Ubuntu 4.10

[Eric Dunbar]

Well, I managed to back up my 20 GB drive (over 802.11b... to disk
images on my YDL server) and now have Unbuntu up and running. The
install was as easy for YDL 3.0.1!

What's my hardware?

PowerBook G3/400 (Pismo), 512 MB RAM, 20 GB HD (partitioned: 5.1 GB
formerly HFS+, now Ubuntu (3 partitions) & 13.6 GB HFS+ OS X 10.3.6)

Here's what Ubuntu did.

- It _properly_ destroyed one partition, kept another partition,
formatted the newly created free space using the pseudo-automated
settings (very easy if you RTFS), thereby creating the boot partition
(1 MB for yboot), swap partition (256 MB... automatic) and / partition
(~5 GB));
- it automagically detected my 802.11b network BEFORE doing the
install and connecting to the web (so, I didn't have to hook the
laptop up to an inconveniently placed router);
- it downloaded the necessary files (~40 MB) and did so at ~180 KB/sec
(fast for my ADSL);
- took a while (1 hour?) to do the actual install (rather long given
the size of the beast);
- lead me through a set-up procedure that was straight-forward (a
computer ignoramus could have done everything but the partitioning...
they'd be too scared that they'd break their computer there I
imagine).

NOTE: When it says "Registering documentation... Wait." it REALLY
means wait! Your computer hasn't crashed (took ~10 mins for me).

*I* made a mistake at the resolution selection section (should've
accepted the default). I added 1152x864 and 1280x1024 to the DEFAULT
list of resolutions figuring I'd be future proof so I could hook up my
external monitor (1024x768, 800x600, 640x480 were the defaults). That
mucked up the x-server's resolution (I had to ctrl-alt-keypad-minus
(need to turn on num lock on a laptop) to get the resolution down to
1024x768 (with screen panning... or whatever that's called)... this at
least allowed me to see the screen). In GNOME I fixed the resolution
for my session (or whatever that's called) with the "Screen
Resolution" System Configuration app, but for the system as a whole I
had to edit the XF86Config-4 file in /etc/X11 and remove "1280x1024"
"1152x864" from the relevant lines.

Otherwise, the install did indeed go flawlessly, and this included
destroying one pre-existing 5.2 GB HFS+ partition (1st logical), and
retaining a 13.6 GB OSX HFS+ partition (2nd logical). I was lucky that
I had envisioned installing Linux some day when I originally
partitioned this drive -- I now get to keep my 1 year old OS X install
on the 13 GB partition (which is running stunningly stable for a one
year old install) and have a new toy, all in one compact, beautiful
black, sleek package (Pismo).

So what do I have now:

A seemingly functioning GNU/Linux running an up-to-date version of
GNOME (I'm very impressed by the new GNOME... I can see the foundation
being laid for the introduction of a FIXED menu bar at the top of the
screen... a MAJOR user interface flaw of all modern non-Apple
windowing systems).

For those of you who care about sound (I personally have a love-hate
relationship with computer sounds so sound is low on my list of
priorities), it worked right out of the box (much to my chagrin). The
F-keys on  my laptop do exactly what I expect of them... F1/F2 change
brightness, F3/F4 volume, F6 mute, F5 numlock.

Relatively few apps included in the distro but I guess that's the
spartan philosophy behind Ubuntu -- give the user only what she needs
to get up and running. If she wants a particular app, it's out there
to be downloaded!

It comes with Open Office.org 1.1, FireFox 0.9.3 (I guess they too
weren't happy with the stability of 1.0 either ;-), The GIMP 2.0, and
<yippi> gedit (I love this little app). All I need is Mozilla for
crude web page design and I'll be set on this machine.

I'd love to move the Beige G3 over to Ubuntu to see how it'd perform
but unfortunately they don't have installs for OldWorld machines yet
(I imagine that it's only time before they do since all you need is to
get the kernel loaded by BootX, right?).

Eric.