[ubuntu-us-nc] Fwd: Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #174
Amber Graner
akgraner at gmail.com
Sun Jan 3 23:25:58 GMT 2010
Enjoy!
Amber
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Crawford <johnc4510 at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 5:03 PM
Subject: Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #174
To: ubuntu-news at lists.ubuntu.com
Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue #174 for the week
December 27th - January 2nd, 2010. In this issue we cover: Edubuntu
Council Elections Results, Call for votes: Ubuntu Developer Membership
Board election, New IRC Council Appointments, Ubuntu User Days
Announcement, Ubuntu will be at Anime Boston 2010, 2010 Launchpad
Release Calendar, Trying Out Launchpad Translations, The Planet:
Amber, Daniel, Matthew, Steven, and Daniel, Full Circle Magazine #32,
December Team Reports, and much, much more!
== UWN Translations ==
* Note to translators and our readers: We are trying a new way of
linking to our translations pages. Please follow the link below for
the information you need.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Translations
== In This Issue ==
* Edubuntu Council Elections Results
* Call for votes: Ubuntu Developer Membership Board election
* New IRC Council Appointments
* Ubuntu User Days Announcement
* Ubuntu Stats
* Ubuntu will be at Anime Boston 2010
* 2010 Launchpad Release Calendar
* Trying Out Launchpad Translations
* The Planet: Amber, Daniel, Matthew, Steven, and Daniel
* In the Press & Blogosphere
* Full Circle Magazine #32
* December Team Reports
* Meetings & Events
* Updates & Security
== General Community News ==
=== Edubuntu Council Elections Results ===
The Edubuntu Council has announced the results of the Council
Elections [1][2]. The following nominees were all voted into the
Council by the Edubuntu Members team:
* Stéphane Graber - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/stgraber
* Jonathan Carter - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/JonathanCarter
* Richard Johnson - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RichardJohnson
* Scott Balneaves - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ScottBalneaves
* Alkis Georgopoulos - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/AlkisGeorgopoulos
* Jordan Erickson - https://launchpad.net/~lns
Congratulations to these new Edubuntu Council Members! And thanks to
the Edubuntu community for working to make this such a smooth process.
1. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-news-team/2009-November/000754.html
2. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-news-team/2009-December/000800.html
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-news-team/2009-December/000815.html
=== Call for votes: Ubuntu Developer Membership Board election ===
Voting has begun to determine who will hold the seats on the newly
established Developer Membership Board, which is responsible for
determining when, how and to whom to grant privileges related to
Ubuntu development. In particular, the DMB will take over the
membership functions previously held by the Technical Board and MOTU
Council.
More information at:
* https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DeveloperMembershipBoard and
* http://mdzlog.alcor.net/2009/12/08/call-for-nominations-ubuntu-developer-membership-board/
Like this year’s Technical Board election, the poll is using the
Condorcet Internet Voting system. Ballots have been sent privately to
each eligible voter (member of ~ubuntu-dev), based on a list of email
addresses harvested
from Launchpad.
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/node/1963
=== New IRC Council Appointments ===
We are very pleased to finally announce the following new members of
the IRC Council, as selected by the Community Council based on
feedback from the incumbent IRC Council and the IRC Community:
* Juha Siltala (topyli) https://wiki.ubuntu.com/JuhaSiltala
* Terence Simpson (tsimpson) https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TerenceSimpson
* Nathan Handler (nhandler) https://wiki.ubuntu.com/nhandler
We on the Community Council wish to publicly thank the incumbent IRC
Council for their thorough feedback regarding all the candidates, as
well as all feedback that we received from folks in the IRC community.
All of this feedback was valuable to helping us make the most informed
decision possible to help the IRC community move forward.
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-irc/2009-December/000825.html
=== Ubuntu User Days Announcement ===
Chris Johnston, Elizabeth Krumbach, Penelope Stowe and Mark Cox
volunteered to take the lead on a project to introduce beginning and
intermediate users to Ubuntu. "The idea behind this is to take users
from no knowledge of how to use Ubuntu, to installing it, finding
programs that are equivalent to the programs they used in either a
Windows or Mac environment, the basics of running Ubuntu, and how to
get help when it is needed." More information on Ubuntu User Days and
the complete schedule can be found at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays
.
http://chrisjohnston.org/2009/ubuntu-user-days-january-23-2010
== Ubuntu Stats ==
=== Bug Stats ===
* Open (76886) +452 over last week
* Critical (40) -1 over last week
* Unconfirmed (40039) +333 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 Karmic ===
1. Spanish (11800) -487 over last week
2. French (44101) -1685 over last week
3. Brazilian Portuguese (45039) -499 over last week
4. Swedish (66418) -197 over last week
5. English (United Kingdom) (68583) -3287 over last week
Remaining strings to translate in Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala", see more
at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/karmic/
=== Ubuntu Brainstorm Top 5 this week ===
* Warning when running update manager while using battery -
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/23211/
* It's annoying when applications start up and take focus away from
what your doing - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/23209/
* It's important that 3rd party repositories can be added with 1
click - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/23207/
* No Error Message - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/23220/
* Make it easier for people that use a custom kernel -
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/23208/
Ubuntu Brainstorm is a community site geared toward letting you add
your ideas for Ubuntu. You can submit your own idea, or vote for or
against another idea. http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/
== LoCo News ==
=== Ubuntu will be at Anime Boston 2010 ===
The Massachusetts LoCo Team has made their primary target of $700 and
will be attending Anime Boston 2010, and thanks all those who donated
so far. This secures them a booth at the event. But they still need
printed materials to distribute. They need an additional $1500 to
have copies of the Ubunchu Manga to give out. Donations can be made at
http://www.ubuntu-massachusetts.com/events/9/ .
