news 28 Posted February 17, 2014 Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 355 for the week February 10 - 16, 2014. == Links to UWN == * Wiki page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue355 == In This Issue == * Next UDS: 11 - 13 March 2014 * Losing graciously * Welcome New Members and Developers * Ubuntu Stats * Interim Report on 2014 Census Effort * German Ubucon in Katlenburg * On Community Sentiment * Elizabeth Krumbach Joseph: 5 ways to get involved today: Ubuntu User Support and Testing * Rohan Garg: New Touchpad management app in Kubuntu 14.04 * Mark Shuttleworth: All Star 'Buntu * Jono Bacon: Forward Momentum in the Ubuntu App Developer Platform * Ubuntu Classroom: March 2nd is Ubuntu Documentation Day in the Classroom! * Alan Bell: Ubuntu and Privacy and how it really works now. * Xubuntu: Reporting is caring * Ubuntu GNOME: Testing - The Clock is Ticking * Lubuntu Blog: Community wallpaper contest * Expansion of Valve free games offer to Ubuntu developers * Community Council Statement on Canonical Package Licensing * Canonical News * China switches on to Ubuntu in hunt for Windows XP successor * In The Blogosphere * Other Articles of Interest * Featured Audio and Video * Monthly Team Reports: January 2014 * Upcoming Meetings and Events * Updates and Security for 10.04, 12.04, 12.10 and 13.10 * And much more! == General Community News == === Next UDS: 11 - 13 March 2014 === Jono Bacon announces the dates of the next Ubuntu Developer Summit, Tuesday 11th March 2014 to Thursday 13th March 2014. Jono provides a link to propose a session, and asks that all sessions are scheduled by Friday 21st February 2014. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/community-announce/2014-February/000017.html === Losing graciously === Mark Shuttleworth writes that the Debian technical committee has settled the question of init for Debian in favor of systemd. As a result, he writes that Ubuntu too will make the move to systemd and that he will ask members of the Ubuntu community to help implement the decision. http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1316 This news was also followed closely in the press and blogs: * Ubuntu to ditch Upstart and switch to systemd - http://www.muktware.com/2014/02/ubuntu-ditch-upstart-switch-systemd/21036 * Ubuntu To Switch to Systemd As Default Following Debian Decision - http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/02/ubuntu-debian-switching-systemd * Ubuntu To Abandon Upstart, Switch To Systemd - http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTYwNDE === Welcome New Members and Developers === * Artur Rona - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ArturRona/MOTUApplicationNEW https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-news-team/2014-February/001940.html == Ubuntu Stats == === Bug Stats === * Open (107925) +23 over last week * Critical (168) -7 over last week * Unconfirmed (52757) +167 over last week As always, the Bug Squad needs more help. If you want to get started, please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad === Ask Ubuntu Top 5 Questions this week === ==== Most Active Questions ==== * Ubuntu loading weird http://askubuntu.com/questions/421902/ubuntu-loading-weird * Problems working with Broadcom 4352 Wireless card http://askubuntu.com/questions/421830/problems-working-with-broadcom-4352-wireless-card * UFW, IPv6, and HTTPS http://askubuntu.com/questions/421918/ufw-ipv6-and-https * SME client disconnects very quickly http://askubuntu.com/questions/421917/sme-client-disconnects-very-quickly * Huawei 3G modem disconnects after successful connection http://askubuntu.com/questions/142856/huawei-3g-modem-disconnects-after-successful-connection ==== Top Voted New Questions ==== * How can I remove a file that looks like a flag? http://askubuntu.com/questions/419137/ * Why is 60 a good swappiness for servers? http://askubuntu.com/questions/420026/ * ssh never ask for a password http://askubuntu.com/questions/419546/ * In gedit, what is the "file browser panel" plugin and what does it do? http://askubuntu.com/questions/420048/ * How can I run "apt-get install" in the background? http://askubuntu.com/questions/421807/ People Contributing the best questions and answers this week: Avinash Raj (http://askubuntu.com/users/202806/avinash-raj), davidbaumann (http://askubuntu.com/users/238179/davidbaumann), amrith92 (http://askubuntu.com/users/115835/amrith92), Sneetsher (http://askubuntu.com/users/26246/sneetsher) and Oli (http://askubuntu.com/users/449/oli) Ask (and answer!) your own questions at http://askubuntu.com == LoCo News == === Interim Report on 2014 Census Effort === Stephen Michael Kellat provides an interim report from the LoCo Council about their recent census which saw 156 teams contacted out of a potential 161. Stephen says many contacts resulted in replies noting that the teams existed as mere shells, and notes that only 47 teams are currently eligible for disc distributions of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. http://lococouncil.ubuntu.com/2014/02/16/interim-report-on-2014-census-effort/ === German Ubucon in Katlenburg === Sujeevan Vijayakumaran writes about the upcoming 8th German Ubucon in Gottingen, Germany, past German Ubucons and what to expect this