Just started running linux

[klappers]

OMG...



WINDOWS....

What was I thinking....

This is awesome!

[HBWC]

it is it is and bugger all viruses to boot

[clean32]

OMG...



WINDOWS....

What was I thinking....

This is awesome!

what flavor??

[martinozcmax]

what flavor??

I have been running Ubuntu on my and swmbo's machines for 12 months +. She now prefers it to Windoze and she's 60 and definitely non technical.
Faster more stable and free, what's not to like! :angel:

[blitz]

How do you get it?
Tell me about it - is it anything to do with bloody microsoft?

[martinozcmax]

How do you get it?
Tell me about it - is it anything to do with bloody microsoft?

Absolutely nothing to do with Microsoft. Free opposition to it. Supported by developers around the world. Lots of different versions of it. Ubuntu Linux is one popular version.

Download it free online or if you don't want to download several hundred mb or have a slow line buy it from eBay or craigslist. Just do a search on Linux. Usually someone is selling it on CD for $5 or so.

Also you can buy Cd's at computer swap meets. Some of them can run the operating system from the CD so you can try it first and see if you like it. It's graphical like Windoze and althought slightly different it isn't hard to pick up and there are millions of people online to help if you ever need it.

download at Download Ubuntu | Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download)

Regards


Martin

[Captain_Rightfoot]

I have a PVR built with Mythbuntu. This is a flavour of linux called Ubuntu (mentioned above) combined with myth-tv. We've been using it for over 12 months now. It took a bit of setting up but it is appliance like in it's reliability. I see no reason why I will ever have to rebuild it other than if there is a hardware failure.

The linux desktop operating systems are quite polished these days. If something happened and I couldn't use a mac I would definitely use a linux variant rather than give a single $ to MS.

I use a mac because they use a similar (UNIX based) underpinnings and are very polished and user friendly. You pay for it but you get premium hardware and an OS that is in another league to MS. Imagine a pc experience that was about using the computer rather than desperately trying to keep the thing running.

[klappers]

what flavor??



Ubuntu...

Had a corrupt initial ISO file and had to download it again...but all sweet now :)

[Captain_Rightfoot]

If you are a bigpond user I think they include the latest versions in their files area so you can download without using your bandwidth. :)

[disco2hse]

Absolutely nothing to do with Microsoft. Free opposition to it. Supported by developers around the world. Lots of different versions of it. Ubuntu Linux is one popular version.

Download it free online or if you don't want to download several hundred mb or have a slow line buy it from eBay or craigslist. Just do a search on Linux. Usually someone is selling it on CD for $5 or so.

Also you can buy Cd's at computer swap meets. Some of them can run the operating system from the CD so you can try it first and see if you like it. It's graphical like Windoze and althought slightly different it isn't hard to pick up and there are millions of people online to help if you ever need it.

download at Download Ubuntu | Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download)

Or you can often get it on those CD/DVDs stuck on the front of computer mags if downloading is a real issue.

Alan

[isuzutoo-eh]

Dammit, I just downloaded Ubuntu because of you blokes. Now i'm going to have to try it. Big fan of free/opensource software :D

[martinozcmax]

I have a PVR built with Mythbuntu. This is a flavour of linux called Ubuntu (mentioned above) combined with myth-tv. We've been using it for over 12 months now. It took a bit of setting up but it is appliance like in it's reliability. I see no reason why I will ever have to rebuild it other than if there is a hardware failure.

The linux desktop operating systems are quite polished these days. If something happened and I couldn't use a mac I would definitely use a linux variant rather than give a single $ to MS.

I use a mac because they use a similar (UNIX based) underpinnings and are very polished and user friendly. You pay for it but you get premium hardware and an OS that is in another league to MS. Imagine a pc experience that was about using the computer rather than desperately trying to keep the thing running.

Funny you should say that cause after 30+ years in IT I'd much rather use a Mac and if Linux wasn't here would do so. MS have been gouging everyone for years, just look at every version of Office being incompatible with the spreadsheets and macros from previous versions. Tell me that isn't deliberate.

[martinozcmax]

Dammit, I just downloaded Ubuntu because of you blokes. Now i'm going to have to try it. Big fan of free/opensource software :D

Good onya, you won't go back. It updates itself seamlessly and just works !

[disco2hse]

Tell me that isn't deliberate.

