with every new version Ubuntu is inching closer to mainstream appeal, which is why we chose it as boxee’s Linux distro. we are very happy to release a new version of boxee for Ubuntu, including support for Jaunty Jackalope (9.04).

this update for Ubuntu brings it up to par with the Mac version, including:

• new XUL-based boxee browser (with Hulu support)
• Pandora and RadioTime for the best in Internet and traditional radio
• App Box, the beginnings of the boxee app store

there is also a bug fixing version for Mac and Apple TV available for download (we made some fixes to the boxee browser to better support Flash sites – improved performance, less jittering and less crashes).

for Ubuntu, if you already have an older version installed, the new update will automatically show as a package update, like any other software installed. if this is your first time installing boxee for Ubuntu, go to http://app.boxee.tv/download for setup instructions.

for Mac, the update will show up in boxee, allowing for a direct install. you can also download this version manually at http://app.boxee.tv/download.

for Apple TV, exit boxee, and update the version via the Launcher. we also highly recommend you update the Launcher to the latest and greatest 3.0 version.

next up for us is the Windows release, which we hope to release and open to the public in June.

there is a lot of interest in the boxee API. we are looking for someone who can join team-boxee and work with the growing developer community who are building boxee apps.

the right person should be a strong developer, passionate about the Internets, tv shows and movies, like to poke around and look under the hood, have UX awareness and good knowledge of web technologies (especially PHP), be fluent in python scripting and xml, and have photoshop (or gimp) skills to mingle and mangle screens.

the day to day will probably consist of building boxee apps, spending time on twitter, boxee forums and email (chatting with developers who are using the API), drinking at least 3 espressos at FIKA, going to meetings with gidon, and talking with idan on skype.

rather than sending us your CV, send us a boxee app based on the API. we will interview candidates over the next several weeks.

the position is in NYC, but if you’re living somewhere else in the US yet you’re the right person for the job, we’ll help you move.

Next New Networks released a new boxee app (you can find it under Video>Internet on boxee). it is built using the boxee API and enables easy access to all their networks.

Next New Networks has 16 different networks, including cartoons Channel Frederator, political comedy Barely Political (home of the Obama Girl), auto news Fast Lane Daily, DIY film making Indy Mogul, indie style ThreadBanger, style and tech TMI Weekly, and the newest addition (my personal favorite) $99 Music Videos.

the quality of web shows keeps getting better. i believe that over the next couple of years web episodic content will start building a massive following and open up great opportunities for independent content producers. Next New Networks is an early innovator in the space and we’re excited to have them on boxee.

Jeremy Kutner from Next New Networks built the app. it took him about 9hrs of work to get it done.

 

we added ThruYOU to boxee (you can find it on the App Box). ThruYOU is a brilliant, groundbreaking mashup project by Kutiman. 

the app was built by idan. he is a big fan of Kutiman, so he reached out to him to make sure he’s cool with us putting a ThruYOU app on boxee. once Kutiman was on board it took idan a few hours to build the app using the boxee AP. he documented the process on the new boxee developer blog.

we are very excited to officially release the boxee API. it is a big part of our mission to bring open-source and the creativity of the Internet to the living room. the guys over at boxeehq have been able to build impressive stuff without real documented tools, so we’re excited to see what developers will do with a full-blown API complete with documentation.

the new boxee API enables developers to build sophisticated applications (such as the Pandora and RadioTime apps) using a set of API calls in Python and writing the GUI using XML.

we started boxee based on features and content we wanted in our own living rooms.
we introduced additional content and features based on user feedback.
we have created the new API to further democratize the process.
we want to provide developers with easy tools to create new applications and share them.

users can install new applications via the boxee App Box, the beginnings of our app store. unlike other app stores, boxee does not want to be a gate keeper (or bottleneck) in deciding which applications are published so anyone can become a publisher.  publishers can each create a different “repository” of applications they host.  to add an app from their repository, just add it to “my repositories” in boxee. for example, boxeehq publishes their applications using their own repository (”dir.boxeehq.com”).

we’ve also set up a developer section on the boxee forum and are looking forward to hearing your feedback on the API, issues you are having, stuff you would like us to add or do differently, etc. the forum is also a good place to connect with other boxee developers and share information about what you’re working on.

image courtesy cc-by-nc xkcd