New Desktop option

[alcy]

Its true some of the usability options need to be worked on in both KDE & Gnome versions. And the stupidest of them probably is, that some apps when clicked appear in the taskbar instead of the desktop workspace! That really is annoying. And gobble, its not only KDE, Gnome shows same behavior.

Anyway, just found some bling to add to firefox. Try this. https://digital.com/blog/webextensions-firefox/

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I'm using gnome, which is the default (I guess. Hadn't even thought about kde.

1. The knetwork manager never launches - it is a little applet in the taskbar

Why would you want it running except when you have a change to make?

2. It defaults to using dhcp unless it is unable to contact an dhcp server!! I had to login to my modem and disable dhcp, then it immediately used my manual settings.

Now that is sub-microsoft ("you are going to do it our way only!) and ridiculous. Hint for next time: don;t bother to reconfigure the modem, just unplug the cable! ---well, it's worth a try

3. The network settings manager has options to store config settings in an encrypted store or plain text file. I think it was the auto-dhcp setting that overwrote the /etc/resolv.conf earlier, but just to be sure, I enabled text mode and now I see my resolv.conf updated!!

That certainly makes sense. I'm no security expert, but why would one encrypt the network settings? If anyone has reached the files containing them, they are totally into your machine, and your network, already!

It is quite dumb usability decision of kde team to provide a menu link to an app that never launches an open window. The tiny icon for knetworkmanager also looks totally dull greyed out and inactive unlike all other applets in the task bar. The mouse-over only says connected and does not list interfaces. Hence one ends up skipping it. One has to right-click it and it shows "auto eth0" as default (dhcp). Disabling dhcp made eth0 the active interface automatically. This leaves no control to the desktop user if he is not a sysadmin on a LAN and cannot disable dhcp for any other reason. Really stupid decision making like I said.

I think it might be slightly more obvious in Gnome: the network symbol is as obvious as it is in Windows, and clicking on the network icon in Windows (<= XP, at least) doe not take you into the admin for that interface. In fact, the path to configuring a net interface is windows, if we didn't already know it so well, would be pretty obscure! At least setting up network details is something we do very rarely, even only once until some big change happens. If we do happen to be admin for a number of users, it is not something we want users going anywhere near.

I know this is not acceptable for the everything-gui desktop OS of future years, when Microsoft will be one of names of computer history )), but I don't mind a bit of text-file config. The fact that the option is available is a big plus to me.

 

[gobble]

Why would you want it running except when you have a change to make?

Thad, when I click knetwork manager, it is because I want to make a change!! But it never pops up a window!! Hence misleads the user into believing its not functioning.


Cheers

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Actually, it seems inconsistent. Just now when I click it, I get a window!!!! But before I think I was seeing what you are seeing.

My previous post was cut short by an invasion of teenage girls.

Seriously... yes, it was... but it was about exam results and filling in forms, and, as my wifes peon in these matters, and her being out, I had to do the admin of a different kind

I tried Jack over Alsa yesterday, and got it running. However it was a disaster, with continuous "xruns" and utterly distorted sound output. Linux does not handle my PC and its IRQs any better, in this respect, than Windows did. There is some very esoteric stuff on the web about changing IRQ priorities: I'll look again, but it ain't easy. At all.

 

[gobble]

Actually, it seems inconsistent. Just now when I click it, I get a window!!!! But before I think I was seeing what you are seeing.

My previous post was cut short by an invasion of teenage girls.

Seriously... yes, it was... but it was about exam results and filling in forms, and, as my wifes peon in these matters, and her being out, I had to do the admin of a different kind

I tried Jack over Alsa yesterday, and got it running. However it was a disaster, with continuous "xruns" and utterly distorted sound output. Linux does not handle my PC and its IRQs any better, in this respect, than Windows did. There is some very esoteric stuff on the web about changing IRQ priorities: I'll look again, but it ain't easy. At all.