OK. It isn't deliberate.












Just poor software design ;)


But hey, you still get to pay for the bug fixes.

Alan

[Captain_Rightfoot]

OK. It isn't deliberate.












Just poor software design ;)


But hey, you still get to pay for the bug fixes.

Alan

No I don't :)

[disco2hse]

No I don't :)

hehe good answer.

Same here :D

Alan

[vnx205]

If, like me, you are still using an 8 year old computer, then Xubuntu is a variation of Ubuntu that works better on older machines.

It runs all the same programs. The main difference is a GUI that takes up less memory.

[mike_ie]

Just as a heads up for anyone who want's to try Ubuntu but are afraid that they'll screw up their computer with the install - download the disc image (http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download), burn to CD and boot your computer from the CD. All the fun of Ubuntu, with the ability to try everything, without making any changes to your computer.

[mark2]

Just as a heads up for anyone who want's to try Ubuntu but are afraid that they'll screw up their computer with the install - download the disc image (http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download), burn to CD and boot your computer from the CD. All the fun of Ubuntu, with the ability to try everything, without making any changes to your computer.


If my Windows XP is running reliably, is there any performance advantage to using Linux? I did notice it slowed down a lot after installing service pack 2 - would it run faster with Linux?

Can I use my existing software, files etc?

[defmec]

pc,s run alot faster on a unix based os .i use sabyon and can run beryl/fusion and have youtube,a dvd,mp3 playing all at the same time on one desktop :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: not that there is any need to do so but :eek::eek::eek::eek: try doing that on xp .the only problem is my wife is used to xp so i just use xp but if i had my own pc i would run linux

[loanrangie]

If my Windows XP is running reliably, is there any performance advantage to using Linux? I did notice it slowed down a lot after installing service pack 2 - would it run faster with Linux?

Can I use my existing software, files etc?

You cant use any of your software as is but you can use various windoze emulators such as wine that allow you to run windoze apps from within a linux OS. If you use office programs then openoffice will read/write and replace MSoffice completely, there are endless versions of linux to try but my favourite is PClinuxos as it feels and looks like XP is easier to use than Ubuntu and installing an endless list of free prgrams to replace all those you used in windoze is simple.

PCLinuxOS - Home (http://www.pclinuxos.com/)

[mark2]

Just been doing some research on ubuntu - looks like its a whole new world where everything is different yet strangely familiar....... not sure if my brain is up to the challenge of switching......

[loanrangie]

Just been doing some research on ubuntu - looks like its a whole new world where everything is different yet strangely familiar....... not sure if my brain is up to the challenge of switching......

Have a look at the pclinux os screenshots, it will look familiar to windoze.

[Stepho_62]

G'day,

Anyone using the new Debian Distro?

[MickS]

Just downloaded and rebooted with Ubuntu - very nice. Clean and easy...I'm impressed. :)

[JDNSW]

If my Windows XP is running reliably, is there any performance advantage to using Linux? I did notice it slowed down a lot after installing service pack 2 - would it run faster with Linux?

Can I use my existing software, files etc?

You will generally find that a computer running comparable versions of Linux and Windows will run a lot faster on Linux, mainly because it does not have to run extra virus protection software.

But there are a wide variety of different types of Linux, and some run a lot faster than others.

In general you will not be able to run the same software other than under an emulator or in a virtual computer under linux, but you will find that the linux comes complete with a wide variety of software which will replace most of your Windows applications (The major exception is games). Almost all your files will be useable in linux, mostly without modification, although a few will need to be exported from your Windows program in an interchange format.

Linux is strictly the operating system kernel, and this is packaged with a variety of other software to make a complete operating system plus application software called a "distribution", such as Ubuntu. There are several hundred of these, but probably about a dozen which could be considered as major distributions. Almost all software which will run on one distribution will run on any other. There are several graphical user interfaces or GUIs, and most Distributions come with at least two of these, KDE and Gnome. Again, most software will run with either, and you can run with one in one session and change the next session.

There are several major differences in philosophy from Windows, which can cause confusion for new users. Hardware drivers are mostly contained within the Kernel, and if others are needed you may have to download them online. Some hardware manufacturers neither supply linux drivers nor publish enough information to allow others to write them, and in this case your hardware may not be able to be made to work with linux. Not often a problem, but I have it with my slide scanner. Almost all distributions require you to do most of your computing as an ordinary user, with your having to be 'root' user to make changes to the system, unlike Windows, where a lot of software will not run except as root.

