The weekly roundup for Linux users

Jun 14, 2010 10:22 GMT  ·  By

Welcome to the 101st issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

The following Linux-based operating systems were announced last week: Kanotix Excalibur 2010, Zorin OS 3, Zenwalk Linux 6.4 GNOME Edition and sidux 2010-01. In other news: Canonical introduces Ubuntu Advantage for businesses; OneConf will allow future versions of the Ubuntu operating system to restore applications and settings; the KDE Project releases the second beta version of the upcoming KDE Software Compilation 4.5.0 desktop environment, with bugfixes and updated translations. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated and the development releases.

dots Summary:

dots KanotixOn June 9th, Jörg Schirottke announced the release of Kanotix Excalibur 2010, after quite a long period of development. Based on Debian Lenny, Kanotix 2010 comes with a relatively modern Linux kernel and has all the latest security and stability patches. There is a KDE SC 4.3-based version for those who want a desktop environment, more modern than the aging KDE 3.5. Scripts for installing proprietary graphics card drivers and the Adobe Flash Player are also available.

Highlights of Kanotix 2010:

· Linux kernel 2.6.32-ck2 - with BFS support; · KDE SC 4.3; · KDE 3.5.10; · OpenOffice.org 3.2.1; · GRUB2 1.97 beta 4; · Wicd 1.6.2.2; · Pidgin 2.7.1; · NTFS-3G 2010.5.22; · Wine 1.2-rc2; · Iceweasel (Mozilla Firefox) 3.0.6 with XULRunner 1.9.0.19; · Icedove (Mozilla Thunderbird) 2.0.0.24.

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Kanotix 2010

Download Kanotix Excalibur 2010 32-bit right now from Softpedia.

Download Kanotix Excalibur 2010 64-bit right now from Softpedia.

dots ZorinOn June 10th, Artyom Zorin announced the immediate availability of the Zorin OS 3 operating system. Being based on Ubuntu 10.04, Zorin OS 3 is the most polished version yet and comes with some interesting, new features. Top among these is the Zorin Look Changer, a tool that enables one to customize the way their desktop looks and acts depending on their preferences or what they’re used to.

The big, new feature in Zorin OS 3 is the Look Changer. In keeping with the distro’s aim, the tool enables users to quickly and easily switch between predefined themes based on the other popular operating systems. There are also several new themes for this new release.

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Zorin OS 3

Download Zorin OS 3 now from Softpedia.

dots ZenwalkOn June 11th, the Zenwalk developers released the highly anticipated GNOME edition of the recently announced Zenwalk 6.4 Linux distribution. Being powered by Linux kernel 2.6.33.4 and the (rather old) GNOME 2.28.2 desktop environment, Zenwalk 6.4 GNOME includes some new features. For example, the Totem media player now has an asynchronous parsing API; the GNOME Panel was restored to its original layout; support for laptops with multiple batteries was added to the GNOME Power Manager application; DeviceKit-disks received support for disk spindown; and many more!

Highlights of Zenwalk 6.4 GNOME:

· Linux kernel 2.6.33.4; · X.Org 7.5; · GNOME 2.28.2; · Added GNOME System Tools; · Added GNOME-disk-utility; · Fixed a Totem issue with the YouTube plugin; · Fixed auto mounting of NTFS partitions while installing; · Fixed shutdown issues; · Downgraded Samba to fix a local network browsing issue; · New artwork!

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Zenwalk Linux 6.4 GNOME Edition

Download Zenwalk Linux 6.4 GNOME Edition right now from Softpedia.

dots siduxOn June 13th, sidux 2010-01, codenamed “Hypnos,” was released. The highlights of sidux 2010-01 are KDE SC 4.4.4 and Linux kernel 2.6.34. Of course, all other packages are on par with the ones available in the Debian sid repositories at the date of the release. The developers have also gotten some work done on the early boot components, GRUB 2 for the regular installs and ISOLINUX for the live environment.

