Allegro.cc - Online Community

Allegro.cc Forums » Off-Topic Ordeals » Ubuntu desktop

This thread is locked; no one can reply to it. rss feed Print
 1   2   3 
Ubuntu desktop
Neil Roy
Member #2,229
April 2002
avatar

So I finally got around to installing Ubuntu v12.04 (64bit AMD version).

I noticed this desktop is different than what I remember. I think the last time I tried Ubuntu it shipped with KDE desktop? This was v10 I believe.

I'm curious what are your favorite desktops? Gnome, KDE etc?

I think I used to like KDE, it's been a while and I never used it too long, but I am certainly not a fan of this one... Unity is it?

I want to try and get used to using Ubuntu as I recently learned that Microsoft might be requiring that hardware manufacturers have some sort of restrictive BIOS in order to be allowed to distribute Windows 8, what this means is that you won't be able to install other operating systems like Linux. The Free Software Foundation's website has the story and petition you can sign. I don't have the link on me, it's on my Windows installation. ;)

Also, any other tips for using Linux would be helpful. I get the feeling programming it will be the most daunting task for me. But who knows. I would like to port my game over to Linux and maybe even make it my main OS.

---
“I love you too.” - last words of Wanda Roy

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
avatar

I don't think ubuntu ever used KDE by default. But the new Ubuntu desktop is a significant departure from the previous releases.

I prefer KDE.

--
Thomas Fjellstrom - [website] - [email] - [Allegro Wiki] - [Allegro TODO]
"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

Arthur Kalliokoski
Second in Command
February 2005
avatar

NiteHackr said:

I'm curious what are your favorite desktops?

xfce. Nice and clean, it does everything I want without too many confusing features and bloat.

Quote:

hardware manufacturers have some sort of restrictive BIOS in order to be allowed to distribute Windows 8, what this means is that you won't be able to install other operating systems like Linux.

IIRC, some distros have begun getting a key for the BIOS thing.

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

Matthew Leverton
Supreme Loser
January 1999
avatar

I switched to XUbuntu (xfce) after Ubuntu went with GNOME 3 and Unity.

Neil Roy
Member #2,229
April 2002
avatar

Hmmm, maybe I'll re-install XUbuntu then. I'm not crazy about Unity.

---
“I love you too.” - last words of Wanda Roy

Temia Eszteri
Member #14,459
July 2012
avatar

All of this is reminding me how badly I want to test Arch Linux as a desktop OS, but my main machine's running 24/7 and my side machine is missing a power supply. :/ What a pain in the ass.

“Nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do.” —Russell Kirsch

Specter Phoenix
Member #1,425
July 2001
avatar

I have Unity, KDE, Gnome, and XFCE installed under Ubuntu, but I use KDE mostly.

Neil Roy
Member #2,229
April 2002
avatar

I installed XUbuntu (on it now) and like it. Doesn't seem cluttered.

Now to figure out what I need to program using Allegro on it. ;) It's been a while, might be a learning curve getting to know this OS all over again.

---
“I love you too.” - last words of Wanda Roy

Trent Gamblin
Member #261
April 2000
avatar

I like Xubuntu. I like GNOME 3, does Ubuntu have a flavor for that? Not sure I'd like it better than Xubuntu... but on Fedora and openSuse while I was testing games I liked it (even though most people hate it.) I agree with the people that hate Unity, however.

MiquelFire
Member #3,110
January 2003
avatar

I only heard about the restricted BIOS thing for ARM based systems. Pretty much, the tablet and smartphones.

---
Febreze (and other air fresheners actually) is just below perfumes/colognes, and that's just below dead skunks in terms of smells that offend my nose.
MiquelFire.red
If anyone is of the opinion that there is no systemic racism in America, they're either blind, stupid, or racist too. ~Edgar Reynaldo

Todd Cope
Member #998
November 2000
avatar

NiteHackr said:

Now to figure out what I need to program using Allegro on it.

This will help you get started with Allegro 5 on Linux. It even has commands you can paste into a terminal to install everything you need.

Arthur Kalliokoski
Second in Command
February 2005
avatar

Wikipedia said:

The secure boot thing will be on desktops too, but you might be able to turn it off.

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

Neil Roy
Member #2,229
April 2002
avatar

Todd Cope said:

This will help you get started with Allegro 5 on Linux. It even has commands you can paste into a terminal to install everything you need.

Thanks. I'm really impressed at the software for Linux these days. The very first game I installed on Xubuntu was OpenTTD, man was I happy to see that game available, never even heard of an open version of it, let alone one where I can connect online and download goodies! :D I used to spend far too much time playing TTD on DOS and Windoh's. (Transport Tycoon Deluxe)

Edit: Wow, installing Allegro 5 on Linux is so much easier. More steps involved and dependencies, but.. I like it. :)

---
“I love you too.” - last words of Wanda Roy

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
avatar

NiteHackr said:

Edit: Wow, installing Allegro 5 on Linux is so much easier. More steps involved and dependencies, but.. I like it.

That wiki page was for installing from git, its a few steps less if you install from a source package.

--
Thomas Fjellstrom - [website] - [email] - [Allegro Wiki] - [Allegro TODO]
"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

Specter Phoenix
Member #1,425
July 2001
avatar

Though that page helps you get a little acquainted to using git. I need to use git more myself ;D. Maybe I'll put some silly project in it just to get used to it:). Errr....sorry, off topic :(.

jhuuskon
Member #302
April 2000
avatar

My favourite desktop is Explorer.

You don't deserve my sig.

van_houtte
Member #11,605
January 2010
avatar

^ jhuuskon doesnt know what we're talking about, he can't even get his linux robotics controllers to run more stable than windows '98 http://www.allegro.cc/forums/thread/610425

I find Xfce to be a little bit bloated, I find that LXDE suites my needs much better.

My 800 Mhz laptop with 1 gig of RAM runs Fedora LXDE
My TV computer runs Lubuntu (ubuntu with LXDE spin)
And my main beefy desktop runs Fedora with KDE.

-----
For assistance, please register and click on this link to PM a moderator

Sometimes you may have to send 3-4 messages

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
avatar

jhuuskon said:

My favourite desktop is Explorer.

It's too bad that isn't going to be a real option in the next version of windows :( They are even being tightasses about it, and disableing every single loophole and workaround allowing you to boot into desktop mode. Including setting a shortcut to run at startup, and various other workarounds.

Seriously they are trying to make using the desktop the most annoying thing possible.

I find Xfce to be a little bit bloated, I find that LXDE suites my needs much better.

I tried LXDE on a laptop of mine, it was woefully incomplete and fairly buggy. I instead tried out Razor-Qt and like it quite a bit for what it is. Slim little desktop, not super feature-full, but the things that are there, seem to actually work.

--
Thomas Fjellstrom - [website] - [email] - [Allegro Wiki] - [Allegro TODO]
"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

jhuuskon
Member #302
April 2000
avatar

jhuuskon doesnt know what we're talking about, he can't even get his linux robotics controllers to run more stable than windows '98

Poor troll, obviously you have no clue how industrial robots are shipped and operated. My employer buys a robot unit (robot, controller and pendant), it's the robot manufacturer's responsibility to provide a stable and reliable system. We don't ever interact with the software outside the RAPID interpreter. I actually like the interface (that seems to be made with ncurses) on the older crashy[1] robots if the I/O from the pendant to the controller wasn't, to paraphrase Tomasu, slow as molasses, and the diaphragm buttons on the pendant didn't wear out in approximately three days of use.

References

  1. Last service actually brought some improvement, they only crash once a month now

You don't deserve my sig.

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
avatar

jhuuskon said:

to paraphrase Tomasu

\o/

You should get someone to scream at your supplier more often. Sounds like they really don't (didn't?) know what they were doing. With enough pressure from clients, they aught to straighten it out (hopefully).

--
Thomas Fjellstrom - [website] - [email] - [Allegro Wiki] - [Allegro TODO]
"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

Neil Roy
Member #2,229
April 2002
avatar

Just out of curiosity I looked up the requirements for getting your app approved by Microsoft and onto the store. Wow, it's insane! You have to use SDK's FROM their store (ie: Microsoft software only), it has to have metro support etc... one thing I found interesting was that anything rated MATURE or PEGI16 (or with content that qualifies for those ratings) will not be allowed.

Oh, and my personal favourite, programs cannot have any errors... :D

I find great irony in the idea that Microsoft somehow feels their software and software approved by them would be safer to use.... Microsoft... safer... yes, because we all know how stellar their history is with security right? ;) I remember when I stopped using internet explorer and switched to Firefox, at the time it was merely because Firefox was so much faster. But later I realized I no longer needed to run an Adware scanner.... I no longer needed to run a spyware scanner, heck I didn't even run a virus checker for many many years after I stopped using all Microsoft software but the operating system!

It was free, open source, cross platform software that was the most secure. How ironic that this same software will not be approved anymore. Also, how many major titles have an ESRB rating of Mature that won't be allowed?

Windows 8 is going to crash and burn worse than Vista, I can't see how it can possibly be successful.

Oh, and XFCE is bloated? How so? Didn't seem that way at all to me.

---
“I love you too.” - last words of Wanda Roy

van_houtte
Member #11,605
January 2010
avatar

NiteHackr said:

Oh, and XFCE is bloated? How so? Didn't seem that way at all to me.

XFCE is not bloated per say, IMO i just find LXDE to be more to the point.

-----
For assistance, please register and click on this link to PM a moderator

Sometimes you may have to send 3-4 messages

Luiji99
Member #12,254
September 2010

If you are so obsessed with anti-bloat, try MonsterWM! It supports vertical stack, bottom stack, grid, monocle/fullscreen and floating window management in less than 750 lines of code! :P

Programming should be fun. That's why I hate Java.

Tobias Dammers
Member #2,604
August 2002
avatar

If you want to go without any bloat whatsoever, configure xterm as your window manager (yes, this is possible, and no, it doesn't make much sense). Or ditch X11 entirely - who needs a GUI after all?

Seriously though; I like tiling window managers. I've sampled quite a few; xmonad turned out to suit my needs best, dwm being a close second. The thought that I never have to touch the mouse unless I'm doing inherently graphical work is liberating, and having 13 virtual desktops to play with is just about enough (I could have more, but I'm running out of key bindings). Going back to Windows, OS X, or even Gnome feels crippling :o

---
Me make music: Triofobie
---
"We need Tobias and his awesome trombone, too." - Johan Halmén

Luiji99
Member #12,254
September 2010

I'd be more prone to abandon GNOME 3 if it weren't for my massive reliance on NetworkManager.

Actually, if I could eliminate that limitation I might experiment in writing my own X11 window manager. That'd be a fun thing to try.

Programming should be fun. That's why I hate Java.

 1   2   3 


Go to: