Ubuntu for Android: Complete Ubuntu Desktop for Docked Android Smartphones

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Canonical is now working on a new product called Ubuntu for Android. The aim of the product is to bring Ubuntu, “the popular Linux distribution,” to high-end Android smartphones.

Ubuntu for Android will offer a complete Ubuntu desktop experience on the smartphone along the standard Android environment. Users will first need to plug-in their Android device to a dock that will connect to a keyboard and monitor. Once docked, the Android phone’s data, apps and connectivity can be easily accessed within the Ubuntu desktop PC.

Ubuntu for Android variant will make use of the underlying Android (Linux) kernel. It is further designed to take advantage of the dual-core ARM CPU. The new Ubuntu variant will come bundled with a number of popular applications while having a deep integration with the Android environment on the user’s phone. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Android, Linux, Mobile, News and Updates

Airtime: Open Source Radio Software for Scheduling, Automation and Remote Station Management

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Airtime, developed by Sourcefabric, is a free, open-source radio broadcasting software for scheduling and remote station management. The radio software runs on Linux platform, and features easy management and automation. The Airtime server software runs on Ubuntu Linux, Debian, and Red hat and multiple users can use the software to schedule radio shows remotely through any web browser. After installed, the user can control it from anywhere using a modern web browser.

Recently, Sourcefabric has released Airtime 1.8.2 with 58 improvements and bug fixes. It now provides the users ability to download audio, cancel a show that’s being recorded, and watch the recording status of a show on the “Now Playing” screen. The latest version has also improved the installation and upgrade process. A new command-line program called “airtime-check-system” now verifies the environment in which the radio software is being installed and helps troubleshoot problems. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Linux, Software Review

LibreOffice 3.4.0 Released, TDF Clarifies Version Numbering

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Oracle’s decision to give OpenOffice.org (OOo) assets to the Apache Software Foundation and not The Document Foundation (TDF) has not stopped TDF to roll out a major release of LibreOffice (LO), a fork of OpenOffice. LibreOffice is widely adopted now and is becoming very popular. Major Linux distros including Ubuntu, Fedora and Linux Mint has dropped OOo for LO.

LibreOffice 3.4.0 is the second major release of the suite since the announcement of TDF in September 2010. LO 3.4.0 is a major release of the open-source free office suite now incorporates the contributions of more than 120 developers (six times as many as the first beta released on the launch date).

LibreOffice was created as a fork of the OpenOffice.org productivity suite back in September, of course, due to uncertainty over the future of OOo after Oracle acquired the project. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Apple, Linux, Productivity/ Organization, Windows

Install Unity 2D on Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick) [How To]

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In one of our earlier articles, we shared a good news for Ubuntu 10.10 “Maverick” users who wants to get Unity 2D without upgrading to the latest Ubuntu 11.04 version.

Unity 2D is basically a desktop shell developed for hardware platforms that don’t support Unity’s OpenGL requirements. In other words, it’s developed for Ubuntu systems having less hardware resources.

2D’s architecture is very close to that of the original Unity desktop shell since it shares the same backend components, except that it replaces the user interface elements. The user interface elements which gets replaced in this strip down version of the desktop shell are the panel, launcher and places components. Moreover, it uses a tweaked version of Metacity instead of Compiz as its window manager. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Linux, Tips and Tricks

Get Unity 2D on Ubuntu 10.10 “Maverick”

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Unity is “the completely new” user experience available in Ubuntu 11.04. It is available in two versions; Unity for the powerful machines with compatible graphics cards and Unity 2D, the less hardware resource hungry version. I prefer and use Unity 2D much more than Unity 3D on my Ubuntu 11.04 system.

If you’re still stuck with Ubuntu 10.10 for some reason or the other and you don’t want to miss out entirely on the “new” Unity user experience. You can now get it on your Ubuntu 10.10 “Maverick” by using the PPA‘s listed in this article. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Linux

R.I.P Shipit: Canonical Retires Global CD Distributor Programme

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Gerry Carr of Canonical has announced on the official Canonical Blog that they will be discontinuing the free CD shipping service ShipIt and would be focusing on their CD distributor programme and shipping CDs directly to LoCos instead. Below is an excerpt of the official announcement:

It’s with some regret that we are announcing the end of the ShipIt Programme and the CD distributor programme. … Technology moves on and as we look at ways to spread Ubuntu further, a CD distribution programme, especially one of that size and delivered in that way, makes less sense. We have been slowly easing back the programme over the last two years to limit the number of CDs per person and the number of times a person could apply for a CD. But for Ubuntu 11.04 you will no longer be able to go to our website and apply for a free CD.

That’s not to say there won’t be CDs. We are going to make large numbers of CDs available to the Ubuntu Local Communities (LoCos) through a shipIt-lite program. We are asking the LoCos, who are much better placed than Canonical in many ways, to find creative ways to get CDs to those that need them. And of course, every single person reading this who has a CD is a potential distributor — it is after all free to copy, modify and redistribute. We will also continue to make the packs available through the store which are sold more or less at cost price (plus shipping).

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Linux, News and Updates

Ubuntu 11.04: 17 Brand New Wallpapers Plus New Default Wallpaper

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Canonical has introduced 17 new wallpapers that will be part of the final release of the upcoming Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) operating system. The default wallpaper for Ubuntu 11.04 has also been reveled. The default wallpaper (the last one) is very similar to the Ubuntu 10.10 wallpaper. These wallpapers are created by community members. As you will see, for the first time, illustrated designs are also offered alongside traditional photographic wallpapers. On April 28th, Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) will become the 14th release of the Ubuntu operating system.

Ubuntu is one of the most widely used and popular Linux distribution. It is available for normal desktops and server and is very fast. Easy installation procedure, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent packages installed by default, every other package you can imagine available from the network, and professional technical support from Canonical Ltd and hundreds of other companies around the world is the reason behind its continued success. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Linux, News and Updates

How to Install LibreOffice in Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10 and 11.04?

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Do you want to install LibreOffice and make it your primary office suite instead of OpenOffice in Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10 and 11.04? Here’s a quick tutorial that will teach you how to install the new LibreOffice open source office suite and replace the old OpenOffice.org office suite. Natty Narwhal (11.04) and later versions comes bundled with LibreOffice out of the box.

However, the LibreOffice office suite package is also available for Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) and Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) users. There are two ways to install, you can either remove OpenOffice completely and install or you can add the LibreOffice PPA and test it. Adding the LibreOffice PPA only won’t affect OpenOffice.

Update: You’ve to remove OpenOffice first and then install LibreOffice. Thanks to MTG readers Kent and Fabio for bringing it to my notice. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Linux, Tips and Tricks