Linux on a 20th century laptop

Starting with a 20th century computer that struggled to run Windows95.

Figure 1. Compaq Armada 4131T

I didn't want to let such a neat little piece of tech go to waste, but in order to make it usable radical changes were needed.

Using GnuCash as a Freelancer to Track Finances and Prepare Taxes

GnuCash makes it easy to keep track of your money and it creates reports that will make your accountant happy.

I don't own a credit card (by choice), so keeping a close eye on my finances is really important, but I think whether or not you have a credit card, it’s a good idea to track all of your financial transactions.
It’s really the only way you’ll know what’s coming in and what’s going out. This is a great habit to do even if you don’t have any problems keeping a positive balance – and I would say it's essential to do if you struggle with debt.
Luckily I have no debt but I've seen a number of people turn around their whole financial situations just by starting to keep a ledger of all of their transactions.

Linux Mistakes Newbies Make

If you are new to the world of Linux, it is important to learn from the mistakes that others have made before you so that you can avoid making them yourself. After all, while some mistakes can simply be annoying, others can be costly. So, with that in mind, let's take a look at the common Linux newbie mistakes to avoid.

Pre-order your own disk with (K-, L-, X-) Ubuntu 18.04

Ladies and gentlemen, it is the same time of the year again. It is end of March, and it means that the release of the next generation of your favourite operating system will be released less than in a month's time! And this will be a Long-term support (LTS) version this time!

Yes, Ubuntu 18.04 is less than a month away. Many of you already looking for downloading of your own ISO image of the system. Yes, that's the next version, codenamed Bionic Beaver.

But many of you are not so lucky, and will need to wait longer, because you can not or do not want to create their own DVDs with operating system images.
We can help!

You can pre-order your own copy of Ubuntu 18.04 (or Xubuntu, or Lubuntu, or Kubuntu), including Ubuntu 18.04 MATE right now. It means that a DVD with your favourite OS will be burnt to you as early as possible, and dispatched on the 26th of April 2018, or soon after. Dispatched to anywhere in the world.

How you can get the DVD? Go to http://buylinuxcds.co.uk site, purchase the Ubuntu DVD from there, and in the PayPal comments state that you want version 18.04. K-, L- or Xubuntu editions are also available there. That's easy.

To help you even further, here is a mini-shop which you can use straight away. It supports PayPal checkout. And you even don't need a PayPal account to pay - you can do this with your credit a debit card!

UK (2.20 GBP): Ubuntu 18.04 pre-order (UK) Variation Ubuntu Kubuntu Xubuntu Lubuntu Ubuntu MATE

USA (3.50 USD):

Ubuntu 18.04 pre-order (USA)
Variation Ubuntu Kubuntu Xubuntu LubuntuUbuntu MATE

Other countries (3.50 GBP):

Ubuntu 18.04 pre-order (Other countries)
Variation Ubuntu Kubuntu Xubuntu LubuntuUbuntu MATE

And yet another alternative: you can purchase the same disks via eBay.

Is the lack of video games on Linux still true in 2018?

For years Linux has faced a lot of bad press about the lack of good gaming capabilities. While many hard-core Linux enthusiasts have stuck by their beloved system, the reality is that the gaming options in Linux just haven't kept up with the rest of the gaming world. Could that finally be about to change? Is 2018 the year that Linux begins to compete in the games market?

FOR SALE!

You may have read an article on Linux notes from DarkDuck that was published a week ago. If not, I'll remind you in short. Due to some side-effects of Linux operating systems' testing and reviews I decided to put that part of my life aside for the timebeing. There are some other personal reasons for doing that too.

I am not sure how long the pause will continue.

But Linux notes from DarkDuck blog has a very good number of readers, followers and I believe lovers. It would be unfair to leave all of them without a good source of Linux-related information.

That's why I offer anyone of you a full ownership of this blog. You can become a contributor, an editor or even an owner. On top of Linux notes from DarkDuck blog comes the BuyLinuxCDs.co.uk site. I am selling these two resources either separately or jointly.

You may have noticed that I used two verbs with different meanings in the previous paragraph: offer and sell. One of them imply a free transfer, the second one requires some financial reward. Me using these two words mean that you can pay for these resources, or you can get them for free. That depends on our arrangements, and on how much you are ready to pay for the popular resource that exists for more than 7 years now. The price is up to you to decide.

Are you ready for the challenge of being the Linux notes from DarkDuck's owner, editor, contributor? Email me, and we'll agree the terms! Don't be shy, the resource can be yours for free... or not. :)

Data Destroyer, Testdisk, Boot-repair and Windows7

My dear readers know that Linux notes from DarkDuck is a blog mostly for reviewing Live versions Linux operating systems. Running these versions Live means I need to create Live DVD or Live USB with the disk image to boot from.

What is the most popular tool for creation of Live USB? Many of you would name Unetbootin, Pendrivelinux and some more. There was even an article on this blog with a comparative list of these tools. However, the most common tool is still a command dd.