A Minimal Ubuntu Install

Hand-held device, netbooks, and mini-computers are the rage these days. There is great interest in running toned down operating systems on platforms that have limited processing power and memory. These platforms work well running any variation of Linux, as users can customize the OS for there needs.

If you want to run a toned down version of Ubuntu on one of these appliances, or if you are interested in bringing an old PC back to life, then there several methods to use to create a slimmed down operating system

One method mentioned on the Ubuntu Forums by TheShiv starts with a minimal install of Ubuntu or a server install. He then runs a script to install only the essential application he needs. Here is an example script extracted from his thread on the Ubuntu Tips and Tricks forum:

#!/bin/bash

#######################################################################

# Ubuntu-Desktop-Minimal: Post-install script to install only the bare

# essentials of an Ubuntu Desktop.

#######################################################################

echo "[*] Installing Gnome Essentials"

sudo apt-get -y install gnome-core gdm network-manager-gnome fast-user-switch-applet \

human-theme x11-xserver-utils tangerine-icon-theme gnome-themes-ubuntu ubuntu-artwork \

jockey-gtk gnome-screensaver gnome-utils

echo "[*] Installing Application Essentials"

sudo apt-get install -y gcalctool tsclient

Note there there a basically two commands tucked in the script. You can whatever packages you wish, such as:

Epiphany-browser : Lighter equivalent to firefox.

vlc;vlc-plugin-* : For media etc.

openoffice.org-writer : Office Writer

openoffice.org-calc : Office Spreadsheet

openoffice.org-impress : Office Presentation

Now, you can start with a full install of Ubuntu, and back track you way to minimally built system. To me it would seem easier to start with the basics and build from the ground up.

Google Chrome OS and Ubuntu

Google made and announcement that Google Chrome OS will be entirely open source. In addition, they announced that the Chrome browser will be available shortly.

The fact that Chrome OS will be entirely open source is great news because this should allow Ubuntu to take advantage of Google powerful software development team. Many Ubuntu developers, Cannonical in particular, are already helping to integrate Chrome browser into the Ubuntu desktop.

Could this mean the end of GNOME for Ubuntu? I am not sure on that one, but this may be something to watch. I am not entirely sure that introducing another windows management system is an entirely good thing for Linux either. There is already a lot of confusing out there among users between KDE, GNOME, Xfce, etc. But maybe the umbrella of development and backing backing of Linux by Google will help bring Chrome OS to the forefront. But, one of the great things that has always been true with Linux is that you have a choice, right?

Here is a link to the Google Chrome OS Announcement

Default Ubuntu 10.04 Dropping GIMP

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Lucid Lynx will drop GIMP from the default install to make more room on the ISO. GIMP is one of my favorite applications, and I use it quite often. But for me, Its not a big deal that it is not going to be included in the default install. It will still be available from the software repository, which is an easy mouse click to install. This is one of the things that I like about how Linux distributions are structured. If there is an application you need, you just use whatever software manger that come with the OS, and grab the application that you want.

Most people that I have come across that have used Microsoft's Photoshop think that GIMP is hard to use. For them, the interface is especially confusing. I think there is no question that GIMP is inferior to Photoshop, and this could be one part of the reason as to why it is being dropped. The Windows fan base are usually always quick to point out GIMP as being an example how much of the open software that makes Linux distributions are poorly designed in terms of capabilities and the user interface. So getting rid of GIMP will take it out of the limelight. Hopefully, and better alternative image editor will come along.

Google Chrome for Linux

I have been using Google Chrome for a couple of weeks on a Windows XP machine and have found it to be one of the better browsers that I have come across. I like it because it is simple, yet very functional. Chrome also seems to run faster than either Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer.

You can run Chrome on Ubuntu Linux, but it is still in development. The development version that I installed tonight on my Ubuntu laptop seems to be quite functional, and also very FAST. It loads Java applications and seems to render images very efficiently. I am starting to look forward to Google's new operating system to give it a try. But I doubt if I will ever leave Ubuntu!

It is easy to install Chrome for Linux if you are running Ubuntu. There are quite a few warnings and scary messages from Google about running their development version, and if you can get past those, go ahead and give it a try. Keep in mind that some features may or may not work.

In addition, there may be some security issues. Simply go to these web pages to install Google for your CPU type:

Dev channel (for 32-bit systems): google-chrome-unstable_current_i386.deb

Dev channel (for 64-bit systems): google-chrome-unstable_current_amd64.deb

Ubuntu Backup

There are a number of tools in Ubuntu that you can use to backup your Linux system. In Ubuntu 9.10, when you open the Software Center and type "backup" in the search bar, you are presented with a load of choices. To be honest, I do not know which one is the best one. And yes, you can use the command line to run tar, rsync, scp, or whatever your favorite backup program is to use in these situations.

But, I think that the Ubuntu developers should consider selecting the one that they think is the best, and include it as part of the their operating system as an easy to use graphical interface. Possibly they can build upon a open source application or create something that is akin to Apple's Time Machine. The Time Machine program is very powerful in that it allows you to save multiple versions of files, and easily restore them using an intuitive graphical interface.

It seems that everyone is hanging terabyte hard drives on there PCs via USB and backing up files to it these days. These drive are often less then $100 and offer a great way to protect the files on your systems. It is prevalent in the business world as well.

One the strengths of Linux and Apple's OSX is the ease in which you can save off file systems without the snags of having to deal with registry settings in Windows, etc. It could further set Ubuntu apart in the operating system world by introducing an easy to use backup and recovery option by default.