One of the features the more advanced user will appreciate is the Security settings available in YaST2. The amount of detail given to security in this release is stunning…but not necessarily built for the new user. I want to highlight the openSUSE security settings so you can see for yourself just how granular you can be with openSUSE security.

Where to find security?

Figure 1

By default, of the security settings you are about to see are installed in openSUSE 11.4. In order to open up the Security Settings window click on Start > Computer > Administrator Settings (YaST). Once in YaST click on the Security and Users section (see Figure 1).

From there you will find a few security features to configure:

• Firewall: Configure your firewall on your system.
• Security Center and Hardening: Configure numerous security settings.
• Sudo: Graphic interface for managing sudo.

I want to concentrate on the Security Center in YaST. Click on that entry in the Security and Users section and a new window will open.

Security and Hardening

Figure 2

From within the Security and Hardening window (see Figure 2) you will have numerous settings available to you. In the security overview you get a good idea of what is enabled/disabled on your system. From that same section you can enable, disable, or configure those options. Some of the more handy options are:

Remote access to the display manager: Allow remote access to KDM.

Remote access to X server: Enable remote access to X windows.

Use secure file permissions: You can set your file permissions from three different levels (easy, secure, paranoid).

Another section in this window that is of great interest is pre-defined security settings. From here you can select from four different settings:

• Home Workstation
• Networked Workstation
• Network Server
• Custom

If you do not want to monkey around with too many of the security settings, I highly recommend you select one of the first three options here.

If you look at the Password section you will be surprised to find you can actually configure password checks as well as password expiration. If you have multiple users on your system, and you want to make sure your users are setting solid passwords, make sure you configure these sections. Here you can set the following:

• Minimum password length.
• Number of passwords to remember.
• Password encryption method.
• Password age (min and max).
• Days before Password Expires Warning.

Finally, you should take a look at the login section. Here you can set the amount of incorrect login attempts that can occur before a delay is forced. You can also enable/disable remote graphical login.

Final thoughts

Although openSUSE is not generally consider among the most secure Linux distributions, if administered properly it can easily stand toe to toe with any distribution available. And having the YaST security options readily available makes configuring openSUSE security a simple endeavor.

What’s new?

There is a lot to be said in this category. The openSUSE 11.4 release offers the following updates:

KDE Plasma Desktop 4.6: openSUSE might well be the first distribution packaging the most recent KDE desktop by default. Although KDE 4.5 probably brought to the users the single most amount of bug fixes ever, 4.6 does a great job of upping the performance ante once again. KDE 4.6 is an incredibly solid desktop that any user would be happy to have as their default.

You will also find better KDE to Firefox integration in the 4.6 release. As well KPackageKit has become the default update applet.

Web browsers: Speaking of Firefox, openSUSE 11.4 ships with Firefox 4.0 and the latest release of Konqueror (The version of Konqueror installed is the Webkit version.)  But don’t think you are limited to those two browsers. You can now easily add Chromium to your desktop through the Add/Remove Software tool! Before you try to add Chromium, you will have to enable to community repos by following these steps:

1. Open YaST2.
2. Click on Configuration.
3. Select Repositories.
4. Click the Add button.
5. Click Community Repositories and click Next.
6. Check Main Repository (Contrib) and click OK.

Now you can search for Chromium and install it.

Office tools: I was pleasantly ssurprised to find LibreOffice pre-installed on openSUSE 11.4. I believe openSUSE might be the first of the distributions to ship with LibreOffice as the default office suite! You will also find the standard KDE office tools along side LibreOffice.

Multi-media: Banshee 2.0 has been added and is used as the default media player in openSUSE. In order to have this on your desktop by default, you will need to download the full DVD install and not the Live CD. If you do install from the Live CD you will be able to install Banshee from YaST2 by simply searching for “banshee” (no quotes) and installing. I would, however, suggest installing from the full DVD, in order to get the complete openSUSE experience.

Over all take

I have to say I was quite pleased with how well openSUSE runs. Not only is it quite stable, it’s also lightning fast. The only problem I came across was with the effects engine. The machine I tested on is able to use all visual effects in both Ubuntu and Elive, but openSUSE seemed to not be able to run KDE with visual effects running. So effects had to be turned off. Outside of that small issue, the experience with openSUSE 11.4 has been quite good.

Who’s it for?

Would I recommend openSUSE for a new Linux user? No. But if you are comfortable in the Linux environment, openSUSE and KDE 4.6 will be a welcome change. If, however, you are a new user who really wants to cut their teeth on something with a bit more power than Ubuntu, openSUSE might be just the distro you are looking for.

The only problem with E17 is the installation. Getting this desktop installed on some distributions is a nightmare at best. So when there is a distribution that ships with E17 as the default, I always give it a good look see. One of the newest options for this is PCLinuxOS – Enlightenment edition. I thought I would share my thoughts on this special distribution.

What’s included

Besides the ever-wonderful E17 desktop environment, you will enjoy the following on the PCLinuxOS E17 edition:

• Kernel 2.6.33.7-pclos6.bfs.
• Nvidia and ATI fglrx driver support.
• Multimedia playback support for many popular formats.
• Wireless support for many network devices.
• Printer support for many local and networked printer devices.
• Addlocale allows you to convert PCLinuxOS into over 60 languages.
• GetOpenOffice can install Open Office supporting over 100 languages.
• MyLiveCD allows you  to take a snapshot of  your installation and burn it to a LiveCD/DVD.
• PCLinuxOS-liveusb – allows you to install PCLinuxOS on a USB key disk.
• ark-4.5.3 – Archiving Client
• choqok-0.9.92 – Microblogging Program
• clementine-0.5.3 – Music Manager
• digikam-1.5.0 – Photo Client
• dolphin-4.5.3 – File Manager
• drakconfig-12.17 – Computer Control Center
• dropbox-0.7.110 – Online Backup Storage Program (2 gig free)
• firefox-3.6.12 – Web Browser (Chromium and Opera also available from repository)
• gimp-2.6.11 – Graphic Drawing Program
• gwenview-4.5.3 – Graphic Viewer Client
• k3b-2.0.1 – Burn CD/DVDs
• kcalc-4.5.3- Calculator
• kwrite-4.5.3 – Text Editor
• ksnapshot-4.5.3 – Capture Screenshots
• ktorrent-4.0.4 – Bitorrent Client
• liveusb-0.7.4 – Put PCLinuxOS on USB key disk (New on LiveCD)
• okular-4.5.3 – PDF Viewing Program
• nscd-2.10.1 -Caches name service
• pidgin-2.7.4 – Instant Messaging Program
• shorewall-4.4.11 – Firewall
• smb4k-0.10.9 – Samba Share Client
• synaptic-0.57.2 – Package Manager
• thunderbird-3.1.6 – Email Client
• tvtime-1.0.2 – Television Viewing Client (Requires a TV tuner)
• vlc-1.1.4.1 – Multimedia Video Program
• xchat-2.8.8 – IRC Chat Program

As you can see, oddly enough, PCLinuxOS E17 edition is heavily dependent upon KDE, as it is filled with KDE applications.

What you will not find, strangely enough, is an email client. You will also notice that PCLinuxOS E17 edition does not pre-install OpenOffice. You actually have to do this installation yourself. I have to admit I was a little shocked at the decision to not include a mail client and and office suite. Yes, KWrite is included, but why not add the entire KOffice suite so the distribution is complete?

What it looks like

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows what the default PCLinuxOS E17 desktop looks like. The only thing I have done is install The GIMP (in order to take a screenshot).

As you might expect, the desktop behaves very much in the way a standard E17 desktop would. The only thing missing (from my perspective) is the Ecomorph module. If the makers of this distribution want to take this to another level, they should consider adding that particular module to give it a broader appeal (with a great 3D compositing engine).

How it performs

Even using this distribution in “live form” you immediately feel that you are using a distribution built for speed and simplicity. What really surprised me was how stable the distribution was. With serious claims of HEAVY DEVELOPMENT you would think PCLinuxOS E17 would be more prone to bugs than it is. I have yet to come across one (other than the lack of an office suite and mail client – but you can’t really call that a “bug”).

Who should try it

If you are one of those that prefers an alternative desktop, or if you’ve been wanting to give E17 a try, this might be your best bet. Since PCLinuxOS is one of the most user-friendly distributions, you will get the Enlightenment experience with little to no headache.

Most Linux distributions are provided as disk image files, so that they can be burned easily to CD or DVD. Some users on the other hand need to put the distributions on USB instead, for instance if they have a mobile device like a netbook without CD or DVD drive.

