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Gentoo Weekly Newsletter
http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gwn/current.xml
This is the Gentoo Weekly Newsletter for the week of 12 September 2005.
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==============
1. Gentoo news
==============
Major package updates for Apache
--------------------------------
The Gentoo Apache Team is pleased to announce the stabilizing of package
updates that have been in the works for over a year. Some of the major
changes include:
* New configuration and configuration locations to more closely match
upstream and reduce confusion for users coming from other distributions.
* Modules now use a centralized eclass that builds, installs, and
displays standard information on enabling the module. This allows easier
maintenance of existing modules, and allows us to more rapidly develop
ebuilds for modules that are not yet in the tree.
* Expanded USE flags to let you choose which MPM is compiled.
* A new gentoo-webroot that will eventually provide a gentoo-themed
icon-set, error documents, and default website. This has been put in it's
own package, and includes a USE-flag to not install the gentoo-webroot
into /var/www/localhost - useful if you put your own website there.
* And much more, including the fixing of many many bugs.
These changes will stabilized on Sunday, September 18th. These changes
have been throughly tested and given a thumbs up by many many users. They
also allow you to use the new php (including support for php5) ebuilds
when they become fully available.
Because of these changes and improvements, when you upgrade to the new
revision of Apache, you will need to take care of some things. These are
fully documented in our Upgrading Apache document [1], but in summary,
this is what you will need to do:
* Merge any customizations that you have made to the Apache configuration
into the new configuration at /etc/apache2/httpd.conf (The configuration
file location has changed). Note that the init script for apache checks
for a configuration in the old location and refuses to start if you
haven't moved/removed it - this is to avoid the possibility of moving to a
configuration that isn't right for your machine.
* Update any modules that you used to revisions that support the new
eclass. Older modules will not work due to location changes.
* Restart Apache
We have done our best to make it easy to migrate, but if you have
problems, feel free to visit us in #gentoo-apache on irc.freenode.net or
on our mailing list gentoo-web-user@g.o and we'll be glad to help.
=========================
2. Heard in the community
=========================
gentoo-dev
----------
USE="minimal" for kernel sources
The kernel sources are rather large, but carry "unneeded" things like
assembler sources for all arches you don't have. So why not strip down the
kernel sources to be as small as possible, saving important diskspace in
the process? This thread discusses why Gentoo won't offer such a kernel
and why it's in general a bad idea to strip down the kernel sources.
* USE="minimal" for kernel sources [1]
1. http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.devel/31146
[Summary] tentative x86 arch team glep
Chris White[2] has done it again and offers a summary of one of those
horrifically long threads that make reading the -dev mailinglist so
time-consuming. Thanks Chris!
2. chriswhite@g.o
* [Summary] tentative x86 arch team glep[3]
3. http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.devel/31169
======================
3. Gentoo in the press
======================
ComputerWorld (9 September 2005)
--------------------------------
"One of the open-source movement's most visible boosters" Eric S.
Raymond[4] seems to have had a narrow escape from being lured into the
same sort of position that Gentoo founder Daniel Robbins now occupies with
Microsoft, writes Robert McMillan in a ComputerWorld article[5]. Given the
fact that the publisher of the Halloween documents might feel more than
just a little out of place at the company he's been fighting quite eagerly
for years, it may have been oversight on behalf of a recruiter who just
didn't know exactly who he was trying to hire...
4. http://www.catb.org/~esr/
5.
http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/story/0,10801,104530,0
0.html
REBOL website (9 September 2005)
--------------------------------
Carl Sassenroth, head of REBOL Technologies, has extended the reach of his
programming language/operating environment to a new platform, as he
explains in a short notice about REBOL for Linux on PPC[6], tested on the
PegasosPPC[7] in both Gentoo and Debian Linux, and ready for download to
whoever would like to try it out.
6. http://www.rebol.net/article/0204.html
7. http://vendors.gentoo.org/index.cgi?page=1&comGroup=1
==================
4. Tips and tricks
==================
Tweaking kernel options yet some more
-------------------------------------
Remember our rather concise tip about the search function[8] in the
kernel's make menuconfig last week? A related tip is particularly helpful
whenever you're trying to do something like eradicate an unknown
dependency. For example, let's say that you want to change your kernel
configuration from modular to monolithic. But when you try to make that
change, it is blocked because there are still features marked "M"
somewhere.
8. http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gwn/20050905-newsletter.xml#doc_chap6
An easy way to hunt these hidden dependencies down is to "Save
Configuration to an Alternate File" first, picking something like
.config.now (i.e. just type ".now" enter). Next, jump to another console
and look at the file:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Code Listing 4.1: |
| Read the config file |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
|less /usr/src/kernel/.config.now |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Now have a look at the real product of menuconfig. Just search:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Code Listing 4.2: |
| Search for modular options |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
|/=m |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Once you've found where the offending area is, you can go back to make
menuconfig and use last week's tip to search for its location in the
hierarchy (if it's still not clear).
This tip is especially handy when trying to create a minimal system and
you find that the kernel has been packed full of support for obsolete
hardware that escaped your first review. By searching through the .config
file while using menuconfig, you can really expand on its capabilities.
