Try out Edubuntu online from a browser

The Edubuntu Team has launched a service called Edubuntu WebLive that allows people to try out the operating system straight from the browser without downloading or installing it first. This is a good solution for people who wish to see what Edubuntu has to offer, and a smart move by the Edubuntu team that will popularize the OS.

Edubuntu WebLive is essentially a virtual machine running the latest stable release of Edubuntu on a dedicated server. A user wishing to test drive the OS can do so by logging into the machine from a web browser. All that is needed is Java to be installed and the NoMachine plugin that handles the remote connection to the server.

The user creates a temporary user account and logs in using the same. Once logged in the program runs full screen.

Edubuntu WebLive doesn't provide all the features that a Live disc does. For example, you don't have administrator access so you won't be able to use tools that are at the heart of Edubuntu's feature list such as Gnome Nanny or Pessulus, but enough for a quick preview.

The servers are located at at Frankfurt, Germany. Hence non-Europeans might experience a bit of latency. A maximum of 10 users can connect at the same time, and each user account is leased for a period of 2 hours.

It doesn’t hurt to mention that a similar try-from-the-browser service is also offered by Microsoft through Windows 7 Test Drive.

Linux becoming a threat to Windows in the enterprise

The Linux Foundation released a report today that shows Linux implementations growing within large companies over the next five years. According to PC World, the full report included data from 1900 respondents. Among the full set of 1900 companies, 76% said that they would be adding more Linux servers in the coming year. Only 41% claimed that they would be increasing their Windows server implementations. If that isn’t impressive enough, the five-year view looks even better for the open source operating system. While 79% of the surveyed said that they would be adding Linux servers over the next five years, only 21% are going with Windows. Of the companies growing their Linux infrastructure, 37% of them would be migrations from Windows products.

Before everyone jumps on the obvious sample bias argument – it is The Linux Foundation, after all – Amanda MacPherson, VP of marketing and developer programs at The Linux Foundation, believes that the open source nature of Linux helps provide a data set that isn’t marred by sales data. Since Linux can be slapped on a server free of charge, you can’t link OS adoption data to server sales. It therefore gives a clearer view of what companies are really looking for in their server software.

Surprisingly enough, the aforementioned lack of price has not been a key factor in the growth evidenced by the survey. The main reason companies are looking to Linux is technical superiority. Cost came in second, and security came in third. 

While Linux may not be as popular on the desktop these days, this survey confirms that Linux in the enterprise is growing, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.

Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat released

Every April and October, Ubuntu issues a new release of their operating system, with an interesting code name. Today Ubuntu released their next major version, codenamed "Maverick Meetkat", which just so happened to be released on 10/10/10 at 10:10 UTC.

With the new Ubuntu 10.10 release, comes a new font in the typeface family, bringing users Latin, Cyrillic and Greek with the choice of regular, italic, bold and bold italic styles and weights. Not only does this release ship with a new font, but Ubuntu has become the first ever operating system to ship with the new Indian Rupee Sign for their currency. Ubuntu will continue to work on Arabic, Hebrew and Monospace font support in future releases.

Ubuntu 10.10 brings an improved installer with a new design, making it easier to use and install updates and drivers.

What's new in this release?

• The GNOME base platform has been updated to version 2.32, which includes dconf and gsettings API.
• Evolution was updated to version 2.30, which operates much faster than previous versions.
• F-Spot has now been replaced by Shotwell as the default photo manager.
• Gwibber has been updated to use Twitters new OAuth, their new authentication system.
• The sound menu has been enhanced to include music player controls.
• Ubuntu One has received a big update with improved sign-up and sign-in integration, Nautilus enhancements for managing folder sync preferences, faster file transfer speeds and the ability to share links to music within the Ubuntu One Music Store.
• New bootup screen.

The netbook edition of Ubuntu has a new interface, different from the desktop and server edition. Both the desktop and netbook editions come with the Social From The Start menu, allowing you to access Twitter, Facebook and Identi.ca. You can see and update all your accounts from a single window.

Kubuntu 10.10 comes with the latest version of the KDE software. KDE Platform, Workspace and Applications were all updated to 4.5.1. Kubuntu has merged both the Desktop and Netbook images into one image, featuring the Plasma Desktop and Plasma Netbook workspace. Many applications and settings received big updates, you can read more about the updates here.

Ubuntu Server Edition has been updated to the next major release of Eucalyptus 2.0. This release comes with numerous bug fixes, improved stability and better user management. Ubuntu 10.10 Server Edition comes with Cloud support on Amazon EC2.

Ubuntu 10.10 is available in both 32bit and 64bit edition and available for free from Ubuntu.com.

Linux Integration Services v2.1 Now Available

We are really excited to announce the availability of the Hyper-V Linux Integration Services for Linux Version 2.1. This release marks yet another milestone in providing a comprehensive virtualization platform to our customers. Customers who have a heterogeneous operating system environment desire their virtualization platform to provide support for all operating systems that they have in their datacenters.

Driver support for synthetic devices: Linux Integration Services supports the synthetic network controller and the synthetic storage controller that were developed specifically for Hyper-V.

Fastpath Boot Support for Hyper-V: Boot devices take advantage of the block Virtualization Service Client (VSC) to provide enhanced performance.

Timesync: The clock inside the virtual machine will remain synchronized with the clock on the host.

Integrated Shutdown: Virtual machines running Linux can be gracefully shut down from either Hyper-V Manager or System Center Virtual Machine Manager.

Symmetric Multi-Processing (SMP) Support: Supported Linux distributions can use up to 4 virtual processors (VP) per virtual machine.

Heartbeat: Allows the host to detect whether the guest is running and responsive.

Pluggable Time Source: A pluggable clock source module is included to provide a more accurate time source to the guest.

Download here

Google ditching Windows for Linux and Mac

Google is currently phasing out Windows-based PCs, and switching over to Mac and Linux operating systems, according to the Financial Times.  Since the Google China attacks back in January, shortly after Google said it would end censorship in China, Google is removing Windows from its computers.

Google is no longer offering new hires the option to run Windows-based PCs, without the approval of a CIO, and instead offering employees Mac computers or PCs running Linux operating system.  Google was still allowing new hires to install Windows on their laptops, back in January, but not on their desktops.

“We're not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort,” said an employee at Google.  “Linux is open source and we feel good about it,” said the employee. “Microsoft we don't feel so good about.”

Long-term employees who wanted to remain using Windows on their machines required approval from “quite senior levels,” an employee at Google said.

Employees at Google have also mentioned that Google is in the process of switching employees to run their own products, including Google Chrome OS, Google Chrome browser and a variety of other essential products. 

Google was attacked back in January, using a remote code execution (RCE) security flaw found in Internet Explorer 6 running on Windows XP.  The exploit could be used to run unauthorized software on a compromised computer by tricking the user into visiting a webpage with maliciously code on it.

Google would not comment on its policies.

Save the day (and Windows) using a Ubuntu flash drive

The latest version of Ubuntu has been out for nearly a month now and if you're anything like us the peaceably-named operating system is now sitting untouched after you gave it a quick go for a week or so. Ubuntu 10.04 may not have convinced you to send Microsoft packing, but don't scrap your bootable USB drive just yet, it may come in handy the next time Windows goes haywire.

Being prepared by having another environment to troubleshoot your PC helps tremendously. We will cover a few ways an Ubuntu boot flash drive can save your tail when disaster strikes like resetting a forgotten Windows password, clearing malware and retrieving lost data.

 

If you don't have a bootable USB drive, check out this guide on creating one with an Ubuntu LiveCD.

Read: Save the Day (and Windows) Using an Ubuntu Flash Drive

Ubuntu 10.04 bug causing Firefox crashes

NoScript, which is one of the most popular add-ons for Firefox, allows you to only run Java and other executable content from domains that you trust. This greatly enhances the security of the Firefox's browsing experience. Usually, add-ons and extensions can be the cause of browser instability. However, this time, it's the OS that seems to be causing the problems.

