Techie Girl Writes

Scrivener - My Novel Writing Program of Choice and Why

2011-12-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

I’ve tried several different specialized software for novel writing and organization. Previously I had been frustrated with how to keep everything organized. If I wrote my novel in one big document, it meant a ton of scrolling and it would be difficult to go from one chapter to another. (I hadn’t discovered how to use headings as described in this post: http://techiegirlwrites.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-write-novel-using-open-office.html)

But if I broke it up into several files, one for each chapter, I'd have to have multiple documents open. If I put in chapter numbers, I've have to manually rename the folders every time I rearranged my novel. And if I didn't, I wouldn't know the correct order for each chapter. This is why the programs I'm going to mention are so useful.

Here’s the list of programs I’ve tried:

WriteWay - I first discovered and bought this program maybe six years ago when I was still using Windows. I found it very useful for breaking up my novel into chapters and scenes. Some of the features such as daily word counts and reports that gave me the word count for each scene and chapter were also very helpful.

Then I switched to Linux, so I eventually quit using the program.

For a brief time, for one semester of school, I had several programs I had to run on Windows that I actually switched back to using Windows for that period of time. That was in 2009 when I tried Nano (National Novel Writing Month) for the first time and won, using yWriter 5.

yWriter 5 - this program was free and it was similar in many ways to WriteWay. Some differences: editing scenes took place in a new window as opposed to inside the main window. I believe that this program was also able to help me track the POV for each scene. (Something WriteWay couldn’t do when I was using it.)

I switched back to Linux again, and finally settled on Writer’s Cafe.

Writer’s Cafe - As it was cross platform between Mac, Linux, and Windows, I really tried to use this program. I even bought a license, and tried to use it, but I just found it too unintuitive and slow.

Open Office (Libre Office) - I figured out how to use it similar to these previous programs, and my instructions are here: http://techiegirlwrites.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-write-novel-using-open-office.html. However, one of the big shortcomings was that getting word count for individual chapters and scenes was impossible unless each one was individually highlighted. Another major frustration was that there was no convenient place to put material related to the novel but that wasn’t actually part of it. (I.e. maps, notes, ideas, brainstorming, character profiles, timelines etc.) Also, using the comments function was just clunky and annoying to me.

Then a few months ago, I bought my Mac, and tried out several programs.

Storyist and StoryMill - I found both of them to be unintuitive as well. I didn’t use them beyond maybe ten minutes, so I’m not really going to comment on them.

Finally, we get to Scrivener.

Scrivener - one word describes Scrivener. AWESOME!

At first, I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of using folders without the “Chapter 1” “Chapter 2” titles etc, but I came to realize that for me it was actually better. I kept rearranging the chapters in my novels and adding/deleting/changing names. I would keep getting confused over whether a particular chapter was Chapter 7 or Chapter 9 because the numbers changed so much. Now that I think in terms of “plot points” where each chapter is an event, I don’t have to worry about numbers anymore.

Some features that I absolutely love:

Full screen - I love this. I love it. Have I said that I love it yet? It’s just so nice to be able to go full screen and have no other distractions while I’m writing.

Flexibility - The way the program is laid out, it works for novels, short stories, screenplays, basically anything that is a long piece of work, or several related short works.

Custom Meta-Data - Basically, this means that I’ve able to create my own columns of things I want to keep track of. An example is point of view (POV). I’ve taken a screenshot to show it how I have it set up.

Split-Screen - As you can see in the screen shot above, I’ve got the middle screen split in two (top and bottom). I can also view two different scenes if I wanted to.

Compile - basically if you compile to .doc or .rtf it will convert the manuscript into one long document complete with a title page and author info ready for submission. It’s also possible to compile to an ebook format for the kindle or epub, as well as a few other formats.

I’ve also got special spaces to put my characters’ info and any other info I want, and a place to put notes on each scene and chapter if needed. Scrivener can track the word count of each scene and chapter, and I can view it right there in the top screen.

You can also add other file types like web pages, pdfs, excel spreadsheets etc. Scrivener will just open up the file in the corresponding program for you when you want to access it.

I also participated and won National Novel Writing Month (basically it’s when you try to write 50,000 words during the month of November and you win if you reach that word count. For more info, you can head to http://nanowrimo.org). One of the winner goodies was a 50% coupon off Scrivener and that was basically my motivation for the whole month of November.

