GeekTimeLinux

Several years ago, when I was just starting to use Linux, I remember getting a SUSE machine working and I was quite proud. My second big install was Red Hat and once it was working, I thought I ruled the world. Things were a little different then, not as much automated install…more hands on.

My ego was crushed when I attempted to install Debian. After a few failed attempts, I admitted defeat and went right back to SUSE.

Since that time, I have run numerous Linux distributions including all of the popular Debian based distros, SUSE, Fedora and a host of others. It has been fun and educational (to say the least).

The other night, I had to try Debian again. This time, I would download Debian 4.0 and attempt a net install on my old Athlon 1200. My hope was that I could install the basic Desktop software and find anything else I needed either through Apt-Get or Synaptic (really both one and the same, however the GUI is nice).

Downloading a 160M .iso is truly a piece-of-cake and burning it to disk was so quick, I felt that I was missing part of the distribution. Once burned, I booted the old machine with the CD and I immediately got a chill. There was the DEBIAN logo and I harkened back to the troubles of several years ago. Knowing that things in this big Linux World just keep getting better, I moved on.

This installation had much the same feel of a UBUNTU install, with the same questions in the same order. Finally, the system asks which mirror you want to finish your install. First, let me say that you can stop at this step and have the barest of minimum installs or you can proceed and do as I did…use the default mirror.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ever have one of those weeks? You know the kind where nothing you are trying to do is working! That has been my past week. The project was getting UBUNTU EDGY working at 1280×1024 resolution the native resolution of my LCD monitor.

The project began when I lost a video card and when the replacement arrived, I decided to reinstall Edgy. This started my “stumbling down stairs” phase. My first clue that this was not going to be easy was the forums are full of people attempting to get 1280×1024 as native resolution for their LCD monitor.

When I found that this was not as simple as I thought, I began chasing solutions on the forums. I edited the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file so many times, I thought there would be no recovery. I downloaded drivers, installed drivers, had the video disappear and after 10 installs ( to correct the loss of video) I finally decided that it was time for me to try something I hadn’t tried…a text based install!

I remember doing several text based installs in Debian and why not Edgy? Let me state here, text based does not mean difficult, it just requires a little more work that is straight forward and simple.

Booting the system from CD, I hit F4 immediately and selected 1280×1024 as resolution. I then selected TEXT MODE for the install method. Within seconds, I was answering the same questions as with the graphical install…language, keyboard, etc. Once the install began, it was like watching a Debian install…checking the package groups, etc. About 5-7 minutes into the install the screen I had been hoping was there came up…RESOLUTION! I used the down key to get to 1280×1024, hit the space bar to mark it and with the tab key went to the OK. The install progressed on schedule and when it was time to log in…there it was 1280×1024.

OK, having spent the bigger part of a week editing, reading, downloading, mumbling things about computers and in general frustrated, I was nervous about what would happen when I did a reboot. With a deep breath and perspiration on my brow, I told the system to restart. Everything looked good as the system came back up…I think I have it!

Immediately I went to preferences>screen resolution and there it was 1280×1024.

I am joyfully writing this post on that computer and it is absolutely beautiful. Now I am worried about what might happen if it doesn’t work for you. The reason I question it is that I did my install on Friday the 13th and we all know strange things can happen on those days…OOOPS….this is the 14th and it is still working.

Bet it will work for you too. Give it a try!

There are few Linux users or potential users that haven’t heard of UBUNTU. When it first released in September 2004, it promised an every six month release and was touted as “always free.” With two full production cycles annually, the latest in software is always at hand and to date, only once has the cycle not been met. That was due to the release of a product that would feature long term support.

Normally, I have jumped on the new releases and immediately installed and reviewed, but with Ver. 6.10, I decided to spend some time working with the finished product looking more at reliability and software that fists the way I use a computer.

For openers, there are no Windows machines in my Linux Lab. All six machines run various flavors of Linux. Some would think this a little overboard, I call it GREAT!

UBUNTU 6.10 was released in late October and I immediately downloaded and installed. While I have done installs on most of the popular and some of the “not-so-popular” distros, UBUNTU has become one of the more simple. Minimal key clicks and your system is running from a live CD. A few more key clicks and you are installing the system on your hard drive. I now consider it simplicity at its best.

