Are You Getting Sick Of Microsoft Windows?

Are You Getting Sick Of Microsoft Windows? It's Time To Give Ubuntu Linux A Whirl
By Alan Oliver

About 18 months ago, I had another disastrous crash on my PC that caused me to lose a host of photos, music and documents. Luckily I had a backup of most of my documents on an external disk. So I wasn't too concerned by this. I had experienced many crashes on Windows before and usually I was able to recover most of my documents and restore the system back to normal without too much effort.

This time was different however and to my horror, I discovered that Windows had somehow corrupted my external disk as well. I had lost everything and was pretty angry about it.

I tried a number of data recovery programs but most of the files wore gone. Forever. What a disaster! At that point I decided that I would look for another alternative to windows and I thought I would give Linux another try.

A few years earlier I had experimented with RedHat Linux but had no real success with it as it had problems detecting my usb keyboard and mouse. Which was obviously a bit of a non-starter for me. I knew that big advances were being made in the Linux world so I decided to do a bit of research.

Linux is an operating system that is free. That is, it can be downloaded and copied and distributed without a fee. It is free in a deeper sense too. Most of the software is written under a license called the "GPL" which effectively means that source code is available to everyone for each and every component of the Linux Operating System. If you have access to the source code for a piece of software then you can change the program to fix bugs and make it better. Once you do this you are under obligation to make your new source code available to others. This has worked extremely well and Linux is being developed by programmers all over the world to make it better and better. The progress is amazing!

In my research I discovered a website: distrowatch.com. This website keeps a list of the most popular distributions of Linux. A distribution is a collection of Linux software that together makes an operating system. Each distribution contains different software and has a different focus. There are so many to try... Fedora, Mandrake, Puppy, PCLinuxOS, Debian, Knoppix, and the most popular, Ubuntu Linux.

I downloaded the ISO of Ubuntu Linux from the Ubuntu website http://www.ubuntu.com/ and burned it to cd (an ISO file is cd image that can be recreated using a cd burning tool such as Nero). I placed the cd in my drive and booted up my computer.

I was astounded!

Within 10 minutes my computer was running Ubuntu Linux without even having to install it! This was a "Live-CD" and it can be used without installing to hard disk - it can be run from a cd without affecting your computer at all.

All my hardware was detected and within minutes I was surfing the web using Firefox and getting my email using Evolution, chatting to friends in messenger and yahoo chat using Gaim, writing documents and opening spreadsheets in Open Office and listening to Internet Radio with RythmBox.

I was delighted with the easy to use and gorgeous looking desktop. I decided to install it straight away and since then I haven't looked back.

There is an abundance of free open source software just waiting for you to experience. The package management system - Synaptic, allows you to search repositories of software and download them. The quality of a lot of the software is incredible.

Linux is written from the ground up to be a secure operating system. This means that you won't have to worry about getting viruses, spyware or any other kind of malware. My system is as stable as a rock. Of course, there are downsides to running Linux. The main one is that there is a learning curve that can be quite steep. It is not windows so If you are trying to get something working, your windows knowledge will not help you. You might need to troubleshoot problems using the Command Line Interface - similar to windows DOS, but many times more powerful.

Fortunately, help is at hand on the incredibly friendly and helpful forums at ubuntuforums.org I have been running Ubuntu Linux now for 18 months and can't see any reason now to return to windows. Once you get past the mind set of using closed source software a whole new world opens up before you and you realise that amazing things are possible with linux.

I hope you found this article helpful and I hope it inspires you to try out Ubuntu Linux as I did. You won't regret trying it.

Here are some resources:

distrowatch.com
Distrowatch – News on the latest Linux distributions.

ubuntu.com
Ubuntu – Download the Ubuntu Linux operating system for your computer

ubuntuforums.com
Ubuntu Forums – Go here for help and advice

wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux
Linux on Wikipedia

(c) Alan Oliver 2007
Internet Marketing Thinker
alanoliver@sixtfouracresmarketing.com

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Thanks Microsoft ???

Computers have been around for decades now, even centuries, if you include the Abacus, which I imagine, although debatable, could be considered the original computer. The ENIAC was the first electronic computer. Built in the 1940's, the machine itself was massive and powered by vacuum tubes. It did little more than the Abacus in a sense that it was designed for numerical calculations. At the time it was a great achievement. No one but top military personnel and scientists had access to it. By today's standards it would be nothing more than a simple calculator. By comparison, today any child can go to the public library and have access to a computer that is thousands of times more powerful.

