14 DAY TRIAL // Welcome to the 100th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly! Yes, we've just hit 100 weeks of "Softpedia Linux Weekly," and with this occasion we would like to thank all our users for their continuing support. Stay on Softpedia for the latest Linux news!
The following Linux-based operating systems were announced last week: Parsix GNU/Linux 3.5, SystemRescueCd 1.5.5, Mandriva Linux 2010.1 RC2, Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 1, Pardus Linux 2009.2, Untangle 7.3, Sabayon Linux 5.3 and Ultimate Edition 2.7. In other news: The KDE Project releases KDE Software Compilation 4.4.4 with bugfixes and updated translations; Google finally releases WebM under a standard open source license; Canonical evaluates the SPARC and IA64 ports of Ubuntu. For this week, we've also prepared a nice review of the Midori 0.2.6 application. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated and the development releases.
Summary:
On June 1st, Alan Baghumian announced the immediate availability for download of the Parsix GNU/Linux 3.5 operating system. Dubbed "Frankie," the new version brings lots of updated applications, new artwork, new features and bugfixes. Parsix GNU/Linux 3.5 is synchronized with the Debian testing repos, as of April 7th, and it's powered by Linux 2.6.32.14 (with the Kon Kolivas's BFS and TuxOnIce 3.1 hibernation/suspend patches). The ability to run Parsix from a USB flash drive has also been implemented in this brand-new release, as well as an improved installer, GRUB2 boot loader (with support for EXT4 filesystems), X.Org 7.5, GNOME 2.28.2, and many more!
Highlights of Parsix GNU/Linux 3.5:
· Linux 2.6.32.14; · GNOME 2.28.2; · Xorg-server 1.7.6; · X.Org 7.5; · New artwork; · Improved installer; · GRUB2 boot loader; · Adobe Flash Player 10.0.45.2; · USB installer; · GNU Iceweasel 3.5.9; · OpenOffice.org 3.2.0; · Glibc 2.10.2; · SquashFS+Lzma 4.0; · Gparted 0.5.2; · Pidgin 2.6.5; · The GIMP 2.6.8; · CompizFusion 0.8.4; · Synaptic 0.63.1; · VirtualBox-OSE 3.1.6; · Exaile 0.3.0.2; · VLC 1.0.5; · xFarDic 0.11.7.
Download Parsix GNU/Linux 3.5 right now from Softpedia.
Also on June 1st, François Dupoux announced SystemRescueCd 1.5.5, the latest update to the Gentoo-based system rescue Linux distro. This version comes with updated kernels and several other changes. The biggest new additions are new tools to make USB installs easier on both Windows and Linux host machines.
Highlights of SystemRescueCd 1.5.5:
· Standard Linux kernel 2.6.33.05; · 32-bit and 64-bit versions; · Alternative Linux kernel 2.6.32.14; · 32-bit and 64-bit versions; · NTFS 3G 2010.5.16 drivers; · Support for the NFS filesystem built into the standard 64-bit Linux kernel to fix PXE boot issues; · Pxebootsrv can be used as an NFS server for PXE booting SystemRescueCd; · New boot options: “nodhcp” to disable automatic dhcp in PXE boot and “nonm” to disable the NetworkManager service; · Changes to simplify USB install.
Download SystemRescueCd 1.5.5 now from Softpedia.
On June 2nd, Mandriva announced the release of Mandriva Linux 2010.1 RC2, which comes with several bug fixes and a couple of updated programs, such as Amarok 2.3.1 and KTorrent 4.0. No word on when the final release will be available, but it shouldn’t be long now.
Highlights of Mandriva Linux 2010.1 RC2:
· Linux kernel 2.6.33.4; · X.Org 7.5; · Xorg Server 1.7.7; · Nouveau video driver; · ATI Radeon video driver 6.13; · Intel video driver 2.11.0; · Mesa 7.8.1; · KDE SC 4.4.3; · GNOME 2.30.1; · GNOME-Shell 2.29.1; · Mozilla Firefox 3.6.3; · Oracle OpenOffice.org 3.2; · Deluge 1.2.3; · Transmission 1.92; · Skrooge 0.7.0; · Amarok 2.3.1; · KTorrent 4.0; · Digikam 1.2.0; · kipi-plugins 1.2.0; · system-config-printer 1.2.0; · NTFS-3G 2010.05.16; · Spamassassin 3.3.1; · Homebank 4.2.1; · libgpod 0.7.93; · Gutenprint 5.2.5; · Lives 1.3.2; · Kdenlive 0.7.7.1; · OpenShot 1.1.3; · Bluefish 2.0.0; · Glibc 2.11.1; · GDB debugger 7.1; · Ruby 1.9.1; · Python 2.6.5; · OpenSSL 1.0.0; · Munin 1.4.4; · Zabbix 1.8.2; · Postfix 2.7.0; · Qt 4.6.2.
