The Lubuntu team have made quite advances over the years, making their Distro better, and this is what made them a part of the Offcial Ubuntu derivatives.
Whether you are a fan of the traditional desktop paradigm, have an old machine or just want to see your latest computer fly, try it and you're sure to go WOW Lubuntu.
Lubuntu team is also making a push for the XP users as Microsoft Windows will stop supporting Windows XP on 8th of April 2014. Check more about that here.
On Ubuntu 12.10 or 13.04, do check this software, it's the best tool to configure Unity in my humble opinion.
All the necessary instructions are in the YouTube description box, great work Freyja Development Team. If you find this post useful, do share it with others.
Computer users have many options when it comes to Cloud based storage services, Enter Copy.
First of all, I found the company logo to be especially well crafted and beautiful, and I found the same to be true for the rest of my experience with Copy. There is a great sense of style and simplicity whether it is the WebUI, Desktop client or the Android app yet functionality hasn't been compromised for it.
Copy is cross platform(Linux,Android,MacOS,iOS,Windows), I personally tried it on Elementary Luna, Ubuntu 13.04, my low end(Samsung Galaxy Y) Android cellphone and found it to be working nicely. The best part, if you signup now using this link https://copy.com?r=rlBLP7 you will get 10GB Free space instead of the default 5GB(It is an introductory offer and not sure how long it will last so hurry up).
Installation of the Linux Desktop Client is quite easy, just download the copy.tgz from copy.com , extract it, depending on your operating system execute the CopyAgent from the x86(32Bit) or x86_64(64Bit) folder. Done as the rest is pretty simple.
If you find this post useful, do share it with others.
FOSS leads innovation in many spheres and makes our life easy, one new thing in our arsenal is the LibreOffice Impress Remote. It's a free presentation remote control Android app for LibreOffice!
The LibreOffice team recently released the latest version 4.0.1 which is feature packed and covers the office suite needs of most users, plus they gave us this gem of an app for Android devices, it has features such as slide previews, speaker notes, slides grid view, and more.
For the remote control app to function, you must have the latest LibreOffice installed. Windows and Mac users can get it from here. For the Ubuntu and Ubuntu based distro user, I recommend that you add the stable PPA. Run the following commands in the Terminal, sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa sudo apt-get update
Then launch the software updater/update manager and upgrade your system, in case you don't have LibreOffice installed, install it from the Software Center.
Next download the LibreOffice Impress Remote Android app from the Google Play Store. Now watch the video below and get the app working in no time.
Note that it is recommended to enable bluetooth on your Android device first before launching the app, and you must have a presentation running before you connect your Android device with the Computer. Enjoy and consider contributing to LibreOffice for their efforts.
Most of
you will get the connection between two popular distributions that
lead to the name Fuduntu but I will mention it anyways. Fuduntu began
as a distribution that wanted to give its users the base of Fedora
but with user friendly approach of Ubuntu. Fuduntu was originally
based on Fedora 14 but they forked themselves when Fedora 14 reached
the end of its life cycle and became Independent and a Rolling
Release distro .That
will be the history lesson for today and we come to the latest
Fuduntu 2012.2 which was released last month.
Gnome 2
is Fuduntu's Desktop Environment and they are committed to providing
Gnome 2 to its users for as long as it will be humanly possible.
Gnome 2 in combination with the superb Avant Window Navigator that
takes care of your task management and application launchers gives
you an aesthetically pleasing user experience that is highly
productive.
The
Fuduntu 2012.2 ISO both 32-bit and 64-bit are 900MB+ but with that
you get a nice selection of software and media codecs that enables
you in playing your media files out of the box.
Chromium
is you default web browser, Pidgin for your instant messaging,
Dropbox for your cloud related services, Tomboy Notes for your note
taking, Shotwell Photo Manager, Banshee Media Player, VLC media
player and more.
The
favourite of many(including me) Nautilus Elementary is your File
Manager in Fuduntu and it goes without saying that it looks plus
works beautifully.
In
Office you only have Google Docs which is basically a launcher
wrapped in Chromium that takes you to Google Docs/Drive. Note that
you can easily install the latest LibreOffice 3.5.3.2 from the
Add/Remove Software(Gnome Package Manager).
The
Gnome Package Manager works Okay but I would highly recommend
installing Yum Extender(Yumex) which is an excellent choice for a GUI
package manager and far more functional in my opinion.
