openSUSE Weekly News, Issue 156 is out!
1. Jan 2011 | Sascha Manns | No License
We are pleased to announce our issue 156.
openSUSE Weekly News
openSUSE Weekly News Team
Producer
Published:
2011-01-01
Table of Contents
Announcements Status Updates
Distribution Team Report In the Community
Postings from the Community Events & Meetings openSUSE for your Ears From Ambassadors Communication Contributors New/Updated Applications @ openSUSE Security Updates Kernel Review Tips and Tricks
For Commandline/Script Newbies For Developers and Programmers For System Administrators Planet SUSE openSUSE Forums On the Web
Announcements Reports Reviews and Essays Credits Feedback Translations
Abstract
We are pleased to announce our 156 issue of the openSUSE Weekly News.
The openSUSE Weekly News Team wishes all readers a good year 2011.
You can also read this issue in other formats. Just click here.
Enjoy the reading :-)
Announcements
** [openSUSE at and with FOSDEM 2011](//news.opensuse.org/2010/12/28/opensuse-at-and-with-fosdem-2011/) ** > >> > Next years [FOSDEM](//www.fosdem.org/2011/) takes place again in Brussels on Feb 5th and 6th 2011 and openSUSE will be present as usual! > > Apart of the well known high level open Source tech conference there will be for the 2nd time the Distribution [Miniconf](//www.fosdem.org/2011/distrominiconf). The Miniconf provides the perfect place for different projects to share ideas, talk about challenges each project has and to foster collaboration – and as openSUSE is all about collaboration we want to play a major role there. > > The Miniconf is open for every project. For more information please subscribe on the Miniconf [mailinglist](//lists.fosdem.org/mailman/listinfo/dist2011). We are looking for talks about cross-distro collaboration and presentations on openSUSE technology – like OBS, openFATE but also where we are going – things like Tumbleweed! > > Our contact with FOSDEM is [Henne Vogelsang](//en.opensuse.org/User:Hennevogel), if you think about giving a talk, contact him. > >
>  >
**[Winner of openSUSE 2010 survey got his Chumby!](//news.opensuse.org/2010/12/30/winner-of-opensuse-2010-survey-got-his-chumby/)** > > **Figure 1. The elusive Thirsty Thirteen** > >> > > > In February 2010 openSUSE held the openSUSE survey 2010 to find out more about the community. Who are the openSUSE users? What do they want? Who are our contributors? What motivates them? How can openSUSE improve? These questions and more have, to some extend, been answered by the over 27.000 participants in the three months the survey was live. Just before the end of the year we finally managed to get the winner of the Chumby Figure 1, “The elusive Thirsty Thirteen” his prize. Konrad Schlichtherle from Dortmund, Germany, is the lucky winner. Read on for more! > > **Winners** > > The winners of the prizes we gave away were, in no particular order: > > * Yosef Peretz from Jerusalem Israel > > * Carlos Gárzon from Colombia > > * Mityunin Alexander Vladimirovich from Russia > > * Dong Xiaoyan from China > > * Mar’yan Rachynskyy from Ukraine > > * Roland Ortmann from Germany > > * Sergey Goncharuk from Russia > > * Wolodja Pskowskaja from Russia > > And the main prize, the Chumby, went to **Konrad Schlichtherle** from Germany. > > We managed to catch Konrad on IRC – he is currently not involved with Free Software but looking to change that so tips for him are welcome! > > > News.o.o: So, Konrad, you got the Chumby? > Konrad: yes, i got it on the 27th. Many thanks for it. Its a nice gadget! > News.o.o: So it’s working for you? > Konrad: Yes, what else can I say about the Chumby? He stands beside me and plays music. I have to say, I use Linux since one year and have a lot to learn. I hope to > use the Chumby with some other useful things so I can learn more about Linux. > > > **Survey results** > > The survey results are available as [pdf file](//en.opensuse.org/images/3/3a/SurveySummary_03012010.pdf) and on the openSUSE Survey 2010 [wiki page](//en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Survey_2010) an extensive analysis has been made. The results have helped make project decisions, be it technical, marketing or otherwise – and we call upon all openSUSE community members to keep using these numbers to back up their choices! We want to be close to ourselves and the opinions of 27,000 users and contributors is nothing to be sneezed at. > > We’d like to thank everyone who answered the questionnaire again for their time and efforts and wish the winners a lot of fun with their prizes and their future endeavors in the world of Free Software! And as usual, if you’re looking into getting involved, you can simply contact anyone on IRC or mail – that includes me, your humble writer. Find me on IRC [(freenode.net in the openSUSE channels like #opensuse-project)](//webchat.freenode.net/) under the nick jospoortvliet! > >
>  >
Status Updates
Distribution
Important Links
Team Report
Boosters Team
** [openSUSE Boosters Year 2010](//news.opensuse.org/2010/12/29/opensuse-boosters-year-2010/) ** > > **Figure 2. The elusive Thirsty Thirteen** > >> > > > At the end of the year it is the time for reviews and the openSUSE Booster Figure 2, “The elusive Thirsty Thirteen” team did not want to let that opportunity slip. So what was important in 2010 from an openSUSE Boosters perspective? What happened, what progress was made, how did the boosters help openSUSE? A report from Klaas Freitag. > > **Who are the Boosters** > > For those who do not know who [the Boosters](//en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Boosters_team) are: We’re not Tuxies favorite boy group, but a bunch of people dedicated to help the openSUSE Project in any way we can. The team consists of 13 people (BTW: widely known as the thirsty thirteen) with skills ranging from low level C hackery over Ruby on Rails mastering to Graphical Design or Project Management. Our team picks milestones and works on them in a agile fashion while always following our mantra: Grow community by enabling community. You can meet us at the usual places like IRC, the mailinglists or events were we show up and spread the word about openSUSE. We’re there to make contributors life easier and more fun, so if you have anything do not hesitate to talk to us. We’re here for you. > > **Events in 2010** > > So let’s quickly fly over the year of 2010 and see what was nice and important. > > * FOSDEM > > Lets start with a very important event, FOSDEM in Brussels in February. We traveled there by coach the first time. That was remarkable because there were some push back against before (long journey) but we did it because it is cheaper, which means more people can go. The result was that we all were quite pleased by the coach trip as it was comfortable and fun, and finally not so much longer than the flight. And yes, consider how much carbon dioxide was saved? Since that trip I am constantly nagging for budget for an openSUSE Coach… > > I held a talk about Hermes at FOSDEM which was, well, not a great success, that thing seems hard to market. That happens, others were more succesfull, like Christopher with his talk about image building with Kiwi. Michal had a meeting with MySQL packagers from all over the world at FOSDEM, which was probably the first real initiative to collaborate on cross distro topics. I also bought a GNOME T-Shirt, met tons of old friends, had cherry beer and got a cold as usual on