full circle WIN! ISSUE #31 - November 2009 BBUUIILLDD TTHHEE PPEERRFFEECCTT SSEERRVVEERR WWIITTHH UUBBUUNNTTUU 99..1100 full circle magazine #31 contents ^ full circle Program In Python - Pt5 p.08 Ubuntu Women p.28 Universe Of Sound p.12 Ubuntu Games p.30 My Story p.19 MOTU Interview p.25 The Conversion. From a 486 PC with DOS and Windows 3.11, to Ubuntu. The Perfect Server - Pt1 p.17 Command & Conquer p.05 My Opinion p.21 Review - Linux Mint 7 p.23 Letters p.26 Top 5 - SVN Clients p.34 The articles contained in this magazine are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. This means you can adapt, copy, distribute and transmit the articles but only under the following conditions: You must attribute the work to the original author in some way (at least a name, email or URL) and to this magazine by name ('full circle magazine') and the URL www.fullcirclemagazine.org (but not attribute the article(s) in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you must distribute the resulting work under the same, similar or a compatible license. full circle magazine #31 contents ^ EDITORIAL This magazine was created using : Welcome to another issue of Full Circle magazine. his month we bring you the first part of a new series: . Yes, we've done several server articles in the past, but I thought that this one is particularly relevant since it uses the most recent T Ubuntu release, Karmic Koala. Looking back to Ubuntu 9.04, Robin Catling brings us a review of which is built on Jaunty Jackalope. The article, this month, is on . We've never used any Windows reviews, or articles, previously, but this one is well balanced, well written, Ubuntu is a complete operating system that is perfect for and thought provoking, so I couldn't ignore it. Fear not, this magazine will not publish laptops, desktops and servers. articles that indulge in Windows bashing ... not on my watch! Whether at home, school or work, Ubuntu contains all the Oh, and one last thing: please note that FCM#32 (December 2009) will be applications you'll ever need including word processor, email released on , and not the last Friday of the month like we application and web browser. usually do. Our usual release schedule will return in January 2010. Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any Enjoy the issue, and keep in touch! licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business, for absolutely nothing. Editor, Full Circle magazine Once installed, your system is [email protected] ready to use with a full set of productivity, internet, drawing and graphics applications, and games. use the new 'contents' link to jump to the contents page from any other page! full circle magazine #31 contents ^ NEWS COMPETITION Giving Up The GIMP? Google Shows Chrome Skype Will Go Open An important part of the 10.04 OS, Promises 2010 Source On Linux roadmap that emerged during UDS [Ubuntu Developer Summit] is a Launch Skype announced [...] that it's tentative plan to remove the GIMP, developing an open source the GNU Image Manipulation Tool, "Speed, simplicity and security version of its client software that from the default Ubuntu installation. were the key components of the runs under Linux. Although this decision is viewed by design, said Pichai. "It takes some as controversial, the reasoning seven seconds to boot to the Skype developer Stanislav behind it is valid. The removal of a login, and three seconds to hit an Karchebny (whose screen name niche professional graphics editing application. We're working very tool reflects Ubuntu's growing is Berkus), said in a blog post, Google Wave is an online tool hard to make that faster." All "Yes, there's an open source for real-time communication maturity as a mainstream platform for applications are web applications, regular users. version of Linux client being and collaboration. A wave can he said, with the browser running developed. This will be a part of a be both a conversation and a each in an tab isolated from other larger offering, but we can't tell document where people can applications and the system, and you much about that right now." discuss and work together GIMP's strengths are precisely what there was nothing for users to using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more. make it unsuitable as a default install or maintain. Although Skype has confirmed component of a mainstream that the user interface will go operating system. Its expansive "All Chrome OS data is in the open sauce, customers We have four Google Wave assortment of rich features cloud", Pichai said. "If I lose my invites to give away to lucky FCM necessitate a complicated user expressed concerns in comments Chrome OS computer, I can buy on the announcement that readers. To be in with a chance interface that is intimidating to another one, log in and in a few of winning, all you have to do is inexperienced users. It is also saddled Skype's Internet protocol seconds everything is back." sign up with the FCM blog: with a lengthy startup time due to its software might remain closed. large collection of plugins. As one He also said the operating system would expect of a high-end graphic Comments from Skype's If you've already signed up, then was self-checking and self- editing tool, it also uses a lot of disk customer services reportedly you're already in with a chance! space. Its size footprint is especially repairing, with individual suggest that the open source The winners will be chosen, at problematic for Ubuntu, because the components cryptographically version will be available in the random, from the list of blog distribution ships as a CD image and signed. If the computer detects "nearest future", however users members on Monday 21st Dec. has a very limited amount of space. an error, malware or the system are already asking the company being hacked, it reloads some or to name a date. The GIMP developers, who have all of the system afresh over the expressed views on the subject, seem cloud. to agree with Ubuntu's plan. : theinquirer.net : arstechnica.com : news.zdnet.co.uk full circle magazine #31 contents ^ COMMAND & CONQUER efore I start on the regenerated, which could take degrees warmer, since the Technology) values of your focus of this article, a few minutes (depending on hard drive generates heat. The hard drive by running the I'd like to take a the number of files and the positive aspect of this is that following command: moment to thank CPU of your system). If you're the hard drive will last much BDavid Rowell for pointing out not sure how big the longer than it will with the sudo smartcl -H /dev/sda that another space-waster on thumbnails folder is, you can power management on, and some systems is the check using my tip from last the hard-drive performance will You should replace /dev/sda thumbnails directory (this month's article: increase a little. I will be with whatever hard disk you applies only to systems where covering how to see if your want to check. This will return thumbnails are generated). In du -h ~/.thumbnails laptop is affected by this bug, information in the following Ubuntu, the default directory is and how to disable power format: ~/.thumbnails. I believe, Now, on to the topic of this management. Also, I'll cover smartctl version 5.38 however, that Thunar (on month's article. I know many how to use smartmontools to people use Ubuntu, or another [x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu] Xubuntu) stores it in a different check the health of your hard Copyright (C) 2002-8 Bruce location - the same is so for form of Linux, on notebooks disk. Allen Konqueror on Kubuntu. The these days, and so I thought it Home page is could be useful to cover how to Before we start checking http://smartmontools.sourcefo thumbnails don't get removed rge.net/ once the image/video that the disable power management for any values, you must first hard disks, which can cause a thumbnail applies to is install the tool we'll be using. === START OF READ SMART DATA removed, at least, this was the lot of wear and tear on Smartmontools is in the main SECTION === case in Gnome 2.24/2.26. So, if notebook drives. There are repository of most SMART overall-health self- threads on most distributions' distributions, including, of assessment test result: you store/stored a lot of media PASSED on your hard disk, chances are forums regarding this issue, course, Ubuntu. To install it, the thumbnails folder can be and, as far as I know, it hasn't run the following: been solved. The downside of As you can see, my laptop's rather large. To solve this, SMART hasn't been tripped simply delete the directory with this fix is that the hard drive sudo apt-get install doesn't spin down. This can smartmontools (meaning the hard disk's health is fine). If it says the rm -r ~/.thumbnails cause data loss if the laptop is dropped (especially if the hard Once it's installed, you hard disk didn't pass, you may want to think about replacing it and the next time you open a drive is in the process of should probably check the in the near future.