An Ubuntu Fork Pinguy OS 12.04

 Following is a reproduction from Software

I must confess for not writing a detailed review, which distribution richly deserves and only a few comments.

I had a horrible night yesterday.

I slept from till 7.00 p.m tonight.

My PClinux FullMonty (current work horse of mine) was playing Pandu (Ball Game) with my desktop and every time I click the mouse it switches off my monitor.

In fact it was so bad I did my work on my Abiword on completely black monitor (pretty nice experince without any distractions barring typos and no editing facility).

Worse scenario was yet to come when I got the monitor on, by pressing hard on the UPS battery, the monitor got switched on and I was pasting few photos off from an old DVD of mine, the desktop effects when into DEAD FREEZE MODE and I could not do anything but Ctrl+Alt+ Del, completely disrupting my point to point download of Ubuntu Server and Desktop CDs and all my background activities.

I will right a detail report about the FullMonty´s desktop effects later and I will cut this story short now.

In the Frozen sate I stopped the desktop effects, restarted the computer with my download active and went to sleep.

Sometime a good sleep will give your ¨BACK UP BRAIN¨ to work well and I was dreaming a lot which was a pleasant experience.

I always say a good night sleep, in my case a good day time sleep on weekends, rejuvenate my brain especailly I am working on a book and running short of ideas.

Ideas get deposited in your brain when dreaming.

Got up had a cup of tea and opened my Abiwod (mind you this is my latest book) and corrected all the bugs (PCLINUX and not Abiword) in about 10 minutes, my correct document (renamed) and the original in pristine form recovered, browsed the www.linuxtracker.org to see PinGuy 12.04 (I call it in Sinhala Ape (our) PIN (Kusala or Merits) Guy (transliterated to Ape MAN).

Renamed Ape PIN= OUR MAN.

I remember reading a review of it,  couple of years ago and the reviewer ended up saying I like this distribution but I do not know what the developer is trying to DO or ACHIEVE.

He is very expressive  here and I agree with the developer´s views without any reservations.

It has a very good grub and unlike Ubuntu recognizes all other distributions (in my 500 GiB hard disk on laptop) when installing.

Only other distribution, light weight though, that has a good grub is AntiX and Mephis.

It has Ubuntu one.

It used to have UnetBootIn but I will tell you soon after I checked the downloads (currently on) later.

Thanks, I believe you guys coming from UK (unfortunately there is some Ant--British sentiments here and BCs www.writeclique.net is defunct now) doing some excellent work.

Nice to see practical men in Britain, instead of celebrating Monarchy (we are heading that way unfortunately) doing yeoman service to the entire world with the help of South African Ubunu.

I believe some of you are South Africans domiciled in UK.

BIG THANK YOU for your hard work it is PIN or Merits in Sinhala.

I use PinGuy (11.04) in all my computers an keep it as a reserve distribution to enjoy Gnome nat the KDE.

I will soon drop my KDE addiction and it is the K3B which is an excellent CD/DVD writing utility.

An Ubuntu Fork Pinguy OS 12.04

Pinguy OS an out-of-the-box working operating system for everyone, not just geeks.


This OS is for people that have never used Linux before or for people that just want an out-of-the-box working OS without doing all the tweaks and enhancements that everyone seems to do when installing a fresh copy of Ubuntu or other Linux based Distro's.


Ubuntu is a great OS and undoubtedly the most popular and easiest Linux based Distro to use but even with its default setup and chosen programs it's still lacking functionality and ease of use for most new users. So what I decided to do was build a Distro that looks good, could do everything most user would ever want to do and that was very simple to use.


I started out by listening to what my friends and family wanted to use their PC for and found the most user friendly programs for the task they wanted to do. After a while I got a good idea what most people use their PC for and what programs were the easiest to use. Like using Shotwell for easily uploading images to Facebook, gtkpod for putting music, photos and video on a ipod/iphone and Arista for converting the video to a iPod friendly format.


So all the programs in Pinguy OS have been chosen because of their ease of use and functionality, I also changed every file type to open with the right program, like for some reason by default .iso are opened with Archive Manager so I changed that to Brasero Disc Burner.


As I already said apart from it being easy to use I also wanted it to be a very good looking operating system. There are now a lot of programs out there for Linux to give the OS a very smart and polished implementation, like CoverGloobus, Gloobus Preview, GNOME Do, and Docky. These programs don't just give the OS a good look and feel but they are also very useful and handy.


Pinguy OS is an optimise build of Ubuntu 11.04 Minimal CD with added repositories, tweaks and enhancements that can run as a Live DVD or be installed. It has all the added packages needed for video, music and web content e.g. flash and java, plus a few fixes as well. Like fixing the wireless problems, gwibber’s Facebook problem and flash videos in full-screen.


Everything is set-up for samba, all you need to do is right click a folder you want to share and add a password in samba using system-config-samba.
It also has a UPnP/DLNA server (pms-linux) so you can share your music, video’s etc. With a PS3, XBOX 360, Smart Phones or any other UPnP/DLNA media reader.


Nautilus has been replaced for Elementary-Nautilus with added plug-ins so it can get music and video art from the web. The default theme is Elementary using ttf-droid font with Docky and a custom Conky.


I have also added DVB support to Totem for anyone with a TV card that wants to watch tv on their PC but doesn't want to install a dedicated program like myth-tv.


For a full list of installed programs and repos for 10.04.2 *OLD* download this file.


If you prefer to download and install the LTS (long term support) 10.04. It can still be downloaded from here.


If you like this Distro and would like to help it improve and grow you can always donate, it doesn't matter how small the amount is, it all helps.

Linux-Royal-Titan-LTS-Update

Linux Royal Titan-LTS

This is a beautiful Ubuntu based Linux distribution with lot of utilities packed in a DVD.

