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That's a collection of shell scripts around the free software Ksplice tool that merely automates the task of downloading the Fedora kernel. (The Ksplice software has been released for over a year, and is also packaged in Ubuntu and in Debian, although the ksplice.com apt repo has newer versions.) Ksplice's Uptrack service is a way to automatically apply Ksplice updates that have been vetted for safety by the Ksplice developers, which is a much more convenient thing unless you like reading every kernel patch daily and testing the resulting Ksplice patch yourself.

No, the net installer is what fits on a CD. Most of the software is downloaded from online repositories.

The net installer is a 10MiB iso image that you can download here. It's a twist on the Debian net installer. You choose what to install. The idea is not to waste bandwidth downloading a 700MiB or 4300MiB iso. On the other hand, if you do not have an ethernet connection or your connection is, for some reason or other, unreliable, you can download a LiveCD with the standard packages (I dare say, more than is included in the 2300MiB Win7 iso) or an alternate CD aimed at advanced users or users of lower-end computers. If you're so inclined, you can even download a DVD image with some more obscure packages included. Hell, you can easily make or buy a snapshot of the repositories if that's what floats your boat. Stating that the net installer takes up 700MiB on the disk is quite plainly incorrect, however. Quite ironic given your signature.

No, the net installer is what fits on a CD. Most of the software is downloaded from online repositories.

The net installer is a 10MiB iso image that you can download here. It's a twist on the Debian net installer. You choose what to install. The idea is not to waste bandwidth downloading a 700MiB or 4300MiB iso. On the other hand, if you do not have an ethernet connection or your connection is, for some reason or other, unreliable, you can download a LiveCD with the standard packages (I dare say, more than is included in the 2300MiB Win7 iso) or an alternate CD aimed at advanced users or users of lower-end computers. If you're so inclined, you can even download a DVD image with some more obscure packages included. Hell, you can easily make or buy a snapshot of the repositories if that's what floats your boat. Stating that the net installer takes up 700MiB on the disk is quite plainly incorrect, however. Quite ironic given your signature.

No, the net installer is what fits on a CD. Most of the software is downloaded from online repositories.

The net installer is a 10MiB iso image that you can download here. It's a twist on the Debian net installer. You choose what to install. The idea is not to waste bandwidth downloading a 700MiB or 4300MiB iso. On the other hand, if you do not have an ethernet connection or your connection is, for some reason or other, unreliable, you can download a LiveCD with the standard packages (I dare say, more than is included in the 2300MiB Win7 iso) or an alternate CD aimed at advanced users or users of lower-end computers. If you're so inclined, you can even download a DVD image with some more obscure packages included. Hell, you can easily make or buy a snapshot of the repositories if that's what floats your boat. Stating that the net installer takes up 700MiB on the disk is quite plainly incorrect, however. Quite ironic given your signature.

No, the net installer is what fits on a CD. Most of the software is downloaded from online repositories.

The net installer is a 10MiB iso image that you can download here. It's a twist on the Debian net installer. You choose what to install. The idea is not to waste bandwidth downloading a 700MiB or 4300MiB iso. On the other hand, if you do not have an ethernet connection or your connection is, for some reason or other, unreliable, you can download a LiveCD with the standard packages (I dare say, more than is included in the 2300MiB Win7 iso) or an alternate CD aimed at advanced users or users of lower-end computers. If you're so inclined, you can even download a DVD image with some more obscure packages included. Hell, you can easily make or buy a snapshot of the repositories if that's what floats your boat. Stating that the net installer takes up 700MiB on the disk is quite plainly incorrect, however. Quite ironic given your signature.

No, the net installer is what fits on a CD. Most of the software is downloaded from online repositories.

The net installer is a 10MiB iso image that you can download here. It's a twist on the Debian net installer. You choose what to install. The idea is not to waste bandwidth downloading a 700MiB or 4300MiB iso. On the other hand, if you do not have an ethernet connection or your connection is, for some reason or other, unreliable, you can download a LiveCD with the standard packages (I dare say, more than is included in the 2300MiB Win7 iso) or an alternate CD aimed at advanced users or users of lower-end computers. If you're so inclined, you can even download a DVD image with some more obscure packages included. Hell, you can easily make or buy a snapshot of the repositories if that's what floats your boat. Stating that the net installer takes up 700MiB on the disk is quite plainly incorrect, however. Quite ironic given your signature.

