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Sick of Windows? Got no money? Ubuntu 7.10 is released today. The best operating system for standard PC hardware ever - and it’s completely free!

Thu, 19 Oct 2007 19:56:00 GMT

posted by jimgardner1973

I’ve detailed ways of installing Linux on your PC or Mac without loosing your Mac or Windows operating system here before, so I won’t go into how easy it is again - but I think Gutsy Gibbon, the name of the latest release of Ubuntu Linux, is perhaps the best excuse ordinary people have ever had to ditch Windows altogether.

It’s also a great partner to Mac OS if you run it in a Parallels Virtual Machine, as per these screen-shots of it installed on my machine…

Download Gutsy Gibbon or have it delivered on DVD

A clean look and feel as standard, but highly customisable with themes.

Ubuntu comes pre-installed with productivity and office applications, image editing tools, music video and audio playback and a neat and easy to use installer application, which automatically downloads the correct version of the software you need for your hardware set-up.

Backup Ubuntu The Easy Way: From The Command Line

Tue, 28 May 2008 01:01:14 GMT

posted by daddymcguire

Ubuntu offers several different ways to backup and restore your operating system. There are backup methods that take snapshots of your directories, such as TimeVault or Flyback, and they allow you to restore your computer to a previous state from the past. These methods are graphical in nature, and very popular with certain people.

Backing up your Ubuntu system from the command line may sound like a daunting task and many beginners may shy away from such a thing but they need not to. Backing up the Ubuntu OS from the command line is not only fast, but it is also perhaps the easiest method available.

So if you find yourself at the point where you like how your Ubuntu system is set up and would like to save it in case you need to do a system restore, then open a terminal window and enter the following:

sudo su

cd /

tar cvpzf ububackup.tgz –exclude=/ububackup.tgz –exclude=/proc –exclude=/lost+found –exclude=/sys –exclude=/mnt /

Note: For some reason the above command is not accurately displayed; the dash in front of every "exclude" command is a double dash.

What the above commands do is "tar" your entire system, except the directories that were excluded, into a compressed file in your root directory named "ububackup.tgz". It will also preserve the file permissions in their original state. This could take a little while depending on the size of your system. You can take your backup file and transfer it to an external hard drive, DVD, or flash drive.

Later, if you need to restore your Ubuntu system, take the backup file you made and move it to your root directory. Then from the command line enter this:

tar xvpfz backup.tgz -C /

By doing this, you will overwrite every single file on your system partition with the ones in your backup file. It's been said that after restoring your Ubuntu system this way from a backup file you will need to manually create the folders that were excluded, such as /sys, /proc, etc.. but I never seemed to have the need to; the residual folders were fine.

Backing up your Ubuntu system in this manner is a good idea if you're a tinkerer like me. That way you can totally wreck your system and still have the ability to resurrect your system back to it's original splendor.

Ubuntu 7.10 Final Releases TODAY!

Wed, 18 Oct 2007 15:03:00 GMT

posted by AskTheAdmin
It's finally here! The final release of Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon has been released today! Everyone is very excited (especially the lovely young ladies to your right). Doesn't that make you want to try Ubuntu a little more??

They Make Upgrading From Fawn A Snap:
Go to the Update Manager and it tells you of the new release and it has this shiny, new button that if you click it downloads and upgrade tool to upgrade your OS!!!!! -Thanks SlothMan

From their website:

Ubuntu makes no distinction between community and enterprise editions, Ubuntu 7.10 is our best work and is available freely to all. Ubuntu has consistently ranked #1 in reviews of security update responsiveness and effectiveness. The Ubuntu platform is fully certified and supported, making it a secure choice for users looking to explore, deploy and enjoy Linux. Ubuntu 7.10 brings together the best open source and free software available in a stable, robust environment that 'just works'.

Ubuntu 7.10 Desktop Edition adds an enhanced user interface, improved hardware support, multiple monitor support and integrated desktop search. Additional information is available at http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-desktop710.

