Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala - Released
Karmic Koala has been released.
Download your copy today and find out why everyone else uses linux!
Ubuntu 8.10 on a Dell GX260 - 640x480 max resolution problem
I have been bashing my head against a wall trying to figure out why Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex won’t allow me to select a higher resolution than 640x480 when installed on a Dell Optiplex GX260. The GX260 has an intel 845 integrated graphics card that shares the memory of the system. That last little bit of information should have been enough for me to sort out the problem quickly. I blame Apple.
Since I bought my macbook I have had zero problems with it. I use it almost exclusively and so my troubleshooting skills on PC’s may be waning a little. I love my macbook. So much so, I’ve bought an iMac.
Anyway.. after editing and modifying the xorg.conf file ad-nauseam without success I finally thought to check the BIOS.
In the BIOS, under integrated devices is the Video card memory setting. It was set to 1MB. I upped this to the only other setting of 8MB and rebooted. Problem solved.
Immediately I could now set the screen resolution to a maximum of 1200x1024, which is more than enough on a 17 inch monitor.
I hope this helps some other poor sod trying to deal with the same problem.
25 reasons to switch to Linux
What can I say?... Brilliant.
I’ve tried both the Gnome and the KDE flavours and I think I now have the motivation to move from Ubuntu 8.04. Not because there’s anything wrong with Ubuntu.. it’s really nice and does everything I need it to do. But OpenSuse 11.1 is so new and shiny, how can I resist.
I think I’ll be going for the KDE GUI this time. Gnome is nice, but I think I need a change.
And so back to the heading of this blog. Every now and then I go hunting for things like “Photoshop on Linux” and “Colour Management on Linux” to see what new developments are occurring. I search for these two topics because I feel that Linux will finally hit the big time when these two hurdles are overcome. Running Photoshop (latest version) on Linux (any distro) with full colour management. For people who don’t use Photoshop and don’t give a stuff about colour management then, Linux is ready for you NOW!
Here are two links I found today:
“25 reasons to convert to Linux”
and
“Photoshop tops “most wanted” Linux app list”
I should have enough time over the break to try out CS2 under CrossOver office. That should be fun.
Remember: Most Linux distros come as a “Live CD” so you can try it without damaging your current installed OS. So there is no reason not to give it a go.
Ubuntu ~ Intrepid Ibex
The latest version of Ubuntu was released yesterday... 8.10 or Intrepid Ibex.
I downloaded the ISO and booted my PC from the live CD option to have a look. Well I was expecting... more.
Very first impression: Geez someone knocked over a coffee cup on the desktop.
I quickly realised this was a stylised Ibex, after which the product version is named.
I can’t see a lot of new stuff, actually the only thing that jumped out at me was the USB install option.
Firefox 3.03 is in there, but OpenOffice.org 3.0 didn’t make the cut. Ibex is running version 2.4. There is nothing wrong with that, but given Firefox 3.0beta made the cut for Hardy Heron (which is what I’m currently running), I would have thought OOo3.0 to have made it in. Perhaps there was insufficient time for testing or some such thing.
The Ubuntu site does say that most of the new goodies are behind the scenes and include new wireless abilities and 3G support.
The latest GNOME 2.24 is being used, but there are no new or additional themes.
An interesting feature is the “Guest Session” where another person can use your Ubuntu PC as a guest while keeping all your secrets... well, secret.
On the whole though, I’m not really tempted to upgrade my Hardy Heron install to Intrepid Ibex. I might hold off and wait to see what others are saying about it. One never knows, there may be a killer app hidden in the large intestine of Ibex that will tempt me to neuralise Heron.
OpenOffice 3.0 final release
There are apparently quite a few new things in this version, one being compatibility with M$ Office 2007 format.
I am running this version on OS X 10.5 and the final release is a bit quicker than the original public Beta. However, it’s no Audi R8.
I was flicking through some of the online discussions and found that by disabling the Java runtime environment you can speed up the whole app quite significantly. Jump into preferences and click on the Java option, then remove the tick.
So far it’s looking good and I’m glad it’s finally out of Beta.
I’ll be interested to see how it goes on Ubuntu, but I’ll wait for the official release in the updates for that one.
iPod and the wailing Banshee
A slightly different icon appeard on the desktop and it didn’t look like the iPod that it was to represent, but it was obviously an MP3 player.