Right now, Scrivener is available for Mac, Windows, and there is also an unofficial version for Linux. You can check it out here: http://literatureandlatte.com.

Is Scrivener perfect for me? No, but it’s really close. If you’re looking for a good program for writing novels, Scrivener is a great choice. By all means check out the alternatives I’ve listed and choose what works for you.

Linux - Why I've Given Up - Somewhat

2011-12-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

Linux. One of the first articles I posted on this blog was how to try it out. I first became interested in Linux in my senior year of high school (I’m now in my senior year of college) and when I figured out how to install it, I fell in love.

User-friendly GUI interface? Check.

Protection from viruses? Check.

Tons of bundled free software? Check.

Over the next few years I used Linux exclusively on my laptop. I was so passionate about it that I wrote a paper on it for a class, and told people about it, trying to get them to try it out.

But slowly, over time, problems surfaced. Things didn’t always work. Most of the time, I was able to google it and found the solution to the problem. But sometimes I had to deal with certain things not working. Many times, specialized software I wanted available simply wasn’t available for Linux.

But I didn’t want to go back to Windows. I just couldn’t go back to Windows. (For the record, I still don’t like Windows.)

Recently, I was able to buy a refurbished Mac Mini and use an existing monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. I was already positively inclined toward a Mac, and when I got it, I was not disappointed.

What I mostly felt was relief.

Stuff would work. And it wasn’t Windows!

Scrivener? Check (Ok, I know there’s a beta Linux version, but the Mac version is so much better.)

Netflix? Check.

Kindle desktop application? Check (I know you can get it working with wine, but let’s face it, it’s a hassle.)

iTunes? (For videos, I buy my music from Amazon) Check.

User-friendly GUI? Check.

Protection from viruses? Check.

Free software - the nice thing about open source (Libre Office, Gimp, etc) is that they’re cross platform so check.

So does this mean I’ve forsaken Linux? Yes and no. I still have Linux on my laptop but that’s only because 1) I hate Windows and 2) I can’t install Mac OS X on it.

Does this mean Linux is bad? No. For one thing, Linux can do everything basic: web browsing, word processing, image editing, etc. Depending on the hardware and flavor of Linux chosen, everything could work without a hitch and everything’s great.

If you’re a pauper, can’t afford a Mac, and hate Windows, Linux is definitely the OS to go with. Just don’t cry if your favorite specialized software doesn’t work on it.

How Accessible Companies Steaming Media Are To The Deaf and Hard of Hearing

2011-02-18T22:57:00.002-05:00

Note: This is meant to be a sweeping generalization to give people a rough idea of how well or badly things are going as far as accessibility goes.

Criteria

A+ = All videos are captioned when appropriate (i.e. videos with no sound don't count). Company places emphasis on accessibility for their content. (Pipe Dream, maybe.)

A = Almost all videos are captioned. There are a few that aren't for various reasons.

B = A majority of videos are captioned.

C = Some content is captioned and is mostly mainstream / new content.

D = Very little content is captioned and/or mostly unknown / less popular content

F = No content is captioned

Well Known Companies Streaming Media

Amazon Video on Demand = F *Edit: Grade gets updated to D, as some foreign films are captioned.

~~To my knowledge, they offer nothing with captions available.~~

Netflix = D

I have had a trial version of netflix, so I've been able to verify the shows I want to watch do not have captions. I also came across a blog frequently updated that lists the movies and tv shows captioned by Neflix. http://ncmacasl.blogspot.com/2010/10/netflix-instantwatch-titles-with.html Most of these shows and movies I have never heard of, and there is maybe a handful of "mainstream" titles on there, such as Lost, and a few well known movies.

Hulu = C

I use hulu all the time. A large number of current and recent shows are captioned. Most of the non-captioned content is from very old tv shows and movies. But I estimated the captioned content is still only a fraction of the total catalog. 10 to 17% based on the pages returned in searches for both captioned and non-captioned content. Hulu so far is the best place to go for captioned content. No one else comes close.

Itunes – D (Guess) I don't know. Itunes requires a download for Mac or PC, and I'm not going to download it and try to run it on Linux via wine just to see how much of their content is captioned. A google search tells me they have some captioned content, but not a lot, so that's how I arrived at my guess.

Youtube isn't getting graded become most of the content on there are not from companies but are mostly user uploaded videos. However, I will say their feature to transcribe audio, that while not perfect or that great by any means, certainly wins some brownie points from me.

Conclusions

None of the major players get an A or a B. That's sad really. There is a lot more these companies should be doing to make their content accessible to deaf and hard of hearing. Hulu is the best, and Amazon Video on Demand is the worst. With the new accessibility law taking effect (hopefully) in Spring of 2012, these companies really need to get their act together and soon.

How to Format a Novel in HTML for Kindle

2011-01-26T22:13:00.006-05:00

How to Format a Novel in HTML for Kindle

(And How To Do A Table of Contents)

This document assumes the following:

You have Chapter X on one line with the chapter name immediately following it on the next line (Chapter X means the literal word chapter followed by its number).
You don't use the tab key or extra spaces for the indentation of your paragraphs. (You should be using the first line indent in Format → Paragraph but that isn't necessary for the formatting)
Anything you want underlined is underlined, bold is bold etc.

After opening your document, make a copy of it by doing File → Save As and type in whatever name for the document you want.

Steps 2 through 5 will center your scene separators if you have any. If you don't, then skip to step 6.

Open the Find & Replace dialog box (usually Ctrl + F)
In the Find section type what you use for your scene separator like: ***
In the Replace with section type: <center>***</center>
Click replace all

Steps 6 through 10 add the html to format your paragraphs.

In the Find section type: $
In the Replace section type: \n
Under options or more options select "regular expressions"
Click replace all
Manually add in front of the first paragraph and at the end of the last paragraph.

Steps 11 through 13 replaces all of your "chapter x"s in your manuscript with heading 2 tags. (When you do a title page, the title of your novel should have the html tags for heading 1.)

In the find box type: Chapter([0-9, ]{1,2})
Replace box: <h2><center>Chapter $1</center></h2>
Click replace all.

I couldn't find a way to automatically do headings for your chapter names, but by finding the end of each heading for "chapter x" all the names can be found easier.

In the find box type: </h2>
Click Find
In the find box type: (.*)
In the replace box type: <h3><center>$1</center></h3>
Repeat steps 14 through 17 for all chapters.

The following instructions are for other miscellaneous things and the table of contents.

Any place you want a blank line, type the following in the document where you want it:
Any place you want a page break, type the following in the document where you want it: <mbp:pagebreak />
Anything you want centered, surround it by <center> and </center>
When doing your title page, surround your title with <h1> and </h1>.
To do the table of contents:
<a name="toc">Table of Contents</a>
<a href="#chapter1">Chapter 1</a>
<a href="#chapter2">Chapter 2</a>
<a href="#chapter3">Chapter 3</a>
The part where it has a "#" type in lower case without spaces the name of the chapter, and in between the and the type it in this pattern "Chapter X: Name of Chapter" or "Chapter X" or whatever.
In front of each chapter paste: <a name="chapter1"></a> where the part in quotes is EXACTLY the same as the part you put in the table of contents after the "#" and alter the number accordingly.

The following instructions are for bold, underlined and italicized text.

Anything you want bold, surround it with and manually OR
Type in the find box: (.*)
Under more options, click format → bold
Replace box: $1
Click Format → Regular
Click Replace All
Anything you want underlined (except for links) surround it with and manually OR
Type in the find box: (.*)
Under more options, click format, and then underline, or if that option isn't available, click the font effects tab, then Underline → Single
Click Replace All
Anything you want italicized surround it with and manually OR
Type in the find box: (.*)
Under more options, click format → italics
Replace box: $1
Click Format → Regular
Click Replace All

That should take care of most of the formatting for your novel. If anything is too confusing for you, or you find something that doesn't work right, then please post a comment below.

Why Kindle Ebook Lending Is Good (And How To Do It)

2011-01-17T20:49:00.001-05:00

Amazon recently released a new feature that allows customers to lend Kindle books to anyone with an email address. Right now, Amazon only allows a customer to lend each book they own once ever. Hopefully, they will change it to allow a higher, more reasonable limit.

Here is why Kindle ebook lending is good:

It will increase revenue for Amazon, publishers and authors - Most of the books I buy are books that I have read from the library. I only buy books if I know they're good enough to buy. I'm hesitant to take a chance on books I haven't read, especially if they cost a lot.
It increases publicity for books - Lending allows potentially twice the number of readers there would otherwise be.
It allows customers to read books they're willing to read, but not buy – Some books are only good enough to be read once and pitched.
It provides a convenient library system not limited to library districts – It's still limited to the U.S., but I can borrow a book from anyone in the U.S. who's willing to lend it to me.
It emulates (in part) how people share their paper books – It's even better. You can share your kindle books with anyone in the U.S.

Limits

Some people might wonder why there should be a limit to ebook lending. After all, I can lend my paper book as many times as I want. The answer is that with ebooks, you can lend to a lot more people, therefore it has a much greater effect. The best solution is to approximate how many times a person realistically loans a paper book and then allow that limit.

Ok, so you're thinking, "This sounds great, but how in the world do I find people to lend/borrow my books?"

I've found this great site called "Kindle Lending Club" at http://www.kindlelendingclub.com. It's very easy to borrow and lend books. They couldn't have made it any easier, in my opinion. You basically type in the name of the book, results from Amazon will appear and you can select whether to borrow or lend it. If there is a copy available to lend, you can borrow it, and if there is a user who wants to borrow the book your lending their info and instructions/links on how to lend the book through Amazon will appear. If nothing is available, you're put on a list until someone does have the book to lend/wants the book to borrow.

Why TV Shows Should Be Solely Online

2011-01-12T22:38:00.000-05:00

TV shows should no longer be broadcast over the air or through cable. The time of watching shows at times predetermined by the companies that make those shows is over. We all have lives. We all want to watch our shows when we watch to watch them, when we have time to watch them.

Now, it is true that a great majority of tv shows, particularly from FOX, ABC, and NBC are available online, one day after it airs on TV. Other shows have a longer delay but that's a separate issue. So why not have it both ways?

Benefits

One day delay is still a delay - If it airs on TV and I'm not doing anything, I'm going to watch it on TV because that's the soonest I can watch it. But what if I'm doing something until 9:05pm and the show starts at 9:00pm? I feel I like I either have to miss the first 5 min, or go do something else until the show is over and watch it later. But if tv shows were only online, it could be uploaded at 9:00 and I could start watching it at 9:00pm or 9:05pm or 9:37pm. (There is no way companies are going to upload their videos at the same time as broadcast.)

It provides more accurate viewer ratings - If I watch it on TV, my view doesn't count because I don't have a Nielson box. If I watch it on Hulu, it might count depending on if executives pay attention to views on Hulu or not. If everyone watched tv shows online then everyone would be counted.

More accurate viewer ratings lead to less error in canceling popular shows or continuing unpopular ones - Simple statistics says that getting data from every individual in a population is more accurate than a sample.

It saves money - I could be wrong, but I imagine it costs a lot more money to air a show on TV than it does to deal with the extra load of tv shows being watched online by more people. In addition, it saves the consumer money because they can cut cable from their monthly bill (and possibly phone if that is used over the internet as well).

It consolidates technology – No more TVs would be required. All a person needs is a computer and a bandwidth Internet connection, which a lot of people already have.

Better time management – When you're watching TV, you're not always are of how much time you are spending. But if you watch it online, it's possible for developers to write programs to tell you exactly how much you're watching and what you're watching (all private).

Drawbacks

Not everyone has/can afford a broadband connection. Currently, most online videos require flash. But html5 now supports video natively. While there are issues in implementation, if they are ironed out, video in html5 is much less resource intensive than flash. If widely adopted, it's possible less powerful computers / less bandwidth usage can support videos.

Some people find TV and cable to be more convenient. I'm sure that developers would write applications that make it just as easy to access content from multiple sites. Hulu.com is already fairly simple to use and something similar could be used to access a wider variety of videos.

If the Internet goes down, so does your TV. Companies would expand to provide better uptime because of how much more important it would be to customers.

Even if it isn't feasible for companies to do this right now, and even if they don't want to change the way they do things, it's coming. Sooner or later, it's coming.

How To Write a Novel Using Open Office

2010-12-04T12:27:00.003-05:00

For several years after I switched to Linux, I tried to find writing software that would work on Linux. So far, all the ones I found either worked on Windows or Mac (sometimes both) but I only found one that worked on all three platforms: Writer's Cafe. But I found it too clunky, slow and even buggy. What I was looking for, was a way to organize my novel into chapters and scenes. If I put my novel all into one document I'd have to scroll to each chapter I wanted, and if I put each chapter its own file, whenever I wanted to insert chapters I'd have to renumber everything else. Both ways were simply not practical.

But then I recently discovered that you could solve this problem by using headings. Not only that but I could have it set up so that every time I clicked on heading 1, it would insert the word "Chapter" and correct number based on how many heading 1s I had.

http://blog.rlcopple.com/?p=54 This site gives a description of how to set it up, and perhaps can explain it better than I can.

I'm posting a link on the bottom to a word document I've created that already has a version of it set up. I'm also linking to a screenshot of the template you can see how it works.

Just have the Navigator on one side (View → Navigator) and it will show all of your chapter and scene headers in that panel. Also, have the Styles and Formating panel up (Format → Styles and Formatting) so you can click the appropriate headers.

Heading 1 = Chapter <Inserts correct number automatically> automatically goes to heading 2 when you press enter

Heading 2 = Type in the chapter name, automatically goes to heading 3 when you press enter

Heading 3 = Scene <Inserts correct number automatically> and type in the scene name, automatically goes to text body indent when you press enter

Text Body Indent = the body of the scene

When you are done writing the scene, press enter and then double click on heading 4 which will create a line with *** in the center for a scene break, it will automatically go to heading 3 when you press enter.

When you are done with the last scene in a chapter, press enter, and then double click on heading 1 to start a new chapter.

The navigator also has buttons to promote and demote chapters so you can rearrange the chapters and it will automatically renumber the chapters. It also works on scenes too.

In order to get an accurate word count on your entire novel, go to Edit -> Find & Replace -> Click More Options → Check "Search For Styles" → the Find box, pick "Text body indent" and then click Find All. Then go to Tools → Word count and under "Current selection" will show you the exact word count of your novel.

http://www.karynknight.com/TechieGirlWrites/OpenOfficeTemplateScreenshot(Smaller).png
http://www.karynknight.com/TechieGirlWrites/OpenOfficeNovelTemplate.doc

When you want to write your novel, click open the template, click Save As and save it as the name of your novel. Then go ahead and write!

Pros: Cross-platform, works on Windows, Mac and Linux
Many people already use Open Office
Free software

Cons: No way to get word count of individual chapters/scenes without highlighting them manually.

Kindle and Library Books

2010-12-04T01:04:00.000-05:00

Several months ago, I bought the Kindle 3 when it came out (selling my old ebook reader) and I loved it. (I still do.) It was exactly what I'd wanted, a keyboard, an e-ink screen, the ability to email books directly to the kindle were the top 3 on my list. The nook has an e-ink screen, but neither of the other 2, plus it includes an annoying LCD screen on the bottom for navigation.

I knew the Kindle didn't support library books, but at the time that was okay, because after searching for months, I finally realized I just didn't live in a district that provided library ebooks for me. So why not buy the ereader that has the best hardware, and just so happens to have more content than other places?

Then boom, out of nowhere, I visit my library to see that lo and behold ebooks have been added. I had no notices, no idea this was coming. I had basically consigned library ebooks as a lost cause until I moved elsewhere. Until now.

It turns out that the only devices that support both Amazon's and Adobe's (and other) formats are Windows and Mac computers. Now how does that make any sense? So basically there are no ebook readers out there (with e-ink and paperback size) that can read all of the same content a giant computer with a LCD screen can read?

So basically I can read library books... but only on my computer. Unless I want to buy a second ebook reader. Or sell the one I have (which has far superior hardware and a feature I really like, the emailing directly to device option) and buy a different one.

While it is possible to remove DRM, it's already a legal gray area about removing DRM from books a person already owns. But removing DRM from a library book that a person DOESN'T own? Why not just pick the book off from a pirate site while you're at it since you're not paying money either way and delete it after two weeks? Saves a lot of hassle.

But pirating is illegal right?

Please tell me... WHY should the legal action be impossible for Kindle owners, but an illegal action is possible and more convenient to boot?

How can this problem be solved? There are two ways I can think of:

1)Amazon makes a deal with Overdrive to let Amazon books be borrowed from libraries.
2)Amazon releases a software update that allows Kindle to read ADE library books

If Amazon chooses option #1 they'd gain revenue from selling books to Overdrive, but possibly lose revenue in ebook sales. Although the people getting library ebooks usually aren't the ones buying a lot of ebooks to begin with. There is the problem that libraries may not want to purchase two formats.

If Amazon chooses option #2 they could lose ebook sales to other vendors that sell epub books with ADE. This would be the better option for customers and avoids the problem mentioned above.

As for me, I will have to stick to reading library books on my computer. :(

Ditch Cable and Save Money

2010-11-24T18:29:00.002-05:00

How many of you are paying $100 or more for bundled cable, internet and phone? Most of you would probably say "yes". Well, here's a way to cut your bill in half: Do it all on the internet.

Internet
$30 a month

Phone Service

Use a VOIP (voice over the internet protocol) service that makes phone calls over the Internet


Cost: $20 a month or if you pay yearly comes out to as low as $10 a month

Cable TV

Option 1
Buy a roku box which is a device that hooks up to your tv and streams content from Amazon Video on Demand, Netflix, and Hulu among others.

Roku Box: $60 one time fee
Hulu Plus: $8 a month
Netflix: $8 a month

Pros: Least start up cost
Cons: Wouldn't be able to access shows streamed through a browser like shows from CBS or CW
Not all Hulu Free content is available
Little captioning available on Netflix

Option 2

Ditch TV & DVD player altogether and buy a computer & monitor specifically for watching TV. *May be cheapter buy a used computer with dual core processor and used monitor*

Monitor: 24 inch widescreen $200 or 26 inch monitor $300
Computer: Best deal is Dell Zino HD $350 (includes DVD drive to play DVDs and remote control)
Hulu: $8 a month (but not required to watch recent content)
Netflix: $8 a month

Pros: Hulu subscription isn't required, but all Hulu Free content is available
Can access more content on CBS, CW, Youtube, other sites

Cons: Expensive start up costs
little captioning available on Netflix

Option 3
Do option 2, but instead of a monitor buy cables/converter box to connect PC to TV (if you already have a TV)
Cost varies

Sames pros and cons as above but not as expensive start up costs.

Total Cost
Option 1: $30 Internet + $10 phone + $8, or $16 for TV = $48 or $57 a month and $60 start up cost

Option 2: $30 Internet + $10 phone + $0, $8, or $16 TV = $40, $48, or $57 a month and $550 start up cost (or less w/used equipment)

Option 3: Same as option 2 only startup cost is $350 plus cables

Links
(I don't know how good their service is, so shop around and compare.) http://voip.com

http://www.roku.com

http://www.hulu.com/plus

http://www.netflix.com

Digital Rights Management - Why It Is Bad

2010-11-24T18:21:00.003-05:00

Digital Rights Management according to Wikipedia is "a term for access control technologies that can be used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to limit the usage of digital content and devices. The term is used to describe any technology that inhibits uses of digital content not desired or intended by the content provider."

DRM is bad. I'll acknowledge it may be there with good intentions, but ultimately it's something that needs to be gotten rid of.

Why is it bad?

1) It doesn't really prevent piracy. If enough people want it bad enough, someone will find a way to break the DRM and pirates can pirate it anyway.

2) It limits what the customer can do. For example, with ebooks you can only read Amazon Books on the Kindle or their apps. You can't read them on another dedicated ebook reader. (Unless you strip the DRM.) With movies and tv shows you can only watch it on certain platforms with a certain program. It is ultimately a form of vendor lock-in.

3) DRM is expensive. Why pay money for something that doesn't work?

4) Ultimately, it doesn't protect the author's work. With ebooks, it locks the customer to a particular store. (i.e. Amazon)

5) Selling non-DRMed content generates more sales (Ex. O'Reilly Media, Baen Books)

Books without DRM can easily converted from one format to another, i.e. nonDRMed Kindle books can be converted to .epub which the nook uses and nonDRMed epubs can be converted to .mobi (which the Kindle can read.) But if the books have DRM, they can't be converted from one format to another unless the DRM is removed first (a legal gray area).

Basically, if you're a creator or distributer of digital content whether it be ebooks, movies, film, games etc I urge you to consider offering your content without digital rights management.

Trying Out Linux

2010-11-24T12:06:00.000-05:00

So What is Linux?

Linux is a free operating system, an alternative to Windows and Macs. It's not perfect but it can do pretty much everything the average user needs a computer for, browsing the internet, composing documents, listening to music, or playing DVDs. There are tons of applications available and it's all for free.

