James Shriner - 2014-06-26

[About Pangaea]
Pronounced as "pan-JEE-uh", the name Pangaea is derived from Ancient Greek pan (πᾶν) meaning "entire", and Gaia (Γαῖα) meaning "Earth"; hence, Pangaea implies "entire earth." The name was coined during a 1927 symposium discussing Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift, in which the name Pangaea was given to the single "supercontinent" that was comprised of all modern day continents, before continental drift separated them into their current positions. (Footnote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangaea)

Accordingly, the main principle behind the Pangaea distro is the utilization of cross platform software that runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac desktop operating systems. Software such as Firefox, Thunderbird (with Google extensions for calendars, contacts, and task list), DropBox, NixNote2 (an Evernote client for Linux), LibreOffice, VLC, Banshee, Teamviewer, VirtualBox, etc... The second principle behind the Pangaea distro is the utilization of a low-resource desktop, thereby allowing for installation on older lower-resource computers. The third principle behind the Pangaea distro is the ability to "morph" the desktop paradigm to resemble whatever the user wants to see.

However, the default configuration of the Pangaea distro represents MY ideal of the perfect distro that provides everything I want in a distro and, IMO, provides most things to most users. Inspiration for the Pangaea distro was provided by several sources:

  • I am a supporter and a fan of the Ubuntu Unity desktop paradigm. It is "familiar", it makes sense to me, and I'm productive with it. However, ever since dropping support for the 2d "fallback option", Ubuntu Unity has become somewhat of a resource hog, requiring more powerful and modern computers for a satisfactory experience. This reminds me of the upward spiral of Windows hardware requirements. I wanted to find a lower-resource system that resembles the Ubuntu Unity desktop in appearance and function, but without the bloated "overhead" of Unity.

  • I am a fan of the LXLE distro, which proposes to utilize the lightest-resource desktop environment possible, thereby allowing the re-allocation of the "saved" CPU cycles from the desktop to the programs that run on it. I LOVE this philosophy! CPU cycles are meant to be used, so saving them for the sake of frugality is a dumb idea, IMO. Using the minimum possible amount of CPU cycles for your desktop environment, so that the maximum amount of CPU cycles can be utilized for your software programs, seems like the perfect philosophy to me! While LXLE does this better than any other distro I have experienced, unfortunately, I am not a big fan of LXLE's default software choices, although they suit LXLE's philosophy perfectly.

  • I have always been a fan of cross platform software programs. I believe that your choice of software should NOT be dictated by your operating system (OS); conversely, I believe that your choice of OS should NOT be dictated by your software choices. In a perfect world, all software would be available for all OS. Until then, I am a firm supporter of cross platform software that is available on all OS. Software such as Firefox, Thunderbird, DropBox, LibreOffice, TeamViewer, and VirtualBox are available on all OS platforms, and have similar feature sets and functions, regardless of OS.

[Pangaea desktop & software]
Given the underlying principles of Pangaea distro, and the sources of inspiration, I have utilized Lubuntu 14.04 LTS as the "base" for modification, with support for the underlying "core" of Ubuntu through 2019, and the Lubuntu components through 2017. The desktop environment has been heavily customized with panels, custom icons, and themes to resemble Ubuntu Unity, but with the low-resource usage of the Openbox window manager. In its default state, Pangaea hovers around 270MB of usage on my VM build, as well as an older dual core Atom-powered notebook that could never run Ubuntu Unity without a struggle, but powers Pangaea just fine! Pangaea nearly has two of everything...a set of programs that I prefer for cross platform productivity, and a lower-resource set of programs for lower powered machines. I prefer the Nautilus file manager for various features of productivity, although it has been modified to just act as a file manager, removing its ability to act as a desktop manager in native Gnome desktop environments; PCManFM file manager is still present as a lighter weight alternative that will suffice for most other users. Alternatively, inasmuch as Lubuntu doesn't have a "Dash" search function, a modified Slingscold launcher with a search bar in english is available, as well as a traditional menu button, resembling the Cardapio menu modification in Ubuntu Unity. Also, Lubuntu Control Center was added to mimic the Ubuntu Control Center. Inasmuch as Lubuntu doesn't have a "hot corner" feature like Unity, a hidden workspace switcher is revealed upon mouse over in the bottom right corner. Similarly, inasmuch as the Openbox panel of Lubuntu doesn't provide indicators of active applications, a hidden "active applications" panel is revealed upon mouse over on the right edge. Additionally, Compton window compositor is installed (although not active, by default) and can be enabled simply by removing a "#" comment from the autostart script. For visual aesthetics, as an aspiring beach bum, there are numerous beach-themed wallpapers included for the desktop background. Finally, as someone who prefers to see my network machines in different domain workgroups based on their operating system, the default domain configured in Samba is "Home", to easily distinguish my network linux machines from the default Windows domain "Workgroup". Again, perfect for me, but a potential source of frustration for a new and uninitiated user, although this is VERY EASY to change!

While the previously discussed cross platform software applications were installed as defaults, according to my own preferences, some older lower-resource machines may not be able to run these fully-featured software programs in a satisfactory manner. For these machines, the default Lubuntu software selections are still available, such as Sylpheed E-mail, AbiWord Processor, Gnumeric Spreadsheets, Audacious Music Player, Gnome Movie Player, SimpleScan, etc... For easy access from the left panael launcher, simply modify the left panel launcher to remove the shown defaults, and replace with the underlying lower-resource application. The default panel configuration has been backed up for easy restoration...hack away with no fear of corruption! Speaking of backups, LuckyBackup has been installed for ease of data backups. Additional software has been downloaded and is available as *.deb files in the directory Downloads>Linux DEB Files, such as VirtualBox, Teamviewer, & Skype. There is also a desktop "READ ME" file with instructions to download additional cross platform specialty software, if desired, such as: Draftsight CAD; Serviio DLNA server; Handbrake DVD ripper: etc...

I have been an Ubuntu fan, with the Ubuntu distro installed on all my machines. However, this is not a good choice for most users, especially those with lower-spec machines, and usually results in a less than ideal experience, with potential linux users turned off from that experience. For those users, I have typically recommended Lubuntu, LXLE, Zorin Lite, or another low-resource Ubuntu derivative, depending on what the combination of user & hardware prefers. However, this makes tech support provided by me a little more difficult, due to the inconsistencies between distros. Pangaea is my attempt to create a single, homogeneous, universal distro to be installed on all of MY machines, as well as the machines of family & friends who want to migrate to Linux, regardless of hardware abilities, regardless of software preferences. We will ALL be running Pangaea; it will run suitably on lower-spec machines, but will BLAZE on more capable machines. Where the machine allows, and the user prefers, my preferences of cross platform software are available and will be used; where the machines cannnot handle that software, or the user prefers a simpler program, the default Lubuntu software selections are available for use. For those who like the Unity appearance, it's turnkey and ready for your use; for those who prefer a simpler, more familiar, windows-like interface, Openbox is easily configured to accommodate those users.

[Try/Install Pangaea]
Although specifically modified for myself as the "perfect user" of this distro, Pangaea provides something for everyone on this "entire earth"! At least everyone who has a DVD reader/writer...Pangaea is a large 2.0GB ISO that will NOT fit on a CD, but must be burned to a DVD or a USB device. Also, this distro is 64-bit only. Pretty much all computers manufactured after 2005-2006 were 64-bit machines and should run Pangaea satisfactorily. If your machine is a 32-bit computer, I doubt your machine would run the software provided in a satisfactory manner; unfortunately, Pangaea is not for you. I am sorry, but Pangaea was created for MY interests and MY purposes, although I'm happy to share this creation with anyone who thinks they'd be interested in this distro. Unfortunately, I have no interest in creating a version of Pangaea for 32-bit machines that I have no use for, and are becoming increasingly rare. If you're still reading and you still want to give it a try, Ubuntu has very clear and precise instructions to create a Live medium for testing and installation. However, please note that every reference to "Ubuntu" should be replaced with the downloaded "Pangaea_14.04_amd64.iso" file!

If you're a Windows user considering a migration to Linux, download the Pangaea ISO, and follow Ubuntu's instructions for creation of a Live medium, simply substituting the downloaded "Pangaea ISO" for the referenced "Ubuntu ISO".

For instructions to create a LiveDVD, click here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/burn-a-dvd-on-windows
For instructions to create a LiveUSB, click here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows

If you're already a Linux user wanting to give Pangaea a try, you probably already know how to do this but, in the interest of thoroughness, here are the Ubuntu links for creation of Live media with Linux (remember to substitute the "Pangaea ISO" file for all references of "Ubuntu").

For instructions to create a LiveDVD, click here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/burn-a-dvd-on-ubuntu
For instructions to create a LiveUSB, click here: http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-ubuntu (Ubuntu recommends a 2GB+ stick; however, given the increased ISO file size of Pangaea, I'd recommend a 4GB+ stick!)

Finally, if you do not have a DVD device, and cannot boot from external USB device, your machine is likely older than circa 2005-2006 and is likely not 64-bit. If you do not have DVD or USB boot capabilities, and you are CERTAIN your machine is 64-bit, then PLoP bootloader is the last remaining option for a persistent adventurer. I have never had the occasion to use PLoP, but I have come across many references by many users in many forums, with instructions on using PLoP and feeback of its success. Due to the lack of my own experience with PLoP, I make no representations for the prospect of your success. But again, in the interest of thoroughness, the "How To" Geek website provides the most clear and concise instructions for using PLoP the way we intend here (ironically, the PLoP website instructions are quite convoluted, as PLoP can do much more than provide boot services for a stubborn and antiquated machine, FYI). Here is a link to the "How To" Geek website, with instructions on how to try/install Pangaea using the PLoP bootloader:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16822/boot-from-a-usb-drive-even-if-your-bios-wont-let-you/

I believe the try/installation methods provided above will allow pretty much everyone who is interested (and a few who could care less!) to give Pangaea a try. For those who are interested, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 

Last edit: James Shriner 2014-06-27