Transfer Ubuntu OS installation to a larger Hard Drive (2TB or smaller)

Skip to "Let the tutorial begin" if you don't want to read any back story.

First I'd like to say sorry to those that follow this Blog, I have not posted in a very long time. I've been really hip deep in my YouTube Channel and gaming (both in Linux and on Xbox 360) so I haven't had much to blog about in terms of technology goes. I am hoping to get a post up about SteamOS and other technology related stuff very soon but let's start with this post for now.

I was debating what to title this post exactly since theoretically it could be used to transfer other Linux distributions as well and heck, it may even work to transfer a Windows OS or even OS X installation to another hard drive but I figured I would only cover exactly what I did since I know it works. This post will go over the steps I took in order to successfully change from a small IDE 40GB hard drive to a larger SATA 160GB hard drive AND at the same time changing ALL my computer hardware as well.

A little backstory first. I built my 4th computer in 2007 and believe it or not I have been using that ever since. With my recent YouTube adventures and getting into more PC gaming the computer started to really show it's age as I couldn't play certain games and rendering videos for YouTube took forever and a day. So I finally decided I needed to upgrade everything. I was planning on saving my money for Black Friday or Cyber Monday but a deal for a used computer sprang up out of no where and for a really good price I might add. For a mere $200 I could get a completely new tower. The main specs of the tower are as follows:

Sentey Modtower case with 7 fans
AsRock Extreme6 FM1
AMD A8-3870k 3.00Ghz
G-Skill Sniper 2133Mhz DDR3 RAM (2x4GB totalling 8GB)
XFX HD5750 1GB DDR5
OCZ Synapse Cache SSD 64GB
400w PSU that powers the motherboard and GPU
380w PSU that powers everything else

My current Xubuntu 12.04.3 was currently on a 40GB IDE hard drive and since the new motherboard didn't have any IDE's ports I would need to figure out what to do to transfer my operating installation to my new used hardware. I found a 160GB SATA hard drive in another computer of mine, moved all the data of it onto my Western Digital My Book World Edition (a NAS basically) and I was ready to move my Xubuntu installation from the small 40GB drive to the larger 160GB drive.

Let the tutorial begin
Things needed
-A computer to create the live usb sticks
-You'll need a minimum of (2) 1GB flash drives (to run live usb versions of clonezilla and linux-secure-remix from) OR an optical disc such as cd-rom or a dvd....assuming your computer has an optical drive. You could use the same 1GB stick for both clonezilla and linux-secure-remix BUT it will take more time since you have to use linux-secure-remix in between using clonezilla.
-A storage location large enough to backup the images of your partitions (network storage OR local external hard drive)
-Clonezilla (I choose amd64 because the computer I was running the live usb stick from had a 64bit chip. If you aren't sure it's ok to choose the i686pae version)
-Linux-Secure-Remix (choose linux-secure-13.04-64bit if the OS you're moving is a 64bit OS or choose linux-secure-13.04-32bit if the OS you're moving is a 32bit OS)

Alright, so I trust you downloaded the software you'll be using from above and we're ready to get going.

Step 1 (install new hard drive)
Install your new hard drive (this is the hard drive you're transferring your currently installed Operating System TO) into the computer which will be your final computer hardware you're going to settle with. In my case it was a completely different computer tower BUT your may only be transferring your OS to a new hard drive and not changing any hardware so you would install the hard drive into your current computer that you want the larger drive in.

Step 2 (live clonezilla media creation)
Using your current computer operating system, we'll use it to create the live usb or livecd of clonezilla. Clonezilla has some tips for creating it HERE. You can not simply copy the clonezilla ISO to a usb stick or to a cd-rom as data, that won't work. You need to use software that writes the ISO to the usb stick or the optical media as well as making the usb stick or optical media bootable. Meaning, the computer BIOS sees it as a bootable device and the computer boots the usb stick or optical media versus the internal hard drive that's in the computer you're using. Once your done creating your live media of clonezilla shut down your computer

Step 3 (backup partitions to image files)
If you made a live cd or live dvd, put it in the optical drive and then turn off the computer which contains the hard drive that you want to transfer FROM. If you created a live usb stick, plug it once the computer is off. Turn the computer on and activate a boot menu if you can (it was F11 on mine), this will allow you to choose which device to boot to, in the case of a live cd, choose the correct optical drive. In the case of a live usb stick, choose the applicable usb stick. It should boot into clonezilla, hit enter to choose the defaults, choose the proper language and hit enter, I clicked "don't touch keymap" for the keyboard setting and hit enter. Choose Start Clonezilla, hit enter. Choose the device-image option (first option), hit enter. The next screen is where you choose where you want to backup your images (what they refer to as being /home/partimag) (NOTE: do NOT choose the new hard drive to store your images onto because it's going to be formatted later on), in my case I was using a 200GB external usb hard drive so that option is local_dev, hit enter.  Then choose the folder or directory where the image will be saved to. Click beginner mode as that's the easiest and worked just fine for me. The next screen I choose saveparts option because I had a / partition and a /home partition I need to backup. Then choose the partition you want to create an image of by arrowing onto it and hitting the space bar (it will put an asterisk to signify that's the partition you're backing up), name it appropriately and hit enter.  I can't find any screenshots so I am not certain on the next few steps but it should just be hitting enter and then hitting "y" telling it to perform the backup image creation. After it's done, you have the option of powering off, rebooting, starting over from scratch or starting over keeping the same location for storing another image. I choose to start over fresh just in case. So perform the same steps to backup your next partition but obviously this time choose the next partition you want to backup and when it comes time to name it, ensure you choose a different name because the default name will be the same as your first image backup. Hit "y" a few times and it should now create another image but this time of the newly selected partition you choose to create an image of. I only had 2 partitions so I am done with this step but if you have more partitions than keep creating images of them until you're done. Reboot the computer so it boots to your current operating system that you're using. Pfffff, that was a long step. Sorry about that.

Step 4 (live linux-secure-remix creation)
If you don't have a second flash drive just use the same one you used for clonezilla. You'll use the same steps to write the linux-secure-remix ISO to the usb stick as you used during step 1. Remember, use a method that "burns the ISO image" onto the usb stick and makes it bootable as well.

Step 5 (partition your new drive)
This step you can either boot into your current OS installation OR insert the live media which contains linux-secure-remix on it into the computer that has the new hard drive. In my case I had to boot the live media since this new computer didn't have a hard drive with any OS in it. If using your current OS installation, than use whatever method needed to partition your new hard drive. This step is important in that you need to partition your new drive the same way your old drive is partitioned, not in size, but the partition numbering. NOTE: the new partitions should be larger than what they are now that you're transferring FROM. Primary and logical partitions need to match. I choose to stick with msdos (MBR) style partitioning versus going to the new GPT partitioning scheme which is required for drives larger than 2TB. MBR works for 2TB drives and lower. Sorry this tutorial won't go into switching from MBR to GPT but I have read it can be done without data loss. In my case I had sda1 as my only primary partition, sda2 was an extended partition which contained sda5 and sda6 as logical partitions. I formatted sda1 and sda6 as ext4. If using a livecd or live usb, then boot the computer and enter the BIOS boot menu so you can choose either the livecd or the live usb stick to boot to. Once booted into linux-secure-remix (it's basically Ubuntu 13.04 with some pre-installed applications) you'll want to open the application called Gparted.

NOTE: If you have more than 1 disk within this computer, ensure you're on the correct one. Follow the steps above for partitioning and ensure the partitions are the same as your old drive you're transferring FROM. Now you're done partitioning the new drive and it's ready to accept the images of your partitions that you're transferring. If you made a livecd then put the clonezilla livecd into your optical drive prior to shutting down. You can shut down your computer as it's time to reboot into Clonezilla.

Step 6 (restore backup'd up images onto new hard drive)