I tried the latest one because I was impressed I went to their web site and downloaded the light weight one too.
Both boot up well and graphic is soothing.
Just scanned it to see it has Microsoft Windows 7 in it Wine Folder.
I do not like Win 7 but I did try live Microsoft but did not start.
Either one has to install a certified copy or code wiever copy.
I won´t try it for you.
Overall it is a good distribution to try.
Only difficulty was its long user name (which is visible on the top left hand corner and one has to selected the classic or without effect gnome.
I tried the Classic which is COOL.
There is no password but on has to fiddle with to get going. 
It was good with my laptop too.
I am wondering I should install it to give feed back later.
But right now I am busy with other writing.

My conclusion is it has cool desktop effect.

 Of course on need not use desktop effects if one´s graphic card is old.
Go download and enjoy the Linux freedom.

Birds birds and birds, where the hell they come from?

Birds birds and birds, where the hell they come from?

This is my comment below a paper article about unusual bird activity

There is something radically wrong for them to come out.
I have been observing this for a while.
I have not nailed it down but In Kandy it is due to clearing of their habitat on the Hantana foothills by guys with political patronage.

They move from East to West which is not normal.
They are now nesting in few trees near our house.
Never seen before except Blue Kobeeyahs.

Second reason is they need lot of water (not food) due to  unusually warm weather.
Global warming to be precise.
In our case we have a water purification plant and they come there to bathe and drink water.

Leave lot of water for them to drink if not bathe.
They die without water.
Mind you we had two full moons without rain in Kandy.

Third reason is our mulberry tree is full of fruits due to warm weather.

I am trying to make few sapling (very difficult in this warm weather) of mulberry and give it to my friends to encourage their visits.

If not Jam Trees would do.

My guess is without visiting the hinterland, a baaaaaxxxxD with political backing and in the name of development must be destroying the last vestige of their natural  habitat.

Pass this message and this news by email to all bird lovers and start investigating without delay.

I have few sketches devoted in my blog-post-Linux 100 and parafox to alert bird lovers of this country.

Try your email in the meantime.
Thanks for highlighting this phenomenon.

Ubuntu and Ubuntu Derivatives-12.04

Ubuntu and Ubuntu Derivative

Ubuntu 12-04 and its derivatives are now out.

All of them are exciting and one should try them and enjoy the freedom of Linux.
At Least Live CD/DVD.

I have to shift my recommendation but it all depends on one´s requirement.

If you a newbie just go for Ubuntu.

If you are savvy Linux guy/girl, one has lot of choices.

Ultimate Linux and Dream Linux are neck and neck but I prefer dream Linux because of its pleasing graphics and the presence of Scribus.

It has almost everything thing except games.

Ultimate is good for games but one has to download them or alternatively go for Ultimate Games Linux.

If you a love music and and films go fro Ubuntu Studio.

Then there is Tango Studio too.

All of them have 32 bits and 64 bit versions.

Only today I tried all of the 64 bit that I had downloaded but not tested one on my laptop and they do work OK.

I tried Linux Mint Cinnamon and Mate too, the version 13 of course but for me version 13 is an unlucky number and I go for PinGuy as my favorite.

I tried Gentoo 64 bit version too but I  still could not find a live script for its install.

They promised to add Anaconda install but it never came .

Hence I am downloading Sabayon, ¨the dream I (we) believe in and it in its final 600 MiB of the download sequence.
Now less than 100.

All these time FullMonty is in real dream mode and I have to wake it from slumber.

This is the wake e up call for FullMonty.

Mind you one needs at least 2 GiB of RAM in your laptop,

Without adequate RAM do not try them, they might FREEZE on you.

So who wants windows 8 with secure boot?

Probably ones who cannot independently think and act.

While all these happening Debian Lenny is releasing it 6.0.4.

All the above started from Debian.

But do not forget Slackware the oldest and Absolute Linux a Slackware derivative without a tag of a particular desktop (I love this approach) and AntiX and Simply Mepis.

Yes I did not talk about Redhat and Suse both of them are trying to have unhealthy relationship with Microsoft.

I wish them bad luck by choice and by default of mindless high flying CEOOs..

Thin Client Cloud Service- T.C.S- 2X Version is Out

Thin Client Cloud Service- T.C.S- 2X Version is Out

Thin Client  @X software version is out and boots with minimum of resorces.

It is open source version with proprietary help.

I wish them all the luck and progress.

It has Opera Browser.

Adobe reader.

Google application and Skype.

And few more application.

I am not sure whether one can add few more application but its server version may be preparing to add all the applications in the cloud.

One has to probably register with them. 

I believe it can be carried in a Flash Stick  and Cd is bootable.

Cloud computing is taking its shape and it is going to be a new ball game soon.

I hope they provide some more information and few demos on the cloud for users to try it out.

Like EyeNux with applications, 2X should provide more of applications to try.

I have not heard anything about EyENux activities for sometime probably they are also working hard to make an impact in cloud computing.

I hope EyENux also take a note of other guys on the horizon which may healthily compete with them

Good luck boys and girls at  2X.

Knoppix 7.0.1-Update

Knoppix 7.0.1-Update

Brand new Knoppix Live DVD is out and I could not wait till I tested it to write a few lines.

But I have some complaints too.

First the compliments.

It looks fresh and it has 4 desktops.

1. LXDE

2.Gnome

3.KDE

4.LarsWM--Light Weight Window Manager

On a live session one can switch from one desktop to the other in a flash.

Its has GPRS capability.

Compis is there and graphic features are fantastic.

Cheese the Web camera is much improved with very clear pictures.
One can have root password. 
One needs to change it after installing.
Detect hardware in a breeze.
Orcas works well and tell you the keyboard shortcuts, which is handy for a blind person.

