[gentoo-gwn] Gentoo Weekly Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 46

[Yuji Carlos Kosugi]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gentoo Weekly Newsletter
http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gwn/current.xml
This is the Gentoo Weekly Newsletter for the week of November 17th, 2003.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
==============
1. Gentoo News
==============
  
Summary
-------
  
 * packages.gentoo.org now live 
 * Porting "sandbox" to BSD libc 
    
packages.gentoo.org now live
----------------------------
  
We're proud to announce that packages.gentoo.org[1] is now up, replacing 
the old online package database with a new one featuring many 
improvements: 

 1. http://packages.gentoo.org
 
 * a searchable interface 
 * a chronology of new packages 
 * more information about each package, including the most recent 
changelog entries 
 * an easy way to tell which packages are masked on various architectures 
    
Porting "sandbox" to BSD libc
-----------------------------
  
The Gentoo-BSD subproject is seeking an individual who would be interested 
in porting Portage's sandbox code so that it works on the *BSDs as well as 
on linux. In principle this task should be fairly straightforward, as one 
just needs to replace the linux-specific system calls with their *BSD 
equivalents--anybody who has ever had a course using W. Richard Stevens' 
classic "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment" text (or a more 
modern equivalent) would be more than qualified. Moreover, a successful 
port would also use GNU autotools to identify the requisite system calls 
using the normal "configure" script. Anybody interested should e-mail his 
or her intent and qualifications to Grant Goodyear[2]. 

 2. g2boojum@g.o
    
=================================
2. Featured Developer of the Week
=================================
  
Luke-Jr
 
This week's featured developer is somewhat more mysterious than most, 
having declined to provide either a photograph or an IRS-compatible name. 
We even have to guess at a pronoun, but the fact that Luke-Jr[3] is a 
Computer Science student at Tunxis Community College[4] indicates that it 
is likely he is a resident of Connecticut in the U.S. In Gentoo's virtual 
community, Luke-Jr works to bring "Gentoo to every computer user" by 
working on tools like a newbie-friendly graphical installer. He may also 
end up taking over KPortage[5], unless some other willing soul appears. He 
is currently working on developing BitTorrent[6] based tools for 
distributing things like LiveCDs and stages. 

 3. luke-jr@g.o
 4. http://tunxis.commnet.edu/
 5. http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/kportage/
 6. http://bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/
 
Luke-Jr has been using Linux since Red Hat 5.2 and later switched to a 
packageless manual compile system. He moved to Gentoo over a year ago when 
he began to feel the pain of keeping his system up-to-date. After spending 
some considerable time at the Gentoo booth at LinuxWorld Expo in January 
of 2003, he began to consider forking Gentoo to create a more 
newbie-friendly version. Upon discovering that the existing Gentoo 
developers had no objection to adding those tools to the existing distro, 
he began working as a Gentoo developer. 
 
Luke-Jr has a fair bit of experience in Open Source development. He was a 
primary developer on the Open Direct Connect[7] file sharing program as 
well as working on the Kye[8] puzzle game (which he plans to port to QT), 
MOO extensions and Tasogare[9], a multiplayer online RPG engine. He was 
particularly pleased with $phone, a MOO extension that allowed users to 
call virtual phone numbers on other MOOs, and the accomplishment of 
rewriting the Kye engine. Nevertheless, he considers Gentoo his "primary 
job", describing it as "the best operating system that currently exists". 

 7. http://sourceforge.net/projects/odc/
 8. http://sourceforge.net/projects/kye/
 9. http://sourceforge.net/projects/tasogare/
 
Luke-Jr is a KDE[10] user, largely because of the window manager, 
Konqueror, Kontact, Konsole and the Kicker (although he would consider 
dropping the last if someone would port the OSX taskbar). His favorite 
applications include Qt Designer[11], Mozilla Composer[12] and Psi[13]. 

