Linux users -- talk to me...

[davepeck]

so i just installed ubuntu on a thinkpad i had lying around.. i don\'t really know what i want to do with it yet - i sort of just installed it so i could do some fooling around and get some linux exposure..

anyways, i\'m looking for some newbie tips, must-have apps, etc.. anything you linux users think might be useful for my fresh new ass..

on a side note - i downloaded RealVNC for linux, but can\'t figure out how to install it.. i extracted the gzip, but all of the files (icons) show locks on them, and i can\'t do anything with them. the files that don\'t have locks don\'t seem to do anything (that sounds SO newbish, but i\'m stuck!)..

any help = appreciated..

[kindm's]

Dave.

ubuntu is very very user friendly however. installign things is a little tricky sometimes. Most applications are already prepped for you.

My ubuntu machine is dead at the moment so I am going entirely by memory.

realVNC etc. ubuntu has remote desktop application that supports both realVNC and windows remote desktop and a few others. many things must be "unlocked"

If you go to the package manager it should list tons and I mean tons of applications and a short description of what they do etc.

Wine is a big 1. Allows you to emulate windows versions etc and get windows applications to run if u want them. Most of the applications you will want are already installed (openoffice, terminal, rempte desktop, email, GAIM, GIMP etc)

[kindm's]

I am sure you know this but the documentation is awesome

https://help.ubuntu.com/6.10/ubuntu/desktopguide/C/index.html

there is also a PDF version

https://help.ubuntu.com/6.10/pdf/ubuntu/C/desktopguide.pdf

[bdfreetuna]

If I were you I def. would have gotten Fedora Core 6 over the new Ubuntu.

In case you decide to switch you\'ve got free tech support for life ... but a lot of things are distro-specific so I\'m not really sure what you got on there already.

Here\'s a few basic tips:

- Ubuntu uses apt-get right? Learn what this is ASAP and use it.
- Get all the "bad" "other" "extras" extensions for your media players.
- Make a seperate and smaller partition to put your linux system files on. Like 20gb should be good. Partition the rest whatever you got into ext2. This is for when you inevitably start to experiment with other distros... (just wipe the 20gb over and over again is easier)

For real though Ubuntu is trendy, in that nerdy way, but its not the best. It was the best last year. Now Fedora is better again if you want an RPM-based distrobution.

[davepeck]

thanks guys.. all i\'ve really done so far is install it, and get my wireless connected to my network.. like i said, i tried to install realvnc, but that\'s about all i\'ve done so far..

i\'m open to trying other distros too.. this is really just an experiment without any real plan.. i have 2 thinkpad T20\'s that are just collecting dust, and i figured this would be a good way to put them to use. maybe i\'ll try fedora in the other one for shits and giggles.. i also have a T30 and a T42 that i could just pop a drive in at any time, but i\'d rather not use those for the \'experiment\'..

also, how is ubuntu/linux with external drives? anyone have any experience? the T20\'s only have stock 20GB drives in them, but i\'ve got plenty of drives lying around that i could just pop into an enclosure if i wanted..

thanks again.. i\'m gonna try to fool around a little more with it tonight..

[bdfreetuna]

^^
Any of the distros that came out in the last year Ubuntu DapperDrake+ or Fedora 5+ should have no problems with USB drives.

Writing to NTFS is a problem though. Best to have linux read/write to a linux partition (reiserFS,ext2,ext3)

[davepeck]

wow, i actually like Krdc (the remote desktop program) better than RealVNC -- the \'scale\' function is KEY!