Hope this helps,

John

[mark2]

Have a look at the pclinux os screenshots, it will look familiar to windoze.

Just started the download - only 17 hours to go:D

[mark2]

You will generally find that a computer running comparable versions of Linux and Windows will run a lot faster on Linux, mainly because it does not have to run extra virus protection software.

But there are a wide variety of different types of Linux, and some run a lot faster than others.

In general you will not be able to run the same software other than under an emulator or in a virtual computer under linux, but you will find that the linux comes complete with a wide variety of software which will replace most of your Windows applications (The major exception is games). Almost all your files will be useable in linux, mostly without modification, although a few will need to be exported from your Windows program in an interchange format.

Linux is strictly the operating system kernel, and this is packaged with a variety of other software to make a complete operating system plus application software called a "distribution", such as Ubuntu. There are several hundred of these, but probably about a dozen which could be considered as major distributions. Almost all software which will run on one distribution will run on any other. There are several graphical user interfaces or GUIs, and most Distributions come with at least two of these, KDE and Gnome. Again, most software will run with either, and you can run with one in one session and change the next session.

There are several major differences in philosophy from Windows, which can cause confusion for new users. Hardware drivers are mostly contained within the Kernel, and if others are needed you may have to download them online. Some hardware manufacturers neither supply linux drivers nor publish enough information to allow others to write them, and in this case your hardware may not be able to be made to work with linux. Not often a problem, but I have it with my slide scanner. Almost all distributions require you to do most of your computing as an ordinary user, with your having to be 'root' user to make changes to the system, unlike Windows, where a lot of software will not run except as root.

Hope this helps,

John

Thanks for the info.

I'm happy to transfer to the new applications for the typical stuff, however I have a few specific pieces of software used for programming radios as well as mapping software which may require the emulator.
What about etax? - will that require the emulator also?

[MickS]

Being PC tech illiterate, if I load Ubuntu onto the hard drive of my PC, when I boot it up again, can I still choose between XP and Ubuntu?

[BBC]

Interesting the use of the word Ubuntu. It is a Zulu word. It articulates a world view, or vision of humanity.

Ubuntu regards humanity as an integral part of eco-systems that lead to a communal responsibility to sustain life.

Linux have made a clever name choice.

[JDNSW]

Thanks for the info.

.......
What about etax? - will that require the emulator also?

Yes, and I am not sure it is trouble free - I don't use it, primarily because they are in Microsoft's pocket!

John

[JDNSW]

Being PC tech illiterate, if I load Ubuntu onto the hard drive of my PC, when I boot it up again, can I still choose between XP and Ubuntu?

If you make the right decisions when installing it, yes. You end up with what is referred to as a "dual boot" installation, and can choose every time you boot the system. Go to the Ubuntu website for descriptions of the procedure, but the installation procedure is easy to follow to get this result.

John

[JDNSW]

Interesting the use of the word Ubuntu. It is a Zulu word. It articulates a world view, or vision of humanity.

Ubuntu regards humanity as an integral part of eco-systems that lead to a communal responsibility to sustain life.

Linux have made a clever name choice.

"Linux" is not an entity that can make a choice, and Ubuntu was chosen as the name for Canonical's Linux distribution because the company is owned by a South African millionaire.

John

[martinozcmax]

If my Windows XP is running reliably, is there any performance advantage to using Linux? I did notice it slowed down a lot after installing service pack 2 - would it run faster with Linux?

Can I use my existing software, files etc?

The problem I find with Windoze is it always starts off running reliably and pretty quickly then over time it always slows down whether that is caused by registry corruption, memory leakage or whatever else who knows but in my experience it's always ended up running like a dog. The strange thing is if you re-install it anew on the same machine it will start off all good again. I know I have done this multiple times over the years. I can't see them ever fixing this as the new releases are built on the old code.

Linux will outperform XP on similiar hardware. ie it's resource requirements are lower, an earlier post also referred to a version for old hardware.

I'd suggest you run Linux from CD to see if you prefer it. It definitely doesn't have the issues described above. As for running your old files Open Office (the free open source equivalent to MS Office) will run word, excel and powerpoint files very well. You can also run a program called wine on Linux which is an emulator to let you run your windoze progs. Again check it out first to see if it works for you.

