# The Ubuntu Forum Community > Ubuntu Community Discussions > Weekly Newsletter >  Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter #82

## boredandblogging.com

Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 82 for the weeks March 9th - March 15th, 2008. In this issue we cover the Ubuntu 8.04 beta freeze, Ubuntu Classroom team, the return of Ubuntustats.com, LoCo projects from the Jordanian, New Mexico, and UK teams, Ubuntu Studio at Sheffield University, and, as always, much, much more!

*In This Issue*
Ubuntu 8.04 Beta FreezeUbuntu ClassroomUbuntustats.com ReturnsFLOSS Introduction - The Jordanian WayEndorphin Power Company Ubuntu Install and SupportUbuntu UK PodcastUbuntu Forums News & InterviewsTutorial of the WeekIn The Press & BlogosphereIn Other NewsMeetings & EventsUpdates & SecurityBug & Translations
*General Community News*

*Ubuntu 8.04 Beta Freeze*

Hardy Heron 8.04 LTS is now only one week away from beta release, and has entered beta freeze. During the freeze, all uploads to main must be approved by a member of the release team [1], so if you have fixes which are important to get in, please do get in touch as soon as possible.  Uploads to universe require a manual push through the queue, but are not subject to release management approval.

[1] https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-release

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ub...ch/000403.html

*Ubuntu Classroom*

What is Ubuntu Classroom? It's a place for users to learn how to give back to the community. The idea is to show the millions of users of Ubuntu how they can personally make Ubuntu better. The goal is to help show users how easy it is to contribute to Ubuntu, and then follow that up to make sure those same users continue to contribute.

How can you help? We need presenters, bloggers and people to be available in IRC to help answer questions. Help get this team on track by volunteering some of you time, you'll be glad you did!

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom/Submissions

http://tinyurl.com/2epthg (Ubuntu Classroom planning schedule and events)

*Ubuntustats.com Returns*

After a lengthy downtime due to excessive traffic and load to the server, Felipe Lerena finally managed to put some spare time into migrating everything to a new server, provided by Mitch Mahan, and launched UbuntuStats back into the intrawebs. The plan is continue building, to expand the statistics gathered, and start showing trends in different areas. Also of importance will be cleaning up the code to allow other people to contribute code into the project and provide public snapshots of the database. http://beuno.com.ar/archives/61

*LoCo News*

*Ubuntu Jordan LoCo: FLOSS Introduction - The Jordanian Way*

As part of Ubuntu Jordan LoCo Team continuous efforts to spread awareness about GNU/Linux, the team organized a public event at The University of Jordan. A lecture Introducing FLOSS in the Jordanian way, as well as a brief background of FLOSS history, was given by Khamis Seksik. The lecture also included Mr. Seksik explaining some reasons to use FLOSS, as well as information on the selling VS software, and comparing backward compatibility issues between FLOSS and other software. It is worth mentioning that next week the Ubuntu Jordan LoCo Team is scheduled to start giving Ubuntu Desktop Courses in cooperation with the Jordan University IEEE Student Branch, who was an important part of this event. Visit the link for pictures of the event. http://syntux.net/blog/2008/03/13/ub...jordanian-way/

*Ubuntu New Mexico LoCo: Endorphin Power Company Ubuntu Install and Support*

In September of 2007, Dave Thomas and Eric Krieger were sitting at the New Mexico Software Freedom Day event when they began tossing around various thoughts and ideas about open source software. The discussion eventually landed on the topic of the Philosophy of Ubuntu -- "I am what I am because of who we all are." A question arose: "How could we, as a group, give back to our community?" Eric approached his boss at Charter Bank and asked if they could donate some PCs to a local non-profit organization. Charter Bank generously agreed to donate twenty-five PCs, several switches, and a server. It was determined, after some discussion on the teams email list, that a deserving organization would be Endorphin Power Company (EPC). EPC is a local shelter with special focus on the substance-dependent and homeless. The ultimate goal is to bring a highly functional computer network to EPC by using Ubuntu and Open Source Software with emphasis on documentation and training.

To date, the team's EPC project is progressing nicely. They just finished setting up and installing the EPC computer lab this past Saturday. It was a proud day for our Ubuntu community, but this is only the beginning! The successful installation of the computer lab has given the team a solid foundation upon which to build. Future projects include the networking and installation of all of the computers in the residents' dormitory rooms, the launching of an EPC intranet (and associated server applications), and the creation of internet kiosks within a planned cafe. Additionally, the team will be holding regular meetings at EPC, and will be giving tutorials by using the Ubuntu Desktop Course in a series of classes at the new computer lab. New projects continue to be discussed and will be more fully developed as our involvement grows.