It is
fast, provides you the option to update your system,
installing/removing packages, managing repositories, shows your Yum
history and more.
You can
easily install yumex from the Add/Remove Software or with the
following command “beesu
yum -y install yumex”.
One
thing that I generally face on Fedora and it was no different on
Fuduntu is that after a fresh installation, running Software Update
takes ages. In case you also face this or just want to do it faster,
use the following commands in terminal :- “yum list updates”
which display the list of the updated software and “beesu yum
update” to download and install all updates.
Fuduntu
has been highly stable in my usage with the only exception being
Audacious which for some reason doesn't wants to play audio files but
I installed DeaDBeeF and everything is fine. Note that Banshee also
plays audio files and there is no problem in Fudunutu related to
audio playback, it is only that I like lightweight audio players and
Audacious is my first choice when it comes to them.
Fuduntu's
Desktop effects worked out of the box for me and it was pleasant
surprise to see the Desktop Cube back in action.
Also the
Expo is set to get activated when you move your cursor to the
top-right and which makes switching between windows seamless and
intuitive.
As I
have mentioned above Fuduntu is an independent distribution, which
means they manage the software packages themselves, which gives them
the freedom to provide the latest software quickly to their users.
For example GIMP,Chromium,LibreOffice and most software are at the
latest in the Fuduntu-Stable repository and you can always enable
Fuduntu-Testing or Fuduntu-Unstable to get more bleeding edge
software. Sadly this also means that some software may not be present
in the repositories, like Mumble is not in the repos.
This is
the only downer but definitely not a deal breaker as I have clearly
developed a liking for Fuduntu and it is on my recommended distros
list from now on.
The
Beautiful Setup of Fuduntu plus its speed and the rolling release
model makes it an excellent distribution that I will highly recommend
to anybody who is looking for a distro with these qualities.
If you have any comments/questions/suggestions please feel free to contact me via the comments section, Google+ or twitter. Also if you like what you have read, do share it with others.
GNU/Linux and FOSS in general has changed the way in which we interact with Computers and with the World. It has opened gateways that none of us could’ve imagined. GNU/Linux contributes to the world in many ways but one contribution that I highly appreciate is that in the field of Education.
We all feel good when we see and hear about people in Africa using Puppy Linux to setup Internet Cafe, Debian GNU/Linux powering a Library in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the OLPC movement and many more.
Edubuntu is one such distribution trying to make a change in the world with their goal being ”Our aim is to put together a system that contains all the best free software available in education and make it easy to install and maintain”.
Edubuntu 12.04 which is also the first Long term support release(will be supported for 5 years) of the Edubuntu project had released on the same day with the Ubuntu 12.04 release and just in case you don’t know, Edubuntu is based on Ubuntu and is also a part of the Ubuntu family(official derivatives).
Edubuntu 12.04 ships with the Unity-Shell and Gnome Classic(you can read more about that in this post) and what is more interesting is that the Edubuntu installer asks you whether you want to make Gnome Classic the default session.
The
Edubuntu 12.04 ISO both 32-bit and 64-bit are 2.6GB+ but you get quite a
raft of education related applications ranging from Preschool to
Tertiary level plus many of the Open Source favourites like Firefox,
Thunderbird, Empathy, GIMP, Scribus, Inkspace, LibreOffice Office Suite,
Totem, Rythmbox and more.
The installer also gives you the option for selecting the education related applications that you want to install/not install which makes sense as a college student will not require Preschool and Primary level applications. While we are on education related applications, Edubuntu ships with the KDE Education Project, GCompris, Celestia, Tux4kids Entertainment Suite, Stellarium just to name a few.
You also have Epoptes (a Greek word for overseer) is an open source computer lab management and monitoring tool and the option to have the LTSP(Linux Terminal Server Project) which adds thin-client support to Linux servers hence empowering schools, businesses, and organizations all over the world to easily install and deploy desktop workstations.
All in all Edubuntu 12.04 is an excellent release in every respect and carries the contribution of FOSS to the World and Humanity in the field of Education further. You can download Edubuntu 12.04 from here
If you have any comments/questions/suggestions please feel free to contact me via the comments section, Google+ or twitter. Also if you like what you have read, do share it with others.
I believe that what ever a computer users requirement are the Ubuntu Family(official derivatives) have them covered and such beautiful member of the family is Xubuntu.
