LWN Weekly Edition
Front pageSecurity
Kernel development
Distributions
Development
Linux in the news
Announcements
->One big page
This page
Previous weekFollowing week
| Weekly edition | Kernel | Security | Distributions | Search |
| Archives | Calendar | Subscribe | Write for LWN | LWN.net FAQ |
Distributions
News and Editorials
Looking ahead to Mandriva Linux 2009
With Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring out the door, the first steps toward Mandriva Linux 2009 are in progress. Ideas are being collected on this wiki page and Bugzilla is open for suggestions and ideas. The wiki page begins with instructions for entering ideas and suggestions into Bugzilla.A number of items are in the wish list for kernel and hardware support. The ML 2009 kernel will use libata, the one item already marked as complete (better late than never). Other wishes include an installed and enabled kerneloops package, full support for Lenovo Thinkpads T60/T61 (and T62 in the future) (with all the bells, whistles, drivers, hotkeys, LEDs, etc. working), making Xen work properly (or dropping it), and patches for kernel-level mode setting.
There is a request for virtualbox 1.6 to be added to the toolchain, along with cmake and svn. The RPM, URPMI requests include better separation of free and non-free so that non-free sources do not get installed on an otherwise free system; and better dependency handling.
Some requests involve making it easier to use a lightweight desktop/window manager. There is an Xfce edition for ML 2008.1, but some would like the Xfce edition to be an official part of the 2009 release. Requests for improved icewm support are joined by requests for LXDE, and Enlightenment 17.
No matter how good an installer is, there is always room for improvement and some ideas are on the list. The same could be said for system tools, and several improvements to Drakxtools are also on the list. The list ends with suggestions for better internationalization and localization support.
Those who have ideas about improving Mandriva Linux, now is the time to get involved. File bug reports where features seem to be missing, and help make ML 2009 better than ever.
New Releases
easys GNU/Linux 4.1
The easys development team has announced the release of easys GNU/Linux 4.1, a Slackware based distribution. "For the first time the new installation and the administration framework for Linux - ALICE (Advanced Linux Installation and Configuration Environment) - is introduced to the public. Both tools have been created in close co-operation with the DARKSTAR Linux and the easys developer team. Due to ALICE now novices and advanced users are able to perform an easy graphical installation of a Slackware Linux system, only a few steps are to be taken."
F9 beta for ia64 now available
A beta release of Fedora 9 for ia64 is available. "F9 is the first Fedora release to be officially supported on ia64. This ia64 build of fedora is the first to be released under the "secondary architectures" project. We have made efforts to make sure that the ia64 release is equal to the release of Fedora for x86, x86_64, ppc and ppc64, however there are some differences that should be noted."
Fedora Unity releases Fedora 8 Updated Re-Spin
The Fedora Unity Project has announced the release of new ISO Re-Spins (DVD and CD Sets) of Fedora 8. "These Re-Spin ISOs are based on the officially released Fedora 8 installation media and include all updates released as of May 1st, 2008. The ISO images are available for i386, x86_64 and PPC architectures via Jigdo and Torrent."
Get DeltaH, gNewSense 2.0
The gNewSense project has announced the release of DeltaH, the second version of their all free-software GNU/Linux distribution. This release is based on Ubuntu Hardy, with help from Blag's deblob scripts for removing binary blobs from the kernel.
Mandriva 2008 Spring Xfce is out!
Mandriva 2008.1 is now available in an Xfce edition. "Xfce is in version of 4.4.2, in few areas it has been patched with upstream svn patches."
OpenBSD 4.3 released May 1, 2008
The official release of OpenBSD 4.3 has been announced. This version has new and extended platform support for sparc64, hppa, mvme88k and sgi, plus improved hardware support, new tools, new functionality, and much more.
OpenSolaris 2008.05 released
Here's the announcement for the much-hyped OpenSolaris 2008.05 release. "This release also introduces IPS, a new network based package management system, allowing users to install additional software from the network. ZFS is also the default root file-system, allowing unique snapshot and rollback features, especially useful during system upgrade. OpenSolaris 2008.05 has a significantly improved user environment, in particular for those familiar with other Linux distributions."
Announcing openSUSE 11.0 Beta 2
The openSUSE team has announced the second Beta release of openSUSE 11.0, with countless bug fixes, as well as the import of the new openSUSE 11.0 artwork for login, splash screens and more. "The live installation should work, but there are several known quirks, so be sure to check the most annoying bugs list before proceeding with the live installation."
Slackware 12.1 released
The announcement for Slackware 12.1 has gone out. "This first Slackware edition of the year combines Slackware's legendary simplicity (and close tracking of original sources), stability, and security with some of the latest advances in Linux technology. Expect no less than the best Slackware yet." There's a lot of new stuff in this release; see the announcement for an overview.
Distribution News
Debian GNU/Linux
being released from the hot seat
Andreas Barth is happy that Marc 'HE' Brockschmidt didn't become the Debian project leader, because that would have put Andreas on the DPL team. Instead Marc will become a release manager and Andreas will work on the Lenny release as the release wizard.
Fedora
Fedora Board Recap 2008-04-29
Click below for a look at the April 29 meeting of the Fedora Board. Topics include fedoraproject.org mail and Open Conversation.
