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DistributionsNews and Editorials CrunchBang Linux 8.10CrunchBang Linux (#!) is a lightweight Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the OpenBox window manager and Conky system monitor. The distribution is essentially a minimal Ubuntu install with a custom set of installed packages, and it has been designed to offer a balance between speed and functionality. The light system requirements suggest that CrunchBang Linux is a perfect match for an outdated computer or a netbook. With this in mind, your author tested CrunchBang Linux 8.10.02 on an Acer Aspire One with a 8 GB SSD and 512 MB RAM. Since the RAM is on the low end, this puts to the test how lightweight CrunchBang Linux really is. Installing CrunchBang LinuxCrunchBang Linux comes in three editions: Standard Desktop Edition, Lite Edition, and CrunchEee Eee PC Edition. Your author opted for the Standard Desktop Edition. CrunchBang Linux, like its parent distribution, is available as a live cd image. Of course, the best performance is achieved when installing the distribution on the SSD or hard disk. Your author used Unetbootin to write the iso image to a USB pen drive and booted the live distribution. The installer (started by right-clicking on the desktop and choosing "Install") looks familiar: it is the well-known seven-step installer of Ubuntu's live cd. After the installation, the light system requirements immediately shine. CrunchBang Linux boots significantly faster than Ubuntu Intrepid on the Acer Aspire One and it feels much more responsive. The memory requirements are significantly less: while Ubuntu is eating almost all the available RAM right after booting, CrunchBang Linux needs only around 150 MB. Even after opening Firefox and some other applications, the memory usage of 250 MB is rather modest. Minimalistic desktop![[CrunchBang Screenshot]](/images/crunchbang_sm.png)
The first thing that one sees is the minimalistic interface. Instead of Ubuntu's brownish colors, CrunchBang Linux presents a stylish black background without icons, and showing some system information like CPU, RAM and disk usage. This is done by the Conky system monitor, which also shows some shortcut keys for opening a web browser, terminal, editor, etc. This is helpful for the novice user not yet acquainted with the shortcut keys. Conky is completely customizable: for example, it is possible to show weather reports on your desktop, email notifications, battery life, and more. The CrunchBang Linux forum hosts plenty of examples of the conkyrc configuration file. The OpenBox window manager is a program in the same minimalistic style. It has no menu bar, but right-clicking on a random position on the desktop presents a menu with applications, preferences and system settings. One caveat: when your author installed an application, it was not automatically added to the applications menu: he had to edit the OpenBox menu file manually. The bottom panel shows the virtual desktop pager, a window list, system tray, digital clock, wireless network, battery status and clipboard manager. Additional plugins are available if you need more information on your panel. Member of the Ubuntu familyAlthough CrunchBang Linux is an unofficial branch of Ubuntu, it stays close to the upstream distribution: it uses the official Ubuntu repositories and the same update manager and package management tools. It even uses the stock Ubuntu kernel. Hence, when you are facing problems, most of the information in Ubuntu wikis and forums still applies. CrunchBang Linux has also its own places for help (a wiki, forum, blog and planet aggregator) and an active and helpful IRC channel (#crunchbang on freenode). The standard set of installed applications differs a bit from Ubuntu's set. For example, CrunchBang Linux doesn't install OpenOffice.org, but the much lighter Abiword and Gnumeric. CrunchBang Linux is also a good fit for web-centric users: Firefox 3 is installed with out-of-the-box Flash support. Other installed internet applications are Skype and Gwibber (for Twitter users). CrunchBang Linux also has MP3 support and encrypted DVD playback out-of-the-box. If you use the Lite Edition, the difference mainly lies in the number of installed applications: the Lite Edition is even more minimal. The support for the Acer Aspire One is good: Your author successfully applied all the suggestions and tips from the Ubuntu community documentation for the machine right away in CrunchBang Linux. Using wired internet, he installed the linux-backports-modules-intrepid package for the ath5k wireless driver, and after a reboot wireless networking was fully functional. The tweaks for better SSD performance in the Ubuntu community documentation also work in CrunchBang Linux. ConclusionIf you are looking for an easy-to-use and lightweight Linux distribution, CrunchBang Linux should definitely be considered. The combination of the OpenBox window manager and Conky system monitor with an Ubuntu base and a carefully chosen set of lightweight applications makes it unique. With CrunchBang Linux, you can revive an updated computer or let your netbook shine. Moreover, the huge set of available Ubuntu documentation also applies for this distribution. This makes it easy for Ubuntu users to migrate to CrunchBang Linux, while still having the advantages of the huge Ubuntu community.
