TimburyDotOrg » Debian http://timbury.org Linux and Open Source Stuff Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:06:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Debian Opens "Front Desk" for Derivatives http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/linuxjournalcom/~3/zB0HL3w0ils/debian-opens-front-desk-derivatives http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/linuxjournalcom/~3/zB0HL3w0ils/debian-opens-front-desk-derivatives#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000 Susan Linton
Debian Front Desk

Many Linux projects use Debian Linux as their code base for developing their distributions. Perhaps as many as 120 distributions are based on Debian and some include SimplyMepis, sidux, KNOPPIX, Elive, and Parsix. Perhaps the most widely known and used is Ubuntu. Ubuntu receives negative comments because many feel its developers don't contribute back upstream. more>>


]]> http://timbury.org/2010/07/01/debian-opens-front-desk-for-derivatives/feed/ 0 Is Ubuntu Too Big for Its Own Good? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IBeenToUbuntu/~3/jNoJz9q7_SI/is-ubuntu-too-big-for-its-own-good.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IBeenToUbuntu/~3/jNoJz9q7_SI/is-ubuntu-too-big-for-its-own-good.html#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:22:00 +0000 Daengbo
I miei CD di Ubuntu ShipIt!
Image by -= Treviño =- via Flickr
After writing my post about the default applications in Ubuntu last night, I had some thoughts which Fieldyweb might agree with:
What they should do, is redesign that, take ALL the apps out of Ubuntu, other than ff add adobe flash and as many codecs, 3g ethernet and wifi drivers as they can get away with, then redesign the app store, so if you want printing, you install it from there, if you want evolution, gimp whatever you install it from there.
My opinion is that the universe and multiverse repositories contain too much software for Ubuntu to QA properly. The number of bug reports during alpha and beta is so large that many of them aren't triaged until long after release. The release bugs aren't triaged until the next version is just around the corner. Invalid is the natural response in that situation.

Ubuntu is a foundation-run project, but the software reflects on Canonical, which sells support. The Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life needs to take the lead here and move the MOTUs out of the official Ubuntu repositories and into Launchpad, Canonical's code hosting and buid server. Making optional software available in individual PPAs, will mean that Ubuntu becomes responsible for much less and can concentrate on making the applications in main, especially default applications. Canonical can work toward its stated goal of creating a worthy competitor to OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and Windows 7.

What would the process of moving towards more streamlined look like? First, there would be no more mass import from Debian Unstable. Ubuntu would be responsible for the basic application and drivers necessary to run the various projects. MOTUs should be encouraged to move as quickly as possible to PPAs. AptURL should have the prohibition on PPAs removed for Launchpad.net. Finally, the Software Center needs to be reworked into a front-end for Launchpad PPAs. Backports will be responsible only for core applications (and likely only for LTS releases).

In the end, MOTUs and their PPAs would be obviously responsible for third-party package bugs which are now blamed on Ubuntu. Ubuntu development would more closely model its rivals (OS X and Windows), concentrating on the core OS and leaving the extra applications to interested parties. Users would still get one-click installation of software. Users would also stop bitching about having to upgrade in order get the newest software. The default Ubuntu install would just work.

There are some problems with this approach:
  1. Making sure users understand how to get PPA software and that the process is easy. This is solved using AptURL and one-click adding of PPAs and keys.
  2. Enforcing a packaging method in PPAs which limits or eliminates dependency conflicts. This is solved by having the software center only search for MOTU PPAs, where MOTUs are responsible for limited numbers of packages. Python bindings for Coherence (uPnP) are handled by one MOTU and Python programs which use that binding are assigned to other MOTUs.
  3. Ubuntu will definitely get some backlash for supporting fewer applications. Hopefully, this problem is mitigated by the improved quality of the core OS.
Thoughts?

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]]>
I miei CD di Ubuntu ShipIt!
Image by -= Treviño =- via Flickr
After writing my post about the default applications in Ubuntu last night, I had some thoughts which Fieldyweb might agree with:
What they should do, is redesign that, take ALL the apps out of Ubuntu, other than ff add adobe flash and as many codecs, 3g ethernet and wifi drivers as they can get away with, then redesign the app store, so if you want printing, you install it from there, if you want evolution, gimp whatever you install it from there.
My opinion is that the universe and multiverse repositories contain too much software for Ubuntu to QA properly. The number of bug reports during alpha and beta is so large that many of them aren't triaged until long after release. The release bugs aren't triaged until the next version is just around the corner. Invalid is the natural response in that situation.

Ubuntu is a foundation-run project, but the software reflects on Canonical, which sells support. The Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life needs to take the lead here and move the MOTUs out of the official Ubuntu repositories and into Launchpad, Canonical's code hosting and buid server. Making optional software available in individual PPAs, will mean that Ubuntu becomes responsible for much less and can concentrate on making the applications in main, especially default applications. Canonical can work toward its stated goal of creating a worthy competitor to OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and Windows 7.

