MacMegasite

Linux has very little market penetration despite its zealous following. I think that theres a few reasons why Linux will never make it into the mainstream, at least in its current form. The operating system market is very daunting to new users and people become uneasy when they don’t see there familiar start button in the corner or there smiling finder in the dock. The very concept of distributions can be very confusing to some people let alone picking one. If the user is lucky enough to pick a nice newbie friendly distribution like Ubuntu or Linux Mint they should be smooth sailing right? Well that’s assuming that there computers hardware is fully supported and that they aren’t trying to use Wifi or some off beat printer. And if they are they are, then there at the hands of the community, the community tells them that there hardware isn’t fully supported, the frustrated user gives up and heads back to there previous OS.

I have seen the above scenario too many times, I have dabbled in Linux for over a year now and it still runs natively on one of my machines. I have a computer running every current OS in my room, and I know how to operate them all too. When I first wet my feet in Linux I felt like I bit off more than I can chew but luckily the Ubuntu community has helped me every step of the way. My advocacy of Linux is not the point of this article though. Linux lacks a lot of marketing that other companies have for a few simple reasons, they do not have a lot money to market the product, the product comes in a million different distributions, and the product lacks ease of use. Because this software is built largely by hobbyists, the developers do not have the time, or the money to market something they built in their garage. It’s difficult to market something if there are so many variations of the products, if you think that the versions of Vista are difficult to understand, Linux has so many options and distributions built for very different users, so many beginners ask themselves which possible distribution is right for them let a lone what CPU architecture they have to pick for that distribution. Lastly the product lacks a single “help desk” that people can call or bring there computers to when they need a problem solved immediately in order to be productive. Also out of the box a lot of these distributions lack much polish compared to Leopards effects and Vista’s Aereo.

In closing I would love to see an open source free operating system make it big on the desktop but I think that there are some huge hurdles to overcome first. Now I’m not saying that Linux is terrible, but for basic everyday people that need productivity out of the box Linux seems to fall short.

This article and more can be found at my website
taylormcneil.wordpress.com

One Laptop Per Child’s XO Laptop is an extremely rugged, energy efficient, low cost laptop designed to be used by children in developing countries. The only way most people in the US or Canada can get one is through the Give One Get One program, which ends on December 31. I got mine yesterday.

Late in the afternoon UPS delivered a surprisingly small and heavy box containing the laptop. There was no inner box and only a sheet telling me to go to http://www.laptop.org/en/laptop/start for setup instructions.

The laptop itself looks like a kid’s toy laptop, with a tough membrane keyboard that’s too small for adult hands. It would make a good first laptop for a kid in any country.

The OLPC laptop runs a Linux OS with a new graphical user interface called Sugar. It doesn’t have a hard drive, only 1GB of flash memory. A USB port and SD card slot are available for storage expansion.

The user interface has no windows. Only a single task is visible at a time. The home screen shows the active tasks in a circle surrounding the user icon, with other tasks shown at the bottom of the screen. The neighborhood screen lets you connect to a wireless network and shows other XO users present. Unfortunately the current OS version doesn’t support networks with WPA encryption, although that feature is supposed to be added in early 2008.

The built-in software includes several games and educational applications, a web browser, a painting program, audio & video recording, a few music applications, and a few introductory programming environments, including one that teaches Python.

All of the XO software is written in Python and in most applications you can hit Fn+Space to view the source code.

The screen can also be folded back, for use as an e-book reader.

The XO is a great laptop for elementary school kids and might be good as an internet appliance or e-book reader, but it has very little to offer most professionals.

While the world waits for Leopard’s release next Friday, another major OS update was released today. Ubuntu 7.10 (codenamed “Gutsy Gibbon”) improves the most popular Linux distribution, making it easier to use than ever.

