beefsack on 2009-06-01 01:13:11
The Chromium guys have started to release Linux builds which is fantastic. Chrome on Windows is blisteringly fast, and coming from a slow Firefox in Linux under both Fedora and Ubuntu, it is very nice to have a browser that is very quick. It takes a little bit of work to get it going through, and I will detail the process below.
This process is adapted from hicham.haouari's comments on Chromium issue 12562, which is what I used to get the browser working in the first place. The process detailed here will include very slightly altered instructions to get it to work on x86_64 systems, and will work if launched from another folder than the extracted folder. This was important for me because I wanted Chromium to be in my Main Menu.
So on to how to do it:
First you will need to download the latest build of Chromium, which obviously will be the highest numbered version. Extract the archive somewhere.
Trying to launch Chromium on Fedora at the moment gets the following error:
Fedora actually has NSS installed, but it has different names for the files. The solution is to create symbolic links to the library files with the names that Chrome is looking for. So, from inside the extracted Chrome folder (32-bit only):
There is another option to do this, which is also the only option for 64-bit as 64-bit doesn't have the 32-bit libraries that Chrome requires. This is to get the relevant required 32-bit libraries for Chrome and place them in the library path. Download the libraries and extract them to the lib folder inside the Chrome folder. I have already renamed the libraries to suit what Chrome looks for.
After this, you will need to create a bash script in the Chrome folder to add this new lib folder to the PATH and then launch the Chrome binary. Create a file in the Chrome folder called launch-chrome.sh and use a text editor to paste the following text in it:
And finally, add execution permissions to the new script either using properties in Nautilus or doing the following from terminal:
Now, you can run Chrome in Fedora by running the script using ./launch-chrome.sh and you are also able to run it from Nautilus and add it to the Main Menu.
If there are still errors (as some people have experienced on the issue page linked earlier), it is possible that more libraries are required. If you get an error saying you are missing libgconf-2.so.4 or libasound.so.2, run:
This process is adapted from hicham.haouari's comments on Chromium issue 12562, which is what I used to get the browser working in the first place. The process detailed here will include very slightly altered instructions to get it to work on x86_64 systems, and will work if launched from another folder than the extracted folder. This was important for me because I wanted Chromium to be in my Main Menu.
So on to how to do it:
First you will need to download the latest build of Chromium, which obviously will be the highest numbered version. Extract the archive somewhere.
Trying to launch Chromium on Fedora at the moment gets the following error:
[beefsack@beefsack lib]$ /home/beefsack/Download/chrome-linux/launch-chrome.sh /home/beefsack/Download/chrome-linux/chrome: error while loading shared libraries: libnss3.so.1d: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Fedora actually has NSS installed, but it has different names for the files. The solution is to create symbolic links to the library files with the names that Chrome is looking for. So, from inside the extracted Chrome folder (32-bit only):
[beefsack@beefsack chrome-linux]$ mkdir lib [beefsack@beefsack chrome-linux]$ cd lib [beefsack@beefsack lib]$ ln -s /lib/libnspr4.so libnspr4.so.0d [beefsack@beefsack lib]$ ln -s /lib/libnss3.so libnss3.so.1d [beefsack@beefsack lib]$ ln -s /lib/libnssutil3.so libnssutil3.so.1d [beefsack@beefsack lib]$ ln -s /lib/libplc4.so libplc4.so.0d [beefsack@beefsack lib]$ ln -s /lib/libplds4.so libplds4.so.0d [beefsack@beefsack lib]$ ln -s /lib/libsmime3.so libsmime3.so.1d [beefsack@beefsack lib]$ ln -s /lib/libssl3.so libssl3.so.1d [beefsack@beefsack lib]$
There is another option to do this, which is also the only option for 64-bit as 64-bit doesn't have the 32-bit libraries that Chrome requires. This is to get the relevant required 32-bit libraries for Chrome and place them in the library path. Download the libraries and extract them to the lib folder inside the Chrome folder. I have already renamed the libraries to suit what Chrome looks for.
After this, you will need to create a bash script in the Chrome folder to add this new lib folder to the PATH and then launch the Chrome binary. Create a file in the Chrome folder called launch-chrome.sh and use a text editor to paste the following text in it:
#!/bin/bash export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=`dirname $0`/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH `dirname $0`/chrome
And finally, add execution permissions to the new script either using properties in Nautilus or doing the following from terminal:
[beefsack@beefsack chrome-linux]$ chmod +x launch-chrome.sh [beefsack@beefsack chrome-linux]$
Now, you can run Chrome in Fedora by running the script using ./launch-chrome.sh and you are also able to run it from Nautilus and add it to the Main Menu.
If there are still errors (as some people have experienced on the issue page linked earlier), it is possible that more libraries are required. If you get an error saying you are missing libgconf-2.so.4 or libasound.so.2, run:
[root@beefsack ~]# yum -y install libgconf-2.so.4 alsa-lib.i586
In the last couple of days, Moblin, a netbook focussed Linux distribution with particular focus on an easy simple interface and integration of social networking. I downloaded a copy today and gave it a spin on my Samsung NC10.
You are able to copy the live image to a USB drive using the following command:
My USB drive showed up as /dev/sdd, make sure you use the right one so you don't lose any data on another drive. Use "fdisk -l" to see a list of media.
After getting the live USB working, I plugged it in and the first thing I noticed was the speed that it booted. Moblin is very light weight and it really shows during boot and also during general use. Saying light weight however doesn't say that the interface suffers because of it, it is actually an amazingly clean interface that is very easy on the eyes. Navigation is done via a drop down bar at the top of the screen, which consists of a clock with date on the left, eight major tabs in the middle (described later), and notification style icons on the right (power, volume and networking).
The eight major tabs in the navigation bar (from left to right) are:
m_zone:
The m_zone is the start page for Moblin, which summarises a lot of general information. It is split into three columns, each showing a different type of information. The left column summarises calendar entries and has a todo list, all managed by Dates which is neatly integrated into Moblin. The middle column shows frequently visited web pages, and clicking on them opens the pages in the browser. The right column has social networking information and other "Web Services".
status:
The status tab shows the social networking focus in Moblin. In the beta, all you can do is change your Twitter status, however it is fairly obvious that more social networking sites like possibly Facebook and MySpace will also be integrated.
people:
The people tab works like an IM, where you can add accounts and chat with people. In account configuration, you are able to configure Jabber, Google Talk (which uses the XMPP protocol like Jabber) and Salut accounts. I tried to add a Google Talk account but was unable to get it to connect for some reason, so I'm unable to comment on how well the people tab works in action.
internet:
Fairly straightforward, when clicking the internet tab all that appears is an address bar. Upon entering an address, the navigation bar disappears and a full screen web browser (Mozilla based) launches. The web browser, like Moblin in general, is very simple and clean. There is a navigation bar with back, forward, address, settings and exit, below which is a tab bar. Apart from that, a very large amount of area is free for the web pages themselves, which is great for the smaller screen real estate on netbooks and MIDs. The browser displays content well, and passes acid tests 1 and 2, and scoring a respectable 94 on acid test 3. Of note, there is no settings page yet and right clicking doesn't open any menu. Like in most tabbed browsers, a middle click will open a link in a new tab.
media:
Also quite straightforward, the media tab is where users access pictures, music and video. The media tab has a search bar at the top for searching through media, and an as yet unimplemented playlist on the right. The video player is based on gstreamer, so a vast array of codecs will be supported.
pasteboard:
The pasteboard tab is a system wide clipboard management app, where the user can store copied text for use later. It's useful, but you've gotta question if it is important enough to be made a main shortcut.
applications:
The application tab works like a main menu, with access to the range of apps installed. All of the applications are organised into expandable groups, including a settings group. There are standard basic apps like a calculator, terminal, text editor and file browser, and also has a few games installed (including Neverputt which is an awesome little 3D minigolf game). When opening an app, if an app is already open the user is prompted to open in the current "zone" or to open in a new one. Zones are pretty much just workspaces, and can be accessed via the zones tab or by using ctrl+alt+arrow. There is also a search bar at the top of the application tab which is quite useful.
zones:
The zones tab is a simple one which works like a workspace selector. At the moment, only selection of zones is possible and it isn't possible to open any new ones (users are prompted to open a new one when opening an application).
