[ubuntu-za] Ubuntu Indaba

[Justin Hartman]

This is just an awesome endeavor Jason and I congratulate you on a
seriously good job!!!

On 5/11/07, Jason Norwood-Young <jason at freespeechpub.co.za> wrote:
> Ubuntu Indaba
>
> Read this online at http://www.ubuntu-za.org/Wiki/News-0.3
>
> Issue 0.3 (Skinny Salamander)
>
> Friday 11 May
>
> After over a week with little to no Internet, your editor is finally
> back up and running on an MTN 3G data card. And boy, is it easy to get
> running on Linux! But more on that later. Thanks to Don Hamilton for his
> suggestion on a cool name for Ubuntu News – we are now officially Ubuntu
> Indaba. On to the news.
>
> * Ubuntu for small things *
> You love Ubuntu on the desktop, but have that jarring experience of
> Windows on your tablet PC, Windows on your handheld, and Windows on your
> phone. It's no fun, is it? Don't fret, the Ubuntu team is planning on
> once again giving us choice.
> The Ubuntu Mobile and Ubuntu Embedded editions will be specifically
> designed to work on Intel's new low-powered processor and chipset
> architectures, and will bring these flavours of Ubuntu to cell phones,
> tablets and other light-weight handheld devices.
> "Three years on, it is clear that new types of device – small, handheld,
> graphical tablets which are Internet-enabled are going to change the way
> we communicate and collaborate," says Ubuntu's Matt Zimmerman. "These
> devices place new demands on open source software and require innovative
> graphical interfaces, improved power management and better
> responsiveness."
> Embedded Ubuntu Wiki [ https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EmbeddedUbuntu ]
>
> * Coming Full Circle *
> A new online Ubuntu magazine, Full Circle, has been launched, but
> disappointingly at time of writing the web site is down. We're hoping
> that it will be back up soon so we can get some juicy info on Feisty
> Fawn and the history of Ubuntu.
> Full Circle [ http://www.fullcirclemagazine.org/ ]
>
> * Corporates getting their heads around open source *
> The Second Open Source Think Tank saw 100 top brains brainstorming the
> challenges posed by open source development in the commercial
> environment, reports Tectonic
> [ http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1507 ]. The final 16-page report
> is a must-read for companies looking to adopt open source and developers
> looking for corporate business. It's not sugar-coated and discusses some
> of open source's serious problems, including lack of understanding of
> the core concepts, lack of skills and legal issues that face the
> community and businesses alike.
> 2007 Open Source Think Tank: The Future of Commercial Open Source
> [ http://thinktank.olliancegroup.com/ostt2007report.pdf ]
> Open source think tank findings published (Tectonic)
> [ http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1507 ]
>
> * Dellbuntu shows consumer power *
> When Dell asked its users what they wanted most from the company
> [ http://www.ideastorm.com/ ], the answer was loud and clear: Ubuntu
> Linux on the desktop. Dell has responded by offering our favourite Linux
> flavour pre-installed on select consumer notebooks and desktops.
> Dell says that it's planning on offering Ubuntu Linux in the coming
> weeks, but only "to customers in the United States".
>
> * How'd you do that? *
> Connecting Ubuntu to the Internet through a 3G modem can be more than a
> little intimidating to newcomers to Linux. It's even intimidating to us
> old hacks. But if you have a Vodacom or MTN data card or dongle (the
> Huawei E620 or E220), Vodafone has released drivers and a cool front-end
> to make connecting as simple as pie. Even better, it allows you to send
> and receive SMS's on your PC, manage your contacts, and monitor your
> connection strength.
> It's written in Python and is completely open source, so if you're
> skilled you can change it or add your own features, although the code is
> quite poorly documented.
> To install it on Ubuntu, download the latest .deb file
> [ http://tinyurl.com/39u2c4 ], and tell Firefox to "Open with" the Gdebi
> Package Installer. You'll need the Universe repositories enabled to get
> all of the dependencies, but if you've already done that then installing
> should go off without a hitch.
> Once installed, the command line to launch the application is the
> snappily-titled "vodafone-mobile-connect-card-driver-for-linux". Rather
> than typing it out each time, pop it in your menu system
> (System->Preferences->Main Menu) so that you can launch it with a
> click.
> Once you open the app, you may have to change your settings, depending
> on your network. It didn't manage to autoconfigure itself for MTN, so I
> entered the following info under "Tools->Preferences":
> Username: mtnwap; Password: mtnwap; APN host: mymtn; Primary DNS:
> 209.212.96.1; Secondary DNS: 209.212.97.1
> The application is still in its early days of development, and has a few
> bugs – it only worked after I tried to open it the fourth time. Once up
> and running, however, it worked like a charm.
> Vodafone Betavine Forge [ https://forge.vodafonebetavine.net/ ]
> MyADSL forum discussion
> [ http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=74067 ]
>
> * Help us out *
> Ubuntu Indaba is a community-driven affair. That means we need your
> help! If you've been wanting to get involved in the Ubuntu community but
> don't know how to code, help us spread the word instead. Ubuntu Indaba
> needs the following:
> * Writers
> * Editors
> * Subs
>
> If you think you could do any of these jobs, and you're keen to be
> involved, drop us a line at jason at freespeechpub.co.za.
>
> * About Ubuntu Indaba *
> Ubuntu Indaba is a weekly newsletter written for the Ubuntu South Africa
> community, by the community, and about the community. Deadline is
> 12:00pm every Friday.
> Wanting to help promote Ubuntu but not sure how to go about it?
> Ubuntu-ZA News needs your help and input. If you have interesting links
> to share, articles you'd like to write, events promoted, or simple
> suggestions, please mail us.
>
> Ubuntu-ZA News is edited by Jason Norwood-Young.
> jason at tectonic.co.za
> +27-84-680-3445
>
>
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>


-- 
Regards
Justin Hartman
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