h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's true, though, isn't it? It evolves as code is cut to fit a niche. And there's an analogy to the selfish gene, too: The successful bits get taken up and included in the DNA of other organisms.

I've only been a Linux user for 5 months, and I'm just about up the learning curve sufficiently to get it to do useful stuff. This week I made my first contribution to 'the community': http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=169278

I've been using Debian GNU/Linux now for about two years, and I'm just beginning to understand a bit here and there, mainly about networking and server stuff.

My current system runs debian testing/unstable, and I administer both Ubuntu and Debian systems for clients.

I'm also interested in audio/audio editing, but haven't had much time to play around.

I'll be getting a midi-capable guitar next month, which hopefully will inspire me to learn more about audio editing

It doesn't get much easier -- http://goodbye-microsoft.com/

True, true.

However...as I've just said in a conference paper wot I wrote: "Most problems are human, not technical".

What I'm still struggling with in Ubuntu is how to transalte geek-speak into ordinary language. For example - a default Ubuntu (or Debian) installation won't let you play videos from, eg, YouTube in your browser. You need to do some configuration. You *might* be able to work out that it involves something to do with a combination of Firefox pluguns and multimedia codecs. But nobody will tell you that. The home user installing by this method may be tempted to think 'this is crap' and give up.

No?

Someone (me?) needs to write 'Linux for Dummies'. (Except we're not dummies - just ordinary people short on the time needed to mess around and find things out the hard way)

Ubuntu has done much to popularize Open Source, but the release remains something of a two-edged blade, because although it is dead simple to install, it is also a b**ch to update/customize.

The next official stable release of Debian -- Etch 4.0 (currently testing), is looking very nice, and sports a snazzy graphic installer front-end --- http://www.debianadmin.com/debian-etch-beta3-graphical-mode-installation-with-screenshots.html

The problem with the multimedia codecs will no doubt continue, mainly because Micro$oft refuses to open-source them.
This is why they are not included in the official release, and are not available from the official repositories.

They must be installed later...

In Debian, from a 'console' or 'terminal', or from the command line interface:

$ su
password
# echo "deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org/ etch main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list
# apt-get update
# apt-get install w32codecs mozilla-mplayer flashplugin-nonfree

.. pretty much takes care of most multimedia.
In order to play DVDs, there are a couple of other things:

# apt-get install libdvdcss2 libdvdread3

In the default, 'rootless', Ubuntu install, use 'sudo' instead

Linux, and most Open Source documentation, is improving.
There still remains an 'info-gap' -- there seems to be lots of 'Linux for Dummies' stuff that is just too basic, and, at the other end of the stick, documentation that becomes far too technical after the first sentence..
As you note, there seems to be a lack of decent, non-techy middle-ground how-tos regarding such things as multimedia, networking, and printing.

I don't agree that 'nobody will tell you' about the Firefox/codecs setup, but perhaps it isn't as easy to find as it should be.
And that often does cause newbies to just give up

A not unreasonable temporary 'fix', at least for Debian, might be to provide links to some of the more useful fora*, both on the official site, and in the installation media.
Some of the smaller distros already do this, but wading through the Debian on-site documentation is fairly daunting to newcomers.

Also, it wouldn't hurt for both Debian and Ubuntu to provide notice/information regarding the multimedia situation, right up front, both on the official sites and at least once during the installation process

*http://forums.debian.net/

-- Did you wake up this morning and say "I wish someone would figure out a way to let me do less with my computer"? You've come to the right place!

http://www.linuxgenuineadvantage.org/

Welll...I've already discovered how to do less with my iPod. All you have to do is let gtkpod accidentally overwrite its database with a blank one. Then you're left with an iPod full of mp3s and no way to index them. Looking at various user forums, nobody on this earth seems to have had the same problem before. Makes me feel quites special!

'fraid I cannot help you with your iPod

But this should cheer you a wee bit -- http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/canada/2007/01/microsoft_launches_vista_to_co.html

Any idea whow I can diagnose an I/O error on my 'Pod. Eg what's the Lx equivalent of Checkdisk?

You could try fsck (which is lx-speak for File System ChecK)

I think a lot depends on the filesystem the device uses, so rtfm first:

Type the command: 'man fsck' in a terminal, or if you use the gnome help browser, (gnome-help-browser), or kde's konqueror, type man:fsck in the address bar.

Don't you just love all this time-saving technology?

You're going to regret having stuck your gead above the parapet...

iPod nicely fixed. I had to reformat it with someone else's Windows machine, but am well on the road to replacing the 2)GB of songs I lost. And I've just discovered something excellent could Soundconverter - the joy of Linux! All these things are so deperately easy to find and install.

However...since upgrading from Ubuntu Dapper to Edgy, all sorts of things have been falling over. My multimedia is seriously messed up. But most importantly...why does Python keep on suddenly starting up in the background and hogging my processor? It's there on startup - although its not in my startup script - so I kill it...but eventually I see from the system monitor that it's back.

Any ideas?

And what's the easiest way to do a clean re-install? Luckily all my data is on a separated HD.

Stuck my what?

My friend, you have encountered the dreaded 'ubuntu upgrade'

Ubuntu is very easy to install, but seems to develop all kinds of weird problems when one wishes to upgrade. Not to say Debian is completely free of weirdness..

Multimedia is becoming less of a black art for Linux, but there are still some things that can make you pull your hair. For example, I don't use the gnome-alsa-mixer. (too boring to bother explaining why)

Most of my tips, tricks and fixes relate to Debian, so they may not be useful in 'buntu, despite there being a good deal of crossover. Also, 'messed up' isn't a very detailed problem description

Difficult to say why python keeps starting. There are programs such as network monitors that require python. Ubuntu devs seem fond of Python..

Since all your data is on another drive, you might consider installing Debian Etch. It's got a nice, shiny gui installer! And comes with your choice of desktops! It's brand GNU!

Seriously, if you decide to give Debian Etch a try, I'll more easily be able to give you a few tips, because I'm much more familiar with Debian's idiosyncracies