Matt Vapor’s Blog

andLinux is a complete Ubuntu Linux system running seamlessly in Windows 2000 based systems (2000, XP, 2003, Vista; 32-bit versions only). This project was started for Dynamism for the GP2X community, but its userbase far exceeds its original design. andLinux is free and will remain so, but donations are greatly needed.

andLinux uses coLinux as its core which is confusing for many people. coLinux is a port of the Linux kernel to Windows. Although this technology is a bit like running Linux in a virtual machine, coLinux differs itself by being more of a merger of Windows and the Linux kernel and not an emulated PC, making it more efficient. Xming is used as X server and PulseAudio as sound server.

andLinux is not just for development and runs almost all Linux applications without modification.

Screenshot (click to enlarge)

To start Linux applications, you may either use the XFCE Panel:

The XFCE Panel

Or, you may choose to use the andLinux Launcher, which ships with andLinux since Beta 1. It consists of:

• quicklaunch icons (e.g. for the file manager or the terminal)
• a start menu in the system tray (next to the clock) which can be adapted to your own needs
• so-called Explorer shell extensions, i.e. context menu item, with which you can open a folder in the file manager / terminal or open a file with the text editor
• file type associations at your choice (e.g. for KOffice files, .tex / .dvi / .ps / .pdf files)
• andCmd.exe to run linux commands from Windows scripts

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You can download RyanVM’s Windows XP Post-SP2 Update Pack here

This pack is designed to bring a Windows XP CD with SP2 integrated fully up to date with all of the latest hotfixes released by Microsoft since SP2’s release. It accomplishes this task via direct integration, where files on the CD are directly overwritten by the updated files. This method has numerous advantages over other integration techniques:

1. Since the files are being directly overwritten on the CD, there is no period of vulnerability between when the files are copied to the hard drive and the hotfixes are run. This guarantees maximum stability and security.
2. All necessary registry entries needed by Windows Update, QFECheck, and Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer are imported during Windows setup, meaning that the integration is transparent to Windows.
3. Security Catalogs necessary for Windows File Protection to recognize the updated files as digitally signed are installed, once again ensuring maximum transparency to Windows.
4. Since the updated files are being directly overwritten on the CD, this pack has the minimum possible amount of overhead associated with integrating hotfixes in comparison to other methods - both in space used on the CD and in Windows installation time.
5. This pack works regardless of whether or not the Windows installation is unattended.

This blog is brought to you by CLiCK Computer Recycling

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 Want to change hidden system and desktop settings? Check out Ubuntu Tweak

Ubuntu Tweak Features

• GNOME Session Control
• Show/Hide and Change Splash screen
• Show/Hide desktop icons or Mounted Volumes.
• Show/Hide/Rename Computer, Home, Trash icon or Network icon
• Use Home Directory as Desktop
• Compiz Fusion settings, Screen Edge Settings, Window Effects Settings.
• GNOME Panel Settings.
• Nautilus Settings.
• Advanced Power Management Settings.
• System Security Settings.

Install Ubuntu Tweak

First you need to download the appropriate Ubuntu Tweak for your system from the here: http://ubuntu-tweak.com/downloads

Now you have .deb package install this package using the following command

sudo dpkg -i ubuntu-tweak_*.deb

Install from repository for Gutsy

No matter which Ubuntu do you use, open your terminal, type the command to run gedit (or other editor in your opinion) to modify the sources.list

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

And put the two line into it

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/tualatrix/ubuntu gutsy main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/tualatrix/ubuntu gutsy main

Then update the source and install or upgrade Ubuntu Tweak

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak

This blog entry is brought to you by CLiCK Computer Recycling & Assistance

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Ryan Paul over at Ars Technica has written a great detailed review of the new Alpha 5 release of Ubuntu Linux 8.04. In it he gives Wubi - a new addition to the Ubuntu Installation - a thorough going over.

One of the most significant new features added in alpha 5 is support for Wubi, a new installation mechanism that makes it easier for Ubuntu and Windows to coexist on the same computer. Wubi provides a complete Ubuntu installer that can be run in Windows from the Ubuntu Live CD. It installs Ubuntu into a folder on the Windows file system and sets up a boot menu so that users can choose between Windows and Ubuntu when the computer starts.

Unlike a regular dual-boot configuration, Wubi doesn’t require users to create a partition on their hard drives for Ubuntu. When Ubuntu is installed with Wubi, it can be uninstalled directly from the Add/Remove Programs utility in Windows.

I tested Wubi on Windows XP with an Ubuntu 8.04 alpha 5 Live CD. The installer is trivially easy to use and works just like a regular Windows installation program. It requests a target drive, the desired size of the drive image, the default username, and the password for the default user. The disk image gets installed in an Ubuntu directory on the root of the target drive. After I finished my tests, I was able to uninstall Wubi without any difficulty.

To read Ryan Paul’s full article visit Wubi Arrives: a look at Ubuntu 8.04 alpha 5

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Microsoft Office 2007 introduced a new format standard for their Word files, the .docx file extension. With the introduction of this file previous versions of MS Office can download an add on so they can convert the file for viewing…. but how do you open these files in Ubuntu Linux?