Download Mandriva Linux 2010.1 RC2 right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a development release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended for testing purposes only.
On June 3rd, Canonical announced the first Alpha version of the upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) operating system. What's new in Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 1? Well, not much! The developers said that the GNOME version was now 2.31.x (current development version), but it appears that all the GNOME packages are still at version 2.30, the one used in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. The Evolution e-mail client was updated to version 2.30.1.2 and it is now much faster than the one in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. Last but not least, the kernel packages were upgraded to version 2.6.34-5.12, based on Linux kernel 2.6.34.
Download Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 1 right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is an alpha release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only.
On June 4th, the Pardus development team released the new Pardus 2009.2 Linux-based operating system. Powered by the Linux kernel 2.6.31.13 and built on top of the newly released KDE Software Compilation 4.4.4 environment, Pardus 2009.2 (codename Geronticus eremita) comes with an amazing installer and bleeding-edge applications such as the OpenOffice.org office suite 3.2.1.3, the Mozilla Firefox 3.6.3 web browser or The GIMP 2.6.8 image editor. With this second update, the Pardus Linux 2009.2 release is definitely worth installing (update-only for existing users) on your computers. Pardus 2009.1 users can automatically upgrade to this brand-new version by simply updating their system!
Highlights of Pardus 2009.2:
· Linux kernel 2.6.31.13; · KDE SC 4.4.4; · OpenOffice.Org 3.2.1.3; · Mozilla Firefox 3.6.3; · Mozilla Thunderbird 3.0.4; · The GIMP 2.6.8; · Python 2.6.5; · Qt 4.6.2; · Improved artwork; · Updated lots of packages; · ...and lots of bugfixes!
Download Pardus 2009.2 right now from Softpedia.
Also on June 4th, Untangle 7.3 was released, bringing a number of new features and plenty of bug fixes. OEMs have better tools to customize and rebrand Untangle 7.3 to their desire. The release comes with OpenVPN 2.1.1. Several specific applications have also been updated with new capabilities and features. Untangle 7.3 also has better memory management and support for a wider range of network interfaces.
Highlights of Untangle 7.3:
· Improved hardware and network interface support; · More details in the download and upgrade progress meter; · Fixed OK/Apply in config>network; · Memory footprint optimization; · Bugs fixed in reports on localized versions; · CSVs now work properly for weekly and monthly reports; · Report data retention behavior fixed; · Updated to OpenVPN 2.1.1; · OpenVPN client installer checks for admin privileges; · Branding Manager is now a rack application; · Directory Connector has a new ‘Status’ tab that displays current user map; · eSoft Web Filter gets a new, faster and more optimized cache implementation; · The Untangle Administration console can now be customized by OEM partners; · More rebranding options for OEMs.
Download Untangle 7.3 right now from Softpedia.
On June 5th, Fabio Erculiani announced the new Sabayon Linux 5.3 operating system, now available in both KDE and GNOME flavors for 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. This release comes with plenty of updated packages, though it’s still, strangely, stuck with GNOME 2.28. XBMC is also included for HTPC fans and a multimedia mode is available as a default install option. Sabayon 5.3 also brings the latest Linux kernel 2.6.34.
Highlights of Sabayon Linux 5.3:
· Linux kernel 2.6.34 - optimized for desktop performance; · Kernels for server installs and OpenVZ available in the repositories; · GNOME 2.28 with GNOME Shell - GNOME 2.30 will be available soon; · KDE SC 4.4.3; · X.org 7.5 and the latest video drivers from AMD, NVIDIA and Intel; · OpenOffice.org 3.2; · GCC 4.4 and Glibc 2.10; · Ext4 is now the default filesystem; · Btrfs filesystem support.
Download Sabayon Linux 5.3 GNOME right now from Softpedia.
Download Sabayon Linux 5.3 KDE right now from Softpedia.
On June 6th, Glenn Cady announced the immediate availability of the Ultimate Edition 2.7 operating system. The short development cycle is due to the fact that Ultimate Edition (UE) 2.7 is pretty much a polished version of Ultimate Edition 2.6. However, it comes with a lot more choices in desktop environments on top of the GNOME option.
