# The Linux Experiment.



## Metal Ken (Mar 16, 2007)

Alright, so i installed Kubuntu as a dual boot using my second hard drive on my desktop. I'm gonna try to keep all my questions (As there will be many) in this thread. So far i like it. Once i get a hang of it, i'm sure i'll use it more than XP/win2k.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 16, 2007)

Alright, I'm sure leon or chris can help me here.. 

I'm trying to install firefox. Got my tar.gz extracted to a folder... Now what?


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## Leon (Mar 16, 2007)

Ubuntu is pretty nice. my big beef with it is that all it takes is a sudo command in the terminal to attain root access. other than that, it's pretty cool.

myself, i can't wait for this: http://ubuntustudio.com/


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## Metal Ken (Mar 16, 2007)

Got firefox installed through ADEPT. Trying to install flash into firefox...


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## Leon (Mar 16, 2007)

hmm... not sure that i remember how to install with Ubuntu (it's Debian based, whereas my Fedora is Red Hat based). can you list the contents of the folder?


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## Leon (Mar 16, 2007)

ahh, cool. is that a program installing utility?


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## Metal Ken (Mar 16, 2007)

Yeah, i got it. Its an installer util. 

Then to get flash, they had the instructions on their website, so i was able to do that. so now i can watch Slayer videos \m/


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## Metal Ken (Mar 16, 2007)

Now, what's the best way to go about exploring my folders and stuff on my harddrive?


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## Leon (Mar 16, 2007)

i like using the xterm. it's faster than using any GUI.

http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/bridge/1998/res/UnixGuide.html

some basics...
ls = lists directory contents
cd = changes directory... cd images/hp320
if you hit just "cd" in any directory, it'll take you back to your home folder.
rm = delete a file
cp = copy
want to run a program? type it. when i want to listen to my music, i type "xmms &". xmms is the program, and the "&" allows the program to run outside the terminal.



my favorite is xkill. run it, and your cursor will turn into an X. whatever you click on will die


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## D-EJ915 (Mar 16, 2007)

not everyone is a command line nerd, leon 

there should just be a file explorer somewhere, I don't know the specific one in ubuntu though.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 16, 2007)

D-EJ915 said:


> not everyone is a command line nerd, leon



I'll dos like you can't even imagine.


Leon - i realized why i couldnt see the stuff i have in windows -- My windows partition can't see linux and my linux partition can't see windows


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## Leon (Mar 16, 2007)

hmm... you should be able to mount your windows drive under Linux. Linux can see most other file systems. windows, however, can't read anything other than a windows partition.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 16, 2007)

I'll check it a bit later. i need to take a 30-40 min nap and then go to work. I'll be picking your brain later ;p


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## Chris (Mar 16, 2007)

D-EJ915 said:


> not everyone is a command line nerd, leon
> 
> there should just be a file explorer somewhere, I don't know the specific one in ubuntu though.



If you're going to bother to learn linux, you'd better get used to the command line.

Ken, do yourself a favor and drop that shitty distro and install Fedora. If you want to get power-nerdy go Debian, but Fedora is (imo of course) a lot better to learn on than any other.


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## Leon (Mar 16, 2007)

D-EJ915 said:


> not everyone is a command line nerd, leon



not yet


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## Leon (Mar 16, 2007)

Chris said:


> Ken, do yourself a favor and drop that shitty distro and install Fedora. If you want to get power-nerdy go Debian, but Fedora is (imo of course) a lot better to learn on than any other.





myself, i'm going to be overhauling my system in about a month or two. i need to wait until Fedora 7 is released, as well as that Ubuntu Studio. i want to dualboot those two. though, i should be able to do everything i normally do in Fedora in the Ubuntu, i'm a nerd, and will have two linux OS's anyways.


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## Chris (Mar 16, 2007)

Leon said:


> myself, i'm going to be overhauling my system in about a month or two. i need to wait until Fedora 7 is released, as well as that Ubuntu Studio. i want to dualboot those two. though, i should be able to do everything i normally do in Fedora in the Ubuntu, i'm a nerd, and will have two linux OS's anyways.




If you're a diehard, you'd probably prefer Debian. Every super hardcore engineering type where I work swears by it, and I run it on all my servers, it's pretty damn rock solid. I have one machine with an uptime of almost 4 years, and it rarely goes below 90% CPU/Memory use. It just gets it's ass kicked 24/7 and takes it like a champ.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 16, 2007)

I got linux installed on a spare computer here...but I have nothing really to do with it. I was thinking of compiling and running a MUD to fuck around with, I used to be addicted to those back in the day. I almost think I'd be better off if I just installed Windows 98 on it and playing old DOS games though.


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## Chris (Mar 16, 2007)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> I got linux installed on a spare computer here...but I have nothing really to do with it. I was thinking of compiling and running a MUD to fuck around with, I used to be addicted to those back in the day. I almost think I'd be better off if I just installed Windows 98 on it and playing old DOS games though.



That's pretty much the krux of the issue. There's honestly no need for the majority of people to run/learn Linux, unless they either work in the tech field or plan to. 

I run it at home because it mutilates Windows in terms of cpu-intense processing, which happens a lot. I run packet generators and a piece of DoD software that generates events at a rate of upwards of 1500-2000 per second. Windows just folds under that load, whereas Linux is smart enough to shuffle resources around so that while everything WILL be slow, it won't simply hang/crash.

Most people who dive into Linux end up where you are now. They get it installed, load the GUI, and then realize there's nothing more for them to do.


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## Jon (Mar 16, 2007)

I run Audacity studio on linux all day 100% never fks up!
linux is awesome don't let it scare ya guy


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 16, 2007)

I'm not scared, I just don't really have anything to do with it  When I originally assembled this PC and decided to grab Linux, I was going to setup a VPN server and shit like that, just to play around with. I just don't see the point now, I'd like to learn it so I could use it at work in the future maybe, but I get contracted out to the government who is very pro MS, at least in the department I work in which is mostly the business side, so all their applications are Windows based. I'd like to get into a more technical environment similar to what Chris does, but not a whole lot of that around here, and I'd probably need an ass load more training/experience. Starting in the IT industry kind of sucks, I want more technical work, but I don't really want to study more  Maybe I should just get my CCNA and start doing network shit, I heard one of the networking dudes say they're looking for more Cisco guys on different projects at my office.


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## Chris (Mar 16, 2007)

Cisco guys will always be in demand. They really are the standard.

And I am NOT an IT guy.  (Though I miss it sometimes)


Edit: You'd be amazed at how effective you can be and just how useful even a basic understanding of routing can be in most network environments. And how much money you can make. Up here, you can pull down ~$60k with minimal experience right out of college if you're sharp enough.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 16, 2007)

I always hear you talking about Unix servers and shit, not to mention the web servers for this place...if that's not IT, than what is?


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## Chris (Mar 16, 2007)

JJ Rodriguez said:


> I always hear you talking about Unix servers and shit, not to mention the web servers for this place...if that's not IT, than what is?



I'm a software engineer dude.  I just maintain my own lab environment because I don't trust anyone else to do it. 

Edit: I was in IT for 10 years though.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Mar 17, 2007)

Chris said:


> Edit: You'd be amazed at how effective you can be and just how useful even a basic understanding of routing can be in most network environments. And how much money you can make. Up here, you can pull down ~$60k with minimal experience right out of college if you're sharp enough.



I'd probably make about $40k Canadian with Cisco here. The cost of living is lower, but I could probably make a lot more out west or in the States, I'm just afraid I'd hate living in a big city. I can't handle driving in fucking Halifax, I don't think I could handle Calgary, or any other big city like that  That, and I don't want to commute for an hour or more in the mornings, I have enough trouble getting out of bed when I do, and it only takes me 20 or so mins to get to work


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## Leon (Mar 17, 2007)

Chris said:


> If you're a diehard, you'd probably prefer Debian. Every super hardcore engineering type where I work swears by it, and I run it on all my servers, it's pretty damn rock solid. I have one machine with an uptime of almost 4 years, and it rarely goes below 90% CPU/Memory use. It just gets it's ass kicked 24/7 and takes it like a champ.



hmm... well, at first i thought, "i'm not really a diehard," but then i thought, "well, i will NEVER EVER install windows again," so maybe i'll give Debian a shot. maybe Fedora7 on my first 80gig, Debian on the second 80gig, and Ubuntu Studio on the serial 200gig?

can i install an OS on a serial drive?


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## Metal Ken (Mar 17, 2007)

Chris said:


> Ken, do yourself a favor and drop that shitty distro and install Fedora. If you want to get power-nerdy go Debian, but Fedora is (imo of course) a lot better to learn on than any other.



Do tell? i'ma stick with this distro at the moment. when i get around to buying some more CDr's, i'll make a boot disc for Fedora and do that. 

Does anyone know of a good site with info on general usage on Linux? like, just a info site with useful type information?


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## LilithXShred (Mar 17, 2007)

to browse your files use konqueror  i've been using linux for about 10 years exclusively and i dropped windows 5 years ago. you just need to learn a bit but after that you can do a lot more. with kubuntu you don't even need command line stuff


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## Leon (Mar 17, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Do tell? i'ma stick with this distro at the moment. when i get around to buying some more CDr's, i'll make a boot disc for Fedora and do that.
> 
> Does anyone know of a good site with info on general usage on Linux? like, just a info site with useful type information?



google 

one of the coolest things about Fedora is that i just type an error message, or problem, into Google, and the answer is usually on the first page of results.

start here:
http://www.fedorafaq.org/


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## Chris (Mar 17, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Do tell? i'ma stick with this distro at the moment. when i get around to buying some more CDr's, i'll make a boot disc for Fedora and do that.
> 
> Does anyone know of a good site with info on general usage on Linux? like, just a info site with useful type information?



www.linuxquestions.org


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## Chris (Mar 17, 2007)

Leon said:


> google
> 
> one of the coolest things about Fedora is that i just type an error message, or problem, into Google, and the answer is usually on the first page of results.
> 
> ...



Aye. Fedora has the best support/community/knowledge base imo, and it's update tool (yum) is rock-solid.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 17, 2007)




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## Metal Ken (Mar 19, 2007)

Leon said:


> hmm... you should be able to mount your windows drive under Linux. Linux can see most other file systems. windows, however, can't read anything other than a windows partition.



I figured it out, i just needed to go into the Drives/Media menu under system tools and enable it since it had NTFS. 

I'm definately gonna 'upgrade' to Fedora as soon as 7 is released, so i'll figure out stuff on here 'till then.


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## Chris (Mar 19, 2007)

Just run FC6.

If you need any additional inspiration, the distribution is officially called "Zod".


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## BigM555 (Mar 19, 2007)

Just have to put a plug in here for Mepis.

I've tried a large number of Distros and for me Mepis is by far the easiest "plug & play" type distro.

It's Debian based and uses the Ubuntu repos so there is a ton of support and as Chris pointed out Debian tends to be rock solid.

The hardware recognition of Mepis is top notch so you'll spend less time getting all your hardware working (printers can still be problematic but that's not Mepis' fault). It also tends to be fully multimedia ready at first install so you won't have to mess with Firefox & Flash either.

Other than being a more "complete" distro the biggest thing you'll notice over Ubuntu is that it's front end is KDE rather than Gnome. I prefer KDE myself.

Also the user community at mepis.org and mepislovers.org are very helpful. There are wiki's at mepislovers.org to get your system fully "web ready" very quickly (simple instructions for things like windows media and TT fonts).

And of course it can be run as a Live CD/DVD. I'd highly recommend taking a look if your not totally against KDE.

BigM555

_Edit: I should mention that, like Ubuntu, there is a script call Automatix2 for Mepis that takes the pain out of setting up much of the "non-free" apps and utilities._


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## technomancer (Mar 19, 2007)

Chris said:


> I'm a software engineer dude.  I just maintain my own lab environment because I don't trust anyone else to do it.



Wow, so I'm not the only one.

As a side note on distros, if anybody wantes to do stuff (such as development) and be sure it will work on RedHat Enterprise Linux I highly recommend CentOS, it's pretty much RHEL with the name stripped off and without the support fees  This is important for the stuff I do because 99.9% of enterprise customers who say they're running Linux mean RHEL.

Fedora is also really cool, though for maintaining production stuff the short release life cycle is a PITA


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## irg7620 (Mar 19, 2007)

Leon said:


> hmm... well, at first i thought, "i'm not really a diehard," but then i thought, "well, i will NEVER EVER install windows again," so maybe i'll give Debian a shot. maybe Fedora7 on my first 80gig, Debian on the second 80gig, and Ubuntu Studio on the serial 200gig?
> 
> can i install an OS on a serial drive?



serial drives are no different. a conventional drive uses a wider cable and connector whereas a serial drive uses a cable much like that of a coaxial line. a lot smaller and more efficient. serial drives can move data faster than UDMI drives (which are the conventional ones found in almost all computers). i have seen serial drives with an RPM speed of 10,000 and data transfers of 300 - 600 GB/s. very fast. gives scsi drives a run for the money.


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## Leon (Mar 19, 2007)

irg7620 said:


> serial drives are no different. a conventional drive uses a wider cable and connector whereas a serial drive uses a cable much like that of a coaxial line. a lot smaller and more efficient. serial drives can move data faster than UDMI drives (which are the conventional ones found in almost all computers). i have seen serial drives with an RPM speed of 10,000 and data transfers of 300 - 600 GB/s. very fast. gives scsi drives a run for the money.



wicked


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## Metal Ken (Mar 19, 2007)

BigM555 said:


> Other than being a more "complete" distro the biggest thing you'll notice over Ubuntu is that it's front end is KDE rather than Gnome. I prefer KDE myself.



I'm using Kunbuntu right now with KDE. 

Shit, i'm gonna have to just buy some more CDrs and just burn a bunch of boot CDs at this rate


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## Metal Ken (Mar 19, 2007)

Chris said:


> Just run FC6.
> 
> If you need any additional inspiration, the distribution is officially called "Zod".



Brutal \m/


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## djpharoah (Mar 19, 2007)

Actually I have used and developed a few linux programs and even helped in one now defunct distro called Kororaa.

I currently use arch linux - best one IMO out there. Very easy to setup and install and everything is in binary.

My Gentoo server ( more hardcore) has had an uptime of 2 years and some change. I think debian and ubuntu are good for the masses and beginners but once you learn the basic commands and feel like learning something new - give arch linux a try.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 20, 2007)

well, i downloaded ZOD, but i think the ISO corrupted on burn, cause i got a fuckton of errors trying to run the disc, so i'll download that again later. ArchLinux, i downloaded it, but ima figure out what the hell i'm doing before i try to install it.


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## Jeff (Mar 20, 2007)

Ubuntu/Kubuntu pisses me off. It's like Linux with training wheels, and it's partitioning tool sucks. 

I've got my work laptop dualbooting Winbloze XP and SuSe 10.2 running Gnome, which is nice, and a home PC (Dell 933Mhz) running FC6, which is fucking sick. I dig it. 

Ken, I'd use Bit Torrent if I were you. It's pretty reliable for getting a good iso.



djpharoah said:


> Actually I have used and developed a few linux programs and even helped in one now defunct distro called Kororaa.
> 
> I currently use arch linux - best one IMO out there. Very easy to setup and install and everything is in binary.
> 
> My Gentoo server ( more hardcore) has had an uptime of 2 years and some change. I think debian and ubuntu are good for the masses and beginners but once you learn the basic commands and feel like learning something new - give arch linux a try.



