Simple safe-upgrade script to be run from root's crontab -
Reasoning - I was tired of the way the updater was in Ubuntu recently, that whole pop-under thing is annoying and counter productive. So I wrote a script that safe-update's the system and doesn't need a sudo user to install the updates.
Now, I would not advise using this on a server or mission critical desktop. Who knows what could happen even with only safe-update called...
Setup is near the bottom, read this first.
What update.sh does:
$now is the current date in unix time
$check_date is the current date minus one week
(actually 6 days 23 hours 59 minutes and 45 seconds)
Fist step is:
It checks to see if this script has been run before via a if file exists in bash
if yes then:
It checks to see if current date minus one week is greater than or equal to the last update. So if this was last run over a week ago it will start.
If not it was last updated withing a week it will exit. This _should_ not happen, but is a built in 'failsafe'.
If the file does not exist:
It creates the .update_log and goes on its merry way updating.
What is doens't do:
This script does NOT reboot the machine when done, this was done on purpose for the user(s). This way when they are done for the day they and shutdown the computer will be up to date the next time it is turned on.
WARNING:
Firefox will act crazy if not restarted after updating! This may be covered in the next revision.
Setup:
1. Copy between the CUTs to /root/update.sh via vim/vi/nano/gedit etc. (Yes you need to be root)
2. chmod +x /root/update.sh
3. su root (if you sudo'd in)
4. #crontab -e
5. Setup the crontab the way you like it
5a. Here's mine 30 16 * * 2 /root/update.sh
6. :wq <-- to save the crontab
You may also want crontab to shutdown or reboot the machine after, but that is up to you.
//----------------CUT--------------------------//
#!/bin/bash
# update.sh - DTM
# Get root's paths (as root 'grep bin /root/*')
# this will give the correct shell also
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:"${PATH}"
PATH=/usr/sbin:"${PATH}"
PATH=/sbin:"${PATH}"
# Check last update time
#-----------------------
# Check if file exists get information on last modify time or just create one
# Define vars using Unix time - makes it easier
now=`date +%s`
check_date=$(($now-604785))
# See if file exists
if [ -f /root/.update_log ];
then
last_update=`cat /root/.update_log`
if [ $check_date -ge $last_update ];
then
echo $now > /root/.update_log && aptitude update && aptitude -y safe-upgrade
else
exit
fi # //END COMPARE LOGS
else
echo $now > /root/.update_log && aptitude update && aptitude -y safe-upgrade
fi # //END MAIN IF
//-------------------------CUT--------------//
Showing posts with label Linux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Linux. Show all posts
3.7.09
Another run-in with Windows Vista
Where to begin? Well, I am moving back to New York after nine years of living no closer then 9.5 hours by car. With this move comes the oh so fun job hunting. As many of you know, unless you live under a rock, the job market flat out stinks at this point in time. I have applied for 27 jobs and have heard back from one! Anyhow, this whole resume thing and it having to be in the lovely proprietary Microsoft Word format 97% of the time, has gotten a little unruly in OpenOffice. Don't get me wrong OpenOffice is great, when it is not deleting embedded tables in doc files as it is in 3.1, I use it every day for normal document, PDF, spreadsheet application. But, the table dropping was killing me, so I said screw it and installed my copy of Windows Vista Business x32 that came with my Thinkpad.
First off the install was quick, on the 20GB partition I allowed it, but the updates took over 2 hours to download and install! Mind you I do have a 6MB pipe and they were downloaded in less than 10 minutes. Installing should not have taken over an hour and a half on a dual core T7100 1.8Ghz intel with 4GB of ram. After my wait was over sometime around midnight I installed the much needed Antivirus and went to bed, finally.
This morning I installed my Copy of Office 2007, applied service pack one and was on my way to my normal tasks. Checking email, looking at job boards, etc. I soon realized my four legged friend needed to take a little trip outside. So, I closed the lid on my Thinkpad, like I did last night, and took him for a walk. Needless to say I was distracted for a good 3 hours, I happened to be walking into the kitchen when I noticed my amber battery light was on and the little green moon was not! I panicked a little because I have my good battery(7 cell) in and not the little 4 cell that came with it, these are not cheap and I try not to run them below 25% unless it is an absolute necessity.