FOSDEM. > > * Dev meeting > > Also in February, we hosted a dev meeting of 25 KDE hackers here in the Nuremberg office. They worked on the highly rated plasma workspace for KDE 4.5. I still wonder how Will managed to get around with definitely no sleep for days. > > * Bento and wiki work > > At home, at the beginning of the year we worked on projects called “Integrate all Infrastructure under one Umbrella” which resulted in the Bento web theme nowadays at all openSUSE sites use. It provides short ways from one site to another by thought through and pretty menus. Robert did a real great job with that and we got a lot of external recognition for it. At the same time the Wiki project started which was a huge project the Wiki community was pulling together with Henne and Tom. The decision was to create a new Wiki from scratch, implement reviewing features and transfer all relevant content into the new one while making sure to not transfer stuff nobody needs and maintains any more. That was a big thing and caused a lot of discussion. Today we can look back and say that we now have a well structured Wiki with valuable content. Fortune favors the bold :-) > > * OBS > > In parallel to that, Coolo and Tom were contributing to the new BuildService [web interface](//build.opensuse.org). After long working hours we finally came out with a great web interface for OBS which was a big bum for the whole project, as it makes working in OBS much more fun. I remember that whole thing being started as a sprint called “Factory status”, aiming to provide a good [overview page](https://build.opensuse.org/projectstatus?project=openSUSE%3AFactory) for the Factory project in OBS. It grew a bit more ambitions, but, well, that’s how it goes if things are in movement ;-) > > * LinuxTag > > In June, there was LinuxTag in Berlin where most of us participated with talks in the free program or workshops on our booth. We educated a lot of people how to contribute to openSUSE in various ways. From submitting code fixes through the Build Service to creating great Geeko graphics with Inkscape to how to twist their own Geeko out of pipe cleaners. > > * openSUSE 11.3 > > In July, openSUSE 11.3 was released. That was lots of work beforehand with quite some boosters involvement, as Mr. Distro Coolo is part of the team. However not only he is contributing to the distribution, we all have our shares in it. 11.3 was a good one, it got good press and showed that we as a community are doing great. All over the world release parties were organized, some Boosters took over the one here in Nürnberg. [Nice party](//lizards.opensuse.org/2010/07/16/opensuse-11-3-launch-party-in-nurnberg/) with some talks, along with BBQ and beer. The latter ran out at 7pm, because many community members showed up. Cool, I love that kind of stress to organize food and beer quickly to let the party go on :-) > > * GNOME and KDE conferences > > Also in Summer, GUADEC as well as Akademy took place for our desktop Boosters. Vincent rocked GUADEC and gave away Geekos and stuff and advertised openSUSE as a good platform for the upcoming GNOME3. Will could not go to Akademy this year for a very good reason called Anna :-) > > * openSUSE conference > > In autumn, the for me most exciting event of the year took place, the second [openSUSE Conference](//en.opensuse.org/Portal:Conference). We were heavily involved in organizing, program committee work, giving talks and presentations and all what is involved with that kind of large event. It was a huge success, as a very active and passionate community showed up. Discussions went from a “This is what we did” in the last year to a “this is what we could do” which is so great to see as that is resulting in innovation for the whole project. As a result some very concrete sub projects were created such as “Project Brezn” and openSUSE Invis which slowly evolves. > > * openFATE, Connect and more > > After the conference and the release of 11.3 we started to dig into milestones again with [openFATE](//features.opensuse.org) and [Connect](//connect.opensuse.org). Since a couple of weeks we have a nice looking openFATE that has the features that make it possible for the feature screening team to work on one of our most important tasks in our project: Looking into the future of the distribution with feature evaluation. We also implemented the future of the user/group handling for all the openSUSE services with a social twist: Connect. Our own instance of a social network that makes it possible to connect the people that make this project what it is and at the same time makes it possible to centralize the user data. > > **Busy 2010** > > So all in all the boosters had a very busy and prosperous year 2010. All of us carried their individual share of work in the various areas of the openSUSE project we participate in, be it in the openSUSE KDE and GNOME Teams, the openSUSE Distribution, the openSUSE tools or the openSUSE Board. We attended a lot of events and organized a couple of our own with great success. And we worked together on the most pressing milestones we saw for contributor growth in a fun and clever way. All in all we helped a lot of contributors to stand up, take responsibility and do get their hands dirty for the openSUSE Project. That makes us proud and we will do this smarter, faster, better and stronger in 2011. Promised! > >
>  >
GNOME Team
** [Nelson Marques: Kick off for GNOME:Ayatana Project…](//lizards.opensuse.org/2010/12/29/kick-off-for-gnomeayatana-project/) ** > > “Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” // Peter F. Drucker > > This has been one of the guidelines in my life for quite some time… It started as a curiosity a long time ago with Notify OSD and evolved to full project in openSUSE. It is important to acknowledge at this point the motivation provided by the openSUSE GNOME Team from which I’ve been getting plenty of guidance and help, namely from Vincent Untz (vuntz) and Dominique Leuenberger (Dimstar). Thanks to them, we have now a GNOME:Ayatana Project on OBS (openSUSE Build Service), currently being populated with the support libraries for Ayatana’s Unity and Indicators. > > Susan Linton has made a small article for Linux Journal about this project in the past. Though some people pointed to me that it was advertising and excelling Ubuntu… I would like to leave a statement… We’re not taking a hike on Ubuntu visibility, and it isn’t bad at all, on the contrary… In fact it will help Ubuntu, us and many others… specially if some Ubuntu patches are accepted faster by upstream. I hope other RPM distributions will follow the way we, openSUSE, proudly seem to pioneering! From my personal point of view… a distribution “distributes”… and despite this software isn’t attractive for some openSUSE users, I’m happy it is available (totally or partially) for all those who want to test it… Wait… you don’t even need to install Ubuntu or changing the platform you run! > > Due to several reasons, being the most important of them versioning, this repository will start on the next release of openSUSE in March 16th (World day of Conscience, interesting point). This is also interesting as if YOU are willing to improve a package or submit a package you can now do it to this repository. > >> > This goes with a very huge cookie for Dimstar and Vuntz for taking care of this repository and making sure that everything will comply with the openSUSE Guidelines. You are my personal heroes. (...) > >
>  >
Marketing Team
** [The first Marketing Collaboration days are over but more will come!](//news.opensuse.org/2010/12/28/the-first-marketing-collaboration-days-are-over-but-more-will-come/) ** > > On the 6th of December, the openSUSE marketing team held the first of three Collaboration Days. The goal of these days was to get on IRC together and get some tasks done. Each day was organized by a team of two volunteers who build up a list of possible task which on the day itself were to be picked up by the attendees. > > **Results** > > Before talking about the material results, an important note: while indeed it was great to get so many things done, the most important was something else. Working together like this was fun. Really, the team spirit was great and everyone involved deserves a big kudos for simply being such a great person! During the 24 hours that the event took, some members were online for a much longer time than you could expect anyone to stay – true dedication! The meetings really showed what the spirit of Free Software and openSUSE means – making a difference together. Because we made a difference. > > Among other things, the following things were accomplished: > > **Documentation created and updated**: organizing booths and launch parties; Ambassador documentation; Talking points; example Letters of Sponsorship; and a general WIKI reorganization and cleanup. > > **Totally new**: two short presentations, one about SUSE Studio and one on OBS; short descriptions of openSUSE to be used in marketing materials; a series of keywords associated to openSUSE for SEO usage; a photo gallery showing openSUSE related images; > > We also made significant strides in the feature list for openSUSE 11.4, which we hope to turn into an informative and fun to read feature guide for the release! Based on the work on short descriptions of openSUSE and the latest state of our Strategy, two folders are now in development: one for potential openSUSE users and one for potential contributors. Anyone interested in helping out: please contact us! > > Moreover two short presentations on SUSE Studio and OBS were created which can be used in presentations from the Ambassadors. Already some Greek ambassadors are using them and they promised to contribute back translated versions. > > **Thanks all!** > > We would like to thank the whole marketing team and everyone else who joined for a great job. We made a few significant steps forward and surely there will be more collaboration days in the future! > >> > Thanks especially to the volunteers who prepared the Collaboration days: > > * Review of Ambassador materials: Kostas Koudaras and Carlos Ribeiro > > * Marketing Review: Chuck Payne and Bryen Yunashko > > * Social Media: Manu Gupta and Jos Poortvliet > >
>  >
openFATE Team
Top voted Features
**Features with highest vote, but no one has been assigned to yet. We are looking for volunteers to implement. **
** [Run download and install in parallel (Score: 328)](https://features.opensuse.org/120340) ** > > "Network installation could be improved by running package download and package installation in parallel." > >
** [Look at plymouth for splash during boot (Score: 155)](https://features.opensuse.org/305493) ** > > "I wanted to open a fate feature about this when I first heard of plymouth, but reading //fedoramagazine.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/interview-fedora-10s-better-startup/ really makes me think we should go this way. > > Ray's comment starting with "Every flicker and mode change in the boot process takes away from the whole experience." is especially interesting. Is it okay to track the "don't show grub by default" here?" > >
** [1-click uninstall (Score: 122)](https://features.opensuse.org/305305) ** > > "An easy way to remove Software! > > For example: you installed an application with "1-click install" (which will install all the packages that you need), there should be an easy way (also with 1 click) to remove what you have installed with that 1-click operation... in another words: an "1-click Uninstall" to remove installed software (dependencies and packages included)." > >
** [Replacement for Sax2 (Score: 94)](https://features.opensuse.org/308357) ** > > "We need a replacement for sax2 in 11.3, as a safety measure for when auto configuration fails to detect certain monitors/keyboards/mice. (...)" > >
** [Popularity contest (Score: 74)](https://features.opensuse.org/305877) ** > > "We need a feedback about packages that are preferred by users and actively used. Debian already has a tool named Popularity contest (popcon) (...)" > >
** [YaST-Qt: More informative "Installation Summary" (Score: 60)](https://features.opensuse.org/305548) ** > > "The YaST Qt package manager should provide as much information in the "Installation Summary" view as zypper, esp the overall download size to expect and how much disk space will be freed/used after performing the operation." > >
** [Off-Line one click install (MSI for Linux) (Score: 56)](https://features.opensuse.org/305582) ** > > "Idea from community member Raúl García. Same concept as MSI packages for Windows but exploiting the One Click Install concept of openSUSE (and therefore inheriting the simplicity, code and security. (...)" > >
Recently requested features
Features newly requested last week. Please vote and/or comment if you get interested.
** [Get rid of the Christmas bootloader screen](https://features.opensuse.org/311021) ** > > "Every year around Christmas, openSUSE changes the bootloader screen to some winter wonderland with animated penguins. To me it is confusing, annoying and childish. Please remove it from future releases." > >
** [Make GNOME 3 default](https://features.opensuse.org/311023) ** > > "openSUSE has continuously been outranked since 2009 by 3 GNOME-based distributions on distrowatch.com. openSUSE has failed to re-capture its spot as hot contender in 2010 by betting everything on the KDE-4-card. > > The only way to re-gain popularity and some of the buzz of those early years of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop introduction seems to me to strengthen the visibility of GNOME in openSUSE and preferably be at the forefront of GNOME 3 adoption; a position that Ubuntu has foolishly relinquished of its own accord. (...)" > >
Feature Statistics
Statistics for openSUSE 11.4 in openFATE
Testing Team
** [Larry Finger: Weekly News for January 1](//lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-testing/2011-01/msg00000.html) ** > > The next Testing Core Team IRC meeting will be held 2011-01-31 at 18:00 UTC and will discuss 11.4 M6. > > Attendance at the December 27 meeting was optional. As many of the team were on holiday, only two were present. Neither of us had any particular problems with 11.4 M5, thus we took some time to get to know each other. As we did not have a real meeting, the IRC log will not be posted. > > The openSUSE forums have not had many complaints about M5, thus it appears to be shaping up quite well. In addition, the 2.6.37 kernel, which is used in 11.4, will have its release in roughly 1-2 weeks, thus there will be approximately 3 months of kernel testing before 11.4 is released. That is good timing. > > Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous new year. > >
Translation Team
-
Daily updated translation statistics are available on the openSUSE Localization Portal.
