14 DAY TRIAL // Welcome to the 60th issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly!
The following Linux distributions were announced last week: Vine Linux 5, Fedora 12 Alpha, SimplyMepis 8.0.10, iMagic OS 2009.9 Pro and Slackware 13.0. In other news: the 2007 UNIX copyright decision was overturned; the second beta release of the upcoming GNOME 2.28 desktop environment is now available for testing; Ubuntu 9.10 gains a new X-based boot splash screen and the highly anticipated Ubuntu Software Store. An in-depth review of the sK1 0.9.1 rev. 730 application is also present in this edition and Pidgin received the "Application of the Month" title from our team! The weekly ends with the video clip of the week, the latest Linux distributions released/updated last week and the development releases.
Summary:
On August 25, Daisuke Suzuki from the Vine Linux team announced the immediate availability of Vine Linux 5.0, a free Japanese community Linux-based operating system for both workstations and server machines. The new version of Vine Linux brings support for the x86_64 (AMD64 or Intel64) architecture and bleeding-edge packages, such as Mozilla Firefox 3.5.2, X Server 1.6.3 or Apache 2.2.13.
Highlights of Vine Linux 5.0:
· Linux kernel 2.6.27.29; · X.Org 7.4; · X Server 1.6.3; · GNOME 2.26.3; · Mozilla Firefox 3.5.2; · Faster and lightweight; · Reorganized software collection; · Support for x86_64 (64-bit) platforms; · Greatly improved look and feel; · Added user-friendly utilities; · Added DVD/USB installable images.
Download Vine Linux 5.0 right now from Softpedia.
Also on August 25, the alpha version of the upcoming Fedora 12 (Constantine) Linux distribution was released by the Fedora Project developers. Among the intriguing features that this alpha boasts, we can find better support for webcams, IPv6 and system wide connections support for Network Manager, along with other networking improvements, the revamped power management will surely make laptop users rejoice and, an emerging trend for new distributions. Empathy is set as the default instant messaging client. Another detail worth mentioning is the completion of the PackageKit Command Not Found system, which will provide a method for the system to suggest packages when a command is not found, like Ubuntu currently does. This feature will be accompanied in future versions by a browser plugin that will aid the users when installing missing applications.
Highlights of Fedora 12 Alpha:
· Linux Kernel 2.6.31 RC; · KDE 4.3; · GNOME 2.28 Beta; · Empathy as default IM; · Better webcam support; · Improved HD video codecs; · Network Manager mobile broadband for GSM networks; · EXT4 is the default file system; · x86 optimized for the Intel Atom processors (compiled for i686); · RPM LZMA compression; · Automatic bug reporting tool; · New Network Manager with better IPv6 support; · Improved power management support; · Improved PulseAudio; · Improved PackageKit; · Improved KVM virtualization; · Bluetooth SOD (Service On Demand); · NetBeans 6.7; · PHP 5.3.0; · Eclipse 3.5.0; · SystemTap debugger updates.
Download Fedora 12 Alpha 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.
On August 26, MEPIS LLC announced, through Warren Woodford, the release of SimplyMepis 8.0.10 for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms, and based on the Debian Lenny operating system. The new version brings lots of interesting features, as well as bleeding-edge applications, such as Mozilla Firefox 3.5.2, Bind 9.6.1P1 or Mono 2.4.2.3.
Highlights of SimplyMepis 8.0.10:
· Alsa 1.0.20; · Bind 9.6.1P1; · Google Gadgets 0.11.0; · KNetworkManager 0.7; · KVM (The Linux Kernel-Based Virtual Machine) 85; · Linux kernel 2.6.27.30; · Mono 2.4.2.3; · Mozilla Firefox 3.5.2; · Mozilla Thunderbird 2.0.0.22; · Nvidia video driver 185.18.14; · rt2860 driver 2.1.2.0; · Strongswan 4.3.2.
Download SimplyMepis 8.0.10 right now from Softpedia.
On August 27, Carlos La Borde announced the release of iMagic OS 2009.9, a version that features updated software, proprietary multimedia format support and parental controls, and brings improvements to the way Windows applications can be installed.
Also, for this version of iMagic OS, the developers improved the magicOnline package manager. It is web based, with a revamped interface that makes software installation easier. It also brings support for other operating systems, like Ubuntu and Phoenix OS, and Fedora support is under development. Current iMagic OS users who subscribed to magicOnline will continue to get free upgrades.
iMagicOS 2009.9 now features PlayOnLinux, a new way to use Windows software on Linux, which has an impressive compatibility list. It supports anything from EVE Online, World of Warcraft or the Steam client to Microsoft Office 2007 and Adobe Photoshop CS2. The complete list has 148 entries, and the developers are willing to test additional applications if users request them.
Download iMagic OS 2009.9 right now from Softpedia.
