Linux Almost There
Every 6 to 12 months, I get the urge to format my home computer and install whatever the current hip distro of linux happens to be. For the past few times it has been Ubuntu. So about a month ago, I installed Ubuntu on my computer. Let me disclaim that I am a geek, I know this stuff inside and out, so your results may vary… this is not necessarily written for people looking to get into linux for the first time, there are definitely better write ups about that.
I did some research first, as I always do, to make sure that the common tasks I use my computer for would be supported. All I really use my home computer for are the following things, along with the Win32 software that provides that feature and what I expected from linux:
- Anon Proxy Server: proxy for access web sites blocked at work (linux obviously supports this with squid, better than windows)
- µTorrent: downloading torrents remotely (torrentflux ended up filling this need rather well, only quip is no support for broadcatching rss feeds)
- MediaMonkey: sorting, tagging, renaming, and organizing mp3s that are downloaded (I was pretty sure I’d find software for this feature, such as amarok or banshee but it wound up being a problem)
- MediaMonkey: syncing above mentioned mp3’s to my Creative Zen Vision:M (mtp device) (a few packages e.g. gnomad2, amarok, mtpfs claimed support but all wound up being problems)
- Skype: Skype with my Linksys CIT200 wireless USB handset(there is linux support for Skype, but no drivers for the CIT200 handset, I was aware of this issue going into it, so I don’t hold anything against linux for this, mainly Linksys)
I know this article seems pretty negative so far… but there are some benefits to linux based operating systems. I love how the file system is laid out, I love how the services work, I prefer KDE/kWin to the WindowsXP interface, I like k3b better than Nero, and a few others. I think open source is a good idea, and I like being able to hack my own features or modifications into software and then recompile them for my own use, or submit the patch for integration into the main software if I think others will use it.
Anyway, on to the breaking point for me this time. Currently, Linux support for my MTP portable media player is HORRIBLE. The support barely functions in applications that claim it… the device crashes after syncing every time and needs to be reset and spend 20 minutes rebuilding it’s library. Also, I’m definitely spoiled by MediaMonkey. You can look elsewhere on this site for a MediaMonkey write up. But Amarok (a solid software package for what it is) doesn’t even come close to MediaMonkey’s functionality, especially when it comes to retagging and reorganizing mp3 files. I feel like tagging from Amazon is a feature every mp3 organizing software package should have, and I literally can’t live without it. It also syncs flawlessly with my Zen as well. I can’t blame Amarok for the poor syncing, I really think it’s the fault of libMTP, which may improve drastically in the next few months I hope.
As far as torrents go, uTorrent is probably still the best software. I personally can’t stand Azureus, I really don’t like java software, and Azureus really just seems to lag where uTorrent screams. I wound up using TorrentFlux which was AWESOME. It’s a PHP based front end for BitTornado which is a great console torrent client. If uTorrent did have it’s own awesome web interface, I’d probably miss it.
Other than that, the desktop has come a long way, I think the average person can be really happy with linux as it is now. I prefer KDE over Gnome, both are good, but I think KDE is better for first time users. And I think Ubuntu is the best distro regardless. I’ll check back in maybe 6 months, see what the state of libMTP is and if it can truly replace the syncing ability that my device has with Windows right now.
