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YES! by mangu · 2007-06-10 01:20 · Score: 1, Interesting · on Justice Dept. Defends Microsoft Against Google

Hey, let's just disassemble the OS entirely piece by piece

You mean, like this? I'm all for it.

and put it all back together with 3rd party

Like this? Sounds good, let's do it!

Re:google is EVIL! by MichaelSmith · 2007-06-09 23:43 · Score: 0, Offtopic · on Justice Dept. Defends Microsoft Against Google

Google doesn't care if the search tool is bundled or not, they just want MS to expose some why to turn the thing off.

This brings to mind disk compression back in the '90s. Third party tools emerged to fill the gaps in Windows, then Microsoft filled those gaps and the suppliers of those products got a little bit upset. I know that there was an IP issue about that specific example which makes it different so maybe its a bad example.

To take an extreme position, what if google has an alternate kernel which they think people should run. Should Microsoft be made to provide a way to turn off the normal kernel?

Re:that didn't take long by Anonymous Coward · 2007-06-07 08:10 · Score: 0 · on After Ubuntu, Windows Looks Increasingly Bad

Not sure if you were joking about an exe, but in any case you can find one here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/install.exe/Prototype

Re:Yes by PastaLover · 2007-06-05 08:37 · Score: 1 · on Is Linux Out of Touch With the Average User?

Audacity:

Audacity is a multi-track audio editor for Linux/Unix, MacOS and Windows. It is designed for easy recording, playing and editing of digital audio. Audacity features digital effects and spectrum analysis tools. Editing is very fast and provides unlimited undo/redo.

Sure it says playing in there, but something about it being a "multi-track audio editor" must have given away that this is not the type of application you use to play your mp3s with. Maybe you should teach your grandma to read the descriptions properly next time.

I'm the Ubuntu Forums guy by MagicFab · 2007-06-05 05:52 · Score: 5, Informative · on Dell Thinks Ubuntu Makes Hardware More Fragile?

Hi

Actually I work for Canonical full time at their global support centre. I also happen to volunteer in the forums and I saw this post in several places. I forwarded it internally to Canonical Staff and it's been passed to Dell.

Cheers,

Fabian Rodriguez
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FabianRodriguez

Re:Is there any choice at all? by Windowser · 2007-06-03 03:27 · Score: 1 · on New Review Compares MythTV to Vista MCE

I think you understate the difficulty in installing and setting up MythTV

Try the easy way : https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MythTV_Feisty
In my experience, it is easier than installing any version of Windows

Re:Okay... How do we use a crack? by Ngwenya · 2007-06-01 03:22 · Score: 4, Informative · on New AACS Fix Hacked in a Day

Now that multiple keys are out, how does someone legitimately use a key to view a HD disc on Linux?

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormat s/BluRayAndHDDVD is one method which can help; but a few caveats. The problem for Linux play is no longer the video codecs (recent ffmpeg builds have VC-1 support pretty much down pat, and H.264 has been fine for ages if you have a sufficiently powerful rig).

The problem is audio codecs. Most HD-DVDs/BRDs have either E-AC3 (A/52B) or TruHD audio, which ffmpeg currently cannot decode. There are folks working away on it, but it might be a while before concrete results are available. Until then, one possibility - if fiddly - is to demux the video/audio/subtitle streams under Windows using some of the tools available on Doom9 and then transcoding the E-AC3 tracks to AC-3 (or TruHD to FLAC) using EAC3To. You can then remux the video/audio/subtitle tracks into Matroska, and use mplayer or VLC to watch it under Linux. Cumbersome, and not very friendly, but you won't lose any video quality, and if it's FLAC, you won't lose audio quality either.

--Ng

Re:Great ... :-S by drinkypoo · 2007-05-29 04:34 · Score: 1 · on Google Buys Anti-Malware Security Startup

When will we see a REAL solution to these problems, and stop implementing obscure security work-arounds that eat more resources than the applications themselves? Anyone?

We have a solution. It's called capabilities, and it's implemented on Linux through an Open Source system called SElinux, developed by the NSA and released to the public. It's available for a number of Linux implementations, including Ubuntu (although no implementation of SElinux seems to have a decent userland/interface.)

