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UBUNTU
BKLOCO - 28/6/06 at 03:30 PM

I've done it!!!!
I am soooo p1ssed off with Microsoft XP that I hve loaded Linux Ubuntu....
I'm so far very impresed.
Sooooo much easier and more logical than Microsh1t.
I've just got it running on an old machine at the moment but if it proves to be as good as it seems at first test then I will be switching both my laptop and the desktop PC over and Bill Gates can go screw himself.


[Edited on 28-6-06 by BKLOCO]

Hellfire - 28/6/06 at 03:32 PM

Everytime I hear this type of news I'm convinced my own D-day (Dump Day) becomes one step closer.

How do you get on with software though?

Steve

chockymonster - 28/6/06 at 03:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Everytime I hear this type of news I'm convinced my own D-day (Dump Day) becomes one step closer.

How do you get on with software though?

Steve


I dual boot.
There are too many things that I do that won't run on linux and at times I just want an easy life. I spend all day fixing computers and the last thing I want to do when I get home is f*ck about with gentoo getting something else running

BKLOCO - 28/6/06 at 03:42 PM

I guess that this is going to depend on what software is needed.
It comes bundled with Open office. Which does everything I'm going to need. Letters, Databases etc.
It has CD/DVD burning oftware included and all the other bits and bobs that you need. like media players, Firefox, E-mail client, Torrent. etc. etc.
The other good bit is you type in what software you want and it goes off into webland and finds it for you.... It's all open source coded.

marktigere1 - 28/6/06 at 03:49 PM

You can also load it into the memory rather than from the hard disk.

You have never seen a computer run as fast

I use DSL (Damn Small Linux) loaded into 256MB of RAM and the speed is something else. Also, no hard drive = NO VIRUSES. Mind you, you lose any saved web pages etc.

Cheers

Mark

mangogrooveworkshop - 28/6/06 at 04:00 PM

I took that step last week and not looked back......


http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=46983

joneh - 28/6/06 at 04:09 PM

My ubuntu install kept hanging after keyboard preferences. I guess its some hardware problem but there was nothing else to remove.

Just finishing off installing fluxbox on my new debian install

chockymonster - 28/6/06 at 06:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by marktigere1
Also, no hard drive = NO VIRUSES


There's a word for that, it starts with B and ends in ollocks.

A virus is a self perpetuating piece of code that can store itself anywhere. If something can write to memory then so can a virus.

Hellfire - 28/6/06 at 07:18 PM

I may just end up buying an Apple Mac then... seems they are SH1T HOT at handling video/music for editing. They have some of the best video manipulation software on the market, so I'm told.

Steve

caber - 28/6/06 at 08:24 PM

I have been using Apple products since 1979 and macs since 1984. They are not perfect no computer ever is but they are so much better than windows. There is software for everything available for mac with a fair amout of open source as it is easy to port from Linux, Mac OSX is a Unix based system after all. If there really are things that you MUST have that are windows only the current crop of apples with Intel processors can run windows XP at a blisteringly fast speed for most tasks. Go on you know it makes sense and the computers even look cool!

Caber

Jed - 28/6/06 at 08:31 PM

Been using SUSE Linux for a few years now and Red Hat/Fedora before that. Its probably about 5 years since my main home PC was MS powered.

Works great for me but then I don't have any of those gadgets that only link to a Windoze PC. The only gadget that I link it to is the Megajolt but being Java based software it runs under Linux.

Got some new sandals today......

Gav - 28/6/06 at 09:35 PM

For anyone that wants to try ubuntu before installing the current release "Dapper Drake" boots as a live CD so you can play with it and if you decide you want to take the plunge the install icon is on the desktop

britishtrident - 28/6/06 at 10:11 PM

From past versions I found Unbuntu is mainly hype it really isn't any different from Debian apart from the fact it uses Knoppix hardware detection, Like many distros it is a kit of parts with too many options.

A lot of other distros (also mainly based on Debian with Knoppix hardware detection) are around that have all the bits configured and fine tuned to produce a secure good looking system that has the software you actually need without giving 20 different file editors, good examples of this type of distro are Mepis, Kanotix and PCLinuxOS. All install from live CD.

Mepis also comes in a pre-configured SOHO server version.

Kanotix is version of Knoppix design for a hard disk install -- raw Knoppix dosen't make a good hard disk based Linux system.

PCLinux just work and looks terrific.

[Edited on 28/6/06 by britishtrident]

marktigere1 - 29/6/06 at 08:01 AM

Chockymonster

REBOOT = NO MORE VIRUS

Try doing that on an XP machine, rebuild the hard drive methinks.

Mark

David Jenkins - 29/6/06 at 08:03 AM

The main thing about Ubuntu is that they only include tried and tested software - stuff that's been around a while and has proved to be reasonably stable. The Mandriva install comes with just about everything that can be fitted on the disk, including a lot of cutting-edge and very flakey stuff that should have been left out.

There is a variant of Ubuntu that you might like to look at, called KUBUNTU - just the same core stuff, but the windows system is KDE instead of Gnome. KDE is a lot more like MS Windoze, but it's entirely a matter of personal preference. I'm getting to like Gnome more and more as each new release comes along.

As for viruses - most, if not all, current viruses and trojans have been written to target weaknesses in MicroSnot's code. These will NOT affect Linux installations. There are too many Linux variants to make every one a target for virus writers. Even if a virus was written for Linux, the in-built security (only 'root' can install software, for example) blocks any attempts to damage the system. The only significant risk with Linux is that of 'illegal entry' - hacking - but that can be blocked with a good firewall, or a properly set-up router switch.

David

chockymonster - 29/6/06 at 09:06 AM

quote:
Originally posted by marktigere1
Chockymonster

REBOOT = NO MORE VIRUS

Try doing that on an XP machine, rebuild the hard drive methinks.

Mark


That's totally different to if you don't have a harddrive you don't get viruses.
But you're right, after the virus has nicely destroyed anything you are working on and forwarded any documents to somewhere after grabbing your personal banking information you can just reboot to fix it.

I don't get your reboot = rebuild of harddrive on an XP machine?

Don't get me wrong, I use linux but get really annoyed by the this is better than that just because arguments.

I use *nix where *nix does things better and vice versa. The current UI interface of linux is nowhere near the level where a computer noob can just get running with it.

Viruses are more prevelant on Windows because of distribution levels and the ease of social engineering. Linux will never have the same problems because of it's security structure but likewise it will never have the same ease of use.

mangogrooveworkshop - 29/6/06 at 09:25 AM

Granted it takes a bit of setting up but once we got round the graphics card settings problem we have a computer that flys. It will do what I want and not what bill wants. Its the must update now or your machine will meltdown update this everytime you switchon that I wont miss.......

chockymonster - 29/6/06 at 09:53 AM

quote:
Originally posted by mangogrooveworkshop
Its the must update now or your machine will meltdown update this everytime you switchon that I wont miss.......


It may sound that I hate linux, I don't. Of the 7 pcs I have running at home 4 run windows as their OS, the other 3 are gentoo linux. I've also got a load of virtual machines running gentoo.

There are just as many, if not more security holes found about linux apps than there are windows apps. Of the 5200 vulnerabilities reported last year 812 were windows, 2328 were unix/linux and 2058 were mixed applications.

With linux you have to go and get the updates unless you're using an app to do it for you. Redhat provide similar functionality as windows update and it's just as noisy.

Keeping my gentoo boxes current is hardwork but as everything is compiled from source that's my choice.

Statements such as "No Viruses" do not help things. Users then beleive that because everything is wiped when they turn off then they are safe. The fact processes are running that are compromised is a danger.
The fact that you don't get a little box saying "update me" isn't a good thing. At least you know things need doing.

marktigere1 - 29/6/06 at 10:52 AM

Hi Chockymonster

Don't get me wrong, I'm not singing the praises of any operating system.

After 15 years in the buisness I know what I like and know what I dislike.

My statement about no viruses is not meant to cause annoyance so sorry if any was caused.

Just for the record, I have used Linux since 1998 and never had a virus attack. At home I use Windows 98 and never had a virus attack, at work I use Mac OSX and Mac OSX server with no virus attack.

The reason?? We use Safari and Firefox browsers behind a good firewall.

Nuff said.

Cheers

Mark

PS. My comments are entirely based on me using it. Linux is NOT easy to use and requires a bit of knowledge to use properly. The no viruses thing is for me and my place of work so I hope no one wrongly interprets my posts as meaning Linux is not at risk. As Chockymonster implies, ANY computer on the net is at risk of viruses.

[Edited on 29/6/06 by marktigere1]

chockymonster - 29/6/06 at 01:00 PM



You might have guessed it's a pet peeve of mine!

marktigere1 - 29/6/06 at 01:14 PM

Yes, I sort of guessed.

Nice choice of kit car by the way

Cheers

Mark

David Jenkins - 29/6/06 at 01:21 PM

I should add that although I'm a keen linux user at home, I still have one machine that dual-boots into Win2K, just in case I need it (but I rarely use it). In work I use Win XP Pro with a professional-grade firewall box.

I use linux because I prefer it, but I have no illusions about how hard it can be if things go wrong... but I am learning new linux-support skills every day!

David

chockymonster - 29/6/06 at 07:23 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
In work I use Win XP Pro with a professional-grade firewall box.


my home network is protected by a juniper 5gtadsl and then a honeypot.

I don't get the time to play at work!

As I've said, there's a time and a place for every os, XP can't do everything I need, and neither can linux, although it is getting better. The easiest way to learn about linux is pick the hardest possible distro to install and work at it until it works! It's hard to fix but at least the error messages make sense and boy do you learn quickly!

britishtrident - 29/6/06 at 07:27 PM

In general Linux security holes tend to be plugged much quicker than Windows ones, Linux security threats also tend to be aimed more at servers than home user PCs. For the home/soho Linux user the virus threat just isn't a worry. However it is easy to think a Linux system is secure when it is isn't. most distros after install leave you with a system that isn't "hardened" and need locking down (see http://www.bastille-linux.org/ ) it is also it is very easy to install Linux programs such as the very useful Webmin which unless locked down leave your PC wide open.

As for keping Linux up to date the Debian way seems to work pretty well particularly if fronted by Synaptic.

With Windows non security related updates tend to cause more problems than they solve I have I client with PC that kept getting "the blue screen of death" I would sort it out it would run fine for a couple of weeks then fall over after four windows re-sprays found the cause was an automtic update for his HP Photosmart printer.

[Edited on 29/6/06 by britishtrident]