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diff --git a/published/1410beta/kubuntu1410beta.jpg b/published/1410beta/kubuntu1410beta.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1c978b7 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/1410beta/kubuntu1410beta.jpg diff --git a/published/1410beta/lubuntu1410beta.jpg b/published/1410beta/lubuntu1410beta.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..04db88b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/1410beta/lubuntu1410beta.jpg diff --git a/published/1410beta/ubuntugnome1410beta.jpg b/published/1410beta/ubuntugnome1410beta.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e123c8d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/1410beta/ubuntugnome1410beta.jpg diff --git a/published/1410beta/ubuntumate1410beta.jpg b/published/1410beta/ubuntumate1410beta.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1b4c517 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/1410beta/ubuntumate1410beta.jpg diff --git a/published/1410beta/xubuntu1410beta.jpg b/published/1410beta/xubuntu1410beta.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4662933 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/1410beta/xubuntu1410beta.jpg diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/flowblade.png b/published/2015-video-editors/flowblade.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..18858e1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/flowblade.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/kdenlive.png b/published/2015-video-editors/kdenlive.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..2fdc768 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/kdenlive.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/openshot.png b/published/2015-video-editors/openshot.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..55ec19f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/openshot.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/pitivi.png b/published/2015-video-editors/pitivi.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6edcf1a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/pitivi.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/shotcut.png b/published/2015-video-editors/shotcut.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1cd2e95 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/shotcut.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/flowblade.png b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/flowblade.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..54bf468 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/flowblade.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/kdenlive.png b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/kdenlive.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..17373a7 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/kdenlive.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/openshot.png b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/openshot.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..92edf05 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/openshot.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/pitivi.png b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/pitivi.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d81b9bd --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/pitivi.png diff --git a/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/shotcut.png b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/shotcut.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..01e9c19 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/2015-video-editors/video-editors/shotcut.png diff --git a/published/Fedora 16 beta blog FINAL copy.odt b/published/Fedora 16 beta blog FINAL copy.odt Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b615adf --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Fedora 16 beta blog FINAL copy.odt diff --git a/published/Fedora10.txt b/published/Fedora10.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6bfc983 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Fedora10.txt @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +Fedora 10 is just around the corner, due to arrive November 25. The venerable Linux distro isn't seeing a complete makeover, nor are there any flashy new features to speak of, but thanks to some welcome enhancements under-the-hood, Fedora 10 makes a worthwhile upgrade. + +If you've never given Fedora a try, now is a great time. Not only is the tenth revision slick and stable, it has a rock solid feel to it that, for our money, trumps even Ubuntu's latest release. + +Fedora 10 has many of the same features we loved in Ubuntu -- the latest version of Gnome or new NetworkManager utility for instance. As an added bonus you also get the always excellent RPM package system, the new Empathy instant messenger framework, PackageKit and host of other Fedora-specific tools. + +For long-time Fedora fans there are two noteworthy changes in this release that should be welcome news. The first is the new "glitch-free" version PulseAudio, the underlying audio system in Fedora. So what is this glitch-free version of PulseAudio? Well, the details are <a href="http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/pulse-glitch-free.html">quite complex</a>, but essentially what you'll notice is better, smoother sound output. + +PulseAudio itself is not new and offers a number of advantages over other audio subsystems. Unfortunately, the version that shipped with Fedora 9, which <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/12/fedora_9/">we reviewed earlier this year</a>, had some performance and reliability issues. The new glitch-free version is designed to solve those problems and also improves PulseAudio's integration with other system tools and applications. + +The glitch-free part refers to the timer-based scheduling system which, according to its creators, minimizes latency problems, reduces dropped audio, and also uses a bit less power to run. + +The most obvious thing you'll notice in version 10, should you take the upgrade plunge is how much faster and smoother Fedora boots. This is thanks to several things, notably the new Plymouth graphical boot tool (which replaces the old Red Hat graphical boot -- RHGB) and the new flicker-free X server. + +The absence of a flickr between when the boot screen exists and X loads is the result of Fedora's decision to move X from virtual terminal 7 to virtual terminal 1. It sounds like small, unimportant change, but the results are worth it our opinion. There are those, however, that think the performance gain isn't worth deviating from how the rest of the Linux world does things. But so far as we can tell there aren't any major consequences to doing things differently and the results -- faster boots and very solid feel for Fedora 10 -- seem worth it. + +While most Linux users we know tend to customize their desktops to suit their whims, those that don't will notice the Fedora has a very nice new <a href="https://fedorahosted.org/echo-icon-theme/wiki/IconThemeStatus/Actions">Echo icon theme</a> (in the Gnome version of Fedora anyway). + +Echo works well with Fedora's overall default look -- minimalist and dare we say classy. Of course if you're a custom theme fan the new icons probably won't be around for long. + +As for our experience with Fedora 10, we tested the first release candidate and found it remarkably stable and solid, which bodes well for the final release later in November. + +We opted to use a live CD install and the process was perhaps slightly longer than Ubuntu's, but certainly every bit as easy. Even Linux newcomers should have any trouble getting Fedora 10 installed and running. + +Once installed we booted into Gnome where, as always, Fedora opts for a more minimal package collection than most other distros. We actually prefer it this way since a fresh Ubuntu install generally requires about twenty minutes of package deleting before we feel at home. With Fedora's approach you can simply head to the RPMs and install what you'd like. + +That said, there are obviously so familiar defaults -- this version of Fedora ships with Gnome 2.24, which includes notable improvements like tabbed file browser windows, some updated panels and other changes. + +If you've been following GNOME development you'll know that the latest version features a new instant messaging framework by the name of Empathy. While Ubuntu chose to skip on Empathy, Fedora has taken the plunge and included Empathy in this release. Overall Empathy works quite well, it's a bit of a change if you're used to Pidgin, the old Gnome standby, but Empathy gets the job done. The only quirk we encountered was that, out of the box, Empathy didn't seem to like IRC. Installing the telepathy-idle package solved the issue. + +Other system utility updates include the new NetworkManager that we saw in Ubuntu. As in Ubuntu, Fedora now allows you to manage all your network connections -- wired, wireless and 3G from a single panel. It's very slick and, for the record, most of the work comes upstream from the Fedora team, not the Ubuntu devs. + +As with its predecessor, Fedora 10 features PackageKit with its very nice on-demand software for default apps. PackageKit makes Linux a bit more user-friendly. For example, if you download a PDF file, but don't have a PDF viewer installed, PackageKit notices that and offers to install the software you need. It makes for a much smoother Linux experience. + +Of course PackageKit really only works for files that have a Linux-compatible app available -- download a .flv movie and PackageKit will ignore it. + +Speaking of proprietary things like Flash files, Fedora 10 includes the latest stable version of X.Org, which means no more support for proprietary nVidia drivers. The free driver will work for those systems, but you'll lose 3-D support, which is a shame. + +As for the applications, Fedora includes Firefox 3, the new OpenOffice 3, Rhythmbox and a few of the other Gnome usual suspects like GIMP. Other Gnome favorites like the F-Spot photo manager will need to be installed through the repositories. + +Performance-wise Fedora 10 is plenty snappy, though of course the speed will vary greatly according to your PC's specs. We installed Fedora on an older machine with 1 GB of RAM and found it to be on par with the new Ubuntu 8.10 in terms of speed. + +But Fedora beats Ubuntu in some less easily described ways -- something about Fedora 10 just feels very solid in a way that other distros don't. Despite being a preview release we didn't encounter any bugs, glitches or crashes. + +While we would definitely recommend Fedora 10 to anyone using 9, we also think it might be a nice alternative for those growing tired of Ubuntu or just looking to play around with a new Linux distro. + +And of course Fedora isn't just a community project, it's also an incubator and testing ground for Red Hat's Enterprise Linux. While RHEL recently recently put out a beta version of 5.3, the next major release is slated to arrive in early 2010, after the features in Fedora have had a chance to work out the kinks. + +If Fedora 10 is any indicator, there shouldn't be too many kinks to work out. The latest release is fast, stable and definitely worth the upgrade.
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The ninth release of Fedora ushers in a number of changes aimed at making the venerable distribution a more newbie-friendly desktop, but longtime users needn't fear being left out; version 9 packs plenty of power user punch as well. + +Fedora is a community-driven distribution sponsored by Red Hat and, while Fedora may be best known as a popular server solution, most of the changes in Fedora 9 are aimed at making the system friendlier for desktop users. + +The Fedora team has clearly spent a lot of time trying to refine some of the smaller, but perhaps more common user interface elements in some thoughtful ways. Take, for instance, the new setting that allows you to manage power settings from the login screen. It's a small tweak but it makes shutting down brilliantly simple, no need to login when you wake from hibernate -- just shut down straight from the login screen. Similar careful attention to detail can be found throughout the new release. + +Fedora 9 features PackageKit for software management which can tie into a number of back ends regardless of what method you're using -- UM, RPG, Apt etc -- it uses the same toolset. + +It wasn't in my USB-based version but PackageKit also supports on-demand software dependencies for default apps, print drivers and more. For example if you download a PDF file, but don't have a PDF viewer installed, when you try to open the file PackageKit sees that you don't have a PDF Viewer and offers to install the software you need -- a definite win for the new user. On the downside, these features only work if there's an open source package available to handle the file. If you're dealing with a Flash movie for instance, you'll have to find and install the necessary proprietary software yourself. + +The new Fedora 9 installer also makes resizing disk partitions much easier -- something that's long been a source of confusion for Linux newcomers. The new installation interface can even handle NTFS formatted disks. Also new is a nice little the password strength indicator that lets you know how good your passwords are. + +Screenshot 1.jpg [caption: Partitioning the hard disk in Fedora 9.] + +Perhaps the most interesting news in Fedora 9 is the release of what amounts to a complete live, carry-anywhere USB solution. The ability to create a Live USB stick from the LiveCD media was part of earlier Fedora releases, but the ability to have persistent data and to do a non-destructive install are both new. + +Headed to a friend's house and don't want to use Vista? Just bring along your LiveUSB and boot up. Any changes you make, documents you create or software you install will all be saved to your USB drive and available the next time you plug it in. And that applies not just to user installed files and apps, but the system as well, which means any system update you find will be part of your Live USB partition. + +And if your friend wants a copy of Fedora, no problem. Just install Fedora on a USB stick with sufficient space and any existing files on the disk will be left intact. + +Perhaps the most impressive part of the Live USB features is that boot times were on par with an actual hard disk install. The only downside is on older machines where USB booting may not be possible (it's worth poking around in your BIOS settings, I had to do as much to get my Toshiba to boot from the USB stick). The other thing worth noting is that the USB boots from syslinux rather than GRUB, which is probably more familiar to Linux newcomers. For the most part syslinux is very similar, but it does boot slightly differently. + +The USB stick the Fedora sent was 2 GB, which worked fine and wasn't noticeably cramped, however I went ahead and installed the USBLive tools on my own 8 gig stick for added storage space and it did seem marginally faster (though that's probably more a result of the relative read/write speeds of the two sticks, rather than an inherent Fedora issue) + +Naturally, Fedora isn't giving you the new ease of use features at the expense of power user options. If you want to dig into the internals of partitioning your disk or tweak your laptop power settings from the shell, all the same tools are still there. But it's nice to know that you don't *have* to. + +Also new in Fedora 9 is encrypted file-system support for much-improved security options like encrypted hot-pluggable devices, SWAP, and root partitions. Fedora 9's Anaconda installer will support encrypted partitions at install time, making it easy for the novice user to get a secure system up and running. + +I had no trouble installing Fedora 9 from the Live USB stick that Fedora provided. Though the version I tested was a release candidate (RC1), I had no trouble resizing partitions, formatting disks and getting the GNOME-based spin installed and up and running. + +Like other distros, Fedora ships in several different flavors (or "spins" as their known in Fedora land) including a GNOME package and a KDE package as well. + +The GNOME desktop spin ships with GNOME 2.22, which may not look any different from its predecessors, but it does add some nice new features like GVFS, which replaces the old GNOME-VFS system. GVFS offers a much more uniform interface so that Nautilus behaves the same regardless of whether you're browsing a connected Samba share, SSH connection or local disk. + +[screenshot3.jpg [caption: Fedora 9 Gnome Desktop and applications.] + +Fedora 9 immediately recognized my wireless card and had no trouble adjusting to my Toshiba's display resolution. The usual GNOME apps were all present -- Totem, Firefox 3b5, Pidgin IM, gEdit, GIMP, etc -- though Fedora opts to use AbiWord and Gnumeric for the Live USB, since the OpenOffice.org suite would take up too much space. + +Fedora 9 also ships with a new theme featuring a new set of default icons and artwork, all of which were created by the Fedora community. + +Screenshot2.jpg [caption: Default GNOME theme in Fedora 9.] + +Although I didn't chose to reformat my hard drive, Fedora 9 features experimental support for ext4, the next generation Linux filesystem. The ext4 filesystem itself is still in the experimental stage and while some of the work will be available in Linux kernel 2.6.25, it isn't ready for prime time just yet. Still, if you're looking to explore ext4, Fedora 9 has you covered. + +While the GNOME 2.22 spin of Fedora 9 brings a lot of nice evolutionary improvements, the KDE spin brings the exciting KDE 4 revolution to the Fedora desktop. + +The new KDE look, dubbed Oxygen, is very slick, some might even say beautiful. Fedora is the first major distro to ship with KDE 4 enabled by default, but thankfully KDE 4 does support older applications that haven't yet been ported. Such apps won't be able to take advantage of the new features, but at least you can use them until new versions are released. + +Fedora 9 also marks the first release under Paul Frields, Fedora project leader at Red Hat, who took over for longtime Fedora maintainer Max Spivak earlier this year. Fedora has also revamped its board slightly making the distro a more community-managed affair. The majority of the Fedora board is now made up of community elected members. + +I spoke to Frields about the changes to the board and he said that the goal was to "create a more open governance model with greater transparency." The net result is that, more than ever, the community is the driving force behind Fedora 9. + +Frields also talked about the future of Fedora, saying that the goal is to create "a paradigm where people who don't know anything about a computer's innards have the best shot at getting everything working." In other words, take the complexity out of the setup, something Fedora 9 does very well. + +As for the future, Frields says that the Fedora community wants to reach out to people unhappy with their computer experience and "turn them on to a new way of information sharing, getting them to understand collaboration," and, in turn, the Linux experience. diff --git a/published/Fedora9Review/fedora9_html.txt b/published/Fedora9Review/fedora9_html.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..515108f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Fedora9Review/fedora9_html.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +<p>Fedora 9, the latest release from the Fedora Project, is now available for download. The ninth release of Fedora ushers in a number of changes aimed at making the venerable distribution a more newbie-friendly desktop, but longtime users needn’t fear being left out; version 9 packs plenty of power user punch as well.</p> + +<p>Fedora is a community-driven distribution sponsored by Red Hat and, while Fedora may be best known as a popular server solution, most of the changes in Fedora 9 are aimed at making the system friendlier for desktop users. </p> + +<p>The Fedora team has clearly spent a lot of time trying to refine some of the smaller, but perhaps more common user interface elements in some thoughtful ways. Take, for instance, the new setting that allows you to manage power settings from the login screen. It’s a small tweak but it makes shutting down brilliantly simple, no need to login when you wake from hibernate — just shut down straight from the login screen. Similar careful attention to detail can be found throughout the new release.</p> + +<p>Fedora 9 features PackageKit for software management which can tie into a number of back ends regardless of what method you’re using — UM, RPG, Apt etc — it uses the same toolset. </p> + +<p>It wasn’t in my USB-based version but PackageKit also supports on-demand software dependencies for default apps, print drivers and more. For example if you download a PDF file, but don’t have a PDF viewer installed, when you try to open the file PackageKit sees that you don’t have a PDF Viewer and offers to install the software you need — a definite win for the new user. On the downside, these features only work if there’s an open source package available to handle the file. If you’re dealing with a Flash movie for instance, you’ll have to find and install the necessary proprietary software yourself.</p> + +<p>The new Fedora 9 installer also makes resizing disk partitions much easier — something that’s long been a source of confusion for Linux newcomers. The new installation interface can even handle NTFS formatted disks. Also new is a nice little the password strength indicator that lets you know how good your passwords are. </p> + +<p>Perhaps the most interesting news in Fedora 9 is the release of what amounts to a complete live, carry-anywhere USB solution. The ability to create a Live USB stick from the LiveCD media was part of earlier Fedora releases, but the ability to have persistent data and to do a non-destructive install are both new.</p> + +<p>Headed to a friend’s house and don’t want to use Vista? Just bring along your LiveUSB and boot up. Any changes you make, documents you create or software you install will all be saved to your USB drive and available the next time you plug it in. And that applies not just to user installed files and apps, but the system as well, which means any system update you find will be part of your Live USB partition.</p> + +<p>And if your friend wants a copy of Fedora, no problem. Just install Fedora on a USB stick with sufficient space and any existing files on the disk will be left intact.</p> + +<p>Perhaps the most impressive part of the Live USB features is that boot times were on par with an actual hard disk install. The only downside is on older machines where USB booting may not be possible (it’s worth poking around in your BIOS settings, I had to do as much to get my Toshiba to boot from the USB stick). The other thing worth noting is that the USB boots from syslinux rather than GRUB, which is probably more familiar to Linux newcomers. For the most part syslinux is very similar, but it does boot slightly differently.</p> + +<p>The USB stick the Fedora sent was 2 GB, which worked fine and wasn’t noticeably cramped, however I went ahead and installed the USBLive tools on my own 8 gig stick for added storage space and it did seem marginally faster (though that’s probably more a result of the relative read/write speeds of the two sticks, rather than an inherent Fedora issue)</p> + +<p>Naturally, Fedora isn’t giving you the new ease of use features at the expense of power user options. If you want to dig into the internals of partitioning your disk or tweak your laptop power settings from the shell, all the same tools are still there. But it’s nice to know that you don’t <em>have</em> to.</p> + +<p>Also new in Fedora 9 is encrypted file-system support for much-improved security options like encrypted hot-pluggable devices, SWAP, and root partitions. Fedora 9’s Anaconda installer will support encrypted partitions at install time, making it easy for the novice user to get a secure system up and running.</p> + +<p>I had no trouble installing Fedora 9 from the Live USB stick that Fedora provided. Though the version I tested was a release candidate (RC1), I had no trouble resizing partitions, formatting disks and getting the GNOME-based spin installed and up and running. </p> + +<p>Like other distros, Fedora ships in several different flavors (or “spins” as their known in Fedora land) including a GNOME package and a KDE package as well.</p> + +<p>The GNOME desktop spin ships with GNOME 2.22, which may not look any different from its predecessors, but it does add some nice new features like GVFS, which replaces the old GNOME-VFS system. GVFS offers a much more uniform interface so that Nautilus behaves the same regardless of whether you’re browsing a connected Samba share, SSH connection or local disk.</p> + +<p>Fedora 9 immediately recognized my wireless card and had no trouble adjusting to my Toshiba’s display resolution. The usual GNOME apps were all present — Totem, Firefox 3b5, Pidgin IM, gEdit, GIMP, etc — though Fedora opts to use AbiWord and Gnumeric for the Live USB, since the OpenOffice.org suite would take up too much space.</p> + +<p>Although I didn’t chose to reformat my hard drive, Fedora 9 features experimental support for ext4, the next generation Linux filesystem. The ext4 filesystem itself is still in the experimental stage and while some of the work will be available in Linux kernel 2.6.25, it isn’t ready for prime time just yet. Still, if you’re looking to explore ext4, Fedora 9 has you covered.</p> + +<p>While the GNOME 2.22 spin of Fedora 9 brings a lot of nice evolutionary improvements, the KDE spin brings the exciting KDE 4 revolution to the Fedora desktop.</p> + +<p>The new KDE look, dubbed Oxygen, is very slick, some might even say beautiful. Fedora is the first major distro to ship with KDE 4 enabled by default, but thankfully KDE 4 does support older applications that haven’t yet been ported. Such apps won’t be able to take advantage of the new features, but at least you can use them until new versions are released.</p> + +<p>Fedora 9 also marks the first release under Paul Frields, Fedora project leader at Red Hat, who took over for longtime Fedora maintainer Max Spivak earlier this year. Fedora has also revamped its board slightly making the distro a more community-managed affair. The majority of the Fedora board is now made up of community elected members.</p> + +<p>I spoke to Frields about the changes to the board and he said that the goal was to “create a more open governance model with greater transparency.” The net result is that, more than ever, the community is the driving force behind Fedora 9.</p> + +<p>Frields also talked about the future of Fedora, saying that the goal is to create “a paradigm where people who don’t know anything about a computer’s innards have the best shot at getting everything working.” In other words, take the complexity out of the setup, something Fedora 9 does very well.</p> + +<p>As for the future, Frields says that the Fedora community wants to reach out to people unhappy with their computer experience and “turn them on to a new way of information sharing, getting them to understand collaboration,” and, in turn, the Linux experience.</p> diff --git a/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot1.jpg b/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot1.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..974a69d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot1.jpg diff --git a/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot2.jpg b/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot2.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..de3dd73 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot2.jpg diff --git a/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot3.jpg b/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot3.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e308539 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Fedora9Review/screenshot3.jpg diff --git a/published/Ubuntu-shotwell.jpg b/published/Ubuntu-shotwell.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..933b1c6 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Ubuntu-shotwell.jpg diff --git a/published/Ubuntu1010final.txt b/published/Ubuntu1010final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..35a5f3c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Ubuntu1010final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ +On October 10 Canonical will release the latest version of its Ubuntu Linux distribution. Releasing Ubuntu 10.10 on 10/10/10 might seem an auspicious idea, but after the radical overhaul that was Ubuntu 10.04, the latest release looks quite tame by comparison. While there is little in Ubuntu 10.10 that will knock anyone's socks off, it makes for a solid update and continues Ubuntu's push to take on not just Windows, but Mac OS X as well. + +To see what Maverick Meerkat, as this release is known, has in store for Ubuntu fans we took the release candidate for spin. + +The first thing you'll notice on a fresh install of 10.10 is that the installer has once again been revamped, though the changes are for the most part cosmetic. The various slides that give new users information about Ubuntu have been tweaked and some menus appear to have changed. Unfortunately the actual install process proceeds as usual which means dumping everything onto a single partition. + +While that may be fine for some users, Fedora and other distros have long since switched to multiple partitions that separate your home folder from the system files. Fedora manages to do this without any user input and, for a distro that claims to be focused on user-friendliness, Ubuntu's failure to automatically partition seems an egregious oversight. + +Naturally partitioning is easy for advanced users who know what they're doing and opt to customize their installs, but for those just clicking on the defaults partitioning won't happen and that's a shame. Ubuntu may be pushing Ubuntu One as a backup and recovery solution, but assuming everyone will use it seems naive. Ubuntu needs to stop fiddling with the installation screens and improve what the installer is actually doing, putting user and system files on separate partitions. + +The first thing you'll notice on booting 10.10 is that, while the look of Maverick Meerkat is not radically different from the previous release, it does have a number of very subtle improvements that make the default theme a bit nicer. Application windows sport smoother gradients, window buttons have been enlarged and refined and the default Humanity icon set has seen a slight makeover. + +Overall Maverick's default theme is really what 10.04 should have been -- more polished and refined with a greater attention to details. Ubuntu it seems is taking up Apple's longstanding belief that details matter. + +Other parts of the Ubuntu interface have seen makeovers as well, like the revamped sound menu, which features a nicer looking slider and now includes the currently playing track along with basic play/pause and skip buttons -- a bit like Rhythmbox's minimized view living in your top panel. + +The release also sees the inclusion of a new Ubuntu font that serves as the default for applications, desktop and window titles. The font is a step up from the old Sans font that used to be the default, though font aficionados are unlikely to be by bowled over by it. + +Perhaps the most noticeable design change in Ubuntu 10.10 is the Ubuntu Software Center, which has some new features like a "History" option in the side menu, showing all package installations, removals and upgrades by date. + +There's also a controversial new proprietary software portion section in the Ubuntu Software Center. As of the release candidate I tested there were no apps for sale, though there were some wallpapers included for testing purposes. Unlike the beta release, where I was never able to get to a purchase screen or even login for that matter, this time everything worked as advertised. + +Eventually, the plan is for commercial Linux software to be purchased and installed right alongside the familiar free options, but for the initial launch of Ubuntu 10.10 the options will likely be limited to only one package -- Fluendo’s DVD player application. It remains to be seen if Ubuntu can attract large developers to the platform, but certainly providing an easy way to sell their apps is a step in the right direction. + +Free software purists may decry the move, but Canonical clearly doesn't care and is ultimately more interested in a free desktop that allows the users to install any kind of software applications they'd like than it is in satisfying the militantly free crowd. + +The new software center purchasing interface isn't the only thing that finally worked correctly in Ubuntu 10.10. Ubuntu One has been vastly improved and, for the first time since it was launched, actually worked without issue for me. + +And that's welcome news because Ubuntu One has some <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/07/ubuntu_meerkat_music_service_android_iphone/">big changes</a> coming with the release of Ubuntu 10.10 including the new Ubuntu One Mobile. Ubuntu One Mobile will handle a number of tasks, like syncing contacts to your phone, but the most interesting is the new music streaming service. Ubuntu One Mobile, which cost $3.99 USD a month (or $39.99 USD a year), will allow you to stream any music you've stored in Ubuntu One to your Android or iPhone. Applications for both platforms are still in the works (and in the iPhone's case subject to Apple's notorious approval process) but the service certainly sounds promising. + +Ubuntu One has also updated its pricing plans with a new tiered structure that allows you to add gigabytes of storage in 20GB increments for $2.99 (USD) per month or $29.99 (USD) per year. + +Maverick Meerkat also brings the usual slew of GNOME software updates with the Evolution mail client being the most noticeably different -- it's quite a bit snappier than the version that shipped with previous release. Also, Shotwell replaces F-Spot as the default photo editor. Shotwell is nearly on par with F-Spot these days, though if you're serious about photography take a look at our <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/30/linux_versus_mac_windows_2/">Linux photo apps roundup</a> for some other choices. + +Another small, but nice new feature in this release is support for multitouch gestures on supported trackpads. In the betas that meant Dell's XT2 laptop with support for Apple's Magic Trackpad to arrive later. In the release candidate I tested the multitouch support wasn't pre-installed, though the app utouch was available in the repos. Unfortunately I was unable to get it working with the Apple Trackpad. If you happen to have an XT2 then the gesture support reportedly works well; if not, well perhaps 11.04 will bring some improvements. + +All of the various Ubuntu spinoffs will also see updates this weekend, including Kubuntu, which will move to KDE 4.5.1 and merges the Desktop and Netbook images into a single image that will boot into either the Plasma Desktop or Plasma Netbook workspace based on your hardware (the setting can be manually set as well). + +The Ubuntu Netbook derivative sees the arrival of the new Unity interface which is adapted to fit smaller netbook screens. The global menu has been redone to optimize vertical space on small screens and applications are automatically maximized by default. + +Other welcome changes include a date and time indicator with a real calendar widget and a tweaked version of Evolution that actually fits on a netbook screen. + +Although a regular Ubuntu install on a netbook works just fine (at least on my EeePC) the netbook edition does offer screen size advantages and now that the Unity interface has more or less reached feature parity with its desktop sibling there's really no reason not to use it. + +Overall Ubuntu 10.10 is a worthy, if somewhat boring update that polishes and refines some of the big changes that arrived with 10.04 earlier this year. The interface has been improved with some welcome attention to the small things, but if you're looking for major new features this release may well disappoint you. + diff --git a/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-menus-in-window.jpg b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-menus-in-window.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..27531fe --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-menus-in-window.jpg diff --git a/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-nautilus-full-menus.jpg b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-nautilus-full-menus.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..cce5ba3 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-nautilus-full-menus.jpg diff --git a/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-nautilus-menus.png b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-nautilus-menus.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..167d69f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-nautilus-menus.png diff --git a/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-smaller-unity-icons.jpg b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-smaller-unity-icons.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b701e42 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-smaller-unity-icons.jpg diff --git a/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-smaller-unity-icons.png b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-smaller-unity-icons.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6c9405a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Ubuntu1404beta/ubuntu1404b-smaller-unity-icons.png diff --git a/published/Ubuntu810Review.txt b/published/Ubuntu810Review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..257b910 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/Ubuntu810Review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +Canonical, the developers behind Ubuntu Linux have release Intrepid Ibex, the successor to last spring's Hardy Heron release. Ibex isn't a long-term support release which might put off some large organizations, but for Ubuntu desktop fans version 8.10 makes a worthwhile upgrade. + +If you made the leap to Ubuntu 8.10 when it was released last week you may be scratching your head wondering what the fuss is about. The answer is that it might be a few days before you appreciate the small tweaks and overall streamlining in this release. Naturally there are a slew of new and updated packages -- GNOME 2.24, GIMP 2.6 and more -- but much of what we love about 8.10 is more subtle. + +That said, there are two major changes likely to have an impact on almost all users -- the updated NetworkManager app and the new X.org 0.7. + +First the positive stuff: the new network manager rocks. Ubuntu has completely revamped the network config panel and you can now manage wired, wireless and 3G (GSM/CDMA) connections all in one spot. The 3G features offer a nice wizard that will walk you through tethering to your phone (note that we aren't blessed with compatible 3G phone, so we couldn't test this feature). Presumably the 3G features would work with onboard devices as well, which should be good news for any Ubuntu loving netbook hackers out there. + +Another very nice touch -- networks setup via NetworkManager start during boot up, which means you don't have to wait for your desktop to load and then wait again while it connects to the web. + +The new NetworkManager is a huge win for Ubuntu and it offers the slickest, simplest network setup tools we've seen in a Linux distro. + +Unfortunately we can't say the same for the latest version of X.org. X.org .7 looks nice at first glance; it offers much better support for hot-swappable devices like tablets, keyboards and mice. As an added bonus there's no need to mess with the config files -- everything should just work. + +Normally we'd call that a good thing, but Ubuntu isn't just deprecating the X.org configuration file -- it's gone; as in not there, nada, zip, zilch. It'd be nice if everything did just work, but somehow that seems unlikely and taking away the power of hand editing your config files flies in the face of Linux's fabled customizability. Even if it does just work, what if you want it to just work your way? + +It'll be interesting to see how this fully-automated X.org feature goes over with the Linux power users who've been hand tweaking their files since before most of us knew how to pronounce Ubuntu. + +Also worth noting is that Ubuntu 8.10 drops support for some older, proprietary nVidia video drivers. The 71 and 96 series of nVidia drivers (previously available in the nvidia-glx-legacy and nvidia-glx packages) are not compatible with the version of X.Org that ships with Ubuntu 8.10. + +If you've got an affected nVidia card, there is a free nVidia driver available instead, but unfortunately that driver does not support 3D acceleration. It would have been nice if Ubuntu had waited for driver parity before dropping the old, but they didn't so if you're affected and you don't want to lose 3-D support, don't upgrade to 8.10. + +Now that we have our major gripes with Intrepid Ibex out the way, let's look at some of the very nice and welcome changes like the kernel upgrade, the latest version of GNOME, GIMP 2.6 and other good stuff. + +Although nearly every Ubuntu release features an update to the underlying Linux Kernel the average home user isn't likely to notice it; but this time around there's a good chance you will. Ubuntu now uses version 2.6.27 of the Linux kernel the new ath9k wireless driver from Atheros. The driver means it's now much easier to get up and running with Ubuntu on a slew of new laptops. The kernel update also introduces improved support for webcam hardware if you're into that sort of thing. + +Ubuntu 8.10 also sees a significant update to GNOME, which is now at version 2.24. You'll find some welcome user interface improvements in the new GNOME, most notably tabbed file browsing. Other improvements in GNOME include the Deskbar search app which can now perform tricks like calculator operations, Google searches and can even update your Twitter account. Unfortunately, it still isn't all that great of a search tool compared to Vista or OS X's search mechanisms. + +If you've been following GNOME development you'll also be aware that the latest version features a new instant messaging framework by the name of Empathy. However, the Ubuntu developers have opted to retain the old client, Pidgin, until Empathy has time to mature. + +There are a few other things missing on the software front, perhaps the most surprising is the new OpenOffice 3.0, which did not make Ubuntu's cutoff date. On the plus side you do get the latest version of GIMP, which is probably a more important update. + +There's a very nice new utility that makes creating a bootable USB version of Ubuntu a snap. All you need to do is select an ISO file and click "Make Startup Disk." Also possibly useful is the new "Cruft Remover," which takes a stab at removing unused packages from your system. Unfortunately packages coming from outside a repository seemed to confuse it. We accidentallly deleted VirtualBox and Adobe's AIR platform. While many might consider the latter to indeed be "cruft," heed our warning and excercise some caution with the Cruft Remover. + +Also worth mentioning is the new encrypted private directory feature. Once enabled (just install the ecryptfs-utils and ecryptfs-setup-private packages) you'll find a new Private folder in your /home directory. The Private folder is actually an encrypted filestore, which automatically locks and unlocks when you log in and out. Using it, or any files in it, is effectively seamless and much easier than encrypting individual files or folders. + +If the new encryption tool gains enough popularity with users, the Ubuntu development team has suggested that future releases may offer an easy way to encrypt your entire /home folder. + +Other changes in 8.10 include a refined installer which offers some nice new graphics to show your drive space and setup. There's also a new option to turn on the automatic login features. It doesn't really square with the increased emphasis on security like the file encrytion features, but if you like to bypass the login screen on startup it no longer requires a trip to the login preferences. + +At first glance Ubuntu's theme appears unchanged, but there are in fact some subtle and very Mac OS X-like UI additions. To see Mac OS X's influence you need look no further than the new eject buttons for plugged in drives and devices or the new live user switching menu which is now in the exact same place as its Mac equivalent. The shutdown/hibernate menu has also been redone to look a bit more professional, though in that case it actually looks less like the Mac version. + +Of course none of this should come as a huge surprise given that Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth has publicly said one of the distro's goals is to mirror the UI design of Mac OS X. Lest you get the idea that Ubuntu is shamelessly stealing from Apple, it's worth pointing out that, while the placement and utility is Apple-esque, the look remains wholly unique to Ubuntu. And that's the good kind of UI theft -- take what works and make it your own. + +Speaking of looks, Ubuntu has a new and ever-controversial "dark" theme available. Although by default your Ubuntu theme will look pretty much the same as recent releases, if you head into the themes panel you can easily enable the new dark theme which happens to fit well with the grunge-inspired desktop image in this version (which, yes, has the faint outline of an Ibex, though to our eyes it resembles a coffee stain more than anything else). + +Overall this is a strong update for Ubuntu and as with all Ubuntu releases ther eare new version of Kubuntu and other derivatives as well. + +The slew of upgraded apps and packages always makes new releases tempting, but for us it was NetworkManager and GNOME's tabbed browser windows that sealed the deal. Of course if you're affected by the nVidia issues or hate the thought of losing the X.org config files you might want to hold off on upgrading. Otherwise, grab your copy while it's hot.
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These days browser is really the runtime of the web. As such, web browsers and browser makers seem to spend more time these days optimizing their runtimes for developers. + +Every time you turn around there's a new JavaScript compiler, support for a still-not-actually-a-standard web "standard" or a new tool designed to make building web sites easier. As a web developer I love all this new stuff. Chrome especially has really been focusing on developers lately. Did you know you can point Chrome to a folder of <a href="http://sass-lang.com">Sass files</a>, and then edit the Sass files *in Chrome* and see your changes reflected in real-time? + +To someone who started developing for the web when Internet Explorer's view source tool handed off the source view to another app, Chrome's powers are nothing short of magical. + +Like every developer though I also *use* a web browser to, well, browse the web. Unfortunately, it feels like browser makers have been devoting decidedly less energy to this side of the user experience. + +It's great that web developers have all these cool new tools and can continue to build innovative and useful sites that can do all sorts of fancy things, but the user in me wants some of the same attention. Browser makers' focus seems to swing on a great pendulum; at the moment the pendulum has swung way out of web developer land. I have no doubt that eventually it will start to swing back and browsers will return some attention to more user-facing features. + +With 2014 almost upon us, here's a kind of wish list of things that would be nice to see alongside all the great new standards, faster JavaScript engines and awesome developer tools in next year's browsers. + +These are a few of the things I'd like as a web *user*. + +## Better Privacy Controls + +Privacy is a huge can of worms, but very simply I want a better way to manage the data that leaks out as I browse the web -- especially on mobile. + +The amount of privacy controls varies greatly between browsers, but none are ideal. Currently no browser defaults to protecting your data in any real way. Safari is probably the best of the bunch since it at least blocks third-party content out of the box. + +But browsers' current so-called privacy tools all look like the half-hearted piles of crap they are next to actually useful, third-party add-ons like <a href="http://www.ghostery.com">Ghostery</a>, <a href="http://glass.abine.com">DoNotTrackMe</a> and <a href="http://noscript.net">NoScript</a>. + +Browser makers, it's a cop-out to leave something as fundamental as privacy to third-party developers. It's time to start looking at the lack of privacy tools for what it is -- a bug in your software. Especially you Firefox, for all your lip service to privacy, the actual tools in Firefox are as pathetically absent as they are in Chrome. + +And please don't tell me about the <a href="http://www.webmonkey.com/2012/10/yahoo-microsoft-tiff-highlights-the-epic-failure-of-do-not-track/">Do Not Track proposal</a>. Users don't want ineffectual hand-wringing that seeks first and foremost to placate the advertising industry. Do Not Track is a bad joke and should be left where it belongs, in the dustbin of web history. + +Real privacy looks like this: by default the browser blocks everything. The user decides how much they want to share with the sites they visit. + +As part of the installation process the user chooses which of the dozen or so most trafficked sites they want to trust. For example, I might say okay to Twitter. Then all of Twitter's scripts, trackers and various beacons can load. If I don't do anything then everything gets blocked. And nothing from third-party ad companies is loaded, ever, period. + +If this is going to "break the web" then good, break it. It needs to break. Perhaps browser makers ought to side with users for a change instead of the big data-harvesting companies that currently rule the web. + +While having the user choose to allow some of the two dozen or so most frequently visited sites during installation seems workable, I admit the user interface for managing other sites gets a bit trickier. One idea would be to just pop up an overlay to ask the user if they trust a site. Do it the first time that site is requested and save the setting for future visits. That's more or less what all the third-party tools are already doing. + +Sadly, this is exceedingly unlikely to happen. Google's business is structured around harvesting more of your data, not offering you ways to block that harvesting. Don't expect Chrome to offer any real privacy controls any time soon. + +Firefox derives the vast majority of its income directly or indirectly from Google. That doesn't mean it too is beholden to Google, but beholden or otherwise, it has no better privacy controls. Opera is more or less Google Chrome with a coat of paint so don't expect too much there. As noted Safari is currently the best of the bunch on this score, but it's market share is insignificantly small save on mobile. Internet Explorer broadcasts the meaningless Do Not Track beacon by default, but that's about it. + +So long as the major economy of the web continues to revolve around tracking what you do and selling that information to others don't expect your privacy to be top priority with anyone. If you'd like to have some privacy today you can start with add-ons like <a href="http://www.ghostery.com">Ghostery</a>. + +## Preferred Caching + +This is a somewhat obscure technical detail, but implementing it will make the web feel faster for end users. And faster is almost always better. + +This works off the same premise that makes adding sites to a privacy whitelist much simpler than it seems -- we tend to visit the same sites over and over again. New sites are the anomaly, not the rule. + +To increase the speed at which these frequently-visited sites load, browsers should aggressively cache the resources associated with them. While this is useful in any browser, it's probably most useful on mobile devices where networks are constrained and data is often changed on a per-megabyte basis. + +Nearly every browser already knows which sites you visit most frequently, it's how browsers populate their little "speed dial" features. The only difference is that instead of just remembering them, they also cache their stylesheets and other data. As with the speed dial idea there should also be a way for users manually add sites to the preferred caching list, but that could be well buried for advanced users. The primary mechanism would be totally transparent to the user. + +Browsers already do heavily cache sites, at least to a certain extent. For example, instead of downloading the stylesheets new each time the browser just fires of a quick request to check if anything has changed since the last time it downloaded the stylesheet. Currently the browser does this for all sites, but the cache is a fixed size, which means sites with tons of data can force the browser to flush out other sites. + +Preferred caching would ensure that the browser never flushes out the caching for your favorite sites. It also ups the caching ante a bit to eliminate even the quick resource check. Instead the stylesheets are treated as a local asset and load much faster, without any network requests (sites can bust this caching by renaming resource files). + +As speed guru Steve Souders writes regarding preferred caching, "A key factor for getting web apps to perform like desktop and native apps is ensuring that their static content is immediately available on the client." That's exactly what preferred caching enables. + +As Souders notes in an older blog post <a href="http://www.stevesouders.com/blog/2012/09/12/preferred-caching/">outlining the concept</a>, Internet Explorer already does this, as least to some degree, but what would be really nice is if this caught on with mobile browsers. + +## A Responsive Image Solution + +Most users have probably never heard of responsive images, but everyone wants this one, developers and users alike, because everyone wins when sites load faster. + +Simply put, there needs to be a way to deliver smaller images to smaller screens and limited bandwidth devices and larger images to devices that warrant them. + +The hard part is that this problem turns out to be a very complex and tricky thing to solve with many different possibilities on the table. + +There have been numerous proposals for how to solve the problem and browser makers and web developers have been working on the problem for over a year now with no real solution yet in sight. + +I happen to be rooting for the <a href="https://github.com/igrigorik/http-client-hints">Client Hints</a> proposal, but anything is better than nothing. + +## Reader view AKA, saving developers from themselves. + +Just as browsers need to take some responsibility for protecting our privacy online, they need to take some responsibility for making the web a less reader-hostile place. + +I'm currently on a 15in laptop and when I visit, for example, CNN.com to read an article here's how much of the screen is actually devoted to the article: + +[image cnn-normal.jpg] + +It's become such a running joke that there are whole websites dedicated to pointing out this bit of design idiocy. + +A "reader mode" fixes the problem by extracting the main content and then reformatting it with some nice clean, readable type. It's especially nice on mobile devices where screen space is limited and small fonts are even harder to read. + +Apple's Safari already does this wonderfully; Chrome, Firefox and IE -- just copy it (Firefox has on mobile, but not on the desktop). If you don't want to wait for browsers to add this feature, you can install extensions like <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ireader/ppelffpjgkifjfgnbaaldcehkpajlmbc">iReader</a> or just use the <a href="http://www.instapaper.com/save">Instapaper bookmarklet</a>. + +## Universal sync tools + +This is purely a pipe dream, but it would be nice if open tabs and browsing history synced across browsers. In the course of a usual day I end up using Chrome and Safari on my Mac, Opera on my Android phone, Safari on iOS and Chromium on Linux. Is it so much to ask that some mechanism might give me access to my open tabs across browsers and devices? Perhaps a universal format along the lines of bookmarks files, combined with Dropbox, could solve this problem. + +## Conclusion + +There are other things it would be nice to have -- an easy and universal way to turn sites into "apps" for instance, something that can still be cumbersome on mobile platforms. Or perhaps some more fine-grained ways to control how much data is downloaded when you're on constrained mobile connections. + +What's perhaps most encouraging to note about browser wishlists like this is that usually the features are available today via some third-party tool. I don't think that's sufficient for things as fundamental as protecting privacy -- a stopgap is a stopgap, not a real solution -- but many features we take for granted today began life as third-party tools. Here's hoping that happens with your most-wanted new features. + + diff --git a/published/bubba2.txt b/published/bubba2.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3cb5637 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/bubba2.txt @@ -0,0 +1,42 @@ +If you've been wanting to set up a home server for backing up files, streaming music or corralling e-mail, but haven't made the leap because it seemed complicated, cost too much or would be an added drain on your electricity, Excito's Bubba Two Linux server might be the answer you've been seeking. + +The original Bubba was released last year and received widespread acclaim in Linux circles, but many found the small processor and lack of RAM limiting factors. To address those issues Excito recent released the Bubba Two, which offers twice the RAM of its predecessor. + +However, despite the bump in hardware, be aware that the Bubba Two is not by any means the most powerful NAS server out there. What gives Bubba Two an edge over more powerful devices is its low watt, power sipping energy requirements and its very cool browser-based management system which effectively removes the Linux from Linux, something those without a degree in network engineering will likely apprieciate. + +But the Bubba Two isn't just about low-power LAN-based backups, it's actually much more than auxiliary storage -- it's a real server, and can handle just about any home or small business LAN needs. + +The Bubba Two acts as an e-mail, FTP, print and web server, can handle file backups, streaming media and can also be a LAN hub and firewall. It also has a barebones download client that can handle HTTP/FTP/BitTorrent file downloads. + +While the Bubba Two's strong-suit is its easy-to-use web interface, which makes backing up and serving files dead simple, it also runs a full-fledged Debian Sarge install under the hood. For the Linux savvy Bubba's potential is nearly unlimited. + +Excito recently sent out a Bubba Two for us to test out and its been running on our home network for several weeks now. We've found that while our old server (an old P4 box running Fedora 6) is undenaible more powerful, the Bubba Two is simplier, quieter, easier on the power bill and frankly, more fun. + +Our review copy of the Bubba Two was surprisingly small -- not much bigger than an IDE drive -- but heavy, weighing in at almost four pounds. Getting the Bubba up and running was simply a matter of plugging it in and connecting the network cable. + +Once the little blue light came on we were immediately able to connect via the web at the Bubba Two's default address http://bubba/. While the web interface is very slick, when it comes to backing up or transfering files over your network you'll probably want to just mount the Bubba Two in your file manager. We tested and had no problems mounting the Bubba Two in Linux, Windows or OS X. + +Once Bubba Two was mounted, interacting with it was no different than with an attached drive, thanks to Samba -- just drag and drop files in either direction. + +One of the Bubba Two's standout features is its ability to stream music to iTunes-compatible music players on your LAN. Setting that up was a snap, we just copied our music files over the Bubba and told iTunes to look for shared music. If you're using another media player, the process is the same, just point your media player (we tested Banshee on our Linux laptop as well and had no issues). + +But the main reason we were interested in Bubba was its rumored ability to run Slimserver, the music streaming app that powers our Squeezebox. At the time of this writing Bubba Two can't run Slimserver out of the box, however, Excito has been promising a plugin for some time. The latest word is that Slimserver will be released in plugin form some time before the end of 2008. + +Of course the Bubba Two is running Debian and there's a version of Slimserver available for Linux, so we attempted to install it ourselves. The result was hours of frustration (not the Bubba Two's fault really), but in the end we did get it running albeit with the ooccasional crash. if you're interested in running Slimserver on a Bubba Two for a low-power, always-on music server, it's probably worth waiting for the official plugin. + +Another very cool aspect of the Bubba Two is the Bittorrent download manager. Log in through the web interface, click on Downloads, enter the URL for the download, and click Add. From there the Bubba Two does the rest, including a nice page for monitoring your download progress and showing various network stats. + +Unfortunately the Bubba Two's download client is rather minimalist -- there's no way to control bandwidth usage, control what sort of peers you connect to or anything else. In fact, the download client is pretty much just a file upload form that then shows a progress bar. + +It works just fine for FTP/HTTP downloads, but with bittorrent files it leaves much to be desired. But again, Debian can help and the Linux savvy won't have any trouble installing rTorrent, which offers some more advanced controls and has been happily downloading and seeding all our torrents for weeks now. + +Another area Bubba Two excells ar is handling e-mail. If you've got mail accounts on a variety of servers -- POP3 or IMAP -- keeping track of all of them in your e-mail client can be a pain. But with the Bubba, it's simple to aggregate all your e-mail to one server. + +To set up Bubba to handle your e-mail, just head to the web admin and click Mail. Then just fill in the same account information that you would enter to configure a normal email client. Once you have all your accounts setup the Bubba Two will collect and store your email, and you can access it at http://bubba/webmail or set up your e-mail client to connect to Bubba's IMAP server. + +Given that the Bubba Two is ripe for experimentation, the ability to easiily recover from screw-ups is key. Fortunately, another of the Bubba's strengths is the ability easily reflash the drive (we got quite good at this during our attempts to install Slimserver). To reset your Bubba Two just download the latest bubba.img file from Excito, copy it to a FAT32-formatted USB stick, and plugiin it in to your Bubba Two. Then hold the power button to reflash the drive. It can take a little while and obviously it will erase your data, so make sure you have a backup before experimenting. + + +The Bubba Two starts at €288 with no drive and runs from there up to 427 for the largest, 1 TB model. At the moment Excito is sold our of the Bubba Two, though the company promises that more stock should arrive later in December. + +[1]: http://forum.excito.net/viewtopic.php?t=1127&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=install+rtorrent&start=15
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This release cycle -- which will deliver version 14.04, nicknamed Trusty Tahr -- will be an important one because it culminates in a Long Term Support (LTS) version, the first in two years. + +That means not only will Ubuntu 14.04 be supported for five years, this will be the first time many users move beyond the last LTS release -- 12.04. + +The mainstream, Unity-powered Ubuntu you know and love no longer releases an initial beta. That doesn't mean though that there are no Ubuntu beta 1 releases. In fact almost all of the major Ubuntu "flavors" are participating in the first beta release this cycle. + +If you've never tried anything but Ubuntu, it's time to branch out. There are quite a few alternative flavors, including the Xfce-based, Xubuntu, the KDE-based Kubuntu, the LDXE-based Lubuntu and the relative newcomer -- GNOME-based Ubuntu GNOME. + +The release of Trusty Tahr also coincides with the end of Microsoft support for Windows XP, which means the Linux world may well see a large influx of users in the coming year. + +While Ubuntu is perhaps the best known name in Linux, the primary, Unity-based Ubuntu may prove too much of a departure for many in the stolid world of IT. With that in mind, here's a quick rundown of what's coming for each of the major alternative 'buntus. + +Keep in mind that nearly all of these share the same Debian underpinnings, so you still get your Ubuntu Software Center, the apt-get system and access to Ubuntu's extensive repositories. Most of them also offer the same great hardware support you'll find in Ubuntu proper. The primary difference here comes down to desktop environment. + +## Xubuntu + +Of all the various 'buntu alternatives, Xubuntu is most likely to feel natural to Windows XP refugees. Shipping with what purists might call a bloated version of Xfce, Xubuntu is nevertheless quite lightweight for a 'buntu distro. It has everything you'd want in a traditional desktop environment and makes a fine replacement for Windows XP (or GNOME 3, or Unity, as many have already discovered). + +Xfce isn't trying to revolutionize the desktop experience. In fact, it's conservative enough that the always conservative Debian will be basing its next major release around Xfce rather than GNOME. + +That, combined with the fact that this is an LTS release, make Xubuntu 14.04 a fairly conservative release. The Xfce desktop will be updated to version 4.11, along with the usual slew of bug fixes and app updates you'd expect, but there won't be the kind of radical changes that have you hunting for missing buttons or scratching your head at the strange search results you get while searching for files. + +Xubuntu is the lightweight but powerful variant of the Ubuntu line. This release will continue the tradition of stable, no-nonsense releases that wrap the best of Ubuntu's underpinnings in the Xfce desktop. + +## Kubuntu + +The KDE world is gearing up for KDE Frameworks 5, though it will not arrive in time for Kubuntu 14.04. + +Like Xubuntu, Kubuntu will not be making any revolutionary changes in Trusty Tahr. This release will feature KDE Platform 4.12, which offers some minor updates to the KDE desktop and accompanying apps. For example, the popular Kate text editor gets even more powerful with support for Vim macros; and the ebook reader Okular gains support for more Epub 3 features --including embedded HTML5 audio and video. + +Kubuntu 14.04 is also set to include an all new Driver Manager that also ties into the notification system, letting you know when better drivers for your hardware are available. + +While OpenSUSE remains my favorite KDE distro, Kubuntu 14.04 is looking like a great way to run KDE atop a Debian-based system. + +## Lubuntu + +The lightest of the lightweight, Lubuntu features the minimalist LXDE desktop. If you have older hardware that struggles with today's graphics-intensive desktops, Lubuntu just might be the distro you need to breathe some new life into your machine. + +Version 14.04 marks the first time Lubuntu has released an LTS version. As such this will very much be an incremental update for Lubuntu. In fact, given the nature of LXDE -- a very traditional desktop -- don't expect too much to ever change in Lubuntu. + +That said, there will be a significant under-the-hood change coming in future versions of Lubuntu as the team migrates from the GTK-based LXDE to Qt-based LXDE. The fruits of that change will likely begin to show in the Lubuntu 14.10 release, due later this year. + +## Ubuntu GNOME + +Ubuntu GNOME is the new flavor on the block (and has apparently not yet embraced Gubuntu, or GNubuntu). As of the beta it looks like Ubuntu GNOME will stick with GNOME 3.10. That's probably the right choice for an LTS release, though it does mean Ubuntu GNOME will be a bit behind the curve as the next release for most other distros will likely be GNOME 3.12, which packs in numerous improvements. + +Frankly, GNOME Shell is rather strange atop Ubuntu. It's about halfway to Unity. The whole time I was testing, I couldn't help wondering, well, why? GNOME is too much like Unity to really distinguish itself like the other flavors and yet not enough like Unity to grab center stage in the integrated, neat and tidy Ubuntu universe that Unity enjoys. + +Ubuntu GNOME is an odd duck, but if you prefer GNOME to Unity, it has you covered. + +## Conclusion + +The future of Ubuntu is clearly based around Unity and its integration across all facets of hardware, be it desktop, tablet, mobile or the web-enabled super watch/glasses/embedded neurochip of the future (please, no). That doesn't mean though that you can't use one flavor on your desktop and another on your phone. In fact that's part of the beautify of the various Ubuntu flavors, all the good of Ubuntu, but with the desktop of your choice. + + + + + diff --git a/published/chrome38review.txt b/published/chrome38review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..076db3e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/chrome38review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,26 @@ +Google recently pushed out Chrome 38, the latest version of the company's web browser, for desktop and mobile devices. + +Google updates Chrome every six weeks, so often in fact that much of the time there isn't much in the way of new features in these updates. This release is different in that regard. + +Chrome 38 is the first web browser to support the brand new HTML Picture element. + +The Picture element is one of several new tools for web developers which allow websites to serve different images based on the screen size of the device you're using. Though Picture gets all of the attention, much of the time developers <a href="http://blog.cloudfour.com/dont-use-picture-most-of-the-time/">won't even need the new element</a>, just the new attributes for the <code><img></code> element. + +What's the big deal? You’ve probably noticed that it's increasingly common for websites to adapt their layout to fit your device. For example, on small screens a site might collapse menus and vertically stack content blocks that would be arranged differently on a larger screen. These flexible layouts are part of what's known as responsive web design. When done properly it means a single website, with all the same content, works well on every device. + +But while developers have tools to handle changing around the layout, there isn't much they can do about the size of images in those layouts. So while an image might be scaled down to fit your phone, behind the scenes your browser still downloads a large file. That's a waste of bandwidth -- sending a huge image to a tiny screen. So, when building responsive websites developers have resorted to various hacks when handling images. Until now. + +The Picture element and the new attributes available on the good old <code><img></code> element change that. As Google puts it in <a href="http://blog.chromium.org/2014/08/chrome-38-beta-new-primitives-for-next.html">the Chrome 38 announcement</a>, these new responsive image tools "bake an elegant solution right into the web platform". + +For now, Chrome 38 is the only browser with support for responsive images, though Opera 25 will have support when it emerges from Opera's beta channel. Firefox will also support responsive images in a release later this year, and the IE team has indicated that responsive images support is on their roadmap as well. + +Chrome may be the first web browser to support responsive images, but the fact that there's a solution at all is due, not to some standards body or innovative web browser developers, but thanks to the efforts of the web development community. + +The <a href="http://responsiveimages.org/">responsive images community group</a> at the W3C, led by developer Mat Marquis, developed the specification for the new Picture element and the new attributes on the <code><img></code> element. The spec took several years and a lot of hard work from several dozen core developers, but a spec is just words until a web browser actually starts supporting it, which is why Chrome 38 is so important. + +Support for responsive images in Chrome 38 is largely the result of developer Yoav Weiss, who helped implement support for responsive images in Chrome as part of a successful crowd funding campaign. + +The net result of all this effort for users are websites that are faster and lighter on your mobile's data plan. If you'd like to see the new responsive image support in action, make sure you've got the latest version of Chrome and head on over to this <a href="https://longhandpixels.net/blog/2014/02/complete-guide-picture-element">responsive images demo</a>. + +Chrome 38 contains a few other new features for developers as well, notably some more support for new features in JavaScript (part of the support for the ECMAScript 6 draft specification). For full details on everything else that's new, you can check out the <a href="https://www.chromestatus.com/features">Chromium Dashboard site</a>. + diff --git a/published/cinn26-2panels.png b/published/cinn26-2panels.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..74d7251 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinn26-2panels.png diff --git a/published/cinn26-nemo.png b/published/cinn26-nemo.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1071e40 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinn26-nemo.png diff --git a/published/cinn26-panel.png b/published/cinn26-panel.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..44804d5 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinn26-panel.png diff --git a/published/cinnamon2-main-menu.jpg b/published/cinnamon2-main-menu.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..20a4302 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinnamon2-main-menu.jpg diff --git a/published/cinnamon2-user-applet.jpg b/published/cinnamon2-user-applet.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4727bf5 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinnamon2-user-applet.jpg diff --git a/published/cinnamon2-window-snapping.jpg b/published/cinnamon2-window-snapping.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..74b4d7c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinnamon2-window-snapping.jpg diff --git a/published/cinnamon2-window-tiling.jpg b/published/cinnamon2-window-tiling.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8127846 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinnamon2-window-tiling.jpg diff --git a/published/cinnamon2-windowsnapping.gif b/published/cinnamon2-windowsnapping.gif Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6345869 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinnamon2-windowsnapping.gif diff --git a/published/cinnamon2.txt b/published/cinnamon2.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4888221 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinnamon2.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +The Cinnamon Desktop project has released version 2, a major overhaul of the desktop environment that's best known as the default option for Linux Mint's flagship release. + +Indeed, the new Cinnamon 2.0 will be part of Linux Mint 16, "Petra", which is scheduled for release toward the end of November. The team behind Cinnamon then plans to backport the 2.0 release for the Debian edition of Mint, as well as most recent LTS release: Linux Mint 13. + +The big news in this release though is that it should now be much easier to get Cinnamon running in any distro thanks to the fact that it's now independent of GNOME 3. + +Cinnamon is still built on top of familiar GNOME technologies like GTK, but it no longer requires GNOME itself to be installed. Instead Cinnamon 2.0 uses its own backend services and libraries to do the heavy lifting. + +Like Ubuntu's Unity desktop, Cinnamon began life as an alternative interface for GNOME 3. Because GNOME 3 changes considerably with each six month release, Cinnamon 1.x releases had to be built against specific versions of GNOME. For example Cinnamon 1.8, which shipped with Mint 15, was designed specifically to run atop GNOME 3.6. That tight coupling meant that while it worked great in Linux Mint 15, it was challenging to get it running on other distributions. + +Cinnamon 2.0 solves that by swapping out all the GNOME 3 guts for its own homegrown tools (the one exception being the Bluetooth daemon, which is still the GNOME 3 version). That makes Cinnamon more portable, which is great for users, but it also frees the developers to innovate and create new features without worrying about how they will be affected by future changes in GNOME. + +Indeed the fruits of the move away from GNOME tools to the new Cinnamon backend can already be seen. As lead developer Clement Lefebvre put it when he announced the new Cinnamon 2.0, "some of the new features in Cinnamon 2.0 would not have been possible without [custom tools]." He goes on to add that from now on, "if a new feature requires changes across multiple components of the desktop, the team is no longer restricted by the limitation or the design of the GNOME backend components." + +In other words, the future of the Cinnamon desktop is no longer bound to the future of GNOME 3. + +So what do you get with your new homegrown Cinnamon backend? + +For starters you get some much improved user and group management tools and several new features for Nemo, Cinnamon's default file browser. + +The most noticeable new feature though is the new, improved window tiling and snapping. The new edge snapping feature in Cinnamon 2.0 was inspired by the "Snap" functionality of Xbox One. Similar to tiling windows, snapped windows stick to the edge or corner of your screen, but unlike tiled windows snapped windows are not covered by maximized windows. So, for example, you can maximize a terminal window and then snap your media player to one edge of the screen. The result is a setup that gives you access to all your running terminal sessions and media player without needing to shuffle windows or switch workspaces. It's not as nice as a dual monitor solution, but if you've got a laptop edge snapping is about as close as you can get to dual monitors. + +Other improvements in window tiling include a visible landing zone when you drag windows -- what Mint calls the "HUD" -- and the ability to resize tiled windows. In other words, tiled windows no longer need to occupy half of the screen, they will by default, but you can resize them to get your workspace looking exactly how you'd like. + +Cinnamon 2.0's new GNOME-free backend also sports a new Users and Groups utility for administrators to easily control permissions, users and groups. There's a new User applet for the Cinnamon panel as well, which gives quick access to common session and account related tasks like logging out, switching users, quickly accessing settings and more. One great option in the applet is the ability to easily disable notifications, perfect for those times when you need to get some uninterrupted work done. + +The other most noticeable new features in this release are found in Nemo, Cinnamon's default file browser. The best news about Nemo is that performance has been improved. Previous releases could be a little sluggish and the UI wasn't always the most polished, but that too has been fixed in this release. + +Nemo has also added a few missing features, including a fix for one of the most annoying things in previous releases -- there was no easy way to associate file types with applications. Now it's simple to say, for instance, always open text files in GEdit (or Sublime or whichever app you prefer). + +Other improvements in Cinnamon 2.0 include smaller things like system tray support for file operations. Previously if you closed the dialog box showing a file copy operation in progress it just disappeared, but now it minimizes to the system tray. There's also support for the Nemo extension, nemo-preview, which is a nice fork/port of GNOME's Sushi file previewer. + +Cinnamon 2.0 will no doubt be a big selling point for Linux Mint 16 when it arrives in final form later this year. What's far more interesting though is the notion that Cinnamon is now a much more cross-distro option. For the first time Cinnamon feels more like a real alternative desktop rather than something designed for Linux Mint that half works everywhere else. + +If you're on Ubuntu or Mint there's a PPA available for Cinnamon 2.0. I also installed it in Fedora without difficulty. Based on my own testing I would suggest going with Fedora, Mint or Ubuntu 13.04; the just-released Ubuntu 13.10 did not play nicely with Cinnamon 2.0. Or at least does not play nicely alongside Unity, which I wasn't able to use again until I had un-installed Cinnamon 2.0. + + diff --git a/published/cinnamon26.txt b/published/cinnamon26.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..543a06c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/cinnamon26.txt @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +The Cinnamon desktop project has released version 2.6 of what's fast becoming one of the nicest desktops around. + +Cinnamon is best known as one of the two default desktops available for Linux Mint. Linux Mint is getting very close to its next major update. + +The forthcoming Linux Mint 17.2 will include the brand new Cinnamon 2.6 when it's released later this year, but Cinnamon is no longer just a Linux Mint desktop. + +In fact Cinnamon is now available directly as part of the just released Debian 8 and Fedora 22. Naturally Cinnamon will work with many other distros as well, but its inclusion in the default installers for big names like Debian and Fedora marks a turning point for Cinnamon -- this is no longer just an "alternative" desktop customized for a single distro. + +While Cinnamon continues to grow and has become a part of several distros, it is still very much a part of the Linux Mint project and Linux Mint remains the only distro to offer Cinnamon as the default desktop. But it's also becoming something bigger as well, something that's clearly proving popular with users. + +Part of that growth in popularity is no doubt related to Cinnamon sticking with the traditional desktop paradigm -- i.e. panels with applets, a start menu and system tray. While some will find that "old fashioned", clearly there are plenty of users looking for just that in a desktop. Indeed Cinnamon would be my top pick for Linux newcomers, especially those looking to get off the now long abandoned Windows XP. + +There's good reason too. Cinnamon manages to offer a desktop experience that's both familiar and yet feels modern. + +Cinnamon 2.6 is a major update that builds on the previous release while adding much improved support for dual monitors, better panels and some speed improvements that will make your desktop experience a bit snappier. + +Some the attention that developers have been giving Cinnamon is likely a result of Linux Mint sticking with Ubuntu 14.04 as its base for two years. That means that Mint has been able to concentrate on things other than compatibility with upstream packages. Among those other things is the Cinnamon desktop. + +Cinnamon 2.6 isn't a radical departure, but it does have some very welcome new features including much better multi-monitor support, particularly when it comes to the Cinnamon panels. + +The panels in Cinnamon were previously one of the least configurable elements of the desktop. That changes in this release. Panels can now be added, deleted and moved around independently. That means you can put your panel at the top of the screen if you like. If you have dual (or more) monitors, you can easily set up your monitors to have entirely separate panels. You can even copy panel settings and paste them onto a new panel. You can also move a panel wherever you like. + +Panels in Cinnamon 2.6 also have a new hiding option dubbed "Intelligently hide", which means that the panel is always visible until a window moves into its space as which point it slides out of the way. Applets are also a bit smarter, particularly with regard to multiple monitors. For example, the windows list applet now only shows the windows in the current monitor. + +There's a brand new applet as well, the interesting "Inhibit" applet, which allows you to quickly disable notifications and turn off power management features. The inhibit applet will also let you know when another program is disabling power management (or is not disabling power management, which helps debug why your computer is going to sleep when you don't want it to). + +The Cinnamon System Settings app continues to get refined and simplified. This time around the Power Management, Brightness and Batteries panels have all been combined into a single Power Management panel. Some system defaults have been improved as well, for example if your hardware supports it two-finger touchpad scrolling will automatically be turned on when you install Cinnamon 2.6. + +The System Settings app also gets some flashy new transitions between panels, new panels slide in and out of view. I'm not a huge fan of animations, but in Cinnamon 2.6 they're fast enough that you're not losing any time and in some cases they make it much more obvious that something has changed on the screen. + +There are also some welcome changes in Nemo, the default file browser for Cinnamon. Nemo now has a new plugin manager that makes it easy to enable and disable extensions, scripts or "actions". There are a lot of third-party scripts and actions out there, as well as those provided by Linux Mint -- including some very nice tools for working with Dropbox or quickly opening a Terminal session -- and with this update it's much easier to install and manage them. + +It's worth noting that Nemo has been patched to work with Ubuntu's Unity as a drop-in replacement for the Nautilus file browser, which, despite Ubuntu's patches, seems to get more and more crippled with every GNOME update. + +Under the hood Cinnamon 2.6 sees a number of improvements that should speed up your desktop experience and be a little be less resource intensive. The menu item, for example, now refreshes much less often and the recent files feature has been revamped to use fewer resources. See the <a href="http://segfault.linuxmint.com/2015/06/cinnamon-2-6/">Linux Mint Segfault blog</a> for full details on all the speed improvements in Cinnamon 2.6. + +I've tested Cinnamon 2.6 using Mint 17.1 (via the Romeo repositories), as well as in Fedora 22 and found it to be stable in both. There were some occasional glitches and visual oddities in Fedora, but nothing show stopping. Cinnamon 2.6 will be available by default in Linux Mint 17.2, which is slated to arrive by the end of the month, and in LMDE 2 Betsy. If you don't want to wait you can install Cinnamon 2.6 in <a href="http://segfault.linuxmint.com/2015/05/early-access-cinnamon-2-6-in-romeo/">Linux Mint 17.1</a> as well. + +Screenshots: + +cinn26-nemo.png The new plugins manager for Nemo in Cinnamon 2.6. +cinn26-2panels.png Cinnamon 2.6 with multiple panels, individually configured. +cinn26-panel.png System Settings showing some of the new options for panels in Cinnamon 2.6 . diff --git a/published/crunchbangpp.png b/published/crunchbangpp.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6e5db78 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/crunchbangpp.png diff --git a/published/debian-chromium.jpg b/published/debian-chromium.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f27ac05 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian-chromium.jpg diff --git a/published/debian-desktop.jpg b/published/debian-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9c0b937 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/debian-installer.jpg b/published/debian-installer.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..dd14c7c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian-installer.jpg diff --git a/published/debian-softwarecenter.jpg b/published/debian-softwarecenter.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1bd0efc --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian-softwarecenter.jpg diff --git a/published/debian20.txt b/published/debian20.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..19d2d98 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian20.txt @@ -0,0 +1,40 @@ +Today the Debian software foundation marks a milestone not many pieces of software last long enough to see -- its 20 year anniversary. + +What's more remarkable about Debian is that it continues to not just produce great, reliable software that forms the foundation of dozens of other distros, including Ubuntu, but it remains, after all these years, true to the vision (and accompanying manifesto) that gave birth to it 20 years ago. + +The Debian Project was founded by Ian Murdock and officially brought to life on August 16th, 1993. With the backing of the Free Software Foundation's GNU project, Murdock set out to create what he called, "a distribution that lives up to the Linux name." Murdock's <a href="http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/project-history/ap-manifesto.en.html">vision for Debian</a> was to "carefully and conscientiously put together" a distribution that "will be maintained and supported with similar care." + +As you might expect, Linux was in its infancy and installing it was no small feat. The concept of a "distribution", as we know it today was relatively new. Certainly maintaining a collection of code as vast and tangled as Debian was unheard of. + +Indeed to this day, while Debian is clearly not all sunshine and roses, the stable channel release remains one of the most rock solid, well-built Linux distros in the community. That's why Ubuntu and countless other distros start with Debian's core -- because they can depend on that stability. + +While stability might be Debian's hallmark (though there are of course other channels which offer more cutting edge releases), the other aspect that makes Debian stand out from the crowd is Murdock's emphasis on doing everything in the open -- anyone can contribute, everyone can see what's going on. That's since become the guiding principle of many a free software project, but today it's becoming less common again, which is precisely where Debian still looks like a leader even 20 years on. + +But the distribution, the actual packages and code that make up Debian, are, in the long run, only half of what makes Debian important in the open software world. Debian's real strength is philosophical and cultural. + +That Debian remains free -- in nearly every sense of the word -- in a largely unfree world makes it more than a Linux distribution, it makes it an icon. Today's Debian occupies a role not unlike that of Patti Smith's role with punk rock -- the elder statesman, or woman as it were, that never sold out. + +There is a progression down the rabbit hole of free software, one that is traced in some detail in E. Gabriella Coleman's Coding Freedom, a book about Debian hackers and free software more generally. For most of us the journey into Linux and often free software more generally starts with distros like Ubuntu or Mint, which both make great starting points for anyone moving away from software like Windows. They're friendly for newcomers, they have graphical wrappers for most tools and for the most part they "just work". + +But as you become more familiar with Linux and begin to dig deeper into the system, installing and customizing countless packages along the way, you will inevitably brush up against some disdain for the gateway distros like Ubuntu. + +Criticisms range from the ideological -- the inclusion of non-free software, for example -- to the more practical -- some distros are slow to give their code back to the projects that form their core. + +At some point the Linux newcomer, who is by now fast morphing into an intermediate or even advanced user, decides to install these source distros they've heard about on a spare partition or perhaps just a virtual machine. And the progression continues further down the rabbit hole until finally a new Debian user comes into the fold. + +But there is often parallel transformation that happens under the surface of something as seemingly trivial as switching distros. Somewhere along the way the curious user morphs not just to a more advanced technical user, but a more involved user -- a user that isn't in it just for the software anymore, but is part of a philosophically different approach to software. And more involved users are exactly the people that make Debian, Debian. + +To understand what the next 20 years of Debian will look like, you need look no further than the core document that has guided these first 20 years -- the legendary <a href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract">Debian Social Contract</a>. A kind of Catcher in the Rye of the free software movement, part of what gives the Debian Social Contract the power to galvanize young developers in the spirit of something bigger than just making cool software, is not just the ideas in it, but the elegant simplicity of it. + +With Debian you know where you stand. Essentially you are Debian. To put another way, you can be as much a part of Debian as you would like; there are no barriers to entry and no requirements for use. + +Open and welcoming though it may be, you are not Ubuntu. You are a user of Ubuntu. It's a subtle distinction perhaps, but it's also part of the contract -- you know where you stand. And that applies to high level philosophical ideals about free software as well as everyday stuff like release dates, which Debian doesn't have. Instead it has rough targets, but Debian releases are released when they are deemed ready and not before, even if that means targets are missed and new software arrives later than intended (this is part of why Debian offers a rolling distro, for those who'd prefer not to wait). + +There are downsides to Debian's approach. The openness that comes with Debian's contract means that internal disputes and developer differences can be very loud and very public. Sometimes the divisiveness spills out into the larger Debian community in unpleasant ways. But, messy though it may sometimes be, the openness has nevertheless served Debian well. + +Twenty years ago Murdock ended his manifesto with the warning that "the time has come to concentrate on the future of Linux rather than on the destructive goal of enriching oneself at the expense of the entire Linux community and its future." That warning feels every bit as necessary today when the lure of app stores and every other manner of tightly controlled development encroaches on Linux from all sides. + +Even if you don't use Debian there's a good chance that you've benefited from the project over the last twenty years and there's an equally good chance you'll benefit from it again sometime over the next twenty years. + + + diff --git a/published/debian6-desktop.jpg b/published/debian6-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..ba2cf37 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian6-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/debian6-installer.jpg b/published/debian6-installer.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9262aa7 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian6-installer.jpg diff --git a/published/debian6.txt b/published/debian6.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..51d8bba --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian6.txt @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +After two years of development, Debian 6.0 is finally here. The Debian project does not follow a set schedule for new releases, preferring to take a "it will be released when it's ready" approach, which is why, unlike Ubuntu, Debian releases are generally several years apart. + +It used to be that the release of a new version of Debian was cause for celebration in Linux circles -- and no doubt it still is in some of them -- but Debian's upstart offspring, namely Ubuntu, has managed to steal much of its thunder lately. Of course without Debian, Ubuntu would cease to exist. Part of the reason Ubuntu has been able to focus on polishing the Linux desktop is that Debian provides the core packages Ubuntu relies on. No Debian, no Ubuntu. + +Ubuntu's added polish on top of its Debian core used to mean it was a much easier distro for Linux newcomers to install and use. But with Debian 6, dubbed "Squeeze," that's really not true anymore. + +Debian 6 -- and arguably its predecessor as well -- is no more difficult to install than Ubuntu and it "just works" right out of the box on every piece of hardware I've tested it on. Given the wide range of hardware support Debian boasts -- ARM, PowerPC, Itanium, IBM S/390, along with the usual x86 chips -- you'd be hard pressed to find somewhere Debian doesn't work. + +Part of the reason for Debian's wide variety of support hardware is that the distro has become a mainstay of servers and embedded devices, but the venerable distro makes a fine option for a no-nonsense desktop as well. + +With Ubuntu making some questionable decisions regarding its future -- like abandoning GNOME 3 in favor of the Unity Desktop -- some Ubuntu fans might want to take another look at Ubuntu's parent. + +In some cases you can even have your Debian and eat Ubuntu too. For example, Debian now includes Ubuntu's Software Center app, which means you can enjoy the same polished graphical interface for installing software as you would in Ubuntu. + +The default GNOME desktop (what you get if you opt for the simplest installation options) has a new theme in this release that adds a bit more splash to the interface. It's not as slick as Ubuntu, but it can hold its own with Fedora. + +Where downstream distros based on Debian have been obsessing over the details of the user experience, Debian has been focusing on what has long been its hallmark -- stability. If you want bleeding edge packages then go with Ubuntu, if you want a rock solid desktop or server then Debian is for you. + +Debian 6 builds on that reputation with a more conservative list of updates than you might find in Ubuntu or Fedora's releases. GNOME is at version 2.30 -- a couple versions behind the current release 2.32 -- while KDE is as 4.4.5, a bit behind KDE 4.6. The other Debian desktops similarly lag a bit behind. + +That doesn't mean there's nothing new Debian 6 though. In fact there are over 10,000 new software packages available, ranging from the Chromium web browser (the open source version of Google Chrome), to a new network manager. + +Perhaps one of the nicest features in Debian is the ability to have both GNOME and KDE on your system at once. The two even integrate into each other's menu systems. It looks a bit odd, but if you want everything and the kitchen sink, Debian makes it easy. + +Another area where Debian differs from its downstream offspring like Ubuntu is its emphasis on free software, as in freedom. Debian removes the binary blobs from the default Linux kernel and, while Debian so far has stopped short of removing all non-free software from its repositories, none of its default desktop configurations include any non-free software. Instead you'll find free software alternatives, like Gnash instead of Adobe Flash. + +If you don't mind the occasional proprietary software or driver, you can of course grab most of them from the repositories. + +What you won't find in Debian is the extra layer of polish that the Ubuntu team puts into their releases. Debian's desktop did get a new theme for this release, but it's a far cry from Ubuntu's obsession with perfecting the gradients in toolbars or continually tweaking its icons. If you want that level of obsession, but don't want to give in to Steve Jobs, then Ubuntu is for you. If you really don't care how many pixels are which shade of grey, then Debian works just fine. + +If Debian's Squeeze release has a drawback it's that the hardware requirements have been bumped up slightly and when it comes to downloading the latest copy, Ubuntu users might be left scratching their heads -- do you really need 8 DVDs to install Squeeze? No, you don't. All you need is the first CD or DVD and a network connection to grab any extra packages you might want to install. The extra CDs and DVDs are just extra packages, most of which you probably don't need. + +While Debian is delivered as an all-in-one package (there's no Kubuntu or the like), this release does see some new pre-configured setups that Debian refers to as Debian Pure Blends. There are Pure Blends tailored for a multimedia workstation, specialized GIS map workstations, chemistry workstations and several others. + +Perhaps the oddest news in this release is Debian's decision to offer a variant with the FreeBSD kernel stuffed into the Debian userspace. Yes, you read that right, Debian without the Linux. The FreeBSD version of Debian is, for now, what the developers call a technology preview with"limited advanced desktop features." That means, if you've been clamoring for a way to relive the Debian of 1999, this is probably for you. + +For the rest of us the Debian of 2011 makes a nice, stable alternative to Ubuntu, even if it does perhaps lack a little of the polish and shine that has endeared Ubuntu to the masses. + diff --git a/published/debian7-desktop.jpg b/published/debian7-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b1b4d83 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian7-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/debian7-iceweasel.jpg b/published/debian7-iceweasel.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..c02aef1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian7-iceweasel.jpg diff --git a/published/debian7.txt b/published/debian7.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..db478c1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian7.txt @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +The venerable Debian project has released its first major update in over two years. + +Debian 7, or "Wheezy" as this release is known, brings Debian up to speed with some of its more famous offspring like Ubuntu, though, true to its roots, Debian's stable release continues to focus on just that -- stability. + +If you're looking for a stable, rock solid Linux distro the new Debian will not disappoint. If you prefer to have the latest and greatest software on your machine you're better off sticking with more popular Debian offspring like Ubuntu or Mint, both of which start from Debian's unstable release channel and then add their own software on top (Mint offers a more direct Debian descendant that pulls from the somewhat stabler Debian testing, also the source of Ubuntu's LTS releases). While both add quite a bit to Debian's base offering, it's important to remember that without Debian there'd be no Ubuntu, no Mint. + +For those who prefer the stable core of Debian without the cruft of Unity, Cinnamon or other downstream add-ons, Debian 7 is an important release. + +There's no better way to see how Debian's emphasis on stability translates to the real world than a quick look at what's new in Debian 7. For the most part Debian 7's software and tools will be old news to anyone using Ubuntu, but that's by design. + +Sometimes the stable-by-design approach is a good thing, but is does mean that Debian still has some rather creaky tools in it, like the Linux 3.2 kernel, which was first released in January of 2012. The latest kernel is 3.9. More than just being a few releases behind, sticking with 3.2 means users may have trouble getting Debian to run properly on some of the latest hardware available (to say nothing of any hardware coming in the near future). On the plus side Debian 7 does, despite the older kernel, support UEFI installations on x86_64 hardware. + +The latest desktops available for Debian 7 include GNOME 3.4, KDE 4.8, and Xfce 4.8. The latest is a bit disappointing since Xfce is one of the best (and most popular) desktops for Debian and the latest version Xfce 4.10 has quite a few features that now won't make Debian's stable release for another two years. Likewise GNOME is now up to 3.8. But again, if this is the sort of thing that bothers you, Debian stable releases are not for you. + +This is also the first Debian release to default to using ext4 file system rather than ext3, a leap most distros made quite a while ago. some years ago. + +Some years ago there was a popular joke among early Ubuntu adopters that "Ubuntu" was an ancient African word meaning "can't install Debian," but it's been some time since that joke had any basis in reality. Indeed Wheezy continues to offer a simple, if somewhat less flashy, graphical installer that walks even newcomers through the installation process with just as much hand-holding ease as you'll find in Ubuntu or Mint. Seasoned Debian experts can of course choose a variety of installation methods including the good old command line. + +There are also numerous ways to install Debian, including the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach of downloading not just the installation CD, but all of the Debian repos as well. The simplest and most practical way to install, provided you have fast internet access, is the net install disk. If you go with the defaults you'll end up with a GNOME 3 desktop, though it's easy to add a sane desktop environment like Xfce. + +Among the things you'll notice in a fresh install of Debian are updates for Iceweasel and Icedove, Debian's re-branded versions of Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, respectively. More remarkable changes come in the form of libav, which replaces ffmpeg. Debian has given ffmpeg the heave-ho in favor of libav-tools, a libav fork, because, in the words of Debian developers, it is "considered to feature a more conservative release process and thus fit better to Debian's needs." + +Swapping out some audio tools isn't nearly as big a deal as what libav-tools adds to the mix, namely baked in codec support for MP3 and AAC audio as well as H.264 video. In most cases that means installing third-party "restricted" packages shouldn't be necessary. Yes, it's true, Debian now has possibly some of the best out of the box codec support you're likely to find. And fear not, libav-tools has all the libraries you need for frontends like mplayer or VLC. + +While new codecs and file system changes may be the biggest thing users notice, for Debian developers Wheezy is probably most notable for the herculean effort that brings Multiarch support to Debian 7. Multiarch is an entirely new way of running 32-bit apps on 64-bit systems. It's disruptive because it breaks the long assumed ideal that, on Unix systems, the library and include paths needed by applications are at the same level in the filesystem hierarchy. In other words, with Multiarch, apps that make this assumption break. + +Given the potential pain, why bother? The Debian devs have a rather <a href="http://wiki.debian.org/Multiarch/TheCaseForMultiarch">lengthy treatise</a> on why Multiarch is not just necessary, but actually good, that can be summed up as follows: 32/64-bit libraries can be seamlessly installed on the same system, "including future expansion for new architectures." Debian supports a wide range of architectures -- ARM, PowerPC, Itanium, IBM S/390, and others, along with the usual x86 chips -- so anything that helps make maintaining that support easier in the future will rank high on Debian's to do list. + +Of course Debian is about stability, so while Multiarch support long ago hit Ubuntu, Wheezy is the first Debian stable release with Multiarch enabled. The effort put into Multiarch also means there are a few things planned for Wheezy that were not finished in time for the final release, including full IPv6 support and large file support among others. + +In the end, if you frequently play around with any of the various Linux distros that use Debian as a starting point, actual Debian updates look like yesterday's news. But if you need a rock solid system, whether for a desktop, server or other workstation, one that won't constantly break things with half-baked updates and questionable new features, Debian remains the best choice and Wheezy is a welcome update. + +If you'd like the best of both worlds, great stability, but with access to newer packages, you can use the Debian testing release or use Debian backports, which are packages from the testing and unstable releases recompiled so they will run (without new libraries) on a stable Debian distribution. + +If you'd like something a bit more like Ubuntu, but without the privacy invasions and questionable interface design decisions, there's always Debian's testing release (the basis of Ubuntu LTS releases) or Debian unstable, the basis of most Ubuntu releases. Both releases will soon begin to see the first effort that will eventually yield Debian 8, or "Jessie," as the next release will be called. diff --git a/published/debian8.txt b/published/debian8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..36d273f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/debian8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +It's that time of decade again: there's a new Debian stable release available. + +The Debian Project may not actually be that slow with new releases, but sometimes it feels like it. The venerable Linux distro typically releases a new version "when it's ready", which seems to work out to about once every two years lately. + +Debian 8, dubbed Jessie in keeping with the Toy Story naming scheme (Jessie was the cowgirl character in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3), had its feature freeze back in November of last year and there's a been a beta and now an RC release available for testing. + +The Debian project has three branches available -- Stable, Testing and the Arch-like Unstable. Ubuntu is built off the package base in Unstable. Debian 7, the previous Stable channel release (better known as Wheezy), will be replaced by Jessie, which was previously available in the Testing channel. + +Jessie made headlines early in its development cycle because it opted for Xfce instead of GNOME as the default desktop. Eventually though Debian went back on that decision and by default you'll get GNOME 3.14 if you accept all the defaults in the installation process. + +Thanks to Debian's updated Tasksel app though it's pretty easy to install any of the major desktops. Want Xfce? Just check the box. That's right, Tasksel now offers a list of Desktop environments instead just "Debian Desktop Environment". Options like Print Server, SSH and Web Server are also still available for single click installs as well. + +Long time Debian users will note a couple new Desktop options in the Tasksel list that ships with Jessie. Debian 8 supports installing both the Cinnamon and Mate desktops right out of the box. It's also still possible to build a very minimal desktop completely customized to your liking if you opt for the Debian Minimal CD and select all the packages you need yourself. + +In that sense the decision to keep GNOME as the default is something of a misnomer. When it's this easy to pick your desktop it's hard to say any one thing is the default. + +For this review I tested Cinnamon, GNOME and Xfce and found all of them worked as expected. Once they were installed that is. For reasons I can't explain the Debian installer is really, really slow, taking over 45 minutes to install no matter which desktop I opted for (and no, I didn't use the netinstall option). Thankfully that's a one-time problem. + +Of the three, Cinnamon is the most noticeably different from its usual look. Debian's take on Cinnamon is not quite as pretty as what you get when you install it via Linux Mint, but you could accomplish something very similar with a bit of custom theming. If you really want the Debian base with Cinnamon though, I suggest you use Linux Mint Debian Edition, which will be moving to Jessie in the very near future. + +The GNOME and Xfce desktops are likewise not the flashiest you'll find, but that's not really Debian's out-of-the-box personality. Where some distros try to polish the desktop interface by providing highly customized themes, Debian seems to assume that you'll tweak that to your liking so why bother? By extension if you want a flashy desktop out of the box, Debian is probably not the distro you want. + +If, on the other hand, you want a stable, no frills distro, Debian makes an excellent choice. It is, bar none, the stablest distro I've ever used. The flip side of the stability coin is that Debian generally does not include the latest and greatest packages. + +Jessie does see GNOME bumped to 3.14, which brings with it a couple new apps and some fairly major tweaks to the GNOME Shell UI. Most of GNOME's default apps have merged the window title bar with the toolbar, which makes things a bit more compact. There are also some new animations that happen when you switch applications and maximize or restore windows. The animations manage to strike a nice balance between boring and pointless. + +The common desktop software that ships with most desktops has been updated as well. Iceweasel (the Debian branded version of Firefox which is the default web) is at the latest stable release. LibreOffice is upgraded to version 4.3 and other common GNOME and KDE based software is likewise updated. The massive Debian package base continues to grow as well. Since Wheezy was released Debian has added some 12,253 new packages, for a total of over 43,512 packages. + +There's one little package in the midst of those 43,511 others that gets quite a bit of attention over the past couple of release cycles. Yes, systemd is the default init system in this release. Systemd is a monitoring, logging and service management tool for sysadmins. Some love it, some hate it; I seem to be the lone person totally indifferent to it. + +It works well enough in this release and even speeds up your startup and shutdown times by a few seconds, though be careful with the latter, it speeds up shutdown times by force killing processes if it has to, which can have unexpected consequences if you're in the middle of something. + +Sysadmins upgrading to Debian 8 on the server will have a rougher time of things. The upgrade will change your init system without asking, which can have some catastrophic consequences if you're not careful. It is, thankfully, still possible to <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/systemd#Installing_without_systemd">install Debian 8 without systemd</a>, so if you want to upgrade, but put off the move to systemd you can. + +If you're running Debian on a server you'll be happy to hear that the legacy secure sockets layer protocol SSLv3 is disabled by default in this release and OpenSSL ships with all the latest (and seemingly never ending) security patches and updates. + +On the hardware side the updated kernel (3.16.0-4 in the RC ) brings support for all kinds of new things (see the 3.16 <a href="https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/ChangeLog-3.16.1">kernel release notes</a> for details) and Debian 8 also ships with support for a couple of new chip architectures, most notably arm64, a 64-bit port for ARM machines. + +Debian has a reputation as a difficult distro for newcomers, but in my experience that's not the case at all. If you want bleeding edge software than Debian Stable is not for you (try Testing or if, you love bugs, Unstable). In fact from installation to every day use I've found Debian Jessie easy to set up and a simple to use. + +Debian is the seed from which a thousand other distros grow so even if you never opt to use Debian itself, there's a pretty good chance your distro of choice starts with Debian. Ubuntu and Mint are probably the highest profile Debian derivatives, but there are dozens, if not hundreds of others (see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DebianFamilyTree1210.svg">Debian family tree</a> for an overview). + +Because Debian forms the base of so many distros it's typically not a huge stretch to switch over to pure Debian. If you've used downstream distros, but have never given Debian a try, Jessie makes a great place to start. diff --git a/published/devtoolscomp.txt b/published/devtoolscomp.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..62a3e39 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/devtoolscomp.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +Today's desktop web browsers have -- at long last -- reached a point where there isn't a huge difference between the latest versions. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera are all on a pretty even playing field. Because they update less frequently, Apple's Safari and Microsoft's Internet Explorer tend to lag a little bit when it comes to the bleeding edge of web standards, but both are capable browsers nonetheless. + +For day to day browsing there's little enough difference these days that you should be able to move from one to another without really even noticing the difference. The desktop browser playing field is finally, in other words, level. + +That means browsers need some new way to differentiate themselves and increasingly they are doing that by appealing to web developers with ever more sophisticated developer tools. + +It used to be that the only developer tool in web browsers was "View Source". Now all the browsers mentioned above ship with at least some basic developer tools enabled. Yes, even Internet Explorer has some pretty good developer tools. And those will getting even better as Microsoft attempts to <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/08/07/stay-up-to-date-with-internet-explorer.aspx">transition users to the latest and greatest versions of IE</a>. + +While all the major browsers offer developer tools, there's still quite a bit of difference between what's available in each. Some, like IE, are still playing catchup. Others already make it possible to build entire websites without leaving the browser, including everything from text editors to memory profilers. + +So, which browser is the best for web developers? + +The answer to that question will depend on what you're doing -- writing CSS? HTML? Building sophisticated apps with JavaScript? Some browsers have better tools for responsive web design, others offer better JavaScript profiling tools. + +There are, however, a couple of browsers we can leave behind right off the bat. Safari and IE both have passable developer tools, but neither pushes out major new tools anywhere near as fast as Firefox and Chrome. If you're looking new tools designed to simplify your web development workflow, you're better off with a different browser. Even if you're happy with the current state of the dev tools in these browsers, I encourage you to read on if only so you can know what you're missing. + +Then there is Opera. Opera used to offer some very capable and unique features in its dev tools, but in the move to adopt Blink over its own, homegrown rendering engine most of these tools were (hopefully temporarily) removed. At the moment the developer tools in Opera are almost exactly the same as what you'll find in Chrome. Everything that follows about Chrome also applies to Opera. + +That leaves the two big players -- Firefox and Chrome. + +These two have been one-upping each other in developer tools for some time now, creating a unprecedented cornucopia of riches for web developers. The Firefox add-on Firebug deserves credit for getting this dev tools arms race going, but Firefox's native tools are now every bit as powerful as what you'll find in Firebug. + +Among the tools you'll find in both are the "web inspector", which allows you to view sources and see the corresponding CSS rules for any element in the DOM. For the most part Firefox and Chrome are about the same here though Firefox offers a breakdown of the web fonts used on the page and currently the stable version of Chrome does not (pre-release versions of Chrome have added this). On the other side Chrome offers a separate tab for all the JavaScript event listeners on the page. If you're working with JavaScript a lot Chrome has the edge here. + +The next tool both share is the Console, which shows any JavaScript, CSS or other errors on the page and allows you to type in raw JavaScript commands. Chrome and Firefox are pretty evenly matched here, though Firefox's console is a little bit easier on the eyes thanks to some extra padding around elements and color coding. Both make the Console available within any other panel as well. + +The two are pretty close on the Network panel as well, which shows info about each element that the page loads. Chrome has two nice features not found in the current version of Firefox -- a button to toggle the cache for the page and a button to preserve the log so you can see how repeat loads change with caching. + +Chrome has two big elements Firefox lacks -- a timeline view that records every event the browser processes and an Audits panel that will let you know ways you could speed up a given page. The Timeline panel is an invaluable tool for speeding up JavaScript based apps and gives Chrome the edge if you're a JavaScript developer. + +Firefox on the other hand has a couple things Chrome does not, including a very nice built-in "responsive design mode" that allows you to change the viewport size without resizing your browser window. You can also rotate the viewport, simulate touch events and take screenshots at various viewport sizes. + +Firefox also offers a nice color dropper to quickly grab any color on the page and a button for taking full page screenshots. There's even a handy 3D mode that displays the DOM as if it were layers of a cake. + +In short, if you're a web designer working on responsive sites, Firefox is your best bet. + +While comparing the default tools means Chrome/Opera are better for JavaScript developers and Firefox is better for designers, all the missing features of each can be found in third-party plugins. Want a responsive design mode in Chrome? It's <a href="https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=327641">coming</a>, but in the mean time you can use a JavaScript bookmarklet like <a href="http://lab.maltewassermann.com/viewport-resizer/">Viewport Resizer</a>. There's really no way to get the 3D view, but there are plenty of screenshot apps in the Chrome Web Store. + +On the other hand if you need better JavaScript tools in Firefox you can install <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/firebug/">Firebug</a>. Firebug itself can also have add-ons, adding another layer of possibilities. For example you can make up for Firefox's lack of audit tools by using the YSlow add-on. + +So which is better? Personally I think the answer is both. When I'm working on making a site responsive or other visual tasks I use Firefox. If I need to debug JavaScript or profile a web app for speed I turn to Chrome. The best news for web developers is that both are adding new tools at a startling pace. If your favorite doesn't have what you want, just wait six weeks. diff --git a/published/dnt-fail.txt b/published/dnt-fail.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..37dbc31 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/dnt-fail.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recently announced that the nascent Do Not Track (DNT) proposal, which was designed to give users a way to tell web sites not to track them, has now reached the "Last Call" stage. + +Last call is what comes just before a standard becomes recommended, which is W3C-speak for done. Indeed most browsers have already implemented at least some aspects of the proposed Do Not Track standard. + +Unfortunately the Do Not Track standard and the tools already available in web browsers are useless because by and large the advertising industry does not honor it. + +There are a handful of sites that will respect your DNT settings, should you turn them on. Twitter and Medium are among the biggest sites to do so. But the largely unknown ad networks that load cookies in the background on your favorite sites have, thus far, totally ignored the Do Not Track header. + +Despite the seeming clarity built into the name, many advertisers claim they're befuddled by what users broadcasting Do Not Track might want. Former Yahoo "Chief Trust Officer", Anne Toth (now at Slack) <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/02/yahoo_dumps_do_not_track/">once claimed</a> that "when a consumer puts Do Not Track in the header, we don't know what they mean." This profound lack of respect for users is a large part of both why the web needs something like Do Not Track and why it has thus far been largely been ignored by the ad industry. + +Originally conceived by Mozilla, Do Not Track has always lacked teeth because there's no way to enforce it. Your browser can broadcast the DNT header to websites all it likes, but it's up the goodwill of the sites to actually honor it. It's a bit like telling politely asking the wolf not to eat the sheep. + +When Mozilla first unveiled Do Not Track back in 2011 most users were blissfully unaware of how closely they were being tracked and how much that data could tell advertisers about them. + +Thanks in large part to Edward Snowden's presence in the news that's no longer true. Granted the kind of spy agency tracking Snowden revealed is considerably more sophisticated than your average ad network's tracking capabilities, but for most users it all falls under the banner of "online privacy". + +And according to a <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/05/20/americans-attitudes-about-privacy-security-and-surveillance/">Pew Internet survey</a> released earlier this year users care about online privacy. In fact a whopping 93 percent of U.S. adults say that being in control of who can get information about them is "important" and 74 percent go further and call it "very important". + +Most publishers though have embraced an advertising-based revenue model that works much better -- both for readers and advertisers -- when ads are tailored to users' interests. The only way to tailor to user interest though is to discover what those interests are. + +This leaves the web at something of an impasse. + +Users don't want to be tracked, but neither do they seem willing to pay for content. If there's no revenue there's no content. + +What the web really needs is some magical third way, but in lieu of that Do Not Track could have offered a middle road for the time being. Instead, so far, it had been an abject failure. + +Still, it's not users who need to lament the failure of Do Not Track. + +It's the advertisers -- and by extension publishers -- who missed an opportunity. By failing to support Do Not Track the advertising industry is going to end up getting something with much more far reaching consequences -- ad blockers. + +Tech savvy users haven't seen an ad in years. Tech savvy users have ad blockers and privacy tools like Ghostery. And that is beginning to trickle down to more and more users on the web. + +Searches for terms like "ad blocker" or "ad block" have been <a href="http://www.google.com/trends/explore?hl=en-US#q=ad%20blocker%2C%20ad%20block%2C%20block%20ads&cmpt=q&tz=Etc%2FGMT%2B4">increasing steadily</a> for many years, and jump up even more dramatically in the last two years. + +And less tech savvy users may soon be joining the rest of us on the ad blocked web if Apple and Mozilla move forward with their plans for built in tracker blocking tools in Safari and Firefox. + +Instead of finding a happy middle ground, the advertising industry is going to end up facing tools far more powerful and far-reaching than a header broadcast by a web browser. + +Instead of a web standard that most people probably would never have known about or turned on, advertisers are going to get built-in ad blockers and cookie blocking tools like the <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/02/eff_privacy_badger/">EFF's Privacy Badger</a>, which automatically block tracking cookies from sites that refuse to support DNT. + +Instead of having a chance to try tactics like denying content to users with DNT turned on (one possible market solution for sites that can't think beyond advertising and tracking), advertisers won't know for sure if they reached users or not. Instead of a little less data, or perhaps even a little more data, many users will simply disappear behind their own privacy tools. + +That the ad industry still doesn't get it can be seen in its proposals to further weaken the DO Not Track standard. Many in the industry want language in the standard that would allow companies to interpret "Do Not Track" to apply only to tracking that directly serves targeted advertising. That is, they would like to continue tracking even in the presence of a Do Not Track header, but not use any gathered information for advertising. Instead it would be used for things like "market research" or to improve products. + +Luckily for the ad industry the Last Call period that DNT has just entered will last for three months during which objections will no doubt be heard. After that though, statements like Toth's won't just be disingenuous, they'll be false. Once Do Not Track becomes a bona fide standard it will be very clear what Do Not Track means. All that will remain to be seen is whether or not any advertisers will support. + +In the mean time the rest of us will be happily routing around the damage with ad blockers and privacy tools. diff --git a/published/docker-edit.txt b/published/docker-edit.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8d38d2e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/docker-edit.txt @@ -0,0 +1,54 @@ +Containerization has taken the datacenter by storm. Led by Docker, a startup that's on a mission to make development and deployment as simple as it should be, Linux containers are fast changing the way developers work and devops teams deploy. + +Containerization is so successful and so powerful of an idea that it's only slightly hyperbolic to suggest that the future of servers will not include operating systems as we think of them today. + +To be sure it's still a ways off, but containerization will likely completely replace traditional operating systems -- whether Linux, Windows, Solaris, FreeBSD -- on servers. Instead servers will likely consist of simple, single-user installs of hypervisors optimized for the specific hardware. Atop that bare metal layer will be the containers full of applications. + +Like many things to come out of Linux, containerization is not new, in fact the tools have been part of the kernel since 2008. But just as it took GitHub to finally push Git to mainstream developer popularity, the containerization tools in Linux did not really start to catch on until Docker came along. + +Docker is not the only containerization tool out there, but is currently leading the pack in both mind share and actual use. Google, Amazon and even Microsoft are all tripping over themselves to make sure their clouds offer full Docker integration. Google has even open sourced its own Docker management tool. + +But what is a "container" and why is it suddenly such a big deal? + +The shortest answer is that containers are static application environments, which means much more reliable deployments. + +Solomon Hykes, Docker's Founder and CTO, likes to compare Docker containers to shipping containers (the company's logo is a collection of shipping containers riding on the back of a whale). Like the current devops world today, the shipping industry of old lacked standards. To ship something you just stuck it in whatever container you liked and it was loaded on a ship. That meant ships had thousands upon thousands of different different containers of all shapes and sizes. + +Then the shipping industry standardized around the colorful, but regular sized shipping containers you see stacked all over the docks today (this is the origin of Docker's name). The standardized containers mean that the shipping companies no longer need to worry about the actual freight, they can just stack containers on ship after ship without worrying about what will fit where. + +Docker allows developers to do the same with code. In the shipping metaphor your applications and code are the goods, the Docker images are the containers and the ship is the server, virtual server or cloud where you're deploying your application. The server can just stack Docker images up without ever worrying about what's inside them. + +Another way to think of a container is that it's a virtual machine without the operating system. It's a container that holds applications and all their prerequisites in a self-contained unit, hence the name. That container can be moved from one machine to another, or from virtual to dedicated hardware, or from a Fedora installation to Ubuntu and it all just works. + +Or at least that's the latest wave of the "write-once-run-anywhere" dream that Docker has been riding to fame for the past two years. The reality of course is a little different. + +Imagine if you could fire up a new virtual environment on your Linux laptop, write an application in Python 3 and then send it to your co-worker without needing to worry about that fact that she's running Windows and only has Python 2 installed. If you send her your work as part of a container then Python 3 and all the elements necessary to recreate the environment you were working in come with your app. All she has to do is download it and run it using Docker's API interface. + +Then after your co-worker finishes up the app you can pull in her changes and send the whole thing up to your company's AWS EC2 server, again not worrying about the OS or environment particulars other than you know Docker is installed. + +But there's the rub -- your app is now tied to Docker, which in turn means the future of your app is tied to the future of Docker. + +From a high level view, what Docker does is nothing new. Linux containers have been part of the kernel since 2008, but Docker has packaged up a very slick system for quickly and easily creating, running and connecting lightweight Linux containers. With Docker you don't need to configure a whole new virtual machine every time you want another instance. + +That does not, however, make Docker a panacea. Not yet anyway. The containerization of all the things has a few flaws in its current form. The good news is that Docker is no longer the only story in the world of containerization. Competitors like Joyent and Canonical have both open sourced their own take on the containerization concept. The latter's take is particularly interesting since it focuses much of its efforts on security. Canonical's effort is two-fold, focusing on built-in tools like LXC (pronounced "lex-cee"), the client, and LXD (pronounced "lex-dee"), the server. Given that Canonical's Ubuntu OS is the basis of many Docker containers out there, a system specifically optimized for that setup will no doubt have appeal. + +Another rapidly growing take on containerization is Rocket, created by the developers behind CoreOS. Rocket launched with a rather inflammatory post from the CoreOS developers claiming that "Docker is fundamentally flawed." The post calls out Docker for being insecure, but the main difference really comes down to... Ready for it? Systemd. + +Rocket uses systemd. Docker on the other hand uses a daemon to spawn a child process that becomes the PID 1 of the container (which would normally be systemd). In the end Docker looks no more "fundamentally flawed" than Rocket, it just lacks systemd integration at the moment. + +Given the popularity of CoreOS among developer's using Docker -- it really is one of the nicest ways to run Docker -- Rocket's tighter, possibly more secure integration with CoreOS just might win some over from the Docker fold. + +That leaves the container space in a situation somewhat akin to what happened when Google Chrome came along and stole much of Firefox's developer mindshare. Like as the Firefox of 2008 was to web developers, Docker is very much the darling of devops. And yet just Chrome made speed and web standards top priority -- something Firefox developers clearly wanted to do, but couldn't always do -- Rocket offers some real advantage over Docker. It's more modular, less dependent on a single core and, arguably, more in line with the popular Unix philosophy of small parts loosely joined. + +In the end though the competition between the two will result in the same thing that happened with Firefox and Chrome -- the whole ecosystem ends up benefiting. In the first case the web gets faster and better for everyone. In the case of containerization, the datacenter becomes more user-friendly and development gets a little bit easier. + +At this point perfection would be a lot to ask of a service as new as Docker, which just hit 1.0 less than a year ago in June 2014, or Rocket which is not even a year old. Neither is perfect, but already both are giving developers and devops much simpler ways to deploy, which is part of why the biggest cloud hosts in the world -- Google, Amazon and Microsoft to name a few -- are lining up to make sure their clouds work with Docker. This in turn means that Rocket and other competitors are also poised to take the datacenter by storm. + +One of the most interesting tangential effects of containerization is that, from a developer perspective, it means that all cloud environments are effectively equal. There's no competition in terms of functionality, and no developer lock-in. Unhappy with your current host? Just deploy your container to another one, switch over DNS and you're done. This means that cloud hosts are no longer competing strictly on the features of their underlying systems, but with the extras they can offer. The full effect of this transition hasn't really been felt yet, but already Google and others are ramping up their "extras". + +Google released an open source Docker management app, Kubernetes -- the Greek word for a ship's helmsman -- which the company claims will allow you to turn your cluster of container-filled virtual machines into a virtual Google data center. + +What's perhaps most interesting about Docker and its competitors is that in every case, from Canonical to Google, there's a very clear message: the future of deployment is in containers. The future of development and deployment, and especially the so-called cloud hosting market, will be containers. + +Containers won't solve every problem and won't be right for every deployment, but for the 80 percent use case -- and perhaps many more -- containerization will trump a dedicated virtual machine. + diff --git a/published/edge/edge-cortana-weather.png b/published/edge/edge-cortana-weather.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..dcc6d2a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/edge/edge-cortana-weather.png diff --git a/published/edge/edge-first-run.png b/published/edge/edge-first-run.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..549d155 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/edge/edge-first-run.png diff --git a/published/edge/edge-html5-score.png b/published/edge/edge-html5-score.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..fef680d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/edge/edge-html5-score.png diff --git a/published/edge/edge-other-browsers-dialog.png b/published/edge/edge-other-browsers-dialog.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b69516c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/edge/edge-other-browsers-dialog.png diff --git a/published/edge/edge-reg.png b/published/edge/edge-reg.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d1e757b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/edge/edge-reg.png diff --git a/published/elementaryos-calendar.jpg b/published/elementaryos-calendar.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..cffa8c0 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryos-calendar.jpg diff --git a/published/elementaryos-desktop.jpg b/published/elementaryos-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..613c363 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryos-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/elementaryos-midori-browser.jpg b/published/elementaryos-midori-browser.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..aaecabd --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryos-midori-browser.jpg diff --git a/published/elementaryos-online-accounts-fail.jpg b/published/elementaryos-online-accounts-fail.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d8c0f8b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryos-online-accounts-fail.jpg diff --git a/published/elementaryos-online-accounts-fail2.jpg b/published/elementaryos-online-accounts-fail2.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e138c09 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryos-online-accounts-fail2.jpg diff --git a/published/elementaryos-paywall.jpg b/published/elementaryos-paywall.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..cd90cb7 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryos-paywall.jpg diff --git a/published/elementaryosb2-edit.txt b/published/elementaryosb2-edit.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bacadb9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryosb2-edit.txt @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +The team behind Elementary OS has released the second beta of its upcoming "Freya" release. + +Elementary follows a somewhat unusual release schedule of major updates every 18 or so months, with two betas at the six and twelve month marks. + +As anyone who's used Elementary can tell you, that's not the only way in which Elementary is quite a bit different from other distros. Almost everything on the surface of this Ubuntu derivative is homegrown -- the desktop, many of the default apps and even the icons and theme are very distinctly Elementary OS. Under the hood of course it's still very much Ubuntu/Debian. + +The arrival of the second beta of Freya earlier this month also sees the Elementary project forging its own path in another way. The project has launched a new website and changed the way the payments section of the download page works. Gone is the "Download for free" link and in its place is a series of buttons that let you pick your price: $10, $25, $50 or "custom". You'll still be able to download Freya for free, but you'll have to jump through a couple extra hoops to do so. + +The new website, which is currently in testing at the <a href="http://beta.elementary.io/">beta.elementary.io</a> domain, will be out of beta when Freya is released later this year and, barring any last minute changes, will feature the fake paywall. + +It's a little off putting to say the least, but what makes it worse is that Elementary followed it up with a very <a href="http://blog.elementary.io/post/110645528530/payments">passive aggressive blog post</a> that seems to be trying to shame users into paying for the distro. Confusingly, the post even cites Gimp and Inkscape as inspirations for the fake paywall when in fact neither project does anything even remotely like what Elementary OS has opted to use. + +Certainly there's nothing wrong with charging for free software. It's free as in freedom, not beer (even if most of the users of free software seem to believe it's free as in beer too). However, there are ways of asking for money that don't involve deceptive UIs and blog posts that try to shame your users into paying. + +After some dubious download numbers pointing out that only .125% of its users have paid for Elementary (the Elementary OS developers seem to think everyone who downloads is a user, which is disingenuous at best), the post goes on to say, "we feel that an entire operating system that has taken years of development and refinement is worth funding." That seems reasonable. So I put checks in the mail to the GNU project, the Linux Foundation and the Debian Project. + +Judging by the comments on that post and general reception in the larger Linux community I'm not the only one rubbed the wrong way by the demand-begging approach that Elementary OS has taken. And don't forget you're being asked to pay for beta quality software at this point. Even Microsoft doesn't do that. + +In fact, in its current state you'd get more for your money lighting it on fire than paying for the second beta release of Freya. + +That's not to say it won't eventually be worth paying for, but as a beta Elementary remains buggy and unstable with far too many unfinished apps and half-baked features to warrant paying for. Perhaps if the Elementary project asked for donations to speed development it would be easier to suggest you open your wallet. + +The lower level elements of Freya beta 2 build on Ubuntu 14.04, though the Elementary developers pick and choose when it comes to the distro's base tool versions. For example, Elementary replaces GTK 3.10 with a more up-to-date version. In beta 1 that was GTK 3.12, now with beta 2 it's 3.14. That means Elementary's theme can take advantage of the same combined window bar/title bar that you'd find in GNOME 3.14. + +One of the bigger improvements in the second beta is Elementary's online accounts, which work much better now -- at least in theory. I was able to connect to my Fastmail account (which never worked in beta 1), but then I got an error message claiming that "There are currently no apps install that to your Fastmail account." If I open Geary, the default email client, indeed it seems wholly unaware of the fact that I already stored my username and password in the online accounts panel. Ditto the calendar app. Both apps were happy to connect to Fastmail, but I had to enter the information two more times, making the online account settings, well, pointless. + +Fastmail is a little obscure perhaps so I tried signing in with my Google account, but this went even less well doing nothing more than generating a 400 error on Google's site. Clearly Elementary's online accounts are still very much a work in progress. Hopefully that will be fixed by the time the official release comes around because having a centralized place to manage online accounts makes setting up a new system much easier. + +The second beta sees updates for many of Elementary's very nice homegrown applications, like the aforementioned Calendar app and the Videos app. The rest of Elementary's offers have seen some minor makeovers in this update as well, including Photos, System Settings and Slingshot. Unfortunately I still found many of these apps -- particularly the Calendar app -- to be very unstable. + +This is of course a beta and you should not expect it to be rock solid. Still, even with in the world of pre-release betas, Freya remains the least stable I've tested in a long time so bear that in mind should you decide to test it. When Elementary says it's a beta, it's definitely still got bugs. + +Then there's the money. While I completely agree with the motivation behind Elementary's desire to get users to pay -- that is, that, provided you can afford it, you ought to give what you can back to the projects that create the software you rely on -- the way to project has gone about it is completely ham-fisted and will likely put off newcomers who bail out before they figure out how to circumvent the pseudo paywall. + +Whatever the case, you can of course still download Elementaryy OS for free even if the developers want you to feel like a cheapskate for doing so. + +The question is, do you really want to be part of this community? There's no question that Elementary OS puts a very nice skin atop Ubuntu. And it's beginning to be more than just a skin thanks to the tightly integrated apps the project has been working on. But it's just not there yet. At the very least I suggest waiting for the final release of Freya as this beta is still too buggy for anything more than testing. But in the end, if you're looking for a great, user-friendly desktop with plenty of polish, Elementary OS delivers. Just don't tell them you can't afford it. + diff --git a/published/elementaryosbeta/elem-calendar-online-accounts.jpg b/published/elementaryosbeta/elem-calendar-online-accounts.