Friday, October 23, 2009

Ubuntu 9.10 Netbook Benchmarks

Phoronix is a Linux technology website focusing on product reviews, distribution screenshots, interviews, and news. It is one of my favorite Linux sites and the best site for info on Linux graphic drivers. Today Phoronix released a benchmark comparison between Ubuntu 9.04 Juanty Jackalope and the upcoming 9.10 Karmic Koala release on the Dell Mini 9.

Most of the article is positive, Dell Mini 9/Vostro A90 owners should rejoice. Here is a quick summary:
"There is just one week left until Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" will be released, but is it worth the upgrade if you are running a netbook? From our testing of the development releases, it is most certainly worth the upgrade, especially when compared to Ubuntu 9.04 with its buggy Intel driver stack that caused many problems for Atom netbook users. Ubuntu 9.10 brings many usability improvements to the Linux desktop, various new packages, and the overall system performance has improved too. We have ran a set of benchmarks on both a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Samsung NC10 under Ubuntu 9.04 and 9.10 to illustrate the performance gains along with a few regressions."

You can find the complete article on www.phoronix.com.

If you can't wait the week and want to make the jump to Karmic, the Release Candidate has been pushed out today. You can download it here.



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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

20% Off Refurbished Dell Minis @ Dell Outlet

Dell is currenty running a 20% off & free shipping on all Dell Mini models at it's outlet store. This includes the Dell Mini 9, 10 & 10v. All Dell outlet purchases come with the same 1 year warranty as new purchases.

While I personally love/recommend the Mini 9, the Dell Mini 10v is an excellent machine despite it's RAM upgrade procedure. It offers a larger screen (although the same resolution) and keyboard. Remember the Dell Mini 10 should be avoided at all costs.

From WIkipedia:
The Intel System Controller [that the Dell Mini 10 uses] Hub US15W for the Atom processor Z5xxseries features a GMA 500 graphic system. Rather than being developed in-house, this core is a PowerVR SGX 535 core licensed from Imagination Technologies.[22] Since PowerVR is not cooperative with the open source movement, this has resulted in the dependence on outdated closed source Linux drivers.[23]

Direct Link to the Dell Outlet Mini Section

Use Coupon Code: 56RK57G2H1ML9V

Remember I don't work for Dell or make a dime off from Dell for this post, I just wanted to hook you guys and girls up with a sweet deal. Tell your friends, mention that they can always come to www.ubuntumini.com for help.



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Game On Linux - World of Goo

2D Boy is celebrating The World of Goo's one year anniversary with a “Pay what you want” sale.

World of Goo is a puzzle game with a strong emphasis on physics, for WiiWare, Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux (x86 and x86-64) by 2D Boy, an independent game developer. The game is built around the idea of creating large structures using balls of goo.

Your job is to get your goo balls into the pipe exit. To do this you use goo balls to construct bridges, towers, and other structures to overcome gravity and dangerous terrain. There are several types of goo balls in the game, each of which has unique properties. Five levels, each with their own unique theme and music. Extra goo recovered in the pipe are pumped through to the World of Goo Corporation, a sandbox area where the objective is to compete with other players worldwide by building the tallest tower possible. Players from all over the world can compete, as the height of the tower and number of goo balls used are being constantly uploaded to the 2D Boy server.

The World of Goo is a critically acclaimed, winning Best Independent Game from the Spike TV Video Game Awards show and won six Wii-specific awards and one for the PC, including Best Puzzle Game (for both Wii and PC), Best Artistic Design, Best WiiWare Game, Best New IP, Most Innovative Design. It also won Game of the Year from IGN and GameSpot awarded it as the Best Game No One Played.

The sale ends October 25th, so hurry and grab a copy. Once you choose to donate, or not donate, 2D Boy will send you a download link for the game. It is available in tar.gz, .exe, .dmg, .deb and .rpm. The games run perfectly on the Dell Mini 9 and is highly recommended.

Get Your Goo On



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Monday, October 12, 2009

Get Things Done Faster With Kupfer

Kupfer is a launcher inspired by quicksilver. It allows you to use keystrokes to rapidly perform tasks such as launching applications, manipulating files and data and running scripts. Kupfer's philosophy is simplicity, speed and usability. It is written in Python and has a flexible plugin architecture.

Unlike the most popular Open Source quicksilver clone, Gnome-Do, kupfer uses less resources, runs faster, is less prone to crash when not running Compiz, doesn't depend on mono, and can properly access the home directory.


- within 4 to 5 quick keystrokes I can access my applications and documents

This is only a small portion of what Kupfer can do. Kupfer can also search the web, your recent documents, bookmarks, and clipboard entries. It can look up words in a dictionary, manipulate and locate files, volumes and disks. It also has a built in Rhythmbox plugin to search your music library to play specific songs, artists or albums.