In the Community
Postings from the Community
**[Manu Gupta: FOSS.in Day 2](//suseware.com/blog/2010/12/29/foss-in-day-2-3-and-during-the-holidays/) ** > > FOSS.in day 2 continued.. yes I know after a long ten big days but I was too lazy to write a blog post, so I will summarize things quite fast over here. The second day was quite good as compared to the previous days and I attended a few workshops and was able to attend and somewhat understand a few of them like MariaDB and I specially liked the talk by security in mobile devices by Tobias Mueller. Yes, and I was able to get all the openSUSE DVDs given to the Delegate Kids provided by FOSS.in guys and so the DVDs were too less for us :-( . The 3rd day was the worst in terms of talks for me as I could not get into a lot of talks and missed a few interesting talks. Also the mediawiki miniconf turned out to be more of a waste of time rather than fun, at least for me. An Hacker’s apology by tuxmaniac was just awesome and the Raghu Dixit Project totally rocked :D . I immediately boarded the train to my home after FOSS.in > > As I reached my home, I was again anxiously waiting for the for the next openSUSE Collab Event – Social Media and PR which was quite successful and I enjoyed it thoroughly. In the last few days I also played with the flickr api, and came up with a bunch of php based libraries. The best flickr api wrapper which I found was [phpflickr](//phpflickr.com/). The reasons being this guy has wonderfully wrapped all the functions of the flickr api. I played it around and used Robert Lihm’s bento theme to make a photo gallery for openSUSE at my site. > > You can find a view of my tinkerings at [// suseware.com/flick](// suseware.com/flick). Man I am such a copy cat. Please give put in your comments, improvements or anything, I will really appreciate it. > > Also, if you may notice I have come up with a new blog design, this looks much cleaner imo and finally I inserted Google ads into my blog. Also removed a host of plugins that were actually not required and I had added them for fun. Finally the title shows up in the blog pages. > > In the past ten days I rather cleaned things up… and yes lazed quite a bit but then I am at home :) Enjoy Guys.. A happy new year > >
Events & Meetings
Past
Upcoming
You can find more informations on other events at: openSUSE News/Events. - Local Events
openSUSE for your Ears
The openSUSE Weekly News are available as livestream or podcast in German. You can hear it or download it on Radiotux.
From Ambassadors
** [Greek openSUSE Ambassadors: Report: 1st OpenFest Open Christmas at Florina, December 24th 2010](//opensuseambassadors.blogspot.com/2010/12/report-1-openfest-open-christmas-at.html) ** > > **Figure 3. Merry Christmas to everyone** > >> > > > Yesterday a small team of the Greek openSUSE community decided to go on a Christmas roadtrip. We traveled about 2 and a half hours to go to the beautiful border town of Florina. We were invited by teachers of The Educational Computer Association of Florina to help them promote FOSS. In the central square of the city they hard wooden houses with different themes (you can see the pictures). openSUSE Greek team with KLUG and a very active elementary teacher, Mr Ioannis Kaskamanidis, were informing people who was interested in what we do. Mr Kaskamanidis, brought his students with their XO laptops. Kids were showing their laptops with pride and giving away info packs (PromoDVDs, stickers, brochures). We also met with a local doctor, Dr Evangelos Tsoukas. He translated and supports the Electronic Medical Records program called openEMR. > > openSUSE team was pretty happy about promoting our distro to citizens of Florina. We didn't mind that we drove 200km to reach the city or the soft rain that made us to put all our equipment inside the wooden house. What is left from this event was: > > We did our job and we had fun!!!Figure 3, “Merry Christmas to everyone” > >
>  >
**[José Oramas M.: Kokoa and Friends Meeting (KyA2010)](//lizards.opensuse.org/2010/12/31/kokoa-and-friends-meeting-kya2010/)** > > The first Kokoa and Friends meeting took place the 20th of December at the Computing and Electrical Department of ESPOL. > > This meeting supported by the openSUSE community, gathered people from different levels of the Kokoa community and the ESPOL university. From students that are just getting interested in using FLOSS (a.k.a. newbies), students who are “candidates” to join the Kokoa community, the current “active” members and the experienced “senior” members. > > In this event different topics were discussed covering FLOSS usage in the academia and the industry. Stories of success and guidelines were shared with people interested in going forward in the world of FLOSS. > > Special thanks to Cristina Guerrero, Nervo Verdezoto, Marisol Villacrés, and from Jarflex, Adonis Figueroa and Jessica Zuñiga the speakers of this meeting and specially to Arturo Tumbaco, who helped me with the logistics to make this event possible. > > [Here some pictures about the meeting.](//lizards.opensuse.org/2010/12/31/kokoa-and-friends-meeting-kya2010/) > >
**[Greek openSUSE Ambassadors: Xariseto.gr Bazaar, December 28-29-30, 2010 - report](//opensuseambassadors.blogspot.com/2010/12/xarisetogr-bazaar-december-28-29-30.html)** > > **Figure 4. Merry Christmas to everyone** > >> > > > On December 28-29-30, 2010, we joined the calling from our friends from the web page xariseto.gr. They had a bazaar in Hortiatis, Thessaloniki (Greece). The place was far from our city but it was near for some people that live there. > > Many people were bringing items they didn't need, but can be used by someone else that need them. You can see on the last picture Figure 4, “Merry Christmas to everyone” what it was all about. We were there to inform people about FOSS and openSUSE. We had a lot of people asking questions about it. Mostly they didn't know that there's something different than windows. We hope we made a difference even to 1 person. > >
>  >
Communication
Contributors
New/Updated Applications @ openSUSE
**[Packman: yamdi 1.7-0.pm](//packman.links2linux.org/package/yamdi)** > > “yamdi stands for Yet Another MetaData Injector and is a metadata injector for FLV files. It adds the onMetaData event to your FLV files. It uses little memory, is fast, and can handle big files (over 1 GB).” > >
**[Packman: pogo 0.3.1-0.pm](//packman.links2linux.org/package/pogo)** > > “Pogo is probably the simplest and fastest audio player for Linux. Its elementary-inspired design uses the screen-space very efficiently. Pogo is especially well-suited for people who organize their music by albums on the hard drive. The main interface components are a directory tree and a playlist that groups albums in an innovative way.” > >
**[Packman: mupen64plus 1.99.4-2.pm](//packman.links2linux.de/package/mupen64plus)** > > “[Mupen64Plus](//code.google.com/p/mupen64plus/) is a plugin-based N64 emulator which is capable of accurately playing many games. It includes four MIPS R4300 CPU emulators, with dynamic recompilers for 32-bit x86 and 64-bit amd64 systems. It supports plugins for audio, graphical rendering (RDP), the signal co-processor (RSP), and input.” > >
You can find other interesting Packages at:
Security Updates
To view the security announcements in full, or to receive them as soon as they’re released, refer to the openSUSE Security Announce mailing list.