The free portable software Linuxe Live USB Creator offers one of the easiest options to create a Linux USB stick. The program displays all available options directly in its interface. Most importantly the option to create the bootable USB device from a disk image, CD or by downloading it.

The download option is probably the best for new users, as it is integrated in the software so that no external files are needed to create the live CD.

linux live cd creator

The whole process is completed in five steps. In step one, the usb key is selected from the list of available drives. Then the Linux distribution source is selected. A lot of Linux downloads are included if download is selected, from Ubuntu and variants, to Debian and Fedora variants to specialized Live CDs for security or recovery purposes. More than 50 different distributions and Live CDs are offered for download.

Users who do not find their distribution in the list have to download it separately to use it for the creation of the Live CD. The selected distribution will be checked by the Linux Live USB Creator. In step 3, the persistence of the data can be configured. The default value of 0 Megabytes has the same effect as a Live CD, which is that no data is written to the USB device. The benefit of sparing storage for persistence is that settings and preferences will be saved and are available even after reboots. Definitely something to consider if the distribution is tested or used on more than one occasion.

Step 4 can be used to configure some options, like formatting the USB device in FAT32 before copying the distribution on it. Finally, in step 5 the Live USB distribution is created.

The main advantage of Linux Live USB Creator is its ease of use, and the integration of many many distributions in the program. The program actually offers another feature that may appeal to Windows users: Virtualization of Linux Live in Windows. This basically allows the user to run Linux in Windows without making changes to the computer’s boot order or file structure.

Linux Live USB Creator is available from the developer’s website. It should run on most 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows without problems.

Peppermint Linux wants to be a “cloud-like” distribution that gives you a number of small, cloud-based applications that combine to make a fairly interesting desktop experience. And in this article I am going to introduce you to this “new” take on the Linux desktop.

Versions

When you visit the Peppermint Linux website you will notice two different flavors of Peppermint: One and Ice. The difference is that Peppermint ICE uses a Site Specific Browser (SSB) to work with Google Chrome to launch the cloud apps. What this means is that the SSB is launched but actually downloads the app from the web. Peppermint One uses a standard tab-based browser to bring about the same experience.

Features

Of course Peppermint isn’t JUST about the “cloud”. Besides the cloud apps, Peppermint does offer a number of solid (albeit fairly standard) features:

• Pcmanfm 0.9.7
• Openbox 3.4.11.2
• Xorg 1.7.6
• Lxsession 0.4.3
• kernel 2.6.32-22

Because Peppermint relies heavily on Google, you can imagine the Start > Office folder doesn’t contain the usual OpenOffice. Instead you will find an entry for Google Docs. Both One and Ice have plenty of other features to offer, but I want to focus on the “cloud” aspects of this distribution – more specifically the Ice take on this.

Playing in the cloud with Ice

Figure 1

I have to admit I was really skeptical about using such an operating system. I figured the “clouding” of the desktop would cause the thing to run slowly and be fairly unreliable. Peppermint Ice has proven me wrong – very wrong. Using Ice to open up web-based “apps” didn’t seem to even phase the VirtualBox instance I had of Peppermint Ice. It was fast, smooth, and predictable. Figure 1 shows Ice in action.

The only real issue I have with this take on the desktop is that instead of having a single browser open with all the sites I need open, I now have multiple (albeit smaller) windows open. I think for Peppermint Ice to REALLY become useful, it’s going to need to figure out a much better way to organize and display these windows. I could see a sort of side bar with tabs…or maybe they could be widgets?

Figure 2

One really nice idea that Ice presents is the ability to quickly and easily add cloud entries to the menu. To do this Ice uses a tool aptly named “Ice”. Click on Menu > Internet and you will the entry for Ice. When you click on this a new window will open (see Figure 2) where you only need enter a few details to create a new menu entry for a site you want to use in the Ice cloud app.

You can either use your own icon or download the sites favicon for the menu entry. Once you have this finished, click Apply and the menu entry will be created. You now have a new cloud app in your menu.

Final thoughts

With just a bit of tweaking on the desktop I believe Peppermint Ice has a real winner on their hands. It’s a unique idea that needs just a bit more work to make for the ideal social desktop.

Well, I was correct. The English support wasn’t dropped from the distribution. I did, however, have to make my way through to the install in order to select English as the language. In this article I will show you how to do that, and then I will highlight what makes this distribution good for the new user.

