Thing #47: Say hello to Linux

Most of us use Windows. Some of us use Macs. My question is, how many of us use the other option known as Linux?

As a brief introduction, here’s some relevant bits from the Wikipedia article:

Linux refers to the family of Unix-like computer operating systems using the Linux kernel. Linux can be installed on a wide variety of computer hardware, ranging from mobile phones, tablet computers and video game consoles, to mainframes and supercomputers. Linux is a leading server operating system, and runs the 10 fastest supercomputers in the world.
The development of Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed, both commercially and non-commercially, by anyone under licenses such as the GNU General Public License. Typically Linux is packaged in a format known as a Linux distribution for desktop and server use. Some popular mainstream Linux distributions include Debian (and its derivatives such as Ubuntu), Fedora and openSUSE. Linux distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting utilities and libraries to fulfill the distribution's intended use.
The name "Linux" comes from the Linux kernel, originally written in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. The main supporting user space system tools and libraries from the GNU Project (announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman) are the basis for the Free Software Foundation's preferred name GNU/Linux.

For this month's Thing, we're going to take a look at one of the most commonly used Linux versions, Ubuntu. But, you may be wondering - what's it going to take to test a whole operating system? Well, here’s the three greatest things about most Linux distributions:

1. As previously mentioned, they work on some pretty old hardware. So, if you happen to have a spare old computer you thought wasn’t good for anything any more, you can probably use that.
   
2. You can actually try most Linux distributions without actually installing them by using something called a Live CD. (More on this in a minute.)
   
3. For Ubuntu, the distribution we’ll be trying, you can actually install it as a Windows application along side your current version of Windows.

I’ll get more specific about each of these options shortly.

For this lesson you can use the current version, Ubuntu 10.10, or try Ubuntu 11.04 Beta if you’re wondering what the next version will look like. (If you’re already feeling unsure, I’d stick with 10.10. If you’re going for the beta version, read the instructions I’ve linked to. Most of the rest of this article should be accurate but I’ll be writing from the point of view of 10.10.)

You have three options for trying Ubuntu: via Windows Installer, via the Live CD or USB drive, and installing it on a spare computer. Here’s the hows and whys of each:

Via the Windows Installer
Use this option if you would like to give your computer the option to boot either into Windows or Ubuntu when you turn it on. This option uses a lot of hard drive space and you will need to have full administrative access to your computer. DO NOT do this on a work computer without first talking to your IT folks. (Chances are they’ll tell you not to do it.) I’ve done this on a few computers and there’s nothing to be particularly scared of, but it’s not a decision to be taken lightly.

Head on over to http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/windows-installer, download the installer, and run it just like you would install any other Windows program. Once finished, reboot your computer and you should see a menu asking you which OS you’d like to use.

To uninstall Ubuntu, boot into Windows and uninstall it via the Control Panel as you would uninstall any other Windows program.

The benefit to this method is that you don’t need a spare computer and any changes you make on the Ubuntu side will keep past a reboot. However, please be aware of the issues with doing this that I previously mentioned.

Via a Live CD or USB drive
This is the most flexible of the three options. All you need to do is download the .ISO file from http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download and then create a bootable CD or USB drive. (All the instructions are on that page. You will probably need to download and install an additional piece of software and have the ability to burn to a blank CD-R or a blank USB drive.)

Once finished with that process, reboot the computer with the newly burned CD in your CD-ROM drive, or USB drive plugged in. In most cases the computer will boot from the CD/USB instead of the hard drive. (If not, you may need to perform an extra step or two - contact your IT folks for that or leave a comment here and I might be able to help.)

Once the computer has successfully booted from the CD/USB, you should see an Ubuntu menu. Choose “Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer” and press Enter.

At this point you’re running Ubuntu completely from the CD/USB and your hard drive isn’t being used in any way that will damage your Windows installation or files. When you’re done, shut down the computer and remove the CD/USB. Upon reboot, the computer will boot back to Windows.

This is a great way to play around with Ubuntu. The only down sides are that it’s a bit on the slow side due to CD/USB speeds, and anything you change will not keep. So, the next time you boot from the CD/USB, it’ll act like a fresh OS having forgotten anything you’ve previously done. You can find a more detailed explanation of the Live CD concept at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD

Installing it on a spare computer
If you’ve got an old computer please give this a try. Follow the same instructions for creating a Live CD but when you get to the first Ubuntu menu, instead choose “Install Ubuntu”. Follow all the prompts and in 15-20 minutes you should have a bootable Ubuntu OS installed on the hard drive. Don’t forget to plug the computer into your network so it can get all the needed updates from the Internet.

