Category: GNU/Linux

Stuff about GNU/Linux distro, tips and tricks or information

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Debian GNU/Linux Hands On Guide and Tutorial

mypapit debianAfter surfing for leisure last evening, I found a nice and comprehensive guide written for Debian GNU/Linux users. I guess Debian GNU/Linux beginner and GNU/Linux newbies will find this guide, Hands-on Guide to the Debian GNU Operating System useful.

The guide covers from introduction of Unix, Free Software Foundation, the GNU project and the Linux kernel to the basics of system management such as package management, setting up firewalls, configuring X Windows system and recompiling the default kernel.

The guide is also available for download at : http://colt.projectgamma.com/

Happy huntin’

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FOSS Desktop : Bridging KDE and GNOME

Using a free operating system like GNU/Linux or *BSD does has its own advantages. One thing that the user is free to choose which desktop environment to use instead of being locked up in a single windows manager like Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X.

There are many windows managers to choose from, but the most elaborate one is GNOME and KDE. Each have their own presentation style, look and feel , layout, menu and icons. Each have their own fans and are built by a different underlying set of libraries and development paradigm.

The problem with GNOME and KDE

This freedom to choose however came with a price to software developers as users prefer to use one window manager over another, and GNU/Linux distro seems to follow that pattern too. The main problem with this is, softwares written with GNOME library will have the look and feel (and sometimes behavior) of a GNOME window manager, and it would look weird on users on KDE, and vice versa.

Another problem that may arise is the library overhead. For example, a GNOME user may get annoyed if she has to install half a dozen of QT/KDE libraries just to run one of her favorite application that has not been ported to GNOME yet.

Enter Portland Project

The Open Source Developer Labs (OSDL) is previewing work that attempts to make life easier for software developers by bridging GNOME and KDE, the two competing graphical interfaces most widely used with GNU/Linux. They name it the Portland Project.

Portland intends to generate a common set of Linux Desktop Interfaces and Tools to allow all applications to easily integrate with the free desktop configuration an end user has chosen to work with. Developers now can rest easy when Portland stable ready, because they can be sure that their applications can run without modification regardless of the Window Manager.

At this time of writing, Portland technology previes is already available on the download section of Portland Wiki

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Get Ubuntu Certified Professional Status


The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) and Canonical Ltd jointly announced the development of a certification exam for the Ubuntu distribution. This certification exam will enable qualified candidates to demonstrate specific expertise in the professional use of Ubuntu. The certification exam will be launched at Johannesburg, South Africa, May 16 – 19, 2006.

The certification will consist of a single exam on top of existing LPI 101 and LPI 102 exams. The exam is being developed by LPI’s product development team and Ubuntu community members from around the globe. Successful candidate will be given ?Ubuntu Certified Professional? status. Initial exam price has been set at USD100.

?Ubuntu Certified Professional? – sounds fancy :)

[Source]

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Ubuntu Dapper Drake Release Delayed to June

Ubuntu logo
The Ubuntu project has announced that Dapper Drake release will be delayed for six weeks from April 20th to June 1st 2006.

According to the announcement, the additional time will be use to devote bug fix, improving localisation for Asian languages, add XFCE desktop enviroment and to ensure that Dapper Drake will be LSB certified among others.

You can get the new Dapper Drake release schedule at this location : https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DapperReleaseSchedule

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Readable Ubuntu (Breezy Badger) root password

ubuntu

Ubuntu Breezy users, a new security problem has surfaced where root password is readable to the world by merely executing this command :

mypapit@enterprise:~$ grep -r rootpassword /var

Users are advised to update their Breezy installations (via automatic updates) as soon as possible to counter the bug. The problem has been fixed in Ubuntu 6.04 (Drapper Drake).

Link to bug #34606

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How to get root shell in Ubuntu GNU/Linux

A lot of my friends has been asking me about this very question, “how to get root shell in Ubuntu”. Naturally I would ask them to use the “sudo” command as it suffice to execute any task restricted to root only. It is explicit, and it is safer than using root account, that’s why ubuntu never prompted root password during installation.

However for some reasons, some people would prefer a full root shell instead of using “sudo” command. And here is how to obtain root shell access in Ubuntu GNU/Linux.

Method 1

From Desktop, launch the “Terminal” application, accesible through clicking Applications->Accesories->Terminal.

Execute this command,

mypapit@enterprise:~$ sudo -s
Password:

Enter your user password, and then you’ll get the root shell “#”.

Method 2

Same as method 1 but execute this command,

mypapit@enterprise:~$ sudo su
Password:

Enter your user password, and then you’ll get the root shell “#”.

So there you go, that’s how to get root shell access within your Ubuntu GNU/Linux. But as for me, I think I can settle with the sudo command, as I haven’t found a situation where I need to use the root shell explicitly.

Good luck !