Open Source at SF State University - Ubuntu

Mesh networks at the OLPC-SF August meeting

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:55:04 -0700

Javier Cardona of Cozybit presented on mesh networks at the OLPC-SF August meeting (slides attached). Being able to mesh is one of the significant advantages of the XO laptop - to be part of a swarm like network without a central access point.

Cozybit, implemented the firmware needed to allow OLPC XO machines to create and be a part of a mesh. Javier explained that while the OLPC XOs do create a mesh, the specification was based on a very early draft of the standard. IEEE has been improving on the spec ever since. That's where there is interest in taking the mesh out of the firmware and into garden-variety computers (at least the ones that run Linux kernel 2.6.26 and beyond).

A report on the OLPC-SF August meeting

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:15:15 -0700

This is a report of the OLPC-SF meeting held on August 16 2008 at SF State University's Downtown Center.

The focus of this meeting were two major and complementary presentations. One was Bruce Baikie's talk on how he got a stack of OLPC XOs to a village in Senegal. The other was about mesh networks, the pixie dust that makes these wonderful computers talk to each other once they get to a village like the one in Senegal.

Slides from UbuCon @ LinuxWorld 2008

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:38:55 -0700

Attached are slides from my LTSP presentation at UbuCon@LinuxWorld 2008. Major changes from my previous slides are the addition of a lowfat client capability using the

ltsp-build-client --workstation Ubuntu

option. Note that to be able to use the --workstation switch when building ltsp clients, you will need the workstation plugin from http://wwwuser.gwdg.de/~mrickma/edubuntu/030-workstation.gz

Ubuntu 8.04 - Miracles on shiny discs

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:20:31 -0700

First, forgive me for the cheesy title of this post. Its 6 am and I am jetlagged. After a successful trip to Italy and Finland, I am finally back home and what a pleasure it was to find that my new notebook had finally arrived! I got a new X300 Thinkpad with a solid-state drive and a bunch of goodies, that I won't go into. At least, not yet. The first thing I did after booting into the machine was to check the drive space. The laptop comes with Microsoft Vista pre-installed. There was no way around it.

The next thing I did? Slide in the Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 CD into the drive (yes, unlike the MacBook Air, this one actually has an optical drive) and reboot. The CD booted without a hitch. After a quick inspection, I ran the install and a few minutes later, I had Hardy Heron running on the Thinkpad.

Ubuntu 8.04: Oh, the miracles!

Thu, 01 May 2008 21:24:17 -0700

I just finished installing 8.04 LTS on my old(er) Fujitsu Lifebook P2120. Yeah, I'm slow at adoption...by a few days. So, forgive me! Anyway, I had tested the Beta under VMWare so no real surprises there, except the big surprise was with suspend and hibernate. After installing and without further updating, I decided to try out suspend and hibernate features. Well, guess what? They work like a charm. A bit slow compared to Windows XP or MacOSX, but it actually works!!! Way to go Ubuntu!!!

Ubuntu Hardy Heron just around the corner...

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:58:31 -0700

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (long term support) also known as Hardy Heron is just around the corner. Keep an eye out for the new version. The next one is Intrepid Ibex, to be released in October this year. Intrepid Ibex will be 8.10

In case you are wondering about the numbering convention, it follows the last digit of the year plus a dot plus the month of release. April 2008 is 8.04

Add option for Ubuntu branded wallpapers

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:43:40 -0700

This is a request to vote an idea up on the Ubuntu food chain. The idea is simple. If the wallpaper that comes with Ubuntu had branding (such as the Ubuntu logo) it would make a stronger impact on the audience that sees the logo. Like the idea? Vote for it!

Mark Shuttleworth to speak at BALUG on March 25, 2008

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:42:00 -0700

From the BALUG site:

For our 2008-03-25 meeting we are proud to present:
Mark Shuttleworth of Ubuntu/Canonical.

