Dell Plugs for Open Source Ubuntu Linux

Well Well well... finally Dell too! As they say... "you cannot keep a good man down"!!

Here's Dell's plug for Open Source Ubuntu/Linux
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/ubuntu?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anavml

Best part - check out Sl (4) - for Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware - it says "UNWARRANTED"  !!! :-)

Read and enjoy!!!


===========Extract===============

First and foremost, Ubuntu is an Operating System. Just like Microsoft^®  Windows^®  or Apple MacOS, you can use Ubuntu to surf the web, check email, or just about anything you might want to do. Here’s a "Top Ten" list of things you should know about Ubuntu.

10) Ubuntu is simple and elegant

If you’re the kind of person who likes your computer to simply work, Ubuntu is right for you. It’s based on stable, secure, easy-to-use software that’s been around for a long time.

9) Ubuntu is designed for the Internet

Do you spend most of your time on the Internet? Ubuntu connects you to the Internet in seconds. Firefox is a very popular browser and works well with practically every website you’ll run across, e.g. news sites, social media sites, etc. It also works great with web-based e-mail sites like Yahoo or Gmail.

8) Ubuntu is "social from the start"

The people who make Ubuntu designed it to be very social-media centric. Do you use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or any of the other dozens of popular social networking sites? Ubuntu 9.10 works very well with these websites. And beginning with Ubuntu 10.04, these websites will be integrated into the Ubuntu OS itself for your convenience.

7) Ubuntu plays videos, songs, and movies easily

Do you like to watch videos on YouTube, buy songs from Amazon, pop in DVD’s from the local video store? No problem! Dell bundles a multimedia player with Ubuntu to deliver a great entertainment experience.(DRM protected music not supported.)

6) Ubuntu is secure

According to industry reports, Ubuntu is unaffected by the vast majority of viruses and spyware.

5) Ubuntu boots up fast

Beginning with Ubuntu 10.04, available on Dell systems this summer, boot times have improved dramatically over Ubuntu 9.10. Depending upon the Dell computer your purchase, boot times can be around 30 seconds!

4) With Ubuntu, you have access to 1,000’s of free software programs

What do you like to do?

3) Ubuntu with OpenOffice is compatible with Microsoft^®  Office and Adobe^®  Acrobat^® 

Do you need to open Microsoft Office documents? What about Adobe Acrobat? Ubuntu comes with the award-winning OpenOffice software. With it, not only can you create word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and even drawings, but it can also open and save documents in Microsoft Office format. Do you ever get .pdf files emailed to you—no problem!

2) Ubuntu is based on Linux^® 

Linux has been around for nearly 20 years. The software itself is not only stable and reliable, but also pervasive. Linux is used on computers of all sizes ranging from the biggest to the smallest.

1) Ubuntu comes pre-loaded with select Dell desktop, notebook, and netbook computers

Beginning in 2007, Dell began shipping computers with Ubuntu. Since then, Dell has shipped more computers pre-loaded and pre-tested with Ubuntu than any other computer maker in the world. Every computer we ship with Ubuntu has been fully tested to ensure the best possible Internet and multimedia experience Linux has to offer. Two high-tech leaders—ensuring Ubuntu on Dell "just works."

Moving to Ubuntu - a first hand account

There was discussion earlier that for office use, Windows rules and transition to Linux for office use would be difficult. One of the logical reasons and rather correctly is that Windows OS is heavily entrenched in our training curriculums with the reasoning that 'we all use it for Office use' - and Linux is not used in Offices with the excuse that 'no one knows it or is comfy with it' (if you don't train people, how can they be comfy - logic isn't is :-). So we have the classic Chicken-and-egg story here, ironically!! (it is rather amusing how many miss this simple logic!!)

Anyway, with my views that every educated IT user (that means nearly all of us!!) should be comfy in at least two OS, and maybe two different word processing software (yess, later very important :-), its time many of us usher in 20Ten getting multi-IT-skilled!!!

Can we do it? Well, came across an interesting blog (http://bit.ly/8nXtYc) of Mrs. Amber Graner, (an ex-US Army veteran) who moved from Mac to Ubuntu and doing an yeoman service to the Open Source Community.

Why I am sharing this is that for all those who feel that changeover to Ubuntu for Office use would be difficult, this blog just shows that it is not at all difficult. Of course here we are talking individuals instead of Organisation, but than every individual can make a difference!! And maybe change the system.

=====Extract from the blog http://bit.ly/8nXtYc===============

I decided that I finally wanted to make the transition from Mac to Linux. What fueled the change - and intrepid CD and an Ubuntu T-shirt that read, "Linux for Human Beings". I sorta laughed when my husband came home from a Sprint in the UK and said. "I have something for you." I looked at the CD and the Shirt and said, "yeah right". However, I had wanted to use Linux for years, but *always* without fail had to turn to my husband to fix things and help me, so I tended to always fall back to the Operating System I was the most familiar with. While my husband was busy working on various Linux distributions , I was moving slowly from DOS to Windows to Mac, then in Feb 2009 landed pretty smoothly into a Linux distro I could feel comfortable with - Ubuntu. I haven't looked back, every once in a while I brush off the Mac, and use it for something. I don't dislike Mac, I just like using Ubuntu better.

Connecting USB Net Connect Dongles in Linux

Solution to connecting USB Net Connect dongles on Linux

There has been queries on connecting the USB Net Connect dongles (Of Reliance, Idea, Airtel etc.).

Those using windows, have to struggle with 'Loading drivers from CDs', configuring etc. etc.

In Linux, especially Ubuntu and Mint, it is fairly simple. No playing around with Driver CDs :-) Here is the procedure (Same for Reliance, Idea, Airtel etc)

Step One: Just plug it in (Of course on a booted machine running Ubuntu or Mint - Not the C-DAC BOSS Linux-OS being used in some Offices!! :)

Step Two: Go to  “Preferences>Network Connections> Mobile Broadband”. It should detect “Auto Mobile Broadband CDMS connection”
Step Three: Select the connection to add phone number “#777″ (for reliance and Idea) and you username/ password, both of which should be your 10 digit phone number (read it off from the purchase document!!).
Step Four: That is all.Choose the connection from notification area and enjoy.

In case it does not work. just try the following command on the terminal (you can also use this instead of the above steps!)

“sudo wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.conf” which will detect the modem and install it for internet connection.
Easy - is not it??

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Release - 29 Oct 09

Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala), is scheduled to be released on 29 October 2009. It will become Canonical's eleventh release of the distribution and will likely be supported until April 2011.

The 9.10 release will focus on improvements in cloud computing on the server, further improvements in boot speed as well as development on the Netbook Remix.

"Ubuntu Netbook Remix is optimised to run on a new category of affordable Internet-centric devices called netbooks. It includes a new consumer-friendly interface that allows users to quickly and easily get on-line and use their favourite applications. This interface is optimised for a retail sales environment." - from Ubuntu Site

The desktop installation of Ubuntu 9.10 is expected to include, among other programs, GIMP 2.6, GNOME 2.28, Mozilla Firefox 3.5, OpenOffice.org 3.1, Linux Kernel 2.6.31, X.Org 7.5 and Empathy Instant Messenger. The default filesystem will be ext4, and the Ubuntu One client, which interfaces with Canonical's new online storage system, will be installed by default.

"Ubuntu One is your personal cloud. You can use it to back up, store, sync and share your data with other Ubuntu One users. Ubuntu One gives all features and 2 GB of essential storage to everyone." - from Ubuntu Site

 It will also debut a new application called the Ubuntu Software Center that will unify package management. Canonical intends for this application to replace Add/Remove Programs (gnome-app-install) in 9.10 and possibly Synaptic, Software Sources, Gdebi and Update Manager in Ubuntu 10.04. Karmic Koala will also include a slideshow during the installation process (through ubiquity-slideshow) that will highlight applications and features in Ubuntu

My reply to a friends query on how he can use Windows 7 and his problems with Ubuntu 9.04 (quoting) "Also my UBUNTU 9.04 showing some probs like - Automatically Log Off, Sometimes just freezes and I have to reboot. I think now I have had my share of experiments with the latest gigs, can somebody suggest a STABLE and yet FULLY functional DISTRO for me to try"

===My Reply===

Download the Windows 7 RC1 which is legal/valid till June 2010. Else someone coming this side I can give the DVD!!

As about Ubuntu 9.04 - typical desktop Ubuntu problems - view the quick updates for trying to keep pace with the latest and greatest (there was three kernel update in the last month!!!) and some tends to be broken!! I thus typically use Debian (Debian 5.0 Lenny) view its updates are more thought out, less frequent and very very stable!! The freezes (mostly due to display hardware issues with the windows manager like Gnome/KDE!!) are non-existent in Debian. But I should admit, Debian configuration/tweaking does require a bit (actually - more than a bit!!!) of Linux familiarity!!

But my destop recommendation of choice is Mint (Mint 7 'Gloria' based on Ubuntu 9.04 and KDE Graphics Manager released a few days ago) Distribution. (http://www.linuxmint.com).
Read a nice review at http://1n73r.net/2009/05/09/linux-mint-7-review


I would recommend you use Mint 7!!
And of course how I wish Windows 7 was Open Source :-(
Am finding it rather good :-) and wouldn't mind paying for it only if it was open source!! (High Hopes!!!)