Official Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic/ Mint 8 thread

Gentlemen, start yer torrents!

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic

Tour of 9.10 Karmic
http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whati...u/910features/

A Guided Tour Of Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2009/10/u...ew-karmic.html

Good karma: an in-depth review of Ubuntu 9.10
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/r...utm_source=rss


Release notes:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/rele...4%20filesystem

An overview of Ubuntu 9.10 variants
http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?is...091102#feature

NOTES for Noobs:

If you don't know why you want/need the 64bit version (amd64), get the i386 32bit version. ("Just because I have a 64bit CPU" is *not* good enough reason )

ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso
http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/...86.iso.torrent

Use Transmission or Deluge (best http://dev.deluge-torrent.org/wiki/Download) to download with the .torrent files linked below.

After downloading your .iso, FIRST check that your .ISO is good (not corrupted) by running the following in a terminal window:

md5sum

where is ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso or whatever .iso you downloaded. Compare the number reported by md5sum to the md5sum numbers in this post. If they don't match, delete the file and try again.

Burn at no greater than 8x (maybe 16x ABSOLUTE MAX depending on burner and media quality) on good quality media. Generally, I've found that CD-R media quality tracks DVD+/-R media quality by manufacturer ID reasonably well. REMEMBER- blank media is identified by the manufacturer ID codes recorded on the media- NOT the brand name on the box! See
http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-media.htm


BURNING Software

Use Brasero (already installed in Ubuntu), K3B (both in System->Admin->Synaptic),

NeroLinux (Commercial, nonfree) http://www.nero.com/enu/linux4.html

or IMGBurn (free, closed source) in Wine. http://www.imgburn.com/

http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManage...ation&iId=4625

Install Wine before IMGBurn, of course- http://www.winehq.org/download/deb

Assuming your .iso is good, please leave your torrent client running to help distribute (upload/"seed") to others for a couple of days.

BEFORE INSTALLING or UPGRADING via Software Updates FROM CANONICAL

It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to IMAGE (i.e. clone/copy/backup) your current OS partition(s)/ hard disk in case something gets mucked up while installing the new OS or upgrading your older Ubuntu load via Software Updates to 9.10.

Use Clonezilla to make an image to an external USB, eSATA drive or another internal partition with available space. Just use "Beginner" mode in the Clonezilla wizard.

Be aware of Linux partition/drive naming conventions to avoid overwriting a drive/partition you didn't intend to.

http://clonezilla.org/
http://clonezilla.org/download/sourceforge/


Linux drive/partition naming conventions

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-p...rive-mappings/
http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Partition/devices.html
http://lissot.net/partition/



UBUNTU (Gnome Desktop)

ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso
http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/...86.iso.torrent

md5sum
8790491bfa9d00f283ed9dd2d77b3906 *ubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso

ubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso
http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/...64.iso.torrent

md5sum
dc51c1d7e3e173dcab4e0b9ad2be2bbf *ubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso


KUBUNTU (KDE v4.3.2 Desktop!)

kubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso
http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/...86.iso.torrent

md5sum
18ecb71bff567ce7a91443720a86473e *kubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso


kubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso
http://releases.ubuntu.com/releases/...64.iso.torrent

md5sum
5a996e0d794e35509d0275d411a3e737 *kubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso


XUBUNTU (Xfce Desktop)

xubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/re...86.iso.torrent

md5sum
dbcde7bcfcf3d03cedb309e6856d39a4 *xubuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso

xubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/re...64.iso.torrent

md5sum
9b2ffca631abc34f067e7166f14e37c2 *xubuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso


MYTHBUNTU 9.10

mythbuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso
http://www.mythbuntu.org/files/mythb...86.iso.torrent

md5sum
e7ae3d48092c89b31ffbfc4bd7652ca4 *mythbuntu-9.10-desktop-i386.iso


mythbuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso
http://www.mythbuntu.org/files/mythb...64.iso.torrent