Ok, I’ve got Ubuntu running, now what?
Well, that’s up to you. The idea here is to give you the opportunity to play with this wonderful (in my opinion) alternative to Windows and Mac. Here are a few of the reasons I like to use it on some of my computers:

• It’s a more secure operating system.
• It updates faster and more often that Windows or MacOS.
• It allows me to run some older hardware that Windows no longer supports.
• It’s free!

Additionally, here’s just one idea that I had for using Ubuntu in a library setting. (Unfortunately, it’s a little late for this year.)

A Nebraska public library was concerned about the lack of printed tax forms this year. What I suggested was to take an old spare computer or two (I know they had some) and install Ubuntu, connect them to the network and a printer. Then (this bit would take some technical know-how) lock down the browser so that it only went to IRS.gov. Stick this computer in a corner and label it the “Tax Terminal” and treat it as a non-reserveable walk-up computer for printing out tax forms. Once you know what you’re doing, the whole setup might take 20-30 minutes. This plan has two significant benefits: First, not having to pay a license fee for the OS. Second, since it was just for printing forms from a browser, the fact that it isn’t Windows wouldn’t be that much of an issue for the patrons.

So, let me leave you with just a few ideas for where you can poke around in Ubuntu:

• Under Applications, see what software comes with Ubuntu. Maybe try playing with OpenOffice if it’s already there, if not…
  
• Look for the Ubuntu Software Center under Applications and see what’s available for download and installation.
  
• Look under System|Preferences and see how flexible the interface is.
  
• If you have accounts with Twitter, Facebook or other social sites, click on the speech bubble in the upper-right corner and select Broadcast Accounts.

For your blog post write about your experience with installing and playing around in Ubuntu. Did you find a neat feature I didn’t mention? Do you think you might consider extending the life of some of your old equipment for your patrons by installing Ubuntu? Let us know what you think.

Bonus:
For those of you that think you’ll never get away form Windows, try installing the Wine application via the Software Center. It allows you to install and run most Windows programs on the Ubuntu OS.

Thing #46: Stixy



Last month our colleague Kathryn came down the hall to tell us about a new application she’d discovered, which she thought would make a great Nebraska Learns 2.0 “Thing”: Stixy!



If you’ve ever seen Kathryn’s desk and office walls, which are covered with semi-organized patterns of post-it notes, you’d understand why this application appeals to her! Stixy is the online equivalent of a bulletin board or physical desktop, with the added value (when desired) of collaboration.



Kathryn at her Post-It-Note covered desk



Kathryn's bulletin board

Stixyboards

Stixy’s tagline proclaims it is “For Flexible Online Creation, Collaboration, and Sharing.” With a free Stixy account, you can create as many Stixyboards as you like. Keep some private for personal projects; invite friends, family, or colleagues to view and/or collaborate with you on others. The choice is yours!

Each Stixyboard you create provides you with a work area where you can place your content. Stixy doesn’t use a fixed grid, so you can physically arrange your content in any way you’d like – just like you do on your desk or bulletin board: you can line content up in neat horizontal or vertical rows, scatter it randomly, or even layer or stack it.

Content Widgets

Content is added to a Stixyboard by dragging and dropping a widget onto your work space. There are currently four types of widgets to choose from:

• Note – This widget is the equivalent of a post-it note. Notes can be resized to accommodate anything from a couple lines of text to multiple paragraphs. Background color and opacity, as well as font color, size, and style can be customized. You can also include links out to web pages.
    
• Photo – The photo widget allows you to upload a photo to your Stixyboard. Supported file types include JPG, GIF, and PNG. Once uploaded, you can resize or rotate your photo, drag it to a different location, or add a handful of effects.
   
• Document – The document widget allows you to upload various types of files to your Stixyboard – Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDF documents, sound files and movie files. If you’re collaborating with others, they will need the required programs on their computers to open the files, but it is a nice alternative to sharing files by attaching them to email messages.
   
• Todo – Todo widgets allow you to create date-specific reminders that can generate email alerts to you and your collaborators if you choose.

