Distributions
News and Editorials
A look at dyne:bolic 2.4
Dyne:bolic GNU/Linux is a live CD distribution that can be installed to a hard drive if desired. It is user friendly and has good hardware recognition. From the release announcement for version 2.4: codename DHORUBA:
This release improves user-friendliness introducing
Xfce-4.4 as the new default desktop, customized for the scheme of
interaction that is familiar to dyne:bolic users. Another important new
feature is the ability to create an encrypted nest to prevent access to
personal data stored in home directories. No complicated notions are
required, our user friendly setup deals with usb and harddisk storages as
usual, in case the nest is encrypted you'll see your home icon upgraded to
fortress, then everything that goes in your nest is protected.
The installation of dyne:bolic is very simple, just copy the /dyne directory from the CD to free partition on your computer. You can also save your configuration to a USB key.
Dyne:bolic is 100% free software and it's optimized to run on slower computers. It's also designed as a practical tool for multimedia production: you can manipulate and broadcast both sound and video with tools to record, edit, encode and stream.
New Releases
Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 updated
The Debian project has updated the stable distribution Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 (codename `sarge'). "This update mainly adds security updates to the stable release, along with a few corrections to serious problems. Those who frequently update from security.debian.org won't have to update many packages and most updates from security.debian.org are included in this update."
Lunar-1.6.1 Install ISO "Moose Drool" released for x86_64 and i686
"Moose Drool" is also known as the Lunar-Linux 1.6.1 Installer ISO and it is available now. "This ISO is partially a refreshed installer for i686, but it is also our first stable ISO for x86_64. The x86_64 installer ISO thus marks the true final entry for Lunar Linux as a multi-arch distro. This ISO comes with gcc-3.4.6, glibc-2.3.6, linux-2.6.20, perl-5.8.8, and other rock solid base components."
BLFS Version 6.2.0 has been released!
Beyond Linux from Scratch has released BLFS Version 6.2.0. This release is the complement to the LFS 6.2 book.openSUSE 10.3 Alpha1 released
The first public alpha release of openSUSE 10.3 is available for testing. Click below for a look at what's new and a list of known bugs. Alpha two is planned for March 15.Ubuntu Herd 4 released
The Ubuntu Feisty Fawn Herd 4 CD is available for testing. The announcement (click below) contains download information for Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Edubuntu and a list of known bugs. "The primary focus during the time from Herd 3 has been a mix of feature development and bug fixing."
Distribution News
Debian announcements
Steve McIntyre presents Bits from the 2IC. "First of all, we're still working towards an Etch release. It's a shame that it'll be later than many of us hoped, but again the new release is shaping up to be our best ever. It's not my place to second-guess the release team, but I'm hoping for a release soon. We're primarily waiting on the kernel to stabilise for release and a final debian-installer release candidate. We've got a few more RC bugs to polish off, then PARTY TIME!!! (Well, maybe some of us will have some more little spots of work to do in the last few days and hours... *grin*)"
The third call for nominations has gone out for the 2007 Debian Project Leader elections. The campaign period begins February 25, 2007.
Frans Pop has an update on key expiry that
broke Etch. "This means that full CD and DVD images are now
available again from, for all architectures (except S/390). The now
available images are virtually identical to what will be released as D-I
RC2, so testing and installation reports are most welcome.
"
Raphael Hertzog reports on Alioth downtime
and lost data from the gforge database. "What is definitely lost
however is the changes done to trackers/forums/surveys during that period
and in general anything that is gforge-specific. We're really sorry for
that, you can be sure we'll take required measures for the future.
"
openSUSE meeting minutes
openSUSE has decided to use libata by default in version 10.3. If your openSUSE installation has more than 15 partitions this could cause some problems. Click below for more information on this, and other issues.openSUSE Survey
openSUSE is running a survey to get an idea of how people feel about the openSUSE project and the openSUSE 10.2 distribution.Fedora 7 release delayed
The Fedora 7 release schedule always looked ambitious, given the challenges of integrating the Core and Extras repositories. It seems that integration is not proceeding as quickly as one might like, with the result that the Fedora 7 release is now planned for May 24, a one-month delay.FDSCo Elections open
The elections for Fedora Documentation Steering Committee (FDSCo) are open until 23:59 UTC, 26 February 2007. Voting is open to all members of the cvsdocs group in the Fedora Account System.Announcing Fedora Desktop User Guide
The Fedora Desktop User Guide for Fedora Core 6 is available. "The Desktop User Guide is here to help you accomplish specific tasks with the desktop applications. It is written for individuals who are unfamiliar with the default Fedora Desktop and who may be running their first Linux desktop."
ESR's goodbye note
For those who can't resist: here is Eric Raymond's "goodbye, Fedora" note. "Over the last five years, I've watched Red Hat/Fedora throw away what was at one time a near-unassailable lead in technical prowess, market share and community prestige. The blunders have been legion on both technical and political levels." So far, the Fedora folks do not appear to be greatly pained by his departure.
Mandriva Cooker : The Inside Man V
Fabrice Facorat has posted some information about the Mandriva Cooker (development branch). Click below for more about Nvidia/ATI vs Xorg 7.2, Testing Metisse in cooker, 64 vs 32 bit Cooker, Migration to cdrkit, Testing RandR 1.2, 2007.1 Errata create, Warly Departure, and Using PulseAudio as default in 2008.0.Ubuntu announcements
Ben Collins announced regular meetings of the kernel team. "I invite anyone interested to attending, even if it's just to see how we get things done. Meetings are going to be held in the normal location: #ubuntu-meeting on irc.freenode.net. Meetings will be bi-weekly, Mon at 16:00 UTC, with the exception of the first meeting which is Wed Feb 21, at 16:00 UTC, due to holidays."
Martin Pitt looks at some policy decisions
with regard to the package maintainer field. "a fair while ago, the
Debian project collectively decided that Ubuntu source and binary packages
should not carry Debian's maintainers in their Maintainer: field any
more. Instead, we shall preserve them in the Original-Maintainer: field and
put an Ubuntu specific contact into Maintainer:
"
The Ubuntu archive team has added two new
members. "We have also allocated archive team days, so if you
need to have a package promoted, packages pushed through NEW or services
the archive team offer, please contact the correct person on IRC
(#ubuntu-devel being the most appropriate channel).
"
New Distributions
ProTech - a new security distribution
ProTech is a new security oriented distribution from the Techm4sters team. It's a live CD based on Ubuntu Feisty with tools for network administrators, pentesters and other forensic analysis. The first beta was made available for download February 13, 2007, with a final version expected in April 2007 when the Ubuntu Feisty release is finalized.Tadpole Linux Announces Logo Design Competition
Tadpole Linux is new Gentoo-based live CD geared toward K-6 elementary school students. A Logo Design Competition is underway, with a submission deadline of March 2, 2007. The first release is expected soon after.
Distribution Newsletters
Fedora Weekly News Issue 77
The Fedora Weekly News for February 19, 2007 covers a change in the Fedora 7 schedule, Fedora 7 Test 1 Release Notes, Changes to fedora-advisory-board list, The Interview of Bill Nottingham, Fedora Directory Server is now in Fedora Extras, InfoDesk Inc. Chooses Fedora Directory Server, Ambassadors Report - SCALE5X, and several other topics.Gentoo Weekly Newsletter
The Gentoo Weekly Newsletter for February 12, 2007 covers time zone updates, testing for new freetype, problems with NSS/NSPR, thanks from the KDE team, Adopt-a-Dev update, and much more.DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 190
The DistroWatch Weekly for February 19, 2007 is out. "Those users who enjoy beta testing Linux distribution had an exciting week as new development builds from Mandriva, PCLinuxOS, openSUSE and Ubuntu all appeared on public mirrors. In the meantime, the Fedora project announced a delay in the release of Fedora 7 - now scheduled for late May. In other news, Ubuntu has clarified its position on the issue of proprietary video drivers, Daniel Robbins is about to formally return to the project he founded some seven years ago, SabayonLinux loses two key developers, and CentOS announces plans for the all-new CentOS 5. The feature story takes a brief look at two distributions which recently bumped their version numbers while in the middle of development - SaxenOS and SimplyMEPIS."
Distribution meetings
openSUSE Reminder: FOSDEM 2007 - this weekend!
A reminder for anyone going to FOSDEM this weekend; openSUSE has a dev-room where there will be lots of interesting talks, and a small booth on the floor.FudCon Videos are now available
FudCon videos from Boston 2007 are available for torrent download.
Package updates
Slackware glibc-zoneinfo US Daylight Savings Time changes
Slackware has new glibc-zoneinfo packages with the new US Daylight Savings Time schedule for all stable Slackware systems.
Newsletters and articles of interest
Monitoring Servers and Clients using Munin in Ubuntu (Ubuntu Geek)
Ubuntu Geek looks at Munin. ""Munin" means "memory". Munin the tool surveys all your computers and remembers what it saw. It presents all the information in in graphs through a web interface. Its emphasis is on plug and play capabilities. After completing a installation a high number of monitoring plugins will be playing with no more effort. Using Munin you can easily monitor the performance of your computers, networks, SANs, and quite possibly applications as well. It makes it easy to determine "what's different today" when a performance problem crops up. It makes it easy to see how you're doing capacity wise on all limited resources."
Create virtual Machines Using Virtualbox in Debian (Debian Admin)
Debian Admin looks at Virtualbox on Debian Etch. "VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware. Targeted at server, desktop and embedded use, it is now the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software."
Distribution reviews
Xubuntu offers appealing desktop alternative (tectonic)
Tectonic has a review of Xubuntu. "Performance wise Xubuntu is everything I was hoping. It is light and fast. Clicking on the applications menu gives you immediate feedback. And unless you're running about five or six other applications at the time, opening a file browser or a terminal window is almost instantaneous. As I write this I have about four applications running, some with two or three windows open each. Clicking on the 'show desktop' applet hides all of the open six windows in just a second. On a slower machine this is not to be sneezed at."
Software Review: Yellow Dog Linux 5 for PlayStation 3 (BC Gaming)
Blogcritics has a review of Yellow Dog Linux 5 for PlayStation 3. "[W]hat do you get with Yellow Dog Linux 5? There are 2248 packages (RPMs) included, including heavyweights in the Open Source software arena such as OpenOffice, GIMP, Firefox... the list goes on and on. Yellow Dog 5 also comes with a simply stunning desktop environment, called Enlightenment (E17)."
Page editor: Rebecca Sobol
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