Uyuni 2020.03 released — with enhanced Debian support!

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Uyuni is a configuration and infrastructure management tool that saves you time and headaches when you have to manage and update tens, hundreds or even thousands of machines.

Uyuni is a fork of Spacewalk that leverages Salt, Cobbler and containers to modernize it. Uyuni is the upstream for SUSE Manager (the main difference is support: with SUSE Manager you get it from SUSE; with Uyuni you get it from the community) and our development and feature discussion is done in the open.

Last week we released Uyuni 2020.03, with much improved Debian support, coming from the community: we have got client tools (both the Salt stack and the traditional stack) for Debian 9 and 10, and bootstrapping support!

In addition to that, Uyuni 2020.03 brings many other new features:

  • Package pre-downloading for Debian and Ubuntu
  • Automatic generation of bootstrap repositories
  • Provisioning API for Salt clients (previously only for traditional clients), which allows to provision and re-provision Salt minions
  • Recurring actions scheduling, e. g. schedule highstate to happen every so often, repeatedly
  • Content Lifecycle Management filters for RHEL 8 appstreams so that you can convert modular repositories to plain repositories by applying a combination of filters. It will also work on RHEL derivatives, of course: CentOS, Oracle Linux and SLES Expanded Support.
  • Yomi: Yet One More Installer is a Salt-based installer for SUSE and openSUSE operating systems. More architectures (e. g. ARM) and Linux distributions will follow soon!
  • Hub XML-RPC API: the first component of our multi-Server architecture, to support hundreds of thousands of clients
  • SUSE Container as a Platform 4 (SUSE’s Kubernetes distribution) cluster awareness. Nodes in a SUSE CaaSP 4 cluster will by default not install updates, patches, run commands, etc from Uyuni Server on the normal schedule but default to doing that using skuba, CaaSP’s tool in charge of updates and reboots. Further enhancements are coming to this feature soon.

While this version of Uyuni provides a much better experience for Debian sysadmins, we still have a lot of room for improvement:

Do you want to help us with development, or just with feedback? Join our community on IRC, Gitter or the mailing lists. And check our user documentation, developer documentation and presentations.

We are also participating in Google Summer of Code 2020. Hurry up and submit a proposal to provide Uyuni for Debian, and/or enhance Debian support!

FOSDEM 2018 Retrocomputing DevRoom Call for Participation

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FOSDEM is a free software event that offers open source communities a place to meet, share ideas and collaborate. It is renown for being highly developer-oriented and brings together 8000+ participants from all over the world. It is held in the city of Brussels (Belgium).

FOSDEM 2018 will take place during the weekend of February 3rd-4th 2018. More details about the event can be found at http://www.fosdem.org

Call for Participation

The Retrocomputing DevRoom is a first-timer at FOSDEM, with talks about use of older computing hardware and software in modern times.

Presentation topics could include but are not limited to:

  • Emulation of old systems to run videogames, legacy software, etc
  • Open source software emulation/simulation
  • Open hardware
  • Operating systems/executives for retrocomputers/retrosystems
  • Uses of retrocomputing today
  • Other retrosystems topics
  • Opportunities in retrocomputing
  • Round tables

You are not limited to slide presentations, of course. Be creative. However, FOSDEM is an open source conference, therefore we ask you to stay clear of marketing presentations. We are not afraid of technical stuff: devrooms are a place for development teams to meet, discuss, hack and publicly present their project’s latest improvements and future directions.

If you will have special needs for your talk (e. g. because you will need to plug some sort of a system), please note that clearly in your proposal so that we can provide it.

You can use the Wikipedia definition of retrocomputing as a reference definition to see if you talk qualifies, although it is not exclusive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrocomputing

Important dates

  • 25 Nov 2017: submission deadline for talk proposals
  • 15 Dec 2017: announcement of the final schedule
  • 4 Feb 2018: Retrocomputing dev room

Useful information

Use the FOSDEM Pentabarf tool to submit your proposal: https://penta.fosdem.org/submission/FOSDEM18

If necessary, create a Pentabarf account and activate it. Please reuse your account from previous years if you have already created it.

