The weekly newsletter for Linux users.

Mar 2, 2009 13:11 GMT  ·  By

Welcome to the 35th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

In this week's editorial we talk about the modern Linux installation process. In the Linux distribution announcement section you will find the following releases: Linux Mint 6 XFCE Community Edition, Parted Magic 3.7, moonOS 2.0 LXDE Edition, Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 5, PC/OS 2009v2, Astaro Security Gateway 7.400 and Dreamlinux 3.5. In other news: Ubuntu 9.04 gets a brand new login screen and other interesting features; Adobe releases AIR 1.5.1 for its Linux users; the X.Org Foundation introduces X Server 1.6.0 with RandR 1.3; CodeWeavers announces CrossOver Games 7.2.0 for its Linux and Mac users, and Xfce 4.6.0 has finally arrived! For this week we have awarded GNOME Do as the application of the month and the tutorial of the week will teach you how to install the new notification system from Ubuntu 9.04 in Ubuntu 8.10. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated last week and the development releases.

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Summary:

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EditorialEditorial: Linux installations - by Daniel Pop-Silaghi

· Installing Linux became, in the last few years, quite an easy task. All major distributions are trying to tailor the process in such a way that it wouldn't make newbies flee away in fear. The partitioning part, which was by far the scariest, is now guided, step by step. Linux takes your hand and asks nicely how you would like to set up your HDD. Would you like to resize your Windows partition so that it would give some space to Linux? Or maybe you want to start fresh and delete everything for a Linux-exclusive machine? No problem. After you decide for one of the guided solutions, the distro takes control and it will make all the necessary partitions. Some of them will even ask if you would like a separate home partition so you wouldn't lose your data in case of a reinstall. Just a few more easy steps after that and you're good to go.

Even more, Wubi transformed the Ubuntu (and other Ubuntu-based distributions) installation into a basic task that can be done by anyone who knows how to install a Windows application. You only need to provide a username and a password, specify the partition on which you want the system to reside and Wubi will do the rest, including downloading the ISO. Behaving as an installed application, of course you can uninstall it anytime, leaving your partitions as they were. This is a great way to introduce fearful newbies to the open source world. Knowing that they can fully revert anytime, makes them want to experiment more with Linux.

What I find curious is the fact that some distributions stubbornly remain faithful to the old geeky ways. Arch Linux 2009.02, for example, an undoubtedly powerful Linux distribution, is an absolute pain to install if you haven't done it before. I understand, it's a core system, but why won't they provide one that includes a desktop environment or at least a graphical installation and configuration? Why do we still have to edit a text on a black & white screen just to get our Internet connection started? Puppy Linux, for example, in just 94 MB, includes a desktop environment, many useful software packages, an easy installer and you don't need to print several pages or have another computer with the instructions window opened. "A lightweight and flexible Linux distribution that tries to Keep It Simple," says right on Arch's homepage. Don't keep it simple like that. Keep it simple for someone who tries Linux for the first time.

Don't you think that all Linux distributions developers should drop the geek pride and provide a smoother experience? Linux can be powerful, tweakable and lightweight even with a friendlier approach. In today's busy lifestyle, fewer and fewer will sacrifice precious time to figure out how to install an operating system. As many already realized this, it will be just a matter of time until the others do too.

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Distributions announced last week:

Linux MintOn February 24th, Clement Lefebvre, lead developer for Linux Mint, announced the release of Linux Mint 6 (Felicia) XFCE Community Edition. Based on Xubuntu 8.10, this new version brings a brand new, much improved, Software Manager, XFCE 4.4.2, Linux kernel 2.6.27 and a lot of bug fixes and performance improvements.

Highlights of Linux Mint 6 XFCE CE:

· Linux kernel 2.6.27; · XFCE 4.4.2; · X.Org 7.4; · mint4win is a Linux Mint installer for Windows, based on Wubi; · mintUpload version 2 with FTP Support; · mintNanny - basic parental control application, allowing users to block domain names; · mintDesktop is now showing whether Compiz Fusion is on or off; · Remote Desktop; · Revamped command line with search abilities, "apt content" and "apt contains" commands; · Giver software; · Gufw firewall solution; · Thunar Shares, a Thunar extension that enables Samba file sharing; · GPRS EasyConnect facilitates internet access through a GPRS/GSM-capable mobile phone; · Flegita is now installed by default and manages scanner devices; · GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) 2.6; · An updated Ubiquiti installer; · ClamAV antivirus.

