If you’re looking to spruce up this boot-time experience, you can now replace GRUB with a flashy boot-loader named BURG.

The sora theme for BURG

While BURG has been around for a while now, it is easier than ever to install. Follow the steps below to install:

(note: BURG can be used with any OS, however this article pertains to installation through Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala)

Step 1: Open Synaptic Package Manger:

System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager

Step 2: In Synaptic, add repository:

Go to: Settings -> Repositories | Other Software (tab)|, and click Add.

Next: Copy and paste the following URL to add the Karmic Repository: http://ppa.launchpad.net/bean123ch/burg/ubuntu karmic main

(Note: Do a google search for other version repositories if you are running a newer or later version of Ubuntu)

Step 3: Refresh listing and search:

Close the settings window and refresh the package listing. Now you can search the term “burg” in the box at the top of the package manager.

Mark the following packages for installation:

• Burg-pc (installs dependent package burg-common)
• Burg-themes (installs dependent package burg-themes-common)
• Burg-emu

Synaptic Package Manager - Burg packages

(Note: These three packages are basically the bootloader, some graphical themes, and an emulator that allows viewing changes without a reboot)

Step 4: Apply Changes:

Click on the Apply button in the Package Manager and the new packages will install. You will be prompted twice to select something/input information. The important one is which disk to install BURG onto. Usually this will be the first disk in the list.

(Note: The installer suggests putting this onto every disk if you are unsure)

The other input required is information about kernel. Hit next without changing the boxes.

Step 5: Test/view BURG:

At this point, you should already be able to reboot and see BURG in action. When the screen shows up, you can hit T to select another theme. Burg’s default setting is to remember the last theme you selected by this process.

(Note: If you are still seeing the old GRUB boot-loader, it is likely that you have put BURG onto the wrong disk)

Advanced Customization:

If you want to have a more graphical boot (doing away with the text/list all together), you may find there are too many choices (older Ubuntu Kernel versions, Windows recovery partitions, etc).

I like to use the theme called Sora_clean. This theme has no text, which basically means I want to have a single icon for Ubuntu, and a Single Icon for Windows XP. Follow the steps below to achieve a similar result.

Step 1: Edit burg’s config file.

BURG, like the latest versions of GRUB will compile a settings file from a script. Among other things, the script will search for Operating systems on your PC.

The main settings file can be found at /etc/default/burg.cfg

You will need to edit this file as root. I like to load nautilus as root: gksudo nautilus, and from here I can edit any file I like with root permissions.

In the settings file, uncomment (remove the # from…) the line GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_RECOVERY=”true”

This will remove the recovery console option from the menu.

(Note: the other option you might want to change here is the display resolution)

After changing this file, open the console and type:

sudo update-burg

Step 2: Remove older Ubuntu kernel versions.

If you want to clear out the older versions of Ubuntu, go back to (or re-launch) nautilus as root, and do the following.

Navigate to /boot,

Switch to list view, and sort by date modified. This should show all the various files related to each new kernel release grouped together.

On my system, the current latest version is 2.6.31.20. Yours will most likely be different

I created a new folder called oldversions, and moved to it, all older versions of the following files (ones not including the number 2.6.31.20)

• initrd
• vmcoreinfo
• system.map
• vmlinuz
• config
• abi

(Note: you could also just delete them)

After removing these, open the console and type:

sudo burg-mkconfig

Step 3: Manually edit /boot/burg/burg.cfg if needed

If you don’t have any other items you wish to leave out of the boot menu, you don’t need to do this step.

In my case, I had a recovery partition that came up as “Windows NT”

In nautilus (as root) navigate to /boot/burg/ and change burg.cfg to “read/write” instead of “read-only”

(Note: every time you remake this file using update-burg or burg-mkconfig it will reset to read-only again)

Open the file for editing, scroll down to near the bottom, and you will find the item you wish to remove, menu items look like this:

Delete the item and it will be gone. Remember that every time you run burg-mkconfig or update-burg, you will have to repeat this step.

