Welcome From The Chief Editor (August 2011)
The release of the various flavors of PCLinuxOS continue to roll out the door. In June, we saw the release of the KDE version and the LXDE versions. July saw the release of the KDE Minime release, along with the release of Phoenix, the Xfce version, featuring the latest Xfce 4.8. July also saw the release of the minimal Gnome 2.32.1 version, via the Zen release.Currently in the works are new versions of Openbox, a new copy of Phinx (Phoenix Mini), the minimal version of Xfce 4.8, and a new full Gnome release. Also in the works are newer, updated versions of e17, a new 64-bit version of PCLinuxOS, a minimal, lightweight command line version (called pCLI-nox, representing its CLI interface and the fact that it doesn’t use Xorg), and a special lightweight GUI version, featuring a choice of up to three different minimalistic, ultra-lightweight GUI desktops.
All
of the new flavors of PCLinuxOS (with the exception of
pCLI-nox) feature an updated 2.6.38.x Linux kernel,
along with Xorg updated to 1.10.3, and new drivers to
match.
Linus Torvalds announced the end of the 2.6.x Linux kernel, replaced by the 3.0.x Linux kernel. Although there are no earth-shattering, monumental advancements in the 3.0.x Linux kernel, it does represent a “coming of age” of the Linux kernel – and an end to the high minor version numbers of the 2.6.x kernel, with the 2.6.39 kernel being the last in the 2.6.x line. The advancement of the Linux kernel version number also comes on the 20th anniversary of the “birth” of Linux.
Meanwhile, the climate is wrecking havoc for many users. Much of North America is locked into a blast furnace with temperatures to match, while a good portion of Europe is experiencing below average temperatures this summer.
Fortunately, my wife and I missed the start of the blast furnace here in the Midwestern United States, having returned from vacation in Estes Park, Colorado, with its idealistic summer weather. Daytime temperatures were in the mid to upper 70s and lower 80s (Fahrenheit, for my international friends), and the upper 40s and lower 50s at night – all without hardly any humidity.
Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are staying safe and keeping cool (or warm, if you’re in the middle of the Southern hemisphere’s winter). Until next month, I wish all of you happiness, prosperity, serenity and good health.
