CTE Visions

What is Ubuntu you ask?

Ubuntu is a free Operating System (OS). You know, the thing that when you turn on your computer you see a big logo of Windows come up. Well that is the OS and that is what runs your computer. It gives you a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to run your computer in a way that makes you feel comforatable doing the things you do on your computer.

So Ubuntu is a free OS that is based on the Linux kernel. The name Ubuntu comes from the Zulu word ubuntu, loosely translated as “humanity” or “A person is a person only through other people”. Ubuntu’s goals include providing an up-to-date, stable operating system for the average user, with a strong focus on usability and ease of installation.

I bring up Ubuntu at this time because Ubuntu has made it a goal to make and improve the OS every six months. It is coming up to the six month mark and things are getting very exciting in the chat rooms, RSS’s and many websites found through out the Internet.

Ubuntu releases new versions every six months, and supports those releases for 18 months with daily security fixes and patches to critical bugs. LTS (Long Term Support) releases, which occur every two years, are supported for three years for desktops and five years for servers. The most recent version, Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron), was released on April, 2008, although an update, Ubuntu 8.04.1 has been released. The next version will be 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) and is scheduled for release on 30th October 2008.

What to Expect in the release of 8.10

While Hardy Heron was designed to be stable enough to be a long-term support release, Intrepid Ibex promises to be packed with more exciting features, something that Ubuntu fans always enjoy.

Among those changes are likely to be a number of mobility improvements as well as more flexible Internet connectivity. On the desktop there is also likely to be a refreshed desktop theme which has been in the pipeline for the past two releases.

Earlier this year Ubuntu chief, Mark Shuttleworth, said that “a particular focus for us will be pervasive Internet access, the ability to tap into bandwidth whenever and wherever you happen to be. We want you to be able to move from the office, to the train, and home, staying connected all the way”.

Seamless Internet connectivity has always been a challenge on Ubuntu Linux, particularly for users moving between the home, the office and the road. Over the past two releases the WiFi capabilities of Ubuntu have improved a lot – roaming mode was long overdue – but switching between connections is still annoyingly difficult. Improvements in this area alone will make Intrepid welcome.

Expected with Intrepid a new desktop look which has been in the development for the past year. The new look was meant to debut in Hardy Heron but was held back.

Also on the desktop, the timing is right for OpenOffice.org version 3.0 to be included in the Intrepid release so long as the planned September release date for OpenOffice is met. OpenOffice 3.0 includes a number of new features, from better document support to spreadsheet collaboration, that will make it a more compelling office suite. But that will be another post.

“The Workshop”
Raleigh, North Carolina
CakePHP

A trip to Raleigh, North Carolina. I haven’t been to Raleigh now for 11 years. But I am excited to have this opportunity to meet with four of the main guys who have made the CakePHP framework. This framework is built for PHP and is a great framework from what I can tell. I have been using CakePHP now for about 6 months and have loved every minute of it since.

It has made my job a lot faster and has made it so that I can develop what a client wants with less bugs and focus on what the client wants not on what is the best way I should build this. Instead the tools and functions are there and all I need to do is plug into the “magical and wonderfullness” of the framework.