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DistributionsNews and Editorials An Early Look at Progeny Debian 2.0Remember Progeny Debian? It was a Linux distribution that set out to cure the ails of Debian proper, such as its unattractive installation program, many tedious steps requiring detailed knowledge of one's hardware, the unintuitive interface of dselect, and other annoyances that were seen as major obstacles in the way of wider adoption of Debian (and Linux) among the computing public. When Progeny released version 1.0 in April 2001, many users were impressed: "I really want to point out that this distribution was very, very easy to install. My first installation just awed me..." wrote one reviewer.The project was buried some 6 months later. Ian Murdock, the founder of Progeny (and Debian) explained:
From a business perspective, our customers consistently ask for
Debian, not Progeny Debian, and while Progeny Debian is technically just a
'release' of Debian (akin to 'potato' or 'woody' from the Debian project),
the appearance of maintaining a separate or 'forked' version is a
liability.
The company itself survived by switching its focus to providing services and commercial support for the Debian distribution. Then this week, all of a sudden, Progeny announced the release of Progeny Debian 2.0! Why the sudden revival of the Progeny distribution, rejected 3 years ago as a liability? Of course, Linux has come a long way since 2001 when it was a lot harder to sell. More importantly though, Ian Murdock has been promoting a radical new idea, a so-called "Componentized Linux", as a novel way of developing a Linux distribution as a collection of components, rather than as a monolithic whole. Progeny Debian 2.0 is the first released based on the concepts of Componentized Linux. Before we go any further, let's try to explain these concepts: what exactly is Componentized Linux and why is it better than the traditional development model? In doing so, we'll skip the definition on the Componentized Linux home page, which is too abstract to make an impact, and go straight to the directory listing the currently available components:
The components can be added to /etc/apt/sources.list like this:
deb[-src] http://archive.progeny.com/progeny/linux cl [components]
Each component represents a collection of packages. We can see a number of base components, such a linux-2.6 or lsb-2.0, essential for a core Linux system, and also a number of specialized components, e.g. audio or graphics. The important point of this "componentization" is that all components are self-dependent, in other words, all dependencies must be satisfied within the component itself, or a component has to explicitly specify another component that it depends on (e.g. one cannot install the gnome-2.4 component without one of the xfree86-* components). It should be noted that this componentized structure is completely transparent to the end user. Taking Progeny Debian 2.0 as an example, the user can simply apt-get install or apt-get remove any package without having to think about the components; in fact, there is no way to install or remove an entire component with one command. The "componentization" only affects developers, it affects the way package maintainers create binary packages. For example, let's take a complex package with many dependencies, such as GnuCash. In standard Debian, the GnuCash package merely specifies which other packages must be installed on a system prior to installing GnuCash. However, in Componentized Linux, the developer will have to create a "gnucash" component, with all the dependent packages either inside the component itself, or specified in another component (such as the gnome-2.4 component). How will this makes things easier and better? The way Ian Murdock envisages the role of components is that package maintainers will be able to create logical entities for specific uses. As an example, if a group of developers in Japan decides to add Japanese language support to a distribution, all they need to do is to create a complete self-contained component providing all packages needed for the language support. The component would include an input server, fonts, dictionaries, spellchecking applications and other relevant packages. Although it is hard to quantify the benefits of such approach until we have more exposure to the technology, there is no denying that a componentized structure does sound more logical, not to mention portable, than the present system of thousands of individual interdependent packages found in Linux distributions. If you are interested in trying out this approach, Progeny Debian 2.0 provides an early taste of things to come. It is an alpha release, so expect a few problems here and there, but the cl-workers mailing list is a good platform for discussions, both technical and philosophical. Besides seeing the "componentization" effort in practice, the release is an evidence that the developers have put a lot of effort into the Anaconda for Debian port - unlike Progeny's early ISO image from 2 months ago, it is now possible to install the distribution in text mode. Also of interest to some should be the Progeny-enhanced version of apt, with support for SSL/HTTPS, HTTP cookies, interactive authentication, and redirects. Although at present only Debian-based components have been created, the developers are planning to build components based on Fedora Core in the near future.
