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07/25/2009 10:41:09 AM · #1 |
| Just curious, I stumbled across this OS and I must say, for a freebie, its quite impressive. It even comes with GIMP loaded on it. I was just wondering if any one else is using this or has tried it? |
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07/25/2009 10:47:54 AM · #2 |
| Yes, I've been using it since 8.04. Never looked back. Not paying for software AND not feeling bad about it . . . brilliant. |
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07/25/2009 10:50:33 AM · #3 |
| I've given it a couple of tries, the OS is really nice and works well. I would definitely consider it as my full time OS if I didn't already have my Mac and all the software for it. |
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07/25/2009 12:03:02 PM · #4 |
| 5 Years and still going strong |
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07/25/2009 01:48:14 PM · #5 |
| Glad to see there are a few others on here familiar with this system. I like it but I'm just starting out with it so I'm sure I'm going to have questions. So I guess my first question would be what are some of the must have programs for this system and are there any virus' to worry about? |
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07/25/2009 04:18:12 PM · #6 |
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07/25/2009 04:25:46 PM · #7 |
| I have a disk burned and ready to install on my spare PC when I have some time. |
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07/25/2009 04:49:02 PM · #8 |
I used it back when I had a PC.
Now, like  Covert_Oddity, I have a Mac with Photoshop and FCP, so I don't really have a need for it. |
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07/25/2009 04:54:45 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Sirashley:
Glad to see there are a few others on here familiar with this system. I like it but I'm just starting out with it so I'm sure I'm going to have questions. So I guess my first question would be what are some of the must have programs for this system and are there any virus' to worry about? |
When I used Linux (mostly Debian), I would spend hours searching through apt-get for programs that sounded useful. Search through the repositories, and you'll find a ton of programs.
Check this for a few you might want: //lifehacker.com/5227309/top-10-ubuntu-downloads
Make sure you have VLC and apt-get installed. Also, make sure you have gcc installed, or else most of your installs will error out. I'd also install the web basics like Apache, PHP, and MySQL. |
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07/25/2009 05:28:41 PM · #10 |
As of a couple of weeks ago I am now a Ubuntu user also. Was given an old laptop from work which had many functions disabled, they tried to help me get it set up properly again but advised that things would crop up all the time. Decided it would simply be better to try Ubuntu (had the disc burned down already as I had been interested in playing with it).
The laptop now runs Ubuntu only (wiped off XP). Have much to learn but the OS right from the box has a lot of good programs already on it. Am already using Open Office on my Windows XP machines anyway. Was tossing up between Ubuntu and Mandriva. The local computer group use Mandriva and I had it downloaded before Ubuntu. Still deciding which one to stay with but Ubuntu is working fine at this stage. |
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07/27/2009 11:08:38 AM · #11 |
Yes. Ubuntu is a nice, well-supported flavor of Linux.
My home server which runs Ubuntu records TV for me (MythTV, requires $119 DTV decoder box), allows me to develop (C++ compilers, Perl, etc), serves up web content (Apache/Tomcat), has a database (MySQL), backs up my pictures/videos (network file system), allows me to browse the web from my TV (Firefox), edit photos (gimp), login remotely with graphics (VNC / X) or text (SSH), setup a firewall (IPTables), has tools to partition/ghost my hard drives -- I could go on and on.
And I didn't pay a dime for software.
For a Mac or Windows-based system to do the same would cost thousands of dollars. Photoshop, web servers, databases, and development compilers are all BIG ticket software products. I'll grant that some of them are worth the money (gimp is no comparison for editing photos), but most are not. |
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07/27/2009 11:37:19 AM · #12 |
Okay I figured I'd post a screenshot of my desktop for those who are reading this thread thinking that this O.S. is just a bunch of lines of code. Yes its linux, but it can be pretty too!. I see the other guys on here are using it for all kinds of crazy things, but I just surf the web and do my photos. Let me just say that I am so impressed with this O.S., I can't believe what I was missing, and moreover, I can't believe I haven't heard of this until now!
