tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65996589106233174882024-03-12T16:32:14.590-07:00Technology of Today - Thoughts & ExplorationMy blog dedicated to the exploration of Technology with an emphasis on Linux and Open Source software. Information, how to articles and thoughts on technology - the fun, good and bad about technology of today and the effect it can have on life.Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-1399998056757547692014-12-22T23:02:00.000-08:002014-12-22T23:06:15.747-08:00Ubuntu Photo and Xubuntu Photo - New Versions based on 14.04 LTS Its time for some updates to my Ubuntu Photo and Xubuntu Photo customization of the respective Ubuntu versions. And they are not insignificant. The new versions (that can be downloaded <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/files/UbuntuPhoto64Bit/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/files/XubuntuPhoto64Bit/" target="_blank">here</a>) are now based on the 14.04 LTS code branch.<br />
<br />
These are completely new/fresh installs with all applicable updates and a few core applications installed from PPAs to ensure being up to date beyond the official repositories.<br /><br />New for the Xubuntu Photo includes an XFCE Ambiance theme set as default that brings about a look more similar to the mainline Ubuntu release. There are also additional plug-ins and scripts loaded into The Gimp program (which also loads into single window mode by default). These changes to the base systems my customizations are based on are detailed in the short README file I have created. This can be seen when viewing the file lists on my <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/files/" target="_blank">Sourceforge page</a> or via direct download link <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/files/README.txt/download" target="_blank">here</a>.
<br />
<br />
Going forward, this is likely my last update to Ubuntu Photo based on the mainline Ubuntu LTS. I have switched to the XFCE based Xubuntu on my own laptop and while I really like the five year support cycle and with the mainline Ubuntu, I don't like all the feature removal and elimination of the ability to configure that seems to be coming more and more to the GNOME core.<br />
<br />
I plan on continuing to update the Xubuntu Photo with each new LTS release of Xubuntu. While the five years of support would be nice, some of the core applications I use the most typically only support the current LTS, so getting 2-3 years without having to upgrade the OS version and have everything else current is plenty tolerable. <br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
Jesse Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-11727940168957098092014-09-11T22:24:00.000-07:002014-09-22T09:24:32.438-07:00Upgrading Shotwell to 0.18.1 in Ubuntu 12.04<div dir="ltr">
Officially, Shotwell 0.18 is not supported on Ubuntu 12.04 and at first I was a little disappointed that the folks over at Yorba would drop support of an LTS that still has about three years of support to go before being end of life. But, looking at how the newer versions are built, I understand the reason: the newest version of Shotwell depends on packages that the Ubuntu team will not be making available for 12.04, meaning for those of us who aren't ready to jump into the next release (LTS or otherwise) are effectively "stuck" on older versions of many software packages. <br />
<br />
With many applications, this is really not that big of a deal. In the case of Shotwell though, Flickr made a change that broke uploading with older versions of Shotwell. This was fixed in 0.18.1, meaning officially its either upgrade your 12.04 LTS release or deal with no Flickr uploading. Alternatively, you can install from source with my instructions below to get the current version of Shotwell running on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
For this to work, we will need four PPA's setup in order to install all the prerequisite packages that Shotwell will need when we compile it from source. All of the steps below (save downloading the source archive and uncompressing it) will be run from a terminal session (CTRL + ALT + T will bring up a terminal). First we will need to add the following four PPA's to your system:<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ricotz/testing<br />
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3<br />
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:vala-team/ppa<br />
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yorba/ppa<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
After the four PPAs have been added, run sudo apt-get update and then install the following packages:<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
sudo apt-get install valac gee-0.8 webkitgtk-3.0 desktop-file-utils libgconf2-dev libgexiv2-dev libglib2.0-dev libgstreamer1.0-dev libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-dev libgudev-1.0-dev libexif-dev libgphoto2-2-dev libraw-dev librest-dev libsoup2.4-dev libxml2-dev libsqlite3-dev m4 libjson-glib-dev gnome-doc-utils<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Many other packages will get upgraded at the same time from the PPAs we installed, let them update as well (we'll need them to compile Shotwell). The webkitgtk-3.0 package is quite large (close to 500MB) so this part will take a bit to download and install.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
At his point, if you haven't done so already - download the <a href="https://download.gnome.org/sources/shotwell/0.18/shotwell-0.18.1.tar.xz">source </a><a href="https://download.gnome.org/sources/shotwell/0.18/shotwell-0.18.1.tar.xz">tarball</a> and extract it. For me, I simply saved it in Downloads to make it easy. From our terminal change into the recently extracted folder: cd Downloads/shotwell-0.18.1<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Next we will run the following commands in sequence, letting each previous command finish before entering the next one:</div>
<div dir="ltr">
sudo ./configure<br />
sudo make<br />
sudo make install<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Once this is done you will have Shotwell 0.18.1 on Ubuntu 12.04LTS. I have noticed this may cause some issues with the Ambiance Theme (it did for me), this was solved by upgrading the light-themes package. I used the Synaptic Package Manager to do the update (which showed that the light-themes package had an upgrade available) and after a reboot, things were back in place looking they way I would expect.<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep in mind, that this is an unsupported (by either the Shotwell developers or the Ubuntu developers) way to upgrade and may cause system instability.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Blessings,<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Jesse</div>
Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-42710479754441527182014-03-26T23:03:00.002-07:002014-03-26T23:03:26.924-07:00Xubuntu Photo Listed on SoftpediaMy customized version of Xubuntu that mirrors my mainline Ubuntu customization has now also been included on Softpedia. You can check out the write up and download link <a href="http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Linux-Distributions/Xubuntu-Photo-103370.shtml" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />Their editor's even gave it a 4 Star rating, not bad I say! The Xubuntu version doesn't have as many downloads, but its nice to have a second option. The plethora of choices is one of the best parts of Linux land - just doing my part! <br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-14799907475582981392014-02-25T21:51:00.000-08:002014-02-25T21:51:19.542-08:00Updates to Ubuntu PhotoI have uploaded updated ISO images of my 64bit version of Ubuntu Photo and the 64bit version of Xubuntu Photo. You can get the new ISO images at my <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/" target="_blank">SourceForge </a>page.<br /><br />New updates include: A <a href="http://registry.gimp.org/node/20193" target="_blank">Calendar Maker script</a> for the GIMP, <a href="http://rawtherapee.com/" target="_blank">RawTherapee</a> PPA for those who wish to install the latest version, UF Raw Gimp Plugin, all Ubuntu Updates as of 2/24/2014 and for Xubuntu an <a href="http://xfce-look.org/content/show.php?content=141027" target="_blank">Ambiance Theme</a> is available (but not default).<br /><br />Blessings,<br />
