Ark Linux

We have just released Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 9.

Release notes:
           Ark Linux 1.0 Alpha 9 (1.0-0.alpha9.1) Release Notes
           ====================================================

    1. Ark Linux
    ============

1.1. Important changes since Alpha 8
====================================

1.1.1. Important updates/changes
--------------------------------
- The kernel has undergone some user visible changes:
  - Graphical bootup
  - ATI IGP chipsets are now supported (including 3D support)
  - VIA EPIA-M chipsets are now supported
  - Broadcom 57xx series network cards are now supported
  - supermount-ng is now included. This allows you to insert and remove
    CDs and DVDs without having to worry about mounting or unmounting them.
    (in previous releases, autorun has done a related, but not equally good
    job - you could not eject a CD while e.g. the directory was displayed in
    the file manager).
    NOTE: supermount-ng is not yet activated by default, pending adaption of
    the existing autorun utility.

- XFree86 has been updated to the current development version.
  The primary reasons for this update are:
  - Support for CastleRock CLE266 graphics chips
    (found primarily on VIA EPIA mainboards)
  - Support for ATI IGP graphics chips
  - Performance improvements

- XFree86 (specifically the Mesa-libGL package) no longer has package 
  conflicts with the NVIDIA 3D aceclerated driver package available in the
  contrib package repository.  This will be a big improvement for users who
  use the "nvidia" closed source, proprietary XFree86 driver.

- k3b replaces cdbakeoven as graphical CD/DVD writing tool.  k3b offers an
  impressive and friendly interface for people to burn CDs, CD-R(W)s, etc.
  cdbakeoven can still be found on the Ark Extra Software CD-ROM.
  (k3b-0.9-2ark)

- Ark Internet/Network Configuration tool and the DHCP client (dhclient) 
  have been updated.  Along with general bug fixes, there are a couple of
  interface improvements, and improved support for users of DHCP.  As an
  example, /etc/hosts is now updated correctly when manual changes are 
  made, and also when a DHCP server specifies a non-DNS-resolvable hostname 
  to be used by the client.  (If the active system hostname is not 
  resolvable , errors appear when starting XFree86 or "ksmserver".)

- KOffice has been updated to the current beta release, and stencil clipart
  is also now inclued.  (koffice-1.2.92-1ark, koffice-klipart-stencils)

- Kopete has been updated to the latest release, and offers not only bug
  fixes, but new MSN chat support which is required from October.
  (kopete-0.7.2-1ark).

- The GIMP - major update to 1.3 - provides significant improvements 
  including increased speed, anti-aliased fonts, etc (gimp-1.3.17-2ark).

- SANE - huge improvement in scanner support - many new scanners are now
  supported.  For information about SANE scanner support, see:
  http://www.mostang.com/sane/ (backends-1.0.12-1ark, frontends-1.0.11-3ark)

- Improvements have been made to the Alcatel SpeedTouch USB ADSL Modem 
  support package.  These improvements should simply the configuration 
  process.  See instructions provided via "rpm -qi speedtouch".
  (speedtouch-1.2-0.beta2.2ark)

- "Xrescue" has been added as a safeguard against lost, corrupt, or 
  misconfigured XFree86 (graphics driver) configurations. Xrescue operates 
  outside of KDE, very similar to the Ark Linux installer.

  It provides options to re-configure X using the configuration tool from 
  the installer, to run XFree86 -configure for failsafe settings, or to 
  switch off booting into KDE completely. (Causes Ark Linux to only boot to 
  runlevel 3 (textmode) instead of the usual runlevel 5 (graphics mode))

- KDE and all the applications that encompasses have been updated (3.1.3).

- Qt has been updated (3.2.1-4ark).

- Xine has been updated (xine-0.9.22-1ark and xine-libs-1.0.rc0a.1ark)

- Platero is a couple of months newer (platero-1.99-0.cvs20030823.1ark)

- Pingus - Pingus has received a much needed update (0.6.0-1ark).

- knights - Knights has had a much needed update.

