Chris Pirillo » ubuntu

Ubuntu 9.10 Screencast

Chris — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:50:04 +0000

Ubuntu 9.10 Screencast is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I recently asked all of you to submit your screencasts to me for review. The best of the best will be chosen to be featured here, in my various channels and outlets. This provides content of a different perspective for our community, and gives you new exposure for your work! Duncan has submitted an excellect screencast, showing all of us the new Ubuntu 9.1 operating system.

Before beginning an install, you should check the release notes for important information. Currently, the system requirements are 256MB of RAM, which means it should work on older systems.

There are two ways to obtain Ubuntu 9.10. The first is to go to the downloads page. From there, you can download the release .iso and mount it onto a CD. The other way to obtain it is to visit the Ship It link, and have them mail a physical CD right to your door – for free. However, it can take up to ten weeks to reach you.

Once you have your CD, you’ll find there are many options to use and/or install Ubuntu 9.10. You can live boot, and try it out without actually installing it. It’s very useful for trying it out and deciding what you think. You can also copy the contents of the CD onto a USB drive, which is handy as well.

The most common method of install is the Dual-Boot method in Windows. This involves shrinking your partition and installing Ubuntu onto the free space. Duncan personally chose to install his copy using VirtualBox to install Ubuntu 9.10 inside of a virtual machine.

You can see that the new version looks quite a bit different than the older version. As it was installing, Duncan walked us through several different options as far as video selection, RAM allocations and the like.

Once Ubuntu itself was installed, Duncan went in and installed the Virtual Box Tools. That allows him to do things like using the mouse more effectively. I definitely recommend you make use of the Tools if you’re going to use a virtual machine.

Duncan’s screencast gives you an excellent look into the installation, use and customization for Ubuntu 9.10. Be sure to watch this video if you’re even thinking about checking out this operating system!

VirtualBox Premium Edition V3

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Windows 7 – Thumbs Up or Down?

Chris — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:24:26 +0000

Windows 7 – Thumbs Up or Down? is a post from Chris Pirillo

The World is buzzing with talk of the release of Windows 7 at long last. Heck, even I spent my evening talking to the community about their thoughts on the new OS, including a nice long convo about the security of 7 with my assistant, Kat. Everywhere you look online, people are talking about Windows 7. It’s all over Twitter. It’s on blogs. It’s on both Lockergnome and Geeks. It’s even in the news. So, what are people saying?

It’s an awesome thing to see that much of the response is very, very positive. After the disaster that was Windows Vista, Microsoft has rebounded very, very well. I am enjoying using Win 7 myself, so much so that I have already written and published an eBook full of tips and tricks. I am using it on my Mac via Parallels, and even upgraded my HP TouchSmart to Windows 7 tonight, as well! I’m happy to report that Kat was right… the drivers are all updated on HPs website to make the Touch features work in Win 7!

So… let’s have it. What are your thoughts on Windows 7? Do you have it yet? If so, what do you think so far? If you don’t have it yet… are you planning to upgrade anytime soon? Why – or why not?

Windows 7 isn’t the only thing our community has been discussing lately, of course. On any given day, you’ll find blogs and discussions on any number of topics, ranging from health to politics to religion to computers and technology… and all the way to education, likes and dislikes and anything even remotely Geeky! If you aren’t contributing to either site yet, we’d love to have you. Even if you don’t feel you have anything to say, why not take some time to read what others are up to? You just may be surprised at the fact you can learn something new, or even gain a different perspective than you otherwise would have about something important.

As always, be sure to check out what Apps are on sale and hot off the presses in our downloads center! The team is finding some excellent deals for you every day.

How to Build Your Own Linux Distro

Chris — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:00:10 +0000

How to Build Your Own Linux Distro is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Chances are by now you’ve messed around with Linux. And of course, Linux may have messed around with you. Unless you know what you’re doing, it can be a real mess. So, there are distros you can download to help you along. These distributions are built by other people with different needs and ideas than what you have. So what are you left to do? How can you build your own distro?

By going to SUSE Studio, you can build your own personal Linux distribution right on the web. Customize it to your heart’s content, and share it with the world! SUSE Studio is a simple and fast appliance builder. It provides an easy to use, web-based user interface and will run in your browser without other needed software.

One great feature is the SUSE Studio Testdrive. You can boot, configure and test your appliance in a browser window without download. You don’t know what an appliance is? I’m glad you asked, so that I can tell you! An appliance is a combination of an application (such as a database), it’s configuration and an operating system. The parts are integrated into a single image which is then usable on pretty much any hardware.

You can even put your distro into a format that will work perfectly on demo CDs. Those are perfect to show off to others, or even give out at trade shows. Who knows – maybe your custom distro will be the next big one!! If Hannah Montana can have her own distro, what’s your excuse?!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code:

Live Calls Make the World Go ‘Round

Chris — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:03:12 +0000

Live Calls Make the World Go ‘Round is a post from Chris Pirillo

Ok, so maybe they don’t – but they sure are fun! We do live calls on the stream a few nights a week, provided I get enough sponsors. I used to foot the bill for the calls myself on the toll free number. However, in one month alone the bill came up to just over $500.00! That’s crazy, but there you have it.

We get a lot of interesting calls, and a lot of weirdos. I guess people feel that it’s their “fifteen minutes of fame” if they call in and scream obscenities. No matter, I still enjoy doing them for the most part. A lot of great content ends up coming out this way, and you’ll be able to see some of what we recorded through the coming days right here in my blog.