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..70dc123 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryosbeta/elem-calendar-online-accounts.jpg diff --git a/published/elementaryosbetareview.txt b/published/elementaryosbetareview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b5f8317 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/elementaryosbetareview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +The team behind Elementary OS has released the first beta of the upcoming "Freya" release. It's worth noting that Freya is the result of a recent name change. The original name for this release was Isis, a name currently grabbing headlines for something Elementary wants nothing to do with. + +Name change out of the way, the new Freya is shaping up to be a very nice update for last year's "Luna" release. + +Under the hood Freya builds on Ubuntu 14.04, though as always the Elementary developers pick and choose when it comes to the distro's base tools. You'll find all the updated hardware support in Ubuntu 14.04, but Elementary replaces GTK 3.10 with the more cutting edge GTK 3.12, which gets Elementary a nice combined window bar/title bar that saves a bit of space and looks great with the rest of Elementary's very polished desktop theme. + +If you've never seen Elementary before you'd be forgiven for thinking it's based on GNOME Shell. It looks a bit like GNOME Shell, with a clock in the middle of the top bar, an Applications menu to the left and some indicator apps to the right. In Luna the top bar was black by default, which made it look even more like GNOME Shell. + +In fact Elementary is not based on GNOME Shell. It's more like what GNOME Shell should be. Elementary has its own desktop, Pantheon, as well as half a dozen or more other homegrown components -- the Slingshot launcher, WingPanel (the top bar), and Plank (the bottom dock/panel) to name a few. + +These tightly integrated desktop tools make Elementary one of the best looking, easiest-to-use Linux desktops around. It's not the easiest to customize though, so if you enjoy customizing your desktop, XFCE and similar will be a better fit. But if you're looking for a great, user-friendly desktop with plenty of polish, Elementary delivers. + +This first Freya beta sees Elementary continuing to polish up its already very slick theme with some new tools. For example, the top panel is now smart enough to adjust its opacity based on the desktop image behind it. Lighter images will cause the bar to darken so the white text and icons remains visible on the light background. + +It's a small thing, but shows the level of polish the Elementary developers are aiming for. Which is not to say everything in this release is perfect. There's still no minimize button by default. There's an older PPA for a "tweak" tool, but I didn't test it with this release and I suspect, given the changes to the UI, it will require an update. You can of course, right click on a title bar and minimize windows that way, but the absence of a minimize button mars what I would otherwise consider perhaps the most new-user-friendly Linux desktop available right now. + +On the plus side, Elementary continues to have great keyboard-drive navigation options. It's not Xmonad by any means, but there are plenty of keyboard shortcuts to keep the mouse-haters happy. Head to System Settings >> Keyboard to see a list of everything available by default. + +Freya sees Elementary jumping on the online accounts bandwagon with a new option to the System Settings app. This is one place the beta nature of this release shows. I was very excited to see that Fastmail was one of the default account types, regrettably I could not get it to work. In fact the only syncing options that worked in the version I tested was the Google account sync. Once the new online accounts feature is finished it should be a great way to keep track of all your various stuff that's scattered around the web. Similar features are available in GNOME and Unity as well so its not like Elementary is breaking new ground here, but still nice to have it integrated into Freya. + +Perhaps the most disorienting thing about Elementary for those of you accustomed to other desktops is that almost all the default apps are homegrown, Elementary-backed applications. In other distros this would likely mean you end up with a bunch of unstable, half-baked apps, but Elementary actually pulls this off with some very nice apps that cover the basic user's needs. + +There's a music player, a very nice email app, perhaps the best desktop calendar app you'll find for Linux, a photo organizer and a decent text editor. None of these will likely replace your favorites if you're already heavily invested. For example, the Photos app is no digiKam, but it does offer most of the basic tools you need for organizing and making small edits to your photos. Likewise the text editor isn't going to win over emacs users, but it works well for the general use case. + +So far in the Freya release cycle none of the stock apps have seen major visual updates, though in many cases the setup is easier now thanks to the unified online account tools mentioned earlier. + +The other good news for Elementary fans is that this release somehow manages to have even more visual effects and transitions, yet performs better than Luna in my testing. + +Freya is fast, so fast you might walk away wondering why GNOME 3 and Unity, which both have much bigger development teams, aren't this fast. Even on my EeePC it's nearly as fast as the stripped down version of Debian/Openbox that I normally use. Suffice to say that if you're looking for great performance that doesn't sacrifice great user interface design to get it, Elementary makes a good choice. + +The only catch to Freya thus far is that it's the first beta. Elementary often has long beta cycles (the previous release, Luna, was in beta for well over a year) and the initial offerings are very much betas. That is, do not use Freya in a production environment. + +Still, Elementary is worth a look if you haven't tried it before, especially if you're wanting to get away from Windows or OS X. Freya, and the stable Luna are my top picks these days for Linux newcomers. diff --git a/published/fedora11.txt b/published/fedora11.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b098065 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora11.txt @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ +It seems like Fedora 10 came along just yesterday, but already Fedora 11 is here. + +If the quick turnaround time smacks of the sort "upgraditis" that proprietary OSes push on users, fear not, Fedora isn't trying to reinvent the wheel every six months. Instead the move from Fedora 10 to 11 promises to carry on with the same, stolid tradition of the Fedora line -- there are handful of new features, many updates to improve existing functions and some under-the-hood improvements. + +Of course it wouldn't be a Fedora release if there wasn't one giant leap into the unknown. Indeed Fedora 11 does include some bleeding-edge technologies, including one that some might argue is too bleeding edge -- the ext4 filesystem. + +Fedora 11 is the first major Linux distro to make the move to ext4. While the most recent release of Ubuntu included support for ext4, Canonical opted to leave ext3 as the default choice. The Fedora project however, is plowing ahead, and, unless you configure it otherwise, Fedora 11 will install ext4. + +Ext4 offers huge advantages over its predecessor and borrows some of the best features of other file system types -- like the new delayed allocation function, which was inspired by features in the ZFS file systems. However, the same feature is also a source of some very serious <a href="https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/317781">data loss problems</a>. + +Technically, the problem has nothing to do with ext4 and rests squarely on applications which don't use POSIX recommended fsync() or fdatasync() functions to write files to disk. In developers' defense, ext3 didn't handle fsync() very well and a common way to speed up an app was to remove fsync() and do straight saves to disk. However, that shortcut is coming back to haunt some in the form of lost data. + +The main source of pain appears to be in the Ubuntu community, though it will be interesting to see what happens now that Fedora 11 is taking the ext4 plunge. + +We opted for the default GNOME install of the Fedora 11 Preview Release and have, thus far, had no problems with lost data or any other significant issues. In fact, like its predecessor, Fedora 11 is fast, rock solid and fun to use. + +Among the major new features in this release are updates to the desktop environments -- GNOME is now at 2.26 RC and the KDE flavor is using 4.2.1 -- and a very helpful upgrade to one of our favorite Fedora features -- PackageKit. + +PackageKit is a software discovery tool that lets you quickly and easily install what you need to open a file. For example, if you download a PDF file, but don't have a PDF viewer installed, PackageKit notices that and offers to install the software you need. It makes for a much smoother Linux experience and since PackageKit is a generic, distro-agnostic framework we're surprised more distros haven't taken advantage of it the way Fedora does. + +Fedora 10 laid the groundwork for PackageKit and included support for the automatic installation of multimedia codecs when you opened an mp3 or other music file. With Fedora 11 that same automation moves to the world of firmware, prompting you to install the drivers you need by checking the system requirements and then offering to download the best firmware option for your system. + +The process is about as simple and easy as you could hope for when it comes to getting your video and devices working in Linux. + +Fedora 11 also builds on another feature from version 10, adding some more advanced features in the PulseAudio sound server. The most noteworthy improvement is the new support for per-application volume control -- perfect for toning down IM alerts when you're listening to music. + +One of the Fedora Project's major goals for this release was to make boot and shutdown times much faster. Fedora 11 claims to be at the login screen in 20 seconds. In our testing Fedora 11 actually beat the goal by a couple of seconds and shutting down was even faster, usually taking just over 10 seconds to power the system off. + +Much of the speed gain at boot was made possible by removing what the Fedora Project refers to as "bloated tasks" from the boot process. We were a little suspicious that those might have been handed off after login (i.e. to GNOME-session), but thankfully logging into GNOME is just as quick as ever. + +There's also a grab-bag of smaller improvements in Fedora 11, like a better out-of-the-box experience for systems with fingerprint readers, stronger hashes (SHA-2, rather than just MD5 or SHA-1) and a new way for desktop programs to automatically install applications, fonts, multimedia codecs and more. + +Developers will be happy to know that the latest version of Fedora ships with a number of improved tools including GCC 4.4 and even Python 2.6. + +As for the applications, Fedora includes Firefox 3.5 (although it was still labeled as 3.1b3 in the Preview release), the new OpenOffice 3.1, Rhythmbox and a few of the other usual GNOME suspects like GIMP, the F-Spot photo manager, Pidgin, Transmission and more. + +On the KDE side you'll find all the improvements of version 4.2 -- including support for Plasma widgets, the latest version of Dolphin file manager (which has now matched most of Konquerer's feature-set) and updates for the KDE app suite like KMail, Kontact, KDevelop and KWrite. + +We've avoided KDE during the jump from 3.5 to 4.0, but now that 4.2 is here, the 4 series KDE desktop finally feels mature enough for everyday use and in many respects -- especially the eye-candy -- it trumps our old friend GNOME. KDE did take considerably longer to login to than GNOME though. It appears there's a price to pay for the fancy graphics, and you'll likely notice it more with Fedora 11's very short boot times. + +Performance-wise Fedora 11 is plenty snappy. Of course the speed will vary greatly according to your PC's specs, but aside from the faster boot times -- which are very noticeable -- we didn't notice a huge change over Fedora 10. Despite testing the preview release we only encountered one persistent bug that would cause the audio subsystem to go haywire every once and while, but we imagine that will be fixed before the final release arrives. + +If you've never given Fedora a try, now is a great time. Not only does the latest version continue Fedora's tradition of slick and stable releases, it packs in enough nice new feature to make it well worth the upgrade. And for those who aren't sold on using the ext4 filesystem, it isn't hard to install with ext3. + +While we would definitely recommend Fedora 11 to anyone using 10, we also think it might be a nice alternative for those growing tired of Ubuntu or just looking to play around with a new Linux distro. + diff --git a/published/fedora12.txt b/published/fedora12.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d404947 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora12.txt @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@ +The Fedora Project has released the first beta of Fedora 12, the next major revision of the Fedora Linux line. Fedora 12 is still a work in progress, but there are already some standout features, including a much improved power management system and support for the Moblin project, Intel's effort to make Linux work better on Netbooks and mobile devices. + +Fedora has never been shy when it comes to adopting new features -- for example, Fedora 11 was one of the first major distros to adopt the ext4 files system -- but with Fedora 12 the focus is much more on feature refinement and improving the stability and functionality of some features introduced in Fedora 11. + +Perhaps the most practical of the new features is the reportedly improved power management system. Taking some bits from Red Hat's EnterPrise Linux 5, Fedora 12 will offer a new and easy way to switch between various predefined and extendible ktune-based power settings. + +The underlying power management tools, namely ktune, have been pulled from RHEL 5 and merged with Fedora 11's "tuned" system daemon and, according to the project's developers, will make Fedora 12 "use less power... while not affecting user experience." For the beta release we stuck with a virtual machine install, so we can't verify Fedora 12's power saving potential, but once the final release rolls around we're looking forward to putting Fedora 12's ktune to the test. + +Also new in the beta release of Fedora 12 is improved support for Moblin Core, a project aimed at improving performance and delivering a better graphical interface on Netbooks, mobile platforms and embedded devices. Moblin Core itself is built on the GNOME Mobile platform, which is the core desktop environment that sits of top of Fedora. + +The benefit for Netbooks and other small screen devices is the improved user interface. Naturally, Fedora GUI environments aren't optimized for the small screens of Netbooks and mobile devices, but the new Moblin spin addresses those issues and makes the Fedora on a Netbook experience much nicer. Also part of Moblin is support for most of the common graphics and wifi chipsets found in today's Netbooks, though as always, broadcom wifi chipsets remain an issue. + +The Fedora 12 beta brings with it the latest offering from the GNOME project, which recently released version 2.28 of the popular desktop. Most of the changes in GNOME 2.28 are under the hood, however the one noticible change -- icons in menus and buttons have been turned off by default in GNOME 2.28 -- isn't part of the Fedora 12 beta release. + +To our eye the desktop looks much cleaner without the icons, and we're hoping Fedora dumps them for the final release, but for now at least, the icons are still there. + +The latest release of GNOME also includes the new GNOME Bluetooth module, which makes connecting Bluetooth mice, keyboards and other devices considerably easier. + +GNOME 2.28 also sees Fedora migrating to the new messenger app, Empathy, which replaces the long-standing default, Pidgin. As we noted in our review of the Ubuntu 9.10 beta, Empathy lacks a few of Pidgin's features, but is still a quite capable messenger app. The latest release adds support for sharing your desktop with Empathy contacts using the GNOME Remote Desktop Viewer, Vino. + +For those using the KDE spin of Fedora, KDE 4.3 is now the default and thankfully, sees KDE 4.x finally up to par with both its predecessor, the KDE 3 line and GNOME 2.2x. + +The much-loved PackageKit, a software discovery tool that lets you quickly and easily install the application you need to open a file, now includes a browser plugin. That means that if you download a PDF file, but don't have a PDF viewer installed, PackageKit will notice the download in your browser and offer to install the software you need. + +Another nice under-the-hood change in Fedora 12 is the move to switch RPM package to use the new LZMA compression format. All of the software packages in Fedora have been switched from Gzip to the more efficient XZ (LZMA) compression method. The payoff for users is smaller, faster downloads. + +Also new in Fedora 12 beta 1 is the latest version of Xorg which now defaults to, for those of you with a dual monitor setup, spanning the desktop between monitors, rather than cloning between them. Quite frankly that's the way it should have been from the beginning, but, as they say, better late than never. + +While Fedora 12 is still a beta release, we didn't have any real problems getting it up and running in a virtual environment. That said, there are still a few known issues to be ironed out before the release candidate arrives, and, as with any beta software, we don't recommend running Fedora 12 beta in a production environment.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/fedora12final.txt b/published/fedora12final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e2c4e2a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora12final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,53 @@ +The Fedora Project has announced Fedora 12, the latest version of the popular open source Linux distribution. Fedora 12, nicknamed "Constantine," has quite a few impressive new features and sees the Fedora project itself gaining a renewed sense of direction. + +In the build up to the release of Fedora 12, the Fedora community has focused its energies not just on new features, but on where Fedora is headed in the future. + +As the saying goes, a camel is a horse designed by committee. Fedora's goal is make sure the distro remains a horse. To that end Fedora's community has spent a fair amount of time defining its target audience. Unlike some distros which focus on trying to please as many users as possible, Fedora want to make sure it pleases its intended audience. + +To find out more about the thought process behind Fedora's new vision and who exactly Fedora's target audience consists of, we spoke with Paul Frields, Fedora Project Leader at Red Hat. + +Frields says that Fedora is intended, "first and foremost for users interested in and capable of contributing to open source." Fedora would like to attract the sort of users that will help sustain and grow the project through their own contributions, whether that be code, documentation, wiki maintenance or other involvement. + +The target Fedora user also has some degree of computer savviness, but isn't necessarily writing machine code for fun. For example, Frields points out relatively simple basics like knowing how to install an operating system or how to file and follow up on bug reports. + +Which isn't to imply that Fedora isn't for everyone. Frields was careful to point out that defining a "target audience" is merely something Fedora is going to use to help it decide where the project is headed. + +When faced with decisions like, should this code be included, should this package be part of the distro and so on, the guiding principle will be: does it help Fedora's target user? + +If you don't fit the bill of the target Fedora user, fear not; Fedora isn't trying to exclude anyone, it's merely establishing guidelines that will help the project remain true to its core users. + +And Frields' believes that this focus will end up benefitting everyone who's using Fedora since it will, as it were, save the horse from turning into a camel. + +So what's the actual Fedora 12 release have to offer? The answer is quite a bit, particularly with respect to virtualization tools (an area in which Fedora has long been ahead of the crowd), speed improvements, better power management and support for the latest, much higher quality Ogg Theora video codecs. + +The speed and power management tools will be welcome improvements for all users, but particularly those using the Moblin netbook spin. As of Fedora 12, all 32-bit software packages have been compiled with special optimizations for the Intel Atom processors used in many netbooks, making the Moblin Fedora Spin quite a bit faster. + +The power management system in Fedora has also been rewritten, borrowing some tools from Red Hat's EnterPrise Linux 5 to make Fedora less battery intensive -- welcome news for anyone with a laptop, but particularly those with netbooks. + +Virtualization in Fedora has also been vastly improved with what's known as kernel shared memory. If you run a number of virtual machines at a time there's a considerable amount of overlap in the memory pages. Kernel shared memory is able to consolidate the common memory pages into a single page cutting down on the amount of RAM each machine needs from the host. + +For example, if you're running 10 virtual machines, allocating 1GB RAM to each, you'd need 10GB of RAM. But the kernel shared memory tools in Fedora 12 combine the memory used by each virtual machine, drastically reducing your overall RAM usage. That means more virtual machines can run on your existing hardware without the need to add more RAM. + +Fedora 12's virtualization tools also offer hot swapping for virtual network interfaces and a new network booting infrastructure. + +And keep in mind that Fedora is something of a testing ground for RHEL, so look for at least some of the improved virtualization tools to end up in RHEL 6. + +Fedora 12 also includes the new Theora 1.1, a much-improved version of the open video codec which features video quality on par with proprietary solutions like H.264. Theora 1.1 is a combined effort between the Xiph.Org Foundation, Mozilla and Fedora developers. + +With Firefox 3.5 already supporting Theora 1.1, Fedora 12 users now have unified video support both on and off the web. + +Of course thus far Theora isn't widely used on the web, but with HTML5 gaining support everyday and browsers like Firefox offering baked-in support for Theora, an open video solution is starting to look like a viable possibility. + +Fedora 12 includes the latest version of Xorg, which now defaults to, for those of you with a dual monitor setup, spanning the desktop between monitors, rather than cloning them. Quite frankly that's the way it should have been from the beginning, but, as they say, better late than never. + +Another nice under-the-hood change in Fedora 12 is the new LZMA compression format for RPM. All of the software packages in Fedora have been switched from Gzip to the more efficient XZ (LZMA) compression method. The payoff for users is smaller, faster downloads. + +PackageKit, Fedora's software discovery tool that lets you quickly and easily install the application you need to open a file, now includes a browser plugin. That means that if you download a PDF file, but don't have a PDF viewer installed, PackageKit will notice the download in your browser and offer to install the software you need. + +Also worth noting is the inclusion of some new open Broadcom firmware, which means, for once, users with Broadcom wifi chips will be able to connect without the hassle of finding and turning on hacked Windows drivers. Not every Broadcom wifi chip is supported though; see the Fedora wiki for details. + +On the desktop Fedora 12 offers the latest versions of GNOME and KDE, complete with all the usual updates to the standard GNOME and KDE applications. On the GNOME side that means the new Empathy IM client and the slightly revamped, somewhat more polished theme we mentioned in our review of the Fedora 12 beta release. + +You can download Fedora 12 from the project's <a href="http://fedoraproject.org/">official website</a>. The installer is available as a complete DVD image or as Live CD images with specific desktop environments. There are also various "spins" available, including the previously mentioned Mobile spin for netbooks. + +Thanks to speed boosts and better power management, Fedora 12 makes a welcome upgrade and the Moblin Spin is especially recommended if you're looking for a solid netbook system. We're also looking forward to seeing where the Fedora community decides to go with Fedora 13, which will, in all likelihood, form the foundations of RHEL 6.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/fedora13beta.txt b/published/fedora13beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2edfea0 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora13beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +The Fedora Project has released a beta version of Fedora 13, the next major release for the popular open source Linux distribution. Fedora 13, nicknamed "Goddard," is shaping up to be a worthy upgrade, but lacks some of the flashy new features found in competitors like Ubuntu. + +Back when Fedora 12 was released, Fedora project leader Paul Frields told The Register that Fedora is intended, "first and foremost for users interested in and capable of contributing to open source." + +That focus on tech savvy users is reflected in the Fedora 13 beta release, which offers a number of new features, but most of them are under-the-hood improvements, which stands in stark contrast to the <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/19/lucid_lynx_review/">recently released Ubuntu beta</a>. + +Where Ubuntu was full of new features designed to entice the everyday user -- social network apps installed by default, the new U1 music store and more -- Fedora 13 is a much more stoic, though still very welcome, update. + +Among the impressive under-the-hood features is the new, experimental open source 3D acceleration support for Nvidia graphics cards. + +Fedora 12, the current stable release of the Fedora line, started the 3D support with some open source drivers for newer ATI graphics cards, and Fedora 13 will see that support extended to cover NVidia video cards thanks to the Nouveau drivers. + +Of course Fedora has never stopped you from using closed, proprietary drivers, but this is the first time that an open source solution has been available on the platform. + +Unfortunately, at least for the time being, you'll need to install the drivers yourself. The package in question is mesa-dri-drivers-experimental. If you're testing the beta, and have an NVidia card in your PC, be sure to give Fedora your feedback and file any bugs you encounter. + +Other new features in Fedora 13 include automatic printer driver installation -- which means if you plugin a supported printer the driver is downloaded and installed automatically. It's not the most exciting feature we've seen, but it does add another, it-just-works element to the already very user-friendly distro. + +Among the other upgrade components are some NetworkManager improvements, including a new command line interface and a fairly major redesign of the user management interface. + +Fedora's Anaconda installer has also been reworked again, offering what Fedora's release notes call, "a simpler workflow for desktop and laptop users." Essentially there are few options to decipher during the installation process, though most of the old fine-tuning menus are still available to advanced users that want to access them. + +Interestingly, on systems with more than 50 GB of free space, Anaconda defaults to creating /home on its own partition. We've not sure why Anaconda only does it when 50 GB is available, but keeping /home separate from the system is fairly common practice and you can of course still customize your disk partitioning by hand during the installation process. + +Fedora 13 also sees a number of upgrades to common software packages -- Gnome 3.2 is the default desktop, OpenOffice 3.2 is included and the Empathy chat framework has been updated. + +Firefox has also been upgraded to the new Firefox 3.6 with support for HTML5 video, provided the video is encoded using the Ogg Theora video codec. Fedora was among the first to ship the new Theora 1.1, a much-improved version of the open video codec which features video quality on par with proprietary solutions like H.264. The Theora 1.1 project is a combined effort between the Xiph.Org Foundation, Mozilla and Fedora developers. + +Anyone doing graphics work on Fedora will like the new color management system for the GNOME desktop. There's even support for vendor-supplied ICC or ICM profile files -- just double-click them to config. + +Python programmers will be happy to know that Fedora 13 comes with a "parallel-installable" Python 3 environment that will make it easy for those looking to upgrade their code to test in both Python 2.6 and 3.0, without the need to install Python 3.0 from scratch. + +The KDE varient of Fedora has been upgraded to KDE 4.4, which offers better Pulse Audio integration. + +Overall Fedora 13 already looks like it will be a worthy upgrade to the Fedora line. While it may lack some of the more "everyday user" features of Ubuntu 10.04, Fedora is still a very user-friendly distro and for many Fedora 13 will be worth the upgrade for the NVidia support alone. + +If you'd like to test out this beta release, head to the Fedora 13 downloads page and grab a copy today.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/fedora13final.txt b/published/fedora13final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b313c22 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora13final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +Thirteen is generally an unlucky number, but for Fedora users version 13, released today, is, if not lucky, then certainly worth the upgrade. + +Fedora's flashier cousin Ubuntu tends to eclipse Fedora in the minds of many Linux users. With its Ubuntu One music store and cloud syncing services Ubuntu 10.04 is clearly aiming for the broader market. In many ways Ubuntu is turning into OS X (which is one of its stated goals). + +Fedora project leader Paul Frields has told The Reg before that Fedora is intended "first and foremost for users interested in and capable of contributing to open source." When I spoke to Frields shortly before the release of Fedora 13 he reiterated that point adding, "we want a culture of contribution, not just consumption." + +That focus on the more tech savvy, contributing users is reflected in Fedora 13 where you'll find open source, 3D-capable graphics drivers, excellent Python tools, some very nice color management tools and other less flashy improvements. In short, Fedora 13 is a more stoic, rock solid release with enough new features to make it worth the upgrade. + +Fedora 13 now offers open source 3D acceleration support for Nvidia graphics cards. Previously 3D support was to be had only through the proprietary drivers. The new Nouveau drivers mean those of you with NVidia video cards now have an open source option that still offers 3D support. + +While that will appeal to free software enthusiasts, it also, perhaps more importantly, means that Fedora can be repackaged and distributed without any fear of proprietary drivers. + +If you've been using the old, proprietary NVidia drivers I highly suggest giving the open source versions a try. + +The drivers are also part of a longer term plan. Frields points out that there is already 3D support in the open source Radeon and Intel drivers in Fedora and together the three open drivers pave the way for a more complete 3D stack. With GNOME 3.0 coming up, 3D is going to be more important for more users and Fedora stands above the crowd when it comes to open driver support. + +Other new driver-related improvements in Fedora include support for a host of new webcams, including the new so-called dual-mode cameras. + +Another big area of development for Fedora 13 is virtualization. Red Hat has decided that KVM is is the future of Linux virtualization. The RHEL 6 beta dumped Xen in favor of KVM, and Fedora is no different. + +New features in KVM include the ability to reserve PCI addresses for guest virtual machines and give virtual machines a shared physical network interface so that guests appear independently on the same network as the host machine. + +While neither of these new features will matter to desktop users, they go along way to making Fedora a more compelling choice for production servers running multiple virtual machines. + +Of course Fedora 13 isn't all technical changes under the hood. In fact, this is probably the most user-friendly release yet from the Fedora community. + +Lest you think Ubuntu is the only "fun" distro out there, Fedora 13 does have a few nods to current trends in the Linux desktop, like the inclusion of Pino, a social networking app that can connect to Twitter and Identi.ca. Pino gets menubar status in this release of Fedora and offers roughly the same experience as gwibber, which shipped with Ubuntu. + +Fedora 13 also boasts an entirely new color management system -- courtesy of Fedora contributor Richard Hughes -- for the Gnome desktop. The new profile manager makes it easy to install vendor-supplied ICC or ICM profile files -- just double-click them to config. + +For the average person color management probably never comes up -- you turn on your monitor and it's done. But for graphics professionals and photo enthusiasts color management is a fine art. Indeed one of the reasons OS X is popular is that it makes it easy to manage color profiles. If Ubuntu really wants to mimic OS X, it would do well to steal the new color management tool from Fedora 13. + +Until it does, if you want an easy to use, but powerful way to calibrate your monitor for any input device -- printers, cameras, etc -- Fedora 13 delivers the goods. + +Fedora 13 also packs a new photo management tool, Shotwell. Due to size constraints FSpot was never included in past LiveCDs, though it has always been available as a download. Shotwell gives Fedora a lightweight, out-of-the-box photo management app. While it isn't as full-featured as FSpot, Shotwell is easy to use and will handle your basic photo needs. If you prefer FSpot it's only a click away in Fedora's repositories. + +Fedora also includes Firefox 3.6 version with support for HTML5 video, provided the video is encoded using the Ogg Theora video codec. Fedora was among the first to ship the new Theora 1.1, a much-improved version of the open video codec which features video quality on par with proprietary solutions like H.264. If you want support for Google's new open source video format, WebM, you'll need to install a Firefox nightly build. + +Other nice features in Fedora 13 include automatic printer driver installation -- which means if you plug in a supported printer the driver is downloaded and installed automatically. It's not the most exciting feature in the release seen, but it does add another, "it-just-works" element to the already very user-friendly distro. + +Python programmers will be happy to know that Fedora 13 comes with a "parallel-installable" Python 3 environment that will make it easy for those looking to upgrade their code to test in both Python 2.6 and 3.0, without the need to install Python 3.0 from scratch. Once installed, Python 3 can be invoked simply by typing "python3" while "python" will launch the standard Python 2.6. + +Fedora's Anaconda installer has also been reworked again, offering what Fedora's release notes call "a simpler workflow for desktop and laptop users." Essentially, there are few options to decipher during the installation process, though most of the old fine-tuning menus are still available to advanced users who want to access them. + +Fedora is a somewhat GNOME-biased distro, but there are KDE "spins" as the Fedora project calls them. Fedora 13 ships with KDE 4.4, the latest stable version of KDE. Version 4.4 offers a number of PulseAudio improvements, as well as the new timeline view in the Dolphin file manager and quite a bit more. + +Fedora has long had a reputation as the Linux you use when you grow up, when you get more sophisticated, and Fedora 13 is no different. Fedora 13 eschews the flash of Ubuntu in favor of more serious, but still useful, new features and applications. + +At the same time Fedora is every bit as easy to use. If Ubuntu leaves you feeling a bit like you're sharing ideals with Apple, take Fedora for a spin.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/fedora13interview.txt b/published/fedora13interview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ff0fc02 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora13interview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +Fedora 13 + +better hardware enablement -- latest kernels, but this time there's also + +There's a much more solid hardware enablement story in f13, one example is that we now have 3d acceleration support in the nevou (free nvidia) driver joins radeon and intell drivers + +what you're going to see is a new boot screen smooth fade to login screen, turn on 3d desktop etc. + +Gnome 3 -- will offer more 3d trickes + +3d support is important because we're moving toward different kinds of interfaces -- the right way to do it is not making hacks to the kernel so propr drivers work, but writing great free drivers. + +propertary driver prone to crashes that can't be debugged (because who knows what's in it). + +we would rather put our time into makeing a better free driver so that anyone can modify, distribute etc + +Fedora stands out from the crowd when it comes to free hardware drivers. "Our out of the box experience is going to be better." + +auto find for print drivers (hot plugging) + +Richard hughes created a color management stack. For the average person color management isn't a huge deal. Turn on your mointor and it's done. But graphics professionals and enthusiastist color management is a fine art. Fedora is quite a bit ahead of the crowd on this one, offering tools to create custom profiles from icc profiles. download from manufacture and load it into the new color management tools and you'll see true colors for your input device, be it a camera or printer or what have you. + +we want a culture of contributeion, not just consumption. + +Python programmers will be happy to know that Fedora 13 comes with a "parallel-installable" Python 3 environment that will make it easy for those looking to upgrade their code to test in both Python 2.6 and 3.0, without the need to install Python 3.0 from scratch. + +-- one of the thingswe've tried to concentrate on is + +there's also some new debugging tools that help with python code that relies heavily on c libraries (on place in GDB ) system tap + +Fedora a heavy python user itself, so in some repects this is fedora scratching its own itch + +Paul Frieds knows the people of fedora like no other person I've ever met in the linux community. + +I've been running it since it was pre-alpha and I think its one of the strongest releases we've ever done. + +fedora has a reputation as the linux you use when you grow up, when you get more sophisticated... but in fact that's not really true anymore. Fedora is easy to use for beginner and stable
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/fedora14beta.txt b/published/fedora14beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..614c8d1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora14beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,36 @@ +The Fedora Project has released a beta version of Fedora 14, the next major release for the popular open source Linux distribution. Fedora 14, nicknamed "Laughlin," is so far a largely under-the-hood upgrade, with little in the way of cosmetic or even application changes. + +Like Ubuntu -- also currently in the beta stage of its next release -- Fedora 14 may be most notable for what isn't included -- GNOME 3.0. The massive overhaul to the Gnome desktop has seen a series of delays that have forced the more mainstream distros to push back their plans for including Gnome 3.0. + +While Fedora 14 is unlikely to elicit the same sort of mainstream user enthusiasm you'll find surrounding Ubuntu and its continuing onslaught of newer, shinier features, this release is still notable for several worthy updates. + +Two of the biggest changes in the Fedora 14 beta include the new libjpeg-turbo and Spice, a new tool for virtualization. + +The libjpeg-turbo support uses the enhanced fork of the original libjpeg project to add numerous performance improvements providing faster JPEG handling. For those running Fedora as a web server, that means faster compression and decompression for apps working with image files. The updated library should also speed up any other applications working with JPEG images, including photo managers, video editors and PDF readers. + +The other big news is Spice, the Simple Protocol for Independent Computing Environments. Spice is part of Red Hat's Qumranet acquisition, which also brought the now standard KVM virtualization to both RHEL and Fedora. + +The goal of the Spice project is to improve remote access to QEMU virtual machines. For those running Windows clients in a virtual machine Spice includes a few Windows helpers right out of the box including a video driver, an agent for performing operations inside the guest system and virtio serial drivers for talking to the agent. + +Although Spice has been available in the Yum repos since Fedora 12, the new tools make getting Spice up and running much easier and should be good news for those with multiple virtual machines to manage. + +Fedora 14 will also mark the first time the Fedora will concurrently release all its usual spins and a new Amazon EC2 image. That's great news for those using Amazon's cloud hosting to run Fedora machines. Until now the most recent Fedora release available for EC2 users has been Fedora 8 -- if you wanted a more recent version of Fedora on an EC2 instance you'd have to install it yourself. Thankfully, once Fedora 14 is finalized and released, that will no longer be the case. + +This release will also see the expansion of Fedora's netbook spin integrating MeeGo for mobile devices. For most users that means netbooks, though MeeGo is designed to support multiple platforms -- think in-dash car systems, handsets and more. + +For Fedora 14 the core MeeGo 1.0 packages are all available either as separate spin or through Yum: yum groupinstall meego-netbook. The MeeGo integration builds on the foundations laid by the Moblin spin in previous Fedora releases. The MeeGo Netbook UX is built on the GNOME Mobile platform, extending it with new technologies like Clutter, GUPnP and libsocialweb. + +Fedora is a somewhat GNOME-biased distro, but there are KDE "spins" as the Fedora project calls them. Fedora 14 beta comes with KDE 4.5, the latest stable version of KDE. Version 4.5 now includes the WebKit rendering engine in its libraries, meaning applications can use WebKit to display content with the same level of integration as you'll find in the older KHTML framework. + +Other smaller changes in Fedora 14 beta include updates for popular scripting languages like +Python, Ruby and Perl which have all been updated to the latest stable releases. The updated Ruby packages mean that Fedora 14 will support Ruby on Rails out of the box. For Python developers the ability to run Python 3.0 alongside older versions -- which was introduced in Fedora 13 -- remains available, making it easy for those looking to upgrade code without the need to install Python 3.0 from scratch. + +Fedora 14 will also include support for D, a systems programming language that combines the power of C and C++ with the productivity-friendly approach of of modern scripting languages like Ruby and Python. + +While Fedora 14 might lack some of the visual splash of its rival Ubuntu 10.10, the beta shows Fedora 14 shaping up as a great upgrade for those who want a faster system with all the latest tools + +Overall Fedora 14 is already looking like a decent, if somewhat dull, upgrade to the Fedora line. While it may lack some of the flashier "everyday user" features Ubuntu has been focusing on, Fedora is still a very user-friendly distro, especially for those just looking to get work done without the bells and whistles of Ubuntu. + +The new concurrent EC2 releases will also mean the Fedora may well be powering a cloud-based service near you. Given the project's focus on constantly improving developer tools and eschewing unnecessary features, Fedora may well end up the workhorse of EC2. + +If you'd like to test out this beta release, head to the Fedora 13 downloads page and grab a copy today.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/fedora14final.txt b/published/fedora14final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c67246a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora14final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,69 @@ +The Fedora Project has released Fedora 14, nicknamed "Laughlin." While Fedora 14 has quite a bit of new stuff under the hood, you probably won't notice most of it unless you're a systems admin or using Fedora for development. + +For Fedora that's business as usual and, many would argue, the way it should be. After all, the latest UI bling is useless if the underlying system isn't delivering the tools you need on a rock solid foundation. + +It also makes a nice contrast to Ubuntu, which has a habit of taking Fedora's upstream contributions, wrapping them in a prettier package and stealing the limelight. There's nothing wrong with that, it's the nature of open source software -- you can do what you want with it -- but Fedora rarely ends up getting credit it deserves for making desktop Linux as useable as it has become over the years. + +However, those who love Ubuntu's slick looks might want to take a closer look at Fedora 14. Given Ubuntu's controversial decision to switch to the Unity desktop in its next revision, it's entirely possible Fedora will look more appealing to casual users over the next year. While Fedora may be less flashy than Ubuntu, there's plenty here for exiled GNOME lovers to embrace. What's less clear is whether Fedora will return that embrace. + +Fedora has long maintained that it is not looking for users, it's looking for fellow contributors. That is, the distro doesn't want to make Linux easier for you, it wants you to help it make Linux better for everyone. + +For the most part that's an academic (and marketing) distinction, but when you start comparing release notes between Ubuntu and Fedora one thing become very clear -- Fedora is all about tools and foundations. + +Something for Everyone + +That said, there are several enhancements in Fedora 14 that any user will appreciate. For example, Fedora 14 ships with libjpeg-turbo. While that may not mean much to the average user it translates into much faster JPEG image handling and you don't have to be a system admin to appreciate faster photo apps. + +The libjpeg-turbo support uses the enhanced fork of the original libjpeg project. For those running Fedora as a web server, that means faster compression and decompression for server-side apps working with image files. The updated library should also speed up any other applications working with JPEG images, including photo managers, video editors and PDF readers. + +Another somewhat technical, though useful to anyone, enhancement in Fedora 14 is Spice, the Simple Protocol for Independent Computing Environments. Spice is a framework for setting up and interacting with virtual machines. It offers accelerated graphics, encryption and video and audio tools. + +For those running Windows clients in a virtual machine Spice offers a few Windows helpers right out of the box, including a video driver, an agent for performing operations inside the guest system and virtio serial drivers for talking to the agent. + +Although Spice has been available in the repos since Fedora 12, the new tools make getting Spice up and running much easier. + +Along with improvements like Spice, desktop Linux users will find nearly the same compliment of GNOME apps that ships with Ubuntu. In some cases the app choices are different, but for the most part the two ship with roughly the same GNOME software. + +There is one thing missing in this release, Fedora no longer ships with the Pino social network client. Its absence is probably due to the fact that Pino hasn't yet updated to Twitter's new OAuth system, but the fact that Gwibber wasn't dropped in its place suggests perhaps Fedora is dropping the idea of including a Twitter client. Frankly, given Fedora's overall focus on development tools, Pino did feel a bit out of place. + +Naturally just about any major GNOME app you'd like to install -- including Pino 0.3 when it's finalized -- is available in the Fedora repos. + +Fedora in the Cloud + +Fedora 14 is moving into the cloud. Unlike Ubuntu, which thus far has focused its cloud offerings on services like Ubuntu One, the Fedora Project is releasing Fedora 14 as an Amazon EC2 image. + +It might not sync your music between PCs, but it's a boon for developers. + +Until now the most recent Fedora release available for EC2 users has been Fedora 8 -- if you wanted a more recent version of Fedora on an EC2 instance you had to install it yourself. + +The new concurrent release schedule means that moving your projects from local servers into Amazon's cloud can be as easy as copying a few files to Amazon servers. + +Netbooks and other desktops + +This release will also see the expansion of Fedora's netbook spin, integrating MeeGo for mobile devices. For most users that means netbooks, though MeeGo has also been adopted by Nokia for use on mobile phones. + +For Fedora 14 the core MeeGo 1.0 packages are all available either as separate spin or through Yum: yum groupinstall meego-netbook. The MeeGo integration builds on the foundations laid by the Moblin spin in previous Fedora releases. + +As usual Fedora 14 offers your choice of desktops, including GNOME 2.32, KDE 4.5, Xfce 4.6.2 and even Sugar 0.90 if you feel like trying something totally different (Sugar is probably best known as the OLPC OS for children). + +After GNOME, the KDE spin sees the biggest set of changes in this release, with version 4.5 now including the WebKit rendering engine in its libraries. That means KDE now has system-wide WebKit support that works much like the older KHTML framework, allowing any app to take advantage of WebKit for displaying content. + +It's also worth mentioning that Fedora still has the best Linux installer I've used, with the option to customize and tweak your installed software before installation, something Ubuntu should really consider offering (once they get done making the perfect installer slideshow, assuming they ever do). + +Programming Languages + +Popular scripting languages like Python, Ruby and Perl have all been updated to the latest stable releases. The updated Ruby packages mean that Fedora 14 will support Ruby on Rails out of the box. + +For Python developers the ability to run Python 3.0 alongside older versions -- which was introduced in Fedora 13 -- remains available, making it easy for those looking to upgrade code without the need to install Python 3.0 from scratch. + +Fedora 14 will also include support for D, a systems programming language, which, according to the release notes, combines the power of C and C++ with the productivity-friendly approach of of modern scripting languages like Ruby and Python. + +Fedora 14 vs Ubuntu + +In some ways it's an apples to oranges comparison. On the surface Fedora looks more sedate and isn't as pretty as Ubuntu out of the box. But when it comes to desktop Linux, does anyone use the default theme? + +Under the hood Fedora starts to look more appealing, with everything from the awesome color management tools which landed in Fedora 13, to the new virtualization and photo speed improvements found in this release. + +While it may lack some of the flashier "everyday user" features Ubuntu has been focusing on, Fedora is still a very user-friendly distro, especially for those just looking to get work done without the bells and whistles of Ubuntu. + +In the end both are great desktop releases, the main difference is that Fedora has more to offer once you scrape below the glossy surface.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/fedora15-firefox.png b/published/fedora15-firefox.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..235a251 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora15-firefox.png diff --git a/published/fedora15-gnomesearch.png b/published/fedora15-gnomesearch.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..14f4253 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora15-gnomesearch.png diff --git a/published/fedora15-gnomeshell.png b/published/fedora15-gnomeshell.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..3f0072c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora15-gnomeshell.png diff --git a/published/fedora15-gnomewindows.png b/published/fedora15-gnomewindows.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bf23fbc --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora15-gnomewindows.png diff --git a/published/fedora15beta.txt b/published/fedora15beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e144df9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora15beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@ +The Fedora Project has released Fedora 15 beta. Fedora 15 beta drops squarely into a world of Linux chaos. + +Ubuntu's Unity interface is off to a rough start, and while GNOME 3 -- Fedora's new default desktop -- is considerably more mature than Unity, it's still a radical break with the past that's already bringing out the dissenters. + +It's enough to make even the most diehard of GNOME fans retreat to the stable, if somewhat foreign, world of KDE. But not Fedora. Fedora is bravely diving into the GNOME 3 waters, even serving as one of the GNOME 3 live demos. Indeed most users will likely get their first taste of GNOME 3 from Fedora, which looks to be the first major distro to ship a final release with GNOME 3. + +Despite their similarities, Fedora has long played second fiddle to Ubuntu in the minds of many Linux fans. Now, however, there are actually major differences between the two distros, and unless Unity manages to make some serious improvements before the final release of Ubuntu 11.04, Fedora just may come out looking like an island of sanity in a storm of Unity. + +Of course such a view of Fedora 15 assumes you like GNOME 3. If you don't, it's probably time to start learning how to tweak Xfce because GNOME 2 isn't going anywhere from here on out. + +Although GNOME 3 will be a jarring shock for those accustomed to working with the GNOME 2.x line, once you spend some time with it, you just might discover it's actually -- gasp -- better than GNOME 2. It may require changing your work habits slightly -- especially if you're a big fan of minimizing windows, since that isn't possible in GNOME 3 -- but, if you give it a chance, GNOME 3 has much to offer. + +GNOME 3 revolves around the "Shell" which takes most of what used to live in the three main GNOME menus and spreads it out into a shell-like interface that sits completely offscreen until you need it. The result is a cleaner interface to be sure, but the real appeal of the shell is that you can navigate nearly everything without taking your hands off the keyboard (or the mouse if you prefer that route). + +Thanks to excellent keyboard shortcuts, you can call up the shell, search and launch a program, search the web, switch workspaces or check on notifications without ever lifting your fingers. If you're a mouse user similar things are possible with mouse gestures -- just throw your mouse to the upper left corner and the shell will launch. Then you can use the favorites panel to launch apps, documents or any other favorites you add to the panel. + +While the cleaner interface may be at least partly the result of someone at GNOME drinking too much of the "distraction-free working" kool aide, the GNOME shell does do an admirable job of making it feel like the entire system is just you and whatever app you're using at the moment -- the shell stays out of your way until you need it. + +Even Fedora seems taken by the simplicity of GNOME 3's interface; the Fedora 15 theme has been toned down considerably. The characteristic blue icons are now gray (though this may be do to GNOME 3's lack of theming tools) and the new wallpaper is nicely understated. + +Themes are one place that small cracks begin to show in Fedora 15. For example, Firefox has been updated to version 4, but the scrollbars are noticeably blue because they still use the old Fedora Firefox theme. Similarly apps like Google's Chrome browser also look a bit out of place. It's a minor point, and not one the Fedora has much control over, but it does hint at a few areas GNOME 3 still needs to work on. + +Overall though Fedora 15 has slipped into its new GNOME 3 dress with aplomb. If you don't like GNOME 3 that's one thing, but it's hard to fault Fedora's integration of it. + +GNOME 3 may be the biggest news in this beta, but Fedora 15 also sees a major change under the hood. Fedora 15 now uses systemd as the default system and session manager. Systemd was in Fedora 14, but not enabled by default. The result of the completed transition will be faster boot and shutdown times, especially on SSDs. + +Fedora 15 manages to pack in a few other new features as well, including a dynamic firewall management system, better power monitoring tools and the usual slew of programming language updates that Fedora is known for. + +While Fedora 15 is definitely still a beta and not recommended for everyday use, it's leaps and bounds beyond Ubuntu's first beta release. If you want to test out GNOME 3, the Fedora 15 beta makes an excellent way to use it. diff --git a/published/fedora15final.txt b/published/fedora15final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2134d89 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora15final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +The Red Hat backed Fedora Project has released Fedora 15 into the wild. + +Despite their similarities, Fedora has long played second fiddle to Ubuntu in the minds of many Linux fans. Now, for the first time, there are actually major differences between the two distros. For most users, the debate between the two can be distilled down to GNOME 3 versus Unity, though as always, Fedora remains quite a bit different under the surface as well. + +With the Unity Shell making waves -- and not always good ones -- in the Ubuntu community, Fedora 15 offers something of a refuge for those frustrated with the Unity Shell. + +Unfortunately GNOME 3 --Fedora's new default desktop-- while in much better shape than Ubuntu's Unity, is still very different than any version of GNOME you've used before. + +There's no question that GNOME 3 will be something of a shock for those accustomed to working with the GNOME 2.x line, but, once you spend some time with it, GNOME 3 really does feel like a vast improvement over GNOME 2. After all, GNOME 2 borrowed much of its UI design and basic interface concepts from Windows 95 -- and it's been a long time since Windows 95 was cutting edge. + +Perhaps GNOME 3's most distinguishing visual characteristic is that it doesn't look like a cheap knock off of Windows. Perhaps that's being a bit harsh on GNOME 2.x, but certainly much of the appeal of Ubuntu, and no small part of its success, came from the customizations Canonical made to the otherwise very dull look of GNOME 2.x. Of course, the outdated look of GNOME 2.x is no doubt a feature to some. GNOME 2.x looks more or less like Windows so it isn't hard to make the transition from one to the other. But given that GNOME has never really made inroads on the desktop, it's tough to argue that mimicking the UI of Windows was a sound strategy for GNOME. GNOME 3 dispenses with any similarities to Windows and carves its own path. + +GNOME 3 features a very different desktop and working environment. Gone are the traditional menus, icons on your desktop and other common metaphors inherited from Windows. GNOME 3 was designed around the "Shell", which takes most of the features once found in the three main GNOME menus and pulls them off screen in a shell that you call up and dismiss as needed. The result is a cleaner interface to be sure, but one that is also very different than most OS designs. + +In Fedora 15 there is essentially no desktop as you probably think of it now. There are no "main" menus to speak of, no icons to click. Instead you invoke the shell (through keyboard shortcuts or mouse gestures) and all the old features return, in the form of a single, full-screen panel. From the panel you can launch apps, search using the search box or browse through applications and open windows. When you're done doing what you need to do, the shell slides back out of the way leaving just your open windows and documents. I've been using GNOME 3 via Fedora 15 since the Fedora beta was released and, yes, it did take some getting used to, some unlearning of old habits (and certainly you can debate whether that's a good or bad thing) but after a week or so of day-to-day use I found it awkward to go back to GNOME 2.x. + +GNOME 3 isn't just about revamping the interface, it's also about shedding the vestiges of the past. Part of that shedding is good news -- GNOME 3 is, provided you have the hardware, much snappier than GNOME 2.x. The speed boost comes from behind the scenes changes that take advantage of today's graphics cards rather than the circa 1996 cards that GNOME 2.x was written for. Of course a rewrite to leverage modern hardware is always a double edged sword. Owners of older or unsupported hardware won't be happy, but at the same time you can only support the old at the expense of the new for so long. The GNOME team has decided that now is the time to make the leap forward. + +If you don't like GNOME 3 that's one thing, but it's hard to fault Fedora's integration of it. However, there are a few small things that make Fedora 15 feel like more a GNOME 3 showcase than a Fedora update. At the request of the GNOME developers Fedora has stuck very close to the upstream GNOME 3 design. Even the default desktop wallpaper is a hybrid between GNOME's striped look and Fedora's bird theme. + +There are also a few minor problems with themes in GNOME 3. While most of the stock GNOME apps have been ported to the new GTK+ 3 default theme, apps that still rely on a GTK+ 2 theme (like Firefox) have different scrollbars. Combine that with the GNOME oriented theme and Fedora 15 will likely feel just a bit off to long time fans. + +While GNOME 3 is definitely the main story in Fedora 15, there are some other big changes happening under the hood. For example, Fedora 15 now uses systemd as the default system and session manager. Systemd's main advantage is faster boot and shutdown times, especially on solid state hard drives. Systemd was in Fedora 14, but not enabled by default. + +Another major change is the option to use the Btrfs filesystem. Btrfs, which is being developed by Red Hat, Oracle and others, is on track to be the default filesystem in Fedora 16, but it's available for testing in this release. That said, I don't recommend it. If you do want to test Btrfs, Fedora's release notes go out of the way to suggest maintaining good backups -- in other words, Btrfs is getting there but probably not a good idea for mission critical work. + +Other new features in Fedora 15 include a new dynamic firewall background service called firewalld that watches for configuration changes and automatically applies them without the need to restart your firewall. Fedora 15 also offers some new and improved power monitoring tools to squeeze a bit more out of your laptop battery, and, as always there is the usual slew of programming language updates that Fedora is known for. + +Should you upgrade? Well, that depends. + +If you hate GNOME 3 with the sort of passion most people reserve for politics and religion, well, your best bet is to stick with Fedora 14. Forever. + +If you've tested GNOME 3 and can't wait to use it on a daily basis, then Fedora 15 makes a great choice. + +If, like most people, you're still on the fence about GNOME 3, you might want to wait. As with KDE's move from 3.x to 4.x, GNOME is going through a major transition at the moment. While GNOME 3.0 is in much better shape than KDE 4.0 when it launched, there are still some features missing and some rough edges to be smoothed out. It almost never hurts to wait for the x.1 release to come around before you make the leap to something new like GNOME 3.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/fedora16-desktop.jpg b/published/fedora16-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9be98b4 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora16-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora16-gnome-graphicsapps.jpg b/published/fedora16-gnome-graphicsapps.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7047fac --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora16-gnome-graphicsapps.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora16-gnome3.jpg b/published/fedora16-gnome3.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5c8bc73 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora16-gnome3.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora16-gnome3windows.jpg b/published/fedora16-gnome3windows.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..957cc82 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora16-gnome3windows.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora16beta.txt b/published/fedora16beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fb3feab --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora16beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +The Fedora Project has released the Fedora 16. The final release of Fedora 16 comes after several delays that have become characteristic of Fedora's release cycle and put the distribution a few weeks behind its rival Ubuntu. + +Fortunately for Fedora fans this release is well worth the extended waiting time, offering an updated GNOME Shell, the 3.0 Linux kernel and plenty of the under the hood improvements that Fedora is known for. + +Dubbed "Verne" and sporting desktop artwork reminiscent of Jules Verne's <cite>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</cite>, Fedora 16 continues the role Fedora took on earlier this year as the central showpiece for the GNOME desktop. + +While other major distros like openSUSE have also since released GNOME 3 builds, Fedora remains one of the most popular ways to stick a toe in the GNOME 3 waters and is one of the most tightly integrated GNOME 3 desktops. As such perhaps most notable part of Fedora 16 is the upgrade to GNOME 3.2. + +This marks the second incremental update for GNOME, though for Fedora users who haven't stayed up to date Fedora 16 will likely mean leapfrogging straight from GNOME 3 to 3.2. + +The good news, for those having a little trouble adjusting to GNOME 3 is that there will be no new major features coming in the next few GNOME releases. Instead the GNOME team has been focusing on polishing and improving the foundations of GNOME 3 and the improvements show in Fedora 16. + +Perhaps the most noticeable of the new features in this version of GNOME is the new integrated chat and messaging system that's now built in to GNOME 3.2. The new features mean you can automatically log into your chat and messaging accounts without needing to launch a separate application. That is, you can chat and message right from the GNOME shell. + +The chat and messaging tools also bring a new set of notification windows complete with options to, for example, reply to messages, accept files transfers or even take calls, all from the GNOME shell. + +Also high on the list of GNOME's goals is solving some of the pain points early adopters have suffered through for the last six months. To that end GNOME 3.2 offers a much improved workspace switcher that has a more permanent display when you're in overview mode. In other words, you can now actually get to the workspace switcher on the right side of the screen when you need it. + +GNOME 3.2 offers status bar notifications for external storage devices with options like mounting, browsing files or ejecting all displayed at the bottom of the screen whenever you plugin a new device. + +GNOME 3's status bar messages have also been improved with a new option to display a counter, for example, to show the number of unread emails or new chat messages. + +Perhaps more useful for those who would like to get real work done in GNOME 3 is the new "do not disturb" toggle switch in the user menu. While all the functionality of do not disturb mode is actually part of GNOME 3.0, there's no easy way to turn it on. Version 3.2 adds a switch in the user menu and, when enabled, do not disturb mode will set your messaging status to busy and stop the endless stream of notifications. + +For those accustomed to GNOME 2.x, GNOME 3 is still a long way from comfortable. But, like KDE struggling from 3 to 4 before it, The GNOME team is slowly putting the bugs to rest and adding back in the missing features. + +Which of course does not mean that GNOME 3.2 is perfect. In fact there were enough little bugs and annoyances in my testing -- including a particularly annoying inability to automatically detect my screen size and keep it set between reboots -- that it still feels rough around the edges and consequently makes Fedora feel less stable than usual. + +Fedora 16 ships with a number of updates for the standard GNOME app quite including the Evolution email client -- Fedora having decided to stick with Evolution rather than following Ubuntu over to Mozilla's Thunderbird -- the Empathy chat app, Rhythmbox and others. + +Missing from the live CD is any office application like the new LibreOffice which is available via the repos, but no longer installed in an effort to keep the live CD file size down. Also not on the live CD, but new in Fedora 16 is the latest version of Blender, a 3D imaging tool. + +Fedora 16 also features the latest Firefox release and the usual developer tools updates for Perl, Python and Haskell. + +This release also quietly adds support for the fast-growing OpenStack cloud platform, which seems to have gone from unknown to must-have in record time, even for a "cloud" tool. Ubuntu's 11.10 server already ships with OpenStack, <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/26/attachmate_suse_openstack_cloud/">SUSE Linux</a> plans to release a commercially supported version and, presumably as a testbed for an eventual Red Hat Linux release, Fedora 16 includes the "Diablo" release of OpenStack. + +Fedora 16 also features the new Linux 3.0 kernel with support for more hardware and improvements to Linux's Btrfs support. Early in the Fedora 16 release cycle there was <a href="http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/F16BtrfsDefaultFs">talk of moving to the btrfs filesystem</a> as the default for Fedora 16, but in the end it didn't happen. Fedora 16 still defaults to the ext4 filesystem. There is, however, support for the GRUB2 bootloader on x86 systems, which replaces GRUB legacy. Also worth noting, if only for the name, the HAL daemon, a system daemon used for accessing hardware and something a resource hog according the Fedora devs, has been removed from Fedora 16 (in addition to being faster, the absence of HAL should clear a bug where Fedora would refuse to open the pod bay doors). + +Like Ubuntu 11.10, which was released a few earlier Fedora's projected November 8 release date, Fedora 16 will be making the leap to GNOME 3 not just for the shell, but for all the underlying system tools as well. That means there will be no way to boot Fedora 16 into GNOME 2.x. There is a simplified "fallback" mode for hardware that doesn't measure up to GNOME 3's requirements, but effectively, from here on out, GNOME 3 is GNOME. + +If you're less keen on GNOME 3, there are other Fedora spins worth checking out. Both the KDE and Xfce offer most of the same improvements under the hood and Fedora 16's KDE spin offers the KDE Plasma Workspace 4.7, including both the usual Plasma Desktop and the newer Netbook workspace. + +For those who've already made peace with GNOME 3 or even enjoy it, Fedora 16 offers one of best platforms on which to run the new shell environment. Not only is the default theme nicely integrated into GNOME 3, the underlying core has all the usual power of a Fedora release. + +The latest version of Fedora is available from the Fedora Project website. diff --git a/published/fedora16final.txt b/published/fedora16final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..30749da --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora16final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +The Fedora Project has released Fedora 16. The final release of Fedora 16 comes after several delays -- something that's become characteristic of Fedora's release cycle -- and puts the distribution a few weeks behind its main competitor, Ubuntu. + +Fortunately for Fedora fans this release is well worth the extended waiting time, offering an updated GNOME Shell, the 3.0 Linux kernel and plenty of the under the hood improvements that Fedora is known for. + +Dubbed "Verne" and sporting desktop artwork reminiscent of Jules Verne's <cite>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</cite>, Fedora 16 continues the role Fedora took on earlier this year as the central showpiece for the GNOME 3.0 desktop. + +While other major distros like openSUSE have also since released GNOME 3 builds, Fedora remains one of the most popular ways to stick a toe in the GNOME 3 waters. Part of the GNOME 3 love in Fedora comes from the extra effort to make Fedora's basic theme and overall look fit with that of GNOME 3. As such perhaps the most notable part of Fedora 16 is the upgrade to GNOME 3.2. + +This marks the second incremental update for GNOME, though for Fedora users who haven't stayed up to date Fedora 16 will likely mean leapfrogging straight from GNOME 3 to 3.2. + +The good news, for those having a little trouble adjusting to GNOME 3, is that there will be no major changes coming in the next few GNOME releases. Instead the GNOME team has been focusing on polishing and improving the foundations of GNOME 3 and the improvements show in Fedora 16. + +Among the nice improvements in this version of GNOME is the new integrated chat and messaging system that's now built in to GNOME 3.2. The new features mean you can automatically log into your chat and messaging accounts without needing to launch a separate application. That is, you can chat and message right from the GNOME shell. + +The chat and messaging tools also bring a new set of notification windows complete with options to, for example, reply to messages, accept file transfers or even take calls, all from the GNOME shell. + +Also high on the list of GNOME 3.2's goals is solving some of the pain points early adopters have suffered through for the last six months. To that end GNOME 3.2 offers a much improved workspace switcher that has a more permanent display when you're in overview mode. In other words, you can now actually get to the workspace switcher on the right side of the screen when you need it. + +GNOME 3.2 offers status bar notifications for external storage devices with options like mounting, browsing files or ejecting, all displayed at the bottom of the screen whenever you plug in a new device. + +GNOME 3's status bar messages have also been improved with a new option to display a counter, for example, to show the number of unread emails or new chat messages. + +Perhaps more useful for those who would like to get real work done in GNOME 3 is the new "do not disturb" toggle switch in the user menu. While all the functionality of do not disturb mode is actually part of GNOME 3.0, there's no easy way to turn it on. Version 3.2 adds a switch in the user menu and, when enabled, do not disturb mode will set your messaging status to busy and stop the endless stream of notifications. + +For those accustomed to GNOME 2.x, GNOME 3 is still a long way from comfortable. But, like KDE struggling from 3 to 4 before it, The GNOME team is slowly putting the bugs to rest and adding back in the missing features. + +Which of course does not mean that GNOME 3.2 is perfect. In fact there were enough little bugs and annoyances in my testing -- including a particularly annoying inability to automatically detect my screen size and keep it set between reboots -- that it still feels rough around the edges and consequently makes Fedora feel less stable than usual. + +Fedora 16 ships with a number of updates for the standard GNOME app suite including the Evolution email client -- Fedora having decided to stick with Evolution rather than following Ubuntu over to Mozilla's Thunderbird -- the Empathy chat app, Rhythmbox and others. + +Missing from the live CD is any office application like the new LibreOffice which is available via the repos, but no longer installed in an effort to keep the live CD file size down. Also not on the live CD, but new in Fedora 16, is the latest version of Blender, a 3D imaging tool. + +Fedora 16 also features the latest Firefox release and the usual developer tool updates for Perl, Python and Haskell. + +This release also quietly adds support for the fast-growing OpenStack cloud platform, which seems to have gone from unknown to must-have in record time, even for a "cloud" tool. Ubuntu's 11.10 server already ships with OpenStack, <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/26/attachmate_suse_openstack_cloud/">SUSE Linux</a> plans to release a commercially supported version and, presumably as a testbed for an eventual Red Hat Linux release, Fedora 16 includes the "Diablo" release of OpenStack. + +Fedora 16 also features the new Linux 3.0 kernel with support for more hardware and improvements to Linux's Btrfs support. Early in the Fedora 16 release cycle there was <a href="http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/F16BtrfsDefaultFs">talk of moving to the Btrfs filesystem</a> as the default for Fedora 16, but in the end it didn't happen. Fedora 16 still defaults to the ext4 filesystem. There is, however, support for the GRUB2 bootloader on x86 systems, which replaces GRUB legacy. Also worth noting, if only for the name, the HAL daemon, a system daemon used for accessing hardware, and something a resource hog according the Fedora devs, has been removed from Fedora 16 (in addition to being faster, the absence of HAL should clear a bug where Fedora would refuse to open the pod bay doors). + +Like Ubuntu 11.10, which was released a few weeks ago, Fedora 16 will be making the leap to GNOME 3 not just for the shell, but for all the underlying system tools as well. That means there will be no way to boot Fedora 16 into GNOME 2.x. There is a simplified "fallback" mode for hardware that doesn't measure up to GNOME 3's requirements, but effectively, from here on out, GNOME 3 is GNOME. + +If you're less keen on GNOME 3, there are other Fedora spins worth checking out. Both the KDE and Xfce offer most of the same improvements under the hood, and Fedora 16's KDE spin offers the KDE Plasma Workspace 4.7, including both the usual Plasma Desktop and the newer Netbook workspace. + +For those who've already made peace with GNOME 3, or even enjoy it, Fedora 16 offers one of best platforms on which to run the new shell environment. Not only is the default theme nicely integrated into GNOME 3, the underlying core has all the usual power of a Fedora release. + +The latest version of Fedora is available from the Fedora Project website. diff --git a/published/fedora17beta.txt b/published/fedora17beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8681da9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora17beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,36 @@ +Fedora 17 has arrived. The Fedora Project has released the first beta of its upcoming Fedora 17. + +Sporting the terrible nickname "Beefy Miracle," this release is not, fortunately, as bad as its name sounds. On the other hand there's nothing particularly miraculous about this release either. Instead the Fedora 17 beta paves the way for another solid, if stolid, update to the Fedora line. + +Among the more noticeable changes in Fedora 17 is GNOME 3.4, the latest version of the GNOME 3 desktop. While the Fedora DVD still ships with a variety of desktops, the live CD defaults to GNOME and for some time now Fedora has served as a showcase for the development of GNOME 3. + +GNOME 3.4 continues to polish GNOME 3, particularly the shell where the search features have improved significantly. Not only do results come up much faster, the shell was much better at guessing what you want. For example GNOME 3.4 had no trouble suggesting Gvim when typing "vim", a seemingly simple linguistic leap that Ubuntu's Unity shell <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/02/ubuntu_12_04_beta_review/">fails to pull off</a>. + +Other smaller improvements in GNOME 3.4 include smooth scrolling support and some redesigned applications like the Documents and Contacts apps, both of which now have a streamlined look that's more in line with the <a href="http://developer.gnome.org/hig-book/3.0/">GNOME 3 human interface guidelines</a>. + +Despite some more polish on the GNOME 3 interface, not everything in GNOME 3.4 is a step up. For example, the window scrollbars are smaller making them harder to see, harder to grab with a mouse and harder to use. + +GNOME 3.4 introduces a new application level menu that sits on the top of GNOME Shell bar and contains items that affect the whole application. It pretty much mirrors a very similar feature in Ubuntu's Unity interface. But unfortunately not all applications use the new menu yet, making GNOME 3.4 feel a bit unpredictable and more inconsistent than previous releases. + +On the plus side Fedora 17's GNOME 3.4 can now run on hardware without a native 3D driver. The gnome-session app will no longer treat llvmpipe as an unsupported driver, which means the GNOME 3 interface will work without issues in virtual machines. + +One thing you won't find in the Fedora 17 beta is the newly improved Epiphany web browser which GNOME developers have been devoting considerable effort toward lately. Now rebranded simply "Web", the Epiphany browser is a bit more usable, though why exactly the GNOME team considers this a priority when far better web browsers not only exist, but ship as the default in most distros, remains a mystery. Fedora, apparently, is equally unimpressed and for now is still shipping Firefox as the default web browser. + +Another far more disappointing thing missing in Fedora 17 is the Btrfs file system, which was originally slated to become the default with this release, but did not end up making the cut. You can still opt to use Btrfs during the installation process, but it won't be the default until Fedora 18. + +Under the hood Fedora 17 has started the migration to a new unified file system layout -- that is, everything now lives under /usr. The plan is to get rid of the separation of /bin and /usr/bin, as well as /sbin and /usr/sbin and so on. All files from the top level directories will now be found under their /usr equivalent. Fedora is the first of the major distros to tackle a unified file system. + +Before you panic, fear not, there are symlinks aplenty so none of your apps are going to break. Most desktop users will probably not even notice the change. But down the road the underlying Fedora file system layout will be cleaner and more predictable for developers. + +The other major new backend improvement in this release is the new multitouch support. At the moment that won't mean much for end users, but this release links together a full multitouch stack that runs from the kernel to the X server to GTK+ 3.4. All that remains to do now is for actual applications to implement multitouch. Oh and someone needs to actually build a Linux-based tablet. + +When it comes to applications, Fedora 17 has the usual slew of GNOME-related updates with new versions of the Evolution mail client, Firefox, Shotwell and others. The Fedora 17 DVD now includes GIMP 2.8 out of the box. GIMP 2.8 isn't a final release just yet, but it should be by the time Fedora 17 is final (no, really, after 3 years of development GIMP 2.8 is finally being released in May). In the mean time you can play with the new and long-awaited single-window mode, which gives the graphics editor a more Photoshop-like look feel. + +There's plenty more worth exploring in Fedora 17, including a major update for OpenStack, the open source cloud computing platform (think Amazon EC2) and the latest version of KDE for those that don't want the GNOME desktop. The Fedora 17 roadmap calls for a final release on May 15. Until then I suggest sticking with a virtual machine to test Fedora 17, it is a beta release after all. +This release also sees the beginning of Fedora's great migration to a saner file system layout. Technically this is referred to as a "unified file system" layout. Instead of the current seperation between /bin and /usr/bin or /sbin and /usr/sbin and so on -- all of which dates back to disk space issues that were solved decades ago -- everything will now live under /usr. It sounds more tramatic than it actual is; most users will never notice the change thanks to copious symlinks that make everything look pretty much the same for now. + +Eventually though the directories really will be gone leaving a cleaner and more predictable directory structure for developers. Fedora is the first of the major distros to tackle a unified file system, though most will likely follow suit. + +Anyone looking to use Fedora 17 as a platform for the open source cloud computing platform, OpenStack, will be happy to know that Fedora has updated to "Essex," an OpenStack update released last month. + +Among the the other major backend improvement in this release is the new multitouch support. Of course there's not much you can do with that at the moment since Fedora-based tablets aren't yet rolling off the production line. But this release links together a full multitouch stack that runs from the kernel to the X server to GTK+ 3.4. All that remains to do now is for actual applications to implement multitouch. Then the Fedora tablet production lines can fire up. diff --git a/published/fedora17final.txt b/published/fedora17final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8689c4c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora17final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +Fedora 17 has arrived. The Fedora Project has nicknamed this release "Beefy Miracle," promising "over and under the bun improvements that show off the power and flexibility of the advancing state of free software." + +That's a bold claim for such a ridiculous name and while this is a solid update, with some significant improvements under the hood and the latest version of the GNOME desktop, as we noted in the beta review, there's nothing particularly miraculous about it. + +A miraculous Fedora 17 would have included support for Btrfs (the kernel at least supports Btrfs), but that's going to require a major re-write of the Anaconda installer interface and has been postponed until at least Fedora 18. A miraculous Fedora 17 might also have somehow wrangled the full complement of GNOME apps into supporting the new application-level menu in GNOME 3.4. Impossible you say? Fedora has almost nothing to do with development of GNOME apps? Exactly, but it certainly would have been miraculous if Fedora has done it nonetheless. + +Instead we have a very nice new version of Fedora that, while not miraculous, is well worth grabbing, especially for those of us still trying to adjust to GNOME 3. + +GNOME 3.4 continues to polish GNOME 3, particularly the shell where the search features have improved significantly. Not only do results come up much faster, the shell is much better at guessing what you want. It does not, however, show results for applications that are in the repos but not yet installed, a nice new feature you'll find in the latest version of Ubuntu's Unity search tool. + +GNOME 3.4 also introduces a new application level menu that sits on the top of the GNOME Shell bar and contains items that affect the whole application. Anything that affects just the window remains in the window. The new app menu pretty much mirrors a very similar feature in Ubuntu's Unity interface, but unfortunately not all applications use the new menu yet, making GNOME 3.4 feel a bit unpredictable and more inconsistent than previous releases. + +Naturally non-GNOME-specific apps like web browsers don't support the app menu, or if they do the only menu item is Quit. Unfortunately it's entirely possible that such apps, coming from well outside the GNOME world, never will support the new menu. Of course if user interface consistency is your highest priority, you probably aren't using Linux anyway. + +The GNOME devs have put a good bit of effort into polishing GNOME interface where they can though. The 3.4 release includes smooth scrolling support and some redesigned applications like the Documents and Contacts apps, both of which now have a streamlined look that's more in line with the <a href="http://developer.gnome.org/hig-book/3.0/">GNOME 3 human interface guidelines</a>. + +However, despite some more polish on the GNOME 3 interface, GNOME 3 updates still feel like two steps forward, one step back. There's the might-be-there, might-not app menu to keep you on your toes of course, but even the improved scrolling brings with it smaller scrollbars which are harder to grab. So while the scrolling may be smoother, for some users it may actually be harder to scroll. + +On the plus side Fedora 17's GNOME 3.4 can now run on hardware without a native 3D driver. The gnome-session app will no longer treat llvmpipe as an unsupported driver, which means the GNOME 3 interface will work without issues in virtual machines. + +The GNOME application stack has been updated for this release with Fedora 17 shipping with the latest versions of the Evolution mail client, Firefox, Shotwell and others. The biggest app news though will no doubt be GIMP 2.8, which brings the long awaited single-window mode and gives the graphics editor a more Photoshop-like look and feel. + +While much of the focus in Fedora lately has been on GNOME 3.x (since the distro has served as a showcase for GNOME 3), KDE fans need not feel left out. Fedora always updates KDE to the latest release, which in Fedora 17 means the KDE Plasma Workspace 4.8. The big news in KDE 4.8 is Dolphin 2.0, a significant rewrite of KDE's default file manager. Dolphin 2.0 includes a new "view engine," which should make browsing files faster, particularly with large directory listing and older, slower hard disks. + +As with GNOME, the KDE update brings the latest versions of Kate, Kmail, Gwenview and the rest of the KDE application suite. + +The desktop updates may be the most visible changes, but under the hood is where Fedora 17, like most Fedora releases, really starts to distinguish itself from other distros. + +As mentioned above Fedora 17 uses version 3.3 of the Linux kernel, which means support for the Btrfs and ext4 filesystems. Fedora 17 will default to ext4. It is technically possible to install Fedora on Btrfs, but the process is tedious and definitely not for the faint of heart. The updated kernel also means support for the gma500 graphics driver, meaning that Intel's Poulsbo chipset should finally work for Linux users. + +Fedora 17 marks the first steps in Fedora's great migration to a saner file system layout. Technically this is referred to as a "unified file system" layout. Instead of the current separation between /bin and /usr/bin or /sbin and /usr/sbin and so on -- all of which dates back to disk space issues that were solved decades ago -- everything will now live under /usr. It sounds more traumatic than it actually is; most users will never notice the change thanks to copious symlinks that make everything look pretty much the same for now. + +Eventually though the directories really will be gone, leaving a cleaner and more predictable directory structure for application developers to work with. Fedora is the first of the major distros to tackle a unified file system, though most will likely follow suit. + +Anyone looking to use Fedora 17 as a platform for the open source cloud computing project, OpenStack, will be happy to know that Fedora has updated to "Essex," an OpenStack update released last month. Fedora also includes all the necessary OpenStack components like the Horizon web interface and the Quantum virtual networking service. + +As is typical of a major Fedora update, Fedora 17 packs in a ton of updates for developers, including the latest versions of scripting languages like Ruby, PHP and Python. There are also some new developer tools in Fedora 17 like the "Juno" update for the Eclipse SDK. + +Among the other major backend improvements in this release is the new multitouch support. Of course there's not much you can do with that at the moment since Fedora-based tablets aren't yet rolling off the production lines. But this release links together a full multitouch stack that runs from the kernel to the X server to GTK+ 3.4. All that remains to do now is for actual applications to implement multitouch. Then the Fedora tablet production lines can fire up. + +For now the idea of a Fedora tablet still sounds far-fetched. In the mean time the Fedora Project continues its tradition of solid desktop releases. Fedora 17 makes a great platform for GNOME 3 and the underlying core has the kind of small, but welcome improvements we've come to expect from a new version of Fedora. diff --git a/published/fedora18.txt b/published/fedora18.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ef0bf94 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora18.txt @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +Fedora 18 is here. Finally. The Fedora Project has never been one for precision +road maps, but previously it has managed to stay pretty close to its official +May and October release schedule. + +Fedora 18 however proved to be a difficult beast; it's nearly three months late. + +The numerous delays can be chalked up to the new version of the Anaconda installer that ships with Fedora 18. The delays due to the revamped installer are understandable, if annoying, for Fedora fans. Installers are one place you really don't want bugs. + +The Fedora Project still plans to turn around Fedora 19 in May, which will be the shortest release cycle in its history, but will hopefully get the schedule back on track. + +The new installer is part of Fedora's effort to make the distro more appealing to newcomers and it does indeed show a bit more polish in the various configuration screens, but the very fact that it has several configuration screens will likely be Anaconda's biggest problem for newcomers. + +It's not hard to see where Fedora is aiming with Anaconda, essentially a single screen with buttons so you can customize your installation if you like, but with no need for the Linux newbie to dive too deep. It also bears more than a passing resemblance to the proposed <a href="https://live.gnome.org/GnomeOS/Design/Whiteboards/Installer">GNOME OS</a>, which gives it a nice, fully integrated feeling similar to what Ubuntu offers in its installer. + +It all looks good on paper, but sadly Anaconda just isn't there yet and installing Fedora is still a bit more trouble -- or at least it requires you to answer a few more questions -- than say Mint or Ubuntu. Anaconda is also on the slow side, which only annoys you once, but doesn't bode well given that speed was purportedly one of the things Fedora has been working on. + +The net result of the new installer is that Fedora 18 is easier to install than previous releases, but still not as polished or simple as what Ubuntu and Mint offer. + +Fedora 18 ships with GNOME 3.6 and the usual slew of GNOME application updates. However, given that Fedora is several months behind schedule, GNOME 3.6 is largely old news at this point. In fact, the next update, GNOME 3.8, is due in just a couple of months. + +But for those who haven't updated to the new version of GNOME there are a couple of noteworthy changes, including a revamped notification system that uses larger icons and now offers a close button for quickly dismissing notices. + +The most fundamental UI change is that now when you click the "Activities" menu the GNOME Shell defaults to showing your open windows (think the Expose feature Apple popularized). To see your applications -- formerly what happened when you clicked "Activities" -- you need to click the new grid icon at the bottom of the sidebar. Naturally the position of that icon isn't customizable without installing a third-party "tweak" tool of some kind. + +The GNOME 3 team has also given the Nautilus file browser some attention in this release. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on how closely your vision of the desktop aligns with that of the GNOME 3 developers. + +There are a couple of nice new features, like the streamlined appearance and the "recent" sidebar item that lists things you've recently opened. But, as is common with GNOME 3, for every two steps forward there are three steps back. In GNOME 3.6 that means removing the dual pane view from Nautilus, eliminating the search-as-you-type and killing off the search box entirely in favor of an icon which you'll now need to click every time you want to search. Which you shouldn't be doing because you should be searching in the Shell, you see. + +If you like GNOME 3 more power to you, but for me it has become like Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser on Windows -- it's the interface you have to use to download and install something that's actually useful. + +Part of the reason I was looking forward to Fedora 18 is that Fedora now officially supports the MATE desktop (it also unofficially supports Cinnamon). That should mean you can just install MATE and skip the whole GNOME debacle entirely. [Unfortunately, while it looks like in the future there will be a pre-packaged Fedora MATE spin available, as of RC4, which I used for testing, I had to install the MATE packages myself using Yum (alternately you could try the netinstall version of Fedora 18, which should offer a way to install the MATE desktop).] + +Fedora 18 is shipping with MATE 1.5 which dispenses with many of the GNOME 2 dependencies and under the hood MATE now largely uses GNOME 3's toolset, but with its own, more traditional desktop interface on top of it. + +If Fedora is really interested in bring Linux newcomers into the fold, it should make MATE the default desktop. Offering a familiar (call it old-fashioned if you'd like) desktop paradigm in a world of Windows 8s, Unitys and GNOME Shells will no doubt find an audience. + +There is one other weak spot in Fedora from a newcomer's perspective -- it lacks a good software center. The Yum package manager generally works well enough, though in my experience dependency problems crop up more frequently than they do with Aptitude. But beyond the underlying tools, the Fedora's software center interface just feels creaky. Search is laughably bad and given that Fedora does not ship with multimedia codecs, Flash or hardware drivers that newcomers would likely want, the software center is probably the first place most people will head. + +Fedora looks to be in the process of improving the software install situation under the hood. Fedora 18 <a href="https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/DNF#Current_status">ships with support for DNF</a>, a Yum alternative, which just might replace Yum one day. But at the time of writing there do not appear to be any plans to revamp the graphical interface. That's too bad because it consigns Fedora to the niche of more experienced Linux users. + +As the more experienced users have come to expect, Fedora 18 ships with a number of bells and whistles aimed at developers and system admins. Fedora 18 ships with Perl 5.16 and Python 3.3, as well as the latest version of Haskell and D. Ruby on Rails developers will be happy to note that Rails has been updated to version 3.2. + +For those working in mixed OS environments, Fedora 18 offers Samba 4, which should play nicer with Active Directory and the cloud-powering OpenStack has been updated as well. + +In short, whatever effort Fedora has been making to smooth over its rough edges in hopes of attracting some new users hasn't had a negative impact on its developer-friendly focus. That's good news for Fedora's core audience, but it doesn't change the fact that Fedora 18 is still not as user-friendly as other distros. Given that there seems to be a sea change in distro popularity happening at the moment -- as GNOME 3 and Ubuntu's missteps send users looking for alternatives -- and the Fedora community has an opportunity to pick up some new users, whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen. + +Should you jump ship from Ubuntu if the whole Amazon Lens fiasco has you doubting the Shuttleworthian future? For most Mint will likely be the better choice, but if you don't mind jumping through a few extra hoops and dealing with the somewhat antiquated software center, Fedora 18 does, at the end of the day make a perfectly usable and stable desktop. + diff --git a/published/fedora19final.txt b/published/fedora19final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..495ac2d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora19final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +The Fedora Project has released Fedora 19 "Schrödinger's Cat", which features GNOME 3.8, a new installer and setup tools, and several new features aimed at Fedora's core market -- developers. + +Fedora 19 comes hot on the heels of the previous and much-delayed Fedora 18. The good news is that, while Schrödinger might not have been able to say much for certain, the Fedora Project looks to be back on track. Not only is this release on time, it also sees Fedora returning to its core focus -- building useful software for developers. + +Ubuntu may be busy tricking out its new touch-based interfaces and getting ready for the first Ubuntu-based phones and tablets to arrive, but the project has had precious little to offer the still-dominant desktop and laptop users of late, particularly developers. + +Not so with Fedora. Sure the GNOME project is pursuing its own tablet and mobile dreams -- though thus far no one seems interested -- but underneath the GNOME trappings Fedora has a couple of great new pieces of software designed to make developers' lives easier. + +Perhaps the most intriguing of these is the new "Developer's Assistant", which aims to make setting up your development toolchain a bit simpler. The idea behind Developer's Assistant is to make it easy for new Linux developers, as well as seasoned developers new to Fedora, to get up and running with all the tools they need quickly. + +You'll need to install Developer's Assistant yourself from the Fedora repos and unfortunately there's not much in the way of documentation at the moment. I would suggest reading through the devassistant man page to get an idea of how it works. Once you've got your head wrapped around the syntax you can create entire working environments with a single line in the shell. + +There are setups available for pretty much every language and most major projects within languages -- e.g. Django for Python devs and Rails for Ruby devs. There are even some setups for Vim, Eclipse and Git. To use the latter you'll need to have a GitHub account, but provided you've got your GitHub login info handy, Developer's Assistant makes sharing your code on the web dead simple. + +Using the Developer's Assistant is just a matter of invoking the devassistant tool. For example, <code>devassistant python django -n ~/newproject</code> will give you a fully loaded, working Django project with what devassistant's developers call "sane defaults." + +Of course those defaults may not exactly match the way you're used to working. Developer's Assistant can't be all things to all developers so it tends to stick close to the best practices for each project and language. To stick with the Django example, what you get from Developer's Assistant is very close to how the Django documentation suggests setting up your projects. + +Chances are seasoned developers have workflows and environments that are idiosyncratic enough that a tool like devassistant won't produce ideal results, but for new developers looking to setup a workable environment quickly, devassistant is a nice touch. + +The other big developer news in Fedora 19 is OpenShift Origin, a new set of tools to build your own Platform-as-a-Service like Red Hat's OpenShift. + +OpenShift is a hosted service designed to allow developers to quickly build and run cloud-based applications without worrying about server management or virtualization details. Think of OpenShift as RedHat's answer to Microsoft's Azure or a more closely managed version of Amazon's web services. OpenShift Origin is the open source, community-supported version of OpenShift -- essentially the Fedora to OpenShift's Red Hat. + +Other new toys for developers in Fedora 19 include the latest version of the popular OpenStack, Grizzly, as this version is known, which boasts some 230 new features. You'll also find up-to-date versions of Python, Ruby and hosts of other languages. PHP is up to 5.5, the recently released Ruby 2.0 is included, along with the latest hotness, Node.js. + +As it happens when Fedora says developers it doesn't necessarily just mean software developers. This release also has some new toys for the more hands-on devs, with a variety of tools for 3D printing available in the updated Fedora repos. You'll find software for creating 3D models and everything you need to generate your plans and then send the code to a 3D printer. The 3D software includes tools like OpenSCAD, Skeinforge, SFACT, Printrun, and RepetierHost. + +Fedora 19 has quite a bit of cool new stuff for developers, but that doesn't mean everything is perfect. System admins will have to contend with the much-maligned SystemD, which is improving, but still not necessarily as capable as those init scripts that have been culled and honed to perfection over the years. Fedora 19 has a couple new SystemD features included to tempt you with though, like Calendar Timers (for natural language timers, like "every monday morning 6:00 am") and SystemD Resource Control, which allows you to modify service settings on the fly, without a reboot. + +Then of course there is GNOME 3.8 to contend with. The default Fedora install CD still installs the GNOME Shell, though there is now, helpfully, a series of animated tutorials to help you get a handle on the counter-intuitive interface that is GNOME 3. This update brings some new "social" features to GNOME, including integration with popular cloud file hosting services like Google Drive or the self-hosted ownCloud. + +There's also classic mode, which turns GNOME 3 back into something a bit saner and more like good old GNOME 2. Unfortunately it's pretty obvious the GNOME developers don't care much about classic mode; it's slow, buggy and only begrudgingly even available. You're probably better off with Mate. + +If you prefer not to use GNOME 3, there are plenty of other "spins" as Fedora calls its alternate desktop packages. Fedora 19 is available with the likes of KDE, LXDE, Xfce, MATE and even Sugar (the desktop developed for the OLPC project). If you grab the DVD you can also get the latest version of the new Cinnamon desktop, from the developers behind Mint Linux. diff --git a/published/fedora20-gnome-maps.jpg b/published/fedora20-gnome-maps.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b71da85 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20-gnome-maps.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora20-gnome-nautilus.jpg b/published/fedora20-gnome-nautilus.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..dddb9e3 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20-gnome-nautilus.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora20-gnome-software.jpg b/published/fedora20-gnome-software.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b4660da --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20-gnome-software.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora20/Fedora20-gnome-desktop.jpg b/published/fedora20/Fedora20-gnome-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bf63446 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20/Fedora20-gnome-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora20/Fedora20-gnome-software.jpg b/published/fedora20/Fedora20-gnome-software.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5e54757 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20/Fedora20-gnome-software.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora20/Fedora20-installer-cinnamon.jpg b/published/fedora20/Fedora20-installer-cinnamon.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..2ec3451 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20/Fedora20-installer-cinnamon.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora20/fedora20-cinnamon-desktop.jpg b/published/fedora20/fedora20-cinnamon-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..dd68abd --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20/fedora20-cinnamon-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora20/fedora20-devassistantGUI.jpg b/published/fedora20/fedora20-devassistantGUI.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..c04f908 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20/fedora20-devassistantGUI.jpg diff --git a/published/fedora20beta.txt b/published/fedora20beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c6a5c6f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@ +The Fedora project has released the first beta preview for the coming Fedora 20. As with its predecessor, this release is primarily an incremental improvement and most of the new features for Fedora users are not Fedora-specific, but come from upstream projects like GNOME. + +In fact the biggest news in Fedora 20 thus far is the recently released GNOME 3.10. + +Fedora's live desktop CD has long served up GNOME by default, but with Ubuntu moving to Unity, OpenSUSE focused more on KDE and Mint forging its own path with Cinnamon 2.0, Fedora is not just a showcase for GNOME 3.0, but one of the last major distros pushing GNOME from the default live CD. + +If you're a fan of GNOME 3.0, then the coming Fedora 20, with the upgrade to GNOME 3.10, will be a welcome update. + +GNOME 3.10 brings quite a few new features and apps, a significant visual refresh and one controversial change to the desktop. + +Upon installing Fedora 20 the first thing you're likely to notice about GNOME is the new look for the windows in this release. GNOME 3.10 features what the GNOME developers call the "Header Bar", which collapses a window's title bar and toolbar into a single element, saving a bit of vertical screen real estate and giving GNOME windows a slightly less cluttered look. + +The other, more controversial change in GNOME 3.10 is the disappearance of the minimize button. The only button you'll see in the top right corner of a GNOME 3.10 window is the close button. The GNOME developers think the typical trio of buttons is just too confusing. At this point there seems little point in arguing, the button is gone, GNOME 3 marches on. If you want to minimize windows, might I suggest Unity, KDE, Cinnamon, XFCE or pretty much every other desktop OS known to man. + +These visual refreshes and disappearing features are felt throughout GNOME 3.10, but nowhere are they as noticeable as in the default file browser, Nautilus. The new and improved Nautilus looks much nicer and is less cluttered, which makes it feel more GNOME 3.0-like. + +Perhaps the best visual tweak in GNOME 3.10 is the new system menu that, like so much of the GNOME interface, is designed to be clean and simple, staying out of your way until you need it.Unlike so much of the rest of GNOME 3.x though, the new system menu actually succeeds in being simple and powerful. Most of the old GNOME Shell indicators and applets you'd likely want -- things like Wifi, Bluetooth, Volume, Battery, Brightness and such -- have been condensed into a single drop down menu that's hidden away until you click the system menu icon in the upper right corner. + +The indicators aren't gone though, which means you can still get an overview at a glance. You can, for example, still see that you're connected to Wifi and have three bars worth of signal or that the volume is at 50 percent. And to actually interact with those indicators no longer requires clicking precisely on the little icon for each one, instead you just click on the whole area and an overlay gives access to each. + +GNOME 3.10 also sees the introduction of a number of new included apps. All the new apps -- like Music, Maps, Photos or Weather -- are just "preview" status (presumably something like beta) and none were included by default in the Fedora nightlies I tested. However, all of them are available through yum. + +I tested Music, Maps and Photos and found all three to be buggy, unstable and best avoided. Maps loaded OpenStreetMap data just fine, but never correctly found anything I searched for, which makes it basically useless. Music failed to recognize any of the files in my music folder and the Photos app managed to work, but crashed frequently. Install and test these apps and you'll discover why GNOME considers them just previews and why Fedora seems to be skipping them for now. + +The Fedora 20 beta does ship with GNOME 3.10's new distro-agnostic Software application for installing and updating installed software. Unlike the rest of the new GNOME apps, Software actually worked as advertised and I had no trouble searching for, installing and un-installing apps. That said, GNOME's Software app is still a work in progress -- extra features like app ratings and screenshots are reportedly in the works. It's not hard to see the inspiration for Software -- it looks and behaves pretty much like Ubuntu's Software Center. + +The Fedora project wiki is in a transition stage at the moment, migrating to a new <a href="http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/20/ChangeSet">feature tracking process</a>, which at the time of writing does not offer much in the way of progress reports. That makes it hard to peer into the development process and try to guess what might actually make the final release of Fedora 20. There's nothing major on the list of proposed changes anyway, but it looks like Fedora fans will at least get the usual slew of developer tool updates including Ruby on Rails 4.0 and Perl 5.18. + +One nice upside to the lack of major new features -- the Fedora 20 beta has been very stable in my testing. So long as you stay away from the various GNOME preview apps you should have no trouble testing Fedora 20. diff --git a/published/fedora20final.txt b/published/fedora20final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0361580 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora20final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +The Fedora project has released Fedora 20, aka "Heisenbug". + +If you're a fan of GNOME 3 and the GNOME Shell, then Fedora 20 will be a welcome update. This release sees an upgrade for Fedora's default GNOME spin, bringing the desktop to GNOME 3.10. + +Fedora's live desktop CD has used GNOME by default for many years now. Once upon a time that was completely unremarkable. However, since Ubuntu now has Unity, OpenSUSE pours its effort into KDE and Mint has worked hard to divorce Cinnamon 2.0 from GNOME 3, Fedora is, well, just about all GNOME has left these days. + +Perhaps that doesn't matter. After all it's not hard to install GNOME atop just about any distro, but if distro defaults are any indicator, GNOME's appeal may be waning. I bring that up only because GNOME 3.10, as it ships with Fedora 20, actually offers a nice desktop experience. If you abandoned GNOME when 3.0 arrived, this release is worth another try. + +There's too much new in GNOME 3.10 to cover it all in a review of Fedora, but there are a few notable things that deserve mention. Fire up the install CD and first thing you'll probably notice about GNOME 3.10 is the new look for windows. This release adds what the GNOME developers call the "Header Bar", which collapses a window's title bar and toolbar into a single element, saving a bit of vertical screen real estate and giving GNOME windows a slightly less cluttered look. + +The new windows are especially noticeable in the default file browser, Nautilus. The new and improved Nautilus looks much nicer and is less cluttered, which makes it feel more GNOME 3.0-like. + +Of course there's a price to pay for the simplified window bar -- there's no minimize button and, as of this release, in many apps, even the popular gnome-tweak-tool won't bring them back. As I mentioned in the beta review, this is just how GNOME is now. If you want minimize buttons on your windows, GNOME is not the desktop for you. + +GNOME 3.10 isn't just about windows. There are, for the first time in a long time, some new applications. All the new apps -- like Music, Maps, Photos or Weather -- are just "preview" status (presumably something like beta) according to the GNOME project, but Fedora has, surprisingly, included them by default in this release. + +I tested Music, Maps and Photos during the beta release cycle and found all three to be buggy, unstable and missing most functionality. Unfortunately the same is true of the final release since nothing has changed on the GNOME side. Perhaps that's why, although Photos and Music are included out of the box, Shotwell and Rhythmbox, not Photos and Music, are in the GNOME Shell sidebar by default. + +Of the three, Photos works the best in my experience. It even nicely integrates with any photos you have stored online in places like Flickr or an OwnCloud installation. Unfortunately it's slow and lacks any actual features beyond viewing your photos (when it even manages that). At this point you're better off opening Flickr in the browser. Ditto for the Maps app, which, even if it did work well, fails to offer any compelling advantages over web-based equivalents and has a number of drawbacks, for example, no way to send links to other people. + +GNOME's new apps are, to put it charitably, a work in progress and best avoided if you actually want to listen to music, view photos or get directions. + +Fedora 20 does ship with the new distro-agnostic GNOME Software application for installing and updating installed software. Unlike the rest of the new GNOME apps, Software actually works. Software looks and behaves more or less like Ubuntu's Software Center, which isn't a bad model, but so far it lacks some of the nice extras like app ratings and screenshots. + +Fedora 20 isn't just about GNOME of course. In fact Fedora fans have a new desktop at their disposal -- Cinnamon 2.0. Cinnamon 1.x was available for Fedora, but in my experience it was a pain to get set up and less than stable when you finally did. Since Cinnamon 2.0 has uncoupled itself from GNOME you no longer need to worry about whether or not the underlying GNOME system is copacetic with the version of Cinnamon you're trying to install. The result is a Cinnamon install that sits quite stably atop Fedora. + +If you opt for the DVD installer, getting Cinnamon to work with Fedora 20 is just a matter of ticking the box "Cinnamon 2.0". + +As is typical of Fedora, which has long focused on keeping the developer community happy, there are plenty of new tools and toys for sysadmins and software developers in Fedora 20. + +Among the notable new features are support for LVM provisioning in Fedora's Anaconda installer, better support for ARM emulation on x86 hosts -- including a fix for known qemu bugs -- and support for using SSDs to cache. The later is experimental, but allows you to add a solid state drive as a "fast, transparent cache" for traditional spinning hard drives. + +Developers get the latest version of Ruby and Ruby on Rails, Perl 5.18, some new Python tools and more. There's also now a graphical interface for Fedora's Developer Assistant app, which aims to make setting up your development toolchain a bit simpler. See the <a href="http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/20/html/Release_Notes/index.html">Fedora 20 release notes</a> for details on everything that's new for developers. + +Other Fedora Spins have been updated as well, with the latest versions of KDE, Xfce, LXDE and MATE all available on the Fedora DVD or separately as CD images. + +Regardless of which desktop you go with Fedora 20 offers the stability and reliability the distro has long been noted for. While this may not be a revolutionary release, there are enough new features and bug fixes to make Fedora 20 a worthy upgrade for Fedora users. diff --git a/published/fedora21-desktop.png b/published/fedora21-desktop.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6e5c906 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora21-desktop.png diff --git a/published/fedora21-firefox.png b/published/fedora21-firefox.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..2ec1152 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora21-firefox.png diff --git a/published/fedora21-gnomeshell.png b/published/fedora21-gnomeshell.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8df2ebb --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora21-gnomeshell.png diff --git a/published/fedora21-weather.png b/published/fedora21-weather.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..fd9545b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora21-weather.png diff --git a/published/fedora21beta.txt b/published/fedora21beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7727108 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora21beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +The Fedora project has released the first beta version of the coming Fedora 21. + +As has become regrettably typical for the Fedora project, the first Fedora 21 beta is well behind schedule. According to the current schedule on the <a href="https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Schedule">Fedora wiki</a>, the final version will arrive about a month late, on December 9. That is if nothing goes wrong during the beta testing phase that's just started. + +A month might not sound so bad, but it's been nearly 12 months since Fedora 20 arrived, which is not good for a distro that supposedly updates every six months. + +There has been talk of moving Fedora to a more Ubuntu-like schedule of regular, calendar-based released. That would mean new versions of Fedora arrive in May and October rather than just six months after the last release, but so far that hasn't been officially adopted. + +Whatever the case, unlike some recent versions of Fedora, Fedora 21 looks like it will be worth the wait. + +This release is <a href="https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/21/ChangeSet">chock full of new features</a>, but the two most noticeable if you grab the live CD will be GNOME 3.14 and support for the Wayland protocol. + +GNOME 3.14 packs in a ton of new stuff, especially since the last release of Fedora used the now-ancient GNOME 3.10. Since then GNOME has greatly improved its support for HiDPI screens, revamped the default theme (which Fedora 21 uses) and reworked its software center app. It also renamed Totem, so if you're trying to figure out where Totem is, search for it by its new name, "Videos". + +The theme improvements include a completely reworked Weather app that taps into the new GNOME geolocation API. You'll also find some new Google-based options for online accounts so you can pull in all your photos from Picasa, Google+, or your Android device. + +The big news in GNOME 3.14 though is what's under the hood -- better support for Wayland. Wayland is not, contrary to widespread internet belief, a new display server. In fact it's a protocol. What's new in 3.14 is that Mutter (GNOME's default display manager) can now work as a Wayland compositor. + +If you'd like to test out GNOME running under Wayland, click the gear icon on the GNOME login screen and choose the option "GNOME on Wayland". GNOME on Wayland is still very rough around the edges and there are a number of apps that won't work with Wayland (some of which might never be ported to use the Wayland protocol), but I was impressed by the amount of stuff that actually works quite well. + +The fallback to XWayland for unsupported apps -- notably GNOME Terminal -- is largely seamless though there are some jittery graphics when resizing windows (in fairness the jitteriness in XWayland may be more noticeable because of how smooth window resizing is in Wayland). + +The other big gotcha -- and the reason you don't see any screenshots -- is that you can't take screenshots in Wayland GNOME sessions just yet. Unlike X, Wayland tightly sandboxes apps. That's good for security, but it currently means cross-app tools like, for example, screen capture and color picker apps don't work. The plan is to add an API for an app to ask for permission to access resources outside the app, but that hasn't been implemented yet. For full details on some other missing features and bugs, check out Fedora Magazine's write up in <a href="http://fedoramagazine.org/gnome-on-wayland-in-fedora-21/">Wayland in Fedora 21</a>. + +For now I suggest sticking with a regular GNOME session (which is the default in Fedora 21 beta), but if you'd like to see how Wayland is coming along it's easy to do in this release. + +Fedora isn't just about GNOME of course, there are plenty of other desktop options to choose from including updates for KDE and the MATE desktop. The KDE spin ships with KDE Frameworks 5 and the MATE spin has been updated to MATE 1.8. + +As per usual with the Fedora Project, this release includes a slew of updates aimed at software developers. Python and Ruby have both been updated and Fedora 21 also includes the awesome <a href="http://devassistant.org/">DevAssistant</a> -- a tool that allows developers to quickly get new projects up and running with development environments tailored to their needs. DevAssistant has always been just a yum install away, but packing it into the default applications shows Fedora hasn't lost its love of software developers. + +This Fedora 21 beta has been remarkably stable in my testing, but it is of course a beta so proceed with caution. + +I do encourage you to take it for a spin in at least a virtual machine though, especially if it's been a while since you used Fedora. Overall this is shaping up to be perhaps the best Fedora release in quite some time. If the project can get past the routine delays that have plague the last couple of release cycles Fedora might be able to offer a compelling desktop alternative to the popular, but currently mobile-centric, Ubuntu. diff --git a/published/fedora21final.txt b/published/fedora21final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..544d4d7 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora21final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +The Fedora Project has released the final version of Fedora 21. + +As has become par for the course with Fedora releases, this one is a couple months late, but it is at least, well worth the wait. + +This release marks the start of the Fedora.next project. The big change is that Fedora 21 is available in three "flavors": Cloud, Server, and Workstation. All three build out from the same base, adding packages relevant to the individual use case. For this review I tested both the Server and Workstation options, but primarily the latter since that's the flavor targeted at desktop users. + +While I did not test it, the Cloud variant will no doubt have appeal for those running large virtual server installations. It uses a modular kernel image that is about 25 percent smaller than images required on physical hardware. The Cloud flavor is available preconfigured for OpenStack, Amazon AMIs and "Atomic" images intended for running Docker containers. + +Given the shared base system underlying these new flavors, I was hoping there might be a plain, "base" flavor -- something akin to Debian's Minimal install, that would allow you to build a more customized desktop. But so far that's not something Fedora is doing. In fact, the Fedora project emphasizes that the base set of packages is "not intended for use on its own". + +There are of course plenty of other Fedora spins, including a very nice one based on the MATE desktop. + +Fedora 21 Workstation installed without a hitch, though the installer was considerably less elegant than the Mint 17.1 installer that I tested just prior to the release of Fedora 21. + +Fedora claims that it has simplified the installer down to just "selecting the layout of your physical media, and then pressing 'Install'". That's true if you already know it's true, but it's not terribly discoverable. Fedora elects for a series of buttons, rather than the animated walk-through you get with Mint or Ubuntu or even OS X and Windows. With Fedora's installer it isn't immediately clear what you need to do, or even that you need to do something, until you click each button and find out, which ruins the "select your layout" and install simplicity. It's not that bad; it's not like installing Arch, but it did leave me wondering -- why? Why not just go with the familiar, narrative-like sliding screen animation that, well, pretty much every other OS out there uses? + +If the installation criticisms seem nitpicky, it might be because once you get past them there's not a lot wrong with Fedora 21. + +Once you get Workstation installed the first thing you'll see is GNOME 3.14, a huge leap forward from the last official Fedora release, which used GNOME 3.10. Since that time GNOME has added several new apps, reworked the default theme and improved its HiDPI screen support among other things. + +GNOME continues to have one the best looking interfaces on HiDPI screens and this release is no exception. This time around GNOME has been polishing the smaller bits and fixing a few inconsistencies and bugs that plague the previous release. If you're coming all the way from GNOME 3.10, the HiDPI support in this release will be a welcome upgrade. + +The theme improvements in 3.14 include a completely redesigned Weather app that taps into the new GNOME geolocation API to automatically find your location and display the forecast. Also note that the longstanding default Video player, Totem, has been renamed simply, "Videos". + +GNOME 3.14 has some other app updates as well, notably the GNOME Photos app. The new Photos app is not installed by default in Fedora 21, you'll find the old standby, Shotwell, instead. Photos is available via the Fedora repositories though and I suggest giving it a try. GNOME 3.14 has added support for Google accounts to Photos, so you can browse images uploaded from Android devices, through Google+, or via Picasa. That's in addition to the existing support for Flickr and Facebook. The app can also access any local photo servers using DLNA (several popular NAS servers for example). That said, Photos still has some bugs, so I would use it for browsing online accounts and stick with whatever you use now for actually editing your local images. + +Perhaps the biggest news in GNOME 3.14 though is what's under the hood -- better support for Wayland. In GNOME 3.14 Mutter (GNOME's default display manager) can now work as a Wayland compositor. If you'd like to test out GNOME running under Wayland, click the gear icon on the GNOME login screen and choose the option "GNOME on Wayland". GNOME on Wayland is still very rough around the edges and there are a number of apps that won't work with Wayland (some of which might never be ported to use the Wayland protocol), but I was impressed by the amount of stuff that actually works quite well. + +That goes for GNOME 3.14 at large too. If early versions of GNOME turned you to another desktop, I don't blame you, but with this release GNOME has actually become very nice -- it's interface is well polished and does a good job of staying out of the way until you need. It's worth another look if you haven't tried it in a while and Fedora 21 makes a great base to test it with. + +Fedora 21 ships with the 3.17 series Linux kernel, which has support for a few notable new pieces of hardware, like the XBox One controller (sans vibrate), "free fall" detectors for dropped laptops and tons of bug fixes for ARM machines. + +Other highlights in Fedora 21 include some SystemD updates (seriously), a new sysadmin tool for servers, dubbed <a href="http://cockpit-project.org/">Cockpit</a> and quite a bit more. For the full details on everything that's new in Fedora 21, be sure to check out the <a href=http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/21/html/Release_Notes/">release notes</a>. + +If it's been a while since you took either GNOME or Fedora for a spin, Fedora 21 makes a great release to test with. For those already running Fedora this should make for a welcome upgrade. diff --git a/published/fedora22-firefox.png b/published/fedora22-firefox.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..153279a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora22-firefox.png diff --git a/published/fedora22-lighter-theme.png b/published/fedora22-lighter-theme.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..965b585 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora22-lighter-theme.png diff --git a/published/fedora22-new-privacy-screen.png b/published/fedora22-new-privacy-screen.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6ec26de --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora22-new-privacy-screen.png diff --git a/published/fedora22-no-yum.png b/published/fedora22-no-yum.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9db5310 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora22-no-yum.png diff --git a/published/fedora22-notifications.png b/published/fedora22-notifications.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8171a84 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora22-notifications.png diff --git a/published/fedora22final.txt b/published/fedora22final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..124cd09 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/fedora22final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +The Fedora Project has released the final version of Fedora 22. + +The big news with this release is that the Fedora project actually managed to stick pretty close to its proposed schedule. Fedora 22 arrives just one week later than the original proposal, but what's a week after month long delays that happened throughout the last couple of release cycles. + +It would seem that the recent top-down restructuring of the Fedora project is working, at least in terms of development time. The Fedora release announcement characterizes Fedora 22 as "Fedora 21 after it'd been to college, landed a good job, and kept its New Year's Resolution to go to the gym on a regular basis." I would hesitate to endorse the gym bit since I found this release a little sluggish, but it builds on the very nice base that was Fedora 21 and brings in all the latest packages. + +That new structure in the project means that Fedora 22 is available in three "flavors": Cloud, Server, and Workstation. All three build out from the same base, adding packages relevant to the individual use case. Although I tested both the Server and Workstation options, I'll primarily be focusing on the Workstation variant since that's the desktop version most users will want. + +Perhaps the most interesting change is that Fedora 22 no longer uses Yum to manage packages. That may comes as a shock to some since, if you're like me, the first thing you think of when you think of Fedora is Yum. Yum has been deprecated in this release and replaced by DNF and hawkey for package management. + +The good news for long-time Fedora users is that DNF is very close to totally command-line compatible with Yum. And Yum is even aliased to DNF, so you can still type "yum install mypackage", and, once its done telling you Yum is deprecated, it will install as always. But that will change in future releases so you're better off getting used to typing "dnf install mypackage". + +In short, yes, Yum is gone, but oddly, you may not even notice. + +The installation process hasn't changed much in this release. I've criticized the Fedora installer in the past so I won't repeat that here except to wonder, once again, why confirmation buttons are at the top of the windows. I can't think of another piece of software on any platform that does this. + +The most visible change in this release is a version bump for GNOME. Fedora has long served as one of the best showcases for GNOME Shell and Fedora 22 is no exception. This release updates GNOME to 3.16, which is notable for its new, lighter theme and revamped notifications system. + +The first thing you'll notice when you fire up Fedora 22 for the first time is that GNOME's default dark look has been toned down a bit. Ever since GNOME 3.x debuted its default (and not very customizable) theme has been all about black. That's subtly changed in this release with many elements moving to a lighter shade of grey. It may not sound like much, but the result is much easier on the eyes, especially all the white text against a dark background, which is now considerably less garish. + +The notifications system has been revamped in this release as well, gone are the bottom of the screen notifications that always covered up key elements of the app I was using (particularly terminal windows). Instead notifications have been moved to the top, center of the screen where they're easier to see and dismiss. The notifications history view has been rolled into the calendar menu item in the top bar. + +It's worth noting too that there appears to be a Fedora 22-only element to the notifications. In Fedora long running Terminal processes will pop up a notification when they finish, which is helpful because it lets you, for example, start compiling something which you can then send to the background and move on to something else. You'll get a notification when you compile (or other task) is complete. + +There are some apps that still need a tray-style menu -- I'm looking at you Skype -- and for those there is still a legacy tray menu that acts like a drawer and tucks away off screen in the bottom left corner when not in use. + +The new notifications system in GNOME 3.16 is nice, but it unfortunately appears to have come at the cost of the media player controls, which are nowhere to be found in the top bar in this release. The plan is to add those back in GNOME 3.18, but I couldn't find a way to use them in this release. + +As with the last couple of GNOME releases there's an option to run GNOME atop Wayland and support for Wayland continues to improve. In fact, the GNOME project says Wayland support is "approaching its final stages", but in my limited testing it remains too unstable for day-to-day use. + +GNOME 3.16 is also notable for adding two new "preview" apps, one for ebooks (currently limited to comics in .cbr and other digital formats, though .epub support is in the works) and Calendar. Fedora doesn't ship with either of the new apps installed, opting to stick with Evolution for calendaring and, well, nothing for ebooks (the very popular Calibre is in the repos). Both of the GNOME apps are in the repos if you'd like to test them out. They're both simplistic and a little buggy at the moment, but Calendar shows some promise of filling what I consider the biggest hole in the default GNOME software stack that most distros use. + +Speaking of the rest of the GNOME stack, it has, as you would expect been updated in Fedora 22. Fedora stick with the tradition GNOME software for the most part, Evolution for email and calendar, Firefox for web browsing, Rhythmbox for music and Shotwell for organizing your photos. Then there's Nautilus, the default file browser which has about 30 percent of the features it once had. The good news with Nautilus in this release is that the delete key will once again delete files (the last version changed this to ctrl-delete). To counter the possibility that by pressing "delete" you actually meant, "no, keep it", there's a new, easy to spot undo option. + +GNOME is of course not the only way to run Fedora 22 Workstation. There are spins for just about every popular desktop environment. It's worth noting that the Xfce spin has made the rather significant upgrade to Xfce 4.12, which brings some very nice changes to the Xfce desktop. Similarly, the KDE spin gets updated to the latest Plasma 5 desktop environment, which features the new "Breeze" theme for KDE. + +Other Fedora-specific improvements in this release include the usual Fedora developer tools updates. Fedora shows developers the love with the latest version of popular web development frameworks like Ruby on Rails and Django. Perl, Python, PHP and most other popular programming languages are similarly updated. + +The Server and Cloud versions of this release gain some added support for popular container and deployment solutions like Vagrant and Project Atomic, which is designed to deploy and manage Docker containers. + +By and large Fedora 22 is a welcome update. The chief problem I encountered with Fedora 22 is that it felt a bit sluggish next to Ubuntu. Whether that's the result of GNOME or something more on Fedora's end is difficult to say, though anecdotally, running Fedora 22 alongside Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu GNOME felt faster. Suffice to say if you're used to Ubuntu 15.04 with Unity or something even lighter and snappier, Fedora with GNOME 3.16 will probably feel a little on the slow side. + +Relative to Fedora 21 though this release makes for a very welcome update and the fact that Fedora appears to be back on track with an every six months release schedule is good news for Fedora fans. diff --git a/published/ff31review.txt b/published/ff31review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7c9a801 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ff31review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,23 @@ +Mozilla recently released a new version of its Firefox web browser. + +To some that will no doubt sound like the start of a bad joke. A browser walks into a bar.... + +But, unlike the majority of Firefox releases -- which come at the blistering pace of every six weeks -- this one is actually a significant update with some great new tools for web developers. + +For some time web developers have been abandoning Firefox in favor of Google's Chrome browser, which has put much of its development effort into creating great tools for web developers. Firefox fell behind, both in tools available and in developer mindshare. + +Recent releases of Firefox have been changing that though and this one is no exception. Among the new tools for web developers in this release are an editable box model dialog, support for Sublime Text keybindings in the code editor and a new global eyedropper tool that makes it simple to grab a color from anywhere in the browser. + +The latter will need to be enabled in the developer tools settings. Look for the option to "Grab a color from the page" and make sure it's selected. Once you've enabled it, you'll see a new eyedropper icon in the top right corner of the developer tools panel. Click the icon to activate it and a small loupe will appear allowing you to select any color in the browser window. The eye dropper is also available when you click on colors with in the CSS inspector pane, making it easy to change the color of an element to match others on the page. + +The editable box model means you can now select an element and begin to manipulate it directly, without hunting down the specific CSS that applies to it. Instead you can just change the values in the box model pane and your margin, padding and border values will be applied to the selected element. You can also increment values by 1 with the Up/Down keys (hold up Alt to increment by 0.1 and Shift to increment by 10). + +Firefox has long shipped with a developer tools editor (based on <a href="http://codemirror.net/">Codemirror</a>). This release includes Codemirror 4, which brings support for Sublime Text key-bindings, Rectangle selection, Undo selection and Multiple selection. + +This release also adds a new canvas element debugger that can inspect 2D and 3D graphics by recording and then scrolling through the executed code frame by frame. Mozilla has a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcW8Ry5OVA0">video demo</a> of this feature in action. + +There are also a couple of smaller new features in the dev tools, including Copy as cURL, which will copy any network request in the Network Monitor in cURL format. Just paste that into your terminal and you can inspect headers and other data using cURL. + +The latest version of Firefox has a couple new features for non-developers as well, including native handling of video (.ogg files anyway) and PDF files on Windows. That means, if you haven't explicitly told Firefox to open such files with another application, Firefox will open them for you. + +Firefox 31 shows rumors of Mozilla's slide into irrelevancy might be exaggerated -- for web developers anyway. Provided you can overlook some of the organization's exceedingly poor decisions in the last year, the latest version of Firefox has some great tools for web developers, some of which, for now anyway, you won't find in developer darling Google Chrome. diff --git a/published/firefox OSp2.txt b/published/firefox OSp2.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..83ce07f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/firefox OSp2.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +Firefox OS still isn't an official release and thus far no phones have been made other than the developer devices from Geeksphone. However, judging by how hard it is to buy one of those devices, developers are clamoring to get their hands on anything running Firefox OS. + +The Geeksphone site seems to be perpetually out of both the Keon (91€) and the Peak (149€), but if you're one of the fortunate few to have purchased a Geeksphone device you're probably itching to get started building Firefox OS apps. + +The first step is to head over to the Mozilla website and sign up for a developer kit. + +Just kidding, there's no developer kit. There are also no developer fees and no new programming languages to learn. You can start building apps for Firefox OS today, using nothing more than HTML, CSS and a generous helping of JavaScript. + +Using the free, widely understood languages of the web stack means that the barrier to entry for potential Firefox OS developers is very low. + +As Daniel Appelquist of Mozilla's Firefox OS partner Telephonica says in a <a href="https://hacks.mozilla.org/2013/06/firefox-os-for-developers-the-platform-html5-deserves/">recent video interview</a>, "it changes the economics of app development because it's cheaper to get into the game as an app developer. You don't need as many tools. You don't need to join expensive developer programs. You can start developing with what you have right now." + +That's all well and good to say, but just how easy is it to actually build a Firefox app? + +As it turns out, it really is that easy. As easy in fact as throwing together a webpage. + +However, as with a webpage, if you want your app to actually do something useful you'll likely need to dive into JavaScript (and possibly some server-side tools depending on what you want your app to do). + +The first step in building an app for Firefox OS is determining which sort of app you want to build. There are two options, packaged apps and hosted apps. A packaged app is what it sounds like, all of your app's assets -- HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, manifest, etc -- are packaged up in a zip file which becomes the means of distribution. A hosted app keeps all of its assets on the server and more or less functions (from a developer viewpoint) like a website. + +Both types of apps need a valid manifest file and both can be listed in the Firefox Marketplace. In the case of packaged apps you'll upload a zip file to the marketplace. Hosted apps just provide a URL and the Firefox Marketplace links to the install location. + +For testing reasons it's easiest to start off creating a hosted app that lives on your local network. If later you decided you'd prefer to package it up, it's not hard to convert between the two. + +To start with I went even simpler than that, creating nothing more than a manifest file for my website. A manifest file is just a simple JSON files which essentially tells Firefox OS, hey, here's an app, and sets a few variables. + +I started with the very basic ten-line example file you'll find on the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Apps/Manifest">Mozilla Developer Network</a> (home to the best <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Apps">documentation on Firefox OS</a>) and tweaked it to fit my site. Impressed with the simplicity of creating an app, I uploaded the file, browsed to my install page and... nothing. + +The devil, as always, is in the details. In this case the detail is that Firefox OS manifest files need to be served as content type application/x-web-app-manifest+json, which just about no server on the web will do out of the box. It's worth noting though that GitHub will serve it properly, which is handy for hosting apps from GitHub Pages. To add the necessary content type to other servers, see <a href="https://marketplace.firefox.com/developers/docs/quick_start">the Mozilla Dev Center</a>. + +Once the technical side was taken care of, everything else worked just fine. I created a basic page to install my app (which just points to the aforementioned manifest file). Now would be the time to build a mobile interface for your site. My site happens to already use CSS @media queries to handle different screen sizes so everything already worked. Of course my app is just, well, my website, which is not very exciting, but if you've got a Keon or a Peak and want to see what it's like to install an app, feel free to <a href="http://luxagraf.net/firefoxos-install/">try it out</a>. + +In fact, not only is my test app not very exciting, it's not much of an app at all. At this stage it's little different than a home screen shortcut. But if you already have a functioning web app, say an HTML5-based game, adding a manifest file and creating an install script is all it takes to turn your web app into an installable Firefox OS app. + +A manifest file and a simple install script is also a good place to get started with Firefox OS apps because it gets the two things unique to the platform out of the way. You now have what amounts to a container for your app. Before you start building everything from scratch though, be sure to check out the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Firefox_OS/UX">Firefox OS style guide</a> (wholely optional) and what Mozilla calls "<a href="https://hacks.mozilla.org/2013/02/firefox-os-building-blocks-to-the-rescue/">Build Blocks</a>", reusable interface elements for developers. + +But to build an actually useful app you'll want to dive into the various JavaScript APIs that make up the core of Firefox OS's functionality. + +Using the APIs is a two-fold process. First you have to build out your app using the APIs and then you need to list any restricted APIs your app uses in your manifest file. When the user installs your app they'll get a chance to approve the permissions you ask for, for example if your app asks for location data the user first needs to agree to give your app access (users can change those permissions at any time in the settings app). + +There are quite a few very useful APIs for developers, but perhaps the most important is the offline storage API. Firefox OS apps may be made of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, but the good ones are not web apps in the sense that they need internet access. Obviously some Firefox OS apps will always need to be online, just as there are plenty of apps for iOS and Android that are useless without a fast internet connection. There is, however, no need to require a network connection just because you've built an app with HTML. Even if your app uses the network -- syncing edited files to a user's Dropbox account for example -- you'll still likely want to store the data locally and only upload when access is available. + +What's perhaps most exciting (and challenging) for developers at this stage is that the guide essentially ends here. Once your container is built the only limitation on your app is the web. You have all the freedom of the web to build anything you want without worrying about whether or not it will be approved by big name app stores (if you want to get in the Mozilla Marketplace there is an approval process, but it's nothing like Google Play or Apple's notoriously restrictive App Store). Even better as a web app developer, Firefox OS finally offers access to the kinds of APIs you need to build compelling apps. + +The result is a kind of wild west of app development where the possibilities are only now being explored. If you missed the app gold rushes on iOS and Android because you didn't want to learn a new programming language or your ideas didn't fit the mold of what was declared possible, Firefox OS wants you. + +Of course Firefox OS is an unproven platoform. There's always the chance that you'll be pouring your energy into something that never takes off. Firefox OS could go the way of Web OS. Or it could follow in the Firefox web browser's footsteps, slowly but surely gaining traction around the world. Even in the worst case scenario you'll still have a fully functional web app. Having scratched the surface of Firefox OS app development though I'm inclined to agree with Mozilla which is calling Firefox OS "the platform HTML5 deserves". diff --git a/published/firefox OSrevised.txt b/published/firefox OSrevised.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4c26764 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/firefox OSrevised.txt @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +The western world's smart phone market has devolved into a duopoly of iOS and Android from Apple and Google.