http://blog.thesilentnumber.me/2009/12/ubuntu-will-be-at-anime-boston-2010.html
== Launchpad News ==
=== 2010 Launchpad Release Calendar ===
The Launchpad Release Calendar for 2010 has been posted to the
Launchpad Development wiki[1]. Note that they are using the YY.MM
naming to match the Ubuntu model. Having a public release calendar is
particularly useful for anyone wanting to contribute to our open
source project. It is also helpful for users to know when we’re
likely to have down-time or read-only time.
Maintenance and system status can be found at the identi.ca website[2]
1. https://dev.launchpad.net/Releases/2010Calendar
2. http://identi.ca/launchpadstatus
http://blog.launchpad.net/releases/2010-launchpad-release-calendar
=== Trying Out Launchpad Translations ===
There is now a "playground" or staging area to try out Launchpad
translations. To use it you will, of course, need a Launchpad login
and at least one gettext translation template (”.pot file”) with
strings from your program. Then you can:
1. Set up a project - This is done on the project registration page.
If you already have a project registered it will show up in staging.
2. Set up a development branch - You may have one already on the real
Launchpad, but staging is different, and you will need to set one up
there.
* You have a bzr branch on your local system - This will have to be
pushed up to the staging area.
* You have a bzr branch on Launchpad - You will need to get the
branch from Launchpad and place it in an empty directory on your
system, then push it to staging.
* You don’t have a bzr branch - This is for those who are using a
different version control system to be able to create a .pot file to
push up to staging.
3. Set up a translations export branch - This creates the area from
which you can pull the translations into your local branch.
4. Configuring imports and exports - You now have two branches, one
to import templates from and another to export translations to. Next
you configure imports from your development branch and exports to your
translations branch.
5. Check up on the imports - They may be Approved (awaiting
importing), Imported, or Failed.
6. Translate! - Clicking on one of the languages in the translations
list with the red bars will take you to the template’s translation
page: the UI for entering translations.
7. Update the template - The method of manually updating the template.
8. Import translations - Setting up automatic importing of translations.
9. Going full-circle - Setting up 2 way synchronization of your branches.
10. Help! Staging refreshed and now everything’s gone! - Remember
that staging is refreshed every day (or every few days, under certain
circumstances). Just set it up again.
Full details and documentation can be found at
http://blog.launchpad.net/general/trying-out-launchpad-translations
== Ubuntu Forums News ==
=== Tutorial of the Week ===
Want to try another desktop environment? Give e17 a try. Enlightenment
is not just another windows manager. It comes with a whole set of
libraries. You can set up a minimal install (please see previous ToW)
and add e17. Everything is explained in "HOWTO: installation of e17
from SVN code " and maintained by Rui Pais
(http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=862), smartboyathome
(http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=264712) and Tux Aubrey
(http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=167727). With their help, you
will be able to set up a unique desktop!
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=916690
== The Planet ==
=== Amber Graner: UbuCon at SCaLE 8X ===
So it's official there will be an UbuCon at SCaLE 8x. (February 19-21,
2010 in Southern California) There will be approximately 7 hours of
Ubuntu related topics on the 19th of February. (Working on getting it
added to the special events page on the SCaLE website, stay tuned).
What is an UbuCon you might ask.. In this case it will be 7 hours of
talks, demos, etc all based on a connection to Ubuntu.
http://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale8x/
The awesome California LoCo team will be taking the reins and running
with the UbuCon. Now comes the fun part, what do people want to hear
about? What Ubuntu related talks would you like to hear about. Are you
attending SCaLE 8x and would like to present a talk at the UbuCon?
Maybe you aren't attending SCaLE but you have ideas for topics you
would like to see covered at an UbuCon as there are more being planned
for other events in 2010.
As I mentioned the California LoCo team will be gathering these
suggestions, ideas and submissions. Please send them to Nathan Haines
(nhaines), who make sure the UbuCon team can review them.
nhaines at ubuntu.com Please include a summary of what your session/talk
would include. Also if submitting an idea for a session please include
as much information as possible. All submissions must be in by the
15th of January and a decision on the UbuCon Schedule will be
finalized and all speakers/contributors will be notified by January
22, 2010.
http://amber.redvoodoo.org/2009/12/ubucon-at-scale-8x.html
=== Daniel Holbach: You’re into Free Culture? Share with Ubuntu ===
As part of the Ubuntu community we’re quite used to the concept of
sharing our work with others. Not just because we’re all good and
selfless people but because we deeply believe that by actively making
the fruits of our labour available to others we make the world more
diverse and interesting, solve problems and generally make it a better
place.
There luckily today are countless and successful examples of this and
Ubuntu fits perfectly into this world of sharing. To underline this we
want to support artists by making their art available on the actual
Ubuntu CDs.
A couple of Ubuntu releases back we started the Ubuntu Free Culture
Showcase and have since then delivered the best video, the best piece
of audio and the best picture on our Ubuntu CDs.
