Ubuntu 9.10

I realise that I am speaking either to the converted or to the disgruntled (only these two types of people read this blogue after all) but Ubuntu 9.10 is proving jolly good and worth the investment of about 20 minutes for the update.

Ubuntu 9.04 was great. But I confess that I had messed up the installation of Flash and so Youtube never really worked. This is more important for us because basically all we ever watch on TV is Sky news in the morning and then Youtube videos (mainly music). So it never worked under Ubuntu.

Under 9.10, however, installing Flash was a breeze and Youtube works just as well under Ubuntu as under Windows - maybe better because the OS is lighter, more efficient and quicker.

Installing new software is so easy under Ubuntu. And it is all free. And it runs fine on all sorts of PCs including the new old stock feeble old thing we bought off eBay for peanuts when the school said Gwilym needed a computer.  

I spent the bulk of yesterday afternoon reinstalling Vista on a colleague's laptop. It worked fine, though I had given them the usual warnings (this normally goes wrong and takes three days to finish...) The student centre PC is in a constant loop of restarting Windows following a badly timed off-switch. and Windows 7 is too big and demanding to run on any of the Davey PCs - even on the fast one I have in my office.

Bof. I can take a hint.

Comments

Larry said…
so you clearly prefer l'ubuntu. What are your thoughts on Macs?
10:54 am
Alan said…
I think they're wonderful and I hope one day to buy a refurbished one from the applestors website. Maybe a refurb macmini. Strangely the UK site is MUCH cheaper than the French one.

Otherwise they're great but too expensive for the likes of us !
11:07 am
Larry said…
and for the likes of me ...
Sorry to hear about the clutch. Will pray some money comes along for you
9:09 am
Alan said…
Thanks Larry !

Normally in November we have an unforeseen bill for 600 euros !

I think, personally, with my enormous mechanical expertise, that the cable failure does not mean that the whole clutch needs changing...

But we'll see ! God always does something to sort these things out.
9:14 am
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A bit about music exams in UK and France

They're really different. I think I have already mentioned that while in the UK people generally find a private teacher for their instrument, or do it through a school scheme, here there are municipal music school, conservatoires and so on. The situation is a little more complex than I had first understood, because the schools vary in the rigidity of their organisation: the most, the conservatoires, next the municipals, then the associations. Our music school is an association, but it tends to apply the standards of the municipal schools with its programme of cycles, etc. Britain - grade 1 to 8, grade 8 being roughly equivalent to A-level, pre university/conservatoire. France - 3 cycles, each taking about 4 years, with 3ème cycle being roughly equivalent to grade 8. Theory of music - UK to take grade 8 you need theory grade 5. In France you study theory alongside your instrumental studies, very slowly. Catrin's flute music is MUCH more difficult than the stuff she does in theor...
Read more

Good news from my sermon buddy

Yesterday we went over my script from August 13. There really wasn't much she had taken exception to. Once or twice she wondered quite what I was getting at (they had the same problem at Deeside, I think...) and I do have difficulties with the word " de ", but then she said "Who doesn't?" So I felt very encouraged. I also took the opportunity to ask her about one or two things: 1) Direct preaching. Like I used to in Britain, I preach saying you - using "vous" when I am talking to the whole wide world and "tu" when I want it to feel as if I am addressing each person individually. French preachers tend to say rather "What will we do, what will one do". So I asked her if she felt my way was too direct, too brutal for the French ear. She said "I think you can get away with it with your English accent". In fact several people have commented on how much they appreciated being spoken to directly in preaching. 2) Liaisons Last...
Read more

A brief sortie to North Wales

 Following the Great Keswick Debacle, when our volunteering at the Keswick café was sabotaged by our assorted indispositions, we had airline tickets to use up. Yes, we had not taken travel insurance, so we paid even more money to change our tickets to fly for a short visit to North Wales. This time we were able to go. We passed extremely slowly through a very crowded Bordeaux airport but in good time to get our plane. All seats in the terminal were taken so we leaned against whatever we could find while waiting to board. Hey, bags need seats, too! though sometimes pointing out to Pat, "No, that's a bag seat", makes the bag find a new refuge on the lap of the person sitting next to it... Once on the plane we quickly found our allocated seats - right at the back on the left hand side - stowed our bags and the flight was smooth and uneventful.  We had 30 minutes in Manchester to disembark, get through immigration , hustle off to the station and board our train for Shotton. I...
Read more