Massive F/OSS Installfest for Schools (March 1st)

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:01:29 -0800

Untangle and the ACCRC are working on an installfest for Northern California schools that will take place on Saturday March 1st. The event will refurbish hundreds of unwanted computers that would otherwise get thrown out with Ubuntu and then donate them to schools. There will be four installfest locations (San Francisco, Berkeley, San Mateo & Novato) and we really need your help to make this happen. We need help installing Ubuntu, breaking down broken computers and just plain cleaning up after ourselves so there is something for everyone todo, no matter how technical they are. You can find out more info on the event and how you can volunteer here.

Gutsy gibbon is around the corner...

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:01:32 -0700

Ubuntu 8.04 aka Hardy Heron announced

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:39:05 -0700

Ubuntu's next release is 7.10 aka Gutsy Gibbon, which is due in October of this year (the 7 comes from 2007 and 10 comes from October). Before 7.10 can come out, 8.04 code named Hardy Heron has been announced. This will be a Long Term Support (LTS) release. From Jono Bacon's blog:

"I am delighted to have the pleasure of announcing the Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04), the next version of Ubuntu that will succeed Gutsy Gibbon (Ubuntu 7.10, due for release in October 2007). Not only will the Ubuntu community continue to do what it does best, produce an easy-to-use, reliable, free software platform, but this release will proudly wear the badge of Long Term Support (LTS) and be supported with security updates for five years on the server and three years on the desktop. We look forward to releasing the Hardy Heron in April 2008."

How long is Long Term Support (LTS)?

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:44:12 -0700

I've been looking for a stable long term distro release. Debian is always great with its "stable" version. At UbuntuLive, Matt Zimmerman, CTO at Canonical showed a roadmap as part of his presentation. Sometimes, a visual aid makes all the difference. It looks like Dapper Drake, aka Ubuntu 6.06 will be around until 2011 on the server. That's long enough for me!. With backports of stable software, LTS is beginning to look a lot like Debian stable.

LTSP presentation at SF State

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:24:05 -0700

What: Linux Terminal Server Project presentation and demo at SF State University.

When: 2pm to 4pm, Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Where: Room 219, Business Bldg. SF State Campus

Who: Presentation by Dr. Sameer Verma, Ph.D. All are welcome to attend. Please RSVP if possible.

Ubuntu Goes Ultraportable

Tue, 29 May 2007 21:28:55 -0700

The folks over at XYZComputing.com have a review of Fujitsu's P7230 and discovers that while it is a bit slow, yet ultraportable, it too benefits from an OS upgrade from Windows Vista to Ubuntu Linux.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a fan of very small laptops that are nearly full featured. Fujitsu is certainly not a newcomer to the ultraportable market with their Lifebooks debuting many years ago. While most manufacturers never bring small laptops to the States, Fujitsu has brought a three pounder to market. It seems a bit gutless compared with say, a Macbook, and it also costs more. The one upside to their device is that it is lightweight.

Dell recently switched, perhaps Fujitsu will switch too after reading this review.

Dell now shipping Ubuntu Linux

Thu, 24 May 2007 11:12:37 -0700

Dell just announced that they will start shipping Ubuntu Linux pre-installed starting today on three different models - two desktops (XPS 410n, $899 and Dimension E520n, $599) and the notebook (Inspiron E1505n, $599). Of course, we beat Dell at their own game :-) We have had Ubuntu Linux running on Dells in our lab (BUS 219/CAML) for over a year and a half!

Price wise, the numbers appear to be close. From ITWire:

The pre-installed Ubuntu systems will be available at www.dell.com/open today. Starting price for the E520n desktop and the E1505n notebook is US$599; the XPS 410n starts at US$899.

By comparison, the starting price for a Dell E520 with Vista Home Basic, Celeron processor and 512MB RAM is US$369, while a Core 2 Duo model with Vista Home Premium and 1GB RAM is $679. The entry level of the Vista Home Basic version of the E1505 notebook is US$699, $100 more than its entry level Ubuntu counterpart. At the higher end the XPS 410, with Core 2 Duo processor, Vista Home Premium, 1GB RAM and 19 inch LCD monitoris exactly the same price as the Ubuntu Linux version at US$899.