------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Debian Project http://www.debian.org/ Debian Project News [email protected] November 22nd, 2010 http://debian.org/News/project/2010/16/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to this year's sixteenth issue of DPN, the newsletter for the Debian community. Topics covered in this issue include: * State of Debian 6.0 "Squeeze" * Highlights from the Debian linux-2.6 Meeting * New default artwork for Debian "Squeeze" * Debian Women IRC Training Sessions * Bits from the Debian Project Leader * Bits from the Debian Multimedia Maintainers * Interview with Debian Developer Joey Hess * Revival of the m68k port? * ... and much more. State of Debian 6.0 "Squeeze" ---------------------------- Release Manager Neil McGovern gave an update for the upcoming Debian 6.0 "Squeeze" stable release. As "Squeeze is almost in its final form" he calls for upgrade and installation tests (see also the separate announcement for that [1]). He also notes that even (experienced) users who have no systems available for installation or upgrade tests can help by triaging installation reports [2] and upgrade reports [3], or propose text for the release notes [4]. 1 : http://www.debian.org/News/2010/20101116b 2 : http://bugs.debian.org/installation-reports 3 : http://bugs.debian.org/upgrade-reports 4 : http://bugs.debian.org/release-notes Highlights from the Debian linux-2.6 Meeting -------------------------------------------- A report from Maximilian Attems on the Debian kernel group's meeting at the Paris mini-Debconf in October was sent to the Debian kernel mailing list. Among the things they discussed was the move to Git as a source code management tool, allowing the kernel group to not have to "update infrastructure in separate branches as we have to do now." The report also mentions the reduction of Linux kernel patches for Wheezy: "Several patches got pushed or landed since 2.6.32, thus state is in general good." Much more (e.g. about different patches for virtualisation, the need for automated tests, and Linux Security Modules) can be read in theoriginal email [5]. 5 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] New default artwork for Debian "Squeeze" ---------------------------------------- Yves-Alexis Perez announced the results of the Debian Squeeze Artwork contest [6]: the winner is the theme Space Fun [7] by Valessio Brito. Congratulations! The new theme has been added to the desktop-base [8] package, and is already available in Debian's development branch "Sid" . 6 : http://lists.debian.org/1289334281.2898.2.ca...@hidalgo 7 : http://wiki.debian.org/DebianArt/Themes/SpaceFun 8 : http://packages.debian.org/desktop-base Debian Women IRC Training Sessions ---------------------------------- The Debian Women project launched a new initiative to encourage more people, and specifically women, to contribute to Debian while introducing them to different aspects of the Debian Project: IRC Training Sessions [9]. The first session took place last Thursday, and was visited by many interested people. Longtime Debian contributor Lars Wirzenius gave an introduction to Debian packaging and was available for all kinds of questions. The training session is also available as a tutorial on the Debian wiki [10]. More training sessions with topics like "Bug Tracking System usage", "Using Git", and "Python libraries and application packaging" (and many other interesting topics) arealready planned in the Debian wiki [11]. 9 : http://www.debian.org/News/2010/20101116a 10 : http://wiki.debian.org/IntroDebianPackaging 11 : http://wiki.debian.org/DebianWomen/TrainingSessions Bits from the DPL ----------------- Debian Project Leader Stefano Zacchiroli sent another bits from the DPL [12] report. He mentions events he has attended (see for example his separate short report about the Ubuntu Developer Summit [13]) and the Debian Sprint program [14], making it easier for Debian Contributors to meet for developer gatherings. Last but not least he also asks for midterm feedback [15] about his work as DPL. 12 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] 13 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] 14 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] 15 : http://upsilon.cc/~zack/blog/posts/2010/10/midterm_feedback_sought/ Bits from the Debian Multimedia Maintainers ------------------------------------------- Alessio Treglia sent some bits from the Debian Multimedia Maintainers [16]. While also giving a small introduction to this team, he concentrates on multimedia related features for consumers as well as producers in the upcoming Debian 6.0 "Squeeze". Some of the highlights for consumers are a "non-crippled" version offfmpeg [17] and the introduction of a mencoder [18] package. He also gave an overview of multimedia production related platforms, technologies and end user applications. 16 : http://lists.debian.org/1289700356.5418.7.ca...