Highlights of sidux 2010-01:

· Linux kernel 2.6.34; · KDE SC 4.4.4 - in English and German; · X.Org 7.5; · Xorg Server 1.7.7; · KMS support for ATI and Intel graphics cards; · Iceweasel (Mozilla Firefox) 3.5.9; · memtest86+; · OpenJDK 6 in the full KDE version; · Switch to ISOLINUX + Gfxboot isohybrid and GRUB2; · Partitionmanager; · Support for Atmel wireless cards - at76c503a, at76c505 and at76c505a; · Support for Atheros wireless cards and Atheros USB wireless cards - AR2425, AR5210, AR5211, AR5212, AR5213, AR5414, AR9271 and AR9170 “otus”; · Support for Atheros 802.11n wireless cards - AR5418+AR5133, AR5416+AR5133, AR5416+AR2133, AR9160, AR9280, AR9281 and AR9285; · Support for Broadcom wireless cards; · OpenFWWF 5.2 firmware for some Broadcom AirForce 802.11b/g wireless cards; · Support for Intel Pro Wireless 3945 and other Intel wireless cards; · Support for RaLink rt2400, rt2500, rt2570, rt61 and rt73 802.11b/g cards; · Initial support for RaLink rt2770, rt2870 and rt3070 802.11b/g/n USB wireless cards; · Support for RealTek RTL8180L and RTL8185 PCI/ cardbus wireless cards; · Support for RealTek RTL8187 and RTL8187B USB wireless cards; · Bug fixes.

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sidux 2010-01

Download sidux 2010-01 right now from Softpedia.

dots Other NewsOther News:

· Canonical, the company behind the popular and free Ubuntu operating system, introduced on June 8th a new service, called Ubuntu Advantage. Designed for businesses, Ubuntu Advantage brings together all the useful services and tools, such as: Landscape (systems management and monitoring), legal assurance, enterprise technical support and direct access to knowledge base. Read more about it here.

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· On June 9th, Softpedia presented the OneConf application for the Ubuntu operating system. The basic idea behind the OneConf app is to save a list of the installed programs and their settings & state. How will this be achieved? Simply, by synchronizing all the information and files with the Ubuntu One online storage service. This means that, when OneConf will be available, I'll be able to save everything I want (or most of it) with a few clicks, reinstall my system, put back all the files with a few other clicks, and the entire process should take a few minutes (not to mention that is mostly automatic, as the OneConf application will know where to put the files back and what applications it should install). Read more about it here.

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· The second beta release of the upcoming KDE Software Compilation (KDE SC) 4.5.0 was announced on June 9th, by the KDE developers. Dubbed Cake, KDE SC 4.5.0 Beta 2 fixes over 1,600 bugs since the first beta release. KDE Software Compilation 4.5 is composed of the KDE Plasma Workspace, the KDE Applications and the KDE Development Platform. The final release of KDE SC 4.5.0 will be available in August 2010. Kubuntu/Ubuntu packages are also available for testing (see below for installation instructions). Read more about it here.

dots Video Clip of the WeekVideo Clip of the Week: Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx Advanced 3D Desktop

· For this week, we've posted a 720p HD video clip to show the advanced things you could do by configuring the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) operating system with the compizconfig-settings-manager and adding extra plugins. The video has 4 minutes and 40 seconds and was posted by TecnoGaming. Enjoy!

Download from SoftpediaNew distributions:

· SECmic 3 · Business OS Alpha 1

Download from SoftpediaDistributions Updated Last Week:

· Absolute Linux 13.1.1 · TAS OS 10.05 · Clonezilla LiveCD 1.2.5-24 · Syllable 0.4 · linuX-gamers Live DVD 0.9.6 · IPFire 2.7 · MyWolfe 017 · R.I.P. 9.7

Download from SoftpediaDevelopment Releases:

· Kongoni 1.12.3 Alpha 2 · Devil-Linux 1.4 RC4 · openmamba GNU/Linux 2.0 Pre 2

See you again next Monday, June 21st, for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.