The weekly roundup for Linux users

Jul 5, 2010 12:01 GMT  ·  By

Welcome to the 104th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

The following Linux-based operating systems have been announced last week: Linux Mint 9 KDE RC, Dreamlinux 4.0 Beta 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0 Beta 2, SystemRescueCd 1.5.7, Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 2, OpenSuSE 11.3 RC2 and Absolute 13.1.2. In other news: GIMP 2.7.1 brings new features; the KDE project releases the KDE Software Compilation 4.4.5 environment; Jared Smith is the new leader of the Fedora project; Canonical announced Ubuntu Developer Week 2010; Opera Software finally releases the improved Opera 10.60 web browser for Linux systems; Likewise Software releases Likewise Open 6.0; IBM switches to Mozilla Firefox as the default browser. For this week we've also prepared a tutorial, about how to customize your Ubuntu 10.04 desktop. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated and the development releases.

dots Summary:

dots Linux MintOn June 28th, Clement Lefebvre announced the first release candidate of the Linux Mint 9 KDE Edition operating system. Linux Mint 9 KDE RC still has some known issues, but is overall usable and stable enough for most people. Linux Mint 9 KDE is based on the latest Kubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) and comes with KDE SC 4.4.4.

Highlights of Linux Mint 9 KDE RC:

· Based on Kubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx; · Linux kernel 2.6.32; · KDE SC 4.4.4; · Xorg 7.5; · Amarok 2.3.0; · Mozilla Thunderbird 3; · Integration of the KDE Network Manager; · Several new applications installed by default; · A completely re-written Software Manager handling over 30,000 packages; · New Backup Tool with software selection backup/restore; · Better artwork and a more cohesive visual style; · Windows Installer; · USB Creator; · Faster boot and everything else Kubuntu 10.04 has to offer.

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Linux Mint 9 KDE RC

Download Linux Mint 9 KDE RC 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.

dots DreamlinuxAlso on June 28th, Nelson Silveira announced the latest beta of the upcoming Dreamlinux 4.0 operating system. Dreamlinux 4.0 Beta 6 comes with several updated packages as well as new artwork and faster boot and installs. Dreamlinux 4.0 has been in the works for quite some time now, but the new beta brings it one step closer to the final release.

Highlights of Dreamlinux 4.0 Beta 6:

· Linux Kernel 2.6.34-dream-4; · XFCE 4.6.2; · OpenOffice.org; · Firefox 3.6.3; · SMPlayer 0.6.9; · ePDFViewer 0.1.7; · Gimp 2.6.8; · Orage Time Manager 4.6.1; · Notes 1.7.6; · Brasero 2.30.1; · Synaptic Package Manager; · Geeqie; · gphoto2; · Geany 0.18.1; · pyNeighborhood 0.5.0; · Thunar 1.0.2; · Blueman 1.21; · Deluge 1.2.3; · Conky; · Gparted; · Xarchiver; · Network Manager 0.8; · Gufw 9.10.2; · NDISWrapper; · GCC 4.4; · Lua 5.1.4; · Python 2.5; · Perl 5.10; · Ruby 1.8.7’ · Ruby-Gtk 0.19.3-2.

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Dreamlinux 4.0 Beta 6

Download Dreamlinux 4.0 Beta 6 now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a beta release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only.

dots RHELAlso on June 30th, Red Hat announced the second beta release of the upcoming Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.0, which brings a number of updated packages, new kernels and a refreshed installer. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0 Beta 2 is a new step towards the final release, but Red Hat emphasizes that this is still development software and is not to be used in production environment or for performance benchmarking. RHEL 6.0 Beta 1 was released a couple of months ago.

New in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0 Beta 2 is a revamped installer as well as the usual array of application updates. Red Hat encourages testers to do a fresh install, if they had been using the first beta, to put the new installer through its paces. The new beta is being made available through the Red Hat Network (RHN), but, for the first time, it is also available through regular FTP servers. You can also download the DVDs for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms from the link below.