Gentoo, IMO, is for showing how big your Linux balls are!  seriously, it's a pain in the ass compared to many other distros that get the job done with less work.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 20, 2007)

Jeff said:


> Ubuntu/Kubuntu pisses me off. It's like Linux with training wheels, and it's partitioning tool sucks.
> 
> I've got my work laptop dualbooting Winbloze XP and SuSe 10.2 running Gnome, which is nice, and a home PC (Dell 933Mhz) running FC6, which is fucking sick. I dig it.
> 
> Ken, I'd use Bit Torrent if I were you. It's pretty reliable for getting a good iso.



Training wheels is what i need right now ;p 

I did use bittorent, as a matter of fact. who knows? i'm just gonna go get one of those books that comes with a distro of SuSe or Fedora and just install it and go through the god damn book


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## Jeff (Mar 20, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Training wheels is what i need right now ;p
> 
> I did use bittorent, as a matter of fact. who knows? i'm just gonna go get one of those books that comes with a distro of SuSe or Fedora and just install it and go through the god damn book



SuSe and Fedora seem to be the popular ones right now. I interviewed for two jobs last week, one running a SuSe environment, the other running a mixed Fedora (v. 4,5,6) environment.
For ease of use, nothing beats YAST on Suse.
But FC is easy too for updates and software downloads, just not as centralized for all system tools.
Overall I still prefer FC.


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## Thomas (Mar 20, 2007)

Jeff said:


> Ubuntu/Kubuntu pisses me off. It's like Linux with training wheels, and it's partitioning tool sucks.



I thought Ubuntu's partitioning tool was excellent. I prefer cfdisk myself, though.

I run Arch Linux, previously Slackware, and it works extremely well for me. Very stable, good package manager, intuitive configuration, great package availability, etc.


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## Ancestor (Mar 20, 2007)

Good luck, dude. Once you get it up you'll have something that works every time.


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## BigM555 (Mar 20, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> I'm just gonna go get one of those books that comes with a distro of SuSe or Fedora and just install it and go through the god damn book



_*BigM555 continues his plug for the better distro*_ 

There is a book called Point & Click Linux which is based on Mepis. It's highly recommended.

I also recently picked up a decent book based on Suse but can't recall the name of it right now. I delved into Suse for a while, mostly due to peer pressure as the vast majority of my local LUG uses it, but found the Yast system and RPM's to be a PITA compared to the simplicity that Mepis and Synaptic is.



Jeff said:


> Gentoo, IMO, is for showing how big your Linux balls are! seriously, it's a pain in the ass compared to many other distros that get the job done with less work.


 

In any case, congratulations for taking the Linux plunge and welcome to the fold. If you pick the right ditro and aren't afraid to do some reading you'll get through the learning curve. Just be aware that there IS one. The reason I see most people give up is that they expect it to be a "replacement" for windows. It's not! It's an alternative. Kinda like deciding whether to buy a car or a motorcycle. They are both means of transportation but function in completely different ways. It all depends on how you want to get around. Just don't try to turn you motorcycle into a car.......it'll always be a motorcycle.  

BigM555


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## djpharoah (Mar 20, 2007)

Jeff said:


> Gentoo, IMO, is for showing how big your Linux balls are!  seriously, it's a pain in the ass compared to many other distros that get the job done with less work.



Well the thing is the server has been working for the longest time with Gentoo - so why rock the boat eh?

I dont think its for showing your linux balls - its just the douche bags on their forums which give that impression.

I recommend Arch Linux - it works amazingly but doesnt hold your hand as much as ubuntu during installation.


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## Jeff (Mar 20, 2007)

djpharoah said:


> Well the thing is the server has been working for the longest time with Gentoo - so why rock the boat eh?
> 
> I dont think its for showing your linux balls - its just the douche bags on their forums which give that impression.
> 
> I recommend Arch Linux - it works amazingly but doesnt hold your hand as much as ubuntu during installation.



Maybe so. But having to compile everything, even trivial stuff gets old after awhile, and relying on the support of elitist pricks (their forums) isn't fun either. 

To actually get stuff done, I prefer FC. But I agree, if it already works for you, no need to change.


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## Chris (Mar 20, 2007)

Jeff said:


> and relying on the support of elitist pricks (their forums) isn't fun either.



So very, very true.


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## Buzz762 (Mar 20, 2007)

Wow, this is great. I've been running Ubuntu (And I specifically chose Gnome over KDE) on my desktop, but lately have been wanting to try something new. There's so many suggestions in here that I'm going to have to check out. 

I actually use security oriented Live CDs quite a bit on my laptop, but I've never been able to get my wireless card to work with them, which is the only thing holding me back from installing one as the primary OS.


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## BigM555 (Mar 20, 2007)

Buzz762 said:


> I actually use security oriented Live CDs quite a bit on my laptop, but I've never been able to get my wireless card to work with them, which is the only thing holding me back from installing one as the primary OS.



*BigM555 makes a last ditch attempt to lure another to the dark side*

It's not a security based distro but depending on the chipset your wireless card uses, Mepis is one of the best at hardware detection AND it's a Live CD. Easy enough to try before an install. Might be worth a shot if you haven't yet.

BigM555


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## Jeff (Mar 20, 2007)

Buzz762 said:


> Wow, this is great. I've been running Ubuntu (And I specifically chose Gnome over KDE) on my desktop, but lately have been wanting to try something new. There's so many suggestions in here that I'm going to have to check out.
> 
> I actually use security oriented Live CDs quite a bit on my laptop, but I've never been able to get my wireless card to work with them, which is the only thing holding me back from installing one as the primary OS.




SuSe 10.2 has worked fine with several different wireless chipsets I've thrown at it. Very easy and "Windows-like" in its simplicity.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 20, 2007)

BigM555 said:


> _
> 
> There is a book called Point & Click Linux which is based on Mepis. It's highly recommended.
> 
> ...


_

i'll see if i can find it 


BigM555 said:



In any case, congratulations for taking the Linux plunge and welcome to the fold. If you pick the right ditro and aren't afraid to do some reading you'll get through the learning curve. Just be aware that there IS one. The reason I see most people give up is that they expect it to be a "replacement" for windows. It's not! It's an alternative. Kinda like deciding whether to buy a car or a motorcycle. They are both means of transportation but function in completely different ways. It all depends on how you want to get around. Just don't try to turn you motorcycle into a car.......it'll always be a motorcycle. 

Click to expand...


I realize there's a learning curve. i tried it out in the late 90s when i was like, 13, i didnt have any books with it, or anything, and it was a giant pain in the ass. So i kinda gave up on it for a while. But for some fucking off the wall reason, i tried to do it again 9 years later  Now that i'm a little more patient i'm sure i'll be able to go through a few books about it. 

The idea of alternative is pretty much what i was looking for. The only things i really NEED windows at this point for is playing WoW, PowerTab & GuitarPro and some oldschool dos games. I wouldn't mind getting away from all the adware, virii and security issues with windows. I'd really like to try FC6 or Fedora7, since Chris is adamant about it. Usually he's right about shit. (2101 = Case & Point)._


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## Leon (Mar 20, 2007)

Fedora is perfect for the beginner. now that i don't think of myself as much of a beginner (maybe an entry-level intermediate), i'm thinking of upgrading to something else...


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## djpharoah (Mar 21, 2007)

Yea with respect to the elitist punks on the gentoo forums - they are the reason I left. Shit couldnt ask a question getting flamed up my ass.

