Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 394 for the week November 24 - 30, 2014.

In This Issue

Meizu and Canonical sign strategic agreement

Ubuntu Stats

Verifying Verification

Share the Story of Ubuntu in Your City

where Mailman and Launchpad memberships meet

USENIX LISA14 Talk: Deploy and Scale Open Stack

Make Charm Debugging Easier, with DHX

Daniel Holbach: I Am Who I Am Because Of Who We All Are

Didier Roche: Ubuntu Developer Tools needs you for its new name!

Jono Bacon: Ubuntu Governance Reboot: Five Proposals

Pasi Lallinaho: Preparing responsive design for Xubuntu

Matthew Helmke: Ubuntu Books I Wrote in 2014

Michael Hall: Ubuntu Incubator

Randall Ross: POWER Up!

Ubuntu App Developer Blog: You have a working scope? Here is what to do before pushing it to the store…

Robert Ancell: Writing applications for Ubuntu Phone

Ubuntu GNOME: Challenge Accepted

Got 64-bit ARM Hardware?

Debian vs Ubuntu: Which is Best for You?

The ‘Mystery’ Bq Event Went Big on Android, Silent on Ubuntu

Full Circle Issue #91

Other Articles of Interest

Featured Audio and Video

Weekly Ubuntu Development Team Meetings

Monthly Team Reports: October 2014

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Updates and Security for 10.04, 12.04, 14.04 and 14.10

And much more!

General Community News

Meizu and Canonical sign strategic agreement

In an announcement on their Facebook page, Meizu announces the signing of a strategic agreement with Canonical.

https://www.facebook.com/meizu/posts/672145876231820

The press and blogosphere have been closely following developments of this partnership, the following is a sampling collected by our editors:

Meizu, Canonical Sign ‘Strategic Agreement’ for Ubuntu Phone - http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/11/meizu-canonical-sign-strategic-agreement-ubuntu-phone

Phones with Ubuntu Mobile installed all set to launch in early 2015 - http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/meizu-ubuntu-mobile-phones-launch-2015/

Meizu's Ubuntu Phone Not Expected Until Early Next Year - http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTg0Nzk

Meizu MX4 Smartphone to go Open-Source in 2015: Expected to Feature Ubuntu Touch, to Hit Europe - http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/meizu-mx4-smartphone-go-open-source-2015-expected-feature-ubuntu-touch-hit-europe-1476642

A Ubuntu Phone will finally go on sale next year - http://www.geek.com/news/a-ubuntu-phone-will-finally-go-on-sale-next-year-1610437/

Confirmed: Ubuntu-Powered Meizu MX Devices to Land in Europe Soon - http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ubuntu-Powered-Meizu-MX-Devices-to-Land-in-Europe-Soon-Meizu-Confirms-465996.shtml

Ubuntu Stats

Bug Stats

Open (116704) +70 over last week

Critical (254) +5 over last week

Unconfirmed (57978) -11 over last week

As always, the Bug Squad needs more help. If you want to get started, please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad

Ask Ubuntu Top 5 Questions this week

Most Active Questions

How do I type an 'æ' character? http://askubuntu.com/questions/553710/how-do-i-type-an-%c3%a6-character

tr: convert apostrophe to ASCII http://askubuntu.com/questions/554118/tr-convert-apostrophe-to-ascii

Add column from one .csv to another .csv file http://askubuntu.com/questions/553219/add-column-from-one-csv-to-another-csv-file

Got a virus on Windows and Ubuntu [on hold] http://askubuntu.com/questions/554890/got-a-virus-on-windows-and-ubuntu

Donations to ubuntu? Fiscal deduction? http://askubuntu.com/questions/553638/donations-to-ubuntu-fiscal-deduction

Top Voted New Questions

How do I type an 'æ' character? http://askubuntu.com/questions/553710/

tr: convert apostrophe to ASCII http://askubuntu.com/questions/554118/

Donations to ubuntu? Fiscal deduction? http://askubuntu.com/questions/553638/

Is it possible to store user's home directories remotely? http://askubuntu.com/questions/553981/

