Security Updates For Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

I use an old Dell 5150 Laptop that runs Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.  The PC runs perfect with this most stable version of Ubuntu Linux.  Just recently there have been a whole slew of Linux kernel updates that have become available for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS to fix some security flaws.

Most of the fixes concerned how the linux kernel handles internal packet traffic that could lead to a 'denial of service.'  Other fixes dealt with privacy issues among users.

Be sure to get your Ubuntu kernel updated as soon as possible through the software updater.  You can see which kernel you are using by opening up a command line and running this command:   uname -a


A line in information about your system will return and you should see that you are running the kernel version: Linux-image 2.6.32-35 or higher.

Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot Wallpapers

It appears that I got a bunch of new wall papers with today's update of Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot in the Beta.  I like the train station wallpaper the best, as it seems to blend in with the Unity panel and Ambiance theme quite well.

Here is a screen shot of the new Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot wallpaper with the Dybbоlsbro Station featured.

There looks to be  about 15 new wall papers to choose from in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot. Now that they are getting closer to release, I have been seeing very few crashes of desktop applications on my Dell Precision 360 workstation.

Ubuntu 11.10 Finds Fix for Nvidia issues from Ubuntu 11.04

I just ran the update to Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot on an Dell Precision 360 workstation.  I found much to my pleasant surprise that the closed source Nvidia driver now seems to be working properly.  With the previous version of Ubuntu (11.04) the Jockey-GTK program was not recognizing the availability of the closed source Nvidia drivers.  But now they are installed and working well.


Ubuntu 11.10 includes a 2D version of the Unity desktop, and I have been test driving it on my desktop system.  The Compiz version is a little slower, so I have been sticking to the 2D version for now.  Since this is still a beta release, I get an occasionally program crash. Since there are still many updates coming down the pike, this is to be expected.  Overall, I have been please with this latest version of Ubuntu!

Dell Inspiron 5150 Laptop working great with Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Lucid Lynx

I installed the Release Candidate of  Ubuntu 10.04  LTS Lucid Lynx on my old Dell Inspiron 5150 Laptop.  I have had this laptop for about 7 years, maybe even longer than that.  So far it appears that everything that worked in Ubuntu 9.10 still works the same under  Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Lucid Lynx. I was a little afraid that they may drop support for older hardware or something, but they did not seem to in the case if this old Dell Inspiron laptop.  You never know...


The one thing that is is different with this laptop is that the internal sound card stopped working several months ago.  This is a hardware issue as it just suddenly stopped working.  I guess the transmitter or the reciever is worn out.  We used this computer extensively as a dekstop, so I guess it just gave up.

Rummaging through my junk drawer, I found an old PCMIA wireless card that fit in the slot, and Ubuntu recognized it immediately via the restricted drivers tool.  That was a nice suprise!

I also went out and purchased 2GB of laptop memory and installed it for an upgrade from the 512MB it was carrying.

So, everything still works on this old Dell Inspiron 5150 laptop, wireless, headphones, and speakers.  I will keep this old computer around for a few more years. With the long term support offered by Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, why not?  This laptop still works as a good internet surfer.

An alternative Desktop for Linux: LXDE

LXDE is a fairly new desktop for Ubuntu and other flavors of Linux that has been around since 2006. It uses less memory than Gnome or KDE. According to some reviewers, LXDE even trounces Xubuntu in memory tests. I have and old laptop and I gave LXDE a spin, and yes it is lighting quick. It sports a usable, and intuitive interface as well. I can foresee something like LXDE running on a netbook or some other lightweight computer.

For more information about LXDE, here is a nice review: A Review of the LXDE Desktop for Linux

To install LXDE on an Intrepid Ibex Ubuntu or newer run:

sudo aptitude install lxde

I run this Ubuntu 9.10 with no problems.

Xubuntu 9.10 on 256 MB Ram

I have a Dell Lattitude C810 that 512 in RAM and about a 1.2 GHz Pentium 4 CPU. I had it upgraded to Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala and it was doing a pretty fine job. Since the laptop was so heavy, I primarily had it laying on a desk and used it to check the web. Otherwise this laptop would be a brick.

One of the memory chips went bad some time ago, and I was forced to remove one of the 256 MB modules. Therefore, I was left with just 256 MB of RAM. Not surprisingly, the Dell C810 became quite slow running Ubuntu and the GNOME Desktop. I three choices on what to do with this computer:

1. Throw it away

2. Go out and spend $30 for a new memory modules

3. Try Xubuntu

I did not want to toss the machine quite yet (although I probably should) and I was not interested in investing any money into this laptop, so I decided to try Xubuntu on it.

Xubuntu is advertised as having a small memory footprint and great for older systems. To install it, I simply opened up a terminal and typed:

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

And hit 'Y' to a couple or prompts. All of the needed themes, artwork, and start-up programs were downloaded and installed without a hitch in about 20 minutes.

For a web browser, I switched to Google Chrome for Linux. Now the laptop is usable once again. It is still a little slower than before. But at least for casual web browsing it is still working. So maybe I will get another year or two of service out of this Dell C810 Lattitude.

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.

Swapping drives in Ubuntu Not A Problem

I recently got my hands on a decent computer to upgrade an "old beast" that I had Ubuntu installed on. The hardware between the "old beast" and my "decent computer" were a little different. Both were Dells, but they had different video cards. The processors, were of the same type, both Intel. However, the hard drive on the "old beast" was much larger than the one that came with the decent machine.

I was in a lazy mood, and did not want to back up all of the data I had on the "old beast." I decided to try the quick and dirty route of taking the hard drive out of the "old beast" and installing it on the newer "decent" machine.

Totally different video cards, and when the newer machine booted, it came up using the vesa driver. I then added the new driver using the Add/Remove tool, and viola! My new machine is up and running with the "old beast's" hard drive.

Ubuntu never ceases to amaze me in its portability!

Running Linux on a Slow Computer

I use a pretty old computer to keep this blog up to date. Some of you may be surprised to hear that it is a Dell L667r sporting a 667 Mhz processor with 320 MB of RAM. Yep, that's it! Everything works great on this old beast. The only 'upgrade' I made to it was to drop in a 160 GB hard drive. I use the disk space to dump in my music database.

I easily run Firefox and Rythmbox at the same time and can listen to music and surf at the same time. I use just one add-on in Firefox to help with performance, and that is Flashblock. This add-on keeps flash video advertisements from running as you surf the web. You have the option of clicking on them if you want to see them, but who wants to see adds, right? It really helps when visiting sites like CNN and ESPN which use a lot of Flash.

The version of Ubuntu I am using is 8.10. I figure to have another couple of years of support with this version of Ubuntu. This is what makes this operating system so great! I wont have to buy hardware for a long time! At least as long as it does not burn out...