Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Desktop HOWTO

This tutorial describes how to configure a Ubuntu/Kubuntu Desktop for daily use.


Ubuntu Tweak
Ubuntu Tweak is a GUI tool that allows you to add software sources and applications very easily.
# add key
sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com FE85409EEAB40ECCB65740816AF0E1940624A220
# add this software source
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/tualatrix/ubuntu jaunty main
# install
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak

You can use Ubuntu Tweak to install the following software sources, on the "Third Party Sources":

• Medibuntu
• Opera
• Google
  

Don't install other "Third Party sources" from the ubuntu tweak list, since all of them are already included in medibuntu or ubuntu jaunty sofware sources.
You can now move to the "Add/Remove" section and select:

• Audacity
• Avant Window Navigator
• Avidemux
• Cairo-Dock
• Googleearth
• Gnome Partition Editor
  
• gtk-recordMyDesktop
• Inkscape
  
• Kino
• Lastfm
• Miro Internet TV
  
• Opera
  
• Skype
• Ubuntu restricted extras - multimedia codecs, java, flash
  
• VLC media player
  
• Wine

Pick any other application that you find interesting, and select apply.

Configure repositories for extra Applications

On Ubuntu goto to System->Administration->Software Sources->Third Party Software and select "Add".

# Canonical repository (Acrobat, Flash, VMWare and DB2 Express)
# enable this on the Software Sources Management tool (tab thir-party) from ubuntu/kubuntu menu

# Google Linux repository, add both to get picasa
deb http://dl.google.com/linux/deb/ stable non-free
deb http://dl.google.com/linux/deb/ testing non-free

# Virtual Box
deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian jaunty non-free

# medibuntu repositories
# run this command to add this repository
sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/jaunty.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list

To get the GPG key for Picasa and Virtual Box

# Google Key
wget -q -O - http://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add -

# Virtual Box Key
wget -q http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/sun_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

# medibuntu Key
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

Java, Skype, Acrobat, GoogleEarth, Proprietary and Others

For installation execute the following commands:

# Update the index of your repositories
sudo apt-get update

# google earth, virtualbox, libdvdcss2, codecs, skype, ffmpeg, amarok, lastfm, picasa, wine acrobatreader
sudo apt-get install googleearth libdvdcss2 ffmpeg non-free-codecs skype miro amarok libtunepimp5-mp3 lastfm picasa wine acroread gizmo5

For other very usefull apps:

# Some cool games
sudo apt-get install frozen-bubble warzone2100 chromium nexuiz

# Amarok media player, Lastfm music client
sudo apt-get install amarok libtunepimp5-mp3 lastfm

# The ubuntu-restricted-extras (installs flash, java, multimedia codecs)
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

# The kubuntu-restricted-extras (install this one if you use kubuntu)
sudo apt-get install kubuntu-restricted-extras

# Mediatomb UPnP MediaServer with a nice web user interface. Share your media with PS3 and XBOX devices.
# cat /var/log/mediatomb.log to see what url is the server running point you browser to that url to configure
sudo apt-get install mediatomb


# Acrobat Reader
sudo apt-get install acroread

# Google Earth, Picasa
sudo apt-get install googleearth picasa

# Skype
sudo apt-get install skype

# Miro - The free open-source video platform.
sudo apt-get install miro

# KDE download manager
sudo apt-get install kget

# OSS voip, softphone, video conference tools
sudo apt-get install ekiga twinkle gizmo5

# image and publishing tools
sudo apt-get install krita scribus inkscape karbon

# Kexi is considered as a long awaited Open Source competitor for Microsoft Access, Filemaker and Oracle Forms.
# Kivio is an easy to use diagramming and flowcharting application
# KPlato is a project management application.
sudo apt-get install kplato kivio kexi

### Advanced usage

# visual partition editor
sudo apt-get install gparted

# To change the default JVM run the command below and select the relevant version.
# If you only have one JVM this step should not be required.
sudo update-alternatives --config java

# remote login using ssh
sudo apt-get install sshfs openssh-server

VirtualBox - running windows and other linux inside ubuntu

# Fast Virtual Machine (faster than VMWare) with a simple interface
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-2.2

If you need to connect USB devices directly to your VMs, you will need to change some settings.

• Add your user to the group "usbusers". You can use the tool available on System->Administration->Users And Groups

Restart, enjoy

Ubuntu 9.04 3D Desktop

Ubuntu Jaunty 9.04 alpha6 with the latest updates as of 21 March 2009.
Compiz and cairo-dock are enabled.
The demo was recorded with gtk-recordmydesktop and upload to youtube without changes.

I used a Thinkpad T61p with a nvidia card.

The video was recorded at 1920x1200 15fps at the same time as all those apps where running, sometimes it looks a bit sloppy, but on the screen of the t61p it looked very fluid and smooth.

I think gtk-recordmydesktop was probably not able to grab all the video glory from the video card.

How to flash the Bios using a DOS USB Flash drive

This tutorial might delete your hard-drive or usb-drive data, in case you do not understand how partitions work, avoid this tutorial


Install gparted and run:
sudo apt-get install gparted
sudo gparted

- Select the the USB drive, delete all partitions and click apply.

- Create a new FAT16 partition, apply


- Format FAT16 partition, apply



- Set boot flag, set label to DOS




After all this is done, you should have a pen with a DOS partition. The drive I'm using is assigned to sdf1 partition.

sudo apt-get install dosemu

# some usb drives mount on the same drive as the cdrom, so we are changing it to be safe
sudo gedit /etc/dosemu/freedos/autoexec.bat



Create this file /home/youruser/dosemurc
Put the correct partition used in gparted section:

$_hdimage = "drives/* /dev/sdf1"

Save the file and execute

sudo dosemu -f /home/youruser/dosemurc

# as you can see the flash drive was assign to drive E under DOS

Type
> Z:
to change to the drive that contains the OS binaries and then type
> sys E:
to copy all needed files to make DOS boot.


You can close dosemu, and remove the USB drive.
Plug it again to see a DOS drive on the desktop.
Now copy all the needed files to flash your bios.

NOTE: I'm not sure, but I think FAT16 should only work for USB drives with 4GB partitions or lower, so if you have a USB drive bigger than 4GB just create a partition with less than 4GB, and leave the rest as free space.