So last year I had a sweet job where I used Linux on my work desktop and had a pretty bitchin' .bashrc setup and stuff. I decided the other day to go look for all the stuff I had used to make it awesome and I remembered one of the cooler things: Replacing 'more' and 'less' (pager apps, like for man pages) with 'most'.
So, install most, and put this in your .bashrc and enjoy colorful man pages and other files you normally view with less or more:
[ -x /usr/bin/most ] && export PAGER=most
[ -x /usr/bin/most ] && alias more='most' && alias less='most'
So, I have a Linux laptop with a bunch of really large files that I need transferred to my XP desktop. They're both in the same network, so how do I set them up for some sweet file moving? What do I need? Is it easy?
a couple of the relatively painless methods i use are either samba or scp
might as well take the time to setup a samba share so you can do this whenever you want. just look at the sample smb.conf and modify the example share directory to yours and your windows machine will be able to see it on the network.
Also fun is Rsync (I like using the Grsync GUI), which can be used with Samba. It pretty much lets you verify that the copy was successful and lets you stop and resume the process without pulling out of hair.
My aunts computer went belly up and its time for a whole new machine. Since I live over one thousand miles and since her and her daughter don't really get computers (but still need one), I'm wondering if a Linux flavor with a super basic UI would be a good idea.
I know my aunt would be fine with it, but my cousin is 12 and uses a computer the same way any 12 year old girl would; school, iPod, probably Twilight stuff, and generally screwing it up. I expect this computer to be used for the next 8 years untill the might upgrade again, so expect between 12 and 20, my cousin's useage will change dramatically.
I think Open Office should be good enough as long as I teach her to save in the right formats. Would having a home computer with a basic UI hinder her future ability to use a computer successfully? Might her school at some point give her something they need a Windows machine for? I don't see either of them wanting to install any software outside of basic use, so I'm not worried there. She's not the type to dig around an OS, so she won't ruin the installation, but since her mother isn't computer savvy, God knows what this girl is doing to the machine.
Should I set them up with a dual boot and just tell me aunt to use Linux?
I can't install this for them, I am going to talk to some computer guys out in her area about this.
Improvolone on
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I hate the argument that using Linux will make people ill-prepared for using Windows, because ultimately the very core UI concepts remain the same, and its the location of the Start button, and system tray that moved around (oh god no).
If it's that much of a problem, KDE 4 can be set up to look almost identical to the Windows setup anyway (for that matter, so can GNOME) And since Firefox and OpenOffice are very much the same as they are on any OS and so is the internet in general its not too much of a problem in any case.
EDIT: If she picks a computing subject for high school I know my school used Visual Basic as the programming language, so that's kinda gay, but otherwise Ubuntu does a pretty good job of simplifying and automating most of the technical stuff.
Is there a Linux flavor with a ridiculously simple UI? Maybe something geared towards children or the elderly? Maybe something along the lines of Eee's original netbook layout.
Yea, that simple.
Improvolone on
Voice actor for hire. My time is free if your project is!
Is there a Linux flavor with a ridiculously simple UI? Maybe something geared towards children or the elderly? Maybe something along the lines of Eee's original netbook layout.
Yea, that simple.
The ubuntu netbook remix looks fairly similar to that in that it's got the main categories from the dropdown menu along the left hand side and giant icons in the middle. I don't remember what the panel package is called, but you probably just want to install that and not go for a full remix install.
I have an Eee PC as well and tried Ubuntu Netbook Remix... It's kinda meh. I prefer Eeebuntu, the Standard edition (there's one with the UNR UI, though).
Since I still expect to have to do some sort of tech support (she doesn't even know how to save and open files and copy anything to a flash drive), if there some way I can take control of her computer across the internet since I also use Ubuntu?
And iTunes, what will replace iTunes?
Improvolone on
Voice actor for hire. My time is free if your project is!
Has anyone here been able to get openbox to work with dual monitors on ubuntu 9.04? I've tried looking at different tutorials, but I really suck at editing xorg.conf
Since I still expect to have to do some sort of tech support (she doesn't even know how to save and open files and copy anything to a flash drive), if there some way I can take control of her computer across the internet since I also use Ubuntu?
System > Preferences > Remote Desktop
I've never used it, but it seems like it might do the trick. Here's a screenshot.
You could also look into VPNs, but I'm not sure if those would work for you. Mostly because I'm not 100% sure what they are.
I have made a low spec - 1 Ghz 1, gig RAM 8 gig solid state drive computer as seen here: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=69774
I currently Ubuntu 9.04 installed but was wondering what would be a better OS for a low-spec machine. I want it as light weight as I can get it to have more free space and less strain on the processor. I installed XCFE and openbox but have found they don't run noticeably quicker than Gnome I was wondering if I should have tried a netbook remix of Ubuntu or something.
tl;dr
What is the fastest lightweight OS for a low-powered computer.
Debian, Sidux, Crunchbang and Arch if you still want the awesome. I ran Sidux with Openbox on machines with less than half those specs for a very long time.
If you wanna go seriously light: Puppy, Damn Small Linux, Knoppix and the likes.
Personally, I would go the first route. Though a gig more RAM would do freaking wonders in that department. Still, my latest low-spec machine, a 233mhz, 1 gig RAM laptop would boot sidux in around the 10 second mark after some tweaking with Opera opening near instantly.
Stupid question, but you can run an i386 linux OS on a 64-bit CPU, right?
I'm too lazy to un-fuck my Ubuntu 9.04 install (goddamn video card drivers) and figured I'd give Crunchbang a "real" try on my main laptop, instead of just using it as a lightweight OS on my dad's somewhat gimped laptop.
Thing is, I don't see them offering a 64 bit version, so.
Yeah, a 64-bit version is in the works (And I'm pretty sure you can just run the crunchbang script from a base Ubuntu 64 install), but the regular version works fine on 64-bit.
Yeah, it's pretty nifty. I traded a cheap weaponlight for my dad's laptop, so needless to say, it's kinda shit (I think it's got 192mb of ram). Crunchbang boots quick and all the programs are fast as fuck, I was honestly surprised. Stock Ubuntu is slow as hell, and XP is even worse. CB made a fan of me pretty quick that day.
So, the whole "Add/Remove" thing that comes with stock Ubuntu, what's it called?
This might sound dumb, but I miss it and want to install it in Crunchbang, haha.
Synaptic, it's basically a fancy gui for apt.
I don't know what Crunchbang is, but if it's another distro, it has to use the APT package format, or else you can't use Synaptic.
However, if it uses RPMs, you can use apt-rpm or yum to the same effect. Likewise with BSD's pkg system, or Gentoo's portage system (the ebuilds, though, not the source files).
Crunchbang comes with Synaptic, and that's what I'm using right now. It's good, but there was a dumbed-down version in Ubuntu if you clicked on... uh, whatever the Ubuntu "start" button is, then went straight to "Add/Remove."
It wasn't as powerful and didn't list as much stuff, but it had popularity ratings for things built in, and a couple of other things that made it slightly easier to navigate. Which is why I miss it, but oh well. Synaptic gets the job done, so I guess I'll stick with that.
Crunchbang is an Ubuntu-based distro that runs Openbox. So it's an apt and .deb kinda distro.
Since I still expect to have to do some sort of tech support (she doesn't even know how to save and open files and copy anything to a flash drive), if there some way I can take control of her computer across the internet since I also use Ubuntu?
System > Preferences > Remote Desktop
I've never used it, but it seems like it might do the trick. Here's a screenshot.
[snip]
You could also look into VPNs, but I'm not sure if those would work for you. Mostly because I'm not 100% sure what they are.
I recommend NoMachine NX (it's not open source, but it works GREAT). It is like MS Remote Desktop: fast and easy to use. I'm pretty sure it lets you do screen sharing a la VNC, but it's been a while since I've used it (mostly for server admin - before I knew how to use ssh).
Crunchbang comes with Synaptic, and that's what I'm using right now. It's good, but there was a dumbed-down version in Ubuntu if you clicked on... uh, whatever the Ubuntu "start" button is, then went straight to "Add/Remove."
It wasn't as powerful and didn't list as much stuff, but it had popularity ratings for things built in, and a couple of other things that made it slightly easier to navigate. Which is why I miss it, but oh well. Synaptic gets the job done, so I guess I'll stick with that.
Crunchbang is an Ubuntu-based distro that runs Openbox. So it's an apt and .deb kinda distro.
The terminal command is gnome-app-install, I don't remember if that package comes default with CB...
Since I still expect to have to do some sort of tech support (she doesn't even know how to save and open files and copy anything to a flash drive), if there some way I can take control of her computer across the internet since I also use Ubuntu?
System > Preferences > Remote Desktop
I've never used it, but it seems like it might do the trick. Here's a screenshot.
[snip]
You could also look into VPNs, but I'm not sure if those would work for you. Mostly because I'm not 100% sure what they are.
I recommend NoMachine NX (it's not open source, but it works GREAT). It is like MS Remote Desktop: fast and easy to use. I'm pretty sure it lets you do screen sharing a la VNC, but it's been a while since I've used it (mostly for server admin - before I knew how to use ssh).
Crunchbang comes with Synaptic, and that's what I'm using right now. It's good, but there was a dumbed-down version in Ubuntu if you clicked on... uh, whatever the Ubuntu "start" button is, then went straight to "Add/Remove."
It wasn't as powerful and didn't list as much stuff, but it had popularity ratings for things built in, and a couple of other things that made it slightly easier to navigate. Which is why I miss it, but oh well. Synaptic gets the job done, so I guess I'll stick with that.
Crunchbang is an Ubuntu-based distro that runs Openbox. So it's an apt and .deb kinda distro.
The terminal command is gnome-app-install, I don't remember if that package comes default with CB...
Since I still expect to have to do some sort of tech support (she doesn't even know how to save and open files and copy anything to a flash drive), if there some way I can take control of her computer across the internet since I also use Ubuntu?
System > Preferences > Remote Desktop
I've never used it, but it seems like it might do the trick. Here's a screenshot.
[snip]
You could also look into VPNs, but I'm not sure if those would work for you. Mostly because I'm not 100% sure what they are.
I recommend NoMachine NX (it's not open source, but it works GREAT). It is like MS Remote Desktop: fast and easy to use. I'm pretty sure it lets you do screen sharing a la VNC, but it's been a while since I've used it (mostly for server admin - before I knew how to use ssh).
Thanks, I'll be sure to run this stuff by the guy whose doing the work. Would I also be able to access her machine if she is booted into Windows?
Doesn't it only work if the host is using an XP Pro or Vista Business/Enterprise/Ultimate version of Windows? I'm pretty sure Vista Home Basic or XP Home won't cut it (though I might very well be wrong).
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So, install most, and put this in your .bashrc and enjoy colorful man pages and other files you normally view with less or more:
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I have a couple, what would you like? Single-line or block-type things?
might as well take the time to setup a samba share so you can do this whenever you want. just look at the sample smb.conf and modify the example share directory to yours and your windows machine will be able to see it on the network.
Also fun is Rsync (I like using the Grsync GUI), which can be used with Samba. It pretty much lets you verify that the copy was successful and lets you stop and resume the process without pulling out of hair.
I know my aunt would be fine with it, but my cousin is 12 and uses a computer the same way any 12 year old girl would; school, iPod, probably Twilight stuff, and generally screwing it up. I expect this computer to be used for the next 8 years untill the might upgrade again, so expect between 12 and 20, my cousin's useage will change dramatically.
I think Open Office should be good enough as long as I teach her to save in the right formats. Would having a home computer with a basic UI hinder her future ability to use a computer successfully? Might her school at some point give her something they need a Windows machine for? I don't see either of them wanting to install any software outside of basic use, so I'm not worried there. She's not the type to dig around an OS, so she won't ruin the installation, but since her mother isn't computer savvy, God knows what this girl is doing to the machine.
Should I set them up with a dual boot and just tell me aunt to use Linux?
I can't install this for them, I am going to talk to some computer guys out in her area about this.
I hate the argument that using Linux will make people ill-prepared for using Windows, because ultimately the very core UI concepts remain the same, and its the location of the Start button, and system tray that moved around (oh god no).
If it's that much of a problem, KDE 4 can be set up to look almost identical to the Windows setup anyway (for that matter, so can GNOME) And since Firefox and OpenOffice are very much the same as they are on any OS and so is the internet in general its not too much of a problem in any case.
EDIT: If she picks a computing subject for high school I know my school used Visual Basic as the programming language, so that's kinda gay, but otherwise Ubuntu does a pretty good job of simplifying and automating most of the technical stuff.
Yea, that simple.
http://edubuntu.org/
?
But that's Xandros built for the Eee's, probably not something that would work well on a Dell.
I think they both use CPUs from Intel (similar instruction set), so it'll probably work. I don't know what they did to the hardware detection, though.
And iTunes, what will replace iTunes?
Seriously, I plugged in my gf's iPod and it recognized it pretty much instantly. In just a few seconds I was already listening to her music library.
edit: It's the default media player in Eeebuntu.
System > Preferences > Remote Desktop
I've never used it, but it seems like it might do the trick. Here's a screenshot.
You could also look into VPNs, but I'm not sure if those would work for you. Mostly because I'm not 100% sure what they are.
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=69774
I currently Ubuntu 9.04 installed but was wondering what would be a better OS for a low-spec machine. I want it as light weight as I can get it to have more free space and less strain on the processor. I installed XCFE and openbox but have found they don't run noticeably quicker than Gnome I was wondering if I should have tried a netbook remix of Ubuntu or something.
tl;dr
What is the fastest lightweight OS for a low-powered computer.
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Puppy?
If you wanna go seriously light: Puppy, Damn Small Linux, Knoppix and the likes.
Personally, I would go the first route. Though a gig more RAM would do freaking wonders in that department. Still, my latest low-spec machine, a 233mhz, 1 gig RAM laptop would boot sidux in around the 10 second mark after some tweaking with Opera opening near instantly.
I'm too lazy to un-fuck my Ubuntu 9.04 install (goddamn video card drivers) and figured I'd give Crunchbang a "real" try on my main laptop, instead of just using it as a lightweight OS on my dad's somewhat gimped laptop.
Thing is, I don't see them offering a 64 bit version, so.
And is awesome.
Like.. really awesome.
I'm glad to hear it'll run on mine.
I think I found a new distro.
Sweet, sweet Chromium. How I missed your shooty goodness.
Similar to Ubuntu, the Crunchbang installer CD is a liveCD.
This might sound dumb, but I miss it and want to install it in Crunchbang, haha.
Synaptic, it's basically a fancy gui for apt.
I don't know what Crunchbang is, but if it's another distro, it has to use the APT package format, or else you can't use Synaptic.
However, if it uses RPMs, you can use apt-rpm or yum to the same effect. Likewise with BSD's pkg system, or Gentoo's portage system (the ebuilds, though, not the source files).
It wasn't as powerful and didn't list as much stuff, but it had popularity ratings for things built in, and a couple of other things that made it slightly easier to navigate. Which is why I miss it, but oh well. Synaptic gets the job done, so I guess I'll stick with that.
Crunchbang is an Ubuntu-based distro that runs Openbox. So it's an apt and .deb kinda distro.
I recommend NoMachine NX (it's not open source, but it works GREAT). It is like MS Remote Desktop: fast and easy to use. I'm pretty sure it lets you do screen sharing a la VNC, but it's been a while since I've used it (mostly for server admin - before I knew how to use ssh).
You'll also want to be able to bypass any firewalls or NAT routers in the way. A pain-free way is to get Hamachi (yes it runs on Linux) and set it to auto-start on boot.
SC2 NA: exoplasm.519 | PA SC2 Mumble Server | My Website | My Stream
The terminal command is gnome-app-install, I don't remember if that package comes default with CB...
[email protected]:~$ apt-cache search gnome-app-install
app-install-data - Ubuntu applications (data files)
app-install-data-edubuntu - Edubuntu add-on data for gnome-app-install
gnome-app-install - GNOME Application Installer
app-install-data-commercial - Application Installer (data files for commercial applications)
app-install-data-medibuntu - Medibuntu applications (data files)
I imagine you'd want one or several of those packages.
Thanks, I'll be sure to run this stuff by the guy whose doing the work. Would I also be able to access her machine if she is booted into Windows?
Hmm, I'll take a look at those. Thanks man.
Edit: Yup, exactly what I'm looking for.
Doesn't it only work if the host is using an XP Pro or Vista Business/Enterprise/Ultimate version of Windows? I'm pretty sure Vista Home Basic or XP Home won't cut it (though I might very well be wrong).