But can i move to Linux and completely rule out Windows ?

Too early to say. Most of the stuff i use in windows is here already (OpenOffice, mail, Firefox, etc) and the ones that aren’t have similar “linux version” tools – as mentioned – sometimes better.

What about games ? After all a person does not use its computer for work alone, we need some entertainment in our lives.

So far the answer is quite positive – Guild Wars is running in my laptop with itsy bitsy minor problems. In fact the only problem i had installing this game was the dreadful DirectX – a stupid little piece of software that started being used by game developers and is now a standard. But even this was bypassed via Wine and some extra tweaks (mainly running in a D8 version way).

I can even manage my Windows machines (yes, i still have one or two windows machines) using gtk vnc viewer – eventually these will be migrated to Linux also. And with that i can cover all my computing needs with just one simple 5GB sized filesystem (all apps + linux, except Guild Wars and swap) – now isn’t that just dandy ? (i like this expression, hehehe). E ainda … this was about the size of my C:\Windows directory *only* (no apps, no docs, no nothing – just can’t understand how that grows so large over time …).

One (linux) ring to rule them all …

The problem is that for linux distros this is recognized as the “first device”, meaning a mountable filesystem with drivers already on it. And since those drivers are for windows the device never “changes status”. So two things need to be done :

1 – Install a program called “usb_modeswitch”
2 – Modify its usb_modeswitch.conf file

If you want to keep it simple and own a ZTE 622 device (others may/probably have different config) you can have  it like this :

DefaultVendor=  0x19d2
DefaultProduct= 0×2000

TargetVendor=   0x19d2
TargetProduct=  0×0001

DetachStorageOnly=1

This way all you need to do when you insert your ZTE Modem is unmount it, run “usb_modeswitch” and start the connection via network manager. Simple enough when you know how  ))

Yesterday i tried to connect my ZTE M622 modem but somehow it did not work. I talked to some colleagues and according to them it should work just by plugging in and using Network Manager.

My NM was removed when i installed wicd – i assume there is some kind o compatibility issue between them. However since wicd did not see my ZTE modem AND agn does not install properly, my only option for a wired connection was to go back to NM. That did not work and now i have no network whatsoever.

As a quick reminder, this is not ubuntu or linux fault – it is just a problem that i have because i need agn to have wired network and ATT does not provide the rpms anymore (and never provided deb). Most people should be fine in their home network.

First Step – Choose your version and … download. I have chosen 64bits Server Edition but you might consider other release – i would say the most popular one would be 32bits Desktop. The reason behind my choice was simple : i have 4GB memory and will use this as a test lab – not as an everyday basic routine computer. But from what i have read so far if memory is the only issue you can use 32bits install and add extensions (i believe the name is PAE or something like that).

Installation – This is pretty straight forward; just burn you ISO, boot from CD and “click through” the screens. If you already have Windows don’t worry – install will partition everything for you semi-automatically (semi means you need to know how to read and click ). If you do not want to take risks … backup !!!

Note : My firts try was with a bootable pen but some additional steps were required and i just burned the damn thing in a CD – keep it simple.

Out of the Box – Linux distros have “evolved” a lot over the years – right after install everything was recognized (but i must say i use a laptop so no “hyper-ultra-mega graphic cards” and such). I installed everything disconnected but it is probably easier for the next steps to do it connected (LAN for example). If you chose Desktop version then you will end with a full working graphic environment. If you choose the server edition and no “manual packages” you will get a basic text prompt and no graphic support – this was my scenario

Online – If you chose Desktop version and had your ethernet cable plugged in you should have everything configured automatically by now. If you chose the “unplugged” Server Edition and want a windows manager do as i did – go upstairs, plug the cable, edit the interfaces file to get the eth0 interface installed in dhcp (assuming you have dhcp), “ifup” it and “apt-get install xinit” – don’t forget to do an “apt-get update” first. Afterwards “apt-get install gnome-core” and “apt-get install gnome-desktop-environment” and you should be fine (remember this is necessary only for “server-no-graphic”, Desktop already has everything) I would go for the wicd manager as the first thing to install if it is not already installed (don’t forget i had nothing because i chose server edition).

The basic Stuff – That’s it !!! Whether you chose the Desktop or the Server edition you should have all you need to start your Ubuntu experience – from notepad alikes (in linux use gedit or nano) to Office apps (OpenOffice). Using graphic tools you might want to take note of names such as “synaptic package manager” and such – but hey … experiment, it’s fun

That’s it for today, stay tuned folks …

It has been almost 3 months since my last post. The reason is simple : time !! (or lack of …).

However things are looking good and little by little (slowly) getting back on track. I am also taking the time to analyze some projects that i would like to start next year (to get some additional revenue).

In the mean time a new quest has risen : Ubuntu Karmic !! I have decided to install on my laptop the 64 bits “Server “version of this OS. That said my next posts will probably be related to this endeavour

I already started so expect to hear some of the problems i already faced.