Xubuntu comes with lightweight and highly customisable Xfce running at the current stable release 4.8.1. The default look of Xubuntu 12.04 is quite appealing.
Gtk3 is also implemented in the 12.04 release so all you Gtk3 application look and work nicely.
The Xubuntu site and branding have also been updated lately, making Xubuntu all the more exquisite.
Xubuntu is production ready from the start providing my favourites Firefox and Thunderbird as its default Web Browser and Mail Client respectively.
The highly versatile Pidgin is your default instant messaging client. AbiWord for your Documents and Gnumeric for Spreadsheets is provided under your office applications and you can easily install LibreOffice/Calligra from the Ubuntu Software Center.
If you have any comments/questions/suggestions please feel free to contact me via the comments section, Google+ or twitter. Also if you like what you have read, do share it with others.
In my previous post, I named a few advantages of Linux and the very first one was: Linux is versatile. Ubuntu epitomizes this fact and there is a variant of it for everyone(we will only consider Ubuntu and its derivatives recognized by Canonical for this post)[1].
Let us list the variants of Ubuntu that we will be exploring today:
Ubuntu- This is where it all began, Ubuntu uses the Gnome desktop environment but from the 11.04 release, instead of using the gnome-shell it uses Unity.
Kubuntu- Ubuntu with the K Desktop environment
Xubuntu- Ubuntu with the XFCE desktop environment
Lubuntu- Ubuntu that uses LXDE
Edubuntu- Ubuntu for education
Desktop environment in simple terms means the face of your computer or any electronic device on which you are reading my blog, the thing that you are using to interact with your device, get stuff done in a graphical way. The thing is, Linux doesn't comes with only one "face". Linux is versatile and so are the Desktop environments. The four of the most popular desktop environment in Linux are Gnome,KDE,Xfce and Lxde.
Chrales has explained different desktop environments beautifully and you can check it here.
We shall know move onto examining each of the variants in brief.
Ubuntu: As mentioned above Ubuntu has always used the Gnome desktop environment since its inception and the current release Ubuntu 11.10 'Oneiric Ocelot' sports Gnome 3 with Unity-shell. So what is Unity you ask?
"Founded in 2010, the Unity project started by Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical has gone on to deliver a consistent user experience for desktop and netbook users alike. Putting great design at the heart of the project, Unity and its technologies such as Application indicators, System indicators, and Notify OSD, have strived to solve common problems in the Free Software desktop while optimizing the experience for touch, consistency and collaboration".[2]
The Unity in 11.10 release cycle is a great achievement, kudos to Mark and his team for that. With Unity one gets a coherent desktop experience. Everything is simple,splendid,sleek yet highly productive.
I have already posted in detail about Ubuntu in my previous post which you can check here. The recommended minimum requirements to run Ubuntu in the default Unity desktop are: 1 GHz x86 processor 1 GB of system memory (RAM) 15 GB of disk space Graphics card capable of 1024x768 resolution(no problem if you don't have one as you will be running Unity2d instead of Unity3d and both work identically)[7]
Kubuntu: "Kubuntu is a community developed and supported project. Since its launch in October 2004, Kubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users around the world".[3]
Kubuntu 11.10
Regarded as the most beautiful of the Ubuntu family of distros, with Kubuntu 11.10 you get the latest KDE 4.7(current version 4.7.3), the libreoffice office suite, Amarok as the default music player, Rekonq as its web browser, Kmail2 as its mail client, Kopete for your instant messaging and other applications that a normal user may require while computing. Also there is the Muon Software Center through which you can install from the thousands of apps available.
You can check its features here and download it from here. The minimum system requirements for Kubuntu are: 1 GHz x86 processor
615 MB of system memory (RAM) 4.4 GB of disk space[7]
Xubuntu: "Xubuntu is a community developed operating system that is well-suited for laptops and desktops. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Xubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools".[4]
Xubuntu 11.10
Xubuntu uses the Xfce desktop environment and is targeted at older computers with less system resource. Xubuntu 11.10 offers the latest Xfce 4.8, Firefox for web browsing, Thunderbird as your mail client, Abiword for all your word-processing needs, Gnumeric for the creation and manipulation of spreadsheets, gmusicbrowser to manage music, GIMP to create and edit images and lots more softwares. Also you have the Ubuntu Software Center to take care of any apps installations that you may need.
