[olug] Linux Adventure

Fri Feb 27 23:30:33 UTC 2009

I'm not a huge gamer, but a lot of the type of games you mention might work
under wine, especially since they aren't extremely resource intensive.  If
you like older games, a bunch of them ported or mimicked in Linux.  I used
to play old NES and SNES games with the emulators and I currently have
Starcraft installed using wine.  It runs fine on impressive Athlon XP 2000+
(yes, you read that correctly, no 64 or X2 in there - what can I say, I've
made it a game to see how long I can stand to use the thing.  Every now and
then I choose lighter weight distros and software and if feels like I've
upgraded - until I try to do something cpu intensive).  Albeit, my cpu tends
to run at nearly 100% while I'm playing the game.  I don't have experience
with Audible - I'm guessing from the conversation that it's an e-book reader
for windows.  You can go to the wine AppDB http://appdb.winehq.org/ and
search for it, but the only way to really find out is try to install it in
wine, which is easy enough in Ubuntu these days.  I would recommend
installing the wine repo, to use the most recent version instead of using
the older one  in the Ubuntu repo.

As to your other questions.  There is probably an easier way, but my
suggestion to make sure you use to correct partition is to boot to a LiveCD,
mount each partition to see which is which and write down the correct device
number (should be something like /dev/sda1 or /dev/sda2).  You can do that
easily enough on the command line by typing "mount" (no quotation marks) on
the command line.  It will tell you the device name, filesystem, mount
point, etc. of all mounted devices.  Don't do this hastily... I've made that
mistake before and data carving to retrieve data you would rather have not
lost is only fun if I'm in the mood and have time to "play around" :(  (made
that mistake again recently).  It does, however, keep you on your toes!

Your logic seems fine.  If someone flames your for not RTFM, PEBKAC or
something else stupid like that, brush it off.  There are dorks like that no
matter what hobby you pick.  I think/hope you'll find most people helpful
though.  As far as resources, I mostly use Google, the Ubuntu forums, or the
webpage of the software that's giving me trouble.  Google and the forums are
usually my first stop though, in that order.  If you need help with
something specific, just ask, the people here will help.

Jordan

On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 2:54 PM, Amy Mason <amason80 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Mostly, I play puzzles, old dos stuff, and adventure games, but I like
> simple arcadeish stuff too.  I am pretty certain I can find what I need in
> Linux on that front, Until I've gone through the trial, I don't dare run
> virtual box, but at that point that was precisely my plan.  I don't have a
> huge audible collection, but I will be cranky if I can't get at what I
> bought, which is generally a big problem with them and Linux.  My biggest
> problem is a lack of funds, so I kind of have to do this with the hardware
> I
> have on hand, which is why I was planning to wipe Vista. (its not a loss, I
> just don't want to break XP.) If my intended Linux machine would work with
> Ubuntu, I would use that, but I cannot fix video resolution, no matter what
> I do, and I cannot abide using openSUSE any longer. I just don't like it. I
> can't really explain why either sadly.
>
> On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 8:18 AM, Shannon <ridgid at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hey Amy
> >
> > Sounds like your starting your switch much like I did.  I had to forced
> > myself use GNU/Linux all the time so I would find out what I needed to
> > learn
> > to stay there.  I think things are much easier now then ever to switch. I
> > do
> > not know what games you play. For me, I found some games to play on Linux
> > to
> > get my gaming fix in. currently I enjoy playing "battle for wesnoth".
> >
> > If there is something like Audible you need to run in windows. Install
> > virtual box and run windows inside the virtual machine. That will help
> keep
> > you running in Linux yet still use that one or two things that might be
> > slowing your complete switch. If you enjoy audio books you might want to
> > check out http://librivox.org.
> >
> > As far as installing Linux on your computer. I think it would be easier
> to
> > buy another hard drive and use that for Linux. you can change the boot
> > order
> > in the bios or hit f12 or f10? on boot to temporally change it on the fly
> > during boot up. this would keep your windows systems unchanged.
> >
> > good luck
> >
> > Shannon
> >
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 2:25 AM, Amy Mason <amason80 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Hello to all of my wonderful Linux Friends,
> > >
> > > I have a plan, and to put this plan in action, I need a lot of advice,
> > > which
> > > is where you all come in.  I have found that although I now have a
> system
> > > dedicated to Linux, I never, ever, use it.  I am too comfortable in
> > > Windows,
> > > and honestly, I don't want to be a windows weakling any longer.  I have
> > > seen
> > > the power of Linux, and I know a handful of commands.  I've installed
> > > Ubuntu
> > > on average twice per OS upgrade since 7.4, and really enjoyed fiddling
> > with
> > > it.  However, when its time to get "real" work or play done, I turn to
> > Win
> > > XP, and the Linux machine collects a lot of dust. Therefore, it is my
> > > intention to go Win-Free during my spring break from school.  (It's a
> > > slightly longer spring break, about 12 days, as it is time to change
> > > quarters.) I would appreciate any feedback on my plan, or the best way
> to
> > > set up to make this go as smooth as possible, so here it is, please
> feel
> > > free to critique, and offer advice as you see fit.
> > >
> > > Distro: Vinux 1.3 http://vinux.org.uk/  For those who don't know, and
> > > haven't bothered to visit the webisite. Vinux is a remastering of
> Ubuntu
> > > with the express purpose of including and improving access for the
> blind
> > > and
> > > visually impaired.  This will allow me to have a screen
> > > reader/magnification
> > > for when I need it, the Ubuntu/Debian package management I prefer, and
> > for
> > > the most part, the ability to use the Ubuntu forums to get answers to
> > what
> > > are likely to be miriad questions.  Also, as an aside... I have no
> > choice,
> > > for accessibility I have to use Gnome, or the console, which Vinux
> > > obviously
> > > provides.
> > >
> > > System: Dell Inspiron 530 Desktop
> > >             Intel Core2 Duo E4500 at 2.20 Ghz
> > >             3 Gb Ram
> > >             NVidia Geforce 8300 GS 256 Shared Video Memory
> > >             21 inch widescreen dell monitor
> > >             Epson NX400 All-in-one Scanner/Printer/Copier
> > >             20 Gb partition of a 320 Gb SATA hard drive. (XP: 20 Gb,
> > Vista:
> > > 20 Gb, Dell Utilities: >1 Gb, Data: 280 Gb Approx.)
> > >
> > > I'll be wiping my Vista partition for the install and accessing my data
> > > from
> > > the data partition of the main SATA drive, and if drivers exist,
> backing
> > up
> > > all data to an eSATA drive connected to the system.  Otherwise, backups
> > > will
> > > be conducted between the system and a USB drive.  I'm doing this on my
> > > primary system because I can't seem to get proper video support on my
> > > dedicated Linux machine, and I am going to want to do everything, (i.e.
> > > game, watch videos) from the Ubuntu machine that I normally do.
> > >
> > > This brings us to a few preliminary questions.
> > >
> > > 1.  XP and Vista each are on their own 20 Gb partitions.  I've never
> > > installed ubuntu on a system with as complex a partitioning scheme
> > before,
> > > so how do I know that I am wiping the Vista partition instead of XP?
> > >
> > > 2.  Does anyone have experience with Audible and wine, or know if its
> > > possible?
> > >
> > > 3. My favorite recent toy is a Wacom Bamboo tablet, is there anything
> fun
> > I
> > > can do with it under Linux?
> > >
> > > 4.  Any resources you would reccomend to me for getting info on other
> > > questions that are likely to pop up?
> > >
> > > 5.  Any general flaws in the logic that you would like to point out?
> > >
> > > If this is simplistic enough to get me trounced on by grouchy Linux
> > trolls,
> > > fair enough, I know I am a newb, point me to the right man
> > > page/forum/mailing list/(insert your favorite explative here) or feel
> > free
> > > to ignore me.  I've been to OLUG meetings for 10 out of the 12 last
> > months,
> > > and I am honestly trying, I just seem to be slow at the learning of it,
> > and
> > > thought this might be the best way.  I appreciate all the help you have
> > > provided in the past, and hope you are willing to help me again.
> > >
> > > My eventual goal is probably never going to be entirely dumping
> windows,
> > (I
> > > like games) but to try and use Linux as my primary OS, so this is a
> step
> > in
> > > that process.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Amy
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > OLUG mailing list
> > > OLUG at olug.org
> > > https://lists.olug.org/mailman/listinfo/olug
> > >
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> >
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-- 
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus."  Phil 4:6-7

"The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance
between your knees and the floor."  Anonymous