---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gentoo Weekly Newsletter
http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gwn/current.xml
This is the Gentoo Weekly Newsletter for the week of March 24th, 2003.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============
1. Gentoo News
==============
Summary
-------
* How to become a Gentoo developer
* Changes in the way Gentoo Linux supports CFLAGS
* errata from last week's issue
A question we hear a lot from Gentoo users is, "How can I become a member
of the Gentoo development team?" Largely, the answer to this question is
simply to start assisting the development process as a user. This can be
done via numerous ways, most of which involve bugs.gentoo.org[1] to an
extent. Submitting bug fixes for existing bugs on a consistent basis is
one sure way to get the attention of the Gentoo developers. Additionally,
consistently submitting new ebuilds is another way. As you may have
noticed, consistency is an important part of the overall process.
1. http://bugs.gentoo.org
For those folks who still want to become a developer, but aren't kernel
hacking gurus or python mongers, helping with the development of Gentoo's
documentation is another area where users can contribute and become
members of the team. Whether it's creating new documents or assisting in
translating existing documents into other languages, the quality of our
Documentation is a critical part of the overall success of Gentoo Linux.
Finally, as the Gentoo Linux project continues to grow, other types of
roles, such as GWN contributors and infrastructure people, may become
available as well. They will be announced here in the Gentoo Weekly
Newletter on an as-needed basis. So for those of you interested in
becoming part of the Gentoo Linux team, take a crack at some open bugs,
creating new ebuilds or helping out with documentation. Regular
contributors will get noticed!
Changes in the way Gentoo Linux supports CFLAGS
-----------------------------------------------
CFLAGS have always been an important part of the Gentoo Linux hacker's
toolkit. Tweaking CFLAGS to eke out every last drop of performance is a
technique that is used by many, but fully understood by few. Many of the
bugs filed on bugs.gentoo.org[2] are directly caused by overly aggressive
CFLAGS in a user's make.conf file. One of the ways that the Gentoo Linux
developers deal with this is by stripping out certain CFLAGS in ebuilds
where they are known to cause problems. (Most kernel modules, for
instance, don't like the -fPIC option) However, this is handled on a
case-by-case basis, which is not a long-term solution.
2. http://bugs.gentoo.org
In an effort to come up with a long term solution, a discussion was had on
the internal Gentoo Linux developer's mailing list talking about various
options. In the end, the decision was reached to come up with a list of
safe CFLAGS that will be officially supported by Gentoo Linux. This means
if you use one of these flags and have problems with it, it will be
considered a valid bug in Gentoo Linux. Users are still free to try any
and all other CFLAGS as they see fit, but bugs filed in relation to these
options may not be considered valid and the user may be asked to try
less-aggressive optimization settings when compiling that specific
program. Over time, as gcc continues to mature, the list of officially
supported CFLAGS will be reviewed and added to as appropriate, with the
goal being to support as many -f options s possible without overwhelming
our QA and bugfix resources.
To a large extent, this practice of supported vs. unsupported CFLAGS has
been in practice for quite some time now. However, now the process will be
formalized and the list of supported CFLAGS will be integrated into our
installation docs as well as our other documentation where appropriate.
errata from last week's issue
-----------------------------
As many readers pointed out, last week's Tips & Tricks section contained
an error in one of the code listings. Instead of
SYNC="rsync.us.gentoo.org", it should have been listed as
SYNC="rsync://rsync.us.gentoo.org/gentoo-portage". The person making the
error has been properly tarred and feathered and this week's Tips & Tricks
section is brought to you by our normal contributor, David Narayan, who
was on vacation last week. (and thus is absolved from all blame :))
==================
2. Gentoo Security
==================
Summary
-------
* GLSA: samba
* GLSA: kernel
* GLSA: mysql
* GLSA: openssl
* GLSA: rxvt
* GLSA: evolution
* GLSA: qpopper
* GLSA: man
* New Security Bug Reports
* gentoo-security
GLSA: samba
-----------
The samba smbd daemon has a buffer overflow which could permit a remote
attacker to gain root privileges on the server.
* Severity: Critical - Remote root exposure.
* Packages Affected: net-fs/samba versions prior to samba-2.2.8
* Rectification: Synchronize and emerge samba, emerge clean.
* GLSA Announcement[3]
* Advisory[4]
3. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=41881
4. http://lists.samba.org/pipermail/samba-announce/2003-March/000063.html
GLSA: kernel
------------
Linux stable kernels 2.2 and 2.4 have a flaw in ptrace that permits local
users to elevate their privileges to root. The flaw is not remotely
exploitable. It is not believed that the flaw affects the 2.5 kernel. The
following kernel sources have been patched: gentoo-sources, gs-sources,
pfeifer-sources, sparc-sources, and xfs-sources. A patch for other sources
can be obtained from cvs[5].
5. http://cvs.gentoo.org/~aliz/linux-2.4.20-ptrace.patch
* Severity: High - Kernel compromise, privilege elevation.
* Packages Affected: Linux kernel versions 2.2, 2.4
* Rectification: Synchronize and emerge kernel sources for your system,
recompile and install kernel.
* GLSA Announcement[6]
* Advisory[7]
6. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42814
7. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=104791735604202&w=2
GLSA: mysql
-----------
If MySQL's configuration file's are world-writable, it is possible to
modify the server's configuration so that MySQL will run as root after a
restart. MySQL has been fixed so that it will not load world-writable
config files.
* Severity: High - Privilege elevation.
* Packages Affected: dev-db/mysql versions prior to mysql-3.23.56
* Rectification: Synchronize and emerge mysql, emerge clean.
* GLSA Announcement[8]
* Advisory[9]
8. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42383
9. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=bugtraq&m=104739810523433&w=2
GLSA: openssl
-------------
OpenSSL is subject to a timing attack which may permit exposure of RSA
keys. This vulnerability can be eliminated by enabling RSA blinding. The
fix is to enable blinding by default, involving only a trivial performance
impact.
* Severity: High - Cryptographic exposure.
* Packages Affected: dev-libs/openssl versions prior to openssl-0.9.6i-r1
* Rectification: Synchronize and emerge openssl, emerge clean.
* GLSA Announcement[10]
* Advisory[11]
10. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42581
11. http://www.openssl.org/news/secadv_20030317.txt
GLSA: rxvt
----------
The rxvt terminal emulator is subject to remote attack when un-trusted
data is displayed to the screen. This exposure permits a DOS attack or (by
taking advantage of other vulnerabilities on the system) the potential for
system compromise.
* Severity: High - Remote System Compromise.
* Packages Affected: x11-terms/rxvt versions prior to rxvt-2.7.8-r6
* Rectification: Synchronize and emerge rxvt, emerge clean.
* GLSA Announcement[12]
* Advisory[13]
12. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42582
13. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=bugtraq&m=104612710031920&w=2
GLSA: evolution
---------------
Evolution is subject to several vulnerabilities that permit remote attacks
ranging from DoS through security bypasses and potential execution of
arbitrary code through the use of carefully crafted UUEncodes or MIME
headers.
* Severity: High - Multiple exposures to remote attack.
* Packages Affected: versions prior to evolution-1.2.3
* Rectification: Synchronize and emerge , emerge clean.
* GLSA Announcement[14]
* Advisory[15]
14. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42816
15. http://www.coresecurity.com/common/showdoc.php?idx=309&idxseccion=10
GLSA: qpopper
-------------
Qpopper exposes a buffer overflow which could permit the execution of
arbitrary code. The code would normally be executed with the privileges of
a user that must be authenticated.
* Severity: Moderate - arbitrary code execution, mitigated by requirement
for user authentication.
* Packages Affected: net-mail/qpopper versions prior to qpopper-4.0.5
* Rectification: Synchronize and emerge qpopper, emerge clean.
* GLSA Announcement[16]
* Advisory[17]
16. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=41957
17. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=bugtraq&m=104739841223916&w=2
GLSA: man
---------
Man contains an error return value bug that could permit a specially
formatted man file to execute a program named 'unsafe', if it exists.
* Severity: Moderate - arbitrary code execution, mitigated by requirement
for local access and program installation.
* Packages Affected: versions prior to
* Rectification: Synchronize and emerge , emerge clean.
* GLSA Announcement[18]
* Advisory[19]
18. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42384
19. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=bugtraq&m=104740927915154&w=2
New Security Bug Reports
------------------------
The following new security bugs were posted this week:
* net-irc/bitchx[20]
* dev-java/*[21]
* kerberos[22]
* net-im/gaim[23]
* sys-apps/baselayout[24]
* media-libs/net-bpm[25]
* sys-libs/glibc[26]
* net-mail/mutt[27]
* net-www/mod_ssl[28]
20. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17567
21. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17574
22. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17718
23. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17733
24. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17738
25. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17756
26. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17846
27. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17857
28. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17862
gentoo-security
---------------
Alexander Holler posted a message[29] to the gentoo-security mailing list
describing and offering a link to a proof-of-concept trojan for gentoo
that exploits the oft-discussed[30] problem that ebuilds are not signed
or otherwise authenticated. Mr. Holler's statement that "nobody .. seems
concerned about portage security" provoked some comment, as did the
question about whether posting a trojan for an already documented
vulnerability was productive or advisable. The discussion continued with
some expressions of concern that the issue be addressed soon, including a
note[31] from Daniel Robbins indicating a desire to add enhanced security
to Portage-2.0. All told, the discussion seems particularly timely, given
the recent launch[32] of the hardened gentoo project.
29. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=gentoo-security&m=104816199500974&w=2
30. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5902
31. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=gentoo-security&m=104820132213706&w=2
32.
http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gwn/20030317-newsletter.xml#doc_chap1_sect5
=================================
3. Featured Developer of the Week
=================================
Daniel Ahlberg
This week we feature Daniel Ahlberg[33], one of the watchful eyes who keep
Gentoo secure and up-to-date. Monitoring security-related mailing lists
and hunting for new package versions, he sends out GLSAs and bumps package
versions, facing the constant fear of breaking something when he marks a
package as stable. Daniel had been using Gentoo for a couple of months
when he saw a discussion on #gentoo-dev about how every package needed to
be checked for the license it used, and the new LICENSE keyword added to
each ebuild. Later that night he checked the licenses and updated the
ebuilds for a couple of categories, and sent them to drobbins and seemant,
who asked him to become a developer a couple of days later. Daniel doesn't
feel he's done anything extraordinary, but likes the occasional bash
script hacks he does.
33. aliz@g.o
Three years ago Daniel started a company with some of his friends; he
still works there, administering the network and servers, making sure
others can do their work, and consulting. He likes all the software he
uses daily, including bash, nano, phoenix, kde, enlightenment, kmail,
xchat, sim, kate, and gkrellm2, and runs Gentoo on his three primary
computers: a workstation at home and at work, and his laptop, which is
usually connected to his work computer by VNC. Daniel, who lives
"somewhere in the upper middle of Sweden", likes to read (he's on his
third Tom Clancy novel right now), listen to music, and watch movies.
=========================
4. Heard In The Community
=========================
Web Forums
----------
Gentoo GNU/Hurd Project Started
Jon Portnoy aka avenj[34] announced last week that he's started working on
a port of the Hurd[35] for Gentoo, and he is currently scanning the Forums
for people interested in this development. The official discussion about
the project and the right place for anyone interested in posting a "me,
too" has found its permanent home here:
34. http://forums.gentoo.org/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=7981
35. http://hurd.gnu.org
* Repost: Anyone interested in Gentoo GNU/Hurd?[36]
* Avenj's page on Gentoo GNU/Hurd development[37]
36. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=41939
37. http://cvs.gentoo.org/~avenj/
Better Uses for Gentoo Gadgetry
As reported last week, the Gentoo store has recently added a few new
items, and one of those has inspired some hardware buffs to make it
slightly more useful than it already is: Who needs sandwiches and apples
in their Gentoo lunchbox when they can have a full-blown PC instead? Carry
on:
* Other uses for the Gentoo Lunch box[38]
* The lunchbox order page at the Gentoo store[39]
38. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=41716
39. http://www.cafeshops.com/gentoolinux.5161317
Intel's C Compiler in Gentoo
Using the ICC, Intel's C compiler, is still quite limited, both in terms
of software that can actually be built with it, and people who try using
despite this limitation. Some people like to replace the default GCC with
ICC for certain applications, and on occasion they discuss this broadly
enough to let others get an idea of what, why and how to do it:
* Anyone else using ICC?[40]
* replace gcc with Intel CC?[41]
40. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=33772
41. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=28435
Gentoo Installation Success on an RS/6000
Got a dusty old B50 lying around in a broom closet at the office? Here's
how to blow some new life into it... Welcome, thanks and congratulations
to Forum newcomer JurgyMan[42] for this contribution:
42. http://forums.gentoo.org/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=16708
* Gentoo on RS6000 B50 HOWTO - first draft[43]
43. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42672
gentoo-user
-----------
Realistic Install timeframe
Trey Sizemore started an interesting thread by asking how long it
realistically takes to install a Gentoo Linux desktop from stage 1[44].
Most of the responses seemed to indicate that Trey was probably a little
optimistic in his initial assessment of getting a full KDE desktop up and
running on a PII400 in about a day. Of course, KDE is easily the largest
app that needs to be compiled in Trey's setup, so a lighter-weight WM like
fluxbox would likely drop his setup time considerably.
44. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.user/26597
* Realistic Install timeframe[45]
45.
http://news.gmane.org/onethread.php?group=gmane.linux.gentoo.user&root=%3C3
E7B2F24.407%40fastmail.fm%3E
Command line interface tools
Dhruba Bandopadhyay asked for opinions[46] regarding peoples' preferences
for command line interface tools. Naturally, lively discussion ensued.
46. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.user/26664
* Command line interface tools[47]
47.
http://news.gmane.org/onethread.php?group=gmane.linux.gentoo.user&root=%3C2
0030322004933.GA19784%40wolf.codewordt.co.uk%3E
ftp/iptables always in emerge world
Kurt Hindenberg asked why ftp and iptables always showed up during an
emerge world[48]. When it turned out that these packages were being
required by the base system profile, a bug report ensued[49].
48. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.user/26368
49. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17859
* ftp/iptables always in emerge world[50]
50.
http://news.gmane.org/onethread.php?group=gmane.linux.gentoo.user&root=%3C2
00303191142.41399.khindenburg%40cherrynebula.net%3E
gentoo-dev
----------
Status of a Gentoo Installer?
Bip Thelin asked[51] wether the creation of a Gentoo installer was in
somebody's tasklist. He proposed to implement such an installer in Java.
Alain Penders replied[52] with a link to CursingCow[53], a Python/NEWT
installer for Gentoo Linux. Although currently, only the PPC architecture
is supported the code does support architecture specific modules. Gentoo
developer Dylan Carlson finally replied[54] that even though Java would be
a good choice for such a task, Python plays a central role in the whole
Gentoo infrastructure and it may be difficult to integrate a Java solution
in the Gentoo toolchain.
51. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=gentoo-dev&m=104789209111303&w=2
52. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=gentoo-dev&m=104792524715198&w=2
53. http://cvs.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/gentoo-src/cursingcow/
54. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=gentoo-dev&m=104792524715198&w=2
ACCEPT_KEYWORDS + bootstrap.sh
As one user noticed[55], early this week, during the installation of his
Gentoo. The bootstrap process does not use the ACCEPT_KEYWORDS setting
from /etc/make.conf.
55. http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=gentoo-dev&m=104791759004540&w=2
The ACCEPT_KEYWORDS is meant as a tool for easy testing of packages. That
is, effectively users can add or remove unstable packages to the usual
stable lot.
Disregarding the ACCEPT_KEYWORDS setting during bootstrap is not a bug.
Rather it is supposed to ease the installation and to secure a stable
foundation for the rest of Gentoo to exist on. This is done by
specifically choosing well tested packages as opposed to newly released
packages.
Some argue against this suggesting that it eliminates choices which is not
appropriate for the kind of distribution that Gentoo is. And that there
really is no point in trying to secure a stable foundation in this way
when the rest of the distribution make use of the ACCEPT_KEYWORDS.