Installation

Figure 1

After you have downloaded and burned the ISO (Of course you can just use the ISO in VirtualBox, if you don’t have a blank CD or DVD handy). Put the CD (or DVD) in the drive and reboot your machine. When the live version of Greenie finally is loaded you will notice everything is in Slovakian. No problem. Notice (in Figure 1) the highlighted icon on the desktop (the one that says “Instalovat Greenie”), I was fairly confident that translated roughly into “Install Greenie”. I was correct. Double click that icon to begin the installation.

You will also notice (in that same image) that the very first step is the language selection. Saved! Scroll around until you find your language of choice (mine being English).

Figure 2

Ah, but youi’re not completely out of the woods yet. Although the language has been set, your keyboard has not. Greenie still thinks the default keyboard is Slovak. So (as shown in Figure 2), when you reach the keyboard selection, make sure you select the right keyboard layout. If you do not, you will have trouble using Greenie Linux once installed.

Outside of making sure you select those two items, the installation is fairly standard. It is based on Ubuntu so you should find it an incredibly easy installation.

How does it differ?

Figure 3

There are a few, instantly, noticeable changes that Greenie has made to the standard Ubuntu. One of the first things you will notice is that there is a heck of a lot more icons on the desktop and panels than on the standard Ubuntu. The panels are practically bursting with icons and monitors. The two icons on the right side of the lower panel are of particular interest (one of which was mentioned by PeterB). Take a look at Figure 3. The far right icon (the big X) is basically an icon for the xkill command. This command will fire up a special cursor that will kill any application you click on. It’s very handy when an app is not responding. The other icon (the odd green and white “gear” next to the xkill icon), when clicked, opens up the run dialog. Handy…but for new users? Not so much, seeing as how you need to know the command you wanted to run to take advantage of this tool.

What is most impressive about Greenie is that they have really jammed a lot of good applications into this distribution. In fact the more you poke around the more you start to think this distribution is just as much for experienced users as it is for newbies. Greenie even includes a cool tool called Ubuntu Tweak. This tool allows you to configure a ton of otherwise hidden settings, configure templates, clean up unneeded packages, and a lot more. After using Ubuntu Tweak, I’m thinking this tool needs to be included in every Ubuntu release! In fact, Ubuntu Tweak needs an article on its own (it’s that good).

Final thoughts

PeterB was right. Greenie Linux is one outstanding distribution. All you have to do is get beyond the language barrier (by simply installing the distro) and you will find a flavor of Linux that has something for just about everyone. Give this distribution a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Update: The homepage of Greenie Linux is no longer available.

Pardus has a few features that most will have never heard of or seen before. In this article I will introduce you to some of these features as I introduce you to Pardus Linux.

Installation

The installation of Pardus is really quite simple. Pop in the install CD, answer a few simple questions, and your off and running. It’s not until you have logged in for the first time that you will find anything really unique (other than the color scheme and very well done graphics).

After first boot you are asked to customize your desktop. But it’s not just the usual customizations. You walk through a wizard that has you do the following:

• Mouse configuration
• Themes
• Menu
• Wallapaper
• Search
• Network
• Smolt
• Packages

and more.

Figure 1

Figure 1 illustrates this wizard with the theme section. There are not a ton of themes to choose from (you can add more later), but at least you get a say in what your initial desktop will look like. You can also choose how many desktops and either if it functions like KDE 3 or KDE 4.

The next step is to choose if your menu is a KDE 4 Kick-off menu, a simple menu (KDE 3-like), or an advanced Lancelot menu.

The wallpaper selection, in the next section, offers a number of lovely desktop wallpapers to choose from (or you can select from a file).

Next you are asked if you want to use file indexing with Strigi.

Figure 2

The next section wants you to set up a network connection. What this does is open the standard network connection tool within the first-run wizard (see Figure 2). After you have created your profile, make sure you also add nameservers to the network. Do this by clicking the Nameserver Settings, adding a nameserver (unless you are using DHCP), and click the Add button. After you have created your connection, make sure you click the check box associated with your newly created connection to bring it up. Once you’ve done that, click the Next button to move on.

The final interactive section allows you to select options for updates (if you want the update icon in the system tray and how often you want to check for updates) and if you want to add extra repositories for your package management. NOTE: The More section allows you to further customize your system System Settings (such as Display, Firewall, Keyboard, etc).

