/srv/irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/#ubuntu-classroom.txt

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sebsebsebhi12:08
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=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Introduction to User Days - Instructors: pleia2, nigelb
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.13:30
nigelbHello everyone!13:30
silvertip257morning :)13:30
nigelbWelcome to our fourth Ubuntu User Day event! https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays13:31
jemparinghelo :)13:31
nigelbThe User Days Team has been working hard these past few weeks in order to bring you these 12 sessions.13:31
sebsebsebHello13:31
nigelbNow, we have members from many teams in the Ubuntu community here today who have graciously volunteered to share their knowledge with all of us.13:31
nigelbBefore we begin, we would like to get a quick feel for who is here. If you are here, please say your name and where you are from.13:32
sebsebsebSebastian from England13:32
nigelbI'm Nigel from India btw :)13:32
pleia2and I'm Elizabeth from California (where it's 6:30AM ;))13:32
robb_billyRobert from Romania :)13:33
silvertip257Mike from Pennsylvania13:33
nabilinuxHi, I am Nabil from Morocco13:33
fhassounehFouad from Newfoundland, Canada :)13:33
jemparingHadri Malaysia13:33
nigelbExcellent!13:33
nigelbIts great to see a good international turnout13:34
nigelbA few of you are probably wondering what User Days are all about.13:34
nigelbUser Days were created to be sets of classes offered during a one day period to teach the beginning or intermediate Ubuntu user the basics in order to get them started using Ubuntu. This includes:13:35
nigelbFinding Help in Ubuntu, Accessibility Apps, Command Line Basics, Unity, ...13:35
nigelb...and more! For our full schedule head over to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays13:35
nigelbUser Days were born out of a discussion at the Ubuntu Developers Summit in November 2009 regarding Ubuntu Open Week not being targeted enough at users.13:36
nigelb(This however is now changing. From this cycle on Ubuntu Open Week will be targeted at users)13:36
pleia2thanks nigelb, now for a quick rundown of how today will work:13:37
pleia2Each hour, an instructor will be giving a class in this channel, #ubuntu-classroom13:37
pleia2During the classes, #ubuntu-classroom will be moderated (+m). This means that only the instructor and hosts will be able to talk in the channel.13:37
pleia2(we are -m right now for the intro so people could say hello and where they were from :))13:37
pleia2Any discussion about the class should take place #ubuntu-classroom-chat13:37
pleia2If you have a question during the class, please ask in #ubuntu-classroom-chat. Be sure to prefix it with 'QUESTION:' to ensure that it gets noticed. For example:13:38
pleia2QUESTION: What are Ubuntu User Days?13:38
pleia2Anyone wanna give it a try? :)13:38
ClassBotnigelb asked: Do you like cats?13:38
pleia2why yes! and I have two of them :)13:39
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: Do you like dogs?13:39
pleia2dogs are lovely too!13:39
pleia2these questions aren't immediately posted, I opened up a query with ClassBot to paste them in channel13:39
pleia2each instructor will do this at their own pace, no need to repeat your question if you haven't seen it yet, it's probably still in the question queue13:40
pleia2After each session, our group of volunteers will post the IRC logs to the wiki as soon as possible.13:40
pleia2So if you miss a session or just want to review what you learned, be sure to check out https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays for links to logs that our volunteers will put up as soon as they are able13:40
pleia2If you can't wait, Logs will also be automatically posted on http://irclogs.ubuntu.com near the end of each hour.13:40
pleia2Please be sure to remind all of your friends and family who might be interested in using Ubuntu that this event is taking place today. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays/JoiningIn has some information about how they can participate.13:41
nigelbThanks pleia2.13:41
nigelbIf you think your IRC client is noisy, the Joining In page linked about has some information for most of the common clients.13:42
nigelbFinally, before we move on to answering any more questions about Ubuntu User Days that you might have, I would like to give a big thanks to everyone who has helped make this day possible.13:42
nigelbIt simply would not have been possible to organize this event without all of their help :)13:42
nigelbFinally, at the end of the day, please take some time to fill out our survey! We will use the results to help make the next Ubuntu User Day event even better. http://goo.gl/bryxq13:43
nigelbNow, does anyone have any general questions about the day?13:43
pleia2btw, you will notice that one of the questions on the survey is related to whether we'll keep running User Days now that Open Week is very similar, so if you feel strongly about keeping this event alive, please let us know :)13:45
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: Why is this users day so close to the 11.10 release?13:46
pleia2availability of volunteers to run it and in July we had lots of other Classroom events going on13:46
sebsebseband then another Open Week after the release13:46
pleia2if there is another User Days, we'll try to do it earlier in the cycle (probably January)13:46
nigelbMost of us volunteers were a bit busy to handle it earlier in the cycle, that's all.13:47
sebsebsebok13:47
pleia2any other questions?13:49
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.13:50
sebsebsebnot from me13:50
ClassBotjedijf asked: How do we thank you for doing this?13:50
pleia2I'll be in Philly on Oneiric release day, parties are good :)13:51
jedijflol, you got it!13:51
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.13:55
nabilinuxThank you for your understanding, it's the first time that I use this tool!13:57
nabilinuxI mean the messaging tool is new to me13:58
sebsebsebnabilinux: Which tool? IRC?13:58
nabilinuxThe one that I am using right now13:58
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Unity - Instructors: DBO
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.14:00
pleia2ok, it looks like our instructor DBO is running late, until he arrives we're going to turn this session into a general Ubuntu Q&A14:03
pleia2so, does anyone have any Ubuntu project questions? (not support :))14:06
ClassBotjsjgruber-l-onei asked: ​ The most basic question: Why should someone run Ubuntu?14:07
nigelbheh, good one.14:07
nigelbEveryone person running Ubuntu will probably give you a different answer.14:08
nigelbBecause, well, there are *so* many reasons14:08
pleia2a few of my family members prefer it because it has the software center that makes installing stuff easy (and free!)14:08
pleia2they also like that they haven't gotten any viruses which slow down their computer :)14:09
nigelbI've found that Ubuntu is a great environment to code in, that's why I use it.14:10
pleia2driver support for things like printers has gotten better too, so instead of having a disk to install a printer driver like in some other OSes, you can just select from a dropdown of already installed drivers14:11
pleia2I like using it because there are lots of options for configuration, lots of different desktop options :)14:12
pleia2and I'm sure there are dozens of other reasons why people use Ubuntu!14:12
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: What do you both personally think of Unity pleia2 and nigelb and why?14:12
nigelbI like it :) Though I tend to usually just work on terminals for the most part.14:13
pleia2I'm an Xubuntu project member, I've never even really used Gnome classic, didn't make the move to Unity, still using Xfce14:13
pleia2but the betas for oneiric I've tried here and there were pretty nice, and I really like how keybinding driven it can be14:14
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: What about Gnome Shell pleia2 and nigelb? Which I know isn't  really in 11.04, but there's the ppa, but will be in the repos for 11.10 as an option.14:14
nigelbNever tried it.14:14
pleia2neither have I14:15
ClassBotBauwan asked: ​ Will shortcut super+F for showing last used files work in 11.10? In beta1 I tested it and it seemed gone.14:15
pleia2if our Unity guy makes it we'll pass this question along to him (unless you know, nigelb?)14:15
nigelbNope, sorry.14:15
nigelb(I mean I don't know)14:15
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: Why do you think a new user straight from Windows or Mac OS X should go for Ubuntu, rather then well well many other distributions that are also pretty user friendly?14:15
nigelbUbuntu has enough users that there is good documenation and support available than a most other distros. I think sites like askubuntu.com with a good community drive would be another reason.14:17
pleia2and you have pretty much every option for support in ubuntu, we're not restricted to mailing lists or forums as a main avenue of support14:17
pleia2and I happen to think it's one of the best options out there ;) but I suppose personal preference doesn't mean a whole lot14:19
ClassBotBauwan asked: ​ What about a new icon-theme for Ubuntu? Is that on your timeline? Design-team already on it to surprise us until 12.04? ;)14:19
pleia2unfortunately I haven't kept up with this14:19
pleia2any comments, nigelb?14:20
nigelbNo, I'm a bit detached from those developments14:21
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: I know pleia2 is doing a session later about KDE and XFCE4, but what about LXDE/Lubuntu have either of you used it, what you think of it?  Plus it became officaly recognised by Canonical with 11.04 I think it was.14:22
pleia2LXDE is nice, light-weight (Xfce doesn't really strive for that anymore)14:23
pleia2it's first official release will be with 11.1014:23
pleia2well, recognised and using all the ubuntu resources14:23
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: XFCE doesn't really strive to be light-waight anymore, meaning what exactly?14:24
pleia2one of the benefits of Xubuntu used to be that it ran better on older systems, while it can still be slimmed down more than gnome-based systems, by default some of the recent benchmarks these past few years showed it's similar to gnome214:25
pleia2so you won't find the light-weight comment on the Xubuntu website these days, it's really geared toward being an alternative that's more (and easily!) customizable14:26
pleia2more questions? :)14:28
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: Some people think that Gnome 2 can be replaced with XFCE quite easilly now, because they are pretty similar, not quite similar enough for me to just be able to do that  though, but Ubuntu Studio will switch to XFCE from Gnome 2 for 11.10 I read before instead of using Gnome2/3/Unity/GnomeShell,  what do you think about all this any comments?14:28
pleia2yes, the Studio folks are switching to XFCE for 11.10, it may be a bit of a rough release though since it's the first one with a different desktop14:30
pleia2they'll be in great shape for 12.04 though14:30
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pleia2I find Xfce to be a good replacement for Gnome2, but the feeling is not universal14:30
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pleia2whatever happens, moving away from Gnome2 is a big step no matter where you go from there, Unity and Gnome Shell are a major UI change which the Studio people didn't feel would work well with what they were trying to achieve with Studio14:32
pleia2at the end of the day, part of the reason I use Linux is because we have so many options, it's exciting to see all this new development happening, and being able to work with people to change defaults if they don't like what they see14:32
ClassBotBauwan asked: ​ I'm changing my parents computer from vista to Ubuntu with 11.10. Any tips what to teach them first to make them feel comfortable as fast as possible. What helps Ex-Windows/new Ubuntu users?14:33
pleia2the official documentation by the docs team was quite good in 11.04, so I might start them off there: https://help.ubuntu.com/11.04/ubuntu-help/index.html14:34
pleia2(or the 11.10 version once it's released)14:34
pleia2there have been some Unity cheat-sheets out there for getting familiar with the interface, but I'm afraid I don't have any current ones off-hand14:35
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: I know of one distribution that's going to actsaully let users choose betwen Gnome 2 and Gnome 3,  surely really a distro that is doing that, has quite an advantage over the distros that are only providing one of them?  Altough it seems most of them will just go and provide Gnome 3, and not bother with Gnome 2 or a fork of it.14:37
pleia2AFAIK the Gnome foundation won't be maintaining Gnome2 forever, so it'll be a lot of work to maintain it for feature upgrades, security and have new plugins still work (or keep the old ones patched)14:37
nigelbAnd the libraries as well.14:38
pleia2if one distro is doing it, that's quite impressive :) but it will get harder as the years go on14:38
pleia2Ubuntu has pretty much gone the future-looking route rather than trying to maintain older stuff14:38
ClassBotjsjgruber-l-onei asked: ​ A relative of mine likes Ubuntu but says he always has trouble getting it set up to play DVDs. Any advice on this?14:43
pleia2I'd suggest they head over to ubuntuforums.org to see if there is anyone who can help14:43
pleia2there is a beginners forum: http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=32614:43
pleia2my only suggestion is that they pay attention to the thread and cooperate with the people trying to help them :)14:44
pleia2https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats may also be worth a read (if they haven't already)14:44
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: Do you think that Unity might eventually help make Ubuntu go a bit more main streame,  the new users straight from Windows or Mac OS X and quite a lot of them, but whilst not losing quite a few of the more expereinced users who don't really like Unity that much to other distributions, and yeah the kind who really like or liked Gnome 2 as well?  I mean 11.10 won't have Gnome 2 at all anymore, so I wonder what will happen,14:46
pleia2almost everyone I talk to about Unity at events and things say the same thing "I didn't like it at first, but once I got used to it I really liked it"14:47
pleia2so while I realize there are a lot of folks out there who don't like it, anecdotal evidence shows me that they're a loud minority14:47
pleia2I can't really speak to whether it will cause more Windows/OSX people to switch, I really don't know14:48
pleia2and again, it's not like Ubuntu has gotten rid of KDE and XFCE...they added LXDE! so you still have lots of options14:49
pleia2the new fluxbox is nice too, they have some new developers lately :)14:49
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.14:50
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.14:55
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: Let's say someone likes Ubuntu really, but wants to keep Gnome 2,  well 11.10 won't really be an option for them,  so what do you think they should do,  run a older version of Ubuntu  that still has Gnome 2 for a bit longer whilst it's still supported, or possbily use a Ubuntu based distro that is still  using Gnome 2?14:55
pleia2well, 10.04 is an LTS so that's supported for another 18 months14:56
pleia2there is also gnome-fallback is gnome3 which should look pretty similar to classic, I can't confirm it's ready for 11.10 though (again, I'm not much of a Gnome person :))14:57
* starcraftman says hop ship to KDE :)14:57
ClassBotsebsebseb asked: I remember when Gnome 3 came out in April, and loads of people on the web, it was like they thought, they had to not use Gnome 2 anymore, because it was old,  even though loads of distros were still providing it,  and it seemed many people thought they had to go and use Gnome 3 already, or an alternative such as XFCE,  and I don't think there's anything wrong with using Gnome 2 still  as long as the distro is still having14:59
pleia2continued: security updates and such, what you think?14:59
starcraftmanpleia2: you asking me?15:00
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: What you should know when shopping for your next Ubuntu system - Instructors: starcraftman
pleia2no one said there was anything wrong with Gnome 2, yes it's fine if you're using a distro that's still patching it, but Ubuntu is putting their effort into future development15:00
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.15:00
starcraftmanOk, want me to intro myself pleia2?15:01
pleia2yeah, go for it :)15:01
pleia2welcome starcraftman!15:01
starcraftmanHi folks, I'm a computer science student that lives up north in the great Canadian expanse (around Montreal). I'm a third year student and started in the Linux community quite a while ago. I started in support/documentation and will likely transition to development help when I'm a bit more free.15:02
starcraftmanyou can find more aobut me here > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/starcraft.man15:03
