Initially, when i started out with Red Hat 9, the only thing that kept me using it was this graphic manipulation program. Although the layout might seem some bit tricky, its easy to use. So for Photoshop and Corel photopaint users, GIMP is a very good option. This article intends to show how to achieve this effect which i saw at a photo studio by following the simple steps below

Before After

Launch Gimp

Open your desired image (Should look like mine)

Now from the Filters menu simply choose blur to lay the foundation of your image.

Still from the Filter menu choose Artistic then Soft Glow and ensure the following:
Glow Radius 10 Brightness 0.75 Sharpness 0.85
Then ok
Select the path tool and trace out the focus of the image as done below

Then choose Create Selection From Path
<

From Select Menu , choose Invert
Now choose Blur then Gaussian Blur
Horizontal 10.0 Vertical 10.0 Blur Method RLE
Now repeat blur for at least 3 more times
You’d have something like this

Now click any part of the image and from the filter menu choose Artistic then Softglow

Glow Radius 46.06 Brightness 0.75 Sharpness 0.85

Final Product

Just in case of minor imperfections like white lines try using the eye dropper and the fill bucket or paint tool.

Thats all, Be creative !

(N.B Thanks to Sola afolabi for permitting me to use his picture)

This is is an attempt to bring some of the basics of Ubuntu desktop to a user completely new to Ubuntu Linux. I ‘ll try to introduce some of the basic software which you might need in other to have a an enjoyable Desktop experience with Ubuntu.

Please note: Every thing in this guide was done using the 32bit version of Ubuntu, not the 64bit version. Most of the things in this guide should work on the 64bit version, but I can’t guarantee it. (it doesn’t really matter if you don’t know what this means)

Also I have a limited experience with some set of hardware drivers like some versions of ATI and Nvidia cards, Broadcom and  Antheros Wlan card and lots of other hardware. my knowledge has been limited somewhat to what I have been exposed to since using Ubuntu. but I will try to give a general Guide that would also help those using other version of Ubuntu like Kubuntu which uses the

KDE Desktop, and Xubuntu which uses the Xfce Desktop  environment.etc.
The System I will be using for my guide is a Sony Vaio FZ 21e. and I would be using the Gnome Desktop which is what comes by default with Ubuntu.

You will almost certainly need to have a good Internet connection so that you can download those extra packages ( software - drivers ) that are needed to have an awesome experience with Ubuntu. If You don’t have an Internet connection. Don’t feel bad I have made a DVD which contains some Basic packages you might want like Multimedia codecs (you need these for watching movies and listening to music),some cool open source Applications for Video and Audio Editing, some packages you might want to install to your system Plus some Vital Kernel updates. The DVD is currently available in Lagos but we Hope to Distribute it to some our members in other part of Nigeria (we currently have members in Lagos, Ogun State, Enugu  Ibadan, Abuja and Makrudi.

If you would like a copy of the DVD please call me at 08022982697 or you can send me an email .. bigbrovar@gmail.com

Things You Should Know About in Ubuntu.

Synaptic package manager

Synaptic package manager is an advanced package management application that can install and remove every package available to your system. The interface is graphical like Add/Remove tool  on windows, but it presents much more information and gives you complete control over the software on your computer.
To launch Synaptic, to go System ▸ Administration ▸ Synaptic Package Manager.
You need administrative access to use Synaptic – which generally means that you will need to type in your password. (The one you set when you installed. Ubuntu.)

*** Most Applications in Linux are referred to  as Packages ***

To Install a package in Ubuntu all you have to do is click on it, and click mark for installation. That is easy enough, but what if you don’t know the name of the package you want to install? Well, synaptic has a search feature as well, all you have to do is click on search, (or press ctrl+f) and enter the package name or a short search term. You can also search for packages by description (for example, you can find all packages mentioning “Music” or “Video Codecs”).

Use the categories on the left to filter the list of packages. To return to the list of categories after doing a search, click Sections.

To install a package, click the box next to it and choose Mark for installation. If you change your mind, choose Unmark.

To remove a package that is already installed, choose Mark for Removal.

When you have finished, click Apply and Ubuntu will download and install any packages you marked for installation, and remove any you marked for removal. If you have changed your mind, and you don’t want to make any changes, close the window instead.

However Synaptic is more than a tool for installing or removing applications.

Synaptic Package Manager can do all of the following things:

- Install, remove, configure, upgrade and downgrade single and multiple packages.
- Upgrade your whole system. (Upgrade to a new version of Ubuntu, this is like going from XP to Vista, except that new versions are better than the old ones )
- Manage package repositories.
- Search packages by name, description and several other attributes.
- Select packages by status, section, name or a custom filter.
- Sort packages by name, status, size or version.

What Else you should know about Synaptic.

