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Please see http://techies-r-us.com.au from now on. This Blog will no longer be updated!
Thank You
Admin
I am typing this from my newly purchased IBM Thinkpad X31 loaded with Windows XP Pro and Ubuntu 9.04.
Firstly I have to say something about the machine itself, and then I will go on a bit about how Linux is doing on this notebook.
From the time I opened the box and saw the laptop I was overjoyed. This unit is small and super portable but at the same time it isn’t so small that you feel you are falling off of it all the time. I have had a lot of opportunity to handle, use and just fool around with a variety of Netbooks, ASUS EEEpc, MSI, ACER, HP and the Lenovo S10, but nothing comes close to this X31 in my opinion.
This ultra-portable has a 12 inch screen so its small and lightweight but very comfortable. Mine came with an 80GB hard drive, 1.25GB of RAM, ATI Graphics card with dedicated video memory, Firewire, 2 x USB2.0, CF Card slot, PCMCIA slot, VGA out, Lan/Wifi/Modem, portable docking station with DVD Burner and more ports — all for $320 (AUD) including shipping!
Sure, this machine is not new and it isn’t a glossy or shiny gadget, but its got a lot of heart and the price is great for the quality and features you get – I would take this little beauty over a Netbook any day!
Now on to Linux…
I loaded Ubuntu 9.04 on here from the start. All the hardware was picked up and working from “GO”!
Ubuntu 9.04 does seem to run just a slight bit sluggish though and I am going to try out putting either Ubuntu Hardy LTS, Xubuntu or even Ubuntu Remix.
Overall its been superb with not a single hitch in this run!
I have been having this issue in Ubuntu for a while. The problem occurs when I play Flash content (ie. YouTube or Google Video) and just as the video is about start playing Firefox crashes. This does not happen each and every time though, but its pretty regular.
So here is how I fixed the issue.
STEP 1: Download the latest Adobe Flash plugin from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
STEP 2: Open Synaptic Package Manager (System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager) and search for “flash”. In the list find the package called “flashplugin-nonfree” and mark for Complete Removal. Apply the changes and close Synaptic.
STEP 3: Go back to the Adobe Flash plugin you downloaded and install the package. Restart Firefox and your done!
If you use AWN (avant-window-navigator) you either have already experienced the following, or you are yet to …
When using the Stacks Plugger applet to view mounted volumes, such as flash drives, CD/DVD’s and external Hard Drives, you have to right click on these volumes and select “Unmount Volume” from the right-click menu in order to unmount it. However, right above the “Unmount Volume” option there is another option which is “Hide Volume” and many people will end up at some point mistakingly clicking on that option which makes the volume vanish from AWN but remain mounted. The bothering thing about this is that the next time you plug that same device in it will not show up any more in AWN — VERY annoying!
So here is how to get that undone …
NOTE: You can also accomplish this without the Terminal but its much simpler this way.
STEP 1: Open a Terminal (Gnome: Applications > Accessories > Terminal)
STEP 2: Paste this like into the terminal:
gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/avant-window-navigator/applets
and hit “Enter”.
STEP 3: Close the Terminal and close AWN (Right-click on the corner of the AWN Dock and select “Close”)
STEP 4: Re-open AWN (Gnome: Applications > Accessories > Avant-Window-Navigator)
Done!
I have seen this happen on many machines, and the cause can be different, but basically you end up with two entries in the boot.ini file which each call for a Windows boot. So when you boot up your computer you are asked to pick which one you want.
To remove this annoyance you can do the following:
1) Right-click My Computer
2) Click Properties from the right-click menu
3) Click the Advanced tab
4) Click the Startup & Recovery Settings button
5) Here you’ll have a choice to choose your default OS. Usually you don’t need to change it as it will already be on the best one.
6) Most likely, the “time to display list of OS’s” will be checked with a timeout equal to the time your computer waits until it boots without user intervention. UNCHECK that box.
7) Reboot and you should boot directly into Widows without the boot prompt.
Good Luck
The other day I right-clicked on a word in Firefox and selected “Add to Dictionary” by accident. Here is how to rectify the mistake by removing the added entry.
1. Close Firefox
2. Open Nautilus to your Home Folder and click on View > Show Hidden Files
3. Navigate to: .mozilla/firefox/xxxxxx.default
4. Open the file called persdict.dat in the Text Editor and delete the unwanted entries
5. Save and Close the file
DONE!
This is something new I hope to do every now and then. Basically a little survey filled out by someone (a Linux user).
Enjoy!
Q: What is your occupation?
A: I am a freelance web developer, programmer, and networking consultant.
Q: What is your age range? (15-20 / 20-25 / 25-30 / 30-40 / 40+)
A: 15-20
Q: From a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is the best) how would you rate your computer literacy?
A: 8.571832
Q: When did you first attempt to use Linux (Year! Month if you can), what distribution was it and what prompted you to try Linux?