Details on submission:

  • In the “Person” section, provide First name, Last name (in the “General” tab), Email (in the “Contact” tab) and Bio (“Abstract” field in the “Description” tab).
  • Submit a proposal by clicking on “Create event”.
  • Important! Select the “Retrocomputing DevRoom” track (on the “General” tab). If you do not select a track, then nobody, from any track, will look at your submission!
  • Provide the title of your talk (“Event title” in the “General” tab).
  • Provide a description of the subject of the talk and the intended audience (in the “Abstract” field of the “Description” tab)
  • Provide a rough outline of the talk or goals of the session (a short list of bullet points covering topics that will be discussed) in the “Full description” field in the “Description” tab
  • Provide an expected length of your talk in the “Duration” field, including discussion. The default duration is 30 minutes.

Please note neither FOSDEM nor the Retrocomputing DevRoom will reimburse any expenses you incur

Recording of talks

The FOSDEM organizers plan to have live streaming and recording fully working, both for remote/later viewing of talks, and so that people can watch streams in the hallways when rooms are full. This requires speakers to consent to being recorded and streamed.

If you plan to be a speaker, please understand that by doing so you implicitly give consent for your talk to be recorded and streamed.

The recordings will be published under the same license as all FOSDEM content (CC-BY).

Contact

The Retrocomputing DevRoom is managed by Pau Garcia Quiles (retrocomputing-devroom-manager@fosdem.org).

A mailing list of speakers, audience and the curious is available, please subscribe at https://lists.fosdem.org/listinfo/retrocomputing-devroom

Hope to hear from you soon! And please forward this announcement.

Almost at FOSDEM. Video volunteers?

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I am boarding my flight to Brussels to attend FOSDEM.

The Desktops DevRoom will be a blast again this year. While I have been in charge of it for 6? years already, the last two (since my twins) were born I had organized remotely and local duties were carried on by the Desktops DevRoom team (thank you Christophe Fergeau, Philippe Caseiro and others!).

I am anxious at meeting old friends again. I will be at the beer event today.

Video streaming will be available thanks to the Video Team. If you want to help, please contact us in the desktops-devroom@lists.fosdem.org mailing list, or directly at the devroom.

Also, this year will be the first for me using the job corner to recruit: my company (everis) is recruiting globally for many open positions. Drop us a mail at fosdem@everis.com with your CV, desired position and location (we have direct presence in 13 countries and indirect in 40 countries) and I will make sure it reaches the right inbox.

Desktops DevRoom @ FOSDEM 2017: you are still on time to submit a talk

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FOSDEM 2016 is going to be great (again!) and you still have the chance to be one of the stars.

Have you submitted your talk to the Desktops DevRoom yet?

No?

Remember: we will only accept proposals until December 5th. After that, the Organization Team will get busy and vote and choose the talks.

Here is the full Call for Participation, in case you need to check the details on how to submit:

FOSDEM Desktops DevRoom 2017 Call for Participation

Topics include anything related to the Desktop: desktop environments, software development for desktop/cross-platform, applications, UI, etc

FOSDEM Desktops DevRoom 2017 Call for Participation

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FOSDEM is one of the largest (5,000+ hackers!) gatherings of Free Software contributors in the world and happens each February in Brussels (Belgium, Europe).

Once again, one of the tracks will be the Desktops DevRoom (formerly known as “CrossDesktop DevRoom”), which will host Desktop-related talks.

We are now inviting proposals for talks about Free/Libre/Open-source Software on the topics of Desktop development, Desktop applications and interoperability amongst Desktop Environments. This is a unique opportunity to show novel ideas and developments to a wide technical audience.

Topics accepted include, but are not limited to:

  • Open Desktops: Gnome, KDE, Unity, Enlightenment, XFCE, Razor, MATE, Cinnamon, ReactOS, CDE etc
  • Closed desktops: Windows, Mac OS X, MorphOS, etc (when talking about a FLOSS topic)
  • Software development for the desktop
  • Development tools
  • Applications that enhance desktops
  • General desktop matters
  • Cross-platform software development
  • Web
  • Thin clients, desktop virtualiation, etc

Talks can be very specific, such as the advantages/disadvantages of distributing a desktop application with snap vs flatpak, or as general as using HTML5 technologies to develop native applications.

Topics that are of interest to the users and developers of all desktop environments are especially welcome. The FOSDEM 2016 schedule might give you some inspiration.

