Links: Distribution Reviews, Sabayon Linux 5.3 “Extra Spins”, Fedora Community Web Site Design
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2010-07-22 08:20:47 UTC
- Modified: 2010-07-22 08:20:47 UTC
Summary: Distributions news accumulated in recent days
One or two of the five distros I mentioned yesterday had been labeled as “lightweight” either by their designers or the community around them, and I was probably pushing that definition just a little bit when I gave them the chance to run at 150Mhz on 32Mb of memory.
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Reviews
Unity Linux had their first release on 09/07/2010 after around 1.5 years of development. The project was created in 2009 by former developers from the PClinuxOS (hereafter abbreviated PCLOS) community. One of them was KDulcimer who at the time had his own project TinyMe based on PCLOS, which according to the website started in 2006. His distribution would in the future be based on Unity Linux. So much for how the two are intertwined.
[...]
I have to say I like this basic distribution and the philosophy behind, there is definitely a niche for it. The artwork is an inoffensive non-blinding white swirl on dark-blue background, good for my sensitive eyes, with a Mint leaf floating around giving a fresh impression, and for convenience sake you got 'halt' and 'logout' buttons on the desktop to access these functions. Mandrake/Mandriva has always been my favourite rpm based distribution and one of the first I used back in the 90's, and I'm glad to see it and its many innovations living on in so many forms. Mandriva is of course in ongoing financial troubles and after so many years of it I'm a bit pessimistic if that will change any time soon. So what will projects like Unity Linux do if Mandriva disappears?
For the moment at least they are still around, so let's enjoy this little spin-off if you don't have long term planning needs.
Unity also runs well in Virtualbox, with guest additions pre-installed. As you would imagine due to its size, it ran well with 384MB memory, but will probably be happy with less.
Unlike Microsoft Windows, Linux has a deserved reputation as a bullet-proof operating system. To teach computer security a University lecturer has deliberately produced the most damn vulnerable Linux you’ll ever see.
I didn't have many complaints when it came to Zenwalk's security. The install process sets a password for the administrator and allows the user to create additional, unprivileged accounts. I did have two concerns. While I was using the distro the repositories were populated with updates, but there didn't seem to be any notification for the user when security updates were available. I've been spoiled recently by systems which automatically check for me. My other concern is Zenwalk runs a secure shell service by default, which allows remote root logins. Preventing root from remotely logging into a machine is a policy I'd like to see more distributions adopt.
Lucid Puppy Linux 5.0 was released back in May of 2010, but as one of my favorite distros, I have been playing with it heavily since then. I have been so impressed with the new version that I wanted to take a moment and write a quick review of this release.
You can find the official release page here, along with download information.
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New Releases
Our crew, is happy to announce the immediate availability of XFCE, LXDE and SpinBase/OpenVZ Sabayon 5.3 “Spins” built on top of Sabayon “SpinBase” ISO images.
Under the “Extra Spins” umbrella, the Sabayon developers are going to experiment new Stable Releases with different package compositions.
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Red Hat Family
The open source remote access project will include 3D acceleration, network tunneling, and perhaps iPad, iPhone, and Android tablet support
Server maker Hewlett-Packard and commercial Linux juggernaut Red Hat have teamed up to help shops using Oracle's Sparc/Solaris platforms make the jump to Linux-based x64 iron.
While the two companies did not say so, the migrations services being offered today through HP Services are no doubt a reaction to Oracle's spiking of HP's Solaris OEM agreement last month. Under that agreement, HP was able to bundle Solaris on its ProLiant rack and blade servers and sell Solaris support contracts, much as it does for Microsoft's Windows, Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and Red Hat's Enterprise Linux.
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Fedora
When it was launched in late 2004 it was up against a number of distributions that had been in development for years: Red Hat, Fedora, Suse Linux and Mandriva (then still called Mandrake). These were well-developed distributions with their own fans and unique features. Ubuntu, based on Debian, had a solid base but had a long way to go to be as user-friendly as it planned.
