New Ubuntu Support Site Debuts
Ubuntu is one of the best, if not the best supported Linux distribution available today. Along with all the excellent community and commercial support, several independent sites offer up aditional support. Just in time for the release of 10.10 askubuntu.com has opened its doors for business. Christopher Tozzi has writen an excellent review of this new site over at thevarguy.com. Mr. Tozzi states, "askubuntu.com, then, is only the latest arrival to a party that's been in full swing for some time now. But with features that set it apart, such as the ability to post without creating an account, and a design that makes it easy to locate the best solutions within a long and complex thread it's a useful new resource for the Ubuntu community." Read the whole article HERE.
The Ubuntu Family Releases 10.10 Unto the World
Ubuntu 10.10 has been released and it is a step closer to Canonical's vision of a desktop Linux distribution that is just as easy as Windows and Mac OS X but far more powerful. Along with Ubuntu itself the rest of the *buntu family have released their 10.10 update. Kubuntu is the most impressive of these "family" releases with KDE being updated to 4.5.1, Qt updated to 4.7, and pulseaudio as the new default sound server. KPackageKit has also been updated with a new look and feel that falls somewhere between Software Center and Synaptics. Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, and Mythbuntu also have several updates but most are simple updates to window managers, desktop environments, sound systems, and various applications. This is by no means a bad thing, it is simply rock solid distributions building on the power and stability they are known for.
Going back to the vision Canonical has for Ubuntu, I will be the first to admit that I had less than high hopes for the direction the distribution was headed towards. Yet, as I spent more and more time, first with the beta, then the release candidate, and finally with the full release I now see and like where Ubuntu is headed. While life in the cloud goes against my hacker mentality I have to admit how handy Ubuntu One is. Being able to sync all my device, including my Blackberry Curve, is very handy and super easy to setup. Ubuntu Software Center, while at first seemed like a dumbed down Synaptics, now feels like a worthy successor to the long time package management tool. Shotwell now replaces F-Spot as the default image management tool. While a lot of people were not happy giving up F-Spot (although no default software change means you can't simply install your software of choice), I find Shotwell a much more capable and user friendly image management tool. Really the two applications are very similar.
Critics, myself included, gave 10.04 a rather rough go of it when it was released. Most of the criticism was well founded, but through updates, the core system finally got it's stuff together. In comparison, Ubuntu 10.10 is in a whole other league! Aside from a few wireless issues and some people a bit unhappy with the Unity Netbook interface, Ubuntu 10.10 is damn near flawless! I can't wait to see what 11.04 will bring, and what the Linux Mint guys and gals modify. All in all this is the best release the Ubuntu family has had in a long time. Now go and download it and love it!
QNX to Run New Blackberry Tablet!
It seems like tablets are everywhere! From the iPad to the Android run tablets, the world has gone touch tablet crazy! Not to be left out of the mix, RIM (Research In Motion), the makers of the Blackberry, are releasing their own touch tablet. That in and of itself is not the real news here, the real news is the OS that will be running on the tablet. QNX will be the OS of choice for RIM's new little toy. If you are not familiar with QNX then head over to the QNX Wiki. The fact that QNX is UNIX based is cool, but the fact that it is proprietary (although not fully closed source, the source is available for personal use only) and a microkernel system is not cool. It's obvious that being proprietary would bug me and a lot of other people, but the fact that it is a micokernel system brings up a whole new set of arguments. While microkernel systems are supposed to provide a speed and functionality benefit, in most cases this is simply not true. I have never tried out QNX so I could be very wrong in this instance, but from past experience microkernels do not deliver on their promises. Linus Torvalds has been vocal over the years about his distaste for microkernels, and the idea of making a Linux microkernel. While I'm sure the RIM Blackberry tablet will be successful and a very cool tablet, I'm not looking forward to all the microkernel verses monolithic kernel battles that will undoubtedly ensue in the following months.
For the whole story about RIM's new tablet check out OSNews.
The Unigine Engine is Revving Up!
