Free Your Computer with Linux

How to Liberate your Computer
with Linux
by
Maurice George
This text is copyrighted by Maurice George. It can be freely copied and republished
provided that my authorship is acknowledged.
Contents
1.
The Story of Accessible Computing
2
Why Choose Linux #1
3.
Why Choose Linux #2
4.
Why Choose Linux #3
5.
Trying and Installing Linux
6.
File systems in Linux
7.
How to Organise your Linux Computer
8.
What I use Linux for
9.
You and Your Browser
10. Favourite Linux Programs – G.I.M.P.
11. Favourite Linux Programs – Inkscape
12. Favourite Linux Programs – Libre Office Writer
13. Computer code rules the world
14. Privacy and Security in Linux #1
15. Privacy and Security in Linux #2
16. The New Linux Phone
17. Sound and Music in Linux
18. How to Promote Linux
19. Windows and Linux : The Future
The Story of Accessible Computing
The story of modern computing can be told through the
contributions of two very different men who each had a profound
influence on the development of information technology.
Bill Gates, an American, was the genius who acquired a basic
computer operating system which became known as MSDOS. His
company, Microsoft, aggressively began the revolution which has
transformed the world we know. Starting with a system which only
technologists could use, he gradually invented a system which
became Windows; it first appeared in 1987 as a primitive O.S.
which used a visual interface on the monitor, rather than a series
of lines of code. After versions 1, 2, 3 etc, his great breakthrough
came with Windows XP which finally made computing available to
a wide range of users.
Gates dominated the computer scene for decades and Windows has
now reached version 10. In the process he became one of the
*richest men in the world. Microsoft has kept the computer code of
Windows totally **secret; it can't be examined or amended by the
user. It's private property. You can't buy it; you can only rent it.
Linus Torvalds is from Finland and is less well-known; he hasn't
become vastly rich and has operated outside the capitalist system
inhabited by Gates. He invented the code which is at the centre,
the kernel, of the Linux operating system. (Its correct name is
GnuLinux to give credit to another pioneer, Richard Stallman.) The
distance between Microsoft and Linux is enormous. In the process
of writing the O.S., Torvalds has strenuously kept Linux free.
Another benefactor of accessible computing is, again, an
unknown : Mark Shuttleworth. Having made his fortune in South
Africa, he moved to the U.K. and set up a company called
'Canonical'. He funded the creation of a Linux distribution called
'Ubuntu' – an African word which means 'for all people'. This
rapidly became the top free O.S. in the world and was of special
importance in the Third World.
You can obtain one of the many versions of Linux without paying a
penny; and all programs are also free. But Linux is also free in the
other way : all the code which makes up the operating system can
be viewed and changed by anyone. It's free as in freedom. It's part
of the tech world known as F.O.S.S. - Free and Open Source
Software. It therefore has a greater claim to have benefited all of
humanity than Microsoft or Apple.
Of course Linux and the capitalist systems can easily co-exist. You
can choose either or both. But if you choose a closed system, it will
cost you lots of money and you'll have no right to adapt or
examine the software. They are both equally usable and versatile.
Everything you do in Windows or Apple, you can do just as well in
Linux. No-one will blame you if you don't follow the F.O.S.S. path.
You may have guessed by now that I'm no friend of Microsoft or
Apple. But I honestly do try to be impartial ! So what comes next ?
Perhaps we could look at the areas where each O.S. is most
popular and most used.
All three systems can be used for general computing. But Windows
has a strong presence in business and finance; Apple has always
been popular in the creative industries; and Linux is the O.S. which
keeps the Internet running.
One big difference, however, is that it's still not easy to buy a
computer already loaded with Linux : a serious handicap which is
only slowly waning. You can acquire a 'live' DVDROM to try and/or
install by buying one of the magazines. Or you can download a
version (or distro) of Linux from its website and then use a
specialised program to load it onto a CD ROM, DVD ROM or USB
memory stick from which you can install it on your machine. Not
exactly user-friendly but at least you can run Windows and Linux
side by side on the same computer.
* Gates deserves credit for donating vast sums to charities.
** It's no coincidence that the spies of G.C.H.Q., N.S.A, and MI5
find it much easier to be allowed to hide their surveillance
activities secretly within Windows.
Why choose Linux ? Part 1
History
In the twenty-first century, anyone who doesn't know how to use a
computer will soon find it impossible to earn a living or
communicate with friends and family. So the cost and availability of
computers are crucially important.
Linux and Windows are operating systems. A computer needs an
O.S. to change if from a few kilos of metal and plastic into a useful
and functional product. There are a number of operating systems
but only two are available on the market : ®Microsoft Windows
and ®Apple. These systems are incompatible. What works on one
will not work on the other.
When you bought that new computer, part of the cost went to
®Microsoft or ®Apple; this cost is hidden in the price of the
computer.. Windows and iOS are owned by large corporations.
Their technology is secret and protected by law. Their priorities are
dictated by commercial necessity. Their computer code is created
only by paid employees. There is only one authorised version of
each O.S. No variations are allowed
On the other hand, Linux is not owned by any individuals or
corporations The operating system costs nothing and all programs
are also free. Its computer code is written by community
volunteers or paid developers employed by companies which
generously support Free and Open Source Software (F.O.S.S.)
All technical information is open and can be used freely. There are
lots of different versions of Linux for a variety of requirements. In
Linux you can create documents using the Microsoft format .DOC;
your images use the same .JPG suffix and your music will be filed
as .MP3. This makes it easy to switch from Windows to Linux.
In Linux there are no viruses or malware. It's supported by a large
international movement of enthusiasts. There are no secret 'backdoors' in the O.S. for spies to exploit. But few machines are
available on the commercial market with Linux ready-installed.
Windows works. Apple works. Linux works. So we're lucky to
have the choice. Except that the vast majority of computers on the
world market run only Microsoft Windows or Apple iOS. So we
really have no choice. The mega-corporations use all their power to
keep Linux out.