Figure 3

Once you get into the desktop you will have a fairly normal KDE 4 experience. The only item out of the ordinary that you will find is the Pardus Package manager. The package manager is called PiSi and really doesn’t look all that different from any other package manager (see Figure 3). You can either search for the package you want to install or you can narrow the selection down by categories. PiSi does take advantage of Delta Packages, so it won’t be necessary to download the full package of an updated file (only the differences in the update), saving a lot of bandwidth.

Final thoughts

I was told that Pardus is very close to Windows 7 in look and feel. I was told wrong. Pardus offers a fairly straight-forward KDE 4 experience with a few tweaks of its own. It’s not going to fool the user into thinking they are using either OS X or Windows 7, but it will offer a very solid, user-friendly desktop experience that all Linux fans should try at least once. My only gripe? Why not stick with that interesting burgundy theme they had going during the installation?

As you may know, Ubuntu has a very regular release schedule. Some say this prolific schedule gets in the way of users growing accustomed to the distribution. The minute a release gains a modicum of familiarity, Ubuntu releases another, better version. On the other hand, Ubuntu offers what is called a Long Term Support version. LTS releases happen every two years and enjoys support for 3 years. So instead of jumping on every release, you can upgrade only when an LTS release comes out. Ubuntu 10.04 is an LTS release (due out in April 2010), so users could hop onto this release and ride it until 12.04 is released. But what will 10.04 bring to the table? Let’s find out.

New look

Figure 1

Even though GNOME 3 will not be released in time for 10.04, Lucid Lynx will be getting a major face lift. The Ayatana Team of Ubuntu developers are working on an enhanced version of GTK+ that will include RGBA support. What does this mean? You know that sleek Aero interface that Windows Vista and 7 used by default? A Linux take on that theme will be enabled, out of the box, for 10.04. If you are more visual, then take a look at Figure 1 for a reference. Upon first glance I would immediately say that theme could be taken care of with the help of a few Compiz and Emerald tweaks. It can. But this is out of the box goodness. This is not preferences hacking, this is out of the box, global transparency for all applications.  And this is transparency on the widget level – not border and window level.

Speed

Benchmarkings are out of the question as 10.04 is very much alpha. But word from Canonical is that coveted 10 second boot time just make make it to fruition. What they are doing differently this time is targeting a mid-range machine to reach the 10 second time. This will mean some machines will boot fast and some slower. The targeted machine: A Dell Mini 9 netbook. If they can get a netbook to boot in 10 seconds, imagine how fast your quad core will boot!

Also along the lines of speed improvements is installation time. Ubuntu 10.04 will install (under the hood) a bit differently than previous versions. In earlier versions the install required downloads to occur first. Now downloads and installation will happen in parallels so to greatly shorting the installation time.

Startup/Shutdown

One nice feature that was planned for 9.10 (but didn’t make it) is the ability to install updates at shutdown. Another nice feature proposal is a graphical OS selector for multi-boot machines. Instead of a text-based selection menu, you will have a GUI for the selection of your os too boot.

Ubuntu Software Center

When 10.04 releases, the Ubuntu Software Center will finally take over as the sole installation tool for Ubuntu. Synaptic, GDebi, and even the update manager will all be replaced by USC. Hopefully USC will include the ability to install more than one piece of software at a time.

Final thoughts

So far that’s all that has been released for 10.04. But you can rest easily knowing that 10.04 will have to endure its 100 Papercuts before it reaches the public (it will go through 10 rounds of “healing”). I hope you are as excited about 10.04 as I am. I believe this could be the Ubuntu release that the public would have a hard time turning down as its desktop OS. Not only will it have a very solid foundation, the overlaying structure will be much more modern looking.

The Linux installation experience has changed tremendously in the past decade. What once required a computer science degree or lots of dedication has now changed to an installation that is comparable to that of the Windows operating system.

Wubi, a Windows application that makes it possible to install Ubuntu right from within Windows, simplifies the installation of Ubuntu Linux even further. We reviewed Wubi back then when it was released publicly by the developers for the first time. It has been updated regularly since then to keep up with the Ubuntu development cycle.

Wubi 9.10 has now been released so that users of the Windows operating system can install Ubuntu 9.10 from within their operating system. A dual-boot environment will be created by the installer so that it is possible to boot either into Windows or Linux once the installation completes. Users who would like to download and use Wubi can find additional information and download links at the Wubi website. Those who prefer a direct installation can download Ubuntu at the website of the Linux distribution.

