Welcome to Ubuntu

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Game Review: Progress Quest

Progress Quest: easily the best game to play when you don't have time to play games. Progress Quest is a game that is played either single player or online as an MMORPG. The game practically plays itself, which is great for times when you have to be AFK, but need to continue through the quests in the game. It takes the hard parts of MMORPGs, such as leveling up and repetitive and mundane attacking of creatures that is involved in that.

How to Install

Open a terminal and type:
sudo apt-get install pq

Now it will be installed and you can run it from the Games menu under Applications.

The game will walk you through the initial part of the game, such as choosing the type of character you are and initial stats, and whether your game is played online or offline. After that, it's game on. Just watch the magic go.

Now, obviously, if you haven't figured it out, this game isn't really a game at all, but at best a parody of the MMORPG market of games like Everquest and World of Warcraft. In addition to being a parody of the game, it has also become a parody of the entire genre and the players of the community. On the Progress Quest web site, there are forums that you would find similar to the ones at the big game sites. There are also two strategy guides for the game up on Gamefaqs, which is saying a lot for a game that isn't really a game.

If you're looking for something that's somewhat interesting, give PQ a shot. There's not a lot going on, but if you leave it run for long periods of a time, it gives you something to check on every time you get onto your system. I give it 4/5 overall.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Ubuntu 8.04 Release!!!

Well, today they finally released the new version of 8.04, Hardy Heron. It is a LTS release, and I encourage you to all download it. Please, please, please, use the Torrents. The download servers will be crawling for a few days so if you download using torrents, it will help us all. Help out your fellow downloaders and do not close your program after they download. Here are the links:

Saturday, March 22, 2008

How To: Special Characters While Typing

In Windows, if you wanted to type a special character such as the one in the following custom emoticon: =þ, there was the ALT+xxxx format. In the case of þ (the letter thorn in the Icelandic alphabet), the code was 0222. Holding the left ALT Key and typing the numbers in using the 10-keypad was a viable way to do that, but it doesn't work under Ubuntu. What does work however, is Unicode. Unicode is a universal international format that strives to create a standard for writing letters.

In Ubuntu, all you have to do is hold Ctrl+Shift, type U, which will show you an underlined and then you will type the Unicode. For example, to get þ, you would hold Ctrl+Shift, then press U, type 00FE, and press enter.

Now, you're probably telling yourself, "that's great and all, but what if I wanted to put 蠍, the Japanese symbol (kanji) for scorpion, in a text and I don't know the Unicode for it? Well, never fear, the Unicode creators have a handy list of charts in which you can look up special characters and other text obscurities. In there, you would learn that the Unicode for scorpion is actually 880D, or any other character you are interested in. Thinking about creating a new chapter of Tri-Λ? Open the Greek code chart and toss in the code. There are codes for nearly every script in every language, so look for what you need and type to your hearts content!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

HOWTO: Install Gourmet Recipe Software for GNOME

*EDIT* May 3, 2009
Gourmet has finally been added to the repositories as of Ubuntu 9.04, so check out my modified instructions to install it in a much easier way.

Since recently becoming vegan, I have found it important to make it easier to save recipes. I knew I could make a database in OOo Base, but that seemed difficult and more work than I was willing to do. I searched through the package manager and found KRecipes and anymeal, but both are for the KDE environment. In the interest of keeping my system GNOME only, I decided to search further. A quick look on Sourceforge found a few promising choices, but the best was a program called Gourmet. If you want to install this, understand that you will be installing a DEB from outside the Ubuntu repositories and it could harm your system. It worked fine for me, but I cannot guarantee it will for you. If you want to install Krecipes or anymeal if you're using Kubuntu, or if you just don't want to use software outside of the repositories, I will give those instructions as well.

Installing KRecipes for KDE/Kubuntu

Verify you have the universe repositories enabled.
Open Konsole, or the terminal of your choice.
Type (or Copy/Paste) the following into your terminal:
sudo aptitude install krecipes krecipes-data
Run the program.

Installing anymeal for KDE/Kubuntu

Verify you have the universe repositories enabled.
Open Konsole, or the terminal of your choice.
Type (or Copy/Paste) the following into your terminal:
sudo aptitude install anymeal
Run the program.

Installing Gourmet Recipe Manager for GNOME/Ubuntu (Ubuntu 9.04 or later)

Open the Terminal.
Type (or Copy/Paste) the following into your terminal:
sudo apt-get install gourmet
Run the program.

Installing Gourmet Recipe Manager for GNOME/Ubuntu (Ubuntu 8.10 or earlier)

Open the Terminal.
Type (or Copy/Paste) the following into your terminal:
sudo apt-get install python-reportlab python-pysqlite2
Type (or Copy/Paste) the following into your terminal:
wget http://superb-east.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/grecipe-manager/gourmet_0.13.4-1_all.deb
Type (or Copy/Paste) the following into your terminal:
sudo dpkg -i gourmet_0.13.4-1_all.deb
Run the program.

