Distributions

News and Editorials

Eagle Linux

Eagle Linux is a distribution that boots and runs from floppy or CD-ROM, so you can take Linux with you where ever you go. No disk partitioning or installation necessary. Eagle Linux is also a learning tool, because you build the CD yourself, on the platform of your choice, using the 'How-To' which covers everything needed to create your unique distribution with free software.

Of course you'll need a working Linux system with Internet access and a CD burner to the create the Linux CD of your dreams. The instructions begin:
"To compile the kernel, first obtain the most recent kernel from somewhere such as http://www.kernel.org. It will be packaged as a .tar.gz in most cases, and you will want it to reside in /usr/src after download."

Eagle Linux seems like an ideal tool to teach computer science students about Linux and operating systems in general. A school project in which the student builds her own Linux CD, which could come in handy at the computer lab or the Internet cafe. The author of Eagle Linux, Michael P. Angelo, tells us the distribution has been tested in a university setting in both computer science and electrical engineering programs.

Eagle Linux 1.0 is Red Hat Linux-centric while Eagle Linux 2.0, due out in December, is based on Debian.

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Distribution News

Debian GNU/Linux

The Debian Weekly News for November 5 is out. It looks at the Debian potato security survey, Debian as an anarchist organization, the beginnings of the first Woody update, and numerous other topics.

Silicon Breeze has announced the new Debian Collection, featuring over 30 Debian swirls individually sculpted in gold, silver, turquoise and amber. This could be the first serious exhibition of a traditional art form available exclusively over the Internet, and inspired entirely by an Open Source project.

Linux Orbit has a HOWTO article on getting Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (a.k.a. ALSA) sound modules set up properly. The HOWTO shows you how to compile and install the ALSA kernel modules, and then setup things using the ALSA Debian script so that modules are automatically loaded and unloaded, and your mixer levels are saved and restored on boot up.

Here is a report on the first revision of the current stable Debian distribution (woody).

If you still have a Debian 2.2 (potato) system in service, please respond to the potato survey on now from the Debian Security Team.

In a nibble from the DDTP you can find out about the progress being made by the Debian Description Translation Project (DDTP).

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Mandrake Linux

Here's the Mandrake Linux Community Newsletter for October 31, 2002. "This Week's Summary: What's Cookin' at MandrakeSoft?; 9.0 Documentation Now Online; MandrakeClub Transgaming Discounts; Mandrake in the News; Spotlight on the OpenRouter Project; Website Watch; Mandrake Linux Users Survey; Software Updates; Headlines from MandrakeForum"

Mandrake has new printing-related packages available that offer many printing enhancements over those drivers provided with Mandrake Linux 9.0. Some improvements include a new driver for Lexmark Z11, a number of updated ghostscript drivers, a new version of HPIJS, a newer GIMP-Print which provides much better quality for most Epson Stylus printers, and many new printer drivers as well. Note: this advisory has an update out. The previous updates built ghostscript without the "cups" driver. That has been corrected in these new packages.

A new initscripts package is available that fixes problems with certain locales including pl, sq, fi, lv, ru, sk, and Danish translation encoding. This package also corrects some issues with wireless link detection.

A number of bugs present in samba versions prior to 2.2.6 were fixed. 2.2.6 is considered to be the final version of the 2.2.X series. We strongly suggest all users to upgrade to this version.

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Sony PVR Powered by MontaVista Linux

MontaVista Software announced that MontaVista Linux Professional Edition 2.1 is the chosen operating system for the CoCoon Channel Server, the new Internet-connected Personal Video Recorder (PVR) from Sony.

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OpenBSD

OpenBSD 3.2 has been released, with improved hardware support, major improvements in the pf packet filter, ever-improving security, and lots more.

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Slackware Linux

Slackware Linux has just a few changes to the current tree this week. See the week's changes below, or see the change log for full details.

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SuSE Linux Enterprise Server Validated for IBM DB2 Database Software

SuSE Linux announced that the SuSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) has proved itself as a powerful Linux platform for IBM`s DB2 Version 8 database software with SLES latest certification for DB2.

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New Distributions

DeLi Linux

DeLi Linux stands for "Desktop Light" Linux, a smaller desktop oriented distribution for older computers, from 486 to Pentium MMX 166 or so. DeLi is based on Slackware 7.1 and includes plenty of desktop software like email clients, graphical webbrowser, an office package with word processor and spreadsheet, and more. Yet a full install, including XFree and development tools, requires about 300 MB of hard disk space. DeLi uses the rocksolid 2.2.19 kernel for its stability and smaller size. Still very much in beta, version 0.1 was just released this week.