In the rest of the world, however, the mobile story has yet to be written this is where Mozilla hopes users will embrace its mobile operating system, Firefox OS.
Mozilla wants Firefox OS to be the gateway drug of the web's next billion users.
Firefox OS simulators have been available for developers for some time, but it wasn't until recently that hardware sanctioned by Mozilla was available for testing. The first actual devices running Firefox OS are two "developer" phones from Spanish manufacturer Geeksphone - the Keon and the Peak.
While it's fun to play with the Keon, it's not the hardware thats special - it's Firefox OS and after living with the Keon for more than a month, I can safely say Mozilla's vision of a web-based mobile future isn't just appealing, it feels inevitable.
There are rough edges. Firefox OS is definitely not the new and shiny you've been looking for, rather it's the new and quietly revolutionary. The Keon as is comes pretty close to offering everything you'd need in a mobile device, but it's still not likely to tempt iOS or Android fans to switch. And that's just fine with Mozilla. The target market for Firefox OS isn't current iOS or Android users, it's the rest of the world - people who don't yet have a mobile internet device at all.
But before Firefox OS takes the currently not connected world by storm it first has to get developers interested, hence the Keon phone.
The Keon is a solidly built piece of hardware with decent, though not great, specs and a screen that looks nearly identical to the iPhone 3G/GS.
The Keon has a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, 1GHz single-core processor, 512MB RAM, 3MP camera and 1,580mAh battery with up to a day's battery life. The more recent iPhone, the 5S, packs a 4-inch screen, 1.3GHz dual-core chip, 1GB memory, 8MP rear and 1.2MP front camera, and brings up to eight hours of usage on the battery. In short, it's not going to wow gadget enthusiasts but it's about what you'd expect from a 100 device: a good phone with a few compromises to make it affordable. However, it's a perfectly capable phone for developers who need to test their apps.
And it is developers, not end users, who Mozilla wants for Firefox OS right now because, after all, the Firefox OS simulator will only gets you so far. Some things, like apps that take advantage of the accelerometer or user location, really need to be tested in the real world, which is what developers can do with the Keon.
Developers can make or break a platform but Mozilla has a distinct advantage over other platforms trying to break into the iOS-Android duopoly -the web.
Firefox OS apps are built using the same basic toolkit you'd use to build any website - HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It's tempting to say if you can built a webpage you can build a Firefox OS app. Technically that's true; any webpage can be installed as a Firefox OS app even if its author has never heard of Firefox OS, but to take advantage of the unique attributes of a mobile device you'll need to go a little beyond a simple webpage.
Perhaps not everyone who can build a webpage can build a Firefox OS app, but anyone who can build a webpage is about 80 per cent of the way to building a Firefox OS app. Add in a few extra bits of JavaScript, take advantage of HTML5 offline storage (so your app works even without a mobile connection) and then you've got a web app that can be packaged up and downloaded just like a traditional mobile app.
Most of the apps that ship with Firefox OS use this model, including the Nokia maps app which will load up just fine without a connection, though of course -- like it's counterparts on Android and iOS -- it can't load any map data without some sort of link to the internet. But if the words "web apps" scare you, don't worry, what Mozilla calls "packaged apps" behave, from a user point of view, just like an app on your iPhone.
Firefox OS is the best showcase I've seen for the old argument that web apps can compete with native apps. Here everything feels native and yet everything feels like the web. In fact I often would forget whether I was looking at Twitter in the Twitter app or using the web browser -- the rendering is all done by Firefox so it looks the same. That's not to say there aren't some pain points. To stick with the Twitter example, part of the reason I would use both the app and the mobile site in the browser is that the app doesn't support multiple accounts.
And that's where Firefox OS just might have an ace up its sleeve - there are far, far more people out there who know how to build web apps than there are that can write C or C++ apps for other platforms. And the overwhelming demand for the Keon and Peak is a good indicator there are a lot of interested developers -- the initial supply of both phones sold out in a matter of hours.
Using familiar web tools doesn't just mean more developers to build apps, it also allows Firefox OS to avoid the sort of device fragmentation that currently plagues Android.
As Mozilla developer evangelist Christian Hellmann emphasized when I spoke to him about Firefox OS: "You don't build to the hardware, you build to HTML5." Firefox OS becomes the bridge between the HTML/CSS/JavaScript based apps and the phone's hardware.
How much hardware access your app gets depends on what sort of app it is. There are three different types of apps: web apps, which don't have access to lower-level APIs, privileged apps, which have access to more sensitive APIs and must be approved by Mozilla and certified apps, which are limited to those from Mozilla and partners.
However different Mozilla's approach may be at the operating system and developer levels, many aspects of Firefox OS will have app developers feeling right at home - like the Firefox Marketplace app store, which offers the same sort of benefits found in the iOS App Store or Google Play. That is, your customers have access to a dead simple payment system for apps that need it (billing is handled by the carrier), apps are vetted and updates are automatic.
There's one big difference though between Mozilla's App Store and the app stores you're used to - developers aren't compelled to use it. Developers can distribute apps through the store, through their own websites or through any other store build with Mozilla's open source tools.
Despite the fact that the Keon is aimed at developers it's impossible to use it for any length of time without forming some opinions from a user point of view. While the hardware is uninspiring it never failed me. I dropped in a SIM card and had no trouble making calls, using location-based apps or any of the other features key to mobile apps, including camera, microphone, accelerometer and so on. Calls were crisp and no one I talk to on a regular basis noticed any difference from the Samsung Nexus I normally use. The battery managed to just barely meet its claim of "all-day", though this definitely isn't a phone you can forget to charge for a few days. The rubberized back is comfortable in your hand and does a nice job of padding agaist the accidental drop. The camera takes mediocre photos compared to high end phones, but again that's to be expected in a budget phone aimed at developers.
But if the Keon isn't the best hardware around, well, that's part of the plan. Mozilla's first developer phone has low-end hardware in part so developers can afford it, but the auxiliary benefit is that it forces developers to build apps which run smoothly on underpowered hardware (meaning they'll run even better on more powerful consumer devices).
To answer the question you're already thinking - no, Mozilla doesn't plan to support Firefox OS as an operating system you install on any phone. That doesn't mean you can't hack Firefox OS onto a phone. I managed it on a Nexus 4, others have had success with Sony devices and Firefox OS has turned up on Raspberry Pis.
The problem is that to create that bridge between web app and hardware, Firefox OS needs to talk to device drivers and very few phone manufacturers offer up the inner workings of their drivers. In short, it's possible to install Firefox OS on other devices, but it's not something Mozilla currently supports and nor is it likely to need to.
With Mozilla has already lined up hardware and carrier partnerships around the world, including the US which is home ground for the iPhone-Android duopoly and where Sprint is now working to bring some sort of Firefox OS phone to the market.
Ironically, Mozilla's open web-based vision for mobile devices dovetails with the less open vision Apples co-founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs outlined for the iPhone. Jobs gave up on the of open, but Hellmann acknowledged there is overlap. "Apple has talked up HTML5," he says "but it doesn't offer the hardware access developers need to actually build HTML5 apps." Firefox OS does off that access and Mozilla hopes that will help Firefox OS gain a foothold where many have already failed.
At least that's the idea. After using the Keon for a month I can say I hope that Mozilla's model succeeds because it simplifies things, both for developers and consumers. Developers would win because the web offers the best hope yet for creating the fabled build-once and run-everywhere world. Consumers would win because lower barriers to entry means more developers participate and that in turn that means there are more cool apps to try. Even if Firefox OS isn't the vehicle that does it, it seems unlikely that mobile will be all that different than the desktop and thus far it seems that old maxim is right -- the web always wins in the end.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/firefox.txt b/published/firefox.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d354357 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/firefox.txt @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +Firefox, the once mighty web browser that could, has been <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/">bleeding market share</a> and, perhaps more importantly, developer mind share, for some time. + +Between bundling unwanted features like Pocket, popcorn worthy CEO dramas, tone deaf, seemingly clueless management and the fact that that Chrome feels faster, stabler and less bloated, Firefox long ago started to feel like a project in need of eulogy. + +In fact Firefox feels a bit like it has come full circle. The browser that started as a fork of the bloated, poorly managed Netscape project has become the very same thing itself. That sort of symmetry makes Firefox feel a bit dead. + +It's tempting to dance on Firefox's grave, but that doesn't help the web. Firefox and yes, Mozilla.org, were a huge part of making the web the standards-friendly, accessible thing that it is today. + +Firefox will soon be the only browser not using the WebKit rendering engine. Despite what what some web developers would have you believe, monocultures, whether <a href="http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/agriculture_02">potatoes</a> or web browser are almost always bad for users. + +Firefox is also the only web browser not developed by a major corporation with shareholders to answer to, putting it in a unique position to give voice to a non-corporate or even anti-corporate agenda for the web. + +In short, we need Firefox. The web needs Firefox. + +But the web needs the Firefox of old, not the Firefox of pointless Pocket integrations, homophobic CEOs and pointless UI tinkering. + +The good news is that Mozilla seems to be slowly waking up to the reality around it. Earlier this week Dave Camp, Firefox’s director of engineering, fired off two emails outlining what sounds like a big shift in focus for the company and, one hopes, the future of Firefox. + +In the <a href="https://mail.mozilla.org/pipermail/firefox-dev/2015-July/003062.html">first email</a> Camp outlines three areas Mozilla intends to change, namely, less bloat in the browser, smarter, optional partnership integrations (making things like the Pocket integration optional) and more user-facing features like some upcoming improvements to Firefox's Private Browsing mode. + +Perhaps the most encouraging big of Camp's email is the news that Mozilla has a new effort dubbed "Great or Dead". "Every feature in the browser should be polished, functional, and a joy to use," writes Camp. "Where we can't get it to that state, we shouldn't do it at all." In other words, if it isn't great it should go. + +Top of that list for many users would be the Pocket integration that showed up recently amid much gnashing of user teeth. Users wanted to know why a service that only a tiny fraction of Firefox users actually use was made a default, non-removable part of the browser. + +The answer of course is money. Partnerships like the one with Pocket help Mozilla stay afloat. + +That said, Camp acknowledges that "Pocket should have been a bundled add-on that could have been more easily removed entirely from the browser... fixing that for Pocket and any future partner integrations is one concrete piece of engineering work we need to get done." + +In other words don't expect Pocket to be the last bundled deal Firefox pushes out, but in the future it will be easier to disable. Given the current state of software in general, users have already become experts in disabling things. + +Another item in Camp's list of things that need to be Great or Dead is Firefox's transition to per-tab process. This effort, known as the Electrolysis project or "e10s" for short, will mean that each Firefox tab runs in a separate process. That means one tab crashing does not effect the rest of the browser. It also provides better security by sandboxing each tab. If all goes according to plan the early versions of this effort -- which will separate the web content process from the Firefox UI process -- should arrive by the end of the year. + +While the Electrolysis project will eventually make Firefox more stable and secure, it's worth noting that Chrome and even IE have worked this way for years now. + +In a <a href="https://mail.mozilla.org/pipermail/firefox-dev/2015-July/003063.html">second email</a> covering more technical details about Firefox's future, Camp says that Mozilla intends to "move Firefox away from XUL and XBL", two largely outdated bits of technology that help Firefox render on your screen. It's still in the very early discussion stages, but ditching XUL should help streamline Firefox's code base. + +The problematic part of the change is that XUL is heavily used in add-on development, which will likely make this transition a long, drawn out process. But it's something that needs to be done. Part of what seems to be holding Firefox back is the company's (understandable) desire not to break add-ons, which are one of the last advantages Firefox has over competitors. + +In a way Firefox has become the Windows of the web -- its desire not to break any backward compatibility has become a wall it continues to butt its head against. At some point it will have to break that wall down or it will indeed need a eulogy. + +Firefox's biggest problems though may not technical at all. However it might be inside Mozilla, judging by Firefox's direction and development over the last couple years the company feels lost. That, perhaps more so than any technical problem is what has sent developers looking elsewhere. Chrome just feels sleeker and performs noticeably faster at common tasks, like switching between tabs. + +Unfortunately, Chrome, sleek and speedy though it may be is, essentially spyware (yes, even Chromium). After download, Chrome/Chromium will remotely install audio-snooping code that is capable of listening to you. It's a feature of course, part of Google's hands free search for your desktop. And Google <a href="https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=500922#c6">claims it doesn't activate the audio component</a> in question unless you explicitly tell it to, but only the most willfully ignorant would argue that Google is a good bet if you want to maintain your privacy online. + +And therein lies the reason the web needs Firefox, but the Firefox of old. Whether or not Mozilla's revamped focus can bring back the Firefox of old remains to be seen, but hopefully reports of Firefox's demise will turn out to be premature. diff --git a/published/firefox34.txt b/published/firefox34.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f69fb5d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/firefox34.txt @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +Mozilla has just released Firefox 34, which adds support for the company's web-based Skype-competitor, <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/29/mozilla_browser_video_chat/">Firefox Hello</a>. Firefox 34 also drops Google as the default search engine for U.S. users, gives Mac users the ability to play H.264 videos natively and eliminates a major security vulnerability. + +This is the first version of Firefox to ship with full support for WebRTC, the technology behind the browser-based video and audio calling tool, Firefox Hello. + +Firefox Hello is a bit like having Skype or Facetime right in your browser, but with one major difference -- whomever you're calling doesn't need to be using the same application. With Firefox Hello all the other person needs is a WebRTC-capable browser like Firefox 34, Google Chrome or Opera. + +That eliminates the headaches that arise if, for example, you've got Skype but your family prefers Facetime and your employer wants everything to happen over Google Hangouts. + +With WebRTC and the Firefox Hello interface everything is web-based. Replacing a desktop app with something web-based often means a series of compromises and half-working features, but that's not the case with Firefox Hello. In my testing, Firefox Hello just works and is very simple to use. + +All you need to do is click the new Firefox Hello icon (the little chat bubble in your toolbar) and then hit the button to "Start a conversation". That will generate a link which you can click to open the video call in Firefox and copy and paste to the person you'd like to call. That's it. + +If you'd like you can create an account and have a contacts list that works just like what you're used to with Skype and Facetime. One shortcoming of WebRTC is that you can't dial actual phone numbers like you can with Skype, though even with Skype that's not a free feature. + +The call and video quality of Firefox Hello will depend on the network you're using, but that's also true with Skype, Facetime and Google Hangouts. In my testing even less than ideal coffee shop networks were plenty fast enough for decent video connections through WebRTC. + +The only real problem with WebRTC as a Skype or Facetime replacement is the two conspicuously absent browsers -- Safari and IE. Perhaps not coincidentally the two browsers missing WebRTC support also happen to be made by the companies that make Skype and Facetime, Microsoft and Apple, respectively. + +For its part Microsoft has said future releases of IE will add support for WebRTC. So far Apple has been characteristically silent on WebRTC support in Safari. Behind the scenes however the company has joined the W3C WebRTC Working Group, which might mean that support is somewhere on the horizon. + +For now though, if you want platform-free chat and video calls, grab a copy of Firefox 34, Chrome or Opera. + +The other big news in Firefox 34 is that Mozilla has <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/20/yahoo_becomes_default_firefox_search_in_us/">dropped Google as the default search engine</a>. Instead users will find their search queries passed to Yahoo!. It's pretty easy to get Google back, just head to the preferences pane, click the search tab and change the default search provider. Note that, it appears that if you had already changed the default search provider from Google, updating to Firefox 34 will not change your settings. You'll only land on Yahoo when installing a new copy of Firefox. + +This release is also the first version of Firefox for OS X that can play native web video in H.264 containers. That should eliminate the need for Flash to watch videos in most cases thanks to widespread support of the H.264 codec. H.264 is not a free (as in beer) or open source codec and for a very long time Firefox held out in hopes that the Google-backed WebM format might gain some ground. + +Sadly, WebM has never really caught on and Mozilla long ago made the pragmatic decision to support H.264. In fact Windows users have had support for some time, but this is the first release that lets OS X users in on the H.264 fun. + +Firefox Hello is great, H.264 support welcome, but perhaps the best reason to upgrade to Firefox 34 is that Mozilla has disabled support for the SSLv3 protocol. Google also ditched SSLv3 support in Chrome after the company <a href="http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2014/10/this-poodle-bites-exploiting-ssl-30.html">discovered a serious security flaw</a> in the aging protocol. Known by the innocuous-sounding acronym, POODLE, the flaw allows an attacker to steal "secure" HTTP cookies. With Firefox 34 out the door only Internet Explorer is still vulnerable to POODLE. + +Firefox 34 also has some <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox/Releases/34">new features aimed at web developers</a> -- like more support for Web Components -- along with HTTPS support for Wikipedia searches, some HTTP/2 support and more. See the <a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/34.0beta/releasenotes/">Firefox 34 release notes</a> for full details. diff --git a/published/flashkiller.txt b/published/flashkiller.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a1e6c00 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/flashkiller.txt @@ -0,0 +1,57 @@ +Much has been made of how HTML5 will "kill" proprietary media tools and players from Adobe Systems and Microsoft. Web advocates claim that with the much more sophisticated audio, video and animation tools in HTML 5, the web will no longer need proprietary plugins from outside vendors. + +While you'd be hard pressed to find anyone outside Microsoft or Adobe who thinks that a totally open web, where anyone can build anything without needing outside tools, is a bad thing, making that vision a reality will likely prove much more complex than even its most taciturn supporters are willing to admit. + +HTML 5 is a nice dream on paper, but the practical realities of web development mean that the dream faces a serious uphill battle and even if it does end up winning, it isn't likely to happen any time soon. + +There's no question that HTML 5 is a revolutionary upgrade for the language that powers the web. Much of the spec was specifically designed to plug precisely the gaps that Flash and its brethren currently fill -- like the animation API tools for the Canvas element, Local Storage, Web Workers and the audio and video tags -- promise to make Flash and Silverlight's life more difficult. + +Eventually, when browser makers fully support all that HTML 5 has to offer, it will be possible to build the powerful web apps that today require add-on technologies like Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight or Sun (now Oracle) JavaFX. + +However, to suggest that HTML 5 means the death of Flash or Silverlight is immanent entirely ignores several practical realities that go far beyond simple problems like browser support. + +There are other problems HTML 5 faces in its quest to replace the current crop of single-vendor tools like Flash. The spec recently received a significant blow when its creators announced that it would not specify a default codec for the video tag. + +The browser manufacturers involved in the WHAT WG, the group that is developing HTML 5, <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/08/html_5_media_spec/">couldn't agree on video codec</a> so, at least for now, its not part of the official spec. + +That means browsers will continue to implement the codecs and APIs ordained by their owners as they've always done, leaving developers and customers to pick a side or go to the additional cost and effort of supporting different players. + +In short, HTML 5 video isn't going to kill Flash video players any time soon. YouTube and other major players in the web video world face the same conundrum that drove them to Flash-based players in the first place -- offer multiple videos based on browser configuration or use Flash for a "just works" user experience. + +And don't forget that Flash is more than just a video container, it also powers much of the animation on the web. That's where the new Canvas APIs are supposed to come in -- they give designers a way to create the sort of sophisticated animation elements that Flash is often used for today. + +However, at the moment there are next to no developer tools for creating animations using Canvas. + +If you want to animate something in Flash it's a simple point and click experience. If you want to do the same for Canvas, you'll need to break out a text editor and tap into your thorough knowledge of JavaScript. To work with Canvas, designers must become programmers, a shift that most will look upon with horror. + +Take away the Flash development interface and the two technologies would be competing on an even playing field, but so long as Flash makes it infinitely easier for non-programmers to create animations, don't expect those same people to be in a rush to abandon what they know. + +And if the developers and designers building the web aren't making the transition to HTML 5-based solutions, don't expect Flash and Silverlight to die off any time soon. + +Even Google, probably the loudest and largest HTML 5 advocate in the room, understands that without widespread developer support, Canvas and other HTML 5 tools will never make inroads against the plugins they're designed to replace. + +Google vice president of engineering Vic Gundotra recently <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/27/youtube_html5/">exhorted developers gathered at the company's I/O conference to use the new tools</a>, saying, "having the underlying capability in the browser is not enough." According to Gundotra, "it's up to [developers] and companies like Google to build compelling apps that build on these capabilities." + +But that's exactly where the problem of browser support rears its ugly head again. From the developer standpoint, HTML 5 faces a chicken-and-egg sort of conundrum. There's currently a dearth of developer tools for working with the animation frameworks that HTML 5 offers, but at least part of the reason there's no developer tools is that the Canvas element isn't widely supported. + +Adobe's John Dowdell recently addressed some of the hype around HTML 5 on his blog, writing, that while <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/jd/2009/06/adobe_on_html5.html">HTML 5's potential looks promising</a>, "de facto capability determines what you can actually do for real audiences." + +In other words, while Adobe recognizes that there's a threat to Flash lurking in HTML 5, it isn't a very big threat in today's web world. How long that will remain true is of course the real question. + +If Google has anything to say about it, the answer will be not long. The company is already building with HTML 5's toolset -- the new Gmail app for the iPhone uses the HTML 5 local storage mechanism for offline mail access. + +But even when Google relies on HTML 5, the company still sometimes falls back on other tools. For example, Google Wave, the company's attempt to replace e-mail with something new, makes heavy use of HTML 5, but Wave also requires the Gears plugin for some of its functionality. + +Even assuming (and this is a big assumption) that things go HTML 5's way -- new browsers support it and developers use it -- its Flash-killer days are still somewhat distant. HTML 5 still has to contend with the perpetual elephant in the room -- legacy browsers. + +It seems a forgone conclusion at this point that in the next few years HTML 5 will eventually be adopted and supported by all the major browsers, but what about today's browsers? + +Google, Mozilla and Apple all aggressively push software updates to their users, but Microsoft doesn't. If the transition from IE 6 to IE 7 to IE 8 is any indication, it's going to be quite some time before using HTML 5 tools is a practical idea for major websites. + +Forget IE 6, forget IE 7, IE 8 doesn't support very much of HTML 5, which means before deploying HTML 5 becomes practical IE 8 needs to expire. It's been nearly 9 years since the release of IE 6 and it still manages to hold between 15-20 percent of the market (depending on what set of stats you want to believe). + +Even being charitable and assuming IE 8's successor fully implements HTML 5 and enjoys double the adoption rate of its predecessors, it's going to be at least five years before the majority of users have a browser capable of rendering HTML 5 in all its glory. + +In the mean time expect Flash and Silverlight to continue to be a necessary part of the web ecosystem. + +Will HTML 5 one day make Flash, Silverlight and other plug-in technologies obsolete? Most likely, but unfortunately that day is still quite a ways off.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/gOSReview/gOS.txt b/published/gOSReview/gOS.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1abc9fe --- /dev/null +++ b/published/gOSReview/gOS.txt @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +What's free, looks like Mac OS X, just works and is actually Linux? The answer is gOS, which recently launched a new beta that builds on the distro's initial success and adds new tools like integrated Google Gadgets for Linux. + +When it launched onto the scene late last year, gOS (which stands for good OS) made quite a splash for getting Linux into the U.S. retail giant WalMart. Through a partnership with PC manufacturer Everex, gOS brought Linux to your parents' generation via WalMart. + +But chances are, if they picked up a gOS equipped machine, mom and dad would have no idea they were running Linux. Like the Xandros distro that Asus packages with the EeePC, gOS doesn't trumpet its open source credentials or advertise its infinite customization options -- it just works. + +That's part of what makes gOS "Linux for the rest of us." The distro isn't intended to be powerful, nor is it a desktop package from a company that makes its real money off server installations as some many Linux distros are. + +GOS has one simple goal -- make a lightweight, web-heavy operating system that anyone can use. + +For Linux purists and those that enjoy spending hours fiddling with configuration files, gOS will be an utter disappointment. But gOS isn't aimed at hard-core Linux users; it's aimed at otherwise computer illiterate users who simply want an easy way to check e-mail, browse the web and share some photos online. + +That's why gOS is marketed mainly to OEM partners like Everex or Sylvania and you're most likely to encounter it in a netbook or other lightweight "internet appliance." + +The emphasis in gOS is on web apps and everyday tasks like browsing the web and checking e-mail. Under the hood gOS is based on Ubuntu, but aside from the familiar startup sound you're unlikely to notice the Ubuntu underpinnings. + +Administration tools are decidedly lacking in gOS, but that's expected since it isn't part of the distro's plan. While Ubuntu does a nice job of balancing user-friendliness and power, gOS simply tries to make things as easy as possible for the end-user. If that comes at the loss of what longtime Linux users consider very basic tools, then so be it. GOS is aimed at those who don't have slightest interest in power, they just want to use their PC. + +GOS is also notable for embracing proprietary software. The original release shipped with Wine pre-installed and used Picasa instead of the tradition Gnome photo manager FSpot. The latest release continues that trend, shipping with Wine 1.0 to make installing Windows apps easier and Google Gadgets for Linux pre-installed are also pre-installed. + +Once the system is installed and rebooted, you'll be greeted by a cheerful, bubbly, green interface that's closer in appearance to Mac OS X than other Linux distros. + +As soon as gOS loads you'll see the new Google Gadgets sitting off to the left of the screen, not unlike the Gadgets shelf that ships with Windows Vista. + +Although our theoretical computer illiterate wouldn't know it, it's immediately obvious that two primary tools power gOS -- Mozilla Prism and Wine (version 1.0 in the beta). + +Using Prism, gOS is able to create a series of single-purpose web-based applications that can be accessed via the shiny toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Even if you have no idea what Linux is, when presented with a giant red envelope icon, you can probably work that that it checks your mail. + +What might be slightly misleading is that it only checks your e-mail if you use Gmail. For other options you'll have to root around, find Thunderbird and then enter your login information. + +What would be really slick is if gOS could somehow ask for your e-mail during the setup process and then, based on the URL, use Prism to either create a Gmail app, Yahoo app, etc and have it ready to go in your toolbar. At the moment gOS (and every other OS for that matter) lacks such sophisticated tools. + +The lower panel (or iBar as it's known in gOS parlance) also contains icons for other Google Services like Calendar, Google Docs and YouTube. If you dig into the main application menu you'll find more, such as the Picasa photo manager. + +In fact, there's such a prevalence of Google-based software, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the g in gOS stands for Google. + +It would be nice to see gOS offer some stand-alone webapps outside the Google Empire -- to be fair there are a few, like Facebook, but for the most part Google is clearly the favorite. Perhaps that will change now that Yahoo's Zimbra web-based desktop is in the Ubuntu repositories. + +Other apps in the default gOS Gadgets beta include Skype and Pidgin for chat, as well as OpenOffice if the Prism-based Google options aren't your cup of tea. + +But it's the default install of Wine 1.0 that's likely to raise eyebrows in the Linux camp. Wine critics argue that enabling Windows apps to run on Linux ends up hurting open source alternatives since people are less likely to pitch in and help improve the open source competitors when they can just run the Windows versions. + +If you think that's about the stupidest argument you've ever heard, you're gonna love gOS. Picasa is included by default and, for those that prefer to think of the Gimp as someone scary from Pulp Fiction, it wasn't hard to get Photoshop CS 2 up and running on gOS. + +The developers of gOS may not be purists, but that's okay because neither is 99 percent of the PC buying world. And if you've always wanted to get your (supported) Windows apps running on Linux, gOS has just about the easiest setup you could hope for. + +So how does gOS stack up when it comes to common Linux gripes like wifi drivers or peripheral support? Well, realize first of all that gOS is primarily intended to be loaded into low cost hardware and can thus avoid the usual Linux hassles -- wifi drivers, video codecs, etc -- by being prepackaged to work with specific hardware. As for external devices, the support will be same as you'd find in Ubuntu. + +If you just download a copy of gOS and install it, you'll likely hit the occasional bump in the road just as you would with Ubuntu, Fedora or other distros. In our testing, the trackpad scrolling feature of our laptop never worked, but otherwise there were no hardware issue. + +If you were to run across gOS by buying a new netbook that shipped with it, we have no doubt you'd be impressed -- you open the lid, press on and it just works. There's little or no setup and common tasks like checking e-mail or web browsing are simple to figure out. + +The OS is snappy, which isn't a huge surprise given that most of its feature are powered by web 2.0, but even those that aren't, like OpenOffice, are plenty fast. + +In the end we have no doubt that gOS will ruffle some feathers, but we also have no doubt that mom and dad won't care one bit as they sit in the Maldives emailing you "wish you were here" pictures of the beach from their new gOS-equipped netbook.
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Five years in the making, with code contributions from more than 3,500 developers, GNOME 3 is not a minor upgrade, it's a radical departure with an entirely new approach to the desktop. + +GNOME 3 will no doubt prove polarizing for the GNOME community, at least initially. But, the reality is, love it or hate it, GNOME 3 is the future of GNOME. Work on GNOME 2.x has ceased and while some distros will probably stick with it for a while longer, there will be no future releases or new features. + +Fortunately for GNOME fans there is much to love in GNOME 3 and only a few things that may trip up seasoned GNOME users. + +The first time you fire up GNOME 3, the most noticeable change is the lack of, well, anything familiar. You'll see a toolbar at the top of the screen with a clock and some familiar panels for wifi, volume and the like, but there is no bottom panel and no menu items to click on save one -- "Activities." + +The Activities menu is your gateway into the new GNOME Shell. The GNOME Shell sits on top of the desktop and moves aside the traditional window lists and menubars in favor of what the GNOME team believes is a more streamlined interface with fewer distractions. + +Although GNOME 3 will be a jarring shock for those accustomed to working with the GNOME 2.x line, once you spend some time with it, it's hard not to love the GNOME Shell -- particularly if you're working on a small screen device where the reduced window clutter is a welcome change. Indeed GNOME 3 is a cleaner, much-simplified desktop experience no matter what size your screen is. The GNOME Shell does an admirable job of making it feel like the entire system is just you and whatever app you're using at the moment -- the Shell stays out of your way until you need it. + +When you need it there are a variety of ways to invoke it -- the aforementioned menu item, hot corners, mouse clicks or keyboard shortcuts (by default the Windows key). When the shell is brought forward you'll be greeted by a dock on the left of your screen, shrunk down windows of any running apps in the middle, a workspace switcher to the right and, most importantly, a search bar. + +The workflow is simple, call up the shell and start typing. You can search for apps and documents, launch applications, switch desktop environments and perform all the tasks you're used to doing in GNOME from the shell. Once you're done the shell moves back out of your way leaving just your apps on screen. + +The integrated launcher means there's no need to open menus and hunt through app categories to find what you need (though you still can if you prefer, just click the applications item in the GNOME Shell). Clearly GNOME 3 takes some inspiration from third-party apps like GNOME Do, though it lacks many of GNOME Do's power-user functions. For example, there's no way to quickly open a document in a different program, rename a document, move a file or use any of GNOME Do's other powerful options. Still, there's no question that, especially for app launching, the GNOME Shell is a step up from GNOME 2. + +For those that prefer a "dock" approach to launching apps, the GNOME Shell has that option covered as well, just add your favorites to the dock and click to launch. The dock is also an easy way to switch between open apps. + +Other standout new features in GNOME 3 include the new notifications system, which introduces persistant notification messages. The message tray in GNOME Shell will pop-up alerts, (just like GNOME 2 does), for a certain period of time. But, in GNOME 3, even after the message time expires, the notification message is still available in the message tray. The persistant messages mean that you no longer need to interrupt your work and immediately deal with the message window during the short time it's visible. In GNOME 3 the message will be there whenever you decide to interact with it. In some cases -- like instant messaging -- you can even respond to a new message without leaving your current app. Just click the message, type your reply and send it -- all from the notification window. + +Undoubtedly the most controversial decision in GNOME 3 is the removal of the maximize and minimize window buttons. Every window in GNOME 3 has only one button -- the close button. To replicate the behavior of the missing maximize button you simply drag a window's title bar up to the top bar and release it. The window will then fill your screen. Drag the windows' title bar away from the top bar to return it to normal size. + +There is no equivalent action that replicates the function of the minimize button. Technically, you can minimize windows by right-clicking the close button and choosing minimize (or maximize for that matter), but that's definitely a step backwards for those that regularly minimize windows. + +There isn't room here to get into the exact reasoning behind the lack of window buttons in GNOME 3, but the underlying idea is that GNOME 3 wants you to try a different workflow. And in fact the shell, along with the much improved desktop switching tools, go along way toward eliminating the need to minimize windows. But go a long way toward and completely replace are two totally different things. There's no way to sugar coat it -- if your work habits rely on minimizing windows you're going to hate GNOME 3. + +The decision to eliminate the minimize and maximize buttons also highlights another aspect of GNOME 3 that may irritate long time users -- the lack of customization options. It used to be that GNOME could be tweaked to your liking, in fact customizing GNOME was just part of what you did -- GNOME out of the box was never anything to write home about. + +If fiddling with your system is part of what drew you to Linux in the first place, GNOME 3 in its current state will likely prove disappointing. There are ways to customize GNOME 3, but it will mean re-learning many things. + +If, on the other hand, you really don't care what your desktop looks like and you just want to get some work done, GNOME 3 is a huge step up over GNOME 2. + +As someone who has traditionally replaced GNOME's standard interface with tools like Docky and GNOME Do, I initially found GNOME 3 disorienting. But, after using it for a few days (via Fedora 15 beta), I found that GNOME 3 had slipped into my workflow with very little effort on my part. Yes, GNOME Do offers more tools than the GNOME Shell, but for the 90 percent use case the GNOME Shell ably does the job. And yes, I still sometimes get frustrated with certain behaviors; for example, clicking on an app in the dock brings the app forward if it's already open, handy most of the time, but irritating if you were expecting a new window. But overall I've found that it doesn't take long to adjust to GNOME 3's quirks and get back to getting work done. + +Nice though GNOME 3 may be, I don't suggest upgrading just yet. For one thing, this is essentially a 1.0 release and not everything is quite there just yet. But more important most distros haven't yet fully integrated with GNOME 3. If you'd like to orient yourself to GNOME 3 before your favorite distro ships with it, you can grab <a href="http://www.gnome3.org/tryit.html">a live CD</a> from the GNOME website.
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It wasn't so much the radical departure from past desktop environments, as the fact that essential things either did not work properly or, more frustratingly, had been deemed unnecessary. + +Fastforward a few years and, while GNOME 3.12 still isn't the infinitely customizable experience of GNOME 2.x, and it turns out that, not only has GNOME Shell progressed by leaps and bounds, it now makes for a stable, productive desktop environment. + +One of the great things about releasing early and often is that eventually things improve; sometimes things improve so slowly you hardly notice it until a release like GNOME 3.12 rolls around, but they improve nonetheless. + +If you dismissed GNOME 3 when it first arrived I can't blame you, but I suggest taking another look. GNOME 3 has finally arrived. + +The only problem with GNOME 3.12 is that it's a desktop in search of a Linux distro. + +Ubuntu has Unity. Even Ubuntu GNOME 14.04 will most likely not be using GNOME 3.12. The future of Debian looks to be with Xfce. GNOME 3.12 will likely be part of Fedora 21, but that's still months from being released. + +At the moment, if you want to try GNOME 3.12, your best bet is probably a rolling release distro like Arch, or, for the less experienced, an Arch derivative like Manjaro. + +It's a shame no major distro has a release to showcase GNOME 3.12 because it may well be the best thing to come out of the GNOME camp in years. + +One place that GNOME 3.12 hands down beats every other desktop I've tried is support for high-resolution screens. This isn't entirely new. GNOME 3.10 has some of the better high-dpi screen support you'll find in a Linux desktop, but there were still a few glitches. GNOME 3.12 picks up where 3.10 left off and polishes things up a bit. Problems like poorly sized icons and thumbnail images in the Alt+Tab switcher are thing of the past. There's still work to be done in this area, but GNOME 3.12 will likely be one of the best Linux desktops for those with a high-res screen. + +The GNOME developers have also been busy improving what might be thought of as power-user tools. Perhaps one of the most immediately useful of these new tools are the "quick lists" or "jump lists" for the launch bar. Right click on the launch bar in GNOME 3.10 and earlier and the only menu items you'll see are "new window" and "close". + +GNOME 3.12 expands that to add support for customizable right-click menus in the Activities view and in any running apps listed in the Favorites bar. All you need to do is create a simple text file with a few lines of code and your custom tools will show up in the right-click menu for the app you specify. + +For example, imagine you want a shortcut to quickly launch theregister.co.uk in Firefox. All you need to do is edit the application's desktop file, in this case that's firefox.desktop. Then you define a "Desktop Action", which consists of a name and action. Save your file in ~/.local/share/applications and you're done. + +Now whenever you right click on the Firefox icon in the Favorites bar you'll see an option to open theregister.co.uk directly. Other possible uses include opening an app with a blank document ready to go or opening an app with a new document based on a template of your choosing. + +While it's nice to have customization options for power users, this also makes it much easier for GNOME apps to customize their options, which in turn will make the Activities view and Favorites bar more useful. + +Much of what's noticeably different in GNOME 3.12 are the various new and revamped applications. + +Perhaps the biggest change is in Totem, the default video player in GNOME. In fact, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was an entirely new video player. The app has been renamed Videos (or GNOME Videos if you want to be more specific), though the project itself retains the Totem moniker. The interface has been completely redesigned to fit with the look of GNOME 3 apps. + +Totem/Videos isn't the only app with new features in this release. The whole GNOME apps suite, which consists of Maps, Weather, Photos, Videos and others, have been updated and improved. The Software app remains a bit confusing -- it seems to only list GUI apps, which means you're left to whatever tools your distro provides for anything non-GUI -- but at least it now ties into the GNOME Shell search so you can find apps regardless of whether or not they're currently installed. + +GNOME keeps expanding its suite of apps too. There's even a graphical client for the Git version control system now. Or at least there should be. The Fedora rawhide releases I used for testing did not actually include Gitg as the app is known, but it was listed -- along with several others -- in the Fedora repos. + +The Maps application showcases GNOME 3.12's new geolocation privacy controls. You can completely turn off location services in this release, but should you choose to leave them on there's a nice new indicator applet that will let you know whenever an application (like Maps, Weather and Photos) accesses your location data. GNOME's long term plans call for even more fine-grained location privacy controls -- like the ability to decide which applications can access your location -- but for now there is at least an off switch. + +In the end geolocation privacy controls are probably more of a concern for mobile users and thus far GNOME-based mobile devices aren't exactly flying off the shelves. + +GNOME 3.12 continues the trend of integrating web-based service into desktop apps. The revamped Videos app now supports Pocket, a read-it-later service that can also save videos (which are then synced to the GNOME Videos app). GNOME's Photos app has added Facebook support, which allows you to interact with your Facebook photos directly inside Photos. Or it should anyway, I was never able to login to Facebook as the site complained that the pop-up window -- that is the online accounts window in GNOME -- was "too small to display this page". I suspect this is a recent change on Facebook's end. + +Another nice change in this release is the revamped GNOME account setup process, though whether or not you see it will depend on how your distro of choice works. In Fedora for example, most of the account setup process is handled in the Anaconda installer, thus bypassing the GNOME version. + +That gets to perhaps the biggest problem with GNOME 3.12 -- nice as it is, it's still a desktop environment in search of a distro. + +Of course all Linux desktops are ostensibly that way, that's part of what make Linux, Linux -- choices. That works for Xfce, LXDE and others, but increasingly environments like GNOME Shell and Unity want to be more than just desktops in the traditional sense and to do that well it seems to mean tightly integrating with a single distro, the way Unity effectively is Ubuntu. + +Perhaps now that GNOME Shell has become a more mature, stable and genuinely useful desktop some distro will come along and provide the kind of integration that GNOME deserves. diff --git a/published/gnome312final/gnome312-location-controls.jpg b/published/gnome312final/gnome312-location-controls.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e741ce9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/gnome312final/gnome312-location-controls.jpg diff --git a/published/gnome312final/gnome312-location-controls.png b/published/gnome312final/gnome312-location-controls.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..76ad84e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/gnome312final/gnome312-location-controls.png diff --git a/published/gnome3_12_beta.txt b/published/gnome3_12_beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2f95052 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/gnome3_12_beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +The GNOME team has release the first beta of GNOME 3.12, the next major release for the popular desktop environment. The final version of GNOME 3.12 is set to arrive in early April. + +If you'd like to get a look at what's coming in GNOME 3.12, the GNOME beta is reasonably stable. I tested it via Fedora's Rawhide preview channel, which is decidedly not stable. Check with your favorite distro to see if there's a pre-release channel for testing. + +Unlike the past few releases, there's a ton of new stuff in GNOME 3.12. Far too much in fact for a short review, but the highlights include a slew of new apps, a major makeover for the long-standing video player, better privacy controls, support for jump lists and quite a few other interface tweaks that make GNOME 3.12 more pleasant to use. + +Another noteworthy change in GNOME 3.12 is better support for high resolution screens. GNOME 3.10 actually has some of the better high-dpi screen support you'll find in a Linux desktop, but there are still a few glitches. GNOME 3.12 will fix some of the small, but annoying high-dpi scaling issues like poorly sized icons and thumbnail images. That means the Alt+Tab switcher, the Activities view dock, and other parts of the GNOME Shell interface should all look a bit nicer on high-resolution screens. There's still work to be done in this area, but GNOME 3.12 will likely be one of the best Linux desktops for those with a high-res screen. + +Other visual changes in this release include a significant makeover for Totem, the default video player in GNOME. In fact, unless you know the back story you'd be forgiven for thinking it was an entirely new video player. The app has been renamed Videos (or GNOME Videos if you want to be more specific), though the project itself retains the Totem moniker. The interface has been completely redesigned to fit with the look of GNOME 3.x apps and there are some new plugins for online services like Pocket (more on that in a minute). + +The 3.12 beta sees GNOME developers once again doing an about face on a capricious decision that seemed totally pointless -- removing the wired network indicator from the status bar. In GNOME 3.12 the wired network indicator is back, which means it's once again simple to toggle wired connections on/off and quickly open your network settings for more fine-grained control. Sanity prevails. + +Sanity prevails more generally in this release with several tools that -- gasp! -- complicate the interface a bit to give users more functionality. GNOME is not just minimalism for the sake of minimalism anymore apparently. + +Perhaps one of the most immediately useful new tools in this release -- which would seem to fly in the face of GNOME's belief that features confuse users -- is GNOME 3.12's new "quick lists" or "jump lists" for the launch bar. Right click on the launch bar in GNOME 3.10 and earlier and the only menu items you'll see are "new window" and "close". + +With 3.12, GNOME adds support for customizable right-click menus in the Activities view and in any running apps listed in the Favorites bar. That is, you can now add pretty much anything you want to the right-click menu in the GNOME 3.12 Favorites bar. That means you can right click, for example, LibreOffice Calc and not just open it, but create a new spreadsheet at the same time. + +Perhaps the best part is that it's pretty simple to create these menu items yourself. For example, suppose you want a shortcut to quickly launch a frequently visited URL in Chromium. All you need to do is create a text file with a few key lines (see <a href="http://worldofgnome.org/overriding-enrich-your-desktop-files-with-jumplists/">World of GNOME</a> for some example code) and you'll be able to right click and access the URL from the menu directly. Other possible uses include opening an app with a blank document ready to go or opening an app with a new document based on a template of your choosing.GNOME is a bit late to the jump list party -- Unity, Windows and OS X all offer similar features -- but it's no less welcome. + +Like Ubuntu's Unity, GNOME 3.12 sees the online world continuing to creep into your desktop apps. There are quite a few new services supported through the various GNOME 3.12 apps, like the aforementioned Pocket integration in the Videos app. Pocket, which began life as Read It Later, is still a read-it-later service, but it also supports saving videos. The integration with GNOME Videos means you can see all your saved videos in Pocket right alongside the rest of your media library in Videos. Videos also supports plugins for a few other online services like Guardian Videos and Freebox TV. + +The list of new online services in this release is not limited to Videos. GNOME's Photos app has added Facebook support -- which is a system level online accounts option. Using it with Photos means you can interact with your Facebook photos directly inside Photos. + +Depending on your view of Facebook, the new integration is either amazing or horrifying -- there doesn't seem to be a middle ground when it comes it Facebook. + +If you fall in the latter category chances are you'll like the new geolocation privacy controls in GNOME 3.12. You can flat out turn off locations services in this release, but should you choose to leave them on there's a nice new indicator applet that will let you know whenever an application (like Maps, Weather and Photos) is using your location data. In the future the GNOME devs plan of offer more fine-grained location privacy controls, but for now there is at least an off switch. + +There's plenty of other new stuff in the GNOME 3.12 beta that makes it well worth a look for GNOME fans, including support for app folders and search results that now include software from repos -- that is, software that's not yet installed. + +If you'd like to try out GNOME 3.12 I recommend Fedora's Rawhide release, though I suggest, for now, sticking with a virtual machine. The final stable version of GNOME 3.12 is due early April 2014. diff --git a/published/google-tlds.txt b/published/google-tlds.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ded0bb3 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/google-tlds.txt @@ -0,0 +1,25 @@ +The internet is poised to gain a whole lot of new domain names in the very near future, from the useful (.app, .dev) to the more whimsical (.ninja, .lol). Unfortunately, some of the more useful domains may end being locked up behind Google's closed doors. + +Google isn't the only company trying to get an exemption for top level domains (TLDs) it controls like .dev, but it has filed the most applications for keeping domains private. + +The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, better known as ICANN, has been expanding domain names beyond the familiar .com, .net, .org, .edu, etc for a while now. But ICANN doesn't have the resources to manage all these new domains so it's auctioning them off. Anyone willing to pay out the $185,000 fee could bid on top level domains. Yes, even you can apply, though you'll want to hurry because big names like Google, Apple, Amazon and hundreds of others have already applied. + +For the most part the companies bidding on the new domains simply intend to resell addresses at these domains. In fact in most cases they have to do that, but ICAAN is taking applications for exceptions to this. That is, companies may apply for an exemption which would allow them to keep all the names in a domain for themselves. + +In most cases this makes sense. For example CERN wants to create and have sole use of .cern. Likewise .bloomberg can probably remain the sole province of Bloomberg without any harm befalling the internet. However there are plenty of examples in ICANN's current list of <a href="http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/agb/base-agreement-contracting/ccer">applications for exception</a> that would give the companies involved a significant advantage. + +There's one name that comes up quite a few times in the list of exemption applications -- Charleston Road Registry Inc. This is actually Google, using a shell company whose "CEO" is Google's in-house counsel. The company wants to keep these domains "completely closed for the sole use of Google," as the <a href="https://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1339">application</a> for the .dev exemption reads. + +Some of the exceptions Google is seeking make sense, for example .youtube or .gmail, but others like .nexus, and particularly .dev, have a potentially much broader application. + +Why not also share the wealth of .dev with developers? In a word: branding. Google's application for .dev reads: "The proposed gTLD will provide Google with direct association to the term 'dev,' which is an abbreviation of the word, 'development.' The mission of this gTLD, .dev, is to provide a dedicated domain space in which Google can enact second-level domains specific to its projects in development." + +This isn't the first time Google has tried to lock up some of these new domains in an effort to boost its brands. The company previously tried to buy .blog, which it intended to pair with its Blogger service so that the only way to get a .blog domain would be to use Blogger. Google lost its bid for .blog, but it did win .dev and .app. + +Perhaps understandably the move to keep domains out of public hands has led to some push back against ICANN's exemption clause. The exemptions haven't been granted yet, the application process is now in the "accepting comments" phase. + +Google's own comments on the process are confusing. The company <a herf="http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-closed-generic-05feb13/pdfcUZaOfUYQG.pdf">argues</a> that private gTLDs are important, but also that no one actually wants gTLDs "because of the strong user bias toward domains within .com". This then gets turned around as a reason why ICANN should grant Google the exemption that it wants. No one wants them anyway, so just give them to us. + +The letter does have one paragraph that makes sense: "Today, most Internet users have only one practical choice when it comes to how their TLDs are managed: a completely unrestricted model environment in which any registrant can register any name for any purpose and use it as they see fit." + +Google paints this unlimited choice of who gets which domain as a bad thing, but the company is largely alone in that belief. The unrestricted model actually nicely mirrors the relatively unrestricted nature of the internet itself. It might not be good for Google's plans, but it sure has worked well for the rest of the web. diff --git a/published/howtochosethebestlinuxdistroforyou.txt b/published/howtochosethebestlinuxdistroforyou.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d1cd11d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/howtochosethebestlinuxdistroforyou.txt @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +Linux, as the saying goes, is about choice. Indeed, the ability to choose, well, pretty much everything, is probably the best thing about Linux. But that overwhelming variety of stuff to choose -- Which distro? Which desktop? Which window manager? -- can also be overwhelming for newcomers. + +If you've ever thought about abandoning Windows or Mac OS X in favor of Linux, but stopped short because you weren't sure which variety of Linux to choose, this guide is for you. + +It would be impossible to filter through every single Linux distribution and attempt to find the definitive one for every situation. There are simply too many distros out there (DistroWatch, a site devoted to tracking such things, lists hundreds of distros you can choose from). + +Linux newcomers will likely be best off sticking with one of the "major" distros. That is, distros with a large user base and a lot of developers working hard to improve them on a regular basis. Currently that means Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, OpenSuSE and perhaps, for those that want more of an adventure, plain Debian. + +While I suggest actually installing a big name distro to start with, that doesn't mean you shouldn't feel free to experiment with distros of all shapes and sizes. In fact, just because you've settled on one distro for a while doesn't mean you can't jump ship whenever you want. Just install VirtualBox and try out any distro that catches your eye in a virtual machine. If you find one you like better than your current choice, install it. It's that simple. + +So how do you find the right distro for you? First off you need to figure out what's important to you. Do you want something where everything works out of the box or are you looking for something where you can customize every detail of the user interface? Do you want only free software or are you okay with proprietary drivers and non-free apps like Adobe Flash? + +Figure out what your priorities are and then see how each distro addresses them. + +While ultimately only you know what you want, in my experience there are three good indicators of how well a distro will suit the Linux newcomer switching from Windows. + +The first is, how big and how active is the community around the distro? And I don't just mean the user forums on the distro's website, but the global community of users, bloggers, IRC chatters and so on. If you're new to Linux you're going to have questions. Sometimes the answers you need may be in the documentation, but more often than not you'll turn to Google for help and that's where popular distros with lots of users and dedicated sites can be a huge help. Want to know how you can customize Ubuntu? There are dozens of blogs out there that can walk you through the process. Need to know why Gnome Do isn't working quite the way you'd like in Mint? Again, dozens of sites that can help. + +When it comes to active, helpful communities it's hard to beat Ubuntu and its cousin Mint. Fedora also has a rich community, though there don't seem to be quite as many Fedora blogs. OpenSuSE seems to be a distant third choice when it comes to community, though that may be because it has some of the best documentation you'll find in a Linux distro, which means there's less call for in depth tutorials elsewhere. + +The second thing to look for in any prospective Linux distro is the software setup, namely how good is the software manager and how big are the distro's software repositories. + +There are thousands and thousands of open source applications waiting for you in Linux land, but that variety is worthless if you can't find the best app for your needs. To do that you need a software manager with powerful search features and preferably some extras like user ratings and ideally some screenshots. + +And of course you need access to a wide variety of apps to choose from. Adding new repositories to your list of software sources is not terribly difficult, but ideally you shouldn't need to do that when you're just starting out with Linux. + +Again you'll find that Mint and Ubuntu are the standouts here. Both come with a wide variety of the basic apps pre-installed, and offer easy access to all the multimedia codecs and proprietary drivers you might need. Both also have very easy-to-use software managers. + +OpenSuSE likewise has a slick software center and offers a large selection of apps. + +Fedora doesn't rank quite as high in terms of the software installation interface, which lacks a powerful search function. Fedora does have a great selection of software available, but finding it and installing it can sometimes be a chore. + +The third major thing worth looking at when evaluating Linux distros is how well the desktop of your choice is supported. In some ways this is a chicken and egg question for newcomers since most won't know which desktop they want to use. + +Pretty much any Linux application can be installed on any Linux system, at least in theory. That means any desktop can be installed with any distro, but in the real world it doesn't always work out quite that smoothly. For example, the Cinnamon desktop is a relatively new desktop interface developed by the same people who created Mint Linux, which means Cinnamon is nicely integrated with the rest of Mint. That doesn't mean you can't install Cinnamon on Fedora or Arch. You can and people do, but it will most likely be a bit trickier and finding solutions to your problems can be more difficult since fewer users will be using your particular setup. That's why, to stick with the Cinnamon example, it would make more sense to use Mint if you really want to use Cinnamon. + +All of the distros I've mentioned ship with a default desktop that the distro has tweaked to work best with the rest of its tools. If you're just starting out I suggest sticking with the default desktop, which means, for example, if you download Fedora you'll end up a GNOME user. Grab OpenSuSE and you'll end up a KDE user. Install Ubuntu and you'll be a Unity user. Opt for Mint and you'll likely end up with the MATE or Cinnamon desktops. + +That doesn't mean you're stuck with the them though. There's a flavor of Ubuntu for KDE fans; ditto for KDE on Fedora. You can also install GNOME on Mint and pretty much any other combination of distros and desktops, but until you get more comfortable, stick with what's on the default live CD. + +These three criteria are by no means the only things to look at when choosing a Linux distro, but they should make a good framework to start your investigation. Other criteria that are worth considering when picking and choosing among distros include things like are you going to still need Windows apps? Some distros integrate better with virtual machines and WINE than others. For example, it's not hard to make Adobe Photoshop (the lack of which is frequently cited as a stumbling block to adopting Linux) run almost <a href="http://www.prtfl.io/muellerwolfram/blog/2013/1/23/how-to-use-photoshop-in-ubuntu">like a native application in Ubuntu</a> (and by extension Mint, which is based on Ubuntu). + +If you're installing Linux for friends or family you'll likely want something that's as close to Windows as possible to minimize any potential confusion. In that case OpenSuSE may be the best choice since it mimics the Windows start button and task bar quite nicely (as will any KDE desktop, but OpenSuSE does a particularly nice job). + +If you're installing Linux on a family computer you may want to consider Fedora which has good support for the Sugar desktop, a desktop environment geared toward children (Sugar is what ships with the One Laptop Per Child machines). + +If all this choice is overwhelming and you just want someone to tell you what to do, here's my advice: if you've never installed or used Linux before, start with Mint Linux and use the MATE desktop. Installation is easy and most hardware should work right out of the box, which will get you up and running in no time. Most of the software you'll need is installed by default -- web browsers, office suite, photo editors and music players are all included -- and finding more apps is a breeze with Mint's software center. The MATE desktop also sticks with a familiar paradigm of mouse driven menus. + +If you want something a bit different give Ubuntu Linux a try. The Unity desktop is a departure from the familiar world of Windows (or even most other Linux desktops), but once you wrap your head around it it works quite well, especially if you're a fan of keyboard shortcuts. Like Mint, the installation and setup process are simple and in most cases all your hardware should work right out of the box. + +Anyone planning to primarily use Linux to write software or develop web applications will likely be quite happy with Fedora which does a good job of shipping up-to-date developer tools like Python, Ruby (and Rails) and web servers like Apache. The software installer may not be the best, but the command line Yum installer works just fine so long as you're comfortable with the terminal. + +OpenSuSE is also a great choice for most users. Historically it's been particularly nice in business settings, but thanks to a really well done KDE release it makes an excellent choice for just about any situation. + +Others worth giving a try include Mageia, a recent fork of Mandriva that's attempting to bring back what once made Mandriva good (try the KDE release, it's particularly well done). There's also Sabayon, Ubuntu Studio (for those working with music or video recordings) and, if you're feeling adventurous, there's Debian, which is the base distro that Ubuntu and Mint build off of. Of course once you feel more comfortable you might want to have a look at some of the many smaller distros listed on DistroWatch. diff --git a/published/https.txt b/published/https.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d9956ec --- /dev/null +++ b/published/https.txt @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +There's a major change coming to the web in the next couple of years. Quick, check your URL bar right now. See that http up there (assuming your web browser still thinks you're smart enough to understand it)? That's going to be getting an extra "s". Or at least it will if Mozilla and Google get their way. + +Mozilla recently became the latest in the long line of companies big and small trying to <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2015/04/30/deprecating-non-secure-http/">push the web</a> from HTTP to the more secure HTTPS protocol. + +In the post-Snowden world where everyone from the NSA, GCHQ to your ISP is inspecting and sometimes altering content, HTTPS (which makes such things nearly impossible) makes sense. + +Let's make that doubly clear: moving to HTTPS is a good thing. + +However, the timing and way in which Mozilla, and to a lesser degree Google, would like to rush the web into HTTPS is all wrong. + +Like Google before it, Mozilla wants to encourage developers to deploy new sites using HTTPS. Unlike Google, which has thus far used only carrot-like methods to entice developers, Mozilla is going to bring out the stick and start beating the web into HTTPS. + +Mozilla plans to depreciate HTTP by first making "new features... available only to secure websites." Then, at some point it will be "gradually phasing out access to browser features for non-secure websites." + +That means that without an HTTPS website you won't be able to take advantage of any new features in HTML that might come along. Eventually you won't even be able to use the ones you're using today. + +In some cases this makes sense. For instance, the geolocation API should have been HTTPS-only from the beginning. Some existing HTML APIs, like Service Workers, are already HTTPS-only. All of which is to say, again, HTTPS is a good thing, but making it the only thing, as Mozilla proposes to do, is fraught with problems. + +The first problem is that it means the web is no longer free as in beer. Obtaining an SSL certificate is not free. In a follow up <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/security/files/2015/05/HTTPS-FAQ.pdf">FAQ statement</a> (bizarrely, a PDF file) Mozilla does some handwaving about the question of HTTPS costs and contends that StartSSL offers free certificates. + +That is technically true, you can obtain a certificate from StartSSL for zero dollars up front. But StartSSL charges to revoke certificates, even when those certificates turn out to be vulnerable to security threats like Heartbleed. + +In other words, practically speaking, StartSSL is not free. If you can't revoke a certificate for free it isn't free. StartSSL is free in the same way that the first shot of heroin is always free. You'll be back and when you are you'll be paying for everything you do. StartSSL and others using the same pricing model know this, that's why they offer "free" certificates. + +Full disclosure: I run a number of HTTPS domains using certificates issued by StartSSL because there is no upfront cost. I do not, however, consider the service to be free. It also happens to be the most challenging thing I've ever tried set up on a web server in twenty years of running servers. More on that in a minute. + +There are some efforts underway to create a service that's both trusted by browsers -- so visitors don't get the scary message about "self-signed" certificates -- and free. The most notable is <a href="https://letsencrypt.org/">Let's Encrypt</a>, which Mozilla is a part of, but so far, while it sounds nice, Let's Encrypt is just vaporware. + +The move to pure HTTPS has costs, which thus far Mozilla has not credibly shown can be overcome. The HTTPS-only web Mozilla is envisioning is one in which only the rich are welcome. + +The costs are only part of the problem though. + +The real problem with deploying to HTTPS is that it's a difficult process that even very knowledgeable developers frequently get wrong. Expecting the average site owner with a WordPress blog to set up an SSL certificate chain as the process is right now is unrealistic at best. + +As developer and open, independent web advocate Jeremy Keith <a href="https://adactio.com/journal/8932">puts it</a>, "this is for everyone... not just those smart enough to figure out how to add HTTPS to their site." He goes on to say that Mozilla's plan "looks like something drafted by underwear gnomes." + +To be clear, Keith is not suggesting that the move to HTTPS is bad, just that the timing is ill-conceived. "Let's make HTTPS easy first," he writes, "then we can start to talk about ways of encouraging adoption. Hopefully we can figure out a way that doesn't require Mozilla or Google as gatekeepers." + +There's another major problem with the move to HTTPS: it fundamentally breaks the web as it is. + +All those HTTP URLs you visit and have linked to over the years will cease to exist if the site they're a part of moves to HTTPS. Everything needs to be redirected. Again, provided you have developers who know how to do it, this is easy to do. Unfortunately, the history of the web has already shown that few sites will bother to create redirects. The more likely outcome is that millions of URLs will die along the way. + +This is the problem that led web-creator Tim Berners-Lee to plead with developers earlier this year, "don't break the web". To quote Berners-Lee, "the HTTPS Everywhere campaign taken at face value completely breaks the web in a way it is arguably a greater threat to the integrity for the web than anything else in its history." + +Berners-Lee's solution is to make TLS -- the actual encryption and authentication layer in HTTPS -- part of HTTP. In his plan, the HTTP protocol would be by default upgraded to use TLS without having to use a different URL prefix. In other words, the burden to make it happen is transferred off the shoulders of developers and onto the shoulders of protocol designers, standards bodies and browser makers. Reception of Berners-Lee's proposal from those groups has been lukewarm thus far. + +Whether or not Berners-Lee's solution is the best option for the web is certainly debatable, what's not debatable is that Mozilla, Google and others pushing HTTPS are ignoring the reality of HTTPS today: it's expensive, difficult to set up and very likely to lead to the biggest batch of broken URLs in the history of the web. + +Before HTTPS becomes common place the process of obtaining and setting up a secure server needs to get much simpler. At the very least the web needs the WordPress of security certificates. Perhaps Let's Encrypt will be just that and solve two of the three problems with the transition to a secure web. But deprecating HTTP now, before very real, very fundamental problems are solved is putting the cart before the horse. + +Worse, Mozilla's plan would create a divide between those who have the money and ability to purchase a certificate and those who do not. The move to HTTPS as Mozilla envisions it is counter to the entire notion of an open web. diff --git a/published/ie-edge-preview.txt b/published/ie-edge-preview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c121590 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ie-edge-preview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +Internet Explorer will soon be joining Geocities, AOL and MySpace in the dustbin of internet history. + +After decades of dominance through proprietary lock-in and anti-trust-busted software bundling the monster lurking in web developer nightmares will no longer be the default browser for Windows 10. + +Instead Windows 10 will use Microsoft's new Edge browser. + +Fear not IE fans, the browser will still be around for "compatibility" reasons. Which means if you have some kind of ActiveX-reliant spaghetti code nightmare of an intranet site that only works in IE 8 and below, there will still be able to access it with IE in Windows 10. + +For everyone else though upgrading to Windows 10 will mean moving to Microsoft Edge and that will hopefully turn out to be a big win not just for users but the web at large. Well, assuming people actually upgrade to Windows 10. + +Microsoft Edge has been released in limited preview form and based on that and statements from Microsoft, is seems safe to say that Edge is everything IE is not -- fast, more secure and considerably more compliant with the HTML standards that define the web. + +Microsoft is clearly looking for a pat on the back with regard to Edge's web standards support, but at this point you don't really get those. + +Supporting web standards is a foregone conclusion on today's web. In fact ever since Firefox first started pushing web standards support as a feature, only one browser has failed to get all the way on the standards bandwagon. + +Developers who adhere to web standards can safely ignore Edge. Which is to say that if developers adhere to web standards then their websites will work with any browser that comes along between now and the demise of the internet as we know it, Edge included. That is, after all, the entire point of web standards. + +Microsoft has improved IE's standards support over the years, but it still lags behind all its competitors. Edge has a lot of new features for users, like a built in reader mode, integration with Microsoft's Siri-like "intelligent personal assistant", Cortana, and some other great user-oriented tools that put Edge way ahead of IE. From a developer perspective though Edge isn't quite as appealing. + +It is after all built on a fork of the Trident rendering engine that powers IE. Microsoft says it's stripped out all that legacy code and certainly early benchmarks would seem to indicate they've found a way to speed things up, but when it comes to the standards support developers are accustomed to, Edge reveals its Trident underpinnings. + +The <a href="http://html5test.com/results/desktop.html">html5test.com</a> suite currently lists Edge as supporting 402 of the 555 items in the test. That's respectably better than IE 11 which scores just 336 on the same test. At the same time it's a long way from Chrome and Firefox, which score 530 and 467 respectively. + +Edge's standards support for CSS is a bit more dismal. Comparing Edge to the current shipping versions of Firefox and Chrome reveals some <a href="http://caniuse.com/#compare=ie+Edge,firefox+39,chrome+43">significant gaps in Edge's standards support</a>. Perhaps most notable for a browser that will be the default on Microsoft's mobile OS is Edge's lack of support for the HTML5 Picture element. + +Edge does have partial support for the related "srcset" attribute on the good old img tag, which means developers can target high resolution screens with larger images, but Edge lacks support for the bandwidth-saving "sizes" attribute, which seems like a serious oversight for a browser targeting mobile devices. Though, to be fair, Safari Mobile also lacks this feature and Microsoft's development tracker says Edge's support is "In Development." + +The only time developers are likely to run into problems with Edge are if you're using cutting edge features like the Picture element, but in most cases you'll run into the same problems with Safari, Mobile Safari and (to a lesser degree) Firefox. + +In short, while Edge is a giant leap forward for Microsoft when it comes to web standards, it's more a small step when compared to its rivals. + +As developers build ever more sophisticated apps in the browser the far more interesting news just ahead of the final release of Windows 10 and Edge may be Microsoft's claim that Edge beats Chrome and Safari at their own JavaScript benchmark suites. That is, Edge is faster than its competitors. + +Provided that's true, Microsoft may have done the web the biggest favor since Mozilla forked Netscape to create Firefox, namely creating some good old healthy competition for the current darling of browser developers -- the WebKit project. + +The WebKit rendering engine, and Google's fork, Blink, together account for all the traffic on the web today that's not IE or Firefox. On mobile that comes very close to being all traffic period. That means there's very little competition out there and that in turn leads to stagnation. + +Some developers recently called out Apple for its lack of progress with Safari Mobile, including one developer who made the inevitable and apt comparison to IE: <a href="http://nolanlawson.com/2015/06/30/safari-is-the-new-ie/">Safari is the new IE</a>. Regrettably, since Apple doesn't allow other browser rendering engines in the App Store there will never be any real competition there (there are other *browsers* in the App Store, but they all use the same WebKit rendering engine), but on the desktop and other mobile platforms Edge just might give WebKit/Blink a much needed kick in the pants. + +Chrome, while it continues to have excellent standards support, is looking considerably less svelte than it did back when it first launched. Indeed, if Edge can really beat Chrome as handily as it seems to right now, Microsoft has an opportunity to beat Google at its own game -- making the web faster for everyone. diff --git a/published/ie-edge-review.txt b/published/ie-edge-review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2ce9d46 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ie-edge-review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +Microsoft Windows 10 has arrived and with it comes Microsoft Edge, Redmond's new web browser. Edge isn't just a browser though, it's a kind of atonement. Microsoft it seems, wants to apologize for not just Windows 8, but Internet Explorer as well. And, surprisingly, Edge turns out to be a great apology. + +Perhaps the most surprising and welcome thing about Windows 10 is the absence of that old IE icon in the task bar. The web no longer orbits the "E" in your task bar, instead there's a new icon -- still an "E", but less at the center of the universe. + +To be sure, IE is still lurking a few levels down in some start menu sub-section should you need it, but the focus -- and the thing everyone purchasing a new machine with Windows 10 on it will click on -- is Microsoft Edge. + +Microsoft Edge is the future of the web on Windows, not just because Microsoft wants it to be, but because it's actually a pretty great web browser. In using test builds of Windows 10 for many months and now the final version I've yet to feel the need to install another browser. + +There will no doubt be a lot of criticism leveled at Edge for not supporting cutting edge web standards and new HTML5 features quite as well as other browsers. Those critiques are valid. Edge could have better support for standards. + +Web developers won't like its relatively low score on the HTML5 compatibility tests -- it supports 402 of 555 features, compared to Firefox which manages 447 -- but it's leaps and bounds better than IE 11. Edge is also brand new and, frankly, launches with better support for more web standards than Google Chrome did when it first arrived. + +Edge might not be the darling of the web development set, but it's something users haven't seen a while -- simple, reliable and fast. + +It also boasts a suite of features designed to help cut through the crufty web that those Google Chrome wielding web designers have created. There's a built in Reading View that gets rid of all the useless sidebars and other clutter so you can actually read the article you wanted to see. Then there's Cortana, which is pretty well integrated into Windows 10, but really comes into its own in Edge. + +Highlight terms and Cortana will get more information about them for you, search for something like weather and Cortana will get you results without loading a page. Microsoft's documentation says Cortana can provide answers for some 20 different types of questions without loading a search page. In everyday use I've only run across a couple, but they're handy when they're there. + +Perhaps the most useful thing Cortana can do is dredge through the dreck that is the average restaurant website and pull out the only reason anyone ever went to that site in the first place -- hours and contact info (it'll also show you reviews if there are any). Given the current state of most restaurant websites it's worth turning on the (potentially) privacy invading Cortana for that feature alone. + +While I did say I haven't felt the need to download another browser, that's not entirely true. I have felt the need in the sense that I like to extend my browsing experience beyond what any browser provides out the box. Edge is on par with Firefox out of the box -- in terms of user features, if not web standards support -- but Firefox can of course be customized in a thousand different ways with extensions, which Edge does not yet support. + +I also haven't been able to locate a download manager and until Windows 10 for phones gets here there's no way to sync anything. In other words, it's a work in progress. + +That said, Edge is already great at what really matters: browsing the web. Pages load fast, scrolling is smooth and you won't see any quirky page rendering the way you sometimes did in IE. Edge does some very aggressive pre-fetching which means sites often load instantaneously when you click the top search result link in Bing for example. Pre-fetching has its downsides and hopefully won't be the case on data-limited phones, but it goes a long way to making Edge feel clean and speedy, something that's become increasingly rare in web browsers. + +That speed, coupled with Reading View, which strips out clutter, means that Edge can offer up a simpler, faster, easier to read web. + +That's not to say that Edge doesn't occasionally show some, ahem, rough edges. It will, for example, occasionally offer to open a page in IE if it can't load a particular site. Expect this to be the norm if you try to use Edge with legacy ActiveX-heavy intranet sites designed exclusively for IE. + +The only time I encountered this problem was with Google Docs, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, doesn't work well in Edge. It's also surprisingly hard to change the default search engine from Bing to Google, which together with the Google Docs failure feels almost deliberate. + +Like most users I've long considered any Microsoft browser a one-use browser: I opened it up and downloaded Firefox and Chrome and closed it, never to return. I honestly expected Edge to be the same, but it managed to win me over. I do have Firefox installed and set as my default browser in Windows 10 -- primarily for the extensions I rely on -- but when I just want to check the news or read a long form article I find myself reaching for Edge. + +Edge could be improved -- it really needs extensions and a download manager at the very least -- and hopefully it will. I'm optimistic that Microsoft's vision of Windows 10 as the last version of Windows, that is, no more major updates, just a long road of gradual improvements, will apply to Edge as well. Given time and updates, Edge can continue to develop and add in the missing standards support as well as extensions and other missing features. In the mean time Edge is fast, lightweight and presents a cleaner, simpler web than I've seen in a long time. + +Screenshots: + +edge-first-run.png - Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. +edge-reg.png - El Reg in Edge. +edge-cortana-weather.png - Edge with Cortana weather results. +edge-html5-score.png - Edge's HTML5 score (Firefox gets 447, Chrome 530) +edge-other-browsers-dialog.png - Windows 10's browser option dialog diff --git a/published/ie12review.txt b/published/ie12review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bd6488f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ie12review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +The first preview of Windows 10 has arrived. Microsoft has been busy trying to explain the meaning of a "universal" app and why you should care. In fact, there's been so much news about what's coming in Windows 10 you'd be forgiven for missing one piece of news that will have a huge impact of the web -- a new version of Internet Explorer. + +The current development version of Windows 10 does not ship with IE 12, but it does have the latest version of IE 11, including some of the improvements that were previewed in Microsoft's IE Developer Channel back in June. + +Note that Microsoft says the best way to stay up to date with IE developments remains that Preview Channel. So even if you install the Windows 10 Preview, be sure to also install the Preview Channel version of IE (fear not, it can be run alongside your normal IE 11 so there will be no conflict in having both installed). + +Unlike the Windows 10 Preview, which is aimed at Microsoft's "enterprise" customers, the IE Preview Channel is aimed squarely at developers. In fact its very existence is part of Microsoft's effort to create a more open dialog between IE and the web development community. + +The first IE 12 builds were released back in June and there have been some bug fixes and new features since then, most of which have been rolled back into IE 11. As of today there is little difference between the IE preview channel and the version of IE that ships with the Windows 10 Preview, but it's likely that will change as the Developer Channel continues to update. + +The first thing you'll notice if you install the Windows 10 Preview is that there's only one version of IE, and it's the desktop version. + +The Windows 8 "Modern" UI will be undergoing some changes, unifying apps across touch and mouse interfaces. In the mean time it <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2014/10/01/internet-explorer-and-the-windows-10-technical-preview.aspx#10561889">sounds like</a> IE is going to stick with developing the traditional desktop interface. + +The big news in the builds of IE that ship with Windows 10 Preview is support for HTTP/2, an <a href="http://http2.github.io/">update to the HTTP protocol</a>, which includes support for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPDY">SPDY protocol</a> (pronounced speedy). + +SPDY itself does not replace HTTP, rather it changes the way HTTP requests and responses are sent to and from your browser. The goal of the SPDY protocol is to reduce page load times and make connections more secure. + +SPDY's speed bump comes from several new things that help reduce latency, including more compression, multiplexing, and smarter prioritization of traffic. It also uses TLS encryption to protect transfers from third-party eavesdroppers. + +SPDY support first popped up in IE 11 where you'll find SPDY/3 working for multiplexing, header compression and Server Push. + +The version of IE 11 in the Windows 10 Preview also features an improved version of IE's Chakra JavaScript engine. Microsoft says that Chakra's Just-in-Time compiler has been optimized and the garbage collection subsystem revamped for "better UI responsiveness." + +Along side the Windows 10 Preview and IE Preview Channels, another part of Microsoft's effort to reach out to web developers is the new Internet Explorer Platform suggestion box. + +While IE 11 is, for all intents and purposes, a standards compliant browser on par with Chrome, Opera, and Firefox, it isn't constantly pushing out updates with the latest and sometimes even half-baked web standards like some of its browser peers. + +There are quite a few of those half- to three-quarter baked standards out there and the IE team wants to know which ones are most relevant to web developers. + +The IE team <a href="https://wpdev.uservoice.com/forums/257854-internet-explorer-platform">set up a site</a> where web developers could make suggestions and vote on them. What could go wrong? + +The web development community promptly turned around and proposed that the team "stop development of IE". It would seem that the community still harbors some resentment for IE 6, 7 and 8. For now at least, no good deed from Microsoft goes unpunished. + +Still, once the trolls were dispatched, the voting site has actually turned up some interesting requests. Currently the top feature web developers would like to see in IE 12 is a way to "Auto Update Older IE Versions". In other words, get people off the aforementioned offenses committed earlier in IE's career and on to something modern like, at the very least, IE 10. + +The other top suggestions include adding support for the Shadow DOM, the new Picture element, service workers, and WebRTC. + +The latter is particularly interesting since one of the things WebRTC enables is real-time communication in the browser, making it possible to build web-based competitors to Microsoft-owned Skype. WebRTC support is already part of Chrome, Opera and Firefox development builds. Getting the same support in IE 12 would make web-based chat, voice and video apps much more widespread and could end up signaling the beginning of the end for Skype. + +For now WebRTC remains very experimental and probably won't have the Skype team sweating any time soon. And there are uses for WebRTC that have nothing to do with building Skype competitors, but the suggestion is worth keeping an eye on, especially given the IE team's desire to embrace the web developer community. It's easy to support something like the new Picture element in HTML, where pretty much everyone wins, it will be more telling to see how the IE team handles something that potentially threatens another Microsoft property. + +For now it seems that Microsoft really does want feedback from the web developer community and it really is putting considerable effort into doing so. Now that the childish pranks are out of the way, hopefully the developer community can help steer internet Explorer in a direction that makes the web better for everyone. + +The success of the web after all is because it's an incredibly forgiving platform. The web isn't just for those privileged enough to get their hands on the latest cool toys. The web accepts anyone, even those using old versions of IE. diff --git a/published/ie6upgradeguide.txt b/published/ie6upgradeguide.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8ecb01d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ie6upgradeguide.txt @@ -0,0 +1,75 @@ +Microsoft has a problem: despite the company's best efforts, Windows XP won't die. + +People love the venerable operating system and just don't want to upgrade. Microsoft recently moved from carrots -- upgrade to Windows 8! It's shiny, it's new! -- to sticks, announcing that in April 2014 the company will cease offering security updates for Windows XP. + +That undercuts the if-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it mentality that has helped XP hang around for so long, particularly in the enterprise sector where businesses are loathe the change and many educational institutions and non-profits simply can't afford it. + +Unfortunately for such users, come April 2014 you are being thrown to the wolves. + +It's time to upgrade or become vulnerable to attack. It might not seem like the end of security updates would be that big of a deal -- after all, it's been nearly 15 years now, haven't attackers found all the vulnerabilities out there already? The problem is, even if that were true -- and it's not -- Microsoft will continue to issue security updates for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8, which means attackers have a script to work from when going after Windows XP. As Tim Rains, Microsoft's Director of Trustworthy Computing, wrote in <a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/security/archive/2013/08/15/the-risk-of-running-windows-xp-after-support-ends.aspx">a blog post</a> earlier this year, "the very first month that Microsoft releases security updates for supported versions of Windows, attackers will reverse engineer those updates, find the vulnerabilities and test Windows XP to see if it shares those vulnerabilities." + +In other words, every security update Microsoft releases after April 2014 will serve as a blueprint for how to attack Windows XP. Windows XP won't necessarily be vulnerable to them all, but all it takes is one. + +If you've long since left Windows XP behind you may wonder why others have stuck with it for so long. The answer, particularly in the enterprise sector, is software. Legacy software that would be too expensive, or, in some cases, very time consuming to re-write keeps many a business soldier on with XP. + +Much of that software happens to be browser-based -- intranet apps written specifically for Internet Explorer 6. When Windows XP is swept into the dustbin of computing history next year IE 6 will go with it. The much-maligned, but still widely used Internet Explorer 6 is also reaching the end of its support life. Like the OS that gave birth to it, IE 6 just doesn't seem to die, though in the case of the browser the reasons are perhaps more practical -- countless intranets and private apps in companies big and small were written specifically to run in Internet Explorer 6. + +This is, on one hand, an excellent argument for the business benefit of writing app to web standards rather than the browser du jour. Out on the web this lesson was learned the hard way when Internet Explorer 6 lost market share and websites that required it were forced to change to web standards. These days websites and web apps are developed against web standards and will work in any browser that supports those standards. + +That same market pressure was never applied to intranet sites which were only ever accessed privately, within a company. Now Microsoft is applying that pressure and many an IT department is learning what web developers already know -- browser specific apps are a bad idea. + +If you've got legacy apps that require IE 6 here's the good news: if you bite the bullet and rebuild your apps using HTML standards, your IT department will be free to deploy any web browser it wants. And by "if" I mean "when" because the old world of XP and IE 6 is going away whether you like it or not. + +How hard it is to convert your apps to work in modern browsers will vary. If your app just uses non-standard CSS and consequently renders poorly in modern browsers it likely won't be too hard to update it. + +If, on the other hand, your app relies on tons of ActiveX elements it's going to be much harder to update it. While ActiveX made it easy to build apps by connecting your code to system code -- i.e. no need to write a video player, just call the ActiveX control -- it also tightly integrated your app with the (now obsolete) system code. Easy at the time, difficult down the road. + +What do you do if your company just doesn't have the resources to update a mission-critical app before April 2014? There is one possible stop gap measure that may help, Internet Explorer's "Compatibility View". + +While the end goal for any business should to be a move away from vendor-compliant web apps to standards-compliant apps, sometimes it's not possible to do everything at once. To help ease the transition from IE 6 to something a bit more modern you may want to, at least for a time, follow Microsoft's upgrade path. That is, jump from IE 6 to IE 8 or higher and use Compatibility View to make IE 10 render as IE 7. + +The question is how far should you jump? IE 8? IE 9? IE 10? Now IE 11 is on the horizon. Fortunately you can narrow that considerably by just bearing in mind that the real key to making your legacy apps work is Compatibility View. In other words, there's no reason not to jump all the way to the latest version, IE 10 at the time of writing. + +IE 10 can emulate IE 7 just like IE 8 does, but the rest of the time your employees will be using a much better browser. IE 10 is faster, supports more modern web standards and offers a cleaner user interface. IE 10 is the best version of IE that Microsoft has ever shipped and if you're going to upgrade, you may as well upgrade all the way to IE 10. + +To make sure that IE 10 still renders your legacy intranet app properly you'll just need to add a meta tag to your tag to your app's head tag. The Internet Explorer Dev Center has full details on the various ways you can turn on IE 10's Compatibility Mode. Probably the simplest is to just add a "X-UA-Compatible" meta tag to your apps' HTML head tags. That will tell IE 10 to render the page as IE 7 would have. + +For some apps this may help, but note that it's emulating IE 7, not IE 6. None of Microsoft's later releases are capable of rendering as IE 6. It really was that bad. + +While even rendering as IE 7 may not work completely, it should mean a little less work since it shares many of the non-standard behaviors (ActiveX, etc) of IE 6 and many of its rendering quirks as well. Ideally that means you'd just need to make a few changes to get your legacy apps working in IE 10 compatibility mode. There is also an IE 5 mode, that emulates what's known as "quirks mode" that you can try if IE 7 mode just isn't cutting it. + +Between these two compatibility modes most apps should be able to escape the it's-all-going-to-hell-in-April woods. + +Moving to IE 10 for your legacy apps means you can also move to Windows 7, if not all the way to Windows 8. + +This is not, however, a future-proof solution. + +What you've done so far is shift browser support. If your company would like to move away from not just the dead end legacy apps it's still dependent on, but the very reason those dead end apps are still around, then you might want to kick Internet Explorer to the curb. + +What you want to do is shift platform support. That is, instead of supporting Microsoft, support the web. Build to web standards as defined by the W3C and you're no longer beholden to any one browser or any one company. + +Provided you do that you're free to move away from Internet Explorer completely. That opens any number of possibilities, though the most enterprise-friendly options are Firefox and Google Chrome. + +Mozilla offers an Extended Support Release of Firefox aimed at Enterprise environments. Each ESR release of Firefox is maintained for approximately one year, with point releases containing security updates coinciding with regular Firefox releases (currently every six weeks). Support is limited to Mozilla’s <a href="https://mail.mozilla.org/listinfo/enterprise">Enterprise Working Group mailing list</a>. + +For administrators there's also <a href="http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/mcs/FirefoxADM/Readme.htm">FirefoxADM</a>, which allows you to manage Firefox through Active Directory, more or less just like you're doing with IE 6 now. + +While Firefox is a viable option in many situations, Mozilla has not historically put much effort into the enterprise. As the ESR release demonstrates, that's starting to change, but for some it likely isn't changing fast enough. + +Google Chrome is another possibility, one that's increasing appealing particularly to companies relying on Google's enterprise webapps for other aspects of their business. In other words if you're using Gmail or Google Apps for Enterprise anyway, you might want to look into Google Chrome as well. + +Google recently upped the ante for Enterprise, offering the <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/17/google_legacy_browser_support/">Chrome Legacy Browser Support extension</a>. The Chrome Legacy Browser Support extension allows you to upgrade to Google Chrome while still opening your legacy apps in IE. + +The extension uses an exception list -- compiled and maintained by your IT department -- of sites that will cause Chrome to open them in what Google calls "legacy" browsers. That's Google-speak for Internet Explorer. In other words you can deploy Chrome, your employees can use it 99 percent of the time and enjoy access to the latest and greatest on the web, but when they need to access an legacy app Chrome will automatically open IE. + +There's a corresponding plugin for IE as well, so that when your users navigate away from the legacy app they will directed back to Chrome. + +The Chrome Legacy Browser Support extension works with IE 6 - IE 10. + +Like Firefox, Google initially didn't offer much enterprise support for Chrome, but the company has changed its tune over the years. These days Google is also working hard to make Chrome more enterprise-friendly by providing more tools for IT departments to manage large deployments. Google boasts some 150 tools for deploying and controlling Chrome in the enterprise. + +For example, one big potential road block for many large companies is Chrome's frequent update schedule, with new releases arriving every six weeks. To address that Google allows enterprise deployments to set their update policy to manual. The trade off course is that you may miss security updates. + +There are also tools to manage extensions and web applications so you can provide, for instance, a pre-installed version of your web app. It's even possible to deploy a private version of Chrome's web store with just the apps you want to make available to your employees. + +The end of Internet Explorer 6 and Windows XP is going to be a painful time for companies that have thus far been keeping their heads buried in the sand. There's really no way to sugar coat it, you're screwed. The transition will very likely be a bumpy one, even with tools like Compatibility Mode and the Chrome Legacy Browser Support extension. That said, this is also an opportunity to future-proof your business, to make sure you don't get screwed again. Whether that means moving away from the Internet Explorer browser completely or not, at the very least make sure your apps comply with web standards. This time around stick with the standards that have been established to avoid the very predicament you're in; this time stick with the web. diff --git a/published/iedevchannel.jpg b/published/iedevchannel.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e72c1d7 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/iedevchannel.jpg diff --git a/published/inkscape-export-opts.jpg b/published/inkscape-export-opts.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4c4467f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/inkscape-export-opts.jpg diff --git a/published/inkscape-review.txt b/published/inkscape-review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ae871a2 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/inkscape-review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +The Inkscape project, creators of the eponymous open source vector graphics application, have released version 0.91. As version numbers go that one is underwhelming, but the .91 number belies the fact that the release itself is the result of over four years of work and represents a major leap forward for the would-be Adobe Illustrator competitor. + +Inkscape is available on Windows, OS X and Linux, but it feels most at home on the latter where it has become the de facto vector graphics app. Graphics professionals working on Linux invariably turn to Inkscape and Gimp depending on whether they're working with vector or raster graphics. + +Inkscape takes a backseat to Adobe's Illustrator application when it comes to popularity on Windows and OS X, but with Adobe moving to a subscription software model, budget-minded graphics professionals (and anyone who does not want to deal with the onerous process of installing and licensing Adobe subscriptions) might want to take a look at Inkscape. + +The latest release doesn't have full feature parity with Illustrator and, if you work in an environment where the .ai file is ubiquitous, then perhaps Inkscape isn't going to be the best choice, but Inkscape .91 is a massive and very welcome update nonetheless. + +The biggest news in Inkscape .91 is speed. While Inkscape has been competitive with Illustrator in the features department for some time, previous versions suffered from two major shortcomings: they were slow and buggy. + +Fortunately the current release has been improved on both counts to the point that Inkscape .91 is almost unrecognizable from its predecessors. + +Most of the speed improvements come from two significant changes. First, this release is multi-threaded, which means much faster rendering with filters. Second, Inkscape 0.91 includes a new renderer based on the Cairo graphics library. The multi-threading support comes from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenMP">OpenMP</a> and, assuming you have a multi-core system, will make working with large filtered SVG objects much faster. + +The previous release of Inkscape is almost four years old and was, frankly, pretty buggy. While it rarely actually crashed on me, it was prone to strange graphical glitches. Four years gives you a lot of time to fix bugs and the Inkscape developers have done just that -- over 700 bugs have been fixed in this release. In my testing all the strange behaviors that plagued Inkscape in the past are gone, at least on Linux. + +While the bug fixes and performance improvements are welcome news for anyone who's wrestled with Inkscape in the past, there are also plenty of brand new features in this release as well. There's a new Measurements tool that will live update the length of objects and angles as you move the mouse over them. The Text tool has also been significantly improved. The Text tool now defaults to points (pt) though you can change that to pixels, centimeters, inches and others, including the web-centeric em. Even better, the em support actually works in this release, which should be a boon for anyone working with graphics destined for responsive websites. + +Inkscape .91 also has another nice new feature for web professionals -- illustrations can now be exported as HTML5 Canvas elements, making them much easier to put online thanks to web standards. + +This release also features support for font faces beyond bold/italic and improved support for file formats created by other apps. Inkscape now works pretty well with Corel DRAW, EMF, and WMF files and even has support for Microsoft Visio diagrams. + +Another much-requested feature is the new symbols library, which allows designers to create reusable SVG design elements. There are quite a few other improvements in this release, far too many in fact to cover in detail here. Check out the <a href="http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Release_notes/0.91">Inkscape .91 release notes</a> for a full list. + +Is the latest version of Inkscape up to replacing Adobe Illustrator? The answer, naturally, depends on what you're doing, but in most cases I would suggest that yes it is. There will be a learning curve transitioning from Illustrator to Inkscape of course. Luckily the Inkscape project can help with that. In fact the Inkscape wiki has a page devoted to <a href="http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Inkscape_for_Adobe_Illustrator_users">helping Illustrator refugees</a> get comfortable with Inkscape. Note that that page hasn't been updated to match some of the changes in the latest version of Inkscape or Illustrator. The sections on what Inkscape can do that Illustrator cannot and things that Illustrator can do that Inkscape cannot are out of date, but it should get you up and running. + +Of course if you really want off the monthly subscription model Adobe has adopted, Illustrator isn't the only app you'll need to replace. Luckily, these days the open source world stacks up quite well next to the Adobe suite. + +Probably the best example of this is the GIMP, which, thanks to a robust plugin library, not only stacks up quite well against Photoshop, it far exceeds its capabilities in some cases. + +That doesn't mean dropping Photoshop is as simple as installing Gimp and deleting Photoshop. Having used Photoshop professionally for nearly two decades and recently (two years ago) switched to Gimp full time, I can attest to the fact that the transition can be bumpy. Menu items are in different places, keyboard shortcuts are different (though these can be customized to match Photoshop) and sometimes things work completely differently, but, that said, I've yet to find something I wanted to do that Gimp just could not do. + +In fact many of the recent technology advancements Photoshop has become well known for, like the so-called content-aware scaling and content-aware fill -- which allow you to do things like zap all the tourists out of your photos -- have been available in Gimp (via plugins) for far longer than Photoshop. + +Another Adobe suite favorite is Premiere, the video editing application, and its post-production counterpart, After Effects. Video editing professionals with an interest in open source will already know what I'm about to say, but the fact is the open source world can't compete here. + +There is simply no open source video editing application that can hold a candle to the likes of Final Cut Pro, Avid or even Premiere. To be sure there are non-linear editors available, many of which would be suitable for producing high quality films. Cinellera and Lightworks (open source, but not free as in beer) are the top contenders here. Both are capable of producing great things, though in my experience Cinellera is frustratingly buggy. Cinellera recently released a major update though so hopefully this has been fixed. Lightworks is more stable, but if you want to export to the defacto standard H.264 you'll need to buy a Lightworks license, which, while no more expensive than Adobe Premiere, is still outside the budget of many users. + +The major problem with with both of those and any other application in this space is that the community around it -- and more importantly the plugin ecosystem the community builds -- can't hold a candle to what Premiere, After Effects and Final Cut Pro enjoy. + +The good news is that five years ago you could have said the same thing about Inkscape vs Illustrator or ten years ago about GIMP vs Photoshop. That doesn't help much if you need to edit a movie right now, but while the open source world may be playing catch up on that front, the news is much better for almost every other graphics app the closed source world had produced. diff --git a/published/inkscape.jpg b/published/inkscape.