Digital Age

A picture is worth a thousand words, so we'll let this picture below start this story.

Motorola's Google Phone?: No, this isn't a spy shot - it's just a standard off-the-shelf Motorola Q9 smartphone running Android via a Windows Mobile VNC viewer!

Yes, it's a Motorola Q smartphone - a device that usually run the Windows Mobile OS - but now sporting Google's Linux-based Android mobile phone OS.

The app on the screen is an Android RSS Reader, one of the many third-party Android apps that are beginning to appear as developers programmers experiment with the Android SDK (no doubt more than a few have their eyes on the prize of anywhere from US$25,000 to US$275,000 which Google is offering for the best Android apps).

Here are a few more screenshots of the RSS Reader created by Josh Guilfoyle, who is also behind the canny hack that makes it possible to run the Android platform on a smartphone rather than the SDK's own PC-based emulator.

Choosing channels: the Android RSS Reader looks and works like a regular RSS feed reader so you can get updates while you're on the go

Get the good oil: the latest RSS updates are fetched over the air using your smartphone's 'always on' capabilities

Changing channels: You can also add new RSS feeds on the fly

So how do you get this Googley goodness onto your Windows Mobile smartphone? Guilfoyle's tweak, called android-vnc, includes a customised version of the open-source Android kernel as well as a bespoke VNC server (which is an Android port of fbvncserver) which is loaded through the PC emulator.

Meanwhile, an open-source .NET VNC Viewer is installed onto the smartphone and runs in full screen mode.

The result? Developers can see how their Android apps will look and feel on an actual phone. After all, there's nothing like the real deal when it comes to vital aspects such as fine-tuning the UI.

First came the fervent and persistent rumours of a Google mobile phone.

Then, just six short weeks ago, the search supremo (and just-about-everything-else-online supremo) announced there would not be a

I am yet to meet a passionate Fedora advocate (I am talking about the Linux distro, not the hat). Usually I am keenly informed about Ubuntu, Mint, Knoppix, or another variation of Debian, possibly Gentoo or CentOS. Sometimes it's openSUSE (if I find myself talking to a European) or Yellow Dog Linux.

No, don't get me wrong. There are a lot of Fedora users but no one seems to be particularly fiery about it. No one advocates it to me, no one tries to hammer into my head that it's…. well, the best thing since sliced cheese on a piece of toast.

This is a shame because, although Fedora doesn't have the same flair and panache of certain other distributions, it's a good product with a lot of nice features. So, if you haven't tried in a while this is a good time to do so… and there's one other thing. The next major version of Fedora was released just a few days ago so let's check it out.

On paper, Fedora 8 comes across as an impressive distro with a bevy of cool functionality. Here are some of the major features that you can find:

• Compiz Fusion: the window manager that merges Compiz and Beryl to provide cool 3D desktop effects.

• PulseAudio: an advanced sound server that allows hot-switching of audio inputs, individual volume control for each audio stream, etc…

• Gnome 2.2 with a revamped Appearance control panel applet and other enhancements.

• Network Manager 0.7: a utility that provides better support for wi-fi and multiple devices.

• OpenOffice 2.3 with some new features.

• An open source Java environment called IcedTea.

• A new graphical firewall configuration tool.

To find out about the other features jump here.

Fedora 8 also sports a new look called Infinity and a brand new Gnome theme called Nokoda. The default desktop wallpaper even changes colour to reflect the time of the day. Cool.

We gave Fedora 8 a quick test and it seemed to work well. It was fast and responsive. There have been reports of installation problems (not a first for Fedora) but we didn't come across any (so, let us know if you do).

If you want to try a mature, no-frills Linux distro then Fedora is your ticket. Give it a chance and let us know if you like it.

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Editor's note: We all know how far open source software has progressed, but has it come so far to not only challenge Windows, but replace it? Can you really install Linux and open source software in place of Windows, and want for nothing?

In the first of this multi-part series we send in Ashton Mills to take on the challenge of using nothing but Linux and open source software… for absolutely everything. Will he find nirvana in the process, or lose all his hair in frustration? Follow him in and find out.

When I was first given this task I had to sit and blink a few times, if for nothing else than dramatic pause. I'm a self-confessed Linux nut, as some of you may know, but even I'm cautious to do away with Windows completely. There's a reason I have a dual-boot Windows and Linux machine. Several of them, in fact.