Synaptic download packages (software) from so called repositories or repo for short . a repo is like the Link to an on-line Packages Database or CD/DVD where a package can be downloaded.  for example  if windows worked like Linux then you would be able to add a link from adobe into your add and remove tool in windows so that when you open it and refresh  you would see all adobe applications in your add and remove tool and you can easily install any of them by just right clicking and installing . wouldn’t it be cool if windows came with a tool like that. well it doesn’t – that in a way is how synaptic works on Ubuntu. there is what is called a source list which contains links to where all the packages for Ubuntu can be downloaded .. you can add more source lists to Ubuntu and a source.list can be a CD/DVD or a web-link… the important thing to know is that synaptic downloads packages from repositories using the link provided in the source lists.

When you first install Your system the First thing you do is go to synaptic click reload which would then allow it to refresh and sort of sync with the all the repositories in the source list for updates.. Where there is an update you should see a notification icon on your panel. click on it and all the updates would be displayed

Terminal

The terminal is just like the command prompt in windows, only that this one is much more powerful.

Linux is basically a command based Operating System , But a GUI (graphical user interface) was written to make.It is quite possible to use Ubuntu without ever resulting to command .. I can say that almost every terminal command has a GUI equivalent. However should any one like me want to use the command line then that is what the terminal is for .. its an emulator for the real Command line which the GUI is sitting on. note : although almost every command based application as a GUI equivalent.. the real power of Linux can  better be can be seen through the command line,hence in some instances I prefer to use the terminal especially when trouble shooting a problem or trying to fix one. The Terminal can be found in Applications/Accessories/Terminal.

Multimedia
Ubuntu is very rich when it comes to playing multimedia formats like Videos ,Music ,Photo Editing,Video Editing etc .The default Music player for Ubuntu is Rhythmbox Music player  for playing Videos the default is Movie Player .. But You would find some other cool Multimedia programs like Banshee,Amarok,VLC etc.

You can get them by either opening a terminal and typing

sudo apt-get install banshee

to get banshee.

sudo apt-get install amarok

to get amarok

sudo apt-get install vlc

to get vlc

(you could open synaptic package manager, and then manually search for these packages, click them, click apply, and wait for it to install the programs, but this is much faster, and that is why some people use the terminal)

Pidgin
Pidgin is a very simple Messenger Client for Linux . supports , yahoo Messenger ,MSN,Google Talk,IRC, AIM, MySpaceIM and a host of others. Its Support multiple accounts being logged in at once and has a wide range of plug-ins  Pidgin can be found Under Applications/Internet/Pidgin

OpenOffice.org
Openoffice is a  comprehensive  suite that provides a near drop-in replacement for Microsoft(R) Office. it comes with

* openoffice.org-writer: Word processor (this is like microsoft word)
* openoffice.org-calc: Spreadsheet (this is like microsoft exel)
* openoffice.org-impress: Presentation (this is like microsoft power point)
* openoffice.org-draw: Drawing
* openoffice.org-base: Database (this is like microsof access)

It support Microsoft Office formats (.doc .ppt etc) and has the ability to save Documents in these formats, as well as saving as PDF’s.

Openoffice.org can be found in Applications/Office/

Brasero
Brasero is a CD/DVD burning Utility for gnome it very easy to use and with it you can
* Burn, Copy and Erase CD/DVD
* On-the-fly burning of CD/DVD
* Append data to multisession CD/DVD
* Burn Audio CD
* CD-Text writing for Audio CD

Brasero can be found in Application/Sound & Video/Brasero

Getting Started With Ubuntu

Now i can assume that you are now familiar with some of the cool tools that comes pre-installed with Ubuntu out of the box. Ubuntu only ships with Free software

***free here don’t mean price.. it means the application is open source and does not restrict the end user in any way**

However, you might need some non-free or closed source software in order to have an awesome desktop experience on Ubuntu. Some of this packages include Multimedia codecs (mp3,avi,mp4 etc) drivers (Nvidia,ATI) Runtime (java) hence we are going to get about installing this extra packages on Ubuntu

Multimedia

Out of the box Ubuntu can play free media codecs like ogg, oggtheora, etc. for you to get it to play mp3,wmv,avi and other non-free media you have to install extra codec.To make our Job easy we would have to do some of the installations through terminal.. yeah! i know we can always use synaptic. but over time i have come to realize that some installation are easier when done from the command-line especially when installation of multiples packages are involved… don’t worry all you have to do is copy and paste the command into terminal and hit enter .. yeah its that easy

*** Most Gui tool in Linux is actually a front end to a Command-line version .. hence Synaptic is a front-end for a tool called apt-get which is used for installing  packages .. to install using apt-get all you have to do is type   sudo apt-get install package name (-package name should be replaced with the name of the package u want to install).. To uninstall its sudo apt-get remove package name u can learn more about installing packages on Ubuntu http://monkeyblog.org/ubuntu/installing/ ***

Lets get to work )

open Terminal and run this

sudo apt-get update

this would check for updates on your system when you are done you will be returned to your prompt

then run this

sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse
gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg libxine1-ffmpeg libdvdread3

hit enter when you are done run this

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

Now you have  most of the codecs needed to play most of multimedia you may own.