Unless you have been living behind closed doors and shuttered windows you've no doubt seen the articles and debates about the competition between GNU/Linux and the Microsoft Windows Operating System. Which system is better? Both camps claim to have the better OS. This may actually be the truth of the whole matter. No single Operating system is going to be the best fit for all tasks.

I personally am not a Microsoft advocate. I urge people on a daily basis to use alternative Open Source software when I see an opportunity, such as OpenOffice and Firefox. Both of these programs are available on the Windows platform as well as various others. It's no big deal to install and use Firefox, but trying to get people to abandon their OS in favor of a system they may never have heard of could be like a mission out of a James Bond movie, with more drama than a daytime soap opera. Certain issues that surround Free and Open Source Software must still be evaluated, such as patents and Intellectual Property. These issues cannot be ignored and must be resolved.

However, in all fairness, and to keep history straight, one must acknowledge Microsoft's contribution to the computing industry. Bill Gates had a goal in mind. That goal was to put a Windows based computer on every desktop. He has, for the most part, succeed in his endeavor. At last count, MS Windows, in some form or another, accounted for more than 90% of the desktop market. This figure is slowly starting to decline as the use and acceptance of the Open Source Operating System GNU/Linux Rises. Microsoft is primarily responsible for the proliferation of a 'point and click' computing system built on relatively inexpensive hardware.

It's not necessarily because Microsoft had a superior product. In the early days, Apple computers were the dominant force in desktop computing. But Apple, like all other computer vendors before, were interested in selling a package of hardware and software. Microsoft's early position as an OS provider to IBM, and its later decision to focus on software and let commodity hardware vendors fight over ever-decreasing profits from hardware, was the primary factor in driving down the cost of personal computers. Hardware vendors competed on price, but "the PC" was advanced not by this chaotic gaggle of vendors, but my Microsoft, above the fray.

Add to this Microsoft's formidable marketing ability and ruthless competitive practices, and the Windows platform rose to near absolute dominance in a decade.

Microsoft did not, as we all know, invent computing, but what they did do, as stated earlier, was bring the computer into the home of the average Joe and Jane. It's ironic how it was Microsoft that made computers affordable and now there's the whole debate over TCO/ROI (Total cost of ownership/Return on investment) and licensing fees.

The Redmond bunch is always examined under a microscope. Everyone watches, from financial analysts to security experts. They are sometimes portrayed unfairly. For instance, some say that Microsoft "stole" the windowing system from Apple and they will tell you how Apple was able to hire engineers and license technology from Xerox, the originators of the windowing system. In my opinion these are subtle differences. Microsoft may have cribbed ideas from Apple, and may have abused their partnership, but let's look at the evolution of KDE and GNOME. Didn't they base their windowing environments, to some extent, on Windows? It must be realized that for the computing industry to continue to grow ideas will forever be appropriated, even in the world of proprietary software.

Today, security is one of the biggest issues concerning computing. With viruses and spyware rampant, security has become big business. When MS was developing Windows not even they could foresee the popularity of the Internet. At the time, the Internet was nothing more than a bunch of message boards. Billions of dollars did not flow over the wires daily. At the time, network security was a minor issue. Without Microsoft, the Internet would not have proliferated nearly as quickly. Once again MS did not invent it, but they enabled a huge amount of access to it. If not for Microsoft ,thousand of companies might not exist today.

Microsoft did not only develop an OS, they developed some excellent office applications, some of which revolutionized . They delivered some so-called "Killer application" Programs that were specifically designed to fill a void.

A vast number of modern day GNU/Linux and Mac users were introduced to computing through some version of Windows. They used MS products before they converted to their present day OS of choice. Their basic computer skills were honed on a Windows box. If not for that prior introduction, would they now be effective computer users? and if so to what extent?

Linus Torvalds developed the Linux Kernel. It was not very useful by itself. Thanks to input from Open Source developers, The Free Software Foundation, and the GNU Project, Linux evolved into the backbone of the useful, robust system that we have today. But Linux was originally developed as a way to run a Unix-like system on the kind of commodity Intel hardware that was easily available to everyone, thanks in large part to Microsoft. Had their been no widely available, "open" PC standard, Linux would have had no foothold.

If they did not have Windows to compete with, would the Gnu project be as successful as it is? Isn't competition with Microsoft the primary driving force behind its success? Furthermore, even if the GNU Project was developed to the same level of efficiency as it currently stands, (without the existence of Microsoft) would any GNU/Linux vendor have the ability to produce the marketing power of Microsoft enabling them to bring computing to the masses?

A lot of the desktop versions of GNU/Linux we use today are Microsoft look-a-likes and function similarly to Windows. An inexperienced user may not even notice the difference between WindowsXP and distributions such as Lycoris, Linspire formerly Lindows and ELX (Everyone's Linux) These distros and several others, deliberately copy a Windows scheme. Providing similar desktop backgrounds and familiar icons to those in the Windows world. These upstart Linux distributions are therefore able to ride on Windows' coat-tails, and provide a computing experience that people are familiar with, thanks to the consolidation of the PC industry that Microsoft effected.

Like it or not The Mighty Giant known as Microsoft stood at the foot of the unknown road and blazed a trail. All of the Desktop OSes we have today owe a dept to the present monopolistic, proprietary King of the desktop. Given the fact that MS toppled Apple and squashed IBM's OS/2 before it even had a chance, no one could say with absolute certainty what desktop computing, the Internet, or the computing industry itself would look like today if not for Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and Microsoft. Would it be a dry, barren, lifeless, wasteland, or would the fruits of the labor of GNU/Linux, Apple or even IBM have blossomed into a computing system we could never imagine. The world will never know.

( Original story URL at http://www.osnews.com/story.php/9172/Opinion-Thanks-Microsoft )

Ubuntu Printing

Printing with Ubuntu

Insights for a quick and easy Ubuntu printer installation

By Mark Rais

Ubuntu makes printing reasonably easy and straightforward. This brief article is for those who need a specific and encouraging step-by-step guide. I hope that this article will not only ensure that you print with ease, but that you have every reason to enjoy a productive GNU/Linux desktop.

Before you begin the installation steps below, connect your printer/s. You need to do this prior to turning your system on. This helps to ensure Ubuntu recognizes how the printer is connected to the system, and it allows Ubuntu to identify the specific printer port.

Please don’t be dismayed if you plug in your printer and it’s not immediately recognized. I assure you that Ubuntu recognizes the printer. However, you will first need to configure the printer as an available device so other programs can use it.

The Ubuntu Printing Configuration Tool is used to accomplish this. For my example I will use an HP Deskjet printer connected to the Ubuntu system via a USB cable. However, these steps will also apply to printers that connect via a direct or Parallel cable.

STEP 1. Starting Ubuntu’s printer tool

From your Ubuntu main menu, select System, then choose Administration. Under the Administration menu, you will find an icon labeled Printing. Select this tool and within several seconds the Printer Configuration Tool will open.

Figure 1: Configuration tool

STEP 2. Configuring a printer connection

Now, double click on the New Printer icon. This will bring up the Add a Printer wizard.

Figure 2: Add a printer

Notice that in my example, two printers are detected. However, I only have one HP Deskjet connected to this computer. Worry not! This sometimes happens, depending on the printer and the USB settings. If you see a second detected printer, ignore it and simply highlight the first that best describes your printer.

Now press the Forward button to complete the process.

STEP 3. Choosing a printer driver

In this second window, you need to click on the Manufacturer option and choose the one that fits your printer. In my case, I use an HP printer. From the Model list, be sure to select the exact model you have.

Don’t worry if your printer model isn’t there. I offer some more details below in the Troubleshooting section.

Figure 3: Select model and driver

In nearly every case, Ubuntu comes ready with a driver to support your selected model. This is specified in the box beside Driver. For my example, I use the driver named hpijs, which is the suggested driver for this printer.

You can also click the Install Driver button, if you have a CD from the manufacturer and wish to add a new driver. But, this is rarely helpful, since the latest Ubuntu comes prepackaged with nearly every driver that already exists for GNU/Linux. However, it does offer the option for future upgrades and updates to your existing drivers.

When you’re ready, press the Apply button. After several seconds your new printer will appear in the Printing Configuration Tool window.

STEP 4. Testing the printer

Highlight your new printer icon and press the right mouse button.

Figure 4: New printer icon

Now choose the Properties option.

This takes you to your specific printer’s properties control. The properties control allows you to not only print a test page, but also to make changes to your printer paper, resolution, color options and ink usage.

Figure 5: Printer properties

For now, press the Print a Test Page button. In a minute you will see a page print out that includes the Ubuntu logo and eight color bars. If this worked, you can press the Close button.