When Linux Mint was originally launched, it was a version of Ubuntu that offered integrated media codecs. Founded and developed by Clement Lefebvre, Linux Mint boasts as one of the most user friendly and reliable distributions that can be found in the market. Lefebvre started out as just another Linux user in 1996. As he became more experienced in the usage of Linux he felt he wanted to give back to the Linux community which led to the development of Linux Mint. The idea came from a mixture of different Linux distros that he got from what he calls “distro-hopping” which is basically trying out different Linux distributions. “I enjoyed many different distributions and for different reasons,” says Lefebvre. Linux Mint is a mixture of many different popular features in varied distros in Linux.

Features of Linux Mint

The features that Linux Mint boasts of are as follows:

• Custom desktop and menus
• Several unique configuration tools
• Web based package installation interface
• Several different editions to fit individual user needs

Because of these features, many users have found this Linux distribution among the easiest to use Linux distros.

Linux Mint also has WiFi cards driver in the file system, multimedia support and screen resolution features which focus on allowing things to work outside the box. Users are not limited to working just within the box when they have this system, which is a testament to the operating system’s reliability.

There are a collection of packages and software that users can get from the distribution that make it quite compatible. The system also uses the Ubuntu repositories. Ubuntu is known for having one of the easiest to use package manager systems, making Linux Mint even easier to use.

Linux Mint is available in ISO images which can be used to create Live CDs and Live USBs. As is is Free software, it can legally be handed out to friends, relatives, etc.

Linux Mint Editions

As already mentioned, there are several different versions of this operating system. These include the main version which is GNOME, x86-32, the 64-bit Edition, the Universal version, and a handful of community editions.

Some of the configuration tools that can be found on the system are MintInstall, MintUpdate, MintDesktop, MintConfig, MintAssistant, MintUpload, MintSpace, MintMenu, MintWifi, MintNanny, MintMake and MintWelcome. These help users perform most of the functions that they expect to have with the OS.

The tool will setup Fedora on the USB stick giving the user the option to either select an already present Fedora distribution on the local computer system or to download one of the available Fedora distributions from the Internet. Available distributions include the latest Fedora 11 Beta, Fedora 10 and 9 as well as Sugar On A Stick. The Fedora 11, 10 and 9 editions can be installed as both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Sugar On A Stick has been designed to give children access to a computer system. The downloads can take a while depending on the connection speed of the local computer system and the selected Fedora distribution. Another interesting option is the allocation of persistent storage on the USB device which can later be used to store data on the USB device itself.

The tool will automatically detect connected USB devices that are suitable for installation. The Fedora Live USB Creator is available for both the Linux and Windows operating system. Jack posted an interesting article a while ago about Linux Live CDs that is a good read for users starting to discover Linux.

The Linux distribution can be downloaded directly from its Sourceforge page. It comes as a 438 Megabyte self extracting executable that requires 1.86 Gigabytes on the computer’s hard drive after extraction. Users can then immediately start Ubuntu in Windows by clicking on the run_portable_ubuntu.bat file that is located in the root directory of the software program. Starting portable Ubuntu in Windows will open a command line window which will remain open all the time. This command line window contains information about background processes and the state of the Ubuntu system.

The Ubuntu dock at the top center of the screen will be opened and displayed giving users access to Applications, Places, System and applications like Firefox. Talking about applications. The usual add / remove applications menu can be accessed in portable Ubuntu to install additional applications on the computer system.

One could think that running an operating system inside another operating system would surely demand lots of system resources. This is surprisingly not the case. Running Ubuntu portable requires less than 50 Megabytes of computer memory that are occupied by its processes.

Main question however is why someone would use Ubuntu portable instead of the other options outlined above. One of the main reasons is that it is the least complicated to use. It cannot get easier than extracting and running the Linux distribution. Even Live CDs might require changing the boot sequence from hard drive to CD in order to run the distribution that way.

The portable application gives access to many Ubuntu applications and features which can be a great way of taking a look at the options the distribution offers.

It comes close to the Linux user experience but does not provide it fully. There is still the Windows Taskbar, icons and wallpapers that make the system look much more like a Windows system than a Linux system. Interested users can download it right at the developer’s website at Sourceforge.

The drawbacks of netbooks are their screen resolutions and hardware that was used to build them. Easy Peasy has been optimized for those limitations to provide the user with a better working experience.

The Linux distribution can be downloaded directly from the Easy Peasy website or by using the Bittorrent protocol. It comes with optimized software, settings and drivers.

