Issue70

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WORK IN PROGRESS

Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 70 for the week December 9th - December 15th, 2007. In this issue we cover...

UWN Translations

In This Issue

General Community News

Canonical Releases Version 1.0 of Bazaar Version Control Tool for Efficient Developer Collaboration

Canonical Ltd., the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu and Bazaar projects, today announced the general availability of Bazaar 1.0, a version control system enabling multiple, distributed developers to contribute to software projects independently in a controlled, managed way. "Bazaar is designed for global teams of collaborating developers," said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu project. "A large open source project like Ubuntu requires an extremely intuitive, robust and flexible version control system to accommodate hundreds of people working on shared code. “Bazaar is designed to support models of collaboration that have emerged since the Internet came to dominate software development practices,” said Martin Pool, project leader of Bazaar. “We set ourselves the challenge of creating a tool that open source developers will love to use, and have been delighted with the reception Bazaar is getting in both the commercial and free software communities.” http://www.ubuntu.com/news/bazaar-v1-release

Countdown to Hardy Alpha 2

The second alpha for Hardy Heron is scheduled for Thursday, December 20. Given the success of the self-imposed freeze used for Alpha 1, Ubuntu will continue with this policy for Alpha 2. This milestone is intended to be used for tracking bugs that must be fixed in order for the alpha release to happen. As with previous Alpha version from Ubuntu, this release version is not intended for production machines. Developers are encouraged to visit the link to find out more about the schedule and bug assignments. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-announce/2007-December/000361.html

New MOTU Member

Till Kamppeter is Ubuntu's resident printing guru and newest MOTU member. He also participates on the following teams: Launchpad Beta Testers, Ubuntu Bug Control Team and the Ubuntu Printing Team. MOTU welcomes Till and looks forward to working with him. http://launchpad.net/~till-kamppeter

New Member

ardchoille volunteers his time in #ubuntu, #kubuntu, and other channels, on the Freenode irc network. He also provides support on the Ubuntu Forums, submit bugs to launchpad, and edit/proofread articles on the Ubuntu Wiki and Ubuntu Documentation websites. Spending a bit of time promoting Ubuntu/Kubuntu has helped over 200 people and businesses in his area switch to Linux from other operating systems since 2003. https://launchpad.net/~ardchoille42

LoCo News

New in Gutsy Gibbon

Launchpad News

Ubuntu Forum News

Ubuntu Forums Interviews

Mike is one of the forums admins and a Ubuntu Forums Council and Community Council member. He's worked on outlining the Forums Council, merging ubuntuforums into the official Ubuntu framework and is among some of the most influential people in the Ubuntu structure. Please read the complete interview here : http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2007/12/14/an-interview-with-mike/

In The Press

  • Get started with Linux - In the past, if you didn’t want to buy a computer with Windows installed, your choices were rather limited. Specifically, there was a choice between buying an Apple Mac and installing Linux on a bare PC. If the idea of a Mac didn’t appeal, then a fair amount of technical knowledge and nerve was needed to install Linux. However, this has changed. Not only is Linux a lot more user-friendly, but some companies, including Dell, now sell PCs with Linux instead of Windows pre-installed. Switching on a Linux PC for the first time may be a little disorientating as many options are in different places. Follow this guide and find your feet quickly and easily with the Ubuntu version of Linux. http://www.itweek.co.uk/computeractive/features/2205367/box-linux-pc

  • An Introduction to Ubuntu: Could this free, open-source operating system be in your nonprofit's future? - A free, stable, and secure operating system that you can try out risk-free? Open-source operating system Ubuntu comes at a tempting price and offers many of the advantages of popular commercial operating systems such as Windows and OS X. But do its potential drawbacks — manual installation and possible compatibility issues — outweigh its many benefits? Ubuntu is equally well-suited to the server as it is to the desktop or laptop. It can very capably perform a variety of functions, including: Everyday office tasks, Web development, and Server tasks. How do you determine if Ubuntu is right for your organization? First, consider what you would like to improve about your current IT setup. If the answer is nothing, then there is no reason to switch. Howevfer, if cutting licensing cost or an interest in functionality, flexibility. or stability are important, you might consider trying Ubuntu. http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page7858.cfm

  • The World Series of Linux: Round 3, The Championship - CMP Channel Test Center conducted its first-ever World Series of Linux, looking at six desktop distributions of the Open Source OS. In the final smack down, it was Ubuntu vs. Fedora. The final round went through seven innings: installation, networking, creating and managing users, accessing networked Windows shares using Samba, installing third-party software, accessing a handheld device, and connecting to a wireless network. Both distro's passed every test but connecting to the network. But because Ubuntu was able to install the ndiswrapper and and connect to the network in an easy fashion, it won the smack down. Please read the whole article to get a more in depth look at this battle of the Linux distro's. http://www.crn.com/software/204802209?pgno=1

  • Review: Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon takes on Mac OS X Leopard for the OS of the Year - The stereotype for each OS is well known: Mac OS X is elegant, easy-to-use, and intuitive, while Ubuntu is stable, secure, and getting better all the time. Both have come a long way in a short time, and both make excellent desktops. So we have two great desktop operating systems out at roughly the same time. So does Leopard eat up Ubuntu? Or does Ubuntu trounce Leopard? It depends on your needs. If you're a student with no money, go for a decent cheap PC and put Ubuntu on it. If you value freedom above all else, then it's obvious-- Linux is the only way to go. If you're heading into a future in multimedia, you're gonna want a Mac. If your life revolves around your iPod and your iPhone, you need a Mac. If you have the money, I would recommend buying a Mac with at least 2 GB of RAM and then immediately installing a virtualization solution that will let you run Ubuntu along with any other OS you might want. http://www.linux-mag.com/id/4641/