I should mention that I have installed on; Pen III, AMD Athlon, AMD Duron, Celeron and and AMD 2800+. all with no problems. I should also include an old laptop that I carry everywhere we travel.

While the code name for Version 6.10 is EDGY EFT, I must admit I found little EDGY, however that has not deterred me from using the distro daily in a multitude of ways.

One of the more subtle changes in Edgy is “UPSTART.” This is a replacement for the traditional init daemon and resolves many of the dependence issues during boot. It is one of the many things that the UBUNTU developers have used to insure the system just works!

At the core of Edgy is a newer kernel, version 2.6.17 and GNOME 2.16. Other changes include; Tomboy and F-Spot included at default install, Firefox 2.0, Novell’s Evolution now in version 2.8.0 and several new graphics.

Detection continues to be excellent for sound and video cards as well as printers. I must say that I had been using Version 6.06 LTS with a D-link Wireless card that had worked extremely well with a minimal amount of setup. After my install of Edgy, I found the Wi-Fi would not work. In fact, my system wanted to default to the Lan Card and after several frustrating attempts, I changed the encryption key to any, entered my code and suddenly I was up and running. In checking the UBUNTU Forums, I found I was not the only one with the problem.

Once that problem was solved, I went back to the internet and did an update. UBUNTU uses the Debian repositories and there is a wealth of programs at your fingertips whether using Synaptic or the command line Apt-Get.

Once the update was completed, I decided to install AUTOMATIX. For those that haven’t tried this program, it is simple to install and gives you a lot of programs that add to your computing experience and if you are a music and movie buff Automatix provides many programs. In all, it is hard to not like this feature.

Now, back to the crux of this piece. I am writing this post on the UBUNTU machine. In the 45 or so days since the install, I have not had a crash, program failure nor problem. Are there better distros out there? Maybe, but I just haven’t found one yet. Am I awaiting the next release…YOU BET. Do I recommend it to nOObs and experienced users alike…YOU BET.

Over the holidays, why not download and experiment with UBUNTU EDGY EFT? You might just like it.

Writing about XANDROS is somewhat like writing about an old friend. I have used various distributions of XANDROS for the past few years including their Server Edition.

When XANDROS Desktop was released as the “Platform for Your Digital Life” I felt that they had finally brought the Linux Desktop to the mainstream. Now, I find that they have made it even easier for Novice and experienced Linux users with their all new, just released XANDROS DESKTOP PROFESSIONAL VER 4.

For those that have never done a XANDROS install, it couldn’t be easier. Boot from CD, and answer simple questions like; install?…share disk with a windows installation?…time…password…and suddenly the installer is whirring away with first boot of the new system within 15-20 minutes depending on the speed of your processor.

Based on Debian, XANDROS has joined a group of distributions that are attempting compatibility with Windows. In my opinion (for whatever its worth) they may be the closest. Desktop Professional provides businesses with full network integration, advanced 3D, Blue tooth wireless, desktop search and ISV support.

XANDROS Desktop Professional Ver. 4 seamlessly integrates into existing Windows-centric networks with automatic access to shared Windows folders and printers. It also has the ability to write to NTFS partitions. Add automatic Samba authentication, a Network Connections Manager for wired, wireless, mobile and VPN network communications and security profiles.

For the home user, XANDROS incorporates free SKYPE calling worldwide, the full featured OpenOffice suite compatible with Microsoft Office and the latest version of CrossOver Office to run Microsoft Office 2003 and other critical Windows programs.

With all this computing power, XANDROS has not forgotten the casual user with Drag and Drop DVD burning, IM and a host of games.

OK, enough of the specs and technical stuff. My install was on a 950Mhz Pent III. After dropping the CD in and re-booting the total install took 22 minutes (not including the applications disk). I then tried an install on an old Windows machine that has Win 2K Pro using NTFS. XANDROS ask if I would like it to make room on the Windows partition…I responded yes and 25 minutes later, I was again looking at a full install and yes, Windows was still working!

