AcarsD for Linux

A place to discuss airband listening, frequencies and anything related to this area of the hobby.
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neil-c
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AcarsD for Linux

Post by neil-c »

I have given up trying to re-install Windows XP on my old puter. Only got so much hair to pull out :evil:
Very seriously thinking about installing Ubuntu on it and running my PlanePlotter through my newer tower system that is far more stable with XP Pro.
I gather AcarsD has a Linux version, but has any one else tried it?
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by welshy9 »

whats up with xp ? maybe we can help
neil-c
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

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Do not get me wrong, I love XP, but this re-install has been a nightmare.
wont update correctly and all sorts. I have re-installed XP so many times I should know it like the back of my hand but it has not gone well tonight.
Did a dual boot with Linux in no time and is working great.
I`m not going to admit defeat though, I will work out why XP did not install if it kills me lol.
It is actually a 7 year old copy of XP, I think the prob is still getting the updates.
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neil-c
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by neil-c »

Oh well, what a load of cr@p Linux was.
At least I can say I tried it but it is still very basic compared to Windows :(
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radiogaga
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by radiogaga »

neil-c wrote:Do not get me wrong, I love XP, but this re-install has been a nightmare.
wont update correctly and all sorts. I have re-installed XP so many times I should know it like the back of my hand but it has not gone well tonight.
Did a dual boot with Linux in no time and is working great.
I`m not going to admit defeat though, I will work out why XP did not install if it kills me lol.
It is actually a 7 year old copy of XP, I think the prob is still getting the updates.

Are you installing a vanilla instal? Support is good until April next year.

Is the PC time/date correct? That will create all sorts of issues with XP installs...
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neil-c
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by neil-c »

Yes, It was a re-format and fresh install job. I think it is a case that it needs the updates now as some programs are missing some stuff needed to install or run.
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by neil-c »

Seems the puter was on its way out. It was freezing up on yet another re-install so the wifes got me a reconditioned Dell 2.8 gig dual core tower system with 4 gig ram and running Windows7 pro 64 bit. I`ll just transfer the gfx card and dvd re-writer over to it and it should do me fine saying it only cost £130 :D
Just got to remember how to set PlanePlotter and the Micro-adsb up then :shock:
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kr0ne
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by kr0ne »

neil-c wrote:Oh well, what a load of cr@p Linux was.
At least I can say I tried it but it is still very basic compared to Windows :(
Hehe... maybe something to do with you having 7 years experience with that copy of XP and zip with Linux? ;)

Was going to say, if you couldn't get Windows working on that machine then you probably wouldn't fare much better with Linux - but I guess you came to the same conclusion already.

Assuming your copy of Windows is legit, when you start running into unexplainable problems with a brand new install that you have performed loads of times before, that's usually a good sign that it is time to start looking at the hardware...

Ah well, good excuse for a nice "new" box. Always a good thing in the end. :)
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by neil-c »

I think I definatley need more experience with Linux kr0ne lol.
As you say, it was hardware related problems so it would not have made a difference to which install I tried.
Going to put a second hard drive in the new one and try Linux again. My mate swears by it so I am going to set it up under a dual boot with Linux on the second drive.
I do like the idea of Linux so I am certainly not going to give up with it, hopefully I might have a better opinion once the new puter is set up. It does intrigue the geek element in me :)

Btw, which distro would you recommend? I tried Unbuntu but some have said Suse is better. Just looking forward to the new toy now. Nothing better than setting a new computer up :D
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by kr0ne »

Linux based operating systems are incredibly powerful and in a league of their own... if you have a reason to use them.

I truly believe that anybody will have a far better experience using the operating system that they are most familiar with though, be that Windows, some Linux distro, OS-X, or whatever. If your goal is to tinker about and learn new things, then go for it - you will love it. If you just want to use your computer though, stick to what you know best as you have already invested years honing your skills there. :)

I came from a Solaris and SuSE background once upon a time but these days I hardly touch either of those operating systems. I work with RHEL quite a lot on servers now and also CentOS, which is the same distro to all intents and purposes except you don't have to pay for support and updates.

I would recommend CentOS to anyone over SuSE these days, but only because of the amount of knowledge help and support on the internet. (I always preferred SuSE, but what you gonna do?)

I also work with Ubuntu on desktops mainly, although also on a couple servers that run apps that require it. At first I hated it as I always thought of it as a toy really, but I have to say that I have come to really like it. It's based on Debian, so is actually quite mature and my personal opinion is that it is the only Linux distro that stacks up against Windows / Mac OS-X as a desktop OS.

Others may (and do) disagree with that but the graphical user interface is slick, works well and is intuitive to the point that if you left a Ubuntu laptop at your mum's house, she could figure out how to check her email without any help. A crucial test for any desktop OS! :P

Where Linux really comes into it's own (and surpasses Windows) is scripting and development though. It is incredibly powerful in this respect and when you work with Linux a lot you quickly get used to the fact that you can achieve almost anything with a Linux system. If a program lacks a feature that you require, there are usually several ways to add that functionality yourself without resorting to rewriting the program.

Of course, this requires a whole new set of skills and knowledge in itself. You can't go within a hundred yards of the Linux community without hearing about all the wonderful things you will be able to do if you install Linux and about how configurable and customizable it is. Your operating system your way, never be frustrated by the constraints of Windows again etc. etc...

The truth is, if you already had the level of knowledge and experience required to really get into the nuts and bolts of Linux in that way then you would already be doing similar things under Windows using VBscript / Powershell etc.

Don't get me wrong, Linux based operating systems are definitely more powerful than any version of Windows in this respect, but there is a very steep learning curve and I think the inevitable frustration that comes from jumping in without realising this puts a lot of people off for life.

The Linux community is it's own worst enemy in this respect.

OK, this has turned into a really long post so I'll leave you with what I think is the single most helpful piece of advice I can give you. Take a look at free virtualisation software such as VirtualBox or VMware Server (now discontinued but still available).

If you haven't come across the term before, virtualisation is the process of emulating one or more virtual PCs within a physical host. This is the way that all professional server hosting is going and the technology is now very mature.

You can basically build and install as many systems as you like without ever shutting down or leaving your main OS. Very cool. :ugeek:

One tip though: You will often find that interacting with a graphical desktop on a virtual machine can be a little sluggish when you access it through the virtualisation software interface. To get around this, set up VNC on your new virtual machine and then use a free VNC client to connect to that.
neil-c
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Re: AcarsD for Linux

Post by neil-c »

Got the new system and I am more than happy saying it only cost £130.
Turns out it was the gfx card on the old one, if the wife finds out she will kill me :shock:
I put the gfx card in the new one and it slowed it to a crawl, I have never known this with a gfx card before. Usually if they have been going they have displayed screen anomalies or I used to get regular bsod`s. Luckily the new one has got a 256 meg onboard graphics so I will get a new card so I can dual screen it again.
Managed to get PlanePlotter back on it (forgot what a pain that can be to install) so alls good that side of things, That leaves me with potentially a 4th computer that I can set up as a dedicated Linux system once I get a cheap gfx card for it :D
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