Saturday 25 October 2014

How to Install Magento Themes

Once you pick a theme and open its details page, click Install Now, select the Magento Connect version (if you are using Magento 1.5 or newer, you need to select version 2.0, otherwise leave the default 1.0), agree to the extension license agreement and click on the Get Extension Key button.

The extension key will be visualised, so you can select and copy it. Then, open the Magento Admin Area and go to System -> Magento Connect -> Magento Connect Manager. Enter again the admin login details and paste the extension key in the Paste extension key to install field. Finally, click on the Install button.

Once the installation is completed return to the Magento Admin Area and open System -> Configuration -> Design -> Themes. Enter the theme name in the Default field and click on the Save Config button.

The front page might not load correctly. The reason could be the number of the columns in the new theme's home page layout. You can fix this by going to CMS -> Pages. You will find two home pages. One is with 2 columns layout and the other is with one. Disable the first one and enable the second by clicking on their status links.

Now the front page will appear correctly with the new theme.

How to Install Magento Manually

Step 1 The first thing you need to do to install Magento manually is to download the latest installation package from the official Magento website.


Step 2 Next, you must upload the installation package on your hosting account through your cPanel -> File Manager or using an FTP client.
In case you want the Magento installation to be primary for your domain (i.e. to run from http://yoursite.com), you need to extract the content of the installation package in the public_html folder. On the other hand, if you want it to be in a subfolder like http://yoursite.com/store/ you need to extract the content to public_html/store/.
Once you upload the package, you can extract it through your cPanel -> File Manager.

Step 3 Create a MySQL database and assign a user to it through cPanel -> MySQL Databases. Remember the database details, since you will need them during the script installation.

Step 4 Go through the Magento installation process
In our example we will install Magento in the public_html/store folder. Once the package is uploaded and extracted and you have a MySQL database, navigate to http://yoursite.com/store:

Click on the check box next to "I agree to the above terms and conditions" and click on the Continue button.
Now, choose the preferred Time Zone, Locale and Currency and press the Continue button.

Next, enter the database details: Database Name, User Name and User Password. You can leave the other options intact. Make sure that you place a check on the "Skip Base URL validation before next step" option. Then, click the Continue button to proceed.

At this point you should enter the personal information and the admin login details which you want to use. You can leave the Encryption Key field empty and the script will generate one for you. Once more, click the Continue button.

Finally, Write down your encryption key; it will be used by Magento to encrypt passwords, credit cards and other confidential information.

Well Done! Your Magento installation was successfully completed. Now you can navigate to its Frontend or Backend.

How to manually install SMF

In this SMF introductory installation tutorial, we will demonstrate how to install the Simple Machine Forums (SMF) program manually. A manual installation means installing the program without the help of third party installer programs. This typically takes more steps than using installer programs such as Softaculous. Below are the steps to help you get started.
Before you begin, make sure you have downloaded the latest version of SMF to your local computer.
Database Setup
  1. Log into your cpanel
  2. Find the Databases category and click on the MySQL Databases icon to enter the database creation screen.

  3. In this screen, choose a database name and enter it on the New Database field. Click the Create Database button to complete the database creation.
       
  4. Once you get the success message, click the Go Back link to return to the database creation page.
  5. Now you will need to create a database user for the database you just created. Scroll down to the MySQL Users section. Enter a username at the Username field. Note that the prefix to the username will always be your cpanel username. In this example, we named the user the same as the database name, which is inmoti6_smf. Enter a password of your own design or use the password generator for ideas. Once you have entered the password in both password fields, click the Create User button to finish generating the user.

  6. Again, you will get a user creation success message. Click the Go Back link to retun once again to the Database creation page.
  7. Now, we want to assign the user to the database. Scroll down to the Add User To Database section where you will see two fields: User and Database. Use the dropdowns to select the username to assign to your desired database. Click the Add button to add the user to the database.
     
  8. You are taken to a privileges screen. Click on the All Privileges checkbox to add them to the user and click on the Make Changes button at the bottom to save them.
     
  9. Click the Go Back link once you get the success message and you have finished creating the database for your SMF manual installation.

