Ubuntu Tutorials

What a difference thirty minutes can make. I checked for the final release before I left for work, nothing. I checked when I got into work and there it was! I also noticed that the main site was already lousy with traffic and it is only going to get worse. I thought it’d be a good idea to share the .torrent links from here, which will allow you to download the latest image without affecting the main site or any of the mirrors.

Find your preferred version below and start downloading. Also, please be a good citizen and seed at least 1:1.

note: alternate images are text-based installers. desktop images are live-CD installers.

Update: added Edubuntu torrents.
Update: added Netbook Remix (no .torrents) metalink

Ubuntu
ubuntu-9.04-alternate-amd64.iso
ubuntu-9.04-alternate-i386.iso
ubuntu-9.04-desktop-amd64.iso
ubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso
ubuntu-9.04-server-amd64.iso
ubuntu-9.04-server-i386.iso

Kubuntu
kubuntu-9.04-alternate-amd64.iso
kubuntu-9.04-alternate-i386.iso
kubuntu-9.04-desktop-amd64.iso
kubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso

Mythbuntu
mythbuntu-9.04-desktop-amd64.iso
mythbuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso

Ubuntu Studio
ubuntustudio-9.04-alternate-amd64.iso
ubuntustudio-9.04-alternate-i386.iso

Xubuntu
xubuntu-9.04-alternate-amd64.iso
xubuntu-9.04-alternate-i386.iso
xubuntu-9.04-desktop-amd64.iso
xubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso

Edubuntu
edubuntu-9.04-addon-amd64.iso
edubuntu-9.04-addon-i386.iso

Netbook Remix
jaunty-netboox-remix-i386.metalink

My younger brother spent this last weekend with me and planted the bug (as little brothers are apt to do) of playing video games again. It has been quite some time since I have played many games, but he’s all about Guild Wars these days, so I set off to get it running in Wine. Luckily, on a 3D accelerated video card, the whole process is very simple.

We’ll need to run this in Wine, of course, as there is not (yet?) a native release for Linux. To install Wine we can use the following command (or click the package name link below):

sudo aptitude install wine

Once you have Wine installed you can download and install Guild Wars using the network installation method. This will require you download a small executable which will download the required game peices.

wget http://www.guildwars.com/downloads/gwsetup.zip
unzip gwsetup.zip
wine GwSetup.exe

This will download the game requirements and eventually put you at a login screen. You’ll need to login with your Guild Wars username and password. This process will also create a listing in your Applications Menu and a Desktop icon to start the game.

After you’re logged in and all the files are downloaded you’ll be ready to start playing. I’ve been playing the last few days on Ubuntu 9.04 and everything is running smoothly.

Enjoy

UPDATE: This article has been updated for clarity and to include user feedback. Install Dropbox on Kubuntu KDE (Without Nautilus).

I have been using Dropbox for quite some time now and I really like it. It is cross platform, meaning it works on my Linux machines (at home and at work) and also my OS X machines. It is a very, very simple way to synchronize files between machines.

As a quick aside, for those not completely satisfied with Dropbox, you should tryout the latest FileShare service from YouSendIt!

Recently I switched to KDE 4.2.2 and have since missed Dropbox, as it is primarily designed for use with GNOME’s Nautilus file browser. I found a quick tutorial outlining how to use Dropbox on KDE, and wanted to pass it along.

• Download the 32bit Dropbox Linux client or 64bit Dropbox Linux client.
• Extract the contents (.dropbox-dist directory) to your home folder.
• Run ~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd.

The first time you run Dropbox you’ll go through a short configuration wizard. Simply enter your existing Dropbox account information and you’re set.

If you don’t have an existing Dropbox account, but would like to check it out, do so here.

If you’d like Dropbox to launch automagically at login simply create a symlink from your home folder to your .kde4/Autostart directory:

ln -s ~/.dropbox-dist/dropdoxd ~/.kde4/Autostart/


Rinse and repeat on any of your machines and you’ll be synching files in no time!

 

The Ubuntu team is pleased to announce the Release Candidate for Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop and Server editions and Ubuntu Netbook Remix.  Codenamed “Jaunty Jackalope”, 9.04 continues Ubuntu’s proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution.

We consider this release candidate to be complete, stable, and suitable for testing by any user.

Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition brings faster boot speeds and a new notification system to your everyday computing experience.

Ubuntu 9.04 Server Edition makes it easy to experiment with cloud computing using Eucalyptus on your own servers, and sports an improved mail server integration stack based on postfix and dovecot.

Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix brings a new, easy-to-use interface that is designed to be used on the smaller screens of netbook devices.

The Ubuntu 9.04 family of variants, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, and Mythbuntu, also reach RC status today.

The final release of Ubuntu 9.04 is scheduled for 23 April 2009 and will be supported for 18 months on both desktops and servers.  Users requiring a longer support lifetime may choose to continue using Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, with security support until 2011 on the desktop and 2013 on the server, rather than upgrade to 9.04.