Now the complaints.

It is slow to boot up but understandable with the amount of software packed into one DVD.

It is very slow to install for the aforementioned reason.

Even though, there is warning not to remove the DVD it can be removed.

Installation does not go on smoothly.

It hangs up without reading the DVD in LXDE and Gnome modes.

With LXDE after several attempts, I wanted to give up (in my laptop with big hard disk and plenty of RAM).

I tried the brand hew Gnome desktop and could not figure out where the applications were but when finally I tried installing it to hard disk it failed to continue.
It also did not read the DVD.

It could not fetch the installation files from the DVD.

Then finally as a last resort I tried the KDE, which is the Debian desktop and it worked but it took a very long time.

I had prepared my hard disk for the install well in advance and this did not happen with the last version.

My guess is, because I had lot of RAM, once the files were in the RAM, the DVD went to sleep mode.
I could take it without a problem, in spite of the warning.

Gnome is brand new and looks appealing to the newbies. but it has some teething problems as far as the installation is concerned.

Since KDE is heavy and graphic intensive, all the files were not mounted on RAM and the DVD was in active mode and missing files (installation script probably) were fetched, after a little pause.

My biggest complaint is that it did not detect my other Linux distributions but only windows.

The GRUB needs to be updated to detect Linux distributions.

I will have to install AntiX on a little partition, it takes less than  3 GiB and it has one of the best GruB files and detect multiple distributions (everything installed) without any hassle.

It is my savior!

In the good old days it was Redhat and even Fedora Grub is not up to date.

Overall it is one of my favorite ( the shear number of software) Live distributions, only second to Puppy.

The Gnome desktop looks pretty impressive and I am slowly becoming addicted to it more than the KDE.

Its tablet like feeling and look to the desktop can lure any newbie.

Well done Boys and Girls.

Coming from Germany it has very neat and tidy look.

Not being able to install in a FLASH, gave me some time to explore the inner working of it.

That was a blessing in disguise.

This DVD is included in the Linux April Magazine and if you are lazy to download, order a copy of the April magazine before it goes out of stock.

Mind you downloading took nearly two days due to lack of seeders. 

If you download it with torrent, please keep your computer running to build up a seed farm of Knoppix 7.0.

I keep my computer running as a seeder for the next couple of weeks.

Hurry up and download or order a April Linux magazine with the DVD.

Ultimate Edition 3 Plus

Ultimate Edition 3 Plus

There is lot of things happening in the Linux Front.

The desktop competition from Unity to Mate to Cinnamon has taken the limelight.

It has overshadowed the current trend of tablet entry and cloud computing.

Suse has turned 20 and this was my favorite KDE few years ago.

But its heavy weight and graphic intensive needs and slow performance had made me to switch to FullMonty.

But before I switched Suse made a very successful entry into customizing one´s own desktop Linux.

Suse Studio was and is the best available currently for one who needs to make a custom Linux distribution based on Suse.

Unlike other distributions Suse supports  Electro Medical Record keeping (EMR) and  GNUmed Live is a Suse studio derivative.

Its long drown out milestone issues also make it painful for a busybody in Linux World.

I once wanted to promote Commercial aspect of Suse Linux in Sri-Lanka but all the efforts I made were futile since guys/girls in the front office does not know how to answer even an email.

I do not know how they serve their customers.

Having said that Happy Birth day and good luck on all your future endeavors.

But this is to write about Ultimate Edition which the Linux magazine of June issue had dispensed a FREE DVD (Ultimate Linux 3.2).

I tested it and it is pretty good if one is lazy to download a copy and extra software.

It is graphic intensive and one needs a good graphic card.

I have removed all my old graphic cards and lately installed new ones and even my old IBM boots it albeit slowly.

Only missing items were Scribus, Dropbox and Ubuntu One all of which one can download from Ubuntu software.

If you want to get all in one place this the distribution one should go for and few downloads will accomplish one´s needs.

Its graphic front is dark and ugly for old one but young one with good vision will not have any problem

But I still go PinGuy (In Sinhala PIN = Wholesome Merits) and one transliterate it is the Good Guy in Linux for me or the PIN Guy that I prefer because of it pleasing desktop which has some semblance to Ubuntu´s Unity.

If you do not fancy Ubuntu there are at least two other distributions to try and both are pretty good.

But mind you Ubuntu has everything in one place and its repository is packed with Debian utilities of current use.

I tried Ultimate Edition 3.3, the latest and the items I listed above are not incorporated with it,too.

Deja DUP Backup Utility-Gnome and Ubuntu One

Deja DUP Backup Utility-Gnome and Ubuntu One

Deja Vu is a  Psychiatric term where one has the feeling of I have been there before feeling, when one actually has been to the place for the first time in his or her life.

Deja DUP in Ubuntu (Gnome derivative) is an easy graphical backup utility, now in new versions of Ubuntu is the default back up system.

It is easy to use and I won bore you with details.

What I am going to tell you is that it is now integrated with Ubuntu One cloud service which Ubuntu offers you free up to 5 GiB. One can by extra space for a nominal fee.

If your work is light this is something you should configure for your own needs.

But one is mindful when restoring lost data.

One should ideally have a partition for tmp and ample amount too.

Even Linux by its virtue collects junk file as history (unless one uses Daemon utility to delete them regularly) and leaving healthy amount for home and tmp and var file system.

I generally use var which has a reasonable amount reserved for tmp.

Other factor to consider is the download and upload speed of your Internet provider.

So don´t wait for months and months for restoring since this back up utility does not restore part of the backup file.

It uses the entire file which takes time.