You can check its features here and download it from here. The minimum system requirements for Xubuntu are: 300 MHz x86 processor
256 MB of system memory (RAM) 4.4 GB of disk space[7]
Lubuntu: "The objective of the Lubuntu project is to create a variant of Ubuntu that is lighter, less resource hungry and more energy-efficient by using lightweight applications andLXDE, The Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment, as its default GUI. Lubuntu is targeted at "normal" PC and laptop users running on low-spec hardware. Members of the team take care of LXDE and other packages that are part of the Lubuntu install. Lubuntu received official recognition as a formal member of the Ubuntu family, commencing with Lubuntu 11.10".[5]
Lubuntu 11.10
Lubuntu offers a minimal yet elegant desktop experience with core philosophy of keeping the system lightweight yet in no way compromising on functionality.
With Lubuntu 11.10 you get the Chromium as your default web browser, Pidgin as your instant messaging client, Sylpheed as your mail client, Transmission for your torrent downloading, Abiword as your word processor, Gnumeric for your spreadsheets, Audacious as your music player and lots more softwares. Now Lubuntu doesn't has a Software Center in the likes that I have mentioned above instead Synaptic Package Manager takes care of your application installations. But as we are on Linux, you can always have what you didn't get.
The minimum system requirements for Lubuntu are: 266 MHz Pentium processor 128 MB of system memory (RAM) 4.4 GB of disk space[7]
Edubuntu 11.10
Edubuntu: "Edubuntu is a grassroots movement, we aim to get Ubuntu into schools, homes and communities and make it easy for users to install and maintain their systems.
We are students, teachers, parents and hackers who believe that learning and knowledge should be available to everyone who wants to improve themselves and the world around them" [6]
Now Edubuntu as you could see from the screenshot looks pretty similar to Ubuntu which in fact it is. The goal of this distro is to put together a system that contains all the best free software available in education and make it easy to install and maintain. Check this video to have a better understanding of what Edubuntu has to offer:
Most of the software available on Edubunutu can be easily downloaded in any Ubuntu distribution.
You can also try Edubuntu online without needing to download or install anything through WebLive.
You can download it from here. note: The educational institutions, parents and kids across the globe are realizing the potential of Linux and choosing it instead of living in morbid fear of Microsoft by running a prohibited copy(a.k.a pirated copy) or shelling out great bucks to get something which basically offers nothing, then having to purchase an office suite to make it productive(and all of this can be used only on a single machine) and I didn't even mention the Antivirus.
So which one is your favorite?
If you have any comments/questions/suggestions please feel free to contact me via the comments section, Google+ or twitter. Also if you like what you have read, do share it with others.
I have been using Ubuntu which is a GNU/Linux distribution for nearly eight months and now I find myself in an opportune position(had been busy with exams)to share it with everyone. Few questions that may come to your mind. What is Ubuntu?, what is GNU/Linux?, what is a distribution?, why this title "Liberate Yourself"?. Read on and you may find the answers to them and much more. We all know that an Operating System is required to get the Computer working( you know it now if you didn't already) and like Microsoft Windows is an operating system so is GNU/Linux but unlike Windows it is "Free Software". Free is a relative word and has many different meanings but in this case Free stands for "FREEDOM". "Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer"
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it means that the program's users have the four essential freedoms:
The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.[1]
You can read more about "Free Software" here. "Free Software" is also know as "Open-Source Software". Collectively and most widely they are known and used as "FOSS"(Free and Open-source Software). "GNU/Linux" is often(rather mostly) referred to as just "Linux" but it is very important to know and understand the "GNU" part. So just how popular and important is Linux. Check this:
Chances are you must have already heard something about Linux in the lines of:
Linux is hard
Linux is a hacker tool
Linux is for hardcore geeks
I am sorry to disappoint you but these are not true. Linux is no harder to use than Windows and in many ways a better alternative to it. When it comes to hacking any OS can be used as a "Hacker tool". Linux is not just for hardcore geeks , Linux is for everyone. Few(of the many)Advantages of Linux are:
Linux is versatile. Most of the Linux distributions are free of cost like Ubuntu(which is the most popular and widely used Linux distro).
Linux is easy to install. I had only followed the installation instructions provided on the Ubuntu download page and then the installer itself when I installed Ubuntu for the first time.
Linux is very stable. And even if the system crashes(which is an off case)the whole system doesn't goes down.The Blue Screen Of Death that most Windows users will be familiar with is not a worry for the Linux users.
