Ubuntu?? Actually quite rubbish without internet!

[Jaaks]

So I tried to load Ubuntu 10.04 on my home pc right. Got cd loaded and all great now what? Updates requires over 200Mb of download. OMG that is crazy I don't even have internet at home so what to do?
Go to work install Ubuntu on work machine connect to internet and download updates! Great now what?

I cannot even play music or run any windows apps as promised from Ubuntu on my home machine unless I connect to internet!

Conclusion Ubuntu actually is rubbish because many South Africans don't have internet and it is frigging expensive.

I have searched forums and tried 10 different ways to do this but there are non that just work!! This is a tremendous shortfall in Ubuntu and that is why I will just continue using windows for now. I praised Ubuntu to all my friends and now look like total idiot because they all tried it from the CD I gave them but also can't do anything with it. Totally useless operating system unless you got loads of cash to download all the stuff and install millions of apps using funny codes!

I downloaded numerous apps at work but cannot get them installed at home??? Ubuntu people please sort this out asap.
Advertise links so I can download repositories to dvds or get updates easily from one machine to another. This is way too complex I would rather use illegal windows that works before I use supposedly "free" Ubuntu that does not work. :( :( :( :( :( :(
And now I can't even post my thread because I got too many unhappy faces? See even Ubuntu forum is not user friendly!

[TNT1]

Hey, a post in SA's area... Yay...

Sorry to hear your troubles mate.

1. Ubuntu is perfectly good with no internet, my kids use edubuntu (the edubuntu desktop downloaded on 10.04) and I hooked it up to the internet for updates for the first time in 200 and something days. All good.

2. Programs downloaded at work, now you can't install? Please give some more detail.

3. Ubuntu is perfect for many South Africans who can't afford the internet, cause this is another thing they don't have to pay for. (in my business we interact with several NGO's and Government departments who roll out services to rural areas, and a great deal of our technology is open source based, primarily to reduce costs.)

4. Please don't advocate "illegal windows" our poor little country has a bad reputation as it is.

5. There are plenty of Linux peeps here on your doorstep who can and will help you.

[sikander3786]

Sad for the problems you are getting.

An internet connection is necessary for almost any PC nowadays. Actually everybody spends lots of time in front of the internet and uses Computer for online purposes.

Still if you've got a working internet connection somewhere Ubuntu is installed you can download all the updates to that PC, install all codecs and all the apps you want and then use APTonCD (http://aptoncd.sourceforge.net/) for creating a CD or DVD based repository for further use, both you and your friends.

[Jaaks]

OK so I realize I am overreacting but I was soooo looking forward to using Ubuntu and now I can't that is what is making me negative all the setup required.

I search internet for stuff like "ubuntu vlc download" and 99% of links say use this update or that Software Installer and all assume you have internet!

So I downloaded:
VLC_Offline_installer_10.04_For_Ubuntu_10.04.tar.g z
and try to run it in Ubuntu but it opens some kind of zip window with a something.so file and then I cannot do anything.
So I go to terminal and try to run it but can't make it look in right folder on my flash drive cause I dunno how? Yes lazy but it should just work right?
skype-ubuntu-intrepid_2.1.0.81-1_i386.deb
Also does not work it just wants me to download more files.

I also copied the var\cache\apts\archive folder from my work pc after I updated everything and after huge struggle could copy it into my home pc (sudo nautilus)
But now what the files are there but it seems like I have to run them all one by one!!! over 200 files. Pointless exercise.
Tried to run the VLC*.deb files but they do not work either.
Can anyone help me out. Maybe we can chat after hours if you in SA too! Free minutes I got internet not so much! LOL ;)
PM me or mail me at jaaks@webmail.co.za

[Rasa1111]

well,

before i got DSL,
I had dial up, So i couldnt get it to work.
so no internet on the ubuntu comp at the time.

i wanted to watch my movies [saved], and play my music until i could get it online.

I did just that.

I used google, and these forums,

and I downloaded "VLC offline installer" with my dial up,
and "ubuntu restricted extras" with my dial up (on a windows machine at the time)

I saved those files to a thumb drive,

plugged in thumb drive to ubuntu PC,
loaded up the files, they installed and did their thing,

and I could watch or listen to anything i wanted [that i had on file].

,
Totally useless operating system unless you got loads of cash to download all the stuff and install millions of apps using funny codes!

that is rubbish.
but it's ok, you just don't understand is all.

I am quite poor, no loads of cash here, brother.
you dont need cash to download anything,
and you dont need any "funny codes" to install anything these days. lol

You need a working internet connection for any OS you freshly install.

Try installing windows on a PC, with no connection.
you won't be happy.

I understand it sucks for you, and for many people,
but if you can acquire access to an internet connection for a short period of time,
you can do all you need to do.
with absolutely no money or rubbish.

good luck

[Jaaks]

Thanks guys I will get it working because I want to ok!

