Installing Ubuntu One on Kubuntu 9.10

One of the key new features in Ubuntu 9.10 is Ubuntu One and the ability to sync files into the cloud.  This product is developed by Canonical and functions similarly to Dropbox.  More information can be found on the website including a FAQ.

However, Ubuntu One is not installed as part of a default install of Kubuntu (this is as of the Release Candidate, I don’t know if it might change in release).  This post will help explain how to install Ubuntu One and get it working.

The first I installed Kubuntu and tried to get Ubuntu One working, I did a simple apt-cache search ubuntu | grep one to try and figure out what packages I need to install, however there a couple of packages to install, which ones do I?

• python-ubuntuone-client
• python-ubuntu-one-storageprotocol
• ubunto-one-client
• ubuntu-one-client-gnome
• ubuntuone-client-tools

The first time I just installed ubuntu-one-client but couldn’t get anything to work.  The problem is you need ubuntu-one-client-gnome to install and work.

The problem with installing Ubuntu One are the 42 additional packages that get added as we install a lot of gnome packages.  Below is the list of packages included.

The following extra packages will be installed:
  gconf2 gconf2-common gnome-keyring libgconf2-4 libgcr0 libglade2-0
  libgnome-keyring0 libgp11-0 libidl0 libnautilus-extension1 libnotify1
  liborbit2 libpam-gnome-keyring libprotobuf3 libsexy2
  libstartup-notification0 libwnck-common libwnck22 libxcb-atom1 libxcb-aux0
  libxcb-event1 libxres1 notification-daemon protobuf-compiler python-cairo
  python-configglue python-gnomekeyring python-gtk2 python-notify
  python-openssl python-pam python-protobuf python-pyinotify python-serial
  python-twisted-bin python-twisted-core python-twisted-names
  python-twisted-web python-ubuntuone-client python-ubuntuone-storageprotocol
  ubuntuone-client
Suggested packages:
  gconf-defaults-service python-gtk2-doc python-numpy python-openssl-doc
  python-openssl-dbg python-pam-dbg python-pyinotify-doc python-psyco
  python-wxgtk2.8 python-wxgtk2.6 python-wxgtk python-twisted-bin-dbg
  python-tk python-glade2 python-qt3 python-profiler
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  gconf2 gconf2-common gnome-keyring libgconf2-4 libgcr0 libglade2-0
  libgnome-keyring0 libgp11-0 libidl0 libnautilus-extension1 libnotify1
  liborbit2 libpam-gnome-keyring libprotobuf3 libsexy2
  libstartup-notification0 libwnck-common libwnck22 libxcb-atom1 libxcb-aux0
  libxcb-event1 libxres1 notification-daemon protobuf-compiler python-cairo
  python-configglue python-gnomekeyring python-gtk2 python-notify
  python-openssl python-pam python-protobuf python-pyinotify python-serial
  python-twisted-bin python-twisted-core python-twisted-names
  python-twisted-web python-ubuntuone-client python-ubuntuone-storageprotocol
  ubuntuone-client ubuntuone-client-gnome

 

Once everything is installed launch ubuntuone-client-applet to finish the setup.

Happy 5th Birthday Ubuntu

I have seen several other posts in regards to Ubuntu 5th birthday and wanted to chime in and say Happy Birthday as well.

I have been using Linux for a long time, I think my first attempt was my sophomore year in college with some form of Red Hat.  Then I ordered some Slackware CDs which came with a stuffed penguin, which I have floating around someplace.

I used Slackware, Debian, and SUSE several times before settling into Ubuntu and the Ubuntu community.  Why did I choose Ubuntu?  Because of the openness in the community and the way a non-coder could contribute back to the distro.  The Ubuntu-Doc welcomed me with open arms as I posted bug reports in bugzilla and finally started hacking away at the docbook files themselves.  Finally when Kubuntu came out I took over as maintainer of the Kubuntu-Docs, which I know co-maintain w/ Richard Johnson.

I think the greatest part about the community that has developed in Ubuntu is the openness in welcome those non-coders into the family.

 

Happy birhtday Ubuntu :0

What the Kubuntu Netbook Live CD looks like

In a blog post yesterday, I did a brief review of Kubuntu Netbook edition on my Dell Mini 9.

Today we take a look at the default desktop from the Live CD

 

 

One of the first we notice is the way the desktop is laid out.  By using plasma-netbook we are longer focused on using the Application Launcher to open programs, we utilize the Search and Locate folder along with Favorites. 

To install Kubuntu Netbook Edition, simply click on Install Kubuntu from the Favorites section and install as the rest of the Ubuntu versions.

More posts to follow describing navigation and using the Search and Locate desktop setting.