And the arguments are true, for the most part. Because reading through the
/usr/portage/scripts/bootstrap.sh script reveals that the bootstrap
process grabs packages from a file describing a default profile. A default
profile tailored for a specific architecture (intel, ppc, etc.). So
instead of eliminating the choices they have been disguised as profiles,
waiting to be modified. The command cd $(readlink -f /etc/make.profile)
will bring you to the location of your default profile.
A word of caution. When modifying the default profile you can possibly
cripple your Gentoo installation from step one since version changes could
break package dependencies.
=======================
5. Gentoo International
=======================
Gentoo in the Japanese Press
Two articles in Japanese about Gentoo were published on the same day last
week in different magazines, both written by fervent supporters of
GentooJP: Yoshiaki Hagihara, one of the translators of the GWN among other
things, has written a very funny seven-pager ("Gentoo Lifestyle -- My days
with Gentoo") for LinuxPower Vol. 1[56], the first issue of this new
addition to the growing number of Linux magazines in Japan. And Masatomo
Nakano, spiritus rector of the GentooJP project, wrote his piece ("Gentoo
again") for the April issue of Software Design[57]. Both magazines are on
sale in Japanese bookshops since 18 March.
56. http://www.enterbrain.co.jp/techwin/linux/index.html
57. http://www.gihyo.co.jp/magazines/SD/contents
Russian Gentoo Community Set Up!
Developer George Shapovalov[58] announced that the "Fellowship of
gentoo.ru" has been up and running for almost a month already! The
Fellowship was born after growing interest in Gentoo Linux by the Russian
speaking community was becoming impossible to overlook, and it's already
got its own website[59]) and user support forums[60]. Gentoo.ru also
provides translations for Gentoo documentation, carefully supervised by
official devs. No need to be shy if you would like to help with
translations or any other subotnik, the Fellowship will certainly welcome
any such attempt. Real time chat is available on irc.rinet.ru, channel
#gentoo.
58. george@g.o
59. http://linuxshop.ru/unix4all/?cid=16
60. http://linuxshop.ru/forum/viewforum.php?f=16
New Mailing List for French Gentoo Users
Adding to the support base for French speakers, a new official mailing
list, gentoo-user-fr, has been created last week. Between the new list,
the French forum and the IRC channel on Freenode for French users, chances
to get support for technical questions are on a pretty acceptable level
now.
International Event Calendar
The GWN editorial staff is extremely grateful for information about
anything related to conferences, seminars, user meetings, install fest or
any other event Gentoo users are organizing or participating in. This week
an impressive number of events has come up, take your pick from those, and
send an e-mail to gwn-feedback@g.o if you know of any others:
* Austria: The Vienna community is turning openly hedonistic... They've
barely recovered from their last meeting, yet up comes a plan for the next
one. Date: 1 April, venue to be decided via this thread[61] in the German
forum.
* Portugal: Gentoo-stronghold Coimbra (and certainly one of the most
pleasant locations to be in around spring) is the venue for the 7th
"Encontro de Gest??o e Tecnologias da Informa????o", co-organized by
Gentoo Forum moderator RoadRunner[62] and other Gentooists, to be held on
2 April in the Audit??rio da Reitoria at Coimbra University. An
indisputable highlight of this conference will be the afternoon podium
discussion about "Free Software Use in Public Administrations", with the
Marketing Director of Microsoft Portugal and the head of the Portuguese
Linux distribution Caixa Magica fencing it out on stage. Further
information here[63], if you're planning on attending the show, tell the
others here, please[64].
* France: Same day, similar subject, 800 kilometres further north... A
conference in Paris about opportunities for free software use in small and
medium sized companies may serve as a venue for an informal meeting of
Gentoo users, all the details are here[65].
* Denmark & Sweden: Also on 2 April, the Sk??ne Sj??lland LUG is getting
a fully-fledged Gentoo presentation by Klavs[66]. Details were hard to get
by before this week's GWN deadline, but the presenter will certainly be
able to guide you if you make yourself heard in this forum thread[67].
* UK: In an almost forgotten thread in the Forums, brum-based
mr-simon[68] is looking for Gentooists to join him at the Linux User &
Developer Expo in Birmingham on 15/16 April[69].
