Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Gigastrand 2.1 Out Soon - Build it now!

Gigastrand OS 2.1 will be released soon and it fixes a few minor issues with Virtual Box, Kompozer, Angry IP scanner, and Apper.

You can actually build this bugfix into your current installation of Gigastrand 2.0. Here's how.

1. Fix the sources.list
The original 2.0 sources.list has a few lines in it that are not accurate anymore. 

  • Go to /etc/apt and right-click on sources.list. 
  • From the menu select Root Actions>Open as Text. 
  • Delete everything
  • Replace it with the text below and save

# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 7.1.0 _Wheezy_ - Official Multi-architecture amd64/i386 NETINST #1 20130615-23:44]/ wheezy main 
# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 7.1.0 _Wheezy_ - Official Multi-architecture amd64/i386 NETINST #1 20130615-23:44]/ wheezy main 

deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main 
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main 

deb http://http.debian.net/debian/ wheezy main contrib non-free 
deb-src http://http.debian.net/debian/ wheezy main contrib non-free 

deb http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main 
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main 

deb http://http.debian.net/debian/ wheezy-backports main 
deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/ wheezy contrib 

# wheezy-updates, previously known as 'volatile'
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy-updates main 
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy-updates main 

2. Run an apt update
Once you change the sources.list, you will need to open a terminal and enter the command

apt-get update

3. Download and install some things
In Apper:

  • linux-headers-3.16.0-0.bpo.4-686-pae
  • Virtual Box 4.3
  • Uninstall Kompozer

Install from the Gigastrand OS Support Repository:


4. Setup Virtual Box
Run the following command in terminal

sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup

And that's it. You now have Gigastrand OS 2.1.

Alternatively, you could wait for the release which will be out in .iso format in a few days from here:

http://www.gigastrandos.com/download.htm

MR GB

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Gigastrand's New Store

Gigastrand is working to make improvements to the website. Starting with a new storefront powered by Square. Our Shopify storefront was very nice, but it cost quite a bit to maintain. The new store is pretty basic, but works for the few items that we sell online.

More improvements are on the way.


Order Online

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Why this blog has been silent for the last few months.

So, some have noticed that this blog has been silent for the last few months. We haven't gone away, but we have been busier than ever.

Personally, I have been busy meeting all kinds of new people and promoting Gigastrand OS. As a company, we have been involved in several large projects that have taken a lot of my time to oversee.

Over the next few weeks, we hope to wrap up some of these projects so we can get back to business as usual.

When we get back, we will be making some announcements. So stay tuned.

MR GB

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Gigastrand Wants to Give You a Computer...REALLY!



Gigastrand wants to give you a computer for FREE.

You read that right, Gigastrand wants to give you a refurbished PC pre-loaded with the Gigastrand OS 2.0. It includes a DVD drive, wireless keyboard and mouse, and other specifications selected at random.

This also includes 2 hours of Gigastrand Support to help you get it set up and answer any questions you may have as well as a 1 year hardware warranty.

What do you have to do?
1. Contact Gigastrand International via our contact form expressing that you are interested. (No phone calls for this as you might not be processed.)
2. Fill out the form. A link will be sent to you via e-mail.
3. You will be directed to a site where a $48 processing fee will be assessed to help defray the costs of the program. If a PC is not available, we will add you to a waiting list and you will not have to pay anything until one is available.
4. You can keep the PC as long as you run Gigastrand OS exclusively on it. You are allowed to run other OSes in Virtual box if necessary but the main OS should stay Gigastrand.
5. After 6 months you may opt out of the program by simply sending us an e-mail. The computer is yours to keep and do with as you wish from that point on.
6. Other details will be laid out in the form. 

We cannot guarantee the type, speed, brand or any other specification except the computer will be able to run the Gigastrand OS. 

Interested?

Contact us and we will get you started right away!

MR GB





PC or PoC: Server Update

So...

I recently realized that the operating system on my server was an updated version of Gigastrand OS Alpha .04.                

Now that we have released 2.0 (almost a year and a half after Alpha .04), I figured it was about time to upgrade. If I didn't I might lose my geek cred.

Nothing hardware-wise will change. just the OS. I anticipate an uneventful migration.

MR GB



Monday, June 23, 2014

Gigastrand OS Release Dates Revised


Gigastrand OS is releasing a final bug-fix for 1.0 this week. Gigastrand OS 1.2 will remove Google Chrome and Chromium while adding auto-update capabilities to Firefox and Thunderbird. Some minor cosmetic changes and updates will also be a part of the package.

Gigastrand OS 2.0 is an upgrade to version 1.0. It uses a newer Debian base, Linux kernel, and KDE version. This version may not be compatible with some older systems, but has a fully-functioning version of Google Chrome, Choqok (for Twitter), and many other additions.

A previous blog post put the release for Gigastrand OS 2.0 as 07/01/2014. With the addition of the release of OS 1.2, Gigastrand has revised the release dates for Gigastrand OS as follows:

Gigastrand OS 1.2 retail boxes are shipping 06/25/2014
Gigastrand OS 2.0 pre-orders will ship this week. Estimated ship date: 06/25/2014
Gigastrand OS 1.2 ISO download will be available 07/01/2014
Gigastrand OS 2.0 ISO download will be available 07/14/2014

Gigastrand will continue to provide support for 1.0 users for the foreseeable future. Gigastrand OS 1.x has the ability to run on much older hardware than newer versions so it will continue to be supported for users of older PCs.

MR GB


Thursday, June 19, 2014

Gigastrand OS: 2.0 Release date announced.


Gigastrand OS 2.0 will be released July 1st.

The development of this Debian 7 / KDE based OS is being fast-tracked for release July 1st. Much of the testing and development has been done during the development of Gigastrand 1.0 allowing this development cycle to be shortened.

Gigastrand will continue to support 1.0 users for the foreseeable future and will continue to be available for download on the Gigastrand OS site. Once 2.0 is released, 1.0 will no longer be available from the Gigastrand Store (gigastrand.biz).

Gigastrand is also discontinuing the single-disc versions of the Gigastrand OS and will only offer retail boxes in 2.0. Downloads of 2.0 and bootable USB drives will still be offered.

MR GB