In this thread I will cronicle my adventures in Linux land.

After checking out a few videos on Youtube, I am willing to give a try to Ubuntu. I generally don't like to overcomplicate things, so for the first sign of stupidity or impracticality I will abandone the idea and messing with it.

So far I have been gathering data, what I am supposed to do etc. Since I probably will use Windows programs too, I also have to use Wine. Tonight I just got a new HD on Ebay, and I downloaded Ubuntu and burnt it on a CD. So when the new HD arrives in 3-4 days, the first thing will be trying to install Ubuntu on it.

Eventually if I like it I will still want to use it as a dual boot, that might complicate the issue and also the computer will have 2 HDs.

You guys can advise me which OS should go on which HD or both on the master...

Well, another question: The other computer already has 2 HD, I use one strictly for back ups. Now could I install Ubuntu on this without deleting the backed up data? My undertsanding is that no, I can't...

In this thread I will cronicle my adventures in Linux land.

Will it be a horror story ? :D

It depends on how simple is to use Linux. As I mentioned, I am not really the patient type, so it better be easy....

It depends on how simple is to use Linux. As I mentioned, I am not really the patient type, so it better be easy....

I heard it's as easy as Windows as long as you use the Windows-like interface.
It's biggest problem is compatibility though.

Since mostly I want to use it for webbrowsing, Skyping, picture handling, I don't expect too many problems with those...

Since mostly I want to use it for webbrowsing, Skyping, picture handling, I don't expect too many problems with those...

Ah I see. Yep, I think you'll be fine ;)

So far I have been gathering data, what I am supposed to do etc. Since I probably will use Windows programs too, I also have to use Wine.

Be aware that Wine won't run everything, and it won't run all windows programs in exactly the same way as normal.

You guys can advise me which OS should go on which HD or both on the master...

If you're dual-booting, Ubuntu will create a new boot record on the master drive that points to the Ubuntu drive to load the boot loader, which is what gives you the menu asking whether you want to start Linux or Windows. I think this means that you'll want your Ubuntu drive to be the boot drive - you'll need to set your bios to boot from it first.

Well, another question: The other computer already has 2 HD, I use one strictly for back ups. Now could I install Ubuntu on this without deleting the backed up data? My undertsanding is that no, I can't...

It depends. When you say backups, are you saying that you have two independent drives, one of which you just use to store data copied over manually (or with a backup program)? Or are you running the two drives in RAID configuration?

If its the former, there should be no problem. During the installation of Ubuntu, you'll be given the option to repartition part of the backup drive to make room for Ubuntu, its swap partition and so on. (I'd recommend you create a partition for documents/data etc., separate from the main Ubuntu OS partition). It will resize your existing windows (NTFS) partition to make the required room. Be very careful that you know what you're doing, though, or you risk losing your existing backup partition. I suggest backing up the backup before you start (or be willing to lose it, since it's only a backup of your Windows drive anyway, and that drive should stay essentially unaltered).

If you're running a RAID system, things are much more complicated. (I'm no expert on RAID.)

Your newest hard drive is going to be the fastest one. The fastest one will be the one you want to put your operating system(s) on. I'd dual boot both on your new drive. Here is a guide to how to install both on the same drive, http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed _first.htm

Ubuntu is fantastic.

I run all 3 of the OS platforms, and i would have to say that minus the gaming aspect Ubuntu is the easiest hassle free OS i have used.

Ubuntu has a lot better compatibility with computer hardware and peripherals... so you shouldn't have any problems there.

Also, Wine is constantly being updated and added on... so if one of your usual windows programs doesn't work, there may be an add-on listed in the many support pages that Ubuntu offers.

Pictures, videos and music couldn't be easier to navigate, organize and alter with Ubuntu.

I hope you enjoy it. I am not a Linux fanboy... i have actually only recently gotten into the world of Linux being a windows guy myself.

I never never really figured out the Linux file system. Good luck with Ubuntu.

If you have 2 hard drives you can install the OS in one, and install a filesystem on the 2nd one that is used for filestorage.

On the first hard drive, zero it out, and install Ubuntu.

On the 2nd hard drive, zero it out, and format it (install a filesystem on it). I use NTFS because it is recognized by Windows. Hopefully Ubuntu will recogniz it, and be able to read/write onto it.

So the first hard drive is where you will install your OS and applications. Your second hard drive is where you will install a filesystem recognized by your OS so that you may use it for file storage.