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Linux Mint 6 XFCE CE - Image courtesy of Clement Lefebvre

Download Linux Mint 6 XFCE CE right now from Softpedia.

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Parted MagicOn February 25th, Patrick Verner announced the immediate availability of his Parted Magic 3.7 Linux distribution. This new version fixes several bugs, adds some new features and updates a few software packages. The developer fixed a scripting error in the package installer that wouldn't allow multi-package installs. The G4L (Ghost for Linux) was fixed by adding /mnt/local and several fixes and features were added to the wipe and mount scripts.

The code used for booting ISOs directly through GRUB4DOS was remerged after the last round of changes. Another remerged code is the one used to force devices at boot with uuid= and label=. A bug that prevented launching web links embedded in GTK applications' about dialogs was fixed. XFCE files were added to make the help in screenshooter work. Also, the "unnamed window" was fixed in conky. The following packages were updated in Parted Magic 3.7:

· hdparm-9.11, a command line utility for setting and viewing HDD parameters; · util-linux-ng-2.14.2, a random collection of Linux utilities; · Linux kernel 2.6.28.7; · coreutils-7.1 (only dd, cp, shred, split, stty); · Ddrescue 1.10, a data recovery tool; · Firefox 3.0.6 is the default web browser; · FireFTP 1.0.4, the latest Mozilla Firefox FTP client; · lshw-B.02.14, a tool that extracts detailed hardware information; · di-4.13.

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Parted Magic 3.7

Download Parted Magic 3.7 right now from Softpedia.

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moonOSAlso on February 25th, the moonOS team announced the immediate availability of their moonOS 2.0 LXDE Edition (Kachana). Based on moonOS 2 Main Edition, this release brings a Linux kernel 2.6.27-11, LXDE 0.3.2.1 and Xorg 7.4. Some of the tools that are included in this version are: moonDomain, moonGrub, moonMetacity and moonUpgrader.

Highlights of moonOS LXDE Edition 2.0:

· Linux kernel 2.6.27-11; · Xorg 7.4; · Gnu Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) 2.6; · Network Manager 0.7 - 3G, PPP and PPPOE connection management, supports multiple active devices at the same time and provides system-wide settings, allowing connections even before login; · Latest Ubiquity installer; · Totem 2.24.3; · Abiword 2.6.4 and Gnumeric 1.8.3 instead of OpenOffice.org; · Metacity replaces Openbox; · Claws Mail is the default email client; · Leafpad, a simple text editor; · Catfish, a file search tool; · Mozilla Firefox 3.0.6; · Pidgin 2.5.2 for Instant Messaging.

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moonOS 2.0 LXDE Edition

Download moonOS 2.0 LXDE Edition right now from Softpedia.

Download moonOS 2.0 Main Edition right now from Softpedia.

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UbuntuOn February 26th, Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) Alpha 5 was uploaded on the official mirrors and, as usual, we've downloaded a copy of it in order to keep you up to date with the latest changes in the Ubuntu 9.04 development.

Highlights of Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 5:

· a nice fade effect that makes the transition from the login manager to the desktop; · the desktop will not slide anymore, only the opened windows (this is the result of a modification in Compiz's Desktop Wall plugin); · a new notification system; · the terminal has a new feature; · the screenshot utility has been improved; · the Sessions window was renamed Startup Applications; · a brand new theme for the login screen; · pop-up the Software Updates window; · pop-up the Reboot Now notification; · revamped World Map in the installer; · home encryption option was removed; · Computer Janitor; · Linux kernel 2.6.28.7; · Gparted 0.4.3; · Transmission 1.51.

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Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 5 showcasing the new notifications!

Download Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha 5 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.

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PC/OSAlso on February 26th, the team behind PC/OS announced the release of PC/OS 2009v2, an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution. PC/OS comes in three flavors: one for regular home users, called OpenDesktop, one for IT professionals, called OpenWorkstation, and a web-oriented one, called WebStation. Among other changes, the user interface received a slight facelift, most packages have been updated and all the security updates were applied.

Highlights of PC/OS 2009v2 OpenDesktop:

· Opera 9.63 is the default web browser; · Boot Manager; · Exaile; · GTKPod; · PyNeighborhood; · TrueCrypt 6.0a; · Skype 2.0 for Voice/Video calls and IM; · VLC 0.9.8 multimedia player; · Osmo; · ePDFviewer; · Leafpad.

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PC/OS 2009v2

Download PC/OS 2009v2 right now from Softpedia.

