Soma-notes - User contributions [en]

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-12-20T02:27:47Z

Akwiatko: report 3

=Part I=

==Background==

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/ UberStudent] is a free [https://www.linux.com/ Linux] http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/linux/articles/ardistro.html distribution] for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” <ref>[http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 "About UberStudent"]: www.uberstudent.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref> Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]] It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education <ref>[https://plus.google.com/108201334914208902042/about "Stephen Ewen - Google+"]: plus.google.com. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other [http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/linux/articles/ardistro.html distros], notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc CD] as opposed to the full [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD DVD] edition<ref>[http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=3 "Get UberStudent"]: www.uberstudent.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

The live CD [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_image ISO image] we used for this report, downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website], was 660 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabyte MB], and the final size of the [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-virtual-machine.htm virtual machine]'s disk was 2.9 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabyte GB], and increased to 3.5 GB after including [http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/22272.htm Parallels Tools]. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

==Installation/Startup==

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent [http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/stats/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2.53-aluminum-15-late-2008-unibody-specs.html MacBook Pro] running [http://www.parallels.com/landingpage/dskd63-5/ Parallels 6]. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random-access_memory RAM] and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive SSD] drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost <ref>[http://vinf.net/2009/11/19/comparing-the-io-performance-of-2-or-more-virtual-machines-ssd-sata-iometer/ "Comparing the I/O Performance of 2 or more Virtual Machines SSD, SATA & IOmeter"]: vinf.net. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>. For whatever reason, that duration didn't change when we allowed the virtualized computer access to both the laptop's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit CPU] cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable, with the small exception of a warning that gets printed just before the login screen is shown that states "unknown user (0)". [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

Installation was straightforward:
* Create a new virtual machine in Parallels using the ISO file downloaded from the link above [[File:Waste_of_time_1.png|160px|thumb|none|Parallels VM Creation Step 1]]
* Choose a name for the new [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_machine VM] [[File:Waste_of_time_2.png|160px|thumb|none|Parallels VM Creation Step 2]]
* Start the VM and press the Enter key at the boot prompt [[File:Waste_of_time_3.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent LIve CD BIOS Screen]]
* Select the live boot option from the boot selection menu [[File:Waste_of_time_4.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent LIve CD Boot Selection Screen]]
* After the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system OS] has booted, run the tool on the desktop to install UberStudent and choose a language [[File:Waste_of_time_5.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 1]]
* Select a time zone [[File:Waste_of_time_6.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 2]]
* Select a language and keyboard layout [[File:Waste_of_time_7.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 3]]
* Select a hard drive partition, or choose to use the entire [virtual] hard drive [[File:Waste_of_time_8.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 4]]
* Create a username and password to use after installation [[File:Waste_of_time_9.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 5]]
* Review the installation, then continue and wait for the system to install itself and reboot [[File:Waste_of_time_10.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 6]]

==Basic Operation==

UberStudent has a mostly minimal interface, with the taskbar set to the bottom of the screen by default, and a handful of icons on the desktop. As it stands, the multi-level main menu seems to be the most efficient way of navigating the system. [[File:uberstudent-menu.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent main menu]] There are no search-based application launchers such as [http://qsapp.com/ Quicksilver for Windows] or [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2531 Spotlight for Mac].

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including [http://www.google.com/reader/ Google Reader] and [http://eyeos.org/ EyeOS].

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well thought out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a [http://www.google.com/ Google] search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

After the initial installation of the system, a common task is to install all third-party codecs that for copyright reasons are not included with the distribution. UberStudent provides a handy link right in the main menu, under ''Extras'' -> ''Codecs'' -> ''Install Restricted Extras - For Free''. When run, Firefox opens the [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats RestrictedFormats page] at the Ubuntu website, which offers links to download setup files. Alternatively, a user could simply open the Terminal (by visiting the main menu and opening ''Accessories'' -> ''LXTerminal''), and running the following command:
$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
After doing this the system should be able to play types of media that require these codecs to be present.

Not only does this distro help keep studies under control, it also provides tools to manage personal finances. Specifically, it includes a program called [http://buddi.digitalcave.ca/ Buddi], accessible from the main menu under ''Education'' -> ''Self-Management'' -> ''Personal Finances'' -> ''Buddi''. Buddi is an open-source, multi-platform solution for tracking and reporting accounts, budgets, and transactions, aimed at people with "little or no" knowledge of financial accounting. <ref>[http://buddi.digitalcave.ca/index.jsp "Buddi"]: buddi.digitalcave.ca. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>

==Usage Evaluation==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “energy saving and extremely fast”<ref>[http://lxde.org/lxde/ "About LXDE"]: lxde.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop's mission statement that describes itself as “easy-to-use” <ref>[http://foundation.gnome.org/ "The GNOME Foundation"]: foundation.gnome.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME. The fact the lightweight version doesn't have the full-blown GNOME interface means it won't dazzle, but it also won't distract, which may be the more important consideration.

The colour scheme is dark and easy on the eyes. Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in [http://users.softlab.ntua.gr/~taver/security/secur3.html security by obscurity] <ref>[http://www.debian.org/security/ "Debian Security Information"]: www.debian.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A mailing list <ref>[http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ "Debian Security Mailing List"]: lists.debian.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref> is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing cloud]-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to [http://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/definition/device-driver driver] and [http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/multimedia/f/codec.htm codec] download sites.

The bottom line seems to be quite positive when looking at the distro from a non-user's point of view; programs are organized and useful, the OS is light in hard drive space, and the Ubuntu/Debian base will be very comfortable for many users. The system should also be simple to maintain, since the integration of both [http://wiki.debian.org/Apt APT] and the [http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/ Synaptic Package Manager] make finding updated software simple.

==Summary==

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quite there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

=Part II=

==Software Packaging==

UberStudent users can get software in a variety of ways. Of course packages can be manually installed from a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deb_(file_format) DEB file], [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-rpm-file.htm RPM file], or source code from a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(file_format) tar ball]. In addition, the included Synaptic Package Manager offers a simple graphical approach to searching for and managing software. The distro also comes with a useful command-line tool called APT, which provides access to a huge database of software.

Whenever a user wants a list of all installed software on a system running UberStudent, they can either ask the Synaptic Package Manager or APT. The former provides a GUI list, and the latter provides an analytical portal, namely [http://linux.die.net/man/8/apt-cache apt-cache].

Using commands such as [http://linux.die.net/man/8/apt-get apt-get] update and apt-get install, most packages a user will need can be installed, removed, and managed through APT. Users can also opt to use the Synaptic interface to accomplish the same tasks. For instance, simple use cases for APT include the following.
:'''sudo apt-get update''' to refresh the local repository of software that apt knows about
:'''sudo apt-get upgrade''' to upgrade all packages that apt knows of newer versions of
:'''sudo apt-get install ''<package-name>''''': download and install ''<package-name>'', respecting all dependencies
:'''sudo apt-get upgrade ''<package-name>''''': download and install the latest version of ''<package-name>'', respecting all dependencies
:'''sudo apt-get remove ''<package-name>''''': delete ''<package-name>'' and any packages that depend on it
:'''apt-get help''' for more documentation

As far as Linux package management goes, UberStudent is more than competent. APT itself would be considered enough on many distros, but UberStudent sticks closer to its Ubuntu roots and the associated power and simplicity.

==Major package versions==

===Core===

{| border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.kernel.org/ Linux kernel]
|2.6.32-24-generic (12/2009)
|3.1.1 (11/2011)
|[http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges High]
|[ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.1.1.tar.gz ftp.kernel.org]
|What/why: OS kernel
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/libc/ glibc]
|2.11.1 (10/2009)
|2.14.1 (06/2011)
|High
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/glibc/glibc-2.14.1.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|What: system library, defines system calls. Why: part of OS
|}

===GUI Platforms and Toolkits===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.x.org/ X.org]
|7.5 (10/2009)
|7.6 (12/2010)
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/7.6 High]
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/Download?action=show&redirect=Mirrors x.org]
|What: windowing system. Why: drives the GUI
|-
|[http://www.gtk.org/ GTK+]
|2.20.1 (05/2010)
|3.2.2 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gtk+/3.2/gtk+-3.2.2.tar.bz2 ftp.gnome.org]
|What: GUI framework. Why: commonly used, well-supported
|-
|[http://qt.nokia.com/ Qt]
|4.6.2 (02/2010)
|4.7.4 (09/2011)
|[http://labs.qt.nokia.com/2011/09/01/qt-4-7-4-released/ Medium]
|[ftp://ftp.trolltech.com/qt/source/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.4.tar.gz ftp.trolltech.com]
|What: GUI framework. Why: commonly used, well-supported
|}

===Shells===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/bash/ Bash]
|4.1 (01/2010)
|4.2 (02/2011)
|[http://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/bash/CHANGES High]
|[ftp://ftp.cwru.edu/pub/bash/bash-4.2.tar.gz ftp.cwru.edu]
|What: shell. Why: part of OS
|}

===Utilities===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/coreutils/ ls]
|7.4 (05/2009)
|8.14 (10/2011)
|[http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=coreutils.git;a=shortlog;h=v8.4 High]
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/coreutils/coreutils-8.14.tar.xz ftp.gnu.org]
|What: program listing utility. Why: part of OS
|-
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/ ps]
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|None
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/procps-3.2.8.tar.gz procps.sourceforge.net]
|What: process listing utility. Why: part of OS
|-
|[http://busybox.net/ busybox]
|1.13.3 (03/2009)
|1.19.3 (10/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://busybox.net/downloads/busybox-1.19.3.tar.bz2 busybox.net]
|What: process-combining utility. Why: useful for power-users
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/software/grep/ grep]
|2.5.4 (11/2009)
|2.9 (06/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grep/grep-2.9.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|What: search utility. Why: part of OS
|}

===Software Packaging===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/ Synaptic Package Manager]
|0.63.1 (10/2010)
|0.57.2 (01/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/synaptic/synaptic-0.57.2.tar.gz gnu.org]
|What: system software manager. Why: user-friendly, GUI
|-
|[http://wiki.debian.org/Apt APT]
|0.7.25 (Unknown)
|0.8.10.3 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt/apt_0.8.10.3+squeeze1.tar.gz debian.org]
|What: system software manager. Why: powerful, comprehensive, command-line based
|}

===Web Browsers===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.google.com/chrome?platform=linux Google Chrome]
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|None
|[http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?platform=linux google.com]
|What: Internet browser. Why: secure, small resource footprint
|-
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html Mozilla Firefox]
|3.6.8 (01/2010)
|8.0 (11/2011)
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releases/ High]
|[http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-8.0&os=linux&lang=en-US download.mozilla.org]
|What: Internet browser. Why: secure, extensible
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/wget/ Wget]
|1.12 (09/2009)
|1.13.4 (09/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.13.4.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|What: file downloader with crawling capability. Why: powerful, can be automated
|}

===Email===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/ Sylpheed]
|3.0.2 (04/2010)
|3.1.2 (09/2011)
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/news.html High]
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/sylpheed/v3.1/sylpheed-3.1.2.tar.gz sylpheed.sraoss.jp]
|What: email client. Why: open-source, lightweight, easy configuration
|}

==Initialization==

When the Linux kernel is handed control by the BIOS, it launches it starts launching daemon processes to keep things running well. They include the following (in chronological order):
* [http://linux.about.com/od/commands/l/blcmdl8_init.htm init] - process ID 1 (starts all other processes)
* [http://www.tin.org/bin/man.cgi?section=9&topic=ksoftirqd ksoftirqd]
* [http://linux.about.com/cs/linux101/g/watchdog.htm watchdog]
* [http://www.nxmnpg.com/2/cpuset cpuset]
* [http://osinternals.wordpress.com/ khungtaskd]
* [http://science.unitn.it/~fiorella/guidelinux/tlk/node39.html kswapd]
* [http://linux.die.net/man/8/udevd udevd]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rsyslog rsyslogd]
* [http://linux.die.net/man/8/portmap portmap]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetworkManager NetworkManager]

The above processes were found by running the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix Unix] [http://www.techonthenet.com/unix/basic/ls.php ls] command and asking for the output listed by increasing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_identifier PID].

After that, the system begins running its boot-time scripts. Since UberStudent is based on [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu], it uses the [http://upstart.ubuntu.com/ upstart] initialization system as opposed to the older [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIX_System_V System V] method. This means that there is no fixed order to startup tasks, but by reading the boot logs (/var/log/boot.log and /var/log/syslog) a general picture can be seen. The kernel launches the NetworkManager followed by the DHCP client ([http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl8_dhclient.htm dhclient]). After that the crontab ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron cron]) is started, as well as the network time sync daemon ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntpd ntpd]). The system and hardware clocks are also synchronized ([http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl8_hwclock.htm hwclock]).

=References=
<references />

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-12-19T23:27:02Z

Akwiatko: first draft of report 3

=Part I=

==Background==

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/ UberStudent] is a free [https://www.linux.com/ Linux] http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/linux/articles/ardistro.html distribution] for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” <ref>[http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 "About UberStudent"]: www.uberstudent.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref> Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]] It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education <ref>[https://plus.google.com/108201334914208902042/about "Stephen Ewen - Google+"]: plus.google.com. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other [http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/linux/articles/ardistro.html distros], notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc CD] as opposed to the full [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD DVD] edition<ref>[http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=3 "Get UberStudent"]: www.uberstudent.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

The live CD [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_image ISO image] we used for this report, downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website], was 660 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabyte MB], and the final size of the [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-virtual-machine.htm virtual machine]'s disk was 2.9 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigabyte GB], and increased to 3.5 GB after including [http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/docs/en/Parallels_Desktop_Users_Guide/22272.htm Parallels Tools]. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

==Installation/Startup==

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent [http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/stats/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2.53-aluminum-15-late-2008-unibody-specs.html MacBook Pro] running [http://www.parallels.com/landingpage/dskd63-5/ Parallels 6]. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random-access_memory RAM] and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive SSD] drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost <ref>[http://vinf.net/2009/11/19/comparing-the-io-performance-of-2-or-more-virtual-machines-ssd-sata-iometer/ "Comparing the I/O Performance of 2 or more Virtual Machines SSD, SATA & IOmeter"]: vinf.net. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>. For whatever reason, that duration didn't change when we allowed the virtualized computer access to both the laptop's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit CPU] cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable, with the small exception of a warning that gets printed just before the login screen is shown that states "unknown user (0)". [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

Installation was straightforward:
* Create a new virtual machine in Parallels using the ISO file downloaded from the link above [[File:Waste_of_time_1.png|160px|thumb|none|Parallels VM Creation Step 1]]
* Choose a name for the new [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_machine VM] [[File:Waste_of_time_2.png|160px|thumb|none|Parallels VM Creation Step 2]]
* Start the VM and press the Enter key at the boot prompt [[File:Waste_of_time_3.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent LIve CD BIOS Screen]]
* Select the live boot option from the boot selection menu [[File:Waste_of_time_4.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent LIve CD Boot Selection Screen]]
* After the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system OS] has booted, run the tool on the desktop to install UberStudent and choose a language [[File:Waste_of_time_5.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 1]]
* Select a time zone [[File:Waste_of_time_6.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 2]]
* Select a language and keyboard layout [[File:Waste_of_time_7.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 3]]
* Select a hard drive partition, or choose to use the entire [virtual] hard drive [[File:Waste_of_time_8.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 4]]
* Create a username and password to use after installation [[File:Waste_of_time_9.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 5]]
* Review the installation, then continue and wait for the system to install itself and reboot [[File:Waste_of_time_10.png|160px|thumb|none|UberStudent Installation Step 6]]

==Basic Operation==

UberStudent has a mostly minimal interface, with the taskbar set to the bottom of the screen by default, and a handful of icons on the desktop. As it stands, the multi-level main menu seems to be the most efficient way of navigating the system. [[File:uberstudent-menu.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent main menu]] There are no search-based application launchers such as [http://qsapp.com/ Quicksilver for Windows] or [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2531 Spotlight for Mac].

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including [http://www.google.com/reader/ Google Reader] and [http://eyeos.org/ EyeOS].

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well thought out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a [http://www.google.com/ Google] search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

After the initial installation of the system, a common task is to install all third-party codecs that for copyright reasons are not included with the distribution. UberStudent provides a handy link right in the main menu, under ''Extras'' -> ''Codecs'' -> ''Install Restricted Extras - For Free''. When run, Firefox opens the [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats RestrictedFormats page] at the Ubuntu website, which offers links to download setup files. Alternatively, a user could simply open the Terminal (by visiting the main menu and opening ''Accessories'' -> ''LXTerminal''), and running the following command:
$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
After doing this the system should be able to play types of media that require these codecs to be present.

