Linux

Training

Open source software provides a viable alternative to commercial packages for most of your computing needs. If you would like assistance in installing and learning to use linux, please feel free to contact us.

Get Linux

To get hold of a linux cd contact us and for the cost of postage and a cd we will send you Ubuntu 7.10.
The alternative is to have a look on www.ubuntu-za.org/Wiki/GetUbuntu

Tips and Tricks for linux users

Restart wireless

In Ubuntu 7.04, the wireless sometimes fails to restart after a suspend. To restart
$ sudo modprobe -r ipw3945
$ sudo modprobe ipw3945

Empty your recycle bin

$ sudo rm -rf /home/username/.Trash/*

Killing a process

To stop a process running in the background
$ ps aux | grep process_name (or part of the process name)
$ kill process_id (Under Ubuntu: the second column of information)

Syncronise your calendar in evolution and on Google Calendar using GCALDaemon

Download and install GCALDaeomon from http://gcaldaemon.sourceforge.net
$ cd /usr/local/sbin/GCALDaemon/bin
./sync-now.sh

Syncronise Google Calendar and your cell phone.


Have a look at www.goosync.com They offer a free service that appears to work on multiple cell phones.

Install software from the command line

$ sudo apt-get install package_name

Installation of Matlab

The matlab cd comes with 3 versions of matlab. One for Windows, one for linux, and one for Mac. Ubuntu linux does not mount your cd rom by default with the correct file permissions. To change the file permissions, do the following, open terminal:
$ umount /media/cdrom0 (or the appropriate device)
$ sudo mount -o exec, suid /dev/scd0 /media/cdrom0
Then install matlab as follows:
$ cd /usr/share
$ sudo mkdir matlab
$ cd matlab
$ sudo /bin/sh /media/cdrom0/unix/install -x
Unfortunately, the licensing of matlab works differently for the different versions of matlab. There are a number of tutorials on the internet relating to matlab installations, and this is your best bet for a solution.

Useful engineering software

  • Octave: An open source equivalent to Matlab
  • Scilab: Another alternative to Matlab or octave with a graphical user interface
  • Freemind: Open source mind mapping software
  • XMMS: An open source media player, similar in form to Winamp
  • gxine: A media player capable of playing DVD's
  • Linsmith: A smith chart drawing program
  • BOUML: A UML mapping program
  • VIM: The best text editor for all applications
  • Ubuntu planner: Project management software
  • Dia: Block diagram drawing
  • Xfig: Another basic line drawing program
  • Oregano: A circuit design suite
  • Filezilla: FTP interface