How To Install Minecraft On The HP Chromebook

Introduction

I have been reworking one of the more popular articles on the site which shows how to install Ubuntu and Minecraft on the HP Chromebook.

The aim was to streamline the guide to make the steps easier to follow, cutting out the details of the command line switches and to just provide the necessary commands to get Ubuntu and Minecraft up and running.

The new guide is in three parts:

• How to create a recovery drive for the HP Chromebook
• How to install Ubuntu on the HP Chromebook
• How to install Minecraft on the HP Chromebook (This guide)

Installing Minecraft

The steps required to run Minecraft in Ubuntu are much easier than before and there is not much that is special about installing Minecraft within Ubuntu on the Chromebook.

Make sure you are running Ubuntu and open a terminal by pressing the following key combination:

CTRL + ALT + T

In the command window enter the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:minecraft-installer-peeps/minecraft-installer

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install minecraft-installer

The process is fairly quick and takes about a minute at the most.

You should at this point be able to run Minecraft from the Dash within Ubuntu but I noticed that Minecraft didn't appear as an option straight away. I had to restart Ubuntu to get Minecraft to appear.

(Click here for a guide to the Unity Dash)

Unity Dash

Minecraft On HP Chromebook

Summary

As you can see installing Minecraft is much easier than it used to be.

If you have any questions feel free to use the comments section below.

Issues

Some people are reporting issues with the line:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:minecraft-installer-peeps/minecraft-installer

If you are receiving an error with add-apt-repository run the following command first

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common python-software-properties

The solution to this issue was taken from http://lifeonubuntu.com/ubuntu-missing-add-apt-repository-command/

21 comments

Posted at 23:57 |  by Gary Newell

How To Install Ubuntu On The HP Chromebook

Introduction

One of the most popular articles on this site shows how to install Ubuntu and Minecraft on the HP Chromebook.

Some people have found the guide difficult to follow and so I have decided to rework it and I also retested all the steps to make sure they work correctly.

This guide shows how to install Ubuntu with the Unity desktop on a HP Chromebook using Crouton. 

I have cut out any waffle and I have left out all of the other switches that you can use with Crouton so that this is a basic streamlined approach to installing Ubuntu and Unity.

Feel free to read the original guide if you would prefer to try out different desktop environments or Debian.

Create Recovery Media

Before you begin make sure that you have created recovery media in case everything goes wrong.

Click here for a guide to creating recovery media on for the HP Chromebook.

Switch To Developer Mode

Bookmark this page (CTRL + D) or send a link to your email as the next step will place your Chromebook into developer mode.

To enter developer mode press the following key combination:

Esc + Refresh + Power Button

(The refresh button is the 4th button from the left at the top and looks like a curly arrow).

Enter Recovery Mode On HP Chromebook

Don't panic when the screen above appears. This is part of the process. Simply enter the following key combination to enter developer mode:

CTRL + D

A message will appear stating that you are about to enter developer mode and that this voids your warranty. This is why you need to create a recovery drive first.

If you are happy to continue press the enter key.

Enter Developer Mode On HP Chromebook

The computer will now enter developer mode and it can take quite a while to do so. (Approximately 30 - 40 minutes).

When the process is complete you will see the following screen.

Developer Mode 

Every time you start your Chromebook using the power button the above screen will appear. 

NOTE: Always press CTRL + D to get past this screen.

NOTE ALSO: You will be required to set up your internet connection and enter your user details the first time you use the Chromebook in developer mode.

Download Crouton

To install Ubuntu on the HP Chromebook you will need to download a script called Crouton.

Click here to download Crouton.

Install Ubuntu Using Crouton

Open the Chrome browser and press the following key combination:

CTRL + ALT + T

Crosh Shell

A terminal window will open. 

Now enter the following command into the window to switch to a command shell:

shell

Command Shell

To install Ubuntu with the Unity desktop enter the following command:

sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -r trusty -t unity -e

I am not going to go into too much detail about the command.

Please read the original guide to installing Ubuntu on the HP Chromebook  to find out about all the switches.

All you really need to know is that the above command installs Ubuntu 14.04, which is the LTS version, with the Unity desktop.

How long this process takes depends on your internet connection speed. It took about 45 minutes on my Chromebook.

When the script is near the end you will be asked to enter the name of a user to be associated with Ubuntu and a password. This will be your login information for Ubuntu.

NOTE: To get back to Chrome after Ubuntu starts press CTRL + ALT + LEFT ARROW
(The left arrow is the one next to the ESC button at the top).

When the installation is complete you will be back at the command prompt. To start Ubuntu enter the following command:

sudo startunity

Setting Up Ubuntu

Ubuntu On The HP Chromebook

This is the section that really improves on the previous guide as it shows how to get Ubuntu to be just like the Ubuntu you would install on a normal laptop.

As you can see from the screenshot above, this is a barebones Ubuntu and Unity install. There are no applications installed.

To set up Ubuntu properly open up a terminal window by using the following key combination:

CTRL + ALT + T

A terminal window will open.

Now enter the following command into the window:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

Enter your password when asked to do so.

All of the files required for Ubuntu will now be downloaded, extracted and installed. Again this can take some time depending on your internet connection.

Restart Ubuntu to see the changes.

Starting Ubuntu On Subsequent Boots Of The Chromebook

Whenever you start the Chromebook from a powered off position you will find yourself at the following screen.

HP Chromebook In Developer Mode

Press CTRL + D to enter ChromeOS.

