Ubuntu, another choice

Once upon a time, supercomputers used special vector model processors to achieve their remarkable speeds. Then, at the dawn of the 21st century, people began working out how to achieve record-breaking computer speed by linking hundreds or thousands of commercial microprocessors running Linux and connected with high-speed networking in MPP (massively parallel processor) arrays. The supercomputing world has never been the same. Today, Linux rules supercomputing. The latest " Top 500 supercomputer " list of the fastest computers on the planet makes that abundantly clear. Broken down by operating system, this latest ranking has 469 of the top 500 running one kind of Linux or another. To be exact, 391 are running their own house brand of Linux. Sixty-two are running some version of Novell's SUSE Linux , including such variants as UNICOS/lc and CNL (Compute Node Linux). Red Hat and its relatives, including CentOS , come in second with 16 supercomputers. As fo...

So, you have decided for one reason or another to give up Windows and switch to Linux. One of the problems is that most people don’t know how to accomplish this and those who do understand have already done. Human nature dictates that most people, once they learn how something is done become sensitized as to how hard it was to gain that knowledge. I decided to think back and then document exactly what one needs to do in order to migrate successfully from Windows to Ubuntu. When I say successfully I mean completely including getting flash and Java to work in Firefox, installing the most needed codecs for your Media Player files, MP3s and DVDs. Also perhaps setting email and for a good measure a few tips and ticks. During this guide I will be showing you how use what is provided by the default Ubuntu install and only installing minimal applications. I will not be showing you how to install what I think are the best applications for doing things, I’ll just be showing you ho...

If you're using Maverick Meerkat (Ubuntu 10.10) or an older distribution, Natty Narwhat is a whole new animal. I’m very happy with Ubuntu as a desktop operating system. I’ve used it for years with no significant issues. In fact, Ubuntu excels where other disributions fail. Even Linux arch rival Windows, is often left in the last century compared to the innovations perpetrated by the Canonical group. But what about Natty Narwhal? Is the hype worth the effort? I’d have to say, “Yes.” Although, I’m not 100 percent sold on Unity, I’m impressed with its boot speed, shutdown speed, and snappy performance. Oh, and there’s that little matter of The Launcher. This article describes my personal experiences with upgrading Ubuntu 10.10 to Ubuntu 11.04 via the Ubuntu automatic notification and online update method. Making the Evolutionary Leap from Meerkat to Narwhal

Why do some people choose to run Linux as their PC platform of choice while others opt instead for other ways of running their computing experiences? Is it market share, perceived ease of use, slick marketing overtures, users wanting to use what they already know? This list might explain why people might choose OS X or Windows. But what approach to computing (and life) prompts a person to use a Linux box on a daily basis? I’ll share my insights based on personal experiences and other observations accumulated over years of living the Linux lifestyle full time. Software buyer's remorse has gone M.I.A. I haven't spent my hard-earned income on software in years. I own one single (legal) copy of Windows XP Pro that I use for work purposes (software testing) in VirtualBox . Does this mean that I choose not to spend money on Linux then? Not at all. I do in fact, donate money to specific Linux-related projects on a regular basis. Full article here: Living the ...

We love a good live CD , but what if your favorite one doesn't quite have every application or tweak you need? Here's how to roll your own Ubuntu Live CD, with all the packages you want, and some nice customizations, to boot. The tool that we're going to use is called Reconstructor , which is a free webapp that lets you roll your own Ubuntu and Debian live CDs. We've mentioned Reconstructor in the past ; below is a step-by-step for using it. Getting Started The first step is to sign up for an account at Reconstructor . Click the Sign Up link and fill out the form that appears. Confirm your account by clicking on a link that will be emailed to you, and then log in. You'll be greeted by Reconstructor's main interface. To create your customized Ubuntu CD, click on the Create Project button in the left column. Fill out the basic information about your project. In our case, we're going to customize an Ubuntu 9.10 Live CD, to include some useful ...

This tutorial shows how you can set up an Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge. Ubuntu 11.10 will by default start the new Unity desktop which requires that your hardware supports 3D acceleration, however you can also switch to Unity 2D mode in the log on screen. If your hardware does not support 3D acceleration or you don't like Unity, you can still download the Ubuntu Classic GNOME desktop, what I will do later in this tutorial. I want to say first that this is not the only way of setting up such a system. There are many ways of achieving this goal but this is the way I take. I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you! The Perfect Desktop - Ubuntu...

