mint 13 with lxde
Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:18 pm
Dear group, I have a linux mint 13 cinnamon DVD (or is it a cd? - how can i tell the difference?)
I am seeking a little reassurance about installing.
I love the unix/linux "command-line", but the GUI issues in linux
and some of the system adminstration issues have me always confused.
(For example, when I boot, I don't want a splash screen - I want the good old
boot-log entries to scroll by. But I don't know how to get that.
I also want to disable automatic filesystem checking, and do that manually.
and I want to learn how to set-up chron jobs - it doesn't work the way
old unix books say anymore. )
I basically want to use linux to run emacs, tex, and gcc, and to use
ftp and a web-browser, and install and run new software like calibre.
I don't really want to fuss with linux configuration and administration
when I get it set. (I can't remember enough to re-do stuff.)
I want to keep the latest browsers running, so I must keep my
OS and dynamic loadable modules uptodate. I wish I didn't
have to, but I do.
(1) I want to install on a 64-bit machine currently running win7. I don't
know if the dvd holds a 32-bit or 64-bit system. Will it tell me, or give me the option to
choose, if both are there? Can I use either? I think I heard the 32-bit version is more
robust. I do want to run some old 32-bit software (e.g. xv) on the new mint system.
What should i choose, and how should I get it?
(2) I want to dual boot. There are some web-pages that explain this somewhat.
can you point me to a good comprehensive help source. (I like text
better than pictures with "screenshots".) The source I looked at seems to put
grub in a boot partition and not in the MBR. And then one somehow tells win7 about
dual-booting. That's okay if it works. Will there be any problems or not nice
behavior that i might expect?
(3) My main difficulty will, I
think, be connecting to the net during installation.
My win7 machine is on a wired LAN with a fixed
ip number (204.241.zz.yy) and a fixed gateway (router) ip number (204.241.aa.bb)
I cannot have the mint install assume it can use dhcp. It can't. will that be
a problem, and if so, how do I overcome it.
(4) When I install I want to select the LXDE desktop - (that's why I am asking in this sub-group.)
But I want to be a main-line mint install, so that I can just keep getting updates
and never ever have to install again. I can do that can't I?
And I can somehow select or install the LDXE desktop instead of cinnamon, right?
(4) I assume the repositories that linux mint uses are the ubuntu 12.04 or whatever
is hooked to mint 13. Is that right? What happens when canonical pulls the rug out
and disables those repositories? How do I keep current forever as I hope to do?
(Does linux mint have the same nice automatic update notification that ubuntu
does? I liked it until it stopped updating.) The point here is I liked to get updates
but I did not want any that effected my gnome 2 desktop, so I couldn't go with canonical
as they forced changes on me that i couldn't handle.
So any reassurance that I won't get in a big mess, from someone who has done this
would be appreciated along with any links to valuable howtos that i can follow.
I generally like to kind of write-out on paper what to expect, and what i must do,
and then just do it like an automaton i.e. think first, and don't have to struggle
(or think) later.
My guess is that there are lots of people like me who would turn to linux, mint or
otherwise, if they could get answers to questions similar to mine. If I ever
get enough knowledge, I will write a story about this to help other newbies.
Thanks, gary knott
I am seeking a little reassurance about installing.
I love the unix/linux "command-line", but the GUI issues in linux
and some of the system adminstration issues have me always confused.
(For example, when I boot, I don't want a splash screen - I want the good old
boot-log entries to scroll by. But I don't know how to get that.
I also want to disable automatic filesystem checking, and do that manually.
and I want to learn how to set-up chron jobs - it doesn't work the way
old unix books say anymore. )
I basically want to use linux to run emacs, tex, and gcc, and to use
ftp and a web-browser, and install and run new software like calibre.
I don't really want to fuss with linux configuration and administration
when I get it set. (I can't remember enough to re-do stuff.)
I want to keep the latest browsers running, so I must keep my
OS and dynamic loadable modules uptodate. I wish I didn't
have to, but I do.
(1) I want to install on a 64-bit machine currently running win7. I don't
know if the dvd holds a 32-bit or 64-bit system. Will it tell me, or give me the option to
choose, if both are there? Can I use either? I think I heard the 32-bit version is more
robust. I do want to run some old 32-bit software (e.g. xv) on the new mint system.
What should i choose, and how should I get it?
(2) I want to dual boot. There are some web-pages that explain this somewhat.
can you point me to a good comprehensive help source. (I like text
better than pictures with "screenshots".) The source I looked at seems to put
grub in a boot partition and not in the MBR. And then one somehow tells win7 about
dual-booting. That's okay if it works. Will there be any problems or not nice
behavior that i might expect?
(3) My main difficulty will, I
think, be connecting to the net during installation.
My win7 machine is on a wired LAN with a fixed
ip number (204.241.zz.yy) and a fixed gateway (router) ip number (204.241.aa.bb)
I cannot have the mint install assume it can use dhcp. It can't. will that be
a problem, and if so, how do I overcome it.
(4) When I install I want to select the LXDE desktop - (that's why I am asking in this sub-group.)
But I want to be a main-line mint install, so that I can just keep getting updates
and never ever have to install again. I can do that can't I?
And I can somehow select or install the LDXE desktop instead of cinnamon, right?
(4) I assume the repositories that linux mint uses are the ubuntu 12.04 or whatever
is hooked to mint 13. Is that right? What happens when canonical pulls the rug out
and disables those repositories? How do I keep current forever as I hope to do?
(Does linux mint have the same nice automatic update notification that ubuntu
does? I liked it until it stopped updating.) The point here is I liked to get updates
but I did not want any that effected my gnome 2 desktop, so I couldn't go with canonical
as they forced changes on me that i couldn't handle.
So any reassurance that I won't get in a big mess, from someone who has done this
would be appreciated along with any links to valuable howtos that i can follow.
I generally like to kind of write-out on paper what to expect, and what i must do,
and then just do it like an automaton i.e. think first, and don't have to struggle
(or think) later.
My guess is that there are lots of people like me who would turn to linux, mint or
otherwise, if they could get answers to questions similar to mine. If I ever
get enough knowledge, I will write a story about this to help other newbies.
Thanks, gary knott