You could say “Who cares which O.S. a machine uses ? They can all
do the same jobs. But it could be that it's not simply a techno-
logical or a commercial question : maybe it's a matter of politics.
So why on earth should politics affect the choice of a computer ?
You could say “Just leave politics out of this. All I want is a
computer that works”. That's fine. So now please go on to Part 2.
Why choose Linux ?
Part 2
Politics
The O.S. is the heart of any computer. It controls every aspect of
the computer's behaviour. Linux, Apple iOS and Windows are all
excellent operating systems so how can we choose the best one for
our new (or old) computer ? I suggested last time that there are
big issues in choosing an operating system, both commercial and
political. This may surprise you but let me explore this issue.
Microsoft Windows and Apple iOS are products of the American
capitalist economic system. They fought their way to the top of a
fierce 'live-or-die' money-oriented battle which labels low profits as
'failure' and punishes share-holders accordingly.
They both originate from the early years of computing; Windows
started as a primitive O.S. based on a highly technical predecessor
called MSDOS. Microsoft's Bill Gates exploited the demand for a
less technical system with a visual interface with the user. Then he
shrewdly eliminated competitors.
Steve Jobs, one of Apple's founders, used a visual interface from
the beginning and developed brilliantly innovative machines. They
both built monopolistic empires – Windows mainly in the business
world and Apple in creative industries. Their operating systems
cost a considerable sum and programs must also be bought. Apple
and Microsoft have both generated enormous profits.
They both keep the coding of their systems secret and fiercely
protect their intellectual property. Computer code is the foundation
of all operating systems and ultimately uses the binary
mathematical model based on noughts (0) and ones (1). (But I'll
cover the digital foundations in a future article.)
These operating sytems enable us to use e-mail, improve our
photos, play our music and survive in the new online world. You
can do exactly the same things in Linux – only without expense and
much more safely.
*Linux is a non-commercial operating system. It originated from an
early O.S. called Unix but in 1991 a genius called Linus Torvalds
transformed it into the system we know today.
There are lots of different versions (distros) of Linux. You can use a
fast modern all-purpose version like Mint or Ubuntu or PCLinuxOS.
If you're rescuing an old machine, an O.S. like Vector Linux or
Linux Lite 2 will run at high speed. If you're responsible for a
server which must run 24/7, you can't do better than Debian. If you
do lots of mathematics, Calculate Linux is made specially for you.
How do you get these distributions ? You simply download them
from their websites. Transfer the distro onto a CDRom or a
DVDRom or a USB memory stick. Alternatively buy a Linux
magazine with a free disk loaded with distros. You can then use the
'live' disk to try the distro; if you like it, go ahead and install it.
In Linux, You'll have to get used to the names of distros and
programs in Linux. You can create documents with Libre Office
Writer instead of MS Office; improve your photos with GIMP
instead of Photoshop; play your music with VLC. All these Linux
programs will do exactly the same job as Windows or iOS just as
well as (or even better than) the proprietary programs. You can
send your texts or photos or spreadsheets to other people without
problems; they're totally compatible. And of course you can use an
Internet browser like Firefox for your gmail or Hotmail.
By now you must be wondering how all these Linux distros and
programs are created for free. The short answer is that they're
produced by thousands of enthusiasts worldwide and a few publicspirited corporations. They rely on donations and volunteers. They
all believe that Free and Open Source Software is a benefit to the
whole of humanity and that everyone should have the chance to
use a computer without spending a fortune or pouring money into
the bank accounts of millionaires.
So I'm sure you've got the political message. If you use F.O.S.S.,
you're escaping from the not-so-tender clutches of the megacorporations. You're supporting a worldwide community of
developers which is specially beneficial for the Third World. You're
saying that using a computer is not restricted to a minority but is
available to all humankind. And you're proclaiming that freedom of
information is too important to be entrusted to the I.T. plutocracy
or the surveillance industry. Is that political enough for you
* To be perfectly correct, Linux should be called 'GNU Linux' but
that's another story.
# The names of distros and programs are often off-beat.
Why choose Linux ?
Part 3
Technological and personal issues
The number of different Linux distributions (distros) is amazing,
particularly for people accustomed to Windows or Apple, where
you get what you get, with no technical options.
Most distros use either KDE or Gnome - sets of technologies
underlying the visible desktop surface which affect what you see
and how things work on the screen. They also produce programs
for word processing, graphics, multimedia (music, video etc), email and so on. There are distros based on both and you can do
everything you need using either. It's a matter of preference.
Another way of looking at the variety of distros is based on the age
of the machine on which you install your O.S. Linux distros are
available to suit fast or slow computers. Some distros can revive
machines which are so old that they can't possibly run recent
versions of Windows : these lightweight distros will save many
computers from the dump. Examples include Linux Lite 2, Vector
Linux and Lubuntu.
Full installations using the latest technology need modern
machines and can use the most sophisticated and powerful
resources to run a whole enterprise or just your ordinary e-mail,
gaming and music needs. They include Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and
PCLinuxOS.
The great thing about Linux is that you can try any number of 'live'
distros at no cost before you choose the one that suits you, not the
technocrats behind the proprietary O.S.s who tell you what you
want. If you'd like to see the full range of Linux distros, take a look
at www.distrowatch.com
Your computer is probably loaded with Windows so at this point it's
important to mention that you can install Linux on the same
machine side by side with Windows. Another technical benefit is
that every distro issues regular updates, tech improvements and
new applications. It's a good idea to check and install the latest
security fixes and newest versions of your programs; a recommended program to do this is Synaptic which is available in almost
every distro.
Whatever your particular interests or business needs, there's a
distro for you. Here are a few names which you might check out.
General distros include Mint, Ubuntu, Debian, OpenSuse and many
more. If you're into mathematics, there's a special version called
Calculate. For anyone interested in music or graphics, you could
try Tango Studio or Ubuntu Studio.
