Help me create the perfect Window/Desktop, thanx! - Page 2


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Thread: Help me create the perfect Window/Desktop, thanx!

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    11
    Sorry bout that, anyway right now I'm downloading freespire. Reading this articles and the distro's site caught my atention, www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT3269115798.html
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XGL#Availability

    Thanks for the replies everyone!
    Here's my critic opinions, no offense

    Last night I messed up my fresh xubuntu, I installed Nvidia driver using automatix2, then I followed the guide on beryl wiki, and I got a bluescreen, with some weird borders in it. Installing drivers in windows is a headache if you don't have the original cd's. And for a newbie in Linux, that would be a nightmare. This also goes for k/unbuntu. Also, JAVA, why can't it be just .deb, somehow that opposes it's cross platform claims for people who just want to play java applets online and know nothing about source code or .tar.bz2

    And one more, I think quick access is more important than cleanliness. Someone in #ubuntu told me that the reason why there are no program icons in the desktop is because, it would be too crowded/flooded. I think a solution for that is divide the icons in the workspaces(1category per workspace), haven't really thought about how usefull the workspace in xfce is.

    And the most annoying part, is why can't xubuntu accept that I am the owner of my computer, and that I have to be "root?"
    I used krusader just to transfer files cuz Thunar won't let me drag n drop (I think there's something wrong, setting or something). I even need to do these steps 1. ALT+F2 2. Terminal 3. Sudo Krusader 4. Password
    I wish it would just ONE CLick on the desktop

    Also, firefox crashes a lot!

    x/k/ubuntu is not for newbies, at least I now a lot who doesn't even know how to install firefox in xp. Synaptic would be annoying because it show's lots and lots of things that my mom wouldn't understand like libs.

    Bottomline is, learning a whole new os is hard and complicated(linux), but if learning from a familliar environment not a whole new world, just a bit diff, that would be good. That's the distro for newbies.

    But, just my OPINION =)
    I hope I'll like freespire. Thanks for the reply!
    Last edited by thirdy; 06-05-2007 at 08:08 AM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Rochester, MN
    Posts
    3,604
    Couple of comments:

    Java is a problem because of its license, from what I understand. Although it seems that should change now that it is/has been GPL'd.

    Desktop icons are something different people will use differently. For instance, I have idesk, but I only use it as a quick launch bar for all intents and purposes. Try going without desktop icons for a while and see if you get used to it.

    You shouldn't run as root unless you absolutely have to. Linux provides simple methods for getting root access as a regular user when you need it, but it's much safer to not use root if possible.

    If Firefox is crashing a lot then something is wrong. That's not normal.

    Synaptic (or any software manager in Linux) can be intimidating, but keep in mind that you should be able to search for exactly what you're looking for (I haven't used Synaptic much, but every package manager I've ever seen has this functionality so I assume it does as well). That way you don't have to worry about libs and stuff, you just end up with one or a small list of programs that do what you want.

    Anyway, glad to see you're giving Linux a shot. And always remember that Google is your friend when it comes to any problems you might run into.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    681
    1. Perfect C/C++ IDE
    2. Music lib, player, dvd
    3. Games! Any good online games?
    4. Desktop
    1. gcc is the best c/c++ ide that use
    2. Amarok is amazing music player or xmms - winamp clone , dvd - mplayer, xine
    3. dont play games sorry
    4. fluxbox, kde , gnome , xfce , - fluxbox is light weight
    "Software is like sex: it's better when its free."
    -LINUS TORVALDS

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Nuernberg, Germany
    Posts
    183
    Quote Originally Posted by crow2icedearth
    1. gcc is the best c/c++ ide that use
    2. Amarok is amazing music player or xmms - winamp clone , dvd - mplayer, xine
    3. dont play games sorry
    4. fluxbox, kde , gnome , xfce , - fluxbox is light weight

    1.) gcc is a compiler, NOT an IDE. For a good IDE look at KDevelop3 or (for gnome)anjuta
    2.) audacious is also a very good stable music-player
    3.) apt-cache search game should bring quite a few (or use synaptic)
    4.) all of the above are very good, not to forget enlightenment (my personal favorite), but IMHO gnome or kde are best for beginners, where gnome uses alot less memory

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Rochester, MN
    Posts
    3,604
    Just FYI, Audacious is the replacement for XMMS, which hasn't been maintained in a long time so it has some gaping security holes.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Greenville, SC
    Posts
    68

    Suggestions good, ... but - there's always a "but"

    Quote Originally Posted by loopback48
    thirdy, there come a time when starting from scratch is called for. Its a newbie's best friend. You might consider that. I have learned over the years that a fresh install (of Kubuntu in your case) is easier and quicker than shooting trouble. Especially if you have as many cases of trouble as you do.

