So there I was reading a copy of Linux magazine (i think!!) They were waxing lyrical about opensuse v11.0. I read the article with interest and got sort of carried away. As there was a copy on the dvd with the magazine. I decided to install it.
I followed the instructions and voila opensuse v11.0 with KDE v 4.1 (i think) was installed. I have to say i really liked the look and feel of it. It looked and felt very slick and far more user friendly than hardy heron. I was not convinced about the plasma applet on the desktop ( a premonition of things to come, i suppose).
A few things impressed me:
1 Adobe flash was available through the package manager and bang everything was working well with Firefox.
2 I found it quite easy to connect to my network using the wifi dongle.
So I was at this point further down the Linux road. It was going well.
With a little bit (well actually a lot) of help I managed to connect up to my windows network and printer. This was good and I was pleased. All was going well but I stiil had not manged to sync my phone to the evolution address book and or KDE mail.
Anyway, I carried on using it still not entirely happy.
I tried running Opera as a web browser and still had the same problems with flash. I gave up on Opera again!!.
Some weeks later open office v 3.0 was out and I wanted it. I ran automatic updates hoping it would come through but lo and behold something went wrong and i was left with a blank white screen - the error message related to the plasma applet. Aaargh!!!!
So there I was with another problem. I googled the error message and found a supposed solution to fix the problem. This involved using the terminal and typing in a command. I did this and phew I was back at a visible desktop. However none of the programs worked. I just did not know enough about unix to be able to fix it. I then decided to reinstall. The reinstall did not work. I was stuck with a non working desktop. Once again I had come to a halt on the Linux journey. However, I knew a lot more and had a better understanding of Linux than when I first started out.
By this stage the next version of Ubuntu (Intrepid Ibex) had been released. From what I was reading this seemed to be a huge leap over the previous version. I then decided to reinstall the new version of Ubuntu and see how I got on.
More about that later.
Thursday 4 December 2008
Tuesday 2 December 2008
Linux - Ubuntu (hardy heron) - 1st attempt
Well about six months ago i downloaded Ubuntu (Hardy Heron) onto my Windows XP machine. Made a live CD and then installed it on my laptop. Well easier said than done. The software gave me options that I did not really understand. I accepted the default settings and I had a fully working copy of Ubuntu on my notebook. I installed it with the Gnome desktop.
I started off using it for browsing with Firefox. I use Firefox on my windows machine so no difference or problems there. The first snag I hit was when I tried to play Scramble on Facebook. This uses a java application and I just could not get it to work on Firefox. After browsing the forums, I realised I would have to download Adobe Flashplayer. Great, till i discovered its not a simple case of download, double click on the execute file and follow instructions to install. At the time I had not figured out the importance and usefulness of using the synaptic package manager. As it transpires, installing Adobe Flashplayer using the package manager would not have worked anyway at the time as Adobe had not licenced the software to the opensource community. I downloaded the file and after a fair bit of googling managed to find out how to install Flashplayer using the command line. Once installed I noted that the clock on the BBC website was now visible but only after I had clicked on the icon on the website. That was a pain but temporarily liveable with. However, Scramble on facebook would still not work.
Then I had a brainwave (ouch!). I downloaded Opera using the package manager. I enjoyed using Opera. I think its lighter than Firefox and easier to use. However, I still could not play Scramble and get other flash programs to run in Opera. I hit a wall. I started drifting back to the windows xp computer.
At this stage I was accessing the internet with a network cable connected to the router. This was a problem as I was basically trapped in my bedroom as that is how far the cable would stretch from the study (where the router is located). Well then I decided to buy a wireless usb dongle. I had to do a bit of research to find one that was compatible with Linux. I found a Zyxel dongle. I managed to get this to work more by luck than anything else. I had to play with the settings for networking and then I got it to work. That was as far as I got. I did not know enough to try and figure out how to network this with my windows xp pc and print using my HP printer.
I also set up Evolution, the opensource version of Outlook. Then i hit another snag. I use a MDA Vario III (HTC Kaiser) to sync with outlook 2007 and I carry all my contacts and appopintments on the phone. I could not get all my contacts onto evolution easily. At best I could export the email address to a csv file and then import it into Evolution. This just did not work for me properly. Also if I was going to use Linux and Ubuntu as the main operating system then I needed to be able to have all my data on the machine. Otherwise i would have to revert to using webmail which defeats the purpose.
