Distributions
News and Editorials
Kororaa and the GPL - The Final Word
The Kororaa project started out as a binary install method for Gentoo Linux. It is still useful for that, but as a side project the Kororaa LiveCD was designed to showcase AIGLX, Xgl, compiz, KDE, Gnome, Gentoo and Kororaa technologies. When the live CD was first announced last May the project was accused of GPL violations because proprietary nVidia and ATI drivers were included in the distribution.This week we received a note from Jakob Petsovits pointing out that Kororaa no longer includes any proprietary modules on the live CD. An official statement is available at the project's web site:
Do we make an exception just because these drivers give us unprecedented
3D support under Linux? Is that fair?
So in closing, at this stage I have decided to take the opinion that non-GPL modules are violations of the Linux kernel and are also unethical. This means we will not build non-GPL drivers against the kernel and as such Kororaa will not be shipping non-GPL modules in any future products. Of course if the end user believes non-GPL drivers are acceptable, then he/she is free to install them on their own system. For myself however, I am using the Linux kernel to create a product. If it was not for Linux then it would not exist and I therefore have a responsibility to respect the license of the kernel.
Kororaa AIGLXgl 0.3 Live CD is available, without any non-GPL video card drivers.
New Releases
Thinstation ver. 2.2 has been released.
The crew behind Thinstation has announced that Thinstation ver. 2.2 is available for free download. "Thinstation is an Open Source Linux based thin client operating system that makes a standard PC a diskless client in a server based computing (SBC) environment. The PC might be a modern dedicated thin client PC from e.g. Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu-Siemens, Neoware or others -- or a recycled old PC (Pentium MMX with 32 MB RAM or better)."
SUSE Linux 10.1 "Remastered" available
A remastered version of SUSE Linux 10.1 is now available. "This release combines the 10.1 GM and all online updates that we have released for 10.1 so far, including libzypp, which should make the installing and working experience much smoother for everyone." A remastered install DVD is also available.
OpenPKG Community distribution OpenPKG 2-STABLE-20061018 available
The OpenPKG Foundation e.V. has released a 2-STABLE-20061018 snapshot from the 2-STABLE branch. "Along with OpenpKG CURRENT these series claim the cornerstones between practicable maintenance and bleeding-edge software for the fast moving OpenPKG Community distribution."
dyne:bolic 2.2 codename DHORUBA released
dyne:bolic GNU/Linux is live CD containing plenty of multimedia software. Click below for a look at the new features, updates and fixes in version 2.2.
Distribution News
Debian to keep leader, release etch sooner
The results of the latest round of Debian Project general resolutions are in. The resolution to recall the project leader failed, while the counter-resolution reaffirming support for the leader (and the Dunc-Tank initiative) passed. The attempt to make section 2 of the Debian Free Software Guidelines apply to all programmatic work (and firmware in particular) failed, with the project voting (narrowly) for "further discussion." While this discussion takes place, however, the project has voted to release etch when it is ready without requiring a complete and final solution to the firmware problem first.Debian BSP Marathon continues
The Debian Bug Squashing Marathon continues in Cambridge, UK on October 28 and 29, 2006.Fedora Core 6 slips one more time
A few more difficulties turned up in the Fedora Core 6 release, with the result that it has now been pushed back a couple of days, to October 19. "The current plan is to spin a release candidate this evening with some last minute fixes, and start the sync. Validation has gone very well up to this point and baring any blow ups in the spin process, the release looks very solid."
Update: the FC6 has been pushed back again; the new target date is October 24.
Dribble repo for Fedora
Dribble is a new repository which supports the Fedora Core Linux distribution. It provides packages with a focus on fun, distributable software not already found in the Core, Extras and Livna repositories for various reasons such as their stricter legal requirements. Software in Dribble may not be OSI approved, yet is distributable. "Dribble includes software for example, such as emulators, additional games and additional multimedia applications."
