Using Debian from a USB Drive

There are various ways to try Debian before you ‘buy’ it. One is the live CD either Debian or Ubuntu, and the other is to run a self contained install from a USB drive. Seeing as these handy little gadgets are getting larger and cheaper as time goes in, this is a pretty viable method of doing things.
When I first tried this a year or so ago, I found it almost impossible to figure it out. Luckily a little further down the line, it is as easy as it could be. If you can complete an install on a normal hard drive, you can complete is on a USB drive. If I can do it then anyone can! Previously there were lots of command line action needed to get anywhere with a USB install. Now it’s pretty much the same as a standard one!

Caution: You should have all of your important files backed up before you try this or any other installs…use at your own risk.

I will now describe the basics of putting this altogether, assuming you have a decent speed USB drive with a capacity larger than 256mb. Decent speed is quite important as you are running almost everything from the drive. My first install used a cheapo slow-o drive that seemed to take an eternity to do anything. Then I upgraded to my 8gb Patriot Xt and now it flies.
To get started, load the Debian installer disk as usual and choose graphical install. Go through the normal install routine until you get to Partition Method. Here you want to choose your USB drive. In my case it came up as /sda.

Select ‘All files in one partition’ at the next option. This is the easiest way to run things on an external drive. You can partition if you want to, but it complicates life somewhat so I’m not going to cover it here.

Complete the process as you would a normal install. Make all the selections you would do on an HDD, just make them relevant where necessary to you /sda mount point. Also ensure you install the Grub bootloader onto the USB drive, otherwise it won’t work.
Once you have made your selections, the install process begins. It may take a while depending on the speed of your USB drive. Once done remove the drive and reboot your machine. When your machine reboots access the BIOS and add the selection to be able to boot from a removable device or USB drive. Where this is will vary depending on your motherboard.
Save and reboot once more making sure you plug your USB drive in. Grub should then load and you get the option to boot into Debian from the drive! Worked for me!
When using Debian in this way you don’t really notice the difference from a standard install. Space may become an issue if you use this method for a prolonged period of time, but that will depend entirely on the size of the USB stick you use.

Desktop Publishing with Scribus: Adding Links

Scribus is an excellent Desktop Publishing tool. This Open Source project provides a great way to create document, brochures, etc. This tutorial will show you how to set up links to web sites in your document that will link to the actual web site.

The best way to learn how to insert links is to open a template so you have something to work with. Go to File/New from Template and select a template to work with. Next Select Insert PDF Annotations, note the work “Link” next to it on the Menu Bar. Make sure the feet are showing in the button.

Now you will be able to create a box over an existing image, as you see in the illustration. If you do not do this with an existing image you will not be able to see the link.

Right click the box and select PDF Options and Annotation Properties. Now in the drop down menu select external Web-Link and type in your website. Choose Save As,so you do not destroy your template, and give it a name. Next go to File Export and export as a PDF with the same name. Now go to the location where you saved the PDF and double-click and it will open with an active link.

Petition: Proprietary Software In US Schools

What’s holding back US schools from catching on to the open-source software wave like the rest of the world?

Some say the replacement applications are just not available on the Linux platform. However some apps like OpenOffice.org could be implemented without even switching away from Windows. The savings in even a small computer lab not buying licenses for MS Office has got to be worth it.

Others argue that the software is there but the support isn’t and that a switch would cause too much confusion amongst students. Wake up people. These kids are all using Openoffice and booting Ubuntu on Live CDs. We need to brings open-source into our schools and teach our children about sharing, community, and freedom. Your kid could be heading up the Ubuntu 15.04 Kruzin’ Kangaroo project or could be a proprietary zombie, with no skills, no options, and no future. The choice is yours.

Please Sign My Proprietary Software Petition

Many good points about why schools are resisting this practical change are detailed in this article: U.S. Schools: Not Ready For Linux

Newbies: What to Look For

As a Linux newbie sure you have a lot of choices out there but what should you look for in a distro? I’ve come up with a few tips to help the new guy decide what he’s going to try first.

Hardware
From full Debian DVD sets to lightweight Mini distros, Linux distributions come in about every size possible. So one of the first things you’ll need to decide is what you’ll be installing this disto on. If it’s an older computer or your hardware is outdated be sure to look at the large selection of lightweight distros like Damn Small Linux, Tiny Core, xPUD, Puppy and many others. Linux distros like this are known for getting the most out of older hardware so you should see some significant improvements on computers that were previous running older versions of Windows.

Desktop Environment
You may have noticed that many Linux distros offer releases that feature GNOME, KDE, Xfce, and many other desktop environments. These desktop environments are basically the interface of your Linux desktop. It is important to decide what environment will work best for you so you can be matched to the best distro. Once you’ve experienced KDE on OpenSUSE for example, that knowledge will be useful while using other distros that offer KDE. Most users find a desktop environment they like and stick to it regardless of distro.

Language
This one seems obvious but needs to be mentioned. Not so much for English speakers but for everyone else. A Linux user that speaks Spanish may have a much more gratifying experience on Mandriva because Spanish languages support has been included in Mandriva for a long time. Some distros have been optimized for specific languages like the recent version of Greenie Linux which focuses on Czech and Slovak speakers. If you’re more comfortable in another language check around to see if distros optimized in your language are available.

Support
I see Linux newbies selecting distributions that aren’t very popular based on one or two things they like about them. Keep in mind that you can make distros like Ubuntu and Fedora do just about anything. How? Support. Without a base of other users that you can talk to in the forum, chat room or at your local LUG, it’s pretty hard to figure things out when you’re stuck. With such a huge number people using distros like Ubuntu finding help will be much easier than if you pick the latest and greatest from distrowatch and try to figure it out on your own.

Many factors go into choosing a distribution, taking some time to think about your needs first may save you some time in the long run.

New Linux Help Resource

At some time during your adventure as a Linux newbie you’re going to hit a bump in the road. Sooner or later you’re going to have a problem that you can’t fix. you might even become confused, frustrated and overwhelmed!

Before you hit this point, seek support, get help, and tap into what makes Linux great. If you’re a Linux user and you have a problem you’re not the first. Use this new Linux resources and you’re sure to find others that have a solution to your Linux related problems.

The BeginLinux community includes many resources for all types of Linux users. Linux videos, screenshots, and courses have been mixed into the community setting. Users can gain access to additional Linux training products through participation at the forum, course and quiz completions, and more. This makes getting access to Linux training products like PDFs, and training CDs as easy as submitting an article, opinion or review. This is all in addition to thousands of Linux desktop and server tutorials, screenshots, and Linux training videos available to everyone..