My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 7)

In this part I go through some of the hardware that's advertised as Windows or Windows/Mac only that works in Ubuntu Linux & presumably in other Linux distributions.

Hardware Known To Be Working

• Kodak ESP 1.2 AIO Printer, the Printer side of the Kodak ESP 1.2 definitely works under Ubuntu 13.10, but the Printer Driver that needs to be used is the Kodak Hero 3.1 AiO one.


• Microsoft LifeChat LX-2000 Headset, the Headset works as it's a simple Headset with 3.5mm Headphone Jacks for the Microphone & the Headphones.


• Generic Wireless Lazar Mouse, as with all mice a generic Wireless Lazar Mouse works out of the box without needing any drivers.


• Kodak ESP 1.2 AIO Printer Photocopier, the Photocopier portion of the Kodak ESP 1.2 AIO Printer works as it employs an internal interface between the Flatbed Scanner & the Printer for Photocopying.


• Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 USB Headset works perfectly fine once the LX-3000 Headphones & Microphone are selected in Sound Settings.


• Generic USB Webcam with Microphone, the Webcam works fine even the 6 LED lights can be turned on and off. The Microphone works fine as it uses a separate Microphone cable with 3.5mm Jack.


• Thrustmaster Ferrari Challenge Wheel works with no problems or additional software required.

Hardware Unknown If Working Or Not

• Kodak ESP 1.2 AIO Printer Scanner, I don't tend to do any Scanning so I'm not sure if the Scannin side of the Printer works or not.

Not Working

I've so far not come across any Hardware that's not working.

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 6)

Since I started my transition from Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Centre last Wednesday I thought I'd try the Linux alternative to Myth TV. In this part I document my brief encounter with Myth TV.



Myth TV is the Linux alternative to Windows Media Centre, but it's far more powerful than Windows Media Centre, & with all the extra power and features it makes it more complex to setup. I found this oout the hard way when I tried to set it up yesterday evening.

Unlike Windows Media Centre MythTV is split into two separate parts:

• Part 1 is the Backend that can be thought of as a Server (and I guess in some way it is a Server) this means that you can setup the MythTV Backend & presumably the TV receiving Hardware & then put it in a Cupboard or in a Loft out of the way as long as you've got an Ethernet Connection to your Network where you have got the MythTV Backend machine.


• Part 2 is the Frontend, the Frontend is the UI of MythTV, this can be setup on another Machine and placed in your living room, bedroom, kitchen or Home Theater room and act as a Set Top Box. The Frontend can also be setup on your Laptop or Desktop Computer as well.

MythTV can have both the Backend & Frontend, this method is probably going to be the most common way of setting up MythTV as it's the cheapest method as it only needs one Computer. The HTPC method is probably one of the easiest routes to go as it doesn't require a Backend Server & separate Frontend STB to work, which is in keeping with how Windows Media Centre works.



If you're building a dedicated MythTV HTPC the you can't go wrong with MythUbuntu. Mythubuntu combines a stripped down veersion of XUbuntu with MythTV and can be used as Both an All In One Ubuntu HTPC or as a separate MythTV Server & separate MythTV STB. MythUbuntu also allows you to try out the MythTV Client Server model by having a MythUbuntu Computer & using the MythUbuntu Disk to boot any Desktop or Laptop into the MythUbuntu Frontend, this is ideal if you want to try out the Client Server model of MythTV/MythUbuntu without having to install it onto you existing Windows Media Centre HTPC.



I installed MythTV from the Ubuntu Software Centre & instantly found out the hard way that MythTV is a complex beast, but with all the power of MythTV it wouldn't be able to have the Client Server model that it does.

Once installed I went into the MythTV Backend setup and couldn't get past the first 3 dialogues before it went back to the beginning after 3 attempts with the Backend setup I tried the Frontend setup and got the same result, but this time with a constant Unity Notification that MythTV had restarted & no amount of Quitting MythTV would stop it from re-starting, and I was forced to unlock MythTV from the Unity Dock & Uninstall MythTV to be able to have a working Laptop back.

On reflection of my brief experience with MythTV maybe I should have gone to the MythTV website and downloaded the pdf version of the MythTV documentation to actually find out what I was supposed to be actually doing to correctly setup MythTV.

