Ubuntu Tutorials

As many of you have noticed the site has been down for the majority of the day.  I really don’t have any idea why other than because I’m over my “PHP quota”, which I don’t know why would be the case.

I’m honestly pretty fed up with my hosting provider at this point.  I’m very actively working on transfering all of my sites to a new server that I’ve set up.  Just getting things sync’d and I should be ready.

I think its honestly *really* pathetic that a hosting provider can’t keep my site online 24/7 whereas my old PIII 500MHz kept it running just fine.   The only reason I don’t keep it hosting on my server at home anymore is because I have a pretty poor bandwidth pipe.  Bluhost has really been a disappointment lately.

If there continues to be downtime I apologize.  I am aware of it and I’m very actively working on it.  Thank you for your patience.

I’m about to head to bed for the nite.  First thing in the morning I’m getting on a plane and heading out to the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Boston.  I’m excited to be spending a week planning Ubuntu’s next release, 8.04 “Hardy Heron”.  I feel very privileged to be invited and hope to help get a lot of work done while I’m out there.

This next week will probably include a lot of play-by-play on the conference but I’ve got some tutorials pending as well.  See you in Boston!

Some of you may have seen some recent posts around the Ubuntu Planet about the new AptURL project that is default in Ubuntu 7.10 “Gutsy”. I wanted to make a few comments about it myself after tinkering with it a little. I think the project and idea is pretty cool and I hope it sees some more use.

I may be updating my blog in the future to take advantage of AptURL. I suppose to maintain backwards compatibility I’ll need to use both, but we may begin seeing tutorials along these lines:

Example…

Installing non-free codec pack

sudo aptitude install ubuntu-restricted-extras

For those using Ubuntu 7.10 you should be able to simply click the link and the package should prompt for installation. If it does not try installing the apturl package. Those still using previous versions will still need to type the command on the command line.

Does anyone have any thoughts on seeing this on the blog moving forward? Good? Bad? Indifferent? I think it may make some tutorials a bit simpler for some users.

I thought of writing some witty script that would tell you I’ve become a year older, but I thought I’d just do it in english. Yes, today I turn twenty-eight years old.. wow.

Also, and even better news, is today is also my two-year wedding anniversary. Best two years ever and even better to come. Love you Catherine.

I will, of course, be unreachable today. Try to catch me on Monday if you need anything.

If you’d like to get me something awesome for my special day you can do one of the following:

• Squash an Ubuntu bug on Launchpad
• Share an Ubuntu CD with a friend and help them install it
• Dedicate some time and bandwidth today to sharing Ubuntu CD images

The Ubuntu team is proud to announce the Release Candidate for version 7.10 of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Gobuntu, and Xubuntu codenamed “Gutsy Gibbon”. The Release Candidate includes installable live Desktop CDs, server images,
alternate text-mode installation CDs, and an upgrade wizard for users of the current stable release.

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

The final release of version 7.10 is scheduled for 18 October 2007 and will be supported for 18 months on both desktops and servers. Users requiring a longer support lifetime on servers may choose to continue using Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, with security support until 2011, rather than upgrade to 7.10.

Before installing or upgrading to Ubuntu 7.10 please read https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GutsyReleaseNotes

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, Kubuntu, or Edubuntu 7.04 to the Release Candidate by following the instructions given above.
• Participate in installation testing using the Release Candidate CD images, by following the testing and reporting instructions at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/ISO

Desktop highlights
——————

• Compiz Fusion: This innovative compositing window manager enables 3-D desktop effects that let users work with, and see, their desktops in completely new ways.
• Printer installation: In GNOME, printers are automatically configured for use as soon as they are connected.
• Free Flash support with Gnash: Ubuntu 7.10 leads the pack with a preview of this Flash browser plugin. Although still actively in development and not yet fully supported by Ubuntu, Gnash gives a glimpse into the future of free Flash, bringing partial Flash support to 64-bit desktop systems.
• Automated Firefox plugin installation: Beyond the addition of Gnash, Firefox in Ubuntu now supports automatic installation of popular plugins through the standard Ubuntu package repositories, for a richer web-browsing experience with the integrated security support of the rest of the Ubuntu system.

Server highlights
—————–

• AppArmor: This easy-to-deploy kernel technology limits the resources an application is allowed to access and can be used to provide an added layer of protection against undiscovered security vulnerabilities in applications.
• Pre-configured installation options: Mail Server, Print Server, Database Server, and File Server options join existing LAMP and DNS options for pre-configured installations, easing the deployment of common server configurations.

Edubuntu highlights
——————-

• Faster thin clients: Thin clients have been sped up significantly through the use of compressed images.
• Updated login manager: The thin-client login manager has been completely reworked, with themes for all Ubuntu flavors, support for autologin, and optional unencrypted graphics transport for improved performance on slower hardware.

Kubuntu highlights
——————
As well as the above desktop highlights, the following new features are specific to KDE users:

• Dolphin file manager: This updated file manager gives Ubuntu users a glimpse of the upcoming KDE 4.
• Strigi desktop search: Another pillar of KDE 4 available now in Kubuntu.
• Restricted-manager: Kubuntu 7.10 includes a KDE front-end for easy nstallation of proprietary drivers, complementing the existing GNOME front-end.

Please see https://wiki.kubuntu.org/GutsyGibbon/RC/Kubuntu for details.

Gobuntu highlights
——————
Gobuntu 7.10 is the debut full release of the Ubuntu version that is composed entirely of open source non-restricted software. For experienced linux enthusiasts, Gobuntu will act as the test bed for developing a user-friendly operating system with no compromise in terms of the open source philosophy.

