Ubuntu Linux 7.04 - Feisty Fawn

Today Ubuntu 7.04 was released.

7.04 brings with it Ubuntu's new live install. Previous versions of Ubuntu used to ship 2 CD-ROMs, one for demos, the Live CD, and one for installs. Now these are combined to create what I think is the ultimate installer. Ubuntu now boots up a full working version of the OS from CD with an icon on the desktop labeled "install" you can play around with most of the Ubuntu software including games and the Firefox web browser before or DURING the install process. This is a huge leap forward and I'd love to see windows and MacOS follow suit and give the techies the ability to browse the web at least while the OS installs.

Also new in the installer is the migration assistant that looks for compatible previous OSes on your hard disk and attempts to import users and data from them into your new Ubuntu install. That is also a nice feature that I'd like to see replicated on other OSes.

7.04 server edition also includes optimized Virtual Machine support for Kernel-based Virtual Machines (KVM) and VMware.

I may write a bit more about Ubuntu 7.04 later as I get a chance to use it more, but for now I just wanted to say I LOVE the new installer.

Sony "DVD" discs not even compatible with Sony players

A number of Sony customers are reporting problems with several newer Sony "DVD" discs. Why the quotation marks you ask? because they are not designed to be compatible with the DVD-Video standard, so like the Sony CD-like discs that are not designed to the CD Digital Audio specs I'm not sure I can call these things DVDs in good conscience.

Take a look at this Blog for one gentleman's story about his encounter with these discs and Sony support. http://sonystrikesagain.wordpress.com/

So far the list of effected discs is:

Stranger Than Fiction
Casino Royale
The Pursuit of Happyness

...but I'm sure we can expect more of these.

My advice is :
Don't buy SONY DVDs
If you must buy them, test in as many DVD players as you can before you lose the reciept and take it back if it fails to work in even 1 tested machine.
If you really want to stick it to them buy, return, repeat. ...as many times as you can. ...and do it at Walmart just to kill two birds with one stone.

Star Office

If you live near Oshawa Ontario and need a cheap office product with support from a big company (Sun Microsystems) go to the Liquidation World in the Midtown Mall, they have stacks of Star Office 7 for Windows, Linux and Solaris on sale for $7 each.

Check here to see all the features of Star Office : http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1435597,00.asp