Operating Systems
Linux
General
- How do I configure Kopete for Google Talk? - on configuring instant messaging clients
- Access Windows Files booted from Kubuntu Disc (help meeeeeee!) - on accessing Windows partitions from Linux
- Cannot change keyboard layout - how to change keyboard layout in Kubuntu
- Linux Commands for Beginning Server Administrators - good list of sysadmin commands, especially to view disk usage
- Adding new users - on creating accounts for multi-user Linux
- Exult: What Do I Need? - how to get Exult to work on Linux
- Why Linux is not (yet) Ready for the Desktop - a list of problems that hinder widespread adoption. When I first read this I thought, what the hell is this guy on about? The lack of one single standard GUI, installer, etc is exactly what makes Linux so configurable. Come to think of it, though, he's right - each API has its own rules and there are no standard interfaces to define the rules of how things are done, which causes interoperability problems between distributions.
- Graphical User Interface Gallery - a gallery showing operating systems with GUIs, including many of the oldest ones
Ubuntu
- How to Enable MP3 on Ubuntu 9.10
- Enabling Flash on Ubuntu 9.10
- Launchpad Bugs: How to take screenshots in menus
- How to Install Banshee on Ubuntu 9.10
Fedora
- How to Enable MP3 on Fedora 12
- How to Access Windows Shares from Fedora
- How to set up an HP LaserJet 1018 Printer on Fedora 12
- Fedora Project: how to enable Flash
Linux Software
Linux distributions use a system of packages (conceptually similar to Windows installers) to install and update software. These packages reside on a repository which is on a known server, and can be retrieved using an appropriate package tool (such as apt-get for Debian derivatives like Ubuntu or Knoppix, and yum for Red Hat derivatives like Fedora).
You need root privileges to install software, so you will need to run commands like:
sudo apt-get install firefox
Below are some useful free applications for Linux, most of which you can install with a package management tool (depending on availability in the distribution's repositories):
- Instant Messaging Client: pidgin (formerly gaim)
- Web Browsers: firefox, konqueror (comes with KDE-based systems)
- FTP Client: filezilla
- SSH Server: openssh-server
- Media Players: vlc, xmms, totem
Below are some supporting libraries you can install for specific development tasks:
- build-essential (C libraries for development)
- ia32-libs (shared libraries for 64-bit systems)
- libsdl1.2-dev (SDL library)
Windows
- Read about WindowsPager - the virtual desktop environment for Windows.
- 10 reasons not to get Vista - APC - 21st January 2007
- Is Windows Vista Faster Than XP? - Tom's Hardware - 29th January 2007
- Graphical User Interface Gallery - a gallery showing operating systems with GUIs, including many of the oldest ones
Google Android
Android is a mobile platform by Google. Although, at the time of this writing [5th May 2008], there are no phones capable of using this platform, enthusiasts have been programming for it for some time now, using the Android Emulator. I'm not really an enthusiast, as I was 'forced' to write software for Android as one of my third year Assigned Practical Tasks. But it was an experience, an experience I'm very much willing to share with any new developers who, like my friends and I, found very it difficult with the lack of proper tutorials and resources on the net.
For starters, below is a list of links I found useful when I had to develop software for Android.
- Google Android - the official website
- DroidDraw - great tool to facilitate creation of user interfaces
- anddev.org - this is a really helpful site... which mostly consists of a forum (the admin, plusminus, is really helpful) but also provides a work-in-progress 'andbook'