The highlights of Ubuntu 7.10 include:
[list]
[*] [B]GNOME 2.20[/B], with lots of new features & improvements for their desktop environment.
[*] [B]Desktop 3D effects[/B]: Compiz Fusion is enabled by default and will bring 3D desktop visual effects that improve the usability and visual appeal of the system. Ubuntu 7.10 automatically detects whether the hardware is capable of running compiz; if not, it falls back to normal desktop. Additional effects can be enabled in “System/Preferences/Appearance” under the “Visual Effects” tab. There you can also disable the effects entirely.
[*] [B]Desktop search[/B]: The deskbar applet allows quick access to your common actions, including opening web bookmarks and searches, sending messages to your contacts, and more.
[*] [B]Fast user switching[/B]: It is now possible to easily switch between user sessions without the inconvenience of entering your username or password numerous times, a time-saver on computers shared by multiple users.
[*] [B]Firefox plugins in Ubuntu[/B]: Firefox now comes with an improved plugin finder wizard that allows users to search and install packaged plugins easily, bringing users a richer web-browsing experience with the integrated security support of the rest of the Ubuntu system. In addition, users can now open the Ubuntu application installer with a list of packaged Firefox extensions available by clicking on a link in the Firefox Addons dialog.
[*] [B]Dynamic screen configuration[/B]: Several drivers, including ones for ATI, nVidia, and Intel graphics chips now support the X Resize and Rotate Extension (xrandr). This enables dynamic monitor detection, and resizing and rotating of video output, for no-fuss support for projectors and external monitors.
[*] [B]Graphical configuration tool for X[/B]: You can now configure what driver you want to use for your graphic card, change the default resolution for all users or change your monitor’s refresh rate without having to turn to the terminal. A new GUI has been added making it easy to adjust your video and monitor settings. This tool can also set up dual screen capabilities for cards that use the Xinerama mode.
[*] [B]Fully automatic printer installation[/B]: Printers are now automatically configured by merely plugging them in and turning them on. Printer setup cannot get any easier!
[*] [B]Handling of non-free device drivers[/B]: Restricted-manager can now handle drivers which are free in themselves, but which require non-free firmware or other packages to operate. Only three clicks are needed to fetch and install firmware for wireless cards with Broadcom chipsets, and for a number of Winmodems commonly found in laptops, provided that you have an alternative Internet connection.
[*] [B]NTFS writing[/B]: While previous Ubuntu releases only supported read access to Windows (NTFS) partitions, Gutsy Gibbon now fully supports reading and writing to them, by integrating the NTFS-3g project. This significantly eases file and document sharing with Windows.
[*] [B]Power consumption[/B]: Ubuntu includes the latest Linux kernel, featuring dynticks. It allows the processor to use less power and produce less heat. For laptops this means more battery life and burn-free laps and for desktops and media center PCs, a quieter, cooler environment.
[*] [B]Encrypted hard disks[/B]: The alternate installer now given you the option to encrypt the entire hard disk (or individual parts if you partition manually). This provides robust data protection for laptops and other mobile devices which may be lost or stolen. Please keep in mind that this only protects the data when the machine is powered off.
[*] [B]AppArmor security framework[/B]: This easy-to-deploy kernel technology limits the resources an application is allowed to access and can be used to provide an added layer of protection against undiscovered security vulnerabilities in applications.
[*] [B]Additional installation profiles for Ubuntu Server[/B]: New pre-configured installation options have been added to the Ubuntu Server CD. Mail Server, File Server, Print Server, and Database Server options join existing LAMP and DNS options for pre-configured installations, easing the deployment of common server configurations.
[*] [B]Profile-based Authentication Configuration[/B]: Deploying authentication configuration has become a lot easier with the addition of auth-client-config. Files may be added to the profiles database, allowing for an administrator to set up a single profile for site-wide network authentication roll-outs.
[*] [B]Improved thin-client support[/B]: The speed of LTSP thin clients has been greatly improved through the use of compressed images, and LDM, the thin-client login manager included in Edubuntu, also now has support for autologin, multiple servers, and unencrypted graphics transport as an additional speed boost.
[/list]

Ubuntu 7.10 will boot natively on Intel-based Macs, and it also runs under Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. As always, Ubuntu 7.10 is completely free. For more information or to download Ubuntu Linix, visit [URL]http://www.ubuntu.com/[/URL].