On ebay I found still pretty good machines preinstalled with linux around a hundred bucks. Now I am entertaining the idea just to buy one of those to tinker and experience with...

Last night one went for $110 and there are more lined up currently for $50 or so...

Boot from cd to makes sure everything works with your system before installing, especially if your installing 9.04 as it just came out and many of the drivers are still buggy for it.

Despite my attempts I can't like KDE more than Gnome, but your going to at one point or another want to install KDE to run KDE apps, KDE apps will work in gnome after installing it so you don't need to run on the KDE GUI.

I just checked out the latest version of ubuntu. The live CD works great. I was able to navigate the files in my internal hard drive and external USB hard drive.

One reason I started this journal for those who want to give it a try later on and they can use my experiences as a guide.

Since I haven't burnt a CD for at least 2 years, I had trouble making the Live CD (That is the bootable CD for Ubuntu) mostly because I just copied the files into the CD instead of burning it as an ISO image!

So that's when you know you made a good Live CD when the Ubuntu logo shows up on your CD drive. Finally this morning I made a good copy, so I am going to run it in demo mode and see what's going on. It should be slower (since it is running from the CD) than from the HD, but still should be fully functional.

What I am curious about is if the internet speed is going to increase, specially on the old computer where currently it is between 3-5 Mb/s...

One reason I started this journal for those who want to give it a try later on and they can use my experiences as a guide.

Since I haven't burnt a CD for at least 2 years, I had trouble making the Live CD (That is the bootable CD for Ubuntu) mostly because I just copied the files into the CD instead of burning it as an ISO image!

So that's when you know you made a good Live CD when the Ubuntu logo shows up on your CD drive. Finally this morning I made a good copy, so I am going to run it in demo mode and see what's going on. It should be slower (since it is running from the CD) than from the HD, but still should be fully functional.

Yeah they really compress those CD to unstable land, why they haven't thought of making DVD iso is beyond me.

What I am curious about is if the internet speed is going to increase, specially on the old computer where currently it is between 3-5 Giga...

¿que?

The HD has been used for 7 years on the old computer and full of junk. Since it doesn't want to crash, I am going to reinstall the original OS (XP) and might add Ubuntu.

Now right now I am having trouble booting from the CD, because XP keeps starting, although I did change the bootsequence...I am downloading an extra CD boot helper, it is pretty slow. (I tried 2 desktops, same results)

It looks like I could actually load Ubuntu as just one application without extra partitioning the HD.

Edit: It takes 6 mins to install a simple CD boot helper? Looks slow to me. I am not sure why it didn't boot directly after restarting the computer...

Edit2: Alright, that helper did the job, Ubuntu is running!

yes that very strange, you sure you did not set your bios to boot from CD?

Well, websites seem to load faster then with XP, but I am having trouble with the speedtest because now I have to install flash player. I did that, but I am not sure if I have to restart the computer, also since Ubuntu is running from the CD, the flasplayer was installed on the HD, so that might still not work properly...

yes that very strange, you sure you did not set your bios to boot from CD?

I did set the bios to boot from CD, because I was told to do so originally.

I got a speed measurement on a different site (1.7 Mb/s) but the problem is that every site measures different speeds, so for a good comparison, I am trying to use the same speadtest.net

Youtube videos also don't play without the flash player....

I am tinkering with the applications and preinstalled (puzzle) games. So far it seems nice and pleasant. As long as the required plug-ins and players gonna be easy to install, I think people with enough HD space should have this as a nice addition for the PC experience.

Now I am going to try to download a more complicated linux game and see how that works...

What I am curious about is if the internet speed is going to increase, specially on the old computer where currently it is between 3-5 Mb/s...

I was right. Suddenly the flashplayer started to work ( I think the browser needed to be closed and reopened) and speedtest.net is measuring now 11 Mb/s as compared to XP's max. 5 Mb/s.

Now I am sure once I reinstall XP the speed in Windows is going to improve a lot too, but running Ubuntu from a CD 11 Mb/s is pretty impressive and pretty much at the high end of the provider's promised speed.

So I downloaded a simple game and when I tried to install, well, first I see these never before seen file extensions, and there is no .exe !!!

Then I got this:
First, the following supporting Python libraries should be installed.

- Python 2.4 or later
- PyGame
- PyOpenGL and a video card with recent OpenGL drivers
- Python Imaging Library
- numpy

Allright, this is a showstoper right away. That's what I was afraid of, once it gets to installing programs or adding hardware, the pain starts.

