The weekly roundup for Linux users

Jul 19, 2010 11:30 GMT  ·  By

Welcome to the 106th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

The following Linux-based operating systems have been announced last week: Zenwalk Internet Cafe Edition 2.2, OpenSuSE 11.3, T2 SDE 8.0, Netrunner 2, Linux Mint 9 LXDE and Sabayon Linux 5.3 XFCE and LXDE Editions. In other news: Spotify launches native Linux application; Ubuntu 10.10 will have an improved calculator app; Adobe moves all of its open source projects to SourceForge; Google released Chrome 6.0.466.0 for Linux; Wine 1.2 brings support for 64-bit applications. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated and the development releases.

dots Summary:

dots ZencafeOn July 12th, the Zencafe Community proudly announced the immediate availability for download of the new and improved Zencafe 2.2 operating system designed to be used in Internet Cafes. Being based on the newly released Zenwalk 6.4 Linux distribution, Zencafe is powered by Linux kernel 2.6.33.4 and includes some popular bleeding-edge applications, such as Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6 or Pidgin 2.7.1. For Yahoo! fans, Zencafe also includes the GYachE Improved instant messenger, which offers webcam support for the Yahoo Messenger protocol. The minimum requirements for Zencafe are a Pentium III class processor, 128 MB of system RAM and at least 4 GB hard drive free space.

Highlights of Zencafe 2.2:

· Based on Zenwalk 6.4; · Linux kernel 2.6.33.4; · OpenOffice.org 3.2.1; · Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6; · Pidgin 2.7.1; · GYachE Improved 1.2.6; · Mkahawa Internet Cafe management application; · Autorecovery tool; · User friendly keyboard shortcuts; · New mimetype icons; · Simplified installation process; · Custom menu on right click; · Extra applications; · ...and more!

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Zencafe 2.2

Download Zencafe 2.2 right now from Softpedia.

dots T2On July 14th, T2 SDE 8.0 "Phoenix" has been released after more than six years in development. The Linux distribution aimed at developers wanting to create their own custom distributions. Some of the highlights in the latest release, T2 8.0, are GCC 4.5 and X.Org 7.5. However, most of its 3,200 packages have been updated since the previous release. Highlights of T2 SDE 8.0:

For users: · GCC 4.5.0; · GlibC 2.11.2; · X.Org 7.5; · Early support for LLVM/clang; · Early support to target MinGW / Win32; · More than 200 new packages - 3221 now available; · Most packages were updated to newer versions; · Over 10.000 SVN revisions since the 7.0 release.

For developers: · Package overlaying by architecture and target was greatly improved; · Classic installer images can now be fully cross-compiled.

Download T2 SDE 8.0 right now from Softpedia.

dots openSUSEOn July 15th, Novell announced that openSUSE 11.3 was made available for download, after more than five months of hard work. openSUSE 11.3 can now be downloaded for free either as Live CDs with the KDE4 and GNOME desktop environment, or as an installable only DVD. Both Live CDs and DVD images have support for 32-bit and 64-bit architectures (see download links at the end of the article). architectures, with GNOME and KDE4 LiveCDs.

Highlights of openSUSE 11.3:

· Linux kernel 2.6.34; · Support for Btrfs filesystem; · KDE SC 4.4.4 desktop environment; · GNOME 2.30.1 desktop environment; · X.Org 7.5; · X.Org server 1.8.0; · New artwork; · Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6; · OpenOffice.org 3.2.1.4; · Adobe Flash Player 10.1.53.64; · The GIMP 2.6.8; · iPhone support; · iPod Touch support; · Netbook support; · SpiderOak - online secure backups and file sharing; · Over 50 improvements in various areas; · Lots of updated packages; · ...and many bugs squashed!

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openSUSE 11.3

Download openSUSE 11.3 DVD now from Softpedia.

Download openSUSE 11.3 KDE4 Live CD now from Softpedia.

Download openSUSE 11.3 GNOME Live CD now from Softpedia.

dots NetrunnerAlso on July 15th, the release of Netrunner 2 has been announced. The Kubuntu-based Linux distro comes with quite a few changes from the previous release, the most notable one being that it makes the switch to KDE. This represents a shift for the project which will now focus on improving Kubuntu. However, several GNOME apps are also included to bring the best of both worlds.

Highlights of Netrunner 2:

· KDE SC 4.4; · Nautilus; · Synaptic; · Mozilla Firefox 3.6.3; · Oracle Java and Adobe Flash Player; · VLC 1.1; · OpenOffice.org 3.2; · Mozilla Thunderbird; · Wine 1.1.42; · GIMP; · Audacious; · Pidgin; · Vuze; · and more!