So now that you are up to date on the on the happenings, I suppose I can show you the picture of what the desktop looked like when I opened the lid.
Lovely heh? Less than 14 hours installed and I get my first BSOD. Someone again tell me why I don't use Microsoft products? As of right now I am only at 31% of my battery, thank you Windows Vista Experience you have made my day and busy weekend for that matter, even better.
I am off to install Ubuntu Linux on the other 60GBs of my hard drive, guess I should have just dealt with VirtualBox OSE's lack of USB support in the free version, thanks a lot Sun! I blame you too.
And by the way I did click the "Find a Solution" button, you know what I got? Nothing....
Thanks again....
First off the install was quick, on the 20GB partition I allowed it, but the updates took over 2 hours to download and install! Mind you I do have a 6MB pipe and they were downloaded in less than 10 minutes. Installing should not have taken over an hour and a half on a dual core T7100 1.8Ghz intel with 4GB of ram. After my wait was over sometime around midnight I installed the much needed Antivirus and went to bed, finally.
This morning I installed my Copy of Office 2007, applied service pack one and was on my way to my normal tasks. Checking email, looking at job boards, etc. I soon realized my four legged friend needed to take a little trip outside. So, I closed the lid on my Thinkpad, like I did last night, and took him for a walk. Needless to say I was distracted for a good 3 hours, I happened to be walking into the kitchen when I noticed my amber battery light was on and the little green moon was not! I panicked a little because I have my good battery(7 cell) in and not the little 4 cell that came with it, these are not cheap and I try not to run them below 25% unless it is an absolute necessity.
So now that you are up to date on the on the happenings, I suppose I can show you the picture of what the desktop looked like when I opened the lid.
Lovely heh? Less than 14 hours installed and I get my first BSOD. Someone again tell me why I don't use Microsoft products? As of right now I am only at 31% of my battery, thank you Windows Vista Experience you have made my day and busy weekend for that matter, even better.
I am off to install Ubuntu Linux on the other 60GBs of my hard drive, guess I should have just dealt with VirtualBox OSE's lack of USB support in the free version, thanks a lot Sun! I blame you too.
And by the way I did click the "Find a Solution" button, you know what I got? Nothing....
Thanks again....
20.6.09
Centos - Mounting NTFS drives
I was brushing up on my CentOS 5.3 skills and needed access to an older NTFS formatted usb drive. I forgot that CentOS doesn't include NTFS-3g support natively, doh!
So here are the few simple commands needed to get it installed:
1. Open a terminal window
2. Su - (or Sudo -s)
3. yum install fuse fuse-ntfs-3g dkms dkms-fuse
4. mkdir /media/win
5. /sbin/fdisk -l <-- to find your drive
6. mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdb1 /media/win
Bam you are done!
So here are the few simple commands needed to get it installed:
1. Open a terminal window
2. Su - (or Sudo -s)
3. yum install fuse fuse-ntfs-3g dkms dkms-fuse
4. mkdir /media/win
5. /sbin/fdisk -l <-- to find your drive
6. mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdb1 /media/win
Bam you are done!
19.5.09
Oh no windows Viruses on my Linux box!!
This was supremely entertaining.
My Linux box was infected with Windows viruses oh no! As you can see I downloaded the install.exe to help me keep my system clean!. ;)
The not so funny part is that the that the detection @ VirusTotal was 11/40 or 27.5% <--- yuck!
My Linux box was infected with Windows viruses oh no! As you can see I downloaded the install.exe to help me keep my system clean!. ;)
The not so funny part is that the that the detection @ VirusTotal was 11/40 or 27.5% <--- yuck!
30.12.08
Ubuntu 8.04 dbus and console kit crash
This has been happening randomly since our switch to the lovely Ubuntu server platform. The open bugs at launchpad were a good starting point for information.
What seems to be happening is that the dbus service is crashing and this is evident because the gnome-power-manager service is a screamer and depends on it, so after we restart dbus(#/etc/init.d/dbus restart) two instances of console-kit-daemon are running and fighting with each other for control.
