Apr 25, 2009

Journey in Ubuntu jaunty (9.04)

After I use Ubuntu 8.10 on the office workstation, I start dreaming one Ubuntu laptop. It the right time now, because of the new release of Ubuntu 9.04 - Jaunty!

1. Install the Ubuntu 9.04 to my external USB disk.
Yes, here, I install Ubuntu on my EXTERNAL USB disk, because this T60 laptop belongs to the corporation I am working for, and Windows XP has occupied the whole disk.
BTW, if you wanted to be very safe, you can disconnect the internal disk when you are installing Ubuntu to the external USB disk, just like me. In this way, you do not want to care the magic device number assigned to the external USB disk by Ubuntu installer.
I ever installed RHEL AS 4 on this external USB disk using the same T60 laptop, that was totally a craft. After installation, the init ram could be loaded by grub but it could not go ahead because it does not have the driver of USB disk. So, I had to add serveral kernel modules about USB external disk to one config file, re-compile and re-package the init ram. After 4 hours googling, testing, I finally got the RHEL AS 4 ready and then I forgot all the steps after one week. Today, when I need one Linux on external USB disk again, I choose Ubuntu and think maybe it can be easier after 2 years. I am right, the whole process is same as that of installing on internal disk, except that I choose the external disk as target.
Wow, the boot-up becomes even more faster than Intrepid and now, it detects my WIFI home network and is asking me for the password. Oh, what is it...?

2. Choose one best repository mirror in Synaptic.
I live in Beijing, so the default mirror is one server in China, but it is so slow.... For better experience in the future, the Synaptic chooses one mirror with ".de" as suffix. The download becomes much faster after that.

3. Install additional language supports
Of course, I choose "Chinese". It is really easy and smooth.

4. Install the firefox flash plugin
Go to any web site having flash content, such as sina, one dialogue of firefox pops up for choice of flash plugin to be installed, I choose the Adobe flash plugin.

5. Add software repository
In "Ubuntu Software" tab of Synaptic's repository setting dialogue, make sure the main, universe, restricted, and multiverse sources are all checked (or ticked).
In "Third-Party Software" tab of Synaptic's repository setting dialogue, make sure the partner sources is checked (or ticked).
Add medibuntu

6. Install "ubuntu-restricted-extras" in Synaptic to play restricted media format
Many packages will be downloaded and installed.

7. Some additional software installed with apt-get install:
vim, gvim - well known editor
xchm - chm reader
perl-doc - documentation of Perl
filezilla - ftp client
mplayer, w32codecs libdvdcss2, mozilla-mplayer plugin - for video
gparted - one tool to manage the partition
audacious, - a mp3 player similiar to the xmms
manpages-dev, glibc-doc - man page for C development on Linux
libstdc++6-4.3-doc - html doc of the C++ Standard Library

8. Software installed with "Add/Remove Application"
NVIDIA X Server Settings
K3b
Umbrello

9. Setting of the audacious
Do not forget to choose "ALSA Output Plugin" as the current output plugin in "Preference->Audio" setting panel.

Refer to "10 Tips for After You Install or Upgrade Ubuntu"

Apr 19, 2009

京东折腾记

年前, 为了归档大量的数据, 我在京东买了一个移动之星睿博SU35 3.5寸移动硬盘盒+日立(Hitachi)1TB 7200转32M SATAII盒装台式机硬盘, 1月8日到货, 没想不到这却成为一番折腾的开始.

1月13日, 我终于找到时间把它们都装好试试看, 结果笔记本电脑根本就无法识别到硬盘, 在网上一番搜索又找了有经验的同事问, 才发现硬盘盒只支持SATA 1协议, 而我的硬盘是SATA 2接口的, 问题是此硬盘盒在京东的网页上介绍的是支持SATA协议, 我自然以为它和别的硬盘一样支持SATA 1和SATA 2了. 无奈, 只好去申请退货, 按照同事的建议, 又到京东去问了客服, 买了一个元谷悍马硬盘盒, 接下来便是无尽的等待, 每次电话过去都解释因为过年, 物流紧张. 2月19日, 物流公司的兄弟们终于过完了年回来上班了, 我的悍马也在京东的仓库里过来个年后来到了我的办公室. 可是, 居然还是不行, 拿了同样的硬盘盒过来接上我的硬盘也不行, 而我的硬盘盒接上别的硬盘却一切正常, 呜呼, 难道硬盘也坏了, 因为那个不配套的硬盘盒接口? 再换! 可是在申请退/换货的页面那里才知道过了7天, 只能返修. 我填了返修页面, 把事情的前因后果, 一肚子委屈写得清清楚楚, 第二天收到京东的电话, 又详详细细地唠叨了一遍, 估计他们也怕了我, 物流马上把硬盘取走, 过几天又送了一块过来, 我一对序列号, 果然是个新的, 天可怜见, 这次终于大功告成, 一大堆的数码相片, 数据备份等等把家搬到了这个1T的新世界里去了.

这个过程历时1个多月, 对京东可谓爱恨交加, 心情跌宕起伏, 最后总的说来还是满意的. 我在京东只买过电脑配件和外设用品, 感觉价格还是挺公道的, 最关键的是没有假货之虞, 而且送货上门. 现将它和其它两种购买方式做个比较:

以前去中关村买, 最头疼的不是需要专门跑路, 而是被人坑, 不管是眼镜片后闪烁的眼神还是殷勤的招呼, 都让人风声鹤唳, 特别是你在同一层楼发现同样的商品报价相差20%, 简直要强迫自己去把所有的相关柜台都问一遍.

比起淘宝, 京东的产品也更让人放心, 想必大家都领教过淘宝上那些夸张的产品介绍. 京东的退货便捷, 门槛低, 而且我每次都有道理, 所以勿需负责退货产生的物流费用, 而我在淘宝的退货物流费则一律自己负责.

不过, 京东毕竟是一个B2C的购物站点, 商品类型是没法和淘宝比的, 比如我想买个话务耳机在家开电话会议用, 京东上只有1000元以上的几种专用耳机, 而淘宝上从10块到1000多都有, 所以, 比较好的选择是先到京东看看, 再到淘宝搜搜.

总的说来, 去中关村买数码用品已经是一个下下之选了, 难怪看报道说很多人都退柜了, 我估计除了金融风暴, 京东, 淘宝之类也分流了很多用户.

最后就网购数码用品给几个建议:
仔细看产品说明, 以免买回不兼容的产品, 最好问问客服或者掌柜, 确认后再下单
到货后马上测试, 保存好包装及其它物件, 这样退起来不容易扯皮
还是别在新年前后网购了, 大家都得回家过年呀.