<br />Jesse<br />
<br />Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-17811736414688487252013-11-23T19:47:00.000-08:002013-11-23T19:48:44.268-08:00Customizing Xubuntu with RemastersysAs I did with the base Ubuntu 12.04, I wanted to create a customized version of Xubuntu 12.04. The first step was similar to my Ubuntu customization with a removal of unwanted default software and installation of my custom set.<br />
<br />
While Xubuntu by default comes with some lighter weight programs such as Abiword and Gnumeric, I am more interested in the more feature rich LibreOffice Suite. Along with Abiword and Gnumeric: Pidgin, Transmission, Xchat, Gmusicbrowser and Parole get the ax for my application set.<br />
<br />
The new applications include the aforementioned LibreOffice as well as Quadrapassel, GIMP 2.8 (From PPA), Hugin, Darktable (From PPA), Openshot Video Editor (From PPA), Banshee, RipperX, DVD Styler, gLabels, Audacity, Lucky Backup, WinFF and Shotwell. This rounds out the same software set installed on the Ubuntu Photo customization.<br />
<br />
After customizing the XFCE environment, I had run the Remastersys program (as detailed in previous posts on Customizing Ubuntu) and when I went to test the ISO none of my customizations stuck - the default Xubuntu desktop and panel structure was back. After some research and trial and error I did the following to get my configurations to stick:<br />
<br />
I copied my user configuration files located at ~./config/xfce4/ to /etc/xdg/xfce4/ & /etc/xdg/xdg-xubuntu/xfce4. After a reboot of the VM I created everything, I lost some the color theme and icon set settings. Changed those back and all was good. Next I copied ~./config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce4-panel.xml to /etc/xdg/xdg-xubuntu/xfce4/panel/default.xml (overwriting the existing default.xml file). Lastly I copied the contents of ~./config/ to /etc/skel and the final ISO tested and booted as expected with all customizations in place. Below is a screen shot of my customized setup.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AJpTx-QYVUd6cbjwlSpgJdQcpLD-Nz3FnqT-LhsC7lgeVP1DWpzPI3qp9Gcku2-MYjmRjOFoPqSGMRANCmAWbxFdkEMEaGFPWDXwn9ItuyaI5nNcOKtYnKDDNMCbGbt61QzqQV6Dd98/s1600/xubuntu-custom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Customized Xubuntu 12.04" border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AJpTx-QYVUd6cbjwlSpgJdQcpLD-Nz3FnqT-LhsC7lgeVP1DWpzPI3qp9Gcku2-MYjmRjOFoPqSGMRANCmAWbxFdkEMEaGFPWDXwn9ItuyaI5nNcOKtYnKDDNMCbGbt61QzqQV6Dd98/s400/xubuntu-custom.jpg" title="Customized Xubuntu 12.04" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Customized Xubuntu 12.04 LTS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have uploaded my custom Xubuntu ISO to my <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/files/" target="_blank">Sourceforge project page</a> (link) to go with my Ubuntu customizations. This version includes all Ubuntu system updates as of 11/22/13 and is 64Bit only.<br />
<br />
Next steps for my photography geared Ubuntu/Xubuntu customizations include custom wallpapers, splash screens and maybe even a few icons. Don't know when that will be a reality at this point though, but that is what I would like to do next.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-61771896861426353342013-11-14T20:54:00.000-08:002014-05-05T11:51:59.595-07:00Transferring a Virtual Machine From Xenserver to Hyper-VExporting a Virtual Machine from Xenserver and then importing it into Hyper-V is not officially supported from any documentation I can find on-line. If you have need for this conversion, and your Virtual Disks are in VHD format, this is really quite simple. The below tutorial will walk you through the steps I took to move a VM from Xenserver to Hyper-V. I have not tested this with virtual disk formats other than the VHD format, so other scenarios are untested and unknown to work or not.<br />
<br />
First step: In XenCenter, export the target VM (VM must be shutdown to export) with the OVF/OVA option and be sure to <u><i>not</i></u> choose the option to create a single OVA file. Importing to Hyper-V will not work with the single OVA file export. All the remaining default options are fine, choose to verify the export if you desire.<br />
<br />
Second step: On the Hyper-V host, create a folder on the hard drive where you will want your VM's files to live. Once the folder is created, copy the VHD and OVF file from the first step to this folder (The VHD file will be named with a large string of letters and numbers).<br />
<br />
Third step: In your Hyper-V manager, create a new Virtual Machine and name it as desired. For the VM destination, select the folder created in the second step that contains the VHD and OVF files. Assign the memory and network options and for the virtual disk, select the exported VHD from the above step.<br />
<br />
Fourth step: Adjust and fine tune the remaining settings (virtual processors etc...) and then power it up, your all done!<br /><br />I have tested this by exporting VM's from Xenserver 6.0.2 and 6.1 and importing them to Hyper-V 2012 running in full Server 2012 hosts.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
Jesse<br />
<br />
<br />Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-31633233237314320942013-10-17T21:23:00.000-07:002013-10-17T21:36:24.017-07:00My Customized Ubuntu Listed on SoftpediaMy Photography geared customization of Ubuntu, which I so creatively called Ubuntu Photo, has been listed on Softpedia. A bit of an unexpected, albeit pleasant surprise! You can find the <a href="http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/Operating-Systems/Linux-Distributions/Ubuntu-Photo-102583.shtml" target="_blank">link here</a> and see their brief write up.<br />
<br />
I originally had a base system geared toward general users, but have since decided to scrap that and focus solely on my photography geared version. Long term I would like to further my customization beyond the default fall-back mode and extra set of applications.<br />
<br />
I would also like to do a customized Xubuntu version, but it will take a bit more research on the customizations with XFCE as Remastersys does not keep all the user customizations and the desktop stays the same as the default Xubuntu (that I am not wild about).<br />
<br />
Blessings, <br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-6015583295223476842013-10-09T22:29:00.002-07:002013-10-17T12:53:51.666-07:0064 Bit Version of My Custom Ubuntu AvailableI now have a 64bit version of my customized Ubuntu completed and uploaded to <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/" target="_blank">SourceForge</a>. This is only the photography geared version and I am done with my 'base' version and will only be maintaining the Photo version.<br />
<br />
In this version, Skype is out and Audacity is in (for editing audio to possibly use with a DVD). It also has Shotwell .14.1 and the 3.5 Kernel from Ubuntu 12.10 as opposed to the 3.2 series originally released with 12.04.<br />