Uploading SMF Files To Your Host
  1. Now you will need to upload the SMF zip package to your host. This part of the article assumes you are using a host with cPanel.
  2. Log into your cpanel
  3. Find the Files category and click on the File Manager icon.
  4. From here, you will be given a popup box to select the area you want to enter. Select the domain you want to upload your phpBB program into. As we are using a subdomain named smf.inmotiontesting.com. Click the Go button once you have selected the proper destination.
  5. You are now in the File Manager. Click on the Upload tool found along the top row of icons. This will take you to the file upload screen.
  6. Use the Browse button on this screen to locate your SMF ZIP file on your local computer. Once uploaded, click on the Back button in the middle of the screen.
  7. From here you will see the ZIP file on the page. Click it to highlight it and select the Extract tool from the list of icons across the top of the page.
  8. A popup will appear asking you to confirm or change the destination folder. As we are using the subdomain as our home folder for phpbb, simply click Extract File(s).
  9. The program has now been uploaded and extracted. We can now proceed to the next step of the install.
Install The Program From The Domain
Visit the domain you extracted the program files to. It should redirect you to the install page. For example: smf.inmotiontesting.com redirects to smf.inmotiontesting.com/install.php
  1. The first page is an introduction to the installation process. To begin, click on the Continue button in the lower right corner.
  2. The next page goes over database settings. There are several fields here that deal with connecting to the database. Once you have entered the information, click Continue.
     

    Database TypeThis may change depending on your host.
    Server NameIf your database is on the same server as your account, you will use 'localhost', otherwise this will be the IP address or domain name of the database server.
    UsernameUsername for the database you created earlier.
    PasswordPassword for the database user.
    Database NameName of the database you created earlier.
    Table PrefixUnless you have a custom setup, you can leave this with the default smf_.
  3. Next we have the Forum Settings. These are customizable settings for your Forum. If you are unsure of any custom settings you may need, simply leave the default settings in place. Click Continue when you are ready to movet to the next step.
     
  4. This page is a confirmation that the database tables were created and populated with beginning data. There are no options on this page so click Continue when you are ready to move on.
  5. Now it is time to create an administrative account for the forums. Once all information is entered here, click Continue when you are ready for the final step.
     
  6. This is the last step congratulating you on the installation completion. Be sure to click on the checkbox entitled Click here to delete this install.php file now. (doesn't work on all servers.) for security purposes. This should delete your install.php file to prevent anyone from breaking into the site.

Friday 24 October 2014

Manually Install phpbb forum on your system

You can follow these instructions if you need to manually perform a phpBB installation for your web site. Note that you should skip this step if you have already completed the automated installation.
The manual installation of phpBB includes uploading the installation package via cPanel's File Manager or using an FTP client. The latest release can be found at the phpBB official website.



Feel free to check the General Public License as well as the support reference page. They might come in handy in the future.
Next you should click on the Install tab.



All requirements are met on the SiteGround servers so you can safely click the Proceed to next step button.



The next page is Installation compatibility. Again this step should be passed without any troubles. The Start Install button is available at the bottom of the page.






You can now click the Proceed to next step button. If you have correctly entered the details you will see a successful connection confirmation.



You can click the Proceed to next step button.
On the Administrator details page you can enter the desired administrative details for the newly installed board.



Verify them and again click on the Proceed to next step button. If there are no errors you will get the Tests passed message. You should click on the Proceed to next step button two more times.
The Advanced settings page is the next one. Basically on this page there are no changes you should make. All settings are automatically generated and you can left them untouched. Then again click on the Proceed to next step button.
A confirmation that the database was successfully populated with data will be displayed and for the last time you should click on the Proceed to next step button. This will bring you to the  successful installation confirmation page.



At this point you are given two options. The first is to proceed converting the data from an old phpBB2 installation to the newly installed phpBB3. The other is to proceed directly to your newly installed forum.
Note that you should delete, move or rename the install directory before you use your board. If this directory presents, only the Administration Control Panel (ACP) will be accessible.
This finalizes the phpBB3 manual installation.

Easy steps to install EPESI

Requirements

  • HTTP web server (apache, IIS) with PHP 5.1.3 support. If possible install the latest PHP version due to several bugs in older versions.
  • HTTP server should be configured with index.php as one of default documents.
  • PEAR installed with valid include_path in PHP config.ini.
  • MySQL 4+ or PostgreSQL 7+ database server.
  • FTP or local/shell access to the server.
  • A web browser (Chrome or Firefox recommended).

