May 5th, 2008
The command line — where you type commands and do other funky stuff is sometimes a seemingly different area altogether. It takes time getting used to but it’s worth it. There are a lot of things you can do on the command line. You could do them with some tool with graphical user interface but there are nifty things about it like the history for instance. I like the fact that I could go back to the commands I typed. This is especially when I try following a tutorial and I am afraid I skipped something.
For most of the distros I’ve tried there’s bash or the Bourne again shell. There are actually a lot of guides online that discuss the commands and scripting you could do in bash. There are even tips on keyboard shortcuts in bash. So yeah, as a way for you to communicate with the operating system you need to be familiar with how to talk with the shell.
Anyhow so via bash, you could fiddle around with the bash history file. How? Here are some tips:
It depends on your needs of course. Keep in mind that the bash history is a good thing and a bad thing, depending on the security level you prefer. I am not really very paranoid about my own laptop so I haven’t disabled bash history nor have thought about it. How about you? And I do hope that the links have helped you in dealing with bash history.
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By Clair -- 0 comments
May 4th, 2008
Sometimes we don’t know how relevant Linux is in our lives. Especially if we are used to blogging on some software set up by someone else, checking our email, etc. etc. Chances are the servers where those applications are on are running on Linux. A post on Raiden’s Realm discusses Linux in movies, airplanes and all other places you probably never thought of before. The post basically points out to readers that even though you don’t know it, Linux is in your life. Not just Linux but free and open source software. It’s not just about some geeky operating system but it’s also about how this operating system makes it easy to do certain things or enjoy certain activities. Examples? The author of the post listed the following:
- DreamWorks had over 2,000 Linux-based CPUs online by the summer of 2001. Their Shrek blockbuster was rendered on more than 1,000 mostly Linux machines, while Pixar have machines running Linux in their production and software development studios.
- In Brazil, Banrisul, one of the largest banks in South America, run all their ATM machines via a Linux operating system.
- While Paypal, used by online shoppers the world over, run their web presence and middleware tier on thousands of Linux servers.
There are probably a whole lot more of examples out there. Try asking your sys ad in the office about what he does. Or just read some articles like the one on Raiden’s Realm. Every single day those Linux machines and apps make our lives easier and I think that is a good starting point for us to get friendly with the OS, aside from our daily computing needs.
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By Clair -- 1 comment
May 2nd, 2008
This is not a blog post on how to be kind, etc. etc. This is in reaction to a Linux Journal article with the title “How to Make People Love Linux.” The article starts off by defining what a Linux person is. He/she is someone who not only uses Linux but will help other people with their Linux problems.
Then Shawn Powers also wrote the ways that people will want Linux:
- Fix their spyware problem. Share with them that spyware is one of the reasons you don’t use Windows.
- Admit that using Linux has a learning curve, but it’s one that you think is worthwhile.
- Show them Compiz. Microsoft marketed an entire operating system on worthless visual thrills. Compiz is free, and cooler.
- Give them a LiveCD. Offer to help them. Follow through on the offer.
- Remember Wubi, it’s an easy way to try Linux.
I do believe that the tips boil down to two things:
- Be more sensitive to other users’ needs and the things they’ve been used to.
- Don’t push them to use Linux right away. They’d feel like you’re shoving it down their throats if you keep pushing them and that’s unattractive.
- Be more open to other people’s thoughts and feelings. Really.
Someties you really need to be patient when they’re describing to you what they’re encountering. Listen and you’d see if you could help them out. Maybe something similar happened to you before and you could share to them the way you fixed your dilemmas. Even if you’re a new Linux user you could say something, definitely. It’s just a matter of patience and figuring out the pain points they experience and see if it sounds familiar.
Have you ever thought about how you could share your Linux knowledge and love for the software?
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By Clair -- 1 comment
May 1st, 2008
Just curious. What’s it like for you?
Was it hell? Did you need much tweaking? Were there times that you had to reinstall or you had to reconfigure something?
Drop by and let us know here on New Linux User.;)
Edit: Sorry I had a typo! :( It’s Ubuntu 8.04 indeed. Thanks for the comments.
Tags: ubuntu, user experienceShare This
By Clair -- 7 comments
May 1st, 2008
Timelady gave me a lovely link for all you Asus EEE users out there. It’s a guide on configuring WPA on Xandros.
What does it involve?
- Removing the WPA supplicant installed by default.
- Installing WPA supplicant from the Debian repositories.
- Installing MadWifi drivers.
- Creating wpa_supplicant.conf_MINE
- Creating a new network configuration.
- Making sure that you fix the network monitor icon.
The steps are all there and you just need to follow them one by one.
Hope that helps you with your wifi needs! All thanks to the people of the EEE User wiki and Timelady. :)
Tags: asus eee, guides, laptops, wifiShare This
By Clair -- 0 comments
April 30th, 2008
Free Geek is a group of people who reuse computers so that others may benefit from them. They’re based in Portland, Oregon. The nice thing about their group is that they really want to give individuals and non-profit organizations. They have a thrift shop and hardware grants.
