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Installing Linux Mint 8 (free operating system)


Phait

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http://www.linuxcritic.com/linux-bsd-distributions/linux-mint-8-review-and-commentary

 

I don't personally use Linux Distros as most of my software requires Windows and I game. WINE can't run everything so I'm not gonna put up with that.

 

However, the computer/desktop that belongs to my family is getting it's 3rd distro installation. Some other family members/friends of theirs came over and few weeks ago there was some adware/spyware that - while I have every protection in place, managed to slip in. I said "screw it, it may not happen often enough to be this irritated - but I'm not gonna fix this computer again". So I installed Ubuntu.

 

First I tried Ubuntu Netbook Remix. It's nice, it's layed out easy. But I had to dig around to install restricted codecs and drivers (like MP3/WMA, proprietary stuff...). For example today my uncle wanted to listen to an audio book from the local library website, but it used some ODM format which works only on Windows and Mac. I've read threads where people had tried to install it to WINE but it's just not happening. So he couldn't listen to the audiobook free because the library/book supplier had to choose some stupid format instead of simple MP3 streaming.

 

Then I tried Kubuntu Netbook which was nice but the interface was godawful confusing in comparison.

 

And now Linux Mint 8, which while it strips away the simplicity of Netbook Remix, has some extra offerings that should do well.

 

http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php

 

mint29269952.png

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The reason I've never spent any time messing around with Linux and other free/low cost operating systems is that there are no pro level music programs available to run under them, effectively negating my main reason for ever owning a computer in the first place.

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The reason I've never spent any time messing around with Linux and other free/low cost operating systems is that there are no pro level music programs available to run under them, effectively negating my main reason for ever owning a computer in the first place.

 

The ardent Ardour users will tell you (without being specific, of course) that Ardour is a full featured DAW that can do anything any other DAW can do. Those who have tried it and given up (like me) will tell you differently.

 

I think that Linux users are a breed unto themselves. They understand Linux first, and music last. The problem for users like me (who understand recording first and operating systems last) is that setup was so difficult for me, starting with a blank disk and a blank mind, that I just never really got to the point where I could do anything with it other than use it with the computer's built-in sound card. Unless I was being paid to write about it, there was simply no point in trying to go further.

 

I've been curious to try Indamixx, a Linux distribution that has a customized version of Ardour, but it's not free. I think that the company is doing a smart thing by selling it along with a computer, installed and ready to go (they have a netbook, a hand-sized touch screen "notepad" computer, and probably a desktop computer, or for the initiated, you can buy it on a DVD or USB thumb drive for $150. But I/O support is still limited to what Jack supports, and that's mostly RME and old stuff.

 

Maybe I'll give it another try five years from now.

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I was just reading about Puppy Linux at GS. Named after the distro's developer's late chihuahua... They don't use the phrase that I saw -- missing a bet, there -- but its appeal seems to be that it's quite light on its feet (like a chihuahua, get it? Never mind... :D ), coming in around 100 MB.

 

I don't have a *nix implementation running at home but lately I've been rather taken Linux served web stuff -- I have something of an intellectual investment in MS's Win-centric ASP/X, so it took a bit of a leap. But I was drawn by the rich open source scene for Linux-based PHP running servers... from my perspective, that's one of the big things helping to fuel Web 2.0 changes.

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I fixed it.

 

Removed all media plugins, all media players (VLC, mplayer, totem) and then just installed VLC. Now the files open with VLC instead of inside the browser, which is fine with me. The only thing is they don't auto-play, I have to click Play. Trying to fix that.

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"...The only thing is they don't auto-play, I have to click Play. Trying to fix that..."

 

 

That's a feature.

If there's one thing I dislike it's autoplay.

An anything ...optical drives, web video.

 

Try opening up a bunch of Youtube pages

at the same time... they all start playing at

once!

 

Madness.

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I was just reading about Puppy Linux at
GS
. Named after the distro's developer's late chihuahua... They don't use the phrase that I saw -- missing a bet, there -- but its appeal seems to be that it's quite light on its feet (like a
chihuahua
, get it? Never mind...
:D
), coming in around 100 MB.


I don't have a *nix implementation running at home but lately I've been rather taken Linux served web stuff -- I have something of an intellectual investment in MS's Win-centric ASP/X, so it took a bit of a leap. But I was drawn by the
rich
open source scene for Linux-based PHP running servers... from my perspective, that's one of the big things helping to fuel Web 2.0 changes.

 

Make yourself a bootable puppy thumbdrive and have some fun.

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That's a feature.

If there's one thing I dislike it's autoplay.

An anything ...optical drives, web video.


Try opening up a bunch of Youtube pages

at the same time... they all start playing at

once!


Madness.

 

 

I don't mind it with web content. Besides, this computer is my familys, I want to make it simple as possible. They're used to say an audio sample/stream playing automatically. not "I don't hear anything now what's wrong". "Oh there's another step now.."

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Alright the one thing that blows ass about this and any other distro I've used:


the hassle trying to get proprietary formats to stream (ASF, WMA, RA, ASX etc)

 

 

VLC!

 

 

 

Ah, I see you got it.

I use PCLOS for my primary PC and pclos Tinyme as a dual boot with XP on my daughter's laptop. I've tried nearly every distro out there and settled on the PCLOS distros for ease of installation and use. It's based on Mandriva.

Tried run Mint on that laptop

One thing I've seen with nearly all the distros is a failure to carry over video and wireless drivers to the latest kernal so what worked on one installation won't always work when upgraded or updated, as the case may be. As an example, the full version of PCLOS will not work with wireless on my daughter's laptop, thus the Tineme install, it works fine since it has a kernal that is one step older. It comes bare bones and one needs to install any additional apps, word processor, media players, & etc. Not really a bad way to go.

In reality, other than in depth audio production and maybe certain conference/net meeting needs, I find Linux to be the way to go.

 

Wifey still has Mepis on her computer.

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I was just reading about Puppy Linux at
GS
. Named after the distro's developer's late chihuahua... They don't use the phrase that I saw -- missing a bet, there -- but its appeal seems to be that it's quite light on its feet (like a
chihuahua
, get it? Never mind...
:D
), coming in around 100 MB.


I don't have a *nix implementation running at home but lately I've been rather taken Linux served web stuff -- I have something of an intellectual investment in MS's Win-centric ASP/X, so it took a bit of a leap. But I was drawn by the
rich
open source scene for Linux-based PHP running servers... from my perspective, that's one of the big things helping to fuel Web 2.0 changes.

 

 

Puppy is my default OS for the old Vectra VL400 I have in the garage for music streaming. Plll 1gig with 384Mb ram.

It also has some great tools included in that small footprint.

There are some interesting "puplets", puppy adaptations available.

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I find Ardour awesome. It does what I need it to do, which is basically just functioning as a multi-track recorder. MIDI sequencing is coming in Ardour 3. I'm using an M-Audio Delta 44 audio interface and M-Audio MIDI Sport, which are both known to work out-of-box on Linux.

 

Getting multimedia codecs on Ubuntu is only a question of installing the restricted-extras package from the package manager. There's another package for DVD playback. The Flash plugin once was an issue, but now you just get it from the Adobe website.

 

My current distribution is Ubuntu 8.04, but I'll upgrade to Ubuntu 10.04 when it comes out this April.

 

Oh yeah, VLC is awesome, now matter what OS.

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