Add column from one .csv to another .csv file http://askubuntu.com/questions/553219/

People Contributing the best questions and answers this week: Rohith Madhavan (http://askubuntu.com/users/348400/rohith-madhavan), Xen2050 (http://askubuntu.com/users/129271/xen2050), Rinzwind (http://askubuntu.com/users/15811/rinzwind), Tim (http://askubuntu.com/users/186134/tim) and Fabby (http://askubuntu.com/users/344926/fabby)

Ask (and answer!) your own questions at http://askubuntu.com

LoCo News

Verifying Verification

Stephen Michael Kellat from the Lo Co Council engages in a discussion of what information is actually sought when a team comes up for Verification by the Lo Co Council and offers tips on how to successfully prepare for such.

http://erielookingproductions.info/ubuntu/2014/11/57-verifying-verification/

Share the Story of Ubuntu in Your City

As part of a project Randall Ross is developing, he makes a call for stories from people who have developed city or town level Ubuntu community groups.

http://randall.executiv.es/community-stories

where Mailman and Launchpad memberships meet

Initially prompted by a need to help with his Lo Co, Walter Lapchynski provides us with an script that will help you cross-reference the subscribers that you have in a Mailman mailing list with a Launchpad group. He also gives some instructions on how to use it, as well as ideas on what can we see next.

http://polka.bike/blog/mailmangroupxref-markdown

Ubuntu Cloud News

USENIX LISA14 Talk: Deploy and Scale OpenStack

Dustin Kirkland writes that he delivered a 90 minute talk at the USENIX LISA14 conference, in Seattle, Washington in which he deployed Open Stack Juno across six physical nodes on an Orange Box. He lists what he managed to do on stage, and embeds a video and slides from the talk in his post.

http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/2014/11/usenix-lisa14-talk-deploy-and-scale.html

Make Charm Debugging Easier, with DHX

Randall Ross introduces a Juju plugin, developed by Corey Johns, that facilitates Charm development.

http://randall.executiv.es/dhx

The Planet

Daniel Holbach: I Am Who I Am Because Of Who We All Are

In light of the Vancouver, Canada, Lo Co declaring themselves to not be a Lo Co, Daniel Holbach discusses the pros and cons of “desolidarisation,” ultimately suggesting a unification of the community.

https://daniel.holba.ch/blog/2014/11/i-am-who-i-am-because-of-who-we-all-are/

Didier Roche offers a contest to rename Ubuntu Developer Tools Center to something more consistent with the values and philosophy of making Ubuntu a preferred environment for developers of all kinds. He says an Ubuntu t-shirt will go to the winner of the contest which will close by 8th December 2014.

http://blog.didrocks.fr/post/Ubuntu-Developers-Tools-needs-you-for-its-new-name%21

Jono Bacon: Ubuntu Governance Reboot: Five Proposals

Jono Bacon, the former community manager, presents five proposals plus one bonus proposal for rebooting governance of Ubuntu:

Create our Governance Mission/Charter

Create an 'Impact Constitution'

Cross-Governance Strategic Meetings

Annual In-Person Governance Summit

Optimize our community brand around "innovation"

Network of Ubucons

Jono invites discussion on the points that he raises.

http://www.jonobacon.org/2014/11/24/ubuntu-governance-reboot-five-proposals/

Pasi Lallinaho: Preparing responsive design for Xubuntu

Having taken over the role of Xubuntu website lead from Elizabeth K. Joseph, Pasi Lallinaho lays out his plan for making the Xubuntu website display appropriately for devices of all sizes and resolutions. Pasi informs us that he has introduced a similar design for his blog.

http://open.knome.fi/2014/11/25/preparing-responsive-design-for-xubuntu/

Matthew Helmke: Ubuntu Books I Wrote in 2014

Matthew Helmke informs us that Ubuntu Unleashed 2015 Edition is now available for pre-order, and reminds us that The Official Ubuntu Book is also available. Matthew links to the sites from where further information about the books can be found.

http://matthewhelmke.net/2014/11/ubuntu-books-i-wrote-in-2014/

Michael Hall: Ubuntu Incubator

With Ubuntu Incubator, Michael Hall tells us of a new personal project for helping new projects to bootstrap themselves. He says that it will help to define a scope, define a spec, define work items and assign them to milestones.

http://mhall119.com/2014/11/ubuntu-incubator/

Randall Ross: POWER Up!