A startup in Alameda, Calif. plans to release a kind of holy software grail the third or fourth week of June. Lina said its dual-licensed Lina virtual Linux machine will run more or less normal Linux applications under Windows, Mac, or Linux, with a look and feel native to each platform.

As with Java, Lina users will first install a VM specific to their platform, after which they can run binaries compiled not for their particular OS, but for the VM, which aims to hide OS-specific characteristics from the application. Lina comprises a platform-specific application that virtualizes the host PC’s x86 processor… A lightly modified Linux kernel (2.6.19, for now) runs on top of the VM. Under the Linux kernel is a filesystem with standard Linux libraries modified to map resources such as library, filesystem, and system calls to analogous resources on the host platform.

The VM is essentially a Linux environment that supports standard C/C++ applications, or even perl and python, if their respective interpreters are installed. CTO Nile Geisinger explained, “You have to compile binaries specifically for Lina, but it’s fairly trivial, no different than compiling binaries for SuSE or Red Hat.”

In the big picture, the goal is really to bring the huge world of open source software to the masses, said Geisinger, explaining, “We work in an office park with dozens of companies, and we’re the only Linux users. Everyday, we are motivated to bring all the fantastic open source applications to the rest of the world.”

Open source developers will be able to use Lina for free, while commercial developers will pay an as-yet undecided licensing fee, the idea goes.

For more information, visit openlina.com.

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project is asking software coders to develop free, open-source educational computer games for the XO laptop, continuing its push toward a September launch date.

OLPC on Thursday offered a laptop prize for software teams who create new games during a three-day “[URL=http://hackronym.com/olpc/gamejam/]game jam[/URL]” scheduled to begin June 8 on the campus of Olin College, an engineering school in Needham, Massachusetts.

By increasing the software available for the XO, OLPC hopes to encourage governments of developing countries to order more laptops, pushing the group to its sales goal of 3 million units by May 30. OLPC had collected 2.5 million orders by late April, but needed to boost sales enough to order bulk computer parts and stick to the manufacturing schedule.

An OLPC spokesman was sanguine about the goal, calling the date an arbitrary deadline that could also be affected by software and hardware changes as developers put the finishing touches on the beta version of the XO laptop, according to an e-mail from OLPC’s public relations agency.

However, production has already slipped from an original date in July, and could be set back further by spiraling prices. Last month, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte said the price of the “hundred-dollar laptop” had risen to US$175.

Negroponte also says that his nonprofit effort is being hurt by well-funded competition from Intel Corp.’s Classmate PC, also a low-budget, power-efficient PC designed as an educational tool for children in developing countries.

The game-making contest marks a new effort by OLPC to increase momentum for the XO.

“The purpose of the game jam is getting people together to hack for a couple of days. Hopefully this will be the first of many,” said SJ Klein, OLPC’s director of content.

XO users already have their choice of certain games in the Pygames library of open-source applications written in the Python programming language, and the XO’s eToys application that allows children to create their own basic media and games, he said.

But in the game jam, developers could create new types of games that rely on features of the XO’s design such as mesh networking between nearby users, an integrated still or video camera, and a tablet mode for mobile gaming.

“There aren’t too many games right now that take advantage of mesh style networking,” said Klein, referring to the XO’s ability to use Wi-Fi to communicate with other users up to a kilometer away, and display them as icons on its Sugar interface. “There are networked games, sure, but they aren’t sensitive to the ability to display the presence of other users depending on where they are in relation to you, or to pop up on the screen when they are close enough.”

Beyond creating games that teach specific tasks like counting or reading, OLPC hopes the contest will produce templates that allow kids to build their own games, according to OLPC’s development guidelines.

In keeping with the group’s decision to use an open-source Linux OS in the XO computer, OLPC will release all games created at the weekend-long event under the open-source GNU General Public License, and post them on SourceForge.

For more information about OLPC, visit http://laptop.org/.

Ubuntu Linux developers plan to extend its open source software development to handheld Internet-enabled devices.

Developers meeting at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, which runs through the end of this week in Seville, Spain, will discuss details of the new Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded project, announced on Saturday.