Not only does this distro help keep studies under control, it also provides tools to manage personal finances. Specifically, it includes a program called [http://buddi.digitalcave.ca/ Buddi], accessible from the main menu under ''Education'' -> ''Self-Management'' -> ''Personal Finances'' -> ''Buddi''. Buddi is an open-source, multi-platform solution for tracking and reporting accounts, budgets, and transactions, aimed at people with "little or no" knowledge of financial accounting. <ref>[http://buddi.digitalcave.ca/index.jsp "Buddi"]: buddi.digitalcave.ca. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>

==Usage Evaluation==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “energy saving and extremely fast”<ref>[http://lxde.org/lxde/ "About LXDE"]: lxde.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop's mission statement that describes itself as “easy-to-use” <ref>[http://foundation.gnome.org/ "The GNOME Foundation"]: foundation.gnome.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME. The fact the lightweight version doesn't have the full-blown GNOME interface means it won't dazzle, but it also won't distract, which may be the more important consideration.

The colour scheme is dark and easy on the eyes. Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in [http://users.softlab.ntua.gr/~taver/security/secur3.html security by obscurity] <ref>[http://www.debian.org/security/ "Debian Security Information"]: www.debian.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref>, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A mailing list <ref>[http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ "Debian Security Mailing List"]: lists.debian.org. (Last accessed 2011-12-19).</ref> is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing cloud]-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to [http://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/definition/device-driver driver] and [http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/multimedia/f/codec.htm codec] download sites.

The bottom line seems to be quite positive when looking at the distro from a non-user's point of view; programs are organized and useful, the OS is light in hard drive space, and the Ubuntu/Debian base will be very comfortable for many users. The system should also be simple to maintain, since the integration of both APT and the Synaptic Package Manager make finding updated software simple.

==Summary==

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quite there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

=Part II=

==Software Packaging==

UberStudent users can get software in a variety of ways. Of course packages can be manually installed from a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deb_(file_format) DEB file], [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-rpm-file.htm RPM file], or source code from a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(file_format) tar ball]. In addition, the included [http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/ Synaptic Package Manager] offers a simple graphical approach to searching for and managing software. The distro also comes with a useful command-line tool called [http://wiki.debian.org/Apt APT], which provides access to a huge database of software.

Whenever a user wants a list of all installed software on a system running UberStudent, they can either ask the Synaptic Package Manager or APT. The former provides a GUI list, and the latter provides an analytical portal, namely [http://linux.die.net/man/8/apt-cache apt-cache].

Using commands such as [http://linux.die.net/man/8/apt-get apt-get] update and apt-get install, most packages a user will need can be installed, removed, and managed through APT. Users can also opt to use the Synaptic interface to accomplish the same tasks. For instance, simple use cases for APT include the following.
:'''sudo apt-get update''' to refresh the local repository of software that apt knows about
:'''sudo apt-get upgrade''' to upgrade all packages that apt knows of newer versions of
:'''sudo apt-get install ''<package-name>''''': download and install ''<package-name>'', respecting all dependencies
:'''sudo apt-get upgrade ''<package-name>''''': download and install the latest version of ''<package-name>'', respecting all dependencies
:'''sudo apt-get remove ''<package-name>''''': delete ''<package-name>'' and any packages that depend on it
:'''apt-get help''' for more documentation

As far as Linux package management goes, UberStudent is more than competent. APT itself would be considered enough on many distros, but UberStudent sticks closer to its Ubuntu roots and the associated power and simplicity.

==Major package versions==

===Core===

{| border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.kernel.org/ Linux kernel]
|2.6.32-24-generic (12/2009)
|3.1.1 (11/2011)
|[http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges High]
|[ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.1.1.tar.gz ftp.kernel.org]
|What/why: OS kernel
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/libc/ glibc]
|2.11.1 (10/2009)
|2.14.1 (06/2011)
|High
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/glibc/glibc-2.14.1.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|What: system library, defines system calls. Why: part of OS
|}

===GUI Platforms and Toolkits===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.x.org/ X.org]
|7.5 (10/2009)
|7.6 (12/2010)
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/7.6 High]
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/Download?action=show&redirect=Mirrors x.org]
|What: windowing system. Why: drives the GUI
|-
|[http://www.gtk.org/ GTK+]
|2.20.1 (05/2010)
|3.2.2 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gtk+/3.2/gtk+-3.2.2.tar.bz2 ftp.gnome.org]
|What: GUI framework. Why: commonly used, well-supported
|-
|[http://qt.nokia.com/ Qt]
|4.6.2 (02/2010)
|4.7.4 (09/2011)
|[http://labs.qt.nokia.com/2011/09/01/qt-4-7-4-released/ Medium]
|[ftp://ftp.trolltech.com/qt/source/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.4.tar.gz ftp.trolltech.com]
|What: GUI framework. Why: commonly used, well-supported
|}

===Shells===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/bash/ Bash]
|4.1 (01/2010)
|4.2 (02/2011)
|[http://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/bash/CHANGES High]
|[ftp://ftp.cwru.edu/pub/bash/bash-4.2.tar.gz ftp.cwru.edu]
|What: shell. Why: part of OS
|}

===Utilities===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/coreutils/ ls]
|7.4 (05/2009)
|8.14 (10/2011)
|[http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=coreutils.git;a=shortlog;h=v8.4 High]
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/coreutils/coreutils-8.14.tar.xz ftp.gnu.org]
|What: program listing utility. Why: part of OS
|-
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/ ps]
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|None
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/procps-3.2.8.tar.gz procps.sourceforge.net]
|What: process listing utility. Why: part of OS
|-
|[http://busybox.net/ busybox]
|1.13.3 (03/2009)
|1.19.3 (10/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://busybox.net/downloads/busybox-1.19.3.tar.bz2 busybox.net]
|What: process-combining utility. Why: useful for power-users
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/software/grep/ grep]
|2.5.4 (11/2009)
|2.9 (06/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grep/grep-2.9.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|What: search utility. Why: part of OS
|}

===Software Packaging===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/ Synaptic Package Manager]
|0.63.1 (10/2010)
|0.57.2 (01/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/synaptic/synaptic-0.57.2.tar.gz gnu.org]
|What: system software manager. Why: user-friendly, GUI
|-
|[http://wiki.debian.org/Apt APT]
|0.7.25 (Unknown)
|0.8.10.3 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt/apt_0.8.10.3+squeeze1.tar.gz debian.org]
|What: system software manager. Why: powerful, comprehensive, command-line based
|}

===Web Browsers===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.google.com/chrome?platform=linux Google Chrome]
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|None
|[http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?platform=linux google.com]
|What: Internet browser. Why: secure, small resource footprint
|-
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html Mozilla Firefox]
|3.6.8 (01/2010)
|8.0 (11/2011)
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releases/ High]
|[http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-8.0&os=linux&lang=en-US download.mozilla.org]
|What: Internet browser. Why: secure, extensible
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/wget/ Wget]
|1.12 (09/2009)
|1.13.4 (09/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.13.4.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|What: file downloader with crawling capability. Why: powerful, can be automated
|}

===Email===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/ Sylpheed]
|3.0.2 (04/2010)
|3.1.2 (09/2011)
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/news.html High]
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/sylpheed/v3.1/sylpheed-3.1.2.tar.gz sylpheed.sraoss.jp]
|What: email client. Why: open-source, lightweight, easy configuration
|}

==Initialization==

After the BIOS runs the boot loader, which in turn hands control to the Linux kernel, the system begins running its boot-time scripts. Since UberStudent is based on [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu], it uses the [http://upstart.ubuntu.com/ upstart] initialization system as opposed to the older [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIX_System_V System V] method. This means that there is no fixed order to startup tasks, but by reading the boot logs (/var/log/boot.log and /var/log/syslog) a general picture can be seen. The kernel launches the network ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetworkManager NetworkManager]) followed by the DHCP client ([http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl8_dhclient.htm dhclient]). After that the crontab ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron cron]) is started, as well as the network time sync daemon ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntpd ntpd]). The system and hardware clocks are also synchronized ([http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl8_hwclock.htm hwclock]).

=References=
<references />

File:Uberstudent-menu.png

2011-12-19T16:27:12Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 11.png

2011-12-19T15:48:11Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 10.png

2011-12-19T15:48:05Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 9.png

2011-12-19T15:47:57Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 8.png

2011-12-19T15:47:49Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 7.png

2011-12-19T15:47:41Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 6.png

2011-12-19T15:47:32Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 5.png

2011-12-19T15:47:20Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 4.png

2011-12-19T15:47:04Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 3.png

2011-12-19T15:46:49Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 2.png

2011-12-19T15:46:37Z

Akwiatko:

File:Waste of time 1.png

2011-12-19T15:38:19Z

Akwiatko:

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-11-17T01:42:16Z

Akwiatko: links and cleanup

=Part I=

==Raison d’être==

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]] It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

==Installation and Startup==

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running). [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

==Features==

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well thought out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

===Security and Networking===

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

===Software Packaging===

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

===Ease of Use===

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

==Summary==

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quite there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

=Part II=

==Software Packaging==

UberStudent users can get software in a variety of ways, Of course packages can be manually installed from a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deb_(file_format) DEB file], [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-rpm-file.htm RPM file], or source code from a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(file_format) tar ball]. In addition, the included [http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/ Synaptic Package Manager] offers a simple graphical approach to searching for and managing software. The distro also comes with a useful command-line tool called [http://wiki.debian.org/Apt APT], which provides access to a huge database of software.

Whenever a user wants a list of all installed software on a system running UberStudent, they can either ask the Synaptic Package Manager or APT. The former provides a GUI list, and the latter provides an analytical portal, namely [http://linux.die.net/man/8/apt-cache apt-cache].

Using commands such as [http://linux.die.net/man/8/apt-get apt-get] update and apt-get install, most packages a user will need can be installed, removed, and managed through APT. Users can also opt to use the Synaptic interface to accomplish the same tasks.

As far as Linux package management goes, UberStudent is more than competent. APT itself would be considered enough on many distress, but UberStudent sticks closer to its Ubuntu roots and the associated power and simplicity.

==Major package versions==

===Core===

{| border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.kernel.org/ Linux kernel]
|2.6.32-24-generic (12/2009)
|3.1.1 (11/2011)
|[http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges High]
|[ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.1.1.tar.gz ftp.kernel.org]
|Unknown
|-
|glibc
|2.11.1 (10/2009)
|2.14.1 (06/2011)
|High
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/glibc/glibc-2.14.1.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|Unknown
|}

===GUI Platforms and Toolkits===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|X.org
|7.5 (10/2009)
|7.6 (12/2010)
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/7.6 High]
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/Download?action=show&redirect=Mirrors x.org]
|Unknown
|-
|[http://www.gtk.org/ GTK+]
|2.20.1 (05/2010)
|3.2.2 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gtk+/3.2/gtk+-3.2.2.tar.bz2 ftp.gnome.org]
|Unknown
|-
|[http://qt.nokia.com/ Qt]
|4.6.2 (02/2010)
|4.7.4 (09/2011)
|[http://labs.qt.nokia.com/2011/09/01/qt-4-7-4-released/ Medium]
|[ftp://ftp.trolltech.com/qt/source/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.4.tar.gz ftp.trolltech.com]
|Unknown
|}

===Shells===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/bash/ Bash]
|4.1 (01/2010)
|4.2 (02/2011)
|[http://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/bash/CHANGES High]
|[ftp://ftp.cwru.edu/pub/bash/bash-4.2.tar.gz ftp.cwru.edu]
|Unknown
|}

===Utilities===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/coreutils/ ls]
|7.4 (05/2009)
|8.14 (10/2011)
|[http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=coreutils.git;a=shortlog;h=v8.4 High]
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/coreutils/coreutils-8.14.tar.xz ftp.gnu.org]
|Unknown
|-
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/ ps]
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|None
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/procps-3.2.8.tar.gz procps.sourceforge.net]
|Unknown
|-
|[http://busybox.net/ busybox]
|1.13.3 (03/2009)
|1.19.3 (10/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://busybox.net/downloads/busybox-1.19.3.tar.bz2 busybox.net]
|Unknown
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/software/grep/ grep]
|2.5.4 (11/2009)
|2.9 (06/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grep/grep-2.9.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|Unknown
|}

===Software Packaging===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/ Synaptic Package Manager]
|0.63.1 (10/2010)
|0.57.2 (01/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/synaptic/synaptic-0.57.2.tar.gz gnu.org]
|Unknown
|-
|[http://wiki.debian.org/Apt APT]
|0.7.25 (Unknown)
|0.8.10.3 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt/apt_0.8.10.3+squeeze1.tar.gz debian.org]
|Unknown
|}

===Web Browsers===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://www.google.com/chrome?platform=linux Google Chrome]
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|None
|[http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?platform=linux google.com]
|Unknown
|-
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html Mozilla Firefox]
|3.6.8 (01/2010)
|8.0 (11/2011)
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releases/ High]
|[http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-8.0&os=linux&lang=en-US download.mozilla.org]
|Unknown
|-
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/wget/ Wget]
|1.12 (09/2009)
|1.13.4 (09/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.13.4.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|Unknown
|}

===Email===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/ Sylpheed]
|3.0.2 (04/2010)
|3.1.2 (09/2011)
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/news.html High]
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/sylpheed/v3.1/sylpheed-3.1.2.tar.gz sylpheed.sraoss.jp]
|Unknown
|}

==Initialization==

After the BIOS runs the boot loader, which in turn hands control to the Linux kernel, the system begins running its boot-time scripts. Since UberStudent is based on [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu], it uses the [http://upstart.ubuntu.com/ upstart] initialization system as opposed to the older [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIX_System_V System V] method. This means that there is no fixed order to startup tasks, but by reading the boot logs (/var/log/boot.log and /var/log/syslog) a general picture can be seen. The kernel launches the network ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetworkManager NetworkManager]) followed by the DHCP client ([http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl8_dhclient.htm dhclient]). After that the crontab ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron cron]) is started, as well as the network time sync daemon ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntpd ntpd]). The system and hardware clocks are also synchronized ([http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl8_hwclock.htm hwclock]).

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-11-17T01:29:38Z

Akwiatko: Initialization section of part 2

=Part I=

==Raison d’être==

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]] It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

==Installation and Startup==

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running). [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

==Features==

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well thought out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

===Security and Networking===

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

===Software Packaging===

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

===Ease of Use===

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

==Summary==

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quite there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

=Part II=

==Software Packaging==

UberStudent users can get software in a variety of ways, Of course packages can be manually installed from a DEB file, RPM file, or source code from a tar ball. In addition, the included Synaptic Package Manager offers a simple graphical approach to searching for and managing software. The distro also comes with a useful command-line tool called APT, which provides access to a huge database of software.

Whenever a user wants a list of all installed software on a system running UberStudent, they can either ask the Synaptic Package Manager or APT. The former provides a GUI list, and the latter provides an analytical portal, namely apt-cache.

Using commands such as apt-get update and apt-get install, most packages a user will need can be installed, removed, and managed through APT. Users can also opt to use the Synaptic interface to accomplish the same tasks.

As far as Linux package management goes, UberStudent is more than competent. APT itself would be considered enough on many distress, but UberStudent sticks closer to its Ubuntu roots and the associated power and simplicity.

=Part II=

==Software Packaging==

UberStudent users can get software in a variety of ways, Of course packages can be manually installed from a DEB file, RPM file, or source code from a tar ball. In addition, the included Synaptic Package Manager offers a simple graphical approach to searching for and managing software. The distro also comes with a useful command-line tool called APT, which provides access to a huge database of software.

Whenever a user wants a list of all installed software on a system running UberStudent, they can either ask the Synaptic Package Manager or APT. The former provides a GUI list, and the latter provides an analytical portal, namely apt-cache.

Using commands such as apt-get update and apt-get install, most packages a user will need can be installed, removed, and managed through APT. Users can also opt to use the Synaptic interface to accomplish the same tasks.

As far as Linux package management goes, UberStudent is more than competent. APT itself would be considered enough on many distress, but UberStudent sticks closer to its Ubuntu roots and the associated power and simplicity.