Easy Peasy makes use of a net interface called Netbook Remix Interface that has been specifically designed for screen resolutions of netbooks.

It does provide the means to change to regular desktop mode if that mode is preferred by the user. Easy Peasy does come with several non Open-Source software programs preinstalled such as Skype which might be controversial in the eyes of the Linux community.

While it has been designed with the EEE PCs in mind it should run fine on many other netbooks such as Acer’s Aspire One.

An alternative to burning Live CDs would be MobaLiveCD which is an application for Windows operating systems that emulates the process using Qemu. This essentially means that Windows users can run Linux live CDs in Windows without having to burn them to CD first and boot the computer from the CD afterwards.

This means it offers a quick way of testing a Live CD without having to boot the computer. It actually takes only two clicks to start a Linux live CD in Windows with Moba Live CD. This obviously requires a Live CD in ISO format on the computer. A good repository for Linux Live CDs is the LiveCD List.

The live CD is loaded in a window and the user can interact with that Linux distribution normally.

Emulation has the downside that running the Linux live CD in Windows cannot be used to determine hardware compatibility. Another problem is that emulation is always slower than booting from the live CD directly. Speed is probably the main concern for most users especially for those with older hardware. If a user keeps those two aspects in mind he should be able to get the full experience from Moba Live CD.

The process itself was designed with ease of use in mind. The user begins by picking a distribution and version from the top pull down menu, roughly 20 Linux Distributions are available currently ranging from Damn Small Linux to Open Suse and Ubuntu.

A homepage link and a short description of the selected Linux operating system is displayed below the selection. Inexperienced users will have troubles selecting a distribution and need to investigate them by going to their websites.

It’s great for users who know which Linux Distribution they want or who want to try different distributions in short time.

The last step of this process is the selection of a hard drive or USB device to install the Linux operating system to.

UNetbootin comes with a few additional features. Instead of picking a distribution from top the user can select an ISO image from his hard drive and install that. There is even a custom option to load kernels / Initrd.

The software program works on all Windows versions from Windows 2000 to Windows Vista and on Linux.

The first question, why is it Ubuntu 8.04 and not Ubuntu 8 ? There better be a good reason for the .04 at the end of every release. Second, what’s with the “funny” codenames ? I personally would like to see a release named Ubuntu 8 which would perfectly be enough. It’s short and everyone knows what it means.

The releases are available as torrents which should be used to take away some load from the main website and servers. Here is the torrent link for i386 and AMD-64. Those torrents can be downloaded with full speed, at least that’s the case currently.

The Download Squad collected information about some of the changes in Ubuntu 8:

* Firefox 3 beta is the default web browser
* Install Ubuntu from within Windows using Wubi
* Updated Linux kernel and new versions of Gnome and KDE desktops, with the option of using KDE 3.5 or KDE 4 as the default desktop for Kubuntu
* New BitTorrent Client
* New VNC client
* Virtualization software built into the kernel

Cybernet News have additional information about the other editions:

* Kubuntu 8.04 – A KDE version of Ubuntu. There’s now a “cutting edge” version available that includes KDE 4.0!
* Edubuntu 8.04 – Designed for the education setting, and includes iTalc classroom management software allowing for teacher sharing, monitoring, and control of networked workstations.
* Xubuntu 8.04 – Xubuntu uses the Xfce desktop environment which is geared towards less-powerful computers. Have an old computer sitting around? Put it to work with this Ubuntu variant!

According to Techworld (and Dante) Ubuntu 8 can be installed and uninstalled just like any other software in Windows. This is thanks to Wubi which I have written about earlier already. There is no need for an extra partition and no change to the Windows bootloader. This is a fantastic opportunity to test Ubuntu for several days or even weeks before making a decision to switch completely to Linux or dedicate hard drive resources for a Linux partition.

Wubi will be accessible in the root of the Ubuntu CD. The new version of Ubuntu will be released in 21 days, currently a beta version can be downloaded from the homepage of the Linux distribution. I will finally make the switch to Linux when I have ordered and build my new computer. Linux will be the main system and I’m currently not sure if I will keep a Windows partition on another drive. Probably will because I need it to test new applications for Ghacks.

The website displays more than one result, showing the best match at the top. It has a small paragraph explaining the distribution and a link to the homepage. It sometimes lists distributions that miss one of the parameters and this parameter is listed in the paragraph then.