openSUSE 11.3 SB Rough Diamond [UPDATE]

Hello, my name is Antony and I have been making custom builds since Fedora 11 but as of November 2010, I moved on to openSUSE where I have continued with OS customizations most of which have been very successful.
Today I'm going to talk about a very interesting build and as the name suggests, it is called the openSUSE 11.3 SB Rough Diamond. It is not everyday that you find someone who is willing to go out of his or her way to make something unique. So, why do so to begin with?

1. I absolutely love this.
2. A lot of new Linux users would like to interact with Linux in a simplified state. They would like to find familiar software utilities and at the same time avoid lengthy hours working with config files via the terminal.
3. Most of the useful extras for example, Skype, VLC, Dropbox, VirtualBox, etc are only found online and can be troublesome if installed locally because of the extra dependencies that may be required. As we all know , affordable and reliable Internet in Kenya is still a challange and this project is aimed at partially tackling this problem.
4. A lot of people are using pirated copies of software ranging from Operating Systems to anti-viruses. This is an opportunity to explore free and open-source software alternatives and contribute to a passionate and growing community.

I will start by breaking down the naming convection used in this build.

• openSUSE 11.3: suggests it is a derivative of openSUSE 11.3.
• SB: stands the absolutely fabulous Intel Sandy Bridge processors. It also means that this build will be able to take full advantage of the VA-API video acceleration in the IGP(Integrated Graphics) of the latest Sandy Bridge processors.
• Rough Diamond: as with every new product or item, it can never be perfect and hence the name "Rough Diamond".

Up until now all of my build have been based on KDE but with this build I decided to use Gnome. Although I have been making other openSUSE builds, it has taken me roughly over a month to make this one because of the research on Gnome(The last time I used Gnome was with Fedora 9).

openSUSE 11.4 was released a few days ago and I must admit it is very impressive so you must be wondering why base my build on the older version 11.3? I would like my dear readers to imagine this as the software equivalent of a Twincharger(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twincharger). It takes the foundation of a reliable release and enhances it from the ground up, hence the phrase Twincharger. Very little in this system is old, in fact it may be more up to date than the current openSUSE 11.4 with the exception of a few software utilities.

FEATURES:

System:

1. Kernel 2.6.38-1.1 PAE. Physical Address Extension(PAE) allows you to address up to 64GB of ram on 32-bit operating systems. Oh yes you don't have to run a 64-bit OS if you are not comfortable with it. Please follow the following link to get a detailed look into the changes and features of kernel 2.6.38: http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_2_6_38
2. Mesa 7.10, Xorg 1.9, xf86-video-intel 2.12, the latest libdrm and libva libraries. The above packages including the kernel are required to take full advantage of the VA-API video acceleration in the IGP(Integrated Graphics) of the latest Sandy Bridge processor. Xf86-video-intel may need to be updated to version 2.14.
3. Gnome 2.32.
4. Firmware for Atheros draft-n USB WLAN adoptors and Broadcom BCM4313, BCM43224, and BCM43225 chipsets.
5. ntfs-config: This is a graphical front-end to ntfs file-system manipulation. Makes mounting of ntfs partitions so easy.
6. Oracle VirtualBox 4.0.4(version 3.2 was not compatible with the included kernel). Before you can use VirtualBox, You need to recompile the VirtualBox kernel module as root using this command: "/etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup".
7. Zenmap: A graphical front-end for the nmap network scanner.
8. Gparted.
9. Guake.
10. Btrfsprogs.
11. Truecrypt.
12. BackInTime: A desktop backup utility.
13. Faenza-icon-theme: Probably the best icon theme for Gnome. In case you find that you are missing some icons e.g. the Bluetooth icon in your panel, kindly go to: System>Look and Feel>Appearance and select your preferred theme. Click on Customize>Icons and select Faenza. This will give you most of the icons if not all of them.

Software Development:

1. Full featured IDEs: Codeblocks for C++ , Eclipse and Netbeans for Java, Eric for python, Bluefish and Kompozer for Web development.

Internet:

1. Transmission (Deluge bittorrent client failed to start, hence it was removed).
2. Mozillafirefox 4 Final and Opera 11.01 (Chromium failed to start and hence was removed).
3. Nautilus-Dropbox 0.6.3.
4. MHTML-Firefox: This enables firefox to read MHTML web archives such as those created by Microsoft IE.
5. Pidgin 2.7.10 (replaces Empathy).
6. Flash-player 10.2.
7. Skype.
8. Twitux: twitter client for Gnome.

Multimedia and Graphics:

1. Acetoneiso2.
2. Handbrake-gtk 0.95.
3. Gtk-recordMyDesktop.
4. Isomaster.
5. K3b (replaces Brasero).
6. Devede.
7. MythTV 0.24: for digital TV setups.
8. Picasa 2.7.3736 (replaces eog).
9. W32codes-all.
10. VLC.
11. SMplayer.
12. Blender 2.50.
13. Inkscape 0.48.
14. Banshee 1.8.1 (replaces Rhythmbox).
15. DivFix++: A utility for repairing broken AVI files.

Office:

1. Acroread/Adobe Reader 9.4.
2. OpenOffice.
3. Stardict 3.01: This is a cross-platform & International dictionary.
4. KchmViewer (Chmsee was removed becaused it failed to start and has less features).
5. Scribus.
6. Emacs. 
7. OpenProj.

These are just but a few of the available features. There is so much more, in fact this build comes with all the fonts you can imagine. Inkscape actually takes a little bit longer to start because of this.

The OS comes in two forms:

1. A preload ISO 3.1GB. A preload ISO is simply a Live CD/DVD that contains the preload hard disk image. When booted, it overwrites the target disk (after user confirmation), verifies the checksum, and then boots directly into the freshly loaded system. A word of warning - this format is meant for preloading and hence will overwrite all data on the target drive.
2. A Live CD/DVD 2.8GB. It would be preferable if interested parties would start with the latter as it allows you to explore the operating system without disrupting you existing one.

For those who may be interested in this build, it will be available as of 29th March from JLUG officials.

I may provide a video review in the near future.


BENCHMARKS: (Kindly click on the images to enlarge them)

The following benchmarks are not of this build but of some of the components included in it.

• Intel Sandy Bridge VA-API Video Acceleration Perfomance: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=intel_snb_video&num=1

• Large HDD & SSD Linux 2.6.38 File-System Comparison: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_2638_large&num=1

The GNU C++ Compiler

There is always some trouble when you want to compile your C++ code on a Linux PC.But this is not anymore.Here is what you have to do:
1.Download the g++ package.Its advisable to use the software center for a direct link to the repository.
2.Once the application has installed successfully it will have a checked emblem thats green in color.
3.Run your IDE.If you are using Eclipse there is no need to configure manually but if you are on Netbeans this is a must.What to do is:compile your source file,then a dialog box will appear and you will be required to point to the directory that has your compiler or alternatively just click restore defaults and Netbeans will search the compiler for you.You should also note that eclipse and Netbeans uses the JRE(Java Runtime Environment).

Nice times and success with your c/c++ code

...experience flexibility

Maina

The third meeting

24th February 2011

It's the third meeting of the semester and a zeal in the club is taking up. Several technical presentations and many conferences. Some of the items discussed in the during the meeting are:
The VM ware:
Presented by Jotham an active member of the club. Its a supplemental to the common virtual box. Its a light weight application that helps to run several Operating Systems. Its cool try it out. JLUG ….experience flexibility.

Remastering your Linux Kernel
An intuitive presentation by Antony Nderitu a CT student just let it go with the total customization of your Linux. The test case system is Open SUSE.
Your destrol in Fedora.
All its packages are online
Its developer package is called reviser.
Some packages are open while others are hidden totally for instance:
The Anaconda
The Kernel
Your destrol in SUSE
First get an ID from www.suse.com.
Create an account either a novel or an ID
Fill the credentials
Wait for a reply ID and one is let to get to the SUSE studio

What is SUSE studio:
It's a developer suit that helps one to create a something of your own
It helps beginners to select the basic packages.

Some of the items to customize are
The boot image.
Your desktop

Since Linux is not licensed to distribute some packages,one to get them the respective packages from the repository

The destrol can be tested online through the use of a flash player. If one is not happy with the destrol one can re-customize and include other items.
What happens:
Check the destrol boot.
Interact with destrol for a time limit of one hour.
A destrol that he has made includes
VLC
Qt developer toolkit
Sm player
….and much more

….experience flexibility
The weekly events.
*ihub Mobile Monday
A presentation by Microsoft about cloud computing
Encouragement to the attendants to join the imagine competition whose finals will be held in New York
A challenge to the willing contestants to develop AI(Artificial Intelligence) applications and technologies geared to network sensing technologies.

