not an absolute beginner;
im writing this on a low memory machine with ubuntu;
have been quite happy with this for some months, though haven't been
able to watch videos and play games, but then, that doenst bother me
for the moment;
i really want to learn how to use my computer!
i want to plod through huge tomes on Linux, trying all the commands
and getting au fait with command line enviroment;
so, i think i think i've technically already made the break with
windows and commerical software...
don't want to turn back now,
but thanks for the considered, very sound advice Darren
about books:
i've heard that these two are good:
beginning linux, and
the official ubuntu book
can you, darren, or anyone else reading make some comments about the
relative value of these two for a motivated beginner?
or direct me elsewhere?
thx again to all who responded here; have found this awfully helpful
and friendly and will file away all these responses for when Mr
Beautiful New Computer arrives.... THIS FRIDAY!!!
- rufus
rufus
On 23 Jul, 23:51, Darren Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Just a few extra notes on this topic...
>
>
>
> On Mon, 2007-07-23 at 11:05 +1000, Amos Shapira wrote:
> > On 22/07/07, Rufi_Dukes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > > I was wondering if there is anyone here who could help me by looking
> > > at the quote below (from pioneer) and telling me if there are any
> > > obvious specs that jump out and strike the reader as odd, or as
> > > overkill, or under-resourced, or in any other way out of balance..
>
> > > i'm a newbie who is attracted to this deal because it comes with
> > > ubuntu pre-installed (the only one, as far as i know, available to me
> > > in australia)
> > > BUT! i want to be sure that everything will work when i get it, bc i
> > > want to hit the ground running with my ubuntu experience
>
> > > so, specifically:
>
> > > 1. if a company like pioneer says it will pre-install ubuntu, can one
> > > be reasonably sure that they bed all the software in and test drive it
> > > in the factory before shipping it to me?
>
> > Ask Google?
>
> > 2. can i expect that there will be no compatibility issues
>
> The way I bought my computer, was to do plenty of research. Rather than
> looking at pre-configured systems, I compiled a list of specific
> hardware that I wanted and already knew would work under linux. Then I
> took it to my local computer store and got the guy to put it together
> for me special. You can even ask for it to be supplied without software.
> (A naked computer - oh my!) It might be more expensive than getting a
> Dell or whatever, but I got exactly what I wanted.
>
> Of course this wont work quite as well if you are shopping for a laptop.
> In that case I would agree that looking at the systems offered with
> Ubuntu in the States and trying to get the equivalent system here. Even
> if it means you have to buy Windows too.
>
>
>
> > > 3. how important is the 64/32 bit issue?
>
> I have had a 64 bit system for more than two years. While there is a
> definite "coolness" factor to having a 64 bit system (if you are
> impressed by that sort of thing like I am), I am not convinced exactly
> what the practical benefits to having a 64 bit system are. I have
> encountered a few problems that needed to be solved that I would not
> have had to deal with at all had I just gone with a i386 system, but
> then if I didn't want to play around with my computer I wouldn't have
> gotten into this whole linux thing, would I?
>
> 64 bit linux is very well supported by the distros that offer it, (far
> better than 64 bit windows as far as I can tell.) There is a lot more
> software compiled to run on it, a benefit of most of the software being
> open source.
>
> > Some things I learned about this issue in the last few days:
> > 1. If you want Adobe Flash, Skype, Google Earth or many other proprietary
> > programs to run then you need a 32-bit environment
>
> Any sensible 64 bit distro will come with the 32 bit libraries (and
> install them by default) side by side with the 64 bit libraries. I use
> Fedora and it does just that.
>
> With the 32 bit libraries installed, 32 bit programs should run as
> normal. I have Google Earth and it runs perfectly. I have proprietary
> games (Quake IV, Doom 3, Neverwinter Nights, all 32 bit only) and they
> run just fine. I have Cedega (to run windows games (all 32 bit)) and it
> runs... adequately. I have not tried Skype.
>
> Adobe Flash is slightly different. It requires the 32 bit version of
> firefox or it will not work at all. This is not a big deal. Simply
> uninstall the 64 bit firefox and install the 32 bit firefox. On Fedora
> using yum, the commands are simply:
>
> sudo yum remove firefox.x86_64
> sudo yum install firefox.i386
>
> and install the flash plugin as normal.
> If you are installing the downloaded plugin (ie, not from a repository
> or rpm), you may need to fool the install program into thinking it is
> running on a 32 bit system. (It is programmed to fail if it detects a 64
> bit system) From memory the command becomes something like:
>
> linux32 ./nameofflashinstaller
>
> > 2. OpenOffice wasn't ported to amd64.
>
> My install of Open Office reports being the x86_64 architecture. I may
> be remembering things wrong, but I am sure that it has always been 64
> bit.
>
> > 3. It is VERY EASY to setup a useable 32-bit chroot environment which will
> > make things run almost transparently for you ("mount --bind" and schroot
> > magic :).
>
> I have not yet had to use this technique yet, as just about everything
> has worked without resorting to such techniques, although it is good to
> know that there is another avenue I can try should I get really stuck.
>
> I recall this was recommended when Cedega was having troubles with 64
> bit systems, but the guys at Transgaming fixed the problem before I even
> got around to trying it.
>
> > To sum - you might have some learning to do but it'll work.
>
> > 4. finally, is my method good? ie, would i better off just getting a
> > > windows computer and then installing ubuntu from a CD (i am not a
> > > natively brilliant adept at computers, so my way forward will have to
> > > be with lots of good books, good advice and support)
>
> > I'm always in favour of installing the OS yourself if you can. It's very
> > simple with the latest crop of Linux distros and you might learn something,
> > plus you can probably buy a PC without windows and save yourself the Windows
> > license price.
>
> > --Amos
>
> How much of a newbie are you? Are you just starting out or have you been
> using linux for a while?
> While I applaud your desire to get a 100% MS windows free computer, I
> trust this wont be your only computer?
>
> Having linux only and nothing else available can force you to learn the
> new way of things much faster than you would if you had your old windows
> to fall back on, but it can also leave a bad taste in your mouth if
> things don't work out perfectly. If there is some program that you *just
> cannot* find a replacement for, or a piece of hardware that *just will
> not* work no matter how much googling you do, it can add a lot of
> frustration unnecessarily.
>
> I, myself dual booted between the two systems for 2-3 years, with linux
> becoming more and more my main system as I (slowly) learned how to use
> it. Finally my Windows 98 partition was there only for a few old games
> (and it was no longer allowed on the net). I was finally able to get rid
> of it completely.
>
> Many linux users might hate me for saying this, but you might want to
> consider keeping windows around for this vital transition period. I.E.
> buy the windows machine and install linux on it yourself for the dual
> boot. The transition would be much slower, but also a bit less painful.
>
> It's not something that works for everyone, but it worked for me.
>
> Then again, that was a few years ago. Linux has matured spectacularly in
> the years since then. Maybe nowadays it *is* just better to go for the
> clean break.
>
> Whichever way you go, I'm sure you will find Linux as rewarding as I
> have.
>
> Darren.
>
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