After discovering that some Fedora servers have been illegally accessed, the Fedora Project is, as of today, converting the signing keys for Linux distribution packages.

Ubuntu promoter Mark Shuttleworth took on the traditional role of code-naming the next Ubuntu version on the Ubuntu mailing list. Version 9.04 is henceforth known as Jaunty Jackalope.

The iconic Debian Project has long been a Linux leader. As the world’s biggest and most popular community distro, Debian is built by a worldwide army of hundreds of developers. The focus is on freedom: Debian is 100% free software, with no proprietary applications or drivers. And Debian is stable.

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of the LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine.com

Some of the excitement, and much of the usual fanfare, were missing from the 2008 LinuxWorld event in San Francisco. Show-goers wondered whether they had ever seen a LinuxWorld with so little splash and flare. And yet, splash isn't everything. In the press rooms and business meetings, the industry seemed poised to launch a new era of appliances, netbooks, and virtual everything.

The stable version of Debian 5.0 is scheduled for September, but KDE backports are available already.