Before installing or upgrading to Ubuntu 9.04 please review the instructions and caveats in the release notes:

Release Notes

In addition, there are a small number of known bugs in the release candidate that will be fixed before the Ubuntu 9.04 release, but warrant highlighting for your attention: Known Issues

About The Release Candidate
—————————

The purpose of the Release Candidate is to solicit one last round of testing before the final release. Here are ways that you can help:

* Upgrade from Ubuntu or Kubuntu 8.10 to the Release Candidate by following the instructions in the release notes referenced above.

* Participate in installation testing using the Release Candidate CD images, by following the testing and reporting instructions at
ISO Testing

Desktop features
—————-

Faster boot times:  improvements to Ubuntu’s start-up process mean you can spend less time waiting and more time being productive with your Ubuntu desktop.

Notification system:  notifications, those alerts that signify a change of status on your system or whether someone is contacting you, have been made consistent across applications to provide a pleasing, intuitive experience for users.

Server features
—————

Cloud computing:  Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (powered by Eucalyptus) puts you in control of your own cloud computing security and infrastructure, compatible with Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) but running on your own servers behind your firewall.  Ubuntu Server Edition 9.04 will also see Ubuntu available on Amazon EC2 — making it the most complete cloud environment available today.

Turn-key mail servers:  the dovecot-postfix package in Ubuntu 9.04 provides an all-in-one solution for deploying SMTP, POP3, and IMAP services with integrated server-side filtering support.

Netbook Remix features
———————-

Built-for-purpose interface: favourite applications and websites are just a click away, making Ubuntu Netbook Remix a great choice for netbook users.

Faster boot times: improvements to Ubuntu’s start-up process mean you can spend less time waiting and more time being productive with your Ubuntu Netbook desktop.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix is known to work on these netbook models:
Asus Eee PC 900
Acer Aspire One
Dell Mini 9

Kubuntu features
—————-

Kubuntu, built on the amazing KDE 4.2, brings users a complete, full-featured KDE4 desktop with many new applications and innovations.

Please see Kubuntu Features for details.

Xubuntu features
—————-

Xubuntu comes with the light-weight Xfce 4.6 desktop environment for those who want a desktop that is easy to use, but places particular emphasis on conserving system resources.

Please see Xubuntu Features for further details.

Ubuntu Studio features
———————-

Ubuntu Studio includes updates to input hardware and sound device management from Ubuntu Desktop and a complete suite of tools for generation of audio, video, and graphic content.

Ubuntu Studio 9.04 also features a streamlined installation process, giving you a familiar Ubuntu desktop and all of your studio applications in a
single step.

The realtime kernel flavor (linux-rt) has returned and is again used by default in Ubuntu Studio.  The rtirq script (http://alsa.opensrc.org/Rtirq)
is also now included in the ubuntustudio-audio package.  It is recommended that users not use the new EXT4 filesystem with the linux-rt kernel on production systems due to some reports of instability.

Jack-audio-connection-kit now includes support for the Free Firewire Audio Drivers (FFADO, www.ffado.org).

Mythbuntu features
——————

As of 9.04, Mythbuntu fits better into the Ubuntu ecosystem by using the same build methods as all other remixes and derivatives.  Because of this, 9.04 has been a focus around stability and preparing for an easy transition to the next version of MythTV (0.22) later this year.

Unfortunately, the main Mythbuntu website, Mythbuntu is temporarily down due to a problem with the hosting provider.  RC images
will still be available at Mythbuntu .  We’ll restore the other mirrors as soon as the main site returns.

A more complete tour of the features new in 9.04 can be found at 9.04 Overview

About Ubuntu
————

Ubuntu is a full-featured Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, netbooks and servers, with a fast and easy installation and regular releases.  A
tightly-integrated selection of excellent applications is included, and an incredible variety of add-on software is just a few clicks away.

Professional services including support are available from Canonical and hundreds of other companies around the world.  For more information about support, visit Support.

To Get the Ubuntu 9.04 Release Candidate
—————————————-

To upgrade to Ubuntu 9.04 Release Candidate from Ubuntu 8.10, follow these instructions:

Jaunty Upgrades

Or, to perform a new installation or try out 9.04 “live” from CD, download the Ubuntu 9.04 Release Candidate here (choose the mirror closest to you):

Asia:

* http://ftp.tcc.edu.tw/iso/Ubuntu/9.04 (Taiwan)

Europe:

* http://ubuntu.univ-nantes.fr/ubuntu-cd/9.04 (France)
* http://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/linux/ubuntu.iso/9.04 (Germany)
* http://ftp.ntua.gr/pub/linux/ubuntu-releases/9.04 (Greece)
* http://ie.releases.ubuntu.com/9.04 (Ireland)
* http://nl.releases.ubuntu.com/releases/9.04 (Netherlands)
* http://es.releases.ubuntu.com/9.04 (Spain)
* http://se.releases.ubuntu.com/9.04 (Sweden)
* http://ubuntu-releases.datahop.it/9.04 (United Kingdom)