==Major package versions==

===Core===

{| border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Linux kernel
|2.6.32-24-generic (12/2009)
|3.1.1 (11/2011)
|[http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges High]
|[ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.1.1.tar.gz ftp.kernel.org]
|
|-
|glibc
|2.11.1 (10/2009)
|2.14.1 (06/2011)
|High
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/glibc/glibc-2.14.1.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|}

===GUI Platforms and Toolkits===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|X.org
|7.5 (10/2009)
|7.6 (12/2010)
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/7.6 High]
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/Download?action=show&redirect=Mirrors x.org]
|
|-
|GTK+
|2.20.1 (05/2010)
|3.2.2 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gtk+/3.2/gtk+-3.2.2.tar.bz2 ftp.gnome.org]
|
|-
|Qt
|4.6.2 (02/2010)
|4.7.4 (09/2011)
|[http://labs.qt.nokia.com/2011/09/01/qt-4-7-4-released/ Medium]
|[ftp://ftp.trolltech.com/qt/source/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.4.tar.gz ftp.trolltech.com]
|
|}

===Shells===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Bash
|4.1 (01/2010)
|4.2 (02/2011)
|[http://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/bash/CHANGES High]
|[ftp://ftp.cwru.edu/pub/bash/bash-4.2.tar.gz ftp.cwru.edu]
|
|}

===Utilities===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|ls
|7.4 (05/2009)
|8.14 (10/2011)
|[http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=coreutils.git;a=shortlog;h=v8.4 High]
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/coreutils/coreutils-8.14.tar.xz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|-
|ps
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|None
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/procps-3.2.8.tar.gz procps.sourceforge.net]
|
|-
|busybox
|1.13.3 (03/2009)
|1.19.3 (10/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://busybox.net/downloads/busybox-1.19.3.tar.bz2 busybox.net]
|
|-
|grep
|2.5.4 (11/2009)
|2.9 (06/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grep/grep-2.9.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|}

===Software Packaging===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Synaptic Package Manager
|0.63.1 (10/2010)
|0.57.2 (01/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/synaptic/synaptic-0.57.2.tar.gz gnu.org]
|
|-
|APT
|0.7.25 (Unknown)
|0.8.10.3 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt/apt_0.8.10.3+squeeze1.tar.gz debian.org]
|
|}

===Web Browsers===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Google Chrome
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|None
|[http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?platform=linux google.com]
|
|-
|Mozilla Firefox
|3.6.8 (01/2010)
|8.0 (11/2011)
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releases/ High]
|[http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-8.0&os=linux&lang=en-US download.mozilla.org]
|
|-
|Wget
|1.12 (09/2009)
|1.13.4 (09/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.13.4.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|}

===Email===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Sylpheed
|3.0.2 (04/2010)
|3.1.2 (09/2011)
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/news.html High]
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/sylpheed/v3.1/sylpheed-3.1.2.tar.gz sylpheed.sraoss.jp]
|
|}

==Initialization==

After the BIOS runs the boot loader, which in turn hands control to the Linux kernel, the system begins running its boot-time scripts. Since UberStudent is based on Ubuntu, it uses the upstart initialization system as opposed to the older System V method. This means that there is no fixed order to startup tasks, but by reading the boot logs (/var/log/boot.log and /var/log/syslog) a general picture can be seen. The kernel launches the network (NetworkManager) followed by the DHCP client (dhclient). After that the crontab (cron) is started, as well as the network time sync daemon (ntpd). The system and hardware clocks are also synchronized (hwclock).

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-11-17T01:06:37Z

Akwiatko: first draft of part 2

=Part I=

==Raison d’être==

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]] It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

==Installation and Startup==

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running). [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

==Features==

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well thought out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

===Security and Networking===

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

===Software Packaging===

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

===Ease of Use===

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

==Summary==

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quite there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

=Part II=

==Software Packaging==

UberStudent users can get software in a variety of ways, Of course packages can be manually installed from a DEB file, RPM file, or source code from a tar ball. In addition, the included Synaptic Package Manager offers a simple graphical approach to searching for and managing software. The distro also comes with a useful command-line tool called APT, which provides access to a huge database of software.

Whenever a user wants a list of all installed software on a system running UberStudent, they can either ask the Synaptic Package Manager or APT. The former provides a GUI list, and the latter provides an analytical portal, namely apt-cache.

Using commands such as apt-get update and apt-get install, most packages a user will need can be installed, removed, and managed through APT. Users can also opt to use the Synaptic interface to accomplish the same tasks.

As far as Linux package management goes, UberStudent is more than competent. APT itself would be considered enough on many distress, but UberStudent sticks closer to its Ubuntu roots and the associated power and simplicity.

=Part II=

==Software Packaging==

UberStudent users can get software in a variety of ways, Of course packages can be manually installed from a DEB file, RPM file, or source code from a tar ball. In addition, the included Synaptic Package Manager offers a simple graphical approach to searching for and managing software. The distro also comes with a useful command-line tool called APT, which provides access to a huge database of software.

Whenever a user wants a list of all installed software on a system running UberStudent, they can either ask the Synaptic Package Manager or APT. The former provides a GUI list, and the latter provides an analytical portal, namely apt-cache.

Using commands such as apt-get update and apt-get install, most packages a user will need can be installed, removed, and managed through APT. Users can also opt to use the Synaptic interface to accomplish the same tasks.

As far as Linux package management goes, UberStudent is more than competent. APT itself would be considered enough on many distress, but UberStudent sticks closer to its Ubuntu roots and the associated power and simplicity.

==Major package versions==

===Core===

{| border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Linux kernel
|2.6.32-24-generic (12/2009)
|3.1.1 (11/2011)
|[http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges High]
|[ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.1.1.tar.gz ftp.kernel.org]
|
|-
|glibc
|2.11.1 (10/2009)
|2.14.1 (06/2011)
|High
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/glibc/glibc-2.14.1.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|}

===GUI Platforms and Toolkits===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|X.org
|7.5 (10/2009)
|7.6 (12/2010)
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/7.6 High]
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/Download?action=show&redirect=Mirrors x.org]
|
|-
|GTK+
|2.20.1 (05/2010)
|3.2.2 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gtk+/3.2/gtk+-3.2.2.tar.bz2 ftp.gnome.org]
|
|-
|Qt
|4.6.2 (02/2010)
|4.7.4 (09/2011)
|[http://labs.qt.nokia.com/2011/09/01/qt-4-7-4-released/ Medium]
|[ftp://ftp.trolltech.com/qt/source/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.4.tar.gz ftp.trolltech.com]
|
|}

===Shells===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Bash
|4.1 (01/2010)
|4.2 (02/2011)
|[http://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/bash/CHANGES High]
|[ftp://ftp.cwru.edu/pub/bash/bash-4.2.tar.gz ftp.cwru.edu]
|
|}

===Utilities===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|ls
|7.4 (05/2009)
|8.14 (10/2011)
|[http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=coreutils.git;a=shortlog;h=v8.4 High]
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/coreutils/coreutils-8.14.tar.xz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|-
|ps
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|None
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/procps-3.2.8.tar.gz procps.sourceforge.net]
|
|-
|busybox
|1.13.3 (03/2009)
|1.19.3 (10/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://busybox.net/downloads/busybox-1.19.3.tar.bz2 busybox.net]
|
|-
|grep
|2.5.4 (11/2009)
|2.9 (06/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grep/grep-2.9.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|}

===Software Packaging===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Synaptic Package Manager
|0.63.1 (10/2010)
|0.57.2 (01/2011)
|Unknown
|[http://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/synaptic/synaptic-0.57.2.tar.gz gnu.org]
|
|-
|APT
|0.7.25 (Unknown)
|0.8.10.3 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|[http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt/apt_0.8.10.3+squeeze1.tar.gz debian.org]
|
|}

===Web Browsers===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Google Chrome
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|None
|[http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?platform=linux google.com]
|
|-
|Mozilla Firefox
|3.6.8 (01/2010)
|8.0 (11/2011)
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releases/ High]
|[http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-8.0&os=linux&lang=en-US download.mozilla.org]
|
|-
|Wget
|1.12 (09/2009)
|1.13.4 (09/2011)
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.13.4.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|}

===Email===

{|border="1"
! Package Name
! Version/Date As Included
! Latest Stable Version/Date
! Diff Factor
! Upstream Source URL
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|Sylpheed
|3.0.2 (04/2010)
|3.1.2 (09/2011)
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/news.html High]
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/sylpheed/v3.1/sylpheed-3.1.2.tar.gz sylpheed.sraoss.jp]
|
|}

Talk:COMP 3000 Distribution Report Specifications 2011

2011-11-12T19:59:10Z

Akwiatko:

"List all references used in proper bibliographic form, if any."

"Proper" bibliographic form? MLA? APA? Chicago?

I want my report #1 mark...hurry up! [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_delayed_is_justice_denied Justice delayed is justice denied]

COMP 3000 2011 Report: XBMC

2011-10-21T21:21:14Z

Akwiatko: XBMC Foundation link

Report - Part 1

Friday, October 14, 2011

5:26 PM

=Background:=

XBMC is short for Xbox Media Center. This operating system is focused primarily on media playback, including music, podcasts, television and movies. Its main goal is to serve as a versatile dashboard for personal media, acting as a set-top box. It is an open source software solution whose target audience/usage is similar to that of the Apple TV, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. XBMC is meant as robust operating system for home theatre PCs.

XMBC is itself developed by the [http://xbmc.org/prae5/2010/12/10/the-xbmc-foundation/ XBMC Foundation]. It is a non-profit organization that is made up of volunteer developers/translators from around the world. These developers were the original creators of the distribution, and have been updating XBMC since 2003.

XBMC can be downloaded as a media player/dashboard for Windows, MacOS, Linux, and can be used as a standalone Linux OS for PCs as well as other devices such as Xbox and iOS devices like the Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Distributions for all these platforms (except the original Xbox) can be obtained from [http://xbmc.org/ xbmc.org] and [http://cydia.saurik.com/ Cydia] which is an alternative app store for iOS users.

The stand-alone XBMC (XBMC Live) with an embedded Linux OS (Ubuntu) is approximately 490 MB in size. The specific installation instructions cite a 2 GB minimum capacity USB key in order to boot/install from USB.

XBMC gets its namesake from the platform that it was first developed for. In 2003 XBMC was released, but only as an OS for hacked Xbox's. It was a notable piece of software, as it turned the video game console into a remarkably well featured media center. The OS was acclaimed for having great flexibility in terms of video and audio playback, as well as expanded functionality through user-created plug-ins and utilities. In many regards XBMC was the first major media center platform, predating the Apple TV, PlayStation 3, and other prominent set-top boxes.

XBMC quickly grew beyond its titular platform, making its way to Windows, MacOS and Linux, as well as hardware specific builds for PlayStation 3 and Apple TV. The software base of XBMC has also been used commercially as the backbone for the media center platform Boxee, which makes its own set-top boxes. While under a different name, XBMC has become the core for a widely popular consumer set-top box company.

=Installation/Startup=

==Setup in Oracle VirtualBox VMWare==

There were no real issues with installing XBMC in VirtualBox. I simply chose to create a virtual machine for a "Unknown/Other" OS type. The settings are detailed in the screenshot above, but the important details are as follows:

* RAM: 1 GB
* HDD Size: 10.4 GB (Dynamically Allocated)

'''UPDATE''': Enabled 3D Acceleration within VirtualBox. Noticed a slight graphical improvement, but there was still no hardware acceleration within XBMC. This was likely due to the fact that I couldn't install the guest additions for XBMC. Sadly, I wasn't able to find suitable instructions for installing XBMC guest additions.

The installation process itself was smooth, albeit a little slow. It took around 5 minutes for the actual installation to complete, despite the fact that it is typically a lightweight installation as a host OS. When I installed XMBC on a HTPC and even an original Xbox (733 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM) it didn't take more than a minute on either.

Aside from duration though, the installation went off without a hitch. Two partitions were created, filling the 10 GB disk. XMBC installed the appropriate drivers for USB devices, allowing me to use external controllers (such as an Xbox 360 Controller) to navigate the interface.

=Basic Operation=

Upon starting XBMC up, one major problem became readily apparent. XBMC is a graphically oriented OS, one that requires some graphical power to even run its basic dashboard smoothly. Virtualization, however, is only limited to the CPU, so the guest XBMC OS ran excessively very slowly, with a frame rate below 5 FPS. This is quite problematic, as the GPU is heavily involved in any interaction with the OS. This unfortunately cripples all of the functionality of the OS.

I spent some time looking into hardware acceleration for VirtualBox. However, most of my research turned up the same result; that it is only possible on major platforms acting as guest OSs (Windows, Mac, Linux). I will continue researching what alternatives might be available, but for now it is an exceedingly slow OS to virtualize.

Even browsing the basic dashboard took a frustrating amount of time. However, the actual design and interactivity of XBMC is impressive. The dashboard looks fantastic (even if it animates at the same speed as a slideshow), and actually importing videos and music was very intuitive, automated and took very few inputs (thankfully).

However, the keyboard controls for XBMC were quite intuitive, which was very appreciated in a virtualized environment. It is very easy to see how these controls would work well on a remote, or basic controller (tested with an Xbox controller).

As you can see from the main screen on the dashboard, access to personal media is incredibly quick and easy. XBMC also allows media to be imported by user-defined sources. These "sources" can be local or network sources. This is an intuitive system for defining and including specific media and libraries. Additionally, there are many robust and automated library building systems. XBMC is capable of building a remarkably large and complete database of metadata for any imported media, using online libraries like [http://www.imdb.com/ IMDB] and [http://theTVDB.com/ TheTVDB.com] as well as [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/ mp3tag] to match metadata and artwork to entries in your movie, television, and music libraries. This feature is fantastic for users who like having their media organized (myself included); it also allows users to take advantage of the well-designed aesthetic of XBMC without having to take the time to manually input the metadata.

This is an ideal solution for organizing media from a variety of sources. While similar data would be included and displayed if obtained through a singular outlet (iTunes, Zune, etc.). However, in most cases, most users get their digital media from a variety of sources(imported CDs, DVD rips, torrent downloads, etc.). XBMC has one of the only systems in place that accommodates this reality.

In terms of it's use as a media player, XBMC was very impressive for both its ease of use, and format robustness. While sluggish, I was able to easily access my NAS and play a 480p movie. The video itself ran at a slideshow pace, but I was impressed with how few operations were required to open a video on a network device. Considering the level of complexity involved in using my NAS in a Windows environment, it was refreshing to see how easy it was to use.

While I was already familiar with XBMC's versatility with media files from all formats and codecs, its flexibility still deserves credit. Despite having a wide array of file types and formats in my collection, XBMC was able to play everyone one of them without issue. The same cannot be said for some contemporary home theatre platforms. Even years later, it is still much better at handling many varieties of video files than an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. This open source solution is still the easiest and in many ways, best platform for an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PC HTPC].

XBMC also has embraced the idea of crowd-sourced applications. User-created add-ons and plugins are available. While there isn't a great deal of selection, those that are present heartily extend the usage of XBMC. While many act as important media extensions, including YouTube functionality, Netflix and others, there are add-ons that allow XBMC to take on other tasks.

Automated downloaders and torrent clients are available, allowing for XBMC to act as an Internet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_video_recorder PVR]. Emulators and game library plug-ins provide users with a retro arcade experience. Video plug-ins that improve you movie experience by automatically detecting the movie you are about to watch and gives you movie trivia questions related to that movie as well as playing trailers of current movies out in the theatre. Through these extensions, XBMC can provide a unique array of functionality, one that could only be found in an open-source environment.

Overall, XBMC is a media center platform that rivals its commercial counterparts, and in many respects excels beyond them. A great deal of the aforementioned functionality wasn't available for me to test out thoroughly; due to the lack of hardware graphics acceleration. These functions were instead tested out on other platforms (PC and Xbox hardware distributions). However, these distributions are functionally identical (another major advantage of XBMC). This may pose a problem for future sections of the report, but hopefully we can test out the Linux distribution of XBMC outside of a virtualized environment.

=Usage Evaluation=

As stated before, it is difficult to obtain a fair testing environment for XBMC through paravirtualization. However, in terms of meeting its design goals, XBMC remains an excellent media center OS. It recognized and played every media file in my library, regardless of format or codec. As a library/media manager, it was excellent; automatically organizing music, movie and television libraries, and populating them with the appropriate metadata and graphics.

Aesthetically, XBMC is equally impressive. The interface is well laid out, and intuitive. It also manages to take advantage of the detailed metadata for these libraries. For an open-source OS, XBMC presents a smooth interface that rivals major commercial platforms like iTunes and Xbox 360. In addition to this, users have the flexibility of changing the feel of the interface through several skins (themes) designed by the open source community. Some skins are specially optimized for particular platforms it runs on.

That alone speaks volumes about XBMC. It is a free and open-source distribution which is comparable and in many respects superior to platforms which have been created and backed by some of the largest and most successful software companies in the world.

It is also extensible in many interesting ways, taking advantage of being both an Internet connected device and an open platform. Through these plugins XBMC is almost limitless in its media center functionality, acting as a great interface for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTV IPTV] and other online content providers ([http://revision3.com/ Revision3], [http://www.youtube.com/ YouTube], [http://www.icefilms.info/ IceFilms] etc.) as well as being an arcade, supporting game ROM libraries and major emulators.

Seeing the potential customization and functionality of a stand-alone XBMC enabled device has made me very excited to incorporate it into a personal media center. Personally, I see the virtualization issues as an opportunity to test it out in a concrete environment. It is unlikely that there are many distributions chosen for this report which inspire the same sort of interest amongst students.

