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The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

Moody, soon as you posted that pic, it happened again. the post you made after i screencapped to show what it does. it goes all widescreen, the right side of posts go off the screen unless i side scroll back and forth to read. this is what it looks like on a MBP


 
Might be another nooby question:

I bought this USB drive, but it doesn't mention compatiability with Linux (I've seen other online that do). Would this be an issue do you think?

edit: I've looked in other forums, and they seem to point in yes, but any clarification would be great :P?

Also, for gaming on Steam, will there be any difference between Kubuntu and Ubuntu? (THe end user won't be me, so the one thats easy to use/read up about on the net would be great)
 
Mehta23 said:
Might be another nooby question:

I bought this USB drive, but it doesn't mention compatiability with Linux (I've seen other online that do). Would this be an issue do you think?

edit: I've looked in other forums, and they seem to point in yes, but any clarification would be great :P?

Also, for gaming on Steam, will there be any difference between Kubuntu and Ubuntu? (THe end user won't be me, so the one thats easy to use/read up about on the net would be great)
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It shouldn't be a problem.

Let me put it this way-- I have yet to meet a (working) drive that Linux hasn't been able to at least read, and most USB flash drives are formatted in FAT32, which Linux can read and write to.
 
so moody, you prefer kubuntu over ubuntu and lubuntu i take it? idk, i took a transition with lubuntu from my usual ubuntu self. does it have better driver support than ubuntu and lubuntu?
 
boyo1991 said:
so moody, you prefer kubuntu over ubuntu and lubuntu i take it?
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Yes, I certainly do. :D

idk, i took a transition with lubuntu from my usual ubuntu self. does it have better driver support than ubuntu and lubuntu?
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To the best of my knowledge, a *buntu is a *buntu is a *buntu. In other words, ANY *buntu is going to have the same driver support.

But your question makes me think you're having (or have had) problems with some item/device/component. Since that hasn't happened to me in years (the last time was circa 2007 when getting Broadcom 43xx wireless cards working took a little tweaking), I'm wondering what your specific issues are/were.

As for WHY I prefer Kubuntu, let's start with its infinite customization options--and we're talking via its settings; we don't even need to go into doing stuff at a command line. As I've said before, you could literally work full-time tweaking your settings, and never be DONE. I love the beautiful, polished, look of KDE. I also, in general, prefer KDE apps over their GNOME counterparts. So a fresh install of KDE/Kubuntu lets me hit the ground running because it's already installed basic apps I'm going to use. There are some notable exceptions, such as gParted and Synaptic, which I install IMMEDIATELY after I'm up and running. But keep in mind, as I've mentioned before, that you're perfectly free to install/use G apps on K, or K apps on G. They'll run just fine.
 
I must thank you for the root login help Moody, it helped immensely on my Chromebook. i got KDE back and the screensaver glitch is fixed (must have been a Cinnamon thing/bug).

just a warning for those with Chromebooks running Linux or systems with small amounts of storage. KDE is HUGE. it made the 16GB drive on my *book so full it's showing 91% full just from installing KDE (was around ~30% before). actually got some sys alerts during the install warning me i was getting low (which i promptly disabled, i know it's low on space shut up!)

I got Synaptic going (but it wasn't easy, had to use the add-apt repository hack again) but i don't really like it. it suffers similar bugs that Software Center has (except while Software Center just omits the app from its list when it's 'not compatible,' Synaptic lists it anyway, only giving you an unmet dependency error during the install attempt) and reminds me of the rather cryptic package manager that came with my previously favorite (though dated today) Distro, VectorLinux 6. in fact, i think it's the same tool. it's just called something different than 'Vector Package Manager'. in VL 6, i always used the terminal, so 'slapt-get' was my choice for software, far less buggy and error-prone than *buntu's apt-get. never had to issue add-apt commands or anything like it there. though i prefer X, the system i used to run VL 6 on was so dated that using the GUI software manager thing was too slow to deal with. so i often did my daily tasks from the terminal or some graphical program that ran in the terminal using fbdev graphics. i had a graphical web browser that supported adobe flash (and the mouse) that used it too, was pretty neat but seemed limited to mobile sites like m.facebook.com vs. facebook.com. it also suffered a color deficiency, only allowing the use of 256 color palette, vs. 16-bit high color.
 
If the Linux System you use now was to go out of existence which would you use? Why?

Currently OpenSuse 12
Fedora 17/18

Would Use - PCBSD (even though not really Linux)
- Sabayon

Why - I just like PCBSD it worked with most of my stuff. The only real issue is its lack of reading EXT4 file systems
- Sabayon is a decent system built on Gentoo. Besides a few minor glitches I've had with it Its a solid system and If I knew more CLI stuff I could probably fix those glitches.
 
No Linux distro can completely go out of commission. open source is future-proof. it is always supported by whomever toys with its code.
 
thanks, Early but the subdoers only works for terminal root permissions like 'apt-get'. it does not affect the Software Center. i had to enable root logins to disable all the UAC in Linux, including the oft-annoying keyring prompt that Google Chrome kept spawning.
 
Nick, with that limited space, you need to get and keep a firm grip on your logs and any caching-- all it takes is one misbehaving program spamming your loss and you'll be locked out of your system until you can boot up a CD and free some space in your root (or /home) partition.
 
oh, i am well aware of what happens when the space in /home goes to zero. i've had some experience with Linux for over a decade. let's say that like my short stint with SCO UNIX, it's not exactly a pleasant memory.

The best and most favored of my distro history had to be VectorLinux 6.0. it had everything i loved about the system and 'just worked' as it was meant to. unfortunately, newer versions did away with the 'traditional linux' love like console logins and a proper package management. today, using 6.x won't support very modern hardware and won't play well with newer systems. i have my last VL 6 machine that i had totally reworked everything (couldn't possibly recreate it either) but it's about as torn apart as GlaDOS.
 
You can always do a net-install of most any distros. It will put a minimum, basic cli, OS and then add only what you want or need. And it will always be modern (up to date). Of course you will have to add a lightweight WM or something maybe along the lines of Xfce4.

These fly by night distros do come and go, and can leave you without any support for that version of Linux. No updates etc.

argedion, that is why I stopped distro hopping and stick with the few major distros, mostly all others are based on one of them anyway.

Debian
Slackware
Fedora
Used to be Mandriva/Mandrake but now Mageia

For source based distros I run Source Mage. It's been awhile though.
 
nickdalzell said:
just a warning for those with Chromebooks running Linux or systems with small amounts of storage. KDE is HUGE. it made the 16GB drive on my *book so full it's showing 91% full just from installing KDE (was around ~30% before). actually got some sys alerts during the install warning me i was getting low (which i promptly disabled, i know it's low on space shut up!)
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Yes, KDE, Gnome & Unity are all some resource heavy desktop environments. But using a regular computer with a large hard drive and lots of memory, at least 2gb shouldn't be a problem. I'm always using low resource systems, so I always install a minimum version of KDE/Gnome or whatever else, unless I put a WM on it.

That has been one thing about KDE for me, it installs too many apps by default and that is why I figured out how to install a minimum to keep the bloat down. :D
 
argedion said:
If the Linux System you use now was to go out of existence which would you use? Why?
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Great question.

Current (as EVERYONE here knows!!): Kubuntu; versions ranging from 9.04 to 13.04

Would probably switch to: Fedora. When I tried it most recently (~2 years ago) I liked it very much and could've easily stuck with it. In the end, Kubuntu won out, not so much because Fedora wasn't okay enough, but more just a matter of familiarity. Keeping all the computers running the same distro makes things easy/automatic/by rote for me. (My now dead old laptop was an exception; I put Bodhi on it.)

Honestly, though, I think most ANY distro would do for me. It might take some getting used to, but I don't think it would be a big deal. Under the hood, Linux is Linux is Linux... :D
 
EarlyMon said:
Just a drive by - if you don't want to deal with passwords on an apt-get or something, change the sudoers.

HowTO: Sudoers Configuration

I haven't used it in years (as in ages) because I believe in root rather than sudo - but if you're gonna sudo, then make a proper sudoers.
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That's a great resource, EM, and one I've never seen before. Thanks for posting it.

However, as Nick has pointed out, the sudoers trick has no effect on certain things. Nick specifically wanted Ubuntu Software Center to work without being prompted for his password; I don't use USC myself, but installed it to figure out the solution.

Believe it or not, I never disabled the annoying password prompt that drives Nick nuts! Oh, it's disabled NOW, as a result of my experimenting with Nick's issues, but prior to that I just typed my password when needed. Which isn't very often...because when I need to do most tasks I su - to root. :D
 
on VectorLinux 6, the only thing i had to do was login as root and install to my heart's content :) it's a shame it's so old now and future releases suck. they noobified it much like Ubuntu does.

the reason i hate the password is because it reminds me of User Account Control in Windows Vista/7/8. drives me nuts. one reason out of many i drifted to the Android/iOS(and now MacOS and Linux) world. the only reason i have a single Windows 8 box is for games that run on none of the aforementioned systems well enough to enjoy them.

With the exception of asking me for my password, this is a UAC prompt. it happened all. the. time. not just or admin stuff, even changing the desktop wallpaper or time made them pop up. it was one of the first i easily and quickly disabled. start--settings--control panel--user accounts--turn user account control on or off



in Linux, it took a whole lot of hacking system files like using Windows Regedit in Windows 98 to accomplish such a task. why make it harder?

I hate the whole 'the OS knows what's best for the user' crap. if i am doing anything that needs my password, i sure intend to do that very thing. i never click on adverts, or visit porn sites, or warez, so it is extremely unlikely that i'm going to accidentally get a virus. so all that protection junk goes. one of the reasons i turn it off or root my Android stuff (since the option isn't an out-of-box choice). what i fail to get is all this harping on about how Linux hardly if ever gets viruses, how it's better than Windows for that and many other regards, yet doing something as common as logging in as root (akin to the user account in Windows being the admin, basically out of box) suddenly means Linux is as bad if not worse than Windows and will instantaneously get a virus from doing so. really? so Linux is hardly able to get a virus until one logs in as root? go figure!

Basically i'm a geek. i'm not some newbie who needs his or her hand held. so while i understand the reason for such protection, i have the common sense and skill to avoid doing what my grandmom did to her new (then )Vista system. she managed to 'accidentally' click on a pop-up ad masquerading as an Anti-virus program, and it wouldn't boot. once i put Linux (of course, Puppy Linux as it reminded her of Windows 98 which she thought was more familiar) on there, everything was ok. it is always a root user system (Puppy's mantra is 'root forever') yet she has NEVER encountered a virus on it.
 
If I had to abandon Mint, I would probably try Debian out, or one of the lighter distros... wasn't enamored with Puppy, but DSL isn't getting a lot of development love.

Or, I might try Slackware again.
 
nickdalzell said:
on VectorLinux 6, the only thing i had to do was login as root and install to my heart's content :) it's a shame it's so old now and future releases suck. they noobified it much like Ubuntu does.
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Well they're slogan is "Ubuntu: Linux for human beings" :p

By 'human beings' I would assume normal people, like my sister or father or most of the people at my office, who wouldn't even know how to install and configure Windows. They're not geek or techie types. Although my father sold his Windows 7 PC, gave me his Macbook, and now just uses a Samsung Android tablet.

Although with Ubuntu, you have to do a little bit of geekery if you wish to play MP3s, DVDs and Blu-rays. "patented codec", yup that's a geek term. :D
 
nickdalzell said:
what i fail to get is all this harping on about how Linux hardly if ever gets viruses, how it's better than Windows for that and many other regards, yet doing something as common as logging in as root (akin to the user account in Windows being the admin, basically out of box) suddenly means Linux is as bad if not worse than Windows and will instantaneously get a virus from doing so. really? so Linux is hardly able to get a virus until one logs in as root? go figure!
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No, sorry Nick, but you're misunderstanding the warnings and/or reasoning.

It's not that logging in as root will magically make a Linux system infested with viruses and other crap, it's that:

. a user who doesn't fully grasp the power of being root can bring the system down--irrevocably, as in deleting everything

. a hacker might find their way in while you're logged in as root

. you could inadvertently allow something malicious in, i.e., while installing something you found somewhere--if you're logged in as root, you're opening up the system to have its files overwritten with something malicious, whereas if you installed that same thing as a regular user, it wouldn't have that access

And so on.

It's not about Linux suddenly becoming virus ridden, it's about protecting its inherently secure file system from malice, whether intentional or the result of a careless user.

Basically i'm a geek. i'm not some newbie who needs his or her hand held. so while i understand the reason for such protection, i have the common sense and skill to avoid doing what my grandmom did to her new (then )Vista system. she managed to 'accidentally' click on a pop-up ad masquerading as an Anti-virus program, and it wouldn't boot. once i put Linux (of course, Puppy Linux as it reminded her of Windows 98 which she thought was more familiar) on there, everything was ok. it is always a root user system (Puppy's mantra is 'root forever') yet she has NEVER encountered a virus on it.
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See above. *shrug* If she managed to allow a virus in that rendered window$ unbootable, it's simply luck that she hasn't introduced some vulnerability that will compromise Linux.
 
MoodyBlues said:
That's a great resource, EM, and one I've never seen before. Thanks for posting it.

However, as Nick has pointed out, the sudoers trick has no effect on certain things. Nick specifically wanted Ubuntu Software Center to work without being prompted for his password; I don't use USC myself, but installed it to figure out the solution.

Believe it or not, I never disabled the annoying password prompt that drives Nick nuts! Oh, it's disabled NOW, as a result of my experimenting with Nick's issues, but prior to that I just typed my password when needed. Which isn't very often...because when I need to do most tasks I su - to root. :D
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Same here.

Yeah, I was catching up, saw the complaint and did notice that the install discussion had moved on to the cartoons but thought I'd share it anyway.

We used to use those on distributed processing systems where a few trusted senior users could do specific things for the job and calling for admin only when necessary. The no-password spec made a number of recovery jobs scriptable.
 
she seems to do perfectly fine with Puppy Linux despite it defaulting to root. just proves my point. 'fake' antivirus and other malware are written for Windows, not Linux.
 
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