Congratulations! Your printer is now ready for use with any application.

TROUBLESHOOTING

No test page

There may be a few reasons why your test page didn’t print out.

First, with some printers the test page takes a lot longer than you might expect it to. Give the test print a good minute of time.

Second, sometimes the failure comes because you connected the printer after the Ubuntu system was started. You may wish to right click on the Printer icon again and choose remove. Then, leaving your printer connected, you can reboot your Ubuntu system and try the steps again.

Finally, failure to print a test page may have to do with cables not being properly plugged in or a problem with the driver you have selected. If everything seems to be connected correctly, try choosing a different, but similar driver and see if it allows a test print. For example, I can choose the HP LaserJet driver instead of the HP LaserJet 1100A.

No recognized driver

If you review the list of printer drivers and do not find your particular printer, nor one that is closely related, you may have to try a Generic driver. In the list of drivers, when you click the Manufacturer option, you will find Generic. By choosing this, you access a short list of generic printer drivers that may help resolve your issue.

Unfortunately, you need to know some specific technical details regarding your printer to make such Generic drivers work. For instance, most black and white laser printers manufactured after 2000 support the PCL4 or PCL5. If I know that my particular laser printer supports PCL4, I can choose this generic driver and try a test print.

But please wait! I recommend that you don’t just try out various options, since picking the wrong driver ends up forcing countless pages to print with garbage. Usually, the only solution then is to pull the plug on the printer! Instead, do some homework. Find out about your specific printer’s capabilities. If you find that it does indeed support a specific PCL or PostScript, then try the applicable generic driver.

In almost every case, this will resolve your problem and get even the most recalcitrant printer to work with Ubuntu. On rare occasions, nothing will work; and this is because the manufacturer refuses to supply any type of GNU/Linux driver for their printer line.

Using two printers

If you have more than one printer connected to your Ubuntu system at the same time, you may run into an issue. The first printer may cause the second to be identified on the wrong connection (port). The reason has to do with Ubuntu deciding that both devices exist on the same port. Notice the example in figure 6 with the red circle around the incorrect port setting.

Figure 6: Two printers

This results in one of the two printers failing to install properly. To resolve the issue you need to highlight the second printer, then choose the Use Another Printer option (circled green) and force the port setting manually.

In my example situation, the HP 1100 (residing on the Port #1) caused the second printer, HP 540C, which requires a USB port, not to be recognized. I highlighted the second printer and forced the proper port setting to read: USB Printer #1 (HP Deskjet 845C)

Unidentified printer

If during the initial configuration your printer isn’t recognized as attached, you will need to force configure the connection manually.

Figure 7: Configure printer port

Click on the Printer Port option (circled green in figure 7) and specify the type of printer connection you have. In most cases a printer that is connected to your system via a USB cable will use USB #1. Sometimes your USB printer may show up on other USB ports. This will only happen if you already have various USB devices connected to your Ubuntu system.

If your printer is instead connected directly through a Parallel cable, it will use Parallel Port #1. If you have a Canon printer, choose the Parallel Port #1 specifically labeled with (Canon). Likewise, if you are using an Epson printer, try first to connect with Parallel Port #1 (Epson).

Improve printouts

If you desire to print photos or high resolution graphics, you need to make changes in your configuration tool to allow for special options.

From your Ubuntu printing tool, highlight the printer icon and press the right mouse button.

Now choose the Properties option.

Click on the Paper tab to specify paper size for your photographs.

Even more important to good print quality, you need to make adjustments under the advanced settings. Click on the Advanced tab to change the resolution and print quality as well as the print mode, which adjusts color settings.

Figure 8: Advanced settings

Once you finish making adjustments to your printer settings, press the Close button and try printing from your favorite application. You should now notice a positive difference in image quality and colors.

Conclusion

You are now ready to print with any of the many applications included with Ubuntu. More importantly, you now have every detail necessary to enhance your printouts or add new printers. You also have some key tips for troubleshooting hardware compatibility issues, should they ever arise.

The best part is that you can now ensure Ubuntu becomes a regular part of your daily computer work.

License (C) Mark Rais 2007
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is available at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html.

Biography
Mark Rais: Mark Rais dedicates his time and energy to promoting free software technology, especially among the poor and where a technology divide exists. He serves as senior editor for reallylinux.com. You can contact him at "markr" followed by the "at" symbol and then "reallylinux.com".