*sigh*
It looks like I may semi-retire the Ubuntu “side” of this dual boot config in favor of a Linux Mint or PC BSD dual boot config with Windows 7. I’ve really liked most of the things about Ubuntu, but the consistently poor upgrade experience ever since 8.04 is beginning to wear me down a bit. Heck, I dunno. I do like some things about Ubuntu a lot. For one thing, I can run old Windows programs in WINE in Ubuntu much more smoothely than in Windows 7, even with “compatibility mode” selected for the specific Windows version. And there are three old Windows programs I really, really do not want to simply ditch.
But. I’ve fallen into the trap (well, I laid it myself) of having this particular computer act as the print and media server using Win7’s “Homegroup” facility, and there are other users on our lil home network who have come to rely on the ease of use that offers.
Sooo…. yep. Resurrect another old computer for use as an Ubuntu (or PC BSD or Linux Mint) standalone for use with those old Windows programs running under WINE. It’ll mean getting a really good KVM switch that’ll handle the digital line from my vidcard to my 23″ Acer monitor, since I’d likely need to have both computers running at once here at my desk, for ease of access to the old windows programs, and I’m really out of desktop space on this 3’X6′ desktop. (23″ monitor, one computer, 2 printers, “cash drawer”–serving as printer supplies storage–phone, speakers, 3 external hard drives and various detritus of daily use. No more room for another monitor, and I’ve done the multiple keyboard/mouse thing in the past–not again, thatnks. :-))
Oh, what may be the last straw for Ubuntu on my main machine? Got around to installing the “gold” upgrade to 9.10. Nuh-uh. Python broken, tracker broken, other dependencies for multiple apps broken. *sigh* Not good.
Maybe things’ll work better with a fresh install on another machine. Probably will, but if I do that, the computer I’m thinking of will be an old single core machine that’ll use the 32-bit Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu but slicker) pretty nicely, I think. Or the latest PCBSD, which is always a nice OS.
Just have to see.
Well, micro-mini update. Installed Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu 9.04) and Ubuntu 9.10 in VMWare-based VMs. Kinda quirky mousing in the Mint VM, have to see what that’s all about, but otherwise, it’s really nice. Ubuntu 9.10 installed fine as a clean install in VM. Should be workable. Next? NimbleX Linux, based on Slackware. It should be pretty cool, as the folks at NimbleX allowed me (as they would you) to specify what additional components I did/did not want and “built” an iso to my specs. There isn’t a world of choices, but I managed to have nearly everything I need for a basic Linux desktop included, including the latest build of WINE. Nice.
When you get around to a Linux distribution you’re well and truly satisfied with, let me know. So far the only one that really interested me was Ubuntu – but if you’re about ready to abandon that…
Well, Perri, I don’t know if I’ll abandon it completely. Linux Mint is really attractive, since it is structured more to allow OOB media use, and it’s an Ubuntu derivative. I’m just really disappointed by this upgrade experience. At least my video didn’t go all wonky and require jumping through tons of hoops to get back in proper shape this time. But midi functionality is still going to have to be retweaked… again.
*sigh*
I think I’ll just dump all my data files off on an external drive and wipe this hard drive for a fresh install before I give up on Ubuntu as a main OS. At least the directory structure makes it easier to find all my data in Ubuntu (well, just about any ‘nix, I suppose).
Keep in mind that Win7–the best Windows I’ve used on a desktop since Win2K–still has some “holes and gaps, lacks and losses, absences, insipidies and the like”. *heh* Still, my Wonder Woman is no “techie” and she’s found no need whatsoever for “training” after her switch to Win7 from XP. She likes it lots and appreciates the fact that her computer is much more responsive with Win7 than she ever recalls it being with XP–and that’s with a video chipset that both Microsoft and Toshiba have said is NOT sufficient to run the Aero interface… running Aero very nicely.
Still, I’m not completely sold out on Win7. Were it not for the fact that “Homegroup” networking is easy enough for my non-techies here on the home network to fell comfy with and the fact that WMC is finally a superb multimedia management interface, I’d see notalot of difference between it and Ubuntu… apart, also, from the horrible upgrade/update experiences I’ve had in the last year with Ubuntu. And that’s really the rub. The upgrade to Win7 from WinXP on my Wonder Woman’s computer has been like every other Win7 upgrade I’ve done: simply the best Windows upgrade experience ever. Much better, sadly, than these last few with Ubuntu.
I use ubuntu mostly because it is a smooth and pretty debian. I’ve truly not had any upgrade problems with ubuntu. That said, I didn’t actually upgrade this last time. I’d been upgrading from one ubuntu to another for years so I decided that this time I’d go ahead and do a fresh install.
AG, yep. I figure a fresh install will probably fix things. Unbuntu’s been pretty cool up until 9.04 here @twc central. ALL the 9.10 installs I’ve done (alphas, betas–all in VMs) have been flaky, though. This attempt at upgrading was a major bust. Yes, it boots and I can do most things, but as many dependencies as were broken (and unfixable with the usual “sudo apt-get install -f” or gksudo attempts, etc.), I’ve pretty well just thrown my hands up. I’ll get all my data transferred to an external drive, note lil config things (like make a note about nvyng for getting my nVidia drivers and config done right, since Ubuntu has never seemed happy about doing that) and then FIRST try a fresh install in a VM using the “gold” code before reinstalling on a hardware box.
Disappointing, really, since I’ve really enjoyed Ubuntu for its ease of installation and configuration as opposed to many other Linux distros.
I did, though, download and burn a Cd for NimbleX, a Slackware-based desktop distro. Seems pretty neat. KDE desktop. None of the endless futzing around at the command line to install like the old Slackware. I think running it, Ubuntu 9.10 and Linux Mint in side-by-side VMs for a while might just clear up my choices. Maybe. And maybe I ought to give PCBSD a longer look on something besides a rarely-used box, side-by-side with these others.
And while I’m at it, I might just as well give Virtualbox another tryout. It wasn’t ready for prime time on this box when I last gave it a look (I could NOT install XP-64 in a Virtualbox VM, for example, and I needed one for 2 reasons: I no longer had an XP reference system and at the time I only had the one option in legally available copies of XP: 64-bit versions). This time, I’ll only need to stack up three or four 32-bit OSes in VMs, so Virtualbox will probably do the trick.
Other Linux distros that are nearly as slick and easily-configured as Ubuntu may just get a shot at my machines, too. Suse Linux looked pretty good in a VM I tried it out on a few months ago, but I didn’t really want to give the time to it that a real look would take. Of course, I keep an up-to-date Puppy Linux in my trick bag (CD and flash drives, both), for times I need to do some easy data salvage (tough cases take specialty tools, of course, but often just booting a Puppy session and saving things to an external drive is all it takes). And, of course, Puppy can often be THE best OS for an old system with unsophisticated users. Just do a hard drive install and set up what they need. Bob’s your uncle.
Oh, dear. Here I am playing Chatty Cathy. *sigh* Get an olde pharte typing and… 🙂
More thoughts on Linux v Windows…
For the average computer user who just needs internet apps, some office apps, media players, and graphics/video/sound creation and manipulation, either Windows or one of the contemporary Linux desktop distros will usually work equally well.
Stability: usually ‘nix variants (and I include BSD and Mac OS here as well) are more stable. Usually. But when things are “broken” on a Linux OS, it can be a bear to fix.
Security: ‘nix variants are worlds and away the choice for security.
Hardware compatibility: Windows still has an edge, although with a very little more “techie” approach than the average Windows user is likely to be comfy with, contemporary Linux desktop distros are catching up. Most hardware “just works” in contemporary Linux desktop distros, and in fact older hardware often works much better with contemporary Linux desktop distros than with more recent Windows offerings.
Which brings up older hardware: Definitely a Linux “win” territory. I can run a full-featured Linux distro (Puppy Linux) on a ten-year-old computer with only 256MB of memory and NO hard drive. And by “run” I mean run snappily. Add a flash drive, and one can even install new apps, generate and save data, even take ones “computer” along in ones pocket to use on other hardware–without ever needing a hard drive. Try that with Windows.
Running legacy applications on contemporary OS: A Linux win. Even with “compatibility mode” specified for running apps in M$’s latest desktop OS, one can expect success running an old app less than half the time. The success rate running old Windows programs using WINE on Linux is much, much better. In fact, I’ve only had one outright “failure to launch” when attempting to run a very finicky program written for Windows 3.1/95.
I would like to see Ubuntu, for example, stop breaking things that weren’t broken before when I do an upgrade. That’s just not cool. But then, Windows upgrades haven’t always been the slickest things under the sun.
I guess I’ve talked myself out of my snit at Ubuntu for screwing up this last upgrade. Fresh install. But it will be in a VM for now…
Heck, I thought for a moment we’d gone to war with some country in Africa, Ubuntu.
@TF: *heh*