=References=

* [http://xbmc.org/ Official XBMC website]
* Forum Posts for Virtualization
** [http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?t=52742 XBMC Live Forums]
** [https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16677 Virtualbox.org Forums]
* [http://lifehacker.com/5768174/power-up-your-xbmc-installation-with-these-new-add+ons Lifehacker Feature on XBMC plugins]

COMP 3000 2011 Report: XBMC

2011-10-21T21:20:08Z

Akwiatko:

Report - Part 1

Friday, October 14, 2011

5:26 PM

=Background:=

XBMC is short for Xbox Media Center. This operating system is focused primarily on media playback, including music, podcasts, television and movies. Its main goal is to serve as a versatile dashboard for personal media, acting as a set-top box. It is an open source software solution whose target audience/usage is similar to that of the Apple TV, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. XBMC is meant as robust operating system for home theatre PCs.

XMBC is itself developed by the XBMC Foundation. It is a non-profit organization that is made up of volunteer developers/translators from around the world. These developers were the original creators of the distribution, and have been updating XBMC since 2003.

XBMC can be downloaded as a media player/dashboard for Windows, MacOS, Linux, and can be used as a standalone Linux OS for PCs as well as other devices such as Xbox and iOS devices like the Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Distributions for all these platforms (except the original Xbox) can be obtained from [http://xbmc.org/ xbmc.org] and [http://cydia.saurik.com/ Cydia] which is an alternative app store for iOS users.

The stand-alone XBMC (XBMC Live) with an embedded Linux OS (Ubuntu) is approximately 490 MB in size. The specific installation instructions cite a 2 GB minimum capacity USB key in order to boot/install from USB.

XBMC gets its namesake from the platform that it was first developed for. In 2003 XBMC was released, but only as an OS for hacked Xbox's. It was a notable piece of software, as it turned the video game console into a remarkably well featured media center. The OS was acclaimed for having great flexibility in terms of video and audio playback, as well as expanded functionality through user-created plug-ins and utilities. In many regards XBMC was the first major media center platform, predating the Apple TV, PlayStation 3, and other prominent set-top boxes.

XBMC quickly grew beyond its titular platform, making its way to Windows, MacOS and Linux, as well as hardware specific builds for PlayStation 3 and Apple TV. The software base of XBMC has also been used commercially as the backbone for the media center platform Boxee, which makes its own set-top boxes. While under a different name, XBMC has become the core for a widely popular consumer set-top box company.

=Installation/Startup=

==Setup in Oracle VirtualBox VMWare==

There were no real issues with installing XBMC in VirtualBox. I simply chose to create a virtual machine for a "Unknown/Other" OS type. The settings are detailed in the screenshot above, but the important details are as follows:

* RAM: 1 GB
* HDD Size: 10.4 GB (Dynamically Allocated)

'''UPDATE''': Enabled 3D Acceleration within VirtualBox. Noticed a slight graphical improvement, but there was still no hardware acceleration within XBMC. This was likely due to the fact that I couldn't install the guest additions for XBMC. Sadly, I wasn't able to find suitable instructions for installing XBMC guest additions.

The installation process itself was smooth, albeit a little slow. It took around 5 minutes for the actual installation to complete, despite the fact that it is typically a lightweight installation as a host OS. When I installed XMBC on a HTPC and even an original Xbox (733 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM) it didn't take more than a minute on either.

Aside from duration though, the installation went off without a hitch. Two partitions were created, filling the 10 GB disk. XMBC installed the appropriate drivers for USB devices, allowing me to use external controllers (such as an Xbox 360 Controller) to navigate the interface.

=Basic Operation=

Upon starting XBMC up, one major problem became readily apparent. XBMC is a graphically oriented OS, one that requires some graphical power to even run its basic dashboard smoothly. Virtualization, however, is only limited to the CPU, so the guest XBMC OS ran excessively very slowly, with a frame rate below 5 FPS. This is quite problematic, as the GPU is heavily involved in any interaction with the OS. This unfortunately cripples all of the functionality of the OS.

I spent some time looking into hardware acceleration for VirtualBox. However, most of my research turned up the same result; that it is only possible on major platforms acting as guest OSs (Windows, Mac, Linux). I will continue researching what alternatives might be available, but for now it is an exceedingly slow OS to virtualize.

Even browsing the basic dashboard took a frustrating amount of time. However, the actual design and interactivity of XBMC is impressive. The dashboard looks fantastic (even if it animates at the same speed as a slideshow), and actually importing videos and music was very intuitive, automated and took very few inputs (thankfully).

However, the keyboard controls for XBMC were quite intuitive, which was very appreciated in a virtualized environment. It is very easy to see how these controls would work well on a remote, or basic controller (tested with an Xbox controller).

As you can see from the main screen on the dashboard, access to personal media is incredibly quick and easy. XBMC also allows media to be imported by user-defined sources. These "sources" can be local or network sources. This is an intuitive system for defining and including specific media and libraries. Additionally, there are many robust and automated library building systems. XBMC is capable of building a remarkably large and complete database of metadata for any imported media, using online libraries like [http://www.imdb.com/ IMDB] and [http://theTVDB.com/ TheTVDB.com] as well as [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/ mp3tag] to match metadata and artwork to entries in your movie, television, and music libraries. This feature is fantastic for users who like having their media organized (myself included); it also allows users to take advantage of the well-designed aesthetic of XBMC without having to take the time to manually input the metadata.

This is an ideal solution for organizing media from a variety of sources. While similar data would be included and displayed if obtained through a singular outlet (iTunes, Zune, etc.). However, in most cases, most users get their digital media from a variety of sources(imported CDs, DVD rips, torrent downloads, etc.). XBMC has one of the only systems in place that accommodates this reality.

In terms of it's use as a media player, XBMC was very impressive for both its ease of use, and format robustness. While sluggish, I was able to easily access my NAS and play a 480p movie. The video itself ran at a slideshow pace, but I was impressed with how few operations were required to open a video on a network device. Considering the level of complexity involved in using my NAS in a Windows environment, it was refreshing to see how easy it was to use.

While I was already familiar with XBMC's versatility with media files from all formats and codecs, its flexibility still deserves credit. Despite having a wide array of file types and formats in my collection, XBMC was able to play everyone one of them without issue. The same cannot be said for some contemporary home theatre platforms. Even years later, it is still much better at handling many varieties of video files than an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. This open source solution is still the easiest and in many ways, best platform for an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PC HTPC].

XBMC also has embraced the idea of crowd-sourced applications. User-created add-ons and plugins are available. While there isn't a great deal of selection, those that are present heartily extend the usage of XBMC. While many act as important media extensions, including YouTube functionality, Netflix and others, there are add-ons that allow XBMC to take on other tasks.

Automated downloaders and torrent clients are available, allowing for XBMC to act as an Internet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_video_recorder PVR]. Emulators and game library plug-ins provide users with a retro arcade experience. Video plug-ins that improve you movie experience by automatically detecting the movie you are about to watch and gives you movie trivia questions related to that movie as well as playing trailers of current movies out in the theatre. Through these extensions, XBMC can provide a unique array of functionality, one that could only be found in an open-source environment.

Overall, XBMC is a media center platform that rivals its commercial counterparts, and in many respects excels beyond them. A great deal of the aforementioned functionality wasn't available for me to test out thoroughly; due to the lack of hardware graphics acceleration. These functions were instead tested out on other platforms (PC and Xbox hardware distributions). However, these distributions are functionally identical (another major advantage of XBMC). This may pose a problem for future sections of the report, but hopefully we can test out the Linux distribution of XBMC outside of a virtualized environment.

=Usage Evaluation=

As stated before, it is difficult to obtain a fair testing environment for XBMC through paravirtualization. However, in terms of meeting its design goals, XBMC remains an excellent media center OS. It recognized and played every media file in my library, regardless of format or codec. As a library/media manager, it was excellent; automatically organizing music, movie and television libraries, and populating them with the appropriate metadata and graphics.

Aesthetically, XBMC is equally impressive. The interface is well laid out, and intuitive. It also manages to take advantage of the detailed metadata for these libraries. For an open-source OS, XBMC presents a smooth interface that rivals major commercial platforms like iTunes and Xbox 360. In addition to this, users have the flexibility of changing the feel of the interface through several skins (themes) designed by the open source community. Some skins are specially optimized for particular platforms it runs on.

That alone speaks volumes about XBMC. It is a free and open-source distribution which is comparable and in many respects superior to platforms which have been created and backed by some of the largest and most successful software companies in the world.

It is also extensible in many interesting ways, taking advantage of being both an Internet connected device and an open platform. Through these plugins XBMC is almost limitless in its media center functionality, acting as a great interface for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTV IPTV] and other online content providers ([http://revision3.com/ Revision3], [http://www.youtube.com/ YouTube], [http://www.icefilms.info/ IceFilms] etc.) as well as being an arcade, supporting game ROM libraries and major emulators.

Seeing the potential customization and functionality of a stand-alone XBMC enabled device has made me very excited to incorporate it into a personal media center. Personally, I see the virtualization issues as an opportunity to test it out in a concrete environment. It is unlikely that there are many distributions chosen for this report which inspire the same sort of interest amongst students.

=References=

* [http://xbmc.org/ Official XBMC website]
* Forum Posts for Virtualization
** [http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?t=52742 XBMC Live Forums]
** [https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16677 Virtualbox.org Forums]
* [http://lifehacker.com/5768174/power-up-your-xbmc-installation-with-these-new-add+ons Lifehacker Feature on XBMC plugins]

COMP 3000 2011 Report: XBMC

2011-10-21T21:19:48Z

Akwiatko: formatting, links, grammar, some punctuation

Report - Part 1
Friday, October 14, 2011
5:26 PM

=Background:=

XBMC is short for Xbox Media Center. This operating system is focused primarily on media playback, including music, podcasts, television and movies. Its main goal is to serve as a versatile dashboard for personal media, acting as a set-top box. It is an open source software solution whose target audience/usage is similar to that of the Apple TV, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. XBMC is meant as robust operating system for home theatre PCs.

XMBC is itself developed by the XBMC Foundation. It is a non-profit organization that is made up of volunteer developers/translators from around the world. These developers were the original creators of the distribution, and have been updating XBMC since 2003.

XBMC can be downloaded as a media player/dashboard for Windows, MacOS, Linux, and can be used as a standalone Linux OS for PCs as well as other devices such as Xbox and iOS devices like the Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Distributions for all these platforms (except the original Xbox) can be obtained from [http://xbmc.org/ xbmc.org] and [http://cydia.saurik.com/ Cydia] which is an alternative app store for iOS users.

The stand-alone XBMC (XBMC Live) with an embedded Linux OS (Ubuntu) is approximately 490 MB in size. The specific installation instructions cite a 2 GB minimum capacity USB key in order to boot/install from USB.

XBMC gets its namesake from the platform that it was first developed for. In 2003 XBMC was released, but only as an OS for hacked Xbox's. It was a notable piece of software, as it turned the video game console into a remarkably well featured media center. The OS was acclaimed for having great flexibility in terms of video and audio playback, as well as expanded functionality through user-created plug-ins and utilities. In many regards XBMC was the first major media center platform, predating the Apple TV, PlayStation 3, and other prominent set-top boxes.

XBMC quickly grew beyond its titular platform, making its way to Windows, MacOS and Linux, as well as hardware specific builds for PlayStation 3 and Apple TV. The software base of XBMC has also been used commercially as the backbone for the media center platform Boxee, which makes its own set-top boxes. While under a different name, XBMC has become the core for a widely popular consumer set-top box company.

=Installation/Startup=

==Setup in Oracle VirtualBox VMWare==

There were no real issues with installing XBMC in VirtualBox. I simply chose to create a virtual machine for a "Unknown/Other" OS type. The settings are detailed in the screenshot above, but the important details are as follows:

* RAM: 1 GB
* HDD Size: 10.4 GB (Dynamically Allocated)

'''UPDATE''': Enabled 3D Acceleration within VirtualBox. Noticed a slight graphical improvement, but there was still no hardware acceleration within XBMC. This was likely due to the fact that I couldn't install the guest additions for XBMC. Sadly, I wasn't able to find suitable instructions for installing XBMC guest additions.

The installation process itself was smooth, albeit a little slow. It took around 5 minutes for the actual installation to complete, despite the fact that it is typically a lightweight installation as a host OS. When I installed XMBC on a HTPC and even an original Xbox (733 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM) it didn't take more than a minute on either.

Aside from duration though, the installation went off without a hitch. Two partitions were created, filling the 10 GB disk. XMBC installed the appropriate drivers for USB devices, allowing me to use external controllers (such as an Xbox 360 Controller) to navigate the interface.

=Basic Operation=

Upon starting XBMC up, one major problem became readily apparent. XBMC is a graphically oriented OS, one that requires some graphical power to even run its basic dashboard smoothly. Virtualization, however, is only limited to the CPU, so the guest XBMC OS ran excessively very slowly, with a frame rate below 5 FPS. This is quite problematic, as the GPU is heavily involved in any interaction with the OS. This unfortunately cripples all of the functionality of the OS.

I spent some time looking into hardware acceleration for VirtualBox. However, most of my research turned up the same result; that it is only possible on major platforms acting as guest OSs (Windows, Mac, Linux). I will continue researching what alternatives might be available, but for now it is an exceedingly slow OS to virtualize.

Even browsing the basic dashboard took a frustrating amount of time. However, the actual design and interactivity of XBMC is impressive. The dashboard looks fantastic (even if it animates at the same speed as a slideshow), and actually importing videos and music was very intuitive, automated and took very few inputs (thankfully).

However, the keyboard controls for XBMC were quite intuitive, which was very appreciated in a virtualized environment. It is very easy to see how these controls would work well on a remote, or basic controller (tested with an Xbox controller).

As you can see from the main screen on the dashboard, access to personal media is incredibly quick and easy. XBMC also allows media to be imported by user-defined sources. These "sources" can be local or network sources. This is an intuitive system for defining and including specific media and libraries. Additionally, there are many robust and automated library building systems. XBMC is capable of building a remarkably large and complete database of metadata for any imported media, using online libraries like [http://www.imdb.com/ IMDB] and [http://theTVDB.com/ TheTVDB.com] as well as [http://www.mp3tag.de/en/ mp3tag] to match metadata and artwork to entries in your movie, television, and music libraries. This feature is fantastic for users who like having their media organized (myself included); it also allows users to take advantage of the well-designed aesthetic of XBMC without having to take the time to manually input the metadata.

This is an ideal solution for organizing media from a variety of sources. While similar data would be included and displayed if obtained through a singular outlet (iTunes, Zune, etc.). However, in most cases, most users get their digital media from a variety of sources(imported CDs, DVD rips, torrent downloads, etc.). XBMC has one of the only systems in place that accommodates this reality.

In terms of it's use as a media player, XBMC was very impressive for both its ease of use, and format robustness. While sluggish, I was able to easily access my NAS and play a 480p movie. The video itself ran at a slideshow pace, but I was impressed with how few operations were required to open a video on a network device. Considering the level of complexity involved in using my NAS in a Windows environment, it was refreshing to see how easy it was to use.

While I was already familiar with XBMC's versatility with media files from all formats and codecs, its flexibility still deserves credit. Despite having a wide array of file types and formats in my collection, XBMC was able to play everyone one of them without issue. The same cannot be said for some contemporary home theatre platforms. Even years later, it is still much better at handling many varieties of video files than an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. This open source solution is still the easiest and in many ways, best platform for an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PC HTPC].

XBMC also has embraced the idea of crowd-sourced applications. User-created add-ons and plugins are available. While there isn't a great deal of selection, those that are present heartily extend the usage of XBMC. While many act as important media extensions, including YouTube functionality, Netflix and others, there are add-ons that allow XBMC to take on other tasks.

Automated downloaders and torrent clients are available, allowing for XBMC to act as an Internet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_video_recorder PVR]. Emulators and game library plug-ins provide users with a retro arcade experience. Video plug-ins that improve you movie experience by automatically detecting the movie you are about to watch and gives you movie trivia questions related to that movie as well as playing trailers of current movies out in the theatre. Through these extensions, XBMC can provide a unique array of functionality, one that could only be found in an open-source environment.

Overall, XBMC is a media center platform that rivals its commercial counterparts, and in many respects excels beyond them. A great deal of the aforementioned functionality wasn't available for me to test out thoroughly; due to the lack of hardware graphics acceleration. These functions were instead tested out on other platforms (PC and Xbox hardware distributions). However, these distributions are functionally identical (another major advantage of XBMC). This may pose a problem for future sections of the report, but hopefully we can test out the Linux distribution of XBMC outside of a virtualized environment.

=Usage Evaluation=

As stated before, it is difficult to obtain a fair testing environment for XBMC through paravirtualization. However, in terms of meeting its design goals, XBMC remains an excellent media center OS. It recognized and played every media file in my library, regardless of format or codec. As a library/media manager, it was excellent; automatically organizing music, movie and television libraries, and populating them with the appropriate metadata and graphics.