Since the original machine has both an E-net and Wireless card, I decided that I should try the Wireless. Going to Launch>Applications>Connection Wizard, selecting Wireless Lan and entering my information, I was running wireless.

I mentioned the applications disk earlier. XANDROS comes with an applications disk that includes several programs not included on the install…GIMP. ADOBE READER, etc. After inserting the CD, I selected the programs I wanted included and the installer went to work. Again, without problems.

The XANDROS NETWORK MANAGER has long been known for its ease of install and keeping the system updated and this version is no exception.

Next, I went to Lunch>Applications>CrossOver and installed a windows program. The system worked flawlessly. While there are a few restrictions on which windows programs can be installed, most are a snap.

I have now worked with XANDROS PROFESSIONAL DESKTOP Ver. 4 for about 4 days. I have added programs, removed programs, used the word processing capabilities, installed Windows programs, connected with our server and have in general pushed the system looking for the bugs. At this point I have found nothing.

XANDROS deserves credit for creating a distribution that is easy for a Windows user to transition too, while providing most, if not all, of the tools needed for both home and office. While I don’t like the numbers rating system, XANDROS PROFESSIONAL DESKTOP Ver. 4

VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing. It is, in essence, a remote display system which allows you to view a computing `desktop’ environment not only on the machine where it is running, but from anywhere on the Internet and from a wide variety of machine architectures.

Read Full article here

Not many years ago, Linux users were pretty much computer geeks. The amount of software available was limited and most installs were from source code.

It was from this simple premise that Mandrake was born. Mandrake, now Mandriva simplified installs, made them almost effortless and was responsible for many new users coming to Linux.

I learned of the Mandrake Legions some years ago when I was in a “Big Box” store looking at their boxed Linux distributions. The sales clerk, a young man in his late teens ask if I had ever used “Mandrake,” I answered NO and it was as if I had slapped him in the face. He quickly told me that he and several of his friends were avid Mandrake users and that he belonged to a LUG where many of the members were Mandrake users and he proceeded to open up as if I needed the testimonial. I bought a copy!

Having done installs of SUSE and Red Hat, I found Mandrake to be quite simple to install, configure and use. I too became hooked.

Over the years several things have changed. Mandrake went through some serious financial problems, recovered, changed their name to MANDRIVA, purchased CONECTIVA and later LYCORIS and ousted their founder. Through all the changes one thing has remained a constant, install and configuration remains among the easiest of any distribution on the market.

During the past week, I installed Mandriva PowerPack 2007. I have used the PowerPack version since becoming hooked some years back. I guess that coupled with the ease of install and configuration PowerPack offers the user the opportunity to select an expanded selection of applications.

The install is very straight forward. Make sure your BIOS is set to boot from CD or DVD and insert the distribution disk. I used the DVD, however CDs work the same way with the exception you have several changes during the course of the total install.

You are ask a few simple questions; language,keyboard layout,home country, time zone, agreement and partitioning. Just about as simple as it comes.

Once your install is complete, what can you expect? For one thing, the old Galaxy theme is out and a new la Ora theme is in. It comes in several colors instead of just the traditional blue and the background and splash images are new and more attractive.

If you are a “gammer” MANDRIVA 2007 has Cedega. TransGaming’s Cedega Windows emulator for games allows you to play many Windows games in much the same was as Wine or CrossOver Office.

Newer software for your desktop including; Firefox 1.5.0.6, OpenOffice 2.0.3, KDE 3.5.4 and GNOME 2.16. In addition, MANDRIVA PowerPack 2007 comes with LinDVD. Basically, this is the GNU/Linux version of WinDVD that allows you to play DVD movies legally. The list of options and new programs seems unending.

My test machine was an old AMD 950Mhz Duron. The install took about 40 minutes and, while I had the option of installing the entire DVD on the hard drive, I opted to only do a standard install.

Once the install was complete, I detected several small bugs. First, I had a bit of trouble getting the Wi-Fi to configure. Fortunately, I also had a wired Lan card in the computer that I configured to complete the install. This became quite annoying when I attempted to use the online update service during the post-install.

I wanted to try the LinDVD player and found it easy to use…that is until about 15 minutes or so into a movie. That is where it stopped. I was undaunted and tried another movie. I now have 30 minutes of my life I will never get back.