The simple solution was to kill one of them:
$ps aux | grep console-kit-daemon and sudo kill xxxx
or use:
$pidof console-kit-daemon then pick one and kill it or script it to be killed.
We will see if this helps.....
What seems to be happening is that the dbus service is crashing and this is evident because the gnome-power-manager service is a screamer and depends on it, so after we restart dbus(#/etc/init.d/dbus restart) two instances of console-kit-daemon are running and fighting with each other for control.
The simple solution was to kill one of them:
$ps aux | grep console-kit-daemon and sudo kill xxxx
or use:
$pidof console-kit-daemon then pick one and kill it or script it to be killed.
We will see if this helps.....
16.12.08
Latest Midori on the Ubuntu Intrepid eee
If you are like myself and have installed Midori as your default browser in Intrepid you will want to add this PPA.
To do so open a terminal and type:
$sudo mousepad /etc/apt/sources.list
Scroll to the bottom paste in the above ppa save.
Update and upgrade and you have a much more stable Midori/Webkit
(Be warned with some issues with Google's use of java though)
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/webkit-team/ubuntu intrepid main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/webkit-team/ubuntu intrepid main
To do so open a terminal and type:
$sudo mousepad /etc/apt/sources.list
Scroll to the bottom paste in the above ppa save.
Update and upgrade and you have a much more stable Midori/Webkit
(Be warned with some issues with Google's use of java though)
23.11.08
Installing Ubuntu 8.10 with Xfce4 on a Asus eee 700 2G Surf
Here I will cover the steps I used to get a cheapo Asus 2G Surf off of Xandros and on Ubuntu 8.10 with minimal system "sluggishness"
Download the Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Alternate installation CD from your closest/fastest mirror(IMPORTANT!)
Burn/Copy the ISO to a usable medium for the eee.
I used unetbootin to write the ISO to a 1GB Sandisk thumb drive from Linux, it should be the same using Windows.
Boot the eee using the usb flash drive by pressing esc during the POST process and choosing the medium you setup in the previous step.
When the Ubuntu(unetbootin) menu is displayed select "Text mode install" - This installs only the bare minimum of needed files leaving out the "fluff"
Partitioning:
I am going to say right now that some are not going to agree with my choices of file systems and/or partitions, but this is what worked the best for me and I am not to worried about that old 1GB SD card I barely ever use dying.
My layout is as follows:
Internal Solid State Disk -
/ ROOT is the entire 2GB of the SSD using EXT2
(This is a good idea in order to keep the non-replaceable SSD in good shape, you can read more about journaling file systems and the effect on solid state storage by doing a quick search of the web)
Additional SD card - This where we thrash away at a cheap 1GB SD card
/SWAP is 512 of the SD card (some say this is optional, I disagree)
/TMP is 256 of the SD card on the EXT3 file system (Journaling FS)
/HOME is the remainder of the SD card on EXT3 also
(I am religious in my backups so I am not worried about the SD card going kaput and losing my home directory. If you are not a backup person you may want to become one just in case or not keep anything super important on the eee.)
**I was plugged in to the Internet to get the latest updates and to make the most of my time**
Answer all the questions(...)
Follow all the prompts(...)
After the setup completes in about 45 minutes to an hour we can move on.
We are now going to install a kernel specifically designed for the Asus eee series of netbooks.
To install the new kernel follow the instructions at array.org
They are simple and concise.
Before I rebooted I removed the splash and quiet option from the grub boot options ($sudo vim /boot/grub/menu.lst) so I could see if any errors flew by, then rebooted ($sudo reboot).
Now you have a lean mean Ubuntu 8.10 install with a kernel designed for a eee pc, but we are not done yet.
$sudo aptitude install xfce4 gnome-power-manager
This will take a few minutes, I use the gnome power manager only because there is not a native Xfce program yet.
Keep your eyes here though it looks to be soon.