The developers behind the Unigine Engine are working on a strategy game. If you are not familiar with the Unigine Corp, their engine is fully compatible with Linux! You can read the full story here. It should also be noted that the Unigine Engine is very advanced and is licensed out to other developers. This is big news for Linux gamers, that is if there are still any around. O_O
With This Kind of Time Between Updates, EVERYTHING is News!
Okay, so it's been over six months since I updated anyone on the news of the Linux World! The sad thing is that not much has gone on over the last six months. Sure, we had a lot of new distros released, but not much in the way of really interesting and exciting news. So here is my news rant that pretty much covers the last six months of the Linux world.
1. Ubuntu 10.04 was not the distro thats coming was fortold. In fact, it wasn't even the best Ubuntu distro to be released! 2. Techs, Geeks, Phreaks, and Analysts are still arguing whether or not Chrome will kill off the other Linux distros or even Windows. (Spoiler: It won't on either account. Not now, not later, not EVER! It's a cloud based OS, come on people, there is still a huge percentage of people in the US and Canada on dialup, which will make Chrome about as useless to them as glasses for a blind man.) 3. Android is on the rise! This news should shock no one! Anybody who has used or played with an Android phone will know just how cool the Android OS is for phones. 4. Wine released a new version, and you know what, it still doesn't work well without heavy tweaking! 5. PCLinuxOS and Mandriva released their usual Spring updates and they are both AMAZING! PCLinuxOS and Mandriva both, are two of the most underrated distros out there. I'm often confused at how Ubuntu and Fedora established a larger user base. Guess there's no accounting for taste. 6. Linux continues to rise in visability and popularity on the desktop. For me this is the best news possible. Linux, in my estimation, will continue to grow and pull in a larger user base, but more focus on user friendly distros will be needed before we ever really start to scare Microsoft and Apple.
Kubuntu Announces Project Timelord
While I for one was very impressed with Kubuntu 9.10, the development team on the other hand was rather unsatisfied.
"Through intense self-reflection, it has come to the attention of several Kubuntu developers that Kubuntu is not currently reaching its full potential. Whether due to major architectural changes in the software stack, the usage of certain Ubuntu technologies or limited developer time, we have realized that deep changes must occur." This was the announcement the Kubuntu development team made shortly after the release of 9.10.
Enter Project Timelord! Kubuntu has now officially announced their plans for improving Kubuntu by making it more reliable, less dependent on Ubuntu, more aggressively promoted, and the development of more stand alone tools that integrate better with KDE. The entire detailed outline can be found here in PDF format.
Project Timelord can mean nothing but good things for Kubuntu. The hope is that it will attract more developers to the project, and begin the development of more Kubuntu specific tools. If the goals Project Timelord has set are achieved, then Kubuntu will be an even more stable distribution with a bit less of a dependency on Ubuntu tools. This would mean Kubuntu could remove Ubuntu tools like Gdebi (the GTK based package installer) and simply either create their own Qt based installer or skip the separate installer step all together and just have it managed by KPackageKit. This is just one of the many things Project Timelord could bring to the Kubuntu table. LinuxRants will keep everyone updated on the progress of Project Timelord as it develops.
A Day by Day Account of the Ups and Downs of Switching to Linux
As everyone knows, this site is intended for users new to Linux and BSD, and as such, we try to give you as much information as possible to make sure your experience with Linux is a great one. One of the articles I've (Sorteal) always wanted to write since this site began was a step by step, day by day account of switching to Linux from Windows or Mac OS X. Well, as always, someone has beaten me to it, but fortunately Stuart Turton has written a far better article than I could have hoped to pen.
Mr. Turton's article is being published in parts. Each part covers one full day of the trials and tribulations of switching to Linux.
Linux is turning up in everything from netbooks to Dell PCs, but is it actually fit to replace Windows? Stuart Turton spends a week with Linux to find out. Read the entire article, from PC Authority here!
