LiveCD Script, Its beginning, Unity and PCLinux

Progress of LiveCDs had a bumpy ride.

The story as it is told to me is as follows;
But I do not know how true the facts are.

However, I discovered LiveCD in 2007 with PCLinux 2007 long time after its hatching.

LiveCD project was stagnant at the beginning which was understandable and had a SINGLE developer working on it.
 

That developer joined Unity Linux and all 25+ developers there decided to help him make some progress on it.  

The impact LiveCDs made on me is substantial and never waned.

In the meantime, they took the initiative to make improvements.  

For example, they gave it 64bit compatibility.  

They gave it better detection capacity.  

They took the code and gave it better international language support.  

All those things are made available for FREE to any distribution wanting to download a snapshot from SVN.

Now, if anyone has a claim to LiveCD as ‘theirs’ it would be Jaco Greefe who was the principal on the project LONG before any distributions other than Mandrake aka Mandriva even worked with it.  

The script creator Jaco Greefecame from Mandrake Project.

Texstar used Jaco’s project mklivecd and created the original PCLinuxOS 2003 release. 

This release was based on Mandrake 9.2 at the time and a few other Mandrake developers began to debug the script through the creation of PCLinuxOS.  

Mandrake was a trademarked name, so Texstar named it PCLinuxOS.

As you can see, if any one distribution has claim to mklivecd, it would be Mandrake aka Mandriva which was where the script creator/s came from. 

It’s also where the script was first made usable. 

Texstar made it into a nice package with PCLinuxOS which  is totally true.

Texstar only had 32 bit version and only supported English language.

Unity which branched off from Mandrake/PCLinux continues to improve the Live Script with 64bit and addded even udev.

Unity approach is for the Live script to work for other distributions not just for Mandriva derived distributions.

It is targeting developers and savvy guys and not newbies and users.

There have been many attempts by Unity Linux developers to get other distributions that use mklivecd involved with the development of it.  

That invitation is always open to any and all distributions that use it.

As it is Unity is struggling with manpower shortages and its development has again gone into crisis situation and stagnation. 

This is where even a good product may be lost at the end due to lack of improvements and enthusiasm.

The Goal of Unity as stated below are

Unity Linux targets DEVELOPERS.  

We don’t target end users.  

If end users like Unity, GREAT!  

If not, we don’t worry about it.  

Unity Linux has derivative distributions called “branches” that work to target the end user.  

Unity Linux itself is targeted squarely at distribution developers and advanced users who want to be able to use the mklivecd scripts.

Unity attempt at refining the core utilities and it is just over 300 MiB.

1. Humanity.

2. Synergy

3. BBI are only three of its derivatives.

Hope everybody get together and help Unity Linux (not the Ubuntu desktop) to keep the spirit of Unity in Diversity and have a refined product at the end of the day.

Update is long overdue.

I have used the Unity 2010.2 and made a Live USB.

I tried to fiddle with the script (mind you it is in graphic form and not command line and terminal) and mounted an iso file of a distribution which was not a Unity derivative (which I was able to do with UnetBootIn) and it failed to mount the sfs file of that distribution.

It is not of the class of UnetBootin yet but given time and effort mklivecd scripts should become the gold standard of LiveCDs.

Ubuntu's Unity-Dream Studio- Is it a dream Come true for newbies?

Ubuntu's Unity-Dream Studio- Is it a dream Come true for newbies?

I think so and thumbs up for this distribution which I could download overnight with 2.1 GiB.

there were only four Seeders but it was pretty fast.

Go and download it and increase the number of seeder proportion in relation to Leechers and enjoy Unity experience.

It is new experience for old hand of Linux like me who never used Ubuntu on regular basis except for demonstrations.

Regular Ubuntu users will grumble but I have told you what to do go ahead and have both old version and new version in the same box and enjoy the difference.

Sinhala capability was there which I did not test but probably need some smooth ironing which is another plus point.

It has Libre and Blender new version (Maya).

Please do not call it Apple like but call it this Linux Unity desktop.

It sure is a winner at the time of debt and cash crisis.

For good effects find a good compatible graphic card.

that may be the only thing you may have to change in your computer.

My old computer graphic was enough to take advantage of Unity.

few glitches I had with the unity CD with Terminals has been reasonably taken care of and I could load all the workplaces with a a running program and with a click it goes into full screen image.

Play with it and I do not know how far one can configure it to one's needs but it is good as   it is why configure and make a mess?