Project wiki page with pictures here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Endorphin_Po...l_and_Support_

Another summary and more pictures can be found on Dave Thomas's blog: http://dthomasdigital.wordpress.com/...ect-takes-off/

Contact information

NM LoCo Team contact: mrimbert@ubuntu.com

EPC Project Lead: grammatoncleric@ubuntu.com

NM LoCo IRC channel #ubuntu-us-nm

*New in Hardy Heron*

*Technical Board decisions*

At Tuesday's meeting of the Ubuntu Technical Board, two technical decisions were taken with regard to the Ubuntu 8.04 release:
Automatic indexing in tracker will be disabled for Ubuntu 8.04.  While we value the functionality provided by tracker and intend to continue to support its rapid development by including it by default in Ubuntu, the side effects of automatic indexing have a significant impact on users regardless of whether they make use of tracker's search features. Instead, users who desire this functionality can turn on indexing by changing their preference settings.The officially released architectures for Ubuntu 8.04 will be i386 and amd64.  The SPARC port will continue to be provided with build infrastructure, and Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, 7.04 and 7.10 will continue to enable SPARC deployments well into the future, but there will not be an official Ubuntu 8.04 release for SPARC.https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ub...ch/000400.html

*Ubuntu Forums News*

*Ubuntu Forums Interviews*
Hailing from the town of Kottawa, Sri Lanka, PmDematagoda is a recent addition to the staff, but has at least a decade?s experience working with PC systems and Windows. A XP virus introduced him to Linux, and from there, Ubuntu was only a short step away. Read more: http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/03...-pmdematagoda/.Cross the line in the forums and you?ll probably face KiwiNZ as a result. On one hand, he?s the forum strongman ? more than likely he?s the one who?ll press the button that bans you ? but on the other hand, he?s a father of three and an experienced IT manager. An Ubuntu user since its inception, and a forum member since the earliest days of its existence, KiwiNZ is the last administrator left to be interviewed. Read on to learn more about member No. 9.: http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/03...w-with-kiwinz/.
*Tutorial of the Week*

This week's tutorial might not be one you need right away, but keep it mind for the future: OldPink's "HowTo: Transfer your bootable Ubuntu installation between hard drives." http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=599599

Aside from being exceptionally useful, this is another tutorial that's well-designed and easy to follow. Be sure to thank OldPink if it comes in handy, in the future.

*In The Press*
OS Wars: The Battle for Your Desktop - PC Magazine tries to determine the best operating system for an average user who wants something secure, easy to install, and easy to master. Mac OS 10.5.1, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Ubuntu are put to the challenge. Upgrades from 7.04 to 7.10 on a pre-installed Dell computers causes issues, but the use of Live CDs is highlighted. While GNOME is clean, use of the command line scares away the masses. The variety of applications on Ubuntu is noted, but the gaming market caters to Windows. Similarly, Windows has an advantage with devices and drivers, specifically networking, compared to Mac OS and Ubuntu. Ubuntu and Mac OS receive high marks for security. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2273486,00.asp
*In The Blogosphere*
Talking Ubuntu Linux: Q&A with System76 President Carl Richell - System76, one of the best-known providers of pre-installed Ubuntu systems, recently introduced new servers certified to run the operating system. All About Ubuntu caught up with System76 President Carl Richell to discuss his views on the Ubuntu server market. System76 has offered Ubuntu pre-loaded servers since the release of Ubuntu 6.06 LTS. Currently they are providing servers to small businesses, schools, governments, and enterprises. Business customers are deploying web applications, email, telephony, and thin clients. Higher education customers utilize Ubuntu servers for research and complex calculations.  Scientists and students will soon be using System76 servers for plant genome sequencing. Ubuntu?s early focus on delivering a stellar desktop operating system has proven extremely valuable to the server side. Many System76 business customers started with System76 laptops and desktops, their first Linux computers, and are now deploying Ubuntu servers. Visit the link to read the entire interview.http://allaboutubuntu.wordpress.com/...-carl-richell/Yes, my grandma can run Ubuntu Linux - Last week Lenovo lent Matt Asay one of its X61 ThinkPad laptops so that he could give Ubuntu a try. A week into a new trial with Ubuntu, it was clear that desktop Linux has come a long way. He found it extremely easy to use, and states that "this is an operating system that my grandma could (and in fact, did) use". This isn't to say that his week with Ubuntu Linux was uneventful. He had a few struggles, which he details in the article. These struggles, however, were almost entirely due to running Ubuntu on unsupported hardware, and not any fault of Ubuntu (or Linux) itself. To test how hard it is for an average user to find their way around Ubuntu, he had his grandmother give it a try. They were able to accomplish several tasks without even knowing that they were using a different operating system. All in all, he was very impressed with Ubuntu. The learning curve required to switch from Windows to Linux is all of 10 seconds long. His grandma did it. The lady who cuts his hair did it. Read the whole article, and see pictures of the ladies using Ubuntu by following the link. http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9889681-16.html
*In Other News*