While you can update the software manually, do not depend on the software update notifier. It simply doesn’t work.

Even with the bugs mentioned above, I find MANDRIVA 2007 to be a good distribution. If you are new to Linux or hate complicated installs, this is probably your distribution.

If you don’t need all the frills and fancy stuff, you might opt for the Discovery Edition, with three CDs and a little easier to use.

There are times when intrigue causes me to jump up, download a distribution. do an install and in some cases I am happy, while in other cases …well!

A few weeks ago, I was reading Distrowatch when I saw the announcement of a new distribution that really piqued my attention. LINUX XP. The distro was touting itself as a Linux distribution that would run MS Word, MS Excel, Powerpoint and a host of other Windows programs while offering the stability of a Linux kernel.

Not only was I intrigued, the distribution jumped from no where to #36 on Distrowatch’s list of requested distributions! I have never seen any distro, including Ubuntu jump this far this fast. I had to give it a try.

Built on Fedora Core 3, the distro is familiar to many Linux users. From the time you pop the single CD in the slot and reboot, til the time you see the initial splash screen, the install is pure Fedora. Just like Fedora, you need no activation code or special privileges to use LINUX XP…Unlike Fedora, if you want all the features you need an activation code.

After using the system for a couple of days without the code, I activated the system. I guess I am not sure what I expected with the activation, but don’t believe I received it! When I went to the update system icon, I was given the opportunity to install Pack 1 and Pack 2. OK, so what the heck is Pack 1 and Pack 2? Not knowing I proceeded and when they had finished downloading, I still didn’t know what Pack 1 and Pack 2 were, but my computer had them!

I then proceeded to the Install Additional Software icon and was given a very limited list that included; Mplayer, Adobe, Open Office and Skype.

OK…I know what to do, I will go to a terminal (conveniently opened by right clicking on the background) and use YUM. Once I entered YUM UPDATE, the screen filled with scrolling programs that errored out and nothing was updated.

OK, maybe it was that I should have edited the /etc/yum.repos.d file. I entered the file and set up a series of repositories that I know to be good and wrote the file. Again, I entered the command “yum update” and once again the screen filled with scrolling programs, most appended with ready for update and once again the system errored out so as to not update anything.

Next try was to use “apt-get.” It failed as it was not installed.

Well, this needed a little more thinking, so why not move onto something that had been represented to be in the package…”wi-fi.” Yep, there it was with one exception, it does not contain an area for entering an encryption code, so without going out and downloading ndsiwrapper (not included) wi-fi was not going to work on my network.

Since I had already downloaded Mplayer, I thought I would give it a try on a couple of sites I visit regularly. OOPS, there is no plugin for Firefox and it appears that to install one will be a site searching process.

I finally decided to try Real Player, only this time I would not try the Linux version (remember this is the distro that runs Windows programs without having to use Windows). By golly, it installed and ran.

Amazed, I decided to go back to the original problem.
I would try going to the Linux XP forum and find an answer to my problem. I created a login and password and was immediately logged in. I posted my question and a few days later…nothing. It happens, so I was not too concerned. Two days later I tried to log in and found that I no longer have a valid ID or Password, however I do have a working copy of Real Player for Windows!!!

During the past days, I have hacked, cursed and tried many things I have learned over the years and have not progressed on the update or installation of software. I even tried to send an E-mail to their Tech support but to no avail. (User ID and Password do not exist)

When I saw the information on Linux XP, I was excited and thought this might be one of the really nice distros for those transitioning from Windows to Linux. After spending too much time hacking, cursing and fighting the system, I must say that Ubuntu is free, simple to install and does what it represents. For those that have a lot of time and patience, Linux XP might be for you, but for this old hacker, after I post this review, I will be putting Net BSD on the machine that now holds Linux XP.

Sometimes I disappear for from this blog for long periods. There are many reasons, the most recent of which has been installing a small, simple distro on a friends old laptop.

How old? It’s a Panasonic CF-35 with a 3G hard drive, a 266Mhz processor and little else. I insisted that what he needed to the the old girl back in the ball game was a simple Linux install. I still believe it to be true, however selecting the distro was more than I had imagined.

