Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala is out. The demand for ISOs is incredible, so bit torrent is the preferred method. The mirrors are:

Ubuntu 9.10

• ubuntu-9.10-alternate-amd64.iso.torrent
• ubuntu-9.10-alternate-i386.iso.torrent
• ubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso.torrent
• ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.torrent
• ubuntu-9.10-server-amd64.iso.torrent
• ubuntu-9.10-server-i386.iso.torrent
• New: IPv6 only torrents for users of IPv6 (learn more about IPv6)

Even getting to the torrent file via http is incredibly slow. I have a copy of the torrent file (not the ISO) at http://opensource.sfsu.edu/files/ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso.torrent It should be a lot faster to get the *.torrent on campus :-) I also have a couple of bit torrent downloads running on campus. I'll leave these running in the hopes that if you decide to download Karmic's awesomeness you'll get the bits from within 130.212.0.0/16

As a kid, I loved James Bond movies (I still like the old ones), especially the gadgetry. A shoe compartment, a multi-purpose watch, a micro camera. Needless to say, a lot of money has gone into ThinkGeek purchases Imagine my pleasure when I recently had to introduce the OLPC project to someone (potential funding source for a deployment). I pulled out a 8GB microSD card from a secret zipper in my shirt, placed it squarely on the table, and said "We won't be needing the Internet for now. This little piece of technology holds well over 100 albums and hundreds of books that are freely distributable. It also has a web server, a database server, a collaboration server, backup software, and a bunch more. We won't be needing the Internet to get this deployment off the ground".

Recently, I presented at a workshop on telecommunications, open source and mobility at the First Caribbean Regional International Telecommunications Society Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Key points in this workshop were:

• The network's value proposition can be fully realized only if it remains open and unencumbered. 
• Setting up independent, yet interconnected PBXs using Asterisk: small ones with AstLinux, large ones with Trixbox.
• Asterisk and the OLPC project. Setting up local phone networks in villages, schools, communities.

Slides are up at  http://www.slideshare.net/sverma/open-connect-network

How small can a Linux distro be? Very small. We've had distros that fit on a 1.44 MB floppy and are used for routers. For a desktop/GUI type distro though, the smallest I've seen is DSL - Damn Small Linux. I found another one a little while ago. Tiny Core Linux:

"Tiny Core Linux is a very small (10 MB) minimal Linux Desktop. It is based on Linux 2.6 kernel, Busybox, Tiny X, Fltk, and Jwm. The core runs entirely in ram and boots very quickly."

Yay! Finally, I can use my Thinkpad X300's USB dock to do all chores including VGA. I can also use it with my OLPC XO-1 hopefully.

From http://freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/libdlo:

This is from episode 66 of FLOSS Weekly by hosts: Randal Schwartz and Leo Laporte

Bryan Berry, of Open Learning Exchange Nepal, the NGO implementing the OLPC project in Nepal.

 

Bryan Berry has served as IT manager for US embassies in Tel Aviv, Hong Kong, and Kathmandu. He has been a linux user for six years, and has lived in Asia for the last seven years. He began work on the Open Learning Exchange Nepal project in 2006, and as of June 2007 gained the support of the Nepali government to begin a pilot program of the OLPC project.

He also talks about Boston Brahmins, but I'll let you listen to the podcast. The interview is at http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/twit.cachefly.net/FLOSS-066.mp3

Before you wonder what sabdfl is, it stands for Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator For Life, a title assigned to Mark Shuttleworth. Its a meritocracy, not a democracy! Mark was interviewed by Jorge Castro online after the release of Jaunty Jackalope, the code name for Ubuntu 9.04. The full interview is up at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/openweekJaunty/AskMark Here are some excerpts:

I came across a nice step-by-step article on how to build firewalls using Debian or Ubuntu. Firewall Builder is available from the libfwbuilder and fwbuilder packages in both Debian and Ubuntu (in Universe).   Read the article in full at http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/632

Found LDTP: Linux Desktop Testing Project. http://ldtp.freedesktop.org/

From their website:

"GNU/Linux Desktop (GUI Application) Testing Project (GNU LDTP) is aimed at producing high quality test automation framework and cutting-edge tools that can be used to test GNU/Linux / Solaris Desktop and improve it. It uses the Accessibility libraries to poke through the application's user interface. The framework also has tools to record test-cases based on user-selection on the application. GNU LDTP is a GNU/Linux / Unix GUI application testing tool. It runs on GNU/Linux / Solaris / FreeBSD / Embedded environment (Palm source).

---

[ login to post comments | read more | send this story | 32131 reads ]