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d4f92cf --- /dev/null +++ b/published/inkscape.jpg diff --git a/published/kde-plasma-5/kde-plasma5-translucent-issue.jpg b/published/kde-plasma-5/kde-plasma5-translucent-issue.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..523527d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/kde-plasma-5/kde-plasma5-translucent-issue.jpg diff --git a/published/kde-plasma5.txt b/published/kde-plasma5.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..66518e8 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/kde-plasma5.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +The KDE project recently released the first stable version of Plasma 5, a major redesign of the KDE desktop and underlying frameworks. + +If you'd like to take this release for a spin there's a <a href="http://files.kde.org/snapshots/neon5-latest.iso.mirrorlist">live CD available from KDE</a>. To get a feel for how this release fits in with a more popular distro, I tested KDE with Plasma 5 in Kubuntu 14.04. + +Plasma 5 is perhaps most notable for its visual changes, which see KDE embracing a more streamlined, "flat" interface, but it's also the first version of KDE to be powered by Qt 5 and the recently released KDE Frameworks 5. + +The visual changes and the polish that's been added to the default Plasma theme is welcome -- frankly the default KDE 4 theme has been looking long in the tooth for a while now -- but it's the under-the-hood changes will have a bigger impact on the future of KDE. + +Among the biggest changes in Plasma 5 is the "converged shell", which envisions a unified desktop future very similar to the goals of Ubuntu's Unity shell. That is allowing the interface to adapt to the hardware on which it's running. In this case the shell would select Plasma 5 for your laptop, but run it on a tablet and it would change to a tablet-based interface. + +The new "converged shell" will be able to select which "shell" is used based on changes to the device as well. The canonical example being a touch interface on a tablet that, when it detects that you've plugged in a keyboard, would switch to an interface more suited for keyboard input. It's a little unclear from the KDE docs what happens if you want to use the touch interface <em>and</em> a keyboard, but presumably that's possible as well. + +For the moment there's only the Plasma 5 Desktop anyway. KDE developers are working on both tablet and media center interfaces as well, but neither are currently available for general use. + +The release of Plasma 5 also completes the migration of the Plasma workspace to Qt 5 and QtQuick, which uses a hardware-accelerated OpenGL scenegraph to render graphics. That means KDE can take advantage of the powerful GPUs in today's devices and offload some of the more expensive graphical tasks to GPUs. On supported hardware this should give you a bit of a speed bump, particularly when doing other graphics intensive tasks like editing photos or video. + +The changes to the graphics stack and underlying Frameworks also pave the way for KDE to support Wayland, which will be "part of an upcoming release". + +Plasma 5 also claims improved support for HiDPI displays, but I was unable to get this working in a virtual machine on my Retina MacBook (the only HiDPI screen I have). I've yet to determine whether this is a problem in Plasma 5, Kubuntu 14.04, the fact that it's a virtual machine or some combination of the three. + +When you install a fresh copy of KDE Plasma 5 on your favorite distro the thing that jumps out won't be better graphics or the potential to switch interfaces based on hardware. What will jump out at you is the new "Breeze" theme for the Plasma desktop. + +Gone are the shiny, candy-like icons and darker textured grays that make up the default Oxygen theme in Plasma 4. Instead you'll find a lighter, brighter, flatter design aesthetic with a lot of monochrome icons, thinner looking type and frosted, slightly transparent windows. + +As with anything design related, some of the new interface's appeal will depend on your own aesthetics. As someone who thought that the Plasma 4 default theme had pretty much nowhere to go but up, I think that Breeze is a huge improvement. + +Compared to Plasma 4, Breeze is a giant leap forward, and not just visually, but functionally. The overall UI is greatly simplified -- things are much better spaced, making them less jumbled and easier to find and read. Most of the time anyway. Breeze isn't flawless by any means. For example, the window and overlay translucency is nice, until it isn't. Stacked windows and overlays often bleed through whatever is below them and look jumbled and sometimes hard to read. + +Among the elements that have been reworked are the Kickoff app launcher, the notifications panel and the lock screen, which now offers time, date, and battery status in addition to the usual session management info. + +One thing to note about the revamped version of Kickoff -- there's no search field visible when the menu launches. To search you just start typing and a search field appears with your text in it. It's pretty much impossible to discover this feature, making it another example of not-so-great design in Breeze, one that hopefully will be addressed in subsequent releases. + +In addition to Kickoff there's also a new, more traditional menu-like launcher called Kicker that makes a good, lightweight alternative if all you want is a fast way to launch applications. + +The notification area seems to have dropped its Windows XP-inspired penchant for hyperactively spitting out notifications and alerts. I managed to use Plasma 5 for several hours without a single annoying pop up or alert, a considerable improvement over the last time I fired up KDE. + +If you opt to install the current version of Plasma 5, keep in mind that the Breeze theme is a work in progress, not all elements have been updated. Not all icons have been updated for example and some applications look a bit out of place. The version I tested did not, by default, use the new Breeze Window Decorations, though you can enable them in the system settings app. + +It will be interesting to see what openSUSE does with the Plasma 5 Desktop. The openSUSE project's highly customized version of KDE has long been one of the nicest default KDE themes available. Hopefully that will continue and even improve with the somewhat nicer base of Plasma 5 to build on. + +It's worth noting that seasoned KDE users may want to pass on Plasma 5 and its Breeze theme for a few releases as there are still some features from Plasma 4 missing in the current version. The situation is not as bad as the massive feature abandonment that happened in the move from KDE 3 to KDE 4, and the KDE design team plans to keep refining Breeze, adding back the missing features over the next few releases, but I suggest trying Plasma 5 first to make sure all your must-haves are there before you jump in with both feet. + +By some figures KDE is the most widely-used Linux Desktop around. Ubuntu's Unity and Mint's Cinnamon may get more attention, but KDE remains a favorite by any measure and the Plasma 5 desktop shows the project hasn't forsaken the desktop experience in favor of "convergence". Whether or not a unified OS across devices is the right strategy remains to be seen, but KDE is at least doing it right thus far, not chasing devices at the expense of the desktop. + +With Unity far more focused on devices and Cinnamon without any plans to build a device-friendly version, KDE fills a nice middle ground. + +KDE Plasma 5 makes an excellent desktop today and lays the groundwork for KDE to be part of the device saturated world of tomorrow. diff --git a/published/kubuntu.jpg b/published/kubuntu.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5a2259c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/kubuntu.jpg diff --git a/published/lightweight-linux.txt b/published/lightweight-linux.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6504f67 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/lightweight-linux.txt @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +Linux long ago reached parity with Windows and OS X. That's great for the average user looking to make the switch from either platform to Linux. Indeed distros like Ubuntu, with its Unity desktop, make switching relatively painless. All of the common tools most users want in Windows are also available in Unity, GNOME and other Linux desktops, whether that's music players, office apps, photo editors, web browsers or video players. + +Some users, however, aren't after feature parity with Windows and OS X. In fact, if you've got older hardware or are running a server or don't need all the "features" in today's desktop environments, projects like Unity or GNOME Shell are overkill. Worse, all those features sometimes render your older hardware nearly unusable. + +Luckily for those of us in this boat there's a whole other world of Linux out there. There are in fact dozens of smaller distros that specialize in lightweight desktops that do the basics -- manage windows, offer file browsers, launchers and sometimes a menu bar of some sort -- but otherwise stay out of the way. The point after all is the applications. Why waste RAM running a fancy desktop when all you want to do in interact with the apps you're running? If you have the RAM to spare, well, sure, why not? But not all of us do. + +I became interested in lightweight desktops when I got an EeePC, which, while quite capable (I'm writing this article on it right now) only has 2GB of RAM. Install Ubuntu with Unity on the EeePC and you'll be using 770 MB of RAM just idling. That's well over a third of the available RAM before you so much as open a file browser. + +The Xfce desktop makes a good lightweight alternative to Unity and GNOME. For a while that was my desktop of choice, but even Xfce starts up using 580 MB of RAM. Better, but trying to run Gimp on top of Xfce required patience (yes, I sometimes edit photos on the EeePC). + +Eventually I discovered even lighter "desktop" options like Openbox. Openbox is not really a desktop, it's actually a window manager, but when paired with other tools like a menu bar and file manager, it can form the basis of a very fast, lightweight desktop. + +Using Debian Minimal as a base, installing Openbox, Thunar and Tint2 got my memory use down in the double digits. There are ways to make an even lighter weight desktop, for example you could ditch the file manager and do everything from the command line, but at some point there are diminishing returns. The RAM you save from ditching the file manager might not be worth the time you lose working without a drag-and-drop interface to manage your files. + +While I set up Debian Minimal and experimented with Arch, I eventually settled on Crunchbang, a nicely configured Openbox setup based on Debian. + +If you want to tinker with every little thing, doing it yourself is the way to go. If you want a nice looking, clean, simple setup that doesn't require three days to get right a lightweight distro like Crunchbang is the way to go. + +Earlier this year, however, Crunchbang's lead developer threw in the towel on the project (running a Linux distro, even a small, lightweight one, is not a small undertaking). + +Though my Crunchbang Waldorf (the last official release) continues to run just fine, I have had some bugs coming up when I tried to update to Debian 8. So I started looking for alternatives. + +### Crunchbang++ + +Before I dive into alternatives, let's start with the community project that came out of Crunchbang's demise -- the cleverly named Crunchbang++. + +The project recently put out a 1.0 release, which is largely Crunchbang Waldorf with some theme improvements and updated to work with Debian 8 Jessie. The result is pretty much the Crunchbang you've always loved. The theme updates are minimal, Crunchbang++ retains its predecessor's clean, simple look with monochrome icons and minimal color throughout. Openbox is still the basis of the desktops with Tint2 providing a menu bar and Thunar (also a part of Xfce) serving as the default file manager. + +In short, this is the Crunchbang you've been looking for. With the update to Debian 8 you should be able to get at least a couple more good years out of Crunchbang with Crunchbang++ 1.0. + +That said, it's much easier to put together a distro shortly after the demise of another, when enthusiasm for continuing the project is high. Whether or not Crunchbang++ can maintain this momentum over time remains to be seen. While I'm optimistic that it can, I also prefer not to put all my SSH keys in a single basket as it were. + +### SparkyLinux (with Openbox) + +Before Crunchbang++ reached a stable release I experimented with SparkyLinux. This relatively small distro is available in a wide variety of desktop flavors, but I've only tested the lightweight Openbox option. + +Like Crunchbang++, Sparky is built on a Debian base, so package-wise things are very close. Sparky Linux uses a mix of its own repos and Debian testing, so if you're looking for a more stable way to run a minimal setup on Debian testing, this might be a better bet than switching Crunchbang to use testing (which has been buggy and unpredictable in my experience). + +Sparky has a very different look and feel than Crunchbang++, not quite as refined, but in some ways even simpler and less resource intensive than Crunchbang++. For example the default file manager is PCManFM, which is little bit lighter than Thunar. Sparky Linux opts for a bottom menu bar and a more verbose default Conky setup as well. + +I should note that while I had no trouble installing Sparky Linux on actual hardware, it would not play nice in virtual machines, so if you want to try it out you may want to just make some room on your hard drive and install it alongside whatever you're using now. + +### DIY Debian/Arch + +Since both Sparky and Crunchbang++ are based on Debian it's worth asking -- why not just install the Debian base system and add the handful of packages you need yourself? If you want to create a custom, highly personalized, lightweight Linux desktop that's literally everything you want and nothing you don't, this is the way to go. The only downside is that building your ultimate setup is time consuming. In my experience "a handful" of packages actually turns out to be thousands and you'll get to find out about each package manager's shortcomings when it comes to installing and managing dependencies. + +Arch is of course a very DIY distro. That's a big part of the "Arch way" and provided you can get through the arduous installation process, Arch makes a fantastic base for a minimal Linux desktop. + +I tested Arch with Openbox, Tint2 and Thunar, essentially rolling my own Arch-based Crunchbang and was relatively happy with the results. That said, it took me the better part of a week to get everything set up and all the hardware quirks worked out (the same is true of my Debian minimal setup), and in the end I got Crunchbang. + +If you don't mind putting in the time, going the DIY route with either Arch or Debian will get you the most highly customized, everything-you-want, nothing-you-don't setup, but be prepared to invest some time. + +### LXDE based distros + +Openbox is not for everyone. If you want something with a bit more hand holding and fewer config files, the LXQt project is worth a look. LXQt is the likely successor to the LXDE project. As the name hints, LXQt is LXDE rewritten in Qt. The project hasn't hit 1.0 yet, but in my testing it has been pretty stable. + +LXQt and its predecessor offer a more graphical-based set of configuration tools and for the most part there's no need to mess with startup scripts and file-based configuration tools. LXQt is also a full-fledged desktop, rather than a windows manager with some supplemental tools, which makes it a more gentle intro to lightweight Linux. + +There are quite a few LXQt/LXDE-based distros out there, though most have not made the leap to LXQt just yet. For a minimal LXDE setup I suggest starting with a Debian or Arch base and then install LXDE from the command line once the base system is installed. + +If you'd like something a little more pre-configured, Lubuntu, the LXDE-based variant of Ubuntu makes a good starting point (under the hood Lubuntu uses Openbox as a window manager). Lubuntu is making the switch to LXQt this year when Ubuntu 15.10 comes out and beta versions will be available for download in the next couple of months if you'd like to try it. + +### Conclusion + +There's an almost overwhelming variety of lightweight Linux distros and desktops out there, far more than I can cover here. And of course lightweight is relative. Even what stripped down versions of Xfce like Debian, or the recently announced Xubuntu-core, offer are lightweight next to the hardware taxing requirements of desktops like GNOME 3 or Unity. + +If it's your first time stepping out of the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink world of GNOME, KDE and Unity, you might want to start with LXQt. If you're not afraid of the little challenge, or if you have hardware that's really lagging, Crunchbang++ would be my top pick for lightweight Linux setups. diff --git a/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-desktop.png b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-desktop.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f364f68 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-desktop.png diff --git a/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-panel.png b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-panel.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..61618a6 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-panel.png diff --git a/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-software-sources.png b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-software-sources.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..12adabd --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-cinn-software-sources.png diff --git a/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-mate-desktop-panel.png b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-mate-desktop-panel.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5f0215f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-mate-desktop-panel.png diff --git a/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-mate-update-manager.png b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-mate-update-manager.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..50b81e2 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linux-mint-172/lm172-mate-update-manager.png diff --git a/published/linux-year-in-review.txt b/published/linux-year-in-review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5e52079 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linux-year-in-review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +It's nearly impossible to sum up an entire year of developments in something as large and nebulous as the world of desktop Linux, especially in a year like this one which has seen some the best releases that projects like Mint, Fedora and openSUSE have put out to date. + +At the same time the distro that's closest to being a household name, Ubuntu, has been nearly silent since 14.04 arrived in April, hard at work on the mobile version of Ubuntu. + +To paraphrase Charles Dickens, the past year of Linux releases has been both the best of times and the worst of times. + +At the very moment that Linux desktops seem to be reaching new levels of sophistication, polish and "just works" ease-of-use, the entire future of the desktop computer (by which I also mean laptop) feels in doubt. + +No, the desktop is not dead yet, but it increasingly feels like, for the general use case anyway, the mobile device offers most of what the user needs. + +A tablet may not be top of the holiday wish list for self-professed power users, but for most it's enough to check email, browse the web and upload some images. Combine that with better battery life, smaller, lighter form factors and you can understand why Canonical spent the better part of year working on its mobile interface. + +The good news, for those of us not likely to be ditching the desktop/laptop any time soon, is that the past year has seen the Linux desktop achieve a level of polish and sophistication that quite frankly, well surpasses what's available from Windows 8 or OS X Yosemite. + +Naturally that's a very subjective statement, but go download Ubuntu 8.04 (the gateway drug, if you will, for many of today's desktop Linux users) and install it alongside Mint 17.1. Suffice to say that these are great days to be a Linux user. + +Perhaps it's fitting that just as it would appear that the days of the desktop PC as the device of choice for the home are numbered, desktop Linux finally surpasses its closed-source competitors. Bug number one is closed and no one cares it would seem. Maybe this is the way it was destined to be all along -- the only people around for the proverbially just out of reach "Year of the Linux Desktop" will be those of us who've been having our personal year of the Linux desktop for decades, if not more. + +Still, the final days of the desktop seem to be producing an embarrassment of riches at least. And I'll take it. + +It used to be that when I sat down to write one of these year in review pieces I would talk about how Ubuntu had continued to refine the desktop Linux experience. Then it'd be a struggle to find something else interesting to comment on. + +This year Ubuntu is just one of half a dozen distros that put out amazing new desktop releases. In fact, Ubuntu is arguably one of the least interesting releases of the year. + +It's not just distros either, the variety of great desktop environments continues to grow as well. It used to be that there was GNOME and KDE and then everything else that sorta worked, sometimes. In the last couple of years though that's changed and it really became noticeable this year with great new releases from Cinnamon, MATE and Elementary OS's desktop. At the same time old stalwarts like XFCE and LXDE have evolved to the point that they're every bit as user-friendly as the rest. + +This year saw Linux Mint turn out version 17.1 with an updated version of Cinnamon which offers an amazing experience. Elementary OS Luna is brilliant as well (though only a beta, proceed with caution). GNOME 3.14 still feels slightly incomplete, but Fedora 21 manages to put together a very useable desktop with it anyway. And the often over-looked KDE project has put out some great updates this year as well, which, for my money, look their best in openSUSE 13.2. + +It's not here yet but Debian's upcoming "Jessie" is looking great as well, unless you're really really opposed to SystemD, in which case, hey, there's a fork for you. + +Then there there's Ubuntu. 14.04 was a very solid Long Term Support release which can serve as the foundation for not just Ubuntu's future, but that of Linux Mint as well. Then came 14.10, which felt like perhaps it would have been more appropriately released as 14.04.2, but Canonical never had big plans for 14.10 anyway because somewhere in the Aeron chairs of the Canonical offices the future is being written. Literally. + +Forgive me if you've heard this one before, but 2015 could be the year of the Linux mobile device. Or at least the year of <em>a</em> Linux mobile device. Provided of course Canonical can convince one of its hinted at hardware partners to produce an actual device. Bq? Meizu? Anyone? Bueller? + +If nothing else at least the longstanding "Year of Linux" turns out to have a mobile addendum which should keep the joke going for a while yet. Thanks for that at least Canonical. + +Still, even if it is easy to poke fun at the idea of mobile Linux devices, it sure would be great if Canonical pulls it off. I have been critical of Canonical in the past, but I really do look forward to seeing what it can produce in the mobile space. If for no other reason than opening the market for others to follow suit. + +Canonical is hardly the only company trying to bring a Linux-based mobile device to market. Jolla, makers of Sailfish OS recently raised $1,824,055 USD on Indiegogo with the promise of a Sailfish OS-based tablet. That's 480 percent of the $380,000 goal. If nothing else there's at least a large market of Linux enthusiasts clamouring for a Linux-based device. + +The real question is, when will we get it? diff --git a/published/linuxbackupservice-images/backintime-browser.jpg b/published/linuxbackupservice-images/backintime-browser.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7213994 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxbackupservice-images/backintime-browser.jpg diff --git a/published/linuxbackupservice-images/ubuntu-one-error.jpg b/published/linuxbackupservice-images/ubuntu-one-error.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f0838e8 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxbackupservice-images/ubuntu-one-error.jpg diff --git a/published/linuxbackupservice-images/ubuntu-one-pref.jpg b/published/linuxbackupservice-images/ubuntu-one-pref.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a31a9cf --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxbackupservice-images/ubuntu-one-pref.jpg diff --git a/published/linuxbackupservices.txt b/published/linuxbackupservices.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..90d80a7 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxbackupservices.txt @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +So far we've looked at music players, photo organizers and video editors for the Linux desktop. Overall, while some of the apps are rough around the corners, there are options to suit nearly everyone. + +But all those apps, and all the documents they create are lost if your hard drive crashes, your laptop takes a spill or other catastrophe strikes. + +If you have documents, you must have a backup solution -- Mac users have Time Machine and Windows offers Live Drive. + +In this fourth installment of our look at at how media and storage applications for Linux, particularly Ubuntu, compare to those on other platforms, I'll be looking at how Linux stacks up against Windows and OS X backup solutions. + +To keep things simple we'll divide backup options into two camps -- those that backup to a disk and those that backup to web servers. For the latter there is some degree of trust involved. While all of the options below offer secure encrypted connection, if you still aren't comfortable with the idea, then web-based backup services are not for you. + +Also remember that, as any good paranoid can tell you, one backup is never enough. Rather than deciding on one of these options, consider using several in conjunction for an even more fool-proof backup system. + +Most Ubuntu users are probably aware of <a href="https://one.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu One</a> by now. The service, launched with the arrival of Ubuntu 9.10 gives Ubuntu fans a simple, cheap way to backup documents to Canonical's servers. In addition to simple backup, Ubuntu One can be used to sync files between your PCs. + +Ubuntu One is dead simple to use and nicely integrated into the Ubuntu desktop. Once you set up an Ubuntu One account, your files will be backed up on the web and synced to any other registered Ubuntu computers. In addition to file syncing, Ubuntu One can also track your contacts, Firefox bookmarks and notes. + +Ubuntu One is free for the first 2 GBs of data and in our experience, while it's glitchy, it has never lost any data so it's at least worth turning on. + +However, web access to your documents -- one of the much-advertised features of Ubuntu One -- has yet to work without some sort of error. So while it's free and worth using, we don't suggest investing in a paid upgrade until Canonical works out some more of the bugs. + +In the mean time it's worth investigating some other, similar services like <a href="http://www.dropbox.com/">Dropbox</a>. Dropbox is cross-platform, which means you can easily sync files from Windows or Mac to your Linux machine, and it also offers a web-based interface that gives you access to your files no matter what computer you're using. + +Unlike Ubuntu One, Dropbox has never hiccuped in the nearly two years I've been using it. + +Dropbox's prices are inline with Ubuntu One, but because Dropbox runs on any platform, you end up getting a bit more for your money (assuming you need to sync across platforms/PCs). + +If you're not a fan of Dropbox in particular, but like the idea of automatic web-based backup there are several other options including <a href="https://www.jungledisk.com/">JungleDisk</a> (also cross platform) and <a href="http://www.box.net/">Box.net</a> (a Linux desktop client is in the works, but you can sync manually by mounting the server in Ubuntu). + +For those wanting something a bit more Linux-centric, there's also <a href="http://www.sparkleshare.org/">SparkleShare</a>, which hopes to be like Dropbox, but more tightly integrated with the GNOME desktop. So far the project doesn't have any code available, but it's worth keeping an eye on. + +If you're not comfortable with online backup services having your data, or if you just want a local backup as well, fear not, local backup software for Linux has a long, storied history. + +If you're looking for something like Apple's TimeMachine backup tool there are several options. + +The first I tested is <a href="https://launchpad.net/backintime">Back In Time</a>, which is included in the Ubuntu repositories. Back In Time makes versioned backups of your files and, in my testing, worked without issue. There's also a handy GUI for setting up a cronjob to run Back In Time on a regular schedule. + +<a href="http://code.google.com/p/flyback/">FlyBack</a> is yet another take on the Time Machine paradigm that uses Git behind the scenes to create versioned backups of you files. While FlyBack worked just fine, it lacks some features of Time Machine -- like automation -- and the issues page in Google Code has a number of reports of FlyBack failing. + +While neither app has the visual polish of Time Machine, both accomplish the same thing. + +If none of the solutions above quite tickle your fancy there is always the granddaddy of backup tools -- rsync. In fact, some of the apps above use rysnc behind the scenes (others use version control systems like SVn, Git or Mercurial). + +RSync by itself isn't pretty, it's just a command line utility, but there are plenty of GUI wrappers that can help you set up regular, scheduled backups and chose which folders to back up and which files to ignore. Just search for rysnc in the Ubuntu software center and try a few until you find something that works for you. + +When it comes to backing up your files Linux is every bit as good and, in many cases, much better at the job than anything you'll find for Windows or Mac. Whether you're looking to backup your files on the web, to a local drive or, ideally, both, Linux has you covered.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/linuxmusicapps.txt b/published/linuxmusicapps.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2df39bb --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxmusicapps.txt @@ -0,0 +1,74 @@ +The recently released Ubuntu 10.04 raised the bar considerably when it comes to good looking Linux interfaces. + +Canonical, Ubuntu's parent company is putting together an increasingly impressive user interface to solve it's famous <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1">bug number one</a> -- luring people away from Windows. + +With 10.04 Ubuntu finally has an interface that looks great and "just works." But a good looking desktop and great hardware support are only the beginning. If Ubuntu really wants to help people escape Windows, it's going to need to offer the whole package -- great Linux applications to replace (and improve on) the apps Windows users are accustomed to using. + +Unfortunately the best apps aren't always the defaults that ship with Ubuntu (or any other distro). + +This is the first in a series of articles, one a month for the next four months, looking at Linux applications and how they compare to what's available for Windows and Mac OS X. The goal is to see how the rest of Ubuntu, and Linux apps in general, stacks up against Windows and OS X when it comes to popular software. + +I'll be focusing on Ubuntu because it's target audience is ordinary users who want to get things done -- organize and share photos, edit a movie of the kids, make sure everything is backed up and perhaps listen to some music while they're doing it. + +With that in mind the emphasis in this series will be on multimedia apps -- audio, video and photo apps -- along with back-up services. + +To kick things off we'll start with a look at one area that Linux has an embarrassment of riches -- music players. + +Whether you're looking for a player with features that puts iTunes to shame or just a barebones play/pause button, there's something that will work for everyone. + +In keeping with the focus on Ubuntu and new users, I'll be ignoring things like audio codecs. If a music player doesn't support MP3s it's not a music player. Similarly the focus will be on GNOME apps. There's nothing wrong with other desktops and apps written for them, but Ubuntu ships with GNOME and KDE apps have a huge overhead before they'll run in GNOME. + +-----Rhythmbox-------- + +We'll start with what you find out of the box in Ubuntu (and just about every other GNOME-based distro) -- the Rhythmbox music player. + +Rhythmbox was inspired by Apple's iTunes app. But thanks to a robust plugin system, Rhythmbox is actually capable of much more than Apple's jukebox software. + +Rhythmbox is the default music app for most GNOME users for good reason, it has all of iTunes features -- smart playlists, iPod integration, and several online music stores. You can search for, buy and download music and sync it to your iPod with a few clicks of the mouse. + +It's the Ubuntu Music Store feature in Rhythmbox that's gotten a lot of attention with the release of 10.04 and for good reason; if you frequently buy digital music through iTunes you can pick up right where you left off with Rhythmbox. While the Ubuntu One store isn't quite as well-stocked as Apple's, it makes an acceptable replacement (Rhythmbox also support the Magnatune and Jamendo services). + +So it replaces iTunes, is that it? Hardly. Rhythmbox has dozens of extras -- it integrates with Last.fm, it can tune in to internet radio streams, grab song lyrics, update your IM status and much more. + +If you're coming from Windows and looking for something to replace iTunes, Rhythmbox is probably your best bet. Rhythmbox makes a good, all-around music player with all the features most users are likely to want wrapped in a fairly simple interface. + +On the downside, Rhythmbox can be slow on older hardware, lacks customization options compared to other players and might be more than some people need. + +---Banchee--- + +If Rhythmbox leaves you wanting, you might like Banchee. In fact there have been rumors afoot that Banchee may replace Rhythmbox as the default music player in the next version of Ubuntu. Whether or not that happens, Banchee is still a very capable music player and well worth checking out. + +Banchee looks and acts a bit like Rhythmbox, if you've used Rhythmbox you can use Banchee. + +In addition to features like smart playlists, built-in Last.fm support and the ability manage music on your portable players or phone (though the iPod support was buggy in our testing), Banchee offers Wikipedia access and can search for videos of your favorite artists. + +Another thing Banchee has that you won't find in Rhythmbox is a video manager. Just like iTunes, Banchee can organize and play your video files. For some that's moving beyond the music player genre and into bloat, but for others it may prove a must-have feature. + +Banchee is the kitchen sink of music players, if someone has thought of a feature, it's probably in Banchee (or on the to do list) and for those that want the kitchen sink, well, now you can have it. + +Banchee's main downside is that it requires Mono, which means installing some extra software. It also may be overkill if you just want to listen to music without all the bells and whistles. + + +---Music Player Daemon--- + +For those that think iTunes is bloatware and have always preferred WinAmp or foobar2000 on Windows, meet the Music Player Daemon. + +Music Player Daemon is what it sounds like: a barebones background application that plays music. + +MPD, as it's often called, is popular with some Linux fans because it's a great example of doing one thing well -- playing music. + +But of course you'll also want to control your music while it's playing. For that you need another application, something like the venerable <a href="http://sonata.berlios.de/">Sonata</a> or the <a href="http://gmpc.wikia.com/wiki/Gnome_Music_Player_Client">Gnome Music Player Client</a>, which offer the basics without all the "bloat." + +If you're on an older system, or you just like to keep your apps lean and fast, Music Player Daemon is an easy way to do it -- it's simple and no extra bells and whistles means you won't use half your RAM just to listen to a few songs. + +Unfortunately MPD and its accompanying control apps can be a bit awkward when it comes to managing a huge library of music. + +--Other Players--- + +Still havent heard of a player that's music to your ears? Well, there are literally dozens of Linux music players out there. Here are a few other options well worth investigating: <a href="http://www.exaile.org/">Exaile</a>, <a href="http://code.google.com/p/quodlibet/wiki/Screenshots">QuodLibet</a>, <a href="http://audacious-media-player.org/">Audacious</a>, <a href="http://www.getsongbird.com/">Songbird</a> (technically no longer developed, but still available) and, if you're will to install the necessary KDE components, the ever-popular <a href="http://amarok.kde.org/">Amarok</a>. + +So which Linux music app is the best? Well, that's up to you. There is no such thing as the best piece of software, just the one that's most suited for your needs. + +When it comes to music players, Linux doesn't just stack up well against the competition, it's actually well ahead of it, offering features you won't find on other platforms. + +In this case Ubuntu's default app -- Rhythmbox -- offers everything those switching from Windows or OS X are likely to want, but as always there's an option to fit just about any need.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/linuxphotoapps.txt b/published/linuxphotoapps.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..807314f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxphotoapps.txt @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +This is the second in our look at software available for the Linux desktop with a special focus on Ubuntu. Be sure to check out the first installment where we looked at music apps. + +This time around we're going to take a look at the various photo applications available for the GNOME desktop. + +Photo applications come in three basic flavors -- tools that organize your photos, tools for editing them and those that offer both. The latter tend to offer minimal editing tools, but for many, that's all that's necessary. + +When it comes to serious photo editing, GIMP takes the cake. Offering all of the most commonly used tools in Adobe's Photoshop, GIMP is a free, open source photo editing powerhouse. + +When comes to organizing your photos in Linux, the options are not quite as stellar. In the Windows and Mac world, freebie photo apps -- like Google's Picasa or Apple's iPhoto -- are robust tools that support basic editing and sophisticated organizing options like geotagging and facial recognition, as well as tools to automatically upload your images to the web. + +Most Ubuntu users will be familiar with <a href="http://f-spot.org/Main_Page">F-Spot</a>, long the default image editing and organizing app in most GNOME distros. F-Stop has some, though not all, of the features you'll find in Picasa and iPhoto, but extras like geotagging or facial recognition are missing. + +Sadly, not only does F-Spot not offer a way to add geodata to your images, it doesn't even recognize the geodata that your camera my be recording. There are some third party plugins for F-Spot that claim to enable geotagging, but in my testing none of them worked properly. + +While F-Spot may lack some of the fancy extras, it does make a solid, if basic, photo organizer -- put your photos in albums, tag them if you like and do some very basic retouching like red-eye removal or cropping. + +F-Spot has a well thought out, reasonably intuitive interface, and if your editing and organizing needs are minimal then it will do just fine. + +If you're a fan of F-Spot you might be disappointed to learn that you'll be installing it yourself when Ubuntu 10.10 arrives. Canonical plans to join Fedora in dumping F-Spot for the new kid on the block -- <a href="http://yorba.org/shotwell/">Shotwell</a>. + +Feature-wise Shotwell lags well behind F-Spot, offering only very basic editing controls. In fact, at this point Shotwell is basically just a photo organizer. However, the roadmap indicates the next release should support opening your images in external editors like GIMP or UFRaw. + +Shotwell is also a native GNOME app with no need for the overhead of Mono, which appears to be the reason both Fedora and Ubuntu have embraced it. + +If you're looking for a lightweight, speedy photo organizer and prefer to do your editing in GIMP, Shotwell fits the bill. + +The last option is not really a Linux app, but Google does make a version of Picassa for Linux which runs under WINE. Frankly, Picasa for Linux doesn't offer much that you won't find in Shotwell or F-Spot, but if you're used to the interface from the Windows version then it may be a good choice. + +Advanced editors + +If your photos are in camera RAW format, none of the above editors are going to do you much good. + +Camera RAW images are uncompressed and offer post-production controls that far outstrip what you can do with a jpeg, but the cost is greater complexity and a swamp of proprietary file formats, neither of which lead to good open source software. + +One of the best options for editing and organizing RAW images on both Windows and Mac is Adobe's Lightroom 3. Other options include ACDSee or Apple's Aperture. + +There are several quite capable RAW editing programs for Linux, but the best of the free options is undoubtedly RawTherapee. + +<a href="http://www.rawtherapee.com/">RawTherapee</a> offers impressive RAW processing tools (decoding is done by dcraw, but the image processing is all RawTherapee) that generate excellent results. Check out the <a href="http://www.rawtherapee.com/RAW_Compare/">comparison page</a> which, though slightly out of date, shows how RawTherapee's algorithms stack up against Adobe's, Bibble Labs' and other software. + +RawTherapee is also on its way to what looks like very impressive update. Version 3, currently an alpha release, is slated to bring a new curves editor, some additional perspective correction tools, true multi-image processing and more (the screenshots are from the alpha release). + +Transitioning from Lightroom or Aperture to RawTherapee can be a little bumpy, but if you give the app a chance you'll find it can do almost everything its competitors do. + +The last option we'll look at is neither free, nor open source. Despite that, Bibble Labs continues to turn out a Linux release of its flagship <a href="http://bibblelabs.com/">Bibble Pro</a> (you can download a 14-day trial if you'd like to test it). I took the latest version (5.1) for a test drive and found that, while the interface can be a little confusing, the processing tools themselves are every bit as good as what you'll find in the much more expensive Windows software. + +Where Bibble falls on its face is its failure to support the DNG file format. If you're coming from Lightroom especially, you likely have a lot of DNG files, which renders Bibble quite useless. + +And of course at $200, with no source available, Bibble Pro 5 is definitely not for everyone. + +Other RAW editors for Linux include <a href="http://www.lightcrafts.com/lightzone/">Lightzone</a> (also not open source, though the Linux version if free) and <a href="http://ufraw.sourceforge.net/">UFRaw</a>, a very basic editor, but capable RAW editor that can also be used as a GIMP plugin. + +While Linux has some capable photo editors that can handle the basics, whether you're an advanced or just casual photographer, the apps lack some extra features and polish found in similar offerings on other platforms. + +That said, upcoming versions of Shotwell and RawTherapee look to close the gap considerably and should provide Linux users with enough options to fit everyone's needs.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/linuxvideoeditors.txt b/published/linuxvideoeditors.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7fd6fc2 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxvideoeditors.txt @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +When it comes to video editing applications Windows and Mac are by far the most popular options -- software from Adobe, Apple and Avid have long held the top spots among professionals, and both Windows and (most) Macs ship with basic, free editing software. + +In this third look at how media and storage applications for Linux, particularly Ubuntu, compare, I'll be looking at how Linux stacks up against Windows and OS X video editing options. + +Video editing software varies considerably, from the very basic to the massively complex software used in feature length films. For most of us the later is unnecessary and overly complex, but rest assured there are Linux video editors for both the novice and the professional. + +To know which option best suits your needs is not always simple. At a bare minimum you'll want a wide range of codec support (particularly new HD formats), non-linear editing and ideally have an intuitive interface that doesn't require a month's worth of cinematography classes to figure out. + +All of the apps covered below fulfill these basic needs, some better than others. Fortunately they're all free and open source so you can try each one and decide for yourself. + +If you're using the latest version of Ubuntu you may have noticed the new PiTiVi video editor lurking in your Sound & Video application menu. <a href="http://www.pitivi.org/">PiTiVi</a> is new in Ubuntu 10.04 and offers very basic video editing. + +PiTiVi's goal is to create an app that's easy enough for amateurs but has everything professionals need. Right now it's still very new and is probably best for the YouTube crowd. PiTiVi has a very basic set of features that allow you to import and export any video format that GStreamer supports, as well as edit, trim, cut, link and group your clips in a familiar time-view interface. + +A recent update also added the much-requested support for transitions, allowing you to apply fades and other effects when moving between clips. At the time of this writing transitions were not yet in the official release, but the final version should arrive in the near future. + +PiTiVi is written in Python and based on GStreamer and GTK+ so it works very well with the GNOME desktop, supporting drag and drop and generally fitting nicely with your theme. + +Unfortunately, once you get beyond the basics of re-arranging source materials, PiTiVi doesn't have much to offer yet. PiTiVi lacks support for things like overlays, subtitles and titles. Nor will you find timeline markers, which are very handy for larger projects with many small clips. + +To be fair, PiTiVi is not yet a 1.0 release and is really more roadmap than app at this point. But the project seems to have a good bit of momentum, so while it may not be the best choice at the moment, it's definitely one to keep an eye on. + +There are several other editors along the same lines as PiTiVi, such as <a href="http://www.openshotvideo.com/">OpenShot</a> or <a href="http://www.kinodv.org/">Kino</a> that offer similar features aimed at the video amateur just looking to join together a few videos from their digital camera. + +If you're looking for something more serious, something that can hold its own with the likes of Premiere and Final Cut Studio, obviously you'll have to look elsewhere. + +For the rest of this series we've been ignoring KDE apps since Ubuntu ships with GNOME, but this time we're going to make an exception because one of the most powerful video editors for Linux is a KDE app -- <a href="http://www.kdenlive.org/">Kdenlive</a>. + +Kdenlive uses KDE's Oxygen style, so it will look a bit out of place in Ubuntu, but that's a small tradeoff given its usefulness. Kdenlive functions much like PiTiVi, but everything listed above that's missing in PiTiVi is in Kdenlive -- loads of built-in effects, overlays, titles and more. + +The codec support with Kdenlive comes from ffmpeg, which seems to be a bit better than Gstreamer. Some AVCHD clips from a newer camera, as well as few older Quicktime files, neither of which worked in PiTiVi, did just fine in Kdenlive. + +Kdenlive also has some nice extras like the ability to grab your desktop in realtime and capture tethered firewire cameras. + +When it comes to publishing your movies, Kdenlive has nearly unlimited options -- everything from H.264 to Flash to Ogg. You can even export out in RAW DV format. + +Of course all these features mean that Kdenlive's interface is considerably more complex than PiTiVi's. It isn't horrendous, but it there is definitely a learning curve. Luckily there are quite a few handy video tutorials on the Kdenlive site and the documentation is extensive. + +The last editor in this installment is <a href="http://cinelerra.org/">Cinelerra</a>, the self described "50,000 watt flamethrower" of Linux video editors. In fact, Cinelerra is far too complex and powerful to do justice to in the limited space here. Suffice to say that if you're looking for the Final Cut Studio or Avid of the Linux world, Cinelerra is what you're after. + +Cinelerra can do everything Kdenlive does and then some, offering countless color correction tools, sharpening filters, audio effects, motion tracking, and even supports OpenGL shaders on NVidia graphics cards for some serious video crunching power. + +Cinelerra's massive set of features is a bit confusing at times and the interface is one part serious video editor and one part hideous, but once you get past the looks the functions will win you over. The only real downside to Cinelerra is that it seems prone to crashing. Luckily it has a pretty good restore feature and if you live by the Windows motto -- save early, save often -- you should spare yourself too much trouble. + +The other problem is that the Cinelerra CV project doesn't seem interested in holding your hand while you figure out the complexities of the UI, but there are a lot of users out there on the web with tutorials, video and how-tos that should answer most newcomers' questions. + +Once you half-way master Cinelerra's complexities there isn't much you can't do, including edit and output feature length movies if you so desire. + +Unlike the photography round up we did earlier, when it comes to video Linux really does hold it's own. Even the familiar complaint about less than stellar UIs doesn't apply here -- sure Cinelerra takes a while to figure out, but so do Premier and Final Cut Studio, to say nothing of Avid. + +In fact, even if you aren't a full time Linux user, it's well worth investigating the platform's video editors since all of them are free, which means if you find one that works for you, you'll have quite a bit of extra money to put toward cameras and lenses instead of software.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/linuxyearinreview copy.txt b/published/linuxyearinreview copy.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a5663e3 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxyearinreview copy.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +It's been a rough year for Linux on the desktop. More specifically, it's been a rough year for GNOME-based Linux on the desktop. + +KDE, XFCE and other Linux desktops spent 2012 soldiering on in their quiet, stolid, but blissfully reliable ways while GNOME 3, Gnome Shell and Ubuntu's GNOME-derived Unity tried and largely succeeded (though perhaps not in the way they intended) to turn the Linux world upside down. + +This year marks the first time many GNOME users were forced to face up to the unpleasant realization that the community is not in charge. GNOME is in charge. Canonical is in charge. + +To be a GNOME or Unity user today is to be a pawn in a larger fight for market share, mind share and the future of computing. This year's GNOME is no place for someone who just wants to get some work done. + +The GNOME Shell interface has been nearly universally panned since it launched and that didn't change in 2012. The difference is that this year, as GNOME Shell matured to version 3.4 and beyond, the criticisms feel sharper, the shortcomings less forgivable. Even those willing to cut GNOME 3's Shell interface some slack for the first few iterations seem to be running out of patience. Linux creator Linus Torvalds famously dismissed it earlier this year as an "unholy mess" and decamped for first XFCE and then KDE. + +Whisper GNOME Shell anywhere on the web and a host of angry former GNOME users will show up decrying the lack of features and why, for the love of all things usable, is there still no button to minimize windows? It turns out those features, those things we all used to get things done -- like minimizing windows, alt-tab switching or god forbid, changing the theme -- are, in the view of GNOME developers, only things power users really want. + +GNOME, as the developers would have you know, is not designed for nerds that want to customize things. The GNOME project knows what you need and don't need. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise, GNOME developers have been saying this for years, but this year it seems to be finally sinking in. + +"Software isn't designed by committee where you have to rationalise every decision before you take it," wrotes one GNOME developer clear back in 2009 in a <a href="https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=485846">bug report</a> questioning why GNOME 3's power manager is less functional than its predecessor. "Software is a vision," he continues, "I'm writing g-p-m to that grand plan. If you don't like it that's fine." + +In other words, it's our way or the highway. + +Apparently the developers at GNOME still believe that, with just a few less options to confuse them, the masses will really embrace Linux and we can all go dancing into the night as the mythical year of the Linux desktop finally arrives. This kind of hubris would be funny if it hadn't all but destroyed a once well-liked piece of software. + +Ubuntu's Unity maybe slightly less reviled than GNOME 3, but the poorly thought out decision to bring irrelevant, often NSFW shopping content to the desktop angered many users and earned the company a public rebuke from the ordinarily Linux-friendly Electronic Frontier Foundation. + +As if the move to the Unity desktop weren't contentious enough, Canonical head Mark Shuttleworth and crew decided to throw in a new Amazon Search Lens for the Unity Dash. The new Lens, which is enabled by default in Ubuntu 12.10, adds Amazon shopping results to your desktop searches. + +Ubuntu apologists argue that Canonical's Amazon features are no different than what Mozilla does with the Firefox browser -- taking a few pennies each time you search Google from Firefox. But with Firefox the user is choosing to search Google. With the Amazon Lens often the user is just looking for a local file, not going shopping. Having Amazon shopping results come back when you're looking for a file on your desktop is not only surprising, it's next to useless. It can even be even offensive. Thanks to Unity's find-as-you-type feature seemingly benign searches with words like "analyze" or "assets" can bring up some NSFW Amazon results for slow typists. + +It gets worse. As the EFF <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/privacy-ubuntu-1210-amazon-ads-and-data-leaks">points out</a>, your searches are sent to Amazon over a secure connection, but what Amazon sends back is not. That means that, because images are loaded directly from Amazon's servers instead of from Canonical's, "Amazon has the ability to correlate search queries with IP addresses." + +Free software advocate Richard Stallman jumped into the fray <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/07/stallman_on_ubuntu_spyware/">calling the Amazon Lens "spyware"</a> and "surveillance code". Stallman went on to suggest that the free software community "tell people that Ubuntu is shunned for spying." Ubuntu's Jono Bacon called Stallman's statements "<a href="http://www.jonobacon.org/2012/12/07/on-richard-stallman-and-ubuntu/">childish</a>" (which he <a href="http://www.jonobacon.org/2012/12/10/on-being-childish-an-apology/">later apologized for</a>), but failed to refute anything Stallman actually wrote. Indeed, if the over 300 comments on Bacon's post are any indicator, for once the vast, vast majority of Linux users appear to agree with Stallman. + +So why go out on a limb to turn on a feature that's largely useless, potentially offensive, may violate user privacy and is insecure to boot? Critics say Canonical is desperate for revenue. Shuttleworth says he just wants to make Unity more useful. Either way, despite the backlash and public criticisms over privacy Canonical did not back down. Ubuntu 12.10 shipped with the Amazon Lens enabled by default. + +In other words, it's our way or the highway. Again. + +Of course while GNOME and Ubuntu may be turning a deaf ear to the community and forging off on their own separate paths, one Linux distro does seem to be listening to users and gaining converts for it -- Mint Linux. + +Not only does Mint seem to be listening to users, it's solving real problems and putting its money where its mouth is with not one, but two alternatives to the GNOME Shell -- the temporary fix that is the MATE desktop and the longer-term alternative Cinnamon. + +MATE, which was originally forked from GNOME 2 by an Arch Linux developer, offers those who'd like to stick with the tried and true familiarity of GNOME 2 a way to do that. Cinnamon on the other hand takes GNOME 3's guts, rips out the GNOME Shell and replaces it with a user interface for those who prefer to "get things done," as the Cinnamon site puts it. Cinnamon isn't perfect. In fact it can be quite buggy at times, but at least it's heading a direction roughly opposite GNOME and Unity. + +Both Mint sponsored desktops have proved popular enough that they're now part of Fedora's default repositories as well. Ubuntu, once the darling of desktop Linux and the overwhelmingly popular choice for newcomers, may soon lose that role to Mint. Indeed, 2012 may well mark the changing of the guard. + + +[1]: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=485846 +[2]: Https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/privacy-ubuntu-1210-amazon-ads-and-data-leaks +[3]: +[4]: diff --git a/published/linuxyearinreview.otl b/published/linuxyearinreview.otl new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a24b5fa --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxyearinreview.otl @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +The year in Linux. + Forget the Winter of Discontent, for Linux desktop users 2012's winter of discontent stretched through the Spring distro releases, bring with them more of GNOME 3's limitations ever more sharply into view + the dog days of summer when those upgrading the opneSUSE and Fedora started to come + to terms with GNOME 3's shortcomings, well into the Fall when Ubuntu managed to piss + off just about everyone from fedora to is own, privacy conconscious user base. + GNOME 3 + remains a desktop in search of love. And features. + Everything Mint has done is largely a reaction to GNOME 3 + Mint Cinnamon as the sleeper hit of the season + Ubuntu + No Second Fedora release put more focus on Ubuntu which... + Ubuntu's year of living dangerously. + Amazon fiasco + Developing features less in the open + -so what shuttleworth did was invite the community to participate in the development of features that would previously + been kept under wraps until reveal time + did he do that because of the Amazon lens backlash + more community involvement means less likely to piss people off + Willingness to attack Fedora + The year of the imploding Linux desktop + Feels like being a mac user when OS 9 was released + If the end of the Desktop is nigh (and tablet sales certainly make that seem + likely) and the primary province of Linux remains servers, then GNOME, KDE and + the rest will be footnotes in the history of Linux. + Like the end is nigh. For the desktop that is, + + + +It's not surprising when tech companies imitate Apple, but it is surprising to see Linux distros imitating what even diehard Apple fans would likely admit is the least appealing aspect of the company. + + +The Amazon Lens is a bit more serious than just a few shopping results popping up in Unity, serious enough that Unity now has a privacy agreement. Which is where the EFF comes into the story. + + +Check the lower left corner of the Dash in Quetzal to find a new link to a "legal notice" which outlines how your personal data is used with the new online results. The short story is that Canonical collects your search terms and IP address and shares them with "third parties including: Facebook, Twitter, BBC and Amazon." That means that you're no longer dealing with just Canonical's privacy policy, but also those of the third-parties. + + + +Forget the Winter of Discontent, for desktop Linux fans what started as 2012's Winter of Discontent stretched out through the Spring distro releases, with them more of GNOME 3's limitations, into the Dog Days of summer when openSUSE produced a ray of hope that quickly faded as Fedora failed to even ship a update in Autumn and Ubuntu's Unity seemed to sell its soul for a few Amazon dollars. + + +Disappointment can be palpable even when you feel it from a missing config file. + +Stepping back a bit it starts to look like desktop Linux is imploding. + +There was, for a short while a way to get back to the old highway -- good old fallback mode. But now that's gone. Or is being rebuilt as a GNOME Shell plugin because, presumably, only nerds want to use it. Silly nerds, wanting to actually get things done. + + + + + + +KDE, the old warhorse, + + + +Fortunately there was a ray of hope. + +GNOME + + + + + + +GNOME 3 remains a desktop in search of someone to love it and Unity just wants to go shopping apparently. This may well be the OS 9 moment of desktop Linux -- this is what we've got for the future? This is what we've got for the future. + + + + + + + diff --git a/published/linuxyearinreview.txt b/published/linuxyearinreview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1fc4a2a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/linuxyearinreview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +It's been a tumultuous year for the Linux desktop. 2011 saw the release of not one, but two major new desktops, the GNOME project's GNOME 3 shell and Ubuntu's rival Unity desktop. By the time most distros hit their stride in 2011, the GNOME 2.x line had been replaced with GNOME 3. + +With change comes angst -- especially in the open source community -- and the move away from GNOME 2 has certainly had some very vocal critics. To be fair it's never easy when something you rely on day in and day out suddenly changes, and the transition from the more traditional GNOME 2 desktop to the GNOME 3 shell or Unity has been a bumpy ride for many users. + +Fans of the KDE desktop went through this same sort of transition several years ago with the move to KDE 4 and can content themselves with watching the current debate knowingly from afar, but for many GNOME users, 2011 meant relearning not just how to use the desktop, but what the desktop ought to be. + +What's odd about the hubbub over the new desktops is that in many ways both are the result of what critics have been saying Linux needed to do for years -- work on its graphic design and create a more polished user interface. Gnome 3 and Unity are the results of many different forces at work, but certainly one of them is to make the Linux desktop experience not just work well, but look good as well. + +Of course "look good" is a highly subjective phrase, and certainly not everyone will think either GNOME 3 or Unity do in fact look good. Regardless of what you might think about the look of GNOME or Unity, both do put an undeniable emphasis on design and bring the level of polish in the user interface up to par with what you might find in popular commercial operating systems -- for example, Apple. + +To say that GNOME 3 and Unity are chasing Apple's tail lights might be overreaching, but, it's tough to deny that both haven't borrowed a few ideas from Apple. Whether its the iOS-style toggle switches that GNOME 3 often uses instead of checkboxes, or Unity's universal menubar and left-hand window button arrangement, clearly the designers of both find, shall we say, inspiration in Cupertino's polish. + +At least part of that drive to emulate Apple likely stems from years of Linux critics arguing that open source software needed a more appealing interface. Oddly, now that that's ostensibly happened almost no one seems happy. It turns out that while GNOME and Canonical developers may have a case of Apple-envy, Linux users often don't. Not everyone wants to relearn how to use their computer just so Canonical's designers can show off how they think the desktop ought to work. + +Any significant change to a core component like the desktop, is bound to bring out some ill will from users, but the GNOME and Unity releases of 2011 have endured some particularly harsh criticism. Linus Torvalds called GNOME 3 "an unholy mess" and rather publicly announced he was moving to the Xfce desktop. + +However, for all the critics there are also plenty of ardent defenders who argue that desktops like GNOME 3 and Unity are paving the way into the future of Linux. + +While there's clearly some disagreement in the Linux community about just where the future of Linux lies, Ubuntu's parent company Canonical has made it clear that it doesn't believe that future is on the desktop. The company recently announced that Ubuntu 12.04, normally a three-year LTS release, will instead be supported for five years. Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says that once 12.04 is out, development focus will shift to mobile devices. Indeed, if Shuttleworth sticks to his plans, Ubuntu 12.04 may well be the last desktop-only release of Ubuntu. + +Instead look for Ubuntu to flow off the desktop and onto the small screen, both tablet and phones. In an interview earlier this year with <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/ubuntu-linux-heads-to-smartphones-tablets-and-smart-tvs/9834">ZDNet</a>, Shuttleworth calls the move away from the desktop a "natural progression" and says that Canonical plans to "embrace the challenge of how to use Ubuntu on smartphones, tablets and smart-screens." + +Indeed the tablet market such as it is -- let's face it, there is an iPad market and few other manufacturers fighting over the leftover scraps -- could sorely use some worthy iPad competitors. Thus far no Android-based tablet has managed to capture any significant user attention. Could a Unity-based Linux tablet compete with the iPad? + +One thing Ubuntu has going for it is its home-grown services like Ubuntu One and the Ubuntu Music Store. Bringing both service over to a tablet would make it easy to get music, movies and images from one device to another. Having a complete ecosystem of media on both desktop and tablet would solve one of Android's big pain points -- there's no easy way to do simple things like buy an album or rent a movie. + +Of course the Ubuntu Music Store lacks the selection of the iTunes Store. Canonical would also need, perhaps more than anything else, to attract the level of developer interest that Apple has managed to create around iOS if it wanted to seriously compete in the tablet market. + +It will likely be some time before we get a chance to see Ubuntu on a tablet. Shuttleworth says he doesn't expect a tablet version of Ubuntu will appear until Ubuntu 14.04, which is due in April 2014. On the plus side Shuttleworth claims that Ubuntu is already in talks with hardware manufacturers to develop Ubuntu-based tablets and phones. + +More details about the future of Ubuntu -- tablet or otherwise -- will likely be revealed at the Ubuntu Summit in February 2012. + +One thing seems clear from the last year of Linux desktop tumult; it's going to be some time before these new desktops come into their own. It took GNOME 2 nearly eight years to get where it was when GNOME 3 was released. Similarly it will likely take Unity several years to work out its kinks as well. It may in fact even turn out that neither system finds a home on the desktop. The future of Linux may turn out to lie elsewhere, in the world of tablets and mobile devices. Though hopefully the year of the Linux tablet won't prove a mere sequel to the mythical year of the Linux desktop. diff --git a/published/lubuntu.png b/published/lubuntu.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6c4c623 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/lubuntu.png diff --git a/published/lucidbetareview.txt b/published/lucidbetareview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..98cc795 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/lucidbetareview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +Canonical is gearing up for another Ubuntu Linux release. This round, Ubuntu 10.04, dubbed Lucid Lynx, is just entering the beta stage, but already looks to be taking the popular distro to an entirely new -- and very consumer-oriented -- level. + +Between Canonical's web-based syncing service Ubuntu One (unveiled last year), the coming U1 music store and the new "Me Menu," Lucid Lynx is looking less like the stoic Linux desktops of yesteryear and more like a like, well, what everyday consumers want in an operating system. + +Linux nerds would no doubt argue that what Canonical does is nothing that can't be done on your own -- have fun building your integrated music store -- but for the rest of us, Ubuntu 10.04 looks to be a huge leap for Linux. Ubuntu does what people want right out of the box -- connecting to their social network, providing an easy-to-use backup system and a way to purchase music. + +We installed the Lucid Lynx beta one and everything just worked right out of the box -- all our hardware was supported, including our NVidia graphics card, and even our iPhone showed up in Nautilus thanks to the latest version of <a href="">libgpod</a>. + +Beyond the outstanding hardware support, Lucid Lynx is already -- even as a beta -- by far the most fun we've had with Linux in a long time. + +The most noticeable change for seasoned users is the revamped GNOME desktop, complete with two new themes and several redesigned widgets, as well as the very nice new social networking tool, Gwibber. + +Gwibber sees <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/24/lucid_lynx_shuttleworth/">Ubuntu keeping up with the times</a>, offering users a way to quickly get up and running with all their favorite social networks -- Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Flickr and more. + +Gwibber is one on the better social network apps on any platform and it's nice to see it already installed in Ubuntu (sadly, Gwibber lacks OAuth support at the moment, so you'll need to hand over the username and password for most accounts). + +Long-time Linux users will also notice two new themes, one of which will replace the venerable Human theme as the Ubuntu default. + +Yes, as Canonical promised back in 2007, the brown look is on its way out, destined to be replaced by either "Radiance" or "Ambiance," which mix muted purples and oranges to a achieve a somewhat more professional look with either a light or dark skin respectively. For now the orangish icons from the Human theme remain largely unchanged. + +The new look is part of Ubuntu's larger rebranding plan, which also changes the Ubuntu logo, splash screen and other elements. The change has been in the works since it was first mentioned in 2007 and, while alternate themes have shipped with Ubuntu, this is the first time Human won't be installed by default. + +Also coming in Ubuntu 10.04 is Canonical's stab at an online music store. The Ubuntu One Music Store will be <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/03/ubuntu_music_store/">bundled into Lucid Lynx</a>, offering a way to purchase music (DRM-free) directly through Rhythmbox, Ubuntu's default music player. At the moment the store is in beta testing to select users, but should be generally available by the time Lucid Lynx ships. + +Interestingly, Canonical seems to have opted to use mp3 over the open (and very popular with Linux users) Ogg Vorbis file format for its music store. The decision to use mp3 no doubt has something to do with the fact that Ubuntu's music store will be built through 7Digital, which also offers its mp3s for sale through the Spotify music service. 7digital offers Spotify users the option to download FLAC files in some cases, but so far no word if the FLAC support will be extended to the Ubuntu One music Store. + +Also a bit disappointing is the three download limit -- accidentally delete your files three times and you're out of luck. The good news is that you can of course sync your music through Ubuntu One (or Dropbox if you like) so even if you lose the files on your local machine your backups can replace it without the need for an extra download. + +For now the music store is only available for Rhythmbox, though Canonical says that eventually it will also be available as a plug-in for Banshee, Amarok, and "a few other" Linux music applications. + +While music and themes are the big news in the Lucid Lynx beta, there's also a host of smaller improvements -- a revamped session tool, some redesigned GNOME widgets and the usual complement of GNOME software updates. + +Firefox, OpenOffice and Evolution have all been updated to latest version (Mozilla's Thunderbird 3 is also now in the repositories for those that prefer it to Evolution). The most obvious change may well be in Firefox where Canonical has given Google the boot and opted to use Yahoo as the default search provider. Naturally a trip to the search bar can change that to whichever provider you'd like. + +Lucid Lynx is looking like the best Ubuntu release yet and the beta is well worth a test drive. Be aware though that it is a beta; we experienced some application crashes and the system failed to boot once. If the beta testing phase goes as planned the bugs will be ironed out and the final release available at the end of April 2010.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/lucidlynxscreen.png b/published/lucidlynxscreen.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..dff22ab --- /dev/null +++ b/published/lucidlynxscreen.png diff --git a/published/mandriva.txt b/published/mandriva.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..59a0e40 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mandriva.txt @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +Mandriva Linux recently announced the Mandriva Flash 2008 Spring, the latest version of its Linux-on-a-USB-stick distro. The Flash sticks come with a complete, bootable version of Mandriva Linux and make it dead simple to take your Linux with you wherever you go. + +Mandriva, formerly Mandrake, was once the darling of the Linux community and managed to strike a nice balance between cutting edge features and newcomer friendliness. While Ubuntu has surpassed Mandriva as the current Linux darling, Mardriva continues to deliver a strong distro. + +While the non-free aspects of Mandriva might make purists hestitate, others will appreciate the ready-to-go capabilities of the Flash distro -- just plug it in and boot. In our experience, everything just worked. + +The latest Flash sticks have been bumped from 4 GB to 8 GB and pack in a speed boost as well -- Mandriva claims the new keys can manage 4.6MB/sec write speeds and an impressive 18.7MB/sec read speed. + +Mandriva Flash 2008 Spring includes a number of prorietary features like Sun Java, Adobe Flash, RealPlayer, Skype, and the Codeina multimedia codecs for playing MP3s and more. + +The other noteworthy non-free tool included is the ability to read and write to NTFS file systems -- perfect if you're plugging into a Windows machine and want to save some files back to the hard drive. + +As with the Fedora Flash distro we looked at when Fedora 9 was released, the Mandriva Flash version features fully persistant data and system upgrades. You can also do a full install directly from the USB stick. One thing Mandriva includes that you won't find in Fedora is a CD image for PCs that can't boot from USB. + +To use the CD tools you need to first write the image to a CD (it'll fit on a business card CD for added portability), and boot from the CD, which then bootstraps the Flash drive. + +Another nice feature is ezBoot, which reboots the host PC into Linux without going through the BIOS settings. We're not sure how often we'd actually reboot from a Flash stick -- it's generally a plug in, work and unplug solution -- but the reboot features are there if you need them. + +As for what you get in the 2008 Spring edition of Mandriva, it's a KDE build with the usual assortment of apps -- Firefox 2, Thunderbird 2, Konqueror and various other "K" apps. It's worth noting though that Mandriva wisely opts for OpenOffice over KOffice. Given that KOffice has some issues with both the ODF and DOC file formats, OpenOffice is probably the better choice for most users. + +Mandriva also includes its Control Center app which makes fiddling with settings and administering you machine much easier than the default KDE panels. Another nice touch is that the default Firefox page leads to a nice collection of resources and links for optimizing Mandriva. + +Mandriva Flash 2008 Spring comes with a nice migration tool for Windows users. It's not hard to import Windows settings and documents should you decide to install straight from the USB version. + +If you've already got a Mandriva Flash, a 2008 Spring update will be available free of charge. You should receive an e-mail with download links and upgrade instructions. There's an upgrade path available from 2007 Spring up to the current version. + +Of course all this convience at comes a price; the Mandriva Flash drive distro sells for 59 Euros or US$69, with free international shipping. But if you'd rather not hassle with setting up your own Flash drive, Mandriva makes a great way to get your portable Linux at reasonable price. + diff --git a/published/mint12desktop.jpg b/published/mint12desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d161006 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint12desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/mint15review.txt b/published/mint15review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..da9cf3a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint15review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +The team behind Mint Linux has released Mint 15, nicknamed "Olivia". + +Mint is a relative newcomer to the world of popular desktop distros, but it has recently started to take the GNOME and Unity-hating Linux world by storm. Indeed, with this release, Mint should secure itself as *the* alternative desktop -- if you'd like a modern set of desktop tools without a completely new desktop interface to go with them Mint 15 has what you're after. + +Mint is a very consumer-oriented distro offering respite for the many users unhappy with Ubuntu's Unity desktop on one side and GNOME Shell on the other. Mint still uses Ubuntu as its starting point (Ubuntu 13.04 for Mint 15), but strips out Unity in favor of Mint's own desktops. Also note that, somewhat confusingly, there's also a Debian-based version of Mint, but it uses a "semi-rolling" schedule based on Debian's testing release. + +There are two flavors of the Ubuntu-based Mint 15, the older, more stable MATE desktop, which is a fork of good old GNOME 2, and Cinnamon which started life as a GNOME fork as well, but is now in the process of forging its own path. Both releases have been updated for Mint 15, but it's the Cinnamon release that's the far more noteworthy of the two. + +Cinnamon does a nice job of sitting in the middle of what was -- the relatively mundane, but stable world of GNOME 2.x -- and the new world of seemingly anything-goes desktops. In fact, Linux though it may be, the Cinnamon desktop will likely seem more familiar for Windows 7 users than Windows 8, which also eschews the traditional start-button based desktop. + +Mint 15 ships with Cinnamon 1.8, what many would consider the first truly stable release of the nascent Cinnamon desktop. This version boasts some 1000 changes and bug fixes since the last release and brings several major new features like a unified settings panel, support for widgets ("Desklets" in Cinnamon parlance) and the new MintSources and MintDrivers tools for managing software repositories and drivers respectively. + +The MintSources package manager replaces the Ubuntu Software Center and, while it may not look quite as slick, it doesn't hide packages (because they're too "technical" in Ubuntu's view) and it offers a handy speed test to help you find the fastest mirror for downloading. MintSources can also handle PPAs, third-party repositories and authentication keys. + +The DriverManager is a standalone app that makes it easy to install 3rd-party hardware drivers like Nvidia binaries or Nouveau drivers as well as wireless and other hardware drivers. It also helpfully lets you know if you're using any proprietary drivers. + +This release sees Cinnamon's file manager, Nemo, getting a much-needed make over with some useful new features like the ability to quickly hide the sidebar via a new button on the bottom bar (or F9) and easily switch between the sidebar's places view and the straight folder hierarchy view. There's also a much easier to access file path dialog for keyboard junkies. Nemo also now sports what are known as actions -- by placing an action file in /usr/share/nemo/actions you can add items to Nemo’s right-click context menu. + +Cinnamon 1.8 offers a much better integrated system settings panel. Previously some system settings were part of the Cinnamon system setting panel and some the GNOME settings panel, which was confusing and annoying. Thankfully, everything is in one place now. The panel itself is largely unchanged, but given that one of the major appeals of Mint over desktops like Unity or GNOME Shell is the ease of customization, the unification gives Cinnamon a much more focused, integrated feel and will go a long way toward helping newcomers get to terms with the desktop and tweak it to their liking. + +Another nice new bit of integration in this release involves what Cinnamon calls "Spices" -- little applets, desklets, themes and extensions that enhance the desktop. Previously Spices were downloaded from a website and installing them was a manual process. In Cinnamon 1.8 the process of finding and installing Spices is all handled within the "extensions" pane of the Cinnamon settings panel. + +Other new Cinnamon features include a screensaver that allows for personalized messages and support for "desklets", which are essentially desktop widgets. This release ships with a scant three, which you can find by right-clicking the desktop and selecting the desklets menu item. That will open a panel with a clock, a photo frame and a launcher. A few more can be found by hitting the "Find More Online" button, including an XKCD widget, but look for more desklets options to show up once the community gets to work. + +The Mint team also has some new features for those who prefer the MATE desktop. Adhering much more to the look and feel of GNOME 2.x, MATE offers an alternative to GNOME 3's fallback mode. Mint 15 ships with MATE 1.6, which doesn't look all that different from its predecessors, but offers a ton of under-the-hood improvements. The file manager has been slightly overhauled, offering some of the same sidebar features found in Nemo, and there are some new settings options as well. + +Mint 15 is all about polish, not just in Cinnamon and MATE, but in everything from the login screen, which can now be customized with themes that use simple HTML and CSS, to the installation menu which helpfully offers to encrypt your disk and install LVM tools if you'd like them. + +Mint also packages a few apps you won't find in most distros -- extras like VLC and GIMP are included along with standards like Firefox, Thunderbird and LibreOffice. There are two ways to look at that; some will like it since it means you don't have to go download the apps yourself, though others will no doubt think of it as bloat. + +That's the good news for Mint 15. The bad news is that Mint is a very young distro and thus far it tends to take Ubuntu releases part and parcel. Bugs in Ubuntu will hit Mint as well, which means at least some of Mint's appeal, that it's improving on Ubuntu, is lost. It's also a little unclear whether Mint is planning to follow Ubuntu as Ubuntu moves further and further away from the Linux mainstream. + +While some aspects of Mint's future may be uncertain, for now the Mint project continues to churn out impressive releases. Mint 15 has been rock solid in my testing. It even runs quite well on my underpowered EeePC netbook. + +Indeed, Mint 15 manages to succeed at what the Mint project set out to do -- take what's good about Ubuntu, fix what's bad about it and add a little polish on top. While previous releases have shown promise, Mint 15 is the first to really deliver on those goals. If the world of GNOME Shell and Unity leave you feeling cold, Mint 15 just might offer a solution. + + + diff --git a/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-desktop.jpg b/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8c6d68a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-firefox.jpg b/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-firefox.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b33cfc8 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-firefox.jpg diff --git a/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-nemo-preview.jpg b/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-nemo-preview.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..da15465 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-nemo-preview.jpg diff --git a/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-ppa-manager.jpg b/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-ppa-manager.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..40229fe --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint16/mint16-cinnamon-ppa-manager.jpg diff --git a/published/mint16/mint16-mate-search.jpg b/published/mint16/mint16-mate-search.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..96d47b0 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint16/mint16-mate-search.jpg diff --git a/published/mint16final.txt b/published/mint16final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c001371 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint16final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +The Mint Linux team has released Mint 16, nicknamed Petra, which just might be the perfect Linux desktop for newcomers. + +Mint 16 uses Ubuntu 13.10 as its core, but then adds on top one of the Mint project's two homegrown desktops -- Cinnamon and Mate. + +Using Ubuntu as its base layer gives Mint stable foundations on which to build, allowing the project to focus more on its desktops and less on the underpinnings. The result is a pair of desktops, both worthy of consideration, though the far more interesting of the two is undoubtedly the Cinnamon desktop which hits 2.0 status in Mint 16. + +Cinnamon 2.0 was <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10/29/cinnamon_2_0_review/">released a few weeks ago</a> and now works much better with other distros, but it's on Mint, particularly Mint 16, that it really shines. + +Like Ubuntu's Unity desktop, Cinnamon began life as an alternative interface for GNOME 3. Because GNOME 3 changes considerably with each six-month release, Cinnamon 1.x releases had to be built against specific versions of GNOME. + +That meant that, for example, the Cinnamon 1.8 which shipped with Mint 15 was designed specifically to run atop GNOME 3.6. That tight coupling made Cinnamon brittle for Mint users and even more so for anyone trying to use Cinnamon on other distros. + +With the 2.0 release, Cinnamon is largely free of GNOME. Cinnamon is still built on top of familiar GNOME technologies like GTK, but it no longer requires GNOME itself to be installed. Instead, Cinnamon 2.0 uses its own daemons and libraries to do the heavy lifting. + +While that's great news for anyone who wants to run Cinnamon 2.0 on say Fedora, it doesn't actually mean much for Mint users. Yet. + +The move away from GNOME lays the groundwork for Mint to start focusing on Cinnamon as a desktop rather than spending development time making sure Cinnamon works with the latest release of GNOME. Now that Cinnamon is relying on more of its own technology it has more time for innovation and will have to waste less time catching up with GNOME changes or fixing regressions. + +In other words, while there may not be a whole lot about Mint 16's Cinnamon 2.0 that's really revolutionary, the foundation is there for Mint 17 and Cinnamon 2.1 (which will coincide with Ubuntu 14.01, a stable LTS release). The future of Cinnamon is looking very bright. + +That said, there are some nice hints of what might be in store in this release, particularly some very nice polishing touches to already strong areas in Mint's Cinnamon experience. Two standout bits of polish in this release include the new Users and Groups tool and the improved Nemo file manager (which works fine with other desktops as well, including Unity). + +As part of the move away from GNOME, the GNOME "User Accounts" tool has been replaced with Cinnamon's "Users and Groups". Here you'll find what amounts to a very simple, elegant way to manage users, passwords and groups. It's one of the few graphical tools I've used that trumps its command line equivalent for speed and ease of use. + +The Users and Groups tool isn't the first time Mint has sweated the details to create a really great user experience. A similarly impressive GUI-trumps-command-line tool in Mint is the PPA manager, which is part of the Mint Software Sources tool. Mint's Software Sources tool makes Ubuntu's version of the same look clunky and ancient, especially when it comes to adding new PPAs. PPAs (which, let's face it, are part of the Ubuntu, and therefore Mint, life) get top level billing in Mint. There's no hunting around in tabs as with the Ubuntu software center, just a big button that says "PPAs". Click it, paste the PPA URL and Mint takes care of the rest. The PPA feature arrived with Mint 15, but it deserves mention here because it showcases some the polish that's been finding its way into Mint with new release. + +There is of course still plenty of room for improvement in Mint 16. While the PPA feature is really nice, the Mint Software Center itself leaves much to be desired, especially when compared to the Ubuntu Software Center. Mint 16's Software Center is functional, but nowhere near as full-featured as what you'll find in Ubuntu. It lacks useful descriptions for most packages and, while much faster in this release, still doesn't feel as snappy as the rest of the Mint 16 interface. In short, Mint's Software Center is getting better, but it still needs work. Hopefully this will be among the things the Mint/Cinnamon team will focus on in future releases. + +Perhaps the most noticeable improvement in Mint 16 is the revamped Nemo file manager. The overall performance of Nemo is much improved with none of the noticeable lags and spinning wheels that plagued earlier versions. The UI also has some nice new extras like progress bars that show disk usage at a glance. It's not installed by default, but there's also a new Nemo Preview extension, a port of GNOME's Sushi previewer, which adds quick file previews to Nemo. + +While there is much to love in the new Cinnamon 2.0 version of Mint 16, there are some things that might put off power users, particularly the apparently lack of support for the btrfs file system, which hints at Mint's focus on appealing to new and less demanding users. Cinnamon is also not exactly a svelte desktop, nor is it intended to be. If you're looking for lightweight you'll want to look elsewhere, like, for example, the Mate version of Mint 16. + +Cinnamon is clearly Mint's flagship, but there are plenty of other versions out there, including the homegrown Mate desktop, which is designed for those who still pine for the days of GNOME 2.x. There are, however, several features found in Mate that would be nice to see in Cinnamon and elsewhere. For example Mate's Menu search feature trumps what you'll find in Cinnamon, searching not just your desktop, but the web as well -- if you ask it to. Yes, Mate manages to pull off the "search everywhere, EVERYWHERE!!" tools found in Ubuntu, without the privacy invasion. In Mate you can search various websites right from the toolbar menu. You just type your search, then click the "Search Wikipedia" or "Search Google" buttons. Same searching shortcuts you get in Ubuntu, none of the Canonical data-logging. + +Mate is, by design, less resource intensive and lacks some of the flash found in Cinnamon. For example, the file browser in Mate is nowhere near as full featured as Nemo. That makes Mate a better choice for older hardware since Cinnamon -- like Unity -- needs newer, more powerful hardware to really come into its own. In contrast, the Mate version of Mint is quite snappy on my decidedly under powered EeePC. Cinnamon on the same machine lags enough that it's almost unusable at times (the best experience I've had on the EeePC is actually Mint with XFCE). + +Mint 16 is a worthwhile upgrade for current Mint users, especially those who use the Cinnamon desktop. With Ubuntu 13.10 under the hood, Mint 16 has a stable base upon which to build and build it has -- this is by far the most polished and solid version of Mint I've used. + +Without disparaging Ubuntu, which is currently hard at work on bringing Linux to places that Mint will likely never go (mobile, tablets, touch screen, etc), Mint 16 with Cinnamon 2.0 is what Ubuntu used to be -- a solid, well-designed, easy-to-use Linux desktop. + +The underlying Ubuntu compatibility makes Mint great for new users -- both the Cinnamon and Mate desktops are closer to the Windows/OS X desktop paradigm than Unity, all the Debian/Ubuntu packages are there, PPAs just work and the Mint community has built up some great help and documentation. It's the desktop Canonical used to make. Perhaps that's a good thing -- it takes some pressure off of Canonical. Mint is there for those who want the old, familiar desktop Linux experience and those who'd like to play with the brave new world of mobile, touch and HUD interfaces, well, Ubuntu has you covered. diff --git a/published/mint17.txt b/published/mint17.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..66b681a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint17.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +The developers behind Linux Mint have released Linux Mint 17, nicknamed "Qiana". + +Like the Ubuntu 14.04 that lies beneath it, Mint 17 is a long term support release with support lasting until 2019. + +Even more interesting, until 2016 all future versions of Linux Mint will use the same package base as Linux Mint 17. That change means easier upgrades, but perhaps even better news for fans of a stable distro is news that "the [Mint] development team won't start working on a new base and will be fully focused on this one." + +That means Mint 18, 19 and 20 will all use Ubuntu 14.04 LTS as a base instead of being based on newer Ubuntu releases that come will in the meantime. It also means that what would be 18, 19, and 20 will actually be 17.2, 17.3 and 17.4. + +Part of the reason for the move to stick with 14.04 is that there are some major changes coming in Ubuntu (from which Mint is derived) which will likely mean some bumpy transitions are coming for downstream projects. The decision to stick with 14.04 will also allow Mint, in the <a href="http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2594">words</a> of Mint lead Clem Lefebvre, "to push innovation on Cinnamon, be more active in the development of MATE, better support Mint tools and engage in projects we've postponed for years... and to have our hands freed to do exciting stuff." + +The bottom line is that Mint 17 isn't just another update to an increasingly popular Linux distro -- some would claim the most popular distro -- this version of Mint will also serve as the base of the entire project for the next two years. + +The good news is that Mint 17 is a great release on which Mint can build a solid base. Of course it remains to be seen whether Mint can get the software updates and backports that users might want and need while remaining with the LTS base. In the mean time though, Mint 17 is off to a great start. + +Mint 17 is available in two different flavors, both of which feature the project's homegrown desktop environments -- MATE and Cinnamon. + +The biggest change in this release for fans of the Cinnamon desktop is the arrival of Cinnamon 2.2, which brings with it a more tightly integrated settings panel, improved hot corners and support for Hi-DPI screens. + +Cinnamon 2.2 as it ships in Mint 17 is a top-tier desktop every bit as stable and reliable as anything coming out of the older KDE, GNOME and Unity camps, which is a remarkable achievement considering just a couple of years ago Mint was nothing more than a Shell Extension for GNOME. Even after that, for many of the early Mint releases I always made sure I had a Bash shortcut to restart Cinnamon because it crashed so often. + +Thankfully that's no longer the case. Cinnamon 2.2 has been rock solid in my testing, without a single crash. This release makes a great alternative desktop for those who prefer a more traditional workspace with familiar elements like a task bar and start menu. + +In this release you'll find the Mint team cleaning up some of the loose ends around the transition away from GNOME, like the revamped settings panel. Now that all the GNOME settings are long gone the Mint team has turned its attention to its own setting panel, which looks much cleaner and is better organized in this release. Some elements within the panel have been rearranged as well so that, for instance, it's easier to figure out what the various options for power management do. + +There have also been some changes to Cinnamon's hot corners and window snapping features. The HUD overlays that let you know a window is about to snap is less intrusive by default. You now have to get much closer to the edge before it shows up. The top left hot corner has been disabled by default in this release because, according the developers, it was often triggered by accident by people who weren't familiar with it. + +The new Hi-DPI monitor support worked as advertised in a virtual machine on my MacBook and puts Mint on par with GNOME Shell when it comes to supporting high-res monitors. + +There are a couple of not so obvious new changes to the window manager that deserve mention. The first is a new option to control what happens when the mouse scroll wheel moves on a window title bar. You can either have it shade and unshade the window or fade the opacity. Both make for a great fast way to see what's under your window without actually changing apps or using alt-tab. + +Cinnamon 2.2 is undoubtedly the flashier and more sophisticated of Mint's two desktop options, but its sibling MATE is definitely worth a look if you miss the days of GNOME 2. MATE began life as an attempt to keep the GNOME 2 style desktop alive and it continues to look the part. + +Mint 17's MATE edition ships with MATE 1.8, which offers a number of small improvements and is also a bit more lightweight than previous releases, making it a good choice for older, less powerful machines. + +Among the new things in Mint 17's MATE 1.8 are options for side-by-side window tiling, an improved image viewer with a new shuffle feature and a quite a few bug fixes for the MintMenu. + +There are also some improvements that apply to both desktops, like the changes to the Update Manager. The Update Manager has a bit more information to offer in this release, with some new icons indicating which updates are security related and which are just package updates. It's useful if for some reason you're bandwidth constrained and just want to get the latest security updates. + +The Update Manager also now tracks all updates, whether they were done through the app, apt-get, aptitude or even directly with gdebi or dpkg. Previously the update history features would only show updates performed by Update Manager. + +Under the hood most of what's new in Mint 17 mirrors what you'll find in Ubuntu 14.04. And both versions of Mint 17 ship with the latest releases of all the common GNOME apps like Firefox, OpenOffice, GIMP, Thunderbird, Banshee, Pidgin and others. + +Mint 17 isn't trying to change the Linux desktop or run on a phone near you. Instead this release offers a rock solid, reliable and familiar desktop Linux experience. If you want something that just works and doesn't ask you to rewire your brain, both flavors of Mint 17 make great desktops. + +That said, it will be interesting to see how the move to stay with 14.04 for two years sits with users. That may mean some apps fall a bit behind; though the Mint team does plan to offer backports for some applications. If that's not to your liking there's always the semi-rolling release version, Mint Linux Debian Edition, which relies on periodic snapshots of Debian as its base. + +If things pan out the way the Mint team is clearly hoping, the move to stick with 14.04 as a base will mean that Mint can do more to improve what makes it unique, namely Cinnamon and MATE. diff --git a/published/mint171-cinn-emblems.jpg b/published/mint171-cinn-emblems.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e232ee2 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint171-cinn-emblems.jpg diff --git a/published/mint171-cinn-two-finger-trackpad.jpg b/published/mint171-cinn-two-finger-trackpad.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5a9bd82 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint171-cinn-two-finger-trackpad.jpg diff --git a/published/mint171-cinn-welcome.jpg b/published/mint171-cinn-welcome.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a92436c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint171-cinn-welcome.jpg diff --git a/published/mint171-mate-compiz.jpg b/published/mint171-mate-compiz.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..67eb117 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint171-mate-compiz.jpg diff --git a/published/mint171-mate-desktop.jpg b/published/mint171-mate-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5a73b94 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint171-mate-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/mint171-mate-kernels.jpg b/published/mint171-mate-kernels.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bccace9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint171-mate-kernels.jpg diff --git a/published/mint171notes.txt b/published/mint171notes.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e55718d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint171notes.txt @@ -0,0 +1,474 @@ +Title: Monthly News – October 2014 +Author: +Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 10:15:35 -0500 +Link: http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2700 + +News: + + * The Cinnamon and MATE editions of Linux Mint 17.1 ‘Rebecca’ passed quality + testing and were approved for an RC release. They should become available + at the end of this week. The MATE edition sports out of the box support for + the Compiz window-manager (which comes pre-installed, pre-configured and + which you can switch to with a click of a button). The Cinnamon edition + features the new Cinnamon 2.4 desktop which features were announced on + Segfault [1]and which an early version of was made available as a preview + in the Romeo section of the Linux Mint 17 repository. All 17.1 editions + (including upcoming KDE and Xfce editions) also feature a huge number of + improvements on tools, system layers, artwork and other aspects which they + have in common. This will be described in detail with their release + announcements. + * The release process hasn’t changed but because a lot of users are new to + Linux and to Linux Mint, I’ll explain it very briefly here. For each + edition there are two releases: The RC (“Release Candidate”) and the Stable + release. Both releases pass quality testing and are fully functional. + However, because the RC is the first release to be publicly available, it + represents the first opportunity for users to find bugs the development + team was not aware of. From experience, I can say this with certitude: + Although we’re usually really happy with the quality of our RCs, we always + do find and fix a lot of bugs after the RC and prior to the Stable release. + In the two weeks which usually separate the two releases, we listen to + feedback, we take notes for the next release and we fix a lot of bugs. In + brief: 17.1 will be out in the days to come, but it’s an RC. You might + think it’s really stable, and maybe it will be, but we encourage people who + want to help us find bugs to try it out and people who are interested in + using it for real to skip it and to wait until the end of the month to get + the Stable release instead. + * If you’re using Linux Mint 17 and you want to upgrade, you do not need a + fresh installation. A short time after the stable release, we’ll make an + upgrade available for you which will be both safe and trivial to perform. + * On the LMDE side, work is continuing on Betsy. Debian Jessie is getting + ever more stable, Cinnamon 2.4 is being ported to it and adapted to + components which Linux Mint doesn’t use (GTK 3.14, Upower 0.99 and + Systemd). This is facilitated of course by the fact that Cinnamon is + cross-distribution and that other distributions already used these + components. + * Many many thanks to all the people who are supporting us and everyone who + contributes in different ways in making Linux Mint better. To the people I + work with on a daily basis, moderators and developers in particular, it’s a + real privilege to be working with you. We get so much done and it’s often + so much fun, it’s really enjoyable. To all the people who donate, and to + our sponsors, thank you for empowering us the way you do. We’ve no issues + or worries getting in the way of development or project focus and that is + thanks to you. To all the people who sent us ideas and are about to send us + feedback… you create what we use to make Mint better release after release. + I look forward to finding out what bugs you’ll uncover in this RC. + +Sponsorships: + +Linux Mint is proudly sponsored by: +Gold Sponsors: Community Sponsors: +[image 3][2] +Silver Sponsors: * Alyx Biologicals B.V. +[image 5][4] * Sam Torno +Bronze Sponsors: * Caturix[22] +[image 7][6] * Charles Rivers +[image 9][8] * Clare Florist[23] +[image 11][10] * david gibson aka “dentist nyc[24]“ +[image 13][12] * fotokasten GmbH[25] +[image 15][14] * IEMS[26] +[image 17][16] * Jeramy Ross +[image 19][18] * John Bayles Pianos[27] +[image 21][20] * Martin del Mazo[28] + * Nikolaj Petersen[29] + * Sascha Reinsch + * SEER Interactive + * sefcom computers + * switchbit[30] + * Tam Le + * Uwe Klosa + + +To become a sponsor or to see the full list of Linux Mint sponsors, please +visit: http://www.linuxmint.com/sponsors.php[31] + +Donations: + +A total of $7269 was raised thanks to the generous contributions of 297 donors: + + * [image 32] $500, Troy B. + * [image 33] $260.24, Nora T. + * [image 34] $130.12, Janne J. H. + * [image 33] $130.12, Robert F. + * [image 35] $100 (4th donation), Peter D. + * [image 32] $100, William M. + * [image 32] $100, Ryan Jardina aka “KF5EKB” + * [image 32] $100, Patrick L. + * [image 36] $100, Omer P. + * [image 37] $100, Davide Monge[38] + * [image 32] $100, Lynn G. + * [image 39] $100, Lucio M. + * [image 32] $100, Dennis F. + * [image 35] $80, Brian M. + * [image 33] $78.07, Tim B. + * [image 33] $65.06, Martin P. + * [image 36] $65.06, Pieter-jan H. + * [image 33] $65.06, Csaba H. + * [image 40] $65.06, Peter B. + * [image 40] $65.06, funk-elektronik HF Communication[41] + * [image 42] $65.06, Rudolf S. + * [image 43] $55.95 (10th donation), Ion B. + * [image 33] $52.05, Holger B. + * [image 35] $52.05, Philip C. + * [image 33] $52.05, Nadja W. + * [image 32] $50 (55th donation), Matthew M. + * [image 44] $50 (6th donation), Yves L. aka “amadeus128″ + * [image 32] $50 (2nd donation), Timothy P. + * [image 32] $50, David S. + * [image 35] $50, Niall M. + * [image 35] $50, S M. S. + * [image 32] $50, Paul M. + * [image 32] $50, Kurt W. + * [image 32] $50, Matthew E. + * [image 32] $50, Stewart H. + * [image 32] $50, Thomas W. + * [image 32] $50, Russel S. + * [image 32] $50, Ricardo C. + * [image 45] $50, Claus F. B. + * [image 32] $50, Paul L. + * [image 39] $50, Niki M. + * [image 35] $45.54, Victoria Holland aka “TheWebaholic[46]“ + * [image 43] $44.24 (9th donation), Ion B. + * [image 47] $40, Adrian B. + * [image 34] $39.04 (56th donation), Olli K. + * [image 48] $39.04 (2nd donation), Michel B. + * [image 33] $39.04, Ingolf T. + * [image 49] $39.04, Bengt V. + * [image 35] $39.04, Robin C. + * [image 35] $39.04, Terence B. + * [image 35] $39.04, Giuliano C. + * [image 33] $39.03, Günter J. + * [image 44] $35 (10th donation), Benoit Frigon aka “bfrigon.com[50]“ + * [image 49] $35, Anton W. + * [image 51] $32.53 (3rd donation), Bjørn J. N. + * [image 35] $32.53, Sophie B. + * [image 33] $32.53, Michael D. + * [image 33] $32.53, Praxis M. Bartscherer[52] + * [image 33] $32.53, Matthias H. + * [image 34] $32.53, Esa H. + * [image 35] $32.12, Norman C. + * [image 47] $30, Brian L. + * [image 53] $30, Jeffrey L. + * [image 32] $30, Serge B. + * [image 32] $30, Richard H. + * [image 45] $30, Torben C. + * [image 32] $30, Gerald C. + * [image 35] $30, Denis U. + * [image 33] $26.02 (2nd donation), Daniel J. + * [image 54] $26.02, Stylianos D. + * [image 33] $26.02, Bernhard W. + * [image 33] $26.02, Henning K. + * [image 33] $26.02, Matus S. + * [image 33] $26.02, Axel S. + * [image 33] $26.02, Stephan G. + * [image 33] $26.02, Klaus M. + * [image 33] $26.02, Markus F. + * [image 33] $26.02, Michael S. + * [image 33] $26.02, Tobias B. + * [image 33] $26.02, Andreas G. + * [image 32] $25 (37th donation), Ronald W. + * [image 32] $25 (2nd donation), John F. S. aka “jfhound[55]“ + * [image 56] $25 (2nd donation), Jan M. + * [image 32] $25 (2nd donation), Myron J. + * [image 32] $25, Ronald P. + * [image 32] $25, James A. + * [image 44] $25, Joe W. + * [image 32] $25, Michael A. + * [image 32] $25, Randall T. + * [image 32] $25, Thomas E. + * [image 57] $25, Noel U. + * [image 32] $25, Nick D. + * [image 32] $25, Oswaldo H. + * [image 32] $25, Stephen H. + * [image 32] $25, David M. + * [image 32] $25, Benjamin W. + * [image 32] $25, Michael C. + * [image 32] $25, James R. + * [image 32] $25, Paul R. + * [image 32] $25, Peter L. + * [image 35] $23 (3rd donation), Geoff_P + * [image 32] $22, Ronald P. + * [image 58] $20 (40th donation), Tsuguo S. + * [image 32] $20 (8th donation), Henry W. + * [image 33] $20 (4th donation), Michael G. + * [image 47] $20 (4th donation), Larry I. + * [image 44] $20 (3rd donation), Feroz E. + * [image 32] $20 (2nd donation), James M. + * [image 44] $20 (2nd donation), François B. + * [image 53] $20 (2nd donation), Michael K. + * [image 32] $20, Toby N. + * [image 32] $20, Matt F. + * [image 32] $20, Mark R. + * [image 35] $20, Raymond B. + * [image 32] $20, Erling D. + * [image 53] $20, Lindsay W. + * [image 45] $20, Torben S. + * [image 32] $20, Scott F. + * [image 35] $20, Frank W. + * [image 59] $20, Yang C. C. + * [image 35] $20, Grahame W. + * [image 32] $20, James F. aka “MiX” + * [image 32] $20, Andres G. + * [image 35] $20, Sam Roberts + * [image 45] $20, Eyvind C. + * [image 37] $19.52 (3rd donation), Giuseppe L. + * [image 33] $19.52, Sergey I. + * [image 36] $19.52, Erik D. + * [image 48] $19.52, Andre C. + * [image 33] $19.52, Alex A. + * [image 32] $15 (3rd donation), Howard B. + * [image 51] $15 (2nd donation), Peter J. H. + * [image 32] $15, David A. + * [image 32] $15, Thomas M. + * [image 59] $15, Thiago P. + * [image 35] $15, Barry L. + * [image 59] $15, Rogerio B. G. R. + * [image 60] $15, Alexander K. aka “SkyWheel” + * [image 32] $15, Manuel O. + * [image 32] $15, Bryan B. + * [image 32] $15, David T. + * [image 33] $13.37, Thumay K. A. + * [image 37] $13.01 (20th donation), Marco Rossi aka “Marco Rossi[61]“ + * [image 62] $13.01 (14th donation), Raymond E. + * [image 34] $13.01 (3rd donation), Kari Y. + * [image 33] $13.01 (3rd donation), Jens G. + * [image 36] $13.01 (3rd donation), Luca R. + * [image 34] $13.01, Olli T. R. + * [image 33] $13.01, Mehl C. H. + * [image 49] $13.01, Kimmy L. E. + * [image 49] $13.01, Rolf B. + * [image 33] $13.01, Christian M. + * [image 37] $13.01, Diego Z. + * [image 63] $13.01, Annemiek V. D. L. + * [image 37] $13.01, Eugenio D. G. aka “Giunillo” + * [image 48] $13.01, Pierre-marie R. + * [image 48] $13.01, Andre L. + * [image 35] $13.01, Graeme H. + * [image 36] $13.01, Jozef K. + * [image 40] $13.01, Siegfried T. + * [image 42] $13.01, Hugo T. P. aka “Hugo” + * [image 45] $13.01, Thorkild Z. + * [image 35] $13.01, Martyn Sudworth aka “Prof[64]“ + * [image 33] $13.01, Michael H. + * [image 42] $13.01, Jose R. S. T. + * [image 48] $13.01, Luis D. R. + * [image 37] $13.01, Marco C. + * [image 37] $13.01, Andrea C. + * [image 33] $13.01, Anton C. + * [image 63] $13.01, Ruerd V. + * [image 48] $13.01, Matthieu D. + * [image 48] $13.01, Lionel aka “Kinobi[65]“ + * [image 42] $13.01, Marc O. G. aka “moginn[66]“ + * [image 48] $13.01, Jean-claude M. + * [image 67] $13.01, Matúš L. + * [image 33] $13.01, Eduard S. + * [image 33] $13.01, Christoph A. + * [image 68] $11.71, Michał O. + * [image 43] $11, Iulius-ioan C. + * [image 68] $10.41, Bartosz P. + * [image 32] $10.14 (7th donation), Michelle and Daniel Grady aka “Pug + Masters” + * [image 32] $10 (43th donation), Tony C. aka “S. LaRocca” + * [image 32] $10 (9th donation), Randy R. aka “MonkeyMint” + * [image 69] $10 (8th donation), Mark C. + * [image 69] $10 (7th donation), Mark C. + * [image 32] $10 (4th donation), Srikanth B. + * [image 60] $10 (3rd donation), Kulistov V. aka “Q_List” + * [image 70] $10 (3rd donation), Attila K. + * [image 59] $10 (2nd donation), Helton B. T. P. J. + * [image 60] $10 (2nd donation), Dmitry aka “Corpsee[71]“ + * [image 35] $10 (2nd donation), David W. + * [image 32] $10 (2nd donation), Ryan Brown aka “rbrown87″ + * [image 32] $10 (2nd donation), Jim Walker[72] + * [image 32] $10, Mark N. + * [image 73] $10, Agustín K. + * [image 35] $10, Bryan P. + * [image 32] $10, David R. + * [image 44] $10, Mathieu C. + * [image 32] $10, Michel P. + * [image 32] $10, Doug A. + * [image 32] $10, Purrivacy[74] + * [image 49] $10, Erland Ö. + * [image 32] $10, Crispin E. + * [image 35] $10, Nicholas P. + * [image 75] $10, Manuel B. + * [image 76] $10, Joshua I. James[77] + * [image 35] $10, Eric O. + * [image 58] $10, Iriyama T. + * [image 32] $10, Richard M. B. + * [image 37] $10, Morganti F. + * [image 53] $10, Viktor V. + * [image 59] $10, Sebastião A. + * [image 44] $10, Luc C. + * [image 32] $10, Jonathan H. + * [image 78] $10, Cesar R. + * [image 35] $10, Gerwyn M. + * [image 79] $10, Julio A. J. F. + * [image 56] $10, Florin H. + * [image 44] $10, David H. + * [image 32] $10, Duong L. + * [image 44] $10, Boshra N. + * [image 32] $10, Laurencio G. + * [image 44] $10, Gary W. + * [image 32] $9.99, Jeff C. aka “Johnnydollar2″ + * [image 35] $9.11 (2nd donation), Don W. + * [image 80] $7.81, Dejan G. + * [image 35] $6.51 (14th donation), Mark W. + * [image 48] $6.51 (3rd donation), Christian L. + * [image 48] $6.51 (2nd donation), Soutarson P. + * [image 37] $6.51 (2nd donation), Michele A. + * [image 81] $6.51, Tomislav Skarda aka “tskarda[82]“ + * [image 33] $6.51, Alfons B. + * [image 33] $6.51, Stefan G. + * [image 37] $6.51, Raffaele F. + * [image 35] $6.51, David S. + * [image 48] $6.51, Benjamin T. + * [image 35] $6.51, Hefin Squires aka “HRS” + * [image 37] $6.51, Fabio B. + * [image 54] $6.51, Stavros T. + * [image 81] $6.51, Marko R. + * [image 42] $6.51, Diego D. L. F. M. + * [image 37] $6.51, Alberto F. + * [image 83] $6.51, Aleš M. + * [image 54] $6.51, Melsi H. + * [image 33] $6.5, Dawid W. + * [image 33] $6.5, Jens L. + * [image 39] $5 (16th donation), Mein Lenovo aka “LinuxMint[84]“ + * [image 39] $5 (15th donation), Mein Lenovo aka “LinuxMint[84]“ + * [image 59] $5 (3rd donation), William Menezes + * [image 32] $5 (3rd donation), Kevin P. + * [image 85] $5 (2nd donation), Farly FD + * [image 60] $5 (2nd donation), Chetverikov K. + * [image 32] $5, Harold F. + * [image 32] $5, aka “AppHaC[86]“ + * [image 45] $5, Peter N. + * [image 32] $5, Matthew M. + * [image 32] $5, Daniel H. + * [image 35] $5, Tony G. + * [image 80] $5, Andjelko S. + * [image 32] $5, Steve S. + * [image 32] $5, Andrew R. + * [image 35] $5, Sean M. + * [image 32] $5, Marion D. + * [image 32] $5, Catherine A. + * [image 87] $5, Yusuf + * [image 37] $5, Andrea V.