Chess in Linux

There are many (not all are very good) chess games in Linux. There is the one installed by default with the small game packages that come with Ubuntu and most versions of Linux that use Gnome, but I do not like this one very much. It is ok for basic play, but it is really not that good.

Another chess game that is slightly better is Dreamchess. This one looks fine and plays decently, but I do not really care for the pictures that represent those playing. There are also far better chess games in Linux. For an some reason though, I cannot get Dreamchess to load on the system I am currently using. Maybe it is because I am using the ATI Rage 128 Pro and the fact that this card has no driver in Linux. I should still be able to play a game of chess though.

PyChess is another chess game in Linux. I do not like either of the chess engines that PyChess can use (GNUChess and PyChess), but maybe it was just the way that PyChess used them. The computer made  decisions to quickly and did not play very well. I also believe that the artists for this program could have made the pieces look nicer and appear more physically attractive.

Brutal Chess is actually pretty good. The board and pieces look nice, the AI is good, it actually take time to make a move. Alas, this game will also not load correctly. I imagine that I am having the same problem that Dreamchess is giving me, which is to bad.

3D Chess is an odd, yet interesting game. You have three boards upon which to play, a few new pieces, and no manual to tell me how the new pieces work!!! But this game looks quite cool though, a bit like chess in Star Trek. All it needs is a manual or a link to a website containing documentation. Also, there is no AI to handle this game, so you must have another person to play with. I also like the board names which are x, y, and z.

My favorite chess game in Linux though is pouet Chess. The computer fights quite effectively in this. Depending on the setting of difficulty, the system can take anywhere from two to ninety seconds to make a decision on a move. Playing against pouet Chess is harder than other game or person that I have ever played. I personally recommend this game for anyone really interested in chess. The board and pieces are also beautifully designed, more so than in any of the other chess games, including the two that refuse to run on my current system. I will probably add more to this review later, but for now I will just add a few pictures. Have fun everyone.

Playing Pychess        How do I play 3D Chess again?     My favorite, pouet Chess(now only if I cold beat it)

HPLIP troubles in Ubuntu 8.04

I had some problems with my HP Deskjet F4180 All-in-One, the scanner part anyway. I downloaded the HPLIP utility through Synaptic, installed it, and set up my printer using “sudo hp-setup“. The printing part worked fine, but scanning to my computer always failed in Ubuntu 8.04. There was no such problem in earlier versions of Ubuntu. So I looked around at ubuntuforums.org, then went to hplip.sourceforge.net, and downloaded HPLIP 2.8.4(automatic installer), saving it to my desktop.

To installed this utility, first run the command “cd” in whatever directory you saved the HPLIP utility in (example: “cd /home/dirk/desktop”), and then run “sh-hplip 2.8.4.run“. Make sure that you have your Linux installation disc ready. Once running the last command given in the terminal, you have a few different installation options which are: automatic, a web installer, and custom(what I used). You should be able to figure it out from here but I have attached many pictures just in case some part of my instructions made no sense. Godspeed to you.

Installing HPLIP 2.8.4

part 1                              part 2                           part 3                        part 4                       part 5

part 6                          part 7

I can finally use XSane.

A few more thoughts on Kubuntu 8.04 KDE 4 Beta

I have been using Kubuntu 8.04 KDE4 for a week now it runs better than Kubuntu 7.10. Kubuntu 7.10 was so horribly slow and full of bugs. I fail to understand how anyone could have used it. But the newest version of Kubuntu is actually nice. For the most part it runs well, but sometimes the KDE 4 programs just sort of “stick”, I guess that would be the best way to put it. I open say, Dragon Player, click on something in it and it just freezes for a few moments. But the KDE 3.5 programs do not do this, they run a little slow but they do not just freeze on me at least. And for some reason the Konsole/KDE4 does not work and KsCD will not play a CD. I also see no standby option for Kubuntu for some reason.

Now I have a few good things to say about KDE 4. It seems to run quite faster than KDE 3.5, the Application Launcher is far better organized, the desktop and menu bars look much nicer, and as I have already said, it runs much faster. I am for once not reviling how Kubuntu works(or does not work). I actually like KDE and Kubutu now. But of course I still like Ubuntu and Xubuntu better, and therefore Gnome and Xfce. In case you are interested in Kubuntu 8.04 or KDE 4 I have posted many new screenshots up of these items. And of course, if you want to download any version or derivative of Ubuntu 8.04 go to http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/hardy/beta.

Before I finish writing this, I guess that I should state why you should use Ubuntu 8.04. The main reason is that Ubuntu 8.04 has much better hardware support. As I have said before my system can finally go into standby mode properly, except for the sound card not waking back up when coming out of standby mode, instead of just getting stuck trying to turn off some hardware devices and going into a zombie state. My ATI video card also works much better. I guess that this is the only real reason to upgrade to the newest version of Ubuntu. I would really like to know what all of you reading this think of KDE 4 and Kubuntu 8.04. What have your experiences been? Alas, it is time for me to get back to work now so that is all for now.

Sin Cere,

Dirk Limon

Java problems in 8.04

    Based upon some of the search terms that have been used to reach this site I guess I should write up a short post on how to get Java working in Ubuntu 8.04. One way is to symbolically link the proprietary version of Java you are using to your web browser. The other option is to install the open source version of Java, IcedTea.You can run the command “sudo apt-get install icedtea-java7-jre” to get it. It is also possible to get Java 6 to work correctly by linking it symbolically to Firefox, but for me this failed. I would lookin the ubuntu forums here at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=62186 if you wanted to use Java 6 and get it up and running correctly. Maybe you will have better luck than I did in getting it to work.

Sin Cere,

Dirk Limon

Xubuntu 8.04 Beta works fine

    Since Xubuntu uses mostly the same programs as Ubuntu this review will be rather short. Everything works fine, except for some reason Xubuntu 8.04(or any -buntu 8.04) will not detect my scanner. Printing works just fine on my HP Deskjet F4180, but Xsane just keeps telling me that it cannot detect the scanner. That is my only real qualm with any 8.04 version of Ubuntu at this point.

Xubuntu 8.04 boots up quickly, runs almost exactly as it should, and does it very fast. All of the programs (except for Xsane) work like they are supposed to.  From what I have seen so far from Xubuntu 8.04 there is only that one bug I mentioned. I am so glad that my system can actually go into standby mode under Ubuntu now. I wish that the sound card would turn back on after waking up out of standby mode but this is still a vast improvement over what my system did before. I wish I could think of more to write, but there is really not much else to say. I shall have to do more research and play around with Xubuntu 8.04 some more. If you would like to see some screenshots of Xubuntu 8.04 I put them on the page “Linux Screenshots“. The download location for all beta versions of Ubuntu is here at http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/hardy/beta.

Sin Cere,

Dirk Limon

My thoughts on Ubuntu 8.04 Beta

      For the most part, Ubuntu 8.04 Beta works really well. It is decently stable now and most things function like they are supposed too. It looks nice and all of the programs(except Java and scanning programs) work fine. You can download all of the beta versions of the Ubuntu and all its variants here at http://www.ubuntu.com/testing/hardy/beta.

The only things important that I cannot get to work right is my scanner. For some reason XSane and Scanner Utility are unable to detect my scanner. The device is the HP Deskjet F4180 All-in-One. The printing works fine, but Ubuntu 8.04 seems unable to detect the scanner. I am also having a problem with Java. I went to java.com, downloaded JRE 6, and installed it following the instructions given on the site and it is not working correctly. I can get Java to run on its own but it will not run in Firefox. Is anyone else having these problems? What other problems have those of you reading this experienced?And after my system goes into standby mode and comes back up out of it my sound card refuses to turn back on. I have to restart the system if I want to hear any sound from it.

Other than the above issues, Ubuntu 8.04 Beta is great. I will post more screenshots of Ubuntu 8.04 under “Screenshots of Linux” and write a review on the newest version of Xubuntu tomorrow. I am curious, is anyone within 50km of Wheatland reading this? Have a happy Easter everyone.

Sin Cere,

Dirk Limon