Installing DVD Support

At the terminal, type (you can copy and paste)

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Αnd paste at the buttom of the text file the below:

## Medibuntu - Ubuntu 8.04 “hardy”
## Please report any bug on https://bugs.launchpad.net/medibuntu/
deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ hardy free non-free

save the document and close it and then in the terminal type:

wget -q http://packages.medibuntu.org/medibuntu-key.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -

in order to receive the appropriate key.

Finally, at the terminal, type:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2 w32codecs

*** if all the commands freaks you out alternatively go to System–>Administration–>Software Sources click on the third-party software tab and add

deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ hardy free non-free

reload .. when you are done open synaptic and search for libdvdcss2 and w32codec, Check the box next to the software.
# Click the “Apply” button.
# It will show you a list of the software packages that it will install. Click OK.

Nvidia and ATI Driver

Ubuntu ships with the open source driver for ATI and Nvidia however they don’t have support for 3d acceleration .. to get this you have to install the closed source driver provided by both and Nvidia and ATI respectively

Navigate to:

System –> Administration –> Hardware Drivers

and there you’ll see your Graphics Card and an option for installation of its drivers.

Choose it and the press “Apply”. It shall install the  driver - a reboot may be required.

(Applicable for both ATI/AMD and Nvidia)

You will need to do this if you have an NVIDA, ATI or many other brands of graphics card, This will then give you 3D acceleration, enabeling you to use your hardware to its full potential for things like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTOSDkRV_AM

and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QyyC4LRoYI

Java

Lots of things depend on you having some Java stuff, so in order to use those things, you will need to

Open Terminal and run this

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts
* During the installation you would be asked to agree to the java end user agreement .

alternatively you can open Add and remove Under Applications/Add and Remove .. Set it to all Available applications .. then type Java on the search field amongst the search results you would see  Sun Java 6 Runtime and Sun Java 6.0 Plugin check both and and apply changes

*** The add and Remove is a package Manager Just like synaptic.. although its much more user friendly making it easy to search for and install packages.. but it is less powerful and can not be used to replace synaptic as a package manager.***

-Now Let me take you through some of the cool  software available on Ubuntu Which you might want to install on your system-

P2P

If you are quite a lot of Peer2peer programs that are available on Ubuntu here are just a few of them

- Deluge

Deluge is a full-featured BitTorrent client for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows. Deluge features a rich plugin collection; in fact, most of Deluge’s functionality is available in the form of plugins.
Deluge was created with the intention of being lightweight and unobtrusive. Deluge is not designed for any one desktop environment and will work just fine in GNOME, KDE, XFCE and others.Deluge is Free Software and is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Deluge has a wide-array of features, including:

* Web UI
* BitTorrent Protocol Encryption
* Mainline DHT
* Local Peer Discovery (aka LSD)
* FAST protocol extension
* µTorrent Peer Exchange
* UPnP and NAT-PMP
* Proxy support
* Web seed
* Private Torrents
* Global and per-torrent speed limits
* Configurable bandwidth scheduler
* Password protection
* RSS
* And much more!

Deluge is in the Ubuntu repository (meaning you can install it through synaptic or add and remove) although the one there is old you can get the latest version here http://deluge-torrent.org/downloads.php

KTorrent

KTorrent is a BitTorrent program for KDE. Its features include speed capping (both down and up), integrated searching, UDP tracker support, preview of certain file types (video and audio) and integration into the KDE Panel enabling background downloading.although it meant for the KDE Desktop Environments . It works quite well under the gnome Desktop. and its quite fast. its actually my favorite P2P due to its speed and stability.

Frostwire

If you ever used a program on windows called limewire .. well this is the open source version of limewire.. whats more .. its faster and more stable than the limewire ..some of its features include:
BitTorrent Support

Turbo-Charged Download Speeds

Absolutely NO Spyware or Adware

Connects to more sources

Creative Commons license support

Max. speed network connections

Junk Result Filters

Community Chat Rooms

Firewall-to-firewall transfers

Proxy Support

I hope this guide was useful to you, and that you have a great time with UBUNTU

(this guide is a work in progress, and was edited by Harry Allington http://mynameistux.blogspot.com/ He is known as barbedsaber on the ubuntu forums, and is known as mynameistux everywhere else on the internet)

The latest installment of the ubuntu success story is now here in Nigeria.. for those who dont have poor or no internet connection at all .. you can get in touch with the following ubuntu nigeria members on how u can get your oown copy