If you created a live usb stick, plug it in. Turn the computer on and activate a boot menu if you can (it was F11 on mine), this will allow you to choose which device to boot to, in the case of a live cd, choose the correct optical drive. In the case of a live usb stick, choose the applicable usb stick. If you can't activate a BIOS boot menu, then go into the BIOS and change the boot order to the proper media, whether it's the livecd or the live usb stick. It should boot into clonezilla, hit enter to choose the defaults, choose the proper language and hit enter, I clicked "don't touch keymap" for the keyboard setting and hit enter. Choose Start Clonezilla, hit enter. Choose the device-image option (first option), hit enter. The next screen is where you choose where you stored your images (what they refer to as being /home/partimag), in my case it was the 200GB external usb hard drive so that option is local_dev, hit enter.  Then choose the folder or directory where the images were saved to. Click beginner mode as that's the easiest and worked just fine for me. The next screen I choose the restoreparts option because now we're "restoring a partition" to the new hard drive. Choose the image you want to restore, this will be your first image you created of your first partition, hit enter. Now choose the destination, which should be your first partition on your new hard drive, most likely sda1 if the new hard drive is your only hard drive in the computer. NOTE: ensure you choose the correct hard drive and partition as this will overwrite whatever is there with your backed up image and hit enter. There may be a few more enters or it's asking you a couple times if you're 100% positive that you want to perform this action since it's going to overwrite whatever is on the "target partition" with what's in the image file. Hit "y" if you're sure and off you're running. Once done you have just restored your first partition from your old smaller drive to your new larger drive. Perform the same steps again for anymore partitions that you imaged and then you're done restoring images onto the new hard drive. We're almost DONE. You can attempt to reboot your computer removing the clonezilla live media but I am betting it doesn't boot into your OS, I had a flashing cursor in the upper right corner and that was it. No Xubuntu for me.......YET.

Step 7 (fixing your MBR/boot loader, most likely grub2)

I realized after the fact that if we had chosen advanced options when backing up the partitions to image files and the advanced options when restoring we may not have needed this step but I choose beginner so it is what it is and we need to install grub2 to the MBR so that the BIOS passes on the hardware to a bootloader which will then boot the installed OS. This is done using linux-secure-remix. So put it your linux-secure-remix livecd or livedvd in the optical drive OR plug in your live usb stick and boot the computer to one you created. Once inside linux-secure-remix we need to run the boot-repair application

Choose the recommended repair which is what fixed mine. When it shows you a URL for where it uploaded the boot-repair log file, write it down so in case this doesn't work, you can obtain help from others and point them to the boot-repair log file which will help others figure out why it's not working. You should now reboot your computer removing whatever live media you were using and it should now boot into your Operating System. 

That's it, YOU DID IT! Congrats. I hope this was helpful to someone. Leave me a comment if I missed something somewhere or to say thank you if this helped you.

-Ubu out

ATI Remote Wonder and Linux XBMC

Controlling XBMC from your couch can be achieved in many ways. The easiest solution would be to just get a wireless keyboard/mouse combo but us Linux users don't often go for what's easiest. We enjoy tinkering around and learning new things otherwise we'd just be using Windows in the first place. We like to innovate, at least I do. The next easiest thing to do would be to install an XBMC Remote control app on your smartphone, the Official XBMC Remote control app from joethefox is FREE within the Apple Store. There are other paid XBMC remote apps but the FREE one works just fine when tested on my iPhone 4S running iOS 6.1.  However this post will be about getting an old ATI Remote Wonder working in Linux XBMC. I believe there are a couple different variations of the remote but the one that I have is pictured below, if yours looks different then your mileage may vary.

First let me inform you what versions of everything I am performing this on.

Ubuntu = Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS (running mythbuntu-desktop cause I dislike Unity)

Kernel = 3.2.0-40-generic i686

XBMC = 2:12.2~git20130502.1706-frodo-0precise (obtained from team-xbmc PPA)

This tutorial will mostly be done using a terminal session, if you're scared of the terminal don't be. I will try to explain what each command does and why sudo (root priveleges) are required. When you first plug in your ATI Remote Wonder usb receiver most likely the kernel will automagically load the "ati_remote" module and what that does is basically make the remote act like a mouse. If you used the large circular pad towards the top of the remote you'll see it moving your mouse and such. We don't want that so let's remove that module by issuing the following command. Sudo is required due to removing a module which interacts with the kernel but don't worry as that kernel module was only loaded because it sensed the usb reciever when it was plugged in. Normally that's a good that the kernel automagically loads modules when hardware is plugged in but in this case we don't want that functionality. Whenever you use sudo it asks for your users password, enter it and press the 'enter' key. It doesn't show you that you're entering any letters but you are in fact typing in your password.
sudo rmmod ati_remote
If it says it can't remove it because it's in use then just ignore that and continue on with the tutorial. Now we need to make it so when we reboot the machine that module doesn't automagically load, this is done by editing a configuration file. Since this config is located within the /etc/ directory and is owned by root, we'll again need root privileges so we'll be using sudo but since we're opening a GUI (Graphical User Interface) application, we want to actually use 'gksudo'. This is the command (NOTE: gedit is the default GUI text editor for Ubuntu, if you're using Kubuntu it is kate I believe. I am using Mythbuntu so the GUI text editor is actually called mousepad for me. Replace the gedit command with whatever GUI text editor your distribution uses.
gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
Once the file opens in your GUI text editor we're going to add the following text in red to the very bottom of the file
#to get ATI Remote Wonder working
blacklist ati_remote
The pound symbol is used for comments and isn't read as a configuration line. Save the file and close the text editor. Restart your computer ONLY if you previously couldn't remove the ati_remote module. When you restart it won't load this time because you blacklisted it. Now we need to install lirc which stands for 'Linux Infra-red Remote Control'. We again will do that from the terminal session and require sudo because installing software requires root privileges. Type in the following command:
sudo apt-get install lirc
Choose 'Y' if it asks you if you're sure you want to install the software. If lirc was already installed and you'd like to reconfigure it you would use the following command:
sudo dpkg-reconfigure lirc
It will bring up a debconf window. Debconf stands for debian configuration, most applications within Ubuntu are of the .deb extension and is the common package management tool used within Debian based Linux distributions. Within the debconf window using the up and down arrow keys, highlight the ATI/NVidia/X10 RF Remote (userspace) option and then click tab so that the '<Ok>' option is highlighted, then click the 'enter' key on your keyboard. The next window that appears is for a transmitter but we aren't transmitting anything so highlight 'None', click tab so that the '<Ok>' option is highlighted, then click the 'enter' key on your keyboard. If everything went ok lirc should have been installed and the proper config files should be in place. Now we just have to let XBMC know that we'll be using a remote instead of a keyboard to control it and that's done using a config file, Lircmap.xml which will need to be stored within your users .xbmc folder. To do this we don't need root privileges because we're writing the file within our own home directory which we have write access to. The tilde (~) is a short way of entering your users home directory, which is /home/yourusernamehere/, so the whole path is actually /home/yourusernamehere/.xbmc/userdata/. The command is as follows:
gedit ~/.xbmc/userdata/Lircmap.xml
I uploaded my Lircmap.xml to pastebin, you can download the file from this link: Lircmap.xml
Note the 'L' is capital, that's important for the filename. So that button presses don't register twice I had to edit the advancedsettings.xml file located within my users home directory .xbmc/userdata/ and add the following lines. You may or may not already have an advancedsettings.xml file, if you don't have one just create it, if you already have one just add the single line for the remotedelay as you probably already have the top and bottom <advancedsettings> lines.
<advancedsettings>
<remotedelay>10</remotedelay>
</advancedsettings>

That should be it, fire up XBMC and your ATI Remote Wonder should now be working. If you want to know which button on the remote does what within XBMC just look at the Lircmap.xml file with a text editor. Example being the "back" command in XBMC is performed with the remote button 'c' as per the following in the Lircmap.xml file <back>c</back>.

-Ubu out

Portal - Released for Steam on Linux

Linux gaming is slowly making strides to become more mainstream. Valve opened the public BETA, Steam for Linux, back in late 2012 which has brought many titles to the Linux gaming platform. There has even been a Humble Bundle which featured many Linux titles and now Valve has released their popular puzzle game, Portal, to run natively within Linux. I have read that Portal 2 is coming to Linux soon as well.

Portal originally came out in 2007 for the PC and Xbox 360. It was later released for Playstation 3 as well as the OS X Operating System. It is of the First Person Puzzle/Platformer genre. It involves the creation of "portals", using a portal gun, to move yourself and possibly objects around a level so that you can get to the exit. It requires some real brain power at times which is what puzzle games are made for. Thinking outside the box will allow you to excel while playing Portal.
It is available thru Steam for Linux now for only $9.99 USD. I happily paid the money and am already enjoying the game thoroughly. I am playing it on Xubuntu 12.04.2 64bit version with an Nvidia 8400GS ando only 2GB of DDRII Ram. The game doesn't require too beefy of a machine as you can see by my computer's specifications. My CPU is only an E4300, 1.8Ghz Core2Duo so I can assure you that you don't need much to enjoy the game. Are you going to purchase the game for Linux and show your support for Linux Gaming?