You can even try out Linux without making any permanent changes to you computer. This how-to will explain to you how to do it. You have possible ways to try it out, use a CD or use a flash drive. The flash drive method is extremely useful if you own a computer (such as a netbook) which doesn't have a built in CD drive.

This tutorial deals with trying out Ubuntu, a particular version of Linux, but the steps will almost identical with any other Linux version you might want to try. These instructions assume that you're currently using Windows. If you're already using Linux you probably already know how to do this, and if you're using a Mac, I don't have much experience with them, but I'm sure there are other tutorials that would explain how to do this.

Disclaimer

While I do believe that Linux is a good operating system, it's not for everyone. Furthermore, trying it out may be a bit tricky or involve doing things you aren't comfortable with, so you may want to ask a friend or relative to complete this tutorial for you.

I have done this many times, however it's impossible for me to predict or ensure that nothing bad will happen to your computer. There's always some remote possibility that something could go wrong. So if you don't feel comfortable doing this, DO NOT DO IT! Ask someone more familiar with computers to help you.

Now, on to the tutorial. Regardless of which method you choose, you need to complete the following three steps first:

Find out if you even want to try Linux. To find out more about Ubuntu go to www.ubuntu.com and then click on Desktop Edition. Continue browsing the site if you wish.

If you've decided you want to try it out, go to www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu

Click "download ubuntu", choose a location. Usually you can pick any of them in the same country you're in, and download to your computer. It's just a file and will not do anything by itself.

Trying Linux with a CD

This is a .iso file, which has to burned differently than a data CD, so you need a program called InfraRecorder for this which is at http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5. Click on the download link.

Then click save file, then save it in a place you know where to find it.

Then double click on the .exe file and install it.

Once it is installed, go ahead and run it even if it says its not verified. It will not do anything bad to your computer; it didn't do anything to mine.

Then, go to Actions -> Burn Image.

Find where you saved the ubuntu file you have and click okay.

Once it is burned to a CD, leave it in the drive and skip the next section.

Trying Linux with a flash drive

This is an .iso file which means you can't simply put it on a flash drive. You need a program called UNetbootin. Go here to http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ and click on "Download for Windows".

Once it's downloaded, click save file, then save it in a place you know where to find it.

Then double click on the .exe file and install it.

Once it is installed, go ahead and run it.

Click the button that says "Diskimage"

Then click on the button (right of the text box next to Diskimage) that says "…" on it and find where you saved the file and click okay.

Once it's downloaded, leave the flash drive in the usb port.

Booting Up

After you'd put the .iso file on your CD or flash drive, it's time to boot up from it.

You have to make some changes to your bios, so you need to restart your computer. As it is restarting, press esc (for hp computers) or F12 (for dell computers) before the Windows screen comes up. If you have a different computer, it'll usually say right on the screen as it's booting up what button to press for "Boot" or "Boot Menu" or a similar phrase.

Once you are in the Boot Menu, go to System Setup (or something similar to that phrase) → Boot Sequence (or something similar) and then make IDE CD-ROM DEVICE first (or if you have a flash drive, select to boot from flash drive). It doesn't really matter what is listed second or third, but try to keep the order the same as it was except for making the cd rom or flash drive first. Then save and exit.

You might have to restart your computer again. If you have to, make sure the disk/flash drive is still in the drive/connected.

Then, whenever the disk is in the cd drive or the usb drive in in the usb port, the computer will boot from the disk you've made.

Once it boots, you can now try out Linux. Click "Try Ubuntu Without Making Any Changes To Your Computer" You can now do stuff on it like install programs (but you need an Internet connection to do that) but it doesn't do anything permanent to your computer.

When you're done trying it out, you can leave, and it'll pop the disk out, (or you can safely remove the flash drive) but anything you did would be erased as it doesn't do anything permanently to the disk or the computer.

Installing Ubuntu

If you decide to install Ubuntu, that's a topic that will have to be left to another tutorial, but a word of warning. If you choose to install it, you need to learn about partitions first. It's possible to have both Windows and Linux on your computer at the same time, but if you don't know what you're doing, don't do anything, as you could install Linux over Windows erasing it for good. (Unless you have a recovery CD.)

The nice thing about Linux is that you have as many copies as you want, and can reinstall it as many times as you want. With Windows, if you accidentally erase it and happen to lose the recovery CD/DVD, tough luck.