Ubuntu Archive

Centralised Management with Puppet on Ubuntu

Submitted by falko 2007-03-04 Ubuntu 15 Comments

"This is a step by step tutorial on how to install the server component of Puppet (puppetmaster) on one machine, and the Puppet client (puppetd) on another. We then perform a simple test to make sure Puppet is working properly. If you're not familiar with Puppet, it's a configuration automation tool that allows you to centralize management of the various *nix flavors running on your network. Puppet supports central management of the important aspects of your systems, such as: files, packages, users, services, cron, mounts, etc."

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn 7.04 Herd 5 Released

Submitted by poningru 2007-03-02 Ubuntu 64 Comments

Herd 5 of Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn has been released (Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu). Improvements include VPN plugins for Network Manager, easier access to desktop effects (Compiz), and much more. Read about Herd 5, and download it.

From Arch to Ubuntu

Guest post by Shahar Weiss 2007-03-01 Ubuntu 72 Comments

I've been an Arch user for roughly 3 years. I'm pretty much familiar with it all - The way it boots, its configuration and its package management. I've also heard a lot of good things about Ubuntu, and wanted to try it for a long time. So, two weeks ago, I took the plunge. These are my findings.

Ubuntu ‘Feisty Fawn’ a Step Closer

Submitted by george 2007-02-28 Ubuntu 43 Comments

Ubuntu developers are finalising preparations for the release of the next version - dubbed Feisty Fawn - of the popular Linux distribution in mid-April. Overnight, Ubuntu developer Tollef Fog Heen announced Ubuntu's main software repository had been frozen - with no changes allowed to the code - as developers got ready to issue a fifth major test version ('Herd 5') of the next version of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Wants a Bigger Piece of Desktops, Servers

Thom Holwerda 2007-02-24 Ubuntu 132 Comments

The 2007 road map for the Ubuntu Linux operating system includes continuing its focus on the desktop, paying more attention to the server and garnering additional corporate support. Speaking at Ubuntu user conference UbuCon at Google's New York complex on Feb. 16, Steve George, director of support and services at Canonical, said, "The view from the Ubuntu side is that Microsoft has too much of the market. We're going to continue rolling out and making Ubuntu easy to use on the desktop and we'll add increased focus on the server this year."

MEPIS Founder Clarifies MEPIS-Ubuntu Relationship

Submitted by anonymous 2007-02-17 Ubuntu 11 Comments

"MEPIS Linux founder Warren Woodford began, a year ago, to migrate MEPIS from Debian to Ubuntu packages, and in July achieved the first Ubuntu-based simplyMEPIS release. In light of the recently announced Linspire/Ubuntu collaboration, DesktopLinux.com asked Woodford to clarify the MEPIS/Ubuntu relationship."

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn 7.04 Herd 4 Released

Submitted by Philipp Esselbach 2007-02-16 Ubuntu 23 Comments

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn 7.04 Herd 4 has been released. The Ubuntu Wiki lists all the changes for Ubuntu and Kubuntu. "Pre-releases of Feisty are not encouraged for anyone needing a stable system, or anyone who is not comfortable running into occasional, even frequent breakage. They are however recommended for Ubuntu developers and those who want to help in testing, reporting, and fixing bugs. Installing a milestone and then upgrading through the release cycle should leave you with a close approximation of the final release."

Ubuntu To Preserve Binary Driver Status Quo, Axe PowerPC Version

Guest post by John Mills 2007-02-13 Ubuntu 84 Comments

"The Ubuntu Technical Board has made two technical decisions of which we would like to inform the Ubuntu community. Both of these decisions concern the upcoming 7.04 release of Ubuntu, scheduled for mid-April." Ubuntu 7.04 will not activate binary video drivers by default, essentially meaning nothing will change from the previous releases. The second change is a major blow to the PowerPC architecture and thus owners of Apple PPC hardware: "The PowerPC edition of Ubuntu will be reclassified as unofficial. The PowerPC software itself and supporting infrastructure will continue to be available, and supported by a community team." Translation: Ubuntu PPC can shake hands with the dodo.

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn Herd 3 Released

Submitted by anonymous 2007-02-02 Ubuntu 44 Comments

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn Herd 3 has been released. Kubuntu and Edubuntu versions are available as well. There's a list of changes in Ubuntu as well as Kubuntu. Final is expected to be released in April.

Submitted by gireesh 2007-01-17 Ubuntu 82 Comments

Work has begun on a Windows-based installer for Ubuntu. "The aim of this installer is to provide an easier way for a Windows user to install Ubuntu without having to know how to burn a CD .iso, set the BIOS to boot from CD, repartition the disks, set up a multiboot system, etc. It will not replace any of the current Ubuntu installation options, and will not require that Windows is installed prior to the installation of Ubuntu." Update: Screenshots.