Ubuntu programmers will develop a mobile version of their Debian-based Linux operating system in collaboration with Intel, which plans a new low-power processor and chipset architecture designed to allow full Internet capability on mobile devices, according to a statement published on the Ubuntu Web site.

The move to offer a mobile and embedded version comes on the heels of a similar project that Intel is supporting: the Gnome Mobile & Embedded Initiative (GMAE), announced April 19 at the Embedded Linux Conference in Santa Clara, Calif. The initiative is open to developers, manufacturers, and others interested in developing mobile device applications based on Gnome-based open source components.

The summit is being organized by Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu. South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth initiated the project to create Ubuntu, based on Debian GNU/Linux, and founded Canonical in 2004. Canonical offers usage and basic support of the operating system for free, and additional services on commercial terms.

Overall, Ubuntu Linux appears to be gaining traction among users. Last week, Dell announced plans to preload Ubuntu Linux on its upcoming Linux desktop PCs and laptops. The company said the decision came in response to a customer feedback program that registered high interest in Ubuntu Linux.

The mobile edition is slated for release in October, together with the new Ubuntu 7.10 version. For more information, visit http://www.ubuntu.com/.

Ubuntu Linux 7.04 (“Feisty Fawn“) has been released today. The most user-friendly Linux distribution just got even better. This release will boot natively on an Intel-based Mac. The installer CD can also be used as a Live CD to try Ubuntu without modifying your system.

The installation is very fast & easy and it runs perfectly under VMware. Unfortunately the latest version won’t boot under Parallels and their lack of Linux tools makes it less pleasant to use. If you install Ubuntu 7.04 over Windows, it will even give you the option to migrate your account info and settings.

One of the problems with many Linux distributions is the inability to play many media formats, including MP3, since the necessary codecs can’t be licensed freely. Ubuntu 7.04 offers an elegant work-around. When you try to open a media file that requires a codec you lack, it will give you an option to automatically download and install the necessary software.

Ubuntu 7.04 can be downloaded here. You can also see the 7.04 Feature Tour.

The Debian Project is pleased to announce the official release of Debian GNU/Linux version 4.0, codenamed “etch”, after 21 months of constant development. Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system which supports a total of eleven processor architectures and includes the KDE, GNOME and Xfce desktop environments. It also features cryptographic software and compatibility with the FHS v2.3 and software developed for version 3.1 of the LSB.

Using a now fully integrated installation process, Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 comes with out-of-the-box support for encrypted partitions. This release introduces a newly developed graphical frontend to the installation system supporting scripts using composed characters and complex languages; the installation system for Debian GNU/Linux has now been translated to 58 languages.

Also beginning with Debian GNU/Linux 4.0, the package management system has been improved regarding security and efficiency. Secure APT allows the verification of the integrity of packages downloaded from a mirror. Updated package indices won’t be downloaded in their entirety, but instead patched with smaller files containing only differences from earlier versions.

Debian GNU/Linux runs on computers ranging from palmtops and handheld systems to supercomputers, and on nearly everything in between. A total of eleven architectures are supported including: Sun SPARC (sparc), HP Alpha (alpha), Motorola/IBM PowerPC (powerpc), Intel IA-32 (i386) and IA-64 (ia64), HP PA-RISC (hppa), MIPS (mips, mipsel), ARM (arm), IBM S/390 (s390) and — newly introduced with Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 — AMD64 and Intel EM64T (amd64).

Debian GNU/Linux can be installed from various installation media such as DVDs, CDs, USB sticks and floppies, or from the network. GNOME is the default desktop environment and is contained on the first CD. The K Desktop Environment (KDE) and the Xfce desktop can be installed through two new alternative CD images. Also newly available with Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 are multi-arch CDs and DVDs supporting installation of multiple architectures from a single disc.

Debian GNU/Linux can be downloaded right now via bittorent (the recommended way), jigdo or HTTP; see [URL]http://www.debian.org/CD/[/URL] for further information. It will soon be available on DVD and CD-ROM from numerous [URL=http://www.debian.org/CD/vendors/]vendors[/URL], too.