Submissions

Please include the following information when submitting a proposal:

  • Your name
  • The title of your talk (please be descriptive, as titles will be listed with around 400 from other projects)
  • Short abstract of one or two paragraphs
  • Short bio (with photo)
  • Requested time: from 15 to 45 minutes. Normal duration is 30 minutes. Longer duration requests must be properly justified. You may be assigned LESS time than you request.

How to submit

All submissions are made in the Pentabarf event planning tool: https://penta.fosdem.org/submission/FOSDEM17

To submit your talk, click on “Create Event”, then make sure to select the “Desktops” devroom as the “Track”. Otherwise your talk will not be even considered for any devroom at all.

If you already have a Pentabarf account from a previous year, even if your talk was not accepted, please reuse it. Create an account if, and only if, you don’t have one from a previous year. If you have any issues with Pentabarf, please contact desktops-devroom@lists.fosdem.org.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is December 5th 2016.

FOSDEM will be held on the weekend of 4 & 5 February 2017 and the Desktops DevRoom will take place on Sunday, February 5th 2017.

We will contact every submitter with a “yes” or “no” before December 11th 2016.

Recording permission

The talks in the Desktops DevRoom will be audio and video recorded, and possibly streamed live too.

In the “Submission notes” field, please indicate that you agree that your presentation will be licensed under the CC-By-SA-4.0 or CC-By-4.0 license and that you agree to have your presentation recorded. For example:

“If my presentation is accepted for FOSDEM, I hereby agree to license all recordings, slides, and other associated materials under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License. Sincerely, <NAME>.”

If you want us to stop the recording in the Q & A part (should you have one), please tell us. We can do that but only for the Q & A part.

More information

The official communication channel for the Desktops DevRoom is its mailing list desktops-devroom@lists.fosdem.org.

Use this page to manage your subscription: https://lists.fosdem.org/listinfo/desktops-devroom

Organization

The Desktops DevRoom 2017 is managed by a team representing the most notable open desktops:

  • Pau Garcia i Quiles, KDE
  • Christophe Fergeau, Gnome
  • Michael Zanetti, Unity
  • Philippe Caseiro, Enlightenment
  • Jérome Leclanche, Razor

If you want to join the team, please contact desktops-devroom@lists.fosdem.org

Extension: FOSDEM 2016 Desktops DevRoom Call for Talks

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Want to give a talk at a 6,000+ guest conference with more than 6,000 guests?

Do you feel you can deliver better than any other the other 250 speakers?

Here is your opportunity!

The FOSDEM Organization has graciously given devroom organizers a little extension. We are therefore extending our own deadline for the Desktops DevRoom: the new deadline is December 14th. There will be no further extensions.

Check the details on how to submit in the Call for Participation:

FOSDEM Desktops DevRoom 2016 Call for Participation

Topics include anything related to the Desktop: desktop environments, software development for desktop/cross-platform, applications, UI, etc

See you in Brussels!

Desktops DevRoom @ FOSDEM 2016: Have you submitted your talk yet?

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FOSDEM 2016 is going to be great (again!) and you still have the chance to be one of the stars.

Have you submitted your talk to the Desktops DevRoom yet?

No?

Remember: we will only accept proposals until December 6th. After that, the Organization Team will get busy and vote and choose the talks.

Here is the full Call for Participation, in case you need to check the details on how to submit:

FOSDEM Desktops DevRoom 2016 Call for Participation

Topics include anything related to the Desktop: desktop environments, software development for desktop/cross-platform, applications, UI, etc

FOSDEM Desktops DevRoom 2016 Call for Participation

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FOSDEM is one of the largest gatherings of Free Software contributors in the world and happens each February in Brussels (Belgium, Europe). One of the tracks will be the Desktops DevRoom (formerly known as “CrossDesktop DevRoom”), which will host Desktop-related talks.

We are now inviting proposals for talks about Free/Libre/Open-source Software on the topics of Desktop development, Desktop applications and interoperability amongst Desktop Environments. This is a unique opportunity to show novel ideas and developments to a wide technical audience.