    Second, I'd think twice and three time before I do a 'apt-get dist-upgrade'. That can lead to trouble, as you've already found out. And as I've found out many years ago. Apt-get update, apt-get upgrade, apt-get clean should be all you need to keep your system up to date. Dist-upgrade is used mainly to go up to the next newer version and not necessary for your system.

    I know this isn't an answer to your questions but a new install will take about 30/45 mins. How much time will you spend or have you spent on this?

    P.S. Not shooting you down, just giving you the benefits of many years of hair pulling and gnashing of teeth. (I am now balded and toothless!)
    I think you are absolutely right, if your objective is to save yourself grief and aggravation. You are totally right that dist-upgrade is not recommended except in cases where you really want to do a complete distribution upgrade (such as moving from 3.1 to 4.0).

    That said, there are also things to be learned from really messing up your repository badly and figuring out how to unravel it.

    One time I really torched a Sid distro badly. I had several hundred packages to undo. Basically I had installed an unstable version of KDE. When I went to install the next unstable version of KDE, the two unstable versions conflicted with one another. I had to virtually remove KDE then install the new one. A bit disconcerting at first, but it turned out to be straightforward once I was willing to part with several hundred packages. In terms of the eventual commands, it was simply a stringing of commands that wiped out the old version using the major package groups, then installed the new one using the updated versions of the same groups.

    Sometimes it gets too bad or too tough to deal with. In that case, I completely agree. Just redoing the whole thing certainly is MUCH faster. The question each time is - do I want to learn something new for a while or do I just want to get the silly thing fixed ASAP. If the former, struggle for a while. But know when to quit.

    Another suggestion: if at all possible keep two or more working distros on your systems. Be willing to really mess up one of them badly, knowing you have two others to fall back on if you make a mistake. Along those lines, backing up data you care about to DVD/RW or some other recordable media is a good idea - maybe a USB stick.
    Brian W. Masinick
    Masinick at Yahoo Dot Com

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 1999
    Location
    Santa Cruz, CA, USA
    Posts
    1,212

    If you want to run KDE on your system...

    Use PCLinuxOS. I had a Duron 1.2GHz CPU with 1.25GB PC2100 SDRAM and a 64MB nVidia 8x AGP graphics card.

    Ran like a dog with OpenSuSE but flew with PCLinuxOS AND I was able to use the full 3D desktop of Beryl.

    But as for the perfect desktop... perfection is in the eye of the creator.
    One by one the penguins steal my sanity...

    Vanpooling now...

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Greenville, SC
    Posts
    68
    If we want to make this a "Use this" or "Use that" post, I think that there are three or four distros that would be really easy for you to set up and use, and they all offer KDE for an easy desktop. I like SimplyMEPIS the best of these. It seems to get KDE working surprisingly well, and even though its the same hardware, I find that SimplyMEPIS is one of three or four distros that run KDE well with my 2000 vintage Dell Dimension 4100 - a 996 MHz Pentium 3 with 256 MB RAM. It runs KDE, not as fast as it once did, but still acceptably well.

    Freespire is another option. Tends to be slow booting because it tries every device under the sun. It also starts up some things you may or may not need. What it offers that you may like, however, is excellent codec, plugin, and add-on capability, and it offers to do all of that for you, provided you select the "proprietary" or non-free add on version (they also offer a completely free, non proprietary version for those who prefer that kind of freedom. Really easy and really automatic; no need for Easy Ubuntu or Automatix or Automatix2.

    Another option is Kubuntu, then use Easy Ubuntu to get the add ons you want. With Easy Ubuntu, you can select the proprietary add ons that are not included in Ubuntu, Kubuntu, or Xubuntu, but you can get them all or just the ones you want. SimplyMEPIS and Freespire are more automatic about this, but the Easy Ubuntu choice, slightly more manual effort, is nearly as easy, just a few more manual steps.

    Linux Mint is like a Kubuntu implementation with the inclusion of those same add ons and a nice "minty" appearance. Also worth looking into.

    If you want to go outside of the Debian space, then PCLinuxOS might be an option; it runs KDE and it is very easy to install and configure.

    Let us know if you selected any of these or found something else that worked better for your specific needs.
    Brian W. Masinick
    Masinick at Yahoo Dot Com

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