Virtualization: Ubuntu server + KDE/Xfce – Part I

The Ubuntu server CD is great for virtualization: it’s fast, and it also allows for personalization.

The server CD is really an Ubuntu minimal installation, with the added ability to set up mail servers, as well as a LAMP server. Several other features are offered.

I decided to use Ubuntu 7.04 as the host system, since VMware Server is included in the repositories. VMware Server allows you to create VMware images.

I installed the Ubuntu Server CD (version 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon) on two virtual machine images, one designated for KDE, the other, Xfce.

Before I could install any GUI (the Ubuntu Server has no GUI), I had to install a piece of crucial software. The package is called “x-window-system-core,” (X.org) and must be installed in order for any GUI on a Linux/Unix system to run. Once the package was installed, I set the resolution for 800×600, so it would fit on my screen.

After that was installed, I could then install the GUIs. This is where the process changed for both of the GUI installations.

(I should note that I tried installing GNOME on a third VMware image, but it did not work the way that I intended.)

First, I’ll start with installing Xfce. I must first make myself root. I did this by typing sudo -i and entered my password. Next, I typed apt-get install xfce4 which installed Xfce 4.4.1 on the virtual machine image. I then rebooted afterwards, and after logging in, I typed startx which will start X.org, running Xfce 4. There is no graphical login, unless I use either the “gdm” or “kdm” packages, which are login applications for GNOME and KDE, respectively.

After modifying the panel (moved to the bottom center, with added default icons), this is what my virtual machine looks like:

I installed the “gnome-office” package, which gave me a whole collection of apps, ranging from Inkscape to Firefox to Abiword. The default Xfce install does not provide any applications except for file management apps.

Next, I decided to install KDE on the other virtual machine:

To install KDE, I simply type (as root) apt-get install kde. After it finished installing, I installed the “kdm” package, which gave my KDE 3.5.8 installation a nice login screen. I also added Koffice and Kdevelop to my installation, which gave me a full-all-out system! There is also a “kde-core” package, which is smaller and does not have as many apps.

KDE starts with a setup screen, and then greets you with the default desktop, with countless tools and utilities. Once Koffice (or OpenOffice, if you prefer) is installed, you then have a full system. Educational, programming (although not KDev) and all sorts of internet and office apps are installed by default. Here’s a screenshot:

The graphics are fast and the system is quick and snappy — I am surprised, as it is running in a 128MB RAM virtual machine. I will write more on this later.

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Ubuntu in the news

I ran across several stories today that caught my eye:

http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10006217o-2000331777b,00.htm

This person likes Ubuntu over Vista. ’nuff said.

http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10006214o-2000331758b,00.htm

This guy switched from Vista to Ubuntu.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10470772

This story is about Ubuntu’s position in the market.

http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2007/10/21/tesco-sell-computers-with-ubuntu-pre-installed-linux-on-the-up/

And this story is about a company called Tesco (largest retailer in the UK, third largest grocery retailer in the world) selling PCs with Ubuntu preinstalled!

Surprises in OpenSUSE

I have been using OpenSUSE again, and have found some little surprises while attempting to run KDE 4 beta. 

 

When I was changing my session from “KDE” to “KDE 4 Preview”, I saw two other entries in the “Sessions” menu that caught my eye.  One was FVWM, and the other TWM.

 

Both are window managers.  FVWM is (or was) based off of TWM.  FVWM is lightweight, as well as highly customizable.  I have only

 

TWM is one of the first window managers to be shipped with the X window system — and from the looks of it, nothing seems to have changed.  TWM is used as a backup GUI in case of a major desktop environment crashing.

 

Both of these are nice to have, and interesting at that. 

Gutsy is OUT!!!

Oh yeah!

The 7.10 release has gone rather smoothly, seeing as the main Ubuntu site didn’t become so overloaded that it shut down… like last time.

I did have a release candidate CD around, but lost it. Luckily, I have a Kubuntu 7.10 CD on its way courtesy of ShipIt!

Upgrade to Gutsy RC

Yesterday afternoon I decided to go ahead and get Ubuntu 7.10, via upgrade.

I could not be happier.

The upgrade was smooth, and everything works. For those who don’t know how to get an upgrade, it’s simple:

1. Open a terminal (Applications>Accessories>Terminal)

2. type “sudo -i” (this keeps you in super-user mode) into the terminal.

3. type “apt-get update” (this updates the software lists)

4. type “apt-get upgrade” (this grabs all updates available and installs them)

4. now type “update-manager -d” (this will open update manager, with an “Upgrade” button for upgrading to 7.10)

After 7.10 is released, you will not have to work with the command line, which keeps new users from doing something bad to their computer, although at this stage, Ubuntu has a very stable Release Candidate. An “Upgrade” button will be automatically available.

I definitely recommend this option if you want to get Ubuntu before the servers become overloaded from all of the people downloading the new release. (which is three days away!)

100 CDs!

102 — That’s the number of CDs that have been distributed thanks to the Ubuntu box and the Snellville Borders. Certainly this is not the end of the CDs, but merely the beginning.

A Day in OpenSuSE 10.3

After hearing OpenSuSE 10.3 had been released and had a CD available, I decided to give it a quick test drive.

The CD is not a live CD, so I had to install it instead. The install process for the CD took about 4 hours, due to the extra software that needed to be downloaded. This time varies for your internet connection/amount of apps you choose to install.

After installing, the system booted rather quickly. I chose the KDE interface, seeing as it was the most updated desktop environment, with some KDE4 bits here-and-there.

The first thing I noticed is that there were several icons on the desktop… Not bad, but new to me, a person who had been used to a clean desktop. The KDE menu had been replaced with their own version, which had a “favorites” menu, as well as several other tabs that got me where I needed to go.

Instead of going through every feature, I will give what I liked, and disliked about the system:

WHAT I LIKED:

– The “open with firefox” menu item in Konqueror. Yeah, it’s a small feature, but VERY nice, especially when certain sites would not work.

– The “K” menu. It may have been a bit bulky, and it may have taken a while to get to the applications I wanted, my favorites were there, and I only use certain applications, not every single one. So it was nice.

– The Control panel was nice, but was a bit like using the Kubuntu control center. There was a different control center for other items, but they all could be found within the default control center. Those that were not in the default control center were the software management apps.

WHAT I DISLIKED:

– The software management. OpenSuSE may have quite a few packages, but the installation of those applications was a bit of a hassle. Basically, it was like using Synaptic. I like app installers that show applications, not library file mixed in.

– Complex gettin’ around. From Control Centers and Applications, OpenSuSE takes a bit longer to get what you want done. Not that it takes a long time, but it does take considerably longer to 1) navigate to your app and 2) start it up. SuSE is a bit heavier system, much heavier than Ubuntu (or in this case Kubuntu). The one thing that bothered me is that all the applications I was used to were installed, yet the system seemed much slower than other distros I have tried, with the same apps installed. I am sure it’s an internal thing (startup was the same as Kubuntu, though).

CONCLUSION:

OpenSuSE 10.3 (on a scale of 1-10) : 6

While overall usability was nice, it’s speed was okay, and codec installation and application install was bit more difficult, with the former being near impossible. Configuring graphics/wireless drivers was very difficult as well(they could use restricted-manager). The KDE4 bits were also very unstable; I would consider it beta stage. I would recommend, if you have the time, as well as an expendable computer, to give OpenSuSE a try.