Lastly, is there anyone on here running the netbook version on a netbook? I'm now thinking of buying a netbook because this system is so efficient that I think it would run really smoothly on a netbook, I was just curious if anyone has tried it? |
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07/27/2009 12:05:49 PM · #13 |
| I have a dual-boot with windows XP and Ubuntu right now. It typically runs a bit faster for me, but I haven't been able to get all the programs I want running, even with a windows emulator. |
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07/27/2009 12:11:21 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by smurfguy:
Yes. Ubuntu is a nice, well-supported flavor of Linux.
My home server which runs Ubuntu records TV for me (MythTV, requires $119 DTV decoder box), allows me to develop (C++ compilers, Perl, etc), serves up web content (Apache/Tomcat), has a database (MySQL), backs up my pictures/videos (network file system), allows me to browse the web from my TV (Firefox), edit photos (gimp), login remotely with graphics (VNC / X) or text (SSH), setup a firewall (IPTables), has tools to partition/ghost my hard drives -- I could go on and on.
And I didn't pay a dime for software. |
A home server is, I think, a great place for a Linux-based OS. I really like the idea of using it to record TV. Can you easily stream that to your TV set from the Linux box? Are there any solutions for using a handheld remote control, like with a Windows Media Center?
With regard to cost comparison to a Windows-based system, I think that there is really not all that great a difference; open-source software to cover most of those bases is also available for the Windows box. The main additional cost is the OS, so maybe an additional $150 or so for an OEM version of Vista ultimate (or the upcoming Windows 7). Most (actually, I think all) of the OS-based functions you've listed are present in Windows. The main advantages I see to Linux are:
- Free
- Less demanding of hardware
- Rock solid stability (although Windows 7 is pretty darn stable as well) |
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07/27/2009 12:23:07 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
[quote=smurfguy]
- Free
- Less demanding of hardware
- Rock solid stability (although Windows 7 is pretty darn stable as well) |
I agree
I defiantly agree
Good support (It is way too soon to say how stable Windows 7 really is) |
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07/27/2009 01:02:12 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by Sirashley:
Lastly, is there anyone on here running the netbook version on a netbook? I'm now thinking of buying a netbook because this system is so efficient that I think it would run really smoothly on a netbook, I was just curious if anyone has tried it? |
eeebuntu works great on the EeePc. |
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07/27/2009 01:56:28 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by Sirashley:
So I guess my first question would be what are some of the must have programs for this system and are there any virus' to worry about? |
I find with the latest (9.04) version, I really installed very little in addition to the pre-installed aps. I used to install VNC, but Totem now plays everything I've thrown at it. I've not installed Amarok this time around, as Rythmbox also seem to do everything I need, including ipod syncing. For photography, I use digiKam for photo management (installed from the repositories), and RawTherapee for raw conversion (downloaded from their website). All dependencies are handled by the package manager, no need to compile or manually install dependencies.
No virus issues. I just arrived back from a business trip where I had to use my USB stick in the business centre machine of the hotel that turned out to be infected (the PC, not the hotel!). On ubuntu, this virus just shows up as a few files in the root which you can delete - no harm done. I don't think there exists any virus yet for linux.
Originally posted by Sirashley:
Lastly, is there anyone on here running the netbook version on a netbook? I'm now thinking of buying a netbook because this system is so efficient that I think it would run really smoothly on a netbook, I was just curious if anyone has tried it? |
I run ubuntu netbook remix on an Acer Aspire One. Everything works out of the box. I find the netbook extremely useful to have on trips for backing up photos and some rudimentary photo editing. According to RawTherapee developers, the next version is going to be "netbook aware", which probably means that it will make better use of screen real estate for the low resolution netbook screens.
Message edited by author 2009-07-27 14:20:18. |
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07/27/2009 03:15:23 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
A home server is, I think, a great place for a Linux-based OS. I really like the idea of using it to record TV. Can you easily stream that to your TV set from the Linux box? Are there any solutions for using a handheld remote control, like with a Windows Media Center? |
There is a prepared Linux System available just for that c't digital videorecorder, as it's provided by a German computer magazine most of the text on the web pages VDR is in German though. I have it running since years, you can control it completely with the remote control that came with the DVBT card, including removing commercials from the films and creating DVDs from them. |
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07/27/2009 04:07:04 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
A home server is, I think, a great place for a Linux-based OS. I really like the idea of using it to record TV. Can you easily stream that to your TV set from the Linux box? Are there any solutions for using a handheld remote control, like with a Windows Media Center?
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My video card outputs HDMI straight to the TV. I've always had good luck with NVidia drivers under Linux, and while you can use remotes and I have in the past (the HDHomeRun digital recorder box has a generic remote sensor that you can configure to work with nearly any remote, and it pipes the data to Linux over the network - very cool) I've had no issues simply using a wireless keyboard as my primary HID.
The one place this bites me is that I can't use Bluray discs, because there is no support for them in Linux yet. This is because media companies hate the idea of free software, because it essentially means free information, and hence, free media. If you could play a Bluray disc on Linux, there'd be no stopping you from capturing and converting that stream. Whereas in Windows it's all encrypted, and the players all have registration codes and decryption keys. Anyway, sorry for the short rant.
Originally posted by kirbic:
With regard to cost comparison to a Windows-based system, I think that there is really not all that great a difference; open-source software to cover most of those bases is also available for the Windows box. |
You might be right on this point. Windows support is something that most of the large projects include (Perl, Apache, MySQL) and even not so large ones, like Gimp, etc. This is because Windows has always had the market share, so there is pressure to support it. I would argue that stability isn't always top notch under the Windows platform.
But some packages require a "real" server architecture, one where reboots are regarded as highly irregular, a true multi-user platform (*nix multi-user environments were stable back when Windows didn't have any concept of more than one user), one where network communication is inherent and threaded processes feel at home, where you can pipe data around like second nature, where if you don't like how something works - with a little (or a lot) of effort, you can likely change it. Mmm, linux.
Oops, two rants in one post. =D |
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07/27/2009 07:32:50 PM · #20 |
I have Ubuntu and Kubuntu set up as virtual machines on my Mac under Parallels for fun and just because I can (it's harmless and easy to do this way).
I like the concept of a free OS with OSS (and the community is doing a great job), though I too as Mac user don't actually need to use these. If I were a Windows user looking for an escape, I would be more likely to switch.
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07/27/2009 08:16:26 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by smurfguy:
The one place this bites me is that I can't use Bluray discs, because there is no support for them in Linux yet. This is because media companies hate the idea of free software, because it essentially means free information, and hence, free media. If you could play a Bluray disc on Linux, there'd be no stopping you from capturing and converting that stream. Whereas in Windows it's all encrypted, and the players all have registration codes and decryption keys. Anyway, sorry for the short rant. |
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats/BluRayAndHDDVD
I didn't read it fully, so I'm not sure if it works or not, but it's worth looking into.
Message edited by author 2009-07-27 20:16:47. |
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07/27/2009 08:29:09 PM · #22 |
Not really a 'freeby'.... It's technically (mostly) open-source....
It seems to be the Linux distribution of choice over the past few years and it is a brilliant operating system.
I haven't used a Windows system at home for over 15 years and have never missed out on anything.
Ubuntugeek is an excellent site which you might be interested in.....
Perhaps photoshop is the only thing I miss, but gimp, when you learn to use it, is pretty good. |
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07/27/2009 08:47:10 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by plugsnpixels:
If I were a Windows user looking for an escape, I would be more likely to switch. |
Odd to say, it is not the OS which binds me to windows, it is Photoshop. Apple is just as proprietary as Microsoft ever was. To escape, I need a good OS which includes professional colour management and the CS suite (since OSS does not quite provide what I need in that area of s/w). |
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07/27/2009 09:25:46 PM · #24 |
| Hey, real quick, anyone know why facebook runs really slow on firefox and the other browser epiphany. It runs slow on both of them, so I'm not sure if I have a setting not set right or whatnot. Figured I'd ask if anyone else has had the same issue? |
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