Ubuntu / Linux news and application reviews.

Ubuntu 10.04 Start 0.4.8 Released; Now Supports Multiple Languages Thanks To You!

| Date: April 29, 2010 | View Comments | Tags: bash, linux, script, ubuntu, ubuntu start

ubuntu 10.04 start multilingual

That's right, in less than 24 hours since we asked for your help to translate Ubuntu Start, version 0.4.8 has been released and it now supports multiple languages.

So what is Ubuntu 10.04 Start? The main purpose of this script is to speed up configuring Ubuntu 10.04 immediately after you've just installed it. This includes both installing popular applications and codecs as well as fixing some annoyances in Ubuntu 10.04.


I decided to release it now even though there are still translations to be done because many people will need it since Ubuntu 10.04 will be released today. Once I receive new translations, I will add them to the script as soon as I can.

Ubuntu 10.04 Start Script Gets International; Needs Your Help!

| Date: April 28, 2010 | View Comments | Tags: bash, linux, lucid lynx, ubuntu, ubuntu start

I won't present the Ubuntu Start project again, you can read all about it HERE. Since launching Ubuntu Start (also known as "What To Do After Installing Ubuntu 10.04 Script" =) ), a few people translated it into their native language. However there was a lot of work to be done on their side with every update I made because the script didn't support multiple languages so the strings had to be translated inside the script.


The story


Well, I had some time today so I implemented multiple language support to the Ubuntu Start script. It's not using .pot or .po files (although the language file is called .pot - never mind this) and the translations won't be made in Launchpad - I simply couldn't figure out how to set up the translations in Launchpad.

The language strings file is very easy: a plain text file with English phrases, that is all.


We need your help!


What To Do After A Fresh Ubuntu Install Script For Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx

| Date: April 18, 2010 | View Comments | Tags: bash, linux, lucid lynx, script, ubuntu, ubuntu start


ubuntu 10.04 start scriptubuntu 10.04 start script


A new version of "What to do after installing Ubuntu? Run this script!" has been released. The script now has an actual name: "Ubuntu 10.04 Start".

For those who've used the first release of the script: since a few versions ago, you can select which applications to install and which tweaks to apply from this script so if there's something you don't like, all you have to do is not select it!


Instead of a changelog, I'm going to list all the features again:

  • Adds extra repositories: Ubuntu restricted, extras, Medibuntu, Getdeb, Dropbox (only if you select to install Dropbox)

  • Installs from repositories: The GIMP, Pidgin, WINE, Choose between the best 3 docks for Linux (Docky, Cairo Dock and Avant Window Navigator), Install Google Earth, Bisigi Themes, Community themes (and extra community themes), Chromium browser, Gnome Do, Guake, VLC media player, Mplayer, SMplayer, Thunderbird, Dropbox, Codecs (multimedia, java, flash), additional archives support, DVD support and fonts, Ubuntu Tweak, Deluge Torrent, CompizConfig Settings Manager, Development tools (from build-essential to Subversion, GIT and so on).

  • Downloads and installs the following: Google Chrome browser (will download the build for 32 or 64 bit, depending on your Ubuntu version), official smiley themes for Pidgin (for all the protocols), the latest Flash Player for 64bit via Adobe's website, Skype (32 or 64bit, depending on your Ubuntu version).

  • Tweaks:

    • Move window buttons to the right (Karmic style)
    • Change Update Manager behavior to the one in Jaunty
    • Remove mounted drive icons from desktop
    • Disable the GDM login sound
    • Enable the icons in menus and buttons
    • Disable the GDM login user list
    • Remove the ubuntu-docs package (frees up 252MB)
    • Change Gnome Calendar first day of the week from Sunday to Monday
    • Downloads, installs and configure sharp fonts (starting with version 0.4.5: also installs sharp fonts for Firefox)
    • Fix 'apt-get update' delay for Google repository
    • Automatically mount NTFS drives on startup

  • Option to reset any changes made by the tweaks (tweaks only!) (stating with version 0.4.5)

  • Automatically accepts the JAVA and Google Earth license so you don't have to

  • The Medibuntu server is currently down which made me develop a new feature: the script now tests the main Medibuntu server and 2 other mirrors and adds whichever of these 3 is working.

  • Lots of checks to make sure you run the script proprely: will check if the script is ran as root, if Synaptic, apt-get, dpkg or Software Center is running and will ask you to close it before running the script, checks the internet connection to make sure you can actually install the packages, etc.

The new version also fixes lots of bugs from the previous version.
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