Every individual distro has a website from which you can download
the file ranging from megabytes to gigabytes in size. You'd need to
learn how to *load it to a CDROM or DVDROM and install it.
Installing a printer is pretty straightforward; most printers are
compatible with Linux as well as Windows.
Another personal choice is language : most distros are available in
almost every language under the sun.
If you'd like to explore Linux more thoroughly, there are excellent
monthly magazines like 'Linux Format' and 'Linux Voice'. It's also
worth mentioning that Linux-qualified job-seekers are much in
demand; Linux can be the route to an excellent career.
If you'd like to acknowledge the debt we owe to the developers
who create Linux, you can make donations to individual distros or
to organisations which promote F.O.S.S. Examples are the
Electronic Freedom Frontier (E.F.F.) and Opensource.com
* Use Brasero or K3B to transfer the .ISO files to disk.
Trying and Installing Your First Linux Distribution
The easy way is to acquire a DVD, USB memory stick or CD disk
already loaded with a distro. 'Linux Format' magazine includes a
disk every month with several recently issued distros. Put the disk
in your machine and restart. Choose a distro to try out. There's no
risk of harm. If you like it, go ahead and install it by following the
instructions. Of course it would be sensible to back up all your
important text files and images before you start.
When you restart your computer with the disk in the drawer, you
may find that instead of loading the DVD/CDRom, your normal
Windows O.S. starts. This is because your machine is set to load (or
boot) first from the internal hard disk and to ignore the disk in the
drawer. You need to change this so that it boots first from the
DVD/CD and then from the hard disk drive (HDD).
You do this by entering the BIOS or UEFI built into the computer to
change the boot order. Turn on the machine and immediately start
pressing either the DEL, F1 or F2 or F10 key again and again to
access the BIOS; your manual will tell you which key works with
your machine. Use the keyboard arrows (up, down, left and right)
to find the page which sets the boot order. Move the DVD up to the
top with the HDD below. Save the change. (Be careful not to make
any other changes.)
If you haven't got a Linux disk, go ito the website of one of these
distros to download the file (many Megabytes or a few Gigabytes in
size) which ends in .ISO. Distros like PCLinuxOS, Mint or Ubuntu
are some of the best. Or you could go to www.distrowatch.com
which lists all available versions of Linux and choose one. (There
are programs in Windows which can load the distro on to a disk.)
So far, so good. Now to install the distro. Assuming that you have
MS Windows already, you have to decide whether to keep it or
remove it. Linux is perfectly happy to exist alongside Windows.
Load the disk, restart and follow the instructions. You'll be asked to
choose your time-zone and language. Next you must create an
administrator password – at least eight letters, numbers and
symbols. Decide whether you can start your computer withor
without entering the password. (Keep your password safely !)
Installation usually takes no more than 15 or 20 minutes. When it's
complete, remove the install disk and restart the computer with
your new Linux O.S.
Take some time to explore it. Check how many programs are
already installed. You'll certainly find a word processor, Internet
browser, music player and photo enhancer. You can access your
gmail or other e-mail program. Find out how to keep your distro up
to date; this is vital for your online security. Learn how to install
new programs; of course they're all free !
Linux file sytems explained
Every computer needs a file system to control the organisation of
its storage arrangements. How is the space on the hard disk
divided into partitions ? Which disk or partition does the computer
boot from ? Where are document files kept ? What special names
are used for this file system ?
Let's start with a file system which you might already know
about : Windows. Every Windows machine on the planet uses the
same system called NTFS. The hard disk from which the computer
starts up, the boot disk, is called C:\ and all programs end with the
extension .EXE; and so on.
But as usual Linux is different. There are several ways of
organising your hardware but the first hard disk or partition is
always called /dev/hda. This is the boot drive. This partition may be
divided into /dev/hda1, /dev/hda2 and so on, like slices of a cake.
If you have a second hard disk, it will be called /dev/hdb and that
disk may also be subdivided into /dev/hdb1, /dev/hdb2 etc. So now
we have a clear method for storing information on the disks.
But from this point on, different distributions of Linux may use
these spaces in different ways. This gives Linux a great advantage
over Windows : anyone intruding into your machine will have no
idea where things are stored; this makes it very difficult to attack
the system or steal information. In Windows, everything is always
stored in the same place, making it much easier for a criminal to
find.
Why do I need to know all this technical background ? Well, you
don't. But you'll be much more aware of the way things work in
Linux. (And this kind of information would be very useful if you'd
like to qualify yourself for a career in I.T.)
To continue, there's an important advantage in labelling one area
of a disk as 'Home' and to configure your computer to hold all your
data – letters, photos, etc – on this partition; and then install the
operating system on another separate partition. Then, even if your
O.S. is corrupted in some way, your data is safe on the 'Home'
partition.
Much of this organisation is sorted out for you when you install
your chosen distribution : the recommended *file system, the
number of partitions, the allocation of disk space and so on. Or if
you're feeling confident, you might use a program like Gparted to
set up your own choice of partitions.
Now for something a bit more useful. If you've organised your
computer carefully, you may find that a particular file is located
like this :
/home/Jane/MyDocuments/correspondence/Electricity/Payment to
United Utilities. This means :
Starting in your 'Home' directory (or folder), under your name
'Jane', there's a letter in 'MyDocuments'. It's in your
'Correspondence' subdirectory and then under the heading
'Electricity'. The file is called 'Payment to United Utilities'.
This is in the form of a hierarchy : you start at the top – 'Home',
followed by a folder MyDocuments, then down to 'Correspondence'
and a topic 'Electricity'; then you find the name of the file you
want. The better you organise your hierarchy, the easier it will be
to find things.
The program you need to create and explore your filing hierarchy
is 'File Manager'. There's a choice of several file managers in Linux
: **Dolphin, **Konqueror, **Caja and so on. This enables you to find
files, move them, re-name them, delete them etc.
* Maybe Ext 2 or Ext 3 or Ext 4, to use the technical terms
** Please don't ask why things in Linux often have funny names.
How to organise your Linux computer
Computers are some of the most complicated devices on earth.
Although the people who design them try to hide their complexity
and to make them easy to use, we know how infuriating these
'simple' machines can be. So how can we organise them to suit our
needs ? What things need to be considered ? What can we do to
make them more secure ? Here are a few ideas.
The most basic decision is what to do with Microsoft Windows;
your *computer probably came with this operating system already
installed. Your choice is : a) Keep Windows and install Linux
alongside on the same hard disk; or b) Wipe the whole hard disk
and install Linux alone. (Everything you do in Windows you can do
just as well in Linux. And Windows is far less secure. Over to you.)
Next, make a list of the programs which you may need. If you open
your package manager, for example Synaptic, (using your
Administrator password) and set the view to 'Sections', you can
find all Linux programs arranged according to jobs which they do.
So there are sections for word processors, graphics, databases and
so on. If you're not sure which programs you need, you can find
lists online showing Windows programs and their Linux
equivalents. Some Linux distros enable you to add program icons
to the desktop or the bottom panel.
Then use a file manager like Dolphin to set up
your file system. Starting from 'Home', you can
create sub-folders like 'My Documents', Photos,
Music and so on.
Then, think carefully how you would like to file
your material. For example, it might be useful to
create sub-folders under 'Photos' to arrange your files
alphabetically or by month/year or by subject. This will make a
'tree' like this :
This file system will help you when you back up your vital data.
Simply select your 'Photos' folder and save it on a USB memory
stick or on an external hard disk together with 'My Documents'
etc.. You need to back up frequently – once a month at the least.
It's also a good idea to set up a 'Home' partition when you are
installing your Linux distro. Then you can upgrade your operating
system on the 'root' partition without deleting all your data in the
process.
What next ? Peripherals This is simply a technical word meaning
'things you add on to your computer'. Routers enable you to
connect to the Internet; any router will work in Linux. You probably
need a printer; Linux will usually install your printer automatically.
Most distros have a 'Control Centre' or similar. This is where you
can set up sound, network connections, wallpaper and much more.
Linux comes with tons of games. And there are endless ways to
customise your Linux installation. Of course, if you don't like your
present distro, you can easily switch to another ! Free !
Security ! Even though Linux is more secure against most online
dangers, and we're glad we don't need anti-virus programs, you
still need to be aware of other risks.You might want to set your
computer to require your administrator password before booting.
If your password is too short or too simple, please change it, using
at least eight letters, numbers and punctuation marks. And keep it
in a safe place. You should also install a firewall to protect against
online intruders; open Synaptic and search for 'firewall' (each
distro has its own choice) and install it.
* You can buy a computer with no O.S. installed; this way you avoid
paying the Windows Tax. PCSpecialist is one company which offers
this option.
# If you have a problem, the commercial system Turboprint wiil fix
it.
What I use Linux for
There are thousands of programs in Linux and all of them are free.
Full-range distros like Ubuntu and Mint will already include many
of them. You can find and install more using Synaptic or other
installation programs; you will need your adminstrator password
for this.
Your needs will be different from mine but you can be sure that
you'll find everything you want.
Task
Suitable programs
Word-processing
Libre Office Word, Abiword,
Calligra Words, FocusWriter
Internet browsers
Firefox, Midori, Chromium,
Konqueror
Music and media players
Banshee, VLC, Clementine
Photo organisers
Digikam, Shotwell
Photo editors and enhancers
GIMP, Fotoxx, Krita
Games
At least 1,924
Spreadsheet managers
Libre Office Calc, Gnumeric
File managers and organisers
Dolphin, emelFM2
Transfers of Linux distros to CD
and DVD disks
MS Windows programs (limited)
Desktop Publishing
Brasero, K3B
WINE
Scribus, Inkscape, Libre Office
Word, TeX
Vector graphics creation
Inkscape, Karbon
Mailing labels creator
GLabels
Photo-page organisers
Photoprint, Digikam
Back-up managers
Deja Dup, LuckyBackup, ReDo
Desktop system organisers
KDE, GNU
Firewall security systems
Gufw, Firestarter
I hope this gives you some idea of the range of programs available
in Linux. But of course there are thousands more. They cover
topics like special accessibility programs for people with
disabilities, advanced configuration of your computer, database
construction, education, personal finance, printing, graphics,
science, 'cloud' management, sound recording, video editing,
computer coding, astronomy and so on.
Have fun !
You and your browser
Why do website addresses start with 'www' ? When the World Wide
Web was invented by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee in1990, a
revolution started. He produced the first browser using hyperlinks
to connect to another site on the Internet with just one click. It
seems so obvious now but at that time it was nothing less than
astonishing.
So what does a browser do and why does it matter ? The Internet
is simply a vast network; it carries information but it needs a
device to translate website code into a usable format.
The world's most-used browser is Microsoft's Internet Explorer in
Windows. It's available in 95 languages and once had 1000
developers working on it. It's also the most criticised; it attempted
to dominate the computer world as a monopoly and tried to destroy
competitors. Its reputation was also damaged by many security
failures.
Its poor reputation led to the creation of alternatives, especially in
Linux. Mozilla, an open-source corporation, produced Firefox,
Apple has its exclusive browser and Google, another non-corporate
company, released Chromium. Use of Internet Explorer has been
dropping for years.
Here's the big question : which is the best in Linux – Firefox or
Chromium or neither ? They're both fast, secure and incredibly
clever. They show pictures, videos and links to other sites. They
offer bookmarks, important add-ons, the ability to display many
languages, encryption to allow safe payments on-line, search
facilities and a dozen more capabilities which we take for granted.
But they both have their critics. Firefox has a security record
which is just as bad as the ancient Windows XP; see
http://bit.ly/1gSOO4F
If you search for browsers in your package manager, you'll find
Arora, Dillo, Epiphany, Midori, Opera, QupZilla, Rekonq and more.
