Showing posts with label Linux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Linux. Show all posts
Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Does your desktop look this good?
Welcome to Hardy Heron. I'm not about to repeat what every other blog says about how it's cool and all, but the features are certainly impressive. I downloaded and burned the ISO, popped it into my CD drive, rebooted my computer, and just selected Language, Region, Keyboard Layout and Disk Partition (which was already setup from previous installs). Within 20 minutes, everything was ready to go! It detected my display settings automatically. Unfortunately, I wanted proprietary drivers. No problem there though, as I easily installed it and after a reboot, I had everything I needed.
The cool eyecandy came built in and I just had to install the Compiz Config Settings Manager, which was just a click from the Synaptics Package Manager, and tweak the settings I wanted. The Scale feature was top of my list because I had gotten used to mousing around for my required window. Just in case you encounter the same problem as me, the binding for mouse movements only is not under 'mouse' but under 'screen'.
There was a slight hitch with the hard drives. Somehow, since I'm using pure SATA drives partitioned into quite a number of logical drives, they end up being unmounted by default. While there's nothing really wrong with that, some of the default settings during boot for me, like my desktop background for instance, is stored on those drives, and this is problematic when the drive isn't automatically mounted. I had to manually configure my fstab, and set it to auto mount. Surprisingly, the other 'glitch' I encountered was that my FAT32 drive couldn't be written to when the 'defaults' option was placed in my fstab. I had to manually configure it, and in the process learned something new. I found out that 'defaults' under fstab meant that permissions would be set to 'nouser', so I guess that's the reason.
In any case, everything is working beautifully now. Yes, I decided to install Avant Window Navigator as my dock. I'm still waiting for it to have an 'enlarge on mouseover' feature like a Mac, although it fits every other requirement I have at this point.
I played around with various theming options and settled for a darker shade. I personally think it looks really good. Macs tend to be all whitish, so the black theme would set my desktop apart compared to previously where I tried to make it look like a Mac. I realize now it was quite dumb trying to emulate the Mac, since it's definitely NOT a Mac. Ubuntu can do so much better after all.
Problems? So far, none that I can remember. I think there's a slight glitch with Firefox 3 rebooting my X server each time it accesses certain pages, but I think it's a Firefox thing more than an Ubuntu one. Hopefully it gets fixed by the time Firefox 3 gets released proper... together with the rest of my important extensions.
Welcome to Hardy Heron. I'm not about to repeat what every other blog says about how it's cool and all, but the features are certainly impressive. I downloaded and burned the ISO, popped it into my CD drive, rebooted my computer, and just selected Language, Region, Keyboard Layout and Disk Partition (which was already setup from previous installs). Within 20 minutes, everything was ready to go! It detected my display settings automatically. Unfortunately, I wanted proprietary drivers. No problem there though, as I easily installed it and after a reboot, I had everything I needed.
The cool eyecandy came built in and I just had to install the Compiz Config Settings Manager, which was just a click from the Synaptics Package Manager, and tweak the settings I wanted. The Scale feature was top of my list because I had gotten used to mousing around for my required window. Just in case you encounter the same problem as me, the binding for mouse movements only is not under 'mouse' but under 'screen'.
There was a slight hitch with the hard drives. Somehow, since I'm using pure SATA drives partitioned into quite a number of logical drives, they end up being unmounted by default. While there's nothing really wrong with that, some of the default settings during boot for me, like my desktop background for instance, is stored on those drives, and this is problematic when the drive isn't automatically mounted. I had to manually configure my fstab, and set it to auto mount. Surprisingly, the other 'glitch' I encountered was that my FAT32 drive couldn't be written to when the 'defaults' option was placed in my fstab. I had to manually configure it, and in the process learned something new. I found out that 'defaults' under fstab meant that permissions would be set to 'nouser', so I guess that's the reason.
In any case, everything is working beautifully now. Yes, I decided to install Avant Window Navigator as my dock. I'm still waiting for it to have an 'enlarge on mouseover' feature like a Mac, although it fits every other requirement I have at this point.
I played around with various theming options and settled for a darker shade. I personally think it looks really good. Macs tend to be all whitish, so the black theme would set my desktop apart compared to previously where I tried to make it look like a Mac. I realize now it was quite dumb trying to emulate the Mac, since it's definitely NOT a Mac. Ubuntu can do so much better after all.
Problems? So far, none that I can remember. I think there's a slight glitch with Firefox 3 rebooting my X server each time it accesses certain pages, but I think it's a Firefox thing more than an Ubuntu one. Hopefully it gets fixed by the time Firefox 3 gets released proper... together with the rest of my important extensions.
Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 LTS
Saturday, March 22, 2008
So once again, it's coming close to the release of a new version of Ubuntu. They're still staying true to the half-yearly release of distribution upgrades, and based on the beta that's been released so far, it's always getting better and better.
Some of the interesting features of Hardy Heron is the use of Firefox 3.0. It's developmental, but it has already solved one of the most GLARING PROBLEMS with Firefox 2... MEMORY ISSUES! This is a big thing as I still keep lighter web browsers around for quick loads as Firefox, with all it's useful features, is a resource hog. Add the fact that my Firefox is almost never closed as long as my PC is on (which is about well... almost all the time) it can get pretty jerky. Firefox 3 could potentially solve this problem so I'm really looking forward to it!
The second thing that is impressive is the use of the latest Xorg. This means no more tweaking and re-configuring entire Xorg settings just to get my display to my native resolution, and to get Compiz-Fusion to work. Monitor support has never been a problem, but the new Xorg would make configuring it an easier task.
Another interesting feature is Wubi, making this release a very good version of Ubuntu to download and burn and give out to all Windows users. Admittedly, the only reason why I'm still using Windows is because I play games as well, but with programs like PlayOnLinux and the infamous Wine, it's only a matter of time before Ubuntu becomes the default boot for me.
Also, this being an LTS release (LTS standing for Long Term Support), one can expect a relatively higher level of stability.
These are but some of the new things lined up for us in the upcoming release. I'm looking forward to the official release, although the beta looks very promising. Here's to a great new chapter in Ubuntu history!
Some of the interesting features of Hardy Heron is the use of Firefox 3.0. It's developmental, but it has already solved one of the most GLARING PROBLEMS with Firefox 2... MEMORY ISSUES! This is a big thing as I still keep lighter web browsers around for quick loads as Firefox, with all it's useful features, is a resource hog. Add the fact that my Firefox is almost never closed as long as my PC is on (which is about well... almost all the time) it can get pretty jerky. Firefox 3 could potentially solve this problem so I'm really looking forward to it!
The second thing that is impressive is the use of the latest Xorg. This means no more tweaking and re-configuring entire Xorg settings just to get my display to my native resolution, and to get Compiz-Fusion to work. Monitor support has never been a problem, but the new Xorg would make configuring it an easier task.
Another interesting feature is Wubi, making this release a very good version of Ubuntu to download and burn and give out to all Windows users. Admittedly, the only reason why I'm still using Windows is because I play games as well, but with programs like PlayOnLinux and the infamous Wine, it's only a matter of time before Ubuntu becomes the default boot for me.
Also, this being an LTS release (LTS standing for Long Term Support), one can expect a relatively higher level of stability.
These are but some of the new things lined up for us in the upcoming release. I'm looking forward to the official release, although the beta looks very promising. Here's to a great new chapter in Ubuntu history!
Feisty Fawn First Looks
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Yes, Ubuntu Feisty Fawn has been released, and I got it up and running in no time flat. I tried using the built in upgrade, but that didn't work largely because it took forever to download everything. The servers must've been hammered like crazy. Still, I managed to SOMEHOW get the ISOs from newly opened mirrors (Taiwan servers only opened a day after the release) and I got it at 200+ Kb/s. Not bad for NUS Network.
Anyway, I rebooted, popped the CD in, and let the LIVE version run. The first thing that struck me was that the loading screen was a whole lot nicer than what it used to be. The loading bar itself looks cool, and although I preferred the Windows loading screen to Ubuntu Edgy's, I've reversed that in Feisty. Gnome started without a hitch, and I clicked install, choosing to import all my settings from Windows. I reformatted the drive, and installed everything to it. THIS TIME, I rebooted with no problems getting into Gnome. The display drivers were working properly. However, the detection only gave me a lousy 1024 x 768, so I just fired up the NVIDIA driver installation built in. After another reboot, I STILL had to reconfigure my xserver, but since I've done it before, it was a snap.
