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2008.1 for better or for worse


Zac Medley
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First impression: Wow, why the heck did they even bother putting out 2007 if they had something like this up their sleeve.

 

Now that I am getting into it...

 

Where on earth are the images stored for the screensaver? In 2007 there was an option to use the contents of the Pictures folder for the screensaver.

 

What is with this KDE thing with the K's everywhere. Makes my skin crawl with images of men wearing bedsheets. Can we run 2008 with the Gnome desktop?

 

Why can't I log in as root? Why can't I do what ever I want my MY computer?

 

This release seems much more grown up and professional, but is it?

Edited by Zac Medley
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Where on earth are the images stored for the screensaver? In 2007 there was an option to use the contents of the Pictures folder for the screensaver.
Don't know about KDE, but for Gnome, there is this option. The systems wallpapers are stored at /usr/share/mdk/screensaver.
What is with this KDE thing with the K's everywhere.
Welcome to the world of KDE. By default, KDE native apps always have a K as the first letter. Let's not talk about logics here. :rolleyes:
Can we run 2008 with the Gnome desktop?
Sure. I do so since years. Open the MCC (Mandriva Control Center) and select the Gnome desktop packages for installation there.
Why can't I log in as root? Why can't I do what ever I want my MY computer?
For security reasons, the graphical login of root is disabled in the login managers. You can however still log in in a GUI as root, although it is highly discouraged. And you can still trash your computer whenever you want. No feature removed in this respect. :P
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Don't know about KDE, but for Gnome, there is this option. The systems wallpapers are stored at /usr/share/mdk/screensaver.

Welcome to the world of KDE. By default, KDE native apps always have a K as the first letter. Let's not talk about logics here. :rolleyes: Sure. I do so since years. Open the MCC (Mandriva Control Center) and select the Gnome desktop packages for installation there.

For security reasons, the graphical login of root is disabled in the login managers. You can however still log in in a GUI as root, although it is highly discouraged. And you can still trash your computer whenever you want. No feature removed in this respect. :P

 

 

Thank you for the responses. Now please if you would tell me how to find the MCC, because even that doesn't seem particularly obvious to me.

 

Edit: never mind, I've been using it already but it is accessed using "configure your computer." I still can't find an option to install Gnome.

 

Maybe you like to trash your computer, but I just like to operate mine :thumbs:

Edited by Zac Medley
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I still can't find an option to install Gnome.
On the left hand tab go to software, then in the right side menu: manage software. On the now appearing window, select on the left hand menu: Graphical desktops. Click on the triangle. Now there should unfold a tree. Click on Gnome. On the right had, there will be now a lot of packages available for installation. Select the package: task-gnome and gnome-desktop. It will automatically select the dependencies when you select to install. That should give you a basic working Gnome desktop.
Maybe you like to trash your computer, but I just like to operate mine
If you want to operate your desktop, better stay out of the root account in a gui. ;) JMHO.
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LOL

 

OK, I found the place.

There are a lot of packages listed but But task-gnome and gnome-desktop are not there.

 

Maybe I'll get there in the end.

Thanks.

 

 

I found the folder where the screensaver images are but I can't copy any images into it because of the protection on it. That's why I would appreciate being able to log in as an administrator - I'm not interested in fooling around with the OS, I'd just like to be able to use the directory.

Edited by Zac Medley
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Do Alt & F2 now type: kdesu konqueror, click run, supply root password and hey presto you can now copy stuff to protected folders as root.

 

 

^^ Thank you, that's very helpful.

 

 

Now, I'll be back when I've trashed my computer... :D

Edited by Zac Medley
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If the task-gnome package is not available, it looks like you installed One and didn't yet set up the official repositories. Follow the instructions at:

 

http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/Docs/Basic_tas...tions_available

 

 

Thank you too. I'll do that when I get a chance. I have downloaded 2008 Free, but I haven't done anything with it yet until I am confident that I'm going to make the switch to Mandriva as my primary OS in place of Windows. I have to say that I am very impressed at how well the instalation detected all my hardware, so so far I am definitely willing to invest the time to learn this. It's the little things that I think should be no-brainiers that tick me off when I can't figure them out.

 

Thanks, see you around folks.

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OK, I'm back.

 

I'm double posting but I have more stuff to whine about on this 2008.1 KDE desktop.

 

Not having access to the /urs/ directory means that automated updates for things like firefox (install_flash_player_9_linux) fail.