Fast forward almost six years and Ubuntu has delivered. For many users it has been the perfect starting point for their Linux adventures. For others it offers the stability that they want from an operating system. It also has a huge fan-base and is the dominant voice in Linux marketing.
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Debian Family
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Canonical/Ubuntu
“Does Ubuntu have a firewall, and how do I turn it on?” is a popular question among new Ubuntu users. The answer is a bit complicated, but it’s an understandable inquiry for those migrating from the Windows world. WorksWithU addresses that question below by taking a look at Ubuntu’s firewall and some of the tools available for managing it.
In This Issue
* Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase calls all artists to contribute to next version of Ubuntu
* Operation Cleansweep: We Need You!
* Ubuntu Accessibility Team Personas Survey
* ISO testers for the Hall of Fame
* Ubuntu User Days Wrap-Up
* Ubuntu Stats
* Rocking The LoCo Council
* Ubuntu: a computer operating system built around community
* Ubuntu Chicago Bike Tour
* The Early-Summer LoCo BBQ at hutchnate's house was a tasty success!
* Ubuntu Honduras LoCo Team Wakes up
* Launchpad News
* Ahmed Kamal Joins the Horsemen
* Reviewers Team and Operation Cleansweep
* Ubuntu Manual Project core philosophy
* Man Your Browser
[...]
I’m an Ubuntu and FOSS kinda guy, I’m not happy with software that isn’t FOSS and I don’t find any sense in proprietisation of code. Having said that there are times when I must be a little more considered and not simply shun an entire site because it’s not foss.
Heaven known that deviantArt is one of the most proprietary, confused and messed up places I know. Bad copyright advice, no public domain option, admins that consistently ignore open formats like png and svg. FOSS Software isn’t promoted at all in any way. So why in Slartibartfast’s fjords would I want to hang my coat over there?
Well no matter what I do there _will_ be artists over there who use Ubuntu, people who may need help with wacom tablets, upgrades or finding help. There will be people who use Windows or Mac but don’t have FOSS tools yet or perhaps wouldn’t do better with Ubuntu instead. There are artists who’d love to get involved with the wider community but for what ever reason are disconnected by social chance.
Officially, Ubuntu does not come with built-in support for the GMA 500 drivers. We gave a workaround to this problem way back in Oct 2009 when the Ubuntu had just released Ubuntu 9.10. People expected Ubuntu to include these drivers in the Ubuntu 10.04 that never happened.
Recent Techrights' Posts
- Even Technical Articles and HowTos From UNIXMen Nowadays Seem to be LLM Slop
- We've just permanently removed the RSS feed of UNIXMen
- The FSF's 2024 End-of-Year Fundraiser Succeeds: Over $400k to Support Software Freedom
- That's worth bringing up again because the SFC is trying to 'crash' this achievement of the FSF
- [Meme] Fentanylware (TikTok) Banned in the United States, Next Up European Union (EU)
- And the United Kingdom (UK)
- President Biden is Right, "Free Press is Crumbling" and the United States Exports Its Media-Hostile Culture to Other Continents
- perhaps Biden should pay closer attention to how Donald Trump-inspired Americans take their battles to other continents
- Guardian Digital, Inc (linuxsecurity.com) Uses Microsoft-Controlled Front Groups and LLM Slop in Order to Spread Microsoft-Directed Anti-Linux FUD
- Microsoft garbage likely produced by Microsoft LLMs, spewing out Microsoft FUD
- Thank You, London! There Was No Way to Still Reliably Host Gemini From Home (on a Raspberry Pi 4) Due to Scale
- The only regret we've long had is that we hadn't made the move earlier
- The Summit of Future (Kerala, 2025): Dr. Richard Stallman (RMS) to Give Keynote Talk
- promotional video was uploaded
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- RMS 'Inauguration' in Montpellier (Government Administration) on January 20th
- Happy hacking
- Links 17/01/2025: TikTok Banned by the United Stated (SCOTUS Rejects Appeal)
- Links for the day
