It’s always a breath of fresh air when you are able to resurrect older hardware that most people would throw right into the trash with a dash of Linux.

Granted, this M250 laptop isn’t in its default config…I’ve updated it from 512MB of RAM to 2GB of RAM…which puts it at the maximum it can recognize.  It is running a Pentium M 740 Processor that runs at 1.73 Ghz and was part of the Centrino line from Intel.  It’s not breaking any land speed records but it hums along nicely.  I can upgrade it still to a Pentium M 760 and then that too will be maxed out.  For now, this laptop would run Windows XP normally and probably not do a fantastic job at it with a bunch of apps installed.

With Linux, I can load it up with just about anything I want and things just work.  If you haven’t taken a look at CrunchBang Linux in a while, you should do so immediately.  It’s like straight up octane fuel for your older computers.  I’m pleased that CrunchBang uses Debian for its base so that I am not in want of obscure packages and it uses Openbox, one of my favorite window managers, for its default desktop.

During the writing of this article using Firefox…er Iceweasel 8.0…it’s humming nicely at 175MB of RAM being used and about 15% CPU.  Very pleased thus far.  I’ll include a screenshot below and I’ll do a more in depth review of CrunchBang soon.

Remember, don’t throw out your old computers/laptops.  Resurrect them with Linux…particularly a VERY well put together and nice distribution like CrunchBang Linux!

CrunchBang Linux

Old Computer? No Problem! Linux Saves The Day. originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on December 4, 2011.

Normally I don’t like to manually install things outside the repository because when updates are pushed, there is no upstream source to differentiate from…so your chances of running outdated software increase unless you are vigilant.  Luckily, I consider myself vigilant.  Unfortunately, I’m not as vigilant as I consider myself to be…so I’ve added in reminders for myself on my Google calendar to check for Firefox 4 updates.

So, here’s how to get Firefox 4 onto your LMDE desktop…First, uninstall the version of Firefox you have using Synaptic or the software center.  Open a terminal up and let’s get started.

Create a temporary directory to house a downloaded and unzipped Firefox:

cd ~/ && mkdir tmp && cd tmp/

Next, let’s download and unzip it (please note this is for en-US version only…you’ll have to adjust the URL for diff. languages):

32bit

wget http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/latest-4.0/linux-i686/en-US/firefox-4.0.tar.bz2

64bit

wget http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/latest-4.0/linux-x86_64/en-US/firefox-4.0.tar.bz2

Now let’s unzip and extract it:

tar -xvjf firefox*.tar.bz2

Now let’s move the newly extracted items to /usr/local so it can be used by the system:

sudo mv firefox /usr/local/firefox4

Now we need to create a link so that applications calling firefox 4 access it correctly:

sudo ln -s /usr/local/firefox4/firefox /usr/local/bin/firefox4

Ok, the hard part is done…but you don’t have a menu entry for it nor a shortcut you can execute.  Let’s do that now.  Right click your mint menu and choose “edit menu”.  Now, select the “Internet” menu in the left hand pane.  Click the “New Item” button.  The following window will pop up…fill it in with the information contained in the picture below:

The command line should be (remember the link we made above? let’s use it!):

/usr/local/firefox4/firefox %u

Notice in the picture above the Firefox icon is present…yours most likely isn’t.  In order to set the icon, click the area where it appears above and then select the following image:

When you’re finished, click close.  Firefox 4 should now appear under “Internet” in your Mint Menu.  You can now right click that item and add it to your favorites if you wish.

Now let’s make sure you list Firefox 4 as the default web browser for Gnome.  Do this by opening up the control center in the Mint Menu.  Select “Preferred Applications” inside the control center.  Make sure that you choose ‘custom’ in the drop down menu shown below and the path for the command will be the same as it was for your launcher but instead of a %u you can use a %s at the end of the command (as shown in the picture below):

That should be everything you need to have a good Firefox 4 experience in LMDE.  To uninstall things, you can simply delete the menu items and then delete the directories we created during the install process.

Hopefully this will help those of you out there who want Firefox 4 on your LMDE install!

Install Firefox 4 on Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on April 1, 2011.

With using Debian there comes a feeling of being back to the very basic of Linux distros…much in the same way when you use Arch…it just feels plain, unencumbered, and basic and there is a feeling you get when build something from nothing…you start with a kernel and just enough CLI tools and create your house…then live in it.