I installed Beryl (Although it's said to be in the repository, I only had beryl-manager, which wasn't enough) from their website and managed to set it up nicely. A quick CTRL + ALT + BACKSPACE later and everything was looking really great. I also used Automatix2 and installed a handful of software. That done, I configured Evolution to work with NUS Mail although it was already automatically setup for me (From importing Windows settings). I didn't like the idea of it using IMAP, so I reconfigured it to use the Exchange Server directly. No problems there.
I went through the whole process pretty quickly, and studying in between was easy since most of it was just click and wait. My first impressions of Feisty are really good, and things are looking even cooler than Edgy. Feisty handles read/write to NTFS drives just like Windows, so I can now convert all my partitions to NTFS and save me the trouble of having FAT32, which is slow and constantly needs defragmenting. That's a huge plus, and makes the Linux experience all the sweeter.
I didn't have time to do anything else, since I AM having my exams, but suffice to say, this distribution seems to be a very healthy start to the 'alternative desktop'. People have been taking an interest in my new OS, and they're willing to try it out largely because it can 'do the same things as Windows' without having to pay for copyrighted stuff. There's also relatively less maintenance to do and they still can't believe there's NO REGISTRY. Still, being the gamer that I am, I think I'll hold on to my dual-boot, at least until I can get Wine to work with some of my games; Warcraft 3 didn't turn out so well, and I'm apprehensive to try loading C&C 3 on it just now. PLUS, Wine seems to dislike 64bit architectures for now. Windows will do just fine until I can overcome these issues.
My laptop will be getting the upgrade too, and if I get a wireless card / USB to go with it, I'd have a pretty cool portable system up and running again.
Ubuntu Feisty Fawn is worth taking a look at. Ask me if you want to try it out on your PC. The CD's free anyhow.
Technorati Tags: Ubuntu, Feisty Fawn
Anyway, I rebooted, popped the CD in, and let the LIVE version run. The first thing that struck me was that the loading screen was a whole lot nicer than what it used to be. The loading bar itself looks cool, and although I preferred the Windows loading screen to Ubuntu Edgy's, I've reversed that in Feisty. Gnome started without a hitch, and I clicked install, choosing to import all my settings from Windows. I reformatted the drive, and installed everything to it. THIS TIME, I rebooted with no problems getting into Gnome. The display drivers were working properly. However, the detection only gave me a lousy 1024 x 768, so I just fired up the NVIDIA driver installation built in. After another reboot, I STILL had to reconfigure my xserver, but since I've done it before, it was a snap.
I installed Beryl (Although it's said to be in the repository, I only had beryl-manager, which wasn't enough) from their website and managed to set it up nicely. A quick CTRL + ALT + BACKSPACE later and everything was looking really great. I also used Automatix2 and installed a handful of software. That done, I configured Evolution to work with NUS Mail although it was already automatically setup for me (From importing Windows settings). I didn't like the idea of it using IMAP, so I reconfigured it to use the Exchange Server directly. No problems there.
I went through the whole process pretty quickly, and studying in between was easy since most of it was just click and wait. My first impressions of Feisty are really good, and things are looking even cooler than Edgy. Feisty handles read/write to NTFS drives just like Windows, so I can now convert all my partitions to NTFS and save me the trouble of having FAT32, which is slow and constantly needs defragmenting. That's a huge plus, and makes the Linux experience all the sweeter.
I didn't have time to do anything else, since I AM having my exams, but suffice to say, this distribution seems to be a very healthy start to the 'alternative desktop'. People have been taking an interest in my new OS, and they're willing to try it out largely because it can 'do the same things as Windows' without having to pay for copyrighted stuff. There's also relatively less maintenance to do and they still can't believe there's NO REGISTRY. Still, being the gamer that I am, I think I'll hold on to my dual-boot, at least until I can get Wine to work with some of my games; Warcraft 3 didn't turn out so well, and I'm apprehensive to try loading C&C 3 on it just now. PLUS, Wine seems to dislike 64bit architectures for now. Windows will do just fine until I can overcome these issues.
