How To Easily Share Your Wireless Connection in Ubuntu 9.10

Ubuntu users are adept at fishing for tutorials and how-tos. Between the official Ubuntu help page , the Ubuntu Forums and MakeUseOf Ubuntu Bible, almost any problem can be solved. Almost.
Recently I tried setting up the laptop computer in my office to share its wireless Internet connection via Ethernet. That might be a little confusing, so allow me to expand. I work for a carbon neutral computer repair company so I regularly have people’s computers at my house. I work on these computers in my office, where I don’t have a wired connection to the Internet. I do however have a wireless connection and a Ubuntu laptop on my work desk that connects to the Internet.
What I wanted to do was plug my client’s computers into my laptop and have them access the Internet. When I tried to search for how to share your wireless connection in this way, I mainly found a series of cryptic instructions ““ often revolving around the excellent Firestarter firewall ““ none of which worked for me on Ubuntu 9.10.
But don’t worry ““ there is a simple way to do this, and I figured it out accidently while following all the various sets of instructions I found. As a service to the Ubuntu community,  here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to share your wireless connection via your ethernet port in Ubuntu.

Step 1: Edit Network Connections

On your top panel, beside your clock and your system icons, you’ll see your network indicator. When you’re connected to wireless, it features bars telling you the stength of your network connection. Right-click this, then click “Edit Connections.”

Step 2: Edit The Ethernet Settings

In the window you just opened, make sure you’re looking at the “Wired” tab. Then select the “Auto eth0” connection and click “Edit.”
Alternatively you can create a new connection by clicking “Add” but I found it simplest to just change the default. Just be sure to remember that you changed this setting in case you ever want to use your Ethernet port to access the Internet again, because you will have to change it back to do so.

Step 3: Set To Share

Here’s where stuff starts to look confusing, but don’t panic: it’s not that bad. Click the “IPv4 Settings” tab. Beside the word “Method:” there is a drop-down menu that allows you to pick the manner in which your Ethernet device connects to the network. Select the “Shared to other computers” setting.
Restart your computer. Assuming everything applied correctly, you should now be able to connect any computer to the Internet via your laptop’s Ethernet port.

Conclusion

That’s certainly quite a bit easier than the methods I found by searching for how to share your wireless connection. So why did my exploration of the forums and the numerous other resources available to Ubuntu users not point this out? Well, as far as I can tell, network sharing’s only been this easy since the release of Ubuntu 9.10. No one’s asked for help regarding this since, so there’s no new information on the forum, or the wikis, or the various Ubuntu blogs about it.
This shows that there is a limit to what you can learn about using an operating system from forums. Sharing a network connection is far easier now than it was 6 months ago, but because no one is asking for help on the forums I couldn’t find any evidence that doing so is easier now – I saw only the cryptic instructions of yesteryear.
Know that I don’t mean to criticize the excellent Ubuntu community for their lack of support; on the contrary that community is the main reason I use Ubuntu. I just think this is a good example of a relatively simple task you can’t really learn by searching the forum.
What do you think? Is there a better way for the Ubuntu community to make finding tutorials like this easy to find? If so, what is it? Let’s discuss this in the comments.

7 Things That Are Easier To Do In Ubuntu Than In Windows

When the average computer user hears about Ubuntu or Linux, the word “difficult” comes to mind. This is understandable: learning a new operating system is never without its challenges, and in many ways Ubuntu is far from perfect. I’d like to say that using Ubuntu is actually easier and better than using Windows.
This doesn’t mean you’ll experience it that way if you’ve used Windows for a long time: at a certain your habits begin to feel like conventional wisdom, and any system that doesn’t match your current habits will seem difficult.

If you’re a MakeUseOf reader, however, you’re undoubtedly a fan of free software. Most of the very best free software is open source. If you’re a Windows user who primarily uses free software, Ubuntu’s going to feel more comfortable to you than Windows once you get used to it. And once you do get used to it, you’ll realize that in some ways Ubuntu is simply better than Windows in terms of ease of use.
Don’t believe me? Here are some examples.