<br />
You can check out the download link <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/files/UbuntuPhoto64Bit/" target="_blank">here</a>, enjoy!<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-59489350665633390012013-03-13T21:08:00.002-07:002013-09-08T20:45:40.153-07:00Customizing Ubuntu Part 4: Fine Tuning & Final ISOAfter going through the customization process and thinking over some of the applications I originally included, I decided to trim them down and go about the final product in a different way. The final ends up being two different customized versions. The first being a slim (though with Remastersys, the ISO is still 1GB) version that has the classic GNOME environment by default and some additional programs. I won't re-list the applications I removed, as they were not reconsidered and you can read about them <a href="http://jsm-techblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/customizing-ubuntu-part-1-system.html">in part one of this series</a>. <br />
<br />
The additional software that made it to the base system follows:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Quadrapassel - Tetris clone, just one more little game to add for fun.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Lucky Backup - Graphical rsync front end that is great for backups and can be scheduled to automatically run.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Skype - For free video calls, not in the repositories and available pre installed in this image.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Pinta - Basic imaging program, great for cropping, resizing and other basic imaging needs.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>gLabels label designer - For designing and printing on any number of different labels. From mailing labels to CD labels. Comes with a large number of pre-loaded popular label templates.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Banshee -Music player of choice right now.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ripper X - For copying CDs to MP3 format on your local hard drive (so as to add them to an MP3 player, or just listen on the computer)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Synaptic Package Manager - For software management.</li>
<li>OpenShot Video Editor - Great video editor for Linux, can be used to create photo slide shows and other home videos.</li>
</ul>
<br />
In addition to the base packages available in the stock Ubuntu system (LibreOffice, Firefox, Shotwell etc...) I picked the above programs to form what I would consider a more complete package (less some unnecessary applications, and of course the classic GNOME look) for more everyday, general use. And while some of these may not be needed, I think they make a good base
install for many users. Going back, if I were to start over, I would
likely not include Skype as it might not be desired for all users - but
it can be easily removed. This base setup also still has PPA's in place for the GIMP, Pithos (Pandora
Client) and Darktable if those applications are desired. The OpenShot
stable PPA is also in place to ensure the most current version is
available when the program is updated beyond the installed version when I created the ISO files. <br />
<br />
<br />
The next custom ISO is a version with software geared toward digital photography, which is one of my main uses for my laptop. For this ISO I have removed Pinta from the system and added the following additional programs:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>GIMP 2.8, along with the resynthesizer plug-in, python layer effects plug-in and the G'MIC plug-ins. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Darktable - A digital darkroom program for developing photographs. Darktable supports RAW image formats.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Hugin Panorama Photo Stitcher - For stitching panoramic photographs and other composite images.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li>DVD Styler - For creating DVDs that will play in standard DVD players.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>WinFF - To convert video files between formats. DVD Styler typically needs MPEG format for video files. </li>
</ul>
As a quick side note, I am in the process of writing an introduction article/blog post on <a href="http://photosbyjsm.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">my photography blog</a> regarding digital photography for Linux. Now back to the ISO files and related information.<br />
<br />
Currently both ISO files are 32Bit. With Ubuntu's stock kernel being a PAE kernel, this shouldn't be much of an issue as PAE enables 32Bit systems to get past the 4GB memory limit. However, if there is interest in my project and a 64Bit version I would be willing to create 64Bit ISO files. I originally could not boot a 64Bit ISO in Virtualbox, but have since fixed that issue by enabling the virtualization technology in my system's BIOS.<br />
<br />
Next step for this project is a customized version of Xubuntu. The XFCE powered version of Ubuntu has come a long way since I first looked at it in version10.04, but again, I am not a big fan of the default configuration. XFCE has the added bonus of being more customizable, much like the classic GNOME environment was before the introduction of GNOME 3. Even though many users man not want or need the flexibility to configure a desktop environment extensively, many still do though.<br />
<br />
Eventually I would like to go further with customized Linux distributions, with Remastersys you have additional options for custom boot splash images and some other customizations for starters. And at some point I would be interested in working through the directions from the Linux From Scratch project for a completely custom, ground up build. I will be sure to document here any additional explorations I dive into.<br />
<br />
But for now, the customizations I have done so far are available for download on Sourceforge at: <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/">http://sourceforge.net/projects/customizedubunt/</a><br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
Jesse <br />
<br />Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-44051737587105486832013-03-02T12:48:00.001-08:002013-03-02T12:48:15.937-08:00Customizing Ubuntu Part 3: Testing the ISONow that we have created the ISO with Remastersys, it is time to test it out to see how it worked. But before we can test the ISO, we will have to get it off of the VirtualBox VM and onto the main host computer (which will then be installed in VirtualBox for testing). First, we will install the VirtualBox guest additions on our host machine. I installed the virtualbox-guest-utils from Synaptic (and the associated ones it will install with it). After that, we will created a share in the VirtualBox VM settings, which for this exercise I named public (and also use the public folder location as the shared folder). <br />
<br />
Now in the guest, we will have to install the virtualbox-guest-utils package before we will be able to mount the vboxsf share that points to our host system. Once installed we will then create a directory to be the mount point of our share. From the terminal run "sudo mkdir /mnt/share" to create the share folder. This directory is where we will be copying the ISO file to from our guest VM. From with in the guest I ran the following command from the terminal to mount the vbox share: "sudo mount -t vboxsf public /mnt/share" where public is the name I gave the share created in the VM settings on the host system and /mnt/share is the mount location we created on the guest. From inside the /home/remastersys/remastersys directory I copied the ISO and MD5 file via the command line with the command "sudo cp custom-dist.iso /mnt/share" (again with .md5 custom-dist.iso.md5) and now the customized ISO is on the host machine and ready to test.You can use your graphical file manager to do this, but will need to load the file manager with root permissions to be able to copy the file over - I found it easier to just type in the commands on the terminal.<br />
