I'm trying to think of a reason not to uninstall.

Seriously, give me something. I don't want the hour it took to download and format and whatnot to have been in vain.

11/6/2007 11:13:02 AM

beryl



http://www.beryl-project.org/distros.php




nifty.

11/6/2007 11:15:34 AM

Anyone have any ideas getting it to work on a ThinkPad... not much luck. Gives me some memory error. OpenSuse works fine. Just can't get Ubuntu to work.

11/6/2007 11:34:57 AM

theyre both the same linux, add more kernel modules/drivers to the ubuntu disk?

11/6/2007 11:37:00 AM

here are some reasons to uninstall:

1. You Don't Try Before You Buy - We all want to believe all the propoganda from people selling us something we don't need. So why would you want to be able to test-drive an operating system via liveCD before you install it. Tell 'em you don't need any guarantees either, you'll take it as-is, sight unseen.

2. Installation of Software is Too Easy - With Ubuntu you only have to click on the Synaptic and click checkboxes to add software. Then hit Apply. You probably will feel gypped when you have to go searching for software, unzip it, quite everything else you are running, and then install an .exe. Then when you are done run Windows Update (of course only using Internet Explorer) just to make sure everything's up to date.

3. Too Few Viruses/Too much security - Virus scanners give you a warm fuzzy feeling, they can also keep your computer from performing as fast as possible. Slowing down your perfomance keeps people's expecations of you low. Without spyware and virueses slowing you down it's a nuisance plus once you are logged in it's not going to crash or be wiped out by virues. Plus if you got too much work done you might get promoted or a raise. That would be a real pain trying to figure out how to spend the extra money.

4. No Expensive Office Suites - You know you like to pay $400+ dollars for Microsoft Office Professional. OpenOffice.org must be some kind of communist plot. Why save that money for your kids college or support education intiaitives in the third-world when you can help fund Bill Gates' humble lifestyle.

5. Optional Purchase Option - If an operating system is free it can't be that good. You want to go through an activation process to make sure it's a genuine operating system. That activation is a convenience put in place to make you feel more secure. You should be proud to volunteer your personal information and then be forced into an upgrade cycle that milks you out of hundreds of dollars every couple years. It makes perfect sense.

6. Too many Free Applications to Choose From - Why would you want choices you think it better just to be told what to do? You should browse the Microsoft catalog first, then go to your local Best Buy for an office suite, image editors, and other document authoring software. If you are tempted to chose one package over the other on your own ask the burnout sales guy who was smoking weed behind the dumpster an hour ago for his opinion. Why would you want to use Scribus, Nvu, GIMP, OpenOffice that can be downloaded for free when you drive your gas guzzling SUV to the store add some CO2 to the global warning, maybe even run down an endangered species in route.

7. Too Well Documented - You hate it when you can find easy-to-understand, searchable documentation. [I wanted to find out how to troubleshoot my wireless card so I went and looked at the http://help.ubuntu.com and there was at least three easy-to-read up-to-date documents to help me.] I know I really wanted to call someone named John who was being exploited in a third world country, have him read a script about how he would help me and watch him fail miserably then have him wish me a very good day as my system was in worse condition than before we started talking.
8. Excellent Free No Wait Technical Support - Speaking of support, why should I want to go to #Ubuntu on IRC where 1300 Ubuntu users are hangng out and offering their time to answer questions for free.

It's much more fun waiting on hold to hear John read his support script.

John (in an accent that is so thick you can hardly make out the words): Hello, this is John, "How may I be helping you."
You: My desktop isn't displaying anything but a error message
John: I am sorry to hear that, what seems to be the problem.
You: My screen is displaying an error message.
John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot.
You: I just did.
John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot.
You: Really, why? I just rebooted.
John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot.
You: Can you just tell me problem that might cause that error?
John (long pause): Please hold I must get my supervisor....
You: What's his name?
John: Frank
You: What's his real name?
John:....Pradnesh

9. Too many Interface Choices - I know you like the choices in Windows you can buy many versions of Vista with slightly more functionality at much greater prices. When you use Ubuntu, you have too many choices. You have the option of using Ubuntu with the Gnome desktop environment, if you hate that you can use Kbuntu using the QT-based KDE environment. What if you work in an office don't you want the same operating system that is used by third graders in their schools. After all let's start children while they are young authoring painfully ineffective slide decks on Powerpoint. Why would you want them to use a custom version for schools like Edubuntu . It shold be a law that you need a fast state of the art computer, why would you want an operating system that doesn't require at least a gig of RAM and a wicked fast video card. In fact Ubuntu users with modest machines use Xbuntu to keep the resource requirements low. Once again you shouldn't be allowed to compute if you can't afford the latest and greatest computer. Computing is a privelege and poor people shouldn't be allowed to access the Internet.

