The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 2
January 2, 2009 by AshPringle
Filed under Gear
The plan: Ring in the new year by switching over to Linux for a week, documenting each day of the transition.
Day Two, Installation Continued, Pure Linux-using Bliss (Hopefully).
Other days: Day One, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five, Day Six, Day Seven
Yesterday was a bit of an ordeal, but I’m ready to forgive, forget, and move on. So today I log on to the forums to see what the linuxperts have to say. (I thought up that word myself, and if you use it I’ll sue the hell out of you.)
We exchange a few posts and I do some stuff that is really not worth talking about. (It was, like, super-boring.) My computer chugs away, working on what I set it to do, and I head to the kitchen to reheat some crispy squid from last night while I wait for Mr. Forum Guy That Knows Way More Than I Do to get back to me. (The crispy squid was delicious, but could definitely have used some sweet and sour sauce, or perhaps a nice hoisin, if you must know.)
Forum Dude gets back to me, and it looks like that option to try using Ubuntu without installing that I ignored as hard as I could is not only pretty clever, but is also actually useful! It turns out I’m going to have to load up Ubuntu in test-mode, where I will venture into the dreaded lair of my nemesis… The Console.
I begin to panic, sweat, and vomit uncontrollably at the thought of using a console again. (Or is it the reheated squid? No time to think about that now, must start consoling.) As I watch that dreadful cursor blink menacingly at me I experience intense flashbacks of my DOS console telling me that Ultima.exe has failed due to insufficient virtual memory. I muster up the courage to bring my fingers to the keyboard and begin to type about grubs and roots and sudos or something.
Success! The memories are fuzzy, but according to Super Forum Guy I just reconfigured the boot loader on my Ubuntu drive. Next I just have to go into my BIOS, make sure it’s set to boot from a USB drive, and reboot so that it can… Error 23.
Ah, Error 23: the old middle finger and crotch thrust again. I think I’m starting to understand your language, Linux. Your a feisty one, but I like your moxy.
My next step is to contemplate suicide for a moment. Once I’m done reflecting on flinging myself off of my balcony onto the Geo Metro below my window, I head to the forums again. And… you know what? This is, like, getting super-boring again. I’m just going to fast-track this whole deal to the part where I get it working. For those of you who enjoyed reading the minutia of my mental ordeal, feel free to pretend there is a bunch of writing and bad jokes in between this paragraph and the next.
[A bunch of writing, bad jokes, and three or four fantastic adventures]
Success! I finally did it! I got Ubuntu Linux working! The best part was definitely when I had to switch the Golden Idol for a suitably weighted decoy so that my Linux distro wouldn’t breathe fire on me.
My first experience with word processing in Ubuntu Linux
My first point of order is to check out what writing programs there are on here, so that I can write. (That’s what I do, in case you didn’t know.) To my delight Open Office is already installed. This is a fantastic feature, as I’ve always believed that every OS should come with something as basic as a word processor by default. I’m pretty sure the PC industry is the only one in which it is perfectly acceptable to charge someone hundreds of dollars to be able to write. (Oh, you want to write with your typewriter? You’ve got to buy the $400 MS Typewriter Suite if you want to do that, mister. Duh.)
After a bit of writing I decide to take some screenshots, and I am delighted once again when I find out that pressing the print screen button in Ubuntu automatically saves your screenshot as a .png, circumventing the need to do all that copying and pasting; a very nice feature, and one that you’d think would be common place by now. Next step is to edit the images I just captured, so I head to the Gimp, which was also included with Ubuntu. Gimp seems to be much better than MS paint, and slightly better than the nothing that is included with a Mac. Besides, I love Gimps; they’re such cute little creatures.
Finally I must head to the Internet, so I look for whatever browser is included. When I do find the browser I am thricely delighted; Firefox, everybody’s favourite browser, comes pre-installed. And here I was worrying that Internet Explorer might be installed, and I’d have to go and delete everything associated with it except for the Internet Explore .exe file which Windows forbids you from tampering with, on punishment of slapping you on the wrist and telling you, “Bad computer user!”
