Food For Thought- 1/28/08

Update!
I have fixed the problems with my USB keyboard and GRUB! Now I will be able to use my boot loader and no more problems with the "Default OS" OpenSUSE will be good, It uses GRUB for the CD menu and you need to change selection to fix it.

Here is how to get your USB keyboard to work with GRUB if it doesn't already. In the BIOS (Press F2, F12, or the Delete Key) on boot. Go to the Advanced tab or find some kind of USB configuration menu. In the USB config, change Legacy USB to Enabled or Auto, I suggest Enabled so it will always be on, and anyway, with Auto it has to search for USB devices every time it boots, and it may slow it down.

I have already installed Ubuntu, that review is coming up!

Again, Linuxguy and linux-exploration.blogspot.com (His Blog) are not responsible for any changes or damage you do to your computer, again, these are simply guides, and may help you, but you are responsible for anything you do to your computer.

Linux Review 1- Fedora 8

Fedora 8 Review, GNOME+KDE
Fedora 8 was easy to install, it also seemed quick. It took a while for me though, I made the mistake of putting Other(Windows) as default, and my USB keyboard doesn't like Grub, so I couldn't go to the menu to select Fedora, and it would boot Windows. So then I installed again, with Fedora as the default. (I will have to get this worked out to install OpenSUSE 10.3.) Once I was into Fedora, it has a nice selection for desktop pictures, I was greeted by a nice GNOME and Fedora theme mix. I fired up Firefox, and went to my email, site, which at I was asked to install Flash, so I tried with Firefox and it didn't work so I travelled to the Adobe site, downloaded a RPM version of Flash and installed it in a couple of clicks. I was also notified on updates, 171!!! I had 91 updates in Windows, and It surprised me that there are more updates for my Fedora install than my Windows. I then installed MPlayer, and Wine, which I removed (Wine). I then tried to open a music file in Rhythmbox, I found it has radio, so here I am listening to a radio station playing some good Classic Rock, and typing. Fedora is quite cool, but probably not as featured as much as I would like it to be.

Installing was quick, It must have finished within 30 minutes with the media test, the single DVD format doesn't require any switching of discs, and once installing it doesn't require any response. 171 updates, took forever! I started at 9:25 and finished at 11:00. Installing programs is easy because of RPM packages and the Add/Remove Programs Program, but I had to find another repository to get some of the programs I wanted. Fedora repositories seem somewhat limiting, to install MPlayer I downloaded it from the Livna repositories. ( Download the Fedora YUM RPM package, install, and it will be in Add/Remove programs. It should automatically be enabled) With Livna there are quite a few more programs.

Dual booting was easy, I was prompted to install GRUB with Fedora as default, and that is how I run Fedora right now. I like Fedora, it has a nice GUI, and GNOME is the default desktop environment. I installed KDE programs, Stellarium, and Audacity. Audacity in Linux looks a little different than the Windows version.

Fedora with KDE
because I was Fedora and KDE together don't look to bad, and to easily boot with KDE, you have to select KDE for session on the login screen. I got a little lost in KDEun-installed GNOME, and it took many programs with it. Firefox was replaced with Konqueror, and the ADD/REMOVE program went missing. I reinstalled Firefox by gaining root privileges, and inputting, yum install Firefox into Konsole, as the GNOME terminal had also went missing, GNOME games and open office writer also disappeared. With KDE I had 12 new updates to install, strange. I cant view the updates or anything, there is just that box icon in my start bar, just sitting there. KPowerSave seems to be an OK feature, it under clocks your CPU when idling, and it is supposed to save power. KDE seems a little less easy to use, with some programs being installed by the Console(Terminal/ Command prompt).Flash player stayed installed, even though Firefoxun-installed and reinstalled. Both GNOME Fedora and KDE Fedora use the RPM packaging system, they are self executable, so they are similar to deb packages and others. I had a basic understanding of KDE, but GNOME was more user friendly with the add/remove programs feature.

Sites-
Fedora 8(Fedora Project)

Livna RPM Repository

For Screen Shot Takers-
Both KDE and GNOME have a feature in Fedora allowing for you to take a screen shot! Just press Print Screen on your keyboard, save the shot, and you have taken it!

I give Fedora with GNOME a 4/5 for ease to use, fast install time, but updating took forever, and there was a small lack of software wanted in the repositories but that was easily fixed by adding a new one.

With KDE I give it a 2/5, it gets confusing and you cant seem to install more programs without using the Console and YUM.

Here I am looking at the Ubuntu home page, It's our next review. I already experienced good things with the live CD, hopefully even better with the install.

How to Partition, section 1.

Intro
Partition may be a long and confusing word for some people, especially people who have never installed an Operating System. When installing, lets say Windows, you can have the wizard format the entire disk, or you can create a custom layout. With a custom layout you are allowed to make your partitions into a specific size. Since windows uses the 1024MB= 1 GB and hard disk(hard drive) manufactures us 1000MB=a GB you will never see the correct space listed in windows.

What Does the word mean?
According to dictionary.com, partition means a part, division, or section, as suggested by the beginning of the word, being part.