year. http://svij.org/blog/2014/02/15/german-ubucon-in-katlenburg/ === On Community Sentiment === Benjamin Kerensa give us his views on the LoCo Council's interim report on their census efforts of Ubuntu LoCo teams. Benjamin believes that the Ubuntu local communities can be vibrant again and concludes his post by saying "We need to bring back the culture where community was one of the most important aspects of Ubuntu." http://benjaminkerensa.com/2014/02/16/community-sentiment == Ubuntu Cloud News == === Apache Syncope Sponsor, Tirasa, shows instant IDM on Juju === Maarten Ectors explains the interaction between Tirasa, Apache Syncope and Juju. http://insights.ubuntu.com/news/apache-syncope-sponsor-tirasa-shows-instant-idm-on-juju/ == The Planet == === Rohan Garg: New Driver Manager for Kubuntu === Rohan Garg explains the new ubuntu-drivers-common package, how and why to install it in Kubuntu. http://kshadeslayer.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/new-driver-manager-for-kubuntu/ === Elizabeth Krumbach Joseph: 5 ways to get involved today: Ubuntu User Support and Testing === Elizabeth Krumbach Joseph continues her series of posts about getting involved with Ubuntu. Elizabeth's first post this week deals with user support while her second deals with ISO testing and running testcases. http://princessleia.com/journal/?p=9074 & http://princessleia.com/journal/?p=9077 === Rohan Garg: New Touchpad management app in Kubuntu 14.04 === Rohan Garg writes that along with new driver management tools in Kubuntu, there is a new tool for managing a touchpad. The Kubuntu team thanks Alexander Mezin for all his hard work in GSoC on kde-touchpad. http://kshadeslayer.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/new-touchpad-management-app-in-kubuntu-14-04/ === Ubuntu GNOME: What Ubuntu GNOME Has Learned from Linus Torvalds === Ali Linx tells us that the Ubuntu GNOME team shares five important lessons it has learned from Linus Torvalds, and once again encourages you to join them. Ubuntu GNOME continues to see rapid growth and success in building a new Ubuntu community centered on GNOME Shell. http://ubuntugnome.org/linus/ === Mark Shuttleworth: All Star 'Buntu === Mark Shuttleworth writes about the time he's spent recently with each of the four main flavors of Ubuntu which he tracks - Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Ubuntu GNOME. All four appear to be settling down from periods of upheaval and change for solid LTS releases, and he encourages everyone to move to Trusty and assist in the testing. http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/1314 === Jono Bacon: Forward Momentum in the Ubuntu App Developer Platform === Jono Bacon gives us a rundown on the current state of key sections of the Ubuntu App Developer Platform, including HTML5, SDK and desktop integration. After a sprint in Orlando last week there are many changes large and small in the works. http://www.jonobacon.org/2014/02/13/forward-momentum-in-the-ubuntu-app-developer-platform/ === Ubuntu Classroom: March 2nd is Ubuntu Documentation Day in the Classroom! === Ubuntu Classroom and the Ubuntu Documentation and Manual teams are excited to announce they are teaming up for a day of documentation-related Classroom sessions on March 2nd. Starting at 16:00 UTC with Elizabeth Krumbach Joseph giving a tour of the current resources available, followed by a session from team contributors on contributing to each. http://ubuntuclassroom.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/march-2nd-is-ubuntu-documentation-day-in-the-classroom/ === Alan Bell: Ubuntu and Privacy and how it really works now. === Alan Bell explains again how the Unity dash works, and the privacy concerns related to it, Amazon and the many other services now available via the dash, including Etsy, Grooveshark, Songster, Yelp, and many, many others. http://www.theopensourcerer.com/2014/02/ubuntu-and-privacy-and-how-it-really-works-now/ === Jonathan Riddell: No Licence Needed for Kubuntu Derivative Distributions === Jonathan Riddell writes that there is no license needed for Kubuntu derivative distributions. With the recent release of vague and apologetic licensing statements from Canonical related to Ubuntu licensing, derivatives, etc they felt the community would appreciate such a clear statement from Kubuntu. http://blogs.kde.org/2014/02/14/no-licence-needed-kubuntu-derivative-distributions === Xubuntu: Reporting is caring === The Xubuntu team writes about motivating its users to start running and reporting tests and summarize the tests reported on the package and ISO trackers. After telling us that on average Xubuntu gets tested by around 20 people before release but then gets used by thousands after release, the team ask Xubuntu users to consider "giving back." http://xubuntu.org/news/reporting-is-caring/ === Ubuntu GNOME: Ubuntu GNOME Official Members Requirements === Ali Linx describes the process of becoming an Ubuntu GNOME team member. Ali's post includes a number of links to the requirements to become a member, explains the "90-days-policy", and what to do if your membership expires. http://ubuntugnome.org/official-members-requirements/ === Ubuntu GNOME: Testing - The Clock is Ticking === Ali Linx writes "We do need to be ready and keep testing if Ubuntu GNOME