Episode 047 – Labor Day / Side Tracked

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Total Running Time:
Un-edited Live session – http://youtu.be/Nioc4U_gKS8

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Summary

Kernel News: Mat
Time: 22:19
Distro Talk: Tony
Time: 24:58
Mary Distro Review
Time: 40:08
Mary Convention Scene
Time: 58:10
Tech News:
Time: 1:06:21
Is it Alive? – Mary
Time: 1:29:39
Listener Feedback
Time: 1:31:52
Outtro Music
Time: 1:35:00

Intro:

Tony Bemus, Mat Enders, and Mary Tomich
Intro Sound bite by Mike Tanner

Kernel News: Mat

Time: 22:19

Release Candidate:
No rc this week

Mainline:
2.5

Stable Updates:
On Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:47:50 PDT
Greg Kroah-Hartman released kernel 3.0.42
with 21 files changed, 283 lines inserted, and 279 lines deleted

On Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:48:46 PDT
Greg Kroah-Hartman released kernel 3.4.10
With 37 files changed, 408 lines inserted, and 339 lines deleted

Kernel Developer Quote:
Todays quote comes from Greg Kroah-Hartman.

“Today was a new one, someone emailed asking questions about a kernel “assignment” that was being asked of them by a company to determine if they had kernel development skills to get a job with them.

Now I suppose you can say that asking the community to do your work for you is a valuable kernel development skill, but for some reason, I don’t think that this is what the employer was looking to try to determine…”

Distro Talk: Tony

Time: 24:58

Distrowatch.com

• 8-25 – Zorin OS 6.1 “Lite” – Ubuntu-based Linux distribution for featuring the LXDE desktop
• 8-26 – wattOS R6 – a lightweight and energy-efficient, Ubuntu-based Linux distribution (with LXDE) designed for older computers
• 8-27 – Scientific Linux 6.3 “Live” –
• 8-27 – KNOPPIX 7.0.4 – Debian-based live distribution with LXDE as the default desktop and a separate edition for visually impaired computer users
• 8-28 – Tiny Core Linux 4.6 – a minimalist but extensible Linux distribution with a simple and fast graphical user interface
• 8-29 – Turbolinux 12.5 – a Japanese operating system for desktops and embedded systems. one of the world’s oldest surviving Linux companies in the world
• 8-29 – Descent|OS 3.0 – Ubuntu-based distribution featuring the MATE (a fork of GNOME 2) desktop environment
• 8-30 – SchilliX 0.8 – OpenSolaris-based (text mode-only) live CD
• 8-30 – TurnKey Linux 12.0 – library of Debian-based virtual appliances, integrating the best open-source software into ready-to-use solutions

Distro of the Week: Tony

5. Debian – 1234
4. Zorin – 1347
3. Ubuntu – 2038
2. Mageia – 2547
1. Mint – 2982

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Mary DistroReview

Time: 40:08
Adonis Linux Review
Is that a distro in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

In Greek mythology, Adonis was the god of beauty and desire, a central figure in various mystery religions. Adonis is also a Linux distribution with the ultimate goal to provide a highly customizable system that leaves the user in control. Would this distro be a god of beauty and desire? We shall see…

The Vitals:
Name: Adonis Aurora Alpha
Maintainer: Barry Martin
Distro Latest Birthday: Submitted to Distrowatch on June 1, 2012
Derivative: Currently Ubuntu but the web site indicated the possibility of switching to Debian.
Kernel: 3.2.0
Review Desktop: Cinnamon but plans to add others

Live Environment:

Live boot took approximately 2.5 minutes. (I don’t think I’ve mentioned my timing parameter—it’s when I can open the start menu, I consider the system booted –at least enough to be useful.)

The Adonis desktop was clean, but it had a dark theme…lots of grey and black. There was an install icon on the desktop (Thanks!). Oops, the Ubuntu icon is still showing! Speaking of logos, the Adonis logo is kind of interesting. It’s the word “Adonis”which was shaped by using the Debian logo in various shapes and forms. But the desktop does not show that version of the word.