One thing I like is the resolution, in XP I couldn't get this good looking fonts.

Well, I tried the Live CD on a 3rd computer what I considered basicly garbage, because it was left over from a friend without a HD. After tinkering with it a bit, Ubuntu and the internet was running smoothly on it and actually it got the best speed, 20 Mb/s, which is way more what the provider supposed to give.

Anyhow, after testing it on 3 different computers, the internet seems to be a good 30-50% faster running on Ubuntu, then on XP. I don't really need this extra desktop, but I will probably throw a small HD in it, and this will be the linux experience machine....

On Ebay they just closed an auction for a Intel Celeron D 3.46 GHz machine for $95 including shipping. Ubuntu 8 comes with it, for a websurfing extra computer, that is a sweet deal.

LOL "numpy" :)

So I downloaded a simple game and when I tried to install, well, first I see these never before seen file extensions, and there is no .exe !!!
Hi. What file extensions? Depending on what you downloaded, extensions you might be seeing are:

.py (Python program)
.sh (shell script)
.deb (Debian software package)
.rpm (Red Hat package)
.tgz, .tar.gz, or .tar.bz2 (tarball, usually for source installs)
.c (C source file)
.h (C header file)
.so (shared library, you're also likely to see version info in the filename, eg. "libc.so.6")
.conf (usually a configuration file, could also end in "rc", as in ".skippyrc")


Linux binary executables (as opposed to scripts and interpreted programs) usually don't have a filename extension. If they do, it'll probably be .bin, but I only remember seeing this in the case of a Java installer about five years ago. Another Linux convention worth knowing about is that filenames that begin with a single dot (eg ".bashrc") are usually treated as hidden files.

The core Linux OS itself doesn't attach any real significance to filename extensions (they're just filenames that happen to end in a dot and a few characters, as far as the system is concerned), so extension use is mostly convention.

Then I got this:
First, the following supporting Python libraries should be installed.

- Python 2.4 or later
- PyGame
- PyOpenGL and a video card with recent OpenGL drivers
- Python Imaging Library
- numpy

Allright, this is a showstoper right away. That's what I was afraid of, once it gets to installing programs or adding hardware, the pain starts.
How did you try to install your game? Under Linux there are usually several ways of installing an application. Roughly in order of decreasing convenience, the typical native installation methods are:


Installing from a standard repository. This is by far the most convenient method: you use your system's package management software to browse for the application you want, and the software will take care of downloading and installing your application as well as any libraries it needs. I think the GUI frontend to this system is called "Synaptic" on Ubuntu. Usually you'll want to try this before downloading anything off the app developer's website, since you know you'll be getting a version specially compiled and tested for your particular Linux distro and it'll automagically install any other dependencies for you.

Installing a binary package. Ubuntu is a Debian-based Linux distro and inherits its package management system, so you'll wan't a suitable *.deb package for your architecture. You may have to hunt for and install libraries (the easiest way to find out which ones you need is probably to try installing the package and seeing what the installer complains about). I'm not too familiar with Debian systems, but I've seen some websites that seem to offer to fire up your installer with a simple click on a hyperlink. There's also some support for converting RPM packages to the Debian format (alien).

Installing from source. The usual procedure is to download the source tarball, run the configuration script if it exists ("./configure"), run make, and finally "make install" as root user to install. These are shell commands - most beginning Linux users would probably shy away from this, and should rarely need to do source installs anyway.

Really doing everything by hand. This is where you either downloaded the binary in a simple Zip file or other archive format, or the Makefile for your source complilation doesn't take care of the installation for you. Then you have the joy of copying the application directory to some standard location (eg. /usr/local/), copying/creating a startup binary, script, or symbolic link in a directory listed in the PATH environment variable (eg. /usr/local/bin/ so you can easily start it up from the command line), manually setting any environment variables your application needs, and optionally creating shortcuts/startup icons and the like on your desktop. I've only had to descend to this level of fiddling to install Limewire and a few of the less commonly used compilers (the Intel C compiler and Digital Mars D).


Anyway, hope that helped more than it smothered. I've never used a Live CD so I don't know how much you actually can install on a Linux system that doesn't have a permanent residence on your machine - where exactly are your downloads being saved?

So I downloaded a simple game and when I tried to install, well, first I see these never before seen file extensions, and there is no .exe !!!

