am a proud veteran user of the Ubuntu Linux operating system. I've been running Ubuntu since Dapper Drake (that's Ubuntu 6.06LTS, for the uninitiated) was alpha. I use Ubuntu 6.06 as a standalone LAN server and Xubuntu as the desktop operating system for my laptop. I even configured Ubuntu as a DHCP router once. So although I had just received my Ubuntu Linux version 7.04 (codenamed Feisty Fawn) installation CDs when Ubuntu released version 7.10 (codenamed Gutsy Gibbon) on October 18, 2007, I was eager to check the newest version out.

This article is a subjective outline of the steps required to move a vanilla Ubuntu Desktop install towards basic multimedia functionality. It walks through most of the basic first steps I followed as I experienced the Ubuntu 7.10 Linux Desktop for the first time (see Sidebar 1 for the hardware specifications of my test system). Along the way, I explain which new features make "Gutsy Gibbon" a worthwhile upgrade.

What You Need to Get Started
This article assumes you have installed just a vanilla version of either Ubuntu 7.04 or Ubuntu 7.10. Whether you are installing version 7.04 or 7.10, the Ubuntu installation procedure is straightforward and intuitive. Ubuntu Linux provides downloads of its latest releases as well as mail delivery of its releases at no charge via its shipit service.

The default Ubuntu 7.10 install asks you if you want to wipe out all data related to previous installs or create a partition. Though creating dual- and multi-boot systems is an option, for ease of install dedicate an entire hard disk to Linux. Dedicating a hard disk to the Ubuntu install removes the risk of future data loss errors when upgrading multi-boot systems. Further, as the price of multi-GB hard drives continues to drop, dedicating an entire hard disk to each of your chosen operating systems has never been cheaper.

The default install also creates a /root filesystem as a single tree with no branches. A better practice for crash recovery and security is the OpenBSD approach of having /home, /usr, /var, and /tmp as separate partitions.

If at any point something goes wrong and you need to escape from the project, you can hard crash the X-Server with the keystroke Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.

What's New and Noteworthy in Ubuntu 7.10
Besides numerous bug fixes, the significant changes found in Ubuntu 7.10 include:

• Restricted Driver Manager: This makes handling proprietary video card drivers a one-click affair.
• Automated printer installation: Find and use your printer as a plug-and-play device.
• NTFS read/write: The NTFS-3g project enables the reading and writing of Windows NTFS file systems.
• 3D desktop: Compiz Fusion, which is enabled by default, brings 3D visual effects on the Linux Desktop one step closer to maturity. (Compiz Fusion requires a 2000 or later ATI video card, an NVIDIA card with the 100.14.19 driver, or an Intel card that is not a 965 chipset and some configuration.)

Upgrade to the Latest and Greatest
First, you need a quick way to access the latest Ubuntu-related software. With Gnome (the default X-Windows face of Ubuntu Linux), you can access this software either from the Applications menu or via the Command Line Interface (CLI), commonly referred to as the terminal. I use the terminal, so to follow along begin by creating a shortcut to the terminal.

On the top left menu button of your install, left mouse click Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal and then click on and hold the terminal icon. (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Creating a Shortcut to the Terminal: You can access the latest Ubuntu-related software via the Command Line Interface (CLI), commonly referred to as the terminal.

Drag and drop the icon onto the main desktop area. Use the same procedure to drag and drop the terminal icon onto the shortcut bar. Now open the terminal by clicking the shortcut icon you just created. (By default icons on the shortcut bar require a single mouse click while the main space requires double clicks to activate software.)

Upgrading from Ubuntu 7.04 to Ubuntu 7.10
If you are starting from a vanilla install of Ubuntu 7.10, skip this section. If you have installed Ubuntu 7.04 and want to upgrade to Ubuntu 7.10, you first must have the latest and greatest of all the current Feisty Fawn software packages. If it wasn't for the System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager, keeping up with the daily changes and improvements to the Ubuntu system and related software would be difficult. Fortunately, the apt-get command makes software upgrades and installations nearly effortless.

