[00:34] <XuMuK> QUESTION: Is there some classes here? or am I late?
[00:36] <nhandler> XuMuK: Check out http://is.gd/8rtIi
[00:52] <XuMuK> nhandler, thanks
[00:52] <sebsebseb> Hi
[05:14] <Gryllida> Hello there
[08:24] <AlanBell> userdays3: in just over an hour
[08:24] <userdays3> Oh I see
[10:30] <pleia2> Hello everyone, and welcome to our second Ubuntu User Day! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays
[10:30] <pleia2> To get things started, who is here for this and where are you from?
[10:30] <ech0tk> Hello
[10:31] <ech0tk> I'm here and I'm from Sweden
[10:31] <AlanBell> hello, I am from the UK
[10:31] <oneDoRa> I am from Sri Lanka
[10:31]  * pleia2 waves to everyone from middle-of-the-night California ;)
[10:31] <zkriesse> Hi ya'll and I'm from the US/Illinois
[10:32] <nigelb> \o from india
[10:32] <_marx_> north carolina
[10:32] <setac> Hi from Fiji
[10:32] <kbmonkey> Hi from South Africa :)
[10:32] <Pendulum> hiya from Connecticut
[10:32] <dwidge> howzit! South Africa
[10:32] <Lilspanyol> I'm from Belgium
[10:32] <kermiac> Hi from Australia :)
[10:33] <pleia2> great, sounds like we have quite a diverse crowd :)
[10:33]  * cjohnston wants to go to kermiac's house
[10:33] <Marceau> Belgian as well
[10:33] <pleia2> cjohnston: for the kangaroos?
[10:33] <Lilspanyol> Marceau : cool :)
[10:33] <cjohnston> sure
[10:33] <zkriesse> lol
[10:33] <kermiac> cjohnston: feel free to come over & have a beer mate.. yeah pleia2, we've got roo's out the back (but they're asleep right now)
[10:34] <pleia2> hehe
[10:34] <pleia2> Alrighty, So, what is this day all about anyway?
[10:34] <sebsebseb> I am from England
[10:34] <pleia2> User Days was created to be a set of classes offered during a one day period to teach the beginning or intermediate Ubuntu user the basics to get them started with Ubuntu, including:
[10:34] <zkriesse> kermiac: I don't drink but i'll take some coffee if ya got it
[10:34] <moorthykmd> Chennai, India
[10:34] <MichealH> pleia2: It is about getting users encouraged into ubuntu
[10:34] <MichealH> ???
[10:34] <pleia2> Basic Ubuntu Installation and Setup, Partitioning 101, Package Management Basics, Getting involved in the Ubuntu Community, Command Line Basics...
[10:35] <pleia2> MichealH: that too!
[10:35] <pleia2> ...and more! For our full schedule head over to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays
[10:35] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[10:35] <nigelb> The User Days Team has worked with Local Community Teams (LoCos), the Ubuntu Beginners Team, Ubuntu Classroom and the Ubuntu Community Learning Project and others within the wider community to bring this day to you.
[10:35] <nigelb> User Days was born out of a discussion at the Ubuntu Developers Summit in November 2009 regarding Ubuntu Open Week not being targeted enough at users.
[10:36] <Pendulum> Now, we will give you a quick rundown of how today will work:
[10:36] <Pendulum> Each hour, a presenter will be giving a class in this channel, #ubuntu-classroom
[10:36] <MichealH> Pendulum: Can we have a link for classroom schedule
[10:36] <ech0tk> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays
[10:36] <Pendulum> During the classes, #ubuntu-classroom will be moderated (+m), meaning that only the instructor and hosts will be able to speak in that channel.
[10:36] <MichealH> Thanks ech0tk
[10:36] <Pendulum> Please hold all discussion about the class in #ubuntu-classroom-chat
[10:37] <cjohnston> If you have a question during the class, please ask in #ubuntu-classroom-chat with the prefix QUESTION: for instance you may say:
[10:37] <cjohnston> QUESTION: How do you uninstall a program?
[10:37] <cjohnston> After each session (as soon as our volunteers can), we'll be posting logs on the wiki, so be sure to check back to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays if you missed anything.
[10:38] <cjohnston> Logs will also be automatically posted at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com at the end of each hour
[10:38] <_marx_> Since you're already here, you know how to participate, but in case you have a friend you'd like to invite, you can find some help on the Joining In wiki page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays/JoiningIn
[10:38] <_marx_> You may have seen articles about the Lernid application which is designed for learning events such as this, you can certainly try out Lernid for User Days: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lernid
[10:39] <_marx_> In Ubuntu 10.04, Lucid, to use lernid you just want to install the "lernid" package.
[10:39] <_marx_> Finally, before we get to some general Q&A in this introduction session, a big thanks to everyone who made this day possible :)
[10:39] <_marx_> So, does anyone have any general questions about the day?
[10:39] <Lilspanyol> Yes, I do
[10:40] <_marx_> ask away Lilspanyol
[10:41] <Lilspanyol> The next session will be quite hard to follow, ah?
[10:41] <Lilspanyol> Installing Ubuntu
[10:42] <Lilspanyol> But during the installation, I can't look at the IRC chat because I only have acces to my laptop at the moment
[10:42] <Lilspanyol> access
[10:42] <zkriesse> Lilspanyol: You wont' be installing at the time of the session. It's a basic guide
[10:42] <AlanBell> Lilspanyol: do you have virtualbox or vmware?
[10:43] <Lilspanyol> yup, thanks, I didn't consider that
[10:44] <Lilspanyol> Just for the sake of the class I'll be following it, because back when I installed Ubuntu Hardy, I messed up because of installing on the wrong partition
[10:45] <pleia2> any other questions about the day?
[10:48] <MichealH> pleia2: I dont think so
[10:48] <Lilspanyol> I don't. I hope to be able to follow some classes, but I'm having a busy day and it's so hot in belgium today
[10:49] <sebsebseb> Lilspanyol: You can read stuff later on, there will be logs as well.
[10:49] <sebsebseb> Lilspanyol: Its rather hot here as well
[10:49] <oneDoRa> its always hot in here :D
[10:51] <cjohnston> At the end of your day, please take the time to fill out our survey! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJ697T7
[10:52] <sometimesworks> is there a schedule somewhere - was expecting to see it in the topic
[10:52] <Lilspanyol> http://www.ubuntu-user.com/Online/Blogs/Amber-Graner-You-in-Ubuntu/Ubuntu-User-Days-Scheduled-for-July-10-11-2010
[10:52] <pleia2> sometimesworks: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays
[10:53] <Lilspanyol> got that link in the weekly Ubuntu Newsletter
[10:53] <pleia2> the schedule in the topic works too
[10:53] <sebsebseb> Lilspanyol: Maybe you missed my reply to installing in classroom chat, so i'll do it in here as well.
[10:53] <zkriesse> sometimesworks: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays
[10:53] <sebsebseb> Lilspanyol: Theres also a basic install guide in the Ubuntu Manual by the way and i'll sometimes help people get set up with an install with a seperate /home from #ubuntu
[10:53] <_marx_> you can just type /topic to see the topic
[10:53] <sebsebseb> !manual
[10:53] <ubot2> The Ubuntu Manual will help you become familiar with everyday tasks such as surfing the web, listening to music and scanning documents. With an emphasis on easy to follow instructions, it is suitable for all levels of experience. http://ubuntu-manual.org/
[10:53] <sometimesworks> pleia2: didn't see the odd link - was expecting a wiki one :)
[10:54] <sometimesworks> _marx_: I know ;)
[10:54] <Lilspanyol> i'll go to the classroom-chat channel ,see ya there guys
[10:54] <sebsebseb> Lilspanyol: You are already in there, but yeah see you there :)
[10:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[10:56] <ech0tk> Quick Question: How 'basic' is this user day? For the users who hasn't seen Ubuntu before or for the guys who used it for a couple months
[10:56] <cjohnston> ech0tk: yes...
[10:56] <pleia2> ech0tk: we start off with installation :) so it covers both
[10:56] <_marx_> both would fit i think
[10:56] <ech0tk> Alright
[10:56] <sebsebseb> ech0tk: For newbies mainly, but some of it could be still quite interesting for us more expereinced users.
[10:57] <MichealH> ech0tk: Of for peeps like me who have been here for 4 years, refreshing on basics
[10:58] <sebsebseb> ech0tk: (Well I don't know if you have used it for a while)
[11:02] <cjohnston> Zach Kriesse is a Mentor with the Ubuntu Beginners Team and Lead of the Wiki Focus Group. He's also a soon to be college student for an Associate of Arts degree (hopefully) in the Medical Field. An advocate of OpenSource software and the Ubuntu/Linux OS.
[11:04] <zkriesse> Ok so Basic Installation and Setup
[11:04] <zkriesse> While that topic may seem a bit daunting at first, it's much easier than it sounds
[11:05] <zkriesse> So, What is Ubuntu?
[11:05] <zkriesse> Ubuntu is a free, open-source, operating system that anyone can use and edit. And unlike Windows which only supports the NTFS and FAT file systems, Ubuntu supports a garden variety of file system formats. Ubuntu
[11:05] <zkriesse> Any questions before i continue?
[11:06] <zkriesse> Ok, Now a question that is good to ask of yourself is "Why Ubuntu? Why Windows?"
[11:07] <zkriesse> While there are certain aspects of Windows that you may find attractive, you must remember that Ubuntu and Linux in general is Open-source and a Community wide effort. Which means that not only is the workload of supporting the User spread out it's also much more friendly than say, Windows Tech support
[11:08] <zkriesse> Now, Types of Linux
[11:09] <zkriesse> What are they? While you may say, "Oh there's more than one? How on earth do i choose!" It's actually a bit easier to choose one than it seems
[11:10] <zkriesse> OpenSuse, Lubuntu, Red Hat, Fedora, Debian, these are all versions of Linux. But one of the more notable and somewhat easier to understand is Ubuntu
[11:11] <zkriesse> Ok, so Ubuntu. How to start using it
[11:12] <zkriesse> The first thing you should probably know is that there are two type releases of Ubuntu
[11:13] <zkriesse> One is the LTS type release and the other is a standard release
[11:13] <zkriesse> Now I'm sure you're wondering, What is LTS? What does it mean?
[11:14] <zkriesse> Well LTS Stands for "Long Term Support" which means that there will be a longer time of support and security updates for that particular version
[11:14] <zkriesse> Any questions before i move on?
[11:15] <zkriesse> No questions? Ok, moving on
[11:15] <zkriesse> Installation
[11:16] <zkriesse> Ok, to install Ubuntu first you're going to need a few things. One, is your computer, two: you'll need an Ubuntu LiveCD, and three: a cup of coffee
[11:17] <zkriesse> Now, what is the LiveCD? Well what the Live CD is, simply explained its the entire Ubuntu OS including all of the pertinent data to run a complete Operating System
[11:19] <zkriesse> Now to install Ubuntu you'll need to stick in that Live CD and boot your system (turn it on) whilst the CD is in your pc
[11:21] <zkriesse> you'll be presented with a few different options on boot up. One is, "Try without installing" or something to that affect. The other is "Install Ubuntu" The First option is recommend
[11:23] <zkriesse> If you go with the first option, (Try without installing) the Ubuntu Desktop will be booted up off of the CD and displayed before you on your monitor
[11:25] <zkriesse> Apologies folks...connection troubles today
[11:26] <zkriesse> Now, while in the Ubuntu OS, you have some options
[11:27] <zkriesse> You can either try it out and then install and wipe the system clean of your previous OS, you can continue trying it and then just shut it down, or you can install it Side-by-side with your first OS
[11:28] <zkriesse> Now, to install if you chose to try it first you'll notice a small icon on the desktop which says "Install Ubuntu"
[11:29] <zkriesse> Double click that "button" and it will start the install process.
[11:30] <zkriesse> The install process is fairly simple, you'll be presented with a menu where you'll first pick your language, your time (so the pc clock is correct) and then some other pertinent info such as user name and your password for the pc
[11:32] <zkriesse> After you enter all that you'll then have the option of where to install Ubuntu. You can either install it over the previous OS (meaning it will do a full wipe of everything) or side by side using the available space
[11:34] <zkriesse> If you choose the first option, Ubuntu will be the only OS running on the system. If you choose the second one, when you boot (turn on) your system you will have the option of picking either the first os or the second which would be Ubuntu
[11:35] <zkriesse> So, choose your installation type, and then click ok
[11:36] <zkriesse> Then the install process will start and all you have to do is wait until it finishes. Usually the install process takes about 25 to 30 minutes depending upon your system's capabilities.
[11:37] <ClassBot> oneDoRa75 asked: If I dual boot windows and ubuntu, will it harm my hdd?
[11:38] <zkriesse> No, doing a Dual Boot of Ubuntu and Windows will not harm your hdd. Unless you do something very, very, wrong you'll be just fine.
[11:40] <zkriesse> Ok so after the install process is finished the system will ask you to shut down and restart. When it does you'll be presented either with your new Ubuntu install (If you chose to install it by itself) or you'll be presented with the GRUB menu and from there you'll be able to choose to either boot into Ubuntu or your other OS (windows is assumed)
[11:41] <zkriesse> Now if you happened to do a dual boot of Ubuntu and Windows, you will be able to mount your windows partition whilst using Ubuntu
[11:42] <zkriesse> But the only to identify the drive is via its size. If you have a large hdd that shouldn't be an issue though.
[11:43] <zkriesse> Now if you want to choose to be able to mount the windows drive at your discretion it's a simple matter of doing so when in Ubuntu
[11:43] <ClassBot> xifer asked: can you dual boot a mac computer?
[11:44] <zkriesse> Depending upon the mac system yes it shouldn't be an issue.
[11:44] <zkriesse> The steps are to have OSX installed first and then install Ubuntu afterwards
[11:45] <zkriesse> Ok, any more questions?
[11:45] <zkriesse> I'm trying to not put too much on you guys at once
[11:46] <zkriesse> No questions? None at all?
[11:48] <zkriesse> Ok so no questions? Ok moving on then
[11:48] <zkriesse> got about ten minutes left
[11:49] <zkriesse> So, now that you've installed Ubuntu, what now?
[11:50] <ClassBot> Lilspanyol asked: Can I make GRUB autoboot windows without the menu showing up, so that when i press the 'on' button of my laptop, i press a key and GRUB shows up
[11:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[11:51] <zkriesse> Lilspanyol: there should be a way to do that but for more info look at
[11:51] <zkriesse> !grub2
[11:51] <zkriesse> GRUB2 is the default Ubuntu boot manager since Ubuntu 9.10.  For more information and troubleshooting for GRUB2 please refer to https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2
[11:52] <zkriesse> Sorry that I can't provide more info than that at this time
[11:52] <ClassBot> philinux asked: Can you mention the importance of doing backups before attempting a dual boot
[11:53] <zkriesse> Yes, BIG THING...please take heed. BEFORE you even attempt to do a dual boot of Ubuntu and Nix OS please do a full backup before you do anything else
[11:53] <ClassBot> purvesh asked: which is the Best way to recover grub, because if i'll repair windows then it will remove grub so i cant access to my Linux
[11:54] <zkriesse> To get ALOT of info on recovering Grub/Ubuntu after installing Windows please take a look at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RecoveringUbuntuAfterInstallingWindows
[11:54] <zkriesse> I'd try and do a bit more answering to that but i've got five minutes left
[11:55] <zkriesse> Ok so that's really all i got...sorry if it wasn't all you expected
[11:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[11:56] <zkriesse> So, any more questions?
[11:56] <ClassBot> xifer asked: what to da after install to get dvd etc working?
[11:56] <zkriesse> Ah good question
[11:57] <zkriesse> For DVD's please see https://help.ubuntu.com/10.04/musicvideophotos/C/video-dvd.html
[11:57] <zkriesse> IF ya got a question toss it at me!
[11:58] <zkriesse> I'll only be able to give a link(s) though...got two minutes left
[11:58] <ClassBot> philinux asked: Does lernid kee a log of this?
[11:58] <zkriesse> I'm pretty sure it does...
[11:59] <zkriesse> ok that's it!
[11:59] <zkriesse> Thanks for listening to my monologue!
[12:01] <cjohnston> Alan Bell is a director of The Open Learning Centre, a software consultancy company in the UK that works exclusively with Free and Open Source software. Alan and his family all use Ubuntu, however the chickens in the garden seem to prefer Kubuntu.
[12:01] <AlanBell> hi all
[12:01] <AlanBell> This session is about partitioning, and general arrangements of hard drives. Partitioning is a way of dividing up the storage on a hard drive so you can do different things with different bits of it.
[12:02] <AlanBell> Feel free to ask questions as we go along, I am happy to answer anything about partitioning and also anything about chickens.
[12:02] <AlanBell> and yes, my chickens really do use Kubuntu http://people.ubuntu.com/~alanbell/chicken.png
[12:02] <AlanBell> Partitioning is a bit of an advanced topic and was originally scheduled at the end of the user day, but as that 03:00 UK time I figured I would probably pass out before it started so got it shifted.
[12:03] <AlanBell> I don't want to start by putting off my audience, but if you are looking to install Ubuntu for the very first time this session may be overkill, just run through the standard installer and it will make sensible default choices for you.
[12:03] <AlanBell> It will either create one big partition for your whole disk or if you have another operating system installed it may offer to resize it and install alongside.
[12:04] <AlanBell> This session is for those who want to arrange their disks in a more specialised way, and to teach some of the history and low level background to the terminology around partitioning.
[12:04] <AlanBell> So why might you want to do anything different with your partitions?
[12:04] <AlanBell> The most common reason is to separate /home from the rest of the operating system.
[12:05] <AlanBell> abhi_nav: I guess they are khickens or something yes!
[12:05] <AlanBell> That means that with a bit of care you can totally nuke from orbit the rest of the disk and reinstall ubuntu or another distro, or any UNIX like operating system that wants to see a /home partition.
[12:06] <AlanBell> You can have a dual boot system allowing you to boot into for example Ubuntu and Debian but both operating systems having the same /home partition.
[12:06] <AlanBell> Just remember a load of settings live in /etc along with the user passwords (unless you are using an external directory such as LDAP to authenticate against) /home isn't quite everything that is important.
[12:07] <AlanBell> It could be that you want *Extreme* performance!
[12:07] <AlanBell> In theory, if you create one partition of about a quarter of the total size of the drive that should be on the outer rim of the platter and spinning faster and all the data on it closer together so the read head doesn't have to move much to get to any given bit of data. You waste 75% of the drive, but hey it might be a bit faster!
[12:07] <AlanBell> If anyone actually tries that I would be interested in some benchmark results to see if it really makes any difference whatsoever!
[12:08] <AlanBell> that is called short stroking. Seems a bit excessive to me.
[12:08] <AlanBell> You could also have multiple file systems optimised for different use patterns, for example log files and couchdb databases only ever get appended to so you might not want a filesystem that is optimised for lots of small dynamic files for that bit of your data. To be honest I think that is over-thinking the situation again.
[12:09] <AlanBell> partitions impose a rather firm size limit on their contents, you can take advantage of this, particularly on a server by putting things that grow in separate partitions from things that get upset if the disk runs out of space
[12:10] <AlanBell> so putting /var/log in a partition means that if it fills up the logging breaks, but other stuff should carry on
[12:11] <AlanBell> anyone think of other reasons to use a more complex than default partition system?
[12:11] <AlanBell> kbmonkey: yes, we will come on to drive letters and the numbering system in Ubuntu
[12:12] <ClassBot> JR0cket76 asked: does a more advanced partitioning scheme make backups easier or harder?
[12:12] <AlanBell> yay, got classbot working
[12:13] <AlanBell> hmm, good question
[12:13] <AlanBell> generally you back up mounted filesystems rather than partitions
[12:14] <AlanBell> so I don't think the number of partitions would make that much difference from a backup perspective
[12:14] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: I have ubuntu installed on one single partition. can i separate my /home now? with as possible as less effort?
[12:15] <AlanBell> yes you can, probably with more effort than would be desired!
[12:15] <AlanBell> basically you have to copy /home to another partition, then mount the other partition on top of where /home was
[12:16] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: I am wishing for distro hopping. so do you recommend me to make my /home separate now at this point? because as I said now alrady my ubuntu is setup very nicely and it is working very good. I dotn want to ruin. it.
[12:17] <AlanBell> yeah, not a bad idea, if you actually want to work and access your stuff on multiple distros
[12:17] <AlanBell> however do watch out for stuff like different versions of firefox getting upset with the shared .mozilla area and so on.
[12:18] <AlanBell> ok, lets carry on a bit
[12:18] <AlanBell> Lets look at what partitions really are.
[12:18] <AlanBell> A disk is a spinning hunk of magnetised metal called the platter, with a read write head floating just above the surface which can move back and forth along a radius of the circular platter.
[12:18] <AlanBell> There are normally multiple platters stacked on the same axle or spindle, and multiple read/write heads. The ring of the platters with the heads at a certain position is called a cylinder
[12:19] <AlanBell> so cylinders are kind of the bit of disk traced out by the heads as the disk spins, remember I mentioned putting data in the outer 25% of the disk, that is what cylinders are.
[12:19] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: Ubuntu and other distros have Ext4 now as the default file system.  However does it really matter what file system is used  for  /  or seperate /home  or seperate /boot for example?
[12:19] <AlanBell> don't think so for those ones
[12:20] <AlanBell> although actually a transaction log of a journaled filesystem on a really small partition like /boot might be an unneccessary overhead
[12:21] <AlanBell> kcj1993: apparently the outer portion of a disk is faster, not entirely sure I believe it.
[12:22] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: Whats a transaction log?  Also  I think that people normally go with Ext2 or Ext3 when doing seperate /boot, rather than Ext4, because of unneeded features?
[12:23] <AlanBell> ext4 is a journaled filsystem, which means it writes stuff before it commits it so there is never a half written file hanging about if the power gets cut
[12:25] <AlanBell> each save is a "transaction" I am not sure that ext4 actually calls it a transaction log though, I may be getting my terminology confused with more database type journaling
[12:26] <AlanBell> anyhow, the outside 512 bytes of data, before the first partition is called the Master Boot Record
[12:26] <AlanBell> Inside this little nugget of data there are four 16 byte areas, into which is crammed a load of information about the 4 possible partitions.
[12:26] <AlanBell> You may be thinking that four partitions is a pretty low limit, and you would be right
[12:26] <AlanBell> that dates back a *long* time, most limits in the PC architecture from the past have been removed, but that one is in a pretty awkward place, there really isn't room in the master boot record for anything more sophisticated
[12:27] <AlanBell> The way we get more partitions is to use the first one to put stuff in, but use one of the others (generally the second one) as a holder of the "extended partitions"
[12:27] <AlanBell> So partition 1 is used as a partition, i.e. for storing your stuff in.
[12:27] <AlanBell> partition 2 holds the extended partitions
[12:27] <AlanBell> 3 and 4 are not used (normally)
[12:27] <AlanBell> partitions 5,6,7 . . . are the extended partitions that live inside partition 2
[12:28] <AlanBell> lets see what that looks like for real
[12:28] <AlanBell> from an Ubuntu terminal prompt try typing
[12:28] <AlanBell> sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda
[12:28] <AlanBell> you should get something like this
[12:28] <AlanBell> http://paste.ubuntu.com/461528/
[12:29] <AlanBell> ok, so lets go through this bit by bit, why did we say "sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda"
[12:29] <AlanBell> sudo allows us to run dangerous commands, stuff that can mess up other users of the computer
[12:30] <AlanBell> Unix like systems are designed to support many users at once and prevent them from hurting each other (Unix came from universities where they let students use them so users are presumed to be clever, clumsy and sometimes hostile!)
[12:30] <AlanBell> Messing with the partition table on a shared computer could really spoil someone's day, so we use sudo (but don't worry we are not going to break anything today)
[12:30] <AlanBell> fdisk is a command for manipulating "fixed disks" and the partition tables on them
[12:31] <AlanBell> -l tells it to list a partition table (today "look but don't touch" is the rule, we don't want to break anything)
[12:31] <AlanBell> /dev/sda is the device that we want it to examine, /dev is where all the hardware devices live
[12:32] <AlanBell> sd means it is a SCSI or SATA disk (as opposed to the old IDE disks which started with "hd")
[12:32] <AlanBell> and "a" means it is the first physical disk
[12:32] <AlanBell> b would be the next one and so on
[12:32] <AlanBell> if you plug in a USB memory stick that will be given a letter the same way
[12:33] <ClassBot> kbmonkey asked: How can I see a list of drives in my system?
[12:35] <AlanBell> if you do fdisk -l without specifying a disk it will list all that it knows about
[12:35] <AlanBell> you can see them all in /dev as well
[12:35] <AlanBell> and in /dev/disk if you want to see the UUID of each one
[12:36] <AlanBell> ok, so looking at my disk http://paste.ubuntu.com/461528/ what is it telling us?
[12:36] <AlanBell> lines 4-9 are various stats about the size of the disk, this is a 320GB disk
[12:36] <ClassBot> Gryllida asked: why didn't you mention that I need to defragment the hdd before setting the dual boot?
[12:37] <AlanBell> err, you don't really. It is a decent time to to it I suppose
[12:37] <AlanBell> you should defragment before resizing a partition, because that shuffles all the data up together so it can be shrunk
[12:38] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: does frequent partitiong the harddrive decreases its life and/or performance? or in other word how I should not do partitioning that will damage my hdd?
[12:38] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: what is UUID?
[12:38] <AlanBell> it won't change the life or performance of the drive
[12:39] <AlanBell> I guess frequent partitioning increases the probability that you will accidentally delete the wrong partition! but beyond that it should be fine.
[12:40] <AlanBell> a UUID is a big long number that uniquely identifies a disk, things are moving to referring to those more so they get it right if you plug the disks in a different order
[12:40] <AlanBell> so the fstab file (which I will mention a bit later) can refer to disks by their device name or UUID
[12:41] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: Ok, but only Windows partitiosn get defragmented first in that case?   I mean Linux partitions don't tend to get defragmented if ever?
[12:41] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: you said that it wont chante the life of drive? so in other words can you say that i can partition a hdd with any number of times with any filesystem? still not damaging it?
[12:41] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: What optimizations does Ubuntu have in place to accommidate detection and correct partitioning of SSD cards, e.g. a swap partition on an SSD is a bad idea (or so sayth the mighty Dave Jones)
[12:42] <AlanBell> ok, firstly yeah linux doesn't have the defrag problems that windows does. I think that is mostly because it doesn't get so upset when things get fragmented
[12:43] <AlanBell> yeah, partition away, don't worry about it damaging stuff physically, it is just data . . . however. . . .
[12:43] <AlanBell> the next question was about swap on SSD
[12:44] <AlanBell> and yes, there may be an issue on some SSD or flash drives with constant writes and reads from the same point of the disk
[12:45] <AlanBell> I am not aware of anything that prevents you doing that in Ubuntu (the operating system doesn't really know much about whether a drive is ssd or hdd physically)
[12:45] <AlanBell> but yeah, swap on SSD might be bad for the SSD.
[12:46] <AlanBell> That said, it would be a pretty damn good swap area.
[12:46] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: Specifically I would like to eventually replace all my computers HDD drives with small fast SSDs and rely on network and cloud storage, but I am worried that Ubuntu currently won't correctly setup for SSD cards ad thus will cause additional unneeded wear
[12:46] <ClassBot> Marceau asked: Is scratch really necessary in Linux? Is it the same as virtual memory/paging?
[12:47] <AlanBell> well I don't think modern SSDs have the problems that the early ones did, I think the drive controllers shuffle stuff about to prevent that
[12:48] <AlanBell> when you install ubuntu you can specify whether you want swap or not. If you have plenty of memory you don't need it.
[12:48] <AlanBell> ok, so looking at my disk http://paste.ubuntu.com/461528/ what is it telling us?
[12:48] <AlanBell> 11-14 is the partition table, this is a default install of Ubuntu
[12:48] <AlanBell> line 12 is the details of /dev/sda1 that is the device that corresponds to partition 1 of the physical disk /dev/sda
[12:48] <AlanBell> It is a bootable partition, the little asterisk tells us that
[12:48] <AlanBell> next is the start and end positions of the partition, in cylinders
[12:49] <AlanBell> next bit is the ID, in this instance 83 which is just a number corresponding to the fact that this partition is going to be used for a linux filesystem
[12:49] <AlanBell> as opposed to ntfs or fat or one of a couple of hundred of other filesystem possibilities
[12:49] <AlanBell> line 13 is /dev/sda2, this is used for nothing other than as a placeholder for the extended partitions
[12:49] <AlanBell> line 14 is /dev/sda5 which is my swap partition
[12:50] <AlanBell> so that is why you end up with sda2 that seems to do nothing
[12:50] <AlanBell> and sda3 and 4 which are missing
[12:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[12:50] <ClassBot> Gryllida asked: why is it '/dev/'? what does it stand for?
[12:50] <ClassBot> matematikaadit asked: how much memory that must we have in the case we don't want to use swap?
[12:51] <AlanBell> dev stands for devices
[12:51] <AlanBell> everything in linux is treated like a file that you can read and write to
[12:52] <AlanBell> so a soundcard device might live in /dev too and you can read from the microphone and write to the speakers
[12:52] <AlanBell> these devices are raw disks (sda) and partitions on them (sda1)
[12:52] <AlanBell> matematikaadit: I would say that anything over 1GB you can get away with no swap, but the more the merrier
[12:53] <ClassBot> Gryllida asked: how do I list all devices - the /dev/ ones?
[12:53] <AlanBell> ls /dev
[12:53] <AlanBell> Partitions are just bits of disks where raw data can be put. they don't have much organisation in them, you can't store files on them as such. For that you need a filesystem
[12:54] <AlanBell> The swap partition is a little different, it has no filesystem it is just raw disk that the kernel uses to temporarily store chunks of memory that it doesn't want right now. Swap to raw disk has less overhead than using a swap file inside a filesystem
[12:54] <AlanBell> you can create a filesystem in an empty partition using the mkfs command, something like
[12:54] <AlanBell> sudo mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sdax
[12:54] <AlanBell> Where x is the partition number you want to TOTALLY TRASH and install a filesystem on. Please don't break your computer with this command!
[12:54] <AlanBell> once you have a partition created, with a filesystem on it you can mount that in your own directory structure. For example you might mount it at the /home position if that partition was to contain all your user directories.
[12:55] <AlanBell> The /etc/fstab file stores information about all your filesystems and where they should be mounted as bootup.
[12:55] <AlanBell> you can also mount filesystems on the fly with the mount and unmount commands.
[12:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[12:55] <ClassBot> philinux asked: I've set mine up without extended. Just used 3 primary / /swap and /home. Any problem with this
[12:56] <AlanBell> so they are sda1, sda2 and sda3 right?
[12:56] <AlanBell> no great problem with that, just don't use sda4 for anything else, or you won't have anywhere to put the extended partitions if you want them
[12:57] <ClassBot> philinux asked: "I've set mine up without extended. Just used 3 primary / /swap and /home. Any problem with this"
[12:57] <ClassBot> Marceau asked: How do you mount a partition in a directory structure
[12:57] <ClassBot> philinux asked: correct
[12:57] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: is it recommended to install on whole single partition or have separate partitoin for /,/home,/boot,/tmp etc?
[12:58] <AlanBell> Marceau: sudo mkdir /mnt/myplace
[12:58] <AlanBell> Marceau: sudo mount /dev/sdax /mnt/myplace
[12:58] <AlanBell> so that will mount the filesystem that lives in /dev/sdax into the /mnt/myplace area of your directory structure
[12:59] <AlanBell> the place you are going to mount (the mountpoint) should exist, but does not have to be empty
[12:59] <AlanBell> although you won't get to the contents of it whilst something is mounted on top of it
[13:00] <AlanBell> abhi_nav: for a general use desktop PC I would go with the default "one hulking great big partition" (+swap) configuration
[13:00] <cjohnston> Shrinivasan, is a open source lover, who lives in Chennai, India. He talks about open source philosophies in local colleges and schools.  Currently he is giving technical support to subversion and TeamForge at CollabNet. He runs a weekly newsletter "FossNews" and a blog for Foss Jobs.
[13:01] <shrini> hello friends
[13:01] <shrini> good to to see you all here
[13:02] <shrini> "Ubuntu One" is a fantastic feature that comes with ubuntu for free
[13:02] <shrini> to make your files and folders follow you whereever you go
[13:02] <shrini> It started with ubuntu 9.10
[13:02] <shrini> can be installed in ubuntu 9.04 too
[13:03] <shrini> ubuntu 10.04 makes it much better with added features
[13:03] <ClassBot> Gryllida asked: why is it called 'Ubuntu One'? Is it open source as well?
[13:03] <shrini> it is not open source still.
[13:04] <shrini> it is a personal cloud to store our files in the canonical's server
[13:04] <shrini> it is free only
[13:04] <shrini> not open
[13:04] <shrini> it is like the "DropBox" service
[13:04] <shrini> clients are open
[13:05] <shrini> and you can develop you own clients too. :-)
[13:05] <shrini> It has the following features
[13:05] <shrini> 1. storing your files and folders
[13:05] <shrini> 2. publish them online to easy access
[13:05] <shrini> 3. store and sync contacts
[13:06] <shrini> 4. store and sync Notes
[13:06] <shrini> 5. sync book marks
[13:06] <shrini> 6. Sync contact from mobile
[13:07] <shrini> 7. Buy Music from stores
[13:07] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: how much secure is storing our sensible files on ubuntu one? can we encrypt it?
[13:07] <shrini> storing files online is just like storing your emails and attachments with gmail. :-)
[13:09] <shrini> ubuntu one uses ssl encryption for the file transfers. so it is secured one.
[13:09] <shrini> http://one.ubuntu.com is the homepage
[13:09] <shrini> Canonical gives 2GB of free space to every ubuntu user in the world
[13:09] <shrini> If you need more space, you can buy it for 10$/minth
[13:09] <shrini> 10$/month
[13:10] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: Is Phone sync support expected be expanded to the N900 (Maemo) or MeeGo any time in the future
[13:12] <shrini> yes
[13:12] <shrini> They are adding more phones and models
[13:12] <shrini> check them here. https://one.ubuntu.com/phones
[13:12] <shrini> Let us look at Installation
[13:12] <shrini> If you use ubuntu 10.04, it is already there. :-)
[13:12] <shrini> Look at the top right "Me Menu"
[13:12] <shrini> where you give about your status and details
[13:13] <shrini> Click on the "Ubuntu One" item
[13:13] <shrini> Thats all.
[13:13] <shrini> Firefox opens a page asking for you to create account or login
[13:13] <shrini> If you have a Launchpad account, use the same login
[13:13] <shrini> it is SSO enabled
[13:14] <shrini> If you dont have an account, you can create now
[13:14] <shrini> After login, you have to add your computer to the cloud.
[13:15] <shrini> It will show the "hostname" of your computer.
[13:15] <shrini> Click "Subscribe and Add this computer"
[13:15] <shrini> Viola!
[13:15] <shrini> You are added to the "Ubuntu One" Cloud
[13:15] <shrini> You will see the "Ubuntu One Preference" Window
[13:16] <shrini> click "connect" button
[13:16] <shrini> Thats all
[13:16] <shrini> you can get much information on https://one.ubuntu.com/support/installation/
[13:22] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: Is there a plan to offer a calendar and todo list syncing as well. It would be really useful especially for platforms like phones (thinking specifically of MeeGo here but android is also a candidate)
[13:22] <shrini> for now, there is no plan for calendar and todo list
[13:22] <shrini> we can add it later
[13:22] <shrini> The apis provide facilities to create our own application
[13:23] <shrini> to sync with ubuntu one.
[13:23] <shrini> you can get the development details in #ubuntuone
[13:24] <ClassBot> Gryllida asked: what is the location of ubuntu1 servers? how many are there?
[13:24] <shrini> The files are stored in amazon S3 servers in USA
[13:25] <shrini> Not did research on how many servers are there
[13:26] <ClassBot> Marceau asked: So what is the advantage of Ubuntu one over Gmail or Google docs?
[13:26] <shrini> You can not sync files with the size of 50MB in gmail
[13:27] <shrini> here, you can sync any files
[13:27] <shrini> your contacts, notes, bookmarks, music
[13:27] <shrini> The new feature is
[13:27] <shrini> you can sync any folder in your home
[13:28] <shrini> right click it, "Synchronize with ubuntu one"
[13:28] <shrini> this will sync all the content of the folder
[13:28] <shrini> to the cloud
[13:28] <shrini> Inside that folder, right click on any file
[13:29] <shrini> "Publish via ubuntu one"
[13:31] <shrini> it will sync the file and
[13:31] <shrini> give you a url
[13:31] <shrini> you can share the url with your friends to get that files quickly
[13:31] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: Currently all my U1MS downloads in Banshee are stalled in "Transferring to Ubuntu One storage". So far your service isn't really that impressive, what improvements can we expect in the 10.10 timeframe
[13:35] <shrini> There may be a network issue
[13:35] <shrini> a lot of new features are getting added there
[13:36] <shrini> keep watching http://voices.canonical.com/ubuntuone/
[13:36] <shrini> for new announces
[13:36] <shrini> You can sync your evolution contacts
[13:36] <shrini> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOne/Tutorials/Contacts
[13:37] <shrini> you can have ubuntu one address book and make it to sync with the cloud
[13:37] <shrini> you can sync the Tomboy notes
[13:38] <shrini> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOne/Tutorials/Notes
[13:39] <shrini> The Firefox bookmarks are sync'ed
[13:39] <shrini> so that you can have the bookmarks with you always
[13:39] <shrini> The new feature today is Music Store
[13:40] <shrini> you can buy music from 5 regional stores
[13:41] <shrini> The good news is there is no limit of 2GB if you buy music
[13:41] <shrini> your music will follow you as you move around computers
[13:42] <ClassBot> Gryllida asked: $10 / months of what additional storage?
[13:42] <shrini> you can get 50GB
[13:42] <shrini> https://one.ubuntu.com/plans/
[13:42] <shrini> this page explains the plans
[13:43] <shrini> There is a web interface too
[13:43] <shrini> where you can create, edit, delete the files, folders, notes, bookmarks, etc
[13:43] <shrini> you can share any object with your friends
[13:44] <shrini> you can right click a folder, "Share on ubuntu one"
[13:44] <shrini> give the contact details
[13:44] <shrini> he will get a notification email with the link
[13:44] <shrini> he can see those files in his shared folder
[13:44] <ClassBot> Gryllida asked: s/months/month/
[13:44] <shrini> it is 10$/month
[13:45] <shrini> you can do all the things with the web interface also
[13:45] <shrini> syncing with phones is the very new feature
[13:46] <shrini> https://one.ubuntu.com/phones
[13:46] <shrini> select the phone and model
[13:46] <shrini> you will get the settings, username and password
[13:46] <shrini> enter those details in your phone and
[13:46] <shrini> sync your contacts in the cloud
[13:47] <shrini> there are more interesting developments are going
[13:47] <shrini> as clients for other distro/ OS
[13:47] <shrini> screen sharing
[13:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[13:53] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: hey i want to clear that I dont asked if transmission is encryted. I want to know that if the files stores in the server are encryted or not?
[13:54] <shrini> the files are not encrypted in server
[13:54] <shrini> because, you can share the files and folders with your friends
[13:54] <shrini> they can access it even via a URL
[13:55] <shrini> The development team is so energetic and
[13:55] <shrini> have a good roadmap
[13:55] <shrini> you can talk to them in #ubuntuone
[13:55] <shrini> they support they give is awesome
[13:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[13:55] <shrini> as still there are ubuntuforumw.org
[13:55] <shrini> Forum – http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=367
[13:55] <shrini> FAQ – https://answers.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntuone/+faqs
[13:56] <shrini> LP answers – https://answers.launchpad.net/~ubuntuone-users
[13:56] <shrini> LP project page – https://launchpad.net/~ubuntuone-users
[13:56] <shrini> You are welcome to report bugs here.
[13:56] <shrini> Bugs – https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntuone-client
[13:56] <ClassBot> Gryllida asked: does Ubuntu One mean shell access to some server, or only file sync service?
[13:56] <shrini> no shell access
[13:56] <shrini> only file sync
[13:57] <shrini> Use ubuntuone
[13:57] <shrini> make sure that your files are following you and your friends
[13:57] <shrini> Ofcourse, sharing is caring
[13:57] <shrini> Any questions?
[13:58] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: forgive me, but what is ubuntu one? I mean how it is different from storing my files in google docs or in any email?
[13:58] <shrini> it is a file sync service
[13:58] <shrini> you can sync files online
[13:58] <shrini> and access from anywhere
[13:58] <shrini> you can share with friens
[13:58] <shrini> learn more at http://one.ubuntu.com
[13:59] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: beam.smp which appears to be part of the couchdb stuff tends to occasionally run amok and use an awful lot of CPU. Is there a wiki page with U1 debugging hints to make bugreports more useful
[14:00] <shrini> you can talk about this in #ubuntuone
[14:00] <shrini> people will help you to give you better service
[14:01] <cjohnston> Up next is ccm
[14:01] <ccm> hi there
[14:02] <ccm> well
[14:02] <ccm> Let me shortly introduce myself
[14:02] <ccm> I am ccm which happens to mean "Caspar Clemens Mierau" from Berlin/Germany
[14:03] <ccm> I am quite active in the "Ubuntu Berlin" user group (with a short baby break currently) and mainly care for events like our well known release parties, workshops, etc.
[14:04] <ccm> Personally I am actually more in the server and command line business, but we will see today that command line and gui don't have be totally separate
[14:04] <ccm> which leads me to my topic for this lesson:
[14:04] <ccm> I'd like to introduce "Gnome-Do" to you, which is a great tool for enhancing your productivity
[14:05] <ccm> If you are desperate now by reading "Gnome" - also KDE and users of other system can use Gnome-Do
[14:05] <ccm> So what is Gnome-Do?
[14:06] <ccm> Gnome-Do is a kind of "graphical shell" enabling you to issue commands by typing rather than clicking - but it is different from a command line shell as it concentrates on graphical interaction
[14:06] <ccm> If you happened to sit in front of OS X you might know the open source project "Quicksilver" from there
[14:07] <ccm> "Gnome-Do" is actually heavily inspired by this project but it goes a step further
[14:07] <ccm> The homepage of Gnome-Do is located at: http://do.davebsd.com/
[14:08] <ccm> you should save this link as you'll need it from time to time if you want to get a Gnome-Do "pro" (which you don't have to at all)
[14:08] <ccm> so let's start by installing Gnome-Do
[14:09] <ccm> If you haven't done so far launch/use your prefered package manager and install the package "gnome-do" (e.g. via Software Center, apt-get, Synaptic or similar)
[14:09] <ccm> I am using Ubuntu Lucid, but you can also use an older version
[14:10] <ccm> The package is quite small so it shouldn't take longer than a minute to download and install
[14:10] <ccm> Gnome-Do is split in several archives, but you should get everything you need to start by just installing "gnome-do"
[14:11] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: whats the command line to install gnome-do is it sudo apt-get install gnome-do?
[14:11] <ccm> abhi_nav: yes, that is one way to do so
[14:11] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: currently the default placement and theme is a bit daunting (while very useful). Is there a plan to develop a more streamlined gnome-do type shell more visually in line with say the google search applet in Unity or the standard gnome run application
[14:11] <ccm> dnielsen: there are already at least four themes - you can try the other ones
[14:12] <ccm> dnielsen: please not that you can change the background color of a theme
[14:12] <ccm> dnielsen: that might help you fitting it perfectly to your desktop
[14:12] <ClassBot> tillux asked: will there be custom theme support for gnome-do?
[14:13] <ccm> tillux: actually I don't know (yet) - as Gnome-Do is a Mono application (which is it's main disadvantace in my eyes), self-development and custimization is rather difficulty at this point
[14:14] <ClassBot> tillux asked: how actively is gnome-do being developed, at the moment?
[14:14] <ccm> tillux: the last months slowed down the project. there are some bugs which need to be solved, but I am sure the project will continue
[14:14] <ccm> ok, let's go ahead
[14:15] <ccm> you'll find Gnome-Do in your application menu or can quick start it via <F2>gnome-do<ENTER>
[14:16] <ccm> actually I like this way of launching it as it feels a bit gnome-do-ish already
[14:16] <ccm> now you have gnome-do running
[14:16] <ccm> you can launch the interface by pressing <CTRL>-<SPACE> at the same time
[14:17] <ccm> (if this interferes with a key combination you are already using: you can change this)
[14:17] <ccm> atually you should see a small window stating "Type to search"
[14:17] <ccm> uh well, let's do so
[14:17] <ccm> the easiest way of using Gnome-Do is launching applications
[14:18] <ccm> so type "fire"
[14:18] <ccm> you should be prompted "Firefox"
[14:18] <ccm> but maybe you have installed the game "Frets on Fire" and it'l display the game?
[14:18] <ccm> just use your cursor keys
[14:19] <ccm> press <DOWN> and you'll get a menu with all hits on "fire"
[14:19] <ccm> as you might see already here
[14:19] <ccm> Gnome-Do does not search by terms
[14:19] <ccm> it searches by letters
[14:20] <ccm> so "fire" matches "firefox" but also "Fast InteRactivE"
[14:20] <ccm> so it matches letter by letter
[14:20] <ccm> this is really nice but also confusing for first time users
[14:21] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: some of us miss the integration with docky, is there any way to get that back now that they are separate projects?
[14:21] <ccm> dnielsen: there is a ppa for ubuntu
[14:22] <ccm> dnielsen: have a look at https://launchpad.net/~do-core/+archive/ppa
[14:22] <ccm> dnielsen: this is actually the way for running "bleeding edge" versions of Gnome-Do but there might be also older versions
[14:22] <ccm> so let's go on
[14:22] <ccm> we just had a look at the application launcher
[14:22] <ccm> you can search for installed applications by typing letters
[14:23] <ccm> you navigate in the results by using the cursor keys
[14:23] <ccm> Gnome-Do "learns" by your usage often used applications
[14:24] <ccm> So you might only need to type "f" for matching "Firefox" after some hours/days of usage
[14:24] <ccm> you are already in the middle of leaving your mouse where it is and start to control your interface by typing which is mich faster
[14:24] <ccm> but Gnome-Do is far more than a simple application launcher
[14:25] <ccm> let's use gnome-do for making a screenshot
[14:25] <ccm> Gnome-Do ships a lot of plugins
[14:25] <ccm> nearly every feature is a separate plugin
[14:26] <ccm> when you start the interface by ctrl-space you'll see a small arrow at upper right corner
[14:26] <ccm> click it and you'll see a menu
[14:27] <ccm> there you'll see the "Preferences"
[14:27] <ccm> click it
[14:27] <ccm> the third tab from the left is named "Plugins"
[14:28] <ccm> make sure the checkbox at the plugin "GNOME Screenshot" is marked
[14:29] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: ctrl + sace is assigned for kyboard layout bedefault. whats the shortcut for gnome do ?
[14:29] <ccm> ClassBot: actually that is, but you can change it to SUPER-space for instance
[14:29] <ccm> (super is the Windows-key in most cases()
[14:29] <ccm> so let's take screenshot
[14:30] <ccm> start gnome-do with ctrl-space
[14:30] <ccm> type "screenshot"
[14:30] <ccm> you'll probably see something like "Take Screenshot"
[14:31] <ccm> if you confirm this you'll probably notice that it only launches the default gnome do screenshot interface
[14:31] <ccm> close it
[14:31] <ccm> againg use gnome-do and type screenshot
[14:32] <ccm> this time use the cursor key to navigate to the (probably second) entry with the subtitle "Takes a screenshot with optional delay"
[14:32] <ccm> if you just press enter now you'll already see a save dialog for a ready screenshot
[14:33] <ccm> but we want ... more
[14:33] <ccm> again type "screenshot" into gnome-do, navigate to the "... optional delay"-entry and press <TAB>
 is a very important key in Gnome-Do as it let's you jump to next window inside do
[14:34] <ccm> in this example you see "Whole screen" there
[14:34] <ccm> now use the curso key (press down) to change it's value
[14:34] <ccm> for instance to "current window"
[14:35] <ccm> pretty nice - isn't it? you just bypass the the default settings diagogue but are still able to choose
[14:35] <ccm> play around for some seconds with it
[14:35] <ccm> you'll see that you can also set a delay by pressing <TAB> for a second time
[14:36] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: I meant more like running do as a service which docky could plug into so we could have do integrate in interesting places
[14:36] <ccm> dnielsen: actually I don't use docky, so I am not into this "business"
[14:36] <ClassBot> ech0tk asked: Everytime I want to search for some I'll have to go Alt + F2, Gnome Do, Type in my letters such as "Fire", Just to launch firefox. Seems a bit complicated?
[14:37] <ccm> ech0tk: no you just press CTRL-SPACE at the same time and gnome-do should pop up as it stays in background
[14:37] <ccm> you can also make sure that it displays an icon in the notification area
[14:38] <ccm> just go to the Preferences/General - there is a is a checkbox for this this
[14:38] <ccm> you can also check there if Gnome-Do launches at login
[14:38] <ccm> which is generally a good idea
[14:38] <ClassBot> dnielsen asked: the ppa lacks support for lucid and maverick in both stable and testers. Am I missing something?
[14:39] <ccm> dnielsen: as Gnome-Do is a Mono application I'd be brave in your case and'd try to install a version for an older Ubuntu release
[14:39] <ClassBot> dom96 asked: How do you use the plugins? For example the Firefox plugin, selecting the 'Browse history option' doesn't do anything.
[14:39] <ccm> dom96: good question
[14:39] <ccm> Let me talk about the plugins
[14:39] <ccm> We already had a glance at the plugins menu
[14:39] <ccm> there you can enable and disable plugins
[14:40] <ccm> it is generally a good idea to start with a few plugins as you otherwise might get too many hits for a search
[14:40] <ccm> some plugins have a settings/preferences dialogue
[14:40] <ccm> e.g. credentials for online services
[14:41] <ccm> most plugins in Gnome-Do have to "index" contents
[14:41] <ccm> what does that mean?
[14:41] <ccm> like a search engine Gnome-Do has to crawl entries and build a search index
[14:42] <ccm> so when you start Gnome-Do or activate a plugin it starts crawling through the specific content
[14:42] <ccm> the side effect is that especially short time after start with a slow/disconnected line you might get few or no hits so far
[14:43] <ccm> so one second after Gnome-Do's start it might even not find "Firefox" at all
[14:43] <ccm> this is more less by design and you just have to know it
[14:43] <ClassBot> theneoindian asked: fine with applications , does it support file searching ?
[14:44] <ccm> theneoindian: yes, there are several plugins for this
[14:44] <ccm> theneoindian: some for file name searching but also interfaces to locate or desktop search engines
[14:44] <ccm> theneoindian: please keep in mind that indexing your whole hard disk might take a long time for Gnome-Do
[14:45] <ccm> dom96: but back to your question
[14:45] <ccm> if your are unsure of how to use a specific plugin
[14:45] <ccm> have a look at the online documentation
[14:45] <ccm> dom96: in your case: http://do.davebsd.com/wiki/Firefox_Plugin
[14:46] <ccm> every plugin has a neat page telling you all commands and their options/usage
[14:46] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: in which sense is gnome-do different from google desktop. i press ctrl + ctrl for google desktop and it searches for any program or file for me
[14:47] <ccm> abhi_nav: Google Desktop does not take screenshots, crawls online services like remember and so on
[14:47] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: if I use gnome-do and google desktop both then will it affect performance of interent and my computer? becaues I guess both require to index files and folders? I enabled file folder in gnome-do too
[14:48] <ccm> abhi_nav: actually I don't use Gnome-Do for file indexing purposes as there are better applications for this in my eyes, yes
[14:48] <ccm> my hint is: Gnome-Do gives you an interface to a lot of routines and online services
[14:48] <ccm> I for mylsef for instance use "remember the milk"
[14:48] <ccm> this is an online to do tasklist service
[14:49] <ccm> instead of using a web browser to add and edit tasks I can just use the Gnome-Do interface
[14:49] <ccm> by typing "task ..." and so on
[14:49] <ccm> most common services like twitter have a specific plugin
[14:50] <ccm> let's make a more complicated example
[14:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[14:50] <ccm> go to a browser and copy an url to your clipboard
[14:51] <ccm> now check in the Preferences of Gnome Do that tiny url plugin is activated
[14:51] <ccm> there is a search box in the plugin menu so you can easily find it
[14:51] <ccm> if you are ready launch Gnome Do and type
[14:51] <ccm> "tiny"
[14:52] <ccm> it already states "Make tiny url"
[14:52] <ccm> you'll get a result window with an url
[14:52] <ccm> now you can choose what to do with the result
[14:53] <ccm> when you press TAB and move the up/down cursor you see a lot of possibilities
[14:54] <ccm> for instance copy to clipboard, or - if you have activated it: "New Tomboy Note"
[14:54] <ccm> you see that just start to continue to work within Gnome-Do
[14:54] <ccm> as Gnome-Do "knows" what kind of information your are handling
[14:54] <ClassBot> Marceau asked: If Gnome-do indexes my files, how are its indices protected?
[14:55] <ccm> ClassBot: i think there is no crypto at all, you should use an encrypted file system
[14:55] <ClassBot> dom96 asked: How long will it take for the firefox plugin to index my bookmarks? Is it done in the background, even when gnome-do is not activated ?
[14:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[14:55] <ccm> dom96: no, it only indexes when activated
[14:56] <ccm> another plugin i am using very often is "send to pastebin"
[14:56] <ccm> this sends the current clipboard to a pastebin services and gives you the url
[14:56] <ccm> you have to activate the plugin
[14:57] <ccm> you can even choose between several pastebin providers
[14:57] <ccm> "pastebin.ca" worked best for me
[14:57] <ccm> So let's come to an end for this session
[14:57] <ccm> There are dozens of great plugins for Gnome-Do
[14:58] <ccm> just take your time to evaluate them
[14:58] <ccm> it is important to have a look at the official wiki doc for understanding them
[14:58] <ccm> some plugins have flaws and might crash Gnome-Do
[14:58] <ccm> just disable them afterwards
[14:59] <ccm> I hope you are happy to have Gnome-Do on your desktop now
[14:59] <ccm> That's from me for now - just for now :)
[14:59] <ccm> bye
[14:59] <nigelb> thanks ccm for the wonderful session
[15:00] <nigelb> Next up, we have Sense Hofstede to talk about package management
[15:01] <nigelb> Sense Hofstede is a secondary school student from the Netherlands contributing to several areas of Ubuntu.
[15:01] <nigelb> He's mostly active in the One Hundred Paper Cuts and Application Indicators projects, and is in Ubuntu Bug Control and Ubuntu NL.
[15:01] <qense> Hello everyone!
[15:01] <qense> I'm Sense Hofstede and this session is about package management.
[15:02] <qense> Questions go into #ubuntu-classroom-chat . Make sure you start the question with 'QUESTION:', otherwise I won't notice it.
[15:02] <qense> This session I'm going to show you:
[15:02] <qense>  * How to use the Ubuntu Software Centre
[15:02] <qense>  * How to use the command-line tool apt-get
[15:02] <qense>  * How to add a PPA
[15:02] <qense> But first let me explain what package management actually is, so you'll have a better understanding of the subject.
[15:03] <qense> abhi_nav asked whether you need to be in an admin acount for this session. That is not required (and also not recommended), although we do need our password later on.
[15:03] <qense> back to package management
[15:03] <qense> The way we manage software in Ubuntu is fundamentally different from the way software is managed in, say, Windows or Mac.
[15:03] <qense> In Ubuntu we have a central place from which you fetch the applications you want. Actually, you can add more 'central places', but that's for later.
[15:03] <qense> Ubuntu's software is stored on a server, which publishes a list of the software it provides. This information is read by APT, the underlying system for package management on your system.
[15:04] <qense> The main server is archive.ubuntu.com, but many countries have at least one 'mirror'
[15:05] <qense> A 'mirror' is a copy of the main archive server that offers exactly the same, but is located in another place. This takes load of the main server and improves local accessibility.
[15:05] <qense> When you tell the computer to install an application it downloads the application in the form of one or multiple 'packages' from the server and installs it.
[15:05] <qense> If there is a new version of the application made available on the server, Update Manager will notify you.
[15:06] <qense> OK, now the Software Centre.
[15:06] <qense> The Software Centre is one of the tools you can use to install applications on your computer.
[15:06] <qense> I hope you all know where to find the Software Centre! It is located under Applications->Ubuntu Software Centre. Now, there is a lot of development being done on the Software Centre right now, so if anyone here is running the
[15:06] <qense> alpha release (Maverick), then (s)he will see this: <http://people.ubuntu.com/~qense/software-center.png>.
[15:06] <qense> I, however, will be focussing on the stable release: Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx, which has got an older, but more stable release of the Software Centre.
[15:07] <qense> Please open the Software Centre and when hen you've opened it, please take a look at the window. You can see the different categories and the pane on the left that shows the different software sources.
[15:07] <qense> At the top left there is a search box. Look around a bit.
[15:07] <qense> Are there any questions about it?
[15:08] <qense> None? Good.
[15:08] <qense> At the top of the main window you can see the large 'Featured Applications' button. We're going to take a closer look at that. Press it.
[15:09] <qense> You now see a list of applications that was composed by the Desktop Team. These applications are 'featured'.
[15:09] <qense> That means we'd like to bring them to your attention. They are not included by default, since they might not be useful to everyone, but they are of great quality.
[15:09] <qense> Have you heard before of the applications you see there?
[15:10] <ClassBot> abhi_nav asked: on what criteria these aps are called 'featured'? how they differ from other aps?
[15:10] <qense> abhi_nav: The Desktop Team looks at applications that are stable, well developed, easy to use and that fit well in Ubuntu.
[15:11] <qense> They should offer functionality that would be useful to a reasonable group of users.
[15:12] <qense> Lets take a closer look at Liferea, an RSS reader. When you select an application in the row you see two buttons: 'More Information', and 'Install'. Press 'More Information'.
[15:12] <qense> You should now see a description of the application, a link to its website, a screenshot -- screenshots aren't always up-to-date -- and an 'Install' button. That button will turn in a 'Remove' button when the application is installed.
[15:12] <qense> Do you all see a screenshot?
[15:12] <qense> If you want to see how installation goes, press the 'Install' button. You should get a dialogue that asks for your password and then the Software Centre should proceed with installing.
[15:13] <qense> In the left sidebar you should be able to follow the progress of the installation.
[15:14] <qense> This is how you install all applications in the Software Centre. You can even queue applications to install by just pressing the Install button while another application is being installed.
[15:14] <ClassBot> x_buntu_er asked: should I ever install an app that is not in package manager?
[15:15] <qense> x_buntu_er: You can install software that is not provided via the package manager (neither the Software Centre nor the more advanced Synaptic), but of course only when you know what you're doing. The software repositories provide a safety barrier as well as making receiving updates easier because you know where the applications come from (us). You don't know that when you download an application from a random site.
[15:15] <qense> The Ubuntu Software Centre was designed to make it easy for everyone to install applications. Features that will be introduced in the next release of Ubuntu -- Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat -- are, amongst others, installation history, microblogging integration and probably even some paid applications.
[15:16] <qense> Any questions so far about the Software Centre?
[15:16] <qense> Do you understand how it works and know where to find software?
[15:16] <qense> good
[15:17] <qense> Not everything that happens when APT installs an application is shown in the Software Centre. However, that also makes it less powerful.
[15:18] <qense> If you want a more powerful tool you could use 'Synpatic' -- System->Manage->Synaptic Package Management -- or you could use the command line tools 'apt-get' and 'apt-cache'.
[15:18] <qense> I'll explain the command line tools here, since I believe 'Synaptic' is easy enough to learn on your own once I've told you how to use apt-get.
[15:19] <qense> You'll need a console to follow this. You can find a terminal at Applications->Accessories->Terminal and for the Lernid users there also should be a tab in Lernid that contains a terminal. Make sure that either of the two are available.
[15:20] <qense> With the command 'apt-cache' you can search for applications that are available. A bit like the Software Centre works, but without categories and no packages are hidden.
[15:20] <qense> Lets try to find the package 'pi' using 'apt-cache'.
[15:20] <qense> You can search for packages using the command 'apt-cache search {search term}'.
[15:21] <qense> You don't need 'sudo' for apt-cache since that command only reads and doesn't change your system.
[15:21] <qense> Lets see what happens when we execute the command 'apt-cache search pi'.
[15:21] <qense> execute that command
[15:22] <qense> That is a huge list! How can we ever find what we want in there?
[15:22] <qense> Oh no!
[15:22] <qense> You should know that 'apt-cache search' is equal to searching in Name and Description in Synaptic. So you get a lot of results. Try again with 'apt-cache search --names-only pi'.
[15:22] <qense> Execute 'apt-cache search --names-only pi'
[15:23] <qense> Still a large list!
[15:23] <qense> Fortunately we can refine our search using a 'regex'.
[15:24] <qense> A 'regex' is very complicated, so I won't tell you all about it now.
[15:24] <qense>  An example of a regex would be '^pi$'.
[15:24] <qense> The '^' character indicates that the next character -- here a 'p' -- is the first character in the package names.
[15:24] <qense>  The '$' sign tells that the previous character -- here a 'i' -- is the last character in the package names.
[15:24] <qense> Understood?
[15:24] <qense> The command 'apt-cache search --names-only ^pi$' returns only one result 'pi'. Without the dollar-sign you'd get a lot more, since there are quite a few packages whose names start with 'pi'.
[15:25] <qense> try it
[15:25] <qense> Does it work for everyone?
[15:25] <qense> ok
[15:25] <qense> The 'apt-cache' version of 'More Information' is 'apt-cache show'. To get the description of 'pi', use the command 'apt-cache show pi'.
[15:25] <qense> You can see a lot of details here.
[15:27] <qense>  Most of it isn't interesting, but please note the field 'Source:'. It gives us the 'source package', and bugs on Launchpad always have to be reported against the source package. So you can't file bugs against 'pi' on Launchpad, but you have to file them against the source package 'cln'.
[15:27] <qense> 'Source: cln' means that the source package for 'pi' is 'cln'.
[15:28] <qense> You see, when an application is compiled (translated from a programming language to computer language) and put into packages it can be put in multiple packages.
[15:29] <qense> Example: we have the 'gnome-panel' source package for the panel you see in Ubuntu, but two of the many packages it generates are 'gnome-panel' and 'gnome-panel-data'.
