My Ubuntu 9.10 Beta Experience

I have now upgraded to Ubuntu 9.10 Beta. Initially it didn't work out for me, a sI was getting only a white-screen when logged in. I thought Ubuntu was wrong in the release of such not ready beta. But on chat in IRC I found that I was wrong, and could correct it. The problem arose because I had replaced the original GCC with my own compiled version. It conflicted with the upgradation process. And there was nothing wrong in the upgradation, or the Beta, as such.
  So, on usingb the Beta, now I find the following changes-

• First and foremost, now the Mute button of my Laptop actually mutes the sound(for the first time). The sound preferences menu seems to have developed so much. It now has more useful options, which are easy to find and use.
  
• The Default Ubuntu wallpaper and theme is cool, far far better than its counterparts in the older versions. Apart from this now Ubuntu provides a host of other cool wallpapers, which are very awesome, much like the cool wallpapers, that you find in either Vista or maybe Win7(ya I'm talking about Windows...)
• All the communication software now comes under a link in near the date and time notifier in the panel. Its now really easy to access Empathy, Evolution,(and if you have installed it-)Pidgin, Gwibber Microblogging client.
• If you have installed Gnome-Do, you would find that it looks more cooler now.
• Firefox is the latest version-3.5.3, with Ubuntu Canonical branding. So, it supports HTML5.
• The different folders like- "Music","Home", "Pictures",etc, in each users account has now an informative icon, denoting its content.
  
• Empathy replaces Pidgin as the default chat application, said to be for the long term good. Hopefully so..
• The Login screen is now more integrated, and designed more logically.
• The Compiz-fusion effects run much better in my Intel Graphics card now, as the kernel version 2.6.31-14, has new MESA driver, which supports Intel GPU better.
  

Gnome 2.28 released

The newest stable version of the favorite linux desktop environment, GNOME 2.28 has been released.
 Various new user-facing features have been rolled into the codebase, but also of interest is the stuff that's removed. As part of the progress towards Gnome 3.0, the developers have ripped out crusty old code - there are no longer any applications that depend on esound, libgnomevfs, libgnomeprint, or libgnomeprintui. You can see the full release notes here, or read on for a quick summary of the changes.

• Epiphany browser has switched from Gecko to WebKit for better performance
• New utility for managing Bluetooth devices
• Empathy IM client has reorganised GUI
• Media Player can navigate DVD menus and resume playback from last position
• Cheese webcam app has "burst" mode for taking multiple pics in a row
• Volume control supports channel fading
• Menus do not show icons by default
• Power Manager now supports laptops with multiple batteries

Source of review:http://www.tuxradar.com/content/gnome-228-released


New Features-

GNOME Bluetooth

GNOME 2.28 includes the first release of the GNOME Bluetooth module to help users manage their Bluetooth devices. GNOME Bluetooth supports hundreds of Bluetooth devices, including mice, keyboards and headsets. GNOME Bluetooth includes PulseAudio integration for Bluetooth headsets and headphones.

     GNOME Bluetooth also includes support for Internet access through your mobile phone. After pairing your mobile phone with GNOME Bluetooth, NetworkManager will include an entry to use your mobile phone for Internet access.

Empathy Instant Messenger

• GNOME's instant messaging and communication application, Empathy, built on the Telepathy communications framework, has gained a number of new and important features to help users communicate.

• Users are now able to share their desktop with Empathy contacts using the GNOME Remote Desktop Viewer, Vino.

• Geolocation support using Geoclue has been added for XMPP contacts, such as Jabber and Google Talk. You can view a contact's location by hovering your mouse over their contact name in the contact list, in the information dialogue or in the Map View.

• Audio and video chats can now be made fullscreen, and if a contact does not have video, their avatar will be displayed.

Epiphany Web-browser

• It switches to WebKit from Gecko for its rendering engine. With the exception of some performance enhancements, this change should be invisible.

• Switching to WebKit also fixes a number of long-standing bugs in Epiphany due to the old Gecko-based backend.

Brasero

• Brasero, the GNOME CD/DVD Burner, now supports the ability to burn data across multiple discs and has added a graphical display to show space used on discs before burning.
  

Courtesy-http://library.gnome.org/misc/release-notes/2.28/

About Ubuntu 9.10

The GNOME desktop environment has been updated to version 2.28 RC1 (2.27.92), the Linux kernel packages are now at version 2.6.31-10.34 and they are based on the final version of Linux kernel 2.6.31.
  The KDE variant of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, has also had its KDE desktop updated to version 4.3.1 and has a number of updated applications and libraries incorporated.
   This version incorporates an X-based splash screen as part of the faster booting enhancements and sees the first release of the Ubuntu Software Store application. The Ubuntu One file synchronisation service is also built in to this release.

Courtesy-
http://www.h-online.com/open/Ubuntu-9-10-Alpha-6-arrives--/news/114267
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1534043/ubuntu-releases-alpha

Ubuntu 10.04 announced.

Ubuntu 10.04 will be called Lucid Lynx and it's scheduled for April 2010 and it will be a LTS version of the operating system, i.e,you will have 2 years full of updates, without the need of installing all over again.
The first Alpha version will be available later this year.
Ubuntu 9.10, is slated for relese at October 29 2009. Its currently in Alpha 6, which is expected to be the last Alpha for this Ubuntu version.

Courtesy-http://www.clububuntu.com/2009/09/ubuntu-1004-announced.html

Know about two amazing Linux distributions-Debian and Ubuntu

Debian-
Debian is a free operating system (OS) for your computer. An operating system is the set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer run. debian uses the Linux kernel (the core of an operating system), but most of the basic OS tools come from the GNU project; hence the name GNU/Linux. Debian GNU/Linux provides more than a pure OS: it comes with over 25113 packages, precompiled software bundled up in a nice format for easy installation on your machine.
Debian has now decided upon a 2 year release cycle, i.e, a new version of Debian will come out every 2 years.

• Latest stable Version-5.0.2

• Kernel- 2.6.26

Courtesy-http://www.debian.org/

Also read the wiki @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian

Ubuntu-
(My OS)
Ubuntu is a community developed, Linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more. Its based on the Debian linux.

They issue a new desktop and server release every six months. That means you'll always have the latest and greatest applications that the open source world has to offer.

(I like this idea of new releases every 6 months, hence i'm sure i have the best)

Ubuntu is designed with security in mind. You get free security updates for at least 18 months on the desktop and server. With the Long Term Support (LTS) version you get three years support on the desktop, and five years on the server. There is no extra fee for the LTS version, we make our very best work available to everyone on the same free terms. Upgrades to new versions of Ubuntu are and always will be free of charge.

Courtesy- http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu

• Latest Stable Version-9.04 [Jaunty Jackalope]
• Latest Unstable Version-9.10 Alpha 4 (Version 9.10 [Karmic Koala] is planned to be released on October 29)
• Kernel- 2.6.28-15 (See.. Ubuntu is more updated than Debian)
  

Ubuntu has been selected by readers of desktoplinux.com as the most popular Linux distribution for the desktop, claiming approximately 30% of Linux desktop installations in both 2006 and 2007.^[7][8]

Courtesy:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)

Oldest existing Linux distribution - Slackware (present stable version-13.0, released 8 days ago)

Hope you find this interesting. I also wanted to brush up my linux updates...
Hey i would suggest you to use Ubuntu and a thing that'll surely attract you is that-

You can get it for free, right at your doorstep, how's that???

Just log onto

https://shipit.ubuntu.com

Create an account in it once, and then fill the form with your address and create your launchpad id, after that for every new release of Ubuntu, you can 'request for a free cd'. Then they'll ship the ubuntu cd, within 4-6 weeks to your address, and you will get it at your home in a neatly packed cover.

I have got with me all Ubuntu cd's from version 7.04, till 9.04(i.e,five versions) And hence i have clearly experienced how it has become more useful now. And more stable and useful too.. I suggest that all of you should get your hands on Ubuntu its simply superb. You'll surely, love it and throw away your Windows... I'm sure. Just try and see... There will be no turning back.

Ubuntu Rocks..........

Vi Commands

For this Purpose	Use this vi Command Syntax
To insert new text	esc + i ( You have to press 'escape' key then 'i')
To save file	esc + : + w (Press 'escape' key then 'colon' and finally 'w')
To save file with file name (save as)	esc + : + w "filename"
To quit the vi editor	esc + : + q
To quit without saving	esc + : + q!
To save and quit vi editor	esc + : + wq
To search for specified word in forward direction	esc + /word (Press 'escape' key, type /word-to-find, for e.g. to find word 'shri', type as /shri)
To continue with search	n
To search for specified word in backward direction	esc + ?word (Press 'escape' key, type word-to-find)
To copy the line where cursor is located	esc + yy
To paste the text just deleted or copied at the cursor	esc + p
To delete entire line where cursor is located	esc + dd
To delete word from cursor position	esc + dw
To Find all occurrence of given word and Replace then globally without confirmation	esc + :$s/word-to-find/word-to-replace/g For. e.g. :$s/mumbai/pune/g Here word "mumbai" is replace with "pune"
To Find all occurrence of given word and Replace then globally with confirmation	esc + :$s/word-to-find/word-to-replace/cg
To run shell command like ls, cp or date etc within vi	esc + :!shell-command For e.g. :!pwd

A Few things about 'Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference'

Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference is currently in v1.1.


Everything about the Book

At just 5.25 x 8 inches and 166 pages, Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference is a compact yet comprehensive guide to everyday Ubuntu use.It's ideal for those who need vital information on all aspects of using Ubuntu, but who don’t have time to wade through thick documentation.

Each chapter of Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference tackles an aspect of Ubuntu.First, you learn about installation—getting Ubuntu onto your computer, after which you learn how to configure your computer's hardware.
Following this, you’re introduced to the Ubuntu desktop, and the tricks and techniques of efficient day-to-day usage. The book then describes the highways of the Ubuntu filesystem, and gives a full run-down of Ubuntu’s file manager.
Next, the command-line is tackled in-depth, after which software management is explained. Finally, system security is described—configuring the firewall, installing antivirus, and encrypting sensitive data. Appendixes provide a glossary of terms, and a guide to understanding technical documentation.
Written for anybody switching to Ubuntu, particularly former Windows users, Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference assumes zero Linux knowledge. It provides the wisdom of the expert user and concisely conveys core competencies.


Table Of contents-

1. Installing Ubuntu
2. Configuring Ubuntu
3. Getting to grips with the desktop
4. Users and the filesystem
5. Hands-on at the command-line
6. Software management
7. Securing the system

APPENDIX A: Glossary of terms
APPENDIX B: Learning more and getting help

Now what are you waiting for, my fellow Ubuntu users and prospective Ubuntu users. Get your hands on this amazing book at-

http://www.ubuntupocketguide.com/index_main.html