Linux - How long will it last. [modified]
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I'd like to do this, but: 0) I need to write code with VS2005 (or VS2008), and neither of those run under Linux/Wine. 1) I'm boycotting element 1 in all of my lists today (that, and starting my lists with 0 should really throw the VB people for a goto). 2) I have dual monitors (each requiring a different resolution), and none of the distros I've tried seems to deal with that very well. 3) I hate the shortcut keys using for editing. They're just different enough from Windows to be truly annoying, and I haven't found any way to make them right. 4) My sound card (SoundBlaster Audigy) hasn't worked in Linux for over a year.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
I need to write code with VS2005 (or VS2008), and neither of those run under Linux/Wine.
I believe VS 2005 works now but this was actually a benefit for switching to linux at home. I could not take my work home with me anymore. What a relief...
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
- I have dual monitors (each requiring a different resolution), and none of the distros I've tried seems to deal with that very well.
I did that in the past (second monitor has since died) but I had to configure that myself.
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
- I hate the shortcut keys using for editing. They're just different enough from Windows to be truly annoying, and I haven't found any way to make them right.
Hmm. I use the same ones as windows on all the applications I use..
John
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You could fix point 0 by using VM Ware, but the rest (2, 3 and 4) you're pretty much screwed on. I vaguely recall hearing that multi-monitor support was improved, but who knows. 4 might also be fixed due to some of the distros (Ubuntu?) moving to a new sound server du jour.
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If you have a nVidia based card and use the nVidia binary drivers this will not be too difficult. If you have do not expect problems.
John
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Nifty. Thanks. I've been OK so far. I've favoured open source software for a while now, so I'm already pretty used to things like OpenOffice, Firefox, Gimp, etc.
Simon
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I feel like I need to understand this better. Assume for now, I'm directly connected to the internet on a static IP, with no router. You're saying you don't really need a firewall because no ports are open as standard. Does this mean _all_ incoming packets are just dropped? If so, how does browsing work? Or is port 80 open for http? If so, what's to stop nasty people sending attacks via port 80? Now if you're saying you don't need a firewall if all ports are closed, does this mean than behind a NAT router, you don't need a firewall even on windows as no packets will get through? I'm just curious as to how it all works, and why windows needs a firewall, but linux doesn't. Is it just that windows does stupid things with incoming packets (like blindly executing them?) Forgive any stupid questions, I'm new to all this nix-y stuff.
Simon
Simon Stevens wrote:
Does this mean _all_ incoming packets are just dropped?
If a port is not listening then yes.
netstat -l -n
will show you what ports are listening. Ignore any ones tied to 127.0.0.1 because that is local only.
Simon Stevens wrote:
If so, how does browsing work? Or is port 80 open for http? If so, what's to stop nasty people sending attacks via port 80?
Browsing is using port 80 outbound not inbound.
John
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I'd like to do this, but: 0) I need to write code with VS2005 (or VS2008), and neither of those run under Linux/Wine. 1) I'm boycotting element 1 in all of my lists today (that, and starting my lists with 0 should really throw the VB people for a goto). 2) I have dual monitors (each requiring a different resolution), and none of the distros I've tried seems to deal with that very well. 3) I hate the shortcut keys using for editing. They're just different enough from Windows to be truly annoying, and I haven't found any way to make them right. 4) My sound card (SoundBlaster Audigy) hasn't worked in Linux for over a year.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
My sound card (SoundBlaster Audigy) hasn't worked in Linux for over a year.
I have never had a single problem with any sound card on linux. However all of the machines I have sound cards on have the sound card on the motherboard and use ac97 or intel sound.
John
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Simon Stevens wrote:
Does this mean _all_ incoming packets are just dropped?
If a port is not listening then yes.
netstat -l -n
will show you what ports are listening. Ignore any ones tied to 127.0.0.1 because that is local only.
Simon Stevens wrote:
If so, how does browsing work? Or is port 80 open for http? If so, what's to stop nasty people sending attacks via port 80?
Browsing is using port 80 outbound not inbound.
John
John M. Drescher wrote:
If a port is not listening then yes.
So any system with all ports closed is secure? (Even on windows?)