[15:29] <qense> cln is probably a mathematics library. A library is a collection of several functions/code snippets that can be reused by different applications.
[15:30] <qense> At the bottom of the result of the command 'apt-cache show pi' you see the description and a link to the website of the project.
[15:30] <qense> Now, lets install the package. This is done with the command 'sudo apt-get install pi'. You get promted if you want to install its dependencies as well.
[15:30] <qense> In Ubuntu we split packages in several parts, which allows applications to reuse each others parts. APT automatically fetches dependencies when you install a package.
[15:30] <qense> execute 'sudo apt-get install pi'
[15:31] <qense> Does the installation goes correctly for all of you?
[15:31] <qense> The package should be installed in a matter of seconds. If you want to use it: command 'pi'.
[15:32] <qense> Do you have any questions about installing an application?
[15:34] <qense> We've all got the chance to see π, now we want to remove 'pi' again. Execute the command 'sudo apt-get remove pi' to do so.
[15:36] <qense> Hey! Do you remember the dependencies we installed at when we installed 'pi'? They weren't removed when we removed 'pi'!
[15:36] <qense>  We don't need them anymore, so lets get rid of them. The command 'sudo apt-get autoremove' removes all dependencies -- so nothing you chose to install yourself -- that aren't necessary anymore.
[15:36] <qense> however, beware when executing that command, because it might also uninstall other software
[15:37] <qense> Most of it you probably don't need, because they're redundant dependencies anyway, but you should check them anyway.
[15:37] <qense> you can always abort removing them by entering any other character than 'Y' when asked for confirmation.
[15:38] <qense> Do you understand removing an application?
[15:39] <qense> Any other questions so far?
[15:40] <qense> OK, last stop: adding PPAs (and other software sources).
[15:41] <qense> but first a question!
[15:41] <ClassBot> Marceau asked: I had some problems with the regex ^pi$
 QUESTION: I get the error 'unable to locate package', my full command was apt-cache show ^pi$
[15:41] <qense> Marceau: That is because you can only use a regex when searching for a package.
[15:42] <qense> A regex is a way of narrowing the possible results. However, when you use 'apt-cache show' you ask specifically for information of one package.
[15:42] <qense> You have to know the exact package name for that, and that is 'pi' in this case.
[15:43] <qense> Marceau: if you would be searching for gnome packages you could use the command 'apt-cache search ^gnome' to get all packages that start with 'gnome'. However, you still get several results here.
[15:44] <qense> If you want to know more about say 'gnome-panel' you use the command 'apt-cache show gnome-panel'.
[15:44] <ClassBot> Marceau asked: is there a way to see a version number with apt-get?
[15:45] <qense> Marceau: good question. Yes you can. You should be able to see the version of a package when you use the command 'apt-cache show pi', but there it is hidden under a lot of other information,.
[15:45] <qense> Another command is 'apt-cache policy pi'.
[15:45] <qense> That command shows all different versions of 'pi' that are available form all your listed software sources.
[15:45] <qense> There is an asterisk in front of the installed version.
[15:46] <qense> back to adding software sources now!
[15:46] <qense> Sometimes you want to get a newer version of an application, or you want to get an application that isn't available (yet) from Ubuntu's main software sources.
[15:46] <qense> There are PPAs at Launchpad, but there are also non-PPA software sources, like Google's and Dropbox'.
[15:47] <qense> I'm using the Getting Things GNOME PPA as an example here, but you can use any PPA you want.
[15:47] <qense> The Getting Things GNOME daily builds PPA can be found at <https://launchpad.net/~invernizzi/+archive/gtg-daily>. Its PPA string is 'ppa:invernizzi/gtg-daily'. Remind that.
[15:47] <qense> you don't have to use this PPA if you don't want to.
[15:47] <qense> First the graphical way: you need to get launch 'Software Sources'. There are multiple ways to get there.
[15:48] <qense> You can go to System->Manage->Software Sources.
[15:48] <qense> In the Ubuntu Software Centre you can go to Edit->Software Sources.
[15:48] <qense> In Synaptic go to Preferences->Repositories.
[15:48] <qense> Have you all launched Software Properties?
[15:48] <qense> Or Software Sourecs
[15:48] <qense> Software Soures
[15:48] <qense> ahem
[15:48] <qense> nvm
[15:49] <qense> All the three ways mentioned above will give you the same window. In that window, go to the tab 'Other software' and press the 'Add' button. Normally the strings you paste in here look something like 'deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu maverick main'.
[15:49] <qense> or deb http://dl.google.com/linux/deb/ stable non-free main
[15:49] <qense> However, in order to make it easier for you add a PPA, the PPA strings are also accepted.
[15:50] <qense> Paste the PPA string -- 'ppa:invernizzi/gtg-daily' in the Add dialogue.
[15:50] <qense> and press OK
[15:50] <qense> Next you need to download its GPG key file (GPG keys are used to verify the authenticity of packages) from <http://keyserver.ubuntu.com:11371/pks/lookup?search=0x3A6999133B6742CEAF7892AEFDC5315E8E9775D1&op=index>.
[15:50] <qense> You can find the link to GPG keys under the heading 'Signing key:' in the 'Technical details about this PPA' section of the PPA's information page.
[15:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[15:50] <qense> Safe the key as a text file.
[15:50] <qense> In Software Sources or Software Properties go to the 'Authentication' tab and press the 'Import Key File' button. Navigate to the key file you just downloaded and import it.
[15:50] <qense> When you close the Software Properties window it asks you to reload the local copy of the catalogue of available software. Press 'Reload'.
[15:51] <qense> The other way, the command line way is much faster:
[15:51] <qense> To add the Getting Things GNOME PPA to your software sources execute the following command:
[15:51] <qense> 'sudo add-apt-repository ppa:invernizzi/gtg-daily'
[15:51] <qense> and then reload the local software catalogue with
[15:51] <qense> 'sudo apt-get update'.
[15:51] <qense> The GPG key was automatically fetched by the first command.
[15:51] <qense> Everyone got that?
[15:51] <qense> When you go the the Ubuntu Software Centre you should now see the PPA appear in the left sidebar. You might also have updates available in the Update Manager.
[15:52] <qense> Alternatively you can also update your system with the commands 'sudo apt-get upgrade' or 'sudo apt-get dist-upgrade'. However, please be very careful when using the last command since it might remove vital system packages if you don't know what you're doing and  a bad update has been released, or a non-bad update isn't fully released yet.
[15:53] <qense> OK, this was all I wanted to tell. Any questions about PPAs, or package management in general?
[15:53] <qense> How was the session? Easy to follow? Too much information or too little? Too fast or too slow?
[15:54] <qense> thank you all
[15:54] <qense> This was this session! Thank you for attending. If you've got any questions left, or come up with questions later, feel free to PM me or go the the IRC support channel #ubuntu . You can also mail me at <qense@ubuntu.com>.
[15:55] <qense> I won't be in the #ubuntu IRC channel, but there are a lot of very helpful other people there.
[15:55] <ClassBot> XuMuK40 asked: thank you, qense, everything was clear
[15:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[15:55] <ClassBot> theneoindian asked: I tried to remove a kde app with apt-get remove and almost all other kde apps are removed with it . can u comment on dat ?
[15:56] <qense> theneoindian: What KDE application did you try to remove?
[15:56] <qense> theneoindian: The application you tried to remove might have been required by other vital KDE components.
[15:59] <qense> theneoindian tried to remove KTorrent.
[15:59] <qense> it could have been that the removal of ktorrent removed kubuntu-desktop.
[15:59] <qense> Kubuntu-desktop depends on the core KDE packages, but without kubuntu-desktop installed those dependenceis are not necessary anymore.
[16:00] <qense> They are marked for removal because they weren't installed manually.
[16:00] <qense> list dependencies with apt-cache depends package name
[16:00] <qense> other way around "apt-cache rdepends package"
[16:01] <Pendulum> Thanks qense!
[16:02] <Pendulum> Next up is leogg to talk about Ubuntu Equivalent Programs
[16:02] <Pendulum> Leandro Gómez is a system engineer and free software advocate from Uruguay. He currentlly lives in Nicaragua and is one of the six members of the Ubuntu LoCo Council.
[16:02] <leogg> Thank you Pendulum!
[16:02] <leogg> Hello and welcome everyone!
[16:03] <leogg> My name is Leandro Gómez and I'm here today to talk about applications on Ubuntu that can replace commonly used applications on Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X.
[16:03] <leogg> This session is aimed at users that have recently switched or are considering switching to Ubuntu.
[16:04] <leogg> Many of the applications I'm going to present today are cross-platform.
[16:04] <leogg> That means that they can be run on Ubuntu, or Microsoft Windows, or Mac OS X.
[16:05] <leogg> The cool thing about this (for those of you who haven't made the transition yet) is that you can try all these open source applications on your non-free operating system.
[16:06] <leogg> That makes a smooth transition from your proprietary operating system to Ubuntu.
[16:06] <leogg> I'm going to start with some basic applications included on a standard installation of Ubuntu.
[16:06] <leogg> OpenOffice.org
[16:07] <leogg> I'm sure most of you have used or heard of this office productivity suite.
[16:07] <leogg> OpenOffice.org (or OOo for short), was developed by Sun Microsystems and the OOo community. OpenOffice.org has been acquired recently by Oracle.
[16:08] <leogg> OOo is a modern, full-featured, free and open source office productivity suite, and a great replacement for Microsoft Office and iWork.
[16:08] <leogg> The suite includes a word processor (Writer), spreadsheet (Calc), presentation software (Impress), database (Base) and a basic drawing and vector graphics editor (Draw).
[16:09] <leogg> These applications are equivalent to Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access.
[16:10] <leogg> One of the biggest fears people have when switching to Ubuntu is that their friends and colleagues at work won't be able to exchange documents with them.
[16:10] <leogg> OOo is able to read and write in numerous formats, including -of course- Microsoft Office propietary formats.
[16:11] <leogg> You can open a Microsoft Word document, make changes in it with OOo Writer, and save it as a Microsoft Word document, or as a standard OOo document (ODF).
[16:12] <leogg> ODF, or Open Document Format, is the default file format for all OOo documents, and approved as a mandatory standard by a significant amount of countries, including the USA, United Kingdom, many countries in the EU, Brazil, South Africa, etc.
[16:12] <leogg> OOo is included on the Ubuntu Live CD and is installed by default.
[16:12] <leogg> http://www.openoffice.org
[16:12] <leogg> Some derivatives of Ubuntu doesn't include OpenOffice.org.
[16:13] <leogg> That's the case of Xubuntu and Lubuntu.
[16:13] <leogg> Both of these derivatives are aimed at low-specs PC's, and requires applications that doesn't consume much RAM.
[16:13] <leogg> Two of the most popular replacements for OpenOffice.org are Abiword and Gnumeric.
[16:14] <leogg> Abiword is a word processor included in Xubuntu and Lubuntu.
[16:14] <leogg> It's very fast and light and has some cool features such as collaborative edition of documents using TCP or Jabber/XMPP.
[16:15] <leogg> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiword
[16:15] <leogg> Gnumeric is a lightweight, yet powerful, spreadsheet application.
[16:16] <leogg> It has most of the features included in Calc, and more. Gnumeric can export documents to OOo, Excel and LaTeX.
[16:16] <leogg> Gnumeric is famous for its precision.
[16:17] <leogg> Gnumeric is part of the GNOME Office suite, developed by the GNOME community.
[16:17] <leogg> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnumeric
[16:17] <leogg> Both of these applications are available in the official repositories and can also be installed in Ubuntu using Synaptic or the Ubuntu Software Center.
[16:18] <leogg> Another application that all (or most) users needs is a web browser.
[16:18] <leogg> In Ubuntu we have a lot of applications to choose from.
[16:19] <leogg> The default web browser is Internet Explorer in Windows and Safari in Mac OS X.
[16:19] <leogg> The default web browser in Ubuntu is Mozilla Firefox.
[16:20] <leogg> Firefox is very popular and can also be found on numerous Windows and Mac computers.
[16:20] <leogg> Many people complaint about Firefox being very resource hungry.
[16:21] <leogg> It may be true, but the availability of thousands of plug-ins that brings additional functionality to the Firefox web browser, is priceless.
[16:22] <leogg> If you want a lightweight web browser, you can always try Chromium, the open source fork of the Google Chrome web browser.
[16:23] <leogg> Other options include Epiphany and Galeon, web browsers for the GNOME desktop, or Konqueror, the KDE web browser and file manager (great choice if you're using Kubuntu).
[16:24] <leogg> You can also try Midori, a lightweight web browser based on WebKit, or Kazehakase, that can use either Gecko or WebKit as its rendering engine.
[16:24] <leogg> And if you feel super geeky, take a look at ELinks, a text based web browser for your terminal.
[16:25] <leogg> http://www.elinks.cz/
[16:26] <leogg> And while we're talking about web applications, let's take a look at what options you have for instant messaging.
[16:26] <leogg> Ubuntu uses Empathy by default.
[16:26] <leogg> Well... not Ubuntu, GNOME does. :)
[16:27] <leogg> Empathy is an instant messaging application supporting text, voice, video and file transfers.
[16:27] <leogg> Empathy supports many different protocols, including: MSN, AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo!, Facebook, ICQ, etc.
[16:28] <leogg> That means that you don't need to have multiple messaging applications installed for all the different protocols/services.
[16:28] <leogg> With a single application you can chat with all your friends and family. It doesn't matter what protocol they're using, you'll have them all in a single window.
[16:29] <leogg> Another excellent application for instant messaging in Ubuntu is Pidgin.
[16:29] <leogg> http://www.pidgin.im/
[16:30] <leogg> If your contacts use the MSN network exclusively, you can try aMSN, or Emesene. Beware that these apps aren't multi-protocol, they only support MSN.
[16:30] <leogg> http://www.amsn-project.net/
[16:31] <leogg> http://www.emesene.org/
[16:31] <ClassBot> IdleOne asked: Could you explain the difference between Google Chrome browser and chromium-browser that is available in the Ubuntu repos?
[16:33] <leogg> IdleOne: Chromium is free as in freedom.
[16:34] <leogg> IdleOne: Google Chrome has a dual license. BSD with some proprietary bits.
[16:35] <leogg> IdleOne: I've only used Chromium, but AFAIK they both share (almost) the same code.
[16:35] <leogg> IdleOne: The proprietary bits aren't included in Chromium, of course.
[16:35] <ClassBot> ech0tk asked: Why choose Empathy over Pidgin?
[16:36] <leogg> ech0tk: It's a matter of choice.
[16:36] <leogg> ech0tk: I like Pidgin more, but I'm getting used to Empathy, so... :)
[16:36] <ClassBot> mohi57o9 asked: I am not able to change the status in pidgin. Is there any package error? I am using Lucid Lynx
[16:37] <leogg> mohi57o9: Please try the #ubuntu channel for support :)
[16:37] <ClassBot> Nandu201 asked: I am not able to transfer files using pidgin.Is there any solution to rectify it?
[16:37] <leogg> Nandu201: Same as above :p
[16:38] <leogg> Ok, let's move on...
[16:38] <leogg> Let's talk about software for more specific needs.
[16:39] <leogg> In almost every talk I have given about Ubuntu, people ask about applications for designing.
[16:39] <leogg> There's a common perception that Ubuntu (or Linux as a whole) is not suited for graphic design.
[16:40] <leogg> People that know their stuff buys a Mac, or install the latest Adobe design suite on their Windows box.
[16:40] <leogg> I'm not a designer, but I've made tons of stuff for my local community;
[16:41] <leogg> Web buttons, huge printed banners, t-shirts, stickers, CD labels, posters, flyers... all of it using only free and open source software on Ubuntu.
[16:41] <leogg> You can see some of my stuff at http://spreadubuntu.neomenlo.org/en/users/leogg
[16:41] <leogg> Feel free to download the artwork, improve it and pass it on! :)
[16:42] <leogg> The GIMP is an image editing and processing application equivalent to Adobe Photoshop.
[16:43] <leogg> In my opinion, The GIMP has always been underestimated.
[16:43] <leogg> It's not as pretty as Photoshop, but it's a very powerful tool with a lot of cool plug-ins.
[16:43] <leogg> And yes... it's cross-platform too!
[16:44] <leogg> http://www.gimp.org/
[16:44] <leogg> Inkscape is a free vector graphics editor and the open source equivalent to Adobe Ilustrator or Corel Draw.
[16:44] <leogg> I must say that I just love Inkscape!
[16:45] <leogg> Inkscape is very intuitive and easy to use. There's also a lot of tutorials for Inkscape out there, so it's quite easy to learn.
[16:45] <leogg> I recommend http://screencasters.heathenx.org/
[16:46] <leogg> Übercool!
[16:46] <leogg> The official website of the project is at http://www.inkscape.org/
[16:47] <ClassBot> eviltux asked: Does linux software work on Mac? I have heard that Ma uses Unix.
[16:48] <leogg> eviltux: Most of the apps I've mentioned are cross-platform, so they will work on both Linux and Mac.
[16:49] <ClassBot> IdleOne asked: Can I get all these programs from the Ubuntu Software Center?
[16:49] <leogg> IdleOne: Yes!
[16:49] <leogg> I'm going to name a few more applications that I use on a daily basis, and that are pretty cool;
[16:50] <leogg> Synfig Studio, a vector based 2D animation package.
[16:50] <leogg> http://www.synfig.org/
[16:50] <leogg> Scribus, graphic page layout and publication software.
[16:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[16:50] <leogg> http://www.scribus.net/
[16:50] <leogg> Blender, for 3D modelling, rendering and animation.
[16:51] <leogg> Blender has a high learning curve, but it's extremely powerful, and the results are amazing! (Be sure to check out Big Buck Bunny at the Blender web site ;)
[16:51] <leogg> http://www.blender.org/
[16:51] <leogg> Agave, a colorscheme designer for the GNOME desktop.
[16:51] <leogg> http://home.gna.org/colorscheme/
[16:52] <leogg> Screenie, a small tool for composing fancy and stylish screenshots.
[16:52] <leogg> http://code.google.com/p/screenie/
[16:52] <leogg> All of these applications are available in Ubuntu, and they're just a few clicks away!
[16:53] <ClassBot> eviltux asked: I couldn't use Scribus for some reason. But the last time I used it was on 2008. Was there an update after 2008?
[16:54] <leogg> The latest stable release is 1.3.3.14
[16:54] <leogg> eviltux: January 2010
[16:54] <leogg> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scribus
[16:55] <ClassBot> regi asked: Is there an opensource alternative for MS Visio?
[16:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[16:55] <leogg> regi: Yes! There's a lot!
[16:56] <leogg> regi: You could try Dia, http://live.gnome.org/Dia/
[16:56] <ClassBot> eviltux asked: Is there a development release channel for scribus? (channel such as repository)
[16:57] <leogg> eviltux: Yes. The development release is the scribus-ng package in Ubuntu.
[16:57] <leogg> Some useful links for finding free and open sources alternatives;
[16:57] <leogg> http://linuxappfinder.com/
[16:58] <leogg> http://www.osalt.com/
[16:58] <leogg> If you have any questions, this is the right place to be; http://ubuntuforums.org/
[16:58] <leogg> That's all from me... thank you very much and enjoy the rest of the day! :)
[17:00] <Pendulum> thanks leogg
[17:01] <Pendulum> next is doctormo with Getting Involved in the Ubuntu Community
[17:01] <doctormo> Hello everyone
[17:02] <Pendulum> Martin Owens is an unemployed Free Software programmer specialising in design and art. He has been applying skills to the creation of educational materials, marketing materials and artworks for Ubuntu and is involved in Ubunchu and other media production projects as well as programming Ground Control and helping fix code in various places. He leads the ubuntu-us-ma loco team, writes a political blog and makes use of the tv a lot.
[17:02] <doctormo> Thanks Pendulum
[17:02] <doctormo> OK so we're going to be talking about the Ubuntu Community, what it is and how to get involved.
[17:03] <doctormo> The first thing to know about the community is that it's big, very big, you won't believe how mind bogglingly big it is.
[17:04] <doctormo> You might think it's far to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to the Ubuntu Community.... and so on.
[17:05] <doctormo> the second thing is that while the community might ve roughly split by communication channel, it generally agrees to the same set of codes of conduct and orbits the launchpad system.
[17:06] <doctormo> http://launchpad.net/
[17:06] <doctormo> http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct
[17:07] <doctormo> Each community member starts off with making a launchpad account and then following the steps to agree to the code of conduct.
[17:07] <doctormo> This just makes sure each member is polite, agreeable, forgiving and human with others in the community.
[17:07] <doctormo> QUESTION: Who is Canonical
[17:09] <doctormo> Canonical is a company which was started at the same time as the Ubuntu project, it has a symbiotic relationship in that Canonical does not run all that is Ubuntu and at the same time Ubuntu doesn't run Canonical. The best way to consider them is a large member of community.
[17:09] <doctormo> And that's a note to take away, companies can join the community just as easily as people.
