Friday 25 April 2008

Hardy Heron


I was going to go to the pub this evening.

Actually, it's almost 1am, so make that last evening.

But as you all know, Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04) came out yesterday. Ubuntu is a Linux operating system, though Jean Knee just thinks it sounds obscene. I'm not sure why, but I haven't tried saying it with a Texan drawl.

Ubuntu releases a new version every 6 months. Their release names are based on animals and go through the alphabet, so the previous one was Gutsy Gibbon, and the next one will be Intrepid Ibex.

The release numbers are year and month, so Gutsy was 7.10 and Intrepid will be 8.10.

I installed Gutsy on my desktop machine last month, and removed Windows entirely. I've not used my laptop (The Silver Surfer) as much as I'd planned, since I prefer using my Ubuntu machine. I can do all the things I need to on it. Use email. Access the web. Read blogs. Watch Aimilia.

So, instead of going to the pub I spent a couple of hours downloading Hardy. Then another few hours installing it on The Silver Surfer. It took ages because I've left Windows on it as an alternative OS, so had to resize my hard drive (No doubt Jean Knee will tell us that's obscene as well).

The good news is that it mostly works. The bad news is that the wireless thing doesn't. I have two options - get another wireless card or have a go at installing a slightly different version of Hardy (32-bit instead of the AMD-64 version), and if that works, installing the appropriate drivers for the wireless card.

So I've ordered another wireless card. If that arrives (and it's from Amazon, so that's a big "if"), I'll probably be sorted. If not, I'll think again.

So I'm near, so near, to being a Windows-free zone.

12 comments:

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

First!
I really have no idea what all that technical stuff means so I will just wish you the best of luck! And I'll call you if I need to do something like that. :)

Dan said...

Brain I think your next post should be called "misspent adulthood" :-)

Jean Knee said...

just rename this post, you are one happening computer dude.

just thinking of you resizing your hard drive made me hyperventilate

Anonymous said...

I'll come back to comment properly bad freakin' day over here.

Brian o vretanos said...

Tracy:

No, unfortunately I don't really know about that technical stuff either ;-)

Dan:

Yes, you're totally right ;-)

Jean Knee:

It seemed to take forever to get past 0%, then it was over in a second...

Brian o vretanos said...

Bee:

Sorry to hear that. Take your time. And give the bats a kick from me...

Jean Knee said...

smmirrk

Jean Knee said...

It seemed to take forever to get past 0%, then it was over in a second...





sounds familiar, I just can't place it

Jean Knee said...

you're at the pub, aren't you? are we gonna have to have an intervention??

Bee said...

My laptop came with a wireless thingamajig. It's also red.
;op
That Heron picture looks really cool!

Brian o vretanos said...

Jean Knee:

I wasn't in the pub at 1 in the morning, no. What intervention?

Bee:

Ah, a red one? If I get desperate I might try one of those...

Anonymous said...

what's wrong with windows, is it a gimpy program or what

choosing ubuntu is just like inviting Big Brother into your home and saying, "please sir may I have another"

don't bend over