Dutch LinuxMint website born

One of the major hurdles for non-English speaking people is the lack of properly maintained localized websites for their distro of choice. Installing any given distro in your native language is no problem at all, but getting support, installation tips, howto's, ... is sometimes hard for the non-English user.
Most forums have a localized section for non-English users, but even finding those sub-forums is often to difficult for them.

LinuxMint is no different in that aspect. Installing the Dutch localized version is no problem, and there is a subforum for Dutch speaking users (http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewforum.php?f=67), but almost nobody enters any questions in there. This has to do with the fact that most experienced Linux users actually do speak/read/write English and never ever consider to have a look in the localized subforum for newbie questions in Dutch, which has an adverse effect, because if a question is posted in that subforum, it simply never is read, so the OP is left clueless about any possible answer to his Dutch question.

OTOH, setting up a webserver, registering a domain, managing your own site and forum requires not only technical skill, but also a financial input and a never ending dedication to keep it up and running.

Gerard Aalders aka Schorem is the man behind the Dutch Linuxmint website, which he created on October 9, 2009.

It can be access on http://linuxmint-nl.org.

Currently Schorem is the admin with me (Wamukota) and Fred Burgemeester (aka midas) acting as moderator.

We hope that the website will be a success, and that Dutch and Flemish LinuxMint users will flock together on our website so that a thriving Dutch LinuxMint community will emerge.

Open Source but no Open Mind

This one is about me, but I'm sure some readers will recognize it.

I've been an Open Source user and advocate for years. Even when I was still running MS-Windows, I ran open source whenever possible.
When I started using Linux, KDE was the desktop that I discovered, as it was the default desktop for Suse. I quickly learned to appreciate KDE 3.3 and I have upgraded my KDE desktop up until release 3.5.10 running on PCLinuxOS 2009.2.

Developing a full blow desktop environment is a mammoth task. Not only must it 'work', it must also be written so that anybody can use it, preferable with as little training as possible. It must be appealing to eye, customizable, lightweight, intuitive, able to cope with all kinds of programs in different languages and obviously it must be stable. Not a task for the faint.

When KDE4 was first released, I was really curious and installed it. But it was a great deception. The so-called old KDE 3.5.10 was way better than KDE 4.0, and that pissed me off. Was every new release not meant to be even par or even better than its predecessor?

When KDE 4.1 was released it was still not what I expected and I did the unthinkable. I turned to Gnome and my laptop ran Ubuntu for quite a while.

I tried every follow-up release of KDE 4 and dumped it. It was not the KDE which I had in mind. I found it not so stable, rather complex with a lot of new concepts and programs. To make a long story short, I developed an aversion for KDE4.

When, a few weeks ago, I was helping out my neighbor with his frozen Vista, I talked him over to try Linux. I installed PCLinuxOS 2009.2 on his box in dual-boot and told him to experiment and to give me some feedback.
Last Friday, he told me that Linux was not his cup of tea. The programs have other names, the menu is different, he is missing some applications, the desktop is alien. The classic problems a new Linux user is confronted with. Then I told him that Linux is Not Windows, and that he must approach the new environment unbiased. He must be open for the changes and then it would all be much easier.

Back home, I suddenly realized that what I had told him about being unbiased and open for changes was what I lacked with regard to KDE4.
KDE4 was not bad, I was simply to stubborn to open my mind to the new environment. My creativity was mummified in such a way that I denied myself any freedom to explore new horizons.

I was the culprit in my KDE4 saga, not the developers. They did (and do) a wonderful job starting from scratch, rolling out new releases, changing the concept of the desktop by presenting us with the next evolution in desktop environments, and I didn't open my mind for it.

Consequently, I upgraded my PCLinuxOS 2009.2 KDE3.5.10 to KDE 4.3.1, put aside whatever preconceived ideas I had, read about the 'why' of KDE4, and humbly started to discover my new desktop.

