Category Archives: Linux

When you loan your son your computer…

Posted on by Posted in Linux, personal

When you work as a web application developer, one thing you’re sure to find pretty much everywhere is Linux. There’s no way around it. Even if you happened to work off a Windows computer, you will at the very least have to use Linux at the command line while interacting with a remote server.  Up until now, I’ve learned just enough Linux to get the job done, picking up a few things from here and there. That’s why when I saw a free class on Linux being offered by edX.org  I just had to enroll myself in it. There was only one little problem: I no longer had Linux.

Some time ago, I installed Ubuntu in an old computer I had that was pretty much  on its last leg. I used that machine for learning and experimenting, and I just loved how easy it was to install everything I needed using rvm.  But as luck had it, my older son’s computer broke a couple months ago and I loaned him that machine until his was repaired. Terrible mistake!  He immediately proceeded to install all sorts of junk in it, from Windows emulators to gaming clients, among a whole lot of other things, and when the time came to give it back he simply refused.  And why would he want to give it back?! That computer, although old, has a very nice nVidia graphics card that makes gaming a real pleasure for him. Sigh…

So, rather than continvirtualubuntuue fighting for the box, I decided to try other venues. I didn’t really want to do a dual boot of my Windows 7 computer or mess with the macbook pro that I use for work, specially after all the effort it took to setup my development environment in it, so I went with the virtual box option.

First, I tried to create a virtual machine using VMWare, which was very highly rather, but couldn’t make my installation of Ubuntu 14.04 work, so next I tried Oracle VM Virtual Box. I followed the instructions I had found in a few blogs that advised creating the virtual box without support for usb, network or python, simply to make your life easier. That seemed to do the trick.  The window is a bit smallish, but it’s better than no Ubuntu at all. And, I’m once again able to use rvm to easily  install, among other things, multiple versions or Ruby and Rails. 🙂

 

Adventures in Linuxland… Getting Started with Ubuntu

Posted on by Posted in Education, Linux

A new year has begun, full of all sorts of wonderful possibilities. The class I was taking from Rice University through Coursera has already ended, and the one from Edx will also be over in only a few more days. Although I’m satisfied with all that I’ve learned from both classes, I can’t  deny I feel slightly left down by all the organizational problems experienced with the Edx class during the last month. The content is excellent, there’s no complaint about it, but for the last almost four weeks it has been updated sporadically, and the problem sets were often unfinished, still with bugs and problems to iron out. It all comes together, eventually, but not before quite a few of us feel, well, frustrated. I figure this is a learning experience for the Edx staff, as well, since this is, after all, the first time this class has ever been offered. We were told that the person in charge of updating the content has been ill and apparently nobody has been able to cover for her. Perhaps, they have learned from this experience and in the future they will have someone that can take over if needed.  It’s all coming to an end soon, anyway, and it has been a great learning opportunity, even in spite of the “hiccups”.

I’m already looking for something to do or learn next. I’ve signed up for a few more classes and I’ve also realized it’s time I learn my away around Linux, specially given its great popularity among the open source community. I read that Ubuntu was easy for beginners, so I installed 12.10 in an old computer I had.  So far, so good. No problem finding my way around the GUI. The problem came when I tried to install a network printer and the driver was not in the list of available drivers already installed. It is only a problem because I’m still lost working at the command line.  Lucky for me, after trying without success with the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the printer, I ran into this little video .  That was really lucky because it’s even the same kind of printer I was trying to install!

So, I was able to install my printer, following instructions from the video. Here’s  a snapshot of my terminal. I know, for all you Linux users out there this is no big deal at all. And it’s not, really, but I feel excited just the same. It’s been such a long time since the last time I did anything through a command line… even on DOS. Years!  I’ve already armed myself with a few books in order to learn to work the Linux command line and stop feeling so intimidated by it. A lifetime of Windows and Installation Wizards does that to you…