Arch users are muc friendlier and most are ex gentoo users who hated the compile time but love the principle of it - like me.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 21, 2007)

Trying SuSe 10.2 right now. i think i like it a bit more than KUbuntu. The RPM package management is WAAAY easier to deal with than Adept in Kubuntu.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 21, 2007)

Alright, here's an issue i didnt run into before in Kubuntu with WINE and DosBox (namely cause i couldnt get them to work, but in SuSe, it wasn't an issue) -- They're running _REALLY_ slow. like, DOSbox in Win2k tears ass like there's no tomorrow. In Linux, it kinda just chugs along and moves really slow. 
I fired up a couple of games in WINE (one of them was PLasma Pong, which runs fine in Windows) and alas, it ran slow too.

Sup with that? I dont _think_ it'd be the hardware since it runs it fine in Windows...


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## Thomas (Mar 21, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Alright, here's an issue i didnt run into before in Kubuntu with WINE and DosBox (namely cause i couldnt get them to work, but in SuSe, it wasn't an issue) -- They're running _REALLY_ slow. like, DOSbox in Win2k tears ass like there's no tomorrow. In Linux, it kinda just chugs along and moves really slow.
> I fired up a couple of games in WINE (one of them was PLasma Pong, which runs fine in Windows) and alas, it ran slow too.
> 
> Sup with that? I dont _think_ it'd be the hardware since it runs it fine in Windows...



Wine will generally be slower than programs running natively. As for Dosbox, there shouldn't be a noticeable difference in performance between Win2K and linux. Perhaps there's another process stealing your CPU? Try opening a terminal and run 'top' to check.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 21, 2007)

Well, i expected there to be a _bit_ slower, but not like, groaning along at 5 FPS slow. 

I guess i need more ram. i'm running .3% CPU usage, but its using over half my ram


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## Thomas (Mar 21, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Well, i expected there to be a _bit_ slower, but not like, groaning along at 5 FPS slow.
> 
> I guess i need more ram. i'm running .3% CPU usage, but its using over half my ram



Linux has a tendency of caching memory, so it will usually report more is used than the amount that is allocated by the processes running. Unless your system starts paging at some point (using the swap), you don't need more RAM.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 21, 2007)

Yeah. i noticed that when i fired up DosBox, the ammount of ram used didn't increase or anything, so i thought that was kinda weird. 

Any other suggestions?


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## Thomas (Mar 21, 2007)

Did you try increasing the CPU cycles in Dosbox?


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## Metal Ken (Mar 21, 2007)

Yeah, rediculously, even. It still had laggy sound and everything :/


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## Thomas (Mar 21, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Yeah, rediculously, even. It still had laggy sound and everything :/



Some years ago, I compared Dosbox linux to the windows version, and I admit that sound stuttering was more frequent on linux, but I don't recall any significant performance loss. Have you tried creating/tweaking the config file? There's some useful info about it here.


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## Metal Ken (Mar 21, 2007)

i was gonna try dynamic mode, but i wasnt too sure how to go about editing the config files. i'm not yet familiar with how Linux arranges things, so i didn't know where to look


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## Jeff (Mar 21, 2007)

high-eye said:


> Wine will always be slower than programs running natively.



Not true. WINE is not virtualization but rather an API translator. I've never noticed lag in WINE when running Windows apps. 

Something else is wrong. Ken, did you install the correct drivers for the graphics card?


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## Metal Ken (Mar 21, 2007)

It autodetected everything. Like i said, everything Linux Native works great. I have a hunch that flipping DOSBOX over to Dynamic mode would clear things up... or at least help. Once i figure that one out, i'll be good.

Edit:
I decided to try to update my video card driver and that cleared up all the problems. 
I just assumed since it autodetected everything, it installed the most recent drivers and all that jazz. Who knows?


----------



## Thomas (Mar 21, 2007)

Jeff said:


> Not true. WINE is not virtualization but rather an API translator. I've never noticed lag in WINE when running Windows apps.



You're welcome to post benchmarks/examples of where Wine performance is equal to or higher than running the same program in windows. There is a quite nice comparison here. Note that there is no API-wrapping going on as the tested games utilize OpenGL.



Metal Ken said:


> Edit:
> I decided to try to update my video card driver and that cleared up all the problems.
> I just assumed since it autodetected everything, it installed the most recent drivers and all that jazz. Who knows?



Do you happen to have an Nvidia card? The driver support is very good.


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 22, 2007)

GEForce FX5200


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 22, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> GEForce FX5200





Alright, so DosBox runs most of my games really well now (I can play SimCity 2000 again...) 

Here's one though -- Blood. I'm trying to play it. DosBox loads it fine, but it runs a bit choppy. Now, i read that if you flip dosbox to Dynamic processing (I think we discussed this a bit earlier in the thread)... but How do i go about doing that? 
the DosBox WIKI says that you just use 'config -writeconfig dosbox.conf' or similar to edit it. but that command only gives me the "Config: To use -- type 'config -writeconfig Filename"...


----------



## Jeff (Mar 22, 2007)

high-eye said:


> You're welcome to post benchmarks/examples of where Wine performance is equal to or higher than running the same program in windows. There is a quite nice comparison here. Note that there is no API-wrapping going on as the tested games utilize OpenGL.



Quite a nice comparison? That's 3 games with one version of WINE. Not what I'd consider comprehensive.

I'll try to find other benchmarks with regular applications which is what I was referring to, not just 3 video games.



Metal Ken said:


> GEForce FX5200



You need to add the nVidia repository to YAST, then install the 3d driver.


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 22, 2007)

Yeah, i got that all squared away. Like i said,i just wanna get the config thing going on. 

I installed XGl and god damn, the desktop effects are the coolest shit ever \m/


----------



## 7 Dying Trees (Mar 22, 2007)

If you want to transfer between windows and linux OS's, then partition a small OS-Swap partition and make it FAT32, then both can read and write to it


----------



## Jeff (Mar 23, 2007)

7 Dying Trees said:


> If you want to transfer between windows and linux OS's, then partition a small OS-Swap partition and make it FAT32, then both can read and write to it



There's also a rpm package that once installed enables read-write to NTFS. I don't remember what it's called though, but Googling it should fine it.


----------



## Buzz762 (Mar 25, 2007)

Alright, I took some advice here and I just finished installing Mepis on my laptop.

First impressions of the system were good. It recognized everything immediately. My only complaint so far is that I cannot figure out how to disable my touch pad from clicking when I tap it. I keep accidentally clicking on stuff.

Beyond that, this is the first time I've ever had Linux installed with KDE as the window manager. My thoughts on this? It's like changing from breifs to boxers. I like it, it serves the same purpose, it's just a little different. 

Now I have to finish configuring my system and then off to bed for me. I've spent far too long tonight geeking it up.


----------



## Buzz762 (Mar 25, 2007)

Alright... I'm having a couple of problems that I can't seem to figure out.

First of all: Under windows my resolution was running at 1280x800 (I have a widescreen display on an intel 915 chipset.) Under mepis, my maximum resolution option is 1024x768. I did some searching and apparently 'apt-get update && apt-get install 915resolution' should have fixed my resolution problem, but it didn't. Any ideas? 

Also, I've disabled using the touch pad to click in my settings, but it doesnt seem to have any effect on it. I keep clicking all over the place. It's beginning to get annoying. 


Beyond that, I'm absolutely loving KDE now and I'm really digging this distro.


----------



## Thomas (Mar 26, 2007)

Buzz762 said:


> First of all: Under windows my resolution was running at 1280x800 (I have a widescreen display on an intel 915 chipset.) Under mepis, my maximum resolution option is 1024x768. I did some searching and apparently 'apt-get update && apt-get install 915resolution' should have fixed my resolution problem, but it didn't. Any ideas?



