Introducing Linux Desktop Environments featuring Fedora 18 and Iron Man Part 1

Category: Linux

The awesome Fedora 18 Spherical Cow was recently completed and the release announcement happily proclaimed support for a variety of desktop environments, including the new kid on the block Cinnamon and the Gnome 2 reboot MATE. Most Linux users switch desktop environments regularly to relieve boredom or increase productivity, an advantage over the largely static MacOSX and Windows desktops. I'm partial to LXDE due to my preference for Knoppix and Lubuntu, but my primary machine uses KDE4 due to its seamless integration with openSUSE. More recently, I've jumped on the bandwagon and I'm running the popular Xfce desktop through the Fedora 17 Xfce spin.

Just to keep things fun and less dry for those uninterested in the technicalities of X, we'll match the Linux desktop environment with Iron Man's different armors. Marvel's currently popular character, who has changed his armor every time a new writer pens his tales, is a great way to give users an idea of the varied desktop environments available for Linux users (and those interested in installing Fedora 18). A desktop environment really doesn't change a Linux distribution to the core - just like Iron Man's ever-present uni-beam, pulse bolts, jet boots, and repulsor rays remains present in 90% of his armor models.

**Disclaimer: Armor designs included in this list purposely only include selections from Iron Man's 1960s-1990s publishing run. Some armor details are from this great article written by devoted fans.***

Gnome 2.x / MATE

Gnome 2.x is associated with being the classic Linux desktop environment. Despite Gnome 3.x being introduced as a replacement and overhaul of Gnome 2, plenty of Linux distributions, as well as FreeBSD and Solaris, still support Gnome 2. Its clean and non-Microsoft Windows interface was often compared to earlier versions of MacOSX in the old days. The Gnome desktop was friendly to new users and didn't have all the confusing settings and configurations found in its then primary competitor, KDE. Most of the later desktop environments, particularly Xfce and LXDE, owe some design or software library addition to Gnome 2. Its ongoing popularity is evidenced by MATE, an updated Gnome 2 spinoff. There have been also recent calls by the Linux community to restart the Gnome 2 project so perhaps a "new" Gnome 2 is on its way soon.

openSUSE 10 with Gnome 2

Gnome 2 is boring by today's very dynamic desktop environment standards. However, I fondly remember running Gnome 2 with early versions of openSUSE and the first iterations of Ubuntu. Gnome 2 wasn't perfect and had bugs between Linux distributions but it didn't crash as much as KDE. It's still a sensible desktop environment today and no Linux user would ever question your taste if you decide on Gnome 2 over Unity or Gnome 3.x.

openSUSE 10 with Gnome 2

Iron Man Armor: Lightweight Red and Gold Armor

Tony Stark's lightweight golden armor was designed to replace the bulky and boxy Golden Avenger design. Future versions of the Iron Man armor afterwards were always based on this more human and flexible suit (which he often kept in his briefcase and "polarized" with a jolt of "transistorized energy"). Many of Stark's most memorable stories, including his bouts against Thanos in the 70s, encounters with the Black Widow and Hawkeye, the Mandarin, and outrageous space-faring adventures, occurred while he was wearing this armor. Way back when, Stark's armor was fraught with many flaws including quickly running out of power (there was no such thing as the "arc reactor" in the 60s), vulnerability to most super villain weapons (like the Melter or Blizzard's attacks), and lack of strength and durability when facing opponents like the Hulk, Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, or Ultimo. Stark (and Iron Man artists and writers) added and removed many components from the armor during the long years Stark was using the armor: rivets, handguns, power disks, communication antennas, magnets, roller skates, and even a nose. However, the red and gold design was arguably the best armor design from an aesthetic standpoint - later versions were too complex, busy, and outright impractical. The red and gold armor is immortalized in the 1966 Grantray-Lawrence cartoon with the brilliant theme song.

Iron Man art from Iron Man #145 (1981)

Like the lightweight red and gold armor, which will always be associated with Iron Man no matter how many revisions Stark makes to his arsenal, Gnome 2 will always remain in the minds of Linux users everywhere.

Iron Man art from Giant Size Iron Man #1 (1975)

MATE is available for Fedora 18 Spherical Cow through the Fedora repositories or by installing the Fedora 18 DVD.

LXDE

LXDE is a lightweight desktop environment and is easily recognizable for its minimal and functional design. Its popularity gave rise to spins like Lubuntu and Fedora LXDE and is used as the default desktop for distributions like Knoppix. Although LXDE's once lauded boot time is rendered irrelevant due to high-end processors and SSDs, it's a great desktop for legacy machines, netbooks, or for running LiveUSB or LiveCD distributions. LXDE comes with PCMANFM, a competent lightweight file manager, and LXPanel for its main applications menu. What LXDE lacks in fancy features it makes up for almost seamless compatibility to Gnome and KDE applications.

Knoppix 6.5 with LXDE

Iron Man Armor: Stealth Armor

The ebony Stealth Armor has appeared in the Iron Man series only a handful of times - for good reason. Bereft of any weapons or armaments, the Stealth Armor was designed only for surveillance, espionage, and monitoring missions. The Stealth Armor is even less protective than Stark's golden lightweight armor from the 70s and is pretty flimsy compared to Stark's other designs. Aside from its dark color and radar/sonar-safe design, the Stealth Armor has no distinguishing marks compared to the Silver Centurion or the boxy yellow armor. A later revision of the Stealth Armor added the ability to emit low-level repulsor blasts a handful of times. To its credit, however, Stark was able to beat both the more powerful Titanium Man and a new Crimson Dynamo using the Stealth Armor through sheer guile and his jet boots.

Stealth Armor art from Iron Man #229 (1988)

Stealth Armor from Iron Man #152 (1981)

Like the Stealth Armor, it's how you use LXDE, not what applications it comes with. LXDE is available for Fedora 18 Spherical Cow through the Fedora repositories or by installing the Fedora 18 LXDE spin.

Introducing Linux Desktop Environments featuring Fedora 18 and Iron Man Part 2: Xfce, KDE, Gnome 3.6, and Cinnamon

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openSUSE basics: Terminating applications using System Activity or Xkill

Category: openSUSE

Applications crashing in Linux is a rare occurrence if you're using a well-tested and popular application like Cherrytree, KSnapshot, or Thunderbird. However, utilities such as Skype for Linux or applications which are still under heavy development can crash, especially those ported from Windows or MacOSX. Occasional conflicts with the desktop environment can also halt your system. Other annoyances are Adobe Flash for Linux issues, codec support (such as running an MP4 or .wmv file), and poorly written browser extensions

With openSUSE KDE, you can quickly close applications using the System Activity utility via the KDE command window. Click ALT+F2 and click the heart monitor next to the command bar. You can also click CTRL+ESC to directly open the System Activity utility.




In the System Activity window, select the naughty application and click the End Process button. You can also right-click the application and click End Process or the Del key. If you're overwhelmed with the list of running daemons and processes, select Programs only on the filter to the right of the search bar.




If you prefer the classic Kill extension that was available in the old Gnome 2 Ubuntu releases, you can install the xkill software package using Yast2. You can run Xkill anytime using the CTRL+F2 command window or using the KDE menu. After you run the Xkill utility, your mouse pointer becomes an X symbol and you can point and click the X symbol on any frozen application. As it says in the description of the software package, be careful when using Xkill. Clicking on almost anything on your desktop by mistake will close it: your system tray, panels, KDE menu, widgets, and activities will close immediately once you click on it using Xkill.




Finally, if you prefer to do everything using Konsole, the kill command lets you shut down running processes using the PID of the application or utility. Run man kill for more information.

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Thoughts on Ubuntu Smartphones

Category: Linux

It's easy to dismiss Canonical's mobile plans as an also-ran, but with Blackberry 10 starting with a clean slate, Windows Phone 8 going on third gear despite trailing industry leaders iOS and Android, and Mozilla ratcheting up their own Mozilla OS for smartphones, third place is up for grabs. As a Linux user and a non-smartphone user, I do have my unsolicited two cents on Ubuntu's plans for mobile domination.

1. Don't neglect the desktop and servers. Canonical deserves a chance at the mobile market and a chance to make some real money. I understand the strategy and the viewpoint that desktops and laptops are "dead" and that tablets and smartphones are the rage and the future. However, I sincerely wish Canonical would perfect Ubuntu on the desktop and laptop first before they point their focus elsewhere. I'm not talking about the debacle that was Unity. As good as Ubuntu is, independent developers around the world actually produce better Ubuntu versions than Canonical. The mainstream desktop Ubuntu is by no means perfect. There's a reason why there are so many "Ubuntu-based" distributions out there. Ubuntu Server has also made inroads to user-friendly Linux farms so don't forget that, too.

2. The least path of resistance? If Ubuntu's expansion to mobile is their idea of the least path of resistance to global expansion, they're going to hit a wall. I disagree with some IT professionals that kids these days aren't aware of Linux or Ubuntu - there are plenty of machines dual-booted to some Linux distributions. When it comes to phones, however, today's generation of users are sublime experts. They know what works, how to use mobile, how to break the rules (see iOS) and what's the coolest platform. They may not have the purchasing power as compared to the pre-recession hey-day, but they know exactly what they need on an iOS, Windows, or Android device. Ubuntu on mobile is going to be a tough sell with the amount of penetration of current mobile platforms. Ubuntu is already present in a few consumer devices such as the Xtreamer Sidewinder media player and specialized desktops that need plenty of attention and press, too. With Linux making a splash at this year's CES, is venturing into smartphones really the best place to be?


"I run on Ubuntu."
Iron Man of the Avengers - art from Avengers Annual #7 (1977)

3. Ubuntu finally realized. If Ubuntu mobile can bridge platforms and fill the gaps between Windows, iOS, and Android then it would truly be representative of its humanist name and the philosophies behind the word "Ubuntu".

4. Android. If you haven't seen Android's market share and the testimonials of ex-iOS users who have migrated to Android then check out Wired or Ars Technica. Today, Android is no longer considered the underdog (Windows 8 on phones is). I also wouldn't discount ever-invincible iOS which despite all its flaws can elicit superlatives from its millions of worshipers (not all of them of which are even users).


"I am an Android."
Vision of the Avengers - art from Avengers Annual #7 (1977)

5. Working with the rest of the pack. I'm sincerely hoping Ubuntu on mobile works well with most Linux distributions (and not just with Ubuntu-based or Debian forks) and applications. If Ubuntu mobile has the power of its desktop brethren then we can see a lot of cross-pollination between the device and distributions. The potential is pretty awesome especially for veteran Linux users out there who know Linux like the back of their hand. There would be little need for "jail-breaking" and the sheer power is unimaginable. An Ubuntu smartphone should be able to connect and share data, utilities, applications, and resources with everything from a fully-equipped Fedora system to a frugal Arch Linux desktop. iOS users generally struggle with connecting their devices to a Linux machine so access to the Linux ecosystem is definitely a plus.

6. Economics dictate that competition is healthy. . . but it has to be able to compete first. Bluto was always on par with a Spinach-deprived Popeye making their encounters interesting before that can of green stuff pops into Popeye's pipe. If Ubuntu goes down even before it starts swinging in the market, then it's back to the drawing board and Linux fans everywhere will have to nurse a universal black in the eye - even if they were running Mageia or Puppy Linux.

7. Ubuntu smartphones could be great advertising for Linux if it's a success . . . a poor herald if it fails. As a Linux evangelist, I'm going to have to wait and see before I can tell everyone to go out and buy an Ubuntu-powered tablet or phone. Dell, HP, and independent manufacturers who have released laptops and desktops running on Ubuntu have had inconsistent success. Jumping into the already murky waters of mobile and tablets could be a knock-out blow either way.

8. Ubuntu isn't for everyone. Any longtime Linux user would tell you that as great as Ubuntu is, there are plenty of users out there (including me) who actually prefer other distributions like openSUSE, Fedora, Archlinux, and Debian. On the other hand, if Ubuntu becomes the representative of Linux in the tablet/smartphone world, it could certainly be the start of something big.

