I'm Too Stupid For Kubuntu

H3LL

Illuminator
H3LL
Joined
Jul 21, 2004
Messages
4,963
I'm too stupid for Kubuntu, it seems.

In days gone by I would flick from O/S to O/S without really thinking about it. In any given day I would probably have used an Amiga (I miss it so much), a Windows PC, a Mac, a VAX, some Linux, tinker with Sun Microsystems and the occasional play with the AS/400.

I seem to have forgotten just about everything I knew. I wonder if this is due to being almost exclusively on XP since it was launched?

I have Kubuntu installed successfully on a separate partition and it loads perfectly - Probably.

I can surf the Internet and use Open Office (but not actually print anything) and that's about it.

It has managed to find my Internet connection but I don't know how. It did it in secret and isn't telling now.

There are several slick applications pre-loaded which look nice but don't seem to do much. A few logical clicks send me to various different messages telling me that I can't do that or blah-di-blah is not there.

Install a new program? No chance. Find/Remove doesn't find but probably removes. Synectywatsit is supposed to be there but is completely invisible. The searchy-findy thing shows me a brazillian, alphabetically ordered list of interesting names which is nice, but less than helpful. A random selection of a pretty name, in the vain hope it will install something, just leaves it sitting there, smug, saying "There's something you haven't done. Isn't there?".

FTP client? Hahahhahahah!!! [Rule 10], I can't even find the e-mail client.

Get any of my peripherals to work? Like knitting fog.

Have the faintest clue about my network? A closed book.

Find useful help or tutorials? Like hunting Snipe. Ask a question and you get command line Klingon that supposedly passes for an answer.

Searching the manual is a joke. Type in a keyword and nothing useful appears even though a slow, manual read of the help topics reveals that the keyword was there all the time.

Use the command line? Makes little sense, see above, and doesn't like me going anywhere useful.


So, my brain is obviously no longer useful for anything computer related and Kubuntu seems to need skills that can't be acquired from using XP.

I'm going to give Kubuntu another go but would like some advice.

Anything that you might think helpful.

I would love to remove XP forever and become a Kubuntu geek.





My current use of Kubuntu consists of mounting frustration for a few hours and then resetting to XP to actually do something.

IMHO, anyone who thinks this is a sensible replacement for Microsoft or Mac O/S is living in cloud-cuckoo land, but for some insane reason I want to join the cloud-cuckoos. :p

.
 
H3LL said:
IMHO, anyone who thinks this is a sensible replacement for Microsoft or Mac O/S is living in cloud-cuckoo land, but for some insane reason I want to join the cloud-cuckoos. :p
Click to expand...
I have no idea what is wrong with your installation, but I can address the above point. My main work machine is a notebook PC with Kubuntu installed. I'm a software developer and web developer/designer. It does everything I need, and it does it better than Windows.

I also do a lot of music editing, CD ripping, DVD ripping/transcoding/audio extraction, and I watch movies and listen to music on it. I do all my office tasks and photo manipulation, etc.

I also run a web site hosting business, a music download store, and a boutique (corsets, bridal wear). I manage these on the Kubuntu machine. I produce my radio show on it as well.

Oh, and of course I write my papers (LaTex) with it as well.

It does my email, web browsing, instant messaging, sftp, ssh, irc, etc etc ad infinitum.

OK, enough about me, what do you think about what I can do on my Kubuntu? :p
 
logical muse said:
OK, enough about me, what do you think about what I can do on my Kubuntu? :p
Click to expand...


It makes me cry because I want to do all that too.

(Though I'm not into Latex). ;)



I'm convinced there is nothing wrong with the installation.

I think the problem lies between the chair and the keyboard.

.
 
Last edited:
H3LL said:
Install a new program? No chance. Find/Remove doesn't find but probably removes. Synectywatsit is supposed to be there but is completely invisible. The searchy-findy thing shows me a brazillian, alphabetically ordered list of interesting names which is nice, but less than helpful. A random selection of a pretty name, in the vain hope it will install something, just leaves it sitting there, smug, saying "There's something you haven't done. Isn't there?".
Click to expand...
Ah no, you're on kubuntu not ubuntu. You should use adapt to install stuff not synaptic.
I'm a bit puzzled why you can't find it, on my computer you click on the big K then on add/remove programs, to ...erm.. add or remove programs.

There might be something else called adapt or package manager hidden in the system menu, try clicking on those.

If you still can't find it, try pressing alt-F2 and then type adept_installer and press enter.

It should bring up a password box and then drop you into an installer where you can find FTP clients and whatnot.
 
Jekyll said:
There might be something else called adapt or package manager hidden in the system menu, try clicking on those.
Click to expand...

Adapt(?) was that searchy-findy thing.

A should be brave and write this post from Kubuntu (at least the browser works) or write down the names so I remember.

I'm busy actually using XP so it will have to wait a bit.


Such enthusiasm from K/ubuntu users is strenghtening my resolve to join cloud-cuckoo land. :D

.
 
H3LL said:
Adapt(?) was that searchy-findy thing.

A should be brave and write this post from Kubuntu (at least the browser works) or write down the names so I remember.

I'm busy actually using XP so it will have to wait a bit.


Such enthusiasm from K/ubuntu users is strenghtening my resolve to join cloud-cuckoo land. :D

.
Click to expand...
Oh in that case, I think I've worked out what your problem is.

Go to add/remove programs. After you've opened it, in the top right corner there should be two boxes marked "show unsupported, proprietary software". Tick both of them, then you should have many more programs to choose to install, including "KFTPgrabber" an ftp client.
 
Last edited:
Maybe you did one of those "live install" thingies where you don't install, just try it out.

Charlie (otherwise I recommend more beer) Monoxide
 
I've been Ubuntu-ing for about a year now and I tried the Kubuntu version a few times but never got on with it as well as I did with the Gnome Ubuntu. www . ubuntuforums . org is excellent when you're stuck.
 
To point in a completely different direction, if you're an old Unix hand then I think Gentoo may be a bit better - it's generally much more transparent for Unix hackers* than other distros I've tried. That's what I use at home - five systems (file server/Internet gateway plus machines for the four family members). Installed Kubuntu on my son's laptop for use at University in the fall, and found it much less flexible - but that may be just that I'm so used to Gentoo, too.

* hacker in the original computer sense of the term, i.e. very skilled programmer.
 
Kubuntu is fully installed on a separate partition from a CD but not running from a CD.

There is no reason to believe the install is imperfect in any way and all problems point to the idiot trying to use it.

So what am I after?

Hard to say, really. The existing documentation fails quite spectacularly to guide one through pretty basic PC housekeeping. Installs, networks, peripherals, file management, security etc.

Ideally, a tutorial that holds my hand and guided me through step-by-step would probably fit the bill. Hopefully something will "click" and I'll be on my way to being a Kubuntu geek.

Does such a thing exist?

I'm hesitant to migrate to other flavours as I went for Kubuntu after recommendation from some forum or other (maybe here) but may try the others later.



PS - I heard that some laptops come pre-installed with Kubuntu - This indicates that it can't really be as hard as I am finding it and maybe they have some tutorial that helps. Just a thought.
 
Well I've spend approx 9 hours getting stuck into Kubuntu today.

What a frustrating waste of 9 hours.

It started off badly:

I fired up K and thought I would see how well it did with a DVD. Bunged one in and several windows opened, do this, do that etc. and the DVD started to play.

Nice interface, great picture and sound, lots of fancy options and all in all a delight to behold. My spirits were high.

Then I thought full screen would be nice. It was, apart from the little horizontal lines flashing all over the picture. A quick search of forums and the Interweb tubes didn't help so I thought I would leave that and come back to it later.

Now get the printer to work.

Well the only positive thing I can say is that I have found lots of new and interesting little applications and command line words to do lots of convoluted stuff that I'll never remember and also how to access parts of my computer with my installation and actually get access to my files.

There was even a Unix driver on the printer CD which was handy and I thought Unix might work as K didn't have my printer in its list, wasn't listed on the search for programs on the Internet thingy and the 'Add Printer' section failed to want to have anything to do with the Unix drivers on the CD.

My fault for having an uncommon printer. You know, that tiny company, Dell.

I actually got the driver to install from the Unix files supplied by Dell and even setup options such as A4, Landscape etc. but K didn't want to play even when I found out how to access the directories that it initially didn't want me to and Open Office has a mind of its own and won't play with the printer either.

Never mind, I'll get back to it later.

Thought I would have a look at YouTube to cheer myself up.

No Flash player.

Not to worry, a handy link put me on a new page and it knew I needed Unix so gave me sensible option. I even managed to run the downloaded program .... until it asked for the file path to my browser.

Searching for Konqueror (I can search now) none of the file paths for the many Konqueror files listed worked. Gave up after trying a few score.



So - How do I delete Kubuntu and return my partition to Windows readable?
 
You've still got Windows on the machine, right? Just start the Disk Manager (right click on My Computer, select Manage; in the window that comes up, click on Disk Management). Then find the partition in the bottom - it'll have no letter and should say (I think) "unknown". Right click on that and select "Format" and you'll be able to format it back to a Windows NTFS partition.

(This is presuming you have XP; this also doesn't combine the Windows partition and the Kubuntu partition into a single unit, which is harder but not impossible.)

Note, by the way, that for Flash there should have been a package in the installable software containing it.

Also, even though Konqueror isn't bad as a web browser, Firefox works better. (As others have said, Ubuntu - the base, non-KDE distribution - may be more polished, too.)
 
Thank you grmcdorman.

That was my first thought but one concern is the duel boot.

I have XP Pro and Kubuntu options on startup. I'm pretty certain that this script is run by Kubuntu.

With no Unix to run it wont it stop XP from booting?

Searching hasn't found a solution to the duel boot script issue... yet.

I may consider Ubuntu at another time but the way I feel at the moment I don't want anything even vaguely Unix infecting my computer ever again. I'm happy for Unix to be far, far away living in my ISP.

.
 
Last edited:
As long as you don't try to boot Linux, the dual boot won't be a problem.

There's a way to fix that as well, but I don't recall it offhand. Look for restoring MBR (Master Boot Record) from the Recovery Console, perhaps.

(I like the idea of a duel boot ... fight for your boot!)
 
OS X if you want unix available, but normal tasks still easy. Boot Camp to XP till you're comfortable with it.
 
That requires buying a Mac, though. Expensive option, especially when one is not in the market for a new machine.
 
Progress report:

Formatted the partition in a temper which trashed the MBR as expected (running from grub it seems). Reinstated MBR with Recovery Console (browny point for grmcdorman).

The red haze had lifted and normality, or at least XP, has resumed.

In a moment of total madness I downloaded the ubuntu ISO.

Should I use it?

Will it be as infuriating as K?

LM, Gentoo looks way to scary for people like me whose IQ matches their shoe size.

Does Unix deserve another chance?

(I just remembered I have Unix for Dummies on the shelf. 1993! Is it that long ago?).

Sitting on the fence for now but interested in being pushed.



PS - A & G, if anyone wants to donate a MacBook Air, I'm more than happy to oblige. Heck, if I can't get it to work I can at least frame it.


.
 
Well. If you want to play it might be worth installing Virtual PC (or VMWare) and playing with them in that.

It'll let you play with any OS you want, all from the comfort of Windows. Granted, it won't be as fast as booting it, but it's good for playing around and learning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom