Archive:weekly news 113

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Welcome to issue # 113 of openSUSE Weekly News

In this Week:

Announcements

Pavol Rusnak: Announcing Connect!: "During the last openSUSE Conference we (Benji, Brent, Bryen, Francis, Michal, Petr, Stephen and me) had a brainstorming meeting about social aspects of our community. We were able to come up with lots of ideas and I want to thank all of you for your participation!; We felt that openSUSE is missing something similar than Ubuntu Launchpad or Fedora Community. The discussion happened two months after Canonical released their Launchpad sources to the public, so I had time to investigate both these solutions before the Conference (Fedora stuff was of course open-sourced from the start). Unfortunately, it turned out that none of these existing solutions were good for us. :-("

In the Community

Will Stephenson: cd tokamak4; make uninstall && make clean: "t’s Friday again already and the longest week of my life is over. It’s certainly been one of the most inspiring. Seeing nearly thirty expert KDE developers hammering out reams of code, artwork and design all over the workspace and further down the stack at all hours has been thrilling and has kept me serving their needs better than any amount of caffeine.; Now Tokamak 4 is over. The last few visitors are leaving and I’ve been calling taxis, tidying out the offices and dismantling networks. I’m looking forward to seeing the results in improvements to KDE SC 4.5. Yesterday we made a series of short videos explaining what we’ve been working on that will be published over the course of next week."
Andrew Wafaa: openSUSE & Google Summer of Code 2010: "The wonderful Vincent has already sent the initial call for participation, so who’s up for it then?; OK I’ll take it that there are several hands raised in the audience (I reckon I’m being overly cautious, I’m sure there are loads of hands up but as I don’t have my glasses on I can only see the first two rows). So what do we need from our lovely community to help make GSoC 2010 a success?"
Klaas Freitag: A Green Rock: "Working as a manager sometimes has not so nice days, but tomorrow it will be a really great day. Novell HR has asked me to celebrate a team members ten years anniversary with Novell. That means fun and a present since ten years is a long time, yes, quite a long time for IT industry.; The guy who comes in to S.u.S.E, SuSE and Novell every day since exactly ten years now is Henne. You all know him. He is the guy who helps you with your multimedia problem, the man who finally dries your tears when your package does not build and the one who is first at breakfast after he kicked the last hackers to bed the night before. Of course looking fresh like a new born baby and with the energy of a power plant. Whenever there is work to be done in openSUSE, one can rely on Hennes advice and helping hand."

Status Updates

Distribution

Andrea Florio: openSUSE-LXDE development status: "yes… it’s done… openSUSE 11.3 allow now to install LXDE directly from installation DVD or Net install. I’m sure all of you reading this post wants to try it, but for lazy people (and i know there are a lot of them outside), just click here and watch some pictures."
Andrew Wafaa: Operation Factory - getting Moblin into openSUSE: "f anyone has been following my tweets/dents, you will have noticed that I sporadically mention something about "Operation Factory" followed by a pile of tags. Well for the curious, Operation Factory is basically getting the latest and greatest Moblin into openSUSE."

Boosters Team

Standup Meeting 2010/03/02: "This sprint was going from February 16th to March 2nd. Both old milestones are progressing nicely. First content pops up in wiki.opensuse.org and more and more web-apps get ported to bento. The openFATE milestone is in desperate need for a kick-off in general and especially in retrospectiva so people can understand it. All the general stuff is very much on track and Google Summer of Code looms on the horizon."
Bento-Theme implementation approach: "I would like to share some impressions and thoughts with you about the ongoing bento-theme implementation to opensuse.org."

Wiki / Communication / Events

Stephan Kulow: http://software.opensuse.org/stage: "Part of our “umbrella” milestone, Pavol and Robert ported software.opensuse.org to the Bento theme. To get more feedback for it, I now deployed it as http://software.opensuse.org/stage.; Please note two things:; * it also includes a new feature from the Education project: a link to openSUSE derivates; * the language box is experimental and we kind of decided already to kill it again; On top of that of course: the Bento theme is not yet finished – it’s only a stage deployment to get feedback."

