Subject: SMT 101, Special Topic: Open Source: Linux and Web Development.
Instructor: Dr. Fa Qing
Project of Week-Three
Emong Chowdhury
ID. No. 200910105
**What is KDE?
Ans. The elaboration of the KDE is “K Desktop Environment” which was first released in 1996. It was released as an open-source project to produce a graphical desktop similar to the Microsoft Windows environment. The KDE desktop helps user to place application and document or file icon on the desktop area; and the KDE desktop attempts to determine what application to start to handle the file after single click on a file icon.
The bar at the bottom of the KDE desktop is called “Panel”. There are four parts in the panel.
1. The K menu: similar to the Windows Start menu which contains links to start installed applications or programs.
2. Program Shortcuts: quick links to start applications directly from the panel.
3. The taskbar: shows icons for applications currently running on the desktop.
4. Applets: small applications that have an icon in the panel that often can change depending on information from the application.
**What are the common programs used in the Ubuntu workstations?
Ans. The common programs are used in the Ubuntu workstations desktop environment. These are given below:
1. The OpenOffice.org office productivity suite
2. The Fire fox web browser software
3. The Evolution email and calendar software
4. Tomboy note-taking software
5. F-spot digital image editing
6. Totem video player
7. Rhythm box music player
The Ubuntu workstations distribution provides a complete home school, and even office desktop environment, all in one package and all for free.
**What are Mount Point Locations?
Ans. Mount Point Locations (MPL) are the state of virtual file systems partition of the computer hard disk. The Ubuntu virtual file system handles hard drives by plugging them into specific locations in the virtual file system. In this method there are several processes such as:
/ The root of the Linux virtual file system
/boot The location of the Linux kernel used for booting the system
/home User directories for storing personal files and individual application setting files
/tmp Temporary files used by applications and the Linux system
/usr A common location for multi-user application files
/var The variable directory, commonly used for log files and spool files
/opt Optional package installation directory for third-party applications
/usr/local A common alternative location for optional multi-user package installations
In this process, if user just creates one partition for Ubuntu, he must mount it at the root mount point (/). If he has additional partitions available, he can mount in other locations within the virtual file system.
If user is using the manual partition method, mustn’t forget to allocate a partition for the swap area, even if he already has lots of physical memory installed on his system. The standard rule of thumb is to create as large of a swap area as you have physical memory. If he has 2 GB of physical memory, should create a 2 GB partition and assign it as the swap area.
**What is menu area in Gnome?
Ans. The far left side of the top panel contains the menu area. There are three top-level menu links that appear directly on the top left panel; which are allow easy access to all of the applications and utilities installed of the Ubuntu system. These are given below:-
1. Application menu: Contains links that launch application programs available on the Ubuntu system.
2. Place menu: Contains links to locations in the Ubuntu virtual file system, plus links to additional hard drives, floppy disks, CD/DVD drives, and USB drives and for connecting to remote file systems.
3. System menu: Contains links to utilities for changing user and system settings.
Each top-level menu link provides additional links that are menus or individual links that directly launch applications or utilities. When user keep the mouse pointer on a submenu link, the submenu automatically appears next to main menu, showing the links it contains.
**How to install Ubuntu permanently in your hard disk?
Ans. To install Ubuntu permanently in hard disk, you would need to have a empty hard disk area set up for it. There are three common options for this setup:
1. Replace the existing operating system on your hard drive with Ubuntu.
2. Install Ubuntu on a second hard drive.
3. Partition an existing hard drive to include Ubuntu.
Replace the existing operating system:
Definitely, the easiest solution for installing Ubuntu on a PC is to replace the existing operating system installed on the hard drive. During installing Ubuntu manual will guide to installer every state.
Another process is a dual-boot scenario. In this method both Ubuntu and another operating system reside on hard drives in the computer. When you start the computer a menu appears and asking you which operating system you want to boot.
Installing a Second Hard Drive:
It is also replacing the existing operating system; the second easiest way is to get Ubuntu onto a workstation is to install a second hard drive. Every step will guide you during Ubuntu installation. The most common disk controller used in workstation PCs is the integrated device electronics (IDE) controller. The IDE controller allows up to two devices per channel. Workstations often will have more than one IDE channel installed on the motherboard.
Partitioning an Existing Hard Drive:
It is most complicated method for installing Ubuntu on and existing workstation. In this process, the installer should split up the external drive for Ubuntu. How to do it? Well, if you already have Microsoft Windows running on the existing hard drive, you can use the utilities included in Windows to examine your system.
