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Based on what I’ve read so far, anti-virus software for Linux is considered unnecessary.  I’m still researching why this notion exists, but the consensus seems to be that so long as you’re running Linux only you should be ok without anti-virus software.

In my case I’ve just finished installing Ubuntu as a proper parallel operating system that dual-boots with Windows XP.  In this case it does seem to be recommended that anti-virus software be installed; not as a precaution for Linux, but for Windows.  It’s feasible that a virus could enter a machine through Linux and remain there dormantly until it managed to gain access to XP.

The software that I’ve opted to use for the moment is called AVG Antivirus.  It is the free version of a closed-source proprietary program; as such it is fairly stripped down.  In fact it will only run scans but will not remove any infections it discovers; that must be done manually.

This how-to post on HowtoForge provides a good overview to the installation process.  The only thing it omits is how to add the program the the Applications Menu.

According to the Ubuntu Community Documentation (”Antivirus/AVG“), the best way to do this is:

Click on “System–>Preferences–>Main Menu” To launch the menu editor.

Find the AVG entry in Accessories. Right click its entry and select Properties.

In the “Command” box add gksudo to the beginning (ie. make it look like this “gksudo avggui”)

Click on close for the AVG option then the same for the menu.

You will be now prompted for your password when necessary as AVG will only run with your password being supplied.

Perhaps it’s my history with Windows talking, but I can’t imagine running a machine without antivirus software.  On the PC you’re just asking for trouble; Linux is obviously much different territory.

Just recently, a three-way hack off took place that featured a MacBook Air running OS X 10.5.2, Fujitsu laptop running Microsoft Vista, and a Sony Vaio running Ubuntu 7.10.  In the end, the Macbook fell in 2 minutes, the Fujitsu with Vista fell in 2 days, and the Sony Vaio running Ubuntu didn’t fall at all.

There has been some discussion as to whether this information is completely accurate however.  For example a comment on the Digg thread devoted to AHN’s “Linux Declared ‘Hacker Proof’” argues:

“…while it is true Linux systems are much more secure by design than ms-windows there are breaches of security on Linux based servers on occasion…”

As one of my colleagues said today, “If you can touch the box, you can hack it.”  Therefore perhaps the massive proportion of Windows viruses relative to Mac and Linux is borne more out of an intense hatred of Microsoft than anything else.

References:

• AVG Antivirus
• “Virus Protection With AVG Antivirus On Ubuntu Feisty Fawn“, HowtoForge, 09 July 2007
• “Antivirus/Avg“, Community Ubuntu Documentation
• “Linux Declared ‘Hacker Proof’” All Headline News, March 30, 2008
• “Linux Declared ‘Hacker Proof’“, Digg, submitted 31 March 3008

Target Audience: This guide is intended for PC users new to Linux and outlines an easy way to configure an existing Windows machine to run Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” in parallel.  It is acknowledge this may not be “dual-booting” in the true sense of the word, however from the standpoint of a new user it is considered comparable. 

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I’ve spent a great deal of time in Ubuntu lately, during which time I’ve discovered a really cool new feature in the Hardy Heron beta (v 8.04).  As ZDNet reported earlier this week (”Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” beta - making life easier for Windows users“), Hardy Heron now supports seriously easy parallel installations with Windows.

Dual booting systems is not a new trend of course.  It just means you’re able to run two different operating systems off a single box. However this can be very useful in that it expands your computational landscape - particularly from the standpoint of running platform-specific/niche software or application testing and troubleshooting.

Historically however the installation process for dual-booting machines has been so involved as to make it prohibitive to many users.

What Hardy Heron has done is facilitate the set-up using a wizard process, which dramatically lowers the obstacles to uptake for new users.  Realistically this is an obvious ploy to draw Windows users away from the PC; however from my perspective it is a welcome one.

As the ZDNet article says, Ubuntu’s wizard process is a snap; the most complicated aspect is configuring your machine to work with the ISO image that contains the installation files.

NB: This concept of an ISO file is not Linux-specific; it’s just a self-contained image that contains all the information you need to complete the installation.  ISO files normally come on a CD and are mounted by inserting the disc into the disc drive.  In this case we need to set the machine up to treat the ISO image like it does a CD or DVD.

Ingredients:

• Download Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” (download page)
• Download the Microsoft Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel package (.EXE file download)

As with most operating systems, the Ubuntu installation files are a decent size - roughly 650 megabytes.  So the download process can take some time to complete.  Alternatively you can request that Canonical send you a copy of the software - which they do for free, believe it or not.

In the meantime you’ll need to configure your machine to work with the ISO file.  There are an assortment of free programs available you can use; I used the free one provided by Microsoft.