Me editing a picture of the picture I took of me writing
And with that I log in to WordPress and begin typing the very article you are reading right now. Overall I must say I’m very impressed with Ubuntu; everything a person expects a computer to do can be done with Ubuntu, given that everything you need is already pre-loaded. I’m a firm believer that when you buy a computer it should just work, and that includes having fully functional versions of programs that do basic things like word-processing, web browsing and image editing. Although me and Ubuntu had some tumultuous times early in our relationship, I think we’re starting to see eye to eye.
In the short time I’ve used it today I’ve found that Ubuntu is easy to use and has lots of neat features. It even told me that my battery might have been recalled and that I might need to replace it, instead of just letting it explode in my face like that jerk Windows would. True friendship is, after all, not letting something explode in your friend’s face.
So that’s it for today; tune in tomorrow, when I do more stuff with Linux!
Other days: Day One, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five, Day Six, Day Seven
Stumble It!
Arunabh Das on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 3:03 am
There are many reasons to switch to Linux but the best reason is that Linux can be customized to look cooler and feel better than any other operating system on the planet. Case in point –
http://images.orkut.com/orkut/albums3/ATgAAADBZ2qL_mGoW_UAT-yLUNfjPQg5f5tIW2NItR5lqH65f15Ft7e_wPfBnol3lg8XDD3ZlshOSVOf4pkqxsy1tXrCAJtU9VBKprdVlefDHi8nUSAoOixpysLSRQ.jpg
– Arunabh Das, Die-hard Linux User
david on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 3:20 am
be sure to check out: http://ubuntuguide.org/
BobCFC on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 3:23 am
I’m glad you stuck with it. It’s nice to be able to surf all day without having to have Norton Antivirus running all the time
I recommend VLC for videos, Deluge for torrents, gPodder for podcasts, and Songibrd for music.
Oh and lol@forum staff. They are just people like urself in 2 years time.
BobCFC on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 3:26 am
I meant Songbird lol
http://getsongbird.com/
Chris Lees on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 3:55 am
Don’t try installing Linux on an external hard disk, it… er… doesn’t really work (unless you start hacking around). But then, I don’t believe Windows will work on an external either.
I believe your next task on Linux is installing MP3 support and DVD playback. Due to the DRM included on DVDs, and the American DMCA that prohibits DVD playback unless you pay big license fees to the DVD consortium, Ubuntu doesn’t include DVD playback support.
SPOILER SPACE
.
..
..
….
….
….
….
Visit Medibuntu.org and use their repository HOWTO to get DVD playback working. Although their HOWTO uses the command-line, you can actually do it in a completely GUI way, so please don’t take points off Ubuntu for this
….
…..
…
…
…
…
END SPOILER SPACE
Good luck with your week, but you really need to use Linux for longer to really appreciate some of the fine design of the system. I hope you keep using Ubuntu afterwards so you can appreciate this. Oh, and congratulations for sticking with it through the external hard disk debarkle.
Brian on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 4:05 am
I think if more people were familiar with such see software as GIMP, OpenOffice.org, Firefox and even Pidgin, then seeing them on their fresh Linux desktop would be somewhat comforting. If I were a computer distributor I would include those three apps (at least) on every Windows PC sold (and Mac, if that’s allowed). I tend to use them as “gateway software” towards converting friends & family to Linux, one step at a time.
P.S. gravatar is pretty useless to me without the option of a domain associated avatar. I use a different email for every site I use so I can easily track spam and such.
Alex on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 4:38 am
“True friendship is, after all, not letting something explode in your friend’s face.”
I believe you’re speaking of true love there.
Vincent on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 6:54 am
Oh, and here’s a tip for dealing with the Linux/Ubuntu-community: when asking a question, mention you’d prefer working graphically when possible. Unfortunately, even though there are many people available that want to help you, they do have a tendency to have you enter commands while something could just as well be done graphically*.
* Which is sort of understandable, since telling someone to run a command is way easier than telling him to locate a specific application in the menu, open that, click a few buttons, just to do the same. It is, unfortunately, far scarier (at least, I think so).
Jose on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 6:01 am
Well, you need to try some non-geek programs, you can install it with synaptic:
Lightweight write editor:
Abiword
CD/DVD writing:
K3B
Media players:
VLC
Program for making diagrams and other vector drawings stuff:
inkscape
Installing windows under linux easily:
VirtualBOX
Look the world, look the stars.
Marble
Stellarium
google earth
Instant messengers:
I love “emesene”
pidgin
pops on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 6:06 am
Ahh…I missed the Day 2 link.
