Monday, May 24, 2010

What hardware should I buy to multi-boot Mac, Linux and Windows?

Installing Linux and Mac seems OK as they are both Unix. Now thanks to Mac Intel, it seems possible to get it going with Windows... But what would be the best hardware? Mac?


Has anybody tried?

What hardware should I buy to multi-boot Mac, Linux and Windows?
Hi, if u want to multi-boot between all 3 systems on one machine then get an iMac. If u dual boot Windows with OS X then u need boot camp. If u want to dual boot Linux with OS X, then just resize OS X partition and install Linux with GRUB. Booting all 3 on a Mac, I am not sure. Also u could get a PC with similar hardware to an iMac and run Leopard on it with the help of the osx86 project. Its up to u.


Good Luck!
Reply:You could get Boot camp of Parrels for Mac


How do i troubleshoot sound card problems in Linux?

I've intel DC102 motherboard which contains real tech high definition audio card.Its working well in windows but in Linux it seems there is a problem with /dev/mixer

How do i troubleshoot sound card problems in Linux?
If you already identified /dev/mixer be the problem, just install a mixer panel and adjust /dev/mixer through it, it seems distros don't agree on a standardized version since they differ in even which desktop to run, sometimes the default is aumix, kmix, whatever can it be. No wonder Linux has yet to make much encroachment into desktop computer.





Mine is Xubuntu it is xfce4-mixer.
Reply:The Linux kernel currently supports the following sound cards:





Roland MPU-401 MIDI interface





AdLib





SoundBlaster and compatibles (including ThunderBoard and Ati Stereo F/X)





SoundBlaster Pro





SoundBlaster 16





ProAudioSpectrum 16





Gravis UltraSound





The Linux kernel also supports the SCSI port provided on some sound cards (e.g., ProAudioSpectrum 16) and the CD-ROM interface provided on the Soundblaster Pro and SoundBlaster 16.





For those who do not (yet) have sound hardware, there are a couple of other options. With a little hardware, a sound interface can be built using the parallel printer port. For a zero-cost solution, there is even a sound driver for the internal speaker of your PC. The driver is compatible with the sound card driver, but the quality may leave something to be desired.





Configuring Linux for Sound


Setting up Linux to support a sound card involves the following steps:





installing the sound card





configuring and building the kernel with the sound drivers





creating the sound device files





testing the installation





The first requirement, if you have not already done so, is to install the sound card. Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Be sure to note down the jumper settings for IRQ, DMA channel, and so on; if you are unsure, use the factory defaults. Try to avoid conflicts with other devices (e.g., Ethernet cards) if possible. You will also need speakers, and a microphone if you want to do any recording. A math co-processor is also useful for some sound applications (e.g., changing file formats, adding effects or speech synthesis), but not necessary.





The next step is to configure the Linux kernel. If you are using a recent version (0.99 patch level 14 or later), the sound drivers are included with the kernel release. Follow your usual procedure for building the kernel. When you configure the kernel, enable the sound driver, and answer the questions about sound card settings when prompted by the configure program.





Once the kernel is configured, you need to create the sound device files. The easiest way to do this is to cut the short shell script from the end of the file /usr/src/linux/drivers/sound/Readme.linu... and run it as root. These are the files that will be created:





/dev/audio- Sun workstation compatible audio device (read/write)





/dev/dsp- digital sampling device (read/write)





/dev/mixer- sound mixer





/dev/sequencer- MIDI, FM, and GUS synthesizer access





/dev/midi- MIDI device (not yet implemented in current sound driver)





/dev/sndstat- displays sound driver status when read





/dev/audio1- for second sound card





/dev/dsp1- for second sound card





If you are using the PC speaker sound driver, then it will use the following devices:





/dev/pcaudio- equivalent to /dev/audio





/dev/pcsp- equivalent to /dev/dsp





/dev/pcmixer- equivalent to /dev/mixer





Now that the kernel is configured and the device files created, you can verify the sound hardware and software. Follow your usual procedure for installing and rebooting the new kernel. (Keep the old kernel around in case of problems, of course.) Verify that sound card is recognized during kernel initialization. You should see a message such as the following on powerup:





snd2 %26lt;SoundBlaster Pro 3.2%26gt; at 0x220 irq 5 drq 1





snd1 %26lt;Yamaha OPL-3 FM%26gt; at 0x388 irq 0 drq 0





This should match your sound card type and jumper settings. The driver may also display some error messages and warnings during boot up. Watch for these when booting the first time after configuring the sound driver.





If no sound card is detected when booting, there are a couple of possible reasons. The configuration of the driver could be incorrect and the driver was not able to detect your card in the given I/O address. Another common error is not having the sound driver in the kernel, because you booted with an old kernel instead of the one that was just compiled.