Ubuntu 7.10 Server Edition features improved functionality, manageability, pro-active security and hardware compatibility and delivers a rapid deployment platform for developers and businesses. Additional information is available at http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-server710.

New versions of Kubuntu and Edubuntu, derivatives of Ubuntu aimed at KDE enthusiasts and the education community respectively, are also being released at the same time. Additional information is available at http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-family710.

Here are some highlights of 7.10 Desktop Edition:

Hardware management improvements - improved plug-and-play configuration for printers, as well as automatic firmware installation for Broadcom cards
Improved support for display systems - For laptop users, full support external VGA (projector) support is available out-of-the-box with easy reconfiguration when hardware is switched. For power users this release includes the ability to manage multiple monitors
Windows compatibility - Users with a dual partition can read from and and write to files that are on located in a Windows partition (including NTFS)
Enhanced user interface – Simple 3D screen effects and graphics enhance the user experience
Desktop search – gives users the ability to search their entire desktop, whether for files, folders, chat logs or photos. This capability includes the deskbar applet, a central location on users' desktops for all local and web search operations
Firefox plugins - automatic installation of popular Firefox plugins validated by Ubuntu for a richer, safer web-browsing experience

If you haven't done so, check it out , and get the best Ubuntu distro yet today!

Originally Posted on Bauer-Power By El Di PabloCheck out our RSS feed. Need Free Tech Support? Ask The Admin a Question

Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon is out!

Wed, 18 Oct 2007 12:01:00 GMT

posted by broderboy
Get it while its hot! (Or try to, the servers, as usual, are bogged.

To upgrade, do the following: (note: you can only upgrade using this method if you are already using Feisty Fawn)

Go to System -> Administration -> Update Manager
Hit the Check button to check for new updates to your current install (Feisty)
If there are any updates, hit the "Install Updates" button, this will install any updates for your current installation.
A Message should appear stating there is a 7.10 release
Hit "Upgrade"
Follow the instructions

Compiz Fusion for Ubuntu... What is that? Get your 3d on!

Thu, 9 Nov 2007 04:19:07 GMT

posted by AskTheAdmin
My man Karl, (Who is a new father by the way for those just coming out from under your rocks) asked me to elaborate on what exactly Compiz Fusion is, and why it is so damned cool.

First of all, I want to say that I am actually kind of a n00b when it comes to Compiz Fusion, and the whole 3D desktop thing. I only recently started using it with the latest version of Ubuntu (Gutsy Gibbon 7.10) where it is installed by default if your graphic card supports it.

Let me give you a little bit of a background on the project. It wasn't always called Compiz Fusion. No, according to Wikipedia:

Compiz Fusion is the result of a merge between the old Compiz community plugin set "Compiz Extras" and the parts of the Beryl project.

That is fine and good, but seriously, what is it? In short, it is a set of plugins and other elements independent of the window manager core which provide a bunch of cool animations, and 3D effects. One of the most well known effects is the 3D cube used when moving from one workspace to another.

According to the Compiz Fusion Project:

Compiz Fusion aims to provide an easy and fun-to-use windowed environment, allowing use of the graphics hardware to render each individual window and the entire screen, to provide some impressive effects, speed and usefulness.

When Karl originally asked about it in the comments section of his post, "Honey, We are a Ubuntu Household Now" he asked if Compiz Fusion was a way to "Windowize" Ubuntu. I wouldn't say that, however for you Vista Fanboys, you might find the 3D features of vista comparable to the 3D features of Compiz Fusion. In fact here is a video comparing Windows Vista and Ubuntu with Compiz Fusion (Actually it is with Beryl, but it is basically the same):

If you want to see a video of Ubuntu with actual Compiz fusion, I recorded a short video of my Ubuntu laptop here a while back.

So basically, Compiz Fusion is the Linux answer to the public demand for kick-ass graphics in their computing experiences. As you can see by the video(s), there are many cool little aesthetically pleasing visuals you can turn on or off to really add some pizazz to your normally mundane computer.

-El DI PabloCheck out our RSS feed. Need Free Tech Support? Ask The Admin a Question