New installation using compressed file

  • Download the latest version of EPESI from http://sourceforge.net/projects/epesi/
  • Decompress all files and place them in the directory from which EPESI will be run. You will need to setup /data directory with read/write access.
  • Create a database, note the username, password and database name. Make sure that the user has full rights to the database (read, write, create tables etc.)
  • Point your browser to the location from which EPESI will be run, for example: http://www.yourcompany.com/epesi
  • EPESI setup should start automatically. Accept license agreement and the setup wizard will guide you through all steps which includes creation of the configuration file config.php, necessary directories within /data directory, tables, superadmin user account and password, default data and settings, etc.
  • Finally the setup scans all available modules and you will be greeted with the default dashboard. The installation is complete.
  • Create new users as new contacts and explore the application.

New installation using easyinstall.php script

  • Create a database, note the username, password and database name. Make sure that the user has full rights to the database (read, write, create tables etc.)
  • Download the latest version of easyinstall script from http://sourceforge.net/projects/epesi/
  • Place the file in the directory from which EPESI will be run. Make sure that the directory has a read/write access. Start the script in a web browser.
  • There is no need to download the entire EPESI application as a compressed file. This easy install script automatically connects to SourceForge server, downloads the latest version, verifies it, decompresses files on the server, sets proper directory permissions and starts EPESI setup.
  • Accept license agreement and the setup wizard will guide you through all steps which includes creation of the configuration file config.php, necessary directories within data directory, tables, superadmin user account and password, default data and settings, etc.
  • Finally the setup scans all available modules and you will be greeted with the default dashboard. The installation is complete.
  • Create new users as new contacts and explore the application.

Reinstallation

  • By reinstallation we mean complete, new installation of the application without preserving any of the old data.
  • Open config.php located in /data directory and note the database name, user and the password. You will need to enter the same data during the setup.
  • Delete the entire content of /data directory with the exception of index.html file (which is needed for security reasons).
  • Point your browser to the location from which EPESI was running, for example: http://www.yourcompany.com/epesi
  • During the setup follow instruction above as if it was a new installation.

Update

  • Before updating the application backup the entire application directory and especially data directory.
  • Backup the database.
  • Download the new version of EPESI and overwrite all files.
  • Point your browser to the location from which EPESI was running, for example: http://www.yourcompany.com/epesi
  • If the database schema did not change you will be already running new version.
  • If the database schema did change the update process will start automatically during which tables will be altered to this new database schema.
  • Once update process is complete you will be redirected automatically to the new version of EPESI application.

Support

Any questions, comments and bug reports should be posted on our forum: http://forum.epesibim.com/

Easy steps to install Dolibarr

Install Dolibarr


On your dedicated computer/server

Logo windows.png With DoliWamp (Windows .exe package)

- Prerequisite: Windows
- Level: Non experienced users
This process works only for Windows users and is recommended for user with no computer knowledges. If you are experimented with Apache, PHP and Mysql installation, next chapter is better for you. However, if you are a newbie user and running Windows, you can use DoliWamp. DoliWamp is a specialized Dolibarr distribution for Windows. This distribution allows you to make an installation under Windows with all prerequisites (Apache, Mysql, PHP) and with no computer knowledge. This is steps to install DoliWamp:
  • Download last Dolibarr version for Windows DoliWamp.
For this, see page download DoliWamp on NLTechno web site.
  • Run the downloaded .exe and follow instructions.

Logo ubuntu.png With DoliDeb (Debian or Ubuntu .deb package)

- Prerequisite: Linux Ubuntu
- Level: Non experienced users
This process works only for Ubuntu or Debian Linux users and is recommended for user with no computer knowledges. If you are experimented with Apache, PHP and Mysql installation, chapter 'with standard pakcage' is better for you. However, if you are a newbie user and running Ubuntu, you can use DoliDeb. DoliDeb is a specialized Dolibarr distribution for Debian or Ubuntu. This distribution allows you to make an installation under Ubuntu with all prerequisites (Apache, Mysql, PHP) and with no computer knowledge.

