Debian - It has been a hot topic lately - whether Novell's open source implementation of the heavily patented and Microsoft controlled .NET programming framework should be included by default in Linux distributions. The Debian GNU/Linux project recently announced that notetaking program, Tomboy, would be included by default in the package selection for next release, Squeeze. In reply to this announcement, the father of free software Richard Stallman, warned against including Mono by default.
He wrote: "Debian's decision to include Mono in its principal way of installing GNOME, for the sake of Tomboy which is an application written in C#, leads the community in a risky direction." He continued: "The danger is that Microsoft is probably planning to force all free C# implementations underground some day using software patents...This is a serious danger, and only fools would ignore it until the day it actually happens. We need to take precautions now to protect ourselves from this future danger." Official Debian developer Alexander Reichle-Schmehl wrote a reply in his blog, saying:"So, when installing Lenny, and when using the GNOME installation media (not the KDE, Xfce or LXDE one), and when you have either a complete set of discs (including DVD or BlueRay installation) or internet access during installation time, tomboy (and therefore mono) will already be installed automatically.
When using other installation media or only use the first CD (which doesn't contain tomboy) neither tomboy nor mono will be installed." So for now at least, Mono is still not quite included in the default GNOME desktop, but will things change? And does anyone care?
Ubuntu - Also related to Mono, the Ubuntu community has been putting pressure on the project to make an official announcement as to their position on Mono in the popular operating system. This week the Ubuntu Techncal Board granted their wish, although it might not have been the one many were hoping for.
In the announcement, the team writes: "The Ubuntu Project takes patent issues seriously, and the Ubuntu Technical Board is the governance body that handles allegations of patent infringement...The Ubuntu Technical Board has received no claims of infringement against the Mono stack, and is not aware of any such claims having been received by other similar projects." Finally they conclude: "Given the above, the Ubuntu Technical Board sees no reason to exclude Mono or applications based upon it from the archive, or from the default installation set." In short, Ubuntu approves of Mono and will continue to include .NET applications as part of their default install.
Indeed, with the upcoming release they will be increasing the number of these applications by replacing music player Rhythmbox with Banshee.
In other Ubuntu related news, the team behind Ksplice has announced a free service for Ubuntu Jaunty users called Uptrack. Ksplice can apply kernel patches directly into the running kernel, without requiring a reboot.
Linux Magazine has an interesting article about the technology. "Ksplice is a suite of tools which can apply patches directly into a running kernel resulting in an instantly patched system without a single interruption. No need to reboot the system or restart any services!" But would any desktop users really care? "Certainly most desktop users will probably feel that their system is secure enough and not feel the need for such a service.
After all, most desktops rarely face the Internet directly like a server might. Even so, the more layers of security and protection one can have on their system the better. Finally, the Ksplice team really has done a first class job at implementing the technology. It’s just so easy for end users to install and use." The service is available free of charge and users can take advantage of it by downloading and installing the package from their website.
Fedora - Recently the Ubuntu project announced their "One Hundred Paper Cuts" project, to fix niggling issues which negatively impact the user experience on the operating system. Perhaps partially inspired by this project, Fedora has announced their own called "Fit and Finish". The projects page begins: "Fedora is well-known as the premier showcase for the latest open source technology on Linux.
Unfortunately, it has also been perceived as being a bit rough around the edges. The Fedora Fit and Finish initiative intends to change this. We will focus on getting the details right and improving the user experience by removing obstacles and annoyances from everyday tasks." It then goes on to provide a list of examples, including things such as: plugging in a projector and starting a presentation; inserting blank media and getting it formatted; interacting with portable media players, and; sharing files with others on the network. The project aims to work on these for the upcoming release 12. It differs from Ubuntu's by casting the net much wider, instead of limiting it to problems with existing features. Improvements in Linux distributions, whatever they might be, are always a good thing!