I do not use any of these utilities since my requirements are simple and I have my own way of archiving which is old fashioned and I never lost a file for over ten years since I started using Linux.

My only problem is when I want to recover a file, I used with Microsoft long time ago especially in an Access Database.

My old fashion methods If i may list goes like this

1. I use CD and DVD

2. For routine work I use rewritable Mini CDs. Up to 20 time one can rewrite.

3. Never use Flash Drives

4. I use several computers. My master computer is only used for critical work and regularly backed up and formated once a year.

5. Laptop is minimally used mostly to showoff.

6. There is a old computer for testing Linux distributions and it is hacked to its core but still working.

7. When I hear an unusual noise hard disk DVD writer or CD ROM, I opened the back cover and see whether there are ants or geckos have laid eggs or cockroaches had short circuited the internals with the Uric Acid rich Urine.

I do not have an air conditioned room but have several digital thermometers on top and on the sides of the computers.

If they are heated above 85-86 Fahrenheits, I switch off the computer and do some other menial jobs. Heat is very bad for your computers.

8. I do most of my work at night when everybody is sleeping and download speed is reasonable. With the global warming taken a real toll in our tropical not so paradise, mosquito menace is real and I can thrash them liberally (Unfortunately I cannot do that to our corrupt politicians which I love to do if I am given a chance like those hungry mosquitoes coming for blood meal.

I get the perverted satisfaction and exclaim, another corrupt politician thrashed, every time I kill a mosquito after bloody meal.

Of course I catch my sleep in day time when mosquitoes are sleeping.

9. My biggest problem is dust which collects inside and outside. I have not found solution except wet mopping.

Only time dust is down when we have occasional shower.

The best return one gets for using Linux is that oneś hardware never breaks down. 

Linux test the ability of the hardware and use the utility and process that best soot them which Microsoft and even dedicated hardware of Apple can boast.

 

10. The best remedy for computer a addict is to disconnect the router and pull out all the Ethernet jacks and better still dismantle the internals of the computer which I did, during our new year time.

I have never done this before.

I was running short of ideas to write on my blog site.

Mind you that was the best productivity period I ever had for decade.

During that period I fixed up a new overhead tank to store water for my fish tanks (fish die due chlorinated water and algal bloom) and water plants.

Made a lot of young plants for replanting.

Had I not done this I would have lost few of my plants due to extreme dry weather and no rain.

Fortunately, I sighted many varieties of birds and their nesting places who come to bath and drink water in our neighborhood.

Later I found our crooked politicians are clearing up a reserve where lot of birds nest in the name of development.

We cannot stop them and they are worse then the vultures.

In fact, I sighted three eagles and one a young one.

One day one of them grabbed the squirrel´s mate (they reside on our roof) and I was woken up by the call for help but too late.

The squirrels are now scarred to live in our roof (our house is on an elevation and exposed to elements including eagles) and even my fish out in the open disappear regularly due to kingfishers.

Only the tank which was covered with a wire net has fish in numbers.

I would not have noticed none of these nature´s secrets, had I not disconnected  my computers for about a month.

Ubuntu-Unity-Update-For Newbies

Ubuntu-Unity-Update-For Newbies with New Computer

I have already written an update of Unity for oldies like me but this one is for newbies.

If you are a newbie to Linux I am pretty sure, you will enjoy the Ubuntu Unity Experience very much.

The learning curve may be little steep for you as compared to an old hand at Linux like me, but it is worth the trouble.
If you are up to Utility value and you are on a budget and a student it has everything one needs.
Educational packages are bundled as tertiary bundle and it is only 123 MiB.
Only package missing was Xjournal.

Even for me (I do not use Ubuntu on daily basis) it was some learning on the fly and totally new experience.

I tried the dcm4chee which is meant for Electronic Medical Records and it only had the bear minimum, the web browser, Ubuntu One and few other utilities.
Bit annoyed, I decided to download the GNUmed.
It took few hours to configure cashe, software list and the downloading but after that it was smooth sailing.
In only a few minutes I downloaded the Abiword and I tried Libre-Office and to my amazement Libre-office was equally breezy download.
The I downloaded Calibre,Glob, kexi and statistics packages and many more, one after the other without any problem.

Mind you I had my other computer downloading GNUmed Live DVD, which is a SuSe Studio creation (Iĺl write about it later) and that certainly hampered the download speed.

All in all Ubuntu Software Centre is quick and breezy and nothing to qualm about.

It is well organized graphically which lists the install and available software on top of the dialog box.
It gives a history of the downloads, by the minute and what is currently being downloaded and what is in the waiting for download and (how many packages left to be download) and their total size / weight when downloading.
It does not tell you how long it will take but that depends not on Ubuntu but the download speed of oneś internet provider which is appalling in the third world.

Like Microsoft it installs the (says apply changes - dependencies and libraries have to be checked unlike Microsoft which might take a little extra time) package without any hassle.

All in all very good, unlike other distributions which takes ages to find the software and also to download when the package is found
Debian has an enormous repository and Ubuntu has bundled up the software according to its current usage.

So if you are a newbie go for it and enjoy the Linux freedom.

One warning, though.

When you first install from the CD (which you have to download which is also pretty fast with torrent) make sure-pull the Ethernet plug so that installation is breezy and there is no updating of software while it is being installed.
That takes ages, I mean updates, even if one has a fast internet connection.
This is simply because thousands of users, if not millions are using the service every minute.

There are bottle necks unlike seeders in torrent files when updating.
You better pick and choose your packages one by one.
I have listed some of the important software elsewhere in a book in digital and print form but mind you I have selected what I probably thought useful for an average user.
There are over 60,000 in Debian and fishing through that is not easy and that is where the my book may be useful.
Another feature, the Ububntu has introduced is that it queues up the packages the way you requested them (one can delete if necessary) and download them one by one which is pretty cool.
At any moment you can cancel them to save your time if the internet is SLOW and not responding the way you need it to be.