Google Releases Chrome and Wave Updates
Google has really been ramping up its development of both Chrome and Wave. Joe Fay of the UK site The Register wrote, "Google's developers clearly missed all the Halloween fun, with both the Chrome and Wave teams slinging out updates yesterday.
The Wave team has pushed out a "developer instance" of the messaging everything platform.
"One of the fundamental concepts we discussed was the vision for wave as an open communications protocol. We are happy to announce that the developer instance of Google Wave is now available for experimental interoperability testing with other wave providers," the relevant blog posting reads.
Anyone wanting to build a service built on the ominous-sounding Google Wave Federation Protocol can peruse introductory docs and more via Google, and of course submit feedback. More details here.
In the slightly less nebulous world of Chrome, the firm has popped out a new beta, promising "a few new treats and cool tricks".
Well, one new treat/trick, it seems, in the shape of bookmark sync, which allows bookmarks and subsequent updates to be mirrored across multiple machines.
If you've only got the one machine, or would prefer your home surfing not to be reflected on your work machine, the new beta still promises a 30 per cent speed increase over the most recent version.
The 2009 Linux Kernel Summit
The 2009 Linux Kernel Summit was held in Tokyo, Japan on October 19 and 20. Jet-lagged developers from all over the world discussed a wide range of topics. LWN's Jonathan Corbet was there, and has written a wonderful summary. Get the whole breakdown here!
The Linux Foundation Steps Into the OpenGL Arena
OpenGL has always been surrounded with controversy and debate. Parts of OpenGL are patented by Microsoft and other legal issues regarding patents always seem to come up in reference to OpenGL. Michael Larabel of Phoronix.com wrote, "This week at the X Developers' Conference there was a talk surrounding OpenGL 3.x and its lack of complete support within the latest Mesa code. While development manpower can end up be limiting, there are also some patent / legal issues surrounding this with regard to some parts of core OpenGL being covered by such inhibitive patents. This was explained here along with some of the possible ways to circumvent the issue.
Now, however, it looks like the Linux Foundation could get involved along with the Open Invention Network (OIN) to hopefully reach a proper agreement with the patent/IP holders. Greg Kroah-Hartman brought this 3D patent issue up with the Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board to see what can be done. At this time they are still setting up a meeting."
Linus Says Trim the Kernel Fat
Linus Torvalds made it very clear that he thought the Linux Kernel was getting far to bloated. Linux Insider reported, "A flurry of comments picked up that topic both on Linux Today and LXer, as bloggers debated not only the sexism question, but also the role of the Linux Foundation compared with LUGs. Perhaps an even bigger discussion, however, arose over Linus' comments during a panel at LinuxCon that "the kernel is huge and bloated." Every time a new feature gets added, the problem gets worse, he reportedly said. Bloggers on Slashdot jumped on the topic with more than 600 comments by week's end, not to mention three separate threads of conversation taking place on LXer." As with most of Linus Torvalds comments, this debate is just starting and in the end everyone will realize it's not really a debate at all. In the long run Linus will do what he has always done which is mold the kernel in the way he sees fit. This usually stirs up a lot of anger and name calling in the kernel community but 99% of the time Mr. Torvalds does end up making the kernel better and stronger. I personally think he should listen more closely to the input of the other kernel developers, and maybe he does, but most of the time he just start denying features into the final kernel build and tries his best to keep other ideas that he disagrees with from being pushed upstream. Yet, for all my complaining here I have to admit that Linus Torvalds has not led the Linux Kernel astray in the slightest! To the contrary, he has always seemed to do what's best for the kernel even if it meant pissing a lot of people off and stepping on a lot of toes. So my inner socialist (^_^) may not like the way Linus goes about progressing the Linux kernel, but results are results and I'm happy someone with balls is steering the ship so-to-speak!
