I used some (actually most) of the money I got for Christmas to buy a copy of Windows 7 to replace the version I had accidentally wiped from my hard drive trying to set up a Linux dual boot. I did this so I would be able to run Windows-only software without worrying about the quirks of Wine. Since the firmware for my Belkin router only runs on Windows, this move also gives me the ability to modify the router's settings, which would really come in handy!
Tonight, when I tried to install Windows on my laptop, thinking to set up a dual boot, I found out that the Windows installer won't format a drive or partition that is already set up in a non-NFTS format. Just one more annoyance from dealing with Microsoft products. I was going to put in a Linux live CD (any live CD) just to use Gparted to format the hard drive, but something I read in the Windows 7 EULA gave me another idea. In the middle of all the ridiculous terms and conditions defining your ability to install only each copy of Windows on only one computer, on pain of having Paul Allen send a goon squad to your door to break your kneecaps, there was a provision spelling out your right to install the OS on one virtual machine.
"Aha!" I thought. "Virtualbox is in the Ubuntu repositories, right?" Sure enough, I was able to track down that program through the Ubuntu Software Center--no need to use Synaptic. After downloading the manual and reading about what the various settings mean, I was able to create a virtual machine and install Windows on it in a relatively short time. The quickness of the install probably came from my decision to use a dynamic hard-drive allocation so the initial virtual disk size is only 20 gigs. So far, everything's working well. In fact, I'm typing this post on Internet Explorer 9 on my virtualized Windows 7.
Only one minor thing annoys me. Apparently, Virtualbox can only display guest OS's in a "square" (4:3 aspect ratio) resolution, no matter what shape your monitor is. So I'm stuck with a 1024x768 block of Windows, with wide vertical stripes on either side. It's like a vertical version of the "letterbox" effect you get when viewing a widescreen movie on a square TV. Unfortunately, I can't get a screenshot because the Windows 7 screenshot tool only grabs the screen area covered by the OS. However, this is a minor annoyance, and so far all the software works, and I've successfully downloaded two programs.
All in all, this looks like a great way to keep all the good features of Linux while still having Windows at my fingertips.
Showing posts with label linux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label linux. Show all posts
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Linux Mint 10 (Julia)
Last week, Linux Mint 10, codenamed Julia, was released. I'd been using the release candidate on my laptop for a while, but waited for the official release to post my thoughts. The new release continues Mint's tradition of pushing the envelope in terms of visual theming. Further, given the direction of Ubuntu's look and feel in the last couple of releases, Mint looks more and more like the best intro to Linux for Windows users.
Look and Feel
The most notable change from previous versions of Mint is the new default theme, Mint-X-Metal. This theme takes advantage of a new feature of MintMenu, Mint's Windows-like start menu. In the new release, the menu can be themed differently from the rest of the GNOME desktop. Mint-X-Metal applies a metallic texture to the menu.
The overall theme has changed radically from the last few versions of Mint. Instead of the bright greens of previous Shiki-Wise (green version of Shiki-Colors) themed desktops, Mint-X features a metallic gray look in both the theme and the default wallpaper. There's also a new icon set heavily based on Faenza, the Linux community's favorite square icons. Here's a screenshot of my laptop screen with all windows minimized.
My desktop isn't the default setup. For one thing, the default setup has the panel on the bottom. There's also no dock out of the box; that's a program called Docky, which is available in the Linux Mint reposotories. One of the reasons I prefer Mint over Ubuntu is that it's easier in Mint to get this one-panel setup I've preferred since fairly soon after I started using Ubuntu.
Other Things
As usual, Mint comes with a more familiar set of default applications than Ubuntu (Thunderbird instead of Evolution for e-mail, Pidgin instead of Empathy for IM). In another advance for user friendliness, the Linux Mint Welcome Screen gives you a convenient set of links to helpful resources, including a downloadable user manual in .pdf format and tutorials and forums on the Linux Mint site. Overall, it's much easier to jump in and find out about Mint than about Ubuntu.
So far, the only drawback I've noticed is that Pidgin logs me out of Facebook chat a lot. Other than that, everything runs smoothly, making this the first Mint release that I didn't have some kind of major issue with.
Look and Feel
The most notable change from previous versions of Mint is the new default theme, Mint-X-Metal. This theme takes advantage of a new feature of MintMenu, Mint's Windows-like start menu. In the new release, the menu can be themed differently from the rest of the GNOME desktop. Mint-X-Metal applies a metallic texture to the menu.
The overall theme has changed radically from the last few versions of Mint. Instead of the bright greens of previous Shiki-Wise (green version of Shiki-Colors) themed desktops, Mint-X features a metallic gray look in both the theme and the default wallpaper. There's also a new icon set heavily based on Faenza, the Linux community's favorite square icons. Here's a screenshot of my laptop screen with all windows minimized.
 | |||||||
| Modified Linux Mint Desktop |
My desktop isn't the default setup. For one thing, the default setup has the panel on the bottom. There's also no dock out of the box; that's a program called Docky, which is available in the Linux Mint reposotories. One of the reasons I prefer Mint over Ubuntu is that it's easier in Mint to get this one-panel setup I've preferred since fairly soon after I started using Ubuntu.
Other Things
As usual, Mint comes with a more familiar set of default applications than Ubuntu (Thunderbird instead of Evolution for e-mail, Pidgin instead of Empathy for IM). In another advance for user friendliness, the Linux Mint Welcome Screen gives you a convenient set of links to helpful resources, including a downloadable user manual in .pdf format and tutorials and forums on the Linux Mint site. Overall, it's much easier to jump in and find out about Mint than about Ubuntu.
So far, the only drawback I've noticed is that Pidgin logs me out of Facebook chat a lot. Other than that, everything runs smoothly, making this the first Mint release that I didn't have some kind of major issue with.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Gnome Theme Engine Installation
I'm really proud of myself right now for figuring out how to install the latest murrine engine in Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), which I'm running on my home desktop.
My previous Linux experience has been almost entirely with Ubuntu-based distros (including the standard version of Mint). In those distros, you don't have to figure out what to do with Debian packages (.deb files). You have a Debian package installer (or in Ubuntu 10.10 the standard Software Center) that does all the work for you. However, in Debian and LMDE, you usually have to do some stuff in the terminal to install from a .deb.
After 3-4 tries, I finally managed to get the dance of ./configure, make, and make install right. It took me forever to figure out that I needed to be logged in as root for the make install command to work. The single hardest part of working with the terminal is picking through the line after line of feedback the program gives you to try to figure out what went wrong. I don't know how many times I've been frustrated by things not working because I typed in the next command without noticing the error message immediately above the prompt.
Anyway, I want to show off after this quantum leap in my Linux skills. Here's a screenshot of the Ambiance Mint theme, complete with correct murrine engine and Faenza Mint icons.
My previous Linux experience has been almost entirely with Ubuntu-based distros (including the standard version of Mint). In those distros, you don't have to figure out what to do with Debian packages (.deb files). You have a Debian package installer (or in Ubuntu 10.10 the standard Software Center) that does all the work for you. However, in Debian and LMDE, you usually have to do some stuff in the terminal to install from a .deb.
After 3-4 tries, I finally managed to get the dance of ./configure, make, and make install right. It took me forever to figure out that I needed to be logged in as root for the make install command to work. The single hardest part of working with the terminal is picking through the line after line of feedback the program gives you to try to figure out what went wrong. I don't know how many times I've been frustrated by things not working because I typed in the next command without noticing the error message immediately above the prompt.
Anyway, I want to show off after this quantum leap in my Linux skills. Here's a screenshot of the Ambiance Mint theme, complete with correct murrine engine and Faenza Mint icons.
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