Most are simple and fast but rather limited.. A more versatile
browser is Konqueror. Linux is the O.S. for choices !
So what does a browser do ? It has an amazing range of talents.
It can instantly > enable secure payments on-line > read
documents > show photos > open websites > disable unwanted
adverts > carry out Internet searches > send and receive e-mails >
switch to any language on earth > connect with your printer > play
music etc.
Yet we don't appreciate all these skills – we simply take them for
granted.
My Favourite Linux programs
>
GIMP
We already know that all Linux programs are free. And if we're
talking of value, GIMP has to be the greatest F.O.S.S. value of the
century. Its Windows equivalent, Adobe Photoshop, is no longer
available as a buy-once program; you now have to pay for a 12
month licence costing £205.78 so for five years, that adds up to
£1000+.
G.I.M.P. stands for *Gnu Image Manipulation Program. Its purpose
is to enhance, correct and personalise your photos and to create
images from scratch rather like a painting. Since we're talking
about Linux, there are tons of other similar programs. Some of the
best are Krita, Fotoxx, LibreDraw and (for children) Tux Paint.
Here we have to distinguish between raster
graphics and vector graphics. Rasters are rows of
tiny individual picture elements (pixels) produced
by scanning an image, by either a scanner or a
camera. Together these lines create an image,
rather like a TV image. If you enlarge them too much, the quality of
the image quickly gets fuzzy.
The G.I.M.P. is for rasters only and is often used to adapt and
save .JPG images.
A vector image is constructed geometrically from
lines and curves.It can be enlarged indefinitely
without losing quality so vector programs are
very useful for creating logos, fonts and
abstractions.
While G.I.M.P. is the most popular and versatile
program, it may be over-kill for anyone who just
needs to improve a few holiday photos. Its full range of controls is
extraordinary – too vast to be covered here. But I'd like to describe
just a few tools which are powerful yet easy to use.
First, go to 'Colour' > 'Brightness/Contrast. If your photo is rather
pale and washed-out, use the Brightness control to make your
image darker; or if it's too dim, increase the brightness. Then, if
you want to make the colours more vibrant and brilliant, increase
the Contrast control.
Second, if there's lots of clutter and unwanted areas in your photo,
go to the toolbar on the left and choose 'Rectangle Select Tool'.
Drag the cursor across the image to cut out everything you want to
exclude; then go to 'Image' > 'Crop to selection'. Next use the
'Export' tool to save the changed image as a .JPG; (Don't use the
'Save' option) ; you'll be asked if you want to overwrite the original
file.
Next, there are lots of tools for creating your own images. If you
want to produce an result like a painting, there are various types of
brushes available. Or you can use the pencil or the airbrush tools.
This is a brilliant way to make your own original digital art. There
is the 'undo' tool which allows you to remove previous changes – a
great way to correct mistakes. The 'Artistic' tools allow you to
create an Impressionist or a Cubist or a Van Gogh masterpiece !
'Filters' includes a vast number of tools. You can blur an area or a
whole image. If your photo is a bit unsharp, the 'Sharpen' options
could rescue a picture. You could spend days exploring the
uncountable possibilities.
* Why 'Gnu' ? Years ago there was an operating system called Unix,
which was the ancestor of Linux. So Gnu means 'Gnu is Not Unix'.
Is that clear ?
My Favourite Linux Programs
>
Inkscape
Imagine a vector graphics program which can be used to create
logos, draw perfect straight lines, draw smooth curves and graphs,
import raster images like .JPG and .PNG, create complex pictures,
set text, be adapted for Desktop Publishing (D.T.P.), rotate images
and texts and umpteen other uses.
The answer is Inkscape, a drawing program (similar to the
commercial program called Adobe Illustrator). Where G.I.M.P. is a
painting program used to create and edit raster images, Inkscape
is based on shapes, lines and textures. It produces files in the
.SVG (Scaleable Vector Graphics) format; it can also save files in
other formats like .PDF and .PNG.Before you decide that Inkscape
is too complicated for you, please be assured that once you grasp a
few basic ideas and functions, Inkscape is easy to use. The best
way is to look at a few tasks which it can perform.
1. You have a .JPG photo which you want to print with a white
border to put in a frame on the wall.
Start with a new .SVG file, maximise it (use the + at the top right
of the frame) and go to 'View' and zoom to 'Page'. Now you're
ready to start.
Go to 'File' and then 'Import'. Navigate the file system to find the
required image file. The image will appear in the Inkscape page. If
it's a big file, you'll need to drag the image to find a corner; hold
down the 'Ctrl' key and resize the image so that your picture is
positioned exactly where you want it. You can add a title by using
the 'Text' tool. Now you can print the page.
2. You want to create a leaflet, a poster or any document with text
and images. A D.T.P. program would be your best choice. This is
Scribus but it's too complicated to cover here. Even the best word
processing program will give you lots of problems but Inkscape will
come to the rescue, although you'll need to be rather ingenious.
Go to 'File' > 'New' and choose the size of your document; let's say
A4. Then click 'View' > 'Zoom' > 'Page'. Now you're ready to start.
If you want a photo, either as a background or an illustration, go to
'File' > 'Import'. Add text : choose a font and size. Import your text
or type it on the page. You'll have to decide the length of your lines
visually and then press 'Enter'.
If you want to include a photo, just go to 'File' > Import. Explore all
the options along the top of the page. Down the left side, check out
all the shapes you can create. You can change the colour of any
item on the page; go to 'Objects' > Fill and Stroke. You can rotate
anything or re-size it or move it. The possibilities are endless.
You can save the result as a .SVG file (Inkscape's native format) or
as a.PDF or a .PNG.
This is an amazing program.
Favourite Linux Programs
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Libre Office Writer
Let's start from scratch. You want to write a letter: 1. Write > 2.
Save > Print. Before you begin, there are a few things to decide.
Your document will probably be for size A4 paper. Now you need to
consider what format you want to use. 'Format' here means the
technical formula which turns your typing into a computer file.
