Ubuntu Weekly News: Issue #55

Martin Albisetti beuno at ubuntu.com
Sun Sep 2 23:29:17 BST 2007


Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #55 for the week August
26th - September 1st, 2007. In this issue we cover the announcement of
the next Ubuntu release "Hardy Heron 8.04", Full Circle's latest
issue, the Month of Ubuntu Screen Casts, Gutsy Gibbon's release
parties, and, as always, much much more!

 * Deutsch - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue55/De
 * Español - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue55/Es
 * Français - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue55/Fr
 * Italiano - http://wiki.ubuntu-it.org/NewsletterItaliana
 * Português - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue55/Pt

== In This Issue ==

 * Introducing Hardy Heron 8.04
 * Full Circle Magazine - Issue #4
 * Month Of Screen Casts 2007
 * Kubuntu was represented at the FrOSCon 2007
 * Ubuntu HQ: Community powered News
 * Gutsy Release Parties
 * In The Press and In the Blogosphere
 * Translation stats
 * Bug Stats

== General Community News ==

=== Introducing Hardy Heron 8.04 ===

Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04), will be the next version of Ubuntu. It will
succeed Gutsy Gibbon 7.10(due for release in October 2007). The Ubuntu
community continues to do what it does best, produce an easy-to-use,
reliable, free software platform, but this release will proudly wear
the badge of Long Term Support (LTS) and be supported with security
updates for five years on the server and three years on the desktop.
Everyone is welcome to think of and develop ideas for features that
could be present in the Hardy Heron release. These ideas are written
as specifications (detailed documents outlining how the idea would
work and be implemented) https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu.
Everyone is welcome to participate, everyone is welcome to get
involved, and everyone is welcome to help shape the form of the Hardy
Heron. Let's work together to shake things up, make things happen and
make the most compelling Ubuntu release yet. Start your engines...
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-announce/2007-August/000336.html
(hardy heron)

=== Full Circle Magazine - Issue #4 Available ===

Full Circle - the Ubuntu Community Magazine are proud to announce our
fourth issue.
It contains:

 * Edubuntu - What's in it for the kids?
 * How-To : Hosting Code on Launch`Pad, Learning Scribus part 4 and
Keep your kids safe in Ubuntu.
 * Preview of Miro 0.9.8.
 * Interview with Ubuntu Developer Colin Watson.
 * Letters, Q&A, My`Desktop, MyPC, Top5 and more!

Get it while it's hot! http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-4/

=== Month Of Screen Casts 2007 ===

Ubuntu Month of Screen Casts is a mad plan concocted by the Screencast
Team to produce one full length screen cast per day for the whole of
one month. That month is September 2007. The goal is that each video
will go into one subject in some depth, to help educate new users
about Ubuntu. We will cover a wide range of topics which should answer
some questions that new users to Ubuntu often ask. We aim to go into
enough detail to be interesting, hopefully without being baffling or
boring. Each screencast will be made available through the Ubuntu
Screen cast site in three sizes and two formats (OGG and Flash). The
screencasts are licensed under the permissive Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License, so you're free to modify, pass
on, sell or otherwise distribute them so long as the attribution to us
stays intact. http://screencasts.ubuntu.com/MoS2007

=== Ubuntu HQ: Community powered News ===
Ubuntu HQ's goal is to collect all Ubuntu related articles in one
place. You can find recent news issues, application reviews, howto's
and other stories. Every article has a "Full Story" link to the
original website and an easy browseable archive of howto's. You can
vote articles up or down and add comments. Check it out!
http://www.ubuntuhq.com/


=== Kubuntu was represented at the FrOSCon 2007 ===

After the success of the lastest exhibitions for Open Source Software
in Germany, the kubuntu-de.org community also represented the *ubuntu
family at the [http://www.froscon.org FrOSCon] 2007. The FrOSCon 2007
is an annual event that takes place at the Fachhochschule (Polytechnic
College) Bonn-Rhein-Sieg near the metropolitan areas of Bonn and
Cologne. This year, the exhibition occurred on the last weekend of
August.
Due to kubuntu-de.org's very good relationship with the KDE and Amorak
projects, all three groups shared a common area which was very
beneficial for the visitors and lead to many interesting talks and
also new *ubuntu users. Visitors had the opportunity to see and try
out Kubuntu Feisty as well as a preliminary version of Gutsy.
More information can be found at
http://www.kubuntu-de.org/nachrichten/veranstaltungen/nachlese-froscon-2007
(German) and http://www.kubuntu-de.org/english/reflections-froscon-2007
(English)

=== MOTU ===

[https://launchpad.net/~superm1 Mario Limonciello] became a MOTU!
After months of putting great work into Mythbuntu and other places of
Ubuntu's Universe, we're happy to welcome Mario in the team! Go Mario!
After a lot of work on the migration-assistant, ubiquity and other
installer related packages, lots of merges and updates to the Ubuntu
Desktop finally
[https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2007-August/024180.html
Evan Dandrea becomes a MOTU]. Welcome Evan - you rock!
If you want to become a MOTU yourself, read up on ["MOTU"] here.