The interface is also very intuitive, and even though it is quite unique it is still quite easy to navigate. Having also used Ubuntu Netbook Remix, it is clear each have their own strengths. I believe that in Moblin, navigation through apps in the same zone and navigation through zones is a little bit cumbersone. UNR on the other hand uses maximus which integrates a programs title bar into a window list at the top of the screen, which uses a bit more room than Moblin, but it makes window navigation easy as non active windows get an icon on the bar. However, in a purely aesthetic sense, UNR still has a way to go (particularly the home page), but Moblin looks amazing in nearly every sense while still mainly hitting the mark in terms of usability. It is going to be interesting to see where Moblin goes from here.
You are able to copy the live image to a USB drive using the following command:
dd if=moblin-netbook-ux-beta-20090518-004.img of=/dev/sdd
My USB drive showed up as /dev/sdd, make sure you use the right one so you don't lose any data on another drive. Use "fdisk -l" to see a list of media.
After getting the live USB working, I plugged it in and the first thing I noticed was the speed that it booted. Moblin is very light weight and it really shows during boot and also during general use. Saying light weight however doesn't say that the interface suffers because of it, it is actually an amazingly clean interface that is very easy on the eyes. Navigation is done via a drop down bar at the top of the screen, which consists of a clock with date on the left, eight major tabs in the middle (described later), and notification style icons on the right (power, volume and networking).
The eight major tabs in the navigation bar (from left to right) are:
m_zone:
The m_zone is the start page for Moblin, which summarises a lot of general information. It is split into three columns, each showing a different type of information. The left column summarises calendar entries and has a todo list, all managed by Dates which is neatly integrated into Moblin. The middle column shows frequently visited web pages, and clicking on them opens the pages in the browser. The right column has social networking information and other "Web Services".
status:
The status tab shows the social networking focus in Moblin. In the beta, all you can do is change your Twitter status, however it is fairly obvious that more social networking sites like possibly Facebook and MySpace will also be integrated.
people:
The people tab works like an IM, where you can add accounts and chat with people. In account configuration, you are able to configure Jabber, Google Talk (which uses the XMPP protocol like Jabber) and Salut accounts. I tried to add a Google Talk account but was unable to get it to connect for some reason, so I'm unable to comment on how well the people tab works in action.
internet:
Fairly straightforward, when clicking the internet tab all that appears is an address bar. Upon entering an address, the navigation bar disappears and a full screen web browser (Mozilla based) launches. The web browser, like Moblin in general, is very simple and clean. There is a navigation bar with back, forward, address, settings and exit, below which is a tab bar. Apart from that, a very large amount of area is free for the web pages themselves, which is great for the smaller screen real estate on netbooks and MIDs. The browser displays content well, and passes acid tests 1 and 2, and scoring a respectable 94 on acid test 3. Of note, there is no settings page yet and right clicking doesn't open any menu. Like in most tabbed browsers, a middle click will open a link in a new tab.
media:
Also quite straightforward, the media tab is where users access pictures, music and video. The media tab has a search bar at the top for searching through media, and an as yet unimplemented playlist on the right. The video player is based on gstreamer, so a vast array of codecs will be supported.
pasteboard:
The pasteboard tab is a system wide clipboard management app, where the user can store copied text for use later. It's useful, but you've gotta question if it is important enough to be made a main shortcut.
applications:
The application tab works like a main menu, with access to the range of apps installed. All of the applications are organised into expandable groups, including a settings group. There are standard basic apps like a calculator, terminal, text editor and file browser, and also has a few games installed (including Neverputt which is an awesome little 3D minigolf game). When opening an app, if an app is already open the user is prompted to open in the current "zone" or to open in a new one. Zones are pretty much just workspaces, and can be accessed via the zones tab or by using ctrl+alt+arrow. There is also a search bar at the top of the application tab which is quite useful.
zones:
The zones tab is a simple one which works like a workspace selector. At the moment, only selection of zones is possible and it isn't possible to open any new ones (users are prompted to open a new one when opening an application).
The interface is also very intuitive, and even though it is quite unique it is still quite easy to navigate. Having also used Ubuntu Netbook Remix, it is clear each have their own strengths. I believe that in Moblin, navigation through apps in the same zone and navigation through zones is a little bit cumbersone. UNR on the other hand uses maximus which integrates a programs title bar into a window list at the top of the screen, which uses a bit more room than Moblin, but it makes window navigation easy as non active windows get an icon on the bar. However, in a purely aesthetic sense, UNR still has a way to go (particularly the home page), but Moblin looks amazing in nearly every sense while still mainly hitting the mark in terms of usability. It is going to be interesting to see where Moblin goes from here.
