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**pwright2** · Feb 25, 2007, 05:52 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

Hmm. That's a shame. I loaded Kubuntu on my laptop (notoriously difficult for linuxes to find all the hardware) and most things just worked. It took me a while to get Flash working properly. The network printer worked right away, color and all. Even my wireless card worked. I haven't been able to get it to support a second screen, which I truly miss. And it doesn't successfully burn a CD. Still, I'm generally pleased.

And, as you have discovered, if it doesn't work when installed, the cures often require mystical knowledge. That's true of windows too, of course, but there are more sources of mystical knowledge available.

This site is a real help though. But you might want to use a different name in the future. Some will have taken offense at your whining and decide to flambe' the noob.

-----Sims------

**dibl** · Feb 25, 2007, 06:28 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

Linux is not user-friendly. Linux is expert-friendly. I wish that were my original quote, but I actually read it in one of the 2 books I bought, in order to give myself a chance with it. So, either Keir Thomas in "Beginning Ubuntu Linux", or the 5 guys who collaborated on "The Official Ubuntu Book" wrote it. But it is apt.

Ronagon, Microsoft has their hooks so deep into you that it is unlikely you'll ever have a chance to appreciate the Linux alternative. That's a shame, for you.

Linux is not miraculous. Windows is not miraculous either. One is free and open, the other is, well, real proprietary and controlling. They both take some getting used to, for sure.

You can pick for yourself. I still have a little 12 GB Win XP partition on one of my disks, so I can upload pictures from my Motorola Razr phone. That's the kind of work Windows was made for!

**mchuskie** · Feb 25, 2007, 06:29 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

Ronagon,

I'm very sorry you've had so much trouble with your first experience of Kubuntu. It would seem that "this guy you know" has just installed it and left you - something akin to leaving you in a foreign country where you don't know the language or the geography. Properly set up and configured, Kubuntu is easily a Windows-beater in most respects; but for a newcomer it can be very confusing as things are so very different to Windows, and the things that you would do to fix broken things on Windows are not the things you need to do on Linux (though both may be as simple as each other). However, often the answers (or at least general guides on how to get to them) are somewhere here in these forums, waiting to be searched out.

1) is very strange, and I've never heard of such a problem before. Does this happen with every program you use?

2) - because of licensing issues and the fact that Kubuntu is free, it cannot legally play encrypted (most commercial) DVDs "out of the box". You need to install the piece of code that decrypts them, which is called libdvdcss:

Code:

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2

which loosely translates as "As the super-user (administrator), use the package manager tool 'apt-get' to install the package libdvdcss2". In Kubuntu, most programs and libraries etc that you could ever possibly want are available pre-packaged in what are called "repositories", and apt-get is one of many programs that you can use to install more. 'Adept' is a graphical one, but here it's a lot quicker just to type in the command to a terminal.
This should only need to be done once, though. Then software like Kaffeine should be able to play DVDs without issues.

3) - what program(s) are you using to play the files?

4) what make/model of printer/scanner are you using? What have you tried so far to set them up?

5) - I'm not sure what you mean by "the recommended Java protocols", but probably the easiest way to check that a JRE is installed is to load Adept (entering your password when prompted), search for "Java" and check that at least one Java runtime environment is installed (there's a choice of two or three).

Again, sorry that this guy seems to have abandoned you in the deep end without a paddle or lifejacket, but hopefully (if you're willing) there are people here who can help you get a fully working system from how he left it.

pwright2: Yeah, Flash is difficult. I got a second screen working with not too much difficulty, and I haven't had problems with burning CDs. And sadly, what you say about flaming can occasionally be true, though there are many other good people here with plenty of Kubuntu experience willing to help out (even if it is the (n+1)th time they've heard the questions)...

dibl: Depends on who the user is

**dibl** · Feb 25, 2007, 06:32 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

touché, James!

**lowey23** · Feb 25, 2007, 10:52 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

dibl

As the old saying goes, Linux is user friendly, it just chooses it's friends carefully.

**RandyS** · Feb 26, 2007, 09:40 AM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

In trying to find solutions for your problems, maybe we can take them one at a time.

For #1 (cursor flying around) what can you tell us about your computer and mouse. Is this by any chance a laptop with a touchpad (and are you by chance also using an external mouse?)

