Difference between revisions of "COMP 3000 2011 Report: UberStudent"

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(Initialization section of part 2)
(links and cleanup)
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==Software Packaging==
==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.
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 apt-cache.
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 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.
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.
 
=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.
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.
Line 79: Line 67:
! Reason for Inclusion
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|-
|Linux kernel
|[http://www.kernel.org/ Linux kernel]
|2.6.32-24-generic (12/2009)
|2.6.32-24-generic (12/2009)
|3.1.1 (11/2011)
|3.1.1 (11/2011)
|[http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges High]
|[http://kernelnewbies.org/LinuxChanges High]
|[ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.1.1.tar.gz ftp.kernel.org]
|[ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.1.1.tar.gz ftp.kernel.org]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|glibc
|glibc
Line 91: Line 79:
|High
|High
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/glibc/glibc-2.14.1.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/glibc/glibc-2.14.1.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|Unknown
|}
|}


Line 109: Line 97:
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/7.6 High]
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/7.6 High]
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/Download?action=show&redirect=Mirrors x.org]
|[http://www.x.org/wiki/Releases/Download?action=show&redirect=Mirrors x.org]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|GTK+
|[http://www.gtk.org/ GTK+]
|2.20.1 (05/2010)
|2.20.1 (05/2010)
|3.2.2 (Unknown)
|3.2.2 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|Unknown
|[ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gtk+/3.2/gtk+-3.2.2.tar.bz2 ftp.gnome.org]
|[ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/GNOME/sources/gtk+/3.2/gtk+-3.2.2.tar.bz2 ftp.gnome.org]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|Qt
|[http://qt.nokia.com/ Qt]
|4.6.2 (02/2010)
|4.6.2 (02/2010)
|4.7.4 (09/2011)
|4.7.4 (09/2011)
|[http://labs.qt.nokia.com/2011/09/01/qt-4-7-4-released/ Medium]
|[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]
|[ftp://ftp.trolltech.com/qt/source/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.7.4.tar.gz ftp.trolltech.com]
|
|Unknown
|}
|}


Line 136: Line 124:
! Reason for Inclusion
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|-
|Bash
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/bash/ Bash]
|4.1 (01/2010)
|4.1 (01/2010)
|4.2 (02/2011)
|4.2 (02/2011)
|[http://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/bash/CHANGES High]
|[http://tiswww.case.edu/php/chet/bash/CHANGES High]
|[ftp://ftp.cwru.edu/pub/bash/bash-4.2.tar.gz ftp.cwru.edu]
|[ftp://ftp.cwru.edu/pub/bash/bash-4.2.tar.gz ftp.cwru.edu]
|
|Unknown
|}
|}


Line 154: Line 142:
! Reason for Inclusion
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|-
|ls
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/coreutils/ ls]
|7.4 (05/2009)
|7.4 (05/2009)
|8.14 (10/2011)
|8.14 (10/2011)
|[http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=coreutils.git;a=shortlog;h=v8.4 High]
|[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]
|[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/coreutils/coreutils-8.14.tar.xz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|ps
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/ ps]
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|3.2.8 (05/2009)
|None
|None
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/procps-3.2.8.tar.gz procps.sourceforge.net]
|[http://procps.sourceforge.net/procps-3.2.8.tar.gz procps.sourceforge.net]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|busybox
|[http://busybox.net/ busybox]
|1.13.3 (03/2009)
|1.13.3 (03/2009)
|1.19.3 (10/2011)
|1.19.3 (10/2011)
|Unknown
|Unknown
|[http://busybox.net/downloads/busybox-1.19.3.tar.bz2 busybox.net]
|[http://busybox.net/downloads/busybox-1.19.3.tar.bz2 busybox.net]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|grep
|[http://www.gnu.org/software/grep/ grep]
|2.5.4 (11/2009)
|2.5.4 (11/2009)
|2.9 (06/2011)
|2.9 (06/2011)
|Medium
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grep/grep-2.9.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/grep/grep-2.9.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|Unknown
|}
|}