Kupfer has changed how I use my netbook. I love the Ubuntu Netbook interface, the UNR team has done an awesome job on make Linux look and feel intuitive but it's overhead and screen encompassing design make it difficult to multi-task or use multiple desktops.

xfce protoman desktop
- My current desktop, no panels or icons. Clean, efficient and quick. I don't have to wade through menus to get to my applications or files. Kupfer puts my whole desktop at my finger tips and everything I need can be accessed with a few keystrokes. I can use every pixel of my desktop and get the most out of my netbook.

I Recommend
Installing Kupfer from the Kupfer's Hope Launchpad Repository. It contains the latest release and will automatically update as new releases become available.

In a terminal type:
sudo apt-get-repository ppa:kupfer-team/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kupfer


Or in Karmic or Newer Ubuntu Releases
You can install the Ubuntu repository version of Kupfer.
In a terminal type:
sudo apt-get install kupfer


For older versions of Ubuntu:
* Note: for newer versions of Kupfer, you may need to change the version numbers in the commands, consult the kupfer site for latest release version.

In a terminal type:
wget http://kaizer.se/publicfiles/keybinder/keybinder-0.0.3.tar.gz
wget http://kaizer.se/publicfiles/kupfer/kupfer-c16.tar.gz
- download the files you'll need to build Kupfer.

To install python-keybinder
in a terminal:
tyle="color: blue;">sudo apt-get install pkg-config python-dev python-gnomeapplet python-gtk2-dev
- install python dependencies
cd ~/
- point your terminal to your home folder
tar -zxvf keybinder-0.0.3.tar.gz
- untar the file
cd ~/keybinder-0.0.3
./configure
make
sudo make install
- this will complete the install of keybinder

To install kupfer
in a terminal:
cd ~/
- point your terminal to your home folder
tar -zxvf kupfer-c16.tar.gz
- untar the file
cd~/kupfer
- point your terminal into the kupfer source folder
./waf configure --prefix=$PREFIX
./waf
./waf install
- this will complete the installation

Once installed you can find Kupfer under Applications>Accessories>Kupfer
- kupfer's default keybinding is Ctrl+space
- to set Kupfer to start automatically on login, start Kupfer, call up Kupfer search window and type in kupfer
kupfer_go_preferences
- scroll down to preferences

Screenshot-Kupfer Preferences
- From here you can set Kupfer to start automatically on login.

Enjoy!



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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Rock The wbar Dock

wbar_desktop

wbar is a quick launch bar similar to the OSX dock. It's a lightweight and fast piece of useful eyecandy written in c++ using imlib2. While it isn't as full featured as Gnome-Do or Avant Window Manager, wbar's low overhead, speed, and efficient dependencies make it an ideal for netbooks.

To install wbar, in a terminal type:
sudo apt-get install wbar

- If you are using an older version of Ubuntu you can download the .deb from wbar's Google Code page.

To read wbar's manual in a terminal type:
man wbar


Configuring wbar can be done two ways:
1. By editing the config file manually
in a terminal type:
gedit ~/.wbar

To launch wbar when manually editing the config file, use the command:
wbar -above-desk
- You can also add other startup options to the command to change the position or other variables. Consult the wbar manual for options.

I made this .wbar config file by hand (excellent example with explanation for writing your own) and launch wbar with this command:
wbar -above-desk -bpress -vbar -pos bot-right -isize 48.0 -nofont
- This command aligns the launcher vertically on the bottom right hand corner of the screen, doubling the size and eliminates font rendering. You can see it below.

wbar_manual
- Firefox, Nautilus, Pidgin, Skype, Rhythmbox, gtkpod, Transmission, Brasero & Virtualbox

2. Using WbarConf
You can download the WbarConf here.
- It offers an graphical interface allowing you to easily add launchers/icons, change the font, background image, configure wbar position, icon size, animation, font rendering and color.

wbar_config

wbar_settings

To launch wbar when using WbarConf, use the command:
wbarconf --wbar

Below is a video of a quick wbar setup (took less than 5 minutes) I did using WbarConf



If you want to make wbar launch at startup.
in a terminal type:
mkdir ~/.scripts
- this will make a folder to store our script

gedit ~/.scripts/wbar.sh
- this will create the file for the wbar launcher script

Add the following text to the file (if using a manual config file):
#! /bin/sh
sleep 12
wbar -above-desk

Add the following text to the file (if using WbarConf):
#! /bin/sh
sleep 12
wbarconf --wbar

- The sleep command pauses (in seconds) the launching of wbar. Allowing the desktop to load. Feel free to increase/decrease the number if your desktop environment loads faster/slower.
- Your last line will differ depending on how you chose to configure wbar and the variables you chose to launch it with.

Then make the script executable by typing in a terminal:
sudo chmod +x ~/.scripts/wbar.sh

From there you Simply add ~/.scripts/wbar.sh to your Startup Applications under System>Preferences>Startup Applications

wbar_startup


Have a question or problem that this article doesn't cover?
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Dell mini 9 Part Numbers

Below is a list of Dell part numbers for the Dell Mini 9.

Bottom Plastic Assembly
D714J Bottom rubber feet, back,910(Qty:2)
F502J Bottom rubber feet, front,910(Qty:2)
M264K (Order for K881H)Bottom cover service kit, include Bottom cover assembly, Bottom rubber feet(front*2, back*2), LCD rubber(left*1, right*1)&COA replacement label
N303H Bottom door, 910
T363H Microphone assembly (include cable), 910

Cables and Cords
5120P Power Cord, 6FT, US
6F190 Power Cord, TapeBackup, 6FT, 125V
78390 Power Cord, 2.0M, Inner-Europe
95095 Power Cord, 2.0M, Denmark

Documentation
H839J Ubuntu tech book Spanish
H840J Ubuntu tech book English
K550J Ubuntu tech book French
M770H Setup Quick Reference Guide English
M861H Setup Quick Reference Guide Brazilian Portuguese
M866H Setup Quick Reference Guide Spanish
N260J Ubuntu tech book Brazilian Portuguese
N620H Setup Quick Reference Guide French

Hard Drives, Accessories
D154H SSDR,8G,PATA,4GX2,STEC
R832H SSDR,4G,PATA,4GX1,STEC
X422G SSDR,16G,PATA,4GX4,STEC

Heatsinks, Fans and Accessories
D966J Thermal Pad, 910

Keyboards and Mice
G714K Travel Bluetooth Mouse (Fievel Black), 5 Buttons, Black, WW, APOS
G716K Travel Bluetooth Mouse (Fievel White),5 Buttons, White, WW, APOS
M958H Keyboard-Single pointing, US English
P690H Keyboard-Single pointing, Brazil
T309H Keyboard-Single pointing, French
T809K Travel Bluetooth Mouse (Fievel Red),5 Buttons, Red, WW, APOS
T811K Travel Bluetooth Mouse (Fievel Pink),5 Buttons, Pink, WW, APOS
U061H Keyboard-Single pointing, US-Internal
Y919H Keyboard-Single pointing, French/Canadian

Label
T8912 Blank COA Label, Use for COA Label Replacement

LCD Plastics, Covers, Accessories
G558J LVDS cable only, 910
H243J LVDS and camera cable, 910
J126H LCD cover, Black IMR, WLAN antenna included, 910
J836H LCD bezel with camera hole, silver, 910
K116H LCD cover, White IMR, WLAN antenna included, 910
M884K LCD hinge svckit, include Left LCD hinge and Right LCD hinge, 910
N302H LCD bezel without camera hole, silver, 910
N740H LCD cover, White IMR, WWAN antenna included, 910
R098H Left LCD hinge, 910
R099H Right LCD hinge, 910
R181H LCD cover, Black IMR, WWAN antenna included, 910
T086H Camera assembly,0.3M with cable, 910
T087H Camera assembly, 1.3M with cable, 910
X048J LCD bezel service kit, with camera hole, silver, 910(Include LCD bezel with camera hole, LCD left/right rubber)
X049J LCD bezel service kit, without camera hole, silver, 910(Include LCD bezel without camera hole, LCD left/right rubber)
X050J Camera assembly service kit, 0.3M, 910 (Include 0.3M camera, LVDS camera cable, LCD left/right rubber)
X051J Camera assembly service kit, 1.3M, 910 (Include 1.3M camera, LVDS camera cable, LCD left/right rubber)
X052J LCD cover service kit, Black IMR, WLAN antenna included, 910 (Include LCD black IMR cover, LCD left/right bracket, LCD left/right rubber, Screws 4270E*4, 7M490*6 )
X053J LCD cover service kit, White IMR, WLAN antenna included, 910 (Include LCD white IMR cover, LCD left/right bracket, LCD left/right rubber, Screws 4270E*4, 7M490*6 )
X054J LCD cover service kit, White IMR, WWAN antenna included, 910 (Include LCD white IMR cover, LCD left/right bracket, LCD left/right rubber, Screws 4270E*4, 7M490*6 )
X055J LCD cover service kit, Black IMR, WWAN antenna included, 910 (Include LCD black IMR cover, LCD left/right bracket, LCD left/right rubber, Screws 4270E*4, 7M490*6 )

