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RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Tippon — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:53:26 GMT

I use Linux so I can have a play around with something different that's also a bit more of a challenge.

I like the way that, with the right skills, you can do pretty much anything with it, even completely re-write it to suit your needs :)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Jason — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:35:22 GMT

I pretty much agree with all your points, Teafie. I do struggle to see the point. As I don't do much gaming on the PC, there's *some* point to Linux, but I agree that the "free" aspect is of little importance (to me, at least).

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Teafie — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:16:49 GMT

I might sound like a frog here, readit.:)

Yeppers, nice one Jason and packed with boyish humor.

I have loads of linux distos and have tried 'em all live, I realy do appreciate that making an operating system is rather cleverstuff and I do not take the effort lightly. With me, the main problem was my XFi sound card. But to be honest if I cannot play games then I just do'nt get it.:unsure:

I realise that ID and UT support Linux but that is still far from enough games for me to get it. Im also confused by this free thing. I spend £300 a year on games. You know, it just dont wash. linux makes me feel silly.

People talk about how fast linux loads. well hasn't any one noticed just how fast windows loads with out Nvidia 3D driver taking it by the throat, jumping up and down on it and calling it bad names.

Any way, good call Jason and I did laugh.:)

Off to play some games now and hide.

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Jason — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:35:30 GMT

The Windows setup is easier in this regard because it at least tells you the size of the partitions, helping you confirm that you're dealing with the partition you *think* you're dealing with. Ubuntu does not give this information, leaving the users completely in the dark about which partitions they're about to nuke.

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Bruce R — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:49:57 GMT

Hi wyliecoyoteuk

If I put quotes around 'logical' would it help ?
(Win drives just use 'logical' A-Z letters.)

For Linux, a graphical display of current drives might help,
but I haven't found one better than Gparted in Gutsy yet,
and that needs re-instating after installation.
Browsing Add/Remove I did find Sysinfo which is useful.

I'll keep looking, but tested thoughts are welcome.

(Meanwhile, Filelight's looking possible.)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

wyliecoyoteuk — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:05:34 GMT

Well, I challenge anyone to say that windows installations use logical names for partitions, or give any more friendly info than Linux.
Just because you're used to MS drivespeak, doesn't make it any easier for true noobs.
Personally, I think that Most distros these days are easier to install than windows, for a total newcomer.
I am sure that my wife would fail to install either, but she is a happy Linux user.
Plus, what's wrong with LXF? I am a subscriber, have been for years,
(apart from the fact that they pay freelancers too little per page) ;-)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Bruce R — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:39:53 GMT

@bigdaddy

A man after my own heart, but what about
string and sealing wax, as well ?

Seriously, it looks as though keeping Vista physically separate
is more important, not just because the EULA encourages it.

Meanwhile, fingers crossed, Linux will get even better and easier
to use, with the MicroMart team playing a more important part.

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Jason — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:28:00 GMT

Well, let's hope so. Anything that makes the OS easier for mainstream users.

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

bigdaddy — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:27:47 GMT

Jason, I was bothered about this as well, but I solved it by shoving in an old IDE disk I inherited. Window$ XP and Vi$ta each have their own large SATA drives and the Gibbon is on its own 6gig IDE drive.
Belt and braces so to speak.:)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Bruce R — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:09:03 GMT

Hi Jason

I agree with anything that Keeps It Simpler for Stupid (Usually me)

At the moment, it's another installation 'quirk' to advise on. If you
register with the Ubuntu 'community' (mainly volunteers), you can
log it as a bug (which isn't that easy), but may have difficulty
explaining to someone with a different mind set and priorities and
it's then likely to become a Hardy Heron 'nice to have'.

(Hardy is now at Alpha-3, which is at a minimal strage, with what
looks like Gutsy repository access and some applications, but no
functional Gparted or proper Install, which may be the area that
they are working on !)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Jason — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:11:09 GMT

It might be a more accurate way, but whichever way it's done, the user needs more than a drive letter when being told that a partition is about to be formatted. The size of the partition needs to be given at the very least. Even the Windows XP setup wizard does that.

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Bruce R — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:31:00 GMT

Hi Jason

Sorry, it's just occurred to me that the Linux community might prefer
that their method of labelling partitions and drives remain obscure, so
that they can't be accused of simply copying the MS-DOS/Win way.

(Seen from that point of view, the Linux way is more accurate, with
different 'Disk' designations and 'nested' partition descriptors.)

Edit PS - but there still needs to be a simple guide to it all !

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Jason — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:18:37 GMT

I was certainly not referring to physical drives -- as shown in the specification of the machine, there was only a single physical drive. My confusion during setup was that I was informed a partition on that drive was about to be formatted, but I had no way of knowing exactly what partition was being referred to (as the only information given was some seemingly random drive letter). On the one physical disk, in addition to the freshly created Linux partitions, were an XP partition and a 150GB data partition (neither of which, clearly, I wanted to format).

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Bruce R — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:08:38 GMT

Hi Jason

Pleasantly tired, I'm back at the keyboard.

(@Tippon, 'magic' wasn't it !)

When speaking of 'Manual' partitioning and then installation confirmation
it sounded suspiciously like the Forum-rampant practise of talking about
temporarily assigned logical drives as if they were actual physical drives.

Reading it again I can see that may not be the case, so apologies.

I must admit, the limited and inaccurate messages partitioner doesn't
help, with even a re-instated Gparted failing to provide the information
displayed by it in Daryna, let alone the later version in PartEdMagic.
(A prior screen pic from the latter can be quite helpful, but creating
obviously different partition sizes can be even better.)
(The old '80GB' actually equalling 74.53 GiB problem doesn't help and just as
Win32 assigns apparently arbitrary letters, different distros assign different
partition lettering, that once installed, then seem to remain constant.)

