Sunday 3 November 2013

Basics of Ubuntu

Now a days so many people are using Ubuntu operating system on their personal computers but a many of them don't know how to use the commands in the terminal to know so many things about their operating system. In Ubuntu we can perform tasks by using Graphical user interface(GUI), Command line interface(CLI). By using terminal we can perform a lot of tasks through the terminal, but we can do somany tasks with administrator priviliges. So in order to perform action with administrator priviliges we have to type sudo and the action needed to be performed beside it. Here sudo will give us administrator priviliges. We can use gksudo command in the terminal while opening a graphical application. If you want to install a program/ package as fast as possible then we can use the terminal instead of Synaptic manager or Software center, We need to enter the command like this in the terminal:

              sudo apt-get install package

In Linux versions we get text editors, Office programs, photo viewer, Fire fox and many other programs along with the installation of Linux based versions. Latest versions of Ubuntu are released with a gap of six months every time i.e. released on April and October. We can find the version of ubuntu we are using by entering a command in the terminal:

             lsb_release -a


The default desktop environment present in Ubuntu operating system is Unity. It is compatible with GTK platform used by Gnome. And Gnome 3 is the new desktop environment replacing the Unity. We can get it by using the below commands in the terminal:

            sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3
            sudo apt-get update
            sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
            sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

The Hardware requirements for installation of Ubuntu are given here in brief. Ubuntu Precise Pangolin runs with as little as 384 Mb RAM.Netbooks can run Ubuntu Precise Pangolin, which has been optimised for that platform.
The installation takes between 3-4 Gb hard drive space, and 8 - 10 Gb will be needed to run comfortably. (However, at least 25-30 Gb will likely be needed for routine usage.)
If you have an older computer with less memory than this, consider Lubuntu (if 160 Mb RAM or greater), PuppyLinux (if 256 Mb or greater), or DSL (if minimal RAM, limited hard drive space, running from a USBdrive, or running from within another OS). If you want to install Ubuntu along with other OS then you will have to create a separate drive for Ubuntu as the installation requires formatting of complete partition.

A Gnome 3.4 interface gnome-shell can be installed, and a choice (from the Login Manager) of running in Unity or Gnome 3 will then be available:

             sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

A user interface resembling the classic Gnome 2 interface (used in Ubuntu Lucid Lynx and earlier versions) can be installed. (This installs the gnome-shell modules as well.) A choice of running Unity or Gnome as the desktop environment will then be available from the Login Manager.

            sudo apt-get install gnome-session-fallback

You can change Grub settings from Startup Manager, a GUI that is able to manage settings for Grub (Grub Legacy), Grub 2, Usplash, and Splashy. Installation: 
 
            sudo apt-get install startupmanager menu

To run it follow the procedure mentioned:

Menu -> System -> Administration -> Startup Manager

We can update our Ubuntu with the help of terminal in this way:

            sudo apt-get install update-manager-core
            sudo do-release-upgrade

But before performing this backup your system for safety. If some thing goes wrong we can get back opur OS to its normal state. Its better to upgrade your Ubuntu in a serial order.

Software packages and programs are freely available for download at multiple online sites with standardized structures, called repositories. There are repositories officially sanctioned and monitored by the Kubuntu/Ubuntu developer community, while other repositories are independently provided, without official sanction or supervision (and should be used with caution). To add a repository to your Ubuntu type the command below in the terminal:

                sudo add-apt-repository ppa:user/ppa-name

If add-apt-repository is not available on your system, then install it with the package:

                sudo apt-get install python-software-properties

You can also add the repositories from the synaptic manager also. To do it follow the below steps:

Menu -> System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager -> Settings -> Repositories

To remove a repository use the below command in the terminal:

               sudo apt-add-repository -r ppa:user/repository

Instructions for installing packages from the command-line Terminal:

              sudo apt-get install packagename

Remove packages:

              sudo apt-get remove packagename

To remove all dependencies use:

              sudo apt-get autoremove

Search for packages:

              apt-cache search <keywords>

Update the apt package database after adding/removing repositories:

              sudo apt-get update

To upgrade packages:

              sudo apt-get upgrade

To upgrade the entire distribution :

              sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

We can also install .Deb packges through command-line interface in simple steps.
To install a downloaded Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb):

             sudo dpkg -i packagename.deb

To remove a Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb):

             sudo dpkg -r packagename

To reconfigure/Repair an installed Debian (Ubuntu) package (.deb):

             sudo dpkg-reconfigure packagename

Aptitude is a terminal-based package manager that can be used instead of apt-get. Aptitude marks packages that are automatically installed and removes them when no packages depend on them. This makes it easy to remove applications completely. To use Aptitude, replace apt-get with aptitude in the command line.
For an ncurses-based graphical user interface, type :

            sudo aptitude

Repair broken packages

If a package installation fails (which can cause a Package Manager to freeze or become locked), or if a package has unsatisfied dependencies causing a similar condition, then run one (or both) of the following commands from the command-line terminal:

            sudo apt-get install -f
            sudo dpkg --configure -a


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