Sunday, May 27, 2012

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.