Aesthetically, XBMC is equally impressive. The interface is well laid out, and intuitive. It also manages to take advantage of the detailed metadata for these libraries. For an open-source OS, XBMC presents a smooth interface that rivals major commercial platforms like iTunes and Xbox 360. In addition to this, users have the flexibility of changing the feel of the interface through several skins (themes) designed by the open source community. Some skins are specially optimized for particular platforms it runs on.

That alone speaks volumes about XBMC. It is a free and open-source distribution which is comparable and in many respects superior to platforms which have been created and backed by some of the largest and most successful software companies in the world.

It is also extensible in many interesting ways, taking advantage of being both an Internet connected device and an open platform. Through these plugins XBMC is almost limitless in its media center functionality, acting as a great interface for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTV IPTV] and other online content providers ([http://revision3.com/ Revision3], [http://www.youtube.com/ YouTube], [http://www.icefilms.info/ IceFilms] etc.) as well as being an arcade, supporting game ROM libraries and major emulators.

Seeing the potential customization and functionality of a stand-alone XBMC enabled device has made me very excited to incorporate it into a personal media center. Personally, I see the virtualization issues as an opportunity to test it out in a concrete environment. It is unlikely that there are many distributions chosen for this report which inspire the same sort of interest amongst students.

=References=

* [http://xbmc.org/ Official XBMC website]
* Forum Posts for Virtualization
** [http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?t=52742 XBMC Live Forums]
** [https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16677 Virtualbox.org Forums]
* [http://lifehacker.com/5768174/power-up-your-xbmc-installation-with-these-new-add+ons Lifehacker Feature on XBMC plugins]

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-10-20T16:03:01Z

Akwiatko: grammar

=Raison d’être=

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]] It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

=Installation and Startup=

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running). [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

=Features=

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well thought out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

==Security and Networking==

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

==Software Packaging==

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

==Ease of Use==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

=Summary=

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quite there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-10-20T15:59:38Z

Akwiatko: spelling

=Raison d’être=

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]] It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

=Installation and Startup=

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running). [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

=Features=

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well-thought-out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

==Security and Networking==

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

==Software Packaging==

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

==Ease of Use==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

=Summary=

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quite there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

COMP 3000 2011 Report: Joli OS

2011-10-19T21:59:15Z

Akwiatko:

== '''Background:''' ==

The name of this operating system is Joli OS, which is especially designed for netbook users. The operating system was developed from “Jolicloud”. After version 1.2 was released, the company renamed it to “Joli OS”.<blockquote>“Jolicloud is a new computing platform which makes the cloud more simple and more open. Jolicloud wants to connect users to all of their online applications, social media, videos, photos and files from any device in the world.” - Jolicloud's website homepage</blockquote>

Joli OS a free Linux operating system based on Ubuntu. It was designed for easy installation, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G modem support all included. The operating system supports all the major netbooks, including models from Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, MSI, Samsung, and Sony. Jolicloud claims the OS supports 98% of netbooks with out-of-the-box compatibility but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joli_OS also works] on a very large number of other devices, up to 10 years old: laptops, desktops and even tablets.

The company Jolicloud was founded in Paris in 2009 by Tariq Krim and Romain Huet. You needed an invitation to download it when first released. But it’s totally free now – no charge for download or use. Just sign up an account at its website and you can enjoy the entertainment or anything else in Joli OS immediately. The size of the latest Joli ISO file is about 691 MB. If you don't like to use virtual machines, you can download an executable file from the site as well.

== '''Installation/startup:'''==

I used the VM VirtualBox to run the Joli OS ISO file as follows
*Step 1, I create a new virtual machine.
*Step 2, start the virtual machine and put the ISO in to load it. The starting interface is like Screenshot 1 (the pictures are placed below this description). After choose the language, time zone, keyboard type, and disk where you want install in, the installation began. It takes about 12 minutes to install Joli OS in my computer completely. The virtual machine needed to be restarted to run the Joli OS. There is an attention here, the computer must be connected to the Internet, or the installation won't be successful. Then after typing into your account of Jolicloud (Facebook account is also accepted), the desktop will appear.

If you want to try the Joli OS, just choose the "try Joli OS without installing” option and you can use it disposably. The steps are the same as above.

Screenshot 1:

[[File:Example.jpg]]

== '''Basic Operation:''' ==

Joli OS has a very nice and concise desktop. (A picture of the desktop is placed below this description). The interface is very clear and easy to understand how to use since it is made for netbooks. You can find many applications which you are very familiar with are already in the desktop, like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Gmail, Youtube, etc. So it's very convenient that you don't need to take extra time to download them from the Internet. Look at the top-right of the desktop, there is a "+" mark, press it and you'll find many more applications here, sorting out into many sections, like games, education, communication etc.(a picture of it is placed below this description) Find the application you want, just‘add’ it. It’s really easy and fast. Most of apps in app center are free here except some manage applications. What's more, every Joli OS user has a public page where they can share the apps with other users, so you can find some apps that are recommended by other users. It really does help. In the bottom-right of the desktop, you can find the button to change the desktop background.

I tried some softwares in the desktop, like Twitter, Facebook and some games. It's just like some weblinks in the desktop, when you click it, it shows the webpage which you just open in the browser.

There are some local applications in the Joli OS, like calculators, text editor, dictionary, movie player, sound recorder, etc. The default form of the text editor is HTML, which can be easily edited in any other primary operating system at present. The movie player also supports many forms of video file, like avi, rm, wav, etc.

Screenshot of desktop

[[File:Example2.jpg]]

Screenshot of application center

[[File:Example3.jpg]]

== '''Usage Evaluation:'''==

During those several days using Joli OS, I really liked it. There are 3 points that made it meet its design goals. First, it won't take much space of a hard disk. Netbooks have smaller hard disk generally. Joli OS saves more personal space for users. Second, it has a simple and clear interface with one press to open, and one press to shut down. Third, the easy application install system, as netbooks are mainly used for surfing the Internet. The applications in Joli OS are enough for basic entertainment.

However, Joli OS still has a big space to improve. For example, I feel the application serves depends on Internet is a little bit slow. The recommended application update is too slow (the latest shared app is 128 days ago) because the lack of users. And the file manager system of the hard disk can still be developed. But those problems above won't affect general use.

I know there aren't many people using Joli OS nowadays. The overwhelming majority of manufacturers and users of netbooks still would like to use Windows because of its strong compatibility. I agree that Windows is much more well-developed than Joli OS. However, Joli OS just a new OS that has not been popularized. In the future, when it become much more commonplace, Joli OS may be used in primary netbook widely. Even now, if you are tired of Windows, Joli OS may be a good choice.

== '''References: ''' ==

http://www.iplaysoft.com/jolicloud.html

http://baike.baidu.com/view/3052819.htm

http://www.crunchbase.com/company/jolicloud

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joli_OS

http://server.zol.com.cn/222/2228446.html

COMP 3000 2011 Report: Joli OS

2011-10-19T21:58:22Z

Akwiatko:

== '''Background:''' ==

The name of this operating system is Joli OS, which is especially designed for netbook users. The operating system was developed from “Jolicloud”. After version 1.2 was released, the company renamed it to “Joli OS”.<blockquote>“Jolicloud is a new computing platform which makes the cloud more simple and more open. Jolicloud wants to connect users to all of their online applications, social media, videos, photos and files from any device in the world.” - Jolicloud's website homepage</blockquote>

Joli OS a free Linux operating system based on Ubuntu. It was designed for easy installation, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G modem support all included. The operating system supports all the major netbooks, including models from Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, MSI, Samsung, and Sony. Jolicloud claims the OS supports 98% of netbooks with out-of-the-box compatibility but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joli_OS also works] on a very large number of other devices, up to 10 years old: laptops, desktops and even tablets.

The company Jolicloud was founded in Paris in 2009 by Tariq Krim and Romain Huet. You needed an invitation to download it when first released. But it’s totally free now – no charge for download or use. Just sign up an account at its website and you can enjoy the entertainment or anything else in Joli OS immediately. The size of the latest Joli ISO file is about 691 MB. If you don't like to use virtual machines, you can download an executable file from the site as well.

== '''Installation/startup:'''==

I used the VM VirtualBox to run the Joli OS ISO file as follows
*Step 1, I create a new virtual machine.
*Step 2, start the virtual machine and put the ISO in to load it. The starting interface is like Screenshot 1 (the pictures are placed below this description). After choose the language, time zone, keyboard type, and disk where you want install in, the installation began. It takes about 12 minutes to install Joli OS in my computer completely. The virtual machine needed to be restarted to run the Joli OS. There is an attention here, the computer must be connected to the Internet, or the installation won't be successful. Then after typing into your account of Jolicloud (Facebook account is also accepted), the desktop will appear.

If you want to try the Joli OS, just choose the ‘try Joli OS without installing”, you can use it disposably. The steps are the same as above.

Screenshot 1:

[[File:Example.jpg]]

== '''Basic Operation:''' ==

Joli OS has a very nice and concise desktop. (A picture of the desktop is placed below this description). The interface is very clear and easy to understand how to use since it is made for netbooks. You can find many applications which you are very familiar with are already in the desktop, like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Gmail, Youtube, etc. So it's very convenient that you don't need to take extra time to download them from the Internet. Look at the top-right of the desktop, there is a "+" mark, press it and you'll find many more applications here, sorting out into many sections, like games, education, communication etc.(a picture of it is placed below this description) Find the application you want, just‘add’ it. It’s really easy and fast. Most of apps in app center are free here except some manage applications. What's more, every Joli OS user has a public page where they can share the apps with other users, so you can find some apps that are recommended by other users. It really does help. In the bottom-right of the desktop, you can find the button to change the desktop background.

I tried some softwares in the desktop, like Twitter, Facebook and some games. It's just like some weblinks in the desktop, when you click it, it shows the webpage which you just open in the browser.

There are some local applications in the Joli OS, like calculators, text editor, dictionary, movie player, sound recorder, etc. The default form of the text editor is HTML, which can be easily edited in any other primary operating system at present. The movie player also supports many forms of video file, like avi, rm, wav, etc.

Screenshot of desktop

[[File:Example2.jpg]]

Screenshot of application center

[[File:Example3.jpg]]

== '''Usage Evaluation:'''==

During those several days using Joli OS, I really liked it. There are 3 points that made it meet its design goals. First, it won't take much space of a hard disk. Netbooks have smaller hard disk generally. Joli OS saves more personal space for users. Second, it has a simple and clear interface with one press to open, and one press to shut down. Third, the easy application install system, as netbooks are mainly used for surfing the Internet. The applications in Joli OS are enough for basic entertainment.

However, Joli OS still has a big space to improve. For example, I feel the application serves depends on Internet is a little bit slow. The recommended application update is too slow (the latest shared app is 128 days ago) because the lack of users. And the file manager system of the hard disk can still be developed. But those problems above won't affect general use.

I know there aren't many people using Joli OS nowadays. The overwhelming majority of manufacturers and users of netbooks still would like to use Windows because of its strong compatibility. I agree that Windows is much more well-developed than Joli OS. However, Joli OS just a new OS that has not been popularized. In the future, when it become much more commonplace, Joli OS may be used in primary netbook widely. Even now, if you are tired of Windows, Joli OS may be a good choice.

== '''References: ''' ==

http://www.iplaysoft.com/jolicloud.html

http://baike.baidu.com/view/3052819.htm

http://www.crunchbase.com/company/jolicloud

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joli_OS

http://server.zol.com.cn/222/2228446.html

COMP 3000 2011 Report: Joli OS

2011-10-19T21:58:00Z

Akwiatko: noun/verb agreement + other grammar, capitalization, punctuation, formatting

== '''Background:''' ==

The name of this operating system is Joli OS, which is especially designed for netbook users. The operating system was developed from “Jolicloud”. After version 1.2 was released, the company renamed it to “Joli OS”.<blockquote>“Jolicloud is a new computing platform which makes the cloud more simple and more open. Jolicloud wants to connect users to all of their online applications, social media, videos, photos and files from any device in the world.” - Jolicloud's website homepage</blockquote>

Joli OS a free Linux operating system based on Ubuntu. It was designed for easy installation, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G modem support all included. The operating system supports all the major netbooks, including models from Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, MSI, Samsung, and Sony. Jolicloud claims the OS supports 98% of netbooks with out-of-the-box compatibility but [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joli_OS also works] on a very large number of other devices, up to 10 years old: laptops, desktops and even tablets.

The company Jolicloud was founded in Paris in 2009 by Tariq Krim and Romain Huet. You needed an invitation to download it when first released. But it’s totally free now – no charge for download or use. Just sign up an account at its website and you can enjoy the entertainment or anything else in Joli OS immediately. The size of the latest Joli ISO file is about 691 MB. If you don't like to use virtual machines, you can download an executable file from the site as well.

== '''Installation/startup:'''==

I used the VM VirtualBox to run the Joli OS ISO file as follows
*Step 1, I create a new virtual machine t.
*Step 2, start the virtual machine and put the ISO in to load it. The starting interface is like Screenshot 1 (the pictures are placed below this description). After choose the language, time zone, keyboard type, and disk where you want install in, the installation began. It takes about 12 minutes to install Joli OS in my computer completely. The virtual machine needed to be restarted to run the Joli OS. There is an attention here, the computer must be connected to the Internet, or the installation won't be successful. Then after typing into your account of Jolicloud (Facebook account is also accepted), the desktop will appear.

If you want to try the Joli OS, just choose the ‘try Joli OS without installing”, you can use it disposably. The steps are the same as above.

Screenshot 1:

[[File:Example.jpg]]

== '''Basic Operation:''' ==

Joli OS has a very nice and concise desktop. (A picture of the desktop is placed below this description). The interface is very clear and easy to understand how to use since it is made for netbooks. You can find many applications which you are very familiar with are already in the desktop, like Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Gmail, Youtube, etc. So it's very convenient that you don't need to take extra time to download them from the Internet. Look at the top-right of the desktop, there is a "+" mark, press it and you'll find many more applications here, sorting out into many sections, like games, education, communication etc.(a picture of it is placed below this description) Find the application you want, just‘add’ it. It’s really easy and fast. Most of apps in app center are free here except some manage applications. What's more, every Joli OS user has a public page where they can share the apps with other users, so you can find some apps that are recommended by other users. It really does help. In the bottom-right of the desktop, you can find the button to change the desktop background.

I tried some softwares in the desktop, like Twitter, Facebook and some games. It's just like some weblinks in the desktop, when you click it, it shows the webpage which you just open in the browser.

There are some local applications in the Joli OS, like calculators, text editor, dictionary, movie player, sound recorder, etc. The default form of the text editor is HTML, which can be easily edited in any other primary operating system at present. The movie player also supports many forms of video file, like avi, rm, wav, etc.

Screenshot of desktop

[[File:Example2.jpg]]

Screenshot of application center

[[File:Example3.jpg]]

== '''Usage Evaluation:'''==

During those several days using Joli OS, I really liked it. There are 3 points that made it meet its design goals. First, it won't take much space of a hard disk. Netbooks have smaller hard disk generally. Joli OS saves more personal space for users. Second, it has a simple and clear interface with one press to open, and one press to shut down. Third, the easy application install system, as netbooks are mainly used for surfing the Internet. The applications in Joli OS are enough for basic entertainment.

However, Joli OS still has a big space to improve. For example, I feel the application serves depends on Internet is a little bit slow. The recommended application update is too slow (the latest shared app is 128 days ago) because the lack of users. And the file manager system of the hard disk can still be developed. But those problems above won't affect general use.

I know there aren't many people using Joli OS nowadays. The overwhelming majority of manufacturers and users of netbooks still would like to use Windows because of its strong compatibility. I agree that Windows is much more well-developed than Joli OS. However, Joli OS just a new OS that has not been popularized. In the future, when it become much more commonplace, Joli OS may be used in primary netbook widely. Even now, if you are tired of Windows, Joli OS may be a good choice.

== '''References: ''' ==

http://www.iplaysoft.com/jolicloud.html

http://baike.baidu.com/view/3052819.htm

http://www.crunchbase.com/company/jolicloud

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joli_OS

http://server.zol.com.cn/222/2228446.html

COMP 3000 2011 Report: Slackware 13.37

2011-10-19T21:41:11Z

Akwiatko: few more fixes

===Background===

----

[[File:Loadscreen.png|200px|thumb|right]]
The Slackware linux project was founded and is coordinated by Patrick Volkerding with the aim to be the most UNIX-like Linux distribution available. In its creation two key tenants are followed, ease of use and stability, resulting in a very flexible and easily maintainable OS. Slackware is based on the 2.6 Linux kernel series and uses the GNU C library version 2.7. For more information or to obtain Slackware visit www.slackware.com to order a DVD or download the ISO<ref name="slack">Patrick Volkerding. "." The Slackware Linux Project. 2011-04-27. . 16 October 2011. <http://www.slackware.com>.</ref>.

