Ubuntu Tutorials

The past few days have been all about installing third-party applications.  Yes I know some of these are “non-free”, but it does seem like a lot of these are those apps that many of us just can’t do without.  So, to continue the series here we have Installing Skype 2.0 on Ubuntu 8.10.

Download The Package

The people behind Skype have provided packages for many Linux distributions.  The package that they include for Ubuntu is listed as “Ubuntu 7.04+”, which seems a bit outdated to me.  Yes, the package should work properly on Ubuntu 8.04 or 8.10, but I think they should update the listing to something more current. (hint hint)

In any event, to install Skype 2.0 on Ubuntu 8.10 simply head to the Skype Download Page and click the Ubuntu 7.04+ listing.  This should provide you with a package to save to your Desktop.  Once the download is finished simply double-click the file and the installation will take off.

I haven’t used Skype very much outside of close family and friends.  Is this something I should start using more?  What are your thoughts on Skype as a regular communication tool?

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

UPDATE: Install Adobe Reader 9 on Ubuntu 9.10

For those of you that run blogs, are you ever surprised at the content that ends up being the most popular?  I get surprised all the time, particularly that my previous post regarding installation of adobe reader on Ubuntu 8.04 is near the top of the list.

Well, now that 8.10 has been released and Adobe has updated the reader to 8.1.3, it seemed like a good time to update the post.

Install Adobe Reader 8.1.3

If you want the latest version of Adobe Reader you’ll need to download it from the Adobe website directly.  They are nice enough to provide us with a package, so the installation is pretty quick and painless.  You can head directly to the download page at the link below:

Adobe Reader – All Versions

You’ll want to select “Linux” as the operating system, “Linux – x86 (.deb)” for the installer and your language.  This will then provide you with a download link, which you can go ahead and “Open With..” the “GDebi Package Installer (default)”, or save to disk and double-click for auto-installation.

note: for those looking for the English version, I have a direct download link here.

You should now be able to find Adobe Reader 8 listed under Applications > Office.  Enjoy.

UPDATE: These instructions should work for VMware Server 1.0.8 an the 2.6.27-8 kernel as well.

Based on a request in the Ubuntu Tutorials Forum I spent some time this morning researching VMware Server on the new Ubuntu 8.10 release.  Google was quickly helpful, and I was able to get VMware Server 1.0.7 running on a fresh install of Ubuntu 8.10 “Intrepid”.  Here are the steps I took toward getting this installed and working.

Download the dependencies and components

You’ll need to, of course, download the VMware Server .tar.gz file.  This can be done using this command:

wget -c http://download3.vmware.com/software/vmserver/VMware-server-1.0.7-108231.tar.gz

There is also a patch to get this to compile properly.  VMware has regularly been guilty of not keeping up with the latest kernels.  This patch will help correct this problem:

wget -c http://www.insecure.ws/warehouse/vmware-update-2.6.27-5.5.7-2.tar.gz

And the one last thing we’ll need are the compiler tools, which can be installed using this command (or click the package name to use aptURL):

sudo aptitude install build-essential linux-kernel-headers xinetd

Now that we have all of the dependencies and archives downloaded we can unpack them.  In the same location where you downloaded the .tar.gz files (likely your home folder or Desktop), run the following command:

tar xf vmware-update*.tar.gz
tar xf VMware-server*.tar.gz

Installing VMware Server 1.0.7 + patch

We’ll now start the installation.  First we need to install the core vmware application.  We’ll then patch the configuration script, and configure the system.

cd vmware-server-distrib/
sudo ./vmware-install.pl

On my installation I used the defaults until it asked me if I’d like to run the vmware-config.pl configuration script.  At this point select [no].

Once this has finished and you’ve quit at the configuration option, use these commands to patch the config:

cd ../vmware-update*/
sudo ./runme.pl

This script will patch the configuration and then again ask you to run the vmware-config.pl configuration script.  This time around select [yes].  On my installation I selected the defaults for the remaining questions and my installation works fine.

Good luck.  Any issues, give the Ubuntu Tutorials Forum a try.

UPDATED: added Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Ubuntu Studio links!!

Well its official.  Ubuntu 8.10 “Intrepid Ibex” has been officially released.  Everyone get your torrents ready and seed! seed! seed!