<br />
Now for the moment of truth - testing the Live CD in VirtualBox. First thing I noticed upon boot is that you are not greeted with the pretty graphics you see in the regular Ubuntu CD, just a text menu. No worries though, booting into the Live environment worked great even though it didn't auto login but all you had to do was type "liveuser" (the user name I had used for this experiment) at the LightDM screen and hit enter on the password field (for no password). The user name is also shown in the upper left of the login screen for reference. Default session was GNOME Classic and logging in I was greeted with the different wallpaper I had chosen and an install Ubuntu 12.04 LTS icon on the desktop. <br />
<br />
Live session works great, now its time to reboot and run the installer directly and see how everything installs. The installer runs just like you would expect from Ubuntu and worked with out a hitch, I created my new test user and set auto login to yes and away it went. Once completed, reboot and we are in business. Everything worked the way I had hoped and I even created a test user in the VM environment, logged out and logged in with the new test user. As expected and hoped, new users are set to GNOME Classic by default. <br />
<br />
A very successful experiment that leads to an up to date customized Ubuntu install - one that I think represents a more sane desktop and one that would be easier for the average user to learn. This setup is one I would be more than happy to distribute to friends or family wanting to see what a Linux experience would be like. After a little more fine tuning of the ISO, I will be uploading my customized version on-line for download if anyone is interested. Any changes should be pretty easy from here on out as I can install the original base customization in a Virtual Machine and then update from there and recreate the ISO.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
Jesse<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-7107668954345228772013-02-25T07:30:00.000-08:002013-02-25T07:30:02.203-08:00Customizing Ubuntu Part 2: RemastersysNow that we have our customized Ubuntu system set up and up to date its time to install and begin the Remastersys setup. Before we tackle that though we are going to take care of the last little bit of house cleaning from the initial setup. First we will run (from terminal) "sudo apt-get autoremove" to clear out any old packages that are no longer needed and then we will disable auto login (as is default on the install) for our originally created user as the instructions on the Remastersys page are very clear to not use auto-login. After that we will remove old kernel files with Synaptic Package manger to free up space. Once we have Remastersys installed we'll clear out the Firefox cache just for good measure.<br />
<br />
Installing was simple, I just followed the Synaptic Version of their install instructions on their <a href="http://www.remastersys.com/ubuntu.html" target="_blank">Ubuntu page</a>. The only difference was the packages didn't show up after just doing a reload in Synaptic, so I opened a terminal and ran "sudo apt-get update" and then found and installed Remastersys and Remastersys-gui from Synaptic. <br />
<br />
Now that we have Remastersys installed, its time to open up the GUI version and start our ISO creation. You will find the program under the System Tools - Administration menu and will be asked for you password upon load. Once loaded, we will first choose the configure button to set up some basic options such as live user name and live CD name. After that we will choose the User settings option to copy all settings so as to be default for all users in our new customized ISO.<br />
<br />
Next we will go back to the main Remastersys menu and Choose Distribution to start the creation of our ISO. Once you start this process, you will need to be patient and let the system be while Remastersys does its work. All told I think it may have taken about half hour or so to create my ISO that ended up at 1.1GB total. <br />
<br />
Next step (and next blog entry) will be getting the ISO off the Virtual Machine and onto my main system for testing. Stay tuned.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-34164005653218382182013-02-18T08:30:00.000-08:002013-02-18T08:30:02.057-08:00Customizing Ubuntu Part 1: System Install and Software ConfigurationAs I mentioned in a previous post, I always wanted to try and make a customized version of Ubuntu with my favorite applications and customized settings. This appears to be made simple using the <a href="http://www.remastersys.com/" target="_blank">Remastersys</a> tool and I am setting out to give it a go. The first step in my customized system will be getting the base system in place and getting everything modified to the desired look and feel. For this install I am starting with an Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 32bit install in Virtual Box (Virtual Box did not boot the 64bit version). Once the base system is installed we'll go through the software list and start removing what we don't want and/or need and installing the programs we do want. Once we have the updated system with custom settings and software set, it will be time to start creating the new installation media.<br /><br />Before getting started why Ubuntu? I was first introduced to the Ubuntu Linux distribution while working at a middle school after several years of a bit of a Linux hiatus. I was impressed from day one with how well it was done. The installer was a one CD simplified setup, a breath of fresh air compared to the four CD not so friendly install procedure of the last Linux distributions I had used. And for all the things people may find to criticize Ubuntu's direction, it is still a very well done distribution that has great hardware support and works great. <br />
<br />
And now lets get to business, first we are going to install two packages: Synaptic Package Manager & Classic Gnome (gnome-session-fallback). Classic GNOME because I really don't like Unity (wanted to, and tried - but just don't) or GNOME 3 - The classic look and feel is what I want in my system. Synaptic Package Manger because it is a very useful and fast way to manage your software, which will come in handy as we remove default applications we won't be using and add additional applications we do want. <br />
<br />
After installing the Classic GNOME session we want it to be the global default, so we will edit the lightdm.conf file located in the /etc/lightdm directory. All we will do is change the line that reads "user-session=ubuntu" to "user-session=gnome-classic" which will hopefully make it the default for all users once we have our customized ISO. We will also log out and log back in with the default user created during install so as to work in the classic mode. We will also disable the overlay scroll bars with the following command entered in the terminal: "gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface ubuntu-overlay-scrollbars false" and then we will be off.<br />
<br />