How to do it? (Partitioning and Formatting erases all data on the drive section being changed, so if you want to keep something, please back it up!)
Most people won't have any unallocated space because they purchased their PC partitioned with Windows. But lets say you bought a new hard drive. You would probably have to partition it so Windows can see it.
In Windows
To partition your new hard disk in Windows you need to click start, go to my computer, right-

click, and click manage. You will get a screen called computer management, with a menu on the

right. Click Disk Management. Under the new drive you will see some space with a black bar on

the top. This space is unallocated space. To partition it you have to right click and click New

Partition, which will bring up the partition wizard. When the partition wizard has loaded, click

next, select Extended Partition, next again, enter the amount of space in MB, next yet again,

then finish. You are still not finished though, you have to create another partition.


Once you have made the extended partition, you will have a space called Free Space with a

green bar above and dark green all around it. Right click on it, and select new logical drive.


Once you have the wizard up, click next, next again, enter the space to be used, the drive letter, you probably want to format it, just check Perform a quick format, and put in a label, like Local Disk or something, and click next. Review your choices, and click finish.




Linuxguy and Linux-exploration.blogspot.com, are not responsible for ANYTHING you do to your computer. This is simply a guide, and it may help you out, but the author(Linuxguy) and his blog(Linux-exploration.blogspot.com) are not responsible for any damage or changes done to your computer or other items.

Food For Thought

The school I go to recieved 22 new computers, 9 have Windows XP, 12 have Windows 2000 or some earlier version, I'm not sure, and 1 has Linux. Edubuntu Linux. This one computer at first would not boot from it's hard drive, boot order was good, the HDD jumper settings were also good, Just no operating system would start, and it gave the error, F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility. We, my tech teacher and I, decided to try to boot off of a Linux Live CD, Edubuntu is what we used, and with GParted, the Edubuntu partition editor, I found that all 10 GB, yes only 10, was unallocated. I then shut the system down, plugged in a network cable(Linux autoconfigures Network when it is plugged in) and installed the system, with 384MB of RAM and a 1 GHz processor, it only took 30 minutes to install, quick, on my new system, Windows, with less programs, took 45min to install. It ended up with a ready to go Linux system, and when I rebooted, I installed Flash from the Flash Player website. Then, after I went to the HP website, my school uses alot of their printers, i found some linux drivers, goody! The next thing I have to find out is can you profile on linux with a Windows server? Can my readers clarify? Thank you.

Also, this is funny, this is what the candidates are running for they're web server/ site.
Elections by Server

First Computer Build

My First computer build was a success, I had alot of fun, and It only took me an hour and a half to build. Here is a picture of the completed computer.

This is also my test and review system, here are the specs,
Motherboard- ASRock ALiveNF6G- VSTA
CPU- AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+
Memory- Corsair Value Select DDR2667 1GB
Hard Drive- WD SATAII 160GB
CD- Lite On DVD Combo on IDE
PSU- Rosewill RV350-2
Case- Rosewill R6422-P Black/SL

Food For Thought- 1/14/07

Just a brief update...
I now have my memory for my computer, I am just waiting for my last two parts to get here, my processor, and my Hard Drive. I will start building, hopefully Friday, and finish on Saturday, with time to try out and review Fedora 8, I am a little off schedule, sorry about that.

Food For Thought- 1/7/08

A quick adventure in PCLinuxOS yielded great results. The strange thing was that only 1/2 times my current, and somewhat old computer wouldn't boot the system as a LiveCD, I never experienced that with Ubuntu. I went on YouTube with my favorite included browser- Firefox, and joyfully found that flash or other player was already installed. This system has everything you would want, and the live CD has MPlayer, so you can play MP3's and even WMV's (Windows Video) Files. The OS has OpenOffice and I had to say that this is one of the best prepared OS'es for Linux. This is literally an awesome and equipped OS. That may be why I am typing to you in it now. Remember, the full review of PCLinuxOS with it being installed is coming in the second half of march, following Linux Mint, which I have just heard about. Also remember, If you want me to review a Linux OS, just comment on one of the 2008 posts, lets see what th Linux community brings us this year, I want PCLinuxOS 2008 to be better than this already great 2007 version. I am sure we will see a new Ubuntu soon, probably version 8.

Linux Reviews

Happy New Year! I've got something special for all my viewers. I have 4 Linux distributions on CD that I plan to review for People. I know I will be reviewing 7 Distributions so far, If you want me to review others just comment onto this post or one of the other 2008 posts that are coming. I'll Leave the list here. I plan to do:

I have done Ubuntu LiveCD Review, all of these will be installed Installed unless otherwise noted. This is just a rough draft of the schedule, I may change it, you will always find the latest in the columns on the right.

Fedora 8 : January 1st half 2008

Ubuntu 7.10: January 1st Half 2008

OpenSUSE 10.3 :February

Linux Mint 4.0: March

Mandriva One 2008; KDE : April 1st half

Mandriva One 2008; GNOME : April 2nd Half

PCLinuxOS 2007: May


Food For thought will be back every Monday.