Ubuntu 11.04 Beta 1 (Natty Narwhal) Released.

By pleia2 | Published: 2011-03-31

The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the release of Ubuntu 11.04 beta.

Codenamed “Natty Narwhal”, 11.04 continues Ubuntu’s proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.

Ubuntu 11.04 now combines Ubuntu Desktop Edition and Ubuntu Netbook Edition. This edition introduces the Unity environment as the default desktop.

Ubuntu 11.04 Netbook edition will still be produced for the ARM platform, and the team is proud to introduce a Headless edition with 11.04 for ARM.

Ubuntu 11.04 Server has made it easier to provision servers, and reduce power consumption.

Ubuntu 11.04 Server for EC2 is available as well, with a new kernel and improved initialization and configuration options.

The Ubuntu 11.04 family of Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Mythbuntu, and Ubuntu Studio, also reach beta status today.

Ubuntu features

Unity is now the default Ubuntu desktop session. The Unity launcher has many new features, including drag and drop re-ordering of launcher icons, full keyboard navigation support, launcher activation through keyboard shortcuts, right-click context menu quick-list and switching between running applications.

Ubuntu 11.04 comes with the latest Firefox 4.0 as standard web browser.

LibreOffice 3.3.2 has been included in 11.04 as the default office package.

Banshee 1.9.5 is the standard music player now and has been integrated into the sound menu.

X.org 1.10.0 and Mesa 7.10.1 are the new versions included with 11.04.

11.04 Beta 1 includes the 2.6.38-7.39 kernel which is based on the latest mainline kernel, 2.6.38.

GNU toolchain has transitioned to be based off of gcc 4.5 for i386, amd64, ARM omap3/omap4 and PowerPC architecture

All main packages have now been built and and are installable with Python 2.7

dpkg 1.16.0-pre brings us up-to-date with staged changes for the upcoming Debian 1.16.0 dpkg release, as well as pulling in the current version of the in-progress multiarch work

Upstart has been updated to 0.9.4-1. There are a lot of new features: its now “chroot-aware”, there is support for basic job/event visualization, there are two new initctrl commands (show-config, check-config), a socket bridge is now provided, the latest D-Bus version now allows D-Bus services to be activated via Upstart, a manual job configuration stanza, and override file support is now available.

The Ubuntu One control panel now allows selective syncing, and the launcher icon now displays sync progress. File syncing speed has been improved as well.

The Ubuntu Software Center now allows users to “rate & review” installed applications, share reviews via integration with social networking services added into Gwibber, and has other usability improvements.

Please see http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/natty/beta for details.

Ubuntu Netbook on ARM

The ARM version is the first one to ship with our new Unity 2D interface by default.

The 2.6.38 kernel for OMAP4 has had many driver improvements, most notably the display driver was switched to use the HDMI port by default and auto detect the monitor resolution.

Ubuntu Headless developer image is being introduced for omap3 and omap4 hardware. Headless is fully set up for the serial port and contains a minimal command line install.

Ubuntu Server

cobbler and mcollective have been included, which will make provisioning servers a bit easier.

Powernap 2.0 uses a new method to reduce power consumption and can now monitor user activity (Console, Mouse, Keyboard), system activity (load, processors, process IO), and network activity (wake-on-lan, udp ports tcp ports)

Default dhcpd server updated from dhcp3 to isc-dhcp (version 4).

Eucalyptus is now the latest stable point release (2.0.2) with security and efficiency fixes. (Known bug against the dhcpd server)

OpenStack (nova) in Universe is a technology preview, with a recent snapshot of 2011.2 (Cactus) release.

libvirt is updated to 0.8.8 with new features and bug fixes (see upstream change log for full information 0.8.3->0.8.8)

Ubuntu Cloud

cloud-init has been updated to 0.60. This feature includes support resizing of / at first boot, adds minimal OVF transport (iso) support and allow setting of hostname when first booting. Rightscale support has been added to cloud-config and cloud-init.

Webscale technologies have been packaged and included, Cassandra 0.7.0, ZeroMQ, Membase, and XtraBackup.

Running images in EC2, t1.micro is currently limited to arch amd64.

Kubuntu

Kubuntu 11.04 Beta 1 sports the latest KDE software including KDE Platform 4.6.1.

Kubuntu now provides a working Samba file sharing module that lets you add and manage shares from the folder’s Properties dialogs.

The new Language Selector module allows you to add, remove, and manage system languages directly from System Settings.

An updated system-config-printer-kde brings a number of bug fixes to Kubuntu’s printer management tool.

Please see https://wiki.kubuntu.org/NattyNarwhal/Beta1/Kubuntu for details.

Xubuntu

Xubuntu wallpaper has been updated for this release. The wallpaper is designed to integrate well with the new graybird theme.

The installation slide show has been updated for Natty Narwhal, and really displays the best of Xubuntu.

The Elementary Xubuntu icon theme has been updated.

Xubuntu is using the Droid font by default, since it is a lightweight, good visibility font.

The newly released Xfce 4.8 is included. The menus in Xfce 4.8 are now editable with any menu editor that meets the freedesktop.org standards. The suggested editor is alacarte.

Edubuntu

You can test Edubuntu 11.04 directly from your web browser by going at http://www.edubuntu.org/weblive

WebLive is also directly integrated in the Ubuntu Software Center letting you test the most popular apps without installing them on your machine. Just click the “Test drive” button.

Ubiquity now has an additional step allowing users to fine-tune which applications should be installed on the final system.

Edubuntu now ships with Arkose, which provides application sandboxing for downloaded apps.

New software packages in Edubuntu include Pencil, Geogebra, Calibre, LibreCAD, Freemind and Stellarium.

Theming improvements include a new LDM theme when installing LTSP from the Edubuntu installer. The text-mode boot mode now displays “Edubuntu” instead of “Ubuntu”. Our ongoing menu refinements include new icons where they were missing, and more consistent case use in menu entries.

Edubuntu 11.04 ships with the classical Gnome desktop by default but Unity is available as an option in the installer.

For more details on what has changed in Edubuntu 11.04, please refer to http://edubuntu.org/2011-03-03/edubuntu-1104-beta-1-released

Ubuntu Studio

The task selections during installation have been updated. The audio tasks have been parsed into two groups: generation and recording.

Currently, Ubuntu Studio is shipping the -generic kernel. We are working with the Ubuntu Kernel Team to get a -low latency kernel into the archives. An interim -lowlatency kernel is available in Allesio Bogani’s PPA.

network-manager has replaced gnome-network-admin.

The packages shipped in Ubuntu Studio are now more focused to support identified tasks and their derived work flows.

Ubuntu Studio does not currently use Unity. As the user logs in it will default to Gnome Classic Desktop (i.e. Gnome2).

Mythbuntu

The Mythbuntu-bare (Backup and Restore for the database and configuration files) Mythbuntu Control Center plugin now has the ability to schedule backups on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Android and iOS devices can now be used as remote controls.

MythTV 0.24 is now integrated into the builds.

Please see http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/natty/beta for more details on the above products.

About Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, and servers, with a fast and easy installation and regular releases. A tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications is included, and an incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away.

Professional technical support is available from Canonical Limited and hundreds of other companies around the world. For more information about support, visit http://www.ubuntu.com/support.

To Get Ubuntu 11.04 Beta 1

To upgrade to Ubuntu 11.04 Beta 1 from Ubuntu 10.10, follow these instructions:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/NattyUpgrades

Or, download Ubuntu 11.04 Beta 1 images from a location near you:

http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/download (Ubuntu and Ubuntu Server)

In addition, they can be found at the following links:

The final version of Ubuntu 11.04 is expected to be released in April 2011.

Feedback and Participation

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways you can participate at:

http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/

Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help turn this Beta into the best release of Ubuntu ever. Please note that, where possible, we prefer that bugs be reported using the tools provided, rather than by visiting Launchpad directly. Instructions can be found at:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but are not sure, first try asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel on freenode, on the Ubuntu Users mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums:

http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/

More Information

You can find out more about Ubuntu and about this preview release on our website, IRC channel and wiki. If you are new to Ubuntu, please visit:

http://www.ubuntu.com/

To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu’s very low volume announcement list at:

http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce

Originally sent to the ubuntu-announce mailing list by Kate Stewart on Thu Mar 31 21:56:38 UTC 2011

Announcing Ubuntu App Developer Week

By David Planella | Published: 2011-03-31

Ubuntu App Developer Week

I’m thrilled to announce the next edition of Ubuntu AppDeveloperWeek, from the 11th to 15th April 2011 at #ubuntu-classroom on IRC.

Ubuntu App Developer Week is a week of sessions aimed at enabling and inspiring developers to write applications that scratch their itches. Our goal is to give all attendees a taste of the wide variety of tools on the Ubuntu platform that can be used to create awesome applications, and to showcase some applications that have been created and explain how they were put together.

The Sessions

The whole week is packed with interesting subjects, aimed both at new and experienced developers. During the sessions you’ll get a solid overview on a broad range of the Free Software technologies that will enable you to create your applications in Ubuntu. At the same time, you’ll be able to chat and ask your questions directly to the true rockstars on those subjects.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • Integrating applications with Ubuntu tech: Unity, AppIndicators, Ubuntu One, the Sound Menu…
  • Enabling multitouch support in applications
  • Application development and testing with Python
  • Rapid Application Development with Qt Quick and QML
  • Rapid Application Development with Quickly
  • Using the Bazaar revision control to track source code history
  • Using Launchpad integration features to develop applications
  • … GObject Introspection, PyGI, Plasma, Zeitgeist, GStreamer, Touchégg, KDE, Thunderbird, Internationalization, the Application Review Process, Pkgme, Phonon… you name it. Learn more about the hottest topics and how to use the coolest technologies to write your applications, straight from the best experts in the Free Software world.
  • Check out the complete schedule.

Joining The Week

Getting involved is simple. You can connect using any IRC client or your browser. Simply go to:

Looking forward to seeing you all at App Developer Week!

Ubuntu 9.10 reaches end-of-life on April 30 2011

By pleia2 | Published: 2011-03-29

Ubuntu announced its 9.10 release almost 18 months ago, on October 29, 2009. As with the earlier releases, Ubuntu committed to ongoing security and critical fixes for a period of 18 months. The support period is now nearing its end and Ubuntu 9.10 will reach end of life on Friday, April 29, 2011. At that time, Ubuntu Security Notices will no longer include information or updated packages for Ubuntu 9.10.

The supported upgrade path from Ubuntu 9.10 is via Ubuntu 10.04. Instructions and caveats for the upgrade may be found at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LucidUpgrades. Ubuntu 10.04 LTS continues to be actively supported with security updates and select high-impact bug fixes. All announcements of official security updates for Ubuntu releases are sent to the ubuntu-security-announce mailing list, information about which may be found at https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-security-announce.

Since its launch in October 2004 Ubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users in homes, schools, businesses and governments around the world. Ubuntu is Open Source software, costs nothing to download, and users are free to customise or alter their software in order to meet their needs.

Originally sent to the ubuntu-announce mailing list by Kate Stewart on Tue Mar 29 02:55:03 UTC 2011

Interview with Flavia Weisghizzi

By pleia2 | Published: 2011-03-26

Elizabeth Krumbach: Please tell us a little about yourself.

Flavia Weisghizzi: I’m Flavia Weisghizzi, I’m 34 years old and I live in that wonderful melting pot called Roma, Italy, where I was born, and from where, maybe, I’ll fly away someday. I’m a writer, I write poems and critical essays about literature. I also work as freelance journalist and radio speaker. Recently thanks to Ubuntu, I have become a conference speaker too.

That said, you can argue the story of my involvement with Ubuntu and FLOSS is really original. Everything began in 2001, the first time I wrote for an online magazine. They asked me to write something for IT news about an alternate office suite called StarOffice (yes, it was pre OpenOffice.org age). Here I learned about FLOSS philosophy, and I was definitively attracted by sense its of freedom.

EK: What inspired you to get involved in the Ubuntu community?

FW: On my first attempt I tried to approach the Linux OS as software to use, but it was really hard for a girl who studied had Italian Literature as her main field install it without help. But I continued in reading about open source and Linux. The year 2007 marked a turning point in my life: my Windows XP decided it was its “time to die”… taking a full month of my work with it! My boyfriend brought me a Live CD of Ubuntu 7.04, and so a Feisty Fawn slowly started to run on my PC, allowing me to access again to all my work, and documents!

It has been love at the very first glance!

After the installation of Ubuntu, it seemed obvious to me to take a look at the Italian community, and to take my first steps in IRC channels. I felt at home. Some weeks later I thought it would be nice to give a helping hand to the community, so I asked to join translation team. That time saw the release of the first issue of Full Circle Magazine. I also joined its translation team. Coming from publishing I could share my skills and my working experience.

I initially supposed that simply having communication skills would be useless in a software-oriented community, but I was wrong.

During the release of Ubuntu 8.04, I became the Media Relations Coordinator for the Italian LoCo Team, and I coordinated the Media Relations project, that aims to spread the spirit of Ubuntu beyond trade magazines in Italy.

It was a success for us. In fact, our community has been hosted many times by national broadcasts. To tell my story is important, because I believe too many people are shy, and underestimate the contributions they can give to the Ubuntu community.

EK: What are your roles within the Ubuntu community?

FW: At the moment, I’m member of Italian LoCo Team Community Council. Of course I still take care of Media relations, and recently I started promote, together with Silvia Bindelli, an Italian branch of Ubuntu Women project.

When I landed in Ubuntu (yes, landed) I had heard about this project, but there wasn’t a local branch. At the time there were two main ways to get help with my OS-related issues: connect to the IRC and forum, and chose between asking in the Italian LoCo team support channel in my own language, but in a male-dominated environment, or asking in a women-related channel, but in an “alien” language (not simply English, but English applied to computer science). Here in Italy we have some problems about how women are received in many work environments, and, unfortunately, this pertains also to open source. There are too many prejudices against women, not only from men, but also from many women. With this in mind, I hope to be able to enhance the status of women in the field of open source software.

I’m able to write, and I’m comfortable with public speaking. I published (with Luca Ferretti, member of GNOME Release Team) a couple of books about Ubuntu, and I’m often asked to speak in conferences or round tables about Ubuntu and FLOSS.

EK: Is there anything you haven’t done yet, but would like to get involved with in the Ubuntu community?

FW: Oh many, many things! But first of all, I’d participate in an UDS! I’d like to be face-to-face with people who build Ubuntu and whom I may know by their names or nicknames.

As a Media Relations Coordinator, I think it would be much more useful to spread out a single press-release announce, one shared between all local groups and Canonical. This could give more effectiveness to the news

Finally… I want make a package! Only one, just to say to have done the dirty work!

EK: What other things are you interested in outside of open source and Ubuntu?

FW: I’m interested in poetry. I teach creative writing, and I love reading and writing poems. I’m a curious women, enchanted by everything strange and new. I like observe the small things in the world, because I believe from the small things could come great changes. I like theater. Recently I’ve been studying Yoga Philosophy. You can find more about my ideas and my poems in Italian on my long-time running blog at http://weisghizzi.ilcannocchiale.it or in English at newborn Code Is Poetry http://deindre.wordpress.com.

Originally posted by Elizabeth Krumbach in Full Circle Magazine Issue #47 on March 25, 2011

Interview with CharlesA

By nhandler | Published: 2011-03-20

Today I would like to introduce fellow Ubuntu Forums staff member CharlesA.

1. Tell as much as you’re willing about your “real life” like name, age, gender, location, family, religion, profession, education, hobbies, etc.

My name is Charles Auer, and I’m just a guy from California. I got my Associates degree in Electronic Technology in 2004 and been working as Tech Support since. I usually play RPGs in my spare time.

2. When and how did you become interested in computers? in Linux? in Ubuntu?

I first got into computers back in 1995 or 1996, when I had a teacher who worked to get older PCs usable so they could be used in the classroom. Most of them were 386 or 486 machines running Windows 3.1, but it was better then nothing. I started learning a bit about Linux in a class I took in 2007, after that I decided to redo my home server and have it running *nix. Been using it ever since.

3. When did you become involved in the forums (or the Ubuntu community)? What’s your role there?

I started out on the forums back in October of 2009, when I first started messing around with Ubuntu and ran into a snag that I didn’t understand. I eventually figured it out on my own, but it was nice to put thoughts on “paper” so to speak. I’m now a member of staff, and have been since September of 2010.

4. Are you an Ubuntu member? If so, how do you contribute? If not, do you plan on becoming one?

Not an Ubuntu member yet.

5. What distros do you regularly use? What software? What’s your favorite application? Your least favorite?

I mostly stick to either Debian or Ubuntu, but I have used both CentOS and Fedora at times. I don’t really have a favorite application, per say, but I do use bluefish a lot when I’m working on my website.

6. What’s your fondest memory from the forums, or from Ubuntu overall? What’s your worst?

Being asked to be a member of staff has got to be one of my fondest memories. Not sure if I have a worst memory from the forums, unless you count the  slowness we had due to hardware problems, but that wasn’t anyone’s fault.

7. What luck have you had introducing new computer users to Ubuntu?

Some mixed luck so far, but in the end it didn’t work out so well. My philosophy is to use what works best for the job you are trying to accomplish, and sometimes *nix isn’t the best for the job.

8. What would you like to see happen with Linux in the future? with Ubuntu?

I’m not too sure, to be honest. I can see it growing in popularity, but time will tell which way it’ll go.

9. If there was one thing you could tell all new Ubuntu users, what would it be?

Always have backups of your data – anything you don’t have a backup of is not worth keeping.

Originally Posted here on 2011-03-20