Lagos-Bigbrovar 08022982697

Abuja-Ralph 08033735087

Ibadan-Afolabi 08025426934

Ogun State-Esquire 0802882963

If you have a good internet connection u can download Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon from here http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Major additions in Gibson include:

Hardware management improvements with improved plug-and-play configuration for printers, as well as automatic firmware installation for Broadcom cards
Improved support for display systems - For laptop users, full support external VGA (projector) support is available out-of-the-box with easy reconfiguration when hardware is switched. For power users this release includes the ability to manage multiple monitors
Windows compatibility - Users with a dual partition can read from and and write to files that are on located in a Windows partition (including NTFS)
Enhanced user interface - Simple 3D screen effects and graphics to enhance the user experience
Desktop search - gives users the ability to search their entire desktop, whether for files, folders, chat logs or photos. This capability includes the deskbar applet, a central location on users’ desktops for all local and web search operations
Firefox plugins - automatic installation of popular Firefox plugins validated by Ubuntu.

Wireless Data Cards

These instructions will walk you through the process, step-by-step, of configuring the Novatel Merlin 620 EV-DO CDMA Wireless Data Card and other similar models.
Note: This tutorial assumes that you are using Ubuntu with the GNOME Desktop Environment.

Activation

In most cases, activation of your wireless data card is either done by a representative of your wireless provider, or must be done using the included software on a Microsoft® Windows®-based operating system. Refer to the installation instructions included with your hardware for more information.

Once you have completed the activation of your product, you are ready to begin configuring the wireless card for use in Linux.

Getting Started

( This part only works on Feisty Fawn)

We must start the process of configuring your data card by first gathering some very important information that Ubuntu will need in order to utilize the hardware properly. Be sure that, at this point, you have the card removed from the PCMIA slot on your notebook before beginning.
Open a terminal window and execute the following command:

cat /proc/bus/usb/devices > devices

Now insert your data card into the PCMIA slot and wait for a few seconds before continuing.

In the terminal window again, type the following and press ENTER:

diff /proc/bus/usb/devices devices | grep Vendor

You should see some output that looks like the following:

bigbrovar@bigbrovar:~$ diff /proc/bus/usb/devices devices | grep Vendor

< P: Vendor=0000 ProdID=0000 Rev= 2.06

< P: Vendor=0000 ProdID=0000 Rev= 2.06

< P: Vendor=1410 ProdID=1110 Rev= 0.00

bigbrovar@bigbrovar:~$

Inspecting the output, you will find two key pieces of information necessary for configuration of your data card: the Vendor and the ProdID.
Now, in the terminal, execute the following command:

sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=0×1410 product=0×1110 ( Gutsy upwards can start here )

Be sure to use your own Vendor and ProdID variables here.
Your wireless card should now be properly configured, and we can now move on to the next step of the process.

[edit]

Configuration Script

Next, we need to edit the configuration script in order to get the data card communicating with the outside world.
Issue the following command and press ENTER:

sudo gedit /etc/wvdial.conf

Copy and paste the following code into the file, replacing the existing contents:

[Dialer Defaults]

Stupid Mode = on

Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0

Baud = 921600

Init = ATZ

Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0

Phone = #777

Username = XXXXXXXXXX@provider.com

Password = XXXXXX

Init1 = ATZ

ISDN = 0

Modem Type = Analog Modem

Auto Reconnect = on

Carrier Check = no

[Dialer shh]

Init3 = ATM0

[Dialer pulse]

Dial Command = ATDP

In the above script, you will need to change a few pieces of information. First, you will need to replace “XXXXXXXXXX@provider.com” with the 10-digit phone number and provider domain assigned to your data card. (For example: 001412064@vzw3g.com). Lastly, change the password to the one supplied to you by your provider. This password is normally referred to as an MTL or PIN number and is typically 6 digits long, but may vary depending on your provider. If you are unsure of what values to enter here, contact your service provider

Testing the Connection

The card has been configured, our script should be in order, and we should now be ready to test our connection to ensure that it is working properly.
In the terminal window, use the following command:

sudo wvdial

If the connection works, you will receive output in the terminal window similar to the following:

Automatically Connecting at Startup

The final step is to get the connection to automatically initialize when the system starts up so that it will be available for use nearly instantaneously.

Navigate to System > Preferences > Sessions in GNOME. Next, click on the tab labeled, “Startup Programs” and then click the “Add” button. In the Startup Command field, enter “wvdial” and then click “OK”.
You should now be fully ready to utilize your data card in Linux without complication.

