linux / unix / ubuntu / kubuntu

[thetruth]

salams,

I finally decided that I want to start using this os so I can add to my CV...


But where does a newbie like me start? Which one should I use?

[Muhammad2]

If you download and install Ubuntu you can pick which desktop environment you use. The default is Gnome; but KDE packages can be downloaded from the repository (via the Synaptic Package Manager). You can either install the full KDE desktop environment or just add KDE applications to Gnome (and vice versa).

[thetruth]

If you download and install Ubuntu you can pick which desktop environment you use. The default is Gnome; but KDE packages can be downloaded from the repository (via the Synaptic Package Manager). You can either install the full KDE desktop environment or just add KDE applications to Gnome (and vice versa).

mmm. Is that a 'live' version which I can run from cd / hd, I dont want to install it (vista does not like anything that is not microsoft)

and very briefly what is the differnce between linux / unix / ubuntu / kubuntu

[nami]

yes both ubuntu and kubuntu are livecd's, so download them both and restart your computer with the cd in your drive. you can try them out without installing them.

to install them, you have to click on an icon on the desktop from the live cd. also, you can choose to do a text install without going into the livecd desktop environment.

personnally, i like ubuntu because of gnome, i dont like kde. for me it does not feel as natural, and all the options are in funny locations. but everyone is different.

believe it or not, as I type this, I am saving all my important stuff from windows xp onto an external 500Gb drive and am planning to remove xp completely and convert to linux, as it does everything i need. :)

[.: Rashid :.]

mmm. Is that a 'live' version which I can run from cd / hd, I dont want to install it (vista does not like anything that is not microsoft)

and very briefly what is the differnce between linux / unix / ubuntu / kubuntu

Insha'Allah akhi you should get Ubuntu Muslim Edition ;) (http://www.ubuntume.com/)

Unix is the original OS...linux is basically a derivative of Unix, a hacked unix...most people don't use unix anymore but derivatives of it.

Ubuntu is a linux distro...it comes with the Gnome desktop environment.

Kubuntu is the same distro, but with the KDE desktop environment instead.

The only differences are the desktop environments.

This (http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=786&slide=1) is what Kubuntu looks like.
This (http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=790&slide=1) is what Ubuntu looks like.

Its a matter of personal preference...I much prefer KDE, its the better desktop environment. I recommend you use Kubuntu ;)

If you're a noob...I'd recommend you just get the livecd (they're all livecds) and just pop the cd in, boot up and have a look around. Get a feel for it.

If you really wanna use it, install [k]ubuntu onto a seperate partition to Vista...the partition manager in the install process is dead easy so shouldn't be a problem insha'Allah. Should work fine, doesn't matter if its XP or Vista or Windows 3.x :p

If you need help once you're up and running just post here or PM me or belal :)

-Rashid

edit: nami, I've been a pure linux user since february 2005 :p

[nami]

Its a matter of personal preference...I much prefer KDE, its the better desktop environment. I recommend you use Kubuntu ;)

gnome is better! :nerdbro:

edit: since 2005!!! i took my time...

bro what does your kde desktop look like, have you changed it a lot from the default?

[.: Rashid :.]

gnome is better! :nerdbro:

edit: since 2005!!! i took my time...

bro what does your kde desktop look like, have you changed it a lot from the default?

Haha yeah

And yup, I strongly dislike the KDE defaults and the kubuntu defaults, although Kubuntu's defaults have been getting better with each release imho. But thats the thing, KDE gives me the power to have everything how I want it. I used gnome for about a month (still have it installed) and I have to say I liked the clean interface a lot, but in the end, I just felt it restricted me way too much. Simple tasks were made very simple which is good, but complex tasks were made ridiculously complex, while in KDE they're simple.

