heatlesssun
Extremely [H]
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2005
- Messages
- 44,154
So Ive been reading all these great things about Ubuntu, Fiesty version 7.04 came out last week. Plus Id seen a YouTube video of LinuxMCE. It looked intriguing. Ive been using Windows Media Center since it came out and really love my HTPCs. So I thought it time to try the Penguin again! I sort of got up to speed about six years ago with Red Hat Linux, when it seemed that Linux was going to replace Windows. I do business software development primarily on Microsoft platforms; I was worried at the time that I needed new skills.
So I spent a fair amount of time getting up to speed. I was able to get around for the most part, but still was FAR from competent. The more I got into Linux, the more I began to realize that there was simply no way Linux in 2001 was going replace Windows, at least on the desktop. Why? TOO COMPLICATED!!!! Sure Windows has its weaknesses, but generally speaking, all one has to do is double click on an install, and the app will generally install and run. Linux was never that simple for the most part. Extract and build scripts, error after cryptic error, little decent support. I simply said the heck with it and got up to speed in .NET. Good thing I did as its provided a great career path so far.
So back to 2007. Ive got an Athlon 64 3400+ Socket 754 system that has a hard drive enclosure and I simply swap out hard drives for the different OS. Good for testing stuff. Set up a Vista Ultimate 32bit install on a drive and have been liking Vista overall. Setup an install of Ubuntu two days ago and I must say that the install went very smoothly. Sound and video worked with no problems. But down hill from there.
I wanted to try to LinuxMCE. Well that doesnt work with Fiesty. Read in a few posts that one guy got it to work by replacing libraries from the previous version of Ubuntu, Edgy. Yeah, that sounds like its not going to be a headache. So VistaMCE will have to do me for now I guess.
A neat, simple, and free shootem up FPS called Sauerbraten just came out. Its multiplatform (Windows, Linux, Mac) so I thought, hey this would be a cool way to gage Vista vs. Linux performance! Exactly the same hardware running the game (just swapping out EIDE 7200RPM drives). So tried it on Vista, and yeah, it er operates. Runs would imply that I couldnt draw the frames in crayon faster so I wont use that term. OpenGL has problems me thinks in Vista. Ive got 2GB of RAM and an X1950Pro AGP in this puppy (which actually runs FEAR on Vista okay BTW) and theres no way this game sucks up that kind of power. Well , just for reference sake I tried the game on the sig rig and scaled dog is an understatement. Its old school and fun I think when it runs like that!
So next I try Unbuntu. Still trying. The build script is failing and I havent gone back to mess with it. Heck the game runs great on my Windows XP MCE so Ill play it there.
So, the point of this rant is where is all this good press about Ubuntus usability coming from? All I wanted to do way play a game and oh my god! I NEED LINUX TRAINING TO RUN A STUPID GAME!!!!!!
I like FOSS stuff. GIMP is a great tool. Heck Ubuntu isnt half bad from what Ive seen. Lots of stuff that you can install easily from the app management tools built in. Not much that I dont already have 30 versions in Windows already however.
I think the Linux community really needs to stop with the hyperbole. Linux simply cant be a replacement for Windows for most people, not like this. Its simply too complicated for the average person to do the simplest of things. Im not saying that its junk or anything like that, just too complicated.
So flame away. Maybe some Linux guru can tell me how to get LinuxMCE working. I really want to; I just dont want to spend endless hours doing it.
So I spent a fair amount of time getting up to speed. I was able to get around for the most part, but still was FAR from competent. The more I got into Linux, the more I began to realize that there was simply no way Linux in 2001 was going replace Windows, at least on the desktop. Why? TOO COMPLICATED!!!! Sure Windows has its weaknesses, but generally speaking, all one has to do is double click on an install, and the app will generally install and run. Linux was never that simple for the most part. Extract and build scripts, error after cryptic error, little decent support. I simply said the heck with it and got up to speed in .NET. Good thing I did as its provided a great career path so far.
So back to 2007. Ive got an Athlon 64 3400+ Socket 754 system that has a hard drive enclosure and I simply swap out hard drives for the different OS. Good for testing stuff. Set up a Vista Ultimate 32bit install on a drive and have been liking Vista overall. Setup an install of Ubuntu two days ago and I must say that the install went very smoothly. Sound and video worked with no problems. But down hill from there.
I wanted to try to LinuxMCE. Well that doesnt work with Fiesty. Read in a few posts that one guy got it to work by replacing libraries from the previous version of Ubuntu, Edgy. Yeah, that sounds like its not going to be a headache. So VistaMCE will have to do me for now I guess.
A neat, simple, and free shootem up FPS called Sauerbraten just came out. Its multiplatform (Windows, Linux, Mac) so I thought, hey this would be a cool way to gage Vista vs. Linux performance! Exactly the same hardware running the game (just swapping out EIDE 7200RPM drives). So tried it on Vista, and yeah, it er operates. Runs would imply that I couldnt draw the frames in crayon faster so I wont use that term. OpenGL has problems me thinks in Vista. Ive got 2GB of RAM and an X1950Pro AGP in this puppy (which actually runs FEAR on Vista okay BTW) and theres no way this game sucks up that kind of power. Well , just for reference sake I tried the game on the sig rig and scaled dog is an understatement. Its old school and fun I think when it runs like that!
So next I try Unbuntu. Still trying. The build script is failing and I havent gone back to mess with it. Heck the game runs great on my Windows XP MCE so Ill play it there.
So, the point of this rant is where is all this good press about Ubuntus usability coming from? All I wanted to do way play a game and oh my god! I NEED LINUX TRAINING TO RUN A STUPID GAME!!!!!!
I like FOSS stuff. GIMP is a great tool. Heck Ubuntu isnt half bad from what Ive seen. Lots of stuff that you can install easily from the app management tools built in. Not much that I dont already have 30 versions in Windows already however.
I think the Linux community really needs to stop with the hyperbole. Linux simply cant be a replacement for Windows for most people, not like this. Its simply too complicated for the average person to do the simplest of things. Im not saying that its junk or anything like that, just too complicated.
So flame away. Maybe some Linux guru can tell me how to get LinuxMCE working. I really want to; I just dont want to spend endless hours doing it.