Glad to see you have made some progress,good luck for the rest of the week.
You never know,this time next month you might be writing about finally being rid of Windows:)
Anonymous on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 7:15 am
I agree with Vincent. If you want to install program “abc”, they most likely will tell you to execute the command “sudo apt-get install abc” in the terminal, while you could also go to “Applications -> Add/Remove -> search “abcd” -> check -> click Install/Remove”
Terminal is just faster to do certain things. Windows just doesn’t give the possibility to do things with command prompt, or at least they try to hide them, because it might be confusing for new users.
aikiwolfie on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 7:22 am
I’m glad you’re beginning to get the hang of Ubuntu. It’s a decent OS with a lot to offer. If you’d installed it on your normal hard drive instead of that “external” drive nonsense it would have resized you Windows partition for you and you wouldn’t have lost anything at all. Assuming of course you weren’t limping along with a drive full of nonsense like most Windows users.
Also assuming you had some free space on you “normal” hard drive you could have just poped the CD into the machine and booted in to Windows. Using the Wubi utility on the disc you could have installed a virtual Ubuntu.
If that’s not good enough the latest version lets you create a USB stick install which like the CD trial version doesn’t touch your hard drive at all.
Now consider how Windows would have behaved if the situation had been reversed? Would Windows have been so happy to share a hard drive with a bed fellow? No. What’s more during the Windows installation it’s been know to freeze up and crash and turn your PC into a smouldering wreck. Windows doesn’t even play nice with other versions of Windows. “Upgrades” are a risky business.
One piece of useful advice. Next time you buy an external hard drive to install an alternative OS. Use it to back up your data. Then you have nothing to worry about.
Oh by the way. It’s also possible to tell grub where to install at install time without doing anything fancy. Running in blind no matter what OS you’re trying to install will create problems. Easy doesn’t mean dumb-ass proof.
Vadim P. on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 7:32 am
^^ what Vincent said. Ubuntu is probably the most newbie-friendly thing around, but still, some people insist on typing in various codes to fix simply things accomplished with an intuitive mouse.
Adam on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 8:08 am
I downloaded Ubuntu and installed in in Windows so it won’t mess with the hard drive and if you don’t like it you can uninstall it easily.
StephSD3 on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 9:00 am
I like the way you write!
This is from now on my “oh, you are scared of Linux? Read what this guy did. You’ll be able to do that too” manual/ push towards Linux
Curious what you will do the next few days, keep the spirit up!
(and indeed, once you get a hold of the command line, you will almost ask yourself why they included the buttons to push again)
frank on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 10:00 am
Oh Console, where are thou ?
Many problems in ubuntu NEED console commands to get done. But thankfully, ubuntu has given us other options than simply console. Its good to know a few basic commands, specially for things such as sudo and whatnot.
I’m glad you’ve taken the plunge. I will be watching this article very closely.
Also, there is an irc channel for questions if you’re interested.
irc.freenode.net and the chanel #ubuntu
Boo Radley on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 10:56 am
Nicely written… It is true unfortunately that getting a desktop Linux OS setup can have its hiccups, fortunately this is a much rarer occurrence these days. And since most people don’t set Windows/Mac up themselves, I’ll fill you in: they have their own sets of difficulties sometimes too!
What I like about Ubuntu’s desktop setup especially is that they pick the best of breed for default applications instead of giving you five different apps that do the same thing, like some other distros. And GNOME’s menu structure is organized neatly and compactly by application type instead of Company Name->Program Subfolder->Program like Windows or Macs which don’t really have an app menu to begin with (unless you stuff everything in the dock).
The icing on the cake I think is the automatic updates for all the software on your system as well as the ease of installing (most) new software without each app phoning home or giving me a balloon pop-up nagging me.
And of course, no need to worry about defragging your drive, malware, or virus scans, or the system just mysteriously getting slower over time.
Desktop Linux really has evolved to a great setup that would satisfy the needs of 90% of computer users out of the box. Unfortunately it’s most of those 90% that would be most hesitant to try it because they’ve become accustomed to the OS prison that came with their computer.
Desktop Linux isn’t perfect but the rate at which it is improving is astonishing!
Pederson on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 11:35 am
Wow, you suck.
