Articles by Categories

Installing Apache2 and PHP5 on different platforms can be frustrating at times because of the differences involved in each platform. Especially true when you are new to a particular Operating System. Just today I had to install both these two software on my fairly newly installed Ubuntu laptop. And it took me some effort to accomplish that, which for an experienced user would have taken minutes. For those of you who might travel on this road too, here is the quick way to get Apache and PHP5 running on your Ubuntu computer.

Having a software that reads PDF files is a must on any Operating System. Although the Evince Document Viewer comes with Ubuntu, and it can PDF files, however I found it a little slow to load up a PDF file for viewing. So I decided to install the Adobe Reader instead.

Installing Adobe Reader on Ubuntu is easy enough. However when running the Adobe Reader for the first time can be a little tricky. I got the error message that says:

Today I have decided to update my Ruby Gem software from version 0.9.5 to 1.0.1. I have previously updated my Rails from version 1.2.3 to 1.2.6. And since my Ruby Gem is a couple of version behind, I thought I should do the same. It is a straight forward process that involves just one command line. (on my Ubuntu installation) Simple enough.

My dream of finding a perfect Operating System (or a near perfect) in Ubuntu was dashed today. So far I have had a pretty good impression of the Ubuntu user interface, and have not used anything out of the ordinary but a regular user usage. Today I was running a Ruby on Rail program that was supposed to do some rather heavy duty processing such as parsing a flat file and creating an XML file. And that application just "ran away" and left me in a situation where I was unable to regain control of my OS. The application has not crashed because I could see the hard disk light blinking away non-stop. My mouse pointer is constantly at the`wait state. When I tried to move the move, it was like nothing happened, and then it will shoot in the direction I was moving and then I would lose control of the mouse again. After a while, the application window became greyed out.

User Desktop Experience

Apart from the difference in look, Ubuntu Desktop is rather similar to the MS Windows Desktop. (In fact even the look isn't all that different) Of course there are subtle differences between the two but for anyone who works with MS Windows, it would not be much of a learning curve to use Ubuntu desktop. Actually it would be more accurate to say the Gnome Desktop, which is the default desktop for Ubuntu 7.10. The Gnome Desktop 2.20 has come a long way too, and matured a lot in enriching the user experience. For a MS Windows user, once you get accustomed to knowing where to look for what you need, you are pretty much set in using Ubuntu the way you use MS Windows. The learning curve isn't all that steep as it would be if you have switched to the Mac OS/10. Frankly I think the Mac OS/10, especially the latest Leopard is a league of its own. That's another story for another day