Posted: 10/24/2008 10:45:34 AM EDT
| Now, tell me how in the HELL do I work this thing??? I am sitting hard-wired into my internet connection because I have no idea how to set up my wireless on Ubuntu... I am using the 8.something something version. I really REALLY like Ubuntu so far, just learning it is a new thing for me. |
Simply download your wireless driver from ubuntu.com. Oh, wait.... never mind. Better start learning C now. |
LOL  Yeah, ask a few questions on the forum and prepare to get flamed. Some of us are not asses and will help though... It is STILL no replacement for Windows. 3 pages of command code to set up new hardware? No thanks. |
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I had Ubuntu running on my machine for a while after I got fed up with XP, before I got my Mac. Its a really good platform. The packages are easy to install. IIRC there is a menu that drops down that has a network or wireless settings option. Once you find that you should be able to figure out how to install your wireless card. I got mine up and running faster than what it takes to do the same thing on XP. Go figure. I might just have to dust off the HDD that has Ubuntu on it. |
| What's funny to me is that while Googling dual boot off of external hard drives, everybody said it's not possible, that you can't boot off of an external HDD. I tried it, as a techno-nerd rookie, and was able to get Ubuntu up and running fairly quickly and very painlessly. |
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Ubuntu is based off of Debian which has hands down the BEST package manager for any Unix/Linux distribution out there... APT is what makes Ubuntu so good, coupled with a user (not techie/admin) friendly community, all the basic tools you want and need, and the use of sudo rather than root access... OP, google Ubuntu Wireless network... there will be no less than 100 articles on how to setup your wireless... the problem isn't that Linux is "difficult" or "confusing"... it's acquaintanceship... you're just used to the method that Windows uses to configure the same parameters. and FYI, post these threads in the "Urban Commandos" forum, you'll get a lot less chatter and more help... for the average home user Ubuntu is awesome. Clean interface. Evolution mail/calendar. IceWeasel (GNU Firefox) web browser. Secure. If they released iTunes for Linux to keep my iPod synced i'd never boot into windows. I was even considering running a VM just for that on my Debian install. |
Unplug the external HDD and try booting. Wont work, you MUST have the drive plugged in for Grub to load. Not a problem with a desktop, but a PITA with a laptop. |
Laptop? Make/model? |
Gateway ML3109 ETA: Guess I could elaborate some, I use this laptop for work (LEO). It's only a 1.6ghz Celeron M, with 2Gb Ram, 60GB HDD with a 120GB External HDD. Can't afford more... 
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Honestly, he won't need to do much with Ubuntu. Its a pretty easy version of Linux. To the OP: Supported Ubuntu Wireless Cards here Assuming your card is supported, go here for some wireless setup basics. You should also be able to find a lot of help here. Ubuntu is a great OS. I primarily use XP still, but do a lot of "playing" with Ubuntu Desktop 8.04.1. Really, there's a lot of general computer stuff that Ubuntu does as well as any other OS. If you want to play games, now, stay with Windows. There just isn't any easy way to run Windows games in Linux yet. Don't be afraid to play around. That's how you learn. |
Information about your specific LT here. Read through the entire thread, there is a post about half-way down that deals with wireless. This is for an earlier version of Ubuntu, but a lot of the fix _should_ be the same. More infomation here. (This might be just for secured WiFi networks). Apparently Donnie "knows" how to make this laptop work with Ubuntu. See if those don't get you working. |
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5 mins of Googleing got me this and 100 more links www.linux.com/feature/56946 https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/internet/C/wireless-connecting.html https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WifiDocs/WiFiHowTo beginlinux.com/desktop_training/ubuntu/ubnet_m/ub_wirless www.ubuntugeek.com/how-to-troubleshoot-wireless-network-connection-in-ubuntu.html i've been using Kubuntu (KDE version of Ubuntu) for over a year now and it really isn't that hard. |
 I don't know of any time I have EVER had to type ANY amount of "command code" to get anything working in Linux.
You can do everything you need to from the GUI in any modern Linux distro. Especially on Ubuntu. The command line makes things a little easier, but it's not necessary. |
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I just got mine running last night on a Pentium III, now I want to put on a real PC! It looks like good stuff, but yeah, the name is kinda funny. www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=774936 |
Linux haters are ignorant, inexperienced, or both. I haven't had to use the command line to configure anything for the past 8 years... setting up XFree86 used to be a MOTHER FUCKER... now it's automatic... installing the new NVIDIA drivers is as easy as running a shell script... no need to recompile the kernel yourself... when the linux wlan project first started i spent months compiling and testing source code to get it running... when i installed ubuntu on my friend's computer it was ridiculous... Live CD install means you can backup files from the live linux boot (great for a fucked up windows install - viruses/malware) and play around with the ubuntu environment while it installs... in the hour or so it took to install, my friend pretty much found where everything was and was surfing the web... once it was done... he popped out the CD-ROM and the desktop came up exactly the same... if the last time you tried linux was in the late 90s - early 2000s you should really give Ubuntu a try... for a the average click around, surf the web, read email type user it is perfect... and saves a lot of heartache when your parents or other computer illiterate acquaintances call you up to fix their PCs.... |
| Congrats! I've been using Ubuntu for probably 3 years or so now, and I've been using Linux for about 10. Probably the last 7 or 8 years I've been using Linux as my primary OS. I only use Windows at work (b/c it's on the work computers) or when I need to use PureEdge at home, which I only use for work purposes. |
ubuntu being a more "modern", "full-featured" distro may have issues with that old hardware... hell even debian might... especially with network drivers... find yourself an old 3COM905 or 509 those are very well supported... good luck... i tried putting linux on a Compaq Presario 486DX4 100mhz 64mb RAM when i was an inexperienced little linux noob... that did not go well... |
I don't think you'll be able to run a graphical interface on that. You'll have to look into the minimalist window managers like fluxbox or enlightenment. A default Ubuntu install definitely won't work. Look at something like Damn Small Linux, it might work. |
What about one of the earliest Ubuntu releases, or something along those lines...? |
It is running Windows 95 right now. You don't think ANY Linux GUI would work? |
it would have to be tweaked down pretty good... it will be hard to find an old xfree86 to support it... no different than trying to find a copy of windows 95 or NT 4.0 nowadays... |
Oh there are definitely ones that will work, I just meant that the default Ubuntu installation won't. You can google around and find several low-resource window managers, and how to install them. You'll probably have to use the minimalist Ubuntu CD and install a text-only interface, and then from there install your graphical environment. Just letting you know that tossing a regular Ubuntu CD in there, it won't "just work." |