Punch the keys

Well well. there is no linux version for Google Chrome! So much for the Windows killer comments!!! These are some of the things that I find pretty Hypocritical, if i may use this term. On a related note: All through the internet forums or blogs you can find people bashing up Microsoft and Redmond. Tearing them apart for the alleged or otherwise (mal)practices. However, none of them make even a whimper when other groups do the same tactics that Redmond once did or continues to do. I don't agree to some of what Microsoft is doing, but lets give credit where credit is due and slime where slime is due. Lets not hold back just coz its not our favorite punching bag.

WOW! I had been trying to use Ubuntu or some version of Linux for some time now and have not been able to make the switch. And now, for the past few weeks, I have been running on Ubuntu at home. How did it happen? A lightening strike! No, No quite literally a lightening strike. Let me explain. Like many homes now days, we too, have a desktop and laptop. Both were running on Windows XP. A couple of months back, the performance of our laptop started to degradem and I thought it was time for a re-install. So I started off with the Windows installation, which I must say is pretty straightforward. Well, straight forward, provided the CD/DVD drive works. As in my case, the installation stopped half way through as the CD could not be read. This left me in a lurch. I now had a laptop but no OS installed on it. The windows re-install had aborted in the middle which left the system unusable. The alternatives at this point were to Contact the support center. Replace the DVD drive Try and bo...

While I was away... (I was out of touch for a long time from the linux world) there was another release of Ubuntu. It is named Intrepid Ibex . This version was released in October '08. Hope to be catching up with this soon. Or should I be sticking to Heron? Heron will be supported for longer. Hmm, if I don't find something seriously interesting in Ibex, I think I will just go with Heron. So whats Intrepid? –adjective resolutely fearless; dauntless: an intrepid explorer . and what's an Ibex? n.   pl. ibex or i·bex·es  Any of several wild goats of the genus Capra, especially C. ibex,native to mountainous regions of Eurasia and northern Africa and having long, ridged, backward-curving horns. -- definitions from dictionary.com You can find more about the Ubuntu releases at the Wikipedia link . 

On October 18th, the new release of ubuntu was made available. The new version is 7.10 and codenamed gutsy gibbon. I had been using the beta release from the begining of October and let me tell you it is an awesome experience. From the start itself I felt a visible change in speed. The applications and usage somehow felt very very fast. It detected my nVidia card and compiz is available with the package. What this means is that, excellent graphics are now availble right with the OS.

As I thought, I am back on Kubuntu :-( I really liked what I saw with SUSE 10.2 but, somehow I couldn't get my display drivers configured correctly. Incidentally, the work at office was also piling up so couldn't go into the issue. BUT, I promise myself to look into it as soon as I have time. In the meantime, I have loaded Kubuntu. Configured most of my applications as I wanted it. With Kubuntu, Firefox, evolution, gimp are not default as with ubuntu. But, installing these have been extremely simple. When I get time, I will be back to try out more with SUSE. I seem to line Kubuntu better than Ubuntu. Base difference of course, being KDE rather than the Gnome. I have also got Nvidia drivers and beryl running, which adds glitter to the interface. Updating the system for the first time from the repositories. This is taking a while.

In the recent times, I have been quite fascinated with Linux flavours. In college I had tried out installing RHEL (Red Hat Linux), Debian, FreeBSD etc to try them out. But eventually threw them out and settled with Windows. But off late, the ease of use of Ubuntu caught my attention and I installed it as a secondary Operating System(OS) in my home. My experience with Ubuntu so far has been very good. If not great. I must confess that I am not a power Linux user. So the Linux version, or any OS in fact, that I use should have a considerable amount of user interface for administration. And as little administration as possible. I can manage most configurations even if they warrant file editing. But need the help to be sufficiently detailed. A great part of Ubuntu is the installation. You get to try the OS even before the installation is done. The LiveCD concept really rocks! I was able to view documents, check mail, watch clips, well do just about anything without even installing the OS. ...

Found some help on Nvidia and Beryl... Nvidia - http://en.opensuse.org/NVIDIA Beryl - http://en.opensuse.org/Beryl Hope my hardware is supported and works... Tomorrow I try some fancy stuff.

I have been tinkering around with the installation I did in the morning, and did something wrong. My session would not start. I tried lots of stuff and could not get back on track. I have a nagging feeling that by tomorrow, I would be back on Ubuntu . Or rather Kubuntu . But before that, I want to try SUSE once more.. So I am back re-installing it. Lets see how this installation goes.. This time, in the software installation part, I could not get the selection according to my preference. I mean not the way I wanted it at least. I tried to remove the default java compiler and replace it with sun 1.5 (actually I wanted 1.6 but it is not listed). After selecting 1.5, the openoffice showed some dependency and would not correct it. So I have asked the setup of openoffice to be ignored. Hope I can correct it once the installation has been completed. Another advantage of Ubuntu seems to be the amount of literature found on the Internet. Simply amazing!!! Alright! This time my installation...

I have been using Feisty for about two to three months now and hoped to try out SUSE on a collegues suggestion. I still have Ubuntu on my home machine. And hope to try out openSUSE at office. Got my hands on the DVD of LFY (Linux for you) Jan 2007 edition. They have provided a DVD of openSUSE. I tried it quite a few times on Saturday (25 Aug) but failed to load because of a problem with the package check. It said that the integrity check on some files on the DVD failed. On Monday(27 Aug) I got my hands on another copy of the DVD, which unfortunately is giving similar errors. So I copied the DVD into an iso and wrote it onto a blank DVD. Surprisingly, this DVD carried on with the installation without much of a problem. In fact right now, the base installation is done and I am on the "Online Update" section of configuration. An advice to anyone who is trying to install openSUSE. There is an option to skip the section "Online Update". Please use it . I finished all the...