1.1.1a Local Text Console Login Security Notice
-----------------------------------------------
- As has always been the case, the "arklinux" and "root" accounts' passwords
  are disabled by default.  This security measure is enacted in part due to
  the nature of the standard arklinux 'straight to desktop' approach.

  However, this security measure prevents either account from authenticating
  via any standard system login (including console logins).

  Thus, if the graphical user interface didn't work for whatever reason, it 
  was necessary to place the affected system into single-user mode, then set 
  passwords for these accounts, and then finally switch to text-only mode
  (runlevel 3) so as to be able to log in and then address any real issues.  

  This was a somewhat daunting task for someone unfamiliar with linux, thus 
  we have enacted a change to allow ONLY the default 'arklinux' user to 
  bypass this roadblock.

  Alpha 9 contains a change to the way LOCAL logins for the 'arklinux' account
  are handled (via the PAM system).  This change ONLY affects local, i.e. text
  console, logins, and does NOT affect network services like SSH, FTP or even
  Telnet.  This change allows the 'arklinux' account to autologin (login 
  without being prompted for a password) from console login prompts.

  This change is an effort to simplify the troubleshooting process for
  customers new to linux, with post-install system issues preventing them 
  from entering the fully graphical desktop environment normally.  Again, this 
  change does NOT affect remote (i.e. telnet/ssh/ftp/samba) logins whatsoever.

  If you wish to turn this behaviour off, remove, rename or edit the file 
  /etc/security/console.autologin - which contains a list of the usernames
  where local text console login w/o normal password checks is specified.

- A minor error with the way local console device permissions were allocated
  to the current user, has been fixed for multi-user systems.  Resources are
  again now shared correctly.  (The order of auth statements in the file
  /etc/pam.d/xserver was modified.)


1.1.2. Additions
----------------
- The exciting new DTP (Desktop Publishing) application Scribus has been
  added. (scribus-1.0.1-1ark) 

- The Kaffe Java Virtual Machine (JVM) has been adeded.  Kaffe is a 
  cleanroom implementation of the Java virtual machine, plus the associated 
  class libraries needed to provide an open source Java runtime environment.
  (kaffe-1.1.2-0.20030823.1ark)

- GOCR which when used with the Kooka scanning software, provides some 
  Optical Character Recognition (OCR) support, has been added.
  (gocr-0.37-3ark)


1.1.3. Removals
---------------
- The various touchscreen drivers have been split out of the XFree86 package
  into separate packages that can now be found in Ark Extra Software, in the
  Extra Hardware Support category.

- The GTK 1.x toolkit has been removed (and can now be found in Ark Extra
  Software).


1.1.4. Technical details
------------------------
- The XFree86 package has had the video and nonrequisite drivers split out 
  into individual packages.  XFree86 now contains only those drivers that 
  EVERY system needs.  All variable drivers are now individual packages,
  eg: Xdriver-ati, Xdriver-sis, Xdriver-nv, etc.  All driver packages are 
  still provided on CD1 and installed by default, to support switching 
  graphics cards after installation.

  This has been done to alleviate maintenance requirements, reduce overall
  disk usage, and allow more flexibility in supporting new hardware.

- As of this release, there still exist dependency issues relating to
  installing software from CD-ROM AFTER updating/installing via apt-get or
  synaptic.  If you plan to install BOTH the Ark Development Suite, AND the
  Ark Extra Software images, you MUST install Ark Extra Software FIRST, then
  install the Development CD, otherwise you may experience problems
  updating via apt-get/synaptic in the future.  Best practice would be to
  install all three CDs before performing any package updates.

- The Ark Linux build system has been adapted to handle different trees;
  it is now possible to easily build Ark Linux derivatives with other 
  package sets and slight installer changes.

  As a proof of concept, arklinux-server.iso is a server centric version;
  it is purely a proof of concept for the build system and should not be
  used at this time (unless you know exactly what you're doing).  It can 
  be found in the "dontuse" subdirectory.

- To get graphical bootup, Ark Linux now boots into framebuffer mode by
  default. For compatibility with some legacy hardware (such as old
  Trident graphics card), we are not using any optimizations in the
  framebuffer invocation.

  If you work in text mode and you have a fairly decent graphics card,
  you will want to change "video=vesa:pmipal,mtrr" to
  "video=vesa:pmipal,mtrr,ywrap" or "video=vesa:pmipal,mtrr,ypan"
  in your grub configuration.
  
  Both variants are faster than the default (ywrap being the fastest), but
  won't work on some graphics hardware.


1.2. Known problems
===================

- The partitioning and boot manager problems seen by some people in 
  previous versions have not been addressed.  The problems are unlikely to 
  show up unless you are using a very complex partition layout.

- Xine when started from the main menu, may display an error:

     There is no input plugin available to hand ".
     Maybe MRL syntax is wrong or file/stream source doesn't exist.

  Just accept this error, then click the type of media (VCR, DVD, DVB, CD).

- For other problems, see http://bugzilla.arklinux.org/bugzilla/



    2. Ark Extra Software
    =====================

2.1. Important changes since Alpha 8
====================================

2.1.1 Important updates
-----------------------
- The server applications have been removed from Ark Extra Software.
  They're now on a new extra software CD, Ark Server Software.

- The Bitstream Vera fonts which were made freely available are now 
  included.  (ttfonts-bitstream-vera-1.10-1ark)

- MPlayer is about two months newer.  (mplayer-1.0-0.cvs20030828.1ark)

- KMPlayer has been updated.  (kmplayer-0.8b-1ark)

- NetHack has been updated.  (nethack-3.4.2-1ark)


2.1.2 Additions
---------------
- kernel26 - A preview of the upcoming Linux kernel 2.6) has been added.
  Please give it a try only if you are an experienced user, some 
  configuration files need to be adapted manually if you are using kernel 
  2.6.

- The media player Kaffeine has been added.  (kaffeine-0.3.2-1ark)

- theme-plastik and theme-thinkeramik - Two new style and window 
  decoration themes have been added for your viewing pleasure.

- Guard Dog and Guide Dog are graphical configuration tools which provide 
  easily configurable firewalling and connection sharing support.
  (guarddog-2.2.0-1ark, guidedog-0.9.1-1ark)

- The Tux Saver OpenGL screensaver has been added due to popular demand.
  (tuxsaver-0.9-1ark)

- CalcChecksum has been added.  This tool is useful for creating and 
  validating MD5, MD4, CRC, SHA, etc checksums, e.g. for checking the 
  MD5SUM values of ISO images.  (calcchecksum-1.4-1ark)



2.1.3 Removals
--------------
- All server related packages have been removed from Ark Extra Software; they
  can now be found on the new Ark Server Software image.


2.2. Known problems
===================

- Kaffeine currently crashes on exit, but appears to otherwise work well.

- The RosegardenSequencer, part of Rosegarden, appears to be crashing on 
  startup.  Details are not yet known.



    3. Ark Development Suite
    ========================

3.1. Important changes since Alpha 8
====================================

3.1.1 Important updates
-----------------------
- gcc has been updated to 3.3.1


3.2. Known problems
===================

- There are no known problems in Ark Development Suite



    4. Ark Server Software
    ======================

4.1. Important changes since Alpha 8
====================================

- This is a whole new offering.  Server related packages, including Apache
  HTTPD, MySQL, vsftpd, etc have been relocated here from AES.

- This new core CD-ROM does not signal that at the Ark Linux team is 
  "losing focus".  These packages are already necessary for Ark Linux 
  servers (e.g. web and mail) and are provided to satisfy requests from
  users.

4.1.1 Important updates
-----------------------
- MySQL has been updated.  (mysql-4.0.15-1ark)

- Apache HTTPD has been updated.  (httpd-2.0.47-5ark)


4.2. Known problems
===================

- There are no known problems in Ark Server Software

    5. Contrib
    ==========

5.1. Important changes since Alpha 8
====================================

- Packages that are not included in the "core" package set, may be included
  in "contrib".  If you want more information, or have packages you would 
  like to contribute to Ark Linux, please let us know.  All contrib 
  packages are available via the Synaptic software installation tool.  Not
  all contrib changes will be mentioned here.

5.1.1 Important updates
-----------------------
- The latest NVIDIA Accelerated Linux Driver Set release has been built for
  the Alpha 9 kernel.  This is an important new release, as the nvidia
  package no longer conflicts with any of the XFree86 packages (in 
  particular, XFree86-Mesa-libGL).  This means that:
  - The nvidia package is safe to install on all machines, even those
    without NVIDIA cards.
  - Installing, using and removing the nvidia package is now a painless 
    procedure.  Simply install the nvidia package, then run the scripts
    "nvidia-enable" and "nvidia-disable" on a system with an XFree86 
    configuration that already works and is set to use the "nv" driver.

- Macromedia Flash Plugin - latest version is now included, and has been
  tested in Konqueror and Mozilla.  (flash-6.0.79.0-5ark)

- The popular Gaim multi-protocol IM client has been updated.
  (gaim-0.66-2ark)

- AMSN, an alternative IM client for the M$N protocol, has been updated.
  (amsn-0.8.2-1ark)

- gIFT has been updated, and Apollon  (gift-0.11.4-1ark, apollon-0.8.7-1ark)

- PINE, the text-based mail client, has been updated.  (pine-4.56-1ark)

- Krusader, a high powered file manager for the KDE desktop, has been
  updated.  (krusader-1.25-0.beta1.1ark)


5.1.2. Highlighted Additions
----------------------------
- icons-korilla has been added - a new icon set / theme for your desktop.
  (icons-korilla-1.2.3-1ark)

- AfterSTEP has been added.  AfterSTEP is an alternative light-weight
  window manager.  (afterstep-2.00.beta1-cvs20030825.1ark)

- Sodipodi, an impressive vector drawing application, has been added.
  (sodipodi-0.32-2ark)

- Slibo, a great 3D chess program, has been added.  (slibo-0.4.4-1ark)

- SQLite, an embeddable SQL database engine has been added, and is used by 
  Slibo.  (sqlite-2.8.6-2ark)


5.2. Known problems
===================

- There are no noteworthy problems in Contrib at this moment.



    6. Downloading
    ==============

- For instructions on downloading Ark Linux, please refer to
  http://www.arklinux.org/download.php.


6.1. MD5SUMS
============

- MD5 sums are a method of verifying the integrity of downloaded files.
  You can check an MD5 sum on an existing Linux installation by opening a 
  command line (e.g. by selecting K Menu | System | Konsole) and typing 
  "md5sum [filename]", where [filename] is the name of the file you wish 
  to verify the MD5 checksum of.  Alternatively, you can use the program 
  called CalcChecksum ( K menu | Accessories | CalcChecksum) which is 
  available in AES (or via Synaptic).

- The correct MD5 sums for Ark Linux 1.0 Alpha 9 are:

  fdba8b6592ec67aa2e3ac928396df925  arklinux.iso
  3bd3451d848b55a55dcc442414c54423  ark-extra-software.iso
  f993ee9b81fc09ee6a2a1b17d4e28d95  ark-development-suite.iso
  4bf5793485a208308c12558762363f20  ark-server-software.iso



    7. Feedback
    ===========

- For more information on Ark Linux, how to contact us, mailing lists, etc,
  please visit:

    http://arklinux.org/

- Please report all bugs/issues to our defect tracking system at:

    https://bugzilla.arklinux.org/

- If you wish to talk to the developers directly, please join the #arklinux
  channel on irc.arklinux.org.  We are planning to add a new web based IRC
  chat interface soon, which will negate the need for a standalone IRC
  client.



LLaP
bero

-- 
Ark Linux - Linux for the masses
http://www.arklinux.org/

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