a blog from a web developer, father and human being
The new Ubuntu Software Centre is really great, and I often explore it to find the awesome packages that are available to install. One thing that bugs the hell out of me, however, is that in recent versions of Ubuntu .deb files (ie when you download a deb package and manually install it) open in the Ubuntu Software Centre and the process is incredibly SLOW.
I have dealt with this and just accepted it, instead using the command line (dpkg) instead to avoid using the Ubuntu Software Centre, but I occasionaly forget and just double click the deb file to launch it. Today I decided to solve this problem for myself, so here is how I did it.
Tip: How to give the old deb installer it's place back in newer versions of Ubuntu (instructions are assuming use of pcmanfm, if you are using nautilus, you should start using pcmanfm, it's better - otherwise the process is much the same in nautilus)
First
sudo apt-get install gedbi
This will get gdebi installed. Next find a .deb file you wish to install with your file manager, right click it then select "Open with..."
In the "Custom Command Line" tab enter the following
gdebi-gtk %f
Click the checkbox next to "Set selected application as default...blah" and finally click "Ok".
The deb should load up with gdebi and double-clicking .deb files in the future should fire up gdebi instead of Ubuntu Software Centre.
Again, Ubuntu Software Centre is great for discovering and installing software that is available in the Ubuntu repos but I just think it should be keep out of the loop if I found the software else where.
So I noticed my partner's younger brother (13) gets asked questions like, "Are you on the computer again?" and other naggy-like comments as he will spend a lot of time at the computer playing video games. I don't think there is anything wrong with this, he is engaging his brain, socialising and having some fun at the same time.
This got me thinking as I experienced the same sort of nagging when I was a child at home living with my parents. They would complain about the amount of time I spent at the computer and the amount of time I invested in video games - in fact they still do this. This is totally understandable, as hacking around on a PC and playing video games isn't for everybody so I wouldn't expect anything else. I feel the same way about TV; I do not understand the draw it has and wonder how people can sit and watch so much television.
So from whatever age I was when my parents first brought home a games console, and brought home a PC I was hooked on hacking, learning and gaming. As I grew older, I spent a larger portion of time at my PC learning new skills and leveling up - and this has continued right up until now. I don't regret any of it, not one bit.
So here is a list of some of the stuff I learnt and did whilst not watching TV (in no particular order)
There is loads more, but this is the stuff at the top of my head. Of course I have learnt a lot and done a lot of other stuff whilst away from the computer in this time but I am just writing to say I am sooo glad I didn't watch TV and beer is good.
So after using Natty for a short while, I discovered that it isn't quite ready for me to depend on full time. After a number of freezes and Wifi issues, I decided to return to Maverick Meerkat (10.10) by downgrading. Here is the script I ran after that. I commented out the lines that write to the home folder since this time I maintained the same home folder on a separate partition.
Reducing it down to a very abstract idea, Gnome for me is a series of text boxes I write in. I'll be writing here in my web browser to Posterous, then I'll hit <Alt><Tab> and write to my friend in Empathy then I'll hit F12 to open a terminal with Guake and manage code with Git then hit F12 to go back to my friend on Empathy then <Alt><Tab> twice and I'll be editing code in gedit, then I'll hit <Alt><Tab> twice again and I'll return to writing to Posterous. I am more than aware that there is plenty to click about with in Gnome but ultimately, most the time I use it I am writing and Alt-Tabbing.
These newer ideas about what a desktop should be require a lot of clicking. Whilst I am very anxious to see Unity at it's completion and running perfectly on the desktop, this new way of getting stuff done is making me feel old an scared. I know that Unity will still have such keyboard shortcuts but will people like me be able to make the most of these new desktops?
I know that it is going to be great for my girlfriend, but what about us folk who hate reaching for the mouse?
I had been running Ubuntu on my laptop for a while (with sound), but I really wanted to try out Debian. So I set about installing and configuring it. Eventually, I noticed that I had no sound at all.
After a little diagnosis, obvious stuff like checking the mixer and maxing the volume, I discovered that I could heard a very quiet (almost inaudible) sound with my headphones plugged in whilst playing some very loud music.
I have a Sony Vaio laptop with an Intel HD Audio device; after speaking to the guys in #debian on freenode, I understood that Intel HD audio devices we're a little iffy and that I would have to make sure the right modules are being loaded.