starcraftman(I don't actually endorse smoking, picture just really cool :) )15:03
starcraftmanstarcraft: Anyway, this session will be a bit impromptu for me, I got requested last minute. I'll be typing it on the fly.15:04
starcraftmanYour free to ask questions as I go but I will only be answering them at the end of the session. I hope that's alright, want to be sure I get to all my material.15:04
starcraftmanSo, off we go.15:05
starcraftmanToday's topic relates to Hardware and Buying for Linux computers. This isn't to say it's about finding support, but to avoid needing support altogether by buying machines that "just work" as people like to say about Windows and OSX/Macs.15:06
starcraftmanI guess the starting question we really want to get into is why doesn't everything just naturally work with Linux out of the box like the other two main OS.15:06
starcraftmanThe answer is rather straightforward, Windows and OSX are supported by two massive companies who have the luxury of making corporate arrangements and affording large QA teams to guarantee that their hardware/software work together almost seemlessly. Apple has it even easier than Microsoft since they have such a small pool of hardware that they officially support and are the only legal hardware seller.15:07
starcraftmanIn addition to these complications, many manufacturers of hardware loathe disclosing things like product specifications and low level details for fear that the competition might use this to gain an advantage (though this seems less valid to me).15:08
starcraftmanSo, we'll be looking at how to research and buy hardware smartly that will avoid this mess entirely. We'll go over somet things you can do to improve (there are few guarantees in life) the chances of everyhting working out of the box.15:10
starcraftmanNow, the crux of the question:  What hardware is guaranteed to work with Ubuntu ?15:10
starcraftmanNo strict guarantees but there are definite trends I've seen in my years at buying hardware for my own personal machines (desktops and notebooks).15:11
starcraftmanCompanies like Intel offer very strong support for the platform and have engineers that work to ensure support is good.15:12
starcraftmanThere are other companies like Nvidia that have a more uneasy relationship I suppose. Rather than contributing open source drivers like intel does, they have their own drivers released in a binary format.15:12
starcraftmanThen of course there are some companies that just don't much care for open source, they don't get much money out of it and provide little to no support. A lot of proprietary wireless makers could fall here like broadcom who I've always had trouble with and avoid now in wireless area.15:13
starcraftmanSo where to go to know what is supported and working.15:13
starcraftmanhttps://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport15:14
starcraftmanClick the above link and take a look.15:14
starcraftmanWe have 3 options here I'll go into to get information when buying.15:14
starcraftmanFirst is the Ubuntu Certification program. This is a program run by Canonical who works with their corporate partners to ensure that machines certified here work as a complete system.15:15
starcraftmanThat is they don't rate the hardware in particulare but the systems as a whole.15:15
starcraftmanhttp://www.ubuntu.com/certification/ < Certified site.15:16
starcraftmanLets take a little test drive, and look at Dell.15:16
starcraftmanSay we were looking for a notebook, we can click on the notebook link in the Dell row and get to > http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/make/Dell/laptops15:17
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starcraftmanFrom here we can peruse different models and see what was certified when. Note that each machine has versions listed. That indicates when it was tested.15:17
starcraftmanIf we were buying today we would look for those with the latest release (11.04 until the next one releases in october).15:18
starcraftmanIf you click the links you can see what OS and what notes were made at certificiation. I'll leave it to you to continue browsing at your leisure.15:18
starcraftmanNext is Ubuntu Friendly.15:18
starcraftmanThis is more of a community oriented project, aimed at testing parts like the old hardware pages (I'll get to those in a minute).15:19
starcraftmanhttps://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuFriendly15:19
starcraftmanThe project is still in the early stages but is promising and definitely something to look into at a later date.15:19
starcraftmanAt the bottom of the page you'll see the old (now discontinued) wiki pages that aimed to test particular hardware like printers, scanners, notebooks and such.15:20
starcraftmanSay we were looking for Scanners , click that and then HP you get to > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportComponentsScannersHp15:21
starcraftmanThis was the old way of rating hardware, a bit messy as one big table. I hope the new ubuntu friendly guys have a nicer presentation. These pages though discontinued do hold valuable information but it will likely be out of date and can't be perfectly relied upon the longer the time between it's testing and your purchase.15:22
starcraftmanThese are resources when your shopping from traditional makers that usually don't offer extensive support for Linux.15:22
starcraftmanThe alternative to this is buying from a Linux shop (usually smaller outfits) that will test and preload a linux distribution on their machines.15:23
starcraftmanhttp://linuxpreloaded.com/15:23
starcraftman^ This site has a fairly good list of retailers.15:23
starcraftmanI've bought from 76 and know others who've used Zareason, good choices I'd say. Of course it's important to compare around and see what best fits your needs but these machines are  tested with linux and in general don't need any additional help with drivers.15:24
starcraftmanmy System76 notebook's wireless, webcam and bluetooth work without any extra steps on a clean install.15:25
starcraftmanYou can browse these at your own discretion and compare with other options.15:25
* starcraftman is just taking a lil break to get some whater, been typing a lot.15:26
starcraftmanand back.15:26
starcraftmanNow, I guess we can go over a few guidelines that might help when shopping.15:27
starcraftmanRule 1: Don't break your system.15:27
starcraftmanIf your trying to get some new hardware working, be careful. If it's tricky and has some instructions asking you to compile, insert into the kernel and do other steps your not comfortable with be careful.15:28
starcraftmanIn general, if your not sure about it, don't blindly follow steps posted on the internet unless you trust the person (say it's posted by a community member like me or pleia2).15:28
starcraftmanRule 2: Search effectively over the net BEFORE purchasing.15:29
starcraftmanI've said this before in my finding help session I deliver usually but it's a golden rule that remains true. If your having a problem, 99% of the time somebody else did before you.15:30
starcraftmanThis applies in particular to hardware, the difference is you should be looking for posts on the web, the wikis, forums and launchpad to  see people experience with particular hardware BEFORE buying. Once you give a company money, it's hard to negociate eh?15:31
starcraftmanI'll cover more specifically how to get effective help in a later session in 5 hours or so, don't want to overlap too much so I'll just use a quick example.15:32
starcraftmanSay I wanted to buy from dell and was looking at labtops, I could come across INspiron 15 found here > http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-intel-n5040/pd15:34
starcraftman(Not that I'm endorsing Dell to be clear)15:34
starcraftmanIt's best to use the methods we've seen now to see how that would fair.15:34
starcraftmanFirst we can go to the Ubuntu certified program and look under dell/labtops15:35
starcraftmanhttp://www.ubuntu.com/certification/make/Dell/laptops15:35
starcraftmanWe see inspiron 15 models listed, we'd have to get a bit more specific but good to read them all and see how it is overall.15:36
starcraftmanWe can also google and see the results. The important bit is getting a general feeling for the rpoduct.15:36
starcraftmanThis advice comes with the caveat that there aren't any guarantees, so take everything with a grain of salt.15:37
starcraftmanRule 3: Professional vs Community Help15:37
starcraftmanThis ones a note from MagicFab, it's important to remember that Canonical does provide Support to users and businesses if the need exists. You can use these services to get help directly from people who know what they are talking about.15:38
starcraftmanI've never used paid support but MagicFab used to be there so I'm sure it's pretty good :).15:38
starcraftmanCommunity help would of course be things like  the Ubuntu Forums, the wiki and other unofficial pages like the Ubuntu friendly system.15:39
starcraftmanRule 4: Share your findings.15:39
starcraftmanOne of the best things about community is that people share. If you buy a labtop x and find there's a minor problem even if it was listed as ubuntu certified,  write about it.15:40
starcraftmanBe it on your blog, on the wiki pages, to ubuntu-friendly, etc...15:40
starcraftmanWe can only get more information by sharing.15:40
starcraftmanThe last and most effective weapon/rule.15:41
starcraftmanThe live CD.15:41
starcraftmanIt's important to remember that any burt CD of Ubuntu is in fact a bootable live CD, this means you can try hardware on a show floor (with permission) without damaging it.15:41
starcraftmanBy booting up such a machine you'll see if the drivers for say wireless or webcam work out of the box.15:42
starcraftmanQuite a handy trick.15:42
starcraftmanAnyway, hmmm, that's quite a bit of information. I think that covers most of the bases.15:43
starcraftmanOh and just another example > http://castrojo.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/asus-eeetop-2002-and-ubuntu/15:43
starcraftmanMany Linux members like to review their purchases, googling for "labtop model" and "ubuntu review" can often turn up good stuff.15:44
starcraftmanI think that's about it now, I'll take questions for the last 15 minutes. Went faster than I thought.15:44
starcraftmanMaybe I just type fast :)15:44
ClassBotlunzie asked: ​ are talks about freedom boxes on the table yet for ubuntu?15:45
starcraftmanI think I want a bit of clarification on this question.15:46
starcraftmanWe'll interesting question, a bit tricky. There are various projects that have attempted to be entirely FLOSS over the years, the most prominent to my memory is > http://www.gnewsense.org/Main/HomePage15:48
starcraftmanI can't attest to how well it runs, the problem with a FLOSS only distro is that an unfortunate reality is a lot of hardware is proprietary still.15:48
starcraftmanThis is where buying from companies that support Linux and FLOSS comes in. Companies like Intel and HP for printers giving direct opensource support need to be favoured over others. Ultimately corporations work based on demand and if the demand shifts to those who support FLOSS we'll get better hardware  drivers/support. Hopefully.15:50
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.15:50
starcraftmanHope that answers question.15:50
ClassBotrigved asked: what are your thoughts on the Emperor Linux vendor (http://emperorlinux.com/)?15:50
starcraftmanNever used then rigved, so I can't really comment on how well they are. Nor do I know any friends off top of head who have.15:51
starcraftmanSorry.15:51
ClassBotlunzie asked: ​ is there a compatibility site to check peripheral equipment, like camcorders, say? I can't get my sony handycam to work as a webcam15:52
starcraftmanI would say the best bet is Ubuntu friendly once that gets up and running completely. That should be our new repository for all individual hardware testing by the community.15:52
starcraftmanThe old site for hardware on wiki has a section of webcams > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportComponentsMultimediaWebCameras15:53
starcraftmanAlso one for multimedia devices like cams > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportComponentsMultimedia15:53
starcraftmanDon't really have many other definite sites. Hope that helps.15:53
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.15:55
starcraftmanHope everyone enjoyed session, was a little more impromptu than I'd usually do. Happy shopping for Linux Machines :)15:57
starcraftmanOh and just a reminder, my later session will cover getting help kind of overlaps with this, I'll go over effective power searching google and finding help. Kinda fits with this topic.15:58
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Contributing to Ubuntu - Instructors: akgraner
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.16:00
akgranerHi I'm Amber Graner - or otherwise known as "akgraner"16:00
akgranerI've been involved in the Ubuntu Community since early 2009 when I started using Ubuntu and Blogging about my experience.16:00
akgranerThanks for joining this session!16:01
akgranerNow I am a freelance journalist and write for publications such as Linux Pro and Ubuntu User Magazines (online and print), informIT, and I am one of the co-authors of "The Offical Ubuntu Book", by Pearson Publishing.16:01
akgranerWhen I started out in the Ubuntu Community I just used Ubuntu and blogged about my experience.  However, I wanted to contribute, but I was (and still am) not a developer - meaning, I don't write code, but I heard that there is a place for anyone to contribute to Ubuntu and I wanted to find out where.16:01
akgranerMy first year I went a little overboard, so I don't recommend anyone taking on as much as I did my first year - that will lead to burnout (which is another talk I give but I digress).  My point is there are many, many, many places for non-developers to get involved with. I would stress that as you transition from End User Consumer (meaning you just use the OS) to End User Contributor you concentrate on doing one thing well rather than16:02
akgraner many things half-way or so-so. (In other words don't be a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none).16:02
akgranerI'm really excited to tell anyone who will listen that there is a place for everyone to contribute and participate and Contribute in the Ubuntu Community you just have to know where to look.16:02
akgranerThis is an overview of all the areas of the community I had to go and find out about when I started is what I wish someone had given me.16:02
akgraner**** What is this talk about? ****16:03
akgranerThis talk is about making you aware of all the areas that you can get involved in the Ubuntu Community as a contributor and the resources that help you make the conversion from consumer user to contributor user.  REMEMBER- THERE IS A PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY FOR *EVERY* TYPE AND SKILL LEVEL OF CONTRIBUTOR! :-D16:03
akgraner**** What this talk is not? ****16:04
akgranerThis talk is not about addressing the community problem of the day. If you have complaints about areas of the community please address those with the proper governing bodies (we will discuss governance a little in this talk)16:04
akgraner**** Questions ****16:04
akgranerPlease use the following format for all questions -- QUESTION: Where do I find all the Ubuntu Mailing lists?  All questions should be asked in #ubuntu-classroom-chat and I'll use classbot to post them into #ubuntu-classroom.  Please ask your questions as you think of them and I'll take time at the end of the session to answer as many as possible.16:04
akgraner(I don't want to present this too quickly so just let me know  in the chat channel if I am moving/posting to fast)16:06
akgraner**** Contributing to Ubuntu ****16:06
akgranerAs I mentioned before, there is a place for everyone to contribute within the Ubuntu Community.  I want to stress--YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A DEVELOPER TO CONTRIBUTE.  Entering into Community Contribution is like a lattice not a ladder. Lattice - http://people.ubuntu.com/~akgraner/Contributing%20to%20the%20Ubuntu%20Community/wooden-lattice-500x500.jpg   Ladder - http://people.ubuntu.com/~akgraner/Contributing%20to%20the%20Ubuntu%20Commun16:06
akgranerity/ladder.gif16:06
akgranerLadder - http://people.ubuntu.com/~akgraner/Contributing%20to%20the%20Ubuntu%20Community/ladder.gif16:07
akgranerWhat do I mean by that - you don't have to go to step 1 then step 2 etc - you can pick a point in the community and start contributing. Hopefully this talk will give you short cuts and guides to find your way around the community and find the place you can start contributing to based on your interest, skills, and talents.16:07
akgranerLet's First look at the resources that you will need to know about:16:09
akgraner**** Resources ****16:09
akgraner * Wiki Pages - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ - these are the pages where you can find out almost all information about any and all projects withing the Ubuntu Project  - even the supported derivative distributions have many of these same resources (we'll go over links to those supported distributions later in the talk so you know how to find out information about those as well)16:09
