Linux/Ubuntu - Post Interest Here!

[DavidRoss]

Commander Taco on seeing the first iPod: No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.

He was right.  I hope he bought a ton of Apple stock.

[Opus106]

Tip for the day: If you have a set of files which was originally a single file but which was then split into so many parts for whatever reason, and now you want to join them back, enter this nifty little command using the cat utility at a terminal.

Code Select Expand

cat <common name of the files>.<extension>.* > <Somename. Anyname>.<extension:same as the original>

So, if you have a file split into three parts, e.g., ViolinConcerto.rar.001, ViolinConcerto.rar.002 and ViolinConcerto.rar.003, then you'd have to enter the command as follows

Code Select Expand

cat ViolinConcerto.rar.*  > ViolinConcertoJoined.rar

Of course, this assumes that your current working directory is the one in which you have stored the split files. If not, you can either 'cd' into it or mention the complete path of the source and destination files in the command itself.

[Keemun]

My experience with trying Linux:

I tried the Ubuntu Live CD maybe a year ago but could not get my laptop to connect to my wireless network because it needed to download and install a driver (which didn't work for me in the Live environment).  Based on my Live CD experience, I gave up on Linux (for a while).  A few weeks ago I decided to give it another try by installing Ubuntu 9.04 in Windows Vista using Wubi, which was less of a commitment than installing it in its own partition because I could uninstall it like any other Windows program.  This time the wireless network driver downloaded and installed perfectly, and everything worked great.  I liked it so much that I decided to install it into its own partition on my hard drive.  This weekend I reinstalled Windows (I couldn't get Vista SP1 to install, so I thought this would help, which it did) and have my empty partition ready to go.  Tonight I'll install Ubuntu and hopefully everything will go as smoothly as when I installed it into Windows.   

[Opus106]

*Sips a cup of Keemun tea*

[Opus106]

For those who do such things, mark your calendars for the 29th of October, 2009. The latest instalment of Ubuntu (9.10 if you're keeping track) will become available for download. Since this will not be a "long-term support" release, a lot of new software and changes have been brought to the Koala. And most (all?) are for the better.

Found a quick overview of the new features from a user's point of view here. (Screenshots included.)

The release candidate has been available for nearly a week and can be downloaded from locations listed at Ubuntu's website.

And as we enter November, we can expect the final releases of two other major distros: Fedora (12) and Mandriva (2010).

[SonicMan46]

Just reading the newest issue of PC World the other day which had a tip to add a 'dictionary check' to your Ubuntu desktop - by highlighting a word (e.g. in a web page, document, etc.) and then clicking on the 'new' dictionary icon, the word is checked at the Merriam-Webster web site and the definition of the word pops up in a new page; easy to add - not sure 'how much' I'll use this function, but may be useful to some - CHECK HERE, if interested. 

[Josquin des Prez]

Pah, Linux is for losers, real men use BSD.  

Personally, if it wasn't for my nostalgic clinging to video games i would have kissed windows good by a long time ago. As it were, i'm forced to keep a dual boot installation.

Currently, my favored distribution of Linux is Mint, which is a nice smoothed out version of Ubuntu.

[Opus106]

Just reading the newest issue of PC World the other day which had a tip to add a 'dictionary check' to your Ubuntu desktop - by highlighting a word (e.g. in a web page, document, etc.) and then clicking on the 'new' dictionary icon, the word is checked at the Merriam-Webster web site and the definition of the word pops up in a new page; easy to add - not sure 'how much' I'll use this function, but may be useful to some - CHECK HERE, if interested. 

Thanks for the tip, Dave. I use this add-on in Firefox. (And if I'm far away from the mouse -- read: too lazy to use one -- I just use the search bar. )

[DavidW]

Pah, Linux is for losers, real men use BSD.  

Personally, if it wasn't for my nostalgic clinging to video games i would have kissed windows good by a long time ago. As it were, i'm forced to keep a dual boot installation.

Currently, my favored distribution of Linux is Mint, which is a nice smoothed out version of Ubuntu.

You know that frequent release cycle is BS, it destroys confidence in having a stable OS for years.  Go with BSD model with continuous updates, and have it be stable and secure enough you could for years without distro hopping.  But make it actually easy to use.   Gentoo Linux is cool for being closest to that model but they piss on newbs, they're like the anti-Ubuntu.

Debian and Red Hat are good examples of offering up stable releases, instead of this cutting edge every 6 months nonsense.  But this upgrade your OS (which I know is really optional) every few months and having so many incompatible versions is a sign that these distros are not meant for serious work, just messing around.  People that want to use their computers to you know actually get work done don't want to mess with their OS besides turning on and logging in.

[Opus106]

I installed 9.10 on a brand new computer yesterday. Installation went well, and the two times I timed it, a cold boot took around 27 seconds -- pretty close to the value of 25 promised by devs. But I seemed to have a BIG problem in terms of Internet connectivity. It just doesn't work as it should. Many people are reporting the same/similar problem(s) on Ubuntu Forums. I used a fix for Firefox (setting network.dns.disableIPv6 to true in about:config), but I have been unable to find a solution/fix for the rest of the system.

[Opus106]

Well, I found a work-around for system-wide Internet. I edited the /etc/resolv.conf file by manually specifying DNS server addresses.

[drogulus]

   What I want to know is not if Linux/Ubuntu is easy, but does it do anything I can't do in Windows. I know all the reasons for disliking Windows, and it would be great if I could use an OS that just worked the way I wanted it to for audio/video/games. Since Windows does most of this well, the biggest thing for me would be a system that does it better, with fewer problems. One thing that I'd like is native rate audio, where you get out what you put in with no resampling. Another thing is better color controls for desktop and video, with easy to use controls for both.

Tip for the day: If you have a set of files which was originally a single file but which was then split into so many parts for whatever reason, and now you want to join them back, enter this nifty little command using the cat utility at a terminal.

Code Select Expand

cat <common name of the files>.<extension>.* > <Somename. Anyname>.<extension:same as the original>

So, if you have a file split into three parts, e.g., ViolinConcerto.rar.001, ViolinConcerto.rar.002 and ViolinConcerto.rar.003, then you'd have to enter the command as follows

Code Select Expand

cat ViolinConcerto.rar.*  > ViolinConcertoJoined.rar

Of course, this assumes that your current working directory is the one in which you have stored the split files. If not, you can either 'cd' into it or mention the complete path of the source and destination files in the command itself.

     Or, in Windows, select the files and extract with WinRar to a folder. They're joined. It isn't an advantage if you can do this almost as easily, or just as easily. If that's the case there's not much reason to switch. Maybe I'm not a good candidate because of my interests. I'll still keep an open mind, though. Now I'm wondering if I should download the CD that runs in Windows like David suggested, in preference to setting up a dual boot. If I get intrigued by it, who knows? If I'm lucky I'll develop an unhealthy obsession with it and start spamming the board with "you gotta try this!" sermons.   

Well, I found a work-around for system-wide Internet. I edited the /etc/resolv.conf file by manually specifying DNS server addresses.

     Now I'm convinced. _{(sorry, couldn't resist)}

[Opus106]

Or, in Windows, select the files and extract with WinRar to a folder. They're joined. It isn't an advantage if you can do this almost as easily, or just as easily. If that's the case there's not much reason to switch.

Well, tell me how you would do the same for, say, avi files that were split in the same way. Does WinRar help you with that? (And, BTW, that tip was not a sermon; I was sharing information with others in this forum who use Linux -- and there are a few -- about a useful feature. I know Windows users use HJSplit to achieve that, and that that program can be run under WINE in Linux.)

In any case, a Windows installation does not come with any utility that opens an archive -- correct me if I'm mistaken. (You'll have to go to Winrar's site, download the installer and do the clickity-click thing to install it.) Let me just briefly explain what that command does, for those not-in-the-know: The cat command is part of BASH (Bourne-Again SHell) which is a part of almost every Linux distro out there. What it does is to redirect the content of the argument (the filename that follows cat) to the standard output (IOW, prints the stuff out onto your monitor).

A command like

Code Select Expand

cat file.txt

would print the contents of the text file in your terminal. But since we are dealing with a rar file (or avi, or mpeg, or zip or whatever), which when "printed" would appear like gibberish, we instead redirect that output using the redirection operator (>) to a file which we call whatever we want. (It will be automatically created.)

The * acts as a wild-card operator collecting all files with the names that has the string preceding/succeeding it.  

[drogulus]

    First, I wasn't accusing anyone of sermonizing, I was suggesting that if I really liked it I might go off the deep end, since I sometimes do with things.

   I've only joined audio files so I don't know about other files split into .rar files or other compression schemes.

   

Well, tell me how you would do the same for, say, avi files that were split in the same way. Does WinRar help you with that? (And, BTW, that tip was not a sermon; I was sharing information with others in this forum who use Linux -- and there are a few -- about a useful feature. I know Windows users use HJSplit to achieve that, and that that program can be run under WINE in Linux.)

In any case, a Windows installation does not come with any utility that opens an archive -- correct me if I'm mistaken. (You'll have to go to Winrar's site, download the installer and do the clickity-click thing to install it.) Let me just briefly explain what that command does, for those not-in-the-know: The cat command is part of BASH (Bourne-Again SHell) which is a part of almost every Linux distro out there. What it does is to redirect the content of the argument (the filename that follows cat) to the standard output (IOW, prints the stuff out onto your monitor).

A command like

Code Select Expand

cat file.txt

would print the contents of the text file in your terminal. But since we are dealing with a rar file (or avi, or mpeg, or zip or whatever), which when "printed" would appear like gibberish, we instead redirect that output using the redirection operator (>) to a file which we call whatever we want. (It will be automatically created.)

The * acts as a wild-card operator collecting all files with the names that has the string preceding/succeeding it.  

    Are you explaining how this works to convince everyone that this process is easier than downloading WinRar? Or that if it's understood better then it's OK if it's more difficult? Look, I was trying to make the point (when you thought I was accusing you of something) that if I learned how to use this OS I might feel the same sense of accomplishment that you do. Thing is....right now I don't want to learn this unless it gets me something more useful than pride in learning something hard, though if I did I'd probably flip and try to get everyone on board.

    Windows opens some archives. I haven't needed Winzip in ages. For joining split and compressed files WinRar is pretty standard I think.

[Opus106]

    First, I wasn't accusing anyone of sermonizing, I was suggesting that if I really liked it I might go off the deep end, since I sometimes do with things.

I thought I detected a bit of snarkiness, that's all.

   

Are you explaining how this works to convince everyone that this process is easier than downloading WinRar? Or that if it's understood better then it's OK if it's more difficult?

You were hanging onto my example of joining a rar file and I was just pointing out that the command applies to any type of file that was split. The explanation was free -- take it or leave it.

Look, I was trying to make the point (when you thought I was accusing you of something) that if I learned how to use this OS I might feel the same sense of accomplishment that you do. Thing is....right now I don't want to learn this unless it gets me something more useful than pride in learning something hard, though if I did I'd probably flip and try to get everyone on board.

Right, you're not interested in it right now: I get it.

[Brahmsian]

I installed 9.10 on a brand new computer yesterday. Installation went well, and the two times I timed it, a cold boot took around 27 seconds -- pretty close to the value of 25 promised by devs. But I seemed to have a BIG problem in terms of Internet connectivity. It just doesn't work as it should. Many people are reporting the same/similar problem(s) on Ubuntu Forums. I used a fix for Firefox (setting network.dns.disableIPv6 to true in about:config), but I have been unable to find a solution/fix for the rest of the system.

The guy who installed Ubuntu on my machine last year left me a voice mail last night, saying not to upgrade to 9.10, as users were experiencing problems.  He told me to wait awhile until they work out the glitches before upgrading.

[drogulus]

Right, you're not interested in it right now: I get it.

    No, I just have questions about whether I should be interested, given my particular needs. My questions about what Linux/Ubuntu is good for are real questions, not rhetorical. If I wasn't interested I'd just stay on the Windows thread.
   

   Now I'm wondering if I should download the CD that runs in Windows like David suggested, in preference to setting up a dual boot. If I get intrigued by it, who knows? If I'm lucky I'll develop an unhealthy obsession with it and start spamming the board with "you gotta try this!" sermons.    
   

    DL'ing Mint 7 now.  

     
     

     

[drogulus]

     Posting from within Mint 7 (CD, not installed yet):

     I'm going to need a little time to figure this out. I don't know how to enable S/PDIF out yet. My music plays but I can't hear it.

[SonicMan46]

Currently running Ubuntu 8.04 on my old IBM laptop - LTS for this release, so probably will not upgrade to the '09 releases - happy at the moment - 

But I did just purchase the 4th edition of the book shown below by Keir Thomas et al - had this book in the 2nd edition - excellent introduction to this OS & Distro - includes a disc w/ Ubuntu 9.04 (and other offerings on the included CD) - for those just getting into Linux and liking the Ubuntu Distro, and also wanting a 'book' - a recommendation - 

[Tapio Dmitriyevich]

Currently, my favored distribution of Linux is Mint, which is a nice smoothed out version of Ubuntu.

Interesting one!

http://www.linuxmint.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9kq3k4AkNc