===========================
5. 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:
* Matti Bickel (mabi) - Arch tester for PPC
* Christian Hartmann (ian) - Official staff (Global forums moderator)
* Mauricio Lima Pilla (pilla) - Official staff (Global forums moderator)
Changes
-------
The following developers recently changed roles within the Gentoo Linux
project:
* None this week
==================
6. Gentoo Security
==================
OpenTTD: Format string vulnerabilities
--------------------------------------
OpenTTD is vulnerable to format string vulnerabilities which may result in
remote execution of arbitrary code.
For more information, please see the GLSA Announcement[9]
9. http://www.gentoo.org/security/en/glsa/glsa-200509-03.xml
phpLDAPadmin: Authentication bypass
-----------------------------------
A flaw in phpLDAPadmin may allow attackers to bypass security restrictions
and connect anonymously.
For more information, please see the GLSA Announcement[10]
10. http://www.gentoo.org/security/en/glsa/glsa-200509-04.xml
Net-SNMP: Insecure RPATH
------------------------
The Gentoo Net-SNMP package may provide Perl modules containing an
insecure DT_RPATH, potentially allowing privilege escalation.
For more information, please see the GLSA Announcement[11]
11. http://www.gentoo.org/security/en/glsa/glsa-200509-05.xml
Squid: Denial of Service vulnerabilities
----------------------------------------
Squid contains several bugs when handling certain malformed requests
resulting in a Denial of Service.
For more information, please see the GLSA Announcement[12]
12. http://www.gentoo.org/security/en/glsa/glsa-200509-06.xml
===========
7. Bugzilla
===========
Summary
-------
* Statistics
* Closed bug ranking
* New bug rankings
Statistics
----------
The Gentoo community uses Bugzilla (bugs.gentoo.org[13]) to record and
track bugs, notifications, suggestions and other interactions with the
development team. Between 04 September 2005 and 11 September 2005,
activity on the site has resulted in:
13. http://bugs.gentoo.org
* 794 new bugs during this period
* 386 bugs closed or resolved during this period
* 29 previously closed bugs were reopened this period
Of the 8269 currently open bugs: 97 are labeled 'blocker', 198 are labeled
'critical', and 543 are labeled 'major'.
Closed bug rankings
-------------------
The developers and teams who have closed the most bugs during this period
are:
* AMD64 Porting Team[14], with 47 closed bugs[15]
* Java team[16], with 23 closed bugs[17]
* Gentoo Linux Gnome Desktop Team[18], with 18 closed bugs[19]
* Gentoo Games[20], with 14 closed bugs[21]
* Shyam Mani[22], with 11 closed bugs[23]
* Gentoo X-windows packagers[24], with 10 closed bugs[25]
* ppc64 architecture team[26], with 10 closed bugs[27]
* PHP Bugs[28], with 10 closed bugs[29]
14. amd64@g.o
15.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&resolution=FIXED&assigned_to=amd64@g.o
16. java@g.o
17.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&resolution=FIXED&assigned_to=java@g.o
18. gnome@g.o
19.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&resolution=FIXED&assigned_to=gnome@g.o
20. games@g.o
21.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&resolution=FIXED&assigned_to=games@g.o
22. fox2mike@g.o
23.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&resolution=FIXED&assigned_to=fox2mike@g.o
24. x11@g.o
25.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&resolution=FIXED&assigned_to=x11@g.o
26. ppc64@g.o
27.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&resolution=FIXED&assigned_to=ppc64@g.o
28. php-bugs@g.o
29.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&chfield=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&resolution=FIXED&assigned_to=php-bugs@g.o
New bug rankings
----------------
The developers and teams who have been assigned the most new bugs during
this period are:
* Elfyn McBratney[30], with 56 new bugs[31]
* Default Assignee for New Packages[32], with 44 new bugs[33]
* Perl Ebuild Requests[34], with 24 new bugs[35]
* Gentoo Sound Team[36], with 9 new bugs[37]
* Qmail Team[38], with 8 new bugs[39]
* Default Assignee for Orphaned Packages[40], with 8 new bugs[41]
* AMD64 Porting Team[42], with 7 new bugs[43]
* Gentoo Toolchain Maintainers[44], with 6 new bugs[45]
30. beu@g.o
31.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&assigned_to=beu@g.o
32. maintainer-wanted@g.o
33.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&assigned_to=maintainer-wanted@g.o
34. perl-request@g.o
35.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&assigned_to=perl-request@g.o
36. sound@g.o
37.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&assigned_to=sound@g.o
38. qmail-bugs@g.o
39.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&assigned_to=qmail-bugs@g.o
40. maintainer-needed@g.o
41.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&assigned_to=maintainer-needed@g.o
42. amd64@g.o
43.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&assigned_to=amd64@g.o
44. toolchain@g.o
45.
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2005-09-04&chfieldto=2005-09-11&assigned_to=toolchain@g.o
===============
8. GWN feedback
===============
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46. gwn-feedback@g.o
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Ulrich Plate <plate@g.o> - Editor
Chris X Edwards <chris@...> - Author
Patrick Lauer <patrick@g.o> - Author
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