akgraner* Ubuntu Website - http://www.ubuntu.com/ - this is the official Ubuntu Website and also has links to ways you can get involved and contribute16:10
akgraner* Ubuntu Forums - http://ubuntuforums.org/ - this where information about various projects, discussions, and questions are asked and answered and information is distributed16:10
akgraner* Ask Ubuntu - http://askubuntu.com/ - this is a new official area to ask questions and get answers to questions.16:10
akgraner* Mailing Lists - https://lists.ubuntu.com/ this is the list for all the Ubuntu Mailing list so you can see which list you want to sign up for16:10
akgraner* IRC Channels - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/ChannelList16:11
akgraner * Ubuntu Fridge - http://fridge.ubuntu.com/ (Official Ubuntu News Source) - You can find out about upcoming projects here16:11
akgraner* Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter - Summary of weekly Ubuntu related news items and a source to find out about projects and needs within the community16:11
akgraner* Fridge Calendar - http://fridge.ubuntu.com/calendars/fridge/ - where you can see when and where all the various project and team meeting are being held so you can participate and find out more about that project or team16:12
akgraner* Classroom Calendar - http://fridge.ubuntu.com/calendars/classroom/ - where you can find out about classes you can participate in that are being held in #ubuntu-classroom and #ubuntu-classroom-chat16:12
akgraner* SpreadUbuntu - http://spreadubuntu.org/ - DIY is a material repository and resource for local initiatives and LoCo Teams wishing to spread the Ubuntu operating system.16:12
akgraner* LoCo Directory - http://loco.ubuntu.com/ - The LoCo Team Directory is an excellent resource for LoCo Teams to use when planning events. The LoCo Team Directory allows users to set up events and venues for their LoCo Team, and then allow users to register their attendance to the event. This makes planning and tracking much easier for users.16:13
akgraner* Launchpad - https://launchpad.net/ - Launchpad is an open source suite of tools that help people and teams to work together on software projects.  All Ubuntu Projects have launchpad accounts. While contributing to many areas of the Ubuntu Community a Launchpad account isn't necessary, but the more involved you get the more you will find the need to have a Launchpad account.16:13
akgraner* Planet Ubuntu  - http://planet.ubuntu.com/ - Planet Ubuntu is a window into the world, work and lives of Ubuntu developers and contributors. (Ubuntu Members have the option to syndicate their blogs to planet Ubuntu)  You can also find out about various projects and needs withing the community and projects by following the planet ubuntu.16:13
akgraner * Ubuntu Weblogs - http://ubuntuweblogs.org/ - UbuntuWeblogs.org, also known as Planet Ubuntu Users, aims to create a central place for all Ubuntu-related weblogs. Unlike Planet Ubuntu, this Planet is open to anyone who writes about Ubuntu or any derivative. This is also a great place to find out what people are working on and might need help with.16:13
akgranerI wanted you all to have a list of resources in one place - you can look through say the IRC List or MailingList and find out about teams you might be interested in for example16:14
akgraner**** Supported Ubuntu Distributions and its Derivatives  ****16:15
akgranerI mention these because the list is growing and you may find yourself wanting to participate and contribute to one of these distributions as well.  I'll list the names of the distributions and their websites and later you can look up more information and find out about these communities as well.  Just like Ubuntu each of the derivative distributions have communities for you to contribute.16:15
akgraner* Ubuntu - http://www.ubuntu.com/16:16
akgraner* Ubuntu Server - http://www.ubuntu.com/business/server/overview16:16
akgraner* Ubuntu Cloud - http://cloud.ubuntu.com/16:16
akgraner* Ubuntu Netboot - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LiveCDNetboot16:16
akgraner* Ubuntu Core - http://www.canonical.com/engineering-services/ubuntu-core16:16
akgraner* Kubuntu Desktop - http://www.kubuntu.org/16:17
akgraner* Kubuntu Mobile - http://www.kubuntu.org/16:17
akgraner* Xubuntu Desktop - http://www.xubuntu.org/16:17
akgraner* Edubuntu - http://www.edubuntu.org/16:17
akgraner* Mythbuntu - http://www.mythbuntu.org/16:18
akgraner* Ubuntu Studio - http://ubuntustudio.org/16:18
akgraner* Lubuntu - http://lubuntu.net/16:18
akgranerThere is more to the overall community and where your talents and interest can be used than just Ubuntu.  I want to make sure you knew of the other areas are well.16:19
akgraner**** Ubuntu Community (taken from the website - http://www.ubuntu.com/community) ****16:19
akgranerMany areas have overlap where you can either get help or give help.  This list is just to make you aware of what is available and the areas you can look into.16:20
akgraner** Contribution **16:21
akgranerRemember: Whether you're an experienced Linux user or you're just getting started with open-source software, there are lots of ways to get involved with the Ubuntu community.16:21
akgraner* Developers/Development - Contribute by writing or packaging new software or fixing bugs in existing software. We're always ready to embrace new technologies. - http://www.ubuntu.com/community/get-involved/developers16:21
akgraner* Documentation - Help produce official documentation, share the solution to a problem or check, proof and test documents for accuracy. - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam16:21
akgraner* Artwork/Design - Put your creativity to work by improving the look and feel of Ubuntu. Help design themes, graphics or backgrounds for the next release. - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork16:22
akgraner* Support - Share your technical know-how with other users on email and discussion lists, or Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channels. Help users by answering questions in forums.  - http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community16:22
akgraner* Bug Squad - Help make Ubuntu even better by working with bug reports to ensure they're clear, complete and if possible, easy to reproduce. Anyone can help! - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad16:22
akgraner* Testing - Ubuntu releases new versions every six months so we need lots of testers who can report or confirm problems. If you'd like to be on the cutting edge of the very latest Ubuntu developments, get testing! - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing16:22
akgraner* Ubuntu Brainstorm - Everyone can participate in the Brainstorm website. It's full of ideas on how to improve Ubuntu. Once ideas mature, they can move on to become specifications , which are detailed blueprints of future Ubuntu features. Anyone can suggest new ideas and the community votes on which ideas are the most important.  - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/16:22
akgraner* Translations - If your first language is not English but you have strong English skills, you can make a huge contribution by helping to translate Ubuntu applications into your first language. Even if you just translate a few lines you can make a difference to someone in your own country who is learning about computers and free software. - https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-translators - https://launchpad.net/rosetta16:23
akgraner** Help and Support **16:23
akgraner(Many of these resources I mentioned earlier but I wanted to go over them again here with a little more detail from the website)16:23
akgraner* Documentation - Official documentation explains everything from adding new applications to configuring networks. - https://help.ubuntu.com/16:23
akgraner* Support - Access forums, live chat sessions or mailing lists and benefit from the technical knowledge of Ubuntu community members. - http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community16:24
akgraner* Community Blogs - Planet Ubuntu is your window into the world, work and lives of Ubuntu developers and contributors. - http://planet.ubuntu.com/16:24
akgraner* News - Keep up-to-date with the Ubuntu news at The Fridge or read Ubuntu Weekly News – the community-created newsletter. - http://fridge.ubuntu.com/16:24
akgraner** Community Structure **16:24
akgranerAs I mentioned previously, we will touch on the way the community is organized as it helps to know and understand how the community is structured and who to turn to for what.16:25
akgraner* Governance - Learn more about how the community is organized and how responsibility is allocated. - http://www.ubuntu.com/project/about-ubuntu/governance16:26
akgraner* Code of Conduct - Review the Code of Conduct to which community members subscribe. It's our bible for collaboration and helps define the way we all work together. - http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct16:26
akgraner* Project Teams - Learn about the dozens of project teams, their contributions to Ubuntu and how they work. - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Teams16:26
akgraner(This page needs updating but it's a good page to bookmark - because updates should be coming soon)16:26
akgraner* Local (LoCo) Ubuntu Teams - Find and join an official local community (LoCo) team near you, or get advice on how to create a team in your local community. - http://loco.ubuntu.com/16:27
akgranerThis list of links will help you find out more about the structure of the community and how you can find teams and projects near you16:27
akgraner**Ubuntu Events **16:28
akgranerThese are online tutorials offered each cycle geared toward various users.  These are easy weeks for users to participate in or if you can't attend you can read the logs after each session and find out ways where you can help and offer you time, talent, and treasures to make Ubuntu better.16:28
akgraner(Like the one you are attending and participating in now)16:28
akgraner* Ubuntu Open Week - Ubuntu Open Week is a series of online workshops where you can: learn about the Ubuntu landscape, talk to some of the key developers from the Ubuntu project, find out about the Community and its relationship with Canonical and participate in an open Q&A with Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu. - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek/16:28
akgraner* Ubuntu Developer Week - Ubuntu Developer Week is a series of online workshops where you can: learn about different packaging techniques, find out more about different development teams, check out the efforts of the world-wide Development Community, participate in open Q&A sessions with Ubuntu developers - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDeveloperWeek16:29
akgraner* Ubuntu App Developer Week  - Ubuntu App Developer Week is a week of sessions aimed at enabling and inspiring developers to write applications that scratch their itches. Our goal is to give all attendees a taste of the wide variety of tools on the Ubuntu platform that can be used to create awesome applications, and to showcase some applications that have been created and explain how they were put together. - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/U16:29
akgranerbuntuAppDeveloperWeek16:29
akgranerhttps://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuAppDeveloperWeek16:29
akgraner* Ubuntu Cloud Days - Ubuntu Cloud Days is a series of online sessions where topics such as the following would be presented:, Answering your questions about Ubuntu and the Cloud, Ubuntu Cloud Images, using Ubuntu with Amazon EC2 cloud, Building your private cloud over Ubuntu Server platform, New virtualization and container technologies in Ubuntu Server, Crunching Big-Data on the cloud16:30
akgranerand Scaling your web-apps on the cloud with Ubuntu - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuCloudDays16:30
akgraner* Ubuntu User Days - User Days was created to be a set of courses offered during a one day period to teach the beginning or intermediate Ubuntu user the basics to get them started with Ubuntu. User Days is a series of online courses where you can: learn how to install Ubuntu, find equivalent programs in Ubuntu, learn how to get help, learn the basics of how to use Ubuntu, learn how to get involved in the community - https://wiki.ubunt16:30
akgraneru.com/UserDays16:30
akgranerhttps://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDays16:30
akgraner** Remember there is no commUnIty without U and I.  We're in this together.  Hopefully this session will give you a handy dandy guide to find out more information about many of the areas where you can get started with Ubuntu Contribution.16:31
akgranerThis is by no means a list of every project and place where you can participate and contribute but hopefully it will give you information to get you started and navigate your way around the community **16:31
akgranerOk any questions16:31
ClassBotphilipballew asked: Do certain areas need more help then others in the community?16:32
akgranerGreat question - they do but they best way to find out is to go to those teams, and find out their needs  - the is no one place where you can go to find out which team has the greater needs...however, the Ubuntu Community team does a great job of posting the needs of each cycle to the Fridge throughout each of the milestone points in the release cycle16:34
akgranerAny other questions?16:34
akgranerRemember each team and projects needs people of all skill levels - developers and non-developers alike16:35
akgranerall teams and projects have people who will help you get started as well16:35
akgranerfor example the first mailing list I joined was Ubuntu Women16:35
akgranerfrom there I found out about IRC and joined the project's IRC channel16:35
akgranerthen found the wiki pages etc16:36
akgranerbefore I become an Ubuntu Member my blog was syndicated to the Ubuntu Webblogs link I listed above16:36
akgranerand one thing lead to another16:36
ClassBotphilipballew asked: if someone sees an area not present in the community they would like to start, is there a way to start that that the community officials find acceptable?16:37
akgranerBasically it's what I and others call "do-ology" :-)16:37
akgranerA good example of this very think is the Ubuntu Leadership Team16:37
akgranerthere was a group of folks (myself included) who wanted to offer leadership resources to the community - so we started setting it up and keeping the Ubuntu Community Team as well as members of the Community Council in the know16:38
akgraneras far as LoCo teams go you should use the loco directory (link listed above) to see if there is a team in your area if not there is a section on how to start one16:39
akgranerYou really don't have to "ask permission" from anyone - but always check to see what is out there first - if it deals with forums talk to the forums council, if IRC talk to the IRC council, if it deals with loco teams check with the loco council, if you aren't sure where your project falls under ask the Community Council or other Ubuntu Members etc.16:41
akgranerAny other questions?16:42
akgranerI know this is a pretty long and concise list, but I didn't want people to have to hunt through a ton of wiki pages and web pages to come up with a solid list to work from16:43
akgranerIf there are no other questions then I'll end with a Thank you for joining me...  If you find you need help and can't find what you are looking for on this list - then feel free to email me - I may not have all the answers but together we can learn and figure it out - akgraner  AT  ubuntu DOT com.16:47
akgranerThanks again everyone - looking forward to you all getting involved and again if I can help ya - just drop me an email....Have a great day, y'all! :-D16:48
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.16:50
akgranerOh I'll also be adding this list of resources to my blog and a googledoc for people to add to... akgraner.com so if you want to help keep the list updated that's a way to help as well...16:50
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.16:55
akgranerThank again everyone!  See you online and hopefully at events throughout the FOSS communities!16:58
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Commandline Basics - Instructors: the_hydra
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.17:00
the_hydrahi guys17:00
the_hydratoday, I am gonna discuss about few command line basics...to be precise, how to use Bash effectively17:01
the_hydrawhy Bash? strictly because that's the shell you will likely use in your terminal or text console17:02
the_hydraif you're in doubt, simple do "echo $SHELL"17:02
the_hydrait should yield "/bin/bash"17:02
the_hydraalright, so what's the good of using Bash?17:03
the_hydraif you just use it simply to type your command like typing machine...then you've missed whole lot features17:03
the_hydrastart with Tab completion, for example17:03
the_hydrasuppose you wanna do "ls /usr/share/doc/blahblah/alrighty.txt"17:04
the_hydrayou type that one by one?17:04
the_hydrafor God sake, please don't :)17:05
the_hydrause Tab completion here.... type "ls" first17:05