So, if you are into making music, painting, photography, or videos, we
want you to participate in Lucid’s Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase. If
you produced a great picture, video or piece of music, to enter the
competition, head to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuFreeCultureShowcase
for the instructions!
http://daniel.holba.ch/blog/?p=548
=== Matthew Helmke: Ubuntu Unleashed 2010 Edition ===
I just received my copy of Ubuntu Unleashed 2010 Edition and I am
thrilled. Since I am one of the authors, consider this more of an
announcement than a review as well as an invitation to take a look and
see if the book interests you. This book is intended for intermediate
to advanced users, as opposed to my work on The Official Ubuntu Book,
which is aimed at being an introduction of Ubuntu to people new to
Linux.
* Ubuntu Unleashed 2010 Edition:
http://www.amazon.com/Ubuntu-Unleashed-2010-Covering-9-10/dp/0672331098
* The Official Ubuntu Book:
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Ubuntu-Book-Benjamin-Mako/dp/0137021208/
http://matthewhelmke.net/2009/12/29/ubuntu-unleashed-2010-edition/
=== Steven Harms: A thousand passwords ===
In this day and age of the internet, we have more content and
interaction than ever before. This access generally comes with a
price: everything requires a user name and password. How does a mere
mortal remember their credentials to login to thousands of websites?
More importantly, I am not always on the same computer, how do I
access my passwords from all of them?
The long term solution would be to see 100% adoption of OpenID.
Inevitably many sites will always be behind the curve, so until that
day comes, I recommend Revelation.
Revelation is an easy to use, secure and lightweight password manager
for Linux. It is written in GTK so those running the GNOME desktop
(the default for Ubuntu) will be right at home. You can have several
different folders to help organize your passwords, and define actions
based on the type of password being stored.
What makes this great is that all of your passwords are stored
encrypted. This means if someone takes your computer, without your
master password your passwords would be useless. This also means we
can store our password using Ubuntu One or Dropbox.
If you are running Ubuntu, you can install Revelation by clicking
Applications -> Ubuntu Software Center and searching for Revelation.
If you would prefer the command line version:
view sourceprint?
* sudo apt-get install revelation
There are many alternatives out there, but if you are running Linux
and just need a simple, no-hassle password manager Revelation is worth
five minutes to try it out.
http://www.sharms.org/blog/2009/12/31/a-thousand-passwords/
=== Daniel Chin: powerdown changes to alsa-base in Lucid/10.04 ===
If you don't normally follow the Ubuntu development lists, it's a good
time to begin. Yesterday I uploaded alsa-driver 1.0.22.1 to Lucid
which, among other things, contains my extensions to power down
various parts of the HDA controller and codec after a configurable
idle period. Work is far from complete, and I could use your help to
make sure your sound hardware is well-supported in 10.10.
In summary:
"Just to clarify in case it's not already obvious: my having uploaded
alsa-driver 1.0.22.1 in no way affects the default Lucid install of
the kernelspace ALSA driver (aka alsa-kernel). It remains 1.0.21.
Anyone wishing to build modules of 1.0.22.1 can do so using
module-assistant and alsa-source. And, until Takashi returns, that
approach will be more current than using the daily snap from the 27
Dec.
So, the current state of Lucid contains:
* alsa-kernel 1.0.21 (as shipped in linux 2.6.32-9.13-generic)
* alsa-lib 1.0.22 + Fix-S24_3LE-softvol-distortion.patch (bdf80)
* alsa-plugins 1.0.22"
http://drowninginbugs.blogspot.com/2009/12/heads-up-powerdown-changes-to-alsa-base.html
== In The Press ==
=== Ubuntu 32-bit, 32-bit PAE, 64-bit Kernel Benchmarks ===
Michael Larabel tells us of a request in Phoronix's forums to compare
the performance of Linux between using 32-bit, 32-bit PAE, and 64-bit
kernels. This came after Linus Torvalds spoke of 25% performance
differences between kernels using CONFIG_HIGHMEM4G and those without
this option that allows 32-bit builds to address up to 4GB of physical
RAM on a system. Larabel decided to compare the performance of the
32-bit, 32-bit PAE, and 64-bit kernels on a modern desktop system and
in the fourteen tests conducted for this article Larabel did not find
using Ubuntu's 32-bit PAE kernel to have a dramatic performance impact
whether it be positive or negative. By far though exhibiting the best
performance was the Ubuntu 64-bit kernel that often ended up being
leaps and bounds better than the 32-bit kernel. Unless you have
technical or business reasons for not migrating to 64-bit Linux with
compatible hardware, there is no reason to stick around with a 32-bit
kernel and worrying about physical address extension.
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=ubuntu_32_pae&num=1
=== 15 game-changing Linux moments of the decade ===
Tech Radar's Graham Morrison states that if you had sat at your Linux
computer one dark evening in late 1999, things would have been
considerably different. Your machine would probably be running either
Red Hat 6.1 or Mandrake 6. As a Linux user, you'd have been an
uber-geek, someone with an obsessive interest in computing and far too
much time on your hands. But things have changed. Linux is now an
operating system anyone can install and use, and it's growing stronger
every year. Morrison goes on to list his 15 game-changing Lunux
moments of the decade including October 2004 when Ubuntu Warty Warthog
was released. "It's the only Linux distribution in our list, but
whether you love or hate Ubuntu, there's no denying that its
appearance on the scene has changed Linux dramatically. For mainstream
media, it's now often a byword for Linux, and thanks to its
charismatic astronaut leader, Linux has a free software advocate to
compete with Steve Jobs and Steve Ballmer."
http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/15-game-changing-linux-moments-of-the-decade-659030
=== Dell netbook updated with Pineview CPU ===
Eric Brown of LinuxForDevices.com reports that Dell announced an
updated version of its Ubuntu-ready Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, using
Intel's new Atom N450 processor and an optional Broadcom "Crystal HD"
media accelerator. The Mini 10 now sports a redesigned keyboard,
optional HD video support, and up to 9.5 hours of battery life. The
Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is expected to be available in early January
from Dell, with prices starting at $300. The Ubuntu Linux option will
also be introduced in the "coming weeks," so initially, it appears
that the netbook will ship only with Windows 7 Starter or Windows XP
Home. The HD related bundles, meanwhile, will be available in the
first quarter of 2010.
http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Dell-Mini-10-2010-edition/
=== Great and Disappointing Operating Systems of the Decade ===
IT World's Eric Henderson acknowledges that writing about the best and
worst in operating system is like a crap magnet: He knows that he is
pressing the big red button. People develop a personal relationship
with operating systems, whether on servers or their personal machine
or phone. The love/hate relationship becomes anchored with deep
emotions about the merits/detractions of the devices they use--
through the lenses of operating systems. Henderson goes on to list
what he feels are some of the worst operating systems of the past
decade, as well as some of the best operating systems. Henderson
considers Linux as one of the truly great operating systems and says,
"The promise of Linux for civilians is slowly but surely being
realized through distros like Ubuntu."
http://www.itworld.com/operating-systems/89733/great-disappointing-operating-systems-decade
=== Infamous Chinese pirates launch Ubuntu that looks just like Windows XP ===
Sebastian Anthony of Download Squad says, "From the Chinese pirate
masters of the non-sea-faring variety comes ... Ylmf OS!" Not happy
with pirating Windows XP itself, these creative Chinese have gone one
step further and hacked Ubuntu to look exactly like Windows XP. Why
have they moved to Ubuntu? Because their previous release -- a pirate
version of Windows XP itself -- is being cracked down on by Microsoft.
This isn't the first time copycats or pirates have imitated a
prevalent operating system. Cloned in China reported on the case of
Tomato Garden Windows XP, another pirate distribution, where the
creator was jailed for 4 years and fined $147,000. All in all, despite
the questionable legality, it really is a great-looking copycat;
almost pixel-perfect. Anthony wonders if Ubuntu developers are happy,
or despairing. http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/12/26/chinese-copy-cat-pirates-launch-ubuntu-that-looks-just-like-windows-xp/
=== Ubuntu: Nine Priorities for Canonical’s Incoming CEO ===
As Mark Shuttleworth transitions Canonical’s CEO crown to Jane Silber,
The VAR Guy believes there are at least nine major Ubuntu priorities
that Silber will need to address. His list includes:
* A New Community
* Strengthen the Server Story
* Show Cloud Success
* Recruit Application Providers
* Strengthen OEM Relationships
* Compete and Cooperate with Google, Intel
* Disclose Customer Wins
* Related Services
* Canonical Partner Program
No doubt, Silber will have a full plate when she takes on the CEO
crown by March 1, 2010. But she’s in an enviable position. Although
it’s difficult to track Canonical’s financial performance, buzz about
Ubuntu — particularly on desktop and mobile systems — continues to
grow. Click on the following link for the VAR Guy's details on each
priority: http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/12/21/ubuntu-nine-priorities-for-canonicals-incoming-ceo/
== In The Blogosphere ==
=== Canonical's opportunity to simplify Ubuntu ===
Matt Asay, of The Open Road, a cnet news contributor, talks about what
he believes is Canonical's "an opportunity to tighten its focus".
This opportunity stems from the changing CEO roles at Canonical, as
Mark Shuttleworth hands the reins to now COO, Jane Silber. Asay notes,
"When I asked what his resignation as CEO means for Ubuntu, and his
involvement with it, Shuttleworth responded: "I don't expect to be
less visible, just have stronger management for the business units.""
and therein lies the opportunity that Asay points to in his article.
Asay, reminds readers that, "Regardless of what happens, stay tuned to
see how Shuttleworth's design aesthetic, now set to overdrive... With
more time to focus on what customers and partners want, Canonical and
Ubuntu may be set to take a more commanding position in the market."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10418223-16.html
=== Dell introduces best Ubuntu netbook ever? ===
Cyber Cynic, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for Computer World Blogs,
writes about the ever friendly Linux Desktop supporter - Dell, and the
latest version of the Mini 10 netbook being offered with Ubuntu.
