Strange Error on Dell Vostro 220s

Strange problem on one of the Dell Vostro 220s desktops , I suspect it has got to do with a faulty DVD drive

Atheros AR242x Wireless on Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex

The new Dell Vostro A840 laptops that we ordered came with Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron) pre-installed. However when I installed the latest release Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex), the Atheros AR242x wifi card didn't work right away.

The solution to get this card working is available on WifiDocs > Driver > Atheros on Ubuntu Wiki.

The ath5k module from the linux-backports-modules-intrepid package on Ubuntu backports will do the magic for you.

Ubuntu 8.10, To Upgrade or Not To

Intrepid Ibex is out with a promise of whole new desktop experience. As I am spending most of next few weeks travelling, I don't think I can type the magical incantation and upgrade my ubuntu laptop yet.

Usually I hookup to the Internet using a slow Reliance Broadband netconnect datacard while on road, its good enough for some blogging, browsing and shooting out emails, but not much more. But even those with higher bandwidth lines shared their scary upgrade to Ubuntu 8.10 experiences.Certainly I think the release process did got out of control. Darn! I don't feel intrepid enough to make this upgrade.

Perhaps I'll wait until the pre-ordered CD from shipit arrives on my doorstep.

Ubuntu The Complete Reference :: Book Review

After reviewing the last two Ubuntu books, Beginning Ubuntu Linux and Ubuntu Unleashed I decided to call it a day until October 30 release of Intrepid Ibex.

However I felt the need for a reference book that discussed topics like AppArmour, SELinux, Encryption, FACL, Intrusion Detection etc.. for more advanced users. Well, I found one such book Ubuntu The Complete Reference.

Indeed the book lives up to its grandiose title and it does cover basis for new users and the advance users who are planning to run Ubunutu on desktop and servers would find it very useful too. While reading the book I felt that author could have covered a chapter in more detail, however given the wide range of topics (I dare say, just too many) that are already covered in this book, I felt it was asking for too much :) .

My kudos to Richard Petersen and technical editor Ibrahim Haddad for doing such a great job on this book and finish it too ! . The book is up to date covering Ubuntu Hardy Heron (8.04) and you need to have it on your bookshelf.

Ubuntu Unleashed 2008 Edition :: Book Review

Here is yet another review of a Ubuntu book before the release of the next version of Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex at the end of this month. In my last post I wrote about Beginning Ubuntu Linux

Ubuntu Unleashed 2008 edition by Andrew Hudson and Paul Hudson is the second Ubuntu book I am reviewing this week. At 850 odd pages this book covers a lot of ground and is yet another wrist breaker from Unleashed series.

The book caters to a wide range of audience from beginner to advanced, this is the highlight of the book and its major defect. The book starts by teaching you the much feared task of installing your first Ubuntu system (Part I Installation and Configuration, Part II Desktop Ubuntu) and do some basics tasks like adding new users, configuring network connections, backup up the system and burning DVD disks (Part III System Administration) and advanced system administration tasks like turning Ubuntu machine into a File and Print server or LAMP server(Part IV Ubuntu as a Server) is also covered. These who are planning to learn bit of programming could get started with Perl, Python, PHP, C/C++ or Mono (Part V Programming Linux).

Also the book has a section on Linux gaming which is rarely given coverage in other gnu/Linux books . You will find out how to install games like DOOM 3 , Unreal Tournament 2004, Quake 4, Wolfenstein, Battle for Wesnoth on Ubuntu. The book lives up to unleashed series reputation of power packing information into a single book. If you are beginner learning Ubuntu Linux this is a book you should have on your bookshelf. As for advanced users you better stick with your O'Reilly books for now or read The Debian System book.

Search Amazon.com for Ubuntu Unleashed 2008