Ubuntu Tutorials

Its been ages since I played with SecondLife but I was reminded about it this evening and thought I would put something together regarding how to install it.  There are not any packages for it in the Ubuntu repositories, but it is pretty simple to get running.

For those that currently use SecondLife maybe you can comment on places to hang out and things to go see for anyone just joining in.

Requirements for SecondLife 1.19.1.4

The first requirement is that your machine passes the minimum system requirements.  On Linux this generally means 3D rendering ability.  Here are the official requirements, for your information:

• Internet Connection: Cable or DSL
• 800MHz Pentium III or Athlon or better (recommended: 1.5GHz or more)
• 512MB (recommended: 768MB or more)
• nVidia GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better (recommend one of the following: 6700, 6800, 7600, 7800, 7900, 8400, 8500, 8600, 8800, Go 7400, Go 7600, Go 7800, Go 7900)
• ATI Radeon 8500, 9250, or better

I should note that SecondLife seems to run just fine on my onboard intel 915 video card.  As long as you can run Compiz effects you should probably be OK.

The following commands will walk you through installing SecondLife system-wide.  This will make it available for any user on the machine, and may be different than other methods you may have seen.

Installing SecondLife 1.19.1.4

First off we’ll need to manually download the archive, which we’ll unpack into /opt.

wget -c http://download-secondlife-com.s3.amazonaws.com/SecondLife_i686_1_19_1_4.tar.bz2
sudo tar -C /opt/ -xf ~/Desktop/SecondLife_i686_1_19_1_4.tar.bz2
sudo ln -s /opt/SecondLife_i686_1_19_1_4/secondlife /usr/local/bin/

You’ll now be able to launch SecondLife with:

secondlife

If this article has been helpful, please consider linking to it.

I want to thank everyone for the great feedback that I got on the poll regarding what you’d like to see on this site.  I think the results are pretty clear, although some of them did surprise me.  For those that haven’t taken a look at the results they are as follows:

Gnome Desktop Tips : 221 votes

Virtualization Topics : 163 votes

Installation & Upgrade : 163 votes

Security Related :152 votes

Ubuntu Server : 152 votes

3D Effects : 117 votes

Getting Involved : 69 votes

KDE Stuff : 65 votes

If you’d still like to voice your opinion the poll is still up for another day.  You can also comment on this post if you’d like to see topics not listed in the current poll.

I will try to keep these results in mind going forward.  I have seen website traffic go up recently, and I’m glad to see people are interested and coming to read the site.

A new poll will be starting July 1 so please come and give me your feedback at that point.

Last week Aaron asked me if I knew the reason behind the latest kernel update, or if I knew where to find the changelog.  I poked around a bit and found that Aptitude, the command-line package management tool, has a changelog option.  If you’d like to see the changelog for a package before you update, or even after you’ve updated, you can do so with Aptitude.

Viewing the Changelog From The Terminal

Taking a look at the changelog for a package can be done at the command line by using:

aptitude changelog <packagename>

This only works for officially supported packages, so it’ll complain if you try it against something from a PPA, but this still covers quite a few packages.  So, if you’ve ever wondered the reason behind the update, you can check out the changelog and take a look!

Viewing the Changelog From Synaptic

The same functionality is available within Synaptic as well.  Navigate to:

“System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager”

Find the package you’re interested in using the “Search” button and then select “Package > Download Changelog” from the Synaptic File menu.

If you’re new to Ubuntu you may or may not be aware of the fact that we like our choices here.  One of the big choices is the desktop environment that you work in.  The big two are Gnome and KDE, but there are quite a few more.  Xubuntu, or Ubuntu using the XFCE desktop environment, is another official release variant from the Ubuntu community.  If you’ve never tried it out I’ve got instructions below on how to install it in parallel to your existing desktop, giving you the option of selecting one at login.

Installing the Xubuntu Desktop

Installing the XFCE desktop environment can be done by way of the Ubuntu package repositories.  It has been simplified with the creation of a meta-package, which is a simple package containing a longer list of required packages.  To install the XFCE environment is done with the following:

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

When this is finished you’ll need to logout of your current session and select XFCE as the next session you’d like to use.  This option is found on the login screen.  Look for “Sessions” and select XFCE.  This can be made the default or just a temporary change.