Shortly after the icon appeared, so did Banshee. Banshee is the default music player in the Gnome version of openSuse. Different program, but from the slight look that I gave it, essentially identical.
Banshee recognised all the albums, cover art, artists etc that I had stored on the iPod from my iTunes library. Sounds ok too.
Again, if you still want a more iTunes look, check out www.songbirdnest.com.
openSUSE 11.0
openSuse 11.0 was released about 5 days ago and from what I’ve seen and read so far, it looks very good.
I have downloaded the Live CD Gnome version but have only run the OS in Live mode. I’ve only just installed Ubuntu Hardy Heron so I’m not quite ready to go through another install and reconfigure just yet, I have a life. But to be honest, I do prefer the Suse interface to that of Ubuntu.
I’ve used Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) and reasonably familiar with the Gnome interface that comes with it, but there has been some rather nice additions to the free version.
Once such nicety is the desktop effects. This is nothing new, Ubuntu also has this feature.
What is plainly obvious is Microsoft Windows is now very last year. Both Ubuntu and now openSuse come in Live CD formats so there is no reason why you can’t try it out before clicking the install button.
Download your copy from http://software.opensuse.org/
Novell have done a sterling job encouraging this opensource project.
Manage your iPod with Rythmbox
Well not quite. What if you’re a Ubuntu user like me and don’t have the all-singing all-dancing iTunes for your OS?
Solution: Rythmbox.
Rythmbox is the default music player in Ubuntu and it has iPod support. I was surprised when I plugged my Nano into my PC to give it a bit of juice, and up popped Rythmbox.
The interface is
reasonably similar to iTunes, afterall it was
inspired by it.
I haven’t had too much of a play with Rythmbox as I
have a macbook that is my iTunes music database, but
here is a tutorial to get
started with.
So, while we wait for Apple to release a version of
iTunes for linux (here’s hoping they do), give
Rythmbox a try.
If Rythmbox is not iTunes looking enough for you, you
can try out www.songbirdnest.com
Broken GNOME settings in Hardy Heron
I miss-clicked something.
The result was I lost all windows, menu’s and task bars. They were hidden so I think I was playing around with window opacity.
I could ALT+TAB between windows but nothing would show on the screen.
Seeing as all configuration in Linux is in text files I went hunting.
I did a CTRL+ALT+F5 to bring up a terminal window, logged in and I found the following in my home directory:
.gnome2
.gnome2_private
.gconf
A quick look told me these were the gnome display settings for my GUI interface so I deleted them with:
rm -rf .gnome2 .gnome2_private .gconf
followed by a CTRL+ALT+DEL
All back to normal. I reapplied the basic effects I had before I tinkered, and I’m happily working again.
Phew! I was thinking for a moment (just a small moment) that I would need to re-install.
Firefox 3b5 Hardy Heron
Big mistake.
I broke Firefox in a bad way. None of the icons on the toolbar were available and there was general havock with the whole program.
It seems by running Firefox with sudo and then trying an update I had changed the ownership of some of the files to root, rather than my login.
The following command fixed the problem:
sudo chown -R username:username ~/.mozilla
Firefox has now settled down but I don’t really trust it.
Rule number 1: let the synaptic package manager dish out the updates as they arrive, don’t jump the gun.
Apple Keyboard on Hardy Heron
I have a slim aluminium Apple keyboard on my PC which is great and everything was fine.
Fine until I hit the Num Lock equivalent (the “Clear”) key on the numeric keypad.
This promptly screwed up my keyboard mapping. Nothing I did would return it to normal, including rebooting the machine. Although I didn’t try powering off the computer, just a soft reset.
Anyhow, I managed to fix this problem by plugging in a standard pc usb keyboard and pressing the Num Lock key thereby resetting the OS. I then plugged the Apple keyboard back in and all was well. I confirmed the problem again by pressing the “Clear” key. Problem returned, numeric keyboard not working but neither were the alpha keys.
Fix by repeating the above.
After some googling this seems to be a kernel bug in Ubuntu 8.04. Hope they fix it soon.
Ubuntu 8.04 ~ Hardy Heron
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS ~ Hardy Heron has been released.
The reviews of this release are glowing and all said and done, a worthy upgrade to Gutsy Gibbon.