Tips and Tricks

For Desktop Users

Richard Bos: Additional packages that are needed to get skype working on openSUSE_11.2 x86_64: "When you want to use skype on a 64bit openSUSE 11.x system, there are some additional rpms needed, to get skype going. The following packages are needed:; * xorg-x11-libXv-32bit; * libqt4-32bit; * libqt4-x11-32bit; Those packages will pull in others, but those 3 will take care that all packages are available to run skype. The package can be installed using zypper:

zypper install xorg-x11-libXv-32bit libqt4-32bit libqt4-x11-32bit

Linux Journal/Bruce Byfield: Working with Graphics Text in OpenOffice.org: "One of the least understood features of OpenOffice.org is graphics text. People understand vaguely that it differs from regular text, but exactly how it differs or why anyone should care is mostly unknown. However, if you know the distinction, graphics text can work for you in ways that regular text cannot."

For Commandline/Script Newbies

Linux.com/Joe Brockmeier: Beginner's Guide to Nmap: "Ever wondered how attackers know what ports are open on a system? Or how to find out what services a computer is running without just asking the site admin? You can do all this and more with a handy little tool called Nmap.; What is Nmap? Short for "network mapper," nmap is a veritable toolshed of functionality to perform network scans. It can be used for security scans, simply to identify what services a host is running, to "fingerprint" the operating system and applications on a host, the type of firewall a host is using, or to do a quick inventory of a local network. It is, in short, a very good tool to know."

For Developers and Programmers

LenZ Grimmer: Building MySQL Server with CMake on Linux/Unix: "CMake is a cross-platform, open-source build system, maintained by Kitware, Inc.; From the CMake.org home page:

CMake is a family of tools designed to build, test and package software. CMake is used to control the software compilation process using simple platform and compiler independent configuration files. CMake generates native makefiles and workspaces that can be used in the compiler environment of your choice.

It has been used for building the MySQL Server on Windows since MySQL 5.0 – the initial CMake build support was added in August 2006."

For System Administrators

Adam Palmer: netfilter/iptables split access with multiple ISPs: "Quite a while back, I posted article http://www.adamsinfo.com/extending-tc-and-iproute2-linux-routing-split-access-multiple-uplinks-multiple-isps-iptables-masquerading/; The article focuses on using the standard iproute2 tool to allow the box to attempt to balance traffic over multiple uplinks with multiple default routes. While relatively easy to set up, it has a few problems:..."

Fred Blaise: HOWTO: Bonita and LDAP authentication: "This how-to is written in the hope that it will help souls in achieving basic LDAP login with Bonita User Experience, using EJB3. This how-to is written based on the thread at http://www.bonitasoft.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2397. It is working for me, but it may not for you. Please post your questions on the Bonita forums, many eyes will look at your issue and try to help you."

Innovations Technology Solutions: Device Or Resource Busy Errors In Linux: "When you try to access an object on a Linux file system that is in use, you may get an error telling you that the device or resource you want is busy. When this happens, you may see a message like the one in Listing 1. ..."

HowtoForge/Falko Timme: How To Set Up WebDAV With Lighttpd On OpenSUSE 11.2: "This guide explains how to set up WebDAV with lighttpd on an OpenSUSE 11.2 server. WebDAV stands for Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning and is a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allow users to directly edit files on the lighttpd server so that they do not need to be downloaded/uploaded via FTP. Of course, WebDAV can also be used to upload and download files."

New/Updated Applications @ openSUSE

Brad Taylor: Mono Accessibility 2.0 unleashed!: "Today, I'm proud to announce the 2.0 release of the Mono Accessibility project. Spanning a year of intensive work and fixing over 500 bugs, this is truly our best release ever.; This release enables all types of users to access System.Windows.Forms and Silverlight applications from Linux using Orca and other ATK-based Assistive Technologies (ATs), as well as access Linux applications from UI Automation (UIA) based ATs."
Klaas Freitag: Kraft 0.40 Beta 1 for KDE 4 available: "The Kraft team is happy to announce the first beta version of Kraft version 0.40. This is the first version of Kraft based on the KDE 4 platform. It is the result of a very long porting effort but has now reached a state where we can, after a short beta cycle, release a stable version of Kraft for KDE 4. It will be nearly feature equal to version 0.32 for KDE 3.; One of the new features of Kraft 0.40 makes the setup of Kraft easier. The file based sqlite database was added in addition to the mysql backend, so for evaluation no database server setup work is required any more. Furthermore a setup wizard that guides new users through the setup process aims to make it easier for new and unexperienced users."
Petr Mladek: OpenOffice_org 3.2.1 alpha1 available for openSUSE: "I’m happy to announce OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 alpha1 packages for openSUSE. They are available in the Build Service OpenOffice:org:UNSTABLE project, are based on the upstream 3.2 sources and include many Go-oo fixes and improvements. Please, look for more details about the openSUSE OOo build on the wiki page.; The packages are beta versions and might include even serious bugs. Therefore they are not intended for data-critical usage. A good practice is to archive any important data before an use, "

Projects Corner

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The corner for introducing activities of sub project *inside* openSUSE.

