darkemeralds: A round magical sigil of mysterious meaning, in bright colors with black outlines. A pen nib is suggested by the intersection of the cryptic forms. (Default)
darkemeralds ([personal profile] darkemeralds) wrote2010-01-26 03:00 pm
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Ubuntu update

News from the Ubuntu front. Geekery ahoy:
  1. Audacity for Linux not only works great, but is more updated and featured than Audacity for Windows.
  2. I've got Chrome, with all extensions, working in Ubuntu just exactly like what I'm used to in Windows. No difference.
  3. I tried GIMP photo-editing last night and it seems to do most of what I use Corel for.
  4. My trackpad doesn't behave quite the same way I'm used to, but this doesn't seem insurmountable, and I hear I can make it do Multi-Touch like an Apple!
  5. Will probably abandon Yahoo IM/Chat--not enough value there to replicate.
  6. Ctrl+Z doesn't work to undo! This is A Problem!
  7. My boss, who until a couple of years ago worked for Intel his whole career, thinks I'm becoming a Communist or something for going Open Source. Silly me--I thought he'd be impressed.

A few unresolved issues:
  • Will my Wacom pen tablet work under Ubuntu? (ETA: A tentative yes) \o/
  • What shall I do about Audible.com audiobooks (which WILL NOT download to a Linux machine because of DRM--grrr.)?
  • Which of the half-dozen FREE mind-mapping applications shall I choose to replace the ridiculously overpriced proprietary one I use now?
  • Virus protection...(ETA: Oh, look!)

So, I'm having fun.
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thedarkages: (Default)

Audible workaround

[personal profile] thedarkages 2010-01-27 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
You may find the following workaround for Audible useful:

http://phpmn.blogspot.com/2008/06/audible-on-ubuntu.html

In order to use this solution, you will have to go to Synaptic Package Manager and install the "wine" package.

Hope this helps!
darkemeralds: A round magical sigil of mysterious meaning, in bright colors with black outlines. A pen nib is suggested by the intersection of the cryptic forms. (Default)

Re: Audible workaround

[personal profile] darkemeralds 2010-01-27 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
Great tip! Thank you. My nephew, a Linux newbie like me, said I'd probably end up using Wine for something, and this sounds like at least one compelling reason for it.

Much obliged! :D
kis: (Default)

Re: Audible workaround

[personal profile] kis 2010-01-27 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
We haz wine too. Isn't it great how easy it is to download software? And how it suggests things you might like? And how you get security and software updates almost every day? (Without having to know that you need them, I mean. Love that big red Download Arrow!)
darkemeralds: A round magical sigil of mysterious meaning, in bright colors with black outlines. A pen nib is suggested by the intersection of the cryptic forms. (Default)

Re: Audible workaround

[personal profile] darkemeralds 2010-01-27 06:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Right now I'm just staying in Ubuntu and going about my business, and as needs crop up, I'm trying to see if I can fulfill them without going back to Windows. So far, so good.

So I haven't downloaded a lot of new apps yet. When I go hunting for them online, I get the most terribly geeky pages with no big red download arrow that makes it easy. Well, except Audacity--that was easy. Everything else seems to have multiple files, and directions that remind me of the MS-DOS days.

It's possible that what I want is just odd enough (imagine that!) that it hasn't been all streamlined and Ubuntu-ized yet. Mind-mapping software, for instance. But I'm having a blast looking around. This is the kind of thing that keeps the mind active.
kis: (Default)

Re: Audible workaround

[personal profile] kis 2010-01-27 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
The S&H says Ubuntu won't let you play DVDs in the US because it's illegal but no-one cares. Needless to say there are work-arounds. He has links, if you need them.
darkemeralds: A round magical sigil of mysterious meaning, in bright colors with black outlines. A pen nib is suggested by the intersection of the cryptic forms. (Default)

Re: Audible workaround

[personal profile] darkemeralds 2010-01-27 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
So...I might be able to play region-free DVDs?

I'll try one of my Region 1 discs tonight and report back. I don't use my computer for watching DVDs a lot, but I DID pay extra for a Blu-Ray player that I understand absolutely won't work as such under a Linux O/S (because apparently Blu-Ray is essentially a Sony DRM method?). That could be the one reason to keep Vista on the damn machine.
kis: (Default)

Re: Audible workaround

[personal profile] kis 2010-01-28 09:22 am (UTC)(link)
If there's a problem with playing anything, I'll ask the S&H if it can be fixed.

I can play any DVDs on my computer. (There are also fixes for region coding on DVD players, in case you didn't know that. In some cases as simple as typing in 7 zeroes).
darkemeralds: A round magical sigil of mysterious meaning, in bright colors with black outlines. A pen nib is suggested by the intersection of the cryptic forms. (Default)

Re: Audible workaround

[personal profile] darkemeralds 2010-01-28 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I've never had any luck with those codes, sadly. I never found the right one for my particular DVD player. I should explore that idea some more.

Still haven't tried a DVD in my laptop under Ubuntu, but I will over the weekend. Thank you for the proxy offer of help from the S&H.
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