According to Mozilla Links, the author or NoScript, Giorgio Maone has pointed out a problem with Ubuntu 10.04. The latest release for the popular Linux distro is causing Firefox sessions to crash when the NoScript add-on is installed. He notes that it may even happen without the add-on installed. NoScript just causes users to encounter the bug more frequently. The problem, along with a fix, according to his understanding is as follows:

"I'm receiving several reports by Ubuntu and Debian users having their desktops crashed as soon as they click the NoScript icon. Yes, your whole session gone, back to your logon page in one move!

Actually this may be triggered by different actions, not necessarily with NoScript installed, or reportedly just by having a long/complex enough interaction with Firefox.

It turns out to be a bug in the xorg-server package, which Ubuntu's maintainers deemed not worth to get fixed before releasing Lucid Lynx.

My understanding is that a fix will be included in next automatic update, but in the meanwhile you can apply the available patch from Bryce Harrington’s PPA by issuing the following commands in a terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:bryceharrington/purple && apt-get update && apt-get upgrade"

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Released! [Download]

The final build of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) has been publicly released today by the team at Ubuntu and is available for Free Download.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS features a New ‘Light’ theme and Logo, a super fast loading and a newly designed Boot screen. See full list of new features here.

A desktop version of Ubuntu 10.04 is available in 32-bit and 64-bit version. Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook Edition (Remix) and Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Server Edition can also be downloaded.

• Download Ubuntu 10.04 for desktop or laptop
• Download Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook Edition
• Download Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Server Edition

Request Free CD of Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) Now!

Ubuntu Shipit has today started accepting requests for Free Ubuntu 10.04 CDs. You can now Pre-order a Free CD of Ubuntu latest version (10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx)) which is set to released on April 29, 2010.

Ubuntu is available free of charge with no extra cost, but the delivery may take up to ten weeks. So you should consider downloading the CD image if you have a fast Internet connection. You can either Pre-order a desktop or server edition.

Pre-order Ubuntu 10.04

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) Beta 2

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution that starts with the breadth of Debian and adds regular releases (every six months), a clear focus on the user and usability (it should "Just Work", TM) and a commitment to security updates with 18 months of support for every release. Ubuntu ships with the latest Gnome release as well as a selection of server and desktop software that makes for a comfortable desktop experience off a single installation CD.

Link : Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) Beta 2

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) Beta 2 Released

The development team at Ubuntu has now released the second and final beta of Ubuntu 10.04 release, which brings a host of exciting new features. The Release candidate and Final build of Ubuntu 10.04 are said to be released on April 22 and April 29 respectively.

The beta 2 features a brand-new GNOME 2.30 desktop environment, and adds a new Ubiquity installer slideshow. Ubuntu One Music Store is finally available using the Rhythmbox plugin. Ubuntu One can now sync your Firefox bookmarks and mobile contacts. There are other small tweaks and some changes in ubuntu icons.

The ISOs and torrents for Ubuntu 10.04 beta 2 are available for Download at: http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/lucid/beta2

You can also upgrade directly from Ubuntu 9.10 or Ubuntu 8.04 LTS.

Note: This is a beta release. Do not install it on production machines. The final stable version will be released on April 29, 2010.

Ubuntu Linux Now Over 12 Million Users Strong

The best thing that ever happened to Linux might have been Windows Vista. It also hasn't hurt matters that Ubuntu continues to make the open-source side of the fence more accessible to new users. While Windows 7 more than makes up for Vista's woes, there are now 12 million users rocking Ubuntu.

The upcoming Lucid release may boost those numbers even higher, but the real growth came in the pre-Windows 7 days. In 2008, Canonical estimated there were some 8 million Ubuntu users, so that means there have been about 4 million added since then. Of course, these numbers aren't exact, but they're probably pretty close.