I'm not familiar with that chipset/driver - did you restart the X server? Also, you could look into your xorg.conf file (possibly located in /etc/X11 and assuming your distro uses Xorg). There should be a part looking like this:


```
Subsection "Display"
        Depth       8
        Modes       "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       16
        Modes       "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
    Subsection "Display"
        Depth       24
        Modes       "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        ViewPort    0 0
    EndSubsection
```

That's what it looks like in my config, anyway. You could try adding your wanted resolution to each "Modes" line (assuming you have more than one). Something like this:

```
Modes       "1280x800" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
```

Remember to restart the X server after editing. Hope that helps.


----------



## BigM555 (Mar 26, 2007)

high-eye's suggestions should yield results.

I'd also recommend perusing the wiki's at mepis.org there are some "quick fixes" there that may help with the touchpad issue (and the resolution issue).

http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/Quick_Fixes

Here is a thread that may help with the touchpad issue.

http://www.mepis.org/node/11235

Be sure to read to the bottom ;-)


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 27, 2007)

Hehe, gonna see how well this new version of WINE supports WoW


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 27, 2007)

I just found out the coolest thing -- SuSE10.2 has native iPod support \m/

I plugged up my 60gig Ipod to my computer to charge the battery, and i noticed SuSE put it on the desktop instantly, so i clicked on it, there were folders for Artists, Play lists & A folder to copy stuff to. SO i click on the artists tab, and there's all 319 bands on my Ipod by folder. That is fucking Righteous \m/


----------



## Leon (Mar 27, 2007)

a few years ago i was dual booting Win98se and Fedora4. under Win98se, i was trying my damnedest to get some pictures off my camera. i downloaded drivers, programs, and more drivers. i changed setting after setting, and simply got nothing.

i rebooted into FC4, and a popup asked me where i wanted to put the pictures that were on my camera.


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 27, 2007)

why didnt you tell me about linux before? ;p


----------



## D-EJ915 (Mar 28, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> why didnt you tell me about linux before? ;p


lol, with how Linux guys rave about it, almost as much as Mac sluts rave about Mac OS I was like LOL LINUX!! HAHAHAAHA! I've been using Macs since like...14 years ago  and I hated that shit, so took me a while to warm up to linux too, the pretty window managers and desktops made me try it out


----------



## Buzz762 (Mar 28, 2007)

I fixed my video problem not long ago, but the guys on the Mepis forum weren't able to help me totally, though they did push me in the right direction. 

I tried adding modes to Xorg.conf as my first step, but that didnt do anything. I had done quite a bit before asking if anyone had an idea. I found out one of the things I had tried was the right thing to do, but I didn't take it far enough.

My problem was that the system couldnt display things correctly because of the way the video card bios was setup. There were bugs filed with the i810 driver guys, but they have pretty much all been rejected. 

The solution was a fix called 915resolution. I downloaded and configured the the patch, but I didn't actually tell it to start up when the system booted, which is where I got stuck. I guess it was a good thing though--I learned a lot while trying to get it running.


----------



## Leon (Mar 28, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> why didnt you tell me about linux before? ;p


----------



## BigM555 (Mar 28, 2007)

Buzz762 said:


> I fixed my video problem not long ago.......
> 
> The solution was a fix called 915resolution. I downloaded and configured the the patch, but I didn't actually tell it to start up when the system booted, which is where I got stuck. I guess it was a good thing though--I learned a lot while trying to get it running.



Glad you got it fixed mate.  

Yeah, looks like that was a pretty specific problem. I've had my ups and downs with the Mepis forum help. Usually they're pretty good but I still haven't been able to sort out a wireless keyboard/mouse issue (after a random time it just stops responding, can't get it back....Mepis still runs fine if I plug in another keyboard/mouse).  

Some would say it sucks having to sort through some of these kinds of things, and addmitadley some simply don't want to, but it sure will teach you a lot.


----------



## Buzz762 (Mar 28, 2007)

BigM555 said:


> Glad you got it fixed mate.
> 
> Yeah, looks like that was a pretty specific problem. I've had my ups and downs with the Mepis forum help. Usually they're pretty good but I still haven't been able to sort out a wireless keyboard/mouse issue (after a random time it just stops responding, can't get it back....Mepis still runs fine if I plug in another keyboard/mouse).
> 
> Some would say it sucks having to sort through some of these kinds of things, and addmitadley some simply don't want to, but it sure will teach you a lot.



A few of the guys I hang out with at school are usually pretty helpful with Linux problems, but I'm still their go-to networking guy. Even when I was using windows, they'd come to me when they had problems. I couldn't tell them how to specifically do something, but they'd know how to change what I told them to. It works out nicely.


----------



## noodles (Mar 28, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> I just found out the coolest thing -- SuSE10.2 has native iPod support \m/



Thanks to you, I'm upgrading from 9.x to 10.2 Bastard!


----------



## noodles (Mar 28, 2007)

Just finnished putting 10.2 on my home computer. Holy shit, I should have done this way earlier. It is much nicer. Thanks, Ken.


----------



## Leon (Mar 29, 2007)

^ can you compare it to any other distros?


----------



## Jeff (Mar 29, 2007)

noodles said:


> Just finnished putting 10.2 on my home computer. Holy shit, I should have done this way earlier. It is much nicer. Thanks, Ken.



WTF? "Thank you Ken"? I recommended it to him, biotch!   



Leon said:


> can you compare it to any other distros?



To compare it to Ubuntu and Fedora 6, I'd say it's got the capabilities and depth that Fedora has, but with the spit shined polish and ease of use of Ubuntu.

Still I tend to prefer Fedora for server-based stuff just because they adhere to standards more (x11.conf, grub.conf are good examples) and it's more of a case of being second nature for me when looking for stuff through SSH as opposed to sitting at the console. 

But really, for someone like me who HATED SuSe 9.2, 10.2 is completely different.


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 29, 2007)

noodles said:


> Just finnished putting 10.2 on my home computer. Holy shit, I should have done this way earlier. It is much nicer. Thanks, Ken.



make sure you use XGL for your desktop \m/


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 29, 2007)

Jeff said:


> To compare it to Ubuntu and Fedora 6, I'd say it's got the capabilities and depth that Fedora has, but with the spit shined polish and ease of use of Ubuntu.



I actually find it easier to use than Ubuntu. the fact it handles RPMs and whatnot, along with YaST, its just a lot easier.


----------



## Jeff (Mar 29, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> I actually find it easier to use than Ubuntu. the fact it handles RPMs and whatnot, along with YaST, its just a lot easier.



Yeah I'd agree with that. Plus I still think SuSe is a bigger player than Ubuntu, making it easier to find packages.


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 29, 2007)

alright, here's something you guys could probably help me with.. trying to install JRE2, version 1.6. i get this error:


```
Unpacking...
Checksumming...
Extracting...
UnZipSFX 5.50 of 17 February 2002, by Info-ZIP ([email protected]).
replace jre-6u1-linux-i586.rpm? [y]es, [n]o, [A]ll, [N]one, [r]ename: y
  inflating: jre-6u1-linux-i586.rpm
error: can't create transaction lock on /var/lib/rpm/__db.000
```
Now, i noticed my version of JRE currently installed is 'locked' in the YaST thingy.. so is that why its giving the error?


----------



## BigM555 (Mar 29, 2007)

Should be able to unlock it from within Yast.


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 29, 2007)

it wasn't letting me before for whatever reason. So i just uninstalled the java packages and reinstalled them. So it's cool now. Got Tux Guitar installed. \m/


----------



## noodles (Mar 29, 2007)

Leon said:


> ^ can you compare it to any other distros?



I use it because it seems to be one of the most "grown up" dists I have seen. Online updates, 64-bit support, plenty of available applications (many pre-compiled), it has the "pretty" look of a more commercial OS (like OS X or Windows), and it installs Firefox and Open Office by default.