Enjoy the Ubuntu Freedom!
One more WARNING, if you have decided on a distribution (Old or New) and has all the packages, STICK with it and do not try to update (it takes two to three times the normal installation time) while installing; it can be pain in your ArxxxS and pretty constipated TOO.

The rolling distributions can be a PEST on YOU at times and unlike Microsoft if the distribution is stable it will do donkeys work for YOU for years without bothering you.
If you want to be like me have several computers at your disposal (old and new) one for regular work without any changes for years and the other/s for testing and evaluating up and coming distributions.
It has become a routine for me but I also may take a break and sit back and enjoy the scenery instead of driving the car in heavy traffic.
On reflection one daft thing i have done was to stick with the old computer and use new computer sparingly except perhaps testing.
This may not be true if you are one who is using the computer for games.
It is completely a new ball game altogether but technology peaking up as it is one need not have the latest vogue to enjoy a good game, Linux included.
There are pretty good Linux games and go for Ultimate Linux which is a perfect point of entry for a super-gamer. 
Mind you it is also an Ubuntu derivative and is closing up the GAP with major distros.
For the oldies LinuxMint (Cinnamon and Mate) is there to play with till COWS COME HOME.
I have posted this while downloading the packages mentioned above and will update as soon as possible.
Only complaint I have is that it is slow on my old IBM computer with 1 GiB RAM, but I prefer slow response from the computer since if I make a few mistakes, with a lightening fast computer, I won´t be able to figure out the mistakes I inadvertently made in the first instance.
If you are an impatient newbie, it is better you RAMP UP the RAM to 3 or 4 GiB before installing Ubuntu.
Mind you all Linux distributions now except perhaps AntiX and Taylor Swift are very cravvy on RAM. 

As for Ubuntu 12-04 which is the latest in the series which has ironed out some of the STICKY parts of the work place and added LibreOffice on the Left Panel for easy use.

I am one who loves workplaces (it used to be up to 20 in good old days) which organizes the work one does without hindering the current activity/ies.

PCLinux (Full Monty) has one of the best organized workplaces and that is why I use it on daily basis.

It takes a lot of resources (Graphic) and slow to start but when one is on the job that slow start is not a loss at all.

Switching from one workplace to the other is quick and cool.

This unique feature is one thing that old Linux lovers will miss in Ubuntu Unity but with time to come Ubuntu will probably will make switching from to the other easy.

What it currently does is making the workplaces (actually zooming in an out like in a camera lens) big and small and all that consume a lot of resources and thereby overcooking the graphic card.

Electronic Medical Records in Linux-GNUmed

Electronic Medical Records in Linux-GNUmed

This is something that escaped my attention and hope you excuse me for not highlighting them in Linux100.

There is no excuse for, not bringing them into your focus being myself a medical man.

Suffice is to say that in this country nobody has taken interest in EMR, especially based on Linux.

It is an essential tool when so much is wasted on Medical Care.

Developing a database was one of my first priorities, when I started  research activities.

I did all that on window´s based software and when I gave up windows and got engrossed in Linux, one of the first things, I noticed was the lack of such software and small utility databases that can be used for storing data.

Yes, there is MySQL , the server based database that cannot be used on a desktop, of an average doctor in practice.

The doctor has to  buy proprietary utilities and as it is often is, they are very, very expensive.

It is interesting to note that tkFP was built by three, two lady doctors from USA (they lost their jobs when Medicare was re-structured0 and a Linux developer.

They with the help of the tkFP developer developed a working Electronic Medical Record System for their use in a small office room.

But GNUmed is a Debian innovation and it can be used by windows, mac and any Linux distribution once properly configured.
It is Hugh!

It has a server back-end utility and a client based utility for the desktop.

Now that cloud computing is taking shape this will be one of the best open source EMR (Electronic Medical Record) system for the use by a medical practitioner.

I am currently downloading over 600 MiB of software with add-ons which include imaging utilities (AMIDE).

The Ubuntu derivative for Medical use is called dcm4chee (Ubuntu 11.10 i386) and it has only the base system without any Linux utilities except web browser and few accessories.

I tried to install it with Internet connected and it took a long time and got hanged up.

What I did was to pull the Ethernet plug and install it and then download the GNUmed.
It is currently downloading very, very slowly (we have a very slow download speed) indeed.]

Once I finish and tested it I will be with you soon.

Purpose of this writing is to let you know that there is GNUmed Live DVD of 1 GiB for one to download (unfortunately point to point download) and test before using
For one who is interested  GNUmed Live is the beginning.

Unfortunately for me it got dislodged / disconnected for the third time and I am trying it for the fourth time and it is still hovering at 650 MiB.

That was the reason for taking the longer route to install it on Ubuntu.

Hope in future, a few of the distributions will include this package (bit large for a CD and labeled it as EMT enhanced Linux distribution.

There are many EMR software including medical imaging (software) and I have listed some of them below.

It is difficult to cover all of them but GNUmed is a good start up utility.

It is a large package if one installs with links to imaging software.

1. GnuMed , Open source EMR 

2. tkFP : an impressive open source EMR for linux

3. OpenEMR : Open source EMR Package 

4. Patient OS : Free and Open source EMR for Windows , OSX and Linux 

5. Ultimate EMR (Electronic Medical Record)

6. FreeMed : open source GPL-licensed  EMR 

7. OpenClinic :P HP web based EMR

8. ICD browser : Open source ICD-10 browser for Linux , Windows and PocketPC 

9. FreeMedForms

10. Sofa : medical simulation framework

Google and Sinhala /Tamil Transliteration

Google and Sinhala /Tamil Transliteration

Google has made nexus with Dinamina Unicode and now it is possible to type in English vocabulary (English letters with Sinhala /Tamil phonetics). By the way, English is now enriched with the Sinhala/Tamil words.  

