Ubuntu For Free

In Ubuntu, it sometimes happens where a program locks up, and using the X or close button just doesn’t do anything. I frequently encounter this when k3b has a crashed burn. I’ve seen a few ways of closing it, but nothing as convenient as the close button. Several have suggested going to terminal and typing a command or three to close it. I think that’s just too much to ask, as I didn’t have to do that in DOS or Windows.

Fortunately, I found a shortcut that *is* as convenient as the close button. You can add a “Force Quit” button to your panel, by right clicking on the panel and choosing “Add to Panel“. You’ll see an icon that looks like a cracked screen. Drag it to where you want it on your panel, and you can use it when that pesky program just won’t go away.

One of my most critical requirements of the new operating system was an operational VMWare Server application. My wife and I share a network, and the flexibility of a VMWare Server was very appealing.

Our network consists of two computers, a P4 3.0Ghz Celeron with 1GB of RAM and an AMD Turion 64 laptop with 1GB of RAM. The desktop had suffered a hard drive failure a few months earlier, and I at least wanted it as an internet station running on a LiveCD, but after using it that way for a week, I felt I could really stretch the functionality.

After doing some research, I found Daniel Knippers guide to VMWare on Dapper Drake to be an indespensible walk-through. I managed to salvage a hard drive and went to install. The instructions were exactly the same for my chosen version, Edgy Eft. I’ve heard that Feisty Fawn requires some extra steps, but it was not officially released before I made the install and I still have yet to upgrade.