Linux Transition Thread

  • Thread starter skip0110
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That's a nice looking desktop 👍

gregc
A tip for Kiba-dock if you haven't already figured it out. To minimise the resource usage, in Gset-kiba turn off the animated background. This got my CPU activity back down to a sensible level :)
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Yeah, I've turned most of the eye-candy things off in Kiba-Dock. My first attempt at Kiba-Dock miserably failed, because I messed with the physics settings. It's now under control :lol:

I have also turned off the wobbly windows in Beryl. Besides, glass windows really shouldn't wobble. :dopey:

My next project will be to give Beagle a try (I hear it's resource-hungry though) and Ubuntu System Panel 2 when it's released.
 
dougiemeats
I remember reading somewhere that there would be an LTS every two years (or every 4 releases). So expect the next LTS to be 8.04.

Well, I wouldn't say that they're development versions, since they are being advertised as stable releases. Think of them as testbeds for future LTS releases, the same way Fedora Core and openSUSE are testbeds for Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktops, respectively.

Although these (Edgy, Feisty, Feisty+1...) are stable operating systems, there are some risks, because they tend to include beta software. They are simply starting points for future LTS releases. Basically, Ubuntu provides the user with two choices:

1. Install the LTS, which has been tested for stability

2. Install the latest stable (or development) build, and enjoy more features
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Gotcha. I meant to say testbeds but it came out as development. ;) That sounds like a good idea of them doing that.


Nice desktops guys. What are some of those programs you're using? I've never heard of them.
 
Viper_Maniac
Nice desktops guys. What are some of those programs you're using? I've never heard of them.
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Thanks 👍 (you too Dougie :))

As to the programs - funky window/desktop effects come thanks to Beryl, you can find it here. You'll need a reasonable video card to use it, but nothing exceptional - I've got an nVidia 5500 which cost me about £50, and I think dougiemeats said he's running it on integrated graphics. We both posted some screenies over in the Vista/OSX/Edgy thread - mine here and dougiemeats here.

gDesklets is a widget program, you can see some widgets to the top right of my screenshot, I'm using them to monitor various system things and my email. It's available in Synaptic, once installed it should appear in Applications->Accessories.

Kiba-Dock is the app launcher at the bottom of my desktop, it's also hosted at the Beryl page. It needs Beryl in order to work properly. I would say that if you try it, the default settings are very extreme - you'll want to tone it down in the settings unless you like icons bouncing around all over the screen :lol:

Cairo-clock is a simple-but-elegant themable clock, developed by the awesome MacSlow. This one doesn't need Beryl, btw, it will happily work on a normal Linux desktop - get it here, and while you're at his site check his "lowfat" project - fantastic stuff 👍

On my desktop I've also installed a different icon theme, and then enlarged the trash icon - just cos I like a big dustbin :P :lol:

Desktop background and icon theme were downloaded from http://www.gnome-look.org - loads of great themes, background, mouse pointers etc. there!

A note on the Beryl stuff - I seem to remember you saying you were having problems with Edgy, and were sticking with Dapper (6.06) for now. If that's still the case, Beryl will need a bit more effort to get working - there should be a guide on the Beryl wiki for your graphics card, but you will probably get more detailed info from ubuntuforums if you need it.
 
It looks like Greg covered most of it, although I have a couple things to add:



Ubuntu System Panel - Inspired by 'Slab', which is SUSE's menu for the GNOME desktop. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of it, but I'm using it because it goes well with my Mac-style menubar.



Control Center - Inspired by the Control Panel found in Windows.
 
I'm facing a problem.

I mounted the Desktop ISO with Alcohol 120% and all it would show me is list of programs I can install, including Firefox and Thunderbird. It won't let me run Linux within Windows.

Now, should I mount the Alternate ISO? I got a 4 day weekend coming up, so I have quite a bit of time, if I'm not working.
 
GT4_Rule
I'm facing a problem.

I mounted the Desktop ISO with Alcohol 120% and all it would show me is list of programs I can install, including Firefox and Thunderbird. It won't let me run Linux within Windows.

Now, should I mount the Alternate ISO? I got a 4 day weekend coming up, so I have quite a bit of time, if I'm not working.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how Alcohol 120% works exactly, but I can tell you that if you insert an Ubuntu disc and run it from within Windows, you get the same result. Perhaps you need to change some settings in Alcohol 120% in order to actually boot in live CD mode?
 
Thanks alot for that info dougie and greg. You guys are great. 👍 I'll check those programs out once I finish working on my stepmom's computer.
 
"From now on your name will be..........Sally." -From ATV Offroad Fury 4 Commercial

Sorry. Couldn't help it. See that commercial alot lately.
 
Okay all, I've converted. I still got my XP on my HD. But I got a problem: I can't run any .exe programs. Has that got something to do with Linux not being capable of running them, and can you somehow overcome it and run the programs? I can't upload a screenshot of my desk yet since my connection is super-slow cause I can't run the program for the modem. :grumpy:
 
zoxxy
Okay all, I've converted. I still got my XP on my HD. But I got a problem: I can't run any .exe programs. Has that got something to do with Linux not being capable of running them, and can you somehow overcome it and run the programs?
Click to expand...

In a nutshell, yes to both questions.

.exe is a Windows format, so Linux doesn't natively support it.

You can however run some Windows programs using Wine, which provides an implementation of the Windows API for Linux. You can install it using Synaptic (System menu->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager, search for Wine). I should say that this is not a guaranteed solution, but it may work.

If the problem with your modem is related to not being able to run .exe files then Wine probably won't work - it sounds like you might have a "winmodem", which is known to have problems. I don't know enough to help you with that, but if you head over to UbuntuForums and search for winmodem you should find the information you need.

Hope this helps :)
 
Thanks Greg. I downloaded Wine, but I got NO clue how to use it, and I've checked the FAQ and everything at the site. Also, I've had some problems with running and installing files that I've downloaded (.run, .tar.bz, tar.gz2.) Altough sometimes .bz and. gz2 work, or that is, I can get them to run (User error, obviously :P). I tried to download new drivers for my GPU and it came in a .run file.


Sorry, but you'll hear a lot of questions from me in the nearest time. :P

Edit:

Here's my desk :D

 
Well first, nice desktop :D

Now on to the areas you're having problems with....

The files you've mentioned basically break down into two types. tar.gz and tar.bz2 are kind of like the .zip files you're used to in Windows. You should be able to double click them, and they will open in the archive manager - the Ubuntu version of Winzip, if you like, although it's obviously more complicated than that ;) So just look for the options that look familiar, extract the files into your desktop or home directory (which you could think of as kind of like My Documents, but better IMHO) and then take it from there.

As for .run files, I don't know the technical details but I would probably describe them as part installer, part .exe, part batch file, but more sophisticated. The downside is they really need to be run from a command line. As Douglas Adams said though, Don't Panic! For your graphics card (nVidia, if I remember correctly?) you shouldn't need the command line. I'm afraid I can't find the link right now, but there is a guide out there that should get you up and running without having to resort the command line ("terminal" in Linux-speak ;))

However.... If I can offer some advice. Take your time. Get used to the way Linux works, it's different to Windows and that will take a bit of getting of used to - you've already found this out with .tar.bz and so on. Do a bit of reading, if you're wondering about a file format then just Google it, there's loads of information out there. Have a good look around the Ubuntu forums (link in my previous post), just have a read - there's no rush. Remember, it's very unlikely the first thing you did in Windows was install a graphics card ;)

Guess what I'm trying to say is don't run before you can walk - it took me at least a year before I was happy to completely delete my Windows partition. You've probably been used to using Windows for a long time and things are a little different in Linux land. Not massively, just... different. I'll gladly help out where I can but I am not by any means an expert, just a happy Linux user who wants to spread the word :)

PS, sorry, Wine... assuming you've got it installed rather than just downloaded (if you're not sure, press Alt-F2 which brings up a "run" dialog, then type "wine notepad" - if it's installed then after a few seconds the familiar Notepad should run) then type "wine" followed by the path to your .exe file. It may or may not work, and here once more I run out of technical knowledge. Once again I'd refer you to the Ubuntu forums, but also to WineHQ

OK, I'm rambling now. Maybe I should try to put together some sort of beginners guide with a bit of structure. Now that's a thought....
 
Here's a couple sites that might help:

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu_dapper

I haven't used either site (I prefer Ubuntu Forums), but they seem to be reliable sources for information.

