Linux does make a great Desktop system if you aren't totally acustomed to the way Windows machines work. It isn't really harder... Just different. And, the shortcuts are all there too, however, it depends on how programs implement them at times.
Most linux distributions ship with PICO or NANO. PICO comes with the Mutt text-based emailer, I think. If not, use lynx (which comes with almost all unix systems) and download it before you start working on stuff. http://www.nano-editor.org/
I paste between Gnome/KDE/X apps all the time without a problem. The autocopy issue is a pain sometimes though. I would much rather right click to copy selected text than highlight it to do it automatically... But it all works none-the-less.
Windows 2000 and XP require an emulation layer for a lot of 9x games. Many 9x games and apps were dependant on Windows 9x specific code. DirectX alleviated a lot of those headaches, but it wasn't foolproof. There are still some older games that have to be run in "compatibility mode", and still suffer from more-than-regular crashes. It isn't anything big, buy it is still there. It is hard to move on and improve things when you are dealing with old code. I personally think that the KDE guys have the right idea...
For example... Opera for Linux requires QT to be installed if you want anti-aliased fonts. KDE comes with a version of QT not supported by Opera for Linux; version 3.x. Opera needs 2.x or something. What did I do? I compiled an old version of QT to work along with my new version...
Problem solved.
I feel that there is no obligation for the KDE team to do anything. They already have a great set of programs, and I am thankful for it. If I need anything, I'll hit the forums.
Didn't Microsoft announce some time ago that they were going to open source some of their software to educational facilities for students? Maybe that has something to do with it. Perhaps they have some news that they are going to use to appeal to some of the open source fanatics to try to convince them to use the Windows platform?
Slackware is excellent. Just make sure that you understand how to use fdisk for partitioning your drives (cfdisk is also included), and know how to use xf86config (or edit the file manually).
Other than that, it is smooth sailing. It is fast, lean (but covers most of the essentials for most any desktop *or* server use), and very configurable with minimal proprietary tools. It will help you to really understand Linux. All it takes is a little basic knowledge of the OS.
I am a big Slackware fan. I found it easy to learn how to use Linux on Slackware once I understood the basics of partitions, permissions, and xf86config. That is pretty much all that you need aside from being able to learn compile programs from sources (very simple if you have never done it- just three simple commands). No RPM here, but slack also has a great package installer called "pkgtool". This lets you easily install precompiled packages, such as those from www.linuxpackages.net . I was hooked on Slack from the start, and have been using it ever since.
You lost sound on your A3D card because it is not completely supported in Linux. Drivers are beta, and were never finished since Aureal went bankrupt and sold their IP to Creative, who has done nothing with it so far. Hacked drivers are available on Sourceforge, but dev hasn't continued since late 2000/early 2001.
Linux can be just as easy to use as Windows... It is just different. It is just the way it goes. Try using something like Lycoris which streamlines everything. RPM is a bit goofy at times, but has its pluses. I personally love just compiling programs from the source codes. I always worksright for me, and is pretty simple once you figure it out. There is always a learning curve with anything. Linux is pretty diverse, and totally refining everything in the way that you wish isn't as quite as simple as that.
Windows... One architecture (except the few 64 bit ports) and one distribution. Unix, Linux, etc... Take a look. There are many variants.
I've seen nothing of that sort in KDE 3 on Slackware 8.1. But that could be a result of using a third party video driver. The KDE control center does not have any information on my display device.
What is included in some of these distributions looks to be a mix of third party stuff and hacked KDE tools. Lycoris build 55 is looking like it is going to do a very good job of simulation a Windows control panel. Take a look-see: http://www.lycoris.org/sections.php?op=viewarticle &artid=38
Looks like HTML through Konqueror to me, and uses scripts to run programs a certain way. That's not a bad idea, if you ask me.
But really. I am fairly experienced in Linux stuff, and I used to find running xvidtune to be rediculously dumb. Good thing those days are long gone.
That brings something up that reallt hasn't been discussed much. Kids and teens are much more eager to embrace new computer stuff than many adults. I could potentially see the more recent gererations of people using alternative OS's purely to learn stuff. That's how I saw myself in the mid 90's. I was trying to tinker with computers and loved toying with new programs, while other kids were playing sports. Nowadays, there is less of a geek-ratio in terms of computer users. They have become more common for people to use day-bt-day.
How will an easiliy accessible, easy to use, and easy to install Linux distribution factor into things with younger people trying that are eager to learn? It will probably bode well, aside from the lack of cash to pay for the "click and load" service. But hey... It's a start.
I don't really agree. I think that the most important aspect of Lindows will that it allows users without Unix familiarity to use it. It isn't about runing Windows programs as much as it is to take the guesswork out of permissions and compiling programs from sources. It will (hopefully) allow users to access precompiled RPMS from the Lindows site that will work without a hitch. It allows them to easily use an integrated updater. It takes the need to spend a day configuring away.
Perhaps that is my only complaint about something like Lycoris. Configuring sych a system is a pain, because a lot of the tools are gone! Stripped from the OS. Lindows may very well be this way too, but there are a lot of people looking for this functionality. Power it up and go. Browse the web or play some solitaire. Check your email or write a report. I don't know how successful Lindows will be, but it is already succeeding at things that no other Linux distribution has accomplished. It is making its way to inexpensive PCs, designed for the consumer looking for a value (despite being obtained through an obscure method, like Wal-Mart's website). I am not sure what it will do for the Linux community, but it doubt that it is negatively going to impact those "geeky" distributions. It doesn't really matter, does it? There will still be a planet full of devoted people trying to make Linux better for the good of all of us. At least Lindows will take another person out of the MS line of fire. People don't need Microsoft, but they do need an easy to use alternative that doesn't have a huge learning curve. Such a soultion is essential, as it provides a flavor of Linux for those people that need something less complex, but just a stable and powerful. And it is possible with today's Linux. Linux is for everyone. We can't keep alienating the rest of the people for not being interested in computer stability and security. Eventually, they will see the benefits of free software, and the drawbacks of being locked into Microsoft's iniative. No doubt, if MS weren't there, someone else would do the same thing, but at least there is an alternative, and it needs to be easily accessible and easy to use.
I personally will stick to Slackware, but I could see myself installing Lindows on my parents' and co-workers' computers.
I put together a PC from a Tiger kit back in '97, and it was fine. It had mostly standard generic stuff in it, like S3 ViRGE video and a cheapy Yamaha soundcard, but the price was great at the time. The mobo did die a few years ago though.
I can't say that I have shopped with them much since then though, as their prices really got less and less competitive over the years.
Make sure you aren't pushing the RAM too hard in the BIOS. Be sure to run it at a lower latency. It may just be a BIOS configuration problem. Some RAM takes some tweaking, especially in some motherboards that are less tolerant of weird RAM.
Last year I picked up some POWMEM brand SDRAM memory that had Micron RAM on it.
It was one of the best purchases that I ever made for my PC. Not only is it CAS-2, but it is totally stable and fast as hell. I ended up picking up a total 1024MB of it for less than $80 or so.
Maybe I got lucky on getting the CAS-2. I don't know.
It isn't so much the brand of memory, but the chips that are important (most of the time), at least in my experience.
Why do people confuse something that works with MS software compatibility? Linux works very damn well. I am sick of people saying that they "want something that works" when they haven't a clue of what they are talking about.
Mod me down, if you wish, but this argument is getting stupid. You don't need Windows for ANYTHING to work, unless you make yourself believe that you need to rely on it (for some rediculous reason).
Windows 2000 is a good OS, but I certainly don't NEED it, as the free and open alternatives work just fine.
It is strange that you say that. A lot of people (including myself) have found Slackware to be easier to install than Red Hat. Even Lycoris isn't foolproof (chokes on startup if it doesn't like your hardware and can't autodetect it). There are ways around anything, but I like things simple and to the point. Slackware offers that to me. Nothing else does. I like the other distributions, but I feel that many of them are only for people that are intimidated by using the console (which is o.k., actually). The other distributions make things all the more difficult at times with proprietary tools that don't always work.
There is no such thing as a Creative Labs compatible soundcard anymore. Windows sound devices use directsound and wav output as the primary APIs, and have no requirement for "Soundblaster compatibility" that the old DOS soundcards needed. The only exception is through EAX in games, which is a pretty open standard now anyway.
Unfortunately, a lot of closed drivers are a problems for specific chipsets in Linux. I hope for a time soon that Cirrus releases some drivers or data on proper 4 channel support of the CS4630 DSP that is used in the Santa Cruz. Until then, split 2 channel is the best that you can get.
The actual quality of the audio seems to be a little lower in Linux on this card (at least to my ears). It is probably a driver issue. It isn't very well optimized, by Cirrus seems content with leaving it that way.
My 1370 Ensoniq AudioPCI was a great card. it is a shame that Creative crippled its potential when they bought Ensoniq... But then again, they wanted everyone to buy an audibly inferior Live card. That's the way that it goes, I guess.
One problem with the review is that the reviewer doesn't realize that the distortion that he hears with the Santa Cruz is native to the original audio recordings. You just can't hear it with the "higher rated" cards, because of their inferiority. The Audigy's dynamic range just blows.
I guarantee that the Santa Cruz and Phillips cards produce the best quality in that review. The reviewer is just blind to all of the real variables.
So if anyone here actually likes innacurate representation of an audio source, then please... By all means, trust this silly review.
That page is excellent. Arnie did real work in comparing soundcards.
As for this crap from regarding "The State of PC Audio"... This other reviewer can shove it. Anyone who writes vague crap like "This sounded warm, but we can't help but think that something was missing" shouldn't be reviewing. Did they use good headphones? No. Did they use a a proper amp and set of speakers? They used a crap set of Logitech speakers, which produce way too many highs, and over-bassy lows. This can be fine for an average user, but you have to adjust an EQ somewhere in the loop.
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Linux does make a great Desktop system if you aren't totally acustomed to the way Windows machines work. It isn't really harder... Just different. And, the shortcuts are all there too, however, it depends on how programs implement them at times.
Most linux distributions ship with PICO or NANO. PICO comes with the Mutt text-based emailer, I think. If not, use lynx (which comes with almost all unix systems) and download it before you start working on stuff. http://www.nano-editor.org/
Try NANO. It's a great program.
I paste between Gnome/KDE/X apps all the time without a problem. The autocopy issue is a pain sometimes though. I would much rather right click to copy selected text than highlight it to do it automatically... But it all works none-the-less.
Yeah, but it doesn't have support for antialiased fonts...
Windows 2000 and XP require an emulation layer for a lot of 9x games. Many 9x games and apps were dependant on Windows 9x specific code. DirectX alleviated a lot of those headaches, but it wasn't foolproof. There are still some older games that have to be run in "compatibility mode", and still suffer from more-than-regular crashes. It isn't anything big, buy it is still there. It is hard to move on and improve things when you are dealing with old code. I personally think that the KDE guys have the right idea...
For example... Opera for Linux requires QT to be installed if you want anti-aliased fonts. KDE comes with a version of QT not supported by Opera for Linux; version 3.x. Opera needs 2.x or something. What did I do? I compiled an old version of QT to work along with my new version...
Problem solved.
I feel that there is no obligation for the KDE team to do anything. They already have a great set of programs, and I am thankful for it. If I need anything, I'll hit the forums.
Didn't Microsoft announce some time ago that they were going to open source some of their software to educational facilities for students? Maybe that has something to do with it. Perhaps they have some news that they are going to use to appeal to some of the open source fanatics to try to convince them to use the Windows platform?
This will be interesting to say the least.
Slackware is excellent. Just make sure that you understand how to use fdisk for partitioning your drives (cfdisk is also included), and know how to use xf86config (or edit the file manually).
Other than that, it is smooth sailing. It is fast, lean (but covers most of the essentials for most any desktop *or* server use), and very configurable with minimal proprietary tools. It will help you to really understand Linux. All it takes is a little basic knowledge of the OS.
I am a big Slackware fan. I found it easy to learn how to use Linux on Slackware once I understood the basics of partitions, permissions, and xf86config. That is pretty much all that you need aside from being able to learn compile programs from sources (very simple if you have never done it- just three simple commands). No RPM here, but slack also has a great package installer called "pkgtool". This lets you easily install precompiled packages, such as those from www.linuxpackages.net . I was hooked on Slack from the start, and have been using it ever since.
You lost sound on your A3D card because it is not completely supported in Linux. Drivers are beta, and were never finished since Aureal went bankrupt and sold their IP to Creative, who has done nothing with it so far. Hacked drivers are available on Sourceforge, but dev hasn't continued since late 2000/early 2001.
Linux can be just as easy to use as Windows... It is just different. It is just the way it goes. Try using something like Lycoris which streamlines everything. RPM is a bit goofy at times, but has its pluses. I personally love just compiling programs from the source codes. I always worksright for me, and is pretty simple once you figure it out. There is always a learning curve with anything. Linux is pretty diverse, and totally refining everything in the way that you wish isn't as quite as simple as that.
Windows... One architecture (except the few 64 bit ports) and one distribution. Unix, Linux, etc... Take a look. There are many variants.
I've seen nothing of that sort in KDE 3 on Slackware 8.1. But that could be a result of using a third party video driver. The KDE control center does not have any information on my display device.
e &artid=38
What is included in some of these distributions looks to be a mix of third party stuff and hacked KDE tools. Lycoris build 55 is looking like it is going to do a very good job of simulation a Windows control panel. Take a look-see: http://www.lycoris.org/sections.php?op=viewarticl
Looks like HTML through Konqueror to me, and uses scripts to run programs a certain way. That's not a bad idea, if you ask me.
But really. I am fairly experienced in Linux stuff, and I used to find running xvidtune to be rediculously dumb. Good thing those days are long gone.
The even bigger quation is: Who in their right mind would *ever* consider running Apache on a Lindows machine.
:)
I'm sorry, but that is just stupid.
That brings something up that reallt hasn't been discussed much. Kids and teens are much more eager to embrace new computer stuff than many adults. I could potentially see the more recent gererations of people using alternative OS's purely to learn stuff. That's how I saw myself in the mid 90's. I was trying to tinker with computers and loved toying with new programs, while other kids were playing sports. Nowadays, there is less of a geek-ratio in terms of computer users. They have become more common for people to use day-bt-day.
How will an easiliy accessible, easy to use, and easy to install Linux distribution factor into things with younger people trying that are eager to learn? It will probably bode well, aside from the lack of cash to pay for the "click and load" service. But hey... It's a start.
I don't really agree. I think that the most important aspect of Lindows will that it allows users without Unix familiarity to use it. It isn't about runing Windows programs as much as it is to take the guesswork out of permissions and compiling programs from sources. It will (hopefully) allow users to access precompiled RPMS from the Lindows site that will work without a hitch. It allows them to easily use an integrated updater. It takes the need to spend a day configuring away.
Perhaps that is my only complaint about something like Lycoris. Configuring sych a system is a pain, because a lot of the tools are gone! Stripped from the OS. Lindows may very well be this way too, but there are a lot of people looking for this functionality. Power it up and go. Browse the web or play some solitaire. Check your email or write a report. I don't know how successful Lindows will be, but it is already succeeding at things that no other Linux distribution has accomplished. It is making its way to inexpensive PCs, designed for the consumer looking for a value (despite being obtained through an obscure method, like Wal-Mart's website). I am not sure what it will do for the Linux community, but it doubt that it is negatively going to impact those "geeky" distributions. It doesn't really matter, does it? There will still be a planet full of devoted people trying to make Linux better for the good of all of us. At least Lindows will take another person out of the MS line of fire. People don't need Microsoft, but they do need an easy to use alternative that doesn't have a huge learning curve. Such a soultion is essential, as it provides a flavor of Linux for those people that need something less complex, but just a stable and powerful. And it is possible with today's Linux. Linux is for everyone. We can't keep alienating the rest of the people for not being interested in computer stability and security. Eventually, they will see the benefits of free software, and the drawbacks of being locked into Microsoft's iniative. No doubt, if MS weren't there, someone else would do the same thing, but at least there is an alternative, and it needs to be easily accessible and easy to use.
I personally will stick to Slackware, but I could see myself installing Lindows on my parents' and co-workers' computers.
I put together a PC from a Tiger kit back in '97, and it was fine. It had mostly standard generic stuff in it, like S3 ViRGE video and a cheapy Yamaha soundcard, but the price was great at the time. The mobo did die a few years ago though.
I can't say that I have shopped with them much since then though, as their prices really got less and less competitive over the years.
Make sure you aren't pushing the RAM too hard in the BIOS. Be sure to run it at a lower latency. It may just be a BIOS configuration problem. Some RAM takes some tweaking, especially in some motherboards that are less tolerant of weird RAM.
Last year I picked up some POWMEM brand SDRAM memory that had Micron RAM on it.
It was one of the best purchases that I ever made for my PC. Not only is it CAS-2, but it is totally stable and fast as hell. I ended up picking up a total 1024MB of it for less than $80 or so.
Maybe I got lucky on getting the CAS-2. I don't know.
It isn't so much the brand of memory, but the chips that are important (most of the time), at least in my experience.
Why do people confuse something that works with MS software compatibility? Linux works very damn well. I am sick of people saying that they "want something that works" when they haven't a clue of what they are talking about.
Mod me down, if you wish, but this argument is getting stupid. You don't need Windows for ANYTHING to work, unless you make yourself believe that you need to rely on it (for some rediculous reason).
Windows 2000 is a good OS, but I certainly don't NEED it, as the free and open alternatives work just fine.
The versatilitiy of Linux makes it ideal for whatever you want to use it for.
Which is why I feel that it is great for a server, rendering box, or even a desktop machine. It is purely based on personal preference, though.
It is strange that you say that. A lot of people (including myself) have found Slackware to be easier to install than Red Hat. Even Lycoris isn't foolproof (chokes on startup if it doesn't like your hardware and can't autodetect it). There are ways around anything, but I like things simple and to the point. Slackware offers that to me. Nothing else does. I like the other distributions, but I feel that many of them are only for people that are intimidated by using the console (which is o.k., actually). The other distributions make things all the more difficult at times with proprietary tools that don't always work.
It has more built-in support for ATA RAID controllers.
Do you know what this means? Bye bye NT!
There is no such thing as a Creative Labs compatible soundcard anymore. Windows sound devices use directsound and wav output as the primary APIs, and have no requirement for "Soundblaster compatibility" that the old DOS soundcards needed. The only exception is through EAX in games, which is a pretty open standard now anyway.
And keeps getting /.ed every 5 minutes after that.
Maybe they are using their server to run some sound "benchmarks".
:)
Unfortunately, a lot of closed drivers are a problems for specific chipsets in Linux. I hope for a time soon that Cirrus releases some drivers or data on proper 4 channel support of the CS4630 DSP that is used in the Santa Cruz. Until then, split 2 channel is the best that you can get.
The actual quality of the audio seems to be a little lower in Linux on this card (at least to my ears). It is probably a driver issue. It isn't very well optimized, by Cirrus seems content with leaving it that way.
My 1370 Ensoniq AudioPCI was a great card. it is a shame that Creative crippled its potential when they bought Ensoniq... But then again, they wanted everyone to buy an audibly inferior Live card. That's the way that it goes, I guess.
You might as well stop listening to PC audio all together.
By the way... Your Yamaha boards use software mixing in the drivers.
One problem with the review is that the reviewer doesn't realize that the distortion that he hears with the Santa Cruz is native to the original audio recordings. You just can't hear it with the "higher rated" cards, because of their inferiority. The Audigy's dynamic range just blows.
I guarantee that the Santa Cruz and Phillips cards produce the best quality in that review. The reviewer is just blind to all of the real variables.
So if anyone here actually likes innacurate representation of an audio source, then please... By all means, trust this silly review.
That page is excellent. Arnie did real work in comparing soundcards.
As for this crap from regarding "The State of PC Audio"... This other reviewer can shove it. Anyone who writes vague crap like "This sounded warm, but we can't help but think that something was missing" shouldn't be reviewing. Did they use good headphones? No. Did they use a a proper amp and set of speakers? They used a crap set of Logitech speakers, which produce way too many highs, and over-bassy lows. This can be fine for an average user, but you have to adjust an EQ somewhere in the loop.