So, I think I've got it!

[warekl]

Dual OS. I love Ubuntu for it's quick boot, ease of using the internet and email, office applications, etc.
I finally figured out that if I want one laptop for everything, I will have to run windows as well. The world is really Microsoft centric (that's where the customers are). If I want to download audio books and put them on my MP3 player, or watch netflix on line, I need the DRM and functionallity of Windows. If I want to listen to BBC, same thing.
So Linux is elegant for what I sometimes do..surf the web and use e-mail or office programs. If I want to interact with my other devices and media..it needs to be Windows.
It isn't the fault of the Linux OS, it's just a Microsoft world..stuff is developed with that in mind. Some day maybe the OS won't matter but I still need Windows but love the speed and simplicity of Ubuntu if I don't have to use the terminal.

[JordyD]

I can get music/sound files on my iPod Shuffle with Linux...
I can watch movies online with Linux... (I've never tried NetFlix, but I don't know why NetFlix would be any different)
I can listen to BBC at news.bbc.co.uk with Linux...

Is there something I'm missing in your post that disallows you from doing these things?

[bastones]

Ubuntu is a fantastic OS, but yes everything is very Windows centred. Ubuntu isn't well known so I doubt any manufacturer would sell a Linux-based game in the shops or even produce one for the shops, it probably wouldn't sell.

I have had a few teething problems getting Ubuntu set up on my ADVENT laptop but after searching and searching I have it all up and running with wireless and all.

I doubt things will change unless MS get summoned to the EU courts more :popcorn: (joke obviously :P)

[warekl]

I can get music/sound files on my iPod Shuffle with Linux...
I can watch movies online with Linux... (I've never tried NetFlix, but I don't know why NetFlix would be any different)
I can listen to BBC at news.bbc.co.uk with Linux...

Is there something I'm missing in your post that disallows you from doing these things?

No, it's just that Netflix doesn't work due to Digital Rights Management, Netlibrary audio books same thing, BBC 7 same thing... BBC news works but their BBC 7 radio plays etc don't..all well documented.
I can't get my Garmin to work..seems to be a universal issue..lots of stuff doesn't work..not saying that Ubuntu is bad, I think it's great but not for at least 2/3 of what I like to do, so I will set up a dual OS machine and then I won't need 2 machines..
I just wish that there were work arounds for the above that worked but based on my experience and reading the forums about the same issues..they don't work at all or reliably. I hope that down the line more is developed for Linux. Mac has many of the same issues..it's a Microsoft world. As long as we don't completely give up on other operating systems that actually seem to be more stable and work better/faster maybe it will work for more of us as our only OS.

[qamelian]

No, it's just that Netflix doesn't work due to Digital Rights Management, Netlibrary audio books same thing, BBC 7 same thing... BBC news works but their BBC 7 radio plays etc don't..all well documented. .
This just isn't so. I'm listening to "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" on Ubuntu right now. It just requires the Linux version of Realplayer. I've been listening to BBC radio plays on Linux for quite a while.

Netflix, on the other hand, is definitely a no-go on Linux, at least at the moment.

[wolfen69]

No, it's just that Netflix doesn't work due to Digital Rights Management

Netflix, on the other hand, is definitely a no-go on Linux, at least at the moment.

my friend got a firefox plugin that allows him to get netflix in linux. there's almost always a way to do anything in linux if you try hard enough.

and if you feel you really need windows, you could always install windows in virtualbox, so you don't have to reboot all the time.

[bfc]

my friend got a firefox plugin that allows him to get netflix in linux. there's almost always a way to do anything in linux if you try hard enough.

and if you feel you really need windows, you could always install windows in virtualbox, so you don't have to reboot all the time.

Can you please ask your friend exactly what he does to get Linux to stream Netflix. Everything I've read says it's not possible at this time

[Foster Grant]

This just isn't so. I'm listening to "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" on Ubuntu right now. It just requires the Linux version of Realplayer. I've been listening to BBC radio plays on Linux for quite a while.

Mplayer (has Windows, Mac OS, GNOME and KDE interfaces) plays Realaudio streams (and everything else). Linux versions are in the Ubuntu repositories. Never trusted RealNetworks.

[Ericyzfr1]

I am also very interested in a solution for this feature. Thx.

[wolfen69]

Can you please ask your friend exactly what he does to get Linux to stream Netflix. Everything I've read says it's not possible at this time

i'll talk to him tomorrow and find out. it was like user agent switcher or something. i'll post back tomorrow with the info.

[smartboyathome]

i'll talk to him tomorrow and find out. it was like user agent switcher or something. i'll post back tomorrow with the info.

If you need a Firefox on Windows user agent, here is mine:

NAME!
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.4) Gecko/2008102920 Firefox/3.0.5
Mozilla
5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.4)
Win32
Works like a charm for me. :)

[Paqman]

What you might find is that the more you use Linux, the more you'll end up switching to hardware and systems that play nicely with it. As time goes on you'll probably find yourself using that Windows partition less and less.

[handy]

I use an iPod touch as my PIM, it also stores audio books (no music, as I'm not into it these days). My main desktop is an iMac, so why wouldn't I take the easy way out & use the evil iTunes to manage my contacts, iCal & audio books?

I can probably do it another way on the Arch side of the iMac, but I have far more enjoyable things to do than mess around for many hours trying to come up with a solution that I'd be incredibly surprised if it was anywhere near as good as what Apple are providing with the iMac/iPod interface.

There is that whole subject of world corporate domination that we aren't really allowed to talk about since the BY forum was shut down; those of you who have got to know my views know I am sincerely concerned about the ramifications of that subject. Though, I have to say that picking a particular corporation to pick on, such as MS, Apple, Intel, HP or whatever really doesn't change anything. It is the us, the shareholders, the voters, the consumers, where the power to change the world really resides. :-D

[warekl]

This just isn't so. I'm listening to "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" on Ubuntu right now. It just requires the Linux version of Realplayer. I've been listening to BBC radio plays on Linux for quite a while.

Netflix, on the other hand, is definitely a no-go on Linux, at least at the moment.
How do you make Realplayer work? I have it and when I click on the listen again link on BBC7..I get the Iplayer to open, I get a picture of the program then it says Done and I don't get any player controls or audio...

[warekl]

If you need a Firefox on Windows user agent, here is mine:

NAME!
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.4) Gecko/2008102920 Firefox/3.0.5
Mozilla
5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.4)
Win32
Works like a charm for me. :)
Is this code that I would run in Terminal?

[qamelian]

How do you make Realplayer work? I have it and when I click on the listen again link on BBC7..I get the Iplayer to open, I get a picture of the program then it says Done and I don't get any player controls or audio...
I didn't do anything to make it work. I just downloaded the deb from the Realplayer site and installed it. Then I ran it once from the menu to do the setup which amounted to letting it install the mozilla helpers and telling it the speed of my internet connection. That's all, as far as I recall.

[warekl]

Same here but won't play BBC7..plays other stuff though...

[qamelian]

Same here but won't play BBC7..plays other stuff though...
Weird. It has always worked fine for me. There are several BBC 7 shows that I follow regularly, and I only run Linux on the machine I use for listening to online media.

[warekl]

Does iPlayer open or RealPlayer?

[smartboyathome]

Is this code that I would run in Terminal?

No, that is for the user agent switcher addon for Firefox. It makes it look like you run Windows to the rest of the Internet.

[qamelian]

Does iPlayer open or RealPlayer?
iPlayer, but as far as I can tell iPlayer is just a shell for RealPlayer anyway.

[warekl]

No, that is for the user agent switcher addon for Firefox. It makes it look like you run Windows to the rest of the Internet.
How do you get around the need for Active X controls?