You should never feel like your hard drive is holding out on you. Anyone should be able to back up, recover files, boot multiple systems, upgrade, or otherwise improve their storage space. These tips explain the possibilities and procedures. More »
Ubuntu isn’t the only Linux operating system, but it’s where the dream of a usable, completely free desktop is closest to reality. If every Ubuntu developer were assembled at one place, here are five things we’d ask them to accomplish.
Image by Andrew Mason.
Ubuntu’s not a single service or application developed by one team, so our wish list is a bit broader than just asking for five new features or improvements. Ubuntu is an open-source distribution of Linux, developed and fixed by thousands of developers around the world. It incorporates the efforts of many of the projects it relies on, like the GNOME desktop, open-source drivers, apps like Firefox and Pidgin, and many more.
But let’s pretend there happened to be a worldwide summit on how Linux could become a viable, convenient desktop for more people, and let’s pretend I had a panel approved at said summit at which I could present to all the interested parties. I wouldn’t argue about hardware compatibility, or pretend that high-end games are an ultimate issue. I’d confess that I’m biased toward thinking about Apple computers more than Windows, because Apple has gained ground with a surprisingly similar product, and because some corporate, locked-down environments will never switch from Windows.
Then I’d ask for these five things:
One of Linux's most touted advantages over Windows and Mac systems is that, on distributed systems like Ubuntu, you can install thousands of applications right from your system, without having to Google, download, double-click, and Next, Next, Next through installation screens. That advantage is lost if you put all your applications in a big pile of searchable stuff labeled "Graphics" or "Sound & Video"—or, even worse, ask users to copy-paste repository sources and installation commands into text files and terminals. Those are great backup and uber-geek solutions, but terribly off-putting to those just trying to get a system up and working.
New users are coming to Linux looking for their Windows or Mac equivalents—Photoshop, iTunes, Winamp, AIM—and they're wondering what other users like them recommend in very particular areas. They're in a position similar to that of a new iPhone owner when it comes to software. Only certain applications will work on this very particular software setup, and they must be sought out. Apple's iPhone App Store is an utter mess when it comes to organization, search, and layout, but even its simple Top 10 Paid and Top 10 Free are more guidance than what Ubuntu users are being offered. The default, installed Ubuntu applications are okay, maybe a little esoteric in spots, but Ubuntu's builders and coders shouldn't be the taste makers.
Create a clean, tagged, search-friendly database of everything that runs on a standard Ubuntu desktop. Offer wiki-style, group-edited write-ups, reviews, and (maybe) ratings of what the applications do and what non-Linux apps they are similar to, and put it all on the freely accessible web. This kind of thing is already possible with Ubuntu's apt-url handler—all that's missing is the common URL.
Show up fresh-faced at an Apple Store and ask how your copy of WordPerfect would run on a Mac, and a T-shirted Genius will gradually guide you into Parallels or VMWare Fusion, or possibly suggest using Boot Camp to occasionally run Windows when needed. Ubuntu isn’t really any different. If Ubuntu wants to reach beyond the technical-minded, it should eliminate the need to learn about partition tables to fit a Windows installation next to Linux.
Create something less imposing and more visually appealing than the default GRUB menu. Keep improving on the Ubuntu installer to better explain what one’s multi-system installation options are. Do your best to make something like installing and running VirtualBox easy for a beginner, or break apart its open-source guts and integrate it so tightly into Ubuntu that an “Open in Windows 7″ right-click command isn’t some laughable dream.
The achievements of a network of left-brain-oriented, technical-minded developers in creating a Unix-based system that installs on just about anything with a processor can never be truly appreciated. Apple created a Unix-based OS that installs on a smaller subset of computer hardware, but has a history and tradition of investing a whole lot of right-brain thought into making technically advanced features look clean and simple. Projects like Mac4LIn are mimicry at its finest, and interfaces like GNOME-Do Docky theme bring both Quicksilver and Dock functionality to Linux. What Linux and Ubuntu really need now, though, is something new.
Palm's Pre smartphone received generally rave reviews for its "deck of cards" interface, which was actually new and not hard to get used to. While it doesn't seem to be winning a sales war against the iPhone, Ubuntu has a distinct advantage—it's free. Something free and designed to look kinda-sorta like XP out of the box once did won't win hearts and minds. Something with a useful but new look, with advantages in speed, openness, and hardware support, will get notice. To paraphrase what Mac guy John Gruber said about the Android opportunity—set your goals such that you can claim victory with just a fraction of Windows and Apple's installation base.
When the Linux-based Chrome OS drops, one thing we know it’s going to try for is starting up in “a few seconds.” Ubuntu’s next release, meanwhile, is aiming for 10 seconds. Unless they’re both pitched primarily for mayflies, that’s not an insurmountable difference, but Chrome OS will also offer no-worry backup of all of a user’s documents, emails, SMS messages, and whatever other webapps, because it all gets done through a web browser, or, more likely, a browser running inside a stand-alone application shell.