 10. http://www.kde.org
 11. http://www.trolltech.com/products/qt/designer.html
 12. http://www.mozilla.org/
 13. http://psi.affinix.com
 
Luke-Jr's favorite quote comes is one of Richard Stallman's comments on 
proprietary software: "It was useless for a community." In that vein, he 
made a plea for people to shift away from obsolete or closed IM protocols 
toward the open and standardized Jabber/XMPP. He also points out that he 
has made the  hex time [14] display from his  screenshot[15] available 
with emerge khexclock. 

 14. http://www.intuitor.com/hex/hexclock.html
 15. http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/shots.xml
   
==================
3. Gentoo Security
==================
  
GLSAs
-----

Note: There were no new security announcements this week.
    
New Security Bug Reports
------------------------
  
The following new security bugs were posted this week: 
 
 * sys-libs/glibc[16] 
 16. http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=33383
    
=========================
4. Heard in the Community
=========================
  
gentoo-user
-----------
  
Moving /usr/portage 
 
Eventually, everyone seems to run low on disk space. One Gentoo list 
member was curious if it was possible to move /usr/portage to some place 
else to free some up. The short answer is "yes"; the question resulted in 
a cool thread with many useful `mount' tricks. Read  on [17] here. 

 17. 
http://news.gmane.org/onethread.php?group=gmane.linux.gentoo.user&root=%3C2
00311141624.35482.nbensa%40gmx.net%3E
    
gentoo-dev
----------
  
Gentoo Documentation.
 
Now, like so many other things about gentoo, the Gentoo Documentation 
Project (GDP) has a home page[18]. Have a look here[19] for the details 
about the project.. 

 18. http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/gdp
 19. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.devel/13776
 
Losing Ebuilds (a.k.a. the joys of openssl-0.9.7!)
 
Have a look at this[20] problem around old computers doing security 
updates, and running into trouble when the older ebuilds for a certain 
package have been deleted from the tree as older versions.

 20. http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.devel/13691
    
=======================
5. Gentoo International
=======================
  
Gentoo International is on hiatus this week.
   
================
6. Portage Watch
================
  
Portage Watch is on hiatus this week.
   
===========
7. Bugzilla
===========
  
Summary
-------
  
 * Statistics 
 * Closed Bug Ranking 
 * New Bug Rankings 
    
Statistics
----------
  
The Gentoo community uses Bugzilla (bugs.gentoo.org[21]) to record and 
track bugs, notifications, suggestions and other interactions with the 
development team. Between 08 November 2003 and 14 November 2003, activity 
on the site has resulted in: 

 21. http://bugs.gentoo.org
 
 * 0 new bugs during this period 
 * 261 bugs closed or resolved during this period 
 * 7 previously closed bugs were reopened this period 
 
Of the 4149 currently open bugs: 104 are labeled 'blocker', 191 are 
labeled 'critical', and 323 are labeled 'major'. 
    
Closed Bug Rankings
-------------------
  
The developers and teams who have closed the most bugs during this period 
are: 
 
 * Portage Team[22], with 18 closed bugs[23]  
 * Gentoo KDE Team[24], with 16 closed bugs[25]  
 * Gentoo Games[26], with 15 closed bugs[27]  
 * AMD64 Porting Team[28], with 12 closed bugs[29]  
 22. dev-portage@g.o
 23. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&ch
field=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11-14&resolution=FIX
ED&assigned_to=dev-portage@g.o
 24. kde@g.o
 25. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&ch
field=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11-14&resolution=FIX
ED&assigned_to=kde@g.o
 26. games@g.o
 27. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&ch
field=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11-14&resolution=FIX
ED&assigned_to=games@g.o
 28. amd64@g.o
 29. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=RESOLVED&bug_status=CLOSED&ch
field=bug_status&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11-14&resolution=FIX
ED&assigned_to=amd64@g.o
    