Microsoft invented the *.DOC format which is still widely used :
e.g. your file-name will look like this : myletter.doc. But their
format is still a closed system; it's impossible to find out exactly
how it works.
There have been many doubts about the security of the .DOC
format. So now large numbers of organisations like governments
and companies have switched to the **Open Document Format –
O.D.F. So for a text-file, the format is ***.ODT.
Next you can choose your font (also called a typeface). The default
is usually Times New Roman, which looks like this : Times New
Roman. Now that most fonts are free, you might want something
different :
This file uses Dejavu Serif size 14 points. Or you could choose
other fonts : Arial or Liberation Sans or Lucida Handwriting
depending on what fonts are installed on your computer.
Now you're ready to begin creating your file. Start typing. You can
set up automatic spell-checking and grammar checking; go to
'Tools' > 'Options' > Language Settings > 'Writing aids
(Of course you know that you switch to UPPER CASE letters by
pressing the 'Shift' key.)
You can indent a line to start a new paragraph like this by
pressing the 'Tab' key.
It would be a good idea to save your text now using 'Save As'; give
your file a name. By default, L.O. will set the format to .OD.T. Now
you can use 'Save' as often as you want. You can also set L.O. to
make a backup of your files as often as you want : Go to 'Tools' >
'Options' > 'Load' > 'Save' > General options.
Under 'Edit', you can cut, delete and paste text. Under 'Insert',
include tables and images. Under 'Format', there are tons of
options. If you need help with your document, look at 'File' >
'Wizards' or go to the 'Help' heading, Add bullet points to highlight
new paragraphs. Using 'Save As', you can save your file as a .PDF.
You might be interested to know that L.O. includes not just 'Writer'
but also 'Impress' to create presentations, 'Calc' for spreadsheets,
'Draw' for vector images, 'Base' to create databases and 'Math' for
mathematical formulas.
Of course, the best way to learn all the capabilities of Libre Office
is to experiment and explore. And L.O. is not the only wordprocessor in Linux ; others include Abiword and Calligra Words.
*
This is called the file extension.
** The U.K. Government has now adopted O.D.F. as its standard
format.
*** Microsoft Word will open .ODT files without difficulty.
Computer code rules the world
We live in a miraculous world; and one of these miracles is
computer code. The problem is that it's not too easy to explain
how computer code works but I'll give it a try anyhow.
Our ordinary number system is based on counting up to ten;
but code is based on a binary number system going from zero to
one. Every part of the code which creates a crucial part of our
computer-based world is expressed in ones and zeros. For
example, here's the binary code for 'Ormskirk' :
01101111 01110010 01101101 01110011 01101011 01101001
01110010 01101011
Is that perfectly clear ? Good.
Another way of looking at code is to imagine that it's made up of
lots of light-switches, and each light-switch controls just one light
bulb. On or Off. One or Zero. The computer chip can only respond
to on/off messages; it has to use the binary system.
Now let's look at the global picture. Almost everything in our lives
depends on code : your bank, the Internet, your local supermarket,
your car, websites, your TV, your phone, your e-mail, aviation and
transport, nuclear power, weather forecasts – the list is endless.
Most computer code is secret. It's impossible to look at the way it
works. This is called 'proprietary' code : it belongs to someone and
they don't want to share this code with anyone else.
Here's a practical example. Most modern cars rely heavily on
computer code. Volkswagen computer coders in the U.S. thought it
would be a good idea to hide a secret program in VW car software
which would create fake figures for the dangerous gases emitted
by their cars. This would persuade more people to buy VWs. The
coders weren't bothered that this was unethical and illegal. It's
likely that other car makers told similar lies about their products.
The International Council on Clean Transportation discovered the
truth about the swindle and made it public. The result was that VW
is being sued by large numbers of customers and could have to pay
out enormous sums. VW shares have fallen by 40%. They will now
have to recall 11 million cars worldwide to remove the crooked
software. Their reputation has suffered unmeasurable damage. The
VW code was secret and proprietary.
So what's the connection with Linux ? Simple : the code is open to
public examination. It can be used and examined by anyone. It's
impossible to hide any dangerous code in Linux. If anyone tried,
the danger would soon be discovered.
We benefit from F.O.S.S. - Free and Open Source Software. F.O.S.S.
software allows no technical secrets. Of course, your data in open
source systems is private; only the code is open.
Compare this with the proprietary Microsoft Windows and the
Apple iOS operating systems. They're jealously guarded and
protected from outside viewers. Even the code for the Microsoft
.DOC file system is secret and may hide access points for
intruders. The code for Libre Office Writer (.ODT) is open to
examination.
It's now common knowledge that American information technology
corporations (Microsoft is just one example of many) have cooperated with the surveillance authorities in the U.S. government
to allow hidden 'backdoors' into their systems. This allows the
spyocracy to penetrate your computer and destroy your privacy.
So this is the connection between coding and personal freedom.
F.O.S.S. is our friend against the onslaughts of the surveillance
industry.
Useful websites :
Open Source Explained, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free
Software Foundation Europe
Privacy and security in Linux
Part 2
Now to look at the wider issues around privacy and security. We
need our government to protect us against terrorism and
criminality, That means that we need MI5, MI6 and *GCHQ. But
does that mean that we need Menwith Hill ?
This is an enormous complex of 545 acres in Yorkshire, covered
with every kind of surveillance system. Although it's officially an
R.A.F. base, in fact it's entirely operated by the U.S. National
Security Agency. It has cables carrying every phone call and
Internet connection in Britain, a large number of super-computers
and gigantic dishes which intercept internatonal communications.
It's fair to say that nothing anywhere in the world is private. And
one report described Menwith Hill as an agent in 'a new form of
international cyber warfare'.
Edward Snowden was a data analyst for the **N.S.A. He was
shocked to discover that it operated a vast surveillance system
which had intercepted the ultra-secret communications of every
major government and organisation in the world. He felt that this
was highly unethical so in 2012 he broke every rule in the
surveillance book when he copied this information and published it
in the U.S. media.