10. Too Much Eye Candy - You don't want any cool eye-candy like rotating desktops transparency, woobly windows, and more. Why risk someone calling you a show-off when you start demonstrating your fancy desktop. Keep your proflie low with Windows Vista, it looks just like everyone elses desktop.

11/6/2007 2:47:25 PM

What do you not like about Ubuntu, spöokyjon?

I've never run the desktop version, but I've been happy with their server. I've been running it for a little over a year.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 3:02 PM. Reason : ]

11/6/2007 3:01:21 PM

^^it's this sort of snottiness that keeps me away.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 3:02 PM. Reason : .]

11/6/2007 3:01:53 PM

^, dont listen to him, installing plane stuff is easy, but installing a specialized driver takes some know how. compiling source can be a bitch even if you know how to use gcc and the thinkg related.

he is blatantly just being silly, and is making this into another bad M$ vs free beter linux kinda argument.

although i would say dont use ubuntu, if you want to go with a linux based system go for something like SUSE or redhat or fedora(which is basically the same thing), and if you feel more comfortable with windows and think that its better suited for you choose that.

linux is really for a select group, you need to be a hands on person and willing to relearn a lot of things.

i use SUSE and find its the most user friendly, i also use XP and find that i can do everything i want to with it.

so if UB is pissing you off get rid of it. dont give up on linux, just browse around. and like i said if you feel that windows give you a beter experience the go with that. dont listent to others to choose an opperating system, because there is no one that will be un baised. make up your own mind.

oh and ps: dont judge an opperating system by how many themes it has and has rotating desktops and stuff like that, sure its nice, but does not add anything of essence to the system.

its like a street car that has a spoiler and stickers on, doesent do shit.

11/6/2007 3:09:38 PM

sorry like 3 up now. hehe

11/6/2007 3:10:18 PM

********DID YOU KNOW?********


You can edit a post within 30 minutes and add more carats.

11/6/2007 3:19:14 PM

I disagree about SUSE/Ubuntu.

I've gone from essentially no knowledge about linux to fairly competent in the past 2 months of fooling with ubuntu/kubuntu (i prefer kde on my laptop and gnome on my desktop). The transition was very easy with very few exceptions. The ubuntu forums are also extremely useful for almost anything you need. I've started running ubuntu on my desktop as my main OS and only use windows for some games (which wine actually supports so i may be setting them up for wine soon ).

I've tried SUSE and RedHat and Mandrake before and thought they were all 'neat' but not viable as a windows replacement OS.


And yes, Compiz-fusion is awesome for desktop effects.

11/6/2007 3:24:06 PM

Anyone had any luck installing 7.10 on a T60p?

11/6/2007 3:28:49 PM

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Installing_Ubuntu_7.10_(Gutsy_Gibbon)_on_a_Thinkpad_T60

11/6/2007 3:35:31 PM

Quote :

"it's this sort of snottiness that keeps me coming back away"

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 3:38 PM. Reason : !!1]

11/6/2007 3:37:40 PM

i like freespire better (ubuntu-based)

11/6/2007 3:41:36 PM

^^^

That was my jumping off point, but the video is way different on a T60p, which is where the problem is. I had Gentoo running fine on it, but I really didn't like Gentoo at all.

11/6/2007 3:50:32 PM

I don't know about your issue in specific but I highly suggest searching the ubuntu forums, they've solved EVERY problem I've had.

Before the restricted driver shit was so easy to use I had to manually rip the firmware from my broadcom wireless modem to get it working and there were some pretty easy step by step guides on the forums.


edit: i hope i'm not coming off as a linux fanboy, i'm definitely not, only been using it about 2 weeks as my primary OS, it's just their forums are the most useful thing i've ever found for support in my life.

[Edited on November 6, 2007 at 3:54 PM. Reason : .]