While Evolution is a useful email client for Gnome desktop, it is just not as extensible and flexible as Thunderbird. For those who are facing unpleasant incidents with Evolution and wish to migrate to Thunderbird How To Migrate From Evolution To Thunderbird

Released today: version 11.10 codenamed the Oneiric Ocelot. The new Ubuntu release includes new technologies for the cloud, server and desktop users. "11.10 continues Ubuntu's proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution," Ubuntu Release Manager, Kate Stewart wrote in the official release announcement for Ubuntu 11.10. The 11.10 comes six months after the 11.04 Natty Narwhal release. Among the key new items in 11.04 is a tech preview of the OpenStack open source cloud platform . In the new 11.10 release, Ubuntu has made OpenStack a fully supported technology and is shifting to it as the basis for the Ubuntu Enteprise Cloud (UEC). Previously, Ubuntu leveraged Eucalyptus for UEC. Although Ubuntu is throwing its support behind OpenStack, Baker noted that existing Eucalyptus users can stick with that technology, if they so choose. Ubuntu 11.10 Ocelot Heads to the Cloud

Netbooks aren't the fastest computers, but they can be useful—as long as they're usable. If you want your netbook to work and feel like a real computer rather than a toy, I can't recommend Lubuntu enough—it makes my netbook feel like a whole new machine. I bought my netbook hoping it would be the perfect portable companion for those quick jobs when I'm out and about—like updating one of my posts, or touching base with my boss without using my phone. The problem is, those "quick" jobs seemed to take ages on the netbook. Starting up Firefox in Windows seemed to take forever, and forget about opening multiple tabs. Even on Ubuntu, everything moved a little more sluggish than I'd like. Sure, netbooks are always going to be a little bit slower, but when they move at the speed of molasses, it seems to defeat the entire purpose of having one. The LXDE desktop environment—the environment behind the Lubuntu variant of Ubuntu—aims to be a lightweight desktop that ...

A whole new world? A whole new computer? Those are some pretty epic promises coming from the folks at Canonical , especially since we've seen the most recent beta and Ubuntu 11.10 and, while its packed with welcome improvements over Natty , it's not exactly revolutionary. Still, we're excited that on October 13th the final release of Oneiric Ocelot will be hitting the web with an improved Dash that integrates search Lenses, new default apps, a spiffed-up app switcher and application syncing across multiple devices. There are plenty of other little tweaks and improvements that add polish to the popular Linux distribution -- more than we could possibly cover without inspiring a string of TLDR comments. If you're the adventurous type you can download the second beta now, but we suggest you wait till the timer at the source link reaches zero. If you want to spread the Gospel of Ubuntu you'll also find a printable flyer at the source with a QR code and tear-off URL str...

If your a Linux user who enjoys learning new things, I recommend taking a look at the following 20 must read HOW TOs and Guides I’ve gathered over the years. These documents are vital to both new and old Linux users… 20 Must Read HOWTOs and Guides for Linux

I regularly reformat my laptop. I do this when the latest Ubuntu release has major changes, such as the KDE4 upgrade and moving to ext4. I also do it after a change (or failure) of hard drive. This last time was the first time since switching to Evolution as my mail client. Imagine my surprise when I learned that just copying ~/.evolution wasn’t enough. In fact, it seemed to do nothing at all except copy my local mail folders. None of my email accounts were configured, or my settings. It turns out that all of the important settings are stored in gconf, everybody’s favourite bad-idea-from-Windows. The solution was simple: cd /path/to/backup/directory killall /usr/lib/libgconf2-4/gconfd-2 rsync -av --delete .evolution/ ~tyler/.evolution/ rsync -av --delete .gconf/apps/evolution/ ~/.gconf/apps/evolution/ That restored everything, including settings. Now if only the Thunderbird people would develop a decent addressbook editor (it really is a pig of late-90′s design), I could move. Restorin...