== LoCo News ==

=== Gutsy Release Parties: Jono Bacon ===
Well folks, we are getting closer and closer to the release of Ubuntu
7.10, the Gutsy Gibbon, and it is going to rock like a good 'un when
it comes out. Now, I need to draw your attention to something that is
always important when we put out a new release - Release Parties!!
When a new Ubuntu hits the streets, groups from around the world
(typically our incredible Loco Community
(https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams) organize release parties on the
day of the release. This gives everyone a chance to get together, have
some fun and celebrate another chunk of Ubuntu being born into the
world. Well, the next release is Thu 18th October 2007 and it would be
great to have a worldwide blanket of release parties going on.
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/loco-contacts/2007-August/001535.html

== In The Press ==

 * Ubuntu Adds Ho-Hum Features In Latest 'Gutsy Gibbon' Alpha (By
Alexander Wolfe) - Ubuntu, the Linux distro which I've personally
found to be somewhat less than it's cracked up to be -- your mileage
may vary -- is getting an update. Notable in Gusty (as compared with
Feisty) is a new GUI tool to make it easier to configure your graphics
card, set up your monitor resolution and refresh rate, and configure
dual monitors. Such a tool has, of course, long been standard in
Windows, the operating system many Linux users love to hate.
Regardless, the maturation of the feature in Gusty Gibbon is both
worthy and welcome. Ubuntu has set itself apart from the pack, mainly
on the basis of the strength of its user community. Ubuntu's second
significant boost toward the mainstream came earlier this year, when
Dell decided to offer it on several laptops and desktops. Whether an
upgraded release, focused on improved drivers, bug fixes, and some
nice but not very revolutionary tools, can do anything additional to
increase the already overblown publicity Ubuntu has received is
doubtful. Still, it's hard to argue with success, and it's seeming
more and more like Ubuntu is the face of consumer Linux future,
whether it deserves to be or not.
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2007/08/ubuntu_adds_hoh.html

 * The Invisible Desktop - If you go by what the mainstream press
reports, you'd think there were only two computer desktop operating
systems in the world—Windows and Mac OS. This notion would be most
unfortunate because it might keep you or your company from exploring
Linux as a reliable, secure and powerful desktop operating system for
your PC that's cheaper than the two proprietary platforms. In fact,
it's often free. Today, more than a year after I switched, there's
very little I can't do in terms of business and personal productivity
on my Ubuntu Linux PC that I did when I used Windows. I can run all
the open source applications, including a free alternative to MS
Office, without worrying about violating any copyrights. If I really
need to run any Windows applications, I can do that in a virtual
machine or use Wine, software that interprets Windows commands and
runs them in Linux. Best of all, I don't waste time dealing with
crashes, spyware and viruses. There's simply no comparison. With the
Beryl windows manager installed, Ubuntu blows Windows Vista away. I'm
convinced these advantages have already created a strong undercurrent
in favor of increased Linux usage on the desktop that writers in the
mainstream press—even respected technology journalists such as Walt
Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal—have not recognized.
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business6_aug28_2007

 * Ubuntu Xorg maintainer demonstrates bulletproof X - Ubuntu Xorg
maintainer Bryce Harrington recently demonstrated the Bullet Proof-X
feature that is planned for inclusion in Ubuntu 7.10. Bullet Proof-X
provides a failsafe mode which will ensure that users never have to
manually configure their graphics hardware settings from the command
line. If Xorg fails to start, the failsafe mode will initiate with
minimalistic settings, low resolution, and a limited number of colors.
The failsafe mode also automatically runs Ubuntu's new GTK-based
display configuration utility so that users can easily test various
display settings and choose a configuration that will work properly
with their hardware. Bullet Proof-X represents a big step forward for
graphics hardware support on the Linux platform, but there are still
some gaps. The effort that developers have invested in features like
Bullet Proof-X deliver tangible usability improvements that contribute
to a more positive user experience. Bullet Proof-X and recent
improvements to XRandR now resolve the vast majority of issues that
once detracted from the quality of Linux graphics hardware
support.http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/08/29/ubuntu-xorg-maintainer-demonstrates-bulletproof-x

== In The Blogosphere ==

 * Matt Zimmerman on Ubuntu Mobile - Ubuntu Mobile is one of the most
promising flavor for Canonical distro. It will run on different
devices such tablet pc, Intel MID, UMPC and, probably, lots more. Our
aim is to assemble a functional and free mobile operating environment
which can be used as the basis for further development. For the
initial 7.10 release, we'll be focused on getting the infrastructure
and basic features in place.
http://www.ossblog.it/post/3021/matt-zimmerman-on-ubuntu-mobile

 * Ubuntu for Entrepreneurs: 15 Business Apps for Our Favorite OS -
With the entire biz-world buzzing about cause marketing and corporate
responsibility, it's no surprise that in the truest democracy on the
planet - the World Wide Web - Netizens have adopted Open Source as
their moral code. Not only have many migrated to open-source
applications like Fire Fox and Open Office from their Microsoft
counterparts, but more and more people are making the leap to Linux,
fueling its rise as one of the most powerful influences in computing
today - consumer demand has also prompted Dell to finally offer
factory-installed Linux PCs. In fact, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell
himself uses the Feisty Fawn version of Ubuntu Linux at home on his
Dell Precision M90 laptop. It is easy to understand why many
entrepreneurs have crossed over Ubuntu
Linux.http://www.businesscreditcards.com/bootstrapper/ubuntu-for-entrepreneurs-15-business-apps-for-our-favorite-os/

 * Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon 7.10 - New Features: Ubuntu's Gutsy Gibbon
(7.10) slated for an October 18th release, has released their alpha
"Tribe 5″ version - which includes a Feature Freeze for the Gutsy
development cycle. What that means in layman's term is that while the
software is still in heavy development there won't be any new features
added to Gutsy Gibbon. As for the new features added in Gutsy Gibbon
there are plenty, most of which are particularly well suited for new
users to Linux. Some of the more notable new features are a Graphical
Configuration tool for X, improvements in plug-in handling for Mozilla
Firefox, revamped printing system with PDF printing by default, fast
user switching, new desktop search (Tracker) application and the new
App`Armor security
framework.http://lunapark6.com/ubuntu-gutsy-gibbon-710-new-features.html

 * Ubuntu Founder Mark Shuttleworth on Productivity and Linux -
Founder of Ubuntu Linux Mark Shuttleworth took time out of his busy
schedule to talk about email, productivity, travel, web applications,
Ubuntu, free software and much more. We asked Shuttleworth what you
wanted to know and he gave us the full scoop.
http://lifehacker.com/software/exclusive-lifehacker-interview/ubuntu-founder-mark-shuttleworth-on-productivity-and-linux-294941.php

== Meetings and Events ==

==== Community Council Meeting ====
 * Start: 13:00 UTC
 * End: 16:00 UTC
 * Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
 * Agenda: https://wiki.kubuntu.org/CommunityCouncilAgenda

=== Tuesday, September 4, 2007 ===

==== Kernel Team Meeting ====
 * Start: 15:00 UTC
 * End: 16:00 UTC
 * Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
 * Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/Meeting

==== New York Loco Team Meeting ====
 * Start: 18:00 America/New York
 * End: 19:30 America/New York
 * Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-newyork
 * Agenda: https://wiki.kubuntu.org/NewYorkTeam

=== Wednesday, September 5, 2007 ===

==== Edubuntu Meeting ====
 * Start: 12:00 UTC
 * End: 14:00 UTC
 * Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
 * Agenda: https://wiki.edubuntu.org/EdubuntuMeetingAgenda

=== Thursday, September 6, 2007 ===

==== Gutsy Tribe 6 Release ====
 * Start: 00:00 UTC
 * End: 23:59 UTC
 * Release Schedule: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GutsyReleaseSchedule

=== Saturday, September 8, 2007 ===

==== MOTU Team Meeting ====
 * Start: 00:00 UTC
 * End: 2:00 UTC
 * Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
 * Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.comMOTU/Meetings

==== Xubuntu Developers Meeting ====
 * Start: 17:00 UTC
 * End: 19:00 UTC
 * Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
 * Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Xubuntu/Meetings

== Community Spotlight ==

=== Pennsylvania Team Prepares for A Busy September ===
The LTSP Project at MALT is well on its way, just yesterday several
more thin clients were donated to the project. For more information on
this project check out the forum thread and the LTSPMALT wiki page.
Next meeting is scheduled for August 29th. Software Freedom Day on
September 15th the team is working with the Philadelphia Area Computer
Society to do demonstrations of Ubuntu. One of our volunteers will
also be presenting a MythTV setup with Ubuntu. The weekend following
SFD Matt Mossholder will be hosting an Ubuntu MythTV seminar where
interested parties can bring their PCs for an overview of MythTV and
an install session to review the basics.
http://www.meetlinux.com/2007/08/22/philly-se-pa-upcoming-events/

