Precise Pangolin: the Latest Ubuntu Release

You know, it’s not THAT often I get to post, these day, about technology.

It really isn’t.

But right at the moment I’m thinking my eyeballs are — frankly — just about to pop out of my head.

But … 

Phew … !

Remember, this morning, I mentioned I was updating the operating system on my mother’s old desktop … ?

Well, I’ve finally managed to get it finished.

Or, get the actual install finished.

I’m now in the process of just doing the fiddly stuff: transferring over things like bookmarks, photos and files.

Which is — if not boring — then certainly time consuming!

‹‹·››

But just so you know … ?

I had originally gone with Kubuntu 12•04 Precise Pangolin, the most recent release of the Ubuntu variant: but found setting up extra user accounts just a touch too technical for my tastes.

So, me being me, and occasionally having a thing about brown … ?

I’ve decided to use Ubuntu 12•04 Precise Pangolin: mostly because the OS is the most user friendly of the bunch, and it’s one my family are familiar with.

Funnily … ?

I’ve also got a feeling it’s one I’m more comfortable with: as, since the 11•10 Oneiric Ocelot release, late last year, /the mainstream Ubuntu release seems to have gotten rather … familiar … lookingª.

Especially to someone, like me, who’s been using versions of Mac OS and Mac OS X for some years*.

I’ll be frank while I’m at it: if I may … ? 

I’ve got to be honest, this is actually the first fresh install — of anything — that I’ve done for a while.

Personally … ?

Personally, I’ve enjoyed it.

The ONE shame of it — and the one thing I’m very aware stops more people taking up the Ubuntu family of operating systems — is the simple fact that there’s no version of iTunes available for them.

Something I know has stopped Kevin from using using it.

And something I think is caused equally by both Apple — who do like to keep strict control on their products — AND Canonical, the makers of Ubuntu, who seem just as keen to make sure everything on Ubuntu meets both their and the Free Software Foundations, standards.

Oh, well … 

Here’s hoping the day comes sooner, rather than later … !

*        And, yes, before you ask, I’d LOVE to be running Mac OS X 10•7•x, Lion on Bruce: but I seriously doubt he’d be able to take the pace … !

ª        I’ve actually had to stop myself using trackpad gestures setting up my account on Mum’s machine: typically for me, I’ve set the mouse up to be used left handedly.   There’s one or two other things.   The Workspaces feature in 12•04 feels reminiscent — to me — of Exposéº, and their Dashboard — down the side — is equally reminiscent of the OS X Dock, and Mac OS Launcher.   I also found the System Settings menu VERY helpful … And oddly familiar … !

º        On my older wired Apple mouse, I had the squeezy side buttons set to trigger this handy feature.   I was instinctively doing that with Pangolin … … 

In The Docky …

Hmmm … …

You know, I’ll happily admit I’ve got two computers.

You’ve probably worked that out, haven’t you … ?

And I’ll be frank, MUCH as I’d like a MacBook pro with all the options, the laptop I’ve got — nicknamed Archie, in contrast to Bruce, my Mid-2007 model Mac Mini — is a PC.

But not one running Windows.

Originally, Archie was using a version of Arch-Linux: an OS I personally liked, but as a non-coder found a touch too reliant on the command line for things like common-or-garden updates.

So I managed to install Xubuntu on the old boy.

Granted, I had a problem with the video output to the laptop’s monitor.

But one that was fairly easily solved, albeit with a bit of fiddling about.

At any rate ...

At any rate, I managed to get Xubuntu up and running.

And went a-hunting for something I'd only read a couple of articles about.

I went looking for Docky: in all the wrong places, initially ...

OK ...

You’ve probably got a confused look on your face, haven’t you ... ?

Maybe I should tell you what a Dock actually is, shouldn’t I ... ?

Quite a few years ago, now, my first Mac was a Performa 6400/200 that came with what Apple were then calling System 7.

Part of that ...

Was the Launcher, a special Finder window that you could add and remove files, folder and applications from.

And you could access anything in the Launcher with just one click.

In point of fact Mac OS X's Dock is a descendant of that Launcher.

And also something I know I've gotten very used, just being able to access files and apps with just one click.

So ...

Finding out that there are quite a few Launcher/Docking applications in the open-source world was a welcome piece of news.

Several, in fact ...

Then one I went with, eventually - mostly as it was at the top of the list in the Ubuntu Software Centre - was Docky.

You can see it in the pictures I've uploaded.

And I don't know HOW Docky's creators have done it, but they've actually come up with what - to me - feels like a very good Xubuntu version of the equivalent app in OS X.

I'm pleased with it, so far.

Actually ...