But have I just been conditioned into using Windows because of past experience, or applications, or file formats, or the myriad other reasons that make Windows a comfort zone because it's all so familiar?

Linux's earthy roots

Not unsurprisingly, Linux, and open source software in general, has had an image problem. It doesn't help that its inception by an uber-nerd and its subsequent adoption by bearded geeks the world over didn't lend it a certifiable authenticity.

It grew in darkened server rooms, with the toffs on lower floors using their Windows 'desktops' none the wiser. Nor for that matter were the managers, in some cases.

But slowly, surely, its popularity grew outside of the elite clique and the development of fully featured desktop environments pushed Linux into a wider world view.

Ostensibly, this was so system administators could work more efficiently while having a Matrix screen saver running behind their terminal (you know who you are). But in turn it opened Linux up to a whole new world of users — people like me and you.

That was many years ago now. The Linux desktop has progressed so far as to provide a challenge to Microsoft. No not to its dominance, but to its pride. Arguably, there are simply some tasks a Linux desktop does better. Could it be that Microsoft might have something to learn from the open source up-start? Vista, certainly, bears the fruits of both new initiative and features we now see in both Linux and Mac OS X.

But I'm a realist, I actually don't care as long as the OS I use is easy, intuitive, and does what I want to do when I want to do it. This is the purpose of a desktop operating system, and the yard stick by which we'll measure this journey into a world without Windows.

The beginning of our journey into Linux

I'll be taking the new user perspective, seeing how our open source operating system and applications hold up for all the everyday tasks it needs to do, work and play — be it browsing, banking, printing, playing, watching DVDs, sharing files, talking on VoIP, editing images, gaming, linking to digital cameras, backing up the system and more. But I'll also be going under the hood where necessary to explain what's different and why.

Can you really use just open source software — with no fiddling and futzing around — to do everything you've come to do under Windows?

This is exactly what we're going to find out. Cold turkey style.

The Ratings

In this project we're making the assumption that Windows does all that we need, and we're seeing if Linux and open source software measures up. Perhaps that's not an entirely fair place to sit, as there will be tasks open source software can do better. However, as the de-facto in operating systems for which everyone is familiar, it's our best basis for comparison. Oh geez, enough of the waffle, here's how we'll rate the experience of going Windows-free:

Optimal – Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

Pass – No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.

Iffy – When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.

Flop – Not possible to complete at all. Probably not a good thing.

Installing Ubuntu from the Live desktop: Easy!

Linux is like ice cream

But not a box of chocolates. Well, unless you bring virtualisation into it. Anyway, if operating systems were ice cream Windows would be vanilla, and it'd come in different serves such as cones, cups, and bath tubs full of the stuff. Linux as you know isn't quite like that — you sort of have to bring your own containers. Some people even build their own. But it does come in a hundred flavours to suit almost every taste.

The flavour for our foray will be Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Long Term Support), a Debian-based distribution and the very version bundled with APC in the August 2006 issue, but you can also download it here. For the purposes of imagery, lets call this flavour chocolate, because chocolate is nice. If you don't like chocolate, it can be strawberry, I don't mind.

Chocolate is a popular, amiable flavour and Ubuntu is no different. It's built a reputation as the easiest and most desktop-focused distribution available, and so is a good choice for this adventure.

Keeping in mind that as Vista is a DVD release, we'll be installing the DVD version as well, weighing in at just over 3GB. As 64-bit processors are the de-facto now, and Vista can be installed in a 64-bit native version (which has substantially more drivers available for it than XP 64-bit ever had), we'll also be going with the 64-bit edition of Ubuntu, running on an Athlon 64 4400+ with 2GB of memory.

As far as installation goes, it's as simple as specifying a username, timezone, and target partition, and doesn't bear a rating. Especially as there's no direct comparison with Windows, which for many comes pre-installed.

If you do want step-by-step instructions, you can get them in APC's Linux & Windows dual-booting superguide, which covers just about every permutation of Linux, XP and Vista imaginable.

Nelson says hello: He appears in Ubuntu's Experience video, part of the Live desktop.

First impressions

So knowing this will be my system henceforth, what's the first impression of my new Linux-only home?

Installation and hardware detection was a breeze. Ubuntu found and setup the onboard Nvidia NIC with DHCP, which works fine for my network. It also correctly installed the official binary drivers from Nvidia for the installed 7900GTX. Oddly, the Live DVD detected both of my 19in LCD monitors, and ran them cloned during the install, but my new installation is only using a single monitor.

