Linux Distributions

While the unusual codenames for the various releases of Ubuntu Linux probably keep putting a little smile on the face of every "corporate IT"-guy's face, the sheer stability and power of that popular Linux distribution will very quickly disperse that look with one of awe and respect.

The new 7.10 release is out for some days now - including the drivative Kubuntu 7.10, which I also just used to upgrade a machine here in my office.

The latest release uses Gnome 2.20 as its window manager (Kubuntu still uses KDE 3.5.8, but the new KDE 4 packages are already available), and on newer hardware automatically enables 3D desktop effects via Compiz Fusion. Also new is a desktop search applet that is now included in the default installation, fast user session switching without the need to enter your username and password all the time, AppArmor security framework, full read and write access to NTFS partitions, improved thin client (LTSP) support, and much more.

Kubuntu has added Dolphin as the new default file manager, and uses Strigi as the desktop search engine.

Both Ubuntu 7.10 as well as Kubuntu 7.10 also come bundled with the new Open Office 2.3 version, which comes with a large list of new features too. Since Open Office can also read and write MS Office formats, any Ubuntu or Kubuntu version basically can be used as a 1:1 replacement for Windows and Office - but at virtually no cost, save for the download bandwidth required.

I run both Kubuntu 7.10 as well as Ubuntu 7.10 on two older machines (Kubuntu on an Athlon 64 3500+ with 1.5 GB RAM and a PCI-Express graphics card with nvidia chipset, Ubuntu on an even older Intel Celeron D with 2.88 Mhz and just 1 GB of RAM), and as can be expected, the smaller machine running Gnome isn't really that much slower than the faster Athlon 64 running with a 3D desktop active - pretty impressive feat indeed. Tests on even smaller systems (only 512 MB and in one case only 256 MB of RAM) also show that Linux is still a good choice when it comes to "upgrading" older machines with a more powerfull operating system.

A new installation takes round about 45-60 minutes on a faster machine, upgrading the older machine directly from within Ubuntu 7.04 took about an hour. Thereafter you may wish to download the latest updates, depending on your available Internet bandwidth that step obviously varies in time, but I had both machines updated and running again after less than 30 minutes each (mind you, that's with a 16 MBit/sec DSL line - you will wait ages and then some if you still work via modem...).

So don't be afraid of the "Gutsy Gibbon" - he certainly won't bite

Damn Small Linux (aka. DSL) has just released Version 4.0 of it small-footprint Linux distribution.

Apart from some bugfixes, the new version also incorporates some new pieces of software, including tools for easier network configuration and printing.

The really cool thing about DSL is that it doesn't make a lot of demands on the hardware it runs on - an old 486DX-100 with just 16 MByte of RAM is already sufficient, plus it can run as a live distribution already from a credit card sized "business card CD" or optionally a USB stick / pen drive, so in essence you can take your Linux along wherever you go.

Since it's based on Debian Linux, which is also the preferred base for the Ubuntu Linux distribution, this small marvel proves to be a very stable "small scale" rendition of a Linux distribution.

You can download DSL here - just select a mirror close to your location, in Namibia that would probably be the fourth on the list: the FTP Server from Internet Solutions in South Africa.

Just yesterday, the offical release of Ubuntu 7.04, codenamed "Feisty Fawn", has been made available from the website of Canonical Ltd., the commerical South African sponsor of this Linux distribution.

From their announcement on the above mentioned website:

Ubuntu is the award-winning Linux distribution for the desktop, laptop, thin client and server which brings together the best of open source software every 6 months. Ubuntu 7.04 desktop edition includes a ground-breaking Windows migration assistant, excellent wireless networking support and improved multimedia support.

Ubuntu 7.04 server edition adds support for hardware facilities that speed up the use of virtual machines as well as other improved hardware support, making it an excellent choice as a web, database, file and print server, the fastest growing area of Linux server use. Ubuntu's already outstanding support for thin clients is boosted with advanced print and sound support.

"In the coming months, many individuals and businesses will be making the decision to upgrade their existing computer systems and their operating systems," said Jane Silber, director of Operations, Canonical Ltd. "With added features to both the desktop and server editions, Ubuntu 7.04 is the most user-friendly version to date and is ideally suited to anyone who wants to make the switch to Linux and join the community of Ubuntu users. In fact, with this version of Ubuntu, it is easier than ever to move away from proprietary platforms."

At the same time as Ubuntu, the project also will release new versions of Kubuntu and Edubuntu, specialized versions of Ubuntu which include the KDE desktop environment and educational applications, respectively.

You can follow this direct download link to obtain the latest edition - or, if you already run Ubuntu on your machine, it's just a few clicks (and with a slow connection: a loooong wait for the download) through the system updater.

If you contemplate updating your PC to Vista, you might also want to have a look at the "Live CD" version of Ubuntu (you should use a fast CD/DVD-ROM though - these drives are still considerably slower than even the slowest of harddisks these days) - it may give you the idea that Windows isn't everything, and may also convince you to spend less on new hardware (which is most likely required when you update to Vista) and more on learning how to use a truly stable operating system.

The451group recently conducted an Interveiw with Mark Shuttleworth (founder of Ubuntu Linux and Canonical CEO) about the future of Ubuntu Dapper Drake, Linux on the Desktop and the adoption of Linux in the enterprise environment.

Ubuntu is a word from the Zulu language meaning "I am because we are; we are because I am" - in other words, it describes what we commonly refer to as a "community effort".

Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. It is developed by a large community and they invite us to participate too.

The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Philosophy: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.

These freedoms make Ubuntu fundamentally different from traditional proprietary software: not only are the tools you need available free of charge, you have the right to modify your software until it works the way you want it to.

Ubuntu is suitable for both desktop and server use. The current Ubuntu release supports PC (Intel x86), 64-bit PC (AMD64) and PowerPC (Apple iBook and Powerbook, G4 and G5) architectures.

Ubuntu includes more than 16,000 pieces of software, but the core desktop installation fits on a single CD.

With some two months delay, the OpenSuse project has finally released version 10.1 of the popular distribution. The delay was aparently caused by the new software management system which combines the administration of the packets, all updates and all patches into one single tool - previous versions had individual tools for each of these tasks.

Quite an eye-catcher ist the inclusion of Xgl that has just recently gone Open Source again. Xgl is an OpenGL based X-Server that allows rather stunning desktop effects, as can only be glimpesd at on this Xgl Screenshots library, which shows you Xgl in action together with its extension, the Compiz window manager.

As with all new distributions, you obviously also get more current versions of the other packages included: Kernel 2.6.16, glibc-2.4, gcc 4.1.0, KDE 3.5.1, Firefox 1.5, OpenOffice 2.0.2 are all included. However with Gnome 2.12 and Xorg 6.9 there are still at least two packages that could be more up to date, but that's the usual problem of every distribution: not everything will be the most current version.