Don't worry if you're having trouble with it right now. I first tried Linux (Knoppix live CD) around this time last year, so I'm still very much new to this type of operating system. I tried many distros after that, with Windows to fall back on when I messed up an install, and what a difference a year can make! It was a good learning experience and I'm now comfortable enough to use it full-time.

To be honest, I don't think Windows is bad at all (although Greg may disagree ;)), and I have no problem using it. However, I keep going back to Linux distros because I'm amazed at the rapid rate of improvement. You leave for a few months and come back to see new apps, eye-candy, and features added. It's certainly the most exciting type of operating system out there.

Good luck, and I hope you get these issues resolved!
 
dougiemeats
To be honest, I don't think Windows is bad at all (although Greg may disagree ;))
Click to expand...

Sorry to quote you slightly out of context Dougie, but just to say... I don't think Windows is "bad" either. I have many issues with the people that make it, but that's slightly different ;) As I think I've already said somewhere there is a lot to like in Vista, but for me nothing that's as good as (let alone better than) I can get in the world of open source*. I would always recommend that someone new to Linux (or whatever other OS, for that matter) keeps a Windows partition around to go back to in case it doesn't work out. It took me 3 tries before I really embraced Linux, so I understand the problems. Hence my advice about walking before running :)

*the disclaimer - unless you're a PC gamer. If you are, then you absolutely need Windows, and you'll probably need Vista at some point.

And as Dougie said and I forgot to, continued good luck with your foray into Linux - take your time and enjoy thinking really different :D
 
My last download of Ubuntu 6.10 was messed up for some reason. I guess I should have checked the MD5 hash first.

It installed, but always hung up after the bootloader.


I downloaded Kubuntu and Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy.


Checked the hashes, they matched.

I'll burn them later on at 1X each and then use them on my own computer which I should be getting in a couple weeks.
 
OK. I installed 6.06 because I was bored... then i found out how to do the update with the Update Manager. D'oh. I am now on 6.10 Edgy Eft. I had a problem with Firefox crashing. Turns out I had to change the Default Color Depth from 16 to 24 with gedit in a config file. All is well now. Only one thing I don't like. I have 6 things on the Bootloader for Linux. Top four give me the underscore flashing. The last two actually work. Any ideas on how to get those off the GRUB?


EDIT: Downloaded Grub Edit. Set Windows as default so when my mom restarts Windows she won't have to pay attention.

Well, I told it to show 2 kernels because I had 3 kernels showing and I wanted to get rid of all but one. Well, I got rid of 1 of the 3... but it got rid of the good one. Now I have to use Partition Magic to delete it.

Here's the problem. It's not going to remove the GRUB.... damn. I think I have an idea but we'll have to wait and see if it works...

EDIT2: Ok, I'm going to restore the MBR and reformat the two partitions for Linux. I might even try putting Kubuntu on too.

EDIT3: Ok, so this is running me in circles. I restarted the comp and it booted into Ubuntu just fine. I am beyond confused at this point...


Question. Why do I have 3 kernels of Ubuntu showing in the GRUB when all I did was update to 6.10?

EDIT4: Wow, now I can't boot into Linux. I removed the partitions and I'm going to restore the MBR and try again. I guess I'll just make the default OS Windows and make sure I boot into the right kernel. Gay.
 
I've gotten into the flow now. :D Loving Linux, but I still haven't been able to start a .exe flawlessly. When I want to start GPL, it says "Can't start binary file".

Any clues?
 
zoxxy
I've gotten into the flow now. :D Loving Linux, but I still haven't been able to start a .exe flawlessly. When I want to start GPL, it says "Can't start binary file".

Any clues?
Click to expand...

You need Wine to run a Windows binary on Linux. And even then, it only sorta works.
 
skip0110
You need Wine to run a Windows binary on Linux. And even then, it only sorta works.
Click to expand...

Yup 👍

For the record, the only things I have gotten to work with Wine is Firefox 1.5 and Picasa 2. But Picasa 2 doesn't count because Google does all the work for you! :P

BTW, since I have a short attention span, I redid my whole desktop. I installed GDesklets and got rid of the usual two-panel look and went for the more Windows-like one panel. I also installed GNOME Main Menu which came with a nice little application browser and control center.