[88] + * [image 32] $5, Benjamin E. + * [image 89] $5, Yec R. + * [image 32] $5, Jarritt C. + * [image 32] $5, Jack C. + * [image 60] $5, Postolov D. + * [image 32] $4.99, Michael M. + * [image 35] $3.5, Samuel Bownas aka “Bingo Baggins[90]“ + * [image 32] $3, Daniel G. + * [image 32] $3, Jay W. + * [image 91] $3, Kevin M.[92] + * [image 37] $2.6, Gianluigi Caputo aka “Gigi[93]“ + * [image 49] $2.5 (4th donation), Anton + * [image 49] $2.5 (3rd donation), Anton + * [image 49] $2.5 (2nd donation), Anton + * [image 87] $17.2 from 17 smaller donations + +If you want to help Linux Mint with a donation, please visit +http://www.linuxmint.com/donors.php[94] + +Rankings: + + * Distrowatch (popularity ranking): 2471 (1st) + * Alexa (website ranking): 6747th + + +Links: +[1]: http://segfault.linuxmint.com/2014/11/cinnamon-2-4/ (link) +[2]: https://www.eukhost.com/vps-hosting/linux.php (link) +[3]: http://linuxmint.com/img/sponsor/logos/216.gif (image) +[4]: http://linuxmint.thinkpenguin.com/ (link) +[5]: http://linuxmint.com/img/sponsor/logos/431.jpg (image) +[6]: http://www.vaultnetworks.com (link) +[7]: 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is first Linux Mint release that sticks with the same Ubuntu base system that Mint used the last time around in Mint 17, released in May of this year. + +While Mint's underpinnings remain unchanged -- Mint 17 is still built off Ubuntu 14.04 -- both of Mint's popular desktops have seen major updates that make Mint 17.1 a welcome upgrade for Mint fans. + +Linux Mint 17.1 is the first example of what the Linux Mint team can do when they're focused on their own system and components rather than busy making the latest Ubuntu release work with Mint. + +Mint's flagship Cinnamon desktop, which is fast becoming the best desktop in Linux, has been updated to Cinnamon 2.4 in this release. Cinnamon 2.4 does not have any revolutionary new features, but it does polish, refine and, perhaps most noticeably, speed up the Cinnamon experience. + +The polish and attention to details can be seen from the very first time you launch Cinnamon 2.4, which will greet you with a new zooming animation and startup found reminiscent of GNOME 3. It's a small thing, but it helps establish a more refined feel for Cinnamon right from the start. + +Much of the work in Cinnamon 2.4 went into speeding things up and reducing the memory usage. According to the Mint team, all the underlying source code was evaluated and some 30 small memory leaks were found and fixed. The result is a speedier, less resource intensive desktop that works even better on older and less powerful hardware. + +Speaking of hardware there are a couple small changes that are good news for anyone trying to run Mint on a Mac laptop -- Mint 17.1 features support for single button trackpads. Even better there's a nice new section in the Settings >> Mouse and Touchpad panel which makes it easy to configure which actions apply to 2-finger and 3-finger clicks (by default it's right and middle click respectively). + +Nemo, Cinnamon's default file browser application also gets some love in this release. Of particular interest is the new option to change folder colors and add what Mint calls "emblems" to folders. Emblems are best thought of as little sub-icons that sit atop the folder icon, for example the little filmstrip icon that sits atop the Videos folder by default. + +The emblems and color options are also visible in the Nemo sidebar and make it a little easier to find the folder you want at a glance. Regrettably the colors and emblems are not visible in application open/save dialogs, where they would also be helpful. + +The Cinnamon Settings app has been refined a bit in this release, with a few new options including a new Notification Settings pane, Privacy Settings pane (to control how long "Recent Files" dialogs store their data) and more. The revamped Background Settings pane now supports background slide shows, and the Theme settings have been completely redone. The overall settings view also now lists panes in alphabetical order within each category. + +Cinnamon 2.4 is also chock full of small, but welcome new features and updates, like a configurable desktop font, custom fonts and dates in the screen saver, multiple panel launchers, sound applet improvements, a new default keyboard shortcut Super+e which opens up the home directory (a la Windows) and of course a lot of bug fixes. + +It's worth noting that changes in Cinnamon 2.4's core components mean that any keyboard shortcuts and customizations you have made will not migrate. There's a script included with the update that can make the migration for you, but you'll need to run it by hand. See Linux Mint's Segfault blog for <a href="http://segfault.linuxmint.com/2014/11/cinnamon-2-4/">more details</a> on how to do that. + +The other face of Mint 17.1 is the MATE desktop, which is now at MATE 1.8. + +MATE has always taken a backseat to Cinnamon when it comes to desktop eye candy, often being touted as a good choice for older hardware or those who crave the GNOME 2.x experience. That changes with this release though. MATE 1.8 now includes the Compiz Window Manager right out of the box. It's not the default, that remains MATE's own Marco windows manager, which is still simple, lightweight and under-powered-hardware-friendly, but a single click will switch to Compiz. + +With Compiz readily available it's now pretty easy to trick out MATE and get something much closer to the visual splash of Cinnamon. If you've been missing the once-ubiquitous rotating cube animation from the Compiz/GNOME 2.x days, MATE in Mint 17.1 is the easiest way I've seen to bring it back. Should you tire of rotating cubes, you can use MATE's "Desktop Settings" pane, to switch back and forth between the two window managers. + +Mint continues to refine its already excellent Update Manager. The Update Manager in Mint 17.1 MATE now groups packages together according to their source package. That means that a line in the Update Manager now represents a software update, which itself might consist of several individual package updates. For example, if LibreOffice had 20 package updates, they would all be grouped as a single entry you can choose to update or not. The idea here is to prevent you from applying incomplete updates, which is nice, though not a problem I've ever actually encountered in my time using Mint or Ubuntu. + +What I like even more in MATE's Update Manager is the kernel selection screen, which has been redesigned to quickly let you review known security fixes and known regressions in kernel updates. + +Speaking of the kernel, Linux Mint 17.1 features the Linux kernel v3.13. That's a bit behind most distros, but again, Mint is sticking with an Ubuntu 14.04 base so some things will not be at the latest and greatest. + +The default Mint theme, common to both desktops and known as Mint-X has been updated for this release as well. The most noticeable change is the new font. Mint now uses Google's Noto font family thoughout by default. Noto looks pretty similar to the old font, but has much better language support (the main goal behind Noto is in fact to "support all the world’s languages", which makes it a good choice for anything with a wide variety of translations). + +This release also sees package updates for most of Mint's default software -- something many were worried would not happen given the Ubuntu 14.04 base. But Mint 17.1 ships with the latest stable versions of Firefox, OpenOffice, VLC and other common desktop software. + +Because Mint 17.1 is still based on the same LTS release of Ubuntu as Mint 17, 17.1 is also a long term support release with security updates coming until 2019. + +Sticking with the Ubuntu base means it should be trivial to upgrade from Mint 17. The Mint blog promises that an update process will be available shortly after the final release (as of the RC release I tested there was not an easy way to upgrade). + +Having tested the latest releases of most major Linux distros in the past two months -- Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, Elementary and Mint -- Mint 17.1 with Cinnamon 2.4 is hands down the best of the bunch. With a desktop that's fast, elegant and user friendly, a stable base and the extensive package system Ubuntu is famous for, Mint is the best of several worlds. + +Being a bigger fan of Debian and Ubuntu, I'm looking forward to Linux Mint Debian Edition, which will soon be pushing out a release based on Debian Jessie. Until then, I'll be using Linux Mint 17.1. diff --git a/published/mint172-review.txt b/published/mint172-review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..52550ed --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mint172-review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,54 @@ +The Linux Mint project has released Linux Mint 17.2, nicknamed "Rafaela". + +This is the second major update for the 17.x series, which continues to use Ubuntu 14.04 as the base system. The underlying packages in this release are largely unchanged, what you'll find instead is a lot of improvements and added polish in everyday tools like the update manager, login screen and the Software Sources app. + +Sticking with the Ubuntu 14.04 base has given Linux Mint developers the opportunity to focus their time and effort on the aspects of Mint that make it unique. Much of that focus has been on the project's two desktops, Cinnamon and MATE. Indeed it's the updates to both desktops that make Linux Mint 17.2 well worth the upgrade. + +Linux Mint seems to be one of the few distros out there to have taken the old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," to heart and the results are fast making it one of the most popular distros around. + +Part of the reason for Mint's popularity lies in its excellent desktops, the stripped down, GNOME 2.x inspired MATE and the somewhat fancier, but still traditional desktop, Cinnamon. Both of Linux Mint's primary desktops stick with the traditional desktop paradigm -- panels with applets, a start menu and system tray -- making them popular with users not interested in "modern" desktops like Unity and GNOME Shell. + +Both Cinnamon and MATE have seen major updates in Mint 17.2. + +The Cinnamon version of Linux Mint 17.2, ships with the brand new Cinnamon 2.6. Cinnamon 2.6 is a major update that builds on the previous release while adding improved support for dual monitors, better panels and some speed improvements that will make your desktop experience a bit snappier. + +In recent months Cinnamon has proved something more than just a Linux Mint desktop. It's now available in half a dozen distros and, while Linux Mint is still the only distro to use it by default, Fedora and Debian have added Cinnamon to their installers. For a complete look at everything that's new in Cinnamon 2.6, see my <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/16/cinnamon_2_6_review/">earlier review</a>. + +Cinnamon 2.6 in Linux Mint 17.2 manages to offer a desktop experience that's both familiar and yet feels modern. + +Linux Mint's other desktop, MATE, has also been the focus of numerous updates and improvements in this release. Mint 17.2 ships with MATE 1.10, which is notable for its speed and memory use improvements, most of which come out of a code analysis designed to track down and fix the problems. MATE has always been a lightweight, snappy desktop and I didn't notice much of a speed improvement, but it did use slightly less RAM in my testing. + +Another nice under the hood change is a new audio library by the name of libmatemixer. You won't notice it exactly, but it does mean that MATE can now take full advantage of mixer functionality and will automatically detect and support PulseAudio, ALSA and OSS. + +MATE has a few other minor improvements like the ability to enable or disable extensions in Caja (the default file manager in MATE) at runtime (no need to restart MATE for changes to take effect). The help and documentation tools are now available within the desktop and Linux Mint has started a "papercut" project for MATE designed to fix many small issues and port some of the Cinnamon new features into MATE. The results of that project should start to trickle in with point updates as the 17.2 release cycle progresses. + +There are also some improvements in this release to Mint-specific tools that are used in both desktops like the Update Manager and Login Screen. + +Mint 17.2 continues to improve the already very nice, surprisingly readable, Update Manager. This release adds support for package aliases, which means that, for example, that a package like "muffin" can be displayed as "cinnamon-muffin" so that it appears along side other Cinnamon updates. This makes it easier to scan through your updates and see what's happening to various aspects of the system all in one spot. Even if you don't bother to read up on what "muffin" does, at least you know it's part of Cinnamon and if the desktop suddenly starts acting wonky after an update you know where to start troubleshooting. + +There's also a new apt command available in this release, "apt recommends" will show you all the missing recommended packages for a particular package. For example, if you want to install Calibre, you'd type "apt recommends calibre" and see what else you'll need to install. + +Another nice little change is the ability to hide the Update Manager system tray icon when no updates are available, if, perchance, this really bothered you the way it did me. + +The related Software Sources configuration tool also has a new feature that lets you open PPA archives and browse their packages. You no longer need to switch to another tool to install what you were looking for. + +Software Sources also now has a tool to list "foreign packages" and to downgrade them. What Mint refers to as a "foreign package" is a package where the origin or version is unknown and which doesn't match what is available in repositories known by your operation system. In other words you downloaded and installed something. It's now much easier to purge these packages from your system and to roll back to older versions. For example, if you enable Mint's testing repos to experiment with something and then change your mind, it's much easier to go back to what you had. + +While the base package system remains Ubuntu 14.04, there are some application updates, like LibreOffice 4.4.3 and Inkscape .91. For more on what's new in the Inkscape update, see my full <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/19/inkscape_review/">Inkscape review</a>. One thing you won't find here is systemd, though your reprieve is short-lived since that will be coming when Mint updates to 16.04 as a base next year. + +There are numerous minor improvements to tools like the USB Writer, support for more HP printers, improved bash command completion and some improvements to the login manager. And of course Linux Mint 17.2 features the usual slew of wallpaper updates. + +Mint has historically had a rocky upgrade process. It's almost always been easier to do a clean install of the system than to try to upgrade from say, Mint 16 to 17. In Mint's defense, a clean install is always the safer way to upgrade a system (and another reason to have a separate partition for /home), but it did make upgrading a pain. + +Thankfully this is not the case with Mint 17.2 because the underlying packages from Ubuntu have not changed. You can update to Mint 17.2 directly from Update Manager. That will continue to be true for the rest of the 17.x release cycle (which will last through Ubuntu 16.04, due in April 2016). + +And indeed you should upgrade. Given that it's easy and painless to update, combined with all the improvements in this release, Linux Mint 17.2 is well worth it. This is exactly the kind of user-focused release that solves small, everyday problems while leaving the rest of the system alone. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. + + +Scrennshots: + +lm172-cinn-desktop.png - Cinnamon 2.6 in Linux Mint 17.2. +lm172-cinn-panel.png - Among the changes in Cinnamon 2.6 is the ability to move the panel, or, if you like, add two. +lm172-cinn-software-sources.png The Software Sources app makes it easier to manage PPAs. +lm172-mate-desktop-panel.png Linux Mint 17.2 MATE, looking more like Cinnamon every day. +lm172-mate-update-manager.png Linux Mint 17.2's revamped Update Manager. diff --git a/published/mintreview.txt b/published/mintreview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..69e763b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/mintreview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@ +If the jump from the GNOME 2 desktop to the new GNOME Shell or Unity desktop has left you feeling dissatisfied, one increasingly popular Linux distribution just might offer something that turns out the be the best of both worlds -- Mint Linux. + +Originally created as a spinoff of Ubuntu, Mint Linux has long since come into its own and offers a number of advantages over other distros, including a desktop that dares to stay firmly in the Middle Earth of the ongoing desktop holy wars. + +Mint 12 manages to take what's good about GNOME Shell, and also keep what was great about GNOME 2. The result is not, surprisingly, a Frankendesktop of horrendous proportions, but something quite usable. + +Before diving into the latest Mint release it's worth noting that there are two flavors of Mint Linux, the Ubuntu-based distro we'll be talking about here and the direct Debian descendant which uses a rolling release schedule. Both are worth checking out, but this review is limited to the primary Ubuntu derived version of Mint. + +If you're switching from another GNOME-based Linux distro Mint 12 will look familiar at first glance. It's one part GNOME 2, with menubars and tray icons, and one part GNOME 3, with a modified variant of the Shell interface nicely skinned to match Mint's default theme. Indeed Mint 12 manages to use GNOME 3 and still look more like the familiar old GNOME 2. Most of the magic happens through what are known as the Mint GNOME Shell Extensions, which add back some missing GNOME 2 features -- namely a bottom panel, an applications menu and a usable window list. There's even an option to switch between open windows, not just applications, if you prefer that model. + +Part of the reason behind Mint's rise in popularity is its ability to take GNOME 3 and do what no other distro has really managed to do -- make it better than the stock version. In a way, what Mint has done is create a new Ubuntu. That is, Mint has customized elements that every distro uses but in doing so made the complete package greater than the sum of its parts. + +Of course Mint 12 doesn't stop with its GNOME Shell customizations. It also includes <a href="http://matsusoft.com.ar/projects/mate/">MATE</a>, a fork of GNOME 2. MATE is still new and in my testing less than totally stable. Still, for those that really want to stick with GNOME 2, MATE may well be the answer. However, while MATE may help GNOME 2 live on, it's not for everyone. + +Despite having two GNOME 3 Shell alternatives already available, Mint plans to offer a third, far more ambitious option in the form of its coming Cinnamon desktop. + +Mint's Cinnamon is a fork of the GNOME Shell that uses Mutter and Gnome 3 to create a hybrid desktop that aims to use the best of both GNOME worlds. Cinnamon is available now (and not limited to Mint; it will work with Ubuntu 11.10, Fedora 16, OpenSUSE 12.1 and Arch Linux as well), though it is still in the very early stage and doesn't ship with Mint 12. + +Fortunately it's easy to install on your own. And although Cinnamon is rough around the edges at the moment, the Mint developers plan to make it the primary development desktop in the future, eventually replacing the GNOME Shell and the Mint GNOME Shell Extensions as the default option in Mint. + +As good as Mint 12 is at this stage and as bright as its future currently looks, it's not without problems. Nice as some of Mint's interface customizations are on the surface they sometimes they lack the finishing polish you might find in, for example, Ubuntu. Varying fonts in dialog boxes and occasional display glitches are examples in the current release. + +Another source of contention for some users is that Mint ships with proprietary multimedia codecs already installed. Most people install them anyway, but that doesn't change the fact that it's technically illegal in many countries. It's one thing if users install such codecs on their own (assuming any legal risk themselves), it's another thing if the distro includes them, possibly without the user even being aware that they're there. If you live in a country that allows software patents, be sure to grab the USA-Japan Edition of Mint which does not contain any multimedia support. + +Part of the beauty (and complexity) of Linux is choice -- there's something for everybody. While popular choices like Ubuntu or Fedora may garner most of the attention, options like Mint continue to exist and even thrive. + +As it stands Linux Mint 12 offers one of the best out-of-the-box experiences of GNOME 3 that you could hope for. Assuming the Mint developers can bring that same level of quality to Cinnamon Mint's future looks bright as well. It might not yet have the widespread recognition that Ubuntu enjoys, but Mint is well on it's way and grabbing more converts every day. + + diff --git a/published/music-notation.txt b/published/music-notation.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..17bd19a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/music-notation.txt @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +Music notation may soon be a standardized part of web. + +It might seem odd that one of the world's oldest and most successful "standards" -- so standard in fact that western musical notation is simply called standard notation -- does not yet have a standard way to be displayed on the web. + +There's a new community group set up at the W3C -- the group that's charged with creating web standards -- that hopes to change that. + +The Music Notation Community Group, formed earlier this year by representatives from some of the biggest names in the music notation software business, wants to create a standardized way to display western music notation in your browser. + +The group is off to a strong start, but don't look for the W3C to endorse MusicXML, as the proposed standard is known, any time soon. Community groups like the Music Notation group are not officially part of the W3C, so the W3C has not yet endorsed the group's efforts. The community groups are more of a starting point. That said, other community groups like the Responsive Images Community Group have managed to get their standards not only written but adopted by web browsers. + +It remains to be seen if the new Music Notation Community Group will see the same sort of success, but it does boast members from some of the biggest companies in musical notation business, including MakeMusic, which is <a href="http://www.musicxml.com/makemusic-transfers-musicxml-development-to-w3c/">transferring</a> the ownership of its MusicXML interchange format to the group. + +The MusicXML format is already a de facto standard. According to MakeMusic, "it has been adopted by well over 200 applications, including nearly all the major web, desktop, and mobile notation programs." If you've ever used SoundSlice you've likely seen MusicXML in action. SoundSlice even offers an amazing (and free) <a href="https://www.soundslice.com/musicxml-viewer/">MusicXML Viewer</a>. + +SoundSlice's viewer shows what you can already do with MusicXML, HTML5 and JavaScript. + +The Music Notation Community Group wants to make MusicXML a standard so that more apps like SoundSlice's viewer can be developed against a common underlying standard. + +But standardizing the XML format and markup is only half the problem of getting standard notation online. The other half of the problem is displaying the actual notes in the browser. + +Getting the notes on your screen requires extending Unicode with something the Steinberg company created, dubbed Standard Music Font Layout or SMuFL, for short. No, it's not a long lost Smurf relative, it's a specification that describes how note symbols get mapped to codes within a score. SMuFL was created by Daniel Spreadbury, now at Steinberg, which has transferred governance of SMuFL to the new W3C Music Notation Community Group. + +The task before the community group is to get the rest of the music community involved and on board with these de facto standards and turn them into real standards. As community group leader Michael Good writes in an <a href="https://www.w3.org/community/music-notation/2015/07/27/introducing-the-music-notation-community-group/">introductory post</a>, "while some standards organizations have attempted to create new formats from scratch without leveraging the traction gained by existing formats, this group’s aim is to evolve standards that have actually taken root in the software community." + +It's true that standards which "pave the cow paths" tend to be more successful than those which attempt to create something out of thin air. For example, the current state of offline storage in browsers is a mess largely because the first attempts at standards solved problems no one actually had, while ignoring problems that needed solutions. + +At the same time when the cow paths are coming exclusively from large corporations within the surrounding industry there's always the chance that the cow paths serve those entities more than the developers and musicians who will end up using the standards. + +When the group first launched earlier this summer, it put out a <a href="https://www.w3.org/community/music-notation/2015/07/27/call-for-participation-in-music-notation-community-group/">call</a> for "a broad range of users engaging in music-related activities involving notation" to join. And indeed they have. Scanning through the group's <a href="https://www.w3.org/community/music-notation/wiki/Contributors">current membership</a> you'll find software developers, music publishers, composers, performers and music scholars. + +What remains now is to take what the companies have already created and re-work it until it fits with what users, and by extension, the open web, need. + +That's no small task. Support for sheet music on the web won't be arriving in the latest builds of Chrome any time soon (though as Soundslice's music notation player shows, standard or not, it is possible to create some amazing tools today). The group also has not thus far addressed anything beyond western musical notation, which, while widely used is far from the only musical notation out there. Any truly broad reaching standard will eventually need to expand to handle other forms of musical notation. + +Still the Music Notation Community Group appears to be headed in the right direction and, if it can find support in the broader W3C community the way the Responsive Image Community Group eventually did, it may well be the first step in bring the universal language to the universal web. + + + diff --git a/published/nuopensuse-3.jpg b/published/nuopensuse-3.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..54a1cb5 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/nuopensuse-3.jpg diff --git a/published/oo31.txt b/published/oo31.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..66cc34a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/oo31.txt @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@ +OpenOffice.org remains the most popular open source answer to Microsoft's ubiquitous Office Suite, and in these recessionary times, the appeal of free (as in beer) software is stronger than ever for struggling businesses and average users as well. + +While many home users are already heeding the siren call of online offices suites from Google or Zoho, which offer free, ubiquitous-access and most of the important features found in their desktop brethren, business users remain (rightfully) suspicious of handing their software over to the clouds. + +The answer for many is OpenOffice.org, which has just released version 3.1, here to save your company from the expensive clutches of the Microsoft, without requiring the leap of cloud-faith that online office suites require. + +The good news is that OpenOffice 3.1 meets the most important criteria of any software upgrade -- it's considerably snappier than its predecessor. + +Ordinary tasks like opening new documents, inserting charts, filtering database records and more were all quite a bit quicker than what we were used to under version 3.0. + +Of course that isn't to say that OpenOffice is suddenly a blazing fast application, it isn't, and it probably never will be, but at least there are some performance improvements. While upgrading from 3.0 to 3.1 won't offer the sort of speed boost that blows you away, if you spend your days working in OpenOffice, you'll definitely appreciate the improvement. + +As for new features, the big news in OpenOffice 3.1 is the much-improved graphics handling, an area where OpenOffice has long lagged behind its rivals. Thanks to some new anti-aliasing tools in 3.1, graphics in OpenOffice no longer have jagged edges and instead charts and the like now look much more refined. + +The anti-alias support extends to lines, circles, and charts and works across the suite in Calc, Draw, Impress, and Writer. It was a long time coming (the groundwork for anti-aliasing started over five years ago), but now that it has arrived, OpenOffice.org graphics finally look every bit as good as the competition. + +Also new is the ability to see a live preview when dragging objects within a document. In other words, rather than a simple dotted outline of the object, you now get a translucent image of the actual shape, making it considerably easier to position objects in a complex page layout. + +Another noteworthy improvement is the ability to reply to any notes that collaborators or editors have left. OpenOffice.org 3.0 introduced the ability to leave notes in the margin of documents, and 3.1 builds on that, offering collaborators a way to carry on discussions via the new reply feature. + +Much like replying to an e-mail, selected text appears as a quote in your reply and tracking what's being said is actually quite easy. Given that collaborative group editing is one of the selling points for online office suites, it's nice to see that OpenOffice is moving in similar directions. + +The latest release also has some smaller new features like translucent selections in Writer, grammar checking improvements, the ability to "overline" (like underlining, but, uh, over a word), Macros in Base in quite a few more. Have a look at the release notes for a complete list. + +While the new features are found across platforms, the Mac OS X flavor is considerably newer than the rest and still a bit rough around the edges. Mac users finally got a native version of OpenOffice with last year's 3.0 release. And while 3.1 for Mac OS X, has the anti-aliasing and other new features of its Windows and Linux brethren, it isn't any closer to looking and behaving like a Mac OS X app, something that may put some users off. + +The Mac OS X variant also failed to offer much of a speed increase. Also missing in the developer build we tested was any sign of the planned WebDAV features or multi-touch trackpad support for the newer Apple MacBooks. + +So should you upgrade? That depends, Windows users looking forward to the performance gain and some nice collaboration improvements will be happy with the update, but for Linux users it's probably not worth the effort to upgrade ahead of your distro.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/openoffice.txt b/published/openoffice.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9cf2baa --- /dev/null +++ b/published/openoffice.txt @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +OpenOffice.org 3.2 is now available for download. The latest version of the office suite -- which is a free, open-source alternative to Microsoft Office -- boasts faster start-up times and built in support for Microsoft's Office 2007 file formats. + +OpenOffice.org 3.2 is <a href="http://download.openoffice.org/">available for Mac, Windows and Linux</a>. + +The big news in this release is full compatibility with files created by Microsoft's Office 2007. Indeed, if you've ever tried opening or converting .docx and other MS Office 2007 file formats outside of Office 2007 itself, you've likely pounded your head against more than a few walls -- downloading plugins or struggling with online conversion services. + +For most users those hassles should be a thing of the past -- OpenOffice.org 3.2 supports all the Office 2007 formats out of the box. That said, the conversion process still isn't completely perfect, especially if you're trying for pixel-perfect document formatting or, in our testing, spreadsheets with complicated equation cells. + +Of course it's hard to be too excited about the new conversion tools given that they arrive three years after Office 2007 hit the shelves. If your business had a mission critical need to work with Microsoft's formats we sincerely hope you weren't holding your breath for OpenOffice.org to come through for you. + +Is it fair to give an open source project a hard time for taking three years to reverse engineer a document format more or less invented to make OpenOffice.org's life more complicated? Well, no, but in the real world MS Office is, for better or worse, the moving target OpenOffice.org is aiming for and, in this case, taking quite a while to hit. + +Also on the document support front, OpenOffice.org 3.2 boasts improved compliance with Open Document Format (ODF) 1.2 standards as well as the ability to open password-protected Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. + +Given that Microsoft's preview release of Office 2010 offers support for ODF files there's some small chance that OpenOffice.org might actually have an easier time integrating with MS Office in the future. + +The latest version of OpenOffice.org isn't all about format wars though. Even if file formats mean nothing to you, OpenOffice.org 3.2 makes a worthwhile update for the considerable speed boost -- especially in start up times. + +In fact, we no longer had time to grab fresh cup of coffee while OpenOffice.org started up. No, we double clicked the icon and just like that OpenOffice.org was ready to go. Also, while the release notes don't tout it as much as the startup times, we found most of the apps to be somewhat snappier in general usage as well. The one exception seemed to be the database application, which felt sluggish in comparison (particularly with large database files). + +After the speed and file format improvements, the OpenOffice.org release notes get very technical, very quickly. The gory details can be found on the OpenOffice.org site, but suffice to say that the Calc tool (spreadsheet app) has received quite a a few improvements -- like better copy and paste features -- and the rest of the apps see minor updates and bug fixes as well. + +However, what's perhaps most significant about this release may have nothing to do with the improved apps at all -- this will be last release before OpenOffice.org moves to its new owner Oracle, which purchased Sun Microsystems last month. + +Oracle has pledged to continue OpenOffice.org and plans to keep the entire Sun team on hand, running OpenOffice.org as an independent business unit. Of course Oracle clearly sees the online office suite as the future and plans to launch Oracle Cloud Office at some point. Whether that means OpenOffice.org will suffer neglect remains to be seen. + +It would be nice to see Oracle do for OpenOffice.org what Microsoft is trying to do for MS Office -- integrate an online component -- but do it without creating a massive vendor lock-in scheme. + +Some might argue that the future of office suites is all online -- solutions like Google Docs or Zoho will one day be the norm, but while document storage in the cloud is all well and good, editing documents in a browser is still nowhere near as pleasant or powerful as with dedicated software. + +If Oracle can take OpenOffice.org, integrate it with Oracle Cloud Office and provide a first-rate connect-anywhere, edit-anywhere office suite, it might have finally found something that can break Microsoft's stronghold on business productivity tools.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/opensolaris.txt b/published/opensolaris.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..46c6b08 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensolaris.txt @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +Sun has made good on its promise to deliver OpenSolaris, the company's Unix-based answer to Linux, with the most recent update arriving in mid-May. Although far from a complete product, the latest OpenSolaris is impressive and in the long run could prove a viable alternative to Linux. + +Part of OpenSolaris' appeal is that it contains a subset of the source code for the Solaris Operating System, but with an open source license. Among the familiar Sun features are the enviable DTrace tuning and monitoring tool and the ever-impressive ZFS filesystem, neither of which are likely to make it to Linux due to licensing conflicts. + +On the other hand, larger Linux efforts like Debian (which is the basis of Ubuntu) have an impressive range of open source software packages which, so far, OpenSolaris can't match. + +However, given that OpenSolaris can potentially expand its package support far more easily than Linux can start shipping a DTrace equivalent, OpenSolaris may prove a powerful competitor in the years to come. + +As it stands we wouldn't recommend OpenSolaris to the casual user; there's enough gotchas and quirks to make running OpenSolaris a bit more of a headache than Linux (of course that largely depends on your hardware). + +Still, given that much of OpenSolaris' potential audience are developers interested in its underlying tools like Dtrace or "containers," we wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for advanced users. Just beware that the hardware driver support is nowhere near that of Linux rivals. + +Back when OpenSolaris was first released, <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/16/solaris_x86_not_too_shabby/">we found its device driver support lacking</a> and unfortunately not much has changed on that front. OpenSolaris had trouble with our Thinkpad T61 Wifi drivers and did no better with an older Toshiba laptop. The only successful connection we managed to get was from OpenSolaris running in VMWare on a MacBook. + +Some things have improved since the initial release though -- most notably the installer. Installing OpenSolaris is as easy as mainstream Linux distros -- just pop in a live CD and select the install option. OpenSolaris will then walk you through the setup and reboot once your system is installed. + +The Live CD desktop includes a launcher for the Device Driver Utility, which makes it much easier to see which of your devices have drivers attached and which do not. If there isn't anything red in the Device Driver Utility list, then all your hardware should be supported just fine. If you get warnings, it's probably better to look and see if drivers exist before you go ahead with the installation. + +If you're looking to setup a dual boot system it's not too difficult. As long as you're using GRUB as your bootloader you should be okay. But have a look through the <a href="http://dlc.sun.com/osol/docs/content/IPS/prepmulti.html">OpenSolaris docs</a>, there's a couple of gotchas -- like making sure the Solaris partition precedes the Linux swap partition. + +Once OpenSolaris is installed, you'll be prompted to reboot. Grab of cup of something strong because it's the longest boot time you're likely to encounter (unless you have a copy of Mac OS 9 lying around). + +By default OpenSolaris boots into the GNOME desktop environment, which is similar to what you'll find in Ubuntu and other Debian Linux distros, though with OpenSolaris you'll be using GNOME 2.20, missing out of some of the latest and greatest GNOME features (Ubuntu, Fedora and others currently ship with GNOME 2.22). + +Despite being a version behind the curve, if you're comfortable with Ubuntu, OpenSolaris will look familiar. All the GNOME panels, file manager, and customization options work just as you would expect. The most noticeable difference is that Sun has included a very slick theme by the name of Nimbus, which uses gradients and drop shadows to create a very attractive look, along the lines of Fedora 9 and miles ahead of Ubuntu's somewhat ugly brown theme. + +Most of the typical GNOME apps are present -- Firefox is the default web browser, Thunderbird and Evolution are both included along with all the games and most of the smaller GNOME apps as well. + +Given that OpenSolaris is largely aimed at developers we were surprised to find that GNOME isn't the only thing lagging a few revisions behind -- OpenSolaris ships with Python 2.4.4, rather than the newer 2.5 and getting Ruby on Rails up and running is an entirely DIY experience. + +The good news is that OpenSolaris has a new image packaging system, which works much like apt-get on Linux. Getting the latest version of your favorite tools is as easy as you're used to on Linux. Well, other than the fact that Sun's default repository often doesn't offer the latest versions. + +The downside if you're coming from a Linux background is that OpenSolaris has very different locations for its various config tools. In short, it looks like GNOME, but it's definitely not Linux and you'll need to adjust, which isn't a criticism, just a heads up. + +In the end we were able to set up Ruby on Rails and Django development environments, as well as a the traditional LAMP environment, without any significant trouble (once we got a network connection up and running through VMWare). + +OpenSolaris 2008.05 packs in most of what Linux users are likely to expect -- GNOME, easy installation, good software update tools and more -- and then adds some extras on top. Although OpenSolaris isn't quite ready for prime time, when it is, it'll be a nice possible alternative to Linux. + +Because it ships with a number of developer-focused tools that most desktop users probably don't care about -- the ZFS filesystem, DTrace, and "containers" -- it may not be all that compelling for average users. + +However, for those building web apps or handling network tasks like scaling web apps (can someone please send OpenSolaris to the Twitter scaling team) OpenSolaris offers a complete debugging toolkit that won't be found in most Linux distros. + +While those currently running their development stack on Red Hat or perhaps Ubuntu Linux are definitely part of OpenSolaris' target audience, Sun is also chasing the latest trends, like hosted "cloud computing" platforms such as Amazon's EC2. + +Amazon recently started offering the ability to run OpenSolaris applications on its EC2 servers. For the time being, Amazon's OpenSolaris support is limited to invitation-only clients, but Amazon plans to go public once the kinks are worked out. + +It's hard to say that OpenSolaris is any better or worse than your favorite Linux distro. In fact, once the issues get ironed out, we imagine OpenSolaris will have the same sort of relationship to popular Linux distributions as they share among themselves. In other words, Ubuntu is an option, Fedora is an option, OpenSUSE is an option and eventually, OpenSolaris will be another option. + +As for which one is "the best" -- that all depend on what you want to do.
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OpenSUSE is set to release version 11.0, a major milestone that packs in a number of new features and solves most of problems that saw OpenSUSE 10 get off to a bumpy start. + +Of course many Linux purists will bristle at the mention of Novell since the company caved in and signed a patent protection agreement with Microsoft. However, Novell's business decisions have little, if anything to do with OpenSUSE 11 and it's worth moving beyond the rhetoric to check out the new OpenSUSE release. + +You're probably used to choosing your desktop -- generally GNOME or KDE -- before you download, but that isn't necessary with OpenSUSE since the live DVD takes an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach by including the GNOME, KDE and XFCE desktops as well as just about every package under the sun. + +If you haven't got the bandwidth (or time) for the 4.5 GB DVD download, there are live CDs with either GNOME or KDE and somewhat fewer included packages. + +The most noticeable thing when you start up OpenSUSE is the new installer which is just about the slickest setup app this side of Mac OS X. The easy-to-follow installer will walk you through everything with a level of handholding even Ubuntu can't match. Note that if you opt for the DVD installer you'll have the option to install all three desktops, while if you opt for the GNOME only distro you won't see the new installer. + +On the KDE side you'll have the option to install either KDE 3.5 or the new, more experimental KDE 4. We did our testing on the release candidate build, which didn't offer the recently unveiled KDE 4.1 beta, though we've found the 4.1 beta to be more stable and useable than KDE 4.0. + +Given that KDE is in something of a transitional phase we opted to install just the GNOME desktop. + +Once OpenSUSE finished installing (around 30 minutes on our three-year-old Toshiba laptop) and rebooted, we were confronted with one of the most heavily customized versions of GNOME that you're likely to come across. + +It might take seasoned GNOME vets a bit to work out what all OpenSUSE has done, but once you figure it out the customizations are actually quite nice -- for instance the somewhat scattered system configuration panels are all unified in one spot and there's a very nice KDE-esque launch panel. + +If you're a OpenSUSE 10 user, most of this will look familiar since the customized interface made it's debut there (it's also part of SLED 10, Novell's corporate Linux desktop). + +While there are OpenSUSE downloads with non-OSS software available (which include things like the Flash plugin, MP3 codecs, etc) installing such software from the normal installation isn't hard. Just point your favorite browser over to the <a href="http://opensuse-community.org/Multimedia">OpenSUSE Community site</a> and click the installer links. + +Among the potential gotchas for new users is the lack of readily available NVIDIA drivers. Ubuntu and others have made it relatively easy to grab non-free drivers from their default installs and we were somewhat surprised to find that OpenSUSE skipped on what's become (for better or worse) a fairly common hardware driver solution. + +The other problem we had was with the Zypper update utility. Zypper is new and reportedly features significant speed and stability improvements. In fact early rave review about Zypper had us looking forward to testing OpenSUSE. For the command line junkies there's also a "zypper" utility which offers something very similar to yum on Fedora or apt-get in Ubuntu/Debian. + +Unfortunately, in the release candidate we tested Zypper wasn't working quite right. It would find packages that had available upgrades, but for some reason would never actually apply the updates. After a bit of digging we discovered that the issue is a known bug (and it's listed as a blocker in OpenSUSE's bug tracker) so it should be fixed by the final release. + +While Zypper had a few pre-release quirks, the YaST panel was everything it's cracked up to be. When Linux users tout the customization options of the platform, what they often forget is that, for new users the number of options is scattered and daunting. + +That's where YaST comes in. YaST stands for Your awesome Setup Tool and it is indeed quite awesome. YaST is by far the simplest way to navigate through the confusion of configuration panels, installing, theming and customizing to your heart's delight. YaST actually makes such tasks fun again. + +Also worth mentioning is that the kitchen-sink-DVD option of OpenSUSE includes VMWare’s openvmtools, which means that setting up VMWare Player is a snap. Having wrestled with VMWare installs on various distros, including the tools by default is a nice touch and will no doubt be appreciated by heavy virtual machine users. Of course, if VirtualBox is more your bag you'll have to set that up yourself. + +Overall OpenSUSE 11 is a nice evolution in the SUSE line, building on the features in 10.3, but also making the distro more approachable for Linux newbies without withholding power user tools. + +The DVD distro in particular offers just about all the options one could ask for and manages to make the installation process every bit as simple and elegant as a closed source system like Mac OS X, which is no small feat. + +Provided the name Novell doesn't send you running for the free software hills, OpenSUSE 11 is an easy-to-use distro and worth a closer look.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/opensuse113.txt b/published/opensuse113.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7b1fcf2 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse113.txt @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +The openSUSE project has delivered the final version of openSUSE 11.3, which brings a new Linux kernel, countless app updates and newfound focus on the KDE desktop. + +While openSUSE has been somewhat maligned in the past for its association with Novell, the latest release comes on the heels of a new mission statement that seeks to create a bit of distance from Novell's commercial projects. + +The openSUSE project's new <a href="http://en.opensuse.org/index.php?title=Documents/Strategy/Community">community statement</a> calls for the creation of an openSUSE Foundation to help foster a more open, active community of contributors. + +Although Novell technically only sponsors the openSUSE project, three of the five board members are Novell employees and historically openSUSE rarely strays too far from the stated goals of Novell's commercial, SLED distribution. Clearly, the openSUSE project would like to be seen as more than a proving ground for SLED and with Novell busy with the new MeeGo netbook distribution, there seems to be little resistance to openSUSE's recent assertion of autonomy. + +Given that the latest release of openSUSE includes the Fedora-developed open Nouveau driver to improve support for NVIDIA graphics cards (shipping with Fedora 13), an RPM-based package manager and a similar commercial derivative coming from it, the openSUSE project is clearly taking some inspiration from the Fedora project. + +But while the other changes -- assuming they happen -- could end up transforming openSUSE into something a bit more like Fedora, for the 11.3 release openSUSE still primarily feels like a typical openSUSE release -- in both good and bad ways. + +One place openSUSE differs from Fedora, Ubuntu and other popular distros is its love of KDE. Last year the openSUSE developers formally <a href="http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-project/2009-08/msg00548.html">announced</a> that KDE would be the default openSUSE desktop. + +However, despite the emphasis on KDE, openSUSE remains one of the most desktop agnostic of all Linux distros. The 11.3 release offers the same live DVD as previous release, including the GNOME, KDE and XFCE desktops, as well as just about every package under the sun. The only difference is that the DVD now selects KDE by default during the install. + +If you haven't got the bandwidth (or time) for the 4.7 GB DVD download, there are live CDs with either GNOME or KDE. + +While Linux installers have improved across the board, openSUSE's live install process has been always been a step above most distros. With an option to auto partition your system with separate partitions root, system and home, as well as automatically apply any available updates before you boot into your new desktop, openSUSE 11.3 is one of the smoothest installations we've done. + +Underlying openSUSE is the latest Linux kernel, 2.6.34, which was still a release candidate when we tested openSUSE 11.3 RC2, though it will hopefully have reached final release stage by the time openSUSE does likewise. Among other improvements, 2.6.34 adds some basic support for more recent Radeon graphics cards. + +We tested both the GNOME and KDE desktops and found that, unlike Ubuntu, where the Kubuntu distro feels a bit behind the GNOME version, in openSUSE the KDE desktop is definitely the focus. + +If you'd like to try openSUSE 11.3, we highly recommend installing the KDE desktop. Not only is openSUSE shipping with KDE 4.4.4, there are several potentially nice customizations, including the KSuseInstall app, which purports to automatically fetch needed software -- Amarok codecs for example. + +Unfortunately, KSuseInstall is sometimes more hassle than help. For example, when Amarok starts up it will helpfully remind you that openSUSE doesn't ship with mp3 codecs installed. That will kick in the KSuseInstall app which will tell you it can automatically install them. Sadly, it can't. + +You'll need to go through a total of six dialog boxes and one YaST module to add the necessary repositories before you have the mp3 codecs installed. Of course, the hoops aren't openSUSE's fault, they exist because of legal issues, but to offer what appears to be a one-click install tool that turns out not to be seems a bit like false advertising. The truth is no linux distro is ever going to make installing mp3 codecs a one-click process and it's probably high time they stopped trying. + +Aside from some hiccups with KSuseInstall, KDE 4.4 brings a few nice new features like the ability to group multiple windows in a single window. Billed as way to streamline your workflow, window groups make it possible to, for example, bind together a Dolphin window, a terminal session and chat client all in the same window. + +That's great news for power users, but it also means it's easy to end up with tabbed windows within tabbed windows -- potentially very confusing for newcomers. Luckily the window groups feature is hidden away in the right click menu so unless you go looking for it, it won't get in your way. + +While KDE may be the focus, GNOME is still around and according to openSUSE's own statics roughly a quarter of users install the GNOME desktop. OpenSUSE may be using KDE as the default, but it hasn't neglected GNOME, though the GNOME version of openSUSE feels vaguely KDE-like with only a single bottom toolbar by the default and the "<a href="http://en.opensuse.org/GNOME/Slab">Slab</a>" menu. + +The Slab menu functions much more like the "start" buttons in KDE or Windows 7. Fans of Mint Linux will be familiar with what's possible with Slab -- easy access to everything in your system from one, unobtrusive panel. + +However, the openSUSE version of the Slab menu is not nearly as powerful as what you'll find in Mint. In fact, aside from a three-button interface that allows you to see a limited number of apps, recent documents and the usual places menu options, the Slab doesn't have much to offer. + +In Mint Linux, searching, clicking the "more applications" button or any other Slab buttons will load the new content within the menu. In openSUSE clicking those buttons will just open a new Nautilus browser window on your desktop, making the Slab menu of dubious usefulness. + +No matter which desktop you opt for, one place openSUSE really excels is the number of included packages. On the GNOME side you'll find extras like the Liferea RSS feed reader, gFTP and even the XChat IRC client. OpenSUSE also includes the helpful GNOME control center which gives quick access to just about every GNOME setting available, all from one convenient panel. + +Overall openSUSE 11.3 is a solid release with all the usual extras you would expect from a project that feeds into a commercial, enterprise Linux distro like SLED. If the openSUSE project can achieve it's goals and establish its own identity separate from Novell and SLED, openSUSE may end up as popular and well-loved as Fedora and Ubuntu.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/opensuse113images/opensuse-gnome-controlcenter.jpg b/published/opensuse113images/opensuse-gnome-controlcenter.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..eb2f50c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse113images/opensuse-gnome-controlcenter.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse113images/opensuse-gnome-slabmenu.jpg b/published/opensuse113images/opensuse-gnome-slabmenu.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..c101843 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse113images/opensuse-gnome-slabmenu.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse113images/opensusekde-desktop-groups.jpg b/published/opensuse113images/opensusekde-desktop-groups.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6545530 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse113images/opensusekde-desktop-groups.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse114.txt b/published/opensuse114.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b5caafc --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse114.txt @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +The openSUSE project has delivered the final version of openSUSE 11.4, which brings a host of KDE and GNOME updates, the first release of LibreOffice and numerous speed improvements. While overall openSUSE 11.4 is a solid, if slightly dull release, perhaps the biggest news is what's not in openSUSE 11.4, namely, GNOME 3.0. + +Ubuntu has abandoned GNOME for the Unity shell, but Fedora, Mint and other distros will be including GNOME 3.0 in their upcoming spring releases. Unfortunately for openSUSE fans, the distro's release schedule just didn't quite mesh with GNOME's, so GNOME 3.0 will have to wait for openSUSE 11.5, due at the end of the year. + +Perhaps another reason for GNOME 3's absence is that KDE is the default openSUSE desktop. Prior to the release of openSUSE 11.3 last year, the openSUSE project announced that it would shift its default desktop to KDE. While the distro is still ultimately desktop agnostic -- the DVD installer packages both KDE and GNOME -- the project is clearly putting the emphasis on keeping up with KDE ahead of GNOME. + +OpenSUSE 11.3 shipped with KDE 4.4, but this time around KDE has been bumped all the way to 4.6, leap-frogging right over KDE 4.5 to offer all the latest and greatest that Plasma has to offer. + +Notable updates in KDE 4.6 include a smarter power management panel and a new Bluetooth backend which makes it easier to share files among Bluetooth devices. KDE 4.6 also features faceted searching via a new filter panel that enables you to browse your indexed files using their metadata -- dates, rating, type and more. + +The KDE development team recently switched the project over to the Git version control system and, as part of that move, Dolphin now supports Git repositories. Using the new Git plugin allows you to update and commit right from the GUI, a nice touch software developers will no doubt appreciate. + +KDE's default apps also see some improvements in this release, including some social web enhancements to Digikam and KSnapshot, which can both now link up to Flickr, Facebook and Picasa for easy photo sharing. + +If you've got a netbook the revamped Plasma Netbook Workspace has seen a considerable makeover and, for my money, handily beats GNOME-based efforts. The KDE Netbook Workspace strikes a nice balance between optimizing for small screens and still ensuring that you have a "normal" desktop when you need it. + +In openSUSE's KDE you'll also find several extra apps that KDE users typically love (but are not technically part of the KDE Software Compilation release) like Amarok and KOffice, as well as the painting application, Krita. + +On the GNOME side of the coin, openSUSE 11.4 offers GNOME 2.32 -- the end of the line for GNOME 2.x. Technically you can use the new GNOME 3 with openSUSE 11.4, but it's a beta version of GNOME 3 and I wouldn't suggest it for everyday use. + +GNOME 2.32 doesn't have any dramatic changes from previous releases, but openSUSE has changed things up a bit by switching from OpenOffice to the new LibreOffice. + +LibreOffice came about last year when some OpenOffice developers, concerned about the future of the project under Sun, and now Oracle, broke off and formed the Open Document Foundation. The Open Document Foundation made a fork of the OpenOffice code and rebranded it Libre Office. + +Fedora, Red Hat and Ubuntu are also jumping ship to the new LibreOffice, making it, in effect, the new default office suite for Linux, but openSUSE gets the distinction of shipping it first. + +At the moment the LibreOffice fork of OpenOffice isn't radically different from its older sibling, though you will find a few new features in this release, including a new, improved search bar and a revamped print dialog. The best news though is that, for now at least, most OpenOffice plugins seem to still work with LibreOffice. That may change as time goes on and the two projects move further apart, but hopefully, with the majority of the Linux community moving to LibreOffice, plugin developers will follow suit. + +The latest version of openSUSE also sees Firefox 4, currently still a beta, as the default web browser. Firefox 4 will likely be officially released later this month so it makes sense to go ahead and include it now. The latest beta of Firefox 4 is stable enough that most users shouldn't encounter any problems, though in some cases your favorite plugins may not be updated just yet. If Firefox isn't your bag, Chromium, the open source version of Google Chrome, is available in the main contrib repository. + +Other GNOME apps have also been updated to the latest stable versions including the latest releases of Banshee, openSUSE's default music app, Evolution, the default mail client and F-Spot, which, despite the popularity of Shotwell in other distros, remains the default photo application for openSUSE 11.4. OpenSUSE throws in a few extra apps as well, like GIMP and Inkscape for graphics work and the very handy GNOME Do for launching applications and searching for files. + +Under the hood in openSUSE 11.4 you'll find an updated Linux kernel, version 2.6.37. The kernel update brings several new features, including multi-processor support for the ext4 filesystem, openSUSE's default. Provided you have a dual-core machine, the new kernel should bring a significant speed boost, particularly when transferring large files. The new kernel also brings the usual spate of new hardware drivers, including drivers for some new input devices from manufacturers like Wacom. + +Installing openSUSE from the DVD was a breeze, easier in fact than installing Windows 7. Thankfully openSUSE automatically sets up disk partitions, the one installation task that often confuses Linux newcomers. When it comes to speed this release is no slouch, both the GNOME and KDE desktops were snappy and well stocked with all the default apps most users would ever need. On the GNOME side there is the peculiar menubar setup that may throw off users coming from other distros. Rather than the typical GNOME menu items on the top bar, openSUSE ships with its own custom GNOME menu that cops the look and function of the Windows start menu. Fortunately, a few preferences tweaks and you can have the typical GNOME menu bar in the top menu bar. + +OpenSUSE also proved particularly snappy in virtual machine, even with very little RAM (512MB). In fact it was difficult to tell that it was a virtual machine, not a native installation. OpenSUSE is also aware of when it's running in a virtual machine and will automatically install a set of virtualized drivers for improved performance. + +Overall openSUSE 11.4 is a solid update that offers a stable, fast user experience regardless of which desktop you use. The speed, coupled with some nice new applications for both KDE and GNOME, make 11.4 a worthy update for openSUSE fans.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/opensuse1142.txt b/published/opensuse1142.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b5caafc --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse1142.txt @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +The openSUSE project has delivered the final version of openSUSE 11.4, which brings a host of KDE and GNOME updates, the first release of LibreOffice and numerous speed improvements. While overall openSUSE 11.4 is a solid, if slightly dull release, perhaps the biggest news is what's not in openSUSE 11.4, namely, GNOME 3.0. + +Ubuntu has abandoned GNOME for the Unity shell, but Fedora, Mint and other distros will be including GNOME 3.0 in their upcoming spring releases. Unfortunately for openSUSE fans, the distro's release schedule just didn't quite mesh with GNOME's, so GNOME 3.0 will have to wait for openSUSE 11.5, due at the end of the year. + +Perhaps another reason for GNOME 3's absence is that KDE is the default openSUSE desktop. Prior to the release of openSUSE 11.3 last year, the openSUSE project announced that it would shift its default desktop to KDE. While the distro is still ultimately desktop agnostic -- the DVD installer packages both KDE and GNOME -- the project is clearly putting the emphasis on keeping up with KDE ahead of GNOME. + +OpenSUSE 11.3 shipped with KDE 4.4, but this time around KDE has been bumped all the way to 4.6, leap-frogging right over KDE 4.5 to offer all the latest and greatest that Plasma has to offer. + +Notable updates in KDE 4.6 include a smarter power management panel and a new Bluetooth backend which makes it easier to share files among Bluetooth devices. KDE 4.6 also features faceted searching via a new filter panel that enables you to browse your indexed files using their metadata -- dates, rating, type and more. + +The KDE development team recently switched the project over to the Git version control system and, as part of that move, Dolphin now supports Git repositories. Using the new Git plugin allows you to update and commit right from the GUI, a nice touch software developers will no doubt appreciate. + +KDE's default apps also see some improvements in this release, including some social web enhancements to Digikam and KSnapshot, which can both now link up to Flickr, Facebook and Picasa for easy photo sharing. + +If you've got a netbook the revamped Plasma Netbook Workspace has seen a considerable makeover and, for my money, handily beats GNOME-based efforts. The KDE Netbook Workspace strikes a nice balance between optimizing for small screens and still ensuring that you have a "normal" desktop when you need it. + +In openSUSE's KDE you'll also find several extra apps that KDE users typically love (but are not technically part of the KDE Software Compilation release) like Amarok and KOffice, as well as the painting application, Krita. + +On the GNOME side of the coin, openSUSE 11.4 offers GNOME 2.32 -- the end of the line for GNOME 2.x. Technically you can use the new GNOME 3 with openSUSE 11.4, but it's a beta version of GNOME 3 and I wouldn't suggest it for everyday use. + +GNOME 2.32 doesn't have any dramatic changes from previous releases, but openSUSE has changed things up a bit by switching from OpenOffice to the new LibreOffice. + +LibreOffice came about last year when some OpenOffice developers, concerned about the future of the project under Sun, and now Oracle, broke off and formed the Open Document Foundation. The Open Document Foundation made a fork of the OpenOffice code and rebranded it Libre Office. + +Fedora, Red Hat and Ubuntu are also jumping ship to the new LibreOffice, making it, in effect, the new default office suite for Linux, but openSUSE gets the distinction of shipping it first. + +At the moment the LibreOffice fork of OpenOffice isn't radically different from its older sibling, though you will find a few new features in this release, including a new, improved search bar and a revamped print dialog. The best news though is that, for now at least, most OpenOffice plugins seem to still work with LibreOffice. That may change as time goes on and the two projects move further apart, but hopefully, with the majority of the Linux community moving to LibreOffice, plugin developers will follow suit. + +The latest version of openSUSE also sees Firefox 4, currently still a beta, as the default web browser. Firefox 4 will likely be officially released later this month so it makes sense to go ahead and include it now. The latest beta of Firefox 4 is stable enough that most users shouldn't encounter any problems, though in some cases your favorite plugins may not be updated just yet. If Firefox isn't your bag, Chromium, the open source version of Google Chrome, is available in the main contrib repository. + +Other GNOME apps have also been updated to the latest stable versions including the latest releases of Banshee, openSUSE's default music app, Evolution, the default mail client and F-Spot, which, despite the popularity of Shotwell in other distros, remains the default photo application for openSUSE 11.4. OpenSUSE throws in a few extra apps as well, like GIMP and Inkscape for graphics work and the very handy GNOME Do for launching applications and searching for files. + +Under the hood in openSUSE 11.4 you'll find an updated Linux kernel, version 2.6.37. The kernel update brings several new features, including multi-processor support for the ext4 filesystem, openSUSE's default. Provided you have a dual-core machine, the new kernel should bring a significant speed boost, particularly when transferring large files. The new kernel also brings the usual spate of new hardware drivers, including drivers for some new input devices from manufacturers like Wacom. + +Installing openSUSE from the DVD was a breeze, easier in fact than installing Windows 7. Thankfully openSUSE automatically sets up disk partitions, the one installation task that often confuses Linux newcomers. When it comes to speed this release is no slouch, both the GNOME and KDE desktops were snappy and well stocked with all the default apps most users would ever need. On the GNOME side there is the peculiar menubar setup that may throw off users coming from other distros. Rather than the typical GNOME menu items on the top bar, openSUSE ships with its own custom GNOME menu that cops the look and function of the Windows start menu. Fortunately, a few preferences tweaks and you can have the typical GNOME menu bar in the top menu bar. + +OpenSUSE also proved particularly snappy in virtual machine, even with very little RAM (512MB). In fact it was difficult to tell that it was a virtual machine, not a native installation. OpenSUSE is also aware of when it's running in a virtual machine and will automatically install a set of virtualized drivers for improved performance. + +Overall openSUSE 11.4 is a solid update that offers a stable, fast user experience regardless of which desktop you use. The speed, coupled with some nice new applications for both KDE and GNOME, make 11.4 a worthy update for openSUSE fans.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/opensuse121beta.txt b/published/opensuse121beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e9b6f12 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse121beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,34 @@ +The openSUSE project has released the first beta for its upcoming openSUSE 12.1. The big news in openSUSE 12.1 is the arrival of GNOME 3, in this case GNOME 3.2. Unlike Fedora, which is already into its second GNOME 3-based release, openSUSE, due to its release schedule, stuck with GNOME 2 for its last release earlier this year. + +OpenSUSE 12.1 embraces GNOME 3.2 and, like Fedora 16, drops support for the GNOME 2.x line. + +This release marks a slight change to openSUSE's versioning convention. If you were thinking that this should be openSUSE 12.0, you're correct. But the openSUSE project has decided to stop releasing .0 versions. Strange perhaps, but in the increasingly wacky world of software versioning that adjustment is fairly minor. OpenSUSE 12.1 it is. + +If you've used any of the milestone releases preceding the beta there isn't much in the way of new features here, but there are a lot of bug fixes and component upgrades. Perhaps the most noticeable is the move to GNOME 3.2, which was released not long ago. + +Naturally you'll find all of the improvements that come with GNOME 3.2 in openSUSE 12.1, including the new integrated chat and messaging system that's now built in to GNOME. There's also a new status bar notifications system which allows you to do everything from reply to chat messages to browsing files or eject external disks. Status bar messages can also now display a counter, for example to show the number of unread emails or new chat messages. + +GNOME 3.2 in openSUSE looks identical to what you'll find in the Fedora 16 beta release. Unlike previous versions of GNOME, where the menu layouts and desktop environment could be tweaked to create considerable variation, there is, thus far, little that downstream distros can do to customize the look of GNOME 3. A few outside GNOME Shell themes do exist, but they primarily consist of changing the menu colors. + +Given how much the openSUSE project used to customize GNOME 2.x -- moving the main menu to the bottom, layering in its own very Windows-esque start menu and more -- current openSUSE GNOME users may experience something of a shock moving to GNOME 3.2. + +All of openSUSE's GNOME theming is gone in openSUSE 12.1 and with it goes much of what made openSUSE's GNOME effort different from that of Ubuntu and Fedora. + +The absence of easily customized themes for GNOME 3.2 isn't just an end user complaint, it's something of a downside for distros as well, particularly distros like openSUSE that completely reworked the GNOME interface. + +In a way openSUSE will likely lose some of its appeal -- particularly with potential new users who are often focused on what the desktop looks like. OpenSUSE's custom GNOME menu bar at the bottom of the screen mimicked Windows because that appealed to the openSUSE audience, "the broader non-technical community of computer users interested in Linux," as the <a href="http://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:FAQ#What_makes_the_openSUSE_project_different_from_Fedora.3F">openSUSE website puts it</a>. The website even goes on to say, in explaining how it's different from Fedora, that openSUSE has "many of the top open source GUI designers in the world." + +Whether or not you agree is irrelevant, what's interesting is that with GNOME 3 it really doesn't matter how many GUI designers your distro has on staff anymore. At least for now, GNOME 3 effectively eliminates the more subtle visual distinctions between Linux distros. + +OpenSUSE does include the gnome-tweak-tool, which can help change some of the GNOME Shell settings, but even with that you're not going to recreate the old openSUSE GNOME skin. GNOME 3.2 is just not built with that kind customization in mind. Out of the box, there's now little visible difference between openSUSE 12.1, Fedora 16 or even Ubuntu 11.10 if you swap out Unity for GNOME 3. + +The interesting side effect of leveling the GUI playing field in GNOME is that it throws the spotlight on what arguably should be the primary means of judging a distro -- all the stuff under the hood. + +In the case of openSUSE that means things like the YaST package system, a stronger set of multimedia options, stability and of course all the enterprise-level tools that come from SUSE Enterprise Linux. + +Indeed that's where the focus for openSUSE 12.1 has been and you'll find plenty of new features under the hood, including the Btrfs file system, systemd, which has finally made its way into openSUSE and PulseAudio, which has been integrated system-wide. + +While the move to GNOME 3 is clearly a focus for this release, KDE hasn't been left out in the cold. On the KDE side of the fence you'll find KDE 4.7 along with the usual updates to the standard KDE application suite. + +If you'd like to take the openSUSE 12.1 beta for a spin, head on over to the <a herf="http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/12.1-Beta1/iso/">beta downloads page</a>According to the openSUSE schedule the current beta release will be followed by two release candidates, and the final version should arrive on November 11, 2011. + diff --git a/published/opensuse122.txt b/published/opensuse122.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..16562fa --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse122.txt @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +Chameleon fans rejoice, openSUSE 12.2 is finally here. This release, originally due over two months ago, has been plagued with delays. + +Ordinarily a few delays might not be a big deal; bugs happen and most users would agree a late, stable release is better than an on-time buggy one. However this development cycle the delays were bad enough to cause some soul searching among the openSUSE devs. OpenSUSE release manager, Stephan Kulow, <a href="http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-factory/2012-06/msg00468.html">writes</a> that the distro needs to "use the delay of 12.2 as a reason to challenge our current development model and look at new ways." + +It's unclear what those "new ways" may mean for the future of openSUSE releases, but at least now you have your openSUSE 12.2. + +And the good news is that it is well worth the wait. + +This release is noticeably faster than 12.1 and quite a bit snappier than Kubuntu and other KDE distros I've tested lately. The Dolphin file manager in particular feels much faster. In fact if KDE is your desktop of choice, you really owe it to yourself to take openSUSE 12.2 for a spin. Not only is it snappy, it's the best looking default KDE desktop you're likely to find. If you heavily customize your desktop that may not matter much, but if you prefer to leave things as they are and just want a nice looking theme while you work, openSUSE is a slick choice. + +Some might be disappointed to learn that openSUSE sticks with KDE 4.8 rather than making the leap to 4.9, but openSUSE has always been a conservative distro that prefers the stable and tested to the bleeding edge, especially when it comes to the desktop environment. Naturally there are repos available for those that would like to upgrade to KDE 4.9. + +That conservative approach to new software means that openSUSE is just now embracing GRUB 2, which is welcome if only to ease the pain of dual booting with other distros -- most of which long since made the leap to GRUB 2. + +To go along with GRUB 2 openSUSE is now using Plymouth to create a very slick startup screen. In fact, combine GRUB 2, Plymouth's openSUSE-themed graphics and the very slick KDE desktop theme and whole visual experience of booting into openSUSE puts even Ubuntu to shame. Of course if you prefer the boot sequence to use black on white text that says "I'm a nerd; hear me roar", just remember to hit escape during the boot process. + +For applications openSUSE takes a more pragmatic approach than the stock KDE suite, installing apps like Firefox and LibreOffice alongside KDE's somewhat less impressive offerings in the same categories. And openSUSE again applies the polish offering tight integration between outside KDE apps like Firefox and LibreOffice and the Plasma desktop theme. Installing openSUSE from the DVD will also get you some extras like GIMP for photo editing and the Tomahawk social music player, which can pull music from a variety of online sources. + +While openSUSE 12.2 has much to love -- significant speed boosts, a well-polished desktop and a solid suite of software -- there are some rough edges to be aware of, namely the YaST package management tools. + +It used to be that the first thing you did with a new openSUSE install was head to YaST and start configuring everything. In fact much of openSUSE's appeal revolved around YaST which offered graphical configuration tools simply not found anywhere else. These days the competition's tools have improved and YaST feels less necessary. While there are still some nice graphical tools in YaST, most of them are aimed at sysadmins. Config tools for things like X.org have moved off to the desktop environment and for the home user YaST is primarily about the Software Manager, which is quite frankly looking long in the tooth compared to what you'll find in Ubuntu or Fedora. It's mostly functional (I encountered a few problems where it wouldn't load, but it would work again after a reboot), but bare bones. Contrast that with the slick one-click web-based package installation process, and all the rest of the polish found elsewhere in openSUSE and YaST's package management system feels neglected. + +The problems with YaST also raise an interesting question about openSUSE itself -- just who is openSUSE built for? + +There are fantastic tools for sysadmins, but it can't really compete with CentOS or Red Hat in the server market. There's a very slick desktop and lots of nice software aimed at home users, but much of that is built on top of older, often awkward and confusing tools that feel more enterprise-oriented. + +And that's where openSUSE seems poised, one foot still in the enterprise (it is, after all, connected to SLED) and one foot on the desktop. In order to really stand out next to more popular distros like Ubuntu, openSUSE needs to polish its rough edges. Still, while there's work left to be done, openSUSE 12.2 is an impressive release and well worth checking out whether you're new to openSUSE or just haven't taken it for a spin in a while. diff --git a/published/opensuse122/opensuse-bootlogo.jpg b/published/opensuse122/opensuse-bootlogo.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..70972d1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse122/opensuse-bootlogo.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse122/opensuse-firefox.jpg b/published/opensuse122/opensuse-firefox.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..77e0895 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse122/opensuse-firefox.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse122/opensuse-libre.jpg b/published/opensuse122/opensuse-libre.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8084387 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse122/opensuse-libre.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse122/opensuse-yast.jpg b/published/opensuse122/opensuse-yast.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6a8d3cc --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse122/opensuse-yast.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse123.txt b/published/opensuse123.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e42f41e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse123.txt @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +The openSUSE project is back on track. Today marks the launch of openSUSE 12.3, right on time, which should be good news after the organizational restructuring and delays that plagued the release of openSUSE 12.2 last year. + +While 12.2 was delayed, it was worth the wait, delivering a snappy, attractive and perhaps most importantly, stable, KDE desktop alternative to a world drowning in desktop "innovation". + +The latest openSUSE is no different and while the openSUSE project is often at pains to label itself desktop agnostic, going so far as to completely support GNOME, KDE, Xfce, LXDE and even the brand new Enlightenment 17, KDE remains the default choice for the install DVD and my recommendation for anyone wanting to try out openSUSE or KDE. + +The installation screens remain some of the nicest you'll find in a Linux distro, offering a simplified interface which nevertheless gives you a good bit of information about what's being installed on your system. Finding the balance between simple and simplistic isn't always easy and openSUSE's installer does a good job of walking that line. It also defaults to putting your home directory on a separate partition, a nice touch savvy users are probably already aware of, but which Linux newcomers might not otherwise do. + +It's also worth noting that the openSUSE 12.3 installer should play nice with UEFI and Secure Boot. + +If you stick with the default KDE install you'll find that openSUSE 12.3 has done a little KDE leapfrogging, skipping over KDE 4.9 -- which just narrowly missed shipping with openSUSE 12.2 -- to deliver the recently released KDE 4.10. + +KDE 4.10 doesn't pack in the new features -- unlike GNOME or Unity, KDE 4 has reached a level of maturity where the primary focus is on speed in incremental improvements rather than a constant barrage of new features -- but it does offer several speed improvements that help make openSUSE 12.3 feel a bit faster even than its speedy predecessor. + +Chief among the improvements in KDE 4.10 is an overhaul of NEPOMUK, the search tool that aims to make KDE the "Social Semantic Desktop." Strip away all the hype and what NEPOMUK really does is provide a much better way to find your stuff. It's very much a work in progress, but KDE 4.10 sees NEPOMUK cleaning up its act when it comes to memory use. Changes under the hood should mean that NEPOMUK indexing no longer grinds your desktop to a virtual stand-still. The initial indexing still takes some time, but in my testing the changes seem to make NEPOMUK work quite well, eliminating the need to limit the amount of memory NEPOMUK can use by heading into the Desktop Search settings panel (which does still work if you feel the need). + +KDE 4.10 also brings a few updates to common KDE apps like KMail, which features a smarter quick search tool that scans the full content of your email. The Okular PDF viewer has also been updated as have other KDE standards like Kate and KWrite. OpenSUSE also includes some extras in its KDE setup (provided you install from the DVD), like the photo editor Showfoto, as well as non-KDE apps like Firefox and LibreOffice, both of which are somewhat nicer than the default KDE offerings. It's worth noting that openSUSE has opted to stick with LibreOffice 3.6 for stability reasons, though if you simply must have the recently release 4.0 you can install it yourself. + +As with the last release, the default KDE desktop theme for openSUSE is one of the nicest you're likely to find. This time around the look has been tweaked to make things a bit darker, which doesn't feel quite in keeping with openSUSE's image, but perhaps that's part of the "finding a new direction" goal that was part of last year's project restructuring. Whatever the case the new darker desktop is still a very thorough theme that even manages to make non-KDE apps like Firefox or GIMP feel like a natural part of the KDE desktop. + +If KDE is your desktop of choice, openSUSE 12.3 is well worth at least a test run. Not only is it speedy, it's the best looking default KDE desktop you're likely to find. If you like to tweak your desktop to get it just so that may not matter much, but if you prefer to leave things as they are and just want a nice looking theme while you work, openSUSE 12.3 makes a slick choice. + +Under the hood openSUSE 12.3 updates to kernel version 3.7, which has quite a few new features, including updated driver support for NVIDIA graphics, better virtualization support and some optimizations that should make Linux play nicer with the still-experimental Btrfs. This release is also among the first to work on ARM chips. Enterprising users have already managed to get openSUSE running on Chromebooks. + +If KDE is not your bag, fear not, openSUSE has a nicely themed GNOME desktop release as well. The GNOME shell version of openSUSE ships with GNOME 3.6 this time around. GNOME 3.6 is old news at this point, especially with 3.8 just around the corner, but if you're upgrading from openSUSE 12.2, it's well worth the update and continues to improve on the radical rewrite that is GNOME 3. This version sees a number of new features, such as an Apple "Expose"-style window tool and a streamlined Nautilus file browser which offers a new "recent" menu for quickly getting back to recently opened documents. GNOME 3.6 also brings a full compliment of upgrades for bundled GNOME apps. + +The openSUSE project also supports both the Xfce and LXDE desktops, with the former also serving as the stripped down desktop for the recovery CD. + +Back when openSUSE 12.2 was released I wrote that the distro felt caught between worlds, with one foot still in the enterprise (it is, after all, connected to SLED) and one foot in the consumer desktop space. To some extent openSUSE still feels that way, though it also feels like it's beginning to find its way and that the pendulum is swinging more toward the consumer desktop side of the equation. Not necessarily at the expense of openSUSE's enterprise tools though, which, like YaST, remain a part of the distro. + +In fact, the server side of the Chameleon has some great new stuff as well. Chief among the updates is a new version of cloud-hosting favorite OpenStack which first shipped with openSUSE 12.2. Other updates include the latest version of Gnome Boxes for managing virtual machines, as well as updates for databases like PostgreSQL and Oracle MySQL. + +OpenSUSE may not get the press coverage Ubuntu manages, and I wouldn't expect to see an openSUSE phone or tablet any time soon, but it does offer a rock solid release that's well worth considering, especially if you're a fan of the KDE desktop. diff --git a/published/opensuse123/opensuse123-opensusethemedoffice.jpg b/published/opensuse123/opensuse123-opensusethemedoffice.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bd3cabe --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse123/opensuse123-opensusethemedoffice.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse123/opensuse123-opensusethemedoffice.png b/published/opensuse123/opensuse123-opensusethemedoffice.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..adf9bfa --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse123/opensuse123-opensusethemedoffice.png diff --git a/published/opensuse131-kde.jpg b/published/opensuse131-kde.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4e4bd0d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131-kde.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse131-yast-network.jpg b/published/opensuse131-yast-network.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..781358f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131-yast-network.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse131-yast-software.jpg b/published/opensuse131-yast-software.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..dfc0564 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131-yast-software.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-gnome-yast.jpg b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-gnome-yast.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..c9d7ee1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-gnome-yast.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-gnome.jpg b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-gnome.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..0b4e5ba --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-gnome.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-kde-desktop.jpg b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-kde-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..08c1c4b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-kde-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-kde-firefox.jpg b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-kde-firefox.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5ccd132 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-kde-firefox.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-yast-panel.jpg b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-yast-panel.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..71e7f07 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131/opensuse131-yast-panel.jpg diff --git a/published/opensuse131beta.txt b/published/opensuse131beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e3b1a97 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +The openSUSE project has released a beta preview of the coming openSUSE 13.1. + +Carrying the curious nickname "Bottle", openSUSE 13.1 is, like several other recent "major" distro updates, primarily about under the hood changes that lay the groundwork necessary for new features down the road. + +For the openSUSE project that means several major updates to lower level tools are coming in this release, namely the move to GStreamer 1.0 and a new Ruby-based version of openSUSE's YaST admin tools. + +GStreamer 1.0 was released around this time last year, but openSUSE, a somewhat more conservative distro, has yet to make the move. The plan is to get GStreamer 1.0 into openSUSE 13.1, but a quick glance at the project page reveals that there are still quite a few core apps in the openSUSE stack that have yet to be ported. The biggest multimedia apps on the GNOME side, Rhythmbox and Shotwell, have both been ported, but many others have not. + +Of course openSUSE 13.1 isn't due to arrive in final form until November, which gives the project developers some time to finish up work on the move to GStreamer 1.0. + +The other major change coming in this release is a new version of YaST. Those who rely on YaST to administer large networks have no reason to panic. OpenSUSE 13.1 isn't changing anything about how YaST works -- on the surface YaST will look and behave just as it always has -- but under the hood YaST is being translated to run in Ruby. + +A favorite of system admins, YaST is openSUSE's administrative control panel, handling tasks like software management, user administration, disk partitioning and a variety of other admin and maintenance tasks. + +YaST has GTK, Qt and command line interfaces, which means it functions more or less the same whether you use it on KDE, GNOME or through the shell. The latter is particularly handy if you're running openSUSE (or SUSE/SLED) as a server since it allows you to perform the same tasks without the overhead of running a graphical environment. More recently openSUSE added WebYaST to the mix, which, as the name implies, brings the power of YaST to a web interface, allowing you to remotely administer your machines using the familiar YaST graphical interface, but running in a web browser. + +YaST also powers openSUSE's installation tools, which remain some of the nicest you'll find in a Linux distro. + +YaST has an Achilles heel though -- it's written in YCP, a language created solely for YaST development. That limits the number of people who contribute to the project (and who are working to extend and expand it as well). Not only does YaST development mean learning a new language, it means learning a new language that's only useful for one thing -- YaST development. The new Ruby-based YaST changes that. + +The new YaST looks the same, and in my testing with the latest Factory builds, functions the same as the old YaST, but using Ruby behind the scenes opens the door to those developers who might like to contribute or extend YaST without learning a new language just to do so. And more contributors may well mean more useful tools and extensions for YaST (it also makes it easier for large organizations to write their own customized YaST tools). + +To be clear though this is not a ground-up rewrite of YaST. Instead, a team of developers have translated YaST's YCP code into Ruby. Judging by conversations on the openSUSE YaST mailing list, there may well be some re-writing in future releases, but for now the goal is to make sure everything is translated and that the new Ruby version is as stable and reliable as the old YaST. + +In the past I've used openSUSE primarily with the KDE desktop, which is where the project has poured the majority of its resources. For the final release the plan is to ship latest KDE 4.11.x release. KDE 4.11 isn't a radical departure from its predecessor which shipped with openSUSE 12.3, but it does bring some improvements to KDE's NEPOMUK search tool, which should make it a little speedier when indexing your files. + +As with the last release, the default KDE desktop theme for openSUSE is one of the nicest you're likely to find and even manages to make non-KDE apps like Firefox or GIMP feel like a natural part of the KDE desktop. + +If you're a KDE fan and you don't want to spend a bunch of time tricking out your desktop, openSUSE is well worth at least a test run. It's speedy, has pretty much everything the typical user is likely to need and offers one of the best looking default KDE desktops out there. + +While KDE still seems to be the focus of the openSUSE project there's recently been some effort poured into giving GNOME the same sort of openSUSE flavoring. For now that means a green desktop theme rather than any significant customizations. + +The plan is to ship GNOME 3.10 (due in final form next week) with the final release of openSUSE, but the version I tested had only GNOME 3.9.4, which is the current beta. When it arrives GNOME 3.10 will bring several new features, like automatically updated extensions, new Maps and Videos apps and support for the Wayland display server. Look for all that and more to be a part of openSUSE 13.1 when it's released in November. + +In the mean time work will be continuing on openSUSE 13.1. If you'd like to check out the latest build you can grab the beta from the download page. There are live CDs available for both KDE and GNOME as well as the all-in-one DVD which also includes XFCE and others. + +Keep in mind that this is a beta release and, while both the KDE and GNOME releases have been mainly stable in my testing, there may be bugs. This release is meant for testing, not daily use in a production environment. The final version of openSUSE 13.1 is due to arrive November 19. diff --git a/published/opensuse131final.txt b/published/opensuse131final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..911e083 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse131final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +The openSUSE project recently released openSUSE 13.1, a modest, but important update that sees openSUSE focusing on stability and overall polish. There are quite a few new features to play with -- like a re-written YaST and some new developer tools, even a new version of openSUSE for Raspberry Pi -- but 13.1 sees openSUSE really focused on building a rock-solid Linux distro that "just works". + +Indeed, 13.1 is stable enough that SUSE has deemed this an "<a href="https://news.opensuse.org/2013/08/26/upcoming-opensuse-13-1-will-be-kept-evergreen/">Evergreen</a>" release. Evergreen is SUSE-speak for long term release and means that openSUSE 13.1 will be supported well beyond the usual 18 months, with security updates and important bugfixes coming for at least three years. + +Part of the reason for the stability improvements revolves around openSUSE's automated testing tools, which have been improved (which means better testing for future releases as well). The openSUSE project also sponsored a global bug fixing hackathon, which helped as well. + +The Evergreen status is well-deserved. OpenSUSE is always a stable distro, like Debian it prioritizes stability over flash, but in my testing openSUSE 13.1 has been exceptionally fast and stable, with no problems at all. That said, if you need proprietary Nvidia drivers, you may want to wait. At the time of writing there's no Nvidia Repository available, though one is reportedly in the works. + +If the lack of Nvidia drivers brings you down, perhaps news that openSUSE now considers the btrfs file system "stable for everyday usage" will lift your spirits. Btrfs is still not the default file system -- at least in the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink DVD installer I used -- but it's a single click away. I took the plunge and have had no problems at all in two months of testing. + +OpenSUSE 13.1 ships with the latest kernel, the 3.11 series. That's a full four releases ahead of the last openSUSE release, which means more hardware support, better power management and all the new features in the 3.11 kernel. + +OpenSUSE is somewhat unique in the Linux world in that it remains surprisingly desktop-agnostic. It's put more effort into the cosmetics of the KDE version for sure, but in terms of actual tools everything works roughly the same. Even YaST, an openSUSE strong point, works the same whether you're on KDE or GNOME. It just uses Qt on KDE and GTK on GNOME. + +Provided that you download the DVD installer, openSUSE gives every desktop equal footing. True, KDE is checked by default, but GNOME, Xfce, LXDE and even a plain text-based interface for server installations are all there, just a radio button away. + +That said, I've always used KDE as my openSUSE desktop because it offers, to my mind anyway, the best KDE-based desktop around. As of this release openSUSE is using KDE 4.11, which isn't a radical departure from its predecessor, but it does bring some improvements to KDE's NEPOMUK search tool, making it a little speedier when indexing your files. + +As I've said in past reviews, the default KDE desktop theme for openSUSE is one of the nicest you're likely to find. The openSUSE team even manages to make outside apps like Firefox or GIMP feel like a natural part of the KDE desktop. If you're a KDE fan and you don't want to spend a bunch of time tricking out your desktop, openSUSE has you covered. + +While KDE is check by default during installation, GNOME is still there for those who want it. Lately the openSUSE project has been pouring a bit more effort into giving GNOME the same sort of openSUSE visual flavoring that the KDE desktop has long enjoyed. At the moment that theming seems limited to the background image, which thankfully works well with GNOME's default darker theme. + +Should you opt to go with GNOME as your desktop in openSUSE 13.1 you'll get GNOME 3.10, which has been out for a few weeks now and offers some new features that most users will already be familiar with. Among the notable new elements are new, GNOME-grown Maps, Music and Videos apps and support for the Wayland display server. GNOME 3.10 also has a new unified notifications panel which gives you control over wifi, airplane mode, Bluetooth, screen brightness and the like all in one place. + +While openSUSE 13.1 is all about stability and speed, there is one major under the hood change in this release (which makes the stability all the more impressive): YaST has been re-written in Ruby. + +A favorite of system admins, YaST is openSUSE's administrative control panel, handling tasks like software management, user administration, disk partitioning and a variety of other admin and maintenance tasks. + +Those who rely on YaST to administer large networks have no reason to panic. OpenSUSE 13.1 hasn't changed anything about how YaST works -- on the surface YaST looks and behaves just as it always has -- but under the hood YaST is now written in Ruby. + +The move to Ruby should help attract more developers. Previously if you wanted to write any kind of custom tools based on YaST it meant learning something called YCP, a language created solely for YaST development. That limits the number of people who contributed to the project (and who are working to extend and expand it as well). The new Ruby-based YaST changes that and means anyone who know Ruby can easily contribute to and even customize YaST. + +Developers have some other nice new tools in this release, including an updated version of OpenStack, the popular set of cloud computing tools originally developed by NASA. The new OpenStack, known as Havana, comes with nearly 400 new features. + +Server admins get some love in this release with the latest Apache, MySQL and MariaDB updates, as well as Ruby 2.0 and Ruby on Rails 4. Also useful, openSUSE now ships with s3fs. That means you can now mount Amazon s3 buckets as local file systems and interact with them the way you would any other mounted drive. + +This release also has some good news for anyone looking to run openSUSE on non-desktop hardware. OpenSUSE 13.1 offers much better support for ARM, including 64-bit ARM. That means openSUSE will be ready for all the 64bit ARM devices on the horizon. OpenSUSE 13.1 brings some improvements in 32-bit ARM, and there's also now a special build of openSUSE for the ultra-cheap Raspberry Pi. + +There's much to love in openSUSE 13.1 and if you're tired of your current distro this release is worth a look. OpenSUSE feels like a distro designed with the end user in mind rather than one focused primarily on running on the coolest new gadgets. + +The openSUSE release announcement claims that, "while a combination of over 6000 packages supporting 5 architectures can never be perfect, we’re proud to say this really does represent the best free software has to offer." It's a bold claim, but spend a little time with openSUSE 13.1 and you just might find yourself agreeing. diff --git a/published/opensuse132review.txt b/published/opensuse132review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3f1c7a3 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/opensuse132review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +The openSUSE project has released openSUSE 13.2, a major update for the great green gecko-wielding distro. + +This release comes on the heels of some major changes for how <a href="https://news.opensuse.org/2014/10/24/tumbleweed-factory-rolling-releases-to-merge/">openSUSE releases are structured</a>. While the main release, like this week's 13.2, remains unchanged, the openSUSE project has merged its two unstable, semi-rolling release channels, Factory and Tumbleweed, into a single project named Tumbleweed. + +Now that openSUSE 13.2 is out the door, Tumbleweed will be the release to track for those who'd like to stay on the bleeding edge. Somewhat confusingly, the name Factory is still being used to refer to pre-Tumbleweed, unstable releases that you most likely will never want to know about. + +It will be interesting to see how a rolling release works alongside the traditional structure, but if you like openSUSE, but don't like waiting for major new updates, well, now you have options -- you can have your openSUSE and eat your rolling distro too. + +In past reviews I've written that openSUSE has one of the nicest default KDE desktops you'll find. The good news for KDE fans is that 13.2 is no exception to that rule. OpenSUSE continues to offer a great, green-tinged KDE experience. + +That said, not a lot has changed for KDE in this release. OpenSUSE 13.2 will not offer Plasma Workspace 5.1, the next-generation KDE desktop interface, which is still far too rough around the edges to get a spot in a stability-focused distro like openSUSE (but it is available in the repos if you want to test it). Instead openSUSE 13.2 is a relatively minor update for the KDE stack, adding some KDE Frameworks 5 elements, but sticking with Plasma 4.x for most. The default theme sees some small updates as well. + +There's much more in openSUSE 13.2 for GNOME users who get the new GNOME 3.14. + +GNOME 3.14 in openSUSE is a bit different than what you'll find in more stock GNOME distros like Fedora. For example, several of the new GNOME-created apps are not included in the default GNOME install from an openSUSE live CD. The revamped Weather app and the new Photos app are nowhere to be found. Instead openSUSE sticks with Shotwell for Photos and doesn't offer a Weather app by default. The GNOME Maps app is included though. + +OpenSUSE also does not use Software, which, to be fair, really only seems to work with Fedora. Instead, openSUSE uses its own cross-desktop YaST software manager, which looks and functions more or less the same in both GNOME and KDE -- something of a rarity in software managers. + +All the missing GNOME apps are available in the default openSUSE repositories though, so you can install them without any trouble. + +The GNOME 3.14 update also continues to polish the desktop's HiDPI screen support, which took a huge leap forward in GNOME 3.12. This release sees GNOME fixing some of the small, but irksome problems with HiDPI screens. The result is a desktop that's one of the best I've tested on HiDPI screens. + +Perhaps the most noticeable change in GNOME 3.14 -- at least in terms of everyday use -- are the new animations that happen when you switch applications and maximize or restore windows. It's a long way from the kind of crazy window animations that were possible if you tweaked GNOME 2.x, but it does add a little excitement to the otherwise stolid GNOME Shell interface. The animations strike a nice balance between boring and pointless. + +Under the hood in openSUSE 13.2 you'll find the 3.16 version of the Linux kernel. That's not as current as, for example, the recently released Fedora 21, which uses 3.17, but it is in keeping with openSUSE's slightly more conservative approach to updates. + +There's also a ton of new stuff since the last openSUSE release, which shipped with the 3.11 kernel. Since then there's been quite a bit of new hardware support added -- especially some new support for HiDPI screens, which coincides with GNOME's updated HiDPI support. Together those two updates alone make openSUSE a worthwhile update for anyone using a HiDPI machine like the Lenovo Yoga Pro line. + +The updated kernel also means btrfs works better, which is good because it's the new default option in the openSUSE installer. As part of the previous 13.1 release, openSUSE declared the btrfs file system "stable for everyday usage". However, since 13.1 was an "evergreen" release (SUSE slang for long term support) btrfs was still not the default. + +That's changed in 13.2. Assuming you don't change the defaults, you will end up with an openSUSE 13.2 installation running atop btrfs. Btrfs is also the default in the just released SUSE Linux Enterprise 12, making it the first enterprise-targeted distro to embrace btrfs. + +It's worth noting that the openSUSE 13.2 installer does propose a separate xfs partition for /home (or ext4 if you prefer). That's exactly what I went ahead and did back when btrfs was declared "stable" in openSUSE 13.1 and I've had no problems so far. That said, I also haven't tried using many of its more advanced features and I do keep /home in ext4. + +This release includes an updated version of the Snapper GUI which allows you to boot right into one of your btrfs snapshots should you need to recover from some kind of file system corruption. + +Clearly, since it's now the default file system, openSUSE thinks btrfs is ready for prime time. If you plan to try it, have a look at the btrfs wiki, which has some tips on what you can do to <a href="https://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Getting_started">improve your btrfs experience</a>. + +OpenSUSE 13.2 brings a few new elements to the distro's famed YaST package manager and installer. A favorite of some system admins, YaST is openSUSE's administrative control panel, handling tasks like software management, user administration, disk partitioning and a variety of other admin and maintenance tasks. The previous release saw openSUSE move YaST from a homegrown programming language to Ruby in an effort to make it more approachable for new developers. + +This time around openSUSE has been tweaking the installation process. Gone are the "second stage" setup screens (as openSUSE called them). Instead, once you've hit install, the next thing you'll see is (in GNOME anyway) the option to set up your online accounts. + +There's an interesting option in the installer which allows you to skip the actual installation and instead export the configuration as a complete AutoYaST profile for use elsewhere (that profile is also output by the default at the end of new installs). + +As you would expect for a release pushing btrfs, YaST has been optimized to work better on btrfs. The release notes also report that YaST integrates better with the sysadmin boogieman, systemd. + +I've been using openSUSE daily ever since it hit RC1 about a month ago and have had no problems. The stability of this release is on par with what openSUSE has delivered in the past and stands head and shoulders above other distros I've been testing during that same time, notably Ubuntu 14.10 and Fedora 21. OpenSUSE does of course lag a bit behind the other two when it comes to offering the latest and greatest package updates. + +Still, if you're looking for a solid, stable system that won't let you down openSUSE 13.2 fits the bill. If you'd like to have the stable base, but want something closer to a rolling release distro, there's always Tumbleweed. diff --git a/published/owncloud.txt b/published/owncloud.