Randall Ross discusses how he introduced Site Ox’s POWER virtual machines to Juju Charm developers, thus facilitating development for this architecture mostly found on high end servers.

http://randall.executiv.es/power-up-site-ox

Ubuntu App Developer Blog: You have a working scope? Here is what to do before pushing it to the store…

David Callé explains the steps necessary to prepare your scope for publishing to the software, from configuration editing, to artwork, to packaging.

http://developer.ubuntu.com/2014/11/you-have-a-working-scope-here-is-what-to-do-before-pushing-it-to-the-store/

Robert Ancell: Writing applications for Ubuntu Phone

Robert Ancell has collected some important how-tos about writing Apps for the Ubuntu Phone, and shows us some screenshots of the apps that he has created.

http://bobthegnome.blogspot.com/2014/11/writing-apps-for-ubuntu-phone.html

Ubuntu GNOME: HOWTO Run Ubuntu GNOME as a Rolling Release

Ali Linx informs the Ubuntu GNOME community that if they are using the development release they are actually using a rolling release. He explains how to continue using Vivid as rolling release but warns that to do so is not recommended for a full production system.

http://ubuntugnome.org/howto-run-ubuntu-gnome-as-a-rolling-release/

Stephen Michael Kellat: Ruminating on Black Friday

Stephen Michael Kellat bemoans the lack of a retail presence by Ubuntu and its flavors during Black Friday holiday shopping in the United States. He says the lack of installation media for purchase in stores, let alone Orange Box-inspired machines is a missed opportunity, and also notes the lack of an Ubuntu Phone "on the shelves for purchase."

http://erielookingproductions.info/ubuntu/2014/11/60-ruminating-on-black-friday

Ubuntu GNOME: Challenge Accepted

Ali Linx writes about some of the latest news from the Ubuntu GNOME team for the upcoming cycle, including recruitment of new people for several key roles in the project. He goes on to write that more roles still need to be filled in the project.

http://ubuntugnome.org/challenge-accepted/

Canonical News

Got 64-bit ARM Hardware?

Canonical write that in line with its commitment to a wide range of server architectures, Ubuntu Server supports 64-bit ARMv8 chips, and through a partnership with Applied Micro and ARM, 14.04 LTS is now available on the first Server on a Chip systems in production. They say development kits are available for a limited time to lead developers and end customers.

https://insights.ubuntu.com/2014/11/25/got-64-bit-arm-hardware/

In The Blogosphere

Debian vs Ubuntu: Which is Best for You?

Bruce Byfield of Datamation discusses the differences in Debian and Ubuntu, including installation, desktop, administration, package management, and community. His objective approach allows readers to consider which might be better for their personal needs.

http://www.datamation.com/open-source/debian-vs-ubuntu-which-is-best-for-you-1.html

The ‘Mystery’ Bq Event Went Big on Android, Silent on Ubuntu

One of Canonical’s hardware partners, Bq, had a media event that released new Android devices, but no news about Ubuntu. Joey-Elijah Sneddon of OMG! Ubuntu! speculates that if these devices do well, it could pave the way for Ubuntu versions.

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2014/11/bq-event-delivers-expecting-nothing-ubuntu-phone

In Other News

Full Circle Issue #91

Full Circle - the independent magazine for the Ubuntu Linux community are proud to announce the release of our ninety-first issue.

This month:

Command & Conquer

How-To : Python, Libre Office, and Managing Multiple Passwords With A Script

Graphics : Inkscape.