[17:10] <doctormo> So once you've got your Launchpad account
[17:10] <doctormo> And declared yourself a nice human being.
[17:10] <doctormo> It's time to decide what it is in the Ubuntu community you'd like to get up to
[17:11] <doctormo> There are many thing, the traditional activities have either been development where you would join mailing lists and irc channels, or support were you would join irc channels and forums.
[17:12] <doctormo> http://lists.ubuntu.com/ http://ubuntuforums.org/
[17:13] <doctormo> But these aren't the only communities any more, we have everything from art communities http://ubuntu-artists.deviantart.com/ to the Ubuntu Women http://www.ubuntu-women.org/
[17:14] <doctormo> And all are places to hang out, help others and learn interesting things.
[17:15] <doctormo> So once you've got yourself involved in a few communities (and we'll go over some more in a few) how do you keep up with news and events?
[17:15] <doctormo> You can keep up with the internal news of the ubuntu members by subscribing to Planet Ubuntu http://planet.ubuntu.com/
[17:16] <doctormo> Alternatively you can read the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter which is a little more filtered and broken down for interest.
[17:17] <doctormo> There is also sites for tips and tricks such as omg ubuntu: http://omgubuntu.co.uk/ run by this fellow British d0od.
[17:19] <doctormo> You can also subscribe to mailing lists to simply lurk and read what's happening on a  specific topic.
[17:19] <doctormo> As well as subscribing to a few of the announcement mailing lists.
[17:20] <doctormo> The Ubuntu community doesn't stop at your computer though, it also extends into your local physical community.
[17:21] <doctormo> We all need word of mouth to spread the message that there is some awesome software out here which is Free and easy to use.
[17:21] <doctormo> For that we turn to Local Community teams, sometimes called LoCos
[17:21] <doctormo> http://loco.ubuntu.com/
[17:22] <doctormo> I'm a member and leader of the Ubuntu Massachusetts Local Community http://ubuntu-massachusetts.com/
[17:23] <doctormo> And we get up to all sorts of fun things, everything from quiet and impromptu Ubuntu Hours which are quick meetings at coffee shops, to large organised advocacy at events like Anime Boston.
[17:23] <doctormo> The local community is where you can really get to know fellow Ubuntu users and programmers in person, as well as let your hair down and have some fun.
[17:25] <doctormo> you don't have to be an Ubuntu member or a programmer to be in a LoCo team and you don't need permission to start one.
[17:25] <doctormo> The idea of a Local Community is three fold a) to gather together people interested int he same thing, b) To educate and support others and do advocacy and be vocal about the issues and c) To have fun.
[17:26] <doctormo> A responsible local community is not doing it's job right if there are tons of great advocacy but everyone is being worked like a dog. You need to have fun in all that you do and let others have fun too.
[17:28] <doctormo> Find your local team and keep in touch with them, you never know when you can join in a cool activity.
[17:30] <doctormo> A part of the Ubuntu community as you all probably know already is the Ubuntu Classrooms, in fact *ahem* these very rooms. There are classes running in these rooms all the time, sometimes there are organised weeks like this one, or next week's Developer Week, but sometimes there are classes which are more singular for a specific topic.
[17:31] <doctormo> Ubuntu Membership and Leadership
[17:33] <doctormo> Leadership is a place in the community that you can get to once you've found a project or community of people who need direction and help, it's a position of responsibility and commitment and leaders of everything from local community teams to forums are expected to sign the leadership code of conduct.
[17:33] <doctormo> http://www.ubuntu.com/community/leadership-conduct
[17:34] <doctormo> Leaders must be polite like members, but more so. More forgiving, more human and because they are accountable, transparent in all that they do.
[17:35] <doctormo> Membership
[17:35] <doctormo> It is a status that is given to members who are shown to have given sustained and significant contribution to the community.
[17:36] <doctormo> In exchange for their dedication they're allowed to have a place on planet ubuntu, an ubuntu email address and even ubuntu business cards.
[17:38] <doctormo> The process of becoming an Ubuntu member is normally easy enough, you would add your name to the meeting agenda for the relevant council, create a profile on the wiki which explains what you've done and with who and then at the meeting you present your case. Council Board members then vote on your membership.
[17:39] <doctormo> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Membership
[17:40] <doctormo> OK I will take questions now.
[17:40] <ClassBot> eviltux asked: Is launchpad.net made by the Ubuntu community?
[17:42] <doctormo> Launchpad was originally developed by Canonical Ltd for the purpose of supporting the development of Ubuntu and related projects.
[17:43] <doctormo> But now is Free and Open Source software under the AGPLv3 license.
[17:43] <ClassBot> IdleOne asked: Do I have to be a programmer to be a part of a LoCo? How can I help spread Ubuntu?
[17:43] <doctormo> You don't have to be a programmer to be a part of any community in ubuntu, even programming projects are healthier with non-programmers being involved.
[17:44] <ClassBot> jledbetter asked: Only members can have cards?
[17:45] <doctormo> Only Ubuntu Members can have ubuntu branded business cards, your card may say that you do ubuntu work or services, but it can't be titled and made to look like it's an affiliate of ubuntu without membership.
[17:45] <ClassBot> eviltux asked: what do we need to do to apply for an Ubuntu Membership?
[17:45] <doctormo> Go to this wiki page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Membership make sure you read and understand what's involved and what'
[17:45] <doctormo> s asked of you
[17:46] <doctormo> Then follow the instructions I gave above.
[17:47] <doctormo> OK everyone, if that's all the questions we've got
[17:47] <doctormo> I'll start showing off some community work
[17:48] <doctormo> http://doctormo.deviantart.com/#/d2tnm6x This is a collaboration between me in my role as ubuntu artist and Maco as member of Ubuntu Women.
[17:49] <doctormo> http://gallery.ubuntu-ma.us/?g2_itemId=1151 This is a photo of us at Anime Boston showing off Ubuntu on a large TV screen and handing out lots of goodies.
[17:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[17:51] <doctormo> http://divajutta.com/doctormo/ubunchu/ This is a collaboration between Ubuntu-JP loco team and the translation teams in Ubuntu.
[17:52] <doctormo> http://planet.ubuntu.com/heads/doctormo.gif <- this is me
[17:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[17:56] <doctormo> For the last 5 mins you are required to down as many pan galactic gargle blasters as you possibly can, I hear they're like being hit with a gold brick wrapped around a slice of lemon.
[17:57] <doctormo> OK now that we're all drunk, Ta-ra luvs! See ya all next time!
[18:00] <Pendulum> thanks doctormo!
[18:00] <Pendulum> Now we have starcraftman with Finding Helpful Resources
[18:01] <Pendulum> starcraft.man is a computer science student in Montreal studying at Concordia University. He's been a member of the community for a while contributing to documentation, the forums and beginners team among other things. He likes food and hockey, feel free to tip him a maple sugar cookie on the way out.
[18:01] <Pendulum> You can find more about him on his wiki at: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/starcraft.man
[18:02] <Pendulum> Please note that he has quite a bit of information built into his session so I will endevour to answer any and all questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat
[18:02] <starcraftman> Thanks Pendulum, hi everyone. This is going to be a fast session so keep up, I got a lot of material I wrote and I'll just be copying it over as we go.
[18:02] <starcraftman> Section 0 - Introduction
[18:02] <starcraftman> I'll be covering an important topic today. What to do when things go wrong. It happens to everyone and dealing with it correctly can save a lot of trouble.
[18:02] <starcraftman> An overview of the material to be covered today is available on the wiki https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays/01232010/FindingHelp
[18:03] <starcraftman> Take a moment and look over it while I continue with the introduction. At the end you'll notice a links section. I'll be mentioning these as I go, they are listed for convenience.
[18:03] <starcraftman> As already said, I won't be taking questions till the very end if time permits. Otherwise, Pendulum will try and answer.
[18:03] <starcraftman> Now on to presentation.
[18:04] <starcraftman> Things go wrong. Especially when you can least afford it.
[18:04] <starcraftman> The same way gravity unfortunately is still there when you wake up in the morning even if you were dreaming of flying.
[18:04] <starcraftman> One minute you are typing away merrily on your word processor then.....
[18:04] <starcraftman> [Insert program crash here with some profanity about lost work]
[18:04] <starcraftman> Maybe you just finished installing some updates and wham!
[18:04] <starcraftman> Some unknown error appears on screen and you don't know what to do.
[18:04] <starcraftman> The first rule of getting help is DON'T PANIC. Incidentally, this is also written in big bold letters on the back of a certain book for Hitchhiker's trekking the galaxy.
[18:04] <starcraftman> I'd say it's a very good first rule.
[18:05] <starcraftman> The focus of this session will dealing with such problems like the aforementioned in a simple and effective manner. By the end, you should be able to gather simple information and on any problem and find help from the most appropriate resource.
[18:05] <starcraftman> Section I - Preparing for Help
[18:05] <starcraftman> The title sounds a bit silly doesn't it?
[18:05] <starcraftman> You'd be surprised how just a few steps make all the difference finding good help.
[18:05] <starcraftman> Mostly it will help you narrow the focus of your search. If you reach out to someone else on forums or in person, it's easier to bring them up to speed.
[18:05] <starcraftman> The average user skips this step. Usually this is followed by an attempt to use bad or limited information to fix the problem.  The result is getting flustered. At this point they usually reach out to someone else, say on a forum or by email to a friend. This results in more annoyance as they answer many questions they didn't consider at first to give the expert necessary information.
[18:06] <starcraftman> In the end, users can get very angry. I've seen it happen.
[18:06] <starcraftman> Posting on a forum in a bad mood “My video is broken, FIX IT!” is not a good way to get help.
[18:06] <starcraftman> Consider (as some may know) that the forums are staffed, moderated and questions answered by volunteers not being paid. None of above like seeing rants posted.
[18:06] <starcraftman> If you speak like that to your tech friend, well, I don't think he'll be your friend after giving you the fix.
[18:06] <starcraftman> More to the point, a lot of your time got wasted. You got upset. You also didn't resolve the problem given the time invested.
[18:06] <starcraftman> This leads to rule 2 “Try to spend time solving a problem yourself before you ask other people for help. If you follow this common courtesy, then it will not be an imposition when you ask for help.” That's from community wiki.
[18:07] <starcraftman> Section 1a – Analysis
[18:07] <starcraftman> When something goes wrong, the first thing that's important to do is think what just happened? What was I doing? What crashed? What did I see?
[18:07] <starcraftman> Get a piece of paper and a pen and immediately write the answers to those questions down. Write in plain language all the details, you may not think it's important but the person who helps you might disagree.
[18:07] <starcraftman> Say for example evolution mail client just crashed, and there's a window that popped up stating so with an error and asking you to file a report. Take down the error, note what you were doing.
[18:07] <starcraftman> If the error is a graphical one (like the error window popping up) you might want to take a screenshot of this.
[18:08] <starcraftman> Screenshots are just a way of taking an image of the screen, works on Linux just like Windows. Push print screen on the keyboard. Doing so will open up a screenshot application (on any Ubuntu variant), from there save the image to your Desktop.
[18:08] <starcraftman> You can try the button now if you like.
[18:08] <starcraftman> We'll see what to do with this image later.
[18:08] <starcraftman> Another helpful thing to do in advance of getting help is knowing your hardware (this can especially help with networking/graphics problems). An easy way to get a complete listing of your hardware is to use the following simple command in any terminal (open from menus Applications > Accessories >Terminal) and using the command:
[18:08] <starcraftman> sudo lshw > ~/Desktop/hardware.txt
[18:09] <starcraftman> This command creates a file called hardware.txt that you can open and browse on your desktop. It lists all components of your PC, CPU, RAM, Graphics card, Network interfaces, etc... There are a few commands that produce more precise output (like just listing PCI cards) but this covers everything with one shot.
[18:09] <starcraftman> The similar commands are lspci, lsusb, lsbpcmia, all listing what the command is named.
[18:09] <starcraftman> You can get more explanation on command line by attending their respective sessions.
[18:09] <starcraftman> After jotting down this information and taking a screenshot we can proceed to play detective. Ask yourself what went wrong?
[18:09] <starcraftman> Did the internet stop working for instance? That would be a networking issue.
[18:09] <starcraftman> IT detective work involves narrowing things down through categories, you start at the top and work your way down specifying at each new level until the problem is clear.
[18:10] <starcraftman> You might not have enough experience to solve it completely, but getting a start with what you know can go a long way.
[18:10] <starcraftman> It's hard to say how much effort you should put in before moving on. Usually it becomes clear when you can no longer write or deduce anything else.
[18:10] <starcraftman> One we go.
[18:10] <starcraftman> Section 2 - Power Searching Google
[18:10] <starcraftman> So the first stop is a search engine. I'll use Google for this example, any engine should work.
[18:10] <starcraftman> The reason to search is another rule - If you're having a problem, 99.9% of the time someone else has had the same one and posted its solution.
[18:10] <starcraftman> At this point, if everyone can go to www.google.com that'd be great.
[18:11] <starcraftman> Or your local version if you prefer.
[18:11] <starcraftman> Power searching is when you do more than simply type key words into Google. By default, each word is searched successively. For example, do the following three searches seperately in Google and see the difference:
[18:11] <starcraftman> (Do following lines in google)
[18:11] <starcraftman> DC Batman Robin Crusader
[18:11] <starcraftman> “DC Batman Robin Crusader”
[18:11] <starcraftman> DC OR Batman OR Robin OR Crusader
[18:12] <starcraftman> The first time (first search with no quotes) Google searches for DC and finds all pages with references to it, then cross-references with all pages with Batman. The overlap becomes the new base and then further narrowed by overlap with Robin and Crusader. The search operation descends one word at a time, so the first word is most important and more general usually.
[18:12] <starcraftman> When searching in Google “DC Batman Robin Crusader” you get 0 results (actually 1, an old pastebin of my speach), very different from before. In this instance, Google searched for the string (a computer science term referring to the quoted line) as a whole, the exact sequence of words in the order inside the quotes is simply never used (it is incoherent as a sentence after all). The last one returns well over a million
[18:12] <starcraftman>  results.
[18:12] <starcraftman> (I'll give ya moment to catch up, a bit of text to digest)
[18:13] <starcraftman> Now time to get to the meat of this. Everyone go to Google homepage and click “Advanced” on the right.
[18:13] <starcraftman> http://www.google.ca/advanced_search?hl=en
[18:13] <starcraftman> Here's the advanced search page, a lot of people don't know about it. It is very handy.
[18:13] <starcraftman> Immediately I'd like you to note the box at the top highlighted in blue stating “Use the form...”, here you will see the actual search string used when you enable all these advanced tricks. Look up every time you try something else.
[18:14] <starcraftman> This means that this is the actual search you could use alternatively in the standard Google Search box, you'll see what I mean as I go.
[18:14] <starcraftman> First two text boxes cover what I've already explained.
[18:14] <starcraftman> The third is the Boolean OR search. This means that rather than only take the overlap (or intersection) between DC and Batman, a search for DC OR Batman would include all results from the individual searches for DC and all results from Batman. Rather than narrow down this really widens a search with every new result, use carefully.
[18:14] <starcraftman> (that's why the OR search returned well over a million pages)
[18:14] <starcraftman> "Don't show these pages" does exactly what it says, put keywords here and all pages with them will be subtracted from the search. Excellent at excluding specific things.
[18:15] <starcraftman> "Search within site or domain" is another useful one. Your entire search is then confined to the site listed. You can also limit by domain, so .edu limits it to educational websites indexed by Google on the internet.
[18:15] <starcraftman> Take a moment and play around with these modifiers to search, take note of the top line that shows how the modifiers are used. You can combine many, like a site search, all these words and language to customize.
[18:16] <starcraftman> Now onwards, more explaining. "Filetype" does as it says and limits your search to an extension, say .pdf or .txt. Any extension is valid (though limited in the drop down, on a text search you specify what you want). Then you'll be looking for sites that have such files and match your criteria.
[18:17] <starcraftman> Language and results are easy.
[18:17] <starcraftman> Click on "Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more..." here you'll find even more advanced though less commonly used modifiers.
[18:17] <starcraftman> These are mostly self-explanitory, you can check pages by date, search with numeric ranges (like price), confine it to a geographic region, search based on sites usage rights (click the link for more explanation on that, its outside my scope).
[18:17] <starcraftman> At the bottom are page specific tools are interesting, first one lets you specify a page and google will find something similar. Second lets you identify pages that link to page x.
[18:17] <starcraftman> One thing not here is wildcard modifier for search.
[18:18] <starcraftman> * is the wildcard. Say I knew part of a word, say.... nvidia but I only knew it started with nvid. Searching nvid* produces nvidia as top result. It isn't always most useful given there might be words that complete the wildcard that you maybe don't want included.
[18:18] <starcraftman> I don't have time to go into all of them. I will warn, don't be tempted to use too many. The more you employ the less results will appear. Often just one or two of these modifiers makes the difference.
[18:18] <starcraftman> Say you have a video problem, you want to check whether other people have had trouble with it. It's an nvidia 8800GT. You know Ubuntu Forums usually has people posting about such things. You fill "ubuntuforums.org" in Site Search box, "nvidia 8800 GT" in all these words then search. Voila.
[18:18] <starcraftman> I don't have time to cover all the nuance of power searching. I will leave you with a good site for those interested. http://www.googleguide.com/ . See the section start now that best applies to you.
[18:18] <starcraftman> Another page to note is Ubuntu Search at http://search.ubuntu.com/
[18:18] <starcraftman> As it says on its homepage, by default it only searches Ubuntu related sites like the Wikis and Forums.
[18:18] <starcraftman> Though it doesn't have an advanced option per se, I'm pretty sure it supports most of the above function. You just have to do it manually via text modifiers.
[18:19] <starcraftman> Section 3 - System Documentation and Wiki
[18:19] <starcraftman> For this section we will cover Ubuntu's official documentation and how it can help.
[18:19] <starcraftman> System Docs are the documentation that comes with any standard Ubuntu installation, these are accessible locally even without a net connection.
[18:19] <starcraftman> On the main panel, notice the blue question mark. Please click it. If you don't have it, see System > Help and Support (KDE users open up K Menu and search for help, first option).
[18:19] <starcraftman> Note: If your not on Ubuntu at this moment, you can't follow this part.
[18:20] <starcraftman> Here you will find the documentation promised. It's a gem overlooked often by people in need of help. Feel free to click around.
[18:20] <starcraftman> On the main page at the right you'll see some common questions. At the left is most of the main sections covered like "New to Ubuntu?", go ahead and click it, new options appear, pick what you like. You can always go back to beginning with the Home button (the house) on the Toolbar at the top.
[18:20] <starcraftman> The documentation contains a lot of answers to common questions and introductory material you can read to understand Ubuntu.
[18:20] <starcraftman> Do a test search and scroll to the bottom. You'll see repeat this search online, click it. Presto, you're back at search.ubuntu.com, nifty. I only just found that one.
[18:21] <starcraftman> Feel free to click around, you can always get back to start with home icon.
[18:21] <starcraftman> I'd like to note at the home page you can find the Free Support link, directing you to a lot of materials I'll talk about.
[18:21] <starcraftman> A new project to mention quick is the manual project. It's a pdf that serves as a beginners tutorial, does offer explanations of many common things. While not a diagnostic tool per se it can be searched by contents and text search, see http://ubuntu-manual.org/ for more details.
[18:22] <starcraftman> Next is the Wikis, we have two.
[18:22] <starcraftman> The help wiki you'll be most interested in is at- https://help.ubuntu.com/ . The other site is https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ . This second site I tell you to prevent confusion, it is primarily for organization of teams. Help.ubuntu.com as the name implies stores all the help documents. Use the first one, not the second.
[18:23] <starcraftman> People often don't understand, these are official sites. They aren't like a wikia, a spin off by fans.
[18:23] <starcraftman> So take a moment and go to https://help.ubuntu.com/
[18:23] <starcraftman> Here you'll see listed the versions of Ubuntu still in support (i.e. 9.10, 9.04, these are links to their documentation). Clicking any of the versions will take you to an online version of the system pages, useful if you need it on the internet for reference.
[18:23] <starcraftman> (if your not on Ubuntu at this moment, you can now browse system docs)
[18:23] <starcraftman> Some people prefer the system docs in their browser, it's got a different feel. The content is to my knowledge exactly the same though.
[18:23] <starcraftman> At the bottom you'll see a link on upgrade notes, useful for upgrades.
[18:24] <starcraftman> More interesting is the community link, please click it https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ < to be clear.
[18:24] <starcraftman> This is the main wiki area it is maintained entirely by the community (folks like me) in an effort to document the software of Ubuntu and problems that arise. Browse all the information on the main page.
[18:24] <starcraftman> The bulk of documentation is in English, it is however translated into other languages and available.
[18:24] <starcraftman> See the "Getting Started with Ubuntu" section. Here is some beginner stuff you can read, there are also three subsequent sections underneath with useful links to stuff beginners need like Installation help and learning more information about their system.