Reading the sound driver status device file provides additional information on whether the sound card driver initialized properly. Sample output should look something like this:





% cat /dev/sndstat


Sound Driver:2.4 (Sun Feb 13 14:49:20 EST 1994 root@fizzbin.mitel.com)


Config options: 1aa2


HW config:


Type 2: SoundBlaster at 0x220 irq 5 drq 1


Type 1: AdLib at 0x388 irq 0 drq 0


PCM devices:


0: SoundBlaster Pro 3.2


Synth devices:


0: Yamaha OPL-3


Midi devices:


0: SoundBlaster


Mixer(s) installed





If the cat command displays "No such device", then the sound driver is not active in the kernel. If the printout contains no devices (PCM, Synth or Midi), then your sound card was not detected. Verify that you entered the correct information when configuring the sound driver.





Now you should be ready to play a sample sound file, and send it to the sound device as a basic check of sound output, for example,





% cat endoftheworld %26gt;/dev/dsp


% cat crash.au %26gt;/dev/audio





Some sample sound files can be obtained from the file snd-data-0.1.tar.Z, available on many Linux archive sites.





If you have sound input capability, you can do a quick test of this using commands such as the following:





# record 4 seconds of audio from microphone


% dd bs=8k count=4 %26lt;/dev/audio %26gt;sample.au


# play back sound


% cat sample.au %26gt;/dev/audio

pollen

How do I make the swap partition in linux Larger?

How do I resize the linux swap partition in fedora core 5? I would like to do this from x and non-destructivly.

How do I make the swap partition in linux Larger?
It might be easier to reinstall FC5 with the swap size you want.


What are some good programs for Linux?

I just made the switch from Windows XP to Linux Mint. What should I do first? I've already configured things to my liking and imported all of my music and video. What should I do now? What should I learn? What can I do on Linux and not Windows? I want to create something. I can't play an instrument. I don't know how to program. I know nothing about Linux. Please guide me. What should I download? What should I do for fun?

What are some good programs for Linux?
lenex


Is it possible to manage a sisco router while in Linux?

It is a question of curiosity. I often manage Cisco routers but I do it while I am in windows so I would like to know if you can do the same thing in linux as well and if so then how to do it in linux?

Is it possible to manage a sisco router while in Linux?
in linux console just telnet over the cisco router IP:port
Reply:you can always check compatibility from the microsoft windows website as well as linux.The answer to your question is yes but while not find out for yourself you might as well get some useful information there.Good luck
Reply:I can just say that Cisco is Great for Linux
Reply:no


Does anyone know a live chat room where I can get answers to Linux questions?

I'm looking for a live chat rooms where I can chat with experts of Linux or Unix and ask questions and can get answers.

Does anyone know a live chat room where I can get answers to Linux questions?
IRC chatrooms alot of live chatrooms theres, almost Linux hardcore users you can find.
Reply:yes get an irc client like trillian(http://www.ceruleanstudios.com/) and connect to irc.freenode.net and join the ##linux chatroom. i'm there right now.
Reply:Search the irc networks. Lots of channels.

playing cards

What are the advantages/disadvantages of using Linux instead of windows?

Is there any? Would I notice? Would you buy a new computer with Linux?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of using Linux instead of windows?
My answer is slightly long winded, but thorough and based on an expensive disappointment at the hands of Vista.





This is an ideal opportunity to try out the new Linux Ubuntu 7.10, the graphics and effects are far superior to Vista see link below :





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC5uEe5Oz...





Ubuntu is free as it is open source, the download link is :





http://www.ubuntu.com/





Once you have downloaded Ubuntu 7.10, you will have an ISO image file. You will then need to create a bootable disc of the file.





This can be achieved by using Nero Burning ROM if you have it or MagicISO a free trial of which is available for download :





http://www.magiciso.com/





Once you have created the bootable disc, we are going to call it the LIVE CD.





Start your PC from the Ubuntu live CD, select start or install when prompted, once the Ubuntu desktop has appeared in the top left hand corner there is an option to install, double click and the installation screen will appear.





Once Ubuntu has asked you about regional settings etc. it will then take you into the partitioning table, if you select the default setting which is on the top, Ubuntu will then automatically sort the space it needs and install its own Grub bootloader.





I am so taken with Ubuntu 7.10, I have ditched windows altogether and I am now running Ubuntu as my primary operating system.





You can run quite a number of windows applications on Ubuntu using WINE, a piece of software that emulates windows. For details of this visit :





http://www.winehq.org/site/download-deb





http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/wine





Ubuntu 7.10 is also incredibly easy to use and has online support second to none :





http://ubuntuforums.org/





Ubuntu vs Vista (these ratings based on personal extensive experience working with both)





I will break it down in to categories and give each system a rating out of 10.





