History, Purpose, and the Basics

briansrapier — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:00:47 +0000

The introductory class for IT-185: Introduction to Linux focused on providing the students with the background of Linux, primarily related to the initial goals of Linus Torvalds, the original developer of Linux, the branching into different distributions, and the on-going development of Linux. Students using the “Linux+ Guide to Certification” should focus on reviewing chapters 1-3 and pre-read chapters 4 & 5 to prepare for the next class. Students supplementing with the “Introduction to Linux: A Hands On Guide” from The Linux Documentation Project (http://www.tldp.org) should read chapters 1 & 2 then pre-read chapter 3 for the next class.

We also discussed where to locate more information and glean help from the system (not Google) by using:

-h or –help

man

info

apropos

Next class will cover more regarding filesystems and file/directory manipulation.

What’s in a Name?

briansrapier — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:31:40 +0000

With all the number of Linux distributions in the wild and the many, many off-beat names that each one goes by, you may begin to wonder how a given name came to be. For instance, Linux itself is derived from the first name of it’s creator, Linus (pronounced: Lee-noos) Torvalds.

One of the most popular stories regarding naming a distribution comes from RedHat. There is a lot of mystery and conjecture surrounding the origin of the name. On RedHat’s website you can see a video of Bob Young describing three legends regarding how the name “RedHat” came to be.

Just as interesting and even slightly controversial is the name “Ubuntu”. Mark Shuttleworth, a South African native and the driving force behind Ubuntu chose the Bantu word for allegiance (or alliance), and was the founding principle for the new regime following the fall of Apartheid. Though some have misinterpreted it’s meaning to one of rebellion, in actuality it stands for openness and working together as a whole, which is the general philosophy behind the open source community.

There are many other distributions out there, each with their own story to tell, ranging from the maniacal to the mundane. Now it’s your turn to go out there, find them, and re-tell their story to me as a part of your distribution research paper.

Assignment: Linux Distribution Research

briansrapier — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:30:08 +0000

During the first half of this course the students are expected to perform independent research on the various distributions of Linux that are available. Once a single distro has been selected the student will research and write about his/her findings. At a minimum the paper should cover the distribution’s history, what type of audience the distribution is geared towards, on-going development, who the major players are in directing the development, and what sources are available to obtain technical support.

This is expected to be an individual assignment, but the students may choose any sources that fit their needs as long as they abide by Blue Ridge CTC’s rules regarding academic integrity.The papers are due the week before mid-term exams (3/2/2010).

Below is the rubric chart that will be used in grading the papers:

	EXCELLENT	PROFICIENT	GOOD	FAIR	POOR
Student is able to identify the target audience of the selected Linux operating system distribution and the purpose it serves.	Student accurately identifies who the selected Linux operating system targets and is able to describe, in detail, the core functionality of the distribution.	Student identifies who the selected Linux operating system targets and is able to describe the core functionality of the distribution.	Student partially identifies who the selected Linux operating system targets and is able to somewhat describe the core functionality of the distribution.	Student identifies who the selected Linux operating system targets or is able to describe the core functionality of the distribution.	Student is unable to identify who the selected Linux operating system targets nor is the student able to describe the core functionality of the distribution.
Student is knowledgeable concerning the installation and on-going care of the selected Linux operating system distribution.	Student understands and is able to demonstrate the steps to install and upgrade the selected Linux operating system.	Student generally understands and is able to demonstrate the steps to install and upgrade the selected Linux operating system.	Student understands the basic steps to install and upgrade the selected Linux operating system and can perform both unaided.	Student understands most of the steps to install and upgrade the selected Linux operating system and can perform both with little assistance.	Student understands few of the steps to install and upgrade the selected Linux operating system and is unable to perform either without significant aid.
Student is knowledgeable concerning the history of the selected Linux operating system distribution.	Student is able to accurately describe the history regarding the selected operating system, providing a detailed time-line of events and software revisions.	Student is able to describe the history regarding the selected operating system, providing a time-line of events and software revisions.	Student is able to describe most of the history regarding the selected operating system, providing a time-line of events and major software revisions.	Student is able to describe some of the history of the selected operating system, providing a time-line of significant events and/or major software revisions.	Student is unable to describe the history regarding the selected operating system. Student provides little to no information regarding the time-line of events nor the major software revisions.
Student is knowledgeable concerning the principal parties involved in the creation and on-going development of the selected Linux operating system distribution.	Student has detailed knowledge of the principal parties involved in the development and maintenance of the selected Linux operating system and has contacted them for input.	Student is knowledgeable of the principal parties involved in the development and maintenance of the selected Linux operating system and has attempted contact with them for input.	Student is knowledgeable of the principal parties involved in the development and maintenance of the selected Linux operating system.	Student is knowledgeable regarding most of the principal parties involved in the development and maintenance of the selected Linux operating system.	Student is not knowledgeable of the principal parties involved in the development and maintenance of the selected Linux operating system.
Student is aware of the various sources to obtain information and support regarding the selected Linux operating system distribution.	Student is aware of and is able to demonstrate many of the various sources by which information can be collected and assistance can be obtained regarding the selected Linux operating system.	Student is aware of and is able to demonstrate most of the various sources by which information can be collected and assistance can be obtained regarding the selected Linux operating system.	Student is aware of and is able to demonstrate some the various sources by which information can be collected and assistance can be obtained regarding the selected Linux operating system.	Student is aware of the various sources by which information can be collected and assistance can be obtained regarding the selected Linux operating system.	Student is unaware of nor is he/she able to demonstrate the various sources by which information can be collected and assistance can be obtained regarding the selected Linux operating system.
Student is capable of completing a detailed project through self-management with a regard for accuracy.	Student has demonstrated the ability to complete the project in a timely manner with a high degree of accuracy.	Student has demonstrated the ability to complete the project in a timely manner with accuracy, in both self-managed and team environments.	Student has demonstrated the ability to complete the project in a timely manner with some regard for accuracy.	Student has demonstrated the ability to complete the project in a somewhat timely manner with a slight degree of accuracy.	Student has not demonstrated the ability to complete the project in a timely manner with any degree of accuracy.

