The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (Full Version)

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JonCo54 -> The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/11/2008 9:46:57 PM)

This tutorial shows how you can set up a PCLinuxOS 2007 desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge.
Link. http://www.howtoforge.com/the_perfect_desktop_pclinuxos_2007



rlj -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/14/2008 6:26:14 AM)

The problem with Linux isn't the software as much as hardware. If someone is using a modem they're not getting an actual "modem" they're getting some chips that in combination with software behaves like a modem or else it is a "winmodem". The same thing with many printers. Sound was often fickle to and occasionnally the video. Luckily though most people have broadband but those who do can afford to go buy a cheap Dell for $400 if they want.

The biggest thing missing though is the ability to use digital cameras to sort and save pictures and to print. How does that work with the new distros?



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/14/2008 7:58:45 AM)

PCLOS is absolutely the most amazing distribution out there. You can be PRODUCTIVE immediately after the install is complete, no looking for peripheral driver CD's and the sometimes thrown away instructions needed for a proper Winxxxx's install. My twin sister was absolutely amazed this past Thanksgiving when we plugged her fairly new Olympus 7.1 digital cam into the "Big" box and it was immediately picked up....heavy sigh...she just can't seem to get over her addiction to that other OS(?).

This is just part of the testimonial given by one of our members you can read more here

http://pclosmag.com/html/Issues/200807/links.html

And here

http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=58&board=45.0



DaveW -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 11:03:38 AM)

I found on that same site a link to a similar tutorial for Ubuntu 7. I have Ubuntu 8 on my laptop as a seperate bootable item (using grub) but have not done much with it yet.

The op seems to be pushing PCLOS, so what is the difference between that and Ubuntu as far as having drivers for wireless? Ubuntu does not recognize the built in wireless on my Compaq.



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 11:19:31 AM)

This is why.

My third: Pclinuxos
I already tried this from the live cd, but never installed it because it had kde (I didn't knew how difficult it was to install gnome).
It detected almost everything (I was happy it detected my wireless correctly) My video card wasn't automaticly detected (drivers for it where not preinstalled, but they were easy to install (with help from the pclos forum) Also installing gnome was quite easy. Witch pclinuxos I hardly had any problems. Also I never had to use the command line. In my experience, because of the Pclinuxos Control Center, pclos is way more user friendly than ubuntu, I do not get why people can ubuntu user-friendly, You had tu use the CLI all the time with ubuntu, while it can be handy, its not user friendly. I like pclinuxos because
1. It just works
2. It's rock solid (didn't notice any glitches or mistakes made)
3. Wireless (pclos it the only distro that has me connected to the internet, even before the login screen pop ups)
4. the Pclinuxos Control Center
The only thing I don't like is its name, But still, PClinuxOS is the best distro I have ever used.
Also Pclinuxos is the first distro I came across that wanted me to mount my /home on a different partition (I love it, it makes installing linux so much easier)

Wireless connections in PCLinuxOS is one of its main features.



DaveW -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 11:25:16 AM)

Did it connect to your wireless from the live distro or did you have to install first?



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 11:34:51 AM)

That was a partial post from one of the members on the website. I will check into that for you as I'm logged in there right now.



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 11:54:15 AM)

From the wiki

When booting from the PCLinuxOS live CD, your network connection should have been automatically configured for you.

Making a new network connection

Make sure all your cables are plugged in and that your firewall, router, DSL or hub is turned on.
Open the PCLinuxOS Control Center (PCC)
Click on Network & Internet
Select Set up a new network interface
Choose the connection to configure (Ethernet, Wireless, Modem, DSL...) and click Next.
Now choose the interface you want to configure and hit Next.
Pick which Protocol to use (If you are unsure which to choose, leave it on the preselected protocol.)
Enter the information required or if uncertain what to do, continue by press the Next button.
Choose how to manage your connection. Click Next to continue or Advanced for more options.
Click Next to start your connection now or change the selection to start it at a later time.

Kudos. You now have your Network connection.

This is all accessible from the LiveCD



PolarBear -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 12:12:24 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: rlj

The problem with Linux isn't the software as much as hardware. If someone is using a modem they're not getting an actual "modem" they're getting some chips that in combination with software behaves like a modem or else it is a "winmodem". The same thing with many printers. Sound was often fickle to and occasionnally the video. Luckily though most people have broadband but those who do can afford to go buy a cheap Dell for $400 if they want.

The key is choosing your hardware with an eye towards Linux support. There is no major class of hardware without something that works well in Linux.

For example:
* Intel integrated graphics; ATi will get there in the next year or so as open source drivers are written from its newly released specs
* HP printers and scanners (Epson are also good IIRC)
* Intel wireless (Broadcom and Atheros chips now have drivers in the kernel, but I don't think they support all adapters as well as Intel does)
* Sound--various cards work
* Modem -- do people still use those??? I think a few Winmodems have drivers, but I haven't cared in about 10 years. If nothing else, use an external serial (aka "real") modem.

quote:

The biggest thing missing though is the ability to use digital cameras to sort and save pictures and to print. How does that work with the new distros?

