Ubuntu Linux

[Qiaozhi]

This topic originally started within Tinkerer's PI Project, and has been moved here.

..... I have the schematic to post but the Geotech1 website is not accomodating me. The attachment process is so very SLOW. It was like that last time I posted something. Only now it's even slower.

I suppose that means I'll need to reload my PC operating system because it is mmmmMY problem. Tinkerer, I could email the schematic to you and then you could post it, OK?

Oh, joy. The last time I re-imaged I lost a bucketful of good music and movies I had downloaded.

"Preview Post" takes forever so I'll just pickle this off and hope it makes sense.

Perhaps it's time to move to a better OS? ... i.e. Ubuntu Linux.
You might be surprised to know that LTspice runs just fine under Ubuntu using WINE.
Say goodbye to slow bloatware, constant crashes, and the need for expensive antivirus protection. Say hello to opensource.

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

I'll try Ubuntu. I've tried using Linux in a dual boot system, and I even used two different store bought versions (Redhat and SuSe). I also tried Mandrake.

All versions I've tried so far did not support my video card. I could not use the dual monitor feature. Ackk!! That was a long time ago so I'll give it another try.

I'm using a top reated antivirus but I suspect that is what's slowing my sytem down, or is at least part of the problem.

I'm not so quick to fiddle with my OS as I was at one time. I've found that you can try and direct where a new OS or an old image will be installed, the indicated preference is often ignored or misinterpreted. WHAM!

The current LTS (long time support) is Ubuntu 8.04 (hardy).
The best solution is to download the iso and burn a CD. You can test Ubuntu directly from the CD without removing Windoze. This way you can check if the video card is supported.

What is the make, model and spec of your machine?

If you're interested in giving this a go, I will move these OS posts to a different thread under Off Topic.
I have also used RedHat and several other distros, but Ubuntu is the best. That's why it's called "Linux for human beings."

I've gotten off to a bad start already because what was supposed to be a 698MB download ended at 85MB. I tried a second source and it hanged at about 84%. I'll try again tomorrow.

I have a home-built AMD XP2500+, and MSI KM4M MB. ATI Radeon 9000. Nothing cutting edge here. My HDs have been running for over two years so that will probably be my next big headache (that, or the laser in my OTHER DVD burner).

So, am I making a mistake downloading v9.04 instead of v8.04 or was that a typo? Maybe you should move this off topic stuff! I don't want to use this backup partition much longer or it'll get corrupted like the other one did, but I dread making major OS changes.

Thanks, Qiaozhi

[Qiaozhi]

You can download Ubuntu from here -> http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Both Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop or Ubuntu 8.04 LTS are available.

The LTS (long term support) is the most stable one.

[J_Player]

I recommend Ubuntu Linux if you have had problems with other versions of Linux. It is designed to be easier to install than the others, and to be more user friendly. All Linux versions I have used are much faster than Windows. Ubuntu V9.04 is a big improvement over v8.04 for a lot of reasons. See here: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=707

If you are using two HDs, you may want to install Ubuntu in the manner I did. I cleaned the spare data disk of all downloads and data files and moved them to the Windows disk. Then I installed Linux on the empty disk with no partitions. When the install was done, I set up the computer bios to boot from the Linux disk. When I boot, Linux knows there is a Windows disk on the computer, and it presents a 15 second screen with a menu that allows me to choose to boot into Linux or Windows. If I don't choose, then it defaults to boot in Linux. This allows me to use Windows on the occasions when I need a Windows program. After installing Linux, I copied my data to the Linux disk, and kept a copy on the Windows disk as a backup for files I did not want to lose in case something happens to the Linux disk. You will find that when you are running Linux, you have access to all the files on the Windows disk in case you want to copy, move or delete things from there.

I use Linux more than 90% of the time because it is faster. But I still have Windows on the other HD for a backup.

Best wishes,
J_P

[Mustafa]

I recommend Pardus. It is one of the fastest developing Linux distros. Even Ubuntu is porting some of the features of Pardus for next releases.

http://www.uludag.org.tr/eng/download.html

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=pardus

Pardus (scientific name for Anatolian leopard) is a Turkish Linux distribution started and developed by the Scientific & Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). Ensuring that it is an operating system which can be installed and used more easily than the existing distros as well as other competitive operating systems is one of Pardus' main goals.