In The Blogosphere

  • Hands-On With Everex's $200 gPC - Everex's stock in trade is delivering decent technology at rock-bottom prices. Its $200 gPC, available immediately, offers a no-gimmicks machine for a song. But is it any good? gOS is based on the most recent distribution of Ubuntu Linux, and runs well on the gPC, which has a 1.5GHz Via C7 CPU, an 80GB hard drive and 512MB of RAM. In a couple of hours of use, no stability problems presented themselves, and the Unix underbelly stayed more or less out of sight, save for the occasional information pop-up. First impressions are of a serviceable desktop PC with bulletproof security and a pleasant, simplified feel. For those wanting to do more with their computer than surf the web, check e-mail and basic productivity, however, it's obviously won't be of much interest. http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/11/hands-on-with-e.html

  • Top 10 New and Improved Apps of 2007 - There's no better time than now to switch to a free operating system with the latest release of "Linux for humans," Ubuntu 7.10 (code-named "Gutsy Gibbon"). The best Ubuntu yet for average users, Gutsy includes built-in WPA detection, the ability to read/write Windows drives (hello dual boot), quick multimedia setup and built-in Compiz Fusion for customizing your desktop to the hilt. Coming in at #4, Ubuntu 7.10 get a "Most Improved Operating System" acknowledgement. http://lifehacker.com/software/lifehacker-top-10/top-10-new-and-improved-apps-of-2007-332617.php

  • Five days of Ubuntu Linux - This author takes on the ends and outs of his Ubuntu experience and the conclusions he comes to. Covered are Installation, Boot Up, Hardware, Software, The Desktop, and Emulation. Everything received high marks, except emulation which had mixed results. Daniel's verdict: "I'm definitely going to stick with it. The impression I definitely get is that although it may not be the best OS for gaming - or, the limited retro gaming I've tried so far - it certainly beats Windows in terms of speed, reliability and aesthetics. There seemed to be open source software for everything I needed to do, and I didn't have to compile or manually install once. If you've been avoiding Linux for the 'gurus-only' stereotype, now may be a good time to try a distribution like Ubuntu. It's not perfect quite yet - but it's a damned good alternative to Windows, at any rate." http://bluesuncorp.co.uk/2007/12/04/five-days-of-ubuntu-linux

  • The Big Three of Linux: Looking ahead to 2008 - Ubuntu has become the desktop user’s Linux of choice in the past three years and shows no signs of slowing down. Canonical understands what Novell does not, and that is marketing. The marketing machine behind Ubuntu has been working non-stop. Additionally, it does not hurt that Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical’s founder and CEO, is as charismatic as Steve Jobs and is forming deals with independent hardware vendors that results in Ubuntu being offered by the likes of Dell on their laptops and desktops. Canonical is correct in that their next move should be to penetrate the server market. The ultimate achievement would be when Canonical finally creates an Active Directory-like system to integrate its server OS and desktop OS into a single, manageable environment. http://enterpriselinuxlog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/12/12/the-big-three-of-linux-a-52-week-view/

In Other News

Canonical releases Version 1.0 of 'Bazaar' version control tool

Open-source projects often face the problem of keeping track of a project's code, while avoiding stifling developers' creativity. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux, claims it has a solution to that problem: Bazaar 1.0, its new version control system. Shuttleworth explained, "A large open-source project like Ubuntu requires an extremely intuitive, robust and flexible version control system to accommodate hundreds of people working on shared code. But distributed software engineering is not limited to the open-source world: corporate and proprietary software development is increasingly done by teams that span companies, continents and time-zones and need the ability to manage their work in an efficient distributed fashion." http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS7185318863.html

eeeXubuntu

eeeXubuntu is a custom version of the Xubuntu 7.10 Live CD with fully-integrated hardware support, including native wireless drivers, functioning Ethernet support, tweaks for low-resolution desktop environments, and other miscellaneous fixes. Wherever possible, these changes are incorporated using custom .deb packages rather than spewing assorted files all over post-install. eeeXubuntu is not a distribution. It is not a fork of Xubuntu specifically for the eee. Rather, it is a refinement on the Ubuntu install process for this CD-less form factor and hardware configuration. eeeXubuntu should work within Ubuntu's package management system whenever possible. Scripts are fine, but they should be atomic, reliable, and consider the upgrade path for the machine. The eeePC is a crossover device. It comes with Linux; for many people, it might be their first exposure to Linux. http://wiki.eeeuser.com/ubuntu:eeexubuntu:home http://wiki.eeeuser.com/ubuntu:eeexubuntu:development

Meetings and Events

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Server Team meeting

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Desktop Team Development Meeting

Friday, December 21, 2007

MOTU Q&A session

  • Start: 13:00 UTC
  • End: 14:00 UTC
  • Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-classroom
  • Agenda: No agenda listed as of the publication

Community Spotlight

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-marketing/2007-December/002618.html

Updates and security for 6.06, 6.10, 7.04, and 7.10

Security Updates

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Updates

Ubuntu 6.10 Updates

Ubuntu 7.04 Updates

Ubuntu 7.10 Updates

Bug Stats

  • Open (38046) +50 # over last week
  • Critical (20) +/-0 # over last week
  • Unconfirmed (19393) -28 # over last week
  • Unassigned (28433) -142 # over last week
  • All bugs ever reported (140246) +1088 # over last week

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

Infamous Bugs

Translation Stats

  1. Spanish (27845) -280 # over last week
  2. French (40844) +/-0 # over last week
  3. Swedish (55305) +/-0 # over last week
  4. English-UK (46909) -5 # over last week
  5. German (67398) +4 # over last week

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

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