New Bug Rankings
----------------
  
The developers and teams who have been assigned the most new bugs during 
this period are: 
 
 * Media-GFX Herd[30], with 19 new bugs[31]  
 * Desktop Miscellaneous Team[32], with 16 new bugs[33]  
 * Gentoo KDE Team[34], with 13 new bugs[35]  
 * Martin Schlemmer[36], with 12 new bugs[37]  
 * Gentoo Sound Team[38], with 11 new bugs[39]  
 30. graphics@g.o
 31. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11
-14&assigned_to=graphics@g.o
 32. desktop-misc@g.o
 33. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11
-14&assigned_to=desktop-misc@g.o
 34. kde@g.o
 35. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11
-14&assigned_to=kde@g.o
 36. azarah@g.o
 37. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11
-14&assigned_to=azarah@g.o
 38. sound@g.o
 39. 
http://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_s
tatus=REOPENED&chfield=assigned_to&chfieldfrom=2003-11-08&chfieldto=2003-11
-14&assigned_to=sound@g.o
    
==================
8. Tips and Tricks
==================
  
Using the file command
 
This week's tip demonstrates the use of the file command. This command has 
been in UNIX since at least 1973 but is often overlooked. However, it's an 
extremely useful command for classifying files. 
 
The file command is provided by the package sys-apps/file, so if you don't 
already have it installed, you'll need to type emerge file. Chances are 
you've already got it on your system though. To use file simply type file 
filename and you'll see information about the filename you passed in. 
Simple right? 
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Code Listing 8.1:                                                       |
| Using file                                                              |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                                                         |
|% file css current.xml tips-20031117.xml tips-20031117.html screenlog.0  |
|css:                directory                                            |
|current.xml:        symbolic link to `tips-20031117.xml'                 |
|tips-20031117.xml:  ASCII English text                                   |
|tips-20031117.html: UTF-8 Unicode HTML document text with very long lines|
|screenlog.0:        ASCII English text, with CRLF, CR line terminators,  |
|with escape sequences, with overstriking                                 |
|                                                                         |
|//You can also use file to look at shell scripts                           |
|% file bin/fix bin/update_dat.sh                                         |
|bin/fix:           a /usr/bin/perl -w script text executable             |
|bin/update_dat.sh: a /bin/sh script text executable                      |
|                                                                         |
|//Or you can check binary files                                            |
|% file /bin/cp                                                           |
|/bin/cp: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), for   |
|GNU/Linux 2.4.1, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped         |
|                                                                         |
|//As the last example, you can use it on 'core' files                      |
|% file core                                                              |
|core: ELF 32-bit LSB core file Intel 80386, version 1 (SYSV), SVR4-style,|
|SVR4-style, from 'a.out'                                                 |
|                                                                         |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
This should get you started but there are many other uses of file, see the 
man page (man 1 file) for more information. 
   
==========================
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:
 
 * Andrea Luzzardi (scox) - sandbox and kernel 
    
Changes
-------
  
The following developers recently changed roles within the Gentoo Linux 
project.
 
 * none this week 
    
=====================
10. Contribute to GWN
=====================
  
Interested in contributing to the Gentoo Weekly Newsletter? Send us an 
email[40].

 40. gwn-feedback@g.o
   
================
11. GWN Feedback
================
  
Please send us your feedback[41] and help make the GWN better.

 41. gwn-feedback@g.o
   
================================
12. GWN Subscription Information
================================
  
To subscribe to the Gentoo Weekly Newsletter, send a blank email to 
gentoo-gwn-subscribe@g.o.
 
To unsubscribe to the Gentoo Weekly Newsletter, send a blank email to 
gentoo-gwn-unsubscribe@g.o from the email address you are 
subscribed under.
   