**pegazuz** · Feb 26, 2007, 01:25 PM

Playing DVD's in Kubuntu

Originally posted by JamesM

Ronagon,

2) - because of licensing issues and the fact that Kubuntu is free, it cannot legally play encrypted (most commercial) DVDs "out of the box". You need to install the piece of code that decrypts them, which is called libdvdcss:

Code:

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2

which loosely translates as "As the super-user (administrator), use the package manager tool 'apt-get' to install the package libdvdcss2". In Kubuntu, most programs and libraries etc that you could ever possibly want are available pre-packaged in what are called "repositories", and apt-get is one of many programs that you can use to install more. 'Adept' is a graphical one, but here it's a lot quicker just to type in the command to a terminal.
This should only need to be done once, though. Then software like Kaffeine should be able to play DVDs without issues.

I tried this since I want to use Kubuntu to watch DVD's and play vidoes and got this response:

reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Package libdvdcss2 is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source
E: Package libdvdcss2 has no installation candidate

Is there another program to look for this purpose?

**RandyS** · Feb 26, 2007, 01:58 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

You can use automatix to install what you need. Again, take note of the licensing information.

The instructions for installing are at:
http://www.getautomatix.com/wiki/ind...e=Installation

When installed, you can find it on the menus under "System"

**slackrat** · Feb 26, 2007, 08:04 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

Sorry bout that...knew i guy when i got my first computer who would come over to help me configure things, and immediately configure screen res etc, to his liking. Theres a name for people like that , but I'm not sure I can print it in these forums.....

You didnt say way he got rid of your xp, which i hope you know dual boots quite comfortably next to linux ....so long as xp is installed first.

Then you could get your work done while learning the new system. sounds like what this guy did is equivalent to criminal negligence. Dont let him near your box in the future.

It is however, one reason I decided to move onto linux. If Im going to have one, I might as well learn how it works and any unix system is perfect for taking control back from your hardware and 'cant go under the hood' systems like micorsoft.

Having said that, many linuxers keep xp round somewhere if only for gaming, and i cant figure out why he didnt leave you that option.

Also, all the problems he stuck you with dont sound like he even installed it properly or checked out it was running smoothly afterwards. Not a pleasant experience all the way around. Is it possilbe you have a less desructive friend who can help you get an xp/kubuntu dual boot, so you can take your time learning linux? Someone who want just pop in a disk and then run?

Theres lots of documentation to help you fix what isnt working as some in this thread pointed out. And these forums. Don't let a moron ruin a powerful computing option for you...and dont feel you have to run one or the other.

Unless your machine hs only a 4GB harddrive, even a standard old time 40G's is enough to run two, three or even four operating systems.......nows a good time to learn linux as well, as vista starts to try and make people more indentured to MS and shell out more money for hardware.

Hopet things work out better real soon, hang in there

peace

**Pizzarth** · Feb 26, 2007, 08:51 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

As a new linux user myself, just got it this morning, I know how you feel. at least I think I do
My all-in-one and my seperate scanner don't work yet, I barely know how to install programs and havent used much outside of windows.

Well first step is to either talk to that friend again into explaining it to you nicely or to get a new friend. My friend personally walked me through every keystroke i needed to press so I would understand it and remember it. He helped me resize my windows partition and install kubuntu alongside it.

Actually linux isn't that complicated if your not being frantic about it, and taking it a little slow. In my opiniion it's better than windows, which i probably won't even be using anymore except for some specific games. The cursor jumping around could be a wrong keyboard configuration, only think I can think of.

If you can't get java chat clients to work you can always just download gaim which can take care most of your chatting needs, and then you can go into adept and search for firefox, click to install and apply the changes to install that. On firefox there's a chatzilla extension in case you were talking about IRC.

In short, the problem with the "miraculous" Kubuntu is that it seems to be an insider's program, just like the usual computer egomaniacs like it. If it's indeed user-friendly, my best guess is that it's only user-friendly for the compu-snobs who are into devoting their lives to finding out all the secret bells and whistles that actually unlock its full potential.

In short, you may have heard the phrase "linux, it's not just for geeks anymore" or something like that which has been going around a lot lately. It's pretty much true. The only complicated part of the setup is the partitioning, and you could have clicked the next button yourself. it seems that's all your friend did. Nothing is ever user-friendly for the first time. yea you're probably already sick of hearing that but it's true.

IMO linux is more bang for your buck. No questions asked. particularly because it definitely uses my system resources better and two, it's free.

Bad joke: windows bang/$100 < linux bang(>windows bang)/$0..
so windows bang/$100 = some random number but linux bang/$0 = infinity.

so it's not all that funny, just works out kinda nice

**fdv** · Feb 26, 2007, 10:04 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

I have been debating a reply to this. I'm a fellow n00b to Linux, but I arrived in a different way -- Microsoft showed a bunch of it's customers the door (XP, Vista). I have been using Kubuntu on and off since 5.10. Your friend just installing it for you deserves to have his a-- kicked :P

Linux is completely an insider's OS. I dual booted with Caldera's Linux distro and later Red Hat back 9 or so years ago. I wanted to give it a try. Oh My God, the attitude toward n00bs then was to show us the door. The fact that in 2007 there are Linux forums with polite people illustrates that more and more non-elitist experts are using it and willing to help others.

Linux is worth learning but for now it just doesn't compare to Windows in some respects. Tell your friend to set you up to dual boot. Then do "homework" and try things like ripping a CD, or installing software using all three methods: Add/remove Programs, and System/Adept Manager, and the Konsole. Meanwhile continue to use XP for things it's just better for (gaming or running software that has no equivalent in Linux like a good Usenet client, or Adobe Creative SUite, etc etc).

1. This chatacter hopping as you type -- something's wrong
2,3. Playing DVDs is a nightmare because of patent restrictions. Microsoft and others license the software. Same for MP3's. If it's closed source, then Microsoft paid for the right to include decoders in the OS, which you won't find in Linux. Unless you install Automatix (K menu, System, Adept Manager, type "Automatix," click the result, click request install, click Apply Changes)
4. Yeah, Linux purports to deal well with printers, and I have a LaserJet 4 from like 15 years ago that doesn't print right because I use a USB to serial converter. Unfortunately that's Linux. I learn with faith and hope that one day this situation will be rectified.
5. You might try the installation procedure I typed above for Automatix but substitute "java"

I am disheartened that software patents and a lamentable "free software" philosophy that tends to make things difficult for n00bs (i.e. having to add the nonfree universe repository manually) but it's a decent OS that in some respects has a lot more of a future than Windows does with this whole Vista mess.

Solution for you:
- Dual boot
- Install Crossover
- Do some things in Linux that you do in Windows to learn slowly
- Read the Kubuntu Desktop Guide https://help.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/desk...e/C/index.html

Best of luck, man

**JBlessman** · Mar 07, 2007, 01:38 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

I'm also a n00b to Linux. I'm not a gamer (although when I do game its only usually Madden or a Strategy Game). Most of what I do is simple word processing and internet use, and the occasional "archiving" of DVD's. I was and am content to use XP, but I had a growing dissatisfaction with Microsoft. Although I don't leap into outright hate that some people do, and after careful thought and the purchase of a new SATA 250gb HD along with my 320gb IDE/PATA; I decided to install Ubuntu to get my feet wet.

Now, I'm a firm believer that sometimes the best way to learn something is to try it out and if you screw up learn how you screwed up. Well after a couple of failures I finally got ubuntu working and then decided to try the Kubuntu and I screwed the pooch on that one so bad I got a BSD. However, I switched back to XP and looked up stuff in this forum to help. Once I did I found the information I needed and fixed my problems. You're having problems now but if you use this forum and except the fact that no one is usually good at something straight out of the box. You'll find Linux may very well suit you.

And lets not forget with all the new "security" features on VISTA, MS OS's are going to become less friendly to gamers, and "archivers" over the next couple of years. Also if you still have issues with the installed Media Player programs try "VLC Media Player" and that plays everything.

*DRM MUST DIE or MARRY TOM CRUISE*

**Guest** · Mar 07, 2007, 02:03 PM

Re: Getting Way Tired of My New Kubuntu

I have installed probably every distro know to man so I am not that new to Linux... Actually I know little but I read the manual...
The only grip I have with kubantu is the lack of support for nonstandard programs (by nonstandard I mean those not automatically installed by ?ubuntu such as my favorite piece of Linux software MC...

I have followed two different sets of instruction to install Firefox but all I get is a bouncing icon (install went ok)...

I will persist as kubuntu actually installed perfectly (adding... noapic) on my Athlon 64 / Asus M2N32-SLI Delux / and a nice GForce card, where five other distros just gave me blank screens...

Mike
PS any help with install MC appreciated...

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