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Filed under: Canonical

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Canonical

Millions of Karmic Koalas descend on the 'net as Ubuntu 9.10 downloads go live

Linuxby Lee Mathews Oct 29th 2009


We've been looking at Ubuntu 9.10 for a while now in anticipation of the big day. It's finally here, and the full release of Karmic Koala is now available for download.

As usual, there are plenty of ways to get your hands on the new OS. Unlike Windows 7, that includes certified, honest to goodness torrents straight from Canonical. They're already fairly well seeded, so P2P downloads should be nice and speedy.

To save you sifting through the massive list of links, here are the three big ones:
There's also a new release of WUBI [direct download] for those of you who want to do a hands-free Ubuntu 9.10 install from the comfort of your current Windows desktop.

Tags: karmic, karmic koala, karmic-koala, KarmicKoala, ubuntu, ubuntu-9.10

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Canonical

Canonical to limit free Ubuntu CD distribution program

Linuxby Brad Linder Oct 26th 2009

Ubuntu Shipit
On Thursday the folks at Canonical will release Ubuntu 9.10, the latest version of the popular Linux distribution. But as the operating system grows more and more popular, there's one service that Canonical has been offering for years that gets more and more expensive. Up until now, if you wanted to install Ubuntu, you could either download a disc image and burn it to a CD or DVD or sign up to have Canonical send you a free CD.

But the thing about free CDs is that somebody has to pay for them. And in this case, it's Canonical that's footing the bill. And the more people request the free CDs, the higher that bill gets. So Canonical has decided to place a few limits on the ShipIt program for distributing those CDs.

The discs will still be made available to Local Community team members and Ubuntu contributors. And new Ubuntu users will be able to request a CD. But you need to create an account and sign in to request that CD. In other words, Canonical will be tracking you and will only send you a free CD the first time you ask for one. After that, you'll be expected to either upgrade to the next version of Ubuntu by downloading software updates or by purchasing a disc from the Ubuntu Store.

[via PC Pro]

Tags: shipit, ubuntu

Filed under: Developer, Linux, Canonical

Frustrated EEEUbuntu dev says "Ubuntu sucks."

Linuxby Lee Mathews Oct 16th 2009

Ubuntu certainly has its fans - perhaps more than any other Linux distro. One person you can rest assured isn't part of that group: EEEUbuntu developer Andrew Wyatt. In case you aren't familiar with the project, EEEUbuntu is a customized Linux distro tailored to Asus' line of netbooks.

It was a SourceForge community choice award winner this year - for best new project. Now, however, it looks as though the distribution's future may be in jeopardy. On his personal blog, Wyatt expresses his frustration at receiving blame for problems actually caused by things like wonky Intel video drivers and kernel bugs.

Things which he feels are the result of carelessness of Ubuntu developers. "...They missed something as stupid as the ntel tiling kernel bug which caused every Intel card out there to crawl during any OpenGL function. There is no excuse for their release of alpha grade drivers and less than alpha grade kernel code into their release distribution," Wyatt writes.

He also hits on an issue that has given me grief in the past on multiple laptops - knowing what to do when you shut the lid. "Who needs suspend anyway, not like its a useful feature and all on an ultraportable." If it bothers me, I can certainly see how it would vex someone who develops a Ubuntu-based OS.

In closing his post, Wyatt gets in one last parting shot: "Maybe I should buy a copy of Windows 7, I hear that it actually works. How can we expect non-techical users to use this pile of garbage that is 'Linux'?"

Ouch.

[via ITWire]

Tags: canonical, eee, eeeubuntu, linux, ubuntu

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Filed under: Linux, Open Source, Canonical

CouchDB dev unwittingly gives Ubuntu users cloud-based nightmares

Linuxby Lee Mathews Oct 15th 2009

You've likely heard about Ubuntu One by now - we've mentioned it a couple times here on Download Squad, and it's now making regular appearances on Karmic Koala beta desktops everywhere.

Canonical made it clear from the get-go that Ubuntu 9.10 was going to pack plenty of cloud functionality for both desktops and servers. One piece of that puzzle is CouchDB, which developer Elliot Murphy was overjoyed to announce has slipped in under the wire to beat the Karmic code freeze.

