[Marquis de Sade]

Hi. I have next to no technical ability but I thought I would have a play with ubuntu. I have installed it with the "install within windows" option, but now I do not no how to connect to the Internet. I have fiddled with some of the options but I don' t really know what any of them mean.

Could someone help?

[1002richards]

Hi,
I found that I couldn't connect wirelessly to the internet - Atheros not yet fully compatible (not an expert so can't elaborate!) so I use ethernet cable which connects with no hassle.
Perhaps this guide may help:
https://help.ubuntu.com/7.10/internet/C/connect.html

Richard

[krehator]

Really? I have an Acer 5102wlmi with an Atheros Wireless adapter and 8.04 LTS picks it right up. Which model are you using?


OP: Good luck. Linux has its rewards but it IS NOT Windows no matter how much it looks like it. You'll be spending a lot of time in the terminal typing in commands to get things to work. Don't think you're going to download new packages, install them, and go. It simply doesn't work out that way.

Yes, it has a nice GUI but it's an outer shell that is still unable to break away from the bonds of the console. This is one main reason that I don't think it has caught on with the mainstream public. They don't want to deal with a terminal whether Linux supporters agree with it or not. You have to offer a product that the consumers want, not what you think they should have. Many hardcore Linux fans who are really just Windows haters can't understand that logic.

There are some high quality apps but for the most part its equivilant to freeware for Windows. It may work....it may not. OpenOffice is superb! Gimp is also a notable application.

Ubuntu is a good distro. 95% of the time it's been able to detect all my hardware automatically. When it doesn't then you gotta spend days in forums begging for support. Micro$oft has the advantage because it's got manufacturers building drivers to support Windows. Linux is the other way around, where the OS developers are building drivers to support the devices that manufactures only support for Windows. They are Windows focused thus Linux gets left behind. Not only that. There are so many distros of Linux out there that it's hard to keep up. There are few standards.

I've used many distros and I prefer Ubuntu or Sabayon. One main reason I use it on my Acer laptop is because it has bad USB ports and Windows will not boot or install if there are bad USB ports that cannot be disabled in BOIS. Linux will try to get around a problem or at least allow a way for you to find a workaround. Windows just sits there throwing a temper tantrum because it can't have its way. So for me, Linux is that OS I rely on for special situations. However it just isn't up to stuff to be my main OS because I can't afford to waste time fixing things in a terminal all the time.

Be patient, read a lot, and stick with one distro to learn. Don't jump around like I did, always thinking that I could find a differrent distro to solve a problem instead of solving it myself. You'll just get annoyed and give up if you do that too. Ubuntu has an excellent supply of support forums so you can at least get some answers a little quicker.

Good luck!

[Marquis de Sade]

@ Richard, I use an ethernet cable too, the problem was not with anything not working, just with me not knowing what to do (as in where I put my IP, subnet mask etc). I eventually worked it out though.

@krehator: Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I think I will be fine, I'm only planning on using Ubuntu for web browsing (I got sick of having a pile of security and still getting spyware). I used the "install inside windows option" so I can boot ubuntu when I want to browse the web, and XP professional when I want to play a game. And of course I can write an essay in either.