LinuxMint 6 released!

Tuvoc · 1 Mar 2009 at 12:15

dangerstat said:
And for those of you who say "why do you still need windows", come on, there's tons of stuff Linux can't do at the moment, read or play BluRays for example, it's still well behind Windows for gaming and even with the most stable of releases (Debian etch for example) the "average" user will still get problems installing certain packages via apt-get which aren't easy to sort out. Personally I think having so many different distro's is massively harming the development of Linux at the moment, why can't we all hold hands and make one decent distro!

Fragmentation of the Linux world is definitely hindering Linux, in the same way that it hurt UNIX really badly years ago. There is definitely the need for consolidation, especially for business use.

I don't see the need for Linux to be a Windows-killer either, it is an alternative that can develop alongside it, giving people an alternative choice.

And there are lots of Windows applications that I have that will not run under Linux or Wine, so Windows is a necessity. I don't want to dual boot, I want one O/S that does everything, and at the moment that is Windows for me. Years ago I used to run OS/2 which really was a better DOS than DOS and a better Windows than Windows. At that time, I had been dual booting between DOS and Windows, and that was a pain. OS/2 solved all that, and I banished dual booting forever. Of course now OS/2 is gone, wouldn't run Win95 and later 32-bit apps, so once Windows 2000 came along, it was 100% Windows for me

slylittlefox · 1 Mar 2009 at 12:32

Oxy said:
Not everyone wants to fiddle with bash in a dark room on a saturday night like me and im assuming you

Moi? >_>

craptakular · 1 Mar 2009 at 13:02

slylittlefox said:
Moi? >_>

i was reffering to danger stat

u like to fiddle with bash in a dark smelly bedroom like me?

dangerstat · 1 Mar 2009 at 18:01

Oxy said:
i was reffering to danger stat u like to fiddle with bash in a dark smelly bedroom like me?

Who's this "bash" then eh

I should clarify I have no beef with Ubuntu and friends. I just think perhaps they've been a bit quick to start attempting to grab normal users to Linux, rather than sorting out major issues with Linux and then attempting to grab users. Everyone I know who has attempted to transfer to Linux have booted using a live CD a few times, got very confused at trying to do very simple things on Windows (playing a DVD for example) and then gone running.

For me there's a couple of core items that need sorting:
[A] Software installation. It shouldn't matter what distro you're using the installing of software should be homogenous. The user shouldn't have to know what distro they are using it should all be handled by a central repos.
Certain packages should be labeled core and be focus of all linux developers [I'd say Open Office, WINE, Compiz Fusion, Kernel Driver development, Virtualization]. And moreover users of linux should (where possible) be willing and come forward to give a few $'s to help this.

bar that why not just scrap everything bar Debian

VeNT · 3 Mar 2009 at 12:45

I think that if you could get packages working 100% or even 95% like they do in windows (ie installers etc) then it would make everything much more user friendly.

craptakular · 3 Mar 2009 at 16:01

VeNT said:
I think that if you could get packages working 100% or even 95% like they do in windows (ie installers etc) then it would make everything much more user friendly.

they are even easier than windows in my opinion. you have every program under the sun in synaptic for ubuntu, or pacman for arch etc etc etc

You dont even have to know what website to get the program from as there all in the package manager, under one roof.

VeNT · 3 Mar 2009 at 16:11

yes but when things go wrong it can be a pain in the ass to get them working, where-as windows installers tend to just work. mostly.

craptakular · 3 Mar 2009 at 16:18

VeNT said:
yes but when things go wrong it can be a pain in the ass to get them working, where-as windows installers tend to just work. mostly.

hehe but if windows goes wrong you get a non-descriptive error message or the very informative BSOD.

VeNT · 3 Mar 2009 at 16:36

hehe yeah. and thats if you get to SEE the BSOD!

Mobius 1 · 3 Mar 2009 at 16:37

Oxy said:
hehe but if windows goes wrong you get a non-descriptive error message or the very informative BSOD.

on the subject of bsod's, anyone know what that screensaver was that used to be bundled with linux, and it included loads of consoles from various pc's including windows and the bsod, also other computers like the amiga etc. anyone know? cheers!

da_mic_1530 · 2 Apr 2009 at 16:49

just thought I'd bump this and say although I've used Red Hat for a few weeks for Uni stuff, I've just got my 1st version of Linux on at home

Choose the Mint version due to this thread, it's now running off a USB stick, so is booted at the start of the PC being turned on

I was worried I'd have problems with my net access, but it found my USB dongle and I'm online, the only thing is it takes and ages to boot up, but then I haven't installed it have I

, will continue to play and maybe go over to dual boot

gam3r · 2 Apr 2009 at 22:40

da_mic_1530 said:
just thought I'd bump this and say although I've used Red Hat for a few weeks for Uni stuff, I've just got my 1st version of Linux on at home

Choose the Mint version due to this thread, it's now running off a USB stick, so is booted at the start of the PC being turned on

I was worried I'd have problems with my net access, but it found my USB dongle and I'm online, the only thing is it takes and ages to boot up, but then I haven't installed it have I, will continue to play and maybe go over to dual boot

If you ever feel like installing it, try using mint4win, its dead easy, takes 10 minutes to have mint installed up along with windows in dual boot, no need to play around with partitions. Google "wubi", its essentially the same as that, this is what i use on both my laptop and my home pc to dual boot with vista.

da_mic_1530 · 3 Apr 2009 at 19:50

could you perhaps link me to the mint4win site, I can find out what it is, but no instructions nor downloads

da_mic_1530 · 3 Apr 2009 at 20:36

da_mic_1530 said:
could you perhaps link me to the mint4win site, I can find out what it is, but no instructions nor downloads

or do i just click the handily placed INSTALL logo on the mint desktop?

BigglesPiP · 3 Apr 2009 at 21:46

I like gufw. I have it on my Debian.

da_mic_1530 · 8 Apr 2009 at 15:01

right I'm stuck again

Finally had the chance to use the Mint4win thing, stick the LinuxMint CD in during windows, click the right option etc

Reboot and I get a menu, choose windows, it loads fine

Choose Linux Mint, it shows a splash screen with a green moving bar etc

Then I get a command line interface with Loading...please wait

and underneath some ubuntu stuff, saying type "Help" if your stuck

If I do nothing, then nothing happens

But the system hasn't hung because I can use the command line interface pwd, cd etc

How do I get my nice GUI on?????

craptakular · 8 Apr 2009 at 17:01

startx or gdm should do it.

da_mic_1530 · 8 Apr 2009 at 17:02

Oxy said:
startx or gdm should do it.

will report back soon

craptakular · 8 Apr 2009 at 18:36

da_mic_1530 said:
will report back soon

thats typing startx or gdm in terminal after u have logged in.

da_mic_1530 · 8 Apr 2009 at 19:46

Oxy said:
thats typing startx or gdm in terminal after u have logged in.

I don't get to a login screen as said

I get the boot selector

I get a linux mint loading screen

I get a please wait loading in dos type screen, then below something about funboxubuntu and then it's just a command line