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Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04 (Read 81635 times)
Rad
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Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Jul 26th, 2008 at 3:23pm
 
downloading now, ubuntu linux v8.04 desktop ISO.

http://www.ubuntu.com/products/WhatIsUbuntu/desktopedition

since windows can't see ext3, i'm guessing i'll have to burn iso to cd and boot up and install that way.

and i'd also guess ubuntu will install a boot mgr.

any chance of this preventing me from booting into windows?

any advice?
 
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MrMagoo
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #1 - Jul 26th, 2008 at 4:54pm
 
Burning the .iso to a CD and installing from the CD is the standard way to install.  The Ubuntu Community has also put together some cool tools, such as Wubi, that allow you to install Ubuntu from within windows and then boot it using the built-in windows boot manager:
http://wubi-installer.org/

Installing from the CD will automatically install GRUB.  It will try (and nearly always succeed) to detect your existing windows installation and automatically configure GRUB to give you the option to boot into windows when the computer starts.  I've never had problems with the Ubuntu install not automatically making Windows available as a boot option, and I've installed it several times.

Windows can't read ext2/3/4, but Windows and Linux can both read Fat32, so that is useful to share data between the OS's.  Linux has also gotten very good at reading/writing on NTFS partitions, so you can also share data between them that way.

Any other questions let me know.
 
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Rad
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #2 - Jul 26th, 2008 at 6:13pm
 
I am thinking of busting the Linux proper ext3 into two .. so I can ALSO install a copy of CentOS 5, which the Rad server uses. Learning the server mojo is a big part of why I want Linux.

The big question tho > is 10 gigs too small for a Linux install?

I could do something like 12/8 .. if CentOS wouldn't need as much space.

That would mean using all four primary partitions. Anybody forsee a problem with that?
 
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Rad
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #3 - Jul 26th, 2008 at 6:18pm
 
Today I went back and added two more partitions, using PM from Windows.

1. Linux swap (1-GB)
2. FAT32 (1-GB)

both nested inside extended partition, at very end of drive, after shrinking the last (65-gig) partition 2-GB from its end.

One of the Ubuntu install guides I read suggested creating the FAT32 partition as a place where you can store downloads b4 scaning for viruses .. b4 importing these files into Windows/NTFS. I like that idea, and I did it in a way that I didn't have to create/use any more primary partitions.

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installing
 
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Nigel Bree
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #4 - Jul 26th, 2008 at 6:56pm
 
Rad wrote on Jul 26th, 2008 at 6:13pm:
The big question tho > is 10 gigs too small for a Linux install?

Not really, no. If you're compiling lots and lots of, say, C++ code from scratch then it could be tight (you tend to want a decent amount of disk space for building), but given your interests in web development and so forth which are all done with scripting languages it's oodles of room.

Rad wrote on Jul 26th, 2008 at 6:13pm:
so I can ALSO install a copy of CentOS 5

There's really not much point. Pretty much all Linux distributions can do exactly the same things in exactly the same way, since it's just mostly a matter of what applications and services you choose to install on top of the core OS (perhaps some different kernel modules but they don't really change the capabilities of the systems very much).

As for the linux "servers", those are mostly about what you don't install, in terms of reducing attack surface area and (for situations like virtual hosting) reducing resource consumption so more VMs can fit on a single physical box.

If you really really have a burning desire to play with CentOS, *do it in a VM*. Get one of the many dozens of CentOS applicances you can run with VMWare Player http://www.vmware.com/appliances/directory/ and then you can experiment with it while still having a usable host OS.
 
 
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Rad
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #5 - Jul 26th, 2008 at 7:34pm
 
Quote:
Not really, no. If you're compiling lots and lots of, say

I always seem to run out of space, no matter how farsighted I try to be. Guess I could always enlarge current ext3 partition, or create another .. inside the extended .. at the end of the disk .. like I did with Linux swap and FAT32.

I don't like to resize partitions after they're holding lots of data .. which is why I'd rather do things now.

Quote:
Pretty much all Linux distributions can do exactly the same things in exactly the same way

Ubuntu (+ most distros) have a separate version for both desktop and server:

http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/desktopedition

http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/serveredition

.. which, as I understand it, come with different packages installed by default.

You don't think running a version of the same OS run by the Rad server would prove beneficial, developmentally. I mean, if it's a waste of time, I don't want to.
 
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #6 - Jul 26th, 2008 at 7:38pm
 
Quote:
If you really really have a burning desire to play with CentOS, *do it in a VM*.  

You make it sound easy. And I'm sure it's easy for you, but I'm concerned about biting off more than I can chew .. learning not only Linux .. but also VMWare .. which I can barely spell right now.  Smiley

You think it would be cake for me? (Easy?)
 