New Releases Ubuntu Jaunty Alpha 5 releasedUbuntu's Jaunty Jackalope Alpha 5 has been released for testing. CD images are available for Ubuntu, Ubuntu Education Edition, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, UbuntuStudio, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu Netbook Remix, Ubuntu MID and Ubuntu ARM.
Distribution News Debian GNU/Linux Debian Project Leader Elections 2009: Call for nominationsA call for nominations for the next Debian project leader has been announced. The new DPL will start their term on April 17, 2009, so nominations are due by March 7, with the vote taking place from March 29 through April 11. Campaigning amongst the nominees will be happening after the nominations and before the election. Click below for the full announcement with more information about the election process.
Google Summer of Code 2009 at Debian needs youThe Debian Project is seeking proposals for the 2009 Summer of Code. "The important part of the 2009 edition of the Google Summer of Code is going to start next week with the Organizations application period (March 9th). By that time, we should have listed a reasonable number of ideas on the dedicated wiki page."
Fedora Fedora 10 Stats + FUDCon BerlinThe Fedora Community will host the Fedora Users and Developers Conference in Berlin this summer, June 26 - 28, 2009. "FUDCon Berlin is being organized in conjunction with LinuxTag, where Fedora has had a strong presence for several years. The FUDCon event will leverage the large audience at LinuxTag to ensure that Fedora can reach both users and developers equally well. The conference will run from Friday through Sunday, and will include speeches in English and German that are both user and developer focused, as well as a self-organizing BarCamp and multiple hackfests. Discussion topics include Fedora 11, open source education, packaging RPMs, and open source infrastructure tools for provisioning and managing systems."
Fedora Board Meeting Recap 2009-03-03This recap of the Fedora Advisory Board meeting covers fedoraforever Trademark Approval, Creative Commons Repo, ph.fedoracommunity.org Trademark Approval, and some questions & answers.
Unofficial Fedora FAQ UpdateThe Unofficial Fedora FAQ has been updated. The latest round, completed February 24, 2009, adds information, fixes typos and minor issues. Click below for more information.
Gentoo Linux Gentoo Council Meeting summary for 26 February 2009This meeting of the Gentoo Council covers an open Council spot, technical issues, and more.
SUSE Linux and openSUSE openSUSE Trademark Guidelines ReleasedThe openSUSE Project has announced the release of the openSUSE Trademark Guidelines (PDF). These guidelines should clarify the use of openSUSE marks and make it easier to redistribute openSUSE-based projects.
Addressing the layoffsJoe "Zonker" Brockmeier talks about the recent layoffs at Novell. "Novell has recently laid off less than 100 employees. Some of the reports have greatly exaggerated the numbers, but again — the number of people laid off is less than 100. So, how does this impact the openSUSE Project? Obviously, there will be an impact, but Novell remains committed to openSUSE. We will work on opening the project further and improving the infrastructure to allow all contributors to participate as fully as possible in openSUSE."
OpenSUSE RT KernelReal Time Kernels are available for OpenSUSE 11.1 and Factory. Click below to see the versions and how to get ahold of one.
Ubuntu family Ubuntu now offering mainline kernel buildsThe Ubuntu kernel team is making packages of mainline kernels available to facilitate testing. The kernel source for each stable release (and -stable updates) as well as Linus's releases (including each -rc) will be built into .deb packages for easy installation. "This will allow users to run the unmodified upstream vanilla kernel. This can be useful for verifying fixes upstream, testing for regressions introduced by Ubuntu specific changes, or confirming bugs exist upstream and subsequently help to report bugs upstream." Click below for the full announcement.
Karmic Release ScheduleThe release schedule for the Karmic Koala is now available. The first Karmic milestone is in mid-May and the Karmic Ubuntu Developer Summit will be happening May 25 - 29, 2009.