the_hydrafollow it by / and u....press Tab17:05
the_hydraif there is no other directory started by /u (and AFAIK there isn't), it will be completed as "/usr" right away17:06
the_hydraproceed with "/usr/s"17:06
the_hydrapress Tab..... no progress, just beep... yes?17:07
the_hydrathat means you have more than one choices...press Tab again...they will be listed17:07
the_hydrathat way you can look them up and know what to type ahead17:07
the_hydraadd "h"...so now it's "/usr/sh"....pressing Tab here should complete it into "/usr/share/"17:08
the_hydrado it for the rest of the path17:08
the_hydraremember.....no beep....then it is already unique....beep....then press Tab....alternatives will be shown up17:09
the_hydraTab completion works for path and commands17:10
the_hydraso far so good, people?17:10
the_hydraif you have questions, please keep it later in Q&A17:10
the_hydraok, next...in my favourite tricks list17:11
the_hydrabash remembers commands you have type, up to HISTSIZE commands17:12
the_hydrausually it is 50017:12
the_hydraand it helps you to recall your entered command17:12
the_hydrasuppose you remember you've entered this jazzy one "find -xdev -type f -mmin -30 -exec cp "{}" /tmp \;"17:14
the_hydrathat's great....and you wanna recall it17:14
the_hydrapressing up won't be a good solution, it could takes ten, maybe 20 or 50 keypresses17:14
the_hydratry this , type "find" and press Ctrl+r17:15
the_hydrabash will look up in the so called "history"...finding command you've entered starting with "find"17:15
the_hydraif that's only "find" you've entered,then great...voila....it will be there....retyped for you....simply press Enter to execute17:16
the_hydrawhat if that's not your "find"? press ctrl-r again and it will look up again....keep pressing it until you found it17:17
the_hydrato cancel, Ctrl+C is the key17:17
the_hydraok, proceed....17:18
the_hydrahow many of you ever get into this situation:17:19
the_hydratyping "grep blah /usr/share/doc/abc/xyz.txt"17:19
the_hydraright before you press enter, you suddenly realize, "blah" is not really the word you wanna grep17:20
the_hydrato make sure, you need to open your note via vi17:20
the_hydraok, usually people just press ctrl+c...just like I did ..once :)17:21
the_hydra(shame on me :D )17:21
the_hydraafter I found it, then i retype same command, only this time I put "grep stuff"17:21
the_hydrawhat a type, right?17:21
the_hydrahow about this?17:21
the_hydratype the first "grep blah...."17:22
the_hydrawhen you about to finish, press Ctrl+U17:22
the_hydrazap, they are gone17:22
the_hydraopen your note...say with vi17:22
the_hydrafinish, call your command with ctrl+y17:22
the_hydrathey will be pasted.... time to make few modifications17:23
the_hydrano need to retype the whole thing17:23
the_hydraokay proceed :)17:23
the_hydrawe in Ubuntu realm rely on sudo, right people?17:24
the_hydrathen how many times you jump into this mistake "vi /boot/grub/grub.cfg"17:25
the_hydraAFAIK it should fail as normal user17:25
the_hydrathen you will say "d*******t!!!!!"17:25
the_hydrawhat do you do? press up arrow usually....and add "sudo", yes?17:25
the_hydrayou guys realize there is faster way?17:26
the_hydrahow about "sudo !!"17:26
the_hydrathe magic lies in "!!", it will recall your entire last typed command17:26
the_hydraonly this time, we put "sudo" in front....so your last reexecuted inside sudo :)17:27
the_hydraoh btw, if you guys need to delete a word back, just press Ctrl+W, alright?17:27
the_hydrathis time, it's old time tips, but useful: many times we need to "ping pong " between two directories17:28
the_hydrasay, /home/mine and /tmp17:28
the_hydraso you do cd /tmp, cd /home/mine alternately?17:29
the_hydracould we make it faster?17:29
the_hydrayes "cd -" is your friend17:29
the_hydra"-" is calling your last working directory17:29
the_hydracalling that repeatedly will cause ping pong effect :)17:30
the_hydraok, guess Q&A time now :)17:30
the_hydrafeel free to ask in #ubuntu-classroom-chat17:31
ClassBotmf|2 asked: how do i stop a process once you start it in vi17:31
the_hydraalright, this won't be straightforward....i think best to locate that process using17:33
the_hydrapgrep or alike17:33
the_hydramake sure that is the task you wanna end up and then send "kill"17:34
the_hydraor there's shortcut....pkill <task name>17:34
the_hydraI believe vi, in this case, is like opening pipe receiving those processes output...or simply putting them in background17:35
the_hydraso you're quite likely safe to "kill" them17:35
ClassBotsilvertip257 asked: Suggestion really... Introduce word replacement with ^ ... example `grep smtp /etc/services`, but you really wanted to grep for imap (and already ran the command) ... to replace smtp with imap:  ^smtp^imap and press enter17:36
=== medberry is now known as med_out
the_hydrathanks silvertip25717:36
the_hydrathat would be good too, so say you type "ls -al <very long path>"17:37
the_hydraand now you wanna sort based on size, you can do "^al^alS", Enter17:37
the_hydravoila, last command recall-ed as "ls -alS" :)17:37
the_hydraallow me to continue a bit17:38
the_hydraonce in a time, even casual user need to type something really long command17:39
the_hydrato me, it's like "diff -u <(veryhackylonglonglong) <(anotherhackypipedlongcommand)17:39
the_hydraand you wish your shell is like your  text editor :)17:40
the_hydrawell indeed you can17:40
the_hydrapress Ctrl+X, followed by Ctrl+E17:40
the_hydrakazaam!!!17:40
the_hydraquite likely, it's vi/vim that's called17:40
the_hydrawith your command as its buffer17:41
the_hydranow what? well, edit it as you like :)17:41
the_hydra10 lines? 20? go ahead :)17:41
the_hydraafter you're done, save it like usual i.e ":wq"17:41
the_hydravi will quit and the command is executed17:41
the_hydrathe editor called depends on EDITOR environment variable, so you may tweak it i.e17:42
the_hydraexport EDITOR=/usr/bin/nano17:43
the_hydraso next time you press the same key combo, nano will take place :)17:43
the_hydraanyway, another example17:44
the_hydrayou type "ls -l /tmp/junk/note.txt"17:45
the_hydrajust realize it should be "stat"17:46
the_hydralet the first command finish17:46
the_hydrathen "stat !$"17:46
the_hydra"!$" will be substituted with your last command last argument17:47
the_hydrakinda useful if you simply wanna take the argument and "dump" the rest17:47
the_hydraprobably the last tip from me17:49
the_hydrafor you guys who love scripting17:49
the_hydraprobably wonders why this "for a in *; do echo $a; done"17:49
the_hydradoesn't yield the dot prefixed files/directories?17:50
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.17:50
the_hydrathat's because "*" doesn't really mean "all"17:50
the_hydraso how to make it really yield all of them?17:50
the_hydrafirst, execute "shopt -s dotglob"17:50
the_hydraby doing this, it's like saying to Bash "hey, include those dot prefixed files/directories, will you?"17:51
the_hydraand then, the "for" line will work as you expected i.e all files no matter it's prefixed with dot or not..are shown17:51
the_hydraok guys, that's all from me...I will take the rest of the time again for Q&A, if you have ones17:52
the_hydraand thanks for coming and listening :)17:52
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.17:55
the_hydraok guys, just to add17:55
the_hydrafew links17:55
the_hydrahttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bash#Tips_and_tricks17:55
the_hydrahttp://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashFAQ?action=fullsearch&value=linkto%3A%22BashFAQ%22&context=18017:56
the_hydrahttp://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/readline/rluserman.html17:56
ClassBotTheEvilPhoenix asked: What about basic usage of 'sed'?17:56
the_hydramany17:56
the_hydrahere's mine17:56
the_hydrasudo sed -i 's/^/#/' /etc/resolv.conf17:57
the_hydrathat to put "#" mark on every existing line of resolv.conf17:57
the_hydra"-i" is used to do "in place" editing17:57
the_hydraif not, it won't be reflected back to the file17:57
the_hydraor sed -i 2d afile.txt17:58
the_hydrato delete second line17:59
the_hydraok time is up I believe17:59
the_hydracheers people...and see you next time :)17:59
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Finding Help Resources in Ubuntu - Instructors: starcraftman
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.18:00
starcraftmanHello again folks, I'm back.18:00
starcraftmanA quick introduction for this session, I'm starcraft.man a computer science student, third year in the program. Live in the lovely cold Canada :).18:02
starcraftmanYou can find more about me here > https://wiki.ubuntu.com/starcraft.man. Do need to update my wiki a bit more, been busy.18:02
starcraftmanThis is a big topic, finding help is a hard topic. I've provided a complete outline and links for this presentation at the following link:18:03
starcraftmanhttps://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDaysTeam/natty/FindingHelp18:03
starcraftmanAt the bottom you'll find my entire lecture, it's too long to type out so I'll be copy/pasting. I'll try not to go too fast. I'd like questions reserved to the end due to the amount of information I need to cover.18:04
starcraftmanI think that's about it, time to go into it.18:04
starcraftman Section 0 - Introduction18:05
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.18:05
starcraftman Please keep questions to #ubuntu-classroom-chat as with other sessions. I'd prefer if they were reserved for the end. You're free to ask them during and hopefully someone else can respond. I don't want to be stopping at every question I've a lot of stuff to mention, I'm also pretty sure I've covered most things people will question by end.18:05
starcraftman I'll try to pace these out not too fast. I'll try to pace these out not too fast. I do read a bit fast.18:06
starcraftman If your question remains unanswered by end, I'll take it then from the queue. Please make sure you keep them prefaced with Question so people can see them.18:06
starcraftman Things go wrong. Especially when you can least afford it.18:06
starcraftman The same way gravity unfortunately is still there when you wake up in the morning even if you were dreaming of flying.18:06
starcraftman One minute you are typing away merrily on your word processor then.....18:06
starcraftman [Insert program crash here with some profanity about lost work]18:06
starcraftman Maybe you just finished installing some updates and wham!18:07
starcraftman Some unknown error appears on screen and you don't know what to do.18:07
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.18:07
starcraftman I'd say it's a very good first rule.18:07
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.18:07
starcraftman Section I - Preparing for Help18:07
starcraftman The title sounds a bit silly doesn't it?18:07
starcraftman You'd be surprised how just a few steps make all the difference finding good help.18:07
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.18:08
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.18:08
starcraftman In the end, users can get very angry/frustrated.18:08
starcraftman Posting on a forum in a bad mood “My video is broken, FIX IT!” is not a good way to get help.18:08
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.18:08
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.18:09
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.18:09
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 the community wiki. Good quote I'd say.18:09
starcraftman Section 1a - Analysis18:09
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?18:09
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.18:10
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.18:10
starcraftman If the error is a graphical one (like the error window popping up) you might want to take a screenshot of this.18:10
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.18:10
starcraftman (you can try to printscreen now if you like)18:10
starcraftman We'll see what to do with this image later.18:10
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:18:10
starcraftman sudo lshw > ~/Desktop/hardware.txt18:11
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.18:11
starcraftman The similar commands are lspci, lsusb, lsbpcmia, all listing what the command is named.18:11
starcraftman Very useful. (You can try too, takes a moment)18:11
starcraftman After jotting down this information and taking a screenshot we can proceed to play detective. Ask yourself what went wrong?18:11
starcraftman Did the internet stop working for instance? That would be a networking issue.18:11
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.18:12
starcraftman You might not have enough experience to solve it completely, but getting a start with what you know can go a long way.18:12
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.18:12
starcraftman Section 2 - Power Searching Google18:12
starcraftman So the first stop is a search engine. I'll use Google for this example, any engine should work.18:12
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.18:12
starcraftman At this point, if everyone can go to www.google.com that'd be great.18:13
starcraftman Or your local version . I recommend google.ca :)18:13
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 separately in Google and see the difference:18:13
starcraftman DC Batman Robin Crusader18:13
starcraftman"Batman Robin Crusader"18:13
starcraftman DC OR Batman OR Robin OR Crusader18:14
starcraftmanCopy them verbatim into Google and you'll see quite the difference in the results returned after pushing enter.18:14
starcraftmanI'll wait a few seconds.18:14
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.18:15
starcraftmanThis means in the first case we narrow with every new term.18:15
starcraftman When searching in Google “DC Batman Robin Crusader” you humorously get 4 results (all in fact logs of this very speech :D), 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 a18:15
starcraftmanmillion results.18:15
starcraftmanThe last one returned so many because we found every page that had "DC" or "Batman" etc..., a lot of pages on these :)18:16
starcraftman Now time to get to the meat of this. Everyone go to Google homepage and click “Advanced” on the right.18:16
starcraftman Here's the advanced search page, a lot of people don't know about it. It is very handy.18:16
starcraftmanhttp://www.google.com/advanced_search18:17
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.18:17
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.18:17
starcraftman First two lines cover what I've already explained.18:17
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.18:17
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.18:17
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.18:18
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.18:18
starcraftman "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).18:18
starcraftman Language and results are self explanatory.18:18
starcraftman Click on "Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more..." here you'll find even more advanced though less commonly used modifiers.18:18
starcraftman These are mostly obvious, 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, it’s outside my scope).18:18
starcraftman 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.18:19
starcraftman One thing not here is wildcard modifier for search.18:19
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.18:19
starcraftman Careful with wildcards, they can be quite loose depending on how much of the word you put and Google’s ranking algorithm.18:19
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.18:19
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.18:19
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.18:20
starcraftman Another page to note is Ubuntu Search at http://search.ubuntu.com/18:20
starcraftman As it says on its homepage, by default it only searches Ubuntu related sites like the Wikis and Forums.18:20
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.18:20
starcraftman lil pause here again, so people can catch up.18:20
starcraftman Section 3 - System Documentation and Wiki18:21
starcraftman For this section we will cover Ubuntu's official documentation.18:21
starcraftman System Docs are the documentation that comes with any standard Ubuntu installation, these are accessible locally even without a net connection.18:21
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). (For GNOME 2.x users)18:21
starcraftmanFor unity folks, open the menu and search for Help.18:21
starcraftman Note: If you’re not on Ubuntu at this moment, you won't of course.18:22
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.18:22
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.18:22
starcraftman The documentation contains a lot of answers to common questions and introductory material you can read to understand Ubuntu.18:22
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.18:22
starcraftman Feel free to explore later, need to continue.18:23
starcraftman Go back to homepage pls (push home button as mentioned on the toolbar).18:23
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.18:23