Fedora Infrastructure Team - Help Wanted
The Fedora Infrastructure team is looking for some more volunteers to help support the day to day activities of the Fedora Project contributors and developers.return of the BLAG lists
BLAG Linux and GNU mailing lists are now available. There are three lists, blag-announce for BLAG Linux and GNU announcements, blag-devel for BLAG Linux and GNU development discussion and blag-users for BLAG Linux and GNU users discussion. Click below for subscription information.Ubuntu 6.10 Release Freeze now in effect
The freeze is on for Ubuntu's Edgy Eft. "The final freeze of the 6.10 release cycle is now in effect. Uploads should only be made after consultation with a member of the release team for main or the MOTU UVF team for universe. All uploads to main should fix 6.10-targetted bugs."
Ubuntu 7.04 planning begins
The Ubuntu "edgy" release is not quite out yet, but Mark Shuttleworth has already started looking forward to the next release, which, it seems, will be named "Feisty Fawn." "The main themes for feature development in this release will be improvements to hardware support in the laptop, desktop and high-end server market, and aggressive adoption of emerging desktop technologies. Ubuntu's Feisty release will put the spotlight on multimedia enablement and desktop effects. There will be a planning meeting in California in November; click below for the full message.UDS Mountain View: Call for Topics
The next Ubuntu Developer Summit will be held in Mountain View, California at the Googleplex, November 5 - 10, 2006. "The primary objective of the summit is to define the release goals for Ubuntu 7.04, to be released in April 2007. At the summit, the development team will discuss feature ideas, and create specification documents describing plans for their implementation."
Distribution Newsletters
Fedora Weekly News Issue 62
This edition of the Fedora Weekly News looks at Inside Fedora Core 6, Naming of Fedora Core 6, Announcing Dribble a new addon repo, Red Hat Linux rises over Chicago, Opening doors to open source for women, and much more.Gentoo Weekly Newsletter
The Gentoo Weekly Newsletter for October 9, 2006 covers X.Org 7.1 stable on amd64/x86, safe CFLAGS settings, interview with Daniel Ostrow "dostrow", and several other topics.Ubuntu Weekly News #17
The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter for October 7, 2006 covers the Ubuntu Video contest, the new Bluetooth team, Ubuntu in Indiana schools and much more.DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 173
The DistroWatch Weekly for October 16, 2006 is out. "As we brace up for the brand new Fedora Core 6 later this week, the focus of this issue of DistroWatch Weekly is on the 3D accelerated Linux desktop. How usable is it? And does it bring anything more than eye candy? Find out in a blog-style report about our experiences with Xgl- and AIGLX-enabled desktops on Mandriva Linux 2007 and SabayonLinux 3.1. Also in this issue: iXsystems acquires a popular FreeBSD-based operating system for desktops, Debian developers vote to resolve controversial issues, and Fedora Core maintainers look for ways to count their user base. Finally, in the new distributions section, we introduce Lintrack, a new Arch-based project designed to run on network routers."
Package updates
Fedora updates
Updates for Fedora Core 5: dlm-kernel (built for kernel-2.6.17-1.2187_FC5), GFS-kernel (built for kernel-2.6.17-1.2187_FC5), gnbd-kernel (built for kernel-2.6.17-1.2187_FC5), cman-kernel (built for kernel-2.6.17-1.2187_FC5), pango (update to Pango 1.12.4), anacron (bug fixes), pango (bug fix), gzip (rebuild), kernel (rebase to 2.6.18.1), bind (update to upstream 9.3.3rc2), shadow-utils (fix mail spool files creation), kudzu (fix segfault in module_upgrade).Mandriva updates
Updates for Mandriva Linux 2007.0: squid (bug fix for x86_64), wxPythonGTX (bug fix), smbldap-tools (fix parsing bug).Updates for Corporate Server 4.0: squid (bug fix).
rPath updates
Updates for rPath Linux 1: conary, conary-build, conary-repository (Conary 1.0.34 maintenance release), vnc (include Xvnc server), qt-x11-free (add /etc/qt/qtrc file), conary, conary-build, conary-repository (Conary 1.0.35 maintenance release).Trustix updates
Updates for Trustix Secure Linux 2.2 and 3.0: openswan (various bug fixes).Ubuntu updates
Updates for Ubuntu 6.06 LTS: alsa-lib 1.0.10-2ubuntu4.1, git-core_1.4.1-1~dapper1, apt-cacher_1.5.3~dapper1, proftpd_1.3.0-9~dapper1, phpgroupware_0.9.16.011-2~dapper1, gnomebaker_0.6.0-0ubuntu2~dapper1, ktorrent_2.0.3-0ubuntu4~dapper1.