What do you mean? Ubuntu will still ship you a free CD

https://help.ubuntu.com/9.04/installation-guide/i386/boot-usb-files.html
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick

https://help.ubuntu.com/9.04/installation-guide/i386/boot-usb-files.html
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick

This might get me some flak, but I've found that there are at least a few females in Ubuntu LoCo teams. LoCo teams in my experience do a wide range of things, from doing Install Fests, to having GeekNics, to having Linux LAN parties. I don't know if the California Team is active, but it might be worth a try.

Please only pursue joining the team if you actually give a frak about Ubuntu or doing Linux stuff, though. Women don't join Ubuntu groups to be hit on.

My wife's laptop runs Ubuntu 7.10 and setting up Pulseaudio took a bit of work.

The recipe at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PulseAudio was a big help.

I said I've seen Linux improve over the years, but only in certain directions. Linux improves in the directions that the developers of Linux find relevant, to themselves.

Because this website doesn't really exist, and is only for developers to post?

Dude, now you're just posting your stereotypes over and over again. If I had any doubt that you haven't used Linux in years, it's gone.

1) You claim that package managers force you to hunt and install for dependencies. This is wrong. Most package managers install these for you.

2) You claim that users don't like package management systems. You fail to realize that not everyone has the same opinion as you, and that millions of users have learned how to use a repository and have adapted quite easily. You also fail to realize that programs such as Steam use package management and shared library ideas without a hitch.

3) You claim, as above, that developers only code for developers. So all of that desktop stuff so far is developer crap. And the notifications and userface improvements that Ubuntu has been working on. And the netbook development Fedora has been working on. Oh, and the boot speeds. Don't forget the Plymouth project, which smooths out the boot process.

4) You claim Linux has only advanced in only ways developers care about. Sure, if developers care about Wi-Fi support for the majority of devices, better monitor detection, simplifying configuration to make most of them automatic (developers really don't like that one), removing dependency hell entirely, making package managers so easy that a five year old can install a game, creating LiveCD technology so that users can run a full OS off their CD drive, and adapting the GUI so that it's largely self explanatory.

5) You claim everything that deviates from Windows or Mac is a weakness. You misunderstand the idea of "improvements," which by definition have to be different compared to the thing they're improving on.

I like Linux. I don't use it completely, and I know it has weaknesses (games, standard package formats, the fact that it's not installed by default on computers, Ubuntu's default color, other random bugs I've reported over the two years) but I really don't enjoy ignorance and misinformation, even if it is innocent in nature.

Why is it that the state of the art in FOSS Office applications still has less features than Office 2000?

Quantity is not important in itself.

Why is that Linux uses Samba for File / Print?

Network printing does not have to be Samba-based. Even then, support for Windows network is a major strength, is it not? We don't see Windows implementing ssh, Linux network mounts, reading ext*, or anything to make file transfer easier.

Why is it that Linux clones TrueType fonts? If fonts were so easy, why can't FOSS innovate a better font system?

Again, why not support it if there are literally tens of thousands of TTF fonts already?

Hey, I agree that Windows XP has better user interface than Linux, even to this day. Compared to latest KDE, it is fast, simple, mostly bug-free. But it is already behind on features, and, IMHO, interface is the strongest point of Vista, which is just sad.

Apple = Free Pass Linux (every flavor) = Free Pass

As others have pointed out, that's because Apple doesn't have a monopoly in the field desktop operating systems and that has now been tested in court

As for Linux, I count about a dozen different web-browsers on offer in the Ubuntu distribution. - and all the EU required of MS was to offer a choice, not to unbundle IE.

However, I am inclined to agree that 1994 is on the phone and wants its problem back.

Actually, if it was a troll, it wouldn't be a very clever one IMHO.