My first thought was Puppy Linux. Puppy is a very lite distribution that is believed to be installable on almost anything. I tried the newest version and it ran fine…I think! I was unable to get to the point of setting up the resolution as it would go into a state that would preclude reading or opening anything. OK, so Puppy was not going to work, how about one of my favorite distros…Simply Mepis. Came up, acted like it was going to work, but when trying to install, it failed miserably. Maybe Berry Linux would work, it is lite and should run on anything, anything that is except a 266Mhz Panasonic Laptop!

I had read an article that XUBUNTU Alternate was something that someone attempting to add new life to an old computer might try. It installed, however the resolution was such that I could not see the bottom of the screen. Letters as high as an elephants eye! I made several attempts to adjust the resolution but to no avail.

SAM Linux is another distro that is alleged to be lite. I believe that to be true, however it just wouldn’t run on this machine. The list continued and I became more determined to see an install that would run…at a decent speed with good resolution and would serve my friends minimal laptop needs.

Sometime back, I had written an article on BEATRIX LINUX. Weighing in at under 200MB, BEATRIX is optimized for any Pentium class computer with at least 64 Mb of RAM.

While BEATRIX is not updated often, the 2005.1 version would do the trick. The desk top manager is Gnome 2.8 with Firefox, Evolution, Open Office Suite, GAIM and a host of programs and again the size is small. In addition, the distro can be expanded with the use of APT.

Opening the distro as a live CD convinced me that it was the answer and (while the install was painfully slow) the install went well. Auto partition, etc. Once installed, the first and only major bug reared its head. NO INTERNET! Immediately to the forum page and I found a fix that worked until I shut the machine off. The fix disappeared and once again, NO INTERNET. It had been reported as a flaw in the install program. Finding a fix for this would be a challenge, or would it? I noted that when I started to shut down I had been given an option of saving the session and I opted for NO. This time, I would put the fix in and save the session. It worked!

While I have only had a few hours to add programs, customize some settings and enjoy the distro, I feel my friend has saved an old Laptop for another day and that he will enjoy some of the many benefits Linux offers to those with older equipment.

Debian etch beta3 installation using graphical interface this is really nice installation walkthrough with each step
screenshots.This is new feature in debian upcoming release version called etch.This article contains nearly 50 images of this installation process.

Read Full article here

About a year ago (November 2005) I received an E-mail from Ken Starks aka Helios. He told me about his web site Lobby4Linux and about a new Linux distro he was working hard to promote. His question was would I take a look and possibly do a review. I did both!

The distro was PCLinuxOS. For me it was a form of “love at first site.” Based on Mandriva, Texstar and his staff of programmers it, made the simple even simpler and added speed. My first experiment was with the distro as a live CD. I had used live CDs before, however they seemed to be quite slow. PcLinuxOS did not suffer from that syndrome, rather it seemed to zip along at a good rate of speed.

Happy with what I found with the live CD, I installed the distro and have been quite pleased.

Recently, Texstar released a Junior version. Known as PCLINUXOS 0.93A JUNIOR, this version comes with a set of pre-selected programs for Web Browsing, E-mail, IM, Blogging, DVDS/CD burning and a whole lot more. It is a GREAT way for someone migrating from Windows to Linux to get started. While the single CD might seem somewhat minimalistic, once installed some 5,000 programs await the user from the Synaptic repositories.

Your first experience with PCLinuxOS is as simple as downloading and burning a CD, booting from the CD, telling the system to continue with the default, logging in and you are using a Linux operating system.

Once you have had a chance to look around at the various programs and options, you can make a decision as to whether to install or not! If you decide not to install, you can still use the system again and again as a live CD.

My install was really quite simple. I should mention that over the years of using Linux, I have seen installs go from complicated to simple and this falls into the latter category. Basically, the install consists of clicking the INSTALL PCLinuxOS Icon once the system is up as a live CD, telling the system how you want the drive formatted (entire drive or more of a custom mode) password questions and an opt out. That’s right, if you feel the palms of your hands sweating and you aren’t sure, you can tell the distro to cancel installation and it will. If you continue, some 10-15 minutes later you will be up and running.