Submitted by brother bloat 2007-01-14 Ubuntu 31 Comments

The next alpha release of Ubuntu Feisty Fawn (Herd 2) is out. The Kubuntu announcement is here. "The Feisty Fawn Herd 2 is the second alpha release of Ubuntu 7.04, and with this new alpha release comes a whole host of excellent new features. The feature list for 7.04 has been slowly growing more exact since Feisty opened late last month." Update: Screenshots for Ubuntu and Kubuntu.

New Official Ubuntu Metapackage for Non-Free Packages

Thom Holwerda 2007-01-08 Ubuntu 30 Comments

The first screenshots have emerged of the new official Ubuntu meta package 'ubuntu-restricted-extras'. This package enables the multiverse/universe repositories (after a warning), after which it installs various non-free packages such as Flash and various codecs. The package is for the upcoming Feisty Fawn release only. More information can be found in the Wiki. Thanks to Digg.com for pointing this out.

Submitted by falko 2007-01-07 Ubuntu 38 Comments

Normally Linux systems can only read from Windows NTFS partitions, but not write to them which can be very annoying if you have to work with Linux and Windows systems. This is where ntfs-3g comes into play. ntfs-3g is an open source, freely available NTFS driver for Linux with read and write support. This tutorial shows how to install and use ntfs-3g on a Ubuntu Edgy Eft desktop to read from and write to Windows NTFS drives and partitions. It covers the usage of internal NTFS partitions (e.g. in a dual-boot environment) and of external USB NTFS drives. Additionally, one more FS-related article (How To Resize ext3 Partitions Without Losing Data), and one Ubuntu (Why Ubuntu Is Number One).

Ubuntu: 32-Bit v. 64-Bit Performance

Submitted by Michael Larabel 2006-12-29 Ubuntu 48 Comments

"While 64-bit support is now considered common for both Intel and AMD processors, many Linux (as well as Windows) users are uncertain whether to use a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system with there being advantages for both paths. With this being the last Phoronix article for 2006, we decided to take this opportunity to look at the common question of whether to use 32-bit or 64-bit software. In this article, we will be comparing the i386 and x86_64 performance with Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Eft and Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn Herd 1 to see how the numbers truly stack up."

Shuttleworth: Plan, Execute, Deliver

Thom Holwerda 2006-12-28 Ubuntu 29 Comments

Mark Shuttleworth writes: "We are a somewhat chaotic crowd, the software libre army. Thousands of projects (hundreds of thousands, if you consider Sourceforge as a reference point). Hundreds of thousands of contributing developers from virtually every country and timezone. We are a very loosely coupled bunch. But sometimes I wish it were easier to keep track of changes and have a slightly clearer view of progress across that whole galaxy." Eugenia agrees.

Submitted by falko 2006-12-19 Ubuntu 11 Comments

"This tutorial shows how to set up a PXE install server with Ubuntu 6.10. A PXE install server allows your client computers to boot and install a Linux distribution over the network, without the need of burning Linux iso images onto a CD/DVD, boot floppy images, etc. In this article I show how to configure a PXE server that allows you to boot multiple distributions: Ubuntu Edgy/Dapper, Debian Etch/Sarge, Fedora Core 6, CentOS 4.4, OpenSuSE 10.2, and Mandriva 2007."

The Dos and Don’ts of Hiring a Developer

Submitted by Matt D. 2006-12-11 Ubuntu 19 Comments

"Perhaps it's just me, but I'm having a difficult time understanding Mark Shuttleworth, the Ubuntu founder, when he figured that openly trying to recruit developers from other Linux projects was a good idea. Doing so in a mailing list in the manner that he did was, to be brutally honest, in very poor taste. As luck would have it, the response has not been too exciting thus far."

Ubuntu, King of Distros for 2006

Eugenia Loli 2006-12-09 Ubuntu 132 Comments

According to Google Trends, but also according to Distrowatch, our own statistics here at OSNews and overall sense of the industry during 2006, Ubuntu has a big leap in mind share ahead of its competition (please note that we don't dare to say "market share", although we are pretty confident that it's the most used Linux desktop out there today). The second Fedora has a very small edge ahead of SuSe (while in US is a clear second), while Debian is following fourth. Mandrake+Mandriva (add both names on Google Trends and then sum the results) is clearly way below the previous four distros, but a clear 5th nonetheless. Last year Ubuntu was only a bit ahead of the other distros worldwide, but 2006 seems to have skyrocketed the distribution in the people's minds and computers.

Submitted by Flatline 2006-12-06 Ubuntu 67 Comments

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn Herd 1 (Ubuntu 7.04 alpha 1 in English) has been released. Download links can be found in the release announcement. The Kubuntu variant has been released as well. Screenshots are available for Ubuntu as well as Kubuntu.

Locking Down Ubuntu

Submitted by Mark 2006-12-04 Ubuntu 12 Comments

"Security is an important issue in computing. Unfortunately, many computers allow a cracker to gain access to them and retrieve sensitive information, or just make life hard. This article will review the basics in general security and explain how to apply it to two Linux distributions - Ubuntu and Kubuntu."