See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SecureApt Use client-side certs.

That number of bugs rather scares me. I depend on Windows for playing WoW at home and writing documents at work. Will this kill it?

There is no need for that. I run WoW in Wine on FreeBSD, and it runs much faster and more smoothly there than it does natively in Windows.

Granted, customising FreeBSD is perhaps a little above the bullet-dodging capabilities of the average FOSS user, but Ubuntu will still run WoW very agreeably. I'd recommend Kubuntu; I'm a KDE man in terms of the "big two," desktop environments, myself.

Ubuntu and Fedora are desktop OS's. Not that they can't run as servers, just why would you.

Ubuntu Server Edition would like to have a word with you.

'Backports' is the operative phrase for Ubuntu users experiencing upgrade anxiety - and installing them should be through enabling of the backports repos (or is it automatic now for security?)... https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuBackports

Quote from the link:

"This is where Ubuntu Backports comes in. The Backports team believes that the best update policy is a mix of Ubuntu's security-only policy AND providing new versions of some programs. Candidates for version updates are primarily desktop applications, such as your web browser, word processor, IRC client, or IM client. These programs can be updated without replacing a large part of the operating system that would affect stability of the whole system."

I posted a very similar idea to Ubuntu brainstorm a few weeks ago, as a proposed solution to the problem of paying developers of free (libre) software. I feel it's highly relevant to the dialog taking place here about this article, so I've copy-pasted some of it here:

Despite its closed nature, Apple's App Store has proven to be a tremendous success. The App Store model involves a central organization that approves and distributes commercial applications directly to users. The central organization takes a small percentage of the revenue generated on each app sold; the rest of the revenue goes directly in the pocket of the developer. The overall goal is to make it as easy as possible to connect users who want to pay for high-quality free software, to developers who want to produce that software.

It is very easy to imagine Canonical acting as the the central distributor in this model, as it currently performs this role already with software that is free-as-in-beer (much of it is free-as-in-speech as well). Additionally, much of the core technologies required for such an app store to exist are already in place: distribution, packaging and installation is all provided by apt; Synaptic provides a convenient graphical front-end for installation and package management. Perhaps, with small extensions to these existing systems, it would be possible to create an infrastructure to allow for individual payments to application developers.

It is also important to note that while Apple's app store primarily hosts non-free software (free as in beer, and free as in speech), and uses DRM to ensure that users do not make copies of this software, I believe that neither of these features are essential to the success of an Ubuntu App Store. It is possible to imagine individual users swapping .deb's of contribution-based software via filesharing networks, or visiting the authors' websites to compile "contribution-based" software from source and package it by hand; and, according to the terms of the GPL, and most other free software licenses, they would be completely within their rights to do so. However, such methods are much less convenient than simply clicking through a graphical interface, and obtaining your packages directly from Canonical, especially with respect to the demographic of non-technical users that Canonical would like to target. Just so long as value is added to the software in some way, be it by way of convenience or by some other means, then a "contribution-based" repository will be used over other methods of obtaining and installing the software. Additionally, I feel that many Ubuntu users would like to see developers get paid, and thus would be more inclined to use such a service.

In conclusion, while putting a price on software that has otherwise been free-as-in-cost might at first seem a bit unusual, we must consider that providing a convenient, direct mechanism for developers to be paid for their software will help, not harm, the Ubuntu GNU/Linux distribution, the ecosystem of free-as-in-speech software, and the Free Software Movement in general. It will attract more users and more developers to the Ubuntu GNU/Linux platform, especially as such a mechanism does not exist on Microsoft Windows. One need only look to the success of the Apple App Store, and Sun's soon-to-be-launched Java app store, to see that there is a demand for such a distribution model.

If you like this idea, please feel free to vote the it up on Ubuntu Brainstorm. Thanks,

Jake

Have you tried running Ubuntu (non-netbook edition) on a 10.2" screen at 1024x600 screen? Most apps simply don't fit on the screen, alt+mouse_drag only moves windows down, not up, meaning jumping through a lot of hoops simply to press OK in a dialog because it is below the screen.