Lots of new stuff including (copied from the Ubuntu site):
Productivity tools: Ubuntu supports all of your favourite web-based mail programs like Yahoo(TM) or Gmail (TM). But for the office, Evolution provides all the calendering, contacts and full function office email you need. Pidgin IM also puts you in instant touch with colleagues and integrates with your personal IM services simply and easily.
Browsing: Including Mozilla Firefox (Beta 5) - tested and stabilised for a platform. Faster, safer and themed for Ubuntu.
Photos: Upload from your camera or phone to F-Spot and manage, tag, share and sort your photos and upload easily to you favourite social networking sites.
Music and video: Plug in your PSP, iPod, MP3 player; share playlists with your friends; buy in the creative commons online music stores, stream more live radio and plug in more devices with UPnP.
Office applications: Word processing, spreadsheets and presentations can all be delivered through Open Office 2.4. And, they completely integrate with the proprietary office applications out there. The big difference is that they are free.
Accessibility: At the core of the Ubuntu philosophy is the belief that computing is for everyone and access should be free and complete whatever your economic or physical circumstances. Ubuntu is one of the most accessible desktop operating systems around.
This is a long term support version, so updates should be coming thick and fast for about 18 months to 2 years.
I've been running Gutsy Gibbon on my PC at home and was considering changing to Suse Enterprise Desktop from Novell. I think I'll upgrade Gutsy to Hardy and stick with Ubuntu for a while longer.
Remember two things:
1. Ubuntu runs also as a Live CD so you can try before installing and,
2. Ubuntu is completely FREE
OpenOffice.org 3.0 beta
OpenOffice.org version 3.0 beta has been released, and finally drops the X11 requirement on OS X.
Open Office is everything you need and nothing you don't. Why pay money for Microsoft Office (over bloated behemoth that it is) when OOo is FREE?
I've been using OO for a while now on Linux(home) and Windows(work) and I've been waiting for a Aqua version of it so I could run it on the MAC without X11. NeoOffice is available (and I do have it installed) but nice as it is, it was a change in interface/icons that annoyed me.
Now that particular issue has vanished.
There are a number of nice new things in version 3.0 and you can read about them here, but mostly I'm impressed with the compatibility with latest version of MS Doc and XLS files, as well as the GoogleOffice format.
Version 3.0 is still in beta and it is rather obvious. It is horribly slow on Windows and passable on OS X. I'm still using version 2.4 on Ubuntu and will wait until the final release before upgrade on that OS.
If it's been a while since you last looked at OOo, it is time to have another look.
Remember:
OpenOffice = FREE
MSOffice = $$$
Firefox 3 in Beta 3
The worlds best browser is getting even better.
Firefox 3 is now in Beta 3 release, and ready for you to download and try. You can get it here.
One of the many new features is the redesigned location bar. You can read about that here.
At the suggestion of the Mac Guru at work (aka Paul) I renamed my current Firefox application to Firefox2 so the install of the beta wouldn't overwrite it. I can now run the two versions side-by-side with nary a problem. Windows users shouldn't need this step. I haven't tested it (because I no longer use Win) but from memory the beta installs as a separate program, but you might want to pay attention during the install.
Be prepared for the bug or two, but as yet I haven't found any with the Mac binary. Most of the themes/plugins I was using no longer work, but I expected this. FF3b3 is doing it's update check each time I launch it and it will grab them as they become available. I'm not really concerned with themes as the out-of-the-box theme is so close to the minimalistic one I use in FF2. All is good.
Switch to Firefox, because friends don't let friends use IE.
(Now.. me wonders when the new version of Thunderbird will be released.. last news was late this year 2008.)
Moving away from Windows
Microsoft would have you believe
they have the only computer operating system in the
world. But nothing could be further from the truth.
There are much more capable OS's out there than
Windows. More capable in every way.
People move away from Microsoft Windows for many
reasons, and they're all good ones. I have made the
move away from the endless security updates, virus
scanning, failed promises, poor performance, lockups
and all the other problems that are endemic to a
Windows world. There are so many better options than
a Microsoft operating system and the world is
starting to realise this.
I thought I'd share the strategy I used to move away
from Windows, which is also the one I recommend to my
friends.
Step
1 - Find open source equivalents to the windows
software that you use
This is actually a very easy step. I have blogged
about some of the open source software on this site
but there is so much more. First of all I made a list
of the windows software I used and went hunting for
replacements. It also helps if you have an idea of
which OS you think you'd like to move toward. I
wasn't sure but figured it would be Linux of some
flavour but also considered MAC OS X, so the software
I went looking for ideally would work on all three
platforms. Once you have your list you can now
install your Open Source software on Windows so you
become familiar with it and ensure that it meets your
needs.