* GermanyStill way ahead, but worth noting: 14 May is the tentative date
for Gentoo users in the K??ln/Bonn region to organize their first meeting.
Expressions of interest in joining the crowd go here[70].
61. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42337
62. http://forums.gentoo.org/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2185
63. http://egti.dei.uc.pt
64. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=41922
65. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=41972
66. http://forums.gentoo.org/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=1524
67. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=42421
68. http://forums.gentoo.org/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=10081
69. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=36907
70. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=40510
================
6. Portage Watch
================
The following stable packages were added to portage this week
-------------------------------------------------------------
* app-doc/ebook-gcc : GCC 3.2 EBook."
* app-sci/lin-seti : A Seti@Home cache manager, cache-compatible with
Seti Driver. Can be run as system daemon.
http://lin-seti.sourceforge.net/
* dev-java/avalon-logkit : LogKit is an easy-to-use Java logging toolkit
designed for secure, performance-oriented logging.
http://avalon.apache.org/
* dev-java/commons-cli : The CLI library provides a simple and easy to
use API for working with the command line arguments and options.
http://jakarta.apache.org/commons/logging.html
* dev-java/gnu-jaxp : GNU JAXP, a free implementation of SAX parser API,
DOM Level 2, Sun JAXP 1.1. http://www.gnu.org/software/classpathx/jaxp/
* dev-java/velocity : A Java-based template engine that allows easy
creation/rendering of documents that format and present data.
http://jakarta.apache.org/velocity/
* dev-perl/Convert-ASN1 : A Convert Perl Module
http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-module/Convert/Convert-ASN1-0.16.readme
* media-gfx/gif2png : gif2png http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/gif2png/
* net-mail/vacation : automatic mail answering program
http://vacation.sourceforge.net/
* sys-apps/reoback : Reoback Backup Solution
http://reoback.penguinsoup.org/
* sys-devel/oskit : Building blocks for a x86 operating system.
http://www.cs.utah.edu/flux/oskit/
* app-dicts/freedict-eng-fra :
* app-dicts/freedict-fra-eng :
Updates to notable packages
---------------------------
* kde-base/kde - kde-3.1.1.ebuild;
* gnome-base/gnome - gnome-2.2.1.ebuild;
* sys-kernel/* - aa-sources-2.4.21_pre5-r1.ebuild;
aa-sources-2.4.21_pre5-r2.ebuild; development-sources-2.5.65.ebuild;
gentoo-sources-2.4.20-r2.ebuild; gs-sources-2.4.21_pre5-r1.ebuild;
mm-sources-2.5.65-r1.ebuild; mm-sources-2.5.65-r2.ebuild;
pfeifer-sources-2.4.20.1_pre1.ebuild; selinux-sources-2.4.20-r1.ebuild;
sparc-sources-2.4.20-r6.ebuild; xfs-sources-2.4.20-r1.ebuild;
xfs-sources-2.4.20-r2.ebuild; xfs-sources-2.4.20.ebuild;
* dev-db/mysql - mysql-3.23.56.ebuild;
Updates to notable packages
---------------------------
* sys-apps/portage - portage-2.0.47-r10.ebuild;
* x11-base/xfree - xfree-4.3.0-r1.ebuild;
* sys-kernel/* - ac-sources-2.4.21_pre5-r3.ebuild;
gaming-sources-2.4.20-r1.ebuild; lolo-sources-2.4.20.2_pre5.ebuild;
mm-sources-2.5.64-r4.ebuild; mm-sources-2.5.64-r5.ebuild;
mm-sources-2.5.64-r6.ebuild; wolk-sources-4.0_rc2.ebuild;
wolk-sources-4.0_rc3.ebuild;
* dev-db/mysql - mysql-4.0.11a-r1.ebuild;
* app-admin/gentoolkit - gentoolkit-0.1.19-r3.ebuild;
New USE variables
-----------------
* lirc - Adds support for lirc (Linux's Infra-Red Remote Control)
===========
7. Bugzilla
===========
Summary
-------
* Statistics
* Closed Bug Ranking
* New Bug Rankings
Statistics
----------
The Gentoo community uses Bugzilla (bugs.gentoo.org[74]) to record and
track bugs, notifications, suggestions and other interactions with the
development team. In the last 7 days, activity on the site has resulted
in:
74. http://bugs.gentoo.org
* 275 new bugs this week
* 294 bugs closed or resolved this week
* 9 previously closed bugs were reopened this week.