===Installation/Startup===

----

[[File:Setup1.png|200px|thumb|left|Setup Utility]]
[[File:StartupOptions.png|200px|thumb|left|Services to load on startup]]
Installation of Slackware Linux was fairly straightforward with complete and clear directions to getting up and running. Installing it through Virtualbox with Ubuntu 11.04 as a host OS presented no particular problems, though may have caused some operational issues that I'll address later. Loading up the slackware.iso brought up a prompt screen that allowed for additional commands to be entered prior to boot (though not required). Then logging in as root and after being prompted to create a partition with fdisk or cfdisk, Slackware provided guidance though its setup utility (called through 'setup') allowing for highly customizable package installation for various different uses, here the default installation was used. After installation, a short configuration and restart was able to login as root but encountered a problem starting the KDE X server, Some research provided a fix<ref name="fix">disturbed1. "KDE crashes in Slackware 13.37" 06-08-2011. LinuxQuestions.org. 16 October 2011. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/kde-crashes-in-slackware-13-37-a-885306/</ref> of disabling composites after which was able to startx without it crashing. though current setup does not startx on boot.
[[File:Xfix.png|200px|thumb|right|Fix to get X Server running]]

===Basic Operation===

----

[[File:Widgets.png|200px|thumb|right|Desktop widgets]]
Slackware Linux is a general distribution optimized for ease of use and stability allowing it to be customized for many different possible roles with the default installation providing a fairly standard OS with a mix of pre-loaded preloaded programs from compilers to games. Shell operation was much the same as other distributions, operation in x windows became a bit sluggish but that could have been accounted for from the virtualization settings. Kde allowed for widgets to be loaded on the desktop and allowed for multiple toolbars or 'panels'. Never got a network connection running and not sure if that was the result of virtualization or not digging hard enough into network settings.

===Usage Evaluation===

----

Slackware attempts to be easy to use and stable. For ease of use Slackware provided ample guidance during setup and installation and the GUI environment was fairly easy to navigate and use though there were instances where it was unclear what an icon would do when clicked as there was no label or tooltip. As for stability there where some initial issues with KDE crashing and some other services that did not startup properly. though some were solved with a bit of research and quite possibly the others just required a bit of missing configuration to work properly. So there was some issues but they were easily solvable. Though stability most likely refers more to following Linux standards and conventions then how often it crashes. Definitely Felt like a true Linux experience though. Overall its strength is not in its default form but in it flexibility to perform many different roles, weather as a terminal or server and in that it seems to excel though further evaluation may be required to state definitively. Overall though is fairly easy to use is more suited to a more adventurous and technically inclined person than the average user.

==References==
<references/>

COMP 3000 2011 Report: Slackware 13.37

2011-10-19T21:40:07Z

Akwiatko: lots of spelling and capitalization

===Background===

----

[[File:Loadscreen.png|200px|thumb|right]]
The Slackware linux project was founded and is coordinated by Patrick Volkerding with the aim to be the most UNIX-like linux distrobution available. In its creation two key tenant are followed, ease of use and stability, resulting in a very flexable and easily maintainable OS. Slackware is based on the 2.6 linux kernel series and uses the GNU C library version 2.7. For more information or to obtain Slackware visit www.slackware.com to order a dvd or download the iso<ref name="slack">Patrick Volkerding. "." The Slackware Linux Project. 2011-04-27. . 16 October 2011. <http://www.slackware.com>.</ref>.

===Installation/Startup===

----

[[File:Setup1.png|200px|thumb|left|Setup Utility]]
[[File:StartupOptions.png|200px|thumb|left|Services to load on startup]]
Installation of Slackware Linux was fairly straightforward with complete and clear directions to getting up and running. Installing it through Virtualbox with Ubuntu 11.04 as a host OS presented no particular problems, though may have caused some operational issues that I'll address later. Loading up the slackware.iso brought up a prompt screen that allowed for additional commands to be entered prior to boot (though not required). Then logging in as root and after being prompted to create a partition with fdisk or cfdisk, Slackware provided guidance though its setup utility (called through 'setup') allowing for highly customizable package installation for various different uses, here the default installation was used. After installation, a short configuration and restart was able to login as root but encountered a problem starting the KDE X server, Some research provided a fix<ref name="fix">disturbed1. "KDE crashes in Slackware 13.37" 06-08-2011. LinuxQuestions.org. 16 October 2011. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/kde-crashes-in-slackware-13-37-a-885306/</ref> of disabling composites after which was able to startx without it crashing. though current setup does not startx on boot.
[[File:Xfix.png|200px|thumb|right|Fix to get X Server running]]

===Basic Operation===

----

[[File:Widgets.png|200px|thumb|right|Desktop widgets]]
Slackware Linux is a general distribution optimized for ease of use and stability allowing it to be customized for many different possible roles with the default installation providing a fairly standard OS with a mix of pre-loaded preloaded programs from compilers to games. Shell operation was much the same as other distributions, operation in x windows became a bit sluggish but that could have been accounted for from the virtualization settings. Kde allowed for widgets to be loaded on the desktop and allowed for multiple toolbars or 'panels'. Never got a network connection running and not sure if that was the result of virtualization or not digging hard enough into network settings.

===Usage Evaluation===

----

Slackware attempts to be easy to use and stable. For ease of use Slackware provided ample guidance during setup and installation and the GUI environment was fairly easy to navigate and use though there were instances where it was unclear what an icon would do when clicked as there was no label or tooltip. As for stability there where some initial issues with KDE crashing and some other services that did not startup properly. though some were solved with a bit of research and quite possibly the others just required a bit of missing configuration to work properly. So there was some issues but they were easily solvable. Though stability most likely refers more to following Linux standards and conventions then how often it crashes. Definitely Felt like a true Linux experience though. Overall its strength is not in its default form but in it flexibility to perform many different roles, weather as a terminal or server and in that it seems to excel though further evaluation may be required to state definitively. Overall though is fairly easy to use is more suited to a more adventurous and technically inclined person than the average user.

==References==
<references/>

Comp 3000 ArtistX Report

2011-10-19T21:35:06Z

Akwiatko: capitalization

===Background===


    
ArtistX is a free Linux distribution whose aim is to "turn a common computer into a full multimedia production studio"<ref name="axhome" >[http://www.artistx.org/site3/ ArtistX homepage]</ref>. The current version (at the time of writing) is based on the latest Ubuntu release 'Natty 11.04'. With multimedia developers in mind, its distinguishing feature is that it "includes almost all of the free multimedia software available for the GNU/Linux platform" so that someone who regularly uses graphics or audio development tools is ready to start right out of the box<ref name="axhome" >[http://www.artistx.org/site3/ ArtistX homepage]</ref>. The easiest way to download it is to go to the [http://www.artistx.org/site3/download.html Download] section of their website but be prepared to receive a big file; the .iso file is 3.6GB. If the size deters you at all keep in mind that there are (according to their site) over 2500 packages of free multimedia software that have to be able to run on a live DVD.

    
ArtistX seems to have undergone a couple of name changes since its inception by the ''Opensourcelab'' team from the ''Open Source Laboratory'' of [http://www.vrmmp.it/ ''Virtual Reality and Multi Media Park''] as we see from the earliest news releases on distrowatch<ref name=dwatch >[http://distrowatch.com/index.php?distribution=artistx ArtistX distrowatch news releases]</ref>. Developed in Turin, Italy, Medialinux (which then became Mediainlinux) was based on Knoppix (with a couple of releases being based on Debian instead). The last release to use the name Mediainlinux was released in 2005 (this release was also the last to be based on Knoppix). It wasn't until 2007 that another release appeared, this time sporting the current name of ArtistX. The first few releases were based on Debian but since 2009 every release has been based on Ubuntu.

    
Considering the type of company who originally developed this distribution it's easy to speculate why they decided to make it. If you were the head of a multimedia company, wouldn't you want to have your developers working with high quality software? Wouldn't it be great if that software was free and readily available?

 
Currently it is unclear what company develops this distribution due to the following''':'''
<ul>
<li>the website has no 'about' section''';'''</li>
<li>there are no links to companies found on the website''';'''</li>
<li>the 'Copyleft' at the bottom of the ArtistX page reads "Copyleft © 2011. ArtistX - Audio Graphic Video Multimedia Linux" which, along with the 'Donation' button on the page, may indicate it having branched off into an independent company now''';'''</li>
<li>the person associated with the company through the distrowatch news releases<ref name=dwatch >[http://distrowatch.com/index.php?distribution=artistx ArtistX distrowatch news releases]</ref> is a man named [http://www.marcoghirlanda.com/ Marco Ghirlanda], who lists ''Project Manager and Team Leader at ArtistX'' as his current profession on his [http://www.linkedin.com/in/marcoghirlanda LinkedIn profile] which also hints at an independent company now''';'''</li>
<li>looking at Mr. Ghirlanda's work history we see that he worked at ''Virtual Reality and Multi Media Park'' until February 2006 which is about the time when he started his job at ArtistX (January 2006) which seems to indicate that ArtistX branched off into a child company''';'''</li>
<li>further evidence that development of this product branched into its own company is that its predecessor in the distrowatch news release is Mediainlinux<ref name=dwatch >[http://distrowatch.com/index.php?distribution=artistx ArtistX distrowatch news releases]</ref>''';'''</li>
<li>branching off would explain the lapse between the last Mediainlinux release and the first ArtistX release. </li>
</ul>
Faced with this information one would tend to speculate that ArtistX is its own company that develops itself and is probably a child company of ''Virtual Reality and Multi Media Park''. There is a small piece of evidence against this conclusion however and that is the lack of any link to each other or mention of each other on their webpages.


===Installation/Startup===




    
For reasons of convenience I decided to install and test this operating system (OS) in a virtual machine (VM). Specifically, the setup was run from [https://www.virtualbox.org/| Oracle's VirtualBox] version 4.1.2 from one of the computers in one of [http://carleton.ca/| Carleton University] 's many labs. The machine ran Windows 7 Enterprise with about 4 GB of RAM (although the VM only got 1419 MB) and an external drive from which to allocate the 20 GB disk size I gave the VM. If you're wondering why I would give this VM 20 GB it's because the ArtistX website documentation recommends 512 MB RAM and 20 GB disk space for installation. As for the number of processors, I left it at the default of 1. Hardware virtualization was enabled, specifically "Enable VT-x/AMD-V" and "Enable Nested Paging".

    
The installation process went fairly smooth with few hiccups. Once the VM was setup and the iso was loaded it presented a few options to select from. One small annoyance was that although I selected the 'install' option it seems to have ignored it and run from the live DVD anyway. It took about two to three minutes to boot up after which I ran the install executable on the desktop. The installation was straightforward and didn't require much user interaction, probably the same amount as Ubuntu requires; it asks for your language, asks you whether it should use the whole hard drive or partition it, asks you which drive to use, asks you where you are and finally asks you to create a user account. From there it does all of the work.

<gallery perrow=5 caption="The following screenshots walk you through the installation process. It's similar to Ubuntu as can be expected.">
File:First_AX_install_shot.png|First screen presented on a blank drive with the live DVD
File:Booting_AX_ubuntu_live_shot.png|They don't try to hide that they are based on Ubuntu as this screen is typically in the startup sequence
File:AX_live_starting_install.png|The first screen presented when we choose to install on a drive
File:AX_install_warnings.png‎|This screen advises: not to shut off the computer during installation, to have internet access, to have 20 GB to install onto. It also asks if you want to download updates while installing and install third party software
File:AX_install_asking_about_drive_allocation.png|They then ask how we want to install on the drive; i.e. using the whole drive or partitioning it.
File:AX_install_select_drive.png‎|The screen in which you select the drive you want to install to
File:AX_install_geog_location.png‎|The screen that asks for your geographic location (for time setting purposes)
File:AX_install_user_create.png‎|The screen where you create the initial user account
File:AX_install_complete.png‎|The message box telling you installation has finished and that you should reset the machine
</gallery>
    
For me this whole process took just shy of an hour. I can only guess why it took so long but I'm sure the following affected it negatively: I enabled the boxes that asked if it should download updates from the web as it goes and then install some third party software; I was running other applications in Windows (namely a few instances of paint, Firefox and Microsoft Office Word); the VM had only one processor to work with; the amount of RAM wasn't very high; the university's internet probably wasn't very fast, as is often the case; the OS was being installed on an external hard drive attached via universal serial bus (USB).

    
After installation succeeded it asked me to restart the machine, so I did. I found it odd that when it starts back up it asks to choose between the Ubuntu OS, Ubuntu in recovery mode, two memory tests and sometimes another option of 'Previous Linuxes'. I told it to boot the regular Ubuntu. It seems to have been the right choice since ArtistX loaded normally after that. Another oddity though is that after I logged in as the user for the first time it gave me an warning message saying the hardware couldn't run a program (Unity) and told me to choose 'Ubuntu classic' at the login screen. I closed the message box and it continued fine to the desktop. Unfortunately the initial installation didn't install all of the updates. I was then presented with the option to update Ubuntu (which I declined) and to update, install and remove a bunch of random packages (although it told me it couldn't install all of them due to some error or other so it would do a partial install). This round of updates took a little more than an hour and another restart to complete and left my machine looking more like Ubuntu than it had initially. Finally, I installed the guest additions which thankfully took only a couple of minutes to install.

<gallery perrow=5 caption="The following screenshots walk you through the initial login after installation.">
File:AX_restart_options.png‎|More or less the screen presented after every restart
File:AX_login.png‎|Login screen
File:AX_login_odd_warning_after_intial_login.png‎|Weird warning I got after first login. Didn't seem to affect anything...
File:AX_upgrade_after_install.png‎‎|Unfortunately the install with the 'update as you go' option couldn't do it all so it's asking you now.
File:AX_upgrade_after_install_complete.png‎|Now that we've updated our software we have to restart. Again.
File:AX_restart_spin_a.png‎|When the machine restarts we see an animation with a spinning 'A'
File:AX_more_ubuntu-y.png‎|Now that our machine is up to date it looks more like Ubuntu.
</gallery>

===Basic Operation===


    
A typical use case for someone who installed this distribution would likely be some kind of multimedia development. This distribution is good for that in that the tools are readily available and easily accessible. In the bottom left corner there is a button that resembles the Windows 'Start' button. Opening this 'Start menu' we are presented with a list of topics (e.g. 'emulators', 'video', 'music', 'graphics') that expand when highlighted to further menus. For example the 'graphics' menu presents another menu with '2d', '3d' and 'view' options, each of which would then expand into lists of programs relevant to '2d' or '3d' graphics development or programs to view photos.

    
Not being experienced in multimedia development, I found it hard to evaluate the choice of included programs. They're probably the best free software available but whether or not someone could use it for their job I couldn't really say. That being said it looks like they covered all of their bases (i.e. graphics and video creating/editing) and offered a few choices to do the major things like editing.

    
Being in the school's computer lab my computer didn't have speakers so I wasn't about to try any programs dealing with audio. Also, dealing with a fresh install I didn't have any files readily available for manipulation so really audio, video and image editing were out of the question. I figured the best type of program to test in my situation was a 3d modeling program. My biggest challenge though was that I've never done that before so I had a learning curve to overcome.

[[File:AX_blender_use.png|none|thumb|Me playing around with the 3d modelling program 'Bender']]
    
However it's not the modelling program I'm reviewing, it's how easy and comfortable it was to use. Although I didn't end up with any useful model due no doubt to my lack of experience, it was a relatively positive experience. The system in general didn't always respond to my input but it did a pretty good job although the graphics would lag a little every now and then. One program in particular couldn't run because it didn't have enough RAM. I'm not sure if that's indicative of the system generally requiring more RAM than I gave it but it seemed to do a pretty good job with what it had.


===Usage Evaluation===



    
Although I can't speak for multimedia developers I think this distribution met its design goal of "turning a normal computer into a multimedia production studio"<ref name="axhome" >[http://www.artistx.org/site3/ ArtistX homepage]</ref>. It is easy to use and easy to navigate to the programs you would need. It offers a plethora of programs that seem to cover the necessary topics but I can't vouch for how useful any of the programs would be to a real multimedia developer. I can't vouch for performance either due to not having really stressed the OS in terms of device I/O which is just as big of a concern as having the right tools. After all, there's no point in having the right tools if you can't use them. I don't know the internals of the system but I'm thinking they've optimized for device I/O. Going back to performance, I have mentioned that I experienced lag and occasionally user input was ignored. It was fast but it could be better. It's possible that these issues are a result of running in a VM with about a quarter of the RAM used by a modern, non-virtualized machine.

    
One thing in particular that I liked, stood out and is different from other Linux distributions I've seen is that the look and feel (especially on the desktop) resembles Windows. I think this was done to ease the switch to this Linux development environment from a Windows development environment which is important because that's probably what their target consumer is going to be doing.