From ChromeOS open a Chrome browser window and press CTRL + ALT + T to open a terminal.

Enter shell into the terminal window to reach a command shell.

Finally type sudo startunity to start Ubuntu.

Important Key Commands

Press CTRL + ALT + LEFT to get back to ChromeOS from within Ubuntu.

Press CTRL + ALT + RIGHT followed by CTRL + ALT + REFRESH to switch back to Ubuntu from ChromeOS.

NOTE: The left arrow is the one next to the escape key on the top row of keys and the right arrow key is the one next to it.

Summary

Hopefully this guide will make it easier for people to install Ubuntu on the HP Chromebook.

As usual, feel free to use the comments section below if you need further guidance.

Installing Minecraft On The HP Chromebook

I have rewritten the part showing how to install Minecraft on the HP Chromebook as well.

27 comments

Posted at 23:24 |  by Gary Newell

Create Recovery Media For The HP Chromebook

Introduction

One of the most popular posts on this site shows how to install Ubuntu and Minecraft on an HP Chromebook.

Some people find that guide difficult to follow. I am therefore reworking the article and cutting out any waffle. 

The first part of this process is to show how to create the recovery media for the HP Chromebook which is what this article is all about.

What You Will Need

All you will need to create a recovery drive for the HP Chromebook is a blank USB drive and a fair bit of patience. The recovery drive only needs to be 4 gb in size but as you can see from the image to the left a 16 gb drive is only £5. You can also use an .

Create OS Recovery Media

To create a recovery partition open up the Chrome browser and type the following:

chrome://imageburner

Note: there is no http:// 

A "Create OS Recovery Media" screen will appear. Insert a blank USB drive or SD Card and press "OK" to continue.

Download Recovery Media

The image will begin to download. The amount of time this takes depends on your internet connection.

Extracting Recovery Media

When the image has finished downloading it will be extracted straight to the USB drive or SD Card.

Recovery Media Created

When the process is complete a success message will appear stating that your recovery media is ready.

Take your USB drive or SD card and put it somewhere very safe and leave it there until it is needed. (Which will hopefully be never).

Summary

This is a very short post but hopefully nice and succinct.

This guide should also work for the Acer Chromebook.

Further Reading

Click here for a guide showing how to install Ubuntu 14.04 on the HP Chromebook.

6 comments

Posted at 22:27 |  by Gary Newell

Do you need virus protection on a Chromebook?

Introduction

Earlier this week I was asked the question "Do I need virus protection for my Chromebook?" by a visitor to Everyday Linux User.

This isn't going to be the longest article I have ever written but it is something I have decided to write about as it might be a question that gets asked again and again in the future.

Do you need antivirus software on a Chromebook?

The simple answer is no.

The Chromebook is based on Linux but is implemented in such a way that it is very hard to install anything that would compromise your device.

Your Chromebook in the default state allows you to really only use web applications and therefore the applications you use are as safe as the site that they are stored on. Turn off your computer and turn it on again and it will work exactly as it did before.

If anything goes wrong with your Chromebook it is very easy to reset it to the default factory settings and continue where you left off.

This article would be very short if I left it there but I think there are a few more things to consider that you might like to think about.

What if you decided that you wanted to dual boot Ubuntu alongside ChromeOS? Now, because you have turned on developer mode and because you have a different operating system running, your Chromebook is now only as secure as the new operating system that you have introduced.

Ubuntu and other Linux distributions aren't known for contracting viruses but there has been the odd thing mentioned in the press. I have been using Linux for a long long time and I have never had a single nasty thing happen that is caused by malware, trojans or viruses. Quite frankly there is a lot of scaremongering in the news whenever anything happens on a UNIX or Linux device. 

What you do need to do though is think about how your actions can affect other users. Imagine you receive an email from somebody and it is the proverbial dancing cat style video that makes you laugh and you decide to forward on that email to your friends.

On your Chromebook the video file has either played perfectly well or it has failed due to an error caused by a hidden nasty. If it fails then it is unlikely that you will forward it on but if it plays then you may forward it on to your friends.

Imagine that your friends use an operating system that isn't very secure and is known for viruses. Your friends open the cat video and for them it downloads and installs something horrific like Cryptolocker. You are going to be about as popular as a flatulent car insurance singing opera singer in a lift.

Just because you can't catch viruses on your computer doesn't mean everyone is so lucky or as savvy as you. Of course in reality your friends should have their own anti-virus protection.

Another thing to consider is that just because viruses and malware are no longer issues doesn't mean you can lower your guard online.

Phishing emails are just as dangerous for Chromebook users as they are for any other computer user. If somebody asks for your bank details and you aren't sure about the site or source of the person asking for those details then politely tell them to go away.

In theory it is also possible that browser vulnerabilities exist whether you are running on a Chromebook or a Windows 8 computer. 

What I am trying to highlight from this post is that if you use a Chromebook you have given yourself a great chance to remain safe from viruses but it doesn't mean you should go gung-ho and believe that you are invincible online. 

Thankyou for reading.

21 comments

Posted at 07:00 |  by Gary Newell

Peppermint 4 - Turns a netbook into a Chromebook

Introduction

As you may or may not know, I have recently acquired a HP Chromebook and my first article about the Chromebook looked at whether it was possible to run another operating system alongside ChromeOS.

Today I am taking a look at Peppermint 4. Peppermint 4 is designed as a hybrid operating system aimed at cloud computing and also average ordinary everyday home use.

