Ubuntu!

[Tristan]

I just moved cold turkey from Windows XP to Ubuntu. So far it's been fantastic, I can't
believe how intuitive and easy to use this is!

For a long time I was in the same boat as most Windows users. I was intimidated thinking that Linux was the same as in the days of "Redhat" when there was no graphic installers for programs and everything had to be done by command prompt, like the days of DOS. That was mistake #1. The Add/Remove programs in Ubuntu is far superior to windows.

The other factor for me was my aging hardware. My current laptop is a Dell XPS 9300 that I bought three years ago. It has a decent CPU, 2 gigs of RAM and 256 MB video.

On Windows, every 6-12 months I had to wipe everything away and start over again. My machine would just get slower and slower. I just got tired of doing this.

Yesterday I backed everything up on my external hard drive and wiped the slate clean with the latest version of Ubuntu.

I'm so impressed so far. This OS comes with almost everything I use anyway; Firefox, Open Office and a huge range of graphics/sound editing (Audacity, Gimp, etc.). The only thing I needed to install was Thunderbird and Skype. Doing this was so easy, just clicking on the menu, Add/Remove programs, and you can type in any application you want to download, click the checkbox and it downloads/installs automatically.

For quite some time my ultimate goal was to free myself of Microsoft programs all-together. I was thinking for years, some day, Linux will be user friendly and easy to use enough where I won't need Windows at all. I am 99% sure that day for me has arrived!

The only challenge I've had so far is to figure out how to read/write from my Maxtor External hard drive. It was actually not too hard. I just had to download NTFS-3 for Linux and boom, I was back in action.

Now I just have to figure out how to import my thunderbird e-mail :)

If anyone else here is running Ubuntu (Chip, Frank, where you guys at?) I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences!:)

[AriesOpusX]

I've been considering this to give the old desktop that hasn't been used in months a boost in speed, glad to hear it worked out for you.

[Tenor CS]

I have an ubuntu linux box that I use as a secondary backup for digital photos and as a burn box for when I need to copy a bunch of cd's. I love it. Never had any problems with linux stability. The one time my linux box died was because the actual HDD failed. At least it was under warranty and backed up.

[AD720]

I ran Ubuntu on an older Dell laptop for a while as my man-cave computer until it was replaced by a Mac Mini. It is a great OS but I always had problems with drivers for the wireless card. Not really a Linux issue but a PITA none the less.

The Dell ran much faster and smoother with Ubuntu than XP.

[Tristan]

It is a great OS but I always had problems with drivers for the wireless card. Not really a Linux issue but a PITA none the less.

This was one of my main concerns as well. I've always been under the impression that driver support was the biggest problem of Linux based OS's. So far, everything has been smooth.

I'm still wondering what the best way to manage multiple wireless connections will be. I'm going to try to find a better wireless connection manager for Ubuntu. Any suggestions?

I have a stock Intell wireless card in my Dell.

[Tristan]

Just installed KWifi Connection Manager. It seems very easy to use and is specifically written for Ubuntu and Debian based Linux OS's.

[SeanGAR]

I have tried the last 3 or 4 Ubuntu versions but prefer PCLOS. I have only had to use ndiswrapper on one, out of a dozen portables I've installed PCLOS 2007 on. Generally it picks up the card and finds the connection, just type in the PW if there is one and roll.

[VirtualSmitty]

Ubuntu is easy. PClinux is very good. But I like Sabayon the best. The 3.5 release was most excellent. I am pumped to hear about PClinux 2009 though. PClinux 2007 was my fav OS for a long while.

[SeanGAR]

Ubuntu is easy. PClinux is very good. But I like Sabayon the best. The 3.5 release was most excellent. I am pumped to hear about PClinux 2009 though. PClinux 2007 was my fav OS for a long while.

+1

Sabayon is an excellent distro ... I prefer it to a number of higher profile distros like Suse and Fedora.

[Tristan]

Thanks for the great posts! This might be my first step in becoming a linux junky?

[rhdad42]

I was thinking of installing Linux on an old Dimension 4300S. I hadn't made up my mind which distro to run with, though. Still doing that research, but I'm glad to hear it went well for you.

[markem]

I've been an ubuntu user for years. It's great. However, if you need to share MS office documents with regular windows users, you will run in to the limitations of open office real quick. That's the main reason that I use Vista in my consulting (my main work products are documents). Not an ubuntu limitation, but open office, which continues to get better all the time.

[King James]

there is always Apple and mac osx...... :)

[Jason]

I found the OP ironic, I have a dual boot laptop, XP and Ubuntu. In the end my main use for the ubuntu install is to fix disks that Windows chokes on, chief among those is an external Maxtor!

If you aren't married to any software (with me it's Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, Flash), Linux, esp ubuntu is a no-brainer, free and easy and plenty of useful software available.

Glad you're getting the most out of your hardware, for free, and having fun doing it! Wish I could go all the way like that

[SeanGAR]

I've been an ubuntu user for years. It's great. However, if you need to share MS office documents with regular windows users, you will run in to the limitations of open office real quick. That's the main reason that I use Vista in my consulting (my main work products are documents). Not an ubuntu limitation, but open office, which continues to get better all the time.

With a gig of RAM I run XP in a virtual machine within PCLOS. Simple to set up and runs great.

[BC-Axeman]

I've been running one kind of unix or another for 10 years now. I liked SuSE better than Red Hat for RPM based distros. Slax is pretty good.
Debian distros are the best IMO. Ubutu is pretty good. Raw Debian is good, too, once you know your way around the OS. I have settled on a distro called Mepis for desktop use. It was based on Debian, then Ubuntu, and now back to Debian again. This is based on where the software repositories are maintained. A great "toolkit" distro is Backtrack.
I keep a Win98 and WinXP partition around, just in case I need to open some weird spreadsheet or Word(r) document, but I don't use them very often.
I like being in control of my OS. I don't trust Windows much for browsing.

[floydp]

Welcome to Linux Tristan. I currently use Mandriva and have installed as a dual boot with XP on my step daughters machine in Oki. She likes it and uses it all the time. She has an old XP machine without much ram and a Celeron cpu. Breathed new life in to that old box. Still have Ubuntu on a couple old desktops downstairs, can't remember the last time I turned them on. PCLinux OS like Sean said is still one of the easiest distro's I've used. Linux Mint is still running on one of my other kids Gateway. Haven't used windows in a long while other than to fix for the kids that have Vista. Some day they will listen to me about being smarter on the net. OSX and Linux is all I use now. BTW isn't the Ubuntu forum a wealth of knowledge when it comes to getting things to work on Linux?

[kwoody]

My laptop is ubuntu only my desktop is still vista for gaming and the such.... ubuntu is great and does everything I need especially on my laptop

[Tristan]

Welcome to Linux Tristan.

BTW isn't the Ubuntu forum a wealth of knowledge when it comes to getting things to work on Linux?

Frank!!! How yens doin?

The Ubuntu forum is great!

Try Knoppix live CD and see if you like it too.

scottie

Knoppix is pretty slick! I actually tinkered with it last week. Someone at work needed to recover some files from a dead Windows XP install and I burned it for them. I burned myself the DVD version. I was impressed that it worked instantly with all my hardware and connected to the wireless network (I'm not sure) at work with no credentials. It simply WORKED with almost no action on my part!

[Tristan]

I am finding new things to love about Ubuntu daily. Yesterday, I was renaming a jpg. In windows, I had to manually highlight everything behind the extension, in Ubuntu, I press F2 to rename and everything behind the file extension is highlighted by default! I just had to type in the new name and press enter. SLICK!

This is one of those things where you say, "Why didn't someone think of this earlier?" So intuitive!

[Tristan]

Just an update: I've been using Ubuntu for two months straight and have loaded it on my parent's desktop, my brother's desktop, my wife's laptop and my buddy's PS3.

Ubuntu is awesome!

I'm going to download the latest beta of PCLinux and play around with it next time I'm bored. I'm just going to run it within VirtualBox for the heck of it. I intend on keeping Ubuntu until I find something that is superior! I doubt that will be anytime soon!

[piperman]

Its nice not having to have a Virus protector or firewall :dance:

[Rabidsquirrel]

The only problems I've had with Ubuntu are the occasional flash crash and when installing, it won't automatically detect video cards in SLI. I have to remove one of them, install, tweak xorg.conf and then install the second card. I love dual monitors with Compiz.

[Tenor CS]

I am now using Puppy Linux, running off of a 2gb kingston flash drive.

I boot my work computer from it and I don't have to worry about all of the stupid permission blocks they have on me ... like not being able to burn CD's.

[BORIStheBLADE]

I just migrated to Ubuntu about two weeks ago and its worked out pretty good. My media server is still XP but thats about it.

[kgoings]

I currently run XP for photoshop, and RHEL5 for everything else. I also have Ubuntu loaded on another partition...I have a live disk of Ubuntu too...that is pretty cool

[totallytentative]

Sigh.... I'll have to go back and read this thread more closely to see what people are running these days.

A couple years ago I was tinkering with Puppy and PCLOS (which was brand new back then) in an attempt to get a FREE, easy to use OS for a computer I built for my father. After a lot of hair pulling and wasted hours I had to blow it all away and install Win XP when I finally realized one day I was starting to read things about the deep inner workings of how Linux talks to hardware, which was totally the opposite of the experience I wanted!

The deal breaker was that neither OS would emit a peep of sound no matter what I did (other than installing XP). :sad

I want to give Linux another shot, but my past experience has left me gun-shy. I have a spare SFF PC lying around that I'd like to use, but no OS for it....

[kgoings]

Sigh.... I'll have to go back and read this thread more closely to see what people are running these days.

A couple years ago I was tinkering with Puppy and PCLOS (which was brand new back then) in an attempt to get a FREE, easy to use OS for a computer I built for my father. After a lot of hair pulling and wasted hours I had to blow it all away and install Win XP when I finally realized one day I was starting to read things about the deep inner workings of how Linux talks to hardware, which was totally the opposite of the experience I wanted!

The deal breaker was that neither OS would emit a peep of sound no matter what I did (other than installing XP). :sad

I want to give Linux another shot, but my past experience has left me gun-shy. I have a spare SFF PC lying around that I'd like to use, but no OS for it....

Try Ubuntu, if you want to check out what's all the rage and read up on what is out there check out http://www.distrowatch.com

[tchariya]

Thanks for the great posts! This might be my first step in becoming a linux junky?

hmm.....go to whatismyip.com on oyur new linux box and then public post your ip address.