Thank you guys and girls for doing hard work.

You guys and girls also need a rest and do not worry about complaints and by Christmas we all be saying well done to you.

How we Lose our Simple Mathematical Skills (SMS for short)

The other day I was asking a group of second year university when one buys a Mobile Phone what are the points one should consider, none of them came out with a comprehensive answer.

This is a mathematical skill with practical use.
A bit of knowledge of physics is needed to get one's calculations right.
Now they do not study physics in detail when entering Biological streams and I believe one who has no competence in maths except counting the money they earn enter the biological streams.

They probably do not have understanding how to invest hard earned money too.

I listed my priorities even though, I am the only one who does not carry a mobile in my academic community.

Elsewhere I have penned down my reason but in that entry  I forgot to mention how many major and minor accidents are related to use of mobile on the drive or on crossing a driveway.

This I call S.M.S (simple mathematical skills)

My reasons.

I carry a mobile when I travel and go abroad.

1. A light weight mobile.

2. Carry case and a collar and string to put round my neck so that I won't lose  it when I am switched O.F.Fed. (On FITS of Fantasy-in other words Shopping Spree).

3. Battery which lasts at least 8 hours and overnight.

4. Processor not dual core but light and not heavy on the battery.

5. Possibly two (2) sims (one for the country of domicile one for the country on visit).

6. Possibly a radio to get local news and weather

7. Camera

8. Utilities with minimal graphic (low on battery) inputs

9. Email and connection to twitter (if I miss a flight to contact the airline)

10. All Cs- Calendar, Calculator and Currency Converter.

The shopping list can go on but I will stop at 10.

Coming back to Simple Mathematical Skills (SMS not short message system which I hate) which many of us lack when one visits a supermarket.

When I enter a supermarket whether here or abroad, I say to myself the stupid computer in this supermarket is slow and always record wrong data entry, I better check every entry, every point or number printed on it.

This I practiced for a time immemorial when I realized that the Indian shop keepers - I better put Asian without specification of the country of origin-in Southall who were open after hours,  put extra items which I did not buy, when keying in, (knowing very well English guys cannot count well) and caught a few of them and said I will report in threatening gesture and nobody had cheated me ever since even on long sojourns.

Then little later I realized English guys and girls cannot write  (not speak) in English too, which was very funny to me and I used to take Mickey out of them.

This malady of the English and Americans have invaded our country with lot of cash machines and calculators in all our shops.

If you do not calculate mentally what you purchased and what you paid for it is invariably you are paying a hefty amount in hidden cash to the supermarkets which you cannot recover. 

I am not telling that these sales girls or boys cheat you but they are overworked and key in wrong and/or key in twice when the machine or the Internet connection is slow.
Unlike in some set up abroad they (sales person) cannot take home the wrongly keyed in items and the management or the computer never check with the stock balance in shells and refund the money if mistakes are made.
Somebody who manages the computer and stocks would be (my guess) are taking home the big items wrongly keyed in or when the next delivery comes some items are not loaded as per delivery note where the stock balance states something different.
There is noway one can check this unless one scans items against the number of items in the printed bill at the outlet.
It is the onus of the buyer and not the seller.
There are no laws to enact to effect (not even in over vote counting to balance the sheets) 100% accuracy and computers cannot do this but computer programmer can balance it by surreptitiously deleting or substituting few ones ant twos.
This must be happenings in big scale in government institution who have gone completely e-commerce.

If you do not check before you leave you are the loser.

The other point is the print is very faint (to save the toner) and fade away in one day and one cannot read it.

Why we make so many mistakes in this country.

It is our training in mathematical skills is poorer than the English skills for so may years and it is getting worse.

Mental exercise is never taught but getting the answer is the only outcome tested.

All our good teachers with mathematical skill and with working knowledge in English have left this country and the Education department did not train any for so many years. 

So you better improve your mathematical skills if you need to save and avoid unnecessary losses.

I have seen this happening daily and that is why I thought of writing this.

If I start doing SMS mistakes I should retire and say Good Bye to this world since I have not trained anybody in my household to do my mathematics.

By the way our politicians including the election commissioner were the worse in mathematics and that is why some candidates get more votes than the registered number of votes.

Unfortunately due to fiddling and multiplying (three votes for an individual on the Manapa Pora or the Preferential Vote the errors are of multitudes and not on simple arithmetical proportions.