* 2161 total bugs currently marked 'new'
* 465 total bugs currently assigned to developers
There are currently 3001 bugs open in bugzilla. Of these: 70 are labeled
'blocker', 108 are labeled 'critical', and 228 are labeled 'major'.
Closed Bug Rankings
-------------------
The developers and teams who have closed the most bugs this week are:
* Martin Schlemmer[75], with 16 closed bugs[76]
* Seemant Kulleen[77], with 14 closed bugs[78]
* The Gnome Team[79], with 13 closed bugs[80]
* Martin Holzer[81], with 13 closed bugs[82]
75. azarah@g.o
76.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&ch
field=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&resolution=FIXED&assi
gned_to=azarah%40gentoo.org
77. seemant@g.o
78.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&ch
field=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&resolution=FIXED&assi
gned_to=seemant%40gentoo.org
79. gnome@g.o
80.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&ch
field=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&resolution=FIXED&assi
gned_to=gnome%40gentoo.org
81. mholzer@g.o
82.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&ch
field=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&resolution=FIXED&assi
gned_to=mholzer%40gentoo.org
New Bug Rankings
----------------
The developers and teams who have been assigned the most new bugs this
week are:
* The x86 Kernel Team[83], with 19 new bugs[84]
* The Gnome Team[85], with 12 new bugs[86]
* Nick Hadaway[87], with 9 new bugs[88]
* Nicholas Jones[89], with 9 new bugs[90]
* Martin Holzer[91], with 7 new bugs[92]
83. x86-kernel@g.o
84.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&=&a
ssigned_to=x86-kernel%40gentoo.org
85. gnome@g.o
86.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&=&a
ssigned_to=gnome%40gentoo.org
87. raker@g.o
88.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&=&a
ssigned_to=raker%40gentoo.org
89. carpaski@g.o
90.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&=&a
ssigned_to=carpaski%40gentoo.org
91. mholzer@g.o
92.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-03-15&chfieldto=Now&=&a
ssigned_to=mholzer%40gentoo.org
==================
8. Tips and Tricks
==================
Using tmpfs
This week's tip shows you how to make use of tmpfs to speed up access time
for small temporary files. Tmpfs simulates a filesystem by supporting
normal read/writes but the files are stored in memory. This makes access
much faster. Note that files stored in tmpfs are not saved between
reboots. Also, tmpfs is only recommended for systems with large amounts of
memory.
First make sure that tmpfs is enabled in your kernel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Code Listing 8.1: |
| Enabling tmpfs in the kernel |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
|# cd /usr/src/linux |
|# make menuconfig |
| Enable File Systems --> |
| [*] Virtual memory system support |
| (Enable this option) |
| |
|# make dep && make clean bzImage |
| |
|Make sure /boot is mounted before this step |
|# cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot |
| |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
/tmp is the most common place for temporary files. We will use tmpfs to
mount /tmp
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Code Listing 8.2: |
| Mounting /tmp with tmpfs |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
|# mount -t tmpfs tmpfs /tmp |
| |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that /tmp is mounted, all you have to do is add the following to your
/etc/fstab in order to have it load on boot.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Code Listing 8.3: |
| Add the following line to your stab file |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
|tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults 0 0 |
| |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
==========================
9. Moves, Adds and Changes
==========================
Moves
-----
The following developers recently left the Gentoo team:
* none this week
Adds
----
The following developers recently joined the Gentoo Linux team:
* Felix De Vliegher (Popsickle) -- LiveCD, KDE
* Philip Walls (malverian) -- media-gfx, distributed computing stuff
* Matthew Rickard (frogger) -- ProPolice
* Jeraimee Hughes (a.sleep) -- Gentoo Infrastructure
Changes
-------
The following developers recently changed roles within the Gentoo Linux
project.
