I think I've gone two weeks tops with each one before switching to another. Although I do seem to be going between the same two distros.


No I have actually been switching to another distro each time. I'm not so keen on Gnome shell on Ubuntu. It doesn't seem to have the same features. Lots of stuff is locked off in the tweak tool.

I'm still using KDE4 though on my other partition that I don't mess with. I love it, tbh.

Tried Mint 12 the other day. It turned up on LXF magazine's disc. This will upset some, but I didn't like it one bit I'm afraid. Ugly, confusing, buggy...not for me. Why did they feel the need to hide the workspaces in their overview? They're still there, but you wouldn't know it, as they don't show up unless you happen to move your mouse in their direction.

Looks like the situation of running Sun Java on Linux has become clouded by Oracle retiring one of its distribution licences :

Oracle retires licence for distributing its Java with Linux
Java To Be Removed from Ubuntu, Uninstalled from User Machines

OpenJDK and IcedTea will still survive, it's Sun's own Java that is being left at sea.

Not sure how other distros will deal with this.

What's up with OpenJDK?

I brought the ubuntu 11.10 cd from the linux shop a few days ago and finally summoned up the courage to install it. because i still have bad memories of red hat from 11 years ago i opted for a dual install. I needn't have bothered with that precautionary measure as ubuntu loaded up fast and without a hitch. It found my wireless connection and my external hard drive. This could well be love at first sight. although my new love has no idea i like to acquire tv programs from disease ridden sites that may compromise her virtue.

My question is: can i still visit these sites and what is the best spyware\malware\firewall i can install for ubuntu?

Did you just try the default desktop, the one that's just Gnome-shell and MGSE installed? Mint's new shell, Cinnamon, is available on Mint 12. Just add "cinnamon-session" through your favourite package manager.

I've got Mint 12 with Cinnamon on my netbook at the moment and find it a vast improvement over Gnome-shell.

Of course you can still visit those sites.

Unless you're running services on your computer the ports should already be closed so you shouldn't need to bother with a firewall.

As long as you're not running random programs you shouldn't need to bother with anti-spyware/malware software either (and i'm not really aware of much in the way of it anyway), and the only time you need to worry about it is if you're passing files that might already be infected to Windows users.

Compatibility. My employer deploys apps which run fine under Sun Java 6 JRE, but don't even get to a login screen under OpenJDK. These are standalone apps, ie do not run in the browser, but use the jnlp launcher.

Ah right. Not such a problem for a home user perhaps, but trouble in the business world. From what I gather though, development is picking up on OpenJDK so it should begin to improve soon.

Anyone here listen to the Linux Action Show podcast? Lots of fun and you should give it a try. I wasn't sure about it at first, what with the noisy American style presenting, but I really warmed to it. If you are a lapsed fan, you might be interested to know Bryan Lunduke is back.

Watched a few minutes of the latest epsiode... Yikes!

Note to self: Don't switch tabs after opening a video whilst having volume on full!

I think I've gone temporarily deaf

Old version of Skype still runs OK on my Xubuntu. Only irritation is that the Update Manager keeps nagging about wanting to upgrade to the latest version which didn't work when I tried it. I can't see any way of putting the update on an "ignore" list so I have to keep unticking it so it doesn't install along with other updates that come through.

Been taking a bit more of a look at Puppy Linux and have to say I'm impressed. It all loads into ram and you can store all data on an external usb drive so you have the option of a lightning-quick machine without touching the internal hard disc (eg with Windows on it) at all. The Wary version is great for older machines. The Lucid version looks more polished and offers a good range of software packages. Haven't looked at the latest flagship version (Slacko) yet.

In the terminal:


(You might have to change "skype" to something else, depending what the package name is, but I'm pretty sure it's just skype.)

Or, in the Muon Package Manager, type 'skype' in the search box and then right click on it and choose 'Lock at current version'.

Yeah it can be a little scary for the uninitiated. But stick with it and it really grows on you. I love their banter, and it's become a great comedy podcast for me. There's nothing cynical or too geeky, and it's very accessible. I tried the Linux Outlaws one, and though I liked the guys very much it felt a little bit not aimed at me as a normal user and a podcast passer-by. It felt like they had their audience and they perhaps weren't so interested in being a bit more inclusive. But that's fine, it just wasn't for me.

Looks like the future is on hold for another week.

http://blog.mandriva.com/en/2012/01/17/the-future/

ok, i'm back in the market to try another distro

haven't done it for a while as I had Assassin's Creed:Revelations and then Batman:Arkham City on the PC which i wanted to play through and complete so now they're both done and i'm bored so if anyone has any recommendations I'm up for it !

I'll have a look at distrowatch later on to see what's what as well.

Many thanks for the guidance. Older version of Skype now shows as locked or pinned in Synaptic Package Manager and Update Manager no longer keeps offering the upgrade.

By the way, if anyone else is having problems with the latest version of Skype for Linux and wishes to try the older version, I found it at a blogspot site (skype-old-version.blogspot.com).

Ubuntu had planned to push dummy upgrades to the sun-java6 and sun-java5 package family which would effectively uninstall them. However it now appears that Ubuntu have changed their minds : Users already running Sun Java will be allowed to continue to do so, however:
a) from Feb 16th, new installs of sun-java packages will not be allowed
b) There will be no further security updates or fixes for any Sun Java products

OpenJDK is unaffected by this.

Ok i've got to try this ..

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=asturix

just had a quick boot off the usb stick to try it out and it's ubuntu with a custom launcher. the thing that struck me was the 'themes' option.

it has a 3D theme !!

it's just a red/blue anaglyph theme mind, and i didn't have my 3d glasses to hand, but i'm going to install it properly now and set up the drivers and give it a spin

can someone help me install vuze.

I open a terminal and type in ~sudo aptitude install VUZE

when I hit enter or return the next line ask for my password.
It then doesn't allow me to enter it.

what gives?

You won't see the password being entered. Just enter it as normal. You'll see no **** or anything, but it will work.

Just some small changes, or some may consider the fact you can now put the panel were you like a major update
http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/?p=119

Hmmm can you do that with Gnome3\Unity yet?

On a serious note, this section makes intresintg reading....
quote..

Under the hood changes
Important changes were made to significantly improve Cinnamon under the hood and these changes also mean we’re now going further away from any kind of compatibility with Gnome Shell.

un quote....
Last edited by 1saintly : 23-01-2012 at 22:08

Latest 5.0.1 apple jailbreak Absinthe has been ported to linux

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dylXv3nGs0g

I used the Mac under Vm one a few days ago, but wish Id waited as it would have been fun to see this working. Nice to see they are porting to linux now.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...tem&px=MTA0NzU

Does anyone actually still use Ubuntu?

Lots of people. Why wouldn't they?


This looks really interesting. Seems a nice idea, and quite innovative. Glad to read they haven't forgotten the desktop too.