This release includes a number of updated software packages, such as the K Desktop Environment 3.5 (KDE), an updated version of the GNOME desktop environment 2.14, the Xfce 4.4 desktop environment, the GNUstep desktop 5.2, X.Org 7.1, OpenOffice.org 2.0.4a, GIMP 2.2.13, Iceweasel (an unbranded version of Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.3), Icedove (an unbranded version of Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5), Iceape (an unbranded version of Mozilla Seamonkey 1.0.8), PostgreSQL 8.1.8, MySQL 5.0.32, GNU Compiler Collection 4.1.1, Linux kernel version 2.6.18, Apache 2.2.3, Samba 3.0.24, Python 2.4.4 and 2.5, Perl 5.8.8, PHP 4.4.4 and 5.2.0, Asterisk 1.2.13, and more than 18,000 other ready to use software packages.

Upgrades to Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 from the previous release, Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 codenamed “sarge”, are automatically handled by the aptitude package management tool for most configurations, and to a certain degree also by the apt-get package management tool. As always, Debian GNU/Linux systems can be upgraded quite painlessly, in place, without any forced downtime, but it is strongly recommended to read the release notes for possible issues. For detailed instructions about installing and upgrading Debian GNU/Linux, please see the [URL=http://www.debian.org/releases/etch/releasenotes]release notes [/URL]. Please note that the release notes will be further improved and translated to additional languages in the coming weeks.

[B]About Debian[/B]

Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system, developed by more than a thousand volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the Internet. Debian’s dedication to Free Software, its non-profit nature, and its open development model make it unique among GNU/Linux distributions.

The Debian project’s key strengths are its volunteer base, its dedication to the Debian Social Contract, and its commitment to provide the best operating system possible. Debian 4.0 is another important step in that direction.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – April 9, 2007 — The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced an update of the Linux Standard Base (LSB) and the release of a new testing toolkit. The update to LSB 3.1 introduces new automated testing toolkits for distributions and application vendors, linking development more closely to certification. The result will be reduced development costs and tighter integration between upstream developers, distributions, applications and the LSB standard. This continued enhancement of standards, testing and tools for the Linux platform will make it easier and less costly for application developers to support the Linux operating system.

“All the moving parts are coming together to give the Linux ecosystem its first testing framework that will coordinate development of upstream code to standards and downstream implementations,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation. “In order for a standard to be effective, it needs to have a powerful – and usable – testing infrastructure. Our testing framework will deliver that functionality and allow the Linux ecosystem to collaborate and test code while it’s being developed, improving quality and allowing ISVs to reduce their costs and get their feedback into the Linux ecosystem more effectively.”

The LSB delivers interoperability between applications and the Linux operating system, allowing application developers to target multiple version of Linux with only one software package. This allows Linux to compete effectively against proprietary, monolithic platforms. The LSB has marshaled the various Linux distribution vendors to certify to its standards, including Red Hat, Novell, Debian, Ubuntu, Xandros, Mandriva and more. Details can be found at http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Products.

The Linux Standard Base 3.1 is available today on the Linux Foundation’s web site at http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/LSB. The new testing kits can be found at http: http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/Downloads.

“Novell is a long-term supporter of the LSB and other open standards. In fact, all of our SUSE Linux Enterprise products are LSB compliant,” said Markus Rex, vice president of services strategy at Novell. “The LSB is a critical component for new growth in the Linux marketplace. Because The Linux Foundation is in a unique position to marshal all the resources of the growing Linux ecosystem, we are more confident than ever that it will continue to be the standard for portable Linux development.”

“We are supporting The Linux Foundation’s efforts and ISVs by registering Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 to the LSB 3.1,” said Paul Gampe ,vice president of Engineering Services and Operations, Red Hat. “Red Hat is a firm supporter of open standards. The LSB helps make it easier for distribution vendors to build their business.”