One Netbook OS to Rule Them All
Today ComputerWorld did a report about Netbooks and the OS's that power them. The focus was on which OS would dominate the enterprise market. Howard Wen reported, "Netbooks are selling at a nice clip -- IDC predicts more than 20 million units sold by year's end -- as consumers and education buyers wolf up these streamlined, low-cost laptop alternatives. Next up: the enterprise. Netbooks is a "category with legs," says Stephen O'Grady, an analyst with Seattle-based consultancy RedMonk, pointing to recent market activity as an indicator of the netbook's viability. Most obvious, he says, is Google's decision to build a separate Linux-based operating system -- Chrome OS -- specifically for netbooks. Meantime, Microsoft is grappling with "hard questions about its OS pricing relative to netbooks," and virtually every major hardware maker, apart from Apple Inc., has an offering in the category." Full story here
Facebook Releases Real Time Web Server Technology as Open Source!
Facebook has open sourced their "Tornado" web server technology in the hopes that it will stir up the development of creative applications that will allow Facebook users to post updates to their status in real time. This type of functionality is what powers Twitter.
Facebook said on Thursday, "Tornado is a core piece of infrastructure that powers FriendFeed's real-time functionality, which we plan to actively maintain. While Tornado is similar to existing Web-frameworks in Python ... it focuses on speed and handling large amounts of simultaneous traffic," wrote David Recordon, Facebook's open programs manager, in the Facebook Developer blog. "We believe in releasing generically useful infrastructure components as open source ... as a way to increase innovation across the Web," he added. Read the full statement here
Dell says Linux Netbooks Returned as often as Windows Netbooks!
Microsoft chief operating officer Kevin Turner recently told his company's annual financial analysts' meeting that retailers selling Linux-powered netbooks had told him they are experiencing return rates "like four or five times higher than what we're seeing on other PCs that have Windows." Mr. Turner and Microsoft as a whole did not expect one of their own partners, namely Dell, to rebute this claim, but that's just what they did!
Todd Finch, Dell senior product marketing manager, said the number of Linux returns are approximately the same as those for Windows powered netbooks. Mr. Finch went on to say, "They are making something of nothing."
Dell claims that Linux netbooks tend to get returned when customers are expecting Windows and are greeted by Linux and its unfamiliar interface. No technical reasons seem to make people return Linux netbooks. It is simply a comfort issue, where customers are use to interacting with Windows and have either no time or patients to learn a new operating system.
On the flip side, Windows netbooks tend to get returned, it is speculated, due to slow performance and the OS's inability to run more resource damanding applications within the confines of a netbooks hardware limitations. Tracy Anne Barlow of LXer.com said recently of her experience with Windows and Linux netbooks, "At the computer show we were at on Sunday [...] there was another exhibitor there with a Win XP based netbook. In comparison to my Ubuntu powered netbook it was slow [like] wading through molasses to use. I commented on this, and the bloke said, well it's only supposed to be used for Web surfing and such, but I can't imagine that experience would be any too exciting. I pointed out that my Linux powered netbook was not only not slow, but was capable of being used as a highly portable stand in for my main desktop machine, he had nothing further to contribute. I managed to demonstrate just how responsive the Linux powered netbook is to quite a number of people, and explained to them that with Linux on the machine I was able to use the netbook as a stand in for my desktop machine while traveling. It amazed me just how slow the Windows machine actually is. It's no wonder people are returning them in droves."
Novell says Linux is Making Money!
Recently Novell published its third quarter earnings results, which showed that revenue from its Linux platform products had increased 22 percent, year-on-year, to US$38 million. However, overall revenue for the same period declined sharply to US$216 million, from US$245 million.
What does this mean for Linux as a whole? Well, not much other than proof that Linux and FOSS can produce revenue. For a long time now businesses have been reluctant to adopt Linux and FOSS or to open source their own in house developed technologies, under the assumption that FOSS cannot make any money. This report is a kind of "stepping stone" in proving that Linux and FOSS can and DO make money. One of the real key factors in selling Linux and FOSS to businesses is convincing them that the transition and the training it may require are worth it to them in the long run. "In the long run" is not something finacial boards at large corporations tend to like hearing. They are more wowed by quick gains even if those gains are smaller than the ones to be had "in the long run".