Figure 1: Gourmet Recipe Manager working under Ubuntu

Figure 2: A recipe in Gourmet Recipe Manager

I hope this helps some of us out there who are not only Ubuntu Linux fans, but budding chefs as well.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Ubuntu through the Years: Introduction

I have decided to try out Ubuntu, every version of the desktop release beginning with 4.10. Why? Well, mainly it's for myself so I can get an idea of just how much the OS has come along over the last few years. I'm going to be starting with 4.10 and will be going all the way up through the most recent alpha release of 8.04 Hardy Heron.

I've decided to do this in my older laptop that I pretty much use to do all my messing around with now that I have a permanent system that I can use. Here are the system specs for the computer:

System Specs

IBM Thinkpad R40
2.0 Ghz Intel Celeron
20 GB HDD
768 MB RAM
DVDRW
16 MB ATI Mobility Radeon Video

First up is Ubuntu 4.10, the Warty Warthog. I'll run the install and see what I think.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

How to: Install Ubuntu 7.10 with a Separate /home Partition

Introduction

The following guide is an instruction on installing Ubuntu 7.10 with a separate /home partition. In the PC Magazine March 2008 issue, the article The Battle for Your Desktop under the section about installation that it is a good idea to “create a separate hard disk partition for your /home directory for your data and applications.” They couldn't be more correct. A separate /home partition is important because if something goes wrong with your data, it is possible to do a reinstall of Linux without affecting your /home folder. The /home folder in GNU/Linux is basically the equivalent to the "Documents and Settings" folder under Microsoft Windows XP. If you have multiple users on your system you will see multiple folders, ie: /home/justin/ & /home/johndoe/. This is basically the equivalent to the "My Documents" folder for each user under Microsoft Windows XP. This isn't a failsafe way to make sure your data is preserved in the event of a meltdown, backing up is the only safe way to do that, but it is helpful if backups do not occur often. Unlike under Windows, you won't see separate drives for partitions like a c:, d:. etc. Everything will fall under the / folder, including all CD-ROMs, floppy drives, external devices, etc. This also includes partitions. Your /home folder will be in a separate partition, but it will look like it is a subdirectory of the / folder. You can think of / as your c:\ drive if you are used to running Windows.

What You Will Need:

Computer with the following minimum system requirements:
- 233 MHz Processor
- 384 MB RAM
- 10 GB Hard Drive
Ubuntu 7.10 Alternate Install Disc, available from http://releases.ubuntu.com/7.10/ubuntu-7.10-alternate-i386.iso
Wired Internet connection
Calculator

Preparation:

This guide assumes that all data will be destroyed on the hard drive in which you are installing, so make sure that all data has been backed up. You must also burn the Ubuntu 7.10 disc to a CD. If you are using Windows and do not have a commercial CD-burning software such as Roxio Easy CD Creator or Nero Burning ROM, install the following freeware tool to help you: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

Installing:

Ensure your computer is connected to your network.
Turn on your computer.
Insert the Ubuntu 7.10 Alternate Disc into the CD-ROM tray on your computer.
You should see the screen in Fig. 1:
Figure 1: Initial Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon Alternate Menu
1. Reboot the computer if the screen in Fig. 1 does not appear and look for Fig. 1 again.
2. If Fig. 1 does not appear this time, reboot once again and check your BIOS settings to ensure that the CD-ROM is first in the boot menu.
Select the first choice, "Install in text mode," by pressing "Enter."
Scroll through the language selection screen shown in Fig. 2 to choose your language by using the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys.
Figure 2: Language Selection Screen
Press "Enter" to select your language and continue to the next screen.
Scroll through the country selection screen shown in Fig. 3 to choose your country by pressing the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys.
Figure 3: Country Selection Screen
Press "Enter" to select your country and continue to the next screen.
Choose "No" on the Ubuntu installer main menu screen shown in Fig. 4 by pressing the "Right" arrow key and pressing "Enter."
Figure 4: Keyboard Detection Screen
Scroll through the keyboard origin screen shown in Fig. 5 by pressing the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys.
Figure 5: Keyboard Country Origin Screen
Press "Enter" to select your keyboard origin and continue to the next screen.
Scroll through the keyboard layout screen shown in Fig. 6 by pressing the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys.
Figure 6: Keyboard Layout Screen
Press "Enter" to select your keyboard layout and continue to the next screen.
Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig. 7, Configure the network is shown.
Figure 7: Configure the Network Screen.
Choose your wired Internet NIC. In most cases it is "eth0." Press "Enter" to continue to the next screen.
Type a name for the computer on the network in the screen shown in Fig. 8. Press "Enter" to continue to the next screen.
Figure 8: Configure the Network Screen
Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig.9, Partition Disks is shown.
Figure 9: Partition Disks
Determine how big your partitions will be using a calculator:
- Calculate a minimum of 4 GB for your / partition. The best bet is 25% of the hard drive's space, but 40 GB is more than enough if your hard drive will accommodate the space.
- Multiply the amount of RAM you have by two. This will be your swap partition.
- Use all remaining free space for your /home partition.
Choose "Manual" by pressing the "Down" arrow key and pressing "Enter."
Choose the hard drive in your system by looking for a line that contains either the term "(sda)" or "(hda)" by scrolling with your "Up" and "Down" arrow keys as shown in Fig. 10 and pressing "Enter."
Figure 10: Partition Disks
Select "Yes" on the warning screen shown in Fig. 11 by pressing the "Left" arrow key and pressing "Enter." This will return you to the screen in step 18.
Figure 11: Partition Disks
Press the "Down" arrow to highlight the line containing the text "pri/log" and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 12.
Figure 12: Partition Disks
Select Create a new partition on the screen shown in Fig. 13 by pressing "Enter."
Figure 13: Partition Disks
Type in the hard drive space you wish to use for the "/" partition and press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 14. REMINDER: You can use any size you like, but it must be a minimum of 4 GB.
Figure 14: Partition Disks
Choose "Primary" on the screen shown in Fig. 15. by pressing "Enter."
Figure 15: Partition Disks
Choose "Beginning" on the screen shown in Fig. 16 by pressing "Enter."
Figure 16: Partition Disks
Scroll down to "Done setting up the partition" on the screen shown in Fig. 17 by pressing the down arrow and pressing "Enter"
Figure 17: Partition Disks
Press the "Down" arrow to highlight the line containing the text "pri/log" and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 18.
Figure 18: Partition Disks
Select "Create a new partition" on the screen shown in Fig. 13 by pressing "Enter."
Type in the hard drive space you want to use for the "/home" partition and press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 19. REMINDER: Be sure to leave free space equal to 2*RAM for your swap.
Figure 19: Partition Disks
Choose "Primary" on the screen shown in Fig. 15. by pressing "Enter."
Choose "Beginning" on the screen shown in Fig. 16 by pressing "Enter."
Scroll down to "Done setting up the partition" on the screen shown in Fig. 20 by pressing the "Down" arrow and pressing "Enter."
Figure 20: Partition Disks
Press the "Down" arrow to highlight the line containing the text "pri/log" and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 21.
Figure 21: Partition Disks
Select "Create a new partition" on the screen shown in Fig. 13 by pressing "Enter."
Press "Enter" to select the remaining space on the hard drive as shown in Fig. 22.
Figure 22: Partition Disks
Choose "Primary" on the screen shown in Fig. 15. by pressing "Enter."
Choose "Beginning" on the screen shown in Fig. 16 by pressing "Enter."
Press the "Up" arrow to highlight the "Use as:" line and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 23.
Figure 23: Partition Disks
Press the "Down" arrow to highlight "swap area" and press "Enter" as shown in Fig. 24.
Figure 24: Partition Disks
Scroll down to "Done setting up the partition on the screen shown in Fig. 25 by pressing the "Down" arrow and pressing "Enter."
Figure 25: Partition Disks
Verify your screen looks similar to the one shown in Fig. 26.
Figure 26: Partition Disks
Scroll down to "Finish partitioning and write changes to disk" and press "Enter." NOTE: If you want to change your mind, choose "Undo changes to partitions" and no changes will be made to your system.
Choose "Yes" on the screen shown in Fig. 27 by pressing the "Left" arrow and pressing "Enter" to overwrite all previous data on the system.
Figure 27: Partition Disks
Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig. 28, "Configure time zone" is shown.
Figure 28: Configure Time Zone
Select your time zone on the screen shown in Fig. 28 by using the "Up" and "Down" arrow keys and pressing "Enter."
Select "Yes" on the screen shown in Fig. 29 by pressing "Enter."
Figure 29: Configure the Clock
Type in your full name on the screen shown in Fig. 30 and press "Enter"
Figure 30: Set up Users and Passwords
Type in a username for your account or press "Enter" to accept the username given as shown in Fig. 31.
Figure 31: Set up Users and Passwords
Type in a password for your account and press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 32.
Figure 32: Set up Users and Passwords
Type in the same password again and press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 33.
Figure 33: Set up Users and Passwords
Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig. 34, "Configure the package manager" is shown. NOTE: This process will take about five minutes in most cases and may seem like it has hung up at times.
Figure 34: Configure the Package Manager
Type in any HTTP proxy information and press "Enter." In most cases, this should just be left blank.
Wait for the next few screens to continue automatically until Fig. 35, "Finish the installation" is shown. NOTE: This process will take about 20-30 minutes in most cases and may seem like it has hung up at times, particularly on the screen that says "Configuring apt" shown in Fig. 36.
Figure 35: Finish the Installation
Figure 36: Configuring Apt
Remove the CD-ROM from the tray when it opens.
Press "Enter" on the screen shown in Fig. 35 to reboot the computer.
Wait for the system to load through the screen shown in Fig. 37.
Figure 37: Ubuntu Loading Screen
Type your username you setup in step 50 on the log-in screen shown in Fig. 38 and press "Enter."
Figure 38: Ubuntu Login Screen
Type your password you setup in steps 51 and 52 on the log-in screen shown in Fig. 39 and press "Enter."
Figure 39: Ubuntu Login Screen
Enjoy your new Ubuntu system! (Fig. 40)
Figure 40: Ubuntu Fully Loaded