Linux Breathes New Life Into Old Hardware

briansrapier — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:40:10 +0000

In the process of cleaning out the closets this past weekend, I came across various bits and pieces of computers I’ve owned or worked on over the past 10 years or so, including 2 complete, though a bit antiquated, laptops. I thought perhaps that I might be able to fire them up and install some form of Linux on them to demonstrate to the class that you don’t have to have the latest and greatest hardware to have a decent system.

The subjects for my little experiment included a Compaq Presario 1275 (366 MHz Pentium processor, 256 MB RAM, 4.3 GB hard drive) and an AST Ascentia M-Series (166 MHz AMD, 64 MB RAM, 2 GB harddrive).

After reviewing the specifications on various Linux distributions with a small footprint or geared towards older hardware, I settled on Puppy Linux, downloaded the latest, and burned the ISO to my CD. I decided to start with the Compaq due to the fact that I thought that, if either install were going to have any chance of success, it would be the one with the better specs.

Due to the fact that this was my first experience with Puppy and that it install works slightly different than most main stream distributions, it threw a few curve balls at me. First, Puppy is designed to run without disturbing an existing Windows installation, but has the ability to be installed directly to the hard drive, though you have to partition the drive beforehand. Luckily, all the usual partition utilities (fdisk, gparted) are already part of the live CD. Even considering the entire installation is only about 100 MB, the install went pretty quickly and completed in about 5 to 6 minutes. At the end of the install, I was prompted to choose the method of installing the bootloader. I chose the method that seemed most logical to me, though I realized that my choice was wrong when the laptop refused to boot to the newly installed OS. However, rebooting the live CD and running option 2 resolved the issue. Between reading documentation, waiting for the system to boot up in the live environment, and making a couple of bad choices, the entire operation lasted about an hour and a half.

Surprisingly, the system now running Puppy Linux was ‘snappy’ and responsive. From touching the power button to desktop presentation took just under a minute. Selecting a program from the menu or click an icon on the desktop resulted in an running application within seconds. Needless to say, I was pleased with the results.

Next, I moved onto the AST laptop and expected my attempts to fail. With the exception of a minor hardware issue, the system booted up into the live environment rather quickly – under 5 minutes. When I was able to launch the installer, I saw that my initial expectations of failure may have been unfounded.

Since I had learned from the mistakes I made during the previous install, this one went much more smoothly and the entire installation process, including the bootloader was complete in well under 10 minutes. On boot, my surprise turned to shock when the system not only booted quickly, but was just as responsive as the Compaq with more than twice the processing power.

Based on what I’ve learned from this experience, would I replace my current distribution with Puppy Linux? Probably not. Though I haven’t fully explored the features of this distribution, it lacks a certain something that my current choice has. It’s likely just flash and glam that only slows the system, but it makes for a more enjoyable computing experience. However, as a option for reviving old hardware as a second system for learning Linux or perform simple operations (e.g. print or file server), it would more than fill the need.