You can tell I'm a bit bored

[andrewducker]

Downloaded Knoppix (a linux variant), burnt it to CD, rebooted the machine with the CD in and 5 minutes later I'm running Linux, chatting on MSN (via Gaim) and it all looks pretty good.

Well, it didn't recognise my graphics card, so it's stuck in 1024x768, but other than that...

So far it's not quite as intuitive as windows, but then I don't have 10 years of experience with it...

Comments

[mb2u]

Hey, it's a start.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

You posted at length about your personal beliefs... now this....

You've completed Half-Life 2? That's it, right?

Either that or it has HORRENDOUS loading times...

[andrewducker]

I've discovered that HL2 gives me nausea problems if played for more than 90 minutes at a time...

Shamelessly shilling for Linux

[terminalmalaise.livejournal.com]

I've been puttering around with various Linux distributions for the last 6 or 8 months on a spare computer and it's been great fun. Still using Windows XP most of the time, but by the time Microsoft releases Longhorn, I'm not sure I will be.

The two distros I've been using the most are Mepis and Ubuntu. Mepis is KDE-based like Knoppix and also acts as a live CD but is very nice when installed to disk.

Ubuntu is built around the Gnome desktop environment, and has a really clean and intuitive interface (IMO). There's a live CD version of it too, although it's separate from the installation CD. It's new, but really promising and has the backing of Mark Shuttleworth behind it.

Re: Shamelessly shilling for Linux

[andrewducker]

Downloading Ubuntu now...

Re: Shamelessly shilling for Linux

[terminalmalaise.livejournal.com]

A downside--depending on your perspective--of Ubuntu is it contains purely free software for philospophical and legal reasons, and so doesn't have Java, Flash plugins or proprietary multimedia codecs initially (Fedora's pretty much the same that way).

The Ubuntu forums and this unofficial guide are extremely helpful in getting all that set up.

Mepis, OTOH, comes with a lot of that working right away.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

I switched to using Fedora Core 3 from Redhat, and I've never looked back - its just fantastic, also I get to do all my geeky unix things without having to ssh into some work box.

If you want to run windows apps you can use Wine, and for gaming there is something made by Cedega (some kind of Wine addons maybe?)... It even runs HL2!

FC3 seems to come with absolutely everything you are likely to need, so I have only had to download and install one or two other things (a LJ client for instance). It also has an update tool like Windows Update that will upgrade all the programs on your computer for you.

[andrewducker]

Sadly it doesn't run HL2 very well, from what I've read.

I'm not planning on abandoning Windows just yet - it does pretty much everything I want in a computer.

But I do plan to play with Linux - I'll probably install it on the spare box...

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

I'm not planning on abandoning Windows just yet - it does pretty much everything I want in a computer.

Except run direct from a CD-ROM. Knoppix (and the other "live" Linux distros) are good to have around for when Windows fails to boot. They allow you to snoop around you HD with a nice GUI and mix of tools as well as to get online, both of which can speed up your quest into why Windows has decided not to work this time.

[terminalmalaise.livejournal.com]

The Ultimate Boot CD for Windows is pretty good for that, although making it is a little more involved than burning a Linux iso.

The plain Ultimate Boot CD is also a great utility (it contains a ton of floppy images), and now comes with a trim Knoppix rescue variant too.

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

Do you know if Fedora Core 3 runs on Via's C3? (As in their mini-ITX boards.) FC1 did, but FC2 didn't, but I'd not heard if FC3 does.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

I believe the provided CD's dont work with the Via C3, you have to download some updated RPMs and stuff them on one of the CD's (see: http://linux.derkeiler.com/Newsgroups/linux.redhat/2004-11/0331.html)

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

Ah - thanks. Though that message doesn't give me too much confidence. I spent a lot of time not getting the fixes for FC2 to work, (which worked for some, I think), so until I see evidence that those work I don't think I'll risk attempting it.

Think I need a duplicate PC just for testing Linux distros...

[robhu.livejournal.com]

What is so special about the C3's that is stopping them from working?

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

Nothing special about the C3. It's just that they (the Fedora folk) upgraded their distro...

http://www.linitx.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1630

Click the link in the first post there for a blow-by-blow account of the bug-tracking and solutions (which I couldn't get to work for me.)