I'm not exactly the best guy to ask, though, because I don't really get all geeky with Linux. I chose Suse because it is a good desktop operating system that is user friendly, making it easier to introduce my family to Linux without getting turned into their tech support. Plus, I'm a Solaris admin: I spend all my time being an expert with that OS, so the last thing I want to do is come home and work on learning another. Home is for alcohol and guitar. 



Jeff said:


> WTF? "Thank you Ken"? I recommended it to him, biotch!



Yeah, but I don't like *you*. 

[action=Noodles] upgraded from 9.2, so it's not like I wasn't already using Suse. Ken just motivated me a bit.[/action]


----------



## D-EJ915 (Mar 29, 2007)

Speaking of solaris, that comp I ordered has 10 on it, I'm gonna see if I like it enough to use it or not.


----------



## Buzz762 (Mar 29, 2007)

Whoever suggested Mepis to me, thankyou. 

This is the first time I've ever reallly been completely satisfied with a linux distro. 

Had to set it up with all the security tools i use, but it was no biggie.


----------



## Leon (Mar 29, 2007)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions

i found this while trying to find, well, comparisons of Linux distributions . once Ubuntu Studio is released, i'm going to install it and one other Linux distro. i'm leaning towards Debian, and the charts on that web page are pointing me in the same direction.


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 30, 2007)

Leon said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions
> 
> i found this while trying to find, well, comparisons of Linux distributions . once Ubuntu Studio is released, i'm going to install it and one other Linux distro. i'm leaning towards Debian, and the charts on that web page are pointing me in the same direction.



http://www.start64.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=185&Itemid=1

Studio 64 \m/


----------



## Jeff (Mar 30, 2007)

noodles said:


> Yeah, but I don't like *you*.
> 
> [action=Noodles] upgraded from 9.2, so it's not like I wasn't already using Suse. Ken just motivated me a bit.[/action]



I know, I'm just givin' ya shit. 

Leon, WTF is Ubuntu Studio? Haven't heard of it yet. Of course after I click submit I am going to google it, but I figured I'd be lazy and ask anyway.


----------



## Leon (Mar 30, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> http://www.start64.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=185&Itemid=1
> 
> Studio 64 \m/



 

i wonder if i can do 64 bit? anyone know a quick unix command that'll tell me?


----------



## Metal Ken (Mar 30, 2007)

Leon said:


> i wonder if i can do 64 bit? anyone know a quick unix command that'll tell me?


http://images.64studio.com/

There's a i386 version too


----------



## D-EJ915 (Mar 30, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> http://images.64studio.com/
> 
> There's a i386 version too


That sounds pretty cool, I'll try that out sometime.


----------



## Leon (Mar 30, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> http://images.64studio.com/
> 
> There's a i386 version too



diggity!


----------



## Thomas (Mar 30, 2007)

Leon said:


> i wonder if i can do 64 bit? anyone know a quick unix command that'll tell me?



Yes. Put this code in a file, e.g. test.c.


```
#include <stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
  switch(sizeof(void*))
  {
    case 4:
      puts("You're running 32-bit");
      break;
    case 8:
      puts("You're running 64-bit");
      break;
    default:
      puts("Holy shit!");
      break;
  }
  return 0;
}
```

Then compile the code:

```
gcc -o test test.c
```

And run it:

```
./test
```


----------



## Leon (Mar 31, 2007)

You're running 32-bit


so, i assume that's C. how's it work?


----------



## Thomas (Mar 31, 2007)

Whether your CPU is actually *capable* of 64-bit is a whole different question.

The C program checks the size, in bytes, of a pointer type. Pointers store memory addresses, which are 32-bit on 32-bit systems, 64-bit on 64-bit systems, etc.


----------



## BigM555 (Apr 3, 2007)

A bit late for this thread now but I ran across this again today and thought it might still assist some people in making a decision.

http://www.zegeniestudios.net/ldc/index.php?firsttime=true

Take the quiz and it will recommend appropriate distros based on your answers.

Irronically enough it recommends MEPIS for me.


----------



## Thomas (Apr 3, 2007)

The test recommended Gentoo, Slackware and Arch for me. Pretty spot-on considering I'm a former Slack user and currently use Arch.  

As for Gentoo...


----------



## Leon (Apr 3, 2007)

that test said i should get Fedora. i've been running it for a few years now, since version 1. i think it's time for something a little more less-beginner


----------



## Metal Ken (Apr 3, 2007)

Suggested K/Ubuntu, SuSe, and Mandriva for me. I'm currently using SuSe, and tried Kubuntu/Ubuntu. Never tried Mandriva. But i like SuSE a LOT.


----------



## Buzz762 (Apr 3, 2007)

It suggested Debian and Kubuntu for me. Seems spot on since I usually go for Debian based distros.


----------



## Leon (Apr 4, 2007)

so, i installed Edubuntu on my girlfriend's (read: my old) PC; 450MHz, 128megs RAM, 32megs old nVidia video card... and noticed that it almost runs as fast as my newer machine, running Fedora.

i think it's about time to make the Red Hat -> Debian transition!


----------



## Metal Ken (Apr 4, 2007)

Whats the diff. between Edubuntu and the other versions?


----------



## Leon (Apr 4, 2007)

for the most part, i think it's just a different bundle of programs/packages. Edubuntu is aimed towards kids and such, but really, you can get all those same Edu-pack of programs on regular Ubuntu, K/Xubuntu, Fedora, etc.


----------



## Jeff (Apr 4, 2007)

That quiz said I should use either SuSe or Fedora. Not surprising, since I currently use both.


----------



## Buzz762 (Apr 5, 2007)

I wish I didn't have to burn another CD each time I wanted to switch distros. There's so many I'd like to try. 

I'm actually in the process of trying to install Mepis 6.5, but it keeps dying at 54%. I'm currently re-downloading it to see if I got a corrupt version of the ISO by any chance.


----------



## BigM555 (Apr 5, 2007)

Buzz762 said:


> I wish I didn't have to burn another CD each time I wanted to switch distros. There's so many I'd like to try.
> 
> I'm actually in the process of trying to install Mepis 6.5, but it keeps dying at 54%. I'm currently re-downloading it to see if I got a corrupt version of the ISO by any chance.



It's the price you pay for free OS's  

I just updated to Mepis 6.5 last night (had a bit of trouble but was unrelated to Mepis). Just got it cleaned up and I'm actually posting this from Mepis 6.5. I used the repos, but of course you can't do that if you've never had it installed. 

Be sure to check your downloads MD5 checksum. You may also want to make sure you burn any bootable CD's at a slightly slower speed. Some people recommend no more than x8.

Good luck.


----------



## Metal Ken (Apr 5, 2007)

i had to redownload a CD of Mepis i got. first time it wouldnt install for whatever reason. i re-dl/ed and reburned and it worked fine. Mepis was cool, but i really liked SuSE10.2 a lot more. so i'ma stick with that.


----------



## Leon (Apr 5, 2007)

i just booted up into Debian, and am already having some "fun"


----------



## Buzz762 (Apr 5, 2007)

BigM555 said:


> It's the price you pay for free OS's
> 
> I just updated to Mepis 6.5 last night (had a bit of trouble but was unrelated to Mepis). Just got it cleaned up and I'm actually posting this from Mepis 6.5. I used the repos, but of course you can't do that if you've never had it installed.
> 
> ...



Yeah.. I decided to do a clean install of Mepis 6.5 (I had 6.0) because apparently some of the things I had to fix in 6.0 now come standard, and it was probably done a little bit more cleanly than I did. I checked my md5sum and it was correct, but I think I may have an issue with my burner. I've had this same problem with other distributions (Gentoo, Debian, and Xubuntu) that were burned from this computer. I just finally put it all together. I've got my desktop PC downloading 6.5 from another download mirror, so I'll burn it from there and see if it makes a difference. If not, I'm going to do Kubuntu again.


----------



## BigM555 (Apr 5, 2007)

Ken will love these..........

http://www.novell.com/linux/meetlinux/


----------



## Metal Ken (Apr 5, 2007)

Linux is hot


----------



## Jeff (Apr 8, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Linux is hot



I agree. I would totally do Linux. Linux has a nice ass. She might want to apt-get some bigger boobs though. 

Ah Jesus I just made a Linux joke.....I am a friggin' geek.


----------



## Buzz762 (Apr 8, 2007)

Jeff said:


> Ah Jesus I just made a Linux joke.....I am a friggin' geek.



I'm right there along with ya...I actually got it.


----------



## BigM555 (Apr 8, 2007)

Jeff said:


> She might want to apt-get some bigger boobs though.


----------



## Metal Ken (Apr 8, 2007)

Jeff said:


> I agree. I would totally do Linux. Linux has a nice ass. She might want to apt-get some bigger boobs though.
> 
> Ah Jesus I just made a Linux joke.....I am a friggin' geek.


----------



## grimmchaos (Apr 9, 2007)

Been trying a bunch of different distros, trying to decide on which one to use. Right now triple booting Kubuntu 6.10, FC6, and Sidux (though it won't boot). I've also tried Mandriva 2007 Spring release, though I need to try it again. I tend to prefer KDE. Leaning toward FC6, but I'm having some issues that I'm having trouble resolving - namely X doesn't restart correctly when I hit ctrl-alt-backspace. It leaves me with a blank screen. Also, when I end the current session I end up with a blank screen as well. And this is both in native KDE and in Beryl running with XGL. Working on them though, that is for sure! I was using Ubuntu for quite some time up until recently...so I still feel spoiled with how easy it is to install deb packages via Synaptic, which is another hurdle I'm trying to overcome. FC6 just feels faster compared to Kubuntu. Now if I can just get it set up the way I want.

It's fun, and I love shooting the shit about them, so if anyone has AIM or icq and wants to, send me a PM.


----------



## Buzz762 (Apr 10, 2007)

Ugh... I'm having Mepis problems again.

It ran fine for several days, but just recently started running extremely slow.


----------



## D-EJ915 (Apr 10, 2007)

wewt, I have Archlinux now running on my C1XF...eventually I'll get things installed to make it useful  no X yet 

I've put other stuff on it before but they weren't the hottest, hopefully this one will be better :3 especially considering it's a 400 P2 with 192MB ram  ... and every OS under the sun (exc 98 so far) hates the 1024x480 resolution


----------



## BigM555 (Apr 10, 2007)

Buzz762 said:


> Ugh... I'm having Mepis problems again.
> 
> It ran fine for several days, but just recently started running extremely slow.



Hmm, pretty vague.....

The forums at mepis.com and mepislovers.com are your best friends.


----------



## Leon (Apr 10, 2007)

Ken, i'm running Studio 64. it's pretty fucking cool, so far. and that's a stretch, really, since i'm a noob when it comes to recording software. 

it's running a lot nicer than my massive dual DVD boot disc Debian installation, so far.


----------



## Buzz762 (Apr 11, 2007)

BigM555 said:


> Hmm, pretty vague.....
> 
> The forums at mepis.com and mepislovers.com are your best friends.



That's the thing.. I don't have any more specifics. I didn't install any new packages or anything. I just started up one morning and the entire thing was moving so slow.

Xorg -- VmSize ~350,000 and about 15% of my CPU. 
Firefox --VmSize ~150,000 and about 12% of my CPU.

Are these normal numbers?


----------



## Metal Ken (Apr 11, 2007)

Leon said:


> Ken, i'm running Studio 64. it's pretty fucking cool, so far. and that's a stretch, really, since i'm a noob when it comes to recording software.
> 
> it's running a lot nicer than my massive dual DVD boot disc Debian installation, so far.



Really? thats promising. i've been meaning to check it out since i saw it.


----------



## D-EJ915 (Apr 11, 2007)

I've got fluxbox running on it but the resolution is still being lame :/

try something else tomorrow maybe


----------



## D-EJ915 (Apr 11, 2007)

Starting installation! It didn't kill the CD-ROM which was freaking amazing! lol! I've got my Mountain Dew ready, install guide on the other laptop and my 12-cd thing with 30+ cds in it in case I want to install another distro afterward  My roommate came in with another guy and he was like "why the fuck is it so hot in here?" 







I already updated everything and installed and updated fluxbox and opera but whatever, updating and installing more stuff






and running the homepage  couldn't figure out how to screencap so I just took pics


----------



## Leon (Apr 11, 2007)

Metal Ken said:


> Really? thats promising. i've been meaning to check it out since i saw it.



later today, i think i'm going to reconfig everything. i'll have Win2k, Debain 4.0, and Studio 64 spanning 3 HD's. should be cool!

once i get the Debian back up and running, i'll see if i can't record something in Studio 64, even if it's just garbage.


----------



## Buzz762 (Apr 18, 2007)

It's been a few days, how's everyone's Linux experience going?

I'm giving PC-BSD a try right now.. For the most part, I like it. There's still little differences, but I like it.


----------



## Leon (Apr 18, 2007)

Debian 4.0 > Fedora Core 1 thru 6


----------



## Vegetta (Apr 18, 2007)

Leon said:


> Ubuntu is pretty nice. my big beef with it is that all it takes is a sudo command in the terminal to attain root access. other than that, it's pretty cool.
> 
> myself, i can't wait for this: http://ubuntustudio.com/



Oh shit that looks tight Ill keep my eyes open for that


----------



## JBroll (Apr 19, 2007)

Hmm, I see Ubuntu-slamming but no little reminders that Ubuntu is Deb-based, has all of the Deb capabilities the average user needs (and is an apt-get away from what little is left), installs more quickly than the clunkers that get shoved onto DVDs or 5 CDs, recognizes hardware as well as anything out there, and can be stripped down as well as one could possibly want...

I'm also not feeling the love for Slackware. Curious.

Jeff


----------



## D-EJ915 (Apr 19, 2007)

I think a lot of ubuntu-hate comes from the fact that it came from pretty much nowhere, is not really anything glorious, and receives this surge of attention


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## Metal Ken (Apr 19, 2007)

D-EJ915 said:


> I think a lot of ubuntu-hate comes from the fact that it came from pretty much nowhere, is not really anything glorious, and receives this surge of attention



The fact that it isnt the most glorious, e-dick enlarging distro is its strength though. its designed to get people _into_ linux, which it does fine. it did it for me.


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## Leon (Apr 19, 2007)

it was an Ubuntu Live CD that got me into Linux, as well. but, i decided to go Fedora Core a few years ago, mainly due to the LARGE online documentation. every problem i had was pretty much solveable with Google.

got bored though, and decided to go straight Debian.


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## JBroll (Apr 20, 2007)

Hell, it was a good starter for me (and I've been playing with computers since before I could walk and talk properly), right now I have everything stripped down completely so the only original part of the installation is the hardware configuration it did at the very beginning. Apart from that, I'm using Enlightenment as my window manager, terminals to manage and open everything, XMMS, a bunch of computer algebra stuff, some Fortran and C++, and, as the only sane and normal part of my setup, Firefox 2. If something can go from a Windows-killer (for the family) to a stripped-down beast of a math-homework killer (for me) it's got the capability to do just about anything the average person needs.

Hell, Ubuntu wasn't designed to be a great distro in and of itself, it was designed to get more movement into Linux and make the first steps easier. It has done its job well, by any fair estimation.

Jeff


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## Metal Ken (Apr 20, 2007)

JBroll said:


> Hell, Ubuntu wasn't designed to be a great distro in and of itself, it was designed to get more movement into Linux and make the first steps easier. It has done its job well, by any fair estimation.



Thats what i'm preachin'.