9. The Dark horse. . . ahem. . . Fox. Mozilla has their own plans for mobile devices. I'm pretty skeptical but between Ubuntu and Firefox, Firefox has the edge. Even before Ubuntu's popularity in the Linux universe, Mozilla's web browser was already making strong headway into Windows and Mac systems globally. The brand name is universally recognizable. In fact, while I was teaching technical support more than seven years ago, my trainees referred to Firefox as "Mozilla". Although Google Chrome and its brother Chromium has supplanted Firefox as the browser of choice in most operating systems, Mozilla Firefox is still the default browser in most Linux distributions (but Ubuntu is arguably not the default Linux distribution for Linux users). Moreover, Firefox's laser-type focus on what it plans to deliver on mobile (HTML5 and open web standards) makes more sense compared to Ubuntu's ambitious plans of an all-around "full PC" packed on a phone.


"I am Firefox powered!"
Phoenix of Excalibur - art from Marvel Masterpieces (1992)

10. Too much power on a phone? We already have ultraportables like the Macbook Air and hybrids like the Microsoft Surface for work. Who actually needs a fully-working PC on their smartphone? Even with bendy screens and larger almost unbreakable screens, smartphones are an accessory to a PC no matter how many apps you install on it. Most users are perfectly satisfied playing games on their iPhone, installing barcode readers, ebook readers, and web apps. Android devices are already overloaded with apps that consume multimedia. Will the world need a smartphone that could supposedly replace a PC when a perfectly serviceable (and more comfortable) laptop is around? One of the reasons why iOS was so successful because apps were optional and you installed what you wanted. Take it from a Linux user who has tested dozens of preconfigured Linux distributions - no one needs a device preinstalled with software they don't need.


"First your smartphone then iOS will rule the world!"
Screencap from Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 1 Episode 3.

11. Watch for Microsoft Windows 8. Let's face it, everyone has dismissed Microsoft. But if Microsoft's strategy of creating a unified ecosystem linked by Windows 8 (tablets, phones, laptops, hybrid, XBOX) actually succeeds, then Ubuntu's plan might actually be a credible competitor. I've actually been hearing rumblings that Windows 8 phones are getting popular with college kids who are no longer enamored with the iPhone. Surface Pro may have started off slow on this terrible economy but the reviews are real and even if it doesn't take off, Windows 8 touchscreen hybrids are here to stay. If Ubuntu succeeds in the smartphone era, we may see an open sourced ecosystem yet.


"The future is still Microsoft Windows!"
Deathlok art from Spider-Man #21 (1992)

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Challenges with installing Archlinux in the Middle Kingdom

Category: Linux

Having brought with me overseas my old Acer Aspire 5500Z, I now had the opportunity to install a fresh copy of Archlinux on one of my other production laptops. My mistake was not going through the admittedly lengthy procedure while outside Shanghai - even with the mirrorlist set up properly I had no luck installing the base packages through the pacstrap script.




I tried selecting several relatively close mirrors in Singapore, Hong Kong, as well as the default (and fast) servers in the U.S. but a stable connection could not be made. Although I had a wired connection and could browse the Internet (and run other Linux systems), I couldn't undergo the complete Archlinux installation. I realized that Archlinux's strength can be its weakness when placed in a location where Internet access is restricted or unreliable. All mainstream distributions such as Ubuntu, Fedora, and Mageia are reliant on the Internet for packages and updates but their ISOs come with working applications even without Internet access. Archlinux, unfortunately, makes Internet access mandatory during installation. An Arch-based distribution such as Cinnarch, which includes a Cinnamon desktop environment and preinstalled software, is an option but you lose whatever advantages an Archlinux-based distribution has without access to Arch's international mirrors.




I encountered a similar issue with openSUSE 12.1 a year ago, which also involved the inability to access the main openSUSE repositories. The issue resolved itself almost half a year later though accessibility is still a struggle in Shanghai. Hopefully, the same resolution will occur with Arch. In the meantime, I have to revert to the recent release of Lubuntu or install FreeBSD.

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Fedora 17 Xfce Spin Review - eXtremely eXcellent part 2

Category: Linux

Disclaimer about Fedora 18

As of this writing, the new release of Fedora, Fedora 18 Spherical Cow has been released with a host of new desktop environments available and new spins. The long delay of this release has only enticed Fedora users like me even more and I can't wait to write a review once the bugs have been ironed out (and there are a few). In the meantime, this is the final segment of the Fedora 17 Xfce review.

Startup and Shutdown

Contrary to popular belief, hardware doesn't really contribute much to startup and shutdown speeds anymore due to all the powerful hardware available today so benchmarks are often misleading. However, when it comes to Linux distributions, the choice of desktop environment and applications makes a huge difference. A default configuration of Fedora 17 Xfce smokes both a frugal openSUSE install and a minimal configuration Lubuntu on a netbook. I was especially impressed considering all the effort I made in optimizing my openSUSE KDE install (which is well-known for its slow bootup speed).

Application Finder

Xfce's Application Finder is unique to the Xfce desktop environment. Pressing the keys ALT+F2 triggers Application Finder instead of the classic Linux command window. As an added bonus, you can launch a full window with a list of all your installed applications by clicking the Applications Menu then Accessories. If you opted for the default bottom panel, there's also the magnifying glass shortcut to Application Finder.

I prefer Application Finder over Ubuntu's Unity Dash and Gnome 3's screen-hogging Shell. Application Finder is only slightly more accurate than LXDE's command window, but still not as useful as KDE's. The full interface of Application Finder seems counter intuitive since pretty much the same list appears on your main menu. I felt that Application Finder, while great for users who aren't familiar with the names of their Linux applications, seemed redundant at times.

Like most Xfce components, you can edit the size of the Application Finder search bar that appears when you press ALT+F2, but the default configuration seems too long and somewhat obtrusive on small screens.

Some Notes

The Fedora 17 Xfce spin had a working PackageKit system which is a huge blessing on its own, but there were a few niggling issues on my Fedora install. The "Cannot find True Font" error that was present in the LXDE spin is present here too. On my first boot, I also received a harmless notification two minutes into the desktop which can put off new users unaccustomed to such warnings. The online update nixed any other notifications, but again messages like that can affect the overall experience of a new Linux user.

Final Thoughts and Fedora 18

If you were on your Fedora 17 Xfce-powered laptop in a coffee shop, a MacOSX-toting user may make a face and even make vomiting sounds when he sees your desktop. It's not the sexiest desktop environment around and even after customizing the default theme only matches LXDE in terms of being sophisticated and attractive to non-Linux users. In particular, the logout button on the upper-left hand corner and the volume icon on the upper-right hand part of the panel doesn't seem to fit or gel with the overall desktop experience. Linux users can easily customize their desktop, but there's something to be said about developers over at SolusOS and Bodhi Linux who make every effort to make the desktop as appealing as possible. I'm not much on eye candy and strongly believe that when it comes to lightweight releases like this Xfce spin, it really is about not judging a book by its cover. After all, slap on a Summer Glau or Fan Bingbing wallpaper and you're pretty much good to go anyway.

I was very, very impressed with the Fedora 17 Xfce spin and I hope the Fedora 18 Xfce spin is equally as functional. It's no longer so much as speed anymore but how everything fits into place - the software package selections is one of the best I've seen in a lightweight distribution. I'm actually more attracted to Fedora's latest and greatest releases than Ubuntu's recent changes. Fedora and Xfce both impressed in this spin and the innovations in 18 Spherical Cow can only be good news if the developers continue and execute in the same direction. Go out and try Fedora 18 Spherical Cow now!

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Lubuntu Essentials: "Missing" Applications

Category: Linux

Lubuntu is an exceptional lightweight distribution but there are a few applications you may find "missing" even when compared to frugal distributions such as Puppy Linux and Knoppix. Here's a quick rundown of basic utilities and applications you might want to install after setting up Lubuntu:

1. Gufw - Lubuntu, like all Ubuntu spins, comes with a firewall, but if you want a simple GUI to change settings and allow and deny ports, install Gufw on Lubuntu and you're all set. Even the brilliant guys over at the Linux Action Show recommended it and that's a good enough endorsement for me.



2. Grsync - Lubuntu doesn't have Deja Dup or Backup installed on its default configuration. Grsync, a lightweight GUI frontend for rsync, is a reliable alternative for syncing folders and directories to your external drive. It's a very hands-on approach to backing up but it beats having no backup solution.

3. Gnome Search Tool* - If you often need to search for files in your 2TB drive then you're going to need a way to search. To make Lubuntu faster, there's really no search feature in PCMANFM and no indexing engine like the awful Nepomuk over in openSUSE. If you just need to make basic file searches and you're not inclined to using the terminal, then install Gnome Search Tool. Without file indexing, Gnome Search Tool isn't the fastest desktop search around but it doesn't clash with LXDE and it does its job in a pinch (without slowing down your system). If you want something more powerful, you can always install Catfish.
*The latest Lubuntu release now includes Catfish by default.




4. Remmina Remote Desktop Client - The Fedora 17 Xfce spin has it, so why shouldn't Lubuntu? Remmina is a great little VNC client for accessing other Linux boxes on your network (and Windows, too).

5. Cherrytree - The popularity of Evernote over in mobile apps and Microsoft Office OneNote has proven that there is a market for note-taking. Lubuntu comes with a plain text editor Leafpad, but a quick yum command will get you Cherrytree, a fantastic hiearchical note-taking application which you can use to write your novel, website, or just take notes. It can import files from popular note-taking applications like Keepnote, Basketnote and Tomboy. For those who don't want to learn markup languages like Docbook, it does a pretty good job of exporting to a structured HTML site (complete with navigation tree links), PDF, and XML.

6. Bluefish - Lubuntu is great for programming when installed on a netbook. If you're going to write even rudimentary programming or markup, then you're going to need an editor with a little bit more power than Leafpad. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to IDEs, but the basic but very flexible Bluefish editor works for my HTML5 and Docbook projects. As an alternative, you can also install Geany.

7. Mozilla Firefox - Some Linux distributions package a backup browser. openSUSE has both Firefox and Konqueror while the Fedora Xfce spin has Firefox and Midori. Lubuntu comes with Chrome's brother Chromium, which is a great choice for most Internet tasks. But one of the reasons why installing Firefox is a good idea because it's an easy way to set up a web proxy. With Chromium, you'd have to modify the Ubuntu System Service manually (no GUI in Lubuntu) for a system-wide proxy or edit part of Chromium to launch a proxy server prompt. You can of course just manually add a proxy in Firefox's Preference and Advanced settings. You can always just install Google Chrome, but Firefox has its own catalog of plugins that can add functionality to your Lubuntu system without the added bulk. If all you need is a way to set up a proxy, install the fairly advanced utility Squid Proxy.



Somewhat less lightweight applications you also might want on your Lubuntu rig are Calibre (for converting and uploading ebooks), Gimp (for advanced image editing beyond the included mtpaint graphic editor), Skype for Linux, and SMPlayer (to take advantage of the codecs you probably installed along with Lubuntu).

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Linux on Film: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

A visibly much older Ewan McGregor heads off to Yemen with a lovely but unglamorous Emily Blunt in this BBC film which touches on Middle East conflicts while providing a very mature, adult, and almost asexual romance. McGregor's subtle and restrained performance overrides otherwise unlikely events and a contrived love triangle that occurs midway through the movie. Kristin Scott Thomas exemplifies the best of whimsical but scathing British humor as she makes full use of her brief appearances just as well as she did in Mission: Impossible (1996).

In two scenes in London where McGregor's character works, his desktop (and his bosses') sports a skinned FreeBSD or Linux system (I'd wager a customized Debian distribution). In the blink and you'll miss it scenes, Linux users will notice an Applications folder, Mail launcher, curiously themed icons, and clearly a non-Windows or Mac OSX desktop. The use of Linux in the fisheries office is not unlikely since the U.K. government spearheaded a cost-cutting measure for open source adoption in government agencies.





As a final note, I recommend Salmon Fishing in the Yemen just for the mere fact it has brief references to Indiana Jones. McGregor's character, Fred Jones, is constantly referred to in a perfect British accent as "Dr. Jones" by Emily Blunt in the first 45 minutes of the movie. McGregor also makes a side remark that if they proceeded to Yemen as planned, they might even find the 'Ark of the Covenant'. A Linux cameo, two Indiana Jones references, a timely British film about the Middle East and an affecting romance? Sounds like a good flick for a quiet winter afternoon.

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