Another key point that can be made of this report is the fact that Linux and FOSS can be a viable means of weathering tough finacial times. Novell's Linux platforms made money during the current economic downturn but their other technologies seemed to loose money for the company. This is a huge factor when trying to "sell" Linux and FOSS as an option for businesses.
Ubuntu Cloud Computing
If your unfamiliar with the term, cloud computing is, according to
Wikipedia, "A style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often
virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need
not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology
infrastructure in the "cloud" that supports them."
HUH?!
Ok for the rest of us cloud computing is a very broad term. It refers to the combination of Virtualization, Utility Computing, and Software as a Service. What the heck does all that mean? Well, cloud computing is kinda like a pay as you go cell phone, (just trust me here). When you get a pre-paid cell phone you can choose what features you want and what features you don't want when you want, right? Well, cloud computing is kinda like that, it allows companies to use "Software as a Service", or applications that run on your machine but are maintained by another computer/company, and thanks to Virtualization, on their side of the firewall. So basically companies can pay software vendors for "just" what they need without all the frills a licensed version of the software would come with and the pain of maintaining it in-house. For a more in depth, but easy to understand, explanation checkout rPath's video explanation.
The big king of cloud computing has been Amazon, and now with Ubuntu on-board everyone in the cloud computing biz is waiting and worried!
Ubuntu is planning on a real visual overhaul of the desktop edition of 9.10 and a cloud computing revolution for the server edition. Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu Linux) is embracing the API's of Amazon EC2 and attempting to make it painless for any company to setup their own cloud using nothing but open tools. The AMI's that Ubuntu is creating for use on Amazons EC2 are still in beta but don't count on that to last long. Canonical seems determined to jump feet first into the cloud computing realm, and by embracing Amazon EC2 many people are wondering if this is the beginning of the end for other cloud computing API's.
Canonical, not wanting to seem one sided, has mentioned the Eucalyptus project and included it in every install package. Eucalyptus is an open source cloud research project developed by UC Santa Barbara. It allows you to build a cloud on your own infrastructure. This means a company can "test out" cloud computing using their own data center and hardware without having to commit to the maze that is Amazon EC2. The problem I see with this solution is the fact that Eucalyptus is a research project. This means it's really in no kind of shape to be implemented in any kind of big production environment. Hell, the development team themselves have come out and said that! So why even bring that up as an option? Well, I think Canonical is trying to give everyone as many options as possible and they're smart enough to realize that it could be seen as hypocritical of them to "shack up" with Amazon when there are several other API's out there they could embrace. GoGrid API's are one of those options that many companies would love to see Ubuntu tools for, but I've heard nothing about Canonical considering this option.
Ubuntu has been talking about cloud computing since about January of this year, but with 9.10 looming ever closer one has to wonder how "Linux for Human Beings" will fair when it's thrown into the "Amazon". Yet, other open source projects have thrown their "hat" in the ring. Red Hat for one (and that's a very big one!) has images on Amazon. Who the hell knows if Ubuntu will become what it's hyping itself up to be in the world of cloud computing but as James Urquhart put it in his CNET blog "The Ubuntu crew is the Apple of Linux", meaning they may not change the setup and structure or break the mold but they may change the whole user experience of cloud management for the better.
Google Chrome vs Our Beloved Firefox! (I'm not really a FF fanboy, I swear! :P )
Ok so I had to use that "other OS", ya know the one from Redmon, to do this article since the Linux version of Chrome hasn't been released. So sue me! Although, since I have to use that "other OS" at work I didn't feel so bad, and taking up company time to test a new browser was actually applauded. Since I work for an ISP, and no one wanted to leave their precious IE to take a peak at what we might be trouble-shooting in the future, I took it upon myself to test drive Googles new browser. The higher-ups thought it was great that I was taking initiative to research new technologies for the company. Suckers!