11/6/2007 3:53:32 PM

Fwiw, if you're having any troubles with video drivers, Envy makes it much much easier to deal with:
http://albertomilone.com/nvidia_scripts1.html

11/6/2007 4:13:10 PM

Quote :

"give me something"

read it on digg earlier this week, you didn't give a lot to go on

11/6/2007 4:28:13 PM

So I also installed Ubuntu Gutsy recently and it has been nothing but a pain in my ass thus far. It locks up to the point where I have to hard reboot 5-6 times a day, I can't get any video drivers to play nice with my ATI X850XT card or my Sound Blaster Audigy SE card, and everything just seems clunky and slow. I've got a decent system, no dual core, but a 2.8 AMD64, 3 gigs ram, and the X850.

Is the problem the Gutsy release? Anybody think I would have a better experience with Fiesty or a different release of the OS?

And also, I tried the Envy software that was supposed to help with video drivers, no luck.

11/9/2007 10:16:03 AM

check out http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=460543

if that doesn't work mess around a bit on the forums.


also are you using the 64bit or 32? you could try using the opposite version from what you are currently using. (also try using the 'alternate' cd instead, most people have fewer issues when installing with it)

11/9/2007 11:09:56 AM

Quote :

"I'm trying to think of a reason not to uninstall."

I asked this this question when the last two builds came out.

Fortunately, Gutsy Gibbon didn't even work to begin with, so I didn't have to stress about it. ( ^^ I have an X800... maybe that was it. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to hear that my ATI card wasn't supported by something)

Quote :

"Why save that money for your kids college or support education intiaitives in the third-world when you can help fund Bill Gates' humble lifestyle."

Oh, the irony.

[Edited on November 9, 2007 at 12:05 PM. Reason : .]

11/9/2007 12:05:41 PM

So I read on the forums that my onboard graphics may be causing the problem, but I didn't find any answer for fixing it...

11/9/2007 12:18:13 PM

Quote :

"I can't get any video drivers to play nice with my ATI X850XT "

there's your problem. i was having a similar issue. generic ati driver made the computer slow as balls, fglrx driver made the computer lock up all the time. i switched to a new nVidia 8600 series card and all my problems went away. (i was overdue for an upgrade anyway)

11/9/2007 12:37:31 PM

11/9/2007 12:39:55 PM

some kid in one of my classes managed to get a laptop with an ati going. said there's some new driver that actually doesn't suck complete ass. he runs all that beryl garbage fine, so I guess it works

11/9/2007 12:45:27 PM

Would it really be just the video card that was fucking me up so bad?

It seems even the simplest things will cause the system to crash into a state of non-function. Like this morning, just while playing some music, I opened up thunderbird to check mail and BAM the screen locks up and no keyboard controls work. Random shit like that has happened probably 5 times a day.

11/9/2007 2:36:17 PM

the only reason you need: because like all distrubutions of linux, its a total shitfest.

11/9/2007 2:43:53 PM

I recently switched from some crazy unsupported version of Tiny XP to Ubuntu

I'm semi-pleased with it - getting wireless internet working wasn't an easy task and it is still a little awkward for me

X has crashed more times than I'd like and I have a To Do list a mile long to make this thing stable but that will give me time to get a handle on linux

I'm glad I made the switch

11/10/2007 1:01:24 AM

here's what I want to know. why is everyone so glad they made the switch or wanting to make the switch when as a desktop OS, they gain 0 functionality, and spend a lot longer setting it up and maintaining it. yeah, linux is great for a lot of things, but what lends it a personal os more than windows or osx?

11/10/2007 9:48:16 AM

I'm happy to own a legal license to something

I'm happy to be involved in a form of free speech movement

I'm happy to be part of a growing community of hobbyists and tinkerers

11/10/2007 10:54:53 AM

I grow tired of buying an OS that's the latest and greatest only to have a new OS come out as soon I get the old one stable and figure out how to do the simplest of things. Not only that, but if I'm in an environment where I'm running both your old OS and your new OS, Why should I have to figure out how to make them play nicely together (ie. XP/Vista mixed networks)?

11/10/2007 12:30:01 PM

so, just to be clear then, it has nothing to do with the actual computing experience, but the meaning behind your decision?

also, windows is on a 5 year life cycle, osx is on a 1 year "update" cycle (no fundamental changes to interface) so I find it hard to put reason behind your claim of "I grow tired of buying an OS that's the latest and greatest only to have a new OS come out as soon I get the old one stable and figure out how to do the simplest of things." 99% of anything the average to advanced user would do/change/reconfigure in windows has stayed the same since windows 2000 and osx 10.0 (~2001).

As for play nicely, I'm not really sure what you mean as every os supports all RFC and IEEE standards for tcp/ip and 802 networks. If you mean filesharing between the 2, all versions of windows/osx/*nix support cifs/samba and some support more secure sharing (ie: vpn) natively. I will give you that ms's netbeui/netbios implementation has always been sorta suspect, but you can always use direct ip access or dns.

