Yeah definitely. If you are a “power user” of anything in specific, then you need to choose your setup based on your needs.
I am a linux sys admin, pretty clear why I choose to run linux on the desktop/laptop 
Lol I know you. I figured your level of *nix experience and understanding package management is above most people just starting off. Lol.
haha yeah i figured you’d know that
I noticed that I spelled it wrong before…tried again same result:
cns@cns-OptiPlex-GX620:~$ sudo aptitude search flash
sudo: aptitude: command not found
Go to system>administration>software soruces. If its not there then go to: System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager : >> Settings >> Repositories
Make sure under ubuntu software the main ones are checked. You can leave the sources one unchecked. On the other software tab, check the two canotical ones and then click ok.
Go to the termianl, do: sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get upgrade; sudo apt-get install aptitude
^ That worked thanks. After checking the boxes in the Repositories settings I just had to do the sudo apt-get update in order to be able to install Flash from the Ubuntu Software Center.
bows
did ubuntu remove aptitude from the distribution?
:shrug:
oh, look what I found. Might be helpful to you ProgRocker
I’ll have to run through that list, thanks! I’ve already done #9 on windows before…wasn’t overly impressed with it.
yeah, i’m not a big fan of media centers…but these completing these tasks are good “homework” type tasks that will help you learn how to get things installed and setup.
x2 - I used Fedora and was impressed with it. Plus, 90% of my job deals with LINUX/UNIX event though I work on a Windows machine lol
Latest distro did remove aptitude they are pushing people towards Software Control Center, which is a pretty slick interface.
---------- Post added at 08:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 PM ----------
Not sure how much I’d push a noobie to using non-official repositories, PPA’s are generally safe though but third party ones can be asking for trouble.
Number 4, This one actually seems safe and pretty cool reminds me of the days I ran Debian and had to use the free.fr repo for mplayer and w32codecs
Number 15, I don’t get, Sun and Open JDK are in the Ubuntu official repo’s
Number 19, Conky is very cool, if you have used Avedesk on Windows or GeekTool on OS X same idea.
I think I am gonna get my linux PC up and running again. I miss it. I would love to put it on my MacBook Air to be honest but not sure the compatibility mostly with the multitouch mouse.
I’ve got a ton of different distros - x64 Win7 and Natty Narwhal on my laptop; x64 Win7Pro and NN on my desktop, as well as an Air with XP via Virtualbox.
I had Natty running in the VBox previously, but never got it to work with the multitouch, but I didn’t try too hard.
As for the OP’s thoughts, if you’re a Linux noob, then it’s best to stick with the long-term releases (you can change in the update manager settings). As for older laptops/desktops, I’ve used “thinner” x86 versions of Linux, like Mint, Xubuntu or DSL. In terms of usability, the new setup with Natty (11.04) is more “noob-friendly” than the menu-based ones from Maverick (10.10) or Lucid (10.04), as most of the time, you click-and-search for the app you want, rather than drilling down menus.
And personally, I use Win7 for most things, but I find it easier to rip DVD’s to MP4’s with Ubuntu/VLC/Handbrake.
good to see I am not crazy
Yeah, adding repo’s could be bad, but it’s a good thing to learn how to do. Idunno, I didn’t read through most of it, but at a glance it seemed like what the OP was looking for.