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Posted by : slh on Mar 17, 2008 - 04:37 AM Release Notes
Release Notes

Now that KDE 3.5.9 and a working version of qt-x11-free 3.3.8 are available in Debian sid, we have the pleasure to announce the second public preview of sidux 2008-01 "Νυξ", shipping in a roughly ≈460 MB large kde-lite variant for amd64 and i386 systems. Please note this is not the final release, the full featured final release of "Νυξ" will be ready in about 1-2 weeks, intermediate xdeltas will be provided as needed until then.

sidux is a full featured Debian sid based live CD with a special focus on hard disk installations, a clean upgrade path within sid and additional hard- and software support. The ISO is completely based on Debian sid, enriched and stabilized with sidux' own packages and scripts.

Release notes for Νυξ preview 2

This preview heading towards our fifths major release "Νυξ", concentrates on final integration testing of KDE 3.5.9, Kernel 2.6.24.3, the newly added "resolvconf" facilities to deal with DNS settings in combination with "Ceni" and our new build system for sidux. Furthermore a large number of individual functionality enhancements and bugfixes has been applied to the full package line up.

Talking about upstream development, kernel 2.6.24 has merged "i386" and "x86_64" as sub-architectures for the new generic "x86" architecture and offers support for further wireless lan devices like RealTek RTL8180L/ RTL8185, UVC video support for Logitech webcams, high resolution timers and dynamic ticks for amd64 systems. Especially these kernel related changes have imposed a number adaptions on sidux' kernel release process, which is now provided by packages closely following Debian's lead and are finally, accompanied by a number of GPL2 compatible external module packages, available through plain apt-get. Metapackages (please see introduction below) now easily allow selecting the required kernel support and keeping up to date with bug- and security fixes.

Another major topic has been the dissolution of the former "sidux" menu into the XDG compliant menu categories, which — in combination with the new SVG based artwork — allow for better compatibility with alternative window managers and desktop environments and have been a precondition for future KDE4 or potential GNOME or XFCE support. Likewise a number of packages have undergone major changes or been replaced by new approaches (like Ceni replacing netcardconfig) alltogether.

The release plan for further sidux releases in 2008 has been adapted accordingly.

Our special thanks go to the sidux art team and especially all mirror hosters for their efforts regarding sidux.

Now to the interesting topics, like what's on the menu for now:

  • amd64 (AMD64, Intel Core2, newer 64 bit capable AMD Sempron and Intel Pentium 4 CPUs (watch for the "lm" flag in /proc/cpuinfo or use infobash -v3) and i686 (Pentium pro/ Pentium II, AMD K7 Athlon or newer)).
  • Debian sid, as of 2008-03-17.
  • kernel 2.6.24.3 (smp, hard preemption).
  • X.org 7.3.
  • KDE 3.5.9 (en + de).
  • new, SVG based, artwork created by sidux art team under Bernard Gray (cleary), David Creedy (klaymen) und Daniel-S-P, providing improved KDE4 and GNOME support.
  • dissolution of the previous "sidux" menu into the corresponding XDG categories, allowing broader window manager support and XDG compliance.
  • offline manual for en + de directly on the disc, online manuals for more languages online at http://manual.sidux.com/ and available via apt; a big thank you goes to the documentation and translation teams!
    Please note that the offline manual is only available on the running live CD or the installed system.
  • many changes for the manual.
  • iwlwifi3945/ iwlwifi4965 support.
  • b43/ b43legacy support for Broadcom wlan cards.
  • rt2x00 support for RaLink cards.
  • support for RealTek RTL8180L and RTL8185 PCI/ cardbus wlan cards.
  • support for RealTek RTL8187 USB wlan cards.
  • support for ADMtek ADM8211 PCI/ cardbus wlan cards.
  • support for IPWireless 3G UMTS PCMCIA cards.
  • support for HSDPA Broadband Wireless Data (Globe Trotter) cards.
  • e1000e support for Intel 82801I, 82566DM-2, 82562GT-2, 82562G-2 and 82562V-2 Gigabit Ethernet cards (ICH9).
  • support for Logitech Quickcam Orbit, Logitech Quickcam Pro for Notebooks, Logitech Quickcam Pro 5000, Asus Eee PC webcams (linux-uvc).
  • fw-detect to probe for hardware with non-free needs.
  • memtest86+.
  • overhauled partition and file system detection.
  • /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ superseding the monolithic /etc/apt/sources.list.
  • virtualbox-ose-guest 1.5.6 support.
  • bitsetting/ xrandr settings for ATi and Intel cards.
  • basic lvm2 detection and install support on exististing logical volumes.
  • Ceni as primary tool for handling network devices.
  • consistent switch to Debian's "su-to-root" instead of using custom su wrappers.
  • new build system.
  • fixed problems with grub-install.
  • resolvconf support to handle DNS discovery.

What hasn't made it into the preview yet:

  • integration testing.
  • minor artwork consolidation.

Hints for hardware with non-free needs:

sidux contains only dfsg free software, so you'll probably want to add contrib/ non-free to your /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.list and ensure internet access. 

