Ubuntu 12.04 intial thoughts

I have been a very big fan of UBUNTU and have come to trust this to be the way Linux can really reach desktops for home users and in some cases even office users.  The recent version of this linux debian unfortunately has been a let down in my perspective. Firstly, i don't really appreciate the new wierd interface where i have to type something to find it, i was better off with the earlier Compiz interface where i knew what i was looking for. The worse part however, is the bug in the linux kernel which makes installation on AMD 64 bit Liano APU almost impossible. The flag "nomodeset" needs to be turned "on" to be really able to successfully go through the installation process. Read the following bug post. 

If you did read you would be crying saying that it is for Oneiric and not for the 12.04 LTS version of Ubuntu. The post says that bug has been addressed. However, i have had the problems with my APU and had a hard time installing the os. Even after i managed to install the little devil, it still troubled me with my wireless keyboard always giving me problems selecting the os during boot. It was not just me but several others who suffer from this bug...Read here

I understand that since i barely contribute to the opensource community, i have almost no right to complain. The only time i have really done something is perhaps by reporting a couple of bugs to a xpath libary in perl. However, i have indirectly contributed to it by extensively using only freeware in my workplace and promoting the use of the same. Finally, i think this post will not weigh down upon my conscience. 

Miniscule gadget collection expands a bit

I have never particularly been a fan of Laptops, though the idea of being able to type your blog sleeping on the bed did entice me many a times. However, today i am writing this blog after successfully installing Ubuntu-Netbook remix on my new 12" netbook (Asus 1210T). The machine is powered by a AMD processor running at a neat 1.6GHz with ATI GPU trying to ease some of the load from the processor. Out of the box, this netbook doesn't have an OS. However, who needs one when you have Ubuntu or better Kubuntu. The installation of the OS however was a bit of a bitch...This is primarily because i did not know something that i should have known...After creating the startup disk on a memorycard which inserted in a card reader, i made the USB as the first boot device in the 1210T's extremely frugal bios. However, to my surprise and dismay every time the boot device was not recognized and all i got was a screen with the Minimalistic OS from Asus. This apparently is because memory card and the usb reader somehow don't seem to work. Finally, i created a usb startup disk and then booted...

Finally came up the ubuntu screen which i know almost by heart now, having done the installation on many a machines many a times. Partitioning was not a big issue, i chose to keep one partition with multiple mount points in Fat-32. I know for sure that for some time in future i am not going to invest in a Windows variant of the OS...so nothing to worry in that regard. I could have very well chosen ext4 for all of the disc, but decided against it.

The netbook remix version of the Ubuntu has a side bar by default when you log in. This is really kinda cool because it gives the whole things a rich look and kinda makes you feel great looking at the bright screen. Note that coz of the GPU from ATI this machine can play full HD videos at 1080p.

Connecting to the Internet is not a problem if you have a BSNL connection and the rain gods have been kind enough. Once the net was running, first thing to do is to get the Graphics driver to update. You should be able to get the ATI/AMD driver by using Synaptic. Or just navigate to System->Administration->Hardware Drivers to get them.

I have still not got all the things in the netbook working however, i am already liking it because i can type very fast thanks to the flat keyboard with well spaced keys...and yeah i can do it from my bed ;-). However, i don't like the keys provided with trackpad..they are too hard...either time should soften then or is should invest in a good wireless mouse.

I would be updating more as i learn about the netbook...now its time for me to sleep...Finally, i have a "Laptop" of my own...Btw, the reason for my investing in this small piece of hardware lies in the strict (read dumb) policies of corporates which disallow the use of wifi on coporate laptop in unsecured ( read hotel) wifi network!! This will keep me good company when i go aboard next time and i have to stay in a hotel with free wifi :-)

[UPDATE]: To use the various buttons and the special features which come with the laptop like the clock change feature, enable disable of the trackpad etc you would need some additional tools which are thankfully provided in ubuntu. However, to do this you have add the repository to your existing sources. Refer here how to add this repository. After adding the repository the next step would be to install eeetray using synaptic. Then  a reboot should bring a new tool on your startup called the eee Tray too using which you can control almost everything like wifi on off, processor settings etc. You can avail the same features by using the Fn keys too..

 

 

 

Ubuntu Automount failure

This is a new discovery that i made the hard way. This happened because i use the same set of plugins for Firefox between Windows and Ubuntu. The reason i do this is coz very frequently i switch between the two OS's for various reasons. I have posted here how to do this. However, as it is clear it needs that your C: in windows is automounted in Ubuntu on startup. This is pretty simple and for those of you who like to use the GUI more than the commandline i suggest use of pysdm. You can find more info regarding this here.

However, the problem that happened was that for some reason i had hibernated the Windows partition when during last session. When i opened the Ubuntu partition later i find that the automouting of C: failed and this led to my firefox failing to load because the symlink was now broken. This happens, because when windows hibernates the drive is in a dirty state and this makes the Ubuntu NOT mount the drive. This is true for NTFS & i am not sure if the same is applicable for fat32. More info is available here.

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KDE desktop on Ubuntu

After much pestering from my brother i installed the KDE desktop on Ubuntu. This can be easily downloaded using synaptic. Just search for Kubuntu desktop. The KDE desktop looks much better and has many features which are really eye candy. The one which i liked the most was the Desktop Cube. You can switch between different desktops by using Ctrl+F11, and what you get is an extremely cool animation where each desktop becomes the side of a cube and you can rotate the cube using the arrorw keys and choose the needed desktop by hitting enter key. This is not enabled by default, but can be enabled easily by using the "system settings" option. You might have to change some mouse settings ( I had to because my mouse single click was opening applications)

For now i like the KDE desktop environment. However, i know i will get bored of it sooner or later. But, it is good to have Vista like or better features free of cost. Worth a try i would say.  

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How Jaunty fooled me

One of the telebrands show has a caption which goes something like " Choose wisely, Live well". This Saturday what i did just shows that i should have paid more heed to the statement.

I saw that the new Ubuntu (Jaunty) is available. Immediately i hit www.ubuntu.com and downloaded the latest version. The download manager was able to download the CD in two sessions of 1 hour each ( Which i did in the free bandwidth timeslot using BSNL Connection :-)). I quickly mounted the ISO as a Cd using the mount command and then i tried to install using the gksu "sh /cdrom/cdromupdate" command.

While my eyes gleamed in anticipation......

Alas, nothing happened.

The Reason i later learnt the hard way is that for an upgrade, one needs to use the Alternate  install CD rather than the Desktop CD. The whole operation and 2 sessions worth of downloading had just gone down the drain. First it was anger that the website did not mention it explicitly and later it was self-realization that it was me who had chosen to ignore reading the instructions for an upgrade. There are different versions of a release some aimed at a upgrade and others for a fresh install.
You can find more information here

Finally, i decided ( or resorted!!) that i will not do this upgrade for sometime to come. I have a good system with Ubuntu running fine. I have all the needed apps. Who bothers about uprgrading :-). Please dont cry "Grapes are Sour!!".

Google talk in Firefox

 If you are a google talk fan, and also are not able to download the software and install it on your pc then this might interest you.

I did not like the google chat feature available in gmail because it somehow doesn't feel good like a real chat client. At the same time due to restrictions on the computer i had i was not allowed to install gtalk also. Here is something that I found out on the net to get the same effect as gtalk with firefox. Here are the steps to do this with your firefox installation.

1. go to this link using firefox and bookmark it. http://talkgadget.google.com/talkgadget/client
2. After bookmarking it , it will apprear under the Bookmarks menu in firefox.
3. Right click on the bookmarked link and choose properties.
4. Use the checkbox which says Load bookmark in sidebar.
5. Close the window. Again go to bookmarks and click on the bookmark.
6. You should be able to see the google talk like interface load in the side bar.....

One more reason to use firefox :-). This will work on Ubuntu as well.

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Why should we Ubuntu

The say Love is blind.....And i am in love with Ubuntu....so maybe that is why this post.

So what are the reasons one should start using Ubuntu..

• It is free and for once i can do a hell lot of things using a completely legal system
• There is almost every software equivalent in Ubuntu for the software's present in Windows.
• If you do not mess-up with installations and do not posses extremely non-standard hardware then there is nothing to worry about. Ubuntu works like a breeze.
• If you do mess up anything there are a lot of ways by which you can restore back your system, You got a live CD and with an internet connection you can fix almost anything.
• It comes PRE-INSTALLED ( in windows terminology) with everything needed for web-browsing, chatting, listening to music, file unzipper, dvd-writing software, chat-client etc etc. Note that some of these are not available pre installed in windows ( ex. a office suite!!)
  

And finally if you do not want to give up windows applications, there is something called WINE. This can run your windows applications on Ubuntu as well.

Why not other disto's of tux? Ok i do not have a very technical answer to that. However, Ubuntu live cd was the first thing that really made me confident that i too can probably own an LINUX system. I know that even today LINUX is considered exclusively designed for geeks. I am sure the people will change their view if they have a look at UBUNTU.

Infact, a lot of organisations ( colleages, cyber-cafes) are moving over to open-souce OSes. I hope the trend continues....





 

Mozilla shared b/w Windows and Ubuntu

I like Ubuntu as i have already stated in my earlier posts. However, I am not a Linux geek and I am quite dependent on Windows for everything which is more difficult than 2+2.

However, a fast internet connection and loads of info available on the internet is making my life easier on my attempt to go the open-source way.

Recently, I wanted to import all my settings for Mozilla including plugins, bookmarks etc from Windows partition to Ubuntu. This is how a achieved it.

Step 1. Create a symbolic link from Ubuntu partition to the windows partition where the Mozilla settings exist.
In windows it exists in the following path by default c:/Documents and Settings/{USER_PROFILE}/Application Data/Mozilla where USER_PROFILE is your profile name.
In Ubuntu it exists in the following path /home/{USER_PROFILE}/.mozilla

To create a symlink use the following command
ln -s /media/WinHome/Documents and Settings/USER_PROFILE/Application Data/Mozilla" /home/deepak/.mozilla
Step 2. This happens typically because in Linux folder names are case sensitive. i.e home is not same as Home. So you will have to rename the folders in the .mozilla link to all lower case. i.e extensions and firefox. That's it, Just close the firefox browser and reopen it. You should be able to see all your plugins enabled and the bookmarks loaded properly. Ubuntu Rocks :-)

Making Ubuntu a bit more better looking

The one thing that appealed me in UBUNTU was the cool effects when you navigate, move or close a window. The slight wiggle that you get when you drag the windows makes it look a bit flashy. It looks even more flashier on my 19 inch ultra bright display. To make my desktop look a bit more cool, i started out this new journey and started looking at themes and wallpapers for UBUNTU ( my attempt to work with TUX).

After going through various forums and many more other related sites, I discovered that UBUNTU supports something known as desklets. I found two categories gdesklets and adesklets though i am not qualified enough to tell how different are these from each other. However, I chose to go go with adesklets simply because these were written in python and i am python literate. However, understanding these adesklets is still beyond my reach.

One can install it via synaptic package manager quite easily. Once installed i could easily download the various adesklets from here ( you can also do it via the following command sudo adesklets_installer in the terminal window). If you are running UBUNTU Hardy and are running on a 64-bit AMD machine then you will run into issues. It makes me smile, because so far nothing with UBUNTU has gone without me spending some time reading forums ( a lot threads!!). Please have a look at this in case you hit a road block.

You can install a lot of cool looking desklets and use your imagination to create great looking desktops. So let your creative juices flow!!.