"We have no phone home or registration process, so it's always a guesstimate. But based on the same methodology that we came up with for the 2008 number, our present belief is that it's somewhere north of 12 million users at the moment," Chris Kenyon, vice president for OEM at Canonical, told InternetNews.com.

As impressive as the numbers are, Red Hat's Fedora leads Ubuntu by a good margin with an estimated 24 million installations.

Ubuntu implements units policy, will switch to base-10 units in future release

Ubuntu's future 10.10 operating system is going to make a small, but contentious change to how file sizes are represented. Like most other operating systems using binary prefixes, Ubuntu currently represents 1 kB (kilobyte) as 1024 bytes (base-2). But starting with 10.10, a switch to SI prefixes (base-10) will denote 1 kB as 1000 bytes, 1 MB as 1000 kB, 1 GB as 1000 MB, and so on.

It was first reported that 10.04 Lucid Lynx would make the switch to base-10, but it was eventually delayed to lucid+1 (10.10) as all applications didn't comply with the new units policy and were still using base-2.

The new units policy establishes two basic guidelines: applications should use the IEC/binary prefix for base-2 units and the SI prefix for base-10 units. The SI prefix should not be mixed with base-2 units. The exact policy from the wiki is outlined below:

Applications must use IEC standard for base-2 units:

• 1 KiB (kibibyte) = 1,024 bytes (Note: big k)
• 1 MiB (mebibyte) = 1,024 KiB = 1,048,576 bytes
• 1 GiB (gibibyte) = 1,024 MiB = 1,048,576 KiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes
• 1 TiB (tebibyte) = 1,024 GiB = 1,048,576 MiB = 1,073,741,824 KiB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes

Applications must use SI standard for base-10 units:

• 1 kB (kilobyte) = 1,000 bytes (Note: small k)
• 1 MB (megabyte) = 1,000 kB = 1,000,000 bytes
• 1 GB (gigabyte) = 1,000 MB = 1,000,000 kB = 1,000,000,000 bytes
• 1 TB (terabyte) = 1,000 GB = 1,000,000 MB = 1,000,000,000 kB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes

It is not allowed to use the SI standard for base-2 units:

• 1 kB ≠ 1,024 bytes
• KB (with a big k) does not exist

Additional implementation guidelines are also outlined: base-10 should be used to represent network bandwidth and disk sizes while RAM sizes should use base-2. File sizes can either be shown in both base-10 and base-2, only base-10, or a user option to choose between the two (but with base-10 set as the default).

This new counting will finally put them in line with the standard Greek meaning of "kilo" as 1000 and will seek to alleviate the confusion that regular consumers often have when buying a new hard drive. The pros are not exclusive of the cons though, as inconsistencies between different operating systems presents a troubling user experience dilemma. Other new confusions that this would bring are also outlined in the wiki:

• CD-ROM sizes are specified in MiB, but the manufacturers label this "MB" (a "700 MB" CD-ROM contains approximately 700 MiB = 737 MB).
• Memory (RAM, ROM) is specified in base 2, but labeled with SI prefixes. For example, a "512 MB" RAM contains 512 MiB = 536.9 MB.

Apple themselves moved over to base-10 counting with the release of 10.6 Snow Leopard. Previous Mac OS X operating systems from 10.0 to 10.5 measured file and drive sizes in base-2.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) Beta 1 Released!

The development team at Ubuntu has released the first Ubuntu 10.04 beta release, which brings a host of exciting new features. Ubuntu 10.04 also features a New ‘Light’ theme and Logo.