/get rootkit
/brute force attack
/slip in rootkit

hehehehheeh

[BC-Axeman]

SimlyMepis live CD has worked for me on every system I have tried it on, right off the CD. Anything not on the CD could be searched for and install through the utility "synaptic". The distro BackTrack3 has a way to build a flashboot drive. Useful for those behind-the-wall systems, and other things.;)

[Sauer Grapes]

there is always Apple and mac osx...... :)

Running OS X on my dell mini right now. Works like a champ.

[totallytentative]

Try Ubuntu, if you want to check out what's all the rage and read up on what is out there check out http://www.distrowatch.com
Thanks for the link. I was struggling trying to remember what that site was called. :)

I'll have to read up on Ubuntu sometime... I vaguely recall being weirded out a bit by all the different "flavors" of "-ubuntu" that are out there. :p

[kgoings]

Thanks for the link. I was struggling trying to remember what that site was called. :)

I'll have to read up on Ubuntu sometime... I vaguely recall being weirded out a bit by all the different "flavors" of "-ubuntu" that are out there. :p


Yea just get the regular version.

[Tenor CS]

I'm running Ubuntu 8.10 on my laptop right now. Wow, I had been using 6.06 before, what a difference! Automatic, easily configured wireless support! YAY!

I still use Puppy Linux on a flash drive at work. I only use Windows on the work machine when I absolutely have to.

[Tristan]

Just did a clean install of 9.04 on my laptop last week. Wow, it boots super fast and it's great!

Also, installed Xubuntu on my wife's laptop. It is so fast I can't believe it. She's really happy with it. Way faster than Windows XP!

[Rabidsquirrel]

Nice. I guess I'll fire up the desktop and do the update.

[rennD]

Been using Ubuntu for years. I used to run the Ubuntu California LoCo.

I have been using Linux since about 96 and Debian is still my go to OS. It sure has come a long way from where it was even 5 years ago. Compiz FTW! :)

And did someone say penetration test? hhmmmm Check out my company http://www.grayscale-research.org

[BC-Axeman]

Been using Ubuntu for years. I used to run the Ubuntu California LoCo.

I have been using Linux since about 96 and Debian is still my go to OS. It sure has come a long way from where it was even 5 years ago. Compiz FTW! :)

And did someone say penetration test? hhmmmm Check out my company http://www.grayscale-research.org
NICE! So there are schools now to teach the stuff we used to have to learn the hard way.

[VirtualSmitty]

Just did a clean install of 9.04 on my laptop last week. Wow, it boots super fast and it's great!

Also, installed Xubuntu on my wife's laptop. It is so fast I can't believe it. She's really happy with it. Way faster than Windows XP!

I've been messing around with 9.04s netbook remix on my eeepc. I like it so far :tu

[Tenor CS]

Been having problems with my Ubuntu install on my laptop lately. Youtube videos are temperamental and sometimes the audio stutters. Have 2 gb of RAM on the way. Currently running on 512. Anybody have ideas for tweaks? Or should the additional RAM help?

[BC-Axeman]

512 is pretty small for real time aps. I used to get by with that much but that was 4 or 5 years ago. It's just for fast buffering. You should see how much of it you are using with "free" or "top" or some graphical command.

[BC-Axeman]

Here's what "free" shows me on my rig:

Axeman@2[~]$ free
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 1811976 1259076 552900 0 236484 537900
-/+ buffers/cache: 484692 1327284
Swap: 1004020 0 1004020

The posting software destroys the format of the listing.
I have two gigs of which some is allocated to the graphics card. One gig of swap on the disk that is not being used. 537.9 M used by cache that coud be freed up if needed. 484+ M used as buffer.

I like to have at least one gig.

[Tristan]

Been having problems with my Ubuntu install on my laptop lately. Youtube videos are temperamental and sometimes the audio stutters. Have 2 gb of RAM on the way. Currently running on 512. Anybody have ideas for tweaks? Or should the additional RAM help?

I would advise more RAM. 512mb should be enough, but may not give you desired performance.

If you want sheer speed and performance try Xubuntu. You can install the desktop package through synaptic package manager from System -> Administration menu. It's very simple and you easily find a tutorial on the "google machine."

I installed Xubuntu on my wife's laptop (1gb ram, 1.74 ghz pentium M) and the performance increase was incredible. Also, she has an ATI 128 mb video card; which Ubuntu has some issues with. The Xubuntu is a lot less taxing on the device and overall.

More on the video issues. Have you recently upgraded to a new version? I originally had 8.04, upgraded to 8.10 with no video issues. When I upgraded to 9.04 I started having huge video issues, slow downs, audio sync. I searched everywhere for resolution. I uninstalled codecs and video players (vlc, movie player, totem) and reinstalled to no effect.

I decided to back everything up and do a fresh install. Now my system is running flawlessly. The performance increase and faster boot time is astonishing!

My hypothesis; I think when I first got Ubuntu I was playing around a lot and doing things I didn't always understand (audio codecs, running scripts, etc.). I think this botched things up and after a few upgrades my system wasn't running optimally.

[rennD]

Been having problems with my Ubuntu install on my laptop lately. Youtube videos are temperamental and sometimes the audio stutters. Have 2 gb of RAM on the way. Currently running on 512. Anybody have ideas for tweaks? Or should the additional RAM help?

Are you on wireless?

[Tenor CS]

Are you on wireless?

Yes, I am.

