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.