Lessfeet » Linux

Simpler Is Better

Mark — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:56:32 +0000

I’ve try the new Ubuntu 11.04 and I think it is an OK OS but for me and my purposes I am going to stick with Linux Mint 10. Linux Mint is like the Energizer bunny, it keeps goin and goin. Ubuntu 11.04 is terrific if you like a flashy user interface.I just need my OS to run my apps and always work, that why I’m sticking with mint. I’ve checked out the Mint 11 RC and when it’s released I will upgrade to 11. If they adopted the new Unity user interface I would have stuck with Linux Mint 10.

Ubuntu 11.04 First Impressions

Mark — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 22:43:42 +0000

Yesterday I downloaded Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal and I installed it on my desktop first. I did not have any time to play with it because I had to go to work. Today I installed it on my laptop. The install is very easy. You might say effortless. Once installed it is very fast. The new Unity interface is very intuitive. It is a great addition to a great operating system. Unity makes Ubuntu very Mac like in that the toolbar changes with the applications. Also the new launcher bar is very much like OS 10. Mac fans will like this a lot.

Unlike previous versions I had to manually install the Broadcom wireless driver instead of Ubuntu finding it for me. This was not a problem for me because I’ve been installing Linux on this laptop for five years but it might be a problem for a beginner.

I’ll know more about it later. The was only my first impressions. There will be more.

The Winner Mint 10

Mark — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 06:32:30 +0000

I’ve been using Linux Mint 10 on my laptop for a while now and found it to be completely reliable. I’ve been using some form of Linux on it for about 4 years. I have now installed Mint 10 on my desktop. I don’t find Windows reliable. There is always some issue. Lately there is always some process hogging the CPU, RAM or Internet bandwidth. I never have this sort of problem with Linux. Linux Mint 10 is so easy to install and use. It will be my primary OS. I still use PhotoShop and Lightroom on Windows and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Also I have to support Windows users which requires me to use GoToAssist for Windows and GoToMeeting for Window so I have made my desktop a dual boot system with Windows 7 and Linux Mint 10.

Ubuntu Beta

Mark — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:44:12 +0000

The new Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerka is in Beta now and will be released October 10, 2010. I have not tried it (because I hardly do Betas anymore) but it is said to have many great features. Besides the usual updates, there’s a new photo manager, improved multimedia controls, better Ubuntu One syncing, and more.

Get the Beta!

Ubuntu Better Than Ever

Mark — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 06:06:00 +0000

The new Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx is by far the best Ubuntu ever. I installed it on several computer. The installs have been flawless. Every easy! It is much more difficult to install Windows. Lucid finds all of the drivers except of course my Broadcom wireless drivers but it found a proprietary driver and ask me if I wanted to install it. I click OK and Ubuntu did the rest. The user interface is pretty much the same. All the same free software you grown to love. (Open Office 3.2.1, Firefox 3.6, Empathy IM Client and many more.) Of course you can easily install more free software using the Ubuntu Software Center. I love Ubuntu 10.04. I use it much more than Windows. Lucid is simple and powerful!

Lucid Lynx Countdown

Mark — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 05:13:39 +0000

The Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx is out. You can download it now.

Dearly Gparted

Mark — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:01:03 +0000

I’ve been using “Powerquest Partition Magic” (a non-distructive partitioning program) for sometime now. Here is a great free and opensource tool that replaces P-Magic. Gparted is a non-destructive that pretty much has the look and feel of P-Magic. The only difference I see is P-Magic runs in DOS and Gparted runs on a Linux GIU. Both good programs but Gparted is free!!!

Upgrading Ubuntu

Mark — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:59:20 +0000

I was discussing last night with someone about upgrading Ubuntu to a new version. I said I did not know much about it because I was alway trying new distros and I never keep a version long enough to upgrade. I also said I thought it was very simple. Just a few clicks and that it is done with little worry that it would break anything. I looked at the Ubuntu instructions for upgrading. It was just as I thought it is all done with no commandline or recompiling the kernel. I don’t know about it breaking stuff. I guess it’s like anything else. Some things could break.

Ubuntu Installer for Windows

Mark — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:40:06 +0000

You can setup a dual boot Windows-Ubuntu Linux system no muss, no fuss. You hardly need any technical skills at all to this with WUBI (Windows Ubuntu Installer). There is a WUBI installer on all Ubuntu Disk but you have to have some skill to create the disk or boot to the disk but you can just download the WUBI directly. Once you have downloaded the executable file just double click on the file inside of Windows and follow the prompts. WUBI will prompt you to restart your computer and take out the disk then you’ll see the computer will ask you what operating system you want to boot. Choose Ubuntu and hit enter. Login and there you have it, Linux. No repartitioning required! It’s very easy!

Karmic Koala Pretty Kool

Mark — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:40:52 +0000

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala is here and I’ve only been using it for a few days even though its been out since September. Sorry I’ve been busy with Windows 7. Ubuntu 9.10 is a fantastic operating system. There is everything you could want here. Easy install, nice looking and friendly user interface. It is very easy to install new software from the Ubuntu Software Center. It has a lot of the most popular open source software like Firefox, GIMP and Open Office pre-installed. After install and a brief update I enabled the wireless driver and put in the security key and it worked with no other configuration. This OS makes me wish this was not a Microsoft world.