Issue #20 - December 2008 full circle ANDREA COLANGELO THE INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE FOR THE UBUNTU COMMUNITY PROGRAM IN C - PART 4 WEB DEVELOPMENT - PART 1 BACKUP & SYNC YOUR MUSIC
WEB DEVELOPMENT THE DAUNTING TERMINAL
NEW SERIES! UBUNTU KUNG FU
Full Circle magazine is not affiliate1d with or endorsed by Canonical Ltd. p.04
The Daunting Terminal p.06
Program In C - Part 4 p.08 Web Development - Part 1 p.13 Backup & Sync Your Music p.19
full circle Making Money With FOSS p.23 w w w . f u l l c i r c l e m a g a z i n e . o r g Italy Speaks OSS p.26
Ubuntu Kung Fu p.27 : Andrea Colangelo p.28 p.30 27 .28 p.31 08 13 P. P P. P. p.32 p.34 p.35 : Backup Solutions p.37 p.39 32 .37 P.19 P..23 P. P icons: KDE4 Oxygen
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2 EEDDIITTOORRIIAALL
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nother month, another new series. Over the next few months, Brett Alton will be teaching us Web development, beginning, Athis month, with an introduction to some of the tools available. We've had quite a few requests for Web Development articles, so I'm sure this will be a very popular series.
Ubuntu is a complete operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether at home, school or work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need including word processor, email application and web browser. Ubuntu is and always will be free of I wish you all the best of luck in 2009! charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, Ronnie family, school or business for Editor, Full Circle Magazine absolutely nothing. [email protected] Once installed, your system is ready to use with a full set of productivity, internet, drawing and graphics applications, and games.
3 While we can't give every reader one Hackers boot Linux on iPhone penny, we would still like to hear your thoughts. NNEEWWSS The port is of the Linux 2.6 kernel and We want to know what you like, or can run on first and dislike, to help us improve to Linux Kernel 2.6.28 Released second generation make 2009 even better than 2008. iPhones as well as the The Linux 2.6.28 kernel will be the fifth We'd really appreciate it if you could first generation iPod Linux kernel release of 2008 and follows take a few minutes to fill in this short touch. PlanetBeing the 2.6.27 release that came in October. survey: details his Linux port on his blog, making http://url.fullcirclemagazine.org/e78bdf sure to note that the Linux project is We'll keep the survey up until 24th Jan. separate from the iPhone Dev Team project. and publish the results in the January
Currently the Linux port is fairly incomplete. issue of FCM. Torvalds wrote in a Linux Kernel Mailing The framebuffer driver, serial driver, serial List posting. From everyone at Full Circle, we want to over USB driver, and drivers for interrupts wish you all the best for 2009, and and other miscellaneous components have thank you for melting our admins server been successfully ported over. Read-only each month with over 20,000 support for the NAND memory is coming downloads. The ext4 filesystem, which has been in along also, but there are a number of various stages of implementation in the components still not running, including We couldn't do it without out you folks! Linux kernel over the course of 2008, is write-support for NAND memory, baseband one of the big items in the 2.6.28 chip support, and support for many iPhone release, which marks the first release in features such as the touch screen, which the new filesystem has been accelerometer, sound, and wireless declared stable. The new system is an networking. evolution of the ext3 filesystem, the Currently the port is possible through the default on many current Linux iPhone attached to a computer with USB distributions. keyboard so it isn't a fully portable Linux Congratulations to port yet. Hopefully future updates will find a While ext4 represents the next stage who wins our copy of way to use a touch pad keyboard. But even from ext3, Linux developers are also at . We'll get that sent in an incomplete state, it is very promising work on another filesystem, BTRFS, off to you as quickly as we can. which may deliver even further to see a version of Linux running on iPhone, improvements in 2009. and an indication that a more complete port If you didn't win, sorry, but there's will be coming in the future. another competition this month to : http://www.internetnews.com win a copy of . : http://www.washingtonpost.com
4 Linux Gains Prey NNEEWWSS Linux game programmer This release candidate of CrunchEee is Ryan "Icculus" similar to the "lite" edition of KDE 4.2 Beta 2 Released for Gordon has CrunchBang, but for the inclusion of Further Testing released a native additional Internet applications. Here is Linux client for a list of features/installed software: Prey, a two-year- old first-person • Array.org repository enabled with shooter (FPS) game from Human Head 2.6.27-8-eeepc-lean Kernel installed. Studios. The client requires users to • Modified theme with smaller fonts. The KDE Community announced the purchase a copy of the title for Windows • Terminator terminal. immediate availability of "Canaria", PCs. • Firefox web browser. (a.k.a KDE 4.2 Beta 2), the second • PCMan File Manager with HAL testing release of the new KDE 4.2 Gordon first posted a "demo" of his Prey automounting enabled. desktop. Canaria is aimed at testers and client for Linux back in October, inviting • Leafpad text editor. reviewers. It should provide a solid users to send feedback. Then, he • VLC media player. ground to report bugs that need to be announced an initial release on his website. • Claws Mail email client. tackled before KDE 4.2.0 is released. He appears to have subsequently released • Liferea feed reader. Reviewers can use this beta to get a first an updated installer said to fix "all known • gFTP file tranfer client. look at the upcoming KDE 4.2 desktop issues." • Transmission BitTorrent client. which provides significant improvements Prey was originally announced in 1998, but • Skype VoIP client. all over the desktop and applications. suffered development delays before being • XChat Internet Relay Chat client. • gPodder podcast catcher. Since the first beta, which was released resurrected and finally shipped in 2006. • Pidgin instant messenger. less than 4 weeks ago, 1665 new bugs Gordon's port may be available from his • Gwibber microblogging client. have been opened, and 2243 bugs have website's Prey download area, here. Users • Various tools and utilities, such File been closed. Since the release of KDE will also need to have a copy of Prey, from Roller, Evince PDF viewer, etc. 4.1.0, more than ten thousand bugs Human Head Studios. Also of possible were closed, showing a massive focus interest to those porting Prey to other : on stability in the upcoming KDE 4.2.0 platforms -- an SDK download said to http://crunchbang.net/pub/linux/crunch which will be released in January 2009, 6 include "all of the game code (for building eee-8.10.01.i386rc1.iso months after KDE 4.1. KDE 4.2.0 will be your own Game DLL), as well as some code followed up by a series of monthly examples/tutorials that explain a few of the : service updates and followed up by KDE basic things you should know before diving http://mirror.h3o.in/mirror/crunchbang/c 4.3.0 in summer 2009. into the code-base." runcheee-8.10.01.i386rc1.iso : http://kde.org : http://www.desktoplinux.com : http://crunchbanglinux.org
5 using text-based commands. CCOOMMMMAANNDD AANNDD CCOONNQQUUEERR This means that you’re Written by Philip Royer eliminating the need to use a graphical interface, or a bunch of ou’ve been sitting in a worried that something might go friendly buttons, to initiate doctor’s office for nearly an wrong. What if I mis-spelled commands. It’s called command Yhour. Each second seems something and it destroys my line, meaning, instead of clicking like an eternity. Worry is starting computer? Over time, though, that buttons and icons, you enter to grip your gut. The test results worry was replaced by a confidence I commands with text. For are being discussed by two nurses could have had from the start. example, to update your system, you would enter: in the hallway, and the grim looks This is what I think every time I on their faces don’t look hear the word “terminal.” It’s never a sudo apt-get update promising. You wonder what happy word. So, it’s no wonder that they’ve found and hope it isn’t life when I looked at some directions for There are many other such threatening. You have too much to installing something in Linux, I commands that you can use to lose: your family, your job, your cringed in fear when they said to launch applications. Back in the nice car. You jump as a doctor open the Terminal. But is the fear of earlier days of Linux, most things steps into the room holding a entering a string of letters and were done using the command clipboard and looking intently at technically powerful words a reason line. This is one reason many the scattered data. He looks up to be afraid? Is this a rational fear? non-geeks didn’t, or still don’t, and into your eyes. “I’m sorry sir, Why is it that so many are in fear of want to move to Linux. but it looks like this disease is switching to Linux because of The truth is, Linux is so far terminal.” Your heart sinks, “having to use the command line?” past that primitive stage of knowing that this sickness only Let me try to smash some of these being all command line that it ends in death. Everything you’ve fears and correct any misinformed has reached the point of being a worked for... gone. thinking by helping you, the user, to usable desktop by anyone, geek understand the terminal a little I remember my first experience or non-geek. So if Linux, or more better. with the computer terminal being specifically, Ubuntu, has reached very similar. I was VERY timid a point where the desktop is no about entering codes manually longer command-line driven, into the computer. With all the The terminal is an application that why use the terminal at all? code readout scrolling by, I was enables you to talk to the computer
6 know that? Because if there was a problem with an installation, and a As a more in-depth Linux problem was preventing it from Use of the terminal is not a operator, the terminal can be your completing, then there will be error requirement in Ubuntu, it’s an greatest friend. It will talk to you messages in the terminal readout aid to help you when you have when you have a problem. It will that I would not see in the desktop computer problems. Even as an tell you what is wrong. Maybe not scenario. If I was just to have the advanced user, I rarely use the in the same way humans interact, installation say “I’m sorry, your terminal. Just because you have but in a very similar way. installation of Gobbledygook Plus a spare tire under your car, doesn’t mean you have to use it Let me elaborate a little. When couldn’t be completed”, then I all the time. You only use it when you click on an icon on the wouldn’t know what went wrong. But, you have a flat tire. It’s that desktop, or click a button, it sends by installing it using the terminal, simple. various commands to the error messages would appear, computer. All these commands informing me of the problem, and Hopefully, you will no longer you don’t see, because they are enabling me to fix it, or get help. But, fear the terminal. Instead you going on in the background. If, for the use of the terminal is not for will see it as a tool that you can example, I was to click the update everyone. get by quite easily without using. button on my menu, to update the The terminal is a useful tool, but system, the only thing I would see it doesn’t have to dominate your would be a status bar indicating Though the Terminal is very useful computer usage. One should how much time before my system in many computing situations, I do never fear things that are was updated. Now if I were to not recommend it for everyone. For unknown, because if we did, we type “sudo apt-get update” (the basic users, it might be too difficult would never learn anything new. command line equivalent) I would to grasp, and, depending on the get a very long and exhaustive list commands involved, may Unfortunately, Robert is being of Web address that my computer accidentally mess up your machine. intimidated by real-life lately, and is was searching for updates. But, if you are having a problem with unable to continue writing your computer, such as a program Command & Conquer. So, we're You’re probably thinking, “Why isn’t running, or an installation looking for a stand-in for a few would I want to see all that?” The crashes, you can post the output of months. If you would like to take his answer is simple: it tells me place for a few issues, please the terminal on the Web to get help what’s going on behind the contact Robert at: from others. scenes. Well, why would I need to [email protected]
7 HHOOWW--TTOO Written by Elie De Brauwer PPRROOGGRRAAMM IINN CC -- PPAARRTT 44
But, since it's also the holiday Then, we will need to include season, the demo application will be the ncurses header in our source FCM#17-19 - Program In C - Parts 1-3 an application which creates ASCII file - by adding #include snow. In order to create this effect I
Dev Graphics Internet Multimedia System Programming-HOWTO, since I will source against the ncurses touch only the functions used in the library which can be done calling demo. gcc this way: gcc -Wall -lncurses snow.c -o snow CD/DVD HardDrive USB Drive Laptop Wireless In order to use ncurses, you will The -l flags instructs the linker first need to install the ncurses to link with the ncurses shared n this fourth article in the package and the ncurses developers library. And as a result of this we series, I'll introduce an package: see the output below: Iimportant topic that every C apt-get install libncurses5 programmer should master, libncurses5-dev because it can cause a whole lot of problems: dynamic memory allocation. Failing to use and edb@lapedb:~/fullcircle/c-4$ ldd snow understand dynamic memory linux-gate.so.1 => (0xb805c000) allocation (and pointers) correctly libncurses.so.5 => /lib/libncurses.so.5 (0xb7ff7000) will result in memory leaks and libc.so.6 => /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6 (0xb7e99000) libdl.so.2 => /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libdl.so.2 (0xb7e94000) application failures (think of the /lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0xb8042000) well known Segmentation Fault as an example).
8 When we use ldd (ldd prints the • getmaxyx() to get the shared libraries required to terminal dimensions execute a binary), we see that the 1.int main() • clear() to clear the applications require 2.{ screen 3. char * field=NULL; libncurses.so.5 to be available on 4. int row=0; our system. This also means that • mvaddch() to display 5. int col=0; running our binary on a system a character at a given 6. initscr(); //nc with this library not installed will location 7. atexit(exitfun); not work. 8. • refresh() to force 9. /* Eternal snow ! */ Now what does ncurses do? output on the terminal 10. while(1) Well, a text terminal is in fact an 11. { • endwin() to properly odd thing - with printf(), we can 12. updateFlakes(&field,&row,&col); write text, but the text always reset the terminal at 13. if(field==NULL) appears at the end of the line - application exit 14. { 15. break; we can't scroll back; we can't • initscr() to initialize print colors; we can't print bold 16. } the ncurses library 17. drawScreen(field,row,col); characters; etc. There are things 18. sleep(1); called 'escape sequences' which 19. } manipulate the cursor behavior The main() (see Listing 20. return 0; and the way text is printed on 1) doesn't do much. It 21.} such a terminal (this all dates Listing 1: main() initializes the screen (line from the roots of the history of 6), and every second it computing), but these escape updates and array of snowflakes (line sequences are non-human 12). If that succeeds, it draws them friendly. Well, ncurses is a form of 1. /* At termination, properly to the screen (line 17). There is only wrapper library which eases the close the terminal */ one special thing here and that is the use of these escape sequences. In 2. void exitfun() atexit() function. This function is my example code, I've added //nc 3. { used to instruct the application that, 4. endwin(); //nc after a function call when this prior to termination, this function 5.} function call belongs to ncurses. should be called. The contents of this Listing 2: exitfun() The functions I've used are: function are shown in Listing 2. All it does is call endwin(). Note, that the
9 trick used here is called a at compile time, so we need 1./* Update the structure */ 'function pointer'. Just as we can to learn this and ask for the 2.void updateFlakes(char ** fieldIn, have pointers to data, we can amount of memory we need. int *rowIn, int *colIn) have pointers to functions too The same happens at the 3.{ 4. int numnew=0; int row=0; int (and this is simply the function point of a resize of the col=0; int i=0; name, without the parentheses). window; then we need to 5. char *field=*fieldIn; update the amount of 6. getmaxyx(stdscr,row,col); //nc required memory. This is 7. In the main(), we have storage done using a combination of 8. /* Create new field */ for the number of rows, the the functions malloc() (line 9. if(field==NULL || *rowIn!=row number of columns, and the array 15) and free() (line 13). With || *colIn!=col) malloc() (which stands for 10. { of flakes; we pass these three 11. if(field!=NULL) memory allocate), you pass it parameters to the updateFlakes() 12. { function (see Listing 3). This the number of bytes you wish 13. free(field); function will allocate memory if a to allocate, and it will return a 14. } change of the terminal dimension pointer to this amount of 15. *fieldIn=malloc(row*col); is detected. Every time this bytes (or NULL when the 16. field=*fieldIn; function is called it reads the system is out of memory). 17. memset(field,0,row*col); dimension of the terminal. If these With a call to free(), you tell 18. *rowIn=row; *colIn=col; 19. } don't match those stored in the the system you no longer need the memory. Not 20. main function, we allocate a new 21. /* Apply gravity ! */ array and start from scratch. From combining a malloc() with a 22. lines 6 to 19, we read the free() properly will result in a memmove(&field[col],&field[0],(row- dimensions, and reallocate the memory leak and an eventual 1)*col); memory (and free old memory if it crash of your application. 23. memset(field,0,col); existed). And this is where Well, that's all there is to it - 24. numnew=random()%(col/2); dynamic allocation kicks in. easy isn't it? Now, see how 25. for(i=0;i 10 juggling. First, we use a one 1 rows and shift these by dimensional array (char * field) to col bytes. See also Figure 1; represent two dimensional data the move is illustrated with 1./* Let it snow */ (the 2D screen contents). This the dotted arrow. When that 2.void drawScreen(char * field, int row, means simply that field[0] is at is done, we zero the new int col) row 0, col 0, field[1] is at row 0, 'first' row, and place some 3.{ col 1, field[row] is at row 1, col 0 random cells to 1 (implying 4. clear(); //nc and field[row+1] is at row 1, col 1. it will snow there). 5. int x=0; 6. int y=0; This is because it's easier to work 7. for(y=0;y Although only four articles have been presented, already a lot of 'heavy stuff' has been covered. It can be clearly seen that, with this article, this path and to focus more and we're already drifting a bit away from more on Linux specific goodies in the generic-c-programming, and application development, and we're making a move towards more from this I wish all you Linux/Ubuntu specific applications. enthusiasts out there an exciting The goal in this series is to continue New Year filled with discoveries! Figure 2 - memmove() in action 11 free the memory in the exit function. • Get the application up and • Write a while(1) {malloc(1);} A PENNY FOR YOUR running on your application, and THOUGHTS own system (you'll confirm that in the need to figure out Get the application end your system will We want to know what you the required up and running on run out of memory. like, or dislike, to help us headers yourself, your own system... • Check the random improve Full Circle to make hint consult the and srand manpages to learn how to 2009 even better than 2008. manpages of the calls which give seed the random number generator. implicit declaration errors). We'd really appreciate it if you could take a few • Instead of passing exitfun() to minutes to fill in this short atexit(), we could as well have survey: passed endwin() directly; verify that this works. Read the atexit http://url.fullcirclemagazine. manpage to figure out which org/e78bdf function prototypes it accepts. Why is it useless to pass a We'll keep the survey up function which returns a value? until 24th Jan. and publish the results in the January • Remove the functionality to issue of FCM. reallocate the field after a window size, try resizing the window now, From everyone at Full is a what are the pro and contras? Circle, we want to wish you Belgian Linux fanatic, all the best for 2009, and • Note that the currently used currently employed as an embedded software engineer thank you for melting our field array isn't free()'ed at with one of the world's leading admins server each month application exit, this is not a satellite communications with over 20,000 downloads. problem since this won't cause a companies. Apart from spending memory leak and the kernel will time with his family, he enjoys free the memory; nevertheless, playing with technology, and spends his days waiting for try making field a global variable Blizzard to finally release Diablo (place it outside the main() ) and III. 12 HHOOWW--TTOO Written by Brett Alton WWEEBB DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT -- PPAARRTT 11 notch, free and open source software the 'preview' button. Its main to fill this need. Kubuntu and features include code insertion N/A Xubuntu also offer similar software, for Apache config files, C, CSS, but this article will discuss only HTML, JavaScript, PHP (and GNOME-centric software. more); table creation; syntax highlighting with malleable Let me introduce you to programs preferences; a file browser, and used by all aspects of Web many other features you'd development including alternate expect from a modern text software not present in Ubuntu that editors. Dev Graphics Internet Multimedia System can be installed quickly and easily. Please note that this article deals with software already used by Web developers, and is written to help CD/DVD HardDrive USB Drive Laptop Wireless promote awareness of these tools. Please refer to my up-and-coming eb development (the articles on actually creating and process of making hosting websites. Wwebsites), which includes content creation (also I myself do not use this called copy writing), design, program, but many find it helpful programming, database and fitting to their needs. Be Bluefish is a text editor that is administration, and server aware that the last release of similar to WYSIWYG editors due to its administration, employs millions Bluefish was made in October code insertion buttons, but does not of people around the world and is 2006, so do not expect any new actually have a WYSIWYG editor. It is thus an important aspect to be features to be implemented any more geared towards Adobe supported in an operating system. time soon. Dreamweaver users who are used to Luckily, Ubuntu is full of top- code insertion, but who do not use sudo aptitude install bluefish 13 that allows syntax highlighting for CSS/HTML/PHP all within one gEdit is Gnome's default text editor file, plugins including a file and is available in Ubuntu under Geany is a Gnome-based text browser, spell checker, code "Applications > Accessories > Text editor/IDE hybrid that supports snippets (e.g. customizable code Editor". Although not as advanced as not only Web development, but insertion, useful for printing some other text editors, gEdit has most aspects of software licenses and other repetitive great default features and engineering. It supports code content), etc., and integration phenomenal plugins available on collapsing, an interesting with SCIM - which allows for their website at: function/variable menu that can input via non-latin languages http://live.gnome.org/Gedit/Plugins. help you find your functions such as Japanese. quickly and easily, a code compiler (not used in Web gEdit is simple but effective, development), an embedded and is what I personally use for terminal, and most features you'd all Web development purposes. expect from a modern text editor. sudo aptitude install gedit Eclipse is a Java-based IDE with phenomenal support for Java and most other Since gEdit is programmed by the programming languages. Gnome Software Foundation, it has Eclipse's IDE features are full gio/gvfs support, meaning it can apparent on first run when, read and edit any file that Nautilus instead of giving you a text- Geany is in active development, can. This includes files accessed by editing pane, it gives you a so if you decide not to use this FTP, SSH/SFTP, SMB and DAV, which splash screen asking if you'd like program, keep an eye on it for is extremely useful when working to get an overview, see new future use. with remote servers. features, view samples, or go sudo aptitude install geany gEdit's features include great through tutorials. printing support, modular syntax Eclipse is extremely feature- highlighting (using gtksourceview2) full and robust, but many users 14 will find these features website, such as showcasing overbearing and convoluted. The pictures of their family, pets or KompoZer is a cross-platform serious (and often corporate) favourite hobby, this may be for WYSIWYG-editor, similar to Adobe's programmer - those who work you. However, with the quality of Dreamweaver. It is a fork of an older within 'projects' and not just files - content management systems Linspire-sponsored editor called Nvu, will love Eclipse's organization (CMS) today, such as Wordpress which was a fork of Mozilla's older and support for distributed (which I will review in future Composer, which is now a part of the version control, such as CVS, SVN, articles), I wholeheartedly SeaMonkey suite. SeaMonkey will be git, etc. If you're looking to make recommend using those instead reviewed shortly. quick edits, however, a text-editor of making your own website such as gEdit is recommended. Features that make the application from scratch. are the site manager, which allows KompoZer's last release was in you to hook into a FTP server, and August 2007, but the English the CSS editor. forums at http://wysifauthoring.informe.co m/forum/ are still active, with the lead developer still making posts and helping with support. I would not be surprised if a new version was released soon. sudo aptitude install kompozer While Eclipse released version 3.4 in June of this year, Ubuntu has unfortunately been using Eclipse 3.2 since 6.10 (Edgy Eft). KompoZer is more of a beginner's SCREEM is much like BlueFish, If you're looking to run the latest editor than anything. Professionals, but for a program that hasn't and greatest version of Eclipse such as myself, will be annoyed with been updated since 2005, it was (which has great PHP support), the lack of control over the HTML it ahead of its time and is still you will have to download it and creates, the clunky GTK interface, useful. install it manually. and missing drag & drop integration Sporting code insertion; great sudo aptitude install eclipse with the GNOME desktop. For people GNOME integration; wizards for who just want to make a simple CSS, tables, forms, etc.; and CVS 15 integration - SCREEM is for Web Linux servers. Its installation is echo 'deb programmers who hate typing modular, which allows you to edit http://ppa.launchpad.net/ebox/ every bit of HTML by hand. only services you need, and it has ubuntu intrepid main' | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list been touted as being more secure && sudo aptitude update && than most other control panels. sudo aptitude install ebox-ca ebox-dhcp ebox-dns ebox- Again, I myself don't use eBox, firewall ebox-jabber ebox- because I administer my Linux mail ebox-mailfilter ebox- servers purely from the command- network ebox-ntp ebox-objects line, but for anyone who has a life, ebox-openvpn ebox-printers and/or needs other employees to ebox-samba ebox-services ebox- administer the office Linux server, software ebox-squid ebox- trafficshaping ebox- this program is definitely usersandgroups libebox Since SCREEM is no longer recommended. being developed, I do not eBox, although included in Ubuntu, Notes on installation: recommend using it unless you're is broken in a number of Ubuntu already comfortable with it. This • For 8.04 (Hardy) users, releases and some packages could program will soon be out of date replace 'intrepid' with 'hardy' in not be included due to licensing and you will be looking for a new, the preceding line. issues, so I recommend that you use more up-to-date editor in no time. their PPA at • Make sure to remove any sudo aptitude install screem https://launchpad.net/~ebox/+archiv modules from the installation e if you want to install eBox. Look line above that you do not towards eBox 1.0 being included in require (e.g. ebox-mail if you Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope). don't want to set up a mail server, etc.) sudo aptitude install ebox-ca ebox-dhcp ebox-dns ebox-firewall To access eBox once installed, eBox is a sharp-looking, Web- ebox-network ebox-ntp ebox- see: https://localhost/ebox based control panel that can objects ebox-openvpn ebox- manage Apache, OpenVPN, printers ebox-samba ebox-services OpenLDAP, Samba, CUPS, ebox-squid ebox-usersandgroups Spamassassin, Postfix, ClamAV, libebox Nautilus is the default file Jabber, Squid and many more manager in GNOME/Ubuntu. I or: programs that are common on thought it needed a special 16 mention as an application for Web monthly and yearly basis. Bosses will administer local and remote developers for one reason: like this program because they MySQL databases. It can be used "Connect to Server" integration. usually like pretty things, and even to monitor the "health" of your desktop users will get a kick out of database (including # of this program to record their hard queries, memory usage, # of drive usage or to monitor their connections, etc.), administer network traffic over time. users, create chronological backups, restore backups, and edit MySQL server variables. This program is highly recommended for those who prefer GUI-based administration Nautilus is extremely useful (over text or Web), and for those when working with multiple FTP, SFTP, NFS or WebDAV servers. To connect to a server, go to "Places > Connect to Server..." and fill in The program installs to your information. If this server is a /var/www/munin, so make a symbolic connection you consistently link (a.k.a shortcut) before installing access, make sure to tick "Add if you'd like it to sit in an alternate bookmark" so that it can be location. The program is Web accessed later from the Places accessible via http://localhost/munin, who like pretty graphs for menu. or /var/www/munin if you don't have monitoring connections and a Web server installed and choose server usage. not to make a symbolic link. Please be warned that this tool Munin is a very handy server sudo aptitude install munin is now called "MySQL GUI tools", administration tool that records so the name may be changed in graphs (using rrdtool) pertaining future versions of Ubuntu to to CPU, memory, swap and hard reflect this. disk usage; MySQL threads; Exim MySQL Administrator is a cross- I/O; network errors; and traffic, platform tool released by MySQL AB sudo aptitude install mysql- etc. - all on a daily, weekly, (now Sun Microsystems) to admin 17 http://localhost/phpmyadmin Please notice that this is the latest release at this time. Make sure to check with their website phpMyAdmin is the be-all/end- Webmin is a Web-based server to get the latest and greatest all Web-based MySQL database administration control panel. It is not version every time. administration program. It included in Ubuntu because of the supports full-blown user To access Webmin once way it interacts with the server (it administration (including per- installed, see: doesn't adhere to Debian policy), but database user privileges); testing https://localhost:10000/. The it is, nevertheless, a very useful queries (even creating MySQL username is your server's root program for server administration. queries in PHP code); database username and password. To be backups, exports and restores, blunt, if you don't know how to and most other features found in set that up, you probably MySQL. shouldn't be using Webmin (for security purposes). Think of it this way: if you can't open a beer bottle, you shouldn't be able to drink the beer! I hope you will look forward to my future articles, which will Webmin administers the most touch on creating websites, common Linux server daemons but including an introduction to also has a plugin architecture if I use this program and I highly HTML/CSS (with notes on you'd like to add additional support recommend it. accessibility), an introduction to for the program of your choice (e.g. PHP/MySQL programming, Look towards phpMyAdmin 3.1 AWstats). installing and using content (or greater) included in Ubuntu wget management software, a 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope). http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net comparison of javascript /webadmin/webmin_1.441_all.deb && sudo aptitude install frameworks, and information on sudo aptitude install libauthen- phpmyadmin how to host and administer your pam-perl libio-pty-perl libmd5- perl && sudo dpkg -i own websites. To access phpMyAdmin once webmin_1.441_all.deb installed, see: 18 HHOOWW--TTOO Written by Joe Berry BBAACCKKUUPP && SSYYNNCC YYOOUURR MMUUSSIICC 25gb of space. This article describes therefore serve your's. my strategy for maintaining and As I mentioned, I frequently N/A managing my music collection. add music to my collection, and I I store my music collection on a sometimes delete individual Linux desktop that runs Samba and pieces of music. I did not want a NFS, allowing my music to be backup solution that would listened to by Windows machines as simply add the new files to some well as the Linux and Unix computers backup directory. If I deleted a I have at home. My normal, personal song, I also wanted that song Dev Graphics Internet Multimedia System computer is a laptop running Ubuntu removed from my backup. I 8.04. When at home, I access the wanted a simple mechanism that music server via NFS and run would maintain an exact Rhythmbox to listen to my collection. duplicate of my current CD/DVD HardDrive USB Drive Laptop Wireless However, I sometimes need to travel; collection (namely removing the having my music collection available deleted pieces and adding the to me is important. So, I purchased new music). I also didn't want it ike many of you, I have a an inexpensive 160gb USB-powered to run for hours (remember, I digital music collection portable disk drive ($99 US), which have 25gb of music). The Lconsisting of mp3 files. My provides both a backup for my music solution I chose was to use the collection started with files I collection and the ability to listen to program rdiff-backup. The ripped from CDs I own. I music when I'm away from home. software and documentation can be found at the rdiff-backup predominantly now add to my There are so many ways of home page, collection with music I purchase creating a backup of a set of files. http://www.nongnu.org/rdiff- online. Since I pay good money Many articles have already been backup/. Ubuntu's Synaptic for my music, it is important to published, and many more will be Package Manager makes me that I do not lose any of the published. I cannot promise that my installing rdiff-backup a pleasure. music I downloaded. My collection solution is the “best”. However, it Do a search for rdiff-backup, and today takes up approximately does serve my needs, and it may 19 install the product when it To automate the execution of rdiff- stamp. appears (note: it also requires backup, I created a script (Fig.1). In lines 5-10, the script installation of Python). Line #2 defines an output file to confirms that the portable USB The best description of rdiff- store the ongoing day-to-day history drive is mounted. If it is not backup comes from the author of of the execution of the script. mounted, there is no reason to the software itself: Without saving this log information, it continue processing. Depending would be difficult to debug any on your particular disk drive, line problems that occur. The next couple #6 will probably have to be of lines simply write out a date/time changed. To determine what 1. #!/bin/bash 2. LOG=/home/jberry/rdiff-backup-output.txt 3. echo "Starting rdiff-backup" >> $LOG 4. date >> $LOG 2>&1 5. # make sure the portable drive is mounted 6. df /media/* | grep PASSPORT 7. if [ $? -eq 1 ] ; then 8. echo "No portable drive -- can't continue" >> $LOG 9. exit 1 10. fi 11. # make sure fedora's music is mounted 12. df /music | grep fedora 13. if [ $? -eq 1 ] ; then 14. # try to mount 15. echo "mounting the fedora music dir" >> $LOG 16. /home/jberry/util/mount-music 17. # now make sure the mount was successful 18. if [ ! -e /music/README.txt ] ; then 19. echo "Unsuccessful mount of music from fedora" >> $LOG 20. exit 1 21. fi 22. fi 23. /usr/bin/rdiff-backup --print-statistics /music /media/WD\ PASSPORT/music >> $LOG 2>&1 24. echo "rdiff-backup is finished at " >> $LOG 25. date >> $2LO0G 2>&1 string to use for your own disk is available. My music server is a This means just that, various drive, plug the drive in and start Linux box called 'fedora'. If fedora's statistics will be printed. up a terminal window /music directory is not mounted, the /music (Applications → System Tools → script mounts the music directory by Terminal). Enter the command executing script mount-music (line This is the directory that “df” and you will see something 16). This script contains just one line: contains the original music. similar to the output shown in mount -o ro fedora:/joe0/music /media/WD\ PASSPORT/music Fig.2. /music Note the last line. This is a This is the output directory, If your music collection resides reference to my portable disk where the backup music will be locally on your Ubuntu box, then you drive. You will probably have located. something else after the string can simply delete lines 11-22. There are many other “/media/”. Line #6 searches the You'll have to modify line 23, the parameters to rdiff-backup. output from the “df” command line that actually executes rdiff- Typing: looking for the string “PASSPORT”. backup in order to specify where If it doesn't find it, the script your music collection is located. The man rdiff-backup terminates. Change this line parameters I have specified mean appropriately. the following (in the order they will show you what commands are available. Alternatively, the The next part of the script appear): web site has extensive ascertains that the music source --print-statistics documentation. $ df Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on /dev/sda1 36835176 27133928 7830080 78% / varrun 512916 296 512620 1% /var/run varlock 512916 0 512916 0% /var/lock udev 512916 60 512856 1% /dev devshm 512916 164 512752 1% /dev/shm lrm 512916 38176 474740 8% /lib/modules/2.6.24-18-generic/volatile /dev/loop0 510984 104716 406268 21% /joe0 /dev/sdb1 156250144 117254752 38995392 76% /media/WD PASSPORT 21 There are two issues with the the error and restart the backup program that I feel need be processing. It's nothing serious; mentioned. The first is a “feature” the actual data -- the music -- is that I knew nothing about until I fine, but it's the rdiff-backup found it documented in the FAQ. support files, which keep track of When I looked at my backup disk what has been backed up when, drive to see my music files, I that are messed up. found something a bit unsettling. I automatically run my music Here's a very brief picture of the synchronization script every day directory structure that I found: at the same time. This is done by use of Linux's cron software. My crontab line looks like this: 15 9 * * * /home/jberry/util/run-rdiff- backup.sh My Passport portable disk drive is This means run run-rdiff- formatted as a FAT32 filesystem (I backup.sh every day at 9:15 in wanted it readable from a Windows the morning. On occasion, I box, too). Note that the problem isn't check the log (see line #2 of the really serious. All the mp3 players above script) to confirm Note that every artist and such as Rhythmbox use the mp3 file everything is running correctly. album (the fifth artist is Alison metadata to determine album name As an exercise, you might want Krauss and her album is entitled and artist name; they do not use the to enhance the script to send an “Now That I've Found You”) has physical file name for anything. email if there was a problem funny characters instead of a with the backup. The second issue is one that has proper upper case letter. In occurred a couple of times in the particular, the characters “;065” past year or two. Something gets are standing in place of the letter fouled up, and rdiff-backup is unable “A”. The FAQ explains this as to work. It reports an error. Again, follows: the FAQ explained how to get around 22 MMYY SSTTOORRYY Written by Stani MMAAKKIINNGG MMOONNEEYY FFRROOMM FFOOSSSS thus all the last bits were done on my two points of view. On one hand, ASUS EEE PC. I am left wondering I paid tribute to the rich Dutch why ASUS doesn't offer Ubuntu on its architecture history and, on the notebooks. The EEE laptop took a bit other hand, to the contemporary longer (30 seconds instead of 3 quality of Dutch architecture. seconds) to generate a whole coin, These also form the two sides of but did the job just fine. Of course, my coin. Traditionally, the front the jury judged only the design, and of the coin needs to portray the not the software used, as others queen, while the rear side used Maya, Illustrator, etc. displays the value of the coin. When someone looks closely at my portrait of the queen The Dutch Ministry of Finance (left), it becomes clear that her organized an architecture he whole design was done portrait is constructed with competition for which a selected with free software. The names of important Dutch group of architectural offices Tbiggest part consisted of architects. On the outside, the (unstudio, nox, ...) and artists, custom software in Python, of names are clearly readable, including myself, were invited. The course within the SPE editor. For while they slowly get smaller to goal of the competition was to design visuals, I used PIL and pyCairo. the center. Under a magnifying not a building, but the new 5 euro From time to time I also used glass, all names are readable, commemorative coin with the theme GIMP and Inkscape. Phatch helped but not with only the human 'Netherlands and Architecture'. The quite a bit too. All the eye. It is fascinating to see how winner will be rewarded with a nice development and processing was an old medium like a coin can be price, but most of all with the honor: done on GNU/Linux machines in this way a 'compact disc' of his design will be realized and will be which were running Ubuntu or information. Debian. In the end, I had to a legal coin within the Netherlands. collaborate closely, on location, The tension between what is I approached the subject with the technicians of the Royal readable and what is not, is also 'Netherlands and Architecture' from Dutch Mint (coin factory), and a metaphor how time shapes 23 history. Some big names of the past might be smaller names in the future, and vice versa. To reflect this idea, I chose to order the architects not alphabetically nor chronologically, but in a new way: I used the internet as a seismograph, and ordered the architects by the number of hits on the internet. Of course, this order changes over time, and as such this is another time stamp on the coin besides the number '2008'. Only the first 109 architects fitted on On the rear side of the coin (above the coin, so that was immediately right), I treated the edge of the coin the selection. Apparently as a book shelf. The books rise as becoming famous goes buildings towards the center. exponentially. Through their careful placement, they combine to outline the To produce the image, I Netherlands, while birds’ silhouettes developed my own single-line font suggest the capitals of all the system. I let the line width change provinces. The scheme, shown right, within the same character in order reveals the process. to evoke an underlying picture (above right). One of the issues was how many books to take: many thin books or Dutch architecture is famous for fewer thick books. With one very its strong conceptual approach. thick book, you would get only a This translates itself in the fact circle. To get the best approximation that there are not only a lot of of the Netherlands, you would need books about Dutch architects, but books of only one page, which is not also by Dutch architects. optimal either. Therefore, I needed to 24 find the optimum between these The following is Here are some scans of the two extremes - which you can see the idea sketch real coin: in the scheme below. On the left, for the birds. you see the approximation of the Each bird flies Netherlands; in the middle, you above the capital see the 'skyline' of the books; on of each Dutch the right, you see the difference province. In the between the 'skyline' of the books final coin, these and of the border line of the random birds are Netherlands: replaced with a bird which is typical The coin was advertised for that province. twenty times on prime time Dutch television with a nice video clip, and advertisements I am proud to announce that I won ran in several newspapers. At the competition, and that 350,000 the official launch of the coin Dutch people use the fruits of free was, from left to right: myself, software. I would have loved to Secretary of State for Finance De release the coin under the GPL, Jager, the Chief government which could maybe solve the Architect Liesbeth van der Pol, financial crisis. However, for obvious and Master of the Mint Maarten reasons I was not allowed to do that. Brouwer. There are also special editions for collectors which can be bought worldwide: a massive silver edition for €30.95, and a massive gold edition for €194.95. They will probably be sold out by now as these are real collectors items. The coin was released in all Dutch post offices, and to the public, the same day as the Intrepid Ibex release: 30th October 2008. http://pythonide.stani.be/ 25 MMYY OOPPIINNIIOONN Written by Massimiliano Giovine IITTAALLYY SSPPEEAAKKSS OOSSSS modify and redistribute in freedom. with Glade and Python. Daniele Napolitano and Pietro Battiston This was the main thread of Linux showed us how you can create a Day 2008. In the morning, we had an GUI with Glade in a few steps “install party” where you could and then connect it to a script install Ubuntu in your notebook. In written in Python. the first part of the morning, a speaker explained in an easy way I think this is the method Italy how to install and use Ubuntu. In has to adopt for its technologies fact, after the install procedure, you in public administration can use it immediately with all infrastructure and research. inux Day is an initiative features. Today, we can't trust proprietary (and unreliable) software in a promoted by the Italian Linux “Free Software – Freedom of public office, and, above all, LSociety, and it takes place choice”, and “Open source in Public citizens mustn't pay for the use every year in a lot of Italian LUGs administrations”, were the two of expensive licenses for (Linux User Groups). Last October, important arguments of the programs to the State when we I went to Pisa where the GULP afternoon. Francesco Galgani showed have a cheaper and more (Linux User Group of Pisa) what Free Software means, reliable choice. organized a really nice event. specifying that Free is as in freedom They distributed a pamphlet to not as in price. Alessandra Santi those present illustrating how you talked about the cheapness of Free can switch to Gnu/Linux without Software for public administrations. any loss of compatibility with your Schools that use Free Software can old and proprietary software. save a lot of money and invest it I think this is the real revolution elsewhere in education. started by Free Software. You can At the end of the afternoon, I also choose to install software without watched a small demonstration any controls on it, or to use Free showing how it's easy to create GUIs Software that you can check, 26 BBOOOOKK RREEVVIIEEWW Written by Ronnie Tucker UUBBUUNNTTUU KKUUNNGG FFUU Tricks; General Productivity Tips; GUI Most tips are no more than a Thomas, Keir 400 pages Enhancements; Hardware Hacks; paragraph of 12 lines, but some - September 2008 Image, Document and Multimedia such as securing Ubuntu for ISBN: 9781934356227 Tips; Security Hacks; System kids, installing Avant Window Thanks to Pragmatic Administration; Miscellaneous; and Manager, and using Compiz - are Programmers for Windows/Mac OS Migration. Not only more than a single page. The supporting FCM with that, but they are also cross book is based upon Ubuntu 8.04, this review copy. referenced. So, should you read the but, as the author says, the tips tip on monitoring the power are distro independent and consumption of a laptop, it refers could, in theory, work on any ts subtitle describes it you to the laptop power-saving tricks Linux distribution. perfectly: Tips, Tricks, Hints, - very helpful! And since each trick is Ubuntu Kung Fu is a fun book. Iand Hacks. Ubuntu Kung Fu effectively independent of the You needn't read it cover to begins with a brief 'crash course' others, you can just dive in cover. Its tips cover a wide range on Ubuntu administration. It anywhere, or read a particular bunch of topics, it's easy to read, and quickly discusses Ubuntu's of tricks. desktop, passwords, files, and to cap it all off, it has a cute cat package management - all within Most of the tips are very helpful, on the cover that looks like it's 40 pages. No mean feat in itself. but there are some that make you doing kung-fu. What more could But that's not what the book is realise how awkward some you ask for? about. It's about neat little hints applications can be. Take tip #53 - and tips to enhance your Ubuntu Make Calculator Round Up (or Down) experience - 315 of them! to Two Digits. Not something I'm desperate to have, but it's amazing How many tips are in Ubuntu Kung Fu? The helpful little nuggets are that for this tip you need to load up Email your answer to: listed in the book from one to gconf-editor, and dig deep, just to [email protected] 315. The tips are also listed at the enable a feature so necessary in a A winner will be selected, at random, beginning of the book, divided calculator! I'll pass on #54 - Follow on Sat. 24th Jan. 2009, and announced into sections: Application the Moon's Phases. in FCM#21, which will be released on Enhancements; Command-Line Fri. 30th Jan. 2009. 27 MMOOTTUU IINNTTEERRVVIIEEWW Taken from AANNDDRREEAA CCOOLLAANNGGEELLOO Behind MOTU is a site featuring interviews with those known as 'Masters of the Universe' (MOTU). They are the volunteer army of package maintainers who look after the Universe and Multiverse software repositories. 28 One day I decided to try Fedora, but Bugnara, Italy didn’t liked it too much. Instead of warp10 reinstalling Debian, I downloaded Edgy Eft and love arose. Since then, I use Ubuntu as my only, unique OS Well, learning packaging is a (apart from many other distros in my hard process. There isn’t a single VMs). “thing” that will teach you everything. My mentor has been I first tried Linux in 1995, when I an important part of my found a Red Hat 4.2 CD within a apprenticeship; I encourage computer magazine I bought prospective developers to ask monthly. I didn’t know anything My first run with MOTU was in May for one. #ubuntu-motu is an about Linux and Free Software, 2007, but a series of troubles incredible resource. I asked a lot but I tried it and was impressed brought me away from the world of of things there to other MOTUs from the philosophy behind it. Ubuntu development. I tried again in and contributors, and probably October, on the edge of the Gutsy they have never been left release, when I sent an email to unanswered. Really, the best Cesare Tirabassi asking for a mentor. way to learn packaging is… He drove my first steps in #ubuntu- The first release I tried was Breezy packaging! Documentation and motu and helped me to upload my Badger. Shipit still keeps my guides are a great starting point, first debdiffs. I still remember the request for CDs, submitted in but dirtying your hands with first email in the hardy-changes October 2005: it was great for me, stuff is always the best way. since I had no broadband access Mailing List showing my name! Then, at that time. I tried it from time to the MOTU mentoring reception time, mostly as a live CD, since I assigned Martin Pitt as my mentor, was pretty happy with Debian. and the journey began! 