Finding & Installing Software

There’s a misconception out there that installing software on Ubuntu, or any Linux platform, requires a PhD  in Computer Science. Nothing could be further than the truth; in fact, I’d argue installing software on Ubuntu is a great deal easier than installing software on Windows.
Let’s examine the typical installation scenario for Windows users. Pretend there’s a person named Sally, and that Sally wants to install VLC Media Player. Sally Googles the name of the program, finds a webpage related to it, browses that page until she finds a download for Windows before finally downloading an executable file.
Assuming Sally is pretty tech-savvy, she verifies that the site she downloaded from is a proper place; if not, it could come from anywhere and be infected with any number of spyware, trojans and/or AOL toolbars. Once the file has finished downloading, Sally double-clicks the executable she just downloaded, tells Windows it’s okay to install the program, then follows the series of prompts and clicks “next” several times.
Now let’s pretend Sally is an Ubuntu user. To install VLC, all she needs to do is click “Applications,” then “Ubuntu Software Center” then search for “VLC“, double-click VLC and click the “Install” button at the bottom of the description. She’ll enter her password and then Ubuntu will download and install VLC for you, letting Sally know when it’s done.

Best of all: because the software is all coming from one place, and not some random website, you know with complete certainty that the file doesn’t include any spyware or trojans.
In my opinion, Ubuntu’s method of installing software is far simpler than Windows when compared side by side. The main reason people new to Ubuntu have trouble installing software is because they try to apply the Windows method to Ubuntu, searching the web for programs to download instead of consulting the Ubuntu Software Center first. Packages found online could indeed be very hard to install, but considering the Ubuntu Software Center gives you access to thousands of programs there’s very little reason to ever bother with it.

Initial Setup

When I first install a computer, there are certain things I want installed right away: codecs for all my music and movies, Flash for my web browser, Java, and something capable of opening RAR files. On Windows, ensuring I have all of these things means going through the process above for all software mentioned individually. On Ubuntu, all I need to do is install a single package: Ubuntu Restricted Extras. To install Ubuntu Restricted Extras I simply open up the Ubuntu Software Center, search for “Restricted” and find the package.

Click the install button, and with that simple step my computer is pretty much ready to go.
It should be added that on Windows systems I usually have to install a PDF Reader and a photo editor before I can really use the system, but Ubuntu comes with a PDF called Evince Reader and a photo editor called The Gimp by default.

Installing Drivers

This point is perhaps less relevant for users of Windows 7, which offers pretty good driver management through Windows Update, but it needs to be said that managing drivers on Ubuntu is a breeze. Since Ubuntu is upgraded every 6 months, if you use the latest version you probably won’t need to install a single driver to use your computer. If  you do, it will be because the drivers you need are proprietary and as such cannot be included with Ubuntu for legal reasons.
Don’t worry, though: Ubuntu comes with a built-in program for downloading such proprietary drivers for your system. The first time your computer boots Ubuntu, it will inform you of any drivers you need, and install them for you with the click of a button.
I fix Windows PCs professionally, and wish XP had a similar feature. If my client has his or her driver CD it’s not too bad, but if not I’ve little recourse but to download the drivers the annoying Windows way, as described in the “Installing Software” section.

Using The Menu

While we’re talking about installing software on Windows compared to Ubuntu I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out my Windows pet peeve. When I install a program on Windows, it is added to the Start Menu. Where is the program added? In a folder named for the company that made the software.

This is infuriating to me, because knowing which program made the software doesn’t tell me what the program in question does. There are so many sub-menus that I frequently don’t know where to begin. Compare this mess to Ubuntu’s menu, which arranges programs by what they do:

Only five sub-menus, and all with a certain logic to them.
To be fair, the Start menu in Vista/Windows 7 is a little better than this in that I can search for a program. This means I can avoid ever looking at the terrible menu ever again. But this seems more like working around the issue instead of repairing it.

Changing Your Theme

Changing your color scheme on Windows is easy, but if you want to customize beyond changing the palette some work is in order. I use a custom theme on my Windows XP system, but installing it was anything but easy. I needed to hack a certain DLL to achieve this, something I should probably highlight in a future tutorial.

I’ll never need to write a tutorial explaining how to do this on Ubuntu, however, because it’s dead simple. Just click “System,” then “Preferences,” then “Appearance.” You’ll be shown a number of quality themes, and switching to any one is as easy as clicking it. If these themes aren’t enough for you, head over to Gnome-Look and find something that suits you. Installing the theme is as simple as dragging the downloaded package to your “Appearance“ window.
I should make a confession here: I’ve never attempted to do this in Windows 7. By the looks of Karl’s article about the top 5 Windows 7 themes, customization is now Ubuntu-like in Windows 7. Good to hear!

