I’m a little seasonal with things like this. The first time I ever used Linux, it was Corel Linux 4, on my old Windows 98 machine, back in Namibia, in 2005. It was something other than windows, but not that great.
Somewhere along the line I heard of Ubuntu, and it must have been 2006/2007 when I installed it for the first time. Definitely a major improvement, but I had trouble getting my phone to connect as a modem (figured it out eventually, though). And so, back to Windows.
In fact, in the last 3 years, I’ve probably uninstalled Windows and installed Linux (both as single OSes and as dualboots) at least 10 times. There are just times when Windows drives me nuts and sends me to Linux, and times when I need a functionality (like gaming) that only Windows can provide.
Hence, I’ve sort of given up trying to stick to one OS. And right now, I’m in the process of moving my stuff off my 80gb HDD to my 500gb black hole of a Seagate FreeAgent, in preparation for a complete format and a fresh install of Kubuntu 8.04.1 - aka Heron.
I’ve been waiting a long time for the release of Ibex, so that I could try out Heron. Yes, I know they’re different, but when it comes to opensource software, I’ve found that the best way (ie, way with least headaches) to approach it is to stay one major release behind.
Site Map That way, all the pioneers and geeks and trolls sink their teeth into the latest versions, run into thousands of problems, work up patches and cures that can be installed by a mechanism as simple as apt-get (in most cases), write hundreds of pages of documentation, blog posts and forum threads, and by the time they move on to the next version, every single possible bug, problem or question I have can be answered via a Google search.
And so, this morning, downloaded my 8.04.1 ISO, burnt it, and tried out the Live CD version. It’s pretty much the same as 7.10, but for one major difference - speed. I’m also hoping that it’ll be easier to get my E220 modem hooked up and running using the same methods as before.
I’m also curious to see if Wine has improved at all. I’m looking at getting a new PC soon, and if Wine can run at least two of my Windows games, I might make the switch to Linux on a less seasonal basis. Time will tell…
Will be interesting to see how this is working out for you, especially the E220 bit.
I’m a SuSE fan myself, currently on OpenSuSE 11.0 (which caused me a lot of issues with the E220, which wasn’t the case with OpenSuSE 10.2).
I’m spending more time in Windows lately, due to my Flex development work. Adobe is pretty much still more Windows and Apple orientated, although they have some good Linux initiatives going (AIR, Flex, etc).
Anyways, have fun!
This comment is coming to you straight from Konqueror on Kubuntu, over the E220 :)
It’s going well. What is annoying is the fact that to handle any media other than OGG, you need to download the restricted-extras package. True, it also contains other handy tools like Java and some video codecs, but it’s a 50MB download, and somewhat necessary.
Dude, hooking up the E220 is a cinch. I’ve done it here with kppp, and even used wvdial before (which is practically a staple across the post-2006 versions of Linux). I was a little worried because I wasn’t able to get it working off the Live CD, but all’s well now.
I used openSUSE maybe once, but I wasn’t a big fan. openSUSE felt like a badly hacked and defaced version of KDE, and I prefer the cleanliness that Kubuntu provides. To each his own on that one…
And yes, the “prettier” dev tools for things like Flex aren’t very Linux-friendly for now, but if you’re seriously considering high-end graphics/animation/web development, you’re not exactly going to use Linux :)
Shot for dropping by!
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Well, you know me.
My home computer is a Windows PC, while my current work computer is on a Macbook Pro with OSX 10.4.
It’s a vicious cycle.
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E220 works perfectly with wvdial on Hardy.
Here are the steps…
(1) Plug in the modem and run
sudo wvdialconf
(2) Then edit the wvdial.conf file…
sudo vim /etc/wvdial.conf
Uncomment Username and Password lines in wvdial.conf and add the following to the end of the file
stupid mode = yes
(3) Save the wvdial.conf
(4) run wvdial to get connected :)
If you are using ubuntu 8.10 then the Graphical Network Manager recognizes the modem and connects you within seconds.
I usually use kppp with my Slackware installation and it runs really well too. I prefer kppp over wvdial because it even logs the data usage of the modem.
Good luck with the move! You know where to find me if u need any help ;)
~seejay~
@seejay Thanks for your comment, but I’ve already switched successfully ;)
This is at least the third time I’ve done this, so it’s almost second-nature to be by now. KPPP, by the way, handles the e220 flawlessly. At least on 7.10, which is good enough for me :)
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