Tag Archives: Linux

Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx Alpha New Look & Features Review Screencast

Take a look at all of the new features of 10.04 Ubuntu.

Review Screencast about Ubuntu Linux 10.04 Alpha 3 Lucid Lynx with Updates New Look & Feel with it’s new Theme’s and Features in programs like Ubuntu Software Center and Rythumbox. I also show you how to upgrade the OS from Karmic Koala 9.04 to Lucid Lynx online via the Internet with the Update Manager. Original video production by the www.OSGUI.com Tech Show.

Ubuntu for Older Machines

Ubuntu is a great version of linux if you just want to drop in a CD and have the software install and set up your computer.  They really have a very simple to use installation system with their version of linux (Debian).  However, there are some issues that you should understand when you are trying to use Ubuntu with older equipment, especially laptops.

I first installed Ubuntu on a suped up Dell Dimension latop and everything worked just fine right out of the box.  I had just downloaded version 9.04.  After a few minutes I was able to get the wireless networking running and the laptop has performed perfectly ever since.  I was truely amazed at how easy it was to install and have the lap top working just fine.

However, I recently installed Unbuntu 9.04 on a Dell D610 machine.  While the installation went very well and was easy to use, I found that the wireless feature of the laptop was not working.  I checked around the internet and found out that the ndiswrapper is no longer installed for Ubuntu 9.04 and now 9.10.  I spent quite a lot of time downloading packages and drivers and trying to get them to work.  However, for some reason, I was unable to get the installation to load the driver and have a working wireless card.

I dug around a bit further and I found that people had used Ubuntu 8.04 on their Dell D610 laptop just fine. I found the older version and installed it as a clean install on the Dell D610 and "viola", the wireless card works perfectly.  

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Testing Ubuntu

On my Dell D610 laptop everything works out-of-the-box, including wi-fi. After the first boot the touchpad stopped responding, but, using the trackpoint I gave it a reboot and now it is working. […]

Trying to install wireless drivers on my dell latitude d610

Ive got an old dell latitude d610 running the latest version off ubuntu, however the drivers for my wireless card did not come pre-installed. […]

A Brief History of Linux

Here is a brief history of Linux and how the open source revolution got started.

1971 The first edition of the Unix server operating system emerges from Bell Labs. Although Linux does not include any Unix code, it is a Unix clone, which means it shares a number of technical features with Unix, which might be considered the forerunner of the open-source operating system. During the 1970s, Unix code was distributed to people at various universities and companies, and they created their own Unix varieties, which ultimately evolved into Sun (SUNW) Microsystems’ Solaris, Berkeley (dossier)’s FreeBSD and Silicon Graphics (SGI)’ IRIX.

1985 Richard Stallman publishes his famous "GNU Manifesto" (www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html), one of the first documents of the open-source revolution. Stallman began working on the GNU operating system in 1983, largely because he wanted to create an open-source version of Unix. (GNU stands for "GNU is Not Unix.") Stallman’s Free Software Foundation later created the GNU General Public License (www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html), the widely adopted, fully legal "anticopyright" treatise that today allows Linux and other software to remain completely free.

1987 Professor Andrew S. Tanenbaum invents Minix, an open-source operating system that’s a clone of Unix. Young Linus Torvalds, at the time a computer science student in Finland, is introduced to Minix, and bases his plans for Linux on the Minix example.

1991 In August, Torvalds announces his plans to create a free operating system on the Minix users newsgroup. He modestly notes in his posting that his OS is "just a hobby. [It] won’t be big and professional like GNU." In October, Linux 0.01 is released on the Internet under a GNU public license. In the Minix newsgroup, Torvalds asks his fellow programmers to lend a hand in making the system more workable. He gets enough help to release version 0.1 by December. Over the next several years, Linux developers swell into the hundreds of thousands and work to make Linux compatible with GNU programs. Vendors like Red Hat, Caldera (CALD) and Debian create popular distributions of Linux that bundle the operating system with useful programs and a graphical interface.

1997 Torvalds moves to Silicon Valley and goes to work at Transmeta.

1999 In August, Red Hat completes its initial public offering, making it the first Linux-oriented company to successfully go public. In December, Andover.net, a consortium of Web site resources largely devoted to Linux, and VA Linux, a manufacturer of Linux hardware, have wildly successful IPOs. Linuxcare, a leading Linux service provider, announces alliances with such industry giants as IBM (IBM), Dell (DELL), Motorola (MOT) and Informix (IFMX).

Here is a quote from Linus which really sums this up.

`When you say "I wrote a program that crashed Windows", people just stare at  you blankly and say "Hey, I got those with the system, *for free*".’

There is something to be said for someone who developed an operating system for the betterment for everyone and "by everyone" as well.

Open Source Software You Can’t Live Without

Open Source Software You Can’t Live Without

What are the benefits of using Open Source software?

There are many standard open source software packages that can increase productivity in any office environment.

what are some examples of open source software

Open Source programs may be developed, improved and maintained by a community of programmers, but its programs can be useful to computer users of all levels. There are thousands of Open Source programs you can use to do just about anything on your computer. Here are a handful that you might find indispensable.

Create a blog. WordPress is an Open Source application that can be used to design and publish a blog. If you have any programming skill, you can create an entire website, including static and blog pages, using WordPress.

Go online. There are several Open Source web browsers available for Mac and PC, including Mozilla Firefox and Camino. Mozilla Firefox is considered by many to be one of the top browsers in the world.

Use your computer. There are many Open Source operating systems available, but Linux is one of the most widely known. It’s supported by many proprietary computing companies including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, IBM, and Novell.

Write documents. OpenDocument, NeoOffice, AbiWord, and Bean are all Open Source word processing programs.

Run Windows software on a Mac. The Q Emulator program will allow Mac users to run Windows software on their computers. The program can be slow for some models, however.

This list only scratches the surface of how computer users at all levels can use Open Source programs. Open Source programming makes effective, well-designed software open and available to everyone who wants to use it, share it, or improve upon it.

About the author: C.Smith works for www.on365.co.uk the UK-based server management and data centre management Company. For more info on server rooms visit www.on365.co.uk/Server-Room-Solutions.aspx.

By Chris Smith
Published: 10/24/2008

Where Open Source and Government Meet

The Obama administration recently excited the world of open source software by choosing to launch recovery.gov on Drupal. Their choice of a free, open source platform over any proprietary system is as hopeful and promising as the wave of the future.

Adventures in Open Source

Why should someone have to have a background in computer science to get value out of open source software? Of course projects like the Linux kernel, which is used by millions, have relatively few people contributing back.

Essential Open Source Resources

It discusses Piwik (open source web analytics software with useful plug-ins from the community), Kompozer (a very popular web development environment, especially for CSS fans), and OpenX (a free, open source ad server for monetizing