Distributions

News and Editorials

Get more Science into your Distribution

There are a number of specialty distributions with scientific applications. Generally they come as live CDs with a few handpicked applications, like the Quantian Scientific Computing Environment, or BioBrew Linux. What if you want a broader range of scientific applications? The packages are there, maybe in your distribution's repositories already; but if you just want to get going without spending a lot of time with {emerge, yum, apt-get, conary, etc.} there are two distribution specific efforts to make it easy.

Mandriva is joining with Scilab, a consortium managed by INRIA (French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control). According this announcement, the Scilab open source numerical computation platform will be integrated into Mandriva Linux 2007 (Discovery, Powerpack and Powerpack+) editions.

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS users looking for more scientific applications will want to take a look at Scibuntu. Scibuntu is a script that adds scientific programs and other tools to your Ubuntu desktop. Most of these programs are already out there in the Ubuntu repositories, but Scibuntu collects them for you and puts them into your computer and fetches a few more from other places.

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New Releases

andLinux Prebeta based on Ubuntu

andLinux has released PreBeta, based on Ubuntu's Edgy Eft. andLinux is a complete Linux system designed for developing applications and runs seamlessly in Windows 2000 based systems using CoLinux. The PreBeta features many updates and enhancements over the previous "Proof of Concent" version. Click below for details.

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Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 updated

The Debian project has announced the fourth update of its stable distribution Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 (codename `sarge'). "This update mainly adds corrections for security problems to the stable release, along with a few adjustment to serious problems. Those who frequently update from security.debian.org won't have to update many packages and most updates from security.debian.org are included in this update."

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New distribution: gNewSense 1.0

The Free Software Foundation has sent out a press release on the launch of the gNewSense distribution, based on Ubuntu. "With the avowed goal of providing a completely free distribution - one without non-free kernel binary 'blobs' or any other non-free software, the Free Software Foundation has announced sponsorship of the project. Ted Teah, FSF's free software directory maintainer explained, 'With all the kernel firmware and restricted repositories removed, and the reliance on Ubuntu's proprietary distribution management tool Launchpad gone, this distribution is the most advanced GNU/Linux distribution that has a commitment to be 100% free.'"

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Announcing NetBSD 3.1

The NetBSD Project has announced the availability of NetBSD 3.1. This is the first feature update of the 3.0 branch. Changes include bugfixes, critical security updates and new minor features like new drivers.

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Distribution News

rPath Announces Support of Xen 3.0.3

rPath has announced the ability to create virtual appliances that run on the Xen 3.0.3 hypervisor using rPath's rBuilder.

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Canonical and Sun Expand Presence in the Enterprise

Sun Microsystems and Canonical have announced that the open-source Java Enterprise Edition 5 application server (specifically the GlassFish Community reference implementation) will be just an apt-get away for Ubuntu users. Also in this press release: "Canonical furthered its push into the enterprise by announcing imminent certification and support for Ubuntu on Sun's x64 (x86, 64-bit) hardware, powered by AMD Opteron(TM) processors."

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GNU-Darwin and SEDarwin

GNU-Darwin is a free, BSD-based distribution. Darwin is Apple's base for Mac OS X, without the proprietary bits. Add the ports system and package management from FreeBSD and all your favorite GNU tools and you have GNU-Darwin, a free Mac OS X compatible distribution for PowerPC and x86. The project has recently made available a new source archive.

A related project has also surfaced; SEDarwin, a port of the TrustedBSD Mandatory Access Control Framework to Darwin. From the announcement: "The October 31 snapshot includes the most recent SELinux kernel and user space components available. We are still working to adapt the Treysys reference policy for Apple's System, but the kernel and user space components are largely complete."

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A Makeover for the MEPIS Desktop

MEPIS has announced a call for graphic designers. "From time to time, we hear from users who say that the look of the MEPIS desktop isn't on par with the quality of the MEPIS operating system. We tend to agree that the desktop could use a little makeover. The problem is that we just don't have the money to hire a professional to design a desktop, nor do we have the time to work on it ourselves. So this is a call to you graphic designers out there, and anybody else who would like to tackle the MEPIS desktop makeover. Please give us your comments and ideas, and also indicate whether you'd be interested in working on this project."

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New Distributions

Lintrack

Lintrack is a small, easy to configure and highly integrated GNU/Linux distribution for routers, firewalls, network access servers, content filters and more. It is targeted especially to small and medium-sized wireless Internet service providers. Lintrack joins our list at version 2.0, codenamed "Hockenheim". See the review section below for a review of Lintrack.

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Distribution Newsletters

Debian Weekly News - October 31st, 2006

The Debian Weekly News is back! This edition looks at the DebianHelp site, some weekly summaries by Joey Hess, a repository with ported applications for the Nokia 770 web tablet, source-less binary objects in the Debian Linux 2.6 packages, Practical Linux Day, videos of the Internationalisation Meeting, DebConf6 videos, and several other topics.

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Fedora Weekly News Issue 65

The Fedora Weekly News covers Fedora Core 6 Common Issues, Fedora Will Never Compromise, Cooperative Bug Isolation for FC6, Fedora speaking at FactFEST, Building and leading FOSS communities, Review: Prime time Fedora, Review: Innovations Continue, Review: Revisiting Fedora, and more.

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Gentoo Weekly Newsletter

The Gentoo Weekly Newsletter for October 30, 2006 looks at XMMS removal, #gentoo-uk information, CJK/Scheme/Turkish GWN translation teams looking for help, and other topics.

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Ubuntu Weekly News #20

The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter for the week of October 22 - 28, 2006 covers Ubuntu 6.10, Firefox 2.0, topics chosen for Mountain View, last uploads to Edgy and much more.