KDE Project

Will Stephenson: New KDE Four Live Images: "New KDE Four Live CDs with KDE 4.4.1, and much more are up."

Mono Project

Miguel de Icaza: Big Day in MonoLand: "Mark Probst found and squashed one of the hardest bugs in our upcoming garbage collector. Pablo from Codice has been testing the new GC under stress and posted a nice message to the list.; Plenty of great feedback on deprecating old libraries and tools from Mono. We will have a lighter distribution. As things are coming together so fast and we are now well into the features we had planned for 3.0, we might end up just calling the next version 3.0 instead o 2.8."

Planet SUSE

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Joe Brockmeier: Finding sources for FLOSS projects: Make it easy!: "One of the more difficult things for reporters working in the tech industry, especially those who aren't really familiar with a beat, is finding contacts for free software projects.; Increasingly, projects like GNOME or openSUSE are in mainstream news, but finding someone to "speak for" those projects can be a challenge. This is doubly true when a site has no contact information for project "leadership" or stale information for the project."
Lubos Lunak: Package KDE applications easily for multiple distributions: "Those that were at either CampKDE or FOSDEM might already know, so for those this is a status update, for the rest: I've been working on a tool that makes it quite easy to create packages in the openSUSE build service, which despite the name can create binary packages also for other distributions than openSUSE. If you've ever gotten a mail asking for a binary package of your application or help with a compile problem, this could make your life easier.; For example, imagine Joe Developer, who has written his KFoo application, uploaded it to http://kde-apps.org and is now watching what happens. But, alas, instead of thanks and praise, what often happens is that the first comment is something like "I get this compile error, can you help?" or "Are there packages for Kubuntu?"."

openSUSE Forums

Move SUSE HD to a New machine.: "This is no small undertaking and the chances of it working out well are few. Have a look at this thread and see how things turn out. Help provided by some of our top supporters."
Just Installed 11.2 and Internet very Slow: "More than a few issues with internet/network connections in 11.2 and it sure has been a problem for some newer users. Some great help here and possibly one to bookmark if you find it helpful."
Lots of Software Not Working!: "The concept of software management as in the case of openSUSE and for that matter most Linux distributions, is one which can take some time to understand, especially for migrants from that 'other' OS."
Compiling Modules against the Kernel?: "This is a scary subject for most and perhaps suitably graphic horror stories about kernel management serve to emphasise this belief. Truth is though, it's really not as bad as we might have come to believe."

On the Web

Announcements

KDE Software Compilation 4.4.1 Out Now: Codename "Clara": "March 2nd, 2010. Today, KDE has released a new version of the KDE Software Compilation (KDE SC). This month's edition of KDE SC is a bugfix and translation update to KDE SC 4.4. KDE SC 4.4.1 is a recommended upgrade for everyone running KDE SC 4.4.0 or earlier versions. As the release only contains bugfixes and translation updates, it will be a safe and pleasant update for everyone. Users around the world will appreciate that KDE SC 4.4.1 multi-language support is more complete. KDE SC 4 is already translated into more than 50 languages, with more to come."

Call for participation

Linux Journal/LJ Staff: Poll: Which linux Distro do you use frequently: Vote your Distribution

Reports

TheTechJournal/Nawal Mahmood: Firefox 4 – Updates, Roadmaps And Changes So Far: "Developers and users alike are pretty interested these days in knowing what the Mozilla developers are up to with the new Firefox 4 browser. A product roadmap was released by the foundation giving information on when to expect the next big thing: Firefox 4."
h-online/Dj Walker-Morgan: Samba 3.5 release includes experimental SMB2 support: "The Samba project has released version 3.5 of its open source SMB protocol implementation. Major changes include implementation of SMB2 (used in Windows Vista and Windows 7) and support for Windows' 100 ns resolution timestamps, where supported by the kernel and system libraries. The 100ns resolution timestamps will therefore work with Linux kernels later than 2.6.22 using glibc 2.6 or later."

Reviews and Essays

ConsortiumInfo.org/Andy Updegrove: Elliott Associates and Novell: All About a Game of Cat and Mouse: "By now you've probably read endless takes on the news that Elliott Associates, one of the oldest hedge funds, with over US $16 billion under management, has made an unsolicited offer for Novell. Almost all of these articles have focused on whether Elliott means business, what they'll do to Novell if they are successful, and whether another (and perhaps ultimately successful) bidder will enter the scene."