Also on August 27, Patrick J. Volkerding announced that Slackware 13.0 was available for download. The changes definitely warrant the major version bump, since this release has a number of unique features that its predecessor wasn't capable of, like running natively on 64-bit processors, improved X Window System that doesn't require an xorg.conf file and a massively overhauled set of build scripts.
The low-level functions are provided by the Linux kernel, version 2.6.29.6, which makes the system faster and includes support for the X Direct Rendering Interface that enables the display of hardware accelerated 3D graphics. Also, the kernel is patched to support speech synthesizers, a very useful function for the visually impaired users. A core change since Slackware 12.2 is that some devices, like network hardware, are now initialized at install time, and the new udev scripts are tweaked to give normal users a seamless experience when managing their devices.
On top of that kernel you can have by default one of the two supported desktop environments: KDE 4.2.4 or Xfce 4.6.1. GNOME fans won't feel totally stranded, as Pidgin 2.5.9, The GIMP 2.6.6 and XChat 2.8.6 are included. The other applications are what you would expect from a modern operating system, with Mozilla Firefox 3.5.2 on board, as well as Thunderbird 2.0.0.23. Programmers will surely enjoy the new development tools, like Perl 5.10.0, Python 2.6.2, Ruby 1.8.7-p174, Subversion 1.6.4, Git 1.6.4 and Mercurial 1.2.1.
Download Slackware 13.0 right now from Softpedia.
· Back in 2007, Judge Dale Kimball of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah found that the copyright to UNIX and UnixWare was owned by Novell and with that decision stopped SCO from further litigating against other Linux users, which spelled the end to SCO's ongoing one billion dollar lawsuit against IBM. This ruling eventually caused SCO to file for bankruptcy, having been appointed a trustee to take over its business operations. Back in February 2008, the private equity firm Stephen Norris Capital Partners granted SCO 100 million dollars, provided that it would "aggressively continue" the ongoing litigation against Novell, IBM and the others targeted with an alleged UNIX copyright or license infringement. Read more about it here.
· It looks like the folks behind the GNOME Project are firing on all cylinders, as, on August 26, they released the second beta of the upcoming GNOME 2.28, less than two weeks after the first beta was given to the public. This increment boasts quite a large list of bugfixes and more than a handful of performance improvements. Also, the developers enforced a string freeze until the final version was released, ensuring that the translators and the documentation writers would get a stable English interface for screenshots and translations. Read more about it here.
· On August 27, we announced that Canonical added a brand-new X-based boot splash, which will be present in the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) operating system, due for release on October 29th. xplash is the package in charge of the new boot splash and it is a userspace software that uses the X interface to draw a splash screen at boot before the desktop loads. Read more about it here.
· Canonical unveiled on August 28 what it was only a mockup a few months ago, the Ubuntu Software Store (previously known as Ubuntu AppCenter), a piece of software that would unify all the existing package managers in the Ubuntu operating system. At the moment, the Ubuntu Software Store is not installed by default in the current development release of the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) distribution, but it can be easily installed by searching "software-store" in Synaptic. Read more about it here.
Review of the Week: sK1 0.9.1 rev. 730
From the review: sK1 is a vector graphics editor that, unlike InkScape, which focuses on the SVG format and web design usefulness, caters to the professional designers that are working in pre-press environments. It has many features that allow it to act as a replacement for Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator, wrapped up in a Ttk-based interface with clean lines and no bells and whistles to distract the user.
sK1 might be a useful tool for professionals, but right now, it can't cut it. If you prefer to use it, you will probably need another application that can handle some of the tasks that this program lacks.
Read the entire review here.
Application of the Month: Pidgin: IM Superstar
From the article: You have to stay connected. This is probably the single statement agreed upon globally. Keep up with what your friends are doing on social networks, crowd-source new concepts, communicate in more diverse and feature-rich ways. Pidgin is a great tool for this always connected world we live in, because it enables instant communication, regardless of the details.
It's worth mentioning that, unlike proprietary IM applications, Pidgin allows you to connect simultaneously to as many accounts as you wish and, for most protocols, you can even connect to two accounts that rely on the same messaging network. The developers also emphasize privacy, providing numerous features that control who can contact you or the information that your buddies are allowed to see.
Read the entire article here.
Video Clip of the Week: Slackware 13 Boot Preview
· For this week, we posted a video clip that shows a preview of the new Slackware 13.0 boot, with the Tuz-powered Linux kernel! The video runs for 2 minutes and 55 seconds and was posted by haerulrijal. Enjoy!
· Foxy Linux 1.0 · Scientific Linux Live CD 4.8
Distributions Updated Last Week:
· Embedded Slackware 1.3.7-7 · Scientific Linux 3.0.9 · Astaro Security Linux 7.405 · Clonezilla LiveCD 1.2.3-1 · Tor-ramdisk 20090828
· Musix GNU+Linux 2.0 RC3 · Elive 1.9.41 · ALT Linux (School Server) 5.0.0 Beta · Tiny Core Linux 2.3 RC3
See you again next Monday, September 5, for another issue of Softpedia Linux Weekly.