Sparking conversation and thoughts is what I love to do the most. It’s so great to be able to foster the Geeks and Lockergnome communities, where excellent topics are being posted each and every day!

How to Run Linux on Windows (Ubuntu)

Chris — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:09:17 +0000

How to Run Linux on Windows (Ubuntu) is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Yes, it’s possible to have Linux and Windows installed on the same PC – and why wouldn’t you have both? You can install Linux using a live CD or even a USB drive. You could also use something like VMWare Fusion, as well.

Of course, you don’t need a coupon to run any flavor of Linux, as it is open source software. That is the biggest draw for many of you out there who use it. However, today I wanted to show you a new option I ran across that I think you will like. If you’ve never used Linux before, you may want to think about running Linux on top of Windows.

Using Portable Ubuntu allows you to do just that. It is an Ubuntu system running as a Windows application. For those of you who are hard-core Linux users, Portable Ubuntu is handy when you need to work from a Windows-based machine.

Portable Ubuntu allows you to run Ubuntu as if you’re using Ubuntu itself – but you’re actually using Windows. You’ll find the package manager, the bar that runs across the top of the screen, and more. You can even browse the Ubuntu file structure from right within Windows.

This is absolutely without a doubt the easiest way to use Linux from within Windows!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

Top Five Reasons to Love Compiz Fusion in Linux

Chris — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:37:09 +0000

Top Five Reasons to Love Compiz Fusion in Linux is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is Tyler Condoulo’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

So, you’ve just switched to Linux, probably to the Ubuntu distribution, due to its popularity. Some of the reasons you switched to Ubuntu were pre-installed software, security, or because it works better on older computers than Vista. Come on, don’t lie – the main reason you switched is because you wanted all the effects from Compiz Fusion you saw on Youtube. I will show you the top 5 Compiz Fusion effects that are either just for fun, or will increase your productivity. Before I start, I would like to note that any reference to the Super Key is what Linux/UNIX calls the Start key with the Windows logo on it.

Desktop Wall – This happens to be one of my favorite Compiz Fusion effects, as it still provides a smooth transition from one desktop to the next, but it doesn’t require as much graphics power as the desktop cube does (especially with all its effects). This also doesn’t limit you to having desktops just horizontally, but you can have multiple desktops vertically, and still easily switch between them with the following keyboard shortcuts:
- ctrl+Left – Move to the desktop to the left of the current desktop
- ctrl+Right – Move to the desktop to the right of the current desktop
- ctrl+Up – Move to the desktop above the current desktop
- ctrl+Down – Move to the desktop below the current desktop

Expo – Another one of my favorite desktop tools from Compiz Fusion would be the Expo plugin. This plugin will show all of your desktops on one entire wall, and one of my favorite features of this plugin would be the ability to move windows between the desktops while viewing it. This would allow one to organize what they have on one desktop, or what they have on another, much more easily than without it. To access it, press the key combination Super+e. Some of the effects you can apply to this plugin would be displaying it at an angle, or in a curve, you can change the reflection, etc.

Scale – This may be a feature in OS X, but it is in Compiz Fusion as well, and I do find it very useful. I might as well include it in this list. This is pretty much Expose’. I’m not gonna go in-depth into it, but it shows a scaled version of each open window in a certain arrangement. By default, you use the key combination Alt +Shift+Up to access it, keep Alt+Shift, and then use your arrow keys or mouse to browse the windows shown.

Enhanced Zoom + Negative – Both of these are available in OS X, but both of these in combination in Compiz Fusion can help you on a couple different levels. For example, as Chris Pirillo has done many times on his stream, he will zoom into something and have everything negative when wanting to point something out on his monitors, or even just zoom in. On another level, you can make everything go negative, but have one window in, which isn’t negative, to help you focus on something, as shown below (with it being zoomed in.)

Desktop Cube – The desktop cube has to be one of my favorite plugins for Compiz Fusion. It is absolutely amazing what you can do with the cube. You can add a few effects, turn the cube into a sphere or Cylinder, have the windows pop out of the cube, have it transparent, or even have a fish tank in the middle of the cube. The basic function of the cube, though, is to organize your workspace into a cube of course. However, the shape changes depending on how many desktops you have. It can be a flat sheet, triangle, cube, etc.

Ubuntu How To

Chris — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 10:15:52 +0000

Ubuntu How To is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is Sam-M’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

This is a ‘How-To’ for all you curious minds out there who like the idea of Linux and would like to have it either as a primary or even a secondary operating system, but are having trouble installing or need help with Ubuntu Linux. This article is focused mainly on Dell Vostro or Inspiron series notebooks since I explain how to fix the wireless problem that Dell initially has with Linux, but it can also be used for non-Dell users.

So, lets get started!

I will be teaching you how to install Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04LTS operating system, the wireless driver for Dell Vostro and Inspiron series notebooks, as well as the Compiz Fusion EyeCandy; the basics to get your Linux up and running with a working wireless connection as well as some cool desktop effects to go along with the whole Linux experience.

NOTE: Installation of Ubuntu 8.04 is actually pretty much the same as the installation of any other previous version of Ubuntu or Kubuntu.

