bLoG-[at]-hYPeReND

On Oct 30, 2008, the Ubuntu developers team have announced the availability of the official of Ubuntu 8.10, codenamed Intrepid Ibex and is now ready for downloading.

Ubuntu 8.10  features a new version of the Gnome 2.24 which brings some new applications and a wide range of improvements for developers and end users such as support for tabs in Nautilus, a new FreeDesktop.org-compliant audio theme system, and a new screen resolution utility that can leverage XRandR.

Ubuntu 8.10 has also gained Dynamic Kernel Module Support (DKMS), a framework which will automatically rebuild kernel modules when new versions of the kernel are released. This improvement will hopefully prevent third-party drivers from breaking when kernel being updated.

The new version of NetworkManager, which included in Ubuntu 8.10, adds support for managing multiple active devices simultaneously, enabling 3G connectivity, managing PPP and PPPOE connection and managing devices with static IP configurations.

Ubuntu 8.10 introduces the “last successful boot” feature, which will allow users to boot from the last working kernel configuration by selecting a special item on the boot manager list at start-up.

The 8.10 release also has a “guest session” feature. The User Switcher panel applet now provides an extra entry for starting a Guest session. This creates a temporary password-less user account with restricted privileges: the account cannot access any users’ home directories, nor permanently store data. When the guest using the machine signs off, any personalized or identifying information on the guest account is deleted.

The next major version is Ubuntu 9.04, which is Jaunty Jackalope and is scheduled for release in April 2009.

Intrepid Ibex is available for download from the Ubuntu web site. For more information, check out the release notes and the official announcement.

About a week ago, Canonical was demonstrating a reworked desktop image of Ubuntu, Ubuntu Netbook Remix at Computex in Taiwan. Remix is not ready and still under heavy development. However, the source code is already available and can be installed on regular Ubuntu system. I managed to install Ubuntu Netbook Remix desktop environment running on Ubuntu 8.04 system under virtual machine.

Here some screenshots of Ubuntu Remix.

Read the rest of this entry »

Robert Strohmeyer wrote on PC World website about two well known Linux distributions, Ubuntu 8.04 and Fedora 9.

Ubuntu 8.04

Ubuntu 8.04 is the best-assembled and most polished Linux distribution I’ve ever used. Ubuntu 8.04 performs well where Windows XP and Vista screech to a halt, particularly on older hardware. And since it comes with OpenOffice.org, Firefox, Evolution Mail, and a host of other apps right out of the box, it may be the best way to breathe new life into a seemingly moribund PC.

Ubuntu 8.0.4 offers a level of functionality comparable to that of Mac OS and Windows, from delivery to installation to daily use. Unfortunately, the ties that bind all Linux distributions–primarily a lack of support for major Windows- and Mac-based business, design, and gaming applications–still hold Ubuntu back from mass popularity. For users with such moderate computing needs as Web browsing, e-mail, and basic document creation, however, Hardy is a compelling option.

Fedora 9

For users who are already familiar with Linux, Fedora 9 is an excellent choice. Robust security features and installation options make it somewhat more versatile than Ubuntu, which offers a more streamlined (and therefore more restricted) installation. For most users, though, including millions interested in trying Linux for the first time, Fedora lacks the polish and ready-to-run simplicity of its more popular rival.

 You can read the rest of article here.

Last couple of days before, I had posted two screenshots that showing Compiz Fusion Sphere and Cylinder Effect. The Compiz Fusion 0.7.4 that comes by default with Ubuntu 8.04 does not include this plugin. So you need to compile the plugin.For a new user, this not sound nice. However, there is an easy way to get this plugin and keep your Compiz Fusion updated. You just need to run a script which already built for you. The script was created by Martijn Bastiaan. With this script, I can’t get all the plugin working. Splash plugin is not working for me.

Install Compiz Fusion

First, check whether it is safe or not to run compiz-git.
Read the rest of this entry »

On May 30, Banshee 1.0 RC 1was released to the public. Banshee 1.0 RC 1 represents the sixth release since we began rewriting much of the core of Banshee. The primary reasons for this rearchitecting were to deliver much needed performance improvements, make features more powerful and mature, and allow us to add awesome new features like the Play Queue and video support.

Banshee now uses much less memory and has greatly improved startup speed.It can handle collections that are much larger in size without adversely affecting application speed or memory usage.

These core architectural changes also allowed us to cleanly implement many great new features and provides a framework for new features to be easily developed in the future.

New features

New Device Storage Indicator

Read the rest of this entry »

For those who like to have Mac OSX Dock style, here is the list of dock (according to my preference) which you can choose from.

• Avant Window Navigator

• Cairo-Dock

• Kiba Dock

With one of these docks, you can get similar effect as the Mac OSX Dock for your Ubuntu. To get this three dock working on your Ubuntu, your computer must be able to support composition. You must also have a composite manager such as Compiz-Fusion and Beryl installed in your Ubuntu.

Read the rest of this entry »