Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 472

Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 472 for the week June 27 - July 3, 2016.

Links to UWN

• Yakkety Yak Alpha 1 Released
• Welcome New Members and Developers
• Ubuntu Stats
• SELF 2016
• Ubuntu 16.04 at FeltonLUG and the rest of Califoia
• Ubuntu Myanmar LoCo Team - Website and Photo Update
• LoCo Events
• Sergio Schvezov: The Snapcraft Parts Ecosystem
• Canonical Design Team: Design in the open and Juju GUI 2.0
• Bryan Quigley: When should i386 support for Ubuntu end?
• Kubuntu Wire: Plasma 5.6.5 and Frameworks 5.23 available in Kubuntu 16.04 Backports
• Snapcraft 2.12: an ecosystem of parts, qmake and gulp
• Kubuntu: Kubuntu Podcast goes Open and Unplugged
• Daniel Holbach: Snappy Playpen event Tuesday
• Canonical Design Team: China Launch Sprint - paving the roadmap
• Paul White: Does Ubuntu have too many bugs or just too many bug reports?
• Ubuntu App Developer Blog: New Ubuntu SDK Beta Version
• Canonical News
• In The Blogosphere
• Other Articles of Interest
• Featured Audio and Video
• Weekly Ubuntu Development Team Meetings
• Upcoming Meetings and Events
• Updates and Security for 12.04, 14.04, 15.10 and 16.04
• And much more!

General Community News

Yakkety Yak Alpha 1 Released

On behalf of Ubuntu Release Team, Martin Wimpress and Simon Quigley aounce the release of Alpha 16.10. Alpha 1 includes a range of updates that are ready for testing for the following flavors: Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE and Ubuntu Kylin. They explain that while the images have been tested to confirm they generally work, it is quite an early set of images, so you should expect it to be buggy. Ubuntu developers are continuing to improve the Yakkety Yak release as the cycle goes on.

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ub...ne/003792.html

Welcome New Members and Developers

Hugh Walker (howefield) is happy to aounce our newest Ubuntu Member via forums contributions:

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ub...ly/002513.html

Ubuntu Stats

Bug Stats

• Open (123788) +216 over last week
• Critical (366) -4 over last week
• Unconfirmed (61034) +115 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 ====

==== Top Voted New Questions ====

People Contributing the best questions and answers this week: Rinzwind (http://askubuntu.com/users/15811/rinzwind), Byte Commander (http://askubuntu.com/users/367990/byte-commander), Oli (http://askubuntu.com/users/449/oli), muru (http://askubuntu.com/users/158442/muru) and heemayl (http://askubuntu.com/users/216503/heemayl)

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

LoCo News

SELF 2016

Aaron Honeycutt writes about this year's SouthEast LinuxFest. He writes that, "There was also a ton of Ubuntu devices at the booth. From gaming, convergence and a surprise visit from the UbuntuFL LoCo penguin!" He notes that System76 and Linode were their booth neighbors.

http://usefoss.com/index.php/2016/06/28/self-2016/

Ubuntu 16.04 at FeltonLUG and the rest of Califoia

Elizabeth K. Joseph blogs about her presentation on June 25 at the Felton Linux Users Group. Slides (in .pdf and .odp format) are available should you wish to make a similar presentation elsewhere. Elizabeth also lists coming presentations and a release party in Califoia during the month of July.

http://princessleia.com/joual/2016...of-califoia/

Ubuntu Myanmar LoCo Team - Website and Photo Update

Ko Ko Ye` of the Ubuntu Myanmar team writes to tell us about their Ubuntu Linux !BootCamp / Ubuntu Release Party and Raspberry Pi Boot Camp. They have uploaded photos to Flickr and updated their website baer.

They also specifically shared their use of Ubuntu pictograms in a group photo and as decoration at their event: https://www.flickr.com/photos/142513...ool-ubuntu-mm/ & https://www.flickr.com/photos/kokoye...ool-ubuntu-mm/

https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ub...ne/002508.html

LoCo Events

The following LoCo team events are currently scheduled in the next two weeks:

Looking beyond the next two weeks? Visit the LoCo Team Portal to browse upcoming events around the world:

http://loco.ubuntu.com/events/

The Planet

Sergio Schvezov: The Snapcraft Parts Ecosystem

Sergio Schvezov writes about the Snapcraft Parts ecosystem, one of the foundations of how snaps are made. Sergio provides lots of links to use Parts with Snapcraft, plus lots of examples with an in-depth explanation of how they can be used.

http://blog.sergiusens.org/posts/The...rts-Ecosystem/

Canonical Design Team: Design in the open and Juju GUI 2.0

In a pair of blog posts, the Canonical Design Team talks about their open design methodology and then go into how this has worked with the new Juju GUI 2.0.

http://design.canonical.com/2016/06/design-in-the-open/ & http://design.canonical.com/2016/06/juju-gui-2-0/

Bryan Quigley: When should i386 support for Ubuntu end?