A quick look around at the display options, and there's nothing at all for setting up dual-monitors — though to be fair this is a feature lacking from all Linux distributions and desktops and not just Ubuntu. Linux is fully capable of utilising multiple monitors thanks to the X Window system's Xinerama extensions, and Nvidia's own TwinView features for Nvidia cards, but it requires editing the display configuration files by hand, which comes under the 'futzing around' heading and really shouldn't be necessary.

On this point, Windows is far ahead. Even though a tool like UltraMon is essential to make the most of multiple monitors under Windows, at least the option and basic setup to use multiple displays is there out of the box.

This aside, Ubuntu's desktop is very slick and clean thanks to its use of Gnome, a more mininmalist desktop environment compared to the feature filled (sometimes overly so) KDE. Its top and bottom panels don't appear to take any more screen real estate than the task bar under Windows, but display more information.

Overall as far as first impressions go, and of familiarity with a desktop paradigm, it's a happy little home, just as you'd expect.

First impression: Pass — No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows. Ubuntu's extensive software catalogue: Applications that are ticked are already installed.
All about Ubuntu.

Being up to date

Now, onto the fun stuff!

Under Windows I'm a habitual upgrader and can't help wanting the latest software updates for pretty much all my installed software, be it a critical security fix or a mild feature addition I'll probably never use.

So the first task to put to test on this open source system is to upgrade to the latest recommended updates. For this Ubuntu has an excellent tool, no doubt inspired by Windows Update, and driven by Debian's repository system.

Running in the task bar is a neat little update manager that checks for updates once a day, and prompts to install them if necrssary. Selecting 'Update Manager' from System > Administration starts the process immediately, and not suprisingly the tool found a few updates for Ubunutu 6.06. And by a few, I mean 127 updates totalling 186MB.

Keep in mind this represents not just security fixes, but updates to core operating system components as well, which in this case included a new version of the Gnome desktop (2.14.1 to 2.14.2 specifically) and new version of the Open Office suite.

Which leads us to an advantage one simply can't fault for the open source solution — regardless of how this experiment eventually comes to fare I have an operating system, a full office suite and more, for nothing more than the cost of the August 2006 issue of APC and its cover DVD (or lacking this, the bandwidth to download it!) It's a positive Windows will never be able to bear.

So although the updates are large and many, my entire system is now updated to the latest Ubuntu release, including new (and hopefully better) versions of the software installed. Which is nice.

Updates: Optimal — Passes with flying colors. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

We've only just begun, but we're off to a good start with our flavour of ice cream.

You've got updates: Ubuntu will let you know as it finds new ones.

You'll feel right at home: Ubuntu's Update Manager bears a striking resemblence to the same under Windows.

Under the hood: Ubuntu lets you see exactly what it's doing as it applies the update.

Next page: Web browsing, security and formats plus media, DVDs, and entertainment! >>>

Open Source Challenge

• Part 1 - Installing and updating Ubuntu
• Part 2 - Web browsing, security, media, DVDs and entertainment
• Part 3 - File management
• Part 4 - iPods, cameras and more!
• Part 5 - Email and office
• Part 6 - USB peripherals and plug'n'play
• Part 7 - Image editing and printing
• Part 8 - Video editing
• Part 9 - Gaming
• Part 10 - The verdict!

It's been called Nokia's "best-kept secret that's not a secret". It's one of the few devices from the Finnish phone colossus that's not actually a phone (unless you count Skype over Wi-Fi). And in a roundabout way, it's also proof that Intel's Linux-powered mobile internet device concept has legs - and that Nokia is already striding several leagues ahead of Intel and its hardware partners.

Nokia took another long step today with the N810, the third generation of its

I don't know if Linus Torvalds has nightmares about Linux turning into Windows but some people definitely do. Linux Doesn't Need to Look Like Windows has been a popular and oft-visited article about Vixta on reddit since last week. It had spurred about 100 comments going back and forth about the merit of Vixta's user interface design and whether Linux should look like Windows.

However, first things first. What's Vixta? I hear you ask. Its developers describe and define its goals like so:

• Absolutely free, in every sense.

• ABN - Absolutely No Config.

• User-Friendly.

• Eye-catching.

• Familiar look and Feel.

It's possible to say all that about Ubuntu too so why the kerfuffle? Well, Vixta copies Windows Vista's start menu and the side bar. Actually, its whole look is pretty Vista-ish. Download a copy and check it out.

Some people, however, hate the fact that there is a Linux distro - Vixta is based on Fedora - which tries to mimic Vista's look and feel. The author of the aforementioned Information Week article writes, "…I confess to having mixed feelings about the whole thing. Mostly negative ones."

He then goes on to say, "Here's the big reason I feel as uneasy as I do: it's tantamount to an admission of defeat". He concludes by writing that he wants to see more diversity among OSes and not less.

I don't know about you but I can't help but think that the author is overreacting. Sure, I agree that there should be a greater diversity among OSes but having Vixta adds to the diversity. There is no doubt in my mind that Vixta will continue to grow outside the Vista model that its developers started with.

Second, given that it was developed by just three programmers, it is nothing but a testament to the skill of these three individuals and the flexibility of Linux and KDE.

I'd hate to think that such lame articles may prevent developers from creating and experimenting out of fear of being labeled copy cats and unoriginal. I applaud the three developers of Vixta and want them to know that there are people who support them and appreciate their effort. We shall continue to watch this project.

If you believe the Linux zealots, open source will, eventually, triumph over proprietary/commercial software (read Microsoft).

Of course, the reality is that the principal beneficiaries of open source are, in fact, Windows users.

Why? Because Windows is the dominant desktop operating system, and if you

So far we've had a bit of hit and miss affair in the Open Source Challenge. There have been a few issues which aren't so much something missing in Linux or its applications, but more a simple lack of polish or attention to detail. Some of the problems, especially media and DVD playback, were solveable through help on the Ubuntu forums — but philosophies aside these features need to be bundled in, out of the box as it were. And if they can't, there needs to be great big fat information popups when these features are accessed that tell you why they're missing, and the shortest click-through steps to get them working. Searching a forum does not come under the umbrella of 'ease of use', a trophy Ubuntu has long been striving for. In fact, the user shouldn't have to search for anything. For an operating system to be easy to use — and this applies equally to Linux, Windows, and Skynet (which we all know is being developed in some secret US bunker) — it has to work for you, not the other way around. If you trace the challenge so far, you'd be fooled into thinking I was Ubuntu's plaything, working to get the necessary functionality of out of it. Somewhat opposable to its intended purpose, I would think.

But I digress — in this installment I'm going for something simple. Actually, I've been using them since the moment I installed Ubuntu — they're core to my work — but they're not the most interesting of applications to start with. They are however essential: email and office, the corner stones of any networkable business machine. Oh, stop yawning! Some of us have to work!

The Ratings

In this project we're making the assumption that Windows does all that we need, and we're seeing if Linux and open source software measures up. Perhaps that's not an entirely fair place to sit, however as the de-facto in operating systems for which everyone is familiar, it's our best basis for comparison. So here's how we'll rate the experience of going Windows-free:

Optimal — Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

Pass — No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.

Iffy — When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.

Flop — Not possible to complete at all. Probably not a good thing.

Evolutionary email

One of the most popular software suites that put Gnome on the map a few years ago for 'business' computing was Evolution, an open source alternative to Outlook with a focus on the office. Not just an email client, but calendar, contact database and task manager it was designed to be the ultimate Linux groupware suite. Except for a long time it couldn't interface with MS Exchange servers for email, limiting its uptake, without a costly commercial plugin from Ximian, now free.

Today Evolution is the default email application for Gnome, and is pretty damn swank. It's not as lean as alternatives such as Thunderbird or Slypheed, but it lacks nothing and its contact, calendar and task-list integration is essential for the working user.

Having been using it for a while now I actually do somewhat miss the simplicity of a leaner client like Outlook Express or Thunderbird, but probably more due to familiarity (having used both extensively) than anything else.

Otherwise, Evolution is simply a powerhouse. Filters are a breeze to setup, GPG support is built-in, neat features like Search Folders make it easy to find information, and it didn't blink when importing my inbox from Thunderbird under Windows of over 10,000 messages, attachments and all. And not that I have one, but Evolution can synchronise with PDAs as well.

Where it matters most — viewing and writing emails — Evolution is a pleasure. The formatting options in the editor are great, how it handles attachments is simply beautiful, and if you can't be bothered to write a signature it'll autogenerate one for you. My only bugbear is the annoying shaded bars for every second line in the messages box, a bit of Gnome standard, and which can't be turned off. What's wrong with a plain white background? Can't have everything, I suppose. But Evolution comes close.

