The "Linux questions (and other stuff)" thread

[MoodyBlues]

Linux team approves new terminology, bans terms like 'blacklist' and 'slave'

"Linux creator Linus Torvalds puts stamp on proposal to use neutral language in kernel code and documentation."

 

[lunatic59]

While I understand the sensitivity to the terms, neither has racially motivated origins.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I didn't want to say anything...like how ridiculous this is. NEVER in 35 years did I ever think my master and slave drives were bad words, racially motivated. Ditto for black- and whitelist.

Pretty soon, 'black' and 'white' crayons will be illegal...

 

[Davdi]

Meanwhile, back in Linux land......
I have a problem with Ubuntu 20.04 on my HP Pavilion 10x2.
Everything that didn't work on 18.04 now works fine (touchscreen, gestures on touchpad, sound) BUT I now can't access the 1TB HDD, as I'm not part of UID 0. This wasn't a problem with 16.04 or 18.04.

I'm puzzled as to why Ubuntu now won't let me access the drive as it's been happy to in the previous 2 LTS versions.

I'll try reformatting it with GParted (I have the content backed up on an external HDD and a couple of micro SD cards (I'm that trusting of tech).

 

[MoodyBlues]

BUT I now can't access the 1TB HDD, as I'm not part of UID 0.

It sounds like it's just a permissions issue. Maybe during the install you inadvertently skipped something or failed to make that drive accessible by all.

Although I'm a Kubuntu user, gParted is my tool of choice for partitioning issues. Once you fire that up, carefully check that the problem drive's settings are correct. Post your results!

 

[Davdi]

@MoodyBlues - It's wierd, but when I turned the thing on this morning, the internal 1TB drive showed up as a USB external drive, fully readable and writable.
I wonder if the fact that I left it as formatted NTFS (the thing came with Win10, which stayed on it for about 10 minutes) might have something to do with this odd behaviour. Maybe Ubuntu just needed time to work out how to connect with the drive..

 

[Davdi]

There's another problem with this thing (HP Pavilion 10x2) it doesn't play nice with 5.x Linux Kernels but is quite happy with the 4.x kernels. Given that almost every Linux distro is either on a 5.x kernel or soon will be, I'm a bit lost as to what to try next as I don't want to use an older (possibly deprecated) kernel. If all else fails I'll put Windows back on but that's very much a last resort.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I wish I could help, @Davdi, but I'm just so far removed from...everything!, I'm pretty useless at this point.

Prior to System76 coming along, I had several HP Pavilions, and never experienced issues similar to yours.

Although I don't know what I would do, one thing's absolutely sure: I would NEVER put window$ back on. Ever...

Have you reached out to HP at all? Their long history with *nix might mean someone there can help get things sorted out.

 

[Davdi]

Thanks for the reply @MoodyBlues, I was so focused on distro hopping it never occurrred to me to reach out to HP. That's my next step now.

 

[Davdi]

Well, I updated the Kernel to 5.7.6 in Gecko and all seems well. I will update to 5.8 in a while and see if that breaks anything.

 

[rootabaga]

Given the rise in popularity of Linux in both the personal and corporate world, this is no surprise...but it is certainly not welcome news.

I honestly and truly despise cybercriminals of any kind. And bitcoin and the dark web help them flourish. May they burn in h-e-double hockey sticks and sooner, rather than later.

https://www.techrepublic.com/articl...ackers-next-target-security-researchers-warn/

 

[Dngrsone]

I have a new HP Envy x360 15", and I have mutlibooted WIn 10, Manjaro xfce, and Manjaro KDE on it.

My latest project is getting sound working in KDE... then maybe I will try to get a tablet mode to work, but the sound is more of a pressing issue

 

[Davdi]

@Dngrsone which kernel are you using in Manjaro KDE? I found that sound only started working on my Pavilion 10x2 with a kernel > 5.7

 

[Dngrsone]

@Dngrsone which kernel are you using in Manjaro KDE? I found that sound only started working on my Pavilion 10x2 with a kernel > 5.7

I'm on 5.8.6.1

Turns out I had to install some drivers, and then learn once again how to unmute ALSA; because I only have issues once every five years or so when changing computers

 

[ocnbrze]

Ok so I just found an old laptop that's hardly used bought back in 2011. I have another laptop on it's way. In the mean time folks here suggest I install linux on my old computer. Mint was suggested. Apparently there 3 different flavors. I'm hinting more towards cinnamon. An6 thoughts on what is a good one to try? Or is there something else other then mint you would recommend?

 

[lunatic59]

@MoodyBlues will tell you to go with KDE, but I've been using cinnamon for a while and it's probably the best if you are going to be jumping between Linux and Windows.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Yes, @lunatic59 is right: I recommend Kubuntu. That's the KDE version of Ubuntu, which is the most popular Linux distro.

Unlike what you're used to, with Linux you're not only free to choose from bazillions of different distributions/companies, but you also get to choose your DE [desktop environment]. GNOME is the granddaddy of DEs, but I've always found KDE more to my liking. I've tried many along the way, but always come back to KDE.

As to luna's point about transitioning, let me say this: I wiped window$ off my mom's computer, installed Kubuntu, made its [one] desktop look and feel like what she was used to. I installed apps I thought she'd like, and said 'there you go!' I gave her zero instruction, and she was fine. Her only ongoing complaint: "it's too fast!"

Regardless of which distro and which DE you choose, you're going to see that you have billions more options than ever! You know how we have multiple home screens on Android? Guess what? That's existed in *nix since its inception--FIFTY YEARS AGO. You can choose one or many, it's up to you. You can make your desktop look and feel how you want it.

Hopefully, you'll realize what you've been missing and not just relegate it to an old laptop. Linux absolutely FLIES on a computer with good specs!

 

[ocnbrze]

just curious.....can i play android games in linux on my computer?

 

[MoodyBlues]

just curious.....can i play android games in linux on my computer?

I personally have no knowledge of how to do that, but it sounds familiar. I've probably read things about people doing that. But I'm sure it would involve some sort of emulator.

In case you're wondering, it's possible to run some window$ programs on Linux, using wine, but Linux comes with its own endless supply of native programs. The only window$ app I ever ran on Linux was Roller Coaster Tycoon, and it ran better on Linux than on the same computer running window$. [I haven't played since before I got sick...and can't find its disc. I had a 'no disc' patch, so once installed I didn't need the disc, but I can't install it without the disc. I'd love to know where it went...]

 

[lunatic59]

You'd probably need to install an emulator. I do believe there's something in the full SDK, but it seems a lot of trouble for flappy birds.

 

[ocnbrze]

Forgive me if I ask a lot of questions, but I'm gonna probably do this over the weekend. Wo in the mean time I would like to know as much as possible before diving in.

The laptop has a built in blu- ray player. Do I need to the drivers for it again after install? In fact how do drivers work with linux?

what about Microsoft office? Can the be installed?

 

[lunatic59]

Most likely Linux will detect the hardware and install drivers for it. If it's some ancient device like a zip drive or DAT tape, it might need special drivers, but most retail hardware from the last 10 or 15 years won't have any problem. Drivers in Linux used to be compiled into the kernel, but that's a long time ago ... so long ago that only Moody and myself probably remember doing that. Now they are modular, but even better, don't require system restarts when installed or updated. Actually, the only time you need to restart is if you updated the kernel.

You *could* install MS Office, but if I recall, it is a pain and isn't 100% functional if you emulate the Windows environment with Wine or Crossover. You could just spin up a Windows VM, but that's self defeating. MS has begun porting Office to Linux and last year released it's first office component natively for Linux (Don't get too excited ... it was "Teams" ) You be much better off using Libre Office, which is a native office suite that goes head-to-head with MS.

 

[kate]

just curious.....can i play android games in linux on my computer?

As lunatic59 mentioned you'll need an emulator. Here are a couple:
https://linuxhint.com/android_apps_games_linux/

If you try Anbox it requires Snaps, which isn't installed by default on Linux Mint. To install:
https://snapcraft.io/docs/installing-snap-on-linux-mint

The laptop has a built in blu- ray player. Do I need to the drivers for it again after install?

For data it should work out of the box, playing Blu-Ray movies can be difficult and even if you get it working not all disks will play.

Some laptops will have an issue with WiFi or video drivers, but most work fine after installing Linux.

 

[Dngrsone]

I have begun using Manjaro KDE this year, and I'm not sure how long I will stay with it... I have been so long a user of Debian-based OSs from Ubuntu through Mint and KDE Neon that trying to adjust to the Arch system has been a bit rocky. Right now, particularly, since many drivers and such are packaged only in .deb or .rpm

I finally managed to get drivers installed for my Brother laser printer HL-L2380DW

The problem is, the drivers are for printing only, and I want to be able to scan from Linux, and I am not sure how to do this.

 

[kate]

I have begun using Manjaro KDE this year, and I'm not sure how long I will stay with it... I have been so long a user of Debian-based OSs from Ubuntu through Mint and KDE Neon that trying to adjust to the Arch system has been a bit rocky. Right now, particularly, since many drivers and such are packaged only in .deb or .rpm

I finally managed to get drivers installed for my Brother laser printer HL-L2380DW

The problem is, the drivers are for printing only, and I want to be able to scan from Linux, and I am not sure how to do this.

Never used Arch so I'm just searching and guessing...

Looks like the Arch AUR only has printer drivers:
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/?O=0&K=L2380DW

Possible option for .deb files:
https://github.com/helixarch/debtap

Brother HL-L2380DW .deb scanner drivers:
https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hll2380dw_us_as&os=128&mid=true


Would this work for converting .rpm drivers:
https://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/rpmextract/

Brother HL-L2380DW .rpm scanner drivers:
https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hll2380dw_us_as&os=127&mid=true