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AstaroAlso on February 26th, after many months in Beta testing, Astaro AG released the final version of Astaro Security Gateway 7.400, bringing many new features that will improve functionality and make the product more capable.

Highlights of Astaro Security Gateway 7.400:

· HTTPS Filtering and Scanning with the ability to block certain programs; · WAN Link Balancing with auto traffic balance and multiple Internet connection support; · Site-to-Site SSL VPN with full IP-Access and quick & easy configuration; · URL Filtering Groups are now customizable; · Support for PDF and CSV type reports; · New AntiVirus Engine with Avira and Clam AV included; · Availability Network Groups - creates an ordered group of network resources, creates a redundancy in VPN Gateway Targets and specifies fallback servers for Directory Authentication; · User Object Toggle allows users to disable User-Objects instead of deleting them; · Support for the Cisco IPSEC CLient; · Support for multiple interfaces in DynDNS; · Compatibility between DynDNS and Upstream NAT/Masq; · The WebAdmin interface now displays the DynDNS Status; · The iPhone is now supported and users will have access to a special download for the device; · An improved Up2Date progress; · The "Test-User" Authentication tool is now able to report the user's group; · Historial Executive Reports.

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Astaro Security Gateway 7.400 administration panel.

Download Astaro Security Gateway 7.400 right now from Softpedia.

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DreamlinuxOn February 28th, the Dreamlinux team announced the release of Dreamlinux 3.5. Based on the latest stable Debian 5.0 (Lenny), this version focuses mainly on portable devices, having out-of-the box wireless drivers and special installs for netbooks, notebooks or USB flash drives. Custom scripts and applications are also included for a smoother installation and initial setup.

Highlights of Dreamlinux 3.5:

· Linux kernel 2.6.28.5-1 · New init script in initrd · Redesigned icons and a new default "Go_Indigo" GTK theme · LiveDream · PersisteDream · Compiz is included for 3D effects · Firefox 3.0.6 · Thunderbird 2.0.0.16 · The GIMP 2.6 · InkScape 0.46 for graphics · Gthumb · Xsane · AviDemux for easy video editing · Totem multimedia player · Rhythmbox audio player · Brasero CD/DVD Burning · Easy-Tag · SoundConverter · SoundJuicer · OpenOffice 2.4 · Engage Dock · Avant Window Navigator (AWN)

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Dreamlinux 3.5

Download Dreamlinux 3.5 right now from Softpedia.

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SystemRescueCdOn March 1st, François Dupoux announced, after less than a month since the last release, SystemRescueCd 1.1.6, a Linux distribution for recovery tasks. In the new release the developer updated both the standard and the alternative Linux kernels to version 2.6.27.19, improving support for Reiser4 and ext4 filesystems.

Highlights of SystemRescueCd 1.1.6:

· The NTFS-3G driver, which permits reading and writing of NTFS partitions was updated to version 2009.2.1 (advanced release); · Updated FSArchiver (a filesystem backup and deployment tool) to version 0.4.3; · Updated the Speakup driver to version 3.0.3_p20090222; · Fixed a bug that prevented the Midnight-Commander function keys from working correctly in the terminal; · Crosssdev, a script that automates building cross-compiling toolchains, was added for easier compilation of 64-bit programs and kernels; · Added LXDE-Terminal, a simple terminal emulator with a tabbed interface; · The Xarchiver graphical archive manager was added; · CD/DVD burning through Xfburn 0.4.0 (still in development); · GParted was updated to its latest version, 0.4.3; · The standard Linux kernel was updated to version 2.6.27.19 for better reiser4 and ext4 support; · The alternative Linux kernel was also updated to version 2.6.27.19.

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SystemRescueCd - Image courtesy of François Dupoux

Download SystemRescueCd 1.1.6 right now from Softpedia.

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Application of the MonthApplication of the Month: GNOME Do: The King of Launchers

· At the end of February we awarded GNOME Do with the "Application of the Month" title. From the article:

"GNOME Do will let you do almost anything using just your keyboard. And, despite its name, GNOME Do will work just as well on other popular desktop environments too. The main chore that you'll want to be handled via the GNOME Do is opening applications. Summon it with Super (or Windows Logo key)+Space, type a few letters and in a blink of an eye it will start guessing the program you want to launch. And not only does it guess but it can also learn. Let's say you want to open Thunderbird; you start typing the first two letters and it will guess that you want to start the theme manager. Type a few more letters and you'll eventually get to Thunderbird. Well, here comes the learning ability. The next time you summon GNOME Do, it will remember that you wanted Thunderbird the first time so its main suggestion will be Thunderbird based on the same two letters. Cool!"