Ubuntu requires a little bit of work to be done before it installs properly on your computer.
Follow this guide, and you will be enjoying the Linux experience in no time!

Step 1: Where to get Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a free / open source operating system. It can be downloaded for free, shipped to you for free on a CD, or you can also get newer versions of Ubuntu Linux all from the Ubuntu website.

Step 2: Installing Ubuntu (CD)

Important: If you choose to download Ubuntu, you are still required to go through this process. Follow the instructions that are available on Ubuntu’s website on how to get the downloaded file on to a CD. Once you have burned the CD, follow the steps below:

1. Preparing your computer through BIOS

This is a very essential step. This step prepares your computer to recognize the Ubuntu Live CD and uses the CD to boot first regardless of what operating system you have on your hard-drive.

Place the CD in your DVD drive and reboot the computer.
When you see the initial boot-screen with the Dell logo in the middle, press “F2.” This loads your BIOS where you are required to make a few changes.

Now press the Right Arrow key repeatedly until the “Boot” tab is selected. Once in the Boot tab, press the Down Arrow key repeatedly until your DVD drive is selected. Now press the “+” or the “-” key on your keyboard to change the priority for the DVD drive (use “Shift” key for “+”). Pressing “+” raises the selection, which is in this case the DVD drive, and “-” lowers the selection’s priority in the boot order.
Once you are done with that process, press “F10” and then select “Exit Saving Changes”

The computer will now reboot and will use the DVD drive first.

Your computer is now set-up to load Ubuntu using the CD as its first priority.

2. Loading Ubuntu (CD)

Once your computer has rebooted, the Ubuntu Boot Options screen will first appear.

Press “Enter” to select “Start or install Ubuntu”

Ubuntu will now start to boot up, this may take some time.

3. Installing Ubuntu (CD)

Now that Ubuntu has booted, you will see the general layout of the Ubuntu Desktop. You will see a few icons, one being “Install” and the other being “Examples.” If you see any other icons on your desktop, they are most likely to be any external devices that you have connected to your computer such as a USB Flash drive, or an external hard-drive. Ubuntu is now running through the Live CD, you can play around with the system and get a hang of it and see if you like it. The system at this point in time will run relatively slowly as it is running off the Live CD. Lets go on and install the operating system on your hard-drive.

Click on the “Install” icon and follow the on-screen instructions.

You will be asked to enter your time zone, keyboard layout, login name, and then finally, you will be asked to enter the location on your computer where you would like to install Ubuntu. Your options are according to the hard-drive you choose; Master: Erase the entire disk (and install Ubuntu on a clean hard-drive), Manually edit the partition table (and create as many partitions as you like and the size of each partitions. This option also allows you to have another OS running besides Ubuntu itself.) Your last option is a Slave or an external hard-drive, if you have one connected.

For the Manually edit option, you must enter one partition named “/” as mount point and the file system as ‘ext3’s and another partition called ’swap’ and that must be of at least 200MB in size.

Follow any other on-screen instructions, and Ubuntu will start to install. This will take some time, anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Once Ubuntu is installed, it will ask you whether to restart your computer and run Ubuntu off the hard-drive or to continue using the Live CD.

You now have Ubuntu successfully installed on your system.

Step 3: Enabling all software-sources (a very important step)

It is very important for you to enable software-sources, as it allows Linux to download any necessary files and packages off Ubuntu’s website and other related websites. Following this step will be great help when installing the wireless driver as well as Compiz-Fusion EyeCandy later on in the tutorial.

Go to:

“System” tab

“Administration” tab

Software Sources

Under the “Ubuntu Software” tab, check-mark the following:

Canonical-supported Open Source software (main)
Community-maintained Open Source software (universe)
Proprietary drivers for devices (restricted)
Software restricted by copyright or legal issues (multiverse)

Next, go to the “Updates” tab, and check-mark the following:

Important security updates (hardy-security)
Recommended updates (hardy-updates)
Pre-released updates (hardy-proposed)
Unsupported updates (Hardy-backports)

Step 4: Installing Wireless driver using ndiswrapper (for Dell users only)

First, with your Ubuntu desktop fully loaded, go to:

“Applications” tab

“Accessories” tab

Terminal

(NOTE: This setup works best on a fresh install of Ubuntu, and therefore it is necessary to uninstall all previous versions of ndiswrapper before we continue) The following code should be entered one at a time into ‘Terminal’:

sudo rmmod ndiswrapper
sudo ndiswrapper -e bcmwl5
sudo apt-get remove ndiswrapper-utils

(If you get errors, do not worry because these lines of code above are just there to confirm that there are no files regarding ndiswrapper present before we get into the installation.)

Now we get the needed packages for the installation, go to www.dell.com and download the appropriate driver for your wireless lan card according to your notebook model number. For those with Dell Inspiron 1501 series and Vostro 1000 series, the driver can be found here: http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/R151519.EXE

Now enter the following code:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r`

(Note: The characters around `uname -r` are back-tics and it is found above the “Tab” key and to the left of the number “1” key.)

Next, we need to download the ndiswrapper program and that can be found here: http://internap.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/ndiswrapper/ndiswrapper-1.49.tar.gz
Next, we uncompress/unzip the ndiswrapper-1.49 file (In terminal, type the location where you have downloaded the files. In this example we’ll download the files to the desktop, so the location will be, home>user-name>Desktop, we’ll type this in terminal as: “/home/user-name/Desktop/ndiswrapper-1.49.tar.gz”)

tar -xzvf /home/user-name/Desktop/ndiswrapper-1.49.tar.gz

Now, we blacklist the default bcm43xx firmware drivers that try to install upon Ubuntu installation

sudo -s
echo blacklist bcm43xx >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist
exit

THE COMPUTER MUST NOW BE REBOOTED!
After rebooting, go to the location where you extracted ndiswrapper (in our example, the ndiswrapper directory is no longer, “/home/user-name/Desktop,” it is now, “/home/user-name/ndiswrapper-1.49”)

cd /home/user-name/ndiswrapper-1.49
sudo make uninstall

(enter the above code “sudo make uninstall” several times until you receive a message that says, no files and/or directories found)

sudo make
sudo make install

Now we install the Dell Wireless Lan Card driver, in terminal, enter the location where you downloaded the files (in our example, it is “/home/user-name/Desktop”)

unzip -a /home/user-name/Desktop/R151519.exe

Now go to the “DRIVER” directory in your ndiswrapper-1.49 folder

cd /home/user-name/ndiswrapper-1.49/DRIVER
sudo ndiswrapper -i bcmwl5.inf
sudo ndiswrapper -l

(you should see a message that says the following:

bcmwl5 : driver installed

device (14E4:4311) present (alternate driver: wl)

sudo ndiswrapper -m
sudo modprobe ndiswrapper
sudo echo ndiswrapper >> /etc/modules

(you should now see your WiFi light on your notebook illuminated, if its not, try pressing “Fn-F2”)

sudo -s
echo ndiswrapper >> /etc/modules
exit

Time to test the wireless adapter

sudo iwlist scanning

(at this point, Ubuntu will tell you whether or not it has found any networks that you can connect to and even if it doesn’t, you should still see the following:

lo Interface doesn’t support scanning.
eth0 Interface doesn’t support scanning.
wmaster0 Interface doesn’t support scanning.

eth1 Scan completed)

If you see “eth1 Scan completed,” Ubuntu has installed your Wireless Lan Card successfully.
I would suggest for you to install ‘network-manager’ for a better user-interface and easier connectivity

(If it didn’t already install when you installed Ubuntu).

Step 5: Compiz-Fusion EyeCandy (the last step)

1. Preparing your Graphics Card

The first step to install Compiz-Fusion on your Linux is to enable your graphics card. Goto:

“System” menu

“Preferences” menu

Hardware Devices

With Hardware Devices window open, look under Device driver for your graphics card.
Check-mark “Enabled,” and click Close.
Restart your computer.
Once your Ubuntu is rebooted, you should get an icon in the system tray that says “New restricted drivers in use.”
Click on that icon, and Hardware Devices window should open again, but this time the Status should say, “In Use.” (If you are having a problem, you can leave a comment detailing what problems you are facing, and I will get back to you.)

2. Installing Compiz-Fusion

There are two ways to install Compiz Fusion in Ubuntu. One using Terminal and the other using Synaptic Package Manager.

The Terminal way

Go to: “Applications” menu

“Accessories” menu

Terminal

All the latest versions of Ubuntu such as 8.04 and 8.10 come with Compiz-Fusion pre-installed. All we need to do is install the Compiz-Fusion Settings Manager
In terminal type:

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

To run Compiz-Fusion Settings Manager, scroll down to “3. Enabling Visual Effects”
Next we install the necessary packages, in Terminal type:

sudo apt-get install compiz compizconfig-backend-gconf compizconfig-settings-manager compiz-core compiz-dev compiz-fusion-bcop compiz-fusion-plugins-extra compiz-fusion-plugins-main compiz-fusion-plugins-unsupported compiz-gnome compiz-plugins compiz-wrapper libdecoration0 libdecoration0-dev libcompizconfig0 libcompizconfig0-dev python-compizconfig fusion-icon simple-ccsm emerald

(Copy the above and paste it in Terminal, as is, if necessary)

The Synaptic Package Manager way

Go to: “System” menu

“Administration” menu

Synaptic Package Manager

Click search and enter: “compizconfig-settings-manager”
Click on the box and select “Mark for Installation.”

Click “Mark” on any following window if it asks about Dependencies

Next search for “Emerald” and follow the same instructions as above.

Once finished, click the “Apply” button.

This will start the download and installation procedure.

Once installed, close the “Synaptic Package Manager”

3. Enabling Visual Effects

Now go to the “System” menu

“Preferences” menu

Appearance

Click on the “Visual Effects” tab
and then click on “Extra” and then close the window

Your visual effects should now be enabled.

Now go to the “System” menu again

“Preferences” menu

Advanced Desktop Effects Settings

(Here you can enable and disable the effects you want, such as 3D desktop effects; Cube Effects; Water and Fire Effects; Closing, Opening, Focusing, Minimizing Effects, etc.)

4. Themes

Go to the “System” menu, once again

“Preferences” menu

Emerald Theme Manager

(This is the program we installed when we were in Synaptics Package Manager)

This is where you can access your themes that you can download
You can download themes from http://themes.beryl-project.org/
It is recommended that you download emerald themes to your Desktop
Once you have a theme downloaded to your Desktop, open “Emerald Theme Manager” and click on the “Import button”

Browse to your Desktop and select the downloaded theme, and click Open.
Activate the theme by clicking on it and then close the Emerald window.
Press “ALT-F2” on your keyboard and enter: “emerald –replace”
This will activate your theme
Once your theme is activated, you can move the downloaded theme file anywhere you like.

