Ubuntu 11.04 LTS - CRAP + Stable Stuff = JULinux 9

I don't like to badmouth anyone or anything but I want to tell you what is happening in the JULinux world. For reasons still unknown to me JULinux 8.5 beta has issues with the Finish Install script that I need to fix or have a friend fix.

So what will JULinux 9 be? Well it will be what JULinux has always been. We take Ubuntu and fix Canotical's mistakes the best we can and then shrink it down as small as we can and put a Finish Install script in it. Sounds easy doesn't it? You would think so but Ubuntu is becoming more and more unique and all together different from what Debian based distributions looked like and acted like just a few years ago when we were still using xorg.conf files, were able to change the settings for screen savers and customize them, had a customizable ALSA mixer, and every game made to work on Ubuntu just worked, and the hardware support was great. Also the people in the IRC chat rooms were uber geeks who could diagnose and fix any problem.

Now days it seems like everything has changed. Although NVIDIA's proprietary drivers still rely on the xorg.conf file to load and save settings Ubuntu has stopped providing support for it crippling NVIDIA's awesome configuration tool. PulseAudio is suppose to be completely reverse compatible with ALSA and allow ALSA dependent apps to run correctly however this is not always the case. I have to admit ALSA does not play nice when an HDMI video card is present. Wine just doesn't work like it use to on it's own and needs PlayOnLinux to be complete but most people don't know that. Having the computer save in .doc, .xls, and .ppt by default is a must for M$ office bound users but instead users are daunted with strange open source file formats that their bosses and teachers can't open and will not accept. Everyone is pushing for ATI's use with Linux because it's more open source but lets face it NVIDIA just works better. The Gnome interface scares my clients when I try to introduce them to Linux so JULinux has the well known ( http://download.famouswhy.com/julinux/ ) custom interface based on GnomeXP that is much easier for users to interact with and is much more intuitive.

JULinux 9 presents more challenges because Ubuntu seems to have removed Gnome ALSA and other ALSA packages from the repositories so the existing JULinux scripts will not work. Libraries and codecs for OpenShot Video Editor have also been removed. The solution is to get these packages from a different source and insert them into the Finish Install. The problem is that mixing packages into Ubuntu that are designed for a pure Debian distribution can cause problems. The plan is to at least temporarily enable Debian repositories in Ubuntu where the packages can still be found and then after the packages are installed remove these repositories so that there are no conflicts with Ubuntu. I have done this before with Ultumix. Why not just stick with Debian? Debian just doesn't have the same hardware support Ubuntu has. Another issue I hope they get figured out is getting the right version of Blender installed so OpenShot Video Editor will work with it. It would be nice to have the new CG stuff work in OpenShot.

A lot of people are telling me people are in the mood to revolt against Ubuntu and start over with another distribution to replace it that is once again community driven and not Canotical driven.

JULinux 0.1.5.0c is out now.

I finished uploading JULinux yesterday. I've tested it here and it worked 100% without glitches of any kind when doing the install in the proper order. I am not convinced yet that it is perfect or without glitches so that's why I haven't anounced it on Sourceforge.net or the torrent sites. You can go to www.justuselinux.com and click download and get a copy if you like. All the notes are there. Please test it out for me and let me know what you think. If there are errors you can reply to this e-mail or you can click the Feedback tab on the left side of www.justuselinux.com. Or better yet post in our forums.

Awesome Changes!:

1. First of all I split the Failsafe Installer up into 10 files and uploaded them to ftp.mindblowingidea.com and there are direct links on my website with (as far as I know) unlimited download speed.
2. Second Linux could not be easier to install now with all the codecs, utilities, games, and compatibility than JULinux. Why? We have made the install process completely automated. All you have to do is agree with it and answer a few questions.
   
3. This time we used a graphical GRUB boot loader that is compatible with more systems and it just looks better. We also fixed the Splashy by replacing it with Usplash and adding a custom theme. I'm sure you will also like the welcome message at the gdm log in screen. ;)
4. Ultamatix will automatically start when ready and install all of your favourite extras (with the exception of OpenOffice.org 3.0 and extra OpenOffice.org Clip Art) After Ultamatix is finished Envy will automatically open and prompt the user to install their NVIDIA or ATI driver. If this fails to work after a reboot the user is instructed to download and install their driver manually in the simplest terms possible.
   
5. Assaultcube now actually installs! Even though playdeb's repos and Ubuntu's repos don't support Assaultcube in 8.04 you will find that it will install and function properly.
   
6. Our new Failsafe Installer requires 3 GB less storage space on the Hard Drive during install.
   

I think you will agree that this version of JULinux is by far the best we have ever put out. Please let us know. Go to www.justuselinux.com and either use:

1. The Feedback tab on the left side.
2. The Mailing list.
3. Or best of all the Forum.
   

JULinux Alpha 0.1.2.5 Is Out ! Now it's your turn.

JULinux Alpha 0.1.2.5 is out and the only thing it lacks are finished install scripts. We need to know what you want in your Linux. Right now we have scripts called the following:

• Install All Your Favorite Games! (Optional)
• Install Extra Codecs (recommended)
• Install Utilities (recomended)
• Ultamatix (recomended) -- Currently down until the repo is back up again
• Ultimate Edition Themes (Optional if you want that Ultimate Edition look)
• Update Your System to 9.10 UNSTABLE! (Absolutely not recommended!)
  
• Video Editor Installer (Optional)
  

If you have ideas for other scripts or what to put in these scripts please reply here and let us know. Thanks :)

JULinux Alpha 0.1.2.5 is available for download here: http://www.mindblowingidea.com/JULinux

So Why The Scripts?
The idea here was to make a Linux Distribution that was able to work with WINE flawlessly, support all the Linux supported games, while at the same time fitting on a CD. The scripts will install everything else including openoffice.org after you install off the CD. This way anyone can install JULinux. After the final stable release of JULinux is put out on CD we will make a DVD version with the same scripts that will have some of these most common programs already installed.