Linux

[DimPrawn]

Linux users. 99% time fiddling with installs.

Are people still fiddling around with the 1000+ Linux distros? I thought Linux died some time last century....

[bogeyman]

OK, I've got this old laptop (a Dell Latitude C810) and I want to install a Linux distribution on it.
I've tried Ubuntu, Mandrake and another one (sounds like a Italian dessert), but the installs all just freeze.

Any idea what I can use ??

I just want a simple laptop that can be used to surf the internet and run openoffice.

Are you sure the laptop is working properly?

In my limited experience, Linux installs usually shyt themselves trying to detect video hardware and configure X Windows. If your laptop is on the HCL for that distro then it should work fine, in theory.

Does it still run Windows ok?

Try one of the 'live' Linux CDs like Knoppix - if that doesn't boot then I think the laptop isn't well.

[Sir_Edward_Matheson]

He did.

So obvious I did not read what the OP wrote carefully.

@G8Summit:
Where exactly in the process do the installs freeze?
Have you tried using the non-X installer?

[VectraMan]

I'm in the process of installing Ubuntu on my Dell C610 laptop. It boots okay from CD, slowly, and so far it's taken half an hour to get through the first couple of stages of the install wizard (i.e. choosing location).

I thought Linux was meant to be small and lightweight and less bloated than Windows.

I hope it's worth it.

[DimPrawn]

I'm in the process of installing Ubuntu on my Dell C610 laptop. It boots okay from CD, slowly, and so far it's taken half an hour to get through the first couple of stages of the install wizard (i.e. choosing location).

I thought Linux was meant to be small and lightweight and less bloated than Windows.

I hope it's worth it.

No. Next.

[VectraMan]

It's "starting up the partitioner". This partitioner must be the greatest piece of software known to man, because so far it's taken half an hour to get 33% of it loaded.

[VectraMan]

3 1/2 hours in and "The server encountered a problem whilst loading "OAFIID-GNOME_FastUserSwitchApplet". Do you want to delete the applet from your configuration?"

[Addanc]

To bring some balance to this discussion; Vista is a complete load of tulipe! Still cannot get SP1 to install. Did a complete re-install of Vista NO OEM add-ons (i.e. ONLY microtulipE on the machine) and it still will not install. Do these knobheads at micro$oft ever ******* test anying they release.

In contrast I've been running Linux on the desktop for best part of 10 years, dual booting on laptops for 2-3 years absolutely no problems. Started out with Mandrake but mostly used SuSE (now open SUSE). Even got a PVR machine running MythTV.

Repeat after me:
Micro$oft w@nk, w@nk, w@nk!
Micro$oft w@nk, w@nk, w@nk!
Micro$oft w@nk, w@nk, w@nk!
Micro$oft w@nk, w@nk, w@nk!
Micro$oft w@nk, w@nk, w@nk!

[cojak]

Is it me?

When I installed SimplyMepis on my old Fujitsu Siemans laptop I was a complete noob but was using the web 15 minutes later....

Just buy Linux Format and use whichever distro they're offering this month... (you don't have to buy anything, obv - but it's the easiest thing to do if you don't want to download a distro and burn an .iso CD...)

[Spacecadet]

Are people still fiddling around with the 1000+ Linux distros? I thought Linux died some time last century....

Unfortunately this is what stops Linux from going main stream.
Non techies won't go anywhere near it and I've heard it refered to several times as "that geeky linux thing"