Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

[antas]

Bump into Kubuntu and it seems now I can't get out of it

It was about one week ago, when one of my friend came to me and asked a lot of things about Operating System and Linux. He asked if I got any experiences with Linux and if I could help him on installing one of the linux distro in his laptop. It's an ACER with i3 processor.

It's been quite some times since I played around with Linux, the last time is KK (Ubuntu 9.04) and Knoppix, I guess it was one year ago. So I decided to get him an Ubuntu. I downloaded LL 10.4, and installed him one right away. Nah, actually I burned him the CD and told him to do it himself, and it works right away. On the side note, my friend is a complete beginner in computer. So I guess that's showing how easy nowadays to install Ubuntu

So, what about Kubuntu? Well, since I saw Ubuntu is pretty awesome in my friend's laptop. I decided to install one myself. Did it a week ago, all is well, I'm pretty satisfied with how it looks but I'm not really happy with the fact that my sound was not configured properly. Oh, and here are my systems (it's a self build PC):

- Intel C2D 2.67GHz
- MB ABiT iX-38
- ATi Radeon HD3870
- Onboard 7.1 sound with 5.1 altec system. + Creative ZEN Vision M (mainly used as an FM receiver plug into one of the line in)

I was spending last weekend to tried to make my sound worked as I want it, but with no luck. The problem was I would like to keep my FM receiver to run through the sound card instead of plug it directly into the speaker system (running out of all line in the speaker).

In short, I was pretty upset, but decided to try my luck with Kubuntu. I downloaded it, and luckily I got a long weekend this week, so I was planning to tinker with my computer the whole weekend. But to my surprise, everything went well on my first installation, without any driver installation, my USB 3G modem (both of them, the Huawei E220 and Sierra 875U), and also my sound work straight away. The line in from the FM receiver work perfectly. So I was really happy, not to mention that the GUI is really great (KDE desktop).

My ZEN Vision M was not working well at the beginning, it's always freeze every time I'm connecting it to my USB port, but then FIXED with firmware update. KZenexplorer running smoothly, although it's already running well with the default AMAROK.

Then I spend the next day to tweak it a bit. Begin with installing Firefox (my favorite browser), and then KZenexplorer, Startup manager (to tweak the GRUB a bit, since I can't afford to tinker with the console just yet my bad ), Kaffeine (I prefer kaffeine for watching VCD/DVDs) additional repos (mp3, flash, video codec etc).

Later on I add PIDGIN, get Klamav and install Synaptic, somehow I found that KPackageKit is not as versatile as Synaptic.

I guess that will be everything for the moment. This will be my new start with Linux, and I decided to start with Kubuntu. It's been years since I'm really working in Linux, it was when Red Hat rules the world (at my environment at least ). I ran 3 Red Hat for mail server, web server, and one router, until life took me into an MS environment. Since then it's always been mainly MS for me due to 2 reasons: I'm a tech support in MS environment (that's pretty much left me with no time for other OS *sigh), and second reason is I was pretty much heart broken with Red Hat getting out of GNU (was really pissed off back then).

I was been on and off with Linux since then, been trying Fedora (but due to my experience with Red Hat, I abandon it), Knoppix, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, and now Kubuntu. I don't think that I will run Linux server anymore in the future, but who knows what life might bring you in the future? At the moment I'm deciding to at least get myself used to the Linux environment a bit, and thanks to KUBUNTU I found a really good place to start with. And who knows that I will be able to give something back into the community in the future.

Thanks once again for Kubuntu

[GreyGeek]

Re: Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

It's called USER SATISFACTION lock-in!

Welcome back to Linux and to Kubuntu!

[Snowhog]

Re: Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

A long time ago, in an Operating System far, far away ...

[antas]

Re: Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

Thanks GreyGreek

SnowHog, you were right it was seems so far away Geez, the technologies really move in a lightning speed.

I'm installing AMP (apache, mysql, php) today, I would like to make my pc as a test bed to build a site for my wife shop. I'm inclining to build with Joomla, but it seems Drupal is interesting. I will see it further before deciding.

Cheers

[GreyGeek]

Re: Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

Drupal is a good FOSS choice. I'd recommend that you use PostgreSQL as your db back end, rather than MySQL. If you need any help in downloading, installing, setting up, accessing or what ever with PostgreSQL, post a msg here and I'll be glad to help.

PS. Don't forget to install a version control app to keep track of your design changes and allow for reversion if you go off on a tangent that doesn't work out. Allow me to recommdn Bazaar (bzr). It is in the repository. Also install qbzr, the GUI front end to the tool (although using bzr in a Konsole is easy to do) bzr-doc, bzr-search, bzr-stats, bzrtools and the new GUI tool, bzr-explorer.

A brief bzr tutorial is here and you can back up line to see others.

PS.PS. Here is a good Drupal book which will lower your learning curve.

[MoonRise]

Re: Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

A long time ago, in an Operating System far, far away ...

Just as long as there are no Spaceballs to interfere!!

[antas]

Re: Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

Drupal is a good FOSS choice. I'd recommend that you use PostgreSQL as your db back end, rather than MySQL. If you need any help in downloading, installing, setting up, accessing or what ever with PostgreSQL, post a msg here and I'll be glad to help.

PS. Don't forget to install a version control app to keep track of your design changes and allow for reversion if you go off on a tangent that doesn't work out. Allow me to recommdn Bazaar (bzr). It is in the repository. Also install qbzr, the GUI front end to the tool (although using bzr in a Konsole is easy to do) bzr-doc, bzr-search, bzr-stats, bzrtools and the new GUI tool, bzr-explorer.

A brief bzr tutorial is here and you can back up line to see others.

PS.PS. Here is a good Drupal book which will lower your learning curve.

Wow ..

That's a lot of information here, thanks a lot. I peeked the book on Amz, and it seems to be a really helpful book, I will see it in local bookstore here, hopefully they have it And thanks for the tips using bzr too.

By the way, do you have any specific reason for using PostgreSQL rather than MySQL?

I don't think that I will need a big database for the website, isn't PostgreSQL a bit overkill? And for the start I'm planning to use free hosting which probably don't have PostgreSQL.

Thanks

[GreyGeek]

Re: Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

.......
By the way, do you have any specific reason for using PostgreSQL rather than MySQL?

I don't think that I will need a big database for the website, isn't PostgreSQL a bit overkill? And for the start I'm planning to use free hosting which probably don't have PostgreSQL.
.....

You WILL need a database if for no other reason than because

Why does Drupal need a database? What databases are supported?
Drupal stores its information - the individual pages, the registered users, and so on - in the database. The database forms the back-end for your Drupal site. At this time, Drupal supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and in Drupal 7, SQLite.

which is from this web page: http://drupal.org/node/202799

Most free hosting sites do have db's available. You can check to see if PostgreSQL is among them. If they do there is a likely hood that they'll charge a monthly fee for using it.
For your reference, however, here is a page which documents how to install Drupal with PostgreSQL.

Here's how to convert a MySQL db in Drupal to PostgreSQL if you start with MySQL and decide to switch to PostgreSQL.

Drupal 7 supposedly has support for SQLite-3 but documentation about it is missing and reports in the Drupal wiki indicate problems even connecting.

Remember, Google is your friend!

[antas]

Re: Can't get out of this thing (kubuntu)!

.....

yes, I understand that any CMS will need a database I think you misunderstand my question, my bad perhaps, since English is not my first language

Your English is very good. It's probably my 69 year old brain that is malfunctioning!

What I really mean is why you prefer to use PostgreSQL rather than MySQL for Drupal, is there any specific reason for it?

A recent, and seemingly unbiased, comparison of the two is here. It gives the weakness of both, and appropriate work-arounds. But, this sums it up:

MySQL is an open-source PRODUCT.

Postgres is an open-source PROJECT.

When I made the comparison over a decade ago the only thing MySQL had going for it was speed. It wasn't as ACID compliant as PostgreSQL was and that was all I needed to know at the time. Since then, both have become fully ACID compliant but PostgreSQL has a richer feature set and has become the FOSS "Oracle" database. Before I retired I used it as a test database for developing my in-house apps which would run against our Oracle databases.

IMO, MySQL's future is shaky. Oracle and Ellison play HEAVILY in the future of MySQL.

Here is what the creator of MySQL said:

Sun's acquisition of MySQL did not go smoothly; most of the MySQL leaders (both commercial and project) have left Sun and the people who are left are sitting with their CV and ready to press send.

Oracle, not having the best possible reputation in the Open Source space, will have a hard time keeping the remaining MySQL people in the company or even working on the MySQL project. Oracle will also have a hard time to ensure to the MySQL customers, community and users that it will keep MySQL "free and available for all".

I think will go with MySQL and then migrate to PostgreSQL when I have to.
.....

MySQL could last several more years, long enough for your needs, but trusting Larry Ellison not to squeeze MySQL for additional Yacht and Fighter Jet money is optimistic. Besides, it could be a lot harder to "re-invent" your db needs if your project gains a life of its own and gets complicated. Granted, MySQL is somewhat more smoothly integrated with Drupal than PostgreSQL is, but that is just a learning curve problem. Might as well "bite the bullet" now.