Mounting the ISO file

1. Download the ZIP file and extract it to a folder you can easily find.
2. Copy the VCdRom system file and place it with the other system drivers - on my machine this was located at C:/Windows/system32/drivers/
3. Open the VCdControlTool application and click Driver Control - you will receive a message saying something to the effect of “the driver was not found.”
4. Click Install Driver. Browse to the file you just placed in …/system32/drivers and then click Start, followed by OK.
5. Now it’s time to mount the ISO file.  Click Add Drive.  An available drive letter will be displayed.  Select the drive letter and click Mount and browse to the location of the ISO file. NB: I recommend ticking “persistent mount” at this point.  That way if you have to restart your machine you won’t have to remount the image again and can just eject/dismount it when the installation process is complete.
6. Go to Windows Explorer or My Computer and you will now see the Ubuntu installation “disc” available.  Double click on that to begin the installation process.

At this point you can follow the Ubuntu installation wizard processes outlined in the ZDNet article.  As I said though, the wizard process is exceptionally straightforward; so you may not even need the guide.   Just make sure you select “Install inside Windows” if you want to have access to both operating systems.

Please note: I was unable to install Ubuntu on a different drive - it seems to only work when installed on the same drive as your Windows installation.  I made it to the end of the installation process only to be told I couldn’t start Ubuntu.  This didn’t affect the existing version of Windows mind you, but it did eat up half an hour.

Logging into Ubuntu

Now that you have two different operating systems on your machine you will be prompted to select which one you wish to use every time you start the computer.  By default Windows is selected, and after 15 seconds it loads automatically.  If you want to boot into Ubuntu just use the down arrow of your keyboard to select Ubuntu and click Enter.  Ubuntu will then load and off you go.

Uninstalling Ubuntu

The hiccups I experienced when attempting to install Ubuntu on a drive other than C:/ gave me the opportunity to test the uninstall tool, which once again is very straightforward.  The Ubuntu installation is placed in the root of the drive in a folder called “ubuntu”.  To uninstall Ubuntu, login to Windows and navigate to the uninstall file through Windows Explorer.  Click on it and you’ll be asked to confirm the uninstall process.  You’ll also be given the option to save the ISO file.

I recommend you save a copy of the ISO file in case you want to try Ubuntu again in the future.  This will save you from having to download another 650 megabytes later.

A word of caution here though, I ran into trouble when I left the archived ISO file on my E:/ drive and tried to re-install Ubuntu on the C:/ drive, where the Windows software is located.  (At this point I had two copies of the same ISO file, only one of which was mounted.)  For some reason the installation process kept trying to reference the image on the E:/ drive.  When I deleted the 2^nd ISO file I was able to complete the installation successfully.

References:

• Download Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” (download page)
• Download the Microsoft Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel package (.EXE file download)
• “Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” beta - making life easier for Windows users“, ZDNet, 25 March 2008

This post originally started as part and parcel to “Ubuntu Linux Experiences“, but would have resulted in an exceptionally long piece covering two distinctly different topics. So I’ve split them in two.

Despite my love for open source software, there are certain things that I prefer to do - or can only do - on proprietary systems. For example as far as I’m concerned nobody beats Mac’s digital media production capabilities (such as audio and video editing).

Additionally, like it or not Windows is still one of the main focal points for software developers. So it’s an unfortunate reality that development house’s often code to the Windows spec at the exclusion of other platforms. Most proprietary software packages do have an open source equivalent, but not all of them.

There may be ways of configuring Linux to run these applications - but at this stage that’s above my skill set.

[NB: If you know of a way of configuring Ubuntu to run virtual systems please let me know.]

Therefore personally speaking, the prospect of switching exclusively to Ubuntu just isn’t realistic. However I have found a way to enjoy cross-platform functionality from a single laptop, and that is through the miracle of the virtual machine.

One of the greatest asset allocations I’ve been assigned at work is my Intel-core MacBook. Yes it’s an exceptionally fast machine, but it’s the switch from PPC to Intel that has made it a phenomenal piece of machinery.

This switch has opened the door to running Windows XP virtually within the Mac, and with it the ability to run all the Windows software that doesn’t exist on any other platform. It also enables Ubuntu installations, along with a slew of other operating systems.

As far as I’m concerned, if you can afford to go this route, this is the ideal solution for any computer user.

I’ve already outlined the installation instructions and component requirements in “VMware Delivers OS Trifecta“, so I won’t repeat myself here. What I’d like to emphasise though is the installation process is exceptionally easy and is literally a matter of following the prompts and answering the basic questions you’re asked.

If you’re a disgruntled PC user looking for a reason to go Mac or Linux but don’t want to see all your PC software go to waste I strongly recommend considering this avenue.

