August 2006 ~ Linux Lover

Desktop Linux Poll Results

DesktopLinux.com's 2006 poll results are in.The most popular distro?UbuntuThe most popular desktop environment?Read on.There's some other interesting stats there as well. I'm suprised that Gentoo has more users than Fedora. It's nice to see Xfce doing pretty good as well (I used it for a few months a couple of years ago, before I switched over to GNOME/Ubuntu).I'd like to think these numbers are decently accurate too, seeing as the number of votes is almost 15,000. I can't see posting a link to the poll in a distro-related forum having skewed the numbers too much...Interesting stuff thou...

Posted in: desktop,linux

What kernel would Jesus compile?

Does the bluescreen of death make you spew forth fire and brimstone, or are you the type that just says a quiet prayer? Now, God can be on your desktop, with Ubuntu: Christian Edition.Read on at APC Magazine...(It's fun...

Posted in: linux,ubuntu

Upstart - Goodbye Init

I spotted something delicious over on Planet Ubuntu recently:upstart is a replacement for the init daemon, the process spawned by the kernel that is responsible for starting, supervising and stopping all other processes on the system.What's so yummy about this? Well, they've got a damn good project outline, explaining why there's a need to replace the ancient init daemon, how upstart is designed, and how it's different from existing solutions such as Apple's launchd and initng. Lastly, it also explains what the state of the project is and what direction it's headed in. This is almost enough to make sure a project succeeds right there - well, that, along with a good leader and lots of free time.While Upstart is now in Edgy's Universe repository, it's not actually going to be standard in the...

Posted in: initng,launchd,Linux,ubuntu,upstart

Mathusalem

Now, here's an idea that should have been thought of a long time ago: Integrate a universal progress bar into the desktop environment.Luckily, Steve Fr�cinaux's finally started working on it, and it's first implementation is called Mathusalem.The author's breakdown of Mathusalem 0.3 gives a good explaination of how it works (and includes a nice screenshot).Last week, version 0.4 was released and shows some more progress, including: - Nautilus integration via extension. - Improved Epiphany integration. - Only show the status icon when there is an active task. - Show a notification bubble on task completion/failure.Very cool stuff, although I think it might make more sense for this to be implemented as a GNOME panel applet. Either way, the author knows clearly what he's doing, so he probably...

Posted in: gnome,mathusalem

The Agora Project

The Agora Project seems like an interesting idea for a library.dpope from the Compiz.net forums explains that:Several people expressed interest in working on a library that would package opengl graphics/animation in a useful way so that this functionality can be cleanly and easily integrated into windowing libraries such as gtk or qt.Quinnstorm later suggested:[W]hat if agora was the frameworks, and CoDE was the actual desktop environment?To which MacSlow replied:Sure, that's the main idea behind "Agora". Be a framework or library (libraries) pulling together the nice low-level bits like OpenGL, cairo, gstreamer & Co and offer a solid set of ready to use animations, effects and filters for everything put on the screen. Kind of the Xgl/compiz on the application- and toolkit-level of things.What...

Posted in: agora project,bling,linux

Mark Shuttleworth Responds to Ubuntu breakage

Mark Shuttleworth has responded on his blog about the Ubuntu update breakage that occurred last week.If there is a silver lining to the error, it is that it happened during the one week in six months when we have the core distribution development team together in one place. This gave us the opportunity not just to analyse and fix the issue, and to talk about the sequence of events that led to the problem, but also to discuss the processes we must improve to further reduce the likelihood of a repeat. The team is now more aware than ever of the responsibility we assume given extraordinary rate of adoption of Ubuntu.It's a well-written piece, and left (at least) myself with a restored confidence in the Ubuntu team for taking this as seriously as it deserves to be tak...

Posted in: breakage,dapper,mark shuttleworth,Ubuntu

Ubuntu X Breakage Update

Yesterday, an Ubuntu security update/bug fix apparently broke the Xorg server (ie. graphics capability) of any user who downloaded the update.From reports on the Ubuntu Forums, it seems (for now, at least) that the breakage affects all users that have upgraded, and is not limited to a certain subset of hardware.There is now a large green note at the top of the Ubuntu forums pointing to the new fix.Ubuntu Demon is reporting that a fix has been published, but that users should wait until the new "xserver-xorg-core_1.0.2-0ubuntu10.4_i386.deb" is uploaded to the Ubuntu servers.Update: The new package has hit the update servers, everyone's safe to update aga...