Re:How to create an illusion by suv4x4 · 2007-05-29 02:42 · Score: 1 · on New Zealand Rejects Office For Macs

Thanks, I was about to point that out. MS ads always feature shiny happy people having a meeting around a Windows PC.

Shame on them.. Their ads should instead feature sad, depressed people, on the verge of jumping from the open window, end their miserable life.

rPath by Anonymous Coward · 2007-05-28 05:07 · Score: 1, Interesting · on VM Enables 'Write-Once, Run Anywhere' Linux Apps

This seems like a more mass market application of rPath's idea of building custom VMWare images for specific applications (although the VM sounds like it will be less distinct from the host OS, hopefully this will give performance increase). It is a pretty clever idea, and essentially flips these kind of ideas https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SeamlessWindowsIntegration on their head.

Re:I'm one of those 3. Here's the system I'll buy: by MojoStan · 2007-05-24 22:01 · Score: 1 · on Dell Ships Ubuntu 7.04 PCs Today

By the way, what the heck is "TrueLife (glossy)"? I have the option to have it or not have it for my screen, at the same price, but it sounds like a load of MarketSpeak. It's a shiny LCD surface (popular on "home" notebooks) that can make images look sharper and colors look richer. However, it also adds an annoying reflective glare. There's some good photos showing these reflections at John Siracusa's rant about the MacBook's glossy display:

And we all shine on.

The better choice really depends on whatever is important to you. If you put a lot of value on por.. err... photos and video, then you might like the glossy display. If reading text is more important to you and your lighting conditions are unpredictable, then you might want the traditional matte-finish display.

I decided to upgrade the memory from 512MB to 2GB (+$200)
...

Intel® Pentium® dual-core proc T2080(1MB Cache/1.73GHz/533MHz FSB
...
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display with TrueLife(TM)(glossy)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM
...
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950

You might want to consider 667MHz dual channel memory (+250 at Dell, cheaper elsewhere) because the integrated GMA 950 graphics shares memory bandwidth with the rest of the system. 533MHz memory might be fine for 2D, but 3D operations (at 1280x800) can easily saturate the available memory bandwidth. I haven't tried the optional Compiz OpenGL-accelerated window manager yet (called "Desktop Effects" in Ubuntu and disabled by default), but I'm sure it benefits from extra memory bandwidth. If you don't see a future for Compiz, then perhaps 533MHz memory will be good enough.

Note that Newegg.com has 2GB 667MHz kits starting at $80 ($5 shipping).

Talk about "locked-in"! by Duggeek · 2007-05-23 18:04 · Score: 1 · on Is Linux Out of Touch With the Average User?

There is no update to FF 2 for Ubuntu 6.06. It will stay at FF 1.5, and the dapper-backports also don't have an update.

I may have missed your reasoning on this, but why the avoidance of non-Ubuntu-sanctioned software?

All it really means is that the Ubuntu teams haven't cleared FireFox 2.0 as “fully integrated” for Ubuntu distro's.

Does that mean it's unavailable? No.

Running Kubuntu Feisty with FireFox 2.0.0.3. I guess it's available, and I guess it's working.

If there's an argument to make, it's for the refinement of package delivery and interoperability of inter-distro packaging schemes. Just because it's a non-Ubuntu package doesn't mean it doesn't run on Ubuntu. (That's just sooo Windows-boxed thinking!)

Seriously... snap out of it.

When you're using Windows, you wouldn't go out and buy non-Windows software... 'coz it won't work. We all know that.

If you're using Ubuntu, you're using Linux. If you're using Mandriva, you're using Linux. If you're using Red Hat, you're using Linux.

If any given program offers a Linux package, there's probably a way to install and use it on your type of Linux.

If you're stuck on how to do it, keep asking and you will receive an answer.

Besides, Dapper is sooo 2005. Get Feisty!

Re:So Tell Me, Where Do I Go To Buy Linux? by grikdog · 2007-05-23 10:49 · Score: 1 · on Is Linux Out of Touch With the Average User?

"Buy Linux"...? Try http://shipit.ubuntu.com/ and get it free.

