Ubuntu(4) Software, Tools and Libraries

Software, Tools and Libraries

Now we will install software / tools and libraries to start working, Ubuntu is quite flexible in the way you can install new apps: we can use a GUI to do it (Ubuntu Software center / Synaptics), or  we can use the command line (Terminal) old but trusty way.. I will show you both ways but i prefer the terminal because it's just faster and simpler to install packages, (You can choose anyway):

Installing software using the terminal

To open the terminal just press Applications > Accesories > Terminal

The black screen is the terminal, not very impressive, but it's very powerful, the $ prompt is waiting us to type commands....

Now for installing software we will use the command "sudo apt-get install X", where X is the package you want to download and install, notice "sudo" > su-peruser do > that means the next command will be executed with super user privileges , after we type the command (in the screen i use it to install codeblocks), Ubuntu will ask for the user password, and then if the package is found in the software repositories you will have to type "y"es to continue with the installation.

Here you see the process, finally we have the prompt again $: the software is installed, now we are going to install all those packages :

• "codeblocks" > The c++ IDE
• "g++" > The G++ command line compiler
• "libsdl-dev" > The development SDL libraries
• "gimp" > The GNU image manipulation program

So we will be using the commands:
-sudo apt-get install codeblocks
-sudo apt-get install g++
etc,etc

Installing software using the Ubuntu Software Center

Now i will install codeblocks using  the ubuntu software center:

Open Aplications > Ubuntu Software Center

Now you can browse for new software or search, we will search typing on the search bar (top right) "codeblocks".

Ubuntu has found it on the repositories, now just press Install

Type the user password to install.

Installing packages...

It's installed , you can get more info about the software or uninstall it.

We will install more software later but now we have a basic pack to start:

• Openoffice (Already installed with Ubuntu)
• Gimp (We have to install it)
• Codeblocks + libraries (We have to install them)

In the next Post we will be programming our first  c++ SDL aplication with codeblocks!

Ubuntu(3) Updating Ubuntu

Security Updates

After installing Ubuntu we will  continue with some basic settings to start using codeblocks.

First we will update Ubuntu, it's important to always keep the system updated to prevent security problems.

Go to System > Administration > Update Manager.

Select Check and all the available updates will pop up, then push Install Updates.

Ubuntu will ask your password to install the updates.

Now it downloads the packages...

Then it will install the updates...

You are done!

Ubuntu(2) Installing Ubuntu

Let's install Ubuntu!

We already have the cd with the recorded ubuntu image, we just need to:

• Insert the ubuntu cd into the CD/DVD drive from our PC.
• Make our PC start from the CD/DVD drive: depending in the brand and model you will need to set up the pc to arrange the boot order in the computer BIOS so the CD/DVD drive is the first bootable medium in the list (to get into the BIOS you have to press a particular key when booting like "Delete" (Award BIOS),  "F10" (HP computers), "F2"(Other models).
• After that when we turn on the PC it should start booting from the Ubuntu CD, after a while you'll get that screen:

• Here we will select the language used to install ubuntu, select it from the left combo, and then push "Install Ubuntu"

• I select the option "Download updates while installing" becouse there will always be updated packages since the ubuntu iso image was launched, then push "Forward"

• Now we have arrived to the dreaded "Partitioning hell". We have two possibilities here:

1. We don't have any operating system installed (So we can just "Erase and use the entire disk" and press "Forward").
2. We do have other operating systems: Before you ever think in taking any step I encourage you to make a complete backup from your data, (not joking, you can loose all the data on your hdd), then we can get rid of the other OSs just pressing "Erase and use the entire disk" and press "Forward", but probably we will want to keep both OSs working on the same HDD, so just select "Install alongside other operating systems" and "Forward".

• If we are just installing Ubuntu , then select "Install Now", other way we will have to assign the size of the partitions for every OS installed on the HDD, if we select a size for a partition smaller than the data stored we will loose data and probably completely break the operating system, so be careful!, if you don't know what to do just accept the partitioning offered by Ubuntu and continue without making any changes.

• Here we select the timezone where we live and "Forward".

• Select the keyboard from our pc and "Forward"...

• That's a very important step, now we are going to create the user to work with Ubuntu, just write down the name desired for your user , the password twice , the "Computer name" is not really important unless you want to create a network with other computers, so you can just ignore it, and always select "Require my password to log in" to prevent anybody to get inside your computer just turning on the computer... , if you feel paranoyd or plan to travel with a laptop with sensitive data inside, you can "Encrypt my home folder" to increase the security.

• Now we can just sit and relax, ubuntu will partition the HDD, copy files, download updates , and install the packages, depending on your PC it will be faster or slower...

• Ubuntu with the installation slideshow..

• Finally Ubuntu is installed! just press "Restart Now" and the computer will restart.

• That's the login dialog for Ubuntu, just type the username and password, and Ubuntu will load the desktop.

Ubuntu(1) ¿Why Ubuntu?

Gnu

+Linux

 

          Hello, today I'm going to start with the first writing into the operating system installation and setting up series.

