Ubuntu

The full set of Ubuntu Repository DVDs (set of 5 DVDs) is now available. You can request for your copy of the Ubuntu Repositories through our RequestCD program. The ubuntu repository DVDs contain the complete set of packages under the main, universe, multiverse and restricted repositories in Ubuntu. Please note that we will mail out the DVDs only within India.

We now have all variants of Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) with us. Click here to order your copy of Ubuntu DVD or CD using our RequestCD system. You can request the Gutsy Gibbon version of any of the Ubuntu flavors - Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Gobuntu - from Zyxware. Kindly remember that this RequestCD feature is currently only available for users from India.

We had never had to configure an Airtel GPRS internet connection on a Laptop with Ubuntu before as we never had a customer who had one such connection. We however got an opportunity last day when we installed ubuntu on a compaq presario F733AU laptop. Setting up internet access on Ubuntu is easy in itself and setting up GPRS could not have been any easier. The customer had a Nokia 9300 communicator with a USB datacable.

Ever since HP-Compaq stopped giving Windows XP drivers for their laptops customers across the world have been having a tough time setting up Windows XP and configuring all the devices (See our post on Windows XP drivers for HP-Compaq Presario F733AU). Sometimes these drivers work and sometime they don't. We have been installing Ubuntu on almost all the Laptops that we have been selling and we have not had any problems with Ubuntu so far. Recently we installed Ubuntu on Compaq Presario F733AU Laptop.

As part of our ongoing process to promote Ubuntu and GNU/Linux in general we are happy to announce the launch of our latest offering - Free Ubuntu (or any other flavor of GNU/Linux) installation on your laptop. Yes - that is right. It is going to cost you nothing - nada, nil, nilch. All you have to do is to bring your laptop to our office and leave it with us and have Ubuntu installed on it.

Installing Ubuntu on a fresh system is very easy. It is easy on computers that already have Microsoft Windows XP or Vista already installed provided the hard disk has multiple partitions. Laptops that come with Windows XP or Windows Vista pre-installed has a problem in that they normally have only 1 partition (with a second hidden partition storing recovery data). Windows does not allow you to resize the partition on which you have the operating system. So how do you install Ubuntu in such a situation.

HCL B 2302 is one of the very few sub 37500 rupees Core 2 Duo laptops available in India. It is a bargain for the price you are paying for it. This model replaces the HCL Z 2201 laptop and the only difference(in the major components - Processor, RAM, Harddisk, Screen) being the 15" screen for the B 2302 model. Ubuntu installations on most laptops are a breeze and would be ready to use without any major custom configurations. However this laptop required some specific tweaks to make the system ready to use. This instructions are for the HCL B 2302 laptop but it is very likely that they apply for the HCL Z 2201 model also.

Installation of Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) almost works out of the box for Compaq C702TU Laptop. It is an 'almost' because there are a few glitches here and there. However it is possible to get the system up and running with very little manual configuration and additional driver installation. Three areas where there are problems are a) Wireless driver support b) Graphics card support. c) Acceleration and speed of touchpad

We are happy to announce total support for Ubuntu for users across India. We have been successfully offering this to our customers in Trivandrum for the last one year and we would like to extend it to all Ubuntu Users in India. Our technical team will assist you over the internet either via chat, telephone or ssh to troubleshoot your Ubuntu related issues.

Ubuntu 6.10 had complete multimedia support including mp3, video cds, dvds. This was taken out in 7.10 because of license restrictions on the decoders and their incompatibility with the GNU GPL under which Ubuntu is being released. Enabling multimedia support for formats requiring non-GPL codecs in Ubuntu 7.04 was a pain. This is now child's play in Ubuntu 7.10

One of the supposed limitations of Linux touted by the opponents of this wonderful operating system is again its supposed hardware incompatibilities. This is far from the reality but it has to be stated that there are indeed some hardware that are not fully compatible with Linux. If you happen to accidentally buy a computer that is not fully Linux supported or one that has to be configured manually and if you are not fluent in Linux you might find it very difficult to get your hardware working in Linux. But not anymore, we are proudly offering our computers built with fully Linux compatible hardware and pre-installed with the latest release of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu has a very user-friendly installation interface. The whole installation takes only a few mouse-clicks and takes only around 15-20 minutes on almost any new system. We have not had any complications in Ubuntu Installations until recently when we had to Install Ubuntu on an Intel 945GCNL motherboard with Intel Dual Core processor.

A majority of people still look at Linux as something where you have to type everything in consoles, where view documents in consoles and runs applications from consoles. This was the case several years ago. Not anymore. Desktop Linux has arrived. Almost all the major distros(distributions) come with at least one of the many window managers (the graphical user interface you see as the desktop) available in the OSS marketplace. Each distribution differs from others in one way or other; some for the better while some for the worse.

BSNL is one of the leading broadband providers in India. They have managed to provide blazing fast internet connections at rates affordable to an average middle class Indian. Although they provide top quality connection speeds with very little down time, their technical support leaves a lot to be desired. More so when it comes to configuring connections in Linux. They just mention Linux as "other operating systems" in their help guides. This article covers the configuration of the BSNL Dataone broadband connection over a Dare Global DB108 modem-router on Ubuntu.

Linux has been growing in leaps and bounds in terms of internationalization. Setting up a Linux box for Reading and Writing in Malayalam has become pretty straightforward, thanks to passionate promoters like Peringodan, Cibu and Suresh and the countless others who have contributed through their efforts.