Late this afternoon I received a comment on my post “XP to be euthanised despite poor Vista sales“, which discusses how the Windows XP operating system will become largely unavailable as of 30 June 2008, thereby forcing all new PC users to adopt Vista.

Rohesia commented:

“Bugger! Looks like I really will have to try and learn Linux :(”

I started to respond via comment but quickly realised I had a full-fledged train of thought going that warranted proper elaboration.

Up until about 9 months ago I’d never touched Linux, thinking it was a distribution well above my skill level and better left for computer science wizards who could speak command line as eloquently as Shakespeare. Though over time I became more and more curious and eventually installed Ubuntu Fiesty Fawn on a test bed to see what this open source stuff was all about.

My logic for choosing Ubuntu over the other Linux distro’s was influenced greatly by Ubuntu’s slogan “Linux for Human Beings.” I’d seen screen shots of the GUI and found the introductory documentation to be exceptionally straightforward, all of which combined to build my confidence.

Factoring in the fact that descriptions of the distro I’d read elsewhere reinforced this concept, I was inspired to give Ubuntu a try.

For example, according to Wikipedia:

“Ubuntu aims to use only free software to provide an up-to-date yet stable operating system for the average user, and features a strong focus on usability, regular releases, and ease of installation at the expense of platform diversity.”

On the average day I switch primarily between Mac OS X and Windows XP, so relatively speaking there is still only occasional time left for Ubuntu; however my experiences with the distro so far have been extremely positive.

It has required forays into command line programming via the terminal, however the amount of resources and support forums available online these days is phenomenal. So the information is definitely out there to help overcome most obstacles. As a result Ubuntu has not proven to be the ominous and frightening technical challenge than I had previously anticipated, but rather an exceptionally positive learning experience.

In fact the most time consuming tasks I’ve had to deal with have been learning what code to enter in the terminal. Once the information is located it’s incredible how transparent Ubuntu processes are under the bonnet.

It’s called open source for a reason after all.

For example, the first time I installed MediaWiki on a Windows 2000 Server it took me a week of painful frustration - this included research time into configurations and settings, but also an equal amount of time spent fighting and swearing to get Windows to play nicely with open source software.

Fast forward to the same task on Ubuntu and it took me only a matter of hours to set-up everything, including all the configurations of Apache, PHP, MySQL and finally MediaWiki. More importantly it was an extremely pleasant experience in which most of the work I did was to locate the terminal commands and occasionally enter a line of code. The rest of the time was letting Ubuntu work its magic.

Furthermore, all subsequent installations of web applications that run on the same frameworks - such as Drupal, Elgg and Wordpress - have been completed in 30 minutes or less. It’s lightning quick.

I now use open source as often as I possibly can. The fact it’s free is certainly attractive, but its real value lay in its flexibility and straightforward nature. Open source fans often pontificate about freedom in software, and I now see why.

With that said though I’m beginning to realise that open source software runs best when it’s installed on open source operating systems. The fact it will run on Windows and Mac machines as well is a sign of the movement’s willingness to maintain open lines of communication with proprietary software.

What does it say about non-open source programs when you realise this isn’t a two-way street?

This OS triple-play was not nearly as difficult to pull off as you might think.
Ingredients

1) Intel-based MacBook
2) VMWare Fusion
3) Windows XP Professional
4) Ubuntu Feisty Fawn
Steps to Implementation

1) Download VMWare Fusion and install on Mac OS X.

URL: http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/features.html

Installation directions are exceptionally easy to follow and require only 10 to 20 minutes to complete including reading time. 30-day evaluation licenses are available for those interested in preliminary inquiry only. Retail price for a single license is USD$80.

2) Launch VMware Fusion Library

Select New and follow the prompts. You will first be asked to Choose an Operating System, followed by a series of prompts that configure the settings. If you’ve read the instructions there won’t be any surprises; nor is there anything particularly complex.

NB: Be sure to have the installation disc/s ready for the virtual machine you intend to set up.

3) Install OS as per normal

When you reach the end of the set-up prompts in the VMware Fusion Virtual Machine Library you will begin the installation of your virtual OS. At this point the process becomes exactly the same as though it were a fresh install on a brand new machine.

NB: At the end of the Windows XP installation most drivers and hardware were detected automatically, though I have so far been unable to get either Ubuntu or Win XP to see the internal Mac web camera. Everything else has been smooth sailing.

4) To install another OS repeat steps one through 3.

You can do this as many times as your harddrive space permits.

Note though that running multiple virtual machines - as I have in the first picture - is not advisable as the system resources required to run it are likely more than your machine can handle. My laptop spat the dummy shortly after this screenshot was taken.
Additional Screenshots

Installing Ubuntu on Mac OS X

Windows XP Professional on Mac OS X