If you have Problem connecting through this method please give me a call

This has been confirmed to work well with Reltel wireless  ***Novatel Merlin 620 EV-DO CDMA Wireless Data Card ***

Bigbrovar-08022982697 Nigeria Residence only

Alternatively

Next, open your terminal and type the following commands:

sudo tail -f /var/log/messages

This will enable you see what is happening on your system.
Next insert the EVDO card into your laptop. You will see
that the system display information about your card. Note,
You will see two mount points. Don’t worry if you do not
know the mount point to use.

Next open another terminal and type:

sudo wvdialconf

this will automatically probe your card and give
the mount point and speed. Next type

sudo wvdial

Linux will try to connect using the default setting written by the last command.
It show you invalid user name, password and phone number. No problem.
Next, type

sudo pppconfig

this will open a window that you will fill. Don’t forget to delete
pre-filled information and replace them with your own information.
eg replace provider name with your own provider name.

Remember to copy the last line of the wvdialconf command
output. Use the best recommended speed. Ok. Other info are

phone number: #777
userName: card number@provider.com
password: card number

Be sure to confirm from your provider. This information is for reltel users.
Your mount point or port should /dev/ttyUSB0
When you are through with this, save and exit.
And finally connect with this command,

pon provider name

watch the log terminal, you should see the you system, pry and secondary IP addresses displayed.
Note: do not forget to select DHCP from the pppconfig window.

open your web browser and hurry, you are up with your new connection.

To disconnect

poff provider name

Enjoy it. Linux is the freedom of choice.
Need help feel free to post

Dial-up Internet on Linux

To get online in Linux isn’t that hard and since this is Linux there are several ways of achieving this. to do this we can either use the terminal or kpp although there are others like gprsec although this is more oriented towards GPRS.

The terminal would be treated first.

Launch a terminal from Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal

A terminal comes up connet your phone through a usb serial cable and then type sudo wvdialconf and press enter. This command searches your computer for any modem attached to it. If it finds it would tell you modem found. If its a phone it would say new device found /dev/ttyACM0

Then now type in this command also sudo gedit /etc/wvdial.conf Now you’ll have to edit it removing the unnecessary semicolons and then when yours look like mine then press save

[Dialer Defaults]

Init1 = ATZ

Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0

Modem Type = USB Modem

Baud = 460800

New PPPD = yes

Modem = /dev/ttyACM0

ISDN = 0

Phone = *99***1#

Password = internet

Username = internet

Then you return to the terminal and type sudo wvdial and press enter and it starts to connect once it does, don’t close that terminal because if you do that you go offline.

Now for the non terminal people, kpp is a very excellent tool, it does the job well.

You’ll have to download kpp, then go to http://packages.ubuntu.com and search for kpp, download and login into ubuntu and double click to install

After installation just press Alt and F2 together, a run dialog comes out like the one below and type kppp and run.

Now click on configure, and choose manual setup

Then input your connection name, i’ve named mine celtel, then click Add to add your dialup no (Vmobile is *99***1#, for starcomms it should be #777)

Then now click OK and OK again you don’t need to worry about IP, DNS etc.

Now click on modem tab and choose new, here’s the tricky part Name your modem since am using Motorola L6 i named my modem L6.

To know what your modem is just open a new terminal and type sudo wvdialconf and it would show the name of your modem.

If you’re using a mobile phone it should be /dev/ttyACM0, then choose that.

Now click on the modem tab and click query modem. This would confirm if that modem you choose exists.

For those who use the terminal and are able to get online already but want to change to kpp just connect through the terminal first, then follow the instructions below

The first thing would be to install kppp from the synaptics. To do this click Applications then choose Add/Remove programs then search for Kppp

Now mark it and choose okay then follow the previous instructions i gave.

If you have problem connecting to the net after following the above please call Afolabi 08025426934 *Nigeria Residence Only

Note Due to the frequent disconnection that has been experienced on starcoms and multilinks … you  can add this string    Init3 = AT+CRM=1;$LGPKT=3 to your wvdial config so it looks like this

[Dialer Defaults]
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Init3 = AT+CRM=1;$LGPKT=3
Modem Type = USB Modem
ISDN = 0
New PPPD = yes
Phone = #777
Modem = /dev/ttyACM0
Username = 7525553@multilinks.com
Password = 482711
Baud = 460800

after you most have followed the guide above … i.e doing wvdialconf and all … run this command

sudo gedit /etc/wvdial.conf

this would open the wvdial.conf in a text editor ..

just add this string

Init3 = AT+CRM=1;$LGPKT=3

to the 3rd line .. so it would look like this

[Dialer Defaults]
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Init3 = AT+CRM=1;$LGPKT=3
Modem Type = USB Modem
ISDN = 0
New PPPD = yes
Phone = #777
Modem = /dev/ttyACM0
Username = 7525553@multilinks.com
Password = 482711
Baud = 460800

once you have done that save and close the text editor

Hey Guys the Ubuntu NIgeria Loco team just got the Ubuntu Ultimate Version of Feisty Fawn

Ubuntu Ultimate Edition 1.4?

