The install went okay, but I have encountered a hiccup. When I try to load the GUI interface in Debian, xfree it says, “no screens found.” This is bad. I have tried using different available drivers in the configuration program, but no luck so far. I have posted to Debian help list, but no response yet.
I must say I was very sad with the Debian IRC channel. I logged into it and asked my question and no one even acknowledged my presence. I found this to be very rude.
Hopefully soon an answer will present itself. For now, though I am not using Linux.
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Posted 5 years, 2 months ago at 3:08 am. Add a comment
After reading more information on the KNOPPIX site, I have learned that KNOPPIX should not be installed on a hard drive, and that it is designed best to run as a Live CD. KNOPPIX says that I should run Debian GNU/Linux as my OS. So, that is now my quest.
More Programs
- Printer Drivers
- Sync my Palm Pilot
- Instant Messaging
I am keeping an overall list of programs as I go through.
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Posted 5 years, 2 months ago at 3:03 am. Add a comment
Most of you won’t really care, but I’ve decided to dual boot my computer with Linux and am recording my journey. This is first entry.
The Decision
For no particular reason, I have decided to make the switch to Linux. I want to try it out, though I have many reservation given my years of Microsoft use. I have nothing against MS personally. I would however like to support the open source world, and I figure the more users of Linux there are the more support they will have. To begin the switch I had to figure what version of linux to run, as there are several. Distro Watch was very helpful for this. They track all of the major and minor Linux distros and provide links to get the software.
I started by using Live CDs as a trial. A Live CD is a bootable CD you can put in your computer and when it boots up, you are running Linux. When you are done, you reboot, take the CD out and you are back in Windows, and nothing is left on your hard drive. Very useful if you want to play around or if you want to demo for someone what Linux is and what it can
I used the KNOPPIX Live CD and the MEPIS Live CD. Between these two I chose to install KNOPPIX because from the reviews I read it is more mature than MEPIS. Both run the same desktop, KDE, and both come with a ton of free software with the package.
I want to try to do this in a slow controlled process, the next decision I have to make is what software I am going to run on my Linux desktop. I have decided to make a list.
The software
To begin this list I am going to try to make a list of all of the major things I do or need to have on my computer on a regular basis and then try to find the best program to run to accomplish these tasks.
- Word Process & Office type Tasks
- Web Surf
- E-mail
- Web Edit
- Listen to MP3s
- Watch DVDs
- Play Games (Madden & Knights of the Old Republic)
- FTP
- UnZip
- Virus & Spyware Scan
- Manage Finances
- Edit Video
- Burn CDs and DVDs
- Take Screenshots
Those are the major things I can think of now. I already have a lot of software that I use in Windows that I know has an Linux version of the same thing, so that will be easy enough. For the rest I will check mailing lists and Google for the answer.
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Posted 5 years, 2 months ago at 10:00 pm. Add a comment
I don’t know how many of you are familiar with Open Source Software (OSS), but I am a big fan. OSS is software where any one can see the code (or source) that the program was written with. This is key for several reasons.
1) It is less likely to find spy ware or other hidden things in software because programmers and other geeks of that nature can look at the code they are using.
2) It is often free.
3) You can tweak it to meet your needs.
An example of OSS is a program called OpenOffice.org (OOo). This is a free office suite that is comparable in many ways to Microsoft Office (MSO). OOo is an open source program and MSO is closed source. Anyone is allowed to see the source of OOo, tweak it, compile it, and use it or sell or give it away! MSO on the other hand, if you install the software you paid an arm and a leg for more than 10 times you have to pay for it AGAIN! OOo, is free. The list of reasons to get OOo is long, and it is an amazing thing. I read a great article about a school switching which prompted this post here.
Other great OSS program include:
- Mozilla FireFox — Web Browser
- Mozilla Thunderbird — E-Mail
- GAIM — Instant Messenger that works with AOL, Yahoo, MSN, and ICQ
- GIMP — Graphics program that can replace PhotoShop in most way
And there are many others. SourceForge has a lot of OSS programs. For a good compilation, check out TheOpenCD. They have a group of free OSS apps for Windows. It is a good safe way to start.
Anyways, I am done with this now. I am just AMAZED at the amount of free software out there, and want to spread the word!
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Posted 5 years, 3 months ago at 11:01 pm. Add a comment