 

Thanks to the responses to this thread I was able to add a folder for firefox 2.0.0.8 right next to the firefox 2.0.0.6, install the flashplayer from a terminal console, and update the link from the hot button on the desktop.

 

This is not going to fly with people who have been told that this is a simple replacement alternative to Windows. This is really like a delightful blend of DOS and Windows, which I a happy to learn, but a lot of people will simply not bother.

 

And another thing. Where is the CD burner? Everything that was amazingly simple and easy in 2007.1 is gone from 2008.1.

 

The KDE is an impressively bewildering array of nice looking controls, but I can't find what I need. This is not helpful.

Edited by Zac Medley
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I was just wondering, reading your last post, did you know where to find everything in windows when your first started? or are you still finding little pieces? :P

The way I see things with the Linux community is that advice and help are freely available, you are not haning on the end of a telephone line, or buying books to get the answers you need.

Ask the question and you will nearly always get the answer you are looking for. :thumbs:

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I was just wondering, reading your last post, did you know where to find everything in windows when your first started? or are you still finding little pieces? :P

The way I see things with the Linux community is that advice and help are freely available, you are not haning on the end of a telephone line, or buying books to get the answers you need.

Ask the question and you will nearly always get the answer you are looking for. :thumbs:

 

 

My experience with Windows goes back a while, to when 3.1 began to supplant DOS. As I recall I have always been able to figure out what I needed to do. This catches me by surprise when I have to go to a forum to ask a question instead of a help manual. MicroSoft may have it's problems, but it's always been extensively documented. What is frustrating is that the problems I am running into are NOT technical, they are user based. The solutions are always relatively simple, but finding the solutions is a totally different process to what I'm used to.

 

The world is changing, that's for sure, 1000 page printed manuals are going the way of the dinosaur, but that means that the help and support has to come from somewhere else.

 

I downloaded 2008.1, burned an image, installed, and I got what I got. Now some dude on a forum has to explain to me why I don't have what I need. Or why I can't find it even when it is right in front of me. I am not a novice, but I am not an expert, either. I build all my own units and I am proud of my technical independance. So not being able to figure out how to burn a CD is an issue. I have done it hundreds of times, and I am absolutely sure that this system is capable of doing it. So why isn't it done yet? I never spent any time on a phone to microsoft to figure stuff like this out because their help documentation was vast and well referenced. So now I have to have to deal with super-advanced techie experts on a forum who act like I'm an idiot. This product is technically great, but it is not complete. But if the definition of complete means that there has to be an extensive help documentation then the definition is no longer valid, because things just don't work that way any more.

 

You're going to see a flood of people coming who are sick of the solution to their computing problems being to blow another $500 in microsoft's direction, so you better get used to it, and realize that just because we can't figure out this product the way that we're used to figuring out products, doen't mean that we're morons.

Edited by Zac Medley
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So now I have to have to deal with super-advanced techie experts on a forum who act like I'm an idiot.

 

I just read through this thread - 4 people so far have offered you help, and, as far as I can see none of them has "acted like you're an idiot".

 

If you were a foreigner visiting a country, and you asked for directions, and the guy who gave them to you said: "Left at the highway, carry on for 20 miles, but don't stop and swim in the river, even if it looks lovely - it's full of crocodiles"

 

Assuming you already knew there were crocodiles in the river - is he treating you like an idiot, or just giving you the best advice he can, because he's not sure if you know anything about the area ?

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I just read through this thread - 4 people so far have offered you help, and, as far as I can see none of them has "acted like you're an idiot".

 

If you were a foreigner visiting a country, and you asked for directions, and the guy who gave them to you said: "Left at the highway, carry on for 20 miles, but don't stop and swim in the river, even if it looks lovely - it's full of crocodiles"

 

Assuming you already knew there were crocodiles in the river - is he treating you like an idiot, or just giving you the best advice he can, because he's not sure if you know anything about the area ?

 

Well maybe I just feel like an idiot because I have to ask for help...

 

This is new to me. I never had to ask for help before, and I've been working with computers for quite a while.

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Well maybe I just feel like an idiot because I have to ask for help...

 

This is new to me. I never had to ask for help before, and I've been working with computers for quite a while.

 

It doesn't matter how long you've been working with computers - there's no stigma in asking for help.

 

I've been in computing for 25 years, running small to large networks on various operating systems - and I learn something new every day.

 

The quickest way to learn is often just to ask.

After a while, hopefully, you may start to give help too.

 

The trick is asking in the right place...

 

For help with Mandriva, imho, you've certainly found the right place... ;)

Edited by jimdunn
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