This release was built based off Ubuntu Ultimate 1.4 CD, with software integrated on to the DVD.

This release is a major milestone in the “Ultimate” series of distrubutions or distros for short; starting from this version forward upgrading from 1.4 to 1.5 etc. will be a click of the mouse away and without downloading 2GB every time. Full releases will still be availible for download. This version you will find to be much faster & more responsive; due to the many enhancements to the kernel and being based on Ubuntu Feisty Fawn.

I have added a script I wrote comes up on boot that allows Flash, video drivers etc. to be installed & plays music as it downloads them.

As always any software that requires a license agreement is not included, Java, Flash and Acrobat reader, Google Earth. Please freat not for the first time included in the release is my custom repo hosted on a seperate server which contains all the software and much more. Unlike Ubuntu Ultimate 1.3, to make life easier for users this distro will install drivers, Flash, and Acrobat reader for you apon booting from the live DVD. After installed there is an upgrade icon on the desktop that will install Google Earth etc.

To answer the question… What is Ubuntu Ultimate Edition 1.4? It is Ubuntu Feisty Fawn with the following software pre-added, many wireless issues addressed, and an upgrade script, allowing additional software:

• 133 Upgrades, already done for you
• Additional themes, theme engines & screensavers
• Busybox
• Network security tools
• Manrip & Lemonrip - DVD ripping software
• Yamipod - Ipod software
• New theme / splash screen / wallpaper
• New sound theme
• VCD Gear debian style
• Subversion & build tools
• Wireless Internet integration
• Bluetooth integration
• PPP integration
• Networking tools
• 35 Additional fonts
• Repository driven Compiz Fusion
• Integrated Custom repository support
• IPod support
• Beagle
• Gramps - Genealogy software (thanks poweruser2600)
• Kapote - Instant Messenger
• Integrated codecs (the good the bad & the ugly)
• Mplayer, VLC, Songbird & Amarok players with mp3 support
• Mencoder, K9Copy, DeVeDE, DVD Shrink - dvd copying software.
• Automatix (in case you want additional software)
• GFTP - FTP Client
• KVIrc - IRC Client
• Additional Themes, icons, cursors & logins
• Samba
• NFS
• EasyTag - MP3 Tag Editor
• GDesklets
• Inkscape - 2D vector drawing
• Screem - HTML Editor
• Gambas - Programing environment
• QEMU & Kqemu Accelerator - Emulation
• Screem - HTML Editor
• Avidemux - Avi (divx /xvid) editor
• GDesklets - Eyecandy & info
• NTFS read / write support
• Lamp - web server (Apache2, mysql, PHP5)
• phpmyadmin
• Azureus - P2P software
• MS core Font’s and extra fonts
• Wine - Windows emulation (always newest version - through repo)
• Alien - Allows installation of foriegn packages (RPM, suse etc)
• Gobby Team programing software
• Ksnapshot - Screen capture software
• Google Picasa - Graphic editing software
• Frostwire Pro - P2P software
• Kolourpaint - Graphic editing software
• Qcad - Autocad wannabe
• Archive Suite - virtually any archive can be handled.
• Ajunta IDE - Programing environment
• Bluefish - HTML Editor
• Glade - Interface designer
• Gtranslator
• Bit Tornado - P2P Software
• Kino - Flick editor
• Audacity - Sound editor
• Debian Menu (pdmenu)
• Dvdrip - Dvd ripping software
• Democracy Player
• Listen Media Manager
• Steamripper
• Ilinux (banshee)
• Gnucash - Financial software
• Aria - Download manager
• Build Essentials and make utility’s
• Quanta Plus and extras - HTML Editor
• Graveman - burning software
• New Grub splash screen and animated boot up screen
• Bum - Boot-up manager
• Sum - Startup manager
• Istanbul - Live screen capture (used to capture current screencast)
• Ghex - Hex editor
• Gourmet - Recipe manager
• Isomaster - CD / DVD ISO editor
• GPHPEdit - PHP Editor
• Aria - Download manager
• Democracy - Movie streamer
• ClamAV - Anti-virus software
• Listen - Media manager
• DVD|RIP - Dvd ripping software
• Lifrea - RSS feed reader
• Brasero - Disc burning tool
• X-Chat - IRC Client
• QDVDAuthor - DVD authoring software
• SMP Support (dual core CPUS) / works with single core as well
• New GDM theme
• Capture card support - TVTime / ATI-All-in-wonder
• GKRealm - Realtime hardware monitor
• MGM - Moaning Goat Meter
• Newer Amarok then can be obtained from normal repos
• Hardinfo - System information
• GTKPod - Ipod Sync software
• HTop - Process viewer
• Sysinfo - System information
• IPodder - Ipod sync software
• XSensors - Hardware sensor software
• Addition networking and wireless tools
• Gpixpod - Photo sync software for Ipod
• IPodslave - an iPod IO slave

By Next Week all our Team Members would be with the DVD and any body that wants it on their systm can get in touch with either of

Lagos-Bigbrovar 08022982697

Abuja-Ralph 08033735087

Ibadan-Afolabi 08025426934

Ogun State-Esquire 0802882963

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Majority of people intending on installing Ubuntu would not want to lose their windows Operating system.these can easily be achieved through a process of dual booting which simply means booting 2 or more operating systems from one PC.