Kernel Review
** [Linux User and Developer/Jon Masters: The kernel column #95 by Jon Masters](//www.linuxuser.co.uk/opinion/the-kernel-column-95-by-jon-masters/) ** > > **Jon Masters talks about features in the 2.6.37 Linux kernel and describes debugging a kernel problem using the Git bisection feature… ** > > We’re now free of the Big Kernel Lock (in many configurations – it’s a config option that will hide other not-yet-compatible options when used) and I have been running systems BKL-free for some time now. Arnd Bergman and others have done an excellent job to rid us of this last vestige of truly ancient non-scalable Linux and unless you need a V4L (Video-4-Linux – TV tuner, webcam etc) device, you can probably run BKL-free today too. It is hoped that V4L will be fixed soon, maybe in time for 2.6.37. You probably won’t notice a huge performance benefit of running without the BKL unless you happen to have something more high end than a desktop, but it’s still pretty cool to know that you could get higher performance if only you could afford to have a system with dozens of CPUs to take advantage of it. > > calability is great on the high end, but another more impressive feature for those working with more down-to-earth systems is (at last) near-complete support for running as a Xen ‘Dom0’ (or host kernel) under the Xen hypervisor. For years, the support for Xen host kernels lived in patches separate from the mainline kernel and had to be added separately. This constrained which Xen kernels could be used and made life more difficult for those using it in their virtualisation setups. It’s not (yet) possible to fully run an official Linus kernel without any patches as a Dom0 host kernel, but the remaining extra driver pieces and other work should be complete in time for 2.6.38. This incidentally prompted some folks in the Fedora kernel community to wonder about scheduling. They would like this to land in Fedora 15 (for those who want to use Xen instead of hardware-based KVM virtualisation) but are unwilling to accept large patches for things not yet in the official kernel (especially given historical experiences with having to maintain large patches for Xen). Only time can tell what will happen there. (...) > > This article originally appeared in [issue 95](//www.linuxuser.co.uk/magazine-issues/linux-user-developer-issue-95-is-out-now/) of [Linux User & Developer](//www.linuxuser.co.uk/) magazine.The kernel column #95 by Jon Masters Subscribe and save more than 30% and receive our exclusive money back guarantee – click [here](https://imagine.subscribeonline.co.uk/all-titles/linux-user-&-developer?offer=WEB100) to find out more. > >
** [h-online/Thorsten Leemhuis: Kernel Log: Coming in 2.6.37 (Part 5) - Drivers](//www.h-online.com/open/features/Kernel-Log-Coming-in-2-6-37-Part-5-Drivers-1158991.html) ** > > Support for fast USB 3.0 storage devices with USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP), an audio loopback driver plus extensions to support Apple's Magic Trackpad are only some of the advances that improve the hardware support of the forthcoming Linux kernel version 2.6.37; final release is expected in January. (...) > >
Tips and Tricks
For Commandline/Script Newbies
** [PCWorld/Katherine Noyes: 12 Commands Every Linux Newbie Should Learn](//www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/214370/12_commands_every_linux_newbie_should_learn.html) ** > > PC World - It's a testament to how far [Linux](//www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/207479/linux_is_on_the_rise_for_business.html?tk=rel_news) has come that users today don't typically have to use the command line if they don't want to. Such is the quality of the graphical user interfaces in many modern [Linux distributions](//www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/204767/a_guide_to_todays_top_10_linux_distributions.html?tk=rel_news) that there's simply no need, in general. > > Yet the command line can be a highly efficient way of getting things done in the Linux world--it's often a much simpler, easier and more direct method than clicking through all the menu choices, in fact. > > I believe fear of the command line is one of the [top mistakes](//www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/207739/top_5_mistakes_made_by_linux_firsttimers.html?tk=rel_news) newcomers to Linux sometimes make. For that reason, let's look at some of the main commands any Linux user should know. (...) > >
** [Linux.com: 2010 VIm Guide Roundup](//www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/393476:2010-vim-guide-roundup) ** > > Making your New Year's Resolutions for 2011? How about adding, "learn Vim" to the list? We make it easy, with all the Vim tutorials we've run on Linux.com in 2010. > > This year we ran a series of tutorials on Vim ranging from the basics to more advanced topics like extending Vim with scripts and plugins. If you missed them the first time around, here they are again to help you get ready for efficient text editing in 2011. > > * **Vim 101: A Beginner's Guide to Vim** > > This tutorial covers Vim's modes, the basics of moving using Vim's keybindings, editing, searching and replacing, and much more. Read the rest in [A Beginner's Guide to Vim](//www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/228600-vim-101-a-beginners-guide-to-vim). > > * **Vim 201: An Intermediate Guide to Vim** > > Many use Vim, but don't make use of nearly all the features. In this guide, we'll take a look at some of the intermediate features offered by Vim, including abbreviations, word completion, and editing multiple documents in the same Vim session. Get the full scoop in [An Intermediate Guide to Vim](//www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/243002-vim-201-an-intermediate-guide-to-vim). > > * **Vim 301: Getting Adept at Vim** > > If you've worked your way through the first two guides, you should be in for smooth sailing using Vim. But even with all that under your belt, you've only scraped the surface of what Vim can do. This tutorial covers setting up a Vim configuration file, using the "folding" features, getting to the shell from Vim, and the dot. > > It's all in [Getting Adept at Vim](//www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/262147-vim-301-getting-adept-at-vim). > > * **Vim 401: Extending Vim and More** > > The next installment goes into more detail on plugins and scripts, using Vim's GUI (yes, it does have a GUI!), bookmarks, and where to find scripts and plugins. Check out [Extending Vim and More](//www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/264315-vim-401-extending-vim-and-more). > > * **Using Spell Checking in Vim** > > If you're new to Vim and/or using Vim in text mode, it's not obvious that Vim even supports spell checking. But it does, and it's easy to use once you turn it on. If you're tackling prose in Vim, you'll definitely want to read [Using Spell Checking in Vim](//www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/357267-using-spell-checking-in-vim). > > Look for more guides and tutorials in 2011 on Linux utilities and tools. Have some suggestions? Drop us a note in the comments! > >
For Developers and Programmers