    
To summarize, although I'm not experienced in the target field, I think that this distribution met its goals and that it's definitely worth looking into if you're a multimedia developer. After investing a few hours you may make a decision that will save you quite a bit of money. I think the biggest thing to look at is whether or not the given tools will be sufficient for your needs. I don't think a serious developer is going to be working inside a VM so the VM performance hit probably won't matter, but even if the issues were not due to the VM and the limited available RAM, they didn't seem bad enough in my limited interaction to be a deterrent.


===Summary===
    
Worth looking into if you're a multimedia developer despite the iso size and consequently the potentially long download time and despite the long installation time.


===References===

<references />

COMP 3000 2011 Report: Alpine

2011-10-19T21:31:44Z

Akwiatko: missed a period

== Background ==

[http://alpinelinux.org Alpine Linux] is a free, small, and easy to install Linux distribution that began as a fork of the LEAF project (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall). The main focus of this distribution is security, with features such as Pax and SSP, it prevents security hole exploitation. Alpine is designed for x86 Routers, VPNs, VoIP servers, and firewalls. This distribution is a unique blend of multiple others: the network configuration is like Debian's and the package management is similar to Debian's APT, RedHat's yum, and Arch Linux's PKGBUILDs (APKBUILD in Alpine). Its minuscule size is one of the main features of this distribution, this results in a size of around 5 MB instead of the traditional 100 MB of GNU/Linux (without the kernel).

Alpine is available for free at [http://alpinelinux.org/downloads alpinelinux.org/downloads].

== Installation ==

One of the unique features of Alpine is its simplicity and ease of use. This is evident in its installation process which are as follows.

*Step 1: [http://alpinelinux.org/downloads Download] ISO.
*Step 2: Burn to a CD.
*Step 3: Boot from CD, login as root with no password.

It is then recommended to run setup-alpine.

== Basic Operation ==

Alpine Linux excels at servers, firewalls, and networks, none of which I have any experience with. Thankfully the website offers some tutorials for a multitude of features. These features include, but are not limited to; hosting a mail server, setting up a satellite Internet connection, formatting a hard drive, and backing up flash memory.

== Usage Evaluation ==

Overall I found Alpine Linux to be a complicated yet interesting system. This is most likely due to my lack of networking and server knowledge. The system has no GUI, it is just a terminal, this is likely due to the desire to keep the file size down. In the end this is a interesting and, I assume, competent Linux distribution, although definitely not meant for people who are new to Linux.

== References ==

http://alpinelinux.org/

COMP 3000 2011 Report: Alpine

2011-10-19T21:31:28Z

Akwiatko: grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting

== Background ==

[http://alpinelinux.org Alpine Linux] is a free, small, and easy to install Linux distribution that began as a fork of the LEAF project (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall). The main focus of this distribution is security, with features such as Pax and SSP, it prevents security hole exploitation. Alpine is designed for x86 Routers, VPNs, VoIP servers, and firewalls. This distribution is a unique blend of multiple others: the network configuration is like Debian's and the package management is similar to Debian's APT, RedHat's yum, and Arch Linux's PKGBUILDs (APKBUILD in Alpine). Its minuscule size is one of the main features of this distribution, this results in a size of around 5 MB instead of the traditional 100 MB of GNU/Linux (without the kernel).

Alpine is available for free at [http://alpinelinux.org/downloads alpinelinux.org/downloads]

== Installation ==

One of the unique features of Alpine is its simplicity and ease of use. This is evident in its installation process which are as follows.

*Step 1: [http://alpinelinux.org/downloads Download] ISO.
*Step 2: Burn to a CD.
*Step 3: Boot from CD, login as root with no password.

It is then recommended to run setup-alpine.

== Basic Operation ==

Alpine Linux excels at servers, firewalls, and networks, none of which I have any experience with. Thankfully the website offers some tutorials for a multitude of features. These features include, but are not limited to; hosting a mail server, setting up a satellite Internet connection, formatting a hard drive, and backing up flash memory.

== Usage Evaluation ==

Overall I found Alpine Linux to be a complicated yet interesting system. This is most likely due to my lack of networking and server knowledge. The system has no GUI, it is just a terminal, this is likely due to the desire to keep the file size down. In the end this is a interesting and, I assume, competent Linux distribution, although definitely not meant for people who are new to Linux.

== References ==

http://alpinelinux.org/

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-10-19T21:26:56Z

Akwiatko: added ref to stephen ewen

=Raison d’être=

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]] It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

=Installation and Startup=

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running). [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

=Features=

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well-thought-out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

==Security and Networking==

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

==Software Packaging==

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

==Ease of Use==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

=Summary=

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quit there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-10-19T21:18:21Z

Akwiatko: more images

=Raison d’être (and Heritage)=

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies. [[File:uberstudent_logo.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UberStudent logo]]

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. [[File:uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent lightweight cd cover]] Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

=Installation and Startup=

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running). [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

=Features=

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well-thought-out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

==Security and Networking==

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

==Software Packaging==

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

==Ease of Use==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

=Summary=

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quit there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

File:Uberstudent-1.0-cd-cover.png

2011-10-19T21:15:30Z

Akwiatko: UberStudent Lightweight Edition CD cover

UberStudent Lightweight Edition CD cover

File:Uberstudent logo.jpg

2011-10-19T21:14:54Z

Akwiatko: UberStudent distro logo

UberStudent distro logo

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-10-19T21:14:35Z

Akwiatko: some images

=Raison d’être (and Heritage)=

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition, which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

=Installation and Startup=

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. [[File:UberStudent_Desktop.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent desktop screenshot]] UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running). [[File:UberStudent_Login.png|200px|thumb|right|UberStudent login screen screenshot]]

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

=Features=

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well-thought-out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

==Security and Networking==

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

==Software Packaging==

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

==Ease of Use==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

=Summary=

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quit there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

User:Akwiatko

2011-10-19T21:10:33Z

Akwiatko: Created page with "me = canada + pilot"

me = canada + pilot

File:UberStudent Login.png

2011-10-19T21:09:23Z

Akwiatko: Screenshot of UberStudent's login screen after permanent installation.

Screenshot of UberStudent's login screen after permanent installation.

File:UberStudent Desktop.png

2011-10-19T21:08:35Z

Akwiatko: Screenshot of the UberStudent desktop after permanent installation as well as Parallels Tools.

Screenshot of the UberStudent desktop after permanent installation as well as Parallels Tools.

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-10-19T21:05:10Z

Akwiatko: more links

=Raison d’être (and Heritage)=

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies.

At its core, UberStudent is built on [http://www.debian.org/ Debian], but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] and [http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]. This review will only look at the lightweight edition, which runs the simple [http://lxde.org/ LXDE] GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the [http://www.gnome.org/ GNOME] desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD live CD] capability of the lightweight version.

=Installation and Startup=

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running).

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB. For the record, Parallels worked flawlessly with everything, from shared folders to networking to mouse sharing.

=Features=

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well-thought-out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an [http://www.ixquick.com/ Ixquick] search box.

==Security and Networking==

The [http://www.debian.org/security/ Debian approach to security] is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

==Software Packaging==

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

==Ease of Use==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

=Summary=

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quit there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-10-19T21:00:09Z

Akwiatko: links but no pics yet

=Raison d’être (and Heritage)=

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. [http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=4 UberStudent] is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies.

At its core, UberStudent is built on Debian, but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably Ubuntu and Mint. This review will only look at the lightweight edition, which runs the simple LXDE GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the GNOME desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the live “CD” capability of the lightweight version.

=Installation and Startup=

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running).

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the [http://www.uberstudent.org/ official website] was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB.

=Features=

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well-thought-out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a [http://uberstudent.org/start/ portal page] on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an Ixquick search box.

==Security and Networking==

The Debian approach to security is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A [http://lists.debian.org/debian-security-announce/ mailing list] is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

==Software Packaging==

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

==Ease of Use==

[http://lxde.org/ LXDE] is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

=Summary=

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quit there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent

2011-10-19T20:55:23Z

Akwiatko: initial version, no links/refs

=Raison d’être (and Heritage)=

The name “UberStudent” has a memorable, if not slightly nerdy, ring to it. In the swirl of educational software available, both free and not, that is probably a good thing. UberStudent is a free Linux distribution for “learning, doing, and teaching academic success at the higher education and advanced secondary levels.” Essentially, its purpose is to wrap all the software needs of an academic into a single intuitive package, leaving users to focus on their studies.

At its core, UberStudent is built on Debian, but pulls into play ideas from other distros, notably Ubuntu and Mint. This review will only look at the lightweight edition, which runs the simple LXDE GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition. Note that the full edition contains substantially more software as well as including the GNOME desktop. Although being six times the size, it retains the live “CD” capability of the lightweight version.

=Installation and Startup=

From the moment we powered up our virtual machine to the first sign of the UberStudent’s LXDE desktop, we waited one minute. That was on a recent MacBook Pro running Parallels 6. The machine was defined as a single core with 1 GB of RAM and a 10 GB drive. Note that our laptop actually runs on a 64 GB SSD drive, and live CD booting in a virtual machine likely benefits heavily from the random-access performance boost. For whatever reason, that duration didn’t change when we allowed the virtualized PC access to both the laptop’s CPU cores.

Once satisfied that the live CD was working, the next step was to take the plunge and ask it to install a complete copy on the hard drive. UberStudent was quite snappy at this, and came back in less than four minutes to ask us to reboot. Before and after the reboot, the system was always very responsive and stable (trust us there are distros that are totally unusable even within the first few minutes of running).

The live CD ISO image downloaded from the official website was 660 MB, and the final size of the guest filesystem’s disk image including Parallels Tools was 3.5 GB.

=Features=

UberStudent listed 39 programs and links under the Education menu. Keep in mind that this was just the light edition, which is severely cramped for space because it fits on a single CD. The programs are nicely grouped into useful submenus, not too deep but not too clumped either. The selection is designed to cover reading, writing, personal finances, time management, and task planning.

Lest a user become bored with the often dry world of “education”, the distro includes various other tools and the obligatory Games menu. There are image editors, photograph colour tools, and music editors. An entire menu is even dedicated to links to online cloud-based offerings, including BitStorm Lite, Google Reader, and EyeOS.

One simple feature that underlines UberStudent’s credibility as a well-thought-out integrated academic system is the default homepage in Firefox. It takes the user to a portal page on the official website, with instant access to various online resources. It almost goes without saying there is a Google search box there, but only in addition to an Ixquick search box.

==Security and Networking==

The Debian approach to security is as modern as desktop computer security gets. The maintainers do not believe in security by obscurity, and the operating system has built-in updating capabilities. A mailing list is published for anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest security announcements. UberStudent also brings with it a large part of Ubuntu’s natural simplicity.

As shown by the large amount of Internet-related resources and cloud-based tools in the distro, UberStudent cares about the web a lot. The developers confirm this by leaving easy to access links in the main menu that take the user to driver and codec download sites.

==Software Packaging==

As just implied, UberStudent does not come with restricted codecs and drivers by default, but makes it easy to get them if desired. Again, the Debian and Ubuntu heritage means there will never be a problem of finding software and drivers and keeping them updated.

==Ease of Use==

LXDE is designed with a primary goal of being “extremely fast-performing and energy-saving”, as moderately opposed to the GNOME desktop’s mission statement that describes itself as “intuitive and attractive”. Again, the full version of UberStudent hits like a sledgehammer with the latest copy of GNOME.

Even from our limited experience with the distro, we can describe the interface and organization as functional and well designed.

=Summary=

Well, quite honestly this Linux distribution is a welcome relief from the large amount of educational software available that is well meaning yet not quit there. This packages a large amount of material that a student would need to make it through their studies without being cluttered or bloated. The creators must have spent quite a bit of time searching for things to include, as well as integrating them nicely into a system that feels like a unit. We are very tempted to go have a peek at the full edition of UberStudent, and what else it could possibly bring to the table.

COMP 3000 Distribution Sign-up 2011

2011-10-19T15:45:44Z

Akwiatko:

Sign up for the distribution you want to report on here. Note that others are also editing page so verify that the page hasn't been mangled after you make your changes. To help with this, try to only edit the section for the appropriate alphabet range (e.g., Ubuntu should go under T-V).

Note that no more than two people may sign up for each distribution. If two people sign up for a distribution, you two '''should be working together''' on a joint report. If you are not working together, then note that the person who picked the distribution gets a 10% bonus: that person, after all, did the work to find the distribution.

Please sign up with your wiki name (which, generally, should be the same as your connect username). See [http://www.distrowatch.com Distrowatch] to see what distributions are out there. Also, search for types of operating system distributions.

Please '''do not''' sign up for a major distribution. This includes but is not limited to the major distributions listed by Distrowatch. Pick out something specialized and obscure! If in doubt, please email the instructors and TAs.

If you are submitting your report on the wiki, please add a link to it as shown in the example. Please title the page using the name of your distribution, not your name.

Further information on the report is [[COMP 3000 Distribution Report Specifications 2011|here]].

Example entry:

* [http://www.ubuntu.com Ubuntu]: asomayaj, snetimar ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ubuntu|Report]])

==Distributions A-D==
[http://alpinelinux.org/ Alpine Linux]: mevans ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Alpine|Report]])

[http://www.apodio.org/ APODIO]: mbrowna ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: APODIO|Report]])

[http://www.arklinux.org/ Ark Linux]: jaze ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ark Linux|Report]])

[http://www.artistx.org/site3/ ArtistX]: adangel2 ([[Comp 3000 ArtistX Report|Report]])

BackTrack: dcarson

[http://www.bodhilinux.com/ Bodhi Linux]: jboucha2 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Bodhi|Report]])

[http://Caine-Live.net/ CAINE Linux]: nyoung2 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: CAINE|Report]])

Chromium OS(Chrome OS): baathari

[http://crunchbanglinux.org/ CrunchBang]: drewmartin ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: CrunchBang|Report]])

[http://crux.nu/ CRUX]: ttian1

Damn Small Linux: MartyV

Damn Vulnerable Linux: amurphy7 , vsanthir ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Damn Vulnerable Linux|Report]])

[http://www.deftlinux.net/ DEFT Linux]: deadlytea ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: DEFT Linux|Report]])

[http://www.doudoulinux.org/ DoudouLinux]:fmcyamwe,tchopel([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: DoudouLinux|Report]])

==Distributions E-H==

[http://www.edubuntu.org/ Edubuntu]: smaqsood

[http://www.funtoo.org/ Funtoo Linux]: porter.nicolas ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Funtoo Linux|Report]])

[http://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo]: Bobbybobbets

[http://www.gobolinux.org/ GoboLinux]: NameGoesHere

[http://haiku-os.org/ Haiku]: nhoda, thildebr

[http://hannahmontana.sourceforge.net/Site/Home.html Hannah Montana Linux]:ttian1

==Distributions I-M==
Incognito Live System: bwernik

[http://www.inquisitor.ru/ Inquisitor]: atchekan ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report - Part 1 of 3: Inquisitor|Report]])

[http://www.jolicloud.com/ Joli OS (Jolicloud)]: nkathrad tsukasa19([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Joli OS|Report]])

[http://www.dee.su/liberte/ Liberté Linux]: Murals

[http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm Lightweight Portable Security]: jeckhard ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: LPS|Report]])

[http://linhes.org/bugs/ LinHes]:jmarcha1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: LinHES|Report]])

[http://live.linux-gamers.net/ linuX-Gamers Live]: dlpkelly

Linux Mangaka One: AsoCchahal ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Linux Mangaka One|Report]])

[http://lubuntu.net/ Lubuntu]: falaskar

[http://www.menuetos.net/ MenuetOS]: Caesar, Vangelis ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: MenuetOS|Report]])

[http://puppylinux.org/wikka/LegacyOS/ Legacy OS]:rnyssanb, zzhou6([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Legacy|Report]])

[http://macpup.org/ Macpup]: kbyrd, rcarrot1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Macpup|Report]])

==Distributions N-P==

[http://partedmagic.com/doku.php Parted Magic]: erhodes

[http://perllinux.sourceforge.net/ Perl/Linux]:

Privatix Live-System: gbooth, sbrett ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Privatix|Report]])

[http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux]: mwooff, jnrahme ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: PuppyLinux|Report]])

[http://www.pinguyos.com/ PinguyOS]: ssivara, uramazan (pdawod)

[http://www.en.poseidonlinux.org/ Poseidon Linux]: 36chambers

PC-BSD : todetoyi, qliu1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: qliu|Report]])

[http://www.parsix.org/ Parsix GNU/Linux]: tzhang1, jzhang ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Parsix GNU/Linux|Report]])

[http://www.pardus.org.tr/en/ Pardus]: ksubedi

[http://www.puredyne.org/ Puredyne]: Carlton

==Distributions Q-S==
[http://www.qimo4kids.com Qimo]: rwolfe ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Qimo|Report]])

[http://qubes-os.org/Home.html Qubes]: dneray ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Qubes beta 2|Report]])

[http://bkhome.org/quirky/ Quirky]: Qingming_no_lisca

[http://www.swiftlinux.org/ Swift Linux]: mabadeer, Yliu11([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Swift Linux|Report]])

[http://www.salineos.com/ SalineOS]: drhill ([[COMP 3000 2011 Drhill's Report: SalineOS 1.4|Report]])

[http://www.scientificlinux.org/ Scientific Linux]: kfourni1

[http://www.slackware.com/ Slackware]: sturnbu5 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Slackware 13.37|Report]])

[http://www.slax.org/ SLAX]: Andre Song

[http://www.slitaz.org/en/ SliTaz]: Bobbybobbets ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: SliTaz|Report]])

[http://www.stresslinux.org/sl/ StressLinux]: achaddad

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/suicide-linux/ Suicide-Linux]:

[http://www.sabayon.org/ Sabayon Linux]: mabdirah, selmoafi

==Distributions T-W==
[http://tails.boum.org/index.en.html/ TAILS]: Khorrus

[http://bellard.org/tcc/tccboot.html TCCBOOT: TinyCC Boot Loader]:

[http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html/ Tiny Core Linux ]: aadegbem ([[Comp 3000 2011 Report: Tiny Core Linux|Report]])

[http://www.minimalinux.org/ttylinux/ ttylinux]: kmacmart

[http://www.uberstudent.org/ UberStudent]: akwiatko ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent|Report]])

[http://vectorlinux.com/ VectorLinux]: judethedude,Lkuate ([[ VectorLinux|Report]])

[http://www.planetwatt.com/ wattOS]: JPAL

[http://ubuntustudio.org/ Ubuntu Studio]: Chashem and Jbyford ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ubuntu Studio|Report]])

==Distributions X-Z==
[http://www.zentyal.com/ Zentyal]: cyu3 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Zentyal|Report]])

[http://www.zenwalk.org/ Zenwalk]: mgizbert ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: Zenwalk|Report]])

[http://http://www.zeroshell.net/ ZeroShell]: bvardal ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: ZeroShell|Report]])

[http://www.zorin-os.com/ Zorin]: awillman

[http://www.xbmc.org/ XBMC]: awallac1, ketsiagb ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: XBMC|Report]])

[http://www.xubuntu.org/ Xubuntu]: ernibek, Komarova

COMP 3000 Distribution Sign-up 2011

2011-10-19T15:45:17Z

Akwiatko:

Sign up for the distribution you want to report on here. Note that others are also editing page so verify that the page hasn't been mangled after you make your changes. To help with this, try to only edit the section for the appropriate alphabet range (e.g., Ubuntu should go under T-V).