System resource friendly :





Ubuntu 10/10


Vista 4/10





Graphics (Eye Candy) :





Ubuntu 10/10


Vista 7/10





Ease of use :





Ubuntu 8/10


Vista 9/10





Software compatability :





Ubuntu 6/10 (Open Source alternatives in some cases are available) also WINE as described above can be used.


Vista 8/10





Wireless compatability :





Ubuntu 5/10


Vista 8/10





Networking compatability :





Ubuntu 7/10


Vista 8 /10





Security :





Ubuntu 10/10


Vista 7/10





Gaming :





Ubuntu 3/10


Vista 8/10


This category sourced from various sites.





Office software :





Ubuntu 10/10 (Free)


Vista 2 /10





Price :





Ubuntu 10/10 (Free)


Vista 2/10





Overall performance :





Ubuntu 9/10


Vista 6/10








Of the two for me Ubuntu wins hands down.





The only favor Vista did for me, was to encourage me to discover Ubuntu
Reply:As stated by $¢®îptêd, it is targeted less by hackers and virus/worm writers, but that does not make it less vulnerable.





If you are not familiar with configuring operating systems and a competent C Scripter then stay well away from Linux, it's not a beginners platform.





If your primary use of a computer is gaming, then stay away from Linux.
Reply:Advantages:





Free to use,no DRM or MS style end user agreements.


Free or very nearly to obtain just a few £s if you choose to buy


Usually very stable .


Powerful


Secure


Very resistant to viruses etc.partly due to there being nothing like as many viruses as aimed at MS and partly due to the structure of the Linux operating system which makes it much harder for viruses, worms etc to do any system wide damage.


Huge choice of distros to choose from,PCLinux,Ubuntu Open Suse,Madriva,Mepis,Linspire and many many more


Some very helpful and friendly forums exist to help you should you run into difficulties.


Software is free,and there is a lot to choose from.


Doesn't use your system resources up like the big commercial OS does.


You can customize to your hearts content (if thats your thing)


You will learn new techniques








Disadvantages:


No real commercial software available(although some can run using WINE )


Can be a steep learning curve.


Some hardware issues:USB modems,lexmark printers.





Would I buy a new PC with Linux? not sure as it's so easy to get hold of and easy to install,I think I'd just buy the Hardware and choose my own distro...but if you want a yes or no answer then Yes.
Reply:LINUX





pros: open source (free),many distros (variant),more beautiful user interface than windows,and light system requirement





cons : Limited software,not all people use linux
Reply:linux is free





there are not may viruses for it.


its open source and updated more regulaly.


its as powerful


there are lots of other bits of sfotware available which is free too.


its also more secure.





you would probably be better in getting a windows pc and then dual booting it with linux aswell.





disadvantages are that allot of games dont work well with linux.
Reply:these guys said it all you can have windows full of viruses or linux with 0 viruses that kind made my choice easy linux mint
Reply:Advantages.


1. Best Gui features from windows.


2. More secure than windows.


3. Free version are available.


Disadvantge.


Much Complex to work than windows.


Mostly used in server only.
Reply:Yes, i would buy a computer with Linux.





http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/
Reply:Hi, here r the advantages of Linux:





1. It has a Unix heritage and works in almost the same way as the original Unix and that makes it a lot more stable and secure.


2. Running Linux means that u never have to worry about ur security cause there is nothing out there that can harm u in anyway though u must always run a firewall though no matter what OS u use.


3. Its free and open source meaning problems get fixed sooner since source is available to everyone and anyone can modify it and improve it.


4. Linux itself is very stable and almost never crashes at all, u could leave Linux running for a month and still not notice any decrease in performance.


5. With Linux u have all the software in the world u will ever need and some commercial software is used by Linux as well and Linux has proprietary drivers for everything now.


6. Since Linux tries to support all hardware out of the box, it has better hardware support then any other OS.


7. Linux is fully customizable and u can personalize it and make your system look like whatever u want.


8. Linux has different desktop environments for u to use giving u a choice such as KDE or gnome.


9. You have your privacy using Linux as no one can monitor your computer as the case is with other OS's.


10. There is no digital rights management in Linux so u r free to use any type of media u want.


11. Linux uses compiz fusion for its 3d effects which no operating system can beat.





Now here r the disadvantages:





1. Linux is difficult in the beginning no matter which distribution u use and there is a lot of learning to do.


2. Some commercial software is not supported on Linux.


3.Not all hardware is compatible with Linux though this is very rare these days but lets say lexmark printers and stuff support for Linux sucks. Almost any Hp printer works on Linux though and their support for Linux is awesome.


4. Linux and even Mac OS X r not gamer platforms so even though there r many games out for Linux, majority of them r for Windows only.





I am using Kubuntu 7.10, for some one just starting with Linux I would suggest Linux Mint 4.0 which is based on Ubuntu 7.10 but is slightly easier to use, more stable, looks better, and has some good modifications made to it making it more user friendly.





I hope I helped.





Good Luck!