md5sum
e488184a0c8bec5639aab79ecdfaf2eb *mythbuntu-9.10-desktop-amd64.iso


Mythbuntu 9.10 Release Notes
http://www.mythbuntu.org/9.10/release

Features

Mythbuntu Control Centre - Used to modify settings on a Mythbuntu
system that are not necessarily MythTV specific.
Mythbuntu Log Grabber - This app grabs specific log files into a single area and can upload them to pastebin for easy troubleshooting
Partitioner creates one large partition (EXT4)
Auto builds (and the Testing PPA) are now easily enabled/disabled via an installable package. They can also be easily configured from within Mythbuntu-Control-Centre. See Auto Builds for details
MythTV 0.22.0~zrc1 included
MythTV backend now uses upstart. This allows automatic restarting of the backend in the event of a failure.
New Features in MythTV 0.22
MythUI support allowing fancier themes
Support for VDPAU
MythVideo Storage Groups
HD-PVR supported out of the box
DVB-S2 Support
HDHomeRun Multirec support
Complete list here: MythTV 0.22 Release Notes
Known Issues
Many changes have been made to MythTV 0.22. Please read the FAQ
ISOs do not work in storage groups. See MythVideo 0.22 Transition Guide - Disadvantages
External Players do not work in storage groups. See MythVideo 0.22 Transition Guide - Disadvantages
PVR-150 Blaster does not currently work


Netbook editions
Might be good for some notebooks or to play with on your desktop for the different GUI paradigm

Ubuntu Netbook Remix
http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download-netbook

Ubuntu-Moblin-Remix 9.10 (Karmic Koala)
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mob...-live/current/



Upgrading from 9.04
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/upgrading

Network Upgrade for Ubuntu Desktops (Recommended)

You can easily upgrade over the network with the following procedure.

1. Start System/Administration/Update Manager
2. Click the Check button to check for new updates.
3. If there are any updates to install, use the Install Updates button to install them, and press Check again after that is complete.
4. A message will appear informing you of the availability of the new release. um1.png
5. Click Upgrade.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Upgrade Notes
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes

Digg discussion
http://digg.com/linux_unix/Ubuntu_9_...Koala_released

Someone in the Digg discussion commented that "Flash fullscreen was fixed" in 9.10. Anyone try fullscreen Flash yet? Flash version? GPU driver version? Screen resolution? Web video sites tested? CPU utilization in the System monitor?


Nvidia latest Driver repository PPA

Repository link:
https://launchpad.net/~nvidia-vdpau/.../ppa/+packages

"Add that repo to your system and then install the latest NVidia driver using Synaptic (I believe it's a 195 driver now). Be sure to install ALL of the 19x files that you can find.

Once that's done, go to System > Administration > Hardware Drivers and select the latest driver from the list and choose Activate. Then, restart if you get no errors."

I wasn't aware of this Nvidia repo. Thanks shane2943 and zim2dive

For the noobs- what this means is an easy, simple point and click way to get and install the latest Nvidia video driver in Ubuntu (and I assume Mint)!

Distrowatch
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=ubuntu

Guide To Building An Open Source HTPC / Media Center on Ubuntu
http://www.linuxlookup.com/guide_to_...nter_on_ubuntu


Top things to do after installing Ubuntu Linux 9.10 Karmic Koala
http://blog.thesilentnumber.me/2009/...nstalling.html

10 Useful Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2009/10/1...nstalling.html


Spread the Good Word/ Evangelize FOSS, Linux and Ubuntu
Lots of free Ubuntu/FOSS/Linux artwork
http://spreadubuntu.neomenlo.org/

Ubuntu Philosophy
What the heck does "ubuntu" mean?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(philosophy)

Ubuntu Style
https://usshop.ubuntu.com/category.php?catid=1

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Linux Mint 8

http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=1155

Torrent-
http://www.linuxmint.com/torrent/Lin...-8.iso.torrent

Introduction to Linux Mint 8:

The 8th release of Linux Mint comes with numerous bug fixes and a lot of improvements. In particular Linux Mint 8 comes with support for OEM installs, a brand new Upload Manager, the menu now allows you to configure custom places, the update manager now lets you define packages for which you don’t want to receive updates,the software manager now features multiple installation/removal of software and many of the tools’ graphical interfaces were enhanced.

What's new in Linux Mint 8 Helena?

Based on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala, Linux 2.6.31, Gnome 2.28 and Xorg 7.4, Linux Mint 8 "Helena" features a lot of improvements and the latest software from the Open Source World.

Linux Mint 8 "Helena"

Featured improvements in this release: OEM installation, possibility to ignore updates, configurable menu places, multiple selection in the Software Manager, new system tray File Uploader with support for drag and drop and mutiple files uploads.
Menu improvements

Configurable places: In the preferences, you can define your own places. For instance a "Music" button pointing to your Music directory. Any places you define appear in the "Places" section of the menu.