Bryan Quigley asks users of 32-bit (i386) Ubuntu to fill out a survey, as the answers will help decide the fate of the 32-bit images. The survey was done to show how the number of users using 32-bit has reduced, and its support costs resources.

https://bryanquigley.com/crazy-ideas...for-ubuntu-end

Kubuntu Wire: Plasma 5.6.5 and Frameworks 5.23 available in Kubuntu 16.04 Backports

Marco Parillo very simply provides the commands to add the backport PPA to update Kubuntu 16.04 to Plasma 5.6.5 and Frameworks 5.23.

http://wire.kubuntu.org/?p=954

Snapcraft 2.12: an ecosystem of parts, qmake and gulp

David Calle tells us that Snapcraft 2.12 is out, and being installed with 16.04 updates. He talks about "wiki parts," which is an effort to put some common snap parts on a wiki page for others to be able to use. David then provides examples (including video) of how to use `snapcraft search`, `snapcraft register` and more. The blog then points to where more help is available.

https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/blog...snapcraft-212/

Kubuntu: Kubuntu Podcast goes Open and Unplugged

The Kubuntu team shares that they had problems with Google Hangouts during Podcast 13, but that the day was saved by using Big Blue Button. Subsequently the decision is to use Big Blue Button permanently for future podcasts. They write that you're welcome to watch future podcasts live; even interact. The next podcast will be Wednesday 6 July @ 1900 UTC.

http://www.kubuntu.org/news/kubuntu-...and-unplugged/

Daniel Holbach: Snappy Playpen event Tuesday

Daniel Holbach tells us the date of the next Snappy Playpen event (5 July). Daniel also outlines what was in last week's Playpen, some of which included documentation best practices, known issues, and consolidation of using common parts/launchers and general cleanup. Support links are there for snap best practices, upstreaming, FAQ and more. Details on getting to the next Snappy Playpen are also provided.

https://daniel.holba.ch/blog/2016/06...-next-tuesday/

Canonical Design Team: China Launch Sprint - paving the roadmap

Paty Davila of the Ubuntu Design team shares her experiences at being invited to the China Launch Sprint held in Beijing. The very productive sprint was for Ubuntu Touch which will ship later this year in China. Paty outlines the approval process required for regulatory approval to sell products in China.

http://design.canonical.com/2016/06/...g-the-roadmap/

Paul White: Does Ubuntu have too many bugs or just too many bug reports?

Paul White reflects on some of his recent work on the Ubuntu bug squad where he spent time reviewing bugs, seeking to get more information to reporters and generally improving the reports. He discusses tooling, motivations of those reporting bugs and links to various documents that can improve the quality of bug reports.

http://blog.pcw.me.uk/2016/07/does-u...s-or-just.html

Ubuntu Phone News

Ubuntu App Developer Blog: New Ubuntu SDK Beta Version

Benjamin Zeller and Zoltan Balogh discuss the newly released beta version of the Ubuntu SDK IDE using LXD. They talk about the problems that had cropped up with the first release, mainly apps failing to start using the proprietary NVidia drivers. They discuss about the ways to solve the issue and urge the developers to report any errors.

http://developer.ubuntu.com/en/blog/...beta-release3/

Canonical News

In The Blogosphere

No WhatsApp, but fixes set to come for Ubuntu Phone

Sam Varghese from Mobility talks to Canonical about the newly released Ubuntu Phone. Some of the key issues and setbacks of the Ubuntu Phone are also discussed.

http://www.itwire.com/your-it-news/m...ntu-phone.html

Canonical Is Considering Dropping Support for 32-Bit PCs After Ubuntu 18.10

Marius Nestor from Softpedia talks about the recent talk about dropping support for the i386 architecture in Ubuntu. He highlights the first proposal in the ongoing discussion about this.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/canon...0-505761.shtml

Don't want to pay for Windows 10? Try Ubuntu - the free operating system

Jamie Harris from BT talks about Ubuntu as an alteative OS. He gives us an overview of Ubuntu and all the various features of the Ubuntu operating system. He concludes by giving us links to download the newest version and talks about the various ways to install Ubuntu.