I have, and it was also slow on Aspire One (512MB), that's probably why they had Ubuntu NBR (Net Book Remix) ready very soon. I like it. Great for reading pdf's and such or testing networks...

If you want to run ubuntu on a netbook specifically an aspireone but a lot applies to netbooks in general
may i recommend this page. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AspireOne
There are similar pages but if your Netbook hasn't got a page you can easily start one contribute the bits you know and others will add the bits you don't.

To remove the y constraint (allowing you to move your windows up and not just down) enter this in a terminal

gconftool-2 --set /apps/compiz/plugins/move/allscreens/options/constrain_y --type bool 0

Theres a couple of other things that can help right click the menu bars top and bottom and add the show hide buttons sometimes thats just enough to make buttons visible.

you could also perhaps rotate the screen into portrait mode (not that useful as a work around).

For long term improvements please file a bug report, the developers may be quite unaware that they have made an unusable ui for netbook users and may not realise there is an issue.

GP's using 9.10. It's 6 more days till Alpha 2: Karmic release schedule.

What linux distro do you use?

Try Likewise Open. I know it works for more, but for ubuntu, it's this easy: https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/serverguide/C/likewise-open.html

It's seriously 2 commands to join it to a windows domain.

I'm not sure what your talking about, but Ubuntu on ARM is free as standard i386/amd64 Ubuntu: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/releases/jaunty/release/ - images are available for the iMX51, and the NSLU2 (I have to dig the link out ofr that) as of Jaunty. People have gotten it running on the Breadboard.

This page has helped me in the past: Data Recovery

This seems to be a very nice option. I just tested (on 9.04) and seems that the guest was given a home directory at /tmp/ but had no acceess rights to /home (even if /home has mode 755). According to spec, the AppArmor is used to limit access.

Much better than system I used earlier (passwordless guest account with only local gdm login allowed).

Since at least Ubuntu 7.10 (ie 2007 October) Ubuntu has had fast user switching

You mean something like this? http://www.ubuntu.com/files/u1/addopera9.png

A couple of months ago i installed Ubuntu 9.01, which used ext4 by default. Running it, i experienced data loss for the first time since i moved from ext2 to ext3 quite a few years ago now. I've just changed back to ext3 - which has been rock solid for me since it first appeared in Redhat or whatever distro it was i was using back then.

There's no such thing as Ubuntu 9.01. I'm assuming you mean Ubuntu 9.04 (aka. "Jaunty"). If you installed that a few months ago, you installed it while it was still in pre-release status. It also uses ext3 by default, not ext4. See http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/jaunty/beta#Ext4%20filesystem%20support . where the Ubuntu team says "Ubuntu 9.04 Beta supports the option of installing the new ext4 file system. ext3 will remain the default filesystem for Jaunty, and we will consider ext4 as the default for the next release based on user feedback. There has been extensive discussion about the reliability of applications running on ext4 in the face of sudden system outages. Applications that use the conventional approach of writing data to a temporary file and renaming it to its final location will have their reliability expectations met in Ubuntu 9.04 beta; further discussion is ongoing in the kernel community."

You will be offered a free upgrade to a snappy new OS that supports unlimited virtual machines and is malware free. With it you can run your Vista in a VM, where it actually works, and you'll do that for a few days until the VM is inevitably corrupted by malware, and then you'll forget you ever had it. After that you'll discover the joys of getting your work done in half the time and with the free time you've got from not fighting your computer all day you can try browsing, which is the practice of clicking every link willy-nilly without worrying whether it's going to install some evil software. Then you'll no doubt discover something wonderful that they've blocked from you at work because it's so hazardous to Windows users. It's called Web 2.0, or Interactive User Generated Content. In time you'll learn to relax about things like buying stuff online or checking your bank account.