Getting Updates

When it comes to updates, Windows is a jungle. Adobe, Apple, Google and many more companies will all install their own update managers to your computer, most of which will bother you every time you boot your computer asking you to update various products.
On Ubuntu, there is only one update manager. This means keeping all your software up to date is simple, and that you don’t have 30,000 programs bothering you every time you boot your machine.

Sharing Your Wireless Connection Via Ethernet

I wrote an article about sharing your wireless connection in Ubuntu. Since then I’ve switched the computer on my desk to Windows, and I cannot for the life of me figure out a way to achieve the same thing. Maybe you commenters can help me out, but every configuration I’ve used to share my wireless Internet connection via Ethernet in Windows resulted in my wireless not working anymore.
So I’m going to go ahead and say this is easier to do in Ubuntu, half because it’s true and half because I think this will cause one of you guys to recommend a Windows method that works for me.

Conclusion

In many ways, Ubuntu is easier to use than Windows. Does this mean Ubuntu is superior to Windows? Of course not, and I wouldn’t suggest so. You should use whatever operating system works best for you.
All I wanted to do was challenge the conception that Windows is easier to use in every aspect. Ubuntu has become easier to use every year, and I think even inspired a few of the changes in Windows 7 (I’d love to see a Windows 7 ad in which a Linux developer claims Windows 7 was his idea, because unlike the people in those silly advertisements the Linux developer would probably be right.) This isn’t a bad thing: competition makes everything better. Whenever new improvements are introduced to the operating system market, eventually everyone wins.
Please also note that most of the things described here are true of other Linux distributions as well, and the only reason I left these distributions out is that saying “before you install Linux you must choose from the thousands of distributions out there” hardly helps the argument that Linux is easy to use. For the vast majority of new Linux users Ubuntu is an excellent starting point, and that’s why I’m highlighting it here.
What do you guys think? Do these things sound easier to do on Ubuntu than Windows to you? Can you think of anything else easier in one operating system than another? We have a comments section, so comment!

Why Are There So Many Versions of Ubuntu? [Technology Explained]

I talk about Ubuntu here at Festusur.blogspot.com; I have also publish 7 things easier to do in Ubuntu than in Windows immediately.  And I stick to the claims made in that article: in many ways Ubuntu is easier to use than Windows.
But in some ways Ubuntu can be downright confusing; particularly when you’re first getting started. There are many different numbered Ubuntu versions, such at 9.04, 9.10, and 10.04. And there are many downloads that play off Ubuntu, including Xubuntu and Kubuntu.

If this confuses you, you should just stick with the default download offered over at Ubuntu.com. If you want to learn more about the different Ubuntu versions, however, keep reading.

What The Numbers Mean

The first thing that might seem confusing is numbered Ubuntu versions. The most recent version of Ubuntu is 9.10, but at the end of this month comes 10.04. Many people see these seemingly random numbers and question why “9.10″ and “10.04″ aren’t simply numbered version “9″ and “10.”
There’s a very simple reason, actually: these aren’t version numbers, they’re dates. “10.04,” the Ubuntu version to be released this month, is so named because it is the fourth month of 2010 – 10.04. New versions of Ubuntu come out every six months, and the number structure always refers to the year and month of release. In October of this year, for example, will come 10.10.
And the alliterative animal names attached to the releases? Don’t let these names confuse you. They are kind of fun, so community members use them, but they’re largely intended to be used internally so don’t panic if you’re not sure what name goes with what number.

Flavors

So that’s what the numbers behind every version of Ubuntu mean, but why are there seemingly so many different names for the operating system? Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu…the list goes on and on.
Well, Ubuntu’s not alone in this regard. Windows 7, for example, has many different versions: Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate, to name a few. Ubuntu being a free operating system, however, its different versions aren’t set apart by arbitrary inclusions of features on a tiered pay scale; rather, the different versions are essentially different bundles of free software built around the Ubuntu core.
They are akin to different flavors of the same ice cream; all are delicious, but some people prefer one to another. Ubuntu seeks to cater to all those preferences, so they offer several flavors.

