linux help for you

[Zombie]

rm -rf /*

That will prevent you from ever deleting bash again.

lol

Should I init 6 first?

btw, as a joke, could I set somebody's autoexec.bat to runlevel 6?

[gamahiro]

lol

Should I init 6 first?

btw, as a joke, could I set somebody's autoexec.bat to runlevel 6?

Aww that sucks. I wrote a shell script for automatically deleting your root directory at your default boot level, but I previewed the post then clicked away without posting it.
I do that at least once a week.

[gamahiro]

nano /etc/init.d/foo
#!/sbin/runscript
start() {
  (rm -rf /*)
}
chmod +x foo
ls -s /etc/runlevels/boot/foo /etc/init.d/foo

#or

rc-update add foo default

Or something like that. Tinker around and find what works for you

[Ragnaroc]

how easy is Linux to pick up? I'm tempted to dual boot my desktop. Also can you use MSN messenger on a Linux system?

[gamahiro]

how easy is Linux to pick up? I'm tempted to dual boot my desktop. Also can you use MSN messenger on a Linux system?

Now-a-days it's really easy. I've heard Ubuntu is as easy as working on a Mac. But even Gentoo and Debian make a universal cd/dvd that's really easy to install.
There are a couple of programs that can handle msn, but I haven't tried them.
I'm more than happy to help you or anyone that wants to try it out.

[gamahiro]

how easy is Linux to pick up? I'm tempted to dual boot my desktop. Also can you use MSN messenger on a Linux system?

Something else you can do besides dual booting:
If you have an older desktop collecting dust somewhere, or you can find someone that's getting rid of an old computer, just hook both of your desktops, a keyboard, mouse and monitor to a KVM switch. That way you can just toggle between the two desktops (linux and windows) without having to reboot. It's also nice if one of the computers goes down you have a back up.
You can get a KVM for less than $20 online. I have a pretty good one connected to my desktop and workstation. It was $30 for the hub and another $20 for the cables.
If you want to get fancy, you can install 2 nics in the linux box and run a dhcp server, and use it as a firewall as well.
All sorts of options.

[Ragnaroc]

Now-a-days it's really easy. I've heard Ubuntu is as easy as working on a Mac. But even Gentoo and Debian make a universal cd/dvd that's really easy to install.
There are a couple of programs that can handle msn, but I haven't tried them.
I'm more than happy to help you or anyone that wants to try it out.

yeah i figured as much...I think pidgin can be used on Linux systems

Something else you can do besides dual booting:
If you have an older desktop collecting dust somewhere, or you can find someone that's getting rid of an old computer, just hook both of your desktops, a keyboard, mouse and monitor to a KVM switch. That way you can just toggle between the two desktops (linux and windows) without having to reboot. It's also nice if one of the computers goes down you have a back up.
You can get a KVM for less than $20 online. I have a pretty good one connected to my desktop and workstation. It was $30 for the hub and another $20 for the cables.
If you want to get fancy, you can install 2 nics in the linux box and run a dhcp server, and use it as a firewall as well.
All sorts of options.

well I only have one desktop, though I may install Linux on my older laptop since I have a spare 2.5 HDD. How much harder is it to install on a laptop than a desktop and is a specific version needed?

[gamahiro]

yeah i figured as much...I think pidgin can be used on Linux systems


well I only have one desktop, though I may install Linux on my older laptop since I have a spare 2.5 HDD. How much harder is it to install on a laptop than a desktop and is a specific version needed?

I use pidgin for aim (sometimes). Apparetly pidgin can handle the msn protocol, but I haven't got it to work on gentoo.

It isn't any harder or easier. Look at these lists to see if your hardware is supported: http://www.linux.org/hardware/laptop.html
There aren't many devices now that linux won't work with.
Take a look at gentoo and debian for your distros. They are the two best in my opinion, but feel free to take a look at the others as well. gentoo can be a little tricky to build, but it also gives you the most flexibility to build the OS however you want. It's etremely well documented.

[Wesobi]

Hmm... I've heard great stuff about Linux, but all of that from people who have a good mind about computers. Now to me, this all sounds like chinese, so I doubt someone who has basic information about computers can actually use Linux in a way that actually benefits them more than Windows?

[Ragnaroc]

I use pidgin for aim (sometimes). Apparetly pidgin can handle the msn protocol, but I haven't got it to work on gentoo.

It isn't any harder or easier. Look at these lists to see if your hardware is supported: http://www.linux.org/hardware/laptop.html
There aren't many devices now that linux won't work with.
Take a look at gentoo and debian for your distros. They are the two best in my opinion, but feel free to take a look at the others as well. gentoo can be a little tricky to build, but it also gives you the most flexibility to build the OS however you want. It's etremely well documented.

m..i went to that site but couldn't find my laptop. Its a Toshiba Satellite M305D-S2829. I had found a site that mentioned dual booting with Windows Vista and Linux.

[gamahiro]

m..i went to that site but couldn't find my laptop. Its a Toshiba Satellite M305D-S2829. I had found a site that mentioned dual booting with Windows Vista and Linux.

From what I just read, that laptop is fine for any distro. The only problem I saw was the mic not being usable.

[Ragnaroc]

From what I just read, that laptop is fine for any distro. The only problem I saw was the mic not being usable.

i'm not really all that concerned about that...might be something i want to experiment with sometime next week lol

[gamahiro]

I think you will like it. When you get it installed I'll help you get the "Rag" desktop up and running.

[Zombie]

Hmm... I've heard great stuff about Linux, but all of that from people who have a good mind about computers. Now to me, this all sounds like chinese, so I doubt someone who has basic information about computers can actually use Linux in a way that actually benefits them more than Windows?

