Arun's Blog

Ubuntu team has released the 1st alpha of Ubuntu 8.10, code named Intrepid Ibex. As of now, the alpha 1 contains re-merging of changes from Debian and the upgrade of the Linux kernel to a pre-release version of 2.6.26. Alpha 1 does not have a live CD. You have to use alternate installer to install alpha 1 or you can upgrade from Ubuntu 8.04 by issuing the command update-manager -d. We'll come to know about the new features as the work progresses.

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I'll be in Las Vegas next week to attend the OHUG conference. They had the conference in September last year, so the weather was very nice. It's in 108 F range all of next week. It's not humid there luckily. I'll be back blogging after a week.

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The Gobuntu (Ubuntu with open source software only) development team has announced that the project will merge most of the Gobuntu changes into mainline Ubuntu starting with Ubuntu 8.10. That includes an option to install «Free Software only». According to Gobuntu, This installer option now obviates the need for a separate derivative project, and in the interest of reducing the workload of Ubuntu core developers, the Gobuntu project will instead focus on merging as many changes as possible into mainline Ubuntu. Sounds like no more Gobuntu.

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Mozilla is planning to release Firefox 3.0 at 10.00 a.m. PDT (Pacific time) and attempting to set Guinness world record (maximum number of downloads in 24 hrs).

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Screenlets is a desktop widget engine similar to gDesklets and Google Gadget. It's simple to install and use. I installed it through Synaptic package manager. Open Synaptic by selecting System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager. Search for screenlets. Click and select install.

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The Wall Street Journal has an article describing the power struggle between Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer in the last few years. Here are some excerpts from that article:

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Acer is planning to push Linux aggressively on it's laptop and Netbooks. Netbooks are smaller version of the laptop, similar to ULPC. Acer has already started selling Linux on Media PC business and netbooks and they are planning to add laptops to the Linux lineup.

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Google today released Google Gadgets for Linux which provides a platform for running desktop gadgets under Linux. Google gadgets for Linux is compatible with the gadgets written for Google Desktop for Windows as well as the Universal Gadgets on iGoogle. Google Gadgets for Linux will be open-sourced, under the Apache License.

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After spreading through people, land etc., religion is now invading software. I first came across the Ubuntu Christian edition several months back and I ran into Ubuntu Muslim edition today. There is also Ubuntu Satanic edition, which is more of a theme than a distro and Jubuntu, which is Ubuntu for Jewish people. The question of getting religion into software is debatable. An individual has every right to create his or her own edition of Ubuntu since Ubuntu itself is open source, but do we need religion in software?