This Linux biz is awesome, can I put it on my other computers?

Why, yes, you can I'm glad you asked.

Sorry about the delayed updates.  I haven't really been using my Raspberry Pi lately, but I did manage to trash the Windows install on my Laptop.  It was entirely my own fault.  If there's anything more dangerous than a total noob, it's a noob who knows just enough to get herself into trouble when trying to 'fix' things *sigh.*

I've been meaning to dual-boot¹ my laptop for a while now, and get back into using Linux. I figured I'd take the opportunity to get Linux up and running. Here I am nearly 3 months later and I haven't even bothered to reinstall Windows. Not even for gaming (but that's a post of its own). As with the Raspberry Pi, the first step is to decide which Distribution² to use.

 Most of the Linux Distros I've used have been based on Debian. Most recently Raspbian, but before that Antix and Ubuntu. So I figured, since I loved all the Distros based on Debian, then Debian would be even better - right? Well, no, not for my purposes. The 'problem' with Debian (for a nooby user like me, and perhaps you if you're reading this) is that most of the nuts and bolts programs that work behind the scenes are so out of date. An example is libc6 - the program that runs C languge programs. A lot of programs use libc6.  Thus a lot of the games and programs I wanted to install, well, wouldn't. I could have compiled the programs for my computer (and version of libc6), but that's a lot of work, so instead I switched to Ubuntu. I highly recommend this distro. It's beautiful, modern, and easy to use. Its compatibility to Windows Games (through Play Linux Online) means the RPGs I'm into (every one I've tried so far) all work in an easy plug and play fashion. In fact many of them run better under Ubuntu than they did in Windows 7. Especially older games in *shudders* compatibility mode.

There are a lot of reasons to choose a distro based on Debian. Its massive repos³ for starters. Sure, there are other ways of installing software, but this is by far the easiest. Ubuntu is not quite as stable as Debian, and if you don't want to install newer software then Debian is a fine choice, but I feel Ubuntu has the best of both worlds. It's still pretty stable, but modern enough to game on. Linux Mint is another option (also based on Debian) that's gaining in popularity. I haven't tried it yet, but it seems like it might be more Noob friendly than Ubuntu. Give it a try if you want, a lot of my posts will apply equally well to Mint as to Ubuntu. If you want to do more research on which is the best Distribution for you DistroWatch is a great place to start, and will give you the lowdown on all the things.

So now we (I) have chosen a distro, next is to choose a Windows Manager. Sorry, I know. Just when you think you're getting a handle on it there's another layer. First you have the Operating System (Linux) and on top of that layer is the Distribution, or Distro (Ubuntu), now this? Another layer? What are we making, an Adriano Zumbo Cake? Well, no, this is the last layer I swear. But, arguably, one of the most important. The Windows Manager will determine how you interact with your computer. It is the very top layer between you and your machine. Because of my laptop's tendency to overheat I decided against installing Unity (the default Ubuntu WM) which is graphics intensive. If you have a flash new computer, then it's fine. It is highly configurable and reasonably intuitive.

For my old beast I went with XFCE4 (also called XFWM). It's a solid Windows Manager. This is easier on your hardware than Unity, and is simple to use - especially for Windows peeps, who will feel a bit of deja vu at how it is set out.  It is not as pretty out of the box (by a long shot) as Unity, though you can change some things and there are themes available.  I'll be doing a few how-tos on making it prettier in the weeks ahead.

The easiest and best way to install Ubuntu with XFCE as your windows manager is to download Xubuntu. It comes with XFCE instead of Unity, so saves a little bit of room on your download and HDD when installed. Installing Unity when you don't need it is a massive waste of hard drive.

If you want to Dual boot with Windows there are a few headaches, which I managed to avoid by avoiding Windows.  If you really need Windows though, here's a neat how-to:
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxtipsproject/installation Sorry guys. I'd like to help, but I'd rather not put myself through a Windows install if I don't have to.  =)  Have fun!

Burn the disk image (ISO) file you've downloaded to disk using your fave software for this kind of thing. Right clicking on it should give you some options.  Plug in the power if you're installing to a laptop (pretty important for a Desktop too I guess =p).  If you can plug into a router using ethernet it's helpful, but not vital, so if you don't have a net connection don't worry.  Start the Install, and go and make a coffee.  It won't take much longer than that.  The 'good old days' of hours long installs are, thankfully, done.  At least for us Linux users.  Welcome to the club.  :)





DualBoot - Dual Booting means running more than one operating system on your computer. So, for example, on you Raspberry Pi you might like to run Raspbian for normal use, and XBMC for media use. Dual booting allows you to pick which one when you start your computer, rather than have to have separate SD cards (or Hard Disk Drives for larger computers). The most common configuration is Windows and one of the Linux Distro², though you can dual boot anything. Windows XP and Windows 8, MacOS and Linux, or even MacOS and Windows (crazy kids).