Collaboration and Privacy

There are several options available for collaboration. If you are working on a project with a small group of people, click on the “Options” link associated with the Stixyboard you plan to use for your collaboration. This opens the Options menu, which allows you to send email invitations to the specific people you’d like to collaborate with.

A Stixyboard can be private, meaning only you and your collaborators can view and edit it. You can also set up guest access to allow people other than your collaborators to view the Stixyboard. Guest access is provided via a special guest URL.

If you’re interested in broader collaboration, you can even allow guests to add, remove, and edit widgets. If you choose this later option you may want to require guests to enter a password before they get access to the page.

Here are guest access URLs and passwords to a couple of Stixy boards I’ve created:

• Thing #46: Stixy: http://www.stixy.com/guest/107872 (password: ilovelibraries)
   
• Nebraska Learns 2.0: http://www.stixy.com/guest/107712 (password: ilovelibraries)

As guests, I’m only allowing you to view the Thing #46 Stixyboard, but I’ve given you permission to both view and edit the Nebraska Learns 2.0 Stixyboard. (So if you have any ideas for future “Things,” add them to the list!)

There are a couple of important factors to keep in mind when making decisions about who can edit a Stixyboard. First, for better or worse anyone with edit permission can change or delete text and widgets added by others. Second, since additions, changes, and deletions aren’t tracked or attributed to specific collaborators or guests, there’s no built-in way to identify who did what, whether positive or negative.

For these reasons you can see the value of limiting editing privileges to a few trusted colleagues in situations where content integrity is important. When opening up participation to a broader group of individuals it will be important to establish expectations in terms of behavior, content, and self-identification.

For more information on how to use Stixy, I recommend this short YouTube tutorial. You may also want to view the following Stixyboard examples:

1. Work collaboration (from Stixy)
2. Research an online purchase (from Stixy)
3. Photo album (from Stixy)
4. Collaborative brainstorming
5. PTA Information Distribution
6. Teacher Page
7. Vocabulary
8. Information about sound

Assignment

1. Create a Stixy account and play around with it. Try out the various widgets. Experiment with formatting, resizing, and arranging. Figure out how to create guest access.
    
2. Write a two-part blog post. In part one, briefly describe your experience with Stixy. What did you like or dislike about it?
   
   In part two, speculate about who in your community might have an interest in or use for Stixy? Would parents be interested in learning about it? Genealogists? Church groups? Are there ways you could use Stixy in the library, either internally or with your community? Could you use it as a staff bulletin board? With your teen advisory group? With book club groups?
     
3. Finally, mock up a Stixyboard demonstrating one of the possible uses you wrote about in your blog post. Include the guest URL to your Stixyboard in your blog post.

Thing #45 Account Settings

The inspiration for Thing #45 came to me the other day when I was setting up a brand new Gmail account for an organization I belong to. As I was doing this I took the time to run through all of the Settings options and was surprised by a few of the things that I found. Whenever I set up a new account I usually take the time to run through the settings but I don’t think I truly understand the impact of some of the settings until I’ve used a product on a regular bases. The available settings may also change over time as companies improve their products. Needless to say I found a few settings that I had to change in my own Gmail account.

For Thing#45 we are going to spend some time exploring settings. There are two parts to the Thing #45 assignment. For the first part I want everyone to spend some time looking at all of the Settings that are available for your blog in Blogger. (As I’m sure you can guess, you will also be asked to blog about the experience.) To help you get started I’m going to highlight some settings that I think you might find useful.

Part I

Blogger

Start by going to the Blogger Dashboard. Under the heading for your blog you should find a link to Settings. When you are on the Settings tab there will be a number of subtopic links towards the top of your screen (Basics, Publishing, Formatting...).

Basic: While looking at the Basic screen I realized I was using the old post editor. This option can be found towards the bottom of the page under the heading of Global Settings. I am now using the Updated Editor.

Formatting: Is your Time Zone correct?

Comments - Comment Notification Email: This is the last option on the page. Everyone should put their email address in this box. This way you will be notified when someone comments on one of your posts. If you haven’t been keeping up on your comments you might want to view the comments left on your blog. Just to the left of the Settings tab you will see the Comments tab. This page will display all of the comments that have been left on your blog.

