Ubuntu 9.10 on Dell Studio 1555

Just installed ubuntu on my new Dell studio 1555. I should say I'm pleased with the way it works. I had a small issue with the display while using the live CD - it didn't work, However the solution was quite simple.

I had to add "nomodeset" to the kernel boot parameters while booting using the live CD.
Adding "nomodeset" to the default boot parameters solved the problem for good.

Thanks to Ben for his blog post.
More updates later...

Another trip to a beautiful place...

I'm all charged up with the anticipation of the upcoming trip to Rohtang... Been there once and fell in love with the place... A short refresher can be found here. I hope that this will be a good antidote for the large doses of boredom that I have been subjected to of late...

Bored!

I am so bored that the boredom has killed any creative enthusiasm that might have existed in some remote corner of my soul!

I hope that the dead matter will be revived not too far in the future...

Cisco VPN on Ubuntu

Here are some handy links for folks who have been having trouble with Cisco VPN on Ubuntu.

For detailed instructions click here.
Some concise instructions here.

The VPN Client can be found here.
The patch can be found here.

I have tried the vpnc route and wasn't very pleased, so I decided to go with the proprietary client. However it didn't seem to be a very smooth ride... Anyway I hope that this helps. I will post in detail about this later.

Update: I found this tool which looks promising - Shrewsoft VPN client
It can be found using Add/Remove Applications (Jaunty and earlier) or the Ubuntu Software Center (Karmic Koala).

Ubuntu it is...

I guess I have finally given in to the temptation to use Linux as the primary operating system on the laptop. I made the switch to Ubuntu about a month ago and the fact that I'm still using it is proof that I'm liking it (loving it might be more "apt" :D ). Here are a few screenshots...

The desktop

The best part... it is light on memory and quick to respond...

New theme... and MonoDevelop 2.0

Eye candy!

For those interested in the technical details - I'm running this on a Lenovo 3000 Y500 laptop with 2 GB of RAM and 160 GB HDD. The install was smooth and configuring the system was cakewalk. The only glitch was with getting the keyboard to work once the OS booted. Did a quick search and I found a solution on the ubuntu forums.
For the ones with a keen eye - you would see that I am running without any swap space, and still no issues as yet... I'll run some heavy stuff to test it out...

I think I might go in for the upgrade to the next version of Ubuntu (9.04 - Jaunty Jackalope) tomorrow...

For folks who are interested in trying it out here is the download link. I will be following up with more posts on my experiments and experiences with Ubuntu...

Stay tuned!

Edit: Removed one image... (25th April, 2009)
Edit: Added two images (9th May, 2009)

Rain...

It rained today!

As much as I love the rain, the weather here today was simply amazing... The day was a little cloudy, and quite windy. The afternoon was perfect, a light breeze with the smell of rain that may come down any minute, the clear air, the soft sunlight, and a feeling that this day was made for me.

The weather reminds me of the many lazy summer afternoons spent playing hide and seek or swimming or just reading a book, soaking in the smell of the drenched earth after a thundershower. I don't know what it is with the rain and me, but when it rains, I feel like it was sent down especially for me. It feels like pure magic. It captivates me with its magical spell and leaves me wanting for more...

Sometimes there are things in life which we take for granted and don't wait to think twice about the wonder that it is. Sometimes these are the very things that make life woth living...

I remember reading somewhere  - "Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away..."

I guess this was one such day, and these were such moments, and I wish that everyone has more of such memories to treasure...

The year that was... and the year that will be

After a lot of twists, turns and surprises (both pleasant and unpleasant) 2008 is finally over.
The year did pass very quickly... I hope this year is more eventful...

Happy New Year 2009!!!