Congratulations! You have now successfully installed one of the latest versions of Ubuntu Linux, the next major operating system. You can browse the web, open documents, spreadsheets, presentations, chat and do much more with the next generation visual effects that OS X and Vista wish they had.

I hope you enjoy your Linux experience. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to post them below in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you!

Reasons to Switch from OS X or Windows to Ubuntu

Chris — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:19:03 +0000

Reasons to Switch from OS X or Windows to Ubuntu is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is PrivateVoid’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

All too often, popular tech-blogs engage in the old and tired debate about why you should switch to OS X or stay with Windows. The argument has boiled down to one hip ‘Mac’ guy making fun of a ‘PC’ guy or Seinfeld talking with Gates about the proper fit of a pair of conquistadors. I would like to advert your attention to the following salient points just in case watching insipid ads is not enough to make you consider the other alternative. The other alternative, the one that both Microsoft and Apple are afraid to mention, is GNU/Linux.

Reason 1: Freedom

Apple and OS X offers freedom from choice. Microsoft and Windows offers you freedom of hardware choice. Ubuntu and GNU/Linux offer you total freedom. You can choose the graphical interface of your OS and are not stuck with what the denizens Redmond or Cupertino chose for you. With Ubuntu, you can choose the default look and feel of Gnome, KDE or Xfce. If the default style is not to your liking can customize your desktop. You can make it look just like OS X, Windows XP or Windows Vista. The choice is yours, not theirs! Beyond the look and feel you also have the freedom to choose between thousands of programs.

Reason 2: Secure

Despite the bleating noise coming from Cupertino about OS X not having any exploits and the daydreams of Redmond that Vista is now truly secure, neither solution offers the security of Ubuntu and GNU/Linux. The greatest threats to computer security are no longer viruses or worms. They are trojan horses delivered through clever social engineering attacks. Such attacks often depend on a user to run an install or agree to a pop-up. Windows XP had no built-in security to defend against these exploits. The security of OS X and Vista are similar, but still only require a user to agree to running the application. The ease of doing so results in most users hitting the OK button before they engage their brain. With Linux you often have to mark files as executable and you have to know that you want to run them with administrative rights before you launch them. While it is still possible to fool a Linux user into running malware, the likelihood is greatly diminished due to the number of steps it takes. For OS X and Vista the user experience still trumps security.

Reason 3: Lower Cost

To get OS X, you must purchase hardware that in most cases is $400 – $500 more than comparable non-Apple hardware. To run Windows Vista, you have to buy more expensive hardware due to the high system requirements. The system requirements for Ubuntu are the following:

Xubuntu requires 128 MB of RAM and 1.9 GB of hard disk space. Ubuntu requires 256 MB of RAM and 4GB of hard drive space.

Compare that to those for Windows Vista, which requires a 1Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM, a graphics card that supports DirectX 9 and has a 128 MB of RAM, a 40 GB hard drive with 15 GB of space.

Or with OS X, which requires an 867Mhz processor, 512 MB of RAM (1 GB of RAM if you want to use the developer tools) and 9GB of disk space.

While both Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X come with a nice selection of included software, neither can beat the vast software library available in the Ubuntu repositories.

Reason 4: Community

The Ubuntu community is a thriving global community that uses, supports and contributes to GNU/Linux. There are copious amounts of documentation on-line and thousands of people willing to assist with any problems you encounter or questions you have. When you elect to use Ubuntu, you join that community. When you buy OS X or Microsoft Windows, you become a faceless unimportant customer to a large company that will often treat you like cattle. Ubuntu has local community groups in all fifty states and over one hundred countries including Uruguay, Iran, Luxembourg, Georgia, Estonia, Norway, Belgium and Chile.

Reason 5: Ease of Installation

Contrary to popular opinion, Ubuntu is easy to install. You simply download the appropriate ISO and burn it to a CD or you can order an Ubuntu CD from On-Disk.com. Once you have the CD, you simply boot your computer using the CD and follow the simple instructions in the graphical installer. For most users, the process takes roughly 15-20 minutes and when it is done you are greeted with a fully functioning computer complete with productivity applications. The installation is much faster and when it is complete you will not spend the next two hours installing patches, drivers and applications like you would with Windows.

In the end, the choice of which OS to choose is yours. I hope that this quick top five article has opened your eyes to the very powerful alternative of Ubuntu and GNU/Linux.

What’s the Best OS for Data Storage and Stability?

Chris — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:05:31 +0000

What’s the Best OS for Data Storage and Stability? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I received the following email the other day from a chat regular who goes by the handle of Woomis:

Yesterday, I was consulting a client about OS choices. If storage failure rate was 0%… What OS would you trust to store your most important documents, photos, keepsakes and otherwise? Diving even further into that thought, you realize that you must understand there are other factors involved that whether one is better than the other and why. But truly, I ask you the same question: Although you’ve switched to Mac for the time being, what OS and its myriad of features would you trust to store and use your most precious of data? I see these kids in your IRC chat talking about how “cool” Linux is. I agree: if I had to choose between a Server2003 or FC8 Dedicated serve… it would be Linux for sure. These kids are dazzled by Compiz Fusion and their lowered expectations of XP, but seriously there is the cool factor and the usability factor. For you is OS X just a fad? I doubt it, but please as in the words as some of your newest chatters, Linux Rulez! Why don’t you use it? I say OS X is the most stable: for it’s journaled file system, kernel, support and life expectancy. That’s what I use, that’s what I feel comfortable storing my data on and keeping it safe and operational.