** [Packt/Daniel Arbuckle: Testing Tools and Techniques in Python](https://www.packtpub.com/article/testing-tools-techniques-python) ** > > This article by Daniel Arbuckle, author of [Python Testing](//bit.ly/OWN1561), introduces code coverage and continuous integration, and teaches how to tie automated testing into version control systems. In this article, we will > > * Discuss code coverage, and learn about coverage.py > > * Discuss continuous integration, and learn about buildbot > > * Learn how to integrate automated testing into popular version control systems (...) > >
** [Balau: Coding styles comparison in the Open Source Software world](//balau82.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/coding-styles-comparison-in-the-open-source-software-world/) ** > > While looking for existing C coding standards I discovered that the GNU and Linux projects officially suggest very different styles. Inside the Linux kernel documentation, Linus Torvalds goes so far as to mock GNU coding standards: > > “First off, I’d suggest printing out a copy of the GNU coding standards, and NOT read it. Burn them, it’s a great symbolic gesture.” > > At this point I wanted to understand the difference between the coding styles of established open source projects. When I say “styles” I mean mainly the source code appearance, and the standards that help to read and maintain the code. Here’s a list of coding styles that I read: > > * Linux kernel coding style > > * GNU Coding Standards > > * Qt Coding Style > > * Code Conventions for the Java TM Programming Language (PDF version) > > * Style Guide for Python Code > > * GNOME Programming Guidelines > > * Kdelibs Coding Style > > * Mono Coding Guidelines > > * Christian Neukirchen’s Ruby Style Guide > > * The Unofficial Ruby Usage Guide(...) > >
For System Administrators
** [Masim Sugianto: DomainKeys/DKIM Implementation on Zimbra+SLES 11 SP1 with OpenDKIM](//vavai.net/2010/12/domainkeysdkim-implementation-on-zimbrasles-11-sp1-with-opendkim/) ** > > **Figure 5. Zimbra** > >> > > > Following tutorial will covers DomainKeys/DKIM implementation using OpenDKIM on SLES or openSUSE. Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a technology designed to make it difficult or impossible for criminals to steal the identities of legitimate organizations. This authentication technology allows good senders to “sign” a message to prove that it really did come from them.. > > DKIM originally written as sender authentication protocol developed in order to address the problem of forged email messages. Yahoo! released the DomainKeys specification and Cisco released the Internet Identified Mail specification. Both methods are based on cryptographic message signing. The two efforts have been merged, and the combined specification is known as DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). > > These are various options for implementing DomainKeys Signature : by using DK-Filter, DKIM-milter, OpenDKIM and also by using Amavisd-new DKIM implementation. Don’t be confused with all the terms. All method have similar function, signing your email as “trusted” or legitimate email. (...) > >
>  >
Planet SUSE
**[Petr Baudis: quick update](//log.or.cz/?p=108)** > > Couple of things to blog about accumulated again, so I guess I will be posting bunch of articles soon. For such a long gap, a general update is in order, I suppose. > > Aside of my studies, continuous MCTS (Go) research, grinding away on random glibc bugs and such, I most notably got involved in **brmlab** this summer – the [Prague hackerspace](//brmlab.cz/). We got a pretty thriving community there now, with various cool events, a lot of great projects (I’m involved in quite a few), and so on! > > Well, I wanted to mention more, but I can’t remember it right now. I suppose it will just come together. Oh, and seeing my last post – I have a new bike, this time with insurance. ;-) > >
**[Petr Baudis: Datasheet Translator](//log.or.cz/?p=110)** > > As we (well, mostly other people than me) were dealing with a rather obscure micro-controller when hacking our laser projector in brmlab, the only datasheet we have found has been in Chinese. This is quite often the case with obscure China-made parts (including event stuff like LEDs) and it’s annoying to deal with. > > So I hacked together a simple datasheet translator – you feed it a PDF with your datasheet, specify the source language, let it munch away for a minute and then it spews out a link to the English translation! > > * [//datasheet-en.or.cz](//datasheet-en.or.cz/) > > * Example: [//tinyurl.com/2bbq6o7](//tinyurl.com/2bbq6o7) > > Its user interface is extremely rudimentary, if someone wants to add an AJAXy progressbar and what-not, just let me know. :-) > > The “technology” is not much to mention either – thankfully, pdftohtml can do quite nifty stuff nowadays (just needs a lot of beating to properly zoom the documents), and Google Translate can do awesome job with technical documents. > >
**[Han Wen Kam: SUSE Linux Enterprise Wins Readers' Choice Award 2010](//sellingfreesoftwareforaliving.blogspot.com/2010/12/suse-linux-enterprise-wins-readers.html)** > > On 15th October 2010, Novell was presented a [Readers' Choice Award](//www.computerworld.com.sg/rca-2010/winners) from [ComputerWorld Singapore](//mis-asia.com/magazines/computerworld_singapore) for winning in the Open Source Platforms/Operating Systems category. It was a very proud moment for us in Novell Singapore and I'm sure it will pleased all SUSE supporters everywhere. > >> > Above is a photo of the trophy presented and its now sitting in a prominent place in the Novell Singapore office. :) > >
>  >
**[Pascal Bleser: Discussion: Packman repository layout](//dev-loki.blogspot.com/2010/12/discussion-packman-repository-layout.html)** > > Just to inform everyone (who reads Planet openSUSE ;)) that we have started a [crucial discussion on the packman mailing-list](//lists.links2linux.de/pipermail/packman/2010-December/009213.html) about (potentially) changing the layout of repositories. > > As most if not all of you are using Packman on openSUSE, your opinion is more than welcome and if you would like to chime in, please give us your feedback (by email, **NOT** as comments on this blog post). > > Ultimately, the [Packman](//packman.links2linux.org/) team will obviously take the decision, but we are very concerned about what would suit our users best and, hence, we'd love to hear what you'd prefer us to do. > >
openSUSE Forums
**[ Christmas login theme ](//forums.opensuse.org/english/community/general-chit-chat/451854-christmas-theme-login.html)** > > This thread is about the annually returning phenomenon of the cute little penguins taking over the GRUB boot menu appearance. New users suspect virus infections, worms et cetera. In the thread you will learn, that it's not. Not a Christmas theme either, just a winter theme, given to us by the GRUB developpers. > >
**[ Partition isolation issue on openSUSE 11.2 ](//forums.opensuse.org/english/get-help-here/applications/451886-11-2-partition-isolation-issue.html)** > > Many times we meet issues on how to mount partitions. Here we have the opposite going on: how to keep end-users from mounting partitions the administrator does not want them to mount, for example partitions containing other operating systems. Filemanagers like Dolphin on KDE show these partitions as "Places" that can be accessed, where the administrator does not want these "places" to be exposed to end-user access. Various options to achieve this "isolation of partitions" are shown. > >
**[ Speed up boot time ](//forums.opensuse.org/english/get-help-here/install-boot-login/451891-speed-up-boot-time.html)** > > A returning issue. With a lot of new technologies to speed up the boot time, some of them already in use on other distros, this question/issue arises. The thread starter found a difference in boot time speed between the latest Linux Mint and openSUSE. Read how members jump in to explain about the many improvements, that will definitely come to openSUSE as well. > >
**This week's subforum: [ How to use the forums ](//forums.opensuse.org/english/forums-feedback/how-use-forums/)** > > One of the main issues for the Forums Team is to make the forums access fast and easy. Some users prefer NNTP (newsgroup) to read and post, others prefer the web interface. In this subforum you may find instructions on how to make things even better for you by using the forums software's features, there's threads to help you to use NNTP, explanations of the legenda etc. > >
On the Web