[stefanor]

Updates requires over 200Mb of download. OMG that is crazy I don't even have internet at home so what to do?

If you don't have internet at home, the security updates aren't as essential. In fact, you won't even know you need them, unless it can connect to the internet.


Go to work install Ubuntu on work machine connect to internet and download updates! Great now what?

The easiest solution to this is if you have *some* internet connectivity at home. From Synaptic Package Manager, you can "Generate Download Script" which you take to work and run. There are options even if you have no connectivity, but it's probably less important.


I cannot even play music or run any windows apps as promised from Ubuntu on my home machine unless I connect to internet!

We can't fit everything onto a 700MB CD. You'll find the DVD has a bigger software selection. If you want more than that, get a DVD set (We have a set of 7 DVDs containing all ubuntu packages on the UCT Freedom Toaster (http://wiki.clug.org.za/wik/Freedom_Toaster))


Conclusion Ubuntu actually is rubbish because many South Africans don't have internet and it is frigging expensive.

As opposed to? Windows and OSX both come with no software at all. Ubuntu can do quite almost everything you need out of the box.


I downloaded numerous apps at work but cannot get them installed at home?

You are better off not doing that. This isn't Windows where download random programs from the Internet. Instead, get your software through the Ubuntu distribution channels, that way everything will work a lot better.

Yes, you'll be way happier with a fast internet connection at home, but it's not necessary. I used to use Debian off CDs before I had Internet access at home (10 years ago). Nothing has changed that fundamentally since then.

[paparozoumis]

skype-ubuntu-intrepid_2.1.0.81-1_i386.deb
Also does not work it just wants me to download more files.


What is Skype good for someone who doesn't have an internet connection?

[Jaaks]

Funny one papa funny one I was trying to figure out how to et these irritating tar.gz files working but still no luck.

[who_da_fly]

Jaaks, leave the tar.gz files, you don't want them on an Ubuntu system. If you want to install software, make sure you either use your package management system, like others before me have said, or make sure you download a .deb file, and install it with a program on your system called GDebi (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware#Using%20GDebi%20to%20install%20 packages). GDebi can install .deb files, and makes sure that your package management system knows about them (this is very important!!). As an aside: don't use the "dpkg" command unless you know what you're doing.

For more information on installing software and package management, read the "Installing Software (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware)" page on the Ubuntu Community Documentation (https://help.ubuntu.com/community).

Also, I suggest you read an article called "Linux is not Windows (http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm)", which should help your transition to Linux. From a random forum post discussing the above article:

[Users] believe all their previous computer knowledge should be transferable and applicable to a new computer operating system, and when it is not, the fault in their view is not in their attitude, but rather the fault is in the computer operating system developers for not designing a system where they can transfer their knowledge seamlessly.
Don't get caught in that trap.

[who_da_fly]

Jaaks, have you downloaded and read the Ubuntu Manual (http://ubuntu-manual.org/)?

[Jaaks]

Downloaded the Manual and will get to reading it soon.
Thanks for all the support guys!!!
Still not getting everything working properly but getting there very slowly!

[Rasa1111]

Downloaded the Manual and will get to reading it soon.
Thanks for all the support guys!!!
Still not getting everything working properly but getting there very slowly!

That's what is so nice about Ubuntu/Linux, (besides how beautiful it works) lol

That there is a whole community of people ready and willing to help anyone who needs it,
and will often sit with them and explain things until they figure it out, regardless of how long it takes.

and rather than just taking a windows PC into the computer store, and saying "here, can you fix this for me"?
while never actually learning how it got fixed,

We are given the opportunity to ask large numbers of people for help, and learn how to fix these things ourselves!

It is a beautiful thing.

Don't hesitate to ask questions/create threads for help,
whatever it may be.

But that manual is super for beginners!

Ive been using only Ubuntu for about 8-9 months or so,
and i just took a look at that fairly new manual the other night..
and found myself sucked into it,
reading about things I already knew very well,
yet i kept reading anyway because it was so well done. lol

[who_da_fly]

Still not getting everything working properly but getting there very slowly!

Yup, that's how we all get started. In fact, when I started using Linux full time about 5 years ago, the hardware support was worse than it is now, and I found it quite easy to get up and running. Linux isn't Windows, just like Mac OS X isn't Windows, and it takes time to get used to another system, so you just gotta be patient.

If you have questions, come and post them here, or join us in IRC (you can do that easily via the web chat on www.ubuntu-za.org), and ask us. A lot of the folks that use Ubuntu in South Africa have no internet access, and most of us have the usual limited internet access, so we have already crossed that bridge and are more than willing to help others.

[jmagundunui]

I use superOS ubuntu . it is your normal ubuntu distro with all media codecs and wine (for runninig windows apps ) preinstalled so no internet is required.:D CHECK the this link http://hacktolive.org/wiki/Super_OS enjoyyyy!!!!;)