In an attempt to try and relieve some of the load I’ve made the .torrents, .jigdo, metalink and MD5SUM files available on my server.  If you’re unable to access the main site(s) you can find the torrents for your preferred flavor below:

Ubuntu
Kubuntu
Xubuntu
Ubuntu Studio
Mythbuntu

The upgrade series of posts that published over the last week have been updated to represent a final release (vs a devel-release), and should all work properly.  If you have any problems with upgrading try using the ubuntu tutorials forums and we’ll see if we can help you out.

Enjoy!

With only four days to go before Ubuntu 8.10 is released we should start preparing.  Those of us that know we are going to be upgrading, or would like to seed torrents, should do what we can ahead of time to help conserve bandwidth.  Here are some things you can do to be prepared come release day:

1. Use jigdo to download your image(s) now, and simply do an incremental download on release day.
2. Make sure your internal mirrors are up-to-date.
3. Use apt-cacher if you’ll be using network-upgrade to update multiple machines.
4. Volunteer your internal mirror to your local release party.
5. Use a local or regional mirror and take the load off the main sites.

Continuing the series on upgrading Ubuntu to 8.10 “Intrepid” today I’ll outline using a downloaded CD for the upgrade.  If you already have the CD downloaded there is no need to use one of the previous methods and use your bandwidth.  You already have the packages available on the CD, and you can use that as a source.

What you’ll need to do is insert your 8.10 “Intrepid” CD into the machine to be upgraded.  You should recieve a graphical notification that a new version is available and the upgrade process should begin.

If for whatever reason this process does not start automagically you can manually begin the process with the following:

gksu "sh /cdrom/cdromupgrade"

If you are a Kubuntu user you can begin the process with this command:

kdesu "sh /cdrom/cdromupgrade"

Good luck.

Continuing my series on how to upgrade to Ubuntu 8.10 “Intrepid” I now bring you steps on how to upgrade your Ubuntu Server installation.  Again, these steps are nearly as simple as a desktop upgrade.  The Ubuntu development team has done a really great job of making upgrading simple and painless.

First of all you’ll need to install the upgrade management utility:

sudo aptitude install update-manager-core

Once that is installed (it may already be there, YMMV), start the upgrade manager:

sudo do-release-upgrade

Simply follow the on-screen instructions at this point.  Note: The upgrade manager will alert you that upgrading via remote ssh connection is not suggested, however I have done it multiple times without issue.  Again, your milage may vary.

Enjoy

Upgrading from Ubuntu 8.04 to Ubuntu 8.10 desktop can be very simple, and can be managed by the integrated update-manager tool.  Here I’ll outline a method for upgrading in just a few easy steps.  Before you dive into the upgrade there are a few things to verify:

1. Be sure that you’ve applied all available updates to your current system.
2. You should also read the Ubuntu 8.10 “Intrepid” release notes, to be aware of any known issues and workarounds.

After you’ve completed the two preparation steps you’re ready to move on to the upgrade.  One thing to keep in mind at this point is that this will use the network to complete the upgrade.  If you’re doing this on release day it may be slow due to the heavy load on the servers.  You may try alternate mirror locations for improved speeds.

To begin the upgrade use the key combination “ALT-F2″ within your Gnome Desktop to launch the run-dialog.  Within that entry dialog enter:

update-manager

Click the “Check” button.  If there are any remaining updates to Ubuntu 8.04 you’ll be prompted to install those.  Once all updates are applied you will see a new dialog notifying you that a new release is available.  Click “Upgrade” to begin the upgrade process.

Simply follow the prompts and you’re done.  This process will download the updates needed, notify you of what will be installed, upgraded or removed and allow you to cancel or continue when you’re ready.  Enjoy!

Ubuntu 8.10 “Intrepid” Release Candidate will be out by the end of the week, and the final by the end of the month.  I want to spend the next week outlining all the different methods of upgrading and installing.  If you’re planning on upgrading to final you’ll be able to find step-by-step instructions here.

I’ll begin tomorrow with upgrading via your update-manager.

I wanted to throw out a quick thank-you to all those that attended my OpenWeek Presentation today.  I think things went really well and had some great questions and suggestions from those in attendance.  If you missed the presentation and would like to catch up on the logs you can find them here.

It also appears that we’ve formed a loose new team/group, dedicated to advancement of Ubuntu support on the EeePC.  If you’d like to participate please drop me a note (see my contact page) or drop by the #ubuntu-eeepc irc channel for discussion.  Our goal is to have 100% support out-of-the-box by Ubuntu 8.10 “Intrepid”.  Think we can do it?