Line 193: Line 181:
! Reason for Inclusion
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|-
|Synaptic Package Manager
|[http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/ Synaptic Package Manager]
|0.63.1 (10/2010)
|0.63.1 (10/2010)
|0.57.2 (01/2011)
|0.57.2 (01/2011)
|Unknown
|Unknown
|[http://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/synaptic/synaptic-0.57.2.tar.gz gnu.org]
|[http://download.savannah.gnu.org/releases/synaptic/synaptic-0.57.2.tar.gz gnu.org]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|APT
|[http://wiki.debian.org/Apt APT]
|0.7.25 (Unknown)
|0.7.25 (Unknown)
|0.8.10.3 (Unknown)
|0.8.10.3 (Unknown)
|Unknown
|Unknown
|[http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt/apt_0.8.10.3+squeeze1.tar.gz debian.org]
|[http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt/apt_0.8.10.3+squeeze1.tar.gz debian.org]
|
|Unknown
|}
|}


Line 218: Line 206:
! Reason for Inclusion
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|-
|Google Chrome
|[http://www.google.com/chrome?platform=linux Google Chrome]
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|5.0.375.127 (08/2010)
|None
|None
|[http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?platform=linux google.com]
|[http://www.google.com/chrome/eula.html?platform=linux google.com]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|Mozilla Firefox
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html Mozilla Firefox]
|3.6.8 (01/2010)
|3.6.8 (01/2010)
|8.0 (11/2011)
|8.0 (11/2011)
|[http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/releases/ High]
|[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]
|[http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-8.0&os=linux&lang=en-US download.mozilla.org]
|
|Unknown
|-
|-
|Wget
|[http://www.gnu.org/s/wget/ Wget]
|1.12 (09/2009)
|1.12 (09/2009)
|1.13.4 (09/2011)
|1.13.4 (09/2011)
|Medium
|Medium
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.13.4.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|[ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.13.4.tar.gz ftp.gnu.org]
|
|Unknown
|}
|}


Line 250: Line 238:
! Reason for Inclusion
! Reason for Inclusion
|-
|-
|Sylpheed
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/ Sylpheed]
|3.0.2 (04/2010)
|3.0.2 (04/2010)
|3.1.2 (09/2011)
|3.1.2 (09/2011)
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/news.html High]
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/en/news.html High]
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/sylpheed/v3.1/sylpheed-3.1.2.tar.gz sylpheed.sraoss.jp]
|[http://sylpheed.sraoss.jp/sylpheed/v3.1/sylpheed-3.1.2.tar.gz sylpheed.sraoss.jp]
|
|Unknown
|}
|}


==Initialization==
==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).
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]).

Revision as of 21:42, 16 November 2011

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. 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.

UberStudent logo

It was founded by Stephen Ewen, who holds a masters degree in adult education. 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 1.0 "Cicero", which runs the simple LXDE GUI and fits on a CD as opposed to the full DVD edition.

UberStudent lightweight cd cover

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 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).

UberStudent login screen screenshot

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. 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 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 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.

Major package versions

Core

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) High ftp.kernel.org Unknown
glibc 2.11.1 (10/2009) 2.14.1 (06/2011) High ftp.gnu.org Unknown

GUI Platforms and Toolkits

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) High x.org Unknown
GTK+ 2.20.1 (05/2010) 3.2.2 (Unknown) Unknown ftp.gnome.org Unknown
Qt 4.6.2 (02/2010) 4.7.4 (09/2011) Medium ftp.trolltech.com Unknown

Shells

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) High ftp.cwru.edu Unknown

Utilities

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) High ftp.gnu.org Unknown
ps 3.2.8 (05/2009) 3.2.8 (05/2009) None procps.sourceforge.net Unknown
busybox 1.13.3 (03/2009) 1.19.3 (10/2011) Unknown busybox.net Unknown
grep 2.5.4 (11/2009) 2.9 (06/2011) Medium ftp.gnu.org Unknown

Software Packaging

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 gnu.org Unknown
APT 0.7.25 (Unknown) 0.8.10.3 (Unknown) Unknown debian.org Unknown

Web Browsers

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 google.com Unknown
Mozilla Firefox 3.6.8 (01/2010) 8.0 (11/2011) High download.mozilla.org Unknown
Wget 1.12 (09/2009) 1.13.4 (09/2011) Medium ftp.gnu.org Unknown

Email

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) High 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 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).

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