[Tenor CS]

If you want sheer speed and performance try Xubuntu. You can install the desktop package through synaptic package manager from System -> Administration menu. It's very simple and you easily find a tutorial on the "google machine."

More on the video issues. Have you recently upgraded to a new version? I originally had 8.04, upgraded to 8.10 with no video issues. When I upgraded to 9.04 I started having huge video issues, slow downs, audio sync. I searched everywhere for resolution. I uninstalled codecs and video players (vlc, movie player, totem) and reinstalled to no effect.


I will definitely give Xubuntu a shot, thanks for that advice. I have recently upgraded to 9.04 from 8.10 and it does seem to correspond to the YouTube quirks. I also have the dreaded ATI 128 MB video card headaches.

When I really need to get stuff done, I run Puppy Linux off of a flash drive. It can accomplish about 80% of what I need a computer to do on a regular basis.

[rennD]

Yes, I am.

Have you tried streaming while you are hard wired instead of wireless?

[Tristan]

I will definitely give Xubuntu a shot, thanks for that advice. I have recently upgraded to 9.04 from 8.10 and it does seem to correspond to the YouTube quirks. I also have the dreaded ATI 128 MB video card headaches.

When I really need to get stuff done, I run Puppy Linux off of a flash drive. It can accomplish about 80% of what I need a computer to do on a regular basis.

Maybe go with Xubuntu 8.10. You won't have as many ATI issues. I would wait until they resolve them to upgrade to 9.04.

The only thing I want to try is to install Xubuntu 9.04 on my wife's laptop (with the ATI) and install ENVYNG to see if I can use the ATI driver, if there is one. That might help. Not sure!

Have you check out envyNG?

In the terminal:

sudo apt-get install envyng-qt

Hope that helps!

[WyGuy]

Might give Xubuntu a try on my OLD desktop. Probably need to upgrade the RAM though, I believe it only has 256MB.

[Tristan]

Might give Xubuntu a try on my OLD desktop. Probably need to upgrade the RAM though, I believe it only has 256MB.

You should be good with 256MB!

Minimum requirements for Xubuntu from official website:

"You need 192 MB RAM to run the Live CD or 128 MB RAM to install. The Alternate Install CD only requires you to have 64 MB RAM at install time. To install Xubuntu, you need 1.5 GB of free space on your hard disk. Once installed, Xubuntu can run with starting from 192 (or even just 128) MB RAM, but it is strongly recommended to have at least 256 MB RAM."

[rennD]

Agreed Xubuntu is very light. I prefer Gnome.

I have used Ubuntu on a system that had a 1Ghz processor and 128MB of RAM with no trouble at all. Slowness here and there, but what do you expect when running a modern operating system on a dinosaur PC?

You can always install the standard Ubuntu and then just install XFCE after the fact, if it is slow.

[SeanGAR]

I've always found PCLOS to be much faster than X/K/Ubuntu. You can choose KDE/XFCE/Gnome as the windows manager with PCLOS pretty easily. Mint and Mepis are also excellent distros to try. I'm running PCLOS 2009 on an IBM X20 PIII 650 with 386MB RAM no problems.

[Tristan]

I've always found PCLOS to be much faster than X/K/Ubuntu. You can choose KDE/XFCE/Gnome as the windows manager with PCLOS pretty easily. Mint and Mepis are also excellent distros to try. I'm running PCLOS 2009 on an IBM X20 PIII 650 with 386MB RAM no problems.

PCLOS 2009 is really sweet. Ran it under virtual box for a while to play around with it. I might have to try to partition some space off and run it full blown for a while!

[rennD]

Linux Distros are like cigars :D So many good ones. Try them and choose the one that is the best fit for you.

Try this:
http://www.polishlinux.org/choose/quiz/

It will help you choose a distro :tu

[Rabidsquirrel]

Finally upgraded the other night. Everything went smoothly, I need to read up on some of the changes.

[BC-Axeman]

I've always found PCLOS to be much faster than X/K/Ubuntu. You can choose KDE/XFCE/Gnome as the windows manager with PCLOS pretty easily. Mint and Mepis are also excellent distros to try. I'm running PCLOS 2009 on an IBM X20 PIII 650 with 386MB RAM no problems.
I'm on Mepis now. I migrated from SuSE. I like any debian linux better than the RPM based ones. Ubuntu based debians are a little harder to keep bleeding edge upgraded than raw debian. I've messed around with Solaris, SCO, IRIX, HPUX, and different *BSDs and I like what I've got now. But that said, I have to agree with the above comment by rennD.

[kenstogie]

I am downloading ubuntu 9.04 now but would like to try a live cd or thumb drive before I take the plunge. How do I do that? I am not super geek but I am kind of geeky in some areas. Also I am on a "off brand" laptop (Medion) which is why I want to do the live cd thing first.

[rennD]

If you are downloading the Desktop CD then it is a liveCD.

[VirtualSmitty]

I am downloading ubuntu 9.04 now but would like to try a live cd or thumb drive before I take the plunge. How do I do that? I am not super geek but I am kind of geeky in some areas. Also I am on a "off brand" laptop (Medion) which is why I want to do the live cd thing first.

Download the iso and if you have a usb or flashcard handy go get unetbootin and use that to try it out.

[Tristan]

This is a pretty good how-to on burning the live cd. If you want to install on a bootable flash drive there is a link a few inches down the page that will show you:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

[kenstogie]

Workin on it now!