Steven points admits that Ubuntu 9.10 is rough around the edges if you
install it yourself, but notes that "dell has always done and
excellent job of fitting Ubuntu on its systems" Steven's article
points out some of the features of the new Dell Mini 10's using
Intel's new Pine Trail chip, 10.1 inch display, a slightly reworked
keyboard, a gigabyte of RAM, built-in 802.11 b/g wireless also noting
the Bluetooth and Mobile broadband options. The prices on the mini
10's start at $299.00 as Steven, notes it's cheap. Steven predicts,
"Put it all together--Ubuntu, excellent components, and a reliable
company to stand behind the unit--and I honestly think that this
generation of the Dell Mini 10 may turn out to be the best Linux
netbook to date."
http://blogs.computerworld.com/15289/dell_introduces_best_ubuntu_netbook_ever
=== Retrospect on Ubuntu in 2009 ===
Christopher Tozzi, WorkswithU, looks back over 2009 and what Ubuntu
and the community has accomplished as he looks at the most memorable
changes to Ubuntu throughout 2009. Tozzi, states that, "Many of the
developments discussed below were the work of parties not affiliated
with Ubuntu or Canonical, and many of them apply to other Linux
distributions and the rest of the free-software community as well as
to Ubuntu. But they’ve all impacted the experience of Ubuntu users,
so they’re worth highlighting here."
* Shuttleworth steps down
* 3D acceleration in VirtualBox
* OpenOffice 3
* Chrome OS and Canonical
* Better Networkmanager
* New look in Ubuntu 9.10
In his retrospective, Tozzi, goes into detail on each of these
memorable moments and says, "All in all, 2009 was not a revolutionary
year for the Ubuntu community. There was no LTS release...and the
focus was on incremental development. Nonetheless, it’s clear that
Ubuntu gained some useful new features, and the community received
interesting news, in 2009. Let’s hope the improvements we’ve seen in
the last year solidify and expand going into 2010 and the Lucid
release next April."
http://www.workswithu.com/2009/12/28/retrospect-on-ubuntu-in-2009/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+WorksWithU+(Works+With+U)
=== The Evolution of Ubuntu.com ===
Christopher Tozzi, WorksWithU, discusses the changes that have
happened on the Ubuntu website, and how compared to the way it looked
a few years ago, "it's looking pretty slick." In this article Tozzi
goes into detail about how ubuntu.com has evolved and why it matters.
With screenshots of the site in 2007 and the current homepage, he
notes, "The positive evolution of Ubuntu’s website is also apparent
from the “feature tour” pages created for different Ubuntu releases."
Tozzi points out that "The tour for Ubuntu 9.10 takes things to a
whole new level with exciting layout and loads of attractive
screenshots that truly show Ubuntu in action.." Tozzi, states he's
going to keep his "eyes peeled for for improvements like these when
Lucid debuts in April. But even as it stands now, it’s clear
ubuntu.com has come a long way since the days of Feisty Fawn."
http://www.workswithu.com/2009/12/24/the-evolution-of-ubuntu-com/
=== Ubuntu 10.04 LTS: How we get there ===
Matt Zimmerman, on his Blog, notes that the for almost 2 months the
development of Ubuntu 10.04 has been under way, and in April the 3rd
Ubuntu LTS will be released. He gives links to both Rick Spencer's
summary about what is ahead for the desktop team, and notes that a
similar write up will be coming from Jos Boumans on the server team.
Zimmerman however notes, "What I want to talk about, though, is not
the individual projects we’re working on. I want to explain how the
whole thing comes together, and what’s happening behind the scenes to
make 10.04 LTS different from other Ubuntu releases." Zimmerman
discusses "Changing the focus" and points out the key elements that
Robbie Williamson (foundations team manager), has in the LTS plan.
* Merge from Debian testing
* Add fewer festures
* Avoid major infrastructure changes
* Extend beta testing
* Freeze with Debian
Zimmerman also notes the tools they will use to "Stay on Course" by
"planning in smaller increments, using burn-down charts to track
progress, and by making the Ubuntu development process as transparent
as possible. He notes that, "By making these changes, we aim to
deliver for our users the right balance of stability and features that
they expect from an Ubuntu LTS release. In particular, we want folks
to feel confident deploying Ubuntu 10.04 in settings where it will be
actively maintained for a period of years."
http://mdzlog.alcor.net/2009/12/23/ubuntu-10-04-lts-how-we-get-there/
== In Other News ==
=== Full Circle Magazine #32 ===
Full Circle - The independent magazine for the Ubuntu Linux community
are proud to announce the release of our thirty-second issue.
This month:
* Command and Conquer.
* How-To : Program in Python - Part 6, The Perfect Server - Part 2,
Installing Chromium (browser) and Offline Package Install.
* My Story - Classroom Experiences, and How I Became An Ubuntu Woman.
* My Opinion - Time To Review The Release Schedule? and Will Linux
Ever Get It Right?
* Review - Music Player Daemon.
* MOTU Interview - Roderick Greening.
* Top 5 - Media Centers.
* Ubuntu Women, Ubuntu Games and all the usual goodness!