What would the process of moving towards more streamlined look like? First, there would be no more mass import from Debian Unstable. Ubuntu would be responsible for the basic application and drivers necessary to run the various projects. MOTUs should be encouraged to move as quickly as possible to PPAs. AptURL should have the prohibition on PPAs removed for Launchpad.net. Finally, the Software Center needs to be reworked into a front-end for Launchpad PPAs. Backports will be responsible only for core applications (and likely only for LTS releases).

In the end, MOTUs and their PPAs would be obviously responsible for third-party package bugs which are now blamed on Ubuntu. Ubuntu development would more closely model its rivals (OS X and Windows), concentrating on the core OS and leaving the extra applications to interested parties. Users would still get one-click installation of software. Users would also stop bitching about having to upgrade in order get the newest software. The default Ubuntu install would just work.

There are some problems with this approach:
  1. Making sure users understand how to get PPA software and that the process is easy. This is solved using AptURL and one-click adding of PPAs and keys.
  2. Enforcing a packaging method in PPAs which limits or eliminates dependency conflicts. This is solved by having the software center only search for MOTU PPAs, where MOTUs are responsible for limited numbers of packages. Python bindings for Coherence (uPnP) are handled by one MOTU and Python programs which use that binding are assigned to other MOTUs.
  3. Ubuntu will definitely get some backlash for supporting fewer applications. Hopefully, this problem is mitigated by the improved quality of the core OS.
Thoughts?

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]]> http://timbury.org/2009/11/20/is-ubuntu-too-big-for-its-own-good/feed/ 0 How-To: Compile and Install xine-lib 1.1.15 in Debian Lenny and Ubuntu 8.04 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/bRzUM-TWfnE/how-to-compile-and-install-xine-lib.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/bRzUM-TWfnE/how-to-compile-and-install-xine-lib.html#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:28:00 +0000 Craciun Dan Xine is an engine which allows to play audio CDs, DVDs, VCDs, various audio and video formats like AVI, WMV, MOV to list a few. The last version of xine-lib is 1.1.15, released on August 14, 2008.

Installation in Debian Lenny
To compile from source and install xine-lib 1.1.15 in Debian Lenny you'll have to follow the steps below.

1. Enable the sources repositories
Make sure you have a line like the following in your /etc/apt/sources.list file:

deb-src http://ftp.ro.debian.org/debian/ lenny main contrib non-free

Then update the packages list as root:

apt-get update

2. Install the dependencies
As root, type:

apt-get build-dep libxine1

This will install the development packages and the tools needed to compile Xine.

3. Download the source, compile and install
Download the last xine-lib version from here, uncompress it and compile as usual:

./configure
make
make install

Last one as root.

xine-lib should be now installed in /usr/local/lib/.

Installation in Ubuntu 8.04
Ubuntu Hardy comes with libxine 1.1.11, so if you want to update to the latest version, you need to follow the steps above, with the exception of preceding the commands which need root privileges with sudo. For example:

sudo apt-get build-dep libxine1

./configure
make
sudo make install

With your user's password.

Video players using Xine
I can recommend Kaffeine and Xine-UI, both these players use the Xine engine.

Kaffeine 0.8.6

Updated: Sep 12, 2008


]]> http://vivapinkfloyd.blogspot.com/feeds/7240275559034657825/comments/default 0 How-To: Make UT2004 Use OSS on Debian Lenny http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/arixCx-cvAI/how-to-make-ut2004-use-oss-on-debian.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/arixCx-cvAI/how-to-make-ut2004-use-oss-on-debian.html#comments Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:22:00 +0000 Craciun Dan open /dev/[sound/]dsp: Resource temporarily unavailable. This is usually caused because the sound system is busy (for example, you have an audio player opened, or a paused movie).

The simplest way to get over this problem is to install the alsa-oss package, which contains the aoss wrapper to allow the use of ALSA OSS library. In Debian, type as root:

apt-get install alsa-oss

Then run UT2004 like this:

aoss ut2004

Or:

aoss /usr/local/games/ut2004demo/ut2004-demo

Depending on where your game is installed. The good thing about this is that you can now listen to music in a player separate from the one included in the game and also hear the UT2004 sounds.


]]> http://vivapinkfloyd.blogspot.com/feeds/3594560888607553522/comments/default 0 How-To: Compile and Install Banshee 1.2.0 on Debian Lenny http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/mCK9Wip_V-k/how-to-compile-and-install-banshee-120.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/mCK9Wip_V-k/how-to-compile-and-install-banshee-120.html#comments Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:13:00 +0000 Craciun Dan Banshee is a powerful audio player written using GTK, featuring audio and video libraries, support for podcasts and much more. The last version, 1.2, was released on July 30, 2008.

1. Install the necessary dependencies
As root, type:

apt-get install build-essential
apt-get build-dep banshee

For the last one, make sure you have sources repositories enabled in your /etc/apt/sources.list file (there is a line which starts with deb-src).