OpenOffice
replaces
Microsoft Office
This is an easy one for me. I'd been using OpenOffice
for a while and already new about the product before
I decided to make the move. Thanks to the
Novell/Microsoft agreement, you are guaranteed that
documents created in on will work in the other.
Thunderbird
replaces
Outlook
Thunderbird is a worthy replacement for Outlook. It
has most of the bells and whistles and all the
features you need in an email client. It's also
available for Windows, Linux and OS X.
Firefox replaces Internet
Explorer
This is a no-brainer. If you're not using this Web
Browser already, you should be. Firefox has been
available for Windows for a long time, and is usually
where Microsoft gets their improvements for IE from.
Just look at the Tabbed interface. Firefox also has a
built in pop-up blocker and enhanced security
features that are lacking in IE. Even if you decide
to stay with Windows, you should be using this
browser.
RealPlayer
replaces
Windows media player
Not much to add here, they both play media files.
The GIMP replaces ...MS
Paint????
Yes, you noticed this too.. Windows doesn't have a
half-decent image editing application. The GIMP is a
powerful Open Source image editing package. It has a
lot of the features of the VERY costly Adobe
Photoshop, and if you're not in the image editing
area this is still worth a look. All those digital
photos you take and store on your computer can be
touched up beautifully with this application.
There are many other applications, and I'll let you
find them. Remember, GOOGLE is your friend. You might
also wish to have a look at www.theopendisc.com
Step
2 - Practice
Now that you have your software, spend a good 6
months getting used to it and how they work. Learn
how they work, how to back them up and restore them.
Now is also the time to look at the hardware you use.
Start researching support for your devices under
other Operating systems. Search for drivers and
software to support your devices. 6 months may seem a
long time and it will depend on the individual. Only
you will know when you're ready.
Step 3 - Testing the waters of a new Operating
System
This step is the most exciting one and it's fortunate
that Linux especially has many options that boot from
a "Live CD". A Live CD is a bootable CD/DVD that
contains the operating system. You can boot from it
and load up the OS into memory without effecting your
installed OS. This enables you to test the waters
without actually taking the plunge.
Ubuntu is my favourite choice for
Linux, for the home user. Novell's SuSe Linux
Enterprise Desktop (SLED) is also an excellent
choice but doesn't come as a Live CD. All Linux
distributions are essentially the same under the
hood. So you could trial one but select another.
Another option is to download the Free
VMWARE player
software or
Microsoft Virtual PC software. These applications
allow you to create a virtual workstation on your
Windows computer and use it like any other
application. You could trial every OS you wanted
this way and get comfortable with how they work.
You should be using the Internet to good effect.
There are uncountable support forums for every OS
available. All of them are filled with people just
waiting to help you out and answer your questions.
Make good use of these resources, ask lots of
questions.
Step
4 - Ripping out that hapless water-buffalo
You're now ready. You're comfortable with your new
software suites and you have all the drivers for your
hardware (bare in mind that recent OS's have nearly
all the drivers built in). Backup your data to an
external drive. If you've decided to go with a
version of Linux that comes on a Live CD then all you
need to do is double click on the install icon and
you're away. Otherwise, follow the install
instructions that come with the version you've
chosen.
If you've decided to go Mac OS X then you've bought
yourself a new bit of kit. Either way, have fun and
start enjoying the world without Windows.
Conclusion:
There is no reason to stay with Microsoft Windows.
Unless of course you want to.. but that couldn't
possibly be the case. Why would you want to pay large
amounts of money for all the bits and pieces you need
to maintain a Windows OS? The saying "It just works"
doesn't really apply anymore to Windows (not that it
ever did).
Anyway.. this is the process I followed. I ended up
going to both Linux and Mac OS X. There were two
reasons for this and the first was Adobe Photoshop. I
use it rather heavily for photography and well, Adobe
don't release Photoshop for Linux...yet. The other
was I had only just bought a new Dell PC and so I
went Linux on it. I've been happily Windows free for
nearly 12 months. During this time, Vista was
released, but there is nothing that I've read that
could tempt me back. I haven't missed Windows at
all.
Battle of the Browsers
I was having a look at the stats for my photography site today. StatCounter tracks what type of browser was used to view a page, one of many stats you can get from this service.
As you can see the Windoze browsers are only slightly in front of the Non-Windoze browsers. Could this be indicative of a M$ loss of market share to OS X and the Open Source community? Probably not, but I like to think so.
OpenOffice.org Release 2.3
This new version sees quite a number of enhancements to the overall product.
For those of you who don't use OO, here is a quick breakdown of what the product offers...
Writer
WRITER has everything you would expect from a modern, fully equipped word processor or desktop publisher.
Impress
IMPRESS is a truly outstanding tool for creating effective multimedia presentations. Your presentations will stand out with 2D and 3D clip art, special effects, animation, and high-impact drawing tools.
Calc
CALC is the spreadsheet program you've always wanted. Newcomers find it intuitive and easy to learn; professional data miners and number crunchers will appreciate the comprehensive range of advanced functions.
Draw
DRAW - from a quick sketch to a complex plan, DRAW gives you the tools to communicate with graphics and diagrams.
Base
New to Version 2, BASE enables you to manipulate database data seamlessly within OpenOffice.org. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, either using your own database or BASE’s own built-in HSQL database engine. BASE offers a choice of using Wizards, Design Views, or SQL Views for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users.
Math
MATH is OpenOffice.org's component for mathematical equations. It is most commonly used as an equation editor for text documents, but it can also be used with other types of documents or stand-alone. When used inside WRITER, the equation is treated as an object inside the text document.
That's just some of what OpenOffice.org has to offer. Check out some reviews of the product here. You can also get a promotional flyer here.
Best of all, OpenOffice.org runs on Windows, Linux, OSX, and many more. Is it compatible with M$ Office? Why yes it is, and it will only become more compatible as M$ adopts the Open Document Format (ODF) as it is in M$ Office 2007.
Download OpenOffice.org today and see what the free world is using.
Breezy, Dapper and Edgy.. Step aside!
.. because Gutsy Gibbon has arrived.
You may be wondering what the hell I'm talking about so I'll tell you. Gutsy is the latest version of Ubuntu (pronounced oo-boon-too) Linux, 7.10. This version of Linux is perfect - in my opinion - for the home PC. Ubuntu comes with everything built in and just works. I'm currently running Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10.1 from Novell on my home PC but will be upgrading this to Gutsy over the next week.
There must be something significant about October as both Apple and Ubuntu released new versions of their operating systems. Microsoft released about a million patches for Vista, but I'm not sure that counts.
What I like about Ubuntu is it's Live CD. You can download, burn to a disk and boot from it to try out the OS before committing to it... read 'Installing'. This way you can take as long as you like coming to grips with just how wonderful it is, before ditching that hapless water buffalo you're probably running now.
as an aside...
If you're interested in changing OS's (and why wouldn't you be) there is another option. Because M$ software really only works on an M$ operating system (there are some exceptions) you will need to find the better alternatives to the programs you've been using. This is a lot easier than you might think. Download the OpenDisc from www.theopendisc.com. This disc image has swags of OpenSource software that rivals the M$ stuff. OpenOffice.org is one example, this is a very powerful open source office suite that works just like Microsoft Office.. and it's FREE! Once you have your OpenDisc software, install it on your Windows OS and give it a go. You'll be very surprised just how good it is...and it's FREE! Once you're happy that you'll be completely productive in a non-windows world, tearing out the OS is no longer a trial. All the software you've just looked at is available for Linux - YAY!
Anyhooo, back to Gutsy Gibbon. Initially you may think this new version 'looks' very much like the previous one - Feisty Fawn, and you'd be right. But it's what's under the hood that has seen the most changes. There are lots of nice things, but the two big ones for my money are...
* NTFS writing - you can now write directly to a windows NTFS file system
* AppArmor - fire-walling your applications..not just your PC.
For those in the know, AppArmor is an initiative from the OpenSuse project (read NOVELL!!!!!)
Go check out Gutsy.. and remember, IT'S FREE!!!!
The Ubuntu Promise
* Ubuntu will always be free of charge, including enterprise releases and security updates.
* Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hundreds of companies around the world.
* Ubuntu includes the very best translations and accessibility infrastructure that the free software community has to offer.
* Ubuntu CDs contain only free software applications; we encourage you to use free and open source software, improve it and pass it on.