Once the install had completed, I decided that I would try to get it to work wirelessly with my D Link card.
To set up the card do the following: click on the tool Icon>enter Root Password>networking>create new network interface (Lan, ADSL,Wireless, etc)>Wireless Connection. From here, you will configure the card and of course, there are the ever present wireless questions pertaining to ESSID and Encryption. Standard Lan configuration can also be done from this menu simply by selecting LAN>

Once up and running, review the programs that are pre-installed. I did not find Firefox, Thunderbird, GAIM or OpenOffice. Not a problem. Go to Synaptic (The Rubix Cube Icon) and select the programs you want to add. Once selected, click on apply and PCLinuxOS will download and install.

While I have stressed the simplicity of PCLinuxOS 0.93a Junior for the noob, the distro is good for seasoned Linux users as well.

In November, 2005, I got excited about PCLinuxOS. I feel the same in August, 2006. Give it a try and I believe you will feel the same way!

Just a week before LinuxWorld in San Francisco, Linspire delivered their free, Debian based desktop FREESPIRE. The release was almost a month ahead of schedule, something we haven’t seen for some time!

FREESPIRE offers users the ability to choose the software they want to install on their computers including third-party proprietary drivers, codecs and many applications.

I downloaded the distro when the announcement was made and installed it on a 1.4 G AMD machine. The install was quite straight forward.

Booting from the single CD, you are afforded the opportunity to run as a Live CD or install. Mine was an install. After being ask about Keyboard selection (language) you are given choices of install method. In my case, it was the entire disk. The other option …was for the more experienced user to do some custom work. Naming the computer, entering a user name and password with a chance to make some changes (you know…in the event you were staring at the pretty background and not reading the questions) and the install was underway.

Ten minutes later, the first boot of the new system was complete.

The distro does have a lot of nice features and programs. In the program department, FREESPIRE has a lot of multimedia support including; MP3, Windows Media, Real, QuickTime, Java, Flash, ATI, nVidia, Wi-Fi and more. Security is handled with a built-in firewall and Internet access by Firefox. The default E-mail program is Thunderbird and for IM, GAIM is the solution.

I have a D Link Wi-Fi card in the computer I installed on and, while I have had simpler setups, the system configured with a minimum amount of work.

As a simple, straight forward distribution, FREESPIRE hit the spot. The only problem I have is if you want additional software, you must join the Linspire Click-N-Run Repository. At roughly $50 per year, this removes the free from FREESPIRE. Yes many of us have paid that sum and possibly more for distributions in the past, but with the proliferation of distributions that are free and contain an abundance of software, this might pose a bit of a marketing problem.

Many experienced Linux users will probably opt for running Debian’s apt-get or Synaptic to download their programs, saving the $50 for dinner out. Either way, it is a distro you might enjoy. FREESPIRE.

I hope all have had a chance to digest Judi’s non-technical review of XANDROS Desktop 4 Premium. I enjoyed it because it was the way I feel many people see a new distribution, feel about the install and the comments that follow.

Looking at the distribution from my standpoint, I am a Linux user of several years, with no Windows products in the Lab. I like command line, hacking and most of all I enjoy Linux.

I have written about XANDROS several times during the past couple of years and always felt that the distribution was something special. Unlike Ubuntu or Linspire (both Debian distributions) you do have password protection for the root directory, a feature I think is a must. XANDROS has never tried to have the latest and greatest, just the most recent stable programs. It is also a commercial distribution meaning the basic edition of Desktop 4 will run about $40 USD and the premium about $80 USD.

XANDROS has always featured simplicity in install. With Desktop 4, not much has changed. Once you boot the install disk, you are given the choice of Express or Custom install modes. Express installs the distro on your computer with default settings, while the Custom install installs the distro with user-defined settings. With Custom, there are four basic options; Minimal—Basic install (1.5G minimum), Standard—Commonly used applications including default and recommended custom options (2G recommended), Complete—Install all software (up to 2.5G) and Custom—user selecting the applications required. While there are no real statistics, I would think that the majority of XANDROS installs would be Express.