Next let’s move on to the Design tab where you can obviously change the design of your blog. If you’re ready to create a new look for you blog check out the Template Designer. On this page you can also add or remove gadgets. There is one set of options on this page that I think are easy to overlook. In the Add and Arrange Page Elements area there is a square labeled Blog Posts. Click on the Edit link in that square. You will now see a couple of Main Page Options and Post Page Options. Two options I don’t remember seeing before are the Reactions and the Show Share Buttons.

When you’re poking around looking at the settings and options I think it’s a good time to spend a few minutes making sure you profile information is still correct. When you are on the Dashboard you will find links to Edit Profile and Edit Photo.

Part 2

For the next part of your assignment you will need to select another online tool that you use and go over the account information and settings. Here are some examples of things you may want to look at in a number of different online tools.

Gmail (The Settings link is located in the upper right had corner of the page.)

General – Signature: It’s important to set up a signature file for any email account you use for official library business. Your signature file should contain at least the basic information such as your name, the library name, and library phone number so the person receiving the email will know who you are and where you’re from.

General - Browser connection: If your account is not already set to “Always use https” you may want to consider changing it. Follow the Learn More link that Google provides to learn more about why you may want to use this.

Accounts and Import - Grant access to your account (Allow others to read and send mail on your behalf): This option could be useful if you have a Gmail account that more than one person needs to access, such as a basic library email account. Follow the Learn More link that Google provides to learn more.

Labs: I’m not going to take the time to talk about Google Labs today. It’s a large enough topic that it could be its own Thing. If you like playing around with “Some crazy experimental stuff.” then you might want to check it out.

Themes: If you haven’t changed the look of your account in awhile Google added five new themes in November.

An easy way to stay up-to-date on what’s going on with Gmail is to follow the Gmail Blog.



Google Reader (There are settings in multiple places that you can tweak.)

Settings - The Settings link is located in the upper right had corner of the page.

Subscriptions: Use the options on this page to organize your feeds using folders.

If you go “Back to Google Reader” There is some addition customization options available on the main reader screen. On the left hand side of the screen next to the heading Subscriptions you should see a small down arrow. Clicking this arrow displays a list of options. A couple of settings worth checking out are the sort options and Show All or Show Updated. If Show Updated is selected you will only see subscriptions that have new items, the rest of your subscriptions will not display until they contain new items.

An easy way to stay up-to-date on what’s going on with Google Reader is to follow the Google Reader Blog.

Facebook (The Account Settings and Privacy Settings are located under Account in the top right corner.)

There’s one new setting I wanted to mention in Facebook. In recent post on the Facebook Blog titled A Continued Commitment to Security they talk about secured connections and how they are going to be rolling out an HTTPS option. The post tells you how to enable this option, however I just checked my account and I do not have the option yet so I’ll have to check again in a few days.

If you are a Facebook user you know there are a ton of other settings available but I’m not going to cover any of them in detail. That said however please take a few minutes to review all of your Facebook Account Settings and Privacy Settings because you never know what you might find.

In Addition...

Before I started writing this Thing #45 I asked Christa, Michael, and Susan if they had any suggestions on settings I should be sure to point out. Here are a couple of suggestions Michael had.

Twitter: Under Settings – Account - Tweet Location. Enabling this option adds a location to your tweets

Flickr: Connect your Flickr account to Facebook and upload pictures to Flickr by email.
Thanks Michael!

Since last month’s Thing was on Foursquare I wanted to take a moment and point any folks who are working in the academic world to a new post on the Foursquare blog. The post is titled: Foursquare University badges now available at all schools, worldwide!

Assignment

1. Spend some time exploring the settings available for your blog in Blogger. If you haven’t already done so please enter your email address into the Comment Notification Email option. Blog about your experience as you explored the settings. If you need some ideas about what to write check out the list of questions below.
2. For the next part of your assignment you will need to select another online service that you use and go over the account information and settings. You do not have to use one of the sites that mentioned, just pick a service that you use. After you are done please blog about your experience.

Suggested questions you can answer in your blog post.

• When was the last time you reviewed the settings of your accounts?
• In addition to Blogger what other site did you look at? 
• Did you look at more than just one additional site, if so which ones? What motivated you to look at more? 
• Did you find any settings that changed/fixed a problem or issue you’ve had?
• What settings were you most excited to find?
• Did you find a setting or multiple settings that you think all of us need to know about? (Please share I’d like to know!)
• Was it worth your time going back and reviewing the account settings?