At first glance Chrome seemed very similar to Safari, but once I really dived in and did some research I found a browser that handles web pages, web applications, and tabs in a whole new way. At first, none of this is apparent, it seems to work like any other browser would. The real "WOW" factor hits you once you run into typical web problems. One such example of this is hung tabs. Let's say you browse to a site on one tab and that site has javascript. As the javascript executes it runs into some type of error or some other problem and can't execute properly. This type of problem in the current crop of browsers most often leads to the entire browser freezing up. Now in the current builds, all browsers are single threaded, meaning they have to complete one task to really move on to the next. Chrome attempts to handle tabs and web applications in much the same way your OS handles programs you run, meaning multi-threaded. Multi-threaded handling means that the browser handles different events individually. So if you ran into the same problem in Chrome the tab itself might get hung but the browser won't necessarily freeze up all together. Now not all web applications are designed to work in this sort of way but more and more web apps (thanks to cloud computing and virtualization) offer multi-thread support.
Most of the other features offered up by Chrome are things you can implement in Firefox with the use of extensions. That being said, I must also point out that my reference to Safari at the beginning of this article was not just from a cosmetic stand point but also a speed stand point. Chrome is just as fast if not faster than Safari at rendering web pages! I have not seen any speed test specs, but just on a educated guess I'd say it's about 2x faster than Firefox at loading pages. Furthermore, I know I spent the bulk of this article on the multi-threading aspect of Chrome but there is much more that this browser can do that other browser can't, or can't without an extension or plugin. For more information on Google Chrome please check out their home page. Google Chrome site..
Alright, now on to the browser of choice for "most" Linux users, Firefox. If your reading through this site and use Linux than most likely your using Firefox or IceWeasel (Firefox in Debian clothing). We all know Firefox is an amazingly powerful, customizable, and versatile browser but how does it stack up when compared to the new kid on the block "Chrome"?
As I stated eariler, Google Chrome is a very nice browser with tons of potential and a whole new way of dealing with web pages, tabs, and web applications, but there is one area that it lacks, plugins! Firefox has a huge repository of plugins and add-ons while most of the add-ons available for Chrome are themes and cosmetic changes. Plus, the community of plugin developers for Firefox is vast, and new plugins come out almost daily! Chrome it seems, is also rather troublesome to write extensions for, I have not seen any real data about these claims but I do know Google is intent on testing all add ons before they are released. This is a very good thing considering several of the extensions for Firefox have, in the past, caused instability issues with the browser. But one thing I have to wonder is, will this strict stance Google takes on plugins be beneficial or drive developers off?
Ok, now down to the nitty gritty! The big difference I see in the two browsers is community. Yes, Chrome is new but they don't really seem to be pushing community as a driving factor. Firefox on the other hand is ALL about community. The developers for Firefox are spred out all across the planet and seem, at least to me, to really support open source and the community that makes it possible. Whie Chrome on the other hand, again, at least to me, seems to throw around open source and community just to say "Hey we're open source, we like community, as long as it's the right community." Firefox is adding native support for OGG Theora and Vorbis, two completely open formats for audio and video. Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, reguarly supports open source projects other than their own. And the biggest reason that I, for right now at least, like Firefox better than Chrome is its massive acceptance and embracement of the Linux community! Firefox releases offer Linux versions the same day as Windows and Mac OS X versions. Also, don't expect Chrome to hold the multi-threading crown for long. Mozilla is well known for supporting and implementing new technologies in Firefox, and Chrome, being open source, has laid out the code that makes multi-threading in a browser possible. I'd expect to see much of the same technologies Chrome uses in a future version of Firefox.
This is generally where the conclusion goes, but I can't really write a conclusion considering the Linux version of Chrome is still in beta. I very well may change my mind once the final version is released and installed on my Linux box. I am very impressed with Chrome and its new approach to browser technology but I currently stand firm in my support of Firefox and Mozilla. Why? As I said before, it all boils down to community. Mozilla and Firefox offer up and support a great community and until I see something similar on Chrome's end I just can't see myself changing browsers.