Ubuntu Christian Edition News

Ubuntu CE Project temporarily suspended. (April 10, 2008)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:03:00 +0000

After much struggle, debate, and prayer we have decided to temporarily suspend the Ubuntu CE Project. There are many reason for this decision. You can read and discuss more about this decision here.

We are hopeful that the suspension will be a short one. However, there is no set timeline. We hope that you all understand that this was a very difficult decision.

God Bless, Jereme Hancock
Ubuntu CE Developer

Wikipedia Censors Ubuntu CE! (October 5, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:43:00 +0000

Unfortunately the Ubuntu CE Wikipedia entry has been removed. The entry is now redirected to a list of Ubuntu based derivatives which, ironically, all still have their own pages on Wikipedia.

Even though Ubuntu CE had more than enough notable sources available the admins at Wikipedia have decided that it did not belong on Wikipedia. There was also an active discussion in progress when the deletion occurred. The admin who removed the entry even admitted that the deletion was "against public opinion". So much for the "community encyclopedia".

We just wanted to let Ubuntu CE users both new and old know about this blatant attempt to diminish our efforts.

Please take the time to contact Wikipedia and voice your outrage. Let's keep it civil, but let's take a stand against this type of obvious censorship.

For more info on this issue you can follow the discussion here.

You can also view the "Articles For Deletion" discussion for Ubuntu CE here.

You can help by "Digging" this news release. Digg it!

God Bless, Jereme Hancock
Ubuntu CE Developer

Ubuntu CE v3.3 (Feisty) released! (July 29, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 14:07:00 +0000

We are excited to announce the release of Ubuntu CE v3.3. This release adds a few new features and several updates and fixes.

This release comes just after Ubuntu CE's 1st Birthday! We have had a great year and are looking forward to the continued development in the year to come.

We have added the WhatWouldJesusDownload Toolbar to Firefox. This toolbar gives quick access to many of the great tools available at WhatWouldJesusDownload.com, the parent site of the Ubuntu CE Project. The Ubuntu CE main menu icon has also been enhanced with an overlay to give it a more unique look. This is accomplished using gdesklets which also powers the Desktop verse feature.

Fixes in this release include some minor adjustments to the Dansguardian GUI. IEs4Linux has now been set to work with the Ubuntu CE Parental Controls. This makes installing IEs4Linux less of a risk for those concerned with compromising the filtering.

There are also a few minor updates including the newest Bible Fox theme for Ubuntu CE. We have also set Firefox to open new windows in tabs.

God Bless, Jereme
Project Lead Developer

Ubuntu CE Celebrates 1st Birthday! (July 24, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:48:00 +0000

Well, the Ubuntu CE project has made it to its first "Birthday"!

We have come a long way in the last year and are excited about the next year of development. The project was doubted by many. We had a struggle to get the project to be viewed on its merits and not simply cast aside as another "Christian" marketing gimmick. I am so excited to see how much Ubuntu CE has grown. It has grown steadily since its release and has more than proven that a need exists for such a project.

I would like to thank all of the Team Members and everyone who has helped with the project. Ubuntu CE would not exist with out the help of so many.

God Bless, Jereme Hancock
Ubuntu CE Lead Developer

Linux Format Magazine mentions Ubuntu CE again! (June 20, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:20:00 +0000

Ubuntu CE has received a small mention in the June issue of Linux Format. It appears in a list of nine popular Ubuntu-based distributions. This is the second mention of Ubuntu CE in Linux Format.

God Bless, Jereme Hancock, Ubuntu CE Developer

Linux Format Issue 93 Page 39

Ubuntu CE v3.2 (Feisty) released! (June 1, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Thu, 31 May 2007 23:42:00 +0000

We have just released Ubuntu CE v3.2 (Feisty).

This release fixes one potentially serious bug in the IEs4Linux Installer. The IEs4Linux Installer was deleting the bin folder that it created from the users home directory during the "clean up" process. This would only be a problem if the user had a bin folder in their home directory prior to running the IEs4Linux Installer. This has been fixed.

This release also marks the end of the Ubuntu CE Installer. The Ubuntu CE Installer allowed users to easily add additional Christian and Educational programs to Ubuntu CE. We have decided to discontinue this feature since there were some issues with the Ichthux install option. We have decided to put our efforts into creating documentation for adding addtional programs and features to Ubuntu CE. We have started the new Ubuntu CE Documentation Wiki (www.wiki.christianubuntu.com) to accomplish this. It has just started but will soon contain a plethora of information pertaining to Ubuntu CE.

Ubuntu CE v3.1 (Feisty) released! (May 18, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Fri, 18 May 2007 02:51:00 +0000

We have just released an Ubuntu CE v3.1 (Feisty). This is a maintenance release to fix a few bugs. The bug fixes in this release were all reported promptly by Ubuntu CE users and is a testament to the wonderful community that has grown around Ubuntu CE.

The updates are listed below.

- Fixed suspend/hibernate
- Fixed dansguardian proxy issues
- Fixed Ubuntu CE Installer appending wrong sources

Two of these bug fixes are quite significant. It is highly recommended that you use the convert_me script to update your existing Ubuntu CE installation to the latest version.

We have also made some enhancements to the convert_me script. First, there will no longer be a separate script for "conversion" and "upgrading". We have consolidated both scripts into the one convert_me script. Second, we have added some additional error dialogs and messages to help make the conversion/update process go more smoothly.

Ubuntu CE MySpace Profile (May 5, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Sat, 05 May 2007 13:30:00 +0000

We have created a new Ubuntu CE MySpace profile to use as a brochure site. It is a great way to spread the word about Ubuntu CE to your friends on MySpace.

Due to new limitations in MySpace we have decided to discontinue the Ubuntu CE MySpace profile.

Ubuntu CE now on The Ubuntu Counter Project (May 5, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Sat, 05 May 2007 11:29:00 +0000

Ubuntu CE is now included on The Ubuntu Counter Project.

The Ubuntu Counter Project is like a miniature version of The Linux Counter. It aims to catalogue the number of registered machines using the numerous varients of the Ubuntu Linux distribution.

So what are you waiting for?

Get Counted!

Ubuntu CE v3.0 (Feisty) Released! (May 2, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Wed, 02 May 2007 07:54:00 +0000

We are very excited to announce the release of Ubuntu CE v3.0 (Feisty).

Thanks to the wonderful results of the Ubuntu Feisty release and the great efforts of the Ubuntu CE Team this is sure to be the best Ubuntu CE yet.

The main change is, of course, that this release is based directly on Ubuntu 7.04 "Feisty Fawn". We have also added a few new features. The most visible addition is the Daily Bible Verse displayed on the desktop. This is accomplished using gDesklets and the Bible RSS desklet built specifically for Ubuntu CE. It is very easy to configure it to suit any background or desktop setup. The e-Sword Installer received such a positive response that we decided to add one for another popular Windows Bible program, The Word. Firefox also has a new look. The developer of the Bible Fox theme has joined the Ubuntu CE Team and has provided a custom version of the Bible Fox theme for Ubuntu CE. The Faith Browser theme is still available for those who prefer it. We have also added the BibleToolbar extension that allows you to easily search the Bible at BibleGateway.com from Firefox.

The theme and graphics have all been updated. This includes the addition of translucent backgrounds for the Gnome panels. This gives the desktop a much more polished look. We have also enhanced the theme integration to ensure a consistent Ubuntu CE look and feel. The convert_me script has also been updated to ensure better theme integration.

This release marks the end of developement on Ubuntu CE v1.5.x (Dapper). Previous releases will still be available on our mirrors but will no longer be developed or featued on the Ubuntu CE project site. This decision was made to ensure the continued growth and development of future Ubuntu CE releases.

U.S. Catholic magazine features Ubuntu CE (May 2, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 01 May 2007 20:22:00 +0000

The May issue os U.S. Catholic magazine features a nice article in their "Catholic Tastes" section about Ubuntu CE.

"There is a cheaper, more Christian way to protect your computer than buying Windows Vista. Ubuntu Christian Edition..."

U.S. Catholic
Issue: May 2007
Page: 10

Thank you to everyone at U.S. Catholic for helping to spread the word about Ubuntu CE!

Ubuntu CE v2.2 (Edgy) Released! (March 15, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 07:35:00 +0000

We are very happy to announce the release of Ubuntu CE v2.2!