-Ubu out

Steam for Linux Celebration Sale - 50% to 75% Off

Steam is having a huge Sale in Celebration for Steam for Linux. Linux game titles are from 50% all the way up to 80% off. Despite the sale stating it was as high as 75% off, I saw Serious Sam 3 BFE for 80% off, which brings it down to a mere $7.99 which is normally a $39.99 game.

There are now 100 items within Steam's Linux section. I am very excited about this. Here is just some of the games on sale;
Intrusion 2 = 66% off brings it to $3.50
Serious Sam 3 BFE = 80% off brings it to $7.99
4th Year Anniversary World of Goo = 75% off brings it to $2.49
Trine 2 = 75% off brings it to $3.74
Half Life = 75% off brings it to $2.49
Counter Strike Source = 75% off brings it to $4.99
Bastion = 75% off brings it to $3.74
Amnesia = 75% off brings it to $5.00

This is an awesome sale and I picked up Intrusion 2 and Bastion for a mere $7.24. What will you be picking up?

-Ubu out

Linux on UEFI Windows 8 PCs, yes please

There is some great news for us Linux and Free Open Source Software (FOSS) advocates, there's a new tool that will let you run Linux on devices built for Microsoft's Windows 8. The Linux Foundation Secure Boot System will allow Linux to run on computers using the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware.

Microsoft's Windows 8 runs on new hardware controlled by UEFI firmware, which provides "secure-boot" technology. Although UEFI seeks to secure computers against malware by requiring a trusted key before booting, it has presented problems for other operating systems. Many in the Linux community feared that OEM may not provide a UEFI off-switch, effectively barring Linux from running on UEFI-enabled machines but now the latest releases of many major Linux distributions include a bootloader to work with UEFI, such as Ubuntu 12.10 and Fedora 18.

Linux Foundation technical advisory board member James Bottomley has been quoted saying the following, "The Linux Foundation wishes not only to enable Linux to keep booting in the face of the new wave of secure boot systems, but also enable those technically savvy users who wish to do so to actually take control of the secure boot process by installing their own platform key. The Linux Foundation bootloader provides a hash code certified by Microsoft, and supports the infrastructure to boot a generic Linux kernel. We have in place a protocol where Microsoft hands off the initial Microsoft signed EFI binary load to separately verified EFI binary chain, which individual distributions control. We did this because our mission is to enable any bootloader in the Linux ecosystem to work with secure boot."

I am very pleased to see there is a work-around for the new UEFI firmware so that I can install Linux on a machine or motherboard destined for Windows 8. Many of the newer motherboards are coming with UEFI and secure boot so this is great news for us Linux users. Does your motherboard have UEFI and secure boot?

-Ubu out

Valve to release Linux powered SteamBox, dubbed 'Piston'

Valve has kept pretty quiet regarding a console in development. There has been rumors for a while now that Valve will integrate it's digital platform Steam into a console-like piece of hardware.

In December 29th of 2012, German site Golem.de claims they attended a conference where Ben Krasnow, a Valve electronics engineer, gave a talk on the company's plans for the console. I used Google Translate to understand some of the article;

The Valve developed PC-game-console Steam Box will seemingly be based on Linux, not Windows. And it's not the only exciting hardware project, that Valve will present in 2013.
It doesn't come off as a huge surprise, considering that Valve-boss Gabe Newell views Windows 8 as a catastrophe: Steam Box will not be based on Windows, but on Linux instead. This was confirmed by Ben Krasnow, one of Valve's hardware developers,
But according to him, there's more than just the introduction of the Steam Box: "the hardware lab has some secret projects that will be released in 2013. We have a good group of electronic- and mechanical-engineers and we are glad to build some really cool things", says Krasnow. In summer of 2012 Valve's higher up critised a frustrating lack of innovation in the area of computer hardware - in a job offer. In that they also wrote: ".....we want to change this."

Image Source: Polygon

Image Source: Polygon

Basically the key points are that; Valve's Steambox is scheduled to come out this year and it will run Linux at its core. So what version of Linux will it run? Given how closely Canonical and Valve have worked together over the last 12 months, and that Canonical has a vested commitment to Ubuntu as a platform, the logical choice would be Ubuntu. Ubuntu can be run free of a GUI but would also free Valve from the duties of distribution maintenance.