Good luck


Martin

[MickS]

Thanks John.... :BigThumb:

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

I been running Kubuntu the KDE variation of Ubuntu ( different desktop) If find the ubuntu desktop a little mundane. just my opinion.
Kubuntu and ubuntu are the same distro, if you wanted to change desktops you just add the deired desktop in the repositories and you can choose either you want to use.
I found that installing extra applications much easier than Windows, a small typed command in konsole or using the package manager GUIs will have stuff automatically installed, much faster than windows programs on a disc and less fuss.
Updates are regular and fast to download.
Tech support is free!!!!!!, and very fast usually from the forums, lots of help for Newbs.
It's fast and stable. I dual boot with XP due to a couple of softwares I use. Xp crashes or bogs down regulary, a couple of times I got the blue screen of death and couldn't boot in to XP, but rescued my files on XP from the Kubuntu then wiped and formated XP , reinstalled it. Then booted into Kubuntu via the installation CD ( live) a couple of typed commands I reinstalled the dual boot menu and all was well again. Never lost any stuff on the Kubuntu partition. Even if you do stuff up something in Kubuntu you can access the files with your live Cd to save stuff.
Linux uses a different file system, so you don't have defrag problems, and if you install and uninstall stuff, delete files etc, it doesn't behave any differently, try that on windows and you'll notice crap left in the registry, and slowing of the system needing defragging. With Kubuntu/ubuntu after so many reboots, it will do a system check just to make sure every thing is ok and it wil tweak itself back to optimum performance.
People are finally realising that Linux does not have to be a geek os, it actully can be user friendly:D
Another thing, Microsoft employs only so many developers , with Linux, many hundred of thousands of minds are working on it all the time, improving it, open source software.I there is a bug they are on to it quickly.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Some of you might find this interesting. These are the stats from our ubuntu based myth-tv. Keep in mind that it has good power management, so it writes to the bios on shutdown with the time of the next program it has to record, and then starts 5 minutes before. Without this the uptime would be much greater... :)

[martinozcmax]

Some of you might find this interesting. These are the stats from our ubuntu based myth-tv. Keep in mind that it has good power management, so it writes to the bios on shutdown with the time of the next program it has to record, and then starts 5 minutes before. Without this the uptime would be much greater... :)

Now everyone knows what a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine you are :D :wasntme: :angel:


Very impressive uptime, was it hard to set it up ?


Regards


Martin

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Now everyone knows what a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine you are :D :wasntme: :angel:


Very impressive uptime, was it hard to set it up ?


Regards


Martin
To be honest it was a bit painful. But it wasn't all it's fault!

We pretty much set the hardware up specifically for myth, so we went to some trouble to ensure that all our bits were tested with myth. This was a huge help.. and it would have been great but...

We have an older high def Panasonic tv. It takes a composite input, and our motherboard has a composite output (and was chosen for this). Unfortunately it only supplies 60hz, and the tv only takes 50hz in the high def modes (or the other way around).

So, to enable hi-def we ended up with a vga transcoder and it now works fine :) That wasn't myths fault at all but it caused much head scratching. If the tv had been newer and had a DVI input all would have been well.

It is infinitely configurable, although some things require you to make changes to config files. This is no problem for me as I just ssh to it from the mac. However I understand for some people this would be a bit much but I do it every day at work so it's easy.

So, in summary it's not entirely turnkey, but once set up it's amazingly reliable. A friend who has tried to use windows media centre reckons he rebuilt it 18 times in the first year, and he's a very smart guy. Without it we would have a kiddie revolt as you can see from the recording priorities of it. Practically, it means we always have fresh kiddie tv from the safe haven of Auntie.

It's guide sniffing ability means we just tell it we like a show once and off it goes. When we got a pvr 6 years ago it revolutionised our TV viewing. This has done the same.

[martinozcmax]

[QUOTE=Captain_Rightfoot;1016920]To be honest it was a bit painful. But it wasn't all it's fault!


We have an older high def Panasonic tv. It takes a composite input, and our motherboard has a composite output (and was chosen for this). Unfortunately it only supplies 60hz, and the tv only takes 50hz in the high def modes (or the other way around).


