Friday, 6. November 2009, 16:22:19
users, 9.10, Ubuntu, addons
...
Working with the new Ubuntu Karmic (Koala 9.10) is much of a pleasure. My 6 years old ASUS P4P800 hums like a bird on it, though using the 32-bit version only. Yes, I did 'upgrade' from the last Beta release, which went totally flawless. Of course I downloaded the
official version as an image-file that I burned as ISO on a 700 Mb CD for possible later usage. From an angle I looked at Windows-7, that -though nicely polished- had nothing to offer that could attract me and which was not already available in Ubuntu. I realise that Win7 has
more in common with Apple's OSX, than any Linux distro. On my older computer Win7 showed no advantages, was markedly slower and more cumbersome to handle than the very agile
Karmic. And of course the confrontation with licenses and costs for everything extra beyond the between 90 and 300 USD priced official Win7 versions is a definitively passed station for me. Tiny amounts make a big heap in the end experience taught me, particularly when needing anti-virus
subscriptions. Karmic comes 'gratis', as does (nearly) all of its im- and approved software. All I need can be found in
Ubuntu repos:
gratis. An interesting difference. But there is far more to tell...
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Wednesday, 21. October 2009, 19:11:42
computer, Linux, tips, IT
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There come moments that you would tear your hair out when working with computers. Hardly two weeks before Ubuntu would launch its newest 'Karmic' release a technical problem occurred in our region, suddenly cutting the Internet and power. The combination and rapid sequence of events caused hard drive and caching failures. Bang! My two RAID-chained hard drives couldn't initialize Ubuntu's GRUB anymore. After having restored that using the LiveCD from my 'Jaunty 9.04' I found out that the DeskTop didn't show its panel, sound came mono and loud only and there were other tiny inflictions like a total
loss of access-speeds. It looked worse than Vista. What was going on? That the Internet was down plays an important role to explain this! Whatever the case I had to work and needed my OS.
A reinstallation appeared inevitable. From this there is a lesson to be learned...
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Friday, 7. August 2009, 14:38:33
backup, installation, hints, people
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I didn't realize the coherence of questions about Ubuntu that I received. Having made some statistics I noticed -to my surprise- that the aftermath of the installation tops the bill. Installing Linux appears no longer the problem. LiveCD's make life quite easy for that. Complications however often appear right after. Few seem to realise that you only have a -working-
basic installation. For but few sufficient, particularly while quickly after the initial start-up an impressive list with updates appears. In that stage there is nobody advising you to wait a moment and see if different priorities should be met before continuing! I assume that some of the most reported difficulties stem from the phase between installation and appearance of the Update Manager with its list. What should be observed?
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Friday, 3. July 2009, 21:25:53
software, Ubuntu, people, desktop
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It's hot, these days! Summer is here at the northern hemisphere, and I feel it every day in our Andalucian desert. It's cooking daily with 33C/92F and more at the clocks. My computer is 'sweating' and so am I. High temperatures are bad for any computer. How to cool it when your cats and dogs run around, family members smoke and a baby tries to run around and grab anything that it sees? You can't open its side panel, can you? How to watch what happens then? Linux is changing rapidly these days. Its 'desktop' is changing, leaving you options to even more 'personalize' it from the rest. How to add 'alien' software to your distro coming in different formats? Getting a lame hand from 'sudo' already? Then 'fake' your 'root' in a safe way to keep..., you know, cool. And what about Dell's new Microsoft OS called 'Ubuntu 8.04'? There are some nifty tools around that do a great job, and things to laugh about, when
you get hot!
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Sunday, 21. June 2009, 08:06:05
video-editing, AV, muti-media, Windows
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Linux top-distro Ubuntu 9.04 and latest Open Source (multi-)media software take away the everlasting discussions about their qualities compared to MS Windows. It's heartbreaking to continuously read fanatic claims that you can't do "multi-media" with Linux Ubuntu. That claim is notoriously false and at best referring to the situation a year or two ago. In terms of software development, particularly for Microsoft products, a year is nothing. It took at least 5 years to develop its ill-fated "Vista" software. The "new"
Windows-7, announced for November 2009 or later, in fact is an improved "Vista" with some conspicuous
Linux traits. Being '
faster' its beta-releases run
slow on new Netbooks with Solid State Drives (SSD).
Ubuntu,
Mint, other distros and the rest of the Open Source world progresses in quick steps of 6 months, but appear to make giant leaps then to overcome earlier shortcomings, like what we see with AV-media. Here is the evidence...
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Wednesday, 6. May 2009, 16:04:57
software, installation, Ubuntu, people
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The new Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope has a few aspects that may seem confusing for new users. In particular when you are switching from Windows to Ubuntu this may lead to questions. Most answers can be found on the Internet. But searching the web requires a specific precision and a watchful eye. Then most entries do not refer to 'Jaunty' but to older versions that may have conflicting characteristics. Always check the date of a publication to go sure. Better ignore it if date is unknown. I asked my wife, who still is on XP, to come and sit with me at Ubuntu 9.04 to work with it. She liked it but was puzzled by the Terminal, its power and velocity - if you understand the basics and why to work with it...
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