This week I installed the latest preview release of Fedora, having used the latest release of Ubuntu for a few months now.
The latest version of Ubuntu brings with it GNOME 2.26, which includes updates to the main burning application Brasero.
One of the cooler updates was the new notification system (example), which pops up notification bubbles from applications. This works particularly well with Pidgin where user messages pop up in the little unobtrusive bubbles so you can easily see what people are sending you without having the chat window open. I would love to see Banshee integrate in a similar way for new tracks, and it would be great if the notification system can make it's way to other distros because I think it works fantastically well.
Of course, being a new release, it brings with it updates versions of apps in the repos. In particular, OpenOffice 3, and a big one for me, XMoto 0.5 which is a fantastic little motocross puzzle game.
As for Fedora, there have been a lot of big changes too, although most are under the hood. The most immediate change that I see is a much faster boot, and a very snappy interface once logged in. This is particularly noticeable coming from Ubuntu, as I find the Ubuntu a bit slow to boot (especially with a web server installed) and the interface a little bit sluggish at times. Like Ubuntu, Fedora 11 includes GNOME 2.26.
Unlike Ubuntu, Fedora doesn't seem to have any big interface changes. The two that made an impression on me was the removal of sub menus in the System menu (which is great) and also a really nice background that extends when using dual monitors to show a cool Lion head on the right monitor. While Ubuntu comes with a very recent NVidia driver (for my GTX 260), I had to install a new driver manually in Fedora to get the fancy desktop effects.
The big plus for me in Fedora though is all of the developer tools it ships with, including a pre-configured Windows cross-compiler which is a fantastic idea because they are a pain to set up on your own. Another thing that makes Fedora stand out for me is Fedora Eclipse with nearly every plug-in I need (except for PDT which I much prefer to PHPEclipse.
As a general computer user, Ubuntu is brilliant, but as a developer, loading up Fedora is equally great. I'm going to use Leonidas until a stable-ish build of Ubuntu Karmic Koala comes out, and with the releases of Fedora and Ubuntu being staggered I can see myself switching between them every three months or so. It's great to be spoiled for choice :)
The latest version of Ubuntu brings with it GNOME 2.26, which includes updates to the main burning application Brasero.
One of the cooler updates was the new notification system (example), which pops up notification bubbles from applications. This works particularly well with Pidgin where user messages pop up in the little unobtrusive bubbles so you can easily see what people are sending you without having the chat window open. I would love to see Banshee integrate in a similar way for new tracks, and it would be great if the notification system can make it's way to other distros because I think it works fantastically well.
Of course, being a new release, it brings with it updates versions of apps in the repos. In particular, OpenOffice 3, and a big one for me, XMoto 0.5 which is a fantastic little motocross puzzle game.
As for Fedora, there have been a lot of big changes too, although most are under the hood. The most immediate change that I see is a much faster boot, and a very snappy interface once logged in. This is particularly noticeable coming from Ubuntu, as I find the Ubuntu a bit slow to boot (especially with a web server installed) and the interface a little bit sluggish at times. Like Ubuntu, Fedora 11 includes GNOME 2.26.
Unlike Ubuntu, Fedora doesn't seem to have any big interface changes. The two that made an impression on me was the removal of sub menus in the System menu (which is great) and also a really nice background that extends when using dual monitors to show a cool Lion head on the right monitor. While Ubuntu comes with a very recent NVidia driver (for my GTX 260), I had to install a new driver manually in Fedora to get the fancy desktop effects.
The big plus for me in Fedora though is all of the developer tools it ships with, including a pre-configured Windows cross-compiler which is a fantastic idea because they are a pain to set up on your own. Another thing that makes Fedora stand out for me is Fedora Eclipse with nearly every plug-in I need (except for PDT which I much prefer to PHPEclipse.
As a general computer user, Ubuntu is brilliant, but as a developer, loading up Fedora is equally great. I'm going to use Leonidas until a stable-ish build of Ubuntu Karmic Koala comes out, and with the releases of Fedora and Ubuntu being staggered I can see myself switching between them every three months or so. It's great to be spoiled for choice :)
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