Upcoming events for the month of March
On 1st March Tuesday Microsoft will be at JKUAT venue SCC 100
The open day is now on schedule and participants are being encouraged to register


Great thanks to:
Ken for his projector
Antony Nderitu for his remastering presentation
Jotham for his VM presentation
All the members for attending the meeting

...experience flexibility
JLUG 2011

On the second meeting

The JLUG meeting on Thursday, February 10 2011

USE LINUX LIVE LINUX

Lets welcome the IP v6 join Google, Facebook and other major big Internet companies to ushering in the new range of Internet address June 6th 2011.
Presentations:

Operating systems and their softwares:

Linux operating systems software from the link.


Upcoming events:

Microsoft Imaginecup at *ihub on 21st Monday.

A mapping event for the ladies at *ihub on

Saturday the 12th .It is good practice for members to sign up on-line. This is for continuous updating of the events that are to be held. Members are send electronic tickets in a portable document format(PDF).

Linux mobile classes next semester. Plans on the classes are being planned.

The request and registration for the expo projects is on.

OUR INTRODUCTORY MEETING

A new year is has come!. Our first meeting of the year was held on 3^rd feb. during this meeting we laid out our goals and ambitions for the semester and 2011.

. Some of the issues discussed included:

                i).The club’s main purpose  for this semester will include:

                                a).Organizing an open day to popularize the club and the use of Linux.

This will focus on solving general pc problems regardless of the operating system that a user is using.

Helping users to configure and install Linux on their systems for the to have a dual boot

                                b).Gathering projects for the expo of the year.

Tech expo 2011 is here and preparations have to start early. It has been urged that any of the members who has a project to register with any of the officials. The tech expo last year was a successful one and all it has now become an arena where developers come to show case their talent and programming skills.

c).Actualize.

This is another major show case of cutting edge applications developed by students for the students to solve problems in the campus in a technological way. If you  have a project you can register with any of the officials or check out the actualize Blog for more details.

End The Year With A Bang

Upcoming Events

The year 2010 is set to end with a bang. A host of events lined up for December will ensure you end the year informed and equipped with new skills:

Wezesha
Date: December 3 from 3pm - 6pm
Venue: KICC
Entrance Fee: FREE

Overview:
The Kenya ICT Board will launch 'Wezesha' a laptop initiative for university students on December 3. 'Wezesha' means 'enable' in Kiswahili. Under the Wezesha program university students in participating public and private universities and colleges will be eligible for 15% - 33% rebate on laptops from select retailers.

For more infomration visit:www.ict.go.ke

Microsoft Open Door
Date: December 8 from 8:00am
Venue: Sarit Center
Entrance Fee: FREE
Register online

Overview:
Join the Microsoft team at the Kenya Open Door event where they will present and showcase their latest technology.

You will have the opportunity to get the latest news about recent released Microsoft technologies, tools, platforms and services as well as industry trends first-hand from Microsoft experts and independent specialists.
erevuka kuwa sonko

Date: December 8 - 10
Venue: Nyayo Stadium
Entrance Fee: Ksh 100

Overview:
Erevuka Kuwa Sonko is a multi-faceted forum to empower the youth and integrate them into Kenya's economy building process. This event will feature Career and Talent Testing and an ICT Center to showcase opportunities for youth in the ICT sector. Be a part of this ambitious event.

For more information:
visit website: www.erevukakuwasonko.com
send email: info@kuwasonko.com

Tandaa Symposium
Date: December 10
Venue: Sarit Center (at the Kenya Music Week)
Entrance Fee: FREE
Register online

Overview:
The Tandaa Symposium on Music seeks to examine and reveal various tools the Internet offers for the music industry in Kenya. Sponsored by Google, the Tandaa Symposium will showcase local solutions and global applications that can help Kenyan musicians grow their fan base and distribute their music to a wider audience.
i/o ventures
Date: December 14
Venue: iHub
Entrance Fee: FREE

Overview:
A team from i/o ventures will visit Kenya from December 14 to 15. The team consists of entrepreneurs and founders of some of the most well known Silicon Valley companies. They will be in the country looking to find ICT entrepreneurs to mentor. Mark the date in your calendar - more information on how you can participate will follow soon

 Courtesy of ICT Board Kenya

Some principles on interface design

GUI Design - Best Practices

Software Systems are becoming complex by day; driven by the ever changing business processes. Despite this, their interfaces are expected to become more intuitive, easy and quick to use as well as able to hide all of the systems’ complexity from the user. To understand the concept of a good interface, let us take an example of a television set.

