STFU && RTFM

One of the things that really annoy me about Linux is the fact that every time I start my computer, I have to enter a separate password to unlock the Gnome-Keyring, so as to log on to my wireless network. While I appreciate the need for a keyring, I really think it should be unlocked automagically. Luckily; there’s a way.
 
What we need to do is to install a package called libpam-keyring, which can be found in the package manager. Once installed, a little bit of configuration is needed, by way of adding a couple of lines to the configuration file. Follow this next step carefully. If you put the line in the wrong place it may cause problems with other parts of machine authentication.
 
Edit the /etc/pam.d/gdm file and append the following line to the end of the file: @include common-pamkeyring
 
Once this is done, the gnome-keyring will be handed your login password, and unlock at logon, provided they are the same. If your login password and gnome-keyring password are different this will not work. To resolved this, you will need to ensure that they are the same, either by changing your login password, or by changing the gnome-keyring password, as detailed here

A few weeks ago, I needed to change the password for the Gnome-Keyring, as I wanted to lend my computer to a friend. This can be done using either the command line or through the GUI, the latter being the one I prefer for its simplicity. Here’s how:
 

1. Navigate to Places > Home
2. Press ctrl-h to viewhidden files
3. Navigate to .gnome2 > keyrings
4. Delete the default.keyring file

 
That should do the trick

Many of you will be familiar of the concept of Linux Live CDs. For those of you who are not, I’ll say this: Most Linux distros are these days installed using a Live CD. You enter the CD into the CD-ROM drive, start the computer, and there you go. Your computer boots from the CD, and your are, effectively running Linux. From there, you can try out the distro, and install it if you want to.
 
Unetbootin is a program that lets you do the same, only with a USB thumb-drive. The point is that not all computers have a CD-ROM-drive, but most have a USB-port. You simply plug in the thumb-drive, and there you go,
 
Unetbootin supports the following distributions of Linux and BSD:
 

• Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu
• Debian
• Linux Mint
• opensuse
• Arch Linux
• Damn Small Linux
• Slitaz
• Puppy Linux
• FreeBSD
• NetBSD
• Fedora
• PCLinuxOS
• Gentoo
• Zenwalk
• Slax
• Dreamlinux
• Elive
• CentOS
• Mandriva
• FaunOS
• Frugalware Linux

 
Find Unetbootin for Windows and Linux here.

Having once again forgotten most of the commands I use in the command shell in Linux in general and Ubuntu especially, I did a quick google search, which turned up this thread at the Ubuntuforums. The thread had two amazingly useful links, both of which referred to quick reference cheat sheets provided by FOSSwire.com Here they are:
 

• Unix/Linux Command Line Reference
• Ubuntu/Kubuntu Command Line Reference

I’ve been having some problems connecting my EeePC to wireless networks of late. The problem was that it didn’t detect available wireless networks, nor did it connect to the ones I’d already defined.
 
It runs Ubuntu 8.04, and I originally had to fuss around a bit to get the Atheros WLAN card to work. After reading more than a few forum posts, I found that reinstalling MadWifi most likely would fix the problem. The fix is done solely in the command line shell. I ran the following commands, in succession:
 

1. wget http://snapshots.madwifi.org/madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-current.tar.gz
2. tar xzvf madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-current.tar.gz
3. cd madwifi-hal-0.10.5.6-r3816-20080742
4. apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)
5. make
6. make install
7. sudo -i
8. echo ath_pci >> /etc/modules

 
A quick reboot later, I was up and running, and happy as a clam.

Hardware
Hardwarewise, there’s nothing truly astonishing about the Eee. Let’s have a look at the specs of our unit:
 

• 900 MHz Intel Celeron CPU
• 1024 MB RAM
• 16 GB SSD
• 8,9” TFT
• 1,3 Mpix WebCam
• Atheros 802.11g WLAN card
• SDHC card reader
• Output/Input:
• 1xVGA
• 3xUSB
• 1xRJ-45 TP NIC
• 1×3.5mm Minijack audio out
• 1×3.5mm Minijack audio in

 
As I said, there is nothing revolutionary about the specs of the Eee. That is, not until you take its size into consideration. Weighing in at 0.99 Kg, and sporting its 8,9” TFT monitor, this computer is definitely an impressive bit of kit.
 
Software
The Eee comes with either Windows XP Home or Xandros Linux. Our model was the latter. Bundled with the computer we find OpenOffice, Mozillas Firefox webbrowser as well as a suite of games.
 
I assume you know what Windows XP is all about, so I’m only going to cover Xandros in this review. If you’re a basic user, the Xandros setup will most likely suit you fine, no problems. It works well for all it should work for.
 
If you are any kind of sysadmin, computer tech, or other kind of power user, the basic OS installed on this computer simply will not do. My suggestion is to reinstall it with Ubuntu Linux. First off, it works excellently, and secondly there are several guides out there to help you work out all the kinks (just make sure you have a internet hardline handy, as the Atheros WiFi-card is not supported out of the box).
 
Practical use
I have heard it commented that the keyboard of the Eee is too small for actual, practical use. I’ve got to disagree. Granted, this might not be the computer you use to write the Great American Novel, but it is most definitely workable. Indeed, so much so that this entire review has been written using the Eee.
 
