Demystifying Linux: Understanding Open Source, Free Software, and Major Distributions

Are you curious about Linux but feeling overwhelmed by all the terminology and options? Don't worry, we've got you covered! In this blog post, we'll take you on a beginner-friendly journey through the fascinating world of Linux, covering everything from the differences between the Open Source Community and the Free Software Community to the origins of Linux and its major distributions.

First things first, let's clear up the distinction between the Open Source Community and the Free Software Community. While both share a commitment to open collaboration and accessibility of software source code, they approach it from slightly different angles. The Free Software Community, championed by the Free Software Foundation, emphasizes the ethical and philosophical principles of software freedom. On the other hand, the Open Source Community, popularized by figures like Eric S. Raymond, focuses more on the practical benefits of collaborative development and peer review.

Speaking of Eric S. Raymond, he's the author of "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," an influential essay that explores the contrasting development models of proprietary software development (the "Cathedral" model) and open source software development (the "Bazaar" model). Raymond advocates for the merits of open source development, highlighting its collaborative and iterative nature as a powerful alternative to traditional closed-source development methods.

Now, let's talk about Linux. Linux is a Unix-like operating system kernel developed by Linus Torvalds in the early 1990s. It's the heart of many popular Linux distributions, which are essentially different flavors of Linux with their own set of features, goals, and communities. One of the ongoing debates within the Linux community is whether to refer to these distributions simply as "Linux" or "GNU/Linux," acknowledging the significant contributions of the GNU project to the operating system.

Another important kernel in the Unix-like operating system world is the BSD kernel, which originated from the Unix operating system developed at the University of California, Berkeley. While Linux and BSD share similarities, they represent different approaches and philosophies regarding software development, licensing, and freedom.

Finally, we covered some of the major GNU/Linux distributions, also known as "parent" distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, Arch Linux, Gentoo, Slackware, Mageia, and Elementary OS. Each distribution has its own unique characteristics, goals, and target audience, offering something for everyone in the vast and diverse world of Linux.

So whether you're interested in the ethical principles of software freedom, the practical benefits of open collaboration, or simply exploring different Linux distributions, there's a wealth of information and opportunities waiting for you in the Linux community. Dive in, explore, and discover the power of open-source software!

Online platform for education - A Raspberry Pi approach

Finally, I bought a Raspberry Pi and that too due to COVID Lockdown. The decision to purchase the Pi was confirmed when the school scenario went upside down. Now even kindergarten kids too are forced to attend their regular classes online. So what would those who have no platforms online? What would do those parents, who do not have any technical skills? Questions are many and answers may not satisfy all. But we have to go through these chaotic times. Here in this post, I'll explain how I overcame to build a platform for my kids to attend their online classes.

Btw, I hope you know already about Raspberry Pi. If not, let me explain what it is. Raspberry Pi is a computer that fits into a credit card-sized board. It was developed by the UK's Raspberry Pi Foundation. The Raspberry Pi is made to teach basic computer science in schools. But there are many uses for this. I used it to create a platform for online education today. More information is available on their official website, www.raspberrypi.org

I have quit television about two years ago. Only the monitor was remaining in the place of the TV Stand. Set-Top Box was taken away to some other place. But right now TV turned the medium of learning for my kids. So what to do? I have only one computer to do my daily jobs. No laptops, no good spare systems. Even though it is not a wise option, my first thought was to buy a used laptop. But in this peculiar season, even used laptops have much demand, and obviously, they are more expensive than the old times.

And thus bloomed the idea of ​​the Raspberry Pi. So, after doing a little research, we came across the KDE PLASMA BIGSCREEN smart TV software. When I read the basic documentation, I realized that this  can be configured by anyone, especially those who have no technical background. Later that evening, we ordered the Pi from the authorized store recommended on the official website of Raspberry Pi.

Pi reached home on the ninth day due to the lockdown delay. I bought seven items to make it run. This is the list of items I bought.

1. Raspberry Pi Model B4GB RAM (a version of 8GB RAM also came out two days after I bought it. The price is slightly higher)
2. Official Raspberry Pi Case
3. SanDisk 16GB microSD. Card
4. Official Raspberry Pi Power Supply
5. Official Raspberry Pi HDMI Cable
6. A standard keyboard
7. A normal mouse.

I chose the Raspberry Pi Model B 4GB RAM Starter Kit from the store. It costs a total of ₹ 7,570. including shipping charges. Once the consignment arrives, there remained very little work to do more. I just logged in my computer and installed just a couple of applications and flashed them to the micro sd card. After inserting the micro SD card to the Pi and then connected to the TV and power it up and turned it on. That's all.
The steps are as follows.

1. Download the KDE Plasma Big Screen from this link https://excellmedia.dl.sourceforge.net/project/bigscreen/rpi4/beta/mycroft-bigscreen-rpi4-20200326_BETA.img.gz
2. Download the application Balena Etcher from this link at https://www.balena.io/etcher It contains the file that is suitable for any operating system.
3. Now you can use microSD with a card reader. Connect the card to the computer
4. Now it's the time to launch the Etcher. Show the previously downloaded KDE Plasma Big Screen file in Etcher.
5. Flash it.
6. The works on the computer are over. Now let's get to the Raspberry Pi.
7. Now you can remove the micro SD card from the card reader. Remove the card and place it in the slot of Raspberry Pi
8. Connect the keyboard, mouse, and HDMI cable, then power up and turn the system on.

The BASIC work ends here. Now the TV is no longer just a TV. Let's start using it as a perfect computer. This little box has many endless possibilities. Use the internet to find many surprises and fun
For more information call me at 8848487510 and I will try to provide online support as much as possible.