Then I got this:
First, the following supporting Python libraries should be installed.

- Python 2.4 or later
- PyGame
- PyOpenGL and a video card with recent OpenGL drivers
- Python Imaging Library
- numpy

Allright, this is a showstoper right away. That's what I was afraid of, once it gets to installing programs or adding hardware, the pain starts.

One thing I like is the resolution, in XP I couldn't get this good looking fonts.

go to systems > administration > synaptic package manager, search for all these items (there all there as "python-") click the little box on the right, hit "mark to install" hit apply, it will warn you of other add ons that it wants to install with it - let it, done.

Thanks for the help from both of you. Since Electric's advice is one sentence, I will try to follow that one...

Well, the game was downloaded and unzipped, but after that it wasn't obvious what extension I need to click on or execute. Anyhow, I should get the HD today, and will try with a proper HD installation instead of using the Live CD.

I also looked into installing Ubuntu on a laptop, and oh boy, that looks like a real pain, because of making the wireless to work.

HD has arrived, I am put it in the junk computer first and installing Ubuntu , takes about 15-20 minutes.

Right now what I am curious about is the performance difference between running it from the Live CD and from the HD, specially if it affects the internetspeed. My guess is that loading the pages will be nearly the same, but scrolling the page and handling it should be faster.

Well, the game was downloaded and unzipped, but after that it wasn't obvious what extension I need to click on or execute.
The binary, if you actually downloaded a binary package, will most likely be in a file with either the game's name or an abbreviated version of it, in lowercase, and with no extension. But you could also have downloaded a Python game (*.py), or a source tarball. Do you mind linking to this Zip file? I'm becoming curious about what's inside it. :)

Personally, I've been using Linux for about 5 years now and, unlike under Windows, I rarely download executables in zip files and I can't remember ever running a program by double-clicking on the file icon in a file manager. I've always either clicked on a desktop shortcut/menu entry or simply run from the shell (not that I'm aware of any reason not to double click the executable - Linux is just a different operating system than Windows and this is one of the ways I'm accustomed to using it differently).

I also looked into installing Ubuntu on a laptop, and oh boy, that looks like a real pain, because of making the wireless to work.
Well if you're brave/patient enough to give it a shot, your best bet is probably Ndiswrapper (which allows you to use Windows XP Wireless drivers under Linux). It takes a bit of configuring, but it's what worked for me. Note that just a few years ago, getting your touchpad and power management to work on a laptop would have been something to worry about. Under Linux the one thing that never seems to work (for me, at least) is dialup "softmodems", but I don't expect to need my modem for more than another year or so.

HD has arrived, I am put it in the junk computer first and installing Ubuntu , takes about 15-20 minutes.
If you plan on dual-booting, be aware that Windows installers tend to wipe the HD master boot record, so you'd have to manually (re)install the Linux boot loader. The simplest way of avoiding this is to install Windows first, then Linux.

I also looked into installing Ubuntu on a laptop, and oh boy, that looks like a real pain, because of making the wireless to work.

Works fine on my laptop, what kind of laptop though?

If you plan on dual-booting, be aware that Windows installers tend to wipe the HD master boot record, so you'd have to manually (re)install the Linux boot loader. The simplest way of avoiding this is to install Windows first, then Linux.

Yes, I am aware, but I will play with this for a week or so just Ubuntu installed. If I like it, I just keep it and order another HD for the kid's machine.

The game had a bunch of files with .py and .txt extensions. I will try to download it on this one and see how it goes.

Right now I downloaded Miro (internet TV) and although I had to access the repository, it was easy, the website hadgood instructions and Miro seems to be running...

Works fine on my laptop, what kind of laptop though?

Acer Aspire 3100. Yes I heard about the Ndiswrapper, that will probably do the trick. I only use the laptop for surfing so the idea is to speed it up with Ubuntu....

The measured internet speed now on the HD installed version is around 20 Mb/s, which is the same as using the Live CD, so I was right, the speed itself didn't increase. I am using 3-4 tabs music running from Youtube in the background and it is a bit slow, but that might be the effect of not much memory, 768 MB....

Acer Aspire 3100.

Yeah I get your problem now: there is no Linux driver for that one.

Well, since the bed is close to the router, I could use it wired without problem, so I might give it a try anyway. Now, can I use the same Live CD as for desktops or does it need a different CD?

can I use the same Live CD as for desktops or does it need a different CD?