Watching movies is no problem, nor is connecting it to a larger display. I’ve even used it to watch movies on my 37” TFT display, and connected it to my soundsystem at home. It works excellently.
 
Conclusion
The Eeepc is not what I’d recommend for your primary computer. Frankly, it is too small for that. It is ideally suited for a secondary computer. It’s small enough, and has no moving parts, making it an ideal companion for trips.
 
My immediate reaction was that it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. I still think it is, but I also see its limitations. A 900MHz CPU has many of them, meaning that its multitasking skills lack something to be desired. Even so, it is a good bit of kit, and works very well.
 
My recommendation is this: if you’re not willing to wait, get it, but don’t complain to me later. If you are willing to wait, wait for the 901, which is rumored to have a 1.6GHz processor, which promises to be an improvement. Also, get the 9-cell battery, which will double to triple your batterylife.
 
Note: This entire article was written on the EeePC reviewed.

In a previous post, I showed you how to disable the Caps Lock key in Ubuntu. The problem with this method is of course that it only lasts for the duration of your current session. To resolve this problem, you need to have the command run automatically at startup.  
Here’s how:

1. Go to System > Preferences > Sessions
2. Find the Startup programs tab
3. Click Add
4. Enter the command

 
Note: You can use this method to start any programs, such as Pidgin, Console etc. at startup. To do this, you’ll need to find the command to run it, and follow the above instructions.

Whenever I get a new keyboard for my desktop computers, the first thing I do is remove the Caps Lock key. It’s a useful key to be sure, but I dislike it. It’s much better in my mind to use the Shift key. As a result, I have been looking for a way to disable it, which I knew was possible in Linux at the very least.
 
I don’t know if this fix works in other distros than Ubuntu, though I don’t see why it shouldn’t. Here’s how to do it:
 

• Open your terminal console
• Enter the command xmodmap -e "clear Lock"
• Hit enter
• Enter your admin password

 
Should you wish to turn it back on (although I’m not sure why you’d want to), here’s how:
 

• Open your terminal console
• Enter the command xmodmap -e "add Lock = Caps_Lock"
• Hit enter
• Enter your admin password

Uplink is a really fun game that I’ve played on and off over the years. Having gotten my Ubuntu-computer up and running, I felt it would only be natural to pick it back up. Installing it isn’t as straightforward as in Windows though, as I quickly realized. This is how it’s done:
 
First, you need to get a library called GTK 1.2 To get this, run this command:

sudo apt-get install libgtk1.2

 
Uplink comes as a .sh-file. To install, follow these simple steps:
 
We’ll assume you’ve downloaded the file to your desktop.
 
Go to the desktop folder:

cd Desktop

 
Edit the permissions of the file to allow read/write permissions like so:

chmod 700 uplink-complete-1.54DOWNLOAD.sh

 
Then you run the installation using this command:

./uplink-complete-1.54DOWNLOAD.sh

 
You’ll get a few messages, and you’ll be asked where to place the game. I’ve created a Games folder in my home folder, so that’s where I’ve installed it to.

I love technology and fiddling with computers and gadgets dearly, and so, one of my long-term goals have been to has an operational computer running Linux, with which I can do most, if not all, of what I am able to do with my Windows computers.
 
Like most IT-professionals who has been working in the business for more than, say five minutes, I have got a pretty decent stash of computers laying around at home. One of these is a HP Compaq nc6000 portable computer – one of HP’s finer pieces of work in my opinion – complete with 1GB of RAM and an intel WLAN interface card. I’d tried to install this with Ubuntu earlier (version 6.06 – Dapper Drake), but found no joy when trying to get it up and running with wireless LAN. Since a computer with Linux without an internet connection is rather like a bicycle to a fish (in other words,not very useful), I decided to shelf the experiment.
 
Then, a friend of mine invited me to Linux installation evening hosted by OLUG – Oslo Linux User Group and PING, and told me to bring a computer to install Linux on. So, hoping to get my computer up and running with Linux and WLAN, I brought the aforementioned nc6000.
 
I booted the computer with the Ubuntu 8.04 Live CD, and chose the install option. The installer installed without a hitch; and when it booted back up, it got online, with wireless LAN, right out of the box.
 
If you know nothing about Linux; let me tell you this; the most absurdly useful set of commands I have found so far (within 48 hours of installing the computer) are the following three:
 
•apt-get update
•apt-get upgrade
•apt-get install
 
Respectively, they check for updates to the system; upgrade the system with said updates, and installs software.
 
The install command needs an operator, a command that tells the system what program to install. For example, if I want to install the program Amarok; the command would look like this:
 
•apt-get install amarok
 
Incidentally, the most powerful command in Linux is this one:
 
•sudo
 
The sudo command does whatever you put after the command in root mode. You can even place the entire console session in root mode, which is practical if you are going to perform many tasks that need root access. If so, the command looks like this:
 
•sudo su
 
Anyway, the laptop, dubbed WiseBuntu, runs beautifully, and I’ve had it connected to several wireless networks already, with no apparent problems. It has Amarok, complete with Mp3-support, and I’ve already run both a DVD-movie and a .avi-format movie file.
 
It works, and I have learned to stop worrying and love Ubuntu.
 
Quick note: this article was, in its entirety, written on the nc6000 computer, while running Ubuntu.