It feels good to be stable. It feels good to not have to worry about programs crashing, the net disconnecting, or not being able to install programs.

People like to ride the unstable or testing route with most things out there…as I move forward in my Linux journey, I find myself looking to be less and less cutting edge and more and more stable. Plus, if there is a program out there that needs updating…backports are always a good way to get them.

I’m enjoying my new digs and will look to getting back into the swing of posting enjoyable articles and how-to’s in the upcoming weeks.

Back to the Basics with Debian originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on March 16, 2011.

If you take a look at the graphic below, the spike in the middle will probably stick out quite a bit.  Oddly enough, the spike I noticed in CPU percentage used (which is regulated for VPS at Linode) also spiked up disk usage…mainly because I began to swap when cpu/ram use skyrocketed.  All of this happened with Ubuntu 10.04 installed.  CentOS was the first distro I tried but I quickly switched to Ubuntu when I spotted a really nice how-to in the Linode document library.  Oh, and please excuse my horrible gimp skills on the image below…it was a quick and dirty editing of the image:

cpu usage

After switching to Ubuntu, I began receiving alarms for my account due to the high usage of CPU and disk.  I attempted to tweak settings and configuration files for about a week and realized it just wasn’t going to work for me.  I switched to Debian Lenny and the move was a positive as is reflected in these pictures.

disk usage

I was hoping Ubuntu 10.04 would fit for me since it is a long term support (LTS) release.  CentOS is my normal server distribution of choice and I really wanted to branch out and go with something different.  I used a Linode Stackscript for WordPress for CentOS but elected for vanilla installs of Ubuntu and Debian aftwards (I didn’t like NOT knowing what was installed when I first logged in…call me a control freak).

I just found it interesting that Ubuntu 10.04 did so horribly in this instance.  After investigating, I found a couple of likely suspects:

1. Default Apache install in Ubuntu leaves a lot to be desired..even after tweaking both it and PHP for days I couldn’t get them to lay off the resources.  Even switching to mpm_worker and FastCGI did little to settle things down.
2. Ubuntu swappiness is bad…it is set at 60 (I use 10 normally) and it swapped every chance it could get…it’s set by default to swap more than it should.
3. mod_php on Ubuntu is hungry for all your cpu and ram and disk; be warned!

Debian, as the parent distribution of Ubuntu, would most likely suffer from the same problems…except it doesn’t.  Things are working great with it and I’d recommend it for any of your server needs!  Has anyone else seen this oddity with Ubuntu 10.04?  If so, please drop me a comment below.

Interesting Statistics originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on July 13, 2010.

Now users will be able to install both commercial and non-commercial software as well as proprietary multimedia codecs through the Click and Run Repositories with a single click of the mouse.

From a business perspective, It makes perfect sense for Linspire to do this…it’s a winning situation for them…they get to ride the popularity coat tails of Ubuntu and they get a standardized update schedule (which signifies stability in Business). With Ubuntu announcing previously that it would begin shipping with proprietary binaries installed, you can also see how Canonical set themselves up for this as well…when you open the door a crack (for binaries), you may just as well open it up all the way right?

I’m not sure what to think of this.

It also makes me wonder what will happen when something goes wrong in this “partnership” (as the announcement states it is).

Will one company buy out the other? Will one become the bitter and scorned outsider when a separation occurs? Will none of this happen at all? Did I leave the iron on? (sorry, last one is my wandering mind).

Who’s going to be the official support for these installed applications (Canonical or Linspire)? Will there be any official support? Normally, there is official support when you buy software…I wonder what will happen here…

What do you think of this? Drop me a comment below and let me know.

UPDATE: An official FAQ has been released.

Linspire to Become “LinBuntu”, CNR goes into Fiesty originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on February 8, 2007.

Debian:

Install Debian in Windows

Ubuntu:

Install Ubuntu in Windows

Follow the instructions and enjoy Linux safely and securely without nuking Windows. It’s like a crutch for those of you reluctant to put the full weight on that one foot. If you are confused about what this Linux thing might be…visit this flash presentation to get an idea and welcome to the world of Linux! We’re glad you came aboard! Hopefully, you’ll make the choice many have already made to run Linux exclusively on our PCs

Installing Linux INSIDE of Microsoft originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on January 30, 2007.

