Linux - is it any good? Which distribution?

DrBenway

AMO wrote:

Thanx. Why is it that Linux can't read NTFS and yet can read FAT32? Wouldn't it be easier if it could just read NTFS? I appreciate that NTFS can enable security features to stop people reading the hard drive, but by default this is switched off right?

Thanx

AMO

I can't answer your question with authority but i believe Microsofts patents on the FAT fs were thrown out on appeal. Other companies like IBM were already using the fs in the 70s and 80s and the code must have been made "open" at some point so linux/gnu developers had full knowledge of the workings of the fs.

NTFS is a different beast because Microsoft obviously learnt from their problems with FAT and got it patented straight away. If you ask Microsoft how it works they ask you how many zillion dollars you are willing to pay for the info. So i guess the NTFS linux driver engineers backward engineer and took educated stabs in the dark to get the driver working.

You can write to NTFS in linux. More info is available here.

DrBenway

AMO wrote:

Another thing. This is what I use a PC for:

1) Email, Web Surfing - I think that this is straight-forward for Linux.

2) Playing music / watching DVDs. I hear that there might be issues with DVD playback on Linux for some reason.

3) Text messaging via phone software. I think I am going to have problems with this. Not only is the phone software Win32 only, but they all synchronise contacts with Microsoft Outlook. I don't think that I will be able to use Linux here.

4) pcAnywhere / Remote Desktop. How can I pcAnywhere / Remote Desktop from a Linux machine into a Windows machine and vice-versa? I also sometimes use RealVNC - I think this might work?

Thanx

AMO

There are many DVD/Music playback solutions, mplayer, xine, vlc.

rdp client, vncserver and vnc client are all available. pcanywhere is available for linux but you'll have to buy it.

your phone software will be the sticking point but have a good search on the internet. you never know, there maybe people out there already trying to do the same thing and writing there own software.

bat999

Hi AMO

Your questions above.

1) Email and surfing, absolutely no problem.
2) Sound and video. Ubuntu doesn't come with the codecs. You have to download and install them yourself. It's not difficult, there's lots of advice available at the user forum.
3) and 4) I don't know. Perhaps cross these bridges when you come to them.
:cool:

wolfman

bat999 wrote:

Hi AMO

I don't know why Ubuntu can't handle NTFS - that's just the way it is.

It's like this:-
XP uses NTFS systems
Ubuntu uses EXP3 systems
XP can't access EXP3 systems
Ubuntu can't access NTFS systems
Both of them can access FAT32 systems

If you really, really do want to format a shared partition NTFS then it is possible to do this. It just means that you have to use some extra software to force Ubuntu to access it.
For most users, using FAT32 for the shared partition keeps it simple.
:cool:

You can use EXT3. There's a driver that allows windows to access EXT2 and EXT3 partitions. It'll treat either as an EXT2 partition though, so no journaling. It's what I personally prefer to use instead of FAT32 as then I at least getting journaling in ones of the OS's, as opposed to neither with FAT32.

https://www.fs-driver.org

Also, google Automatix. It's a great app, and will setup all the codecs, players etc... for you that don't come initially with Ubuntu.

newfoundglory

NTFS partitions can be mounted in pretty much all Linux distro as long as the kernel has been compiled with the correct support. This goes for both Linux, and BSD variants.

However, this is read-only support.... as writing to NTFS through anything other than Windows is experimental and likely to result in (sometimes severe) data loss and filesystem corruption!

FerociousDave

If I want to install this on a computer with XP already installed, do I have to start from scratch or can I do it even though XP is firmly entrenched in my hard drive?

Thinking of Ubuntu
TIA

judosteffer

You can still do it

defragment your hard drive so it shoves windows and your files all up one end.

Use a partitioning program to resize you hard drive. I used Paragon Hard drive manager (came free with a magazine). e.g. If you have a 100 gig hard drive and so far you have used up, say 40 gigs, you could resize it to 80 gigs.

This will leave 20 gigs for Ubuntu. You dont need to bother formatting the 20 gigs free space.

Put the Ubuntu disk in and restart the Pc.

Ubuntu will find the 20 gigs free space and give an option to install onto it.

It will also automatically make the PC dual boot with the "GRUB" bootloader- so when you restart after installation you can pick either Windows XP or Ubuntu to load.

If you have a spare old PC its definitely worth experimenting with! Its also much better than Windows 98 and extremely stable. (e.g. never ever crashes)

AMO

One more question. How effective is Norton Ghost, if I have Linux partitions on the hard drive?

Thanx

AMO

browolf

another way to use linux is virtual pc which is now free.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

if you write the virtual hd to disc after installation of linux you have a backup thats easy to get back.

bat999

Hi FerociousDave

I agree entirely with judosteffer above.

There's no need to use any other partitioning software though (unless you want to) because there is a program that comes already on the Ubuntu disc.
It is the GNOME partition editor - GPart.
:cool: