Happy Birthday, Ubuntu!

With only nine days left until Karmic Koala's official release, it's time to take a look into the past. Five years ago, on the 20th of October, 2004, Mark Shuttleworth and the "warm-hearted Warthogs" from the developer team announced the first official Ubuntu release. Version 4.10, code name "Warty Warthog," was only the first representative in a line of operating systems that were made by human beings for human beings, aiming to let normal people use Linux.

Let's take a quick look at when each of the Ubuntu versions was released, and what it brought new:
· Ubuntu 4.10 (Warty Warthog) - Released on the 20th of October, 2004
· Ubuntu 5.04 (Hoary Hedgehog) - Released on 8th of April, 2005
· Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger) - Released on 13th of October, 2005
· Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Dapper Drake) - Released on the 1st of June, 2006
· Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft) - Released on the 26th of October, 2006
· Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) - Released on the 19th of April, 2007
· Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) - Released on the 18th of October, 2007
· Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) - Released on the 24th of April, 2008
· Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) - Released on the 30th of October, 2008
· Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) - Released on the 23rd of April, 2009
· Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) - Planned for release on the 29th of October, 2009

Ubuntu 4.10 (Warty Warthog) was something weird for its time. It was common back then for Linux operating systems to ship on anywhere from two to even nine CDs, but Warty only had two: a Live and an Installation CD. Another thing that separated Ubuntu from the other Linux distributions of the time was the ShipIt service that sent Ubuntu CDs to anyone who requested them, free of charge.

The Warty Warthog was followed by Ubuntu 5.04 (Hoary Hedgehog), which brought another series of improvements that catered to non-technical users. The update manager and the notifier changed the task of updating the system from a deeply administrative one to something anyone could do. Under the hood, dynamic frequency scaling kept laptops running for a longer while, and the hardware database kept a tight watch on what components worked well out of the box.

The Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger) release hid the kernel start-up messages that looked like an alien language to most users under a graphical bootloader for the first time. At that time another defining feature of Ubuntu was created: integration with the Launchpad developer portal.

Fast forward to Ubuntu 6.04 and you will see that there is no such thing. Because the development was not complete, Mark Shuttleworth moved the release date to June that year, but made up to the users by giving them the first long-term support release: Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Dapper Drake). This version changed the installation process in two ways: the two CDs that were typical for a release were merged into one, which served the double purpose of being a live and an install disk and, related to that, the setup process stopped using Debian's installer and switched to a graphical setup tool named Ubiquity.

You probably still remember Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft), because it was the first release that featured the finished Human graphical theme. Also, this version featured Tomboy, the note-taking application, and F-Spot, the photo manager. The Beryl desktop effects were also one of the attractions.

Those uber-cool desktop effects that were impressive for seasoned users and novices alike were made possible for the first time with the inclusion of Compiz in Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn). Switching from Windows to Ubuntu was made much easier by the migration assistant that was created for this release, and virtualization was given a helping hand by including the Kernel Virtual Machine. Along with the packages was improved multimedia support with the restricted driver and codec installation tools.

I can actually remember Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon), because it allowed me to save files on an NTFS partition. NTFS-3G's inclusion opened the way for tighter interoperability with Windows systems, while AppArmor watched the system's security and Compiz Fusion took the graphical aspect of the desktop one step further.

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) will continue to be on desktops for a while, because its official support will end in April 2011. It featured a new desktop search tool, Tracker, the Brasero disk burner, the Transmission bit-torrent application and many other new programs. Most of us remember it because of PulseAudio, that was a new thing back then and it caused a lot of problems with audio. Also, Hardy was another big step towards an easy installation, because Wubi allowed you to skip partitioning and stuff Ubuntu in a file on one of your Windows disks.

Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) was released into a world where netbooks were starting to conquer the market. Since most of those portable computers had no optical drive, Ubuntu came up with the Live USB Creator that allowed you to transfer the bootable image to a USB drive. Also, 8.10 had a lot of security improvements, like home folder encryption support and a ready-made guest account. Rebuilding kernel modules by hand was made obsolete by the inclusion of Dynamic Kernel Module Support.

You must be familiar with Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope), because you're probably running it right now. It brought us the new Notify OSD and fresh graphics, along with faster boot times and web service integration. The hardware in netbooks was supported, and Wacom tablets were now hot-pluggable. On the development side, everything was moved to the Bazaar revision control system.

Now we're leaving the past and moving on towards the future. Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) will be here in nine days, should everything go according to plan. The anniversary presents will be a new graphical theme, ultra-fast boots and a Netbook Remix that truly deserves the Ubuntu name.

Since such a trip down the memory lane would not be complete without a mental image of each release, we prepared this screenshot tour. It represents the journey of a free operating system that truly changed the way people use their computer. Enjoy the Ubuntu timeline, 11 releases in 5 years!

Ubuntu 4.10 (Warty Warthog)

Ubuntu 5.04 (Hoary Hedgehog)

Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger)

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Dapper Drake)

Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft)

Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn)

Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon)

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron)

Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex)

Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope)

Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala)

Happy Birthday Ubuntu!

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Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Alpha 2 Has KDE 4.3 RC3 and GNOME 2.27.5

The second alpha of Mandriva Linux 2010.0 was launched last night, on July 31st, by the Mandriva team. The development cycle of Mandriva Linux 2010.0 will continue with a beta release at the end of August, two release candidates scheduled for September and October, and the official public release expected around November, 2009.


Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Alpha 2 is still not available as a Live CD, the only way for you to test it is to grab the DVD and install it. It is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures.

The features of this release are exactly what everyone was expecting, the newly released GNOME 2.27.5 and KDE 4.3 RC3 desktop environments, Linux kernel 2.6.31 RC4, and many more.

Highlights of Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Alpha 2:
· Linux kernel 2.6.31 RC4;
· KDE 4.3 RC3;
· GNOME 2.27.5;
· Xfce 4.6.1;
· X.org Server 1.6.2;
· OpenOffice.org 3.1.0;
· KOffice 2.0.1;
· Amarok 2.1.1;
· Digikam 1.0 Beta 3;
· Kipi plug-ins 0.5.0;
· KMess 2.0.0;
· Apache 2.2.22;
· PHP 5.3.0;
· Improved Drakxtools;
· Device permission handling changes.

Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Release Schedule:
June 19th, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Alpha 1
July 31st, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Alpha 2
August 20th, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Beta
September 17th, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 RC1
October 8th, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 RC2
November 3rd, 2009 - Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Final release

Download Mandriva Linux 2010.0 Alpha 2 right now from Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, and Here.
Remember that this is an alpha release and it should not be installed on production machines. It is intended for testing purposes only. Please report bugs to the Mandriva Bug Tracker.

By: Marius Nestor

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Switch to Ubuntu Today - Canonical's support services for Ubuntu Desktop Edition

Canonical has announced today in a press release that it will offer new support services for both individual and small businesses, which will ease the transition to the popular Ubuntu operating system, from Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh. Ubuntu is a 100% free and open-source Linux OS for both desktop and server platforms, with millions of users around the globe. With these support services offered by Canonical, users can take now take full advantage of the Ubuntu OS. They will include support for installations, desktop configuration and general assistance (see below for details about each package).


Steve George, director of Canonical's Corporate Services division says: "Canonical's Desktop Support Services provides an easy, inexpensive way to get Ubuntu up and running in the home, home office and small business - reaching the vast majority of computer users. [...] With our team supporting them, Ubuntu is ideal for people who just want their computer to work, where the goal is to get up and running with no fuss, focusing on the things they want to accomplish."

Canonical's Desktop Support Services includes three packages: Starter, Advanced and Professional:
- The Starter Desktop Service offers support for installations and basic configuration and functionality of the Ubuntu system, like creating various documents, playing audio and video streams, using various applications or setting up the Internet. The package's price starts from 34.73 Pound Sterling (GBP) + VAT;
- The Advanced Desktop Service offers support for power users who need help or assistance for migrating documents or settings from a Microsoft Windows or Apple Macintosh operating system. Advanced installations, personnel accounting and desktop publishing are also covered by this offering. The package's price starts from 72.62 Pound Sterling (GBP) + VAT;
- The Professional Desktop Service offers support for experienced users who already use Ubuntu as their main operating system, but need help with network installations, various applications support, advanced productivity, advanced system administration and more. The package's price starts from 138.03 Pound Sterling (GBP) + VAT.

All three offerings described above include:
- Live phone support 9x5
- Email support
- Security upgrades
- Product upgrades
- Duration: 1 year or 3 years

For more details and prices you can check out the Canonical Store.

By: Marius Nestor

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Available Now: Mandriva Flash 2009 Spring - Mobile 3D desktop in your pocket

Mandriva announced yesterday in a press release that a new version of its portable USB Mandriva Flash Drive was available for purchase. The new edition is based on Mandriva Linux 2009 Spring, with the KDE 4 desktop environment, and it is available on an 8 GB USB flash drive.


Think of Mandriva Flash 2009 as your personal and private mobile desktop, which empowers you to perform your daily computer tasks from anywhere. Mandriva Flash 2009 Spring offers a fully protected and secure environment that allows you to store your personal data. No software will be installed on the PC; everything works off the USB flash drive. It includes the powerful Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird applications for a safe and secure web browsing and effective e-mail communication, respectively.

Highlights of Mandriva Flash 2009 Spring:
· KDE 4 desktop environment
· Windows launcher
· Microsoft Windows migration tool
· Amazing 3D desktop effects
· OpenOffice.org office suite
· Mozilla Firefox web browser
· Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail client
· Codeina audio/video player
· Adobe Flash
· Sun Microsystem's Java
· Skype VoIP client
· Google Toolbar
· Includes a boot and restore CD

Mandriva Flash has localization in English, German, French, Italian, Finnish, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese and Dutch. It doesn't require an installation, you can boot directly from the USB key and most hardware configurations are supported. Here are the recommended requirements:
· Any AMD, Intel or VIA CPU;
· At least 512 RAM (1 GB recommended);
· Any Intel, nVidia, VIA, Matrox, SIS or ATI video card;
· Any AC97, Sound Blaster or HDA-compatible sound card;
· Any SATA, SCSI, IDE, SAS hard drive with at least 2 GB free space (16 GB recommended for a complete setup).

Mandriva Flash 2009 Spring is available right now from the official Mandriva Store at the price of $49.90. All orders will be delivered in 2 weeks.

About Mandriva
Mandriva, formerly known as Mandrakesoft, is the publisher of Mandriva Linux, an easy-to-use and innovative operating system, and one of the most popular Linux distributions in the world. Dedicated to making open-source technologies accessible to all users, Mandriva offers a full range of products and services to enterprises, individuals and government organizations. Mandriva products are available online, in 80 languages and in more than 140 countries through dedicated channels.

Mandriva Linux 2009 Spring can be downloaded right now from Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here, Here.

By: Marius Nestor

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How to Fix VirtualBox USB Support - Step-by-step tutorial with screenshots

It is actually a known fact that there is an issue with VirtualBox and the attached USB devices that many of us are trying to use in the virtual machine. Here is a real-life example:

I am a 100% Linux user and I have a photo printer that Linux can't recognize. Let's say that I want to print some photos quickly, to give them to someone. I have a Windows installation in a virtual machine just for this reason (sad, I know) and I want to access my printer, which is connected via a USB port. To my surprise, I can see the printer in the USB device list of VirtualBox, but I can't access it (very frustrating). Firing up Firefox and searching on Google for a fix takes too long, because there are many old tutorials that teach you how to modify various files or change permissions, etc. What to do? Well, below is the answer to the endless VirtualBox – USB issue (and it's pretty damn simple too!).