Get it while it's hot! http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-32/
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-news-team/2010-January/000823.html
== Meeting Summaries: December 2009 ==
=== Ubuntu Governance ===
==== Developer Membership Board ====
* Developer Membership Board meeting, 2009-12-08
* Alberto Milone -> core-dev
* https://wiki.ubuntu.com/AlbertoMilone/CoreDeveloperApplication
* not present, wanted to ask a few questions, so continued by email
* Daniel Chen: ubuntu-core-dev reactivation
* approved (+1: pitti, Keybuk, kees, cjwatson, mdz)
* Adrian Perez: azureus, eclipse, swt-gtk
* azureus, eclipse in universe, already approved by MC
* http://packages.qa.debian.org/s/swt-gtk.html
* swt-gtk approved (+1: cjwatson, pitti, kees, mdz)
* future roles of the DMB vs. motu-council
* keep motu-council for non-developer-membership functions
* nominate all members of TB and MC for 7 member election of DMB
* [ACTION] mdz to drive election for DMB, based on existing members
of TB and MC
* Next meeting: 2009-12-22, 1500UTC. Chair: pitti
* Developer Membership Board meeting, 2009-12-22
* Attendees:
* DMB: Martin Pitt (chair), Matt Zimmerman, Scott James Remnant
* Guests: Alberto Milone, Scott Kitterman, Emmet Hikory
* Review of previous action items:
* mdz to drive election for DMB, based on existing members of TB
and MC: ongoing, still waiting for one nominee to confirm/decline
* Alberto Milone -> core-dev
* Approved (+3 for, 0 against. 0 abstained)
* Updating https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDevelopers to reflect DMB
changes (Emmet):
* should applicants for core-dev be applying directly to the DMB,
rather than first through the MC? → Yes
* should core-dev applicants be encouraged to previously be Ubuntu
Developers (in some way), or is that on a per-applicant basis? →
Should not generally be required; depending on applicant's interests,
(s)he can apply directly for core-dev, with a higher barrier for entry
* Does the DMB also expect to take applicants for Contributing
Developer? → Yes, since this was previously a function of the MC,
which is being merged with DMB
* '''ACTION:''' Emmet to ask CC to make DMB an admin of
~universe-contributors, as part of the DMB/MC merge
* Would it make sense to list MOTU (and MC) as a delegated team by
DMB? It was historically delegated by TB, but in its former function
for approving developers; for consistent documentation, MOTU should
now be regarded as a DMB delegate, similar to ubuntu-desktop,
kubuntu-dev, etc.
* OK. Last question: Is the term "Ubuntu Specialist Developer"
acceptable as an umbrella category to describe members of "Ubuntu
Desktop Developers", "Mythbuntu Developers", "Kubuntu Developers", and
"MOTU"? → The discussion did not bring up a good term for this;
decision was to go with "Ubuntu Developer (from delegated team)" for
now and change to a better name later on
* DMB election
* Waiting for one nominated candidate to confirm/decline; decision
should be made by Thursday, Dec 24
* 3 weeks voting period, plus some slack for Christmas holidays
* Voting period: 24 Dec to 18 Jan
* Next meeting: 2010-01-05, 1500UTC. Chair: mdz
==== Technical Board ====
* Technical Board meeting, 2009-12-01 (chair mdz)
* Prior action review, leaves the follow still to do:
* [ACTION] cjwatson checking on IS RT #36139 to add devel-permissions
* [ACTION] Scott to redraft Units policy to address Scott's and
Matt's concerns and clean up language
* [ACTION] Colin to clarify trademark/license distinction on licensing policy
* Archive reorganisation (ColinWatson)
* [ACTION] cjwatson to create a wiki reference for development
teams to participate in the reorg
* https://wiki.kubuntu.org/Kubuntu/UpdatesPolicy
* Would be good to outline a regression handling policy as well.
* Default to assuming users want stability.
* [ACTION] ScottK to revise proposal based on TB meeting discussion
* When is it a good idea to fail out of a maintainer script? (mdz)
* Generally, failing preinst is preferred to failing postinst.
* Generally, daemon start-up failure should not fail postinst.
* May help to make a distinction between devel and release upgrades.
* No clear "philosophical" state of being configured, so it's is
non-obvious how to decide what should be considered a failure.
* Would be beneficial to present a straw-man proposal to the Debian
TC to coordinate this.
* Will continue at the next meeting.
* Community Bugs
* https://launchpad.net/bugs/485569 "TB term length is unclear"
* elections single-year staggered with resulting positions having
a two-year term.
* [ACTION] sabdfl to update LP/wiki/www to reflect the actual term
length for TB
* https://launchpad.net/bugs/485971 "Technical Board mailing list
archive is private"
* blocked on IS, now that DMB is up and running.
* [ACTION] cjwatson to nudge RT 35428
* Out of time, deferred further review to next meeting
* Next meeting: kees to chair
* Technical Board meeting, 2009-12-15 (chair kees)
* Prior action review
* Excepting tasks covered under the UnitsPolicy and
Kubuntu/UpdatesPolicy discussions below, prior actions were all done.
* UnitsPolicy
* Generally okay, but some minor clean-ups still needed. Could
coordinate with Debian.
* [ACTION] mdz to fix language wrt cmdline meaning in Unit policy
* [ACTION] kees to present Units policy to Debian TC via bdale
* Status of ARM port vs. archive publishing (slangasek, mdz)
* ARM is considered supported for Karmic and later, even though it
lives on ports.
* [ACTION] cjwatson to document meanings of archive vs. ports,
cdimage vs. releases, etc.
* Archive reorganisation (ColinWatson)
* https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDevelopers/TeamDelegation
* [ACTION] cjwatson to add a bit more intro to
UbuntuDevelopment/TeamDelegation, and link it from appropriate places
* [ACTION] cjwatson to follow up with kubuntu-dev and mythbuntu-dev
to get ubuntu-core-dev added
* Kubuntu/UpdatesPolicy
* [ACTION] ScottK to update policy based on kubuntu upstream feedback
* [ACTION] kees to follow up with ScottK on Kubuntu/UpdatesPolicy updates
* Execute Permission Policy (KeesCook)
* [ACTION] kees to clean up further and re-present at next meeting
* Check up on community bugs (standing item)
* https://launchpad.net/bugs/485559 "Mark Shuttleworth has no
expiration date set in the tech-board LP team"
* [ACTION] sabdfl to propose to CC that the TB is a CC delegate,
and clarify his role
* [ACTION] sabdfl to update bug with status and discussion
* When is it a good idea to fail out of a maintainer script? (Matt Zimmerman)
* Deferred, ran out of time.
