Dual Boot - Ubuntu and Fedora

I have seen many of the people who wants to know the steps for creating a dual boot system with both Ubuntu and Fedora. Now its better to install Fedora first and Ubuntu second as Ubuntu has a better partition manager.

Installing Ubuntu

1. I installed Ubuntu 8.0.4 as built from the latest images.

2. Booted the Ubuntu install CD and selected “Guided, use entire disk”

3. You need to select a name and password

a. I used the same name and password for both installations.

4. Once the OS was booted I went into system preferences and setup the network proxy to enable network access from within the firewall. This step is necessary if you have a firewall, if you are outside your selections might be different.

5. Using the update manager, I installed updates just to make sure everything was current.

Modifying the Disk Partition information

1. To enable a second OS on the drive we need to make room for it.

2. Boot your system using an Ubuntu “Live” CD which runs Ubuntu from CD and not from your installed setup.

a. This requires your system to be able to boot from a CD.

3. Once the Live version is up, run the GNOME Partition Manager as found in: System – Administration.

4. Select to resize the primary drive

5. Enter values that create two equally sized partitions

a. Do NOT select ok yet as it will fail since the drive is mounted.

6. Bring up a terminal window

7. Type: sudo umount /dev/sda1

a. check to make sure this is the drive you are expecting by looking at the graphical UI

8. Now with the drive unmounted, go back to the GUI and select OK and then APPLY

9. It takes some time to resize and then gives a few errors as it’s unable to auto mount the drive since it was unmounted without the GUI app knowing.

10. The result is you should have your partition ½ full and ½ unallocated now.

Installing Fedora

1. Boot your system with the Fedora install DVD

a. Select Install or upgrade an existing system

b. Skip the media test

2. GUI comes up now

a. Select Next (to continue installing)

b. Select English as the language

c. Select US English as the keyboard

d. Hostname – select Auto via DHCP

e. Root password – I used the same as I had for Ubuntu

i. Select OK if it’s a “weak” password

f. @ the dropdown box at the top, select

i. Use free space on selected drives and create default layout

g. Check the box that says you want to review and modify partitioning layout

h. I took the defaults and when clicking next was warned to write the changes to disk.

i. Accept the changes

i. You get a “Formatting file/system” message and it’s there for several minutes

j. Selecte to install a boot loader on /dev/sda

k. Add Ubuntu as /Dev/sda1 then NEXT to keep going

i. This will need some serious changes later on because Fedora doesn’t know enough about Ubuntu

l. Select to add software dev tools since you’ll be using this as a development system.

m. You can select to add a web server to your system too

n. If you want to add additional Fedora software, it requires a connection and there wasn’t a way to setup a proxy in this dialog, so I skipped that since it can be done through the software management application once the install is complete.

o. Start the actual install.

i. It goes through 1149 packages with the v9 DVD

p. Says congrats install is complete, press reboot

3. At this point when you reboot you get the Boot Manager and it shows 2 options. 1 for Fedora and 2 for Ubuntu. The Fedora option will work but the Ubuntu option needs some serious changes.

Modifying Fedora to support dual boot

As unlikely as it seems, Fedora doesn’t know how to run Ubuntu, in fact you can’t even see the Ubuntu hard drives from Fedora. So, when the Boot Manager installed to run Ubuntu, it didn’t get things right. The Ubuntu strings need to be added to the Fedora Boot Manager, here’s instructions for doing that.

1. Put the Ubuntu Live Boot CD in the system and boot it

2. Open the file /boot/grub/menu.lst

3. Once you have the file look for the section near the bottom that shows how to boot Ubuntu. It looks about like these 4 lines… YOURS will be different because the UUID info is different for each drive. You need to write it down exactly, all 4 lines (double check it too).

a. Title Ubuntu 8.04.1, kernel 2.6.24-19.generic

b. Root (hd0,0)

c. Kernel /boor/vmlinuz-2.6.24-19.generic root=UUID=63766a10-f196-47b2-b2be-2a057b4be170 ro quiet splash

d. Initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.24-19-generic

4. Re-boot your system and select Fedora from the boot manager

5. Inside of Fedora, bring up a terminal by selecting: System Tools Terminal

6. In the terminal change to root by typing SU

7. Then enter the root password as requested

8. Now type: gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

9. Modify the Ubuntu entry to match what you just wrote down above

10. Save the changes

11. Reboot and check that both OS’s work now. If your Ubuntu doesn’t boot, check VERY carefully for typos as everything needs to be exactly right for this to work.

Now you have a dual boot Ubuntu-Fedora system for all your Linux development needs.