Ubuntu type of distros are a real threat to Linux by Anonymous Coward · 2007-05-23 05:45 · Score: 0, Troll · on Ubuntu Founder Says Microsoft Not A Big Threat

They dropped PowerPC official support claiming PowerPC is dead while Apple plans/releases Leopard and at least 10.6 supporting down to G4.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCReview

That type of distro is a first. I think Linux kernel still supports MIPS/Alpha CPUs ,when did last MIPS sell?

Don't be tricked, we really don't need another RDF type person and his fanboys.

For Linux, credible sources are: Linus, Debian people, Redhat Inc. and even RMS. Not some bored billionaire who will show very evil face soon.

I know Linus is not some "Wow, 8 Xeons, lets buy" type guy and I have reason to believe he still uses Dual G5 Mac as one of the posters mentioned on URL above.

Expect anything from that spoiled billionaire.

Re:I have 3 words for you: by Knuckles · 2007-05-23 04:29 · Score: 4, Informative · on Is Linux Out of Touch With the Average User?

Not true, Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty) will prompt you and install missing codecs for you. This works as long as you stay with the default applications (that use gstreamer). Otherwise follow https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormat s

Easy MythTV Installation with Ubuntu by zukakog · 2007-05-22 04:11 · Score: 1 · on Windows Media Center Restricts Cable TV

I can get a clean machine up and running in an hour with MCE. Compare that to the RedHat MythTV Howto [wilsonet.com], which takes many hours for even a basic install. And after that, it's a pain to get everything set up and working as it should.

I'd suggest trying MythTV on Ubuntu 7.04. It takes 15-30 min. to install Ubuntu, and about 15 min. to get MythTV up and running, if you follow the nifty guide on the Ubuntu Wiki @ https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MythTV/

It's literally just a cut'n'pastes (or clicks if you prefer) to install MythTV, and a few cut'n'pastes to get the tuner card drivers working, assuming it isn't automatically detected.

I have a backend installed on a computer that's tucked away. On all the other computers in the house, I just "sudo aptitude install ubuntu-mythtv-frontend", and a few seconds later, they are all ready to go.

If you haven't tried MythTV in the last year or so, I'd seriously check it out. When I first installed it on Ubuntu 5.10, it took me a while to get things working right. 6.06 was a little better, but there were still some small issues. 6.10 was a breeze, and 7.04 was just a few clicks. Even on that guide to get MythTV working on Fedora it suggests MythDora as an easy alternative.

While MythTV might still have some shortcomings, I don't believe installation is one of them anymore.

Re:restricted extras by jon_anderson_ca · 2007-05-22 03:57 · Score: 1 · on Dell Linux Details

That doesn't enable libdvdcss, tthough.

Re:But will they be cheaper? by glittalogik · 2007-05-21 18:46 · Score: 2, Informative · on Dell Linux Details

As far as the average home user goes, just about anything you need can be found within 10 minutes on the forums or various tutorials and how-tos via google.

Paid support from Canonical (source):

9-5: $250/yr (USD)
24x7: $900/yr (USD)

Re:Hmmm, not good by Compholio · 2007-05-21 14:34 · Score: 3, Insightful · on Dell Linux Details

I hope they provide instructions, or perhaps a script that runs the first time you boot into your Linux box that can auto-install these codecs, otherwise this will piss off a lot of people.

Supposedly they'll be shipping 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) which has a codec wizard

Re:It's not the content that's being restricted by Daengbo · 2007-05-21 01:58 · Score: 1 · on Windows Media Center Restricts Cable TV

I'm not trying to say that you should retract your statement about MythTV being hard, because I tried (and failed) a couple of times to set it up before, but I just tried again tonight and was surprised how simple it was on Ubuntu 7.04.

Do a base install of Ubuntu Server 7.04
update
apt-get install mythtv
reboot
answer the questions on the screen

That was it. Everything worked (except the Weather plugin, which is permanently broken, sigh). Wow. Thirty minutes, tops. I didn't even have to read the howto, though I probably should have.

Re:But why do we need these in the first place? by doodleboy · 2007-05-20 03:48 · Score: 3, Interesting · on Unsticking Yourself From Your Security Application

Maybe I'm an old stick in the mud. But I've had far, far more trouble CAUSED by most of these applications than I've seen prevented.

Ain't that the truth.

I bought a couple of Dulls last year, a desktop for me and a laptop for the wife. I turned mine on long enough to ensure that it worked, then wiped the drive and installed Ubuntu. The wife wanted XP, so the first thing I installed was the Dell De-crapifier, an earlier version of the PC De-crapifier. Off came gigabytes worth of crapware, including the McAfee internet security suite, as bloated a POS as you will ever find. (Except for maybe the Norton internet security suite.)

Then I installed the free versions of AVG Antivirus, Ad-Aware and Spybot. AVG works well and is much less bloated than McAfee and Norton. Other than all the screwing around to make it stable and secure, we have never had a problem with the laptop.

However it is annoying to have to delete tons of garbage no sane person would ever want. It is annoying that Windows is so insecure. It is annoying to have to depend on Windows Update when Microsoft uses it frogmarch their users onto new software (e.g. IE 7, WGA) that has nothing to do with security. It is annoying having to go to so many different websites for software updates.

I have three linux boxes, 2 Ubuntu and one Ipcop firewall. That one Windows laptop requires more babysitting than all the linux boxes put together.

People complain about computer viruses, computer worms, computer trojans, computer instability, computer insecurity, computer crapware, computer bloatware. Et cetera.

To that I say :%s/computer/Windows/g

Re:Woe is Symantec by jZnat · 2007-05-19 09:38 · Score: 1 · on Symantec Updates Cause Chaos in China

By the sounds of it, you haven't used Linux in several years. Try out Ubuntu for the "Just Works(R)(TM)(SM)(C)" experience. Pretty much any complaint people normally have about Linux (since they haven't used it since the 20th century) have been solved for quite some time in distributions like Ubuntu. There are also some other more proprietary-friendly yet still "Just Works(R)(TM)(SM)(C)" like Linspire, Mandriva, etc.

I'm going to get modded redundant by symbolset · 2007-05-19 05:30 · Score: -1, Redundant · on Symantec Updates Cause Chaos in China

But for the sake of slashdot consistency this article needs a link to the fix for this problem, and I don't see it here yet.

Otherwise those poor folks in China might never get their computers working again.

Re:let's hope by sabre86 · 2007-05-17 11:01 · Score: 1 · on Microsoft To Dump 32-Bit After Vista

https://shipit.ubuntu.com/

Then select the 64 bit version.

Hope you don't watch Youtube, though.

Re:You are wrong by Gordonjcp · 2007-05-15 17:57 · Score: 2, Informative · on The Clueless Newbie Rides Again

"A default Ubuntu install doesn't expose any open ports"
True, but misleading: A default Ubuntu install doesn't offer any server-type services, so far as I know, so it doesn't have to open any ports.

And the vast majority of Windows users don't need to run any servers, either. Why does it have them?

Also, is it still true that a default Ubuntu install doesn't have a password around the root account?

No, there is no root password set, so you cannot log into Ubuntu as root in the default configuration. Have a read of this - it explains a little bit about what root is, and the pros and cons of using sudo instead of having locked root account

You're right about the ports. Looking at a couple of PCs running XP, they seem to only have about 10 ports open. Apart from the NetBIOS ports, I don't know what most of them are - looking them up in my /etc/services they're either not listed or don't match what I'd expect. I don't really know why they'd be open.

Re:Maybe KDE & Gnome Folk Will Read... by mushadv · 2007-05-15 15:36 · Score: 5, Funny · on Independent Human Interface Guidelines

If you think this colour looks like poop, you should visit your optometrist.

Or your proctologist.

Re:And? by d3ac0n · 2007-05-15 08:17 · Score: 4, Informative · on The Clueless Newbie Rides Again

How about I answer you right here?

As you know, Windows has a particular look to it's User Interface (the windows, the task bar, the buttons, all the stuff you interact with to make the computer do stuff for you.) In Windows XP, the User Interface (or UI) is called Luna. In Windows Vista there are Two UI's; Aero (the core UI), and Aero Glass (the nifty 3D one)

Well Linux has MANY available UI's that can be loaded. GNOME and KDE are the two most popular. Most distributions ("brands", if you prefer) of Linux choose at least one UI to start with. Ubuntu Linux uses the GNOME UI. Kubuntu uses the KDE UI.

As far as selecting one over the other, it's really a matter of personal taste:

KDE is the traditional "Windowsy" looking UI. It has a task bar along the bottom of the screen, and the KDE equivalent to the "Start" button in the lower left corner, right where it is in Windows. However, it is more complex than Windows with far more options to work with. This can be confusing to new users, but many users who like to tinker find this interface enjoyable to use.

GNOME is the more "Mac-like" interface. It uses two task bars, one at the top, and one at the bottom. The top bar has all the menus on it, and yes, there is more than one. It is somewhat less configurable than KDE, but no less powerful. It is preferred among those who like a cleaner interface with a more mac-like approach to menus and usage.

Again, there isn't necessarily a "better" choice here. They are both equally good at what they do, they just do it in different ways. I would recommend using the Live CD's to explore the UI options you have without having to commit to one or the other right away. You can run the live CD, and then just rboot when you are done, with no changes made to your PC.

You can download the Ubuntu live CD here: http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
You can download a Kubuntu live CD here: http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php#latest

Just download, burn to CD with your favorite burning software, insert into CD drive, reboot and enjoy!

Re:Answer by Knuckles · 2007-05-15 08:06 · Score: 1 · on Will Dell Be Bad For Ubuntu?

the account currently in use will ALWAYS be more likely to be compremised than one not in use

There is an argument that bruteforcing a random account is harder because you need to figure out both username and password. For more discussion see here

Obviously this ignores the insane exception that is Linspire.

You're not keeping up to date with you distro news, are you? That's been debunked in 2005.

Re:Still a long way to go by physicsnick · 2007-05-15 06:34 · Score: 1 · on The Clueless Newbie Rides Again

Actually, it shouldn't need to repartition the drive or make a custom ISO at all: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/install.exe (don't worry, this is a wiki page, not a link to an executable)

That's the spec for a simple Windows executable you download which would automatically download a Ubuntu hard drive image via bittorrent and install GRUB. No need to deal with pesky CDs. It's a small step from there to integrate the migration assistant into it.

Re:And one of those is by xenocide2 · 2007-05-11 05:16 · Score: 1 · on No Wine for Dell Ubuntu Users, Says Shuttleworth

I don't know how sure the GP is, but I'm pretty damn sure Wine will be packaged shortly, if it isn't already. The guy who makes the packages currently was just accepted as a Ubuntu Developer. But don't take my word on whether it's packaged or not, check the repos.

The biggest problem with distro packaging isn't that you cant get them to accept random super package managers (which is every bit a social problem as it is technical, and MUST be approached that way if you expect ANY progress), it's that not all projects run well on a six month stable release cycle. Theoretically backport repos could address this, but there's a balance between new features and not crashing that users expect you to find and upstream developers are untrained in. This balance is pretty hard to find within a week of testing.

But WINE is a good example: generally speaking WINE is a work in progress. For some uses it's fantastic, for others it's not. I've rarely had an upgrade of WINE break previously working apps (but I'm sure it's happened). So I'd much prefer new packages sooner rather than later. To the extent that WINE should probably get updates in backports, and if you dont want them turn that repo off or pin the package. dpkg is pretty flexible and I'm still learning the ins and outs of it's power.

Re:That's fine by me by jon_anderson_ca · 2007-05-11 03:29 · Score: 1 · on No Wine for Dell Ubuntu Users, Says Shuttleworth

But it is: http://packages.ubuntu.com/feisty/otherosfs/wine

It's in the "universe" repository, which means that it's not officially supported by Canonical (along with maybe 90% of the OSS out there), but it's trivial to get it.

Kubuntu: Add/Remove Programs -> Tick "Show unsupported"

Ubuntu: Synaptic -> Settings -> Tick "Community-maintained Open Source software (universe)"