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The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

Sorry, I can't help you--I don't do windows. But someone else will surely help out!
If the FOSS utility disks can't do it, I go to pay-for products from Microsoft Platinum Partners like Paragon. The way I see it, Windows is a commercial product, and is always doing things to discourage FOSS solutions. So if you must have Windows, you must pony up for the pay-for utilities that are MS-blessed. "Let the company pay for it" is my motto re Windows.
 
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Kubuntu *IS* KDE on Ubuntu. But it's its own operating system, whereas KDE is simply a desktop environment. So Kubuntu is an OS, while KDE is a DE.
Hey, don't forget who you're talking to, now!

I know that a Linux distribution is a conglomeration of the Linux kernel, some 3rd party device drivers, a whole bunch of utilities (and not just from GUN either), an X server and a desktop environment or two.

What I'm trying to understand is what in particular makes Kubuntu so unacceptable that you'd want to roll your own. Plenty of Linux users do "from scratch" installs just for fun, I know. But if I don't particularly want to do the extra work, what's my motivation for doing it vs. just using Kubuntu as palmtree5 was saying?

See this reply I just posted, which may help a little.
Hmmm... It looks to me like Canonical's product line simply doesn't meet my high standards.

I've tried installing KDE from the kde.org site, and I quickly got bogged down with dependencies. One of the great things about OpenSUSE is that Yast takes care of the dependencies for me, so I don't have to do the drudgery. It's also more correct because they test their metapackages thoroughly before they release them.

It also looks like you're not against Kubuntu...

You know, I no longer care! :sleep:
 
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This is about KDE specific music management and player software. I use Rhythmbox out of choice, which is actually a GTK application, but I'm using the KDE desktop. There's two KDE specific apps that I'm aware of.

Amarok: Which appears to be horribly complex and bloated. It seems to be obsessed with going off to Wikipedia and showing stuff about every song it plays, and because I'm in China that can make things very slow. I don't want that. Yet at the same time it doesn't even offer a graphic equalizer, Rhythmbox has this.

JuK: Which I think is just too basic and appears rather unfinished. Plus it has major problems with many ID3 tags.

These are the two recommended on the kde.org website.
http://kde.org/applications/multimedia/

There are others but these are more general media players, rather than music management.
 
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Hey, don't forget who you're talking to, now!
:eviltongue: :laugh:

What I'm trying to understand is what in particular makes Kubuntu so unacceptable
It's not--at least not to me. It's what I use as my default distro.

that you'd want to roll your own. Plenty of Linux users do "from scratch" installs just for fun, I know. But if I don't particularly want to do the extra work, what's my motivation for doing it vs. just using Kubuntu as palmtree5 was saying?
When Kubuntu has already done all the work for you, why bother piecing together KDE on top of an existing *nix?

Hmmm... It looks to me like Canonical's product line simply doesn't meet my high standards.
Well, crap. :mad: My standards are obviously much lower than yours! Because Canonical's products have worked out just fine for me. :D

I've tried installing KDE from the kde.org site, and I quickly got bogged down with dependencies.
That's one of the issues I had in mind when I said that installing KDE directly can be a daunting task for a Linux newbie.

One of the great things about OpenSUSE is that Yast takes care of the dependencies for me, so I don't have to do the drudgery.
Synaptic in *buntu does that, too, and apt-get should on its own--but if it doesn't, or if the user wants to make sure it will, that's easily accomplished with the correct command line arguments. For example:

Code:
build-dep
           build-dep causes apt-get to install/remove packages in an attempt to satisfy the build dependencies for a source
           package.

check
           check is a diagnostic tool; it updates the package cache and checks for broken dependencies.

--install-suggests
           Consider suggested packages as a dependency for installing. Configuration Item: APT::Install-Suggests.

-d, --download-only
           Download only; package files are only retrieved, not unpacked or installed. Configuration Item:  APT::Get::Download-Only.

-f, --fix-broken
           Fix; attempt to correct a system with broken dependencies in place. This option, when used with install/remove,
           can omit any packages to permit APT to deduce a likely solution. If packages are specified, these have to
           completely correct the problem. The option is sometimes necessary when running APT for the first time; APT
           itself does not allow broken package dependencies to exist on a system. It is possible that a system's
           dependency structure can be so corrupt as to require manual intervention (which usually means using dselect(1)
           or dpkg --remove to eliminate some of the offending packages). Use of this option together with -m may produce
           an error in some situations. Configuration Item: APT::Get::Fix-Broken.

It also looks like you're not against Kubuntu...
No, not at all. As I said, it's my default Linux, and has been since its first release.
 
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Could someone explain to me the specific things that make KDE-on-Ubuntu better than Kubuntu? I thought that Kubuntu was KDE on Ubuntu! What's the difference?
From my understanding, unless it has changed since first coming out, Kubuntu is not an official Canonical distro. Canonical does not support it.

Using the Ubuntu's official or add official KDE repositories should let you install KDE using Ubuntu's software management program. Now what all it does or doesn't install I really can't say. Sometimes there are certain ways to install it to get the full installation or get a minimum installation.

Using Mageia and other distros that is how I do a minimum installation of KDE, because I do not want all/every package included. Also there is a way to install KDE from kde.org, certain packages and in a certain order to get it installed without dependency hell. It depends on the distro's package management system too.

Just my thoughts.
 
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Amarok: Which appears to be horribly complex and bloated. It seems to be obsessed with going off to Wikipedia and showing stuff about every song it plays, and because I'm in China that can make things very slow. I don't want that. Yet at the same time it doesn't even offer a graphic equalizer, Rhythmbox has this.
Amarok: one more reason why I went back to KDE 3.5! The pre-Plasma version of Amarok is downright lean in comparison.

I never had a need for graphic EQ in the past, and I'm not about to start now. :proud:

Speaking of China and the Internet, the news here is that it takes two people to use the Internet over there: one to go online, and the other to watch everything that the first guy is doing. :laugh: Maybe that's why some things are slow...
 
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From my understanding, unless it has changed since first coming out, Kubuntu is not an official Canonical distro. Canonical does not support it.
My understanding is that Canonical made a solemn pledge that *buntu would forever remain under the guidance of the community. And nobody seriously believes that. :p

The last time I checked (just now), the official Ubuntu website more than acknowledges Kubuntu. Must be like "having your cake and eating it too" for them.
 
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My understanding is that Canonical made a solemn pledge that *buntu would forever remain under the guidance of the community. And nobody seriously believes that. :p

The last time I checked (just now), the official Ubuntu website more than acknowledges Kubuntu. Must be like "having your cake and eating it too" for them.
I guess it did support Kubuntu but reading this is saying they are not.

Ubuntu pulls the 'official' plug on Kubuntu | TechRepublic

I don't know what to think. I'm not a big Buntu fan either.
 
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I imagine I'll always have warm memories of Ubuntu, I think it was the 8.04 edition that I first used. I'm not sure, however, if I'll continue to use it in the future. I guess time will tell, we'll see what happens with the unified environments (phone/tablet/pc).

My next distros will probably be either back to Debian or another go with arch.

That being said, any of you guys try out cmus for music playback? I've been really digging it (especially on my already taxed netbook). Very lightweight (it is a terminal application after all). :) :D
 
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I guess it did support Kubuntu but reading this is saying they are not.

Ubuntu pulls the 'official' plug on Kubuntu | TechRepublic
Shit. I had actually FORGOTTEN about that announcement...which was made a year ago. :eek: But the last year has been like something out of a really bad dream for me, and thinking about stuff like Canonical pulling the official plug from Kubuntu, and turning it over to community based support on its *buntu infrastructure just wasn't important enough to keep in my head.

I don't know what to think.
As I recall, Kubuntu will continue, just not as an official branch of Ubuntu.

I'm not a big Buntu fan either.
Shame on you!! ;)
 
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I imagine I'll always have warm memories of Ubuntu, I think it was the 8.04 edition that I first used. I'm not sure, however, if I'll continue to use it in the future. I guess time will tell, we'll see what happens with the unified environments (phone/tablet/pc).

My next distros will probably be either back to Debian or another go with arch.

That being said, any of you guys try out cmus for music playback? I've been really digging it (especially on my already taxed netbook). Very lightweight (it is a terminal application after all). :) :D

I personally haven't used Ubuntu in a while. I'm currently running Arch. At some point, I might try to give this a go
 
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It's the same as Mageia, a KDE community based distro, which forked away from Mandriva. Closely the same but ran by different organizations. But I went against the grain and used Gnome 2 and now trying out G3 and did a minimum install of KDE4. I'm weird like that.

I have not hate for Ubuntu...thinking about giving Unity another go!

@9to5cynic, my two fall back distros are always Debian & Slackware, if and when I may need a distro to get installed quickly and on any type of hardware.
 
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Amarok: one more reason why I went back to KDE 3.5! The pre-Plasma version of Amarok is downright lean in comparison.

I never had a need for graphic EQ in the past, and I'm not about to start now. :proud:

I sometimes like to tweak the bass and treble a bit, depending on what speakers I'm using when listening to music. I've got no large fixed home speaker system, because of location and travel.

Speaking of China and the Internet, the news here is that it takes two people to use the Internet over there: one to go online, and the other to watch everything that the first guy is doing. :laugh: Maybe that's why some things are slow...

Often it's just the bandwidth in and out of the PRC, can be very slow, plus whatever local connectivity can be slow as well. It's usually OK for looking at Android Forums though and reading the news.

Thing is I couldn't see an option in Amarok to disable the Wikipedia junk, often Wikipedia is censored and Amarok was just hanging waiting for a response it. I know I'm playing Bob Marley, I know he died in 1981, I don't need to know everything else about him Amarok and what studio the song was recorded in. :rolleyes:

Actually to get on-line can take two people. I wanted to buy a new pre-paid SIM for my China Telecom EV-DO dongle. The village China Telecom store computer wouldn't take my British passport as ID, I had to get a friend to come in with his Chinese ID card and do it for me.
 
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any of you guys try out cmus for music playback? I've been really digging it (especially on my already taxed netbook). Very lightweight (it is a terminal application after all). :) :D
I just installed but can't seem to get anything to show or play. How do you play a song? Do I type the command with a song title?

Maybe it has something to do with me running Mageia Beta, I've had issues with MOC also. Moc is another terminal music player.
 
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I just installed but can't seem to get anything to show or play. How do you play a song? Do I type the command with a song title?

Maybe it has something to do with me running Mageia Beta, I've had issues with MOC also. Moc is another terminal music player.

Okay, you have to first add the songs from the directory. View(I think it's 5?)... then it should show up in 1. Then its enter to start.
 
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Amarok appeared to look like a decent music player but i couldn't get it to work at all. it kept asking me to install the codecs required for MP3s and even if i told it to it still wouldn't work. ended up removing it and installed Clementine..

FYI Mom's issue with the Wifi was fixed with 'use as system connection' and disabling its link to KDE Wallet. however her wallpaper still seems to reset itself to the out-of-box wallpaper image instead of her preference which is new to me, it has never happened on my computer with Kubuntu or Ubuntu with KDE added onto it

@MikeDT, Clementine offers a pretty good EQ w/Pre-Amp and presets, too
 
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New glitch on my laptop...finished updating software and it asked me to restart, now when i get back up and try to install through the software center i get this error:


Software can't be installed or removed because the authentication service is not available. (org.freedesktop.PolicyKit.Error.Failed: ('system-bus-name', {'name': ':1.68'}): org.debian.apt.install-or-remove-packages


the password prompt never appears then this error comes up. however, if i log into Unity it works fine. ???

also the 'update' to Flash-Plugin deleted it or rendered it inert forcing me to manually install the 'libflashplayer.so' into the /usr/lib/firefox/plugins folder.
 
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@nick, I'm barely coherent right now--virtually no sleep last night, after an exhausting day of imaginary conversations with my mom. So this is the best I can do right now...

the password prompt never appears then this error comes up. however, if i log into Unity it works fine.
Sounds like something got corrupted. Try this:

Code:
mv ~/.kde ~/.kde.orig

and then see if you can log in via KDE.

Alternatively, create a new user and log in with it using KDE.

Neither of these will FIX the problem, they'll just narrow it down.
 
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I sometimes like to tweak the bass and treble a bit, depending on what speakers I'm using when listening to music. I've got no large fixed home speaker system, because of location and travel.
I was really serious about audio stuff when I was young, and learned how to use speaker placement and room treatments to get the ideal sound without needing to use electronic EQ. The electromechanical EQ units of the day were notorious for causing as many aural problems as they solved. I had good results with parametric EQ back then, but back then parametric units cost a lot! I used them professionally, when someone else was paying the equipment rental fees. But at home I eschewed all EQ. It was pretty easy to do since I didn't have any EQ of any sort on my home audio equipment. (Excepting the RIAA EQ in my phono preamps, of course.) If it's not there at all, it can't be a temptation. :laugh:

Thing is I couldn't see an option in Amarok to disable the Wikipedia junk...
The older, QT3-based version is blissfully without that "feature".

Actually to get on-line can take two people. I wanted to buy a new pre-paid SIM for my China Telecom EV-DO dongle. The village China Telecom store computer wouldn't take my British passport as ID, I had to get a friend to come in with his Chinese ID card and do it for me.
Wow, that's something. You must face a lot of paradox over there. Thanks for giving me a peek! :beer:
 
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@nick, I'm barely coherent right now--virtually no sleep last night, after an exhausting day of imaginary conversations with my mom. So this is the best I can do right now...


Sounds like something got corrupted. Try this:

Code:
mv ~/.kde ~/.kde.orig
and then see if you can log in via KDE.

Alternatively, create a new user and log in with it using KDE.

Neither of these will FIX the problem, they'll just narrow it down.
FYI, I had a .kde4 directory when KDE4 came out. There was one other hidden directory too for KDE4, but I don't recall which.
 
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