I could not figure out how to get my appointments into Evolution as I could not sync with my phone. Then I had another idea (these were coming in thick and fast!!!). I installed google calendar sync on my office machine. I then used this to sync with my gmail account. I then used evolution calendar to sync with the gmail calendar. Long winded but it worked.
However, I was not entirely happy with this state of affairs.
My problems as I saw it at the time were as follows:
1 Neither Firefox nor Opera were working properly. It was not imperative that i have flashplayer working properly, I could still carry on with my browsing. However, I knew it did not work and I could not get it to work. This just bugged me.
2 I had to reinstall Ubuntu a couple of times because the automatic update caused some kind of conflict with the Nvidia drivers (I think). The only way I knew to fix this was to reinstall.
3 I did not have all my contact details in evolution so I was not using that piece of software.
4 The calendar appointment workaround was also not making me happy.
5 I was not properly networked. I was unable to save files on the external hard drive attached to the windows computer.
6 I was not able to print.
5 I felt i had no control over the computer. I was having to work to its limitations.
I was going off Linux and stopped using the notebook. Till I discovered Opensuse. For what happened next you will have to read the Opensuse post which will follow in due course.
I started off using it for browsing with Firefox. I use Firefox on my windows machine so no difference or problems there. The first snag I hit was when I tried to play Scramble on Facebook. This uses a java application and I just could not get it to work on Firefox. After browsing the forums, I realised I would have to download Adobe Flashplayer. Great, till i discovered its not a simple case of download, double click on the execute file and follow instructions to install. At the time I had not figured out the importance and usefulness of using the synaptic package manager. As it transpires, installing Adobe Flashplayer using the package manager would not have worked anyway at the time as Adobe had not licenced the software to the opensource community. I downloaded the file and after a fair bit of googling managed to find out how to install Flashplayer using the command line. Once installed I noted that the clock on the BBC website was now visible but only after I had clicked on the icon on the website. That was a pain but temporarily liveable with. However, Scramble on facebook would still not work.
Then I had a brainwave (ouch!). I downloaded Opera using the package manager. I enjoyed using Opera. I think its lighter than Firefox and easier to use. However, I still could not play Scramble and get other flash programs to run in Opera. I hit a wall. I started drifting back to the windows xp computer.
At this stage I was accessing the internet with a network cable connected to the router. This was a problem as I was basically trapped in my bedroom as that is how far the cable would stretch from the study (where the router is located). Well then I decided to buy a wireless usb dongle. I had to do a bit of research to find one that was compatible with Linux. I found a Zyxel dongle. I managed to get this to work more by luck than anything else. I had to play with the settings for networking and then I got it to work. That was as far as I got. I did not know enough to try and figure out how to network this with my windows xp pc and print using my HP printer.
I also set up Evolution, the opensource version of Outlook. Then i hit another snag. I use a MDA Vario III (HTC Kaiser) to sync with outlook 2007 and I carry all my contacts and appopintments on the phone. I could not get all my contacts onto evolution easily. At best I could export the email address to a csv file and then import it into Evolution. This just did not work for me properly. Also if I was going to use Linux and Ubuntu as the main operating system then I needed to be able to have all my data on the machine. Otherwise i would have to revert to using webmail which defeats the purpose.
I could not figure out how to get my appointments into Evolution as I could not sync with my phone. Then I had another idea (these were coming in thick and fast!!!). I installed google calendar sync on my office machine. I then used this to sync with my gmail account. I then used evolution calendar to sync with the gmail calendar. Long winded but it worked.
However, I was not entirely happy with this state of affairs.
My problems as I saw it at the time were as follows:
1 Neither Firefox nor Opera were working properly. It was not imperative that i have flashplayer working properly, I could still carry on with my browsing. However, I knew it did not work and I could not get it to work. This just bugged me.
2 I had to reinstall Ubuntu a couple of times because the automatic update caused some kind of conflict with the Nvidia drivers (I think). The only way I knew to fix this was to reinstall.
3 I did not have all my contact details in evolution so I was not using that piece of software.
4 The calendar appointment workaround was also not making me happy.
5 I was not properly networked. I was unable to save files on the external hard drive attached to the windows computer.
6 I was not able to print.
5 I felt i had no control over the computer. I was having to work to its limitations.
I was going off Linux and stopped using the notebook. Till I discovered Opensuse. For what happened next you will have to read the Opensuse post which will follow in due course.