“Normal” Ubuntu

When people talk about Ubuntu, they are probably referring to the project consistently released as “Ubuntu.” This operating system uses the Gnome Desktop, which is considered the most popular desktop today.

Ubuntu is probably the best operating system for new Ubuntu users to explore, as it is the most polished and complete. If you’re not sure what you want, get this. Perhaps in time you’ll want to try another version of Ubuntu, perhaps not. Either way, Ubuntu is the place to start.
Download Ubuntu here.

Kubuntu

Ubuntu is based on Gnome; Kubuntu is based on KDE. It’s a rough analogy, but KDE is Windows-like while Gnome has more in common with OSX; that is, Gnome is designed to be user friendly by limiting the number of (largely useless) configuration options, while KDE is designed to be as configurable as possible. Which philosophy you prefer is ultimately a matter of preference, but if you’re confused by the difference just stick with Ubuntu for now.

Otherwise, you can get Kubuntu here.

Xubuntu

Based on the lightweight XFCE desktop, Xubuntu is intended for use with computers too old to run Ubuntu or Kubuntu competently. In many ways you’ll find it similar to Ubuntu, just with fewer of the bells and whistles that come along with Gnome. This lack of bells and whistles can be a feature if you’re using an older computer, however, which is why you might want to try out Xubuntu.

Download Xubuntu here.

Edubuntu

It’s Ubuntu, but with a number of tools intended to make education easier. You’ll find educational games as well as tools for tracking progress in the classroom. Like the rest of Ubuntu, this is completely free to use on as many computers as you like, so if you work at a school, look into Edubuntu to find out how it can help your school.
Download Edubuntu here.

Netbook Remix

It’s like “normal” Ubuntu, but tweaked for Netbooks. Ubuntu Netbook Remix features many of the programs you’re used to in Ubuntu, but made easier to use on the small screen. This is achieved by the user interface you see here and a few other tweaks (the most useful of which ensures every program opens maximized in order to best make use of the limited screen space.)
Download Ubuntu Netbook Remix here.

Server Edition

Like the name implies, this is the Ubuntu version for servers. You’ll get no GUI but you will have access to the vast Ubuntu repositories, which will give advanced users more than enough to build a killer server operating system. Consider this as for advanced users only.
Download Ubuntu Server here.

Other Official Versions

This list isn’t exhausting, of course; there are a number of other Ubuntu versions, official and unofficial alike. For information about other official distributions check here, and an exhaustive list of unofficial distributions can be found here. All are legal, of course, because Ubuntu is completely open source, meaning anyone can create their own Ubuntu version.

Conclusion

I fear this article may have added to the confusion about the different Ubuntu versions, but I hope that it’s been helpful. Like any open source project, Ubuntu can be altered to serve any purpose. Ubuntu’s been altered more than most, but that only means it’s known as a product easier adapted to any purpose. That Ubuntu itself is an adapted version of Debian only goes to further show how amazing the open souce ecosystem is.
What about you? Which Ubuntu flavor do you prefer? Are you excited about the impending release of Ubuntu 10.04? Or are you just angry because I used the words “open source” instead of the ambiguous “free software”?  Whatever your reason, if you comment I’m happy.

How To Make Your Own Ethernet Cables

I always wanted to write about hardware based articles. I didn’t necessarily mean that newest type of hard drives or the best MP3 players out there, like the blog Gizmodo does, but tips on all aspects of computers whether it is web based, software based, or hardware based.
I wanted to present to you, our lovely readers, with accessible and useful tips on hacking your hardware, to hopefully extend your expertise or rouse your interest in something else. Thus, for my first hardware article, it is only proper for me to pick a topic that many people would be familiar with, based on technology that most people, if not every one of our readers, would have in their homes: Ethernet cables.

Now you might be wondering why you would ever need to know how to make your own Ethernet cables. Well, let me ask you this: when you look at your Ethernet cable, is it spooled in coils, because it is much too long? Has the little tab on top ever fallen off, and rendered your cable useless? Does your cable look completely fine, but for some strange reason, just does not work? Well, then this article might be useful to you.

Many of these cables are sold everywhere, so knowing how to make an Ethernet cable is a necessary skill.

Materials:

1. A pair of scissors
2. An Ethernet crimping tool – not very expensive. I looked it up online, and you can find some for under ten dollars, although most are around the 15-20 dollar range.
3. Ethernet Connector - These aren’t very expensive either. A bag of fifty goes for about nine bucks on Amazon.
4. Either a spool of cat5e cable, or an existing Ethernet cable- On Froogle, I’ve seen 100ft spools of Cat5e cable go for as little as $3.
Optional: Wirecutters. I just use scissors.

First, if you’re simply shortening your cable, you should cut your cable to however long you need it to be, plus two or three inches extra, in case you mess up. If you are making an entirely new cable from a spool, then cut your cable with a margin of about four to six inches. If you’re just replacing the  connector, then just cut the connector off.
Now that you have a clean, cut wire, you need to make an incision about one inch down. You can use a wire cutter that is especially made to cut Ethernet wires, but I prefer to just use a pair of scissors. Be very careful not to nick any of the wires inside, though, or you will need to cut the entire thing off and start again. Make a few shallow incisions all the way around, and then pull the rubber casing apart; this is the safest way to cut the casing off without damaging the inside wires.

As you can see,  the casing contains four sets of two twisted wires, one solid color and one striped color. After you pull the casing entirely off, untwist the wires from each other, and straighten them out as best you can with just your fingers. Using a tool at this point would be too risky, because you wouldn’t want to risk damaging the inside wires.

In the picture above, you can see the order that the wires need to be arranged in. If you can’t tell distinctly from the picture, the order should be from left to right, white/orange, orange, white/green, blue, white/blue, green, white/brown, brown. Fan the wires out and make sure they are as straight as possible, and then line them up so that the wires lie flat next to each other, maintaining the order you arranged them in. Place your thumb firmly over the lined up wires, effectively pinning them in order, in place.
At this point, if the tips of the wires are not even with each other, snip them so that the tips form a straight line, but be careful not to cut too much. You’ll need a bit of excess wire to push into the connector, as you will see later.

Now, pick up your connector, and make sure that the flat side is facing upwards. If you look at the connector, you can see that there is a distinct slot for each wire at the very tip of the connector. Keeping your thumb very firmly over the wires, push the wires into the connector, being very careful not to let the wires slip out of order, or become misaligned.
Keep pushing the wires in until the tips are touching the top edge of the connector. Look through the tip of the connector, and if you can see the copper innards of every wire, then you’ve pushed the wires in far enough. Otherwise, you can try to adjust the misaligned wire using a pair of tweezers or pliers, or take the entire bunch out and try again.

Once you’ve made sure that all the wires are properly fitted into the connector, plug the connector to the matching hole in the Ethernet crimper. Squeeze down as hard as possible, and you should hear a bit of plastic cracking. Most Ethernet crimpers have a spring that, when triggered by squeezing, does not release until enough pressure is applied. Otherwise, just squeeze as hard as you can for about 10-20 seconds, and then consider your Ethernet crimped.

Now, you are pretty much finished constructing your Ethernet cord. The last step is to test it. If you have a Net Tool, then you can test whether the Ethernet is wired correctly using the Net Tool.  In the picture, all of the lines are parallel and unbroken, except for the last one, and this denotes a correctly wired and working Ethernet. If one or more of the wires are crossed with other wires, then you probably arranged the colored wires in the wrong order before pushing them into the connector, or the wires rearranged themselves while you were attaching the connector. If one or more of the lines are broken, then of of your colored wires is either damaged, or not pushed far enough into the connector.
If you don’t happen to have a Net Tool, the easiest way for you to test your new Ethernet cable is to plug it in where you would normally plug in the Ethernet cable to get a wired internet connection. Check whether your internet connects, and if it doesn’t, then you’ll need to snip the head off and try again. Otherwise, browse a bit, and celebrate, because you’ve just made your first Ethernet Cable! (by the way, if you’re making an entire new cable from scratch, you’ll need to put a connector on the other end using these same instructions, before you’re allowed to celebrate)
Perhaps you found this article enlightening, and thought that it might be an interesting weekend project to try. Perhaps you think this is just useless knowledge that will never be put into use. Either way, we would love to know what you think of these hardware articles, and what you’d like to see from us in the future. Leave us your comments, and tell us where to go from here!

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