@alessio-laptop 17 : http://packages.debian.org/ffmpeg 18 : http://packages.debian.org/mencoder Interview with Debian Developer Joey Hess ----------------------------------------- Raphaël Hertzog published an interview with long-time Debian Developer Joey Hess [19], who's already well known to Debian Developers for his work on debconf [20], the configuration system for Debian packages, debhelper [21], a collection of helper scripts to ease package creation, or the debian-installer [22] (d-i for short). When he was asked about his biggest achievement, he answered: "But while it might sound corny, I am more proud of the accumulation of all the smaller things done in the context of Debian". Joey Hess, who by the way also once laid the base for this newsletter, also gives some insights about his plans for Debian "Wheezy", what person he most admires, and whether he regrets having written most of his applications in Perl. 19 : http://raphaelhertzog.com/2010/11/11/people-behind-debian-joey-hess-of-debhelper-fame/ 20 : http://packages.debian.org/debconf 21 : http://packages.debian.org/debhelper 22 : http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer Revival of the m68k port? ------------------------- Although Debian supported the Motorola 680x0 processors [23] from Debian 2.0 "Hamm", support for that architecture was dropped with Debian 4.0 "Etch" for various reasons. One of the main factors was limited support of the C library and other parts of the toolchain. However, Thorsten Glaser recently started to work on theseissues [24]. He has already made some progress and reports having been able to compile 84 core source packages for a first [25] "sort of re-bootstrapping" . 23 : http://www.debian.org/ports/m68k/ 24 : https://www.mirbsd.org/permalinks/wlog-10_e20101016-tg.htm#e20101016-tg_wlog-10 25 : https://www.mirbsd.org/permalinks/wlog-10_e20101106-tg.htm#e20101106-tg_wlog-10 Other news ---------- Luca Bruno reported on the Italian l10n community [26]. While he confesses that the Italian language team has failed at attracting new members, he also reported about quite successful "online sprints" which took place recently. 26 : http://kaeso.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/online-sprints-or-how-to-revive-a-l10n-team/ Cyril Brulebois from the X Strike Force gave a report about the state of X in experimental [27] and also elaborated on dependency handling of X related packages. Julien Viard de Galbert, who recently joined the X Strike Force, blogged about his experiences joining the team [28]. His conclusion? "Working on X isn't that hard!" 27 : http://blog.ikibiki.org/2010/11/10/XServer_1.9/ 28 : http://silicone.homelinux.org/2010/11/03/working-on-x-isnt-that-hard/ Petter Reinholdtsen noticed [29] someone creating a three dimensional Debian swirl [30] with a 3d printer. 29 : http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Debian_in_3D.html 30 : http://blog.thingiverse.com/2010/11/09/participatory-branding/ In a recent poll by the German Pro-Linux Webzine [31], Debian was named as the most important Linux distribution by 47% of the participants. 31 : http://www.pro-linux.de/umfragen/2/27/welche-ist-die-wichtigste-distribution.html New Debian Contributors ----------------------- 7 applicants have been accepted [32] as Debian Developers, 5 applicants have been [33] accepted [34] as Debian Maintainers, and 28 people started to maintain packages [35] since the previous issue of the Debian Project News. Please welcome Luis Uribe, Julián Moreno Patiño, Julien Viard de Galbert, Jeremie Corbier, Muammar El Khatib, Julien Valroff, Heiko Stuebner, Niels Thykier, David Bremner, John Sullivan, Bernhard Reiter, Lisandro Damián Nicanor Pérez Meyer, LIU Qi Makoto Yamashita, Hubert Pham, Mathias Behrle, Andrew Ross, Sascha Girrulat, Barry Warsaw, Michael Tokarev, Pekko Metsä, Estêvão Samuel Procópio, Roman Haefeli, Massimo Manghi, Ishan Bansal, William Grzybowski, Daniele Tricoli, David Steele, Mackenzie Morgan, Fernando Tarlá Cardoso Lemos, Xiangfu Liu, Sten Spans, David Banks, Stéphan Gorget, Arnout Engelen, Samuel Ribeiro da Costa Vale, Rosea Grammostola, Daniel Echeverry, Davi Leal, and Williams Orellana into our project! 32 : https://nm.debian.org/nmlist.php#newmaint 33 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] 34 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] 35 : http://udd.debian.org/cgi-bin/new-maintainers.cgi Release-critical bugs statistics for the upcoming release --------------------------------------------------------- According to the Bugs Search interface of the Ultimate Debian Database [36], the upcoming release, Debian 6.0 "Squeeze" , is currently affected by 200 release-critical bugs. Ignoring bugs which are easily solved or on the way to being solved, roughly speaking, about 123 release-critical bugs remain to be solved for the release to happen. 36 : http://udd.debian.org/bugs.cgi There are also more detailed statistics [37] as well as some hints on how to interpret [38] these numbers. 37 : http://blog.schmehl.info/Debian/rc-stats/#2010-46 38 : http://wiki.debian.org/ProjectNews/RC-Stats Important Debian Security Advisories ------------------------------------ Debian's Security Team recently released an advisory for this package (among others): pidgin [39] (updated advisory). Please read it carefully and take the proper measures. 39 : http://www.debian.org/security/2010/dsa-2038 Debian's Backports Team released advisories for these packages: iceweasel [40], nss [41]. Please read them carefully and take the proper measures. 40 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] 41 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] Debian's Volatile Team released an update announcement for the package: tzdata [42]. Please read it carefully and take the proper measures. 