I tend to change things a lot, I guess I just don't fit everyone else...in Gnome I changed things around quite a bit as well. Taskbar at the bottom with USP and firefox launcher. Panel at the top with system tray, log out button, and a gtk patch/hack which added Mac-style menu (something trivial in KDE)

Here's a shot of my current KDE desktop:

-Rashid

[nami]

Haha yeah

And yup, I strongly dislike the KDE defaults and the kubuntu defaults, although Kubuntu's defaults have been getting better with each release imho. But thats the thing, KDE gives me the power to have everything how I want it. I used gnome for about a month (still have it installed) and I have to say I liked the clean interface a lot, but in the end, I just felt it restricted me way too much. Simple tasks were made very simple which is good, but complex tasks were made ridiculously complex, while in KDE they're simple.

I tend to change things a lot, I guess I just don't fit everyone else...in Gnome I changed things around quite a bit as well. Taskbar at the bottom with USP and firefox launcher. Panel at the top with system tray, log out button, and a gtk patch/hack which added Mac-style menu (something trivial in KDE)

Here's a shot of my current KDE desktop:

-Rashid

very neat desktop!

i guess that's the thing, and i agree, i don't like the default kde desktop, but i do like the default gnome. i have been using ubuntu since 5. something and i don't change the desktop. i actually like the default. if i had kde, i would probably change it to look like gnomes default desktop lol, so no point me getting kde ;)

[thetruth]

Insha'Allah akhi you should get Ubuntu Muslim Edition ;) (http://www.ubuntume.com/)

Unix is the original OS...linux is basically a derivative of Unix, a hacked unix...most people don't use unix anymore but derivatives of it.

Ubuntu is a linux distro...it comes with the Gnome desktop environment.

Kubuntu is the same distro, but with the KDE desktop environment instead.

The only differences are the desktop environments.

This (http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=786&slide=1) is what Kubuntu looks like.
This (http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=790&slide=1) is what Ubuntu looks like.

Its a matter of personal preference...I much prefer KDE, its the better desktop environment. I recommend you use Kubuntu ;)

If you're a noob...I'd recommend you just get the livecd (they're all livecds) and just pop the cd in, boot up and have a look around. Get a feel for it.

If you really wanna use it, install [k]ubuntu onto a seperate partition to Vista...the partition manager in the install process is dead easy so shouldn't be a problem insha'Allah. Should work fine, doesn't matter if its XP or Vista or Windows 3.x :p

If you need help once you're up and running just post here or PM me or belal :)

-Rashid

edit: nami, I've been a pure linux user since february 2005 :p

jazakAllah khair brother, very informative.

I want to learn using the command lines really so I guess I can achieve this on either ubuntu / kubuntu...?

kubuntu has given me a choice of two downloads - which do you recomend?

Download Kubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) (http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php#latest)
Download Kubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake) (http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php#lts)

[nami]

jazakAllah khair brother, very informative.

I want to learn using the command lines really so I guess I can achieve this on either ubuntu / kubuntu...?

kubuntu has given me a choice of two downloads - which do you recomend?

Download Kubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) (http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php#latest)
Download Kubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake) (http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php#lts)

get 7.04 because it is the latest version and yes, the command lines are the same in both. what happened to 6.10?

[.: Rashid :.]

very neat desktop!

i guess that's the thing, and i agree, i don't like the default kde desktop, but i do like the default gnome. i have been using ubuntu since 5. something and i don't change the desktop. i actually like the default. if i had kde, i would probably change it to look like gnomes default desktop lol, so no point me getting kde ;)

Thank you :)

Haha yeah I can kinda say that...when I first logged into gnome I could use it straight away and didn't bother tryna customise it cos it looked useable enough...but after a while it just didn't do so I had to move stuff around, get USP etc. SLAB is very nice but some of it was really annoying, like the fact that you have to click a drop down menu then select places, then click on something just to get to your home directory or some bookmarked folder from the menu :rubeyes:

Reasons for using KDE aren't just the look and layout as such...

- Its a lot faster as well (kubuntu is a very slow KDE distro in perspective actually...others are a lot faster than kubuntu let alone ubuntu)
- It has imho better apps
- Konqueror > Nautilus
- Amarok > Rhythmbox
- Kaffeine > Totem
- Yakuake > Tilda
- Kopete > Gaim
- Kickoff > SLAB

etc

Plus, with KDE4 coming up, its all about KDE ;)

Akhi, you should at least try it when KDE4 comes out...I was a gnome hater so I tried Gnome for a month and now have a much more balanced view (still prefer KDE though)

-Rashid

[thetruth]

get 7.04 because it is the latest version and yes, the command lines are the same in both. what happened to 6.10?

ok, im downloading this

http://releases.ubuntu.com/cdicons/iso.png kubuntu-7.04-desktop-i386.iso (http://releases.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/feisty/kubuntu-7.04-desktop-i386.iso) 17-Apr-2007 06:55 694M Desktop CD for PC (Intel x86) computers (standard download)

thats the right one right...

[nami]

Thank you :)

Haha yeah I can kinda say that...when I first logged into gnome I could use it straight away and didn't bother tryna customise it cos it looked useable enough...but after a while it just didn't do so I had to move stuff around, get USP etc. SLAB is very nice but some of it was really annoying, like the fact that you have to click a drop down menu then select places, then click on something just to get to your home directory or some bookmarked folder from the menu :rubeyes:

Reasons for using KDE aren't just the look and layout as such...

- Its a lot faster as well (kubuntu is a very slow KDE distro in perspective actually...others are a lot faster than kubuntu let alone ubuntu)
- It has imho better apps
- Konqueror > Nautilus
- Amarok > Rhythmbox
- Kaffeine > Totem
- Yakuake > Tilda
- Kopete > Gaim
- Kickoff > SLAB

etc

Plus, with KDE4 coming up, its all about KDE ;)

Akhi, you should at least try it when KDE4 comes out...I was a gnome hater so I tried Gnome for a month and now have a much more balanced view (still prefer KDE though)

-Rashid

i might give it a try when kde4 comes out, but i'm not much of a customiser, i like the "it just works" slogan :D, and i didn't get that from kde when i tried it ages ago, maybe things have changed???

however!

there is one thing about gnome which i find annoying, i dont know if the same thing happens in kde. if an application opens and the house "just happens to be over a button", you can't click the button without having to move the mouse off the button and then over it again...

[nami]

ok, im downloading this

http://releases.ubuntu.com/cdicons/iso.png kubuntu-7.04-desktop-i386.iso (http://releases.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/feisty/kubuntu-7.04-desktop-i386.iso) 17-Apr-2007 06:55 694M Desktop CD for PC (Intel x86) computers (standard download)

thats the right one right...

yep, looks good! that will work on intel and amd processors, just burn it to cd, and it should boot up (without messing up with windows installation) and give you a live working desktop.

i got that one but ubuntu instead of kubuntu, even though i have a 64bit processor. only reason why i didn't get ubuntu 64 bit was because certain applications are still buggy, and as the i386 version works on 64 bit processors, i'm happy. only thing is, its not using 64bit processing power, but no bit deal. :)

[.: Rashid :.]

i might give it a try when kde4 comes out, but i'm not much of a customiser, i like the "it just works" slogan :D, and i didn't get that from kde when i tried it ages ago, maybe things have changed???

however!

there is one thing about gnome which i find annoying, i dont know if the same thing happens in kde. if an application opens and the house "just happens to be over a button", you can't click the button without having to move the mouse off the button and then over it again...

In terms of things working, there's no reason anything should behave different under kde or gnome, both have the same ubuntu base.

For me, kubuntu just works...

I'm a big subscribed to the "just works" philosophy, although I've been using sidux for the last week or so, a distro which certainly doesn't "just work" but I've lived with it and its still very good.

I guess my hatred for linux problems comes from my suse 9.2 and ubuntu hoary/breezy days when things broke at the worse possible times :smack: (was really embarassing as well when trying to convince other people linux is better than windows)

Regarding your problem, thats a really minor thing lol :p But if I understand what you mean correctly, I'm not experiencing that in KDE.

-Rashid

[thetruth]

thought id let you know i am currently running kubuntu-7.04-desktop....jazakAllah for you everyones help!!!

any tips...

[nami]

thought id let you know i am currently running kubuntu-7.04-desktop....jazakAllah for you everyones help!!!

any tips...

i think the best way to learn is to try to do everything you did in windows, and if you can't find out how to do it.

[thetruth]

i think the best way to learn is to try to do everything you did in windows, and if you can't find out how to do it.


true.

im looking for a 'dummies guide' for kubuntu...you guys seen any? ive ran some searchs on google but cant find anything!

[.: Rashid :.]

thought id let you know i am currently running kubuntu-7.04-desktop....jazakAllah for you everyones help!!!

any tips...

Are you running the livecd or have you installed?

Tip: if you wanna learn the command line/use the command line a lot, open konsole (kmenu > system > konsole) and type "sudo aptitude install yakuake". Then hit alt+f2 and type yakuake. Yakuake is a quake-like console, very handy if you use the console a lot. (assign it to a hotkey like F12...I use the backtick which is the button to the left of the 1 key)

Tip2: Install beryl ;) (need to enable 3d drivers first, unless you have an intel graphics chip)

Mess around with the themes, get it to look like how you want :up: (here (rashid.homelinux.net/RashidGreen.kcsrc) is a nice green colour scheme I made, and here (rashid.homelinux.net/UbuntuME.jpg) is the UbuntuME wallpaper to get you started)

edit: thetruth...if I were you I wouldn't bother with those dummies guide stuff...waste of money in my opinion. Just play around with it, use it, and you'll learn. Thats the best way to learn. There's tonnes of free documentation available on the internet whenever you want...especially for linux commands. Google is your friend ;)

-Rashid

[thetruth]

Are you running the livecd or have you installed?

Tip: if you wanna learn the command line/use the command line a lot, open konsole (kmenu > system > konsole) and type "sudo aptitude install yakuake". Then hit alt+f2 and type yakuake. Yakuake is a quake-like console, very handy if you use the console a lot. (assign it to a hotkey like F12...I use the backtick which is the button to the left of the 1 key)

Tip2: Install beryl ;) (need to enable 3d drivers first, unless you have an intel graphics chip)

Mess around with the themes, get it to look like how you want :up: (here (rashid.homelinux.net/RashidGreen.kcsrc) is a nice green colour scheme I made, and here (rashid.homelinux.net/UbuntuME.jpg) is the UbuntuME wallpaper to get you started)

edit: thetruth...if I were you I wouldn't bother with those dummies guide stuff...waste of money in my opinion. Just play around with it, use it, and you'll learn. Thats the best way to learn. There's tonnes of free documentation available on the internet whenever you want...especially for linux commands. Google is your friend ;)

-Rashid

bruv, running it from cd.
yeh defo wana learn the command line. i guess these are the same for all unix/(k)ubuntu etc ?

i wasnt gonna buy an actual guide - looking for any readups for newbies you pro's might have come across..? kunbuntu has doucmentation but it 87 pages long.............too long, gotta go through my cisco aswell so have limited time!

thanks for the tips, I defo. agree playing about with it is more worthy but just wanted some basic info really.

thanks again to everyone.

[thetruth]

Are you running the livecd or have you installed?

Tip: if you wanna learn the command line/use the command line a lot, open konsole (kmenu > system > konsole) and type "sudo aptitude install yakuake". Then hit alt+f2 and type yakuake. Yakuake is a quake-like console, very handy if you use the console a lot. (assign it to a hotkey like F12...I use the backtick which is the button to the left of the 1 key)

Tip2: Install beryl ;) (need to enable 3d drivers first, unless you have an intel graphics chip)

-Rashid

Rashid, followed the suggested command seemed to go well but ''run command'' dont like 'yakuake'.

do i need to install a 'yakuake' patch or something?

root@ubuntu:~# sudo aptitude install yakuake
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Initializing package states... Done
Building tag database... Done
Couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "yakuake"
No packages will be installed, upgraded, or removed.
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 0B will be used.

[.: Rashid :.]

bruv, running it from cd.
yeh defo wana learn the command line. i guess these are the same for all unix/(k)ubuntu etc ?

i wasnt gonna buy an actual guide - looking for any readups for newbies you pro's might have come across..? kunbuntu has doucmentation but it 87 pages long.............too long, gotta go through my cisco aswell so have limited time!

thanks for the tips, I defo. agree playing about with it is more worthy but just wanted some basic info really.

thanks again to everyone.

OK cool...I recommend you install it so you can play around with it proeprly. As long as you backup and think your steps through carefully, you've got nothing to lose insha'Allah :up:

Tuxfiles (http://www.tuxfiles.org/) is a nice "noob" friendly resource for like basic commands and some slightly intermediate stuff. I found it quite good to start with.

Should help you get a basic hang of the command line...as you get more comfortable with it, insha'Allah you should be able to use the self-documentation that comes with it, as well as google in general. I remember when I first started with linux man pages and stuff were really daunting and not helpful, but now they're cool :)

You can always type "command --help" for some basic usage and option/switch guidance. Or "man command" for more detailed descriptions.

Let us know how it goes...feel free to ask for any help

-Rashid

[thetruth]

OK cool...I recommend you install it so you can play around with it proeprly. As long as you backup and think your steps through carefully, you've got nothing to lose insha'Allah :up:

Tuxfiles (http://www.tuxfiles.org/) is a nice "noob" friendly resource for like basic commands and some slightly intermediate stuff. I found it quite good to start with.

Should help you get a basic hang of the command line...as you get more comfortable with it, insha'Allah you should be able to use the self-documentation that comes with it, as well as google in general. I remember when I first started with linux man pages and stuff were really daunting and not helpful, but now they're cool :)

You can always type "command --help" for some basic usage and option/switch guidance. Or "man command" for more detailed descriptions.

Let us know how it goes...feel free to ask for any help

-Rashid

Ok I might install it - are you aware of any conflictions with kubuntu & vista? ...I would only want to install it so both vista & kubuntu work as a dual OS on my laptop..

[.: Rashid :.]

Ok I might install it - are you aware of any conflictions with kubuntu & vista? ...I would only want to install it so both vista & kubuntu work as a dual OS on my laptop..

I just did a quick search on ubuntuforums and found one guy who had an issue...very strange one at that though.

As far as I know, grub should take over from vista's bootloader so you'll be able to boot into either kubuntu or vista (you'll have a choice when you start your computer)

Just make dua, say bismillah, then do it :p

-Rashid

[belal1]

Just make dua, say bismillah, then do it :p


and remember brothers, if allah swt doesn't answer your dua now and your vista partition gets messed up, it means 1 of 2 things:

1) allah swt will grant you the dua in the akhirat

or

2) allah swt did you a favor and saved you from microsoft

----

btw, I should mention, u can try openSuSE 10.2 aswell, if you have the bandwidth: www.opensuse.org , the dvd is 4.5 gigabytes to download, but if u got a fast connection and bit torrent, u can get it with no problem. it's a very very polished distro, but the only thing that kills it is their damn slow servers. but that's probably because they have millions of users constantly killin their servers (still not a good excuse on novell's part).

I say, get as many liveCDs as possible and see what you like best.

since you mentioned u wanted to show something in ur CV, there's nothing better than getting certified in one of the big distros. the big distros which are enterprise quality are in order of rank: Redhat Enterprise Linux, SuSE Linux Desktop, and then some other stuff that people hardly know like Xandros, Mandriva, etc. Ubuntu is getting ready for enterprise with every release but still nowhere near Redhat or SuSE. Redhat is really the leader and having certification in that is jackpot.

So I would say try out Ubuntu, try out some other distros as well like OpenSuSE and Redhat's Fedora (fedora 7 is coming out end of this month). Incase you don't know, Fedora is Redhat's free version of Redhat Enterprise Linux.

here's some links:

http://www.distrowatch.com --> one stop site for all linux distros, and also a ranking site of distro popularity

http://www.redhat.com/fedora

http://www.opensuse.org

http://www.pclinuxos.com

http://www.xandros.com

http://www.mandriva.com

http://www.debian.com --> the motherload of all linux derivatives