Based on:
NTFS + Gutsy Gibbon with /home Partition

Original Source:
Self-Post at the Ubuntu Forums

Sunday, October 28, 2007

FIRST LOOK: Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon

I have finally gotten my hands on two downloads: Ubuntu 7.10 Alternate Install and Ubuntu 7.10 Desktop. Three days ago, I was getting an error that I couldn't log in to Ubuntu due to being out of disk space. I logged into Windows, where I had Ext2 IFS installed, deleted some unimportant files out of the partition, rebooted, logged into my Feisty partition, burned my home folder to a DVD, then proceeded to do a fresh install of Feisty that took up my entire hard disk. That's right! No more dual booting for me!

Well, two days ago I decided I would try one last time to make an attempt to get the Gutsy CDs before I returned home from the Iraq to the United States. I found one of the few high-speed connections on the base, and began to download the ISOs for both the alternate and live CDs. Because I couldn't just plug in my computer to this connection, I had no choice but to use the Alternate CD to do my upgrade. Well, they finally downloaded after about seven hours and after many failed attempts at creating discs from the ISOs I gave up, copied them onto my iPod, and brought them back to my computer to try to burn them. This is usually a challenge, because my USB ports on my computer don't like to work most of the time. It's apparently a ThinkPad thing, not an Ubuntu thing, so I'm not mad at the OS. Luckily, it worked this time — albeit on the second try — I got both ISOs onto my desktop where I was able to burn a copy of each after purchasing some new blanks from the Iraqi shop/Internet Cafè.

I did an upgrade from the Alternate disc and it worked perfectly. I rebooted, logged in, and everything was there just as I had left it. Well, even though I did the upgrade, I went ahead and decided I would just do a fresh install, despite the upgrade being performed on a two-day old install. I popped out the Alternate disc, popped in the Live CD, and rebooted. Everything looked like it was going well — and it did — during the install. But when I rebooted to load into my second fresh install in three days, I was met with… nothing.

Now, I wasn't too worried, because I saw hard drive activity. Plus, I saw the Grub menu option show up before it went black. About forty-five seconds later, I was met with a site that allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief: the login screen. I went ahead and rebooted again to see if it was just a fluke, but it seemingly is not, so once I got off work, I brought my computer over to the Iraqi Internet Cafè, and filed a bug report with on Launchpad. A response has been left, and I have changed my Grub menu to reflect what a tutorial in the Forums has instructed. This didn't work, and so it's back to the drawing board.

At present, I am downloading some files I deem to be important, such as DVD playback capabilities and other things. I will make another post that will show what steps I performed to get my PC to what in my opinion is a working computer. With the exception of the load, I'm happy with everything so far. Noticeable changes I've found were that my modem driver was installed. Granted, I've not actually ever used my modem — even when this computer was new in 2004 — but it is nice to know that if I ever needed to use it, I could. Now if only wireless would be this easy! That's one thing that Linux as a whole is way behind on. Broadcom apparently has great support in 7.10. Since my wireless card is an Airgo-based, that doesn't apply to me.

The look overall is better. The icons in the menus are crisper and easier to read. Due to limitations on my graphics card however, I am unable to do anything with Compiz Fusion to really make my desktop fly. Maybe in the home PC I'll build in a couple of months though.

With the DVD player installed, I am happy with my system for now. Once I return to a faster, more reliable connection, I will add more programs. Overall, for me, seemingly due to hardware limitations, there wasn't much of a change (on the outside anyway) from 7.04 to 7.10. I give the distro a rating of 7.5/10. Wireless hardware support is still a long ways off, but that is not the fault of Linux I realize. It made installing all the required codecs easy and painless, something that wasn't so easy under 7.04. It's getting better, and it is in my opinion certainly better than Windows ever could be.