With Ubuntu Feisty fawn dual booting has not been easier.And it is possible to install Ubuntu on your Computer without altering anything,in fact your windows would be just like it has always been.I personally currently dual boot Ubuntu with Windows vista not only was the process easier and faster than installing vista its self.it has also been stable no wahala at all.

We are going use to senerios

1-Dual Booting with a fresh XP Install.

2- Dual Booting Ubuntu and XP with XP already installed
1-Dual Booting with a fresh XP Install.

This senerio concerns installing Windows from scratch and then creating the dual-boot.

What you will need:

• Windows XP Boot Disk
• Ubuntu 7.04 Boot Disk

Make sure your computer is set to boot from a CD.

Most computers already do that by defaults.but just in case yours doesnt then go into your BIOS. From there go to “Boot” and go to “Boot Priorities”. Make sure CD-ROM is set to boot first and you’re all set.

Installing Windows XP

Now Open your CD tray and switch off your system.make sure the system is completely off.then insert the XP Boot CD in the CD tray close the tray and start the system.

A blue MS-DOS screen will load up first asking you if you want to install drivers or run an Automated System Recovery. Just wait for them to go by and then Windows will begin to load files needed to install XP.

You will now see a setup Screen.Press enter

Agree with the usual EULA agreement by pressing f8

Now to the important part of this installation. You will now see a screen where you will tell Windows XP to install itself. Since you want to Dual boot your system in that case you should not give XP all your drive You need to create a partition for XP . Press the C button on your keyboard to create a new partition.Note if You already have windows installed on your system and you want to do a fresh install be sure to delete the old partition by pressing D.then You can now create a New partition.

You will now see a screen in which you can edit the size of our new partition. Depending on your hard drive size and preference, determine the amount of gigabytes (GB) you are going to give XP to use . After you have chosen the size hit Enter to create the partition.

Note -

• Windows XP requires at least 1.5 gigabytes of hard drive space.
• 1000 megabytes (MB)= 1 gigabyte (GB). So if you wants to give say 9GB to XP that would be 9000MB

You will now be brought back to the screen install screen Highlight the new partition you created (leave out unallocated space you will need it for Ubuntu). and press Enter to install. The next screen will ask you how you would like to format the partition (FAT32 or NTFS). The choice is up to you and what you prefer. -XP works better with NTFS-. Regardless of your choice, choose the quick option as this will make the installation go a whole lot quicker

Now press F to Format the drive and begin the Installtion of XP on your systetm

Once that is done you will see this

Then these

Then finally These

Finally you have installed windoze sorry windows..now remember that during the installation you did not use all your partitions for windows…now the unused partition is where we are going to install ubuntu.It is a raw partition meaning that it has not been formatted to any file system.and you can see it if you go to Control planel/Administration tools/Cmputer management/disk management.You will see it has an “unallocated partition” in black youcan check the size cause that would be the size of your UBuntu

Note* if these is not the case and you installed windows on the whole drive .No probs just go to the second tutorials you will learn how to dual boot in that kind of situation

OK Now that you have installed windows.its now time to install UBUNTU.

Get your Ubuntu CD.

Now make insert it in your CD tray,shut down,close the tray,and start your system. the ubuntu CD would boot up.when it does you will see these bootup screen

Highlight “Start or Install Ubuntu” and press enter the loader would take some time going back and forth but the patient.after some times you will see these screen

Double click the install icon and choose your language

Next pick your location

Select Your Key Board Layout most Commonly used is U.S English.

Ubuntu will then load the disk partitioner to determine where it’s going to be installed. Choose “Manual - use the largest continuous free space”. This will automatically select the unpartitioned space That left unsed during the XP install. Click Forward.

Next you will see the migrating assistance which is for helping you import some of your Windows account settings like wallpapers and bookmarks into Ubuntu.however i would advise u don’t tick any account cause am not sure of how effective the migrant assistance is.So click forward

Time for your user name and password *remember to turn off CAPS

On the “Ready to install” screen, you’ll see that Ubuntu now has enough information to commence the installation. In the summary under Migrate Assistant, it should say “XP (loader)”. This means that regardless of whether Ubuntu found any user account to migrate, it certainly knows that Windows XP is installed on the other partition and is aware of it.Click Install

Now when the installion complete you have to remove the cd and shut down.when you restart Note* that when the Grub screen comes up there will be an entry “Other operating systems” and beneath that “Microsoft Windows XP Professional” (or Home, whichever version you’re using). By default Ubuntu will load itself after 10 seconds.

