All of the Lotusphere 2010 backpacks included a CD that can be used to install the Ubuntu operating system alongside - or in place of - Windows. On Wednesday night during Lotusphere, I used that CD to put a clean installation on the laptop on which I'm currently typing. It took about 30 minutes to replace Windows XP Pro with Ubuntu 9.10. After that, I also installed Notes (not part of the CD from the backpack). Please note that as of this writing, Notes 8.5.1 will not run properly on Ubuntu 9.10 without a couple of adjustments (adding some font files and 4 library files). More on that in a moment, but first some suggestions for tweaks to do immediately after installing Ubuntu.

If one uses the CD from the Lotusphere backpack, Ubuntu is installed, and the Symphony suite (word processing, presentations, and spreadsheet) is also installed...along with an icon linking to LotusLive and a couple of icons to use to access documentation and instructional videos that are installed. You may want to make a few additional adjustments; the links below are from excellent documentation posted by others.

I suggest that you Install the Java Runtime Environment first. Then have a look at the Top 10 Things That You Need to Do After Installing Hardy Heron -- the suggestions in that posting seem to me to still be valid in the current 9.10 Karmic Koala version of Ubuntu.

Once any desired customizations are done from the above links, it's time to get Notes working (if you have access to a licensed Notes install file). As listed in a posting on developerWorks, you will want to add some needed fonts. Issue this command from a Terminal prompt:
  sudo apt-get install ttf-xfree86-nonfree
Next, add some needed library files. To do this, download this compressed file: http://linux-aha.de/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/notes_libs_karmic.tgz. The 4 files in that compressed archive file need to be extracted, set with proper permissions and with root ownership, and copied to the /opt/ibm/lotus/notes folder. To change the ownership, open a terminal window, navigate to the folder where the 4 files have been extracted, and for each file, execute the following command (in place of "<filename>" type or paste the name of the file - without the angle brackets):
  sudo chown root:root <filename>
To set the file permissions to the needed values, issue the following command for each of the 4 files:
  sudo chmod 755 <filename>
Then copy the 4 files to the /opt/ibm/lotus/notes folder.

Your mileage may vary, but these steps gave me a nice solid Ubuntu install, and allowed the Notes 8.5.1 client to run happily.

Linux Installfest at LS10!
Date: Thursday, 21 Jan
Time: 12:30pm - 1:30pm; right between GURUpalooza and Ask the Developers; you can bring your box lunch
Room: Dolphin 6111 -- Central Elevator bank

Do you have Linux running at home and have questions on installing Lotus products on your machine? Do you have questions on Linux or how to install the conference CD provided in your bag? Are you curious about Linux and have usage questions or concerns? Then come to the Installfest!

Joe Litton (Twitter: joelitton) and Bill Malchisky (Twitter: BillMalchisky) will host the first focused install festival (i.e. Installfest) at Lotusphere. We will specifically provide two types of assistance:

(1) Installing a new Linux desktop and the IBM Client for Smart Work, which includes Ubuntu 9.10 onto machines
(2) Installing Lotus Notes, Symphony, Sametime Connect, etc. for those attendees that have a Linux build already but would like some guidance

Note:
Red Hat has generously provided Live Discs for all attendees
Canonical has generously provided additional copies of Ubuntu 9.10 and the IBM Client for Smart Work

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday! Have a great Lotusphere conference.

What: Linux Installfest at Lotusphere (various flavors of linux)
When: Thursday (21Jan2010) 12:30pm
Where: Dolphin Hotel, Suite 6111

If you are interested in seeing linux running on a PC with Notes, or want to pick up some free media to use to install it, or try installing live, or might like to talk to someone about linux on the desktop or on the server ...then please come and join Bill Malchisky and me (Joe Litton) on Thursday. This is a completely unofficial happening. We're slotting this after GURUpalooza and before Ask the Developers, so this won't conflict with anything (except travel plans, if you're one of those folks who abandon Lotusphere before the last few hours of Lotusphere goodness have concluded!).

Bill is very experienced with Red Hat, Suse, Ubuntu and more and can discuss client and server implementations with great authority.

I am not nearly as knowledgeable as Bill, yet even I have installed and upgraded many versions of Ubuntu on my Dell netbook, Toshiba laptop, and Gateway desktop machines, beginning with version 6 several years ago (the latest is 9.10). I am walking, semi-talking proof that you do not need to be a linux guru to happily install and run linux as your operating system of choice.

So when you're done garnering those last gems from GURUpalooza, pop over to Dolphin Suite 6111 and check out what the free and open source linux world might offer you!

The 2010 edition of the Bloggers Annual Lotusphere Dinner (BALD) will again spontaneously erupt at Big River Grille & Brewing Works on the Disney Boardwalk, starting at 3:30pm. If you want to come but can't make it until 4pm or 5pm or 6pm or ....no worries. Just show up if you care to and when you care to and look for the geeks with beer. This is intended as a purely fun and social and informal gathering. You do not need to be a blogger. You do not need to be bald (but of couse, as any bald guy will tell you, bald is quite attractive. 'Course I didn't start saying that until I was bald.)

Suggestion: Please consider bringing cash if you can. If you and whoever else is at your table can consolidate and pay your ticket as cash and as a single ticket, that is MUCH easier on the servers. Each year we have more folks (somewhere around 100 last year), and if people are wanting to pay individually with a credit card, it causes a bit of stress for the staff (each credit card purchase must be authorized, and so it causes quite a delay when there are 10 or 20 credit cards needing to be authorized!) These folks work hard, so let's try to help them help us to have a good time. Remember, the quicker they can process the payments, the quicker they can bring refills :) ...As the evening comes on, folks typically then migrate over to the ESPN club just a bit down the Boardwalk for Turtle's party.

Looking forward to seeing everyone. Don't be shy, please just show up and join your fellow geeks. It's really a quite friendly bunch.