== Updates and security for 6.06, 6.10, and 7.04 ==

=== Security Updates ===

 * USN-502-1: KDE vulnerabilities -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000577.html
 * USN-503-1: Thunderbird vulnerabilities -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000578.html
 * USN-504-1: Emacs vulnerability -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000580.html
 * USN-505-1: vim vulnerability -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000581.html
 * USN-506-1: tar vulnerability -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000579.html
 * USN-469-2: Enigmail regression -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000582.html
 * USN-507-1: tcp-wrappers vulnerability -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000583.html
 * USN-508-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000585.html
 * USN-509-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000584.html
 * USN-510-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2007-August/000586.html

=== Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Updates ===

 * debian-installer 20051026ubuntu36.8 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012488.html
 * mozilla-thunderbird 1.5.0.13-0ubuntu0.6.06 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012489.html
 * emacs21 21.4a-3ubuntu2.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012490.html
 * vim 1:6.4-006+2ubuntu6.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012491.html
 * tar 1.15.1-2ubuntu2.2 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012492.html
 * enigmail 2:0.94-0ubuntu4.5 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012493.html
 * linux-restricted-modules-2.6.15 2.6.15.12-29.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012494.html
 * linux-source-2.6.15 2.6.15-29.58 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012495.html
 * vmware-player-kernel-2.6.15 2.6.15.10-12 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012496.html
 * linux-meta 2.6.15.27 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012497.html
 * linux-meta 2.6.15.28 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012498.html
 * debian-installer 20051026ubuntu36.9 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2007-August/012499.html

=== Ubuntu 6.10 Updates ===

 * mozilla-thunderbird 1.5.0.13-0ubuntu0.6.10 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-August/008391.html
 * mythtv 0.20.2-0ubuntu0.6.10~proposed1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-August/008392.html
 * mythplugins 0.20.2-0ubuntu0.6.10~proposed1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-August/008393.html
 * emacs21 21.4a-6ubuntu2.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-August/008394.html
 * vim 1:7.0-035+1ubuntu5.2 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-August/008395.html
 * tar 1.15.91-2ubuntu0.4 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-August/008396.html
 * enigmail 2:0.94-0ubuntu5.3 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-August/008397.html
 * linux-source-2.6.17 2.6.17.1-12.40 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/edgy-changes/2007-August/008398.html

=== Ubuntu 7.04 Updates ===

 * gimp 2.2.13-1ubuntu4.4 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008702.html
 * mozilla-thunderbird 1.5.0.13-0ubuntu0.7.04 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008703.html
 * mythtv 0.20.2-0ubuntu0.7.04~proposed1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008704.html
 * mythplugins 0.20.2-0ubuntu0.7.04~proposed1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008705.html
 * emacs21 21.4a+1-2ubuntu1.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008706.html
 * vim 1:7.0-164+1ubuntu7.2 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008707.html
 * tar 1.16-2ubuntu0.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008708.html
 * enigmail 2:0.94.2-0ubuntu3 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008709.html
 * tcp-wrappers 7.6.dbs-11ubuntu0.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008710.html
 * linux-source-2.6.20 2.6.20-16.31 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/feisty-changes/2007-August/008711.html

== Bug Stats ==

    * Open (32172) +220 # over last week
    * Critical (17) -2 # over last week
    * Unconfirmed (15989) +173 # over last week
    * Unassigned (24259) +353 # over last week
    * All bugs ever reported (117563)  +1650 # 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 (19894) -924 # over last week
 2. French (39851) +222 # over last week
 3. English-UK (50306) -8668 # over last week
 4. Swedish (54854) +334 # over last week
 5. German (64713) +675 # 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:

 * Martin Albisetti
 * Dawid van Wyngaard
 * John Crawford
 * And many others

== RSS ==

You can subscribe to the UWN feed at: http://fridge.ubuntu.com/uwn/feed

== Feedback ==

If you would like to submit an idea or story you think is worth
appearing on the UWN, please send them to
ubuntu-marketing-submissions at lists.ubuntu.com.
This document is maintained by the Ubuntu Marketing Team. Please feel
free to contact us regarding any concerns or suggestions by either
sending an email to ubuntu-marketing at lists.ubuntu.com or by using any
of the other methods on the Ubuntu Marketing Team Contact Information
Page (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MarketingTeam). If you'd like to
contribute to a future issue of the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, please
feel free to edit the appropriate wiki page. If you have any technical
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