Plan-B: An Interview with project creator J. McDanielThe number of "Live" Linux distributions have been growing like weeds over the last two years. It's not surprising when you think about it. Live CD's give you the flexibility of running Linux on any system without the need to actually "install" it.There's also another advantage to Live CD's, you can have custom functionality configurations designed for specific purposes. There are Live CD's for Desktops, Servers, Clusters, Gaming, Multi-Media, and, of course, Security. In fact the Live CD format lends itself to Security tasks extremely well. One of these Security focused distributions is Plan-B. Here is an interview with the projects creator, J. McDaniel, on his background, the history & future of Plan-B. Joe Klemmer: Who is J. McDaniel? (What does the "J" stand for?) J. McDaniel: The J stands for Jeremy. It never occurred to me, during the entire course of creating the CD and the website, that I hadn't used my first name. I have no reason why, I just didn't. # whoami jmcdaniel # _Sorry couldn't resist=) JK: What's your background? JM: I'm from a small town in West Virginia. My freshman year in high school, I took what I thought was a keyboarding class. As it turned out, it was actually a programming class for an IBM with BASIC. (Or was it BASICA? I can't remember for sure.) It wasn't long before I had a Commodore 64 at home with a 13" TV and a tape drive (audio tape that is). A couple of years later, I got a PC with DOS 3.0. I still have the 386DX and BIOS chip as a souvenir. I joined the Army after high school and started out in Signal Corp. I was a Radio and Teletype (RATT) Operator, and then I luckily got switched to a computer tech. They were running SunOS then, now called Solaris. After my eight years were up, I jumped ship and it was almost the end of the computer scene. JK: When/How did you get involved in Linux and Open Source? JM: Still interested in computers outside the service, around late `96, I was informed of an OS Project that allowed you to connect a PC to an amateur ham radio rig - best of all, it was free. I immediately grabbed the first copy I could find, and Debian v1.0 became my best friend and enemy as we developed a love/hate relationship. Although I never did get the radio to work right with it, I did realize I had to get back into the IT field. In `98, when I got discharged, I was working any job I could get. None of my jobs were in IT, though. I quickly learned I needed a degree, and fast. I finally managed, in 1999, to start a program at a local school in Fairmont, WV called Computer Tech., working toward an Associates Degree. By the time I graduated, three years later, they had changed their name to IADT. I also quickly learned college costs money. Now things are better though. I'm working there as an Adjunct Instructor teaching Introduction to Unix and Unix Administration, and I'm working part time on the side for an accounting firm (T and T Inc.) as their Network Admin. Meanwhile, I'm attempting to complete a Bachelors then Masters in IT at AIU. JK: What is Plan-B Linux? JM: Finding it harder to locate a machine away from home with Linux installed, I resorted to a few "floppy based" distributions. I outgrew them in record time, though. Looking for a bit more, I started toying with several Live CDs. A Live CD is an OS that allows you to run it from the CD without having to install it first. After having to change all of them to suit me in one-way or another, I decided to create one made just for me. I know there are close to 150 or more of them now, yet they didn't address my personal needs (OK, wants.) I also decided I had to learn something from the experience. I found that most were based on Knoppix at their root, which is Debian Linux underneath. Knoppix is definitely the most popular and easy to use. At the same time I found it included tons of software I would never use, and very little of what I wanted. However, what I was trying to find was a CD using a modified Red Hat Install. It had to have as many, if not all, of the typical server daemons included in an installable distribution, root user authority by default, a small and easy to configure X Windows interface, hardware recognition and configuration, utilities for security scanning, auditing, and system recovery. It should also have, if necessary, forensic analysis and read/write access to as many file systems as possible, along with the ability to do everyday tasks i.e. email, browse the web, chat, write a report, shutdown and go home. I found a page that listed a CD created by H. Peter Anvin, the "SuperRescueCD". This was it, the perfect groundwork for I what I wanted. It was based in Red Hat 6/7 and was primarily built for recovery. I used a stripped installation of Red Hat 9 and reorganized the build structure Anvin used. After months of trial and error caused by the read/write permissions required on a lot of the software, along with countless coasters burned, I had a working model. JK: What makes Plan-B unique? JM: Tough question. It's unique to me, I suppose, because I've gotten to know it intimately over the last couple years while I molded it into something usable. I believe, out of the swarm of Live CDs available, there isn't too much unique about it on the surface. I would have to say it would be the closest to running an installed version of Red Hat. That is to say if you're currently a Technician or Administrator of Red Hat systems, you should feel right at home in Plan-B. It might disappoint you, though, if you are expecting to see KDE or GNOME. I chose a lightweight desktop (BlackBox) instead for the Window Manager. I didn't see an advantage of using anything more elaborate. It also uses a file compression I rarely see used on other CDs of its kind (not that I've researched the matter). I used zisofs, another project by Anvin, which lets me fill ~1.4GB of data on the CD. JK: How did you go about deciding what to include or not include in Plan-B? JM: I started with the basic necessities and a server class installation of Red Hat 9. After thinning the install of rarely used files, I started a log of the software I used most often. Then I began to stage a