Ubuntu Installation
R Cubed Technologies starts with a standard installation of Ubuntu 6.10 Desktop Live CD. The hard drive is partitioned as per the user request. Typically there are 3 partitions on a Ubuntu installation and 4 partitions on a dual boot system. Listed are the partitions:
- 2 GB Swap partition
- 512MB VFAT partition (useful for BIOS updates and provides a data exchange area for dual boot systems)
- Root file system
We typically use standard partitions vs Logical Volume manager. We feel that in a desktop setting the Logical Volume manager is not an effective way to manage a single disk. It also makes dual booting and hibernation more difficult.
Next we perform the install and install all packages. This provides many applications, games, development tools.
R Cubed Special Features
Once the installation is complete R Cubed takes Ubuntu to the next level. Many customizations are made to make Ubuntu run well on a laptop. Our laptops take advantage of as may laptop features as possible.
Power Management
Suspend to Disk (Hibernate) – The Ubuntu Kernel is sufficiant to perform hibernation on our laptops. When hibernated the laptop draws no power. It can take less than 30 seconds to resume from the suspend and pick up where you left off.
AC Power/Battery Life
R Cubed laptops are configured with 5 different modes of operation designed to lengthen battery life when not plugged in. Each mode will change the speed of the processor , dim the screen and setup hard drive spin down and greatly enlarge the read and look ahead caching to avoid powering the hard drive back up. The less the hard drive runs the longer the batter lasts. This enlargement of the cache also assists the CD/DVD player. This can result in the same or better battery life compared to Windows XP. The user has full control of the screen brightness in AC Power mode or Battery Mode.
Special Buttons
Every laptop has special buttons for things like Web Browser, Email, Wireless, Touch Pad Control, Power Management, Sleep/Hibernate, Volume Control and Multimedia Playback control. R Cubed adds to some of Ubuntu's capabilities to make this work. R Cubed has worked hard to provide this functionality. For instance, when the Web Browser button is pushed the default Web Browser is launched. Or when the Stop button is pushed then the multimedia application is notified and the playback is stopped. Currently xmms, xine, totem and CD Player are configured to work with the multimedia buttons. If a new user is added to the system their environment is automatically configured for use with the buttons. Users can customize what happens when a button pressed or acpi event occurs. Each user has a .asus_acpi directory in their home that determines what actions are taken when a given event occurs.
Extra Packages
Above and beyond the Ubuntu install R Cubed adds additional packages to greatly enhance the desktop experience.
The following packages are automatically installed:
Utilities
- XOSD (X On Screen Display, used to provide feed back when a Special Button is pressed.)
- Clam Antivirus – Provides anti virus solution for desktop environment.
- NetworkManager – Easy Configuration of Wireless or Wired NetworkConnections
- MS True Type Core Fonts
- Wine – Run Windows Apps
- Bittorrent GUI – Bottorrent Graphical Client
- 915 Video BIOS Patch Program – Used to patch the video bios of Intel Integrated Graphic Chip Sets
Video Editing
- Kino – Digital Video Editing Package capable of grabbing video from Fire wireenabled camcorder device.
- DVD Author – Used to create a video DVD
Games/ Entertainment/Edutainment
- Tux Paint – Simple, Friendly Paint Program
- Synergy – Software Keyboard Video Mouse Switch
- PP Racer – Tux Racer – Classic Linux Penguin Racing Game
- Dr. Geo. - Geometry Educational Game
- Tux Typing 2 – Enhance your keyboarding skills and have some fun too
Internet
- Quanta Plus – Easily create awsome web sites
Multimedia
- Java – Sun Java virtual machine
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0
- GTK Pod – Upload/ Download/ Control your iPod
- Digikam – Download photos from your camera
- Gnome Photo Printer – Easy Way to print photos on a variety of paper formats
- K3B – CD/DVD Burning Program
Word Processing/Document Creation
- Q CAD – 2D CAD Package
- Scribus – Open Source Desktop Publishing Application
Optional – Extra Packages
The Following Applications can be easily installed by the user (An Icon is provided on the desktop of the root user to install these)
Multimedia Applications
- xmms – X Multimedia System, provides a variety of media play back including MP3.
- Xine - Plays back CDs, DVDs, and VCDs. It can also decode AVI, MOV WMV, MP3.
- Macromedia Flash – Integrates into Mozilla Firefox and can play all Flash content.
- Enhance K3B to allow use of MP3 Files
- Streamtuner – Play/Find Radio Staions on the internet
- Amarok – Multimedia Player
- Mplayer – Universal Media Player
- Audacity – Create/Edit Audio Files
- Kaffeine – Media Player
- Google Picasa - Photo Organizer
Gaming Applications
- Torcs -Race Car Simulation Game
- Star Fighter – Space Shoot em up game
- BZ Flag – Tank Simulator Game – network enabled
- Foo Billiard – Billiards Game
- gl-117 – Flight Simulator Game
- Frozen Bubble – Addictive Game of smashing bubbles
- gnuchess – Classic Chess Game
- csmash – Table Tennis anyone
- Lincity-ng – Need to build your own civilization from scratch
- Super Tux – Super Mario Bros. Like game.
- Neverball – Roll a ball around obsicles
- GL Tron – Classic motorcycle collision avoidance game.
Networking/Wireless
R Cubed laptops contain integrated Intel Wireless Network interfaces. We take advantage of the power of NetworkManager to manage wireless connections. If the a Network Cable is plugged in then the Wireless interface will be disabled and the Wired Network Interface will be configured. If the network cable is unplugged then the Wired Network Interface is disabled and the Wireless Network Interface attempts to find a wireless network. If it finds one the NetworkManager will attempt to connect and configure the interface. This is a very nice feature for the mobile worker. The Wireless interface can be enabled and disable by pressing the Wireless button on the keyboard or the Wireless special button. This overrides network manager.
Touch Pad
The touch pad is fully featured and supports scrolling and tapping. There is also a button to disable/enable to touch pad. An external usb mouse can be easily plugged in with no further configuration.
X Windows
R Cubed has been working hard to provide the best possible video capabilities. Out of the box Ubuntu does not understand the video cards in our laptops. We have made the graphics work well. We have had to use some special utilities to make the X Windows server support the proper resolution of each laptop.
Audio
Ubuntu uses ALSA as its sound system. R Cubed has had to make several adjustments to make the audio/audio mixer work properly. |
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