Evolutionary email: Optimal — Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

Yes, there's a beautiful Redmond sized irony in this screen cap of the Evolution client.
Search folders in Evolution make it easy to categorise and find information.

Open Office

Much like Evolution has had many years of development behind it, so too has Open Office, Ubuntu's chosen office suite. In fact, Open Office has quite a following not only under Linux but Windows as well.

Ubuntu installs the Open Office Database, Spreadsheet, Presentation and Word processing components and registers the appropriate file formats to launch them. Naturally, Open Office has strived for compatibility with MS formats, without which it'd die a horrible and slow demise. So thankfully I was able to open my excel files and work with them just as under Windows. In fact aside from some interface and functionality changes OO brings to the table, Spreadsheet looks and works the same as Excel, right down to editing functions.

Similarly Word documents opened fine, with maybe a differentiation in font at times, but otherwise everything was present. In fact OO's format support is massive, going back to WinWord 5 and, more importantly, can write to a variety of MS formats (along with everything else) including Word 6, 95 and 2000/XP for when you're sending documents to those who have resisted the upgrade urge. You can even export as a PDF (a feature which applies to all Open Office applications).

What's strange for me is that I don't particularly find office software particularly interesting. As long as it does what I need, I generally ignore the superflous features. But I've been impressed with OO's integration with other OS components, such as databases (working with Evolution), a media player (not pulled from Gnome however), and a litany of tools and options in the menus most of which I have no clue how to use, but nice to know they're there. In this regard, it's a very faithful emulation of MS Word.

Truth be told, I don't write in Word under either OS. A simple text editor like Notepad (Windows) or Gedit (Linux) is enough, but I don't need to deal with formatting, letterheads, image integration and all the rest. If I did, I don't think I'd miss anything using Open Office. I'm sure the office afficaondos would be able to fault MS or OO's suite one way or another, but for me it's been doing everything I've needed it to, which is about as high a praise as I can give in this challenge — if it works as I expect it to, then it makes me a happy user, and that's entirely the goal of an OS and applications you can depend on.

Open Office: Optimal — Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

I knew going in that email and office would be two areas to excel (ahem) under Linux, and that I would be able to work with both trouble free — there's a long history and years of development behind them. Perhaps it's also saying something that both Open Office and Evolution are modeled off their Microsoft equivalents (and drastically improved upon in some aspects), being both easy to use and familiar to the Windows experience. Which, in a twisted irony, is what also makes them successful for Linux, and as the very alternative to Windows at that. I think my head hurts now, I'll leave it at that. Next installment USB peripherals and plug'n'play functionality.

Looks like Word, acts like Word, but it's not Word! Note: This is a good thing.

In the next part: USB peripherals and plug'n'play >>>

Open Source Challenge

• Part 1 - Installing and updating Ubuntu
• Part 2 - Web browsing, security, media, DVDs and entertainment
• Part 3 - File management
• Part 4 - iPods, cameras and more!
• Part 5 - Email and office
• Part 6 - USB peripherals and plug'n'play
• Part 7 - Image editing and printing
• Part 8 - Video editing
• Part 9 - Gaming
• Part 10 - The verdict!

Well, I've left the realm of games towards the end our experiment because, frankly, Linux has never really been a gaming platform. In all the areas where Linux has excelled and even surpassed Windows, gaming is not one of them.

So why not?

Pure market penetration aside, Microsoft wisely invested in the development of DirectX many years ago. While the initial implementations of DirectX were horrid, it quickly matured and has — quite literally — enabled a whole new age of gaming, and all because it simplified the development of games for the Windows platform.

Linux can't run DirectX, obviously, and while there are various inroads for providing Linux with a similar set of APIs for developers to use (such as SDL — Simple Directmedia Layer), it simply hasn't attracted the attention warranted to make this a priority in the open source community.

That's not to say Linux can't play games, however. They just might not be what you expect.

The Ratings

In this project we're making the assumption that Windows does all that we need, and we're seeing if Linux and open source software measures up. Perhaps that's not an entirely fair place to sit, however as the de-facto in operating systems for which everyone is familiar, it's our best basis for comparison. So here's how we'll rate the experience of going Windows-free:

Optimal — Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

Pass — No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.

Iffy — When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.