starcraftman A newer project to mention quick is the manual project. It's a pdf that serves as a beginner’s 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.18:23
starcraftman Next is the Wikis, we have two.18:23
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.18:24
starcraftman People often don't understand, these are official sites. They aren't like a wikia, a spin off by fans.18:24
starcraftman So take a moment and load up https://help.ubuntu.com/18:24
starcraftman Here you'll see listed the versions of Ubuntu still in support (i.e. 11.04, 10.10, 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.18:24
starcraftman (if you’re not on Ubuntu at this moment, you can now browse system docs)18:24
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.18:24
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.18:25
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.18:25
starcraftman The bulk of documentation is in English, it is however translated into other languages where available.18:25
starcraftman You can of course probably use Google translate if you need a page in english to another.18:25
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.18:25
starcraftman This is all good reading material even if you don't have an immediate problem.18:26
starcraftman Next, have a look at the "Finding Your Way with Ubuntu" section.18:26
starcraftman Say hello to Signpost.18:26
starcraftman(Scroll down some to get to it fyi)18:26
starcraftman Its aim is simple, to start with the general and try and narrow down to the right information.18:26
starcraftman Click "get 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.18:27
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.18:27
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.18:27
starcraftmanAbout half way, hope this isn't too fast. Still got just under half to go.18:28
starcraftman Section 4 - Forums18:28
starcraftman Next, www.ubuntuforums.org18:28
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.18:28
starcraftman While I'm explaining, feel free to sign up, click Register at left.18:28
starcraftman Forums are openID enabled so if you know what that is, you can use it.18:28
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.18:29
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.18:29
starcraftman The remainder of the site is aimed less at support than discussion/development. You can peruse it at your own leisure.18:29
starcraftman Time to discuss posting etiquette on the forums, what to do/not do.18:29
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.18:30
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.18:30
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.18:30
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.18:30
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.18:30
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).18:31
starcraftman(You can follow this along, just remember don't push submit. Don't want the forum mods blaming me :) )18:31
starcraftmanOh and you'll need to be signed in to follow this part.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.18:32
starcraftman This is nice, also goes back to one of the rules.18:32
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.18:32
starcraftman Just another way of preventing double posts, we get a lot of similar questions.18:33
starcraftman Goes back to the 99.9% of all problems have happened before :).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.18:33
starcraftman Take a note of the GUI at top of the forum reply, there is # button.18:33
starcraftman(Bar ontop of the text box I mean)18:33
starcraftman This is for the code tag.18:33
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, puts an inline scrollbar instead. Handy.18:34
starcraftman Screenshots can be hosted at sites like http://www.imgur.com or as attachments to the post (scroll down on new post page, click Manage Attachments). These are very useful.18:34
starcraftman Images hosted on imgur you just copy the forum link and paste in the body of reply. The attachments way automates this. No preference to me, attachments do better integrate with site.18:34
starcraftman(Pictures really do help, post when possible and think it's pertinent)18:35
starcraftman When you're happy with your post, submit it (don't push now). 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 a very large 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.18:35
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.18:35
starcraftman(That said, there aren't any guarantees on the advice, it is a volunteer support forum)18:36
starcraftman A few closing comments on the forums.18:36
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.18:36
starcraftman Also, a few helpful links you might enjoy are- http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=105206518:36
starcraftman A free beginners guide PDF to getting started.18:36
starcraftman http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=80140418:36
starcraftman ^ A general launch point to many good forum guides written by people who know their stuff.18:37
starcraftman A general launch point to many good forum guides written by people who know their stuff.18:37
starcraftman Section 4.5 - IRC (Real  quick)18:37
starcraftmanNo session on IRC for this day, information about it can be found here (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/XChatHowto).  That page will get you started with XChat and you’ll understand the basics.18:37
starcraftmanI 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/InternetRelayChat18:37
starcraftmanI 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/InternetRelayChat18:37
starcraftman(oops)18:37
starcraftman( Don’t click the #links, they will open IRC client to somewhere else).18:37
starcraftman The web page lists the channels, what they focus and how to fix her up.18:37
starcraftmanAnyway, that's that, on to the next stop.18:38
starcraftman Section 5 - Launchpad18:38
starcraftman I'm going to try and make this brief, I don't want to cover benonsoftware topic (see agenda for time), and he’s devoting a whole hour to launchpad.18:38
starcraftman Launchpad is however the place to go when all of the above doesn't get you an answer. You have two choices.18:38
starcraftman First is the answers section, see here- https://answers.launchpad.net/18:38
starcraftman Launchpad Answers is basically a section designed to let the people working on the projects answer your question.18:38
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 benonsoftware. A nice plus, any launchpad account is automatically an openID, can be used on other sites supporting such login.18:38
starcraftman Say I have a problem with music playing in rhythmbox, so esoteric that none of the above helped.18:38
starcraftman (by above, I mean the other resources)18:39
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).18:39
starcraftman Click ask a new question and fill it out (don't submit again). Someone should get back to you in a reasonable time. (don't file a question at this time...)18:39
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.18:39
starcraftman Next is a quick bug filing run down. Click bugs section at the top of rhythmbox. At the right, on top of ask a question is now Report a Bug.18:39
starcraftman Click this only if you want to file a bug, please don't file them without being sure it's a bug and having searched existing bugs. Devs get a lot of duplicates that don't help.18:40
starcraftman There's a structure to filling reports, benonsoftware should cover this. It's important to put more not less info, as specific as you can so devs can reproduce bugs, test and fix.18:40
starcraftman Launchpad is a good service, though I'm more of a doc person so I guess I'm biased to recommend system then wiki docs.18:40
starcraftman That's it on LP, please stay tuned later for more.18:41
starcraftmanI'm gonna take a short break here.18:41
starcraftmanand back18:42
starcraftman Section 6 - AskUbuntu.com18:42
starcraftman So now a new interesting site. AskUbuntu. Please go to the following url: http://askubuntu.com/questions . It's a Stack Overflow type site that some may be familiar with.18:42
starcraftman Basically, you can post questions on the site and tag them with certain keywords. Other users then look through the unanswered section and write answers. Answers are voted up or down based on other users thoughts and you can validate that the users answer is the best or not helpful at all.18:42
starcraftman To start using you can sign up if you want in top right (login). It isn't strictly required.18:43
starcraftman Use the Ask Question > button in the header to make a question and then wait a while until it gets an answer.18:43
starcraftman You'll also see a Tags section, where you can search based on sorted tags to find questions already asked.18:43
starcraftman Unanswered section like name implies sorts and lists questions that are still open and waiting an answer. Lastly, there is Users sections. Here you can see the history of a person's answers on the site, maybe you want to know if they have a good history of suggestions. You can also see their shiny badges I suppose.18:43
starcraftman The Site isn't directly run by Ubuntu, but many of its top contributors are long standing members of the community.18:43
starcraftman That's about it, poke around and don't be shy to ask questions. :)18:44
starcraftman Section 7 - Closing18:44
starcraftman When confronted by a problem, stop and think. Don't panic.18:44
starcraftman Write down all pertinent information that you know.18:44
starcraftman Then use the right resource. I usually start with a search or wiki documentation.18:44
starcraftman http://search.ubuntu.com is fast becoming a favourite of mine to get quick answers as it indexes most of the good resources.18:44
starcraftmanSearch them carefully and if you can't find relevant info ask in ABT for help with all the information you know. There's also of course IRC as an alternative to getting interactive help.18:45
starcraftman Next if that doesn't work, see Launchpad answers/bug system as relevant.18:45
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.18:45
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.18:45
starcraftman Where the information comes from is important.18:46
starcraftmanJust like when writing a paper we can't just quote everything/attribute to Wikipedia :)18:46
starcraftman I know it's a lot of information to absorb, I hope you've found it helpful.18:46
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.18:46
starcraftmanhttps://wiki.ubuntu.com/UserDaysTeam/natty/FindingHelp18:47
starcraftmanLink again just for a reminder.18:47
starcraftmanHole speech there too if you missed a part.18:47
starcraftmanWhole*18:47
starcraftmanThat's it, guess we can start with the questions.18:48
starcraftmanOh, no questions in the queue, ok.18:48
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.18:50
ClassBotnlsthzn asked: any idea the criteria for mentioning ask ubuntu in the oneiric installation slides as oposed to the forum (or isn't that falling in the scope of this session)?18:51
starcraftmannlsthzn: I don't really know how the slides for installation are decided to be honest. I guess has to do more with buzz than anything else. I think all the resources I've mentioned are equally valid methods with pros and cons. Comes down to preference.18:52
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.18:55
ClassBotScottSanbar asked: What is buzz?18:58
starcraftmanBuzz: Slight internet slang, means popular, trending among people in the know.18:58
DarkwingDuckpleia2: hwo do you want to do this? You want to go first?19:00
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Desktop Alternatives: KDE and XFCE4 - Instructors: DarkwingDuck, pleia2
pleia2yeah I'll start with the intro, you can go into kde19:00
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.19:00
pleia2Hi everyone, welcome to our session on Desktop Alternatives!19:00
pleia2Quick introductions, I'm Elizabeth Krumbach, a member of the Ubuntu Community Council and I've been using Xubuntu since my first *buntu install and have been using XFCE since 2003. My day job is as Debian Sysadmin.19:01
DarkwingDuckI’m David Wonderly. I am a member of the Kubuntu Council and admin Kubuntu System Documentation. I started with linux in the mid 90s with Red Hat and went to full time Ubuntu in 2005. I switched to Kubuntu in 2006. I am a freelance writer and web developer.19:01
pleia2To jump right in, a Desktop Environment is the full interface, including Window Manager, panels, menus, engines, tools and applications which are put or built to work together.19:01
pleia2By default, when you install Ubuntu you will get "Gnome" as your Desktop Environment with Unity as the "shell" and in this class we'll be exploring some of the other options for a Desktop Environment: KDE and XFCE.19:02
pleia2I will note, as it can be confusing, but a "Window Manager" is not a "Desktop Environment" it's only a part of one. At the core, a Window Manager simply handles the behavior of the windows on your screen.19:03
pleia2To add complexity, we've also been hearing a lot about "Unity" and "Gnome Shell" - a "Shell" in the graphical sense is more than a Window Manager and less than a Desktop Environment.19:03
pleia2So, why would you want to switch from Gnome, the default in Ubuntu, to a different Desktop Environment?19:03
pleia2One popular reason is simply preference. Give another one a try! You may like you find out how customizable the panels that are in XFCE, or the flashy widgets that are in KDE.19:04
pleia2Another is speed/performance. Some let you slim down your environment by loading up fewer things by default, some are faster (usually by sacrificing eye candy), some work with lighter window managers which may run better on your system.19:04
pleia2Any questions so far?19:04
pleia2ok, DarkwingDuck is going to talk a bit about KDE now :)19:06
DarkwingDuckThanks pleia219:06
DarkwingDuckKDE is not just a Desktop Environment but it also includes it's own window manager19:07
DarkwingDuckFrom the look of KDE within Kubuntu it has a look and feel of windows. The application launcher is in the bottom left with the main panel on the bottom.19:08
DarkwingDuckBut, as you start to dig deeper within KDE you will find it is much much more.19:08
DarkwingDuckOh yeah, if you have ANY questions while I am talking please stop me and ask.19:09
DarkwingDuckKDE is build on Plasma. This allows for changing of different workspaces without changing any settings.19:09
DarkwingDuckSo, it can look like your standard desktop in one workspace and quickly move to a netbook (Called Seach and containment) workspace on the fly.19:10
DarkwingDuckWhen installing KDE with Kubuntu the installer will auto detect you system. If you are using a netbook it will read the screen resolution and auto pick teh workspace that fits your needs form one installer.19:11
DarkwingDuckIt will also turn on and off different effects depending on what your hardware can handle.19:12
DarkwingDuckPlasma is widget based. Everything on the panels and the desktops are widgets.19:12
ClassBotmhall119 asked: how well do applications made for one desktop environment run in another?  Do they integrate well?19:15
pleia2in XFCE you can enable the gnome and kde background stuff if you want to get their apps to launch faster, most applications work fine though19:16
DarkwingDuckmhall119: It all comes down to the libraries. KDE is Qt based while Gnome uses GTK. So, to run some applications you will need to install firther things but, for the most part it all works together.19:16
DarkwingDuckAnother thing that KDE and plasma has done is introduce Activities.19:17
DarkwingDuckNow, this *can* get very confusing but, bare with me as I try to explain it.19:17
DarkwingDuckThe idea is this: You break the desktop up into activities so each desktop is very well defined by what that desktop does. You could have one desktop for writing, one desktop for programming, one desktop for entertainment.19:18
DarkwingDuckThis seemed like a redundancy in Linux, what with the existence of the pager and all. But as KDE grew a bit older and wiser, the usage of this feature become more and more clear.19:18
DarkwingDuckImage this: You have a desktop for each of four activities (We’ll just say “A, B, C, and D”). This is simple to break down using the Linux pager. You would have Activity A on Desktop 1, Activity B on Desktop 2, Activity C on Desktop 3, and Activity D on Desktop 4. Now let’s say these activities become quite busy. You would then have a lot of windows open on each activity, making a veritable mess out of your efficient worksp19:19
DarkwingDuckNow, take that idea and expand it with KDE Activities. Each Activity now has it’s own multi-dimensional workspace. Each Activity has however many workspaces you have defined on your desktop.19:20
DarkwingDuckSo if you have four workspaces each of those activities will have four workspaces to use. As well, you can associate specific windows with specific Activities (or specific workspaces within a specific Activity). This allows you to organize your activities with much more control over the standard method.19:20