You'll also discover that there's this thing out there that's sort of like an Anti-Windows-Live-Search. You type in some words, and it shows you stuff that's somewhat related to those words. Amazingly, most of the search results have nothing to do with deploying malware on your computer. You can use it with IE on Windows, but they make it really hard to find. It's called Google and it's really cool. Some time later you'll find the Add or Remove Programs feature. This one is really amazing because unlike the Windows one with a similar name, this one actually adds programs. Thousands of them, if you want it to. It has so many programs to add, it has its own search engine.

I have a Zune120. Despite the given fact that it is proprietary as hell, it is a fairly stable device. The firmware is extremely intuitive and runs really smoothly. The audio quality is clear. And I really enjoy the social that is built around it. My only issue is with it being so damn proprietary that I have to either dual boot XP or have it inside my Ubuntu Studio on a VM to even use it. It is the only reason I still even use windows.

I think part of the reason why the Zune fails is that it's one of those devices that a lot of people don't give a chance to. Those of us that use them, really enjoy them. I also happen to think iPods are nice as well and I have really considered Archos devices (though I had enough trouble affording my 120); but the truth is I like my Zune too much. And for players with large storage capabilities the options are limited. If we could only get it working in Linux

If Canonical do see Android as a beneficial software stack, perhaps they'll focus a bit more energy on the Java-related developer tools too.

Specifically Eclipse. Android's developer plugin requires Eclipse 3.3 or higher, whereas Ubuntu comes with 3.2. I don't know the technical details of why packaging eclipse in .deb archives should be so difficult (Fedora manage to do it for rpm)but this bug entry has been open for almost 2 years! :-( Shuttleworth commented on it 15 months ago, yet still no progress.

Sure, one can download it manually but it kinda defeats the purpose of having a package manager for such scenarios.

Try EEEbuntu. It's Ubuntu with a few eee-specific features, and a custom kernel. Should detect everything automatically. I've got it running on my 1000ha and I've never had a problem with it. Here's where you can grab it

IIRC eeebuntu hasn't been updated to with latest release version (it is still based on 8.10 rather than the newer 9.04). While the differences won't be massively massive and 8.10 will get security updates for a while yet, you are probably better off using the official "Ubuntu Netbook Remix" for new installs: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download-netbook

I've been using it on my AA1 for the last few weeks and have found it to be excellent in terms of everything I've cared to test working out of the box, and the eee1000 seems to be well supported too according to the official list at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport/Machines/Netbooks

If you don't like the default UNR launcher interface, you can easily turn it off and use the standard desktop setup (or your custom preference if you have used Linux long enough to have developed one) instead (though you'll want to reconfigure the panels vertically, or remove them, due to the machines screen size and aspect ratio).

Try EEEbuntu. It's Ubuntu with a few eee-specific features, and a custom kernel. Should detect everything automatically. I've got it running on my 1000ha and I've never had a problem with it. Here's where you can grab it

IIRC eeebuntu hasn't been updated to with latest release version (it is still based on 8.10 rather than the newer 9.04). While the differences won't be massively massive and 8.10 will get security updates for a while yet, you are probably better off using the official "Ubuntu Netbook Remix" for new installs: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download-netbook

I've been using it on my AA1 for the last few weeks and have found it to be excellent in terms of everything I've cared to test working out of the box, and the eee1000 seems to be well supported too according to the official list at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport/Machines/Netbooks

If you don't like the default UNR launcher interface, you can easily turn it off and use the standard desktop setup (or your custom preference if you have used Linux long enough to have developed one) instead (though you'll want to reconfigure the panels vertically, or remove them, due to the machines screen size and aspect ratio).

Do you mean Ubuntu 8.04? 9.04 includes openssh 5.1

While what your asking for does exist, i will admit that it does not exist in a form similar to ZoneAlarm or other Application Layer Firewalls.

There is some discussion about this here: http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/4137/

Essentially, what you want is a false sense of security. There is nothing stopping any application from calling an approved application to do it's communicating for it. For example, I could write my installer to open IE and send me your personal info via HTTP.

Additionally, the Windows policy of allowing an application to insert itself into the IP stack has actually made for a LESS secure system as a lot of attacks use this "feature" themselves. I have removed several pieces of spyware that monitored all traffic by inserting themselves in the IP stack in exactly the same way.