A prototype is actually being revealed at CES 2013 (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is being dubbed, "Piston". Valve has teamed up with hardware vendor Xi3 to build the miniature modular PC.

Are you excited for this console or will you be keeping an eye out for the newer Xbox or Playstation models?

--Ubu out

Ubuntu counting down to something HOT!

If you go to www.ubuntu.com quickly you'll see a counter which is counting down to approximately noon Central time or 1 pm Eastern time.

There hasn't been any information leaked as to what it will be but the page with the timer has the following statement around the clock, "So close, you can almost touch it." Which leads me to believe they are releasing a "touch" enabled device to the public.

With the Unity interface already appearing as a touch friendly interface, I would not be surprised to see Ubuntu on mobile and tablets within the very near future. In fact, back in late 2011, Mark Shuttleworth, who is the owner of Canonical, stated in a blog, "By spring of 2014, version 14.04 LTS "will power tablets, phones, and smart screens from the car to the office kitchen, and it will connect those devices cleanly and seemlessly to the desktop, ther server, and the cloud."

What do you think will be revealed in less then an hours time by Ubuntu?

UPDATE: Ubuntu for phones is what the announcement was. You can learn more about it HERE. I suggest you watch this awesome video to learn more about Ubuntu being on ALL devices eventually. It's a virtual keynote speech by Mark Shuttleworth.

-Ubu out

Why should you try Linux?

Many people use operating systems such as Windows or OS X merely because it came installed on the computer they purchased. Have you ever considered using Linux? There are many reasons to give Linux a try and below I will go over 5 of the main reasons I feel someone should at least try Linux at some point or another.

It works on old hardware. If you have an older computer that you're not quite sure what to do with, Linux can give it new life. You might for instance, use a Linux distribution to turn an older computer into a media file server to have a centralized location for all your media.

It's highly customizable. As with other operating systems, it's possible to customize Linux to look the way you would like it to look. If you don't like the desktop environment that came with the Linux distribution you installed then you can just install a different one without having to do a total new installation.

Tinkering with it provides an opportunity to learn. I will be the first to admit that the learning curve for Linux is pretty high BUT the community of the more popular Linux distributions are great and many are eager to help out newby usrs. For instance, Ubuntu has a great community over at their forums.

There's a wide variety of distributions available. If you downloaded one and didn't like the way it looked or for whatever reason, there are so many different Linux distributions out there that there will certainly be something for everyone. As I mentioned already, if you don't like just a few things within it you can customize it.

It's FREE to download and use. You can't really argue with FREE. All that one has to do is download the .iso file and write the image to a cd, dvd, or usb stick depending on the size of the .iso.

I hope that the reasons I have explained above convince you in at least trying a Linux distribution at some point and something I didn't mention is that you can just "try" them out from a live cd or a live usb without affecting your currently installed OS at all.

-Ubu out

Dropbox 2.0 for iOS

Those that aren't familiar with Dropbox, it's a personal cloud storage location for any type of file you would like to store in the cloud. There are Dropbox clients for Windows, OS X, Linux, and mobile. Dropbox can keep all those devices in sync with each other.

They just released an updated version for iOS which now incorporates a dedicated Photos tab. The panel organizes photos by the time taken and offers a full-screen mode for showing photos off to friends. There is even a setting to have your photos taken auto-upload to a Dropbox folder if you so choose. The Android client with this feature is currently only in BETA form.

I use Dropbox to store files I may need with me out in the world so at any time I can log in to a web browser and retrieve my files if needed. And since I have it installed on my iPhone 4S I can always email or send any file from my iPhone to anyone I want. Example would be sending your resume and references to a potential employer. Dropbox has a referral program so if you do sign up for Dropbox mention that you were referred by me, ubuntuaddictedubu@gmail.com and I will receive extra free storage space I would be very grateful.

-Ubu out

Humble Bundle 7 - Linux Games

Those who aren't familiar with what the Humble Bundle is, it's a series of collections of video games, music albums, ebooks, or videos that are sold and distributed online at a price determined by the purchaser. In lamens terms that means, YOU get to pay what you want for the bundle of items. They are generally cross platform as well meaning they are many times compatible with Windows, OS X, and Linux. You can divide up the money you pay between the developers, the EFF and Child’s Play Charity, and the Humble Indie Bundle operation itself.