Logo rpm.png With DoliRpm (Fedora, Redhat, Mandriva, Mageia or OpenSuse .rpm package)

- Prerequisite: Linux Fedora, Redhat, Mandriva, Mageia or OpenSuse
- Level: Non experienced users
This process works only for Fedora, Redhat, Mandriva, Mageia or OpenSuse Linux users and is recommended for user with no computer knowledges. If you are experimented with Apache, PHP and Mysql installation, next chapter 'with standard package' is better for you. However, if you are a newbie user and running Fedora or Redhat, you can use DoliRpm. DoliRpm is a specialized Dolibarr distribution for Fedora, Redhat or Mandriva. This distribution allows you to make an installation under such OS with all prerequisites (Apache, Mysql, PHP) and with no computer knowledge.

Gnu.png With Dolibarr (standard .tgz package)

- Prerequisite: Apache, PHP and a database server (MySQL or PostgreSQL) are already running correctly and user/pass (of a new database or root server) is known.
- Level: Users with few Web and Database administration knowledges.
This procedure describe manual (and recommended) installation on a GNU/Linux system (Debian, Mandriva, ...), it can be used for other OS with minor changes. You can follow this tutorial for any Dolibarr version >= 2.0.0
  • Check that you have installed Apache, PHP 5.3.0+ (requires functions like DateTimeZone.getOffset) and a database server (MySQL 4.1+ or PostGreSQL) correctly (check list of installed packaged on your server by using the package manager of your distribution). If not, install them (use last recent version).
  • Check that main root or admin user/password couple for the server is known and works correctly. If this root or admin user/password is not known because not yet defined, read following chapter. Otherwise go on next step:
For Linux users, if you have just installed a MySQL server, the admin user is root. If the root password has never been set yet, you must run the following command to initialize the password:
mysql
Once in Mysql interface, run the SQL command to modify the root password:
GRANT ALL privileges ON *.* TO root@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'newrootpass' WITH GRANT OPTION;
Then enter and \q to quit.
To check that connexion with the new couple user/password works, launch the command
mysql -u root -p
And type your password newrootpass then \q to quit if connexion has been successfull.
For Linux users, if you have just installed a PostgreSQL server, you must run the following command to initialize an admin user and password. For this, add the following line in file /etc/postgresql/x.x/main/pg_hba.conf (replace x.x with your postgres version)
local   all         dolibarrowner    md5
Also, comment the line
#local   all         all                               ident
This line ensure that system login used to connect to database (it will be login the web server run with), is same than database account (this is never the case).
Then launch commands from a root shell
sudo -s -u postgres
createuser dolibarrowner
psql -h localhost -d template1 -c "alter user dolibarrowner with password 'dolibarrownerpass'"
exit
sudo /etc/init.d/postgresql restart
You can test a connection with this user with command
psql -d postgres -U dolibarrowner -W
And type your dolibarrownerpass as password and \q to quit if connection is ok.


  • Go into the directory where to install Dolibarr (the web root directory defined for your web server)
  1. For Debian and Ubuntu families, it is generally: /var/www
  2. For Mandriva, RedHat, Fedora: /var/www/html
  3. For Suse: /srv/www/htdocs
$ cd /var/www
or
$ cd /var/www/html
  • Get the application archive of last stable version
$ wget http://www.dolibarr.org/files/dolibarr.tgz
  • Uncompress archive
$ tar xvfz dolibarr.tgz
  • Rename directory dolibarr-x.y.z into dolibarr to have a directory name that does not depends on version (replace x.y.z with source version)
$ mv dolibarr-x.y.z dolibarr
  • Change permission and owner of the 'dolibarr' directory to that of the group under which the web server runs (assumed to be 'www-data' for debian, 'apache' for redhat, mandriva, fedora)
$ chmod -R 755 /var/www/dolibarr
$ chown -R www-data.www-data /var/www/dolibarr
or
$ chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/dolibarr
$ chown -R apache.apache /var/www/html/dolibarr
  • For Fedora, since SELinux is usually enabled, it is also advisable to run the following commands to make the 'dolibarr' directory compliant with the SELinux requirement (else you are likely to get quite a few alerts) :
$ semanage fcontext -a -t httpd_sys_rw_content_t '/var/www/html/dolibarr(/.*)?'
$ restorecon -R -v '/var/www/html/dolibarr'
  • As a root user, create, into directory dolibarr/htdocs/conf, an empty configuration file called conf.php and set, as owner, the web server user (example www-data on Debian, apache on Mandriva, RedHat, Fedora or other distributions ...). This is required because the web server will have to write into this file during install process.
$ cd dolibarr ; touch htdocs/conf/conf.php ; chown www-data htdocs/conf/conf.php
  • As a root user, create a directory that will be used to save all files generated and stocked by Dolibarr (PDf invoices, uploaded images, ...), and attribute to this directory a owner that must be the web server (example www-data on Debian, apache on Mandriva, RedHat, Fedora...). The web server must have write permission into this directory. It is recommanded to use a directory outside of your directory of web pages, for example - "/var/lib/dolibarr/documents"
$ mkdir documents ; chown www-data documents
  • Now call your browser to point to the main page
http://127.0.0.1/dolibarr/htdocs/
  • Follow instructions of setup steps until end of install process.
  • For security reason, we recommend, once setup is finished, to create a file install.lock into Dolibarr installed directory that only root user can delete. This will lock the call of the install process again (you will have to remove this file for upgrades).
If this is not done, Dolibarr will show you a warning once logged by an administrator user.
$ touch /var/www/dolibarr/install.lock; chmod go-w /var/www/dolibarr;

On a mutualized Web Hosting Provider (with restricted access)

It is not possible to provide a generic documentation to install Dolibarr on a particular Web hosting provider as this depends on provider. In most cases, using the following process should works for most providers:
- Prerequisite: Apache web server, PHP and a database server (MySQL or PostgreSQL) are already running correctly and user/pass (of a new database or root server) is known.
- Level: Users with few Web and Database administration knowledges. Knowledge to use a tool (FTP, SFTP) to upload files on the server.
  • Check that you have an Apache web server, PHP and a database server (MySQL or PostGreSQL) that works correctly.
Warning.png Warning, check that code page of PHP server and database server are same.
  • Check that main root or admin user/password couple for the server is known and works correctly. Ask them to your Web Hosting Provider if unknown.
  • Get the application archive of last stable version and uncompress it locally.
  • Upload all content of htdocs directory to your web root directory, for example using FTP in binary mode.
  • Create a directory called "documents" into Dolibarr directory that will serve to save all documents generated and stocked by Dolibarr (PDF invoices, uploaded images, ...). The web server must have write permission into this directory. You can set permissions with your FTP client.
  • Now call your browser to point to the main page index.php
  • Follow instructions of setup steps until end of install process.
  • For security reason, we recommend, once setup is finished, to create a file install.lock into Dolibarr installed directory. This will lock the call of the install process again (you will have to remove it for upgrades). If this is not done, Dolibarr will show you a warning once logged as an administrator user.

On a SaaS or Cloud web hosting provider

Dolibarr is also available on a lot of "ready to use" SaaS or Cloud platforms/services that provides preinstalled versions.
See page Cloud Solutions.
Dolibarr can also be installed manually on all Cloud platforms that support PHP and Mysql.
See page Cloud Solutions.

Upgrade Dolibarr

This chapter describe process to upgrade an existing installation of Dolibarr from an old version to a new one. Process is same whatever is version you are coming fro and version you are going to, but will differ according to the distribution/operating system you used for your first installation. You should use the same for upgrade.

Logo windows.png With DoliWamp (Windows .exe package)

  • Download new .exe package of DoliWamp.
  • Run downloaded .exe file and follow steps without changing any default values. This will upgrades all your files.
  • At the end of the execution, your browser is launched with a page to ask you to run upgrade of your database. Choose the upgrade according to your case.
If there is more than one version late, the page in your browser will loop to start again the upgrade wizard as often as required to run upgrade process, version by version, until your reach the new installed version.

Logo ubuntu.png With DoliDeb (Debian or Ubuntu .deb package)

Process to upgrade using Debian/Ubuntu package is same way than install process (see previous chapters), so it is as easy as installing a package. You can also read page Dolibarr for Ubuntu or Debian.