Note that no more than two people may sign up for each distribution. If two people sign up for a distribution, you two '''should be working together''' on a joint report. If you are not working together, then note that the person who picked the distribution gets a 10% bonus: that person, after all, did the work to find the distribution.

Please sign up with your wiki name (which, generally, should be the same as your connect username). See [http://www.distrowatch.com Distrowatch] to see what distributions are out there. Also, search for types of operating system distributions.

Please '''do not''' sign up for a major distribution. This includes but is not limited to the major distributions listed by Distrowatch. Pick out something specialized and obscure! If in doubt, please email the instructors and TAs.

If you are submitting your report on the wiki, please add a link to it as shown in the example. Please title the page using the name of your distribution, not your name.

Further information on the report is [[COMP 3000 Distribution Report Specifications 2011|here]].

Example entry:

* [http://www.ubuntu.com Ubuntu]: asomayaj, snetimar ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ubuntu|Report]])

==Distributions A-D==
[http://alpinelinux.org/ Alpine Linux]: mevans ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Alpine|Report]])

[http://www.apodio.org/ APODIO]: mbrowna ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: APODIO|Report]])

[http://www.arklinux.org/ Ark Linux]: jaze ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ark Linux|Report]])

[http://www.artistx.org/site3/ ArtistX]: adangel2 ([[Comp 3000 ArtistX Report|Report]])

BackTrack: dcarson

[http://www.bodhilinux.com/ Bodhi Linux]: jboucha2 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Bodhi|Report]])

[http://Caine-Live.net/ CAINE Linux]: nyoung2 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: CAINE|Report]])

Chromium OS(Chrome OS): baathari

[http://crunchbanglinux.org/ CrunchBang]: drewmartin ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: CrunchBang|Report]])

[http://crux.nu/ CRUX]: ttian1

Damn Small Linux: MartyV

Damn Vulnerable Linux: amurphy7 , vsanthir ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Damn Vulnerable Linux|Report]])

[http://www.deftlinux.net/ DEFT Linux]: deadlytea ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: DEFT Linux|Report]])

[http://www.doudoulinux.org/ DoudouLinux]:fmcyamwe,tchopel([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: DoudouLinux|Report]])

==Distributions E-H==

[http://www.edubuntu.org/ Edubuntu]: smaqsood

[http://www.funtoo.org/ Funtoo Linux]: porter.nicolas ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Funtoo Linux|Report]])

[http://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo]: Bobbybobbets

[http://www.gobolinux.org/ GoboLinux]: NameGoesHere

[http://haiku-os.org/ Haiku]: nhoda, thildebr

[http://hannahmontana.sourceforge.net/Site/Home.html Hannah Montana Linux]:ttian1

==Distributions I-M==
Incognito Live System: bwernik

[http://www.inquisitor.ru/ Inquisitor]: atchekan ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report - Part 1 of 3: Inquisitor|Report]])

[http://www.jolicloud.com/ Joli OS (Jolicloud)]: nkathrad tsukasa19([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Joli OS|Report]])

[http://www.dee.su/liberte/ Liberté Linux]: Murals

[http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm Lightweight Portable Security]: jeckhard ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: LPS|Report]])

[http://linhes.org/bugs/ LinHes]:jmarcha1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: LinHES|Report]])

[http://live.linux-gamers.net/ linuX-Gamers Live]: dlpkelly

Linux Mangaka One: AsoCchahal ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Linux Mangaka One|Report]])

[http://lubuntu.net/ Lubuntu]: falaskar

[http://www.menuetos.net/ MenuetOS]: Caesar, Vangelis ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: MenuetOS|Report]])

[http://puppylinux.org/wikka/LegacyOS/ Legacy OS]:rnyssanb, zzhou6([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Legacy|Report]])

[http://macpup.org/ Macpup]: kbyrd, rcarrot1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Macpup|Report]])

==Distributions N-P==

[http://partedmagic.com/doku.php Parted Magic]: erhodes

[http://perllinux.sourceforge.net/ Perl/Linux]:

Privatix Live-System: gbooth, sbrett ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Privatix|Report]])

[http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux]: mwooff, jnrahme ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: PuppyLinux|Report]])

[http://www.pinguyos.com/ PinguyOS]: ssivara, uramazan (pdawod)

[http://www.en.poseidonlinux.org/ Poseidon Linux]: 36chambers

PC-BSD : todetoyi, qliu1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: qliu|Report]])

[http://www.parsix.org/ Parsix GNU/Linux]: tzhang1, jzhang ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Parsix GNU/Linux|Report]])

[http://www.pardus.org.tr/en/ Pardus]: ksubedi

[http://www.puredyne.org/ Puredyne]: Carlton

==Distributions Q-S==
[http://www.qimo4kids.com Qimo]: rwolfe ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Qimo|Report]])

[http://qubes-os.org/Home.html Qubes]: dneray ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Qubes beta 2|Report]])

[http://bkhome.org/quirky/ Quirky]: Qingming_no_lisca

[http://www.swiftlinux.org/ Swift Linux]: mabadeer, Yliu11([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Swift Linux|Report]])

[http://www.salineos.com/ SalineOS]: drhill ([[COMP 3000 2011 Drhill's Report: SalineOS 1.4|Report]])

[http://www.scientificlinux.org/ Scientific Linux]: kfourni1

[http://www.slackware.com/ Slackware]: sturnbu5 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Slackware 13.37|Report]])

[http://www.slax.org/ SLAX]: Andre Song

[http://www.slitaz.org/en/ SliTaz]: Bobbybobbets ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: SliTaz|Report]])

[http://www.stresslinux.org/sl/ StressLinux]: achaddad

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/suicide-linux/ Suicide-Linux]:

[http://www.sabayon.org/ Sabayon Linux]: mabdirah, selmoafi

==Distributions T-W==
[http://tails.boum.org/index.en.html/ TAILS]: Khorrus

[http://bellard.org/tcc/tccboot.html TCCBOOT: TinyCC Boot Loader]:

[http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html/ Tiny Core Linux ]: aadegbem ([[Comp 3000 2011 Report: Tiny Core Linux|Report]])

[http://www.minimalinux.org/ttylinux/ ttylinux]: kmacmart

[http://vectorlinux.com/ VectorLinux]: judethedude,Lkuate ([[ VectorLinux|Report]])

[http://www.planetwatt.com/ wattOS]: JPAL

[http://www.uberstudent.org/ UberStudent]: akwiatko ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent|Report]])

[http://ubuntustudio.org/ Ubuntu Studio]: Chashem and Jbyford ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ubuntu Studio|Report]])

==Distributions X-Z==
[http://www.zentyal.com/ Zentyal]: cyu3 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Zentyal|Report]])

[http://www.zenwalk.org/ Zenwalk]: mgizbert ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: Zenwalk|Report]])

[http://http://www.zeroshell.net/ ZeroShell]: bvardal ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: ZeroShell|Report]])

[http://www.zorin-os.com/ Zorin]: awillman

[http://www.xbmc.org/ XBMC]: awallac1, ketsiagb ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: XBMC|Report]])

[http://www.xubuntu.org/ Xubuntu]: ernibek, Komarova

COMP 3000 Distribution Sign-up 2011

2011-10-19T14:04:26Z

Akwiatko:

Sign up for the distribution you want to report on here. Note that others are also editing page so verify that the page hasn't been mangled after you make your changes. To help with this, try to only edit the section for the appropriate alphabet range (e.g., Ubuntu should go under T-V).

Note that no more than two people may sign up for each distribution. If two people sign up for a distribution, you two '''should be working together''' on a joint report. If you are not working together, then note that the person who picked the distribution gets a 10% bonus: that person, after all, did the work to find the distribution.

Please sign up with your wiki name (which, generally, should be the same as your connect username). See [http://www.distrowatch.com Distrowatch] to see what distributions are out there. Also, search for types of operating system distributions.

Please '''do not''' sign up for a major distribution. This includes but is not limited to the major distributions listed by Distrowatch. Pick out something specialized and obscure! If in doubt, please email the instructors and TAs.

If you are submitting your report on the wiki, please add a link to it as shown in the example. Please title the page using the name of your distribution, not your name.

Further information on the report is [[COMP 3000 Distribution Report Specifications 2011|here]].

Example entry:

* [http://www.ubuntu.com Ubuntu]: asomayaj, snetimar ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ubuntu|Report]])

==Distributions A-D==
[http://alpinelinux.org/ Alpine Linux]: mevans ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Alpine|Report]])

[http://www.apodio.org/ APODIO]: mbrowna ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: APODIO|Report]])

[http://www.arklinux.org/ Ark Linux]: jaze ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ark Linux|Report]])

[http://www.artistx.org/site3/ ArtistX]: adangel2 ([[Comp 3000 ArtistX Report|Report]])

BackTrack: dcarson

[http://www.bodhilinux.com/ Bodhi Linux]: jboucha2 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Bodhi|Report]])

[http://Caine-Live.net/ CAINE Linux]: nyoung2 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: CAINE|Report]])

Chromium OS(Chrome OS): baathari

[http://crunchbanglinux.org/ CrunchBang]: drewmartin ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: CrunchBang|Report]])

[http://crux.nu/ CRUX]: ttian1

Damn Small Linux: MartyV

Damn Vulnerable Linux: amurphy7 , vsanthir ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Damn Vulnerable Linux|Report]])

[http://www.deftlinux.net/ DEFT Linux]: deadlytea ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: DEFT Linux|Report]])

[http://www.doudoulinux.org/ DoudouLinux]:fmcyamwe,tchopel([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: DoudouLinux|Report]])

==Distributions E-H==

[http://www.edubuntu.org/ Edubuntu]: smaqsood

[http://www.funtoo.org/ Funtoo Linux]: porter.nicolas ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Funtoo Linux|Report]])

[http://www.gentoo.org/ Gentoo]: Bobbybobbets

[http://www.gobolinux.org/ GoboLinux]: NameGoesHere

[http://haiku-os.org/ Haiku]: nhoda, thildebr

[http://hannahmontana.sourceforge.net/Site/Home.html Hannah Montana Linux]:ttian1

==Distributions I-M==
Incognito Live System: bwernik

[http://www.inquisitor.ru/ Inquisitor]: atchekan ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report - Part 1 of 3: Inquisitor|Report]])

[http://www.jolicloud.com/ Joli OS (Jolicloud)]: nkathrad tsukasa19([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Joli OS|Report]])

[http://www.dee.su/liberte/ Liberté Linux]: Murals

[http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm Lightweight Portable Security]: jeckhard ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: LPS|Report]])

[http://linhes.org/bugs/ LinHes]:jmarcha1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: LinHES|Report]])

[http://live.linux-gamers.net/ linuX-Gamers Live]: dlpkelly

Linux Mangaka One: AsoCchahal ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Linux Mangaka One|Report]])

[http://lubuntu.net/ Lubuntu]: falaskar

[http://www.menuetos.net/ MenuetOS]: Caesar, Vangelis ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: MenuetOS|Report]])

[http://puppylinux.org/wikka/LegacyOS/ Legacy OS]:rnyssanb, zzhou6([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Legacy|Report]])

[http://macpup.org/ Macpup]: kbyrd, rcarrot1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Macpup|Report]])

[http://www.linuxmint.com/ Mint]: akwiatko ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Mint|Report]])

==Distributions N-P==

[http://partedmagic.com/doku.php Parted Magic]: erhodes

[http://perllinux.sourceforge.net/ Perl/Linux]:

Privatix Live-System: gbooth, sbrett ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Privatix|Report]])

[http://puppylinux.org/ Puppy Linux]: mwooff, jnrahme ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: PuppyLinux|Report]])

[http://www.pinguyos.com/ PinguyOS]: ssivara, uramazan (pdawod)

[http://www.en.poseidonlinux.org/ Poseidon Linux]: 36chambers

PC-BSD : todetoyi, qliu1 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: qliu|Report]])

[http://www.parsix.org/ Parsix GNU/Linux]: tzhang1, jzhang ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Parsix GNU/Linux|Report]])

[http://www.pardus.org.tr/en/ Pardus]: ksubedi

[http://www.puredyne.org/ Puredyne]: Carlton

==Distributions Q-S==
[http://www.qimo4kids.com Qimo]: rwolfe ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Qimo|Report]])

[http://qubes-os.org/Home.html Qubes]: dneray ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Qubes beta 2|Report]])

[http://bkhome.org/quirky/ Quirky]: Qingming_no_lisca

[http://www.swiftlinux.org/ Swift Linux]: mabadeer, Yliu11([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Swift Linux|Report]])

[http://www.salineos.com/ SalineOS]: drhill ([[COMP 3000 2011 Drhill's Report: SalineOS 1.4|Report]])

[http://www.scientificlinux.org/ Scientific Linux]: kfourni1

[http://www.slackware.com/ Slackware]: sturnbu5 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Slackware 13.37|Report]])

[http://www.slax.org/ SLAX]: Andre Song

[http://www.slitaz.org/en/ SliTaz]: Bobbybobbets

[http://www.stresslinux.org/sl/ StressLinux]: achaddad

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/suicide-linux/ Suicide-Linux]:

[http://www.sabayon.org/ Sabayon Linux]: mabdirah, selmoafi

==Distributions T-W==
[http://tails.boum.org/index.en.html/ TAILS]: Khorrus

[http://bellard.org/tcc/tccboot.html TCCBOOT: TinyCC Boot Loader]:

[http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html/ Tiny Core Linux ]: aadegbem ([[Comp 3000 2011 Report: Tiny Core Linux|Report]])

[http://www.minimalinux.org/ttylinux/ ttylinux]: kmacmart

Vector: judethedude,Lkuate ([[ VectorLinux|Report]])

[http://www.planetwatt.com/ wattOS]: JPAL

[http://ubuntustudio.org/ Ubuntu Studio]: Chashem and Jbyford ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: Ubuntu Studio|Report]])

==Distributions X-Z==
[http://www.zentyal.com/ Zentyal]: cyu3 ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: Zentyal|Report]])

[http://www.zenwalk.org/ Zenwalk]: mgizbert ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: Zenwalk|Report]])

[http://http://www.zeroshell.net/ ZeroShell]: bvardal ([[Editing COMP 3000 2011 Report: ZeroShell|Report]])

[http://www.zorin-os.com/ Zorin]: awillman

[http://www.xbmc.org/ XBMC]: awallac1, ketsiagb ([[COMP 3000 2011 Report: XBMC|Report]])

[http://www.xubuntu.org/ Xubuntu]: ernibek, Komarova