Final Update-Multiple Linux Distribution in one box

Final Update-Multiple Linux Distribution in one box
Simple way of doing things which needs multiple start ups in Microsoft!

I have not discussed how to partition and one should master it using Gparted (Gnome Live CD) which is a graphical interface (not terminal) before getting started.
I have discussed them elsewhere in the web and in my simple books at Amazon
This is to illustrate bottom up approach to using Linux.
Also illustrate the versatility of simple application (Gparted and Abiword).
Only does not need a Gorilla version to be productive.

What is illustrated here is using a cloud based distribution of Linux and bloating it to a full sized work environment.
This is written on Abiword on Peppermint 4.
It only took only a few minutes to download Abiword.
I of course downloaded 8 hours worth of packages (LibreOffice, LyX, UnetBootin and few more) at a slow pace of 50 KB/Sec and went to sleep and woke up to see everything was up to date to write this.
I have 
SuSe 12.3
Peppermint 4.0
PinGuy Ubuntu 10-04 LTS
KiWi Linux        12.04 LTS
Ubuntu 13.04
Knoppix 7.0 Mini Version
And a few spare partitions to test any Linux distribution worthy of install after few sessions of Live interventions.
Note I have dropped PCLinux due to many reasons.
I have dropped both Linux Mint Gnome and KDE editions since both of them could not read my partition table or install it after several attempts.
It may be for laptops, I wonder, please do not try them in spite of the hype in the Linux forums.


Updates.
For Suse which is ideal for a Microsoft convert, one should install it with internet connection Live connected to the PC.
It has automatic configuration ability and setup the SuSe repository in one go.
f that is not done (download configuration)one will find it difficult to get additional software after installing.
It gets all the utilities necessary for first up installation and automatic configuration.
I have used only KDE version, the big DVD version has other desktop functionality. (LXDE,Gnome).
KDE is very similar to Microsoft.
It has the best partition utility, best configuration (automatic on first boot) utility and the most versatile GRUB-2 which is the boot manager with graphical upfront.

I have used the three Ubuntu versions, 10.04.,12.04 (Long Term Support) and 13.04 to see what is missing and what is added up over time to see which has the best functionality.
All of them fared well except 13.04 which was bit slow at start up and Plymouth froze once or twice but with recovery boot up sorted itself without much of my intervention or reinstalling.

Ubuntu 10.04 enough utilities but one cannot download new packages due to dependency problem.
In that sense KiWi was marginally better.
Ubuntu has an enormous repository.

It is hard to chose between Ubuntu versions and Unity installs only a few utilities in the default DVD.
One need at least 126, better 256 graphic card.
In that sense Ubuntu Unity is like KDE and not minimal Android.
AntiX, I erased because it had only a limited installed software.
Mind you Debian is in its 7th new edition and it may be a few years for a newbie to master Debian.
I am going to migrate to Debian 7.0 when and if I have a new 64 bit computer which is very unlikely with tablets on the market.
I prefer light weight cloud compliant software, instead.

I have left many useful Linux distributions not because of any dislikes but Linux newbies might find them hard to configure unlike Linux experts. 
The ones mentioned are easy to install and versatile enough.
Fedora and Korara need special mention and like Debian undergoing radical change to meet new hardware needs.
It is changing it installer and the file system btrs (I have not studied there uses to recommend)
Only Gentoo has ZFS file system with ability to encrypt the user file system leaving behind only the operating system untouched.
That is for experts IT administrators with laptops.
If somebody steal a computer they cannot steal critical data.
One has the option to do the encryption of the home folder of most of the distributions mentioned above and I do not recommend them only since, if you as a newbie becomes paranoid one must not stop using email, social networks, computers and Internet and stay at home covering self from head to foot with an old bed sheet.
As a youth one should not become paranoid but become nice and loving creative creature enjoying simple life and not become hackers consortium like the US bureaucrats of the FBI.

Why I use Abiword / LibreOfice for basic work?

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Why I use Abiword / LibreOfice for basic work?

There are many reasons.

I will list only a few.

1. Simplicity.

2. Ability to remove all formats

3. Ability to remove annoying Macros (this is on reason I started using OpenOffice when word processing was dominated by Microsoft word-97-when one starts opening a document, one was allowed this option).

4. Its page format is solid if one knows how to use them effectively.

5. It is print ready

6. Let one uses the page view and print view before finalizing a document.

7. It has its own document format not recognized by any other word processor big or small and let them go into panic mode.

This I use as a security option and save option as well as to tease other word processors.

8. It is light weight when uploading a document.

9. It can be converted to any other word document format effortless and seamlessly except perhaps Latex.

10. It has PDF facility.

11. it does not have facility for index but makes good a good table of contents

12. I do not use images and photos at this stage of the document to simplify my work.

When and Why I use LibreOffice?

Having finished the basic document in Abiword and when I want to add few cutting edge formatting, I upload the Abiword file and do the final touch up in LibreOffice without infringing copyrighted material.

I add images and photos shed of the unnecessary load of the image format ( for example added in by gimp

If I am not happy with the touch up, I upload it back again to Abiword and remove the touch up and work upwards to my satisfaction.

Lot of people try to do everything on the first go and on the first file, that is why reworking is hazardous and time consuming on the original file and it has to be proofread before publishing.

Update on installation of Multiple Linux Distributions on Single or Multiple Hard Disks

Update on installation of Multiple Linux Distributions on Single or Multiple Hard Disks

I have completed three cycles of Installations and it is time for me to report.
One of the reason for updating one of my spare / old computers, was to get LibreOffice 4.0 into one of the distributions.
After a week of testing to my amazement I have to report that Peppermint and Lubuntu are good enough distributions to have in your system or on one’s USB stick (in addition to one’s choice of major distribution).
At a time when there is a rapid change in hardware and software and tablets are taking over PCs and Cloud is supplying the utilities, the change in one’s mindset to accommodate the challenge is mandatory for survival in the IT world.

1. Peppermint 4
Peppermint is trying to sit on the middle ground.
It is cloud ready with its window’s desktop taking a light weight window manager for fast booting.
It takes Google seriously and uses it chrome browser efficiently.
It has no utilities to boast on especially office packages but uses Ubuntu repository for retrieving any of the latest packages amounting to over 33,000.
I downloaded Abiword which is an excellent word processor and writing this report in Abiword.
It is three in one.
It is light weight .
It is Google enhanced.
It s Ubuntu ready (repository).
It is not a proper Linux image and cannot be booted on a USB stick using UnetBootIn, unlike Joli OS.

2. Joli OS 1.2
It is a cloud distribution with many cloud utilities.
It can be installed and can be carried on a USB stick.
However one is hooked to the OS provider unlike Peppermint and one has to be signed up with an email address.

3. Lubuntu 13-04
It is Ubuntu based without Unity desktop.
Instead it uses one of the best light weight desktop which is LXDE.
It can be carried in a USB Stick and the whole distribution fits in a CD.
It as Abiword which is very handy.

4. Knoppix 7.0
In my assessment it tops the list.
It is breezy.
It is LXDE.
It has many utilities including Gparted.
It can now be installed on the hard disk.
It needs a swap partition and reserFS file system.
Its grub is no the best though still probably uses Grub not Grub 2.

 5. AntiX-Debian Based
This is one of the best for old computers.
It is light weight and one can chose either Debian Wheezy (stable) or testing repository for packages.
Its Grub is one of the best.