(Note: To avoid having to do this every time the config files is re-made, you would need to customize the script /etc/burg.d/30_os-prober, to recognize and skip a particular entry. This is beyond my current abilities and beyond the scope of this tutorial).

And  there finally you should have a sleek new boot-loader. A fair amount of work involved if you want the best results, but very easy if you simply wish to have an eye-pleasing list of options when you boot up your computer.

Since my last excursion into the world of Linux, the open source distributions of this OS have been forging ahead at an astounding pace. One of the most popular, free and well supported distributions of Linux at the moment is Ubuntu. I’m going to take you through some of the highlights.

Introducing Ubuntu 9.10 – The Karmic Koala.

Ubuntu Gnome Desktop

Distributions:

In linux distributions, there are two main flavors of desktop environment: KDE and GNOME. These are the graphical environments that display the software you wish to use. Some programs developed for one environment won’t work well under the other, or at the very least will use a lot more system resources to run.

Ubuntu uses the GNOME environment, however the underlying operating system comes in a KDE form called Kubuntu. Another variant is called Xubuntu, which uses the Xfce environment designed for slow computers or those that wish to have a resource light interface.

In addition to the Desktop Environment variants, there is also an Ubuntu distribution targeted at schools and parents called Edubuntu. It comes preloaded with learning programs for children.

For this review, I will basically be looking at the standard Ubuntu desktop release as well as a small look at the Netbook Remix release, which includes a new user-friendly application loader.

Applications:

The Applications Menu

The available applications are what might make and break an operating system. Ubuntu comes with several great applications built-in. I will go over some of the most useful:

Firefox 3.5
The popular and fully featured web browser comes standard with Ubuntu.

CD/DVD Creator:
Built into the explorer (nautilus) allowing you to burn DVD and CD discs.

Brasero Disc burner
Burn music cd’s

Evolution:
An email client which includes calendar and organizer similar to Outlook.

Empathy IM:
An instant manager client supporting most popular IM services.

UbuntuOne Online Storage:
An online storage account providing 2gb of free storage. This can be mounted as a virtual drive on your system to be synchronized with the local disk

Transmission BitTorrent:
A client for downloading files with Torrents.

OpenOffice:
Ubuntu comes with Presentation, Drawing, Math Formula, Spreadsheet and Wordprocessing apps.

RhythmBox Music Player:
A fully featured Music player which includes support for mobile devices, internet radio, magnatune and jamendo music sources, podcast feeds and playlists. It also includes some plugins which include UPNP and DAAP servers to share your music to the network, cover art, song lyrics and visualization.

F-spot Image Manager:
A very good image manager which will download pictures from your camera and allow you to tag and sort them. It will also automatically upload images to online albums like flickr and picasa.

Movie Player:
A built-in movie player that works quite well.

Games:
Ubuntu comes with a nice list of puzzle type games to keep you occupied, and there are many more available for download.

Gimp image editor:
A rival to Adobe Photoshop for editing and creating images.

These pre-loaded apps are just the icing on the cake. You’ll find thousands of titles to download in the Ubuntu Software Center. The Software center allows you to search, browse by category, install and remove install software.

The Ubuntu Software Center

Drivers:

It is important to note that some hardware might not run with Linux. Lexmark printers are notorious for not working very well. These are however only exceptions to the otherwise extensive hardware support provided in the distribution. Without the need for a driver disk, all of my hardware functioned out of the box, including a usb wireless network card, external hard drives, USB web camera and digital still camera. Drivers can also be downloaded for Nvidia and ATI video cards by going to System => Administration => Hardware Drivers. This will enable you to get 3d acceleration.

Security:

Ubuntu is perhaps unique in that it does not allow root access to the machine by default. Instead it assigns the first user on the system the most privileges, but requires a password to do many things. Many system commands executed in the terminal require the use of “sudo” or “gksudo” (super-user do) which will run the specific command as root after the password is entered. This provides a much higher level of security as potentially dangerous things require a password. It lowers the risks of viruses as software will not be able to damage your system without knowing the password.