To update and upgrade your Ubuntu release, you need only enter the following code in the terminal. Open the terminal using the shortcut you created above and type:

terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get upgrade

To upgrade your kernel, keystroke Alt-F2 and in the resulting Run Application prompt box type: gksu "update-manager" (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Updating and Upgrading Your Ubuntu Release: To update and upgrade your Ubuntu release, you need only enter one line of code in the terminal.

To complete your kernel upgrade, click the [Upgrade] button to the right of "New distribution release '7.10' is available". Kernel upgrading really could not be easier!

Go one step further and include the restricted sources to your Synaptic/apt-get software repository. Inclusion of other repositories may be necessary as you add unsupported, experimental, or proprietary functionality to your Ubuntu Desktop. To do this, take the following steps:

1. Back up your existing sources.list file as a safety precaution:

   
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo cp -p /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list_backup
   

2. Open the sources.list file with the gedit Gnome Editor:

   
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
   

3. Delete the comment tag (#) from the restricted locations and save the modified file.

4. Update your system to use the newly accessible repositories:

   
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get update
   

Multiple Workspaces and Alternative X-Windows Environments
One of the best things about X-Windows is its multi-workspace environment. On a default install, the bottom right corner of the bottom taskbar features two squares. Move the mouse over that area and right click Preferences. Increase the number of workspaces to a total that is reasonable for your purposes (one for chat, one for email, one for surfing, one for terminal, one for GIMP graphics editing, and so on). You can choose between one and 36. Tip: to use the Compiz Fusion cube, set the columns to 4 and the rows to 1.

Multitasking is expected these days, so why not try it out? Close the workspace preferences window and launch a browser in a separate workspace. Open another workspace and activate another application. Once you start to use multiple workspaces you will never be able to go back to single desktop workspace mode.

Not only can you have multiple workspaces, you can also choose between multiple X-Windows environments. Gnome is just one possible interface between the operating system and the user. Indeed, Ubuntu Linux is a custom built Gnome X-Windows environment running on top of Debian Linux. However, Debian Linux is capable of running most, if not all, of the X-Windows family.

I sincerely hope that the Ubuntu team does not forget their Debian roots when custom designing software. Software interoperability across all Linux platforms is the way to go.

My Linux Desktop of Choice, Xubuntu Desktop
The Ubuntu team attempts to support and improve the software that is provided with the default Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Edbuntu installs. To install my Linux desktop of choice, Xubuntu Desktop (a.k.a. XFCE Window Manager), enter the following code in a terminal:

terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop; sudo apt-get install xubuntu-artwork

The Xubuntu Desktop integrates its applications with the Gnome Desktop and vice versa, but this is a matter of taste. If you prefer one desktop OS to another, then by all means use the system that speaks to you! Log out and choose XFCE as a session to explore the Xubuntu Desktop.

Compiz Fusion Desktop Cube: The 3D Desktop
To me, the Compiz Fusion Desktop Cube and its 3D functionality are the most exciting developments in Linux Desktop usability. To configure the Compiz Fusion Desktop Cube using a NVIDIA Card, first enable the restricted driver: System -> Administration -> Restricted Drivers Manager -> Enable. Unfortunately, you have to reboot afterwards.

Next, install Compiz Fusion settings manager:

terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get install
terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager
terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get install emerald
terminal@yourmachine:~$ gtk-window-decorator –replace

Enable advanced visual effects: System -> Preferences -> Appearance -> Visual Effects -> Custom.

Configure advanced visual effects: System -> Preferences -> Advanced Desktop Effects Settings.

The Advanced Desktop Effects Settings I use to enable the Desktop Cube are as follows (Choose only the options listed but experiment wildly):

• Desktop: Desktop Cube, Rotate Cube, Viewport Switcher
• Effects: Animations, Cube Gears, Cube Reflection, Window Decoration
• Extras: Benchmark, Screenshot, Splash, Window Previews
• Image Loading: ALL
• Utility: Cube Caps, Regex Matching, Resize Info, Scale Window Tile Filter, Video Playback, Workarounds
• Window Management: ALL except Ring Switcher, Group, and Tab Windows
• Uncategorized: Resize Windows

Ensure that you have chosen four columns and one row under workspace preferences. Now when you press CTRL-ALT left and right arrow you will switch workspaces in a three-dimensional way (see Figure 3). Also, try CTRL-ALT, left mouse click, and hold.

Figure 3. Use Desktop Effects Settings to enable the Compiz Fusion Desktop Cube.

How did I ever live without the Desktop Cube?

Installing UbuntuStudio (optional)

Author's Note: This section presents a kitchen sink installation of audio tools. I leave it to you to separate the necessary applications from the fluff.

If you want to explore the audio/video capabilities of Ubuntu, consider installing UbuntuStudio. UbuntuStudio not only installs a staggering number of audio software tools, but the install also takes care of the all the software dependencies for you.

Sound editing with Linux is improving as well. I can vouch for the Audacity Sound Editor, the Hydrogen Drum Machine, and the Sound Juicer CD Extractor. You can create drum tracks with the Hydrogen Drum Machine, export them as .wav files, and then edit them with Audacity. Audacity provides single-track audio recording and simultaneous recording with playback of up to 16 separate tracks. However, Linux-supported hardware for simultaneous multitrack recording and a good interface for recording Digital 5.1 surround sound still elude me.

As for the rest of the UbuntuStudio Audio software suite, some very serious studying is required to comprehend all of the possibilities. The video suite currently includes CinePaint, Kino, Pitivi Video Editor, and Stopmotion. Each of these tools appears to offer various forms of video editing.

To perform the kitchen sink audio installation, enter the following in a terminal:

terminal@yourmachine:-$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ubuntustudio-desktop
 ubuntustudio-audio ubuntustudio-audio-plugins ubuntustudio-graphics ubuntustudio-video
 linux-rt

Missing from the kitchen sink audio install is the cross-platform multimedia player XMMS. To install XMMS with .mp3 playback (see Figure 4), enter the following in a terminal:

terminal@yourmachine:-$ sudo apt-get install xmms xmms-cdread xmms-goom xmms-infinity
 xmms-mad xmms-skins xmms-volnorm xmms-wma

Figure 4. Installing XMMS with .mp3 Playback: Missing from the kitchen sink audio install is the cross-platform multimedia player XMMS.

MP3 exporting from the Audacity sound editor requires LAME (Lame Ain't an MP3 Encoder). The following steps will install .mp3 export ability to Audacity from source:

1. Download lame-3.97.tar.gz to your Desktop.

2. Open the terminal. Make sure the terminal working directory is the same as the location of the lame-3.97.tar.gz file:

   
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ cd /Desktop
   

3. Decompress the lame-3.97.tar.gz file:

   
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ tar xzvf lame-3.97.tar.gz
   

4. Move the terminal working directory into the lame-3.97 folder:

   
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ cd lame-3.97
   

5. Install the GNU compiler tools to build software from source:

   
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get install build-essential
   

6. Configure and make the install:

   
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ ./configure
   terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo make install
   

7. Clean it up by deleting the lame files from your desktop or chosen download location.

The first time you try to export a sound file labeled .mp3 (File -> Export), Audacity will prompt you for the location of the libmp3lame.so.0 file. The default install above puts this file in /usr/local/lib/libmp3lame.so.0.

For video playback, Mplayer is an essential alternative to Totem that integrates well with the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Install it as follows:

terminal@yourmachine:-$ sudo apt-get install mplayer mozilla-mplayer mozilla-plugin-vlc

Gnome Eye Candy
The place to get new graphics and themes for your Gnome Desktop is definitely gnome-look.org. For wallpaper, make sure you use one that is matched to your screen resolution. Generally, you want to use the highest resolution that your monitor supports along with the highest Hz refresh rate (for example, 1600x1200 @ 75 Hz). To adjust your screen resolution settings, click the top left corner menu and choose System -> Preferences -> Screen Resolution.

