Ubuntu Weekly News: Issue #61
Nick Ali
nali at ubuntu.com
Mon Oct 15 04:21:17 BST 2007
Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #61 for the week
October 7th - October 13th, 2007. In this issue we cover the release
candidate of Ubuntu 7.10, learning more about Ubuntu at Ubuntu Open
Week, Gutsy release parties, another Ubuntu Forums interview, new MOTU
team member Laurent Bigonville, and, as always, much much more!
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== In This Issue ==
* Ubuntu 7.10 Release Candidate is Now Available
* Ubuntu Open Week
* MOTU: Jonathan Patrick Davies and Laurent Bigonville
* Gutsy Release Parties
* Ubuntu Forums Interview
* Launchpad Bug Statuses
* In The Press and In The Blogosphere
* Meetings and Events
* Updates and security for 6.06, 6.10, and 7.04
* Translation stats
* Bug Stats
== General Community News ==
=== Announcing the Release Candidate for Ubuntu 7.10 ===
The Ubuntu team is proud to announce the Release Candidate for version
7.10, codenamed "Gutsy Gibbon," of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Gobuntu,
and Xubuntu. The release candidate includes installable live desktop
CDs, server images, alternate text-mode installation CDs, and an
upgrade wizard for users of the current stable release. Desktop
highlights include compiz fusion, automatic printer installation, free
flash support with Gnash, and automated Firefox plugin Installation.
While this release candidate is considered complete, stable, and
suitable for testing by any user, it should not be used for production
machines. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2007-October/000104.html
=== Ubuntu Open Week ===
The Ubuntu project has developed a strong reputation for technical
excellence and a commitment to the free software community, and we are
always keen to grow and extend our community where possible. In just
two years, Ubuntu has become the most popular Linux distribution in
the world with millions of users and a spot regularly at the top of
Distrowatch. Ever wondered what all the fuss is about? How we've
achieved such a great feat in such a short space of time? Here's where
you can find out. Ubuntu Open Week is a series of online workshops
where you can:
* learn about the Ubuntu landscape
* talk to some of the key developers from the Ubuntu project
* find out about the Community and its relationship with Canonical
* participate in an open Q & A with Mark Shuttleworth, founder fo Ubuntu
* and much, much more
Click on the link to see the time table of the programs you can
participate in during Ubuntu Open Week.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek
=== MOTU ===
* Having been away for a while, Jonathan Patrick Davies finally has
time for doing work in the MOTU team again, so his MOTU membership was
re-activated. Welcome back! https://launchpad.net/~jpatrick
* The Telepathy team has brought us a new MOTU team member: Laurent
Bigonville, who has done great work already, and will make Telepathy
rock even harder in the Hardy cycle. https://launchpad.net/~bigon
=== Ubuntu Gutsy Release Parties ===
Living in Anchorage? Want to join the release party in Marseille? No
problem at all, find all the relevant info in the URL below. Feel free
to add the release party you have scheduled in your area, and spread
the fever, once again!
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GutsyReleaseParties
== Launchpad News ==
=== Restoring the Status of Automatically Expired Bugs ===
Shortly after we released Launchpad 1.1.9 (on 21 September),
Launchpad's housekeeping system - the Launchpad Janitor - expired
2,862 Incomplete bugs. We estimate that around 900 of these bugs
should not have been expired. We're sorry for the confusion and
inconvenience that this caused. We will restore the "Incomplete"
status of all bugs that the Launchpad Janitor expired. This process
will begin at 12.00 UTC on 10th October. To find out the details of
what went wrong and how Launchpad plans to fix this problem, follow
the link. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/launchpad-users/2007-October/002458.html
=== Launchpad Bug Statuses ===
With the janitor glitch that happened earlier, it became obvious the
bug statuses in Launchpad were not used and seen the same way by LP
developers, project teams and users. Please read the LP blog post to
find out about all the 9 different statuses for bugs.