I last reviewed Peppermint Linux in August 2012 (Peppermint 3) and my overall impression then was positive. In this review I will review Peppermint Linux from scratch and I will also look at what has changed since version 3 to show how Peppermint has moved on.

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How to get Peppermint 4

A mistake that was pointed out to me in my last review of Peppermint was that I forgot to link to the download page or even to the Peppermint website. Today I am going to put that right.

Click here for the Peppermint website (peppermintos.com)

Half way down the Peppermint home page there are download links for the 32 bit and 64 bit versions. There are also links to purchase a USB drive or a CD.

If you download Peppermint Linux you can burn it to a DVD using your favourite disc burning tool. To create a bootable USB drive use UNetbootin.

Installation

I normally include details of the installation within the review but this time I decided to separate the installation into a separate article.

Installation is an easy 10 step process.

First Impressions

My first impression of Peppermint 4 is "ouch!!! what on earth is that wallpaper". 

By default Peppermint has a simple panel at the bottom with icons in the bottom right corner and a menu on the left.

The icons in the bottom right corner include workspace switchers, power settings, network settings, a volume control, a clock and an icon to turn off the computer.

Peppermint comes with a basic menu on the left with categories for accessories, games, graphics, internet, sound and video, system tools and preferences.

Peppermint 4 is based on Ubuntu 13.04 (a little behind now). It uses the LXDE desktop making it more in line with Lubuntu and to be honest the whole experience is like Lubuntu with an added twist, which I will come on to later. 

Customising the desktop

First things first lets change the wallpaper.

To change the wallpaper right click on the desktop and choose "desktop preferences".

Click on the wallpaper option and pick the image of your choice. The image below was taken from Google images.

You can go a lot further with customising the LXDE desktop. By adding a transparent effect, adding quick launch icons and making the icons a bit bigger the Peppermint desktop can be made to look a bit more like the ChromeOS desktop.

To add a quick launch bar to the panel, right click on the panel and select "Panel Applets". Click the "Add" button and choose "Application Launch Bar". Move it into position by pressing the up and down arrows.

To add applications to the launch bar right click on it and choose "Application Launch Bar Settings". Navigate to the application you wish to add on the right hand side and then click the "Add" button. Press "Up" and "Down" to move the icons around.

As mentioned before there is much more that can be done to make LXDE work the way you want it to. Click here to read my guide to customising the LXDE desktop.

Connecting to the internet

Connecting to the internet is as simple as clicking on the network icon in the system tray and choosing the appropriate network, whether that is a wired connection or a wireless network. You will have to enter a security key if one is required.

Flash

Despite not checking the install 3rd party tools during the installation, Flash seems to work straight away.

Playing Audio

One of the issues that I found with Peppermint 3 was that it wouldn't play MP3 files until I installed the GStreamer plugins. In Peppermint 4 this problem has been resolved and I am able to use the Guayadeque music player straight away.

Guayadeque hasn't got the most intuitive interface ever but it does give you access to lots of online radio stations and once you get used to the way music is imported into the library it is suitable enough for the job in hand. 

Applications

Peppermint comes with a minimal set of applications. 

As mentioned previously there is Guayadeque for playing audio files and the default browser is Chromium.

Other tools include a text editor, terminal application, file manager and screenshot tool. For watching videos there is Gnome MPlayer.

Installing Applications

If you want to use Peppermint like any other operating system and you need more applications then there is a link to the Software Manager from the main menu. 

You now have access to all the applications you could possibly need from the Ubuntu repositories. Either search for the application you need by entering keywords into the search box or browse each category.

ICE

Up until  now there isn't much in Peppermint that separates it from bog standard Lubuntu. The main feature of Peppermint is the ICE site specific browser.

The concept behind the ICE tool is to take a web application (for example Reddit) and to turn it into a desktop style application.

Taking Reddit as an example all you have to do is navigate to the Reddit website and copy the URL. 

Open up the ICE tool and paste the URL for Reddit into the first box and a name for the application in the second box. Choose which menu the item should fall under and then click "Download Icon" to assign an icon. Press "Create" to create the menu icon.

As you can see from the image above "Reddit" now appears under the "Internet" category.

You will also notice that I have created one for "Stick Cricket" as well. The following screenshot shows how a site specific browser appears.

The concept of a site specific browser to make applications look like desktop applications works quite well. I found that an advert blocking widget for Chromium improved the experience further.

Each item that is added to a menu by ICE can also be added to the quick launch bar. This means you can add GMAIL, Google Docs, Spotify and even Everyday Linux User as if they were standard applications.

Differences between Peppermint 3 and 4

Peppermint 4 is based on Ubuntu 13.04 and whilst it uses the LXDE desktop it also uses the XFWM4 window manager instead of the more traditional Openbox window manager.

Peppermint 3 is based fully on Lubuntu 12.04.

Peppermint 3 shipped with GWOffice but this seems to be missing from Peppermint 4. There are icons for accessing Google Calendar and Google Drive though.

There isn't much else that is noticeably different.

Summary

The title of this article says "Turns a netbook into a Chromebook". This may be stretching the capabilities of Peppermint a little bit. 

The Chromebook that I have is an excellent device. It is slick in all areas mixing excellent performance and a straight forward and easy to use experience.

Peppermint 4 performs well on my netbook as it utilises the lightweight LXDE desktop and the user experience is decent but not as quite as good as the Chromebook

It is possible to emulate the look and feel of a Chromebook with a few tweaks of the LXPanel including adding transparent effects on icons. Use the ICE tool to add web based applications to the quick launch bar.

Peppermint Linux has some benefits over ChromeOS in that you can install applications local to the machine and so you have the best of cloud computing and standard home use without having to turn on developer mode and run scripts.

Version 4 of Peppermint has one major issue though. It is based on Ubuntu 13.04. Ubuntu 13.04 is now out of support. This is a problem. Peppermint 3 is based on 12.04 which is the LTS release of Ubuntu and therefore will remain under support for a number of years.

Hopefully version 5 is just around the corner and will be based on Ubuntu 14.04 which is the next LTS release.

Thankyou for reading.

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Peppermint 5 is now available

Click here for a review of Peppermint 5.

6 comments

Posted at 21:31 |  by Gary Newell

Connect to the Raspberry PI from the HP Chromebook

Introduction

Today's tutorial will show you how to control your Raspberry PI from your HP Chromebook (and to be honest pretty much any other Chromebook).

What you will need

For this tutorial you will need a ).

You will also need a working internet connection on the Raspberry PI. (Read this guide which shows how to set up a wireless connection on the Raspberry PI).

Last but not least, you will need a Chromebook.

SSH

There is some preparatory work that needs to be done on the Raspberry PI to enable you to connect to it from the Chromebook.

On the Raspberry PI run raspi-config from a terminal window. If you don't normally run a graphical desktop you can run this straight from the terminal window. If you run from a graphical desktop open a terminal by clicking on the LXTerminal icon on the desktop.

Enter the following into the terminal window:

sudo raspi-config

A screen similar to the one above should appear.

The "SSH" menu item is now hidden in "Advanced Options" so scroll down to option 8 and press the return key on the keyboard.

You will now see the option for "SSH" as menu item A4. Select this option and press return.

When the "SSH" screen appears make sure that it is set to enabled.

A message will appear telling you that SSH is now enabled. Exit out of the raspi-config tool.

To be able to connect to the Raspberry PI from the Chromebook you will need to know its IP address. From within the terminal window type the following:

ifconfig

If you are connecting via ethernet cable the IP address will appear under eth0. If you are connecting via wireless the IP address appears under wlan0.

If you look at the image above you will see the IP address for my Raspberry PI shows as 192.168.1.108. If you reboot your Raspberry PI at any point that IP address may change so you cannot guarantee it is the same IP address every time.

I have a method to get around this which I will show you later.

SSH to the Raspberry PI from the Chromebook

You will need an SSH client on the Chromebook in order to connect to the Raspberry PI.

Open up the Chromebook store by clicking the applications launcher in the bottom left corner and then click on the "Store" icon.

 

When the store opens type "ssh" into the search box in the top left corner.

There are a number of tools available. I installed the one called "Secure Shell".

After installing the secure shell application open it by clicking on the application launcher. It usually appears straight away in the launcher but if it doesn't, try clicking on the tabs at the bottom until you find it.

To connect to the Raspberry PI enter the username you normally use to connect to the pi. (It is the box on the left, in the image above the user I use to connect is shown as pi).

In the second box enter the IP address for the Raspberry PI. Enter 22 as the port number.

Click on "Connect".

You may receive a message stating that the authenticity of the connection cannot be established. Enter "yes" to continue.

You will then be asked to enter the password for the account you wish to connect to.

Installing VNC Server on the Raspberry PI

You should now have a connection to the Raspberry PI from the Chromebook using SSH. This is great for doing command line stuff but if you want to do things in a graphical environment you will need a few more tools installed.

The first thing that needs to be installed is VNC Server.  Make sure you are connected using SSH.

Type the following to install the VNC Server:

sudo apt-get install tightvncserver

You will be asked if you are sure you want to continue. Press "Y" to continue.

The VNC Server will be installed.

At this point I would advise writing a script that you can run whenever you want to as typing the whole command that you need to run the VNC server is something you only really want to do once.

Type the following to open the nano editor:

sudo nano /etc/init.d/vncserver

Enter the following script into the editor:

#!/bin/sh -e
export USER="pi"
# parameters for tightvncserver
DISPLAY="1"
DEPTH="16"
GEOMETRY="1200x720"
NAME="VNCserver"
OPTIONS="-name ${NAME} -depth ${DEPTH} -geometry ${GEOMETRY} :${DISPLAY}"
. /lib/lsb/init-functions
case "$1" in
start)
log_action_begin_msg "Starting vncserver for user '${USER}' on localhost:{$DISPLAY}"
su ${USER} -c "/usr/bin/vncserver ${OPTIONS}"
;;
stop)
log_action_begin_msg "Stopping vncserver for user '${USER}' on localhost:{$DISPLAY}"
su ${USER} -c "/usr/bin/vncserver -kill :${DISPLAY}"
;;
restart)
$0 stop
$0 start
;;
esac
exit 0

Press CTRL and O to save the script and CTRL and X to exit nano.

I don't advise copying and pasting scripts into your computer without knowing what they are doing so I will do my best to explain.

The VNCServer takes a number of parameters. In the script above we use three of them. "DISPLAY" is used to determine which port number to use. VNCServer by default runs on port 5900. By setting display to 1 you are specifying that VNCServer will run on port 5901. The DEPTH variable specifies the colour depth. Finally the GEOMETRY option specifies the screen resolution to use.

By specifying these options early in the script it makes it easy to adjust them to suit your needs.

The OPTIONS line takes all of the parameters and appends them as input parameters for the VNCServer command.

There is now a case statement. The case statement will look at the argument provided when you run the script and will run the appropriate code dependent upon the argument you specified. For example if you type vncserver start the code after start) will run. If you run vncserver stop the code after stop) will run. I think you get the idea now.

When you specify the start option a message is sent to the terminal stating that the VNC server is starting. The user is then switched to the user account specified by the export USER command and the VNC Server is started with the options specified as that user.

The stop option kills the server. The restart option, stops and restarts the VNC Server.

In order to be able to run the script at all you need to make it executable. To do this type the following:

sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/vncserver

To make sure you haven't made any mistakes enter the following:

sudo /etc/init.d/vncserver start

If any errors appear then the script hasn't been entered correctly. Make sure the script matches the script above and try again.

It is likely that as this is your first time running VNC server that you will be asked to enter a password for connecting to the PI. You will also be asked if you want to create a readonly password. It is up to you if you want to do this.

VNC to the Raspberry PI from the Chromebook

To VNC onto the Raspberry PI you will need to install a VNC client onto the Chromebook. To do this click the application launcher and open the store.

When the store loads enter "vnc" into the search box in the top left corner. I installed the "VNC Viewer for Google Chrome" application.

To run the VNC Viewer open the application launcher and click on VNC Viewer. If it doesn't appear straight away click on the tabs at the bottom until it appears.

Enter the IP address for the Raspberry PI into the address field and click "Connect". For example enter 192.168.1.101:5901. 

You will receive a warning about security as VNC isn't the most secure way to connect two devices together.

Click "Connect" to continue.

You will be asked to enter the password required to connect to the VNC Server.

You should now be able to see a visual representation of your Raspberry PI. To get a full screen view click on the second icon from the right (looks like 4 arrows).

Running the VNC Server at startup

The VNC server is currently running but as soon as you shut down the Raspberry PI that is it. The next time you start the Raspberry PI you won't be able to VNC to it.

There are two things you can do. The first is to SSH onto the Raspberry PI and run the startup script again. The second is to set the VNC Server to start when the Raspberry PI starts.

My preferred method is to use SSH. Simply connect via SSH to the Raspberry PI and then enter the following command when you want to VNC onto the Raspberry PI:

sudo /etc/init.d/vncserver start

I think this is the best way as it only leaves VNC open for connection when you actually plan to use it as opposed to leaving it open all the time.

If however you want to always be able to connect via VNC you can run the following command into the terminal just once and the VNC server will start when the Raspberry PI starts:

sudo update-rc.d vncserver defaults

Get your IP address sent to your email account

As I mentioned earlier one of the problems you will encounter is that your Raspberry PI's IP address can and will change when you restart it.

You can use trial and error to find the Raspberry PI if you wish by trying 192.168.1.101 and then 192.168.1.102, 192.168.1.103 and so on until you get connected.

The next bit is entirely optional but will help you if you need your PI's IP address.

First things first you will need a piece of software called SSMTP installed. Connect to the Raspberry PI via SSH and enter the following:

sudo apt-get install ssmtp

The conf file needs to be edited to be able to set up the outgoing email settings. Type the following:

sudo nano /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf

Add the following lines to the end of the file:

root=postmaster 

mailhub=smtp.gmail.com:587

hostname=raspberrypiAuthUser=myemailaddressAuthPass=myemailpasswordUseSTARTTLS=YE

The mailhub line needs to be replaced with your outgoing smtp server. The bit that says myemailaddress needs to be replaced with your email address and myemailpassword needs to be replaced with the password from your email address.

Press CTRL + O and CTRL + X to save and exit the file.

Now you will need to edit the file /etc/ssmtp/revaliases. To do this type the following:

sudo nano /etc/ssmtp/revaliases

Add the following line somewhere within the file:

pi:pi@everydaylinuxuser.com:smtp.gmail.com:587

Replace the bit that says pi@everydaylinuxuser.com with a user and host name that you want emails to look like they come from. Replace the smtp.gmail.com:587 with the smtp details of your outgoing mail server.

Again save the file by pressing CTRL + O and CTRL + X.

Change the permissions on the ssmtp.conf file to enable emails to be sent:

sudo chmod 774 /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf

Now create a file called sendmyIP.sh by typing the following:

sudo nano /etc/profile.d/sendmyip.sh

Enter the following into the editor:

ifconfig | mail -s "Your PI IP " emailaddresstosendmailto.com

Replace the emailaddresstosendmailto.com to your email address.

Press CTRL + O and then CTRL + X to save and exit the file.

Change the permissions to enable the script to run by typing the following:

sudo chmod +x /etc/profile.d/sendmyip.sh

 

Now every time your PI starts it should send you an email with the internal IP address for the PI.

Another option is to set the IP address for the Raspberry PI as static. Follow this guide to find out how to set a static IP address.

Summary

You should now be able to connect to the Raspberry PI from your Chromebook. Feel free to adjust the geometry settings but they seem to work well enough on the HP Chromebook 14.

These instructions should work from any computer or device but you will need to have an SSH client and VNC client installed.

Thankyou for reading.

17 comments

Posted at 23:32 |  by Gary Newell

How to install Ubuntu and Minecraft on the HP Chromebook 14

Introduction

Google Chromebooks are becoming increasingly popular and this week I managed to get my hands on a HP Chromebook from Argos.

With a 14 inch HD display, 16 gigabytes of SSD storage, 4 gigabytes of RAM and an Intel Celeron dual core processor this really is a fantastic bit of kit.

The device oozes class and the Google Chrome operating system is just amazingly stylish, simple and quick.

Chrome OS is excellent and really takes Linux up a level. 

Everything about Chrome OS looks and feels incredibly professional. The boot up time is virtually instant, the performance of the applications is stunning and the look and feel is crisp and clean.

Setting up the Chromebook takes about 2 minutes. First of all you are asked to select your wireless network and enter the security key.

The second screen provides information about Chrome OS and the third screen asks you to log in with your Google credentials. 

The Chrome OS desktop is very simple and most users will be able to get to grips with it in no time as all.

In the bottom left corner is the "app launcher". (The icon that looks like the face of a Rubik's cube. What do you mean you don't know what a Rubik's cube is?).

Next to the "app launcher" are icons for the applications Google expects you to use most. From left to right these include:

1. Chrome web browser
2. GMail
3. Google Search
4. Google Docs
5. Youtube

In the bottom right corner are information icons and settings icons. From left to right the icons include:

1. Notifications
2. Clock
3. Updates
4. Wireless
5. Power Settings
6. User Account

Clicking anywhere in the bottom right corner brings up the settings screen.

From the settings screen you can change the wireless connection, enable Bluetooth, adjust the volume, edit settings and if there are updates you can restart the Chromebook to install the updates. You can also sign out of Google.

From the settings page you can choose to set the wallpaper, change themes, adjust the touchpad and choose the search engine.

Clicking on the "App Launcher" brings up a list of applications currently installed. There are basically two tabs worth of applications installed by default.

What you should notice is that all the applications listed are web applications and if you click them they open in the browser.

Everything on a Chromebook is geared towards the internet or to use a buzz term, "The Cloud". There are very few applications that work locally. You can edit documents using Google Docs whilst offline.

If you access the "store" you will find a large list of applications to install such as Spotify. Anything you install however will be another web application that will open in a browser.

Generally speaking the Chromebook is great for people who spend a lot of time on the internet. If you use your computer mainly for Facebook, Twitter, editing the odd document or writing a blog then the Chromebook is truly the device for you.

No more Antivirus software, no more 10 minute boot times, no huge updates that are forced upon you.

So now that I have sold the Chromebook to you what is the point of this article? Why bother installing Ubuntu?

There are just some things in life that can't be done on the web (or not easily anyway). Editing videos, creating fancy graphics and playing Minecraft are just a few instances. 

This guide shows you how to install Ubuntu in the Everyday Linux User way, which is to use the simplest method available.

I don't believe in compiling Kernels to get a trackpad working. That is something I have no interest in doing. I don't want to partition the SSD if it isn't required. 

Without further ado let's get going.

New Guides Now Available

If all you want to do is install the latest LTS version of Ubuntu then there are three new guides to help you.

1. How to create recovery media for the HP Chromebook
2. How to install Ubuntu on the HP Chromebook
3. How to install Minecraft on the HP Chromebook

The difference between the new guides and this one is that they just show you the steps required to backup Chrome, install Ubuntu and install Minecraft. There are no explanation to the switches used on the command line.

The point of those articles is to get you to an installed version of Ubuntu as quickly as possible without confusing you with different options.

The new guides also show some new techniques not explained in this article.

For instance the Ubuntu installation guide shows how to install the Ubuntu Desktop package to get all the features you would expect and the Minecraft guide shows a new and easier method for installing Minecraft.

Create recovery media

One more great thing that I have noticed about the HP Chromebook is that it is fairly difficult to break. In the guide showing how to dual boot Windows 8 and Ubuntu I made it very clear that the first step was to back up Windows and create recovery media.

With Windows 8 it is very hard to obtain recovery media if you haven't created it yourself and it will probably cost you money.

Fortunately Google aren't quite so evil and they make it very easy to create recovery media even if you haven't done it before destroying your machine. You would however need to get the recovery media by using another computer and if you don't have another computer that is a big deal.

I am assuming that if you are about to dual boot your Chromebook with Ubuntu that you haven't got another machine available to you. If you do have another machine available I would recommend leaving the Chromebook as a Chromebook with just plain old Chrome OS and install Ubuntu on the other machine.

I would still recommend creating recovery media before you start this process because it is not possible to do so on the Chromebook after you have installed Ubuntu because there is not enough residual space available to store the image and create the recovery drive. 

Trust me, do it now. All you need is a blank 4 gigabyte USB drive and a bit of patience.

To create a recovery partition open up the Chrome browser and type the following into the address bar:-

chrome://imageburner

Note that there is no http. Copy the above text as it is and paste it into the address bar of Chrome.

When you see the above screen insert the USB drive or if you prefer an SD card. The USB slots are on the left of the Chromebook and the SD card on the right towards the back of the machine.

As soon as you enter an SD card or USB drive an "OK" button should appear to start creating the recovery image.

Click "OK" to continue.

The image will begin to download (and if you have a rubbish internet connection like me it can take an hour. At this point I decided it would be a good idea to spend time with the family. My 12 year old son took a beating at FIFA 14 on the XBOX 360). 

When the image has finished downloading it will be extracted and then copied to the SD card or USB drive.

The recovery image is currently 1.4 gigabytes in size. This is largely the reason you should create the recovery media as soon as possible. As you fill up your SSD there will be less and less space available for that image to be extracted to before it is copied to the recovery media.

When the process has finished you should see a success message as shown above. You can now remove the USB drive from the system. Put it somewhere safe and leave it there until you need it (which will hopefully be never).

Installing Ubuntu on the HP Chromebook

There are currently two methods used to install Ubuntu on a Chromebook. 

One method does the traditional partitioning of the main drive (SSD) and then gets you to boot from a USB drive and install into the blank partition. 

The other method is to use a script called Crouton which creates a chroot system within the base ChromeOS system. 

The method I am going to show you is the Crouton method as I believe this is the preferred option for the Everyday Linux User.

The reason I think Crouton is the best method is that it is possible to easily switch between ChromeOS and Ubuntu with a simple key combination. In addition, the resources required to use the Chromebook will be made available to Ubuntu. The touchpad, audio settings and internet connection are all available without having any further setup.

Trying to install Ubuntu using the first method (known as Chrubuntu) will require several extra scripts and hacks to be performed to get the trackpad working. 

The process of installing Ubuntu

There are several steps that are required to install Ubuntu using the Crouton method.

1. Switch to developer mode

2. Download Crouton

3. Run Crouton to install Ubuntu

4. Install extra packages

Warning: This process will clear all the current settings on your Chromebook. If you have downloaded anything into the downloads folder, copy it off now.

Switching to developer mode

Before switching to developer mode bookmark this page in your browser as you will need to get back to this page to continue with the guide. (Press CTRL and D to bookmark the page).

If you have access to another computer or a tablet to continue viewing this page then it would be beneficial as the next steps will take you offline for a short period of time. Alternatively print this section out.

To enter developer mode use the following ninja key combination:

ESC + REFRESH + POWER BUTTON.

(The escape button is in the top left corner, the refresh button is the 4th key on the top row and looks like a curly arrow. The power button is in the top right corner).

The screen that appears looks a little bit scary.

Press CTRL and D on the keyboard now and you will be warned that you are about to enter developer mode and that all warranties are void if you continue.

Press Enter to continue.

Your computer will now start to go into developer mode. Just let it do its thing. It takes between 15 and 20 minutes.

When the process has finished you will see the following screen:

From now on whenever you see this screen press CTRL and D. This boots your Chromebook into developer mode.

When the Chromebook boots up you will be back at the point where you have to set up the internet connection and enter your Google user details.

Download Crouton

This step is much less stressful than the previous step. All you have to do is click this link to download Crouton.

Running Crouton

I am afraid that there is some command line stuff required to install Ubuntu on the Chromebook. 

Do not worry too much. It isn't that tricky and it is fairly painless.

The first thing to do is open a terminal window by pressing the following key combination:

CTRL + ALT + T

Notice how the terminal window opens as a browser window. To get to a command shell type the following:

shell

By default the Crouton script installs Ubuntu 12.04 which is the current long term support release. It also defaults to the Unity desktop.

There are other options available. For instance the Linux distribution can be any one of the following:

• Debian (woody, sarge, etch, lenny, squeeze, wheezy, jessie, sid)
• Kali
• Ubuntu (warty, hoary, breezy, dapper, edgy, feisty, gutsy, hardy, intrepid, jaunty, karmic, lucid, maverick, natty, oneiric, precise, quantal, raring, saucy, trusty).

For support purposes only Debian wheezy, jessie and sid are supported and for Ubuntu only precise, quantal, raring and saucy are supported.

For those of you unaware of how the names match the versions here is a little guide:

• Trusty = 14.04
• Saucy = 13.10
• Raring = 13.04
• Quantal = 12.10
• Precise = 12.04 (LTS)

Really the only ones you should be considering are Precise (if you prefer long term support), Saucy as it is the latest release and Trusty (if you want to try 14.04 out).

As well as being able to determine the distribution you wish to install you can also decide on the desktop that you want to install.

The options are as follows:

• Cinnamon
• e17
• gnome
• kde
• lxde
• unity
• xfce 

There are loads of options available for Crouton and if you wish to see them all type the following into the terminal window:

sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton --help

The two flags that we are most interested in are -r and -t. The -r flag lets you choose the release (distribution to install). The -t flag lets you choose what is installed to the target system.

To install Ubuntu Saucy with the Cinnamon desktop you would type the following:

sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -r saucy -t cinnamon

If you fail to specify the -r flag then the default distribution will be installed and that is Precise. (Ubuntu 12.04). 

If you fail to specify the -t flag then the Unity desktop will be installed.

Incidentally the -e flag encrypts the system to make it a little bit more secure.

As well as the desktop choice there are other targets that can be installed with the -t flag as follows:

• audio (for audio playback)
• chrome (installs the Chrome browser in the installed system)
• chromium (installs the chromium browser)
• cli-extra (includes tools such as ssh)
• core (performs core system configuration)
• extension (enables clipboard sharing with ChromeOS)
• gtk-extra (includes gksu, gdebi and a simple browser)
• keyboard (adds keyboard support for Chromebook's special keys)
• touch (provides touch screen support, not much use on the HP Chromebook)
• xbmc (installs xbmc media player)

Imagine that you wanted to install Debian Wheezy with the Gnome desktop and include Chromium and audio playback support. You would need to type the following:

sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -r wheezy -t gnome,gtk-extra,core,chromium,audio -e

In this guide I am just going to show you how to install Ubuntu with the Unity desktop and you can do that easily by just typing the following:

sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -r saucy -t unity -e

By choosing saucy you will get the latest Ubuntu release (13.10). 

If you want to install the 12.04 LTS release you could instead type the following:

sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -t unity -e

Now is a good time to go and spend time with the family, beat them at FIFA 14 on the XBOX and if necessary take a comfort break. The process takes around 30 minutes.

When the script is near the end you will be asked to create a user. Enter the name of a user and then enter a password.