I'm always for promoting competition, free code, open source projects, linux etc, but it seems people love to jump on the linux bandwagon for reasons other than the merits of linux.

(nearly all apps have a fully featured command line back end, built in ssh, better means to implement security; password hashing, remote access controls, firewall/iptables, increased speed by being able to strip out gui functionality you don't want/need, etc)

11/10/2007 1:00:54 PM

I'm taking OSX out of the equation. I've used it, but it's not installed on any of my systems so I can't speak on it.

It isn't so much the meaning behind the switch, but it is the computing experience. I consider myself an average user and most people do the same things with their computer day in, day out. Command line functionality isn't for the "average user". I like the GUI, I like the ability to have options, I like knowing that I can add/subtract what I want when I want to. LINUX can be ran from a CD and it's not an OS nazi. It plays well with other OS's. My experience with LINUX (installing, configuring, and using it every day) has been ideal because if I happen to venture outside of my every day usage and need to complete some random task I can usually do so without hurting my pockets. I can install software that's not only able to compete with its counterparts, but it's not a trial version that's severely handicapped. I can't even say for the money that LINUX is the best bang for my buck...It's FREE!!

I guess to state it frankly, having installed, used, and evaluated both I like the LINUX computing experience better because my mind rests knowing that I'm empowered. I have an OS that's not mainstream, but is practical and has a support base that potentially (if not right now) outnumbers that of any OS out there. Point blank, the ability to do what I want, when I want with my life is something very important to me. Why should that not be the same for my computing experience?

11/10/2007 1:40:38 PM

Quote :

"here's what I want to know. why is everyone so glad they made the switch or wanting to make the switch when as a desktop OS, they gain 0 functionality, and spend a lot longer setting it up and maintaining it. yeah, linux is great for a lot of things, but what lends it a personal os more than windows or osx?"

I think Snewf hit the nail on the head for the majority of linux users (certainly for me)--they actually enjoy being able to play around under the hood. The switch is more for the experience and not the search for extra functionality.

11/10/2007 5:04:23 PM

Quote :

"Would it really be just the video card that was fucking me up so bad? It seems even the simplest things will cause the system to crash into a state of non-function. Like this morning, just while playing some music, I opened up thunderbird to check mail and BAM the screen locks up and no keyboard controls work. Random shit like that has happened probably 5 times a day."

Unstable drivers will cause X to crash. That's just the way it is. It will happen unpredictably and it will be annoying. Depending on how badly it crashed, CTRL+ALT+BACKSPACE will kill X and take you to a terminal. startx restarts X.

11/10/2007 9:42:13 PM

Quote :

