Filling my Technological Void|Learning to Adapt to new Technology…… The Hard Way.

Recently I had to reinstall my Windows box so I decided to reinstall my Archlinux box as well. So I started taking backups which I must say that backing up data is starting to hurt the wallet since I have about 20-35 GB of data I need to save. So continued on and backed up everything and reinstalled Windows first since I wanted a dual boot configuration on this system. My system has a IDE and SATA hard disk which tends to cause problems when I configure it for dual booting. Usually I end up with having to use the BIOS boot options to go to either Linux or Windows. Well with the help of a friend on IRC (Thanks Qwerty) I created a /boot partition on the IDE drive which Windows was installed and then the rest of the Linux partitions on the SATA drive and then installed the GRUB to sda instead of the boot partition like I was doing previously and now I have a perfectly configured Dual boot.

Now if you are wondering what does this have to do with Symlink errors, hold your horses I’m getting there. After continuing with the install I did a pacman -Syu and made sure I upgraded all base packages but after downloading the updates it just wouldn’t get upgraded but rather gave me the following error.


checking package integrity...
checking for file conflicts...
error: could not prepare transaction
klibc: /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm/Kbuild exists in filesystem
klibc: /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm/a.out-core.h exists in filesystem
klibc: /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm/a.out.h exists in filesystem
klibc: /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm/acpi.h exists in filesystem
klibc: /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm/agp.h exists in filesystem
............  (Couple 100 of errors deleted) ................
klibc: /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm/xor_32.h exists in filesystem
klibc: /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm/xor_64.h exists in filesystem
Errors occurred, no packages were upgraded.

Checked around and found that without performing the following command would result in the above error.

rm /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm

Running this command fixed the problem and I was able to upgrade the packages with no problem. The reason for this is shown below as quoted per www.archlinux.com

Due to a limitation in pacman’s conflict checking and symbolic link resolution, the upgrade to klibc-1.5.14-1 requires manual removal of a symbolic link before updating. Please run the command “rm /usr/lib/klibc/include/asm” as root to remove the symbolic link that will otherwise cause a few hundred false file conflicts.

Source

Finally, I decided to go and download Cent OS so I could try it out for my Network Installation Project. You can access the download section here at this page . At first when I saw the size I was kind of pessimistic if this was going to happen anytime this year. I couldn’t have been any more wrong, I managed to get speeds above 150 kbps for their downloads which is the fastest speeds I have had yet (329 kbps).  Anyway I managed to get the 32 bit of the distro very fast.

Next task was installing Virtualbox. So I went ahead and entered the following command.

pacman -S virtualbox

After confirming the download and installing it I followed the instructions which I found here on the ArchWiki. Once Virtualbox was installed I configured it for the installation of Cent OS (Red Hat).  Next I burned the ISO I downloaded onto a DVD for backup purposes and then inserted the Disk and checked if I was able to start the Installation. As soon as I started the installation I was greeted by the Cent OS GUI Installer. Continued with the Installation and choose the Option for Server and with the Gnome GUI. Further selected server services like Apache, Samba etc as this was going to help me with my Network Install project.

Heres a picture of my Arch Linux desktop with Cent OS 5.2 Running in VirtualBox.

I noticed one thing though, the mouse seemed not to be captured till I went to Devices > Install Guest Additions. Although I’m not sure why that actually fixed it or it wasn’t working in the first place. Now its time for me to get my hands dirty and goof around on the server and prepare for setting up this on our Windows Network :).

The college I go to has assigned me with the task of fixing their network. Well actually they want me to fix a Lab which has around 15 Prehistoric Computers and 3 average systems. The main objective the teachers would like to get accomplished is to have a network where all students files are located on a central server. At the moment each students just logs on to whatever system he / she wants and just saves all the files to the local hard disk. Further they would like a bulletin board or message board sort of facility included which would allow them to post messages to a group of students or issue Homework questions and other notices .

Well after proper consideration I’ve decided to give Cent Os 5.2 a try on the network. Not only is the operating system free but it has the features that the staff we’re looking for. So I decided to download it from one of the torrents which you can find here. While downloading it I noticed that i got speeds in excess of 100 Kbps easily so the download didn’t take alot of time either. Although the server is going to be Linux based I’m still keeping the systems as WIndows XP or Windows 2000, If I feel the old systems are too weak to run them then I’ll probably even give Arch a whirl on them. I’ll be sure to update my progress here.