Announcements
** [Frank Karlitscheck: Beta of the Qt Creator Buildservice Plugin released (Project Bretzn)](//blog.karlitschek.de/2010/12/beta-of-qt-creator-buildservice-plugin.html) ** > >> > **What is Project Bretzn?** > > Apart from being a tasty Bavarian bread-snack, Bretzn is a code-name for a collection of technology aimed at solving a problem which has existed in software development for a very long time: How do you get your applications build for all available platforms and get it to your users? > > In the open source community, we already have many individual bits of this dream in place. We the great cross platform toolkit Qt, we have the powerful openSuse Build Service which allows for the easy creation of binaries for a great number of Linux distributions, we have the Open Collaboration Services (OCS) which allows for the easy and socially adept distribution of packages both to and from central software download sites such as KDE-Apps.org, and we have a great many powerful integrated development enviromnents such as Qt Creator, KDevelop and Eclipse. > > In the spring of 2010 these many powerful and successful technologies and tools made up mostly isolated islands, and it seemed the obvious choice to begin the process of bridging them. Finally, in August the same year, the project was begun and and announced during the openSUSE conference in October. Project Bretzn would make it possible, with a few clicks, to publish software projects directly from the IDE. The development of this project is sponsored by Nokia. (...) > >
>  >
** [conf.KDE.in: First KDE Conference in India](//dot.kde.org/2010/12/28/confkdein-first-kde-conference-india) ** > > The Indian KDE community will organize its first conference at Bengaluru in March 2011. The 5 day event will bring together KDE contributors, Qt developers, users and FOSS enthusiasts. > > We realise that there are not many KDE/Qt related events that are accessible to Indians. FOSS conferences or meetings are an excellent way to show people the technology first hand and ways to contribute to it. We not only dazzle them with the world of KDE, but show them first hand how simple it is to get involved and make a difference. This is our motivation for conducting this event. (...) > >
** [KOffice 2.3.0 Released](//www.calligra-suite.org/news/koffice-2-3-0-released/) ** > > The KOffice team is happy to announce the 2.3 release of KOffice. This release brings many small improvements to all the KOffice applications, but not as many large new features. Among the most important new features are: > > * Krita is now ready for professional artist use. This is thanks to the very focused effort by the Krita team after a meeting which resulted in a clear vision and well defined goals. More details are available in [Krita 2.3.0 announcement](//www.calligra-suite.org/news/koffice-2-3-0-released/) > > * A new slide sorter view in KPresenter, which has been greatly missed by some users. There is also a new shape animations feature for KPresenter. > > * Improvements of the core engine and plugins in the support of the OpenDocument Format. Especially text rendering has seen much work. > > * Even more improved support for reading Microsoft file formats (doc, xls, ppt, docx, xlsx, pptx). > > * A new report engine used in KPlato and Kexi. (...) > >
Reports
** [Techradar/Graham Morrison: Linux in education: a genuine alternative](//www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/linux-in-education-a-genuine-alternative-915319) ** > > **Figure 6. The Barnix distribution was designed by students at Barnfield College to ease people into the world of Linux** > >> > > > Using free software in education is not just about saving money. It's also about preserving choice, not locking a student's experience into a certain way of doing something.Figure 6, “The Barnix distribution was designed by students at Barnfield College to ease people into the world of Linux” > > With Linux, there's no vendor lock-in. Free software is more likely to be open-standards compliant, and it's going to be more open to different languages, localities and curricula. > > It also removes what can sometimes be a barrier to learning; using the same software on your own machine at home. And because there's usually more than one piece of open source software for a job, free software makes it easier to broaden your experience and look at a variety of methods for completing that job. > > All of which is essential in a world where technology is turned on its head every five years and where training needs are so unpredictable. It's also never too early to start training in IT skills, and in the UK at least, computer training starts for many at primary school level. > > For some, this will be their first experience of a computer. It's also likely to be the first time they've had any kind of formal training on how to use one, and these first impressions are going to last. So there's a strong argument that teaching should be as unbiased as possible. > > Yet for a variety of reasons most schools favour Microsoft. There's nothing wrong with this, as experience with Microsoft's ubiquitous products is never going to be wasted, but as Linux users, we all know there might be a better option. > > Linux and open source offers a genuine alternative, with many advantages over proprietary training that aren't costrelated, although there's no reason why this can't be part of the overall solution. (...) > >
>  >
** [ostatic/Susan Linton: Results are in: openSUSE's Community Survey](//ostatic.com/blog/results-are-in-opensuses-community-survey) ** > > Back in February openSUSE held a survey to find more out about its community. Who are they? What OS do they normally run? What do they want? How can openSUSE improve? Well, the results are in and quite interesting to openSUSE users and the community at large. > > Most questions received approximately 8,500 responses. Generally it was found that young male adult students with moderate to high technical knowledge and prefer stability, hardware support, and security, many of which dual boot with some version of Windows for work, who install openSUSE for personal use and are not involved with openSUSE development or promotion for email, chat, and surfing the Internet think openSUSE has a good amount of software and is easy to install. (...) > >
**[NetworkWorld/Joe Brockmeier:Open Source Initiative chimes in on Novell sale](//www.networkworld.com/community/osi-chimes-in-on-novell-sale)** > > The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is stepping into the Novell sale. The organization is [asking the German Federal Cartel Office](//www.opensource.org/statements/CPTN) to investigate the sale of Novell's patents to the Microsoft-led CPTN. > > OSI is primarily known for being the keeper of the flame for the [Open Source Definition (OSD)](//opensource.org/docs/osd) and approving licenses that [meet the definition](//opensource.org/licenses/index.html). But members of the self-appointed OSI board, in particular Simon Phipps, have said they [wish to nudge OSI into becoming a more active organization](//www.itworld.com/open-source/100432/osi-board-addition-may-bring-needed-change) with an [actual representative membership structure](//blogs.computerworlduk.com/simon-says/2010/06/your-chance-to-change-osi/index.htm). So far, little has happened, but this is at least a minor step in that direction. > >
Reviews and Essays