Flop — Not possible to complete at all. Probably not a good thing.

Native games

There are, in fact, loads of games made specifically for the Linux platform, aka 'native' games. They are, for the most part, not the blockbusters you'd expect.

Above and beyond the usual pre-installed puzzle games, there are various shoot-em-ups, platform games, racing games and even FPS games for Linux (see Free Games below).

But what about the big commercial releases we see under Windows?

There are, actually, quite a few that were and are released with Linux binaries — though usually not in the box. You have to download them.

These include mainstream titles like:

• Unreal Tournament
• Quake 3
• Doom 3
• Neverwinter Nights
• Serious Sam
• Americas Army
• Enemy Territory

Largely, whether a game gets a native Linux version is at the whim of the developers — afterall, there so far hasn't exactly been a strong economic case to build them. Here, iD and Epic are the most supportive (as the above list shows), and there's no doubt this has endeared the Linux community to them.

And how do these titles play? Exactly the same as under Windows. In fact, in some cases, these native games are a tad faster under Linux, probably more reflective of the kernel and OpenGL layer than anything else. This is actually the key — OpenGL is supported as equally well under Windows as Linux, but DirectX is Windows only. Native games have, generally, been OpenGL.

While I haven't played any native Linux ports recently, I don't plan to buy any for this experiment — I'm better off saving my money for the next Windows based game release (Crysis, anyone?). That said blockbuster, native, Linux games do exist. They're just few and far between and, unfortunately, as the entertainment world moves to DirectX10 any legacies of OpenGL support will dry up, and with it Linux's best native graphics support.

I'm scoring this in the middle — native ports work beautifully, but there just aren't enough of them.

Native games: Pass — No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.

Enter Cedega

Never one to be stumped, the Linux community gave birth to a company many years ago called Transgaming which have, over time, continually developed a product now known as Cedega. Cedega is essentially a highly developed branch of WINE with DirectX support thrown in. It can, quite literally, allow you to play native Windows games on the Linux desktop. However, it's a commercial product with a subscription fee, which also includes the ability to cast 'votes' on which games you want the company to focus on running well under Linux next.

Cedega makes it possible to play not only some of most popular titles ever made under Linux — such as Half Life 2 and World of Warcraft — but it frequently allows you to play current releases as well. Sometimes they work out of the box, other times Transgaming needs to update Cedega to get the games running, and usually they do.

On Ubuntu, installing Cedega is a matter of running the supplied .deb package that adds a new 'Transgaming Cedega' menu, which launches the Cedega browser. The browser is basically an interface to make it easier to manage your games, but note games must be installed afresh from here not simply run from a Windows partition.

As I

In the last section we covered USB pluggable devices such as webcams, USB keys and cameras and took it a step further and looked at the basic image management tools that come with Ubuntu. All went reasonably well after a few tweaks, but what about doing more than just managing images?

The Ratings

In this project we're making the assumption that Windows does all that we need, and we're seeing if Linux and open source software measures up. Perhaps that's not an entirely fair place to sit, however as the de-facto in operating systems for which everyone is familiar, it's our best basis for comparison. So here's how we'll rate the experience of going Windows-free:

Optimal — Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

Pass — No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.

Iffy — When a task could only be partially completed, or completed but not without issue.

Flop — Not possible to complete at all. Probably not a good thing.

Image Editing

While Windows comes with 'Paint' to do basic image creation, Ubuntu bundles something much more powerful — the popular GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). In fact The GIMP has enough depth and range of features to be a challenger to Photoshop, but unlike the latter is completely free. That said, it's still easy to use to do simple tasks like image resizing and conversion, cropping and filtering, and of course image editing — handy for building diagrams. This just happens to be a key tool for me — invariably when I'm writing on complex topics diagrams are a boon, and I have in the past used The GIMP for diagram creation, so it's vital I have this under my Ubuntu desktop if I'm to be able to use it as my workhorse operating system.

Even better, you don't even need Linux to use it — it's so popular there's also a Windows version which looks and acts just the same as under Linux.

For a change this is one function on my Ubuntu system which works flawlessly. You can't get a better feature, bundled as part of the operating system, than than The GIMP image editor .
Image editing with The GIMP. Everything and the kitchen sink.

Image Editing: Optimal — Passes with flying colours. The task could not only be completed, but better or easier than under Windows.