Humble Bundle 7 was released on December 19, 2012. It has 6 games and 1 movie: Snapshot, The Binding of Isaac, Closure, and Shank 2 are the bundle’s core games, and Indie Game: The Movie is a full-length documentary about the process of making an indie game. You can pay what you want, but if you pay more than the average you’ll get Dungeon Defenders and Legend of Grimrock as well. You also get the game soundtracks.

I paid $15 for the bundle and tried out Snapshot, Shank 2, Closure, and Legend of Grimrock which makes my $15 investment well worth it. Closure opens but only displays a black screen so I am not sure of it's compatibility with Linux. The other games all worked within Xubuntu 12.04. I was able to easily install them by clicking on the link which then opens them up within the Ubuntu Software Center.

Unfortunately Dungeon Defenders is over Ubuntus current size limit and Binding of Isac declined to make the game available. Either way you get 3 games (that work in Xubuntu 12.04), an Indie Game movie, and the game soundtracks all for whatever you want to pay. Seems like a great deal to me. You can get your bundle as well HERE.

-Ubu out

Steam for Linux BETA now open to public

On December 13th I mentioned that the BETA Steam for Linux was going to be opening up to the public, well now it's official.

Steam for Linux BETA requires Ubuntu 12.04 or higher. Over time, the client will be available for other Linux distro's as well.

Current users will need to update their application, while new users can download from the Steam Linux website.

-Ubu out

Steam for Linux finally opening up the BETA

Steam for Linux is finally opening up the BETA to the public next week after a short month+ long limited BETA.

Valve is stating that the stability of the client is allowing them to open up the BETA to more users. In a message they wrote to the closed Steam for Linux Mailing List they state, "The Open BETA will be available to the public and will increase the current population from 80K to a higher number."

System requirements for some Linux games are now being listed within the Steam Store.
Game developers are being encouraged to submit their "minimum" and "recommended" System Requirements to Valve for publishing 'ASAP'. Below is a list of just some of the titles that are available for Linux currently;
     -Amnesia
     -Dynamite Jack
     -Eversion
     -iBomber Attack
     -Killing Floor
     -Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
     -Serious Sam 3: BFE (I already purchased this one for a mere $9.99)
     -Sword & Sworcery
     -The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles
     -World of Goo

I am very excited to see Steam come to Linux which will only make Linux gaming increase as a whole

-Ubu out

Founder of GNU shuns Ubuntu - Claims Spyware

The founding member of the Free Software Foundation, Richard Stallman, is advocating the rejection of the Ubuntu distribution, claiming the latest version contains dangerous surveillance code in his recent blog post.

When the user searches their own local files for a string using the Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu sends that string to one of Canonical's servers. Canonical is the company that develops Ubuntu. Stallman states, "This is just like the first surveillance practice I learned about in Windows." Ubuntu uses the information about searches to show the user ads to buy various things from Amazon.

Stallman writes, "The ads are not the problem, the main issue is the spying. Canonical says it does not tell Amazon who searched for what. However, it is just as bad for Canonical to collect your personal information as it would be for Amazon to collect it. Free software is suppose to give the user a chance to protect themselves from malicious software behaviors."

Proprietary software is associated with malicious treatment of the user; surveillance code, digital handcuffs (DRM or Digital Rights Management) to restrict users, and back doors that can do nasty things under remote control. Widely used examples include Windows, the iDevices, and the Amazon "Kindle" product for virtual book burning, which do all three. Macintosh and the Playstation 3 which impose DRM; most portable phones, which do spying and have back doors; Adobe Flash Player, which does spying and enforces DRM; and plenty of apps for iDevices and Android, which are guilty of one or more of these nasty practices.

Canonical does offer a way to turn the Amazon search results off. In it's own defense, they claim the revenue received from Amazon for including products links in Ubuntu search results is an important source of funds, and that it benefits the Linux community because the money goes toward developing open source software. Stallman doesn't agree and states, "Any excuse Canonical offers is inadequate; even if it used all the money it gets from Amazon to develop free software, that can hardly overcome what free software will lose if it ceases to offer an effective way to avoid abuse of it's users."