In Linux, the closest you will come would be to use iptables to route all outbound traffic to a proxy (which is, essentially, an application layer firewall) like Zorp, or to Configure AppArmor or seLinux. None of these things are simple, but they are providing a real sense of security not a false one.

Don't do this from the US, or the new RIAA owned Justice Department will come break down your door. Which is of course why they can't include it in the standard Ubuntu. If you want an Ubuntu with this preinstalled and you're not in the US, start with Linux Mint. Linux mint has that stuff, but they also do localization in a lot of languages so they lag on features a few months behind the main Ubuntu distro. That said, the instructions below install DVD playing on Ubunty Jaunty.

Use Firefox, or some other browser that supports apt-url.

For the below, you will need to give the password for software installation. Clicking the links doesn't go to a howto - it actually installs the software from the standard repositories.

Click here to install the Restricted formats.

Click here to install VNC (my preferred DVD-watching application).

Open a terminal and paste this:

sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread3/install-css.sh

You will be asked for the sudo password. This enables the computer to read the format for encrypted DVDs.

That's it you're done. Stick your movie in, start vnc and tell it to play the DVD.

Occasional Linux user here.

3) Why do Linux programs close themselves? I dont' think they are crashing. Like I add a software source then hit close, it updates, gives me an error about my key not working, then terminates! So I have to reopen it.

This shouldn't happen (the program terminating part). I suspect a bug in Synaptic itself or a broken package of Synaptic in Ubuntu.

4) Step 3 gave me an error, so naturally, I copied it to the clipboard. I click on okay and the error dissapears, terminating the program. My error, that WAS in the clipboard is now gone... Awesome.

I'm not familiar with Gnome, but according to Wikipedia, it should retain clipboard contents after the original window has closed. That's of course not very helpful, since from your description, it didn't work for some reason.

I'd suggest installing Glipper from the repository. It sits in the system tray and when you click on it, gives you a list of a bunch of recent clipboard contents, from which you can pick one to put back onto the clipboard. This should at least work as a workaround.

I've used the similar Klipper app in KDE and can say that it's really handy when you have more than one thing you'd like to paste in multiple places.

5) Key signing for software packages is a pain in the ass & comlpicated. Surely there can be an easier way to get this working. How about downloading a file that contains the software source, and the key togeather and then import the file? I still can't get this thing working...

Agreed. Adding third-party repositories can be a pain because of the keys.

The command-line method documented here should work, at the very least. I've used it successfully several times in the past. (The screenshot on that page also sports a promising "Add key file" button in Synaptic, if you happen to have such a file.)

6) Synaptic Software manager's sorting is crappy. I open it up search for xbmc and see packages availalbe for installation. I can click the column headers and sort, but for some reason, when I select a package, the list unsorts! This makes it hard to select packages of similar type (skins in this case).

That sounds like a bug. I suggest filing a bug report (saying what you already told us) to Ubuntu so they can fix it.

A quick Googling gave me these instructions. Basically, this link at Ubuntu's bug tracker is the one you want, but unfortunately you have to create an account to be able to file bugs. Judge for yourself if it's worth the trouble :)

  -AC

Actually that version has the countermeasures too it appears: http://changelogs.ubuntu.com/changelogs/pool/main/o/openssh/openssh_5.1p1-5ubuntu1/changelog

It's worked fine for me, since 8.04 at least. Here's the latest docs: https://help.ubuntu.com/9.04/serverguide/C/advanced-installation.html

According to TFA, "OpenSSH version 5.2 contain[s] countermeasures". For Ubuntu users, note that Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy) is using the vulnerable version 4.7. Versions 8.10 (Intrepid) and above appear to use version 5.1.

Does anyone know whether 5.1 contains the flaw and/or the "countermeasures"?

Also, can any security gurus comment on the danger level here? It sounds like there is a low-probability to access a small amount of information... but the very existence of this vulnerability makes me uncomfortable. Also, why does it mention Debian specifically? Don't most distros use an OpenSSH package based on the exact same design? Shouldn't they all be vulnerable?

