santsevak

I will take a shot at this. The main question should be what is the difference between Ubunto or Kubuntu and Windows. Ubunut and Kubuntu are basically the same. They both have Linux underneath. But the window manager and desktop environment (what you see when you log in to your account: the windows, the menus, the panels, etc.) are different. You could install either Ubuntu or Kubuntu, the only difference will be in the look and feel of the desktop. Installation process should be similar in both cases. Ubuntu uses Gnome as the default desktop and Kubuntu uses KDE, the two most popular featureful desktop environments in the Linux world (there are many others though). Lastly, no matter what one installs, Ubunut or Kubuntu, it is very easy to install the other desktop env. afterwords (install Ubuntu first and then add KDE to it, or install Kubuntu first and then add Gnome to it). Now, difference between Ubuntu and Windows. They are different fundamentally, they are different operating sytems. If a computer machine already has Windows on it, that is why one would need to find a separate parition on the hard disk to install Ubuntu on. Some tips: - On a desktop, easiest method is to add a new hard disk (or empty an older one) and install Ubuntu on that. - If there is only one disk (laptop or desktop), one needs to create a partition to install Ubuntu on. For the latter choice above, the Ubuntu installee will help you do it during the initial installation steps -- you do not need to do anything special before hand other than save all important data in case something goes wrong (not that it will, but precaution is better than cure). Installation itself is quite easy, no where as difficult as a Windows installation. In fact, once you are past the stage where you choose the installation disk or partition, rest is all just a few clicks away.

That is one way to explain it while keeping in mind that this is no justification to condone the practice. I have a related theory mainly founded on some other observations I have made -- now that I have started to think critically about almost anything that goes on in the gurdwaras. I have noticed that more often than not, the elders here take a dim view of whatever practices occur in India, sometimes I think they take them as uncivilized. Examples: - They don't think it is necessary to keep your head covered (for women) except in the divaan hall in a gurdwara - They think it is okay to wear footwear in the langar hall. - That the sangat in India has the convenience of hiring servants to prepare the langar (this is a gros misconception too). - They think all Indian gurdwaras are corrupt, while I know for a fact that they are no different than any in the world in this respect! Not sure about in India, but I know that here in the west there have been many cases of gross moral and illegal acts within gurdwara (don't want to go there). I can make these comparison because I have been to India a few times in the past some years and have seen things myself. Given these observations and their behaviour and the way they argue, it appears to me that they have some sort of a dislike of practices followed in India. Their usual argument is "we need to progress with time and circumstances." I am not sure what to make of this. I fail to see how wearing shoes and sandals in langar hall (building is centerally airconditioned and there is no cold floor problem) and not covering one's head is a sign of progress. Lastly, even if one were to ignore their attidue, the problem is the young ones see their example and there is no stopping this trend in the future --- corollary: trying to teach the younger ones is fruitless in this scenario.

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ I just wanted to let everyone know that I have tried out Ubuntu Linux in Punjabi language mode and it looked really neat! It turns out that Punjabi GUI is supported out of the box in Ubuntu (and all other distros based on Linux I believe) -- and it is all free. In contrast, I think one needs to buy the Punjabi GUI version of Windows and AFAIK Mac does not come with a Punjabi version. I know that all three operating systems can display and input Gurmukhi in Unicode, but only Linux comes with a GUI in Punjabi. ਧੰਨਵਾਦ ਸਹਿਤ।

I was wondering how this is going? Anybody tried it out yet? I am specifically interested to know if somebody has tried this on Linux (Ubuntu preferably) and was able to use with an overhead projector. Thanks.

The problem is that elders are doing this! These are the people who have been in that gurdwara for the past few decades (I am afraid some of them think the gurdwara is their own personal club or some such thing). When elders like these create examples of bad practice, it becomes extremely difficult to teach the correct way to the little kids. And thus this is a problem that can have long lasting consequences -- bad ones! When I do seva in the langar hall or in the divaan hall and am giving parshad or langar, if a little kid or a person apparently new to the gurdwara extends a single hand, I just politely and clearly say "ਦੋਵੇਂ ਹੱਥ ਜੋਡ਼ ਕੇ ਲਵੋ ਜੀ" or "ਹੱਥ ਜੋਡ਼ੋ ਜੀ" or "please use both hands". I do this with elders also, but the elders are the ones who are the toughest to change, in fact, some look at you as if you have insulted them in some way.

ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ I have a query about langar etiquettes. When sevadars are going around the langar hall asking if anyone requires an additional serving, I have noticed that some people receive the parshada (chapati) with a single hand while chatting away with their neighbors. Incidently this is more common with the sangat who are having their langar on chairs and tables (even though they are not physically challanged in any way) --- sometimes I have a feeeling they are treating the langar as a meal in a restaurant and the sevadars as waiters. To be fair though, most of the sangat is respectful and is concious that they are having langar. But if my understanding is correct, langar is equivalent to the parshad we receive in the main hall in terms of its importance. So aren't we supposed to receive langar with the same respect we receive parshad with? I always receive and additional parshadas with both hands. Am I correct in understanding the practice I have mentioned earlier by some sangat is to be discourage and, hopefully, corrected? Warm regards.