http://home.bt.com/tech-gadgets/comp...11364070979503

Canonical Releases Snapcraft 2.12 Snaps Creator with New Parts Ecosystem, More

Marius Nestor from Softpedia discusses about the Snapcraft 2.12 Snaps creator tool for Linux/Unix systems. He points out the new functions and improvements in the newest release and summarizes the commands to set it up in Ubuntu 16.04.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/canon...e-505815.shtml

Xubuntu, Xfce Celebrate Milestones

S. M. Oliva writes about the 10th year aiversary of the Xfce-based Ubuntu desktop, Xubuntu. She gives us a glimpse into the history of the Xfce desktop, and includes an excerpt from a 1999 interview of Norman M. Jacobowitz about the origins of the Xfce.

http://opensourcewriter.com/xubuntu-...te-milestones/

Is Canonical the Victim of High Expectations?

Bruce Byfield from Datamation talks about the growing public scrutiny for Canonical and its comparison to a Microsoft-like transformation. He touches on the various reasons for the discontent and sums up with: Canonical is "still leaing the trick".

http://www.datamation.com/open-sourc...ectations.html

Giving Linux and LibreOffice a Try for Your Home Office

Eric Grevstad from PC Magazine writes about the flexibility of Linux-based operating systems compared to operating systems such as Windows or Mac OS X. He starts off by giving an intro about the bootability of Linux-based operating systems with an emphasis on the Linux based LibreOffice as a legitimate replacement for Microsoft Office 365.

http://www.pcmag.com/article/345620/...ur-home-office

Other Articles of Interest

Featured Audio and Video

Ubuntu Podcast from the UK LoCo: S09E18 - Suspicious Package - Ubuntu Podcast

In this episode of the Ubuntu podcast, the hosts discuss the snap packaging format, the Download Festival as well as the Open Store. They also take the time to go over feedback conceing the show.

http://ubuntupodcast.org/2016/06/30/...cious-package/

Ubuntu Community Team Q&A - 28st June 2016

The Ubuntu Community Team meets for their weekly Community podcast where they chat about the Ubuntu Community and latest news by accepting questions and feedback from the audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d7SD9cwLC8

Full Circle Weekly News #24

Just a quick message to let you know that Full Circle Weekly News #24 is out: http://fullcirclemagazine.org/podcas...weekly-news-24
and, Full Circle Magazine #110 came out last week: http://fullcirclemagazine.org/issue-110

The show is also available via:
RSS: http://fullcirclemagazine.org/feed/podcast
Stitcher Radio: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=85347&refid=stpr
TuneIn Radio: http://tunein.com/radio/Full-Circle-...-News-p855064/
and PlayerFM: https://player.fm/series/the-full-circle-weekly-news

Weekly Ubuntu Development Team Meetings

Upcoming Meetings and Events

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

Updates and Security for 12.04, 14.04, 15.10 and 16.04

Security Updates

Ubuntu 12.04 Updates

End of Life - April 2017

Ubuntu 14.04 Updates

End of Life - April 2019

Ubuntu 15.10 Updates

End of Life - July 2016

Ubuntu 16.04 Updates

End of Life - April 2021

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Archives

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Additional Ubuntu News

As always you can find more news and aouncements at:

http://insights.ubuntu.com/

and

http://fridge.ubuntu.com/

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter.

See you next week!

Credits

The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter is brought to you by:

• Elizabeth K. Joseph
• Simon Quigley
• Chris Guiver
• Athul Muralidhar
• Chris Sirrs
• Leonard Viator
• And many others

Glossary of Terms

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

Ubuntu - Get Involved

The Ubuntu community consists of individuals and teams, working on different aspects of the distribution, giving advice and technical support, and helping to promote Ubuntu to a wider audience. No contribution is too small, and anyone can help. It's your chance to get in on all the community fun associated with developing and promoting Ubuntu. http://community.ubuntu.com/contribute/

Or get involved with the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter team! We always need summary writers and editors, if you're interested, lea more at: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Join

Feedback

This document is maintained by the Ubuntu Weekly News Team. If you have a story idea or suggestions for the Weekly Newsletter, join the Ubuntu News Team mailing list at https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/lis...untu-news-team and submit it. Ideas can also be added to the wiki at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Ideas. If you'd like to contribute to a future issue of the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, please feel free to edit the appropriate wiki page. If you have any technical support questions, please check http://community.ubuntu.com/help-information/ for more information on where to get help.

Except where otherwise noted, content in this issue is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/