According to TFA, "OpenSSH version 5.2 contain[s] countermeasures". For Ubuntu users, note that Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy) is using the vulnerable version 4.7. Versions 8.10 (Intrepid) and above appear to use version 5.1.

Does anyone know whether 5.1 contains the flaw and/or the "countermeasures"?

Also, can any security gurus comment on the danger level here? It sounds like there is a low-probability to access a small amount of information... but the very existence of this vulnerability makes me uncomfortable. Also, why does it mention Debian specifically? Don't most distros use an OpenSSH package based on the exact same design? Shouldn't they all be vulnerable?

According to TFA, "OpenSSH version 5.2 contain[s] countermeasures". For Ubuntu users, note that Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy) is using the vulnerable version 4.7. Versions 8.10 (Intrepid) and above appear to use version 5.1.

Does anyone know whether 5.1 contains the flaw and/or the "countermeasures"?

Also, can any security gurus comment on the danger level here? It sounds like there is a low-probability to access a small amount of information... but the very existence of this vulnerability makes me uncomfortable. Also, why does it mention Debian specifically? Don't most distros use an OpenSSH package based on the exact same design? Shouldn't they all be vulnerable?

I was going to Linux install "parties" as far back as 1995 but my career has led me away from the Linux groups of old and I hadn't really done much with Linux in recent years. I'm finally getting around to doing a home theater and decided I wanted the server to be a Linux derivative so I searched and it looked as though MINT had everything I wanted to do with a minimum amount of post setup for the media stuff. I proceeded to install on a fairly current piece of hardware and everything went smoothly until the first logon. The network card had been recognized but it would not connect no matter how much poking or prodding so I installed another network card and got the same results. I did everything I knew to do and still could not get it to work with my home network. Then I thought maybe it was MINT that had the problem so I proceeded to install the latest version of UBUNTU and lo and behold same exact problem. I searched forums, followed step by step guides and yet nothing worked. It would act like it was going to work and then just stop. So as someone who is fairly technical and has a little history with Linux I can say Linux is still not ready for the desktop. I'm sure there is something simple stupid I am missing and I'll feel like an idiot when I figure out what it is but the fact that it is occurring at all AND is so difficult to remedy make that statement valid.

So, System|Preferences|Network Connections (there's no "Network Configuration" item), | Mobile Broadband, Add, "Era" (it's my provider). Insert dongle, pick "modem" function on the phone, select IRDA as method of connection, Activate, place facing the dongle.

What next? 'Cause nothing happens, and the Network Applet doesn't display any new options?

I've never done this and, unfortunately, it does not seem like there is a convenient GUI yet. However, from what I gather there are two steps: 1) get your IR dongle to communicate with the IrDA stack and 2) configure PPP over IrDA.

It sounds like you have the first step already done. I don't know what kind of hardware you have, but you can follow the steps here (scroll about midway down) to make sure it works with IrDA. The two potential hangups I can see are a conflict with the serial port (see the notes on FIR mode) or a conflict with the ir-usb driver (see the notes on dongles). In both cases it may seem like the hardware is ok (ie: you will see a device entry), but attempts to communicate with the hardware will fail. You may need to blacklist the relevant drivers if they are problematic.

Once you know the IR hardware is working properly, you should be able to use NetworkManager to configure the ppp connection. If that doesn't work, you can try gnome-ppp. This is where you "modprobe irnet" and use /dev/irnet as your device.

I'm guessing you have a USB dongle, so try this and see what happens:
> rmmod ir-usb
> modprobe irda-usb
> plug in dongle, monitor dmesg output
> irattach irda0 -s
> modprobe irnet
> gnome-ppp

I agree this is an area that needs some work in Ubuntu.

It disables network connection over WiFi. The card remains switched on, the blue LED is lit, the card continues to draw battery. I can launch Kismet for example and it will work just fine.

I've never heard of this before. Which script are you running and how?

It's not that volume control doesn't work. It's the mute key on the keyboard that doesn't.