* Next meeting is Jan 12, 2010. Chair: cjwatson
=== Ubuntu LoCo Teams ===
==== Catalan Team ====
* Act "Omelette and free software
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_c38l__7wfEA/SytFgojXDVI/AAAAAAAABwI/C446meeMtu8/truitaiubuntu2.jpg)"
in Caldes de Montbuï.
* Irc meeting. Reviewing for better release parties. Confirm we will
do an install party in Cooperativa Germinal.
* SergiMateo new LoCo member.
* Reorganised Launchpad Catalan LoCo groups.
==== Irish Team ====
* Congrualtions to Rory McCann (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/rorymcc)
and Declan McGrath (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/declanmg), both members of
our LoCo, who are now official Ubuntu Members,
* Face to face meet up on Thursday 3rd of December with ILUG
(http://www.linux.ie/) in the Longstone (http://www.thelongstone.com).
* Regular Monthly IRC Meeting
(https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrishTeam/IRCMeetings/2009-12-16) was held at
8pm Irish time on Tuesday 16th December 2009.
* Date picked for our Limerick
(https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrishTeam/Events#Limerick%20Meeting%20Featuring%20Ubuntu)
event next year .
* The LoCo created a Roadmap
(https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrishTeam/Roadmaps/Lucid ) for our Goals over
the Lucid cycle.
* A Christmas face to face meet up on Tuesday 22nd of December in the
Westin Hotel (http://www.thewestindublin.com/).
* Our first Ubuntu Hour event has been planned for next month.
Details post here:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrishTeam/Events#Ubuntu%20Hour
==== Japanese Team ====
* "Ubuntu Weekly Recipe" has marked the 100th article since its
beginning in January 2008.
* http://gihyo.jp/admin/serial/01/ubuntu-recipe
==== Nicaraguan Team ====
* 3 dec. : Members of Ubuntu-ni (https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-ni)
attending Fedora XII release party
(http://www.linuxtour.org/Fedora-12).
* 8 dec. : Recording of first ever POSOL (Podcast Software Libre
Nicaragua) (http://picasaweb.google.com/mmgc84/POSOL10).
* 15 dec. : Public release of POSOL episode 1
(http://podcast.softwarelibre.org.ni/?p=3).
* 16 dec. : Members of Ubuntu-ni (https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-ni)
attending Fito Pijudito's radio show at Radio Universidad
(http://ladelcolor.com).
* 17 dec. : Meeting with Educational Comission on Technology/Free
Software Sub-comission. Discussing project for an educational distro.
* 17 dec. : Members of Ubuntu-ni (https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-ni)
attending Cecilia Ferrer's (http://www.ceciliaferrer.com/) Luna &
Instinto animal video premiere.
* 19 dec. : Pizza Bash (http://www.linuxtour.org/Pizza-Bash-XII)
first year aniversary, photos here
(http://picasaweb.google.com/josernestodavila/PizzaBashXII).
* 22 dec. : Recording of POSOL episode 2
(http://picasaweb.google.com/nacross/Posol2).
* 30 dec.: Public release of POSOL episode 2
(http://podcast.softwarelibre.org.ni/?p=58).
===== Kuban Team =====
* We are distributing Ubuntu 9.10 and 8.04.3 LTS as well as
repositories for Ubuntu 8.04.3 LTS.
* We had continued preparations for the project of typical automated
information management system for business (SMB) based on Ubuntu LTS
distributions.
* There was regular meeting
(http://kuban.ubuntu.ru/content/traditsionnaya-vstrecha-ocherednoi-kubuntui)
with reps of Kuban LoCo. Photos
(http://kuban.ubuntu.ru/image-galleries/20091205-ocherednoi-kubuntui)
===== California Team =====
* IRC meeting on December 13th
(https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CaliforniaTeam/Meetings/09December13) to
discuss team organization, management structure, and processes.
December 27th meeting canceled due to holidays.
* Distribution
(https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-us-ca/2009-December/000991.html)
of some of the pressed Ubuntu CDs we got from Canonical.
===== North Carolina Team =====
* Held the first Ubuntu Hour (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Hour ) event
in North Carolina
* Team meetings to discuss remaining steps to becoming an approved team
=== Ubuntu Beginners Team ===
* [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BeginnersTeam/Meetings/20091201|Ubuntu
Beginners Team Meeting 2009-12-01]]
* Discuss creation of a Roadmap.
* duanedesign will create a wiki page that people can add suggestions to
* Discuss Ubuntu User Days and possibly having the team get behind
helping out with them
* Vote against publicly logging #ubuntu-beginners
* Nigel Babu (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/NigelBabu) joined the Ubuntu
Beginners Team. He has helped out with the wiki and on the forums, and
he is now helping out on IRC and answering questions on Launchpad.
== Upcoming Meetings and Events ==
=== Monday, January 4, 2010 ===
==== Security Team Catch-up ====
* Start: 18:00 UTC
* End: 18:30 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: nothing formal, just a weekly catch-up.
