At the end of this week I’ll try it, because only then I’ll have some free time. First I will have to back-up all my data because I want to make a Windows 7 partition and the free space that remains will be dedicated exclusively for Ubuntu. I prefer to do this because there is software that doesn’t run on Ubuntu. I could install Virtual Machine but I don’t like it very much. I prefer to use them at full capacity. There would be another way by using Wine, also don’t like it. After finishing the installation I will publish an article about it and hopefully I’ll make a video to.

Till then watch this short Ubuntu 10.10 video presentation from YouTube.

Now we are in 2010 and we wait for the new LTS, the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. This will be a great thing because they made many improvements from the 8.04 version. In this new release will be included all the new updates for the software and many more. Every year they change the name of the release, so the new one will be called Lucid Lynx. The last one had the name Karmic Koala and the last LTS was called Hardy Heron.

We have to wait till the end of April for the final release, but it’s worth waiting. I embedded some videos of the Alpha versions and some presentations of Ubuntu 10.04. After the release i will make a demo video. Till then take care.

I must say that I was surprised! I thought that they will use the same old installation interface, but there is a new and more attractive one. It’s very easy to use, it’s very user-friendly and has a nice new look. In 15 minutes you have a new OS on your computer because it is very fast, accept the last step where the post-installation triggers are being prepared.

Another thing that is new and good is the grub 2 boot loader. I was waiting for a long time for this hoping that it would pe animated like in other Linux distribution, but it isn’t. It’s almost the same only with some small differences. Every Kubuntu user is waiting for a new version of KDE. This one has KDE 4.3.2 but there is the 4.3.3 version and you can get the update from their website.

The desktop has a new standard plasmoid theme which is very cool. There are some new upgrades, many bugs fixed, new themes and wallpapers, it’s easier and faster to use. The wireless works perfectly and it is loading very fast.

I must say it’s getting better and better every day. It gets also much easier to use so normal people can use it without have any trouble. I like it very much and I recommend it. Just forget about the Microsoft Windows bug farm and move to a Linux OS

Watch this video and see the new Kubuntu 9.10.

Sorry for not posting anything on the blog about Kubuntu and other Linux stuff for a long period of time. I’m back and I will try to recover the lost time. I will start with a post about the new Kubuntu 9.10 . I heard it’s very good. I’ll install it on my PC and make a review and a short movie to see what’s all about.

I’m glad that I’m back and I’ll see you soon

I finally decided to give Linux Mint 7 Gloria (a Linux operating system based on Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope) a try, since the software from 6 was kind of dated, and the idea of beginning to compile source code doesn’t quite appeal to me. I didn’t have a spare blank CD, but I did have a blank USB flash drive. Following these simple directions I managed to make a bootable USB drive — the equivalent of a live CD (except I can now reuse the flash drive for other purposes).

The install process per se is pretty straightforward, no problems here. Soon I had a functional installation of Linux Mint 7 Gloria.

The first thing I had to do was remove pidgin and pidgin-data completely and download the latest Pidgin Jaunty binaries from here. Messaging on Yahoo is impossible on versions prior to Pidgin 2.5.7 (2.5.5 comes as a default in Gloria). The latest Pidgin, once installed, works just fine.

Also I installed Cairo Dock, but I am quite disappointed by it. The eyecandy is obtrusive, and I just cant seem to get along with it. I haven’t yet deleted it, since maybe I’ll get the hang of it one day. But for the moment I much rather the less bloated and more useful Gnome-do docky mode.

To my dismay I find it still impossible to get Skype up and running. My microphone just doesn’t work under Linux. My webcam kinda works, but the image is crappy enough to make me want to reboot to Windows whenever I need to use it. There are frustrating parts to using Linux, and not managing to use Skype is a major annoyance.

And it’s not the only program not to work fine. I downloaded the Yo Frankie game from Get Deb and even this open source game with binaries for Jaunty isn’t usable (Gnome-do’s dock and the Gnome pannel get in the way). I never quite got it how the dictionary installed by default ought to work, since it never returned a single definition ever since Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (my very first distro). SMplayer doesn’t play videos (!!!), albeit I installed it via Mint Install.

Linux doesn’t quite work on the desktop. It’s usable most of the time, rather ok for surfing the web. However, from a user end perspective, it’s no Windows killer, sadly. I found this link, that says it all IMHO.

Visually I opted for a darker theme (see picture) since it’s more aesthetically pleasing. If there’s one thing that’ll always make Linux feel better than other OS’s is the way one can configure it, until you have a desktop tailored for your reflexes and habits.

Hopefully things will continue to improve gradually.

Also, a mandatory screenshot

Installing the updates:
First method: down on the task bar, there will be a wheel with a green arrow; double click it and wait ’till it loads the updates; then click on the “Apply all available updates” and wait again; after finishing the installation it is recommended to restart you computer.
Second method: go to the application launcher (the blue button with the letter K on it) -> Applications -> System -> Software Management (KPackageKit) -> Software Updates -> Apply all available updates -> Restart the computer !!!