Linux
Before I start to talk about Linux, you should know that i have been using windows for a substantial length of time. I have not yet used Vista as i have had no reason to do so. If i am lucky i may be able to bypass it all together. I am a reasonably experienced user. I can do a fair bit without assistance though there are some who would disagree with that comment. You know who you are!!! Seriously, I wouldn't consider myself a super user but I know enough to end up fixing most things that may go wrong in Windows (a reboot usually fixes all ;-)
I first came across Linux some ten years ago. At the time I knew less about computers, software and hardware than I do now. At the time it was far too complicated and difficult for me to use. It did not have a desktop view and everything ran from the command line using Unix. Then and now I know next to nothing about Unix.
I got interested in Linux again some time last year. I installed Fedora on an old notebook. Got it running but then gave up on it as the notebook had hardware issues. I did not have the time to get going on Fedora probably which would involve me first having to fix the laptop.
Fast forward six months and my wife was and is hogging the main computer. At home, I usually need to do a little bit of browsing and check my mail through a webmail account. I got my hand on another old notebook (about 5/6 years old) which just could not run windows xp anymore. It kept falling over. So I installed Ubuntu on this machine and voila, I had a second working machine at home. I did have a few problems with Ubuntu (about which more later). I was reading a copy of Linux magazine (i think) and I found a big write up on the new distro from opensuse. Better still it was available on the dvd which came with the magazine. So I installed this on the notebook over Ubuntu. I enjoyed playing with that till I came a cropper on an automatic update. So its back onto Ubuntu.
Well now you know how I got here. I am going to write separately about my experiences with both Ubuntu and Opensuse in separate post's.
I first came across Linux some ten years ago. At the time I knew less about computers, software and hardware than I do now. At the time it was far too complicated and difficult for me to use. It did not have a desktop view and everything ran from the command line using Unix. Then and now I know next to nothing about Unix.
I got interested in Linux again some time last year. I installed Fedora on an old notebook. Got it running but then gave up on it as the notebook had hardware issues. I did not have the time to get going on Fedora probably which would involve me first having to fix the laptop.
Fast forward six months and my wife was and is hogging the main computer. At home, I usually need to do a little bit of browsing and check my mail through a webmail account. I got my hand on another old notebook (about 5/6 years old) which just could not run windows xp anymore. It kept falling over. So I installed Ubuntu on this machine and voila, I had a second working machine at home. I did have a few problems with Ubuntu (about which more later). I was reading a copy of Linux magazine (i think) and I found a big write up on the new distro from opensuse. Better still it was available on the dvd which came with the magazine. So I installed this on the notebook over Ubuntu. I enjoyed playing with that till I came a cropper on an automatic update. So its back onto Ubuntu.
Well now you know how I got here. I am going to write separately about my experiences with both Ubuntu and Opensuse in separate post's.
Monday 24 November 2008
Cars I have owned
Now its time to move on to the interesting stuff. Cars I have owned and what I think of them. I list below the various cars and my comments thereon.
1 MG Montego Turbo
The less said about this car the better. This is the first car I ever bought. It was purchased used from a "car supermarket". It died 10 minutes away from the showroom. I got rid of it within 8 months. Kept paying for it for another 2 years.
2 BMW 316i
This car was a little beauty. Great fun to drive, both in the city and out in the country. I saw most of England in this car. It never let me down. It got stolen this summer just gone. I really should have scrapped it before the thieving b*****d's got their hands on it. I owned it for 18 years, did not drive it for the last 5. I was just sentimental about scrapping it.
3 Jeep Cherokee
Lovely car. My first 4X4. I was hooked. Drank petrol like an alcoholic but great fun to drive.
4 Jeep Grand Cherokee
This car was much like the Cherokee but twice as much fun. It also had a whole heap of toys that I got used to.
5 Audi A6
This is the nicest car and most fun car I have ever had driving. If you like driving cars then this is the one for you. Handles like a dream and goes like stink. I have a smile on my face when I get into and out of it. Unfortunately it needs a bit of maintenance work on it. However, any money spent on it will not be recovered. That's the accountant in me talking. Its also got a lot of gadgets in it but not as much as the Grand Cherokee.
All of the cars mentioned above were purchased used. The next car is the first car I have ever bought new. Its....wait for it.....drum roll... a Toyota Prius. Its the second worst car I have owned and will need a whole post for itself.
Finally the cars I would like to own:
1 Jaguar E Type
2 Merecedes 450 SL from the late 70's or something similar
3 Ferrari
4 Aston Martin DB7
5 Bentley
So there you have it. If you want more in depth information on my experiences with the above mentioned cars just let me know.
1 MG Montego Turbo
The less said about this car the better. This is the first car I ever bought. It was purchased used from a "car supermarket". It died 10 minutes away from the showroom. I got rid of it within 8 months. Kept paying for it for another 2 years.
2 BMW 316i
This car was a little beauty. Great fun to drive, both in the city and out in the country. I saw most of England in this car. It never let me down. It got stolen this summer just gone. I really should have scrapped it before the thieving b*****d's got their hands on it. I owned it for 18 years, did not drive it for the last 5. I was just sentimental about scrapping it.
3 Jeep Cherokee
Lovely car. My first 4X4. I was hooked. Drank petrol like an alcoholic but great fun to drive.
4 Jeep Grand Cherokee
This car was much like the Cherokee but twice as much fun. It also had a whole heap of toys that I got used to.
5 Audi A6
This is the nicest car and most fun car I have ever had driving. If you like driving cars then this is the one for you. Handles like a dream and goes like stink. I have a smile on my face when I get into and out of it. Unfortunately it needs a bit of maintenance work on it. However, any money spent on it will not be recovered. That's the accountant in me talking. Its also got a lot of gadgets in it but not as much as the Grand Cherokee.
All of the cars mentioned above were purchased used. The next car is the first car I have ever bought new. Its....wait for it.....drum roll... a Toyota Prius. Its the second worst car I have owned and will need a whole post for itself.
Finally the cars I would like to own:
1 Jaguar E Type
2 Merecedes 450 SL from the late 70's or something similar
3 Ferrari
4 Aston Martin DB7
5 Bentley
So there you have it. If you want more in depth information on my experiences with the above mentioned cars just let me know.
Sunday 23 November 2008
Cars
Well seeing as I have to drive into work tomorrow, I thought I should let you have my views on cars.
I have been driving for near enough 20 years. In that time I have driven far too many to remember the names of all the makes and models. You will have to take my word for it that I have driven everything from cheap to luxury cars - Fords to BMW's and almost everything in between. I am happy to say, I am not a fan of the new Mercedes models. Reliability are not their strong point anymore. Too many things go wrong with the cars straight out of the box!!! I believe that in the 90's Mercedes decided to build cars to a price and market segment rather than build the car and then price it and fit it into the segment or what the heck create the segment. For me the old mercedes models (circa 60's to early 80's) had personality and style. Sadly or maybe not so sadly, I have not driven any really great cars or supercars. No Ferrari's, Bentley's etc. Having said that I have my views on cars and what I expect of them.
Cars should get me from A to B in comfort and style and be able to put a smile on my face and not leave me tired and irritable when I get out of them after a drive. One car that still has the abilty to do that for me is the Audi A6 (I have owned this for four and a half years and I still love it). Some cars have ticked all the boxes and some none at all. In this day and age, when we can put man into space and even on the moon, there is absolutely no justification for making an unreliable and trashy car. In my next post I will talk about the cars I have owned and I hope to own.
Finally, I have a maxim when it comes to buying and owning cars. If you cannot afford the petrol and the running costs you cannot afford the car. Simple common sense you would think but oh the number of times I have heard people say with pride how they can afford an expensive car or even own an expensive car and then moan about the low fuel consumption or the high cost of insuring it or the high cost of servicing the car. DOH!!!!!
My next post will be about the cars I have owned over the years and my views on them.
I have been driving for near enough 20 years. In that time I have driven far too many to remember the names of all the makes and models. You will have to take my word for it that I have driven everything from cheap to luxury cars - Fords to BMW's and almost everything in between. I am happy to say, I am not a fan of the new Mercedes models. Reliability are not their strong point anymore. Too many things go wrong with the cars straight out of the box!!! I believe that in the 90's Mercedes decided to build cars to a price and market segment rather than build the car and then price it and fit it into the segment or what the heck create the segment. For me the old mercedes models (circa 60's to early 80's) had personality and style. Sadly or maybe not so sadly, I have not driven any really great cars or supercars. No Ferrari's, Bentley's etc. Having said that I have my views on cars and what I expect of them.
Cars should get me from A to B in comfort and style and be able to put a smile on my face and not leave me tired and irritable when I get out of them after a drive. One car that still has the abilty to do that for me is the Audi A6 (I have owned this for four and a half years and I still love it). Some cars have ticked all the boxes and some none at all. In this day and age, when we can put man into space and even on the moon, there is absolutely no justification for making an unreliable and trashy car. In my next post I will talk about the cars I have owned and I hope to own.
Finally, I have a maxim when it comes to buying and owning cars. If you cannot afford the petrol and the running costs you cannot afford the car. Simple common sense you would think but oh the number of times I have heard people say with pride how they can afford an expensive car or even own an expensive car and then moan about the low fuel consumption or the high cost of insuring it or the high cost of servicing the car. DOH!!!!!
My next post will be about the cars I have owned over the years and my views on them.
Saturday 22 November 2008
Me
Hey!!!
So this is my first blog. Hopefully more to come if I dont get bored too soon. You should know I have the concentration span of a gnat. I assume of course that gnats have short concentration spans. I would'nt know I am just guessing. So what can you expect to read here? Hopefully interesting stuff and information that helps you in some way. At least what I think is interesting. Just so you know where I am coming from I think you should get to know a bit about me. That way you can see where and how my views have developed.
So here goes. I am 45 years old. Ouch!!! mentally i don't feel it but my body keeps reminding me about my age all the time. I was born and raised in India. I came to the UK when I was 19. I studied as a chartered accountant and well now I am a partner in an accounting firm in London. I am interested in lots of things and I am going to list these out more as an aide memoire for me. Remind myself to write / touch on these subjects at some time.
Sports (playing and watching). I am a huge Tottenham Hotspur fan. So much so that with some friends, I have set up a charity called spursettes (www.spursettes.co.uk). I also like music and from there it segues nicely into a love of hifi the quality stuff (Naim, Linn etc.). I cannot bear to listen to music if it is played through an inferior system. Then I love playing with computers and gadgets. I love poking and prodding new stuff. I am a boy so I gotta love cars. I love food - preferably good food. I am annoyed by bad service and I am sure you will hear about this from time to time. I also cannot stand people who do not take responsibility for their own actions. I do not have a technical brain and do not even start to pretend to undertsand how things work. I just know they work!!!! I expect them to work!!!
I love travelling. I have been to over 50 countries and cities....i have lost track of. Lately I have met up with a bunch of people who love adventure holidays. So I have travelled and trekked around Bhutan, Borneo, Tibet. I have made it to base camp of Everest (woohoo) on the Chinese side (boohoo)!!!
Well guess what I am bored so I am now going to stop.
I look forward to seeing you here and I hope you enjoy reading some of what I put up here.
So this is my first blog. Hopefully more to come if I dont get bored too soon. You should know I have the concentration span of a gnat. I assume of course that gnats have short concentration spans. I would'nt know I am just guessing. So what can you expect to read here? Hopefully interesting stuff and information that helps you in some way. At least what I think is interesting. Just so you know where I am coming from I think you should get to know a bit about me. That way you can see where and how my views have developed.
So here goes. I am 45 years old. Ouch!!! mentally i don't feel it but my body keeps reminding me about my age all the time. I was born and raised in India. I came to the UK when I was 19. I studied as a chartered accountant and well now I am a partner in an accounting firm in London. I am interested in lots of things and I am going to list these out more as an aide memoire for me. Remind myself to write / touch on these subjects at some time.
Sports (playing and watching). I am a huge Tottenham Hotspur fan. So much so that with some friends, I have set up a charity called spursettes (www.spursettes.co.uk). I also like music and from there it segues nicely into a love of hifi the quality stuff (Naim, Linn etc.). I cannot bear to listen to music if it is played through an inferior system. Then I love playing with computers and gadgets. I love poking and prodding new stuff. I am a boy so I gotta love cars. I love food - preferably good food. I am annoyed by bad service and I am sure you will hear about this from time to time. I also cannot stand people who do not take responsibility for their own actions. I do not have a technical brain and do not even start to pretend to undertsand how things work. I just know they work!!!! I expect them to work!!!
I love travelling. I have been to over 50 countries and cities....i have lost track of. Lately I have met up with a bunch of people who love adventure holidays. So I have travelled and trekked around Bhutan, Borneo, Tibet. I have made it to base camp of Everest (woohoo) on the Chinese side (boohoo)!!!
Well guess what I am bored so I am now going to stop.
I look forward to seeing you here and I hope you enjoy reading some of what I put up here.
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