rthog-to-ibex/

In The Blogosphere

  • Xubuntu Intrepid Beta Mini Walkthrough - Intrepid is another “robust and excellent” offering by the Xubuntu team. The reviewer ran the beta build on a Hardy machine using VirtualBox with only 180 MB of RAM, and was impressed with it's performance. Even though not in the beta release, the “last successful boot” option is slated for the final build. Xubuntu Intrepid also comes with pre-boot authentication, and full volume encryption. In addition, Dell's Dynamic Kernel Module Support is included, allowing new kernel drivers to be rebuilt without waiting for driver package rebuild. Xubuntu knocked this blogger off his feet with it's speed, beauty, and ease of use. http://nosecurity.wordpress.com/2008...i-walkthrough/
  • Buying a Netbook? Think Linux - Many netbook buyers are unwilling to consider running Linux due to it’s unfamiliarity. Matthew McKenzie in the bMighty.com blog thinks that Linux is the best choice for the netbook crowd. The Ubuntu OS installed on Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 netbook includes OpenOffice, while the XP netbook does not. OS upgrades are another issue, there are no upgrade options for XP, while Ubuntu distributes a major update every six months. XP also suffers from poor read/write performance on solid-state disks that are included on many netbooks. Exceptions certainly exist, but it appears that Linux is the OS of choice for the netbook platform. http://www.bmighty.com/blog/main/arc..._a_netboo.html
  • Why Ubuntu Then? - Why, with so many other Linux distributions to choose from, should you choose Ubuntu? Ubuntu is easy to install, typically with just a few mouse clicks. Ubuntu is easy to use, and the interface is very Windows-like, which will make newcomers feel at ease. Ubuntu is based on Debian's package system, and through tools like Synaptic, users have access to more software than they'll know what to do with. Ubuntu is also up to date thanks to its six month release schedule, but not so bleeding edge as to release packages before they're ready. Ubuntu is dependable, robust, and desktop user-oriented. The result of these factors is a system that is up to date and comfortable for average users with little, or no modification! http://computingtech.blogspot.com/20...untu-then.html
  • Switch to Ubuntu Linux not Apple Mac OS - Prosenjit Bhattacharyya notes that for the past few years Apple has seen an increase in its laptop business, due mostly to the failure of the Vista operating system. Many reports have been published telling people why they should consider switching to the Mac OS, but no reports have surfaced that show the merits of switching to Linux. While there are many distributions available, Ubuntu and Kubuntu quickly emerge as the best options. Current Ubuntu versions are sturdy, have very good user interfaces, and are intuitive. Hardware support is outstanding, and in some areas it surpasses the support of Mac's OSX operating system. Ubuntu offers commercial support, personalization options, ease of use, robustness, and security. Mac OS does not offer this flexibility. http://prosenjit23.wordpress.com/200...-apple-mac-os/

In Other News

Ubuntu UK Podcast 16 - I Can Help

Laura Cowen, Alan Pope, Dave Walker and Tony Whitmore present the sixteenth episode of the Ubuntu Podcast from the UK Local Community Support Team.

In this episode:

  • A discussion about the conflict between Ubuntu and Kubuntu
  • A catch up after our backup segment in episode fifteen.
  • We talk about remote support solutions
    • No Machine
    • Gitso
    • YuuGuu
    • italc
  • All New Chunky Sarcastic News
    • Oliver Grawert announces new Ubuntu Mobile images.
    • Soren Hansen releases a new version of his VM Builder tool.
    • Major bug in the Linux Kernel shipped with 8.10 causes some Intel network cards to break
    • Intel shows off booting Linux in under 5 seconds.
    • WikiPedia moves to Ubuntu on 400 servers.
    • Sun releases VirtualBox version 2.
    • Jono announces the winners of the Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase competition.
    • MSI announces disappointing return rate for Linux based netbooks.
  • We announce the winner of the competition.
  • A new competition to win a Canonical Store voucher.
  • We receive lots of great feedback, including plenty (both positive and negative) about our previous Backup and 5-a-day segments.

http://podcast.ubuntu-uk.org/2008/10...16-i-can-help/

Canonical Publishes ATI Catalyst 8.10 Beta

Michael Larabel reports that Ubuntu users of ATI cards will have better support in the upcoming Ubuntu 8.10. Canonical has a beta release of the Catalyst Linux driver that supports the ATI R600/700 graphics processor (Radeon HD 2000 series and later). This driver supports the X Server 1.5. This driver is not yet available to ATI's customers through their driver web-site, but is part of the fglrx 8.54 release stream. http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...lyst_811&num=1

Inspiron Mini 12 pops up on Dell's website: it's a done deal (almost)

According to Darren Murph at Engadget there is evidence of a 12 inch mini in the future. Documentation on the Dell site, such as User Manual, Setup Guide, and Troubleshooting documents, give a fairly good overview of what to expect. A choice of an Intel Atom Z520, or Z530 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth/WiFi, optional WWAN, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, audio in/out, and a 12.1-inch display with 1,280 x 800 resolution. It is expected that Ubuntu will be a choice for the Mini 12 OS. http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/15/i...-done-deal-al/

The "CAUV 2008"

Students at Cambridge University built an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (CAUV 2008), for the Student Autonomous Underwater Challenge - Europe (SAUC-E). An extensive list of parts, and images of the CAUV 2008 are a part of the report, and it is noted that they used the Ubuntu Server 8.04, for software debugging. http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/cauv2008/

BlankOn Minimalist to Gnome Asia Summit

The BlankOn[1] operating system is based on Ubuntu, but adjusted for Indonesian users, and especially for schools and media. A presentation of BlankOn Minimalist was developed by Muhammad Takdir, and was scheduled for the Gnome Asia Summit taking place at Beihang University. Unfortunately, Muhammad wasn't able to attend.

[1]http://blankonlinux.or.id/ (Website is in Indonesian)

http://kipas.wordpress.com/2008/10/1...e-asia-summit/

 

PART 1 PART 3

 

Source: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=953005

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Submitted by Visitor on Sat, 12/19/2009 - 05:27.

Really good facts