Linux Thread

[WallRunner]

Not sure if it's been done before, or if the linux transition thread would be suitable, if I am wrong, feel free to close this thread and point me to the right one.

I made this thread so everyone can have a good area to talk linux, all in one place.

So I became a Linux user in mid-feb, and in that time I have set up my wireless card (thrice), fixed a corrupt HDD, and learned that Windows is evil

Using Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Eft(With Xbuntu and Kubuntu installed within it), Also have a Live CD of 7.04 (Feisty Fawn), and multiple CD-R's with Fix-up stuff on them.
Hoping to try:
Fedora Core
SuSe
Mandriva One
All the others

From,
Chris.

 

[Eric.]

I think I put Edgy on this PC around January. Haven't used it too much as I need to mess around with my nVidia driver. I did a pretty sloppy install/uninstall/reinstall and I think its pretty messed up right now. It crashes any time that a bit of 3D acceleration is needed. Ugh. Runs flawless on the laptop though. Glad I found out how to use the entire screen! I think it runs a little quicker than XP does on it, probably because it only has 256MB of RAM.

 

[Flame-returns]

I used Ubuntu 6.10 up until recently but I moved to Linux Mint (Bianca). Mint is Ubuntu based and so carries the advantages of Ubuntu but it expands on Ubuntu making for a brilliant operating system. It just does so much right, including some brilliant applications along with an improved network manager, re-organised menus and the ability to detect the presence of an ntfs partition (my Windows one) and read it.

 

[Impreza04]

I've got a Ubuntu Live CD, but not put it on a partition on the hard drive because there's a recovery partition on the Hard Drive I don't want to overwrite.. if someone can guarantee it won't overwrite it then I may have a go at installing it

 

[Viper_Maniac]

I installed Edgy Friday or Saturday. Its running pretty good. Dualbooting with XP Pro. Having alittle problem mount my IDE drive in linux but I should have it figured out soon. I had to disconnect my IDE drive to install both OS'es because they kept defaulting to installing on the IDE instead of the SATA that I have installed. Once I get the drive problem fixed I think I'll install beryl and mess around with it.

 

[Eric.]

I used Ubuntu 6.10 up until recently but I moved to Linux Mint (Bianca). Mint is Ubuntu based and so carries the advantages of Ubuntu but it expands on Ubuntu making for a brilliant operating system. It just does so much right, including some brilliant applications along with an improved network manager, re-organised menus and the ability to detect the presence of an ntfs partition (my Windows one) and read it.

You can mount NTFS partitions in any version of Linux I believe.

 

[Viper_Maniac]

I just installed E17(Enlightenment). Wow. Its so cool. I've been wanting to try it out for along time. Its taking some getting use to but its worth it. Next up: prolly Beryl.

 

[YSSMAN]

I've got a fairly new-ish (circa 2000) computer laying around the house that I haven't used in some time, and I've considered converting it to Linux, but I have no idea how to do a clean-swipe of the old Microsoft software, much less how to use anything Linux.

...I'm tempted though. I think it has an Ethernet port in the back, and I wouldn't mind having a second computer connected to the tubes of the interweb...

 

[dougiemeats]

That wouldn't be a bad idea. If you download Ubuntu Desktop CD, it will take care of everything for you. As long as you no longer need any of the files on the hard drive, just pop the live CD in and it will format the drive and install the operating system with just a few clicks.

BTW, what kind of computer is it? The sweet spot for Ubuntu is 512MB of RAM; any less and I would consider installing something lighter, such as Xubuntu. But, if you're only going to be using it for web browsing, email, and music, then 256MB will be enough. The next version of Ubuntu will be released sometime around April 19. This version will provide easy access to codecs to enable MP3 and video playback, so waiting for this version would probably be best for a new user. 👍

Edit: If you happen to choose another distro or the current version of Ubuntu, downloading and installing the necessary codecs is still easy; just not as straightforward as the next version.

 

[YSSMAN]

^ Thanks for the advice. I'm currently downloading Xubuntu, as I don't think the old girl can handle Ubuntu. Generally speaking, I forgot how old she was. I bought it the year I went into 8th grade, so about 2000, so the hardware is some seriously old stuff. We're talking Intel Celeron 667 MHz processors, 64 MB RAM, 15 GB HDD, etc.

...We'll see what happens today I guess. If I can't get through everything between this morning and this afternoon, I've got a good amount of time on Friday to work with it as well, not to mention the extended weekend...

The good news is, if I can get this to work, I may end up being able to convince my Grandmother to buy an old computer, switch it to Ubuntu, and it would be a much easier way for her to just do the internet and word-processing as she plans. That is, if any of her older friends know how to use Linux...

 

[dougiemeats]

Xubuntu should be fine running basic tasks then, although the RAM might be pushing it. From the system requirements page, it mentions that 64MB is the minimum. For the record, my family has an old computer running about the same specs (except it has 128MB RAM) and Xubuntu runs nicely on it. Coincidentally, it was also bought going into my 8th grade year.

I'd also suggest installing the OS using the Alternate CD, labeled as "xubuntu-6.10-alternate-i386.iso" on the download page. The Alternate CD is simply the non-live-cd version and will work better than the Desktop CD in your case.

Good luck with the install.

 

[YSSMAN]

Greeting from the year 2000! I am currently surfing the interweb via my decidedly old-school PC, but unfortunately I'm still doing so with Windows 98 and Internet Explorer...

...I pretty much realized after my downloads were completed this morning that the program required too much juice for what my computer had, and after seeking out some low-power alternatives, I came back dissapointed.

So what to do?

Well, I'm. I really want to run Ubuntu or Xubuntu on this old machine, as I hate having something laying around not being used. I could upgrade the memory for a few bucks, and it doesn't sound like a horrible idea, but all-around lack of power still puts me off just a bit...

...Then again, it doesn't require that much juice to run these programs...

So, at least for now, I've completely cleared this system of every unncessary program and add-on, and I'm looking into buying a VGA-to-NTSC thingamajig so I can hook it up to my TV downstairs, not to mention another 50ft Ethernet cable.

...Pretty much, I just want a small work station beyond my 'main' computer upstairs...

 

[WallRunner]

Greeting from the year 2000! I am currently surfing the interweb via my decidedly old-school PC, but unfortunately I'm still doing so with Windows 98 and Internet Explorer...

...I pretty much realized after my downloads were completed this morning that the program required too much juice for what my computer had, and after seeking out some low-power alternatives, I came back dissapointed.

So what to do?

Well, I'm. I really want to run Ubuntu or Xubuntu on this old machine, as I hate having something laying around not being used. I could upgrade the memory for a few bucks, and it doesn't sound like a horrible idea, but all-around lack of power still puts me off just a bit...

...Then again, it doesn't require that much juice to run these programs...

So, at least for now, I've completely cleared this system of every unncessary program and add-on, and I'm looking into buying a VGA-to-NTSC thingamajig so I can hook it up to my TV downstairs, not to mention another 50ft Ethernet cable.

...Pretty much, I just want a small work station beyond my 'main' computer upstairs...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisquel_(linux) Trisquel linux seems good, still looking for anything else.

Edit: DSL (Damn small Linux) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damn_Small_Linux

From,
Chris.

 

[opendriver]

Bit of a bump, but....

I was thinking about installing xubuntu or ubuntu on my new laptop. I have have partitioned a 3GB chunk for it. When im in the installer (non-live version, alternate i386 for intel or AMD)

Im a little lost when it comes to these things. Laptop specs if it helps:

http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...l&Nty=1&D=dv+2221&Ntk=All&product_code=343928

Thanks!

EDIT:

Thought this might help a few people, a list of live cds/dvds:

http://www.livecdlist.com/?pick=All&showonly=desktop

 

[Eric.]

Bit of a bump, but....

I was thinking about installing xubuntu or ubuntu on my new laptop. I have have partitioned a 3GB chunk for it. When im in the installer (non-live version, alternate i386 for intel or AMD)

Im a little lost when it comes to these things. Laptop specs if it helps:

Did you create the partition with the installer? If so, you should be able to select "Finish partitioning" or "Install"...Something that allows you to continue.

