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Ubuntu Gutsy permitirá configurar xorg.conf gráficamente

Un pasito más para los que no les guste el intérprete de comandos y los nuevos usuarios que no se sepan mover bien por los ficheros de configuración. Ubuntu 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon, ofrecerá una aplicación para configurar ciertos aspectos del servidor gráfico.

Para los que no estén muy al tanto, el servidor gráfico es el encargado del propio interfaz al que estamos acostumbrados, el paradigma de escritorio con sus ventanas, control por teclado, ratón, etc.

Hasta ahora, algunos aspectos había que configurarlos mediante la edición de un fichero de configuración, el famoso xorg.conf que hemos visto en varios manuales. Es el encargado de controlar el monitor, periféricos, resoluciones, tarjeta de vídeo, etc.

En ocasiones a algunos se les presentaba un inconveniente por ejemplo para asignar una resolución más alta de la que le ofrecía inicialmente Ubuntu. A algunos se les arreglaba simplemente instalando los drivers propietarios. Otros sin embargo tenían que editar a mano el fichero de texto para indicar la resolución deseada.

Otra opción era el uso del conocido y potente comando “[sudo] dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg” que abría un asistente en modo texto para configurar todos estos detalles. No es mala opción, pero para los novatos puede ser algo engorroso y podrían no entender lo que tenían delante.

Pues bien, como introducía en Gutsy se incorporará un interfaz gráfico para configurar gran parte de estos detalles. Aunque aún están en desarrollo ya han mostrado un par de capturas.

En esta primera podemos ver cómo configurar el driver gráfico adecuado. Podemos elegirlo mediante el nombre del propio driver, y para los que lo desconozcan -más fácilmente- eligiendo la marca y modelo de la gráfica.

En la segunda podemos comprobar cómo se puede configurar también el monitor: el modelo, resolución, refresco y orientación. Comentan además que en este momento hay soporte para configurar dos monitores, como vimos en este tutorial, pero que con Xorg 7.3 será factible configurar más, en caso de tenerlos.

En principio se está desarrollando específicamente para Ubuntu, aunque es muy probable que otras distribuciones lo adopten también. Sin duda una grata noticia que muchos aplaudirán.

Debian Linux 4.0 Gets an Update

Aug. 18, 2007

A new update to the latest stable version of Debian 4.0 includes security updates and other important problem fixes.

Historically, Debian is an extremely popular community-based Linux distribution. It's also known, however, for arriving later than expected. This time, though, the Debian Foundation has relatively quickly released a set of security and other patches to the recently released Debian GNU/Linux 4.0.

Codenamed Etch, Debian 4.0, was finally released in April, 2007 after months of delay. On the morning of August 16th, the Debian developers released an update, which adds security updates to the stable release, together with a few corrections to serious problems. The developers also noted in their Debian patch announcement that, "As always, the first point release also corrects a few issues that have been noticed too late in the release process to stop the release, but still should be fixed."

Specifically, this Etch "point release" includes the following changes:

• The installer has been updated. The kernels used in the installer have been updated to ABI 2.6.18-5; as a result, some "small" images (for example netboot and floppy images) included with the original Etch release will no longer work (but the new images included with the point release will work, as well as the full CD/DVD images from both the original release as well as from this point release).
  
  
• The mirror list for Debian ISOs, source code, and downloads has been updated.
  
  
• Debian now includes support added for more USB CD drives.
  
  
• An incorrect setup of GKSu was fixed. Before this repair if users chose to install Debian with the root account disabled, they would have been unable to run some administrative tasks while using the GNOME desktop.
  
  
• Debian has also been given more than 38 security updates.
  

For more details on these and other updates and changes, see the Preparation of Debian GNU/Linux 4.0r1 page.

The developers want to make it clear, though, that update does not constitute a new version of Debian Linux 4.0 but only updates some of the packages included. "There is no need to throw away 4.0 DVDs/CDs. Instead you only need to update against ftp.debian.org or a mirror after an installation, in order to incorporate those changes. New CD and DVD images will be available within the next week at the regular locations."

Debian community members recommend upgrading to this revision online by pointing the aptitude package tool to one of Debian's many FTP or HTTP mirrors. A comprehensive list of mirrors is available at the Debian ftp list site.

Many Debian users won't even need to do that, however. If your Debian system, such as the ones used by Linux-Watch and DesktopLinux editors, has been set to automatically update Debian, the updates should already have happened without any fuss or muss.

Freespire

Linspire, developer of the Linspire commercial and Freespire community desktop Linux distributions, and CNR.com, a free Linux software delivery service, announced on August 8 the immediate availability of the controversial Freespire 2.0 distribution -- the Linux distribution that embraces proprietary software.

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The new Freespire 2.0 uses Ubuntu 7.04 as its baseline. To that popular community Linux distro, Freespire 2.0 adds legally licensed proprietary drivers, codecs and applications in its core distribution, to provide a better user experience. Freespire 2.0 also continues to offer users the ability to choose what software they want installed on their computers, without limitations or restrictions, as a result making available proprietary software where there are no viable open-source alternatives.

Thanks to San Diego-based Linspire's recent Microsoft partnership, Freespire 2.0 also provides users with enhanced Microsoft Word document interoperability by including Open XML translators that allow OpenOffice to open and edit Microsoft Word .docx formatted documents.

Freespire is able to provide improved out-of-the-box hardware, file type and multimedia support, such as MP3, Windows Media, RealNetworks, Java, Flash, ATI, Nvidia, Wi-Fi and Adobe Acrobat support. Freespire is also the first desktop Linux operating system that will include a CNR plug-in for the soon-to-be-released CNR Service.