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e753866 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/owncloud.txt @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +The proliferation of devices in our lives -- phones in our pockets, tablets tucked in the sofa cushion and laptops in our bags -- makes some kind of syncing and sharing service not just a convenience, but a necessity. + +Without a way to sync and share files all those lovely little devices are just isolated islands of data. + +There are dozens of companies offering to connect your multi-device world. Everyone from Apple to Google to Dropbox to dozens of smaller companies want to host your data. + +With so many options which one should you choose? + +At this point most of these services offer roughly the same features. There's typically a device-side client that automatically syncs your files to the server, some means of sharing those files and some kind of integration with third-party apps on your devices. The latter is less important than it used to be now that most mobile OSes have a means to pass files between applications. + +With similar feature sets much of the difference between syncing services comes down to what happens to your data on the server -- Is it secure? Is it private? Is it under your control or the service provider's control? + +Unfortunately, in the post-Snowden world we find ourselves forced to accept that using services like Dropbox or Google Drive means we're sharing our documents not just with friends, family and co-workers, but also the NSA, GCHQ and others in the "Five Eyes" countries. + +Some may not consider that a big deal. But even if you think you personally have nothing to hide (are you sure?), your business probably does. Want to share your future plans with your closest competitors? Probably not. But remember, what the NSA can do today, your less scrupulous competitors will be doing tomorrow. + +Edward Snowden himself has <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/17/edward-snowden-dropbox-privacy-spideroak">criticized Dropbox</a> specifically, calling the company "very hostile to privacy." Sadly, Snowden's criticism applies equally to Google Drive and any other syncing service that only encrypts your data on their servers. + +These days probably the biggest difference between data-hosting services is data encryption -- can the hosting service read your plain text files? Dropbox, Google Drive and most other big services all offer server-side encryption, which means they, not you, control who can see your data. + +There are other options though, including <a href="https://spideroak.com/">SpiderOak</a>, which, from a user experience standpoint, is more or less identical to Dropbox, but does all its encryption on your machine. That means that, while SpiderOak stores your data, the company has no way to access it -- only you have the encryption keys. So while the company might be compelled to hand your data over, in order to actually view the data any third-parties would need to get your encryption key from you. In the United States that still requires a warrant. + +To be fair, if you're comfortable setting up your own encryption setup you can achieve something similar with Dropbox, but this is currently not nearly as simple as it is with SpiderOak. + +For privacy and security-conscious users and businesses, SpiderOak trumps Dropbox, Google Drive and others by the simple fact that it actually offers privacy and security. + +Another option for businesses and individuals that don't want third-party servers storing their data, regardless of encryption, is OwnCloud. OwnCloud currently only offers server-side encryption (and it's not enabled by default), but so long as you host your own server that means you still control the encryption keys. + +The OwnCloud project recently <a href="https://owncloud.org/blog/owncloud-7-released-with-more-sharing-and-control/">released version 7</a>, a major update for the open source, self-hosted alternative to Dropbox, Google Drive and even SpiderOak. + +This release brings a new way of sharing -- server-to-server sharing. Previously OwnCloud offered a single folder for sharing -- you dropped documents in that folder and then share them via a link (much like you would in Dropbox or Google Drive). There was not, however, an easy way to share entire folders without creating a user in your OwnCloud app for everyone you wanted to share something with. + +OwnCloud 7's server-to-server sharing looks the same on the surface. You create a link to the content you want to share and send it to the person you want to share it with. Provided that person also uses their own instance of OwnCloud, the link you shared will show up as a file, or folder of files, in their OwnCloud instance. They can move it around, put it wherever they like and work with the file as if it were their own. + +It sounds prosaic, but consider the following scenario: You have a personal OwnCloud server and your employer also runs an instance. Previously there was no easy way to work with both servers via the desktop client. There are some complicated hacks to get around this, but with the new server-to-server sharing the solution is simple -- just share what you need from work to the home instance (or vice versa) and everything will show up in your desktop client. + +For example I have a small, self-hosted instance of OwnCloud for personal documents, everything from stories I'm working on to bookmarks I've clipped from the web to git repos with my dotfiles. I also have all my photos stored on a different OwnCloud instance. Prior to OwnCloud 7 these were entirely separate and I synced each using its own instance of the desktop client. In OwnCloud 7 I simply shared the photos folder with my personal server and now everything is in one place and I only have to run one instance of the desktop client. + +OwnCloud's web admin also includes a new feature in list views that shows you which files have been shared and with whom, so even though you don't have to use the "Shared" folder anymore, it's still easy to keep track of which files you've shared and who is working on them. + +OwnCloud 7 has quite a few other improvements as well, including a new mobile interface, support for editing MS Word documents in the web-based editor, some new user management tools for admins and more. See the <a href="https://owncloud.org/seven/">release docs</a> for full details. + +So which is the best option -- Google Drive, Dropbox, SpiderOak or OwnCloud? + +If you don't care about security and privacy then all of these are more or less the same. It's worth pointing out that OwnCloud isn't just a file syncing and sharing tool. It has dozens of other features, including web-based editor and file browsers, RSS reader, Mail server and more. If you want an all-in-one solution OwnCloud trumps the rest. + +When it comes to syncing and sharing files OwnCloud has most of the features of Dropbox and Google Drive, but, if you host it yourself, it has the advantage of running on a server you control. That means better privacy and security, however, given its web-based interface and ability to add third-party apps, OwnCloud has thus far shied away from client-side encryption. You can of course do this yourself, but then sharing becomes much more complex. + +So, if you reject Dropbox and Google drive for security and privacy reasons you're left with OwnCloud and SpiderOak. Of these two, OwnCloud makes sense when you trust the server it's running on. If you don't have access to a server you trust, SpiderOak makes a better solution from a privacy and security standpoint. diff --git a/published/owncloud2.txt b/published/owncloud2.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1985d1f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/owncloud2.txt @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +We share our lives on Facebook and Twitter, send email through Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo, and share our thoughts and stories on hosted blog platforms. We've effectively become digital sharecroppers, working someone else's soil as it were. + +On the surface it seems like a good idea -- let someone else worry about keeping everything running, making redundant backups, paying the bandwidth bills and all the other complexities while you or your company focus on what you do. Then one day you wake up and your email is gone; your blog's URL has been redirected and your RSS feeds no longer update. Suddenly sharecropping looks like what it is -- giving away your data and your company's data so others can profit off it. + +It isn't a question of whether or not today's biggest companies and services will fail, it's a question of when. Remember Geocities? Friendfeed? Google Reader? Gowalla? Pownce? Dropbox? Oh right, Dropbox is still here. For now. And Google would never shut down Reader, oops, I mean Drive. Microsoft will never close SkyDrive. + +Our casual reliance on and willingness to give our data over to pretty much any not new company that comes along should be alarming if you care at all about owning and preserving your digital legacy. + +What's more surprising than individuals relying on third-party services though is that some of the biggest companies in the world have placed critical elements of their infrastructure -- email, cloud storage, code hosting and file syncing -- in the hands of other companies which may or may not last, let alone have other business's best interests in mind. + +What makes the prevalence of digital sharecropping even more surprising is that, in most cases, it's unnecessary for both individuals and companies. As we saw in the first article in this series, for pretty much every commonly used service out there there's a self-hosted version available -- typically as free or open source software you can install on servers you or your business controls. + +Critics of this DIY web would here point out that the reason most people do not in fact do things themselves is that it's simply too much work. But as the popularity of Wordpress demonstrates, it's possible to build self-hosted software that just about anyone can use. + +Of course, in the case of social networks, there's more to the picture than just software. I'm not going to suggest that you can replace Facebook with some free code you grabbed off GitHub. What you can do though is stop sharecropping where you can, right now. Future-proof your data by taking control of what you can today; worry about the rest when you've exhausted what's possible right now. + +In the previous article we looked at one small example of how cloud services can fail you and your business -- the demise of Google Reader. Replacing Google Reader with a self-hosted alternative like TinyTinyRSS isn't too difficult; the OPML format offers reasonably good data portability which allows you to simply reload your RSS feeds in a new reader. + +Taking charge of your file hosting, cloud storage/sync or code hosting is obviously a little more complex. But the risk of not controlling these key pieces of infrastructure is also correspondingly higher, especially for businesses where these are key elements of day-to-day business. Often times the reliance on third-party services creeps up without anyone really realizing it. One day you wake up and find most of your employees are sharing files using Dropbox or Google Drive. + +Here's how that Dropbox creep happens: your current file sharing system -- if it even exists -- probably sucks. The interface is clunky, difficult to use and lacks support for mobile devices. + +Dropbox, on the other hand, does not suck. It has mobile clients for every platform under the sun and it is about as drop dead simple and reliable as you could hope for, which is why your employees are using it to share files and get work done. + +Having more productive employees is all well and good except that your files and potentially sensitive data are sitting out there on the web, on someone else's servers, beyond your control and well within the reach of hackers or perhaps even governments that may not otherwise have any jurisdiction over your company's data. To say nothing of the fact that you may wake up tomorrow and find that Yahoo has purchased Dropbox and is shutting it down in three weeks. + +What you need is all the simplicity of Dropbox or Google Drive, but running on servers you control. As with services like email, RSS or photo hosting, there are a variety of self-hosted file syncing services out there, but few are as mature as the open source project ownCloud. + +There's much more to ownCloud than just file syncing. It also offers file versioning, backups and simple sharing as well as a variety of other services like a calendar, contacts management, photo gallery, a tasks app, a simple document viewer, mobile clients and the ability to integrate log files into your existing systems, handy for system admins. It's also possible to mount Google Drive and Dropbox folders within ownCloud to help with migration or use both from one interface should you need both. + +There are a variety of ways to install and run ownCloud. The simplest option is to go with a provider offering a pre-installed setup. I tested ownCloud with OwnCube and had no trouble replacing Dropbox. The downside to a hosted solution is that you typically don't get much in the way of customization options and depending on your needs ownCloud as a whole might be overkill. For instance I already have photo gallery software, run my own LDAP server and am happy managing tasks in my own system all of which means three major chunks of ownCloud are unnecessary. + +There's also less control. You may be paying for the server space, but as I argued in the last article, that doesn't necessarily make it any more beholden to you. In fact, using an ownCloud provider really just changes who you're sharecropping for. That said, OwnCube has some distinct advantages over Dropbox and Google Drive, not of the least of which is that it's based outside the U.S. and not subject to U.S. data privacy laws (or lack thereof). + +Using a hosted service may be sufficient for many individuals, but if you'd like to go a step further, you can always download, install and manage your own ownCloud instance. The server requirements are minimal, a cheap Linux VPS with a decent amount of hard drive space will fit the bill. + +And unlike a lot of open source software ownCloud has nice documentation. I set up my own instance on a local server running stock Cent OS 6. So long as you're comfortable installing software in Linux you can setup ownCloud. In fact you don't even need to dive into the command line; the setup scripts will run right in your browser. + +For businesses there's a third option, the Enterprise Edition of ownCloud, which is the Red Hat to ownCloud's Fedora as it were. Go this route and you can easily integrate ownCloud with whatever backend your business is already using (say Amazon S3, or a mix of cloud and local). For a subscription price ownCloud.com offers support to go with your installation, including 24/7 phone support. + +While I've been happy with the move to ownCloud it's not necessarily a panacea. There are a couple of pain points, the worst of which is third-party support. All those great mobile apps that offer Dropbox and Google Drive file syncing seldom support ownCloud. OwnCloud offers its own mobile app, but if your workflow already relies on other apps you're most likely out of luck. + +It would also be nice if ownCloud were a bit more modular -- too much of it is interconnected and it can be difficult to pull out just the parts you need (which, I suspect, is why cheap ownCloud providers don't offer such customization). I've also found ownCloud to be a little less than completely stable. The innovation and rapid development pace of the project are great for press releases, but less so for day in and day out use. I solved this one by downgrading to ownCloud 4, which has actually had fewer problems than Dropbox in my experience. + +That's part of the tradeoff though, taking control of your data means you're going to have to do a bit more work, but at the end of day it also means you're in control. diff --git a/published/owncloudp1.txt b/published/owncloudp1.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..085f33e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/owncloudp1.txt @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +There's a saying that's gained some popularity in online circles lately, "if you're not paying for something, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold." + +When it comes to free online services like GMail, Flickr or Bing this is literally true. You, or at least your eyeballs and attention, are the product being sold to advertisers. The email service, photo hosting or search tools are just the hook that gets the real bait on the line so to speak. + +There's another implicit idea lurking inside the "you're the product" statement -- that when you do pay for services those services are somehow more beholden to you, which just might be the biggest lie on the web. + +Sometimes it may feel that way, but ultimately publicly traded companies like Google, Apple or Microsoft are actually beholden only to their stockholders whose interests may or may not be aligned with your own. Smaller startups are sometimes more reliable, but usually they're even less so, especially with nearly every startup these days angling for a big payday that almost always results in shutting down the service. + +In other words, it's true that free services are the least trustworthy and most likely to disappear without so much as an export button offered, but just because you're paying for something doesn't mean it's going to hang around, nor does it mean your data is any more private, secure or ultimately even yours. + +In some instances paid services may last longer than free alternatives but there's certainly no guarantee. If you want a guarantee you're going to have to run your own server, your own Flickr, your own Dropbox. + +Sometimes the discussion about putting data in the cloud can seem academic. No one is spying on my stuff, none of the services I use are shutting down, why should I worry? + +But, no matter how blase you may be about putting your data in the cloud, as with hard drive failures, eventually you'll lose something critical -- the spreadsheet with years' worth of bookkeeping, analytics data that could mean doubling your revenue or perhaps just irreplaceable photos of your kids. + +The impending closure of Google Reader offers a good lesson in the dangers of investing too heavily in services you don't control. I always knew I was too heavily invested in Google Reader, which was the cornerstone of how I did research and stayed up with tech news for a very long time, but I didn't really know just how badly I was exposed to Google's whims until the company decided to shut down it down. No more Reader doesn't just put a crimp in my workflow, it essentially eliminates my workflow. + +I'm not the only one recently forced to confront the dangers of relying on the services of outside companies. In just a few days Google Reader will scrape its last RSS feed and millions of reasonably savvy web users will lose years' worth of data (you can export your feeds, but not much else). The question is, do we learn from this or do we just move to the next service? + +Sometimes it makes sense to go with a service. Facebook is Facebook, trying to run your own Facebook isn't just silly it's impossible. The value of Facebook is the network, not the service it provides. But for mission critical tools like email, file sharing/syncing or, in my case, an RSS reader, relying on anything not in my control doesn't make sense. + +Not that I didn't start with the idea of moving to another service. In fact, I evaluated dozens of options, but while Feedly is interesting and Feedbin works with numerous third-party apps, I couldn't escape the nagging feeling that I was just setting myself up for another failure down the road. + +In the end I decided to bite the bullet and set up a self-hosted RSS reader on my own server because I wanted to be in control. More than I wanted the convenience of a hosted service like Feedly, more than I wanted a seamless transition from Google Reader, I wanted control. + +At the end of the day the only way to ensure that your data is yours, remains free for whomever you'd like to have access to it and isn't sold off to the highest bidder is to own your own tools. + +It used to be that running your own file sharing server, self-hosting an address book, email server or photo sharing application was a Herculean task. In fact, many a bookmarking service, email provider and photo sharing web site started life just because one person figured out how to do it and then their friends wanted in, and then friends of friends. Next thing you know you're running del.icio.us. + +Fortunately these days it's not that hard to get a private server up and running with the latest version of Ubuntu installed and every bit of software you might need only an apt-get away. If even that sounds like too much to worry about there are hosted solutions that will spin you up a server instance with hosting software like ownCloud pre-installed and configured for easy, private services that are (largely) under your control. + +Obviously the simpler you want the setup to be the more you're beholden to your hosting company. For example most of the ownCloud providers I've tested don't allow you to customize much, nor do they always offer speedy updates (though this is usually for stability reasons so it's often a good thing) or if they do offer customizations it's considerably more expensive. + +Everything on the internet is a series of trade-offs, so the more you're willing to do yourself, the more you're willing to assume responsibility for, the more you'll be able to ensure your data is under your control. The good news for individuals is that you're not alone, there's a whole fellowship of like-minded, self-hosting people on the web offering tutorials, hacks and even GitHub repos full of software. Thanks to some recent efforts from larger businesses and organizations like NASA, many of which are just starting to realize the dangers of being dependent on third-parties for key infrastructure components like email or file sharing, there's a lot of fantastic software out there. + +For my RSS needs I ended up testing out both Fever (which I've used off and on for years) and TinyTinyRSS, which ended up being my day-to-day favorite. I use Fever as well to monitor infrequently checked feeds and to discover trends and overarching themes in my feeds. Setting both up is dead simple, I've got mine running on a simple $5-a-month shared host. Any shared host that offers PHP and MYSQL/PostGRES will do. So you are paying for something, which should make those who like to pay for things feel better (Fever is also not free, though it's just a one-time license fee). + +Setting up either one is no more difficult than setting up WordPress on your own server. You'll just need to upload the files, add your database info to the configuration file and click through a series of installation pages. As with WordPress when you're done you have the same great features you'll find in hosted solutions, but you'll be in control. + +The payoff for that extra bit of effort is huge compared to the actual effort. What you end up with is control and in the increasingly cloud-based future of the web the next popular saying won't be about you being a product or not it'll be about you being in control or not: "If you aren't hosting your data, it's not your data". + + diff --git a/published/picture_element_illustration.png b/published/picture_element_illustration.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..eadb2a5 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/picture_element_illustration.png diff --git a/published/post-pc-programming.txt b/published/post-pc-programming.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..61f71a9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/post-pc-programming.txt @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +PC sales have flatlined. Even laptops aren't such a hot market anymore (Samsung has all but abandoned the once lucrative laptop market in favor of mobile). The future, it seems, belongs to the mobile device. + +That's not to say that there will not be laptops available anymore, just that far fewer people will buy them. For most, the "PC" will become a thing that fits in your palm. Or, in the case of the iPad, your comically oversized jacket pocket. + +That's fine for consuming information. Anyone who's ever used an iPad knows it's a great way to browse the web, check email, stay in touch with friends and so on. But what does a post-PC world mean for creating things? More specifically, what does it mean for developers? + +There's a common trope in articles that tablets like the iPad can't replace whatever it is that the author does. In many cases that's true, but is it true for programming? + +The answer is, it depends. It depends what you do and how willing you are to give up your old tools in favor of something new. + +If you're writing platform-specific mobile apps in Objective C or Java then no, the iPad alone is not going to cut it. You'll need some kind of <a href="http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-for-an-ipad">iPad-to-server setup</a> in which your iPad becomes a mythical thin client. + +If, however, you're working with scripting languages like Python and Ruby or building web-based applications, the iPad is tantalizingly close to being a great development environment. + +Before I dive into the specifics of my setup, I should note that to really get any development done on an iPad you'll need a real keyboard. Tapping glass is fine for short emails, but will quickly drive you nuts trying to write code. I used an Apple wireless keyboard because I had one, but there are some much slicker options out there that can also act as screen covers and protect your iPad when it's bouncing around in your bag. + +Now, for the software. What started me down the road to trying to work solely on an iPad was a brand new iOS 8 application, Working Copy, which became the cornerstone to the development environment I managed to create on the iPad. + +Working Copy is a Git client with support for just about every Git operation you need on a regular basis -- cloning, editing, committing and pushing. The app is free to download, so you can test it out, but to push back to the server you'll need to buy the $9.99 in-app purchase. + +Working Copy lets me check out my code, view recent changes, browse through old revisions and edit the files. The actual editing of files is not Working Copy's strong suit though. The included editor, while perfectly functional, lacks syntax highlighting and other niceties. Part of the reason is that the editor was not intended to be a full-fledged text editor. + +Working Copy developer Anders Borum intended Working Copy to be the first step in a workflow, not an all-in-one solution. In an ideal workflow you'd open Working Copy, check out your code and then open the file you wanted to edit in the external editor of your choice -- small pieces loosely joined. + +The secret sauce behind that workflow is the new iOS 8 feature Apple calls "Extensions" (akin to intents on Android). With Extensions, apps are aware of each other and can exchange data. For example, while in Working Copy you could click the share button and any text editors you have installed would offer to open the file. + +This way Working Copy can focus on being a Git application and your favorite text editor can focus on being a great text editor. + +The potential usefulness isn't limited to text editors either. Suppose you're a Python programmer, you probably have a Python runtime installed on your iPad. If the Python app were updated to work with iOS 8 Extensions you could pass your files from Working Copy on to the Python app and actually run them right on you iPad. + +IOS 8 Extensions are, in short, awesome and powerful. Except that precious few apps have updated to support these features yet. + +As Borum put it when I asked about connecting outside apps, "iOS 8 Extension support is a little like having a telephone... If you are the only one there is not much value, but once a friend gets one it becomes more interesting and when most of your friends have a phone it will really change the way you interact." + +In other words, the future is still unevenly distributed. + +Working Copy isn't the only app that would benefit from Extensions support. Another key tool in my post-PC programming arsenal is Transmit for iOS. Transmit is an SFTP client, but so far it hasn't been updated to support iOS 8 Extensions either. + +Then there's SSH clients like Prompt and iSSH, both of which make it easy to login to your remote server. SSH access means you can live the "thin client" dream, though for many this is more a nightmare than dream. Still, if you need to compile code this will, given iOS's App Store restrictions, mostly likely always be a necessity. The situation is much better in the Android world, but so far there hasn't been an Android tablet with hardware to match the iPad. If Ubuntu can bring a tablet to the market it would likely offer the best possibility of being a truly developer-friendly machine. + +Right now though there are a lot of ifs to the iOS-based, post-PC programming world. Too many in fact to make working on your iPad more enjoyable than a laptop. Indeed, I doubt that I'll be swapping my laptop for a tablet any time soon. + +That said, I actually find myself grabbing my iPad on my way out the door more than I used to. It's lighter, the battery life is better and thanks to Working Copy, iSSH and Transmit for iOS I know I can at least get most of my work done. diff --git a/published/pushtheweb.txt b/published/pushtheweb.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2126bd6 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/pushtheweb.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +Earlier this summer, noted web developer Peter Paul Koch, author of The Mobile Web Handbook, published an article entitled "<a href="http://www.quirksmode.org/blog/archives/2015/07/stop_pushing_th.html">Stop Pushing the Web Forward</a>". As the title suggests, Koch argues that the relentless pace of new features on the web isn't helping the web and that we -- developers, along with browser makers -- would do well to put on the brakes for a few months. + +It's not that Koch is opposed to progress, or new features for the web (though he does decry the trend toward slavishly emulating every new feature of platform natives apps), just that perhaps the pace is a bit fast. So fast in fact that developers and browser makers are just driving the web forward -- there's no direction beyond that. + +In other words, in a world where forward progress is the only goal, Koch wants to talk about where the web is going and why. Koch thinks it would be nice to freeze the development of new browser features for a while, giving developers more time to understand and use the features the web already has and that in turn would give us a better idea of where the web is lacking -- compared to what? -- and how to fix it. + +This, predictably, earned him quite a bit of backlash. Questioning one of the most fundamental tenants of modern existence -- progress is good -- typically gets you some pretty vehement feedback. + +In this case though, while Koch's suggestion is obviously never going to happen, it has at least inspired some rational discussion as well, especially with regard to the latest trend in new features for the web -- emulating the features that platform-native applications enjoy. This means things like APIs that allow sites to access device hardware or effects like the proposed <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/17jg1RRL3RI969cLwbKBIcoGDsPwqaEdBxafGNYGwiY4/edit?pli=1#heading=h.pcll678prpwu">Navigation Transitions</a> spec which makes page-to-page navigation smoother and more like what happens in native mobile applications. + +But does the web need these things? "We’re pushing the web forward to emulate native more and more," writes Koch, "but we can't out-native native." + +Indeed, native apps will by definition always be ahead of those emulating their features. The quest to make websites behave more like native applications is thus doomed to perpetual failure. + +Google's Jake Archibold <a href="https://jakearchibald.com/2015/if-we-stand-still-we-go-backwards/">counters</a> Koch's argument against native emulation, writing that "we should add features using evidence, and native is a great source of evidence." + +Archibold goes on to cite some specific examples: "Through native, we've seen users benefit from push messaging, offline data access, GPS, speedy payments. Through native we've also seen store management harm openness, packaging hurt linking, and up-front permissioning harm security and privacy." + +Prior to native mobile platforms the web was often measured against competing technologies like Flash, which provided the impetus for native audio and video tags taken for granted today. + +While his argument is a good one, Archibold glosses over the fact that often the web's version of features on native platforms are half-baked and have been for ages. Consider the Geolocation API, possibly the most useful HTML API out there. A mobile device in your hand can let a website know where you are and tailor information you might need -- maps, nearby friends, the closest restroom and so on -- to where you are. And of course it comes with the broader reach of the web, no building multiple apps for different platforms. Write once, run on the web. It sounds perfect. + +You might think a company like Uber would jump on the Geolocation API. But Uber's service is currently only available through an app. + +Opera's Bruce Lawson, <a href="https://dev.opera.com/articles/on-a-moratorium-on-new-browser-features/">writing in response</a> to Koch's article says that's understandable "because sometimes the Geolocation API is not very accurate on the web, and really accurate location info is critical to a taxi hailing service." + +Lawson says that's not reason to put browser features on hold though, writing that "that’s an argument for making the Geolocation API better, rather than stopping development." + +Indeed it is not so much that the web is moving too fast, but that there has been seemingly no effort whatsoever to fix things that have long been broken. The Geolocation API has been available in most browsers for many years now and it hasn't become any less buggy or unreliable. + +It's not the pace of feature development, it's the quality. But development resources are finite and if browsers were to stop creating new features for a while and focus those finite resources on documenting, debugging and fixing those half-baked features like Geolocation support instead, wouldn't that in fact be pushing the web forward? + +Forget the more complicated APIs even, what if developers could do something as seemingly basic as reliably style form elements across browsers? Wouldn't that be pushing the web forward? + +This is the core of Koch's argument, not that the web doesn't need new features for developers and users, but that new features at the expense of effort spent improving what we have quickly becomes pointless. Broken or half-complete emulations of native features are worse than no features at all. + +It seems reasonable to argue then that what the web needs is not a year long moratorium on new features, which, let's face it, will never happen anyway, but something akin to what Ubuntu Linux developers call "<a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/One%20Hundred%20Papercuts/Mission">paper cut bug"</a> fixes. + +A paper cut bug is defined as "a trivially fixable usability bug that the average user would encounter on his/her first day of using a brand new installation." In other words, a bug that isn't difficult to fix, but causes real problems in day to day use. + +Perhaps, since the web is currently semi-broken in more ways than one, it would be wise to throw out the "trivial" criteria and just take some time to fix what's broken. If that means new features are delayed by a few months will that mean the end of the web as we know it? Probably not. In fact it might just mean the beginning of the web as we want it. diff --git a/published/redhat-desktop.jpg b/published/redhat-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..650090d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/redhat-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/redhat-gnome.jpg b/published/redhat-gnome.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..22eb165 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/redhat-gnome.jpg diff --git a/published/redhat-install.jpg b/published/redhat-install.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bb7024c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/redhat-install.jpg diff --git a/published/redhat-sysmonitor.jpg b/published/redhat-sysmonitor.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b77e7b2 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/redhat-sysmonitor.jpg diff --git a/published/responsive-images-art-direction.jpg b/published/responsive-images-art-direction.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e133b45 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/responsive-images-art-direction.jpg diff --git a/published/rhel55betareview.txt b/published/rhel55betareview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a873f5e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/rhel55betareview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,33 @@ +Red Hat's Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 5.5 has reached the beta stage with downloads available for those that have a Red Hat Network subscription. For those that prefer the free (as in beer) CentOS (essentially RHEL without support) you can <a href="http://people.redhat.com/jwilson/el5/">download the new kernel</a> separately and upgrade your CentOS installation. + +Indeed, whereas most of the news in a Fedora release -- Red Hat's more familiar, free Linux distro -- is typically in client software, like GNOME updates and other desktop tools, the big news in the new RHEL is improvements to kernel-level software. + +RHEL 5.5 beta brings slew of hardware improvements, including support of IBM's new Power7 chips, which are looking like a popular platform for Linux on embedded devices. This release also brings more driver support for external devices and run-time memory allocation for virtual machines; but the biggest news in this incremental update to RHEL 5.5 is the continuing improvements to kernel virtual machines (KVM). + +RHEL 5.4 brought full support for the KVM hypervisor, making KVMs the primary virtualization solution, and RHEL 5.5 aims to continue that trend. + +Chief among the new features for KVMs in this release is the better memory management and improved device interactions. As of this release KVMs will be able to use any attached PCI devices as if they were attached directly to the guest OS, rather than running as virtualized devices. + +On some hardware, notably Intel machines running VT-d extensions, PCI devices can be swapped and reassigned while a virtual system is running. + +RHEL 5.5 also allows you to reallocate memory while a virtual machine is running so there's no need to shut down your servers or guest OSes just to increase or decrease the allocated RAM. + +Samba also sees some love in RHEL 5.5 with improvements that should make working with Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows 2008 Server a bit smoother. + +As with many features in RHEL, if you've been using recent releases of Fedora many of the latest features in RHEL may be familiar. For example recent improvements and many much-needed bug fixes to the Anaconda system installer are also now available in RHEL 5.5. + +While RHEL is probably most familiar in server setups, the desktop workstation has been updated as well with the latest version of the GNOME desktop and all usual accompaniments, including the latest version of OpenOffice.org, with support for (for better or worse) Microsoft's Office 2007 OOXML file formats. + +Those that do use RHEL on the desktop will be happy to hear that WIFi support is a big part of the coming 5.5 release. There's support for Ralink rt2 drivers, as well as drivers for Intel wifi cards and the Atheros ath9k driver for the latest chips. + +For those of you who don't manage datacenters worth of RHEL server, and don't want to spend the big money on an admittedly well supported desktop version, the big news in any Red Hat release is likely CentOS, the free version of RHEL (technically, as the website puts it, CentOS is based on a "prominent North American Enterprise Linux"). + +We took RHEL 5.5 beta for spin and found it to be, well, quite nice. It was our first exposure to RHEL directly though we are familiar with CentOS, and indeed, aside from the prominent Red Hat branding, things looked and behaved much like CentOS. + +Of course CentOS isn't the only auxiliary RHEL distro (though it is the most popular), others that will eventually benefit from this release include Scientific Linux and Oracle's Enterprise Linux (which, like RHEL, is not free as in beer). + +If you'd like to upgrade CentOS or others now, as mentioned above, you can at least grab the kernel, though you'll have to wait for some of the other new tools. For a complete list of everything new and improved in RHEL, check out the <a href="http://www.redhat.com/docs/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/5.5.b1/html/Technical_Notes/">technical notes</a> on the Red Hat website. When exactly the new features in RHEL 5.5 will move downstream to CentOS and others remains up to each project. + +The current beta release of RHEL 5.5 is available to members of the Red Hat Network for testing. The beta test phase is scheduled to run through March 16, 2010, and while no final release date has been set, we expect RHEL 5.5 to be available near the end of March. + +Overall the latest beta is solid update for RHEL. The new KVM tools and additional device support will make RHEL 5.5 well worth the upgrade when the final release arrives later this year.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/rhel6.txt b/published/rhel6.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2703bf8 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/rhel6.txt @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@ +Red Hat has released a beta test version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, the first major update for RHEL in over three years. + +RHEL 5 came out in March 2007 and used the Linux 2.6.18 kernel. Although incremental updates have added a number kernel updates and new features, RHEL 5 is showing its age. Of course the whole point of running an enterprise distro like RHEL is that it isn't Ubuntu or Fedora and it doesn't completely change all the rules every 6 months. + +Still, there's a balance to be had and even by enterprise standards RHEL 6 is a long time coming as evidenced by the crippling traffic that took down Red Hat's download server for some time. + +But RHEL 6 is here and the good news is that there's plenty to love. + +For RHEL 6, Red Hat is using a Fedora development release based on the Linux 2.6.32 kernel (technically it's a hybrid of several recent kernels). Red Hat engineers have hardened the Fedora base and added quite a few features -- with a strong emphasis on virtualization. + +One of the main goals for RHEL 6 was to make managing virtual servers as easy as managing physical machines, which means the bulk of the new software features are found in KVM. It also means that Xen is gone, though that's hardly surprising since Red Hat purchased Qumranet (creators of KVM) back in 2008. + +RHEL 6 builds on the KVM-based virtualization found in RHEL 5.5 and earlier releases, adding a number of performance and hardware support upgrades. + +Also new for virtual guests is the SELinux sandbox feature, which allows guest machines to run in isolated environments. The new sandbox features can be applied to just about any untrusted code you'd like to execute, but is particularly handy with virtual machines. + +Other improvements in the beta include changes to the way RHEL 6 handles multi-core chips. In theory, RHEL could use 64,000 cores in a single system image. Along with the better multi-core support comes the same support for new chip architectures that we saw in RHEL 5.5, including Intel's Xeon 5600 and 7500 and the Power7 from IBM. + +Another big change in RHEL 6 beta is the wide selection of disk formatting options, including ext4. You know a Linux feature has arrived when it makes its way to the conservative enterprise releases like RHEL and such is the case with ext4 file system, which is now the default filesystem format in RHEL 6. In addition to ext4, the XFS filesystem is now supported. + +As with previous versions of RHEL, the Anaconda installer will offer you a number of pre-configured sets of software packages depending on your needs. You can choose from the basic server configuration, web server packages, the desktop setup (GNOME by default), what RHEL calls a "software development workstation", or the bare essentials available in the "minimal" option. + +There is also an option to customize your installation further, selecting individual packages. For testing purposes we started with the basic GNOME desktop package, adding the server platform, along with common tools like MySQL, PostGRES, FTP server and e-mail server, as well as the new virtualization tools. + +The RHEL desktop isn't the place to look for the latest and greatest in GNOME developments. While GNOME 2.30 was released earlier this year, so far it's not part of the default RHEL 6 beta installation. At least for the beta GNOME remains at 2.28, Firefox is stuck at 3.5, and OpenOffice is at 3.1. + +Red Hat has also gone the conservative route with a number of other GNOME packages, for example, opting for Pidgin over the less mature, but more feature-rich Empathy, which has largely replaced Pidgin in Fedora, Ubuntu and other desktop distros. + +While many common software package haven't been updated to the latest releases that's to be expected from a conservative distro like RHEL, which has always erred on the side of stability rather than newest features. + +RHEL 6 includes the same Nvidia hardware support found in recent Fedora releases and had no trouble automatically configuring out Nvidia graphics hardware. + +Performance on the desktop matched what we've seen in recent releases of Fedora and Ubuntu -- snappy even on somewhat dated hardware. + +For casual desktop use you're better off with one of the many free Linux distros available. As the name suggests RHEL is aimed squarely at the enterprise market. + +System Admins get some new tools in RHEL 6, most notably the new service System Security Services Daemon (SSSD) which provides central management of identities. SSSD also has the ability to cache credentials for offline use, handy if you're managing a large number of laptops that often leave the local network. + +Of course RHEL typically ends up on servers and there's good news to be found in the standard LAMP server stack. Just about everything is close to the latest stable version -- Perl 5.10, PHP 5.3, Apache 2 and MySQL 5. Python remains at version 2.6 -- it would be nice to have a parallel installable Python 3.x -- and other software common on Cent or Debian servers (like Nginx and Memcached) remain absent from the basic RHEL server installation. + +For Red Hat's corporate and enterprise customers the upgrade to 6.0 will be an important one, particularly for those that need the virtualization and hardware support improvements. Of course the move from Xen to KVM may be a stumbling block for some. + +While Red Hat hasn't set a final release date for RHEL 6 yet, it is expected to arrive sometime before the end of 2010. If you'd like to test out the public beta head over to the Red Hat website to grab a copy. + diff --git a/published/rhel6final.txt b/published/rhel6final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a2847d1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/rhel6final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +Red Hat has released Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, the first major update for RHEL in over three years. + +RHEL 5 debuted in March 2007 and used the Linux 2.6.18 kernel. Although incremental updates have added a number of kernel updates and new features, RHEL 5 is starting to look aged. Of course much of the appeal of an enterprise distro is precisely that it ages well -- ten years in RHEL's case. + +That means that, for all the appeal of what's new in RHEL 6, 5.x will still be supported for another seven years. + +That longevity also helps to explain some of the new features you'll find in RHEL 6. For example, the staggering hardware capabilities -- on 64-bit platforms, RHEL can scale to 128 cores and 2TB of main memory. + +Some might find it strange to support systems that don't exist at the moment, but when you consider that Red Hat will still be supporting RHEL 6 in 2020, it starts to make more sense. + +RHEL takes the long view and that means starting from a rock solid foundation and supporting systems that don't yet exist. + + +Virtualization + +One of the main goals for RHEL 6 was to make managing virtual servers as easy as managing physical machines, which means the bulk of the new software features in this release are found in KVM. It also means that Xen is gone, though that's hardly surprising since Red Hat purchased Qumranet (creators of KVM) back in 2008. + +RHEL 6 builds on the KVM-based virtualization found in RHEL 5.5 and earlier releases, adding a number of performance and hardware support upgrades. Upgrading from old Xen-based disk files is also simple, just boot KVM and point to your Xen loopback disk files and reboot your virtual machines. + +Also new for virtual guests is the SELinux sandbox feature, which allows guest machines to run in isolated environments. The new sandbox features can be applied to just about any untrusted code you'd like to execute, but is particularly handy with virtual machines. + + +Installation + +Another big change in RHEL 6 beta is the wide selection of disk formatting options, including ext4. You know a Linux feature has arrived when it makes its way to the conservative enterprise releases like RHEL and such is the case with ext4 file system, which is now the default filesystem format in RHEL 6. + +In addition to ext4, the XFS filesystem is now supported. + +As with previous versions of RHEL, the Anaconda installer offers a variety of pre-configured sets of software packages depending on your needs. For the workstation release that I tested there were options for the Gnome desktop, a "minimal" desktop, a web development workstation and a software development workstation as well as the bare essentials available in the "minimal" option. + +There is also an option to customize your installation further, selecting individual packages. For testing purposes we started with the basic GNOME desktop package, adding the server platform, along with common tools like MySQL, PostGRES, FTP server and e-mail server, as well as the new virtualization tools. + + +Desktop + +While the RHEL desktop is perfectly usable, if you're a casual desktop user looking for the latest and greatest new toys in Gnome or KDE, RHEL isn't the distro for you -- you're better off with one of the many free Linux distros available. + +For example, while GNOME 2.30 was released earlier this year, it's not part of the default RHEL 6 installation. RHEL 6 is based around Gnome 2.28 (while RHEL isn't technically based on any single version of its free cousin Fedora, its desktop installation most closely resembles Fedora 12). + +Likewise, common Gnome applications lag somewhat behind the current shipping versions -- Firefox is stuck at 3.5, OpenOffice is at 3.1 and Evolution is at 2.28. + +Red Hat has also gone the conservative route with a number of other GNOME packages, for example, opting for Pidgin over the less mature, but more feature-rich Empathy, which has largely replaced Pidgin in Fedora, Ubuntu and other desktop distros. You also won't find extras like the Shotwell photo manager or "broadcast" clients like Gwibber. + +While many common software packages haven't been updated to the latest releases that's to be expected from a conservative distro like RHEL, which has always erred on the side of stability rather than newest features. + +RHEL 6 does include the same Nvidia hardware drivers found in recent Fedora releases, so while the package system may lag a little, the range of supported video cards is on par with any other distro. + +Performance on the desktop matched what we've seen in recent releases of Fedora and Ubuntu -- snappy even on somewhat dated hardware. + + +Server + +RHEL typically ends up on servers and there's good news to be found in the standard LAMP server stack. Just about everything is close to the latest stable version -- Perl 5.10, PHP 5.3, Apache 2.2 and MySQL 5. There's also built-int support for the latest Ruby on Rails 3.0. + +Python remains at version 2.6 -- it would be nice to have a parallel installable Python 3.x, which Fedora has included in the last two release -- but otherwise, the server software stack is much more up-to-date than the RHEL desktop. + +Red Hat is also touting some impressive power saving features in this release. Some of the power saving features come from kernel improvements, others are more specific to RHEL optimizations. Several of the major improvements in energy efficiency are also part of the recent RHEL 5.4 and 5.5 which enjoy a 25 percent energy savings over earlier releases in the 5.x line. Impressively, the new RHEL 6 gains yet another 25 percent improvement in energy efficiency. + +While that's nice for small server setups and even home users, the energy savings can be huge for larger data centers, which is one of Red Hat's major target markets. + +System Admins get some new tools in RHEL 6, most notably the new service System Security Services Daemon (SSSD) which provides central management of identities. SSSD also has the ability to cache credentials for offline use, handy if you're managing a large number of laptops that often leave the local network. + + +Conclusion + +RHEL is not for everyone. It isn't free, nor does it have much to offer the desktop user that can't be found elsewhere for free. However, if you're looking for a stable, no frills desktop RHEL 6 does fit the bill. + +For those who don't want the level of support you're paying for with RHEL, CentOS is essentially the same thing, save the support option. However, CentOS typically lags a couple of months behind RHEL releases, which means CentOS 6 probably won't be out until early next year. + +For Red Hat's corporate and enterprise customers the upgrade to 6.0 will be an important one, particularly for those that need the virtualization and hardware support improvements, and while RHEL 5.5 still has plenty of life left in it, RHEL 6 is already paving the way to 2020. + + + diff --git a/published/silverlight3.txt b/published/silverlight3.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fe5271e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/silverlight3.txt @@ -0,0 +1,65 @@ +Microsoft Silverlight 3, the company's answer to Adobe's Flash and AIR platforms, promises to be boon for web video. Thanks to its Smooth Streaming technology, which can offer live, adaptive video streams without requiring dedicated video servers, just about any website will soon be able to offer smooth, up to 1080p, HD video over the web. + +While Silverlight's future is looking bright, its past is underwhelming. The initial release lacked many features that Flash has offered for years, and was really a dressed up beta masquerading as a 1.0 release. The current release, version 2, is an improvement, but still lacks many advanced features. + +Fortunately, the third release, already available to developers as a beta preview, promises to boost Silverlight out of its also-run status and put it on a nearly level playing field with Adobe's Flash framework. + +Silverlight 3 brings a staggering amount of improvements to the table -- loads of new APIs, new features by the dozens, support for video and audio codecs like H264 and AAC, hardware-based graphics acceleration and more. + +In short, it's the sort of release developers salivate over. But how easy is it to develop in Silverlight? And how much has Microsoft closed the feature gap with Adobe's Flash platform? To find out, we took the Silverlight 3 beta for a spin. + +From the development IDE to the massive load of new APIs, Silverlight 3 is designed to make developers lives easier, and that's an important part of Microsoft's strategy because, many web developers remain wary of Silverlight's primary development environment -- Microsoft's family of .NET languages. + +For newcomers the .NET experience can be quite a bit more complicated than typical web development tools like JavaScript or ActionScript, which powers Adobe's Flash platform. However, thanks to efforts like Iron Ruby and Iron Python, we were able to construct a basic photo gallery application using pure Python. Although it's probably a bit easier, you need not be a .NET expert to build a Silverlight app. + +But because Silverlight uses the .NET framework it, offers some much more robust programming tools than Flash developers have access to -- for example, Visual Studio 2008, the primary IDE for Silverlight, blows Adobe's Flash IDE out of the water. Of course most Flash developers have long since moved to outside tools like Eclipse and there are also Eclipse plug-ins for working with Silverlight. + +The other thing you get with Silverlight is access to "real" programming languages. Sure Adobe's ActionScript is capable of creating some powerful apps, but Flash and even the Flex framework lack the sophistication and maturity you'll find in the .NET framework. Silverlight also offers a much wider range of development tools -- Silverlight apps can be built with anything from C to Ruby. + +That said, if you're a designer, familiar with the Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash workflow, you'll absolutely hate Microsoft Expression Studio, the primary tool for building Silverlight interfaces. Expression Studio feels like it crawled out of 2001 and it's primary component, Expression Design, could compete quite nicely with Illustrator 3.0, but Adobe long since left this sort of primitivism in the dust. + +In some ways this is the basic answer to the question Flash or Silverlight. Designers love Flash, programmers love Silverlight. + +Consider animation, a mainstay use of both apps. Flash has some programmatic animation libraries but most Flash projects still rely on some amount of timeline animation. Now contrast that with Silverlight, which uses the WPF animation model -- a time-based model. + +WPF also lets you define the start and end conditions and can automatically calculate the movement for you. In fact, once you wrap your head around it, WPF "just works," and can save you tremendous amounts of time. Animating the opening of images in our slideshow app, for example, required just ten lines of code cut and pasted straight from the documentation. + +Of course the main niche Silverlight is fighting for is the one that Flash has settled into -- drawing complex graphs and charts, animation, and of course, delivering audio and video over the web. + +Indeed, Silverlight's biggest inroads so far have been in streaming video applications and the new tools in version 3 only make it more tempting for developers. With version 3, Silverlight will be able to stream up to 1080p HD video. + +Like Flash 10, (which can also stream 1080p HD video) Silverlight now takes advantage of GPU acceleration, but Silverlight has a new trick that might give it an edge over Flash -- something Microsoft calls "Smooth Streaming." + +Smooth Streaming allows Silverlight 3 to stream at up to 1080p, but automatically adjusts video quality based on a your internet connection and local processor load. If your bandwidth is lower, say you're stuck on a slow public wifi, the streaming server will lower the video quality to ensure that you aren't stuck in buffering hell. + +Anyone who's watched Hulu's Flash-based player is probably familiar with the occasional playback lag, which is precisely what Silverlight 3's Smooth Streaming claims to avoid. Developers can check out the smooth streaming tools available at <a href="http://www.iis.net/media/experiencesmoothstreaming">IIS.net</a> + +So does it live up to the hype? Well, obviously degrading video quality is not ideal, but Smooth Streaming may be able to tide web video over until broadband speeds catch up with our demands. + +Smooth Streaming reportedly helped with NBC's 2008 Olympics coverage, but that was broadcast using Silverlight 2. In fact, we may have to wait for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to really find out how Silverlight holds up under massive real-world loads. NBC, whose NBCOlympics.com site will be streaming the 2010 Winter Olympics, plans to use Silverlight 3 to stream video at 720p. + +One other thing to keep in mind, Smooth Streaming requires the Internet Information Services 7.0 environment in Windows Server 2008. That means you're never going to smooth streaming videos from your LAMP stack and simply relying on Silverlight 3 just to handle the player. + +In typical Microsoft fashion, the Smooth Streaming tools are a package affair and you'll need to swallow the package hook, line and sinker before you see any benefits. + +That's a big commitment if you're not NBC and aren't broadcasting movies to an Olympic-size audience, but Silverlight 3 offers another tantalizing tool for developers to sweeten the deal -- the ability to build offline, stand-alone, desktop applications -- much like Adobe's AIR platform. + +The best part about the standalone apps aspect is that you don't need to alter any of the application's code. The only thing to do is create a short XML file (AppManifest.xaml) and define a few settings. Suddenly your app can be run both inside and outside of the browser. + +But that's only part of the appeal, there's also a revamped and much improved local data store API, what Silverlight calls "Isolated Storage." The Isolated Storage API is a way to store data for offline web-apps in Silverlight. Again, accessing it is dead simple and thanks to the updates in v3 you can now store data for your users regardless of whether they're using the web apps, desktop version or switching back and forth between both. + +Unfortunately, Silverlight's desktop app experience is a little behind Adobe when it comes to the end user's experience. To get a Silverlight app running outside the browser, users first need to visit the app in the browser and then right-click and select "Install app onto this computer." + +Adobe's paradigm -- just download an application and double click the icon -- is clearly has the edge when it comes to user-friendliness, but Silverlight is getting there. + +It is possible to create a Silverlight app that detaches from the browser somewhat like a traditional download, but you'll need to create your own interface and then call the Detach() method on the Application type -- or so the documentation informed us. Sadly we were unable to get our app to install on the desktop using this method. + +Still, while there are a few bumps, the new out-of-browser features may well end up being Silverlight 3's most important new feature. With the massive developer base of .NET we fully expect to see an explosion of desktop-oriented Silverlight apps once version 3 is out of beta. + +In our time working with Silverlight we found development to be fairly easy and in many ways much more flexible than Flash (and that's coming from someone with eight years of ActionScript experience) + +The framework is well documented and thanks to the .NET back end, there's no shortage of developers available to build Silverlight applications + +Comparing Flash and Silverlight has already ignited many a flamewar, but the truth is -- as of Silverlight 3 -- the two are equally capable and which is best suited for your project is really something that only you can decide. + +We're not crazy about the idea of needing a new plug-in, especially one from Microsoft, which doesn't have the best track record with web technologies, but if developers can take Silverlight where Microsoft is clearly hoping they can, then we better get used to the idea.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/sled11review.txt b/published/sled11review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4f9a9f4 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/sled11review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) is perhaps best known as the distro that made a patent-protection deal with Microsoft. From that moment on, Novell was essentially dead to those that prize the free software aspects of Linux. + +Given SLED's $120 price tag, even home users not concerned about SLED's ideological stance will likely not be interested, especially when Ubuntu, Fedora and dozens of other Linux distros are free (in this instance, we mean free as in beer). + +That's okay though; neither free software enthusiasts nor home users are really Novell's target audience. + +SLED is designed for businesses. Much of Novell's development efforts on SLED are geared toward making Linux play well with Windows. For businesses that need those features and also need to support Novell offers, the SLED distribution makes a compelling option. + +The enterprise version of SUSE should not be confused with openSUSE, the free, open, community-supported version which has no direct connection to Novell. + +So what do you get for your deal with the devil? + +Well, SLED 11 brings all <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/18/open_suse_11_review/">the updates found in openSUSE 11.1</a> and also includes a number of Novell-developed features like the AppArmor security tool, and some proprietary apps you won't find in your typical open source Linux distro, such as Adobe's Acrobat Reader. + +You'll also find support for Mono, which allows some .NET applications to run on SLED. Home users might not have much use for .NET, but given that it's a popular choice for many businesses' internal applications, ensuring that those apps can run in SLED is a big part of Novell's integration strategy. + +But SLED's main selling point for businesses is that it can be quickly and easily integrated into their existing Windows networks. True, with a bit of tinkering and manual configuration you can get other distros to connect to Windows networks and play nice with app, print or file servers, but SLED just works. + +Installing SLED 11 is a snap, just insert the DVD, select your preferred setup and click install. Once you've said yes to a slew of propreitary licensing agreements (Flash, Java, Agfa fonts and more), the whole process takes less than half an hour. We opted to install the default Gnome 2.24, but you can also install KDE 4.1 if Gnome is not to your liking. + +Also worth noting -- SLED 11 is now using the ext3 filesystem rather than the ReiserFS as in the past. For those that love the ReiserFS, it will still be supported, you'll just have to set it up yourself before installing. + +Once the installation is finished you'll be greeted by a very Windows-like arrangement of Gnome, with the main panel, and even start button, down at the bottom of the window. As with openSUSE 11, the focus is on making the Gnome environment match the Windows experience. The results will be familiar enough for Windows users to pick up on, but shouldn't leave Linux fans feeling lost. + +The one place we found SLED's setup to be a bit confusing was the system admin tools. There are no less than three panels you'll need to dig through to make any customizations to your system -- the Control Center, Application Browser and the YaST2 setup panel. Those unfamiliar with SLED's setup will have a hard time figuring out which options are in which panel. + +The rest of our experience with SLED matched that of other Linux distros but with slight Novell tweaks -- apps like OpenOffice 3.0 and the Evolution Mail client have been customized to work better with Microsoft tools like the OOXML format for OpenOffice, and Exchange Servers in Evolution. + +Again, you could do the tweaking and adding yourself, but the idea is that Novell saves you the trouble. For the home user that isn't much trouble to save; for a business administrator with 1500 workstations to keep track of, well, you can see the selling point. + +And for the most part the "interoperability" that Novell likes to boast about, did indeed work. We were able to connect to an Exchange Server and retrieve mail without any issues. Opening, saving and working with OOXML files also presented no real problems, though in one case when we moved the documents back to Microsoft Office 2007 there were some mangled characters and other formatting flaws. + +Performance-wise SLED is on par with other distros using the 2.6.27 Linux kernel and Gnome 2.24. You'll miss out on some of the newer features in Gnome 2.26, but you can always upgrade yourself. On the KDE side it's disappointing to see the rather lackluster 4.1 version is the default, especially given that 4.2 is a huge stability improvement. + +The bottom line is that SLED is indeed an enterprise-worthy desktop Linux distro and has the extras that might convince those businesses still sitting on the fence when it comes to Linux that it's worth trying. + +We definitely do not recommend SLED to the casual home user, and of course the free software purists won't even read far enough to see this warning to steer clear of Novell's SLED 11.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/sparky-openbox.png b/published/sparky-openbox.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6bbafdc --- /dev/null +++ b/published/sparky-openbox.png diff --git a/published/stateofgnome.otl b/published/stateofgnome.otl new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ee6dd08 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/stateofgnome.otl @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +Fedora is getting ready to release its 18th major update and this time around it'll be notable for something unusual -- its the only GNOME distro stills standing. + + + +What's wrong with Gnome + Linus's opinion, Intel guy + q:"I have yet to meet anybody who likes the unholy mess that is gnome-3" + +What happened to Gnome + This one is pretty easy, IOS happened. Remember back in 2008 when the idea of a radical GNOME rewrite was first floated (under the punny name ToPaZ)? Remember when the developers of GNOME said, no, let's not make a radical leap. Let's improve the underlying toolkits and revampt the GNOME environment, but let's leave the desktop alone. Incremental updates are the key to our success. Then the iPhone, iOS and the the iPad happened. The ripple effect of the iPad accounts for at least some of Gnome 3's decision to abandon its incremental plan and go for the radical rewrite that is GNOME 3. + Except that GNOME 3 failed to do the one thing that sets iOS apart from not just GNOME 3, but Windows 8 as well. iOS does not run on desktop computers. + +Everyone is copying apple -- building tablet-style interfaces + The problem with GNOME is the same problem with Windows 8 -- too scared to fully commit + Too scared to fork off a separate tablet interface so then the developer thinks, I know, + I'll just build it so that we can write once, but run anywhere. Now you have only one problem, you've inevitably created a steaming pile of shit. + + It's chasing tablets with an all-in-one desktop -- write once, run anywhere has a long history of sucking + Windows 8 is doing the same thing and failing as well. But at least Windows 8 has the good sense to fall back to an ordinary desktop +Abandoning the users you have to chase the one's you don't. + Gnome is like the prototypical romantic comedy lead that's chasing someone it can't have + while missing what's right in front of it -- user base. In romantic comedies the character + typically has an epiphany and recognizes what they had and all is right in the world. + With Gnome, thus far there has been no epiphany just a slow steady stream of distro's + dropping or forking the once might desktop. Ubuntu has moved on to Unity, Mint continues to pull in GNOME 3 refugees with Cinnamon. + Torvalds and others have jumped ship for XFCE, KDE, LXDE or countless other small desktops. + + + +http://www.technewsworld.com/story/75820.html + +I wondered if you could do something for us in November: give me your +thoughts and observations on the state of Gnome, based on where the +desktop is in comparison to, say, Ubuntu and with Win 8 released (that +will have come out in Oct). Also, is the project really suffering some +kind of exodus and what does this mean for the future of Gnome, based +on your experiences? + +'m not sure that's going to happen with GNOME 3.x. With KDE 4, I saw where they wanted to go, I just didn't think it was a great idea. With GNOME... I really don't know what they're trying to do. It looks to me like change just for the sake of change, and that's pointless. + +Of course, it's one thing when just a technology journalist, like me, doesn't like what you're doing. But, when leading Linux developers dislike a desktop this much, and one major Linux distribution, Ubuntu, dislikes it so much that they decided to replace the GNOME 3 shell with an entirely different desktop approach, Unity, I think it's time for GNOME's developers to sit down and seriously consider whether they've should backtrack to the GNOME 2 architecture. diff --git a/published/stateofgnome.txt b/published/stateofgnome.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9dd8989 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/stateofgnome.txt @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +If a major Linux desktop falls in the forest and no one is around to use it, does it make a sound? + +That's a question the GNOME project would do well to contemplate. The once mighty Linux desktop has stumbled and looks like it might be poised to come crashing down after the release of GNOME 3. + +Here's the problem: the radical rewrite that is the GNOME 3 desktop seems to have pleased almost no one. + +It isn't just unhappy users that are leaving; developers are leaving too. GNOME developer Benjamin Otte wrote a blog post appropriately entitled, "Staring into the Abyss", noting that "core developers are leaving GNOME development" and that the project "is understaffed," "has no goals" and is "losing market and mindshare." + +Worse for GNOME, two major Linux distros have jumped ship entirely, preferring to create their own desktops. Canonical's Ubuntu has the Unity desktop and popular newcomer Mint Linux has created not one, but two new desktop projects. + +If that wasn't demoralizing enough for GNOME developers, Linux Torvalds himself called GNOME 3 "an unholy mess", going on to add that he's never met anyone who likes it. + +Torvalds may be prone to both outbursts and hyperbole, but together all these sketches of GNOME in trouble blend to paint a picture of a desktop in crisis. + +And to think GNOME 3 was originally rejected by the project developers. The complete re-imagining of the desktop that was to be GNOME 3 (originally nicknamed ToPaZ) was initially set aside because it went against the underlying philosophy of the GNOME development community -- incremental improvements. Indeed it was incremental improvements and little rocking of the boat that brought many users to GNOME in the first place. + +Of course eventually GNOME 3 did happen and the project made a fundamental mistake that has now cost it not just mindshare, but marketshare as well -- GNOME decided to abandon the users it did have to chase users it didn't. + +What makes that decision all the more confusing is that, as Otte points out, GNOME is chasing users that aren't even buying devices GNOME runs on -- tablets and smartphones. + +What happened that made GNOME developers seemingly abandon all sense of sanity and design a desktop interface that almost no one wants? + +It's tempting to compare GNOME to KDE and its transition from KDE 3 to 4, which was similarly disruptive to work flows and generated a similar amount of negative press and hand wringing. However, while KDE 4 may have been a bumpy ride, it was always pretty clear where KDE 4 was headed, it just took a while to get there. + +The more likely candidates for inspiring GNOME's 3.0 stumble is Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS. + +The touch screen came like a blinding white light that obliterated developers' interest in anything as mundane as the desktop and laptops people use to do actual work. Suddenly developers everywhere were seized by a kind of touch screen mania that has warped computing visions not just in the GNOME world, but in the Windows world as well. Windows 8 exhibits the same kind of iOS/Android envy that GNOME displays, it just manifests it in a different design. + +Unfortunately what both Microsoft and the GNOME project seemed to have missed is that in creating iOS for mobile devices Apple, well, created iOS for mobile devices. It did not rewrite the OS X desktop that runs on Macs, nor did it try to re-imagine the desktop computing paradigm. Apple created something entirely new that was always designed with touch screens in mind. Say what you will about the result, at least the goal was clear from the get-go. + +GNOME had a sizable user base. It had the support of companies well beyond its Red Hat stable, including Red Hat competitors like SUSE and even phone giant Nokia (both have since all but dropped their commitments to GNOME) and it abandoned that to chase what its developers call "innovation" in a space where Linux users don't want innovation. + +Now Gnome is like the protagonist of a romantic comedy, chasing someone it will never catch even as it misses what was always there -- its old user base. In romantic comedies the character typically has an epiphany, recognizes what they had all along and all is made right in the world. + +Thus far GNOME appears to have had no such epiphany, just a slow steady stream of distros dropping or forking the once popular desktop. Ubuntu has moved on to Unity, Mint continues to pull in GNOME 3 refugees with Cinnamon. Torvalds and others have jumped ship for XFCE, KDE, LXDE or countless other small desktops. When Fedora 18 ships later this year it may well be the last of the big distros to stick with GNOME 3. Indeed if GNOME's current trajectory holds it may well become just "the Red Hat desktop" and there will be few users around to hear it come crashing down in the Linux forest. diff --git a/published/susereview.txt b/published/susereview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9a52598 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/susereview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,6 @@ +Activation Code: 2396B4E10BAB12 + +okay license flash, java agfa fonts etc + +autoupdates reminiscent of Mac/Win + diff --git a/published/thefutureofdesktoplinux-notes.txt b/published/thefutureofdesktoplinux-notes.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..010959d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/thefutureofdesktoplinux-notes.txt @@ -0,0 +1,66 @@ +From: Scott Gilbertson <sng@luxagraf.net> +To: Douglas DeMaio <ddemaio@novell.com> +Cc: +Bcc: +Subject: Re: MIT of Linux distribution +Reply-To: +In-Reply-To: <549086BE020000FA0015ECB7@smtp.nue.novell.com> + +On 12/16, Douglas DeMaio wrote: +> Hi Scott, +> +> I have provided the answers below you questions: +> +> v/r +> Doug +> +> +> +> +> +> >>> Scott Gilbertson <sng@luxagraf.net> 12/16/14 5:36 PM >>> +> Douglas- +> +> Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but this is great, I like that +> metaphor of MIT. +> +> I have a couple follow up questions if you have time... +> +> 1) In thinking about openSUSE's focus on power users the first thing +> that comes to mind is all the work that's gone into revamping YaST, +> would you say that's a good example of those goals in practice? Are +> there any other recent changes that reflect the power user focus? +> +> +> The efforts openSUSE made toward revamping YaST is a great example of the goals in practice. YaST used to be written in a language specific for YaST called YCP and we created a program called YCP Killer, which translates that language into Ruby; this was both innovative and allowed for us to move forward with a more current language. YCP Killer solidified our ability to appeal for more power users. Some of the code looks a bit strange and that code is what we call Zombies, but we are working on the next program called YCP-Zombie Killer to make the code look more like what a person would write rather than a computer. YCP Killer is a great achievement and we believe this will help bring more contributors on board with the openSUSE Project. +> +> 2) Along the same lines, does openSUSE have any big plans for the near +> future? Or is the project more focused on maintaining/incremental +> improvements? +> +> We are innovative at creating tools and much of the innovation are in the processes. Power users don't always see this, but the innovation is in the process; it's in the tools. When you look at our tools and the processes we make to create the distribution, the innovation is very clear. However, we are making incremental changes that appeal more to the power users. That is the direction we are moving toward. +> +> 3) +> > To answer the question how does openSUSE see itself fitting into +> > the future, openSUSE sees itself as the MIT of Linux distribution and +> > development. +> +> Can you expand on that a little? I'm curious exactly which aspects of +> MIT's place in the larger picture mirror openSUSE's? +> +> +> openSUSE mirrors MIT is several ways. MIT's roots come from Europe when it adopted the European polytechnic university model. openSUSE is a worldwide project, but it started in Europe and we all know how technical and process oriented Germans are; this efficiency is in the fabric of the openSUSE project. The tools and processes the openSUSE project has established for optimisation and automation are similar to how MIT would approach a project. The methodology we use is allowing us to develop faster and to be more creative. Using btrfs as the default file system is an example of the strength of our distribution. - https://news.opensuse.org/2014/11/12/what-to-expect-from-btrfs-on-opensuse-13-2/ +> +> Let me know if you need anything else. +> +> +> +> Thanks again for getting back to me so quickly. +> +> cheers +> Scott Gilbertson +> sng@luxagraf.net +> +> +> + diff --git a/published/thefutureofdesktoplinux.txt b/published/thefutureofdesktoplinux.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a72edd4 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/thefutureofdesktoplinux.txt @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +After such a <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/22/linux_year_review/">banner year</a> of Linux releases it might seem overly pessimistic to pause and ask, <em>but is there a future beyond this?</em> + +The answer is of course yes. Or rather it's yes, *but*. The qualifying "but" can take many forms, depending on who you're talking to and what their stake in the game is. + +Even if you take the most optimistic outlook for the future of the Linux desktop -- that all these distros continue turning out all these great releases year after year... until what? One day there are no more laptops or desktops left? + +In this sense the question of what the future looks like for the desktop Linux distro is closely tied to what the future of general purpose computing looks like. + +And that future looks increasingly like one that will exist primarily on mobile devices. + +The much-hyped mobile future may not feel that promising or real to those who grew up with TRS-80s in the den and will always think of computers as something you can hack on, something you control; but for the other 99.99% of computer users, mobile devices are in fact exactly what they want for the very same reason -- they never wanted to tinker with that massive, ugly contraption like that TRS-80 sitting in the den in the first place. + +The tightly controlled, rarely compromised world of app stores and mobile contracts is not limiting if that's all you wanted in the first place. It may not be the best way to debug your company's failing mail server, but mobile devices are great for getting you search results, Facebook updates and simple ways to share photos with friends. + +Couple that with the reality that the next 2 billion people who will be connecting to the internet will be in areas where factors like price, battery life and portability make the mobile device a clear winner and you can see through the mobile hype to a more nuanced reality, one where the device that's good enough trumps everything else. The exact form of that device will change over time, but right now the phone form factor seems to be winning. + +Given Linux's long history of outstanding support for underpowered hardware, mobile devices could end up being the best place for Linux yet. Unfortunately, so far the gap between "Yes! Mobile Linux will be awesome!" and an actual mobile version of Linux that runs on devices that actually sell in stores is, well, insurmountable. + +The most visible face of Linux in mobile and, let's face it, the most likely to succeed beyond the small circle of the Linux faithful, is undoubtedly Canonical. + +The company has been hard at work on Ubuntu for phones for some time. In fact, there has been, for the latter half of 2014 anyway, little to Ubuntu other than mobile. As Canonical's Jon Melamut, VP Professional and Engineering Services, tells The Register, "Ubuntu for phones has been a major focus for Canonical, and we’re now in a position to bring devices to market." Indeed it looks like we'll see the first official Ubuntu phones in the very near future. + +Exciting as that is for those who've been waiting for the power of Linux to make its way to your hand, it's really only a halfway step to Canonical's vision of "true device convergence." + +It's still a ways off, but Melamut says Ubuntu for phones and Ubuntu desktop "ultimately... converge into a single, full operating system that will work across different form factors from mobile to tablet and PC." Interestingly, while many of the other big players initially scoffed at the idea of one OS to rule all your devices, that now seems to be exactly what Microsoft and Apple are now moving toward as well, albeit in very different ways. + +Ubuntu may be pushing hard to get a slice of the mobile pie, but that doesn't mean every distro is likewise inclined. In fact, chasing mobile might be missing perhaps the biggest opportunity desktop Linux has ever had for widespread adoption. The masses may be swapping their aging Windows XP desktops for tablets, but the so-called power users are unlikely to do that now and won't be likely to do it in the future either. + +With Windows 8 proving unpopular with power users and OS X Yosemite eliciting pointed criticisms and even talk of Apple <a href="http://www.marco.org/2015/01/04/apple-lost-functional-high-ground">losing</a> some of its "just works" magic, the Linux desktop may well be the refuge power users and developers are looking for. Melamut points out that while Ubuntu for phones gets all the press, Canonical has also been ramping up its "cloud" options as well, targeting dev ops, cloud developers and the like with OpenStack environments and other tools that make developer's live easier. If you're using it in the server room, why not your desktop as well? + +That's the user that the openSUSE project plans to focus on, chasing what openSUSE Senior Consultant Douglas DeMaio calls "the power users" and making openSUSE, in DeMaio's words, "the MIT of Linux distros". + +The focus on power users isn't new for openSUSE, which has long offered the very sysadmin-friendly YaST as one of its big selling points. Over the past couple of years openSUSE has completely re-written YaST in the more developer friendly Ruby language (previously YaST was written in a homegrown language) in an effort to draw more power users and sysadmins to YaST and the openSUSE platform. + +DeMaio says that openSUSE plans to continue improving YaST and focus on other power user features and tools like the recent move to Btrfs as the default file system. For openSUSE the name of the game is evolution, not revolution. "The innovation is in the process," says DeMaio, "it's in the tools." + +The Fedora Project has taken a similar approach, but in a more radical way. Fedora has long been a massive, sprawling project with dozens of different "spins", specialty deployments and niche packagings. On one hand this is part of what allows Fedora to bubble up some very interesting projects, like the <a href="http://devassistant.org/">DevAssistant tool</a> for developers or its robotics package setup. The problem with this nebulous approach is that the lack of cohesiveness has made it hard at times to figure out where the project is actually headed. It often seems like it's headed everywhere and nowhere at the same time. + +That changed this year with Fedora.next, which essentially envisions Fedora as an onion with several different, but connected layers. There's a couple core components, a bare OS and then a base system -- Fedora minimal if you will -- then comes something new, what Fedora calls environments or, or if you prefer the marketing term, "flavors". These are the different setups that arrived when Fedora 21 was released. Right now there are flavors for cloud, server, and workstation environments (the latter is basically a desktop environment geared at software developers). + +Fedora Project Lead Matthew Miller likens the new structure to Lego. "The idea is: we can take some of our bricks, and we can ship those as sets," says Miller, "and maybe even, unlike Lego, we will ship them preassembled for you, but we’re not gluing them together, and we’re not getting rid of the basic supply of bricks." + +The modular approach also sets the stage for other directions in the future. Right now the flavors are cloud, server and workstation because those are the places the distro is focused. Down the road if Linux-friendly hardware emerges in the mobile device world then perhaps we'll see a new "mobile" flavor from Fedora. + +Fedora's approach mirrors what's long been the guiding principle of good GNU/Linux software -- small parts loosely joined. This will no doubt cue comments about the evils of systemd, but at the structural level at least the modular approach seems alive and well in Fedora. + +So far though that modular approach has not jumped on the mobile bandwagon. + +While most of the Linux world may be ignoring the mobile future for now, or perhaps waiting to see how Canonical fares, there's a second, slightly less glamorous possibility for the future of the desktop PCs in which Linux fares quite well -- the return of the desktop/laptop. + +When the iPad first arrived pundits proclaimed the end of the PC and so forth, but in fact what many of us learned from dabbling in mobile is just how valuable our laptops really are. And when we get back, desktop Linux will be there waiting with open arms. diff --git a/published/thunderbird.txt b/published/thunderbird.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9ebe6a5 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/thunderbird.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +Mozilla has released Thunderbird 3.1, an update to the company's free desktop e-mail software. + +The previous release Thunderbird 3.0, was a less than stellar application, but thankfully, the latest version fixes the bugs and sees the Thunderbird project back on track. In fact, Thunderbird 3.1 is what 3.0 should have been. + +Unfortunately, Thunderbird 3.0 was marred by some serious bugs that failed to import user's mail from older versions of Thunderbird. It also had a habit of becoming unresponsive while indexing large mail stores. + +The new version of Thunderbird does not, thankfully, suffer from the same problems. To test the new importing feature, we dug an old Thunderbird 2 POP mail store off a backup disk and imported it into the latest version without losing any mail. + +Thunderbird 3.1 is also remarkably faster than its predecessors -- particularly when indexing messages in large mailboxes. While Thunderbird 3.0 had a number of nice new features -- a tabbed interface, improved search and overall UI -- the features were largely useless thanks to endless hangs and spinning cursors. + +Particularly notorious for those connecting to Gmail was the "All Mail" folder which generally caused Thunderbird to hang, sometimes for hours. With Thunderbird 3.1, we were able to grab all the headers for some 17,000 messages in just over ten minutes. Even better, the rest of the program was perfectly responsive and usable even as the messages were downloaded and indexed. + +Thunderbird's search tool is also considerably faster in this release. The search tool, which first arrived in 3.0, rivals Gmail's search capabilities and offers additional filters that make it easy to narrow your search by sender, date and more. + +Thanks to the improved indexing speed, the search tool is also much quicker in this release. + +Thunderbird 3.1 isn't just about correcting Thunderbird 3.0's bugs and speed issues, there are several new features as well. + +The new Quick Filter makes it easy to filter messages by Unread, Starred, Contact, Tags or Attachments. There's also a handy button to make filters persistant even when you're changing folders. The only thing missing in the new Quick Filter tool is a way to customize filters. + +While you can't add your own filters to the new Quick Filter bar, there is <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/159026/">an extension</a> that adds a few more features, like the ability to filter based on sender and date. + +Also new in the latest version of Thunderbird is a "saved files" manager for dealing with attachments. Similar in appearance and function to Firefox's Download Manager, the Saved Files Manager displays all the files you've downloaded from your e-mail to your computer, making it easy to find them later. + +Thunderbird 3.1 also has a new Account Setup Wizard. While it looks the same on the surface, hundreds of ISP settings have been added, which means Thunderbird is much better at guessing your settings. Just enter your name, e-mail address and password and Thunderbird will configure the rest of your setup for you. + +While on the whole Thunderbird 3.1 is a much needed improvement over its predecessor, it's worth noting that the new app has a new set of system requirements, including the need for a worrying 1GB of RAM. + +Considering that the 2.0 release only required 64MB, it's not hard to see why some call the the Thunderbird 3.x line "bloated." In our testing Thunderbird never went over 250MBs of RAM, but that's still a significant jump from 2.0, which was considerably less RAM-heavy. + +Thunderbird 3.1 is also not without its annoying quirks. For example, search results are limited to 10 results, forcing endless clicks of the "more" button to see all the results. Similarly, while the ability to select multiple messages and see a snippet of each is one of the handiest features in Thunderbird, the snippets are only two lines, often not quite enough to get the gist of a message. + +Other niggling complaints include burying the option to turn off HTML e-mail three menus deep in the account preferences section. And of course Thunderbird's platform integration -- that is, how well the UI fits the various OSes it runs on -- lags well behind its sibling, Firefox. + +More serious complaints include the inability to sync contacts with popular webmail providers like Gmail and Yahoo. There is an add-on that will work with Gmail, though it hasn't yet been updated to support Thunderbird 3.1, but frankly, contact syncing should be built into the app. + +Still, even if you have to manually import your contacts, Thunderbird 3.1 is a worthy e-mail client and definitely worth the upgrade if you're using 3.0. If the horror stories of early 3.0 adopters put you off and you're still using Thunderbird 2, it's safe to jump back in the water. + +Even if you swear by webmail interfaces, Thunderbird is a good option to keep around for backing up your accounts. Just periodically fire up Thunderbird, let it download your messages and you'll spare yourself the pain when Google shuts down your e-mail account for no apparent reason. + +Thunderbird 3.1 is a free download, you can grab a copy from the Mozilla Thunderbird website.
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All of the participating Ubuntu flavors have released their initial beta versions of what will eventually be Ubuntu 15.04 or Vivid Vervet, as this release is known. + +The main Unity-based Ubuntu sits out this first beta as it has for the last few release cycles, but Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME and the now-official Ubuntu MATE are all available for testing (as are a couple of others not covered here including Lubuntu and the China-centric Ubuntu Kylin). + +While these are beta releases and should be considered for testing purposes only, these early releases do mean the features have been frozen and you can get an early glimpse of what's coming for each of the popular flavors in 15.04. From this point on the only changes will be bug fixes. + +The biggest news in this beta release is that Ubuntu MATE has finally gained the "official" blessing from Canonical. That doesn't mean much right now, other than the fact that you can now download it from a Canonical URL, but it is good news for the future of Ubuntu MATE. Among other things this will mean there's a now an easy to grab daily image if you want to help test and stay abreast of what's new. + +If you're dying to try MATE with Ubuntu behind it you can grab the beta, but I'd strongly suggest waiting. The Ubuntu MATE 15.04 beta is very rough and lacks quite a few things you'll find working just fine in, for example, the Mint-based version. That said, some of the more noticeable changes in the last couple of MATE releases -- notably improvements to the file managers like folder colors and customizable sidebars -- are present in this release. + +The key to getting a reasonable experience out of the Ubuntu MATE beta is to install an extra PPA, which fixes some of the problems that occur because MATE 1.8x is not fully compatible with the version of glibc that's in 15.04. Check out the <a href=https://ubuntu-mate.org/blog/ubuntu-mate-vivid-beta1/">Ubuntu MATE release announcement</a> for details on how to fix that issue. + +Despite the current state of the beta, if you have fond memories of Ubuntu 9.10 or so, back when GNOME 2.x was the default desktop, Ubuntu MATE is probably you best bet for recreating the experience (and of course improving on it since MATE has quite a few nice tricks up its sleeve that were not part of GNOME 2.x). + +If the torrent I downloaded is any indication -- it had almost triple the number of seeders compared to the rest of the flavors -- Ubuntu MATE is going to be a very popular release. That said, I'd wait for the second beta at least before jumping in with both feet. + +MATE may be the attention-grabbing newcomer, but perhaps the biggest changes found in this release cycle will be what's in store for KDE users in Kubuntu. + +Kubuntu 15.04 will be the first Kubuntu release to default to the impressive new Plasma 5 interface. Plasma 5 is perhaps most notable for its visual changes, which see KDE embracing a more streamlined, "flat" interface, but it's also the first version of KDE to be powered by Qt 5 and the recently released KDE Frameworks 5. + +Kubuntu comes with KDE Applications 14.12. A number of the applications have been ported to KDE Frameworks 5, but not everything has just yet. Fortunately even those that haven't should "fit in seamlessly" according to the <a href="https://wiki.kubuntu.org/VividVervet/Beta1/Kubuntu">Kubuntu announcement</a>. I did not encounter any serious problems in my testing, but it is a beta of course. + +One of the more lightweight of the Ubuntu flavors, Xubuntu 15.04 is shaping up to be a fairly minor release, at least the portions pertaining to the Xfce desktop. + +There's a new LightDM settings tool to control your login screen, some new wallpaper and a series of updates to various Xfce tools like window previews in xfwm4, an "intelligent" hiding mode for panels and much improved support for multiple monitors. The Thunar file manager also gets some improved keyboard navigation in this release. For more details on all the smaller changes, check out the <a href="http://xubuntu.org/news/xubuntu-15-04-beta-1/">Xubuntu release announcement</a>. + +The beta 1 freeze comes at an awkward time for the Ubuntu GNOME flavor, which will be forced, due to timing issues, to stick with GNOME 3.14 for this release cycle. It's possible that someone may put together a GNOME 3.16 PPA at some point, but officially 15.04 will stick with 3.14. + +That may not be the latest and greatest by the time the final release rolls around, but it does mean that Ubuntu GNOME will get the experimental Wayland session support that other distros have been making available. To use it install gnome-session-wayland and then select "GNOME on Wayland" from the login screen. + +Under the hood all these flavors share updates to the base system and a new kernel, all of which will also be part of the main, Unity-based version of Ubuntu 15.04, which is still an alpha release. 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Canonical founder and Ubuntu Grand Pooh-Bah, Mark Shuttleworth, is no stranger to exploring rarefied territory. The man has, after all, been to space. But so have a fair number of other people. It's Shuttleworth's new plan -- to take Linux beyond the desktop and into the world of consumer devices -- that may be his most daring and, if it works, lasting idea. + +Ubuntu is headed for orbit. But, just as you don't want to get too close to a launching rocket, getting to close to Ubuntu right now may be risky. There's a lot of heat and debris flying at the moment. Casualties have thus far included a bit of privacy (fixable, but still unsettling) and a general neglect of what was once the focus -- the Ubuntu desktop. + +It's not that Ubuntu has abandoned the desktop, but it does seem clear that currently its interests are elsewhere. There were the usual spring and autumn desktop updates, Ubuntu 13.04 and 13.10 respectively, but neither brought much in the way of new stuff to the desktop. + +If Ubuntu were just another Linux desktop this would be the space where we question just what the heck its developers are doing. But Ubuntu is no longer just another Linux desktop. + +Just twelve months ago Ubuntu *was* yet another Linux desktop. In that sense, looking back at 2013, it would be perfectly reasonable to say it was a very boring year for Ubuntu. So long as you confine the meaning of "Ubuntu" to "actual shipping, desktop operating system" then it was a largely unremarkable year. The roadmap for 2014 looks similarly dull on the desktop. There's a new display server coming, a change that most users will never notice. The usual incremental app updates and bug fixes are also inevitable. Yawn. + +What has made and will continue to make Ubuntu the distro to watch in 2014 is not desktop Ubuntu, it's Ubuntu Touch. + +What made 2013 an exciting year for Ubuntu fans was the revelation that Canonical was going to put a real Linux distro on a phone. You could argue that Android is Linux; peel back the virtual machine layers and technically Android runs atop a Linux kernel, but Android pales next to the full power of Linux on your phone. + +When Shuttleworth announced Ubuntu Touch he didn't just move Canonical into a new market, he re-ignited the nerd fantasy of real Linux-based phones, which taps a market well beyond Ubuntu's usual share of the Linux desktop. Like many, I don't use Ubuntu on the desktop, but I will be lining up when the first Ubuntu phones hit the market. + +Why? Because the future is mobile. I don't mean mobile in the meaningless buzz word sense, but literally mobile, as in light enough to take anywhere. Light enough to always be with you. Couple relatively cheap, small, lightweight hardware with server-based file storage systems like Ubuntu One or Dropbox and you finally have the fabled thin client we've been hearing about for decades now. + +To paraphrase an old Apple ad, an Ubuntu Touch offers your desktop in your pocket. Thanks to that Mir display server that no one will notice you literally have a desktop in your pocket; all you have to do is plug your phone into a larger monitor and Ubuntu Touch will reveal a desktop size interface. The "desktop" version of Ubuntu in 2018 will be your Ubuntu Touch device docked to an 8K ultra-HD monitor. Who doesn't want that? + +But more even than the convenience of your desktop in your pocket, Ubuntu Touch gives Linux a chance that it has never had before. + +Linux has always been an also-ran on the desktop, not just in market and mind-share, but in metaphor. The Linux desktop has always aped the Windows and Mac desktops. Not necessarily in looks (though often there too), but certainly in metaphor. Leaving aside philosophical considerations, what separates Linux from Windows or OS X is really no more than a coat of paint. Menus are menus, dialog boxes are dialog boxes. The basic premise of the point-and-click GUI interface was set in stone well before desktop Linux became a viable product. That's not necessarily a bad thing, universality means commonality and makes it easier to move from one thing to the next. + +But the fact that so much of the desktop computing paradigm was already established before Linux arrived on the scene also means that it never had a chance to innovate or create its own metaphors. + +That's not true in the mobile space. Mobile devices and touch screens are still very young; users are still very open to new ways of interacting. For example, two years ago no one was pulling to refresh apps, now every one is. There's still a chance to innovate here, to set the metaphors and interaction language of touch-based and mobile computing. + +Apple's iOS is currently leading the way when it comes to setting the metaphors of mobile computing. Android and other offerings have, thus far, done little beyond copy the touching-little-buttons and other interface metaphors Apple brought to the masses when iOS debuted. But even Apple is still rethinking very basic elements of the mobile interface, as iOS 7 attests. + +Into this still forming world comes Ubuntu Touch, and with it a chance for Linux to get in on the act of establishing metaphors and interaction paradigms. Ubuntu Touch has a chance to not just ape iOS and Android, but to write its own vision of the mobile/touch interaction paradigm. Will it? Who knows. But the opportunity is there and for now that's what matters. + +What we'll start to see in 2014 isn't just Ubuntu Touch, but Canonical's larger vision of what the future of computing should look like. Already Canonical's vision differs from the existing paradigms. The everything-in-your-pocket approach, which allows you to just plug a phone (or tablet) into a larger monitor, is very different than what iOS or Android are doing. Android and iOS see themselves as supplemental. From what we've seen so far, Ubuntu Touch sees itself as fundamental. + +Ubuntu's vision with Touch feels longer range than its existing rivals. Right now phone and tablet hardware isn't powerful enough for some use cases of the all-in-one device Ubuntu Touch envisions. But phone and tablet hardware is getting more powerful every day. By the same token, as anyone who's installed Ubuntu Touch can tell you, it's not ready yet either. + +Indeed, Ubuntu Touch is a gamble and it may not work at all. It may be too far ahead of its time. It may end up another also-ran idea, joining MeeGo, webOS and other failures in the graveyard of mobile OSes. At the same time, if Ubuntu Touch can realize its ambitions it has a chance to change the face of mobile computing for good. Either way, it's safe to assume 2014 is going to be a wild ride for Ubuntu fans. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1004final.txt b/published/ubuntu1004final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b861e8a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1004final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,50 @@ +Canonical has announced the release of Ubuntu 10.04, or Lucid Lynx, as this release is known. Not only is Lucid Lynx an important update for the Ubuntu platform -- packed with new features, a brand new look and more -- Ubuntu 10.04 is a Long-Term Support release, making it the first such upgrade since 8.04. + +As a Long-Term Support (LTS) edition of Ubuntu, Lucid Lynx will be supported for the next three years on the desktop and five years on the server instead of the usual 18 months of free security updates. + +This edition will, therefore, set the scene for Ubuntu for a decent chunk of time and provide a launch pad for the distro’s move down a more refined and user-friendly path that subsequent releases should build upon. + +Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth (now VP of Product Design) wants Ubuntu to eventually beat Apple on the desktop in terms of features and user interface polish. While Lucid Lynx still has some rough edges, this release is a huge leap for UI design in Linux and puts Ubuntu well on its way to Shuttleworth's goal. + +There are, however, some changes that will no doubt raise the ire of die-hard Linux fans. For example, the close, minimize and maximize window buttons are now on the left (ala OS X) by default. It's a small change, but an endlessly frustrating one if you're used to the old style. Fortunately a quick trip to the gconf-editor will re-align the buttons with your muscle memory. + +Other less annoying changes give Ubuntu a nice, more polished look -- most of the GNOME panel widgets look much nicer in this theme and the icon set is considerably better than what we saw in the beta. + +But the changes in Ubuntu 10.04 aren't just skin deep. There are quite a few new applications, features and services that make Ubuntu seem more like a consumer-friendly OS like OS X than the Linux of the command line loving past. + +Between Canonical's web-based syncing service Ubuntu One (unveiled last year), the coming U1 music store and the new "Me Menu," Lucid Lynx is looking less like the stoic Linux desktops of yesteryear and more like a like, well, what everyday consumers want in an operating system. It's even got quite a few features Apple can't match. Oh, and it's free. + +The installation process for Ubuntu hasn't changed much over the last few releases, though the installer 10.04 does give you a glimpse of the new default theme, "Ambiance." A nice mixture of muted purples, oranges and browns, Ambiance has a somewhat darker and more professional look than the old human theme. + +Aside from the slick new looks, the default GNOME desktop has been considerably changed in Ubuntu 10.04, with redesigned widgets and the new "Me Menu." The "Me Menu" is a gateway to quickly access chat clients, "broadcast accounts" (which include Twitter, Facebook and the like through the very slick new social networking tool, Gwibber) and Ubuntu One for online backups and file sharing. + +The Ubuntu One storage is designed to give you a simple way to backup, sync and share files over the web. Ubuntu One offers 2GB of storage for free, with a 50 GB option available for $10/month. Ubuntu One also offers public shared folders which other Ubuntu users can access from their desktop (anyone not using Ubuntu can still access the files through their browser). + +Sadly, Ubuntu One continues to be somewhat buggy in our test. While actually syncing files, contacts (through Evolution) and notes (through Tomboy) worked just fine, the web interface continually timed out or failed to load for one reason or another. + +Still, so long as you don't rely on the web-based access, Ubuntu One make a great file syncing service and now that it's included in the "Me Menu" it's even easier to access and share your files. + +The other elements of the "Me Menu" are decidedly more fun, offering quick access to Gwibber, which makes a great Twitter and Facebook client (it also supports Flickr, Digg, Identi.ca and others), and Empathy for connecting to various chat networks. + +The Ubuntu One Music Store is also making its prime-time debut in this release. It offers a way to purchase DRM-free music directly through Rhythmbox, Ubuntu's default music player. + +Unfortunately, while the music store itself is fine -- we especially like that when you buy music it's automatically synced to the cloud via Ubuntu One -- the selection (which comes from 7Digital) leaves much to be desired. The Ubuntu One Music store is nice addition for Ubuntu and we look forward to seeing it expand, but it's definitely not the iTunes Store just yet. + +Of course the lackluster selection has far more to do with music industry politics and licensing issues than any shortcoming of Ubuntu's, but it does nevertheless reflect on the store. + +At least Ubuntu's music store delivers MP3 files rather than OGG, which, while popular with Linux fans, isn't supported by the iPod (technically, some models can be hacked to run the <a href="http://build.rockbox.org/">Rockbox firmware</a>, which does support OGG). + +The fact that Ubuntu One is tightly integrated with Rhythmbox is nice for GNOME fans, but means that other music players are left out of the fun. Canonical says that the music store will eventually be available also as a plug-in for Banshee, Amarok, and "a few other" Linux music applications. But for now it's Rhythmbox or the high road. + +There's also a brand new movie editor making its debut in this release of Ubuntu. The Pitivi video editor offers an iMovie-like timeline editor with all the basic video editing tools. Pitivi can handle anything GStreamer supports, so make sure you install all the additional GStreamer plugins available. + +We imported movies from three different cameras -- both AVI files and AVCHD. The AVIs worked without issue. The newer camera's .mts AVCHD files semmed to import successfully, but unfortunately we we're unable to play or edit them. Curiously, the files played just fine in Movie Player, which means the problem was most likely not in GStreamer, but with Pitivi itself. If you've got a camera shooting AVCHD, you may need to look elsewhere, but Piviti will do the job otherwise. + +The new Ubuntu Software Center features a completely redesigned interface for finding and installing software. The new look maker Ubuntu Software Center a bit more user friendly and almost app store-like in its design and layout. + +The basic GNOME apps all see updates in this release as well. Firefox, OpenOffice, and Evolution have all been updated to latest version. The only really noticeable change is in Firefox where Canonical has given Google the boot and opted to use Yahoo! as the default search provider. + +Those that consider GUIs bloat and think a good user experience involves green monospaced fonts on a pure black terminal window will not be pleased with the new Ubuntu. Unfortunately, from the looks of things you are Ubuntu's past (but at least part of Fedora's future) and the real world of everyday, dare we say ordinary, computer users are Ubuntu's future. + +The default human theme may be gone, but the emphasis on "Linux for everyone" remains well intact at the Ubuntu camp. Overall Ubuntu 10.04 is certainly one of the most polished looking Linux distros on the market. With built-in cloud syncing, a new music store and quick access to social networks, Ubuntu is clearly aiming at the mainstream audience and you can expect that trend to continue. + diff --git a/published/ubuntu1010beta.txt b/published/ubuntu1010beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3dba88c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1010beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +Ubuntu fans, fire up your virtual machines, the beta release of Ubuntu 10.10 is here. Maverick Meerkat as this release is known, is actually several weeks ahead of the original schedule, and means Ubuntu 10.10 is on track for its final release October 10. + +While we wouldn't suggest using the beta in a production environment, if you'd like to install it for testing purposes you can grab the beta from the Ubuntu download page. + +The first thing you'll notice on booting 10.10 is that the Ubuntu UI has changed again. The look of Maverick is not radically different from the previous release, but it has a number of very subtle improvements that make the default theme a bit nicer. Application windows sport smoother gradients, window buttons have been enlarged and refined (though they are still on the left by default) and there are some slick new progress animations. The default Humanity icon set has also been spiffed up for 10.10 and now includes some icons for external devices like the Motorola Droid and iPod touch. + +Overall Maverick's default theme makes for the sexiest Ubuntu yet (well, aside from that overly-purple desktop image). + +Other parts of the Ubuntu interface have seen makeovers as well, like the revamped sound menu and the redesigned Ubuntu Software Center. The Software Center is quite a bit more user-friendly with a new "History" option in the side menu, showing all package installations, removals and upgrades by date or by searching. + +But possibly the biggest change in the Software Center isn't the interface, it's the inclusion of the "For Purchase" software section. As of the beta there's still no actual software to buy, but the interface is beginning to take shape. Unfortunately, in my testing, I was unable to login to Launchpad to even see the purchase screen. Eventually the plan is for commercial Linux software to be purchased and installed right alongside the familiar free options, but for the beta at least things are still a bit rough around the edges. + +Still, it'll be interesting to see how the Ubuntu community reacts to the idea. Will Ubuntu end up with an App Store of its own? There's certainly enough free (as in beer) software out there to cover most people's needs, but offering an easy way for users to purchase software might attract more big name commercial software to the platform. + +The Software Center is also part of Ubuntu's continuing foray into built in social networking, with ability to post your installs to Twitter (via Gwibber). In the previous alpha release Rhythmbox also got the social touch with a new button to share your favorite tracks with your friends via Twitter, however, the button has been removed in the beta and it seems that, at least for now, the feature has been put on the back burner. + +Gwibber itself has been updated to work with Twitter's new OAuth-based authentication. Gwibber has also switched backends, which should make the app faster, but sadly, means no more syncing across your computers. + +Another musical change in Maverick is the new sound pane, which features a revamped slider and now includes the currently playing track along with basic play/pause and skip buttons -- a bit like Rhythmbox's minimized view living in your top panel. Some of the alpha builds also included playlist support, but that's been removed for now. + +Maverick also sees the departure of F-Shot, the long-time default photo manager for GNOME. In its place you'll find Shotwell, which I covered in depth earlier this year in a <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/30/linux_versus_mac_windows_2/">round up of Linux photo managers</a>. While Shotwell still isn't quite as full-featured as F-Spot, its interface is considerably better and it's rapidly turning into a great little photo viewer/editor. Of course, if you prefer F-Spot it's just a couple clicks away in that slick new Software Center. + +As with nearly every release of Ubuntu, the installation process has seen a slight makeover. In this round the improvements mean installation has fewer steps and starts installing while gathering your info. The installation screen also offers to install the all-important multimedia codecs without making a separate trip to Software Center. + +There are also numerous changes under the hood in Ubuntu 10.10, including an updated kernel, the usual slew of updated GNOME apps and even new <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/16/ubuntu_utouch_linux/">touch-based, gesture-recognition</a> engine designed to give Ubuntu support for multi-touch gestures and touch screen interfaces. + +Keep in mind that this is still a beta release and numerous bugs exist. You can read through the <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/maverick/beta#Known%20issues">known issues</a> on the Ubuntu website. Still, while this early look is clearly a beta, Ubuntu 10.10 is shaping up to be a nice update to the rather major overhaul that arrived with Ubuntu 10.04. the final version of Ubuntu 10.10 is slated to arrive October 10.