As for partitioning, I recommend 4GB for the root partition, a few GB for the home partition (so you can save your stuff without it getting formatted if you ever have to reinstall the distro (or you can change to different distributions). Make a swap partition that matches the amount of RAM you have. If possible, create it at the very end of the hard disk, to result in quicker load times. It is possible to just use that 4GB partition, but you'd probably want to install the program to be able to read and write to your NTFS (Windows) partition so you don't risk losing data.

IM me if you need some help. I've installed Ubuntu on four systems (multiple times on the laptop) so I know my way around the install process.

About choosing Xubuntu over Ubuntu: I have Ubuntu on my laptop (Dell Inspiron 1100, 2004 model maybe?, with a 2.4Ghz Celeron D and 256MB of RAM) and it runs just fine while XP bogs it down quite a bit. You notice the lack of RAM with Windows, but Ubuntu made good use of what was available. Give each a shot and see what you think. Do not use the LiveCD for comparison because the entire OS must be loaded into the RAM. The Inspiron was unusable through the LiveCD, so you'd definitely need to use an alternate-install disc with low ram.

 

[opendriver]

Did you create the partition with the installer? If so, you should be able to select "Finish partitioning" or "Install"...Something that allows you to continue.

As for partitioning, I recommend 4GB for the root partition, a few GB for the home partition (so you can save your stuff without it getting formatted if you ever have to reinstall the distro (or you can change to different distributions). Make a swap partition that matches the amount of RAM you have. If possible, create it at the very end of the hard disk, to result in quicker load times. It is possible to just use that 4GB partition, but you'd probably want to install the program to be able to read and write to your NTFS (Windows) partition so you don't risk losing data.

IM me if you need some help. I've installed Ubuntu on four systems (multiple times on the laptop) so I know my way around the install process.

About choosing Xubuntu over Ubuntu: I have Ubuntu on my laptop (Dell Inspiron 1100, 2004 model maybe?, with a 2.4Ghz Celeron D and 256MB of RAM) and it runs just fine while XP bogs it down quite a bit. You notice the lack of RAM with Windows, but Ubuntu made good use of what was available. Give each a shot and see what you think. Do not use the LiveCD for comparison because the entire OS must be loaded into the RAM. The Inspiron was unusable through the LiveCD, so you'd definitely need to use an alternate-install disc with low ram.

About the partitioning thing, I had a DE-DE-DE moment and totally spaced out on the "finishing partition" thing. I installed xubuntu on my old emachine tower with 256 RAM and 2.6 intel. It was really easy. Now, keep in mind that I have been using windows my entire computer life. I have everyhting on one 33GB partition and it works fine. Now ill I have to do is figure out how to get berryl running on it (love the "jello windows")

Ill let you guys know how things go when I try to install it on my laptop and try dual booting vista.

*off to install FF 7.04 on laptop*

 

[Seanman]

So, I'm installing Feisty Fawn in a VMware Workstation 5 virtual machine under Vista, and the installation seems to be stuck at 82%, while scanning the mirror.

Should I cancel the installation and try again?

 

[opendriver]

Yeah, just installed it on my laptop, but something went wrong and I cant boot to vista now. I still have my documents, but cant boot to that partition.

I need to know how to get the internet working on my laptop now (ive installed xubuntu on it) and it knows that it can do wireless, it just needs all of the information to get it running.

 

[Eric.]

I just installed E17(Enlightenment). Wow. Its so cool. I've been wanting to try it out for along time. Its taking some getting use to but its worth it. Next up: prolly Beryl.

You used E17 within Ubuntu? I hadn't thought about giving that a look.

Is it complicated to switch between Gnome/KDE/E17 on the fly?

 

[Viper_Maniac]

Yep and it runs quite well. Its not really complicated. Just log out, change the session type (ie. Gnome, KDE, E17, etc.) and login. Thats how I do it.