This tutorial was created mostly for my needs, but I am sure that many of you will find it very helpful. Ready?

This is how a default installation of VirtualBox in Ubuntu 9.04 shows the USB devices, and we need to fix it.


Go to System -> Administration -> Users and Groups...


Click the "Unlock" button...


Type your password and click the "Authenticate" button....


Click on the "Manage Groups" button...


In the "Groups settings" window that will appear, scroll down until you see the vboxusers entry. Select it and then click on the "Properties" button...


Another window will appear, called "Group 'vboxusers' Properties. Just check the box in front of your username and click the "OK" button when you're done...


Close the "Group settings" and "Users Settings" windows and log out. Log in and open up VirtualBox, start your virtual machine and you will see that you can now access the USB devices!


Yes... it was that simple!

By: Marius Nestor

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Puppy Linux 4.2 Was Released

Puppy Linux 4.2 Was Released - Brings two window managers and many new features. The team behind the Puppy Linux project announced, on March 27th, the release of Puppy Linux 4.2 "Deep Thought." "Puppy 4.2 "Deep Thought" is the first Official non-CE version of Puppy without Barry Kauler making the final choices since its inception. The release has been a truly collaborative effort." said Warren Willson in the official release announcement.


Being a major release, Puppy Linux 4.2 brings a lot of new changes and improvements. While the ISO is still under 100 MB, there are now two window managers available: IceWM and JWM, including extra themes. SeaMonkey 1.1.15 is the default web browser and features the MonkeyMenu extension. A new addition comes in the form of Pwidgets: battery, clock, weather, calendar, RSS feeds, picture slideshows and others can be added on the desktop. For multimedia enthusiasts, the latest audio codecs are brought through AlsaPlayer and Pmusic and the Gxine fullscreen video player.

The Puppy Download Accelerator and Transmission BitTorrent client are also included for a faster download experience. The office productivity software consists of AbiWord 2.6.6, Gnumeric 1.8.4, HomeBank 4.0.2, Osmo 0.2.0 organizer and Xpad 2.14 sticky notes application.

Other highlights of Puppy Linux 4.2:
· Puppy Control Panel;
· gfx-boot, providing a better looking GRUB boot loader;
· streamtuner, bringing internet radio to Puppy Linux;
· Printing support through CUPS 1.4b2;
· Xarchiver archive manager;
· GPicView image viewer;
· Glade, freeBASIC and tcl/tk programming tools;
· Remaster Xpress re-mastering application;
· New games;
· Meebo instant messaging;
· SeaMonkey Mail email client;
· Psip Voice over IP client;
· XChat IRC client.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every person that made a positive contribution to the development and testing of Puppy 4.2 "Deep Thought". I think the end result justifies all of the hard work and sleepless nights that went into producing this landmark version of Puppy." said Warren Willson.

By Daniel Pop-Silaghi

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Elive 1.9.24 Is Out, Now Based on Lenny

Elive 1.9.24 Is Out, Now Based on Lenny - Debian Lenny with Enlightenment. The Elive team proudly announced last night yet another development release of their GNU/Linux Live CD, Elive 1.9.24. Among various improvements and bugfixes, this new development version of Elive is now based on the stable version of the Debian 5.0 (Lenny) operating system. Without further introduction, let's take a closer look at the

changes of this release:
· Based on the stable version of Debian Lenny;
· Improved Enlightenment 17 window manager;
· Added the Reiser4 filesystem (available only as a kernel module);
· Fixed the kernel headers issue in previous releases;
· Added Scite as the default text editor;
· Added the ability to preview FLV videos in Thunar;
· Fixed the irritating pop-up message in MPlayer, if the audio drivers were outdated. Moreover, some hotkeys were added for the CLI version;
· Improved the sensitivity of Macbooks' touchpad;
· Fixed an installer bug, when executing integrity verifications on a machine with erroneous clock/time;
· Added LVM in the installer;
· Added RAID in the installer;
· The Slovenian, Canadian and Swiss keyboard keymaps were improved;
· The language can be selected when using unetbootin.


Elive Linux sports a large number of applications, ranging from office and Internet related apps, to games and entertainment. With Elive, you can watch movies, listen to your favorite songs or chat with friends. E17, the development version of the Enlightenment window manager that comes with Elive Unstable, is brought to you from CVS, and is updated on a regular basis through Elive's testing repository. If you want to test Elive, it is recommended to use a computer with minimum 128 of RAM and a 300 MHz CPU.

By Marius Nestor

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First Look: Parsix 2.0r0

First Look: Parsix 2.0r0 - A Persian GNOME. With the spring settling in more and more everyday and flowers blooming all over the place, we thought it would be appropriate to take a first look at the Persian flower distribution that goes by the name of Parsix 2.0r0.

Released just a few days ago, Parsix 2.0r0 is codenamed Boss Skua and was built on top of Debian using the 2.6.26.8 Linux kernel. Coming in a regular-sized ISO, the Live CD booted quite fast on our test machine, which had the following configuration:
· AMD K8 nForce 250Gb Motherboard
· AMD Sempron 2800+ Processor
· Nvdia GeForce FX5500 Video Card
· 512 MB RAM
· LG CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive
· 17" BENQ T720 Monitor

The Live environment was responsive and functional; nothing special really so I started the install on hard drive process, which is a customized wizard that allows users to save a modified setup configuration for later use (cool!). Though the partitioner (GParted) had support for the EXT4 filesystem, I was quite disappointed to see that Parsix was only able to install on EXT3, ReiserFS or JFS partitions, so my previously formatted EXT4 one was reformatted to EXT3 before the installation started. But given the fact that EXT4 is still a new technology, it's somehow understandable that the developers chose to postpone the support for it. The installation didn't take too long, and in less than 10 minutes I was ready to reboot into the newly installed operating system.

The next minor disappointment is the fact that there is no Boot splash; instead, a "verbose mode" (text output) will be displayed. And while I enjoy watching exactly what's happening during boot-up, some might find that boring and want something more... personal. The beautiful red flower that appears on the desktop and in the login screen, combined with a dark red loading bar, would have certainly appealed to users. The theme itself looks very nice, is easy on the eyes and having those dark shades of gray that perfectly contrast with the red wallpaper makes it a great choice. There are, of course, some other color variations to choose from, so you won't grow tired of the same palette.

Being a Debian-based Linux distribution and using the GNOME desktop environment, most users will easily find their way through the menus and applications. Too bad the developers didn't have time to upgrade to the latest GNOME version, 2.26.0. Unfortunately, many of the installed applications are also outdated: OpenOffice is still at 2.4, Pidgin, currently at 2.5.5 is at version 2.4.3 in Parsix, VLC 0.8.6 instead of 0.9.8, and others. Well, at least IceWeasel 3.0.7 is current.






Though not quite up-to-date, there are many useful applications installed, including Bluetooth File Sharing, xFarDic, Balsa email client, Liferea Feed Reader, XChat IRC client, Grisbi Accounting, Compiz Fusion and Emerald Theme Manager. These last two are great additions for sure, but installing the video drivers to enjoy them will most likely chase away Linux newbies. Step-by-step instructions are provided on the Parsix website but you will still need to have at least some basic Linux knowledge. Installing other programs is very easy through the powerful Synaptic Package Manager.

As far as available codecs and plugins are concerned, MP3s were played just fine, while basic flash content displayed properly with the installed Gnash 0.8.4 Flash plugin. Unfortunately, when it came to playing online videos (YouTube, Metacafe etc.) it couldn't handle the job and I had to install Adobe's Flash Player plugin. These days, when most online content is Flash-based, having native support for it "out of the box" is almost imperative.