“The LSB provides a common ground across distributions for ISV compatibility,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu. “We are proud to certify to the LSB and to use their enhanced testing tool kit in our testing efforts. The harmonisation efforts of the LSB leave enough room for innovation and differentiation while ensuring that ISV’s can target Ubuntu at low cost if they already work on other LSB-certified platforms.”

Even though Linux is developed in a highly decentralized manner, in order to be attractive to the ISV community, Linux must provide the same long-term compatibility guarantees and comprehensive compatibility testing as proprietary platforms such as Microsoft Windows. The LSB Test Framework enables cross-distribution interoperability for applications targeted at LSB 3.0 and higher and will provide backward compatibility so that these applications will continue to run correctly on distributions compatible with future versions of the LSB.

In previous releases of the LSB, the testing framework required significant hands-on coordination and interpretation. The results of the tests for both distribution vendors and application developers were often difficult to interpret. The Linux Foundation realized last year that in order for Linux to continue to grow and overtake proprietary software, investment had to be made both in the testing harness (to check software against existing standards) and in the tools needed for software providers to make use of that testing framework. The Linux Foundation initiated a multi-million dollar project to build the first open source testing framework that will link upstream projects and their code to the LSB and downstream providers. The first result of that testing partnership is available now: the LSB Distribution Teskit (LSB DTK).

The LSB DTK introduces a web-based front end testing process that represents the first results of The Linux Foundation’s partnership with the Russian Academy of Sciences. ISV testing tools are also available from http://developer.linux-foundation.org including the LSB Application Testkit, a lightweight download that contains just the LSB validation tools needed for ISVs to check whether or not their application is LSB compliant. Future enhancements to the tool will include automated feedback mechanisms and interpretation assistance.

The Linux Foundation urges distro and package developers, as well as interested users, to use the LSB DTK. As an open source project, the testing framework needs users to get involved, provide feedback and patches for continued enhancement.

“A platform is only as strong as the applications that support it,” said Ian Murdock, LSB chair. “That’s why making the LSB stronger through testing and tools is so vitally important. ISVs need an easy way to build portable Linux applications and address the global market. The LSB and this first result of the LSB Testing Framework is a strong enabling step.”

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007 by the merger of the Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group, it sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes, protects and standardizes Linux by providing unified resources and services needed for open source to successfully compete with closed platforms. For more information, please visit www.linux-foundation.org.

Beginning with Ubuntu 7.04 (“Feisty Fawn”, to be released in April 2007), the PowerPC edition of Ubuntu will no longer be officially supported. The PowerPC software itself and supporting infrastructure will continue to be available, and supported by a community team. However, support for Intel Macs has been added in this release.

Full text of announcement:

The Ubuntu Technical Board has decided to reclassify PowerPC as an unofficial architecture, rather than a fully supported architecture, for Ubuntu 7.04 and subsequent releases. This means that packages and ISO images will continue to be produced, but releases will not be delayed due to problems which are specific to PowerPC, and the quality of the PowerPC release itself will depend very much on the extent to which members of the Ubuntu community drive PowerPC testing and bug fixes.

The rationale for this decision has been recorded in the PowerPC Review document at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCReview, which was derived from a discussion at our developer summit in November. The conversation has continued, and for some time we have pursued a number of sources for funding to continue the official testing and support for the architecture. Unfortunately those resources have not been obtained, and we can not make the necessary commitments to continue official support for this architecture.

A team of PowerPC users and developers has been formed at https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-powerpc and will be the focus of efforts to keep Ubuntu’s PowerPC support at high quality. We welcome wider participation in that team, and if developers devote some additional time to the work then there is no reason that Ubuntu on PowerPC should not continue to deliver high quality releases.

It is possible that PowerPC will once again become a fully supported architecture in the future, if the resources needed to guarantee its quality are found. The architecture is certainly gaining large numbers of users in embedded and console devices, and there are many reasons to continue to work with the platform. These uses are outside of the core Ubuntu mandate, however, so resources cannot be diverted from our server and desktop efforts just to address their needs.

Existing Ubuntu PowerPC releases will continue to be maintained for the duration of their supported life cycles, including Ubuntu 6.06 LTS which will be supported on PowerPC servers until 2011.