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Nigel Bree
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #7 - Jul 26th, 2008 at 8:41pm
 
Rad wrote on Jul 26th, 2008 at 7:38pm:
You think it would be cake for me? (Easy?) 

Yup. Download VMWare player, install. Download appliance, unzip. Double-click on .vmx file. Done.

Seriously, that's *all* there is to it. You don't get all the configuration options and snapshots and stuff for fine control from VMware player as opposed to the full version of VMWare Workstation, but for simple stuff it's just that easy. All the virtual machine managers play reasonably well with each other nowadays as well; I think I've got about 4 different ones on my work machines.

I do recommend getting applicances with VMware tools installed, then you get drag'n'drop into and out of the virtual machine and you can make the VM's screen smoothly resize to fit the window borders.

Rad wrote on Jul 26th, 2008 at 7:34pm:
which, as I understand it, come with different packages installed by default

Yes, but that's pretty much all there is to it. You can add or remove packages at will; one of the many nice things about Ubuntu is their package repository system, it's Add/Remove programs in Windows plus a properly set up distribution system to automatically download the packages for you (Fedora has a similar system but not as polished and easy).
 
 
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #8 - Jul 26th, 2008 at 9:28pm
 
here is current partitioning:

what do you think of creating a separate /home partition by either:

a. breaking current ext3 partition in half, and making half for / and half for /home (9-GB + 9-GB). or
b. using the D_drive as /home (NTFS).

...
 
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #9 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 11:41am
 
Ubuntu installed surprisingly easy.

But I haven't been able to connect to the internet.

Been hacking away for hours. No dice.

Even took my laptop to a coffee shop (where I am now) that has free wireless with NO password (wireless network at home has WEP).

Still cannot connect.

Does Ubuntu have a utility that scans surrounding area for wireless networks and lets me click on the one I want to connect?

At one time, it even said I was connected to the wireless network at the coffee shop, but I was still not able to load any web pages in Firefox, (except for those resident on my hard drive).

I think that might've been when I enabled 'Roaming' but not sure, cuz I've tried so many different configurations.

Their wireless network is working cuz I'm using it now (from Windows).

Is there something I'm missing?
 
 
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #10 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 12:10pm
 
What wireless card do you have?  Wireless networking in Linux is touch-and-go.  Could you post the output of 'ifconfig' and 'netstat -r' when run from the command line in Linux?

I haven't played with the GUI networking utilities in Ubuntu, so the forums might be a good place to look for help.  I'm sure there's 3 tons of information on getting your wireless card to work in the Ubuntu forums.  I don't currently have a Ubuntu install, so... I'll be of limited help in this instance, but I'll do what I can to help you get the tubes hooked up.
 
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Rad
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #11 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 12:46pm
 
From device mgr:

Broadcom 802.11g network adapter
Marvell Yukon 88E8036 PCI-E Fast ethernet controller

What prgm gets you a command prompt in Ubuntu?

I'll have to reboot to get it, then reboot back into Windows to post results. Takes a while.
 
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #12 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 1:40pm
 
 
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Rad
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #13 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 3:15pm
 
Posting this from Ubuntu Hardy Heron.

Seems I needed to d/l and install firmware for my network adapter.

The display here is not nearly as good as in Windows. Kinda pixelated.

Surfing here seems slower and klunky.
 
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Re: Ubuntu Linux Desktop v8.04
Reply #14 - Jul 27th, 2008 at 4:49pm
 
Rad wrote on Jul 27th, 2008 at 3:15pm:
The display here is not nearly as good as in Windows. Kinda pixelated.

You probably need the proprietary drivers from your graphics card manufacturer.  Vesa, open-source based drivers, are install by default.  Is your card ATI, or nVidia?  If I remember right, I think Ubuntu has a GUI utility to install those under System Tools.  Otherwise, there are some pretty easy commands to download them from the command line.

I think for nvidia you can just do 'apt-get install nvidia' from the command line.  If that works, restart X by holding Ctrl+Alt+Bkspace.  Your graphics should improve 100%.  Run 'glxgears' from the commandline to test.  If the gears rotate smoothly, you are using the high-speed stuff from nvidia.  It's basically the same process from ATI but its more like 'apt-get install ati' or something like that.

Edit:
For nvidia, from the command line, first run 'sudo apt-get update'.  Then run 'sudo apt-get install nvidia-glx'.  Then restart X server (Ctrl+Alt+Bksp).

For ATI, its all the same except instead of 'sudo apt-get install nvidia....' you should run 'sudo apt-get install xorg-driver-fglrx'.
 
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