Distributions

A look at openSUSE 11.0

openSUSE 11.0 was released about two weeks ago, to generally good reviews. TuxMachines ran some lighthearted tests last fall and again recently, comparing the latest Mandriva release with the latest openSUSE release. This time around openSUSE edged out Mandriva in a near tie. Other good reviews can be found on LinuxPlanet, DownloadSquad and many other places around the web.

There are plenty of options for getting a hold of this release. You can buy a boxed set, an option that has all but disappeared from the Linux distribution scene. The box comes with complete end-user documentation, installable media for 32 Bit and 64 Bit systems, plus 90 days of end-user installation support.

Most people will probably download the release in one form or another. Chose from the 32-bit, 64-bit or PowerPC platforms. Get a DVD, a Live CD or use a network install. The live CD comes in a GNOME or a KDE version. There's plenty of documentation online to go along with that; release notes, the openSUSE 11.0 startup document and the step-by-step installation guide.

The KDE live CD only contains KDE 4. If you would prefer KDE 3.5, it is available on the DVD or the network install. Benjamin Weber has a blog post on the inclusion of KDE4. "There should be a KDE3.5 installable livecd. This was not produced as there were insufficient resources to produce and test three installable livecds. Someone can always step up and help produce one."

Xfce 4.4 is also available for those who want something lighter than either GNOME or KDE. Other applications available in this release include Firefox 3.0, OpenOffice.org 2.4, Banshee 1.0 and Wine 1.0. KIWI LTSP is the LTSP5 implementation on openSUSE. The previous openSUSE release added Giver, an easy GTK+ file-sharing tool. This release includes Kepas, a KDE application for file-sharing.

Underneath all that you'll find Linux 2.6.25.4, AppArmor 2.3, Xen 3.2.1 RC1, Alsa 1.0.16, glibc 2.8 branch, binutils 2.18.50 SVN, cmake 2.6, gcc 4.3 branch, gdb 6.8, Perl 5.10, ConsoleKit 0.2.10, CUPS 1.3.7, D-Bus 1.2.1, NetworkManager 0.7 SVN, PackageKit 0.2.1, PolicyKit 0.7, PulseAudio 0.9.10, Samba 3.2pre2 and X.org 7.3. These and other highlights are listed here.

Those familiar to openSUSE will notice that the installer and the package management have been overhauled for this release. Also NetworkManager has been improved and should autodetect an EVDO card without any major problems.

Of course it's impossible to squash all bugs, but the Most Annoying Bugs 11.0 list is quite short and most have workarounds.

All in all, this looks like a great release for openSUSE.

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The first Ubuntu "Intrepid" alpha release

The first alpha release of Ubuntu 8.10 is available for especially brave testers. "The primary changes from Hardy have been the re-merging of changes from Debian and the upgrade of the Linux kernel to a pre-release version of 2.6.26." See the Intrepid blueprints page for a summary of the goals for the 8.10 release.

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Novell Client for Linux Public Beta for openSUSE 10.3

The public beta of the Novell Client for Linux 2.0 SP1 is available for openSUSE 10.3. "A number of openSUSE users have expressed interest in having the client packaged for openSUSE, so our developers have been working on building the client against openSUSE. Please download the package and give it a try on your systems." A package for openSUSE 11.0 is in works.

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Launchpad 1.2.6 released

The latest release of Launchpad is out. This release features two improvements to code review, including an email interface, a new interface for bugs, translations and distribution pages, and more control code imports.

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Debian teams survey results

Debian project leader Steve McIntyre summarizes the results of a survey he conducted about how well the various Debian teams are working and communicating. "As I hoped to find, the vast majority of the respondents said they were having fun working on Debian. That's not unexpected, but it's nice to confirm this. A few people responded to say 'I have fun doing Debian work, but would have even more fun doing it if I had more time.' Quite a number said they're enjoying working with friends, doing cool technical stuff but are less happy about our mailing lists and IRC channels when they devolve into flamewars." Click below for the full summary.

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Fedora Board Recap 2008-JUN-24

The June 24 meeting of the Fedora Board welcomes new board members, looks at FUDCon Boston, and contains several other topics.

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Final Fedora Board appointment

Chris Tyler has been selected to fill the final seat on the Fedora Project Board. "Many of you may know Chris from his "Fedora Daily Package" website, or his work at Seneca College on open source curricula, or as author of O'Reilly's "Fedora Linux" book."

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Fedora Release Engineering Meeting Recap 2008-06-30

The June 30 Fedora Release Engineering meeting included discussions of F9 Spins and F10 release naming.

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openSUSE 11.1 Roadmap posted

Now that openSUSE 11.0 is out, the project is looking forward to the 11.1 release. It's planned for December 18, and includes GNOME 2.24, KDE 4.1, and the 2.6.27 kernel. "Want to get involved? The start of a release cycle is a great time to get involved in openSUSE development."

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Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #97

The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter for June 28, 2008 covers: Ubuntu 8.04.1 freeze proposed, Intrepid Alpha 1 released, a new Universe contributor, Brainstorm updates, Ubuntu Women project status, new Ubuntu members, LoCo news, Launchpad news, Ubuntu Forums news, Full Circle Magazine #14, UK podcast #8, and much more.

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OpenSUSE Weekly News/28

This edition of the OpenSUSE Weekly News looks at GNOME Helping Hands Project Launches, People of openSUSE: Tanja Roth, Masim Sugianto: How to Make openSUSE 11.0 GM Live USB, Benjamin Weber: openSUSE 11.0 KDE4 inclusion, tuxmachines.org: Battle of the Titans - Mandriva vs openSUSE: The Rematch, and more.

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Gentoo Monthly Newsletter

The Gentoo Monthly Newsletter for June 30, 2008 looks at the Gentoo Trustees meeting summary, the Council meeting summary, Germany: LinuxTag 2008, Venezuela: FliSoL 2008, Interview: Google Summer of Code Student Nirbheek Chauhan, Gentoo Linux Headed for Space!, and several other topics.

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Fedora Weekly News Issue 132

The Fedora Weekly News for June 8, 2008 looks at Fedora Board election results, kdebindings -> PyKDE4 split, ScreenCast on Miro updates, and much more.

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DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 259

The DistroWatch Weekly for June 30, 2008 is out. "You've seen it too - a recent Linux convert, used to clicking on executable files to install software, is often shocked to discover that Linux distributions use dedicated package managers to install and remove applications. But with a large number of distributions and philosophies, which is the best tool on the market? And how do they differ in terms of usability and convenience? If you are a new Linux user then our article explaining the various package management options is a must-read. In the news section, openSUSE developers defend their inclusion of KDE 4 into the recently released openSUSE 11.0, Mandriva cancels the first alpha release of version 2009 due to problems with X.Org, Debian completes the security infrastructure for the upcoming release of Debian "Lenny", and Ubuntu unveils the first developers' build of the new MID edition for mobile Internet devices. Also in this issue: a link to an interview with Zenwalk's Jean-Philippe Guillemin, a review of the upcoming Acer Aspire One and a round-up of rescue live CDs based on Linux."

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Arch Linux Newsletter

The Arch Linux Newsletter for July 1, 2008 is out. "This past month has been great for the open source world, we have seen many great application releases this month. For example, Firefox 3.0, Wine 1.0, even Arch Linux 2008.06 are notable among other great software releases. I hope you are enjoying your Arch Linux system as much as I am. The open source world is always moving; we are still waiting for other wonderful releases like KDE 4.1, a highly anticipated release for those of you that like the K Desktop Environment."

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Ubuntu MID makes Linux upwardly mobile (iTWire)

iTWire looks at Ubuntu MID. "Ubuntu Linux owner Canonical has launched Ubuntu into the realm of mobile Internet devices with a release called Ubuntu MID. The new version of arguably the world's most popular desktop Linux distribution initially targeted the Samsung Q1U though the OS also runs on Intel's Atom-based Crown Beach development system. Ubuntu MID 8.04 is a developer release, but the software is expected to start to ship on commercial devices by the end of the year."

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Interview with Jean-Philippe Guillemin, Zenwalk's creator (OneOpenSource)

OneOpensource has an interview with Jean-Philippe Guillemin, creator of the Slackware based Zenwalk distribution.

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Open Source Data Recovery Tools To The Rescue (InformationWeek)

InformationWeek looks at several Linux Live recovery tools. "Disasters happen to the best of computers. Luckily, open source apps like SystemRescueCD, dd, Partedmagic, BackTrack, Security Tools Distribution, Helix, and TestDisk can help recover important data and bring dead systems back to life."

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Mandriva Linux - Wonderful and Maddening (ZDNet blog)

J.A. Watson takes a look at Mandriva 2008 Spring. "Mandriva seemed to do an excellent job of identifying and loading drivers for the hardware in my Lifebook S2110 (AMD Turion 64) laptop. It got the ATI Radeon 200M video and the Atheros Wireless right (although I haven't had a chance to test the wireless setup yet), it handled the Logitech Alto USB hub with no problem, and it even recognized and configured the Logitech V-20 speakers that are connected to the Alto. Of course it got the Alto cordless keyboard right, and the Logitech VX Nano mouse, also connected to the Alto."

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