There are quite a few things I love about Arch Linux. But the Main thing I love is its speed. I’ve never been on a faster Distro. That said I’ve never been on anythign else other than Ubuntu Hardy Heron, Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon, Mandriva , Sabayon  and Mint.

One of the main things I always had a problem with is getting updates. The highest speed I ever got from Ubuntu Mirrors was like 30-35 Kbps and that too from a mirror from Mongolia. As for the other distributions I had either lower or comparitively same speeds as well. Let me show you the time it took to do a 12 MB update on Arch Linux in the morning in India.

Every single update I make seems to get me good speeds and I’m just loving it.

I just changed the wallpaper and changed the Icon Set for my Arch Desktop. Screenshot included below.

Wallpaper from InterfaceLift.com

Icon Set from Gnome-look.org

With the growth of Linux rising at a slow and steady rate one of the most common questions I see is from users asking which distro is best for them. On a Forum with Linux users you will notice that the above question generally gets bombarded with hundred of opinions. However, its quite common that most of these opinions given out by posters don;t meet the actual need of the user. One of the most frequent causes for this is the lack of information. Recently I posted a thread on a Tech Forum I frequent with some basic information you need to give to facilitate others to explain to you why a certain distro might be a good choice.

What is your purpose ?
Are you looking to just casually play around with it here and there? If so why install? Why not just use a Linux Live CD. No changes are made to your Win system and you get to goof around in Linux as well. Or better yet why not install it on a VM?

What is your system configuration?

We don’t know if you have a C2Q or if you have a P533 for that matter. If I were to suggest you OpenSuse / Ubuntu / Mint you would be very angry at the results if you we’re running a box with a 533 Mhz Processor. If I were to ask you to install NimbleX on a C2Q with 4 Gb memory again it would be rather silly because you could easily install some of the more heavier feature rich distros.
What is your intent?
Are you doing this for Office work, Entertainment or to learn Linux. Mandriva and Ubuntu sort of have a way of giving GUIS for every single task there is. Hell I didn’t even know how to create a user using CLI till I used Arch. That being said if you don’t want to use CLI why would I ask you to install Arch. You would scream bloody murder and chase me with a pitchfork. You tend to learn more about Linux commands based on the amount of tweaking you do. So keep that in mind also.

How far are you willing to go and whats your experience level?
Trust me when I say Gentoo is not for beginners. Also trust me when I say that Linux Hardcore folks would set me on fire if I told them to install Ubuntu. The main question is how far are you willing to go. It took me a well one day to configure Arch. Are you willing to go that far.How about compile a distro for a few days? Or do you want a ready made distro which works great out of the box?

Other factors you might want to put in is what kind of internet connection you have or are you downloads somehow limited. Want to use this box for Education also? etc. I’m pretty sure that with more data it makes the job of pointing you in the right direction much easier.

“You underestimate the power of the Dark Side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny.”
-Darth Vader

As some of you might of heard I recently decided to install Arch Linux due to the constant nagging of Kalpik and some others in the IRC channel. The summary of our discussions go like this:

[22:33:42] <@kalpik> krazzy, ArchWiki :: Arch Linux - ArchWiki [22:33:57] <@kalpik> krazzy, ArchWiki :: Arch Compared To Other Distros - ArchWiki [22:34:11] <amitava> BUT IF u want peace of mind: Get a mac, get a life [22:34:26] <Filled-Void> lol [22:34:33] <amitava> >.< [22:35:01] <Filled-Void> kalpik, is Arch also a compile and use distro? [22:35:11] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, it can be if you want [22:35:20] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, arch is superb! you MUST try! [22:35:41] <Filled-Void> kalpik, Oh ok. then never mind I was looking for a change. Ubuntu is gtting old for me, Arch , gentoo and crux bleh need compiling [22:36:37] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, binaries for everything are available! [22:36:38] <amitava> wtf Filled-Void try leopard.. [22:36:39] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, try na! [22:37:00] <Filled-Void> kalpik, how big is the download [22:37:14] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, 135 MB for ISO and about 300 MB for gnome [22:37:17] <munna-boi> Filled-Void,PIRATE!!! Blilly uncle loves you [22:37:42] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, ArchWiki :: Arch Compared To Other Distros - ArchWiki [22:37:44] <Filled-Void> kalpik, Wht if I choose fluxbox instead? [22:37:52] <@kalpik> Manan, lol.. [22:38:08] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, lesser downloads i think.. i’ve only tried gnome [22:38:20] <Filled-Void> kalpik, Is it possible to install kde on it if I need it? [22:38:26] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, the ISO only installs base system.. [22:38:30] <@kalpik> Filled-Void, yes! [22:39:25] <aditya> kalpik: you guys telling Filled-Void to use arch? [22:39:26] <munna-boi> Filled-Void is one crazy ******* [22:39:31] <@kalpik> aditya, yes

So lets see I understand this much at this point.

* I need to download about 300 MB
* You start out with Nothing other than a CLI.
* Loads of configuration.
* Looking forward towards lots of pain and aggravation

Interesting. Good enough for me to become cannon fodder for this reckless experiment. Although I must say that kalpik and some others did say they would help me out when I install it. Well hell with that, I thought how hard could be to install it myself. (The previous line in correct words mean backup your data cause you are so screwed .)

Here is a certain link which may explain why Arch might have some benefits over other distros. Please don’t start a distro war here. If you plan on come in riding on your horse guns blazing be free to do so on IRC in #ArchLinux or their forums. As for other Windows users and Mac users I am in no way asking you to change and I pray you don’t the configuration changes don’t justify your change to the platform unless you are so sick with the platform you are using. Of course you could try it in a VM though if you would like.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Here are two Install Guides you will find very very handy. Follow these word by word and you should be fine.
Beginner’s Guide
Install Guide

Anyway I’m going to be quite short and say I downloaded the File needed for the base system from here..

Went on installing and I’ll be very frank it wasn’t hard at all. As long as you follow the Beginners Guide Step by Step. You want to be adventurous knock yourself out, but don’t throw your CPU out once you find out that you just overwrote your Windows/Linux partition.

Step 1 : Read the Beginner Guide.
Step 2 : If you didn’t do Step 1 then go back to Step 1 and read it.
Step 3 : Pick an Environment (Gnome, KDE, Fluxbox etc) you will be happy with and continue from there. You can install others later but lets first get this baby up and running.
Step 4 : Once you have decided which environment you want read the guide from the portion corresponding to the respective environment you have selected.
Step 5 : Install “yaourt” you can find the wiki for it here.Yaourt - ArchWiki
Step 6 : Install any or all the other programs you need. Remember this is Arch the only thing you have is probably your terminal and very basic utilities. Mainly you would want Multimedia Players, Chat programs, Codecs, Java, Flash. This should give you a fully functional system. Also you might want to install HAL and FAM. Each one of these are documented in the various wikis which I have linked below.

At this point you could call it or you could keep on customizing your system to your liking. Currently I have all the above installed and the rest is still coming. So you will see a couple of updates in this here and there.

Pros :

* You only get what you want. Theres no extra bloat.
* It is damn fast. Wouldn’t you love 12-15 second boot ups as well as shutdown . No I dont mean from CLI I mean from Gnome 2.22.2.
* You don’t have to sit all day waiting for your computer to compile all day long.
* Its a rolling release . No more waiting for your friends courier or favorite magazine to come out with the next release.

Cons :

* Arch is a bit of a pain getting it configured from scratch.
* You need a broadband connection . Considering that this is a base system you will need tons of downloads tog et your computer up to date.
* Arch is intended for Intermediate to advanced users. No, I’m not either I’m a beginner with this and if it weren’t for help I’d probably be still with a CLI.

