Is this why APT depsolve/search is fast?

On a blog post about libBCD dependency resolution algorithm test (which Yum/APT fails, and zypper scores): http://duncan.mac-vicar.com/blog/archives/310

Debian’s apt-get won’t succeed here, because AFAIK Debian only has dependencies across packages, not on libraries. Actually I still wonder how smart could succeed here using a debian backend. I ignore if apt-rpm does support library dependencies.

While I can't verify this (not that familiar with the deb packaging), but if that is really true, it more or less explains why apt is faster than yum - they dont have much stuff to consider and process in the metadata. Yum+RPM can do dep check by libraries, files, executables, perl modules, and some other modules, which makes the metadata large, and depsolve requires more stuff to consider. So, APT-deb users, stop complaining YUM is slow (/me stares at ubuntu zombies) :P

Do tell me if that is wrong :)

On another note, Yaakov M. Nemoy wrote a very good post about why its not good to standardize to only 1 packaging system and package format across distributions.

Dag Wieers view on Mark's pledge for synchronized release

Read it here: http://dag.wieers.com/blog/ubuntus-need-to-catch-a-wave

So Mark's article is wishful thinking and hoping to ride the wave that Red Hat (and Novell) are funding. If he can use that same kernel, with the same backports, fixes and regressions tests, Ubuntu LTS does not need to do anything to support the same vendor hardware. Easy, but at the expense of both Novell and Red Hat.

That explains why Mark wants 2 out of 3 Enterprise Linux distributions to enter his circle. I could imagine Novell and Mandrake joining forces to align the release cycle to try and take on Red Hat's 80% Enterprise Linux market share (sales, not necessarily install-base). There is hardly any benefit in Mark's proposal for Red Hat.

When Ubuntu tries to be Fedora

They struggled trying to keep the betas in control. Inclusion of too new , latest technologies caused breakage and other problems to Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron.

Harald Hoyer wrote a good comment out of the responses to Mark Shuttleworth's post about synchronizing distro releases.

Ubuntu should stay as they are. Its a good distro for me to recommend for those users who just want a JustWorks machine with no interest to contribute to FOSS world. Fedora development is admittedly way too fast for those type of users to bother. If Ubuntu tries to follow Fedora rapidness, that won't solve anything (except, maybe, open a way for grabbing the Fedora contributor/userbase to the Ubuntu side). Ubuntu has been a good player in trying to solve their bug #1. So, keep it that way. The Fedora path is too hostile for Ubuntu current target market.

Calling all Malaysian Fedora users and contributors

Fedora presence in Malaysia is quite hidden from the general public. Fedora users in Malaysia are everywhere, but hard to find due to most of them being in their own, secluded, microcommunity. A number of small companies, government offices, organizations, have Fedora deployments in them with their own group of users, but they are hard to notice.

Me and my comrades have just created and registered a channel in Freenode.net for our own Malaysian community. Come and join us at #fedora-my @ irc.freenode.net.

We are also planning for a site for Fedora Malaysia in http://fedora.foss.org.my/ but our capacity is limited as all of us are quite busy with out current job. Yes, we are looking for more hands to help making this a reality.

We are quite related to #MyOSS and Ubuntu-My usergroup. Together with FOSS-SM, we work together to spread FOSS love in Malaysia.

All Fedora and Fedora derivatives (RHEL, CentOS, Blag, etc) users are welcomed. I'll be waiting for you. ^-^

Di Mana MyPapit?

MyPapit is MISSING!!!!!. He supposed to come for today's Ubuntu-My meetup at UITM Shah Alam. Somehow, we lost contact with him.



(Credits to yondie's post)

Fedora - Ubuntu's more responsible older brother

https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-marketing-list/2008-February/msg00370.html

Greg DeKoenigsberg wrote:

Here are some truths that I hold dear. I believe that they are *fundamental* truths of the Fedora project.