Fans of KDE, XFCE or LXDE will enjoy having the choice to use their favorite tools and applications. The upgrade to Ubuntu 10.04 as the underlying distro has been completed and all packages should be on par. Other than that, everything included in UE 2.6 is also available in the latest release. Users now also have the option to create a customized install of the Conky lightweight system monitor.
Download Ultimate Edition 2.7 right now from Softpedia.
· The fourth maintenance release of KDE Software Compilation (KDE SC) 4.4 was announced on June 1st, by the KDE developers. Dubbed cheers, KDE SC 4.4.4 brings, as usual, only small bugfixes and updated translations. KDE Software Compilation 4.4.4 is composed of the KDE Plasma Workspace, the KDE Applications and the KDE Development Platform. It includes web-development applications, educational tools, administrative programs, and more, all of which are available in over 50 languages. Read more about it here.
· Google has now corrected one of the biggest issues with the license of the much-talked-about WebM project. Specifically, the VP8 codec, part of WebM, was released under a new open-source license, specifically crafted by Google for the codec. There were reasons for this choice, but it meant that the license wasn’t really ‘open-source,’ since it had not been approved by the Open Source Initiative (OSI). Now, Google has backtracked on its initial decision and released VP8 under a fairly standard BSD license, earning the praise of the OSI. Read more about it here.
· Scott James Remnant announced on June 7th that Ubuntu developers were evaluating the state of the Ubuntu ports, and the ones that were not actively maintained would be dropped from the Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) release, on October 10th, this year. The ports that need a maintaining team are SPARC and IA64. While the latter is in quite a good shape, it lacks an active maintenance team. On the other hand, the SPARC port appears to be outdated, and the Ubuntu Technical Board decided to shut it off at the Feature Freeze step of Ubuntu 10.10, on August 12th, 2010. Read more about it here.
Review of the Week: Midori 0.2.6
· From the review: "For Linux users, there’s only been one real choice in terms of web browsers in recent years, Mozilla Firefox. Sure, there are plenty of other browsers out there, each with its own unique traits and loyal fans, but, by and large, most users opted for Firefox. Very recently, Google Chrome has also become a viable alternative, though the ‘political’ issues, Chrome is not really open source, have kept it back so far. Its twin brother, Chromium, is completely open source and it looks like Canonical, maker of Ubuntu, is contemplating making it the default browser in the upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition."
"But Midori’s secret weapon is that it’s based on WebKit. That means that not only is it fully standards-compliant, it also comes with great support for HTML5 and one of the fastest and most popular rendering engines around. So most of the problems with compatibility can be ‘fixed’ with a very simple trick, just change the user agent of the browser. Go to Preferences > Network and choose either Safari (since it’s also based on WebKit) or Firefox. This won’t solve all of your problems, some websites still won’t work, partially or even at all. It’s a shame too, but the developers can’t really do that much about this, it comes with the territory when you’re a small-time web browser."
Read the entire review here.
Video Clip of the Week: Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat's Global Menu
· For this week, we've posted a video clip that showcases the OS X-like global menu, which may be default in the upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) operating system, set to be released on October 10th this year. The video has 1 minute and 2 seconds, and was posted by omgubuntu. Enjoy!
· Elemental Linux Server Helium · KXStudio 10.04.1
Distributions Updated Last Week:
· Janinux 2.5 · Vinux 3.0 · GParted LiveCD 0.5.2-10 · Tin Hat 20100601 · Clonezilla LiveCD 1.2.5-22 · aLinux 14.0 · MCL 2.4 · Salix OS 13.1 · VortexBox 1.4 · Ylmf OS 3.0 · Quirky 1.2 · R.I.P. 9.6
· Mandriva Linux One 2010.1 RC2 · Xubuntu 10.10 Alpha 1 · Kubuntu 10.10 Alpha 1 · Kubuntu Netbook Remix 10.10 Alpha 1 · Ubuntu Server 10.10 Alpha 1 · Ubuntu Netbook Remix 10.10 Alpha 1 · Ubuntu Studio 10.10 Alpha 1 · Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud 10.10 Alpha 1 · Dreamlinux 4.0 Beta 5 · BlankOn 6.0 Beta · Greenie Linux 7L RC · VectorLinux 7.0 Alpha 1
See you again next Monday, June 14th, for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.