My Story So Far

English Open Chat
#1

Hi to All Guys There.

This has been my story so far:

I have been using Windows XP for couple of years now. And I shouldnt say I hate it cause it also has taught me so many things. But then I was really bored using Xp. I appreciate it for its simplicity but it really cant take you to higher joys. Its was like I was still reading comics when I was mature enough for novels.

I recently had installed opensuse 10.1 and for my surprise I could install it without any help! (for the rumour here is, Linux is tough and meant for programmers). But I started to face the reality. The installation ride was not so smooth as Xp. And my graphics card and sound and wireless didnt work. I couldnt read a word from the screen and enjoy no music. Moreover openSUSE 10.1 sometimes while booting got stuck on the step “Activating Device Mapping”. So sometimes I could use openSUSE sometimes I couldn’t. But I had made my mind about trying out Linux and fancy off (initially that was my only intention) as Linux user and pretend intelligent (remember, Linux is tough and meant for programmers :)).

Then I happen to visit this openSUSE forum and things changed. I thought I should try out openSUSE 11.1 and I waited for eons to download. After I downloaded I installed openSUSE 11.1 successfully again, or more correctly updated 10.1. The updation did some wonderful things, it mounted my windows C and D drives and I could listen to sound of openSUSE booting up and the openSUSE never stopped at “Activating Device Mapping” step.

But the few things still didn’t change, for instance:

  1. Graphics card drivers were not detected and so it was really hard to read anything on the screen.
  2. I could just listen to the sound of openSUSE booting up but never to the mp3s.
  3. I cant watch videos. No codecs.
  4. My wireless doesnt work.

I read a few posts and I could fix the first two problems.

And I am sure I can fix the next two too. Thanks to you all guys and such a wonderful community. I wished had I only known you existed a lot more before!

Well to continue with the story… I learnt how windows Xp and Linux differ in their philosophy. And I learnt the following things

i) Use windows and you never know what your system is capable of.
ii) Use windows and get stuck into the routine.
iii) Use windows and know things only what it lets you know.
iv) Use windows and never experience higher Joys.

Linux is so different, absolutely amazing. And I sure m gonna transit to linux. Linux teaches me more. It makes my experience with my computer lively and interesting. It teaches me to be more adventurous and most important thing it has taught me is this

“After using Linux I need not fancy as intelligent and knowledgeable. After using Linux I would be intelligent and knowledgeable.”

And the desktop effects just take my breath away!

Linux is fabulous!

Thanks for reading the story and please do critic the story!

Nihilanth.

#2

Welcome to openSUSE Linux.

Typically, most openSUSE users obtain their codecs from Packman, by installing libffmpeg0 (which will pick up a bunch of codecs as a dependnecy) and also w32codec-all. Sometimes extra codecs such as xvid and libquicktime0 are also installed from Packman.

I typically recommend new (and average users) set up their openSUSE software package manager with just 4 repositories (where a repository is a file server on the internet with a number of openSUSE Linux applications and or drivers … ). The 4 I recommend are OSS, Non-OSS, Update and Packman. Just those 4. No others. Adding others can cause problems. There is guidance for adding those 4 here: Repositories/11.1 - openSUSE-Community Again, just those 4: OSS, Non-OSS, Update and Packman. After you learn more about Linux, and how to identify problems by having conflicts between repositories, and how to fix the problems, you can add others. But not until then.

Once you have those 4 repositories installed, go to YaST > Software > Software Management and change the “filter” to “search” and do a search for the following and install the packman packaged version of these applictions: smplayer, mplayerplug-in, libxine1, xine-ui, vlc, libffmpeg0, w32codec-all, libxvidcore4, libquicktime0. That will also install a number of dependency applications.

You can tell Packman Packaged versions of applications because they have a “pm” in the file version. If there is no “pm”, then you do not have a Packman packager packaged version.

That will give you the players smplayer (front end to MPlayer), xine, and vlc for playing video with codecs. That should get you started.

#3

Welcome to openSuse, Nihilanth. If you are into learning then Linux is definitely the right place for you. I still learn new things every day even after using it for over 3.5 years.

#4

This is what I have tried:
I had downloaded a .tar.bz extension file of all codecs of Mplayer from the link Index of /MPlayer/releases/codecs. I then unzipped them and later pasted the zipped contents into two specific folders i dont remember now, they were probably /usr/lib/codecs/ and other m not sure.

I had tried this cause I read this in a magazine. I tried opening .avi extension video file after that using Totem player and I was not able to watch any movie.

I havent tried what you have posted here. I will try and let you know.

Thank you.

Nihilanth.

#5

I do not recommend that for beginners.

The recommendations given by magazines are often NOT suitable for beginners. Dependant on the subject matter, even experts can struggle with some magazine suggestions.

Good luck.

#6

Hey oldcpu, I tried what you had told me, I went to the community repository and in the list I could only find “packman manager”. The OSS and Non-OSS were already existing in my list. But I couldnt find the Main Update Repository. How do I determine the “Main Update Repository”? Has the name changed? But I did find the repositories with update and debug and I downloaded them. Thankfully I can play my videos now :). ANd as you had psoted it downloaded vlc and mplayer and smplayer. Thanks a lot!

#7

Main update is either called ‘main update’ or its called ‘update’, … but it is there in the YaST list. I suspect its the repos called ‘update’ that you setup. IMHO you don’t need “debug” and can remove “debug”. :slight_smile: If you still can not find “update” post, and I’ll do a screen dump and post a pix as to what it looks like in YaST.

Glad to read you can play videos now.

#8

in mine it is (exactly) “Main Update Repository”

–
MultiplePersonality

#9

Nihilanth,
Welcome to our forum & Opensuse it’s very good to hear you want to learn, we usually get whiners. Please don’t become one!
As to Packman here’s a link:
Additional YaST Package Repositories - openSUSE
I don’t know which will be closest to you in India(Australia maybe?) The proceedure for Installing it into your Yast
1.Go to the above link
2.Right click the link(maybe Australia) select Copy Link
3.Open Yast go to Software Repositories
4.click Add click Next(in the lower right)
5.Paste the link from step 1 in the URL space click Next
6.Once you’re back at the Software Repo Window click OK
7.You’ll be asked to import the key click yes
Done!

Oldcpu,
Looks like another happy Suser thanks to you;)

#10

Nihilanth, Welcome to SuSE :slight_smile: You can add the “main Update repo” from Yast. Click “configure” on the top of YAst. Click “Configure Repo”. There in the next page you will see the repo’s already added. At the bottom, there will be option of “Add”. Clic it, then “Search community repositories”. You will get a list of repo’s in which there will be the “Main Update Repository”. Select it and then in the next page select “Enable” and “Autorefresh”. Then “OK” and the task is finished. For listening to music (MP3’s and all that), I use Amarok or Banshee (Amarok is a KDE thing and Banshee a Genome music player). For watching movies I use VLC player. I will suggest that if you are using KDE, just stick to KDE4.1 in opensuse 11.1 till you get the feel of the things. After that you can go to KDE4.2 that is awesome but can give a lot of headache :)… Hope I have helped… Have a nice time :slight_smile: