full circle ISSUE #34 - February 2010 NNEEWW GGIIMMPP HHOOWW--TTOO!! DDIIGGIITTAALLLLYY RREETTOOUUCCHH BEFORE AA PPHHOOTTOOGGRRAAPPHH AFTER full circle magazine #34 contents ^ full circle My Opinion - 9.10 p.23 Ubuntu Women p.32 Program In Python - Pt8 p.08 Ubuntu Games p.34 My Story p.20 MOTU Interview p.28 Read how one man managed to convert his family to Ubuntu, and how Powerpets.com felt upon Retouch Photos p.16 making the switch to Ubuntu. Command & Conquer p.05 The Perfect Server - Pt4 p.18 Review - Asus UL30-A p.26 Letters p.30 Top 5 - Research Tools p.38 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 #34 contents ^ EDITORIAL This magazine was created using : Welcome to another issue of Full Circle magazine. his month we have a new GIMP How-To on digitally retouching photographs. Many people think GIMP isn't quite up to the power of Photoshop, but this tutorial proves that GIMP can easily equal Photoshop. Hopefully, we'll have another GIMP How-To next issue. Speaking of GIMP, we're still getting letters Tfrom Ubuntu users who are wondering what, if anything, will replace GIMP in future editions of Ubuntu since surely it needs an image editor of some sort, and I have to agree. Since it can be a bit overwhelming for the beginner, maybe it's time to have a cut-down GIMP with just the basic features? Also in this issue, Lucas (our writer) has written a review of Ubuntu is a complete operating his new Asus UL30-A laptop, and in Ubuntu Games, Ed reviews from system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Download the demo and give it a try, but do consider buying the full version Whether at home, school or and support those who are creating native Linux games, £20 ($33 / €26) is a bargain work, Ubuntu contains all the for a full game. applications you'll ever need including word processor, email application and web browser. This month sees the return of the ! Hosted by Robin Catling, Ed Ubuntu is and always will be free Hewitt and Dave Wilkins. Many thanks to them for taking up the challenge. Page four of charge. You do not pay any has the details and download links. You can contact them via: licensing fees. You can [email protected] download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business, for absolutely Enjoy the issue, and keep in touch! nothing. Once installed, your system is ready to use with a full set of productivity, internet, drawing Editor, Full Circle magazine and graphics applications, and [email protected] games. use the new 'contents' link to jump to the contents page from any other page! full circle magazine #34 contents ^ NEWS Laptop for computer Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Full Circle Podcast - novices Linux kernel 2.6.33 Alpha 3 Released Episode 01 People released The Ubuntu developers have That’s right confused and announced the availability of Linus Torvalds has folks, the Full frustrated by the third alpha release of released version 2.6.33 of Circle Podcast is computers Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, code the Linux kernel just two back and better can now turn named "Lucid Lynx". The latest and a half months after than ever! The to a laptop development milestone is the the release of Linux podcast is in called Alex third of three planned alpha 2.6.32. both MP3 and OGG formats. built just for releases, which will be Runtime is 37 minutes. them. followed by two beta releases Like it's predecessors, the and a release candidate. new kernel in the Linux Topics include, the reshuffle Based on Linux, the laptop main development line at Canonical, the online comes with simplified e-mail, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 3 is has thousands of Canonical music store, web browsing, image editing based on the 2.6.32 Linux improvements, such as Google Buzz, Good Old and office software. kernel and features a number Games and the Acer Aspire an open source driver for of changes over the previous GeForce graphics Revo. Those who sign up for Alex pay 9.10 release, including the hardware, support for the £39.95 a month for telephone latest GNOME desktop kernel-based mode support, software updates and environment. Additionally, the setting (KMS), the DRBD • broadband access. developers note that the open • (Distributed Replicated source Nouveau video driver is Block Device) replication • Its creators hope the laptop and now used as the default for solution and support for its simple suite of software NVIDIA graphics hardware, the Trim ATA command, The podcast and show notes proves to be a popular improving resolution as well as several new are at: alternative to the Windows and detection, and built-in social and updated drivers. http://url.fullcirclemagazine.org/ Mac operating systems. networking integration now 88a985 includes support for Twitter, : h-online.com : BBC News identi.ca and Facebook. : h-online.com full circle magazine #34 contents ^ COMMAND & CONQUER fter Issue 33 was Byobu Also, Byobu released last month, offers an ncurses- Ubuntu member Chris “ based menu to Johnston was kind create screen Aenough to send me an email profiles. This can pointing me to Byobu be accessed by (https://edge.launchpad.net/byo hitting F9 (as bu). I admit I haven't had quite seen on the task as much time to play around bar, “Menu: with it as I would like, but I <F9>”). I won't have gotten a general idea of add a screen-shot what it offers. Also, before I of the menu, started this segment, I saw a since it's rather lot of mentions of tmux on the straightforward Arch Linux Forums, so I'll be .” and self- covering that here as an (Taken from the Launchpad explanatory. multiple sessions, and each alternative. I won't be going page.) window is an independent into much detail on the entity which may be freely features, as Byobu is similar to What this means is that tmux linked to multiple sessions, Screen's key bindings and Byobu isn't a re-write of “tmux is a terminal moved between sessions, and settings, and tmux is extremely Screen, but rather something multiplexer: it enables a otherwise manipulated. Each well documented, and my that goes along with Screen, number of terminals (or session may be attached to configuration file is commented adding a few features. The windows), each running a (display and accept keyboard and should be clear enough. main features I noticed that are separate program, to be input from) multiple clients. Requests for a more in-depth different from Screen, is that created, accessed, and tmux is intended to be a article on either can be sent to by default, it comes with a controlled from a single screen. modern, BSD-licensed me via email, since I'm not status bar that offers more tmux may be detached from a alternative to programs such sure how much demand there information on the system than screen and continue running in as GNU screen.” (From the will be for a thorough walk- Screen offers by default, as the background, then later homepage at through of their functions. seen above right. reattached. tmux uses a client- http://tmux.sourceforge.net/) server model. The server holds full circle magazine #34 contents ^ COMMAND & CONQUER What tmux offers—that is questions, and fulfil the different from GNU Screen—are requests. easier-to-understand commands, vertical and horizontal splitting, and sane defaults (status bar, etc.); moreover, it can be changed dynamically from the command-line, and it requires less memory than GNU Screen. It requires about 2.4 MB of memory for the first session, : but each new window requires https://edge.launchpad.net/byo only 1 MB of memory. May not bu seem like much, but on an Above right is a screen-shot Personally, I find tmux a bit and: older box it can really make a of tmux running (as you can easier to use and understand, http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/s difference. Also, by default, the probably tell, I actually use but GNU Screen is the more earch/label/Byobu key bindings all start with ctrl tmux on my netbook, as widely-known program, which + b instead of ctrl + a —which opposed to Byobu running in a is why it was covered in-depth : can be changed, and is Virtual Machine): and tmux wasn't. However, the http://www.openbsd.org/cgi- changed in my configuration man page covers all the usual bin/man.cgi?query=tmux&sekti file, which I'll post a link to at info, as well as keyboard on=1 (online man page) the end of the article. Due to (~/.tmux.conf): shortcuts, configuration and: the licensing, it is also included http://lswest.pastebin.com/fa64 options, etc. I highly http://tmux.sourceforge.net/ by default in BSD systems, for f955 recommend looking at the man (homepage).