It is going to be a complete new ball game.

We used to write in English the Sinhala colloquial and Kunu Harupa so that the Suddhaś (Europeans) won´t understand, what we really mean, diplomatically speaking.

Now we cannot do that or carry that tradition any longer since what we say is immediately converted to the original script in vulgarity at its worst, if not at its best.

This is a good thing and even in Email we won´t be able to send slanderous messages and the language will  be richer without its vulgar picks /pricks/ pickle and spices.

I once wanted to translate some of my English / Sinhala scripts but it was an uphill task and gave it up.

Now I can simply type it in English and check with a right  click in the middle of the stem to see whether I got the right spelling in Sinhala.

Sinhala keyboard will be relegated to backyard soon.

In their apathy to get it off the ground which was 2 decades late already, the fate that it deserves has finally reached.

Mind you one is not allowed to use vulgarity, politically not phonetically speaking.

In the streets and political platform it is the only currency that sells but its days in political platform, the days of utter filth that pervaded in the past is also numbered precisely in descending order.

Filth has no place in a cultured society Sinhala included.

A comparison of Redhat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu Linux Websites

A comparison of Redhat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu Linux Websites

The two best web sites on Linux are Ubuntu and Redhat.

1. One is commercial, the other is both commercial (Entry into Music world) and social.

2. Ubuntu has enormous resources but poorly organized because of its dependence on Debian.

3. Redhat the resources are limited if one is a desktop user.

4. Its server resources are streamlined and well organized but the streamlining is not done by the USER but the corporation.

5. Its resources are based on Fedora Development which is very very SLOW but probably stable because of slow input.

6. Ubuntu uses LibreOffice which is far superior to Open Office.

7. OpenOffice was destroyed by ORACLE and then given to Apache which is trying to revive its old roots and lags behind by at least three years of stagnation. 
It is BULKY and I never use it now.

I prefer light weight AbiWord.

If one is hooked to OpenOffice Debian still faithfully bundle it with its distribution.

8. So go for Debian instead of REDHT which is a GOLDMINE of resources.

9. Biggest PLUS point of REDHT is its Literature which no Linux distribution except perhaps Ubuntu can boast.

Most of it is HiFi administrative stuff which only Administrators would worry about but not the ordinary users.
 Debian has entered the foray now with a book in French and English.
I wish them GOOD LUCK and one need not worry about REDHATś publications, and the and money saved. If you subscribe for digital form make it a point to contribute a little from the money saved from REDHAT.

10. Biggest Minus point of UBUNTU is its lack of Administrative (ROOT USER) power and configuration ability. That is why I do not use it on a regular basis.

11. Current situation is very FLIUD.

Ubuntu because of Unity (I have made comment elsewhere) and Fedora because of its Butter File (btrfs) system and turning round on its head and torso, seeing 100 things at the same time and because of the RAPID SPIN.
It is too fast for any average desktop USER or even an administrator to keep phase/pace with.

12. MIND YOU Ubuntu has made rapid progress in Server (Another reason I dissociated with Ubuntu) Editions and on Cloud Computing with Ubuntu ONE, and it is fast closing the GAP Redhat has established.

It is going to be a sure winner with 20 million targeted this year not REDHAT.

13. If you do not like UBUNTU, there are 100 of other derivatives and I recommend Ubuntu Studio, Ultimate Linux,Tango Linux and many more.

I LOVE Pinguy Linux the most.

Recently there are Terrible Linux, Hybryte, Unidockynapse and more for the newbies to play with.

14. For REDHAT there is almost nothing except Fedora and Scientific Linux. Mined you scientific Linux has no scientific packages in it. 
One is on a desert and I am happy I have looked for other resources rather than REDHAT and many other distributions.

If you visit my blog site you may read my reviews on many of them.

I have a book on Linux distributions on Amazonś (both digital and print).

One day I might STOP blogging altogether and that is the reason for the compilation.

I am currently working on Small Distributions (my academic work keep me off the desk and desktop)

If you do not like all this there are over 300 more Linux Distributions to choose from including Puppy and Knoppix which are my favorites.

If you buy the April Copy from LINUX MAGAZINE one will get KNOPPIX FREE without any hassle for downloading.

If you subscribe for LINUX MAGAZINE print form you will get a FREE copy of the latest Linux Distribution.

If YOU are a newbie subscribe to the magazine but do not expect the writer to spoon feed you.

TRY LEARN IT in your WAY and SPEED.

Who knows at the end of one year YOU may be better than ME.

Mind you I am subscribing to the Magazine to SAVE my Electricity BILL (no downloading on a regular basis now) in Sri-Lanka.

It has sky rocketed now and if I save on my electricity I can buy 10 different types of Magazines (DEAD TREE- one has to kill a tree to PRINT a BOOK or Magazine).

I have no choice now but PLANT as many small trees as possible.

Will you do that for ME?

REDHAT is DEAD, RHEL is Billion Dollars' Worth, YET, LINUX and its Desktop is not DEAD but soon be 21 years OLD

In my life with LINUX, two incidents made me to change my OUTLOOK.

They were both challenges.

1. Number ONE.

Redhat deserting Me and US.

That was easy, I went to SuSe (Another disappointment in corporate world) and Mandriva and now PCLINUX FullMonty.

2. Number TWO.

The local cronies of Microsoft Corporation, using school leavers to disrupt a tiny workshop for KANDY school boys.

Yes they bribed the school leavers and threw in alcohol to douse them.

That was the turning point.