Printing

I've been avoiding printing since I started this escapade because the last time I tried setting up a printer under Linux, admittedly a while ago now (read: years), it resulted in days of fruitless trial and error. While at the time it was the hot new thing for many vendors to provide Linux drivers or at least documentation for developers to write drivers, printer companies had a stoic response.

Things have changed since then, and a second generation printing engine in Linux by the name of CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) provides drivers and filters to drive a vast array of printers under Linux, many of which now have official support from the big name vendors.

But that doesn't mean it's going to work, of course.

Since I rarely use a printer much myself, I snarfed my significant other's Lexmark X5150, said a silent prayer, plugged it in and loaded up the print manager.

Selecting to add a new printer to my pleasant surprise it came up detecting the Lexmark, but as an X5100 series. No problem, sounds like it's of the same stable as the X5150, and so clicking forward installed the printer with the recommended 'x125' driver. All looked good, and I selected to print a test page.

Adding a new printer — easy to use Wizards.

No go. The printer didn't even twitch. Just because you never know, I tried some of the other Lexmark drivers that sounded similar to the X5150, but to no avail.
A wide selection of Lexmark drivers, but not for my printer.

So, off as usual to the web for answers — always an option, but so much for the plug and play easy to use desktop.

From both Lexmark's own site and the Ubuntu forums, I found my answer — the X5150 appears to be one of the few printers, out of hundreds, that CUPS doesn't have a driver for. Additionally, while Lexmark had made drivers available, they were developmental and for another printer series, and pre-packaged for other distributions including Red Hat and Mandrake but not Ubuntu.

But then lets remember, distributions of Linux are all still Linux. If the drivers were a binary, there could be unresolvable dependencies (ie. files it depends on) between distributions, but we're talking printers here and usually all they need, and especially what CUPS is looking for, is an appropriate PPD (PostScript Printer Definition) file, just the same as can be used under Windows.

Following a link to an archive file on Lexmark's site, I downloaded an RPM (another Linux based package format) for the X55 driver, which in part also supports the X5150, and ran the install script from the command line — well and truly beyond what your average user should be expected to do, but I don't give up easily.

The script failed for whatever reason, but all was not lost yet. I don't actually need it to install the way the RPM file expects, I just need the PPD file. Manually opening the RPM, I found and extracted the X55 PPD to my desktop.

Back in Gnome's print manager, and selecting to add a new printer, I again chose the 'Lexmark X5100 series' and this time selected to load my new PPD from the desktop for the driver.

Voila, she printed a test page perfectly. But what a lot of work.

The Ubuntu printer test page. Success!

I know I've gone off at various failures with Ubuntu in this challenge so far, but here it seems the problem lies more with Lexmark. Neither Ubuntu or the CUPS team can force a driver out of a manufacturer that doesn't want to supply one, and for whatever reason Lexmark has made available drivers for others in its range, but not this particular printer except through a distribution dependent umbrella driver for another in its range.

Still, there's more to test — can I print to a network printer?

Putting the Lexmark back on the SO's Windows box, I added an 'SMB' (Server Message Block, aka Windows' file sharing protocol) printer and pointed it to the Lexmark shared from the Windows box. Again I needed to select a driver, and with the X55 driver installed I chose this and, with ease, again printed a test page. The wizard dialogs for the printer manager made this a snap to setup.

Overall it's hard to mark this one fairly, as CUPS supports hundreds of printers and is a staple printer framework for businesses around the world — I just happen to have one not on the list. Once I sourced and installed a driver though, the CUPS management features through the Gnome desktop worked beautifully (and is reminiscent of the print manager under Windows). All applications, from the text editor Gedit to Open Office, had no problem seeing, configuring, and using the printer including the array of options for DPI resolution, paper sources, colour and more.

You just need to make sure you have a supported printer, which fortunately is quick to do by searching on the CUPS web site.

Setting up a network printer is a snap.
The installed printer with a page in progress.

Printing: Pass — No problems. The task can be completed exactly as under Windows.

In the next part: Video editing >>>

Open Source Challenge

• Part 1 - Installing and updating Ubuntu
• Part 2 - Web browsing, security, media, DVDs and entertainment
• Part 3 - File management
• Part 4 - iPods, cameras and more!
• Part 5 - Email and office
• Part 6 - USB peripherals and plug'n'play
• Part 7 - Image editing and printing
• Part 8 - Video editing
• Part 9 - Gaming
• Part 10 - The verdict!