January 9th, 2012 — Linux Desktops
I wasn’t really planning on writing this article, but I found this cool phython script at xfce.org for testing minimum memory requirements. I couldn’t resist running it on all the Linux distros that I just installed. Some of the results are predictable, but their are a few surprises.
January 8th, 2012 — Linux Desktops
Maximizing the use of screen space on netbook computers is critical, and it really helps when the desktop environment correctly size window to fit the screen. While writing about the KDE, Unity, and Gnome 3 desktops for my Basic Linux course, I made some interesting discoveries.
December 30th, 2011 — Linux Distributions
In September of 2010, Edge-IT was liquidated. The Edge-IT software engineers were part of the Mandriva Linux software team. At that time, the future of Mandriva was in doubt, and many of the layed-off software engineers came together to form Mageia Linux. Mageia Linux is a purely community project, and not tied to any company. It took over a year, but the Mageia community released version 1 just before Christmas. I like Mandriva, so I had to try Mageia.
December 29th, 2011 — Linux Distributions
Lubuntu uses the LXDE desktop, and is an excellent choice for older machines, or for those who are seeking relief from the Unity desktop. I actually prefer LXDE as a desktop over Xfce. Installing LXDE took a little more work than Ubuntu or Xubuntu, but not much.
December 29th, 2011 — Linux Distributions
I wasn’t really planning on installing Xubuntu, but it was the only Live/Install edition with the Xfce desktop that would install on an external USB drive from a USB stick, and that supported the Broadcom Wireless driver required by my HP mini netbook. The Xfce desktop is an alternative for those with older computers with minimal memory and older graphic cards.
December 26th, 2011 — Linux Distributions
The Unit desktop is radically different, and not intuitively obvious. It feels like I am in a different, an unfamiliar, world. I can understand why some people hate, and others love it. After a lot of experimenting, I got used to it. With this install, I tried something different, and it worked.
December 24th, 2011 — Linux Distributions
It admit that I haven’t used openSUSE in some time. Since the future of MeeGo is in question, I decided to try openSUSE on my HP mini netbook. For years SuSE and then openSUSE was my default desktop. It may once again regain that status..
December 24th, 2011 — Linux Distributions
I used Unetbootin to install the Live/Install CD onto a USB stick. No problems booting into live mode and then installing from the live mode. The installed edition booted just fine. With the exception of some Gnome3 applications not correctly sizing to my netbook screen, the installed applications worked. Yet, I have major issues with this edition.
December 22nd, 2011 — Linux Distributions
It is still my favorite Linux distro for a user desktop, but Gnome3 has its rough edges. I had a few strange problems with the install, but they were easily solved. Big mistake was using Btrfs as a filesystem. Converting Brtfs to ext4 was a big challenge, but I got it to work.
December 19th, 2011 — Linux Applications, Linux Installation
I did not bring my ancient CD/DVD external disk with me to Costa Rica. Consequently, updating all my Linux distributions left me with creating bootable USB sticks. For the three distros that I need to upgrade, I put each distro on a separate USB stick. After rebuilding my netbook, I discovered a better way.
