Linux, Ubuntu and Me
I am not a Windows fan. Admittedly, I never have been. My first glimpses in the computer world came on a Heathkit home computer kit, and an Apple II running LOGO. My first hands-on real computer use was on the first Macintosh system, and everything I’ve seen from the Windows camp has paled in comparison to the subsequent years of Macintosh use.
I learned Photoshop using version 2.5 on a Macintosh IIx with a 24-bit video card. With a paltry few megabytes of RAM and a blazing 16Mhz processor it did more and did it faster than comparable PC systems at the time.
PC hardware is, and always has been, cheaper than what Apple produces. You get what you pay for, however. Due to economical factors, I’m immersed in a world of Windows based PCs nowadays, and in fact make a living supporting and developing on them.
This isn’t to say I like Windows. I accept that Windows XP is the best effort Microsoft has made to date, and Vista seems to be encroaching like the virus-with-a-GUI that it is. That doesn’t make either of them any good in comparison to Mac OS.
So, what’s a geek to do? I can’t afford a Mac, I’ve already got a PC that I’ve upgraded to the extent my finances will allow – but it won’t run Mac OS. Windows sucks. Enter Linux.
My current project is an experiment of sorts – can an alternate OS redeem the PC platform? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect it to turn my PC into a Mac. I’m more interested in discovering if I can do what I do with my computer, without running Microsoft’s operating system – and not compromising my core uses, or needing to change hardware configuration.
This means the system has to do the following:
- Connect to my wireless network – I have on-board Ethernet but running cables is not an option I will consider.
- World of Warcraft and Civilization 4 – I’m not a hardcore gamer, but I enjoy these two.
- Adobe Photoshop – Sure, the GIMP is cute – and it might just be as powerful (some say it is) but I hate the GUI and don’t need to relearn 15 years of image editing experience.
- Audio recording and editing – No worries here, I’m already using some tools under Windows that are available natively for Linux and my SB Live! has been supported by Linux for years.
- Video input – My computer doubles as my TV. I have a WinTV tuner card which turns my 21″ monitor into an idiot box.
- Text editing and the like – OpenOffice works just peachy for me, and I have an old version of WordPerfect for Linux if need be.
- MSN Messenger, browsing etc. – This is fully supported under Linux, no worries there.
So here we have it. Some might say, well you can run GIMP instead of Photoshop, or FreeCIV instead of Civilization – but there’s only so many compromises I’m willing to make before it becomes easier to just stick with Windows.
My distro of choice at the moment is Ubuntu. I recently installed their server edition on an old Presario at work and turned it into a network fax server with relative ease. It’s based on Debian which I have a soft spot for since that was the first distro I used. I’ve played with Mandrake and Fedora, but was never fully satisfied.
As of last night, I had the basic operating system installed in a dual-boot fashion with my existing Windows configuration. The first snag was (and is) the wireless network. My wireless system uses a RealTek RTL8187b chipset which is, as it turns out, a chip that requires a little hacking and fiddling to operate under Linux.
Hacking and fiddling are no concern to me as long as it works in the end.
The best I managed to squeeze out of it last night was that it detected the network (and a neighboring one) but was unable to connect or obtain an IP address.
I hope to post further as I progress, and see if Ubuntu can do all that I require it to.
Themocracy
I wish you luck. I too want to get started with Linux. I picked up another computer system to practice and learn on and have my copy of Open BSD at the ready. Now if I could find time to get to it. I’ll be watching for your updates to see how you do.
Well, so far so good… I’ve posted a follow up and hope to have some screenshots of this system in action. My experience with BSD is very little, and quite dated… The last time I used a BSD system was NetBSD on a 680×0 Macintosh back in the mid ’90s.
Brian, I found your blog with a search for the Realtek 8187b, and I’ve enjoyed reading a bunch of the other entries. Keep up the good work.
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