===================
13. Other Languages
===================
  
The Gentoo Weekly Newsletter is also available in the following languages:
 
 * Dutch[42] 
 * English[43] 
 * German[44] 
 * French[45] 
 * Japanese[46] 
 * Italian[47] 
 * Polish[48] 
 * Portuguese (Brazil)[49] 
 * Portuguese (Portugal)[50] 
 * Russian[51] 
 * Spanish[52] 
 * Turkish[53] 
 42. http://www.gentoo.org/news/be/gwn/gwn.xml
 43. http://www.gentoo.org/news/en/gwn/gwn.xml
 44. http://www.gentoo.org/news/de/gwn/gwn.xml
 45. http://www.gentoo.org/news/fr/gwn/gwn.xml
 46. http://www.gentoo.org/news/ja/gwn/gwn.xml
 47. http://www.gentoo.org/news/it/gwn/gwn.xml
 48. http://www.gentoo.org/news/pl/gwn/gwn.xml
 49. http://www.gentoo.org/news/br/gwn/gwn.xml
 50. http://www.gentoo.org/news/pt/gwn/gwn.xml
 51. http://www.gentoo.org/news/ru/gwn/gwn.xml
 52. http://www.gentoo.org/news/es/gwn/gwn.xml
 53. http://www.gentoo.org/news/tr/gwn/gwn.xml
  