A television set internally consists of Electrical circuits that are drawn on boards using a medium capable of transmitting electrical signals. On the outer, the set consists of plastic casing which has a screen for visual output, volume buttons, program buttons, function buttons and a few others. These buttons are mapped on to the internal circuit boards. The users only see the casing and the buttons which hide the complexity of the internals of the Television set.

In order to come up with a good graphical user interface for any system, the following principles apply;

1. Understanding Targeted System Users

Television viewers enjoy viewing if they are able to set up for optimal results. While some are capable of setting up without much guidance (can use the remote controls to make complex setup), others are not able to understand even the basic setup hence need a one touch button on the casing to set the defaults.

Similarly, for the users to appreciate the system and use it effectively, they need to feel that it is easy to use. Since complexity varies for different users, GUI designers need to identify user segments for the system, understand their perception of a good interface then design the interface with this in mind. This gives a user the perception of being in control of the system.

2. Applying Universal Norms

When a TV viewer wants to increase volume, he looks on the Casing or remote control for a volume Icon. He expects this Icon to be standard for any television set. Thus if he does not find this Icon, he ends up confused.

Users tend to favor designs they are familiar with. Instead of re-inventing the whole wheel, GUI designers need to follow consistently used norms/Icons. Users will feel at ease with the system even if they haven’t interacted with it.

3. Ensuring Consistency

Imagine buying a TV with ‘Program’ button on the casing labeled “Function” and placed as the first button below the screen. One year down the line, you decide to purchase another TV of the same make. This time round the “Function” button has been renamed to “Program” and positioned as the last button above the screen!

Thus GUI structure should be consistent throughout the system. Users should be able to predict where to find a certain control on the window. For example SAVE button should be located at a constant position on all windows. Better still would be to place controls common to other widely used applications at the same position on the window.

4. Providing Visual Feedback

Imagine setting volume on the TV and there is no visual feedback that displays whether the volume is increasing or not!

Where possible, GUI designers should provide visual feed back like, highlighting buttons when clicking, projecting controls, changing control color and/or text fonts’ etc. This readily and clearly assures the user that an intended action is being or has been performed.

5. Support Keyboard shortcuts and Mouse Events

Where possible, GUI designers should provide keyboard shortcuts that a user can easily identify for quick accessibility of the system functionality. For example ctrl+v for Paste function. Where applicable, the developer should use universally identified shortcuts.

6. Appealing but Non-exaggerated Look and Feel

Imagine going to buy a television set and finding one shaped like human head! My best guess would be that, you would not be attracted to buy it for obvious reasons. It does not matter how wonderful its internal functionality is.

Users are drawn by what they see. A well designed system attracts users to want to use it. It’s only by using the system that they will appreciate the goodness, effectiveness and the seriousness of the system.

7. Positioning of windows Controls, Tool and menu bars

Picture, at one time finding the buttons on the TV casing below the screen, then next time at the back! Automatically, you tend to search for them at the front and wouldn’t think of them being placed at the back!

System controls should be consistently positioned where the user can easily and predictably find them without much ado. This serves to enhance the users’ perception of the system being easy to use.

8. Minimal Functionality Presentation on Windows

Now, visualize the TVs’ entire functionality mapped together with the buttons on the casing. Which one would you start with? How long would it take you to find the button you need amongst the many buttons? Would all fit on the casing? How messy can it get?

GUI designers should endeavor to present as minimal as possible functionalities on the window; possibly, only the functionalities affecting the processes on that window.

9. Ensuring Ease of Navigation

Picture setting up the TV and in the process you need to first quit setup then fix the aerial, then resume to setup again. After that you try to navigate to where you were before.

User interface should be well designed to allow for easy navigation between different windows and functionality. This adds to the simplicity of the system.

Conclusion

User interface determines how the user perceives the system, which in turn determines how one would use it. If a user believes the system is easy to use and effectively addresses his/her needs, it translates to the number of times he/ she would come back to it thus realizing its full potential. It is upon this solid foundation of carefully planned User Interface that the A1ERP has been built. It boasts of consistency, ease of use, a well managed appealing look and feel, properly planned window layouts and well designed system functionality, amongst others.

Cutesy of AT labs