The new CNR is designed to give users free one-click access to thousands of open-source applications, as well as options for legally licensed DVD playback software, Sun's StarOffice, Parallels Workstation, Win4Lin, CodeWeaver's CrossOver Office, TransGaming's Cedega, commercial games and many more. Linspire plans to make CNR services available to other Linux distributions starting with Ubuntu, and then OpenSUSE, Debian and Fedora.

"Version 2.0 is the first Freespire based off of the popular Ubuntu distribution," newly appointed Linspire president and CEO Larry Kettler said in a statement. "Freespire 2.0 picks up where Ubuntu leaves off by adding proprietary software, drivers and codecs, to make for a more complete turnkey solution for mainstream desktop computing."

Kettler, Linspire's former vice president of worldwide sales and marking, has been with Linspire since 2001. He replaces longtime CEO Kevin Carmony, who recently resigned from Linspire to pursue other business and political interests.

"This is by far our most advanced desktop Linux system we've released to date," Kettler said. "Everything is cutting-edge, utilizing the latest core technologies, from the kernel to KDE, with the infrastructure in place to keep Freespire updated and current, moving forward."

Linspire will continue to develop and release new commercial versions of its industry-leading desktop Linux operating system, the Linspire OS. While Freespire is more accessible to developers, enthusiasts, hobbyists and those in or curious about the Linux community, Linspire is more geared toward OEMs and the retail channel and offers premium channel-oriented support.

The newly revamped distribution is now available for free download through the Freespire Web site.

Linux vs Mac cual es la mejor alternativa

If you're a Vista-wary Windows user who would rather switch than fight, should you move to a Linux distro or Apple's OS X? We asked a Mac fan and a Linux advocate to lead a guided tour of each OS.

The switch from Windows XP to Vista has created a world of opportunity -- not only for Microsoft, but for supporters of competing operating systems. While Microsoft is hoping it can move its customers easily to a new version of Windows, Apple and the Linux community see the transition as a chance to demonstrate the advancement and advantages of their OSes -- and maybe steal some customers.

If you're one of those Windows users who are less than enchanted by what you've seen of Vista and you're thinking about switching, you face some tough choices that can make you feel like a pioneer. Is it a good idea to move to a Mac, with its easy interface, high level of safety and stability -- and higher prices? Or is it better to adopt a Linux distro, which is free (or, at least, inexpensive), supported by a range of imaginative developers -- and not quite newbie-friendly? Either decision forces you into new, unfamiliar territory.

For answers, we went to two writers who have a great deal of experience with Windows PCs but have recently experimented with moving to either a Mac or Linux. Mitch Wagner is an executive editor here at InformationWeek who has become an enthusiastic Mac convert, while Serdar Yegulalp, who has written extensively about Microsoft Windows, is now exploring the world of Linux and Linux distros. In other words, while both like to tout the advantages of their newly chosen operating systems, they are also well aware of the drawbacks.

In the following pages, they lead a guided tour of the two OSes, paying particular attention to eight important areas: Installation & Migration; Hardware Support & Power Management; Networking, Web & Wireless; Productivity; Entertainment; Security; Working With Windows (because we couldn't completely ignore Microsoft); and Stability, Backup & Disaster Recovery.

Which is the better OS? Only you can decide --but you'll make a more informed decision after you've taken this tour, and you'll discover you have some companions on your journey.

El articulo completo esta en la siguiente pagina:

1° de agosto

http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201002048

MEPIS comienza el regreso a debian

As expected, Warren Woodford of MEPIS Linux has announced that the next version of SimplyMEPIS 6.9.51 will be based on Debian Linux instead of Ubuntu.

As Woodford explained recently, he is switching MEPIS from using Ubuntu to using Debian as its base operating system because Ubuntu's "Dapper was not updated in the way our users expected. ... The fact is Dapper was updated with security fixes, but not with new versions of the applications."

At first, Woodford worked around this, he said. "In 6.5 [the last version of MEPIS], I attempted to create an incremental path forward for MEPIS and Dapper by compiling newer versions of applications for the 6.0 base, and with a lot of work I succeeded for that release. However, along the way I discovered that many of the packages in the Ubuntu Dapper pools were greatly out of date and not very useful to MEPIS and Dapper users," he said on July 30.

With this pre-beta, which is a preview of the upcoming SimplyMEPIS 7, MEPIS has discontinued using Ubuntu binary packages in favor of a combination of MEPIS packaged binaries based on Debian and Ubuntu source code. These programs will run on top of a Debian Stable OS core, which will also be using packages from the Debian package pools.

"By using the latest Debian and Ubuntu source code for building user applications, we can provide the best [and] latest versions of the applications users want the most. And by building on top of a Debian Stable core, we can provide a release that has the stability and long life that users want," Woodford, in Morgantown, W.Va., explained in a statement Aug. 2.

Woodford continued, "Most Linux users are tired of having to reinstall every six months in order to have up-to-date applications. We expect that with this approach MEPIS can offer a superior user experience that will be incrementally upgradable for two years without reinstallation of the OS."

The pre-beta is built on the 2.6.22 Linux kernel with a Debian Etch core. For its desktop interface, the new MEPIS uses KDE 3.5.7. For applications it includes Firefox 2.0.0.5, Thunderbird 2.0.0.4 and OpenOffice 2.2.1.

This is an early release with many rough edges. In particular, the Splashy bootsplash does not run reliably, some extra kernel drivers are not yet compiled for the new kernel, some GUI components are not themed for MEPIS and the pre-beta has had very limited testing.

32- and 64-bit ISO images are available in the "testing" subdirectory at the MEPIS Subscriber's Site and at the MEPIS public mirrors. For immediate access to new releases, a user can become a MEPIS subscriber at the MEPIS store.