Slashdot Mirror
Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 "Lenny" Released
Alexander "Tolimar" Reichle-Schmehl writes "The Debian Project is pleased to announce the official release of Debian GNU/Linux version 5.0 (codenamed Lenny) after 22 months of constant development. With 12 supported computer architectures, more than 23,000 packages built from over 12,000 source packages and 63 languages for the new graphical installer, this release sets new records, once again. Software available in 5.0 includes Linux 2.6.26, KDE 3.5.10, Gnome 2.22.2, X.Org 7.3, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, GIMP 2.4.7, Iceweasel 3.0.6, Apache 2.2.9, Xen 3.2.1 and GCC 4.3.2. Other notable features are X autoconfiguring itself, full read-write support for NTFS, Java programs in the main repository and a single Blu-Ray disc installation media. You can get the ISOs via bittorrent. The Debian Project also wishes to announce that this release is dedicated to Thiemo Seufer, a Debian Developer who died on December 26th, 2008 in a tragic car accident. As a valuable member of the Debian Project, he will be sorely missed."
Still KDE 3.5 - so perhaps this will be the KDE user's distro of choice?
Need an ISP in South Africa?
Savor this moment guys, a Debian release is like a Solar eclipse, you are lucky if you get to see one in your lifetime!
Some first impressions on the release, screenshots and an explanation of the delay from Steve McIntyre, the Debian Project Leader, here: http://tuxradar.com/content/lenny-has-landed
He was a great hacker, it's nice to know that more people will remember him.
Just reading this (Note I am not a Debian User anymore) has me noticing just how much the quality is in the FOSS field compared to MicroSuck, Adobemedia and any other company that's just in it for the money and not the technical perfection. Despite all marketing gibberish to the contrary.
While I've been using Ubuntu for it's ease of use in recent years and see Debian more as a kind of building kit when I need a more customized Linux setup, it is none-the-less a terrific feat to wrap up a product that meets Debians quality standards, as opposed to those of - let's say - Windows Vista.
Even the slashdot post on the new Debian has more content that a MS press release.
That all observed and said, congrats to the Debian crew for yet another release of a great OS and Software kit.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
I might be missing something here, but aren't there still 84 release-critical bugs open on lenny? I understand a number of them have been deferred to lenny.1, but I had expected this number to drop further before a release was made. Has Debian changed their release policy?
[captcha: prudence]
There's no legal way to do many worthwhile things in this world. Don't worry about it. You're here to live your life, not obey laws.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
I think I was not bitching but asking a question. The problem is that I would love to buy (yes buy) stuff with Linux support - problem is, that it often simply does not even exist.
Please name a product you have been searching for, where you cannot find something which suits your needs which has Linux support.
My original question was exactly about one of the things I would consider to be of major importance: the ability to play blue-ray movies on the desktop. As far as I can see there is no legal way whatsoever to do this on Linux and there is no legal way in sight either.
My point was that this is a result of the legal manouverings of the people behind Blu-Ray. If you buy Blu-Ray then you are voting with your dollars for standards which make interoperability difficult or even impossible. You have no one but yourself to blame.
At some point you have to decide if you have principles or not. Clearly, you do not believe in the ability to play purchased media on Open Source platforms if you actually spend money on Blu-Ray discs. There's no third way, and I wish people would stop pretending there is.
I guess my point is that these are serious problems for making Linux more common for a broader user-base and I would love to see constructive ideas how to deal with them instead of ignoring the problem, routinely putting the blame on hardware companies and disregarding anyone who raises the issue as a troll.
Obviously you don't understand that the world is capitalistic, and/or don't understand how capitalism works.
The only vote that you have that matters is how you spend your dollars. Whether that's what products you choose to buy (or not) or whether you elect to pay your taxes (or not) or activities you choose to engage in (or not) due to their tax situation... it's all based on money. The entire world (yes, China too) works on the principle that what makes you more money is good. Therefore if you choose to spend money on closed standards, the world will provide you with more closed standards, because obviously there is money in them. If you choose to spend money on a shitty movie or a crappy album just because it's a member of your chosen genre or put out by someone whose other work you like, you are voting for them to make more shit. Do you see how this works? By the same token, if you buy a Blu-Ray disc when it is difficult to play on Linux, you are voting for making it difficult to play media on Linux. And at some point you have to take personal responsibility. You have to make the decision to only support media which is delivered on your terms.
Different people have chosen to achieve this goal in different ways. For some, they make the decision to engage in civil disobedience by using a program whose use is actually proscribed by law in their jurisdiction to play the media that they've paid for. I am unaware of anyone actually ever being arrested for playing a DVD or Blu-Ray disc that they actually purchased on an unlicensed device, and do not believe that laws should be followed simply because they exist. I am skeptical that you actually follow every law in effect where you live, and in any case if you have not memorized the code you can't be sure, so I am not clear as to the precise nature of your objection.
Anyway, by the same token, following the DMCA is equivalent to voting for it. Don't obey unless you aim to be a slave. Yes, it is risky to disobey. Yes, you have an obligation to disobey an unjust law. Let me just go ahead and terminate this thread by invoking Godwin here by saying that "just following orders" is not and never has been a valid excuse for supporting tyranny.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"