Thanks, I may give it a bash. You probably faced the 50-60hz issue because 50hz is the standard here and in the UK on the PAL system we use and the septics (who think they are the only ones using TV) run on NTSC and 60hz.
FWIW - The PAL system is far superior in terms of colour quality, we used to joke in the TV tech industry that NTSC stood for Never Twice the Same Colour. :wasntme:

[Captain_Rightfoot]

[QUOTE=Captain_Rightfoot;1016920]To be honest it was a bit painful. But it wasn't all it's fault!


We have an older high def Panasonic tv. It takes a composite input, and our motherboard has a composite output (and was chosen for this). Unfortunately it only supplies 60hz, and the tv only takes 50hz in the high def modes (or the other way around).


Thanks, I may give it a bash. You probably faced the 50-60hz issue because 50hz is the standard here and in the UK on the PAL system we use and the septics (who think they are the only ones using TV) run on NTSC and 60hz.
FWIW - The PAL system is far superior in terms of colour quality, we used to joke in the TV tech industry that NTSC stood for Never Twice the Same Colour. :wasntme:
Do some research before you start and ensure that you have bought the right tuner card. That's what will sink you big time :o. There are lists of supported hardware out there.

Note that I'm running Hardy, not Jaunty (??!!?) :)

Myth community docco. (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MythTV)

[Corgie Carrier]

What is the best format for a linux disk.

The version I hav ehas many options including fat32, ntfs, Ext2, ext3, reiser4, reiserfs and xfs.

Too many options for a linux nooby.

thanks

[JDNSW]

What is the best format for a linux disk.

The version I hav ehas many options including fat32, ntfs, Ext2, ext3, reiser4, reiserfs and xfs.

Too many options for a linux nooby.

thanks

I would ext3. It is similar to ext2 but with journalling, so there is less chance of a corrupted disc if the power goes off. Both are native to Linux.
FAT32 is the Windows 95/98 format, useful if you want the partition to be read by your Windows system, but not otherwise.
XFS is a Silicon Graphics FS, supposedly better for very large files - I would not use it.
Reiser file systems have a question mark over support as the single author of them (apparently a programming genius) is doing a long stretch of imprisonment for murder. They are very good, but there are arguments as to how they compare to the ext family.
Not mentioned is the latest "designed especially for Linux" fs - ext4. This is the default for the latest kernel versions, but may still have teething troubles. It is supposed to be faster than ext3, but this depends on exactly what you are doing. As I understand it the speed gain is by only storing changes when you save a file and then rewriting the new version when you close the file.

John

[Corgie Carrier]

I would ext3. It is similar to ext2 but with journalling, so there is less chance of a corrupted disc if the power goes off. Both are native to Linux.
FAT32 is the Windows 95/98 format, useful if you want the partition to be read by your Windows system, but not otherwise.
XFS is a Silicon Graphics FS, supposedly better for very large files - I would not use it.
Reiser file systems have a question mark over support as the single author of them (apparently a programming genius) is doing a long stretch of imprisonment for murder. They are very good, but there are arguments as to how they compare to the ext family.
Not mentioned is the latest "designed especially for Linux" fs - ext4. This is the default for the latest kernel versions, but may still have teething troubles. It is supposed to be faster than ext3, but this depends on exactly what you are doing. As I understand it the speed gain is by only storing changes when you save a file and then rewriting the new version when you close the file.

John

Thanks John.

What is journalling and how important is it?
I have formatted with ext2, just so I could install and have a look. If it is important I can easily reformat it, no probs.

[JDNSW]

Thanks John.

What is journalling and how important is it?
I have formatted with ext2, just so I could install and have a look. If it is important I can easily reformat it, no probs.

It is only important if you have a power failure, for example. A journalling file system makes a file containing changes to a file (a journal) before it makes the changes, so that if the system is interrupted while making the changes, the damaged file can be reconstructed without going completely through the file.

It simply makes recovery either easier and quicker, or often, a non-event. It also reduces the time taken for automatic file checking, which Linux systems do every twenty or so boots, and can take a while for large partitions without journalling. But if you have formatted ext2 I would just leave it.

John

[martinozcmax]

This may be another way to escape the Windoze operating system. Google stuff usually just works. I love the comment about users wanting an OS that stays running as fast as it did when new. :D

From today's press
Google goes after Windows with launch of Chrome OS

Posted by Sam Diaz @ 11:42 pm

Google said late Tuesday that it will launch the Google Chrome operating system, a computer operating system that initially will target netbook computers by offering a faster, better and more secure way for users to access Web-based applications.

The Chrome operating system should not be confused with the Android operating system that the company launched for mobile devices. While there will be some overlap between the two systems, Android was designed to work across a number of devices, such as phones, set-top boxes and netbooks. The Chrome OS is being designed to power computers that range from small netbooks to full-size desktop machines.

The Chrome OS is a direct attack against Microsoft’s lucrative - albeit vulnerable - Windows operating system. By now, it’s no secret that Windows Vista was a nightmare and that Microsoft is eager to launch its Windows 7 operating system, which is scheduled for release in the fall. From the official blog post announcing Google Chrome OS:

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don’t want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates. And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.

Google, which has long been singing the praises of cloud-based applications, is stepping up its game to bring the cloud to the mainstream. The operating system - a lightweight open source system that will run on both x86 as well ARM chips - is deigned to start up and have the user on the Web within seconds, as opposed to the long startup time on Windows. In addition, the company said that it’s “going back to basics” - just as it did with the Chrome browser - to redesign the underlying security architecture “so that users don’t have to worry about viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.”

[loanrangie]

Some of you might find this interesting. These are the stats from our ubuntu based myth-tv. Keep in mind that it has good power management, so it writes to the bios on shutdown with the time of the next program it has to record, and then starts 5 minutes before. Without this the uptime would be much greater... :)

What hardware are you running in it ? I have a spare HD pci card and spare pc that i plan to use as a media pc but since loading XBMC onto a modded wireless xbox that i have running in HD i got sidetracked.

[Captain_Rightfoot]

What hardware are you running in it ? I have a spare HD pci card and spare pc that i plan to use as a media pc but since loading XBMC onto a modded wireless xbox that i have running in HD i got sidetracked.

I'm running a amd MB/processor (sorry... can't remember the speed but it's a few years old) with 4gb of memory (2 would be plenty), and everything is on board.

Critically I'm running two of the technistat tuners from this page. (http://www.digitalnow.com.au/dvbtcards.html)

Apparently there is a new version of Myth TV coming out in a couple of months that has many improvements.

[disco2hse]

This may be another way to escape the Windoze operating system. Google stuff usually just works. I love the comment about users wanting an OS that stays running as fast as it did when new. :D

Meh. At the moment it's just a browser and the OS will be intended for netbooks. There's no browser for anything other than MS at the mo'.

Vapourware.

Alan

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Meh. At the moment it's just a browser and the OS will be intended for netbooks. There's no browser for anything other than MS at the mo'.

Vapourware.

Alan

Gee you're optimistic calling Google purveyors of vapourware. They are a very determined and engineer centric company. If they promise stuff I tend to think they will deliver. Strategically, it's clearly a ploy to get some of MS's action long term.

[disco2hse]

Well, I guess I've seen far too many promises in this industry and until I see a product that is at least alpha, then it is vapourware.

MS have used it as a strategy for the past couple of decades to offset their rivals and to great success.

Alan

[Bushie]

OK

I know you can dual boot win/linux, but is it possible to have them installed on completely separate physical drives ?

I was thinking along the lines of buying a new drive and installing one of the linux flavours to give it a try.


Martyn

[disco2hse]

No reason why not. I think so long as the win disk is a master, you should be able to select the linux disk as a slave and make your choice from the bios??

Or you could get fancy and have a linux boot partition set up with the other linux partitions on the second drive.

Alan

[Captain_Rightfoot]

OK

I know you can dual boot win/linux, but is it possible to have them installed on completely separate physical drives ?

I was thinking along the lines of buying a new drive and installing one of the linux flavours to give it a try.


Martyn

You could but I think you would have to change the boot sequence in the BIOS to specify which OS you booted.

[Hastykiwi]

Hey guys. upon your recommendation i have installed ubuntu 9 on my laptop. I have not done so on the desktop yet, as i have never used linux before and am just exploring the limitations.

So far pretty happy with it. I do occassionally get frustrated with not understanding all the linux jargon used to load software, and instructions being given in command line!:confused:! Surley they must realise that if its to become a serious contender, people will not accept it unless its point and click.

