I mentioned a week or so ago that I would be having another article published in the near future. I’m happy to announce that the article is now available. I hope you’ll take a few minutes and head over to have a read. If you have any comments, or suggestions on accuracy or improvements please do let me know and I’ll update where necessary.
I took some time today to check out Ubuntu 10.10 Beta. So far I’m impressed with some of the improvements, and I’ll blog about those later, but in the meantime I thought I’d share a workaround I came across in getting Guest Additions working when running Ubuntu 10.10 inside VirtualBox.
My first attempt at getting Guest Additions installed was by mounting the CD and running the command:
sudo ./VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run
While this attempted to compile the drivers necessary for Guest Additions, it never seemed to work. After repeated reboots and rebuilds, I could never get a better resolution. After a little searching I came across a solution that seems to take care of the problem.
To install Guest Additions in Ubuntu 10.10 Beta, you’ll need to install a pre-packaged version available through the repositories. You can run the command below, or click on the URL:
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-ose-guest-x11
After a quick reboot you should be set.
I hope you enjoy Ubuntu 10.10 Beta (and forward). It’s the little things like this that make testing it in a virtual machine worthwhile.
I know I haven’t been blogging much lately. I’ve been occupied with other responsibilities. Besides work and school I’ve been dedicating a lot of time volunteering on the GNOME Sysadmin team, trying to make sure that it remains a well-oiled development machine! I had a few minutes this evening however and I thought I would give you a heads up on an article I’m waiting to have published.
As some of you know, I have been writing off and on for Packt Publishing‘s online Article Network. I’ve covered a number of Ubuntu related topics such as: “What’s New in Ubuntu 9.10“, “Network Based Ubuntu Installations“, “Ubuntu 9.10: How to Upgrade“, “Creating Local Ubuntu Repositories“, “Five Years of Ubuntu“, “Ubuntu User Interface Tweaks“, “Install GNOME-Shell on Ubuntu 9.10“, “Securely Encrypting Removable Media“, and “Folding @ Home on Ubuntu“.
My latest article, which should be published this week sometime, is a quick-install guide to Ubuntu Server 10.04 toward the goal of a “LAMP” web-server. The article includes screenshots for installing Ubuntu Server, installing the Apache, MySQL and PHP components, and installing a WordPress installation, managed by subversion. It probably sounds like there is quite a bit to it, doesn’t it?
The best part of the article is that you can go from zero to WordPress in fifteen minutes! I’ve timed it. Twice. I setup a virtual machine and by following these instructions I can go from no operating system to a working WordPress installation in under fifteen minutes. It’s really quite amazing! Ubuntu Server is so user friendly, and they’ve put in enough attention to the little details, that really anyone can set up a web server and start publishing content in no time!
I have a follow-up article in the works (still a few weeks out, at least) which outlines expanding your web server to include SSL, virtual hosts (multiple sites), managing and upgrading your WordPress engine using subversion, and more.
I’ll post links when both of these publish. Until then…
Christer
The topic of installing Adobe products in Ubuntu has both been loved and hated by reader since the first time I outlined it. Some very much appreciate the clear steps outlining installation of the PDF reader application. Others despise the idea of proprietary software intermingling with their otherwise open source desktop. However you feel about Adobe Reader, love it or hate it, it is a popular application and in many cases required by users for work or otherwise. With each new Ubuntu release I outline how to install and update your Adobe Reader installation.
Repository Requirements (Optional)
Canonical, the parent company behind Ubuntu, has provided a repository to distribute Adobe Reader and similar applications. The method of installing Ubuntu by way of a repository is more automated than a direct download from the Adobe website. I’ll outline either version, but keep in mind that I prefer (and suggest!) the first. Configuring the partner repository is a requirement for the first option.
Canonical Partner Repository – Option 1
Installation of Adobe Reader 9 requires the activation of the Canonical Partner repository. You can add the Partner repository by following the steps outlined below.