I was undoubtedly inspired by openSUSE's latest release (10.2) to make these changes ;)

A new look (w/ GDesklet):



GNOME Main Menu (w/ Beagle Search):



Application Browser:



Control Center:



Basically, I made it look more like Windows/SLED/openSUSE. But it's refreshing if you've been using the default GNOME setup for a while.
 
Burnout
In your guys' opinions, what are some of the best Linux-compatible applications out there?
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My needs are basic, so I'm content with the GIMP, Gaim, Rhythmbox, Firefox, VLC Player, Thunderbird, and Picasa. The thing is, you can use most of these apps on Windows and Mac :P

However, I've heard a lot of great things about Amarok music player. It's got some impressive features. If they would just clean up the interface, I think it could be the "killer" music player out there.

skip0110
Firefox...
Click to expand...

The thing about Firefox is, it's usually bundled as the default web browser on most GNOME-based distros. I find that the bundled version is not as snappy as the version you download from the Mozilla site. All of the minor additions and changes they make to the browser to better integrate it with the OS has a negative effect on performance, from my experience.

Firefox 2.0 is the default on Edgy, and it's slower/buggier than the one I downloaded off Mozilla in Windows.
 
I bought a new computer for my girlfriend, it's a cheap model but I'm pretty sure it'll get the job done for her needs. The thing is it comes with Linux installed, I think it's the Kurumin distro. I know nothing about Linux, never used it and neither did she but I'm willing to give it a go and see how it's like.

The computer will be staying at my house for now because she doesn't have internet connection at her place. Actually she just called me half an hour ago telling me the computer just arrived (she's in my house :P) so I guess I'll have some fun tonight trying to set it up. :)

I don't think anyone here uses the Kurumin distro, as far as I know there's only Portuguese versions of it so far? But any tips about Linux would be appreciated. 👍
 
I've never heard of Kurumin before, but a brief description on DistroWatch reveals that this distro is based on Knoppix. Luckily, Knoppix is one of the most popular distributions of Linux and it's actually the distro I started with.

One thing you should know, is that this distro was meant to be run from a CD (as with Knoppix and most Knoppix-based distros), but there's no harm in installing it on a hard drive.

One of first things you learn with a Linux distribution is the importance of the forum. If you've got a problem, chances are, there's already a thread about it in Kurumin's forums.

Some distros provide the proper multimedia codecs out-of-the-box (MP3/DVD-playback, WMV support, etc.), but most don't. If Kurumin doesn't, then it shouldn't be too hard to find a how-to on their homepage or forum.

Depending on the distro, but you'll probably have to download the packages for Java and Flash, and the package for RAR support. Word documents, powerpoints, PDFs, and ZIP files should all be supported out-of-the-box.

I don't know what package manager this particular distro uses, but all the above packages should be available in the repositories. You may need to enable certain repositories in order to have access to them. This is where the forums and tutorials will come in handy.

Those are just some basic Linux tips, since I know very little about Kurumin (or even Knoppix). For future reference (in case you have a specific question later), what are the specs of the computer?

Good luck, and have fun! 👍
 
Thanks for the tips. 👍

As I said, it's a cheap computer, so the specs aren't great...

Intel Celeron D 325 (2.53Ghz)
Motherboard GA-8VM800M
128 (yup :() MB RAM DDR 400Mhz
40GB HDD 7200RPM

I guess that's it. It's a three bay CPU and it came with a CD-R reader. I plan to install my 200GB HDD and my DVD burner in it, but not before giving it some more RAM! :lol:

The mobo and processor seem decent enough for our needs, so as soon as I get more RAM for it it'll be good to go. :)

By the way, I just got home and went to open the box ready to try Linux and all... Unfortunately it came like this:

dsc00857kd4.jpg


dsc00859sj0.jpg


dsc00860vb1.jpg


:indiff:

I just hope I get the new one before Christmas.
 
FatAssBR
Thanks for the tips. 👍
Click to expand...

No problem :)

As I said, it's a cheap computer, so the specs aren't great...
Click to expand...

I got the impression from your initial post that this computer will be used for basic purposes, so a RAM upgrade should do the trick.

And it's unfortunate that the computer arrived like that. :ouch:
 

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