Linux for Kenyans – Update

AVAILABLE LINUX/UNIX DISTRIBUTIONS

Contact
E-mail: shekeine@yahoo.com
TEL: +254 (0)720 851941

DVD Editions

Linux Fedora 10
Linux Mandriva 2009.0, 2008 .1
Ubuntu Ultimate Edition 1.8
OpenSUSE Linux 11.1
PC-BSD (UNIX) 7.02
Debian OS (inclusive of all Debian repositories)

CD Editions

Linux Fedora 10 (KDE)
Linux Fedora 10 (GNOME)
Linux Ubuntu 8.10, 8.04
OpenSUSE Linux 11.1
Open Solaris 8.11 (UNIX)
Linux Mandriva 2009.0, 2008.1
ZENWalk Live 5.0
PC Linux OS 2008 Version2
eAR Media Centre
Puppy Linux 4.12
Gentoo Linux 2008.0
GOS 3.0
Knoppix 6.0

PRICING
Any Linux/UNIX DVD; KSH 3000
Any Linux/UNIX CD; KSH 700

Contacts
E-mail: shekeine@yahoo.com
TEL: +254 (0)720 851941

Linux and Us Kenyans – Part II

Guest blogged by John Kimwai (shekeine@yahoo.com)

Hi everyone, thanx to MwendaNET the Linux movement now has a front from which to battle the curse of Windows (excuse me).

Some of the obstacles to the spread of Linux, even as seen from comments on MwendaNET are;

1) Most of us are still holding on to ancient Linux distros whose operation may involve extensive use of command line tools made necessary by the need to install software from external sources.

2) Some of these older versions of Linux distros lack inbult driver software for most of the modern hardware components such as 3G modems, printers,etc. In most cases they need to go online to download the respective drivers or get them yourself and compile, install them (using one of those command line interfaces).

3) On multimedia support, some Linux distros such as Ubuntu do not ship with proprietary codecs, so you might need to download and install them ,or on being prompted let the system get and install from the Internet.

Basically, most of us don’t seem to be in the know that there are Linux DVDs aside from the CDs. The DVDs come  heavily loaded with more than what you would need (whether the computer in question is a server, client or for an individual desktop user).

Current Linux distros (my favourite being Linux Mandriva) come with excellent hardware support and applications(totalling to 4.3GB) to enable one do amazing things. Read on for the low down.

1) Manage your Nokia phone as ypu do with Nokia PC Suite.

2) The generous and merciful Mandriva Linux community thought it human to have a Linux antivirus for Windows in both the 2008.1 and 2009.0 DVD versions. This means you can scan your Windows PC from Linux, the antivirus in use here is actually clam av. This means you can clean your Windows PC of viruses and other malware as they lie there inert(under a Linux environment). How cool is that?

3) The 2009/2008 version also features OpenOffice 3, Mozilla 3.03, kde 4 (a Linux graphical manager), DVD burning software, pdf reader, media players (including vlc) packed with all codecs which guarantees support for any media files, function based widgets and panels on the desktop, torrent downloaders, plus universal hardware support for any computer and peripherals such as printer/scanner/bluetooth/tv card/infrared, the list is endless. In summary software to enable you do anything.

4) Furthermore, you  dont need to know any funny commands to manage your system, all operations (software un/installation, application launching and management, hardware and network management are all GUI based, intergrated within the graphical managers such as gnome,kde,xfce etc). The display, windows organisation, multiple desktop/workspace features, widgets, 3D desktop effects are the most I have ever seen. For your information just Google “mandriva 2008.1 or 2009.0 features”.

Oh and for anyone familiar with the concept of virtual machines, Linux Mandriva allows you to install Windows within it, as a program, then install your Windows stuff in it. All this is handled by a program known as virtual box, and we talked about the Mandriva system coming with clam av for Windows, put 2 and 2 together!! Go figure!

Currently this is what I have in my collection;

a) Linux Mandriva DVD 2008.1 edition (4.3GB) for x64_86 platforms, 64-bit computers @ KES. 2,500/-
b) Linux Mandriva 2008.1 Live CD (700MB) for all platforms both 64-bit and 32-bit computers @ KES. 700/-
c) Ubuntu Linux 8.04 (700MB) @ KES. 700/-
d) Linux Mandriva 2009.0 DVD Edition for x64_86 platforms, 64-bit computers @ KES. 3000/- (now readily available)
e) Linux Mandriva 2009.0 Live CD Edition (700MB) for all platforms, both 64-bit and 32-bit computers @ KES. 1000/-

Also in stock are the following;

1) Linux Mandriva 2007 DVD (for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms)

2) PCLinux OS (tiny me) for 32-bit and 64-bit platforms), superlight weight (only 190MB) which can be loaded into RAM and the OS runs from there. Basic resources, Opera browser, audio player, photo viewer, excellent graphics, best distro for a quick “What is Linux” demonstration, one can install all the stuff they want and then remaster the system i.e create an installable CD with the installed applications already therein.

3) Zenlive 5 (32-bit and 64-bit platforms), another lightweight Linux CD but with much more than PCLinux OS (tinyme). It includes browsers, DVD/CD burners, an Office suite, pdf reader, media players, basic hardware support etc.

