Linux content and your ideas
by
zen
I am currently working on plans for a few of my own ideas for upcoming Linux content, but would also like to hear some of the reader ideas. Like the OS X content and your ideas post last month, I am always open to content ideas the readers would like covered.
What Linux related things do you guys need the most help with? What type of content would you like more of?
This will also be a good way to gauge what the new to Linux people are having the most issues with. There also needs to be content for the more advanced users, so I want to hear about ideas for those as well. It's not that I have any problems with thinking up new things to write, but rather that I also want to write content the regular readers want to see.
Let the ideas flow.
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How about an article on CLI-centric workflows and doing all sorts of normal tasks from the command line? From my perspective, I think this might be the ultimate way to squeeze new life out of old hardware. I could even potentially help with this portion of things.
ReplyDeleteI already plan to do something like this but I am still making some of the BSD to Linux transition in terms of commands. The structure is very similar but not exactly the same.
DeleteOnce I feel my transition is complete I will start writing about it. I have contemplated writing BSD content in the past here but not near enough people use it and especially not on PowerPC hardware.
You also need to consider that most of the Linux audience here are new adopters and still learning to get by in a GUI.
There is certainly room in the future for something like this but for now I am trying to help people keep OS X secure and usable while also adopting Linux. For the time being it's better to not make the readers drink from a fire hose.
Your posts inspired me to install Lubuntu 12.04 on a 1 GHz PowerBook G4. It runs reasonably well. But there is one problem I have always had with GUI Linux. I wish to primarily use the PowerBook for writing and fonts usually look bad in the word processing apps. Can this be improved?
ReplyDeleteThe Lubuntu anti-aliasing is on by default so I assume you're using Abiword. It's a bit buggy in the sense of only using anti-aliased fonts when it chooses to at times.
DeleteTry LibreOffice for better results and abilities if you don't have it already.
The browser fonts in some are set to more generic fonts which sometimes look bad. This can be changed in the browsers preferences and/or config file.
Well, I'd really like to know about your video experience with Linux PPC. Video streaming on linux powerpc is still... utter crap, at best, at least for me. Bugs in gstreamer make totem and mplayer unusable, same bugs also make minitube unusuable. VLC works still, but the VLC mozilla plugin will randomly stop playing youtube streams, which makes it unusable in my book. I have searched the ubuntu forums, these are all known issues with no known fixes. Also, fans have blown out of control on all my ibook Linux installs, again, seem to be no known fixes.
ReplyDeleteMaybe desktop Linux PPC installs like yours are the way to go. I reinstalled Leopard on the ibook and once again am shocked by the ease and inherent beauty of OS X. Quicktime in viewtube works very well, Mactubes works very well, and as you note there are still lots of browser options, my current fave is safari webkit with the click to plugin extension. It actually even plays most BBC news video in quicktime, shockingly well.
The only thing I really miss is luakit, but I have that on two PC's, in fact am using it right now.
I have been poking and prodding at writing playback based stuff for Linux but I am still figuring out solutions for some of the quirks. It's been more an issue of a lack of free time the last 2-3 weeks.
DeleteIn terms of playback on any PowerPC hardware the capability is far better on OS X. On my main G4 1.8 GHz system I have never encountered a video it cannot play. The main key to this is CorePlayer which no one can get now but even without it I could play 720p in VLC or Mplayer. For avi and wmv files specifically you should try the Mplayer I link to in Part 1 of the Video on PowerPC series. It's extremely efficient. It doesn't like h.264 at all though.
I recommend you use that Mplayer and VLC 1.1.12 in combination. All the 2.x versions are far less efficient and even remove some of the great fine tune preferences the 1.x versions had. There is nothing 1.1.12 can't play with audio or video. The PPC optimized Mplayer is better at DivX/XviD and WMV playback.
Thanks zen, as usual, your advice is well taken and appreciated.
DeleteI would be curious to know about your experience with Linux MintPPC vs. Lubuntu. For the life of me I can't get Lubuntu 12.10 to install on my Quicksilver. MintPPC 11... no problem.
ReplyDeleteThe issues you're having can be avoided by using 12.04. As I mention in past writing people should use 12.04 if they want a stable version that installs and runs with ease.
DeleteIn terms of Mint 11 vs. 12.10 I have never run Mint 11 for any extent of time but did use 9 for a while. I prefer Lubuntu as I also have written in the past but that is all personal preference.
Another thing about Mint PPC is that it already has a decent support system on it's own forum and such where as Lubuntu lacks such a vast resource or user base. Add to that the fact that Dan at PPC Luddite in a Debian centric writer and Mint = Debian LXDE.
I would rather focus on the distros that lack proper support and Lubuntu is a perfect candidate.
I respect that. Lubuntu needs a larger user base that can give feedback to its developers. Your promotion of it on this blog will help. Keep up the good work.
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