I count myself as pretty experienced when it comes to content management systems. I picked up on Zope/Plone within a few weeks. I picked up joomla! in days. I work pretty well inside wiki’s and have no trouble with forge software. So I find it completely baffling that some content management systems (even the free ones) do things so odd.

One of the CMSs I’m working with currently is Mesh CMS. They’re better than others I’ve looked at (Alfresco, Contenido) but why, oh why, does every single java servlet CMS have to have a directory tree with collapseable trees? This is so annoying! Take this for example…when someone opens ‘My Computer’ in Linux OR Windows…they’re presented with a list of folders. Now unless you set it up to show you the directory tree in your viewing options…you’re seeing folders on the top level. That’s not the way many servlet CMS’s do business. It may be good to see how deep things go and it may be good for admins who control ALL their content…but when you want to setup 10 users with write access and have to train them on how to use the CMS…IT’S NOT GOOD.

Most users have never seen the folder tree style menu and get confused quickly. Perhaps there is a setting that can remedy this that I’m not aware of. Please be advised that I’m taking a high level look at these things and I’m not diving in so deep that I’m examining the code yet…so I could be overlooking something. I just figure that things make more sense if you do things in the comfort zone of the standard user.

It’s odd how software companies, programmers, and coders try to re-invent the wheel on many projects. They toss out simple usability to do things more complex. The problem is that with each successive version of their software, things normally get harder and harder to operate. This is fine for someone who has used the previous version and is comfortable with its operation…but not so fine for new users.

This is often my point when discussing Linux as well. Usability should be key when a distro is popular…and Ubuntu has made VAST strides in making Linux usable for new users…but it’s not the best out there which is a complete mystery to me as to why it is THE most popular on the planet.

All of this talk on usability in software systems puts me in the mind of an article I read a few years ago: Ronco Spray-on Usability. It was a funny article about ESR not being able to configure his printer in Linux…which is kinda laughable when you think about it. But the author brings up a valid point…that is, that Joe Schmoe (referred to in the article as Aunt Tillie or A.T.) who is a common user can’t be the intended target for usable systems until the ESR’s are able to accomplish the task. You can’t spray on Usability with a handy spray can…it has to be reached successively. Not to mention that the UI for a program should be the last part developed after the program is in place…but seldom is. Hence all the usability problems.

Although I don’t agree with EVERYTHING the author of that article states, I do agree with many of the parts on usability. I definately don’t think you have to have proprietary, paid software to have good usability…because usability is an art form as the author states…and if it is, some of the best artwork comes from starving artists right? So money is irrelevant…it matters not. What matters is that not everyone who is a programmer is a UI developer and UI developers can’t always be the best programmers. The idea is to marry both into something. That’s what I’m looking for in a CMS. Something that has usability for standard users and something that can do the whiz bang things I need it to. It’s probably a pipe dream…but its a good dream to have. Not just in CMS software…in all software. Maybe someday right?

Debian Moves in, Servlets, and Usability originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on October 3, 2006.

The problem is that two Ubuntu contributors asked for Cipherfunk.org to comply with the GPL by removing cost associated with distribution of source code. This is harmless in itself and applauded by many in the community. However, it’s not the why they did it that is wrong…it’s the HOW they did it. How they did it is by first informing the Cipherfunk.org that it was wrong to charge $$ for the source, and second by touting various sections of the GPL where they believed Cipherfunk was in violation. Why is this wrong? Let’s examine things a bit.

The big stink everyone brought up is not that Cipherfunk WASN’T distributing the source code…but that Cipherfunk WAS CHARGING for the source code which they believed was in violation. However, having seen this same case (where Warren Woodford and MEPIS distribute their sourced code for a cost) I know for a fact that the GPL allows one to do this. But let’s take a look at the GPL shall we?

Does the GPL allow me to charge a fee for downloading the program from my site?

Yes. You can charge any fee you wish for distributing a copy of the program. If you distribute binaries by download, you must provide equivalent access to download the source–therefore, the fee to download source may not be greater than the fee to download the binary.

