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The Ubuntu team has released the latest version of the popular Linux operating system one day ahead of schedule. Though I haven’t had a system running Linux for a while now, I’m quite keen to give this one a test run. Ubuntu 9.10 is provided with 18 months of support and the usual gamut of variants from Edubuntu to Mythbuntu is available and running on the new core OS.

The 9.10 release features a slicker desktop design and interface improvements, obviously inspired by the recent UI additions in Windows 7 and Snow Leopard. Empathy is a new instant messaging client that supports a wide variety of protocols, whilst an updated Evolution should be moving closer and closer to providing an Outlook experience that is not provided by Outlook proper.

Enhanced media support, playback and interactive features are provided in the new version of Rhythmbox, a standard application in the Ubuntu distribution. I prefer Amarok and, thanks to the redesigned Software Centre, finding additional or alternative programs is made simple.

F-Spot, the capable photo management application has been updated and provides better import functionality and the ability to perform basic photo manipulation. Not quite iPhoto or Aperture, but absolutely first-rate considering its open source heritage. The standard addition of the latest Firefox browser and OpenOffice releases rounds out Karmic Koala, as does the ability to use the online storage solution, Ubuntu One.

As I’m typing this, the download servers already seem to be under heavy load, so I’ll wait for a local mirror to be updated in the next few days to get my copy.

My Mandriva system has a rather annoying habit of not starting all components of the Nautilus file manager up properly. Since the system is up and running 24/7, this is rarely an issue, but unwanted power failures outlasting the UPS‘ ability to keep katana up and running do occur more frequently than anticipated. Once the startup has completed, it is not uncommon to be confronted with a rather bare desktop, missing all items previously placed there.

The solution is rather simple, though care should be taken that only the Nautilus resources are affected. For this to work, launch a terminal session and su - to become the super user. You may use sudo on other systems, if you wish. Then, issue the killall command and specify nautilus, like so: killall nautilus.

killall sends a termination signal to all processes that match the name specified. The end result is pleasing to the eye and makes the desktop usable once again.

All desktop items restored without too much fuss…

At the beginning of December I ordered a rather unique Android phone, the Kogan Agora. It should have made an appearance by post from Australia sometime in the next two weeks.

Unfortunately, an email from the manufacturer indicates that certain interoperability issues have been discovered. The press release also appears on their website. This means the Kogan Agora will not be shipping at all – at best, a modified model will be produced for sale in the not too distant future.

I’m disappointed not to get an Android device. I’m also wondering how much of this story is reality and how much hype was created to build an awareness of the Kogan brand. I won’t speculate, but would think that the interoperability issue mentioned, to wit

“One of the potential issues is the screen size and resolution. It seems developers will be creating applications that are a higher resolution than the Agora is currently capable of handling”

should have been picked up way earlier in the development and planning cycle.

Screen resolution is probably one of the items highest on the list of specifications for a mobile device. Surely the inclusion of a low resolution screen was a consideration from the beginning, including developer feedback and SDK specifications at hand from the word go. If the screen wasn’t capable, no initial prototype should received a stamp of approval.

Monies paid in advance for the now-defunct Agora will be refunded by the manufacturer.

I’ll have to wait for the G1…

The recently announced Nokia N97 looks promising and will be a definite consideration when my E90 is no longer fashionable or usable. On the Android front, the HTC Dream is on its way, but another contender is waiting in the wings: the Kogan Agora.

It looks like a Blackberry and is a product of Australia, no less! The Kogan Agora is available for pre-order in both a standard and Pro version. The Kogan is manufactured to specification in China, then shipped to Australia for the final production and distribution. The phones are available for pre-order at very reasonable prices and should function on most GSM networks worldwide. There is no need to worry about a contract.

Features include a 2.5″ screen with a resolution of 320×240, a small keyboard, microSD card slot, Bluetooth and 3G support. That’s the AUD 299 standard version. For another AUD 100, the Pro version features a 2MP camera, WiFi connectivity and a built-in GPS. The OS is Android. Full specifications can be found here.

In ZAR terms, that’s an Android smartphone shipped from Australia with all the bells and whistles for around about ZAR 3500. Certainly not to be sniffed at. Once Kogan‘s website is capable of accepting my payment, I’ll be eagerly awaiting the arrival of a Pro in early February…

Update: successfully ordered the Pro.

Roll on in, Android!

It’s been six months since the last release from the Fedora project team which means their latest version is ready for use. In line with the releases provided by other teams, such as Mandriva and Ubuntu, there is little to suprise. This is basically an upgrade to fix issues found in the previous version and to roll out the latest software pool.

Fedora 10 features an updated, guided installation procedure that is clever enough to detect an older version and to upgrade that or to install a fresh copy of the OS. The boot up sequence is now fully graphical and leads into a default blue desktop environment. The latest GNOME 2.24 is the preferred window manager, OpenOffice 3.0 is delivered, as is the latest version of the GIMP and Pidgin for instant messaging. The updated Network Manager seen in Mandriva 2009.0 and Ubuntu 8.10 makes and appearance, of course.

A fair bit of work has gone into making peripherals work more smoothly. Better webcam support is available as is better Bluetooth device management and setup. Netbook users will be pleased to hear that LXDE is available by default – this may be a good time to install Fedora 10 on the Eee…

Even though Fedora is a great distribution, it’s really a playpen for the developers and hence stability is often a bit of an issue. Not in the sense that the packaged version won’t work, but that updates available for download afterward often break the system. I’ve been frustrated by that many times, especially with regard to the nVIDIA display drivers. If you are keen to play around, check it out. If you need a stable desktop environment, I still have to recommend Mandriva.

Local mirrors have not yet been updated with the ISO images, so check back on those a bit later if you are keen to try out Fedora 10.

For the twentyseventh time, I’ve forgotten the URL for the easiest addition of media to a new Mandriva installation. I place this here for my reference and for yours…

Easy Urpmi is the best way of adding additional media repositories for Mandriva. Simply open the site in your browser and select first the official and then the PLF media repository information. A small file is downloaded that provides the necessary information of the media repository information to rpmdrake. Once that’s been done, installation of additional software packages uis really easy.

I’ve just loaded the 64-bit version of Mandriva 2009.0 on a revitalized katana clone. I like it so far…though that’s probably partly due to the new motherboard, processor and 8GB of RAM!

The Intrepid Ibex has made its date of arrival, typical of the Ubuntu team’s ability to hold themselves to their promise of an announced release date. Ubuntu 8.10‘s changes are mostly under the skin, similar to the recent release of Mandriva 2009.0, for example.

The most significant update relates to the way in which wireless networks and HSDPA or 3G modems are recognized and managed. The new network management tools are able to pick up wireless network signals more reliably, and ease the connections to such networks considerably. The same can be said for 3G modem support, which has suffered from manual interventions and user frustration due to the lack of GUI interfaces for critical settings required by those devices.

GNOME fans will be happy to have access to release 2.24 which has been included. Unfortunately, the Ubuntu team has decided not to include OpenOffice 3.0 by default. That’s a pity. I recommend you download and install OpenOffice 3.0 as soon as your system is up and running – would have been great to have had this in the distribution already. The new GNOME brings with it improvements to file management and better support for multiple monitors and display adapters.

As with all other modern Linux releases, the provision of a safe harbour for guest accounts is also available in 8.10. That permits a guest to use your system without gaining access to your files and applications. Of course, system settings cannot be altered by the guest user.

An interesting addition is an application to create a copy of the operating system on a USB thumb drive. This mobile-version-on-a-stick can be used to take your existing desktop environment from one system to another, or to install a new copy of the OS on a friend’s system.

Get the Intrepid Ibex here.

I’m very happy to be running LXDE on the Asus Eee. The window manager suits the type of things I use the Eee for: some web browsing, the occasional OpenOffice document and photo management in the field. The biggest frustration I’ve had has been that my Eee‘s battery was sucked dry in a couple of hours following a shutdown. It’s a known issue the 2009.0 Mandriva release has with shutting down correctly on the Eee.

The fix is rather simple to apply and is effective: through the addition of the line

rmmod snd-hda-intel

at the very top of the file /etc/init.d/halt.

The issue is caused when sound drivers cannot be unloaded correctly at shutdown time. It is likely that the next kernel update will include a more permanent fix and will not require the modification of the halt file.

I haven’t managed to install Mandriva 2009.0 PowerPack on katana. The 64-bit ISO is waiting to be deployed as soon as I’ve backed everything up and installed a different graphics adapter. In the meantime, I managed to get the 32-bit 2009.0 One image down last week to replace the existing Mandriva 2008 version on the Eee. The Mandriva team has once again done an excellent job of porting their distribution to the specific hardware platform the Eee represents.