Being able to select the session, or the environment that we’re going to use gives us the opportunity to try out multiple desktop environments without needing to reinstall or affect our current system much.  If you don’t like one, simply install and select a different session.

If you’d like to remove the XFCE environment at some point you can use:

sudo apt-get remove xubuntu-desktop

sudo apt-get autoremove

Some of you might remember, long ag, that I asked for some feedback regarding a presentation at Ubuntu Live 2008. Well, as it turns out the Ubuntu Live conference was cancelled by my presentation was migrated to OSCON instead.  I’m pretty excited to be going to OSCON this year, especially as a speaker.  I went last year, but just to work in a booth as a volunteer.  This year will be a much more fun!

If you’re going to be at OSCON come and say hello.  I’ll be presenting:

LTS Tutorials : Using Ubuntu in the Enterprise – 10:45 on 23 Jul 2008

I’ll be covering things like automated installations with kickstart and preseed, automated “stack” setup with the server installer (LAMP, etc), basic security with ufw, and more.  I think it’ll be a lot of fun and I hope to be able to show how Ubuntu Server can make Enterprise Linux simpler while remaining just as stable and secure as anything else.

If you haven’t yet registered I’ve outlined some of the available discount codes below.  If you can get the time, and if the discount help, OSCON is *really* a lot of fun and the education you get is worth every penny.

OSCON Registration Discount Codes

• os08fts - 65% off with proof of full-time student status: a copy of ID & class schedule demonstrating enrollment in 12 or more units per semester/quarter. Fax to (707) 829-1342. Please use os08fts in the discount field.

• os08team - 10% off per person if you register 3 or more people from one company. Please use os08team in discount field. Proof of status of employment (copy of business card) for each attendee must be faxed to (707) 829-1342.

• os08np - 40% off with proof of full time employment at a non-profit organization and verification of non-profit status (501 c3 or equivalent). Fax to (707) 829-1342. Please use os08np in the discount field.

• os08gov - 10% off with proof of full-time employment with a government agency. Use discount code os08gov, and fax proof to (707) 829-1342.

• os08as - 25% off with proof of full time academic employment status on organization letterhead. Fax to (707) 829-1342. Please use os08as in discount field.

Some time ago I blogged about keyboard shortcuts for the Gnome Desktop.  I figure its time to revisit some of these.  If I’ve missed any that you find helpful as usual drop a comment.  I am unaware of any definitive list of Gnome shortcuts.  Could this be a start?

Gnome Desktop Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt-F2 : Run Application Dialog

Alt-F1 : Open Applications Menu

Alt-F9 : Minimize Active Window

Alt-Tab : Rotate Current Window Focus

Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow : Move Virtual Desktop Left

Ctrl+Alt+Right Arrow : Move Virtual Desktop Right

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left Arrow : Move Current Application Left

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Right Arrow : Move Current Application Right

Ctrl+Alt+L : Lock Screen

Ctrl+Alt+Del : Log Out

Ctrl+Alt+Backspace : Restart Gnome (careful)

Nautilus File Management

Shift+Ctrl+N : Create New Folder

Ctrl+T : Delete (to Trash)

Alt+ENTER : File/Folder Properties

Ctrl+1 : Toggle View As Icons

Ctrl+2 : Toggle View As List

Shift+Right Arrow : Open Directory (List View)

Shift+Left Arrow : Close Directory (List View)

Ctrl+S : Select Pattern [enter pattern]

F2 : Rename File

Ctrl+A : Select All

Nautilus Navigation Shortcuts

Ctrl+W : Close Window

Ctrl+Shift+W : Close All Nautilus Windows

Ctrl+R : Reload Nautilus Window

Alt+Up Arrow : Open Parent

Alt+Left Arrow : Back

Alt+Right Arrow : Forward

Alt+Home : Home Folder

Ctrl+L : Location Bar

F9 : Toggle Sidepane

Ctrl+H : Show Hidden Files

Ctrl++ : Zoom In

Ctrl+- : Zoom Out

Ctrl+0 : Normal Size

I know this is a bit of a long list, but I find that using keyboard shortcuts allows me to get more done than reaching for a mouse to navigate around my Desktop.  I know many are much more comfortable with the mouse, but learning a few of these shortcuts can’t hurt either.  Please comment if I’ve missed any shortcuts.