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Red Hat

Download Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0 Beta 2 right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a beta release and it should not be installed on production machines. It is intended for testing purposes only. You won’t be able to upgrade to the final release from a beta install.

dots SystemRescueCdOn July 1st, François Dupoux announced yet another release of his popular SystemRescueCd Linux-based operating system for rescue and recovery tasks. Besides the usual bugfixes, the new SystemRescueCd 1.5.7 Live CD now includes a minimal version of the Samba server, as well as a new utility to easily recover deleted files from ETX3 filesystems. Moreover, applications such as NTFS-3G and Parted were updated and patched.

Highlights of SystemRescueCd 1.5.7:

· NTFS-3G was updated to version 2010.5.22; · Added the ext3grep 0.10.1 tool, designed to recover deleted files from ETX3 partitions; · Re-added the Samba server, version 3.0.37, with minimal options; · Added extra firmwares for Broadcom wireless cards, required by the bnx2 driver; · Parted 2.2 was patched to fix dmraid devices issues; · The "vncserver=x:MyPaSsWd" option was fixed (the password's length must be between 8 and 12 characters); · Fixed some dependency issues with the SystemRescueCd USB installer for Linux (usb_inst.sh); · The keymap init initramfs was fixed. It now loads the proper font for the Russian language.

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SystemRescueCd 1.5.7

Download SystemRescueCd 1.5.7 right now from Softpedia.

dots UbuntuAlso on July 1st, Canonical unleashed the second alpha release of the upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) operating system, due for release in October 10th, 2010. Starting with Maverick, Ubuntu will finally have an up-to-date Linux kernel, as the packages were updated to version 2.6.35-6.7, based on Linux kernel 2.6.35 RC3.

Moreover, the amazing Btrfs filesystem has been added in Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 2 and can be used for new installations, as long as the /boot partition uses one of the EXT filesystems. Ubuntu Software Center has been updated to version 2.1.4. Mozilla Firefox was updated to the brand-new 3.6.6 release, which fixes a major bug for FarmVille users. A notification about the current status of Canonical's Ubuntu One service has been implemented in Nautilus. The cloud-init package from the Ubuntu Server cloud images received features such as pluggable hooks, support for the EXT4 filesystem, ebsmount, and more. And last but not least, the Unity interface has been enabled by default in Ubuntu Netbook Edition. The global menu bar is also included, but is does not function properly as it is still heavily tested by the developers.

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Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 2

Download Ubuntu 10.10 Alpha 2 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.

dots openSUSEAlso on July 1st, Bryen Yunashko announced the immediate availability for testing of the second release candidate of the upcoming openSUSE 11.3 operating system. This is also the last development release, and every openSUSE user should get it and test it, in order to report existing bugs (if any). Just like the first RC, openSUSE 11.3 RC2 comes with a very light release announcement, but packs lots of bug fixes and some finishing touches.

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openSUSE 11.3 RC2

Download openSUSE 11.3 RC2 right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a development release and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended to be used for testing purposes only.

dots AbsoluteOn July 3rd, Paul Sherman announced the immediate availability of the Absolute Linux 13.1.2 operating system. This release brings several updates and fixes as well as the switch to Google Chrome as the default browser, replacing Mozilla Firefox. Chrome was found to have several advantages over Firefox and the developers believed it to be the better choice for the light-weight distro. Firefox is still available on the second CD.

Highlights of Absolute Linux 13.1.2:

· Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6; · Rox Filer 2.10.0; · Cups 1.4.4; · Ghostscript 8.71; · Samba 3.5.3; · Mozilla Thunderbird 3.1; · Seamonkey 2.0.5; · Gecko-Mediaplayer 0.9.9.2; · Google Chrome (Chromium) 6.0.443.0; · Binutils 2.20.51.0.8; · Abiword 2.8.6; · wxPython 2.8.11.0; · AviDemux 2.5.2; · XMMS 1.2.11; · Google Picasa 3.0.5744; · Flash Player plugin 10.1.53.64; · SMPlayer 0.6.9; · xf86-video-radeonhd 1.3.01.

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Absolute Linux 13.1.2 - Image courtesy of Paul Sherman

Download Absolute Linux 13.1.2 right now from Softpedia.

dots Other NewsOther News:

· On June 29th, the GIMP development team has unleashed another development release of their popular image manipulation software. GIMP 2.7.1 comes with lots of improvements, new functions and many bugfixes. Among these, we can mention support for layer groups, support for multi-column dock windows, improved single-window mode, Photoshop CS4 keyboard shortcuts, RGB565 support, GEGL updates, and many more. Read more about it here.