Linux Labs: Compiling a Kernel Pt 4 and Kodi Pt 2

Review: Elementary OS

Book Review: Web Development with Mongo DB and Node.js

Ubuntu Games: Borderlands 2

plus: News, Arduino, Q&A, and soooo much more.

Get it while it's hot!

http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-91

Other Articles of Interest

The rise of Debian technology - http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/Blogs/Off-the-Beat-Bruce-Byfield-s-Blog/The-rise-of-Debian-technology

Pondering Contingencies - http://erielookingproductions.info/ubuntu/2014/11/58-pondering-contingencies

Download Linux Voice issue 1 — with audio! - http://www.linuxvoice.com/download-linux-voice-issue-1-with-audio/

Our Tools -- MORE POWER - http://erielookingproductions.info/ubuntu/2014/11/56-our-tools-more-power

On being excellent to each other - http://skitterman.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/on-being-excellent-to-each-other/

hack.summit() On Pace To Be Largest Developer Conference Ever - http://java.dzone.com/articles/hacksummit-pace-be-largest

Featured Audio and Video

Community Team Live Q and A - 25th November 2014

Michael Hall is joined by Nicholas Skaggs for another weekly Ubuntu-on-Air session where they answer viewers questions put to them on IRC.

http://youtu.be/U527Pr0qupQ

Ubuntu Engineering Live! - 26th November 2014

Michael Hall introduces another regular updates session from the Ubuntu Engineering team. This time he is joined by Benjamin Zeller, Martin Albisetti, Zsombor Egri and Alan Pope.

http://youtu.be/POjRwK5nbq0

Ubuntu Podcast from the UK LoCo: S07E35 – The One with the Sharks

Join the full, reunited team of Laura Cowen, Mark Johnson, Alan Pope and Tony Whitmore in Studio L for season seven, episode thirty-five of the Ubuntu Podcast! This time with fewer sound problems…. we hope!

In this week’s show:-

We take a look at what’s been happening in the news: Firefox ditch Google as its default search engine. Yahoo! Avert your gaze! Some naughty graphics driver source code has leaked! The International Space Station now has a 3D printer all of its own Strategic agreement news! Canonical and Meizu sign some pieces of paper Jolla crowdfund a tablet Get issue 1 of Linux Voice free, now! Gaming news: Steam on Linux gathers steam

We take a look at what’s been happening in the community: Jono Bacon proposes a reboot of Ubuntu governance Vancouver decide that they are NOT loco Michael Hall announces Ubuntu Incubator



We’ll be back next week, when we’ll be talking about controlling dinosaurs with Raspberry Pis. Yes, really!

Please send your comments and suggestions to: podcast@ubuntu-uk.org

http://podcast.ubuntu-uk.org/2014/11/29/s07e35-the-one-with-the-sharks/

Weekly Ubuntu Development Team Meetings

Security Team - November 24, 2014 - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/Security/20141124

Server Team - November 25, 2014 - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/Server/20141125

Monthly Team Reports: October 2014

See here for the team report for October 2014: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TeamReports/October2014

If your team is not producing monthly reports, see this page to get your team started: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BuildingCommunity/TeamReporting

Upcoming Meetings and Events

For upcoming meetings and events please visit the calendars at fridge.ubuntu.com: http://fridge.ubuntu.com/calendars/

[USN-2422-1] Squid vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2014-November/002740.html

[USN-2423-1] ClamAV vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2014-November/002741.html

[USN-2425-1] DBus vulnerability - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2014-November/002742.html

[USN-2426-1] FLAC vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2014-November/002743.html

[USN-2427-1] Libksba vulnerability - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2014-November/002744.html

End of Life - April 2015 (Server)

End of Life - April 2017

End of Life - April 2019

End of Life - July 2015

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Conclusion

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Credits

The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter is brought to you by:

Paul White

Elizabeth K. Joseph

Sascha Manns

Walter Lapchynski

And many others

Glossary of Terms

Other acronyms can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/glossary

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