6. Ubuntu 13.04
Now then where does Ubuntu Unity fits in.
Surprisingly it fits in on both side of the divide.
It is small and can be fitted to a mobile phone (given time like Andriod), tablet and the PC.
It is cloud ready with Ubuntu One and Music store.
It is a clear winner.
It still has rough edges with the Plymouth and the Unity desktop but it has taken the lead and adapting fast to the IT jungle with the survival of the fittest mentality.
Its repository is full with Debian based trusted and tested packages.
It might even beat and give a run for the money as far as Debian concerned given the rapid changes in the horizon.

What will happen to KDE?
Only a few will survive.
In that context SuSe is in the forefront.


7.SuSe 12.3
Latest version is pretty good
It has in addition LXDE in its DVD.
It has the best partition tool.
Best Grub-2
It has the best configuration tool (YAST).
It lets the user knows what is happening (minor details are omitted) in every stage and one can fall back.
it has a pleasing desktop.
It has shed its weight and still supports old hardware.
It has a good community.
It is a versatile desktop but yet to be cloud ready (because of its desktop weight) as like the light weight champions mentioned above.

8. Current (not old versions) version of PCLinux
It has the worst partition manager and the grub file.
It dose not recognize other Linux distributions except Knoppix, which is very strange.
It configuration is pretty standard but not while installing.
It hangs up and freezes in the middle of the installation.
It is very slow in installation.
For the fist time in my experience it burned my Graphic Card (128 VGA) and I had to fall back to 64 bit Card to restore my old computer.
It tried to install plasma on a 128 card after installation without me prompting which resulted in the accident.
If it burns a Redon graphic card of a user he may even throw a fit.
I must tell you I have burned few RAM cards before I started using at least 1 GiB but never a graphic card.
I buy old computers mainly for testing and upgrade them to my liking with RAM and graphic cards and I have an array of old graphic cards removed.
One cannot buy them now and they are hard to find.
I had to fall back to 64 GiB graphic card which is retrogression in technology but still the computer does do the basic function including cloud computing.
This why I say never buy an old laptop and very soon I may have to say do not refurbish old PCs since tablets are on the market.

I may retire with a tablet or an ebook reader with Chinese taking over tablet market one can buy five (5) for the price of one iPad.
That is a real progress in the third world.
One has to be stupid or fabulously rich to buy an iPad.
This is what I recommend to my students (medical and dental) who will soon become professionals in their own field and be using tablet (palm computer of the yesteryear) for referring medical texts and pictures for their postgraduate training.

PCLinux is trying to do to many tings at the same time after Textstar retired.
I am going to give it up sooner or later.

Reading and Revisiting Old Books for Pleasure

Reading and Revisiting Old Books for Pleasure

From the very outset I must say, I am not a guy who would read a fiction book from cover to cover.

It is almost an anathema to me.

I read the back cover first and then see whether the story has been made into a film and go and see the film instead. That was good old days when we got down all the good English films including box office ones.

Last film I saw was Karma. I went to see that film expecting to get some inspiration for finalizing my book on “Rebirth Revisited” but on the same day I wrote a stinking blog piece to say it was my bad Karma, for me to see it from beginning to end. Outright distortion on medical facts and no understanding on what is envisaged in the concept of Kamma as is said to be stated in Dhamma.

This is my entry point to state categorically that reading a good old book is an inspiration, to say the least. I could not find a single recent book incorporating evolving medical facts about the concept of Kamma but I dug into my old books and found a good book written by Francis Story. Unfortunately this gentleman died of an incurable cancer and could not finish his task but Rev. Bhikku Bodhi had compiled a book having collected his old writings.

It is not a masterpiece but it is the best book available for one to read.

If one s inquisitive, that book has enough material to dig in deeper and discover facts from fiction.

My attempt was not to recompile but to revisit the same theme with little bit of scientific thought process activated by default. So having had few old books in my collection was a big boost. Revisiting Rebirth was almost spontaneous reaction having read those old books.

With lot of human right talks on the horizon, I wanted to dig into the history of the white man in the last 500 years with special reference to South Africa. I could not find a single book in all the bookshops in Kandy city.

I did not try the University library knowing very well that would be futile.

I did not give up finding a book and for my luck there is a bookshop in Kandy, 145, D.S. Senanayake Vidiya, called “Tel” with a remarkable collection of old books.

I hit a gem pit of old English books.

I have a penchant for old books and they are enough to keep me fully occupied for the rest of the year.

I think it is worthwhile to revisit why Sri-Lankans have lost the habit of reading, especially English books. The biggest reason is that the books are written in fairly advanced English and reading and comprehension of them are not within there capability of the average young reader.

They second reason is we do not have good English teachers now and most of them have retired or gone abroad for teaching. The current English teaching in schools is very poor.

I must state that I sat the O Level examination to see it for myself 12 years ago, I got a distinction and my office boy's son also got a distinction. I am sure the examiners who corrected my paper did not understand my English and gave me a distinction by default.

The examination did not have a way to distinguish me from the teenager whose English was not at its prime.

There was a fault in the examination.

I am an examiner myself and I set a question to distinguish the mediocre from the brightest.

I call it the distinction question.

Suffice is to say we had five first classes this time and old of them got an A grade in the subject I teach passionately.

There is also a dangerous habit of trying to translate them with no attempt at improving the standard of English. I think it is far better to have a lighter and easy version in English than to translate them.

One can never get the same feeling the author had when he/she incubated the wonderful idea for the book. I tell young ones please do not read the translation but read the original.

If one cannot have the new book, go for a secondhand book.

That is not a crime.

Out of the many other reasons what stands out most is that the children are examination oriented from their tender age and not learning oriented. I hate the year five examination and I am one who is vociferous that this examination should be scrapped.

I have stated it before and many a times.

The government giving free books often not edited for 30 years or more is another factor to contend with.

It is an antithesis to me in the modern age and IT world.

We have not produced outstanding educators simply because of this reason and it is a hindrance to freelance writers of educational books.

Until we produce enough educators and good authors only thing one can do is to read old books. If you have old books please make sure they are recirculated.

The “Tel” bookshop would be an outlet for them in Kandy.

What if one wants to try Linux?

What if one wants to try Linux?

This is a short recipe but the steps are far too many.

1. Decide what one needs

List the utilities one needs

Web browsing using only a cloud utility

Anonymous web browsing

Needs a word processor free of copyright, for example LibreOfiice

Needs a photo editor

Video/Audio player +++++

2. Decide on the CD/DVD image (DVD is preferable) of the distribution

3. Download preferably a torrent file which checks the file integrity and checksum

4. Decide on the hardware Laptop (never use a secondhand laptop) PC or self assembled PC.

Old secondhand PC computers with updated RAM (minimum of 1 GIB is my recommendation) with a graphic card of 256 to 512 MB is a good choice especially if it is the spare computer one is going to use it as.

On board Ethernet card is mandatory.

If there is no spare computer to download or the download speed is slow like in the developing world one has few options.

I do not download or test distributions now to save my electricity bill.

If I can save one month's of electricity bill I can buy the Linux magazine for a whole year.

That is what I do now.

One can visit and browse the Linux Magazine site and buy old copies of the magazine with Linux DVDs in them.

If you do so and buy a magazine copy, go for the copy with Knoppix DVD (as an extra copy) and a another copy of your desired distribution.

My approach.

One has to decide on either 32 bits or 64 bits (can have more RAM) version.

I will have five to six distributions in one box, few for my use and others for testing.

1. Knoppix CD (not DVD)

2. Gparted CD.

3. Linux Mint KDE (15)

4. Peppermint 4

4. Kiwi Linux

6. SuSe Linux KDE

7. PCLinux LXDE

8. Tails

9. Kali Linx

10. Debian 7.0
11. Pinguy Linux and many more

STEP 1

I boot up the Knoppix 7.0 CD.

This is to check my hardware.

This is the best Live CD to check on my hardware and it never fails.

If you buy the Linux magazine one is able to read the articles (questions and answers mostly) written by Knoppix himself.

I use this CD to partition my hard disk using gparted.

It needs a rerserFS partition and a swap partition (onw has to use sufficient capacity for the DVD).

Then I install Knoppix CD version on the hard disk (follow the instruction while installing).

STEP 2

Then I boot Gparted Linux CD (Gnome Linux) and verify what was done and format all the partitions, (except where Knoppix is installed) for my need (read my articles on partitioning).

STEP 3

Then I install one by one all the distributions and see which one has the best GRUB utility.

Suse has the best configuration, partitioning and Grub file.

Peppermint comes close second but has very few utilities (cloud friendly Google based).

No word processors, torrent or disk burners.

Kiwi is pretty good alternative to Ubuntu

STEP 4

Redo the Step (three) 3 so that I get the best start up grub file that boots all the distributions.

I do this once a year and I have finished that cycle a few hours ago and I installed (downloaded) all the missing files of Peppermint except one that creates (it is not available in graphic form) an iso image of my final upgraded distribution.

Few comments worth mentioning.

1. use a router and not a telephone hookup.

2. Do not listen to guys/girls who test them on virtual machines.

There is a big difference in performance in actual hardware than in a virtual machine.

3. Do not install while connected to the Internet, it takes hell of a long time.

It is a waste of time.

4. Use Sata with at least 150 GiB not IDE of 80GIB.

5. Do not use more than 15 partitions (SuSe cannot detect more than that).

6. Have three partitions for your most used Linux distribution.

/root., /home and /var and the rest of the distributions can be installed in one or two partitions.

5. Have two users always, one for root or administrator and one for regular user with good passwords.

All my users name come from the primate family from chimp to bonobo to gorilla.

Ubuntu forums tells me that their password file is compromised and that means my account too.
So strong password is mandatory now with lot of hackers out there.

Once one is familiar with a distribution try to stick with it without upgrading if the system is running well.

6. Do the preparation in mid July and not in December when everybody is on leave.

We were on a long industrial action in 2012 and I had nothing to do except fiddling with Linux and that was a discovery I made quite fortuitously.

Before that I did it on December and found that I had to re-install some f them in April or May.

Linux distributions tend to mature by mid year, strangely enough!

Linux Update -SuSe Linux and PCLinux

Linux Update -SuSe Linux and PCLinux

I wanted to update my PCLinux KDE, simply because I wanted LibreOffice 4.0 for daily use.

It ended up in disaster.

I will write very detailed account later but suffice is to say I erased the entire hard disk since, PCLinux GRUB is disaster prone by default and recognizes only probably Microsoft (Even though, my NTFS partition does not have any Microsoft installed, I use that to store Linux images not mounted but as an archive) and its own set of distributions.

Firefox was paranoid and partition utility is mediocre and would not let one choose the partition type.

It froze for no reason and even upsetting my CMOS and not booting.

I went into panic mode not kernel panic.

Finally I booted up Knoppix 7.0 CD and it reported nothing wrong and in 10 minutes installed it on my hard disk.

Then I searched for SuSe 12.3 KDE and booted live and found my computer hardware fully fledged for any distro except PCLinux.

I have written a brief account of SuSe recently (detailed account will follow soon) with all my admiration.
Only glitch I had was that could not use my own partition for installing.
After some brief investigation in expert mode by right clicking I found the desired menu.

I am back again with my old flame SuSe and LibreOffice my love fully functional even at midnight.

If you have an old computer and have PCLinux please do not upgrade.

I am telling you this with one week of disaster.

I was on a short holiday with my students done well except a handful, so thankfully I did not have a Heart Attack.

This is why I am hesitant to talk about Linux to newbies, the virtues or lack of them in some of the updated of Linux distributions.
Beware and be warned. 
If the system works for you do not update for some frills and fringes.