Conky is there with three indicators: Uptime, CPU usage, and wireless—except wireless wasn’t working. However, a quick trip to the system tray icon allowed me to choose my wireless access points and everything was fine after I authenticated.

Both wireless and graphics were handled:
Graphics: ( i915)
Wireless:  (iwl3945)

The Big Three
Default Browser: Chromium, Firefox
Office Suite: LibreOffice 3.5.2.2
Mail Client: None
Default File Manager: Nautilus 3.4.1

The only real knock of the live environment is the default theme with its dark color scheme and the impact it has on other programs. For example, LibreOffice had a black background with the regular icons. It was odd-looking but livable. When I started the install, it became a mess…grey font on grey background Try reading that! And let’s not forget the black accent stripes which really contributed to the uplifting theme.

Later there was another gotcha regarding this theme that came to light (no pun intended) when I attempted to use the Ubuntu Software Center, which I will cover later.

The Install Process:
Unlike the last two distros I have reviewed, CinnArch and Saluki, for which the install process was an interesting adventure, Adonis Linux uses the Ubuntu installer, If you’ve gone through an Ubuntu install you’ve gone through an Adonis install, just add the bad color scheme and you’ve got the picture….

Installed Environment:
I kick off the first post-install boot–Oops, there’s another reference to Ubuntu in the Grub menu. What am I booting into, anyway? I think I am running Adonis, but see Ubuntu. No offense to Ubuntu but I am running Adonis!

A reboot produced a message: Language support is not installed completely. What? I definitely recall selecting English as my preferred language.

I had 183 updates (approximately 229MB). A few seconds later, the update manager informed me the connection to the daemon was lost. The task can’t be monitored or controlled. And things went downhill from there….on a lead sled with greased runners.

Another notice: “A system problem had been detected. Do you want to report the problem now?: I had to authenticate again and then received another ominous notice: “Sorry, Ubuntu 12.04 has experienced an internal error.” I suspected an identify crisis, but the devil’s in the details and the details here revealed that the aptd daemon was the culprit. I opted to send a report…and got yet another notice: “The problem cannot be reported. You have some obsolete package versions installed.” Huh? I thought my update would fix that. Eventually (which include another notice which then led to this ominous: Could not grab your mouse. A malicious client maybe eavesdropping on your session or you may have just clicked on a menu or some application just decided to get focus. Try again.

I knew that wasn’t the case, so I closed the window. They say love is better the second time around. And that sure seemed to be the case with Adonis’ updates. This time only 71MB were needed for 462 updates, including a new kernel. I was able to apply those updates without an issue. I rebooted and everything was fine.

Other interesting Programs:

Remastersys – a utility for full system backups, including personal data to a live CD /DVD. Remastersys also copy that you can share with others. This version will not have any personal data in it. .

Remmina – a remote desktop client

Nepomuk – (Networked Environment for Personal, Ontology-based Management of Unified Knowledge) which takes computer data/information, creating relationships between this info thus making it more useful.

Superboot manager – a graphical interface to manage, grub2, burg, and plymouth. (http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/05/super-boot-manager-eases-burg-grub-plymouth-tweaking-pains)

Xdiagnose – GUI tools for diagnosing, repairing, and fail-safing X.org issues. It’s available in the Ubuntu repositories.

Akonadi – named after the oracle goddess of justice in Ghana, it’s a storage service for PIM data and meta-data. I’ve typically seen Akonadi on KDE desktops.

I make the mistake of clicking on the Akonadi button. Of course Akonadi opens but when I attempted to cancel it, Akonadi retreated to the system tray where it stubbornly stayed, refusing to close! I had to kill it in a terminal.

Gnome Power Manager – An interesting graphic is the wake-ups screen– you can see what command is waking your processor and why.

BUC ( Basta Un Click ) – an open source software for which can transform bash script and their applications with convenient graphical interface. http://buc.billeragroup.net/

Sound & Video (aka Multimedia) – I blew off the dust when I hit this menu. There were only two items in it: Gnome-sound-recorder and VLC media player. Noticeably absent was a CD/DVD burning application, like K3B or Brassero, which is a good segue into package management.