New Distributions Qimo 4 KidsQimo is a desktop operating system designed for kids. Based on the Ubuntu Linux desktop, Qimo comes pre-installed with educational games for children aged 3 and up. Qimo's interface has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use, providing large icons for all installed games, so that even the youngest users have no trouble selecting the activity they want.
Distribution Newsletters Miscellaneous Debian developer news (#14)This issue of developer news looks at debhelper third-party command option parsing transition, initramfs-tools new Lenny features, bts-link supporting more bugtrackers, Debian Data Export, and a list of bugs blocking transitions.
DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 292The DistroWatch Weekly for March 2, 2009 is out. "Last week saw the release of SimplyMEPIS 8.0, a Debian-based desktop Linux distribution designed for both personal and business purposes. We take the live CD for a spin to see what it has to offer. In the news this past week, openSUSE develops Debian-like distribution upgrade functionality to their package manager, Red Hat looks set for a comeback to the desktop arena as it announces virtualisation plans that will centre around KVM technology, and Novell signs a virtualisation agreement with VMware over support for their products. Also in the news, the Linux Starter Kit from Linux Format magazine has been released for free and we link to interviews with lead developers of Linux Mint and Kongoni. Finally, we are pleased to announce that the DistroWatch.com February 2009 donation goes to Wolvix GNU/Linux, a Slackware-based desktop distribution and live CD. Happy reading!"
Fedora Weekly News #165The Fedora Weekly News for March 1, 2009 is out. "In this week's issue, in announcements we're reminded about this month's Fedora Board meeting and updates on the Fedora 11 feature freeze and updates on upcoming Fedora events. News from the Fedora Planet includes summer internship opportunities at Red Hat, an interview with Matt Domsch in Red Hat Magazine, and reports from Fedora events in Egypt and India. In Ambassador news, many reports from the recent Southern California Linux Expo (SCaLE) meeting, and another update from a Fedora install fest in Texas. In the QA beat, updates from Fedora 11 testing and weekly planning, as well as helping new contributors with the BugZapper team. Art work brings more updates on the Echo icon theme and Fedora 11." And several other topics.
Fedora's Echo Monthly News Issue 6The Echo team presents the Echo Monthly News. In this issue: new icons for the Echo theme in Fedora.
The Mint Newsletter - issue 77The Mint Newsletter for March 4 covers the release of Mint 6 Community Editons Fluxbox RC1 and KDE RC1, an interview with Mint founder Clem and other minty fresh news.
openSUSE Weekly NewsThis issue of the openSUSE Weekly News covers Joe Brockmeier: Addressing the layoffs, Andrew Wafaa: Open Support, Masim Sugianto: Apache Web Server & Virtual Host on openSUSE : Part 1, pablo2525: opensuse 11.1 - kupdateapplet, {lizards,news,zonker}.opensuse.org updated to Wordpress 2.7.1 and more.
Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #131The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter for February 28, 2009 is out. "In this issue we cover: Jaunty Alpha 5 Released, Needed: Countdown to Jaunty Banners, Ubuntu Global Bug Jam Success, Voting for New MOTU Council seats, Ubuntu Server: Call for testing, Next Ubuntu Hug Day, Developer News: Issue #2, LoCo Team Meeting, Philadelphia Bug Jam, Chicago Bug Jam, Arizona team has new website, Launchpad Performance Week Roundup, Launchpad 2.2.2 released, Meet the Devs, Ubuntu podcast #20, Full Circle Magazine #22, UK government backs open source, Random Ubuntu Sightings, February Team Meeting Summaries, Team of the Week(Ubuntu New Mexico), and much much more!"
Distribution reviews Debian 5.0 Continues Strong Linux Tradition (eWeek)eWeek has a review of Debian 5.0 (Lenny). "Unlike the Debian 4 release that I last reviewed, which impressed me with its disk encryption leadership among rival Linux distributions, Lenny doesn't significantly advance the state of Debian or of Linux in general. Beyond its slate of software package refreshes, the best reason for existing Debian users to upgrade to the new version is that, as per the project's security policy, version 4 will fall out of security fix coverage one year after Lenny's Valentine's Day release date."
Page editor: Rebecca Sobol |
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