Ubuntu also comes with a system for filtering and routing packets called iptables. Several front-end firewall applications can be found in the Software Center to manipulate iptables and provide port blocking.

Flash and Codec Support:

All software included in Ubuntu is released under an open source license. Flash however is proprietary software, and must be installed manually. To do this is easy, as flash is included in a package called “Ubuntu Restricted Extras”. This package also includes a Java engine, Several audio and video codecs, Microsoft core fonts and some other proprietary things that users expect. The package can be found in the Software Center. If it is not showing up in a search, make sure to check the box next to proprietary software in the Software Center preferences.

Networking Support:

Ubuntu comes with a very good network manager, called… network manager. It allows you to manage wireless connections, fixed line, broadband, DSL and VPN connections, ans also allows you to adjust settings such as static IP (v4 and v6) and DNS.

Ubuntu Network Manager

In the past, Ubuntu has had sketchy wireless support. In the current version, it works without any hassles, and with no driver installs on the few computers that I’ve installed it on so far.

The Wifi Selector

File sharing is separate from this manager, but still provided. Ubuntu can communicate with windows networks through a program called Samba. When you enable sharing for the first time (right click on folder in Nautilus file manager and select sharing), Some packages will be downloaded and your share should be visible in the windows network. This can sometimes be tricky if things are unexpected such as the workgroup name not being “WORKGROUP”. But some web searches and helpful forums will no doubt get you going in no time.

What about my favorite Windows Games and Programs?

For those things that have no Linux alternative, or you just can’t bare to live without, There is a really useful program called Wine. It is a windows compatibility layer that will allow you to install and run windows programs on a virtual C:\ Drive. The software run through Wine is generally quite stable and fast. You should refer to the Wine App DB to see how well your favorite application runs. If it’s rated platinum, you should have no worries.

To install Wine, search for it in the Software Center. After it is installed, any .EXE files should be set to open with Wine.

Usability and Accessibility:

Canonical have produced a Linux distribution that is very user-friendly, with many things users might have once spent hours trying to set up such as wireless networking functioning straight out of the box. Menus are intuitive and well-sorted and categorized. Most importantly, since this software is supported and popular, you can get help when things go wrong.

Ubuntu also also includes accessibility features such as keyboard selection at login for multi-lingual systems, and also a screen reader and magnifier for those with poor eyesight. There are a few other accessibility options which I have not yet explored.

Tweakability:

As with most Linux distributions, Ubuntu can be tweaked by a skilled user to achieve very specific tasks. Almost everything can be customized. Through the synaptic package manager, new packages can be downloaded and current ones can be uninstalled, applications can be set to execute at system start, the bootloader can be modified, splash screens can be changed, and so on.

Netbooks:

Ubuntu can also be installed as a “Netbook Remix”, which is basically the standard Ubuntu with a few tweaks and a new application manager to make it easier to use on the small screen. Applications are forced to full screen to avoid mess and everything is bold and well-sorted into user-friendly menus. We have installed this on our netbook and the windows install never gets used anymore. The boot-up is much faster and in no time we’re browsing the web.

Netbook Remix main screen

The Verdict:

I would have to say I’m very impressed with the Karmic Koala. In about a month of using it, I have not had any serious problems, though I have learnt plenty of console commands along the way trying to personalize the system to my needs. I have found the free built-in and downloaded applications useful and enjoyable.

The most compelling fact, given that Ubuntu is stable, supported, user-friendly and has plenty of available software, is that it costs absolutely nothing. A copy of Windows 7 Home costs US$180 standalone, and for the professional version Windows 7 Ultimate, you would pay almost US$300.

And being free does not mean it is lacking. “What about the media center?” you might say. You might like to try xmbc, a free and open source application available for Linux.

Ubuntu also has a server release, with a special kernel, security and applications to easily run a server. This release is also free of charge.