Source: Intel

The Linux Battle: Ubuntu vs. Fedora

The userbase of Linux operating systems is growing rapidly. More and more people are venturing away from Microsoft Windows and finding their way to open source operating systems. Just as more people are using them, more and more Linux distributions are available. According to DistroWatch, there are more than 400 Linux distributions available and active, with many versions for each, which in turn gives you thousands of options. With large PC manufacturers starting to offer Linux based operating systems as an option for a new computer, which operating system will come out on top and dominate this industry? Among the open source operating system crowd, there are 2 main contenders: Ubuntu and Fedora.

Ubuntu

First things first, the installation of Ubuntu was very simple and straightforward. No tricky, unfamiliar feats you must overcome. For the first time Linux user, Ubuntu is by far the easiest to start learning and also includes the most basic options which keep things simple. As you learn the operating system and desire additional features and options, they can be added separately which is great for those who are just new to the Linux scene. Most Ubuntu users are probably a little more computer literate than the average user but with a single disc install, anyone could set this operating system up. The set up process detects your hardware very well and things run smoothly. One of the driving forces to a Linux operating system is the unstable and hacker friendly Microsoft Windows. The biggest downside of Ubuntu is that there is no firewall on the system. There are solutions to work around this but this is one feature that should’ve been included. Another disappointment was the limited multimedia resources. You will probably have to look outside Ubuntu to find what you need in the multimedia department.

Fedora

This open source operating system has a strong history and has been a strong contender for awhile. Fedora has been the most consistent with stability issues which have plagued other open source operating systems. The recently added network tools are a great addition to this product and actually include eight tools into one easy to use interface. Your multimedia options are expanded somewhat but Fedora doesn’t provide any support for non open source programs that are really common among other users. The included Helix Player is fairly simple and provides a satisfactory replacement for the average multimedia user. Fedora also lacks some of the bells and whistles and human friendliness of other open source operating systems. The security options exceed those of Ubuntu, which is a strong point for Fedora.

Up to this point, Ubuntu appears to be taking the lead in the open source operating system world with a strong backing from Dell Computers. Both operating systems are fully functional and have surprisingly strong features. If you are new to Linux operating systems, Ubuntu is probably the way to go but Fedora users have no reason to jump ship quite yet.

China's Latest Knockoff: Ubuntu in XP Clothing

What looks like XP but perhaps behaves better? A version of Ubuntu that sports the XP user interface, currently available in Chinese for download from the Web. Whether Microsoft will attempt to assert its intellectual property rights is unknown -- and the legal status of the OS is far from clear.

Chinese-language consumers unwilling or unable to pay the cost of a legitimate copy of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows XP now have a new alternative: a clone of the operating system that's based on Ubuntu.

Dubbed "Ylmf OS," the software is available from Rain Forest Wind Guangdong Computer Technology as a free download on a dedicated Web site.

The system is based on Ubuntu 9.10 and integrates Wine, according to the page. Also included are OpenOffice 3.1, CompizConfig Effects Settings Manager, Firefox and Pidgin for instant messaging.

Canonical, the company that serves as Ubuntu's commercial sponsor, could not be reached for comment by this story's deadline.

'I Don't Recommend It'

Uncovered last Saturday by Download Squad, the Ylmf hack is actually not the first instance of Ubuntu being made to look like Windows.

In what may or may not be a coincidence, an Ubuntu fan who goes by the name of Phrank Waldorf received considerable attention on the Linux blogs just a few weeks ago by posting a similar hack, also using Ubuntu 9.10 to emulate Windows XP.

"I don't use this. I don't recommend it, either!" Waldorf wrote. "I actually made the script as a programming exercise."

The response, however, was likely more than Waldorf had expected. Countless enthusiastic comments were left by readers on Waldorf's page, including at least one asking permission to translate it for a Chinese blog.

'Far More Interesting Work to be Done'

It's not entirely clear why Linux fans -- many of whom are overtly hostile towards Microsoft -- would want to emulate Windows with open source technology.

Indeed, in the open source community, "the general sense is there is far more interesting work to be done differentiating and competing with Windows rather than emulating it," Jay Lyman, an analyst with the 451 Group, told LinuxInsider.

It's also not likely such technology holds much promise going forward, Lyman added, "particularly as we see more support for Windows in Linux and other open source software and more support for Linux and other open source in Windows."

'A Brazen Effort'

In China, however, it seems at least possible that a Windows clone based on open source software could present a potentially more legitimate alternative to widely available pirated versions. User modification is fully expected in the world of open source software, after all.

On the other hand, can it be acceptable to use open source technology to closely mimic the graphical user interface of a proprietary counterpart? The legality is far from clear.

"Rarely does a brazen effort to pilfer the intellectual property of others appear so blatant as with the Ylmf OS product being circulated in China," Raymond Van Dyke, a partner with Merchant & Gould, told LinuxInsider.

'Clear Aim to Interfere'

"The Chinese government should proactively do what they can to squelch this obvious act of hacking and copying a well-known product covered by various patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, both in the U.S. and in China," Van Dyke asserted.