2. Download the source tarball
Download the source tarball from here, under the Source releases, then change the current working directory to where you saved the archive, and uncompress it:

tar -xjf banshee-1-1.2.0.tar.bz2

Change the working directory to banshee-1-1.2.0, and proceed to the next step.

3. Compile Banshee 1.2.0
In the banshee-1-1.2.0 directory, issue the usual:

./configure
make
make install

The last command as root. Banshee 1.2 should be now properly installed. Run it as banshee-1 from command line or pressing ALT+F2 and typing the name in the run dialogue that appears.

Running Banshee 1.2.0


]]> http://vivapinkfloyd.blogspot.com/feeds/1352454118796940391/comments/default 0 How-To: Compile and Install Code::Blocks from Source in Debian Lenny http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/NvEWC9_Et1k/how-to-compile-and-install-codeblocks.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/NvEWC9_Et1k/how-to-compile-and-install-codeblocks.html#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:51:00 +0000 Craciun Dan
The latest version is 8.02, available for download from the official downloads page. To install the dependencies, use:

apt-get install build-essential
apt-get install libwxgtk2.8-dev wx-common libgtk2.0-dev

Next, uncompress the source and issue the usual:

./configure
make
make install

Last one as root. You can launch Code::Blocks by running codeblocks in a shell or typing ALT+F2 and type codeblocks in the run dialogue.

Codeblocks 6.02


]]> http://vivapinkfloyd.blogspot.com/feeds/2677698517721555783/comments/default 0 How-To: Compile and Install Exaile 0.2.13 from Source in Debian Lenny http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/xlsmkQHv3F4/how-to-compile-and-install-exaile-0213.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/xlsmkQHv3F4/how-to-compile-and-install-exaile-0213.html#comments Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:03:00 +0000 Craciun Dan Exaile is an audio player built in GTK which aims to provide the same features as the popular Amarok for KDE. The last stable version is 0.2.13, released on April 2, 2008, which fixes cover art fetching from Amazon.

In order to compile Exaile on Debian Lenny, first make sure you have sources repositories enabled, that is, you have a line which starts with deb-src in your /etc/apt/sources.list file, like the one below:

deb-src ftp://ftp.ro.debian.org/debian/ lenny main contrib non-free

Next, install the necessary dependencies:

apt-get update
apt-get build-dep exaile

Download the source tarball from the official website here, uncompress it, change the current working directory to exaile-0.2.13 (or whatever your package is called) and issue:

make
make install

The last one as root. Exaile should be now installed in /usr/local/bin/exaile.


]]> http://vivapinkfloyd.blogspot.com/feeds/9130659505113358121/comments/default 0 How-To: Compile and Install PCMan FM 0.4.5 in Debian Lenny http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/bgnI8hMqIS4/how-to-compile-and-install-pcman-fm-045.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/bgnI8hMqIS4/how-to-compile-and-install-pcman-fm-045.html#comments Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:25:00 +0000 Craciun Dan PCMan FM is a basic GTK file manager with a simple interface, providing features like tabs, compression menu (bzip2, gzip, zip), or bookmarks. The last version is 0.4.5, and to install it issue as root:

apt-get build-dep pcmanfm
apt-get install intltool

Next, download the source from SourceForge.net, here. Uncompress it and follow the usual commands:

./configure
make
make install

The last one as root.


]]> http://vivapinkfloyd.blogspot.com/feeds/8250464876313032375/comments/default 0 How-To: Compile and Install BasKet from Source on Debian Lenny http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/6N-F6gLwQ_Y/how-to-compile-and-install-basket-from.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/xYHf/~3/6N-F6gLwQ_Y/how-to-compile-and-install-basket-from.html#comments Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:15:00 +0000 Craciun Dan BasKet is a powerful and fully-featured notes-taking application for KDE3, and there are also plans to port it to KDE4 (read about it here). The current version included in Debian Lenny's repositories is 1.0.2, however the last stable release is 1.0.3.1, so if you want to compile it from source, all you have to do is:

1. Make sure you have sources repositories enabled
Edit your /etc/apt/sources.list file and make sure you have a line similar with the one below:

deb-src ftp://ftp.ro.debian.org/debian/ lenny main contrib non-free

2. Install the needed dependencies
Use apt-get build-dep as root to install BasKet's dependencies:

apt-get build-dep basket

3. Download the source
Get the source tarball for the latest BasKet release from the official homepage.

4. Compile and install
Uncompress the tarball, change the current working to basket-1.0.3.1 (or whatever version you may have), and issue the usual:

./configure
make
make install

The last one as root. BasKet should be now properly installed.

BasKet 1.0.3.1 - Even better!

I recently wrote a full review of BasKet, you can read it here.


]]> http://vivapinkfloyd.blogspot.com/feeds/7040741361726368956/comments/default 0