[Qiaozhi]

Personally I use Ubuntu Linux on my laptop and Windows on the desktop machine. If I need to use a Windows program on my laptop, that will not run directly using WINE, then I start VirtualBox and run XP in a virtual machine. This enables me to run two operating systems at the same time, without having to dual-boot.

There are many Linux distributions available, and you will probably get many different recommendations, but Ubuntu Linux is without doubt the most popular and easy to use. You can even buy machines from Dell Computers pre-loaded with Ubuntu.

[Max]

and what about Knoppix ?

Why don't use a live cd or live dvd ? E.g. knoppix live is a good solution for the simple average user... just reboot computer and let it load from cd or dvd: that's all.

No installation, no mess... then you'll have full internet access, full device auto-detection etc

Everything to post stuff or surf easy...

PS: knoppix is debian-based... so think about...

Kind regards,
Max

[J_Player]

Why don't use a live cd or live dvd ? E.g. knoppix live is a good solution for the simple average user... just reboot computer and let it load from cd or dvd: that's all.

Ubuntu can be run from the CD as well. You do not need to install it to hard disk unless you want to. The difference is Ubuntu is a debian based distribution that is a lot easier to use than knoppix. And it has a lot more support for "add on" program packages to do nearly anything you want to do. One good thing I like about knoppix is small enough to run it from a camera memory card or USB memory drive. This means you can carry your computer on a memory card and run it on anyone else's computer that will allow booting from a memory card or USB drive.

Most versions of Linux require a computer geek to get properly installed and to keep updated. I would recommend these versions to programmers and people who maintain apache servers, because they can modify the operating system files using C to customize their personal distribution. But for most common users who want to browse the internet and use their computer the way they use Windows, There is nothing more easy than Ubuntu as a substitute for Windows. There is very little learning curve needed. Ubuntu Linux is much faster and efficient than Windows, it has an update every 6 months, auto notifications for updates, and it is all free. Other versions require you to figure out which add-on packages to add, and you usually must do this manually using command lines. Ubuntu can be updated in a manner similar to Windows.

What's nice is your browser is immune to most of the viruses that attack Windows, so minimal OS protection needed. This keeps things fast.

Best wishes,
J_P

[Max]

Ubuntu can be run from the CD as well. You do not need to install it to hard disk unless you want to. The difference is Ubuntu is a debian based distribution that is a lot easier to use than knoppix. And it has a lot more support for "add on" program packages to do nearly anything you want to do. One good thing I like about knoppix is small enough to run it from a camera memory card or USB memory drive. This means you can carry your computer on a memory card and run it on anyone else's computer that will allow booting from a memory card or USB drive.

Most versions of Linux require a computer geek to get properly installed and to keep updated. I would recommend these versions to programmers and people who maintain apache servers, because they can modify the operating system files using C to customize their personal distribution. But for most common users who want to browse the internet and use their computer the way they use Windows, There is nothing more easy than Ubuntu as a substitute for Windows. There is very little learning curve needed. Ubuntu Linux is much faster and efficient than Windows, it has an update every 6 months, auto notifications for updates, and it is all free. Other versions require you to figure out which add-on packages to add, and you usually must do this manually using command lines. Ubuntu can be updated in a manner similar to Windows.

What's nice is your browser is immune to most of the viruses that attack Windows, so minimal OS protection needed. This keeps things fast.

Best wishes,
J_P

That's why maybe I don't like Ubuntu... I don't like simple things...that's why I'm focused... on Gomer...ops Dell at now!

Complex case...

Kind regards,
Max

[Qiaozhi]

What's nice is your browser is immune to most of the viruses that attack Windows, so minimal OS protection needed. This keeps things fast.

I discovered at the beginning of this year that there is a Linux version of AVG. Consequently I downloaded a copy and ran a complete virus check of my system. Guess what? After more than a year of running Ubuntu on my laptop, the system was completely virus-free. Compare that to Windoze. On average it takes only 12 minutes to contract a virus, if you don't have anti-virus software.