How to save and convert files from youtube

Downloading a video file from youtube was a very difficult operation some years ago. Now situations changed, several third party online portals offers such services like file conversion and downloading from youtube. Most portals requires the youtube video link to download the file. It's ok for one or two files. But when it comes to convert a playlist of videos, it becomes so difficult. Most of the third party services like keepvid and en.savfromnet.com sites give this feature for free. You have to pay for it. Why do you pay for it while, there is a better solution is at your reach? So Whats the solution?

It is youtube-dl

youtube-dl is a small piece of CLI (Command Line Interface) software mostly working in GNU/Linux platforms. But as of now, they have ported it to Windows too. So Windows users also can enjoy it. What I am explaining here is its Linux usage. Its very simple and easy to use. Even if you think you are not good in Command Line Interface, let it be the first step to understand what a Command Line experience is.

If you are Windows user, there is an executable file is available in the following site. Download it from here.
https://yt-dl.org/latest/youtube-dl.exe
If you are using, Ubuntu or Debian based Linux system use the following command to install the software from the Terminal.

apt-get install youtube-dl 

After the installation process done, please copy a youtube share link to do your first experiment. For an experiment, here is a link - https://youtu.be/L6-uJLteKek
We're now just going to download "Mr. Big - To Be With You (MV)"

youtube-dl https://youtu.be/L6-uJLteKek

After giving the command in the Terminal, just sit back and watch the verbose happening in the screen. Once the completion status reach 100%, check it in the current folder in the file manager.

Ok. You have downloaded the first Video file from youtube. Good. But when it will come to download multiple files and convert them into mp3 files, what will you do? The command is very simple. Now you are just going to copy a youtube play list link. Here is the example case. The Beatles collection - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9-cZf_sidpkzR4W_LxvZjh4F7YFo4WoG
And here is the command to download all the files as mp3.

youtube-dl -i --extract-audio --audio-format mp3 -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9-cZf_sidpkzR4W_LxvZjh4F7YFo4WoG

Now just sit back and relax. It will convert all the files to mp3. So easy, so simple.

What happens in Cochin, when Google stops support Flash in Adwords

Ad agencies and their clients in Cochin are running here and there to find a right place to convert their digital ad made with Adobe Flash to HTML5 standards. Unfortunately many Ad agencies in Cochin are not equipped with right digital experts.

Here I met a guy with handy knowledge in HTML5 / CSS3 / Javascript and jquery etc who can transform Flash ads to HTML5 standards. He's Saju George and he is available at +919633256630 / sj.george@gmail.com

Live streaming with your smartphone in youtube

There is a good news. You can easily live stream your personal event to your youtube channel with just your smart phone. Want to know how? I am doing it. Just now I am preparing a demo video and a documentation. Hang for a couple of days. I will be back with the video and documentation. Hurray!

Get your GNU T-shirt

I have designed a GNU-shirt (Gnu T-shirt) and printed limited copies. Front side and back side printed with the GNU Mascot. (You can see the image of the T-shirt in this post.) The material thickness is 180 GSM and the printing process is Double Coated Rubber Printing. Medium / Large / Extra Large sizes available. Almost 30 pieces left right now. Anyone interested, please contact in the following numbers:
Thomas : 9946022032 | Sreekanth : 9895181906
The T-shirts available at Kadavanthra, Ernakulam.

Little Maria wearing the GNU shirt: Facebook album (Login required)

Gnu T-shirt front

Gnu T-shirt Back

Gnu T-shirt Front

Gnu T-shirt close

Little Maria wearing Gnu T-shirt Medium

Little Maria wearing Gnu T-shirt Medium

Little Maria wearing Gnu T-shirt Medium

Little Maria wearing Gnu T-shirt Medium

Little Maria wearing Gnu T-shirt Medium

Little Maria wearing Gnu T-shirt Medium

Little Maria wearing Gnu T-shirt Medium

Cost of Gnu T-shirt.

Many people call us from all over India. We are happy to send the T-shirt via courier service. If you want to have the T-shirt, please use the "contact" page and give us the details, i.e., desired size of the T-Shirt / how much quantity you want / by which way you are willing to pay cash / by which way you are willing to receive the parcel etc. Hope this will give both of us good clarity. Once we get your email, we will contact you via email instantly.

Tellico: A great collection manager

You may have lots of Audio/Video CDs, XviD/DivX Movies and music files in various media, photo albums, books etc. But when you need them actually, you may unable to locate them. At least you may take a long long time to locate the files. Always thought to manage such collections in a systematic way? If there would be some tools to manage it, life would have been so simple. Just open your pc, locate the media with a search parameter, send the search command right away and you get instant result, you collect the exact media from the upper most stack of your iron book shelf in a CD tin. Thats it. It took only 4 minutes.

Is it possible? I asked the question several times repeatedly and searched for it. Using apt-cache search and google search. May be my search keyword wasn't accurate enough, all the times I got wrong pages. But finally I reached the cute homepage of http://tellico-project.org. That’s it. Tellico. My long awaited collection manager. After getting Tellico, my life got smooth. Tellico makes it easy to track your books, videos, music and anything / everything else. A simple and intuitive interface shows cover images, groupings, and any detail you want. Grab information from many popular Internet sites, including IMDB.com, Amazon.com, and most libraries. Tellico is GPL licensed Free Software.

The Tellico logo

Its intuitive user interface will help you to get a clear idea on how to use it. At present all my DVD videos, XVID videos, Video CDs, audio CDs are updated in Tellico and I am so satisfied using the software. Tellico is great.