Anyhoo, have managed to navigate my way around most of this, and learnt a bit. Have just about everything installed that i need, except the ability to play DVD's.

I gather there is some legal issue with havung software onboard a free system to play DVD, because no licences have been payed!??
All the searches I've done have returned advice that is 07-08 vintage regarding a file libdvdcss2. I'm pretty sure i have installed it with VLC but still no DVD playback. Avi's etc are ok, just DVD on disc.

Any thoughts?

cheers
Nick

[martinozcmax]

Well, I guess I've seen far too many promises in this industry and until I see a product that is at least alpha, then it is vapourware.

MS have used it as a strategy for the past couple of decades to offset their rivals and to great success.

Alan

I think you are being very brave dismissing Google. They have a reputation of delivering or even over delivering on what they promise. Don't let MS and their FUD influence your thinking.

Personally I'll be amazed if the new Google OS isn't the dominant OS in 5-10 years. MS have been on a downwards spiral for years.

[disco2hse]

I would.

MS have a dominant position in the market. They will stay dominant simply because of market inertia. Linux has displaced any likelihood that they might have a dominance in the server market (which they never did), but it has done far more damage to Sun, IBM, SGI, etc. But so far as the PC desktop market is concerned, it has little more than a bump. Another OS from Google is, I think, more likely to go the way of BeOS unless it has do something that is very different from what the incumbents can already do.

Google is just a company with shareholders. Like any listed company they have to do whatever it takes to keep their share price up and the reality is that the market will decide whether or not any actual product is delivered. Yes it is true that they have invested a large amount into R&D but their shareholders will not let them do that for too long before they show a decent ROI. If that means dropping certain projects that may not return sufficient profit then that is what you will see. And if their shareholders say that Google's core business is *not* in PC based OS' then hot potatoes come to mind. Of course it may happen, who knows. I don 't.

Alan

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

Hey guys. upon your recommendation i have installed ubuntu 9 on my laptop. I have not done so on the desktop yet, as i have never used linux before and am just exploring the limitations.

So far pretty happy with it. I do occassionaly get frustrated with not understanding all the linux jargon used to load software, and instructions being given in command line!:confused:! Surley they must realise that if its to become a serious contender, people will not accept it unless its point and click.

Anyhoo, have managed to navigate my way around most of this, and learnt a bit. Have just about everything installed that i need, except the ability to play DVD's.

I gather there is some legal issue with havung software onboard a free system to play DVD, because no licences have been payed!??
All the searches I've done have returned advice that is 07-08 vintage regarding a file libdvdcss2. I'm pretty sure i have installed it with VLC but still no DVD playback. Avi's etc are ok, just DVD on disc.

Any thoughts?

cheers
Nick
Because Linux is open source there is a legal thing about the DVD playback, many Lin Distros do not provide it as a default install. You can overcome this though my installing in it separately. Depends on your Linux Distro you are using, IE if you are running Ubuntu /Kubuntu, all that's need is to do a google and it will tell you how.
I installed the medibuntu into the repos and it will install the required stuff to install the lidvdcss.
It's simple just google it.
Also if you use a package manager ie in kubuntu " synaptic" it will open a GIU screen where you can choose any additional applications from the repositories, themn it's just mark and apply and the system installs itself and any dependancies the app may need.

Another plus I found with linux over Microsoft... in the event od a power failure, Ms will give you the Check disc screen and throws fits. .... Linux just boots up and asks if you want to start a new session or go back to what you were working on, and reopens it to where you left off.

Here you go. the Medibuntu is the medical version of ubuntu, so there for all the codecs etc must be provided.( installing the medibuntu into the repos does not change your current desktop or anything else, it's just adding some extra features to the repository

Open your terminal and copy and paste these commands exactly and press enter on keyboard, it will ask for your sudo (root aka adminstrater password, type that in.)

sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/`lsb_release -cs`.list --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list; sudo apt-get -q update; sudo apt-get --yes -q --allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring; sudo apt-get -q update

Then this next command

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

You may be asked to accept this package even though it cannot be
authenticated. This is normal; typing "Yes" means you trust Medibuntu.

Now copy and paste this command

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2

That should see you playing DVDs.

[rfurzer]

I am very interested in ditching windows for my home laptop. I use a 7.2mbps bigpond wireless connection. I rang their tech help twerps and was told that the connection software wasnt compatible with ubuntu (or anything but windows and Mc). Are they right? can i get around the prob?