To open Microsoft Office .docx files in OpenOffice, you have to install this convertor.

Download the convertor

i386:

ftp://ftp-mirror.internap.com/pub/www.getdeb.net/od/odf-converter_1.0.0-2~getdeb1_i386.deb

Amd64:

http://cesium.di.uminho.pt/pub/getdeb/od/odf-converter_1.0.0-2~getdeb1_amd64.deb

Install the package

sudo dpkg -i odf-converter_1.0.0-2~getdeb1_i386.deb  #for i386 users
sudo dpkg -i odf-converter_1.0.0-2~getdeb1_amd64.deb #for amd64 users

Alternatively, you can simply double-click the .deb to install it. You can now open and edit .docx files using OpenOffice.org.

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Today’s tip of the day comes from UbuntuGeek’s How to Install gOS on Ubuntu:

The gOS distribution is based on the Ubuntu 7.10 distribution. It uses the Enlightenment 17 window manager instead of the usual GNOME or KDE desktops, allowing for lower memory and speed requirements. Therefore gOS starts to work reasonably well on systems as low end as a 1GHz Pentium III with 256MB RAM. Due to the fact it leans heavy on on-line applications built on Web 2.0 and AJAX technology it also does not use much hard disk space for applications, the whole system fits comfortably in less than 2 GB of hard disk space.

Open your sources.list file add the gOS Repositories

For Ubuntu Users

gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

For Kubuntu Users

kdesu kate /etc/apt/sources.list

For Xubuntu Users

gksu mousepad /etc/apt/sources.list

Enter these lines

# gOS Repositories

deb http://packages.thinkgos.com/gos/ painful main
deb-src http://packages.thinkgos.com/gos/ painful main

Import the key

wget http://www.thinkgos.com/files/gos_repo_key.asc

sudo apt-key add gos_repo_key.asc

rm gos_repo_key.asc

sudo aptitude update

Install gOS on Ubuntu

sudo aptitude install greenos-desktop xorg

Remove gOS on Ubuntu

The following will then remove the entire Environment for you.

sudo aptitude remove greenos-desktop

The Environment will be available from the Sessions menu

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Yahoo! has published a very comprehensive list of what it considers to be the best Anti virus programs for this year. Making the list a many free anti-virus alternatives, which are great for those on limited incomes or those who just want a free alternative.

The free applications which made the list were:

Alwil Avast! 4.6 Home Edition - Venerable Avast! is still free for personal use, and it’s a relatively unobtrusive and capable virus stomper that will work well for just about anyone. A new feature adds a web proxy to the mix (which filters all traffic running through it for security risks), and it works will all major web browsers. It also recognizes non-virus threats like spyware and adware. The Pro edition ($40) adds a few power-user features that the average user probably won’t miss. Give the free version a try!

Aviva AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic 7 - This has long been a capable and effective antivirus product, especially noteworthy for its fast operation.

Unfortunatly AVG’s free antivirus product did not make the list.

For the full list check out Yahoo!’s article here.

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For support or questions see http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=394097

• Add a 3rd Party Repository

echo "deb http://packages.dfreer.org gutsy main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list
wget http://packages.dfreer.org/7572013D.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get update

• Install using one of the lines below

sudo apt-get install psx32 #for amd64 users
sudo apt-get install psx   #for everyone else

• Applications > Games > pSX or pSX32

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In the last few weeks I have discovered a great little game which I have been pouring a lot of my spare time into… I love it! Its called Super Tux and it is a clone of Super Mario with a flavor of Tux - the Linux mascot.

” SuperTux is a classic 2D jump’n run sidescroller game in a style similar to the original SuperMario games. ”

Its available on most common platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Unix (BSD)

You can download it here

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Well a few weeks ago I managed to fork out for a new Intel MacBook, I have always been a fan of Macs, but not their price, however that has somewhat changed within the last year due to the introduction of Intel based components.

Since I have been using it for almost a month now I thought I would share some of the little free gems I have found along the way, and hopefully help out of the fellow Mac comrades out there

First of all, I had to start off with a browser. Mac OS X 10.4 came with Safari, but I have become accustomed to FireFox and its abundance of extensions, so if your use to that, you will wanna grab FireFox.

Next is FileZilla a great little FTP app, I have been using this on Windows and Linux systems so it is great that they also ported it to Mac, if you use all or some of the three OSs mentioned and dont want to go to the effort of looking for a different app for each system FileZilla is the one for you!

Microsoft Messenger… Ergh I know, “Why Microsoft on a Mac!?” you might say, well I havent come a cross a replacement that I like, I have seen Adium and a few others and I am not keen on them… some habbits are hard to break

Juice is a great podcast downloader, I am not keen on how iTunes downloads my podcasts, yes I know I am very fussy

Want to remove a program? Well dont just delete it! Thats what I was told and I grabbed a cool little app called AppDelete, not only does it delete the app it also removes all traces off it!

Come across any other Mac Freeware you can’t live without, then please let us know!

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