Out of the box, everything works without any customization or configuration required. In particular, the setup of the E220 HSDPA modem consists of a few clicks and the new network manager has much-improved detection and management for wireless networking.

My preference is GNOME. On the Eee the usual problem of managing windows on the rather tiny screen persists.

It looks good, but simply isn’t great to work with. I was very excited by the prospect of trying the netbook-optimized window manager LXDE as soon as possible. A certain number of dead brain cells were once again responsible for my forgetting to install all required packages for the HSDPA modem while I had the external DVD-ROM connected. That left me with a few attempts at installing the LXDE package over the home wireless network. It should have been very simple: as root, execute urpmi task-lxde or start rpmdrake to add the package. For some or other reason, certain dependencies could not be met. I assume it had something to do with my haste – the entire development was probably not yet synchronized and deployed over all the necessary repositories. Since I had no access to 3G for a couple of days, FSpot on the Eee running GNOME served as my photo archiving solution over the weekend.

Another attempt at getting LXDE installed worked yesterday: all the necessary packages could be found and the whole thing installed in a very short time.

Log out, change the default window manager from GNOME to LXDE and log back in again. LXDE is a very attractive environment with KDE-style menus and panels along the bottom edge of the screen.

LXDE feels snappier than GNOME and most windows fit onto the screen in a more manageable fashion. Of course, only certain applications have been tailored to fit properly and to show all buttons. Firefox has been modified somewhat to perform thus, but the GIMP never will It’s a very clean and well-organized environment. For rudimentary tasks, there is no reason to run GNOME or KDE and the performance gains are well worth the effort of installing this small software component.

If you’re interested in running Linux on an underpowered notebook or desktop computer or want to breath new life into your Eee PC, give LXDE a try.

Just one last comment on running Mandriva 2009.0 on the Eee: for some or other reason, the machine does not shut down when that option is selected from the quit menu in the operating system. Instead, the Eee seems to go into a sleep or suspend mode with the power still on. On two occasions, I have simply set it down only to find the battery drained when I next want to use it. The unit is very hot and was obviously still powered on. To really switch it off, remember to hold down the silver power button for a few seconds after the shutdown. This did not occur with 2008.1, so there’ll be a fix out there somewhere.

A significant release of Mandriva is available from today. Mandriva 2009 is chock-full of great features and software in a package that is traditionally easy to install and supports are variety of hardware devices.

The primary features of interest in release 2009.0 are the latest versions of the popular interface managers KDE and GNOME. GNOME 2.24 provides a Nautilus file manager with tabs and compact list views, the instant messaging client Empathy and built-in configuration support for multiple monitors. For KDE fans, KDE 4.1.2 with an updated version of Plasma is provided. Mandriva 2008 installed without issue on my Eee and recognized all hardware that device contains. Support for the Eee and other netbooks has been enhanced in 2009.0 through the inclusion of the lightweight desktop environment LXDE.

LXDE is optimized for systems with slower processors and minimal system and graphics adapter RAM. Core applications, such as file and task managers are optimized for smaller screen sizes and easier navigation. The Eee will certainly be upgraded to 2009.0 as soon as I can lay my hands on the ISO!

The core operating system runs with the latest Linux kernel (2.7.27). Thankfully, that’s not the one that has a reputation for overwriting Intel NIC firmware (a fix for that is available now). 2009.0 also sports improved and faster booting.

From a software perspective, the latest Compiz Fusion, latest VirtualBox, Firefox 3 and OpenOffice 3 have been included. OpenOffice 3 has not been officially released and is expected next week. The copy in the box is a very late release candidate, so it’ll be a wise move to update as soon as the official release is available. Google Gadgets and a lightweight ebook reader, FBReader have found a place in the delivered software stack, too. FBReader‘s inclusion is more than likely due to the increased support for netbooks.

See the full list of features in Mandriva 2009.0 here, then head over to one of the download links to get your free, personal copy. I will be springing for the Powerpack.

Since the OS has only just been released, the only available means of downloading the ISO is by accessing a torrent. Be patient and watch one of the local mirrors to save on international bandwidth and have a more reliable download – check here over the next few days.