          I have chosen Linux to work, and from all the Linux distributions i have chosen Ubuntu 10.10; Why Linux? and why Ubuntu? for the first question the answer is simple, it's a free operating system , stable, very easy to upgrade and update, and although I want to make the project compatible with Windows and i will compile the Client in Windows later, i must stick to my Rule nº1 to develop the Game.

        The second answer is more complicated, i have used a few operating systems in my live, I started with MS-DOS 4.0, then 5.0,6.0, windows 3.0, 3.1 Windows 95, 98 Me , NT 4, 2000, XP , Vista 7, .net server 2003, Solaris 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10, but even if i count all them it's nothing compared with the Linux world: there are so many distributions(distros) that you can get lost easily ... , i started with Slackware (year 97-98), then Red Hat , Suse , Knoppix, Debian, and finally Ubuntu... from every distro i have used from one version (slackware) to many (Suse, Red Hat, Ubuntu), when i first started with Slackware Linux it was not designed for the final user, not at all! , if i wanted to use a CD i had to manually mount it, (and unmount it when i wanted to eject it), it took me about 4 hours to configure my video card, and when i tried to set up my modem to configure a Dial-Up connection to Internet i finally quit, it wasn't until i bought Suse Linux 6.4 on a box (yes i bought a Linux distro) when i really had the opportunity to use Linux, it was much more "user-friendly" , it was easy to set up the drivers for the system and i got connected to Internet in minutes, and today Internet means everything speaking about computing, but even then i had the feeling that "something is missing", something that got filled with Ubuntu:

• Ubuntu is made to simplify things, not to make them more complicated, from the installation process to the user interface, if you want, you don't have to use the terminal (no more bash and derivatives sir!).
• It's quite user-friendly, very configurable and a real alternative to other OS's that aren't free.
• You can install a complete system , ready to navigate into Internet, work with office documents , everything in a single CD, and that's really important for me, i remember the time i was using suse 6.4, it came with 6cds! and the problem was not which packages to install, but which ones you shouldn't!, today it's much more easier.
• Today most of the operating systems are bloated: , Vista and "7" need a core duo or athlon x2 with 2gb ram to "start"  (guess why Intel has a prototype of processor with 80 cores?) , mac OS X snow leopard needs ... a MAC(even more expensive) and what about Linux? D.S.L. works with a 486DX with 16MB Ram, OK!, but if you go to gnome most of the distros think in the user in the same way Microsoft does: if the user can't install the os, he should buy a new computer, I'm writing this blog with a net-book: atom processor and 1gb ram, Ubuntu runs smoothly on it.

I think i have given a few good reasons to use Ubuntu, but of course many people won't like it, people should be free to think the way they like ...
 
       So after all the chat , let's start downloading it, let's go to http://www.ubuntu.com, then push the "Download Ubuntu" button and then "Start Download",  and save the file ubuntu-10.10-desktop-i386.iso to your hard disk, now you just have to burn the iso image to a blank CD: now you are ready to start installing the system.
      In the next post we will see how to install and set it up.

THE RULES

All the games have rules, mine's are:

1. I will only use free software for my project, it's not I'm against the companies that sell software, it's that i want to make my project accessible to everybody, so my OS is a Linux sistem (Ubuntu), my IDE (code::blocks) my tools (gimp, open office, etc), my database (mysql), everything must be free , but i'm not "narrow minded", i want to make my project compatible with others OSs like Windows  (in fact i suppose it will be compatible to any OS with c++ compiler and SDL port).
2. I will do the project alone, it's just something i want to make since long, long time ago, it doesn't mean i refuse help, i know that i will need it in the graphics and sound, so at least at the beginning i'll be using free tile graphics, and of course i will accept it when i start with coding.. but i want to make it by my own resources. 
3. I have 1 year to complete the development, at least to have a working client and the server and database online (at least to have something playable working).
4. I will post all the ideas and portions of code or pseudo-code of everything, the objective is not just accomplish my goal but to help other people to make their dreams come true.

My game, my rules

And thats all for now!

The design

For the programmers and for all the people that are just curious, my mmorpg it's gonna be a 2D view rpg, my programming language c++ , my graphic library libsdl, networking with sdl_net and my database mysql, my development computer is a linux computer but i want to make it as portable as possible so the client will work in Linux and Windows at least. I'm going to start with the client, when i get it to show what i want to see on the screen i will put the database online, finally i'll get with the core networker program.

I'm an army of one so my objective is not making things looking perfect, but making them to work so don't expect WOW , I'll be posting pictures and my thoughts about the development.

In the beginning...

It all starts with simple ideas: sometimes you want to make big things, sometimes you just want to achieve objectives like and old project:

I'm a Programmer I've always liked computers even when i didn't had one; I've worked, played ,repaired and assembled them;  sometimes i love them sometimes i have really hated them, but always , always i wanted to make a big project with them and in my life i  have learned enought to realize that "i can do it!", so here i am, telling to all the people that want to listen and myself too that i'm starting the project not in X time, but NOW.

Finally here's my project: an MMORPG, it doesn't looks very impressive,  i know today you have thousands of them around, but i want to make mine, it's an old project I've played around over and over but now i feel ready to begin, i have the tools , the history, the design , and the faith..

It all Starts one day, and for me the day is Today.