Ultima Linux 8.3

Strange how 8.3 looks almost exactly like 8.2.

Ultima Linux 8.3 is who even knows which release we’re up to now, and our first new one of 2008. More importantly, it will also be the first release developed by the Ultima user community. Since we’re on a roll listing new things we hope it will be the first of, it will also feature a LiveDVD in addition to the standard LiveCD, which will include every package in Ultima Linux, ready to go “out of the box”.

Changelog

Added packages

Upgraded packages

Removed packages

Special notes

Dual-edition LiveDVD

See Ultima Linux 8.2/LiveDVD for complete details.

In addition to the standard LiveCD’s, 8.3 introduces a new LiveDVD containing both x86 and AMD64 editions of the distribution. At the start-up prompt, use one of the following “cheatcodes” to select which (press [F2] on the DVD to display the complete list):

A known bug in the 8.2b DVD’s Wolvix Control Panel installer has been fixed in this DVD release; the installer should now report estimated installation size and progress correctly when installing to disk.

OpenOffice.org

The OpenOffice.org package in Ultima Linux 8.3 is now built from source, rather than using converted RPM binaries as in previous versions. This has several advantages, including a smaller package size and native 64-bit packages on AMD64 systems. The new packages, however, do not include Java, among other features, and may lack certain functionality of the official packages. Users requiring Java support may download the “official” binaries from www.openoffice.org, or a Slackware-formatted package here.

Proprietary video drivers

Due to various technical problems, the ATI and NVIDIA proprietary video drivers are no longer available pre-installed in the X series. However, recent copies of both companies’ drivers are now included on the LiveDVD (look in /mnt/cdrom/drivers) for manual installation. 'Note that there is no official support for these drivers from ATI, NVIDIA, or the Ultima Linux developers.

SCSI kernel

Several known issues with the SCSI kernel have been corrected: The SCSI debug driver is now correctly built as a module rather than integrated into the kernel, and LSI Logic devices with “Fusion” chipsets should work properly now as well. (At least the virtual devices simulated by VMware – due to lack of hardware this has not been tested on a physical machine.)

The SCSI kernel must still be installed manually by copying the /mnt/cdrom/isolinux/scsi (scsi64 for AMD64 hosts, on the LiveDVD) to the new installation’s /boot directory. Integration of SCSI support in the Wolvix Control Panel is planned for a future release; if anyone currently using Ultima Linux on SCSI hardware would like this feature, we will be happy to implement this for a nominal fee. Contact Martin Ultima for more information.