step-by-step scenario of routines I would use as a starting point for auditing systems and networks. Versions 0.1.0 through 0.8.0 were built and rebuilt again based on the ability to reenact each scenario. All software needed to work without failure and using the least amount of resources possible. The most precious resource on a project such as this, of course, is "Space". I scoured the Internet & reviewed hundreds of software projects looking for applications that provided the same capability of large "Feature Rich Applications," yet with smaller file sizes. Practically, as long as it works, it's great. Once I had reached what I felt was the space limit, I rebuilt the CD and used it as a desktop for a week or so to evaluate what I actually use and what was just wasting space. As for the Field Study Applications (Forensics, Security, and Auditing) I had a few that I use most often. However, knowing not everyone works under the same conditions or uses the same approach that I do, I requested information for resources from several authorities in each profession. After getting a list compiled of all the recommendations, I proceeded to add them a few at a time, rebuild the CD, test, and iterate ad nausea. JK: What are your plans for the future Plan-B? JM: Currently the Plan-B Project as a whole is being moved to the school here at the International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT) and will become a Student Project. Students will be offered the chance to become part of the development team. This would give them an opportunity to work in an Open Source Environment. They will be working at each phase of the development process for both the CD and the website. IADT has courses involving Network/System Administration, Programming, and Website Design, all of which fit in with the nature of the project perfectly. Research and Development, Software/Hardware Testing, Programming, System and Network Analysis, Project Management, etc. are only a few possibilities. Now, at a technical level, I will be compiling a list of known issues with version one and assessing all of the field requests for software additions. Those will be the primary changes to begin with. It is also time to make the switch to Fedora. You can also expect to see PB2 sporting a new kernel, actually one of each version - 2.4 and 2.6. I'd like to begin work on special software made specifically for Plan-B such as the ability to save a users or system configuration with ability to automatically load that configuration during the boot process. We will be researching the individual applications to see if it's possible to make them more intuitive. The less you have to setup, the faster you can get to work. The biggest news at the moment, though, is that recently I exchanged a few emails with H. Peter Anvin, the creator of the SuperRescueCD and several well know Linux Utilities, about his plans for continuing with his project. After finding that he wished to continue and create a version 3 of SuperRescue, but doesn't have the time, I offered our project to jump in and begin work on it. He agreed happily. As a result, we now will also be building and maintaining the next SuperRescueCD. I'll be the first to admit I am very honored to do so. If it hadn't been for Anvin's project, ours may not exist. We only covered briefly changes in the current process used to create a custom version of either CD. We agree the current method is very difficult to manage or add personal files with and it is even harder to remove them. This is another area high on the to do list. We might, possibly, build from an rpm repository instead. The differences between the two will mostly deal with your need for use. While PB2 will continue to move forward in Security, Forensics, and Auditing, SR3 will add a greater base of supported hardware and utilities for system diagnosis at a hardware and software level. JK: Is there anything you'd like to see happen with Plan-B? JM: For now, the projects will be worked on internally. However, I would like to see them grow out to the community here as well. I can see a benefit of having a LUG or Open Software Group locally to promote and aid in the use of Linux for home and small business use. I believe if we're going to see Linux in those areas it will be due to organizations such as those who apply the effort to make its existence known. I recall a conversation in which I was discussing some of the technology and offered, "Personally I run Linux." In reply, the gentleman said, "I've heard of that, Toyota or Honda make it, right?" It appears, then, that in the small business world one of the obstacles we face is just the awareness that there are alternatives in the market for Operating Systems and Software. Despite this, I still have high hopes for us yet.
Distribution News MandrakelinuxMandrakesoft has announced the availability of Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official. "10.0 Official provides increased performance with Linux kernel 2.6, an enhanced desktop experience with KDE 3.2, GNOME 2.4 and Mandrakegalaxy II, unbeatable hardware recognition, and support for Serial ATA, USB2 and IEEE 1394."Mandrakelinux 10.0 updates:
Debian GNU/LinuxHere's the Debian Weekly News for April 13, 2004, with a look at non-free components in the Linux kernel; an experimental request tracker; Martin Michlmayr re-elected DPL; Debian powered satellite routers; and much more.The results are in: Martin Michlmayr has been re-elected as the leader of the Debian Project. Join the bug squashing party, April 16 - 18, and help stomp out those release critical bugs in sarge. Preparation of the next stable update of Debian 3.0 (woody) continues.
Gentoo Weekly Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 15The Gentoo Weekly Newsletter for the week of April 12, 2004 is out. This week's issue looks at the newsletter reorganization, and its search for new team members; the Gentoo Linux Project is looking for developers with Samba experience; and more.
Lindows Spanish-Language LaptopsLindows, Inc. has announced that a Spanish version of LindowsOS, customized for laptops, is now available pre-loaded onto two laptop models through PC Club.
