Bang on target, the new version of Ubuntu Linux is available for our downloading pleasure. Amongst various changes it sports updates to the installer, improved networking, and a new 'Mobile USB' version geared towards the blossoming netbook market. Grab a copy from the Ubuntu website, and check out Linux Format's hands-on look. Or the one at Simple Thoughts. Or the one at PolishLinux. And probably a few other websites as well.
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Member since:2005-09-13
Member since:2005-11-07
Member since:2007-08-11
When's the last time anyone "upgraded" a windows OS?
I thought an "upgrade" these days was identical to a fresh install except for the license. You still lose your applications and settings and have to start over...
I think XP has a wizard for keeping settings across XP installs, but what about "upgrading" to vista...can you even do that?
Member since:2005-08-18
Member since:2008-09-22
dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg? Uh...that's been gone for, well, this is the 3rd release where that doesn't reconfigure your graphics. It's just for keyboard and mouse. X doesn't even need an xorg.conf anymore. It's supposed to auto-config. Did you by any chance install drivers from ATI's site instead of from the repos, then forget that you need to recompile them on kernel updates?
Member since:2005-11-07
omg, actually it worked for me a week ago while trying to make a graphics card display something on the screen.
And i didn't even have time to install the amd propietary driver! Actually i remember i had to turn off that driver with 8.04 to make x work.
I'm starting to think it's something related with hardware combination (x1950 pro and nforce3 250 chipset).
Member since:2007-02-17
A lot of hardware manufacturers like to actively hide information away from open source projects and write Windows-only drivers for their hardware, in some sort of hard-to-understand effort to apparently restrict the market they can sell their hardware to.
Weird, I know, but anyway ...
For this reason, IMO, it is always better to download (or get via the post) a liveCD version of a Linux distribution, and test it on your hardware before installing it. Having done that, if you keep your /home directories on a separate partition, it is possible to just fresh install the new distribution right over the top of your existing one without any loss of user data.
This doesn't help your current situation, I know, but it might be worth thinking about to avoid a recurrence of what you have now. As far as I know, none of this (liveCD to test before installing, able to download legally or get via post for a few $ only, user files on a separate partition, fresh install in 20 minutes without losing any user data) is possible with a Windows setup, so it probably is a bit of foreign thinking for many people.
Edited 2008-10-30 23:27 UTC
Member since:2005-12-02
"As far as I know, none of this (liveCD to test before installing, able to download legally or get via post for a few $ only, user files on a separate partition, fresh install in 20 minutes without losing any user data) is possible with a Windows setup, so it probably is a bit of foreign thinking for many people."
You are right on the LiveCD, download legally, and post for only a few $.
It is definitely possible and quite common in windows to have the user files kept on a separate drive or partition. Granted, that is in a business setting where there are System Administrators, and a machine off the shelf usually does everything in one large partition. Also a re-install of windows normally only takes about 20-30 minutes for me, same as with a Linux install.
Member since:
2005-11-07
I don't know if i'm doing anything wrong, but i updated to 8.10 from a working 8.04, and now all i get is a blank screen. Try to open a text console, and dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg, reboot and blank screen again. Now, i can't say i'm very happy with the new release