This will be the final Edgy release of Ubuntu CE. Our focus will soon shift to the development of Ubuntu CE v3.0 (Feisty).

In Ubuntu CE 2.2 we focused on further refinements to the Dansguardian GUI. The new Dansguardian GUI went through a nice beta test period. Thanks to those from the Ubuntu CE sub forum that helped with their testing and feedback. The new Dansguardian GUI now has both "Basic" and "Advanced" configuration options. This makes it much easier for those who may not be comfortable editing the config files directly. The Enable/Disable feature has also been updated to be more comprehensive in its function. The Dansguardian GUI also includes the ability to adjust the PICS (image filtering) level.

We have added two new packages to Ubuntu CE. Both packages were developed specifically for Ubuntu CE by user request. These packages are also available for those using default Ubuntu on our new Popular Packages page.

The first one is the one that we are most excited about. It is the e-Sword Installer. Many users of Ubuntu CE are former Windows users. Many of them are also users of the very popular e-Sword Bible program for Windows. The new e-Sword installer makes it possible to easily install e-Sword to Ubuntu CE without the need to configure Wine. All of the necessary components are automatically downloaded and installed. Rick Meyers, the developer of e-Sword, has given his blessing on the program. We didn't stop there. We have also included a special e-Sword Module Manager. It allows users to easily install extra modules from the e-Sword site. You can even use the manual install option to install modules from the various unofficial e-Sword module sites.

The second program is also an installer for a commonly requested Windows program. It is the IEs 4 Linux Installer. It uses the IEs4Linux script to download and install Internet Explorer 6. This is a nice feature for webmasters and those who have to visit sites that require Internet Explorer.

We have also updated the Dapper version, Ubuntu CE v1.5.3, to include the latest version of the Dansguardian GUI.

Ubuntu CE v2.1 (Edgy) Released!! (February 7, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 10:22:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce the release of Ubuntu CE v2.1 (Edgy)!

The main focus of this release was to enhance the dansguardian GUI. There have been many user requests for a more polished dansguardian GUI with the ability to easily disable the filtering. With this release we have accomplished just that.

There have also been some new program additions. This release includes the BibleMemorizer program which uses the Sword modules that come with GnomeSword. This allows users to easily add verses to the database so they can begin to study quickly and easily. This release also includes the Virtual Rosary. The Virtual Rosary is a Windows program that we have integrated using WINE. This not only adds a great program to Ubuntu CE, but it also demonstrates the power of Open-Source software with the ability to run non-native programs.

Users will immediately notice the changes to the look of Ubuntu CE v2.1. The user interface now has the look and feel of Windows XP. Many Ubuntu CE users are coming from Windows. This will make for a much easier transition.

There are also some bug fixes and the usual cleanup that is included with each release. These include a bug fix for gVerse and better verse formatting. The scripts have also been updated with better theme integration and config file backups.

We have also updated the Dapper version, Ubuntu CE v1.5.2, to include the new enhanced dansguardian GUI as well has some minor bug fixes.

"The Linux Store" is now the official Ubuntu CE distributor! (January 30, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:43:00 +0000

Would you like to purchase an Ubuntu CE cd? Do you have a slow internet connection? Do you want to help support the Ubuntu CE project? No problem!

You can purchase Ubuntu CE cds from our official distributor, The Linux Store.

The Ubuntu CE project will receive a portion of the purchase price to help ensure the continued development of Ubuntu CE.

So what are you waiting for? Get one today!

Linux Format Magazine mentions Ubuntu CE! (January 29, 2007)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:46:00 +0000

The Christmas Edition of Linux Format has a brief article featuring Ubuntu CE and Ichthux. You can see the article below. Linux Format is an excellent Linux magazine and is consider to be the #1 source for Linux. I highly recomment it!

Linux Format Issue 87 (Christmas 2006) Page 39

God Bless, Jereme Hancock, Ubuntu CE Developer

UbuntuOS Podcast Interview!! (December 12, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:51:00 +0000

Jereme Hancock, the lead developer of Ubuntu CE, was recently interviewed by the guys at UbuntuOS for an upcoming podcast. Well, that podcast has just been released. If you would like to listen to the podcast interview you can download it here.

We would like to thank Sal, Chris, and everyone at UbuntuOS for their kind spirit and professional courtesy. If you have not checked out UbuntuOS, you really should. It is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Ubuntu.

Ubuntu CE v2.0 (Edgy) Released!! (November 28, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:58:00 +0000

We are excited to announce the release of Ubuntu CE v2.0 (Edgy).

Ubuntu CE v2.0 (Edgy) comes with all of the features from Ubuntu CE v1.x (Dapper). It is, however, now based on Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy). Improvements have been made all around such as faster system boot up times, faster GNOME start up times, improvements to the user interface, a shiny new optimized kernel, GNOME 2.16 and much more!

It is a wikiwiki world out there and now your desktop does not have to be left behind. Ubuntu CE v2.0 (Edgy) comes with Tomboy pre-installed, allowing easy note taking and linking.

With Ubuntu CE v2.0 (Edgy) comes a replacement of gthumb, the photo manager, in the form of the new mono application, F-spot. F-spot allows easy tagging, editing and uploading to various online photo websites, including Flickr.

The Daily Bible Verse feature now uses the new gVerse program. It has the same functionality, but fits much better into the Ubuntu CE look and feel.

Firefox 2 is also included. New features in Firefox 2.0 include inline spell check support in web forms, restore session that crashed, built in phishing detectors, enhanced search engine management with built in OpenSearch support, improved tab support with undo close tab support, better support for previewing and subscribing to web feeds, and much more.

Other new features include Evolution 2.8.0, OpenOffice 2.0.4, Gaim 2.0 beta 3.1, and more. You may also noticed the new rounded window borders for all corners of the window. This is a small change, but it makes for a very smooth look and feel.

We have also implemented a better technical incorporation of the Ubuntu CE themes for this release as well as for the Ubuntu CE v1.5.1 (Dapper) release.

We will continue to support Ubuntu CE v1.x (Dapper) for as long as it is supported by Ubuntu. It will be periodically updated with bug fixes and updates to the Dansguardian GUI and the Ubuntu CE Installer. We will, however, be focusing all new development towards Ubuntu CE v2.x (Edgy). The Ubuntu CE v2.x (Edgy) branch will continue until the release of Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn). At that point will begin work on Ubuntu CE v3.0 (Feisty).

Ubuntu CE v1.5.1 (Dapper) Released!! (November 28, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 10:03:00 +0000

We have just released Ubuntu CE v1.5.1. (Dapper). This release is a very minor release. The only changes in the release include better technical implementation of the Ubuntu CE themes.

This release also marks the end of the development of Ubuntu CE v1.x (Dapper). We will continue to support it for as long as Ubuntu supports Ubuntu 6.06.1 (Dapper Drake). We will be periodically releasing bug fixes and updates to the Dansguardian GUI and the Ubuntu CE Installer. However, the main focus will be put on the development of Ubuntu CE v2.0 (Edgy).

Ubuntu CE v1.5 released!! (November 10, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 03:19:00 +0000

We have just released Ubuntu CE v1.5!

Due to Dapper's LTS (Long Term Support) status, Ubuntu CE will continue to be based on it. We may be moving to Edgy in a future release, but we want to continue to balance features with stability.

With this release we focused on the fixing some issues with the LiveCD installer. The LiveCD installer was previously overwriting the Ubuntu CE sources.list file. This has been fixed! After installation on previous releases the Install icon was still available as a menu option. This has been fixed as well!

We have also made a subtle, but very important change to the Ubuntu CE Installer, Upgrade_me script, Convert_me script, Web Content Filtering Only script, and the Dansguardian GUI Only script. They now not only backup your sources.list file, but they also search your existing sources.list file for the needed repositories. If the needed repositories are not in your sources.list file they are appended to it.

The Configure Parental Controls GUI has been updated to include a few new features. You can now easily adjust the Naughtyness Limit with the GUI. You can also Lock/Unlock your Firefox proxy settings via the GUI. The Firefox proxy settings come locked by default, but if you need to unlock them for some reason you can do that via the GUI.

The Ubuntu CE Installer has had one major update as well. We have added the Icthux Desktop to the available items to install. This allows an Ubuntu CE user to easily add Ichthux to their existing Ubuntu CE installation. This way you can log into Ichthux (KDE) or Ubuntu CE (Gnome) at login.

