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Debian Lenny is frozen

The Debian project is gearing up for the release of Debian Lenny, the next stable release of the Debian GNU/Linux operating system. This week we heard that Debian Lenny has been frozen.

What does the freeze mean and when can we expect Debian Lenny to be released? To answer the second question first, the release is currently expected in September. While the testing branch is very close to what Debian Lenny will be, there are still Release Critical bugs to squash and other work that must happen before Lenny is pronounced stable. This Debian "lenny" Release Information page gives some pointers to various progress pages where you can find out more about the bugs that still need to be fixed.

Mostly what the freeze means is that there are no more automatic uploads from Debian's unstable branch to the testing branch. Most Debian packages start out in unstable, also known as sid. That gives people a chance to test the packages and report any bugs. Assuming that these packages are working well, they will be automatically uploaded to the testing branch after a certain amount of time. Now though, testing is frozen, so a release manager will need to evaluate each unstable package and manually upload the package to testing, if it is judged suitable for Lenny. Chapter 5.13.3 of the Debian developers reference covers direct updates to testing, if you are looking for more detailed information.

When Debian releases a stable distribution the user can be assured that they are getting a very stable operating system. All the packages will interact well with one another. It will not be the most up-to-date system available, because stability is considered more important than new versions of packages. Many Debian users agree. Some will continue to run Etch, the current stable version, until several months after Lenny is released.

If you want a stable system, but need just one or two more current packages, you might consider building those packages yourself. Backports.org is another way of getting a few more current packages for your stable system. AptPinning allows you to run certain packages from one version, say unstable, on your stable system. There will be some risk with each of these methods, as newer packages may require newer libraries or have other dependencies. The more you change your stable system, the more instability you introduce.

The lenny package list will help you find out what packages are currently in Lenny. Some digging through the sections there will show that Lenny includes linux-image-2.6-486 (2.6.25+14), dpkg (1.14.20) and hal (0.5.11-2) are among the Administration Utilities. The Python section lists python (2.5.2-1) among the many related packages. To find out if Lenny has want you are looking for, just browse through the sections.

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New Releases

Foresight 2.0.4 released and introducing the Foresight GNOME Lite Edition

The Foresight project has announced the Foresight GNOME Edition 2.0.4. This release features a brand new theme, and a number of minor updates and bug fixes, notably a problem when trying to install on certain RAID setups. Also available for the first time is the Foresight GNOME Lite Edition.

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Mandriva Linux 2009 Beta 1 released

Mandriva has announced the release of Mandriva Linux 2009 Beta 1 'thornicrofti'. "This beta includes the newest release of KDE 4, KDE 4.1 final (with initial implementation of the Mandriva Ia Ora theme, although this is not yet complete), and GNOME 2.23.5. It also uses Firefox 3 by default, and kernel 2.6.26 final."

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.7

Red Hat has announced the release of RHEL 4.7. "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 is now marching toward the Production 2 life cycle phase - formerly known as the 'Transition' or 'Deployment' phase. From this point forward, the amount of change introduced for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 minor releases is decreasing constantly as Red Hat focuses its efforts on addressing continued stabilization of the release." New stuff includes Firefox 3, a new intrusion detection package, "SystemTap production support," and more. See the release notes for details.

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Alpha releases from openSUSE and Ubuntu

The first openSUSE 11.1 alpha release has been announced, "but beware, this is an Alpha with very rough edges!" There does not appear to be much information posted (beyond the roadmap on what's in 11.1.

Ubuntu, meanwhile, has released the third Intrepid Ibex alpha. See this page for more information on the alpha3 release.

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Distribution News

Debian GNU/Linux

Debian Lenny frozen

Debian's upcoming stable release, codenamed Lenny, has been frozen. New versions or new packages will need compelling reasons to get added to the release. Click below for the full announcement with more information on what the freeze means.

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Fedora

Unofficial Fedora FAQ Updated for Fedora 9

The Unofficial Fedora FAQ has been updated for Fedora 9. "For this update, I reviewed and revised almost every single question in the FAQ to be up-to-date and even simpler than before. Of course the new FAQ contains an updated yum configuration, and also working Java plugin instructions, but it also has a whole bunch of other small improvements!"

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The results are in for the Fedora 10 naming

And the codename for Fedora 10 is .... Cambridge.

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Gentoo Linux

Council meeting summary for 24 July 2008

Click below for a summary of the July 24 meeting of the Gentoo Council. Topics include whether the user relations project has the authority to enforce the code of conduct on users and extent of code-of-conduct enforcement in general.

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Mandriva Linux

Happy 10th birthday Mandriva

Mandriva Linux is celebrating its 10th birthday. LWN's announcement for the new Linux-Mandrake is dated July 23, 1998. Conectiva is coming up on 13 years according to Wikipedia.

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux

What's next in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (part 1) (Red Hat Magazine)

Red Hat Magazine looks forward to the next major RHEL release, noting that it looks a lot like what's in Fedora now. "For the administrator, however, PolicyKit opens up a wealth of new possibilities. This can be seen in the 'Authorizations' tool in the System Preferences menu. If I choose 'Setting the system time', we can see the authorization I just used. I can edit it, or add new authorizations for other users. I can even add implicit authorizations-for example, I could set it so that any user in an active console session can reset the clock."

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Distribution Newsletters

Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #101

The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter for July 26, 2008 covers: Intrepid Alpha 3 release, MOTU school sessions, Ubuntu screencasts, LoCo team approvals, Global Bug Jam, Ubuntu Massachusetts press release, Colombian team activity, Launchpod episode #8, New Forums staff members, Forums tutorial, Full Circle Magazine #15, and much more.

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OpenSUSE Weekly News/32

This issue of the OpenSUSE Weekly News covers the openSUSE 11.0 Survey, openSUSE 11.0 PromoDVD, openSUSE 11.1 Alpha1 is Available, Bugzilla: Changed Definitions, One Year of openSUSE News, Andrew Wafaa: Lug Radio Live 2008 Report, and much more.

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Gentoo Monthly Newsletter

The July issue of the Gentoo monthly newsletter covers the 2008.0 release, Gentoo at Peel Fresco Music Lounge and more.

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Fedora Weekly News Issue 136

The Fedora Weekly News for July 26, 2008 looks at FESCo Election Results, Fedora 10 Alpha Freeze, Announcing the Fedora OLPC Special Interest Group, Fedora Unity releases updated Fedora 9 Re-Spin, Feature Process Improvements, plus Planet Fedora articles and much more.

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DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 263

The DistroWatch Weekly for July 28, 2008 is out. "There's been a lot of activities in distribution releases this past week and a bit in developmental releases as well - openSUSE and Ubuntu developmental versions created a bit of buzz around the Web. In the news this week the Mandriva distribution celebrates 10 years, Foxconn Electronics has angered Linux users, and openSUSE is giving away PromoDVDs. Steven Lake is back with us again this morning with a look at NimbleX 2008, I took Parted Magic for a wee spin, and Caitlyn Martin dissects VectorLinux 5.9 SOHO in Reviewed Last Week."

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Newsletters and articles of interest

Red Hat Ups Length Of Top Technical Support For Enterprise Linux (InformationWeek)

InformationWeek reports on Red Hat's plans to extend support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. "Red Hat on Wednesday said it is extending the first phase of its product lifecycle support for Enterprise Linux, when the most technical support resources are made available, from three years to four. That means that new hardware coming out at any time during the first four years of an Enterprise Linux lifecycle will be supported. That "full support" phase previously only lasted for three years. Any release of Enterprise Linux is given a seven-year lifecycle of support, but the level of support drops back in the fifth year, then is reduced further in the sixth and seventh years."

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Interviews

Interview with Helio Chissini de Castro - Mandriva (How Software is Built)

How Software is Built talks with Helio Chissini de Castro, a Brazilian developer working for Mandriva. "I work now as a KDE developer, and at the same time, I do debug consulting for a GIS company called ECOS. So, I'm a full time employee of Mandriva, working mainly on open source applications, mostly desktop and KDE."

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