Linux is Virus free. I don't sit around wasting my time on running a resource hogging Antivirus Software for which a Windows users would actually pay for(and even then you can't be sure that you are 100% safe).
Linux doesn't slows down with usage and passage of time. Also there is no need to defragment your hard disks on it.
Linux can breathe new life into old computers! If you have an older computer (especially Pentium III or later) laying around, you can install Linux and in essence have a new computer. In many cases Linux will run faster and you can do all of the basics such as browse the Internet, email, play games, and create and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. It should also be mentioned that Linux runs great on newer computers as well.
Linux is more than just a Software, Linux is a Community. A Community of varied Individuals from different walks of life, having different belief systems but have one thing in common. We All Choose To Be LIBERATED.
Linux has great support system. There is support available for any of your queries/problems on different levels through various mediums(Documentation,Forums,Tutorials,Live chat with fellow users and support providers on IRC channels and more)[2].
If you want to know about more advantages check these:
Many Windows programs will not run in Linux. iTunes, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and many other Windows programs will not run natively in Linux. The good news is that there are decent ways around most of these problems. For example, music libraries can be managed with programs such as Amarok,Banshee, or Rhythmbox in Linux. Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are outstanding Internet browsers which can be used in the place of Internet Explorer(The fact of the matter is even Windows Users don't use Internet Explorer). It is also possible to run some Windows apps in Linux using Wine, VirtualBox. LibreOffice is an excellent office suite which can be used in the place of Microsoft Office. Click here to learn more about Linux equivalents to software commonly used in Windows. There is also a way of installation known as dual booting(which is recommended for new users) through which you can have both Windows and Ubuntu on the same computer, So you can still keep Windows as a second fiddle for those Windows Centric programs.
There is a learning curve for people who are new to Linux. Despite this, most Linux distros, especially the major ones, are very intuitive and user-friendly. Also, the desktop environments in Linux are in many ways similar to Windows in their appearance. One thing which should be emphasized is that there is also a learning curve for Windows XP users who switch to Windows 7[2].
I find this video to be an excellent Epitomization of Linux:
You are free to choose among the plethora of Linux distributions that are available but today I will be introducing Ubuntu.
Ubuntu Circle Of Friends.
Ubuntu is a "Super-fast, easy to use and free, the Ubuntu operating system powers millions of desktops, netbooks and servers around the world. Ubuntu does everything you need it to. It'll work with your existing PC files, printers, cameras and MP3 players. And it comes with thousands of free apps.".[3] ubuntu |oǒ'boǒntoō| Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning 'humanity to others'. It also means 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.[4]
It was this core philosophy that had me captivated when I first found the Ubuntu website as this is also a part of my belief system. Please go ahead and read more About Ubuntu and its Philosophy.
Pronouncing Ubuntu is fairly easy but just in case you need help check here.
The latest Ubuntu release is Ubuntu 11.10 'Oneiric Ocelot'. Standard maintenance updates will be provided for Ubuntu 11.10 for 18 months, through April 2013. The next Long Term Support (LTS) version of the software will be Ubuntu 12.04, or “Precise Pangolin,” which is due in April. The previous release, Ubuntu 11.04 'Natty Narwhal' has been listed as one of 2011's 'standout hardware, software or services' by PCWorld[5].
Ubuntu on PCWorld list
Get an overview on 'What Makes Ubuntu 11.10 So Great?'
Check the awesome Features of Ubuntu. Want to test drive it, take the online Ubuntu Tour and also get to know why Ubuntu 11.10 is the best Ubuntu yet. There is a great chance that by now you must be wondering, how on Earth such an amazing existence been lost upon you till now(as this is what We all have also felt). So without further delay lets move onto getting you to Ubuntu. Please follow these Steps:
That is it(yes I played with you just a little bit when I said steps ). Didn't I tell you earlier that Installation of Linux is easy and when it comes to Ubuntu nothing is easier than this. Every Information that you will need pertaining to trying and installing Ubuntu is provided there. Go Ahead Try Ubuntu and Liberate Yourself! If you have any comments/questions/suggestions please feel free to contact me via the comments section, Google+ or twitter. Also if you like what you have read, do share it with others. References: [1] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html [2] http://www.renewablepcs.com/about-linux/advantages-of-using-linux
[3] http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu
[3] http://www.ubuntu.com/project/about-ubuntu
[4] PCWorld| 100 Best products of 2011