Apparently, I can, although installing Adobe Flash took 2 tries. There was a serious increase in speed from 4.5 to 14.5 Mb/s using the Live CD (wired), so I might just put this on the laptop for websurfing purposes....

Since I wasn't sure which way it was going to install on the laptop, I looked around on the web and found Wubi. Now I know Wubi is already on the Live CD, but since there was no option for "Install with Windows intact", I didn't want to risk it and now I am installing it from here:

www.wubi-installer.org

The advantage is that no need for CD burning, anyone who got interested in my project can follow it and install it as a second OS if for nothing else but faster websurfing and being less vulnerable to viruses when visiting questionable websites.

The installation takes about 25 mins, after that I will measure the speed and see if everything is going smooth. The movie site I visited using the Live CD was giving the movie without flickers or buffering problems....

Edit: First try was unsuccessful. It almost got done, but at the very end I think it couldn't find enough partitioned space for 10 G, so let's try it again with only 7 G...

OK, that was my fault, because I tried to install the desktop version on the laptop, altough it could have warned me.

But! I tried the same Wubi download on the desktop and the error message froze, so as I expected the usual Linux pain presented itself.

Now I am downloading the Laptop version, but instead of being an easy "put it on the USB drive, set it to boot from USB and enjoy", the installation guide makes me to learn to program and other bullshit. Again, Linux pain gallore!!!

Here is the stupid guide, sure I won't follow it:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromImgFiles

Eventually I managed to have a non-working Ubuntu on the laptop, which creates 2 problems:

1. It probably prevents further installation attempts.
2. Since it is not doing anything, it probably should be uninstalled.

If anyone knows an easy step by step guide how to install Ubuntu on a laptop, I am listening, because each ones I found required loads of bullshit and milking a spermwhale....

Eventually I managed to have a non-working Ubuntu on the laptop, which creates 2 problems:

1. It probably prevents further installation attempts.
2. Since it is not doing anything, it probably should be uninstalled.

If anyone knows an easy step by step guide how to install Ubuntu on a laptop, I am listening, because each ones I found required loads of bullshit and milking a spermwhale....

Your problem is not laptops, its a specific laptop, it installed on mine without a problem but I have a Dell Inspirion 1420. If all developers made drivers for linux for all their hardware this would not be a problem, instead we have an assortment of hacked drivers in varying states of working order.

I think it was partially my fault. The first installation started from the Live CD, but I didn't mean to do it, so I stoped it, thus I have the non-working version. Probably reinstalling it would fix it, I just want to make sure that no Windows or other programs get overwritten...

Now on the other hand uninstalling it should be also easy...

I think it was partially my fault. The first installation started from the Live CD, but I didn't mean to do it, so I stoped it, thus I have the non-working version. Probably reinstalling it would fix it, I just want to make sure that no Windows or other programs get overwritten...

Now on the other hand uninstalling it should be also easy...

If you install it on a clean partition you don't need to worry about over writing windows, but your still going to need to put a little paragraph in the GRUB to put windows in the boot menu.

OK, rainy day, time to waste time with Linux. I still haven't given up on trying to install at least 1 game. This time I chose Neverball. The download stopped twice and when it finished, it gave an error message. Fuck that...

Then I went back to Frets on Fire. Download, OK. Extracting it, OK. Then nothing, like it would tell you what to do with it or automaticly asking. But I already had this question so I went back and using EF's advise I installed it. Then nothing, although it does show up under Games in the Applications menu, but when I click on it, still nothing happens. Fuck that and linux too. :)

Excuse my language, but when Linux fanboys try to spread the evangelium they forget one thing, that computers are for us, and not we are for them. Usability is one of the most important thing and if I can't use it, well you can shovel it up in your ass.... :(

So far what it is worthy to use is faster internet browsing and a safer experience, because well, you can't install shit with it...

Edit: Tried to download Scorched3d and after the download the Archive manager said it couldn't open it. Fuck that, but I already said that!!!

I have good news and even better news. Finally I managed to install and play a few games, although I didn't do anything differently, I was just expecting the OS to figure it out for me and ask me what to do with the files.

But the even better news is that I installed Ubuntu rather painlessly on the laptop, and it worked right out of the box. Actually, I was able to try wireless using the Live CD, and once it worked I went ahead and installed it.

Now here is the trick!! I used the desktop Live CD, so there was no need for a special laptop program, what I have been looking for. The same CD I have been using for the desktops, worked as a charm on the laptop. I assume the 9.10 version is way better handling laptops then the previous versions.