With Synaptic in place we can remove a laundry list of applications quickly and in one batch instead of typing up a long list in the terminal or going through the Software Center (which can be a bit slow going). Gone are the following programs: Remmina Desktop Sharing & Vino as a remote desktop application is not really needed for home use. Empathy, Gwibber & Transmission BitTorent are gone as I don't user or care for any of the social networking nonsense and don't need a BitTorent client either. And lastly, RhythmBox which will be replaced by Banshee - this is a personal preference that began when I couldn't get RhythmBox to manage my wife's iPod shuffle and was able to do so just fine with Banshee. It is what I am used to and like now, so Banshee gets the nod.<br />
<br />
After our mass removal of extra and unwanted applications its time to add the ones we do want for this customized Ubuntu System. For games, we are just going to add Quadrapassel (a Tetris clone) to add one more classic to the few already available in the regular install. We will also add LuckyBackup, Hugin Panorama Creator, FileZilla, Skype (Internet download, not in the repositories), gLabels Label Designer, Banshee, DVD Styler, RipperX, WinFF, Ubuntu-restricted-extras & Libdvdcss2 (from the Medibuntu repository for DVD Playback). gLabels is a great little program to create CD Label designs to be printed on CD labels available at most office supply stores. Luckybackup is an rsync front end that I use to backup my hard drive to an external USB drive. Hugin is great software for creating photographic panoramas, FileZilla for FTP access, Skype is self explanitory, DVD Styler for creating custom DVDs, RipperX to copy CDs to your local computer and WinFF in case you may need to convert video files (probably will for DVD Styler).<br />
<br />
In addition to the programs above, four will be installed through separate PPAs to ensure we have the most up to date versions. One of the downsides to the LTS model and Ubuntu's rapid release philosophy is that some programs have older versions in the repositories that don't get updated, or don't get updated for a long time. From PPA we will be installing GIMP 2.8, OpenShot, Darktable & Pithos. Gimp 2.8 really improved and made GIMP more palatable for general users and is not available in the 12.04 repositories. Pithos is a native Pandora radio client for Linux that is very handy to have.<br />
<br />
In addition to the software included in my custom design, I also have the following installed on my system that many might find worth installing: Pingus (Lemmings style game with Penguins), Blender, Dia, KeePass2, Audacity, ISO Master & PuddleTag.<br />
<br />
After our software install binge, its time to run system updates and customize the look of the applications menu. Once that is done, it will be time to install and begin using the Remastersys program to create our distributable installation ISO.<br />
<br />
Next step, Remastersys - stay tuned!<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-87206262789295428262013-02-04T22:32:00.001-08:002013-10-18T20:12:01.571-07:00Using Clonezilla to Clone From a Larger Hard Drive to a Smaller DriveOfficially, Clonezilla does not support cloning from a larger hard drive to a smaller one. While this may seem counter-intuitive there are some situations where you may want or need to do this. Such as with my job when images have been created from systems with 500GB drives and the new systems come with 250GB drives, or when going from a large traditional drive to a smaller SSD.If you are in this situation, I have found a way to get this done. We will have to do some prep work on the image (and re-create it) and then some additional prep on the destination drive before final imaging. <br />
<br />
To prep what will be the new image we will be creating a new one (if its an already created image) and we will need to shrink the main partition first. You may need to restore your original image on the larger, original disk first and go from there. I use Parted Magic (which also has Clonezilla built into it) to boot the system and shrink the partition using GParted, making sure to give myself a good amount of flex room - we can always grow the partition on the new disk later. In my test I shrunk the main partition of a two partition Windows 7 drive down to about 100GB (160GB total drive capacity) to be able to fit it on a 120GB SSD. You will also want to note sizes of all partitions on the drive, in this case there was the 100MB system/boot partition and the larger main partition. After the partition has been shrunk and everything is smaller than the new destination drive, reboot the system and let the operating system boot and run its file system/drive check - if you skip this test CloneZilla <u><b><i>will</i></b> </u><i><u><b>fail</b></u></i> when we get to making an image from the newly shrunk drive. Once the checks are finished, reboot the system again and boot into the Clonezilla environment. Once we start up Clonezilla, set the options desired after choosing to work with the device-image option. When asked what mode to use, we will be choosing "saveparts - Save_local_partitions_as_an_image" and then go through the rest of the option sets, making sure to check all the partitions on the disk.<br />
<br />
Once the new image is saved and after installing the new, smaller disk we will again boot into Parted Magic (or GParted Live, or a similar tool), load up gParted and edit the partitions on the new drive. First (if it is a new drive) we will need to create a partition table (I did an msdos table for this restoration) and re-create the partition theme from the old drive. To create an aligned partition (critical for an SSD) create a new partition with 2MiB of space preceding it (in my case I created the 100MB system/boot partition for the Windows 7 dive I was moving over to a smaller drive) apply the change then resize/move the partition and change the 2MiB preceding space to 1mb. After that, create the next partition - again starting with 2MiB preceding space and then resizing/moving with 0 preceding space (always choose align to MiB). Repeat these steps for each additional partition. You may have to mark the appropriate partition with a boot flag either in this step or after running Clonezilla.<br />
<br />
Now that the new drive is prepared, we will again boot Clonezilla and this time we will be restoring the recently created image. When we are offed the mode option, we will be choosing "restoreparts - Restore_an_image_to_local_partitions." Set our options of source/destination when prompted and away we go. Once finished reboot and you should now be all good to go. Your operating system may run through its file system checks again and you will want to expand the partition to fill any empty space.<br />
<br />
There you have it, a tested procedure to clone a larger drive to a smaller drive using Clonezilla.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-31726503415749919062013-01-30T22:39:00.002-08:002013-02-05T20:33:41.805-08:00The "Perfect" Linux Desktop?I have seen many posts detailing the "perfect Linux desktop." These are usual semi detailed posts on installing and setting up a newly released distribution and the software set added to the base packages. <br />
<br />
There is one thing about open source Linux distributions that seems to attract many of the love it or hate it crowd: choice. To some, the fact that there are hundreds of different distributions all built around multiple configurations of a common universe of packages wrapped in a decent list of available desktop environments, makes for an environment where there is something for everyones taste and if you don't like it - there is another distribution to fit your needs. To others, this fact is one of the loudest criticisms sung to the tune of a drum labeled fragmentation. <br />
<br />