Now that Xfce is installed lets start it
$startx
**Note you will have to setup xfce to your liking and add the menu/applets of your choosing as it is barren**
A good place to start is here: http://www.xfce.org/about/tour
A quick setup for this tutorial:
Right click the panel(little grey area) and select "Customize Panel" under position select fixed position and in the drop down box select "Full Width" then "Close".
Right click an empty area of the panel and select "Add New Item" scroll down to the bottom and select "Xfce Menu" set it up to your liking and then do the same for "System Tray" and "Task List"(after you add this you will see the gpm and you can edit your settings from there)
If you have any real issues you cannot overcome leave a message here or fire off a quick search on the internet
Now lets install a web browser. Go to the XFCE menu -> Accessories -> Terminal
$sudo aptitude install midori
I like this browser due to the small footprint. Granted it is not as mature as Firefox, but it is webkit based and under heavy development(codeword for a little buggy). You may choose to install firefox instead for surefire compatibility but beware you _will_ notice the difference.
Remember we have not installed the default Xubuntu install so we have no login screen right now. If you feel you don't need one or you just want to show off in front of your friends leave it at the bash login and use startx. If not, you can choose to install GDM(since we met most of the dependencies with the power manager install) or use the old school login manager xdm(personal favorite)
#aptitude install xdm(optional)
Now we have a base system, power management and a login manager. All that is left is network management.
You can go for broke and install network manager, but I try to leave out as much gnome as possible. As such I install WICD
$sudo aptitude install wicd(optional)
Now just add your networks double check your power settings and go for gold!
I have found this setup to be fast and reliable, with some exception for minor Midori issues.
Have fun and feel free to leave any questions or comments you may have.
Download the Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Alternate installation CD from your closest/fastest mirror(IMPORTANT!)
Burn/Copy the ISO to a usable medium for the eee.
I used unetbootin to write the ISO to a 1GB Sandisk thumb drive from Linux, it should be the same using Windows.
Boot the eee using the usb flash drive by pressing esc during the POST process and choosing the medium you setup in the previous step.
When the Ubuntu(unetbootin) menu is displayed select "Text mode install" - This installs only the bare minimum of needed files leaving out the "fluff"
Partitioning:
I am going to say right now that some are not going to agree with my choices of file systems and/or partitions, but this is what worked the best for me and I am not to worried about that old 1GB SD card I barely ever use dying.
My layout is as follows:
Internal Solid State Disk -
/ ROOT is the entire 2GB of the SSD using EXT2
(This is a good idea in order to keep the non-replaceable SSD in good shape, you can read more about journaling file systems and the effect on solid state storage by doing a quick search of the web)
Additional SD card - This where we thrash away at a cheap 1GB SD card
/SWAP is 512 of the SD card (some say this is optional, I disagree)
/TMP is 256 of the SD card on the EXT3 file system (Journaling FS)
/HOME is the remainder of the SD card on EXT3 also
(I am religious in my backups so I am not worried about the SD card going kaput and losing my home directory. If you are not a backup person you may want to become one just in case or not keep anything super important on the eee.)
**I was plugged in to the Internet to get the latest updates and to make the most of my time**
Answer all the questions(...)
Follow all the prompts(...)
After the setup completes in about 45 minutes to an hour we can move on.
We are now going to install a kernel specifically designed for the Asus eee series of netbooks.
To install the new kernel follow the instructions at array.org
They are simple and concise.
Before I rebooted I removed the splash and quiet option from the grub boot options ($sudo vim /boot/grub/menu.lst) so I could see if any errors flew by, then rebooted ($sudo reboot).
Now you have a lean mean Ubuntu 8.10 install with a kernel designed for a eee pc, but we are not done yet.
$sudo aptitude install xfce4 gnome-power-manager
This will take a few minutes, I use the gnome power manager only because there is not a native Xfce program yet.
Keep your eyes here though it looks to be soon.
Now that Xfce is installed lets start it
$startx
**Note you will have to setup xfce to your liking and add the menu/applets of your choosing as it is barren**
A good place to start is here: http://www.xfce.org/about/tour
A quick setup for this tutorial:
Right click the panel(little grey area) and select "Customize Panel" under position select fixed position and in the drop down box select "Full Width" then "Close".