Before you do this note that to get back to Chrome OS you will need to press the following keystroke:

CTRL + ALT + LEFT ARROW

Ubuntu will now be loaded.

Install extra packages

The version of Ubuntu that is installed isn't the same as the version of Ubuntu that is installed from the ISO from the Ubuntu website.

You will have a very bare bones system with just the minimum of applications.

First things first. If you click on the files icon on the launch bar you will see that there is a downloads folder under your username. This is the same downloads folder that is used by ChromeOS. You can therefore share files easily between ChromeOS and Ubuntu by placing files in the downloads folder.

So what applications do you need? In theory that is entirely up to you. I don't recommend installing another browser.

You can switch to ChromeOS at any time by pressing CTRL + ALT and the LEFT arrow next to the escape button. You can switch back to Ubuntu by pressing CTRL + ALT and the RIGHT button and then CTRL + ALT and REFRESH (the curly arrow next to the right arrow).

I don't think you need to install another browser. Getting to the Chrome browser in ChromeOS is just a key combination away. If you need to download files from the internet use the Chrome browser and download files to the Downloads folder which can easily be accessed using Ubuntu.

Installing Synaptic

The first program that I recommend is Synaptic. This gives you a graphical application installer.

To install Synaptic switch to Ubuntu by pressing CTRL + ALT + RIGHT and then CTRL + ALT + REFRESH. 

When you are in Ubuntu click on the button in the top left corner of the launcher and when the Dash appears start typing "TERM".

When the terminal window opens type the following to install Synaptic:

sudo apt-get install synaptic

To run Synaptic, type the following in the terminal window:

sudo synaptic

Synaptic is fairly easy to use and provides a good visual representation of the software repositories. To find a piece of software click on the search button and start typing either the name or the type of software you require.

When you have found the software you require click on the checkbox next to the software title. This marks the software for installation.

To install the software click "Apply".

Ubuntu Software Centre

If you have used Ubuntu before then you will probably be more familiar with the Ubuntu Software Centre. This isn't installed by default.

To install the software centre open Synaptic and search for "Software Center". 

You will need to scroll down to find the software centre. Check the box next to "Software Center". Note that this will mark other dependant applications as well.

Click on "Apply" to install the "Software Centre".

To run the "Software Centre" press the icon in the top left corner of the launcher and when the Dash appears start typing "term". Open a terminal window and type the following:

gksu software-center

Now that you have Synaptic and the Software Centre installed you can now install any other application you desire.

Minecraft

Now you might wonder why I am making a specific point about Minecraft. My son is a huge Minecraft fan. The thought occurs that if you want to install Ubuntu on a Chromebook then you probably haven't got access to another computer.

If you have access to another computer then I would leave the Chromebook to be a Chromebook.

If you don't have access to another computer then it may be that you received the Chromebook as a gift or you are a young person who received it from your parents to do school work on. All your friends are playing Minecraft on their laptops and you want to play Minecraft as well.

I have already written a guide showing how to install Minecraft within Ubuntu. The process is ever so slightly different on the Chromebook so I will show you the steps here.

There are three basic steps for installing Minecraft.

1. Install OpenJDK 

2. Download the launcher

3. Run the launcher.

Install OpenJDK

Open up the Ubuntu Software Centre. (Open a terminal and type sudo software-center)

Search for OpenJDK.

Click on "OpenJDK Java 7 Runtime" and then click "Install".

Download the Minecraft Launcher

Using the Chrome browser within ChromeOS click on this link to download the Minecraft Launcher.

Scroll down to the Minecraft for Linux / Other and click on the Minecraft.jar link. The file will be downloaded to your downloads folder which is accessible by ChromeOS and Ubuntu.

Switch back to Ubuntu (CTRL + ALT + RIGHT ARROW and CTRL + ALT + REFRESH).

Open up the file manager (2nd icon on the launcher). Navigate to the download folder and find the Minecraft.jar file.

Right click on the file and choose properties. Click on the "Permissions" tab.

Check the "Allow executing file as program" box. Click "Close".

To run Minecraft double click on the Minecraft.jar file.

Additional Information

It is possible to make your Chromebook boot from USB drive. To do this open up a terminal within ChromeOS. (CTRL + ALT +T)

Enter the shell by typing shell

Now enter the following:

sudo crossystem dev_boot_usb=1 dev_legacy_boot=1

You will now be able to boot other live Linux operating systems. This actually works very well when using something like SLAX. You can also boot using the Android x86 live image.

To boot from a USB drive when you first boot instead of pressing CTRL and D to enter developer mode press CTRL and L.

Note though that trying to run an installed version of Android on a USB drive provides many problems. The live version works well but doesn't store any changes.

Summary

The experience you get from the installed Ubuntu isn't as good as the experience of Ubuntu on a normal computer. There are many challenges. 

For instance, the software centre for Saucy only seems to run when you start it as sudo. Virtual box requires an upgrade to the kernel which involves a lot of extra steps.

Personally my recommendation is as follows. If you have another computer available to you then install Linux on that computer and leave the Chromebook to run ChromeOS.

ChromeOS is perfect for what it is created for and the HP Chromebook is perfect for running ChromeOS. Everything else feels like a hack.

Thankyou for reading.

Now switch to Ubuntu by clicking CTRL + ALT + RIGHT and then CTRL + ALT + REFRESH.

Open up the file manager and navigate to the download folder. Right click on the downloaded VirtualBox package and open with GDEBI package installer.

The above window will appear. Click "Install Package".

144 comments

Posted at 20:30 |  by Gary Newell