Ubuntu fan-control sudo/root breakthrough
I couldn't run my Gateway Solo 1450 fan-quieting cron job in Ubuntu because I kept getting a "permission denied" message from the bash shell when I tried the following:
$ sudo echo 3 > /proc/acpi/fan/FAN0/state
(which should turn the fan off; I run the line after su to root in other distros).
But a little Googling about sudo and root in Ubuntu gave me the answer:
$ sudo -i
That gives you a # prompt, and the line works!
Now I can run versions of Ubuntu that don't automatically manage the Gateway's fan (6.06, 7.10).