If you ask me what the best operating system is, I will most likely not answer you. I cannot possibly tell you what the best operating system would be. There are a lot of factors that come into play. You will likely have a different answer a year from now that what you will have now, as to what the best operating system is for you. This is due to changes in software and hardware, and how they work together in your current system of choice.

I personally use OS X and Windows both on a daily basis, and I do have a Linux machine, as well. Most people want one thing, and they want the best thing. Take a look at the total cost of ownership. Look at everything that will happen once you have purchased your system. Now, look at the entire experience. Don’t only look at your computer as a piece of hardware. It’s also a piece of software inside a piece of hardware, which is run through various services. A wide variety of things work together to create your computing experience. You have to look for as much of 100% as you can get, in terms of things you want from your computer.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

How to Switch Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, OS X

Chris — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:35:40 +0000

How to Switch Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, OS X is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Are you thinking about switching Operating Systems? Here are five things to keep in mind prior to making that big move.

Stability You want to make sure that the Operating System you are going to use is functional. A buggy Operating System is more or less useless. From my experience, XP is the most practical Windows Operating System to use at the moment. I’m relatively new to Linux, but my favorite distro is Ubuntu, due to the ease of my migration over from XP. MacOS X I know absolutely nothing about, but I have heard that Leopard is somewhat more buggy than previous versions. I haven’t tried it, this is only what I have heard.
Compatibility (Hardware) This is mostly for Windows and Linux, as OS X hardware is pretty much controlled by Apple. Check to make sure that your video card, sound card, printer, motherboard, and etc has drivers for, or is compatible with the Operating System of your choice. Some dated hardware will not be supported by some of the newer Operating Systems (speaking mostly to Vista). Make sure that everything you have will work in the future.
Support Know where to go for help. You are bound to run into problems whenever doing something for the first time. Find websites or communities with experienced users of the product that you can reach to for help when you need it. Example: When I first installed Ubuntu, the X Server could not detect my graphical hardware no matter what I did. I went to the Ubuntu forums, and I was directed to a program called Envy that automatically setup the X Server for me, and installed the latest nVidia drivers for my video card.
Have a Life Line Data is bound to be lost when installing and uninstalling Operating Systems. Make sure that all critical data on your current OS is backed up, and can be restored in your new OS. When in doubt, I recommend partitioning the empty portion of your hard drive. Then install the OS you want, and try it out. This way, your entire system hasn’t been hosed, and you can revert to what you were using before. Dual booting is also a great option for compatibility (hardware and software). My current setup is 370gb Ubuntu and 130gb XP. This is so Ubuntu (my primary OS) has enough room for documents or work-related files, and Windows has enough for programs that have no equivalent in Linux (Good for gamers who want Linux, but don’t want to sacrifice performance with something like WINE or a virtual machine).
Can the OS do what you want it to do? A key point for Linux is the eye candy. It’s great, we love it. Eye candy is why a lot of people get Linux over Windows or OSX. But this isn’t practical. If a program you need for school or your work is only available in Windows, and you are running a pure OS X or Linux machine, you need to either find a comparable application, run a virtual machine, or reinstall Windows. This is another reason I strongly recommend not confining yourself to only one Operating System. Different Operating Systems are good at different things. Take advantage of this and use all at your disposal.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

How to Start With Ubuntu Linux

Chris — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:26:32 +0000

How to Start With Ubuntu Linux is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

Are you a Linux fan? I know my System Administrator Allan would yell to forget Linux and use FreeBSD. This isn’t a FreeBSD conversation, though, it’s an Ubuntu one. But it’s just funny that Allan came to mind here, since today at work in Canada, he was recognized by someone for being part of my live show. He is a professor at a college up in Canada. Earlier today, he was walking along the hallway when he heard another instructor and a student discussing FreeBSD. Since he is a FreeBSD fanatic, he had to stop and talk with them. As soon as he started talking, the student’s eyes got huge and he blurted “I know you! You’re on Chris Pirillo’s show.” Allan couldn’t believe it, but there you have it. We’re even reaching college students in Canada. While this doesn’t really pertain to this list, I did find it very cool. Now, on with our top five list!