Installing linux (Ubuntu in particular) is probably the easiest thing I’ve ever done on a computer. I am astonish about how ignorant you are of linux (once again, Ubuntu in particular). I mean, you write for the tubes and you’re writing as though this is the first time you’ve ever touched a computer.
Wow. This article really doesn’t help anyone (or anything; linux)
Eric on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 11:55 am
Good to know you got it working and are enjoying it!
I would agree with the above poster, you need to say you want to work graphically. Occasionally the gurus (or linuxperts
) will forget that not _everyone_ knows how to change the channel on their TV through their computer’s console.
If you do try installing again (another distribution or whatever), most installers have the option to check the CD(s) for errors. Do this. It takes maybe 20 minutes, but it’s not fun when 90% of the way through installation it tells you there’s a problem with the disc.
sim on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 12:08 pm
You picked the wrong distro. Ubuntu is really difficult to install. Fedora and openSuSE can be istalled even by a 10 y.o. without any problem (like the one with the GRUB)
W O on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 12:09 pm
Could you please give complete specifications of your hardware (architecture, CPU, memory, hard disk, …).
This would be very useful both to developers attempting to improve upon the distribution and to the community at large.
NtroP on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 12:12 pm
Glad you got it up and running! For the record, had you not insisted on saving your Windows install (perfectly understandable) and instead done a normal install to your internal HD this whole experience would have been much smoother. Also, remembering to set your BIOS to boot from an external drive would have helped too
To be fair, try resetting your BIOS back to the way it was, install Ubuntu on your internal drive, and try to get XP or Vista to install and boot on your external drive without destroying your Unbuntu install. …Then head to the Windows forums for help. I’d LOVE to see you blog about that experience.
I’ve found that installing a modern Linux Distro on most computers is much less painful in the long run than installing Windows. Mostly because Linux includes drivers from almost all common hardware now, where Windows install discs don’t and you have to hunt around to find and install them.
Other than the Windows servers I’m forced to admin at work, I’ve been Windows-free now for seven years.
Dave Taylor on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 12:26 pm
If you are struggling to get a forum answer then the best way to get an answer in a flash is to post something incorrect. They will correct you in much less time than getting a response to a question takes!
Bczap on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 12:51 pm
Ubutu wrongly configuring bootloader is a nightmare. Most users with just a bit of experience have no problem with correcting it themselves but Ubuntu is supposed to be even for complete beginers. How can a person that doesn’t know what is a partition configure GRUB?
And, really, don’t be afraid of console. The point is you are just afraid because you are used to graphics but a lot of things can be done easier with console. When others tell you how to do it you simply need to copy words into console.
Vishnu Rao on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 1:26 pm
Good to hear that you and Ubuntu are becoming friends. It is a disappointing feeling to have things not working when you try it after such a long time.
I am not sure why you chose the external hard disk path.
a. Ubuntu safely creates a dualboot that resides alongside your windows installation. It will even import a lot of your settings from your windows installation, e.g. bookmarks from IE or Firefox etc.
b. There is an easier way to try Ubuntu. That is wubi. http://wubi-installer.org/
Hopefully you and Ubuntu will become thick friends, as I have been since last 4 years.
Magnus on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 2:27 pm
Can’t wait for day three, this is the funniest review (?) ever!
Frosty on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 2:41 pm
This is quite a very sincere and truthful experiment. The command prompt is daunting at times and just getting it to install correctly can be scary, but at least it does offer a GUI installation, unlike XPs. Too bad Ubuntu gave you a rough start. A nice thing is that if you wanted, you could theme or skin ubuntu to look like windows or mac if it would help with the learning curve. Great job with the article.
binny on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 3:33 pm
It is so great you are up and running with Ubuntu (even if you did seem to make it hard for youself
)
I think you are going to like it. I made the switch on my home machines more than a year ago now and I would not go back.
Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the ride
P.S. david is right. Check out: http://ubuntuguide.org it will save you a lot of pain
Paul Nguyen on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 4:03 pm
for a writer, you had a rough but healthy experience with linux. unfortunately, where microsoft office might have caught “the article that you’re reading write now” as a grammatical error (ahem! maybe the only thing it’s good for), you, a writer, did not…
Jeff on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 5:59 pm
If you get frustrated with Ubuntu, give Sabayon a try. They just released 4.0 and it’s very user friendly. It’s a DVD download rather than a CD but it’s well worth it.
http://www.sabayon.org
AshPringle on Sat, 3rd Jan 2009 6:49 pm
Thanks for the comments everyone!