I considered that Ubuntu 10.10 had been installed on my laptop before and the audio worked without any additional configuration. So I compares the versions of alsa in Ubuntu and Debian. They both suggested that they we're version 1.0.23.
However this was not the case. Upon checking the version on the system with "cat /proc/asound/version". It showed the version on Debian Sqeeze as 1.0.21 and on Ubuntu 1.0.23; this was the only apparent difference.
To solve the issue, I figured I would upgrade to the latest alsa version from source. I grabbed the source for alsa-driver, alsa-lib and alsa-utils 1.0.24 from alsa-project.org. I built and installed them; after a reboot, I had sound.
I did come across a small issue while configuring alsa-utils. I received an error along the lines of "panelw not found". The solution here solved this and alowed the configuration to continue.
I wondered if any other Debian users were affected by this issue.
Ubuntu and Gnome get out of your way
This is a big deal for me as I have a demanding job that means I need my system to just work and not bother me with configuration and complaints. Ubuntu and the Gnome desktop together work really well, the defaults are great and I know everything will just work so that I also may just work.
Compatibility with hardware
I am yet to come across any compatibility issues with hardware whilst using Ubuntu. This is great when I see colleagues and friends using Windows constantly hunting for compatible drivers for the right architecture and version of Windows whilst I know I can install Ubuntu on (almost) any machine and it will just work.
Discovering free software and choice
Free software is always good to have but the Ubuntu Software Centre just keeps getting better and better making it easier to discover new applications and utilities to make your Ubuntu experience better. This has become my primary platform for finding new software during the last two iterations of Ubuntu that have included many an update to the software centre. Although Ubuntu is shipped with a default set of software the choice is always there to use another media player, such as Banshee or another photo manager. The ability to remove components (even big ones like the desktop) is just as valuable as the ability to add them, choice is an advantage to any Linux desktop.
Media playback I don't have to worry about file formats, codecs, containers. Ubuntu will manage all this for me, it doesn't matter what sort of video or audio I am trying to play, it just works.
Design Ubuntu was very...brown when I started using it and it was not the prettiest looking desktop (by default) for a long time, but in the last two releases the design has come a long way with a new default theme that is almost a crime to change and a new font that looks amazing. It is only going to get better with the new Unity desktop that will be the default shell in Ubuntu 11.04.
Security Ubuntu and Linux is not targeted like Windows for malware and various other bad stuff. You will not have to constantly scan update and clean your system, you get security just by using it.
It's fresh With a new release every six months Ubuntu is always fresh and new and never goes stale. Updates are regular meaning your system is always secure and you are getting the new good stuff from the packages on your system. -- There are a ton of other reasons, such as the great dev tools, the ease with which you can set up a server, the super useful live USB and the massive community and plethora of ways you can get support.
The above are reasons why I love Ubuntu, based on my well established opinions. They may well be the reason why you don't.
Photograph by Christina Campisi
Our little family of three were in the town center where we live yesterday and we had to find somewhere to get lunch. When my son's belly starts rumbling finding a place to eat gets quite time critical. So we hastily set about finding a place that looked like it might serve something that, at least, resembled food and could accommodate children. The first restaurant we entered had two floors (probably making use of the limited and probably more expensive space in a town center). We waited to be seated, until we were approached by a waitress who sent us upstairs and told us that we would be seated there. So we went upstairs where we were ignored for some reason. The top of the stair case was situated right by a door to the kitchen and several staff walked right by the three of us standing there like lemons, a little odd I thought. Whilst I was waiting I had a look around to see if there was no where to seat us, but there was plenty of space for my little family.
Hi, I’m Rick Vause. I am a web developer that loves Python.
I have always been interested in technology and software. I am a keen supporter of a number of open source projects.
I am obsessed with my ideas and attempts to continuously better myself in both my work and leisure time. I am always learning and trying to improve as long as there is space left in my head. I often find interesting, new things (interesting and new to me, at least) that I share on my blog.
I also like music and art.
I once spent 2 months working on a self-portrait that turned out terrible so for the avatar portrait I turned to my better half, Klaudia.
If you have any questions, comments or wish to talk to me about a project you are working on, please contact me.
I also try to be social so you can find me on Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm.