Have a broadband connection. Ubuntu is very Net dependent. When you start with a clean install of the operating system and begin popping in your music CDs and reviewing Web sites like YouTube, initially Web plugins, audio, and video codecs are prompted automatically to the user to install — but only if the computer has access to the Web. This also includes certain proprietary video and network drivers that need to be obtained when updating the current system. The reason for this is these multiple sources of code are under different licenses and though they may be free, the license requires the end user to electronically agree to the terms and conditions of the patent software.
MAKE SURE YOUR HARDWARE IS SUPPORTED! Many people assume everything will just work right out of the box. That’s not the case in certain hardware. The toughest problems people have is when it comes to wireless hardware. There is one major chip designed by Broadcomm which is used by many companies in their wireless devices in many major retail products and white box systems (i.e. HP, Dell, Gateway, etc.). Though older models of these Broadcomm chipsets have over time been worked out to get them functioning, some do have difficulty with connecting to a secure wpa2 wireless routers, or flat out won’t work at all. To avoid this, many laptops that have Intel and Realtek based chipset cards work right out of the get go. There is also a list created by the Free Software Foundation of supported wireless chipsets that will also work out of the box. Another option that I find works well are wireless bridges. Many companies such as D-Link, SMC, and Linksys make these products. They plug into your existing ethernet port on your PC and redirect it to connect to the local router programmed on the device you set up. They may be best for those who have desktops as they are a bit too clunky to travel with a laptop.
If you are a gamer, you may be limiting what possible game titles you can play. There are a slew of games for Linux that are free, and there are certain commercial game titles you can play using Wine. There are, though, limitations on what may work under Wine. If a certain game is heavily dependent on Direct X10, or a combination of Active X plugins, it’s not likely going to port over well into Wine. Since Direct X and Active X are copyright protected plugins and are two of Microsoft’s exclusive technologies, it’s not going to be available for other operating systems any time soon. You can find out what games work by checking the Wine database list of software tested that works. However, companies like Activision, ID Software, Bioware, and many more have made commercially supported cross platforms of their games for Linux. Example: Quakewars, Call Of Duty 1-4, Doom 1-3, Quake 1-4, and Unreal Championship 1-3 all have NATIVE Linux installations. Many of these companies I mention also make Macintosh platforms of the same titles.
Drivers not needed. Many devices such as scanners, digital cameras, Web cams, and printers need to be factored, and you don’t need, in many cases, to install drivers for them. *If you have a device that doesn’t have proprietary chipsets* Ones I know that just “work” include:
- Web cams: Logitech
- Digital cameras: Canon, Fujitsu, Any camera that essentially is recognized as a removable USB disk device.
- TV/FM tuners: WinTV, Asus tuners, AMD/ATI tuners, any tuner card that uses a Phillips semiconductor chip (which many do).
- Scanners: Hewlett Packard (single or all-in-one)
- Printers: Hewlett Packard (single or all-in-one), any printer that supports postscript printing support.
Just buy a prebuilt, Ubuntu-supported PC. Instead of second guessing on everything, you can just buy a full system complete with 30 days to a year of tech support from the following vendors that support Ubuntu-tested hardware:

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/cz94JNBJcjI”></param><param name=”wmode” value=”transparent”></param></object> <a href=”http://chris.pirillo.com/”>Chris</a> | <a href=”http://live.pirillo.com/”>Live Tech Support</a> | <a href=”http://media.pirillo.com/”>Video Help</a> | <a href=”http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow”>Add to iTunes</a>

Wubi or Live CD for Linux

Chris — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:26:24 +0000

Wubi or Live CD for Linux is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

When I opened the 888-PIRILLO phone line the other night, I had an interesting call with a Linux problem. Let’s take a listen and see how it worked out.

The caller had tried downloading Linux to the computer using Wubi. Once he did that on his Vista machine and loaded it, the screen went blue and red and said the graphics card was incompatible. He wondered what ideas I may have. The first question I had is whether Wubi itself is Vista compatible.

For those who may not know, here is an explanation about Wubi:

Wubi is an unofficial Ubuntu installer for Windows users that will bring you into the Linux world with a single click. Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other application. If you heard about Linux and Ubuntu, if you wanted to try them but you were afraid, this is for you.

My suggestion is to forget Wubi altogether, and just use a Live CD. All you have to do is download the .ISO and burn it to a CD using a burning program. Then simply put the CD in the drive and reboot your machine. If the machine isn’t set to read from the CD, you can just toggle to that. The great thing about live CDs is that you can reboot and be in Linux, then reboot again with the CD out… and you’re back in Windows. You don’t actually “install” Linux on your hard drive this way, and you can still try it out without making any changes to your system.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

The Linux Question… and Answer

Chris — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:50:24 +0000

The Linux Question… and Answer is a post from Chris Pirillo

Steve Sims thinks Linux can win. He sent me the following plan this morning, and it was too interesting to keep to myself…

I’ve used Ubuntu for maybe four months now. Before that I used Windows. I haven’t always been into computers; until a few years ago I still used Yahoo!’s IE shell for web browsing, and then I discovered this blue E that didn’t take forever to sign into. My father later introduced me Firefox but I rejected it at first since I couldn’t figure out how to see pictures (I think he disabled them for some reason). So, unlike old-school Linux users I know what it’s like to not be great with computers. From this experience, here’s what I think Linux needs to dominate PC operating systems:

Have a package manager that can convert RPM’s and other commonly used packages into debs. Debian’s package manager is more reliable than RPM so it should be used. Since most packages are now released under both RPM and deb this is less of an issue than it used to be, as is the KDE/Gnome compatibility issue.
Install both Gnome and KDE libraries by default, so that KDE programs can run on Gnome and vice-versa. The GUI can be built into the kernel like in NT if this becomes undoable, but it’ll probably work and the slower performance won’t turn too many people away.
Either include proprietary codecs and pay licensing fees or try to defeat the DVD Forum / Fraunhoffer and Thompson Multimedia (mp3) in court. At least with DVD’s, removing the copy prevention circumvention technology from libdvdcss2 would probably make it legal. I think the first option is better since many patent holders (i.e., Thompson, Microsoft) make FUDish claims about open source products without ever taking their producers to court.
Hide the command line, even at the expense of security. With my password, I should be able to modify root’s files with the GUI in my regular account without first going into the terminal and typing “sudo nautilus”.
Install all programs into the same folder. It could even be called /Programs, like in PCBSD.
Linux is not Windows. People won’t want a cheap Windows imitation. They might want something better and different. I can tell you from seeing so many college Mac users that consumers are willing to try different products and will remain with those products if they decide that they’re superior.
Specialized applications. Gyms, lawfirms, etc. all rely on a few specialized Windows applications. These applications are often data management applications, which aren’t too complicated. It seems that “companies will adopt Linux when specialized applications for it exist, and specialized applications for it will exist when companies adopt it.” Regardless, once a Linux company has enough money from home sales it can begin to tailor custom applications to specific industries. This part will not happen overnight, so desktop Linux should first be targeted toward home users.
An IDE that combines the GUI with the code. Microsoft Visual Studio is very easy to use and probably makes developing specialized applications much cheaper. A Linux Visual Studio, especially one that could output in Gnome and KDE, would make developing these applications much easier.
And a few changes in strategy! Embrace, extend, and extinguish proprietary software. Too many open-source projects seek compatibility with proprietary stuff without making it much better. It might be less bloated, it might be a little more stable, but except for Firefox few go beyond what the proprietary programs do.
Patentleft. Red Hat licenses their patents royalty-free as long as they’re used in free software. More patents licensed this way would prevent proprietary developers from implementing open source extensions.
Make it work. At first, limiting hardware selections will be the only way to deploy Linux. People don’t want to tinker with it in order to get it to work.
Ignore the nerds. They can play with Gentoo all they want. They aren’t experts on usability.

The only thing left is devices. The main devices for home users are cameras and printers. Most digital cameras use some type of flash card and newer computers often come with built-in flash card drives.

As for printing, many printers work for Linux while many don’t. This is the biggest technical roadblock to Linux adoption, at least for switching an existing Windows computer to Linux. It would be solved, however, if printer companies open sourced their drivers. This wouldn’t give their competition any extra edge and they could censor the parts that include patents. In fact, it would help the printer companies because open source driver developers would rewrite the printer companies’ drivers (off the parts of the drivers the companies are permitted to distribute) to not include royalty-incurring patents. Thus, the drivers won’t incur a single cent for patent licensing and it won’t cost the printer companies a cent to develop these drivers.

In short, Linux can’t do what Microsoft did because it lives in a different world. I read somewhere that at first Microsoft didn’t replace Apple/Amiga/etc. initially, but instead it put computers on desks that didn’t have them before. Now almost every desk has a computer. So, the biggest place for Linux to grow is in newer markets, but it can still do it on the desktop.

So, that’s Steve’s take on the situation – what’s yours?

Ubuntu Videos

Chris — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:47:29 +0000

Ubuntu Videos is a post from Chris Pirillo

Ubuntu keeps generating buzz, and I don’t see enthusiasm subsiding any time soon. Seems to be the only distribution to capture “user” attention – beyond the enterprise.

First, a video covering MP3s On Ubuntu, the OGG Alternative – In this post, Matt shows you how to seriously migrate away from MP3 into using OGG Vorbis, while not leaving your favorite music at home when on the go.

Then, Ubuntu Gutsy With ExpressCard, Working Options – In a previous post, Matt showed Ubuntu users how to find and use wireless cards that are actually supported nativity in Linux – using PCMCIA as an option. This time with USB wifi devices, as wireless in the world of ExpressCard slots is not much fun with Linux.

Top 5 Tips for Migrating from Windows to Linux

Chris — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 05:01:13 +0000

Top 5 Tips for Migrating from Windows to Linux is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

We get questions every day from people wondering about how to switch to Linux. What do they need to know? What should they get? One of our Lockergnome bloggers came up with an excellent starting point.

Digged is a newer blogger on our Lockergnome site. He wrote an excellent article about tips on migrating to Linux from Windows.

5. First off make sure you can live in a non-windows world. Lots of times people move to Linux just to move back to Windows because they didn’t realize there software wouldn’t work natively with Linux. Now there are ways around this thanks to a program called “Wine”, which basically that lets run programs built for Windows run inside Linux, kind of like Parrales for OS X.
4. In Linux there will be limited commercial support, so learn to love your neighbors :). If you run into a problem most times or not there won’t be a tech support number to call for help, thats where Google comes in. The easies way to fix a problem is to just simply search for it, most times you will find your answer if you don’t then well good luck!
3. Make sure you find the right version for you and your needs. There are literally thousands of variations of Linux out there to choose from, some are built to do everyday tasks and some are built for power users, so choose wisely. If you are moving from Windows then I suggest Ubuntu, its easy to use and has a Windows feel about it, but you can choose any version you like.
2. Do your homework before you install. Google and make sure that all of your hardware will work for the Linux of your choice. Take me for example my wireless card at the time was not supported by Ubuntu so I had search around and find a proper solution so that my card will work properly before I even thought about installing it.
1. Try a Live CD before you install the darn thing! See if you like the world of Linux first and most importantly if all of your hardware runs fine on it. I know some people where so mad that their wireless cards did not work natively with Linux and ultimately had no choice but to go back to Windows because try to fix this problem was above them. So before you install just try it out! It doesn’t hurt ;)

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.