The result is that I can appreciate the new desktop environment, and also accept that some programs are not yet up to standard, but they will in time.

I work now with PCLinuxOS 2009.2 KDE 4.3.1 and I must apologize to the devs and all those involved with the KDE4 project, because they deliver a good piece of software, but I was to closed minded to see the power of the open source KDE4 desktop environment.

I tried out PCLinuxOS 2009.2 KDE 4.3.1

We all know the serieux that Texstar lies in his PClinuxOS releases and although there is still no native PCLinuxOS KDE 4 release for download, Texstar and the Gang provide the PCLinuxOS user a KDE4 dedicated repository.
That repo is up to date with the latest branch of KDE which at the time of this writing is KDE 4.3.1.

How to install PCLinuxOS 2009.2 KDE4.3.1 ?

As stated on the PCLinuxOS forum by Texstar:

Best to use on a separate installation/partition or in Virtualbox. MiniMe 2009 works quite well. Warning - updating to KDE 4 will remove all of your KDE 3 desktop and applications.

01. Turn off Compiz 3D desktop
02. Open Synaptic , click on Settings ->  Repositories
03. If belnet.be is checked uncheck and select another repository (belnet.be hasn't been updated in almost a month)
04. Click on new repository you selected.
05. Change kde to kde4 in the sections area (main extra nonfree gnome kde -> main extra nonfree gnome kde4)
06. Press reload to get updated file listing
07. Click on Search
08. Type in task-kde4
09. Select one of the task-kde4 packages (task-kde4) will install most common components (task-kde4-minimal) will only install kdebase and kdelibs for a minimal desktop.  Right click on one of the task-kde packages and mark for install then click apply. Warning this will remove all of your KDE 3 desktop and supporting applications!
10. Reboot system. (If you get dropped to console hold alt and control keys down then press delete key to reboot system.
After rebooting log in to the new kde desktop.

The KDE 4 desktop is still under development and while fairly stable many 3rd party supporting applications have not been ported to KDE 4.

About PClinuxOS KDE4.3.1

Personally I had problems with previous releases of KDE4. Not technically but I couldn't get to grips with the new philosophy behind KDE4. So I ventured into Gnome territory (PClinuxOS Gnome, Ubuntu, Mint, …) but kept a partition alive on my desktop where I installed and 'played' with the different KDE4 flavors as they came along.

As I'm not the 'graphically' inclined user, a desktop for me is really nothing more than a background. The idea of using that blank canvas for widgets was alien to me. I was even so 'brave' to blame my inability to use KDE4 on the devs.... (Shame on me...)

I expected a simple one-to-one replacement of the KDE 3.5.10 environment and was blind for the new concept and philosophy behind KDE4. So, my first experiences were not that good.
I should have given the devs some credit as they need time to get to grips with the new environment, new libraries, had to rewrite thousands of lines of code and keep up with a bunch of whining users who expected more if not all, at once. With hindsight, I must admit that it was clearly a case of PEBKAC

Now that KDE 4.3.1 was released and Texstar updated the repo, I decided to give PCLinuxOS KDE4 a new try (installed it on top of a PCLinuxOS 2009.2 KDE3), blanked my mind and for the first time I found myself liking KDE4. Yes, love must come from both parties.


I wanted to know how my favorite programs fare under KDE4, namely Amarok, Kontact, K3B, Kopete, ... I also wanted to discover the new stuff like Dolphin, Okular. Och I know, there is more to discover but what I experienced up to now is very good. I even put some widgets on my desktop LOL.

It is just 48 hours since I wiped PCLinuxOS Gnome and replaced it with PCLinuxOS KDE 4 and it is here to stay. I am rediscovering my desktop - hey doesn't that quote sounds somewhere familiar ;-) - and I start to like KDE4 more and more.

Kudos to the KDE devs and to Texstar and the Gang.