Installing the video drivers:
Go to the application launcher (the blue button with the letter K on it) -> Applications -> System -> Hardware drivers -> Select the recommended package of drivers and press the “activate” button; after that you need to restart the computer in order to use the drivers correctly ! ( !!! this is presented in the video below !!!)

When this steps are finished you can start using Kubuntu at full capacity. You only need to “pimp it” (visual effects) and install all the software packages that you need. The standard configuration of Kubuntu 9.04 has the following software:
- audio player: Amarok (it is the best, it has everything, works perfectly and it looks very good)
- video player: Dragon Player (i really don’t like it; i prefer VLC, but you have to install it)
- web browsing: Konqueror (it’s good but i recommend to install Mozilla Firefox)
- file manager: Dolphin (it’s good; you don’t need more)
- CD/DVD burning: K3b (works fine)
- instant messaging: Kopete (it’s not the user friendly; you really need to install Pidgin)
- image viewer: Gwenview
- document viewer: Okular (very good; it’s a .pdf viewer)
- office suite: Open Office 3
- torrent client: KTorrent

In this video you can see some of the stuff that i tolled you earlier (the software, installing updates and installing the video drivers).

For better quality watch the movie in HD !!!

P.S.: Don’t forget to help kids with needs by clicking the link from the Socialvibe, watching and rating the video … it is for a good cause and we can make a difference !!!

Next, you need to enter the CD in the CD-ROM drive and start your computer (very important !!! : in the bios menu you need to select the boot sequence: CD-ROM must be the first one). After you do this your computer will automatically boot from the CD-ROM. After booting the Kubuntu 9.04 you need to select the language from the list that will appear. Then you can use the Live version of Kubuntu 9.04 without installing it and start the installation afterwards or you can select just the installation process. When the installation starts first of all you need to select the installation language, then the time zone and the keyboard language. The hardest part in the installation is partitioning your hard. You can accept the recommended partitions or you can specify your own by selecting advanced. In the movie I specified my own personal partitioning preferences and I removed the last version of linux that I had and made some free space. To install linux you need at least 2 partitions: one must be swap formatted (I recommend 1 GB) and an ext3 or ext4 partition. I made only one partition because I use it for hosting the system files and my personal files. If you use my example the mount point of the partition must be “/”. If you create one swap and 2 ext3 partitions then the one with the system files must have the mount point “/” and the one where you keep your personal files must have “/home”. Then you press next, enter your name and your password and start the installation. After that you only need to wait and be patient.

The 2 movies are made with a Camera Recorder so the quality isn’t that great, but I hope reading this post and watching the movies you understand what you need to do. It’s very easy !!! Just be careful !!!

When I will post an article about the virtual machine then I’ll make another installation movie that will be at a higher quality.

This is the first part:

This is the second part:

P.S.: Don’t forget to help kids with needs by clicking the link from the Socialvibe, watching and rating the video … it is for a good cause and we can make a difference !!!

Kubuntu Logo

I finally made up my mind!

The distribution of Linux that I choose to use is Kubuntu 9.04 which is a Desktop Environment, so for those whom start using Linux after using Windows will be easier because there are similarities between the 2 OSs.

A short description from the official website:

“Kubuntu is a free, user-friendly operating system based on the K Desktop Environment and on the award winning Ubuntu operating system. With a biannual release cycle and at least 18 months of free security updates for each release, it is the secure, stable computing environment you’ve been waiting for.”

It is a very easy to use Linux os, full of effects and has everything you want and need. I actually recommend it if you like using a KDE, if you want to use gnome than Ubuntu is the perfect choice. The number of packages is very big and they are very easy and fast to install. The latest updates of the Kubuntu 9.04 are: the first update of the KOffice 2 (KOffice 2.0.1), Karmic Alpha 2 released, KDE 4.3 Beta, Amarok 2.1 and others.

After I install this Linux distribution I hope in a few days to publish the first “S.O.S.-movie”. If you want to download Kubuntu 9.04 just click here.

]]> http://upperweb.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/kubuntu-9-04/feed/ 0 Tony Kubuntu Logo http://upperweb.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/in-the-beginning/ http://upperweb.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/in-the-beginning/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:29:46 +0000 Tony http://upperweb.wordpress.com/?p=14 ]]> Before I officially start this blog I want to present you a short movie of my previous Linux OS: Kubuntu 9.04. It had the KDE 4.2 with Kwin desktop effects. It worked almost perfect, with some minor errors, but now there is an updated version of Kubuntu 9.04 and I think the bugs are fixed. The package manager is very easy to use, maybe the easiest, and has almost everything you need.

At the moment I’m preparing to install a version of Linux to start working. I think I’ll install Linux Mint. If you have another suggestion please leave a comment.