Huh? There are a few photo managers in Linux -- F-spot, DigiKam, gthumb, Picassa



cversion7 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 12:13:31 PM)

Let me first say that I appreciate the OP's enthusiasm towards Linux (even if it is specific to one distro ;P ). I have tried a couple of times to convert my home's 4 computers to Linux and it just won't stick. That's a bit off topic, though.

I tried PCLinux and my only gripe is that it uses KDE. Granted, I know I can install Gnome, but that sort of defeats the purpose of a distro "package" in my opinion. To me, Ubuntu has been my "go-to" distro for playing around as I have become accustomed to the available programs, active community and Gnome interface. Linux Mint is also a good one, based on Ubuntu but adding some features that Canonical is not able to (built in MP3 and DVD playback from the get-go, etc.).

I recommend anyone wanting to try Linux to try a few distros to see what you like/dislike, but PCLinuxOS is not a bad choice by any means. :D



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 12:21:53 PM)

Thanks for your kind words cversion7, I use pclos because it works and is a final release which makes it very stable also there is a PCLinuxOS gnome edition remaster that is absolutely stunning.

Check out this link.

http://www.mypclinuxos.com/doku.php/gnome

AND

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MuJrl3ifGls



cversion7 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/15/2008 12:32:37 PM)

I wasn't aware of a gnome version. That's pretty cool! I may have to check it out.



DaveW -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/16/2008 7:40:50 AM)

I think I will try a live distro and see if it picks up the wireless. If so I probably will replace the ubuntu. If not, I will follow the "Perfect Desktop" suggestions for ubuntu. It should give me some good functionality.

Thanks!



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/16/2008 8:09:43 AM)

For configuring hardware you can't beat the PCLos Control Center. Also PCLos is a final release. This means stability and they maintain their own repositories so when you do updates or install new packages they work.

Have Fun



DaveW -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/16/2008 12:35:27 PM)

Are you part of the development team?



cversion7 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/16/2008 12:49:55 PM)

Hehe, I was wondering the same thing. ;)



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/16/2008 12:59:56 PM)

No, just one happy camper. I am the artwork team lead for Klikit Linux. This is a new distro but it is still in beta.

Thanks for asking.



rlj -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/16/2008 7:27:23 PM)

quote:

Huh? There are a few photo managers in Linux -- F-spot, DigiKam, gthumb, Picassa


I haven't messed around with a distro in about 2 years or 3. ; ) If they can do the cameras now that is a huge plus.

quote:

The key is choosing your hardware with an eye towards Linux support. There is no major class of hardware without something that works well in Linux.


Understood but when you design the system with decent hardware in the first place than it will already be Linux supported. The problem is some of the proprietary systems people have bought have alot of Egyptian hardware - modems especially, I used to hate the old Packard Bell sound/modem combo's, I remember having to wrestle with Redhat 6.x and 9.x with my video cards which were decent but never "state of the art".

My main interest in the newest versions of Linux is because of the WGA and XP and Vista. Most people want to be able to take pictures, print pictures, connect to the internet and read their e-mail. You shouldn't need to go buy a new computer because your windows is obsolete but I'm not sure on the Linux hardware support either. I wasn't impressed with the look and feel of the desktop, the hardware support or ease of use the desktop back in the Redhat 9.x or Kubuntu 5 days. I understand it's free and I would be running Linux now if I didn't play games. However I haven't converted anyone with a Linux distro yet.

The PCLINUX version that Jocon is talking about is nice though. When we get moved I'm going to mess with that more. The Live CD ran awesome on an old HP that was a p4 1.5 or 1.6 with 384mb of Ram. It's Rambus so it's not getting upgraded. : / That has gotten my attention.



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/16/2008 7:36:03 PM)

Congrats rlj. And from what I'm hearing from the developers an updated 2007.1 is coming soon.

Enjoy



PolarBear -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/16/2008 9:47:54 PM)

rlj -- I argue that even if you have to replace some hardware to run Linux, it is well worth it. You're buying an open and free platform that cannot be taken away from you by the whims of a corporation.

Just be sure to not look for hardware "with Linux drivers you can download", meaning proprietary, binary-only drivers. nVidia is the best example there. Although their graphics drivers "just work" for the most part, and they are generally praised for their quality, by doing so you are essentially running a proprietary operating system, foregoing a lot of the benefits of Linux. Just by loading in the nVidia module, your kernel is tainted, meaning that open source developers will not touch it if you have trouble. It also means that if you want a kernel with different parameters than those which the binary nVidia module expects, you're out of luck. You have to wait for nVidia to update their drivers before you can upgrade the kernel or the x.org graphics system. And eventually they will quit supporting older cards with newer Linux distros. The ONLY acceptable way to support hardware in Linux is to have open source drivers in the Linux kernel tree, or at least Free drivers that can be bundled with all-Free distributions such as Fedora. This guarantees the hardware will be useful and supportable for many years to come, and will work with all kinds of Linux systems variations.

(Yes, I run the nVidia module on my laptop, but I'm not at all happy about it. When I bought it, I could not find any laptop that met my expectations and had Intel graphics. Now I would absolutely buy one with an ATi card, since their specs are now open.)

You're on the right track with Windows' WGA. I'm in shock with what MS is getting away with. AFAIK, every other operating system can be installed and re-installed freely as needed without worrying about "activation" issues. MS is doing its customers a huge disservice, and I hope they strongly consider Linux because of it. This really highlights an advantage of open source.



DaveW -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/17/2008 6:51:54 AM)

I downloaded the iso but it would not boot up. It crashed about half way thru the scripts.

Could have been a burn problem. I need a better CD burner software.



JonCo54 -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/17/2008 7:38:39 AM)

Burn the cd at a slower speed 16X. This usually helps also at the boot options screen go to the check media option this will verify whether the disk is a good burn and is safe to use. Hope this helps.

If you need windows cd burning software check this out. http://majorgeeks.com/download4242.html
Jon

P.S. Here is a little humor.

Windows Error Messages

• Smash forehead on keyboard to continue.

• Press any key to continue or any other key to quit.

• BREAKFAST.SYS halted... Cereal port not responding.

• Close your eyes and press escape three times.

• File not found. Should I fake it? (Y/N)

• Runtime Error 6D at 417A:32CF: Incompetent User.

• Enter any 11-digit prime number to continue.

• Bad command or file name! Go stand in the corner.

• Windows message: "Error saving file! Format drive now? (Y/Y)"

• Windows VirusScan 1.0 - "Windows found: Remove it? (Y/N)"



rlj -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/17/2008 11:59:58 AM)

quote:

rlj -- I argue that even if you have to replace some hardware to run Linux, it is well worth it. You're buying an open and free platform that cannot be taken away from you by the whims of a corporation.


The problem is games. There's no WoW, NWN 2, Sims 2 etc. port to Linux.

Sadly now no one in the US and some foreign countries can just decompile the Nvidia drivers and work with them that way. : /

The main thing I want to use Linux for is when someone shows me an old comp like the one I mentioned to put the most functional and stable OS there is. With WGA Windows is no longer that option. With the WGA and price of Office people are now catching on to OpenOffice. IE continues to underwhelm me and their isn't much difference between Firefox and IE so web browsing isn't a problem. Same with e-mail. Now add the ability to do pictures from a camera and burn cd's and you have the only things anyone does with their computers besides play games. Another example is my dad's cousin had to buy a new comp and he wasn't impressed with paying the $500 to get it. He had an old 98 machine that took a dump. I could have put some parts together on my old 1.2 Duron board, put this OS on it and made some cash for my effort and he would have been thrilled to save $400 or $400+ since it would do everything I mentioned.

As far as video cards I usually prefer ATI EXCEPT for too long they had dismal to nonexistant OPENGL support which made too many problems for NWN, NWN 2, Knights of the Old Republic - the rpg games I like. I had too many headaches with the 8500/9000 pro/X700 Pro.

quote:

You're on the right track with Windows' WGA. I'm in shock with what MS is getting away with. AFAIK, every other operating system can be installed and re-installed freely as needed without worrying about "activation" issues. MS is doing its customers a huge disservice, and I hope they strongly consider Linux because of it. This really highlights an advantage of open source.


Software licenses are totally absurd. If you and JoCon wanted to come over and play monopoly on a LAN you would have to bring your own computer, your own copy of the game that you bought with a copy of the OS you bought to legally play, so would he and I would have mine. If you both came over to play monopoly no the table we could use 1 copy of the game. Or better yet say if you bought a music CD (if music CD's had same licenses as software) and you could only legally play it on one player. If you wanted to play it in your car, in your kitchen, in your stereo and on your computer you would need to buy *4* copies of it. You couldn't just make 4 copies because you are only allowed 1 copy per legal copy and the copy or the orignal can't be used. You have to be careful with what version you buy of Windows. I have the Windows Vista Home Premium OEM so I can re-install that infinite times on my system. You can get versions of Vista that can pretty much be freely installed and uninstalled but you pay for that because the retail versions are almost double the OEM versions which are more expensive than the big computer makers have to spend.

I do understand you though Polar about hardware. You need to figure out what you want your hardware to do and plan accordingly. For most people though Windows is first and until Linux catches up as a gaming platform it will stay that way for us. As long as I can drop a decent Linux copy on an older system than I will definately look at this further.



rlj -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/17/2008 12:05:24 PM)

quote:

Windows message: "Error saving file! Format drive now? (Y/Y)"


That isn't a joke it's true! Any idea how many hours I have spent working on systems because someone gets that error? : /



rlj -> RE: The Perfect Desktop - PCLinuxOS 2007 (7/17/2008 12:18:47 PM)

Hooked up my USB card reader and had no difficulty reading the pictures off of my SD card using the Live CD.



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