Yuji Carlos Kosugi <carlos@g.o> - Editor
AJ Armstrong <aja@×××××××××××××.com> - Contributor
Brian Downey <bdowney@×××××××××××.net> - Contributor
Cal Evans <cal@××××××××.com> - Contributor
Chris Gavin <gubbs@××××.org> - Contributor
Luke Giuliani <cold_flame@×××××.com> - Contributor
Shawn Jonnet <shawn.jonnet@×××××××.net> - Contributor
Michael Kohl <citizen428@g.o> - Contributor
Kurt Lieber <klieber@g.o> - Contributor
Rafael Cordones Marcos <rcm@×××××××.net> - Contributor
David Narayan <david@×××××××.net> - Contributor
Gerald J Normandin Jr. <gerrynjr@g.o> - Contributor
Ulrich Plate <plate@g.o> - Contributor
Mathy Vanvoorden <matje@×××××××.be> - Dutch Translation
Hendrik Eeckhaut <Hendrik.Eeckhaut@×××××.be> - Dutch Translation
Jorn Eilander <sephiroth@××××××××.nl> - Dutch Translation
Bernard Kerckenaere <bernieke@××××××××.com> - Dutch Translation
Peter ter Borg <peter@××××××.nl> - Dutch Translation
Jochen Maes <linux@××××.be> - Dutch Translation
Roderick Goessen <rgoessen@××××.nl> - Dutch Translation
Gerard van den Berg <gerard@××××××.net> - Dutch Translation
Matthieu Montaudouin <mat@××××××××.com> - French Translation
Xavier Neys <neysx@g.o> - French Translation
Martin Prieto <riverdale@×××××××××.org> - French Translation
Antoine Raillon <cabec2@××××××.net> - French Translation
Sebastien Cevey <seb@×××××.net> - French Translation
Jean-Christophe Choisy <mabouya@××××××××××××.org> - French Translation
Thomas Raschbacher <lordvan@g.o> - German Translation
Steffen Lassahn <madeagle@g.o> - German Translation
Matthias F. Brandstetter <haim@g.o> - German Translation
Lukas Domagala <Cyrik@g.o> - German Translation
Tobias Scherbaum <dertobi123@g.o> - German Translation
Daniel Gerholdt <Sputnik1969@g.o> - German Translation
Marc Herren <dj-submerge@g.o> - German Translation
Tobias Matzat <SirSeoman@g.o> - German Translation
Marco Mascherpa <mush@××××××.net> - Italian Translation
Claudio Merloni <paper@×××××××.it> - Italian Translation
Christian Apolloni <bsolar@×××××××.ch> - Italian Translation
Stefano Lucidi <stefano.lucidi@×××××××××××××.org> - Italian Translation
Yoshiaki Hagihara <hagi@×××.com> - Japanese Translation
Katsuyuki Konno <katuyuki@××××××××.jp> - Japanese Translation
Yuji Carlos Kosugi <carlos@g.o> - Japanese Translation
Yasunori Fukudome <yasunori@××××××××××××××××.uk> - Japanese Translation
Takashi Ota <088@××××××××××.jp> - Japanese Translation
Radoslaw Janeczko <sototh@×××.pl> - Polish Translation
Lukasz Strzygowski <lucass.home@××.pl> - Polish Translation
Michal Drobek <veng@××.pl> - Polish Translation
Adam Lyjak <apo@××××××××××××××××××××.pl> - Polish Translation
Krzysztof Klimonda <cthulhu@×××××××××.net> - Polish Translation
Atila "Jedi" Bohlke Vasconcelos <bohlke@×××××××××.br> - Portuguese 
(Brazil) Translation
Eduardo Belloti <dudu@××××××××.net> - Portuguese (Brazil) Translation
Jo達o Rafael Moraes Nicola <joaoraf@×××××××××.br> - Portuguese (Brazil) 
Translation
Marcelo Gon巽alves de Azambuja <mgazambuja@×××××××××.br> - Portuguese 
(Brazil) Translation
Otavio Rodolfo Piske <angusy@××××××××.org> - Portuguese (Brazil) 
Translation
Pablo N. Hess -- NatuNobilis <natunobilis@××××××××.org> - Portuguese 
(Brazil) Translation
Pedro de Medeiros <pzilla@××××××××.br> - Portuguese (Brazil) Translation
Ventura Barbeiro <venturasbarbeiro@××××××.br> - Portuguese (Brazil) 
Translation
Bruno Ferreira <blueroom@××××××××××××.net> - Portuguese (Portugal) 
Translation
Gustavo Felisberto <humpback@××××××××××.net> - Portuguese (Portugal) 
Translation
Jos辿 Costa <jose_costa@×××××××.pt> - Portuguese (Portugal) Translation
Luis Medina <metalgodin@×××××××××.org> - Portuguese (Portugal) Translation
Ricardo Loureiro <rjlouro@×××××××.org> - Portuguese (Portugal) Translation
Sergey Galkin <gals_home@××××.ru> - Russian Translator
Sergey Kuleshov <svyatogor@g.o> - Russian Translator
Alex Spirin <asp13@××××.ru> - Russian Translator
Dmitry Suzdalev <dimsuz@××××.ru> - Russian Translator
Anton Vorovatov <mazurous@××××.ru> - Russian Translator
Denis Zaletov <dzaletov@×××××××.ru> - Russian Translator
Lanark <lanark@××××××××××.ar> - Spanish Translation
Fernando J. Pereda <ferdy@××××××.org> - Spanish Translation
Lluis Peinado Cifuentes <lpeinado@×××.edu> - Spanish Translation
Zephryn Xirdal T <ZEPHRYNXIRDAL@××××××××××.net> - Spanish Translation
Guillermo Juarez <katossi@××××××××××××××××.es> - Spanish Translation
Jes炭s Garc鱈a Crespo <correo@××××××.com> - Spanish Translation
Carlos Castillo <carlos@×××××××××××××.com> - Spanish Translation
Julio Castillo <julio@×××××××××××××.com> - Spanish Translation
Sergio G坦mez <s3r@××××××××××××.ar> - Spanish Translation
Aycan Irican <aycan@××××××××.tr> - Turkish Translation
Bugra Cakir <bugra@×××××××××.com> - Turkish Translation
Cagil Seker <cagils@××××××××××.tr> - Turkish Translation
Emre Kazdagli <emre@××××××××.tr> - Turkish Translation
Evrim Ulu <evrim@××××××××.tr> - Turkish Translation
Gursel Kaynak <gurcell@××××××××.tr> - Turkish Translation