[kenstogie]

Got it all working, it's a little different but I could get used to that no problem. I also set up a Live thumbdrive to make startups a little easier as I figure out if I want to make the switch. So it all went well except the Wifi. I looked for a few mins 10 or so but really didn't know what to do. Is there a control panel or something? Any suggestions?

[rennD]

Check restricted drivers section to make sure that the wifi card is enabled.

[kenstogie]

Check restricted drivers section to make sure that the wifi card is enabled.

Thanks I'll take a look.

[Tristan]

Should be a network icon in the panel next to the date/time. What hardware are you running? What is your wireless card? When I've had issues with wireless cards in the past I've done a Google search to see if anyone else has run into similar issues. There have been a few times where I knew the hardware just wouldn't work with the time/effort I was willing to put in. Luckily, this hasn't happened with any hardware that I own.

Hopefully your wired connection still operates and you have access to plug straight in to a router, etc. If so, you can click on System - Administration - Hardware Drivers and see if Ubuntu finds any drivers for your wireless card.

If it doesn't find any, you can still use windows wireless drivers by downloading from the manufacturer and using ndiswrapper. The operation could get a little more complicated then desired, but searching through the Ubuntu forums really helps in these situations.

[kenstogie]

I'll give it a shot thanks Tristan.

[s0leful0ne]

This may be a long shot but I just installed ubuntu 9.04 via virtual machine using VMWare Fusion. I've had trouble installing the VMWare tools, does anyone have any experience with this?

[BC-Axeman]

This may be a long shot but I just installed ubuntu 9.04 via virtual machine using VMWare Fusion. I've had trouble installing the VMWare tools, does anyone have any experience with this?
Yes. The installation does not include the kernel headers or libraries by default. There may also be trouble with the version of gcc installed vs what the kernel was compiled with. The error message from the tools installation would be helpful.

[kenstogie]

So I loaded up a thumb drive with Ubuntu and brought it to work, plugged it in and low and behold it worked. It also browsed the internet rather easily. Is this frowned upon by the IT department? I have a feeling it is but thought I would ask the inmates.


FWIW I only used it for about a minute so I could have "plausible deniability" that and I have known the IT Guy for a decade and I'll be asking him as soon as I can.

[BC-Axeman]

So I loaded up a thumb drive with Ubuntu and brought it to work, plugged it in and low and behold it worked. It also browsed the internet rather easily. Is this frowned upon by the IT department? I have a feeling it is but thought I would ask the inmates.


FWIW I only used it for about a minute so I could have "plausible deniability" that and I have known the IT Guy for a decade and I'll be asking him as soon as I can.
:eek:
:lv
:r
Totally depends on where you work. If it's the Gov. you may get in big trouble. Some places could fire you. Most places would go "huh?"

[kenstogie]

:rolleyes::eek:
:lv
:r
Totally depends on where you work. If it's the Gov. you may get in big trouble. Some places could fire you. Most places would go "huh?"

I'll be alright I just did it to see if it would work. I know they use a linux distro on thier boxes for trouble shooting/back up etc so it's not to big a deal and I've known the IT guys for years and seem to recall them doing this very thing. Getting on the network they would be more ticked at than using the hardware. :rolleyes: but I appreciate the info on IT dpt Opinion.

[Tenor CS]

I used a thumb drive with puppy linux almost exclusively at work the whole last year. Their windows xp based machines were so poorly maintained, puppy freed me from a lot of hassles. It's amazing what decent hardware can do when it's not being bogged down by a badly maintained windows setup.

[Tristan]

BTW, Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Alpha 5 is running great on my Dell Mini 10V netbook. The speed CRUSHES Windows XP. There are a few bugs that need to be worked out, but by the time of the official release I think it will be a nice step up from the current version.

A few things look promising. 9.10 uses EXT4 partitions by default, Firefox 3.5 and Ubuntu One, an application that automatically uplinks and syncs files between computers. Pretty cool! :banger

[VirtualSmitty]

A few things look promising. 9.10 uses EXT4 partitions by default, Firefox 3.5 and Ubuntu One, an application that automatically uplinks and syncs files between computers. Pretty cool! :banger

I haven't played with the 9.10 alpha yet, how does ubuntu one stack up against dropbox? I use it know and like it a lot.

[kenstogie]

So I have a Medion Laptop (who?) Yea that's what everyone says except Europeans some times. It's kind of semi old 3 years and I did the google search on my Winbond W89C33 mPCI 802.11 Wireless LAN Adapter. And of the 8 or so hits/post I sampled...

"winbond is not supported in linux nor does ndiswrapper support it." or something similiar.

Many were in other languages too.


So for me it's back to Winblows. Oh well. At least I have the actual install disc

[BC-Axeman]

So I have a Medion Laptop (who?) Yea that's what everyone says except Europeans some times. It's kind of semi old 3 years and I did the google search on my Winbond W89C33 mPCI 802.11 Wireless LAN Adapter. And of the 8 or so hits/post I sampled...

"winbond is not supported in linux nor does ndiswrapper support it." or something similiar.

Many were in other languages too.


So for me it's back to Winblows. Oh well. At least I have the actual install disc
You could always get a PCcard or usb wireless adapter. It will likely work better anyway. Then you can run Kismet ;)
You should search first for compatibility.

[kenstogie]

You could always get a PCcard or usb wireless adapter. It will likely work better anyway. Then you can run Kismet ;)
You should search first for compatibility.