*First episode of Ubuntu UK Podcast: A Little Less Conversation*
Ciemon Dunville, Alan Pope, Dave Walker and Tony Whitmore present the first episode of the Ubuntu UK Podcast. Available in OGG or MP3 formats, this first episode includes:
A brief intro to the cast, some history of how the podcast was conceived.Discussion on Ubuntu?s Brainstorm site.Introduction, discussion on why BrainstormTalk about some of the top ideasFOSDEM 2008 - InterviewsAndrew Waffa, developer from the Bongo projectBecky Hogge of the Open Rights GroupJan Claeys from the Belgian Ubuntu LoCo TeamPimp the Ubuntu Demo dayhttp://podcast.ubuntu-uk.org/2008/03/11/13/

*kubuntu-de.org interview: Tobias König about the development of Akonadi*

Tobias König is a Computer Science student and one of the core developers of Akonadi, one of the innovative technologies that will be implemented in KDE4. Akonadi is not a groupware server. Akonadi is an intermediate storage and abstraction layer for PIM data. This is similar to Phonon, for multimedia or Solid for hardware. Akonadi abstracts the access and maintenance of data for the rest of the system (i.e. the address book or the calendar). This is achieved by offering a common interface for all the data. In turn there are several improvements in comparison to KDE3: (1) PIM data must only be held once in the memory; (2) there is a central instance which monitors any change of the data and hence informs all other components about it; (3) the whole Akonadi framework follows an asynchronous communication design. This means blocking of the user interface or for the loading or storing of data cannot occur anymore. The user will benefit because data that is changed, say in their address book, will automatically change in their birthday data too. Integration, with less memory usage. Read the whole interview by following the link.
http://www.kubuntu-de.org/english/in...opment-akonadi

*Ubuntu Studio at Sheffield University*

Adapting to change: Working with digital sound using open source software in a teaching and learning environment - The music department at Sheffield University is in the process of installing Ubuntu Studio (dual boot) on all of their studio computers. This is being lead by the head of the studios Adrian Moore and one of the department's technicians the Dave Moore. They have written a rather objective study on the feasibility of the switch along with a case study of creating a composition on Ubuntu Studio. Read the study at http://www.shef.ac.uk/content/1/c6/0...o-changer1.pdf

*Upcoming Meetings and Events*

*Wednesday, March 19, 2008*

==== Server Team Meeting ====Start: 21:00 UTCEnd: 22:00 UTCLocation: IRC channel #ubuntu-meetingAgenda: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ServerTeam/Meeting
*Thursday, March 20, 2008*

==== Ubuntu Chicago Meeting ====Start: 19:30 US/CSTEnd: 20:30 US/CSTLocation: IRC channel #ubuntu-chicagoAgenda: Discussion of UIC's Flourish open source
*Updates and Security for 6.06, 6.10, 7.04, and 7.10*