Linux's Public Image

I was engaging in a random Skypecast a few days ago, and I found myself talking to a Mac user who was considering installing Linux on one of his Macs.He explained to me that he was reading about Red Hat Linux, and that he saw there was a lot of console-based stuff going on in the screenshots. From what he was telling me, I got the impression that he didn't realize there IS a graphical interface for Linux (X, or Xorg these days).I explained to him that he should try looking at Fedora Core or Ubuntu Linux, since much of the information on Red Hat Linux on the internet is very outdated (that's the price of being around forever, I guess). I continued to tell him that any recent version of these operating systems feature a user-friendly graphical interface that rivals the usability of Windows and...

Posted in: desktop,Linux,public image,Ubuntu,xgl

Ubuntu Update Breaks Xorg

Oops.At least I had the benefit of seeing this thread before I updated my machine. If you've got an Ubuntu 6.06 machine, I suggest not doing any Xorg-related updates until this is fixed.Judging from the number of posts and views in that thread and the small amount of time it's been up, I think this is one's a biggie.If you've already busted your X server, or expect you're going to do it by accident, write down the solution:sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-core=1:1.0.2-0ubuntu10Edit: There's a sticky at the Ubuntu Forums outlining a slightly different fix.I think this is pretty much the Ubuntu team's nightmare right here - Pushing out a regular security update or bug fix that ends up breaking every user's system. (At least it's repairable, although I think any non-power user would have a hard...

Posted in: breakage,dapper,Ubuntu,Xorg

GNOME's preferences to get overhaul

Word on the street is that GNOME's preferences/administration "capplets" are going to get an overhaul, although it won't be ready for the 2.16 release.While the specifics are still up in the air, it looks like there's going to be a fair amount of the capplets grouped together. Rodrigo Moya's initial proposal looked like this:* about-me* at-properties* a11y keyboard, keyboard and keybindings: merge them in one singleKeyboard capplet* background, display, font, mouse?, theme switcher, ui-properties,windows: merge them into a single 'Display' capplet* default apps* file types, mime-type* localization* network, url-properties* sound: add video device...

Posted in: gnome,preferences,Ubuntu,ubuntu control center

August GNOME Journal

The August edition of The GNOME Journal has been out for a few days, and it's worth checking out if you want a behind-the-scenes look at GNOME development. I've mentioned Tinymail before, and if you're a developer, the article on it is a good read. (Tinymail is being developed as a sort of object-oriented framework instead of just a library.)Lastly, the interview with Davyd Madeley is pretty interesting:In your opinion, what should be the next GNOME big steps? Integration and collaboration. If I have a Bluetooth device, its useful functionality should be integrated with my GNOME applications. My Nokia 770 (or the one I wish I had) should be able to seamlessly integrate with my GNOME Desktop. Not just by syncing data with Evolution, but also at an application level integration. The Jokosher...

Posted in: gnome,tinymail

USBSink 0.1

Today we saw the first release of USBSink:USBSink is a GNOME program for file synchronization over USB.It is designed for users of removable drives, such as flash drivesor external hard disks. The goal is to have a complete automation ofdata trasfers, after a task has been defined. With file monitoring andhardware detection features, USBSink is able to respond and actaccording to relevant events across the desktop. I'm surprised nobody's created this utility before, and thankful someone finally has. (How long have USB flash drives been around for?)There's two screenshots available as well as some basic development plans.If looking for a useful utility to synchronize files to a USB drive, this is the answer to your prayers - Give it a downlo...

Posted in: applications,gnome,USBSink

Edgy Eft and GNOME 2.16 Features

A Stranger's Universe has a nifty article on Edgy Eft (Ubuntu 6.10) & GNOME 2.16 Features. Most of the items in the preview are mild improvements to individual GNOME applications, but there's still plenty of time for the next Ubuntu to become a bit more "edg...

Posted in: edgy eft,gnome,preview,Ubuntu

Ubuntu 6.06 Artwork - Doh!

