Nov 2, 2006, 11:00pm, this post will bring me current (up until now I've just done a bunch of posts to cover everything I did to get this Linux Box running). I have been using Text Editor and OpenOffice.org Word Processor to write these Blog posts and then copy and paste them into this Blog using Firefox as a web browser. (more on this in a minute)
I noticed that there were a few applications that I needed to do some of the things I do. I needed an HTML editor, a password manager, a PDF reader, a FTP client, and some time wasting games. How do you add programs to a Linux Box? Well I was told that Ubuntu had a nice "wizard" like add/remove application feature. Well I found it. It is the last item on the APPLICATIONS Button list (Upper left of desktop). Lets try it. I clicked on it and it told me it was checking for INSTALLED and AVAILABLE APPLICATIONS. After about 20 seconds or so it brought up a nice list of applications available for install. They are even broken down into categories. This looks nice. There is a long list (too many to name) but where are they? I don't have a CD in the drive. After playing with it for a few minutes, I figured it out! The list is generated from applications located on the Internet! Now that is cool. You just go through the list check the programs you want and then click the APPLY button at the bottom of the window. Ubuntu then downloads the selected applications and installs them for you. At the start of the install process you are asked for the ROOT password ONCE and ONLY ONCE!!! A progress bar appears and counts up until everything is done. The things you selected now appear in your APPLICATIONS Menu! So far I have added the following Applications:
NVU HTML Editor
GFTP
Thunderbird Email
Adobe Accorabat
KeePassX
I was never asked to reset or restart, the applications just appeared and worked. This is a nice feature but what if there is an application that I want that is not on the list? We will find out before the month is up. For now I have what I need from this "wizard".
Other things that I've done with little to no trouble.
- Setup GFTP to get to my websites
- Setup and imported my passwords to KeepassX (had MS WIndows version)
- Imported my Favorites into FIreFox
- Learned that PLACES (menu bar) then HOME DIRECTORY is kinda like MS Windows "My Documents" Folder
- Learned that PLACES (menu bar) COMPUTER is like clicking on "My Computer" or "Windows Explorer" in MS Windows.
Two Bad things happened. While setting up EVOLUTIONS EMAIL I had to get some information from the files I put on the Internet file server to complete the setup but while it was waiting for answers it would not let me get to the desktop to start Firefox. I tried to CANCEL the setup but it wouldn't. Then it locked up!!! Nothing worked and I had to HARD REBOOT. The "Now I'm a Full Linux Box" was reset for the first time at 11:10pm on 11-2-2006. That gave it an "up time" of about 29 hours. I've had MS Windows boxes make it that long :-)
The second bad thing was while Blogging all this I started off using OpenOffice.org's Word Processor so that I could spell check and I used it on my MS Windows Laptop and know it. Well every time I would select a section of text that was more than one screen in size it would CRASH!!! It would lose any unsaved data!!! It did it four times before I gave up on it!!! If you can't, tell it made me very mad, mad enough to download AbiWord. Just in case someone that knows Linux better than me reads this the only two programs I was running was OpenOfice.org Word Processor and Firefox and was just copying and pasting. I will add another 256mb of memory and see if that helps.
Day two has passed. So far I'm still on the fence.
Some rating scores I give Ubuntu after one day use
install and setup 8 of 10
(because of the slow mirrors, and time change crash).
The add/remove application "wizard" 9.5 of 10
(I like the Internet list and no reset and only having to type the password once)
Application reliability 5 of 10
(evolutions cause a hard reboot, OpenOffice lost data, Firefox is noticeably slower)
Application usability 7.5 of 10
(the applications have a good interface and menus have a logical layout)
6 comments:
I have never had those issues before. Instead of a hard reboot (which is BAD in Linux), open up a terminal and type 'ps -ef' . This is a ProcesS list in order of when they started. When a process acts up, type 'kill {process number}'. w00t!
Also read the forums to see if there are work arounds for your issues. To be homest, you are doing MUCH better than a lot of people do!
Way to go, dude!
IIRC, the new Firefox has a spell checker built it, so you do not need to use OO.o
FYI.
The Process List is what I've been looking for. I was wondering where the "Task Manager" like function was.
From reading your posts so far, it looks like I'll have to spend some time with the command line.
...please where can I buy a unicorn?
The authoritative point of view, it is tempting
Matchless phrase ;)
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