Right click an empty area of the panel and select "Add New Item" scroll down to the bottom and select "Xfce Menu" set it up to your liking and then do the same for "System Tray" and "Task List"(after you add this you will see the gpm and you can edit your settings from there)
If you have any real issues you cannot overcome leave a message here or fire off a quick search on the internet
Now lets install a web browser. Go to the XFCE menu -> Accessories -> Terminal
$sudo aptitude install midori
I like this browser due to the small footprint. Granted it is not as mature as Firefox, but it is webkit based and under heavy development(codeword for a little buggy). You may choose to install firefox instead for surefire compatibility but beware you _will_ notice the difference.
Remember we have not installed the default Xubuntu install so we have no login screen right now. If you feel you don't need one or you just want to show off in front of your friends leave it at the bash login and use startx. If not, you can choose to install GDM(since we met most of the dependencies with the power manager install) or use the old school login manager xdm(personal favorite)
#aptitude install xdm(optional)
Now we have a base system, power management and a login manager. All that is left is network management.
You can go for broke and install network manager, but I try to leave out as much gnome as possible. As such I install WICD
$sudo aptitude install wicd(optional)
Now just add your networks double check your power settings and go for gold!
I have found this setup to be fast and reliable, with some exception for minor Midori issues.
Have fun and feel free to leave any questions or comments you may have.
15.11.08
Acer Aspire One - Windows version, OOPS!
Behold the poster child for Linux on Netbooks.
This was shot at my local Staples on 15 November, 2008.
Here is a close up of the screen. I love the part about the CD-ROM.
*Sorry about the quality, it is a camera phone what can I say.
**And this display model is not for sale apparently
This was shot at my local Staples on 15 November, 2008.
Here is a close up of the screen. I love the part about the CD-ROM.
*Sorry about the quality, it is a camera phone what can I say.
**And this display model is not for sale apparently
30.10.08
Ubuntu 8.10 Released.. With issues...
I think I am just p-o'd that Canonical released Ubuntu 8.10 with a bug that affects me in a major way. This one:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/264789
How can you release a distribution this day in age and have severe issues with USB storage of all things? UGH!
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/264789
How can you release a distribution this day in age and have severe issues with USB storage of all things? UGH!
17.10.08
The 'e1000 nasty' firmware fix announced via Suse
For those affected, there has been a message sent to the lkml in regards to fixing corrupted firmware.
See here:
http://lkml.org/lkml/2008/10/17/214
See here:
http://lkml.org/lkml/2008/10/17/214
6.9.08
gnu Wallpaper
Simple gnu wallpaper created with gimp.
It is the gnu Alternate logo and a simple black background designed to allow ample space for conky monitoring.
It is 1280x800 and is covered by GPLv3.
Added:
It is the gnu Alternate logo and a simple black background designed to allow ample space for conky monitoring.
It is 1280x800 and is covered by GPLv3.
Added:
7.8.08
Some Xubuntu (Xfce) tweaks
I have been using Xubuntu for around a month now on my ThinkPad and thought I would share some of the tweaks/fixes I use.
This is a very tip of the iceberg post so if you have questions please fell free to ask.
Xubuntu install "must haves" -
Aptitude install the following(keep in mind this is my notebook)
Powertop, ACPItool, htop, rar, OOo Writer, xubuntu-restricted-extras
Fixes:
Mount NTFS drives at boot
Create mount point and place it in /media
ex. sudo mkdir /media/yourMount
List partitions with 'sudo fdisk -l' select the partition to mount
ex. /dev/sda5 5100 9729 37187608+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
Edit /etc/fstab as super user and add lines for your ntfs partion(s)
/dev/sda5 /media/yourMount ntfs-3g defaults,umask=007,gid=46 0 1
Reboot or mount -a
Unbind Windows key as a modifier
Create a file called .Xmodmap in your home directory.
vim .Xmodmap
Add this line:
remove mod4 = Super_L
*Same applies for Super_R also if you have it.
Go to Settings -> Settings Manager -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts tab
Create a new "Theme" Give it a name and and now map the Super_L to the shortcut of your liking. I use it for a Terminal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If I get some more time I will put up some more information.