# See sources.list(5) for more information, especially
# Remember that you can only use http, ftp or file URIs
# CDROMs are managed through the apt-cdrom tool.
# The /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ directory provides a way to add sources.list
# entries in separate files that end with sources.list file.

# unstable
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free

# testing
# deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free

# experimental
# deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian experimental main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian experimental main contrib non-free

and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sidux.list: 

# sidux e.V., Germany
deb http://sidux.com/debian/ sid main contrib non-free fix.main fix.contrib fix.non-free
#deb-src http://sidux.com/debian/ sid main contrib non-free fix.main fix.contrib fix.non-free

The required firmware can be determined with the following device/ firmware enumeration or by using the newly developed fw-detect script (packaged in configure-networkcard).

  • ATi Radeon graphics:
    3d acceleration for older cards up to r35x should work, newer Radeon X1xxx cards need non-free drivers for accelerated performance, these can be installed with "get-sidux-binary-gfx && install-binary-gfx -a" or "sgfxi".
  • Atheros/ "madwifi" wlan:
    m-a a-i madwifi
  • Atmel AT76c50x 11 MBit/s wlan:
    apt-get install atmel-firmware
  • Broadcom, bcm43xx/ b43/ b43legacy wlan:
    apt-get install bcm43xx-fwcutter b43-fwcutter
  • Eagle USB ADSL modem:
    fetch the firmware from http://eagle-usb.org/ueagle-atm/non-free/ and place it under /lib/firmware/.
  • DVB firmware for various full featured DVB TV cards (most budget cards won't need this):
    fetch the needed firmware (check dmesg) from http://www.linuxtv.org/downloads/firmware/ and place it under /lib/firmware/.
  • IVTV firmware:
    fetch the firmware from http://dl.ivtvdriver.org/ivtv/firmware/ and place it under /lib/firmware/.
  • Intel ipw2100, 11 MBit/s wlan:
    apt-get install ipw2100-firmware
  • Intel ipw2200, 54 MBit/s wlan:
    apt-get install ipw2200-firmware
  • Intel ipw3945/ iwlwifi, 54 Mbit/s wlan:
    apt-get install firmware-iwlwifi
  • Intel ipw4965/ iwlwifi, draft-n wlan:
    apt-get install firmware-iwlwifi
  • Intersil prism54 (p54pci/ p54usb), 54 MBit/s wlan:
    fetch the firmware from http://jbnote.free.fr/prism54usb/ and place it under /lib/firmware/.
  • nVidia graphics:
    3d acceleration isn't possible with free drivers yet, please use "get-sidux-binary-gfx && install-binary-gfx -a" or "sgfxi" to fetch install scripts for these cards.
  • RaLink rt61 and rt73 54 MBit/s wlan:
    apt-get install firmware-ralink
    please remove rt61-fwcutter, rt73-fwcutter, firmware-rt61 and firmware-rt73, if already installed.
  • Texas Instruments ACX100 (22 Mbit/s)/ ACX111 (54 MBit/s) wlan: 
    m-a a-i acx100
    and fetch the firmware from http://www.kazer.org/acx-firmware-20060207.tar.bz2 and place it under /lib/firmware/.
  • ZyDAS zd1201 11 MBit/s wlan:
    fetch the firmware from http://surfnet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/linux-lc100020/zd1201-0.14-fw.tar.gz and place it under /lib/firmware/.
  • ZyDAS zd1211 54 MBit/s wlan:
    apt-get install zd1211-firmware

We try to provide packages for legally redistributable firmware from our non-free repositories, but not all vendors allow this.

Hints for Upgraders:

sidux tries hard to provide seamless upgrade path for debian and sidux' own packages, nevertheless a few things remain that could be improved with manual interaction.

bash-completion

bash 3.1dfsg-9 has dropped /etc/bash_completion, which provides advanced completion information (like "apt-get i[tab]"), and split it out into a new package called "bash-completion" (>> 20060301-1). Given that "bash" only recommends "bash-completion", it is recommended to install "bash-completion" manually: 

apt-get install bash-completion

(agree to installing the package maintainer's version of /etc/bash_completion)

grub/ grub-gfxboot

The following features have been recently added to grub-gfxboot:

  • savedefault
    • remembers the last booted kernel
      this requires setting "savedefault=true" within the automagic kernel list and changing ""default <entry number>" to "default saved" in /boot/grub/menu.lst.
  • 256 byte inode sizes on ext3
    • e2fsprogs ≥ 1.40.5-1 creates ext3 filesystems with 256 byte large inodes by default (in contrast to 128 byte used before), to accommodate for further ext4 related changes.
  • ext4 extents (only supported by grub-gfxboot)
    • starting with kernel 2.6.23, ext4 filesystems are mounted using extents by default.

Using any of these new features requires updating the bootsector of your system. Bootsectors written by "grub or earlier versions of "grub-gfxboot" are not able to boot or even access partitions using any of these new features!
While these changes don't affect existing systems, we strongly recommend updating your bootsectors using: 

grub-install --recheck --no-floppy <raw device or partition>

to get access to newly created ext3 (with inode sizes exceeding 128 byte) or ext4 partitions, or to use savedefault features.