You should now be able to install the latest version of Adobe Reader on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS by using the following command, or clicking the embedded link:
sudo aptitude install acroread
Direct Download: Adobe.com – Option 2
The alternate installation solution is to download Adobe Reader directly from the Adobe website. As a disclaimer, I should warn you that this method will not receive automatic updates and it is left to the user to download and install any future releases of this application.
If you understand these requirements, continue to install Adobe Reader using the following steps:
Depending on your browser you may be prompted to open the package with the package installer, or it will simply save it to disk. If it saves to disk, you’ll simply need to double-click the archive for the installation to begin.
Conclusion
Most of my dealings with PDF files is managed by Evince, the default GNOME pdf reader. Occasionally however I need the Adobe-specific application. As with many of the readers here, I prefer the free software solution where possible, but sometimes it just isn’t possible. Love it or hate it, Adobe Reader is sometimes part of our lives.
Again, I would suggest the first solution toward installing Adobe Reader as it will automatically manage security updates for you. The packages are provided directly from Canonical, Ubuntu’s parent company, and managed by Ubuntu staff. I trust these packages just as much (if not more) than the direct-from-adobe packages available in the secondary solution.
I thought I would share a little bit more from the book I reviewed, “VirtualBox 3.1 Beginners Guide“. This book outlines the process of installing Guest Additions on your virtual machines. Guest additions allow you to greatly improve your experience when working inside virtual machines. Improved mouse and keyboard integration, improved video resolution and more! VirtualBox Guest Additions are a basic requirement for anyone wanting to properly run virtual machines in a graphical environment.
In this article I will outline how to install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Windows and Linux virtual machines. If you have not previously run a Virtual Machine with Guest Additions, you’ve been missing out!
Prerequisites
This article assumes, of course, that you already have VirtualBox and a Virtual Machine installed. You’ll find instructions below for both Windows and Linux guests.
Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Windows
To install VirtualBox Guest Additions, you’ll first need to boot and log into your Virtual Machine. In this case, launch your Windows Virtual Machine and follow these steps:
You can always verify whether or not VirtualBox Guest Additions are installed in your Virtual Machine by looking in the system tray. If you see a small VirtualBox icon, VirtualBox Guest additions is installed an running properly.
Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Linux
These instructions should apply to most Linux distributions. It is not limited to Ubuntu Virtual Machines.
To install VirtualBox Guest Additions, you’ll first need to boot and log into your Virtual Machine. In this case, launch your Linux Virtual Machine and follow these steps:
* Note: step 5 allows for 32bit or 64bit installations. If your Virtual Machine is a 64bit, run the ./VboxLinuxAdditions-amd64.run instead.
You can always verify whether or not VirtualBox Guest Additions are installed in your Virtual Machine by looking in the system tray. If you see a small VirtualBox icon, VirtualBox Guest additions is installed and running properly.
Conclusion
After installing VirtualBox Guest Additions you’ll notice a great improvement in your Virtual Machine experience. You’ll have much better mouse and keyboard integration, improved video resolution, the ability to run in Full Screen and Seamless Window Integration, and much more. VirtualBox Guest Additions are required for anyone regularly running Virtual Machines, whether Windows or Linux.
Note: I found this for those wishing to install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Fedora.
I wasn’t going to write this post. I was going to get used to the idea of my window buttons being on the left, instead of the right where I’m used to them. I was really going to try and use the Ubuntu “standard”. Well, after a little more than a month, I give up. If you’re the same and you’d like your window buttons back “where they belong”, this post will outline how to move window buttons back to the right.
For those in a hurry, I’ve outlined the quickest way known to man to move the window buttons back to the right. Open a terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal), and paste in the following command:
gconftool -s /apps/metacity/general/button_layout -t string menu:minimize,maximize,close
Magically your window buttons will be back to the “right” place.