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DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 176

The DistroWatch Weekly for November 6, 2006 is out. "Novell drops a bombshell on the Linux community. Signing an exclusive patent-protection agreement with Microsoft, a company that has been trying to discredit Linux at every opportunity, Novell claims that the deal is great for its customers. The community, however, is not impressed. In the meantime, CentOS, a project that provides a free clone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, voices its concerns over the recently launched Oracle Enterprise Linux. In other news: find out how the Fedora code names are generated, check out the 100% "libre" gNewSense distribution, and install a bunch of scientific applications on your Ubuntu box with just one command. In our web log feature, we revisit Mandriva Linux 2007 and give away four boxes of its PowerPack edition. Finally, reader's input is sought for a dilemma about the increasingly aggressive linking of several Linux distributions to DistroWatch."

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Package updates

Fedora updates

Updates for Fedora Core 6: libxslt (upstream release 1.1.18), scim-bridge (update to 0.4.7), shadow-utils (bug fixes), evolution (update to 2.8.1.1), evolution-connector (update to 2.8.1), gnucash (update to 2.0.2), gtkhtml3 (update to 3.12.1), hplip (debugging patch), evolution-data-server (update to 1.8.1), bug-buddy (add extra information to autogenerated bug reports), pygtk2 (update to 2.10.3), rhgb (bug fix), shadow-utils (bug fixes), m17n-db (bug fixes), system-config-kickstart (bug fixes), m17n-db (bug fix), cvs (bug fix), bind (bug fixes), at (daylight-saving patch), nautilus (dynamically use beagle), yelp (dynamically use beagle), beagle (support dynamic use), setools (bump for FC6), selinux-policy (bump for FC6), gjdoc (bug fix), dvd+rw-tools (new version 7.0), htmlview (bug fix), vorbis-tools (fix charset conversion), yelp (fix crashes, improve info and man support), initscripts (bug fixes), python (update to python 2.4.4), python-docs (update to python 2.4.4), swig (determine architecture correctly), checkpolicy (latest update from NSA), cups (D-Bus signal fix), autofs (deal with changed semantics of mkdir in recent kernels), squid (stable upstream version), kdebase (rebuild), doxygen (update to 1.5.1).

Updates for Fedora Core 5: system-config-users (updated translations), kudzu (backport xen support), xen (update to xen-3.0.3), cvs (bug fix), at (daylight-saving patch), system-config-date (updated translations), gamin (bug fixes), sendmail (bug and security fixes), bind (bug fixes), cups (D-Bus signal fix), kdebase (KWin focus issue).

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Mandriva updates

Updates for Mandriva Linux 2007.0: jabber (properly initialize OpenSSL library).

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rPath updates

Updates for rPath Linux 1: rmake (bug fixes).

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Trustix updates

Updates for Trustix Secure Linux 2.2 & 3.0: imagemagick, libmcrypt, perl-dbd-pg, proftpd, spamassassin (various bug fixes).

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Ubuntu updates

Updates for Ubuntu 6.10: gfxboot-theme-ubuntu 0.2.10 (bug fix), ladder.app_1.0-2 (rebuild against latest libgnustep-gui-dev), lapispuzzle.app_1.0-2 (rebuild against latest libgnustep-gui-dev), displaycalibrator.app_0.7-3 (rebuild against latest libgnustep-gui-dev), dbconfig-common_1.8.25 (bug fixes), latex.service_0.1-3 (rebuild against latest libgnustep-gui-dev), cynthiune.app_0.9.5-4 (rebuild against latest libgnustep-gui-dev), dist-upgrader_20061031.1838 (bug fixes).

Updates for Ubuntu 6.06 LTS: there were 139 automated language-pack updates.

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Miscellaneous Articles

How To Compile A Kernel - The Ubuntu Way (HowtoForge)

HowtoForge helps Ubuntu users build a custom kernel. "Each distribution has some specific tools to build a custom kernel from the sources. This article is about compiling a kernel on Ubuntu systems. It describes how to build a custom kernel using the latest unmodified kernel sources from www.kernel.org (vanilla kernel) so that you are independent from the kernels supplied by your distribution. It also shows how to patch the kernel sources if you need features that are not in there."

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Distribution reviews

Fedora Core 6 review (Software In Review)

Just in case any of you were looking for a thoroughly hostile review of Fedora Core 6: here's one in Software In Review. "The Fedora Project has failed six consecutive times to produce a viable desktop operating system. I say pack up, move on, and let Fedora Core die, but remember it fondly as the last of the holdouts from an era when desktop GNU/Linux meant missing out on most Web media while struggling to get network drivers installed and configured." The reviewer, clearly, would rather be running a proprietary system.

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Knoppix 5.0.1: A solid live DVD (Linux.com)

Linux.com reviews the Knoppix 5.0.1 live CD/DVD distribution. "In the changes department, users of older Knoppix releases will appreciate the newer kernel, newer Xorg, even better hardware detection, newer KDE and GNOME, newer (and better) installer, and, generally speaking, newer everything. The amount of included software really can't be quantified in just words and figures. You get bundles of software for every KDE menu category, ranging from Education/Edutainment, Games, Toys, Multimedia, and Internet to Graphics, Development, Utilities, and System Tools."

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Lintrack: Linux for Internet Service Providers (polishlinux.org)

Polishlinux.org reviews Lintrack. "Lintrack is a new GNU/Linux distribution for routers, firewalls, network access servers and more. It features new approaches to several areas such as system configuration and integration, but has many ideas inspired by traditional Linux distributions as well. I would like to introduce you to the project and provide step-by-step instructions for configuring Lintrack as a simple OSPF backbone router and a PPPoE network access server."

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