[wellylug] Xubuntu Install Death Madness Pudding

mik at supra.net.nz mik at supra.net.nz
Wed Jan 17 23:00:28 NZDT 2007


hi ppl,
first time EVER linux twiddler wonders . .
is there anyone in the newtown area able to assist in the completion of an
Xubuntu install,
(chosen because of the apparently lower spec system requirements).
Am thinking, would possibly need to be familiar with OLD hardware driver
support :)

I've successfully burnt & tested the 'xubuntu-6.10-alternate-i386.iso'
then worked my way through the initial install & configuration of files.

But on reboot, it returns a 'Failed to start X Server' error message
& dumps to a blank screen . . of maybe some mystery console ?

So perhaps lacking drivers for the ye olde (bus) hardware involved,
*cough* PCI video (x2), 56k, usb2 (5 port) & ISA ethernet, sound cards.
But surely Linux, savior of peoplekind from the demonic vista
can (still?) cope with such humble erm aspirations.

Anyhoo, had a read through of
http://users.bigpond.net.au/hermanzone/p7.html
but am immediately out of my depth.

Thanks if any interest out there,
looking forward to solving this,
& finally joining the L gang,
(i've seen the tv prog).

cheers mik.


ps: hmm, hoping i haven't stumbled into an extremely exclusive enclave here.
pps: so alternatively, advice on contact with a (more) suitable help
'situation' appreciated.
ppps: imagine my amusment when i discovered this . .

But the conclusion we reached was that, although Microsoft could indeed
produce a free OS if it wanted to, the situation won't arise, simply
because Linux will never pose a genuine threat.

Here's why.
Huge numbers of new Linux users will require huge amounts of support.
Proper support, not crappy and impenetrable forum support, where users go
in the hope of stumbling across drivers. The end user will need to either
have everything done for them with completely automatic updates or by
proper phone and Website support.

pppps: (the pudding factor)

For businesses, prepared to fund a basement full of geeks to keep their IT
running, Linux is an option. For home users, it isn't. Home users rely on
a bloke in the pub to pop round to kick their PC if it misbehaves and
reward him with a couple of pints or, if he's lucky, a bottle of Scotch.
Monetary remuneration simply doesn't enter into the equation – home users
simply aren't prepared to pay for support.

I have been one of those blokes in the pub for years [Tell us something we
don't know – Ed] and I can assure you that trying to talk an ordinary
person through an impenetrable command line interface over the phone isn't
something I'm prepared to even contemplate. By comparison, giving
telephone advice to someone running Windows is a piece of cake – it
requires zero technical aptitude at the far end.

ppppps: well actually, for obvious reasons, i'd decided not to post this,
but hey it's teh bd & a certain level of misbehavior is expected :)





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