42 : http://lists.debian.org/[email protected] Please note that these are a selection of the more important security advisories of the last weeks. If you need to be kept up to date about security advisories released by the Debian Security Team, please subscribe to the security mailing list [43] (and the separate backports list [44] and volatile list [45]) for announcements. 43 : http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ 44 : http://lists.debian.org/debian-backports-announce/ 45 : http://lists.debian.org/debian-volatile-announce New and noteworthy packages --------------------------- The following packages were added to the unstable Debian archive recently (among others [46]): 46 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/newpkg * 2ping -- ping utility to determine directional packet loss [47] * a2jmidid -- daemon for exposing legacy ALSA MIDI in JACK MIDI systems [48] * anything-el -- open anything / QuickSilver-like candidate-selection framework [49] * autotalent -- pitch correction LADSPA plugin [50] * bar -- show information about a data transfer [51] * bootchart2 -- boot process performance analyser [52] * browser-plugin-packagekit -- plugin to install missing plugins using PackageKit [53] * btag -- interactive command-line based multimedia tag editor [54] * clustershell -- distributed shell that provides an efficient python interface [55] * cmip5-cmor-tables -- CMIP5 tables for the Climate Model Output Rewriter library [56] * daemonfs -- real time monitoring software [57] * dhcpcd-gtk -- GTK+ frontend for dhcpcd and wpa_supplicant [58] * drumstick-tools -- Qt4/C++ wrapper for ALSA sequencer - utilities [59] * dtd-ead -- Encoded Archival Description Document Type Definition [60] * dumpet -- dump information about bootable CDs and other similar formats [61] * el-get -- install and manage elisp code for Emacs [62] * eurephia -- flexible OpenVPN authentication module [63] * feed2omb -- announces new articles in a feed to an open microblogging service [64] * felix-latin -- Latin-French dictionary, by Felix Gaffiot [65] * fped -- footprint editor [66] * gally -- teaches sign languages [67] * getdp -- general environment for the treatment of discrete problems [68] * ghostess -- graphical DSSI plugin host [69] * git-annex -- manage files with Git, without checking their contents into Git [70] * gmtkbabel -- graphical interface for mtkbabel [71] * gmtp -- simple MP3 player client for MTP based devices [72] * gnome-gmail -- support for Gmail as the preferred email application in GNOME [73] * goban-ss -- Goban screensaver [74] * gsql -- integrated database development tool for GNOME [75] * gstreamer0.10-packagekit -- GStreamer plugin to install codecs using PackageKit [76] * jack-mixer -- JACK audio mixer [77] * kcov -- code coverage analysis using DWARF debugging information [78] * kmetronome -- ALSA MIDI Metronome [79] * ladvd -- minimal LLDP/CDP sender [80] * letterize -- phone digits to letter-mnemonics [81] * mercurial-nested -- Mercurial extension to work with nested repositories [82] * mididings -- MIDI router and processor based on Python [83] * midistream -- streams MIDI notes and controls over RTP [84] * moria -- A roguelike game with an infinite dungeon [85] * mriconvert -- medical image file conversion utility [86] * multicat -- set of tools for multicast and transport stream manipulation [87] * notmuchsync -- utility to sync notmuch tags with maildir flags [88] * openfetion -- open source implemention of fetion protocol client [89] * pidgin-twitter -- Pidgin plugin for Twitter [90] * playitslowly -- Plays back audio files at a different speed or pitch [91] * ptpd -- Precision Time Protocol daemon [92] * pymca -- Python applications and toolkit for X-ray fluorescence analysis [93] * qmidinet -- MIDI Network Gateway via UDP/IP Multicast [94] * rheolef -- finite elements for partial differential equations (unix commands) [95] * roarplaylistd -- RoarAudio PlayList Daemon (RPLD) [96] * rtkit -- Realtime Policy and Watchdog Daemon [97] * scenic -- telepresence software for live performances and installations [98] * sea-defender -- Sea Defender [99] * shrinksafe -- JavaScript "compression" system [100] * sisc -- Java integrated, fully R5RS compliant Scheme system [101] * sm-archive -- milter for archiving email [102] * stardict-czech -- Stardict package for Czech dictionary of foreign words [103] * swig2.0 -- generate scripting interfaces to C/C++ code [104] * tinyeartrainer -- tool to learn recognizing musical intervals [105] * toonloop -- live animation editor [106] * twatch -- watch torrent trackers and automatically download new torrents [107] * ukopp -- full and incremental backup to disk or disk-like device [108] * unscd -- Micro Name Service Caching Daemon [109] * viridian -- play audio streams from an Ampache server [110] * woof -- share files through HTTP protocol [111] * xburst-tools -- tools for Ingenic XBurst CPU USB boot and NAND flash access [112] * xdot -- interactive viewer for Graphviz dot files [113] * xsystem35 -- System 3.5 games engine for X Window System [114] * xul-ext-cacheviewer -- GUI Front-end of "about --cache" [115] * xul-ext-syncplaces -- synchronise Bookmarks and Passwords via WebDAV [116] 47 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/2ping 48 