[18:24] <starcraftman> This is all good reading material even if you don't have an immediate problem.
[18:25] <starcraftman> Next, have a look at the "Finding Your Way with Ubuntu" section.
[18:25] <starcraftman> Say hello to Signpost, a recent innovation.
[18:25] <starcraftman> Its aim is simple, to start with the general and try and narrow down to the right information.
[18:25] <starcraftman> Like a virtual detective assistant, though it isn't perfect. It can help you get oriented.
[18:25] <starcraftman> Click "get some Help", and click around some. It's fairly easy. Different sections have different focus, some on help, filing bugs, some for programmers. See what you need.
[18:26] <starcraftman> Now lastly, search (top right). Say for example I'm having a video problem with my nvidia card. It won't display my maximum resolution. Do a quick search here for "video nvidia" and see what pops up. Or maybe I just want to learn a good way to backup my system... search for "backup system". Shameless plug,  top result is one of my pages. Good reading.
[18:26] <starcraftman> Search will present you with relevant pages, as long as you know what you're looking for. If you do the preparation at the beginning this shouldn't be a problem.
[18:27] <starcraftman> The community wiki is my preferred resource for a wide variety of problems. It's up to date and usually covers problems/software in a timely fashion. It is also good place to learn when you are interested in a piece of software.
[18:28] <starcraftman> I'll take a little break here, have a little look around wiki area.
[18:29] <starcraftman> There we are, hope everyone's caught up.
[18:29] <starcraftman> Section 4 – Forums
[18:29] <starcraftman> Next, www.ubuntuforums.org
[18:29] <starcraftman> An excellent site, when in doubt posting here is reasonably certain to get you a good answer. There's an art to posting though, as well as a wrong way to do it.
[18:29] <starcraftman> While I'm explaining, feel free to sign up, click Register at left.
[18:29] <starcraftman> First let's look at the structure. The most relevant section is Absolute Beginners Talk. It's come to be a catch all for new people and just problems in general, it gets the most eyeballs. If you post here with reasonable amount of information problem is usually resolved in one or two posts.
[18:30] <starcraftman> The next section is the Main Support Categories, it offers more specialized help for those with... more exotic problems. Advanced server configurations or some more obscure problems. It's less used by beginners and is less frequented by support people. I'd encourage you to stick with ABT unless you've posted there and not gotten a reply in a reasonable time.
[18:30] <starcraftman> The remainder of the site is aimed less at support than discussion/development. You can peruse it at your own leisure.
[18:30] <starcraftman> Time to discuss posting etiquette on the forums, what to do/not do.
[18:30] <starcraftman> We have a full list of things you have to agree to at register I believe, this is just a rundown of pet peeves and things that really shouldn't happen.
[18:30] <starcraftman> Don't TYPE IN CAPS OR with LOTS of exclamations!!!!! CAPS usually infer yelling and exclamations excessively used are annoying.
[18:31] <starcraftman> Don't curse or insult other members offering help. If you wouldn't say it to someone standing next to you, it generally shouldn't be posted.
[18:31] <starcraftman> Don't demand help in the title/topic like "Fix this or I'm leaving Ubuntu". We aren't prone to offering better help when threatened. This is an unfortunate practice by people who get frustrated, it also gets attention quickly. It is incredibly rude and doesn't make things easier.
[18:31] <starcraftman> Don't post in the ABT, wait a minute then repost the same thread in different sections. This is annoying. Post in one section (I recommend ABT) and wait for response. It may take 10 minutes or 20, or more, no more than a few hours usually. If so, you can bump your forum post.
[18:31] <starcraftman> A bump of course is just you replying to the post and pushing it back to the top of cue of threads so it is noticed.
[18:32] <starcraftman> Now a few pointers to actual posting, you can click New Reply somewhere (doesn't matter where) to follow along (just don't submit please).
[18:32] <starcraftman> Do NOT push submit on the post, this is just so you see the advanced features to posting.
[18:32] <starcraftman> Incidentally, in case it wasn't clear, you need to be signed in to post.
[18:32] <starcraftman> Do make your post title pertinent to your problem. If you don't have any internet on the machine then "I don't have internet" is better than "problem needs fixing". You don't need to convey too much information, just the general category of problem. Including the version of Ubuntu might also be good.
[18:32] <starcraftman> To the left of title you'll find prefix, please select your version of Ubuntu. When it's solved, edit your first post and change the prefix to Solved.
[18:32] <starcraftman> The solved tag is useful, it tells people searching the archives your problem was resolved. So they can rely on the proposed fix.
[18:33] <starcraftman> This is nice, also goes back to one of the rules.
[18:33] <starcraftman> I'd like to make a note here- to the right of the title is "Check if Already Posted". Please click this after writing in a title it will quickly search all previous posts for related information. Experiment with different titles. Often your question has already been answered. Don't be afraid to detour and read some of these pages, you can always return to new post and submit it.
[18:33] <starcraftman> Just another way of preventing double posts, we get a lot of similar questions.
[18:33] <starcraftman> In your first post, try to put as much information as you can. Now is the time to consult that page we wrote earlier. Explain what you were doing, what went wrong, and what you have since learned (maybe from wiki). Nothing's too small, at the same time, don't write pages.
[18:34] <starcraftman> Take a note of the GUI at top of the forum reply, there is # button.
[18:34] <starcraftman> This is for the code tag.
[18:34] <starcraftman> people will often use it responding, if you want to post the hardware.txt file output use these tags. It stops the page overflowing.
[18:34] <starcraftman> Otherwise a single post would continue for hundreds of lines and clutter page.
[18:34] <starcraftman> Screenshots can be hosted at sites like http://www.imgur.com (and embedded) or as attachments to the post (scroll down on new post page, click Manage Attachments).
[18:35] <starcraftman> Images hosted on imgur you just copy the forum link and paste in the body of reply. The attachments way automates this.
[18:35] <starcraftman> When you're happy with your post, submit it. Someone should get back to you with instructions in a timely and friendly fashion.
[18:35] <starcraftman> Some people ask how do I know the instructions will help? Or to trust the person giving? Well, there isn't a rule per se.
[18:35] <starcraftman> I for instance have an almost 3000 post count, does that imply a user should trust me? I guess. Though when I started posting I only had a post count of 1, my knowledge has improved since but my advice was still usually helpful based on what I knew.
[18:37] <starcraftman> The rule I'd say is, does it sound right and well explained? A person who knows their stuff should be able to convey relevant information and convince you it's the right thing to do.
[18:37] <starcraftman> A few closing comments on the forums.
[18:37] <starcraftman> It's a helpful resource, it harnesses the collective experience of thousands of geeks like me. Do remember we all volunteer for no pay.
[18:37] <starcraftman> Also, a few helpful links you might enjoy are- http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1052065
[18:37] <starcraftman> A free beginners guide PDF to getting started.
[18:38] <starcraftman> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=801404
[18:38] <starcraftman> A general launch point to many good forum guides written by people who know their stuff.
[18:38] <starcraftman> I wrote the installation one for instance.
[18:38] <starcraftman> Peruse them on your own. These links are good for general learning. Like the wiki.
[18:39] <starcraftman> Section 4.5 - IRC (Real  quick)
[18:39] <starcraftman> paultag (i think) is covering this later. I only want to point out that IRC can be used for support. Channels such as #ubuntu, #kubuntu and #ubuntu-beginners are all good stops. A good run down of channels and getting help is available here- https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat
[18:39] <starcraftman> don't click the #links, that will open IRC client to somewhere else).
[18:40] <starcraftman> The page lists the channels, what they focus and how to fix her up. maco will give more details.
[18:40] <starcraftman> Section 5 – Launchpad
[18:40] <starcraftman> I'm going to try and make this brief, I don't want to cover ddecator's topic (see agenda for time), he's devoting a whole hour to launchpad.
[18:40] <starcraftman> Launchpad is however the place to go when all of the above doesn't get you an answer. You have two choices.
[18:41] <starcraftman> First is the answers section, see here- https://answers.launchpad.net/
[18:41] <starcraftman> Launchpad Answers is basically a section designed to let the people working on the projects answer your question.
[18:42] <starcraftman> Please note, you need to be signed up to use this site. If you want, you can sign up now in preparation for later with ddecator. A nice plus, any launchpad account is automatically an openID, can be used on other sites supporting such login.
[18:42] <starcraftman> Say I have a problem with music playing in rhythmbox, so esoteric that none of the above resources helped.
[18:42] <starcraftman> ose one project and type in rhythmbox. This takes you right to the project answer section. See if your problem is listed. If not, you can file a question here in much the same way as you would a bug (bug filing is last resort).
[18:43] <starcraftman> Go to answers home, click choose one project and type in rhythmbox. This takes you right to the project answer section. See if your problem is listed. If not, you can file a question here in much the same way as you would a bug (bug filing is last resort).
[18:43] <starcraftman> (oopsy)
[18:43] <starcraftman> Click ask a new question and fill it out. Someone should get back to you in a reasonable time. (don't file a question at this time...)
[18:43] <starcraftman> People are very active in the Ubuntu project answering the Answers section, you might consider posting there more generally before in a specific project like rhythmbox.
[18:45] <starcraftman> The really last resort thing to do is file a bug report, that's basically requesting a dev to investigate a bug. This is a last resort thing, and only do it once you've verified the problem isn't listed in current bugs or gone away.
[18:45] <starcraftman> ddecator will cover that in greater detail, know that lp is a good resource in any event. Takes a little exploring, but once you've poked around it's quite friendly to use.
[18:46] <starcraftman> I'm more a doc person though, prefer the wikis. Hehe.
[18:46] <starcraftman> That's it on LP, please stay tuned to later for more.
[18:47] <starcraftman> Section 6 – Closing
[18:47] <starcraftman> When confronted by a problem, stop and think. Don't panic.
[18:47] <starcraftman> Write down all pertinent information that you know.
[18:47] <starcraftman> Then use the right resource. I usually start with the system or wiki documentation. Or a Google search.
[18:47] <starcraftman> http://search.ubuntu.com is fast becoming a favourite of mine to get quick answers as it indexes most of the good resources.
[18:47] <starcraftman> If looking on your own fails to turn up help, I'd next suggest the forums or IRC. Search them carefully and if you can't find relevant info ask in ABT for help with all the information you know.
[18:47] <starcraftman> Next if that doesn't work, see Launchpad answers/bug system as relevant.
[18:48] <starcraftman> There's no hard fast rule, it's more of an experience thing finding good answers. The more you do it the easier it becomes. It's not too intimidating now I hope.
[18:48] <starcraftman> Do please consider where the information comes from before doing anything, if you do a Google search and you find a lone blog post detailing an answer with no comments or any affiliation with Ubuntu that's been abandoned by the poster, you should hesitate.
[18:48] <starcraftman> Thinking about the source of information is important. Above all don't blindly follow rm commands into your terminal and delete the root.
[18:49] <starcraftman> I know it's a lot of information to absorb, I hope you've found it helpful.
[18:49] <starcraftman> I have extra links I may not have mentioned on my outline as listed at the beginning. Click and browse them at your leisure.
[18:49] <starcraftman> I made it with 10 minutes to spare this time, guess I can handle some questions now if there are any.
[18:50] <ClassBot> eviltux asked: Is it possible to install packages for earlier versions of Ubuntu?
[18:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[18:51] <starcraftman> This is a bit outside the perview, you should see the package management one. It is generally not recommended to mix and match from different versions due to problems that can crop up. It isn't impossible though.
[18:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:01] <Pendulum> thanks starcraftman!
[19:02] <Pendulum> next up is _marx_ with Command Line Basics
[19:02] <Pendulum> Mark Cox lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has made his living as a carpenter since getting out of the Army in '85.  He has been using Linux since 1998. Mark has been using Ubuntu since 5.04.
[19:02] <Pendulum> He hopes to be unique by being the first Grandfather in recorded history to convert his grandsons to Ubuntu instead of the other way around. Mark's two oldest grandchildren were dazzled by "the cube" over the holidays.
[19:02] <_marx_> Thanks Pendulum
[19:03] <_marx_> Welcome everyone to Command Line Basics
[19:03] <_marx_> When we use the command line we are using a shell. In this context a shell is the most basic way a user can interact with a computer's operating system kernel.
[19:03] <_marx_> A shell is a piece of software. A unix type system can have many different shells installed.
[19:04] <_marx_> The user can choose which shell they use. Most GNU/Linux distributions use the Bourne Again SHell (bash) as the login shell.
[19:04] <_marx_> The again part is because the first iteration was called the Bourne SHell (sh).
[19:05] <_marx_> Now in the first UUD this next line sparked some comments
[19:05] <_marx_> Beginning with the 6.10 release Ubuntu began using dash (the Debian Almquist Shell) as the default system shell. The default login shell is still bash.
[19:06] <_marx_> For this session we don't need to be concerned with the differences between dash and bash.
[19:06] <_marx_> Today we will learn how to navigate the Linux file system, view the contents of a file, copy and rename files and directories, pipe output of one command to another, direct output to a file, install programs, navigate the internet all via the command line interface.
[19:07] <_marx_> For our exercises today I will be using the Gnome terminal.
[19:08] <_marx_> so I am assuming that you are using gnome. If you aren't just open a terminal or Konsole in KDE
[19:09] <_marx_> I want to make opening a terminal a click or two faster so click Applications > Accessories and drag Terminal into your top panel. I'm not real familiar with KDE and Xfce so maybe just drop the icon on the desktop to create a launcher.
[19:09] <_marx_> This creates a launcher that will start a terminal session without using the menu system.
[19:10] <_marx_> Now let's open a terminal session, just click the icon we just created in the top panel.
[19:10] <_marx_> Everyone have a terminal open now?
[19:11] <_marx_> I'm going to try to remember to wrap all my command examples with quotes around them so just type whatever is inside the single quote marks.
[19:12] <_marx_> Let's type our first command: 'whoami'.
[19:13] <_marx_> Well now you know who you are!
[19:14] <_marx_> That was an informative command, no?
[19:14] <_marx_> So where are we? Let's use print working directory to find out; 'pwd'.
[19:15] <_marx_> the concept of "where am I" is an important basic unix concept
[19:16] <_marx_> Next let's see what files are here. To do this we'll list the contents with the list command; ls is list so type "ls".
[19:17] <_marx_> eviltux, 'hostname'
[19:18] <_marx_> I realize -chat isn't being logged but what just transpired there illustrates another important concept.
[19:18] <_marx_> There always more than one way.
[19:19] <_marx_> This will list the files in our current directory.
[19:19] <_marx_> notice i said directory
[19:19] <_marx_> Ah, if you are moving from a GUI oriented operating system a directory is the same thing as a folder.
[19:20] <_marx_> To list all the files and directories that are here type "ls -a" The -a means all.
[19:20] <_marx_> Interesting eh? You should see a bunch of files and directories with a "." in front of them.
[19:21] <_marx_> These are called "dot files" or hidden files. Some are files and some are directories.
[19:22] <_marx_> The -a addition is an option or flag for the ls command. Another is -l.
[19:23] <_marx_> Let's try typing 'ls -l'.
[19:23] <_marx_> This outputs a long listing which includes file permissions, owner and group, size and date accessed.
[19:24] <_marx_> Now we can put two or more options together like 'ls -al'
[19:24] <_marx_> or 'ls -alh'
[19:24] <_marx_> the -h option makes the file size output more Human readable
[19:25] <_marx_> Next we will move around the file system.
[19:25] <_marx_> To move around the file system we use the cd command.
[19:25] <_marx_> This command means change directory.
[19:26] <_marx_> Everyone type 'cd /'
[19:27] <_marx_> So where are we now? Well we are in the root of the Linux file system.
[19:27] <_marx_> But exactly where are we? Let us use the pwd command to find out. Type 'pwd' to print working directory.
[19:28] <_marx_> Well that just shows "/" so what is here? Let's type "ls" to find out.
[19:28] <_marx_> Questions on ls, cd or pwd?
[19:29] <_marx_> date
[19:30] <_marx_> Okay let's go look at something interesting here. 'cd etc/init.d'
[19:31] <_marx_> how many got a file not found error?
[19:32] <_marx_> bash: cd: etc/init.d: No such file or directory
[19:32] <_marx_> if you get that error you weren't in / when you did cd etc/init.d
[19:33] <_marx_> Now let's get the heck out of here as this is all the startup scripts for your system.
[19:33] <_marx_> not a good place to play around
[19:34] <_marx_> Just type "cd" By default that will take you back to your home directory. Do a "pwd" to confirm.
[19:35] <_marx_> To simply view the contents of a file we can use less, more or cat, which dumps the content to standard output.
[19:35] <_marx_> Since we are now in our home directories we'll have to use the full path to a file in /etc to view it so let's try 'less /etc/init.d/gdm'
[19:36] <_marx_> We should now all be looking at the gnome display manager startup script.
 QUESTION: Can't we do: cat file.txt | less?
[19:37] <_marx_> yes but that's redundant
[19:38] <_marx_> and less will let you move up and down in the file with up and down arrow keys
[19:38] <_marx_> Use "q" to exit less.
[19:41] <_marx_> We're not going to get into editing something like this today as it is way beyond the perview of basic command line.
[19:42] <_marx_> So let's move on to copying and renaming files.
[19:42] <_marx_> Everybody go home with 'cd'
[19:42] <ClassBot> suprengr asked: did someone remember to tell new users 'paste' is SHIFT Ctrl-V
[19:43] <_marx_> now classbot kicks in :\
[19:43] <_marx_> click the center button, or wheel or left and right at the same time
[19:44] <_marx_> Let's make a directory to store our practice excercises "mkdir stuff" or whatever you would like to name it.
[19:44] <_marx_> mkdir means make directory
[19:45] <_marx_> List your home again and that directory should be there; now cd into it with 'cd stuff'
[19:47] <_marx_> now there are of course several ways to create a file
[19:48] <_marx_> perhaps the most basic is 'touch'
[19:48] <_marx_> 'touch testfile' in /home/username/stuff
[19:49] <_marx_> other ways include using an editor, example 'vim testfile' would create testfile and open it in the worlds best text editor
[19:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:52] <_marx_> Questions?
[19:53] <ClassBot> libeviltux-dev asked: what would happen If I did this: echo "stuff" > testfile; tail testfile >> testfile
[19:53] <_marx_> !q
[19:53] <_marx_> oops
[19:54] <_marx_> libeviltux-dev, you should have a file contaning two lines stuff and stuff
[19:55] <_marx_> try it and see!
[19:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[19:58] <_marx_> i'm going to refill my mug before the next session starts, brb < 1 minute
[20:01] <_marx_> who else is lazy?
[20:01] <_marx_> my picture is in Websters beside lazy
[20:02] <_marx_> so typing ls -alh is too much sometimes
[20:02] <_marx_> yeah i'm that lazy ;)
[20:03] <_marx_> bash has a handy feature called aliases
[20:04] <_marx_> to see what aliases you have now do 'alias'
[20:04] <_marx_> this will output all your aliases
[20:05] <_marx_> mine looks like this...
[20:05] <_marx_> mark@spinach:~$ alias
[20:05] <_marx_> alias ..='cd ..'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias a='ls -a'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias l='ls'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias la='ls -alh'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias ll='ls -lh'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias ls='ls --color=auto'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias ping='ping -c5'
[20:05] <_marx_> alias sagud='sudo apt-get update'
[20:05] <_marx_> the last one i'd forgotten about
[20:06] <_marx_> and those have been customized so they won't be what you'll get on a stock installation
[20:07] <_marx_> creating an alias is easy
[20:08] <_marx_> df is a handy command (disk free); it shows the available space on your hard drive(s)
[20:08] <_marx_> but it's output isn't very Human readable
[20:09] <_marx_> so df -h makes nicer output
[20:09] <_marx_> to create an alias for this do 'alias df='df -h''
[20:10] <_marx_> now this alias will NOT be there when you log in again
[20:10] <_marx_> or just open another terminal and it won't work
[20:12] <_marx_> to make it persistent we have to edit our .bashrc file
[20:12] <_marx_> again this is just one way
[20:12] <_marx_> some distros have a .bash_aliases file
[20:13] <_marx_> go home (cd)
[20:13] <_marx_> and let's edit .bashrc
[20:13] <_marx_> open it with an editor, preferably a cli editor since this is command line basics
[20:14] <_marx_> example from /home/you 'vim .bashrc'
[20:16] <_marx_> move down the file with the arrow keys to the alias section
[20:16] <_marx_> in vim pres "i" to enter insert mode
[20:17] <_marx_> add alias df='df -h'
[20:17] <_marx_> press esc (escape key) to exit insert mode
[20:17] <_marx_> then :wq or :x to save and quit
[20:18] <_marx_> now open a new terminal and try the df command
[20:19] <_marx_> hum my example doesn't include source...
[20:20] <_marx_> if you add an alias to ~/.bashrc bash will not know about the new alias until you login again or source ~/.bashrc
[20:21] <_marx_> sourcing that file is done by 'source ~/.bashrc'
[20:22] <_marx_> okay where am i...
[20:22] <_marx_> file manager for command line only environment
[20:23] <_marx_> midnight commander rocks for this task
[20:23] <_marx_> it is not installed by default
[20:23] <_marx_> so to give it a test run we'll need to install it
[20:24] <_marx_> the package name is mc so 'sudo apt-get install mc'
[20:25] <_marx_> okay that was long enough for me to install it from a rather fast mirror
[20:26] <ClassBot> libssd asked: Docs for Terminal Enhancements?
[20:26] <_marx_> no clue libssd
[20:26] <ClassBot> libssd asked: Re Terminal Enhancements. After sudo su, I should be root, but still get "You need to be root before going on"
[20:26] <_marx_> what the heck if you don't know you don't know
[20:27] <_marx_> again i'm not sure libssd I'd guess you need to set roots password
[20:27] <_marx_> that is a guess as i'm not familiar with terminal enhancements
[20:29] <_marx_> to start midnight commander just type 'mc'
[20:30] <_marx_> mc uses the function keys to do various tasks
[20:31] <_marx_> F4 will open and editor
[20:31] <_marx_> the up and down arrow keys work as expected, moving up and down the list of files and directories
[20:32] <_marx_> left and right arrow keys a little different, they will move you up and down the directory structure
[20:33] <_marx_> so if we move down to that directory we made last hour "stuff"
[20:34] <_marx_> when it's highlighted the right arrow key will enter that directory
 QUESTION: How do you rename a file without MC?
[20:35] <_marx_> mv (move) will rename a file
[20:35] <_marx_> in mc F6 will open a dialog to rename/move a file
[20:36] <_marx_> Questions?
[20:40] <_marx_> should note here that mc can do sftp and ftp as well
[20:40] <_marx_> although i seldom use that feature
[20:42] <_marx_> okay how about a command line web browser
[20:42] <_marx_> two come to mind lynx and links
[20:42] <_marx_> i believe lynx is the older of those two
[20:43] <_marx_> so let's try that one; 'sudo apt-get install lynx'
[20:45] <_marx_> QUESTION: Any other way to play a file beside aplay?
[20:46] <_marx_> oh many...but my old brain
[20:48] <_marx_> mplayer is one...
[20:48] <_marx_> sox another
[20:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[20:50] <_marx_> Questions? I'm out of script ask away yall
[20:52] <_marx_> There is a survey for todays event at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJ697T7
[20:53] <_marx_> please take a few minutes to give us your feedback
[20:53] <_marx_> JFo, is in the house!
[20:54] <JFo> o/
[20:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[21:00] <_marx_> Jeremy Foshee is a part of the Ubuntu Kernel team.  He's the reason why the cam you bought from ebay is working.
[21:01] <_marx_> He figures out what's wrong when you hit a kernel bug and makes sure the right people hear about it to get it fixed.
[21:01] <JFo> hahaha
[21:01] <JFo> :)
[21:01] <_marx_> When he's not working on fixing up the kernel, he's started studying bass guitar.
[21:01] <JFo> only just started :)
[21:01] <_marx_> He also lives in the same state as I; North Carolina
[21:01] <_marx_> er me
[21:02] <JFo> Hi Folks, my name is Jeremy Foshee and I am the Kernel Bug Triager for the Ubuntu Kernel Team.
[21:02] <_marx_> grammar nazi
[21:02] <JFo> basically what that means is, I handle the thousands of bugs that are currently active for the kernel package in Ubuntu
[21:02] <JFo> there are several things I hope to accomplish for you all today.
[21:03] <JFo> 1) give a brief idea what the kernel is and why you need it (as the title of the class suggests :-) )
[21:03] <JFo> 2) explain how the team works and how we are a bit different from the kernel upstream
[21:04] <JFo> and 3) show you how you can participate in the kernel community both as a bug reporter and as a triager or community tester
[21:04] <JFo> now then, let's begin shall we?
[21:04] <JFo> The kernel has been likened to a traffic cop in a computer
[21:05] <JFo> it is the but responsible for communications between software you have installed (like rhythmbox)
[21:05] <JFo> and the hardware (like your CD player)
[21:06] <JFo> in this case, the kernel loads a driver so that it can speak your CD players language as it hands it commands from Rhythmbox
[21:06] <JFo> so drivers become something of a tool the kernel uses to speak to various different hardware
[21:06] <JFo> as you can imagine, there are a number of things that can go wrong due to older kernels and newer drivers
[21:07] <JFo> or old drivers on new kernels
[21:07] <JFo> or even the wrong driver for a particular piece of hardware
[21:08] <JFo> having said that, I want to take a moment and describe a new policy that the kernel team has developed to help us further identify the causes of issues and to get them resolved
[21:08] <JFo> this is the 'no duplicates' policy
[21:08] <JFo> in general terms, we have found that
[21:08] <JFo> there are a great many of our bugs that seem related on the surface
[21:08] <JFo> however, upon resolving a bug for one reporter
[21:09] <JFo> we have found that there were many that were not solved due to slightly different chipsets
[21:09] <JFo> so the Kernel Manager, Pete Graner, made the determination that duplicate bugs could potentially hide similar issues.
[21:10] <JFo> now what this means for you and all of your colleagues using ubuntu, is that any bug you encounter related to the kernel should be filed by you.
[21:10] <JFo> even if you find a bug that looks exactly the same. :)
[21:11] <JFo> I know that this seems contrary to common sense, but I assure you that this will help us immeasurably
[21:11] <JFo> any questions for me so far?
[21:11] <JFo> ok, I'll keep going :)
[21:12] <JFo> as some of you may be aware, there is an upstream for the Ubuntu kernel
[21:12] <JFo> this is the kernel team headed up by Linus Torvalds
[21:12] <JFo> there are other team members such as Ted T'so and Greg Kroah-Hartman, but Linus is the keeper of the master tree
[21:13] <JFo> The interaction between the ubuntu Kernel team and our upstream is such that we do a great deal of what we call 'rebasing' from the stable tree as managed by Greg K-H
[21:14] <JFo> we do this for a number of reasons, several being: To keep the kernel we use as close to the upstream kernel as possible so that we benefit from corrections in the code
[21:14] <JFo> as well as security updates and hardware support
[21:14] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: How would someone who is a beginner (uhh... me) know when to file a bug as a kernel bug?
[21:15] <JFo> great question!
[21:15] <JFo> the answer is a bit harder to give
[21:15] <JFo> in some cases you won't know
[21:15] <JFo> generally, if some software you are using fails, you would file it for that and when the maintainers of that software determined it was a kernel issue, they would reassign
[21:16] <JFo> however we are also working to help identify when there is a kernel issue
[21:16] <JFo> you will on occasion see a dialog that tells you there was a serious kernel problem
[21:16] <JFo> in these cases you are given the opportunity to file a bug
[21:17] <JFo> there are quite a lot of bugs that get filed for other packages and then sent to me
[21:17] <JFo> so don't worry too much if you think you are doing something wrong, someone will always be around to help
[21:18] <JFo> the kernel team itself works in a FreeNode channel. The #ubuntu-kernel channel
[21:18] <JFo> so if you think you have  a kernel bug, you can ask in there for verification
[21:18] <JFo> the folks on the team are always glad to help :)
[21:18] <ClassBot> maco asked: when hardware is being stupid, should we file against the linux package and then let someone more knowledgeable in the ways of the kernel (*cough*you*cough*) sort out whether it's really hal's or pulseaudio's or whatever's fault?
[21:19] <JFo> sure, but keep in mind that I am managing literally thousands of bugs
[21:19] <JFo> so in most cases it is best to file for what you think it is versus just the kernel package :)
[21:20] <JFo> it is always (sadly) easier for other bug supervisors to redirect than it has been for me to do so historically
[21:21] <JFo> we have beaten back the sheer number of bugs in the recent past and I have some things happening that I cannot share yet that will help immensely
[21:21] <JFo> but there is still much to do :)
[21:21] <JFo> I'd like to take a moment and chat about the team
[21:22] <JFo> historically, the linux kernel has been a scary place for non-developers or those hoping to gain insight of the inner workings of the linux kernel
[21:22] <JFo> I can tell you from experience, there should be nothing scary about the Ubuntu Kernel Team
[21:23] <JFo> they are some of the smartest and nicest people I have had the priviledge of working with
[21:23] <JFo> understand, they are very busy, but I have never seen one of them look down on anyone or act in an angry manner to someone who was asking a question or trying to understand
[21:24] <JFo> I have learned more from them since I have been here than in my years of reading and understanding the inner kernel workings
[21:24] <JFo> so, moving on again :)
[21:25] <JFo> The Ubuntu Kernel Team is different from our upstream in that we are 'Distribution Focused'
[21:26] <JFo> this means that we are tasked with providing the most stable kernel possible every 6 months for a release of Ubuntu
[21:26] <JFo> this also has an unfortunate side-effect of keeping us from working on very many bugs in the upstream kernel
[21:27] <JFo> our feedback to upstream has been improving and we have made several major contributions to the upstream kernel, just not as many as the team would like to :)
[21:28] <JFo> there is an ongoing plan to increase what we give back to the upstream maintainers
[21:28] <JFo> so that should continue to improve
[21:28] <JFo> the important designation here is that, in most cases, our bugs appear to go stale from a reporter perspective
[21:29] <JFo> this is not an indication that there is not any work going on to address these issues
[21:29] <JFo> simply that there is not enough opportunity to keep many of them up to date
[21:29] <JFo> this is why you often see me asking for testing updates of issues I know have seen work when it appears that there has been nothing in the comments of the bug itself
[21:30] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: I caught myself thinking about that very thing, Ubuntu's release schedule may very well stunt its growth. Too many releases forcing too much maintenance of already superseded software.
[21:30] <JFo> sadly, I can't comment on the release schedule as it is outside my influence
[21:30] <JFo> what I will say is that the 6 month release schedule gives us the opportunity to update kernels without heavy handed changes to userspace
[21:31] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: Would you prefer a more spaced out release schedule then?
[21:31] <JFo> I actually don't have an opinion there, as odd as that may sound :)
[21:31] <JFo> I find that we get a great deal accomplished in the time we have
[21:32] <JFo> but any change for less time or more would really make no difference to the team as it stands
[21:32] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: Sorry... what is userspace?
[21:32] <JFo> great questions Marceau68 :)
[21:32] <JFo> so, in the kernel there are 2 types of permissions and execution space
[21:32] <JFo> userspace and kernelspace
[21:33] <JFo> this is mainly to provide a deeper level of security within the kernel
[21:33] <JFo> especially as it relates to code execution
[21:34] <JFo> as for a deeper understanding, that will have to wait until my planned triager summit, which I will chat about toward the end of the session :)
[21:34] <JFo> so to conclude this point, we are very different currently than the upstream kernel maintainers
[21:35] <JFo> but in some ways we are growing closer
[21:35] <JFo> as mentioned in the upstream fixes we work on
[21:36] <JFo> now then, I'd like to take most of this session to discuss how you can participate in the kernel community
[21:36] <JFo> I'd also like to chat about some things I have coming up that should help you all participate with your LoCo teams in your areas
[21:37] <JFo> I'll also give you some wiki addresses so that you can research these topics more :)
[21:37] <JFo> As I stated earlier, there is no beginning knowledge level of kernel internals in order to help the team and myself
[21:38] <JFo> we are always looking for more triagers as well as kernel testers and even patch writers, so you see there are all levels that can be attained as you move through your career or even hobby if that is what Ubuntu is for you. :)
[21:39] <JFo> the first place you can look, if you want a deeper knowledge of the type of bugs that get filed against the kernel is in our wiki
[21:39] <JFo> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel
[21:40] <JFo> one of our current goals for the Maverick development cycle is to update all our wiki information, so keep in mind that these pages are being updated :)
[21:40] <JFo> kernel bug triage information can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/BugTriage
[21:41] <JFo> there is a wealth of information on these pages
[21:41] <JFo> as well as our processes for doing things
[21:41] <JFo> if you were interested in how the team works, these are the places to go
[21:41] <JFo> This is another area in which to contribute
[21:42] <JFo> if you see sentence errors or grammar, feel free to edit them :)
[21:42] <JFo> I have also been working on a LiveISO testing image that we will hopefully be releasing this cycle
[21:43] <JFo> it contains a small test suite that can run through a number of kernel tests.
[21:43] <JFo> I'll be demoing that once it is ready :)
[21:43] <JFo> It will be built from the daily Live ISO, so you will get the most up-to-date bits every day.
[21:44] <JFo> the main reason we have yet to release it is due to the late inclusion of a firmware test suite that will enable us to identify bugs in BIOS
[21:44] <JFo> as well as issues with firmware in general
[21:45] <JFo> this will be a great tool to help us move forward with BIoS vendors in getting fixes to their hardware as needed
[21:45] <JFo> once that is in place the ISOs should start building and we can get to the hardcore testing :)
[21:45] <ClassBot> Marceau68 asked: How big a part of what is Ubuntu does the kernel represent? Is it the kernel - Filesystem - gnome - additional applications?
[21:46] <JFo> it is a very large part
[21:46] <JFo> without it there could be no Ubuntu
[21:46] <JFo> the kernel is the core of any OS
[21:46] <JFo> Microsoft has a kernel itself
[21:47] <JFo> it is the key to dealing with the multitude of possible hardware combinations in the wild
[21:48] <JFo> without that problem, I am certain that the kernel would be a much much smaller item :)
[21:48] <ClassBot> yo2boy_ asked: What happens during a Kernel Panic?
[21:48] <JFo> great question yo2boy_
[21:48] <JFo> it depends on what has caused the kernel to panic :)
[21:49] <JFo> most times the kernel will give us a log of what was happening when it panicked
[21:49] <JFo> barring that, we can see in the dmesg logs what was happening immediately prior to the panic'
[21:49] <JFo> in most cases it is due to the kernel receiving input that was not what it expected
[21:50] <ClassBot> tagpaul_ asked: What scheme does Linux use for the memory management in userspace? Is there any code for setting up what page is currently loaded to try and avoid page faults?
[21:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[21:51] <JFo> tagpaul_ great question, and one that i am afraid falls outside my knowledge :)
[21:51] <JFo> for that I'd have to defer to one of the team
[21:51] <JFo> as I am under the impression that it sometimes changes between kernels
[21:51] <JFo> but don't quote me on that :-D
[21:52] <ClassBot> MrSpring asked: thought of adding "don't panic Mr. Mannering" to kernelcode ;)
[21:52] <JFo> hahahaha
[21:52] <JFo> nice
[21:52] <JFo> any other questions?
[21:53] <JFo> have I thoroughly confused you all? :)
[21:53] <JFo> for anything else you all may have, I am always available in the #ubuntu-kernel channel on this server :)
[21:54] <JFo> and I am always glad to help :-D
[21:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[21:55] <ClassBot> ech0tk asked: So to sum up, the Kernel is somewhat inbetween HAL and API?
[21:55] <JFo> not necessarily ech0tk
[21:55] <JFo> hal was a part of the kernel
[21:56] <JFo> it's responsibilities were moved to a different tool
[21:56] <JFo> but yes, the kernel is like a huge API
[21:57] <JFo> thanks for all the great questions
[21:57] <JFo> if you are interested in a bit deeper chat
[21:57] <JFo> I'll be givving a session on Wednesday afternoon for Ubuntu Developer week
[21:57] <JFo> this coming wednesday
[21:58] <JFo> thanks everyone :)
[22:01] <pleia2> Thanks JFo!
[22:01] <pleia2> Just a quick reminder to folks that we have a survey for the day, once the day wraps up or you head out if you could take a moment to fill it out it'll help us make the next User Days even better :)
[22:02] <pleia2> http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJ697T7
[22:02] <pleia2> Now for our next session!
[22:02] <pleia2> Penelope Stowe is co-leader of the Ubuntu Accessibility Team and member of the User Days Team. Penelope enjoys reading fantasy and sci fi novels, and is currently learning how to crochet. She's also active in Ubuntu Women and the Ubuntu NGO team.
[22:03] <Pendulum> Hiya, as pleia2 said, I'm the co-leader of the Ubuntu Accessibility Team. My counterpart is Luke Yelavich (TheMuso for those of you more used to IRC).
[22:03] <Pendulum> I focus on the outreach and documentation side of the team, while he runs the development side.
[22:04] <Pendulum> This session isn't a how-to guide and won't go into a huge amount of detail into any one program.
[22:04] <Pendulum> Instead, it should give you an overview of what's availible for accessibility tools in Ubuntu.
[22:04] <Pendulum> I'll also give you some resources for where you can get help and find more information.
[22:04] <Pendulum> This session will focus on GNOME-based accessibility features. GNOME has used at-spi as it's accessibility toolkit. Right now it is switching to Dbus/at-spi2.
[22:05] <Pendulum> I am also focusing on programs that can be found in the Ubuntu Software Center in Lucid.
[22:05] <Pendulum> This means there are programs that may have worked in older versions of Ubuntu, which aren't currently there.
[22:05] <Pendulum> I'll also talk a little bit about a couple derivatives of Ubuntu which focus on accessibility features.
[22:06] <Pendulum> Before I talk about specific programs, I want to talk about the Assistive Technologies menu, which can be found in System->Preferences -> Assistive Technology.
[22:06] <Pendulum> This menu is where you can select your preferred accessibility programs and enable assistive technologies.
[22:07] <Pendulum> You can use this menu to specify things such as how long to accept as a keypress, how to prevent accidental double clicking, and how quickly to respond to key presses.
[22:08] <Pendulum> It's also useful for turning off and on sticky keys or specifying keystrokes to stand in for things you'd normally do with a mouse.
[22:08] <Pendulum> This is also the menu you use to specify which programs you want for an alternate keyboard or as a screen reader.
[22:09] <Pendulum> Okay, before I start talking about programs, are there any questions on the Assistive Technology menu?
[22:10] <Pendulum> moving on
[22:10] <Pendulum> The first set of programs I'm talking about are the text-to-speech programs.
[22:11] <Pendulum> The most popular of these is the Orca, although it isn't strictly a screen reader, as it has other capabilities
[22:11] <Pendulum> Orca includes a screen reader, magnification capabilities, and braille capabilities, so it is more than text-to-speech, however most people when you say Orca think of it as a screen reader.
[22:13] <Pendulum> Orca was developed by the Accessibility department at Sun Microsystems, however, with the aquisition of Sun by Oracle, it has moved to community-development only.
[22:13] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: I have had Ocra open a few times in the past,  wanting to set up a screen reader, since I like to play with text to speech sometimes on the computer, but I have never understood how to set up and use Ocra properly, so how?
[22:14] <Pendulum> I hate to say it, but I don't know. I've never actually tried setting up Orca.
[22:15] <Pendulum> (I don't need a screen reader and while it's on my "list of things to play with", I've not gotten there yet)
[22:16] <Pendulum> and it looks like AlanBell has given one of my suggestions for getting help with that (I'll also cover towards the end resources for help)
[22:16] <Pendulum> Orca can work with programs that include the at-spi toolkit including the GNOME desktop, Firefox, OpenOffice, and many others.
[22:16] <Pendulum> More information about Orca can be found at http://live.gnome.org/Orca
[22:16] <Pendulum> And, yes, it is named after the animal in the tradition of screen readers being named after aquatic animals. (The most well known is JAWS for Windows)
[22:17] <Pendulum> Okay, any other questions about Orca?
[22:18] <Pendulum> Another text-to-speech program is eSpeak. eSpeak is command line based.
[22:18] <Pendulum> It supports quite a few different languages.
[22:18] <Pendulum> There are several different versions of eSpeak including one specific to emacs.
[22:19] <Pendulum> More information can be found at http://espeak.sourceforge.net/
[22:19] <Pendulum> These are the two main text-to-speech/screen reader options in the Software Center
[22:20] <Pendulum> Are there any questions about espeak or other questions about text-to-speech in Ubuntu?
[22:21] <ClassBot> mhall119 asked: does the Ubuntu installer support text-to-speech for installs?
[22:21] <Pendulum> It has at a couple points and I'm a little unclear of how well it worked in Lucid (seemed to work okay for some people and not at all for others)
[22:22] <Pendulum> it was activated by a function key
[22:22] <Pendulum> IIRC
[22:23] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: Is Windows really better than Desktop GNU/Linux for accessibility? Seems so, from someone that has used Gentoo that I  have IRC'd with in the past.  Plus how festival seems to be like Ocra, what is meant to be done with that?
[22:24] <Pendulum> There are things that Windows and MacOS have that we don't yet (a well working voice regonition program is one of them)
[22:24] <Pendulum> On the other hand, I've been told that these days Orca is just about as good as JAWS
[22:26] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: The Gentoo user was blind,  and this is not really a question.
[22:26] <Pendulum> There are a few programs, espeak is one of them, that I'll mention today that do also have Windows and/or MacOS versions
[22:26] <Pendulum> any more text to speech questions?
[22:27] <ClassBot> AlanBell asked: is there anything programmers should do to make their applications friendlier to orca?