My laptop will be getting the upgrade too, and if I get a wireless card / USB to go with it, I'd have a pretty cool portable system up and running again.
Ubuntu Feisty Fawn is worth taking a look at. Ask me if you want to try it out on your PC. The CD's free anyhow.
Technorati Tags: Ubuntu, Feisty Fawn
Powered by ScribeFire.
Ubuntu display fixed
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
I finally managed to settle things with my fussy computer. After my fifth reformat, I think I finally managed to sort the problem out. It appears that the NVIDIA drivers were the root of all my problems. After hunting around, I finally found a solution. I downloaded the alternative ISO for Ubuntu 6.10 and installed it in expert mode, but choosing NOT to install ubuntu-desktop. This gave me a kernel but without xserver, which meant no graphical problems yet. THEN, from the command prompt, I installed it, but chose not to start it up just yet. After installation, I ran the setup, bearing in mind the information about my monitor that I wrote down. This was done using:
The configuration itself wasn't difficult. The key points to take note of was my monitor's horizontal and vertical refresh rates as well as the native resolution. Oh, and choosing "Vesa" as the original driver first was the smart thing to do since I hadn't gotten my NVIDIA ones yet.
With this done, I could finally launch xserver with "startx", but it was a disappointing 1024*768 even with all the work done so far. I needed to get new drivers for the display to work properly. Still, at least I could SEE the desktop, and it wasn't a garble of colours running all over the screen.
Using the command line, I successfully downloaded and installed Envy using the following commands. I guess I could've gotten it the easier way by using Firefox, but surfing was a problem because scrolling on the screen took AGES.
Again, some things to take note of. I couldn't execute the last command initially to setup Envy because of dependency issues. I solved it by manually configuring the software repositories using
I effectively removed all comments for the required repositories and saved the file. Since I was modifying it anyway, I changed the source to NUS' mirror, which would be a lot faster since I AM on campus. I then updated and did an install -f, which solved my dependency problem. Installation of Envy was a breeze.
After that, I merely followed the setup instructions on Envy's website. After the reboot, things just turned out beautifully!
This experience has taught me a bit more about Linux and how it worked. I'm quite happy I managed to solve it myself, although it's probably not that hard a problem. Hopefully someone else might just benefit from my experience. For the record, my graphics card is a NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT and my monitor is a Samsung SyncMaster 940BW with a native resolution of 1440*900.
Problem solved!
Technorati Tags: Linux, Ubuntu, Envy, Install, Display Error
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver_xorg
The configuration itself wasn't difficult. The key points to take note of was my monitor's horizontal and vertical refresh rates as well as the native resolution. Oh, and choosing "Vesa" as the original driver first was the smart thing to do since I hadn't gotten my NVIDIA ones yet.
With this done, I could finally launch xserver with "startx", but it was a disappointing 1024*768 even with all the work done so far. I needed to get new drivers for the display to work properly. Still, at least I could SEE the desktop, and it wasn't a garble of colours running all over the screen.
Using the command line, I successfully downloaded and installed Envy using the following commands. I guess I could've gotten it the easier way by using Firefox, but surfing was a problem because scrolling on the screen took AGES.
wget http://albertomilone.com/ubuntu/nvidia/scripts/envy_0.9.1-0ubuntu3_all.deb
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -f
sudo dpkg -i envy_0.9.1-0ubuntu3_all.deb
Again, some things to take note of. I couldn't execute the last command initially to setup Envy because of dependency issues. I solved it by manually configuring the software repositories using
sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
I effectively removed all comments for the required repositories and saved the file. Since I was modifying it anyway, I changed the source to NUS' mirror, which would be a lot faster since I AM on campus. I then updated and did an install -f, which solved my dependency problem. Installation of Envy was a breeze.
After that, I merely followed the setup instructions on Envy's website. After the reboot, things just turned out beautifully!
This experience has taught me a bit more about Linux and how it worked. I'm quite happy I managed to solve it myself, although it's probably not that hard a problem. Hopefully someone else might just benefit from my experience. For the record, my graphics card is a NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT and my monitor is a Samsung SyncMaster 940BW with a native resolution of 1440*900.
Problem solved!
Technorati Tags: Linux, Ubuntu, Envy, Install, Display Error
powered by performancing firefox
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
.png)