Newsletters and articles of interest
The Perfect Setup - CentOS 4.4 (HowtoForge)
HowtoForge has published a tutorial on using CentOS, a derivative of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. "This is a detailed description about how to set up a CentOS 4.4 based server that offers all services needed by ISPs and hosters (web server (SSL-capable), mail server (with SMTP-AUTH and TLS!), DNS server, FTP server, MySQL server, POP3/IMAP, Quota, Firewall, etc.). This tutorial is written for the 32-bit version of CentOS 4.4, but should apply to the 64-bit version with very little modifications as well."
The Perfect Setup - Mandriva 2007 Free Edition (HowtoForge)
HowtoForge covers a Mandriva server set up. "This is a detailed description about how to set up a Mandriva 2007 Free Edition based server that offers all services needed by ISPs and hosters (web server (SSL-capable), mail server (with SMTP-AUTH and TLS!), DNS server, FTP server, MySQL server, POP3/IMAP, Quota, Firewall, etc.)."
Secure By Design: How Guardian Digital Secures EnGarde Secure Linux
Guardian Digital has made available an explanation of the security model used in creating EnGarde Secure Linux. "Guardian Digital builds EnGarde Secure Linux on the principle that security is the first priority of a modern operating system and must therefore be considered in every element of its design. This is very different from the more common practice of "hardening" a system by attempting to remove security vulnerabilities after the system is complete, for example by restricting permissions or closing ports. To achieve an unparalleled level of security, EnGarde Secure Linux tailors its system following the principle of "least privilege" in which every program and service is given only the privileges and access it needs to do its job, and no more."
Distribution reviews
Linux XP Desktop: A Windows face on an old Linux base (Linux.com)
Linux.com compares Linux XP Desktop to Linspire and Xandros. "Unlike Linspire and Xandros, which are both based on Debian, Linux XP is derived from Fedora. It runs an extensively modified version of GNOME to create an environment a Windows user should be comfortable with. Its manifesto claims that Linux XP is not a "cheap copycat product" but rather a mature and stable "ready-to-migrate desktop system." This I had to see."
Nexenta combines OpenSolaris, GNU, and Ubuntu (Linux.com)
Linux.com reviews Nexenta. "What do you get when you combine OpenSolaris, the GNU utilities, and Ubuntu? Nexenta -- a GNU-based open source operating system built on top of the OpenSolaris kernel and runtime. I took the Alpha 5 release out for a spin to see how well it's progressing. It might sound like an odd combination, but after more than a year of development, it actually works well, and is shaping up to be a very interesting operating system."
Sabayon Linux miniEdition looks sharp on the bleeding edge (Linux.com)
Linux.com reviews Sabayon Linux miniEdition. "Last week the Sabayon Linux project released ISO images of its miniEdition 3.1 live CD Linux distro. Sabayon has earned a reputation for running right on the cutting edge; it is the first distro to deploy a live CD using the Beryl compositing engine and Nvidia's newest beta video drivers. The only reason I tested the miniEdition instead of the full DVD ISO is that the DVD torrent estimated three days to complete the download. Seeing how much there is in the miniEdition, perhaps I should be glad."
Zenwalk GNU/Linux 3: A Review (Entropy)
Entropy has a review of Zenwalk 3. "Zenwalk 3 is an operating system based on Patrick Volkerding's Slackware GNU/Linux distribution, version 10.2. The entire operating system fits on a single CD, and stays true to what the author calls the "Zen philosophy". This philosophy, as it has been coined, refers to Zenwalk's policy of including one application per task. I've had a few problems with Slackware and Slackware-related systems in the past, but Zenwalk has alleviated all of my stress regarding those issues."
Page editor: Rebecca Sobol
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