We can see here that if you provide the program at a charge, you can’t charge more for the source and that you may also charge a fee to download if the fee is not greater than the cost of downloading the binary. So, what did Cipherfunk do that got people up in arms? They required a donation before downloading the source. From Cipherfunk.org:

Well, the GNU General Public Licence states — as part of Section 3) of the licence that I must provide source code on request for no more than the cost of physically performing the distribution.Given that the host this box is on actually costs me $110.95AUD every thirty (30) days to run, $9.90, as nice as that is — still will cost me over $100 AUD to distribute the code at all.

Now, I consider (in this technologically advanced day and age) that ‘the internet’ is an acceptable way of distributing software for public use, so effectively, my request to get people to help me pay for hosting — seemed quite rational to me, but apparently, some people don’t share my view — and I wouldn’t want to put anyone out.

I consider the whole thing a disappointment. I don’t like threats, but I am especially concerned at the number of people who grabbed the code, without even saying thankyou for my efforts.

It wasn’t as if i’d asked anyone to cure cancer, find me a job, or pay off my debts — what I did say was effectively “help me pay for hosting this for you or help me advertise my other website (in a rather cut-throat market), thanks. and, as i’m obligated to — you’ll get the sources, binaries and even some support from me, until Canonical can upstream these fixes.

So what actually happened? Was there a GPL violation? Not at all. Requiring a donation that is less than the cost of bandwidth to provide the source is allowed IAW the GPL. So the finger pointing…what did it accomplish? Other than making those who point the fingers look like idiots, not much. I guess it could have caused a rift in the Linux community as well…though effects like this are often hard to calculate.

What could have happened in this case? The contributors COULD have tried to get these patches integrated into the source tree at Ubuntu OR they could have taken the time to find out why the source code wasn’t being distributed for free by simply asking. Instead, the send robotic ‘you-are-wrong’ emails like this.

Hi,

I've noticed that you're providing kernel binaries at
http://64.71.152.24/dapper-binaries/ . As I'm sure you're aware, the
kernel is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License v2.
Under section (3) of the license, when distributing derivitives of this
code you are obliged to either

a) accompany it with the source code, or
b) provide a written offer to provide the source code on request for no
more than the cost of physically performing the distribution

Currently you are doing neither of these, and as a result are breaching
the license of the code. As one of the copyright holders of the code, I
would request that you conform to your obligations under the license.

This is not required for the X driver, as it is not released under the
GPL.

Thanks,
--
Matthew Garrett | mxxx9@sxxf.uxxm.org

What does this email tell us? First, it tells us that the person writing it believes they are immediatley correct. It assumes that the person being written to is completely wrong. It also offers no assistance to correct said issue, instead opting for a “fix these two things immediately” tone.

Instead, accusations flew and the Linux for Human Beings can now be seen as Linux for Slapping Human Beings that help fix its problems in the face. That’s right, 5 bugs could have been squashed in one swoop yet instead of approaching this in a manner of one developer/contributor to another (i.e. “hey, I see you’ve developed a patch for this problem…can I see how you did this by looking at your source code? Oh, you’re having problems distributing your source code due to bandwidth and are charging for it? Ok, let me see if I can find any help for you or possibly get a mirror”) they approached the situation as a superior approaches a subordinate. To me, this is silly. This guy at Cipherfunk was helping, not hindering. What should have happened was to help him distribute the code by providing mirrors, more bandwidth, etc. Instead, they’ve distanced themselves from an obviously talented person and left a bitter taste in his mouth.

What can we learn from this? We can learn patience instead of immediate accusation and finger pointing. We can learn that swatting at hands that help you is something you might not want to do. We can learn that a little bit of research can go a long way. And we can learn what not to do in a Linux community by trying to stay away from the mob mentality that developed in the Ubuntu and Linux community around Cipherfunks’ patch release and subsequent news posting.

Sometimes, I’m embarrassed of my fellow Linux users/devs/contributors. I sure hope Paul Drain, aka Cipherfunk.org’s webmaster, doesn’t stop contributing to Ubuntu. A little investigation and understanding can go a long way. I hope Ubuntu patches this fiasco up quickly and those two contributors who wrongly pointed fingers apologize for being ignorant so we can get back to the way things were.

Cipherfunk.org, the GPL, and Ubuntu Contributors originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on August 25, 2006.