Now when I measured the internet speed, it hit it out of the ballpark. This is a 3 year old cheap Acer laptop, but the wired speed is 20+ mb/s and the wireless is 8-12, which is still at least twice faster than the original speed with XP.

So I guess my goal was reached, I speeded up my internet access and probably secured it too. I don't plan to use Ubuntu for much more, unless I get real bored or I find a FAQ 101 for dummies where they explain everything in simple and easy terms.

Next step will be to put the new HD into the kid's computer, reinstall XP, then put Ubuntu on as an extra. Once everything runs fine, I put the old HD into the leftover computer and that will be just a linux machine.

I still would like to tryout a game with heavy video card usage, just to see how Ubuntu handles such a task. I downloaded Urban terror and extracted it, but I am not sure how to install it from there.

Anyhow, as an experience I got what I was expecting both positive and negative, so I guess I wasn't surprized.

Installing games that require the graphics card on linux is a bitch for several reasons
1) Drivers are hacked and unstable
2) Same with the games

The problem is not linux: its the developers making drivers and well compiled graphics hardware and games for linux.

1. The bottomline is, no matter whose fault it is, it decreases usability.

2. Linux can be hacked??? The horror!!!

After installing several FF add-ons, now it doesn't play youtube videos, and it even scewed up Opera, so it doesn't play it either. I switched back to XP, everything is fine and dandy in Windows land...

Also FF although very fast, seemed to be buggy for me. The google toolbar didn't always work and set ups on certain pages can not be changed.

Now I have to figure out what causes the video not playing...

FF is completely screwed up. Clicking on the Add-ons closes the browser. I can open a page but there is no working Back button. I tried to download stuff with opera, but it gives an error...

So what one is supposed to do when the Linux OS gets screwed up? At the start there was an option for Recovery, I might try that one....

Or is there any other way to get back to the virgin state?

1. The bottomline is, no matter whose fault it is, it decreases usability.

The fault is not its, just because people don't make things to be compatible with it does not mean it can't be compatible, this is why everyone still uses windows because that what all the software and hardware drivers have been designed for, thus the windows monopoly.


2. Linux can be hacked??? The horror!!!

The drivers are hacks of windows drivers or made in the spare time of some 3rd party.


After installing several FF add-ons, now it doesn't play youtube videos, and it even scewed up Opera, so it doesn't play it either. I switched back to XP, everything is fine and dandy in Windows land...

Also FF although very fast, seemed to be buggy for me. The google toolbar didn't always work and set ups on certain pages can not be changed.

Now I have to figure out what causes the video not playing...

You probably have a conflicting add-on, remove them install one at a time and see which one fucks things up.

I've always found Ubuntu to work well with laptops. I have to use Xubuntu for a really old laptop because it simply didn't have enough RAM but it worked fine. I've had Ubuntu 8.10, 8.10 with different Kernel and 9.04 UNR on my netbook and they have all worked. A tiny hint of teething problems to do with external monitors but it turned out to be due to the age of one of my monitors, newer ones were instantly recognised.

You don't need a different Ubuntu for laptops or netbooks it's just that certain things about desktops might not work so well for laptops. For instance, I have a solid state drive in my netbook which, by the very nature of the technology, has a much lower 'read/write' life than normal drives. Any particular sector can be written to about 100,000~1,000,000 times before it dies (USB sticks are exactly the same), while the count is 10+ times higher on normal drives. As such I have the file system set to ext2, not ext3. ext3 'journals' all it's changes and that means more read/writes, ext2 doesn't. It just means my drive will live maybe a year or two more (and in 4~5 years I'd want a new netbook anyway). Before installing the UNR (Ubuntu Netbook Remix of 9.04) I was using 8.10 with a different kernel, one which was written for Intel Atoms, so it just streamlined a few things my netbook had specific to it. When I was using the standard 8.10 Ubuntu it all worked fine, there was no issue with it being a desktop OS on a laptop but doing a few tweaks here and there wasn't much hassle.

Excuse my language, but when Linux fanboys try to spread the evangelium they forget one thing, that computers are for us, and not we are for them. Usability is one of the most important thing and if I can't use it, well you can shovel it up in your ass.... :(

Well said! Evangelinuxism gets on my last nerve! And they can't seem to understand that Windows simply works.


