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  • CE Linux [Part 2]

    Aashish Joshi

    Member

    Updated: Oct 26, 2024
    Views: 1.1K
    For those who want to read what went on in Part 1 of this thread, please have a look #-Link-Snipped-#

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    ​

    After a lot of discussion, we have divided the project into three main stages. (Stages 1 and 2 are independent of each other)

    Stage 1:

    This is the package selection stage.

    We have decided to include open source engineering software on CE Linux. Since we are largely an engineering/science oriented community, it would be a good idea to include these software so that people have an alternative to the other commercial softwares with huge license fees. Other things we have to decide on, include :

    1. Which desktop manager to use (GNOME, KDE, Xfce, etc) ?
    2. Since we will be using Ubuntu (8.04) as the base for our distro, which software to keep and which to remove from the default installation .
    3. Decide which engineering software is to be used.
    4. Multimedia codecs (mp3, avi, etc) and players (vlc, mplayer, etc) to be bundled.
    5. Any other package which you think should be included.

    [EDIT]
    Also we will be including an open source antivirus for those who use dual boot with windoze (or those who are just paranoid!!) #-Link-Snipped-# is the front runner as of now, since it is already included in Ubuntu's repos.
    [/EDIT]

    Once this stage is complete, we should have a basic working Live CD of CE Linux. CE Linux (alpha) maybe??

    Stage 2:

    This stage is dedicated to the look and feel of CE Linux. For this stage we need people who are good with drawings, be it on paper or on the computer.

    We need the following things :

    1. Wallpapers
    2. Bootscreen
    3. Custom CrazyEngineers theme
    4. Any other GUI related changes that will make CE Linux stand apart (custom icons maybe).

    After stages 1 and 2 are complete, we should have a beta version of CE Linux ready.

    Stage 3:

    This stage has not been clearly defined as of now, so I think we should have it as the review and testing stage (as of now at least). Things to do in this stage :

    1. Make sure everything is working, this includes the Live CD part as well as the installation part.
    2. Make sure everything looks good.
    3. Make changes that might have been forgotten/not implemented/not thought of.

    This is the rough road map to CE Linux. Please give your feedback and comments. And also any changes to include that may crop up in your mind..

    [ADDENDUM]

    To everyone on CE,

    Please let us know which type of engineering software would make your switch to linux easier. To make the choice easier, I'll divide them into broad categories. You can add your suggestions to these categories, or suggest a new category. The categories which I can think of are :

    1. Math
    2. Mechanical
    3. Electrical/Electronic
    4. Chemical
    5. Computer/IT
    6. Misc (like astronomy, etc)

    Start suggesting what kind of software you'd like to see in CE Linux!!

    Tentative Package List:
    1. Wireshark
    2. Picasa
    3. Dia
    4. Sagemath
    5. Octave
    6. GNU Plot
    7. Scilab
    8. Speedcrunch
    9. Kicad
    0
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  • ms_cs

    Member • Jul 27, 2009

    nice start buddy,
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Jul 27, 2009

    thanks..had a long discussion with durga on sunday. that's when we decided on most of this stuff..
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  • durga ch

    Member • Jul 27, 2009

    *Ahem* Nice consolidation Maddie😀

    I remember we thought of including free anti-virus as well. Before anyone freaks out , we decided to do it as many of us have dual botos ups with WINDOWS and LINUX hence thought this would be a nice include.

    EDIT:
    Also we thought we would be using most of the softwares what ASH has mentioned in one of the threads.

    As well, We will try and update the thread every weekend with progress status or as such any queries for which we will needing suggestions.
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Jul 27, 2009

    Oops..I forgot about the antivirus part!! have updated the post to include it..

    I checked some of the software (from ash's list) and they did have a linux version, so we should be good!
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Jul 31, 2009

    I've tested the following CAD software:

    1. BRL CAD -- Not intuitive. User *will* have to read the manual before attempting to make something useful. The learning curve is steep.

    2. VeriCAD -- Available for free only as 30-day evaluation. Better than BRL CAD, but even the student version costs ~$100

    downloading some more software (from this list: <a href="https://www.tech-edv.co.at/lunix/CADlinks.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">LUnIx . . . CAD & Linux</a>)

    Will post the remaining reviews in the evening or at night
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  • durga ch

    Member • Aug 1, 2009

    maddie PICASA

    #-Link-Snipped-#
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  • durga ch

    Member • Aug 1, 2009

    one more
    wireshark
    this software is an internet packet analyser. I have used it in windows while gtalking and it looked ok. I have not tested it in ubuntu. But this can also be added to the list

    <a href="https://packages.ubuntu.com/search?suite=all&searchon=names&keywords=wireshark" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Ubuntu – Package Search Results -- wireshark</a>
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  • silverscorpion

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    How about Scilab? An alternative for Matlab.
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  • durga ch

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    It sure looks free and downloadable for linux. Thanks SS
    By the way, did you test in on linux?
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  • durga ch

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    It sure looks free and downloadable for linux. Thanks SS
    By the way, did you test in on linux?
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  • wassup

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    Now this is interesting stuff. Good going Durga. I use scilab and it works fine. But a better alternative for Matlab would be Octave+gnuplot, it is compatible with matlab.
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  • durga ch

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    not me.. say good going to maddie. he is doing awesome progress. You can help us by testing useful softwares in linux and recommend then
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  • wassup

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    Here are few calculator tools that you might want to use. I have tested all of them on Ubuntu 9.04. They work fine.
    1) Speedcrunch -> My favourite, is KDE stuff, but works without KDE base (1 or 2 libs)
    2) Calcoo -> GTK
    3) Galculator

    Sagemath a pyhton math tool. Really awesome stuff for all engineers.
    Dia a CAD tool. works fine, but don't know how to use it 😀

    Most importantly I am looking for a linear algebra library and some tools. But octave has a linear algebra package so that should be enough.

    I will work on electronics tools soon and get back to you. But all my tests will be ubuntu 9.04. So you guys will have to finally put that on LTS
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  • wassup

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    Good going Maddie 😀

    It must also contain productivity tools. It will be of great help if you are using Linux full time.
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    Good to see more people active here!!😁

    Tentative Programs List:

    1. Wireshark (Tested) - Network packet sniffer, quite a handy tool for the nosy network admin!!;-)
    2. Picasa (no need to test, but we should use v2.7 and not the Beta)
    3. Dia (Tested) - It is a diagram/flowchart making program. An open source alternative to Visio!! What's more, it is available in one of the repos;updates will be through ubuntu's repos so it should be well supported!! Interface is easy to understand and you can start making meaningful diagrams in no time..

    However, OpenOffice.org Drawing provides, more or less, the same functionality and is included by default. We can select either program.

    4. Sagemath (please post a review if anyone has tested this, I have gone through its website and it looks pretty good)
    5. Octave (please post a review if anyone has tested this)
    6. GNU Plot (please post a review if anyone has tested this)
    7. Scilab (please post a review if anyone has tested this)

    As far as calculators are concerned, the regular calculator that we get with GNOME [gcalctool] is advanced enough, so I'm not sure if we should change that. I've just tested the galculator, not the other two that you mentioned wassup. I found galculator to be at par with gcalctool in terms of functionality.


    #-Link-Snipped-# page has a list of useful software available for ubuntu. among others, there is a program - kruler, it is a - yes, you guessed it- a simple ruler(scale) that can be used to measure anything on screen!!
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  • wassup

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    Speedcrunch is advanced and it is highly useful for all engineers. It comes with all math functions and the way it shows history is great. It's better than gcalc and a must have for engineers.
    Octave is dependent on GNUplot. For everybody who use matlab, you can switch directly to octave. It supports all functionalities of matlab. Advanced toolboxes of matlab may not be present, but you can install them from matlab library. It's a 0 learning curve move from Matlab.
    Scilab It's syntax is almost similar to matlab but not compatible. It' graphics is pretty bad, but it works. Should be able to help you with lot of DSP based designs. But I still prefer octave, if you are Matlab fan.
    SAGE It's awesome, it doesn't need a review 😀 It's one stop solution for all your math needs. From graph theory to linear algerba. An engineering distro without SAGE is like a river without fishes 😁

    I will review few electronics program next weekend.
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Aug 2, 2009

    that was very informative, thanks a lot wassup!!
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  • durga ch

    Member • Aug 3, 2009

    Maddie,
    may be we can update the first post of this thread to have the details of all the packages included. it will be easier to keep a track.

    By the way, along with Morzilla, why dont we have Chrome /Safari as browser?
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  • Anil Jain

    Member • Aug 3, 2009

    if you are considering Chrome / safari may be With Wireshark, you can consider fiddler as well...

    -CB
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  • wassup

    Member • Aug 3, 2009

    @durga I think we will be adding too many engineering packages. Do you really want to add another browser? What about the space on CD?
    I am currently trying out chrome on linux. It's still under beta. We can do one thing, we can add repos, so people can install them latter without any fuss.
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Aug 3, 2009

    As of now, no stable version of Chrome (or Chromium) is available for linux..If by the time our distro is ready, there is a stable version available, we can include it..And sadly, safari is also not available for linux till now...

    [EDIT]
    Thread updated with tentative package list

    Fiddler is not available for linux, is it??
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  • wassup

    Member • Aug 3, 2009

    @mad_scientist Here is a list of productivity tools that I use. Must have tools if you plan on using linux for office, project management. I am adding a brief review of all

    Thunderbird with Lighting : I replaced evolution with thunderbird. Evoltuion mail client doesn't work well on netbooks. Thunderbird has great plugins that sync with google claendar, SMS reminders of task, good feed reader.
    Gnome-Do A quick access tool, all in one access tool. Can do all operations with just few key clicks. Awesome plugins too.
    DropBox 3GB of free online storage integrates clearly with gnome file manager. Just like anoter folder, you can access it from anywhere in the world
    Tomboynotes Great note taking tool. Lot of plugins. Perfect for quick notes. Online sync tool. Can also sync with dropbox
    Timerapplet Keep track of you time. Simple but effective.

    I think these productivity tools are must for anybody working on projects. Saves lot of time.
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Aug 4, 2009

    I've tried Gnome-Do, it is awsome!!
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Aug 4, 2009

    Can any electronics guy test "tkgate Circuit Simulator"...It is available in ubuntu's repository..I am trying it out as I write this. Just in case I am not able to figure it out, someone else had better try it too..

    [UPDATE]

    Tried making a simple circuit given in the tutorial, it is pretty easy!!
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  • Ashraf HZ

    Member • Aug 4, 2009

    This software is just for digital circuits correct?

    Also, add KiCAD to the list. Its a great ECAD software for schematic and PCB layouts. Not sure if you guys mentioned this, but using software in the CAELinux distro would help too.
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Aug 4, 2009

    Yes, we are going to include some CAELinux distro's packages...According to the components available, tkGate does seem like a digital circuit only program..
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  • wassup

    Member • Aug 4, 2009

    @maddy I will review electronics softwares this weekend. These are the three categories that need review
    1) Circuit simulators.
    2) PCB design/CAD tools
    3) Embedded tools (I can only check for PIC tools, you need any another tool chain to be tested let me know )
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  • Ashraf HZ

    Member • Aug 4, 2009

    Durga would probably like this one:
    #-Link-Snipped-#- Space simulator. I've tried it on windows before, it was pretty good.

    <a href="https://playerstage.sourceforge.net/gazebo/gazebo.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Player/Stage/Gazebo</a>- 3d robot simulator with dynamics. I havent tried this yet though 😔
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  • durga ch

    Member • Aug 5, 2009

    ash
    Durga would probably like this one:
    #-Link-Snipped-#- Space simulator. I've tried it on windows before, it was pretty good.
    *thanks Ash!*
    The software did not start up properly, 😔 it did not install properly
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  • wassup

    Member • Aug 5, 2009

    Ash I was asking about circuit simulators 😀 . Can you post your suggestions. Sorry for not being clear the very first time.
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  • Ashraf HZ

    Member • Aug 6, 2009

    wassup
    @ash I was asking about circuit simulators 😀
    Sorry! The suggestions were meant for adding to the software list. I know they looked out of place right after your post 😛

    Can you try out #-Link-Snipped-# and #-Link-Snipped-# circuit simulators? While you're at it, you can check out other ECAD tools here:
    #-Link-Snipped-#
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  • komputergeek

    Member • Aug 9, 2009

    I liked these packages :

    1.Wireshark:Already discussed.

    2.Cheese: Its a package used for capturing images/video from webcam.It has many options and really good effects.(For installation use: sudo apt-get install cheese).

    3.Amaya:IDE used for creating HTML pages.(Installation: sudo apt-get install amaya).

    4.Eric:IDE used for programming python (Installation: sudo apt-get isntall eric)
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Aug 9, 2009

    i've used cheese, its a nifty little program...recognised both my webcams instantly, the laptop integrated webcam as well as external (quantum) webcam..
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Aug 12, 2009

    Sorry for not updating the thread in a while!! Going thru #-Link-Snipped-# list, will post reviews when i'm done!!
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  • Aashish Joshi

    Member • Oct 14, 2009

    ran into a free software which i am sure people with home made CNCs will like:

    <a href="https://www.linuxcnc.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">LinuxCNC</a>
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  • Ashraf HZ

    Member • Nov 19, 2009

    Man, a homemade CNC is definitely on my todo list for the house!
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  • Ashraf HZ

    Member • Feb 27, 2010

    *bump*

    Anyone interested in joining this Linux initiative? 😀 We need some fresh ideas!
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  • H.Ali

    Member • Aug 28, 2011

    hiii buddies
    what about the status of this project??
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  • umar10

    Member • Oct 8, 2011

    [h=6]Could you make me a live dvd having the following, i don't have a good system
    UBUNTU 11.04 NATTY & FEDORA 15 :

    wine HQ
    Linux CAD /* <a href="https://www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">RibbonSoft</a> */ (or alternative similiar to auto CAD MAP)
    Latest Stable Version of Kernel 3.0 /* <a href="https://www.kernel.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Linux Kernel Archives</a> */
    UNIX SHELL & Kpresenter or better applications for device driver
    Programs for Device driver development DEBIAN SARGE (or etch if it has the software SARGE has)
    Alternatives to Embedded C.
    Virtual environment for a single system.
    Snort (if permissible)
    NMAP(if permissible)
    Softwares from Fedora Electronics Lab
    Okular PDF Reader (0.13) /*#-Link-Snipped-# */
    Notepad++
    Disk Encryption and Admin password protection software.
    Node Blocking software (please integrate with firewall)
    Electric /* #-Link-Snipped-# */

    ECLIPSE IDE
    Triangulation Software(Please tell me the recommendation i require to get for this)
    MoochHunter (Please tell me the recommendation i require to get for this)
    inSSIDer 2.0 (Please tell me the recommendation i require to get for this)
    Netstress /* #-Link-Snipped-# */
    And also
    >Rescue Disk
    >Netbook/desktop guarding programs
    >Bandwidth monitors
    >Virtual Box //#-Link-Snipped-#
    >Data Recovery
    >Disk Cloning
    >Feeds
    >ftp client
    >GNU Cash //<a href="https://www.gnucash.org/download.phtml" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Download | GnuCash</a>
    >ekiga.net


    [/h]
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  • Sarbojit

    Member • May 1, 2012

    Is CE Linux project dead?
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • May 1, 2012

    Sarbojit
    Is CE Linux project dead?
    As of now, yes. Unfortunately.
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  • Sarbojit

    Member • May 2, 2012

    I have worked on a distro (nothing big) based on LFS 6.0 a long back. If few crazy engineers join me, we can make an attempt to revive cE GNU/Linux Distro 😀

    What say, mates?
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  • umar10

    Member • Jun 13, 2012

    i am willing to learn , am a complete newbie in linux
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  • umar10

    Member • Jun 13, 2012

    ash
    *bump*

    Anyone interested in joining this Linux initiative? 😀 We need some fresh ideas!
    i have linux pc but i cannot connect it to my wireless broadband due to technical reasons , so i thought to intall new applications i need synaptic manager in windows 7 or a website containing the list of applications synaptic manager has please help me
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  • xheavenlyx

    Member • Jun 13, 2012

    I am voting to close this project. Here are the reasons why:

    1. There are already excellent Linux distro's out there that work very very well out of the box.
    1a. As an example: #-Link-Snipped-# and <a href="https://linuxmint.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Home - Linux Mint</a> . Both are beautifully done and work out of the box (and they are free).

    2. You can modify any of these distro's according to your needs by installing packages you like as #-Link-Snipped-# has stated above. There is no need to re-invent the wheel if it's not solving any problem.

    So, please vote in for closing of the project. We will take ahead some other ones which will be much more useful.
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • Jun 13, 2012

    I'll close this thread. But for the new projects, we should stick with what we had discussed ages ago -

    1. Start with a *very small* project and make it happen to the point of 'shipping it'.
    2. Working in small teams will make us familiar with the challenges we may face in future.
    3. We will need strong, committed leaders to make things happen.
    CE is working to assemble a team of our own so that no project goes undelivered.
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