With the popularity of Ubuntu swelling these days, one can hardly visit digg or other tech news sites without seeing a Dapper Drake or Breezy Badger (both recent titles of Ubuntu releases). Another strong indicator that Linux in general, dapper drake aside, may be seeing an influx of users is the news that Microsoft receives a call back from Windows computers daily. Many users expressed deep concern about false positives where Microsoft receives reports that you are using a pirate copy of Windows when you are running a licensed version. Also, why not examine why WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) fits the bill for Spyware? So, what’s a ticked off user to do? Give Linux the old college try, that’s what!

I’ve seen an influx of people dusting off Mandrake (that’s right, Mandrake not Mandriva…we’re talking pre-name change) and Red Hat 7.2 disks and firing off questions in forums about how to do various things in Linux. Renewed interest in alterntives to Microsoft coupled with big headlines for Ubuntu means many new users are examining Ubuntu when they evaluate (or re-evaluate) the state of Linux. This being said, I have 5 Tips for New Ubuntu Users that you won’t hear anywhere else.

1. Keep in mind that Ubuntu IS NOT the only Linux out there

There are countless distributions out there, each with its own specific flavor and variety. If you didn’t like something in Ubuntu, chances are that someone else didn’t like it either and they found other users who didn’t like it and grouped together to create something more fitting for their preferences. Chances are that those same users now have a distribution of Linux (or flavor) that caters to your individual tastes and likes. Instead of being locked down (Like Windows) to one incarnation of software, you have something inherent in all Linux flavors….choice. Plus, you don’t have to pay someone to take that choice away when you use it (think about it, MS has you pay them and removes all choice from you…gotta love it!).

Ubuntu may be great for many people and many new users, but it isn’t the best the community has to offer. There are other distributions of Linux that offer both paid and free versions that are much more suited for new users. Distributions like Xandros, Linsipire for paid supported versions, and MEPIS, Kanotix, and PCLinuxOS offer much more for the new user than Ubuntu can and will. Bottom line: Don’t think Ubuntu is Linux and Linux is Ubuntu. It’s not. There’s a whole world of new Linux distributions out there. Find the one that suits you. Don’t make a purchase based on what others are saying about something. Find out for yourself…afterall, if no one found anything that suited them best, we’d all be wearing, driving, and using the same things that everyone else was. Choice is good.

2. If you’re afraid of the shell (aka command line), Ubuntu may be scary for you.

As stated previously, there are tons of other flavors of Linux out there. What makes Ubuntu so scary to some new users is that in order to get your multimedia working, you’ll need to edit files via shell. If this is scary for you, consider switching to Xandros or Linspire. While you may pay for them, you won’t have to crack a config file or check anything with a shell tool.

Many people here will tell you that I don’t know what I’m talking about. They’ll scream, “You can get Ubuntu Multimedia working without the shell!” and in certain instances they’d be correct. For instance, if you know how to operate kedit or kate in superuser mode, you’ll be set…of course, no shortcut exists for this in Ubuntu, Kubuntu, or Xubuntu so you’ll have to create a shortcut. In doing this, you’ll have to “kdesu kate” from the command line or figure out how to make that shortcut…both tasks that are a bit daunting to new users.

So let’s say that in Ubuntu you do figure out this information and are able to edit your files out there to get multimedia working without dropping to a shell (command line). Great! Congrats! Now let’s continue with multimedia and get 3D graphics to work for you. If you’re like me, you need nvidia drivers…something that you MUST DO via shell in Ubuntu. In fact, don’t you have to install graphics drivers via shell all the time with all distributions? Nope. MEPIS has nvidia and ati driver installs in 2-3 clicks. There you go, new user, you’re forced to drop to a shell when you don’t need to. Ubuntu is a fantastic distribution for those of us who don’t fear the shell…but it’s not for your standard Windows convert. Take a look at what still needs a console for Ubuntu. Also, please understand that Ubuntu isn’t alone in this…there are only a handful of distros that DON’T require you to drop to a shell (command line). Make an informed decision for yourself though, don’t take others’ word for it.