While "legitimate reverse engineering of functionalities is acceptable in the U.S., one cannot wholesale copy a protected product, although some functionalities may be worked around," he explained.

More troubling, however, is "copying the exact design or style of the product, which pirates have absolutely no excuse to copy -- apart from their clear aim to interfere with the sales of the legitimate owner or otherwise trade on the owner's good name," Van Dyke added.

Better Than the Real Thing?

"If this is an effort to pass off the XP desktop theme as the XP operating system, I don't think it is going to work," Joe Casad, editor in chief of Ubuntu User magazine, told LinuxInsider.

"The irony is that this faux Windows system will be safer, more stable and less susceptible to malware than the system it is pretending to be," Casad noted.

Still, "it never really helps to manipulate the customer," he added. "We say that every day to Microsoft, and we would certainly say the same thing to people who are trying to make money by imitating Microsoft."

If the Rain Forest Wind Guangdong company "finds that it gives them a competitive edge to distribute Ubuntu to their customers, they should just admit it," Casad concluded. "It will be better for both their users and their tech support to have menus that match the underlying system."

Reference: www.technewsworld.com

Could Linux Use Some Bells and Whistles?

Is Linux just too quiet to attract mainstream users who are used to the siren songs of bells and whistles? Or do Linux bells and whistles run on a frequency Windows users can't hear? "One person's 'bells and whistles' are another person's 'this is too different for me' impediment," suggested Slashdot blogger Barbara Hudson. For example, "the desktop cube just blows [Windows users] away."

With the Season of Giving hard upon us once again, it's a safe bet that many of us are thinking about glitter. Not just glitter, but glitz, sparkle and shine, jingle, bells and whistles.

Such, after all, are the qualities gifts -- and the holidays in general -- are often expected to have, and manufacturers of everything from ornaments to iPods do their best to make it happen.

What, one might ask, about operating systems? Should they, too, have shiny, splashy, gotta-have features to make them sparkle in users' eyes?

'What Are the Killer Features?'

That, indeed, was essentially the question posed by blogger Simon Brew at Linux User & Developer recently, and it's sparked quite a discussion on the blogs.

"What are the defining features and characteristics of Ubuntu?" Brew began. "Or Mandriva? Or openSUSE? What are the killer features that are born to illuminate point-of-sale material and tedious slideshows the world over?

"What's... the 'killer app' that's going to get the world excited about Linux?" he asked.

Invisible Appeal?

Brew's answer: "There aren't any. There is no single feature to adorn the covers of magazines. There's no whizzbang gadget to turn the computing world on its head," he wrote. "Instead, the major appeal of Linux, for me anyway, is that it's content to be an operating system."

That, in turn, is a good thing, he concluded: "After all, isn't the best operating system the one you hardly even notice is there?"

The topic must have struck a chord with residents of the Linux blogosphere, because many of them had a lot to say on the matter.

'I Feel the Same'

"Nice article, and I would like to say I feel the same," wrote dhysk in the comments on Linux User & Developer, for example. "Unfortunately the idea of an operating system without bells and whistles as a default [is] one that just doesn't work as a whole."

The reason, dhysk added, is that "to most people an OS IS the computer itself."

On the other hand: Linux "is what you want it to be," opined cwrinn. "I feel this is the 'Bells and Whistles' in a Linux system."

For Details

Ubuntu Capturing Market

Ubuntu version of the Linux OS is the world’s most popular free desktop OS, and it’s popularity is growing up - from the bottom. Going over the role that Linux plays on the desktop and where its future lies, Shuttleworth specifically commented on a question issued about Wine – which as many of you may know, is the most popular way of running Windows-based programs on Linux. It's a very useful tool when migrating from Windows to Linux, and often is a mainstay of any desktop Linux distribution; as often there are cases when a program is more easily available under Windows.
Ubuntu has been selected by readers of desktoplinux.com as the most popular Linux distribution for the desktop, claiming approximately 30% of Linux desktop installations in both 2006 and 2007. Some people usually feel burden of the drivers in other operating systems, but in most of the Linux based operating systems, you will not face this problem. As if we take the case of Ubuntu only, it will provide you almost all the drivers preinstalled like audio, video, LAN card, blue-tooth, wifi etc. In the older versions of Ubuntu, people were required to install the drivers manually but now you need not to install them anymore in latest version(9.04). Also Ubuntu is spread worldwide in such a manner that you will get lot of forums for all sort of issues related to Ubuntu as it comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hundreds of companies around the world. As others have pointed out, attempting to emulate Windows won't do much good to capture market share. What would help is to focus on what people want or need to do, at its core. There may be difficulty in luring people away from apps they are loyal too, but software changes and is replaced as time goes on. The future of Linux on desktop doesn't lie within Windows app compatibility, but rather making the Linux desktop something people want to use due to its own merit.