WordPress 2.6.2
Another quick heads up peeps. WordPress 2.6.2 is out and you should update ASAP - especially if you
WordPress.org
allow registrations on your blog.
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Archive for the ‘Open Source’ Category.
WordPress.org 2.6.1
Quick Note: WordPress 2.6.1 is out. If you are running an older version, especially if you haven’t even
WordPress.org
gone to 2.6.0 yet, you should upgrade - you’re missing out on new functionality and you may be at risk of having your site taken over.
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WordPress 2.6 & Spam Karma 2
It’s been a while since I wrote anything here, but here are two important announcements for anyone running the .org version of Wordpress.
Firstly, WordPress 2.6 is now out. There are, as usual, lots of new things in this release and they ae all listed here. One thing I noticed is that I have had to add to my .htaccess file because all my previous URLs stopped working. For example, the URL to this post is http://www.lostaddress.org/2008/07/17/wordpress-26-spam-karma-2/ and under the previous release of WP, the URL would have been http://www.lostaddress.org/index.php/2008/07/17/wordpress-26-spam-karma-2/ - spot the difference? If you were using a similar method, make sure you check your links! So download it, install it and check out the changes (and fix things where necessary).
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Slackware vs Kubuntu: A Subjective Review
Long time fans of this space will be aware that I’m a Slacker. However, when something wasn’t working as easily as it could, I installed Kubuntu to see what the latest version (Hardy Heron) was like and whether it could tempt me to switch permanently.
Firstly, even though all Linux distros are pretty identical at heart (largely the same commands, file structures and so on) there are a number of differences that can make one set of users argue incessantly with another set. Firstly, Slackware is now the oldest distro still in use - Slackware first began in 1993, followed by Debian, followed by Red Hat. You will notice that I have left off Suse, that’s because it started life using a Slackware base and then used a Red Hat base. So in terms of “pure” distros, Slackware was first, followed closely by Debian, followed closely by Red Hat. In fact, almost all Linux distros use one of those three as their base, as shown on the graphical timeline. And to wind this paragraph up, Kubuntu is the KDE variant of Ubuntu, which is based on Debian. There may be a large number of available distributions out there, but there are very few distros to base them off.
In terms of approach and use, Kubuntu and Slackware are very different. The Slackware methodology is that almost everything should be done by hand: installing programs, configuring programs and so on. Kubuntu focuses on ease of use: installation of programs is via the Adept Package Manager and using the apt command. There are also wizards and you know when updates are available by the icon in your system tray. It is also notable that Slackware come with plain vanilla KDE whereas Kubuntu has a very attractive configuration of KDE installed.
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PlayOnLinux - Play Games On Linux
I discovered this via an LXer newsfeed on Linuxquestions.org. Most Linux users should know about the Wine project and about the Cedega project and even about CrossOver Office - the aim of these programs is to run Windows programs, games and office type programs easily on Linux. There are problems with each program - Wine can be difficult to get working well (often needing tweaks even to just install it), Cedega took Wine and turned it into a “pay for” program and gave nothing back to Wine and Crossover Office is another program you have to pay for, though they do give their programming back to the Wine project. If you just want to play games, until now, Cedega is the one you had to go for. And if you wanted to pretty much guarantee that you could play games and run office programs, you had to buy both Cedega and CrossOver office. And finally, if you have a lot of time on your hands and don’t want to pay money for a product, you could spend time with the original Wine.
That is, until now. PlayOnLinux is a Wine frontend created with Bash and Python. This means that it is runnable on any recent (or up to date) Linux distro. It provides pre-scripted installs for many Windows programs and Windows games. In fact, I installed LucasArts‘ Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast with it and it plays flawlessly and installs in the quickest time ever. I chose this game for two reasons: the first is that I know it installs with both vanilla Wine and with Cedega. The second reason is that it’s a lot of fun to play :)
From the Presentation page:
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Test Driving Kubuntu 8.04
For all of my love of control and the other great stuff that comes with my usual distro, I also like to try out new things
and see what’s going on elsewhere. To that end I decided to give Kubuntu a go. And I have been pleasantly surprised.
Firstly, the install itself. When you first boot up the build disk you are given several options, the one to use the disk as a live disk is still there, but you can choose to install directly from boot (as with other distros), I chose that and it went very quickly, as you would expect. I won’t go through the steps here as there were only a small number. Kubuntu installs a limited number of apps on first install, leaving you to use them or add to them as you wish.