So far what it is worthy to use is faster internet browsing and a safer experience, because well, you can't install shit with it...

Was waiting for this part of the experience :)

So I guess my goal was reached, I speeded up my internet access and probably secured it too. I don't plan to use Ubuntu for much more, unless I get real bored or I find a FAQ 101 for dummies where they explain everything in simple and easy terms.

Even if you come across a manual that you think is easy to understand, I can almost guarantee that it will not be consistent even across versions of Ubuntu itself.

I still would like to tryout a game with heavy video card usage, just to see how Ubuntu handles such a task. I downloaded Urban terror and extracted it, but I am not sure how to install it from there.

Anyhow, as an experience I got what I was expecting both positive and negative, so I guess I wasn't surprized.

Of course, I personally only expect positive results in Linux with the basic functions (basic internet browsing, word processing etc.)...or...a dedicated application specific server.

But since we aren't talking about servers...I personally didn't spend 700 odd dollars to have a PC with only basic functionality :) Hence why I only learn about Linux in a virtualized environment (which in and of itself is an adventure).

You probably have a conflicting add-on, remove them install one at a time and see which one fucks things up.

I agree, the problem is that FF is not working correctly at this time, so...

How do I reinstall FF anyway? The only reason I actually could do it, because I installed Opera and that is still working although doesn't download strange files extensions and doesn't play videos.

Speaking of conflicting add-ons, since Firefox has literally thousands of add-ons, the idea of a few hundred screwing up the OS kind of scares me. That is the whole point of using FF, so one can have add-ons. Otherwise I would just go with Opera...

I am going to install the exact same (4) add-ons on the extra desktop and see if they screw up the browser there. Then I will know not to mess with FF add-ons....

You don't need a different Ubuntu for laptops or netbooks...

I know NOW, but his little piece of information could have saved a few hours for me a few days ago. :(

Interesting, but none of the websites mentioned this, when I was looking for a version for the laptop... Also, I was unable to use for installation either the online Wubi version or the laptop CD, although I did burn one netbook version CD.

Just for fun, here are the instructions how to install the netbook version, if anyone thinks it is simple or easy:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UNR

Instead they could have just said, try the desktop version first, because that is actually simple and you might get lucky with it...

Well, I installed the same 4 add-ons on the desktop and it seems to have no ill effect. Now (after fixing it on the laptop) I have 2 choices:

1. Just leave FF as it is, and don't mess with add-ons.

2. I could try to install the netbook version so it might handle the add-ons better.

The thing is that it is too much pain to get the netbook version on a USB drive and there is no guarantee that the add-ons would work, so at this point if it ever works again on the laptop, I will leave it alone and play it safe....

The add-ons were (if anybody was curious enough): adblock plus, cooliris, reloadevery and speeddial. (These last 2 are built in in Opera)

I meant to start a new thread called "Linux: still not ready for prime time" but there are already articles like this on the net with viewer comments and arguments, so there is no point in doing so.

I found a youtube video on How to build a Ubuntu computer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNuEb3DeAL0&feature=related

Well, it costed $400 for the poster. I already mentioned this earlier that one can buy a pretty decent computer on Ebay with no OS on it or Linux already installed around $100, and no need to tinker with the hardware.

For $100, that is a dirt cheap price just to have quick access to the internet.

Oh, here is the article, I pretty much agree with the writer:

http://suffolk757.com/blog/2009/05/03/linux-still-not-ready-for-prime-time/

Oh about playing a music CD:

Using the still working laptop, after putting the CD in, the Rhythmboxplayer actually found a shitload of music on the Windows part and showed it, although I wasn't interested in it. Since this player looks like the Ipod player what I hate, I actually used the Movie player to play the songs.

Now when I did the same with the desktop, I actually found the songs with the Rhythmplayer, but for some reasons it took 5-10 seconds to start them and it didn't play them very smoothly so I had to use the Movie player again.

Now I am reinstalling Ubuntu on the laptop. I tried to just whipe out the previous version but I think it is still there, nevertheless I went ahead with the installation. I am actually curious if I will have 7-8 choices when the computer starts up, since I had 5 when I had it installed once (Windows NT and XP Media center, Ubuntu and recovery and a 5th, so basicly 3 Ubuntus, just to keep things simple)

Edit: Yes, it has now 8 choices. FF works but when I tried to download the Adobe Flash plug-in it gave an error message at installation, so I am still screwed.