Distro - The Distribution, or Distro, is the specific Linux you are using, which is packed with various other applications. Some examples are Ubuntu, Red Hat, Mandriva, Debian, Linux Mint, Raspbian, Xbian, etc.

Repos - 'The Repos' or Repositories are where the software that your Distribution live. Debian has the largest selection of software in its repositories. Software based on Debian, like Ubuntu, has access to these repos as well as its own.

Now What - Old School Gaming

The Raspberry Pi is good for so much more than watching the movies and tv shows you've recorded though. I love being able to use my computer from my couch, and here are some of the things I've been up to.

Games

Old school style. No, that doesn't mean Doom - Before that, a long way before. I was born in 1978, so grew up with text adventures (though not as many as I'd like) and point-and-click adventure games (ditto). Actually, though I played them at school occasionally, and was totally obsessed with a couple of Infocom games my mother bought me, it wasn't until I 'rediscovered' them as a teenager (in the bargain bin in game shops) that I really got into these games.  Coming back to them yet again, in my 30s, they still hold up remarkably well.

Text Adventures / Interactive Fiction

Gargoyle was easy. Just type:
sudo apt-get install gargoyle-free
into the command line. After that you will need to run it (gargoyle from the command line, or there will be a link in your your programs bar, under 'Games').

Gargoyle is a front end for text adventure formats (just like XArchiver is a front end Archiving tools). It plays:

• TADS games (a newer format for amateur writers,
• Z formats z3 - z8 (Infocom, also popular with the new IF (interactive fiction) breed),
• SAGA (Scott Adams Grand Adventure)
• Level 9
• Magnetic Scrolls
• A heap of others.

Chances are, though, if I haven't piqued your interest by now you should just jump down to the adventure games section (or skip this post altogether if, immersive, story based gameplay isn't your thing) :p.

There was a bit of chatter on the forums about Zork.  Yes, gargoyle will play it (it's in the z-code formate).  Now that it's been released into the wild it's easy to source too:
http://ifdb.tads.org/search?searchfor=zork&searchgo=Search+Games
Just download the files from the Interactive Fiction archive.  Make sure you grab the z-machine files.  When you can either click on the name of the game you want to play, and choose to open it in Gargoyle.  I recommend ticking checkbox to always open those kinds of files in Gargoyle, so that in future all you need to do is double click on the game file.  Though opening a game from within Gargoyle is also easy.

The IF database is a good place to go for games.  You won't be able to find copies of other old favourites from the commercial realms because, while they're not still in 'print' (more's the pity) they are still covered by copyright and haven't been released by their makers.  You may be lucky like me and be able to grab a few from ebay, or source them elsewhere.  You can read details about the game on the archive, but you can't download it.

What the archive does well, though, is make the great output of 'amateur' IF writers available to play.  Though many of these writers are only 'amateur' in that they never got paid.  The four and five star games are at least as high in content, quality, and polish as the games of yore, and many of the 3 star games are also great fun (if a little lacking in polish).  Look through the lists, or do a more detailed search if you're looking for a certain type of game.  Heck, you can even start your own list, or get recommendations based on other games you like - just look down the bottom of the game description.

If you're new to all this (good on you for stretching your horizons) or it's been a while I highly recommend a play through of The Dreamhold by Andrew Plotkin.  It's an engaging game, lots of fun, and it has an 'adaptive' tutorial (ie the tutorial can read the info about how you've played the game so far and give you hints based on that.  Feel free to type 'help' at any time to get more info though.

Hopefully that's enough (too much???) to get you started.  Now, on to the pretty pictures.

I've decided to split these posts up, as I may have waffled on a little too much to include them both in the one update.

Getting Started

First things first, we have to get some kind of operating system running so we can use our Raspberry Pi.  I chose Raspbian because it has hard float, is recommended by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and (this was the clincher) because portmanteaus make me smile (I am an English major after all).  If you are a complete and total noob, then it might be easier to buy an SD card with Raspbian (or one of the other operating systems) already installed.  If you'd like to know how to make your own, though, here is a step-by-step.

Step 1:  Download the latest Raspbian version from here:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads

(it was 2012-09-18-wheezy-raspbian.zip for me).

Step 2:  I'm going to assume that most noobs will be running windows on their home machine, and thus will need to download and unzip Win32DiskImager.

Step 3:  Insert a blank compatible SD card in your SD card reader, open up Win32DiskImager, and select the image you downloaded in step 1 (it should automatically select your SD card as the write destination).

Step 4:  Click the "Write" button.

Step 5:  Wait (patiently or impatiently) for your SD card to finish writing.

Step 6:  Eject it from your SD card reader, insert it in your (unpowered) Raspberry Pi, then connect everything up and go!

Step 7:  Set Up.