An Review of Kubuntu Netbook Edition

I have a Dell Mini 9 and use it as my testing machine, and for testing I mean load various operating systems to see how they work on a Netbook.

When the Kubuntu devs announced a version built on the plasma-netbook part of KDE 4.  From the Wiki Page (KubuntuKarmicNetbook):

KDE4 is designed from the ground up to be scalable to many form factors. Many Kubuntu users are already using it in netbook computers. The intent is to make it easy for Kubuntu to just work.

And just working is how things go with Kubuntu Netbook…. One problem in an out of box install on the Dell Mini 9 is the Wireless driver which requires a proprietary driver.  Jockey takes care of installing the driver and after a restart I was able to connect.

One of the things I’ve noticed (and its partly my fault as being a member of the Ubuntu-Docs team) is a lack of documentation.  As it is past String Freeze< I will be using my blog to post documentation with the goal to move it into docbook format for Lucid.

 

More to come

Gotta love the trolls on Slashdot

There is an interesting story linked on slashdot, in regards to Samba 4 and how a Windows Server will be able to join, trust and replicate a Samba based domain controller.

See the whole article here and the summary on how the Samba team and Microsoft worked together.  This is great for Samba and FLOSS as a Windows 2008 R2 server can now be part of a Samba domain.

However the last line of the summary on slashdot is an example of the trolls and a big reason people shudder away from the religion of FLOSS:
“OR it could be a trap”

Seriously folks?  You take good news and turn it to once again make Microsoft the evil software company.  Yes MS is doing this so they can make more money and sell more Windows machines, but guess what, helping out is better then suing them

Enabling Ayatana notifications in Kubuntu 9.10

In Kubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) there is the ability to use two different notification systems, the standard KDE notifications, or the notifications used by the Canonical created notification system Ayatana.

I have been wondering how to enable these notifications for awhilend recently stumbled on a way to enable them.

NOTE: This is in a development release and may change

If you right-click on the Systray and select “System Tray Settings” you will be able to make the change:

Once the System Tray Settings is open, under the section labeled “Pop Up Notices” select which system you would like to use and also the position of these notifications.

 

In my install of Kubuntu Netbook, I have moved the notifications  to the top right

Thanks for the copies of The Official Ubuntu Book

Thank you Pearson Education for my copies of The Official Ubuntu Book.  I don’t know exactly when they arrived but I tripped over them this weekend.

And while my name isn’t on the cover it still has billing on the cover page of the book.

Thanks for the opportunity to take part in this and everyone else go out and buy the book.

A response to FAI vs Altiris

I tried to post this on Stephen’s blog but had issues w/ his CAPTCHA, where he talks about using FAI to perform an automated install of Ubuntu 64-bit Server edition vs. a Windows 2003 64-bit install via Altiris Deployment Solution.

As an Altiris consultant I felt bound to respond.  A scripted OS install ran through Altiris Deployment solution is a very slow process as an image w/ an empty partition first needs to be laid down, then a reboot into the scripted OS install. 

An image deployment of Server 2003 64-bit would beat the 1 hour time frame that Stephen mentions. 

So why a scripted OS install?

Also I wish Symantec supported Ubuntu but alas it doesn’t and doubt it will.

A Mea Culpa – Official Ubuntu Book 4th Edition

This post is a bit delayed do to real life, but needs to be done.  Recently I saw the first review of The Official Ubuntu Book by Prentice Hall and overreacted a bit based on one part of the review.  This post is a public apology for that over reaction.

I freaked out over my name not appearing on the cover of the book and overreacte to this.

Some of my friends have aksed me what happened in regards to this. 

The explanation is that based on the amount of content I contributed to the book, only a small rewrite of a chapter instead of a large amount of original content.  In the previous versions of the book, I completely re-wrote the chapter versus just updating a chapter.

 

So there it is, the complete answer and an apology for overreacting.  Go get the book its great and I have had a great time working on this project and hope to continue doing so.

 

Jonathan

Sharing home directory between Kubuntu and RHEL5?

I’ve posted previously on setting up my laptop to dual boot between Kubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 but have run into one snag, I don’t know enough to fix.

As an aside, I ran into a lot of problems with the program I needed for work running in 64-bit version, so I am working reloading to 32-bit.

What I would like to do if possible, is to share my home directory between the two boxes.  Part of the reason is I use an XP VM and shared folders to work on files in Office 2007 and outside of the XP VM and connect via shared folders.

So my /home/jonathan/Documents folder is configured as a shared folder on VM and then I can write statements of work, and utilize other work related apps, and then if I was sharing my home, I could access the same files whether I am running RHEL or Kubuntu.

Is it just as simple as creating /home in a seperate paritition and using the same username on RHEL and Kubuntu?  Or is there some magical voodoo I need to do?

Hope this makes sense