http://news.launchpad.net/general/of-bugs-and-statuses
== In The Press ==
* Get down and dirty with Linux (Package managers make getting to
grips with Linux easier) - Package managers have become more powerful
and user-friendly. Under Ubuntu, there's no need to search the web for
an instant-messaging program, a DVD-burning tool or pretty much
anything else; the package manager will download it along with any
components the new app requires. Free software is an ecosystem where
all the code is shared, so new apps are almost always built on top of
existing foundational layers. The package manager tracks all layers
and the relationships among them, grabs everything required and
installs it. For the most part, getting software on to a Linux system
is as straightforward as it sounds. The one exception is with
upgrades. With Linux, everything gets upgraded at once, so when an
incremental upgrade (or distribution) appears, you get new versions of
the associated software as well as the Linux kernel. The package
manager only recognizes applications that work with its own generation
of Linux. Newer versions of the add-on software are recognized only
when the Linux version itself is updated, along with its list of
software iterations.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=10970
* Ubuntu's "Gutsy Gibbon 7.10" release Oct 18 with a full 3D GUI -
Gutsy Gibbon will bring new support for simplified Xorg configurations
(making it easier to setup video cards, graphics modes, etc.) and it
will be the first to include a full mobile or embedded edition. It
will also carry with it what many feel is the biggest addition to
Linux: Compiz Fusion. It's an enhanced 3D GUI which many believe
greatly exceeds Windows Vista in presence, friendliness, ease of use
and configuration. The Ubuntu management and development groups have
begun focusing on giving users more of what they want in a
Windows-like OS. It's primarily that rich, multi-media experience
that's being injected into Gibbon today, one which will definitely
raise the face of Linux. Gutsy Gibbon will include a full
mobile/embedded version is the rich graphics and trend toward flashier
mobile devices. Intel is looking to use Ubuntu as its de facto mobile
OS, for MIDs, notebooks, PDAs, and all small devices. This changing
face of Ubuntu, from standard GUI to the uber-graphical GUI, will
help make Gibbon a more desirable alternative to Windows on every
platform. http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/34293/144/
* Shuttleworth on Ballmer - Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has once more
claimed that Linux and open source violates Microsoft's intellectual
property and patents. Canonical's CEO Mark Shuttleworth thinks Ballmer
has it all wrong. For starters, Shuttleworth said, Ballmer is implying
that open-source developers don't take IP seriously. "Intellectual
property is something the free software community takes very, very
seriously," said the software leader and first African national in
space. "There is a perception that the free software is somehow riding
on the coattails of the real industry or somehow avoids intellectual
property laws." If Microsoft has any real IP issues, Shuttleworth said
that he "would be delighted to work with Microsoft to resolve any IP
issues they might have." Of course, "that requires [Microsoft] to tell
us what these infringements are," and "Ballmer is saying that Linux is
not a safe neighborhood for users. He's implying that simply using
open source is somehow dangerous. They need to back off on those
claims. They're simply not true. Microsoft must actually state what
the infringements are." "Microsoft settles an average of one billion
dollars in IP claims a year. Microsoft trades on IP violations all the
time. It seems to wrong for them to use that same framework against
open source." http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS6358901134.html
* The LXer Interview: John Hull of Dell - "Embracing Ubuntu Linux on
our desktops and laptops seems to have really raised Dell's visibility
within the Linux community. We have been supporting, testing,
developing for, and selling Linux for 8+ years here at Dell, but
before the Ubuntu announcement, a lot of people didn't know that we
did any of that. The announcement certainly opened people's eyes, and
there seems to be much more awareness now that Dell is serious about
supporting Linux. What has not changed is our overarching philosophy
and trying to make Linux "just work" on all of Dell's systems.