DarkwingDuckThis is where it starts to become obvious how effective activities can be. Let’s say you have a desktop Activity associated with Writing. For that activity you use a word processor, a web browser, and some other random applications.19:21
DarkwingDuckYou can assosiate those windows to that certen activity19:21
DarkwingDuckNow that window will ONLY be visible on that particular activity. You can then open a completely different window (of the same application) and associate with a different activity.19:21
DarkwingDuckThe concept of Activities isn’t the easiest to understand until you actually start working with it. But once you get the hang of it, you will certainly appreciate what it brings to the desktop.19:22
DarkwingDuckEveryone with me so far?19:22
ClassBotthe_hydra asked: so Plasma is like the window manager?19:23
DarkwingDuckIn a way...19:23
DarkwingDuckPlasma controls both the window manager AND everything within the dekstop. It's an intergrated system.19:24
DarkwingDuckKDE coems with a "One stop shopping" for system settings19:24
DarkwingDuckThe window manager and everything else is controled from there so, you don't have to go chasing things about. There are also themes for the WM. Example: We have a GTK Oxygen theme so that the WM will flow better with GTK programs19:26
=== starcraft is now known as starcraftman
DarkwingDuckDoes anyone have any questions about KDE? I could go on for hours but, I want to give pleia2 a chance to talk too. :)19:27
DarkwingDuckOh!19:28
ClassBotnlsthzn asked: I don't get "activities"?! Any words of wisdom on using this feature?19:28
ClassBotnlsthzn asked: When will Ubuntu One be fully integrated with Kubuntu/KDE?19:28
DarkwingDuckAlready hit hte activities sorry for that. Ubuntu One.19:29
DarkwingDuckWe keep trying to intergrate Ubuntu One into Kubuntu. the issue has been that once we get a stable version working Ubuntu One changes the APIs around a bit. We find out about it a tad late and are two steps behind.19:30
DarkwingDuckapachelogger has been working with the Ubuntu One people to get a client working.19:30
ClassBotTheEvilPhoenix asked: For KDE, are there recommended minimum hardware specs to run KDE?19:31
DarkwingDuckTheEvilPhoenix: Give me a moment. I'm not sure we have them listed. I run KDE on an old desktop with 900mhz and less then a gig of ram.19:32
DarkwingDuckTheEvilPhoenix: I'm not finding it. Please email me and I will find the answer for you.19:33
DarkwingDuckAny other KDE questions?19:34
DarkwingDuckOkay, I posted my email address in -chat so, if you have further questions re KDE/Kubuntu please, feel free to email me or ask after pleia219:35
ClassBotthe_hydra asked: seems like KDE visual effect doesn't really need good video card?19:35
DarkwingDuckfor the higher end effects yes. My 3 year old netbook keeps up with them very very well.19:36
DarkwingDuckYou can turn desktop effects off and have a very high end looking graphic expirence.19:37
DarkwingDuckOkay pleia2, before I hijack any more of your time.19:37
pleia2:)19:38
pleia2ok, on to XFCE! XFCE is the Desktop Environment that comes with Xubuntu, you can find some details about it over at http://xfce.org/19:38
pleia2here's a screenshot of the default you'll see when you load up xubuntu 11.04: http://people.ubuntu.com/~lyz/xubuntu/natty/xubuntu_desktop.png19:39
pleia2pretty familiar layout I think, no big surprises :) the mouse at the top left is your menu, at the bottom you have a panel you can add/remove stuff from19:39
ClassBotmhall119 asked: pleia2, does Xfce use GTK 3 now, or is it still on GTK 2?19:40
pleia2the latest stable release (4.8) still on gtk219:40
pleia2Now Xubuntu with Xfce itself differs from Ubuntu not just in environment,  it doesn't come with Open Office, instead it comes with lighter-weight "abiword" for word processing and "gnumeric" for spreadsheets.19:41
pleia2Xfce uses the XFwm by default for the window manager. It uses Thunar for a basic file manager, as sorta seen here: http://people.ubuntu.com/~lyz/xubuntu/natty/xubuntu_thunar.png19:41
pleia2as you can see it's a pretty basic file manager, there are a bunch of wishlist items for expanding it19:42
ClassBotthe_hydra asked: which is lighter, Xubuntu or Lubuntu?19:42
pleia2lubuntu, no question, xubuntu doesn't really strive to be light, it's more about being simple and easy to configure19:43
pleia2(you won't see the light claim on xubuntu.org anymore)19:43
pleia2The Xfce panels (at the top and bottom in the screenshot) have their own items you can add, but you can also use some gnome panel items19:43
pleia2one of my favorite things is that you can do things like add multiple clocks :) I have three timezone clocks in my panel19:44
pleia2You can check out some more screenshots from the default Xubuntu here: http://people.ubuntu.com/~lyz/xubuntu/natty/19:45
pleia2And a screenshot of my desktop on Thursday night: http://people.ubuntu.com/~lyz/xubuntu/natty/xubuntu_092211.png (when I was prepping for this class :))19:45
pleia2Most of what you'll find app-wise is that Xubuntu takes apps from elsewhere, you can even run the Gnome and KDE services in the background so things launch more quickly even on Xfce19:46
pleia2for me, configurability and simplicity are what I love about it, before Xfce I used Enlightenment and fluxbox, both of which were also simple but could be tricky to configure (a lot of manual editing of config files)19:47
pleia2Xfce gives me simple + pretty configuration dialogs http://people.ubuntu.com/~lyz/xubuntu/natty/n-xubuntu-settings.png19:47
pleia2any more questions?19:48
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.19:50
DarkwingDuckanyone have any more questions on XFCE or KDE?19:52
ClassBotcharlie-tca asked: Ubuntu has switched over to a non-standard interface with Unity. Are there any plans for either KDE or Xfce to follow that pattern?19:54
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.19:55
pleia2fortunately there are no plans for Xfce to follow this pattern19:55
DarkwingDuckKDE already did (In a way). When we changed from KDE3 to KDE4 it introduced Plasma. It was our unified system if you will.19:55
DarkwingDuckThere are no plans for us to change what works :)19:56
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Ubuntu Equivalent Programs - Instructors: philipballew
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.20:00
philipballew====Ubuntu Software and Software like it in Windws/Osx====20:01
philipballewThanks for coming everybody20:01
philipballewwe will be talking about software you normally might be used to using in Windows or OSX and what Software that does the same purpose can be found in Ubuntu20:02
philipballewAs many of you are used to certain software available in Windows and OSX and might not be aware of ones in Linux  systems, you are curious as to what there is.20:02
philipballewI will List all the main Pieces of software here first and then Answer all questions in the time we have. It is a first come, first serve basis20:03
philipballewIf any questions are technical based, I will be available after the session to provide support if people in #ubuntu-classroom-chat are unable to.20:03
philipballew^ for help installing20:03
philipballewIf you need to contact me personally, feel free to pm me or email me. philipballew@ubuntu.com20:04
philipballewSo everybody knows who I am Let me send a link to my Ubuntu Wiki. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/philipballew20:04
philipballewHere We go!20:04
philipballewOffice20:04
philipballewWhere in OSX and Windows computers, The average users user Microsoft Office, the Average Ubuntu user uses one of these office suites20:05
philipballewthe Main program was open office20:06
philipballewbut now starting with 1104 it is Libre office20:06
philipballewthis software provides the ability to type documents make spreadsheets and slide shows20:07
philipballewthis is the default software20:07
philipballewother's might be Open Office Koffice Abi-Word Gnumeric20:07
philipballewOpen office is like L O as its whats L.O. is bassed off of20:08
philipballewkoffice is for KDE20:08
philipballewthe other 2 are good for any computer, but usually used on lowed end computers20:08
philipballewlubuntu and xubuntu have used them20:09
philipballewWith L.E the one most all ubuntu users are using it has the ability to save in a doc format if needed. but this is not the default20:10
philipballewnext type of app20:10
philipballewMultimedia20:10
philipballewMultimedia and Ubuntu can go hand in hand. If you plan to use your computer for mainly media/multimedia I recommend installing Ubuntu Studio. http://ubuntustudio.org/20:10
philipballewbut all apps can be installed on ubuntu or any type as were mentioned in the previous session20:11
philipballewin many computer users groups and sectors when people think of graphical editing one word comes to mind20:12
philipballewphotoshop20:12
philipballewubuntu has a great photoshop program in Gimp20:12
philipballewit can do wonders to any photo. it is similar to Adobe Photoshop20:13
philipballewif anyone needs to edit photos in Ubuntu they should use Gimp20:14
philipballewfor users who have used Adobe Illastrator there is Inkscape20:15
philipballewit is a very powerful editing program20:15
philipballewAudio20:16
philipballewItunes is really set the standard for a music playing application in the past several years, And Ubuntu had great software for you to enjoy.20:16
philipballewthe default in ubuntu is going to be Banshee20:16
philipballewit plays many audio formats as it uses gstreamer as a back-end20:17
philipballewthe older default of Rhythmbox is a great player and will play anything you need20:17
philipballewwith Linux and ubuntu it is all about choice20:18
philipballewjust because you might see Banshee as a app when you install you can trash it and try something else20:18
philipballewthere is also Amrok20:18
philipballewa very nice player made for the kde ui but will play on gnome as well if you are not a Kubuntu user20:19
philipballewnow if you want to play music in the shell20:19
philipballewor the terminal for instance20:19
philipballewi recomend either Cmus/mp3blaster20:20
philipballewall these are great software that will work20:20
philipballewif you have an Ipod you can use that on Ubuntu as welll20:20
philipballew*well20:20
philipballewthese apps will support them. I dont think Cmus or mp3blaster does.20:21
philipballewthere are also apps that there only purpose is for updating or managing your ipod20:21
philipballewgtkpod is one of them20:22
philipballewVideo Editing20:22
philipballewOSX,Windows Software Might be something like windows Movie Maker or After -Effects20:22
philipballewin Ubuntu there is some good options such as kdenlive and openshot20:23
philipballewkdenlive has been around for a while20:23
philipballewopenshot is good. and can add 3d effects with blender20:23
philipballewAudio Editing20:24
philipballewGauge band is a pretty popular audio editing software application for computers these days. In Ubuntu there are several pieces of software you can use20:25
philipballewAudacity is a good one20:25
philipballewit can edit all your audio files20:25
philipballewArdour can also20:25
philipballewonce you get used to a piece of software you'll know its ends and outs. It may be different at first. but can become like the back of your hand soon20:26
philipballewInternet Browsers20:27
philipballewUbuntu comes by default with Firefox20:27
philipballewhowever,20:27
philipballewthere are many browsers you can use in its place20:27
philipballewone is Google Chrome20:27
philipballewGoogle Chrome is a popular browser on all platforms just like FF20:28
philipballewwith google chrome you need to download a repository off their website20:29
philipballewlet me post the link here20:29
philipballewhttps://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/answer.py?answer=9534620:30
philipballewhere is instructions on that20:30
philipballewbut you can, Like lots of ubuntu users, including myself use Chromium20:31
philipballewits free and open unlike parts of G.C.20:31
philipballewif you need a text based browser you should try E-links20:31
philipballewits great to run in the terminal20:32
philipballewInstant messaging20:32
philipballewUbuntu has a great default software in Empathy20:32
philipballewit can handle all your im needs20:32
philipballewthere is also Pidgin and kopete20:33
philipballewthey can do the same thing20:33
philipballewit is all about preference with Ubuntu. you have choice20:33
philipballewSocial Networking20:34
philipballewGwibber is the default client.20:34
philipballewIt can do Both Twitter and Facebook. The big names in social networking today20:35
philipballewthere is also a new app called Polly20:35
philipballewit can be downloaded fromhttps://launchpad.net/polly20:35
philipballewhttps://launchpad.net/polly20:35
philipballewremove the s if your browser does not support https20:36
philipballewGames20:36
philipballewfor Ubuntu there are many games in the software center20:36
philipballewill list some notable ones here20:36
philipballewthough we all may dislike them because games can be a personal thing20:37
philipballewOpen Arena Torcs Urban Terror Minecraft Battle of Wesnoth Nexuiz20:37
philipballewall of these except minecraft can be downloaded through the software center20:38
philipballewfor other places to get games you can use ppa's20:39
philipballewthey can allow you to try new apps. bleeding edge versions and apps just not in the software center20:39
philipballewthere is such things as get deb and play deb20:40
philipballewthey will add more games to your system20:40
philipballewalso I will give two websites for Linux games20:40
philipballewwww.tuxgames.com www.linuxgames.com20:41
philipballewif there are any apps i did not mention here you need an alternative for you can use http://linuxappfinder.com/20:41
philipballewfeel free to contact me as well anytime20:42
philipballewQuestion Time!20:42
philipballew /msg classbot !y20:43
ClassBotTheEvilPhoenix asked: I know Adobe Dreamweaver is built for windows.  Is there any equivalent WYSIWYG/code/splitscreen web development program for Ubuntu/Linux ?20:43
philipballewgood question TheEvilPhoenix20:44
philipballewin the Ubuntu software center there is KompoZer20:44
philipballewa what you see is what you get type20:45
philipballewalso iff all you need is html gedit can do that20:45
philipballewthere is also bluefish20:45
ClassBotlunzie asked: ​ can you say anything about Google Docs equivalents like the proposed Unhosting of LibreOffice? http://vimeo.com/2138722320:47
philipballewYou can still access google docs from ubuntu if you want, However I hear l.b. plans to20:48
philipballewI read it somewhere20:48
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.20:50
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.20:55
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Accessibility Applications - Instructors: charlie-tca
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.21:00
charlie-tcaOkay, Hello everyone!21:00
charlie-tcaI'm Charlie Kravetz, known as charlie-tca on irc and the mailing lists. I am Xubuntu Quality Assurance Lead, a member of ubuntu-bugsquad, bug-control, and a bugsquad mentor.21:00
charlie-tcaI test the latest development images, and am using Oneiric Ocelot on my daily machine. This gives me considerable experience in testing, filing bugs, and using Ubuntu.21:00
charlie-tcaI am going to talk about Accessibility in Ubuntu.21:01
charlie-tcaEach release cycle, when the discussions are held about what should be in the next release, we do discuss accessibility also.21:01
charlie-tcaThis is considered very important by all the developers, but is very difficult to insure it is working for all the users.21:02
charlie-tcaThe leaders of the Ubuntu Accessibility Team are Penelope Stowe (pendulum) and Luke Yelavich (TheMuso).21:02
charlie-tcaI do triage accessibility bugs, and am very involved with Accessibility Team.21:03
charlie-tcaAccessibility focuses on the Ubuntu desktop, because Gnome has good accessibility features. Would we like to see that expanded? Of course we would! The expansion is coming along nicely. Kubuntu is working on integrating a screen-reader installation, Xubuntu will be adding several features with Xfce 4.10. Lubuntu is very interested in adding accessbility also.21:03
charlie-tcaThe Accessibility Team has conducted a survey and created personas under the guidance of Penelope. This greatly aids the team in determining the direction it needs to head as well as what is needed.21:03
charlie-tcaThis session isn't a how-to guide and won't go into a huge amount of detail into any one program.21:04
charlie-tcaI will attempt to answer your questions, when I can. I will also give you some resources for further help and information.21:04
charlie-tcaPlease use the following format for all questions -- QUESTION: How do I start mousekeys? All questions should be asked in #ubuntu-classroom-chat and I'll use classbot to post them into #ubuntu-classroom.21:04
charlie-tcaSo, to answer this question, you would open the dash, by clicking the Ubuntu logo in the launchers, and type "universal access"21:06
charlie-tcaThat has replaced the 'Accessibility' menus21:06
charlie-tcaSince one of the biggest issues we have had with accessibility is how to start a screen-reader installation, what with guessing when to hit keys, knowing which keys to hit, etc, we are doing something positive about it.21:08