If I could get one cheaply and it's not a big thing to get it going I am not adverse to it. With budget laptops being fairly inexpensive I may opt for a new one, when my current one gives up the ghost.

[Tristan]

how does ubuntu one stack up against dropbox? I use it know and like it a lot.

I'll have to give it a shot! :banger I've tried Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Ubuntu netbook remix, DSL and PC Linux as well as Knoppix, but there are many distros I haven't played with yet!

[VirtualSmitty]

I'll have to give it a shot! :banger I've tried Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Ubuntu netbook remix, DSL and PC Linux as well as Knoppix, but there are many distros I haven't played with yet!

Dropbox isn't a distro, it's a service that let's you sync files between mac, linux, or windows. I've been using it for some time as I use all three and it is convienient. Ubuntu One sounds like it does the same thing.

[Tristan]

Dropbox isn't a distro, it's a service that let's you sync files between mac, linux, or windows. I've been using it for some time as I use all three and it is convienient. Ubuntu One sounds like it does the same thing.

Gotcha! Ubuntu One isn't working perfectly yet, still in beta. I like the concept and it seems like it will be slick when the bugs are worked out. I'll have to look into Dropbox a little more, fees, storage, etc.

[Footbag]

Just installed Ubuntu the other day on three desktops. One old Dell got a fresh install, but I'm dual booting it on a newer Gateway laptop and Systemax desktop.

All of this started with a HD crash that almost wiped out my data. I've been amazed at the tools available for Ubuntu. Gparted is awesome. Also using 3d desktop and the AWN dock on the computers that can handle it.

[rennD]

Compiz is getting so many new updates. I run the dev version of Compiz. You will need a beefy Vid card though.

[BC-Axeman]

My vid card can handle compiz just fine but it didn't seem to play nice with the kernel or KDE or something and would crash when I was switching virtual terminals. Maybe they have fixed that by now.

[Footbag]

Compiz goes crazy on my old P4 desktop with an Nvidia Geforce3 Ti 200. I think it's a conflict with that driver.

Seems to work with much fewer issues on the newer desktop and laptop.

[rizzle]

What in the hell are y'all talking about????

Sincerely,

Technologically Illiterate

:r:r

[Tristan]

Just installed Ubuntu the other day on three desktops. One old Dell got a fresh install, but I'm dual booting it on a newer Gateway laptop and Systemax desktop.

All of this started with a HD crash that almost wiped out my data. I've been amazed at the tools available for Ubuntu. Gparted is awesome. Also using 3d desktop and the AWN dock on the computers that can handle it.

I'm with you! I love Gparted and I keep Ubuntu on a flash drive for doing partition work. Sudo Gparted baby! Also, Ubuntu on a flash is great if someone comes to me with a virus infected windows machine that needs everything backed up. It works 99% of the time and loads any external drive to do a back up. Just a few quick easy steps before performing a complete restore.

Another way Ubuntu is great on the flash drive is if you have to reinstall Grub after making changes to your MBR.

I haven't ran AWN dock in a long time. I should give it another shot!

[Footbag]

I'm with you! I love Gparted and I keep Ubuntu on a flash drive for doing partition work. Sudo Gparted baby! Also, Ubuntu on a flash is great if someone comes to me with a virus infected windows machine that needs everything backed up. It works 99% of the time and loads any external drive to do a back up. Just a few quick easy steps before performing a complete restore.

Another way Ubuntu is great on the flash drive is if you have to reinstall Grub after making changes to your MBR.

I haven't ran AWN dock in a long time. I should give it another shot!

Yup Gparted is awesome. I burned the LiveCD and partitioning takes seconds. Being that I didn't end up losing any data, the crash ended up being a good thing.

I need to get a new USB drive. But are older systems compatible? USB boot is a bios setting, correct?

AWN dock is pretty cool, but it is very buggy. But if drag and drop into the dock works, then you're good!

[Tristan]

I need to get a new USB drive. But are older systems compatible? USB boot is a bios setting, correct?

Bingo! It depends how old the machine is an if they have brought out any bios revisions. Being that you need Windows in most cases to flash bios most of the time this may be difficult if these machines got hosed or had a hard drive failure.

I would make a wild guess and say anything over than 6+ years might not have the usb boot feature. I just found something interesting. Seems you can boot into a CD that will boot from USB without BIOS support. Sounds kind of crazy to me, but it might be ideal for some:

http://www.slax.org/forum.php?action=view&parentID=10682

[BC-Axeman]

I was about to mention that you can upgrade flash from a boot floppy (what's a boot floppy?)
LOL

[Footbag]

Bingo! It depends how old the machine is an if they have brought out any bios revisions. Being that you need Windows in most cases to flash bios most of the time this may be difficult if these machines got hosed or had a hard drive failure.

I would make a wild guess and say anything over than 6+ years might not have the usb boot feature. I just found something interesting. Seems you can boot into a CD that will boot from USB without BIOS support. Sounds kind of crazy to me, but it might be ideal for some:

http://www.slax.org/forum.php?action=view&parentID=10682

As I think about it, yes... USB boot would be very cool. But booting to a CD just so you can USB boot doesn't really seem to efficient. I would bet that most of the computers I may encounter will be USB bootable, but if it's not, I'll just throw in the live CD. But if the computer is USB bootable, it's pretty sweet that you can have the fix on your keychain.

Got to show off Ubuntu during a meeting at work this morning. I was showing a sales rep and sales manager of a furniture company various ad's we've used, and I flipped the cube to open a new desktop. First a "whoa", then an "is that Windows 7?" I told them it was Ubuntu, which they had never heard of.

What kind of bugs are you finding on 9.10?

[kenstogie]

My internal wireless card in not compatible with Ubuntu, So I got to thinking (scary, I know) I have a Rosewill RNX-G100 USB Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g
Could I simply plug that in or perhaps load drivers for it?

[BC-Axeman]

I searched for that Roswill adapter and found one mention of it working with Ubuntu after loading with ndiswrapper (which loads the windriver). Spotty reception was mentioned. :2

[Footbag]

My internal wireless card in not compatible with Ubuntu, So I got to thinking (scary, I know) I have a Rosewill RNX-G100 USB Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g
Could I simply plug that in or perhaps load drivers for it?

A google search imiplied it can be done with ndiswrapper. Never had any personal experience. Give that a google and see what you can come up with.

[BC-Axeman]

I use altavista still. Even though it's a stripped down yahoo.

[AD720]

I've been trying out Ubuntu Netbook Remix on my Dell netbook (booting off a "live cd" on a jump drive). It's really great!

[Tristan]

Who's stoked about 10.04? Looks like it's going to be an improvement for those with Nvidia graphics and who want a faster boot time! I'm hoping they solve hd video playback and digital audio output issues!

[VirtualSmitty]

Who's stoked about 10.04? Looks like it's going to be an improvement for those with Nvidia graphics and who want a faster boot time! I'm hoping they solve hd video playback and digital audio output issues!

I don't like how they moved some buttons to the left ala OSX, but lots of little improvements I like. Looks like they pushing social integration, Facebook, myspace, and twitter right up in the desktop. Which is cool for people who use them I guess.

[SeanGAR]

The new PCLinuxOS 2010 is freakin awesome.

[BC-Axeman]

I just looked over PCLOS's website. I like their upgrade philosophy better than UBUNTU's.
Continuous long term upgrades vs. version replacement.

[VirtualSmitty]

The new PCLinuxOS 2010 is freakin awesome.

:tu I'm a fan. I always go back and forth between PCLinux and Sabayon on my desktop. I always use some form of 'buntu of my netbook though.

[BC-Axeman]

The new PCLinuxOS 2010 is freakin awesome.

I just looked over PCLOS's website. I like their upgrade philosophy better than UBUNTU's.
Continuous long term upgrades vs. version replacement.
Just installed PCLOS at work. It will take me a long time to get it loaded and configured with all the apps I run: VMware, Apache, security stuff, graphics, etc., but I'm liking it better already.

[markem]

okay, here's an ubuntu question ...

while I can do this manually, I'm looking for what the "official" or "ubuntu" way to do this.

I've downloaded skype for linux and want to install it, but I can't seem to make the synaptics package manager work with the download (can't point to a local repository). Does anyone know where the official "how to install" docs for skype on linux are located?

I'm spending a few weeks mostly in linux as I do a security analysis of the openssl library, which so far seems quite good. I was using cscope in cygwin under Vista, but it is more convenient to do this under Linux. Since I skype herf a lot, I need skype or I'll have to use different systems for the analysis and skype.

Somehow, having two laptops on the patio while smoking a nice stick seems so like me, but I like to avoid cliches

[BC-Axeman]

okay, here's an ubuntu question ...

while I can do this manually, I'm looking for what the "official" or "ubuntu" way to do this.

I've downloaded skype for linux and want to install it, but I can't seem to make the synaptics package manager work with the download (can't point to a local repository). Does anyone know where the official "how to install" docs for skype on linux are located?

I'm spending a few weeks mostly in linux as I do a security analysis of the openssl library, which so far seems quite good. I was using cscope in cygwin under Vista, but it is more convenient to do this under Linux. Since I skype herf a lot, I need skype or I'll have to use different systems for the analysis and skype.

Somehow, having two laptops on the patio while smoking a nice stick seems so like me, but I like to avoid cliches
What extension does the downloaded file have?

[markem]

What extension does the downloaded file have?

it is a .deb file

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/on-your-computer/linux/post-download/

[BC-Axeman]

If you have KPackage it should open it and have a button to install it with.
You can install it with the command "dpkg -i /path/to/filename"

[BC-Axeman]

It seems kpackage is gone in the newest releases, so you may not have it.

[CueTheMusic]

Here is the "official" (suggested) way to install skype in ubuntu:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Skype

[markem]

Here is the "official" (suggested) way to install skype in ubuntu:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Skype

cool beans! could not find that when I looked before.

[BC-Axeman]

It looks like I may not spend too much time with PCLOS as it is an .rpm (Red Hat) based system and I prefer .deb (Debian) based. It has to do with how the package databases work with upgrades and additions.

[Tristan]

Anyone take the plunge and upgrade to 10.10? I upgraded all our machines and I love it! Xubuntu 10.10 is lightening fast on my wife's laptop. Can't beat it!

[rennD]

I just upgraded to 10.10. I stay with all the LTS on my servers. Very happy.

[Tristan]

So, what are your thoughts on Unity? I'm not digging it, so I'm running Lubuntu 12.04 on my netbook and Ubuntu 12.04 with Gnome3 on everything else.