In his exuberance, he made the following statement:
"...and by the time Ubuntu 9.10 is released on October 29th every single Ubuntu user will have an address book stored in CouchDB that replicates with one.ubuntu.com, and Tomboy notes that are replicated via a web API at the application but then stored in CouchDB and carried along in the CouchDB replication that we have set up."
What Elliot meant, unfortunately, was that every Ubuntu user can -- not will -- have their data replicate. That tiny slip-up touched off a bit of crapstorm, with users at LWN reacting strongly to the implication that their data would be piped to Ubuntu's servers. Murphy later added a revised comment to the thread at LWN apologizing for the confusion.

Moral of the story: be extra careful when talking about private user data and cloud storage -- seems like it might still be a bit of a touchy subject.

Tags: cloud, couchdb, karmic-koala, privacy, ubuntu-one, ubuntuone

Filed under: Windows, Linux, Web services, Freeware, Open Source, Social Software, Canonical, web 2.0, Web

Week in Review: 3rd October

WindowsLinuxby Nik Fletcher Oct 3rd 2009

It's been quite a week here at Download Squad - and contrary to popular opinion there's been more than Google Wave in the news, so here's quick roundup of the news from the last seven days alongside some other stories that we simply didn't get a chance to cover.

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Tags: week-in-review

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Filed under: Linux, Canonical, Beta

Canonical bumps Ubuntu One paid accounts to 50GB, pulling even with Dropbox

Linuxby Lee Mathews Oct 3rd 2009


Canonical has decided -- in response to user requests -- to give paid users of its Ubuntu One online sync and storage tool a big, fat boost in drive space. One recently made its way into Karmic Koala -- which has just reached beta.

When beta testing began in May, it looked as though free accounts would get 2GB (the same as Dropbox) and premium users would receive 10GB. That may have been a tough sell, since the same $10 per month scores 50GB from Dropbox.

In response to beta tester feedback, however, Canonical has decided to pony up. Paid users of the service will now get 50GB.

I'll still give the edge to Dropbox since it's also available on Windows, Mac, and now the iPhone as well. On top of that, there's also the option of a 100GB account if you need extra elbow room. If you're only using Linux, can make do with 50GB, and want to support Canonical, however, Ubuntu One is a solid choice.

[via Works With U]

Tags: canonical, online storage, OnlineStorage, sync, ubuntu, ubuntu-one

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Open Source, Canonical

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Beta now available

Linuxby Paul O'Brien Oct 2nd 2009


The Beta release of Canonical's new baby, Ubuntu 9.10 'Karmic Koala', is now available for download.

As well as the usual host of version updates to each of the components (including Firefox finally getting an official update to 3.5), changes in 9.10 include a visual refresh, a boot sequence improved in both appearance and performance, inclusion of the new 'Ubuntu Software Center' (which replaces 'Add/Remove' in the applications menu), Gnome 2.28 (which sees the Pidgin IM client replaced with Empathy), rapid application development with Quickly, Ubuntu One file sharing, Linux kernel 2.6.31, Intel's new UXA video driver architecture for improved performance on Intel hardware, ext4 as the default filesystem (replacing ext3), GRUB2 as the default bootloader, improved iSCSI support, updated and improved AppArmor and Uncomplicated Firewall - you can read the full list on the Beta page.

Ubuntu 9.10 is available for download in both ISO format (directly and via Bittorrent) and for the first time in Cloud image format for use with Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) and Amazon's EC2.

Only one Beta version of Karmic Koala will be available - the release candidate arrives October 22nd (the release date for Windows 7!) before the final release lands on October 29th.

Gallery: Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala


Tags: canonical, karmic koala, KarmicKoala, ubuntu

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Canonical

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala icon theme available for download

Linuxby Brad Linder Oct 1st 2009

Humanity Icons
Canonical is launching a new icon set called Humanity for Ubuntu 9.10. The new operating system should be available to download in a couple of weeks, but if you can't wait that long and don't want to download a pre-release alpha version of Ubuntu 9.10 you can download the Humanity icon set and use it on earlier versions of Ubuntu.

You can also install the icon set by opening a terminal and typing (without quotes): "sudo apt-get install humanity-icon-theme".

The new set includes icons for actions, animations, applications, devices, categories, and a whole slew of other areas.

The entire icon set weighs in at 1.4MB and each icon is saved in Scalable Vector format which means the icons should look good in a variety of resolutions. You can read more about the new icons at the Ubuntu Wiki.

[via Ubuntu Mini]

Tags: humanity, icons, ubuntu, ubuntu-9.10, ubuntu-9.10-karmic-koala

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Canonical

Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx coming next year

Linuxby Brad Linder Sep 21st 2009

The folks at Canonical are putting the final touches on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala which should be available next month. But in one of the first steps toward looking even further ahead, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth has announced the alliterative codename for Ubuntu 10.04 which will be released in April: Lucid Lynx.

Ubuntu comes out on a six month schedule, which means that you get a major update every April and October. Lucid Lynx will be a LTS or Long Time Service release, which means users and organizations that don't want to feel the need to upgrade every six months can install the operating system and expect 2 years of support from Canonical. The last LTS release was Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron.

Ubuntu 10.04 will use the GNOME 2.0 desktop (the following version will move on to GNOME 3.0). There'll be a push for more cloud computing features. More details should emerge in the coming months.

[via OStatic]

Tags: lucid-lynx, ubuntu, ubuntu-10.04, ubuntu-10.04-lucid-lynx

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Open Source, Canonical

Ubuntu 9.10 Alpha 6 adds software store, improves boot speed

Linuxby Lee Mathews Sep 18th 2009

Canonical has some pretty ambitious goals for Karmic Koala: faster startup times, tight cloud integration, an improved experience for netbooks, a Ubuntu software store, and much more. Some of these changes in recent alpha builds and yesterday's 9.10 alpha 6 continues to bring things into focus.

As you can see from the header clip, the old usplash boot animation has been replaced by xsplash which (unsurprisingly) uses X to draw the screens. In the demo, the full desktop is loaded around the 21 second mark - a very respectable time. Don't forget, Canonical hopes to cut that time in half in Ubuntu 10.04.

Also making its debut this go-ground is the Software Store. It's been added to the system menu and brings a more user-friendly program installation experience to Ubuntu. Sure, Synaptic and Ubuntu's own add/remove system are good, but the Software Store is a nice gesture to new Linux converts and less computer-savy users.

The beta release of Ubuntu 9.10 is slated for October 1st and the final release on the 29th. You can upgrade via apt-get or the Ubuntu Update Manager or download the new builds from Canonical. In addition to the flagship distribution, KUbuntu, Xubuntu, EDUbuntu, UbuntuStudio, and Mythbuntu are also available.

Tags: edubuntu, karmic-koala, kubuntu, linux, ubuntu 9.10, ubuntu-9.10, Ubuntu9.10, xubuntu

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Open Source, Canonical

Give Ubuntu a facelift with new community themes and icon sets

Linuxby Lee Mathews Sep 17th 2009

A lot of new Ubuntu users are put off by the default color scheme. "Brown and orange? Those are colors a non-winning football franchise would pick." (you know I love you, Browns!) Well, it's really not all that hard to tweak your interface to something more "you" in Ubuntu -- and soon there will be some more default options available.

Four new community-developed themes are now available, and they're all well done and visually appealing. While there are still plenty of mocha tones, I think each one is a nice alternative to Ubuntu's out-of-the-box look.

Check the screens and get download links after the break!

[via Ubuntu Manual]

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Tags: emerald, gtk, icons, linux, skins, themes, theming, ubuntu

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Filed under: Linux, Canonical

Ubuntu 9.10 alpha 5 available for download, gears up for October release

Linuxby Lee Mathews Sep 4th 2009

With the final version of Karmic Koala due in less than two months, things are looking good for Ubuntu 9.10. Alpha 5 has been officially released and is now available for download from the usual channels.

The new alpha brings with it kernel 2.6.31-9.29, Gnome 2.27.91, GCC 4.4, and a lengthy list of additional updated packages. KUbuntu has been bumped to KDE 4.3.1 and its first Netbook Remix has also been released this time around.

Karmic's installer now sports a series of panels that showcase apps like FSpot, OpenOffice, and Rhythmbox. It's a nice touch -- if only as a reassurance to new users that yes, you can do these things on Linux. Though it's still touted as Ubuntu's default IM application during the install process (see the slides after the break), Pidgin has now been replaced by Empathy. Canonical's Ubuntu One cloud sync app is now included by default.