charlie-tcaUbuntu 11.10 will have a feature we are very pleased about. This is the ability for the visually impaired to start an installation without having to hit a bunch of keypresses and try to guess when to start hitting keys. We will instead boot the desktop cd, wait until it stops and the drum beat sounds, which will be at the "Try Ubuntu" and "Install Ubuntu" screen. Now just hit Ctrl+s to21:08
charlie-tcastart the screen-reader installation with Orca.21:08
charlie-tcaThis should make installing *so much* simpler for those with visual impairments!21:10
charlie-tcaBefore I talk about specific programs, I want to talk about the Assistive Technologies menu, which can be found in Universal Access.21:10
charlie-tcaThis menu is where you can select your preferred accessibility programs and enable assistive technologies.21:10
charlie-tcaYou 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.21:11
charlie-tcaIt'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.21:11
charlie-tcaThis is also the menu you use to specify which programs you want for an alternate keyboard or as a screen reader.21:11
charlie-tcaOkay, before I start talking about programs, are there any questions on the Universal Access menu?21:12
charlie-tcaI should say at this point, if you need accessibility programs and use either Ubuntu 11.04 or decide to go with Oneiric Ocelot, soon to be released as Ubuntu 11.10, you will find Unity3d sessions difficult to use.21:14
charlie-tcaWe automatically use the fallback sessions when you install using the screen-reader. In Ubuntu 11.04, this is called "classic session" and in Oneiric it is called Unity2d.21:15
charlie-tcaThe first set of programs I'm talking about are the text-to-speech programs.21:16
charlie-tcaThe most popular of these is the Orca, although it isn't strictly a screen reader, as it has other capabilities21:17
charlie-tcaOrca 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.21:17
charlie-tcaOrca was developed by the Accessibility department at Sun Microsystems, however, with the aquisition of Sun by Oracle, it has moved to community-development only.21:17
charlie-tcaOrca can work with programs that include the at-spi toolkit including the GNOME desktop, Firefox, LibreOffice, and many others.21:17
charlie-tcaIt can also be used with Xfce based applications.21:18
charlie-tcaMore information about Orca can be found at http://live.gnome.org/Orca21:19
charlie-tcaAnd, 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)21:20
charlie-tcaOkay, any questions about Orca?21:20
ClassBotKB3UI asked: Does Orca work with different voices?21:21
charlie-tcaExcellent question, KB3UI21:21
charlie-tcaYes, Orca does work with different voices, as well a few languages.21:22
charlie-tcaIt also has settings to change the speed of the voice, since some of us are able to listen much faster than the average person.21:22
charlie-tcaAnother text-to-speech program is eSpeak. eSpeak is command line based. It supports quite a few different languages.21:23
charlie-tcaThere are several different versions of eSpeak including one specific to emacs.21:23
charlie-tcaMore information can be found at http://espeak.sourceforge.net/21:23
charlie-tcaThese are the two main text-to-speech/screen reader options in the Software Center.21:24
charlie-tcaWith QT being added to Unity, we now have the ability to use these applications in Kubuntu, also.21:25
charlie-tcaAre there any questions about espeak or other questions about text-to-speech in Ubuntu?21:25
ClassBotKB3UI asked: Advantages of Orca vs. eSpeak and vice versa?21:25
charlie-tcaI would say the greatest advantage is in deciding which one works for what you need. Orca is not usable without the Desktop21:26
charlie-tcaeSpeak can be used in any terminal, as long as you have audio capability.21:26
charlie-tcaMany users will decide one has voices they can understand better than the other, but that is only found by trying both.21:27
charlie-tcaAt the present time, there are no assistive technologies for people with learning/developmental difficulties specifically. Orca and some of the other programs are used by people with learning/developmental disabilities.21:29
charlie-tcaOne thing that happens in the open source world is that other than 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 software21:29
charlie-tcaokay, moving on from text-to-speech, I'm going to quickly cover magnification software21:30
charlie-tcaThe magnification software commonly found in Ubuntu are gnome-mag, the magnification part of Orca and the magnification option of compiz. You will need to install ccsm to use the compiz magnifier, but it is very useful.21:30
charlie-tcaThese applications allow you to move the magnification screen around your desktop so as to give the total view.21:30
charlie-tcaFor the normal sighted person, they can be cumbersome to use, but for the visually impaired, they allow us to see the entire screen.21:30
charlie-tcaI realize that much of this is for the visually impaired. We have not forgotten the hearing impaired, however. A quick look into Universal Access options in Ubuntu allows the hearing impaired to switch on blinking windows to assist them when the sound alerts play.21:32
charlie-tcaThere is still the issue of them not hearing if sounds are played, which can disturb others.21:32
ClassBotlunzie asked: ​ charlie-tca: is there a framework or standard being worked out for tts access for pdf documents? esp okular and evince ...21:34
charlie-tcaUnfortunately, open source has a way to go yet on some things. This is one of those areas.21:35
charlie-tcaI do not know of work being done for this at this time.21:35
charlie-tcaNext I want to talk about alternate keyboards.21:36
charlie-tcaMost of the time, alternate keyboards mean switching layouts and languages.21:36
charlie-tcaThese 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.21:36
charlie-tcaThe default alternate keyboard for Ubuntu is onBoard. It is basically an on-screen keyboard.21:37
charlie-tcaIt includes everything including the function keys from a regular keyboard, and, now has colors that match ambiance theme in Unity21:38
charlie-tcaUsing your mouse, You click on the key or a sequence of keys and it inputs directly into whatever program you're working on21:38
charlie-tcaOnboard is usable by stick users, as well as mouse/trackball only users.21:39
charlie-tcaNot only useful as assistive technology, it's rather useful for people using Ubuntu on a tablet.21:39
charlie-tcaThe other well known option for alternate keyboard capabilities is Dasher21:39
charlie-tcaDasher, rather than having a keyboard set-up, is mouse controlled by hovering the mouse over the letters on the screen21:39
charlie-tcaIt also has predicitve text capabilities, which can be quite useful21:39
charlie-tcaIt learns as you use it, and will actually type in the range of 39 words per minute21:40
charlie-tcaDasher run from the launcher starts in normal mode, and it prints the characters in its own text editor and you can copy and paste into other programs21:41
charlie-tcaFrom the command line you can run " dasher -a direct " which allows direct input into other programs21:41
charlie-tcaThere are also Windows and MacOS X versions of Dasher.21:41
charlie-tcaFor more information (including video and a way to try without downloading) you can go to http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/dasher/21:41
charlie-tcaAny questions about Alternate keyboards?21:42
charlie-tcaThere are two programs in Ubuntu that help with alternate mouse controls21:42
charlie-tcaMouseTrap allows headtracking using a webcam to control your mouse21:43
charlie-tcaMouseTweaks 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 normally21:43
charlie-tcaAnd now the topic that everyone asks about: Voice Recognition software21:43
charlie-tcaThe 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 Ubuntu21:44
charlie-tcaThere is no voice recognition software in the Software Center.21:44
charlie-tcaAn application that works somewhat is Julius. Julius was originally developed in Japanese and is being ported to English.21:44
charlie-tcaUnfortunately, as it's not finished software, the documentation is lacking21:44
charlie-tcaThe other application which has worked for some Ubuntu users is to run Dragon Natural Speaking under Wine21:45
charlie-tcaThere are several groups actively working to bring voice recognition to Linux, and advances are being made.21:46
charlie-tcaAny voice recognition questions?21:46
charlie-tcaOkay, those are the major groups of accessibility programs and what's available in Ubuntu21:47
charlie-tcanow I want to talk quickly about Ubuntu derivatives which focus on accessibility (or have some relevence)21:47
charlie-tcaprobably the biggest of these for the visually impaired at the moment is Vinux21:48
charlie-tcaOriginally started to be optimised for blind and visually impaired users, at this time, possible accessiblity additions or changes are tested in Vinux first21:48
charlie-tcafor more information: http://vinux.org.uk/21:48
charlie-tcaFinally, we have Qimo4kids, which mhall119 developed partially as a way to create something that would be easy for kids with developmental disabilities to use.21:48
charlie-tcaand, to be honest, this is a great set of applications for any kids to learn skills21:49
charlie-tcaFor more information about Qimo: http://www.qimo4kids.com/21:49
charlie-tcaWhere to get help or information:21:50
charlie-tcahttps://help.ubuntu.com/community/Accessibility21:50
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.21:50
charlie-tcahttp://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility21:50
charlie-tcaThe Accessibility section of Ubuntu Forums21:50
charlie-tca#ubuntu-accessibility on IRC21:50
charlie-tcaThe mailing list at ubuntu-accessiblity@lists.ubuntu.com21:51
charlie-tcaalso, the ubuntu accessibility team is http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility/Team21:51
charlie-tcaThe Gnome A11y team is also often useful: gnome-accessibility-list@gnome.org & http://projects.gnome.org/accessibility/21:51
charlie-tcaI would hope this gave you a general view of what is available in Ubuntu for Accessibility.21:52
charlie-tcaWe do consider a11y very important, and are striving to improve access for everyone, each release.21:52
charlie-tcalunzie passed along the following tip:21:54
charlie-tcaI know the shift has been to libreoffice, but i see there's a kids' openoffice project too, http://wiki.ooo4kids.org/index.php/Main_Page21:54
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.21:55
ClassBotKB3UI asked: Do many people with disabilities have problems working with passwords and other security issues involving websites?21:56
charlie-tcaThis is usually not a problem, since firefox is the default browser, and is very accessible.21:57
charlie-tcaThank you all for participating in User Days.21:59
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Switching to Ubuntu from another OS - Instructors: nhaines
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/24/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.22:00
nhainesHello, everyone!  My name is Nathan and I'll be giving some useful tips about switching to Ubuntu from other operating systems.22:00
nhainesFeel free to ask questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat at any time.22:01
nhainesSwitching to a new operating system is fun and exciting!22:01
nhainesHowever, switching and keeping all of your existing data can be a daunting task.22:02
nhainesSo I'm going to talk about things you'll want to consider before making the switch full-time.22:02
nhainesOne of the most important things, of course, is deciding just when to make the switch.22:03
nhainesThere are a few things you'll want to research before you take the plunge.22:03
nhainesFirst of all, you'll want to make sure that your hardware is fully compatible with Ubuntu.22:04
nhainesAt least, any hardware that you still want to use after you switch.  ;)22:04
nhainesIf you use a wireless network card, you'll need to test it to make sure it will still work.22:05
nhainesMany cards will work with no special considerations.  Others will need firmware to work properly.22:05
nhainesBluetooth is another thing that can be really hit or miss.  The Bluetooth module in my laptop worked perfectly until 11.04, and doesn't work anymore.22:06
nhainesThe USB bluetooth adapter I have for my desktop computer works great.  So you'll want to try that out before you decide to install.22:07
nhainesAnother popular piece of equipment is webcams.  These are hit or miss, so you'll want to test this as well if you have one.22:07
nhainesFortunately, your Ubuntu Desktop CD will help you out here.  When you boot from it, you can choose "Try Ubuntu" and you'll be able to test a standard system with your hardware.22:08
nhainesThe only thing you won't be able to test comprehnsively is your video card.  The open source drivers for AMD (ATI) and nVidia cards are getting more capable every day!22:09
nhainesBut sometimes you still need the proprietary drivers.  You can't test this without installing, so you may need to use Wubi to install without taking out your Windows installation.22:10
nhainesAnother thing you'll want to think about is your upgrade tolerance!22:10
nhainesAs you know, there's a new version of Ubuntu every 6 months.  Ubuntu 11.10 comes out in 3 weeks and it's looking great!22:10
nhainesBut not everyone wants to upgrade their computer every 6 months.  That can be stressful.22:11
nhainesEvery two years, Ubuntu has a "Long Term Support" release.  With normal releases, you have 18 months to enjoy the release before there are no more security updates.22:12
nhainesEach release can only be updated to the very next release.22:12
nhainesLong Term Support releases are different.  You can stick with one for three years before security updates stop, and after two years you skip the four releases in between and upgrade directly to the next LTS release.22:13
nhainesSo if you're running Ubuntu 10.04 LTS right now, in April you'll be able to upgrade to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.  But you'll have an extra year to be nice and safe before you have to maake the e plunge.22:14
ClassBotgua asked: is there any progress towards something that would allow one to test proprietary video drivers in the "Try Ubuntu" live environment?22:14
nhainesThank you, gua, that's an excellent question.  Video drivers are part of the Linux kernel, the OS itself.  So it's not very easy to change the video driver and there wouldn't be a way to fall back if it didn't work.22:15
nhainesI don't know that there is any work on this right now, so I recommend using Wubi to test proprietary video drivers if you have Windows installed.22:15
ClassBotlunzie asked: ​ for casual users, is it advisable to upgrade from release to release? or stick with one that works reliably? and how do you see the proposed rolling releases impacting on willingness to upgrade?22:16
nhainesI think this is really a personal choice.  For myself, I love the newest, freshest software.  So I upgrade very 6 months.  And I use my laptop to try out the latest development release while I let my Desktop stick with the stable release.22:16
nhainesI think it's always a good idea to wait one or two weeks before upgrading, just in case there are any bugs that need hammered out still.  Reading the release notes for each release is also very important.22:17
nhainesNow's a good time to clarify that in this session I'm talking about using the Ubuntu desktop release, and not about servers.22:18
nhainesOkay, so once you decide whether you want the latest and greatest version of Ubuntu or you want to stick with the LTS release, you can get ready to install.22:19
nhainesUbuntu Desktop CDs are pretty special.  They actually boot Ubuntu to let you install it.  So you have access to a real Ubuntu environment before you install.22:20
nhainesYou can use this to run a "live" session right off the CD.  If you build a new computer, you can test it with the CD without installing.  This is how I test computers I build for friends, even if it won't end up with Ubuntu.22:20
nhainesPlus, Ubuntu installs take about 20 minutes, so there's nothing like getting the install started and then browsing the Web or playing Mines or Solitaire or listening to music while you're waiting for the install.22:21
nhainesBut there's one thing that you should always do before you do a major OS install or upgrade.22:22
nhainesYou want to make sure you have an up-to-date, successful backup of all of your files.22:22
nhainesNow, I know everyone here backs up their files all the time.  :)22:22
nhainesBut this is really important.22:23
nhainesI work for Western Digital, a major hard drive manufacturer.  I used to do level 2 tech support for them.22:23
nhainesWhile nothing in this session reflects the opinions or policy of my employer, I want to talk about hard drives for a moment and so I want you to know where I stand.  :)22:24
nhainesHard drives are mechanical devices, and every single one fails eventually.  Every single one.22:24
nhainesSo it's important to back up your important files on at least one other physical disk.  Preferably you have two backups, but even one is betetr then none at all.22:24