Somewhere I read that Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu but more userfriendly and it supposed to work out of the box with Flashplayer preinstalled, etc. Hey, I am all about practicality and usability, so let's try it!

Allright, I burn the LiveCD, put it in the laptop. It boots slower than Ubuntu. I don't like the fonts. I go to Youtube, videos don't play, Speedtest doesn't measure. I had to download and install Flashplayer to make them work, so that part wasn't true.

Speed is dandy 20 Mb/s. Oh yes wired. Because it doesn't recognize my wireless, so I guess that is the end of my experience with little Mint. It was handling the internet slower than Ubuntu.

I guess to like Ubuntu again, I had to experience Mint! :)

Finally!!!! After having 2 Ubuntus installed but none of them working properly, and trying to uninstall/reinstall them for a few hours, finally I was able to install the Flashplayer on the 2nd installation, thus it is working perfectly!!! The trick was that there are 4 versions of Flashplayer for Linux and although the Ubuntu version didn't work (because of discrepancy error), I was able to use another one, although I had to extract it first. hey, I am getting good at this!!

So the speed is now 23 Mb/s wired and 19 wireless and excuse me but I have to drink something very alcoholic to celebrate!!!

Now I am not going to tinker with this on the laptop and I don't care that I have an extra installation as long as one works!!!

I finally updated the 7 year old computer with the new HD, putting XP back first. Then I put Ubuntu on it, but this time it went as a file of Windows and it seems to make it slower when handling files and such. The internet is still fast, but the OS itself is sluggish. Since FF seems to be rather fast in XP, I might just leave it like that, because other than making the net faster I don't see many other reasons to use it, except maybe against viruses.

Speaking of viruses, I think the laptop got its first Linux virus/spam. It keeps going to a particular website in every 10 or so minutes, using 2 browsers. And I thought Linux was virus-proof...

Since FF seems to be rather fast in XP, I might just leave it like that, because other than making the net faster I don't see many other reasons to use it, except maybe against viruses.

Aside for not having to purchase an operating system of course. Virus proof depends on the nature of the virus (http://vntutor.blogspot.com/2008/02/do-we-need-anti-virus-for-ubuntu.html)

Speaking of viruses, I think the laptop got its first Linux virus/spam. It keeps going to a particular website in every 10 or so minutes, using 2 browsers. And I thought Linux ir visur-proof...

There is no such thing as virus-proof software. There IS however such a thing as a bigger target (Windows)...and such a thing as virus writers with sour grapes syndrome.

Last night I tried to watch a DVD in Ubuntu, the sucker wouldn't play it. XP did....

Really, I am not asking for much, but plain webbrowsing, handling pictures and playing DVDs are the minimum I expect from an OS. Still not ready for primetime..

You need to install a particular codec package in Ubuntu to watch DVDs. I forget the name of it, though. A google search will probably tell you what you need to do.

I keep looking at the title for this thread, and thinking that "Ubuntu Diary" is some sort of new program you can download using synaptics package manager LOL.

My laptop (the Inspiron 5160) is mostly dead, and that's what I was using for my Linux machine. I think it still has Hardy Heron on it. I really miss all those cool effects and everything with Compiz Fusion........
I don't miss GTK pod scrambling my iPods directory structure, locating various Codecs (like MP3, Mpeg, etc), the dodgy flash compatibility, and doing weird things to keep the broadcom wifi driver from imploding.

I'm thinking about doing another dual boot system whenever I buy my netbook. I wonder if the "graphics media accelerator" cards are powerful enough to run compiz?

You need to install a particular codec package in Ubuntu to watch DVDs. I forget the name of it, though. A google search will probably tell you what you need to do.

You can actually search for it using synaptics. They are probably still called "gstreamer" something or another (good, bad, ugly?).

You need to install a particular codec package in Ubuntu to watch DVDs. I forget the name of it, though. A google search will probably tell you what you need to do.

Fuck that, I want it to work OUT OF THE BOX. And there was a DVD player feature, it just wouldn't read.

By the way, I was just curious if it works, I don't really want to use it as a DVD player. I wasn't surprized at all...

I really miss all those cool effects and everything with Compiz Fusion........

Those cool effects take you to the same internet than any other OS. :)

The only reason to use it is for visiting questionable websites and faster internet handling. Otherwise there is no point in bothering with it...

Also as a back up system when you have it dual booting just in case something goes wrong with XP (virus). Interestingly, I haven't had problems with the wireless part.