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Natty, if you're curious, means smart and fashionable which is apt for this release since it is smart looking and definitely chasing current OS design fashions. Unfortunately it's also the single worst beta release of Ubuntu I've ever tested. + +That's not to say there isn't much to love in Ubuntu 11.04 with the new Unity Interface being the primary news, but even for a beta this release is way too rough. Unity -- regardless of what you think of it -- isn't ready for prime time and it seems unlikely Canonical will iron out all its problems before the final release in April. + +Bugs can be fixed, and there are numerous bugs to fix in this release of Unity, but the larger problem is that Unity, thus far, lacks the functionality of GNOME 2.32. Ubuntu, and its users, would be better served if Unity were not the default desktop for this release. + +Unity is a radical departure, but no less so than GNOME 3.0 (which has wisely been pushed back until later this year). The problem isn't that everything you know and love about GNOME is suddenly gone, and Ubuntu 11.04 is, for all intents and purposes a completely different experience than everything that came before it. The real problem is that Unity can't do half of what GNOME can do. + +If that sounds familiar it might be because the same thing happened to KDE users in the move from KDE 3.x to 4.0. Sadly, rather than learn from the ensuing backlash that came with KDE 4, Canonical has decided to soldier on into the Unity future, whether it's ready or not. Spoiler alert: it's not. + +## The Good + +On the surface Unity looks good. In fact, Unity will most likely one day trump GNOME in many ways -- it's noticeably snappier than GNOME, works well at just about any screen resolution and even appears to be designed with touch-based devices in mind. Eventually, come Ubuntu 13.04 or so, Unity will seem like a brilliant move, but the transition is going to be bumpy. + +The new universal or global menu -- which pulls the main menu out of the application window and puts them in the global menu bar -- works surprisingly well and is the first of many features that reflect the influence of Apple's user interface designs. It's different, but the global menu is probably the easiest change to adjust to -- same menus, new location. + +Unity's new launcher/dock is another element that closely mirrors what you'll find in Mac OS X, though without much of the polish and functionality built-in to Apple's offering. The dock has some problems and is missing some obvious features, but it's not hard to see how the dock and accompanying search and launcher tools will eventually be a great time saver. + +The highlight of the current launcher is the plethora of keyboard shortcuts, which allow you to launch applications, open file browsers and call up system-wide searching without taking your hands off the keyboard. There are also a few nice touches in the various indicator apps -- for example you can simply hover your mouse over the volume indicator and use the scrollwheel to adjust the volume without ever actually clicking anything. + +The Ubuntu Software Center is similarly improved and now offers user reviews. You can give a star rating, write a short review and even post the review to Twitter thanks to the Gwibber integration. Even better, the Software Center now allows you to try out apps without having to commit to even a temporary installation. Instead the app is streamed from Ubuntu's servers in a pop-up window. To get the previews working you'll need to install a package by the name of "qtnx." The previews don't seem to work with every app yet, but when they do it will make choosing among the variety of apps available a little bit easier. + +## The Bad + +At times Unity feels awesome, at other times it feels developed by SkyNet as a subtle way to frustrate you into an early grave -- an attempt to kill you with a million paper cuts. + +The launcher/dock is a fine example of what seems like a death by paper cuts workflow in Unity. Sure it has great keyboard shortcuts, but what if you want to do something as basic as make the dock smaller or resize icons? Initially there was no way to do it. Now there's a patch to enable such basic features, but the fact that it was only an afterthought gives you a glimpse of how far behind the needs of everyday users Unity really is at this point. + +Or how about another basic function -- adding a new application to the dock? You might assume you could simply drag an app icon from your application menu into the dock, after all, that works in Windows and Mac OS X. Unity, however, has something a bit more complex in mind -- first you'll need to open the app, then you'll need to right-click the icon in the dock (assuming your right click works, which, if you have a Synaptics trackpad, it may not) and then choose "Keep in Launcher." Yes, it's not that hard, but it's also three steps more complicated than every other OS on the market. + +There's also the familiar looking GNOME-like bar at the top of the desktop, which looks like a GNOME bar, quacks like a GNOME bar, but is definitely not a GNOME bar. Want to add something to the main window, say a weather app or maybe news ticker? No dice. The Add to Panel option is gone. If you want to add something to the global menu bar you'll need to install the appropriate indicator app. Over time perhaps more GNOME panel apps will be ported to the new Ubuntu format, but for now it's slim pickings and the process is far more awkward than it was in GNOME 2.x. + +Another step backward in this release is the more intensive graphics requirements. Much of what's good in Unity comes from OpenGL, which doesn't work with every graphics card and chipset. If your PC isn't up to snuff there is Unity 2D, a kind of backport of Unity's features without the graphics overhead. It's not the default option for less capable PCs, but Unity 2D is in the Software Center if you'd like to try it on older hardware. + +Beta releases are never fully stable, but this is the first Ubuntu beta I've tested that routinely suffered from application crashes. For example, Banshee was so unstable it took ten tries just to keep it open long enough to grab a screenshot for this review. The problem doesn't seem to be with Banshee since it works just fine on Ubuntu 10.10. Similar problems plagued LibreOffice (Ubuntu's new default office suite) and the Workspace switcher, which only worked about half the time in my testing. Compiz is similarly unstable. + +If Unity strikes you as half-baked there is, thankfully, the Ubuntu Classic desktop option. Essentially GNOME 2.32, the Classic Desktop option nevertheless includes at least one Unity feature -- the global menu. + +## Conclusion + +Ubuntu has always offered a bit more polish to its interfaces than other Linux distros, which is perhaps part of the reason this beta feels so woefully inferior to its predecessors. Unity has potential, but it's tough to escape the feeling that it just isn't ready yet. + +Ubuntu's drive to bring something radical and new may end up creating another KDE 4 situation -- the initial release was clearly not ready for prime time, but now that KDE has matured few would opt to go back to KDE 3.x. + +Hopefully Canonical will sort out the various bugs before the final release, but even if they do, missing features may well make Ubuntu 11.04 a release best waited out.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/ubuntu1104final.txt b/published/ubuntu1104final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..514c749 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1104final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +Canonical has released Ubuntu 11.04 or Natty Narwhale as this release is known. This release is not your ordinary Ubuntu update with a handful of new features and the same basic Ubuntu you know and love. No, Natty Narwhale is an entirely new beast, with the Unity shell replacing everything familiar about the Ubuntu desktop. + +After a bumpy ride with the initial beta -- which I dubbed the single worst beta release of Ubuntu I've ever tested -- I did not have high hopes for the final release, which is good, because while things have certainly improved, they are a long way from the level of polish that we've come to expect from Ubuntu. + +That's not to say there isn't much to love in Ubuntu 11.04. On the surface Unity looks good. In fact, Unity will most likely one day trump GNOME 3 in many ways -- for example it's been noticeably snappier than GNOME 3 in my testing. Eventually, come Ubuntu 13.04 or so, Unity will seem like a brilliant move, but right now it's a bit rough around the edges for everyday use. + +There are no doubt some that love using the latest version of any software, but Unity -- regardless of what you think of it -- isn't what most user's would call "ready for prime time." The problem isn't that everything you know and love about GNOME 2.x is suddenly gone, the real problem is that Unity can't do much of what GNOME 2.x (or even GNOME 3) can do. + +If that sounds familiar it might be because the same thing happened to KDE users in the move from KDE 3.x to 4.0. Sadly, rather than learn from the ensuing backlash that came with KDE 4, Canonical has decided to soldier on into the Unity future, whether it's fully formed or not. + +##Unity The Good + +Unity's new universal or global menu -- which pulls the main menu out of the application window and puts it in the global menu bar -- works surprisingly well and is the first of many features that reflect the influence of Apple's user interface designs. It's different, but the global menu is probably the easiest change to adjust to -- same menus, new location. + +Unity's new launcher/dock is another element that closely mirrors what you'll find in Mac OS X, though without much of the polish built-in to Apple's offering. On the plus side, like the GNOME 3 Shell, Unity's shell interface is a keyboard-shortcut lover's dream. You can call up the launcher, search for apps and documents and launch them all without ever needing to reach for a mouse. There are also a few nice touches in the various indicator apps -- for example, you can simply hover your mouse over the volume indicator and use the scrollwheel to adjust the volume without ever actually clicking anything. + +The very nice attention to detail in many aspects of Unity are also what make many of its ill-conceived shortcomings so obvious, though Ubuntu has been hard at work fixing many of the issues that plagued the first beta release. In fact, several of the items I called out in the beta review have been addressed. + +The final version of Ubuntu 11.04 allows you to move and (with some workarounds) resize the launcher/dock, positioning it where you'd like on your screen. The interface has also been tweaked to allow you to drag and drop app icons from the Unity Dash to the Launcher. Another interesting change is that when you open the Dash, the Unity launcher will desaturate to a monotone gray, while the Dash remains in color, helping you see where you're currently focused in the Shell. + +##Unity The Bad + +All three of those improvements are steps forward for usability in Unity, but there are some steps backward as well -- like the new disappearing scrollbars. Frankly I was already on the Ubuntu bug report site when it finally sank in that hiding the scrollbar was not in fact a bug, but a feature. It makes for a cleaner interface apparently. And Apple is doing it in some of its new applications, so it must be a good idea. + +In Unity the disappearing scrollbar appears when you mouse over where a scrollbar ought to be, but oddly, it appears hanging, outside the window in question (unless you have the app maximized, in which case, for further confusion, it's inside the window). The hanging scrollbar might be the single ugliest, most anti-intuitive part of Unity. Just keep telling yourself, it's not a bug, it's a feature, and perhaps eventually you'll believe it. In the mean time you'll have to live with it. + +The disappearing scrollbars, grayed out launchers and other fancy interface elements in Unity make for some much more intensive system requirements than the average Ubuntu update. While moving Unity to OpenGL, which powers most of the new effects is a good thing in the long term, it will leave some machines behind since OpenGL requires newer hardware. If your PC isn't up to snuff there is Unity 2D, a kind of backport of Unity's features without the graphics overhead. In the beta release you needed to install Unity 2D separately, but thankfully Ubuntu has bundled Unity 2D as one of several desktop options in Ubuntu 11.04. + +##Beyond Unity + +Ubuntu has done a good job of solving many of the application bugs that plagued the beta release. Firefox is now at version 4, though as with GNOME 3, Firefox is not as tightly integrated into the new interface as other apps. For example, the hanging scrollbars don't work in Firefox. + +Banshee has also been updated for this release and no longer crashes every time you try to add a song. The final release of Ubuntu 11.04 also sees version bumps for Shotwell, LibreOffice, Gwibber, Transmission and the rest of the standard GNOME app stack. + +The Ubuntu Software Center has seen a makeover for Ubuntu 11.04, adding the ability to leave starred reviews. Even better, the Software Center now allows you to try out apps without having to commit to even a temporary installation. Instead the app is streamed from Ubuntu's servers in a pop-up window. The streaming previews don't seem to work with every app yet, but when they do it will make choosing among the variety of apps available a little bit easier. + +Ubuntu One has also been improved and now allows selective syncing and the new launcher icon offers a progress meter so you can tell at a glance whether your files are synced or not. Canonical also claims that syncing is faster with this release thanks to improvments in how Ubuntu One scans your drive. + +##Conclusion + +Canonical made an interesting last minute change to the development cycle of Ubuntu 11.04. Instead of releasing RC1 after the beta, as typically happens, a second beta was released. Curiously though, there was no RC release after the second beta, which just adds to the feeling that Ubuntu 11.04 is unfinished. + +Unity has potential, but it's tough to escape the feeling that it just isn't ready yet. Ubuntu's drive to bring something radically new to the Linux desktop just might work in the long run, but unless you want to come along for all the bumps along the way we suggest skipping Ubuntu 11.04 and waiting for something more fully baked to emerge. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1110-dash.jpg b/published/ubuntu1110-dash.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..ea49432 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1110-dash.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1110-dashfilters.jpg b/published/ubuntu1110-dashfilters.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..39b4d3e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1110-dashfilters.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1110-dashmusic.jpg b/published/ubuntu1110-dashmusic.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..73ef045 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1110-dashmusic.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1110-dashsearch.jpg b/published/ubuntu1110-dashsearch.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bbb54da --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1110-dashsearch.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1110-softwarecenter.jpg b/published/ubuntu1110-softwarecenter.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..336f362 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1110-softwarecenter.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1110-thunderbird.jpg b/published/ubuntu1110-thunderbird.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e9cb046 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1110-thunderbird.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1110beta.txt b/published/ubuntu1110beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fa00dc3 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1110beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +Canonical has released the first beta of Ubuntu 11.10, the awkwardly named Oneiric Ocelot. As with most Ubuntu releases, 11.10 isn't a massive change -- it improves on the Unity Desktop, refines the Dash environment and makes a few changes in default software -- but by and large Ubuntu 11.10 looks to be little different from its 11.04 predecessor. + +That'll be welcome news to those still reeling from the grand reboot that was Ubuntu 11.04. With the last release Ubuntu shed GNOME 2.x, ignored GNOME 3.0 and showed off its own Unity desktop. Unfortunately, while the Unity desktop has potential, the initial release was rough enough around the edge that we suggested waiting a few more releases before attempting to upgrade. + +While the first 11.10 beta release still sees some rough edges and curious design decisions, it's stabler and faster than the Unity that shipped with 11.04. In other words, Unity is making progress, albeit slower than many would like. + +One of the areas that has seen a considerable makeover in the last six months is Unity's Dash. First and foremost the Dash button has been moved from the top panel to the Unity launcher and its capabilities have been extended. For example, there's a new music tab so you can start playing songs directly from the Dash. Also, instead of the separate Places search tool, searching for files is now just a tab inside the Dash. + +In fact, the whole "Places" metaphor from GNOME has been dumped in favor of what Unity calls "Scopes and Lenses." How the new metaphor makes more sense is anyone's guess, but at least your new "Lenses" have gained a quick filtering ability. For example, instead of searching for "Internet" to find applications that connect to the web, now you can just click the "Internet" filter. Similarly there are filters to refine your searches by date or tag. + +The Dash also now has its own window controls, so you can easily maximize or resize it to suit your whim, just like any other window in Unity. The visuals for the Dash have been updated as well, with a new transparency that looks vaguely like Windows 7. In another nice addition, the Dash will now, chameleon-like, automatically shade itself according to your desktop wallpaper. + +Interestingly, while the Dash gains window controls, fullscreen windows have lost them in this release. Or rather the controls and menu items are now hidden and only appear when you mouse over the title bar. It's a small change, but one of those small changes that has people all riled up. In this case I'll side with those that call it unnecessary. If there were space saved, a few pixels even, it might make sense, but it doesn't save any space. As it stands the revamped title bar feels more like change purely for the sake of change than anything a user might call useful. + +Far more useful is the new ALT-TAB switcher, which now displays window previews, even for minimized windows. It's a small upgrade that both looks better and makes it easier to find what you're looking for when you switch windows. + +Among the other, smaller visual changes is a new icon for the "shutdown" menu. Canonical's designers have added a small gear icon to the traditional shutdown icon in an attempt, it seems, to give you a hint that in fact the shutdown menu isn't just a shutdown menu. It manages to get the idea across, but doesn't really help the muddled menu beneath it which still can't decide exactly what it wants to be -- just a shutdown menu, or something more. + +The Software Center continues to be improved. This time around it's also much faster thanks to the new GTK 3 backend. Of course it still lacks some of the features found in Synaptic, like the ability to install a specific version of a package. It's also worth noting that, with 11.10, Synaptic has officially been shown the door and is no longer installed by default. + +Other apps on the outs include Evolution, which has been replaced with Mozilla's Thunderbird mail app. Thunderbird 7.0 beta 1 will be the official email client for Ubuntu 11.10. While Thunderbird is in many way much nicer than Evolution there's no denying that it's missing a calendar, which might be a huge stumbling block for some users. There is Lightning, a calendar plugin for Thunderbird, but it isn't installed by default. + +The first beta also has something of a bombshell for Ubuntu users who don't like Unity. The option to revert to the GNOME 2.x desktop is now gone. Since 11.10 completes the under the hood upgrade to GNOME 3.0, there is no GNOME 2.x to revert to anymore. + +The message of 11.10 seems pretty clear; Unity is here and you're either going to love it or leave it. While Unity is clearly improving -- and getting faster -- it remains a departure from the old that isn't going to please everyone. If all else fails you can always jump ship to the XFCE desktop, which now counts Linus himself as user. + +If all goes according to plan the final version of Ubuntu 11.10 will arrive October 13.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/ubuntu1110final.txt b/published/ubuntu1110final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..040052e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1110final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +Canonical's latest installment of the popular Ubuntu Linux distro is now available for download. The awkwardly named Oneiric Ocelot, as Ubuntu 11.10 is known, focuses on refining the core of Ubuntu's new Unity environment. + +As with most October Ubuntu releases, 11.10 isn't a huge departure from its predecessors, rather it's about polishing what arrived in the last update. If you made the leap to the new Unity Desktop when it arrived in last Spring's Natty Narwhal, then Ubuntu 11.10 will be welcome news. This release improves on the Unity Desktop, fixing a number of annoying bugs and adding some more power to previously limited features like Unity's Dash and search tools. + +Ubuntu 11.10's Unity Dash has a slightly more refined look, with some transparency effects reminiscent of Windows 7. It's not going to make Unity any more useful, but it does makes the transition into the Dash a bit less jarring. Ubuntu's designers have also rounded off the corners and edges giving the Dash a smoother, softer feel. + +Visual changes are always subjective of course, but if you found the Unity Dash of 11.04 jarring on the eyeballs you might want to have another look at it in 11.10. + +Those accustomed to Unity in 11.04 may be slightly thrown to learn that the Dash button has been moved from the top panel down into the Unity launcher. It'll cause a bit of muscle memory failure for a couple of days, but once you adjust to it, the new placement looks much better and makes more sense. + +Once you're actually in the Dash there are quite a few improvements that make Unity feel less like a smartphone OS that took over your laptop and more like something that might be useful one day. + +The best news is that the Dash's search features have been subdivided to make it a bit easier to find what you need. It's worth noting that Ubuntu is now referring to these content subdivisions not as "Places," the term GNOME uses, but as "Lenses." So the bottom of the Dash now features four "Lenses" for Home, Applications, Files and Music. The newest of these is the music lens, which not only searches your music but also hooks into Ubuntu's default media player, Banshee, to play songs right from the Dash. It only offers the basics, but when you just want to hear a song it's faster than opening up Banshee. + +The Dash's search features have also gained some new filtering tools to quickly narrow your searches. For example, instead of searching for "Internet" to find applications that connect to the web, now you can just click the "Internet" filter to get a list of applications. Similarly there are filters to refine your file searches by date, type and file size, and you can filter music searches by genre or decade. + +While the Dash's search features are still nowhere near as easy to use or powerful as what you'll find in specialty apps like GNOME-Do, this release is a huge improvement over the primitive search capabilities found in the previous version of Unity. + +In fact, while it's still got plenty of curious design decisions and rough edges, Unity is clearly making progress, albeit slower than many would like. The good news is that this release is considerably faster than the sluggish version of Unity that shipped with Ubuntu 11.04. + +The speed is even apparent in places where the visuals have been improved (and would presumably make for an even greater drain on your graphics card). For example the new ALT-TAB switcher now displays window previews, even for minimized windows. There's no noticeable lag with the new previews and they make for a small upgrade that both looks better and makes it easier to find what you're looking for when you switch windows. + +Among the other, smaller visual changes in the Unity desktop is the new icon for the "shutdown" menu. Canonical's designers have added a small gear icon to the traditional shutdown icon in an attempt, it seems, to give you a hint that in fact the shutdown menu isn't just a shutdown menu. It manages to get the idea across, but doesn't really help the muddled menu beneath it which still can't decide exactly what it wants to be -- just a shutdown menu, or something more. + +Canonical's Software Center continues to be improved. Software Center has a new "Top Rated" view on the main page that makes use of the social rating features introduced in the last update. This time around it's also much faster thanks to the new GTK 3 backend. Of course it still lacks some of the features found in Synaptic, like the ability to install a specific version of a package. And note that, as of 11.10, Synaptic is no longer installed by default. + +On the plus side the Software Center now support OneConf, which uses Ubuntu One to sync applications across your machines. Of course to use OneConf you'll need to have an Ubuntu One account set up. + +As usual the Canonical developers couldn't get a new version of Ubuntu out without shuffling around some of the default applications that ship with Ubuntu. This time around the big news is Evolution, which has been been dethroned as the default mail client and replaced with Mozilla's Thunderbird mail app. + +Thunderbird works just fine as an Evolution replacement provided you only used Evolution for email. In fact Thunderbird is in many ways much nicer than Evolution, but there's no denying that it's missing a calendar. You can install Lightning, a calendar plugin for Thunderbird, but considering the migration effort for long-time Evolution users it's probably just easier to skip Thunderbird and simply install Evolution. + +Ubuntu 11.10 also sheds a few other things from its past, more notably GNOME 2.x. In the previous release if you didn't like Unity or GNOME 3 you could always revert to the GNOME 2.x look. It wasn't perfect since a few things had already been replaced by GNOME 3 components, but it did, by and large, work. + +Those days are over. The option to revert to the GNOME 2.x desktop is now gone. Since 11.10 completes the under the hood upgrade to GNOME 3.0, there is no GNOME 2.x to revert to anymore. As we said in our review of the beta, Unity is here and Canonical's stance is that you're either going to love it or leave it. + +If you hate Unity, but want to stick with Ubuntu you can of course use GNOME 3 instead. You'll need to install a few packages, but setting up GNOME 3 for Ubuntu isn't too difficult. If all else fails you can always jump ship to the XFCE desktop, which now counts Linus himself as user. + +The truth is Ubuntu 11.10 is a huge improvement over 11.04. Unity is much improved and the often downright terrible performance issues in 11.04 have dramatically improved. If you're okay with Unity then by all means upgrade. If, on the other hand, you're more cautious and want to give Unity more time before you abandon good old GNOME 2 and Ubuntu 10.10, well, there's no reason to rush. Those sticking with Ubuntu 10.10 still have six more months of support, which means six more months for Canonical to improve Unity. Unless you have some clear need to upgrade we suggest riding it out for now. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1204beta/ubuntu1204-softwarecenter-multiple-screenshots.jpg b/published/ubuntu1204beta/ubuntu1204-softwarecenter-multiple-screenshots.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5d150e5 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1204beta/ubuntu1204-softwarecenter-multiple-screenshots.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_firefox.jpg b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_firefox.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..83af138 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_firefox.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_hud_gimp.jpg b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_hud_gimp.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..175f194 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_hud_gimp.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_privacy_panel.jpg b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_privacy_panel.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8acc6e0 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_privacy_panel.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_software_center.jpg b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_software_center.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1d1c4de --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_software_center.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_ubuntu_one.jpg b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_ubuntu_one.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..148830d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_ubuntu_one.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_unity_desktop.jpg b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_unity_desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1d49f11 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1204final/Ubuntu_unity_desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1204final/ubuntu1204final.txt b/published/ubuntu1204final/ubuntu1204final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..91c8563 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1204final/ubuntu1204final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +Canonical has launched the final release of Ubuntu 12.04, the fourth major Long Term Support (LTS) release for Ubuntu. Precise Pangolin, as Shuttleworth and crew have christened this release, marks not just another LTS milestone, but the first time many of Ubuntu's more conservative corporate customers will face the Unity desktop interface. + +LTS editions of Ubuntu are delivered every two years and have extended support from Canonical. They also set the look of the coming years' releases. + +As with previous LTS releases, the emphasis in Ubuntu 12.04 is not on new features or must-have upgrades, but on stability, polish and support for those that deploy Ubuntu on a larger scale. To that end the vast majority of the work in this release has gone into improving the Unity interface, ironing out bugs and getting the distro ready for corporate and other paying users. + +Canonical is also introducing a special new "remix" dubbed <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/business/desktop/remix">Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix</a>. Business Remix is aimed squarely at the corporate market and strips out features like the Rhythmbox music player and the various games included in a standard Ubuntu package. Instead, Business Remix users will get VMWare View (which means there's an EULA), OpenJDK 6 and other business workflow software. + +Naturally the Business Remix isn't meant for the everyday Ubuntu user. And when he announced the new remix, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth was careful to say that Ubuntu <a href="http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1002">isn't creating its own version of the RHEL/Fedora arrangement</a>. Instead he emphasized that the Business Remix was just another example of Canonical doing more for its actual customers, presumably without also harming the community of users around it. + +The emphasis on long-term stability, business-oriented remixes and corporate users doesn't mean there isn't anything new and interesting in Ubuntu 12.04. In fact, rank-and-file Ubuntu users itching for some more Unity pop do have one thing to look forward to -- the HUD, or Heads Up Display, an "intelligent" search feature for finding items in the menu bar. + +Unlike the Unity interface, which, despite improving with every release, still doesn't quite feel as powerful as the GNOME 2.x interface that it replaced, the HUD is immediately useful and works just the way you'd expect it to. The HUD is especially helpful in applications with menu items that go several layers deep, for instance, GIMP. Instead of mousing to the Filters menu, then selecting Sharpen, then selecting Unsharp Mask, you can simply hit the Alt key and type "uns" and the top hit is Unsharp Mask. Just hit return and the item opens. + +Of course GIMP is an app that lends itself to the mouse so switching to the keyboard to use the HUD isn't always faster. Where the HUD might really shine is in text-oriented apps like various parts of the LibreOffice suite. Sadly, as of Ubuntu 12.04, the HUD doesn't yet work with LibreOffice, though you might think it does. It's somewhat confusing because the HUD is a global menu. Hit Alt anywhere in Ubuntu 12.04 and the menu will pop up and you can indeed search. However, you'll never see any results for LibreOffice menu items. + +Despite that interface quirk -- which will be less of a problem when there's more supported applications -- the HUD may well be the best part of Ubuntu 12.04 and the best idea to come out of Canonical's effort to rethink the user interface. Not only is it useful today, the HUD helps make Unity feel more, wait for it, unified. It moves searching to the top-tier since its no longer just something you do in the Unity Dashboard, but the go-to way to find anything on your PC. + +The matching power of the HUD's fuzzy search is also impressive, it rarely takes more than a few letters to find the menu item you're looking for and the results window has very little lag, even in a virtual machine. + +If only Unity's Dashboard search features worked so well, but sadly the terrible search we complained about in the beta review remains unchanged for the final release -- the Unity Dashboard is still incapable of finding the application GVim from the search string "vim." + +In fact most of the Unity Dashboard remains largely unchanged from previous releases, though there is a new video search lens. The video lens will pull search results from the metadata of any movies in your Videos folder, as well as search online services like BBC iPlayer and YouTube Movies. + +There still aren't too many options to customize the Unity desktop without resorting to third-party software or hacks, but this release does finally add an option to at least hide the launcher if you'd like to save some screen real estate. + +Also worth checking out is the new Privacy option in the System Settings panel. The Privacy features allow you to control what the system and even individual apps are allowed to log. You can also shut off history logging altogether or tell the system to automatically remove logged items after a period of time. + +Apparently many people were unclear about what was happening when a new application installed so now whenever you install something from the Ubuntu Software Center the icon jumps out of the Software Center and lands in the launcher. There's also a new progress bar on top of the application icon that shows the app downloading. It's a nice touch for newcomers, but note that it only works for software installed through the Ubuntu Software Center. + +The Ubuntu Software Center has also been tweaked slightly with some small, but nice new features like an opt-in "Recommendations" feature for custom tailored app suggestions (based on what you download after you turn it on). When you install a new application through the Ubuntu Software Center, the corresponding language support packages -- things like translations and spell check modules -- are now installed automatically as well. + +As with any new Ubuntu release the default applications have been updated to the latest versions. This round you'll find the LibreOffice 3.5 and Firefox 11, as well as the latest versions of Rhythmbox, Empathy, Totem and more. This release also sees the return of GIMP to the set of stock applications. + +Under the hood Ubuntu 12.04 offers an updated Linux kernel and some new hardware support for ClickPads, that is, trackpads where the button is just the trackpad surface -- handy for those running Ubuntu on Apple laptops or laptops with Synaptics ClickPads. + +It's also worth noting that, for all its emphasis on stability, my testing on the daily build -- two days prior to the official release -- still found many of the default apps feeling a bit less than solid. Both the Ubuntu Software Center and Ubuntu One crashed, the latter several times, as did, ironically, the crash reporter app. + +As someone who started off disliking Unity I'll admit I've come around. Somewhat. I'm still disappointed in the Dashboard's search capabilities, but with addition of the HUD Canonical's overall vision is starting to make more sense. Or perhaps it just suddenly seems less jarring when stacked up next to what Microsoft is planning for Windows 8. And that, along with the improvements in this LTS release, may well become a huge selling point for Canonical's corporate customers going forward. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1210final.txt b/published/ubuntu1210final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7af028c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1210final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +Canonical has released Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal. There's much to like in the new Ubuntu, which continues to refine and improve its Unity desktop, but you'd be forgiven if you missed it amidst the more obvious and controversial changes that have occurred since 12.04 was released earlier this year. + +As if the move to Unity weren't contentious (and bumpy) enough, Canonical has muddied the waters of controversy even more with this release, which adds a new Amazon Search Lens to the Unity Dash. The new Lens, which is enabled by default in Ubuntu 12.10, adds Amazon shopping results to your Unity searches. + +Behind the scenes the new Amazon Lens forwards your search queries on to Canonical's servers, which then poll Amazon to find products relevant to your search terms. Click one of the Amazon results and Canonical gets a small percentage of the sale, much like Mozilla makes a bit of money when you search Google from Firefox. However, in the Firefox case, the user actively chooses to search Google; with the Amazon Search Lens the shopping results just show up out of the blue. + +The Amazon Lens is a bit more serious than just a few shopping results popping up in Unity, serious enough that Unity now has a privacy agreement. Check the lower left corner of the Dash in Quetzal to find a new link to a "legal notice" which outlines how your personal data is used with the new online results. The short story is that Canonical collects your search terms and IP address and shares them with "third parties including: Facebook, Twitter, BBC and Amazon." That means that you're no longer dealing with just Canonical's privacy policy, but also those of the third-parties. + +In a way that's the worst of both worlds. Privacy advocates are concerned that there's a risk that Canonical could be legally compelled to turn that data over to authorities. At the same time there isn't enough personal info being stored to tailor the Amazon suggestions to things you might like, which makes for less relevant search results. + +Essentially the Amazon Lens means less privacy and a ton of useless clutter in your search results. + +There aren't even any filters or other settings for even the most basic controls like ensuring Ubuntu doesn't show NSFW results to your children. And it probably will. As noted in <a href="http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2063868">a thread on the Ubuntu forums</a>, thanks to the find-as-you-type feature seemingly benign searches with words like "analyze", "Titanic" or "assets" will bring up some NSFW results if you're a slow typer. + +There was <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-lens-shopping/+bug/1054282">a bug filed</a>, but it was marked "won't fix", presumably because, as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie">Barbie might say</a>, filtering content is hard; let's go shopping. + +Ubuntu is, historically, more willing to take big risks than most distros. Unity itself is a risk, but one that seems to be working out. The Amazon Lens is also a risk, but it's hard to see how it will work out in Canonical's favor. In fact having used the Amazon Lens for several weeks now I can say it's the single most useless feature Ubuntu has ever included in an actual release. It's not just that Amazon items are seldom helpful when you're searching your files, it's that combined with comically bad results that really leave you scratching your head -- what were they thinking? + +Fortunately the Amazon Len can be turned off -- head to System Settings, click the Privacy tab and stop the madness with a flip of the switch. + +Quetzal's Amazon love doesn't stop with search results. The online shopping giant also gets top billing as the first example of Canonical's plan to make web apps into first class app citizens in the Unity Dash. Fire up Ubuntu 12.10, activate Unity and you'll notice a new app in the sidebar bearing the Amazon logo. Click it and Firefox will open with a new tab containing Amazon.com. + +Like the Lens, the Amazon app -- and web apps in general -- are another gamble on Canonical's part. Certainly for many people the line between desktop apps and web apps isn't important anymore. On mobile devices with nearly ubiquitous network connections, the difference between the two fade away. Perhaps web apps are a little slower in some cases, but at least you can get to the information you want most of the time thanks to 3G networking. + +However, once web apps move to the laptop and try to become first class citizens, there's a risk that without wifi all your apps will turn to blank Firefox pages. + +Integrating popular websites into the desktop is hardly a new idea. Virtually every web browser on the market offers some way to pin apps to the Windows launch bar, and more sophisticated efforts like Mozilla's discontinued Prism project or Fluid for Mac OS X go further, turning the web apps into standalone apps that launch in isolated browser instances. Canonical's webapp effort isn't -- thus far-- that full-featured; it's closer to what web browsers themselves offer in Windows. What you get amounts to a bookmark with a nice icon in the Unity launch bar. It's a start though. And as HTML5 and its attendant APIs get more powerful, and are more widely adopted, the case for web apps on the desktop will be stronger. And that's where Quantal Quetzal seems to be aiming with web apps -- the future. + +With all the emphasis on Amazon search results and webapp you'd be forgiven for overlooking probably the best new feature in this release -- Previews in the Unity Dash. In previous versions of Unity when you searched for an item the main action associated was to open it. That's still the default, but the new Dash Previews allow you to right-click on search results and see additional information. What you'll see depends on the type of item you're previewing. Documents show the icon and offer to open, email or show on the desktop, while music files show any metadata and artwork you have associated with them. Applications show a screenshot and most of the info you'd find in the Ubuntu Software Center. + +While much of the Previews feature amounts to a slick-looking, well-animated metadata browser in the Dash, there is one truly useful aspect that goes with the application previews -- a button to install any app that isn't already available on your system. Using the Dash and Previews you can search for, install and open a new application without ever leaving the Dash. You'd be hard pressed to come up with with a simpler, more intuitive way of getting new applications installed on your system. While you do still have to enter your admin password, Previews takes care of all the rest. + +Ubuntu 12.10 features a revamped Update Manager, which has been streamlined and renamed Software Updater. The app also now checks for updates when launched. + +As with all Ubuntu releases the usual updates to the full complement of GNOME apps that ship with Ubuntu are present in 12.10. + +From a purely technical standpoint Ubuntu 12.10 is a worthwhile upgrade -- Dash Previews and lots of other little improvements make Quantal Quetzal, particularly the new version of Unity, a more pleasant experience. That said, this update is not for everyone, not even for every Ubuntu fan. + +The Amazon Lens may be easy to disable, but it's more than just a new feature -- it's a glimpse of what's to come. Look for more of the same in future releases. And the way Canonical has handled the backlash paints a clear picture as well: Canonical is going to keep pushing in the directions it wants, regardless of what the user community thinks. 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In a <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity/+bug/1111808">bug report</a> about the location of the privacy notice in Unity, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says that the company plans to "make a very bold, clear way for you to turn on and off network queries across ALL scopes for any given session in the Dash." Shuttleworth likens the feature to the private browsing mode available in web browsers and goes on to say that users will be able to "configure the Home screen, including choice of scopes, and the behavior of individual scopes." + +That's good news, though it could end up making the configuration experience slightly overwhelming since Canonical is planning to seriously ratchet-up the number of Unity scopes included by default, <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SmartScopes1304Spec">promising over 100 scopes</a> by the time 13.04 launches. The plan is to add popular web search tools -- think EBay, Yelp, IMDb and so on -- directly to the Dash, passing searches through Canonical's servers and then on to the data source. + +As of this first beta though none of these things are actually part of Unity. The privacy panel still offers the same single option to toggle the Amazon lens and the bug Shuttleworth commented on is still marked "incomplete" with no one yet assigned to fix it. + +So what is in the beta? A lot of little things that add up to a much better Unity experience. + +Take the Mouse and Trackpad settings panel for instance. Canonical has added a few new options, but the best part about it is the new integrated testing tool. Want to make sure your third button is registering as a middle mouse click? Just test it right there in the panel. It's a small thing, but add it to the many others in the 13.04 beta and you have a much nicer, more polished overall experience. + + +Unity also gets a couple more customization possibilities, like an optional Launcher button to reveal the desktop and an option to remove the Workspaces button from the Launcher. By the time the final release rolls around the latter will be <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ayatana-design/+bug/868423">gone by default</a> so the customization will be to enable, not disable, Workspaces. But for now it can be disabled if you don't use Workspaces. + +Other small new features include a refined set of icons for the Dash and an easy way to see Unity's plethora of keyboard shortcuts -- just hold down the Super key. Another nice new addition is an easier-to-see focus outline when switching apps with alt tab or looking for a particular window. Unity now outlines the window that's about to get focus with a red glow. + +Right clicking an application in the Launcher will now bring up a list of open windows, giving those who prefer to use the mouse a quicker way to navigate between apps and windows. + +The Software Updater app has received a slight design makeover that makes it a bit more user friendly by grouping updates into relevant sections. For example system updates fall under "Ubuntu Base" while Firefox gets its own section which, when expanded, reveals updates for both the browser and the Unity menu integration for Firefox. + +As with any Ubuntu release the usual compliment of GNOME apps have been updated since Ubuntu 12.10 arrived last year. Firefox is currently at version 19; Libre Office has also been updated, as has Thunderbird and other bundled apps. Expect most of them to be updated again before 13.04 arrives in final form next month. + +As with any Ubuntu beta, expect there to be bugs. I encountered some problems around the new right-click window lists in the Launcher and Libre Office crashed several times. But, that said, this is one of the more stable betas I've tested and the system never did crash during my testing. If you'd like to take it for a spin, head on over to the Canonical downloads page. + + + diff --git a/published/ubuntu1304final.txt b/published/ubuntu1304final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..214b44f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1304final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +Canonical has released Ubuntu 13.04, or "Raring Ringtail," as this release is known. + +While most of the big new features planned for this release have been pushed back to 13.10, due later this year, Ubuntu 13.04 does have a few new features to tempt those who haven't yet had a sip of the Ubuntu Kool-Aide. + +In fact, much of what makes Raring Ringtail a welcome update for Ubuntu fans is the focus on numerous small, but very useful, usability tweaks to Ubuntu's Unity interface. + +Assuming you've managed to get past the privacy fiascoes of last year and are comfortable with Canonical sending your data to Amazon and others (or choose to disable those features), Ubuntu 13.04 has a number of new features, both big and small that make it well worth the upgrade for fans of Ubuntu's Unity interface. + +Before you get excited about what's new in Raring Ringtail, it's worth noting one thing that isn't part of this release -- the planned <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SmartScopes1304Spec">Smart Scopes</a> feature. Smart Scopes are part of Canonical's long term plan to make the Unity Dash as much a web search interface as application launcher. The goal is to add some 100 different search providers to the Unity Dash, allowing you to search everything from websites like IMDb and DeviantArt to your browser bookmarks, Tomboy notes and more. + +Unfortunately, Ubuntu developers have deemed Smart Scopes too unstable for 13.04. The new plan is to ship Smart Scopes with 13.10, due later this year (if you simply must have them, you can install Smart Scopes, but be forewarned, they are indeed buggy and unstable). + +The setback for Smart Scopes has a secondary casualty as well -- the planned improvements to Ubuntu's privacy settings. The outcry from privacy advocates about last year's Amazon Search Lens controversy prompted Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth to <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity/+bug/1111808">promise</a> that future releases would offer more fine-grained privacy control and an easy way to opt-out of individual search tools. + +The plan is to add something that's a bit like the private browsing mode available in web browsers, but, like Smart Scopes it too has been pushed back. Like Ubuntu 12.10, Raring Ringtail's privacy panel still only offers the all or nothing "include online search results" toggle. + +It's too bad that the new privacy features didn't make the cut for this release because one of the best new features in the Unity dash is the new Photo Search Lens, which taps not just any photos you have in Shotwell, but any images you've uploaded to Flickr, Facebook or Google. To make it work though you'll have to turn on the "show online search results" option, which means you'll also see the much-maligned Amazon results. + +It's almost worth it though, because the Photo Lens is the kind of very cool new feature that makes Unity momentarily less annoying and almost convinces you that putting web-based search in the Dash is a good idea. And then you search for something else and suddenly your results are littered with irrelevant Amazon search results. One step forward, two steps back. + +The Photo Lens also indirectly showcases a nice new feature in the settings panel -- the Online Accounts pane. The Online Accounts pane makes it easy to keep track of all your accounts in one spot and allows any apps that need access to pull from the same, single source. Among the providers are Flickr, Yahoo, Google, Twitter, AIM and even Windows Live. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be support for self-hosted accounts like OpenPhoto or OwnCloud. Also note that only some apps are connected to this system. That means that when searching the Photo Lens your local results will consist of only those images Shotwell is aware of, not, for example, any photos you've got in more serious photo apps like Darktable. + +However, cool as the Photo Lens is, unless you really love Amazon search results in your Dash, you're better off skipping the Photo Lens until the Smart Scopes and better, fine-grained privacy controls land later this year in 13.10 (alternately, you can uninstall the Amazon Lens). + +There's another missing feature you may notice in Ubuntu 13.04. The Ubuntu One Music Store has been ripped out of Rhythmbox, Ubuntu's default music player (the plugin is gone from Banshee as well). The music-player based version of the Ubuntu Music Store has been retired in favor of the web-based store, which debuted just before Ubuntu 12.10 was released last year. + +The Ubuntu Music Store has a prominent place in the sidebar, so it's really not much more difficult to buy music and this way the store is more useful for those who don't use Rhythmbox (or Banshee). It's also worth noting that the Ubuntu Music Store isn't just disappearing from 13.04, it will also be removed from Ubuntu 12.04 and Ubuntu 12.10 in a future update. + +Ubuntu has improved the Ubuntu One experience in this release thanks to the new Sync Menu applet. The new applet makes it easy to see what Ubuntu One is doing on your system, offering links to recently changed files on disk and quick links to your docs online for easy file sharing. The menu is more or less a clone of what Dropbox has long offered on most OSes (including Linux), but open to third-party apps. While one-off downloads like torrents and web files are explicitly outside <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SyncMenu">the Sync Menu scope as defined by Canonical</a>, other third-party apps -- like Dropbox or Box.net, for example -- could use the new Sync Menu. + +Perhaps the best part of Unity in 13.04 though is not new features, but the noticeable speed improvement. Like GNOME Shell, Unity has taken its fair share of (deserved) abuse for its high end hardware requirements and sluggish performance. You're still not going to make Unity scream on an old machine, but provided you've got newer hardware, 13.04 is definitely snappier than its predecessors. + +There are also plenty of smaller improvements in the release, none of which is earth shattering on its own, but together they add up to a much better overall Unity experience. + +For example the Mouse and Trackpad settings panel now offers an integrated testing tool. Want to make sure your third button is registering as a middle mouse click? Just test it right there in the panel. Another example is the improved window snap animation. Unity mimics the Windows 7 Aero Snap feature which allows you to snap windows side by side or maximize a windows by dragging. In Unity the window now animates just before it snaps, giving you a quick visual preview, letting you know what's about to happen. + +Another small, but powerful change is fuzzy searching in the Dash search box. Fuzzy searching makes for broader matches, meaning you don't need to type the name of an app exactly right for it to show up in the search results -- extremely useful if you're a sloppy typist. + +The Unity Launchbar gets a couple more customization possibilities in this release, like an optional Desktop button to reveal the desktop. You may notice one item missing from the Launcher -- the Workspaces button has been removed by default, though you can turn it back on in the preferences. Despite being relegated to a hidden away preference, the Workspaces button has been improved to show you which workspace you're currently in. + +Other small new features include a refined set of icons for the Dash and an easier-to-see focus outline when switching apps with alt tab or looking for a particular window (Unity now outlines the window that's about to get focus with a red glow). + +Ubuntu's already well-polished Software Updater has received a slight design makeover that makes it a bit more user-friendly by grouping updates into relevant sections. For example, system updates fall under "Ubuntu Base" while Firefox gets its own section which, when expanded, reveals updates for both the browser and the Unity menu integration for Firefox. + +While it may seem a bit like this release is most notable for what's not in it -- Smart Scopes, the coming privacy features, the Music Store in Rhythmbox, Gwibber (removed because the developer is working in a new, similar app) and more -- Ubuntu 13.04 is actually the sort of release that's been missing lately from Ubuntu. It offers a couple new, work-in-progress features like the new Photo Lens and plenty of small incremental improvements that make using Ubuntu on a day-to-day basis more pleasant. + + diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310-desktop.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..17eb1b0 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-firefox.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-firefox.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..027a6cd --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-firefox.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-flickr.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-flickr.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..34e0f2e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-flickr.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-news.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-news.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..92e2207 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-news.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-ubuntunews.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-ubuntunews.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..37ae4e9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310-scopes-ubuntunews.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310b2-firefox.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310b2-firefox.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f89d7e1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310b2-firefox.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310b2-firefoxsearch.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310b2-firefoxsearch.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..341ed30 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310b2-firefoxsearch.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310b2-nautilus.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310b2-nautilus.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..baaa2cb --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310b2-nautilus.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310b2-thailandsearch.jpg b/published/ubuntu1310b2-thailandsearch.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..99ae5db --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310b2-thailandsearch.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310b2review.txt b/published/ubuntu1310b2review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..306b84b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310b2review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +Canonical has released the first and only official beta for the company's coming Ubuntu 13.10, code named Saucy Salamander. While other branches of Ubuntu like Kubuntu, Lubuntu and Xubuntu participated in the first beta release earlier this month, the main Ubuntu line did not. + +Ubuntu 13.10 is shaping up to be a solid, if slightly dull, release -- at least on the surface. + +There have been no major visual changes to the desktop and only a couple of expanded features for the Unity Dash which means 13.10 won't look all that different from the last release of Ubuntu when it arrives. + +Ubuntu 13.10 is, however, something of an iceberg -- the bulk of what's new is hidden away under the surface. Ubuntu 13.10 marks the arrival of Mir, Canonical's new graphics stack designed to replace the aging X Server. + +Mir is <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/11/ubuntu_1310_to_ship_with_mir_instead_of_x/">Ubuntu's replacement for the X Window System</a> and is designed to help Ubuntu shed the confines of the desktop. Mir will allow Canonical to run Ubuntu on mobile and tablet devices, as well as the desktop, sharing a common code base among the various form factors. + +Mir is currently at something of a halfway point and is dubbed "xMir" at the moment, a name that hints at the fact that, thus far, Mir is not quite ready for prime time. That's not to say it doesn't work, or is buggy. In fact, it's neither. In my testing on two laptops, both with Intel graphics cards and open source drivers, Ubuntu 13.10 has been rock solid and feels snappier than its predecessor (this beta also features an updated kernel, which helps as well). + +No, provided you're using open source drivers for your graphics card, Mir is every bit ready for prime time. + +It's those of you using proprietary drivers that won't be seeing Mir just yet. The "x" in xMir refers to the fact that Mir is, for now, shipping with good old X server and will, when faced with unsupported drivers, gracefully fallback to X. + +While it's a little disappointing if you're stuck using proprietary drivers, it does make for a very seamless experience. In fact, if no one mentioned it you'd probably never notice anything had changed, which is an impressive feat for something as major as a change in the graphics stack. + +The real arrival of Mir (without the "x") won't happen until next year when Ubuntu 14.04 arrives. After that Canonical plans to debut Unity 8, a revamped Unity interface built with tablets and phones in mind. Fear not desktop fans, Jono Bacon, Canonical's Ubuntu Community Manager says that the Unity 8 desktop interface will look "like our current desktop when it is complete." + +So while the big stuff is under the hood or yet to come, there are a couple of new things you'll notice if you decided to test this beta. The biggest and most obvious is the new Smart Scopes service, which adds a ton of new search results to the Unity Dash. + +Smart Scopes made their controversial debut with last year's Amazon Scope. The plan was to include even more Smart Scopes in 13.04, but that didn't happen. Now Smart Scopes are here. The Unity Dash will search across everything from Wikipedia to Reddit to Flickr. + +For example, a search for "firefox" will bring up not just local results like the Firefox app and any documents you might have that contain the word, but also the Wikipedia entry, stories on Reddit, books on Amazon and many others depend on which Scope you have enabled. + +How useful this is will depend on how you use (or want to use) the Unity Dash. If you see the Dash as little more than a glorified application launcher, the new clutter of results is going to get in your way. Fortunately you can turn off Smart Scopes on an individual basis (right click the scope) or completely using the settings panel. + +If you frequently search from the Dash for more than just applications to launch the new Smart Scopes can be very handy, though the number (and choice) of Scopes enabled by default can produce an overwhelming amount of noise. Most people will likely want to narrow down the number of active Scopes to something more manageable. + +Smart Scopes also seem to have become a little smarter. Search results were a bit more relevant than when I have tested this feature in the past, though there is still plenty of junk. Why Britney Spears albums come up on a search for "Thailand" is something only Canonical knows. Maybe. Canonical does say that results should improve over time since Smart Scopes "learn" the more you use them. That said, I have not noticed any significant improvement in results, nor any evidence that Smart Scopes are "learning" in three weeks of testing. As has been the case in the past there doesn't seem to be any filtering of online results, beware the porn. + +I find Smart Scopes to be a mixed bag. They can be fun, especially the scopes that connect to your online accounts. When you log in to online services Smart Scopes can provide some serendipity, like bringing up photos you've long since forgotten about, or Wikipedia entries that offer some little bit of trivia about something you're searching for. However, while they're fun to play with for a little while I find them distracting when I'm trying to get work done. When I'm writing this review for example and need to quickly look up something about Mir, I don't want to see the Wikipedia page for the Russian space station of the same name. + +Smart Scopes aren't the only new feature you'll notice in this beta. While they are undoubtedly the most obvious, there are plenty of other minor tweaks that add up to a nicer overall Ubuntu experience. There's a new keyboard applet for quick switching between keyboards (handy for those of you frequently writing in multiple languages). Ubuntu has also fixed a regression that made some Gnome apps -- notably the Nautilus file browser -- look out of place in Ubuntu's default theme. This release also gets the usual slate of new desktop wallpapers. + +You may also notice a new option in the installer asking if you'd like to set up Ubuntu One. Having been burned by early versions of Ubuntu One I've stuck with Dropbox thus far, but users in Canonical's forums report that with 13.10 Ubuntu One may finally be stable and reliable enough to trust with your files. + +The final release of Ubuntu 13.10 is due to arrive October 17. In the mean time, if you'd like to get an early look you can grab the beta today. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310breview.txt b/published/ubuntu1310breview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0cb846b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310breview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +Canonical has released the first beta version of Ubuntu 13.10, or Saucy Salamander as this release is known + +This beta doesn't look all that different from the last release of Ubuntu, but hidden away under the surface is what might be the biggest change Ubuntu will be making for some time -- the move to the homegrown Mir graphics stack. + +Mir is <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/11/ubuntu_1310_to_ship_with_mir_instead_of_x/">Ubuntu's replacement for the X Window System</a>, a necessary part of the company's move beyond the desktop into the world of Ubuntu Mobile, the OS for Ubuntu Edge and the myriad other devices that are still just a twinkle in Mark Shuttleworth's eye. + +It just wouldn't be Ubuntu if there weren't some sort of controversy surrounding the move to Mir. At this point no one is going to defend X, but there are many who are disappointed that Ubuntu will not be using the Wayland graphics stack. Several other distros have already started to use Wayland to replace their own X Window servers, but as with the desktop, Ubuntu has opted to go its own way. If the Mir vs Wayland debate goes the way of the Unity vs Gnome Shell I'd say Ubuntu has once again made the right call. Only time will really answer that question though; it's far too early to say. + +So what does Mir in Ubuntu 13.10 mean? For most users, hopefully nothing. + +Well, there is one thing -- no more Xorg.conf to spend long hours wrestling with. + +Eventually, by the time 13.10 officially arrives, Mir will help with some specific setups, like dual monitors or high-end laptops with the option to disable/enable discrete graphics depending on current use -- e.g. on for 3D-intensive applications; off when you want to save power. + +Otherwise though there will likely be little to see when Mir arrives. Ubuntu on the desktop should look and behave as it always has. + +Under the hood though Mir is a huge change. It enables all the various flavors of Ubuntu to run unmodified on a single graphics stack. That means the same code running across phones, tablets, desktops, TVs, cars, toasters and so on. + +The same code means faster development, which is a huge win on its own, but it also helps Ubuntu to pull off some cool tricks -- like plugging your Ubuntu phone into a monitor, turning it into a desktop-like device. + +That scenario raises the question -- what is it? Are you using a phone? Is it a desktop? What if the answer to both is yes? That's essentially the point of Mir -- eliminate the need to differentiate between devices. Ubuntu is Ubuntu wherever you find it. + +That's the goal anyway. + +The latest daily builds I tested still had Mir disabled by default, though activating it didn't wreak havoc on my system. In fact, everything kept humming along just fine. If you'd like to try it on actual hardware (rather than the virtual machine I recommend for testing beta releases), be sure to read through this <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Mir/GPUTesting">list of graphics drivers and Mir issues</a>. + +I should also note that while Ubuntu proper plans to go full Mir for 13.10, many of the official branches are either still debating the move or have decided to hold off for now. Kubuntu and Lubuntu, the KDE and LXDE versions of Ubuntu, have decided to wait. Edubuntu, Xubuntu and Ubuntu GNOME have not yet made any announcements regarding Mir. + +For this beta there's little to see of Mir or the other half of what will ensure Ubuntu is Ubuntu wherever it goes: Unity 8. + +Unity 8 isn't part of the current beta and won't likely be fully integrated until next year's 14.10 (14.04 is an LTS release so new features like Unity 8 probably won't make the cut), but it's hard to understand the importance of Mir without looking at Unity 8. + +Together with Mir, Unity 8 will help Ubuntu's cross-device goals, taking into account device-specific constraints and features and optimizing to support them. In other words, scaling the screen down and optimizing for touch on tablets and phones, while continuing to work on desktops with the mouse. + +Unlike what we've seen thus far with iOS and Android, Canonical's vision of the future is a single device powerful enough to be not just a phone or tablet, but dock to a desktop monitor and do everything a desktop can do. Canonical calls this "device convergence". + +It's easy to dismiss this with the simple truth that today's mobile device doesn't have the power to pull it off. But mobile chips are always getting more powerful and eventually we will get to the point where many of us will be able to rely on a single device for multiple environments. Canonical is laying the foundations of a single-device future now with Mir and Unity. + +Unfortunately for users who like more splash with their new releases, most of the big improvements in Ubuntu 13.10 aren't visual. That said, you will notice a few things that are different. + +The Unity Dash sports some new search Scopes, over 100 in fact to search everything from your Firefox Bookmarks to Flickr photos to Picasa, Google Drive, Facebook, Wikipedia and many, many more. The Dash is also scheduled to get a payment system which would allow you to purchase search results without opening a browser or otherwise leaving the Dash. Like several planned features, this is a carry over from 13.04 and is not currently enabled in the daily builds I tested. + +There was also talk of replacing Firefox as the default browser in 13.10. Chrome would have taken over from Firefox, but Canonical changed its mind and, for the time being at least, Ubuntu is sticking with Mozilla. + +Other standard Ubuntu apps have been updated, but there have been no major changes thus far in the release cycle. + +While it's still early in the development cycle, Ubuntu 13.10 is shaping up to be a major release. Not only does it lay some important foundations for the future of Ubuntu across devices, but it brings features like Smart Scopes and other improvements that were scheduled for 13.04, but didn't make it in time for that release. + diff --git a/published/ubuntu1310final.txt b/published/ubuntu1310final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c349b92 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1310final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,39 @@ +It's a strange autumn where I live. The leaves haven't even thought of changing color yet and the days are still warm enough for short sleeves. All the analog world clues that a new version of Ubuntu is coming are missing. Coincidentally, the Ubuntu that Canonical has delivered this autumn is likewise most notable for what's missing. + +Canonical has indeed delivered Ubuntu 13.10 on time. Saucy Salamander as this release is known has a few new features, but the real news is what's not there -- Mir/XMir. + +This release was to mark the turning point of what may be Ubuntu's biggest leap to date -- replacing the aging X graphics stack with its own homegrown Mir system. Mir is <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/11/ubuntu_1310_to_ship_with_mir_instead_of_x/">Ubuntu's replacement for the X Window System</a> and is designed to help Ubuntu shed the confines of the desktop. Mir will allow Canonical to run Ubuntu on mobile and tablet devices, as well as the desktop, sharing a common code base among the various form factors. + +While Mir is the end goal, for the beta period leading up to this release Ubuntu has been testing a halfway-to-Mir solution dubbed "XMir". The "X" in XMir refers to the fact that Mir is, for now, shipping with good old X server and will, when faced with unsupported drivers, gracefully fallback to X. In my testing XMir worked as advertised, handling two Intel graphics cards with open source drivers and falling back to X on a proprietary card. + +However, a mere two weeks ahead of the final release Canonical changed its mind about using Mir as the default in this release. Citing "outstanding technical difficulties", Canonical developer Oliver Ries <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2013-October/037695.html">announced</a> the company would push back the move to XMir as the default graphics system. + +Next Spring's 12.04 is a long term support release, which makes it unlikely that Canonical would make the move to XMir then either. That means XMir/Mir may not move to default status until this time next year. + +As noted I have had zero problems with XMir on three different machines, but apparently I was lucky. It seems that dual-monitor setups were having problems. "The multi-monitor support in XMir is working," writes Ries on the Ubuntu mailing list, "but not to the extent we'd like to see it for all of our users." Given that proper handling of dual-monitors is supposed to be one of the big wins for Mir over X, it makes sense to postpone the move to default status if the experience isn't up to snuff. + +Naturally if you really want to you can still install XMir. The package is in the Ubuntu Archives and the wiki has <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Mir/Installing">instructions</a> on how to get it running. For most people it's probably not worth it, unless you just want to test Mir on your hardware. That said, Mir is supposed to be better with hardware that offers on/off discrete graphics. That is, laptops with cards like the NVIDIA Optimus, which allows you to toggle the discrete graphics card depending on current use -- e.g. on for 3D-intensive applications, off when you want to save power. If solutions like <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bumblebee">Bumblebee</a> (now a standard part of Ubuntu) aren't working for you, Mir might be worth a try. + +Despite XMir not making the cut on the desktop, XMir for Ubuntu mobile remains on track. In the same message announcing that desktop XMir had been postponed, Ries goes on to say that native Mir and Unity 8 are coming to Ubuntu phones. + +That, more than anything else, is emblematic of Ubuntu 13.10. In fact you can sum up this release in three words -- mobile, mobile, mobile. + +The desktop release has the usual slew of minor updates, bug fixes and improvements, but aside from Smart Scopes -- which aren't really new, just greatly expanded -- there's little in the way of new features for the desktop version of Ubuntu 13.10. + +The biggest news is that the Unity Dash sports some new search Scopes, over 100 in fact to search everything from your Firefox Bookmarks to Flickr photos to Picasa, Google Drive, Facebook, Wikipedia and many, many more. Like several new features in the Dash, Smart Scopes are a carry over from 13.04. + +Smart Scopes first arrived on the scene in 12.10 with the controversial Amazon Scope, which added Amazon search "suggestions" to the Unity Dash. Canonical's plan was to include even more Smart Scopes in 13.04, but that didn't happen. Now Smart Scopes are here. The Unity Dash will now search across everything from Wikipedia to Reddit to Flickr. + +How useful this is will depend on how you use (or want to use) the Unity Dash. If you see the Dash as little more than a glorified application launcher, the new clutter of results is going to get in your way. Fortunately you can turn off Smart Scopes on an individual basis (right click the scope) or completely using the settings panel. + +If you use the Dash like a HUD version of Google then the new Smart Scopes will be a welcome addition. And the good news is that Smart Scopes get smarter, though it does take a while. In my review of the beta I questioned the learning abilities of the Scopes, but I'm happy to report that, while it's taken a bit longer than I expected, Smart Scopes have indeed become smarter the more I use them. + +That said, I ended up disabling them anyway. I just don't find Smart Scopes particularly useful most of the time. On the rare occasion that a long forgotten photo from my Flickr stream serendipitously appeared I momentarily really liked Smart Scopes. The rest of the time I found myself wishing them away. What Smart Scopes need are a kind of keyword search capability like some browser URL bars offer. In other words, when I want to see results from Flickr, let me prefix my search with flickr: search term. Or amazon: search term. And so on. As it is I find Smart Scopes just clutter my results so I decided to forgo the potential serendipity and disabled them completely. + +Other noticeable new features in 13.10 include a new keyboard applet for quick switching between keyboards (handy for those of you frequently writing in multiple languages). Ubuntu has also fixed a regression that made some Gnome apps -- notably the Nautilus file browser -- look out of place in Ubuntu's default theme. Despite some talk of replacing Firefox with Chrome as the default browser in 13.10, Firefox is still there. Other standard Ubuntu apps like Shotwell, LibreOffice and Thunderbird have all been updated, but there are no major changes in the default app suite. + +If the new Smart Scopes don't tempt you to upgrade, well, that's understandable. There's not much else to 13.10, which, as it turns out, is not so saucy of a salamander after all. + +There is, however, plenty of new and exciting things happening in the larger Ubuntu ecosystem. The desktop release may not have much pizazz this time around, but an entirely new phone platform helps make up for it. + +As was the case with OS X when iOS first came on the scene, Ubuntu's desktop may take a back seat to the new mobile platform for a bit. That doesn't mean Canonical is abandoning the desktop, it just means that resources are limited and just like any other company, Canonical has to apply them to what needs them the most. Right now that seems to be the mobile platform, but I'd be surprised if it stayed that way. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1404/ubuntu1404-limited-privacy-options.jpg b/published/ubuntu1404/ubuntu1404-limited-privacy-options.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..54b1477 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1404/ubuntu1404-limited-privacy-options.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1404beta.txt b/published/ubuntu1404beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f0527c4 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1404beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +The first beta release of Ubuntu 14.04 is here, offering Ubuntu users a glimpse of what's coming when Trusty Tahr arrives in April. + +This is a Long Term Support release, which means Canonical will provide support for 5 years. It also means this is the first look that more conservative users will get at the direction Ubuntu has been pursuing since the release of 12.04 back in 2012. + +Ubuntu LTS releases understandably tend toward the conservative end of the spectrum when it comes to new features. You're not going to see Unity 8 in this release, nor will there be any trace of the Mir graphics stack which Canonical is hoping will one day support both its desktop and mobile offerings. + +Instead this release sees a bunch of small, incremental improvements to Unity and the addition of some long-missing features that Canonical had previously rejected. + +It's the latter that makes Trusty Tahr the most surprising, particularly since, in both cases, Ubuntu developers explicitly rejected the ideas when they were initially proposed. + +Whatever the reason for the change of heart, many users will no doubt welcome the news that Ubuntu 14.04 will include menus in windows and an option to make apps minimize when you click them in the Unity Launcher. + +Of all the desktop paradigms Ubuntu upended with the launch of Unity, bumping menus to the top bar was perhaps the most confounding for long-time users. The justification has always been that it saved on vertical screen real estate (it's also more in line with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law">Fitts' Law</a>). With that in mind it should not be surprising to learn that, yes indeed, 14.04 will be adding window level menus, but, instead of adding the menu as a line of options below the window title bar the way you might expect, Ubuntu 14.04 will pack them into the title bar itself to save space. + +You might think this would hobble your ability to drag and rearrange windows, but it does not. Unity is quite adept at recognizing a drag vs a click and in my testing I never had any trouble moving windows or accessing menu items. + +While the menu-in-the-title-bar implementation is pretty slick, and plenty stable enough to use, the defaults remain the same -- menus are up in the menu bar at the top of the screen, just as they have been since Unity arrived in 11.04. If you want menus in your title bars you'll need to head to the Appearance pane of the System Settings panel where you'll see a new option to "show the menus for a window". Just check the option "In the window's title bar" and you'll have your window-level menus back. + +Speaking of application menus, Canonical has also reversed course a bit and now includes the full menus for apps like the Nautilus file browser, which once again includes menu items like "File", "Edit" "View" and so on. + +Another surprising reversal is Ubuntu's decision to allow users to change what happens when you click items in the Unity Launcher. Unlike the typical desktop dock/panel, double-clicking an item in the Unity launcher just gives that application focus (pulling it to the front in most cases). This behavior mirrors what you'll find in Apple's OS X, but is different than what you'll find in Windows, GNOME, KDE, XFCE and most other desktops with some kind of "dock". + +With 14.04 it will be possible to modify the default behavior of the Launcher. That may not sound all that exciting, but this feature request is <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ayatana-design/+bug/733349">three years old</a> and, for a very long time, was simply marked "won't fix". + +That, after three years, Canonical suddenly changes its mind on two much-requested features hopefully means the company is starting to listen to its users a bit more. + +As with the new menus-in-the-window option, the default behavior of the Unity Launcher will remain the same. There will, however, be an option to change the behavior to minimize windows on click. + +In another welcome change from past releases, you can now make the Unity Launcher icons much smaller, all the way down to 16px. That's good news of you're running Ubuntu 14.04 on a smaller screen and you want to avoid that bunched up cluster of unrecognizable icons at the bottom of the Launcher. + +There are other small -- tiny even -- touches that see Canonical paying quite a bit of attention to details in this release. For example application windows are now borderless. The one pixel, nearly-black border element has been removed. An equally small, but nice touch are the new GTK3 window decorations, which mean much smoother anti-aliased corners -- something that might not be noticeable without a high-resolution screen, but will be much appreciated if you have one. + +A more noticeable design change is the new live window resizing. Now, by default when you grab a window edge and resize it the windows just resizes. Previously the windows would show a yellow box indicating its size as you dragged, but it didn't re-draw itself in real time. The live preview feature has been an option for a while, but it was tucked away in the Settings panel. Now it's on by default. + +Such tiny UI refinements might be dismissed by many, or indeed missed altogether, but those of us who have for years been wishing someone would pay attention to design details in the Linux desktop world, well, this is what that looks like. Ubuntu has always been a distro that sweats the details so it's not surprising to see these changes here rather than say the Debian main line, but it's welcome nonetheless -- especially in an LTS release. + +Tiny improvements aren't just part of this release, they are in fact the core of Ubuntu 14.04 -- fixing the tiny cuts and annoyances has long been the signature of LTS releases. Those of you anxious to see Mir on the desktop or Unity 8 are going to have to wait for 14.10 at least. Possibly even longer in the case of Mir, which may not make it to the desktop for at least another year. + +Still, while there may not be much in the way of groundbreaking new features or anything else too flashy, judging by this beta, Ubuntu 14.04 is shaping up to be Ubuntu's best release in a long time, possibly ever. + +The taint of Ubuntu's privacy blunders with the last few releases do still cast something of a shadow over the distro that used to be a favorite of Linux newcomers and old hands alike. But if such things don't bother you, and you have the hardware to support the Unity interface, Ubuntu 14.04 is likely to be one of the slickest, most polished Linux desktops you've ever tried. + +That's great news for anyone sticking to the more stable, LTS-updates-only path, since this will be the first time such users move beyond 12.04, which frankly, feels like it was released far longer than just two years ago. + +This will also likely be the last time Ubuntu is released solely for the desktop since Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth has promised mobile devices in Q3 of this year, which means Ubuntu Mobile will soon be on the shelf as well. + +If Ubuntu Mobile is able to do what iOS did for Apple -- that is, sell not just phones and tablets, but the corresponding desktop as well -- Canonical needs to have a great desktop ready to go. As of this beta at least, Ubuntu 14.04 is well on its way to being just that -- a great desktop on which to stake Ubuntu's future. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1404final.txt b/published/ubuntu1404final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9914ed1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1404final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,45 @@ +Canonical has released Ubuntu 14.04, or Trusty Tahr, as this release is nicknamed. + +Ubuntu 14.04 is a Long Term Support release, which means Canonical will provide support for 5 years. It also means that this is the first look that more conservative users will get at the direction Ubuntu has been pursuing since the release of 12.04 back in 2012. + +As I noted in the <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/28/ubuntu_14_01_final_beta_review/">beta review</a>, Ubuntu LTS releases understandably tend toward the conservative end of the spectrum when it comes to new features. You're not going to see Unity 8 in this release, nor will there be any trace of the Mir graphics stack which Canonical is hoping will one day support both its desktop and mobile offerings. + +However, for those who only upgrade when LTS releases come around, the picture is much different. The changes since 12.04 (the last LTS release) are significant and, with one major exception, very welcome. + +Ubuntu 14.04 is faster, stabler and overall much better than 12.04 and brings far <a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/14.04/ubuntu-help/whats-new.html">too many updates</a> to cover in full detail here. + +A few of the highlights include better support for high-resolution displays, TRIM is now turned on for Intel and Samsung SSDs, Nvidia Optimus support has been improved, and all of the default applications have been updated to their latest stable versions. For the major apps that means Firefox 28, LibreOffice 4.2.3 and Nautilus 3.10. Ubuntu 14.04 is using Linux kernel 3.13. + +Beyond the hardware support improvements and underlying app updates, which is perhaps most notable for the more conservative, LTS-updates-only crowd is the news that 14.04 adds back some long-missing features that Canonical had previously removed from Unity. + +There doesn't seem to be a clear explanation for why Canonical has had a change of heart on these previously no-go user interface options, but with 14.04 you can now get menus in windows, minimize windows from the Unity Launcher, customize Launcher menus to suit your needs and even see the full suite of menu items in previously hobbled apps like the Nautilus file browser. + +Of these, the menu-in-the-windows option is perhaps the most significant. Of all the desktop paradigms Ubuntu upended with the launch of Unity, bumping menus to the top bar was perhaps the most confounding for long-time users, especially those coming to Linux from Windows. + +The justification for moving menus to the top of the screen has always been that it saved on vertical screen real estate (it's also more in line with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law">Fitts' Law</a> and, as an added bonus, mimics what you'll find in OS X, often noted for its usability and design). + +Ubuntu 14.04 adds back an option to have window level menus. There are two caveats though. First, the defaults have not changed. If you want the new menus you'll need to head to the system settings and enable them yourself. Once you've done that you'll find that Canonical's decision on where to put the menus is a tad unusual -- instead of adding the menu as a line of options below the window title bar the way you might expect, Ubuntu 14.04 packs them into the title bar itself to save space. + +The good news is that this in fact works quite well. Not only does it save a few pixels, it just feels less cluttered and more in line with the overall Ubuntu desktop design ethos. + +That design ethos is getting stronger too, or at least it feels that way given the continued attention to details in this release. There are many other small, easy-to-overlook visual improvements which, while they may not jump out at you, go a long way to making the overall experience of Ubuntu feel much more polished than other Linux distros. + +A good example of this is new borderless application windows that get rid of the one pixel, nearly-black border element. An equally small, but nice, touch is the new GTK3 window decorations, which mean much smoother anti-aliased corners -- something that might not be noticeable without a high-resolution screen, but will be much appreciated if you have one. + +A more noticeable example is the new live window resizing. When you drag a window Ubuntu no longer draws a yellow box to visualize the window being resized, instead the window just resizes (this has been an option in previous releases, but it's now the default). + +If such tiny UI refinements don't impress you then Ubuntu is probably not the Linux distro for you. But for those who, like me, have been wondering for years when someone would starting giving the Linux desktop the UI attention it deserves, well, Ubuntu 14.04 is unquestionably the best option around. + +There are two big catches though, because this is open source software and nothing is ever perfect. The first is that Unity needs modern hardware. Its slick user interface isn't going to sing on your 5 year old netbook (that's what <a href="http://crunchbang.org/">Crunchbang</a> is for). + +The other, more serious problem with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is the controversial changes regarding online search and user privacy. + +The taint of Ubuntu's privacy blunders with the last few releases have cast something of a shadow over the distro that used to be a favorite of Linux newcomers and old hands alike, perhaps doubly so with Edward Snowden and company revealing ever more alarming invasions of privacy every day. Criticizing Ubuntu's on-by-default Amazon search features a year ago often meant being called paranoid. Not so much today. + +The potential privacy leaks may not be a concern for desktop users already happily logged in to Google services, Facebook and file syncing tools like Dropbox -- which all expose users to potentially far greater privacy intrusion than Ubuntu's Amazon search results -- but for enterprise-level deployments, upgrading to 14.04 and maintaining privacy for employees means a whole lot of Amazon Scope disabling. + +The good news is that it appears Unity's privacy offending Amazon search scope <a href="https://plus.google.com/113579520393333767984/posts/Ec3rprkut6M">will become opt-in</a> (as the EFF, FSF and others have argued it should be). The bad news is that won't happen until Unity 8 arrives (hopefully 14.10, but possibly not until later). In other words, not in time for this LTS release. + +That makes 14.04 perhaps not quite as appealing of an upgrade for LTS users as it otherwise should be. If you're just one person installing Ubuntu on your Desktop machine then it's pretty easy to turn off the privacy-violating bits. But Enterprise customers will most likely have to think twice about this upgrade, which is shame because for LTS users this is a problem that won't be solved until the next LTS rolls around in 2016. + +In the time between now and then Canonical will be rolling out a mobile OS. In fact Canonical head Mark Shuttleworth says devices will be available in Q3 of this year. In the mean time Ubuntu 14.04 is not just a great LTS release, but perhaps the best version of Ubuntu yet -- provided you can get past the privacy problems. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1410-browser.png b/published/ubuntu1410-browser.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..cb45110 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1410-browser.png diff --git a/published/ubuntu1410-desktop.png b/published/ubuntu1410-desktop.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6961912 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1410-desktop.png diff --git a/published/ubuntu1410beta-desktop.jpg b/published/ubuntu1410beta-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9389edf --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1410beta-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1410beta-firefox.jpg b/published/ubuntu1410beta-firefox.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7efd85d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1410beta-firefox.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu1410review.txt b/published/ubuntu1410review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..332484e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1410review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +Canonical has released version 14.10 of Ubuntu, nicknamed "Utopic Unicorn". + +Ubuntu 14.10 comes just before the distro's tenth anniversary and, in terms of new features, marks the occasion with more of a whimper than a bang. + +Indeed I've been covering Ubuntu for seven of those ten years and 14.10 is the first time I've had to dig deep into the release notes just to find something new to test. + +If you needed further proof that Canonical is currently solely focused on bringing its Unity 8 interface to mobile devices, 14.10 is the best evidence yet. + +Almost nothing Canonical develops has changed in this release -- there isn't even a new desktop wallpaper. There are some updates to be sure, but they come from other sources, not Canonical. Point release updates for default GNOME apps are included, as is a new kernel, the latest version of Mesa, and some other underlying tools. + +The lack of updates on Canonical's end isn't unexpected, in fact that's been the plan all along. + +Desktop Ubuntu is currently in a kind of suspended animation, waiting on Unity 8 and Mir to be ready for its coming metamorphosis. The short story is that it makes no sense for Canonical to keep refining Unity 7 when it will soon be retired. + +There have been enough delays in the Mir and Unity 8 projects already; that Canonical is more or less punting on 14.10 is actually a good thing. Both Mir and Unity 8 were originally scheduled to be ready for this release, but only the most optimistic of Ubuntu fans ever believed the project could write an entirely new display server and integrated, device-spanning desktop interface in such a short period of time. + +That Ubuntu is tackling the mobile world at all is reason enough to celebrate -- even if you're not an Ubuntu fan. Sure you can argue that Android is Linux on mobile devices, but it's not what anyone wants when they say "I want Linux on my phone". Unity 8 for mobile promises to be much closer to what most would call "real" Linux on a mobile device. And if it's necessary to sacrifice development of the desktop version of Ubuntu for one release cycle to make Unity 8 work, so be it. + +Even Apple (which is several orders of magnitude larger and richer than Canonical) put its desktop OS on the back burner in order to work on its iOS mobile interface. + +As I pointed out in the beta review of 14.10, Canonical has never had big plans for this release. Head over to the <a href="https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/utopic">Utopic Blueprints page</a> and you'll see there are only 35 items listed. Compare that with the <a href="https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/saucy">13.10 release cycle</a> of last year, which had 195 items. + +Not everything in Ubuntu is Canonical's doing of course and there are some worthwhile updates in 14.10 from a variety of other projects (though most of them will also be backported to 14.04 should you decide to pass on this update). + +The GNOME stack that currently powers Unity 7 has not been changed, which makes sense from a pragmatic standpoint. Why spend a bunch of effort updating to GNOME 3.12 when Unity 8 is coming anyway? While many GNOME elements remain at 3.10 in this release, several of the standard apps Ubuntu includes have seen minor updates -- Firefox, OpenOffice, Thunderbird and Rhythmbox are all at the latest stable releases. + +Utopic Unicorn also brings an updated kernel, which is now at 3.16. Ubuntu 14.04 LTS shipped earlier this year with 3.13, so there's quite a few new things to be had in 14.10. It might especially be worth testing 14.10 and its updated kernel if you've got newer hardware that's been giving you problems. + +Among the notable updates to come down since the 3.13 kernel is stable support for Intel Broadwell CPU graphics, quite a few improvements for Nouveau (including the beginnings of NVIDIA Maxwell GPU support), support for NVIDIA Tegra PRIME and a new Synaptic input driver, which might fix misbehaving trackpads if you've had problems. A full list of what's new in 3.16 can be found <a href="http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_3.16">here</a>. + +Unity itself has also had a slew of small improvements and bug fixes. Among the notable things in this extensive <a href="https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity/+changelog">changelog</a> are some HiDPI fixes that make Unity look nicer on high resolution screens. If you've got a HiDPI screen you might notice there's better UI scaling, nicer looking Dash Previews and some refinements to the lock screen. + +That's about it for visible changes in this release though. + +Whether or not it's worth upgrading comes down to hardware support. If everything is working fine for you under 14.04, then stick with it. 14.10 is not the droid you're looking for in that case. If, on the other hand, you've got new hardware that needs the latest kernel, 14.10 might be the easiest way to get it. + +In a way it's fitting that Ubuntu's ten year anniversary release isn't much of an update. Ubuntu has always been more focused on the exciting possibilities of the future and, that its currently pouring all its manpower into mobile demonstrates that, even a decade on, Ubuntu is still trying to push the boundaries of Linux. + +That Canonical has taken its developers off the desktop and put them to work exclusively on the future -- Mir and Unity 8 -- shows the company isn't resting on whatever laurels it may have accumulated over the last decade. + +There are after all, plenty of Linux desktops out there with flashy new features if you really want something visibly different. Indeed all of the various Ubuntu flavors are turning out much more significant releases for 14.10 (in terms of new features anyway). + +Ubuntu though has always been a risk taking distro and it's nice to know, even if you don't always agree with its decisions, that it's out there pushing the definition of what a Linux distro is. It polished the desktop and made it more welcoming to newcomers, something few other distros at the time were interested in doing. In doing so Ubuntu quickly became the most recognized name in Linux. + +Ubuntu's role has changed over the years, but perhaps its most significant has been providing a gentle, welcome landing pad for Windows and other "switchers". While many might eventually move on to other distros, Ubuntu was and may well still be the gateway Linux distro. + +What makes Ubuntu's mobile efforts so exciting is that the project might be able to do the same thing again, this time in the mobile world. And if Ubuntu can win new users over through the mobile space the way it has in the desktop space I'd argue the entire Linux community wins. + +If you want to see what Unity 8 looks like and how its coming along, there is a new Ubuntu flavor called Ubuntu Next, which you can download and test. Maybe. Sometimes it installs for me in virtual machines, some times it does not. To say it's pre-release would be a significant understatement. But then, thus far, it's not even designed to run on a desktop so problems are to be expected. + +I suggest you skip Ubuntu Next though. The first Ubuntu-powered mobile devices are supposedly going hit the market before the end of year. In the mean time there's 14.10 if you need it. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1504final.txt b/published/ubuntu1504final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fb2f4df --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1504final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +Canonical has pushed out another modest update for the current poster child of desktop Linux. + +Ubuntu 15.04, nicknamed Vivid Vervet, packs one huge change under the hood -- systemd is here -- but most users will notice very little difference in this release. + +There are a couple of new things that make 15.04 worth the upgrade from previous versions, but the really big changes in Ubuntu's future, like the move to Unity 8 and the whole "convergence" of the desktop and mobile versions, remain, well, in the future. + +In the mean time Ubuntu desktop fans get a few nice improvements, developers find some welcome new tools and a new flavor -- Ubuntu MATE -- joins the fold. Oh and there's some thing called systemd you may have heard of. + +The biggest news in 15.04 is undoubtedly to move to systemd as the default init system. To understand why the move to systemd is a big deal it helps to understand what an init system is to wit, it's the system that launches all other systems on your machine. When you boot Linux the init system loads the drivers you need, turns on your network connection, fires up the necessary system service and then loads the desktop. Without an init system you have no way to do anything. + +Previous versions of Ubuntu used a homegrown init system called Upstart, which was Ubuntu's attempt to create an init system. However, Ubuntu remains a Debian derivative and with Debian moving to systemd, Ubuntu has elected to abandon its own efforts and get on the systemd bandwagon. The decision appears to be purely pragmatic, systemd is a many tentacled octopus and now that it's well into Debian Ubuntu really has no choice. + +Among developers there's been considerably resistance to systemd. No one really wants to keep the old, and, at this point, very crufty SysV (that's why Ubuntu long ago created Upstart), but not everyone likes systemd. The main complaint about systemd is that it tries to do too much. It isn't just an init system, it also wants to manage user logins, handle logging and half a dozen other tasks. This of course goes against that original Unix ideal of doing one thing and doing it well. The dislike is strong enough that there's now a Debian fork whose primary goal is to keep Debian systemd free. + +Even Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth once <a href="http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1295">expressed his dislike of systemd</a>, calling it, "hugely invasive and hardly justified." The problem Shuttleworth had with systemd was practical. He was worried that "formerly-independent pieces of code, which happen to be under the control of folks driving systemd, have been rolled into that codebase." In other words, systemd is a very all or nothing init system and not one that distros can easily customize to suit their needs. Still, with 15.04 Ubuntu is making the move from nothing to all. + +For the average user the move to systemd should be transparent, which is to say you probably won't notice anything different. That said, I had repeated problems with systemd's journald in a virtual machine. The same problem didn't crop up when installed on actual hardware. + +The only reason you'll likely be affected by the move to systemd is if you have a lot of Upstart scripts, which will mean you need to change a few things in your scripts. Canonical has posted a handy <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SystemdForUpstartUsers">Systemd For Upstart Users</a> guide that will help you migrate your scripts because make no mistake, while you can still use Upstart (in Grub select advanced options and you'll see one option to boot with Upstart), systemd is the future of Ubuntu and virtually every other distro out there. + +The more noticeable changes in Ubuntu 15.04 for desktop users are a couple UI tweaks in Unity, namely the ability to always show menu items. That is, application menus items have long been hidden away in Unity. In order to see them you had to mouse over the top bar. There's now a setting to make them visible all the time. To change the menu visibility you'll either need to paste some code in your terminal or install the Dconf Editor. If you go with the latter method just head to com > canonical > unity and look for the option to "always show menus". + +Also note that the "locally integrated menus" are not the default as they were in the beta. That's a fancy name for having application menus in the application window rather than the top bar. + +There aren't really any other major visible changes in this release. The Unity 7 line is pretty much a ghost town of development at this point as all the developer effort is (understandably) being poured into Unity 8. Unity in 15.04 is at version 7.3, which does have a few bug fixes and refinements, including a particularly annoying bug involving the HUD menu and fullscreen apps, which now play nice together. The kernel and Compiz have both been updated, with the former now sitting at 3.19.3. + +15.04 ships with GTK 3.14.9, just missing out on GNOME 3.16, which was released after Ubuntu's feature freeze for this release cycle. That means that most of Ubuntu's GNOME apps are also still at the 3.14 release version, including Nautilus, GNOME Terminal and Videos (Totem). That's quite a bit better than 14.10, which still shipped with, for example, Nautilus 3.10, but it's hardly the cutting edge of GNOME development. + +The rest of the standard Ubuntu application suite has been bumped up to the latest versions as well. This release contains Firefox 37, LibreOffice 4.4, Thunderbird 31.6 and Rhythmbox 3.1 among other, smaller app updates. + +Ubuntu 15.04 also sees the release of some newly re-packaged developer tools, including "Ubuntu Make", which is a rebranding of last year's Ubuntu Developer Tools Center. Similar to Fedora's Developer Assistant, Ubuntu Make is a packaging system for installing complete developer environments with a single command. You can easily install, for example, the Android NDK and SDK, Firefox Developer Edition or any of more than a dozen other development environments. Once Ubuntu Make is installed you can create a new environment as easily as typing "umake android." + +If you've made the leap to container-based development tools you might want to check out the new lightweight <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/cloud/tools/snappy">Snappy Ubuntu Core</a>, which is designed with devices and containers in mind. There's great support for Docker, but Ubuntu also has its own Docker-like take on containerization that's worth check out as well. + +This release also sees the first official version of the new Ubuntu MATE flavor, which features the MATE desktop with Ubuntu under the hood. The result is something close to Ubuntu circa version 9.10. But with less brown. + +The question for desktop users is -- should I upgrade? There's definitely enough small tweaks and bug fixes that make Ubuntu 15.04 worth the upgrade unless you prefer to stick with LTS releases. That said, the vast majority of these small changes will eventually be backported to Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, so if you're on LTS for the stability, just sit tight, the new stuff will be available soon. Developers who'd like to get a head start on the transition to systemd, as well as those of us who prefer to always have the latest and greatest running on our machines, can grab the update from Canonical. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-desktop.png b/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-desktop.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..37267c8 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-desktop.png diff --git a/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-firefox.png b/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-firefox.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..1670d5a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-firefox.png diff --git a/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-menu-options.png b/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-menu-options.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..758181f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-menu-options.png diff --git a/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-menus-always-on.png b/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-menus-always-on.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..68af54d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1504final/ubuntu1504-menus-always-on.png diff --git a/published/ubuntu1510beta.txt b/published/ubuntu1510beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0dae574 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1510beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +Canonical has released the second beta of Ubuntu 15.10, or Wily Werewolf as this release will be known when it arrives in final form next month. The second beta is the first (and last) for the main Unity desktop version of Ubuntu. If you'd like to see a preview of 15.10 before it's finalized, this is your chance. + +Unfortunately, like most Ubuntu releases lately, there's not much to see here. Oh sure, there's some revamped scrollbars, Unity 7.3.2, which has some welcome bug fixes and Ubuntu's version of the 4.2.1 Linux kernel, but you won't find any major changes to Unity in this beta or, for that matter, the final release when it arrives. Frankly, Ubuntu 14.04, which was a Long Term Support release, had more changes than this release. + +Normally I'd argue that's a good thing. No news is, when it comes to operating systems, good news these days. It could be worse anyway, you could have Windows 10 foisted on you. Except that Ubuntu's October releases have historically been more experimental, less stable releases that tried to push the envelope a little. It's been two years since we've seen that sort of fun-filled, experimental release from Canonical. + +There's Unity 8 out there somewhere, under development, and Canonical's vision of "convergence" is seeing some real actually shipping devices on the mobile side. But if you're a desktop Unity fan, patiently waiting for version 8 to arrive, well, keep waiting. Or, if you are craving something shiny and new, check out Kubuntu 15.10 Beta 2, which ships with the brand new Plasma 5.4 desktop environment. Visual changes abound in this Kubuntu release. + +Fans of the Unity desktop will just have to console themselves with the knowledge that at least Unity 7.x is, at this point, pretty rock solid and nothing in Ubuntu 15.10 will rock the boat in any way. + +The most noticeable change -- the only visual changes really -- in this release involves the scrollbars. Yes, scrollbars. Canonical's homegrown version has been ditched in favor of the GNOME scrollbars in GTK 3 applications (which accounts for the majority of Ubuntu apps). + +The GNOME scrollbars have been themed a little to look like Ubuntu's old version, but the strange, handle-like thing is gone. The move seems primarily a result of the fact that GNOME's scrollbars more or less now behave just like Unity's did. In other words, there's no need to duplicate scrollbar efforts. + +Nothing about the behavior of the scrollbars has changed, all the bad UI decisions remain -- which is to say that even when there's scrollable content Unity will still not show a scrollbar until either you hover the scrollbar or otherwise put the mouse in motion. How do you know there's scrollable content? Well, your guess is as good as mine. At least now though Canonical engineers can move on to something more exciting than maintaining homegrown scrollbars. + +The notable exception to the scrollbar change is perhaps the most used application on the desktop: the web browser. Chrome and Firefox both still use completely different scrollbars (both are built against GTK 2, though Firefox is moving toward a GTK 3 release -- if you're lucky it might get here in time for 16.04 next year). LibreOffice also uses its own scrollbars. + +The only other notable thing I noticed in the change logs is a new option in the dconf setting panel which lets you control the amount of delay before showing the menu when you press the Alt key (you'll need to install dconf through the Software Center). If you frequently trigger this menu when you meant to alt-tab (but didn't get to tab quick enough), you can eliminate this problem by increasing the delay time. + +There are some somewhat bigger changes afoot under the hood in this update, including an updated kernel. Ubuntu 15.10 will ship with the Ubuntu Linux Kernel 4.2.0-11, which is pulled from the upstream 4.2.1 Linux Kernel (this is true for all flavors, not just Unity). Linux kernel 4.2.1 brings better support for Intel Skylake CPUs and AMD GPUs. + +This release also sees Mesa 11 arrive, which is notable for bringing OpenGL 4.1 support to RadeonSI and Nouveau drivers. However, as far as I can tell, OpenGL 4.1 with RadeonSI isn't working in Ubuntu 15.10 beta 2. + +For the most part Ubuntu 15.10 has made the jump to GNOME 3.16. Ubuntu 15.04 still used a surprising amount of GNOME 3.14 apps and libraries, but most of those have finally been updated to 3.16. Exceptions include Nautilus, which remains at 3.14 (likely due to how heavily Canonical patches it in an effort to retain some functionality of a file browser) and Gedit, which remains at 3.10 (probably because, seriously, it's a text editor, what more do you want from it?). + +The application suite has been updated to the latest available version as well, including the hot-off-the-press Firefox 41, LibreOffice 5 and Empathy 3.12.10. + +In my testing this release has been as stable and bug free as a final release, which isn't surprising given the relative minor nature of the changes involved. I still wouldn't suggest using it on your daily machine just yet, but while I normally only update for Spring releases, this is one x.10 that I wouldn't hesitate to install. Updating won't gain you much, but it's correspondingly unlikely to mess up your system. + +That said, there are plenty of theme glitches around. The GNOME Image Viewer (Eye of GNOME) gains support for client-side decorations, but apparently lost its GMenu in the process. I also had some problems with a couple of other apps (Evince for one), but in most cases the problem was solved by maximizing and then unmaximizing the window (in other words, force a redraw and most visual glitches will correct themselves). + +Canonical should have a release candidate version of Ubuntu 15.10 available on October 16, with the final version coming a week later on October 22, 2015. + +Screenshots: + +ubuntu-scrollbars-sidebyside.jpg - The new GNOME scrollbars along side the old Canonical created scrollbars +ubuntu-1510-firefox.jpg - Firefox 41 in Ubuntu 15.10, note the different scrollbars. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1510betaflavors.txt b/published/ubuntu1510betaflavors.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9ef6ca9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1510betaflavors.txt @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +Ubuntu's autumn release of 15.10, nicknamed Wily Werewolf, is beginning to take shape. The first beta builds of this development cycle are now available for download. As has been Ubuntu's process for a few years now the main, Unity-based Ubuntu desktop sits out this initial beta, but Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu MATE and Lubuntu all have preview releases available. + +The amount of new features varies by spin from Kubuntu, which offers some major updates for the KDE platform that serves as its base, to Lubuntu, which has almost nothing in the way of new features and consists primarily of a few bug fixes. + +## Kubuntu 15.10 + +The biggest news in the Ubuntu universe right now is Kubuntu 15.10, which uses the hot-off-the-presses KDE Plasma 5.4 desktop. Plasma 5.4 is huge update for KDE, bringing everything from preliminary Wayland support to smaller, but more noticeable changes like a nice new set of Plasma Widgets and improvements to KRunner, the revamped, extendible launcher in Plasma 5. + +The KDE team has also been finishing up work on the new "flat" look of Plasma 5. In my <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/28/kde_plasma_5_review/">initial review of KDE 5</a> I mentioned that it was a bit rough around the edges with missing icons, the search field in the Kickoff app launcher was hard to discover and other little problems. As of 5.4 all that stuff has been fixed. There are some 1400 new icons, call consistent with the brighter, flatter design aesthetic the characterizes Plasma 5. + +The other area that's much improved in this release is KDE's support for HiDPI screens. In previous Kubuntu releases I had trouble getting the HiDPI support to work in virtual machines, but as of Kubuntu 15.10 that's no longer an issue. + +There has also been considerable improvement to the various widgets that KDE offers. There's a new one for volume and a slick new network applet that offers a nice graphical view of your network traffic (it also now supports SSH connections via a plugin). + +## Ubuntu MATE 15.10 + +The Wily Werewolf release of Ubuntu MATE ships with an interesting combination of MATE 1.8 and 1.10, depending on which component of the system you're talking about. Somehow it manages to do this without being too buggy, but it can make troubleshooting a little more time consuming since you first need to know which version of any problem component you've actually got. + +Among the MATE 1.10 elements is Caja, the default file manager, which gains an extension manager for handling plugins, meaning it's much easier to install and enable plugins (no need to restart). There's also the much improved multi-monitor support I covered in my <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/01/linux_mint_17_2_review/">Mint 17.2 review</a>. + +There are, however, plenty of MATE 1.8 elements still hanging around. Elements like the main panel, the power manager, applets and icon theme all remain at their 1.8 versions. + +Perhaps related, perhaps not, Ubuntu MATE was the least stable of the betas I tested. In fact it would never really run at all in a virtual machine and didn't fare any better on actual hardware. + +## Xubuntu 15.10 + +Xubuntu 15.10 Beta 1 is a relatively minor release compared to 15.04, which brought the massive overhaul of Xfce 4.12 to Xubuntu fans. Now that that big transition is out of the way, 15.10 primarily consists of bug fixes and minor improvements and updates. + +The biggest news so far might well be that Xubuntu has swapped out the lightweight Abiword app (the default word processor on most Xfce-based desktops) with the much larger, but more full-featured LibreOffice Writer. That shouldn't be to surprising given that Xubuntu has always taken a heavy-weight approach to Xfce, opting for more features rather than the lighter weight aspect that other distros prize. The change may also have something to do with the new Xubuntu-core, which is there for those who'd like keep things lean and simple. + +Other changes for Xubuntu in this beta include app updates for most of the defaults and some changes for the Thunar file manager. The latter includes a few features (or bug fixes, depending on how you look at it) that ensures new tabs and windows inherit the last used view (Thunar will also now remember the last used application when opening files). + +## Lubuntu 15.10 + +The big news in Lubuntu is that there is no big news. The project is still in the process of making the move to the new Qt-based LxQt desktop. For now that means this release consists only of bug fixes and minor tweaks. The LxQT-based version of Lubuntu is slatted to arrive in next year's 16.10 release cycle. + +## Ubuntu GNOME 15.10 + +Ubuntu GNOME 15.10 ships with GNOME 3.16, which features a new notification system and a slightly lighter theme. + +The new look covers everything from the Activities Overview screen to login screen, as well as menus, which now feature monochrome icons for the most part. GNOME 3.16 also offers some new scrollbars, which are now only displayed when needed. + +These scrollbars will also be making their way into Ubuntu Unity 15.10 when it arrives. Canonical is apparently tired of trying to maintain its own custom scrollbars. + +This release also sees Ubuntu GNOME changing up the default application stack a little bit. The old photo editing/organizing standby Shotwell has been replaced with GNOME Photos and GNOME Music is now installed by default. The move away from Shotwell makes sense for Ubuntu GNOME since GNOME is doing the same and Shotwell has been all but abandoned for some time (the good news for Shotwell fans is that development does look like it will continue as part of the ElementaryOS project). + +There are a host of under the hood changes that will be a part of almost all of these flavours when the final release of Ubuntu 15.10 arrives. Updates to the base system and a new kernel will also be part of the main, Unity-based version of Ubuntu 15.10, which is still an alpha release. The Unity desktop will update for beta 2 later this month and it, along with all of the flavours, will be see a final version arrive come October 23. + + +Screenshots: + +kubuntu1510.png - The default Kubuntu desktop showing new Network Widget. +xubuntu1510.png - Xubuntu, now with more LibreOffice. +ubuntumate1510.png - Ubuntu Mate 15.10, buggy enough that this is all you're likely to see. +ubuntugnome1510.png - Ubuntu Gnome, Ubuntu fans, learn to love these scrollbars, they're coming soon to Unity. diff --git a/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-desktop.png b/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-desktop.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b4c83bd --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-desktop.png diff --git a/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-firefox.png b/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-firefox.png Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..99a117c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-firefox.png diff --git a/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-scroll.jpg b/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-scroll.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..0b5d26b --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu1510f/ubuntu1510-scroll.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntu2010.txt b/published/ubuntu2010.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5d6e5dd --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu2010.txt @@ -0,0 +1,32 @@ +Ubuntu Linux has spent the last few months of 2010 dropping bombshells on the Linux world. Ubuntu's founder Mark Shuttleworth is clearly intent on shaking the foundations of Ubuntu and pushing the popular distro, and Linux at large, in new directions. + +Shuttleworth is fast becoming the Steve Jobs of Linux -- one man, one vision, one desktop. Like Jobs, Shuttleworth is a polarizing figure, but one thing is clear: Shuttleworth is bringing his vision of the future to Ubuntu whether the world wants it or not. + +Ubuntu has long focused on not just making Linux work, but on making it look good. The Ubuntu desktop is already one of the most polished and easy-to-use versions of Linux available. But now Shuttleworth is turning his back on that desktop and plans to pursue an even more radical change -- the Unity desktop. + +The Unity desktop began life in the netbook remix of Ubuntu 10.10, offering a lightweight alternative to the GNOME desktop. Unity was originally designed for netbooks, where small screens and underpowered processors make GNOME cumbersome and slow. Unity is still rough around the edges, but Ubuntu is clearly smitten -- so much so that Unity will be the default for the desktop version of Ubuntu from here on out. + +Speaking at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in October, Shuttleworth described the switch from GNOME to Unity as the "most significant change ever" for Ubuntu. That's not hyperbole in this case. Abandoning GNOME is no small thing, but with a very single-minded, Apple-like focus, Ubuntu, and Shuttleworth, appear undaunted. + +Indeed, while Unity is currently available only in the alpha releases of Ubuntu 11.04, it already has certain Apple-like aspects, such as a left-hand application launcher that quite simply can't be moved (even Apple will let you put the "dock" where you like). Unity also moves application menus out of the window and into the global menu bar, à la OS X (Apple has used this feature since it first launched in 1984). + +<a href="https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Fitts%27s_law">Fitt's law</a> and other established design patterns are on Ubuntu's side in these changes, but it's tough to ignore the underlying message: Ubuntu has a vision and you're going to get it whether you want it or not. + +It's an approach that goes against what many think of as the core principles of Linux. It also sounds a lot like a certain turtleneck-clad, design obsessive in Cupertino, CA. + +Of course Shuttleworth is no Steve Jobs -- both in the good sense and the bad -- and Ubuntu is still an open source distro. For those who want to stick with the existing GNOME desktop, or even try GNOME 3.0, rest assured it will be possible. But you will be part of the past. + +It's hard to view these changes without starting to see that Shuttleworth's grand vision isn't Unity on the desktop, it's to abandon the desktop altogether. + +Just as some Apple fans fear that iOS will one day replace OS X, Ubuntu fans are rightly worrying that Ubuntu won't be focusing on desktop forever. It's no accident that the innovation in Unity comes from the netbook remix. But netbooks are simply a stepping stone. What Ubuntu seems to aiming for is a unified UI across devices -- mobile, tablets, netbooks, laptop and yes, the good old desktop dinosaur. + +When viewed in this light, Unity makes more sense. It doesn't have the overhead of supporting legacy devices. It looks and functions well on smaller screens. It isn't tied to the increasingly fragmented GNOME project. It's Shuttleworth's baby that he can guide to where he sees fit. + +In fact, Unity appears compelling enough that even Ubuntu competitor Fedora is <a href="http://www.happyassassin.net/2010/12/03/unity-on-fedora-possibly/">hoping to support it</a> in future releases. + +Unity isn't the only earth-shattering change coming for Ubuntu fans. Shuttleworth plans to eventually <a href="http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/551">migrate away from the venerable X Window System</a>. In its place Ubuntu will use the Wayland display system. The change to Wayland is an even greater transition than the move to Unity and won't happen next year, but again the message is clear: the is not your father's Linux. Nor, for that matter, is it the Linux you've known. + +Like Unity, Wayland is lighter and more easily extensible. That means it can run on less powerful processors and graphics cards and be adapted to any special hardware that might be on them. One of Wayland's key features again points to mobile and tablet devices -- extensive multitouch capabilities. + +Don't expect Unity and Wayland to be the last of what looks to be a year of massive overhaul for Ubuntu. Shuttleworth seems to have a clear vision in mind for Ubuntu's future. As with Apple, some will love to come along for the ride, others will scoff, but one thing is for sure -- the future of Ubuntu will not be boring. + diff --git a/published/ubuntu904.txt b/published/ubuntu904.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f784bc0 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu904.txt @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@ +There's a brand new version of Ubuntu Linux available today. Ubuntu 9.04, code-named Jaunty Jackalope, continues with the distro's six month release schedule and brings a few welcome new features that make it a worthwhile upgrade for Ubuntu fans. + +Ubuntu's parent company, Canonical, has been working hard to improve the look and feel of Ubuntu and Jaunty Jackalope brings quite a few refreshing touches to the old Ubuntu look. + +The default theme is still the familiar brown, but numerous small improvements to dialog boxes, splash screens and a flashy new login screen give Ubuntu a slicker, more professional feel. There's also a new theme named "New Wave" that's a nice mashup between the DarkRoom and the default Human theme. + +Under the hood, the latest version of Ubuntu offers a kernel upgrade, the latest version of GNOME, support for the Ext4 filesystem and a much stabler, more robust Linux distro than its less-than-thrilling 8.10 predecessor. + +Jaunty Jackalope brings quite a few changes for Ubuntu users, including Canonical's controversial decision to include a new notification system and messaging indicator applet. The Canonical-developed notifications system is designed to offer updates in an unobtrusive way -- a small window pops up and inform you of events like new e-mails and instant messages, as well as system events like changing the volume or when a CD finishes burning. + +The messages themselves look a bit like the Growl notification system in Mac OS X, and we found them to make for a pleasant and informative system. But of course the messages represent a major departure for Ubuntu and those of you who dislike it when Linux distributions include experimental features, rather than sticking with the stock GNOME components, may not be thrilled. + +Canonical's founder, Mark Shuttleworth, has <a href="http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/253">acknowledged</a> that not everyone is going to like the new system, but he's hoping that Ubuntu users will provide feedback and help to build a useful and robust message system that will eventually be adopted universally. + +For now, while rough around the edges (not every application is able to tap into the message system as it stands), the simplicity and elegance of Ubuntu's early design look very promising. + +Another area of Ubuntu that shows promise is the latest version of the GNOME desktop, which is now at v2.26. The new GNOME brings UPnP support for the Totem media application, which lays the groundwork for much better streaming audio tools -- good news for those of you with dedicated music servers on your local network. + +Unfortunately the Ubuntu release candidate we tested did not actually include the "Coherence" tools (as the UPnP plugin is known). To take advantage of Coherence you'll need to manually install the plugin or check out the latest version of Totem using Subversion. Unfortunately, after wrestling with some rather cryptic dependancy errors for a few hours, we eventually gave up on Coherence. + +Coherence has a lot of promise and hopefully the Totem developers will work out the bugs because we'd love to to see GNOME make streaming music to our Ubuntu box as easy as iTunes does for Mac and Windows systems. + +The latest version of GNOME also has some very nice new tools for the oft-neglected Evolution mail client. Thanks to the new MAPI protocol support, Evolution should be much better at connecting to Microsoft Exchange mail servers. + +Evolution also offers an easy way of importing data from Microsoft Outlook. It's tough to get too excited about desktop e-mail clients, but if you're heavily invested in Microsoft's mail system, the new tools make it much easier to migrate over to Ubuntu. + +Also new under the hood in Jaunty is a new Linux kernel (version 2.6.28), which is primarily notable for moving the Ext4 filesystem to the stable category. Despite its new designation, Ext4 is not the default choice for Ubuntu. The automated install process will still format your disks with the tried and true Ext3. To get Ext4 you'll need to manually partition your disks. + +We went ahead and used Ext4 for testing and so far we haven't run into any problems, but be aware that some users have <a href="https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/317781">experienced data loss with Ext4</a>. + +Also new in the kernel update are quite a few changes to the wireless system, including support for a number of new devices, which means there's even less chance you'll need to manually install wifi drivers. + +Performance in Jaunty is a bit zippier than its predecessor, but the speed boosts are incremental rather than anything jaw dropping. One thing you'll notice immediately with Jaunty is the much faster installation process, in our case a mere ten minutes after inserting the live CD, we were ready to go with a fully functional Ubuntu desktop. + +Jaunty also touts some speed improvements with boot time. We didn't really notice a spectacular change, but then again we're not in the habit of restarting Linux very often so perhaps we just never noticed that startups were slow. It's worth noting that the speed boosts seem to be much greater for those willing to risk the Ext4 filesystem. + +There aren't many application updates for this round of Ubuntu. The newer Basero CD/DVD authoring tool sees an update, but stalwarts like OpenOffice, GIMP 2.6 and Firefox have seen no major updates since Ubuntu 8.10. + +While Ubuntu 9.04 isn't be a revolutionary release for desktop users, it does provide a very nice new message system and brings Ubuntu up-to-date with changes in GNOME and the Linux kernel. And at this point in Ubuntu's development, the slow-but-steady advances are exactly what users need -- the underlying stability of Ubuntu remains up to par and perhaps even exceeds previous releases. + +Also note that Ubuntu 9.04 will see the first official release of the "netbook remix" with official support for a number of popular netbooks like the Asus EeePC 900, Acer Aspire One and Dell Mini 9. Although not listed as official, we haven't had any major problems running the netbook remix on our EeePC 1000H. + +Kubuntu 9.04, the KDE variant of Ubuntu, includes KDE 4.2, with all the new apps and features found in KDE's latest release. + diff --git a/published/ubuntu910.txt b/published/ubuntu910.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3bb0e03 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu910.txt @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +Nothing quite says Autumn like the arrival of a fresh crop of Linux distros. Well, for Linux fans anyway. As usual both Fedora and Ubuntu are gearing up for new releases, with the Ubuntu crew already pushing out the first betas of Ubuntu 9.10, dubbed Karmic Koala. + +Although Ubuntu 9.10 is only a beta release and still needs a bit of polish, there's plenty to love even in the testing release. + +Oddly though, perhaps the most notable thing in the latest release of Ubuntu 9.10 isn't actually in Ubuntu 9.10. Yes, we're talking about the <a href="https://one.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu One</a> cloud storage tools that come baked in with the release. + +The Ubuntu One client software you'll find in the new beta is designed to give you a simple way to backup, sync and share files over the web. Ubuntu One offers 2GB of storage for free, with a 10 GB option available for $10/month. Ubuntu One also offers public shared folders which other Ubuntu users can access from their PC (anyone not using Ubuntu can still access the files through their browser). + +Similar in both price and usage to other cloud backup and sync solutions (like Dropbox), Ubuntu One lets you designate which files and folders you'd like to backup or sync between Ubuntu installs. Previously, using Ubuntu One required enabling the universal repositories, and installing the client software. + +The other noticeable thing in Karmic Koala is the performance boost, particularly when it comes to booting up your PC. + +Earlier this year, Canonical announced plans to optimize boot performance, the goal being to get the system up and running much faster. You won't find it in Karmic Koala, but the eventual goal is to deliver 10-second startups by the time Ubuntu 10.04 is released in 2010. + +Once I got the 9.10 beta installed on my trusty Toshiba, I grabbed a stopwatch (okay, an iPhone stopwatch) and hit the power button. After restarting about a dozen times I found that the average startup time was 26 seconds, with the Xorg starting around the 15 second mark. That's only one second off Ubuntu's goal for Karmic Koala and a significant improvement over previous releases. + +Still, it's a little disappointing given that the eventual goal is ten seconds. But keep in mind that the Toshiba test laptop is five years old and sports a mere 512g of RAM with TK Intel processor. Newer hardware should see much better performance. + +If you want to really see Karmic Koala fly, try installing it on a solid state drive. Although I haven't tested it, there are plenty of reports around the web showing Ubuntu booting on an SSD in less than 10 seconds. + +Of course it's worth asking how often the average user actually boots up Ubuntu. Given its stability, most Linux users tend to just leave the system running indefinitely, making the faster boot time of dubious benefit. However, with SSDs dropping in price and boot times falling as well, perhaps eventually we'll all just turn our PCs off rather than putting them to sleep. Think of it as stepping stone to greener, less power hungry Linux. + +Still, if faster booting isn't in your list of reasons to upgrade, don't worry, startup time isn't the only improvement in Karmic Koala. + +The current beta of Ubuntu 9.10 is also the first to use the Ext4 filesystem, one of the many under-the-hood improvements in Karmic Koala. Savvy users might already have made the leap to ext4 with 9.04, which included support for ext4, though stopped short of making it the default option. + +Karmic Koala sees ext4 making its prime time debut and it brings some speed improvements along with it, especially in areas that involve a lot of disk-writing like moving and copying large files. + +There is one downside though; you can't always mount an ext4 file system using ext3, so if you frequently access your Ubuntu system by mounting it in ext3 environments you may experience some problems. + +On the application front, not a lot has changed in Ubuntu 9.10. The Pidgin messaging client has finally been replaced with Empathy, something other GNOME distros have also done. Empathy isn't just a new Instant Messaging client though, it brings with it a whole new, much-improved framework known as Telepathy. More than just a Pidgin replacement, Telepathy offers baked in video-chat and VOIP support, two things that aren't even on the Pidgin roadmap. + +However, Pidgin has legions of loyal users who may be less than thrilled about Empathy. While the two look similar, Pidgin has quite a few more bells and whistles. Fortunately for those that want no part of Empathy, a quick trip to the Package Manager is all it takes to get Pidgin back on your desktop. + +Ubuntu 9.10 beta 1 isn't recommend it for every day use, but if you'd like to take it for spin or help out by filing bug reports, head over to the <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/">download page</a>.