A: I don’t remember exactly. I recall Ubuntu 6.06 as being one of my early distros, which would place me close to 6/2006, however I feel like I’ve been using it since earlier than that…
Q: Did you like and continue to use Linux from the very first time you tried it? (If “No”, why not? If “Yes” you can skip the next question.)
A: No, one of my earliest Linux experiences involved buying a computer and trying to install red hat Linux on it. this was pre-2000, and I as I recall, that computer wound up on eBay 😉
Q: How long was it before you tried Linux again, what distribution was it and how was your experience this time?
A: Quite a while, however given that I started with Ubuntu, I took to it like a fish to water.
Q: Do you use Linux now? (If “Yes”, what distro? If “No”, why not?)
A: Yes. I vary from week to week, at the moment I am using a stripped-down Ubuntu 8.10, however that can vary from Source Mage, through Gentoo, up to Debian or a later Ubuntu.
Q: (If you use Linux …) Do you use Windows as well as Linux? If you do, please tell us why and/or for which tasks specifically.
A: Yes, the Linux version of “Packet Tracer” (A cisco network simulator) is at the moment nearly unusable, and I also enjoy the occasional first person shooter, or a few hours of GTA. I use Linux for any serious stuff though.
Q: In your own words, do you think Linux is ready for the average Home Computer User? (If “No”, why not? If “Yes”, for how long has it been ready and why?)
A: Yes and No. The average is hard to define in people, however I would say that the average Home Computer user is becoming tech savvy enough to be ready for a user-friendly distro like Ubuntu, however Linux is certainly not ready for your grandmother yet. Often, however, if a user only needs Web browsing capibilities (accessing webmail, keeping up to date with the news, etc.) and an office suite, Linux can serve the purpose without needing to be particularly user friendly. Really, at this point I would say No in general, then say Yes on a great number of individual cases.
THE END
I get a number of people asking me how to install flash in Ubuntu … there are a few ways but here is what I do …
1. Go to the following link: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
2. Select version to download (you should pick “.deb for Ubuntu 8.04+”)
3. Click the “Agree and install now” button. Your download will begin automatically and you will be asked to “Save” or “Open” the file. Select to Save it to your Desktop (or wherever else you can find it easily)
4. Once the file is completely downloaded it double-click it and follow the prompts to install it.
5. Restart Firefox (or whichever browser/s you are using)
DONE!
I just about had enough of people bad mouthing the Ubuntu Linux operating system unnecessarily and thought I would address some of the said “issues” here.
1. I cannot play a DVD immediately after installing Ubuntu.
Yes its true. WHY? Because of laws restricting it. Laws which the people who create Ubuntu have no power over. However the step to installing the codec/player for viewing a DVD, on this 100% free-of-charge, insanely secure and stable operating system, from your local rental store is so simple that it should put you to shame for complaining. If its too hard for you to learn something new then stick with MS Windows and all the horror that you have become so comfortable with living with.
2. I cannot install Photoshop.
Unless you are a professional designer for the Cosmopolitan magazine, take a good hard look at what you do with Photoshop and realize (by a little researching through Google.com) that you can do all that stuff (putting butterfly wings on a cow etc …) in other programs like ….ummm … oh right, GIMP! Yeah, I know you are rolling your eyes and thinking “GIMP is not as good as Photoshop” — point is “It is good enough for YOU!”
3. Ubuntu is so empty (after the initial install).
Oh, and Windows is just teaming with life … riiiight — NOT! The Windows (XP, VISTA, 7) I install does not come with a full Office Suite, Image Manipulator and Designer, PGP built in, Bitorrent downloader, MS Outlook equivalent (Evolution), PDF Reader, Live USB App and all (nearly all the time) the drivers for your wifi, graphics, sound, card reader, bluetooth, LAN etc ..
Seems to me like you should be wining about some other operating system than Ubuntu Linux.
4. Ubuntu looks so ugly.
Well, that is you talking so don’t expect everyone else to agree with you. However I know most people will not stick with the brown/orange/beige look and will … guess what … completely create their own look and style! WOW! Its so fun and has so many variables … why, you can truly do just about anything to change the way your environment looks, acts and feels.
The default Windows look is, to many Windows users, downright deplorable … but you know, they just live with it because they know nothing else. Sure, some are aware of there being shell packs that can completely change your look and feel, of which the install will take hundreds of MB’s on your Hard Drive and, in many cases, cause things to slow down considerably, or you can get little theme packs for your window borders etc … many of which will have ridiculous glitches with any given program you have installed (believe me I have had my days of tweaking Windows’ looks).
But with Ubuntu Linux its just a given that you will change everything about your systems looks and feel and make it personal, and that is wonderful because its easy for you and its easy for your system, with tiny files and lightweight but awesome effects.
5. I should not have to type code into a Terminal to get this system working.
First of all, even though there are a lot of “How-To’s” on the Net where you find people saying to do such-and-such through the Terminal that does not mean that it cannot be done through the GUI as well! Simply put its a matter of familiarity and not it being “hard” or “easy” — after all you only find something easy to do or easy to comprehend once you are familiar with it.