--Dan
This is a very tip of the iceberg post so if you have questions please fell free to ask.
Xubuntu install "must haves" -
Aptitude install the following(keep in mind this is my notebook)
Powertop, ACPItool, htop, rar, OOo Writer, xubuntu-restricted-extras
Fixes:
Mount NTFS drives at boot
Create mount point and place it in /media
ex. sudo mkdir /media/yourMount
List partitions with 'sudo fdisk -l' select the partition to mount
ex. /dev/sda5 5100 9729 37187608+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
Edit /etc/fstab as super user and add lines for your ntfs partion(s)
/dev/sda5 /media/yourMount ntfs-3g defaults,umask=007,gid=46 0 1
Reboot or mount -a
Unbind Windows key as a modifier
Create a file called .Xmodmap in your home directory.
vim .Xmodmap
Add this line:
remove mod4 = Super_L
*Same applies for Super_R also if you have it.
Go to Settings -> Settings Manager -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts tab
Create a new "Theme" Give it a name and and now map the Super_L to the shortcut of your liking. I use it for a Terminal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If I get some more time I will put up some more information.
--Dan
2.7.08
Pidgin 2.4.3 released - Fixes ICQ issue
Great job to the Pidgin maintainers for a quick response to the ICQ issues reported yesterday.
Downloads for version 2.4.3 are available @ http://www.Pidgin.im
Downloads for version 2.4.3 are available @ http://www.Pidgin.im
1.7.08
ICQ users left in the dark
As is being reported around the net 3rd party ICQ clients Pidgin and Kopete are are stuck ICQ-less until patches get merged into the systems. Pidgin is affected in the Linux and Windows world, fixes are available but to my knowledge these are only temporary or proposed and not anything official.
Ubuntu temp fixes: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pidgin/+bug/244591
Windows temp fixes: http://developer.pidgin.im/attachment/ticket/6220/liboscar.zip
You have to love unannounced protocol changes! :)
Ubuntu temp fixes: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pidgin/+bug/244591
Windows temp fixes: http://developer.pidgin.im/attachment/ticket/6220/liboscar.zip
You have to love unannounced protocol changes! :)
7.6.08
Linux Power information
Striving to be Green is great, running Green in the Linux world is a bit of a hassle but can be done.
I don't have the time to explain in great detail, but I am going to provide some links to help you on your quest for a "Greener Linux"
Great write up on the usage of CPU-Freq utils:
http://polishlinux.org/linux/debian/green-pcs-cpu-frequency-scaling-in-linux/
Thinkpad Linux mailing list- An valuable resource for those with Thinkpads / Ideapads && Linux
http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-thinkpad
Thinkwiki - Another great resource for Lenovo/IBM notebooks and Linux:
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki
Less Watts - Saving power with Linux and Intel:
http://www.lesswatts.org/
PowerTop Mailing List:
http://www.bughost.org/mailman/listinfo/power
Hopefully those links will keep you busy for a bit and help you reduce YOUR footprint on the world...
I don't have the time to explain in great detail, but I am going to provide some links to help you on your quest for a "Greener Linux"
Great write up on the usage of CPU-Freq utils:
http://polishlinux.org/linux/debian/green-pcs-cpu-frequency-scaling-in-linux/
Thinkpad Linux mailing list- An valuable resource for those with Thinkpads / Ideapads && Linux
http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-thinkpad
Thinkwiki - Another great resource for Lenovo/IBM notebooks and Linux:
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki
Less Watts - Saving power with Linux and Intel:
http://www.lesswatts.org/
PowerTop Mailing List:
http://www.bughost.org/mailman/listinfo/power
Hopefully those links will keep you busy for a bit and help you reduce YOUR footprint on the world...
3.5.08
Have I found it?
Well, I think I have found the Linux flavor for my R61 Thinkpad.