Save your choice of background wallpaper onto your machine and then right mouse click on the main desktop space and choose Change Desktop Background [+add].

Installing Software Graphically: Synaptic Package Manager
There are two general methods of installing and removing packages with Ubuntu Linux: Graphical and Command line. Although I've outlined command line installations to this point, I like to use both methods. I chose the command line method to show the power of apt-get. (Try apt-get help for further options.) However, sometimes it is nice to browse in a graphical way while searching the descriptions of software available. For graphical software management of apt-get, use the Synaptic Package Manager: System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. Launching the Synaptic Package Manager: For graphical software management of apt-get, use the Synaptic Package Manager.

Synaptic is great for exploring the world of available software and then adding desired software or alternatively removing redundant or unused software. To add software, you need only right click the desired application and then left click "Mark for Installation." Find something you want to remove? Right click that application and then left click "Mark for Removal" or "Mark for Complete Removal." When you hit the "Apply" button, your changes take effect.

Author's Note: you cannot use apt-get while the Synaptic Package Manager is open.

Once you get the hang of it, installing software with Synaptic becomes a three-step "Search", "Mark", and "Apply" process. See Sidebar 2 for a listing of essential (at least for me) software you can find by using Synaptic search.

Installing Swiftfox Browser as a .deb File
A really good example of an Ubuntu-ready .deb file is a web browser called Swiftfox. Swiftfox is a lightweight, processor-optimized derivative of the Firefox browser. As the speed gains of Swiftfox are partially processor-specific, you have to know which chip your computer uses. Thanks to a piece of software called gdebi-gtk, installation of .deb files (for example, swiftfox_2.0.0.9-1_processor.deb) is a two-step graphical process:

1. Download Swiftfox for your processor.
2. Double click the downloaded file.

Not sure which processor you're running? You can find out graphically on the Main Menu under System -> Administration -> System Monitor. Read the line under Hardware/Processor and choose your Swiftfox download accordingly.

Associate Firefox/Swiftfox Audio Files with Internet Audio Files
Unfortunately, at this time XMMS does not automatically associate itself with Internet audio files. However, you can easily remedy this in one shot. Go to Swiftfox Edit -> Preferences -> Content, and then under File Types go to Configure how Firefox handles certain types of files -> Manage.

Figure 6. Streaming Free Internet Radio into XMMS: XMMS does not automatically associate itself with Internet audio files.

Associate M3U mp3 audio, OGG, and .wav files with XMMS. Click on each file extension independently, select Change Action -> Open them with this application -> Browse, navigate to /usr/bin/xmms, and then surf to ShoutCast and stream some free Internet radio into XMMS (see Figure 6).

To install restricted formats, enter the following in a terminal:

terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras
terminal@yourmachine:~$ sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree

A Worthwhile Upgrade
Ubuntu 7.10 Desktop Edition is one of the most user-friendly Linux distributions this user has experienced. Though you need to do some tweaking to achieve higher levels of desktop user satisfaction, the default install creates a general-application desktop with Internet access, which is suitable for many users. Ubuntu 7.10 is a coherent desktop experience facilitating Internet surfing, email, chat, multimedia playback, and other standard office functionality. All in all, if you are looking for an easily expandable and easy-to-configure Linux Desktop, the Ubuntu community has provided an ambitious point of departure.

Desktop systems designed to please everyone historically tend to end up equally uncomfortable for all. However, Linux is extremely configurable—which admittedly is a double-edged sword. Every Linux install is based on the traditional *nix philosophy of providing the user with the tools to create innovative solutions to his or her individual problems. This quickly leads to computing experiences that are tailored to the unique needs of every user.