* Mark Guertin (gerk) -- Retired as Gentoo/PPC Project Lead
=====================
10. Contribute to GWN
=====================
Interested in contributing to the Gentoo Weekly Newsletter? Send us an
email[93].
93. gwn-feedback@g.o
================
11. GWN Feedback
================
Please send us your feedback[94] and help make GWN better.
94. gwn-feedback@g.o
===================
12. Other Languages
===================
The Gentoo Weekly Newsletter is also available in the following languages:
* Dutch[95]
* English[96]
* German[97]
* French[98]
* Japanese[99]
* Italian[100]
* Portuguese (Brazil)[101]
* Portuguese (Portugal)[102]
* Spanish[103]
95. http://www.gentoo.org/news/be/gwn/gwn.xml
96. http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gwn/gwn.xml
97. http://www.gentoo.org/news/de/gwn/gwn.xml
98. http://www.gentoo.org/news/fr/gwn/gwn.xml
99. http://www.gentoo.org/news/ja/gwn/gwn.xml
100. http://www.gentoo.org/news/it/gwn/gwn.xml
101. http://www.gentoo.org/news/br/gwn/gwn.xml
102. http://www.gentoo.org/news/pt/gwn/gwn.xml
103. http://www.gentoo.org/news/es/gwn/gwn.xml
Kurt Lieber <klieber@g.o> - Editor
AJ Armstrong <aja@...> - Contributor
Brice Burgess <nesta@...> - Contributor
Yuji Carlos Kosugi <carlos@g.o> - Contributor
Rafael Cordones Marcos <rcm@...> - Contributor
David Narayan <david@...> - Contributor
Ulrich Plate <plate@g.o> - Contributor
Peter Sharp <mail@...> - Contributor
Kim Tingkaer <kim@...> - Contributor
Mathy Vanvoorden <matje@...> - Dutch Translation
Tom Van Laerhoven <tom.vanlaerhoven@...> - Dutch Translation
Peter Dijkstra <phj.dijkstra@...> - Dutch Translation
Bernard Bernieke <bernieke@...> - Dutch Translation
Vincent Verleye <zu@...> - Dutch Translation
Jochen Maes <linux@...> - Dutch Translation
Ben De Groot <yngwin@...> - Dutch Translation
Jelmer Jaarsma <j.jaarsma@...> - Dutch Translation
Nicolas Ledez <nicolas.ledez@...> - French Translation
Guillaume Plessis <gui@...> - French Translation
John Berry <anfini@...> - French Translation
Martin Prieto <riverdale@...> - French Translation
Michael Kohl <citizen428@g.o> - German Translation
Steffen Lassahn <madeagle@g.o> - German Translation
Matthias F. Brandstetter <haim@g.o> - German Translation
Thomas Raschbacher <lordvan@g.o> - German Translation
Marco Mascherpa <mush@...> - Italian Translation
Claudio Merloni <paper@...> - Italian Translation
Daniel Ketel <kage-chan@g.o> - Japanese Translation
Yoshiaki Hagihara <hagi@...> - Japanese Translation
Andy Hunne <andy@...> - Japanese Translation
Yuji Carlos Kosugi <carlos@g.o> - Japanese Translation
Yasunori Fukudome <yasunori@...> - Japanese Translation
Ventura Barbeiro <venturasbarbeiro@...> - Portuguese (Brazil)
Translation
Bruno Ferreira <blueroom@...> - Portuguese (Portugal)
Translation
Gustavo Felisberto <gustavo@...> - Portuguese (Portugal)
Translation
Ricardo Jorge Louro <rjlouro@...> - Portuguese (Portugal)
Translation
Lanark <lanark@...> - Spanish Translation
Rafael Cordones Marcos <rcm@...> - Spanish Translation
Julio Castillo <julio@...> - Spanish Translation
Sergio G??mez <s3r@...> - Spanish Translation
Pablo Pita Leira <pablo.leira@...> - Spanish Translation
Carlos Castillo <carlos@...> - Spanish Translation
Tirant <tirant@...> - Spanish Translation
Jaime Freire <jfreire@...> - Spanish Translation
Lucas Sallovitz <krusty_ar@...> - Spanish Translation
|