Broken HD paves the way for Ubuntu

Last weekend I got a call from a friend who complained that his laptop had suddenly made a strange noise. He shut down the unit and restarted it, hoping that it was just a temporary glitch but the laptop remained dead. He asked if I could help him out.

I reported with my kit of Linux Cd's and the first thing I tried was accessing the HD from the Ubuntu 9.04 live CD. That worked and I was able to copy all his personal files to his memory stick. As the data was safely retrieved I rebooted the laptop with the Windows recovery CD and went for a complete re-installation. All went fine until the formatting of the HD was interrupted. There was clearly something wrong with it.

Booting with Ubuntu again I ran a S.M.A.R.T check on the HD and it became clear that it was indeed dead.

I couldn't leave him 'laptopless' during the weekend, so I removed the faulty HD from the laptop, left the Ubuntu Live CD in the Cd-drive and booted the system.
I showed him how to configure his Wifi and how to use the memorystick for data storage and told him he could now continue to work without the HD until he had the time to buy a new one.

Yesterday evening I installed the new HD, but instead of installing XP from the recovery CD, he wanted Ubuntu to be installed because he found it amazing that he could do everything he used to do with XP, but running live from a CD. I could only congratulate him on his decision to try out Ubuntu.

Windows 7 RC ... is this the best they have?

The last MS OS I ever had was Win XP. As there is a possibility to download and install WinSeven Evaluation Copy, I thought that I might install it on my laptop, for two reasons.
First, the day I am called to rescue someones broken WinOS, the WinSeven GUI will look familiar, but more important, I wanted to know what the hype around WinSeven is all about.

So, I went along and created a Live.com account - the only way to get to the download page - and was surprised to see that the ISO was 3 Gb in size. That puts it on par with distros like Sabayon, full of software, multimedia and even games. That looked promising.

The download went smoothly, the DVD was burned - although I did not find a MD5 checksum on their site - and I booted the WinSeven install DVD.

I decided to install WinSeven 64-bit as sole OS on my laptop (HP Compaq nx6325, AMD Sempron 3500+, 1 Gb RAM, ATI xPress 200m)

The ISO is no Live CD/DVD, so you must install it to test it. Not very clever from the guys over there. I could have gone for Virtual Box, but then I am shielded from the real hardware detection and it gives you a false result.

The installation is 100% GUI driven, and if you ever installed a previous version of a Microsoft OS you'll feel at home. Just keep the famous Product Key at hand.
There is no separate root account so the first user becomes the first admin of the system.
There is no 'auto partition' option, so I suppose that most users will go for the entire disc in one big NTFS partition, unless they have a prepartioned HD.

All local hardware was correctly detected, I selected my personal wifi AP, entered the WPA code and was online.

No sooner was I logged in that a first Windows Update was thrown at me, with the usual reboot as a consequence.
I was also warned that I needed an anti-virus package, and a HTML page showed me a list of 'friendly' companies who deliver WinSeven specific AV-products. I decided to install AVG Free but the installation could only be done from AVGs website and I had no way to check if that website was genuine or fake. Gives me an uneasy feeling especially when dealing with such an intrusive software.

The only piece of hardware that was not detected was my printer - a Samsung ML-1710P - because it is located behind a printerserver. I entered the IP of the printerserver and then came the message that there are no drivers available for that type of printer !! What? a 3Gb big ISO and no printer drivers... you must be kidding. I've never had that problem with distros I tested or used. I was told to use a vendor driver disk. Yeah, but not now buddy.

So what about the software? A 3 Gb ISO, plenty of expectations, but aside from some basic programs like IE, Messenger, Live Mail, Paint, Wordpad, Mediaplayer, tools and games, there is not much on board that will allow you to do some office work. MP3s could be played, but a PDF is unknown.

It is up to the user to purchase the software or to know it's way around using Bing to look for and download an office suite, photo editing tools, a PIM, ... It has always been that way, proving once more that a Desktop Linux distro is much more user-centric than any of the MS Operating Systems.
Graphics-wise there is still only one workspace, but I was able to get Aero active and besides some overlapping windows, I didn't note anything special.

When playing around in IE8, the system popped up a message that 'Microsoft Defender' had to check my system, and while it was doing this in the background, IE8 became very slow and even typing became irritating, because the letters only appeared after a few moments. Hey, I have 1 Gb RAM onboard... so what exactly are you doing in the background there? And they call this their best OS ever ? You must be kidding.

I am not that impressed. I know it is only a RC but this is not the kind of OS that will make me drop whatever GNU/Linux distro I am using now in favor of WinSeven. No way! Just compare WinSeven RC with any RC of the popular Desktop distros and experience the difference.

Ubuntu Jaunty 64-bit is now once more humming happily on my laptop while WinSeven has been relegated to the oubliettes

Some snapshots of WinSeven on my laptop

9 Gb for a naked OS.

MP3 playing

What is wrong with my USB-stick?

From Mono to Zero UFN

Mono seems to be the buzz word in the GNU/Linux community currently.

Almost everybody seems to have an opinion on it, but what is the value of those rants and opinions for an end-user running a GNU/Linux distro?

I don't know, but as there are millions of Linux users and only a handful of them write comments on Mono and as the saying goes 'the majority is always right', one could come to the conclusion that Mono isn't worth discussing at all. Ignorance is bliss.... Maybe.

But ignorance often kills and knowledge saves. So kudos for those who take on the mono problem out of the dungeon to the forefront of the community. Only, I, as an end-user, am now more confused than before.

Problem is that I do not know the reason why people are suddenly so upset that Mono is/will be included in a default install of any given distro. Mono is an old project as stated by GreyGeek:

“What's even MORE glaring is that De Icaza has been working on MONO since December of 2000, when he changed the name of his company, Helix Code, to Ximian in order to focus on developing MONO....”

So now, after more than 8 years something drastic must have changed . Is it MSfobia?

What can they do to me? Sue me? But I live in Belgium and I use a distro where the devs have included an application that is possible infringing some foreign patent laws without my knowledge.
IANAL so better save than sorry and due to the lack of correct information I prefer to purge all the mono stuff from my hard-disk until further notice.

sudo apt-get remove --purge mono-common libmono0 libgdiplus && sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/mono

Eliminate the culprit and the problem is solved... for now?!

Am I right? I don't know, but as long as the discussion is not closed I'd rather play save. I don't know who to trust anymore, and this is a very unpleasant feeling, and what about the upcoming Gnome 3? Is KDE4 completely mono free?

Seems I am a FUD victim. Why can't Mark Shuttleworth, Ian Murdoch & Deborah, Patrick Volkerding, Warren Woodford, Daniel Robbins, Gael Duval, Texstar and others come forward with a common statement so that we know where we stand, because erring in the digital and patent twilight zone is not what the community wants.

I prefer my desktop PC to my laptop

For years I've only used a desktop PC as main box. Some three years ago I bought a laptop (XP pro pre-installed) because everybody around me had one, and they all seemed very pleased with it, and you could take it everywhere you went, ...

Although it has a decent display (15 inch 4:3 1024x768), the keyboard is rather small (missing the numeric pad). It is meant to be 'mobile' and I used it for this purpose only giving Linux demos and presentations. The added hardware that you have to pull along (external mouse, power adapter) makes it less mobile. Therefore, I don't use it as a mobile PC anymore (I use Ubuntu LiveCd's and Live USB to boot off the guests machine) and now it merely travels from the living room to my study (7 meters apart).