Had not for these two trivial incidents in my life full of bigger challenges to overcome, I would not have taken almost obsessive interest in Desktop Linux.

OUTCOME.

1. Five (5) books in Linux including cloud computing.

2. Almost daily downloading and testing Linux Derivatives.

3. Archive of over 400 Linux distributions from 1998 to TODAY.

4.Promoting LINUX Magazine.

5. Contributing articles.

Good News.

Two Debian Developers have translated the Linux Administrators Manual to English (from French).

Its print form is $50/= but digital form is FREE but make sure YOU Donate few dollars in appreciation of their dedicated work.

REDHAT had the best MANUALS, then.

It took another 10 years to fill the VOID.

Like what Richard Stallman had said about Apple Mac and Steve JOB,

I don't like his death, but I am happy he is gone.

I am Happy REDHAT is DEAD and RHEL has gone its own way to the corporate world.

That does not mean DESKTOP USER/s will sit back and Lick his/their wound/s or corporate ArXXXXSss.

They will innovate and move forward with new ideas.
If you have time and money please subscribe to Linux Magazine.
It has lot of wonderful tricks for newbies and experts.

Ubuntu-Unity Update-12.04-Warning for Oldies with Old Computers

Ubuntu-Unity Update-12.04-Warning for Oldies with Old Computers.

If you own an old computer and the graphic card is not NAVidea I have some bad news.

1. Do not think of installing Unity.

2. It is beautiful when booted up to RAM that is all one get.

3. It has inherited some Windows (98) problems.

4. It cannot distinguish from C drive to D drive.

5. It assumes you have a laptop and have only one hard disk.

6. If you install to the second drive it will assume that the other drive had to subjugate to Ubuntu and want boot up.

7. It does not even recognize even Windows operating system.

8. That is why I said it was like win 98 and imagine only one world and there no other computer world.

9. It does not recognize even native Linux distributions.

10. Its GRUB is the most horrible Grub I have ever used.

11. It hangs up in the last few minutes of installation.

Why I do not know?

12. If you install it without Internet connection it fails to finish updating and and hardware detection. If you connect the Internet it takes over 5 hours to finish downloading uploads. 

I was lucky we were on holiday and home full of visitors.

I setup Ubuntu installation (my test computer) go and have a gala time with the visitors and come up to see whether it has finished but it never finish it for three attempts.

13. It does not give a running commentary or the reason for its failure.

14. Linux standard Ctl+ Alt + F1 to F6 never worked. It does not respond to Ctl+Alt+ delete too.

It is just like windows and just hang up.

No warning or any radical explanations.

15. As patient as I can be, I tried it for the fourth time and it completed installation.

But failed to boot up even though I dedicated Master Hard disk.

Finally I installed Pinguy 11.04 to get my system running and to test other distributions.

My computer is IBM Netvista in very good condition in spite of regular testing.

In fact I dismantled it and gave a thorough clean up and added two new DVDs and a new hard disk for testing during our new year.

So if you have an old computer and very impatient do not try Ubuntu. I tried the DVD version but the CD version did not give the above problems but failed to recognize windows and other Linux distribution when first booted up.

So my honeymoon with Unity ended abruptly and I hope they remedy these deficiencies sooner than late.

It is called L.T.S and they should withdraw that label till the patch work is done and GRUB is updated  with stable script.

I am not going to write an update again for another six months.

I wish somebody do a thorough investigation of Unity Ubuntu.

I must tel you after 5 days I manged to download Linux Debian MATE / Cinnamon and would write about it when I have time.

It booted live but I did not install it due to my obsession with Ubuntu.

Google Drive Update

Google Drive is not yet ready with Linux application version yet.

However, my documents with Google were transferred to Google Drive intact and Firefox browser can link it without an application installed in your Linux.

You will have to have a Gmail address, though.

That is of course is very smart move by Google but Linux guys are watching it all the same.

Android which is customized Linux or is it tinkered with CODE with few extra bit of code belonging to Google.

That of course is not SMART, though.

I hope they will release the extra code as open source, sooner than late.

Please do not try Apple Ploys.

Tails-i386-0.11-Anonymous-Amnesia

Tails-i386-0.11-Anonymous-Amnesia Linux.

Debian based tails is (i386) is out is very handy if one want to be anonymous.

I booted it up with my extra computer and Google did not let me access my email and was asking me the two step verification which I did not have.

I immediately signed up for two way verification which was painful procedure, making me running to answer the telephone which is located in the ground floor to get the verification number.

Then I waited for application / equipment specific password which was 12 letters long and did not let me verify it with my computer running open not anonymous.

The I went to the other computer loaded with anonymous, tails and when I  tried the Gmail, it tells me to enter a number ending 75 but the ending  number was 91.

So I can now tell you that even with the most elegant search engine Google could not locate my second computer which was one number up in the IP address protocol.

Both computers were log in at the same time with the same router and it is an ample proof that tails is working fine and hiding  my IP address well, when anonymous is booted.

Orca the utility for blind was working like a rocket scientist and it could even pronounce the word SINHALA in English letters.

If you are in any godforsaken country where your police or the government is eavesdropping on you, go to the nearest cafe and download tails.

At the moment it is only developed in i386 version and available at www.linuxtracker.org.

When you download the torrent will detect the seeders using anonymous addresses, elsewhere in the www globe and I advise, you better cancel them when the torrent prompts you.

It may be the American L.P.L (DOD version)-(Light and Private Linux) that is eavesdropping on you and sending wrong data, all the same to your computer to corrupt the image.

Please do not use L.P.L because every time you use LPL it sends a message  to American D.O.D and that is how President Obama is running USA with paranoia.

I hope they will not vote for him again, if bright Americans are reading this message.