If you have progressed to the point where you are choosing Express or Custom and do chose Express, you will be given the opportunity to overwrite everything on the hard drive or install next to another operating system. My preference continues to be to use the entire hard drive.

The Administration Configuration window will then appear and you type and confirm the Administrator (root) password, name the computer. Clicking next, you will be greeted by a User Account window where you can set up accounts for all users, click finish and the install is performed.

The install is a fast process. I installed XANDROS Desktop 4 on an AMD 1.2G machine and the install completed in about 18 minutes.

Once installed you will be greeted with by KDE’s 3.4.2 desktop and then the First Run Wizard takes over. Walking through the simple questions is quick, with my heart stopping only once. That when I was asked for an “Activation Code.” I must admit that over the years of using Linux, those words have slipped from my vocabulary and I had to check the box quickly to insure I had one. Many new users are coming from a Windows environment and Activation Codes are common.

I had read that this distro worked well with wireless, so I had installed a D-Link Wi-fi card as a test. Clicking on Network connections, I entered the ESSID and Encryption Key and clicked OK. 15 to 30 seconds later, I had a wi-fi connection with my router. Checking the network, all was good.

XANDROS Desktop 4.0 comes with an application disk as well as VERSORA. Versora allows you to migrate your Windows files into the new XANDROS system. A slick feature I didn’t need!

Clicking on the XANDROS Network allows you to add software, upgrade programs (as they become available) and do some hacking. (More on that later) I dropped the Applications Disk in the CD and within seconds a long list of programs was being displayed. They were programs I could install simply by clicking on the box near the application. I clicked on all and they began to load. Once completed, I had to try out the CrossOver Office feature offered in the Premium Edition. I have been a believer in this product since it hit the market and continue to sing its praises. I clicked on Launch>applications>Crossover>install windows software and loaded on of the programs. It worked as expected. Installing quickly and performing well upon the completion of install.

I mentioned in the last paragraph the “hacking.” I am an ardent fan of Jem Matzen’s and he has published several “hacks” for Desktop 4. See Jem’s Article and find how far you can expand this system…FOR FREE!

What are my overall impressions of XANDROS Desktop 4? Short of the Server software I reviewed earlier this month, I think this is the best version of XANDROS I have had the pleasure of working with. Simple, stable, quick to install and supporting all of the software I use daily.

Why not give it a try yourself. XANDROS Desktop 4.

When I first read about XANDROS SERVER, I thought this might be a marriage made in heaven. The Press Release said that this was a Linux based server for System Admins with little or no Linux experience. Mine was a little different. I had Linux experience, however no server or server set-up experience.

XANDROS has an excellent reputation for making Linux simple and has done much to bring many new users to the table. While setting up an internal server would present its challenges, it would be a GREAT learning experience. The results of that experience follow.

I must first note that this is in NO way a commercial for XANDROS. It is a review of a product that could appear on your network tomorrow!

Before talking about the install or the included programs, I should mention that as a server product, there are certain minimums that should be met. While I say this as if you are going to have to run out for a newer computer, that is not the case. In fact, many people running Linux today have everything needed. 512 to 2 GB RAM, Hard Drive with 40 GB to 120 GB, CD ROM and a VGA Monitor capable of 800X600 or higher.

The machine I would use for a server meets the criteria. Using a SEMPRON 2800+ with 1GB of RAM and 120 GB Hard Drive with an excellent video card, I felt that I was set to begin.

Opening the package, I found three disks. First, the installation disk. Secondly, application CD containing a host of software including; IBM-DB2, Oracle-10G, MySQL ab, SugarCRM and Jboss Application Server. The third disk contained advanced e-mail and calendar platforms featuring, feature rich webmail and wireless connectivity. In addition there is seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes and other PIM tools.

Before I go any further, I must mention that the XANDROS Server package is NOT free software. There is a charge that covers the aforementioned licenses.

Having no server experience, I was glad to see the documentation that accompanies the package. I read the small “GETTING STARTED GUIDE” which is 51 pages and felt like I could install and setup without problem, however being a little intimidated by the word SERVER, I opted to delve into the “ADMINISTRATORS GUIDE.” This 552 page manual is written for someone who really wants to go to the index and be pointed to the answer.