[Captain_Rightfoot]

I am very interested in ditching windows for my home laptop. I use a 7.2mbps bigpond wireless connection. I rang their tech help twerps and was told that the connection software wasnt compatible with ubuntu (or anything but windows and Mc). Are they right? can i get around the prob?

It's quite possible they haven't done a driver for it. Do a google search as someone may have got it sorted. If they can get it to work on a mac in theory a linux solution wouldn't be very different. Maybe try whirlpool.

[loanrangie]

It's quite possible they haven't done a driver for it. Do a google search as someone may have got it sorted. If they can get it to work on a mac in theory a linux solution wouldn't be very different. Maybe try whirlpool.

My laptop uses an intel wifi chip and worked perfectly with Ubuntu and on my spare pc using PCLOS i have a netgear pci card with ndiswrapper which is a linux program that allows you to use the windozes driver for it. If you search the Ubuntu forum you will most likely find out how to get it to work.

[JDNSW]

I am very interested in ditching windows for my home laptop. I use a 7.2mbps bigpond wireless connection. I rang their tech help twerps and was told that the connection software wasnt compatible with ubuntu (or anything but windows and Mc). Are they right? can i get around the prob?

In one sense they are right, but in another they are not. They will not help you and if you use anything except MS or Mac they will blame this for any problems you have. But although I have never used wireless with Bigpond (this is one reason why I don't use Bigpond) my understanding is that you can get it to work, although how much trouble it is depends on your modem. A search or a question in the whirlpool forum should come up with something, or, if you live in a major city, contact your local Linux User Group.

John

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

I am very interested in ditching windows for my home laptop. I use a 7.2mbps bigpond wireless connection. I rang their tech help twerps and was told that the connection software wasnt compatible with ubuntu (or anything but windows and Mc). Are they right? can i get around the prob?
Often you will find the the TECH support will not offer Linux as they know nothing about it. They arte only MS trained etc.
One way to find out is D/l the Livre CD , Burn it and boot up the CD, it won't install anything but will allow you to try it.You soon know if your connection works. Also check the forums for Ubuntu and ask a question if you have probs, they are always willling to help

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

OK

I know you can dual boot win/linux, but is it possible to have them installed on completely separate physical drives ?

I was thinking along the lines of buying a new drive and installing one of the linux flavours to give it a try.


Martyn
Yes and you could also get away from dual boot, by installing windows on one HDD and Linux on another but put the linux boot file on a USB, set the boot order to usb as 1st boot, then your pc will automatically start on windows, but if you want to run linux, just insert the USB and linux will boot instead. Sort of like using the USB as a KEY to lock you computer. without it no one can access your linux computer, a good security feature:cool:, stops unwanted eyes for getting to your files

[Hastykiwi]

Because Linux is open source there is a legal thing about the DVD playback, many Lin Distros do not provide it as a default install. You can overcome this though my installing in it separately. Depends on your Linux Distro you are using, IE if you are running Ubuntu /Kubuntu, all that's need is to do a google and it will tell you how.
I installed the medibuntu into the repos and it will install the required stuff to install the lidvdcss.
It's simple just google it.
Also if you use a package manager ie in kubuntu " synaptic" it will open a GIU screen where you can choose any additional applications from the repositories, themn it's just mark and apply and the system installs itself and any dependancies the app may need.

Another plus I found with linux over Microsoft... in the event od a power failure, Ms will give you the Check disc screen and throws fits. .... Linux just boots up and asks if you want to start a new session or go back to what you were working on, and reopens it to where you left off.

Here you go. the Medibuntu is the medical version of ubuntu, so there for all the codecs etc must be provided.( installing the medibuntu into the repos does not change your current desktop or anything else, it's just adding some extra features to the repository

Open your terminal and copy and paste these commands exactly and press enter on keyboard, it will ask for your sudo (root aka adminstrater password, type that in.)

sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/`lsb_release -cs`.list --output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list; sudo apt-get -q update; sudo apt-get --yes -q --allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring; sudo apt-get -q update

Then this next command

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

You may be asked to accept this package even though it cannot be
authenticated. This is normal; typing "Yes" means you trust Medibuntu.

Now copy and paste this command

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2

That should see you playing DVDs.


Life Saver!!:)

cheers
Nick