Purchase Official Ubuntu CE CDs (October 4, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 09:15:00 +0000

You can purchase Ubuntu Christian Edition CDs from the official Ubuntu CE distributor, Woven Thorns Productions. The CDs are printed using Direct Printing technology so you will receive a professional quality CD containing the complete Ubuntu CE operating system.

The CD can be used as a LiveCD or installed directly to your hard drive. Using it as a LiveCD is a great way to check out Ubuntu CE without touching your Windows installation.

You can, of course, download Ubuntu CE for Free and burn it to a CD yourself. However, those without a fast broadband internet connection may find it better to simply purchase the CD for only $5.00/each plus $0.75 shipping.

Visit the Purchase Official CDs Page

Ubuntu CE v1.4 released!! (October 3, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:10:00 +0000

We have just released Ubuntu CE v1.4! This release was originally planned for next month, but there were a few bug fixes that have been implemented as well as some more refinements in the look and feel of Ubuntu CE.

The latest release includes a new polished Usplash and a new Christian themed Firefox. The Firefox theme is based on the Faith theme and Bible Verse extension available at www.FaithBrowser.com.

The bug fixes include a very minor bug in the Dansguardian GUI. The more significant bug fix was the checksum failures on the previous releases. These had not been reported as causing problems, but we wanted to be sure to get this fixed as soon as possible.

We have also updated the upgrade_me and convert_me scripts and have created a new script that will install the Dansguardian GUI on a default Ubuntu install that is already running Dansguardian. This way you will not need to reconfigure Dansguardian to get the Dansguardian GUI. Of course, we are still maintaining the complete Dansguardian install script that includes the entire preconfigured Dansguardian setup from Ubuntu CE.

Ubuntu CE Featured on Linux.com! (October 2, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:59:00 +0000

Ubuntu CE has been featured on Linux.com! Tina Gasperson, the author, contacted us a few weeks ago. She wanted to interview me (Jereme Hancock) for the article. I was very excited and glad that someone took the time to find out what the project is about before publishing an article about it.

God Bless, Jereme

Ubuntu CE v1.3 released!! (September 26, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 06:07:00 +0000

We have just released Ubuntu Christian Edition v1.3.

There have been some changes made to the web content filtering. The Firefox proxy settings have been "locked down" to prevent users from bypassing the filtering. You can also now use your Ubuntu CE system as a network proxy/filtering server by setting the other systems proxy settings to the IP address of the Ubuntu CE system and port 8080. An "Access Denied" log has been added to the Dansguardian GUI to allow users to view information on page requests that were denied as a text based or html based document.

Three new programs have been added to this release. They include Planner Project Scheduler, Scribus Desktop Publisher, and Nvu Web Authoring System. These can all be very useful for Churches as well as individuals.

Three games have also been added. They include Frozen Bubble, Breakout, and Sudoku. These were added by user request.

Other changes include the addition of wallpapers provided by CarriedCross.org, new Usplash and Bootsplash, customized default Firefox homepage and bookmarks, some minor graphical adjustments, and a minor bug fix in the Ubuntu CE Installer.

Ubuntu CE v1.2 released!! (September 04, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 06:28:00 +0000

We have just released Ubuntu Christian Edition v1.2! We have added the GnuCash financial management software as well as the very popular Ubuntu customization tool, Automatix.

There are also some smaller additions such as the new Daily Bible Verse feature and a new GDM to make the look and feel of Ubuntu CE more consistent.

One of the major accomplishments with this release is the introduction of the Ubuntu CE Installer. With it users are able to easily install even more great Christian and Educational software that has been hand picked by the developers of Ubuntu CE. The Ubuntu CE Installer also allows users to restore the programs that were removed from the default Ubuntu to maintain the 700mb disk size. This installer will allow Ubuntu CE to continue to grow without the need for additional space by allowing the addition of more programs to the installer.

Ubuntu CE v1.2 is also now based directly on Ubuntu 6.06.1 LTS "Dapper Drake". This means that less updates will be required after installation.

Thanks to Xtianhosting! (August 25, 2006)

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 07:00:00 +0000

We would like to thank Xtianhosting for their generous donation of server space and bandwidth. You can check out the Contribute page to see a full list of those supporting this project.