So of all the readily availably and well done distributions is there a "perfect" Linux desktop? This is one of the yes and no answers that centers around personal preference. The team at Canonical made waves with the introduction of their in house GNOME skin dubbed Unity that shipped as default in Ubuntu 11.04. GNOME changed the much beloved look and feel of the 2.x series with the introduction of GNOME 3. Many users love these new UI experiences and many loath them. KDE and XFCE also have crowds of loyal users.<br />
<br />
When it comes to distributions with a default, untouched install - my personal favorite, and what I would consider the best looking or close to perfect as you can get - was Ubuntu 10.04. Version 10.10 looked pretty nice as well, but I stayed away from it due to the limited support life. For me no of the current releases fit what I want untouched, but Ubuntu 12.04 (with its 5 years of support) configured with GNOME Classic (gnome-session-fallback would be the packed to install) gets my vote and is what I use currently. A close second would be a slightly customized XFCE environment in Xubuntu 12.04.<br />
<br />
Software set is another area where someones perfect would be vastly different that another users. With my system I have mainly added additional multimedia programs, such as Gimp (2.8 from PPA), OpenShot and DVD Styler. <br />
<br />
I have had an interest in created a customized installation CD for some time, and will begin an experiment in creating one using the <a href="http://www.remastersys.com/" target="_blank">Remastersys</a> tool - based on my version of the perfect Linux desktop with Ubuntu 12.04 as the base. I will be documenting my experience, the steps taken and the software set used here on my blog. I will also try and get the final ISO uploaded for anyone interested in downloading my customized version of Ubuntu.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-66626342468731432882013-01-15T21:42:00.000-08:002013-01-15T21:57:43.740-08:00Sandisk Sansa Clip Zip 4GB MP3 PlayerI had been debating getting an MP3 player for sometime off and on and recently with some birthday money from my in-laws I finally purchased one. After some research and looking around on-line for something that would fit what I was looking for, I ended up purchasing a <a href="http://www.blogger.com/href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FVNGRS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=photbyjessmcc-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B005FVNGRS" target="_blank">SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip 4GB</a> model. <br />
<br />
When I set out to look for an MP3 player I initially was thinking I wanted something with 16GB of storage to accommodate my approximately 8GB music collection and leave room for new music to be acquired without having to upgrade the device down the road. Well, the cheapest 16GB player I could find was around $90 and out of my budget as well as much more than I wanted to spend. Then I got to thinking there has to be a model out there with an memory card slot for expansion and I could get a budget model and slap in an inexpensive <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WIRFD2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=photbyjessmcc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003WIRFD2" target="_blank">16GB memory card</a> and be good to go.<br />
<br />
A quick stop at Best Buy on the way home from church and happy birthday I have a new 4GB MP3 player complete with micro SD expansion and included ear bud headphones, not bad at all for $39.99. Besides the memory card expansion, the Zip has an FM radio tuner, voice recorder and a stop watch feature. I will be testing the stop watch out when I start jogging again and find I use the FM radio quite a bit at work. You can also play audio books and podcasts with the Zip, provided they are in a supported format. The formats supported are the usual suspects of MP3, WMA, AAC and OGG Vorbis - and for all you audiophiles out there it even supports FLAC.<br />
<br />
SanDisk advertises up to 15 hours of battery life and I have not been disappointed with the battery performance yet. I have had it playing for nearly a full work day and was at half battery. If you do happen to run out of juice during the day, even 5 minutes on the charger and you will have charged up enough to at least finish an entire album worth of music. I ran out of battery one day at work (and thankfully the USB connection to the Zip is the same as my work Android phone) and was able to finish the day out listening to music after just about 5 minutes charging time. <br />
<br />
Compared to the nearest iPod in price (the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=photbyjessmcc-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=ipod%20shuffle&url=search-alias%3Delectronics" target="_blank">2GB iPod shuffle</a>), you get double the storage (plus SD card capability), a color display screen, stop watch and FM tuner for less money. <br />
<br />
The only drawback I have found so far is the way it utilizes M3U play lists. With M3U play lists all the music must be in one folder, anything in sub folders will not show up on the device when trying to play the play list. All in all I am very happy with the Sansa Clip Zip and would enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for a decent MP3 player at a good price. Throw in a 16GB memory card and you have a 20GB MP3 player for about $65 or less. Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-52085757866970663032012-06-22T22:20:00.000-07:002012-06-22T22:20:35.437-07:00The Linux Nerd Way to Download a Digital CameraDownloading a digital camera can be cumbersome and time consuming. But it doesn't have to be that's for sure! If you use a Linux system, I have a quick and easy way to download a memory card that I have been using for some time now.<br />
<br />
Simply run the following command from a terminal window:<br />
<br />
rsync -h --progress --stats -r -tgo -p -l -D --update --exclude=**/*tmp*/ --exclude=**/*Trash*/ --exclude=**/*trash*/ /media/CANON_DC/DCIM/101CANON/ /home/jesse/camera/Sort/<br />
<div>
<br />
Obviously your source and destination will be different than mine listed here and the temp and trash exclusions are probably not necessary, but those were options I selected when I used Lucky Backup to create the rsync command.<br />
<br />
It is also nice that the terminal keeps a history of commands and all I have to do is press the up key till I find my command and then hit the enter key. After downloading, I sort the pictures in dated folder and move them from the sort folder to the camera folder and I am all set.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
Jesse</div>Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-30296262759173752712012-06-13T21:37:00.001-07:002013-02-04T22:40:05.629-08:00Gimp 2.8 ImpressionsGimp 2.8 has been available since May and I have it installed on my laptop and have had some time to actually use the updated version that was over three years in the making. While I hope the next release is much sooner, and I would loved to have had this available much sooner, I have to say that this one was definitely worth the wait.<br />
<br />
The Gimp team has done a fantastic job, and like I mentioned in my last post on Gimp 2.8, I will not be going into full detail on all the new features. The single window mode works beautifully and is a simple joy to finally have. It was the first thing I did when loading up Gimp 2.8, switch to single window mode and get to work. They layer groups are well done, and the on image text editing is a dream.<br />
<br />