*Security Updates*
[USN-585-1] Python vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ub...ch/000673.html[USN-586-1] mailman vulnerability - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ub...ch/000674.html
*Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Updates*
python2.4, python2.4 2.4.3-0ubuntu6.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/da...ch/012642.htmllighttpd 1.4.11-3ubuntu3.8 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/da...ch/012643.htmlmysql-dfsg-5.0 5.0.22-0ubuntu6.06.7 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/da...ch/012644.htmllangpack-locales 2.3.18.10 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/da...ch/012645.htmlvlc_0.8.4.debian-1ubuntu6.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/da...ch/012646.htmlmailman_2.1.5-9ubuntu4.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/da...ch/012647.htmlphpmyadmin_2.8.0.3-1ubuntu0.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/da...ch/012648.htmlwml 2.0.8-11ubuntu0.6.06 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/da...ch/012649.html
*Ubuntu 6.10 Updates*
python2.4 2.4.4~c1-0ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ed...ch/008511.htmlpython2.5 2.5-2ubuntu2.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ed...ch/008512.htmllighttpd 1.4.13~r1370-1ubuntu1.6 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ed...ch/008513.htmlmysql-dfsg-5.0 5.0.24a-9ubuntu2.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ed...ch/008514.htmltzdata 2008a-0ubuntu0.6.10 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ed...ch/008515.htmlvlc_0.8.6-svn20061012.debian-1ubuntu1.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ed...ch/008516.htmlmailman_2.1.8-2ubuntu2.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ed...ch/008517.html
*Ubuntu 7.04 Updates*
python2.4 2.4.4-2ubuntu7.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008866.htmlpython2.5 2.5.1-0ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008867.htmllighttpd 1.4.13-9ubuntu4.5 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008868.htmlmysql-dfsg-5.0 5.0.38-0ubuntu1.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008869.htmltzdata 2008a-0ubuntu0.7.04 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008870.htmlvlc_0.8.6.release-0ubuntu4.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008871.htmlmailman_2.1.9-4ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008872.htmlphpmyadmin_2.9.1.1-2ubuntu1.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008873.htmlwml_2.0.11-1ubuntu0.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008874.htmlpython-cherrypy 2.2.1-3ubuntu1.7.04 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008875.htmlmailman_2.1.9-4ubuntu1.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/fe...ch/008876.html
*Ubuntu 7.10 Updates*
python2.4 2.4.4-6ubuntu4.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010159.htmlpython2.5 2.5.1-5ubuntu5.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010160.htmllighttpd 1.4.18-1ubuntu1.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010161.htmlmysql-dfsg-5.0 5.0.45-1ubuntu3.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010162.htmltzdata 2008a-0ubuntu0.7.10 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010163.htmlvlc_0.8.6.release.c-0ubuntu5.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010164.htmlmailman_2.1.9-8ubuntu0.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010165.htmlwml_2.0.11-2ubuntu0.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010166.htmlcherrypy3 3.0.2-1ubuntu0.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010167.htmlpython-cherrypy 2.2.1-3ubuntu1.7.10 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010168.htmlmailman_2.1.9-8ubuntu0.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/gu...ch/010169.html
*Bug Stats*
Open (39934) -328 # over last weekCritical (22) -1 # over last weekUnconfirmed (19347) -215 # over last weekUnassigned (30706) -113 # over last weekAll bugs ever reported (160432) +2275 # over last week
As always, the Bug Squad needs more help. If you want to get started, please see  https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad

*Translation Stats Hardy*
Spanish (12938)English-UK (38910)French (41141)Swedish (51392)Brazilian Portuguese (56321)
Remaining string to translate in Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron," see more at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/hardy/

*Archives and RSS Feed*

You can always find older Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter issues at: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter

You can subscribe to the Ubuntu Weekly News via RSS at:
http://fridge.ubuntu.com/uwn/feed

*Additional Ubuntu News*

As always you can find more news and announcements at:

http://www.ubuntu.com/news

and

http://fridge.ubuntu.com/

*Conclusion*

Thank you for reading the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter.

See you next week!

*Credits*

The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter is brought to you by:
Nick AliJohn CrawfordIsabelle DuchatelleCraig A. EddyAnd many others
*Glossary of Terms*

 1. FLOSS - Free Libre Open Source Software
 1. LTS - Long Term Support
 1. PIM - Personal Information Manager
 1. SPARC - Scalable Processor Architecture, from Sun Microsystems

*Feedback*

If you would like to submit an idea or story you think is worth appearing on the UWN, please send them to ubuntu-marketing-submissions@lists.ubuntu.com.
This document is maintained by the Ubuntu Marketing Team. Please feel free to contact us regarding any concerns or suggestions by either sending an email to ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com or by using any of the other methods on the Ubuntu Marketing Team Contact Information Page (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MarketingTeam). If you'd like to contribute to a future issue of the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, please feel free to edit the appropriate wiki page. If you have any technical support questions, please send then ubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com.

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