Softpedia Linux Weekly, Issue 70

Welcome to the 70th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!

The following Linux-based operating systems were announced last week: Mandriva Linux 2010, Monomaxos 4.0 English Edition, Scientific Linux 5.4 and Moblin 2.1. In other news: the KDE Community released the third maintenance release of the famous KDE 4.3 desktop environment. An in-depth review and tutorial of the Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system are also present in this edition. The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions updated last week and the development releases.

Summary:

On November 3rd, Mandriva proudly announced the immediate availability of Mandriva Linux 2010.0 operating system. Mandriva 2010.0 can be downloaded for free either as a Live KDE and GNOME CDs or a 100% Free DVD/Dual CD/Mini CD, for both i586 and x86_64 architectures.

Highlights of Mandriva Linux 2010.0:

· Linux kernel 2.6.31; · GNOME 2.28.0 desktop environment; · KDE 4.3.2 desktop environment; · EXT4 filesystem; · X.Org 7.5; · X.Org server 1.6.5; · Moblin support; · New artwork.

Download Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Free DVD Edition right now from Softpedia.

Download Mandriva Linux 2010.0 One Live CD Edition right now from Softpedia.

Also on November 3rd, Dimitris Papadatos proudly announced that the fourth edition of the Monomaxos Greek operating system was now also available for English users! Being based on Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope), Monomaxos 4.0 comes as a 1.7 GB Live DVD and it offers out of the box support for HD (High-Definition) video files and any other multimedia content.

Monomaxos 4.0 contains lots of useful applications, such as OpenOffice.org 3.1, the XBMC Media Center, the MAME emulator (with more than 500 functional games), the Avant Window Navigator, and many more. Besides the various software packages, Monomaxos 4.0 provides lots of new drivers for various devices, and it can be easily installed from within the Windows operating system, thanks to the Wubi Installer. New artwork has also been added in Monomaxos 4.0.

Download Monomaxos 4.0 English Edition right now from Softpedia.   On November 4th, Connie Sieh and Troy Dawson announced the immediate availability of Scientific Linux 5.4, a Linux distribution put together by various universities and labs around the world. Being based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 4, the new release of Scientific Linux brings improved support for Atheros wireless chipsets, the iwlwifi 5150 ucode firmware, lots of updated packages and numerous bug fixes. The iwlwifi 4945, 3945, and 5000 ucode has also been updated, and the Lua programming language has been added.

Download Scientific Linux 5.4 right now from Softpedia.

Also on November 4th, Imad Sousou proudly announced the immediate availability of the Moblin 2.1 operating system for Intel Atom-powered netbooks and nettops. In this release, users will find a new and powerful web browser, support for 3G data connections, Bluetooth support, an integrated application installer for Moblin Garage, an improved user interface and overall performance. Additional documentation has also been added in Moblin 2.1.

Highlights of Moblin 2.1:

· Linux kernel 2.6.31; · Intel Linux video driver 2.9; · Xorg Server 1.6.4; · Mesa 7.6; · Clutter 1.0; · New and powerful web browser, with support for add-ons and plug-ins; · Support for 3G data connections (for Ericsson MBM 3G modems); · Integrated the Moblin Application Installer; · Support for Bluetooth devices (audio, keyboard, mice, 3G modem); · Bluetooth file transfer support; · Improved ConnMan (Connection Manager); · Support for nettops; · Better Instant Messenger client; · Input Method support; · Added Moblin UX documentation; · Updated documentation for Moblin SDK.

Download Moblin 2.1 right now from Softpedia.

Other News:

· Dubbed Clockwork, KDE 4.3.3 desktop environment was released on November 3rd by the KDE community. Bringing only translation updates and bug fixes to applications such as Dolphin, Konqueror, KWin, KGeography, KLettres, KStars, KPat, Okular, KAlarm, KGpg, Okteta or JuK, KDE 4.3.3 is the next-generation KDE desktop environment for Linux, Windows and Macintosh platforms. Read more about it here.

Review of the Week: Ubuntu 9.10

From the review: While writing this review, I tried to put myself in the "shoes" of a new Ubuntu user. This meant that I didn't go on to installing my favorite programs or setting up everything as I liked right after installing the operating system, but instead I tried to make do with what Ubuntu provided in the default installation. Also, I tried to stay away from the terminal and, largely, succeeded in doing so.

Aside from that, Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) is a great operating system. The hardware support is excellent, and the resource requirements are lower than in many commercial operating systems. The bundled software package is quite useful and it perfectly fits the needs of a novice or business-oriented user. If you're familiar with the previous incarnations of this operating system, Ubuntu 9.10 will appear to you as a mere visual overhaul over its predecessors, but there are many more subtle changes under the hood.

Read the entire review here.

Tutorial of the Week: Installing Ubuntu 9.10

From the article: Ubuntu 9.10, also known as the Karmic Koala, arrived exactly on October 29, 2009 and is the eleventh release of Ubuntu OS. We've created the following tutorial to teach Linux newcomers how to install the Ubuntu 9.10 operating system on their personal computer. Therefore, it is addressed to people who have just heard about Ubuntu, those who have never installed Ubuntu before and want to test it, but don't know how. The tutorial will make things very simple for you, but if you get stuck somewhere in the middle of the installation and you need help, do not hesitate to use our commenting system at the end of the article!

Read the entire tutorial here.

Video Clip of the Week: Moblin 2.1 User Interface

· For this week, we've posted a video clip that showcases the user interface of Moblin 2.1, at IDF 2009. The video has 2 minutes and 47 seconds, and it was posted by the sai117. Enjoy!

Distributions Updated Last Week:

See you again next Monday, November 16th, for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.