[ivconic]

"...On average it takes only 12 minutes to contract a virus, if you don't have anti-virus software...."

Oh man! Than my XP system is nest of all possible viruses!
I dont have antivirus software installed all the time cose it slows down much. Also i do not worry to much on that. The hell..if something goes wrong it will take only 2 hours to format hard disk and reinstall all the needed soft again. My docs and works were already backuped regullary on CD's...so? Why worry?
Most easiest way to catch virus is to surf along "unknown" and unchecked sites, usually unofficial and private servers.
So...having same old habits to visit only proven and already checked places will reduce chances to infect own system. Ain't not that good antivirus software to protect your pc anyway.

Recently i tested Ubuntu. Not bad at all! I like it! Problem is cose i am very dependent on some software which runs only on Win. Until those appears under Linux....
But also live CD is very good solution. There are also some memory stick (flash) versions too.

[J_Player]

Recently i tested Ubuntu. Not bad at all! I like it! Problem is cose i am very dependent on some software which runs only on Win. Until those appears under Linux....
But also live CD is very good solution. There are also some memory stick (flash) versions too.

Hi Ivconic,
I also like some Windows software that will not run on Linux. This is why I kept a second Windows disk on my websurfing computer.

The solution of using CDs and flash memory to save data also works, but you are limited in the size of the CD or flash memory. Another solution is to buy a spare hard disk to store data, These are inexpensive, and the data disk can be used by the Linux disk or the Windows disk for most of the files you save on it. You can also keep this data disk separated from the computer until you need to see the saved data, by using a USB drive hard disk that you plug in when you want to use it. USB hard disks can be plugged into the computer and removed while Windows or Linux is running.

Another solution is to run a program called WINE in Linux, that will let you run Windows software. This WINE program uses Linux resources to emulate Windows. This will slow down Linux a little, but not nearly as bad as running plain Windows with all the security updates and virus protection.

Whatever solution you use, you will find that your browser always runs faster under Linux. Not a little faster... a lot faster.

Best wishes,
J_P

[J_Player]

I discovered at the beginning of this year that there is a Linux version of AVG. Consequently I downloaded a copy and ran a complete virus check of my system. Guess what? After more than a year of running Ubuntu on my laptop, the system was completely virus-free. Compare that to Windoze. On average it takes only 12 minutes to contract a virus, if you don't have anti-virus software.

Hi Qiaozhi,
I believe most adware, spyware and other malware is written to attack Windows because this is the OS that most people use online. Windows OS is also written in a way that has many holes for hackers to explore compared to Linux. I think this condition exists because of Bill Gates early attempts to make Windows incompatible with any other software by adding all kinds of unneeded software and proprietary code, and OS instructions that were designed to make the OS ready for many different intended uses.

In Linux, everything is open source, so we have the whole world full of programmers who find the vulnerabilities, and continually re-write the code to be very difficult for hackers to get past. It looks like very tight clean code to me, that gets the job done with minimal unnecessary overhead. The user is free to install more "add on" software packages as he sees fit for his particular situation. ie: you can add on audio production packages, or design/cad packages, video application packages, etc, without being stuck with unneeded memory-sucking sortware that is part of the OS. And these packages are all written for Linux, and mostly open source.

This seems too good to be true for a free OS.
But it is!

Best wishes,
J_P

[Fred]

Hi all,
I have been following this thread with interest.
What would be your advice to install unbutu if you have only one HD and windows installed, wanting to keep it of course ?
Thanks,
Fred.

[Qiaozhi]

Hi all,
I have been following this thread with interest.
What would be your advice to install unbutu if you have only one HD and windows installed, wanting to keep it of course ?
Thanks,
Fred.

What is the specification of your PC?

[Qiaozhi]

Hi Ivconic,Another solution is to run a program called WINE in Linux, that will let you run Windows software. This WINE program uses Linux resources to emulate Windows. This will slow down Linux a little, but not nearly as bad as running plain Windows with all the security updates and virus protection.

Interestingly, WINE stands for "Wine Is Not an Emulator".
It is actually a translation layer that allows Windows applications to run on Linux. The programs run as fast as they do on Windows, although some programs will not run with WINE.