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Anyone care to comment on the benefits, detriments, and/or differences between Ubuntu and MDK2005LE?

 

I finally have MDK the way I want it and Ubuntu just sent me some fresh CD's. I only have one computer to use for linux experimentation...my laptop.

 

I'm itching to try Ubuntu. I just hope getting my ATI card working isn't any harder than what I learned with MDK.

 

WoMBaT

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I think you wil find that the free Ubuntu disks only have Gnome and not KDE. Also, there are not nearly the applications pre-loaded on the Ubuntu distro. I haven't played much with the Ubuntu, so I can't tell you much more. Not even as to the ATI, as I use Nvidia video cards. But, I don't think I'd trade my Mandriva 2005 LE, which I use, for Ubuntu. I have used Ubuntu as an intro for people interested in playing with Linux, however, and many like it.

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well, if you got the cds, there should be a live cd included whcih you can try. it is better using the live cd than writing 1000 words. but nonetheless i will tell you about the most important differences: ias you know mandy already, i will only talk about ubuntu now.

 

ubuntu does NOT have a centralized control center like the mcc, not does it have a graphical installer like mandy. the installer is easy to use nonetheless.

 

ubuntu is gnome centered. you can install kde if you want, but focus is gnome. also, gnome in ubuntu is always the latest version available. (currently 2.10)

 

ubuntu uses the "one app per task" approach, which will give you a very reduced system with only one webbrowser, one office suite, one video player, one music player,... you can add more to it later, using the apt-get sources (much like urpmi, but debian based). the graphical software installation tool is synaptic

 

ubuntu does not use a root account by default but a superuser. root can be added, if whished.

 

ubuntu uses clearlooks as default decoration

 

ubuntu does not have any icons on the deskop. instead it places things like trash in the panel.

 

ubuntu is basically for systems from i386 upwards, while mandy is compiled for i586+ processors.

 

ubuntu is maybe the most polished gnome based distro next to fedora and it is always worth a look. but if you want things done the easy way (=having a mcc type tool), then stick to mandy. ubuntu is still very young, developing. and 5.04 has some annoying bugs with e.g cd-players freezing. but apart from these minor bugs, it is extremely stable (it crashed only once on me and it was my fault).

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I haven't tried MDK2005LE so I can't comment on that. I am however using Ubuntu right now. So far it's been probably the most easiest going distro that I have tried. I have an old ATI M6 video card for my laptop and in every other distro I have had to recompile the kernel to get DRI ( DIrect Rendering ) working. Ubuntu was the first to make DRI work from out-of-the-box.

 

I'm also in the process of building a computer, so I'm going to be using Ubuntu 64. Which I heard that can be a little hard for new people, but I can manage. I have about a year of Linux under my belt, I'm sure that I can handle a 32-bit chroot mode.

 

So if you are worried about Ubuntu don't be, Don't turn away because of the GNOME desktop. I have KDE 3.4.2 working right now perfectly. Also before like back in ( warty ) I think, you couldn't remove the GNOME desktop because it would just fubar your system. But now I'm free of GNOME with just KDE and everthing is running extremely smooth.

 

For any problems, there was one with the whole IPv6 and my router. I thought that something had happened to my wireless card, but it was IPv6. I forgot how I got around this, but it was some networking how-to from artic. It was what fixed my problems. So like I said It's running smooothly right now.

 

Good Luck.

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If you are a gnomer...go ubuntu...mandriva's gnome is outdated and has too many weird mandriva controlled hacks that interfere with the way gnome should act.

 

No further comment needed. If someone does not know what those differences are then you don't need to know and it won't bother you so stick with mandriva's gnome.

Edited by bvc
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Anyone care to comment on the benefits, detriments, and/or differences between Ubuntu and MDK2005LE?........

 

WoMBaT

WOW! There's a fun subject to talk about.

 

Hmmmmm. I have both running in my apt. LE is running

on a Celeron 1.7 that's my webserver (512MB, 160GB) and

every day work horse. Kinda like a brand new 2005 Mack Truck.

It's all shinny, tough and sparkly and carries most

of the load.

 

A 2nd LE box is a screaming fast P3.0 775 with a

gig of DRAM and a fast 80GB Maxtor SATA in a removable tray.

This box also is my DVD Player and multimedia machine.

This is my Corvette with several sets of easily exchangeable

racing tires.

 

The Ubuntu Hoary 5.04 is sit'n on an old Compaq P-350

circa 1998, 10GB HD and 192MB of DRAM. I drug this

ole box (was running Mandrake 8.2) out of the closet

and loaded Ubuntu in it so it could serve as the backup

webserver to the Celeron 1.7 webserver. It's kinda

like your Grandma's 98 Chevy. Old reliable, easy to start,

setup, maintain and use but doesn't get used much.