Please be careful with updating the bootsector, choosing improper installation targets might render your system unbootable.

Kernel packaging

Starting with kernel 2.6.24, sidux kernels and dfsg-free external modules are exclusively available via apt and can be kept up to date via metapackages.

  • amd64:

    • Kernel and headers:
      apt-get install	linux-image-2.6-sidux-amd64 \
		linux-headers-2.6-sidux-amd64
    • external, dfsg-free and GPL2 compatible, modules:
      apt-get install	acer-acpi-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64 		\
		atl2-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64			\
		aufs-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64			\
		btrfs-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64			\
		et131x-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64			\
		fsam7400-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64		\
		gspca-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64			\
		ndiswrapper-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64		\
		qc-usb-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64			\
		rfswitch-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64		\
		squashfs-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64		\
		virtualbox-ose-modules-2.6-sidux-amd64

  • i386:

    • Kernel and headers:
      apt-get install	linux-image-2.6-sidux-686 \
		linux-headers-2.6-sidux-686
    • external, dfsg-free and GPL2 compatible, modules:
      apt-get install	acer-acpi-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		acerhk-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		atl2-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		aufs-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		btrfs-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		et131x-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		fsam7400-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		gspca-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		ndiswrapper-modules-2.6-sidux-686		\
		omnibook-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		qc-usb-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		rfswitch-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		squashfs-modules-2.6-sidux-686			\
		virtualbox-ose-guest-modules-2.6-sidux-686	\
		virtualbox-ose-modules-2.6-sidux-686

This upgrade mechanism can be disabled by removing the aforementioned metapackages. Further kernel updates would require manual intervention, bugfixes and security corrections wouldn't be installed as part of the ordinary dist-upgrade anymore!

Obsolete packages

As part of the continuing development of sidux, a number of packages have been replaced by better alternatives or become redundant.

  • configure-networkcard, replaced by "Ceni".
  • configure-screenres, replaced by "siduxcc" ("siduxcc-common" in textmode).
  • rootshell, all major desktop environments offer equivalent root xterms.
  • sidux-xdg, the contents of the former "sidux" menu have been sorted into the official XDG categories.

Disclaimer:

This is experimental software. Use at your own risk. The sidux project, it's developers and team members (all represented by the sidux e.V.) cannot be held liable under any circumstances for damage to hardware or software, lost data, or other direct or indirect damage resulting from the use of this software. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, you are not permitted to use or further distribute this software.

Download URLs, please give the mirrors some time to sync:

Europe

North America

Asia

Africa

Australia

Our thanks go to all mirror hosters for their efforts regarding sidux.

How to get involved

Getting involved in sidux is easy, just join us at our Forum or even better on IRC (irc.oftc.net, port 6667, channel #sidux) and discuss your patches/ proposals or additions.

We will gladly discuss any dfsg-free patches and contributions, especially regarding alternative window managers (gnome, xfce), mobile network connectivity (GPRS/ UMTS, Bluetooth, but also ISDN, PPP, PPPoE) or general janitorial tasks or translations/ localisations.

Roadmap:

Please understand that the following roadmap is a rough estimate regarding our release schedule and is affected by the status of upstream Debian sid, major system components like X.org, KDE, the linux kernel and our own developments and is subject to changes.

  • sidux 2008-02 "Έρεβος" — may 2008
  • sidux 2008-03 "Ωυρέα" — july 2008
  • sidux 2008-04 "Πόντος" — september/ october 2008

Special thanks go to the entire sidux development team:

Jose Tadeu Barros (ceti)
Michiel de Boer (locsmif)
Joaquim Boura (x-un-i)
Mikhail Burov (von_Selbst)
David Creedy (klaymen)
Alessio Giustini (alessiog75)
Stefan R. Eissens (eislon)
Roland Engert (RoEn)
Bernard Gray (cleary)
Chris Hildebrandt (slam)
Ralph Hokanson Jr. (piper)
Richard Holt (Richard)
Harald Hope (h2)
HarzG
Markus Huber (hubi)
Aedan Kelly (etorix)
Lady_Cuddles
Latino
Stefan Lippers-Hollmann (slh)
Philippe Masson (LjanA)
Kel Modderman (kelmo)
Koslow
Markus Müller (moto)
muchan
Gabriel Palade (ladepa)
Gerald Prock (raider700)
Steven J. Robinson (cathbard)
Philipp Rudolph (Zophod)
Dinko Sabo (cobra)
Florian Schneider (hathe)
Daniel-S-P
Ferdi Thommes (devil)
Horst Tritremmel (hjt)
Trevor Walkley (bluewater)
Niall Walsh (bfree)
Andreas Weber (webera)
Fabian Wuertz (xadras)
zerby
zonker
zulu9

Thanks to Hetzner Online AG for sponsoring sidux.com.

On behalf of the sidux team:
        Stefan Lippers-Hollmann (slh)

 
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