I have tried:
Version of Linux / Reason(s) for not keeping on my notebook
Debian based-
1. Ubuntu 7.10 and 8.04 - the Ubuntu guys/community has done a great job of making Linux a more user friendly distro than most. Out of the box most everything works without a hitch this is great! But, I need more battery life than 2 hours which was the maximum I was able to obtain with Ubuntu tweaked with Powertop and all un-needed services swithced off.
2. Debian Etch - The tried and true base for most things *nix. But, I didn't have the time or the energy to manually configure everything that I needed to configure. For example the screen resolution, Wifi card and Suspend to Ram.
3. ParsiX - This little up and comer from Iran is a very nice "niche" linux. Only issue with this distribution is the use of Xorg 7.2 and the "bug" with the Lenovo screens. Whatever I tried to fix it with just would not give me the use of my entire screen.
Redhat based -
4. Centos 5.1 - It truly is wonderful that Redhat, even though they don't want to delve into the desktop arena are allowing the source to be put out for free "as is" this allows many people to use Centos as a highly reliable server for years to come. With many having great luck on older hardware and desktops. But for a newer notebook this is just flat out not the distro, I am not knocking it at all it is awesome and I still use it for server purposes but not for my R61. The Suspend to Ram, Suspend to Disk, Wifi are not able to be used without recompiling a newer kernel from scratch 2.6.18 just cant cut it these days.
5. Fedora - This is great if you are looking for cutting edge low life cycle Linux fun, but if you are looking for support longer than 13 months you are in the wrong place. There is a great wiki entry in regards to this, and that in and of itself is one of the few reasons I have to say nay to Fedora.
Novell/Suse -
6. OpenSuse 10.3 - This is/was my favorite distro as I have used Suse on and off since Suse7 and loved it. But the ports that seems to be made for the Suse SLED 10.1 that is shipped with R61's never seemed to make it into the 10.3 tree in time for me to be able to deal with. I really hated giving this one up but the lack of battery life and the screen resolution "bug" shared with Parsix made me switch.
Mandriva(Mandrake) -
7. Wow! I was always gun shy of a distro that asked you to pay for Linux. But after trying to free version I may deviate from that path. Everything works, less the Opek Finger print scanner but that will come in time. Add the availability or "Laptop" kernels for power savings and I am SOLD!
Granted I have not tried Slackware or Gentoo, maybe one day.
More to follow later.....
I have tried:
Version of Linux / Reason(s) for not keeping on my notebook
Debian based-
1. Ubuntu 7.10 and 8.04 - the Ubuntu guys/community has done a great job of making Linux a more user friendly distro than most. Out of the box most everything works without a hitch this is great! But, I need more battery life than 2 hours which was the maximum I was able to obtain with Ubuntu tweaked with Powertop and all un-needed services swithced off.
2. Debian Etch - The tried and true base for most things *nix. But, I didn't have the time or the energy to manually configure everything that I needed to configure. For example the screen resolution, Wifi card and Suspend to Ram.
3. ParsiX - This little up and comer from Iran is a very nice "niche" linux. Only issue with this distribution is the use of Xorg 7.2 and the "bug" with the Lenovo screens. Whatever I tried to fix it with just would not give me the use of my entire screen.
Redhat based -
4. Centos 5.1 - It truly is wonderful that Redhat, even though they don't want to delve into the desktop arena are allowing the source to be put out for free "as is" this allows many people to use Centos as a highly reliable server for years to come. With many having great luck on older hardware and desktops. But for a newer notebook this is just flat out not the distro, I am not knocking it at all it is awesome and I still use it for server purposes but not for my R61. The Suspend to Ram, Suspend to Disk, Wifi are not able to be used without recompiling a newer kernel from scratch 2.6.18 just cant cut it these days.
5. Fedora - This is great if you are looking for cutting edge low life cycle Linux fun, but if you are looking for support longer than 13 months you are in the wrong place. There is a great wiki entry in regards to this, and that in and of itself is one of the few reasons I have to say nay to Fedora.
Novell/Suse -
6. OpenSuse 10.3 - This is/was my favorite distro as I have used Suse on and off since Suse7 and loved it. But the ports that seems to be made for the Suse SLED 10.1 that is shipped with R61's never seemed to make it into the 10.3 tree in time for me to be able to deal with. I really hated giving this one up but the lack of battery life and the screen resolution "bug" shared with Parsix made me switch.