The exact number of files he revealed is still uncertain but
probably amounted to hundreds of thousands or even millions. This
horrified governments, corporations and countries. He was
labelled a traitor, a hero or even a lunatic. He is now living in
Russia. The latest leak of the Panama Papers published 1.5,000,000
files !
So what can we learn from these events ?
1. Nothing on any computer can be kept secret in spite of our
precautions and passwords.
2. Although computer systems can be locked up behind walls, you
can't stop 'rogue' human beings like Snowden.
3. Politics and computing are inseparable.
4. Governments and corporations are afraid of releasing large
amounts of information which ought to be available to the public.
5. 'Freedom of Information' laws can easily be broken or ignored.
At this point, you may be asking whether this matters to you. That
depends on your general outlook and perhaps on your political
ideas too. But in the meantime, it may reassure you just to know
that there are lots of organisations which are campaigning for the
freedom of the Internet and against censorship.
The Free Software Foundation has a very strong position :they
state, 'Our Utopia is a world with no proprietary software.' Another
site is called 'Don't Spy on Me', which fairly self-explanatory. Then
there's the Electronic Freedom Frontier .They all have e-mailing
lists which highlight imporatnt issues.
Nobody is suggesting that there should be a free-for-all on the
Internet, of course. There are pornographers, corrupt countries
and terrorists and who abuse the freedom of the 'Net. They are
often based abroad beyond our jurisdiction. We may just have to
accept that and do our best to ensure that our computers have not
been secretly taken over by Botnets or other intruders.
* Government Communications Headquarters, based in
Cheltenham.
** The U.S. National Security Agency; others include the F.B.I. and
the C.I.A. Other countries which have vast surveillance agencies
include China, the U.K., France, Russia, Iran and more.
Hail the Ubuntu Phone !
Until recently you had only two choices of smart-phone operating
systems : Apple or Android. Apple is the most profitable
corporation on earth. Android is a non-profit company and is based
on Linux – although it's not in any way like a full computer O.S.
*Ubuntu is, of course, the biggest Linux not-for-profit distro and
it's an O.S. funded by a U.K. company called Canonical owned by
Mark Shuttleworth. (Mark made his fortune in South Africa).
Ubuntu was designed originally for computers but has now been
re-engineered for smart-phones.
So far, there are just two companies producing Ubuntu phones.
The Meizu Pro 5 is a top-rank smart-phone made in China and can
be bought from their website for 370 Euros. The BQ Aquaris E5 is
made in Spain and costs 199 Euros. They're both high-specification
devices from companies which already produce high-quality
phones. The Aquaris has two SIM card slots – you can use one for
the UK and another for outside the UK.
The iPhone is produced only by Apple . It's a high-class phone
backed by a vast marketing machine; it costs from £499 to £699.
Ouch !
You may be wondering why bother introducing a new O.S. for
smart-phones. Maybe you don't actually know which system your
own phone uses. As long as it works, what's the problem ? If you
have a chance to try an Ubuntu phone, you'll soon realise that it's a
completely different animal.
So here's my assessment of the ***BQ Aquaris, my first ever smartphone. All the obvious apps are here : Browser, Calendar, Clock,
Gallery, Notes, Reminders, Terminal, Weather and many more.
While the Ubuntu phones don't yet have as many apps as Android
or Apple, new apps are being added all the time.
Construction quality is extremely good. It has a 13Mpx camera for
quality photos. It's fast and its sound quality is excellent. Third, it
has a 5inch screen. This is a bonus for reading text and typing. My
experience has been entirely positive.
So what's the broad picture now that Ubuntu phones have arrived
on the market ? First price; you pay no premium for Android O.S.
but you pay far too much for the identical features in Apple iOS;
their styling is classy but is it worth the enormous **surcharge ?
The U-Phone is backed by the enormous resources of Canonical so
its future is secure.
Now it's a fight among Android, Apple and Ubuntu. One crucial
point is that with Android and Apple, you have to buy a completely
new phone to get the latest software. With the Ubuntu phone, you
keep the same device and simply update the O.S. automatically
when a new version is released. The Ubuntu Touch O.S. for the
phone is under active development.
Is there room for all three ? Apple seems to be running out of
steam. Android is a very restrictive O.S. Soon there will be many
more Ubuntu phones from other manufacturers and the system will
continue to develop. As usual, there's the matter of politics : The
mass market for smart-phones is a great opportunity for F.O.S.S.
and switching will save you money.
* Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'for all people'.
** You pay a lot for the Apple brand.
*** There's a full manual on the BQ website.
Sound and Music in Linux
First, the basics. How do you set up the sound equipment on a
Linux machine ? For stereo, you obviously need to put your left and
right speakers in suitable positions. It's not a good idea to place
them on a high shelf or on the floor or pointing the wrong way. For
surround sound, put the extra speakers behind your listening
position; the woofer, for bass sound, is usually a big box and you
can put it anywhere out of the way. To connect the plugs to the
computer, read the speaker manual.
Clementine and VLC are popular programs for playing music in
Linux and are certain to be in your distro's software bank
(otherwise known as a repository). Sound files usually have the
extension .MP3.
There are lots of multi-purpose programs which can tackle any
task connected with sound and music.
Amarok is a powerful music player which makes it easy to play
music and connect with various Web services: Ampache , Jamendo
Service , Last.fm , Librivox , MP3tunes , Magnatune , and the
OPML Podcast Directory . You can create play-lists and organise
your music collection.
Audacity can record all types of audio, including podcasts, and has
also been used to record and mix entire albums. It can use WAV,
MP3 and many other audio formats.
Banshee is a media management and playback application allowing
users to import audio from CDs, search their library, create
playlists of selections of their library, sync music to/from iPods and
other media devices, play and manage video files and burn
selections to a CD.