Previous to our Ubuntu product announcement, it was much more
difficult to extend this model to consumer desktop and laptop
technologies. We would have a conversations with vendors about pushing
Linux support for their hardware, but without a Linux product offering
from Dell for that hardware, it was very difficult to convince them to
release Linux drivers. That has certainly changed now that we offer
Ubuntu Linux, and we are making much more progress in our vendor
discussions. The original sales estimates for Ubuntu computers was
around 1% of the total sales, or about 20,000 systems annually. The
program so far is meeting expectations. Customers are certainly
showing their interest and buying systems preloaded with Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is already a great Linux distribution, so we try to only make
changes where we can add value. Our primary focus is to get all
necessary hardware support and bug fixes into the distribution itself,
so that we don't have to make any changes to the shipping code. We
don't currently have any plans to offer other distributions for home
users. We're constantly listening to customer feedback on how we're
doing, and right now Ubuntu seems to be the most popular by a fair
margin." http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/91429/index.html
== In The Blogosphere ==
* Dell Preps for Next Linux Desktop Release - A major desktop Linux
upgrade is set to be released on October 18. Michael Dell is expected
to personally use it. And the PC giant will pre-load it on selected
desktops and notebooks. Buzz about this next Linux release — dubbed
Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon — is growing across the web. If Ubuntu 7.10
continues that positive buzz, it could help desktop Linux to gradually
become a mainstream operating system. But don't expect that to happen
overnight. In an exclusive TechIQ interview with Dell's Linux gurus
last month, the company indicated that it would take a slow-and-steady
approach to Ubuntu. Translation: don't expect Dell to throw marketing
dollars at Ubuntu PCs just yet. In the meantime, the countdown to
Ubuntu 7.10 continues. And the buzz surrounding Ubuntu 7.1 will only
grow louder as the October 18 launch date approaches.
http://techiqmag.com/2007/10/08/dell-preps-for-next-linux-desktop-release/
* On the Road with SDN Channel at Ubuntu Live - SDN Channel goes on
the road with guest host, Barton George, Sun's Linux strategist.
Barton takes us to Ubuntu Live for some great interviews. Check out
our podcasts to learn more about Ubuntu and the community. Interviews
with Mark Shuttleworth, Jane Siber, Tim Gardner, Daniel Holbach, Jono
Bacon, and Matt Zimmerman. See all these interviews and more by
following the link. http://blogs.sun.com/SDNChannel/
* Ubuntu chief bids for prima-donna status (Dell, Open Office and
Oracle let us down) - "I'd like to live in a tub of cream cheese
icing. Sadly, that's not an option for me. It is, however, an option
for Canonical/Ubuntu head Mark Shuttleworth. The open source advocate
has plenty of cash - enough cash to build a breathing apparatus and
waste removal system for a man-sized icing pool. I bring up the icing
for no reason. I bring up Mark Shuttleworth because he's the star of
Open Season Episode 4. Dave Rosenberg, Matt Asay and I reached Mark at
Canonical's UK office for an hour-long chat covering all sorts of open
source software topics and issues. Many of you will care little to
know that my Dell laptop with Ubuntu has arrived and is working okay.
The system suffers from an insanely hyperactive touchpad. It's a real
pain, and I hope some of you are working on fixing this problem
because I have no idea how to fix it." Listen to the whole interview
here. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/04/open_season_four_shuttleworth/
== Meetings and Events ==
=== Tuesday, October 16, 2007 ===
==== Kernel Team Meeting ====
* Start: 16:00 UTC
* End: 17:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/Meeting
==== New York Loco Meeting ====
* Start: 18:00 America/New York
* End: 19:30 American/New York
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-newyork
* Agenda: https://wiki.kubuntu.org/NewYorkTeam
=== Wednesday, October 17, 2007 ===
==== QA Team Meeting ====
* Start: 16:00 UTC
* End: As Needed
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: No agenda set as of this publication
=== Thursday, October 18, 2007 ===
==== Gutsy Gibbon 7.10 Release!! ====
* Start: 00:00 UTC
* End: 23:59 UTC
* Release Schedule: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GutsyReleaseSchedule
=== Saturday, October 20, 2007 ===
==== Ubucon Germany ====
* Start: 09:00 UTC
* End: All Day Event
* Location: Germany
* Agenda: http://ubucon.de/
=== Sunday, October 21, 2007 ===
==== Ubucon Germany ====
* Start: 09:00 UTC
* End: 18:00 UTC
* Location: Germany
* Agenda: http://ubucon.de/
== Community Spotlight ==
=== Ubuntu Forums Interviews ===
Ubuntu Forums continues its series of interviews that are geared to
help us get to know who's behind a nickname. Continuing on from the
interviews in last weeks UWN, bapoumba is the feature interview for
this edition. Read the whole interview here:
http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/an-interview-with-bapoumba/.