12.04 LTS is working really great for me.

On a side note, my one wish is that the nVidia drivers were on the same level in linux. I'd love to be able to run 12.04 on my HTPC and bitstream DTS-MA and Dolby True HD. Sounds like XBMC audioengine is being integrated into the mainstream release.

[CRIMPS]

So, what are your thoughts on Unity? I'm not digging it, so I'm running Lubuntu 12.04 on my netbook and Ubuntu 12.04 with Gnome3 on everything else.

12.04 LTS is working really great for me.

On a side note, my one wish is that the nVidia drivers were on the same level in linux. I'd love to be able to run 12.04 on my HTPC and bitstream DTS-MA and Dolby True HD. Sounds like XBMC audioengine is being integrated into the mainstream release.

Unity on my laptop has been useful. Unity on a desktop is oversimplified and I switched back to gnome for the time being. Unity hasn't exactly been received with open arms by the community. Curious to see what the next year or two will bring.

Installing NVidia drivers is a lot easier than it used to be, thats for sure. However, there is still usually "some" work that has to take place in order to get the drivers installed and working properly. I wouldn't wish that on a non-technical person.

[BC-Axeman]

Nvidia has been working a lot better than ATI for me. Just sayin'.
I've been a KDE user for so long that I just don't get Gnome. I've tried it from time to time but go back to KDE.

[CRIMPS]

Nvidia has been working a lot better than ATI for me. Just sayin'.
I've been a KDE user for so long that I just don't get Gnome. I've tried it from time to time but go back to KDE.

You are definitely not the only user that prefers KDE. I started with Gnome and have grown accustomed to it over the years. I have tried KDE, but found that I just didn't feel the change was worth it. I suspect that if I had started with KDE I would still be using it.

[Tristan]

Yes, I definitely agree NVidia drivers are getting way easier to manage and better in general in Linux. I haven't had to install them manually for quite a while, probably since version 9 or 10.

That being said, my home theater processor has some HDMI handshake issue with linux drivers and some resolution issues as well. I'm sure this will be resolved as linux continues to be more main stream!

I've tried KDE in the past. I liked it, but it was using the gnome3 desktop and decided it was easier to work in a more familiar environment with terminal commands that I'm more comfortable with (apt-get vs yum, etc).

[LockOut]

This thread perked my interest as I have always been curious. I dont really use my laptop much except for surfing the net, some small torrents, and some photo editing. I have no complains about windows, but hey we all like to mess with stuff, its human nature. I ubuntu hard to put on a laptop? will i loose everything i have on here? Will i gain anything out of it?

[CRIMPS]

This thread perked my interest as I have always been curious. I dont really use my laptop much except for surfing the net, some small torrents, and some photo editing. I have no complains about windows, but hey we all like to mess with stuff, its human nature. I ubuntu hard to put on a laptop? will i loose everything i have on here? Will i gain anything out of it?

I tried Ubuntu out for the same reasons you posted your questions. You can do a dual boot with windows or you can download a live CD and try it out by running off the CD. Expect it to run slow since you are running off a CD or thumb drive. Regardless, back up your stuff in case you take a wrong turn.

If you can handle torrents you can handle Ubuntu.

There are an enormous amount of resources for getting started with Ubuntu. The first place I would start is http://ubuntuforums.org.

Enjoy! :tu

[BC-Axeman]

The good thing about linux is that once you understand what's going on and where, it's really understood. I don't think it's possible to understand Windoz fully. If you think you do then they change it. I like that MSFT has adopted some *nix commands for the command shell. It makes things a bit easier.

[WittyUserName]

I am about to put a new SSD in my macbook and I think I will partition and run Linux as well. I was thinking Mint....

[Tristan]

This thread perked my interest as I have always been curious. I dont really use my laptop much except for surfing the net, some small torrents, and some photo editing. I have no complains about windows, but hey we all like to mess with stuff, its human nature. I ubuntu hard to put on a laptop? will i loose everything i have on here? Will i gain anything out of it?

I'd say go for it. What kind of laptop, processor type, memory? Depending on how old your laptop is you may want to put a lower power version on. I like Lubuntu on my netbook.

What will you gain? Speed (most likely), security (no viruses to worry about) and freedom from (most) corporate interest.

In my opinion, for the things you listed, there is nothing better!

[rennD]

I am about to put a new SSD in my macbook and I think I will partition and run Linux as well. I was thinking Mint....

Mint is ok. Lots of people hate the Unity on Ubuntu and prefer Gnome.

When using Ubuntu I use a Cairo Dock session. I have also been using SolusOS a lot.

....and there is always Debian :)

[CRIMPS]

Mint is ok. Lots of people hate the Unity on Ubuntu and prefer Gnome.

When using Ubuntu I use a Cairo Dock session. I have also been using SolusOS a lot.

....and there is always Debian :)

This is a little out of left field, but I couldn't help but think...

This is the beauty of Linux. Don't like the look and feel? Change it. Want a dock? Pick one. Bored and want to be a little adventurous? Go for it.

[BC-Axeman]

My distro has evolved from Ubuntu to a custom Debian installation just because of how I chose to upgrade it. I will be bummed if I have to do a complete new install. I have it pinned to the Debian stable repositories now so I will have less trouble keeping it upgraded. This was a lot of trouble to get initiated. I have kept the same computer running for about 12 years now. New motherboards, hard drives, power supplies, etc. but never a whole new computer.