New features since Ubuntu 9.10 -

• GNOME – Ubuntu 10.04 Beta 1 includes the latest GNOME desktop environment with a number of great new features.
• Linux kernel 2.6.32 – Ubuntu 10.04 Beta 1 includes the 2.6.32-16.25 kernel based on 2.6.32.9.
• KDE SC 4.4 – Kubuntu 10.04 Beta 1 features the new KDE SC 4.4. For more information about new features in Kubuntu, see the Kubuntu technical overview.
• HAL removal – This beta sports full removal of HAL from the boot process, making Ubuntu faster to boot and faster to resume from suspend.
• Major new version of likewise-open
• New default open source driver for nVidia hardware
• Improved support for nVidia proprietary graphics drivers
• Social from the Start – We now feature built-in integration with Twitter, identi.ca, Facebook, and other social networks with the MeMenu in the panel.
• New boot experience – Multiple changes to look, feel and speed of the boot experience have been included in the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS beta.
• New Indicators
• New Themes – The desktop has been beautified with the addition of two brand new themes, Ambiance and Radiance. New wallpaper and icons are also included.
• Ubuntu One File Syncing
• Ubuntu One Music Store
• New features for Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC)
• Security Issue when upgrading from Lucid Alpha 2

The ISOs and torrents of Ubuntu 10.04 beta 1 are available for Download at: http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/lucid/beta1

You can also upgrade directly from Ubuntu 9.10 or Ubuntu 8.04 LTS.

Note: This is a beta release. Do not install it on production machines. The final stable version will be released on April 29, 2010.

Ubuntu shows off new "Light" theme; brown is history

Beginning with the release of Lucid Lynx (10.04 LTS), which is expected to hit PCs at the end of April, Ubuntu's UI will no longer look like it came about as a result of a bad accident in the ladies room. Gone are the days of overly suffocating brown-ness. From here onward, Ubuntu will come in a new theme, called "Light."

The official word was posted on Ubuntu's Wiki. The new theme has more of a professional, 21st century feel to it. However, the overall look and layout of the OS hasn't changed much. The few differences are sure to be welcomed by the Linux community, but many won't think it's enough to push Ubuntu into more mainstream computing.

"The new style of Ubuntu is driven by the theme 'Light'. We've developed a comprehensive set of visual guidelines and treatments that reflect that style, and are updating key assets like the logo accordingly. The new theme takes effect in 10.04 LTS and will define our look and feel for several years."

The decision of branding Ubuntu as "Light" comes from the idea of "warmth and clarity." According to the Ubuntu team, it also gives off the impression of efficiency and quickness. Being that "light is beautiful," so to, Ubuntu needed to be more aesthetically pleasing. Here's what the team came up with:

Logos:

Boot Screen:

Desktop (notice the lack of bottom task bar):

Shuttleworth steps down as Ubuntu CEO

Mark Shuttleworth announced in a press call yesterday that he will step down from his role as CEO of Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu operating system, but will remain involved in the Ubuntu project itself. Taking his place will be Jane Silber, who has been with Canonical since 2004.

As reported by Computer World, Shuttleworth said in an interview that he intends to stay head of the Ubuntu Community Council and the Ubuntu Technical Board, and that instead of managing the business, he will be "Working closely on product design and our enterprise customers."

"I will also be working more closely with partners, especially in Asia. I will also work more closely with larger enterprise customers in our new cloud offerings. I will be spending more time on the areas that interest me the most and where I feel I can do the most good," he added.

"I will focus on my passions of product design and development. I want Ubuntu to succeed as the open platform of choice for almost all use types whether on netbook, notebook, desktop, server, embedded device or wherever people compute. That is a large undertaking and being able to focus on that, thanks to Jane, is a great privilege. I will also spend more time talking to and visiting partners and customers about what they demand from an open platform and feeding that back into the product through the community and Canonical."

This does not mean that Ubuntu or Canonical will be changing their goals. Shuttleworth will still set the goals, but Silber will implement the strategies required to reach them, as well as managing the day-to-day business. Shuttleworth also stated that the move is not a case of preparing to take Canonical public soon, but more about ensuring the right people are in the best places they should be for the benefit of Canonical and Ubuntu.

In a yet to be published blog, Silber said that "This move will bring about is a clearer separation of the role of CEO of Canonical and the leader of the Ubuntu community. It will be two different people now, which I think will be helpful in both achieving their joint and individual goals more quickly."

The changeover from Shuttleworth to Silber will be completed by March 1st, 2010.