[aldacron]

Some time in the next week or two I'm going to go out to the local electronics market and look for a used computer to hook up to my LAN. I need to install FreeBSD on it (I need a local mirror for a remote server I'm setting up for another project), but I will also go ahead and dual boot a Linux distro.

I had a Debian box set up last year, but it was ancient and the hard drive crapped out on me a short time later. I also had Ubuntu installed on a second hard drive on my primary box for dual boot. I got frustrated at some point though, formatted for NTFS, and use the drive now as an additional volume in Windows. Readers of my blog will know that I'm far from being a fan of Linux.

But, since there's a fair number of Linux users popping up with issues in the forums here, and since the guys who were helping with the Linux side are tied up elsewhere, it's time for me to bite the bullet. I'll do what I can to get into the comfort zone with Linux and make sure Derelict is doing what it's supposed to there with DMD, GDC and Tango. Additionally, I'll see what happens on FreeBSD.

I'm not really looking forward to it (I still think Linux is just a big mess, particularly with all the different distributions, configurations, glibc versions, and so on -- what a nightmare), but it needs to be done. At some point, once I'm on solid ground, Derelict on Linux should be 100% stable. My goal is to eliminate the compile errors that keep cropping up from time-to-time.

Anyway, just an FYI.
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The One With D | The One With Aldacron | D Bits

[volcore]

Seems like your Linux is my Windows It's just a matter of what mess you are used to, and what you prefer.

That said, I don't believe its good to force anyone to use any operating system he or she doesn't like. Likewise, I don't see a necessity for you to install linux. If there are problems, there will be people like me that send in bug reports and patches that will fix the issues for the corresponding operating systems.

I've been working with different Linux distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Gentoo, Suse) and systems (64 bit, 32 bit, multitudes of different setups) so if you need help or someone to do cross compilations, drop me a line on ICQ/MSN/Jabber or Email (Just send me a PM) and we can see how much I can help out.

[aldacron]

Heh, nobody's forcing me to use anything. Well, I'm forcing myself. But it really is well past time for me to get up to speed with Linux. I've made several attempts over the years and aborted them all in frustration. But now I'm determined Besides, it would be nice to be able to see for myself if changes I make locally break anything before I commit them.
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The One With D | The One With Aldacron | D Bits

[Deltafire]

Long time Gentoo user here - just wondering what distro you're going to install?

In my opinion Gentoo is great for developing, mainly because it has a rock-solid toolchain (it needs it) and has everything you need for developing installed as standard, plus the ebuild system is well suited for maintaining source packages (there is also a dlang overlay being maintained by someone, somewhere - although at the moment it only includes dmd - it would be nice if we could expand on this).

I've also got Kubuntu on my laptop, mainly because it was quick & easy to install, and FreeBSD sitting on a now unused server.

As you're aware, there are lots of other distros out there too - each with their own advantages and disadvanges. What will you choose?

[aldacron]

[aldacron]

I've settled on Ubuntu (Edgy Eft). I had to fight with it a bit, as both the latest version and the old 5.10 (Hoary?) I had also went screwy with my display. I had the same problem that I had seen on FreeBSD (which, I suppose, makes sense as it's all Xorg) -- auto configuration was setting up the wrong parameters for my monitor and manual configuration (via the config app, since I'm not too swift with emacs, vi, or vim) was telling me that my card was not in the database. I know I had Ubuntu up and running on this system before, so I was banging my head on the desk trying to figure out the problem. Then I realized that when I last ran Ubuntu I did so with a single monitor. Currently, I have a dual monitor setup.

So I disconnected the secondary monitor, installed Edgy again, and presto! I now have a shiny new Ubuntu installation from which I am currently typing this. So far, it's running smoothly. The auto-updater even works when I click on it! I recall the last time I tried Ubuntu, that kept failing and I had to update packages manually. I haven't tested my audio yet, but that's no big deal.

I'm tempted to see if I can get FreeBSD up and running now with just the one monitor, but I'm better off keeping what I've got rather than tempting fate. I'm going to run Linux exclusively for the next week or so, get reacquainted with the little I've learned in the past, and try to get up to speed with the rest. One of the first things I need to figure out is how to get that second monitor configured properly.

I'm trying to take this more seriously than I have in the past, particularly since I need to learn my way around FreeBSD soon for that other project. Hopefully, I won't format the installation with an NTFS file system in frustration this time. I may even be convinced to tone down my Linux bashing. Ubuntu is really looking nice. Wish me luck.
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The One With D | The One With Aldacron | D Bits

[aldacron]

Audio: Check!
Dual Monitors: Check!

I should have tried Edgy Eft sooner. So far, this is shaping up to be my best Linux experience ever. I'll shut up about it now until a week has passed. Then we'll see how I feel about it
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The One With D | The One With Aldacron | D Bits