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/a2jmidid 49 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/anything-el 50 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/autotalent 51 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/bar 52 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/bootchart2 53 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/browser-plugin-packagekit 54 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/btag 55 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/clustershell 56 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/cmip5-cmor-tables 57 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/daemonfs 58 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/dhcpcd-gtk 59 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/drumstick-tools 60 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/dtd-ead 61 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/dumpet 62 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/el-get 63 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/eurephia 64 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/feed2omb 65 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/felix-latin 66 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/fped 67 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/gally 68 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/getdp 69 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/ghostess 70 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/git-annex 71 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/gmtkbabel 72 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/gmtp 73 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/gnome-gmail 74 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/goban-ss 75 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/gsql 76 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/gstreamer0.10-packagekit 77 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/jack-mixer 78 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/kcov 79 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/kmetronome 80 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/ladvd 81 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/letterize 82 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/mercurial-nested 83 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/mididings 84 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/midistream 85 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/moria 86 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/mriconvert 87 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/multicat 88 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/notmuchsync 89 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/openfetion 90 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/pidgin-twitter 91 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/playitslowly 92 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/ptpd 93 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/pymca 94 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/qmidinet 95 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/rheolef 96 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/roarplaylistd 97 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/rtkit 98 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/scenic 99 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/sea-defender 100 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/shrinksafe 101 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/sisc 102 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/sm-archive 103 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/stardict-czech 104 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/swig2.0 105 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/tinyeartrainer 106 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/toonloop 107 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/twatch 108 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/ukopp 109 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/unscd 110 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/viridian 111 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/woof 112 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/xburst-tools 113 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/xdot 114 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/xsystem35 115 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/xul-ext-cacheviewer 116 : http://packages.debian.org/unstable/main/xul-ext-syncplaces Want to continue reading DPN? ----------------------------- Please help us create this newsletter. We still need more volunteer writers to watch the Debian community and report about what is going on. Please see the contributing page [117] to find out how to help. We're looking forward to receiving your mail at [email protected] [118]. 117 : http://wiki.debian.org/ProjectNews/HowToContribute 118 : mailto:[email protected] This issue of Debian Project News was edited by Jeremiah C. Foster and Alexander Reichle-Schmehl [119]. 119 : mailto:[email protected] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [email protected] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [email protected] Archive: http://lists.debian.org/[email protected]
