BLAG

BLAG50002 (mendoza) has been released.


BLAG Linux and GNU is a 100% Free Software distribution.


BLAG is a single-cd distro with everything desktop users "expect" from a desktop, plus a collection of nice server apps.

BLAG50002 is the second update to the BLAG50k series.

BLAG50002 is based on Fedora Core 5 and uses packages from Extras, FreshRPMS, Dries, Livna, and ATrpms. It includes all Fedora updates as of time of release.


CD Images:
http://www.blagblagblag.org/torrents/BL ... so.torrent
ftp://ftp.blagblagblag.org/pub/BLAG/lin ... -50002.iso
http://www.blagblagblag.org/50000/iso/BLAG-50002.iso


http://www.blagblagblag.org BLAG Website
http://forums.blagblagblag.org BLAG Forums
http://wiki.blagblagblag.org BLAG Documentation
http://bugzilla.blagblagblag.org BLAG Bugzilla


New CD packages include irssi & bitlbee.

Updates include apt, audacity, bind, cups, firefox, gimp, glibc, gnomebaker, gpodder, graveman, inkscape, kernel, kino, liferea, openssh, openssl, scribus, streamripper, synaptic, thunderbird, & xchat.

Overall, 7 new packages were added, 88 updated.


September 26th, 2006

Another great release! :)

Thanks,
Stephen Clement

_________________
E-mail me at s.clement@localhost (replace localhost with sympatico.ca) or stevo32@localhost (replace localhost with blagblagblag.org).

Hola Señor Mendoza !

(-could you post the rsync instructions, please ?
-see it here :
http://wiki.blagblagblag.org/Rsync_iso
...Thanks to r7... )



PS: Childsplay rocks !

Great work as usual...50K is coming along nicely and will be hard to beat.
However I know Jebba will be trying hard to prove he can do better, as for me I'll run along now and see if I can hack mendoza to pieces :D

_________________
If it hurts it's because you're alive.

Ladislav Bodnar, the guy running distrowatch, thinks the 50002 ANNOUNCEMENT is terribly fucking boring. In fact, he thought it was so bad, he didn't even include blag's announcement on his site (for the first time). I asked why, and here was his response:



Youch. He's pretty right though. I do just take the old one, swap in the names of the new updates, s/50001/50002, and push it out. I'm generally just glad the CD is done and working. I have never spent much time /at all/ trying to promote blag. (Promotion currently consists of an email to distrowatch, lwn.net, and a freshmeat update.)

Following up with him, he responded:



In sum, we need less suck in the PR department. r7 has offered to write something up, but I think the issue is also a bit wider than just one ANNOUNCEMENT.

Should we actively start promoting blag like most distros do? If so, where? How? Perhaps even, why? :)

The website has had pretty much the same look for quite some time. Dylan did do a decent looking mockup of a new look, but it really wasn't /too/ much different. Should we revamp that as well? If so, who? :)

Oh, and mailing lists are on the way. Either autistici.org or aktivix.org is going to host them. (As a historical note, we had mailing lists until the servers were sent to the FBI then they didn't get set up again.)

In sum, BLAG marketing. /me runs ;)

-Jeff

P.S. Ladislav said it was fine if i posted this.

Maybe we should have this fellow write it ;)

http://www.nuxified.org/blag_an_easy_way_to_freedom

It's a nice blag review:

Oh, by the way, there is a Changelog here:

http://www.blagblagblag.org/50000/Changelog

Here's some MD5SUMs for you to dream about:



Oh, and I hope we never do ANNOUNCEMENTs like this:



WTF? Or for fc5:



Man, they should be left off distrowatch just for that painful text. Ouch. I'd rather be boring. ;)

Ok, I'm gonna be an asshole and say "I told you so!":


From some release that occured in February (50000?):


My extensive logs are coming back to haunt you! ;)

Anyhow, as for real suggestions:

Yes, it'd prolly be good to actually assemble a real PR/Marketing team. Now, there's something important here though: this team is going to have to collaborate with jeff (and the other developers) in order to get a release out the doors. So when you're on vacation, and we wanna do a release, what happens? Other than that, yeah, I think it'd be great if we had a PR team to do a little bit of blag promotion. However, nothing like the bullshit from Fedora. Just a little straightforward promotion.

