Run Linux Ubuntu 14.04 As Your Desktop

INTRODUCTION

Linux was started as project by Linus Torvalds at Helsinki Uni, free open source license for poor students on x386 machines!  Linux Kernel is the brains of the OS  , manages memory, files etc.  Added unix utilities (GNU) and a compiler (GCC). 

Companies can enhance and distribute for free, charge for support.  Many distributions eg Debian, Red Hat, SUSE, Madriva, LiveCD etc.  Over 160 distributions

Distribution =

Linux kernel (customised minix + gnu (unix utilities))

+ supporting applications (free like KDE, OpenOffic, Apache)

+ propriety applications eg adobe reader, graphics/sound drivers)

+ distribution specific applications (eg for configuration, installation Yast, mcc)

+ manuals (man pages)

+ Support (paid – phone, internet etc)

Distribution can be targeted for : desktop, server, media, scientific, recovery (eg forensic hardrives)

Package

Services, libraries or applications compiled into a format depending on the distribution its for. 

Red Hat & CentOS :          YUM, RPM.   

Debian (Ubuntu):              Apt-get

Generic :                             TAR, TGZ (TAR GZipped), BIN (binaries, not source)

DeskTop Linux    

A linux installation containing a GUI eg KDE, Gnome, Unity, XFCE, Cinammon

Personal Applications (Open Office, RhythmBox (music player), VLC (video player))

Server  Linux

Linux took off in the Enterprise due to LAMP stack:

Linux

Apache (Web Services)

MySQL (Database)

PHP (Presentation Language)

Other Server Apps : Gamer servers, source code (GIT), content management (Wordpress)

Server version will have command line shell,firewall, proxy server, dns server.   Desktop will have more like office, calendar etc.  But you can install everything on either.

INSTALLATION

Virtual 

VM Workstation  - $200 license fee,  VirtualBox is free. 

Then load from LiveCD from Ubuntu (or Can Use Daemon Tools Lite – load ISO image first.)

1Gb Ram & 8Gb Hardrive

Then full screen doesn’t display - tried installing the virtual box additions but didnt work.

Physical

Burn iso image to DVD (900M).  Use as LiveCD to install.  Didn’t work on XP laptop : need to

Detach external drive

Startup

Splash screen – F12

Icon of keyboard and man , press TAB

Install Ubuntu (don’t press ENTER), press F6, ESC (to get rid of pop up)

(append to end of line) forcepae    (ENTER)

(get message FORCING PAE in CPU Flags & Ubuntu installs)

Choose to install alongside XP (old machine i had lying around) – 20GB each (8 min     )

Computer name : hslakhan-nec

Un/pwd : hslakhan/*****

Updates & repositories

Terminal window :

sudo apt-get update     (this updates all file headers)

sudo apt-get upgrade      (this upgrades all repositories)

Top Things To DO After Installing

Medubuntu repositories – no longer needed as its in Ubuntu 14_4

Eg mp3 codec not installed by default due to licensing

MEDIA RELATED

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras     (mostly codecs for playing multimedia, browser add-ons, Microsoft fonts etc)

sudo apt-get install non-free-codecs  libxine1-ffmpeg totem-mozilla gxine mencoder easytag tagtool icedax id3-tool lame mpg321 libmad0 mpg321libjpeg-progs    (mostly for displaying video)

sudo apt-get install vlc      (will play any dvd and region and video codex and blueray)

APPLICATIONS

Use Ubuntu software centre to install following apps:

Pidgin   (allows other chats to run eg messenger etc)

CHROME is not available from the repositories we installed so internet search for CHROMIUM on chrome.google.com (built on chrome source), download and install package

GAMES

Steampowered.com – game platform,   install STEAM client with single click

Unity Desktop

This is ubuntu’s own desktop - stable.  Gnome and KDE are standard ones for linux.

Remove icons on left  ones you don’t want.

Ubuntu One – cloud drive - 5G storage for free 

Ubuntu software centre.

[prefers KDE, Gnome 3 looks good too but performance is suspect)

Can add icons from lens (background) to side.

Customizing Unity

Unity tweak tool allows configuration from one place

Also, systems settings allows changes – screen display : turn off built in display to just use my bigger screen.  Cant extend as its limited by my graphics card and will make performance worse. Laptop is slow enough as it is!  Pentium M  1.5GHz, 1Gb RAM 40 Gb harddrive.

sudo apt-get install unity-tweak-tool

Gnome Desktop

Ubuntu comes with different GUIs ready made eg KDE4 –Kubuntu

X windows –Xubuntu

Education – EdUbuntu

But no Gnome bundled Ubuntu, so have to set it up as follows:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-gnome-desktop   ubuntu-gnome-default-settings

(600M download, 1.4G in size! 

ubuntu-gnome-default-settings  - this installs GDM Gnome Display Manager  and gives you option to configure it )

Terminal>  which lightdm

/usr/sbin/lightdm   (which is ok for UNITY and KDE , but we need to switch to GDM)

sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm     (shows which one is in use and can choose)

RESTART (top right)

Have to enter username/id , click on gear icon and you can choose type of display.

GNOME – had error

GNOME CLASSIC –  Ctrl+Alt+T

sudo apt-get install gnome-tweak-tool

>gnome-tweak-tool &

Can install extensions – but be careful if its not compatible, more recent ones will work better

PEOPLE give GNOME 3 bad reviews, preferred GNOME 2 and GNOME CLASSIC as it lets you do more things for utilities and developers etc

KDE4 DESKTOP

Presenters favourite.    Good for general user and developers of standalone apps.  Kubuntu has KDE as default. 

sudo apt-get install kde-full 

(500M download, 1.5GB unpacked!  Then choose display manager which is X-windows GUI)

KDE desktop has customisation.  Click on DESKTOP on top right and choose widgets.  Menu bar allows you to add.  (Eg has widget to monitor CPUs, SQP, Network, Calendar tied into google apps). Can right click on background to change wallpaper.  Can click on start icon to change settings and add widgets to desktop.  Can configure desktop effects.

Basic User Management

Can add accounts.    On Ubuntu simple :

System Settings > User ACccounts >   standard account cant run sudo.

On others:

> sudo adduser test_user

Can login as

su –test_user

sudo cat /etc/sudoers

add  to the sudoers.d file to allow sudo access

sudo vi /etc/sudoers

add test_user under root

Basic File and Directory Management

Use command line, or in Ubuntu can use windows

cd /

ls –al

pwd

chmod

chown

Run Windows Applications in Linux

Have to just try to run windows apps.  WINE (Wine is not emulator) provides apis and dll from windows – but not complete.

To install

sudo apt-get install wine     (big download)

configure wine

need to make a windows bucket:

wine firefox …    (the windows version)

winehq.org –shows compatible apps

OFFICE APPLICATIONS

Libre office and OpenOffice – similar to MS Office.  Can be saved in XML format that MS Office can read.  Better than the other way around.

Can open powerpoint etc fine.

Evolution suite – calendar, tasks, integrates into google apps.

Following are in all linux installs by default:

Abiword – simple word used in gnome

Evince –  document viewer

Gnumeric – simple spreadsheet

GAMING IN LINUX

Intel processors not good for gaming

Need ati graphics cards – it can also do multiple desktops

Most games are window based ..eg use wine  for World of Warcraft

Also third party configuration on top of wine called playonlinux.com  …then allows has specific window profile to optimise the game/apps to be installed, then run the game.

STEAM runs on Linux as well…can install onto Ubuntu fine and download linux games.  Native.