LilyPond is a music typesetter which produces beautiful sheet
music . It supports many forms of music notation and produces
PDF, PostScript, SVG, or TeX printed output, as well as MIDI
Rhythmbox is an easy-to-use music playing and management
program which supports a wide range of audio formats (including
mp3 and ogg). It supports Internet Radio, audio CD burning and
playback, music sharing, and Podcasts.
Rosegarden provides an audio/MIDI sequencer (for playback and
recording), a multi-track editor and music editing.
Here are some specialised Linux distros loaded with with music
and audio-visual resources : Ubuntu Studio, AVLinux,ArtistX and64
Studio.
All these distros offer a large number of programs for all audio
needs. You could run a recording studio with these resources. You
need to download the .ISO file and use a program like Brasero to
transfer the distro to a DVDRom.
And just to prove that Linux offers every option under the sun,
here's how you can transcribe speech to text. Use the Google
Chrome browser (also known as Chromium) , which you can
download in the usual way from your package installer. Plug a
microphone into your computer and navigate to the 'speech-to-text'
extension. That's it.
Streaming music is a fantastic way of accessing every kind of
music wherever you are. My favourite is Spotify. The Linux
connection here is that there's a Spotify Web Player which makes it
easy for us to set up. There are two options : free with a limited
choice of music, and pay-for, currently £10 a month, which offers
an unimaginable range of all the world's music.
* There are a few Linux programs which claim to do this but I
haven't managed to get them to work.
How to promote Linux
The I.T mega-corporations can afford large advertising budgets to
maintain their semi-monopolies. Linux can't compete with these
dollar-billionnaires. But somehow we need to get our message over
to Joe and Joanna Bloggs.
First we have to decide what that message is. Obviously we need to
mention that Linux is cost-free, free as in 'liberty', useable by
anyone, capable of doing everything we need, faster, safer,
available in many different flavours, etc etc. That's the easy bit.
Linux has plenty of enemies who like nothing better than trashing
this threat to their ownership of the computer industry. We need to
dispel this *F.U.D. So here's a series of questions which we should
anticipate.
Q. What is Linux ? A new disease ?
A. No.
Q. There's nothing wrong with Windows so why should I bother
with something different ? A. If you try Linux, you'll know why
Windows is the loser.
Q. What could Linux do for me ?
A. Everything you need.
Q. Can you show me Linux in action ?
disk to see how it works.
A. Just try a 'live' Linux
Q. Is my computer too old for Linux ? A. There are 'light' versions
of Linux which will give old machines a new lease of life (and save
them from the dum.
Q. Can I keep Windows on my machine alongside Linux ? A. Yes.
Q. How can I get hold of Linux ?
A. The easiest way is to buy a
copy of a Linux magazine with a DVD loaded with several distros.
Q. And how can I actually install Linux ?
A. Put the disk into
your disk player, restart the computer and follow the instructions.
Q. Where can I buy a computer with Linux already installed ? A.
You'll need to search on the Internet.
Q . If Linux is free, how can it possibly be any good ? A. The U.K.
governement has stated that Ubuntu Linux is the best O.S.
Q. Is Linux safe ? A. How safe is the Bank of England ?
Q. Do I have to learn computer coding and programming to use
Linux ? A. No.
Q. Will my printer/router/e-mail/etc work in Linux ? A. Yes.
Q. Do I need to buy a special computer to run Linux ? A. No.
* Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (a campaign promoted by
Microsoft)
Windows and Linux : The future
Microsoft Windows is the standard operating system for business
and personal use in the world, bar none.
Back in the Dark Ages, Bill Gates bought a primitive operating
sysem which he called MSDOS. With shrewd tactics and brute
monopolistic practices, he ensured that every PC came with this
O.S. Some of you may remember the horrors and crashes which
came with those floppy disks. There was no Internet, no support
for printers, no word processors as we know them,. It's a wonder
that anything worked. Then came Windows. And the money
machine started.
The great advance in Windows was a Graphical User Interface
(G.U.I.) which cured some ot the crudeness of the Command Line
Interface : this meant that you could use mouse clicks instead of
endless lines of computer code.
The following versions of Windows were more usable. But you had
to pay for the O.S. (which was hidden in the cost of the computer
itself). Then you had to buy the programs themselves. A word
processor or a graphics program could cost a fortune. Apple
machines and programs were equally expensive.
Then GNU/Linux appeared on the scene. The Internet was built on
Linux and eventually some 'Big Names', wanting the cheapest and
most adaptable computer technology, started switching to Linux.
But it still hasn't conquered the desktop.
Now Windows 10 has appeared. Will it kill Linux as a desktop
operating system ? Or is Windows itself likely to fade away as
smartphones and tablets take over the role of the P.C. ? Msft
phones have failed, Windows is in decline and Linux and F.O.S.S.
are rising. Yet every computer on the market is still loaded with
Windows.
Fortunately we can install Windows and Linux side by side on the
same computer so we have the best of both worlds.
So what is the future of Linux ? It's very hard to answer this
question because the O.S. is used in a huge range of devices, not
just the desktop : routers, Android and Ubuntu smartphones,
servers, data centres etc.
One enormous strength of Linux comes from the G.P.L. This is the
General Public Licence which guarantees end-users (individuals,
organizations, companies) the freedom to run, share, copy and
modify the software. The Linux O.S. and the programs that are
written for it are almost all created under the G.P.L. In plain
English, this means that it's Free and Open Source software;
Windows and Apple, in sharp contrast, are totally closed and
anyone attempting to modify them will soon find themselves in
court.
Another source of strength follows : anyone who contributes
improvements and new coding to a Linux project is obliged by the
G.P.L. to pass these improvements back to Linux so that they all
become freely available to anyone. In this way many powerful and
wealthy corporations are encouraged to give financial support to
projects : this benefits them and the whole Linux community.
So finally we can see the two meanings of 'free'. In the words of
Richard Stallman, the co-inventor of Linux and a great champion of
F.O.S.S : “When we speak of free software, we are referring to
freedom, not price”.