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uOS

uOS is a complete source based operating system, designed to be configured and built in a flexible way. First used in November 2002, uOS is still a very much a beta system, with lots of kinks to work out. Although the goal is to make uOS usable by everyeone it currently requires Unix expertise to install and to run. uOS is based on GCC 3.2 / GLIBC 2.3 / WOLK Linux Kernel / X 4.2.1. It supports the newest drivers as well as the newest compilers. Core components are available under the 4F Licensing system (compliant to DFSG and OSI guidelines for Free Software). Initial version 0.81 is available.

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Minor distribution updates

2-Disk Xwindow embedded Linux

2-Disk Xwindow embedded Linux has released v1.4rc802. This project disappeared from Freshmeat sometime in September 2002, but now it has resurfaced with a new home page.

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CLIC Linux

A new version of clustering project CLIC Phase1 has been released and is now available for download and testing.

The Register has an article about CLIC Linux. "The researchers on this project set out with the goal of developing super-computer power from a low cost base and the natural and most obvious place for them to start was with the ever present PC. They all knew the possibilities of tying together low cost machines to create a super-computing power and had seen it done before. Previously, though, the kind of software used to manage an environment like this was commercial. In this case it isn't."

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Haydar Linux Beta2

Haydar Linux has announced the release of Haydar Linux Beta2. This version of Haydar Linux will support Arabic, Dutch and English, OpenOffice 1.0 "With Arabic Support", KDE 3.0.4 and lots more.

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KNOPPIX

KNOPPIX has released v3.1-31-10-2002 with minor feature enhancements. "Changes: This release has better support for GeForce 4 graphics cards, Gideon (Kdevelop 3.0), a bugfix for the mtab problem, knx-hdinstall patches, and preparation of knoppix-terminalserver for etherboot and PXE (untested)." Knoppix is a versatile little distribution, Don't miss "Knoppix makes a great GUI installer for Debian", a LinuxWorld article in the review section of this page.

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MoviX

MoviX has released v0.6 with minor feature enhancements. "Changes: A few new features have been added, including playlists, WMV and ASF formats, and DVD playback. Instructions are also provided for building a bootable CD with Nero for Windows users. A console mixer (nmixer) has been included for adjusting the audio levels." MoviX2, a closely related distribution with a multimedia focus, released v0.2.1 with bug fixes.

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uClinux

uClinux has released v2.5.45-uc1 with a new kernel configuration.

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Warewulf

Warewulf has released v1.4 with major feature enhancements. "Changes: The entire monitoring subsystem was written to use UDP for node stats, and TCP for user clients to communicate with daemon. This feature will allow Warewulf to scale much better, and have less system overhead."

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Distribution reviews

Halloween Review: Evil Entity Linux, A Desktop Distribution with Attitude

Here's an article on Linux Orbit which takes a look at Evil Entity Linux DR 0.2.4f and talks to one of the distribution's developers and web site maintainers Dave Martin (a.k.a. Rev. Kloss Korban). "Dave Martin: "Evil Entity is a distribution like no other! Its primary goal is to provide the best home or dorm-room desktop environment possible. "EvilE" is not a server distribution, nor a corporate workstation platform, it's simply the most fun and useful tool you can install on your PC! Now you can install Linux and be up and running, on-line, ripping MP3s, burning CD's, watching DVD's and TV, editing video, and creating 3D models in minutes."

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Knoppix makes a great GUI installer for Debian (LinuxWorld)

Joe Barr reviews Knoppix as an installer for Debian in this LinuxWorld article. "As Knopper told me, "Knoppix is a real Debian system." I've seen mention of it being used as a rescue CD, as a secure firewall, as a portable network monitor and as a traveling companion that allows you to read e-mail away from home without leaving tell-tale traces on someone else's hard drive. Others have been interested in experimenting with it as a secure Apache server. Knopper has said he is working on a project that will allow it to be used as a terminal server."

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More on Libranet 2.7 (Linux Journal)

The Linux Journal looks (again) at Libranet Linux. "Where would I recommend Libranet? Well, if my neighbor wanted a desktop Linux distribution, I would be comfortable recommending it. Or if a company had Debian servers, Libranet could be just the ticket for moving desktops to Linux."

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