1. It's not always easy to be true *free software* advocates. We take the good with the bad.

2. The people we care most about are people who care about advancing the best of *free software*.

3. Ubuntu is already catering to users who are willing to sacrifice freedom for the sake of *marginal* usability advantage. There's really no reason for us to follow them down that path. Will it cost us users? It certainly will. But we are *extremely* competitive with Ubuntu when it comes to *contributors* -- and it's *contributors* who change the world.

Let Spaceman worry about being popular. Let's concern ourselves with being right, and being productive -- even when it's difficult.

"Fedora -- Ubuntu's more responsible older brother."

Truly is!.

This is what I usually do -> Typical users, I usually point them to Ubuntu - saved me from trouble trying to explain something they might not be able to understand. But for brave users and potential contributors, I usually try to bring them to Fedora - Try helping them develop their skills, and hopefully they will give back something to Fedora, but more importantly, to the FOSS world.


Credits to Nicu for this lovely artwork

^-^

Whats New , and Whats Old - A little comparison between Ubuntu 7.10 new features with the upcoming Fedora 8 and older Fedora releases

Ubuntu 7.10 'Gutsy Gibbon' was just released a few days ago, and Fedora 8 just hit devel-freeze yesterday. With all the hype going all over the internet, one point annoys me - when some Ubuntu users claiming that some of the new features in Ubuntu are something Fedora does not have. Now, lets bust this myth. (This list might not be complete)

Ubuntu 7.10 feature list was taken from : http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/710tour

GNOME 2.20

Both Fedora 8 and Ubuntu 7.10 uses GNOME 2.20.

Compiz Fusion

Both Fedora 8 and Ubuntu 7.10 have Compiz 0.6.0 during its release. However, in Fedora 8, compiz will not be enabled by default , as there are several issues which still need to be fixed in Fedora's point of view, one of it is the Xv video support - patches are being developed by Red Hat developers in fixing the the X server and Xv and apply it upstream. Compiz is enabled by default in Ubuntu - with a hack patch applied in mplayer to allow Xv rendered properly on Mplayer only.

In Ubuntu 7.10, Compiz-Fusion plugins are included in the installation CD and enabled by default . As for Fedora 8, the Compiz-Fusion plugins can be yum'ed from the repositories.

yum install compiz-fusion compiz-fusion-extras

CCSM is currently under review, it might not reach Fedora 8 during the release because Fedora 8 already hit its devel freeze. Anyway, it will available as an update. (Maybe I can try poking Jesse to make an exemption for this)

Desktop Search

Desktop search was enabled by default during Fedora Core 5 (yes, FIVE!), but due to complains about it eating too much resource , it was made optional on later releases. Desktop search can be yum'ed from the repos to those who want it.

yum install deskbar-applet tracker-search-tool

Fast User Switch

One of the new features of Ubuntu 7.10 is FUS. This feature was developed under Fedora Project and was integrated together during the release of Fedora 7.

See: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Desktop/FastUserSwitching

Firefox Plugin

The firefox plugin finder is from upstream, therefore, all distros using it get the feature

Ubuntu 7.10 repositories now have Firefox add-ons packaged in DEB. This feature is a creditable new feature. There was a discussion about this not so long ago in Fedora-Devel-List ( https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-devel-list/2007-October/msg01097.html ). Concerns were raised about low-quality and vulnerable add-ons might be hitting the repository if the package submission are not properly managed. Maybe we will be seeing this in Fedora after a guideline for the XPIs is available.

Dynamic Screen Configuration

XRanR have been included together in Fedora 7. Ubuntu 7.10 just included it.

Graphical Configuration for X and BulletProofX

Now now now ... this is REALLY OLD .. Fedora have a similar configurator called System-Config-Display and that tool have been around in Fedora ever since I started using it .. and that was .. Fedora Core 3 (read, THREE) and it might have existed older than that. System-Config-Display supports Xinerama (Multi Display) as long as that too.