For those that are afraid of the terminal and their copy-paste functionality, you can follow these steps:
Those steps aren’t too bad either. I prefer the first, of course, but perhaps it has a little too much “magic” to it.
In conclusion I think the move is still controversial. I would have expected some of these controversial changes in a development release, but not an LTS (Long Term Support) release. In any case, I’m not here to make decisions.
I know I’m a few days behind, but I finally upgraded this morning to 10.04 “Lucid Lynx” LTS release. So far my impression is that it is very well polished and has a professional look. I’m not referring to the “purple vs brown” change in look, but the overall polish of the interfaces and integration of tools.
I did a fresh installation, which took a little bit longer than I remember previous versions taking, but it wasn’t bad. The introductory slideshow was nice as well. I can definitely see that as aimed toward new, non-technical adopters.
I’m impressed to see the Ubuntu One integration into many of the applications. I’ve long been a “cloud user”, but usually those “clouds” are my own file servers stretched out here and there. It is nice to see Ubuntu One so seamlessly integrated into the applications so I don’t really have to think about it.
I hope to have some new posts here coming up soon. I’d love to hear your thoughts and impressions on the new release as well. Drop by, leave a comment and tell us what you think!
If you haven’t yet upgraded to Ubuntu 10.04 I would invite you to use one of the torrent links below. Please remember to share at least to a 1:1 ratio, but more if you can. The more the seed, the faster everyone else gets their downloads:
Ubuntu 10.04
ubuntu-10.04-alternate-amd64.iso.torrent
ubuntu-10.04-alternate-i386.iso.torrent
ubuntu-10.04-desktop-amd64.iso.torrent
ubuntu-10.04-desktop-i386.iso.torrent
ubuntu-10.04-netbook-armel+dove.img.torrent
ubuntu-10.04-netbook-armel+imx51.img.torrent
ubuntu-10.04-netbook-i386.iso.torrent
ubuntu-10.04-server-amd64.iso.torrent
ubuntu-10.04-server-i386.iso.torrent
Kubuntu 10.04
kubuntu-10.04-alternate-amd64.iso.torrent
kubuntu-10.04-alternate-i386.iso.torrent
kubuntu-10.04-desktop-amd64.iso.torrent
kubuntu-10.04-desktop-i386.iso.torrent
kubuntu-10.04-netbook-i386.iso.torrent
Mythbuntu 10.04
mythbuntu-10.04-desktop-amd64.iso.torrent
mythbuntu-10.04-desktop-i386.iso.torrent
Ubuntu Studio 10.04
ubuntustudio-10.04-alternate-amd64.iso.torrent
ubustustudio-10.04-alternate-i386.iso.torrent
Xubuntu 10.04
xubuntu-10.04-alternate-amd64.iso.torrent
xubuntu-10.04-alternate-i386.iso.torrent
I just read an article over at Dustin Kirkland’s blog regarding the enormous server farm that Weta Digital has setup to render blockbuster movies. Apparently the latest Blockbuster, Avatar, had scenes rendered using a 35,000 core Ubuntu-based server farm. 35,000! That is hard to imagine! They’ve also rendered a few other films you may have heard of:
It is amazing to think that in just a few short years Ubuntu has gained such a reputation that it would be used for such high-end commercial services.
A few years ago I did a talk at a local conference regarding Ubuntu in the Enterprise. Sadly, at the time, it was very hard to find any real solid documentation regarding large businesses using Ubuntu day-to-day. Sure it had crept onto some corporate desktops, but it was very hard to find it elsewhere. Now, we have stories like this and I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg!
What other companies do you know that run Ubuntu in production? I’m sure many of us would be interested to find out where else it is being used.
(Note: more details and links regarding Weta Digital and the source of this data at Dustin’s blog.)
I’m working this morning on some additional blog improvements. I’m focusing on speed and efficiency, as well as reader interaction. If you notice anything odd on the site, this is likely the reason.
If you have any must-have WP plugin suggestions that I may be missing, I’d be glad to hear about them!