How to install Empathy in Ubuntu 9.04

Empathy is the chat client which is developed and maintained by Ubuntu Brainstorm team. This is the first chat Linux client that used for video chat.

Steps to install Empathy in Ubuntu 9.04

Step 1:

First open terminal(Applications/Accessories/Terminal), add the public key from the developers:

sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com FA3A1271

Step 2: Then,edit /etc/apt/source.list

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Step 3: Add these lines into the file that mentioned in step 2

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/telepathy/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/telepathy/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

Step 4: Update and install:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install empathy

Reference: http://www.ubuntugeek.com/howto-setup-voice-chat-with-google-talk-user-using-empathy.html

What is kernel compilation in Linux & How can do in RHEL5

What is kernel Compilation:

Linux is not a user friendly operating system, however it is more flexible than other operating systems. So you can tune the kernel to the desirable style for better performance to work with new hardware or network as well as new configurations with the existing hardware or network.

Kernel compilation has the following 8 steps to do:

1. Download the latest kernel from http://kernel.org

# cd /tmp
# wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/linux-x.y.z.tar.bz2

2.Extract the compressed file into the specified directory It is usually /usr/src/

  # tar -xjvf linux-2.6.25.tar.bz2 -C /usr/src
  # cd /usr/src

3.Install gcc package through yum in RHEL5

  # yum install gcc

You can use anyone of these commands for compiling the kernel in your desirable style

• # make menuconfig - Text based color menus, radiolists & dialogs. This option also useful on remote server if you wanna compile kernel remotely.
• # make xconfig - X windows (Qt) based configuration tool, works best under KDE desktop
• # make gconfig - X windows (Gtk) based configuration tool, works best under Gnome Dekstop.

  # make menuconfig

4.Compile kernel

    Start compiling to create a compressed kernel image, enter:

    # make

    Start compiling to kernel modules:

    #make modules

    Install kernel modules (become a root user, use su command):

   # make modules_install

  # make install

 5. Install kernel

    It will install three files into /boot directory as well as modification to your kernel grub configuration file:

• System.map-2.6.25
• config-2.6.25
• vmlinuz-2.6.25

6. Create on image

  # cd /boot
  # mkinitrd -o initrd.img-2.6.25 2.6.25
7. Modify Grub configuration file - /boot/grub/grub.conf

  title           Redhat Enterprise Linux, kernel 2.6.25 Default
  root            (hd0,0)
  kernel          /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hdb1 ro
  initrd          /boot/initrd.img-2.6.25

The following are not commands in the file.These are steps in the kernel compilation.
  savedefault
  boot

8. Reboot the system and boot into your new kernel that you have compiled just now 

    # reboot

Ubuntu 10.04 is expected on the first quarter of 2010

The free operating system Ubuntu's next version is expected to come on the mid of April 2010. The name of that version will be Lucid Lynx and It will be having Long Term support by Ubuntu.

Two major following technologies will be expected to implement in the upcoming Lucid Lynx.

1. Gnome 2

Ubuntu 10.04 will use Gnome 2.0 as its desktop environment, with the focus to shift to Gnome 3.0 thereafter.  This means the Lucid Lynx won’t look very different from previous releases, which is a bit unexciting.  But it also substantially simplifies the task of Ubuntu developers, who will have a longer period to prepare for the major changes that will accompany the adoption of Gnome 3.0.  Overall, this is a wise choice.

Shuttleworth anticipates Gnome 3.0’s debut, which should happen with Ubuntu 10.10, to be especially beneficial to users of netbooks and similar devices.  But for the time being, they’ll have to make do with the interfaces currently available.

2. Cloud Computing

The final major point of Shuttleworth’s speech is a continued emphasis on cloud computing, which has been at the forefront of Ubuntu server edition development since the 8.10 release.  Although he didn’t explain specifically how 10.04 will improve upon the cloud infrastructure available in current versions, it’s clear that Canonical expects the cloud to become a cornerstone of Ubuntu’s future on the server.

Investment in the cloud, as I argued a couple weeks ago, is a wise choice.  It will likely prove key to achieving the holy grail of a reliable revenue stream for Canonical, and may help redefine the way that Linux is deployed.

Features:
1. Updated packages

2. Gnome 2

Ubuntu Lucid Alpha 1 includes the latest GNOME desktop environment with a number of great new features.  

3. Linux kernel 2.6.32

4. KDE SC 4.4 beta 1

5. Hal removal

Lucid Alpha 1 sports full removal of the hal package, making Ubuntu faster to boot and faster to resume from suspend.

For further info:

http://www.workswithu.com/2009/09/22/ubuntu-1004-a-closer-look/

http://www.workswithu.com/2009/09/20/atlanta-linux-fest-top-9-ubuntu-highlights/

Installing VLC Player in RHEL5 - R&D

Installing VLC Player in RHEL5 is still a perpetual R&D for me. You can find packages once you get into the vlc player website. But that is not fruitful to install VLC into RHEL5, however you can download the packages that is for our personal and professional R&D.

Packages can be downloaded from the following link, however these have some dependencies.

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-redhat.html

So It is not the full solution to install the VLC Player in RHEL5. The problem persists, even if you go for Linux forums.

VLC developers has to provide a proper solution to fix this up.
Anyway try this following link out for your machine, it would be the good R&D in RHEL5.

http://dag.wieers.com/rpm/packages/vlc/

If not try the torrent link for downloadin VLC for Redhat Enterprise Linux.

http://www.picktorrent.com/torrents/28/vlc-player-of-red-hat/

FireStarter for Ubuntu Linux - a free professional firewall

Fire starter is a small utility that is used for restricting the network in a pretty way. It can be installed easily with the following command

$ sudo apt-get install firestarter


It is having the customizable user interface, you can minimize into tray if you need, you can leave it normal otherwise.

Key Features

• Suitable for use on desktops, servers and gateways
• Enables Internet connection sharing
• Allows you to define both inbound and outbound access policy
• Wizard for easily configuring your firewall
• Sets up DHCP for a local network
• Real time firewall events view
• View active network connections, including any traffic routed through the firewall
  

Normally, In professional flavour of Linux ie Redhat Enterprise Linux does not have this type of utility. You can achieve through commands that is used for fixing the firewall priority ie., High, Medium, No firewall.

But In Ubuntu you can fix it easily with simple mouse clicks. You can restrict the network through this utility. Blocking internal network packets as well as blocking external network packets.

You cannot access internet, if you block all packets. This is the good utility to maintain a good network in Ubuntu.

Firewall is the fitering mechanism in one or more network, that is used to handle the incoming and outgoing packets in general.