nhainesI've taken phone calls from customers who had a hard drive fail, and I've taken calls from customers who accidentally formatted the wrong disk, and it's tragic because there's not a lot that can be done in many cases.22:25
nhainesSo if you *don't* have a backup, then an OS switch is a good (and necessary!) time to do so.22:26
nhainesYou can't really back up Windows programs.  They install data in too many places, like the Windows registry.22:26
nhainesMac programs can be easier, but not all can be backed up simply by dragging the application folders over.22:27
nhainesSo what you'll really want to focus on are your important files.22:27
nhainesOn Windows, these are mostly stored in your user folders.22:27
nhainesOn Windows XP, your My Documents folder also contains your music, pictures, and videos.22:27
nhainesOn Windows Vista, 7, and 8, these are in separate folders.22:28
nhainesSo what you'll want to do is get an external harddrive.  An internal drive will work as well if you know how to install one, but you might like to use your internal drive while upgrading.22:29
nhainesWith a USB or network hard drive, you'll be ready to copy your files to the hard drive.22:30
nhainesLikewise, on a Mac you will have a user profile that you can copy data to.22:30
nhainesIf you are using Windows Backup or Time Machine, you won't be able to access your backed up files in Ubuntu.22:30
nhainesIf you happen to be using WD's SmartWare backup software, you actually will be able to copy your files over.  But this is different for each backup program.  So I recommend just copying your files manually to be safe.22:31
nhainesA hard drive is just a storage device, so even if your external hard drive comes with backup software, it isn't necessary to use or even install.22:31
nhainesMake sure you copy all your documents.  For any important programs like your email or financial software, please check that program's help file for a backup or export feature.  That way you know for sure that your data are safe.22:32
nhainesCopy everything to an external hard drive.  Then, when you're installing, you'll unplug the drive and set it aside.  Now no matter what happens during the install, your files are safe.22:33
nhainesEven though I strongly recommend manual backups, using Windows Backup or Time Machine can make reinstalling your old operating system much easier if you ever need to go back.22:33
nhainesIn Ubuntu, your user folder is called a "home directory".22:34
nhainesSo you'll be able to copy your files directly to that folder pretty easily.22:35
nhainesOnce you have Ubuntu installed, then you're faced with a new way of thinking about your computer.22:36
nhainesUbuntu has a wonderful interface called Unity.  It looks a bit different, but you'll quickly become used to it.  Ubuntu 11.10 has a lot of great enhancements to this interface as well.22:36
nhainesOn the left hand of your screen is the Unity launcher.  This shows any programs you have running and lets you launch others.  You can right-click any program icon and pin it to the launcher so you have easy access to it.  This works identically to the Windows Vista task bar and the Mac OS X dock.22:37
nhainesAt the top left of the screen, you'll have a dash launcher button.  It will either be in the top left corner or the first icon on the launcher.22:38
nhainesThe easiest way to get to this is by pressing the Super key on your keyboard.  The Super key usually has a Windows logo on it.22:38
nhainesWhen the Dash opens, you can quickly access the Web, your photos, music, or email.    You can also just start typing the name of the program you want to launch and it will show up in the search results.22:40
nhainesOnce it appears, just press Enter or click on it and it will start.22:40
nhainesYou probably won't have too many surprises.  The default web browser is Firefox, and Ubuntu comes with LibreOffice, Gwibber for Facebook and Twitter, Empathy for practicaly any IM network you like, and if you prefer Chrome Web Browser or Pidgin IM client, those are easy to install.22:41
nhainesThe best thing about Ubuntu is that software is very easy to find.22:43
nhainesIncluded is the Ubuntu Software Center.  This is a catalog with thousands of software applications that rae ready for you to install automatically.22:43
nhainesAny time you install using Ubuntu Software Center, you'll receive updates for that program along with your OS updates as well.22:44
nhainesCanonical provides some proprietary software for your convenience, for example, Adobe Flash, Adobe Reader, and Skype.22:45
nhainesAlthough Ubuntu will open PDFs out of the box... you don't need Adobe Reader unless you have a tricky PDF that requires it.  But it's there just in case.  :)22:46
nhainesThere are some programs for sale through Software Center as well.  When you buy these, you'll be able to install them on any computer you install Ubuntu on, and reinstall them in the future if you have to remove them for space or reinstall your OS.22:46
nhainesI'll just say that World of Goo is a great game to try out. :)22:47
nhainesAnother nice feature is Ubuntu One.  You can register for a free account and then you get 5 GB of online storage.22:47
nhainesAny file or folder you put in your Ubuntu One folder is synced with your Ubuntu One account online.  Then, you can log into your account at http://one.ubuntu.com/ and access these files.22:48
nhainesYou can also publish a file, which gives you a URL you can share with others so they can download the file.  It's perfect for sharing documents or pictures you've taken.22:48
nhainesWhen you log into Ubuntu One on other Ubuntu computers, they get a copy of anything in your Ubuntu One account.  So when you add files or make changes on one computer, you'll have those files and changes on your other computers as well.22:49
nhainesPlus, if you have an Android phone, you can access your Ubuntu One files and automatically upload photos you take to your Ubuntu One account so they magically appear on your computers as well.22:50
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.22:50
nhainesThis is a super useful service to sync and share your files, and you can purchase extra storage or a mobile music service that lets you stream music to your Android phone or iPhone.22:50
nhainesAnd the Ubuntu One devs are working on a Windows client as well, so imagine you could keep certain files in sync across all your Windows and Ubuntu computers plus your phone!22:51
nhainesSo that's definitely worth checking out with your free account.22:51
nhainesI hope during this session I've enlightened you about what to think about when planning an OS change.22:52
nhainesAs a bonus, all of this advice works for switching from any OS to any other OS, and is useful for switching to a new computer as well.  ;)22:52
nhainesIf there are no other questions, then I think this session is finished.22:52
nhainesAs usual, I'm always available for clarification or further questions at nhaines at ubuntu dot com.22:53
nhainesI hope you've all enjoyed this session and learned something new.22:54
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.22:55
nhainesWe have three great sessions coming up!  Next is an introduction to Firefox, and then you can learn about Launchpad, and last you can learn about Guake and how it can make you more productive.22:55
nhainesSo remember to keep good backups (once you're in Ubuntu you can use Deja Dup, installed by default in Ubuntu 11.10), and have fun exploring your new Ubuntu system, the Software Center, and all the wonderful possibilities that your computer can give.  :)22:56
=== ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to the Ubuntu Classroom - https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Classroom || Support in #ubuntu || Upcoming Schedule: http://is.gd/8rtIi || Questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat || Event: Ubuntu User Days - Current Session: Introduction to Firefox - Instructors: JoseeAntonioR - Slides: http://is.gd/WfypnK
ClassBotSlides for Introduction to Firefox: http://people.ubuntu.com/~joseeantonior/Slides/Firefox.pdf23:00
ClassBotLogs for this session will be available at http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2011/09/25/%23ubuntu-classroom.html following the conclusion of the session.23:00
JoseeAntonioRHello everyone! My name is José Antonio Rey, known as JoseeAntonioR in IRC.23:00
JoseeAntonioRToday I'll be talking about Firefox, a web browser.23:00
JoseeAntonioRYou can find some slides in the link that is in the topic.23:01
JoseeAntonioRIn the second slide you can find all the topics which are going to be covered today.23:01
JoseeAntonioR[slide 3]23:02
JoseeAntonioRFirefox is a web broswer that comes attached with Ubuntu.23:02
JoseeAntonioRYou can find it in the Unity Launcher, as well as, in the Desktop.23:02
JoseeAntonioRIt is developed and distributed by Mozilla.23:02
JoseeAntonioR[slide 4]23:02
JoseeAntonioRThe main use of Firefox is, as you know, browsing the web.23:03
JoseeAntonioRAs a consequence, you can bookmark your favorite webpages, download music, videos, documents, and files in general.23:03
JoseeAntonioR[slide 5]23:03
JoseeAntonioRHow To: Download files.23:03
JoseeAntonioROnce you want to download a new file, you can click on the link.23:04
JoseeAntonioRA new window will pop-up. There, you can choose between opening it with a certain program, or saving it to a previously chosen destination.23:04
JoseeAntonioRWhen you choose, that window will close, and a new window will be opened. It is named Downloads.23:05
JoseeAntonioRThere, you can see your downloads, as well as the current download and its progression.23:05
JoseeAntonioRYou can close the window at any time.23:05
JoseeAntonioRYou also can press Ctrl+Shift+Y to open it again.23:05
JoseeAntonioR[slide 6]23:06
JoseeAntonioRHow to see your History.23:06
JoseeAntonioRYou can check all the pages that you have visited just by pressing Ctrl+H.23:07
JoseeAntonioR[slide 7]23:07
JoseeAntonioRHow To: Tabbing.23:08
JoseeAntonioRIn this Firefox version, you are able to navigate in tabs. It is like having several windows in just one.23:08
JoseeAntonioRTabs will appear above, in the upper part, below the address bar.23:09
JoseeAntonioR[slide 8]23:09
JoseeAntonioRHow To: App Tabs.23:09
JoseeAntonioRApp tabs is a functionality that allows the user to transform a tab in just the image of it.23:10
JoseeAntonioRThese tabs are special, they will remain opened on the first places.23:10
JoseeAntonioREven if you quit Firefox, they will be opened again.23:10
JoseeAntonioRTo notify you of any change in the page they turn blue.23:11
JoseeAntonioROne of their advantages is that you won't be able to close them accidentally, as you can only do that by right-clicking the tab and selecting 'Close Tab'.23:11
JoseeAntonioRTo pin an App Tab, right click on the desired tab and click 'Pin as App Tab.'23:12
JoseeAntonioR[slide 9]23:12
JoseeAntonioRHow to set homepage.23:12
JoseeAntonioRFirst of all, you will need to choose your homepage.23:13
JoseeAntonioROnce you have chosen it, click Edit>Preferences and type the address on the bar.23:13
JoseeAntonioR[slide 10]23:14
JoseeAntonioRHow to block pop-ups.23:14
JoseeAntonioRThe pop-ups blocker is activated by default.23:15
JoseeAntonioRIf you want to modify the setting, just go to Edit>Preferences>Content.23:15
JoseeAntonioR[slide 11]23:16
JoseeAntonioRHow To: Bookmarks.23:16
JoseeAntonioRA Bookmark is one of your favorite pages, stored on your browser for an easy-access at any time.23:16
JoseeAntonioRYou can Bookmark a page by pressing Ctrl+D or by clicking the star displayed on the address bar.23:17
JoseeAntonioRYou can check your existing Bookrmarks by pressing Ctrl+B.23:17
JoseeAntonioR[slide 12]23:18
JoseeAntonioRHow To: "Persona"23:18
JoseeAntonioR"Persona" is an extension that you can use to change the appearance of your Firefox windows.23:19
JoseeAntonioRYou can discover more about "Persona" by clicking the entering to the following address:23:19
JoseeAntonioRhttp://a.joj.me/3523:20
JoseeAntonioR[slide 13]23:20
JoseeAntonioRBasic Shortcuts23:20
JoseeAntonioRPressing Ctrl+N opens a new browser window.23:20
JoseeAntonioRPressing Ctrl+T opens a new tab in the current window.23:21
JoseeAntonioRCtrl+Shift+T opens the last tab closed.23:21
JoseeAntonioRFor example, if you have recently closed the Google tab, you can re-open it by pressing Ctrl+Shift+T.23:22
JoseeAntonioRCtrl+O opens a file.23:22
JoseeAntonioRIt will pop-up a window where you can explore your system and choose the file.23:23
JoseeAntonioRCtrl+W closes the current tab.23:23
JoseeAntonioRCtrl+R refreshes the current window in past Firefox versions, and in the current version it refreshes the current tab.23:24
JoseeAntonioRBy pressing Ctrl+H you can see your History.23:24
JoseeAntonioRBy pressing Ctrl+Shift+Y you can open the Downloads windows, mentioned in slide 5.23:25
JoseeAntonioRBy pressing Ctrl+Shift+E you open Panorama. I will explain about it later.23:26
JoseeAntonioRPressing Ctrl+B shows you your Bookmarks.23:26
JoseeAntonioRWhen you press Ctrl+D you will Bookmark the current page.23:27
JoseeAntonioRAnd finally, by pressing Ctrl+Q you can quit Firefox.23:27
JoseeAntonioR[slide 14]23:27
JoseeAntonioRPanorama: Tabs Grouping.23:27
JoseeAntonioRPanorama is a feature that is used to group tabs as you want.23:28
JoseeAntonioRTo access it, just press Ctrl+Shift+E.23:28
JoseeAntonioRThere, you can create new windows, and group the tabs exactly as you want to.23:28
JoseeAntonioRAlso, you can change the size to, for example, emphasize the content.23:29
JoseeAntonioR[slide 15]23:29
JoseeAntonioRAbout extensions.23:30
JoseeAntonioRExtensions are programs which are installed inside Firefox.23:31
JoseeAntonioRThere programs have different uses, as for example managing your music player, changing the appearance of your windows, running commands, etc.23:31
JoseeAntonioRYou can discover more about Extensions on http://addons.mozilla.com23:32
JoseeAntonioR[slide 16]23:32
JoseeAntonioRRecommended Extensions23:32
JoseeAntonioRFirst of all, Persona.23:33
JoseeAntonioRIt has been mentioned in slide 12.23:33
JoseeAntonioRWith this extension you can change the design of the window.23:33
JoseeAntonioRThe link to it is http://a.joj.me/3523:33
JoseeAntonioRThen, FoxRunner.23:34
JoseeAntonioRFoxRunner allows the user to run Terminal commands directly from Firefox.23:34
JoseeAntonioRFor example, you are having some troubles with your system, and you need to run a lot of commands.23:35
JoseeAntonioRThe problem is that all of them are in your Firefox window, and you are tired from copy-pasting them.23:35
JoseeAntonioRSo, this is the solution.23:36
JoseeAntonioRYou just highlight the command the you want to run23:36
JoseeAntonioRThen right click the selection23:36
JoseeAntonioRSelect FoxRunner>Run selected command23:37
JoseeAntonioRAnd it's done!23:37
JoseeAntonioRThe link to the extension is http://d.joj.me/3623:37
JoseeAntonioRNow, let's go with AdBlock Plus.23:37
JoseeAntonioRWith it you can block ads from webpages.23:38
JoseeAntonioRIf you are tired of seeing that messy ads that appear in every single page you visit, you should install this Extension.23:38
JoseeAntonioRIt has a blocklist from web addresses that host the ads.23:39
JoseeAntonioRWhat it does it is just blocking the navigation to that webpages, so the ads doesn't show up.23:40
JoseeAntonioRIf there is still an ad showing up, you can right click on it and tell AdBlock Plus to block it.23:41
JoseeAntonioRThe link to this extension is http://e.joj.me/3623:41
JoseeAntonioRFinally, GreaseMonkey.23:41
JoseeAntonioRGreaseMonkey is used to run javascript on a webpage.23:42
JoseeAntonioRYou can use it to customize the web a webpage displays or behaves.23:42
JoseeAntonioRYou can find hundred of scripts for a wide variety of popular sites on http://userscripts.org23:43
JoseeAntonioRYou can also write your own scripts.23:43
JoseeAntonioRThe link to GreaseMonkey is http://f.joj.me/3623:44
JoseeAntonioRSo, I have finished.23:44
JoseeAntonioRIf you have any questions you can post them to #ubuntu-classroom-chat by writing QUESTION:<question>, where <question> is your actual question.23:45
JoseeAntonioRI will be glad to answer some common support questions, if they are asked.23:45
ClassBotThere are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.23:50
JoseeAntonioR10 minutes left. If you have any questions, please ask them now.23:50
ClassBotbenonsoftware asked: What language is Firefox written in?23:54
JoseeAntonioRMost of the code is written in C++.23:54
JoseeAntonioRThe Frontend is XUL, Javascript and CSS.23:54
ClassBotThere are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.23:55
ClassBotjsjgruber-l-onei asked: ​ What add-on do you recommend for mouse gestures?23:55
JoseeAntonioRI used Mouse Gestures Redox, but it is not available for Firefox 6.0.223:56
JoseeAntonioRIf you have got an old version you can check it. g.joj.me/3623:56
JoseeAntonioRAlso, I have found another Extension. You can check it in http://h.joj.me/3623:58
JoseeAntonioRSo, I think that's all.23:58
JoseeAntonioRWe have a very interesting Launchpad Basics session coming up.23:59
JoseeAntonioRThanks for attending.23:59

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