Image of resources Being used:

Wikis for Everything you need :
Although you can google or find this on Arch Linux’s Website I’m goign to link this for the benefit of the user.
Beginner’s Guide
Installation
of a Desktop Environment
Java and Flash
Yaourt
Audio Codecs
All you need to know about Pacman
Compiz Fusion
openOffice.org (Don’t forget to install libsndfile)

Although Linux has its fair share of alternatives for Picasa, this is one application I would prefer to not be without. Not to mention that its quite a hassle trying to download Pcitures from Web Albums if you dont have Picasa installed. As a matter of fact you actually have to download each picture one by one, or at least I couldn’t find any other way. I’ve listed the steps out one by one and the soruces I used so that if anyone wanted to use Picasa on their system this might help them out.

First lets start by getting the packages we need.This will vary based on whether you are using 64 bit Ubuntu or the 32 bit one. I’ve included the page which includes the packages for both.

Picasa for 32 bit Debian / Ubuntu

Picasa for 64 bit Debian / Ubuntu

In either case the download should start, but just in case if it doesn’t there is a link which lets you download it. The instructions on how to install it is also given on the page but of course just double clicking the deb file should install Picasa as well.You can find the application by going to Applications > Graphics > Picasa.

Although this does install Picasa it doesn’t actually let you download Web Albums using it. When I tried to download a Web Album using Firefox I found that nothing happened. It just sat there doing absolutely nothing. So I searched around a bit till I found out that you need to add a protocol handler which handled picasa:// . To fix this you first need to open up Firefox and enter the below code in the address bar.

about:config

Next right click in the screen below and you should get the popup as displayed below.

Now from the menu select New > String. next a screen will popup asking you for the preference name. In this box enter “network.protocol-handler.app.picasa” (without the quotes) and click ok. next for the above strings value you need to enter the path to wherre the executable for Picasa is found. On my system I found a link for it in the /usr/bin directory, your location may vary. The actuallocation of the file according to the link was in /opt/picasa/bin/picasa. Entering either of these paths into the value should be fine. I chose /opt/picasa/bin/picasa .

Next you want to repeat the above process except instead of creating a string you want to select New > Boolean  and enter the preference name as”network.protocol-handler.external.picasa” (again without the quotes) . For the value select true and you should be done.

To check it out go to anyone’s Web album and you should get a Download Web Album option. To illustrate the above I’ve shown the option from one of my friends Web Albums he had. Thanks to Ashwin for that (Although I’m seriously not a Hilary Duff Fan :D).

Next if you click on the link you should get a screen in Picasa which shows all the pictures on the Web Album. For the above example I get the screen as shown below.

That should help you to get working with Picasa in Ubuntu ot in any distro of Linux for that matter. Be sure to check out the below links as well as there are some bugs which are still being worked on.

Sources and References:

Picasa for Linux
Linux Brain Dump
And My Friend Ashwin for his Web Album

Recently Ubuntu (Hardy Heron) pushed some updates which contained a kernel update . I believe the kernel number was 2.26.24-18. Anyway it was at the same time that I thought of installing KDE 4.1 Beta 1 out on my system. Somehow while installing the updates I managed to screw up my system in more than one way.

The updates went through but on reboot once I entered the new kernel option in the grub Menu I was missing Sound, Desktop Effects and my systems seemed to way slower. now comes the funny part. I opened up synaptic and found that the KDE 4.1 packages didn’t seem  like it got installed since it was still in the menu along with the Linux kernel files. For some odd reason I couldn’t select them either. There was a Partial Upgrade option but clicking it actually did not change anything. it just gave another error message that said “The packages could not be authenticated.”

Its at this point I tried downloading again, again ….and again. The funny thing is when I closed Gnome out and opened KDE 4.1 it did actually open albeit the sound and desktop effects of course. Anyway at the end of this adventure I decided to just reinstall the whole thing and see if I get the same problem.

I don’t know what I did to screw up my install very badly but the install and 400 MBs of updates including the kernel went on without event. Maybe tomorrow Ill give KDE 4.1 a try again .

PS: Always remember to make backups of those deb files you downloaded in case something does go wrong. It would saev you the trouble of having to redownload everything of course.

I’m one of those people who frequent quite a few forums to gather any kind of new information about technology. After a discussion which you can view here, lots of folks have decided to join in and contribute and help out maintain help out with the blog at www.freeme.in. Maybe in the future I’ll be able to add something which is worth while on it :). If you would like to contribute as well go ahaead and sign right up and take a peek at the Guidelines before you start posting. Hope to see ya all there.