Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

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Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

Ok washu it was a long time ago.

[NxB]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

not 'buntu. why did you post that? what makes it better?

I like the interface better. Its based on ubuntu so the packages work. It makes gnome look like what KDE once was. Best of all its not called some gay african word.

*May not be a reason to switch from Ubuntu if you have it set up. If you are rolling out a new machine, I think its better out of the box.

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Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

OK NxB I'll get that Linux Mint 7 Gloria too. I think even RatDude will agree that its still all Linux under the hood so to speak. Now I was getting pissed last night with Kubuntu 9.04 Because I was having problem with the Dragon Player in it. I'd put a Bought DVD in the drive and the Dragon player would tell me that "no media was present." I could then reboot the PC and pick windows xp as the OS and the same drive would play the very same movie just fine. Then today it dawned on me. I have two sick drives that I use in this Lappy anyway. They could be the issue with dragon not seeing the media. Got another acid test in mind. I'll do a dual boot on the Dell desktop and see if Dragon can play movies on it. "As RatDude sits back and laughs at my dumb butt! Thanks RatDude. I'm having a blast. Why can't Mr. Bill make Windows this much fun?

[KeriJane]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

Hi JP

Uh Oh

Trying to play a Store-Bought Encrypted DVD in Linux?

Ummmm... Don't you need a decoder thing of some kind? And doesn't that mean the mandatory $2.50 licensing fee for the decryptor that goes off to the charming people that gave us that CSS thing?
Which kind of runs counter to all that Linux stands for. Oops.

I remember that being a bit of a stumbling block.


Good Luck,
Keri

[etnietering]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

try searching for 'libdvdcss' It's the decoder library for DVDs. I've had to install it before. Way way way back when I was using red hat 9 they didn't have a redhat package for it, so i downloaded the debian package and extracted the file I needed and copied it to the right place, and boom, I could watch dvds

[washu]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

JP: Do data DVDs work? Sounds more like the drive not being detected at all then a CSS issue. Unless the DVD is really scratched to hell the drive should at least acknowledge a disk, even a pressed and encrypted one. You might still need to get a CSS lib installed, but make sure the drive is working/detected first.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

yeah. i have it somewhere... its called libdvdcss4 i think. software patents are legal in the us so its free only where the patents arnt legal. but... the free one will work... shhhh....

[ratdude747]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

IBest of all its not called some gay african word.

ubuntu is a PERFECT name. read what ubuntu means. remember that ubuntu was started in south africa... its the most popular for a reason.

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Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

So in a perfect world I'd send somebody $2.50 "The CSS People!" just to watch a DVD that I already paid for the first time? Hell No! Here is what I say to that!
Windows Xp Home Premium-Didn't cost me a dime. Came with my free Dell PC.
Updates just fine! No tricks. No cracks needed.
Vista Home Premium-It was free from my brother. No cracks or hacks needed.
I don't like it much but I would use it if I had to.
Windows Xp Media Center Edition-Again it was free from my brother. I'm going
Install it after I get my good video card
fixed, and install my TV card.
Nero 7 Ultimate-Nero 7 basic OEM came with the PC. A serial # from the net
made it the ultimate edition for me. Zero cost...Sweet!
Power DVD-Came with the PC. It works. Its free, and I like it.
DVDFab5- Paid for this one. It worked great a long time then oneday it didn't
work so well anymore. I thought it was the progie messing up. As
it turned out my burner was dead.
DVDFab6-Got it online. It worked good but I got tired of the Nag buy me
screen when starting the progie. Got a serial # for it
somewhere
I have a shit pile of movies here that for some reason that are now region free and lack any form of that CSS or what ever you call it.

[NxB]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

Mint comes with a lot of "proprietary" codecs installed, thats another reason I like it over ubuntu. I know what ubuntu means and that the company is from SA. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

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Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

Will the media player in "mint" play the DVD that kubuntu can't?

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Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

You know, in retrostect I did come down on kubuntu hard last night just because it wouldn't play my store bought movie. In all fairness in this area regular Xp is somewhat the same way, and the needed 3rd party extras cost money. Now I could also use some of the shareware progies for these tasks. Some of these free ones are very good too. If I remember right "stock" right out of the box all that regular Xp can do with a DVD is play it. I could be wrong here because I always run a bunch of 3rd party codecs in my PC. Maybe Xp shares this short comming with kubuntu in this area.
Now on the subject of the "Evil CSS People," here is the way I see it. When I buy a DVD movie didn't I also just pay the css people a bribe just incase my newly bought movie ends up "copied" for illegal resale? Didn't I also pay then a bribe when I purchased my DVD bruners as well as my burning software? I think that there is also a bribe in there to them everytime I buy more blank media. Now there just has to be a bribe to them in my Netflix membership cost too! Just howmany times do I have to pay them for the samething??? My feeling is that if you got a movie legally ie bought or rented it the movie is yours! Its your right to back it up for your own use. Now if you are copying these things for illegal resale you deserve to get your stones busted!

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Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

OK I'm going mental now. I have Kubuntu on my desktop Pc. I want it gone. How the heck do I uninstall it??????

[washu]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

Boot the windows recovery console and use the "fixmbr" tool. It will remove grub. Then you can delete any Linux partitions from within disk management.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

remeber that with windows you pay to play dvd's as well. it was bundled with your dell. the price of the unit included the cost of the codec. the codec was never free. thats the decision of the creators of dvd. they didnt belive in free software. just install what i said and you will be fine, for free. it really works.

the burner itself (the drive) has nothing really to do other than the region code. the rest is software fees. the dvd makers are independant from the css. like the differance between a rental car company and the tool road you're driving on.

try libdvdcss4. its free and fixes your problem.

[ratdude747]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

you do have those rights. thats WHY we have linux. to keep those rights. all of that is not pre-installed so you have control over that. micros*** assumes that buy buying it's product that you dont mind losing rights. the cost of the codecs is included in the cost of the os.

[NxB]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

It should play dvd out of the box. I usually download xvid movies and play normal mpeg2 content so i dunno. They would save a lot of hassle not developing drm and building ill will towards themselves. Instead of stopping copying they've created a mob that wants to literally cut their heads off.

I went to the last Comdex in chicago and made fun of the DRM people. I told them it would be cracked ASAP and that they were selling snake oil. They didn't argue very hard.

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Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

Got it fixed now. It was a bad install on my part. My partition for kubuntu was way too small. Spent most of the day trying to remember my administrator password only to remember that I never enter a password for this during Xp setup. Wishing that I still drank. A coldie would go down so nice about now!

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Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

Thanks washu. That info you posted was spot on perfect. May go download that Mint 7 Gloria now, and try it next.

[KeriJane]

Re: Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Linux

Hello.

That's one of the things I like about Linux... No DRM on the OS.

Mac comes close by insisting that OSX is actually installed on Apple hardware, but other than a hardware check there's no serial number, no Big Brother Activation nonsense, no treating paying customers like criminals.

The truly awful thing about DRM (whether it's OS, software, music or movie) is that it merely inconveniences and annoys honest people.
People intent upon copying DRM-protected stuff are going to do so anyway and will circumvent the DRM in the blink of an eye .

It's a shame those CSS nasties don't sell a Linux variant of a decoder so that honest people can pay them their stinking license fee so as to watch DVDs on a Linux box without going into grey areas.

Have Fun,

Keri