Mandriva(Mandrake) -
7. Wow! I was always gun shy of a distro that asked you to pay for Linux. But after trying to free version I may deviate from that path. Everything works, less the Opek Finger print scanner but that will come in time. Add the availability or "Laptop" kernels for power savings and I am SOLD!
Granted I have not tried Slackware or Gentoo, maybe one day.
More to follow later.....
1.5.08
XP SP3 and the SPIN!
As everyone in the world now knows Microsoft has delayed SP3 for Windows XP, until it fixes an issue with interoperability in relation to its own Dynamics Retail Management Software. I was curious as to how many companies use this software and in the last few days looked at every store I went into and to my surprise none were using it. Not even the dry cleaners...
Is this a ploy to to push Vista into our faces and onto our computers? I don't feel this is the case as they have also pulled Vista SP1 from auto installation, but not manual download. I am thinking larger issue than DRMs one which they don't want to explain. But what is it? A backdoor? A severe kernel vulnerability? Who knows, all I have to say is:
*Conspiracy theorists unite!*
I do have it installed and running on my notebook. And my box hasn't been Pwned, yet....
Is this a ploy to to push Vista into our faces and onto our computers? I don't feel this is the case as they have also pulled Vista SP1 from auto installation, but not manual download. I am thinking larger issue than DRMs one which they don't want to explain. But what is it? A backdoor? A severe kernel vulnerability? Who knows, all I have to say is:
*Conspiracy theorists unite!*
I do have it
23.2.08
Trying Vista SP1
Well with all the talk of Windows Vista and its failure to claim the "fame" on the desktop, I thought it fitting to give it another chance on my "new" ThinkPad R61.
As I have been a Microsoft Beta Guinea pig for a few years I have had access to the Service Pack for about a week now. Until today I had no desire to run it at all, to be honest I was just bored. So here goes;
Installation was very fast, I was done in roughly 30 minutes. Base install no special software from Lenovo mind you. Most everything worked right from the start.
I think Microsoft figured out what I have thought was the biggest obstacle of an install for years, having an active internet connection first, being if I have a wireless card I more than likely will not plug in during my install why should I? This really irritates me in Linux BTW.
Things I have noticed that don't work, IBM Powermanager, On Screen Display, and the battery life is dismal at best.....
Maybe more if I keep it installed, this is doubtful though.
As I have been a Microsoft Beta Guinea pig for a few years I have had access to the Service Pack for about a week now. Until today I had no desire to run it at all, to be honest I was just bored. So here goes;
Installation was very fast, I was done in roughly 30 minutes. Base install no special software from Lenovo mind you. Most everything worked right from the start.
I think Microsoft figured out what I have thought was the biggest obstacle of an install for years, having an active internet connection first, being if I have a wireless card I more than likely will not plug in during my install why should I? This really irritates me in Linux BTW.
Things I have noticed that don't work, IBM Powermanager, On Screen Display, and the battery life is dismal at best.....
Maybe more if I keep it installed, this is doubtful though.
16.12.07
Fedora information linkage
This is really just a note to myself in order to keep track of these links, but others may find them useful also.
Fedora Service(s) info:
http://dnmouse.webs.com/servicesinf8.htm
http://www.mjmwired.net/resources/mjm-services-f8.html
Fedora Service(s) info:
http://dnmouse.webs.com/servicesinf8.htm
http://www.mjmwired.net/resources/mjm-services-f8.html
1.12.07
Beware of malicious Linux commands from "helpers"
Recently there have been a few malicious commands posted at the Ubuntu forums directed at "helping" new users. So if you are thinking about the switch to linux or even trying it out, beware as usual on the internet. Here is the link to the post at the Ubuntu forums about this:
http://ubuntuforums.org/announcement.php?a=54
I have not seen this at the Fedora or Centos forums but be on the lookout in any regards.
http://ubuntuforums.org/announcement.php?a=54
I have not seen this at the Fedora or Centos forums but be on the lookout in any regards.
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