I used to be at the place where I utterly despised Command Line Input and would always look for a “point and click” alternative. But slowly, over time, I began realizing that what once seemed “easier” and thus “faster” was in fact only me being stuck in a rut and coming at the entire thing from the wrong angle in my mind. See, whether or not I knew it at the time, I was fighting against the Terminal because I had the mindset that it was old and thus un-cool or somehow not as “good”, “fast” or “efficient” as the point-and-click. Well maybe it is an older way of doing things … but does that alone make it worse than point-and-click? No, of course not!
So when I actually stood back a bit and asked myself what was so wrong about using the Terminal to do stuff like installing a program or updating the already installed ones etc … I could think of nothing other than I was not USED to it — translation: I was not FAMILIAR with it.
Now I am a lot more comfortable with using the Terminal, not only because I am just getting more familiar with it but mainly because I actually find it extremely fast and versatile. I still use the GUI tools more than the Terminal, but I am no longer held back by my closed mindedness and unfounded bias against using a different method to get to the same place as quick or even quicker.
6. (Ubuntu) Linux is not as good as Windows!
This statement is made over and over and over again by people who are (sorry to be blunt) plain ignorant — or just lying!
First of all you would have to define the word “good” in this context. In the case of an operating system I might define it as the following:
– Fast
– Quiet
– Stable
– Secure
– Flexible
– Resourceful (ie. Hardware Support)
– Supported (Help and Support)
just to name a few…
So lets see how MS Windows (7) and Linux fare.
– Fast
With the arrival of Windows 7 many people are being impressed by the speed of the thing … however this is simply due to the vast majority of them having come from Vista Hell. Linux still wins this one hands down. You can run recent releases of Linux on older systems with effects and the works. Linux will perform faster than Windows on the same system over the short term and more so over the long term.
– Quiet
Windows 7 has become a lot more quiet since the MS boys realized that their little UAC system in Vista was pissing nearly all their customers off. Linux is very quiet and will only as for a “root password” if you want to change a deep system setting. I would give Windows and Linux a draw here (NOT for Vista though!).
– Stable
Linux again wins! Its a known fact that Windows becomes more and more cluttered and messy as you go along using it, thus needing regular defragmenting, scanning, and removal of useless, and/or harmful to system responsiveness, files and data. If a Windows system is not vigorously maintained by the user it will ultimately become useless and die the death of the blue screen of death (or not even that…).
Linux, on the other hand, can be used from day one through to Month number 13.5 (and further) without the user performing a single bit of cleaning up or maintenance … other than cleaning his screen if he/she wants to …
Linux will continue to run at a fast pace and will automatically and consistently maintain itself. No further comment needed!
– Secure
Yes! This is where Linux far out-flanks Windows. Windows has hundreds of thousands of viruses, worms and trojans to its majestic name. Linux has a handful of hacks created for servers, none of which work any longer and were dealt with immediately upon discovery.
– Flexible (User Customization)
Windows is flexible and there are quiet a few things that the user can accomplish in changing the look and feel of their Desktop. However Linux can do everything Windows can do but with greater ease on the Hardware and therefore on the user since more resources can be put to use by the user rather than the system gulping it all up. Linux can also be manipulated to act completely like another operating system (ie. Mac OSX), unlike Widows which can only be made to look like it but not act like it.
It is a close one here but Linux wins by being able to do everything Windows can and more … and with using less system resources to do it.
– Resourceful (ie. Hardware Support)
This is where Linux struggles more than Windows … for obvious reasons. Windows has very good hardware support – plain and simple! Linux is catching up extremely quickly with all the big names in hardware making either Linux drivers or open sourcing the hardware specs for the open source community to create drivers themselves. Windows wins this one — for now! (Its only a matter of time)
– Supported (Help and Support)
Both Windows and Linux have support, however support for Linux is by far easier to obtain (as it is almost entirely free). Windows and Linux draw here, even though I personally feel that the Linux community is generally a lot more helpful and friendly.
All in all …
Linux got 4 points
Windows got 1 point
and 2 points each for drawing, which brings it to 6 – 3.
Oh and remember … Linux is FREE!
I installed Ubuntu 8.04 LTS on the Lenovo Ideapad S10 without much hassle.
What took the longest was finding which program to use which would create a working USB LiveCD of Ubuntu.
I tried the manual approach from the terminal as well as liveusb. Both approaches produced the USB LiveCD just fine but neither of them worked well enough to install Ubuntu on the device.
Finally I found the one that worked — UNetbootin
Once I had the USB stick ready I plugged it into the S10 and pressed the power button. From there on out it was a breeze.
After Ubuntu was installed everything except the wireless was working so I installed ndiswrapper and ndisgtk from the USB stick and installed the wireless driver for the Broadcom wireless device.
Wow … very different from Microsoft Windows …. one driver for the entire system … awesome!
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