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/ubuntu910final.txt b/published/ubuntu910final.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dd9ca0a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntu910final.txt @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +The Ubuntu project has released the next revision of Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu 9.10, or "Karmic Koala" as as parent company Canonical is calling this release, brings faster boot times, a revamped software installer, better disk encryption and quite a bit more to the popular Linux desktop. + +To see what the new Ubuntu has to offer, we took the release candidate for a spin and are happy to report that Ubuntu 9.10 has plenty of improvements and it's well worth upgrading your current system. + +For long time Ubuntu fans, the most immediately noticeable change in Karmic Koala will likely be the new Software Center, the graphical utility for package management which replaces the traditional GNOME Add/Remove tool. + +As it stands with the 9.10 release Software Center doesn't really do anything Add/Remove didn't, but the interface is considerably cleaner and will likely be easier for Linux newbies to navigate. + +More interesting is where Canonical plans to go with Software Center in future releases. The goal is to eventually replace Synaptic, gdebi, some parts of the Computer Janitor, and possibly the Update Manager as well, with the all-in-one Software Center. Ubuntu also plans to offer commercial software through Software Center, though that won't likely happen until version 3.0 (currently Software Center is a 1.0 release). + +While Software Center looks great as is, and Canonical's plans call for an even brighter future, at the moment Software Center is essentially a prettier version of the familiar old Add/Remove. + +Another bright spot in Karmic Koala is significantly faster boot times. Earlier this year, Canonical announced plans to optimize boot performance, the goal being to get the system up and running much faster. You won't find it in Karmic Koala, but the eventual goal is to deliver 10-second startups by the time Ubuntu 10.04 is released in 2010. + +The boot time tests for the final release of Ubuntu 9.10 mirrored our earlier experience with the beta release -- the average startup time was 26 seconds, with the Xorg starting around the 15 second mark. + +The times are a little disappointing given that the eventual goal is ten seconds. But of course it's worth asking how often the average user actually boots up Ubuntu. Given its stability, most Linux users tend to just leave the system running indefinitely, making the faster boot time of dubious benefit. + +Perhaps the most common use case for faster boot times are Netbooks, where solid state hard drives are becoming more common. Given that SSDs boot faster anyway, when coupled with Ubuntu's boot optimizations, will likely make for some very fast boot times. + +Under the hood Ubuntu 9.10 has some nice improvements including GRUB2, which is now the default bootloader, along with an improved AppArmor and disk encryption utilities. + +Ubuntu has included the AppArmor enhanced access control framework ever since the 7.10 release. However, Ubuntu has never surfaced or promoted AppArmor as much as other distros like Fedora, and that continues with Karmic Koala where, for example, there's a new Firefox sandbox policy, but it's disabled by default. + +Still, AppArmor does get some love in Karmic Koala with new support for cache files. AppArmor gives you more access control to grant or deny system privileges on a much more granular level than is possible with Linux's default access scheme. The new cache element means that AppArmor is a bit faster to initialize on boot. + +Also on the security front is a much improved disk encryption tool. Ubuntu has had block level encryption for some time, but did not include the option on the LiveCD. More granular encryption arrived in Ubuntu 9.04, which allowed users to encrypt their entire home directory, but the option still wasn't part of the LiveCD installer. + +However, this time around, the Ubuntu LiveCD installer will offer the option to encrypt your home directory (also configuring the swap partition for encryption). + +The entire hard drive encryption tools are still available via the alternate installer, but for most users interested in protecting their laptops should they fall into unknown hands, the LiveCD's home directory option should provide ample protection and still allows the automatic login feature to work. + +Another notable thing in the latest release of Ubuntu 9.10 isn't actually in Ubuntu 9.10. Yes, we're talking about the <a href="https://one.ubuntu.com/">Ubuntu One</a> cloud storage tools that come baked in with the latest release. + +The Ubuntu One client software you'll find in the Karmic Koala is designed to give you a simple way to backup, sync and share files over the web. Ubuntu One offers 2GB of storage for free, with a 50 GB option available for $10/month. Ubuntu One also offers public shared folders which other Ubuntu users can access from their desktop (anyone not using Ubuntu can still access the files through their browser). + +Similar in both price and usage to other cloud backup and sync solutions (like Dropbox), Ubuntu One lets you designate which files and folders you'd like to backup or sync between Ubuntu installs. Previously, using Ubuntu One required enabling the universal repositories, and installing the client software. + +Sadly, in our limited testing the Ubuntu One site continually timed out and threw proxy errors so we never able to login and sync our files. If nothing else, we take that as a sign that the service is popular with Ubuntu users. + +Since the Ubuntu 9.10 beta was released, Canonical has expanded Ubuntu One from simple file synchronization to backup of some application data. For example Tomboy notes created in Ubuntu 9.10 can be synced through Ubuntu One as well as contacts pulled from Evolution. + +Karmic Koala is also the first Ubuntu release to use the ext4 filesystem by default. Savvy users might already have made the leap to ext4 with 9.04, which included support for ext4, though stopped short of making it the default option. + +Karmic Koala sees ext4 making its prime time debut and it brings some speed improvements along with it, especially in areas that involve a lot of disk-writing like moving and copying large files. + +There is one downside though; you can't always mount an ext4 file system using ext3, so if you frequently access your Ubuntu system by mounting it in ext3 environments you may experience some problems. + +On the application front, not a lot has changed in Ubuntu 9.10. The Pidgin messaging client has finally been replaced with Empathy, something other GNOME distros have also done. Empathy isn't just a new Instant Messaging client though, it brings with it a whole new framework known as Telepathy. More than just a Pidgin replacement, Telepathy offers baked in video-chat and VOIP support, two things that aren't even on the Pidgin roadmap. + +However, Pidgin has legions of loyal users who may be less than thrilled about Empathy. While the two look similar, Pidgin has quite a few more bells and whistles. Fortunately for those that want no part of Empathy, a quick trip to the new Software Center is all it takes to get Pidgin back on your desktop. + +Overall we found Ubuntu 9.10 to be very stable and despite a few quirks -- like needing to enable AppArmor settings by hand -- a worthy successor to Ubuntu 9.04. + +Ubuntu 9.10 is available for download in both ISO format (directly and via Bittorrent) and for the first time in Cloud image format for use with Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud and Amazon's EC2.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/published/ubuntubeta/ubuntu1210-problemsforolderhardware.jpg b/published/ubuntubeta/ubuntu1210-problemsforolderhardware.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..359a28e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubeta/ubuntu1210-problemsforolderhardware.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntubeta1210.txt b/published/ubuntubeta1210.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..01ac92e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubeta1210.txt @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +Forget colorful foliage and dropping temperatures, nothing says autumn for Linux nerds like the arrival of the first Ubuntu beta. This year will have twice the fun with Canonical plotting not one, but two beta releases for the coming Quantal Quetzal, as Ubuntu 12.10 is known. + +Quantal Quetzal comes on the heels of the 12.04 Long Term Support (LTS) release earlier this year and is, for more conservative users, unlikely to be a high priority upgrade. LTS editions of Ubuntu are delivered every two years and have extended support from Canonical. + +Still, for those that don't mind living on the edge, the first beta is now available for testing. + +In its early release form, Ubuntu 12.10 is continuing on the path of its predecessor, refining the Unity desktop and keeping pace with the latest kernel, GNOME and GNOME application updates. + +When Quantal Quetzal arrives in final form later this year the major updates it will bring include GNOME 3.6, Unity 6 and the latest Linux kernel, v3.6. Beta 1 sees Ubuntu moving toward those goals, though in most cases it isn't quite there yet. For the first beta release Ubuntu is using the 3.5.3 kernel, GNOME 3.5.9 (for most components) and Unity 6 is still a work in progress. + +The 3.6 kernel, which will arrive later in the release cycle, brings with it a new hybrid standby mode known as "Suspend to Both" that allows hibernating systems to preserve the content of memory in both the working memory and on a storage device. Also coming in 3.6 is improved support for Btrfs which now offers better ways for backup tools to determine the difference between snapshots. Though the filesystem is still classified as experimental by both the kernel devs and Ubuntu, it is possible to use it with Quantal Quetzal. + +Ubuntu is now best known for the Unity desktop, but Unity is built on top of GNOME and this release sees Ubuntu moving toward the coming GNOME 3.6 for its underlying system tools. As of the beta release, GNOME is at 3.5.9. It's also worth noting that an unofficial Ubuntu spin with the GNOME shell installed by default has been launched for those want both Ubuntu and GNOME 3. + +While the underlying improvements from the kernel and GNOME updates help keep Ubuntu up-to-date with upstream components, the more visible Unity interface is where most of the noticeable changes have occurred since 12.04. + +New features coming in Unity 6 include a preview tool for the Unity Dash, appropriately named "Previews." In previous versions of Unity when you searched for an item the main action associated was to open it. That's still the default, but the Preview feature allows you to right-click on search results and see additional information. What you'll see depends on the type of item you're previewing. Documents show the icon and offer to open, email or show on the desktop, while music files show any metadata and artwork you have associated with them. Applications show a screenshot and most of the info you'd find in the Ubuntu Software Center. There's also a button to install any app that isn't already available on your system. + +The new Previews features is a little bit odd since it encourages you to spend time in the Dash when most of the rest of its features are geared toward getting in and getting out quickly. The right-click aspect is also limiting given how keyboard-friendly the rest of the Dash is. However, there's a system framework associated with Previews, which means third-party app developers can integrate features into it, opening up considerably more possibilities. As with everything in beta releases, Previews is still very much a work in progress. + +Other new features in the first beta include a revamped Update Manager, which has been streamlined and renamed Software Updater. The app also now checks for updates when launched. + +This release sees the Ubuntu desktop starting to migrate from Python 2 to Python 3. Most Python applications included in the desktop are now using Python 3 and that's what you'll find install by default. Most of the common Python modules that are used by default apps are available to both Python 2 and Python 3. + +It's still very early in the 12.10 release cycle and while there are several encouraging signs that 12.10 will improve on 12.04, unfortunately many of the problems that have plagued Ubuntu's Unity interface since its release remain, including frequent Compiz crashes and the continued overall sluggishness of the Unity interface on anything but the latest hardware. + +There's still plenty of time left before Ubuntu 12.10 is ready for prime time, but it has a long way to go before Ubuntu regains the speedy stability it used to have. diff --git a/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-amazonapp.jpg b/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-amazonapp.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9634810 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-amazonapp.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-desktop.jpg b/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-desktop.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..bac0ab4 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-desktop.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-firefox.jpg b/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-firefox.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a832173 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-firefox.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-webapps.jpg b/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-webapps.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..88cd8fb --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubeta2/ubuntu-webapps.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntubeta21210.txt b/published/ubuntubeta21210.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bd21334 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubeta21210.txt @@ -0,0 +1,27 @@ +Canonical has landed the second beta preview of Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal, which has, in the days preceding its release, already become most notable for, of all things, integrating search results from Amazon.com. + +Yes, there is a new Lens in the Unity Dash that will poll Amazon to find results relevant to your search terms. And yes, if you click the link and buy the item Canonical gets a small percentage of the income, much like Mozilla makes a bit of money when you search Google from Firefox. + +Naturally a certain percent of Ubuntu users took to the web to voice their outrage at not being consulted when the Amazon Unity Lens was added. The complaints were picked up by enough of the tech press that no less than Shuttleworth himself stepped into the fray to assure users that their privacy was not being violated, no one is running advertisements in Ubuntu and really, really Canonical just wants to help. And make some money as well. + +As Shuttleworth was at pains to point out, the Amazon results shown in the Dash are not advertisements. They're simply things that match your search terms. Search for "iPod" and Unity will find any iPod manager apps you might have installed and it may also return some results to buy an iPod from Amazon. If you click through and end up buying a new iPod case or something of the like, Canonical gets a small kickback. + +It seems pretty harmless, but it is very different. I'm not aware of another operating system that integrates shopping results at such a low level. Apps yes, OSes no. As with all things radically new, it rubs some people the wrong way (see this <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-terminal/+bug/1055766">hilarious bug report</a>). Combine that with the fact that Amazon isn't a terribly useful first choice for web-based results and you have a perfect little storm for your Ubuntu teacup. + +The new Amazon Lens in the Unity Dash is supplemented by an Amazon "app", which marks the first of many webapps that Canonical plans to turn into relatively first-class citizens on the desktop. Search for "Amazon" in the Applications Lens and then click the Amazon app. That will open up Firefox with a new tab on the Amazon homepage -- provided of course you have an internet connection. And that's where putting web apps next to native apps may be a little confusing. + +Putting webapps alongside native apps works quite well on mobile devices because, with nearly ubiquitous network connections, the difference between the two isn't all that noticeable. True, you might not be able to use your webapps every now and then when you stray outside cell coverage, but most people are not only okay with that, they've come to expect it. + +However, once webapps move to the laptop and try to become first class citizens, the similarities fade and differences come to the forefront, namely that without wifi your webapp will be a blank, useless page in Firefox. You can almost hear the support calls now -- how come I can't access this app? + +A few webapps, notably Google's popular offerings, do have offline components, but most, like Amazon, don't. As HTML5 and its related APIs get more powerful and are more widely adopted webapps will likely become indistinguishable from their desktop cousins. And that's where Quantal Quetzal seems to be aiming with webapps -- the future. Right now the webapps -- such as they are, limited as they are in this beta -- are a half-baked idea that has a lot of kinks to work out. + +But that's exactly what Ubuntu One was when it launched. Ditto the music store and the software center, both of which started out as fumbling attempts that were later polished into useful tools. Whether or not Ubuntu's take on webapps will end up working out these initial kinks remains to be seen. + +While Ubuntu's Amazon integration has been in the spotlight, there are other new features in the second beta of Quantal Quetzal, including several improvements to the Dash previews that premiered in the first beta. Dash previews now have nice transition animations -- it looks a bit like your Dash folds open to reveal the preview -- and some new action buttons. For example, it's now possible to search for an app, discover it exists but isn't installed, click install and open the new app all without ever leaving the Dash. + +The refinements also extend to the rest of the Unity Dash, which has received some visual polish and a few other nice, small touches, like the ability to reposition or even remove the Unity launcher button. + +The latest beta also sees the usual minor updates to the full compliment of GNOME apps that ship with Ubuntu. + +Like any beta release Quantal Quetzal beta 2 has its rough edges, but it's a step up from the previous beta and, as Shuttleworth said in response to the Amazon naysayers, "I'm pretty sure by 14.04 LTS we'll have the kinks unkinked. Till then, come along for the ride, or stick with 12.04 LTS... we can't wait till it's perfect before landing everything, because the only way to learn what's not perfect is to have other people -- real people -- use it." diff --git a/published/ubuntubetafinal.txt b/published/ubuntubetafinal.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..10410c2 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubetafinal.txt @@ -0,0 +1,31 @@ +Canonical has pushed out the final beta release of Ubuntu 14.10, also know as "Utopic Unicorn". + +Last month a number of the various flavors of Ubuntu -- Kubuntu, Ubuntu Gnome, Xubuntu and the brand new Ubuntu Mate (yes, it's official now) -- all participated in <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/04/ubuntu_14_10_betas/">the first beta release</a>, but the main Unity Desktop release has been skipping that initial beta release for a while. That makes this release the one and only beta for Ubuntu's main release. + +This has been the pattern for the last several releases -- that Unity sits out the first beta. This time, however, it feels like the Unity flavor of Ubuntu may as well sit out the rest 14.10 release cycle as well. + +Almost nothing has changed in the daily builds that have come out since 14.04 was released earlier this year. + +That's not surprising really, Canonical has never had big plans for this release. Head over to the <a href="https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/utopic">Utopic Blueprints page</a> and you'll see there are only 35 items listed. Compare that with the <a href="https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/saucy">13.10 release cycle</a> of last year, which had 195 items. + +Peruse the list for Utopic and you'll find that there is work being done on a number of "cloud" features as well as some security enhancements. The Blueprints pages aren't the end of the story in terms of what's new in 14.10, but they do show a decided lack of development happening on Canonical's end. + +Things are happening elsewhere though. The usual slew of standard Unity apps have all seen updates -- Firefox, OpenOffice, Thunderbird and Rhythmbox are all at the latest stable releases. The underlying GNOME elements remain at GNOME 3.10, which seems a little odd given that the Ubuntu GNOME flavor has managed to moved on to GNOME 3.12. + +There are some new things under the hood as well. The kernel has been updated to 3.16 in this beta, which means some new hardware support. There are two items of note in 3.16, one is support for Dell's free-fall feature which detects if your Latitude laptop is currently falling and might be the silliest thing going in the hardware world. Unless you're in the field with a bomb proof case that gets kicked around a lot, in which case this might be useful. The other notable thing in the 3.16 kernel is a new Synaptic input driver, which might fix misbehaving trackpads if you've had problems. + +Kernel and application updates are standard fare for distro updates, but beyond that there's not a whole lot to see in the Utopic beta. + +Part of the reason there are hardly any new features in this release -- and the reason there aren't even that many planned new features -- is that Ubuntu is about to embark on a massive change under the hood, the sort of change that you don't roll out to users until the dust has settled. + +In this case, those changes are the move to the Mir graphics display stack and Unity 8, which runs atop Mir not just on the desktop but also on other devices like tablets and Ubuntu Phones. + +That's why there is another, parallel Unity release available known as Ubuntu Desktop Next. It's here that you'll find big changes under development. Mir, Unity 8 and all the other exciting new stuff that's coming in the next couple of years lives in this channel for now. + +Before you rush out and download that Desktop Next image be aware that it's the bleeding edge. Not bleeding edge as in buggy, bleeding edge as in won't boot at all in VirtualBox on my Debian machine. It did boot in a VMWare virtual machine running on OS X, but still offered up the phone/tablet interface rather than a desktop version of Unity 8. That's to be expected though, given that, according to development milestones Canonical has posted, Unity 8 for the desktop is still very rough around the edges. On the plus side, the mobile interface looks very nice. + +Suffice to say that there is a lot of work to be done between Ubuntu Desktop Next in its current state and what Canonical is hoping to ship when 16.04 rolls around in a year and a half. Convergence, it seems, is still very much a work in progress. + +In the mean time we have 14.10, which thus far is looking more like what you get from a routine, mid-release cycle update than an actual new release. + +That would be disappointing -- and indeed is no doubt still disappointing for some -- were it not for Ubuntu 14.04, which is such a good release that Canonical can probably get away with letting it sit for a while. diff --git a/published/ubuntubetareview.txt b/published/ubuntubetareview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b25492e --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntubetareview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,26 @@ +All the signs of Spring are here. Flowers are blooming, trees leafing out and Canonical has released a beta of the next version of Ubuntu. + +Ubuntu 15.04, Vivid Vervet, arrived a couple of days ago, giving Ubuntu fans a sneak peek at what's coming in this Spring's update. The short answer is, there are some major changes, but if all goes well you'll hardly notice them. In fact, this just might be one of the biggest Ubuntu releases in several years, not for what you see -- though there are some changes there too -- but for what you don't. + +Anyone paying any amount of attention to the Linux world over the past couple of years has likely at least heard of <a href="http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/">systemd</a>. Like the Debian packages that underpin Ubuntu, 15.04 will replace upstart with systemd by default. Actually, there's a small chance that's not true. If a major bug or regression rears its head in the next few weeks upstart might come back for the final release, but at this stage that appears unlikely. + +The move to systemd as the default init system doesn't just apply to the Unity desktop, but affects every Ubuntu flavor and server builds as well. + +So what is systemd and why do some people hate it? Systemd is a system and services manager. It keeps track of and manages pretty much the whole system. It also has some other nice features like snapshotting and restoring of the system state. It even supports SysV and LSB init scripts and can work as a drop-in replacement for sysvinit. + +Unless you're a sysadmin with a ton of scripts that don't work with systemd, or you hate the monolithic nature of systemd on a philosophical level, you're unlikely to affected by it. There are some changes to be aware of -- starting and stopping process might be a little different -- but for the most part systemd just works. That said, there are still some show stopping bugs in Ubuntu's systemd integration, including systems that won't boot and won't shutdown (I experienced the latter problem installing in a virtual machine). Keep in mind that this is still a beta. Ubuntu betas tend to be so stable they lull you into thinking they're release quality software, but they aren't. + +While you're unlikely to notice the systemd change (barring a bug that affects your system), you'll definitely notice the big visual change in this release -- the so-called Locally Integrated Menus are back. That is, menus are once again part of the window by default, rather than up in the universal menu bar. The menus don't have their own bar, rather they're part of the actual window bar. If a window is too narrow to display all the menu items, it will show a little arrow that contains the rest in a drop-down menu. You might think this would cause some inadvertent clicks, that is, you want to drag a window and instead you click a menu item, but in practice that hasn't happened to me. + +You might not notice the new window-bar-based menus right away since they're hidden by default. It's not until you mouse over the menu bar that you actually see the items. That makes for a cleaner interface, but might be disorienting at first. + +If, like me, you actually enjoyed the menu bar menu items you can easily get them back. Just head to System Settings > Appearance > Behavior. + +There's also now an option to always show the menus. First you'll need to install the Dconf Editor. Then head to com > canonical > unity and look for the option to "always show menus". + +The 15.04 beta ships with GTK 3.14.9 and that will be the case for the final release as well. Ubuntu just missed out on GNOME 3.16, which was released after Ubuntu's feature freeze for this release cycle. The mean that most of Ubuntu's GNOME apps are also still at the 3.14 release version, including Nautilus, GNOME Terminal and Videos (Totem). That's quite a bit better than 14.10, which still shipped with, for example, Nautilus 3.10, but it's hardly the cutting edge of GNOME development. + +The rest of Ubuntu's basic suite of apps have not seen any spectacular updates, though there are plenty of bug fixes and small changes. Under the hood this release is based off the upstream 3.19.2 Linux Kernel and features Xorg server 1.17.1. + +Overall Ubuntu 15.04 is shaping up to be a welcome update. Provided systemd is indeed the default when the final release rolls around next month this will be a big change for those using Ubuntu as a server or in the cloud. Desktop users will have less to look forward to (or dread, depending on your view of systemd) though the incremental updates continue to polish the already quite slick Unity desktop. + diff --git a/published/ubuntuflavors_beta.txt b/published/ubuntuflavors_beta.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1179cfa --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntuflavors_beta.txt @@ -0,0 +1,64 @@ +Ubuntu 14.10, nicknamed Utopic Unicorn, is coming in just a few short months. + +Alpha releases have been available for some time, but this week marks the start of the beta testing phase, which means releases are generally stable enough for virtual machines and other testing scenarios. + +Ubuntu's current release cycle means that the main Ubuntu line usually sits out the first beta and 14.10 is no exception. There is no beta 1 for Ubuntu 14.10; instead this beta consists of participating "flavors". + +If you've never tried anything but Ubuntu, the first 14.10 beta releases make a good time to test alternate waters -- especially if you're concerned about your privacy. Unlike the Unity desktop, which sends your search data to both Canonical and Amazon -- something Richard Stallman terms "spyware" -- other flavors of Ubuntu have no such features. + +There are quite a few alternative flavors of Ubuntu, including the Xfce-based Xubuntu, the KDE-based Kubuntu, the LDXE-based Lubuntu, GNOME-based Ubuntu GNOME and soon perhaps a <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/technical-board/2014-July/001979.html">Mate-based Ubuntu</a>. There is already a <a href="https://ubuntu-mate.org/">MATE-based version of Ubuntu</a> available though it hasn't been approved or endorsed by Canonical. That will likely change by the next release if the developers are able to meet Canonical's <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RecognizedFlavors">guidelines for recognition</a>. + +Keep in mind that all of these flavors share the same Ubuntu underpinnings -- a Debian-based core with the same familiar apt-get package system and access to all the same .deb resources in the Ubuntu community. The primary difference comes down to desktop environment. + +## Xubuntu + +Xubuntu ships with a relatively heavyweight version of the Xfce desktop that includes pretty much everything, the kitchen sink and the Ubuntu Software Center. The first beta version of Xubuntu 14.10 isn't packing any huge changes, but does have some changes in progress including a few things that will also benefit Debian Xfce users as well. + +This release sees some new tools under the hood, including a new display manager dialog that supports drag and drop, Gtk3.12-based themes and a new "minimal" install option that might mean Xubuntu doesn't <em>have</em> to be a heavweight version of Xfce. + +14.10 has a revamped power manager as well, which can now control the keyboard-backlight, though I haven't able to get this working properly yet. + +Xubuntu appears to have dropped XChat since it is no longer being maintained. Pidgin can still connect to IRC, though heavy IRC users will no doubt like a better IRC client. Fortunately there are plenty in the Ubuntu repos. + +## Kubuntu + +Kubuntu doesn't heavily customize the KDE experience, which makes sense given that part of what's appealing about KDE for many users is the level of customizability. There's no sense over-customizing a desktop that most people are going to tweak themselves. + +If you love Ubuntu for the Software Center, Kubuntu might disappoint. Kubuntu uses Muon for GUI package management, which lacks some of the hand holding, beginner-friendliness of the Ubuntu Software Center. + +Kubuntu will not be making any major changes in this release, but will be offering some incremental updates to the core system -- KDE 4.14 forms the base -- as well as updates for all the pre-installed KDE apps. + +The KDE developers are hard at work on KDE Frameworks 5 and the Plasma 5 Desktop, but sadly you won't find it in Kubuntu just yet. That's probably a good thing given that Plasma 5 certainly still has some bugs and missing features. Still, once you've used Plasma 5 its hard to go back to the much more garish 4.x line. + +If you would like to play with the recently released KDE Plasma 5 desktop there are <a href="https://launchpad.net/~kubuntu-ppa/+archive/ubuntu/next">downloads available</a>. Keep in mind though that both Kubuntu 14.10 and KDE 5 are very much works in progress and there will likely be some bugs. Recommended for testing purposes or satisfying your curiosity about the future of KDE, but not day-to-day use at this point. + + +## Lubuntu + +Lubuntu is the simplest, least resource-intensive version of Ubuntu you're likely to find. Lubuntu features the minimalist LXDE desktop, which combines Openbox, PCMan File Manager and a handful of other tools for a power-sipping, battery-loving desktop that's perfect for older hardware -- particularly laptops. + +Lubuntu is coming off its first ever LTS release in the form of Lubuntu 14.04. Having just spent all its effort putting out the stablest possible release, many were hoping that Lubuntu would use 14.10 to make the leap from LXDE to the new Qt-based LXQt. + +Unfortunately for those itching to get away from GTK, Lubuntu's move to LXQt has once again been pushed back. Instead Lubuntu 14.10 will stick with LXDE and focus on bug fixes and stability improvements. + +## Ubuntu GNOME + +Ubuntu GNOME, which wisely passed on the name Gubuntu, has quickly gone from unofficial community project to really great Gnome 3 platform. + +For stability reasons Ubuntu Gnome doesn't use the cutting edge of Gnome 3 releases. That means Ubuntu Gnome 14.10 will use Gnome 3.12 rather than the newest release (which will be Gnome 3.14 by the time the final version of 14.10 is out). Gnome 3.12 brings two new default apps to the desktop, Maps and Weather, which are both available in this first beta. + +I used to wonder why the Ubuntu Gnome developers bothered. Gnome is, after all, a lot like Unity, but lacking the tight integration with the rest of the Ubuntu desktop that Unity enjoys. After using Ubuntu Gnome for a while though I've come around. Ubuntu actually makes a great base on which to run Gnome 3. I've found it to be less prone to crashes than Unity and a bit speedier as well. + +If you're curious to see what all the fuss about Gnome 3.x is about, but don't want to distro hop just to test it out, give Ubuntu Gnome a try. + +## Ubuntu MATE + +Will it be Mubuntu? Mabuntu? Or just Ubuntu MATE? Whatever the case, if you have fond memories of Ubuntu 9.10, MATE will take you back. Modeled on an interface familiar to anyone who ever used Gnome 2.x, MATE takes Ubuntu back to its roots. + +So far this is a totally unofficial community created flavor, but it deserves mention here for two reasons. First, it will very likely become an official flavor soon and second, MATE is often cited as a reason for moving to Linux Mint. + +If you like MATE, but want to stick with Ubuntu, this is the spin for you. It's the closest thing you'll get to a modern version of Ubuntu 9.10. It also happens to be a very nice integration of MATE and Ubuntu brought to you by MATE desktop developer Martin Wimpress. + +## Conclusion + +Unity based Ubuntu will always overshadow its various flavors, even if, as has been proposed, the Unity 8 desktop becomes a yet another flavor. The main Ubuntu distro is the focus of Canonical's time and effort and, despite the current focus on mobile and tablet interfaces, will likely remain that way. Still, if you like what's behind Ubuntu, but aren't crazy about Unity, take one of these alternatives for a spin. diff --git a/published/ubuntunext-mobile-ui.jpg b/published/ubuntunext-mobile-ui.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f84e976 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntunext-mobile-ui.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntuoneworking.jpg b/published/ubuntuoneworking.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..68fcdff --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntuoneworking.jpg diff --git a/published/ubuntuscreens.zip b/published/ubuntuscreens.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..edb73b0 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/ubuntuscreens.zip diff --git a/published/unbuntu1104beta/ubuntu-firefoxglobalmenu.jpg b/published/unbuntu1104beta/ubuntu-firefoxglobalmenu.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..2b3153f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/unbuntu1104beta/ubuntu-firefoxglobalmenu.jpg diff --git a/published/unbuntu1104beta/ubuntu-softwarecenterreviews.jpg b/published/unbuntu1104beta/ubuntu-softwarecenterreviews.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..77091db --- /dev/null +++ b/published/unbuntu1104beta/ubuntu-softwarecenterreviews.jpg diff --git a/published/url-forwarding.jpg b/published/url-forwarding.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..69e9e2a --- /dev/null +++ b/published/url-forwarding.jpg diff --git a/published/video-editors.txt b/published/video-editors.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6aeefaf --- /dev/null +++ b/published/video-editors.txt @@ -0,0 +1,96 @@ +When it comes to video editing, Windows and Mac rule the screen. Professional apps by the likes of Adobe, Avid and Apple only run in the Win/Mac world and Apple even throws in a pretty sophisticated video editor (iMovie) for free. + +No matter how much you love Linux and open source software, you're never going to get Adobe Premiere or Avid running on a Linux box. If it makes you feel better, most of the massive render-farms at studios like Pixar run exclusively on Linux. No? Me either. + +The good news is that it is possible to edit and produce professional quality video on Linux. + +Figuring out where and how to start can be overwhelming though. Video editing software offers a huge variety of options, ranging from the very basic editors that come pre-installed in many distros to the heavyweight options like Cinelerra. + +Fortunately, most of us do not need the massively complex full-featured editors used to produce feature length films. And I strongly suggest beginners don't start with the feature-complete, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink variety of editor because it will quickly become overwhelming. Start with something basic and when you find something you want to do that your current editor can't do, then start looking for something more complicated. + +What should you look for in a video editor? First and foremost make sure that the editor can import whatever format of movie clips your camera produces -- particularly if you've got a 4K-capable camera, as not every program supports 4K video yet. Also bear in mind that adding effects and filters to 4K video can quickly bring even top of the line consumer PCs to their knees. All testing was done on a MacBook Pro with a 2.7 GHz Core i7 chip and 16GB of RAM (running Linux Mint 17.2) which is about the bare minimum hardware you'd want to try editing 4K video on. + +With more and more phones shooting 4K video, it increasingly feels like anything that can't handle 4K shouldn't be considered a serious piece of software, so all testing was done with 4K MOV files shot with a DJI Phantom 3 drone. + +Regardless of what camera you use, be sure to visit each of the project pages for the software below and double check to make sure your camera is supported. The same goes for output format, if you need to export/render to a specific codec your search may need to be a little more limited. + +For example, while Lightworks is a capable editor the export options in the free version are extremely limited, which is why it won't be covered below. At the other end of the equation is an app like Avidemux, which is fine for quick edits to single clips -- trimming commercials out of something you recorded for instance -- but lacks tools like a timeline editor. + +Instead we'll start with an editor that is probably familiar to most Ubuntu and GNOME desktop users, since it has long shipped as part of the default application stack -- Openshot. + +### Openshot + +Openshot was once the go-to standard for video editing on GNOME-based distros. Unfortunately, Openshot 1.x is looking largely like abandonware at this point. In fact, it's supposed to. The primary developer has been hard at work on Openshot 2.0 for, well, quite a while now. There's a good reason for the delay, Openshot 2.0 will be a total re-write and even abandons the underlying Media Lovin' Toolkit (MLT) backend in favor of a custom backend. It's no small undertaking in other words. + +It's also not here yet. For now you'll be using 1.4.3, which is a capable, if somewhat basic video editor. Thanks to ffmpeg under the hood, it has good codec support and will work with just about any video, audio, and image formats. The basic tools of a good video editor, including clip libraries, timelines and drag-and-drop editing are all there. In fact, if you're coming from iMovie or Windows Movie Maker you'll feel right at home with Openshot. + +Unfortunately working with 4K video clips proved painfully slow even with an SSD and 16GB of RAM. And by painfully slow I mean it wouldn't really even play, repeatedly crashed the app and made it otherwise unusable. + +Still, if you're looking for something easy to use, don't mind the lack of updates and don't have any 4K footage then Openshot still makes a decent editor. + +### Pitivi + +Openshot's biggest competitor is Pitivi, which once scored a spot as the default video editor in Ubuntu. It proved a little unstable for that role (and Ubuntu decided it didn't need a video editor), but a lot of work has gone into fixing that in the years since it was booted out of Ubuntu. In fact, in my testing it was considerably more stable and usable than Openshot . + +The Pitivi interface looks very similar to Openshot, it's clean, simple and relatively easy to figure out without going to film school. In fact the two apps are so similar that unless you've used both side by side you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. Under the hood though it uses GStreamer, so the output results and codec support will be different than Openshot. + +Pitivi used to be very unstable. The last time I tested it for The Register about the only thing it did reliably was crash. Somewhere in the past few years though the developers have largely ironed out those bugs. In my testing on Mint 17.2 Pitivi was faster than Openshot when rendering and playing back 4K clips (downsized to 1080p) and didn't crash once. + +Pitivi offers a nice range of filters and color manipulation tools, all pulled from the frei0r projects, and it allows you to set keyframes for applying effects' properties over time. + +Pitivi has matured nicely since Ubuntu ditched it and if you're just getting started in video editing, I suggest you try Pitivi first. + +### Kdenlive + +Kdenlive is a step up from Pitivi and Openshot, but is correspondingly more complex. Fortunately Kdenlive has some of the best documentation of the bunch and, because it's very popular there are loads of tutorials around the web (this might be a result of one very nice extra feature in Kdenlive -- you can record your desktop for easy screencasting). + +Kdenlive does have its quirks, including the fact that it seems to be very crash prone on Linux Mint, so much so that I ended up doing my testing in Debian 8, where it worked fine. There are also some things that are less discoverable about Kdenlive, like the only way I could find to apply a transition was right-clicking the clip in the timeline. + +However, Kdenlive handled 4K clips without missing a beat and was the speediest overall in my testing. + +Kdenlive definitely has a steeper learning curve than Pitivi, but it also offers more features and better codec support. + +### Shotcut + +There are two relative newcomers worth taking a look at as well. Both fall into the intermediate range, being somewhat more complex than Openshot, but less so than Cinelerra or Blender. + +The first is Shotcut, which is the latest effort from Dan Dennedy, who was once the driving force behind Kino (another video editor) and still works extensively on the MLT backend that powers Shotcut as well as several others in this list, including KDEnlive, Openshot 1.x and Flowblade. + +Features-wise Shotcut is similar to Kdenlive, though you would not know that from looking at it. Much of Shotcut's featureset is hidden away in the interface, including the timeline by default. + +It takes some getting used to as this buried UI applies to much of the rest of the app as well. For example, if you want to apply a filter, you need to right-click your clip and select filters. However, if you dig into the tutorials and can wrap your head around the way it works Shotcut becomes a very powerful editor. In fact, the main reason I've been sticking with Kdenlive is that the color corrections are somewhat more powerful, but it may well be that I just haven't discovered everything hidden away in Shotcut. + +Shotcut handled everything I threw at it, though as with the rest adding a ton of filters to a timeline full of 4K clips will slow things to a crawl. + +### Flowblade + +Flowblade is the other relative newcomer to the Linux video scene and just launched a huge update that sees the app ported to GTK3, which seems, from my testing, to have made the interface quite a bit snappier. + +Flowblade is more traditional out of the box than Shotcut and offers some impressive features for a 1.x release, including a wide range of filters and color correction tools. + +The biggest problem I had with Flowblade is that it's very poorly documented. While it is a reasonably powerful editor on par with Shotcut and Kdenlive, given the lack of documentation I would not suggest it for video editing newcomers. + +## Cinelerra/Lumiera and Blender + +Both Cinelerra and Blender are very complex, full featured editors, far too complex to go into any detail here. Suffice to say that Cinelerra is the closest Linux comes to an open source Avid/Final Cut Pro. It's correspondingly complex and, sadly, wrapped in an interface I'm pretty sure not even its mother could love. A few years ago it was forked in an effort to, among other things, give it a face lift, but nothing seems to have come of that effort (dubbed Lumiera). Ugly as it maybe, Cinelerra is the most capable video editor of the bunch. If you want pro-level features, Cinelerra has most of them. + +Blender is probably best known as an animation and rendering tool, particularly for 3D modeling, but it actually has a very nice and capable timeline editor in it as well. In fact, if you're coming from something like Premiere or Final Cut Pro, Blender may be the most familiar of the bunch and among the most capable. + +### Recommendations + +There's clearly no shortage of Linux video editors. There's also half dozen more out there that I haven't had time to test. The variety is nice, but it also complicated the decision -- which one is right for you? + +For quicks video edits to a single clip Avidemux fits the bill. + +If you've got a few clips you'd like to combine, maybe add a audio track to and perhaps apply a filter before uploading to YouTube then Pitivi is probably your best bet, though Openshot might be worth testing. + +If you've got 4K video to edit and want to apply color correction and effects you'll need correspondingly more sophisticated tools. I prefer Kdenlive and have yet to find something I couldn't do with it, though Shotcut appears equally capable if you take the time to figure out its interface. And of course if you do run into some limitations with the lighter weight options there's always Blender and Cinelerra. + + +Screenshots: + +openshot.png Filter options in Openshot. All 4K video clips courtesy of <a href="http://www.barrelmanproductions.com/">Barrelman Productions</a> +pitivi.png Pitivi's clean interface, lacks some features but is one of the easiest to use for beginners. +kdenlive.png Advanced color correction options in Kdenlive. +shotcut.png Shotcut hides most of its interface away, letting you open up only what you need. +flowblade.png The rendering panel in Flowblade diff --git a/published/vivaldi-review.txt b/published/vivaldi-review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..051003d --- /dev/null +++ b/published/vivaldi-review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +The web browser family tree is a surprisingly stunted little thing. In the beginning there's Mosaic, then Netscape and then a ton of small branches sprout, but the vast majority of them end up mere stubs. The lone survivors from the early days of the web are Internet Explorer and Opera. The Netscape branch atrophies and eventually withers away to insignificance, but not before Firefox takes off from it. + +Those three -- Firefox, Opera and IE -- are basically it for some time. Eventually Apple produced Safari and then much later Google releases Chrome. Since Chrome was released back in 2008, the browser market has more or less been stagnant. Until recently. + +In the last couple of months browsers have been making a comeback. There have been three brand new browsers released and even Firefox, which seems to be sliding further into irrelevancy every day, has released a new version aimed at developers and claims to be working on a WebKit-based version for iOS devices. + +The three brand new browsers are Microsoft's <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/26/microsoft_spartan_bet_on_chrome/">Project Spartan</a>, Yandex's still-just-a-concept <a href="https://browser.yandex.com/future/">browser</a> and an odd little upstart named <a href="https://www.vivaldi.com/">Vivaldi</a>. + +Project Spartan sees Microsoft stripping all the legacy code out of Trident, the rendering engine that powers Internet Explorer so that Spartan contains only the modern, standards compliant code. It's not an entirely new browser, but it is indicative of a sea change in Microsoft's view of the web. + +Whether Microsoft can shed the legacy code that dogs IE to this day remains to be seen, but don't forget that once upon a time IE was the great innovator of the web. For example, IE gave the world Ajax, the ability to refresh certain parts of the page without reloading the whole thing. Without that contribution the web as we know it would simply not exist. + +Yandex's concept browser re-imagines the browser as something almost non-existent. So far it's little more than a concept video, but the idea seems to be primarily a conceptual leap: each website becomes more like a standalone application with its own interface than a page loaded into a browser window. Without actual code available though it's tough to tell how well this idea will work for most people. + +If Yandex's concept browser lies at one end of the spectrum, the third new browser in recent months, this one from Vivaldi, lies at the opposite end. Both are based on the WebKit rendering engine, but where Yandex's concept sees the browser slipping to the background, Vivaldi brings it back to the forefront with a host of extras aimed at the power user. + +Vivaldi is in many ways what Opera used to be before Opera moved the WebKit/Blink and became (more or less) a clone of Chrome. Vivaldi is the power user's browser in the same vein as Opera 12. + +That's no accident. Vivaldi's CEO is none other than Jon S. von Tetzchner, founder and former CEO of Opera. Von Tetzchner's goal for Vivaldi is to rebuild the browser that Opera once was -- the power user's browser. For Vivaldi that means features like mouse gestures, keyboard shortcuts, tab stacking, note taking, email (not available yet, but coming). There are also handy features like the ability to turn off images to speed up page load times over slow networks and a slew of advanced setting that allow you to control everything from the location of tabs to the key combos of most menu items. + +If Chrome, Firefox and most especially Yandex are trying to turn the browser into a sleek, minimalist, Bugatti for everyone, Vivaldi wants to perfect the humble Volkswagen -- infinitely customizable and easy to work on. + +That said, Vivaldi's interface is not unattractive or cluttered, nor is it difficult to use. Most of its features are tucked away out of sight. To get the most out of Vivaldi you need to go digging. If the first thing you do when you install a new app is open up the preferences and see what you can customize then Vivaldi is the browser for you. + +Or at least it will be. While Vivaldi is indeed available for download it's labeled a "tech preview" which is best thought of in this case as pre-alpha. There's much about Vivaldi that remains unfinished. As noted earlier the integrated email application -- which presumably will be similar to what Opera 12 and earlier offered -- is thus far non-existent. + +Other missing features include a mobile version and a sync tool for easily moving back and forth between the two. Both of those are in the works, as is support for third-party extensions. In the mean time though, as the downloads page puts it, Vivaldi is "intended to show the direction of our product. It is not perfect, far from it." The current pre-alpha state of Vivaldi is frustrating because it will remind power users of what a browser can be (arguably once was), but it's just not quite there yet. + +Not to be left out of the new browser renaissance, Mozilla also recently launched a version of Firefox specifically <a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/developer/">aimed at web developers</a>. So far there's not much in the developer edition that's not in the standard edition of Firefox, but expect that to change over time. For now the developer edition does get you the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Tools/Valence">Valence plugin</a> pre-installed, which means you can debug just about any web browser from within Firefox. + +As the name implies the developer edition of Firefox is aimed more at developers than power users (who may not necessarily be web developers as well), but it's not hard to imagine this becoming a refugee for the latter as the main version of Firefox continues to simplify itself, removing more and more options and customization possibilities. + +It's also worth noting that with a dozen or so extensions you can turn Firefox or Chrome into something very closely resembling Vivaldi. But as anyone who does this already can tell you the number of extensions installed inevitably becomes inversely proportional to the speed of your browser. + +Vivaldi's goal is to give you the power of a dozen extensions without the performance hit. It's not quite there yet, but if you're looking for a browser to replace the once great Opera 12, Vivaldi is one to keep an eye on. diff --git a/published/vivaldi/firefox-dev-ed.jpg b/published/vivaldi/firefox-dev-ed.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..648ab4f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/vivaldi/firefox-dev-ed.jpg diff --git a/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-no-images.jpg b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-no-images.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..81baa4f --- /dev/null +++ b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-no-images.jpg diff --git a/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-notesjpg b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-notesjpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..30f41b9 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-notesjpg diff --git a/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-sidebar.jpg b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-sidebar.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a851347 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-sidebar.jpg diff --git a/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-tabs-on-right.jpg b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-tabs-on-right.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..33f7c21 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi-tabs-on-right.jpg diff --git a/published/vivaldi/vivaldi.jpg b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a3069d1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/vivaldi/vivaldi.jpg diff --git a/published/vps-review.txt b/published/vps-review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5a90652 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/vps-review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ +Running your own virtual private server (VPS) was once limited to either profitable side projects or those with money to burn. The relatively high monthly costs (often $40-$60 a month), made it too expensive for personal projects that didn't generate income and more serious endeavors often used dedicated hardware, leaving VPS as a kind of no man's land in the middle. + +That's no longer the case. Today the VPS is both cheap enough for personal projects and reliable enough for serious ones. Competition has <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/16/linode_price_cut/">driven down prices</a> dramatically, so much in fact that that spinning up your own VPS is often cheaper than renting web server space from a shared host. + +These days you can get a VPS instance running for less than $5 a month. When it comes to price, VPS hosting is the new shared hosting. + +In some cases you get what you pay for, but in others, like the ones reviewed here, what you get is often much faster than you'd get for double the price in shared hosting. And with the VPS you have an entire server at your command. + +Sure it's a virtual server, but in all but the most extreme use cases it will perform nearly as well as dedicated hardware. In fact, many high-end VPS options sometimes outperform low-end dedicated hardware. The main advantage of dedicated hardware these days is that it offers total control. + +Of course if you want to launch a new WordPress blog you don't need dedicated hardware or a VPS, you just need a web host. While VPS can be set up to host web applications, they're going to take more work and more knowledge about Linux and networking. In fact if you're looking for hand holding -- help installing web servers, configuring firewalls or setting up applications -- then VPS hosting is not a good choice. + +If you're a web developer looking to expand your server admin knowledge or a startup that needs a more reliable, powerful setup, VPS hosting offers a cheap, scalable way to get your app in the datacenter. Since most VPS hosts these days have plans that bill by the hour -- thank Amazon Web Services for starting that trend -- you can spin up dozens of virtual machines and play around with various server distros and software configurations for just pennies. + +A VPS means you have (relatively) total control over the system and can do things like <a href="https://longhandpixels.net/blog/2014/02/install-nginx-debian-ubuntu">compile Nginx</a> with exactly the modules you want, run <a href="http://openvpn.net/">OpenVPN</a> to bypass geo IP restrictions, set up your own <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-set-up-a-minecraft-server-on-linux">Minecraft server</a> or even, in some cases, start your own shared hosting company. + +There are downsides to VPS hosting. You'll need to patch your servers when vulnerabilities like Heartbleed come up. You'll need to be a bit more active, no one is going to make sure you're running the latest software and while most hosts have excellent documentation available (as well as helpful user forums) installing software and getting everything working the way you want it is entirely on you. + +Aside from competition, the ever-lower prices in VPS hosting are also driven by the improvements in virtualization software that's happened in the last few years. There are three major types of virtualization used behind the scenes of VPS hosting. The first and oldest of the bunch is OpenVZ virtualization. In theory OpenVZ should be the fastest, but because OpenVZ makes it easy to oversell VPS space a few bad apple providers out there have given OpenVZ something of a bad name. Most newer VPS providers use KVM or Xen for virtualization. In fact all the VPS hosts reviewed below use either KVM or Xen behind the scenes. + +As with shared hosting, it's also possible for VPS hosts to serious crowd server hardware to the point that your server slows to crawl, which is why it pays to shop around (and possible avoid OpenVZ-based hosts, though again, OpenVZ isn't to blame, it's the hosts that abuse it that create the problem). There are hundreds, if not thousands of VPS hosts out there, but for the purposes of this review I'll stick with some of the biggest names in the business: the venerable Linode, the now massive Digital Ocean and the recent upstart, Vultr. + +Perhaps the biggest name in VPS hosting, at least among developers and startups, is Linode. Linode has been around since 2003 and the company was one of the first to offer plans in the $20 range and now, thanks in part to competition from Digital Ocean and Vultr, even Linode has a $10 a month plan available. Unlike the newcomers, Linode uses Xen exclusively. + +Linode is not the cheapest of the bunch -- the company lacks an equivalent to the $5/month plans found elsewhere -- but in my experience it's the fastest and most reliable. It has more U.S. datacenters than most of the competition and also offers datacenters in London and Tokyo. Linode doesn't currently have a datacenter in Europe though, so if the majority of your traffic is coming from Europe, Linode may not be the fastest choice. + +The cheapest Linode offering, which gets you a VPS with 1GB RAM, 1 CPU Core, 24 GB SSD Storage, 40 Gbit Network In, 125 Mbit Network Out and a 2 TB monthly transfer limit outperformed everything else I've tested with the <a href="http://serverbear.com/">ServerBear </a> benchmark suite. Using the Fremont, CA datacenter I was able to consistently get around 60 MB/s transfer speeds and scores of around 900 and sometimes higher on <a href="http://code.google.com/p/byte-unixbench/">UnixBench</a>. While both Digital Ocean and Vultr get close, neither was able to match Linode's performance for the $10 a month instances. + +Linode also offers some advanced features you won't find in the others, like the ability to use slightly less mainstream Linux distros like Slackware, Gentoo or Arch. Linode also has an option to spin up a bare VPS and install your own distro if the available options don't meet your needs (for example you can install FreeBSD). If your app grows Linode also offers high end extras like load balancers and a nice metrics package called Longview. + +While Linode has a long history in VPS hosting, Digital Ocean is a relative newcomer. Digital Ocean's growth over its short life has been nothing short of meteoric. In just over two years Digital Ocean has, by <a href="http://trends.netcraft.com/www.digitalocean.com">some measures</a>, become the third largest hosting company in the world. + +Digital Ocean likes to credit its success to its focus on developers, which probably doesn't hurt, but having the lowest price didn't hurt. Digital Ocean was one of the first reliable VPS hosts to offer a $5 a month plan. Having used that plan almost since the company started offering it, I can say that, while it's not always the fastest in benchmarks, it has been very reliable. Over the last six months my "droplet", as Digital Ocean calls VPS instances, has had 100% uptime. Over the previous year my uptime was at 99.98%. + +Digital Ocean also offers one of the nicest control panels you'll find in this space. The company is also remarkably fast at setting up new instances, in most cases I've been able to spin up a new instance in less than a minute. My biggest gripe is that unless you add your SSH key, Digital Ocean will email your root password in plain text. Make sure you add an SSH key first thing to avoid that issue. + +It's worth noting that, while Digital Ocean offers a number of pre-configured setups, including popular apps like a basic LAMP stack, WordPress, ownCloud, GitLab and Ruby on Rails, it does not allow you to install custom OSes like you can with Linode. + +Another relative newcomer to the VPS game is Vultr, which just sprang up last year as a kind of Digital Ocean clone. Vultr offers 50% more RAM than either Digital Ocean or Linode on otherwise equivalent low end plans. More surprising, in my testing Vultr often outperformed both Linode and Digital Ocean in many benchmarks, though usually not in bandwidth where Linode consistently took top honors. + +Vultr has a few things Digital Ocean does not, including far more datacenters -- 12 cities around the world, compared to Digital Ocean's four offerings. + +Vultr also has a few plans designed for <a href="https://www.vultr.com/docs/vps-automatic-backups">VPS-as-storage</a>. These plans ditch the SSD in favor of slower, but much larger, spinning hard drives, primarily intended for use as cheap, offsite backups. + +One downside for developers is that Vultr's API pales next to what Linode and Digital Ocean offer. Vultr's dashboard is similar to Digital Ocean's, but lacks the level of polish you'll find with the latter. + +Which VPS host is right for you depends on what you want to do. For mission-critical client hosting I still rely primarily on Linode. For personal projects or running non-public applications like OpenVPN or ownCloud I've been using both Vultr and Digital Ocean. + +The good news is that all of these hosts, as well as many others not reviewed here, have bill by the hour payment options, which means you can spin up a VPS instance for testing and only spend a few pennies. + +It's worth nothing though that while all of these VPS hosts are often labeled "cloud" providers none of them offer the kind of high availability, automatic fall-over or other selling points of distributed cloud hosts like AWS or iwStack. Though iwStack is bringing down the costs of high availability hosting, "true" cloud VPS hosting is still typically more expensive than the VPS plans reviewed here. However, just a few short years ago you could have said the same thing about VPS hosting compared to shared web hosting. diff --git a/published/webdev-p3.txt b/published/webdev-p3.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1471a4c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/webdev-p3.txt @@ -0,0 +1,42 @@ +In the first two parts of this series I looked at the massive changes in web development that have occurred over the last twenty years. + +Today's web is one where developers <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/21/programming_the_web_25/">have crowd-funded new features</a> into popular web browsers and now, thanks to coming tools like the Web Components stack, the future of the web looks to <a href="">involve web developers</a> as much as traditional web innovators like browser makers and standards bodies. + +That's all well and good, but if you're a web developer slogging it out in the development trenches most of this stuff probably hasn't had a dramatic impact on your day-to-day workflow just yet. Which brings us to perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of all the changes in web development over the last two decades -- the web +browser. + +Typically we think of web browsers as driving innovation on the web by providing new features. Indeed this is the major source of new features on the web. For example, Microsoft releases a version of IE with support for iframes, then later XMLHTTP (which Mozilla and others pick up in the form of the XMLHttpRequest) and asynchronous JavaScript is born. Out of that comes the ability to build much more complex web apps, like Gmail. + +There is however, another less obvious way in which browsers have been driving innovation, especially in the last five years -- by giving web developers ever more powerful developer tools built right into the web browser. + +Indeed it's entirely possible that the web has grown more sophisticated in proportion to the sophistication of tools available for writing, testing and debugging HTML, CSS and JavaScript. + +Would today's increasing complex and sophisticated webapps be possible without debugging tools available in web browsers? Would today's Web Component-driven experiments be possible without the Chrome, Firefox, Opera and IE developer tools? Well, probably they would still exist, but they would be much more difficult and time consuming to build. + +Once upon a time web browsers offered web developers a single developer tool: view source. + +While view source is a revolutionary tool -- I'm not aware of any other development platform in which you can look at the code behind the app with the simple click of a menu -- it's a learning tool, not a building tool. HTML, CSS and JavaScript source files can be very instructive, but view source is of little help when in comes to writing and testing your own markup and scripts. + +To write and test your own code, particularly JavaScript, you need a way to control the runtime environment of the browser -- the ability insert breakpoints, pause code and step through it line by line to find bugs and improve your code. + +The first major effort to give developers that kind of power right inside the web browser was Firebug. Firebug, initially a browser add-on for Firefox, was written in 2006 by Joe Hewitt, one of the original Firefox creators. There are a few browser developer tools that predate Firebug. Internet Explorer 6 had an add-on that showed the DOM and some other information about the page. And around the same time Firebug launched, WebKit introduced its own WebKit Inspector, but it was initially limited to inspecting HTML and CSS and lacked the JavaScript features found in Firebug. + +Firebug changed the web development world in several ways. On a practical level it made it much easier to write and debug JavaScript, as well as inspect the DOM and even see which styles were applied to a particular HTML node. Google took these ideas and ran with them when it introduced its Chrome browser with its developer-friendly set of tools. Today there are no desktop web browsers without developer tools. Yes, even Internet Explorer 10+ has some great built-in tools for developers. + +But Firebug, WebKit Inspector and the Chrome Developer Tools represented a much larger shift in how the web is built -- developer tools in the browser moved the task of building the webpages from separate standalone IDEs like Dreamweaver or (shudder) Microsoft FrontPage to the actual web browser. Dreamweaver still exists, but it has largely fallen by the wayside. These days you'd be hard-pressed to find an article or tutorial on web development that even mentions it. + +Today you can build entire web applications without ever leaving the web browser. + +The developer tools in latest versions of Chrome, Opera and Firefox are comprised of several dozen tools covering everything from DOM inspectors to network waterfalls to timeline to integrated page speed auditors. There are coding panels, JavaScript consoles, memory profilers, integrated text editors (including <a href="http://longhandpixels.net/blog/2014/02/live-editing-sass-firefox-vim-keybindings">editors with Vim and Emacs keybindings support</a>) -- even screenshot and color eyedroppers in the latest version of Firefox. + +In cases where the existing tools aren't enough there are plenty of browser add-ons to extend the developer tools. Want a basic shell in your browser? Just grab the <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/devtools-terminal/leakmhneaibbdapdoienlkifomjceknl">Devtools Terminal add-on</a> for Chrome. How about a <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/code-cola/lomkpheldlbkkfiifcbfifipaofnmnkn">visual CSS editor</a>, an <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/accessibility-developer-t/fpkknkljclfencbdbgkenhalefipecmb">accessibility auditor</a> or even an entire <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/fireftp/">FTP/SFTP client</a>? + +There's an embarrassment of riches waiting for web developers in today's browsers. But, while today's browser-based developer tools are fantastically powerful and continue to arrive at an almost overwhelming pace, developing websites directly in the browser is still harder than it should be in many ways. + +Even seemingly simple things like using the editor of your choice isn't entirely possible. For example, while you can get some of the power of Vim or Emacs in your browser, you certainly can't get all of it. Mozilla has demonstrated a proof of concept that would allow an outside text editor to <a href="http://paulrouget.com/e/devtoolsnext/">control Firefox via some Python scripts</a>, but that project has never shipped and its current status is unclear. + +Some developers argue that it would have been better to put the browser's runtime in your text editor rather than the other way around, but at this point that seems unlikely to happen. + +There's also still a huge disconnect between the tools used to write and test client-side code (like JavaScript and CSS) and the server side tools that actually send that code to the browser. That disconnect is part of why modern web development is such a morass of third-party tools. Consider, for example, the seemingly simple process of writing a bit of JavaScript for a WordPress theme. While you can write, edit and debug your JavaScript in the Chrome or Firefox developer tools, you're still going to need a local server setup to render the WordPress page that your JavaScript is attempting to manipulate in the first place. + +With any luck this disconnect will be one of the next big areas browser makers tackle -- imagine a developer tools panel that can act as a simple server, just point it to a folder and it handles the rest. Tools like Node.js (itself extracted from Chrome's JavaScript engine) could offer a way to embed simple servers, connect the browser to your build tools, preprocessors and even your favorite editor. diff --git a/published/webdevat25-2.txt b/published/webdevat25-2.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..944d652 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/webdevat25-2.txt @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +If you hopped in a time machine and traveled back to 1999, ten years after the birth of the internet and what would turn out to be roughly the high water mark of the "web browser wars", and told web developers that one day hundreds of them would pony up cold hard cash to get a feature in a web browser no one would believe you. + +After all, why would developers put up their own money when ultimately they will never truly control the future of a web browser? Web browsers are made by large companies, not groups of web developers. + +Fast forward to earlier this year though and that's exactly what happened. Enough web developers wanted to see a new feature on the web that they <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/picture-element-implementation-in-blink">put up enough money</a> for Chromium developer Yoav Weiss and others to implement support for the nascent <picture> element in his spare time. + +Sure there were some T-shirts on offer and some workshops available for bigger donations, but at the end of the day most of the money came from smaller donations. That is, web developers who wanted to see the Picture element working in a web browser and enough were willing to pay for it. + +At first glance it seems like a crazy idea, asking people to fund development of a feature that will ultimately end up being used by most in a browser owned and controlled by a large company (Google in this case). And yet developers went for it. + +Why? Perhaps because it was a novel idea. But perhaps because it was a chance to directly shape the future of the web. Perhaps because the separation between between those who build the web and those who build web browsers is disappearing. + +Weiss explained the decision to try funding his work on Picture as a result of time constraints. "During discussions with the Blink team, we understood that getting picture into Blink required some infrastructure that wasn't there. So I had two options: either wait for the infrastructure to happen naturally over the course of the next 2 years, or make it happen myself." + +Weiss opted for the latter, but it turned out to take a lot longer than he initially expected, working only in his spare time in the evenings. "I thought it would be cool if I could do that during the days as well," says Weiss, "as some sort of client-work... crowdfunding was the obvious choice to make that happen." + +And happen it did, which is just one of many signs that web development today is a far cry from what it was even just a few years ago. + +Picture support is available today in the Canary release of Chrome (you'll need to enable the "experimental Web features" in chrome:flags), and it appears to be on target to make a final release later this year in either Chrome 37 or 38. Weiss's work is also in the process of being ported to WebKit (which would make it available to Apple, should the company chose to add Picture support to its iOS Safari browser).Not to be left out, the Firefox team will soon have a working implementation of Picture. + +If all goes well, the Picture element should be available in most major, modern browsers in the near future -- marking the first time that a browser feature has been crowd-funded into existence. + +Welcome to web development 25 years on. Web developers still may not truly control the future of web browsers but they increasingly control the future of web, which ultimately matters more since browsers come and go. + +It used to be that web browsers and standards bodies handed down new features from on high, but that is changing. Picture is just one example of a larger democratization of web development. Even the W3C, once the stodgiest thing on the web, has opened up "community groups" that allow any web developer to get involved in the standards process. + +An even more profound change is just over the horizen as browsers begin to support a collection of new tools referred to as Web Components. Web Components promises to make it even easier for developers to create new features for the web (see part two for more on Web Components and how they will change web development). + +Once upon a time being a "web developer" just meant you knew how to coerce Internet Explorer into rendering a page the way you wanted. + +Thankfully, wrestling with Internet Explorer is largely a thing of the past. These days IE 6 is less of a "problem" than the limited mobile browsers found on feature phones -- which account for a staggering amount of web traffic worldwide. And unlike Internet Explorer, which wasn't just limited, but flat out wrong, mobile browsers can be handled by modern web development tools -- like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsive_Web_Design">responsive web design</a> -- combined with long-standing best practices like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_enhancement">progressive enhancement</a>. + +The great thing about progressive enhancement is that developers can also offer modern browsers running on more powerful devices a first class web experience with features that would drop jaws even just a few years ago. + +So, if modern web development is so incredibly powerful and web developers can crowdfund whole new features into existence why does your bank's website still suck so bad? + +As William Gibson <a href="http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/01/24/future-has-arrived/">says</a>, "The future is already here -- it's just not very evenly distributed." + +Perhaps even worse for those actually using some of these so-called modern websites, the future is often <em>wrongly</em> distributed. That is, for every truly great example of progressively-enhanced, future-friendly responsive design there are, regrettably, other sites that use the same tools to produce a horrific, bloated website worse than the one it might have replaced. + +In other words, democratization or no, there are still plenty of developers who are "doing it wrong". + +The same can be said of any field, but pundits and lovers of absolutist headlines would have you believe that this -- along with a host of other "problems" -- is why the web will never be able to compete with applications tailored to vendor-specific platforms. + +That is of course nonsense on several levels, not the least of which is that the web doesn't need to compete with platform applications in order to succeed (unless of course you're setting up an argument to show why it can't). + +The web was succeeding long before and will likely succeed long after the current crop of vendor-specific platforms fades away. + +Furthermore, the distinction between what's often label "native" applications and web applications doesn't even exist an any meaningful way anymore anyway. Most "native" applications would be utterly useless without a web to connect to and share data through. The Facebook app wouldn't be much without Facebook.com behind it. + +On the other side, web applications can tap into an increasingly wide array of native hardware -- cameras, accelerometers, GPS and more. Mozilla has created built an entire mobile OS around emerging web standards for accessing device hardware. + +The main distinction between "native" and "web" applications at this point is really which tools the developer uses to build said application. + +That said, there is a distinction to be made between the process and tools used to build for the web versus the process and tools you'd use for a platform-specific application. In other words, there might be little between web app and native apps to those <em>using</em> a website/application, but there are some very important differences for developers <em>building</em> such sites/applications. + +The most important difference comes down to this: no one owns the web. + +We have app stores and native platforms precisely because no one can own the web. That drives many companies crazy and lead them to build their own platforms. But it's the web's lack of central authority that makes it what it is. There is no father figure in the form of Apple or Google or Facebook to benevolently (or not) hand down new tools. + +This makes the web very much like human culture -- a messy, fluid thing that's impossible to pin down. + +For some this is a bug, but for web developers this is the web's greatest feature. + +And thanks to efforts like the Picture element and new tools like Web Components this is going to be an even bigger, better feature of the web five years from now. + +One consequence of this decentralization though is that no one is going to make the web better for you. It's up to you. That means that every now and then someone will <a href="http://alistapart.com/article/responsive-web-design">coin a phrase</a> that helps usher in a new way of building websites. It means that something you want to use on the web can be crowd-funded into existence. + +Twenty-five years after it first launched the web is still more or less a collection of developer hacks pieced together around a rough consensus that browser makers agree to support -- an imperfect, messy and slow process even when it's working at its best, which is often isn't. + +Still, nearly every taken-for-granted feature of the web today started as some kind of terrible hack -- a developer just like you wanted to do something that wasn't currently possible so they stretched the limits of what was possible. + +Web development 25 years on is more complex than it was even five years ago, but participating today feels more like standing on the cusp of something great than it did just a few years ago. With every passing app store rejection, every shuttered "open" API, every dying vendor-specific platform, the open and yes, messy, nature of web development feels more like a feature and less like a bug. diff --git a/published/webdevat25.txt b/published/webdevat25.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..944d652 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/webdevat25.txt @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +If you hopped in a time machine and traveled back to 1999, ten years after the birth of the internet and what would turn out to be roughly the high water mark of the "web browser wars", and told web developers that one day hundreds of them would pony up cold hard cash to get a feature in a web browser no one would believe you. + +After all, why would developers put up their own money when ultimately they will never truly control the future of a web browser? Web browsers are made by large companies, not groups of web developers. + +Fast forward to earlier this year though and that's exactly what happened. Enough web developers wanted to see a new feature on the web that they <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/picture-element-implementation-in-blink">put up enough money</a> for Chromium developer Yoav Weiss and others to implement support for the nascent <picture> element in his spare time. + +Sure there were some T-shirts on offer and some workshops available for bigger donations, but at the end of the day most of the money came from smaller donations. That is, web developers who wanted to see the Picture element working in a web browser and enough were willing to pay for it. + +At first glance it seems like a crazy idea, asking people to fund development of a feature that will ultimately end up being used by most in a browser owned and controlled by a large company (Google in this case). And yet developers went for it. + +Why? Perhaps because it was a novel idea. But perhaps because it was a chance to directly shape the future of the web. Perhaps because the separation between between those who build the web and those who build web browsers is disappearing. + +Weiss explained the decision to try funding his work on Picture as a result of time constraints. "During discussions with the Blink team, we understood that getting picture into Blink required some infrastructure that wasn't there. So I had two options: either wait for the infrastructure to happen naturally over the course of the next 2 years, or make it happen myself." + +Weiss opted for the latter, but it turned out to take a lot longer than he initially expected, working only in his spare time in the evenings. "I thought it would be cool if I could do that during the days as well," says Weiss, "as some sort of client-work... crowdfunding was the obvious choice to make that happen." + +And happen it did, which is just one of many signs that web development today is a far cry from what it was even just a few years ago. + +Picture support is available today in the Canary release of Chrome (you'll need to enable the "experimental Web features" in chrome:flags), and it appears to be on target to make a final release later this year in either Chrome 37 or 38. Weiss's work is also in the process of being ported to WebKit (which would make it available to Apple, should the company chose to add Picture support to its iOS Safari browser).Not to be left out, the Firefox team will soon have a working implementation of Picture. + +If all goes well, the Picture element should be available in most major, modern browsers in the near future -- marking the first time that a browser feature has been crowd-funded into existence. + +Welcome to web development 25 years on. Web developers still may not truly control the future of web browsers but they increasingly control the future of web, which ultimately matters more since browsers come and go. + +It used to be that web browsers and standards bodies handed down new features from on high, but that is changing. Picture is just one example of a larger democratization of web development. Even the W3C, once the stodgiest thing on the web, has opened up "community groups" that allow any web developer to get involved in the standards process. + +An even more profound change is just over the horizen as browsers begin to support a collection of new tools referred to as Web Components. Web Components promises to make it even easier for developers to create new features for the web (see part two for more on Web Components and how they will change web development). + +Once upon a time being a "web developer" just meant you knew how to coerce Internet Explorer into rendering a page the way you wanted. + +Thankfully, wrestling with Internet Explorer is largely a thing of the past. These days IE 6 is less of a "problem" than the limited mobile browsers found on feature phones -- which account for a staggering amount of web traffic worldwide. And unlike Internet Explorer, which wasn't just limited, but flat out wrong, mobile browsers can be handled by modern web development tools -- like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsive_Web_Design">responsive web design</a> -- combined with long-standing best practices like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_enhancement">progressive enhancement</a>. + +The great thing about progressive enhancement is that developers can also offer modern browsers running on more powerful devices a first class web experience with features that would drop jaws even just a few years ago. + +So, if modern web development is so incredibly powerful and web developers can crowdfund whole new features into existence why does your bank's website still suck so bad? + +As William Gibson <a href="http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/01/24/future-has-arrived/">says</a>, "The future is already here -- it's just not very evenly distributed." + +Perhaps even worse for those actually using some of these so-called modern websites, the future is often <em>wrongly</em> distributed. That is, for every truly great example of progressively-enhanced, future-friendly responsive design there are, regrettably, other sites that use the same tools to produce a horrific, bloated website worse than the one it might have replaced. + +In other words, democratization or no, there are still plenty of developers who are "doing it wrong". + +The same can be said of any field, but pundits and lovers of absolutist headlines would have you believe that this -- along with a host of other "problems" -- is why the web will never be able to compete with applications tailored to vendor-specific platforms. + +That is of course nonsense on several levels, not the least of which is that the web doesn't need to compete with platform applications in order to succeed (unless of course you're setting up an argument to show why it can't). + +The web was succeeding long before and will likely succeed long after the current crop of vendor-specific platforms fades away. + +Furthermore, the distinction between what's often label "native" applications and web applications doesn't even exist an any meaningful way anymore anyway. Most "native" applications would be utterly useless without a web to connect to and share data through. The Facebook app wouldn't be much without Facebook.com behind it. + +On the other side, web applications can tap into an increasingly wide array of native hardware -- cameras, accelerometers, GPS and more. Mozilla has created built an entire mobile OS around emerging web standards for accessing device hardware. + +The main distinction between "native" and "web" applications at this point is really which tools the developer uses to build said application. + +That said, there is a distinction to be made between the process and tools used to build for the web versus the process and tools you'd use for a platform-specific application. In other words, there might be little between web app and native apps to those <em>using</em> a website/application, but there are some very important differences for developers <em>building</em> such sites/applications. + +The most important difference comes down to this: no one owns the web. + +We have app stores and native platforms precisely because no one can own the web. That drives many companies crazy and lead them to build their own platforms. But it's the web's lack of central authority that makes it what it is. There is no father figure in the form of Apple or Google or Facebook to benevolently (or not) hand down new tools. + +This makes the web very much like human culture -- a messy, fluid thing that's impossible to pin down. + +For some this is a bug, but for web developers this is the web's greatest feature. + +And thanks to efforts like the Picture element and new tools like Web Components this is going to be an even bigger, better feature of the web five years from now. + +One consequence of this decentralization though is that no one is going to make the web better for you. It's up to you. That means that every now and then someone will <a href="http://alistapart.com/article/responsive-web-design">coin a phrase</a> that helps usher in a new way of building websites. It means that something you want to use on the web can be crowd-funded into existence. + +Twenty-five years after it first launched the web is still more or less a collection of developer hacks pieced together around a rough consensus that browser makers agree to support -- an imperfect, messy and slow process even when it's working at its best, which is often isn't. + +Still, nearly every taken-for-granted feature of the web today started as some kind of terrible hack -- a developer just like you wanted to do something that wasn't currently possible so they stretched the limits of what was possible. + +Web development 25 years on is more complex than it was even five years ago, but participating today feels more like standing on the cusp of something great than it did just a few years ago. With every passing app store rejection, every shuttered "open" API, every dying vendor-specific platform, the open and yes, messy, nature of web development feels more like a feature and less like a bug. diff --git a/published/webdevat25p2.txt b/published/webdevat25p2.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..48f535c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/webdevat25p2.txt @@ -0,0 +1,47 @@ +The promise of the web sometimes outstrips the reality, but the reality is starting to close in on the promise in very exciting and revolutionary ways. + +Web developers have already shown that you can <a href="">crowd-fund features into web browsers</a> and thanks to a new set of tools coming soon to a web browser near you, web developers will be able to not just vaguely influence the direction of the web with crowd-funding and <a href="http://responsiveimages.org/">community groups</a>, they'll be able to directly add new features to HTML. + +Right now the process of getting a new feature into HTML can take years. The process of moving from initial idea to draft spec to a feature actually available in web browsers is long, complicated and far more than any sane developer is ever going to undertake. + +Critics of the web standards process are fond of pointing out some admittedly egregious examples of the snail's pace the standards process takes. For example, it took 17 years from the start of CSS to get widespread support for custom fonts in HTML (Internet Explorer 4 paved the way here, adding support for custom fonts way back in 1997. Sadly, it would be another 10 years before CSS added it back and other browsers added support). To put that in context a little bit, consider that it took the United States about eight years of concerted effort to put a man on the moon. + +Yes, 17 years is astoundingly slow for something seemingly so simple. Even taking into account that much of that delay is related to licensing problems, it's still not a vote of confidence for standards bodies and browser makers as innovators. Part of the problem is that neither standards bodies nor browser makers are made up of web developers and there's often a considerable disconnect between what developers want and what standards bodies and browser makers focus their attention on. + +Indeed, even when standards bodies are working like well-oiled machines (which they often are not), few would argue that they make for a good source of innovation on the web. + +Standardization is, by its very nature, a long drawn out process designed to achieve consensus, not drive innovation. In fact there's an argument to be made that taking 17 years to get support for custom fonts is a feature, not a bug. Except that no one argues that, because seriously, 17 <em>years</em>. For fonts. + +While consensus is vital to the web and without web standards, we would not have the web we have today, if web standards were the end of the story there would be no innovation on the web. In fact it's the back and forth between developers and standards bodies that make the web a better place. + +But web developers want to build new things when they think of them, not when standards bodies finally endorse them and browsers get around to shipping them. + +The slow pace of new features on the web means the web is constantly playing catchup with proprietary platforms where new features come faster and more regularly. And for developers those new features make native platforms more appealing than working on the web. (Even if you were going to only support browsers that update every six weeks -- Chrome and Firefox -- you'd still be waiting an absolute minimum of 24 weeks for new features to progress from experimental builds to actual shipping features). + +Luckily for the web there's a solution to the molasses-like pace of new features on the horizon. A collection of new tools referred to as Web Components promises to put the power of creating new features in the hands of web developers. + +Web Components are actually not a singular thing. Rather, the Web Components specification is a catch-all for several interrelated tools designed to make it much easier for anyone to add new elements to HTML. Some of these tools, like the mysterious sounding <a href="http://w3c.github.io/webcomponents/spec/shadow/">Shadow DOM</a>, are already making their way into web browsers. + +Others, particularly Custom Elements, which allow you define your own HTML elements and their behavior, are just starting to arrive. All of them will hopefully be available in all the major desktop and mobile web browsers in the next 12 to 18 months. + +Developers seem prone to hyperbole when talking about Custom Elements and Web Components more generally, and with good reason. Web Components are truly groundbreaking in that they allow web developers to create, package and reuse their own HTML elements. + +Perhaps the easiest way to understand the power of Custom Elements is to look at an example. Google has gone to great lengths to make it pretty easy to embed a map in a webpage and use some JavaScript to control it. However, with Custom Elements, Google could simplify the process even more by defining a new HTML element, say "<code><google-maps></code>". + +Browsers would see the made up <code><google-maps></code> element and register it using the <code>HTMLElement</code> interface. The <code>HTMLElement</code> interface then allows developers to add methods and properties, in effect creating a per-element API. That means you can pass in attributes to control the element. So instead of needing to write a ton of JavaScript to set the center of our map, we could simple do something like this: <code><google-maps latitude="0" longitude="0"></google-maps></code> and the browser would display a map centered on Greenwich. + +I didn't pick this example at random. Thanks to Polymer, a library of polyfills that includes support for Custom Elements, you can use developer Eduardo Lundgren's <code><google-maps></code> element exactly as show above in any web browser today. + +Notice that while I started off talking about how Google could create a custom element, the example I just pointed to comes from an independent web developer. Anyone can create custom elements in HTML with Web Components (technically anyone can create new elements in HTML right now, without Custom Elements but there won't be any element-level API or other features that make Custom Elements actually useful). + +In the end, this may be the real power of Web Components -- they put developers on a level playing field with web giants like Google and with standards bodies as well. + +That's by design. In fact, once you get past the really great encapsulation that Web Components enable, most of what's revolutionary about them comes down to the way they shorten the distance from developer idea to web standard. + +Part of the goal behind Web Components is to allow web developers to iterate on ideas before they become standardized. In other words, see how the web ends up using something new before you bother to start the standards process. When you do start the process you start with something that's already fleshed out, real-world tested and much closer to a consensus. This will hopefully create a more productive feedback cycle between web standards bodies and web developers. + +Much of the effort behind Web Components comes from Google and Mozilla developers who put together a document called "<a href="http://extensiblewebmanifesto.org/">The Extensible Web Manifesto</a>" which reads: "In order for the open web to compete with its walled competitors, there must be a clear path for good ideas by web developers to become part of the infrastructure of the web. We must enable web developers to build the future web." + +Never in the short history of the web have web developers had such power given to them. In fact, perhaps what's most remarkable about the web is that developers have created what we have today in spite of very limited input and control over the future of the web. We take tools like XMLHttpRequest for granted today, but these exist not because a standards body created them, but because web developers used them in creative ways that drove browsers to adopt support. + +Now, with Web Component support on the horizon, developers will finally be first-class citizens when it comes to determining the future of the web. diff --git a/published/winereview.txt b/published/winereview.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0f773f3 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/winereview.txt @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +The Wine project, which allows Linux users to run Windows apps within Linux, has released Wine 1.2, a major update that fixes a number of bugs and includes 64-bit support. + +If you'd like to give the latest release a try, head over to the Wine downloads page, or you can update the Wine repos if you already have them installed. + +Wine 1.2 includes a new set of icons, a number of fixes for video rendering -- improving Windows gaming -- as well as better font anti-aliasing and improved handling of desktop link files. + +Wine has always been a controversial app in the Linux community with purists claiming that Wine is exactly what Linux doesn't need -- a Windows crutch that just undermines claims that Linux can do anything Windows can do. Rather than relying on Wine, the argument goes, Linux users should concentrate on improving the Linux apps that cover the same territory. + +While there's some merit to that argument, there are also some Windows apps that simply don't have any Linux equivalent. If you need such an app, Wine might be able to spare you the pain of dual booting, but it's getting increasingly difficult to find Windows apps that lack a Linux counterpart. + +Indeed in testing the Wine it was quickly apparent that, while Wine's range of supported Windows apps has been improved, there is considerably less need for Wine now than when it first appeared on the scene years ago. + +One of the more popular apps to run under Wine is Adobe's Photoshop image editor. I was able to install and run Photoshop CS2 without any issues and the performance was perfectly acceptable. Photoshop's secondary apps -- like Adobe Bridge and ImageReady -- did not fare so well. Bridge would open, but then crash do to an error. ImageReady would not even open. + +But given that Photoshop CS2 is over five years old, and looking a bit long in the tooth at this point, it's probably not high on the list of things Linux users are missing. In fact, Photoshop CS2 has little that you won't find in native Linux apps like GIMP or Inkscape. + +The current version of Photoshop is CS5 and it does have a few things that GIMP doesn't, but CS5 won't install under Wine -- even CS3 is a lost cause. If you really need the latest and greatest from Adobe, the truth is you're better off dual booting Windows. + +Another popular use for Wine is running Microsoft's Office suite and Wine 1.2 ses a number of bug fixes specifically targeting Office 2007. In my testing Office was stable and plenty quick, however, again, OpenOffice covers this ground quite nicely and will even apparently be getting the Microsoft-style "Ribbon" interface in an upcoming update. + +If you've been hoping for iTunes to run under Wine 1.2 -- to manage an iPhone or iPod Touch for example -- I've got bad news for you. I was able to install the latest iTunes (v9.2), but it never successfully launched. One Ubuntu user claims that 9.0.2 will boot under Wine, though nothing works aside from the streaming radio option. + +The real appeal of Wine at this point is games. Of Wine's top ten Platinum rated apps (applications that run without issue), seven are games. Throw in the top ten Gold apps (apps that run fine after some special configuration) and 17 of the top 20 are Wine apps are games. With that in mind Linux Gamers will be happy to hear that the latest version of Wine runs titles like Call of Duty and Counter Strike without issue. + +Of course how well games run under Wine will vary widely according to your graphics card and other hardware, but judging by the most recent user reports, many popular Windows titles are perfectly usable under Wine. + +While Linux apps have improved over the years and many may not need Wine as much as they used to, for those that do Wine 1.2 is a welcome update. The countless bug fixes and improvements make it even easier to run Windows apps in Linux without the need to pay the dreaded Microsoft tax. + diff --git a/published/xfce-review.txt b/published/xfce-review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c015450 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/xfce-review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +GNOME 3 has become something of a polarizing moment for the popular Linux desktop. In chasing visions of tablets, touchscreens and the mythical "everyday user", the GNOME 3 Shell has left many Linux power users scratching their heads, wondering why the GNOME developers decided to fix a desktop that wasn't broken. + +The problem for those that dislike the new GNOME is not so much the underlying GNOME 3, which is in many ways a step up from its predecessor, but the GNOME Shell specifically, which looks and behaves like something much more suited for a tablet than a 30 inch desktop monitor. + +Ubuntu, which is at least partly responsible for making GNOME as popular is it is, decided to cast off the new GNOME Shell in favor of its own Unity desktop. But sadly, if you're trying to get away from the look and feel of GNOME 3, Unity is no solution since it's more or less the same thing with a few distinct quirks. + +If KDE isn't your bag and GNOME 3 leaves you feeling cold there is another Linux desktop worth considering -- Xfce. Linus Torvalds, the founder of Linux, recently went on record to <a href="https://plus.google.com/106327083461132854143/posts/SbnL3KaVRtM">call GNOME 3</a> "an unholy mess" and announce that he was switching to the Xfce desktop. Several other developers in the same thread chimed in to echo their support of Xfce. + +Just what is it about Xfce that's drawing in the GNOME refugees? Well for one thing Xfce can easily be customized into something that's visually no different than good old GNOME 2.x. It takes a bit more work to make Xfce behave just like GNOME 2, and in the end you might end up installing quite a few GNOME dependencies, but in fact Xfce can be a capable GNOME replacement. + +Perhaps more important to GNOME 3 refugees, Xfce isn't planning to try "revolutionizing" the desktop experience. Development is historically very slow -- the recently released Xfce 4.8 was two years in the making -- and the Xfce project tends to pride itself on the lack of new features in each release. The focus is generally improving existing features, polishing rough edges and fixing bugs rather than trying to out whiz-bang the competitors. + +The resistance to new features has earned Xfce a reputation as a lightweight desktop, but it's not significantly smaller than GNOME or KDE (if you're looking for lightweight, check out LXDE). Xfce did, in my testing, start up much faster than either GNOME or KDE and using the desktop environment feels much snappier. However much of that is due to Xfce's very minimalist default apps rather than a significantly smaller code base. + +The first thing you'll notice when you start up Xfce for the first time is a top panel that resembles what you'd see in GNOME 2 and a bottom panel that's typically stocked with application launchers, shortcuts and workspace switchers. The exact layout on panels and what's in them will vary from distro to distro. For the purposes of this article I tested Xubuntu, the Xfce variant of Ubuntu, and Zenwalk, an Xfce-oriented distro. For the most part the functionality of Xfce was the same in both, though the Ubuntu distro will be a better choice for those already familiar with the Ubuntu Software Center and other Ubuntu-specific elements. + +As with GNOME 2, Xfce's panels can be customized to your heart's delight, just right click an item and choose "Properties". To customize the panel as a whole just right click the base of the panel and select "Panel Preferences". For the most part the panels in Xfce are much like what you'll find in GNOME, but there are a few differences and some things are even better, for example Xfce has a nice spacer feature that makes it simple to spread items out within the panel. There are also, just like GNOME's panels, a healthy <a href="http://goodies.xfce.org/projects/panel-plugins/start">selection of plugins</a> to trick out your panel. + +The rest of the desktop is similarly easy to customize. Just head to the System Settings app which handles everything you'd like customize on the desktop and the rest of the system. Really, everything is all in one spot. + +The file manager in Xfce is Thunar, which resembles GNOME 2's Nautilus and can do most of what Nautilus is capable of. The notable exception to that is split windows, which can be very handy for moving files around. In Thunar you'll just have to open a second window for your drag and drop moves. Another mild annoyance in Thunar is the lack of "spring loaded" folders. That is, when you drag something onto a folder in Thunar the folder does not automatically open the way it would in, well, pretty much every other file manager on the planet. Still, despite those two issues, Thunar makes a capable Nautilus replacement. + +Part of the reason for Xfce's reputation as a lightweight desktop environment is the very minimalist applications that it bundles. Unlike GNOME and KDE which ship with some very sophisticated apps for word processing, photo organizing and music playback, Xfce tends to offer very basic apps with limited features. + +For example the stock text editor in Xfce -- known as Leafpad -- is much closer to a very barebones editor like Windows' Notepad than the more feature-rich and customizable gEdit package that ships with GNOME. Similarly the customizations options for the terminal emulator in Xfce pale next to what GNOME offers. + +Fortunately most GNOME apps don't require the full guts of Nautilus to run and Xfce already has many of the GTK dependencies you'll need (though quite a few GNOME apps will require libnautilus). Installing GNOME dependencies won't slow down Xfce and most of the time there won't be any conflicts with Thunar. That said there is definitely something of an simple-is-better ethos in the Xfce community and users tend to encourage newbies to try simpler apps to see if they meet their needs before running off to install half of the GNOME suite. The Xfce wiki maintains a nice list of <a href="http://wiki.xfce.org/recommendedapps">alternatives to the default Xfce apps</a> that are still relatively lightweight. + +One place Xfce's lightweight apps approach falls on its face is photo management. Out of the box there's the uber-lightweight Ristretto, a very basic image viewer, and then the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Gimp. Editing RAW images in Linux isn't a lot of fun in any desktop environment but I generally use Darktable in conjunction with Gimp. Since the latter was already installed, it took just a few minutes to install Darktable. Other options to fill the gap between Ristretto and Gimp include GNOME's Shotwell or KDE's digikam, though again, both will require installing some dependencies. + +For music Xfce offers gmusicbrowser, a lightweight music player that can handle the basics like playing music, creating playlists and searching your library. Gmusicbrowser is a new addition in Xfce 4.8 and fills the 80 percent use case quite nicely. It gets a bit slow with very large libraries and lacks more advanced features like lyrics or album artwork. For those that want something with more power there's always Banshee or Rhythmbox. + +For word processors Xfce ships with Abiword which works just fine for those with basic word processing needs. If you need something more powerful you can always ditch Abiword for the LibreOffice suite. + +That is in fact the mantra of Xfce -- there are always more powerful apps available, but give the basics a try and see if they don't work for you. It's a philosophy that makes for a lightweight, but very capable Linux system. + +Xfce isn't GNOME 2.x, nor is it supposed to be, but it does make a capable replacement for Linux users that are less interested in the wow factor of GNOME 3 and just want to get some work done. If you've felt left behind by GNOME's attempt to redefine the desktop experience and just want a desktop that works the way it always has, Xfce fits the bill. diff --git a/published/xfce412review.txt b/published/xfce412review.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..93b707c --- /dev/null +++ b/published/xfce412review.txt @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +The Xfce project has released the final version of Xfce 4.12, a major update for the desktop that very nearly became the Debian default. + +Xfce has grown in the last few years as the project has become something of a refuge for those unhappy with GNOME. Even Linus Torvalds himself jumped ship to the Xfce camp for a time. In a now deleted Google Plus post Torvalds called Xfce "a step down from GNOME 2, but a huge step up from GNOME 3." + +Xfce's biggest problem seems to be that no one sticks with it. Torvalds soon moved back to GNOME and, after experimenting with Xfce, Debian also went back to using GNOME as the default for the upcoming Debian Jessie. + +Perhaps some of that is due to Xfce's sometimes clunky looking interface. And while it's similar to GNOME 2.x, it's also just different enough to be a little confusing for GNOME 2.x users. Settings are in different places, panel controls don't behave the same way and GTK3 support has, until now, been spotty. + +Fortunately, Xfce 4.12 is a huge leap forward, both in terms of interface design -- which is vastly improved in this release -- and functionality. The most immediately noticeable changes in Xfce 4.12 are the numerous instances of added visual polish to the Xfce user interface. The result is a desktop that's not just an alternative to GNOME and Unity, but one that's every bit as sophisticated and refined. + +The first thing long time Xfce users will notice is that the window manager (xfwm4) has been updated with full support for GTK3's "Client-Side Decorations". Client-Side Decorations is the fancy name for the titlebar-less windows you'll find in GNOME Shell where the window buttons have moved down into the actual menu bar. That's not how the default theme looks in Xfce, but it will work for themes that expect it. Previously themes that were expecting Client-Side Decorations in Xfce looked pretty bad unless you installed some workarounds to disable. Thankfully that's no longer necessary. + +The Xfce window manager gains support for corner tiling, just drag your window to any corner and it will snap to that quarter of the screen. It's now possible to zoom any window holding the Alt key and scrolling your mouse wheel. The Alt-zooming does not appear to work with trackpads. + +If you're short of vertical screen real estate there's a new option to hide the window title when you maximize the windows. It's not much, but on cramped screens like my old EeePC I'm always looking to save every bit of screen real estate I can and hiding the title bar definitely helps. + +Those with the opposite problem -- multiple monitors -- will also love this update. Xfce 4.12 has a completely revamped Display settings, with quick, easy-to-set-up multi-monitor support. + +The Alt-Tab window switcher dialog looks a bit different as well, with a couple of new switching modes, a list view and a windows thumbnail view. The window switcher is fully themable, so third-party themes can customize things as well. The new built-in Alt-Tab themes are nice, and there's mouse support as well. That means you can click on items to switch to them if you want to mix some mouse movements into your keyboard shortcuts. + +Perhaps the best news in this release for anyone with a HiDPI screen is that there are two new themes with HiDPI support. That's a welcome change given how bad Xfce looked on HiDPI screens. Gone are the jagged corners on icons and, worse, the janky, pixelated text. + +Among the smaller, but welcome changes in this release is a long-awaited improvement to the default Xfce file manager, Thunar, which finally supports tabs for opening multiple folders within a single window. There's even a handy menu item "File >> Detach Tab" that will open the currently selected tab in its own window should you want to separate something out. + +Thunar's folder properties display gets a new blue bar that shows the remaining free space available. Speaking of the properties pane, you can now open the properties pane for multiple files at once, making it easy to get the total file size of a group of files. + +There's also quite a few new options in the Xfce Power Manager. The Power Manager can track any devices that are plugged in and offers such fine-grained controls as separate settings for what happens when the lid of your laptop closes depending on whether or not you're plugged into a power source. For example, you can set it so it just lock the screen when you're plugged in, but do a full hibernate when you're on battery. + +The popular alternative panel menu plugin, Whiskermenu, which has long been the default menu panel in Xubuntu, is now an official member of the Xfce family. Another alternative interface, the XfDashboard -- a GNOME Shell-inspired launcher -- is also available as a standard part of Xfce. + +Other updates in this release include an update for Xfce's task manager, which added a search bar for quickly filtering processes, and the default terminal app which can now be used as a drop-down terminal and includes some new default color schemes like the developer favorite, Solarized. + +A complete list of everything that's new in the release can be found at the <a href="http://www.xfce.org/download/changelogs/4.12">Xfce 4.12 changelog page</a>. + +Xubuntu fans will see Xfce 4.12 in the upcoming Ubuntu 15.04. Because the Xubuntu team sometimes picks different versions of Xfce components, some of what's new in 4.12 has already been a part of Xubuntu for some time, but 15.04 will see the rest arrive. + +As mentioned previously Xfce 4.12 arrives too late to make the upcoming Debian Jessie, but look for other distros to begin incorporating Xfce 4.12 into their releases later this year. If you can't wait, there's a PPA available for 'buntu/Debian derivatives 14.04 and 14.10. + + + + diff --git a/published/xfcecore.txt b/published/xfcecore.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5380098 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/xfcecore.txt @@ -0,0 +1,25 @@ +The Xubuntu project recent unveiled a stripped down build of its Xfce-based Ubuntu, dubbed Xubuntu core. Core offers a very basic version of the Xfce desktop, along with the basic look and feel of Xubuntu, but any extras like an office suite, media player, Xfce add-ons or even a web browser will have to be installed separately. + +The "core" name is a little confusing since Ubuntu proper recently began shipping Ubuntu Core which is also a lightweight version of Ubuntu, but optimized specifically for container environments like Docker. Xubuntu core is unrelated and derived from Xubuntu, not Ubuntu Core. + +Xubuntu core is also not, like many distros using words like "core”, aimed at the server or Docker instances. Xubuntu core remains focused on the desktop, but wants to deliver a lightweight desktop ready for customization, rather than a complete, ready to use desktop like Xubuntu proper. + +By the time Xubuntu 15.10 rolls around later this year the project will have official release ISOs for core, but in the mean time if you'd like to take Xubuntu core for a spin you'll need to start with Ubuntu's minimal install CD (the mini.iso you can download here). When prompted, install the Xubuntu minimal installation task. Alternately you can grab one of the unofficial builds that were put together by a Xubuntu community member. + +Why install Xubuntu core? Well, there's the obvious benefit of a smaller download that fits on a CD (the unofficial builds are just over 600 MB, compared to around 960MB for the full Xubuntu), which is a big win for anyone with limited bandwidth. The other likely fans of Xubuntu core are those who don't use the stock Xubuntu apps anyway and want to customize everything exactly to their liking. + +The core version of Xubuntu will also be welcome news for anyone looking for a very minimal, reasonably light on the resources Linux distro that still packs the user-friendliness and hardware compatibility of Ubuntu. For example, if you're a fan of Xfce and also like the well-stocked Ubuntu repos, but don't like the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach of Xubuntu, then the new core version will be exactly what you're looking for. + +The core spin of Xubuntu is considerably snappier and less resource hungry out of the box. After installing from the unofficial, community image I started up Xubuntu core and found it used 417MB of RAM out of the box. That's pretty good compared to the main Xubuntu install, which uses over 580 MB and certainly great next to Ubuntu with Unity, which uses 770 MB of RAM just idling. + +To be fair Xubuntu core doesn't offer some of the niceties of Xubuntu, the theme is minimal and there's not much beyond stock Xfce. This is not a good choice for the terminal squeamish, out of the box there's not software center, all updates and new applications need to be installed through apt-get or the like in your terminal. Curiously, the software configuration app is included so you can add and remove repos in a GUI, but not applications. + +Similarly confusing for those used to a little more hand holding, there are no default applications installed to launch when selecting items from the Xfce main menu. For instance, there's a menu item for "Web Browser", but clicking it will just bring up a menu asking you to pick a default application (which of course is not installed). None of these things are particularly difficult problems, but it does mean that you'll want to make a trip to the terminal to install some software before Xubuntu core is really ready to go. + +In that sense Xubuntu core qualifies as a minimalist desktop. Certainly within the extended Ubuntu family Xubuntu core is one of the smallest and lightest. + +At the same time, fans of truly minimalist desktops like the Openbox-based Crunchbang, alas, gone the way of the Dodo (though there is <a href="https://crunchbangplusplus.org/download/">Crunchbang++</a>) or bare bones distros like Arch won't be impressed. As a Crunchbang user and minimalist desktop fan I must admit I've been searching for a replacement and, while Xubuntu core is a very nice distro and would be my top pick out of the Ubuntu family (along with Lubuntu), it still really barely qualifies as a minimalist desktop. + +Similarly the download size is bested within the Ubuntu family only by Ubuntu's mini.iso (which is small because it downloads everything during the actual installation), but it's still pretty good size compared to Crunchbang. It's actually very close to what you'll get if you use install Debian with Xfce, but of course you get the far more up-to-date Ubuntu repos. + +If you're looking for a bare bones Xfce distro that you can customize to your liking and you want the wealth of up-to-date software that you'll find in the Ubuntu repositories, then Xubuntu core makes an excellent choice. If you're looking for a truly minimalist distro you're probably better off with the reborn Crunchbang++. diff --git a/published/xubuntu-beta.jpg b/published/xubuntu-beta.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..24a0d12 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/xubuntu-beta.jpg diff --git a/published/yahoo-pipes-dev.txt b/published/yahoo-pipes-dev.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c4971aa --- /dev/null +++ b/published/yahoo-pipes-dev.txt @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +Yahoo recently announced it will be killing off several services to focus on "search, communications and digital content." + +Wait, Yahoo has a search engine? Who knew? What Yahoo won't have in the very near future is a developer favorite by the name of <a href="http://pipes.yqlblog.net/post/120705592639/pipes-end-of-life-announcement">Yahoo Pipes</a>. + +Yahoo Pipes has always been something of an odd duck, not just within the company, but on the web at large. There's no migration plan for Pipes users and no real way to get your data out of Pipes because there'd be nowhere to go with it. Pipes was unique and come September 2015, it will be gone. + +Pipes's oddball status is summed up by one commenter in the Pipes forum who drolly <a href="https://developer.yahoo.com/forums/#/discussion/comment/22653">writes</a>, "I'm also somewhat curious how much staff time will be saved in discontinuing a service that already received no updates." + +It's true, Pipes has been abandonware for some time. In that sense the news of its demise is not unexpected, but that's part of what makes Yahoo's decisions so puzzling to those who use it -- if seemingly nothing is being done with it, why bother shutting it down? + +Whatever the reasons may be -- if there even are actual reasons -- thousands of developers and users out there who use Pipes to build RSS feeds, aggregate news, create maps and the hundreds of other things you could do with Pipes will soon be out of luck. That's bad for users, but the effects don't stop with users and developers. All that stuff, all those applications and aggregated feeds that depend on Pipes will also cease to function shortly. Every web service shutdown creates a ripple that affects the web as a whole. + +This isn't new. Especially for Yahoo. The company has already killed off the once popular Delicious bookmark hosting services and countless other APIs. Yahoo Maps is also on the chopping block with Yahoo Pipes, which means any developers relying on that API will need to look elsewhere. + +While Yahoo happens to be an egregious example of the bizarre, build it (or buy it), ruin it, shut it down business strategy, but it's hardly alone. + +Google has also hyped countless new services only to shut them down a few years later. Remember Google Reader? Wave? Knol? Buzz? Notebook? Talk? Then there's Microsoft, the Redmond giant has killed off Silverlight, the third-party Skype API and it looks like even Internet Explorer will soon be a thing of the past. + +Perhaps the most famous example of ever-shifting APIs is Twitter. The company initially embraced developers with a very open set of APIs which played a key part in popularizing the fledgling social network. Then Twitter abruptly changed its mind, shut them all down, locked developers out and killed off most the ecosystem that had developed. Later Twitter seemed to reverse course slightly and begrudgingly allowed a select few big names privileged access, but by then most developers seemed to have learned the lesson -- don't build a business on the Twitter API. + +There's much ink spilled in the tech press about the "permanence" of things on the web, but for developers at least the lesson of the web is about transience, not permanence. Easy come, easy go. + +What's perhaps most curious about all this that developers keep coming back for more. In the not too distant future Yahoo will announce some new service with a new set of APIs -- presumably related to "search, communications and digital content" -- that will convince hundreds, maybe even thousands of developers to jump in and start building things that rely on whatever APIs and tools this new service offers. + +Even if perhaps, as with Twitter, developers are done with Yahoo, there will be something that gets us. Even as I write this eager developers are busy incorporating Google's new Photos service into their apps. + +Why do we as developers keep falling for the same song and dance? A new API or service appears, we embrace it with wide-eyed enthusiasm only to have it shut down a few years later. + +If you've been using internet services for long enough, relying on APIs that change or disappear, whole services that get shut down or entire companies that just fold up and move on, you necessarily develop some cynicism about anything new. The Register's recent headline about Google's new Photos service captures this sentiment perfectly: "<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/29/google_photos_free_storage/">Google spins up 'FREE, unlimited' cloud photo storage 4 years before ad giant nixes it</a>." + +So why, even with the experience of disappearing services and APIs, do we continue to use these services and APIs? + +In many cases the applications built atop these services and APIs are equally ephemeral. Many developers building with Yahoo Pipes have long since ceased working on their projects anyway. The same is true of many other shuttered APIs. The impermanence of APIs and free web services is matched only by the impermanence of the applications that depend on them. + +Then there's the free part. Nothing seems to entice quite like free. It doesn't take a whole lot of experience or business savvy to know that depending on free commercial services you have no control over to build your critical infrastructure is probably a bad idea. But hey, it is free. If you're a small time developer without a big bankroll to fund your app you don't have a choice, you use what you can. + +These services and APIs are usually far easier to use and make for far quicker development time. + +It's not that developers never learn, it's that you have to start somewhere and the world of free services and APIs seems like -- and often is -- a convenient springboard from which to test your ideas. + +Many developers live by the motto release early, release often. You get from zero to 1.0 a lot faster if you take what's already sitting on the shelf, ready to go. Even if the plan is to roll your own once your app has gained some actual users, by then it's often too late. The free services are embedded at a low level and going back and changing them is time consuming, costly and usually invisible to your users who are clamoring for more new features on their end. + +Next thing you know two years have passed and your application is still relying on the soon-to-disappear Yahoo Maps API. Maybe you scramble to swap it out with something else, but that something else will probably be another commercial API offered as a free service. You can swap one king for another, but you'll still be serving at someone's pleasure. + +You could argue that in some cases there open source alternatives. In the maps example there's Open Street Map of course, but there's no open source version of Pipes. Nor is there an open source version of every other shuttered API out there. And open source projects are ultimately just as vulnerable to disappearing. Projects lose steam, core developers move on and pretty soon you're left with code that hasn't been updated in years. + +The advantage with open source is that you can take the code and continue to develop it yourself. + +It would be nice if there were an open source equivalent for every new service or API that pops up, but there isn't and there never will be. Developers will continue to use services that will continue to disappear leaving users continually disappointed and without the tools they've come to depend on. This appears to be, for now anyway, just the way of the web. diff --git a/published/yearofnolinuxtablet.otl b/published/yearofnolinuxtablet.otl new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a16aeb1 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/yearofnolinuxtablet.otl @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +Year of the Linux tablet is never going to happen + Technically Android is linux, but it's not really + There are already linux tablets + rebranded android tablets with linux booted from an SD card don't count + Windows 8 tablets + The hardware for running linux on a tablet doesn't really exist. + Sure you can get it running, but it certainly isn't going to show up in major retailers + Win 8 tablet experience taught me that I didn't want what I though I wanted + Full Windows 8 desktop on a tablet is miserable + The only way the tablet is usable is in Metro mode + What's going to be awesome is a touch optimized laptop running touch-optimized Linux + touch on some of the things from coding horror diff --git a/published/yearofnolinuxtablet.txt b/published/yearofnolinuxtablet.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..545c714 --- /dev/null +++ b/published/yearofnolinuxtablet.txt @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +The year of the Linux tablet is, like the year of the Linux desktop, destined to never arrive. That doesn't mean we won't see Linux on a tablet, but you'll see Linux on a tablet the way you see it on the desktop -- clinging to a tiny percentage of the market. + +There is of course Android, which does use a Linux kernel somewhere under all that Java, but when Canonical or Red Hat talk about building Linux tablets, obviously Android is not what they have in mind. + +For most, the dream of a Linux tablet means running a distro like Ubuntu, Mint or Fedora on some sort of tablet hardware. + +Indeed, intrepid users have already hacked Linux onto Android tablets. But the first shipping Linux tablet looks like it will be the $99 "<a href="http://www.pengpod.com/">PengPod</a>," a Frankentablet that will run both Android and Linux proper. The PengPod will, assuming its creators follow through with their plans, arrive in buyers' hands in January of 2013. + +Unfortunately the PengPod seems doomed to mediocrity. The PengPod was funded through the Kickstarter-like site Indiegogo which ensures that a market, however small, does indeed exist. But the device itself looks like little more than an off-brand Android tablet with Linux running from a micro SD card (there is also an option to have Linux pre-installed on the internal flash, but those aren't shipping right away). + +The PengPod may well satisfy the enthusiasts who backed it, but it's hardly going to make a flagship example of Linux excellence in a brand new form factor. + +In fact the best evidence that there's never going to be a year of the Linux tablet is that it doesn't even look like there's going to be a year of the Windows tablet. + +Microsoft's Surface tablet effort is not, according to <a href="http://insights.chitika.com/2012/microsoft-surface-report/">early numbers</a> and a plethora of <a href="http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/26/microsoft-surface-tablet-apple-ipad/">anecdotal evidence</a>, flying off the shelves and hardware manufacturers don't seem to be rushing out the Windows 8 tablets. + +So far, despite Microsoft's best efforts, the tablet world is still very much orbiting the twin stars of iOS and Android. + +Having used a Samsung Windows 8 tablet for a few months, I have a theory as to why: you think you want a full desktop computer on your tablet -- I certainly did -- but you don't. It simply doesn't work. + +In the case of Windows 8 you can blame some of the "not working" on the buggy, incomplete software that is Windows 8, but not all of the problems can be attributed to a shortcoming of touch APIs. + +Much of what makes a full desktop interface terrible on a touch screen tablet is simply that the whole desktop paradigm was never designed to be used on a tablet and it shows. The Metro interface for Windows 8 is excellent; different, but in my experience really well done. + +Where Windows 8 on a tablet falls apart is when you try to bring the software keyboard to the traditional desktop interface on a tablet. The software keyboard takes up half the screen, which makes even simple tasks difficult. How to you rename a file and move it? First you tap it to select it, then you tap the button to bring up the keyboard, then you type, then you touch away the keyboard, then you touch the file again. It isn't just awkward and slow; it's downright antagonizing. + +Contrast that with the iPad, which, though it also lacks a hardware keyboard, was designed from the ground up with a software keyboard in mind. Likewise the Windows 8 Metro experience is so much better than the traditional interface that you'll find yourself groaning whenever an app dumps you out of Metro into the desktop. + +The same thing will happen if you just port Linux over to a tablet -- even the new GNOME Shell and Unity interfaces have not really been designed for touch. Pair a Linux tablet with a hardware keyboard and mouse and you'd have a great little three-piece laptop replacement. Take away the extra hardware and you've got a recipe for frustration. The different form factor requires more than porting the OS to different hardware, it requires rethinking how everything works. + +Android and iOS, whatever faults they may have, at least got this right. And therein lies the real problem for desktop Linux tablets -- Android is already better. + +While that probably won't stop Canonical from producing an Ubuntu tablet -- founder Mark Shuttleworth says the company is already in talks with hardware makers -- but it will likely mean that Ubuntu tablets will remain a niche product at best. + +If not the year of the Linux tablet then what can Linux fans look forward to in 2013? There is a device which just might fit the bill for many a Linux user who thinks they're dreaming of a Linux tablet -- the touchscreen laptop. + +The touchscreen laptop is exactly the place for an only slightly tweaked OS -- touch "optimized" if you will -- can succeed. When it's more convenient to touch the screen you can, but when you need to type there's a keyboard available. It may fly in the face of *nix philosophy -- do one thing well -- but the hybrid just might be the future of Linux in your lap. |