If you have not upgraded to 2.8 yet, what are you waiting for?! You will not be disappointed and the update is worth every second it will take to get installed and configured. Coming up in 2.10 will be high bit depth support and further on in the development road map is script recording and payback. Exciting times for sure, and encouraging to see the improvements released and usable.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-29099437794386133702012-05-19T21:16:00.000-07:002013-02-04T22:39:52.842-08:00Gimp 2.8 Has Been Released!Gimp 2.8 was a long time coming, three and a half years in the making as mentioned on the May 3rd release notice on the projects <a href="http://www.gimp.org/" target="_blank">official page</a>. This is great news with a truck load of improvements over the 2.6 version with many more to come. There have been plenty of write ups on the improvements, so I will not be going into them here with any depth. I will simply have a few thoughts on what has become one of my favorite programs that has replaced virtually all my Photoshop use on my Laptop (which runs Xubuntu 12.04. For a good write up on the features you will find in the new Gimp version you can check out <a href="http://www.webupd8.org/2012/05/gimp-28-stable-finally-available-for.html" target="_blank">this post</a> on Webupd8.org.<br />
<br />
I have always thought the Gimp program was one of the most promising open source projects out there and have always been frustrated with the painfully slow development of the program that comes from having a small group of core developers. According to the developers, this is one of the issues that will be remedied, starting with the release of the long awaited Gimp 2.8.<br />
<br />
This is very exciting news, as the list of coming features are also long awaiting and much anticipated form the community. High bit depth editing is due out in the next 2.10 release and the one listed under the "future" list (with no milestone number associated yet) is the script recording and playback option. This is one I am very much interested in, as this feature is one of my favorite features in Photoshop and would be amazing to have in the Gimp.<br />
<br />
With 2.8 out they have "fixed" one of the long standing issues that I believe may have been detrimental to more novice users adopting the program: Lack of the long awaited Single Window Mode. I have tested this out and I can say it is very nice to finally have and will only benefit users who are used to this standard.<br />
<br />
Gimp 2.8 is worth the time to upgrade and I sure hope we see 2.10 released sooner rather than later.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
JesseJessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-30357912280611615132012-04-25T21:45:00.000-07:002012-04-25T21:47:16.452-07:00Application Review: Create SyncronicityIn my last post I had a brief review of Lucky Backup for Linux. It is a great program that I highly recommend for Linux users as a very robust back up situation. Unfortunately for Windows users Lucky Backup is not available. It took me a little bit of searching, but I have found a program available for Windows that works wonderful and is open source as well. The program is called <a href="http://synchronicity.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">Create Synchronicity</a> and I would highly recommend any Windows users to download a copy and start putting it to use.<br />
<br />
Much like Lucky Backup, when I have set this up on Windows systems at work (and for my dad's business) it is set for incremental backup where only new and modified files on the source side are copied over to the destination. Nothing is deleted on the backup destination and this program works flawlessly from my experience so far. It can also be scheduled to automatically run the backup at a set time, which I know also works well.<br />
<br />
For my dad's business I have set up two Windows XP machines and one Windows 7 machine to automatically sync files to a mapped network drive (which is a share residing on a Linux server) after business hours. The first backup on the Windows 7 system took overnight and then some (two hard drives worth of data as the files from the previous workstation it replaced were copied to its hard drive) but since then the backups take significantly less time and are finished well before the start of business the next day. The Linux server then uses Lucky Backup to sync all the files now residing on it to an external hard drive.<br />
<br />
I will definitely be installing this on my parent's new computer they are getting at home, scheduling it nightly and then I will sleep well knowing they are automatically being backed up. Check it out and you will not be disappointed.Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-21215331912003823492012-03-05T20:16:00.001-08:002013-02-04T22:39:36.661-08:00Application Review: LuckyBackupEvery computer user should have a good backup plan. Personally I loath to loose any information from my computer, be it from a hardware failure, accidental removal or anything else that could result in a loss. This sure shows in my backup archives as many files are on several sets of backup medium.<br />
<br />
A good program to look at for backing up is <a href="http://luckybackup.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">Lucky Backup</a>. Written for Linux, community members are working on a Windows version and it appears there is a Mac OS-X version out there as well. I would highly recommend it for Linux users and am just waiting for the Windows version to be complete so I can recommend it for Microsoft's OS as well.<br />
<br />
Lucky Backup functions as a GUI front end for the r-sync utility and is very straight forward and easy to configure. Choose your source, destination and options such as back up or sync. I always disable the delete from destination option as I don't want files on my backup to vanish just because it no longer exists on the source drive. Other options include directory exclusions (both user selected and options to exclude cache and trash folders among others). <br />
<br />
From the default profile you can create different tasks to perform. I have three different task sets created, and usually have all three checked and run them at the same time. Lucky Backup is extremely quick on successive runs, with the first run taking the longest as it is transferring the most data. On subsequent runs, only the changed files are backed up.<br />
<br />
A word of caution: I would not recommend using Lucky Backup in Super User mode if you are wanting to backup more than one user's home folder (in fact, I do not even use super user mode anymore) from under one main account. This did cause some permission issues rendering the other account on my computer useless. It is best to create individual back up profiles from with in each users account and go from there.<br />
<br />
I use Lucky Backup on my Xubuntu 11.10 system and enthusiastically recommend it as a great backup utility. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-31685125913477951802012-01-04T21:34:00.000-08:002013-02-04T22:39:22.516-08:00Linux and OpenShot save the day!OK, so save the day would be a wee bit on the over dramatic side but the simple fact is there was a task to do and had it not been for a computer with Xubuntu 10.04 and OpenShot the task may not have been able to be finished. <br />
<br />
At work, I had a video file that needed about 30 seconds trimmed from the beginning and unfortunately Windows lacks any worth while free (open source or otherwise) video editors and the iMac's Final Cut Express would not even import the MP4 file I needed to edit. <br />
<br />
Loaded up Xubuntu and OpenShot, trimmed the file, exported it and uploaded to Youtube. I did have to install the MP4 codec for the export, but after that I moved the file to my main machine to upload to Youtube and the job was finished. <br />
<br />