4) Ubuntu 8.10(64-bit platform)

5) Mandriva 2008.1 CD (for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms)

6) Mandriva 2009.0 CD (for both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms)

7) Zencafe Linux, the perfect solution for cybercafes. This is an operating system specifically tailored to provide and manage services(for the client and server machine respectively),efficient accounting system, maximum security, efficient deployment of services, and excellent network adminstration at the servers end.

Please note

a) The DVDs and CDs come packaged and labelled accordingly.
b) The distributions also come along with proper documentation, help files, software guides and “how to” files on a separate CD (in pdf format) to enable you navigate through and master the entire content.

My contacts,

John Kimwai,
Tel: 0720-851941,
E-mail: shekeine@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 536 Egerton University,
Njoro, Kenya.

Linux and Us Kenyans

Alot has been posted on the comments forum of my star post on 3G networks, Internet access in Nairobi and Kenya. A new crop of young Kenyans are emerging chanting the Linux mantra. And we the older geezers (MS-DOS, BASIC, DBASE I, II and III and Wordperfect crowd) are nodding our collective heads.

While my experience with Linux is rather scanty (never mind that I advise you on this post on how to reset a forgotten password in Ubuntu), I do have a dual boot WinXP / Ubuntu 7.04. I also have the Ubuntu 8.04 CD somewhere on my crammed shelf and am awaiting delivery of Ubuntu 8.10, thanks to our brothers @ Canonical. Feel free to contact me for a copy. Also support Johhny (shekeine@yahoo.com) out in Naxx (Egerton, actually) by buying his CDs, he seems to have most of the Linux distros. Job Kingori (aka 20-Year-Old-Geek) has started a nice Linux for dummies (and geezers) blog. See it here.

Recently at a shopping mall in Nairobi, I lit up my trusty hp laptop, fired up Ubuntu and was surfing away in seconds, bila configs. I did lots of stuff, watched videos, burned CDs and DVDs, backed up my work to an external disk, wrote poems (see my other weakness here) and basically felt good while surfing for free, using free software. That’s how the world should be like, no?

All you Linux buffs, Job Kingori (20-Year-Old-Geek) and Johnny, am looking for authoritative guest posts on Linux, holla back through my email. We need to educate the masses. 

NB: Is anybody working on Kenux……a Kenyan flavoured distro of Linux. I think Asianux is already on, Google it.

Of a 24-hr Nairobi, Wi-fi and Writing

It’s been a long weekend here in Kenya, thanks to our peculiar way of celebrating national holidays. If it falls on a Sunday, the following day is a public holiday, to reward us for the serious celebrations and otherwise that we engage in. So its been a whole 3 days, alot of time to sample what our lovely city Nairobi has to offer, albeit in daylight.

So inspired by some research I need to do for my book (see my other blog), I go down Ngong Road to Prestige Plaza, that icon of 24-hr shopping mall phenomenon. Many people wonder what Nairobians do up all night, but you just need to go to Prestige and the adjacent businesses and see. My visit was during the day, and I was there to hunt down a real wi-fi hot spot. Those innovative guys at MoMovies have again led the pack. They ae piloting a 24-hr wi-fi hot spot as a new channel of business, besides their 24-hr video library in the same mall. They hold the largest collection of original DVDs, complete with home delivery and online ordering, so go over and sign up.

After a little hunting for a power socket, I fire up my laptop, launch Ubuntu and am online in minutes. It really flies, by Kenyan standards. We have alot of broadband this and broadband that here, the word is grossly misused. The service is great, and I will be going down to pay for the same service when its launched commercially. I will even follow them to the other malls where they are planning to launch the service. Kenyan coffee and wi-fi, great combination.

So with blistering speed wi-fi, I did alot of research and filled tonnes of pages with material. Being a typical Nairobi end-of-month evening, I snapped my laptop shut and was home by 8pm.

We need that kind of service here in Nairobi. The person who extends the hot spot to cover my balcony has an instant customer. I wonder if the people who do business development, or whatever they call it, for ISPs read such pieces. I think they don’t.

New to Microsoft Word 2007

I have been drive testing the above, and one cool feature is the word count thingy at the bottom left on the status bar. Nothing could be more exciting as you write a book! I can literally see my word count grow in tandem with the soreness of the finger tips. This “live ticker” of word count into numbers keeps me motivated and hungry for more!

Am at the phase of wrapping up the my book and it has come out well. I have a list of publishers whose doors I shall be knocking soon, so all you publishers out there, am coming !

I also discovered Notepad ++ ver 4.8.5, a great application that I write my blogs (like this post) offline and do other plain text editing. It is also great for XML and HTML editing, other things am learning! Did I mention 7Zip? Check out these utilities, and donate.

Am also waiting for my new Ubuntu CDs to be shipped, since downloading the ISO image on this side of the digital divide is a real pain in the back side. Are the ISPs and the fibre optic cablers reading this? I terribly need broadband (real, not imagined) on my balcony, barefoot (bila shoes). Talk to me people!

Still, hey life is truly phenomenal! Am enjoying it!