Bless her, I even had Movie Night regular, Squeaky pop in on me, Thursday night, complete with her fellah, Brad, and a copy of Underworld. Bless 'er, she was impressed, too.

And if Squeaky, bless her, can get the hang of clicking on an icon to open a document - AND the associated application - well ...

I'm just betting I can talk anyone else 'round ... !

That Sodding Laptop!!

And, yes, I know that Karen Chilvers — our part of Brentwood’s hard working Liberal Democrat councillor — will probably not thank me for being a touch vernacular, with the title of this post, but I’ve just spent most of my weekend with an aging laptop.

And, boy, did I feel like I was banging my head against a brick wall, with the dratted thing!

Bless her, my youngest sister, Ruth, has had problems with the Toshiba she’s had for several years, now: for STARTERS, the blooming thing has had regular slowdowns and freezes, for quite some time, now.

And I think — in between swearing, pulling my hair out and banging on the walls with frustration — that I’ve figured out part of the problem.

It is — as I mentioned in yesterday’s post about it — a driver problem with the graphics card.

Which I don’t know if I’ve actually solved. or not.

I know I spent most of yesterday in a fruitless attempt to try and install either Ubuntu 9•10 or Xubuntu 9•10 on to it.

Hmmm …

It wasn’t until I’d managed to boot from the Xubuntu LiveDisc, today, and realised that one of the options available was to boot into what’s called Safe Mode — where every bit of extraneous code is turned off — and installed from there.

What a relief doing THAT was!

•••••

Oh, just a side point, here: I’ve got George Harrison’s When We Were Fab playing in the background. I think that — along with Always Look on the Bright Side of Life — is one of the saddest songs I’ve heard …

•••••

Any way …

I’ve now managed to install Xubuntu 9•10 on Ruth’s laptop.

Which — frankly — still hasn’t helped much.

It’s still quite slow.

But — before I throw the thing — there’s one or two other thing’s I’m going to try.

INCLUDING adjusting the settings for the laptop’s on-board display: I think a lower setting will definitely improve things.

But that’s something to do in the morning, I think.

I’m pooped!

And Allison does complain if I don’t get at least ONE early night, once in a while …

ANOTHER Installation …

Did I ever tell you that I’m not too stunning at multi-tasking?

Did I?

Well …

I’m not especially.

But I know that, as I’m writing this, I’m baking a spud in the oven, eyeballing the meatballs I’m thinking I should have with them.

And doing a fresh installation of Xubuntu 9•10 — Karmic Koala — on my kid sister Ruth’s, laptop.

Which hasn’t been easy, so far, I can tell you that!!!!!!

For starters, the MAJOR problem has been with the laptop’s — a Toshiba Equium EA60-155 — bad habit of overheating.

Which turn’s out to have been the fault of the graphics card: a ATI Radeon Mobility 7000.

Bloody thing!

Now, I’ll probably write more about this, later.

But, my LORD, this one’s been a bit of a bugger to sort out!

Keyboards, keyboards, keyboards ...

You know, I’m going to have to rearrange the table and chair in the hallway, I really am.

Or I’m going to have to go on a diet.

I think …

At any rate, whilst Café World’s quietly going ker-CHING* in the background, I’m happily tip-tapping away in the hallway, on the G3 iMac: the one I installed the Dapper Drake version of Xubuntu, a little while back?

The one that needs the new PRAM battery on it, but which has a clock that works fine, so long as it’s hooked up to the net … ?

Yeah, that one …

I’ve got to admit, over the weekend, we had a bit of a … Teacup … incident.

Yes, a Teacup incident.

That’s the phrase ...

A Teacup Incident ...

Remember last Movie Night?

I had a bit of a crowd in, and, while most of us were happily nattering, Sarah, bless ’er little purple hairdo, borrowed the iMac, to check her Facebook and email accounts.

I took her over a cuppa.

Plonked it down on the table.

And promptly it knocked over, all over the original Keyboard that came with the iMac.

Where could I have put my face … ?

I’m not too sure, actually!

But I am sure of what happened when the old keyboard dried out.

I got a hideous beeeeeeeeep noise, as the jammed letter ‘a’ on the iMac’s keyboard repeatedly entered the letter ‘a’ as my user name …

Mmmm …

Not good …

You can imagine how I felt, can’t you?

I had a knackered keyboard, and, as a result, a vintage iMac I couldn’t make use of .

Until, bless her, Allison came to the proverbial rescue!

We were up town, today, organising some paperwork for her - which is a whole other, very time consuming story - and Allison decided to treat me to an early birthday present. And bought me a cheap and cheerful, generic Texet computer keyboard, at the Brentwood branch of Wilkinson’s.

For which she got a suitable effusive ‘Thank You’!

Now, while it’s not an exact match^, I really can’t complain.

After all, the woman I love decided I should have something to say ‘Ta’ for helping her out.





















* On the Mac Mini, running Snow Leopard …

^ After all, most PC keyboards have no USB ports to plug a mouse, or USB thumb drives, or dongles. But I’m not complaining too much!

Oh Dear!!

Hmmm …

Looks like I’ll combining two of my favourite subjects on this one …

But, suffice to say that — Life Saver and news hound that he is! — ComBom, of Life, Doctor Who and Combom, has managed to do a touch of investigating, and found a press release.

From the BBC.

With the transmission times of parts one and two of The End Of Time …

I believe I’m correct in assuming the usual words, in the Internet Age, is something along the lines of “Whoop, Whoop” …

Apparently …

Hopefully, these are fairly fixed.

And also — if nothing changes — means I’ll be pre-programming my dvd recorder, well ahead of time …

•••••

At any rate, some thing I do know is that — after doing a bit of digging around on Google — that I may have problems with the vintage iMac.

Not serious ones, just tricky ones to deal with.

Something I know it has trouble with, is keeping accurate time, when not connected to the Net.

In fact, having chewing it over with Movie Night Adrian – no mean streak when it comes down to computers – he thinks that inability may — in part — be the root of the restart problem it seems to be suffering, under Xubuntu 6.06. Dapper Drake.

Suffer it didn’t seemingly suffer with, under Mac OS 9.2.2.

But with both OSes, it did seem incapable of keeping accurate time, whilst offline.

Something I know others in the same shoes have had trouble with, from reading through the Ubuntu forums.

But what really got me thinking it through, was nattering with Tim, the other day, who’d been browsing through eBay, for potential Christmas presents, the other day: he’d noticed a cheap laptop on there, that was described as being in fine working order, apart from a ‘Flat CMOS Battery’.

Which meant, it seems, that the little watch battery the computer had on it’s motherboard, to power the computer’s internal clock, was dead*.

Dead …

But easily replaceable …

Which got me digging around Google, again: as I know I had to reset the PRAM — the Mac version of the relevant part of a PC motherboard — as part of installing Xubuntu on there …

What I’ve managed to find tells me that I need to find a ½ sized AA battery.

Which, after a quick walk to the local shops in the pouring rain, I’ve found come in three different voltages; shame I hadn’t thought to check on what was the right one.

Turns out, after I looked around again, it was the 3.6v …

With the result that it sounds like I’ll be posting stuff about about it, at some point; especially as it means disassembling it.

Tim, I think I’m gonna need to borrow your neighbour’s angle grinder …

* Apparently, this is a component common to all modern home computers.

Ummm …

Hmmm …

I think I’ve just got a touch … well … you know … umm …

Geeky …

Umm …

I’ve actually gone and posted on the Ubuntu Forum’s … !

There’s always something, isn’t there?

In this case, the fact I’m running Xubuntu is raising an … issue …

Not much of one, though, but still something I’d not mind having sorted … !

A couple of day’s ago, I managed to install Xubuntu 6.06 on a vintage 400 MHz G3 iMac, with just under 192 Mb’s of RAM and a 15Gb hard drive.

I don’t intend to use it for much more than backing up the quizzes, and playing the rather good free Ubuntu/GNOME games I managed to get hold of, as well as explore how well GIMP, AbiWord and Gnumeric — and the Xfce desktop itself — actually work.

Quite well enough, for my needs, thanking you very much, as you’re asking!

But the one problem I’m having?

It won’t actually shut down.

Just restart.

That’s a bit of a git.

After all, I don’t have that much money to burn on electricity!

OK, it’s not chewing up that much electricity, compared to the full rig the ever faithful Mini — printer, speakers, exterior DVD re-writer drive, Time Machine, exterior storage, et al — is connected to, but I’d rather not overdo it!

But I’d hate to have it burning away, while I’m not looking.

Any thoughts would be appreciated … !

•••••

Oh, and I’ve got to confess, I’ve had Uncle Brian email me earlier, bless him; he even managed to include a photo of Great Granddad Arthur.

My first though?

Was rather trivial, considering how this all started; was that he looks vaguely like my cousin Mark …

OK, I don’t know if this counts as A Hack …

I don’t, really …

Although I think I might just run this past Adrian, Dan and Trevor, to see what they think …

Because what I‘ve done is a touch of … well …

Let’s call it exploring, for want of a better term …

Well, I say SAY exploring …

I’ve actually managed to install a copy of the Dapper Drake release of Xubuntu.