Define custom places...

... and access them from the menu

In the preferences, you can also enable or disable any button from the "System" and "Places" sections.

System menu items

Lock screen button: A "Lock Screen" button was added to the "System" section of the menu.

New Lock Screen button
Software manager improvements

Visual improvements: The graphical interface is now easier to use and it shows more content. The layout was changed and by putting the screenshots in the corner of the application you can now see more software and more reviews at once.

A better layout for the Software Manager

Packaged updates: You don't need to manually refresh the Software Manager anymore. When new data is available you get notified by the Update Manager of a new version of "mintinstall-data".

APT status: The Software Manager is now aware of the APT status of each application. Among other things, this means you can now see the size and version number of each application and whether they're installed on your system or not.

Software removal and multiple selection: The Software Manager now allows you to mark multiple applications for installation and/or removal. A new apply button confirms your choices and processes them all at once.
Update manager improvements

Visual improvements: A few enhancements make the update manager look better than ever.

In the view menu you can now define the visible columns in the list of updates. You can also resize the update manager to make it look exactly the way you want. It will remember its size and the columns you chose and it will look the way you defined.

In this example, the update manager was made smaller and shows only the name and size of the updates

When visible, the update manager now uses Synaptic to refresh the list of updates. As a result you'll see progress information on the screen.

Manually refreshing the update manager now shows progress information

If a problem occurs, the error message now appears in the main window and not only in the logs. This makes it easier for you to detect if there's something wrong with your repositories.

Software sources: In the edit menu, you can now access the "Software Sources" tool.

You can decide which repositories you want to use.

Enable and disable repositories easily

And you can also improve performance by selecting among the Linux Mint mirrors available.

Find the best package mirror

Ignored packages: In the preferences, you can define a list of packages for which you do not whish to receive updates. You can also use wildcard characters to define groups of package updates you want to ignore.

Define the packages you don't want updates for, no matter what level we assign to them

Other improvements:

* The detection of updates is now faster and more reliable.
* Errors are better handled and now appear in the main window.

A brand new Upload Manager
Highlights: Multiple uploads, Upload manager, systray and drag and drop support

What was previously called mintUpload is now split into two applications: The Upload Manager and the File Uploader.

From the Upload Manager you can define upload services using the following protocols: FTP, SFTP and SCP.

Define your upload services from the Upload Manager...

In the screenshot above for instance, we've defined two upload services: An FTP service to our website server, and an SFTP service to access a server from work.

...access them from the File Uploader sitting in your system tray...

When you launch the File Uploader, your upload services become available from your system tray. You can simply click on the services you want, and upload zones will appear on your screen.

...drag and drop the files you want to upload.

Drag and drop files into these upload zones and they get uploaded to their respective upload services.

Multiple files uploads are supported. Support for directories and the legacy Mint-Space protocol will be added at a later stage.
Artwork changes

Linux Mint 8 Helena comes with up to date version of the Gnome Colors icon theme and the Shiki gtk theme.

Firefox comes bundled with the Stylish add-on which makes it integrate better with the overall theme.

The default background is called "Fresh" and it was designed by Zwopper (who also designed the default background for Linux Mint 7 "Gloria").

Various upstream improvements in the gtk engines used by Linux Mint make widgets, and buttons in particular, look better than they did before.
Other improvements

Community editions now use their own repositories and are now able to pin packages from the main edition.

Dependencies were simplified and the Mint tools were made more modular. In particular they can now be installed on Ubuntu without any configuration.

The branding used in the Mint tools was removed to make it easier for other distributions to use them and to give a more professional look to the desktop.

An OEM installation can now be launched from the liveCD boot menu.

Inxi buttons were included in xchat to make IRC support easier. The #linuxmint channel was also split into #linuxmint-help and #linuxmint-chat to separate chatting and support and give people seeking for help a dedicated channel. Xchat now autoconnects to both channels.

MintCast is now registered by default as a podcast in Rhythmbox.

Gnome-Do was initially introduced to raise people's awareness about the project and is now removed from the default software selection.
Upstream Improvements

Linux Mint 8 Helena comes with a linux 2.6.31 kernel.

Gnome 2.28 comes with noticeable improvements in Bluetooth support, DVD playback and PulseAudio integration.

The Ubiquity installer features graphical improvements and support for the ext4 filesystem.