Hooray for Linux and Open Source!Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-76133796175131168162011-10-24T21:11:00.000-07:002013-02-04T22:39:04.992-08:00Application Review: Puddletag for Linux (installed in Ubuntu 10.04)Puddletag is an audio tag editor that I stumbled upon while browsing through the WebUPd8 PPA for Ubuntu Linux. While not an application I was looking for at the time, it did fill a need for me. <br />
<br />
I have a number of MP3 files that do not have meta tag data entered. And while this worked fine in my car stereo MP3 player that only read file names, virtually all modern music players I have used as of late rely on this data for display. So, wanting to sort my music for playback on my computer I would need this data entered. I had previously used a Windows based program called "Stamp" which wasn't very quick, and doesn't fit anymore as I use a Linux system for my personal computer and want to find a native Linux application for all my computing needs.<br />
<br />
The interface of Puddletag is simple and efficient. Browse for your media location on the left hand side and on the right you are greeted with a spreadsheet like view of all the editable fields (file name, artist, title, album etc...). This view is very easy to work with and will even let you copy and paste a field over multiple files (say album title). <br />
<br />
I did find that some operations are night lightning quick, but that could be a combination of editing files on a USB hard drive and my older Pentium 4 system. It is by no means unbearably slow, and plenty tolerable to use. I have started working on my collection and will continue till the last of my files have been edited and ready to load up in my music player. I would highly recommend giving Puddletag a try if you have need to edit meta data on any audio files. <br />
<br />
Puddeltag is available in the <a href="https://launchpad.net/%7Enilarimogard/+archive/webupd8" target="_blank">WebUpd8 PPA</a> or from the developers <a href="http://puddletag.sourceforge.net/index.html" target="_blank">SourceForge</a> site. Give it a try, I doubt you will be disappointed.Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-37769895657187317432011-10-19T20:13:00.000-07:002013-02-04T22:38:36.266-08:00Good news about Gimp Development from Libre Graphics WorldAccording to a post on <a href="http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/gimp-2-8-is-getting-finalized-high-bit-depth-support-is-on-radar" target="_blank">Libre Graphics World</a>, the Gimp development team is likely looking at saving an obstacle to the Gimp 2.8 release for a future release to prevent further delays of the 2.8 release date. This change hasn't been reflected on the <a href="http://tasktaste.com/projects/Enselic/gimp-2-8" target="_blank">Official Schedule</a> for the release of the next version, currently projected for January of 2012 and being pushed back nearly every day.<br />
<br />
In my opinion, <a href="http://www.gimp.org/" target="_blank">The Gimp program</a> has huge potential for a graphics editing program but at least two factors are holding it back at this time. First, for those used to other programs the floating windows that make up the user interface can be a nightmare to work with and be especially confusing for new users. This is even more apparent on smaller screens where you have little room to lose for the main image window. This will be eliminated when 2.8 is finally released with the single window mode. <br />
<br />
The second part is the pace of development. While I am not a fan of the rapid release schedules seen in some open source software, development that is too slow can be even more frustrating. The Gimp could definitely benefit from a quicker release schedule as the current development pace can feel painfully slow. Getting bug fixes and new releases out to the public sooner rather than later is definitely a plus. To accomplish this, the Gimp simply needs more developers on the team.Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-86195956125048608042011-10-11T21:20:00.000-07:002013-01-09T22:38:09.542-08:00How Windows 7 Makes Tech Support EasierI haven't had a lot of experience with Windows 7 until recently. I work at a local school district and we recently replaced a fairly large selection of computers, and at this point you can no longer purchase licenses for Windows XP - every new computer comes with Windows 7.<br />
<br />
This forces the tech department's hand when it comes to upgrading, or in our case running in a mixed environment with the majority of systems running XP and all the new machines from here on out being Windows 7 (or newer). <br />
<br />
Granted, Windows 7 does cause issues when it comes to group policy and other issues that arise on a large, domain network. We also find issues with older printers no longer being supported under Windows 7 by either Microsoft of the printer manufacturer. So Windows 7 is not all rosy and great, but there is one big advantage as a Technician that makes my job much easier.<br />
<br />
On our network (like most large organizations) individual user accounts have restrictions when it comes to administrating a system and installing software. Under the Windows XP environment, updating or installing software would require logging off of the restricted user and me logging in with my account with administrative rights to perform the needed actions. With some of the older systems and local user policies, it could take quite a while to log in and finish the job. In theory, Windows XP would allow you to enter your credentials to install or run certain programs while logged in as a restricted user, but I never had any success trying to change anything this way.<br />
<br />
Now, with the Windows 7 systems I can perform administrative tasks by entering my credentials and being able to function with elevated rights. This is a big improvement, makes my job easier and produces less disruption for the computer user. All in all I have been pretty impressed with Windows 7 during my exposure with the new systems at work - a definite and huge improvement over past Windows versions for sure.Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599658910623317488.post-71972674393810841392011-10-03T19:53:00.000-07:002011-10-03T19:53:09.757-07:00Printing with an HP printer in Ubuntu LinuxWith computers most people want them to just work. Sometimes they do and sometimes they come no where near just working. When it came to my first experience with printing in Linux it simply worked with no fuss at all. <br />
<br />
For those used to Windows systems, the first thing you will notice when printing from Ubuntu Linux is there is no new hardware detected pop up notification, no configuration or installation needed and the printer is not displayed anywhere once connected. My first thought when I turned on my printer was 'did the computer see it?' Since there was no notification, I wasn't quite sure. But I decided to open up Open Office and give it a shot to see if it would print. I went to print and sure enough my HP PhotoSmart printer showed up as available and printed fine (of course, Linux cannot solve the several year old, nearly dry ink cartridges).<br />
<br />
The only draw back I can see right now is the lack of a management from the default install (Ubuntu 10.04) where ink levels can be monitored. If you like technology to just work, a Linux distribution (most have the HP print driver package as part of the default setup) with an HP printer will likely be a no fuss, no install - it just works scenario. I was very pleased with my first printing experience from a Linux system and will be looking into the lack of management options and hopefully find something worth while, stay tuned!Jessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669248922583118129noreply@blogger.com0