[22:28] <Pendulum> The biggest thing for desktop applications is to make sure your application can intigrate with at-spi2/Dbus
[22:28] <Pendulum> that's the toolkit that allows the application interface with the assistive technology
[22:28] <Pendulum> (that's a pretty good way of making sure your application plays nicely with most assistive technology in GNOME)
[22:29] <Pendulum> any more questions before I move on?
[22:30] <ClassBot> mhall119 asked: are there any assistive technologies for people with learning/developmental difficulties?
[22:31] <Pendulum> Within GNOME I don't know of any that are specifically aimed as such, however, I know that Orca and some of the other programs are used by people with learning/developmental disabilities
[22:32] <Pendulum> One thing that happens in the open source world is that other that specific hardware needs (such as integration with braile keyboards or USB switches), things are developed towards what the software needs to do, not why the person needs that software
[22:33] <Pendulum> okay, moving on from text-to-speech, I'm going to quickly cover magnification software
[22:34] <Pendulum> The two bits of magnification software commonly found in Ubuntu are gnome-mag and the magnification part of Orca
[22:35] <Pendulum> and that's about all I have there :P
[22:35] <Pendulum> Next I want to talk about alternate keyboards.
[22:36] <Pendulum> These are programs which can be used to replace or augment a traditional keyboard. They usually directly interface with the mouse however the mouse may be controlled.
[22:36] <Pendulum> The built-in alternate keyboard for Ubuntu is onBoard.
[22:36] <Pendulum> It's a basic on screen keyboard.
[22:37] <Pendulum> It includes everything except the function keys from a regular keyboard
[22:37] <Pendulum> You click on the key or a sequence of keys and it inputs directly into whatever program you're working on
[22:38] <Pendulum> Not only useful as assistive technology, it's rather useful for people using Ubuntu on a tablet
[22:38] <Pendulum> (in fact, I find onBoard tedious to use with a mouse, but would probably be fine with it as a tablet)
[22:39] <Pendulum> The other well known option for alternate keyboard capabilities is Dasher
[22:39] <Pendulum> Which, for those of you who know me, I promise not to wax poetically about for the next 20 minutes ;-)
[22:40] <Pendulum> Dasher, rather than having a keyboard set-up, is mouse controlled by hovering the mouse over the letters on the screen
[22:41] <Pendulum> It also has predicitve text capabilities, which can be quite useful
[22:42] <Pendulum> If you run Dasher from the Applications menu in Ubuntu, it prints the characters in its own text editor and you can copy and paste into other programs
[22:42] <Pendulum> From the command line you can run " dasher -a direct " which allows direct input into other programs
[22:43] <Pendulum> that said, direct input can be buggy and with GNOME's move to Dbus/at-spi2 this functionality may go away until Dasher encorperates this into its code
[22:43] <Pendulum> There are also Windows and MacOS X versions of Dasher.
[22:44] <Pendulum> For more information (including video and a way to try without downloading) you can go to http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/
[22:44] <Pendulum> Any questions about Alternate keyboards?
[22:45] <Pendulum> Okay, I'm going to move on as I'm a little worried about running out of time
[22:45] <Pendulum> There are two programs in Ubuntu that help with alternate mouse controls
[22:45] <Pendulum> MouseTrap allows headtracking using a webcam to control your mouse
[22:46] <Pendulum> MouseTweaks works with the Assistive Technologies menu to give the ability to allow the mouse to "click" even if the mouse user can't actually make the motion that allows a mouse to click normally
[22:48] <Pendulum> And now the topic that everyone asks about (and is one of the things that got me involved with the accessibility team): Voice Recognition software
[22:48] <Pendulum> The short answer is that there are hacks and there are programs that sort of work, but there aren't great results for voice recognition in Ubuntu
[22:48] <Pendulum> The only voice recognition software in the Software Center is Julius
[22:49] <Pendulum> (and it's not listed in the assistive technology section so you have to search for it and know it's there)
[22:49] <Pendulum> Julius was originally developed in Japanese and is being ported to English
[22:49] <Pendulum> Unfortunately, as it's not finished software, the documentation is lacking
[22:50] <Pendulum> I've spent several hours trying to figure out how to make it work in the last couple days with no success
[22:50] <Pendulum> The other thing which has worked for some Ubuntu users is to run Dragon Natural Speaking under Wine
[22:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[22:50] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: Why isn't it where people are going to look for such a program, in the Software Centre?
[22:51] <Pendulum> I wish I knew. I'm going to file a bug on that once I figure out who to direct it to :-)
[22:52] <Pendulum> Any other voice recognition questions?
[22:53] <Pendulum> Okay, those are the major groups of accessibility programs and what's availible in Ubuntu
[22:53] <Pendulum> now I want to talk quickly about Ubuntu derivatives which focus on accessibility (or have some relevence)
[22:53] <Pendulum> probably the biggest of these at the moment is Vinux
[22:54] <Pendulum> Originally started to be optimised for blind and visually impaired users, as of this cycle all possible accessiblity additions or changes are going to be tested in Vinux first
[22:55] <Pendulum> for more information: http://vinux.org.uk/
[22:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[22:55] <Pendulum> Another one that's being talked about in the GNOME community quite a bit at the moment is Guadelinux- a11y edition
[22:56] <Pendulum> This is a Spanish-language derivative and the a11y edition will have its first release in November
[22:56] <Pendulum> Finally, we have Qimo4kids, which mhall119 developed partially as a way to create something that would be easy for kids with developmental disabilities to use
[22:57] <ClassBot> mhall119 asked: are there any assistive technologies for the deaf?  To let them know about sounds being played, for example?
[22:57] <Pendulum> no, and from talking to Deaf friends, they don't generally see the need as most sound alerts can be set to be visual alerts instead or as well
[22:58] <Pendulum> okay really quickly, where to get help:
[22:58] <Pendulum> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Accessibility
[22:58] <Pendulum> http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility (out of date in process of updating)
[22:58] <Pendulum> The Accessibility section of Ubuntu Forums
[22:58] <Pendulum> #ubuntu-accessibility
[22:58] <Pendulum> ubuntu-accessiblity@lists.ubuntu.com
[22:59] <Pendulum> also, the ubuntu accessibility team is http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility/Team
[22:59] <Pendulum> The Gnome A11y team is also often useful: gnome-accessibility-list@gnome.org & http://projects.gnome.org/accessibility/
[23:00] <Pendulum> Finally, the Accessibility team is kicking off a survey of computer users with disabilities to see what their needs are and so we can create personas to give to developers to develop to "people" not just nebulous ideas of accessibility
[23:00] <Pendulum> Ubuntu Accessibility Team survey: http://access.libertus.co.uk/ (anonymous version) and https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility/Personas/Survey (wiki version to be e-mailed)
[23:00] <Pendulum> please pass it around!
[23:00] <pleia2> Thanks Pendulum! :D
[23:00] <pleia2> Another reminder: We have a poll about the day to collect feedback, so please fill it out after the day when you have a chance so we know how to make things better :) http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJ697T7
[23:01] <pleia2> Next up we have IdleOne to talk about Using IRC
[23:01] <pleia2> John Chiazzese is a member of the Ubuntu IRC team, the Quebec LoCo and has helped with translations projects, plus he's got an Ubuntu Tattoo!
[23:01] <IdleOne> Thank you pleia2 :)
[23:01] <IdleOne> What no link to my tattoo? :P
[23:01] <IdleOne> Hi! My name is John Chiazzese. I am an Ubuntu member and OP in #ubuntu. This is the first User days session I have ever done. Hold on to your hats and please prefix any questions with QUESTION:
[23:01] <IdleOne> I'll try to answer as many as I can. This session is going to be a basic intro to IRC.
[23:02] <IdleOne> So lets start with what freenode is
[23:02] <IdleOne> - freenode provides discussion facilities for the Free and Open Source Software communities, for not-for-profit organizations and for related communities and organizations such as Ubuntu, If you want to read more about Freenode see http://freenode.net/faq.shtml.
[23:03] <IdleOne> Basically that means freenode is here to help us help you to help us :)
[23:03] <IdleOne> On IRC a chat room is called a channel, they are usually descriptive names of what the room is used for. #ubuntu for example is the Ubuntu support channel. There are a ton of ubuntu irc channels you can see a list @ https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/ChannelList
[23:04] <IdleOne> How do I join a channel?
[23:04] <IdleOne> To join a channel you would issue the /join command: "/join #ubuntu" without the quotes will open up a new tab (provided you are using a GUI client).
[23:05] <IdleOne> A list of IRC clients can be found here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat#IRC Clients
[23:05] <IdleOne> freenode also offers a webchat client http://webchat.freenode.net/ if you rather not install a dedicated IRC client.
[23:06] <IdleOne> Open up the Software Center and search for IRC and it should list a few different clients you can install.
[23:06] <IdleOne> Most if not all channels will have a Topic set. Usually they include important information about the channel, links to wiki pages and such. it is very IMPORTANT  to read these topics
[23:07] <IdleOne> When you join a channel, a lot of times a new user will enter a  channel and start chatting away and get themself kicked or banned because they asked the wrong question or started talking about a topic that was not relevant to the channel
[23:08] <IdleOne> In ubuntu IRC channels we try to direct the user to the proper channel.
[23:08] <IdleOne> There are rules in EVERY channel, these rules are set by the channel staff or OPS short for Operators. Just because #channelX allows you to do something does not mean that #channelY does. READ THE TOPIC!
[23:09] <IdleOne> ubuntu IRC channels have a set of guidelines that we ask all user to follow. You can read them @ http://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/Guidelines
[23:10] <IdleOne> Ok, there are some basic channel/user modes I am going to tell you about. I am not going to cover every possible mode. I don't know them all myself
[23:11] <IdleOne> +v or voiced is a mode that is set on a user when they join a channel, it is normally used in conjunction with the +m or moderated mode that is set on the channel.
[23:11] <IdleOne> #channelX is set to +m all user who join the channel need to be set to +v or you will be unable to send messages to the channel.
[23:12] <IdleOne> in a case like the above one there is usually a bot or robot that does this automatically and the user doesn't have to do anything
[23:12] <IdleOne> +o or operator is used by channel staff so that they can manage the channel, set topic, channel modes such as +m, you can recognize a +o by the @ in front of their nickname.
[23:13] <IdleOne> Xchat uses a green dot to identify the user as +o, yellow dot is +v, if you don't have a dot next to your nick you are dotless :P.
[23:14] <IdleOne> On freenode it is recommended that OPS don't keep the +o flag on longer then needed and in ubuntu channels you will notice that you don't often see any +o users, that is because in the past +o was used as a status symbol on other IRC networks and it creates a class system. freenode and ubuntu are not about anyone being better then anybody else. We all have something to offer to the community!
[23:15] <IdleOne> There are many other channel/user modes and you can find a list here http://freenode.net/using_the_network.shtml
[23:16] <IdleOne> No Questions?
[23:16] <IdleOne> I must either be boring you or doing a great job :)
[23:17] <IdleOne> NickServ
[23:18] <IdleOne>  NickServ is a service provided by freenode so a user can register their nickname. You can get more info by typing /msg nickserv help register or by going to http://freenode.net/faq.shtml#registering
[23:18] <IdleOne> NickServ is also used on many other networks and basically works the same way.
[23:19] <IdleOne> It's a good idea to register your nick, it is how the rest of us will know you and registering it ensures that the next time you connect to freenode you will be able to use the same nickname. It is Free, takes only a couple of minutes to do and will avoid your nick being used by someone else.
[23:20] <IdleOne> meebey: brought up a good point. There are a lot of different Networks, freenode is just one. EFnet, DALnet, Undernet and thousands of others
[23:20] <ClassBot> meebey asked: what is the difference of a server and network? say you can't find a channel because they are on the wrong network..
[23:22] <IdleOne> You can find other networks in your clients Network config section. on Xchat you would click Xchat > Network List and that will open a window with a pre populated list of networks. You can then select one and connect to it. Ubuntu does all of it's "official" irc work on freenode irc.freenode.net
[23:22] <ClassBot> Sodlig asked: So NickServ equals to Quakenets 'Q'?
[23:23] <IdleOne> Sodlig: I haven't used Q in many many years but yes I believe so
[23:23] <ClassBot> LjL asked: Sometimes I'm told that i need to identify with NickServ in order to join #ubuntu - other times, that doesn't happen. How come?
[23:25] <IdleOne> LjL: that is because sometimes #ubuntu needs to be set to +r or registered users only. On IRC there is a small group of annoying users who like to join channels such as #ubuntu and spam or flood the channel. We use +r to help protect the channel when that happens
[23:26] <IdleOne> By small group I mean a bunch of immature people who have nothing better to do then cause havoc
[23:26] <IdleOne> ChanServ
[23:26] <ClassBot> Marceau asked: Which IRC client would you recommend for Gnome flavored ubuntu?
[23:27] <IdleOne> Marceau: I prefer Xchat there are two available in the repos xchat-gnome and xchat-common. I use -common
[23:28] <IdleOne> there is a client list here https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat#IRC Clients and probably many more then are on that list
[23:28] <IdleOne> So ChanServ
[23:28] <IdleOne> Chanserv is similar to Nickserv but is used for registering and managing channels on freenode by channel staff for much of the channel operations. Chanserv is also used to gain +o or operator status or "give" +v voice to users in the channel. More information on this can be found here http://freenode.net/using_the_network.shtml
[23:29] <IdleOne> I don't have much else to say about chanserv so yeah, see the link :)
[23:30] <IdleOne> ubottu and family
[23:30] <IdleOne> ubottu is a bot, robot. A program that gives us information on request and pretty much anything else you can program a robot to do.
[23:31] <IdleOne> ubottu knows so much about Ubuntu it is a wonder she doesn't write a book. you can use ubottu to get information on almost anything ubuntu related.
[23:31] <IdleOne> To use ubottu type "/msg ubottu help" without quotes and she will respond to you with some helpful information. Please keep in mind that ubottu does not know everything, yet, if you find a topic that is missing you can request information be added to the bot by doing "/msg ubottu XYZ is XYZ are the last 3 letters of the alphabet"
[23:32] <IdleOne> I say she because ubottu knows who she is, ask her.
[23:33] <ClassBot> LjL asked: Is there a way I can search for or see a list of the things ubottu knows, so I don't have to hunt?
[23:34] <IdleOne> LjL: you can search ubottu here http://ubottu.com/factoids.cgi and also get usage information here http://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/Bots
[23:34] <IdleOne> there is also #ubuntu-bots
[23:35] <IdleOne> You can ask BestBot about what the best app for a certain function is
[23:35] <IdleOne> example: BestBot What is the best irc client?
[23:35] <IdleOne> and bestbot will give you a list
[23:36] <IdleOne> Asking a support question in #ubuntu
[23:36] <IdleOne> joining a channel and doing HELP! or HELP ME! or HELP ME it doesn't work!!!!!!!!!. All great examples of how NOT to ask for help.
[23:37] <IdleOne> A properly formed question with as much info as you can provide will get you the best possible answer.
[23:37] <IdleOne> I
[23:37] <IdleOne> want to install
[23:37] <IdleOne> Xchat
[23:37] <IdleOne> How can i do this?????
[23:37] <IdleOne> This is the worst possible way to ask a question, granted you gave the info needed to answer you but you spread it out over 4 lines. Avoid using the ENTER key as punctuation.
[23:37] <IdleOne> " I am running Ubuntu 10.04 and would like to know how to install Xchat?" this is a proper,polite,clear, NOT ANNOYING way of asking a question.
[23:38] <IdleOne> Notice I also mentioned the version of Ubuntu I am running, in this case  it does not actually make a difference because the method of installing is pretty much the same in all Ubuntu versions but it can be a very important bit of information for other applications. paultag is going to get into finding and installing apps in his session coming up next.
[23:38] <IdleOne> Patience is mandatory in any help forum but especially on IRC. There may be 1500 users in a channel which is common in #ubuntu but that does not mean they are all active at the moment and the users who are active may not know the answer to your question, fortunately ubuntu has some tools to help you while you wait. https://help.ubuntu.com or http://ubuntuforums.org are both great places to search for solutions and also to offer solutions.
[23:40] <ClassBot> MurielGodoi asked: Anyone logged in the channel has permissions to add new informations to ubottu?
[23:40] <IdleOne> A little note to Helpers: The community appreciates all the help in can get. Personnaly when I help someone I try to not give my personal opinion about an application. In this session I am using Xchat a lot as an example but there are plenty of other IRC clients that may be better "For You"
[23:41] <IdleOne> MurielGodoi: That used to be true, but as the community got larger and more and more people added information it became neccessary to limit who could add to the bot.
[23:42] <IdleOne> BUT Anybody can suggest a new factoid
[23:42] <IdleOne> and the ops team then looks at the suggestions and decides if it is needed/relevant....
[23:43] <IdleOne> Repeating your question to often will be seen as a lack of patience by the other users in the channel and probably get you a screen full of reasons why you have not been answered yet. Avoid repeating to quickly. I normally tell people to wait 5-10 minutes before asking again.
[23:43] <IdleOne> The length of your question.
[23:44] <IdleOne> I king of touched on this earlier with my bad example of how to ask a question.
[23:44] <IdleOne> You should give as much information as you can,things you have tried, what you want to accomplish, Ubuntu version you are running but please keep it in one post. it is incredibly difficult especially for new irc users to keep up in a large channel like #ubuntu adding to the scroll by spacing your question out over 5 lines is not helpful to you or anybody trying to help you.
[23:45] <IdleOne> TAB complete: IRC has a great function of auto completing a nickname. When you are speaking to a specific user it is protocol to put the name of that user at the beginning of the message. Their IRC client will most probably highlight the line and they will be able to see it. Again, #ubuntu is a huge and very busy channel trying to find a single line of text directed at me is impossible at times.
[23:45] <IdleOne> So anyway, type idle and hit the TAB key until it completes my nickname.
[23:45] <IdleOne> Going to speed through some of this so I can get it all in :)
[23:46] <IdleOne> Private Messaging or PM is how you can talk to another user one on one, it is considered impolite to message a person without asking permission first. Not everybody feels this way about it but to be on the safe side if you need to speak to someone in private, ask first :) "/msg IdleOne hello" will send a message to me in private that only I can see. I can then chose to respond to you or I can set +o IdleOne and +k you :P
[23:46] <IdleOne> DCC is a file and chat protocol that is still part of IRC. Don't ask me why I have no use for either, especially DCC Chat.
[23:46] <IdleOne> DCC file transfer is a method that can be used to transfer files from one user to another. Back in the beginning of IRC I suppose it had it's utility. There are many better and safer ways of transferring files from one user to another.
[23:47] <IdleOne> Let me just say that if you send me a DCC Chat request it will be denied. If you send me a DCC file transfer without asking me first. I will deny it.  IF you receive a DCC File transfer and are not sure who it is from or what the file is. DENY IT!
[23:47] <IdleOne> Better to refuse a safe file then to accept a malicious file.
[23:47] <IdleOne> DCC Exploits: There are people around who think it is funny to abuse a bug in certain routers by sending invalid DCC commands. When bitten by this bug ops in #ubuntu will remove affected users so they are no longer targets. To fix it have a look here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FixDCCExploit
[23:48] <ClassBot> suprengr asked: +k ?
[23:49] <IdleOne> LjL: I just feel there are better ways of transfering files. If you feel comfortable using DCC to transfer files that is fine just keep in mind that not everybody is nice and some are out to cause damage to your system.
[23:50] <IdleOne> suprengr: yeah +k is not a valid mode
[23:50] <IdleOne> or maybe it is
[23:50] <IdleOne> not sure I was using it more as a joke. I FAIL
[23:50] <ClassBot> There are are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
[23:50] <IdleOne> I hope some of this information was useful to you. for more irc help you can join #freenode, #ubuntu is a great resource for Ubuntu specicfic issues. #ubuntu-offtopic is also a great channel for chat. Keep in mind that the guidelines https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrcGuidelines and the Ubuntu Code of Conduct http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct/ should always be followed. Thank you :)
[23:51] <IdleOne> Any more questions?
[23:52] <IdleOne> meebey: for freenode specific modes http://freenode.net/using_the_network.shtml not all IRC networks use the same modes
[23:53] <ClassBot> LjL asked: How can I know the support advice I am being given is not malicious, and what should I do if I suspect a command I have been given may cause damage to my system?
[23:54] <IdleOne> LjL: #ubuntu suggest that you keep support in the channel so that other users in the channel can "peer review" and let you know if the advice given is bad/malicious.
[23:55] <IdleOne> IF you suspect someone is giving bad advice or a malicious command report it to a channel op or in #ubuntu-ops
[23:55] <ClassBot> There are are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.
[23:56] <IdleOne> Also, if you aren't sure, ASK! There are no stupid questions
[23:58] <IdleOne> Ok so my time is almost up. Thak you pleia2 for helping with the questions and thanks to all of you who asked questions :)
[23:58] <IdleOne> thank*
[23:58] <pleia2> thanks IdleOne :)