I have seen a few questions in IRC and the forums lately regarding upgrading Ubuntu machines.  I thought I would toss out a reminder on the best, supported, methods of upgrading your machine and how to avoid (hopefully) some common pitfalls.

Upgrade Preparation

The first step towards an upgrade is to backup any mission-critical data that you may need.  Things like your documents, presentations, homework, etc.  I have never had an issue with an installer breaking and losing my data, but its simply just a good idea.  I’d hate to not have done the “just-in-case” and look back in regret.

Back up all your data by copying or archiving everything from /home/username, including those hidden folders.  This will include your personal files and personal configuration and settings.

Upgrade Requirements

It is worth pointing out that two things are required before you’ll be able to cleanly upgrade your machine.

1. Your machine is completely up to date on its current release.
2. You understand that upgrading is only supporting between single releases or LTS to LTS releases.  (ie; 7.04 -> 7.10 -> 8.04 is OK, 6.06 -> 8.04 is OK)

Once you understand these simple requirements you’re ready to begin.

Upgrading Your Machine

I have outlined upgrade steps in the past, which you may want to refer to for further details (a lot of feedback in the comments section), and I’ll also review them here.

No matter the version you are currently using you can be automagically offered an upgrade by using the Update Manager tool.  This tool can be found via “System > Administration > Update Manager” or via launching it by way of the Run Application Dialog:

ALT+F2 "update-manager"

As mentioned above you need to make sure your machine is up to date on its current release before you’ll be offered the new version.  Do this by clicking “Check” to check for any available updates.

Apply all available updates (these should not normally be delayed, very rarely do updates cause any breakages).

Repeat the update process until you are notified that a new release is available.  You’ll see something similar to this:

If you are still on a previous version of Ubuntu the “available release” may vary, of course.

Remember, if you are upgrading from Ubuntu 7.10 you can upgrade directly to the latest release of 8.04.  If you are using anything previous to that you’ll need to repeat these steps for each release until you arrive at 8.04.  Yes, this might take some time if you are very far behind.

If you are using Ubuntu 6.06 you should be notified that 8.04 is available and you can upgrade directly.

I recently blogged about installing the Adobe Acrobat Reader on Ubuntu 8.04.  For those that followed that tutorial you may also be interested in adding the Firefox plugins for Adobe Reader as well.  These will also require the Medibuntu repository, which I’ll review quickly here.

Configuring the Medibuntu Repository

sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/hardy.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

Installing the Mozilla Acroread Plugins

sudo apt-get install mozilla-acroread acroread-plugins

The acroread-plugins package will provide support for completion of fillable forms and javascript.  The mozilla-acroread package will provide support for mozilla, firefox, galeon and konqueror.

Enjoy!

Recently I blogged about installing Adobe Acrobat reader by way of the Medibuntu repository.  This got me thinking about some of the other great (albeit non-free) software that is available there.  Here I’ll review how to add the Medibuntu repository and then how to install Google Earth!

Configure the Medibuntu Repository

Setting up this third-party repository can be done by way of a few quick commands:

sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/hardy.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

This will add the Medibuntu repository, import the Medibuntu GPG key and make the new packages available.

Install Google Earth

To then install Google Earth simply use:

sudo apt-get install googleearth-4.3

You should now have Google Earth added to your “Applications” menu and, assuming your video card supports the requirements, you’re ready to virtually travel the planet!

One thing that I did find which helped greatly regarding performance was disabling the atmosphere rendering.  This can be done via:

View > Atmosphere : uncheck

If, for some reason, Google Earth doesn’t load properly or crashes on your machine you could try to revert to an older package version which seems to have less issues.  To do that use:

sudo apt-get install googleearth-4.2

UPDATE: Install Adobe PDF Reader on Ubuntu 9.10 “Karmic Koala”

I figured it was time to update my previous posts on how to install Adobe Acrobat Reader for Ubuntu 8.04.  It has become much simpler to install than it has been in the past, meaning it can be installed via a proper .deb package.  It is not available in the main Ubuntu repositories, but it is available in Medibuntu.

Install Adobe Reader 8.1.2 on Ubuntu 8.04

All you’ll need to do in order to install Adobe Reader is add the Medibuntu repository.  This can be done via:

sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/hardy.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list

Once that is done you’ll likely want to add the Medibuntu GPG key as well:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

..and finally install Adobe Reader v8.1.2 (at the time of this writing) by using:

sudo apt-get install acroread