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I wish I could get past the Ubuntu installer but it seems to hang up over my lack of any network or internet connection. Furthest I got was to a command line when startx or the longer phrase in their install guide (i forgot it now) still produced no X, and no gui. Mandy always installs without a hitch unless I chose packages individually. So its hard to comment on the Ubuntu, save to say that the Live Cd seems a bit barren next to a Mandrake 10.1 (naturally, its a live eval) but for KDE users there is a Kubuntu release which revolves around KDE. For me? nothing beats the speed of the i586 + architecture of Mdk.

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I wish I could get past the Ubuntu installer but it seems to hang up over my lack of any network or internet connection.  Furthest I got was to a command line when startx or the longer phrase in their install guide (i forgot it now) still produced no X, and no gui.

if ubuntu stalls when setting up the apt-get repositories, install in expert mode and skip the process. you can always set up your apt-repos and networking later.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Tested almost all the cds I have on a new laptop. Got ubuntu to install no problem and now realize the problem with my Desktop PC is the old 60mhz refresh rate monitor which supports virtually none of the 2005 linux releases without tweaking resolution.

 

Put on the Kubuntu, it was nice. It was also minimal compared to what Im used to with Mdk or FC or even Suse. The one app approach , I find boring. Played with the ubuntu a bit, then installed FC3 so I could have more choices regarding apps than I know what to do with and I have some configuring and tweaking to do. Next day I got Mepis and it seems to offer more packages than Ubuntu's CD. But if Im going with a one cd distro live/install....I havent seen anyone beat Knoppix for sheer volume.

 

Ubuntu or Mepis would be a great intro to Linux , or something for oldtimers to add on to and build as the distros develop...but I have a new respect for the old heavy hitters after this weekend live cd / debian based binge. Mandriva, Fedora....should have a copy of Slack (gulp) any day now but might wait to test run that one for a couple years. I mean days. Days. Ok, weeks.

 

Months?

 

Vive la difference! Vive apps out the wazoo!

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Ubuntu- Nice little distro, love Gnome, but just not yet mature enough (For relative noobs :P)-

I try to install what had worked on the same machine, just different hdd, and the installer bails out with a message that it couldn't load the IDE drivers :( MDK- No problems whatsoever, but the latest beta is another story!

 

-Leezer-

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Ubuntu is great. Then again I'm an Ubuntu fanboy. It's stable but room enough to experiment with diffrent things.

Easy to install, good hardware detection, very easy to install 3d software driver. When installed it comes with minimal applications, which is good in my opinion. If you want more just apt-get it or use the manager. It comes with the latest gnome :headbang:

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Ubuntu is great. Then again I'm an Ubuntu fanboy. It's stable but room enough to experiment with diffrent things.

Easy to install, good hardware detection, very easy to install 3d software driver. When installed it comes with minimal applications, which is good in my opinion. If you want more just apt-get it or use the manager. It comes with the latest gnome  :headbang:

 

 

Now that my desktop monitor is turning shades of yellow and pink, I realize that the problem was definitely the old monitor. Refresh rate 60mhz....Please dont tell me a dim and off color monitor is a video card problem. Ive been wanting a new monitor anyway.... SO, its been laptop week. Tried ubuntu twice. Quick install, nice....but not a whole lot going on in your one cd install. Finally settled -for now -on Mepis. A one cd as well which seems to offer more; not to mention its more open to using debian pkgs. Im under the impression that Ubuntu has to use Ubuntu? I could have heard wrong, but the Mepis has no problems with pure debian apps.

 

Cant see running Ubuntu as a full time OS. But then, Im not a fanboy.....yet. :P

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You can use pure debian packages in ubuntu. You get them through Multiverse. Never had any problems with them.

 

About refresh rate. It's easy to solve by editing xorg.conf or reconfig xorg the only thing you need is your monitor specs next to you. :)

 

Editing xorg:

sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

 

HorizSync

VertRefresh

 

Change them as stated in your monitor spec manual.

 

reconfigure xorg:

log off Gnome and log into a console

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop

dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg

sudo /etc/initd./gdm start

 

I know some have problems with their monitors not displaying correct in Ubuntu. Hopefully it's improved on Breezy with will be released next month (13 october I think).

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Monitor in final death throes as we speak. Film at eleven. Which we wont be able to see because of above mentioned monitor....heh. Getting a new monitor today. Am really intrigued by the fact that Ubuntu can use regular pure deb. Someone said it couldnt. Of course Mepis says that too and you still run into dependency hells of what comes when, but......The great thing about Ubuntu is their commitment to stay free. I discover, after loading mepis that it seems the extra pkgs are on extra cds that are not downloadable?! And where is a mepis repository? Ive been using deb repos.

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