Installation started with the familiar XANDROS install. Booting from the install CD, I was quickly guided through the process. After being greeted by the familiar splash screen and clicking next, I was led to the Licensing Agreement, which I quickly accepted. Entering the Serial Number, I clicked on NEXT and was opened selections for almost every kind of server I had ever heard of. While this server was to work on my home network, the options were many. DHCP, file, firewall, FTP, print, time and VPN servers as well as DNS, mail and Web servers. The object was to select those items you would like or needed. I left all selected knowing I would only use a few.

Once this selection was complete, it was partition time. Since I wanted to use the entire hard drive for the server, I selected “Take over disk or partition.” Many other options are available including resizing a Windows partition.

The next screen gave me a Disk Configuration window giving me the opportunity to select the disk or partition to use. I should mention at this point that RAID is supported, however if you do not have RAID, you can select BIOXRADI and then click Remove BIOS RAID.

Network configuration includes DHCP, Static or you can elect to disable the network connection.

As you continue through the setup, you configure passwords, complete the Administration Configuration, configure your server accounts, specify whether or not this will be the primary server. While this all sounds very complicated to the uninitiated, the process takes less than 10 minutes and once the install started whirring, my system took 19 minutes for the install.

I have to commend XANDROS for the excellent documentation that made me feel as if I knew what was going to happen before it did! I had read through the areas of documentation pertaining to my uses. The server would be used as an FTP server.

For me, I believe the hardest part of the entire process was making sure that I had passwords written down (something I seldom do) to insure that I was able to access the server as both the admin and a user.

Setting up the FTP server was a piece of cake. I took the Administrator Guide, went to FTP and within 10 minutes was confident that my set-up was going to work. Again, let me point out that I have no server experience, so some of the looks of terror I know I displayed were just thoughts of having something go wrong and I was firmly convinced that I might have to start over.

To say when I tried the FTP Server and had it work without flaw the first time that I was ecstatic would be an understatement. I had the same feeling in the pit of my stomach when my first Linux install went as planned.

I have been using the server for about a week and it has worked flawlessly. Not only do I use the server, my wife uses her XP machine to access it as well.

How do I rate the XANDROS SERVER? To use a basketball term, “It’s a slam dunk.” Small networks and large alike could benefit from the simplicity of install and maintenance of this server and the stability of Linux.

Linux just keeps getting better and better! After the success with Wi-fi in Mepis, I had to try with Ubuntu 6.06. The results were GREAT!

I tried an old Linksys card and it failed, however after installing a D-Link WDA-2320 card things changed in a hurry. First, I booted from the CD and as a live CD went to System>Admin>Network and saw the card. Made sure it was active and after clicking on the card opened Properties and set the ESSID and entered my encription key.

Once this was completed, I was wireless! I then installed Ubuntu 6.06 and when the install completed, I retraced my steps and found that the Wi-fi card was already configured and ready to go.

I have said many times that when we begin making wi-fi simple, Linux will take another step forward. I think we have just made a quantum leap!

Today is a red letter day for me. I have used Linux for several years always wired, never wireless (except for my Zaurus). Today dawns a new beginning.

After downloading SimplyMepis 6.0 beta 5, I made the decision to get the distro running with a wireless connection. It turned out to be one of the more simple things I have done with Linux.

Before installing the distro, I installed a D-Link, DWL-G520 card. The version I have is a little older with the AirPlus Extreme G. I did not install drivers, I simply installed the card and began the install of SimplyMepis 6.0 beta 5.

After the install had completed, I began checking to see what I needed to do to configure the device.

First, I went to the Mepis old os center and selected network interfaces.
Next, I clicked on ath0 and set it to start on boot.
Then on to the WIFI section. Here, I had several selections to make.

1.ESSID was set to any

2.Encryption key was set as Hex

3.Selected frequency…2.4

At this point the options are set, it’s time to see if the configuration is good. I selected the Status option and clicked on “start ath0.” After what seemed like an eternity (possibly 3-4 seconds) I received a message saying “ath0 connection established.”

I have used the configuration for some time today and have watched closely. I am still banging away and the connection remains.

THANK YOU Warren. I think this is gonna be GREAT.