Community wishes to participate to Beta 1" in his appeal for testing of the current Ubuntu GNOME development release. http://ubuntugnome.org/testing-the-clock-is-ticking/ === Lubuntu Blog: Community wallpaper contest === Rafael Laguna announces the start of the Lubuntu wallpaper contest by saying "Please, feel free to join us at Flickr and upload your creation. The best 5 will become part of Lubuntu 14.04 distro." Rafael links to the Flickr site where the rules can be found. http://lubuntublog.blogspot.com/2014/02/community-wallpaper-contest.html == Other Community News == === Expansion of Valve free games offer to Ubuntu developers === Neil McGovern makes the announcement that Valve has expanded its offer of free games from all Debian developers to all developers of Ubuntu. Collabora is administering the distribution of keys, to request yours contact Jo Shields with a PGP signed email. https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-announce/2014-February/001079.html === Community Council Statement on Canonical Package Licensing === http://fridge.ubuntu.com/2014/02/13/community-council-statement-on-canonical-package-licensing/ Since this posting, there have also been a couple of follow ups from community members: * Charles Profitt: Binaries and copyright and trademarks, oh my. - http://ftbeowulf.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/binaries-and-copyright-and-trademarks-oh-my/ * Oliver Grawert: The recent Ubuntu Community Council marketing drivel about Mint ... or how to put your foot into it with a run-up - http://ograblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/the-recent-ubuntu-community-council-marketing-drivel-about-mint-or-how-to-put-your-foot-into-it-with-a-run-up/ == Canonical News == === Canonical Design Team: A bit of summer in the middle of winter === Vesa Rautiainen writes about the Canonical Design Team's trip to Cape Town, South Africa in mid-January when London's weather was at its worst for Client Platform Sprint, and a bit of sightseeing. http://design.canonical.com/2014/02/a-bit-of-summer-in-the-middle-of-winter/ === Smart joins Ubuntu Carrier Advisory Group === Smart Communications, Inc the leading wireless provider in the Philippines has joined Ubuntu's Carrier Advisory Group. Smart joins other leading operators from around the world, including Vodafone, Three, Deutsche Telekom and Verizon among others. Members of the advisory board are given early access to Ubuntu's smartphone roadmap, prototype trials and market rollout information. http://insights.ubuntu.com/news/press-releases/smart-joins-ubuntu-carrier-advisory-group/ === Ubuntu Kylin booms in China with over 1,300,000 downloads in less than 6 months === Jon Melamut writes about the booming popularity of Ubuntu Kylin in China. Thanks to a partnerships with Chinese organisations, Ubuntu Kylin is optimized to the needs of Chinese users including a full Chinese user interface, applications, the Chinese lunar calendar, and Kingsoft WPS. With strong initial growth of 1,300,000+ downloads of its second release, Ubuntu Kylin is sure to have a bright future in China. http://insights.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-kylin-booms-in-china-with-over-1300000-downloads-in-less-than-6-months/ === Canonical/Ubuntu Enables Instant NFV === Maarten Ectors writes: "For backend network infrastructure, new developments are focused around Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) which allows sophisticated network services to be delivered rapidly without the need for specialized hardware. Ubuntu OpenStack and open source orchestration solutions enable instant NFV. With Ubuntu, NFV solutions can be instantly deployed, integrated and scaled on any public cloud, private cloud or bare-metal server." And gives readers who attend the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) details on how to contact them for a demo. http://insights.ubuntu.com/news/canonicalubuntu-enables-instant-nfv/ == In The Press == === Ubuntu store apps won't work across mobile and desktop in 14.04 === Jon Brodkin of Ars Technica reminds us that while an app can run across phones, tablets, and PCs, you won't actually find it in the PC version of the Ubuntu Software Centre right now. Jon says that Unity 8, which is already powering Ubuntu for phones and will power Ubuntu for tablets in Ubuntu 14.04, won't be available for desktops until at least Ubuntu 14.10. http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/02/ubuntu-store-apps-wont-work-across-mobile-and-desktop-in-14-04/ === China switches on to Ubuntu in hunt for Windows XP successor === Nick Heath of ZDNet writes about the growing popularity of Ubuntu Kylin, stating "China's homegrown version of the Linux Ubuntu OS has racked up more than one million downloads in half a year" and exploring what this means for the impending End of Life of Windows XP. http://www.zdnet.com/china-switches-on-to-ubuntu-in-hunt-for-windows-xp-successor-7000026355/ == In The Blogosphere == === Valve Is Now Giving Away Their Games To Ubuntu Developers === Michael Larabel of Phoronix that Valve's program of giving free access to Steam for Debian developers has been extended to Ubuntu developers. Michael tells us that Collabora is administering the program, and Share this post Link to post
