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My Ubuntu Linux Project, Set-Up Evaluation

Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:24 AM EDT
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By Michael Sautter
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After a few minor problems, I finally got Ubuntu set-up and I have not used Windows since installing it.

The two main problems that I had were getting MP3's to play and getting audio and video plug-ins to work in Firefox, the web browser. Here's what I recommend:

1. Enable Additional Repositories, I added the universe and multiverse (more info at Unbuntu Guide).

2. Install Easy Ubuntu. Automatix, similar to Easy Ubuntu, was unavailable at the time.

3. Use Add/Remove at the bottom of the Applications menu to add and remove applications instead of the Synaptic Package Manager (under System > Administration). SPM would install applications but they would not plug into Firefox. I removed them with SPM and then installed with Add/Remove and everything worked properly. Install VLC Media Player for audio and video goodness.

My Ubuntu Linux computer now does just about everything my old Apple Mac did. It plays just about every audio and video file format - Windows Media audio and video, Real Player audio and video, MP3s, MPGs, MOVs, Flash videos (like YouTube) - and they are plugged into the web browser so clicking on a linked file plays it in the browser.

Next Tuesday: Hardware Evaluation.
Did my printer, scanner and
digital camera work with Ubuntu?

Previously on My Ubuntu Linux Project:
Installation and Exploratory Phase.

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Michael Sautter

I'm very happy with Ubuntu.

  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:32 AM EDT
Thura

Good going, I have been on Ubuntu since I installed it also. I don't have a scanner but both printer and digital camera setup was virtually pain free. No hassle to install drivers and configure to such a degree that we would have had to do in Window XP.

Only problem is that Ubuntu/Linux cannot run my X-Fi Sound Blaster card, so no sound. SB will most likely release a driver mid year.

  • 2 votes
Reply#2 - Wed Mar 28, 2007 1:06 AM EDT
A. H. Min

w00t!

Just make sure all the drivers are downloaded for your hardware.

Automatix should be up again (I think they were moving the server).

  • 2 votes
Reply#3 - Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:25 PM EDT
Michael Sautter

Can I use Automatix and Easy Ubuntu at the same time?

  • 2 votes
#3.1 - Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:58 PM EDT
A. H. Min

I'm not sure. I just use Automatix by itself. But, I'm pretty sure you can.

  • 2 votes
#3.2 - Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:32 PM EDT
djd

My biggest problem was the wifi card, everything else worked fine on edgy - I ended up buying a £15 Belkin usb wireless F5D7050 (RT73) but it wouldn't play. I messed with ndiswrapper and the windows driver that came with the Belkin, but in the end got the source code for a ubuntu driver off the net (using another computer) compiled that and installed it. Made some changes to the files so that it'd work with the WPAPSK-TKIP encryption I have running here and bingo I had a working connection. The computer then went off to the net and did a major update, at the end of which the Belkin died again. I fixed it by recompiling the same driver code, so it was probably dependencies or an updated RT73 driver that was broken. I need to check which if it happens again and stop it. The big benefit of having done this with a usb wifi adapter is that it means I can get ubuntu to connect on wifi on any computer that has a spare usb port.

enough of my troubles - after adding multiverse and universe I just pasted the following into a terminal and it installed most of the codecs for me ::

sudo apt-get install gstreamer0.10-pitfdll gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly-multiverse gxine libxine-main1 libxine-extracodecs ogle ogle-gui

I found that here.

  • 4 votes
#3.3 - Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:02 PM EDT
A. H. Min

I heard Feisty fixes a ton of wifi issues. Dunno, I just use a wired connection.

  • 3 votes
#3.4 - Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:25 PM EDT
djd

I have a dual booted Dapper on a wired connection and that was an "out of the box" installation.

It's surprising how little I had to change in the files to get the wifi working in the end - I looked at several howtos from which I got a lot of tips about what files did, but I'm not sure that any of those howtos would have worked on their own. Wireless isn't easy on any operating system and so I don't think this should put people off trying Linux. I used Mandrake (now Mandriva) Linux for several years but Ubuntu seemed to be gaining prominence so I switched a while back.

  • 4 votes
#3.5 - Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:44 PM EDT
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Nicholas BattagliaDeleted
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