Getting Virtual with VirtualBox

Until recently all of my VM projects had been done in VMWare Server, as this version is available as a free download from VMWare. After upgrading my Linux Box to Ubuntu 8.10 I needed to reload my VM software but I was having some issues getting VMWare server to install correctly. Not wanting to spend a lot of time trying to get the software to work and aware that other options are available I started looking around and found VirtualBox.

VirtualBox is an open source VM software that is available free for download for Windows, Linux, Macintosh and OpenSolaris from Sun Microsystems. The current version is 2.1.0. The VirtualBox website has packages for the following Linux distributions and many packages are available for both i386 and AMD64 architectures.

• Ubuntu 8.10 ("Intrepid Ibex")
• Ubuntu 8.04 LTS ("Hardy Heron")
• Ubuntu 7.10 ("Gutsy Gibbon")
• Ubuntu 6.06 LTS ("Dapper Drake")
• Debian 5.0 ("Lenny")
• Debian 4.0 ("Etch")
• Debian 3.1 ("Sarge")
• openSUSE 11.1
• openSUSE 11.0
• openSUSE 10.3
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (SLES10)
• Fedora 9 ("Sulphur") / 10 ("Cambridge")
• Fedora 8 ("Werewolf")
• Fedora 7 ("Moonshine")
• Mandriva 2008.0
• Mandriva 2007.1
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 ("RHEL5")
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 ("RHEL4")
• PCLinuxOS 2007
• Xandros Desktop 4.1
• All distributions

As I am using Ubuntu 8.10 I downloaded the i368 deb package and installed it on my system. The install was very straightforward and did not require and special installation steps other than logging off and logging on again to get the program to appear in the Applications -> System Tools menu.

Coming from a VMWare background, getting started with VirtualBox was a snap. Setting up a new virtual machine is done very easily using the provided wizard and has all of the common configuration items. New VMs can be install directly from the ISO image without the need to burn a CD or DVD.

Virtualization is a great way to test out new Linux versions or to learn the internal workings of a Linux distro without reloading your primary machine. If you are interested in getting into virtualization at home and are looking for a good open source solution, VirtualBox may be the way to go.

Is Linux really 'holding back the kids'?

When I read the article http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/1215helios_linux_texas_teacher/ at theregister.co.uk about a teacher claiming that Linux is holding back kids and that Windows is a better alternative, I could not believe what I was reading.

It is obvious that the teacher quoted in the article is not up-to-speed with the current status of Linux in the computing world. A majority of super computers use Linux, most of the web servers on the Internet use Linux, and the list goes on.

There are many reasons why Linux is a good operating system to learn but here is my take on the subject. Linux should be a mandatory learning experience for kids, especially kids interested in the IT industry as a career. Much like the learning the basic building blocks for an good education by learning the 2+2=4 and that i comes before e accept after c, learning Linux can provide a life long skill set to an aspiring child that will serve them well throughout their IT life.

When I first learned about Linux it was because my company was sending me to a class to learn UNIX. We were about to get some UNIX workstations and my boss wanted me to have a basic understanding of UNIX. When I got to the class the instructor told us that he would be using Linux, RedHat to be exact, to teach us the basics as at the CLI level almost everything was the same.

Once my class was over I was sent back out into the IT world with my new skill set in UNIX/Linux commands. Little did I know that the basic building blocks I learned in the Linux class would serve me so well in the years to come.

The first thing I noticed when I returned to work was that I had a new fascination with the CLI, even in Windows. Being a Windows users from a very early age I had been infused with the thinking that if it was not in the GUI then it did not exist. I soon learned that even in Windows there are some very powerful tools available only in the CLI and many of the tools were "borrowed" from the UNIX side of the house. When I started getting into networking and was asked to learn how to use Cisco products I was again amazed to find that my UNIX/Linux training paid off as the Cisco IOS is UNIX based and best done through the CLI. When I purchased my daughter a MacBook so she could make video and music projects I was pleased to find that my UNIX/Linux training paid off again as the Mac is UNIX based and the CLI uses most of the same commands. At home I run a mixed environment of Windows, OS X, and Linux and the ability to make all three operating systems work together makes me a more marketable IT person, in my humble opinion. I tell all people that I meet aspiring to enter the IT field to learn Linux, at least the basics, as it will serve them well.

I submit that instead of holding kids back, Linux opens up a whole new world of opportunity. Here is a theoretically example. Let's say that company X is hiring new IT employees and has a limited budget. Company X runs a mixed environment of Windows desktops for the majority of the employees, OS X for the marketing, A/V, and public affairs department, and a mixture of Linux and Windows in the server room. Actually sounds like a lot of real companies. Company X gets a bunch of resumes and starts to weed them out. Do you think Company X wants to hire a Windows only employee, an OS X only employee, and a Linux only employee or an employee that can do all three?

Getting Rid of Windows at Home

Well after several years of trying I have finally got rid of all Windows OS machines at my house. While this might sound like an easy task, let me assure you that it was not. I am not an anti-Windows person but I just do not like the OS, especially Vista. Windows is just too bloated, slow, and costs too much.

I work in the IT field and can be considered to be a moderately experienced user. I have been using Linux for almost 6 years and have been trying to get rid of the Windows OS from my house for about the last 3 years. I have a wife and two kids, which complicated the problem as I have to satisfy everyone in the house.

At first I started using Linux as a hobby. I was fascinated by the free nature of Linux and quickly realized the potential of the OS but at the time Linux did not meet all of my home computing needs. Over the years I have always maintained a Linux box of some sort. At times I have tried a dual boot machine, a dedicated server, and running VMWare, both ways, Windows as the host and Linux as the guest and vice versa. No matter how hard I tried I just could not get all of my tasks onto Linux. Sure there were ways to get things done in Linux but sometimes the tasks were just too cumbersometo do in Linux, such as editing a video, or just did not work such as using iTunes.

Let me just say that I did not go with a 100% Linux solution. I got my daughter a MacBook for her birthday. She likes to make videos and the Mac is by far the best OS I have seen for makeing videos. So I get to lean on the Mac for some taks such as using iTunes andmaking videos. With Amazon.com now sellings mp3 files on their site, however, my use of iTunes has been reduced dramatically. There was a slight learning curve for my daughter and me on the use of the Mac so I took the Mac on a month long family vacationand forced everyone to get used to it and now everyone loves the thing.

With my daughter now off of Windows it was time for my wife. Of all the users in my house my wife is the least demanding. She just needs Internet access, e-mail, and the ability to look at pictures. She had been hinting to me that she wanted her own laptop, the kids are always on the two laptops in the house, and she wanted a really small and portable machine. Enter the Asus Eeepc, more on this later. It took me a litle while to get the Eeepc set up for my wife, she needs to input Japanese characters and wants to watch movies but after everything was working she is happy.

The last and finally tasks I need to do is DVD ripping, legal DVD ripping of course. I get DVD's from family and friends with videos and pictures and I like to put them in mp4 format so I can put them on my iPod. After much trial and error I finally got that piece worked out with the use of HandbreakCLI, again more on that later.

So now as I sit here that is no longer a Windows OS machine in my house. Well actually my sons laptop is technically a dual boot machine but that is only because I have no had time to wipe the Windows partition out.

I still have to use Windows at work, but as least I have a sanctuary at home :-)