Chromebook prices start from $349. Can you make it cheaper ? Well, we have an answer for you. Trim Slice is a Tegra2 ARM Cortex-A9 “Chromebox” Starts at $199. Trimslice This is primarily for developers who wants build things on top of various operating systems including Chromium OS, Android and Ubuntu. However, if you want to try Chromium OS and have a monitor and keyboard & mice, this might be interesting for you. Chromium OS on Trimslice The device is rich in hardware support and will suit for many purposes. It even has two HDMI ports !! NVIDIA Tegra 2 @ 1 GHz and 1GB DDR RAM is what runs this nettop. So, anyone who ignored the Chromebook and fancied about Chromebox during the launch, this one is for you ! Chromeslice ! For specs and prices, click here . More pictures of Trimslice running Chromium OS, click here . via ChromeOSsite and trimslice.com

Following the great success of the 45 Best Freeware Design Programs and attending requests of more open source apps, here is a new extensive list of Open Source Graphic Programs that you may take into consideration for production use. There is a lot of technicalities when we talk about The Open Source movement, and we are not covering them here on detail, so please forgive with me if I am not being formal enough with all the terminology. You will find the name of the project, a lovely screenshot (who doesn’t love screenshots?), the Development Status (I’ve included from Beta to mature ones) and the supported platforms. Please notice that some of the projects may have restricted license use; before using a particular software, check first if the intended use is allowed. Most of this list allows commercial use, but that may or may not change in the future, so check first with the site before using it. As I said before, maybe they won’t replace your commercial apps, but ...

The Latest version of the most popular open-source Operating system forPC's is out. The new version adds some very interesting UI changes

First of all you are recommended to remove the older version of firefox(probably 3.x). In synaptic package manager search for firefox and mark the box for removal.Wait for few minutes until the package is removed; then follow the steps given below - step #1 : Open Synaptic Package Manager and add the Firefox PPA to the software resources. Go to Settings->Repositories->Other Software and click on Add button; enter this ppa address - ppa:mozillateam/firefox-stable step #2 : Click on reload button to update the software Repository information. step #3 : Now,search for ‘firefox 4′ and mark the check box for installation. step #4 : Next, click on Apply button to begin installation. Then wait for the installation to complete.That’s all! From: Firefox 4 for ubuntu 10.10

This quick tutorial will show you how to easily install Google Earth in Ubuntu Maverick or Lucid. If you’re currently using Google Earth in Windows and want to do the same in Ubuntu, then this tutorial will show you how to install it. There are many ways to go about installing Google Earth, but this is how to like to do it. Getting started: To get started, go to Applications –> Ubuntu Software Center. Then search and install the package below: googleearth-package After installing, go to Applications –> Accessories –> Terminal. Then copy and paste the line and press Enter: sudo make-googleearth-package --force After downloading all Google Earth Packages, go to Places –> Home Folder. There you’ll see Google Earth Deb package. Double click it to open Software Center. In Software Center, click ‘Install’ to begin installing. After installing, go to Applications –> Internet –> Google Earth. Enjoy! If Google Earth will not launch after installing, go...

Linux is fast. That's why 90%+ of the Top 500 fastest supercomputers run it. What some people don't realize is that Linux is much better at delivering speed for servers and supercomputers than it is on the desktop. That was by design. But over the last few years, there's been more interest in delivering fast desktop performance. Now there's a Linux kernel patch that may give you a faster, much faster, desktop experience. The patch by Linux kernel developer Mike Galbraith adds a mere 233 lines of code to the kernel's scheduler, but it cuts desktop latency down by a factor of ten. That's impressive — it's almost like getting a new computer. In the Linux Kernel Mailing List, Linus Torvalds himself praised the performance boost he gets from the patch. Torvalds wrote: I'm also very happy with just what it does to interactive performance. Admittedly, my "testcase" is really trivial (reading email in a web-browser, sc...

THE BEST DESCRIPTION OF HOW TO DO THIS ON THE WEB! I have to admit I spent a few hrs screwing with Evolution to try to make it work with GoDaddy to no avail. I followed this word for word et voila! ALL GOOD! To Set Up Evolution From the Edit menu, select Preferences . Select Mail Accounts , and click Add(+) . In the Account Management screen, enter a name to identify this account and click Forward . In the Identity screen, enter your full name, email address and any optional information you want to include and then click Forward . In the Receiving Email screen, select POP from the Server Type list and complete the following fields. When you are finished click Forward . Under Configuration , in the Server field, enter pop.secureserver.net as your incoming server name. In the User Name field, enter your email address. From the Authentication Type list, select Password . In the Receiving Options screen, set your preferences and click Forward . In t...