The only thing that stops me from a complete move to Ubuntu, is that one of my favorite online games, Dark Age of Camelot, has some problems running under Wine. When those problems are resolved in later releases, I will see no good reason to keep Windows. But until then, it’s good to know that Ubuntu will happily run along side any other OS.

I recommend to anyone that they give it a try.

Google recently gave us a first look at their new Chrome operating system, designed for netbooks. The new operating system seeks to provide users with an OS solely for using the web.

Screenshot of Chrome OS

In essence, the Chrome browser IS the operating system. Installing new binaries will be impossible and the system will repair and update itself automatically, meaning a far greater level of security than any OS before it. Of course this also means that everything you do is dependent on a connection to the internet and performed on a server out in the cloud

By putting money and effort into this project, Google shows their commitment to cloud computing as the future of computing in life, work and entertainment.

The Risks:

The gamble inherent in centralized processing and storage is self-evident. What happens when the server goes down, or even just the connection between the client and the server?

Some of Google’s own cloud applications seek to address such risks with offline access to the applications through Gears. This however will not allow a user access to collaborative, dynamic and social information that requires online interaction.

Another risk inherent in the cloud, is one of privacy. To store personal and private data in the cloud means giving over control of that data to a third party, if only by physically containing it within their online storage. What measures are there, or will there be in place to protect that data from third parties.

An example of the tenuous nature of privacy can be found with the RIAA’s (recording industry association of america) interaction with ISP’s. A simple assurance of foul play by RIAA, without court/judiciary intervention compels many ISP’s to warn and ban their users.

This is an example of power held by an organization. But power to threaten and intimidate can come from government also. And where there is power there is almost always corruption.

So either by internal or external forces on the keepers of data in the cloud, that data may not always be secure.

The Rewards:

Access anywhere… this has to be one of the greatest advantages of cloud computing. The ability for our work and social lives to take place from anywhere, upon a common platform that spans all devices and computers… the web browser.

Currently I am writing this article on the web inside my browser through a javascript and php based content management portal called WordPress.

HTML5 will bring with it web-based applications closer resembling those that are currently found offline on the PC. And even now, applications in javascript and flash go along way to achieving that goal.

One that has recently taken my attention is a web based Photoshop clone called Pixlr created with flash.

Pixlr - Flash Photoshop clone

Another example showcasing some of what browser native javascript can do is Google’s own document suite, with a Presentation Creator/viewer, Word Processor and Spreadsheet application with plenty of nice features built in. Flowcharts and diagrams can also be created within the presentation and word processing apps.

Google's web-based presentation software

So you can see the access-anywhere advantages of the cloud are not only restricted to simple web applications, but an increasingly advanced range of software.

The coming age

Freedom is the name of the game. The future will find us much more detached from our home PC’s. Our important data and applications will be accessible from anywhere. At the beach, at the office, at home, and any old terminal with a connection to the internet.

Imagine being on holidays with a camera full of video. It won’t be long and you’ll be able to plug that camera into any computer and edit your movies straight from the browser. Things such as film editing, once confined only to a powerful PC, will use fast internet and powerful servers to achieve their goals.

And this will ultimately be the shining advantage of the cloud. Those whose processing requirements are varied will not have to commit to a single build machine. The computer the user is sitting at will be an afterthought for many users (besides perhaps the size of the monitor). The majority of their work can be done on a supercomputer in the cloud.

The server-centric model will perhaps also drive the development of quantum computing, allowing for infinitely more powerful processing on the server, and ultimately allowing more of the work of the local computer to be transferred to the server. Google recently announced that it has used quasi-quantum computing to speed up image recognition (see here). While it is questionable whether this can truly be considered quantum computing yet, it clearly shows their intent.

Heading into this new age of the cloud, we can perhaps look towards Google as the most prominent leader, championing the new paradigm, but we can already see companies across the I.T. spectrum picking up this ball and running with it, helping to carry it towards success.