** [LinuxLinks.com: 21 More Notable Free Linux Games (Part 3 of 3)](//www.linuxlinks.com/article/2010121805530372/NotableGamesPart3.html) ** > > There are often reports regarding concerns about computer games having negative effects on children and adults, with the fear that these games can lead to violent behaviour and addiction. However, studies by leading researchers have shown that there are many positive attributes to playing computer games, some of which we have alluded to in our earlier articles. Computer games can help players to improve their cognitive skills, enhance creativity, deepen language and maths skills, and help people to think on their feet and outside the box, the latter referring to novel, creative and smart thinking. However, above all these things, games offer pure, unadulterated fun. > > Linux is vastly underrated as a gaming platform. This may be due to the fact that there is no significant marketing of Linux games. With a lack of big-name games featuring in the computing press, coupled with a low market share for Linux on desktop PCs, things might seem bleak, with major barriers to the growth of Linux games. > > However, the reality is that Linux has a huge range of games (predominately free to download). Whilst they do not gain much publicity, many of them offer real depth and gameplay. The purpose of this three part article is to help draw attention to these unsung gems. (...) > >
** [ZDNet/Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols: 2010's Top Five Linux and Open-Source Stories](//www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/2010s-top-five-linux-and-open-source-stories/8008) ** > > Sure, unlike me, you’re probably not reading this on a Linux desktop–Mint 10 for those who care about such things–but do you use Google, Facebook or Twitter? If so, you’re using Linux. That Android phone in your pocket? Linux. DVRs, network attached storage (NAS), trade stocks? Linux, Linux, Linux. > > I think one of the most telling stories about Linux this year came from a friend of mine, Joe “Zonker” Brockmeier, who told me of a friend who said “Linux was too hard.” When Zonker asked him about his Android phone, he replied something like, “Oh, but Android is easy. It’s not Linux!” (...) > >
** [Network World/Joe Brockmeier: Understanding the Open Invention Network](//www.networkworld.com/community/node/70116) ** > > A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the [CPTN gang that's buying Novell's patents](//www.networkworld.com/community/novell-patent-quartet-spells-google-trouble) and speculated that it might be a Google they're after. Whether Google or another company, a few folks have commented that the Open Invention Network (OIN) can protect members against patent threats from other OIN members. When it comes to Linux, that's true. When it comes to other things? Not so much. (...) > >
** [Linuxinsider.com/Katherine Noyes: Linuxy Hopes, Dreams and Resolutions for 2011](//www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/71551.html?wlc=1293794091) ** > >> > **Continuing to advocate "for all things Open Source or built with Open Source" is on Slashdot blogger yagu's 2011 to-do list -- "and I resolve to call out any and all reaping the benefits of Open Source who don't give back." Also, "I resolve to be respectful and humble in regards to everything Microsoft," he asserted sincerely before adding, "I always like to pick at least one resolution I can break early."** > > Now that New Year's Eve is almost upon us once again, there seems little to do with 2010 but bid it a fond farewell and set our sights on what's to come. > > We've already taken the required [look back](//www.linuxinsider.com/perl/story/71368.html) over the year; we've even put the "[year of](//www.linuxinsider.com/perl/story/71470.html)" debate through one more round. Now, all that's left to do is formulate the hopes, dreams and resolutions that will carry us forward into 2011. > > That, at least, is what Linux bloggers have been doing in recent days down at the blogosphere's seedy Broken Windows Lounge, where the snow drifts have now all but blocked any remaining view out of the already grimy windows. > > The mood has been somber and contemplative, aided no doubt by the Peppermint Penguins, the Sudo Santas and the Command Lime Coolers that have been so freely flowing. > > What are [FOSS](//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOSS) geeks hoping might happen in this coming year? What are their own resolutions and plans? Linux Girl settled into her favorite bar stool and took it upon herself to find out. (...) > >
>  >
** [Groklaw: I Figured Out What to Explain to You Next: Bylaws -- And a Word to the OpenSUSE Guys](//www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20101228003140376) ** > > I've been thinking and thinking about everything, and I've figured out what I need to explain to you next. Reading [the log](//community.opensuse.org/meetings/opensuse-project/2010/opensuse-project.2010-12-15-19.01.log.html) of the recent OpenSUSE board meeting discussing setting up a foundation for the project turned on the light in my head: you need to understand bylaws. Because corporations are setting up foundations to get you to donate code to them, and they set them up to suit themselves, not to benefit you. There's a difference between the community setting up a foundation to be a project's home and a corporate sponsor doing it. I'm going to write about that in more detail later. To really explain it, I need to explain some things that you might think will be boring or too foreign, but if you can learn Perl, you can learn bylaws. > > I'll tell you that my favorite task when I was working as a paralegal was drawing up bylaws for new businesses and entities setting up for the first time. It interests me, so I'll try to make it interesting to you. But what should motivate you is this: whatever the bylaws say is what the entity legally can and can't do. It matters. It will affect you. So, just as you'd try to learn a language before visiting a foreign country, at least enough to get around so that if you get lost, you'll have some way to find your hotel again and a bathroom en route, you should understand enough about bylaws and incorporation so no one can blindside you. > > I'm still working on the Comes v. Microsoft exhibits project, and I swore I'd finish first, so it will take me a while to get to this to explain in detail, but in the meantime, I just want to say to the community stakeholders in the OpenSUSE Project, here's what I think you should do: > > ### Tip > > Hire your own lawyer. Don't rely on Novell's lawyers to represent the community's interests in the foundation. (...) > >
Credits
We thank for this Issue:
-
Sascha Manns, Editor in Chief
-
Satoru Matsumoto, Editorial Office
-
Gertjan Lettink, Forums Section
-
Thomas Hofstätter, Eventeditor
-
Thomas Schraitle, DocBook-Consultant
Feedback
Do you have comments on any of the things mentioned in this article? Then head right over to the comment section and let us know!
Or if you would like to be part of the openSUSE:Weekly news team then check out our team page and join!
Or Communicate with or get help from the wider openSUSE community via IRC, forums, or mailing lists see Communicate.
Visit our Facebook Fanpage: Fanpage
Since a few minutes you can use Bugzilla and openFATE for give your Feedback.
You can subscribe to the openSUSE Weekly News RSS feed at news.opensuse.org.
Translations
openSUSE Weekly News is translated into many languages. Issue 156 is available in:
Coming soon:
You can follow the status of the translation there.
Categories: Weekly News
Tags: Newsletter opensuse Weekly News