Same goes for BulletProofX (but in a different form). When a X session was misconfigured , system-config-display will automatically reset Xorg.conf to the lowest settings of which Xorg can start. This feature have been around as long as system-config-display.

One thing nice in Ubuntu's BulletProofX is the display configurator actually display itself to allow manual adjustments. In Fedora, it'll simply reconfig automatically - and sometimes this doesnt work and causes a failure loop. I had to run system-config-display manually to fix the settings when that happens. I have asked for this 'feature' before, but Fedora believes the fallback should be done automatically without user interaction, and running system-config-display to allow manual reconfigure is considered a hack because it does not fix the actual problem. Any issues about fallback not functioning properly are supposed to be reported at bugzilla.

Printer Support

Ubuntu 7.10 includes a modified Fedora's System-Config-Printer. (thats all I could say, as I dont use printer much).

NTFS Writing using NTFS-3G

Ubuntu 7.10 includes NTFS-3G for accessing NTFS partitions. NTFS-3G have been enabled by default in Fedora since Fedora 7 LiveCDs. Fedora Core 6 added this support through update.

Power Consumption

Ubuntu 7.10 inludes kernel 2.23 which includes tickless kernel support. Fedora 8 also includes kernel 2.23. Fedora 7 might be having kernel 2.23 from updates soon.

Encrypted Harddisk

Alternate installer for Ubuntu 7.10 includes install-time encrypted hdd creation support.

I dont see this in Fedora's Anaconda installer, but a little googling for "encrypted hdd fedora" pointed me to
Fedora Core 5 release note which then pointed me to LUKS. Maybe theres an easy way to encrypt HDD post-installation in Fedora, but I dont know that for now. While I dont see theres a need for encrypted HDD support for / as those installed in / are basically stuff from RPM which everyone have access to on the net, and good admins will separate the system and the data and encrypt the data partition, maybe some people really need it.

Security Framework

Ubuntu 7.10 just included AppArmor by Novell in their release. A similar tool is available in Fedora since long ago called SELinux. SELinux was developed by NSA and has more strict control and security, but however, it was tauted hard to configure. That has changed in Fedora 7 with lots of GUI configuration tools were introduced for ease of maintaining SELinux.

The rest?

well, I have no idea what "Additional installation profiles for Ubuntu Server" , "Profile-based Authentication Configuration", and "Improved thin-client support" supposed to mean in the Tour page, so I couldn't compare them.


What Fedora 8 Will Have, Sooner Than Other Distros

The full feature list available here: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/8/FeatureList

- NetworkManager 0.7.0 is under heavy development and is included in Fedora 8.
- Online-Desktop - Internet and Desktop - Working together! - Online Desktop developer interview
- IcedTea - IcedTea are the fully Free components of Sun's OpenJDK
- PulseAudio - PulseAudio is a powerful sound server system which supports advanced mixing capabilities.
- Eclipse 3.3 - Fedora Eclipse IDE.
- Animated Wallpaper - Animated wallpaper for your Desktop - Fedora Artwork interview (details in one of the paragraphs)
- Enhanced Bluetooth Improvements - Bluetooth Improvements developer interview

Fedora: Infinity | Freedom | Voice.

Compiz Fusion is here

The merge of compiz and beryl have already created an offspring

Introducing Compiz Fusion
http://youtube.com/watch?v=E4Fbk52Mk1w

If you want to try it out, follow this guide to compile it on your system
http://forums.opencompositing.org/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=758

For Ubuntu users, checkout Trevino's repository http://3v1n0.tuxfamily.org/dists/feisty/eyecandy/

For Fedorans, theres no Fedora packages for Fusion for now .. So, follow the from-source guide above. However, fear not , I am putting up together the pieces into a YUM repository. Currently I'm in the process of building them properly in Mock and making sure no Errors appear on rpmlint. I will announce it when I have satisfied with the packages.