North America:

* http://less.cogeco.net/ubuntu-releases/9.04 (Canada)
* http://mirrors.cat.pdx.edu/ubuntu-releases/9.04 (United States)
* http://ubuntu.media.mit.edu/ubuntu-releases/9.04 (United States)

Oceania/Australia:

* http://ubuntu-releases.optus.net/9.04 (Australia)
* http://ftp.citylink.co.nz/ubuntu-releases/9.04 (New Zealand)

Rest of the world:

http://releases.ubuntu.com/9.04 (Great Britain)

Please download using BitTorrent if possible.  See
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BitTorrent for more information about
using BitTorrent.

Feedback and Helping
——————–

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways you can participate at

Participate

Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help turn this Release Candidate into the best release of Ubuntu ever.  Please note that, where possible, we prefer that bugs be reported using the tools provided, rather than by visiting Launchpad directly.  Instructions can be found at Reporting Bugs.

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but are not sure, first try asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel on FreeNode, on the Ubuntu Users mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums:

http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/

More Information
—————-

You can find out more about Ubuntu and about this preview release on our website, IRC channel and wiki. If you are new to Ubuntu, please visit:

http://www.ubuntu.com/

To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu’s very low volume announcement list at:

http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce

After a bit of testing I just activated a WordPress Plugin called “Intense Debate”, which improves the commenting system quite a bit. You should now notice that the commenting system on this blog is improved, with the following features:

• Reply to comment
• Comment rating
• Sort by: Date, Rating or Activity
• Notification of comments via email

Please let me know if you find any issues with the new system. My hope is that this will allow better communication of user-generated tips and workarounds for many of the tutorials on this site.

Enjoy

At home I run my own DHCP, DNS and Squid proxy. I implemented the proxy because my DSL connection is pretty bad and anything I can do to improve that goes a long way.  Now my proxy works fine, but the issue that I’m running into is having it auto-configure the browser(s) on each machine in the house. It doesn’t do me any good to be running a proxy if it doesn’t actually get used.

Can anyone outline for me, or point me to a reliable resource, on how to automagically configure proxy settings via DHCP.  I have spent some time googling this but nothing has worked so far. Either the pages I found were out dated or missing information. Basically I would like any browsing within the LAN to go through the proxy. This will include Firefox, Safari and Epiphany browsers.

Thanks in advance.

I was taking a look at my blog stats the other day and realized that this post will make post number seven-hundred on this blog.  Seven-hundred posts since February 2006. I can hardly believe it!  This April also marks four years since I started using Ubuntu (the 5.04 release).  I can’t believe how fast the time has gone–a lot has happened in that time, both personally and professionally.  I credit all of my professional success in that time to finding Ubuntu, and then passionately trying to learn as much as I could about it.

When I first found Ubuntu I was working part-time at a support center, making minimum wage.  I had no marketable skills and not working very hard toward gaining any either.  Looking back I wonder what I was thinking!  Where was I going?  It’s almost frightening now to think about.

After I found Ubuntu I realized that there was a world of information right at my fingertips, and based on its very nature all I needed to do was open the hood and take a look!  I quickly learned the basics, and started documenting my notes on a website that I setup on an old PIII under my desk.  This site began as a place to simply document my notes and has since grown into one of the most widely used Ubuntu-specific resources on the web!

Within a year of finding Ubuntu I had taught myself enough to become a professional Linux Trainer, traveling the country and teaching for companies like Red Hat, Oracle, Dell, and more.  There were many times in class when I would just sit back and wonder how did I ever get here.  I was being paid to talk about the wonders of Linux.

I have since stopped training (primarily due to the travel) and I now work as a contractor for the US Department of Defense as a System and Network Administrator.  I thoroughly enjoy my job and enjoy getting up in the morning every day.  It strikes me again and again that all of the skills that I’ve learned, and the path that I’ve taken in my life, all started with finding and embracing Ubuntu and learning as much as I could!  I want to thank everyone that has taken time to help me along the way, and for everyone that has been so supportive.

In thinking about how much I’ve learned and how much I’ve grown by teaching myself (for the most part) these skills I can only imagine where I might be if I had someone to mentor me along the way.  If I had someone along the way to push me in the right direction and be available to help with questions who knows how different things might be.

On that note, I have been thinking about taking on one or two people in a mentoring role.  I’d very much enjoy the chance to be able to continue teaching, and I’m sure there are some of you out there that would like a brain to pick.  If you are interested in something like this, and expect to have time to put toward regular training, please let me know.  I imagine something along the lines of scheduled training/discussion via IM/IRC and to work together on projects throughout the community.

Join me in #ubuntu-tutorials on irc.freenode.net and we’ll see if we can work something out.