You know, I can practically hear Tim, Adele and Andrea, all going “Wha … ?” in the background; Tim and Adele are in Benfleet, and Andrea’s in Vegas!

No, seriously, ’Del, Andrea’s in Vegas; you know, gambling, fried chicken, Elvis impersonators?

Las Vegas …

I’m burbling, aren’t I?

What I’m actually trying to say is that I’ve managed — with some online guidance — to install a version on Ubuntu onto the vintage iMac.

Mostly because, while Mac OS 9.2 is a nice piece of kit, it does have trouble surfing the Web, and interacting with a ’net that moved on, since the original Ives designed iMac was introduced.

The fact that I’ve installed Ubuntu onto Tim’s laptop, and talked him through both reinstalling and updating it, got me thinking …

Mostly about the word derivative.

You see there’s a couple of version’s of Ubuntu.

As you may have realised, there’s a version of Ubuntu doing the round’s, called Ubuntu Studio; one that’s aimed at the creatives out there, who need to do some seriously heavy-duty video or audio stuff.

But that’s — if I’ve understood things correctly — is just a version of Ubuntu with a different selection of software, and tweaked in very small ways to match what you want to do.

Extra video or audio drivers, what have you.

There’s others.

The main two I’m thinking of, here, are what’s called Kubuntu and Xubuntu.

Did you know your desktop’s an application?

Sort of?

If I’ve understood things correctly — and I’m hoping Adrian will correct me, if I’m wrong — every OS going has what’s called a GUI, a Graphical User Interface.

That’s part of a ‘desktop’; there’s a lot more, I told.

It’s basically an operating system’s way of organising the folder, files and applications you see on screen.

But the main difference between Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu, is that they all use different desktops.

Ubuntu uses the Gnome desktop, Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop and Xubuntu — an older version of which I’ve put on the G3 —use one called Xfce.

Now the other reason for using Xubuntu is relatively simple to explain.

It’s a lightweight version.

Well …

I know Adrian’s going to disagree there, but … !!

Basically, Xubuntu is a version aimed at those of us with older, lower spec machines that need an operating system and a set of applications, that uses less room on the hard drive, and the smaller amounts of RAM that go with it.

Which I think I can say is the case with the G3 …

Which is kinda where the problem’s start …

Well, not problems, per sé …

You see, what I’ve used is the three-year-old Dapper Drake version of Xubuntu; the last version of any Ubuntu derivative available for the older PowerPC processors used by Apple, at the time.

•••••

Just as a piece of opinion, here, I’m thinking the reason Apple switched from ppc processor to Intel ones, is the simple fact that the G5 processors were notorious touchy. And hot! I’ve seen inside a G5 PowerMac, and, while I think the design is pretty good, I do know that the cooling systems — complete with pipes not that much narrower than beer line cooling pipes — were the big vulnerable point in the design. Once those go …

Which is unfortunate; as I’ve always pointed out to an old friend, Dave, what would have become the much cooler running G6 is the central processor for his PlayStation 3.

•••••

Back to what I was saying, the version of Xubuntu I used was the 3-year-old Dapper Drake version; the last one still available for a G3 processor.

The actual installation process was the reason for this post title.

I’ve had to hack … sort of …

Well, not literally; that’d take more actually coding skill, and improvising that I think I’ve got.

But — because the Xubuntu ‘Live CD’ and Apple’s hardware aren’t as good a fit as they could be — I had to do some digging on Google, to find out how to install Xubuntu on to the iMac; the two linked posted I found that walked me through it are here and here.

The walk-through is actually a lot simpler than it actually looks; but, ten year’s ago, I’m not sure if I’d’ve been confident enough to do it! It was simply a case of going into Terminal — by pressing ‘ctrl’, ‘alt’ and ‘f1’ — and, at the prompt, typing ‘sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf’.

In the ‘Modules’ section of the resulting file, I had to change the line that read ‘Load “dri”’ to ‘ #Load “dri”’.

A little further down the screen, I had to change the ‘HorizSync’ settings to ‘HorizSync 58-62’ and the ‘VertRefresh’ settings to ‘VertRefresh 75-117’.

Bear with me, only a touch more … !

Once those are changed, you need to hit ‘ctrl’ and ‘O’. Then ‘ctrl’ and ‘X’.

Phew!!

Then, once that’s done, you type ‘sudo killall -HUP gdm’.

Even MORE ‘Phew’!

Now, there’s two more commands I’ve not yet performed, now I’ve got Xubuntu Dapper Drake installed on my machine.

I’ll need to run both sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get upgrade to make sure I’ve as many recent upgrades as possible.

But first things first, it look’s like I’m going to have to get a two-button mouse.

Would you believe … ?