[Opensource] Getting rid of Windows on your R61 Lenovo

[Adam Barbary]

Hi Brett,

Sounds like you are really progressing well with Linux. You don't  
mention if you are using 32 or 64 bit Ubuntu, but this will determine  
how hard it is to get Flash working. Anyway, I think the first place  
you should start is here....

http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Ubuntu:Jaunty

Cheers,

Adam Barbary
LMS Support
University of Ballarat

On 12/10/2009, at 4:08 PM, Brett Groves wrote:

> Greetings all,
>
> Luckily I'm already bald or I would have torn out any hair left  
> since I got my new R61 Lenovo a few months ago and have had to  
> struggle with the joys of Vista. Blue screens, slow, "Windows has  
> detected the cursor has moved, would you like to restart now" type  
> messages.....I had had enough. So I set aside some time over the  
> hols to look at Ubuntu.
>
> Tried the alpha version of the new 9.10 release and it was lovely  
> and very easy to configure but doesnt yet support virtualbox (more  
> on that in moment).
>
> I loaded as a final option instead version 9.04. I actually really  
> didn't need to set aside much time at all. It was unbelievably easy  
> to configure for EduPaSS wireless, the network share drives are  
> ridiculously simple to map, in fact the whole process has been quite  
> pain free...a revelation!
>
> So now my laptop runs at least twice as fast, never blue screens  
> hasn't crashed yet, and installing programs like Rolands suggestion  
> of Kdenlive was trivially easy.
>
> I also installed a program called virtualbox. This is a very nifty  
> piece of software (IT teachers take note if you want to build  
> disposable servers with your students, much easier than VMware for a  
> pseudo IT teacher like me) that allows you to install a 'virtual'  
> copy of Windows. Windows and Ubuntu can be seamlessly integrated  
> using an add on called guest additions. So now I have XP and Ubuntu  
> running side by side for those programs like Markbook, FirstClass,  
> VBnet etc that don't have a Linux version but are needed for the day  
> to day life of a teacher.
>
> The one and only grumble is I have had little trouble getting Flash  
> to work in Firefox, handy for youtube, teachertube etc. I am  
> confident though this can be sorted or if not I know it works out of  
> the box on Ubuntu 9.10 which is available as general release in 17  
> days.
>
> Overall I'm incredibly happy with the project and the change, so if  
> you are as frustrated with MS as I have been don't just put up with  
> it, there are many better alternatives out there and I expect that  
> Ubuntu is just one possibility.
>
> If anyone would like assistance in making the switch just drop me an  
> email, would be very happy to help.
>
> Brett Groves - ICT Coordinator - Croydon Secondary College
>
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