LCD/Display Assembly Service Kit
X046J 8.9 WSVGA LCD service kit,LED,Truelife(Incluede LCD panel, LVDS only cable, LCD left/right rubber)

Memory
GY767 512MB, 800, 64X64, 8K, 200, 1GBIT
PP102 1G,800,128X64,8K,200,1GBIT
TX756 512MB,800,64X64,8K,200

Modems, Accessories
NW147 USB 56K External Modem

Motherboards
D169H Power daughter board and cable, 910
X057J Mother board service kit-UMA W/WLAN WO/WWAN(include including MB PWA, power daughter board and cable, BIOS CD, and Thermal Pad), 910
X058J Mother board service kit-UMA W/WLAN W/WWAN(include MB PWA, power daughter board and cable, BIOS CD, and Thermal Pad), 910

Palmrests
M883K Palmrest svckit, include Palmrest assembly and Thermal Pad(Qty:3),910

Power Source
C901H Battery, primary, 32WHR,4C,Simplo
H751H Reserve battery, 910
Y635G Battery, primary, 32WHR,4C,Dynapack
Y877G AC Adapter, 30 Watt, 2-pin, US (2 in 1, include adapter and PWR cord)

Screws
4270E Screw, M2X3,HINGE_BRK to LCD PANEL(Qty:4), Rubber Deme BRK to UP(Qty:2), POWER PCB to palmrest Assembly(Qty:2), BT to palmrest Assembly(Qty:2), SSD to MB (Qty:2), Wireless MINI Express Card to MB (Qty:2), WWAN MINI Express Card to MB(Qty:2)
4911U Screw, M2.5X6, Keyboard Support to bottom base(Qty:7), bottom base to palmrest assembly(Qty:9), Bottom base to KeyBoard(Qty:2)
7M490 Screw, M2.5X4,HINGE_BRK to LCD COVER(Qty:6), Speaker to LCD COVER(Qty:3), MB to Bottom base (Qty:2), KENSINGTON BRACKET to bottom base(Qty:2),HINGE to bottom base(Qty:2), RAM DOOR to bottom base(Qty:2)

Software
J941H Resource DVD, N-series, 910
J942H Resource DVD, 910
K633C Dell Webcam Central for Consumer
P896H Linux UBUNTU 8.04+, CD, Send New
T558J WXP Home SP3, Low cost, English

Speakers
P162H Integrated speaker, 2X2W, 910
X056J Speaker sevice kit, 2X2W, 910 (Include speaker assembly, LCD left/right rubber)

Wireless
J613H Wireless bluetooth module (include cable)
KM266 Wireless Modem, 5530 Mobile Broadband Mini Card, (3G, Europe & Asia (Vodafone, Teliasonera))
M348H Wireless mini card, BCOM,(WW except JPN and US)
T137J Wireless card, BCOM, 4312,US,ASKEY (US only)
N204H Wireless mini card, BCOM, (US only)
X596H Wireless mini card, BCOM, WW, (WW except JPN and US)
XX982 Wireless Modem, 5530 Mobile Broadband Mini Card (HSDPA - Cingular)- For US (3G, US AT&T)

Source



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Friday, October 2, 2009

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Beta is Released

Ubuntu 9.10 entered beta yesterday. We have installed it and and are enjoying the improvements Karmic is bringing to the Mini 9. While I don't encourage everyone to download and install the beta, I do ask anyone willing to deal with a cranky system and software occasionally breaking to join us in beta testing Karmic.

You can download the Karmic beta image here.

The only problem I have encountered with Karmic is with the Driver Manager. It will not properly install the proprietary Broadcom STA driver for the wireless networking card. No worries, it's an easy fix.

Screenshot-Hardware Drivers
- When you click activate, Driver Manager will either freeze up or just look like it has installed driver properly.

- First connect to the internet via a wired connection.
- Then go to Synaptic Package Manager (System>Adminstration>Synaptic Package Manager)
- Click the Reload button in the upper left corner of Synaptic to refresh your repository index.
- Then reinstall the bcmwl-kernel-source package

Screenshot-Synaptic Package Manager
- Click to enlarge

OR: after connecting to the internet via a wired connection in a terminal type:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get --reinstall install bcmwl-kernel-source

If you have any issues with Karmic, don't forget to file a bug on Launchpad!


Have a question or problem that this article doesn't cover?
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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Ubuntu 9.10's New Icon Theme

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala will ship with a new icon theme, Humanity. It still invokes the orange and brown of the old Human theme but is refreshingly modern and clean.

If you can't wait for Karmic Koala you can download the Humanity icons here.

Category

places

Screenshot-48 - File Browser

application icons



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