This should work, but maybe the keybindings aren't setup with the right keycodes. Try System|Preferences|Keyboard Shortcuts first. If that doesn't work, have a look at this to troubleshoot it.

Just out of curiosity...did you install from scratch or upgrade? Do you have the package eeepc-acpi-scripts installed?

Now there's no mouse cursor, the system doesn't react to keystrokes, it won't even switch to console (ctrl-alt-F1).

I don't know what the problem is. Have you tried Ekiga? You can also try running Cheese in a terminal to see if it gives you an error message of some kind.

How many did they sell?

Irrelevant. The fact that you can buy Linux preloaded means you aren't confronted with this mythical confusing array of distros. Instead, you get whatever your manufacturer preinstalled.

Compare apples to apples.

If you want to compare people who actually buy or download OSes by themselves, there are plenty of versions of Windows to choose from.

However, even in that case, I find people tend not to hear about Linux in isolation. They hear it from a friend, who has a distro, or they hear it in the context of a specific distro. And Dell carrying Ubuntu is certainly a huge endorsement, as to which one they're likely to hear about.

Most people do NOT download TV shows or movies. They have their son at college do it. Or the neighbor kid.

Even better! Most formats will play either out of the box, or with very little tweaking. Were they to try to download shows themselves, they might find themselves looking at something like iTunes or Netflix, which aren't going to work.

Regardless, who wants to wait when they could be using their new PC now, with Windows?

Oh, so we're back to new PCs? Then my Dell Ubuntu point stands.

Burning a music CD with Roxio/whatever other crap was bundled onto a PC is easy. Tell them to burn an ISO and 90% of the time they struggle then end up with a data cd/dvd with an iso file on it.

Firstly: Many of these "whatevers" do support burning ISOs.

Second: While downloading the ISO, there's a conspicuous link to this howto, which also mentions InfraRecorder. If they're on a Mac, it's even easier.

The live windows installer is the ONLY decent option for people. But it leaves Windows on the PC

If it didn't, it wouldn't be a decent option. Is that really what you were suggesting?

If you're going to say "not ready", that implies either you have criteria for "ready", or you don't believe there's anything Linux can do to be "ready".

Yeah no, wireless often still does not work.

Often does, especially when buying a computer with Linux preinstalled. Without that, it works as well as Windows does, until you install the wireless drivers.

Same with printers/scanners/etc.

Find me an example. Otherwise, this is going to devolve into "No it doesn't! Yes it does!"

And with cameras, people want the box to pop up.

Yeah, it does.

No, not that one, the other one. It pops up, and I click the button.

Yeah, there's a button to click.

Is it the HP one? The Dell one? the Windows one?

In other words, any new computer is likely to break this assumption just as easily.

And you're setting a standard that nothing can beat other than being exactly, precisely the Windows that came with their computer.

You seriously overestimate 99% of users if you think they are anywhere near ready for Linux, or that Linux is anywhere near ready for them.

It's by underestimating them that we got to this point. In no other profession would something like "It needs more RAM in the megahertz" be something you have to just put up with.

And yet, even at this point, I have seen relatively clueless users be able to adapt, given the chance.

Been there done that, if you look at the Languages menu in Mac OS X, you will find " tlhIngan Hol"

Also, there is a package for Ubuntu.

One thing -- I see the link I posted will get you to install the 2.4 version, which I believe was the version used in 8.10. That version also didn't work out so well for my Intel video chip (it didn't work when I was actually running 8.10 either).

So, then I went to 2.2, which was the version in 8.04. And that's the one that worked for me. But I say try 2.4 first. If for some reason you have trouble pulling from the repositories they're asking you to use (I don't think they're official), try just installing the driver manually from here:

http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy/xserver-xorg-video-intel
Good luck.

As an aside, the Intel driver thing was about to be a deal-breaker for me also, after two days of using 9.04. Then I thought there must be a way to load the 8.04 video drivers for it, and lo, there is!

Give that a try. I bet it fixes your problem; it worked awesome for me.

(I ran into an intractable network card issue with 9.04 though, which forced me to go back to 8.04 entirely, but at least this solved my video problem...)