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## BigM555 (Apr 20, 2007)

Can't help it. I'm still a HUGE fan of SimplyMEPIS.

It's very good with hardware detection (on par or better than Ubuntu from what I've seen). With the latest 6.5 release you could literaly throw the LiveCD at a Linux newbie, and assuming it detects their hardware, they'd be up and running the LiveCD in about 3 minutes.

If they decide to do a full install it takes all of about 10 minutes and it will essentially have everything working that a person would have with a pre-installed Windblows system without all the bloatware (love the new Mac ad btw) and it will include a full office suite!  

It's taken Linux a while but all the nay sayers that say it's not ready for the desktop or "prime time" are selling it short IMO.

It's now as easy to install Linux (easier IMO) as it is to go to the local big box store and walk out with a Mac or PC with pre-installed OS.


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## JBroll (Apr 20, 2007)

So far I haven't tried another LiveCD that got as close to recognizing my tablet PC as the 6.06 Ubuntu I put on almost a year ago, it was literally a copy-and-paste away from full functionality and everything else has taken much more work when it did actually function. Mepis is nice, but doesn't quite do it for me.

It's not Linux users who are saying that Linux isn't more efficient or effective or user-friendly, it's the people who stand to lose money over it.

Jeff


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## Jeff (Apr 21, 2007)

I can't wait for Ubuntu Studio to come out. I've got an Athlon 2500+ w/ mobo just waiting for it.


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## JBroll (Apr 22, 2007)

Anyone's thoughts on Solaris 10? Just curious.

Jeff


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## D-EJ915 (Apr 22, 2007)

JBroll said:


> Anyone's thoughts on Solaris 10? Just curious.
> 
> Jeff


It came on my system, eh, I'd go for OpenSuse or something else, it works fine in and of itself, but the management and stuff is just retarded imo.


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## lordofthesewers (Apr 23, 2007)

actually the new Ubuntu 7.04 is pretty awesome. I did a clean install while keepin the home partition i had since 6.06. Detected everything. Now installing proprietary codecs and drivers is really painless. Detected all my hardware, including webcam and webcam mic (which is surprising, cause 6.06, detected neither, and was able to use neither except the cam for taking pictures). I will be installing vmware server here shortly to install windows xp sp2 and AIM5.9 so i can take lessons from steve smyth by webcam without using my mom's laptop anymore. 
I'm telling you this one delivers.
What I can't use is line in direct guitar recording, due to the gayness of intelhda.
There is also this totally awesome program, called tuxguitar (got from freshmeat) that can open guitar pro and powertab files AND play the sound using midi, including the drums and all that out of the box on ubuntu. 
I got cedega 6.0 working in a few minutes, and got back my cs:source installation from 6.06, and CS:source works like a charm, except pixel shader 2.0 which works, but doesn't get that great of a performance on my machine on linux yet, but decent graphics, all settings maxed, good performance. UT2004 runs natively and rapes too.
In about 2 hours after the installation i had a full blown linux doing everything i need, including shit recording via webcam mic and Audacity with everything up to date and fast. I single boot ubuntu and it is awesome. Plus the new one has some nice eye candy too.
I can't wait for ubuntu studio, as i will be building a new computer for recording and getting rid of this one and putting ubuntu studio on it. 
check out my desktop screenshot too:


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## JBroll (Apr 23, 2007)

I ran a dist-upgrade overnight to 7.04, haven't tried that annoying GNOME shit (I run Enlightenment) but I'm sure it'll look nicer than the last time I tried it (months ago) if I feel like pretending I'm in Linux For Luddites 101 and going back to a desktop environment. Boot time seems to be a little bit slower (up to about 18 seconds from 15 or 16), but apart from that I haven't noticed much of anything new.

On that note, I just ordered the parts for the desktop I'll be taking with me when I move out - AMD 64 X2, 4400+ I believe, ASUS Crossfire-enabled motherboard, ATI x1900GT video card, 2GB RAM, and a shiny black case, so after I grab my monitor, keyboard, mouse, four metric shittons of adapters and external boxes, sound card(s), and hard drive I'll have one hell of a machine. And one hell of a build... goddamned thermal paste.

Jeff


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## lordofthesewers (Apr 23, 2007)

JBroll said:


> I ran a dist-upgrade overnight to 7.04, haven't tried that annoying GNOME shit (I run Enlightenment) but I'm sure it'll look nicer than the last time I tried it (months ago) if I feel like pretending I'm in Linux For Luddites 101 and going back to a desktop environment. Boot time seems to be a little bit slower (up to about 18 seconds from 15 or 16), but apart from that I haven't noticed much of anything new.
> 
> On that note, I just ordered the parts for the desktop I'll be taking with me when I move out - AMD 64 X2, 4400+ I believe, ASUS Crossfire-enabled video card, ATI x1900GT video card, 2GB RAM, and a shiny black case, so after I grab my monitor, keyboard, mouse, four metric shittons of adapters and external boxes, sound card(s), and hard drive I'll have one hell of a machine. And one hell of a build... goddamned thermal paste.
> 
> Jeff



I love GNOME, but to each its own. 
BTW, why did you order ATI, since most people blame them for shit linux drivers? I've had both ATI and Nvidia and i was happy with both, although i had ati 2 years ago, so things have improved by now, but they were pretty good. I am just wondering.
Are you gonna put ubuntu studio on the new machine for recording and shit, or just 7.04?


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## JBroll (Apr 23, 2007)

I went ATI because the price worked out better and I can fix anything people complain about with bad drivers. My laptop has an X1400 and its Linux performance smokes anything I've tried in Windows (Guru3D tweaked drivers included) so I don't think that's an issue. The X1900 (256MB VRAM, can't argue) destroyed anything else I could get for the price (I am planning on a dual-card configuration later, so factor in a good dual-video-supporting motherboard to the price), and it overclocks better.

I'm not likely to use Ubuntu Studio permanently, I'll give it a try along with 64Studio and Dyne:bolic but I'll probably just settle on Debian or FC6 and put together what I want from there. Seeing as how I don't even use a desktop environment or 90% of the stuff packaged in any of those distributions, it makes very little difference, but if a test run of Ubuntu Studio blows me away it might stick on there.

I'm not putting 7.04 on anything new, the only reason I upgraded was to get a new kernel and more support for things because of it. I've set things up from base installations of Ubuntu and Fedora before, and would gladly trade the extra time for the control and compatibility I'd be getting from just setting up the DAW by hand. I see no benefit from 7.04, and there were kernel problems out the ass when it was first released so if I go with Ubuntu I'll stick with my trusty 6.06 - and then rape the intestines out of it with the list of things to remove that I paste into the command-line on all new installations. That's probably the biggest thing that bugs me about Ubuntu - so many things to remove, so little time. At least with Fedora I can choose to just not install two-thirds of the stuff it has checked by default (what the fuck am I going to do with children's games, TTF packages for every language that ever existed, five different browsers, GNOME, KDE, Fluxbox, XFCE, WTFXE, and eight thousand penguin icons?) and not waste the time installing and uninstalling it, but Ubuntu? Nope. Oh well, all of that perfect hardware setup comes at a price, and that price is underestimating my intelligence in package management.

Jeff


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## lordofthesewers (Apr 23, 2007)

sounds interesting. I used to do stage 1 gentoos 3 years ago, i got bored of that, now I want an OS that is easy to install and use and works so i can have more time to play guitar. But, when I will build my DAW and I won't be happy with ubuntu studio i will give gentoo and debian their chances


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## D-EJ915 (Apr 23, 2007)

whenever I've tried using that fancy graphical interface stuff with my nvidia cards it's ended up not working  apparently only ATi really works with that stuff


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## JBroll (Apr 23, 2007)

What do you mean, fancy graphical interface stuff?

Can't get Compiz? Can't get Gnome?

Can't get letters?

Jeff


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