Package Management

Adonis uses Ubuntu’s software center and it’s labeled that way in the desktop menu. I checked the available repositories and there are over a dozen, including ppas at launchpad.net, plus remastersys—which is still using the oneiric repositories.

…and by the time I got to package management, I had already changed the theme. After I opened the software center to see what DVD burning apps were available, I was surprised to see that nothing was readable here. What I mean is that the theme change I made hadn’t carried over to the default font color. So I was looking at white font on a light colored background. Not cool!

Rating:

I wasn’t impressed with Adonis Linux. In my opinion, there isn’t anything that pops out, nothing other than a Cinnamon desktop on this distribution and that makes for an also-ran. The install issues I experienced the first time around were a bit off-putting, but I will admit that a second test install went far smoother—but I got that language support not fully installed pop-up and I could not update my installed packages. I tried three times.

Not to mention the color theme of doom cast a pall over my experience. So, I’m giving Adonis the brush off with 1.5 cups of a tepid brew.

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September Open-source Software Convention Scene

Time: 58:10
September Open-source Software Convention Scene

Automotive Linux Summit 2012, September 19 – 20, 2012
Heritage Motor Centre
Warwickshire, England

The Automotive Linux Summit will bring together the most innovative minds from automotive expertise and open-source excellence, including automotive systems engineers, Linux experts, R&D managers, business executives, open-source licensing and compliance specialists and community developers.
https://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/automotive-linux-summit

SUSECon, September 18–21, 2012
Caribe Royale Hotel
Orlando, Florida

SUSECon is the first annual global conference for SUSE customers, partners and community enthusiasts. This event will become the premier Linux conference where SUSE users can learn about the latest developments in enterprise-class Linux.

https://www.suse.com/events/susecon/

Ohio LinuxFest (OLF), September 28-30 2012
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, Ohio

The Ohio LinuxFest is a grassroots conference for the GNU/Linux/Open Source Software/Free Software community that started in 2003 as a large inter-LUG meeting and has grown steadily since. It is a place for the community to gather and share information about Linux and Open Source Software.

http://www.ohiolinux.org/

GrrCON, September 27 – 28, 2012
DeVos Place
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

GrrCON is an information security and hacking conference being held in the Midwest. This conference was put together to provide the midwest regional information security community with a venue to come together and share ideas, information, solutions, forge relationships, and most importantly engage with like minded people in a fun atmosphere

http://grrcon.org/

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Tech News:

Time: 1:06:21
If Linus Torvalds Got Hit By a Bus Would Linux Die? #Linuxcon

As was the case in the beginning, Torvalds remains the leader of Linux and is responsible for maintaining the mainline kernel and pushing out its new leading-edge releases. One of the questions that has long been asked, and was asked again at the LinuxCon conference on Wednesday night, is the question of succession known as, “What if Linus gets hit by a bus?”

http://www.serverwatch.com/server-news/if-linus-torvalds-got-hit-by-a-bus-would-linux-die.html

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NSA: Building a More Secure Android #Linuxcon

It’s no secret that Google’s Android mobile operating system has had its share of security flaws. But what is less well-known is that the U.S. government’s National Security Agency (NSA) is among the teams working to improve Android security. The NSA is no stranger to the world of Linux and open source security. In 2004, the NSA began to work on something known as SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux). SELinux provides mandatory access control and granular application level controls to Linux. SELinux is now baked into Linux and is a key component of its overall enhanced security. The NSA’s SE (Security-Enhanced) Android project is an attempt to extend that same approach to Android phones. SE Android was launched by the NSA to address what they perceive as critical gaps in the security of Android.

http://www.esecurityplanet.com/mobile-security/nsa-building-a-more-secure-android.html

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Fedora 18 To Be Delayed By Another Week

Fedora 18, Spherical Cow will be delayed by another week, due to some outstanding bugs that are blocking its release. Earlier this release was delayed by a week for the same reason. This makes a total of two weeks delay for the release.

