| Miscellaneous News | ||
| Linspire frees Click 'N Run, Ubuntu updates, NetBSD troubles, Tinkerbell Linux Linspire, a San Diego-based Linux distribution maker, announced last week that it would do away with the annual fees for its Click 'N Run service, a web-based front-end for installing extra software applications on both Linspire and Freespire. This follows the company's recent inaugural release of Freespire 1.0, a community maintained free distribution with emphasis on usability and convenience, predominantly designed for novice Linux users. The announcement means that all Linspire and Freespire users will now have access to a vast repository of Debian packages through a convenient web-based utility. Kevin Carmony, the CEO of Linspire, justified the move in a forum post by arguing that "for every basic CNR subscriber we have, we get 3 Gold subscribers. The added benefits of support, discounts on the commercial products, etc., will continue to be a strong motivation for many of you to subscribe to this premium service." The easy availability of software packages, he believes, should also attract more new users to Freespire. * * * * * Is Ubuntu the perfect Linux distribution? Although many will probably answer the above question affirmatively, there are those users who find the lack of many useful but proprietary components unacceptable in a modern operating system. For those, a newly published article entitled Common Customisations examines the current status of the various third-party tools providing the "missing pieces", such as multimedia codecs, patent-encumbered packages, non-distributable and proprietary applications, and other software that make our daily computing lives easier. The article examines the value of existing scripts, such as Easy Ubuntu or Automatix, discusses other possibilities of extending Ubuntu, and invites users to provide a feedback on the subject. Worth a read if you want to understand the challenges and possible solutions to a highly complex issue.While on the subject of Ubuntu, some of the more technical Linux users might have heard about the new way of starting up their favourite distribution. Instead of using the age-old "sysvinit" to start various services during the system boot, the Ubuntu developers have been working on a new system called "upstart". Ubuntu Fridge has published an article on the subject, describing the differences between the two systems in layman's language and explaining the motivation behind the move. Although the work is largely driven by a desire to simplify the boot process, rather than to increase the boot speed, many users are likely to notice faster boot times when using "upstart". The new technology is scheduled to be included in Ubuntu 6.10 "Edgy Eft", scheduled for release at the end of October. And still on the subject of Ubuntu, a new way of generating custom, Ubuntu-based live CDs are now available through a project called Reconstructor. This graphical application, written in Python, is designed to help users to re-create a new Ubuntu live CD with customised GNOME settings, new splash screens, unique themes, additional software packages and other aspects of the popular distribution. Reconstructor is released under the General Public License and is available from the project's download page, complete with an 11-page user manual in PDF format. * * * * * The BSD world was rocked by a major controversy last week. In an open letter to the netbsd-users mailing list, Charles M. Hannum, one of the four founders of NetBSD, has expressed his doubts about the future of the popular, multi-arch operating system: "The NetBSD Project has stagnated to the point of irrelevance. It has gotten to the point that being associated with the project is often more of a liability than an asset." The strong words were then followed by accusations that the project has been run by an ineffective board of directors, lacking vision and ignoring user and customer needs: "This is the result of a coup that took place in 2000-2001, in which The NetBSD Foundation was taken over by a fraudulent change of the board of directors." The misery of NetBSD was compounded by further bad press when the writer of the above letter, together with seven more NetBSD developers, were told to leave the project due to their unwillingness to sign a new agreement.* * * * * Packt Publishing has published an interview with Gerard Beekmans, the founder of Linux From Scratch (LFS). When answering a question about how this excellent educational project started, the founder of LFS replied: "After trying out a few distributions I couldn't settle on any one pre-packed system to fit my needs. I also didn't get the feeling I was learning everything I could learn about how Linux works, especially behind the scenes. That's how the LFS project started. I was putting together a Linux system from scratch as an attempt to figure out how things worked. I wrote down the steps I took to get such a system up and running, thinking that there are probably other people out there who would be interested in it." Find out more on why every hard-core Linux geek should build at least one Linux system from scratch!* * * * * Interested in Linux-based diskless terminals and terminal servers? If so, we have some good news for you. The Malta-based 2X Software has announced that it will open source the code behind its successful NX-based terminal servers for Linux: "2X today announced the release of 2X TerminalServer for Linux, an open source terminal server for Linux, which enables users to run a Linux desktop and Linux / Windows applications over any type of connection." The reason? "If Linux is going to happen on the desktop, it will require a terminal server approach such as that of 2X Terminal Server for Linux. Only with the more advanced thin client approach, will Linux be able to outdo Windows fat clients in a company's network." More details about the product and its benefits can be found in this press release.* * * * * As KDE celebrates its 10th birthday, here is something for the more nostalgic among us - the first press release announcing the start of a new desktop for UNIX called "Kool Desktop Environment": "The idea is to create a GUI for an ENDUSER. Somebody who wants to browse the web with Linux, write some letters and play some nice games." Additional technical details about the new desktop emerge further down the announcement: "Since a few weeks a really great new widget library is available free in source and price for free software development. The stuff is called 'Qt' and is really a revolution in programming X." The announcement, written by Matthias Ettrich, is concluded with: "I admit the whole thing sounds a bit like fantasy. But it is very serious from my side. Everybody I'm talking to in the net would LOVE a somewhat cleaner desktop. Qt is the chance to realize this. So let us join our rare spare time and just do it!"10 years later, with KDE being one of the two main desktop environments on Linux, BSD and other UNIX operating systems, it is clear that dreams do sometimes come true. All we need is hard-working leaders with vision, perseverance, and motivation to get things done! Happy birthday, KDE!
Finally, a new and exciting distribution was born last week. Unlike the hundreds already listed on DistroWatch, the new Tinkerbell Linux is developed by none other than Paris Hilton, a popular American sex idol. Explaining the motivation behind her entry into the open source world, the 25-year old socialite had this to say about her new-found hobby: "I think The Open Source Movement is, like, really hot. I've been dabbling with coding for ages, but it's taken me some time to find the courage to release it. As you know, I'm a shy and modest person, and wasn't sure if it was good enough for the strict standards of the coding community." As for the technical side of things, "Tinkerbell Linux is based on Slutware Linux and will be distributed on Paris Hilton's next music CD entitled 'Crontab for Love.'" For more details about the new, titillating Linux distro please read the formal press release. |
Development and unannounced releases
- VLOS 1.3-beta3, the release announcement
- Vine Linux 4.0-beta1, the release announcement
- Mandriva Linux 2007-beta3, the press release
- Frugalware Linux 0.5-rc2, the release announcement
- Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Xubuntu, 6.10-alpha2, the release announcement
- Elive 0.5-beta3.4, the changelog
- Slackware Linux 11.0-rc4, the changelog
- Wolvix 1.0.5-beta "Cub", the release announcement
- Kalango Linux 3.3-rc1
- ClarkConnect Gateway/Server 4.0-rc1
- Kurumin Linux 6.1-rc2
- PUD GNU/Linux 0.4.6.4