It seems to be a common problem, but the fault seems to lie in the mobo h/w interrupts not Linux.

from the jack man page if its any help :
-------------
-n, --nperiods int

Specify the number of periods of playback latency. In seconds, this corresponds to --nperiods times --period divided by --rate. The default is 2, the minimum allowable. For most devices, there is no need for any other value with the --realtime option. Without realtime privileges or with boards providing unreliable interrupts (like ymfpci), a larger value may yield fewer xruns. This can also help if the system is not tuned for reliable realtime scheduling.

For most ALSA devices, the hardware buffer has exactly --period times --nperiods frames. Some devices demand a larger buffer. If so, JACK will use the smallest possible buffer containing at least --nperiods, but the playback latency does not increase.

For USB audio devices it is recommended to use -n 3. Firewire devices supported by FFADO (formerly Freebob) are configured with -n 3 by default.
----

Edit: PS: I love admin work too in case you wanna out-source!

Regards

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Yes, I tried some messing with that stuff: in fact, at first, it would not run at all.

You are right: the problem lies with the hardware. I thought Linux might just handle it better, but I'm still on the way to that new PC, and hoping for a better experience!

I'm off to take another look at this irq priority stuff --- it does make my brain hurt, but I'm not giving up yet

EDIT... the other thing is this SATA/IDE business. It seems to be IDE stuff which is creating huge amounts of interupts, whether in Windows or in Linux. I had hoped that Linux might actually talk to the SATA drives as such, without IDE emulation. Maybe I should have done something different with the bios settings before installation? I don't know. I went through a worrying half hour yesterday evening when, after experimenting with different bios settings, it refused to find my discs at all --- which has not happened to me since the days when you had to feed the disc parameters in manually!

 

[ash147]

hi frnds

after going thru all the posts in this thread i wud love to xperiment with KUbuntu as an operating system in my almost 4 yr old compaq lappy.It is a Celeron-M 350 @ 1.3GHz
having 256MB RAM & 40GB HDD.Pls let me know:

1) will the specs aloow the installation of KUbuntu ?

2) have been running my lappy on windows xp since d time it was bought, will installing a new o.s. effect the functioning of the external/internal hardware i.e., external DVD writer,inkjet printer,USB hard drive,external modem,broadband connection or games etc in any way ?

3) will I be able to work on microsoft office as I am able to work at present with win xp ?

4) will my current anti-virus work on KUbuntu ?

5) from where will I be able to get KUbuntu ?

thanks in advance

 

[alcy]

hi frnds

after going thru all the posts in this thread i wud love to xperiment with KUbuntu as an operating system in my almost 4 yr old compaq lappy.It is a Celeron-M 350 @ 1.3GHz
having 256MB RAM & 40GB HDD.Pls let me know:

1) will the specs aloow the installation of KUbuntu ?


thanks in advance

Sorry. At least 512 MB is needed to use Ubuntu and its derivatives. So, don't waste your time on that.

There are other alternatives you can try:
Puppy Linux

Damn Small Linux

Knoppix

Slitaz

Vector Linux

 

[ash147]

Sorry. At least 512 MB is needed to use Ubuntu and its derivatives. So, don't waste your time on that.

There are other alternatives you can try:
Puppy Linux

Damn Small Linux

Knoppix

Slitaz

Vector Linux

thanks alcy for the update.kindly reply to my other queries w.r.t. the alternatives suggested by you.

 

[alcy]

2) have been running my lappy on windows xp since d time it was bought, will installing a new o.s. effect the functioning of the external/internal hardware i.e., external DVD writer,inkjet printer,USB hard drive,external modem,broadband connection or games etc in any way ?

3) will I be able to work on microsoft office as I am able to work at present with win xp ?

4) will my current anti-virus work on KUbuntu ?

5) from where will I be able to get KUbuntu ?

thanks in advance

--> Support for Windows games is severely restricted, but there are a few that can be run through Wine

--> Although you can run MS Office under Wine, it is advised to use less memory-intensive options like Abiword & Gnumeric Spreadsheet. Open office is a good alternative but your RAM will be a bottleneck for most of the purposes.

--> You do not need an anti-virus suite for linux for most of the needs.

--> Most of the hardware you have listed will work just fine.

--> For availability, check out the links I posted...and of course, Google.

 

[gobble]

Yes, I tried some messing with that stuff: in fact, at first, it would not run at all.

You are right: the problem lies with the hardware. I thought Linux might just handle it better, but I'm still on the way to that new PC, and hoping for a better experience!

I'm off to take another look at this irq priority stuff --- it does make my brain hurt, but I'm not giving up yet

EDIT... the other thing is this SATA/IDE business. It seems to be IDE stuff which is creating huge amounts of interupts, whether in Windows or in Linux. I had hoped that Linux might actually talk to the SATA drives as such, without IDE emulation. Maybe I should have done something different with the bios settings before installation? I don't know. I went through a worrying half hour yesterday evening when, after experimenting with different bios settings, it refused to find my discs at all --- which has not happened to me since the days when you had to feed the disc parameters in manually!

Thad

Before installation you need to step into the bios menu and select SATA AHCI mode. if you switch after install it may not boot. But if you are going to re-install anyways you can try changing bios settings firs and report the results

Cheers

Regards

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Hahahaha... I feel another installation coming on!

Must remember this for the new PC... wouldn't be much fun if both windows and linux were not using the same, I guess.

 

[moktan]

deleting because of repeat post.......

 

[moktan]

Gobble,
thanks a lot for this gem of a thread..i too have installed the 10.4 and am, like, 'quite loving it'...i like
(i) the fact that it boots very fast
(ii)that it detects the hardware-though i have to concede that what i have is very limited-and doesn't struggle like my windows to pair up with my HP scanner. with XP every time i want to scan something the driver CD had to be in the tray and it used to vrroooomm and take for ever...now it does these stuff in a jiffy and the cd is nowhere in sight
(iii) all the software that you can download through the ubuntu software center is great
(iv) the looks -nice and minimalist
(v)that so far it hasn't crashed and i haven't experienced the blue screen
(vi) that even limewire which used to attract loads of bad stuff on my windows is well sanitized...
(vii) the open office suit comes with OS and that is such a relief
(viii) of course the fact that the CD was shipped free

however a few bottle necks have been
(i) i am still connecting to the net using 'sudo pon dsl-provider' on the terminal
(ii)there are no icons on the panel through which i can be clued in on whether the internet is connected or not..
(iii) it did not read DVDs but i managed to install the vlc player and that was an education on how the linux installs stuff differently as compared to windows..
(iv) i am still having issues with the X Scan utility in terms of not being able to use the OCR and save the files in some format that reads words and documents.
and lastly..for which i had to write such a long preface..
my laptop has got a contraption called the thinklight (a small led that helps lighting up the keyboard in the dark)..so far i have not been able to put this on..it used to work with the power manager in windows but so far i haven't been able to put this one on...
could anyone clue me on this??

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

(v)that so far it hasn't crashed and i haven't experienced the blue screen

And it's a black screen, with, if I remember rightly, the words "kernel panic, trying to recover" (which it usually doesn't). Don't worry about it: Unix was managing memory properly and preventing errant programs from affecting each other or bringing the the system down before Windows even existed!

Open Office seems to have improved a great deal since my last look. On the basis of a quick visit, I think I may even be able to use its spread sheet without missing excel. Word always was a heap of doggy dung, so I hope they haven't copied it too closely --- but I guess it's what everybody wants now.

[URL=http://img267.imageshack.us/i/screenshot3br.png/] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/URL]

 

[moktan]

And it's a black screen, with, if I remember rightly, the words "kernel panic, trying to recover" (which it usually doesn't). Don't worry about it: Unix was managing memory properly and preventing errant programs from affecting each other or bringing the the system down before Windows even existed!

Open Office seems to have improved a great deal since my last look. On the basis of a quick visit, I think I may even be able to use its spread sheet without missing excel. Word always was a heap of doggy dung, so I hope they haven't copied it too closely --- but I guess it's what everybody wants now.

[URL=http://img267.imageshack.us/i/screenshot3br.png/] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/URL]

thanks , though i was correct about the screen , cause on those occasions the screen was precious little that we had of the OS...