Performance wise it works fine, and after three years the battery still gives me nearly 2 hours of power, depending on the type of use of course. As I have to drag the power adapter wherever I use it, it caused the low voltage cable between the adapter and my laptop to disconnect from the adapter itself (again), which caused me to order my third power adapter in three years. Not very cost efficient.
Hardware wise you are stuck with whatever hardware is fitted in the laptop. It has a Broadcom 4312 Wifi and in the beginning it took quite a bit a googling to get the wifi running under Linux. Now, with the drivers in the kernel, that problem is solved.
It has an onboard shared memory ATI video card and we all know the problems with drivers for ATI cards, but I cannot change to an nVidia card.
On my desktop all those problems are not existing. I can put my own box together, selecting the correct hardware for a Linux environment, add extra discs, installing a better videocard if I want to, and it is generally cheaper than a laptop with the same spec without the added cost for a MS-Windows license but it lacks the mobility, which is a non-issue anymore now.
That being said, my HP Compaq nx6325 will remain my first and only laptop for as long as it works fine, but I will not replace it with another one, should it break down.

PCLinuxOS Update Notifier

Although it is not installed by default, there is a automatic Update Notifier available for PCLinuxOS, called ... Update Notifier

update-notifier is a tool to automatically check for new updates. It displays an icon in the system tray with the quantity of updateable packages. It also provides options to view a list of available packages, and multiple ways to install them. The user can also easily force an update check from the desktop at any time.
The installation process will set up the notifier to automatically start at log-in for both the Gnome and KDE desktop environments. Users of other desktop environments will have to manually start the application or set up auto-start for their environment.

To install, open a console and type in the following:

$ su
# apt-get install update-notifier

Upon login, the update notifier is automatically run, so after installing no configuration must be done.
The symbol - a modified Synaptic icon - appears in your systray.

PCLinuxOS meta packages

Although PCLinuxOS is a KDE-based distro - KDE 3.5.10 at the time of this writing - you can easily add other Window Managers alongside the default KDE.

The meta packages are available in the repo.

Open Synaptic, and search for task-

For Enlightenment DR17 select and install task-enlightenment
For Fluxbox select and install task-fluxbox
For Gnome select and install task-gnome (although you'd better install PCLinuxOS Gnome 2009.1 from http://linuxgator.org
For LXDE select and install task-lxde
For XFCE select and install task-xfce and task-xfce-plugins.

You can select which WM you want to run, by selecting your favorite WM under the Session menu in the KDM login screen.

Another very useful meta-package is the LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) package.
Select and install task-lamp and you end up with dependencies for running a LAMP-server, allowing easy installation of a comprehensive LAMP testing/development setup.

There is more to Ubuntu than meets the eye

It took me more than 4 years to use Ubuntu as my main distro. I am running 9.04/64 on my HP Compaq nx6325 laptop since the beginning of May, and I am very happy with its performance. But that's normal isn't it? So, what more can Ubuntu offer me that will make me stick to it? The human factor.

As I live in Belgium, where only 6 million speak Dutch, the number of Linux users is rather small and LUGs are sparse. But Ubuntu has something that I did not find in other distros; their Local Community or Loco teams.

With the incredible success of Ubuntu around the world, the LoCo project is here to help groups of Ubuntu fans and enthusiasts work together in regional teams to help advocate, promote, translate, develop and otherwise improve Ubuntu.

For me the Belgian Loco Team can be found on www.ubuntu-be.org/en.

I visited their participation page, subscribed to their maillist, created my launchpad account and adhered to some of their teams.
Next to that I also joined as a support point, so that I can assist new and fellow Ubuntu users in my neighborhood.

We have a weekly IRC meeting (#ubuntu-be -- irc.freenode.net.) every Wednesday evening - except during the summer period where it is every two weeks - where we discuss events (like computer fairs) where we try to have a booth to promote Ubuntu.

Although it is just over 6 weeks since I switched to Ubuntu and joined the Belgian Loco team, I feel already completely integrated in the Loco team and I am looking forward to the next computer fairs where I will be one of the volunteers to man the booth and of course the release party of Karmic Koala.

The whole package consisting of the distro itself, the abundance of Ubuntu blogs and forums, the Loco teams makes it one of the most pleasant environments to work with if you want to give something back to the community, without being a Linux developer/packager.