[joey@infodrom.org: Preview 29/2003]
Preview del 29
----- Forwarded message from Martin Schulze <joey@infodrom.org> -----
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 21:45:09 +0200
From: Martin Schulze <joey@infodrom.org>
To: Debian Weekly News <dwn@debian.org>
Cc: Debian Weekly News Translators <dwn-trans@debian.org>,
Rob Bradford <rob@debianplanet.org>
Subject: Preview 29/2003
Hi,
below please find the preview of tomorrow's version of DWN. As usual,
please report back bugs as soon as possible. Enjoy reading and
translating.
Regards,
Joey
#use wml::debian::weeklynews::header PUBDATE="2003-07-23" SUMMARY="Packaging, Hosting, LinuxTag, DFSG, Java, Source, PNG, Chart, Release, Unicode, FDL, CD"
# $Id: index.wml,v 1.1 2003/07/15 23:05:14 joey Exp $
<p>Welcome to this year's 29th issue of DWN, the weekly newsletter for the
Debian community. Linus Torvalds is working on pre-releases of Linux 2.6,
Joseph Pranevich published the <a href="http://www.kniggit.net/wwol26.html";>\
Wonderful World of Linux 2.6</a>, so maybe it will be released in time for
sarge.</p>
<p><strong>Creating Debian Packages.</strong> Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier, a
former DWN editor, published an <a
href="http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-debpkg.html";>\
article</a> that describes the basics of creating Debian packages for
distributing programs and source code. The article shows all the necessary
components of a package and how to put them together to end up with a final
product.</p>
<p><strong>LinuxTag Success.</strong> This year's LinuxTag, which took place
in Karlsruhe, Germany, was a great <a
href="http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/07/15/018235";>success</a>. With
more than 19,500 visitors, this year's LinuxTag has become the largest Linux
event in the world. Amongst other things, the Debian developers in attendance
got <a href="http://dot.kde.org/1058415564/";>together</a> for dinner with
both the KDE people and the GNOME people.</p>
<p><strong>ServerBeach ships Debian GNU/Linux Servers.</strong> <a
href="http://www.serverbeach.com/";>SeverBeach</a> <a
href="http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/ser071603.cfm";>announced</a> the
availability of their <a
href="http://www.serverbeach.com/catalog/debian_servers.php";>Starter Servers
and Power Servers</a> with Debian GNU/Linux preinstalled. Many customers want
and appreciate the two driving forces behind Debian - technical excellence and
the commitment to Free Software, said Richard Yoo, Big Kahuna, ServerBeach.</p>
<p><strong>Debian Free Software Guidelines FAQ.</strong> Barak Pearlmutter <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal-0307/msg00122.html";>composed</a> a
draft Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) <a
href="http://people.debian.org/~bap/dfsg-faq.html";>FAQ</a>. It is meant as an
introduction to issues discussed on the <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/";>debian-legal</a> mailing list,
with some general background material to help bring new readers up to date.
Suggestions and comments are welcome.</p>
<p><strong>LGPL affecting Client Java Code?</strong> <a
href="http://slashdot.org/developers/03/07/17/2257224.shtml";>According</a> to
this <a
href="http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.jakarta.poi.devel/5900";>article</a>,
Dave Turner (Mr License) of the FSF has decreed that the steps required to use
an LGPL'd Java library will actually infect client code with substantial
GNU-ness via Section 6 of the LGPL. (The "Lesser" GPL is supposed to protect
only the Library, without infecting code using the library) This, as you might
imagine, puts a few LGPL Java projects that previously thought they were
embeddable without being viral in a bit of a bind. <a
href="http://linuxintegrators.com/hl30/blog/general/?permalink=LGPL+clarification.html";>\
Various</a> <a
href="http://www.rollerweblogger.org/page/roller/20030716#for_java_lgpl_is_viral";>\
weblogs</a> have <a href="http://www.intertwingly.net/blog/1519.html";>\
further</a> <a href="http://radio.weblogs.com/0122027/2003/07/16.html#a56";>\
coverage</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Missing Timestamp Handling.</strong> Marcin Owsiany <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-0307/msg01258.html";>reported</a>
that when a source package is unpacked, all the files that have modifications
in the diff.gz file are given somewhat "random" timestamps, because patch
updates their timestamps as it processes the diff file. This causes problems
for packages that rebuild their Makefiles on demand but don't build-depend on
autotools.</p>
<p><strong>Libpng Transition Status.</strong> Josselin Mouette <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-0307/msg01271.html";>reported</a>
that 84 binary packages are left over which should be rebuilt before sarge
releases. However, none is essential, but he insists that the more of those
are rebuilt, the less issues we will have later when libpng changes its soname
again. The list of packages is attached to Josselin's mail.</p>
<p><strong>Debian Packages in a Chart.</strong> Bram Stolk <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-0307/msg01302.html";>announced</a>
that he has created a <a href="http://home.sara.nl/~bram/debchart.png";>\
software map</a> of Debian packages. The chart depicts all packages from
testing/main with 5 or more dependencies. Instead of visualizing the
dependencies directly, a classification has been made.</p>
<p><strong>Working without a Release Roadmap?</strong> Adrian Bunk <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-0307/msg01402.html";>reported</a>
that the software in Debian 3.0 is currently roughly one and a half years old.