Fedora Board Appointment timing
Paul Frields takes a look at the upcoming Fedora Project Board election. "The Board will announce Red Hat's appointments around the week of May 19th. Nominations will not close, nor will voting begin, until well after the appointments are announced... Nevertheless, I'd recommend that any interested community members run for the Board, regardless of their employment status or length of time working in the Fedora Project, and be confident about their record of getting things done."
Fedora board nominations sought
Nominations for Fedora Project Board are open. "Are you someone who thinks a lot about Fedora's impact on society and the world? Do you love reading books about open standards and the free/remix culture? Do you want to work on big-picture issues as opposed to technical details? Has the time you've spent working in the Fedora Project brought you an appreciation for all the things our contributor community does? Then you might be just the sort of person who's interested in a seat on the Board."
Fedora Xfce SIG
Fedora's Xfce Special Interest Group is recruiting new members. "Maintaining Xfce packages, translations, documentation, artwork and improve the Fedora Xfce Spin (installable Live CD) are some of the things you can do to help the Xfce team in Fedora."
SUSE Linux and openSUSE
openSUSE hard disk configuration survey
openSUSE is conducting a survey on hard disk configuration. The survey will be online until May 28, 2008 and the results will be published on openSUSE.org as soon as possible.
Indonesian OpenSUSE Community Launching Free Blog Offer for OpenSUSE Lover
Indonesian openSUSE fans now have a mailing list, support forum and more, localized in Bahasa Indonesia. Click below for more information.
Ubuntu family
Intrepid open for development
Now that the Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04) has been released, it's time to start thinking about the Intrepid Ibex, which will become Ubuntu 8.10. For those who like to run bleeding edge development versions, this one still isn't ready to do much besides eat your system. There's the inevitable GCC upgrade, followed by automatic syncs from Debian unstable, and some hardening/bug fixing to do first. See the Intrepid release schedule for more information.
Distribution Newsletters
Arch Linux Newsletter
The Arch Linux Newsletter for May 5, 2008 covers Archlinux 2008.04-RC, Arch Linux Schwag Report, Who is Skoal?, community contributions, interview with Simo Leone, and several other topics.
OpenSUSE Weekly News/20
This week's edition of the openSUSE Weekly News covers openSUSE: Google Summer of Code projects announced, People of openSUSE: Michael Löffler, openSUSE Build Service Version 0.9.1 Release, KDE 4.1 Alpha1 Live, First look at SUSE on the HP Mini-Note, and much more.
Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #89
The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter for May 3, 2008 covers: Ubuntu Open Week, Intrepid Ibex: Open for Business, FLISOL Nicaragua 2008, Launchpad 1.2.4, gNewSense release of DeltaH(based on Hardy Heron), Fox New Responds to Linux Community, Ubuntu 8.04 vs. Windows Vista Power Usage, Interview with Donald Knuth, and much more.
DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 251
The DistroWatch Weekly for May 5, 2008 is out. "A week of many excellent releases - a brand new Slackware 12.1 (read our first-look review of the world's oldest surviving Linux distribution), an updated OpenBSD 4.3 (check out the exhaustive interview with the project developers at ONLamp.com), a hot new Puppy Linux 4.00 (with pretty artwork and a large number of state-of-the-art features and packages), and an Xfce edition of Mandriva Linux 2008.1 (complete with Compiz support on an installable live CD). But the excitement never ends here at DistroWatch; as we go to press, the first-ever stable release of OpenSolaris is hitting the download mirrors, together with a plethora of related announcements and Planet posts from the growing OpenSolaris developer and user community. There is also more news on the latest beta of openSUSE 11.0, information about the first alpha release of PC-BSD 7.0, and the usual columns, including a donation of €250 to the GSPCA project for its amazing work developing Linux webcam drivers. There is lot more, so enjoy the read!"
Distribution meetings
Reminder about upcoming FUDCons
FUDCon is a Conference for Fedora Users and Developers. There are three coming up in the next few months: mini-FUDCon Berlin 2008, May 30 (at LinuxTag); FUDCon Boston 2008, June 19 - 21; and one in the planning for September in Prague.
Distribution reviews
Coming along strong: first look at openSUSE 11 beta 2 (ars technica)
Beta 2 for openSUSE 11 was recently announced, so ars technica decided to take a peek. They tried both the GNOME and KDE flavors and were generally impressed. "There are a lot of things to like in openSUSE 11 and it will make a good choice for many users—it is already shaping up to provide better PulseAudio integration and stronger desktop search capabilities than Ubuntu, for instance. OpenSUSE also has excellent support for KDE 4, which is why we have used it as our reference platform for KDE testing and reviews."
Linux Shootout: 7 Desktop Distros Compared (InformationWeek)
InformationWeek looks at seven Linux distributions, comparing how each installed and ran on five different machines. The article looks at openSUSE, Ubuntu
Meet The Hardy Heron: What's New in Ubuntu 8.04 (O'ReillyNet)
O'Reilly's LinuxDevCenter takes a look at Ubuntu 8.04. "Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (long-term support) launched on April 24th for desktops and servers. There is something for everyone in this version, but the LTS release will have particular appeal to enterprises. As one corporate user said to me, "I have been waiting for the release of Ubuntu 8.04, because I am using Ubuntu 6.06 on my company laptop and we have to install exclusively long term support releases." The LTS release assures a reliable upgrade paths twice a year with security updates maintained for a full five years."
Page editor: Rebecca Sobol
Next page: Development>>