The usual alpha software caveats apply here: it's not recommended for use on critical systems and may contain bugs that could be hazardous to your computing health.

Now that that's out of the way...The alpha builds have been a lot of fun to play with so far, so check them out. Share your thoughts with us in the comments if you've given 9.10 a shot already!

Read more →

Tags: alpha, karmic-koala, linux, ubuntu

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Open Source, Canonical

Canonical rolls out sleeker, sexier UI for Ubuntu Netbook Remix

Linuxby Lee Mathews Aug 10th 2009

As the Moblin Project continues forging ahead with their sleek, fast-booting Linux remix for netbooks the gang at Canonical continues to keep pace. There's a new GUI for the Ubuntu Netbook Remix which premiered over the weekend.

While it's not yet on public display at the UNR web page, there are plenty of images of the restyled interface over at Ubuntu Mini. It's much less cluttered than the previous version, which is an important improvement for an OS designed for diminutive netbook displays.

Continuing with the streamlining of the UI, application launches no longer call an animation - just a simple notifier in the center of the screen. Adding apps to your favorites is now much easier as well. You no longer need to drag an item to the Go Home apple. A simple click on the add to favorites button next to an app's icon is all it takes.

If you'd like to take the new interface for a spin, you can grab the alpha ISO image from the Karmic Koala download page.

[via Liliputing]

Tags: canonical, linux, ubuntu-netbook-remix, ultraportable

Filed under: OS Updates, Linux, Canonical, Beta

Canonical launches Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Alpha 3

Linuxby Brad Linder Jul 29th 2009

Ubuntu 9.10 alpha 3
The next major version of Ubuntu Linux isn't due out until October 29th. But the neat thing about open source projects is that development happens in public, and anyone willing to risk tackling a few bugs is welcome to download the recently released Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Alpha 3.

The latest build features a number of updates including updated versions of the GNOME desktop environment and the Linux kernel. Canonical has also updated the GRUB bootloader to GRUB2, changed the default filesystem to ext4, and added a new Intel video driver architecture. Ubuntu 9.10 Alpha 3 also replaced Pidgin as the default instant messaging client with Empathy.

Kubuntu 9.10 Alpha 3 is also available for download. Kubuntu is based on Ubuntu, but uses the KDE desktop environment instead of GNOME. This is the first version of Kubuntu to come with a netbook-optimized version optimized for devices with small screens and slower processors. Right now, most of the changes are in fonts and desktop settings.

The latest version of Kubuntu also includes the Arora web browser and updated versions of the Amarok music player and K3b CD and DVD creator. It also includes a handful of KDE widgets for social networks including Twitter, Facebook, and identi.ca.

These are still early releases and there are a number of known issues, including the fact that Windows may not show up in the GRUB boot menu if you install Ubuntu 9.10 Alpha 3 on a computer already running Windows.

Tags: kubuntu-9.10-alpha-3, ubuntu-9.10-alpha-3, ubuntu-9.10-karmic-koala

Filed under: Linux, Canonical, Android

Coming soon: Google Android applications on Ubuntu

Linuxby Brad Linder May 26th 2009

Google Android on Ubuntu Netbook Remix
While Google Android is built on the Linux kernel, all of the applications for the mobile operating system actually run on a custom Java runtime. In other words, Google Android doesn't run most native Linux applications, and most Linux distributions can't run Google Android apps... yet. But Canonical is working on software that would allow Google Android programs to run natively on Ubuntu Linux.

Right now that wouldn't really be that exciting, because most Android programs are designed to run on a cellphone. After all, would you really want to run the iPhone version of Safari or the Windows Mobile version of Word on your desktop computer when there are far better word processors and web browsers designed for desktop operating systems?

But in the long run, this could expand the developer community for both Ubuntu and Google Android. If you develop an app for one, it might not be that much work to get it to run on the other. The move could also make it much easier to come up with ways to synchronize the data on mobile devices running Google Android with a desktop computer running Ubuntu.

Development is still in the early phases, so it's possible that the whole project could lead nowhere. But the screenshot above (grabbed from Scott James Remnant's Twitpic stream) of Google Android programs running on a machine with Ubuntu Netbook Remix installed certainly suggests a world of possibilities.

Tags: android-on-linux, android-on-ubuntu, google-android, ubuntu

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