(Linux enthusiasts seem to delight in this remaining obscure and happiest
with complex strings of command line code, but it is just possible to achieve
acceptable results without it, courtesy of Applications, Add/Remove and
Synaptic, Search/Install etc.)

As to physical drive partitioning, the general knowledge appears to have
been lost, when folk speak of installing on arbitrarily assigned drives, rather
than 'Disk0, first primary partition space', which creates problems.
(The significance of partition imaging, also seems to be lost knowledge, as
more clearly evidenced by Brad Jackson's article, but that's another story.)

Have I explained enough, or too much ?

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

pjc — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:38:32 GMT

The sdc / sda etc labeling does take some getting used to, especially if its for multiple partitions.

I do struggle and panic sometimes if I am formatting a drive or partitioning a drive, be it pen, external or internal.
Tends to be a command line job to double check.

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

taf856 — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:37:03 GMT

It was all good.Thourghly enjoyed it(wow what a big word)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Tippon — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:21:38 GMT

Well, partition confusion or not, I enjoyed it :)

I still can't decide whether I prefer the Linux way of labelling drives / partitions yet though.

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Bruce R — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:43:23 GMT

Hi Jason

Thanks for replying
I will explain after I have been back to the shop for my Radio Times !
(Car's in dock and I have to slowly hoof it!)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Jason — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:55:32 GMT

[quote]It's only small flaw was the disturbingly common misunderstanding
of physical versus logical drives and partitions.[/quote]

I'm not following you. Where was the misunderstanding? I don't recall mentioning physical and logical drives, and I'm not aware of ever having been confused about the two. Unless you're referring to the absurd numbers Linux always seems to assign to partitions.

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Bruce R — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:32:49 GMT

Hi Folks

Couldn't get to the store on Thursday, so have only just read it,
but Jason d'Allison's article was indeed very well written, 'ringing
a few bells' for me, and highly entertaining.
It's only small flaw was the disturbingly common misunderstanding
of physical versus logical drives and partitions.

Brad Jackson's 'Living with Linux' wasn't as much fun, getting side
tracked on creating backups, probably due to the process being
commonly confused with partition imaging, so essential for primary
partitions containing operating systems and fast programs.

Overall, MicroMart seem to be the only UK publication willing to
mention Linux, let alone Ubuntu 7.10, so long may it continue !

(Edit PS - other 'international' magazines, like LXF seem more
worried about upsetting Bill's boys, or perpetuating jargon.)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Computer Dave — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:02:18 GMT

[quote][b]Jason (09/01/2008)[/b][hr]Yes, I thought the Diary of a Linux N00b article was absolutely brilliant. :)[/quote]

T'was indeed...funny coincidence was that I had installed Ubuntu 7.10 just days before the mag was out and the article appeared :) I liked the article very much indeed Jason and it felt very familiar...a few rock group mentions thrown in too :D perhaps a Spinal Tap Linux distro is on the cards?

Ubuntu is excellent - nice level of customisation and very easy to use...I'm gonna stay with it :)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Tippon — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:49:38 GMT

Ah, that's ok then :P

(Really didn't fancy pulling my room apart to find the missing issue!)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Jason — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:19:34 GMT

Issue that came out today (tomorrow if you're not a subscriber).

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Tippon — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:18:47 GMT

[quote][b]Jason (09/01/2008)[/b][hr]Yes, I thought the Diary of a Linux N00b article was absolutely brilliant. :)[/quote]

Jason: Which issue was it in? I've had so much going on over the last month or two, I think I may have missed it :(

(I found two issues in my college folder that I haven't even opened!)

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

pjc — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:20:09 GMT

haha! I knew I had forgotten to give some credit somewhere!

Thank you of course to all the writers, without which..., well you get the idea :P

RE: Thank You Mr Editor

Jason — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:09:36 GMT

Yes, I thought the Diary of a Linux N00b article was absolutely brilliant. :)

Thank You Mr Editor

pjc — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 13:09:02 GMT

I just wanted to take the time to say a big thank you to Mr Brew for the latest issue of Micro Mart which made its way through my letter box this morning.

Why you may ask? What spectacular treats was I subjected to?

Well it's the Linux content. I've been scrambling for it in Micro Mart for a long time. I have tried several other 'Linux Magazines' not only are they overpriced, 6 pounds for some incarnations, but they don't really carry that much user friendly information. So I was delighted today to find two back to back articles, along with a piece on the rather brilliant Asus EEE and the usual Linux Mart.

I think it was a couple of months ago that I mentioned somewhere in the forum about the possibility of more Linux orientated content and, I'm sure through popular demand, we have it. I just hope it isn't a one off.

All but 3 of the machines in my house currently run Linux as the main OS in the form of one distro or another and my main source of information has been the internet. Micro Mart however has the right attitude and writers when it comes to most content, so when you do an article it sweeps most online content away.

With Linux becoming more and more mainstream as time goes by the content of mainstream magazines should be more inclusive when it comes to this alternative way of computing in my opinion.

So thank you Micro Mart for pushing Linux further and further into your magazine, although I know you do spot it in from time to time.

Regards,

PJC

(Also need to mention the Green Machine article which was also rather good, but I have to admit I did skim read just for the components and the results as I do know how to put a machine together, as I'm sure most of your readers do as there is normally an article every couple of issues detailing how to insert a cpu et al. Wow, and I thought I was going to get through this post without a dig. Sorry.)