Read the entire article here.

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Tutorial of the WeekTutorial of the Week: Installing Ubuntu 9.04's New Notifications in Ubuntu 8.10

· Well, I don't really know how many of you have heard about the new notification system that was already implemented in the upcoming Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope), but because the current state of Jaunty is Alpha, I thought it would be a good idea to teach you guys how to install these very nice notifications in your Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) operating system.

The new notification framework was named "Notify-OSD" and it can handle both keyboard actions, such as volume and brightness, and application notifications. What does this mean? Well... for example, when you change the volume or the brightness of your monitor, when new software updates are available, when a network connection has been established... a very nice and stylish notification will be displayed for a few seconds in the top right corner of the screen.

Read the full tutorial here.

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Other NewsOther News:

· Among the updates from February 24th, Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha received a brand new login screen a.k.a. GDM (GNOME Display Manager) theme, which is black and has a nice Ubuntu logo in the right bottom corner. Ubuntu 9.04's new login screen is entitled "Human" and it was created by Kenneth Wimer and Mat Tomaszewski for Canonical. Read more about it here.

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· Adobe announced on February 25th the release of Adobe AIR 1.5.1 runtime environment. Besides fixing several bugs, this new version introduces two new APIs. The first, called Capabilities.cpuArchitecture, returns, as a string, the processor architecture of the machine it is installed on. The other is InvokeEvent.reason and will benefit those who build AIR applications that start automatically. Basically, this new API can indicate if an application was manually or automatically launched at login. Read more about it here.

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· Originally planned for the beginning of this year, the X Server 1.6 made its appearance on the 25th of February and brings, among many bugfixes, version 1.3 of RandR (Rotate and Restore) extension, DRI2 (Direct Rendering Infrastructure), Xinput 1.5 along with Input Device Properties and predictable pointer acceleration. The Input Device Properties (IDP) allow users to attach certain properties to a device. These properties can be changed even if the server doesn't know their details. IDP can be used either by the server, the drivers or the clients. Read more about it here.

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· Jeremy White from CodeWeavers announced on February 26th, in a press release, the immediate availability of CrossOver Games 7.2.0 for the Linux and Macintosh operating systems. The new version comes as a bug fix release for the previous versions, but it also brings some interesting features. One of these new additions will be the formal support for the Spore game. CrossOver Games 7.2.0 is now based on the latest stable version of Wine and it includes improved support for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and the latest Steam client. Read more about it here.

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· After more than two years of hard work, the people behind the Xfce project announced on February 27th, one of the most popular lightweight alternatives to other Linux desktop environments, Xfce 4.6.0. Given the delay between releases, this is (of course) a major overhaul bringing many new features and improving on the existing ones. Read more about it here.

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Video Clip of the WeekVideo Clip of the Week: Ubuntu Ultimate 2.0 + Compiz Fusion 0.7.8

· For this week we've found a very nice video clip that showcases the power of Ubuntu Ultimate 2.0 Linux distribution with Compiz Fusion 0.7.8. The video clip has 3:56 minutes and it was posted by yitzikv. Enjoy!

Download from SoftpediaNew Distributions:

· dvd::rip Cluster Live CD · Hag GNU/Linux 0.1-18 · Qimo 4 Kids 1.0

Download from SoftpediaDistributions Updated Last Week:

· Vinux 1.3 · KaufKauf Slim Linux 2.4 · CDlinux 0.9.2 · ZevenOS 1.1 · Slack Mini Server 1.4.2

Download from SoftpediaDevelopment Releases:

· APODIO 5.0.8 Beta · 64 Studio 3.0 Beta 2 · Nexenta OS 2.0 Beta 2 · SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 RC4 · Xubuntu 9.04 Alpha 5 · Edubuntu 9.04 Alpha 5 · Ubuntu Studio 9.04 Alpha 5 · Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.04 Alpha 5 · Kubuntu 9.04 Alpha 5 · MythBuntu 9.04 Alpha 5 · Ubuntu Server 9.04 Alpha 5 · SliTaz GNU/Linux 20090228 · Zenwalk 6.0 RC1 · Whitix 0.2 Beta

See you again next Monday, March 9th, for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.

The Softpedia Linux Editorial Team.