The Windows Computer Manager provides a graphical tool for looking at the hard drives installed on your workstation. If you see an area on the hard drive marked, that means the hard drive has free space that’s not part of the Window partition. You can use this as part of the Ubuntu partition. It it’s 4 GB or larger, then you don’t have to do anything to your existing Windows partition. You can install Ubuntu directly into the unallocated hard drive areas without having to alter the existing Windows partition.
According to my own experience: Starting out with Ubuntu:
For installing Ubuntu in the process of WindowXP, I make first another drive for Ubuntu. Then I put Ubuntu LiveCD in the computer CD drive. After keeping this I restart my computer. When it gets started I press the space bar few times then the drive CD is shown in monitor. After that I keep my following steps for Ubuntu installation.
Step 1. Select Language:
When someone starts the Ubuntu installation, the first Language Window exposes in the monitor. Then we have to select language as choices of favour suppose select ENGLISH. Then click in Forward
Step 2. Select Time:
After click in Forward option the next window shows the selection of Time Zone as due zone we have to select local time via map or drop-down list as well. Then click in Forward.
Step 3. Select a Keyboard:
Next in the installation process is identifying the keyboard as one how like much, suppose selection of USA. Then click in the Forward option.
Step 4. Prepare the Disk Space:
Soon after click in forward next step is “prepare the disk space.” It is the most important in the process as well as complicated. The Ubuntu Disk Partition window starts out with at least two selections:
1. A guided partition to install Ubuntu on the entire hard drive.
2. A manual partition to create your own partitions.
If you select the manual partition process, Ubuntu turns control of the partition process over to you. It provides a great partition utility for you to use to create, edit, or delete hard drive partitions.
The Manual Partition utility displays the current hard drives, along with any existing partitions configured in them. You can manually remove, modify, or create individual partitions on any hard rives installed on the system.
Part of the manual partition process is to assign a file system o each partition. A file system is a method used for storing and accessing files on the partition. Many file system formats are available. Unlike some other operating systems, Ubuntu supports several file systems. You can select any of the available file systems for any of the partitions Ubuntu will use. The most common partition type is the ext4 in the Ubuntu guided methods. This system save file changes to a log file before attempting to commit them to the disk.
After you’ve selected a file system for the partition, Ubuntu will want to know where to mount the partition in the virtual file system. The Ubuntu virtual file system handles hard drives by plugging them into specific locations in the virtual file system.
If you create just one partition for Ubuntu you must mount it at the root mount point “/”. If you have additional partitions available, you can mount them in other locations within the virtual file system.
If you are using the manual partition method, don’t forget to allocate a partition for the swap area, even if you already have lots of physical memory installed on your system. The standard rule is to create as large of a swap area as you have physical memory. Thus, if you have 2 GB of physical memory create a 2 GB partition and assign it as the swap area.
N:B: In this process the standard method for personal user is chose (/) at the root mount point as ext4, and (/home) user directories for storing personal files and individual application setting files, and at last 2 GB swap physical memory.
Once you’ve created the partition settings either manually or via the Ubuntu guided, you are ready to move on the next step in the installation.
Step 5: Create a Login ID:
In the installation process is selecting a Login ID, shown in Figure 3-10. Here we have fill up given list where name and password is very important. The user should remember those things. Then click in forward.
Step 6: Migrate Documents and Settings:
The Migrate Documents and Settings window appears if you’re transitioning a Windows partition to an Ubuntu partition. The goal of the Ubuntu Migrate Documents and Settings feature is to enable a seamless transition from a Microsoft Windows workstation to an Ubuntu workstation.
In this step the installer looks in the hard drive partitions you are replacing for any existing Windows partitions. If it finds them, it offers to help migration any Windows user accounts to the Ubuntu environment. Then click to forward.
Step 7: Review Options:
The final step in the installation process requires you to review and confirm all of the features you selected in the previous installation steps. You can backtrack to a previous installation option window and modify your selections. When you see that every thing are ok then click in forward that means you can use now the Ubuntu windows.
In this way, a user can install the Ubuntu in computer.
**Terms Need to know:
Konqueror: It represents the file and web browser
Koffice: It indicates the office application suite.
Xfce: A lightweight desktop that packages components separately so you can pick and choose which features you want to implement.
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