In retrospect the way I went about installing was a bit unorthodox. But it’s all a learning experience. I figure if I made that mistake I’m sure other people will too. Knowing where people can make mistakes is important in knowing how to improve the process of switching to an OS.
Paul, thanks for pointing out the typo. Like anyone I am only human, and make mistakes sometimes.
I’ve completed my account of day three, if you’d check it out here’s the link!
http://www.zmogo.com/gear/the-new-year-linux-resolution-day-3/
Vincent on Sun, 4th Jan 2009 7:16 am
Oh, as for people suggesting other distributions: just ignore them. You’ll get that all the time, which ever distro you choose. But I suppose you already figured that out
jeff on Sun, 4th Jan 2009 12:48 pm
haaa this is sort of funny, I’m on a linux/resolution kick as well. I spent 2 hours trying to straighten out the bootloader as I am having issues toggling between windows and the 2 linux distros. I’ve hosed my MBR many times. Oh well. You make it sound like an exciting adventure a opposed to a depressing farce though.
Great blog!
Next time: put the boot loader on a USB so it doesn’t screw up the hard drive
The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 3 | zMogo Tech Stuff on Mon, 5th Jan 2009 5:01 pm
[...] Comments The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 2 | zMogo Tech Stuff on The New Year Linux Resolution: Day FourThe New Year Linux Resolution: Day Four | zMogo Tech [...]
The New Year Linux Resolution: Day Four | zMogo Tech Stuff on Mon, 5th Jan 2009 5:03 pm
[...] Comments The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 3 | zMogo Tech Stuff on The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 2The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 2 | zMogo Tech Stuff on The New Year Linux Resolution: Day [...]
The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 5 | zMogo Tech Stuff on Thu, 8th Jan 2009 11:43 pm
[...] Day 6The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 3 | zMogo Tech Stuff on The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 5The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 2 | zMogo Tech Stuff on The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 6The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 6 | zMogo Tech Stuff on [...]
Maternitus on Fri, 9th Jan 2009 7:54 pm
Deleting comments, huh? If you go on like that, your week doesn’t have six days, but eight. And mine still seven. But I am not sure if that is my Linux-box.
AshPringle on Fri, 9th Jan 2009 10:42 pm
Thanks for the comments everyone!
@Jeff: It’s good to know other people have similar issues as mine! I consider myself fairly computer literate, but I had no idea what a boot loader was before I started this. Thanks for the USB suggestion!
@Maternitus: Hehe, mine still has seven.
As for the deleted comments, I personally haven’t deleted any. Maybe it was the admin? Was it your comment? Sorry if it was!
Day 7 is up, and you can read it if you like!
http://www.zmogo.com/gear/the-new-year-linux-resolution-day-7-the-stunning-conclusion/
The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 6 | zMogo Tech Stuff on Fri, 9th Jan 2009 10:51 pm
[...] New Year Linux Resolution: Day 3 | zMogo Tech Stuff on The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 6The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 2 | zMogo Tech Stuff on The New Year Linux Resolution: Day 7: The Stunning [...]
Rompalle on Fri, 6th Feb 2009 11:31 am
First of all i have never seen a run of the mill Windows user install a second OS on an external drive? Normally we install on an internal disk. Have you also tried this same procedure with Windows?
And most of all I am sure you have always installed/re-installed Windows on one disk. Had you put a new harddisk or wiped out your existing Windows it would have went perfectly well.
Your not being fair to Ubuntu/GNU linux by doing 2 completely different installs!
Take your Windows disk out and put a new disk in then do the install! its easy.
Arunabh Das on Sat, 14th Mar 2009 9:43 pm
The next thing you should try to go is install Globus Toolkit – a grid computing platform on linux. – Arunabh Das
Arunabh Das on Mon, 16th Mar 2009 7:03 pm
If you really want to make things interesting, you should install compiz fusion (beryl) library and also theme it like a Mac. – Arunabh Das
AshPringle on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 1:33 pm
Thanks for the suggestion Arunabh, i’ll check it out