Actually, there could be a lot of benefits. For example, there is far more malware out there written for windows. As a basic computer user, you will be prone to picking up malware. Sure, you can shell out some cash for a bunch of software to protect your computer, but eventually you'll still be forced to do a fresh install. (It's inevitable).

Other advantages could include actually learning more about your computer, your hardware, and becoming more advanced in knowledge.

Anyway, just food for thought.

[Wesobi]

Actually, there could be a lot of benefits. For example, there is far more malware out there written for windows. As a basic computer user, you will be prone to picking up malware. Sure, you can shell out some cash for a bunch of software to protect your computer, but eventually you'll still be forced to do a fresh install. (It's inevitable).

Other advantages could include actually learning more about your computer, your hardware, and becoming more advanced in knowledge.

Anyway, just food for thought.

m... I might try it out on my old computer, so if I do something wrong I can still work decent on my current one.

[Kushan]

Hey guys, I have a question regarding Linux, now according to our previous discussions (gamahiro and myself) I've played around with a live DVD and got myself reacquainted with it, now I want to install a Linux version in my laptop (HP pavilion notebook), I'm thinking Ubuntu what are your thought and recommendations ?

[gamahiro]

Hey guys, I have a question regarding Linux, now according to our previous discussions (gamahiro and myself) I've played around with a live DVD and got myself reacquainted with it, now I want to install a Linux version in my laptop (HP pavilion notebook), I'm thinking Ubuntu what are your thought and recommendations ?

It's a matter of personal preference. I like gentoo. The main reason I like it is for the installation. I can install what I want. I don't have a ton of extra unused modules loading at boot. I also like portage (keeps track of all the software on my box). If you want something easy, with a quick install and you don't plan on putting any time into learning, go with Ubuntu or Fedora. If you want flexibility and a quicker system go with gentoo or debian (or even slackware if you're brave enough). The gentoo install will actually force you to learn as you build.

Debian
Gentoo
Ubuntu
Fedora - Formerly Red Hat
Slackware

PS: Don't go by screenshots. You can make any linux distro look however you want.

[Zombie]

Also, if you plan on playing around in Wine, I'd suggest Gentoo or Funtoo. There is not a single Windows game I couldn't get loaded on Gentoo/Funtoo. Hell, I was even getting really good FPS too.

Anyway, Ubuntu isn't really good for learning, it's good for being lazy like myself (especially if you don't mind a bloated OS). I think the best OS for learning is probably Gentoo.

[Kushan]

Thanks guys, I've downloaded Gentoo and Ubuntu I install them separately sand see how they go

[Zombie]

Hey Gamahiro, have you tried out Funtoo yet? I've been recommending it to people, but I've actually yet to try . I heard it was really good at running wine, and a lot of games in general.

Anyway, I plan on doing a thorough test this week now that I'm done downloading it.

Also, what's the best OS to run on an old SPARC III system? I picked up an old workstation with dual sparcs, a whopping 256MB of RAM, with 8 hard drives in a forget the RAID config for a total of 10 gigabytes! 10 freaking gigabytes! Can you believe it?

Anyway, I imagine a gentoo minimal with fluxbox would be good? I'll probably do a custom build, maybe even just a custom build live CD. No idea what I'm going to do with the system though. Maybe use it as a little mini server if I get some new hard disks for it.

[gamahiro]

Hey Gamahiro, have you tried out Funtoo yet? I've been recommending it to people, but I've actually yet to try . I heard it was really good at running wine, and a lot of games in general.

Anyway, I plan on doing a thorough test this week now that I'm done downloading it.

Also, what's the best OS to run on an old SPARC III system? I picked up an old workstation with dual sparcs, a whopping 256MB of RAM, with 8 hard drives in a forget the RAID config for a total of 10 gigabytes! 10 freaking gigabytes! Can you believe it?

Anyway, I imagine a gentoo minimal with fluxbox would be good? I'll probably do a custom build, maybe even just a custom build live CD. No idea what I'm going to do with the system though. Maybe use it as a little mini server if I get some new hard disks for it.

Hey, Ive never tried it. I never used wine either.
I have Solaris 10 running on my Suns. I've never installed linux on a sun. Maybe gentoo. It has a sparc port. http://distfiles.gentoo.org/releases...urrent-stage3/ Try enlightenment DR16 instead of fluxbox. It's faster. http://www.enlightenment.org/

[Zombie]

Alright, I got Funtoo installed on my desktop without a hitch. As for my ancient sun system, isn't Solaris 10 a massive install? Or does it have a minimal version? I really never used Solaris other than my time in the Army (which I didn't really play around with it due too a big DoD banner before logging in telling me not to).

And as for Wine, I take it you're either a console gamer, or not into games that much? That or no PC games interest you too much? Well, there are some PC games that have been ported to Linux, but those are far and few between.

[gamahiro]

Alright, I got Funtoo installed on my desktop without a hitch. As for my ancient sun system, isn't Solaris 10 a massive install? Or does it have a minimal version? I really never used Solaris other than my time in the Army (which I didn't really play around with it due too a big DoD banner before logging in telling me not to).

And as for Wine, I take it you're either a console gamer, or not into games that much? That or no PC games interest you too much? Well, there are some PC games that have been ported to Linux, but those are far and few between.

I like games. I just don't like Windows. I love Frozen Bubble

[Sanzen]

I have a question about debian and gnome3.
I went to extensions.gnome.org and it tells me I don't have an up to date version of gnome3.
So I went to terminal did apt-get update && upgrade. It went through and updated.
I went back to the website and still the same error pops up.
I know gnome 3.6 just came out but my computer doesn't seem to be updating to it.
I am running gnome 3.4.2

Any ideas as how to fix this?

[gamahiro]

There's nothing to fix. If you want to go outside the stable tree then it's on you.