28 Well, the feeling that you help Currently I am mostly involved in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IDIC# shaping a distribution used by sponsoring the work from our Philosophy millions of people, and that your contributors. We have a lot of good work can make just one person guys who are helping a lot, and I happier in the world, it is a enjoy uploading their works on the wonderful feeling. Further, the archives. After the Feature Freeze, I Ubuntu and my girlfriend occupy MOTU family is awesome. When will concentrate my efforts on QA most of it. Other than that: you join #ubuntu-motu you feel activities. That’s probably the best friends, cinema, Jazz music and at home. That’s a beautiful period of the release cycle to tackle good books. sensation! that. We always need more and more people to do some good QA, so everyone is warmly welcomed to join. Don’t be afraid to ask. Sometimes, even skilled I don’t have a favourite one among programmers know nothing about the many that I love. Anyway, packaging. We have a lot of thinking to processes, procedures, and even the Ubuntu non-written rules that we should world, this follow, and nobody knows all of one always them. Second piece of advice: come to my keep trying. Sometimes bugs are mind: really nasty and fixing them is difficult. Or maybe the debdiff you provided has been rejected by a sponsor, although you thought it . People who was perfect. Well, don’t surrender, are not Star choose another bug (or address Trek Fans can your sponsor’s remarks), and better keep up the good work. understand its meaning here: 29 Every month we like to publish some of the emails we receive. If you would like to submit a letter for publication, compliment or complaint, please email it to: LLEETTTTEERRSS [email protected]. PLEASE NOTE: some letters may be edited for space reasons. y dad decided to try Writer of Letter of the Month wins OpenOffice, was on an XP LETTER OF THE MONTH two metal Ubuntu case badges! machine, and searched M I have been a computer user since I was for "openoffice" in Google. easier. I have even used it 4 or 5 years old, when my uncle to recover data from a mechanically introduced me to his computer running He clicked the first link, a failing hard drive, it did take a long windows 3.11. I was instantly hooked sponsored ad. Instead of going to time, but it still did the job and and amazed by what seemed like everything needed was recovered. openoffice.org it went to a site "Magic" coming from this machine. called http://openoffice.org- This is a wonderful product, with As I grew older, so did the hardware, and suite.com, which looked some amazing features. As each new the software, that went on them, and my version becomes available, I always authentic, but I got suspicious. I love developed. As I reached college grab the latest ISO just in case, but noticed that it wasn't the official age, I found that I was doing more and also keep a back catalogue of the old OpenOffice site. First thing I more technical jobs such as formatting ones, so that i can use them on older hard drives, recovering data, removing noticed was that in IE it displays a machines that I may encounter. general look with authentic viruses etc, all for other people. What graphics. While in Firefox (in always bothered me though is that it was Well done to the Linux scene, the always hard to retrieve information and Ubuntu team and the many, many, Windows) it has improved documents easily or successfully. people who have skills and graphics, and even a Vista knowledge far in excess of my own, Two years ago I discovered that the compatible icon. On my Ubuntu who have built and provided Ubuntu live CD would boot flawlessly in something that helps so many machine with Firefox it only just about every computer that I tried it people. Not only through myself but displayed the general look. In in, and that it would access just about the potential thousands who use it Firefox my WOT add-on everything: the CD drive, badly everyday. immediatly flagged the site as unmounted hard drives, and so on. This untrusted and with a bad rating. I made my system recovery job so much love that Firefox addon, very handy. email no doubt. The public should be users, but for those with I clicked on download, and it warned. The viral element doesen't Windows it may prove lethal. requires you to enter your email really pose a problem for Linux address to sign up, for spam 30 • Get connected. Join in with your Local/Community (LoCo) IRC channels, UUBBUUNNTTUU WWOOMMEENN forums, mail lists (endless!). Ways to Written by Josie Gilbert help out have a tendency of springing out of these connections when they here, with the information you need ask for volunteers. to get into and give back to this amazing project. • Ask. Ask your local teams, post on the Ubuntu forums but remember: be • Use your skills. Got an arty side? Help out specific – let people know what you by making lovely themes and backgrounds can do, and how much time you can (everyone loves pretty things!) with the art donate, and I am sure someone will be team! Fluent in more than one language? able to find something for you to do! Help translations! Almost any skills you People are always needed for have could help the Ubuntu team - just ask! all sorts of tasks, and it's rarely • Propose ideas. Got a PhD in obvious. Don't assume you can't chemistry/biology/stuff? Expert in geophysics/anything? Submit some ideas to contribute because you can't o, you've been using Ubuntu the brainstorm for programs that could program; there are a million for a while and like most of really help you and other ways to get involved. Just check Sus, have fallen madly deeply chemists/biologists/geophysicists/stuffists, the contribution page at the end in love with the OS, the or offer help with some of the language and of this magazine, and that's just community and the people. Now details! A complete newbie? Something not to get involved with fitting what you need? Brainstorm! Got a you're looking for a way to give disability, visual impairment maybe? The magazine! back. Well, it's easy if you're an programs not working for you? There are adept programmer, experienced probably a lot more in the same situation Linux user, or generally brilliant at who could really benefit, so submit your support, there are plenty of ways ideas! The development teams within to get involved, from MOTU to bug Ubuntu depend on folks speaking up and telling them what they want and need. fixing. • Learn. There are hundreds of different on- is an English But what if, like me, you aren't line teaching schemes for all sorts of things, Ubuntu obsessive, with a so good at that stuff? Sure you so stretch those brain muscles and get Bachelors of science degree could probably help a complete some knowledge. There are even Ubuntu in Medical Genetics. Currently unemployed, she spends most of her newbie get it all set up, but not related mentoring schemes through Launchpad. Listen to podcasts, read time absorbing some form of much more. Fret no more, I am documentations, and best of all, play with it! knowledge. 31 UUBBUUNNTTUU GGAAMMEESS Written by Edward Hewitt he soccer season is in GAME NEWS full swing in England, with Liverpool riding • (below) has T high. So, this month I have gone Gold! The space-age decided to review an open- game will be shipping for source soccer management Linux on 28th November 2008. game. BYGFoot is a well • is now developed management game out. It now makes it easier for which features 1000s of Linux users to install the players from all around the game. world. You can manage teams in 25 countries, as well as lead • your nation to victory in the Valve has announced that World Cup. Steam will be coming to Linux soon. It also has been BYGFoot is like any other soccer finances is done very well, discovered that the latest management game: choose your however it is hard to keep in the game from Valve, , team, select the best players and green after buying a player in has Linux code written into it! lead them to glory. The game has all your first year. the basic features to manage your team. You select your team and BYGFoot also has some unique formation; however, it can be hard to features that I have not seen in move your players around. You other management games. You choose your formation by typing in a can decide how big your stadium 3 digit number that adds up to 10 is and how secure it is and save (442, 443, 119). Transfers and memorable matches. However, it loaning players is standard. Choosing is still lacking in features, which the right offer and offering the right often can be seen during a contract is done well. Managing match. It also doesn't have real 32 player names, but you cannot complain too much about this, since the project will need licenses. However, you can rename the players if you wanted to. When match day comes, you have your best team ready and your tactics perfect. The letdown is that during a match, you get a basic text commentary and basic stats, but it's hard to get a real understanding of how your players are performing. There is not enough information to understand what tactics to switch to, if you're losing 2-0 at half time. Usually, I would sub two players if their fitness was low, for example. BYGFoot is an excellent attempt to bring a soccer management game to Linux, and for the most part, it delivers. It has features that allow a manager management experience on Linux. Ed Hewitt, aka chewit (when to choose his or her team and This is definitely a game that any soccer fan needs to check out. playing games), is a keen lead them to success. However, it PC gamer and sometimes lacks in a few advanced features, Version 2.0.1 can be found in the enjoys console gaming. He such as player licenses and Ubuntu repositories. is also on the development team information during matches. It for the Gfire project (Xfire Plugin still offers an excellent soccer for Pidgin) 33 If you have Ubuntu-related questions, email them to: QQ&&AA [email protected], and Tommy will answer them in a future issue. Written by Tommy Alsemgeest dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda Q Q bs=1024 It shouldn't destroy your hard drive, and should gvfs stands for Gnome Virtual have no ill effects. File System, which controls file A However, it is useless if all you operations. So it is probably A are doing is reinstalling Ubuntu, First you should try the better not to kill it unless you since most of what is on the hard tutorial here to get back absolutely have to. It seems that drive is wiped anyway. Ainto ubuntu: downloads get temporarily stored in memory, so that is probably the http://ubuntuforums.org/showthrea problem. d.php?t=224351 Then you need to edit your menu.lst, you can do this using I've noticed the the following command: process gvfsd-http gksudo gedit using a lot of memory... /boot/grub/menu.lst Scroll down to the bottom and (carefully) delete any broken Q entries or entries that you no longer want. 34 Your chance to show the world your desktop or PC. Email your screenshots and photos to: [email protected] and include a brief paragraph about your MMYY DDEESSKKTTOOPP desktop, your PC's specs and any other interesting tidbits about your setup. I am running Ubuntu Hardy Heron on an ASUS Eee PC 701 with Ubuntu is simply the best OS in the World, it's powerfull and Compiz Fusion. My Eee PC is a standard 701 model with the RAM quickly like no other... but the original theme need to be review if upgraded to 2GB. it want to become a standard even for how dosen't know to much The theme, 'Bamboo Zen' can be found on gnome-look.org. I had about computer: it's sad but is true. Ubuntu installed and running perfectly in less than an hour. I find The theme in the picture is, for me, very elegant and stylish; it's that even on a 900MHz CPU, Ubuntu runs smoothly and with made with AWN, EMERALD, COMPIZ and, more than the others, almost no flaws. I boot in less than 45 seconds from pressing the TIME and PATIENCE ! power button to the login screen. A few seconds after that and I'm ready to go with Gimp, OpenOffice, Firefox, Pidgin, Skype, InkScape, Scribus and even Rainlendar to keep me on track with my busy schedule! 35 MMYY DDEESSKKTTOOPP I'm 13 years old, and this is my desktop running on Hardy My computer is a 5-year-old assembled table top computer, Heron 8.04 with my Intel Celeron CPU 3.06 GHz, 1.5Ghz which is my best friend. It has an Intel Celeron900 processor, memory, ASUS En8500gt 1Gb graphics card, and the best of all 256MB of RAM, a MSI motherboard, and a 40Gb hard drive. I a jet turbine case with light up fans and LED's! I recently started installed Windows XP and Ubuntu 8.04 dual operating systems. getting into Ubuntu with my dad. He helped me install it and a few add-ons such as gdesklets, cube, etc. but the rest of the I use a Theme named "Moomex" and a style of icons named desktop and stuff I did myself which I'm very proud of. "Kamel" ,using the wallpaper: NightOfUbuntu which I found in the Internet, and it looks good! Well, my computer's configuration is out-of-date now, but it's competent for daily using. I love Linux, I love Ubuntu! 36 BBAACCKKUUPP SSOOLLUUTTIIOONNSS Written by Andrew Min http://www.getdropbox.com/ http://sbackup.wiki.sourceforge.net/ If all you want is Written for the 2005 simple folder-based Ubuntu Summer of synchronization, Code, Simple Dropbox is Backup (more awesome. It gives commonly known as you 2GB of free sbackup) is a simple, storage, which is easy to use perfectly ample for snapshot backup most users' program. It basically documents (though takes a folder, puts a tad small for it into a tar.gz, and puts this onto a CD, DVD, external photos and videos). It supports automatic hard drive, or server. It also creates a handy list of incremental syncronization, version control, and SSL the applications installed at the time. The downside encryption. You can also share the folders and files is that for authenticated FTP sites, you have to you uploaded. On the downside, you can use only manually enter (in plain text) the username and Dropbox's server, not your own, and you can share password into the URL. Still, for local environments, only one pre-assigned "Dropbox". sbackup is a great tool. To install Dropbox, follow the instructions at To install sbackup, use the package in the http://url.fullcirclemagazine.org/25635a universe repositories. 37 https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TimeVault http://www.partimage.org/ Most of us have seen Time Machine, Sometimes, it's not enough to backup http://jr.falleri.free.fr/keep/wiki/Home Apple's slick version control backup app a single folder. Sometimes, you need that just works. If you're an envious All you KDE users out there are probably to backup a whole partition. The Ubuntu user, worry no more. TimeVault, scratching their heads and complaining, easiest way to do that is to use a handy Gnome app, is a simple Python "these are all Gnome apps!". My apologies. I Partimage, a powerful terminal-based backup app. You can also easily restore would be remiss if I didn't mention Keep, the partition backup program. It can files and folders with a click of the KDE backup system. It comes with a built-in compress to gzips and bzips, burn onto button from Nautilus. Unfortunately, daemon to automatically perform backups, a CD or DVD, save across a local TimeVault does have a few downsides. and support for SSH and FTP as well as network, or save to an external drive. It's still in heavy beta, and it's basically folder backup locations. It's a simple yet It supports all the standard Linux tied to Gnome (the developers are useful KDE application that many Kubuntu filesystems, most of the Windows file working on a KDE port, however). Still, users (including, at one time, myself) find systems, and has beta support for for basic Gnome needs, TimeVault is a invaluable. NTFS and HFS. great option. To install Keep, use the package in the You can install Partimage with the Since TimeVault is still in beta, it's not Universe repositories. package in the Universe yet in the repositories. You can repositories, but you won't be able to download .debs from Launchpad at backup partitions you are using. http://url.fullcirclemagazine.org/aeb8f0. Instead, you'll probably want to boot You also need to configure it before you from a live CD or USB, and then follow has been a Linux can run it: get instructions at the instructions at addict since he first installed http://url.fullcirclemagazine.org/c906ac. http://url.fullcirclemagazine.org/92ff40. openSuSE in VMWare. Learn more about him at http://www.andrewmin.com/ 38 HHOOWW TTOO CCOONNTTRRIIBBUUTTEE Full Circle Team - Ronnie Tucker [email protected] We are always looking for new articles to include in Full Circle. For article guidelines, - Rob Kerfia ideas, and for issue translation, please see our wiki: [email protected] http://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuMagazine - Robert Clipsham Please email your articles to: [email protected] [email protected] If you would like to submit news, email it to: [email protected] Robert Orsino Send your comments or Linux experiences to: [email protected] Mike Kennedy David Haas Hardware/software reviews should be sent to: [email protected] Jim Barklow Questions for Q&A should go to: [email protected] MyDesktop screens should be emailed to: [email protected] If you have questions, you can visit our forum: www.fullcirclemagazine.org And our thanks go out to Canonical, the Ubuntu Marketing Team and the many translation teams around the world. A magazine isn't a magazine without articles and Full Circle is no exception. We need your Opinions, Desktops and Stories. We also need Reviews (games, apps & hardware), How-To articles (on any K/X/Ubuntu subject) and any questions, or suggestions, you may have. Sunday 11th January 2009. Send them to: Friday 30th January 2009. 39