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Old 05-06-2011, 12:20
freeview_user
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Gah! I take umbrage with your point though, that it's the most user friendly Linux. It really isn't you know.
Why not?
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Old 05-06-2011, 12:32
Kal_El
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Well because other distros are just as nice and easy to use, such as Mandriva, openSUSE, PCLinuxOS and Pardus for example. A better idea would be to take something like Fedora or Slackware and add a layer of user friendliness to it that it's lacking. If Ubuntu is as friendly as you say, what's the point in making an Ubuntu based distro? Fair do's if it's just for your personal education and fun, do what you want, but if you intend releasing it, the end user will likely just choose Ubuntu (or Mint) anyway over your version. There's just too many Ubuntu spinoffs out there to warrant another.

But if it's just for fun, then as I say ignore everything I'm saying.
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Old 05-06-2011, 12:41
whoever,hey
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I'm not a software dev, and I'm not quite sure what you're question is. Other distros can use the code and make Unity a part of their desktop environment, just as they can with Gnome, KDE or whatever. I hear openSUSE are building it for their next release. I imagine the main difference is as you say, how dependencies are handled. OpenSUSE is an RPM based distro, so there must be difficulties there.
This bit in bold. What is Unity? What would making unity part of their desktop environment add? Its sounding like a totally different meaning of the word to me, which i find surprising.
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Old 05-06-2011, 12:52
Kal_El
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Unity as I see it is - the left side bar, and the dashboard thing that pops up with the Windows key or swooshing the mouse to the top left. I imagine if the user chooses to use it as part of their OS, then it would replace Gnome or KDE or whatever they're running, and indeed not necessarily "unite" with it. I think that's what you mean. It's an odd choice for a name if you look at it that way.
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Old 05-06-2011, 13:20
scooby1970
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It will be based on Ubuntu.
As a huge fan of Ubuntu, in one way I'm happy you're going with that, but on the other it would be nice for you to work on one of the lesser resource Linux distros such as Puppy Linux.

The thing is with Ubuntu, there are some big names such as Mint and SuperOS which cater for those who need something a bit different from Ubuntu. If you are going to work on a Linux, choose something different as it'll be hard to compete with the Big Boys.

Leave Ubuntu to Ubuntu, they do it best.

Mark
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Old 05-06-2011, 13:27
scooby1970
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This bit in bold. What is Unity? What would making unity part of their desktop environment add? Its sounding like a totally different meaning of the word to me, which i find surprising.
Unity is a shell interface for the Gnome desktop environment especially developed for Ubuntu. It makes more efficient use of space and is particularly impressive on a laptop or netbook.

It is highly customisable and like Gnome 3 (used in the excellent Fedora 15) is in early stages and has huge potential.

I don't know if you all feel the same who've used Unity and Gnome 3, but it's great that they are doing something and it doesn't feel like an imitation of the Windows environment. The future is looking good for Linux.

Mark
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Old 05-06-2011, 13:31
Kal_El
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Unity is a shell interface for the Gnome desktop environment especially developed for Ubuntu. It makes more efficient use of space and is particularly impressive on a laptop or netbook.

It is highly customisable and like Gnome 3 (used in the excellent Fedora 15) is in early stages and has huge potential.

I don't know if you all feel the same who've used Unity and Gnome 3, but it's great that they are doing something and it doesn't feel like an imitation of the Windows environment. The future is looking good for Linux.

Mark
I agree. They are both user friendly and attractive, and not aping either Windows or Mac. They are nicely done and uniquely Linuxey in their own right. I think over time you'll begin to see these environments on tablets, laptops and netbooks pre-installed.
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Old 05-06-2011, 17:33
1saintly
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How about something lightweight so I can use it on our Eee PC! I'm fed up of trying to find the right distro for it, though the Peppermint Ice OS I'm using at the moment is the closest I've come to the perfect choice.
Hi Kal, as your a PCLinuxOS fan, have a look at this

http://www.pclinuxos.com/?page_id=215

I Like it, haven't heard of Enlightenment E-17 version of Linux before,

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Enl...ient=firefox-a

other Distros use it as well but i have found the PCLiux one to be my favorite.
Only used it on a desktop pc, so cant say what its like on lappies etc.
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Old 05-06-2011, 17:49
Kal_El
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Hi Kal, as your a PCLinuxOS fan, have a look at this

http://www.pclinuxos.com/?page_id=215

I Like it, haven't heard of Enlightenment E-17 version of Linux before,

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Enl...ient=firefox-a

other Distros use it as well but i have found the PCLiux one to be my favorite.
Only used it on a desktop pc, so cant say what its like on lappies etc.
/downloads

Thanks! Though the notes below say it needs up to 1Gb on RAM, and we only have 512Mb on it. It also says it needs up to 10Gb HDD space, and it only has 4Gb. Still, I'll give it a go.
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Old 05-06-2011, 17:51
freeview_user
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I will probably base it on Debian. It is rock solid. I don't like the RPM-based distro's because it makes it hard to install software and .DEB is more efficient.
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Old 05-06-2011, 18:11
1saintly
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/downloads

Thanks! Though the notes below say it needs up to 1Gb on RAM, and we only have 512Mb on it. It also says it needs up to 10Gb HDD space, and it only has 4Gb. Still, I'll give it a go.

Ooops sorry about that.

Worth a look at anyway, i knew you couldn't resist

Its at the bottom of the list with devs behind gnome kde etc.
Im not too keen on Xfce and Lxde.
But i think with a bit of work it could be a nice filler\option for people to choose between Gnome and Kde.
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Old 05-06-2011, 21:36
Kal_El
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Well that is seriously bloody nice! Just installed it and it's updating (remember to update the sources.list from their forums if you try it), but after an hour or so playing - I like! There's a lovely set of themes, though the default is probably the nicest, and a gorgeous wee dock thing at the bottom. Of course, none of the visual niceties mean owt if it isn't any good. And so far it seems to me to be the fastest system I've used yet on our Eee. Brilliant.

Thanks for that 1Saintly. I should have looked sooner for a PCLOS mini spinoff, but somehow never even thought about it. I use their main distro too and it's aces.
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Old 05-06-2011, 21:41
1saintly
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Well that is seriously bloody nice! Just installed it and it's updating (remember to update the sources.list from their forums if you try it), but after an hour or so playing - I like! There's a lovely set of themes, though the default is probably the nicest, and a gorgeous wee dock thing at the bottom. Of course, none of the visual niceties mean owt if it isn't any good. And so far it seems to me to be the fastest system I've used yet on our Eee. Brilliant.

Thanks for that 1Saintly. I should have looked sooner for a PCLOS mini spinoff, but somehow never even thought about it. I use their main distro too and it's aces.
No probs, and you're right it looks the part.

As i said before im looking for a compromise between Gnome and Kde, thats how i came across it.
Im not too keen on Xfce and Lxde

With a little bit of work from devs it could be a nice filler\option for people to choose between Gnome and Kde but
http://www.pclinuxos.com/?page_id=215
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=E-1...ient=firefox-a
seems to have slipped under the radar for some reason
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Old 05-06-2011, 21:57
1saintly
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A few extra distros that use it if anyone fancies it, and a few info links, give it a go

http://www.elivecd.org/

http://www.bodhilinux.com/about.php

http://trac.enlightenment.org/e/wiki/User_Guide

http://www.enlightenment.org/

and for Ubuntu fans https://help.ubuntu.com/community/En...tenment%20DR17
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Old 07-06-2011, 08:10
scooby1970
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For those of you on Ununtu there's a great new app that allows you to force close applications if they hang for any reason (very handy if you try out beta software).

Just follow the instructions at http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/06/q...or-forceclose/

Mark
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Old 09-06-2011, 20:10
flynn
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As the title says, I'm struggling with the current distros on my laptop, specifically around the nvidia driver. So far....

Ubuntu - won't launch Unity, and looking in the restricted drivers manager it looks like the nvidia driver is installed but it won't activate. This would be my preferred choice as I'm a long time Ubuntu user, and I like Unity too (had it on my netbook for a while now)

Kubuntu - same problem with the nvidia driver as Ubuntu. I don't like KDE4 having had a play with it, then the second or third time I booted up it locked up on login and never worked again.

Fedora 15 - no hardware acceleration as far as I can tell, seems to be using the nouveau driver. Google throws up several different suggestions on installing the nvidia binary, but also seems to suggest it won't actually work (issues with black windows). Shame, as I like the look of Gnome 3 and wouldn't mind going back to Fedora - last used it when it was Core 4!

Mint - nvidia driver installs fine - woohoo! However as soon as I try to enable compiz everything locks up and I have to Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to restart the session. Also, first time I've tried Mint and I'm not keen - much too Windows-y for me.

All this is on my trusty laptop (Dell Latitude D820) that has "just worked" with every version of Ubuntu up until now, the video card is a GeForce Go 7400.

I'm going to have a trawl around on Google over the weekend to see if I can get one of these up & running properly, but posting here on the offchance someone might know of a solution for one of the above (preferably Ubuntu or Fedora).

Alternatively, any other suggestions for distros for me to try - either Unity or Gnome 3 based? Probably going to have a play with OpenSuse and Mandriva at some point, although I've never had any joy with either of them before...

Thanks in advance folks
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Old 09-06-2011, 20:17
Kal_El
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Your problem with Ubuntu and Unity is exactly the same as the one I had. Driver activated but not in use, and couldn't consistently access the desktop without resetting X each time. I just think it's very buggy, and Fedora seems much the same if reports are anything to go on. The missus stayed with 10.04 LTS on her Dell laptop, and that's been great. Can't say owt about Mint as I've not tried the new one, but as it's based on Ubuntu I imagine it's going to have similar problems.

I switched to OpenSUSE on my desktop with Gnome 3 and I haven't looked back. It's been absolutely brilliant. Just watch out for one of the Gnome-shell extensions, as it causes issues for some. It's the XrandR one. I also run PCLinuxOS, and would recommend you try it, but be warned. It's a rolling distro, which is a great thing, but sadly it means that the iso you download is well out of date, so you'll have a massive amount of updates to install afresh (often bigger than the original iso!). It's worth it though, as once it's installed it's much less bother.

In other news, PCLinuxOS with E-17 is still rocking on our Eee. It's perfect.
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Old 09-06-2011, 20:17
1saintly
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Sorry not advice on nvidia driver, im lucky enough to be using ati.
But noticed you say you may have a play with mandriva, so just wanted to bring

http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=06710

to your attention.
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Old 09-06-2011, 20:19
1saintly
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In other news, PCLinuxOS with E-17 is still rocking on our Eee. It's perfect.
Glad to hear it
http://pclosmag.com/index.php/compon...azine-released
Been reading up on it and it may gain support as a go between Gnome3\unity\Kde.
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Old 09-06-2011, 20:22
Ilowman
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As the title says, I'm struggling with the current distros on my laptop, specifically around the nvidia driver. So far....

Ubuntu - won't launch Unity, and looking in the restricted drivers manager it looks like the nvidia driver is installed but it won't activate. This would be my preferred choice as I'm a long time Ubuntu user, and I like Unity too (had it on my netbook for a while now)
...

All this is on my trusty laptop (Dell Latitude D820) that has "just worked" with every version of Ubuntu up until now, the video card is a GeForce Go 7400.

I'm going to have a trawl around on Google over the weekend to see if I can get one of these up & running properly, but posting here on the offchance someone might know of a solution for one of the above (preferably Ubuntu or Fedora).

Alternatively, any other suggestions for distros for me to try - either Unity or Gnome 3 based? Probably going to have a play with OpenSuse and Mandriva at some point, although I've never had any joy with either of them before...

Thanks in advance folks
Is this any help?

http://askubuntu.com/questions/37629...till-run-unity
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Old 09-06-2011, 20:50
flynn
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Sorry not advice on nvidia driver, im lucky enough to be using ati.
But noticed you say you may have a play with mandriva, so just wanted to bring

http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=06710

to your attention.
Funny thing is, it always used to be the ati drivers that were a problem and nvidia better.

I'll take a look at that distro too, looks interesting - the bit of distro hopping I've been doing has got me interested in playing with a few more before I settle down again!

That sounds just the ticket, thanks very much
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Old 09-06-2011, 21:00
scooby1970
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"Driver Activated but not in use" is a bug, and the driver will be in use. As long as you can see the icons on the left of the screen it is working fine.

I'm using an Nvidia card, and on the drivers list there should be two seperate drivers. Use the older one, as this one seems more stable and does not give any problems other than saying "Driver Activated but not in use".

I'd recommend you try Fedora 15 for Gnome 3, it's the leading Gnome 3 distro and is very nice to work with.

Mark
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Old 09-06-2011, 21:09
flynn
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"Driver Activated but not in use" is a bug, and the driver will be in use. As long as you can see the icons on the left of the screen it is working fine.

I'm using an Nvidia card, and on the drivers list there should be two seperate drivers. Use the older one, as this one seems more stable and does not give any problems other than saying "Driver Activated but not in use".
Ah, cheers - llowman's link also suggested the older driver so will definitely be using that.

I'd recommend you try Fedora 15 for Gnome 3, it's the leading Gnome 3 distro and is very nice to work with.

Mark
Yep, already gave it a go - very nice, but also seemed to struggle with my graphics (unless moving windows about is supposed to be slow-slow-quick-quick-slow ). Particularly like the way it works with two screens.
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Old 09-06-2011, 21:24
Kal_El
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Funny thing is, it always used to be the ati drivers that were a problem and nvidia better.
It still is. It's just Ubuntu that's messed up.

"Driver Activated but not in use" is a bug, and the driver will be in use. As long as you can see the icons on the left of the screen it is working fine.
For some that is the case, for others the driver doesn't activate and the Unity desktop doesn't work. For many, Nvidia and Ubuntu 11.04 just doesn't work. When I first installed 11.04, it was fine. The Unity desktop worked for a while, then for some reason it stopped. I think it's all related to the Jockey bug mentioned here, that the system is reporting that the driver is not in use.

Fedora is OK, but not really what I'd call a friendly distro. Even the folks on their forum say as much.
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Old 10-06-2011, 06:25
rhod
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In other news, PCLinuxOS with E-17 is still rocking on our Eee. It's perfect.
I've been looking for a replacement for Jolicloud on my eeepc701 for a while now. I missed my desktop, even on a small screen!

Inspired by this thread, I installed PCLinuxOS E-17 and it really is great, isn't it? I remember using enlightenment years ago, and felt it was a bit clunky. But it seems to have come on tremendously. Very slick and responsive and highly configurable.
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