http://www.muktware.com/4252/fedora-18-be-delayed-another-week

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Open Source Will Power The Solar Steam Engine

When fossils fuels are depleting fast and humanity is in deep thought as how to supply power to the next generations, Zenman Energy is building a solar steam engine that will be affordable to the masses and also cost fraction of current photovoltaic solutions. On the top of it, it will be open-source!

http://www.muktware.com/4238/here-comes-open-source-solar-steam-engine

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Twitter Joins the Linux Foundation
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/261437/twitter_joins_the_linux_foundation.html

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KDE Korner

Rekonq 1.1 Released

Mostly a bug fix release which as one of the developers said, “this [release] should fix all troubles with the upgrade to KDE 4.9 related to the search engines. “

http://rekonq.kde.org/

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Calligra 2.5.1 Released

The Calligra team has released version 2.5.1, the first bugfix release of the Calligra Suite, and Calligra Active. This release contains a number of important bug fixes to 2.5.0 and we recommend everybody to update as soon as possible.

http://www.calligra.org/news/calligra-2-5-1-released/

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Every distribution should have its own Kapudan

When I review a distribution, I am always looking at it from the perspective of a new user, one not intimately familiar with Linux and how its various graphical interfaces work. So I tend to rate them based on how easy they make it easy for that new user to use the system without needing to consult a documentation.
And that is because I firmly believe that nobody should be compelled to read a man page or a wiki just to use a computer to surf the Web or perform any other mundane computing task. 

http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2012/08/26/every-distribution-should-have-its-own-kapudan/

---

Good description of the top command:

http://linuxaria.com/howto/understanding-the-top-command-on-linux?lang=en

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Is it Alive?

Time: 1:29:39
Is It Alive (or did Mary make this distro up)?

During this segment of the show, I challenge Mat and Tony to identify whether a Linux Distro is alive or dead? This week is twist week when I challenge Mat and Tony to decide whether the named entity is real Linux distro or a name I made up. As is customary on twist week, extra credit is given if the alive/dead status is correctly guessed—for the actual distro, of course.

The items for the September 1 show:

====================================
Adios Linux

ADIOS boot CD was a Fedora-based live and installation CD with support for User Mode Linux (UML) virtual machines, further enhanced by Linux Intrusion Detection System (LIDS) and SELinux (Security Enhanced Linux). The live CD, which included the KDE desktop environment, used a compressed loopback filesystem

MAT: Real-Dead
TONY: Fake
VERDICT: Real (Dead)

====================================
Funtoo Linux

Funtoo Linux is a Linux-based operating system created by Daniel Robbins, the creator and former Chief Architect of Gentoo Linux.

http://www.funtoo.org/wiki/Welcome

MAT: Real – Alive
TONY: Real – Alive
VERDICT: Real (Alive)

===================================
. Chopstix Linux

MAT: Fake
TONY:Real – Alive
VERDICT: Fake

===================================
Flash Linux

It’s a FREE customized Linux distribution initially designed to be run directly off a 256Mb USB key or other forms of bootable flash memory.

http://flashlinux.org.uk/

MAT: Fake
TONY:Real – Dead
VERDICT: Real (Sort of Alive)

===================================
Icepack Linux

Icepack linux was an independent Linux distribution built from scratch. Its objective was to offer you a user-friendly full-featured operating system, pre-configured, well structured and easy to work with, and filled with the latest stable versions of great Linux applications.

http://www.icepack-linux.com/

MAT:Fake
TONY: Fake
VERDICT: Real (Dead)
===================================
Kangaroo Linux

MAT: Fake
TONY: Real – Alive
VERDICT:: Fake
===================================

Winner: Mat – 6
Tony – 3

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Listener Feedback:

show (at) smlr.us or 313-626-9140

Time: 1:31:52
Krayon -mirror speed test functionality is actually part of pacman, doesn’t like the Feedback form

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Outtro Music

Time: 1:35:00

Ukulele Anthem by Amanda Palmer

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