He adds that one release a year is badly needed and that a big system like
Debian doesn't become stable without a plan how to get it stable. He is
willing to help in QA and/or release management if this results in a new
stable release within clearly less than a year.</p>
<p><strong>Unicode Character Database.</strong> Florian Weimer <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal-0307/msg00056.html";>reported</a>
that many packages that include a copy of parts of the Unicode Character
Database do not indicate the source and are thus violating its license.
Thomas Bushnell <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal-0307/msg00071.html";>added</a> that
the next release of GNU miscfiles will include a version which is really
free.</p>
<p><strong>Creating Manpages from GNU FDL Documentation.</strong> Hans Fugal
<a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal-0307/msg00106.html";>wondered</a>
if he is permitted to create a manpage from documentation that is released
under the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html";>GNU Free
Documentation License</a> (FDL) and which requirement he has to meet. Walter
Landry <a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal-0307/msg00108.html";>\
answered</a> with a detailed ten-item list.</p>
<p><strong>Improving CD Mirrors.</strong> Mattias Wadenstein <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-cd-0307/msg00030.html";>summarise</a>
suggestions for the CD Image server and mirrors. The plan is to provide both
images and jigdo files of CDs as well as testing images. There was also a
request for a contrib-directory for <a
href="http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/";>Knoppix</a> or a few more Knoppix
mirrors in US.</p>
<p><strong>Security Updates.</strong> You know the drill. Please make sure
that you update your systems if you have any of these packages installed.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="$(HOME)/security/2003/dsa-351">php4</a> --
Cross-site scripting vulnerability.
</ul>
<p><strong>New or Noteworthy Packages.</strong> The following packages were
added to the unstable Debian archive recently or contain important updates.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/net/ettercap.html";>ettercap</a>
-- Multipurpose sniffer/interceptor/logger for switched LAN.
<li><a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/comm/sredird.html";>sredird</a>
-- RFC 2217 compliant Telnet serial port redirector.
</ul>
<p><strong>Orphaned Packages.</strong> 10 packages were orphaned this week and
require a new maintainer. This makes a total of 204 orphaned packages. Many
thanks to the previous maintainers who contributed to the Free Software
community. Please see the <a href="$(HOME)/devel/wnpp/">WNPP pages</a> for
the full list, and please add a note to the bug report and retitle it to ITA:
if you plan to take over a package.</p>
<ul>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/games/animals.html";>animals</a>
-- Traditional AI animal guessing engine using a binary tree DB.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202174";>Bug#202174</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/web/cgiwrap.html";>cgiwrap</a>
-- Allows ordinary users to run their own CGI scripts.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202172";>Bug#202172</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/math/gtkgraph.html";>gtkgraph</a>
-- Interactive function-plotter/calculator.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202228";>Bug#202228</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/games/int-fiction.html";>int-fiction</a>
-- Support files for interactive fiction interpreters.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/201408";>Bug#201408</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/admin/members.html";>members</a>
-- Shows the members of a group; by default, all members.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202171";>Bug#202171</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/utils/mwavem.html";>mwavem</a>
-- Mwave/ACP modem support.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202227";>Bug#202227</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/utils/nwrite.html";>nwrite</a>
-- Enhanced replacement for the write command.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202238";>Bug#202238</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/utils/pup.html";>pup</a>
-- Printer Utility Program.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202232";>Bug#202232</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/misc/xcal.html";>xcal</a>
-- Graphical calendar with memos and reminder alarms.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202226";>Bug#202226</a>)</li>
<li> <a href="http://packages.debian.org/unstable/games/xflip.html";>xflip</a>
-- Programs to mirror-image or melt your display.
(<a href="http://bugs.debian.org/202230";>Bug#202230</a>)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Want to continue reading DWN?</strong> Please help us create this
newsletter. We still need more volunteer writers who investigate the Debian
community and report about events in the community. Please see the <a
href="$(HOME)/News/weekly/contributing">contributing page</a> to find out how
to help. We're looking forward to receiving your mail at <a
href="mailto:dwn@debian.org";>dwn@debian.org</a>.</p>
#use wml::debian::weeklynews::footer editor="Matt Black, Charles Miller, Martin 'Joey' Schulze"
--
GNU GPL: "The source will be with you... always."
----- End forwarded message -----
--
May the source be with you NO A LA GUERRA - NOT TO WAR
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Ignacio García Fernández Instituto de Robótica
<ignacio.garcia_at_uv.es> Universidad de Valencia
http://robotica.uv.es/~ignacio/ Tlf. 96 354 3564
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