Personally, I don't feel it's that big of a deal since I can turn it off. You can as well, go to System Settings > Privacy > Inlcude Online results in search > OFF. I have always been a proponent of FOSS (Free Open Source Software) and will always prefer it over commercially available titles. How do you feel about it, is it as big a deal as Stallman is making it out to be? This is big news in the Free Software world because Ubuntu is the most widely used Desktop Linux distribution and Stallman is making waves.
-Ubu out

Ubuntu 17" Gaming Laptop - Bonobo Extreme

System76 has unveiled what their CEO, Carl Richell, is dubbing as the "Worlds Fastest Ubuntu Laptop" and it's called The Bonobo Extreme.

The laptop has a large full-HD 17.3" backlit display. The stock CPU is an Intel i7 @ 2.6Ghz, which is a Quad core, but you can upgrade to a i7-3940XM Extreme CPU @ 3.00Ghz for another $530.00 approximately. The big reason this is a gaming laptop is due to it's dedicated GPU where the base model has an nVidia GeForce GTX 670MX with 3GB of DDR5 RAM and 960 CUDA Cores. Again there is an upgrade option to a GeForce 680M with 4GB of DDR5 RAM and 1344 CUDA cores for about $134.00 more. There's a full-sized backlit keyboard which is a nice feature for dark room

The only downside I see to this laptop is the weight, it comes in at a whooping 8.6lbs. But for the amount of power this laptop has in it it's a small price to pay to be able to play those high frames per second games on the move. It currently costs $1499 and that's with System76's Christmas promotion so who knows how long it will last. Head on over to System76's website and pick yourself up one.

-Ubu out

Control Ubuntu remotely from iDevice or Android

Have you ever been far away from your Ubuntu Linux server and the only device you had on hand was your Android or Apple iOS device? Well, Splashtop is working on Splashtop Streamer for Linux.

The beta Splashtop Streamer, when used with Splashtop 2, a remote desktop applicaton for Android devices, iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, will enable you to connect remotely to Ubuntu 12.04 systems. Unfortunately it does not currently cover other versions of Linux or Ubuntu.

Splashtop is claiming that for Ubuntu users, Splashtop Streamer offers a supercharged, high-performance alternative to VNC (Virtual Network Computing) and other remote desktop software. Due to it's efficient protocol, algorithms and optimaizations, Splashtop has been shown in performance benchmarks to deliver up to 15x higher video frame rates and up to 10x lower latency times then it's competition.

Splashtop Streamer for Ubuntu is designed to enable users to remotely connect to an Ubuntu computer and do the following:
-View and edit files remotely (no transferring or syncing)
-Run favorite programs
-Stream music collection
-Watch videos at up to 30 frames per second with low latency
-Perform on the fly trans-coding of various video and audio formats
-Play graphics intensive games
-Use input methods for typing characters in various languages

I can't wait to try this out with my iPhone 4S and my Sony Vaio laptop which runs 12.04. It would be hilarious if I randomly turned on some music while my girlfriend was sitting next to the laptop, it surely would scare her to death.

-Ubu out

UbuntuAddicted sets his 2012 goals

Ubu is a 32 year old adult Xbox 360 gamer who enjoys teaching himself new skills. He is a family man, a self-taught technical guru of almost all things (if not already will teach myself), an Ubuntu and FOSS advocate who was intrigued to learn about video game capture within Ubuntu Linux.

Over 1.5 years later Ubu is a social media power user on twitter and soon realized the important of networking within YouTube just like you would do for a traditional career. 

I am on most social media networks and attempting to create my social media foundation from twitter and work upwards from there, claw and fight my way into what seems like a closed-knit clique of YouTube celebraties. I am confident that with my skill set, I can offer something others can not or do not wish to. Example: Whiteboy7thSt apartment was broken into while he was away. I can help protect him better by installing a whole DVR type Security System or even a trigger system so he his notified via email when someone enters his home using, this with motion sensors. Another example was that Ons1augh7 and Bash had websites created and hosted on GoDaddy, whoever the website creator was didn't realize that both of their personal info was left in plain view within in the "whois" database so I easily found their full names and address. Did I use the information malisouly? NO, I informed them they need to get the admin in charge of their sites to change what the "whois" database shows about them.

By the end of 2012 I have a goal to be partnered with Youtube as well as Machinima and still use a 480p capture card. IF money comes in where I can justify an HD capture card it will be the Haugpauge Collosis versus the external HD-PVR. Check out xxSrcxxx COD YT channel as that's what he uses and it's some sick ass quality. It's $30 cheaper as well.

Wish me luck