There are a significant number of folks who aren’t cool with having everything they do in the cloud, and might want hard copies of everything. More likely, it’s probably wise not to use Google as the linchpin of one’s entire productive life, because account lock-outs and password hacks do happen. Backup, however, is one of those things that’s more powerful when there’s a copy far away from your system. Ubuntu already has Ubuntu One, but right now it’s a less convenient Dropbox look-alike, because it’s accessible only through Ubuntu or the web. It’s open source, so Windows and Mac synchronization tools may eventually show up, designed by committee. But if a backup service is getting accolades from true geeks for being paradigm-shifting and mind-freeing, you’d do well to learn its lessons, or potentially open talks in the interest of open-sourcing it.
This one’s a bit more fiddly, but definitely worth mentioning. Trying to edit a video so that continuous sound played over different clips, two Lifehacker editors found themselves amazed at how difficult, or at least hard to find out, iMovie ’09 had made such a task on a Mac. On Windows, there’s the free Windows Movie Maker, which has actually lost features since the XP version, and then professional packages starting at $450 dollars. In Linux, there are a range of options, almost none of them with a finished feel, and all of them front-loaded with codec, dependency, and interface headaches galore. OpenShot seems like a step in the right direction. While Ubuntu isn’t in the video software business, the many folks who contribute time, thought, and sometimes money to the project could consider this a serious missing link in the Linux application space.
Planning ahead to multi-boot Windows and Linux distributions is the way to do it, but what if you end up erasing your boot menu and losing access to Linux? The FOSSwire blog has you covered.
The open-source fans at FOSSwire detail the use of an Ubuntu live CD to get onto a system that Windows or another boot-hogging system has locked up and get things set back up. It’s similar to how one would use GParted or the System Rescue CD to re-partition, but this guide offers a lot more step-by-step detail in how to restore a boot menu you had working fine before, and using an Ubuntu CD (or USB boot image) is probably a bit more comfortable for many than a pared-down partitioning tool.
Having recently rush-installed a copy of the Windows 7 Release Candidate and needing to get my Ubuntu desktop back, I found this link pretty invaluable. Got another hands-on guide for the suddenly boot-less? Post it up in the comments.
If you’re dying to try out Windows 7 but aren’t ready to give up your installation of XP or Vista, let’s take a look at how to dual boot Windows 7 with XP or Vista.
Assuming you’ve already downloaded a fresh copy of Windows 7, you’ll need to burn it to a DVD in order to do a fresh installation. To handle this task, grab a copy of the most popular CD and DVD burning tool ImgBurn, burn the ISO to a DVD, and move right along to step 1.
Before you go installing Windows 7, the first thing you need to do is create a new partition on your hard drive to hold the new installation of Windows. Partitioning your hard drive will vary depending on whether you're running XP or Vista—namely because Vista has a partition tool baked in, XP does not.
To partition your hard drive in Windows XP, you’ll need to download some sort of third-party partitioning software. There are a lot of options available, but I prefer to stick with the previously mentioned GParted live CD, a free, open source boot CD that can handle all kinds of partitioning duties.
To use it, just download the GParted Live CD, burn it to a CD, then reboot your computer (booting from the disc). You’ll boot right into the partitioning tool. HowtoForge’s previous guide to modifying partitions with GParted is a great place to start, but it’s a fairly basic procedure:
The folks at Redmond were kind enough to include a disk partitioning tool in Vista if you know where to look. So go to Control Panel -> System and Maintainence (skip this one if you're in Classic view) -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management. Once you launch the Computer Management tool, click on Disk Management under the Storage heading in the sidebar. It's partitioning time.
Luckily we’ve already gone down this road before in step-by-step detail, complete with pictures, so check out our previous guide to creating a new partition in Vista. In a nutshell, you’ll need to shrink your current OS partition to free up at least 16GB of disk space (per the Windows 7 minimum system requirements), then create a “New Simple Volume” from the free space.
Now that you’ve done all the heavy lifting, it’s time for the easy part: Installing Windows 7 on your new partition. So insert your Windows 7 disc and reboot your computer (you’ll need to have enabled booting from your DVD drive in your system BIOS, but most PCs will have this enabled by default).
Once the DVD boots up it’s a simple matter of following along with the fairly simple installation wizard. When you’re choosing installation type, be sure to select Custom (advanced) and choose the partition you set up above. (Be careful here. Choosing the wrong partition could mean wiping your other Windows installation altogether, so make sure you pick the new partition you just created.)
After you select the partition, go grab yourself a drink and let the installer do its work. Windows will run through some installation bits, restart a few times in the process. Eventually you’ll be prompted to set up your account, enter your license key, and set up Windows. Keep your eyes open for fun new Windows 7 features, like your new homegroup (and the accompanying password). When it’s finished, you’re up and rolling with your new Windows 7 installation.
Congratulations! You should now have a new entry for Windows 7 on your boot screen when you first start up your computer. You've now got all the tools necessary to dual-boot Windows 7 and XP or Vista—or even to triple-boot Windows 7, Vista, and XP.
This isn’t the only way to set up a multi-boot system by any means, but it’s how I pulled it off. If you’ve got a method of your own that you prefer, let’s hear it in the comments.
