lubuntu.net - A lightweight Ubuntu distribution. Yep, it seems faster that the standard overbloated ubuntu distribution.
The default install has chrome (not-google chrome) as the default browser. And few of the other utilities or setup we have come to know and rely upon. But you can install just about anything pretty easily with the normal apt commands. Still the lxde desktop is nice and even simpler in structure than the mate style desktop. I didn't even try to configure their default email program. There is one tool bar on the bottom, and it does have pager (I run with 4 pager pages open, in horizontal configuration). I tried to figure out how to get UbuntuOne to work, but without the Canonical repositories it looks like that is gone. ... I did get Adobe flash installed, but it worked very oddly with chrome. Eventually installed Google Chrome and things smoothed out. Installed Crashplan, but it is problematic to get to install and run correctly (it was easy in standard Ubunu). Still don't have it running even after installing Oracle Java 6 ( crashplan will install a 'private' version of java so you can do your thing elsewhere. Crashplan agents (client and daemon) are java based. ... On Crashplan, some admin friends have had some problems in not being able to recover some files that have been backed up with crashplan, and even with a paid subscription getting past first level droids is a daunting task. Once to 3rd level, he was told there were not enough logs kept to be able to diagnose the problem. I know life happens with backups, but I just saw a note in my logs for my laptop saying there were MD5 checksum errors on my local backup server and it will automatically re-backup my files. This kind of message is disturbing and can be deadly if they are the wrong files at the wrong time. It also did NOT say what files they were, and I can't seem to see which ones they are in my logs either. Anyway, backups are important, but testing your restores is just as important (to verify that the backups REALLY work). <grumble whine> I still love the simplicity and ease of use of the backup software, but if the files aren't reliable, all best are off. Hard to use software that works is much better than pretty software that doesn't do the base function required. ... </grumble whine> Why did I go with them? (1) they support Linux in addition to Win and Mac, (2) I can use their software for free, (3) I can run my own local backup server for faster backup and restores (as my bandwidth is still minimal, to be nice), (4) cheap for a 'professional' operation. --- BTW, I would probably use backblaze but it does not do Linux even though their infrastructure is based on Linux. - They do well with Windows and Mac I am told. ... I am kind of a backup geek and did disaster recovery planning and testing for several companies in the past. There are 2 major kinds of backups, IMHO. Ones to support the 'awe shucks - I deleted a file or directory' and the 'damn, my data center burned down' type. And we normally try to do the same backup to support both. Crashplan and several others are great at the 'awe shucks' restores. Since most backups are online (not tape) anymore, these are relatively easy. The large volume 'damn' restores are harder. There are two types of restore folks try to do. 'bare metal' restores you normally restore everything from an image' and getting just a few files restored from this kind of backup image is hard to do, but it makes for quick 'full server' restores once you have 'replacement hardware' available (another part of disaster recovery planning we won't go into). The second the kind of restore most folks use where they just restore user data (without worrying about operating system or misc software/libraries, etc). The get a copy of the software dvd's and license key's from their 'secure offsite location' (safe deposit box, fire proof box, Iron Mountain - a commercial service, or a box in the basement of grandma's house), and restore the OS, install programs/compilers/databases, backup software, etc. then restore 'user data' (all documents, movies, config files, etc) from backup software (either online, tapes, dvd's, external drives that were not on-site, etc. None of them are 100%. And we do the best we can do. <war story warning> Being responsible for backups for a long time, you are treated like the janitor (folks think you have nothing to do and do nothing), you are defined as the first out the door if things don't come back (even if you have been asking for new equipment for a long time), and you MUST have $$$ for continuing upgrades, tools, services, etc.) ... To answer my bosses question as to why I spend so much but "add no value", I told him I would be glad to dismantle it all, redeploy hardware, and submit my resignation, IF it was cost effective. All I wanted was to know what the fully burden cost of my service was, and to compare that to the Lloyds of London insurance policy premiums for not having the backups being done (btw, Allstate does Lloyds policies domestically) that would be used to replace data, infrastructure, and shareholder value after the press got ahold of information we were not backing up data in the data center in case of a major data center problem. ... Yes, I got my backup server upgrade, and he stopped whining about purchasing backup tapes (consumables) and I kept trying to be as frugal as possible, but our relationship was never the same. ... All backup costs are just an insurance policy, an no-one likes to pay the premiums. The cost of not paying premiums is higher in the long run. This was while I worked for a regional bank in TX. We had auditors all the time, IRS, State Banking commission, Federal Reserve, Internal Audit, Outside corporate auditors all can through and wanted to talk with me regularly. It wasn't hard to talk with them, but never tried to answer questions they didn't ask directly. Since we used a 'unconventional' backup software it took quite a while to convince them we were performing due diligence and supporting the resources in a well defined and documented manner (i.e. no playing 'Data Cowboy' with corporate data resources). Some auditors became quite cordial after years of meeting annually. Still, doing 4 or 8 on 1 meetings / interviews was stressful even in good times. We did disaster recovery tests every 6 months. It took 2 years to get the tests to work flawlessly. But it did work and we were able to restore entire servers and get various services working from our 'disaster recovery location' (that was in a building in another part of the city). </war story warning> ><> ... Jack Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart... Colossians 3:23 "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the precipitate" - Henry J. Tillman "Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein "You don't manage people; you manage things. You lead people." - Admiral Grace Hopper, USN Life is complex: it has a real part and an imaginary part. - Martin Terma -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NLUG" group. 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