3. Ubuntu doesn’t come with an owners manual or User Guide

I’m pretty sure all Ubuntu fans are going to spontaneously combust when they read #3, pointing out various online resources of information and listing various urls of help sites. Despite all of these online resources, Ubuntu does not have a manual. There is no published manual geared toward new users. Sure, there are how-to’s, tutorials, and other handy wikis such as ubuntuguide.org…but there isn’t anything that you can download to your desktop or print out to refer to when you’re getting started. I’m also sure that many will claim that owners manuals are only available from commercial distributions…but they’d be wrong. The PCLinuxOS community published new user guides geared to help new users at operating the LiveCD, Installing PCLinuxOS, and a General User Guide that can be downloaded free of charge in PDF Format.

4. You can’t install from source with Ubuntu without configuring the ability to compile from source.

Ubuntu comes crippled when you install it. The area that it is crippled has to do with the ability to install from source. What this means is that if you are out searching for a piece of software and find that it isn’t listed in Synaptic (apt) for Ubuntu and that it doesn’t have an rpm (most likely it would be a rather new package…the community is good about getting packages put together) you’ll not be able to install it from source without first configuring that ability. Many programs out there must be installed from source because software developers don’t have time to custom tailor packages to 300+ flavors of Linux…so they release source code and you’re able to download this code and install it on your system. This ability is default in a majority of Linux distributions out there…but not Ubuntu. To get it to work in Ubuntu, you have to first configure it to work.

What this entails is installing the “build-essential” package…but of course, how would you know that as a new user? Check the manual. Crap. No manual. Check the online resource (wiki, etc.). If you didn’t know the first thing about forums and weren’t very good at using google (e.g., you listen to music and check email on yoru PC and that’s about it…which takes care of a large chunk of normal users) how would you know to do this? You wouldn’t. Ubuntu is crippled in this instance…it’s one of the few distributions out there that takes away your ability to install from source at the beginning. So if you want the ability to install anything right away and to dive into things…Ubuntu may not be what you want.

Some claim that Ubuntu needs to be this way for security purposes. This is nonsense to me. Linux has always been about putting control in the users hands, not removing it from them. That’s why I am of the opinion that this IS NOT a good thing…regardless of any security problems a developer thinks I might have. Sure it is easy enough to install things when I read an ubuntu quick start…but the idea is to get new users up and running and giving them a bicycle with one wheel and not telling them where to find the other wheel is silly to me. I’d rather give a new user Slackware than Ubuntu for this reason alone. I may be of the minority of thought on this subject as well…but it makes little sense that someone would want Linux without GCC. It’s almost like having Windows without DOS (which really sucked when we went from 98 to XP from a system administrator point of view). Now I’m rambling…but you should understand where I’m coming from now. I don’t like someone else to take away something that has been inherent in Linux since the beginning.

5. Ubuntu will never be as fast as other Distributions; it’s not optimized for it.

“But Devnet, Ubuntu is the fastest distribution I’ve ever ran!” I’m sure you believe that. However, I’d argue that you lack understanding of 3rd through 6th generation processor architectures. Ubuntu is compiled to support a large variety of processors. It uses i386 optimized instruction sets in order to support old hardware (i386 supports CPUs operating at 33Mhz and above). In doing this, they do not make use of all that power you have under your CPU hood. Many other distributions also use this to make sure they reach the widest audience they can. However, for the average desktop user, this is like having a two stroke engine inside of a corvette. You have the processing power of Celeron, Pentium 4, and AMD Athlon or above right? Why aren’t you utilizing it? If you’re going to use or are using Ubuntu, you’re not taking advantage of the optimizations that i586 and i686 instruction sets have to offer…which mainly is enhanced performance.

If you are using a Dell, HP, Gateway, Compaq, or Emachines laptop or desktop that you’ve purchased in the past 2 years and you’re running Ubuntu, you’re not taking advantage of what your processor has to offer.

Confused? Let distrowatch do the hunting for you. Results from i386 architecture, i586 architecture, and i686 architecture. Give PCLinuxOS a try…it’s optimized i586. Give Foresight Linux a try, it’s i686. Give Arch Linux a try…it’s i686. Try Vector Linux and Slackware…both noted as some of the fastest distributions out there. All of these distros offer a great performing desktop and if you’re using Ubuntu, you’ve already had to drop to the shell once or twice so using these distributions should be water under the bridge you old hand.