Well i guess that is it.You have your Ubuntu XP dual boot! please let me know if You encountered any problem following this steps.

You can either drop a comment here

or give me a call

bigbrovar 08022982697 (Nigeria Residence only)

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This Tutorial is for People who wants to install Ubuntu with XP already installed on your system.

What you Need

Ubuntu Live CD

Preparation.

Make sure that you defragment your drive like say twice before you emback on this tutor guide to avoid issues when Ubuntu find it unable to partition your drive.

Start

Insert the Ubuntu CD in your drive and properly shut down your system.

Make your system boot from the CD.most systems do this by default if your system does not do this .Go to into your BIOS. From there go to “Boot” and go to “Boot Priorities”. Make sure CD-ROM is set to boot first and you’re all set. When you rsystem boots from the Ubuntu CD you will see this screen. select “Start or install Ubuntu”.

The installation would go back and forth but be patient.when the Live CD finally loads.double Click on the install Icon on the Screen.

Choose Your Language and click forward

Choose your location and Time zone and click forward

Choose your preferred keyboard layout and click foward

Now when you click forward you Ubuntu loads the disk partitioner. The partitioner seeks to resize the main partition and use the freed space, is pretty much easy to go with.And this is how it works. The partitioning would be done with the help of a slider,so if you have say 40GB harddrive sive on your system and out of the 40GB - say 10GB to Ubuntu just move the slider to the right till you see it read 30GB then can leave it at that 30GB and click forward.

Another option would be to manually edit your partition tables but that is not recommended unless you are an advance user.
*Just remember to give it at least 2 GB though I recommend you give it much more.

Next you will be asked if you want to import any accounts you may have on Windows XP. If you want to do it, if not just proceed.But i will advise you not to.What ever you choose Click forward

Next Your user name and password *make sure CAPs are off

confirm all the information

Now double click install and wait for Ubuntu to install..when you are done .You can restart and remove the ubuntu CD.

There are three ways that you can obtain an Ubuntu CD Whichever wayyou choose just remember that Ubuntu is free of charge and will not cost you a kobo.

1.Download

You can Download the latest version of Ubuntu directly online here Just choose the CD appropriate for your hardware and download.

2.Request

If you have a very slow or no Internet connectivity at all then you can always request for a free Hardy Heron CD directly from Ubuntu and it would be delivered right at your Door step Free of even postage…and believe me it works..although it may take some time like between 6-10 weeks but you would get it in the end.mine was delivered to my house by TNT a premium currier in Nigeria. You can make a request for an Ubuntu CD here

3.Through Your Ubuntu loco Member.

The Ubuntu loco team is a group of Ubuntu users that are ready to guide and support new users by helping them with installations and support.Currently in Nigeria we are have a presence in Lagos,Ibadan and Abuja but we are still open to members from every corner of Nigeria.If you are in any of the aforementioned cities and need to obtain an Ubuntu CD please you can call any of this numbers

Lagos - Haynet  08026783900

Abuja -Bigbrovar ,08079535004 08022982697,

Ibadan -Afolabi 08025426934

Ogun State-Esquire 0802882963

The Difference

There are many different operating systems based on Linux: Debian, SuSE, Gentoo, RedHat, and Mandriva are examples. Ubuntu is yet another contender in what is already a highly competitive world. So what makes Ubuntu different?

-Based on Debian, one of the most widely acclaimed, technologically advanced, and well-supported distributions, Ubuntu aims to create a distribution that provides an up-to-date and coherent Linux system for desktop and server computing. Ubuntu includes a number of carefully selected packages from the Debian distribution and retains its powerful package management system which allows easy installation and clean removal of programs. Unlike most distributions that ship with a large amount of software that may or may not be of use, Ubuntu’s list of packages is reduced to a number of important applications of high quality.
By focusing on quality, Ubuntu produces a robust and feature-rich computing environment that is suitable for use in both home and commercial environments. The project takes the time required to focus on finer details and is able to release a version featuring the latest and greatest of today’s software once every 6 months. Ubuntu is available in flavours for the i386 (386/486/Pentium(II/III/IV) and Athlon/Duron/Sempron processors), AMD64 (Athlon64,pteron, and new 64-bit Intel processors), and PowerPC (iBook/Powerbook, G4 and G5) architectures.

To top it all UBuntu is completely free of charge,and users also enjoy free support both official and from a large amary of users that form the community.