Logo rpm.png With DoliRpm (Fedora, Redhat, Mandriva, Mageia or OpenSuse .rpm package)

Process to upgrade using rpm package is same way than install process, so it is as easy as installing a package (see previous chapters).

Gnu.png With Dolibarr (standard .tgz package)

This is tutorial to use when using standard distribution for a manual upgrade.
  • Go into the directory where you installed Dolibarr (it might be the root directory of your web, for example /var/www under Debian)
$ cd /var/www
  • Get archive of last version
$ wget http://www.dolibarr.org/files/dolibarr.tgz
  • Uncompress the archive
$ tar xvfz dolibarr.tgz
  • Copy all new extracted files (the one uncompressed into directory dolibarr-x.y.z) to the directory where you put your old Dolibarr version. This will overwrite old files with new ones without removing files specifics to your installation (like conf.php file or complementary non official installed modules).
$ cp -r dolibarr-x.y.z/* dolibarr
  • If no error, you can now remove the directory of source files
$ rm -fr dolibarr-x.y.z
  • Now call the install/ page of Dolibarr in your browser
http://127.0.0.1/dolibarr/install/
and choose Update in suggested menu.
or
Run the two upgrade processes from command line:
$ cd htdocs/install
$ php upgrade.php oldx.oldy.oldz x.y.z > output.html
$ php upgrade2.php oldx.oldy.oldz x.y.z > output2.html
Note: z must be "0" because only major versions have a migration script to run.
Return code will be 0 if success, 1 if error (if this happens, see file output.html or output2.html).
Note: If you have a message that tell the install process is locked by a file, remove the file install.lock stored in Dolibarr root directory.
  • For security reason, once setup is finished, you should create a file install.lock into Dolibarr documents directory. This will lock the call of the install process again (you will have to remove this file for future upgrades). If this is not done, Dolibarr will show you a warning once logged with an administrator user.
$ echo > documents/install.lock
$ chmod 444 documents/install.lock

Wednesday 22 October 2014

Top 5 Examples of Cloud Computing

Having already briefly outlined what is meant by “cloud computing“, in this post I take a brief look at five examples of cloud computing in action. How many of those listed do you use?

Email on the go

googlemailEmail communication now plays a central role in most of our busy lives. That’s fine if you don’t go out much but if you travel a lot, this may cause problems. Unless you carry a mobile WiFi-enabled laptop with you everywhere you go or use push email on your cellphone, having an email client sitting on your computer at home means that while out and about you risk spending time outside of the communication loop. This is one area where the cloud finds its most frequent and useful application.
Online email has been offered by all the big names (such as Microsoft, Yahoo and of course Google) for a number of years and I have tried a lot of different services. Wherever in the world I have found myself, my emails have (almost) always been made available to me. The easiest and most convenient for me is GoogleMail, although each has its pros and cons.
Of course, using webmail makes you a slave to an internet connection. The first thing you do when you find yourself in a new or unfamiliar location is to try and locate an internet café or public library to launch your secure portable browser and check your emails. Privacy concerns are never far from the surface either, especially when stories of passwords to private accounts being leaked online hit the headlines. How much of your life have you given away during email exchanges?
And then there’s the issue of possible data loss, which nicely leads onto the next incarnation of cloud computing.

No need for local data storage

humyoData stored on your home or business computer suffers from many of the same restrictions as email and, as with email, the cloud offers a solution. Storing your MP3′s, video, photos and documents online instead of at home gives you the freedom to access them wherever you can find the means to get online.
True, you will undoubtedly be putting your life ‘out there’ and with that comes all the security and privacy baggage that also plague webmail. Most, if not all, online storage facilities have safeguards in place to ensure that you, and only you, can get to your files – but even so. We all risk losing important files, memories and such like if we suffer from hard drive failure and storing such things away from a temperamental computer system no doubt seems like an ideal solution but where do we turn if the unthinkable happens and our chosen cloud filing cabinet suffers data loss or suddenly closes down?
Examples of online storage services include Humyo, ZumoDrive, Microsoft’s SkyDrive, S3 from Amazon, amongst others. Many offer both free and paid for storage and backup solutions.

Are you a collaborator?

spicebirdOn occasion you may find yourself in need of the opinion of your peers. Downloading files onto flash memory, emailing documents to friends or family or colleagues or sending submissions by snail mail is so last century. Last year Google launched a service that allowed groups of people to work on the same document, idea or proposal in real time or whenever convenient to each participant. Using Google Wave you can create a document and then invite others to comment, amend, offer opinion, or otherwise join in with the creation of the final draft.
Similar to instant messaging but offering much more scope it can take a project that might have taken weeks or even months to complete using other methods and potentially see it through to completion in mere minutes or hours. Google is not alone in producing online collaboration tools but it is the only one I have used myself. Other examples include Spicebird, Mikogo, Stixy and Vyew to name but a few.

Working in a virtual office

thinkfreeYet again Google’s online suite of office applications is probably the best known but by no means the only solution on offer. Rather than having a system and space hogging suite of applications like a word processor, a spreadsheet creator and a presentation or publishing platform sitting on your computer, you could opt to work online instead. Accessibility, potential for collaboration and perhaps even online storage are just some of the benefits of satisfying your office suite needs by working online.
Examples of online suite’s on offer include Ajax13, ThinkFree and Microsoft’s Office Live.

Need extra processing power?

nebula-badgeFor the dedicated cloud enthusiast, something like Amazon’s EC2 virtual computing environment might be the answer to all your needs. Rather than purchasing servers, software, network equipment and so on, users would buy into a fully outsourced set of online services instead.
Most cloud environments on offer can customize the kind of service provided to exactly suit the needs of the user. If you need more processing power from time to time, a cloud-based infrastructure, being scalable, negates the need for up-front investment in client-owned resources.
Other service providers include the open source AbiCloud, Elastichosts and NASA’s Nebula platform.

Install Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS on your system

  1. Using a DVD?

    It’s easy to install Ubuntu from a DVD. Here’s what you need to do:
    Put the Ubuntu DVD into the DVD-drive
    Restart your computer. You should see a welcome screen prompting you to choose your language and giving you the option to install Ubuntu or try it from the DVD.

    Using a USB drive?

    Most newer computers can boot from USB. You should see a welcome screen prompting you to choose your language and giving you the option to install Ubuntu or try it from the CD.
    If your computer doesn’t automatically do so, you might need to press the F12 key to bring up the boot menu, but be careful not to hold it down - that can cause an error message.

     
     
  2. Prepare to install Ubuntu

    • We recommend you plug your computer into a power source
    • You should also make sure you have enough space on your computer to install Ubuntu
    • We advise you to select Download updates while installing and Install this third-party software now
    • You should also stay connected to the internet so you can get the latest updates while you install Ubuntu
    • If you’re not connected to the internet, we’ll help you set up wireless at the next step
    •  
     
     
  3. Set up wireless

    If you are not connected to the internet, you will be asked to select a wireless network, if available. We advise you to connect during the installation so we can ensure your machine is up to date. So, if you set up your wireless network at this point, it’s worth then clicking the Back button to go back to the last screen (Preparing to install Ubuntu) and ticking the box marked ’Download updates while installing’.

     
     
  4. Allocate drive space

    Use the checkboxes to choose whether you’d like to Install Ubuntu alongside another operating system, delete your existing operating system and replace it with Ubuntu, or — if you’re an advanced user — choose the ’Something else’ option

     
     
  5. Begin the installation

    Depending on your previous selections, you can now verify that you have chosen the way in which you would like to install Ubuntu. The installation process will begin when you click the Install Now button.
    Ubuntu needs about 4.5 GB to install, so add a few extra GB to allow for your files.

     
     
  6. Select your location

    If you are connected to the internet, this should be done automatically. Check your location is correct and click ’Forward’ to proceed. If you’re unsure of your time zone, type the name of the town you’re in or click on the map and we’ll help you find it.
    TIP: If you’re having problems connecting to the Internet, use the menu in the top-right-hand corner to select a network.

     
     
  7. Select your preferred keyboard layout

    Click on the language option you need. If you’re not sure, click the ’Detect Keyboard Layout’ button for help.

     
     
  8. Enter your login and password details

     
     
  9. Learn more about Ubuntu while
    the system installs…

    …or make a cup of tea!
     
     
  10. That’s it.

    All that’s left is to restart your computer and start enjoying Ubuntu!