Thanks,
Stephen Clement

_________________
E-mail me at s.clement@localhost (replace localhost with sympatico.ca) or stevo32@localhost (replace localhost with blagblagblag.org).

ok, Ladislav was a bit dry, almost aggressive. But I think you have the right attitude in taking his comments in consideration. Of course, Blag is not about Bells & Whistles, with flashy anouncements, but a bit of PR shouldn't hurt...

Maybe more explainations for the newcomer in the main website page.

Hey, Blag is the best distro around, if it needs a bit of marketing, why not ?

As far as the website goes, if someone mocks up something in GIMP or gives me a drawing of what they want, I will be quite happy to code it. Web pages I can do :)

As for PR, chuck some ideas in this thread. Just so happens I know someone who can reword things in a marketable way and does so for a living.

does this strike anyone as a better version?

==
BLAG50002 (mendoza)
===================

The second update to the Fedora Core 5 based, single-CD, 100% Free distro has been released.

Highlights for this release are the latest kernel [2.6.17-1.2187_FC5], the 'promotion' of bitlbee [1.0.3] and irssi [0.8.10] from the repo onto the main CD and updates to such major packages as firefox [1.5.0.7 -- with BLAG's unique set of activist and independent media bookmarks], gimp [2.2.13], inkscape [0.44.1], scribus [1.2.5], thunderbird [1.5.0.7] and xchat [2.6.6].

BLAG continues to have range of tools and software for the desktop user, media activist and those searching for the properly 'free' GNU/Linux experience.

BLAG -- it makes you want to go `cat /etc/blag-release`.

Community
=========

http://www.blagblagblag.org/ BLAG Website
http://forums.blagblagblag.org/ BLAG Forums
http://wiki.blagblagblag.org/ BLAG Documentation
http://bugzilla.blagblagblag.org/ BLAG Bugzilla

Coming soon
===========

The return of the BLAG-style list [or is it lists?].

Download the CD image
=====================

http://www.blagblagblag.org/torrents/BL ... so.torrent
ftp://ftp.blagblagblag.org/pub/BLAG/lin ... -50002.iso
http://www.blagblagblag.org/50000/iso/BLAG-50002.iso

Downloadable versions of SRPM CDs and DVDs are also available.

Please use the torrents if you can.

All the in-depth stuff
======================
BLAG Linux and GNU is a 100% Free Software distribution.

BLAG is a single-CD distro with everything desktop users "expect" from a desktop, plus a collection of nice server apps.

The 50000 series of BLAG releases is based on Fedora Core 5 and uses packages from Extras, FreshRPMS, Dries, Livna, and ATrpms. It includes all Fedora updates as of time of release.

Other updates in this release include: apt [0.5.15], audacity [1.2.4], bind [9.3.2], cups [1.2.3], glibc [2.4.11], gnomebaker [0.6.0], gpodder [0.8.0], graveman [0.3.12.5], kino [0.9.2], liferea [1.0.23], openssh [4.3p2], openssl [0.9.8a], streamripper [1.16.27] and synaptic [0.57.2].

Overall, seven new packages were added and 88 were updated.

A full changelog is available at:

http://www.blagblagblag.org/50000/Changelog
==

The r7's piece sounds good to me, but then I am not the chief editor at Distrowatch !

-Shall you maybe write at least one sentence about Kiax/Blasterisk, like something about free phonecalls ???

-How about mentionning and linking the FSF endorsement ?

-Does it make sense to also mention the IRC channel as well, where you mention the forum & wiki ?

r7, that looks good to me, but so did the one I sent. ;)

Perhaps a link to the Changelog and maybe the Roadmap on the wiki as well?

Thanks!

-Jeff

I think we should all email Ladislav and tell him how pissed we are that he's ignoring our distro's new release. Get really indignant and say that we'll never go to his site again. Hit him in the pocketbook ;)

_________________
Ed LaBonte

If we were as large as the Ubuntu/Fedora/Suse/Debian comunity, it would be a great option... But we are "too small"...

I believe into shaping a bit more the anouncement, and email it again to Ladislav...

Whether we like it or not, Distrowatch is what rules in the Linux world, and I don't believe we can afford to ignore it... If we do so, it is to the detriment of potential new users, who would maybe browse DW, find Blag, adopt it, participate in the comunity, help... etc...

So no ego, here... Just submit the r7's anouncement... I would modify it a bit, as suggested in my previous post in this thread... Mention Blastersisk, the IRC channel, the FSF endorsement...

Now, if Ladislav still refuses to publish us, it will be time to think about something else...