Ubuntu 9.10 also introduced improvements in the boot sequence and notifications.

As mentioned earlier, Ubuntu will auto-upgrade via the Updates in the systray, generally no issues. Read the Digg discussion I linked above in the first post- several people comment on how simple it has been to upgrade their Ubuntu loads every major release every six months- some have been doing it from a load started a couple years ago...

Yes, there are cases where a driver or package breaks, but for most average installs, the upgrade works well for several releases at least. IMO, if you can do this for about two years- long term support release (LTS) to LTS, that's as good as it needs to be. Then do a fresh install every two years, since filesystems (ext3 to ext4), bootloaders (GRUB1.5 to GRUB2), and other low level stuff prolly will change anyways, and are difficult and/or a hassle and/or dangerous for non-techies to update on an existing load.

Bottom line- the Ubuntu major release upgrade mechanism works FAR more reliably than Windows "Upgrade" editions ever did for me (Win98 Upgrade from 95, XP Upgrade from 98, etc)

Added a link to first post full of informational/evangelizing materials for FOSS/Linux/Ubuntu-

Spread the Good Word/ Evangelize FOSS, Linux and Ubuntu-

http://spreadubuntu.neomenlo.org/

Amazingly, I've never seen this site before- chock full of ready-made presentations, posters, one-pagers, case sticker art and more to help you promote, sell, and articulate the Cause

LightScribe label attached, from

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1284156

I use the LaCie lightscribe software for Linux-

http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10803

Simple one panel GUI and does the job- see attached screenshot.

EDIT: Added UbuntuCDLabel3.png with "LTS" removed (original artist was in error)

Of course, you are free to Gimp it up as much as you like

EDIT- added another lightscribe label from
http://spreadubuntu.neomenlo.org/en/...unty-cd-labels

Upgrading from 9.04
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/upgrading

Network Upgrade for Ubuntu Desktops (Recommended)

You can easily upgrade over the network with the following procedure.

1. Start System/Administration/Update Manager
2. Click the Check button to check for new updates.
3. If there are any updates to install, use the Install Updates button to install them, and press Check again after that is complete.
4. A message will appear informing you of the availability of the new release.
5. Click Upgrade.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Upgrade Notes
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes

Any questions?

(...even a life-long Wintard can click through those steps )

Fedora 12 looks promising, and the next OpenSuse too.

You're all free to start "Official " threads for those

Be sure to have some fun, too...

http://www.playdeb.net/updates/

Guys, remember- we all have the same goal, whatever distro you prefer or support. The Big Bad Guys are MS/Apple, not other Linux users

If you have constructive criticisms with review/test data to back it up, please post to share with others.

If you have another favorite distro, please start another thread with your review of why it works so well for you.

re: OS upgrade success on Windows- same ole same ole

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/...5-dc128cc5f86c

10 Useful Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2009/10/1...nstalling.html

though I would discourage enabling Compiz/desktop effects for media PC/HTPC use, as it may introduce tearing in video playback and/or other video playback issues.

Guided Tour of 9.10 Karmic
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2009/10/u...ew-karmic.html

You're welcome.

In addition to the Netbook Remix, you might also want to play with the Ubuntu Moblin Remix

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-mob...-live/current/

Install went perfectly without glitches for me on my X2 5400BE/2GB/TF705PV rig using the on board GF7050 GPU. Installed the 185.xx Nvidia driver without issue via System->Admin->Hardware Drivers.

Installed to the second partition out of 8 on a 250GB older Barracuda- lots of ~30G partitions to try all the cool distro releases coming up- OpenSuse 11.2, Fedora 12, Mandriva 2010, Mint 8, Arch/Chakra, etc.

Installed alongside my trusty 8.04 HArdy load without issue, automatically adding the new Grub bootloader with both 8.04 and 9.10 in the list.

When the GRUB loader comes up showing, it reports GRUB v1.97 beta 4!? I though we were getting GRUB v2? No big deal.

Feels like it boots faster to a usable desktop vs Hardy on the same drive, both using ext3 on /, though I need to take some times.

I REALLY like the new theme- new default icons in Nautilus for folders and Places, new desktop icons, and the brown window trim and yellow-orange-brown wallpaper are *perfect* for a Fall release Firefox 3.5.4 appears to be snappy with lots of great features vs 3.x, and the inclusion of Oo 3.1.1 is great.