LINUX NEWS
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Thursday, January 11, 2001TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) Sean’s Notes
2) Linux News
2.4.0 is Here!
So What Does Linus Think?
What's New?
Linux Gaming - Looking Back, Looking Forward3) Linux Resources
A Window Manager With a Windows Look and Feel
comp.os.linux.security FAQ
Can you Grok the GIMP?
Tricks for PPPoE and 2.4
Git 'Yer 3COM NIC Drivers Here!4) App o’ the week
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1) Sean’s Notes
I got some interesting response to last week’s newsletter. It seems to be obvious that Linux is too complex for the average user (or Mom), so a two-pronged approach is necessary - Make it easier to use, and make it more desirable to use (applications, features). It was also mentioned that some people will stay with the first OS that they encounter, so it would be nice to get Linux into schools and the like. With the cost of keeping Windows networks up to date, maybe this will come sooner than we expect.
Something that was brought up at the local Unix users’ group on Tuesday was “Why do you have to log in?”. Should the concept of users be hidden from people? I’m not necessarily saying everything should run as root, but to be prompted for the “special” password when root access is needed, otherwise start the default X session as a generic user. It was mentioned that Mandrake has this option (with strong warnings accompanying it, and rightfully so), but in our “Linux for the masses” distribution this could be the norm. Now, this once again forces us to ask “do we want this?” I personally don’t think so, since I’m fine with logging on to my Linux box, or to my NT Workstation at work. That being said, it’s apparently a concern of people because the topic was discussed at great length.
On the applications side of the fence, I read a lot of comments on Slashdot (not a good demographic of “Linux for the Masses”, I know) about “that last app” that people need to completely migrate to Linux. Usually it’s a good financial manager that has the features of Quicken or MS Money, but sometimes it’s programs like Visio or Rational Rose, specialized drawing tools. For many users, it’s games. If we can’t get the die-hard techies to use it, what business do we have getting Mom to use it? I’m trying not to be a pessimist about this, but we do want to target Linux to the masses.
In case you haven’t read, kernel 2.4 is out. As a result, most of the news section of this week’s newsletter is about this very topic. Congrats to the hard working kernel developers! Expect to see your favorite distribution coming out with support in the near future. Also expect to see some future articles on features like iptables, the replacement for ipchains and ipfwadm.
I’ve also used a feature of the Brainbuzz Discussion Boards to create a poll. I’d like to know what you prefer in this section of the newsletter. Enter once, void where prohibited.
http://boards.brainbuzz.com/boards/vbm.asp?rpg=1&wpg=1&sb=0&m#4268
You’ll also start seeing some book reviews in this newsletter. As we speak, a couple of titles arrived in the mail.
And, as always, the discussion boards are there for you to sound off in:
http://boards.brainbuzz.com:80/boards/vbt.asp?b4
Finally, feel free to email me with your thoughts and comments!
Long live the Penguin,
Sean swalberg@brainbuzz.com
2) Linux News
-
0 is Here!
After eight months of pre-release, test, and other 2.4 versions, 2.4.0 has officially been released. It’s out on the mirrors, so if you’ve been waiting for this, go out and get it! You’ll need to upgrade your modutils–check your distribution’s web site or install them yourself from the URL in the documentation directory.
http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn 01-01-05-001-04-NW-LF-KN
So What Does Linus Think?
ZDNet sent Linus some questions via email. His answers are a bit surprising to say the least…
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2671714,00.html
What’s New?
A lot has changed in 2.4…ipchains has been replaced by a more robust system, USB support is supposed to be there, SMP support has been improved. Disks, RAID, and devices have all been reworked. This page gives a rundown of what’s new and changed. Support for 10 IDE controllers!?!
http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn 01-01-05-007-04-NW-LF-KN
Linux Gaming - Looking Back, Looking Forward
One of the obstacles Linux faces is the lack of games. After all, computers aren’t just for word processing and drawing, you’ve got to be able to have some fun with them! Gamespy.com takes a look at what’s happening in the Linux gaming scene, and where they think things are going.
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/january01/futurelinux/
3) Linux Resources
A Window Manager With a Windows Look and Feel
Brainbuzz user Guitarlynn wrote in with a link to this WM. It looks a lot like Windows, right down to the start menu and desktop. It still has virtual desktops (who can live without those?), but for those who want a comfortable intro to the Linux world, this may be the solution for you.
http://www.qvwm.org/
comp.os.linux.security FAQ
Linuxsecurity.com interviews Daniel Swan, the author of the comp.os.linux.security FAQ. It’s a great document, but before you head to it you should get an idea of who is behind it, and who it is for.
http://www.linuxsecurity.com/feature_stories/interview-cols.html
Can you Grok the GIMP?
Grokking the GIMP is a very complete book on how to use the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Tool), a free Photoshop quality imaging package. Not only is the book good, it’s free and online. Check out this review of the book, which has a link to the book itself.
http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid/01/04/1545229
Tricks for PPPoE and 2.4
People using PPPoE or other tunneling software are likely familiar with the MSS (Mean Segment Size) problems. The mssclampfw module was a good way to get around it, but now that 2.4 is out, there is a cleaner solution that uses iptables.
http://www.hgfelger.de/mss/mss.html
Git ‘Yer 3COM NIC Drivers Here!
A thread on comp.os.linux.networking was started because some 3COM drivers were left out of the 2.4 kernel. If you are in this situation, 3COM’s site has what you’re looking for.
http://support.3com.com/infodeli/tools/nic/linux.htm
4) App o’ the week
Need a secure and robust FTP server? WU-FTPD is good, but Proftpd is better. It’s got an Apache-like configuration syntax, loads of features, and is easy to use. It really shines if you need virtual hosting, which is a breeze with this server.
http://proftpd.net/
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