Another fine addition to the desktop is the extra templates installed for the "Create Document" option. Thus, when you right click on the desktop and choose Create Document, you will have the possibility to create not just the basic "empty file," but also OpenOffice presentations, spreadsheets or documents. Parsix also has a few tools of its own that can be found in the Applications --> Parsix menu. These are "Config Dialup Internet," "Network Configuration," "Parsix Documentation" and "Printer Manager." While I don't know how many of you will access the first one, the second will be helpful: Parsix doesn't automatically configure your network connection, so, through this entry, a quick wizard will ask you a few questions and offer to autostart the newly created connection at startup. The "Printer Manager" is nothing but a shortcut to CUPS settings page and "Parsix Documentation" is pretty self-explanatory. Quite a useful feature comes in the form of "Lockdown editor," which allows you to block access to certain areas of the operating system. It can remove the logout options, write-protect your Hard Drive, lock elements to the panels and many more. If you have kids around and you want to let them play around at your computer without worrying, this is a great tool. Another advertised feature is support for Blackberry mobile devices, and though I didn't have the means to test it, this component could prove to be very useful for Blackberry owners.







I have mixed impressions about Parsix 2.0r0. It looks really good (I would use the default theme everyday), it's fast, easy to install, very, very light on resources and has many useful utilities, but the outdated default software packages and hard-to-install graphics drivers will keep it from becoming a really popular distribution. If you want to try something new, definitely take Parsix into consideration the next time you go distro-shopping.

By Daniel Pop-Silaghi

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Novell Launches SUSE Linux Enterprise 11

Novell Launches SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 - Improves reliability and performance. Novell announced today the release of SUSE Linux Enterprise 11, an operating system created for modern data centers. SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 brings many new major improvements to both SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop. Two new extensions were added to improve productivity and reliability: SUSE Linux Enterprise Mono Extension and SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension. The first will allow users to run .NET-based Microsoft applications, while the second, a clustering solution, will ensure maximum uptime for mission-critical deployments.

“With the release of SUSE Linux Enterprise 11, Novell is helping IT professionals save money while addressing other key issues identified in the survey, such as interoperability, support for mission-critical computing and the flexibility to deploy Linux in a wide range of environments.” said Jeff Jaffe, CTO at Novell.

The SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 platform will be supported by major partner companies like Cisco, Dell, Fujitsu Siemens Computer, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, Oracle and SAP AG. “Customers place a very high value on the interoperability and strong technical cooperation between Microsoft and Novell, and the new release of SUSE Linux Enterprise continues that ground-breaking innovation. The scale and scope of the strategic agreement with Novell is unique, and provides customers with innovative solutions for mixed-source environments, both physical and virtual.” said Ted MacLean, general manager of strategic alliances & licensing, Microsoft.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 supports swap over NFS (Network File System), a functionality that will drastically reduce application downtime. The package update stack was also improved to automate installing, removing, upgrading and configuring various software packages.

Together with SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 and complementing it, Novell also announced today the immediate availability of ZENworks Linux Management 7.3. This tool extends policy-driven automation to SUSE Linux Enterprise 11, enabling users to easily deploy, manage and maintain Linux resources.

By Daniel Pop-Silaghi, Linux Editor

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Scientific Linux 5.3 Has Better Support for Intel Wireless

Scientific Linux 5.3 Has Better Support for Intel Wireless - Available for 1386 and x86_64 architectures. Troy Dawson and Connie Sieh announced last evening the immediate availability of Scientific Linux 5.3, a Linux distribution put together by various universities and labs around the world. Being based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0.3, the new release of Scientific Linux brings improved support for Intel wireless cards, lots of updated packages and numerous bug fixes.

"We want to thank everyone who has contributed, tested, and given us feedback. We say that every time, but we really mean it. Without everyone's help and testing, this release wouldn't be as good as it is." - said the Scientific Linux team in the official release announcement.