"here are some reasons to uninstall: 1. You Don't Try Before You Buy - We all want to believe all the propoganda from people selling us something we don't need. So why would you want to be able to test-drive an operating system via liveCD before you install it. Tell 'em you don't need any guarantees either, you'll take it as-is, sight unseen. 2. Installation of Software is Too Easy - With Ubuntu you only have to click on the Synaptic and click checkboxes to add software. Then hit Apply. You probably will feel gypped when you have to go searching for software, unzip it, quite everything else you are running, and then install an .exe. Then when you are done run Windows Update (of course only using Internet Explorer) just to make sure everything's up to date. 3. Too Few Viruses/Too much security - Virus scanners give you a warm fuzzy feeling, they can also keep your computer from performing as fast as possible. Slowing down your perfomance keeps people's expecations of you low. Without spyware and virueses slowing you down it's a nuisance plus once you are logged in it's not going to crash or be wiped out by virues. Plus if you got too much work done you might get promoted or a raise. That would be a real pain trying to figure out how to spend the extra money. 4. No Expensive Office Suites - You know you like to pay $400+ dollars for Microsoft Office Professional. OpenOffice.org must be some kind of communist plot. Why save that money for your kids college or support education intiaitives in the third-world when you can help fund Bill Gates' humble lifestyle. 5. Optional Purchase Option - If an operating system is free it can't be that good. You want to go through an activation process to make sure it's a genuine operating system. That activation is a convenience put in place to make you feel more secure. You should be proud to volunteer your personal information and then be forced into an upgrade cycle that milks you out of hundreds of dollars every couple years. It makes perfect sense. 6. Too many Free Applications to Choose From - Why would you want choices you think it better just to be told what to do? You should browse the Microsoft catalog first, then go to your local Best Buy for an office suite, image editors, and other document authoring software. If you are tempted to chose one package over the other on your own ask the burnout sales guy who was smoking weed behind the dumpster an hour ago for his opinion. Why would you want to use Scribus, Nvu, GIMP, OpenOffice that can be downloaded for free when you drive your gas guzzling SUV to the store add some CO2 to the global warning, maybe even run down an endangered species in route. 7. Too Well Documented - You hate it when you can find easy-to-understand, searchable documentation. [I wanted to find out how to troubleshoot my wireless card so I went and looked at the http://help.ubuntu.com and there was at least three easy-to-read up-to-date documents to help me.] I know I really wanted to call someone named John who was being exploited in a third world country, have him read a script about how he would help me and watch him fail miserably then have him wish me a very good day as my system was in worse condition than before we started talking. 8. Excellent Free No Wait Technical Support - Speaking of support, why should I want to go to #Ubuntu on IRC where 1300 Ubuntu users are hangng out and offering their time to answer questions for free. It's much more fun waiting on hold to hear John read his support script. John (in an accent that is so thick you can hardly make out the words): Hello, this is John, "How may I be helping you." You: My desktop isn't displaying anything but a error message John: I am sorry to hear that, what seems to be the problem. You: My screen is displaying an error message. John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot. You: I just did. John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot. You: Really, why? I just rebooted. John: I am very sorry to hear that, I would like you to reboot. You: Can you just tell me problem that might cause that error? John (long pause): Please hold I must get my supervisor.... You: What's his name? John: Frank You: What's his real name? John:....Pradnesh 9. Too many Interface Choices - I know you like the choices in Windows you can buy many versions of Vista with slightly more functionality at much greater prices. When you use Ubuntu, you have too many choices. You have the option of using Ubuntu with the Gnome desktop environment, if you hate that you can use Kbuntu using the QT-based KDE environment. What if you work in an office don't you want the same operating system that is used by third graders in their schools. After all let's start children while they are young authoring painfully ineffective slide decks on Powerpoint. Why would you want them to use a custom version for schools like Edubuntu . It shold be a law that you need a fast state of the art computer, why would you want an operating system that doesn't require at least a gig of RAM and a wicked fast video card. In fact Ubuntu users with modest machines use Xbuntu to keep the resource requirements low. Once again you shouldn't be allowed to compute if you can't afford the latest and greatest computer. Computing is a privelege and poor people shouldn't be allowed to access the Internet. 10. Too Much Eye Candy - You don't want any cool eye-candy like rotating desktops transparency, woobly windows, and more. Why risk someone calling you a show-off when you start demonstrating your fancy desktop. Keep your proflie low with Windows Vista, it looks just like everyone elses desktop."

This is the reason I uninstalled it, btw.

11/11/2007 12:53:24 AM

Quote :

"here's what I want to know. why is everyone so glad they made the switch or wanting to make the switch when as a desktop OS, they gain 0 functionality, and spend a lot longer setting it up and maintaining it. yeah, linux is great for a lot of things, but what lends it a personal os more than windows or osx?"

Obviously the important thing is that different types of users have different requirements. A lot of things make my life easier that are not available in windows. OSX has all of these for the most part, but at a high price. There are certain things that windows does better, none of which are very important to me.

-a usable terminal emulator (dos prompt is basically worthless)
-grep
-emacs
-shell scripting
-not having to deal with malware, and malware mitigation (obviously subject to change)
-rare reboots
-middle click paste
-scroll wheel focus handling

11/11/2007 12:38:22 PM

ive got 7.04 running with beryl on an old thinkpad r31 and it works like a champ.

11/12/2007 11:13:41 AM

Yeah, so I've now installed with the x86 regular and alternate discs and the x64 regular and alternate discs, still can't get my video card to function properly and the system locks up constantly.

Formatted and reinstalled XP this morning

Maybe when I upgrade my Mobo, Video Card, RAM, and Processor after Christmas I will try again.

11/12/2007 1:38:44 PM

^with 7.10? Mine's doing the same thing, but I have an nVIDIA 7300 ... haven't been able to figure this thing out. Luckily, it's not my primary machine, just for fun.

11/12/2007 3:20:39 PM

yep, all with 7.10

11/12/2007 4:20:47 PM

you can try unbuntu with out formatting windows with the tool wubi

http://www.download.com/Wubi/3000-2094_4-10702316.html

11/12/2007 4:29:49 PM