TechRepublic/Selena Frye: Linux and kids: What are the best ways to teach children about open source?: "A lot of the news I come across is contentious — of the Linux vs. Microsoft variety — and then there are the lawsuits, claims and counterclaims, and forum flame-throwing that go along with it. That’s why I was charmed by this little story by columnist Mike Cassidy from last week’s Southern California Linux Expo about three young girls who submitted proposals for their own presentations. Sisters Saskia and Malakai Wade (ages 8 and 12, respectively) and friend Mirano Cafiero (also age 12) talked about Gimp, TuxPaint, and OLPC XO computers. Malakai showed a stop-action Barbie video that she made with OpenShot."

Datamation/ Sean Michael Kerner: IT Security Salaries on the Rise: Study: "While many IT jobs were lost or shelved during last year's global economic recession, the downturn has had more mixed effects on the IT security industry. According to a new survey, IT security professionals' salaries rose in 2009 and are looking promising for the coming year, even as overall hiring and security budgets remain tight."

Past Events & Meetings

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March 02, 2010: CeBIT 2010

Upcoming Events & Meetings

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Security Updates

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To view the security announcements in full, or to receive them as soon as they're released, refer to the openSUSE Security Announce mailing list.

SUSE Security Announcement: Linux kernel (SUSE-SA:2010:014)

Package: kernel
Announcement ID: SUSE-SA:2010:014
Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000
Affected Products: openSUSE 11.1
SLE 11 High Availability Extension
SLE 11 SERVER Unsupported Extras
SLES 11 DEBUGINFO
SLED 11
SLES 11

SUSE Security Announcement: Mozilla Firefox (SUSE-SA:2010:015)

Package: MozillaFirefox,seamonkey
Announcement ID: SUSE-SA:2010:015
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0000
Affected Products: openSUSE 11.0
openSUSE 11.1
openSUSE 11.2
SLE SDK 10 SP2
SLE SDK 10 SP3
more affected Products can found there: http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-03/msg00001.html

Statistics

Numbers in brackets show the changes compared to the previous week.

opensuse.org

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Communication
lists.opensuse.org has 37311 (-11) non-unique subscribers to all mailing lists.
The openSUSE Forums have 42994 (+328) registered users - Most users ever online was 30559, 08-Jan-2010 at 14:06.

Contributors
4379 (+23) of 11343 (+71) registered contributors in the User Directory have signed the Guiding Principles. The board has acknowledged 395 (+0) members.

Build Service
The Build Service now hosts 11280 (+168) projects, 91095 (-95) packages, 20046 (+389) repositories by 21632 (+148) confirmed users.

openFATE

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Feature statistics for openSUSE 11.3:

total: 536 (+9)
unconfirmed: 318 (-21)
new: 10 (-22)
evaluation: 104 (+24)
candidate: 4 (+2)
done: 27 (+8)
rejected: 54 (+16)
duplicate: 19 (+2)

More information on openFATE

Bugzilla

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The numbers for all openSUSE project products are this week:

All Open Reports: 4943 (+4)
Blocker: 3 (+0)
Critical: 258 (+0)
Major: 877 (+10)
Normal: 2806 (-13)
Minor: 406 (+2)
Enhancements: 593 (+5)
Detailed Bugzilla Report – Submitting Bug Reports – Bug Reporting FAQ

Localization

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Daily updated translation statistics are available on the openSUSE Localization Portal.
Trunk Top-List – Localization Guide

openSUSE for your ears

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The openSUSE Weekly News are available as Livestream or Podcast in the German Language. You can hear it or download it on http://blog.radiotux.de/podcast .

Feedback / Communicate / Get Involved

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Credits

saigkill ^{Talk - Contributions} Sascha Manns (Editor in Chief)
Dl9pf ^{Talk - Contributions} Jan-Simon Möller (Second Editor in Chief, Main-Newsletter)
STS301 ^{Talk - Contributions} Sebastian Schöbinger (Tips/Tricks)
HeliosReds ^{Talk - Contributions} Satoru Matsumoto (Editorial Office)
Caf4926 ^{Talk - Contributions} Carl Fletcher (Main-Newsletter, Forums Sec.)
Okuro ^{Talk - Contributions} Thomas Hofstätter (Events & Meetings)
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Translations

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