== Updates and security for 6.06, 6.10, and 7.04 ==
=== Security Updates ===
* USN-527-1: xen-3.0 vulnerability -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-October/000604.html
* USN-528-1: MySQL vulnerabilities -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-October/000605.html
* USN-529-1: Tk vulnerability -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-October/000606.html
* USN-530-1: hplip vulnerability -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-October/000607.html
=== Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Updates ===
* dircproxy 1.0.5-4ubuntu0.6.06.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-October/012537.html
* mysql-dfsg-5.0 5.0.22-0ubuntu6.06.5 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-October/012538.html
* sun-java5 1.5.0-13-0ubuntu0.6.06 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-October/012539.html
* firehol 1.231-4ubuntu0.6.06 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-October/012540.html
* tk8.3 8.3.5-4ubuntu1.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-October/012541.html
* tk8.4 8.4.12-0ubuntu1.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-October/012542.html
=== Ubuntu 6.10 LTS Updates ===
* mysql-dfsg-5.0 5.0.24a-9ubuntu2.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-October/008434.html
* dircproxy 1.0.5-4ubuntu0.6.10.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-October/008435.html
* firehol 1.231-4ubuntu0.6.10 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-October/008436.html
* tk8.3 8.3.5-6ubuntu1.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-October/008437.html
* tk8.4 8.4.12-1ubuntu0.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-October/008438.html
* hplip 1.6.9-0ubuntu2.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-October/008439.html
=== Ubuntu 7.04 Updates ===
* mysql-dfsg-5.0 5.0.38-0ubuntu1.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-October/008758.html
* dircproxy 1.0.5-5ubuntu0.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-October/008759.html
* tk8.3 8.3.5-6ubuntu2.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-October/008760.html
* tk8.4 8.4.14-0ubuntu2.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-October/008761.html
* subversion 1.4.3dfsg1-1ubuntu1.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-October/008762.html
* hplip 1.7.3-0ubuntu1.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-October/008763.html
== Bug Stats ==
* Open (33582) +837 # over last week
* Critical (12) -6 # over last week
* Unconfirmed (17968) +764 # over last week
* Unassigned (25460) +786 # over last week
* All bugs ever reported (127669) +1922 # over last week
As always, the Bug Squad needs more help. If you want to get started,
please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad
== Translation Stats ==
1. Spanish (18825) -2521 # over last week
2. French (39331) -1450 # over last week
3. Swedish (50121) -438 # over last week
4. English-UK (56768) -1237 # over last week
5. German (65354) -72 # over last week
Remaining string to translate in Ubuntu 7.10 "Gutsy Gibbon", see more
at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/gutsy/
== Archives and RSS Feed ==
You can always find older Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter issues at:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter
You can subscribe to the Ubuntu Weekly News via RSS at:
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/uwn/feed
== Additional Ubuntu News ==
As always you can find more news and announcements at:
http://www.ubuntu.com/news
and
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/
== Conclusion ==
Thank you for reading the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter.
See you next week!
== Credits ==
The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter is brought to you by:
* Nick Ali
* Isabelle Duchatelle
* Dawid van Wyngaard
* John Crawford
* And many others
== RSS ==
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== Feedback ==
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ubuntu-marketing-submissions at lists.ubuntu.com.
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