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· On June 29th, Red Hat appointed a new project leader for Fedora. Jared Smith, an active member of the community with experience in similar positions at other companies, will be replacing the current leader Paul Frields. Smith will be overseeing the development of Fedora 14 which Frields has already gotten under way. Read more about it here.

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· On June 30th, the KDE developers announced the fifth maintenance release of KDE Software Compilation (KDE SC) 4.4 branch. Dubbed ceilidh, KDE SC 4.4.5 brings fixes to applications such as Konsole, KMouseTool, KHangMan, KolourPaint, Okular, JuK, KGet, Comic applet, KAlarm, Ark and KFloppy. Read more about it here.

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· On June 30th, Canonical has released the schedule of this year's Ubuntu Developer Week. The event will take place from July 12, 2010 to July 16, 2010 and will cover several aspects of the Ubuntu development, from crash-courses in getting started with working on Ubuntu to more advanced topics. Read more about it here.

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· On July 1st, after a relatively short period of development time, Opera Software released Opera 10.60 web browser for Linux systems. This is actually the first stable release of the browser for Linux since Opera 10.10 as the team decided to skip releasing a stable build for Linux of the previous Opera 10.50. But the long wait is over and it’s almost been worth it. Opera 10.60 brings a couple of new, interesting features like geolocation and support for the WebM video format, all of this on top of the major improvements in Opera 10.50 like a revamped UI and a brand-new and ultra-fast JavaScript engine. Read more about it here.

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· On July 1st, Likewise Software announced the release of Likewise Open 6.0, the latest update to the Active Directory tool for Linux, Unix and Mac. Likewise Open 6.0 comes with several new features making the life of both users and administrators easier. Some of the key features are faster logons, especially in some environments, and an easier way of changing passwords. Read more about it here.

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· The browser wars are as heated as it’s ever been, but Firefox is still the number one ‘alternative’ browser out there with a significant market share. But getting people to use Firefox is one thing, getting companies to do it is quite another. With plenty of other companies still relying on Internet Explorer 6, IBM has taken a bold move, for a company its size, and is now switching to Firefox as the preferred default browser for its employees. Read more about it here.

dots Tutorial of the WeekTutorial of the Week of the Week: Ubuntu 10.04 Desktop Customization Guide

· This step-by-step tutorial was created for the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) operating system and it will teach you how to change the looks of your Linux desktop into an eye-candy, practical, simple and modern one.

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Customized Ubuntu 10.04 desktop

Read the complete tutorial here.

dots Video Clip of the WeekVideo Clip of the Week: First Look at Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat Alpha 1

· For this week we've posted a 1080p HD video clip showcase the new features of the upcoming Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) operating system. The video has 5 minutes and 35 seconds, and was posted by thisweekinlinux. Enjoy!

Download from SoftpediaNew distributions:

· Utopia 20062010 · OpenELEC r3322 · CloudLinux 5.5 · Imagineos 20100628 X1

Download from SoftpediaDistributions Updated Last Week:

· Berry Linux 1.03 · Astaro Security Gateway 8.0 · ZEN-mini 2010.1 · AV Linux 4.0 · Element GNU/Linux 1.3.0 · USU 5.0 · BlankOn 6.0 · R.I.P. 10.0

Download from SoftpediaDevelopment Releases:

· Nexenta OS 3.0 RC2 · Ubuntu Netbook Remix 10.10 Alpha 2 · Ubuntu Server 10.10 Alpha 2 · Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud 10.10 Alpha 2 · Ubuntu Studio 10.10 Alpha 2 · Xubuntu 10.10 Alpha 2 · Kubuntu Netbook Remix 10.10 Alpha 2 · Kubuntu 10.10 Alpha 2 · Mythbuntu 10.10 Alpha 2 · ZeroShell 1.0 Beta 13 · Parted Magic 5.0 RC · Tiny Core Linux 3.0 Alpha 9

See you again next Monday, July 12th, for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.

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