Annoying Ubuntu Problem Solved

As is usually turning out to be the case with these things, I have found a solution to a problem that I had been facing on Ubuntu (Karmic Koala) in the excellent Ubuntu forums. The problem was this: the quick search bar on Synaptic was greyed out and unusable. Thanks to forum members, it's now resolved. Head on over to the link below to see the solution.

In brief, it's the case of a missing package, though why it stopped working one fine day is beyond me. Oh well, software will never be perfect I guess. Nor will human beings!

The Ubuntu Journey

Remember I mentioned that I was going to try and switch over to using Linux - and Ubuntu in particular - full-time? Well, that effort is into the second week and going strong. Stronger, I should have said, since I've switched over to Ubuntu at the workplace as well. And I'm enjoying every minute of it. What with eye candy like Wobbly Windows, built-in support for Last.fm in Rhythmbox, why wouldn't I? (And yes, the icon of the clouds that you see on the top panel in this screenshot is that of a weather widget. There are weather widgets that sit on your desktop on Windows (built-in in Vista and Win7), Mac and every other OS, but I like this one for its unobtrusiveness.)

Using a computer is so much fun again. The only instance when I had to boot into Windows was when a DVD misbehaved, and wouldn't play on Rhythmbox. I'm positive it would have played on VLC, but I hate that program, and so didn't install it. Haven't done yet, and never will probably.

Bugs Bunny, yes, but bug funny?

Yes indeed! I mirthfully submit, ladies and gentlemen, Bug Funny!

Karmic Koala

That's the name of the Operating System that I'm running. It's the latest version of the Ubuntu Linux distribution that has taken the pride of place on my laptop. It's a long story, but here it is in a nutshell: I got tired of paying for every bit of software on my machine when I could get the same, similar or better quality software for free.

And thus it is that I'm into my second day of using Linux as my primary operating system. I've attempted this in the past, but my resolve then wasn't up to much - I'd always switch back to Windows, because that's what I was most comfortable with. No, I'm not a Linux newbie, and have played with Linux right from the day when the Indian computer magazine PC Quest used to promote Linux as a toy for geeks. I've had my share of long nights out installing, configuring and troubleshooting various distros, but never have my attempts at replacing Windows been successful. So, how is it different this time?

Firstly, the quality and number of programs that are now available on Linux have increased tremendously since those days. In fact, over the last few years, there has been a tremendous amount of momentum behind this Debian-based Linux distribution called Ubuntu. I got sucked into the Ubuntu wave about four years ago (when Hoary Hedgehog and Breezy Badger were the latest versions), but it hasn't been mature enough for me until now. Secondly, my reasons for using a computer these days are primarily to surf the Net, check email, chat using Instant Messengers and occasionally, program. For the last mentioned last, I've started using Eclipse, after much reluctance (yeah, there's no love lost between me and Java). Lastly, I like alliterations :-)

So, how long will this latest attempt of mine last? Forever, I hope. At any rate, I'll keep you posted. In the meanwhile, here is a screenshot of my desktop:

P.S. Does this mean the end of Windows on my computer? No, Windows will always live forever. Er, I mean, I'll have it around, just in case I run into a situation where I don't have a replacement for / equivalent of a Windows program. But for the time being though, my Karmic endeavour begins.

My First Web Community Service ;-)

Today, I made my first ever technical post on the web - something that's not a reply to someone's question. I know it's no big deal, that there are people who have contributed so very much, but hey, I've got to make a beginning, ain't I? As a matter of fact, it's yet to be "approved" by a moderator and published, but I'm confident it will be. If you see a How-to article for connecting to Google Talk from Ubuntu (Dapper Drake) in the Ubuntu Forums, then you know it's me ;-)

The post should be available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1871266&highlight=gtalk+http+proxy#post1871266