- Software Freedom Conservancy Inc (SFC) Makes It Obvious It's Just a Copycat Trying to Exploit or Leech Off the FSF's (and GNU's) Work
- They swim next to the rich people (who "match")
- Links 17/01/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) Herds Its (Drug) Users Into Even More Harmful "Apps"
- Links for the day
- Likely Fake 'Article' About Linux Mint 22.1
- BetaNews fired up its plagiarism machine (LLM)
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Thursday, January 16, 2025
- IRC logs for Thursday, January 16, 2025
- Links 16/01/2025: Conflicts, Overpopulation, and Software Patents
- Links for the day
- [Meme] Lock-down With DRM Server/s (in a Nutshell)
- Companies like Microsoft and Apple have a 'God complex'
- Richard Stallman's Talk This Coming Monday (European 'Tour')
- bunch of talks in Europe
- Total Lock-down Ambitions - Part II - Down to the Very Core, Including the Hardware (CPU, GPU, Peripherals, and More)
- instead of distinguishing themselves and antagonising these broadly reviled "antifeatures", both Canonical and IBM decided to join Microsoft in advocating lockdown
- FSF, Guardian of the GNU Project, to Reach $400,000 in Winter Fundraiser Ahead of 40th Anniversary
- The GNU Project Turns 42 later this year
- Links 16/01/2025: "Meduza, IRL" and the Clock is Ticking on TikTok in the US
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 16/01/2025: Yesterday's Gone, The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E Howard
- Links for the day
- Computer Users Aren't Zoo Animals
- Animals don't belong inside cages in zoos, either
- Links 16/01/2025: Scale and Scope of Microsoft Layoffs Revealed (Two Waves of Layoffs in 2025 Already)
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 16/01/2025: Meta Has a Pixelfed Problem and Space Time Scoping
- Links for the day
- Anti-Linux 'Articles' in linuxsecurity.com (Guardian Digital, Inc) Are Composed by Bots, Probably Microsoft's
- linuxsecurity.com has become a mindless stream of LLM slop
- "New Year, New Career"
- published a few hours ago
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
- IRC logs for Wednesday, January 15, 2025
- If You See Many Microsoft Puff Pieces That All Say More or Less the Same, Consider the Possibility That Microsoft LLMs 'Wrote' Those
- There are also many phantom fake 'reports' about Microsoft in relation to some "hey hi" (AI) things
- [Meme] The Crybully
- Crybullies shrug
- IRC Logs Complete in Geminispace (Even in GemText Format!)
- We still envision ourselves - a community of justice-seeking enthusiasts - as a multi-protocol platform, not just some ordinary Web site
- It Was Only a Matter of Time
- We're going to pursue justice
- [Meme] "Well, He’s Dead So," Bill Gates Tells the Media (Which He Pays) About His Close Friend Jeffrey Epstein
- Does the police in San Francisco cover up crimes instead of solving them?
- The Rumour Was Right, Today is the Second Large Wave of Microsoft Layoffs in 2025
- It has only been two weeks since the year began
- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) Has Had a Good 2025 Already (Its "Year 40")
- FSF will reach $400,000
- [Meme] Not About How Many Locks One Adds
- Some people try to point their fingers in all the wrong directions now that a new patch is available for rsync
- Total Lock-down Ambitions - Part I - DRM and TPM Need Not be the Future of Computing, There's Another Way
- Who is being restricted? Us, the users.
- [Meme] His Existence is Proof It's Not Infeasible
- We salute the FSF's original mission
- New Upcoming Series About DRM and TPM
- We'll do our best to name and explain some of the alternatives that are still available
- Links 15/01/2025: Efforts to End Wars and 'Newsflation'
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 15/01/2025: Abandoning Windows for GNU/Linux, SIS Progress Update
- Links for the day
- Links 15/01/2025: Social Control Media Spreading Lies, TikTok Banned in 4 Days
- Links for the day
- More Microsoft Cuts and Layoffs (Microsoft Media Mole Jordan Novet Tries to Float "Hiring Freezes" Spin After the "Headcount" Spin Failed)
- As one might expect...
- Microsoft Breaks Linux Again
- Does it even care? It's selling Windows.
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, January 14, 2025
- IRC logs for Tuesday, January 14, 2025