Slackware LinuxSlackware current has plenty of fixed and upgraded packages this week; including e2fsprogs-1.35, hdparm-5.5, pcmcia-cs-3.2.7, dvd+rw-tools-5.19.4.9.7, audiofile-0.2.5, esound-0.2.34, ImageMagick-5.5.7-17, xchat-2.0.8, and more. There are X.Org x11R6.7.0 packages in testing. As usual see the slackware-current changelog for complete details.
DistroWatch WeeklyHere's the DistroWatch Weekly for April 12, 2004.
New Distributions eLearniXeLearnix is a free, self contained, Linux operating system that runs from CDROM or Compact Flash card. It creates a desktop environment that will help people learn Linux. The newest version is also Wireless enabled, with a 2.6 Linux kernel, GNOME 2.4, lots of applications, and an install script to install to a dedicated hard drive or a 256MB+ Compact Flash card. Once upon a time a distribution called Embedded Freedom Linux was in the embedded section of our list; version 1 of EFL was released December 15, 2002. EFL turned into FreeLoader Linux before morphing into eLearnix, now found in the Education section of the list.. eLearnix 2.6.5 was released April 13, 2004.
Minor distribution updates Ark LinuxArk Linux has issued a press release for the release of Ark Linux version 1.0 alpha 11.
Astaro Security LinuxAstaro Security Linux has released v5.001 with major bugfixes. "Changes: This version includes virus protection for HTTP, intrusion protection, L2PT VPN-support, ISP-uplink failover, spam protection for SMTP and POP3, SMP support, and stateful failover functionality in high availability installations. Many small improvements were also made."
Buffalo LinuxBuffalo Linux has released v1.2.0 with major feature enhancements. "Changes: This release of Buffalo uses the new 2.6.5 kernel exclusively. Six kernels are provided for i586, ipent2, ipent3, ipent4, K6, and K7 (Duron/Athlon). There were major package upgrades (74) including OpenOffice-1.1.1. There is also a GNOME package that contains another 73 packages. 44 little used packages were deleted."
Local Area Security LinuxLocal Area Security Linux has released v0.5 with major feature enhancements. "Changes: All packages have been upgraded to current in the 210MB version. The theme and background have changed to the new standard. There are usability fixes amd fixes for broken menu links."
NSA Security Enhanced LinuxNSA Security Enhanced Linux has released v2004040714 with minor feature enhancements. "Changes: The current prototype and the experimental NFS code are now based on Linux kernel 2.6.5. IPv6 support has been added. A new sestatus utility is available. A number of bugs have been fixed, and many updates have been made to the example policy."
WarewulfWarewulf has released v2.1 with major feature enhancements. "Changes: Version 2.1 is the first official release of W\2, and it includes a major rewrite of almost all of the tools, as well as architecture changes to make it much more flexible and easier to maintain."
Distribution reviews A first look at Vector Linux 4.0, SOHO edition (linux.com)Linux.com reviews Vector Linux 4.0 SOHO edition. "One thing that kept the installation so short was a lack of any questions about the packages that were installed. Vector decided for me what needed to be installed and didn't trouble me with the task of choosing."
First Look at SUSE LINUX Professional 9.1 (MadPenguin)MadPenguin reviews the soon to be released SUSE LINUX Professional 9.1. "SUSE LINUX 9.1 is an excellent Linux distribution for the price. At $89.95 USD, you would be hard pressed to find a better package. Sure, you can download Linux all day long from the Internet for free, but in no way does that give anything back to the developers who innovate. You are showing support for them by running and promoting their software to others, but nothing helps keep development flowing like cold hard cash. SUSE is worth the price. For the 90 days of installation support, online and email support, as well as the plethora of packages that are included, you simply can't go wrong. One thing people frequently miss when comparing Linux distributions and pricing is the included applications. I'm not just talking about the quantity, but the quality. So many distros these days have apps that are just 'broken', not working, and trouble to work with. I visited as many apps as possible during my review and everything worked. This to me is a huge selling point."
Lycoris Desktop/LX Amethyst Update 3 The COMPLETE Review (DesktopOS)DesktopOS reviews the latest version of Lycoris Desktop/LX. "If we had to sum up Lycoris Desktop/LX Update 3 in a single word it would be mighty difficult -- yet words such as perfect, impressive, and wonderful, do come to mind. We would without a doubt struggle to find people to agree with such a conclusion however, as a result of the experiences encountered here; so we will not settle on any of those words. On the other hand, if we had to sum up this operating system in a few words, we would have to say " a work in progress.""
Page editor: Rebecca Sobol |
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