Why I disagree with Distrowatch Statistics and Say Ubuntu is the Number One Linux Desktop?

Why I disagree with Distrowatch Statistics and Say Ubuntu is the Number One  Linux Desktop?

My gut feeling tells me that Ubuntu is the Number One Linux desktop.

I have collaborative evidence.

Number One

I have been downloading Linux distribution for the last three years years for testing.

I started with point to point and it was a painful procedure.

In fact in the beginning I had to do the downloading in a foreign country when I was on a short holiday.

Our download speed then was pity /pretty paltry (even now).

Then I changed over to k-torrent (I have written a piece here why one should use torrent instead of point to point) and Ubuntu was the only distribution I could download pretty fast.

There are many SEEDERS as well as Leechers.

I am currently downloading Ubuntu Studio which used to be very slow few years ago but going on smoothly over taking all the other distributions including LinuxMint Debian Mate which are in the queue for downloading.

For the last  4 days I was trying it and only one seeder.

Number Two.

I have no reason to disbelieve Mark Shuttleworth.

If he says there are currently 12 million users and will be 20 million at the end of this year,

I do not like to contest his claims.

He knows what he is talking about.

He is a guy who gave away Ubuntu FREE (CD / DVD) to millions over the world and I got a Collection of CD/DVD from his canonical sources, since my download speed was slow three years ago.

Number Three

I have never heard a guy / girl saying he / she using any other Linux distribution in this part of the world.

I do not use Ubuntu but I always test its latest version/s and write about it/them.

My reason for not using Ubuntu is also stated elsewhere.

One reason out of the many was not supporting Sinhala.

Redhat was the first to support Sinhala and Debian has default Sinhala installation now.

But I use Ubuntu derivatives and Debian liberally and in fact I love Pinguy Linux.

Government schools use Hanthana Linux which is a Redhat derivative and it is still not popular.

Number Four

It has all the packages both in common use and academic.

Number Five

Ubuntu One, the cloud service has hit over billion users few months ago.

It is popular and nobody can take over the evolutionary niche it has established in the WORLD of LINUX.

It is a matter for others to catch up with it.

If not other Linux distributions will become a piece of statistics in the History of Linux.

Ubuntu has given the other Linux distributions a leeway by promoting Unity Desktop.

It is time the other Linux distributions speak up for themselves with novel innovations.

Now that Texstar has taken a backseat even PCLINUX which I support because of FULLMONTY should take a leaf out of Ubuntu Evolution.

Mind you, PCLINUX was only in English few years ago but not now.

Google Drive Me MAD

Google Drive

This is just to say Google sometimes drive me MAD.

They have done an overall on the blog page and I have to re-learn all what was second nature to me for over two years.

I cannot access their Google Drive Cloud Service since I only use Linux.

As it is Google Drive is for Windows and Mac.

That is very unfair and that is us why 8 million will join Ubuntu this year making it 20 million regular users.

Mind you I do not use Ubuntu but Pinguy which is Debian and Ubuntu derivative and is classy desktop is my Guy.

Ubuntu has Ubuntu One Cloud Service and it has hit billion mark already and Google Chrome has no reliable desktop for desktop users or cloud service for Linux Guys and Girls.

It is way behind as far as Ubuntu is concerned.

It is trying to emulate Apple now that Steve Job is gone but their CEOs are falling behind and causes time lag for me.

Are they falling behind two tools/stools (pardon me for my incorrect use of English Language).

I will make a post flattering Google when they send me a link to Google Drive.

Not that I have 5 GiB load and all my books are with Amazon and they have AWS (cloud service) too.

Amazon is way ahead of everybody and that is why publishers are Grumpy now with Amazon.

Ubuntu 12.04 (Long Term Support) L.T.S

 Please do not confuse with Unity Linux which is small CLI distribution based on old Mandriva (now run by Russians).

CLI means Command Line Interface for Developers and not for general users.

Recntly its Virtual Server RAIDs had gone bust and they are doing repair work

Ubuntuś Unity desktop is out and I am currently downloading it for testing.

I must confess I am not an Ubuntu FAN and was never, coming from the old school of Linux user base.

I still use PCLinux (FullMonty) 32 bit version which works well even with bit 64 machines, just as well.

There are two CDs one for 32 bits and one for 64 bits.

If you have a new computer go for the 64 bits CD

Ubuntuś is targeting 20 Million users this year (up from 12 million currently users).

I hope they provide a good customer service which is extremely difficult when the user base is over one million, let alone 20 million.

There will always be grumblers coming from Microsoft base.

My Advice.

One CD is not enough (700 MiB) to pack all the utilities one needs in day to day use and downloading and configuring new software is pain in the A.R. xxxxsS even for a Linux expert.

If any of your readers are reading my books at least in the digital form in Amazon and my evaluation is that one needs a minimum of I GiB DVD with software but ideally 1.5 GiB DVD to get everything right in the first time installation.

For that reason there over 200 or more Linux distributions to choose.

This is over and above the little distributions (the book I intend to write within this year) which include Damn Small Linux (50 MiB)and Puppy under 100 MiB.

I have downloaded the latest latest Puppy game console and it is in my main computer now and if am bored I can play some very very old DOS, Atari and Commodore 64 games which run fabulously fast unlike the modern Graphic CRAVVY games.

I started computer games with Commodore 128 and Linux was not heard then and Windows was crawling and teething then.

Good Luck with Linux!

Asoka

PS.

No mention about Skype and Abiword (my favorite and I use for all my book writings) and Ubuntu One Cloud Service is one of the best cloud services, currently not Dropbox.

There is also a Google derivative with 5 GiB which I have not tried it yet.

Google had made a MESS out of the blog site and thank good I had a break for blog writing 14 days.