Topics accepted include, but are not limited to:

  • Open Desktops: Gnome, KDE, Unity, Enlightenment, XFCE, Razor, MATE, Cinnamon, ReactOS, etc
  • Closed desktops: Windows, Mac OS X, CDE, MorphOS, etc (when talking about a FLOSS topic)
  • Software development for the desktop
  • Development tools
  • Applications that enhance desktops
  • General desktop matters
  • Cross-platform software development
  • Web

Talks can be very specific, such as the advantages/disadvantages of development with Qt on Wayland over X11/Mir; or as general as predictions for the fusion of Desktop and web in 5 years time. Topics that are of interest to the users and developers of all desktop environments are especially welcome. The FOSDEM 2015 schedule might give you some inspiration.

Submissions

Please include the following information when submitting a proposal:

  • Your name
  • The title of your talk (please be descriptive, as titles will be listed with around 400 from other projects)
  • Short abstract of one or two paragraphs
  • Short bio (with photo)
  • Requested time: from 15 to 45 minutes. Normal duration is 30 minutes. Longer duration requests must be properly justified. You may be assigned LESS time than you request.

How to submit

All submissions are made in the Pentabarf event planning tool: https://penta.fosdem.org/submission/FOSDEM16

When submitting your talk, make sure to select the “Desktops” devroom as the “Track”. Otherwise your talk will not be even considered for any devroom.

If you already have a Pentabarf account from a previous year, even if your talk was not accepted, please reuse it. Create an account if, and only if, you don’t have one from a previous year. If you have any issues with Pentabarf, please contact pgquiles at elpauer dot org.

Deadline

The deadline for submissions is December 6th 2015. FOSDEM will be held on the weekend of January 30th and 31st 2015 and the Desktops DevRoom will take place on Sunday, January 31st 2015.

We will contact every submitter with a “yes” or “no” before December 18th 2015.

Recording permission

The talks in the Desktops devroom will be audio and video recorded, and possibly streamed live too.

By submitting a proposal you consent to be recorded and agree to license the content of your talk under a Creative Commons (CC-BY) license.

If you want us to stop the recording in the Q & A part (should you have one), please tell us. We can do that but only for the Q & A part.

More information

The official communication channel for the Desktops DevRoom is its mailing list desktops-devroom@lists.fosdem.org.

Use this page to manage your subscription: https://lists.fosdem.org/listinfo/desktops-devroom

Organization

The Desktops DevRoom 2016 is managed by a team representing the most notable open desktops:

  • Pau Garcia i Quiles, KDE
  • Christophe Fergeau, Gnome
  • Michael Zanetti, Unity
  • Philippe Caseiro, Enlightenment
  • Jérome Leclanche, Razor

If you want to join the team, please contact pgquiles at elpauer dot org

FOSDEM Desktops DevRoom 2016

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It is now official: KDE will be present again at FOSDEM in the 2016 edition, on the 30th and 31st of January, 2016.

Talks will take place at the Desktops DevRoom, on Sunday the 31st, but not exclusively: in past years, there were Qt and KDE-related talks at the mobile devroom, lightning talks, distributions, open document editors and more.

KDE will be sharing the room with other desktop environments, as usual: Gnome, Unity, Enlightenment, Razor, etc. Representatives from those communities will be helping me in managing and organizing the devroom: Christophe Fergeau, Michael Zanetti, Philippe Caseiro and Jérome Leclanche.

I would like to extend the invitation to any other free/open source desktop environment and/or related stuff. Check last year’s schedule for an example. Closed-source shops (Microsoft, Apple, Oracle, etc) are ALSO invited, provided that you will talk about something related to open source.

We will publish the Call for Talks for the Desktops DevRoom 2016 soon. Stay tuned.

In the meanwhile, you can subscribe to the Desktops DevRoom mailing list to be informed of important and useful information, and talk about FOSDEM and specific issues of the Desktops DevRoom.

Reminder: Desktops DevRoom @ FOSDEM 2015

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We are less than 10 days away from the deadline for the Desktops DevRoom at FOSDEM 2015, the largest Free and Open Source event in Europe.

Do you think you can fill a room with 200+ people out of 6,000+ geeks? Prove it!

Check the Call for Talks for details on how to submit your talk proposal about anything related to the desktop:

  • Development
  • Deployment
  • Community
  • SCM
  • Software distribution / package managers
  • Why a particular default desktop on a prominent Linux distribution 😉
  • etc

http://www.elpauer.org/2014/10/fosdem-2015-desktops-devroom-call-for-talks/