In no way is my brief experience with MythTV a knock on what I'm sure is an excellent Media Centre service, but compared to the ease of use of Windows Media Centre (Microsoft have done an excellent job of making Media Centre mimic as close as they possibly can the Firmware on a Consumer DVR STB whilst taking into account the extra power that a HTPC has over a traditional DVR STB.

I'll definitely give MythTV another look, but this time I'll use the MythTV Documentation to assist me in setting it up, and it'll make for another article in the future, maybe part 10 or 11 maybe eariler than that depending on how much free time I've got later this week to dedicate to having a concentrated attempt at setting it up.

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 5)

In this part I'll explain my thoughts on how Linux could get more of a main stream acceptance.

For Linux to get more of a main stream acceptance than it already has got Software Developers need to fill the gaps by making ether Linux equivalents to the big and more specialized Software suites that are on Windows, make there versions operate in as close to the same way as well as make them look as close as they can to the big Window's software suites without getting sued for copy right infringement or the Big Window's software manufacturers should bring out a Linux version of their software. Microsoft & Adobe already make Mac OSX versions of their software, they could easily make money out of people that need Microsoft Office or Adobe Creative Cloud at work or School/Collage/University and don't have a Windows or Mac Computer at home, as well as from people that don't like Windows but would like to keep all the Software that they have purchased on Windows.

There are ways to get Microsoft Office (Pre Office 2013/Office 365) along with other Windows only software using Crossover Office (Paid) Play on Linux (Free but mainly meant for Games) and the Free but not as user friendly way to get Windows Software to run on Linux Wine, but Native versions would certainly boost Linux's popularity.

The other way to use Windows only Software is to use something like VMWare or VirtualBox and installing a Licensed copy of Windows just for the Windows only software, but this method will severely impact the performance of the host Linux computer as well as have a negative impact on the Vitalized Windows Computer unless you have a new powerful Computer, but that then defeats one of the big draws of Linux, that it can run on ageing Computers that can't handle the newer versions of Windows that well.

With both independent Game Developers and even Valve getting behind Linux with the introduction of Halflife 2, its addons, Counter Strike, Portal & even Steam all being made available for Linux & Windows Natively by Valve and even independant Developers making both Linux & Windows native versions of their games it really makes sense that the other Big Game Developers like Electronic Arts and even the Big software Developers to make Linux versions of their software available natively on Linux, but I can't see many doing that as they are ether stuck in the Windows only world with a few diversifying to Mac OSX & probably don't see the extra expense of having to employ Linux Developers to translate or even re-package their games or software to Linux as viable compared to the amount of extra revenue that they would make, thus alienating owners of their games or even software who would get the game for free on Linux since they already have the Windows version ( only applicable to Game Developers like Electronic Arts that have the Origin distribution platform, Developers that use the Steam Distribution platform, Adobe with the Creative Cloud platform & Microsoft with the Office 365 platform), even some independent  game Developers that Distribute their games themselves as well as through Steam give their games away free to Linux users that purchase the Windows version as well as to Windows Users that purchase the Linux version.

Microsoft also don't help the growth of the big computer OEM's by giving them huge incentives to only install Windows on their computers if they left the big OEM's to pick and choose the OS they want to sell a computer with or even to allow them to sell computers OS free it would bring more people to try Linux by ether buying a computer with Linux Pre-Installed or even at a discount without anything installed, thus allowing people to even choose what OS to install without voiding their warranty. Currently there are only two OEM's that give an alternative to Windows, 1 is System 76 who make Ubuntu only Desktop, Laptop & Server Computers with Ubuntu Pre-installed and the other is Novatech who do mid range prices for a base configuration OS free computer, a more expensive fully customized OS free computer up to a very expensive fully customized computer with Windows and Office.

Novatech's Desktops are fully customizable and include the choice of no OS, Windows only or Windows & Office, & like Apple they also offer a cheaper version of their Desktop & Laptop computers in the form of a base configuration that you can also configure however you like & how bigger budget you've got, but unlike all the other OEM's including Apple they have the same options in OS free version which is a bonus for Linux users as they don't have to potentially void their Hardware warranty by replacing Windows with Linux or existing Windows users that have got their own Licensed copy of Windows & also own their own Licensed copy of Office or own their own Licensed copy of Windows and have one of the Office 2013 365 subscriptions or even for anyone who wants to buy their own Licensed copy of Windows to avoid the bloatware associated with buying a computer from one of the big OEM's.

Sure with some of these ideas Microsoft would see a loss of revenue from potentially less Windows sales, but that would be more than made up for by the increase in ether Office 2013+ or Office 365 Subscriptions. But I suppose that Microsoft has it's reasons for being anti- Linux, but that makes no sense when they release Office for both Windows, Mac OSX, iOS & Android along with its own Windows Phone & Windows 8 RT Platforms. Their long standing argument that Linux is complicated & expensive compared to Windows is harking back to the early days of Linux but with UI's that are more visually appealing and simpler than Windows 8 this is no longer true, also with Broadband Internet being the only option for many people now compared to when Linux first came to light it's so much cheaper than Windows as it just needs the price of a Blank DVD and time to backup files on a Windows computer, reboot the computer with the Linux DVD in the DVD, install and be running Linux in a matter of minutes compared to the close to 30mins to over an hour to Instalolandl Windows 8.1 (Depending if you are coming from a Windows 8 Upgrade DVD, Windows 8 DVD or Windows 8.1 DVD) and having to install Hardware Drivers.

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 4)

In this part I'll sum up my feelings after using Ubuntu13.10 & Linux full time for the last three days. I'll sum up what I think are Ubuntu 13.10's major selling points and what I feel should be worked on to make Ubuntu a vaible alternative to Windows, & what makes for a tough decision for someone wanting to switch to Linux.

Ubuntu 13.10's major selling points

Ubuntu 13.10 & linux in general's main selling point is, it's cheap as it only costs the price of a Blank DVD and Internet connection, It's also easy to setup with all Hardware being detected and setup during Installation, the only Linux Distribution that needs a bit of work to get fully working is OpenSuse with its oddity of having to different ways of handling the Wireless Card. There are loads of software applications both free & paid, Windows game developers are starting to bring out their catalogue of games on Linux. Ubuntu 13.10 has got a very intuitive and user friendly UI that makes it ideal for anyone who is new to Computers or Linux and it's far more productive than Windows 8.1's UI.

What needs to be changed in Ubuntu

The Hibernate feature used in Laptops and Netbooks to suspend & shutdown then resume from where you left off, needs to be fixed as in the last release it was broken & needed to be manually setup by getting help from the Ubuntu Forums on how to set it up & in this latest release it still needs to be manually setup, but it's still partially broken as it will only Hibernate when the battery is low & there doesn't seem to be a way to setup Hibernate to  work when the Laptop or Netbook lid is closed.  This needs to be fixed in the next version, but I highly doubt if it will get fixed as the developers probably don't even know that it's broken or just don't care that it's broken.

What makes it tough for anyone looking to switch to Linux from Windows

The one thing that makes it tough for anyone looking to switch to Linux from Windows is that there are a mass of different Linux Distributions.

Here is a list of the ones that I can think of off the top of my head:

• Debian


• Ubuntu and its derivatives KUbuntu, LUbuntu, XUbuntu, EdUbuntu, Linux Mint & Pear OS.


• Red Hat Enterprise Linux & its derivatives Fedora Core & Cent OS.


• Openuse.


• Slakware Linux.


• BSD Unix derivatives Open BSD, Free BSD & Net BSD.


• The more Technically involved but highly customizable, built from Source Code Gentoo Linux.

Then there are the different Desktop Environments:

• K Desktop Environment (KDE).


• Gnome Desktop Environment.


• Unity Desktop Environment (Used by Ubuntu).


• Enlightenment Desktop Environment ( a lightweight Desktop Environment).


• Xfce (another lightweight Desktop Environment).


• Cinnamon Desktop Environment (Used by Linux Mint).


• A heavily modded to look like Mac OSX Gnome Desktop Environment (used by Pear OS).

With all these different Linux Distributions & Desktop Environments there is no wonder that Linux is finding it hard to break out of the Niche market and make it into wat is a viable alternative to Windows & even Mac OSX when in windows there is only the Modern UI/Classic Desktop & in Mac OSX there is only the Mac Desktop that makes Mac OSX a true viable alternative to Windows if you can afford the price of Mac Hardware & with the dozens of OEM's that pre Install Windows onto Laptop/Desktop & Netbook Hardware with a varying price range to suit everyone. The only slightly Linux based system that is currently a viable alternative to Windows & Mac OSX being the Chromebook range running Google's Chrome OS as they are really cheap compared to Windows & even Mac Laptops & Netbooks.

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 3)

In this third part I'll summarize the strengths & weaknesses of Linux over Windows & how Linux could get more public exposure.

Strengths Of Linux Over Windows

• It's Free and the only financial outlay is the price of your Internet Connection & the price of a Blank DVD, where as Windows you've got to pay £100's for a DVD Boxset.


• There is a wide selection of Distributions ranging from easy to setup to compiling and Installing from Source Code as well as lightweight Distributions that can run perfectly fine on ageing Hardware as well as on new Hardware, where as with Windows you need Hardware from at least 2-3 years ago or newer for it to run well.


• Linux has a wide range of Desktop Environments ranging from lightweight up to feature rich Desktop Environments, where as Windows only has the Metro UI Modern UI/Classic Desktop.


• With Linux you can build a fully functional & feature rich Single Server or Multi Server Network without having to pay £1000's, where as with Windows you have to spend £1000's putting it out of the reach of someone wanting to create & host their own website & email without having to resort to using pirated versions of the Windows Server OS & other Server side software.


• Linux isn't full of Viruses or Malware as it's still a Niche operating system, and it would mean that Virus developers would have to package the virus up into two different formats 1 a .rpm that is used by OpenSuse & Fedora Linux to name to Distributions & a .deb that is used by Debian Linux & Ubuntu & it's many variants meaning that if Linux does become main stream one day it would still be hit and miss how many people would be affected due to it being hard to know exactly what version of Linux a particular user is using, where as Windows uses the .exe format for software meaning that 100% of Windows users are likely to be hit by a particular virus.

Weaknesses Of Linux Over Windows

• Linux doesn't have the same OEM support as Windows due to Microsoft giving OEM's an incentive to pre-install Windows on their Hardware meaning that Linux is a Niche market for OEM's with only one US based Online OEM making Linux systems that come with Ubuntu pre-installed, the downside of this is that since there is only System 76 making Linux Systems their prices are higher than those of the other OEM's that make Windows only Systems, & for anyone located outside of North America the cost of shipping and import duty makes them not as attractive as they first seem, which in turn pushes people towards buying a Windows Machine instead.


• Only die hard Linux users buy a Windows Machine and wipe Windows & Install Linux, meaning that the vast majority of people buying a new Computer will leave Windows on.


• Linux doesn't have as many games that serious gamers play compared to Windows, even though Valve are trying to change things for the good by making a Linux version of their Steam Client, but there are still few main stream games available for Linux with mainly Independent Developers producing Linux compatible Games.


• The choice of different Distributions & Desktops is vast, which makes the choice a bit overwhelming for new users, this is where Windows shines as there is only Windows 8.1 Pro with the Modern UI/Classic Desktop combination.


• Linux compatible software isn't readily available in shops, meaning that you need to use your Distributions Software manager or Software store, or search online to install free & paid software, where as Windows software is readily available in shops, from the Windows store and by searching online.

How Linux could get more public exposure

Linux could get more public exposure by having paid software that runs on Linux readily available in shops along with Distribution developers producing DVD Boxsets of their Distributions with Documentation & User Manuals for new users with a cost of about £50-£60, this in turn would make Linux look like a serious alternative to Windows and would possibly entice OEM's away from Windows to Linux or entice them to make a Linux line along with a Windows line.

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1 Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 2)

In this second part I'll detail my System spec and explain why Ubuntu 13.10 is better than Windows 8.1 Pro

System Spec

My System is a 15.6" Toshiba C660-15R Laptop that I've had since about 2010, over they years I've upgraded from the stock 2GB of RAM, 250GB HDD & Realtek 802.11b/g/n Wireless Adaptor to 4GB of RAM, 1TB Toshiba HDD and Intel Centrino Advanced N + WiMax Wireless Adaptor that is capable of operating on both the 2.4GHZ & 5.0GHZ Wireless Bands (Wireless Router or Wireless Access Point Capable of Both the 2.4GHZ & 5.0GHZ Wireless Bands required).

Why Ubuntu 13.10 is better than Windows 8.1 Pro

Windows 8.1 Pro can run on my Laptop just fine but it can be sluggish at times and Setup from fresh is pretty long winded with requiring most of the useful software like Office & fully featured Email Clients needing Installing after initiall setup, then all Hardware needs to have Device Drivers individually Installed and a re-boot required after every Driver has been Installed.

Another major annoyance is that Windows requires Activating over the Internet, meaning that if anything goes wrong and you have to do more than a set amount of Fresh Installs in a set amount of time that isn't published as far as I'm aware by Microsoft then you are out of look and will be unable to Activate your copy of Windows (This doesn't affect anyone whose Laptop or Desktop machine came with Windows Pre-Installed) and it will become un-usable after 30 days, leaving you with ether having to download an Activator that will make Windows think it's been Activated or do what I did in March & switch to Linux.

Ubuntu 13.10 runs lightning fast on my Laptop and a Fresh Install is quicker than that of Windows 8.1 Pro and no Device Drivers need to be Installed and Office Software comes Pre-Installed in the form of Libre Office 4.1 and a fully featured Email client in the form of Mozilla Thunderbird 24.1, this greatly speeds up initial setup as you can do everything from wite a letter, an email and browse the Internet as soon as you login. You can then brows the Ubuntu Software Centre for any free or paid application that you then require.

A plus for Ubuntu 13.10 and any other Linux distribution out there is that a license is free and you are free to Install on as many Computers as you like, the only cost involved in running Ubuntu 13.10 or any other Linux distribution is the cost of your Internet Subscription to download the ubuntu.iso and the price of a blank DVD compared to the £100's for a Windows 8.1 Pro License & DVD Pack.

Another plus for Ubuntu is that you can try the latest release from early build's all the way up to final release without having to do a fresh Install all the time (I wouldn't recommend using the development builds as it can be a bit troublesome to someone new to Linux, and the Ubuntu Forums Members aren't always going to know what your problem is due to the vast amounts of different system configurations from specific configurations between different OEM's to a custom build from an OEM like DELL through to a custom home built Desktop, even the systems made and sold by Ubuntu OEM System 76 might not work correctly with the Development builds of Ubuntu due to the bleeding edge software that is used, and as it's a Development build 1 update could quite easily knockout a perfectly working system if there is a small bug or even an incompatibility with another feature. Also to use the Development Build it requires being confident using the Command line to configure text files to make software updates from the Development Branch of the Ubuntu Servers available to you, and sometimes you can go days without getting any updates then get a ton in a couple of hours to days).

Roland

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My Move From Windows 8.1Pro With Media Centre To Ubuntu 13.10 (Part 1)

In this new series I'll be documenting my move away from Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Centre to Ubuntu Linux 13.10.

In th is first part I'll explain some of the reasons for my move away from Windows 8.1 Pro to Ubuntu Linux 13.10 & why I decided to go with Ubuntu 13.10.

Why I decided to go with Ubuntu 13.10

I decided to go with Ubuntu 13.10 as I'd already got the 64 Bit Ubuntu 13.10 DVD image on my HDD along with DVD image of Pear OS 8 that is a Mac OSX themed version of Ubuntu.  So after I burned both images to DVD's I booted up my trusty Toshiba Satellite C660-15R Laptop that I've had since 2010 with the freshly burned Pear OS 8 DVD in the DVD Drive and booted into Live mode and gave Pear OS 8 a quick look, but despite it looking very much like Mac OSX the icons don't look anything like the ones that Apple use in OSX as the Developers of Pear OS decided to use an iOS styled icon set, & the Windows buttons are too small compared to the OSX ones.

I then re-booted to the Live Ubuntu 13.10 session with the Ubuntu 13.10 DVD and preferred the more slick & polished look of Ubuntu compared to that of Pear OS 8, and since I've used Ubuntu on & off since about late 2009 to mid 2010 I felt at home with the style of Ubuntu, I've also been an on and off Linux user since about 2006/7 and used to love using Suse Linux then OpenSuse, but once the default Desktop Environment in OpenSuse KDE added the Plasma Desktop (Widgets) and made them unable to be switched off fully& then the way that there was 2 different Network Managers making it hard for new users or users returning to OpenSuse from a different Distro virtually impossible to get online. Also the Ubuntu Forums are very well laid out and the users are very knowledgeable and friendly compared to the poorly laid out but equally as  knowledgeable and friendly OpenSuse Forums.

 The reasons for my move away from Windows 8.1 Pro to Ubuntu Linux 13.10

I decided to move away from Windows 8.1 Pro to Ubuntu 13.10 due to an annoyance that seems to have popped up with the inability burn Audio CD's from both iTunes & Windows Media Player, which is annoying when I want to burn Audio CD's to play in the car, also the Metro UI Modern UI has made Windows Bloated and Annoying to use at times, especially when you want to do something quick.

Roland

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