John M. Drescher wrote:
Browsing is using port 80 outbound not inbound.
How does the page data get back to you then? Something must be inbound, even if it's only a response packet.
Simon
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John M. Drescher wrote:
If a port is not listening then yes.
So any system with all ports closed is secure? (Even on windows?)
John M. Drescher wrote:
Browsing is using port 80 outbound not inbound.
How does the page data get back to you then? Something must be inbound, even if it's only a response packet.
Simon
Simon Stevens wrote:
So any system with all ports closed is secure?
Yes, if the system is not listening on any external ports all incoming packets will be dropped.
Simon Stevens wrote:
How does the page data get back to you then? Something must be inbound, even if it's only a response packet.
I am not a TCP/IP expert but a socket needs to be connected first to have two way communication and that connecting outbound on port 80, I believe the client (browser) will specify what port it will listen on to receive the return packets. And the port can and will be different for each communication. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this.
John
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Firewall/iptables is a pain. For CD/DVD burning K3B is great - I prefer the KDE desktop BTW.
Visit http://www.notreadytogiveup.com/[^] and do something special today.
Trollslayer wrote:
prefer the KDE desktop
I second that, Tigress. Used gnome, then moved over to KDE and never looked back.
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
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With all the talk of Linux recently, I've been feeling the urge to try it out. A friend recently offloaded an old computer on me, so I dug out the 80gb hard drive, whipped( :laugh: ) wiped off the dust coating, and set about on my Linux adventure. I partitioned it into 2 equal bits. 1 half I formatted NTFS and copied all my docs and general stuff onto. The other half I installed Ubuntu 8.04 on. I then removed my original hard drive to make it harder for me to give up and go back to windows. So hows it gone so far? Installation was straight forward. partitioning and formatting was done automatically via the "use all available space" option. All hardware was detected no probs. I did have to allow an 'non-free' driver from Nvidia for my graphics card to get it above 800x600. It prompted me to do whole bunch of auto updates after the first boot (which didn't even require a reboot! - Ubuntu 1, Windows 0). Internet just worked, FF3 was installed by default. Installed my standard bunch of FF addons, all seemed to work fine. Was nice to get instant access to all my Google bookmarks. I've already been using OpenOffice for the last 2 years or so as my primary word/spreadsheet app, so that was nice and familiar, and I know my way around GIMP, so that's fine. Installed a Linux version of KeyPass no problem to get to my password database. I still don't quite get the Linux file system. When installing KeyPass (from a pre compiled Ubuntu package) there was no prompt for installation location, and it just appeared on the "start" menu. Easy, but Where did it put the files? Where are the usual "custom" installation options I've come to expect for windows installations. The Linux stance on firewalls seems rather confused. Some people are saying Ubuntu doesn't come with one. Others are saying, it doesn't need one (apparently because all incoming packets are just ignored by default, so unless you start opening up stuff, then you don't need a firewall). And others are saying Linux has something called "iptables" which is your basic firewall blocking rules and stuff. I don't have a virus checker on it yet either. No real problems so far. There's a lot I haven't tried yet though. CD/DVD burning will be a critical issue. DVD watching/MP3 playing as well will be important. My USB stick needs to work (as well as my USB mp3 player, PSP, camera and memory stick reader). So... Now taking bets. How long will I stick with Linux this time? My record is around 3 weeks. (I gave up last time due to difficulty get
I really wanted to use Unbuntu. However, there was no wireless driver for my laptop. That made it pretty useless.
I didn't get any requirements for the signature
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Trollslayer wrote:
prefer the KDE desktop
I second that, Tigress. Used gnome, then moved over to KDE and never looked back.
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon
I use them both. The nice thing about gnome is it has better power management than KDE.
John
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I really wanted to use Unbuntu. However, there was no wireless driver for my laptop. That made it pretty useless.
I didn't get any requirements for the signature
You could try it out in a VM. just set the VMs network adaptor settings to "bridged" and it'll connect you directly to the network, but use the hosts wireless drivers. Not as good as running natively I know, but it means you can try it for a bit.
Simon
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I'd like to do this, but: 0) I need to write code with VS2005 (or VS2008), and neither of those run under Linux/Wine. 1) I'm boycotting element 1 in all of my lists today (that, and starting my lists with 0 should really throw the VB people for a goto). 2) I have dual monitors (each requiring a different resolution), and none of the distros I've tried seems to deal with that very well. 3) I hate the shortcut keys using for editing. They're just different enough from Windows to be truly annoying, and I haven't found any way to make them right. 4) My sound card (SoundBlaster Audigy) hasn't worked in Linux for over a year.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001Dual monitors running Kubuntu and using NVidia GeForce 8600 GTS graphics card. Different resolutions supported. Currently one is VGA while the other is DVI. No problems whatsoever. I did have to install NVidia's proprietary driver, but that's fine with me. Who cares if that's open sourced? I don't.
I've heard more said about less.
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I really wanted to use Unbuntu. However, there was no wireless driver for my laptop. That made it pretty useless.
I didn't get any requirements for the signature
i'm amazed that there isn't a driver for your laptop, is it very new? what wirless chipset is it using?
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I use them both. The nice thing about gnome is it has better power management than KDE.
John
Better power management, or a better GUI to configure power management settings? It looks like you're saying the former, but only the latter belongs at the GUI level.
Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots. -- Robert Royall
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i'm amazed that there isn't a driver for your laptop, is it very new? what wirless chipset is it using?
Linux driver support for nonintel wireless adapters is still rather spotty. They haven't gotten around to reverse engineering all the various nondocumented models yet, EDIT: The reason Intel drivers are good is that Intel produces OSS drivers in house concurrently with their closed drivers.
Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots. -- Robert Royall
modified on Monday, August 4, 2008 2:51 PM
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Dual monitors running Kubuntu and using NVidia GeForce 8600 GTS graphics card. Different resolutions supported. Currently one is VGA while the other is DVI. No problems whatsoever. I did have to install NVidia's proprietary driver, but that's fine with me. Who cares if that's open sourced? I don't.
I've heard more said about less.
shiftedbitmonkey wrote:
Dual monitors running Kubuntu and using NVidia GeForce 8600 GTS graphics card. Different resolutions supported. Currently one is VGA while the other is DVI.
I'm using DVI on both on a nVidia 8800gtx with the proprietary drivers. It's been a while since I played with it, but it wasn't automatic, and I hate that. I shouldn't have to dick around with drivers - it's 2008 fer christ's sake.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
shiftedbitmonkey wrote:
Dual monitors running Kubuntu and using NVidia GeForce 8600 GTS graphics card. Different resolutions supported. Currently one is VGA while the other is DVI.
I'm using DVI on both on a nVidia 8800gtx with the proprietary drivers. It's been a while since I played with it, but it wasn't automatic, and I hate that. I shouldn't have to dick around with drivers - it's 2008 fer christ's sake.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001I understand what you're saying, but I also understand why its so. Ubuntu has to release with only open sourced bits. Drivers are rarely open sourced if at all. But all I had to do was use adept to grab it and install it, and whammo. It was still practically seamless. I don't recall the process being seamless on Windows. I still need to find and install the driver whether from cd/dvd or the internet. In fact, I still have to do that on my Windows box for the damn printer! But alas, its hard to argue with "it should just work".
I've heard more said about less.
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Better power management, or a better GUI to configure power management settings? It looks like you're saying the former, but only the latter belongs at the GUI level.
Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots. -- Robert Royall
Both, as far as I can see KDE (even 4.1) does not directly support hibernation or suspend. And while these are operating system level operations, gnome has services that run and support these two modes directly (respond to events like closing the lid ...) and allow you to set these up via the GUI.
John
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i'm amazed that there isn't a driver for your laptop, is it very new? what wirless chipset is it using?
I don't know because I'm at work. I'll probably try again soon.
I didn't get any requirements for the signature
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Both, as far as I can see KDE (even 4.1) does not directly support hibernation or suspend. And while these are operating system level operations, gnome has services that run and support these two modes directly (respond to events like closing the lid ...) and allow you to set these up via the GUI.
John
Bleh. I've been considering getting one of the new 10" EEE's in a month or two. I'm not really interested in the dumbed down OS they're preinstalled with, and I've always preferred KDE to gnome.
Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots. -- Robert Royall