I remember reading somewhere that the artwork in Ubuntu 6.06 didn't quit turn out as good as it should have (due to a lack of time).Well, after getting my iMac at work to boot off the Ubuntu 6.06 Live/Desktop CD (without Bootcamp, I might add), I was playing around with the Gnome Partition Editor, and I noticed this slight oversight:Funny :)(Btw, if anyone's interested: To get my (early 2006 model) iMac to boot off the Ubuntu Desktop CD, I just had to install the latest firmware update for the boot loader. (This page explains it.) After that, I held down the "option" key when I rebooted, and selected to boot off the CD (ironically detected as...

Quick Update...

Here's some interesting stuff I've stumbled across in the last week and a half :Linux.com has a new article outlining the new Dates and Contacts apps that are in development. They both use the Evolution Data Server as a backend, meaning they'll use your Evolution contact/calender data. (People have been complaining about Evolution being slow forever, so maybe we'll finally see a lighter frontend coalesce in the next year or two.Ubuntu developers Canonical have hired Jono Bacon as their new Ubuntu Community Manager. Jono is well known throughout the GNOME community, and will serve Canonical very well in this position. (Jono's also heading up the Jokosher project, which has turned into a fantastic multi-track studio.)Christian Schaller has covers some recent developments with Rhythmbox and Totem....

Linux Rock Star Blog

I just stumbled across the "Linux Rock Star" blog, which covers Linux audio applications, hardware, synths, etc.If you're into audio/music production and run Linux, this site will most definitely come in handy.There are many music apps available for Linux including Synthesizers, DAW's (Digital Audio Workstations), Trackers, Sequencers and much more. There are also complete Linux Distributions available with all of the programs setup and ready to use. My goal is to cover many of these available programs and make them accessible to the reader.Sounds like a niche that could use filling! Check it out and be sure to add this one to your feed read...

Another Fake USB Drive Note

Guess what I just spotted on Geeks.com?Same packaging, ergo same manufacturer, but different USB key.Has anyone bought one of these? Can it actually hold ~4 GB of da...

Digg scooped up two very important tidbits today:Intel just released open source drivers for their i965 chipset graphics controller.InfoWorld is reporting that AMD is "strongly considering open-sourcing at least a functional subset of ATI�s graphics drivers", following the recent aquisition of ATI by AMD.What's all the fuss about?First off, Intel has a good history of releasing open source drivers, and they're continuing to set a great example for other big industry players. (Their new "Intel Linux Graphics" site is a good move.) The press coverage that they're getting for these new drivers comes at a particularly opportune time, considering...

Shuttleworth: Communicating Release Goals

Ubuntu head honcho Mark Shuttleworth has just blogged about communicating release goals. Most of the article is an email from Matt Zimmerman (an Ubuntu team member) which talks about the importance of clearly expressing the team's release goals in order to prevent end-user disappointment.Matt Zimmerman writes:Many are criticizing shortcomings in Ubuntu which have existed for years now, or deplore the lack of eye candy and other superficial features, as justification for an overall negative impression of the release. In particular, I see repeated mentions of:- Lack of 3D support out of the box on nVidia chipsets: [0]- Need to use the command line for certain administrative tasks (including the above) [0] [5]- Lack of out-of-the-box support for Java, Flash, MP3, DVD, etc. (RestrictedFormats)...

Stop NetworkManager from Harassing You

Back in May, I began using a wireless network connection on my home (Ubuntu 6.06) computer. I decided to install the futuristic (in a usability sense, at least) NetworkManager, which makes networking "pain-free".The first time I rebooted after I installed NetworkManager, I was prompted to enter my "keyring" password after login, so that NetworkManager could connect to my wireless network. The wireless network I have is encrypted and requires a WPA key to logon. Since the WPA key is essentially a password, it's stored in GNOME's Keyring and thus requires authentication to let an application (in this case, NetworkManager) to access it.The problem is that if you power down your computer at night to save energy, you'll be prompted to enter your keyring password every time you power it back up....

I was shopping for a new USB key two days ago, and my local Factory Direct store was advertising a pretty good deal: A 2 gigabyte USB stick for $50 CAD. Great price, great size, you can't go wrong - or can you?After returning to work with my new toy in hand, I plugged the USB stick into my iMac. It appeared on the desktop as a 2 gigabyte removable drive, and I started amassing an arsenal of portable apps to put on the device. After starting to copy some files over, I noticed the USB key was pretty slow. I had been using my Creative Muvo NX (USB 1.1) as my USB key for a while, and I was hoping that my new drive would be significantly faster. It...

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