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Netrunner 2

Download Netrunner 2 right now from Softpedia.

dots Linux MintOn July 18th, Clement Lefebvre has revealed Linux Mint 9 LXDE. Based on the lightweight LXDE desktop environment, this edition tries to get as close as possible to the main release and features the revamped Software Manager, the new Backup Tool and other application from Linux Mint 9. It’s also the first release to include the LXDM as a display manager. Linux Mint 9 LXDE features a completely rewritten PCManFM2 file manager.

PCManFM2 is now included, a complete rewrite of the original file manager for LXDE. It tries to stay close to the same design principles, with speed and a small memory footprint being central, but adds some more advanced features like support for mounting and unmounting filesystems, trash can support, better access to remote filesystems and others.

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Linux Mint 9 LXDE - Image courtesy of Clement Lefebvre

Download Linux Mint 9 LXDE right now from Softpedia.

dots SabayonAlso on July 18th, the Sabayon Linux team has released two new flavours of the Gentoo-based Linux distro, packed with alternative desktop environments for those who prefer them or have slower computers. The Sabayon 5.3 XFCE and Sabayon 5.3 LXDE ‘spins’ are more experimental in nature than the regular release though they are considered stable enough for regular use. This is just the first step, more spins are planned, and these two will continue to evolve until they reach a more mature state.

Highlights of Sabayon Linux 5.3 XFCE and LXDE:

· Linux kernel 2.6.34 with Tuxonice and AUFS support; · NetworkManager 0.8; · NTFS-3G; · Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6; · XFCE 4.6.2; · LXDE 0.5.0; · Basic VirtualBox Guest integration; · Small ISO, less than 700 MB, suited for CDs and USB drives; · Updated Live Anaconda installer; · Aimed at slower computers.

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Sabayon Linux 5.3 LXDE

Download Sabayon Linux 5.3 XFCE right now from Softpedia.

Download Sabayon Linux 5.3 LXDE right now from Softpedia.

dots Other NewsOther News:

· On July 12th, the first preview of a native Linux Spotify application has been made available for those brave enough to run unstable software. Unfortunately for Linux users, there wasn’t a simple way of using Spotify, outside of running the Windows app under Wine, until now. As Spotify notes, it was getting quite a lot of requests to build a native Linux app, penguin fans want to listen to music as much as anyone else. The Linux version is mostly on par with the existing Windows and Mac ones. Read more about it here.

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· On July 14th, Softpedia introduced its users to the revamped calculator application that will be part of the upcoming GNOME 3.0.0 desktop environment and Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) operating system. The application is called GCalctool and it's a powerful utility that can be used to solve simple and mid-level mathematical problems. Compared to the calculator found in the Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) distribution, the new version of GCalctool has a redesigned user interface and brings support for complex arithmetics, complex trigonometry, additional functions (Integer and Fractional Component, Round, Floor, Ceiling and Sign) to the advanced mode, currency conversion and many more. Read more about it here.

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· On July 14th, Adobe has announced that its partnering with SourceForge to expand its open-source offerings and have more flexibility with the related programs. Basically, all of Adobe’s open-source and standards efforts will be hosted and managed on Sourceforge through the site’s new developer platform. Adobe is actually the first customer of the newly launched platform. Read more about it here.

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· The Google Chrome developers at Google announced on July 15th yet another unstable release of the upcoming Google Chrome 6.0 web browser for Linux and Windows operating systems. Google Chrome 6.0.466.0 brings a few important features and improvements for the Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) distribution. Google Chrome 6.0.466.0 is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures with binary packages for Ubuntu Linux. However, this is a development release and it should not be installed on production machines. It is available for testing purposes only! Read more about it here.

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· Wine announced on July 16th the second stable release since hitting the 1.0 mark, with the launch of Wine 1.2. The major version adds support for 64-bit applications and boasts new graphics. It has been in development for two years and comes with a significant amount of changes under the hood. Read more about it here.

dots Video Clip of the WeekVideo Clip of the Week: Ubuntu Linux 10.10 64bit Alpha 2 Maverick Meerkat Screencast Review

· For this week we've posted a 720p HD video clip to showcase the new features of the upcoming Ubuntu Linux 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) operating system. The video is an overview of the 64-bit edition of Ubuntu Linux 10.10 Alpha 2, it has 4 minutes and 47 seconds, and it was posted by OSGUIShow. Enjoy!

Download from SoftpediaNew distributions:

· REMnux 1.0 · adlc 0.1 Beta · FlipOS 10.3 · Pinguy OS 10.04 · SIFT Workstation 2.0 · Redo Backup and Recovery 0.9.3 · Sabayon Linux SpinBase OpenVZ 5.3

Download from SoftpediaDistributions Updated Last Week:

· R.I.P. 10.3 · MyWolfe 019 · nFluxOS x86/x86_64 Final · OpenNIX 2010.7 · Astaro Security Linux 7.506 · Parted Magic 5.1 · openSUSE Edu Li-f-e 11.3

Download from SoftpediaDevelopment Releases:

· GnackTrack 10.04 Beta 2

See you again next Monday, July 26th, for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.

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