Let's have a closer look now at the main packages that were updated in Scientific Linux 5.3:
· 915resolution 0.5.3-6
· Alpine 2.00-2
· AUFS 0.20090202.cvs-6
· Cfitsio 3.100-1
· DKMS 2.0.17.4-1.9
· Dropit 1.2-1
· FFTW3 3.1.2-5
· FUSE 2.6.3-1
· Graphviz 2.18-3
· IceWM 1.2.37-1
· Sun's Java JDK 1.6.0
· MadWiFi 0.9.4-15
· LAME 3.97-1
· TagLib 1.4
· NDISwrapper 1.53
· NumPy 1.2.1-1
· OpenAFS 1.4.7-68.1
· R 2.8.1-1
· Scipy 0.6.0-6
· Suitesparse 3.1.0-1
· Tidy 0.99.0-12.20070228
· XFS 0.4-2
· xfsprogs 2.9.4-1
· Yumex 2.0.3

For a complete list of updated packages and bug fixes, take a look at the official release notes.

About Scientific Linux
Scientific Linux is a distribution put together by miscellaneous universities and labs around the world. It was created to reduce the duplicated effort of the labs and as an install base for the numerous experimenters. Scientific Linux is actually an Enterprise Linux, built from sources of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0.3.

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Absolute Linux 12.2.2 Was Released

Absolute Linux 12.2.2 Was Released - The installation now uses the ext4 filesystem. Paul Sherman, the creator of Absolute Linux, a Slackware-based Linux distribution, has announced yesterday, March 18th, the release of Absolute Linux 12.2.2. Among others things, changes were made to the Linux kernel that is now at version 2.6.28.7 and to the installation that now uses ext4 as the default filesystem. Ext3 and ReiserFS are of course still available for those who don't yet trust the hype surrounding ext4.

"The kernel, for now, is the Slackware hugesmp, so it is Slackware "stock" Waiting feedback if users like this or would rather get specific configuration tweaked. The large number of changes along with imminent bump in Xorg led me to go with the flow for now in order to expedite and allow easier input from Slack-compatible repositories." said Paul Sherman, in the official release announcement.

A large number of applications and libraries were updated too and the rc.inet1.conf will now automatically reset at boot if users switch from netcofig/manual network setup to wicd.

Absolute Linux 12.2 features:
· Linux kernel 2.6.28.7
· The latest Mozilla Firefox 3.0.7 Web Browser
· Abiword 2.6.6
· Deluge 1.1.3 BitTorrent client
· Flash Player 10.0.22.87
· The Gnu Image Manipulation Program 2.6.5
· Mplayer 0.9.1
· Gtk-recordMyDesktop 0.3.7.2
· IceWM 1.2.35

About Absolute Linux
Absolute Linux aims to be a desktop that doesn't get in your way. Using the IceWM window manager and integrating some of the best lightweight applications, users get a full desktop experience even on low-end machines. Useful configuration and maintenance scripts with intuitive graphical frontends are also available for still-learning Absolute users.

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Linux Kernel 2.6.29 Includes the Btrfs Filesystem

Linux Kernel 2.6.29 Includes the Btrfs Filesystem And many new drivers, improvements, fixes... None other than Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, announced last evening the immediate availability of Linux kernel 2.6.29, a version that brings initial support for the highly expected Btrfs filesystem. Btrfs is a brand new filesystem created by Chris Mason and designed to act like the ZFS or WAFL ones. When Btrfs will be stable, it will definitely replace the Ext filesystem!


Moreover, starting with this release, the Tux Penguin logo was temporarily replaced by the new Tuz logo (see it in the left image), because Linus Torvalds thinks we should all contribute to Save The Tasmanian Devil!

"The most obvious change is the (temporary) change of logo to Tuz, the Tasmanian Devil. But there's a number of driver updates and some m68k header updates (fixing headers_install after the merge of non-MMU/MMU) that end up being pretty noticeable in the diffs." - said Linus Torvalds in the official release announcement.

Highlights of Linux Kernel 2.6.29:
· Kernel Modesetting
· Btrfs Filesystem
· SquashFS 4.0
· 4096 CPU Support
· "Tree RCU": scalable classic RCU
· WiMAX Support
· Wireless Access Point (WAP) mode support
· Filename encryption for eCryptfs
· Filesystem freeze funtion
· Memory controller swap management and various improvements
· Ext4 with "no journal" mode
· Metadata checksums for OCFS2
· Added staging drivers
· Tuz is the new logo

"This obviously starts the merge window for 2.6.30, although as usual, I'll probably wait a day or two before I start actively merging. I do that in order to hopefully result in people testing the final plain 2.6.29 a bit more before all the crazy changes start up again." - ended Linus Torvalds the announcement for Linux kernel 2.6.29.

And now, let's have a look at some of the new major drivers and the newly supported devices introduced in this release:
Storage:
· 32bit PIO support
· OCTEON SOC Compact Flash interface (v7) driver
· VT8261 support
· Large Block Transfer support for sata_sil
· cxgb3i iSCSI driver
· Fibre Channel over Ethernet
· Power Management Resume/Suspend support
· ISP81XX support

Input:
· Walkera WK-0701 RC transmitter support
· Touchscreen (tsc2007) driver
· PCF50633 input driver
· Wacom W8001 support
· Touchscreen (da9034) support
· Maple controller support

Sound:
· ASoC audio driver
· Beagleboard support
· PCM3008 ALSA SoC driver
· WM8728 codec driver
· omap2evm support
· UDA134x codec driver
· Marvell Zylonite support
· Lyrtech SFFSDR driver
· OMAP3 Pandora support
· WM8350 Audioplus codec driver
· PXA SSP support
· Gumstix Overo support
· TWL4030 audio codec support
· Atmel AT91SAM9G20ek support
· Intel HDMI audio support
· ASUS V1sn support
· Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Xa3530 support
· HP Acacia support
· Realtek ALC269 support
· ASUS P5Q-EM support
· Acer Aspire 4930G support
· MCP67 HDMI support
· Intel DX58SO support
· NVidia MCP78 HDMI support
· OLPC analog input support
· Claro halo support

USB:
· Nokia 5200 support
· Oxford OXU210HP HCD driver
· twl4030 transceiver driver
· imx udc gadget driver
· opticon serial driver
· siemens_mpi usb-serial "stub" driver
· Pentax K10D support
· Option N.V. ZeroCD modem support
· Multi-Tech modem support
· Added USB ID for Thomson Speedtouch 121g

Network:
· Support for SMSC LAN9420 10/100 PCI ethernet adapter
· SMSC LAN921x and LAN911x driver
· KS8695 driver
· IXP4xx HSS HDLC driver
· 5150 support
· 82598AT support
· PCIe AER support
· Atheros AR9285 chipset support
· BCM50610 support
· HFC USB driver
· Mesh Point support
· 57780 support
· LSI ET1011C PHY driver
· Scatter Gather support
· Added USB ID for Linksys WUSB200
· Solos PCI ADSL2+ driver

V4L/DVB:
· s921 ISDB-T driver
· tw9910 driver
· ov772x driver
· TEA5764 radio driver
· KNC1 DVB-S2 support
· lgdt3304 driver
· Samsung Q310 webcam support
· STB6100 support
· HVR-950 IR support (experimental)
· STB0899 support
· STB6100 support
· Technotrend TT S2 3200 support
· Satelco Easywatch DVB-S2 PCI card support
· Prof 6200 DVB-S PCI card support
· Turbosight TBS8910 DVB-S PCI card support
· Terratec Cinergy S USB support
· Lenovo Thinkpad SL500 webcam support
· OMAP2 camera driver
· tvp514x I2C video decoder driver
· Pixelview PlayTV Box 4 support
· Kworld Plus TV Analog Lite PCI support
· Medion/Creatix CTX946 support (Analog and DVB-T)
· Avermedia AVer TV GO 007 FM Plus support
· Compro Videomate E650F (only DVB-T)
· Micron MT9T031 CMOS camera support

These are just a few of the new drivers available in the Linux kernel 2.6.29. For a complete list of all the newly supported devices, newly added drivers, etc., please go here.

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