Ubuntu, Pretty in Brown? Don’t Let Others Decide For You

In closing, I’d like to advise the new Linux convert to try ALL distributions that are in the top ten distributions listed at distrowatch. These receive the most page views at distrowatch and they receive those for good reason…they generally offer a fantastic desktop experience. Please remember that Ubuntu might be the perfect distribution for you and that is great! Welcome to the wonderful world of Debian based Linux. However, before you throw yourself into the Ubuntu fray and classify all Linux as Ubuntu when you try it out, do yourself a favor and check out other distros. You may find that they suit you better than what everyone thinks suits you best.

Devnet

5 Unique Tips for New Ubuntu Users originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on June 29, 2006.

Notice that I say New Linux Users as apposed to just New Users. A new Linux user would be one that is new to Linux on as a whole. A new user would be one that is trying Ubuntu for the first time not crossing over from another distro or another *nix OS. So let’s be real clear up front that this isn’t about those that have Linux knowledge trying Ubuntu for the first time. This is about your mother-in-law or grandmother or aunt/uncle who, if they tried Linux, would be doing so for the first time ever. This is about my Wife, who tried Linux for the first time ever last year. This is about all of those people who possibly haven’t even heard of Linux before. This is the target audience. This is who all programmers and application designers should keeping right in the middle of the bullseye. Not convinced? Let’s chat a bit more about it.

We can only move forward toward acceptance if we allow everyone, no matter what their preconceived level of experience with technology is, to understand Linux. Apple understands this. Google understands this. Both companies offer easy to use interfaces to their software and if you look under the hood what do you find? *nix. That’s right. Unix and Linux. Novell is a company that is beginning to get it. But why aren’t individuals? Why aren’t more distros?

The target audience for Linux to gain acceptance on the desktop…that is, to make it mainstream..is to appeal to even the most technologically challenged user out there, and make Linux as easy as point and click to operate.

Ubuntu is making great strides toward making Linux good for the desktop. There are others out there that one could argue are doing a fine job…PCLinuxOS, OpenSuse, Mandriva. However, when someone hands a new Linux user a disc, most likely it is Ubuntu or TheOpenCD. Are you doing that person a favor? I don’t think so.

Ubuntu isn’t a distribution that is set for any new user. The average user wouldn’t be able to tell you how to clear a cache, let alone what spyware or adware is. Don’t think I’m right? My wife asked everyone in the office where she works why they don’t use Firefox as a browser. None of them even knew there was something called Firefox that was an alternative to IE. And that’s just one part of open source. Imagine what else they haven’t heard of!

The average computer user does not possess the technical expertise to drop to a command line and issue commands…nor should they be asked to. Yet that is exactly what Ubuntu demands to allow its users to do simplistic things such as surf the net.

For example, say that a webpage requires JRE to display correctly. Windows and IE offers an auto download or manual with double click install. Many distributions of Linux come with Java already installed. For Ubuntu…you have to drop to a command line and sudo to install it. What new Linux user is even going to know to do that? What new Linux user is going to feel comfortable doing that? Of course, let’s say that the new Linux user is sporting a nice Ubuntu 5.10. That’ll fix that sudo stuff right? Wrong. Automatix be damned…you still have much command line stuff to do.

Needless to say, until Ubuntu can provide an experience that is only one or two clicks away, it will forever remain second best to distros such as PCLinuxOS and SimplyMEPIS. It simply cannot compete against distros that work right out of the gate for new Linux users. Remember, new LINUX users…not just new users in general.

In closing, if Ubuntu works for you…that is great. I’m glad you’ve found a good distro. Ubuntu works great for me as well. As for my mother-in-law, wife, sister, uncle/aunt, etc…when they decide to give Linux a try and I want to really showcase how easy it is and how fantastic it works…you can bet that I won’t be showing them Ubuntu.

NOTE: For those of you emailing me constantly about Automatix being the save all for Ubuntu…remember one thing. To install Automatix, you have to drop to a console/shell. Enough said eh? The resolution seems to be part of the problem. I also really think the URL for the Automatix package is about the most non-professional URL that I’ve ever seen a debian/ubuntu package hosted on. I highly doubt my mother-in-law would be hyped up to visit that URL.

Why Ubuntu isn’t for New Linux Users originally appeared on Yet Another Linux Blog on February 24, 2006.