=== Tuesday, January 5, 2010 ===
==== Ubuntu Mobile Team Meeting ====
* Start: 13:00 UTC
* End: 14:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MobileTeam/Meeting
==== Developer Membership Board ====
* Start: 15:00 UTC
* End: 16:00 UTC
* Location: Not listed as of publication
* Agenda: Not listed as of publication
==== Desktop Team Meeting ====
* Start: 16:30 UTC
* End: 17:30 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-desktop
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DesktopTeam/Meeting
==== Kernel Team Meeting ====
* Start: 17:00 UTC
* End: 18:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: Not listed as of publication
==== LoCo Teams Meeting ====
* Start: 18:00 UTC
* End: 19:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-locoteams
* Agenda: Not listed as of publication
==== EMEA Membership Meeting ====
* Start: 20:00 UTC
* End: 21:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Membership/RegionalBoards/EMEA
==== Community Council Meeting ====
* Start: 22:00 UTC
* End: 24:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CommunityCouncilAgenda
=== Wednesday, January 6, 2010 ===
==== Ubuntu Beginners Team Meeting ====
* Start: 00:00 UTC
* End: 01:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BeginnersTeam/Meetings
==== Cameroonian LoCoTeam monthly IRC meeting ====
* Start: 14:00 UTC
* End: 16:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-cm
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CameroonianTeam/NextMeeting
==== Server Team Meeting ====
* Start: 14:00 UTC
* End: 15:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ServerTeam/Meeting
==== Foundation Team Meeting ====
* Start: 16:00 UTC
* End: 17:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: None listed as of publication
==== QA Team Meeting ====
* Start: 17:00 UTC
* End: 18:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/Meetings/
=== Thursday, January 7, 2010 ===
==== Ubuntu Java Meeting ====
* Start: 14:00 UTC
* End: 15:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: None listed as of publication
==== Ubuntu Translations Meeting ====
* Start: 16:00 UTC
* End: 17:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TranslatingUbuntu/Events/Meetings
==== Ubuntu Women IRC Meeting ====
* Start: 21:00 UTC
* End: 22:00 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: http://wiki.ubuntu-women.org/Meetings/January2010/Agenda
=== Friday, January 8, 2010 ===
==== MC Meeting ====
* Start: 20:00 UTC
* End: 21:00 UTC
* Location: Not listed as of publication
* Agenda: Not listed as of publication
==== Lucid Weekly Release Meeting ====
* Start: 16:00 UTC
* End: 17:30 UTC
* Location: IRC channel #ubuntu-meeting
* Agenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReleaseTeam/Meeting/2010-01-08
=== Saturday, January 9, 2010 ===
* None listed as of publication
=== Sunday, January 10, 2010 ===
* None listed as of publication
== Updates and Security for 6.06, 8.04, 8.10, 9.04 and 9.10 ==
=== Security Updates ===
* None listed as of publication
=== Ubuntu 6.06 Updates ===
* redhat-cluster-suite_1.20060222-0ubuntu6.3_powerpc_translations.tar.gz-
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2009-December/012801.html
* langpack-locales 2.3.18.30 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/dapper-changes/2010-January/012802.html
=== Ubuntu 8.04 Updates ===
* redhat-cluster-
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/hardy-changes/2009-December/012356.html
* spamassassin 3.2.4-1ubuntu1.2 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/hardy-changes/2010-January/012357.html
* tzdata 2009u~repack-0ubuntu0.8.04 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/hardy-changes/2010-January/012358.html
=== Ubuntu 8.10 Updates ===
* redhat-cluster-
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/intrepid-changes/2009-December/009804.html
* spamassassin 3.2.5-1ubuntu1.2 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/intrepid-changes/2010-January/009805.html
* tzdata 2009u~repack-0ubuntu0.8.10 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/intrepid-changes/2010-January/009806.html
=== Ubuntu 9.04 Updates ===
* xorg-server 2:1.6.0-0ubuntu14.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/jaunty-changes/2009-December/009960.html
* spamassassin 3.2.5-4ubuntu0.0.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/jaunty-changes/2010-January/009961.html
* tzdata 2009u~repack-0ubuntu9.04 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/jaunty-changes/2010-January/009962.html
=== Ubuntu 9.10 Updates ===
* alsa-lib 1.0.20-3ubuntu6.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012141.html
* ubuntuone-storage-protocol 1.0.1-0ubuntu1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012142.html
* linux-mvl-dove 2.6.31-210.21 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012143.html
* ubuntuone-client 1.0.3-0ubuntu1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012144.html
* bzr 2.0.2-0ubuntu1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012145.html
* postgis 1.3.5-1ubuntu1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012146.html
* vlc 1.0.2-1ubuntu2.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012147.html
* cryptsetup 2:1.0.6+20090405.svn49-1ubuntu7.2 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012148.html
* mountall 1.0.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012149.html
* gnome-screensaver 2.28.0-0ubuntu3.2 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012150.html
* postgis 1.3.5-1ubuntu2 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2009-December/012151.html
* spamassassin 3.2.5-4ubuntu0.1 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2010-January/012152.html
* tzdata 2009u-0ubuntu0.9.10 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2010-January/012153.html
* eglibc 2.10.1-0ubuntu16 -
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/karmic-changes/2010-January/012154.html
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== 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 ==
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* John Crawford
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* Dave Bush
* Amber Graner
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