This initial release comes without any software from the restricted component, and with artwork for usplash and the isolinux CD bootloader.

The full release notes can be found at http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/710rc

To Get the Ubuntu 7.10 Release Candidate CD
——————————

To perform a new installation or try out 7.10 “live” from CD, download the Ubuntu 7.10 Release Candidate (choose the mirror closest to you):

Europe:
http://se.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Sweden)
http://nl.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (The Netherlands)
http://ftp.snt.utwente.nl/pub/linux/ubuntu-releases/7.10 (The Netherlands)
http://ie.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Ireland)
http://it.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Italy)
http://gb.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Great Britain)
http://de.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Germany)
http://fr.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (France)

Asia/Pacific:
http://tw.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Taiwan)
http://mirror.optus.net/ubuntu-releases/7.10 (Australia)

Africa:
http://za.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (South Africa)

North America:
http://ca.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Canada)
http://releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (United States)

South America:
http://br.releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Brazil)

Rest of the world:
http://releases.ubuntu.com/7.10 (Great Britain)

Please download using Bittorrent if possible. For more information about using Bittorrent, see:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BitTorrent

Upgrading from Ubuntu 7.04
————————–
To upgrade from Ubuntu 7.04 to Ubuntu 7.10 Release Candidate, follow these instructions:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GutsyUpgrades

Feedback and Helping
——————–
If you would like to help shape Ubuntu to better meet your future needs, take a look at the list of ways you can participate at http://www.ubuntu.com/community/participate/

Your comments, bug reports, patches, and suggestions will help turn this release into the best release of Ubuntu ever. Please report bugs through the Launchpad bug tracker:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/gutsy/+bugs

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but aren’t 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/

If you’re a fan of Ubuntu (and we all know you are!) consider helping countdown to the final release with this Ubuntu supplied release calendar. Most organized US Teams will be having release parties. Look for an organized party in your area.

For those in Utah, our release party is planned for Oct 20th at 6:00pm. Location pending. If anyone has any suggestions on places that we could hold this event please let me know. Please stay tuned to the ubuntu-us-ut mailing list for upcoming details.

For those that have been having problems with commenting on the blog I am aware of the problem (its b0rken WP2.3!).  I have deactivated a few plugins and commenting worked in my testing.  If you try again and continue to have problems please email me with the error output.  Thank You.

Many of you may remember earlier this year I announced that I started with a Linux Training company, Guru Labs. Well I wanted to give a bit of an update after being there now a number of months and invite anyone in the area to come apply for a position there.

I absolutely enjoy my job.  I describe it as being paid to learn.  Not a bad thing to do for a living.  When I’m on the road teaching I’m still learning, but I get to talk about and teach the inner-workings of the Linux OS.  Can’t really beat that.  When I’m not teaching I’m writing courseware, developing labs, testing labs and otherwise learning to become a better and more knowledgeable instructor.  I continue to learn so many things I’ve quickly realized that there is no end to this rabbit hole and I’m loving it!

Guru Labs is hiring.  If you’re in Utah you really might consider applying.  Competitive salary.  Good work environment.  Certifications.  Learning.  Networking.  When you leave Guru Labs you’re a changed geek forever.  When it comes to Linux “Nobody knows it like a Guru knows it!”

If you’re interested check out the Guru Labs website or send a resume to info [at] gurulabs [dot] com.  Tell them who sent you.

Ohh, and if you don’t live in Utah you’re more than welcome to ask for information and sign up for one of our many classes.  We do travel!  Again, tell ‘em who sent ya and I hope to see you in a class soon!

Well it’s time again for the Vim Tip of the Week. If you missed the previous few tips you might want to look here, here, here. Otherwise let’s get to the good stuff.

vim encryption

If you’ve been a long time reader of this blog you know I’m all about encryption. I still have a lot to learn about it, but I like to use it whenever I can. Encrypting emails. Encrypting network traffic, and with vim, encrypting documents.

From the man page:

Use encryption when writing files.  Will prompt for a crypt key.

To encrypt a document with vim open the new or existing file with:

vim -x [file]

This will prompt you for a passphrase, and only apply the encryption when writing a file.  ie; if you don’t save it or ‘w’rite the file it won’t be applied. Use any passphrase you like and the file will be encrypted to that string. Anytime you open the file after this, even using the normal open method (vim [file]) it will prompt for the password before showing any file contents.

Enjoy a bit more privacy on your machine, and easily encrypt your files with vim.

I thought I’d share some of the quick news so far from the Ubuntu Live conference.  From what I can gather there are not a lot of us from the community side here (if you are, please come find us!)  There are a few key points that I thought I’d share with the rest of you from this mornings keynotes.

Mark Shuttleworth spoke first and gave us what seemed to be an Ubuntu State of the Union address and a bit of a future roadmap.  Current estimates put Ubuntu user base between six and twelve million (hard to measure, of course).  It is also currently being used in two-hundred countries and growing.  I am surprisingly not surprised at these numbers.  Ubuntu’s popularity is soaring and it only looks like its going up!

Ubuntu 8.04 (Gutsy +1) will be the next LTS release and LTS will be scheduled for every two years.  Just as the 6 month cycle is expected and adhered to (with the exception of Dapper), the LTS cycle will be adhered to as well.  This will put is with LTS at 6.06.1, 8.04, 10.04, etc.

There is more to catch up on but I better run now.. you’ll hear more from me later.