You could volunteer in the organization or give your old hardware so that there’d be more of the technology to go around. Linux is installed in these computers so that’s one way for others to use Linux in their day to day lives.
Programs like these are great for every community in order to spread technology and Linux adoption. :) Is there such a program in your community already? I hope you could get inspired by the Free Geek organization’s projects.
Tags: communities, hardware, linux, organizationsShare This
By Clair -- 0 comments
April 30th, 2008
I was lucky to have received my copy of Hackett and Bankwell Issue 1 this week. (Thanks so much to Intarcorp who sent me a copy!) I saw that there’s a huge penguin on the cover. Yay! Hooray for penguins! :D It’s an interesting way to study using Linux especially Ubuntu.
Things I liked about it:
- It’s in a comicbook format so it’s more like a story.
- It has a penguin character! And he’s explaining Linux to the user.
- The words are easy to understand.
- There are ’screenshots’ in the comic.
- Free Software concepts are being explained to users.
Things that need to be worked on:
- The illustrations’ lines aren’t as clean as I’d wish them to be.
- It gets a little too wordy in some frames.
- List of references could be added at the last page.
- List of terms could be added at the last page.
It’s a bit wordy in the first issue maybe because the contains a lot of introductory concepts like what Linux is, what GNU is, graphical user interfaces, etc. But at least it’s concise.
This is a good alternative material for beginners who feel intimidated by textbooks and online guides. Though I think this might be a good story to develop in animation. If this is animated, there’s a better way to show the flow of the instructions. It could also be used to focus on certain screenshots.
Tags: comics, education, ubuntuShare This
By Clair -- 0 comments
April 29th, 2008
Looking for a way to surf the ‘net on the terminal? Use w3m!
I’ve used w3m time and again because it’s quaint that way. ;) I usually use it as an Emacs macro/extension. It’s nice! I could read webpages while in Emacs, aside from the terminal.
You could look it in Synaptic if you’re using Ubuntu. You could also check it in apt. Or your package manager.
There are really nifty commands from the w3m manual:
w3m [options] [filename|URL] -s — this one is for displaying pages in shift JIS so if you’re viewing a Japanese page, chances are you’d find this good as an option
w3m -T text/plain [filename|URL] — if you want to get the source HTML.
Who says you can’t do anything from the command line when there are so many tools you could use? ;)
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By Clair -- 0 comments
April 29th, 2008
After reading this entry on ZDNet’s EdTech section, I realized that there’s such a thing as being OS-agnostic.
I love Linux but in some ways I am learning to be OS-agnostic. Why do I say OS-agnostic? Read on.
To be OS-agnostic, if you ask me, is to be comfortable with any operating system installed on the computer you’re using. For example, in our office we have all sorts of machines and they have different OSes installed in them. Some have Linux, some have Windows XP, some have Windows Vista. My own laptop has both Ubuntu and Windows XP. The thing is that I could use whichever machine if needed.
I admit I don’t know the nitty-gritty of both Ubuntu and Windows XP but I am comfortable enough to use either. I could also try to tweak either, when I need to. Before, I’d really get upset if I didn’t use Ubuntu. It was a matter of preference because I didn’t have to tweak my desktop so much compared to Windows XP because I love how GNOME works. (I also love how Openbox works, by the way!) But there are things that were easier to do when in Windows due to certain work requirements and especially when I let other teammates use my laptop when we needed to switch or when there were tasks that required collaboration in that sense.
Being OS-agnostic gives me the skill to recognize certain similarities and/or differences as the case might be. I believe that it has made my mom work better with the computer because when in Ubuntu, she needs to be more experimental. I think that what I find important is not the specialized skill in using the OS but the skill of working with an OS regardless of what it is.
In one sense, maybe this is what it’s like to learn about being OS-agnostic. If you were once focused and specialized in Windows, eventually you could be OS-agnostic while learning/using Linux. It might make you even more comfortable using computers because of the learning attitude that you need to have.
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By Clair -- 1 comment
April 25th, 2008
Last year there were news about Nokia 770 and Debian Linux. A while ago I read about Ubuntu coming to Nokia 800. From the article, Ubuntu is already running on an SD card. :D Sounds exciting. It’s just that the Nokia 800 will probably be a high-end consumer device here in the country if ever they sell it in the Philippines. On the website its price is indicated as USD 299.99 already, which is several thousand pesos cheaper than the Asus EEE so even though the Nokia 800 might be an interesting proposition to new Linux users who are concerned with being very mobile and want to really light, the Asus EEE might still be a better investment right now.
But I am still glad to read about this development. Mobile computing is definitely getting more exciting these days. And maybe some of you will get a handheld device as your first Linux machine. ;) Ubuntu on the laptop or on the phone? Or maybe both? It’s an exciting time I tell you!
Tags: mobile, nokia, nokia 800, ubuntuShare This
By Clair -- 0 comments
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